Adventures of the long-lost blogger!

Ok, here goes - it has been TWO months since I last blogged. I can't believe the way time slips past. Since that time I have been working four very busy days a week on a three month government contract which finishes at the end of November and I am now in Week 8 of a 12 week Body Transformation Course with Michelle Bridges on-line. She's the trainer from Biggest Loser. I've lost 5 kilos and feel much better and stronger.

However, leisure time has been at a premium and as a consequence my blog has definitely suffered from gross neglect!

Since September I have run 453km, resumed RPM/spin classes at the gym, yoga weekly classes, Bodybalance, abs classes and strength work. I have also very recently started cycling again and just crazily signed up for the Tour de Femme in a week's time. Considering I have only been cycling on cycle tracks it will probably be a bit scary. Tomorrow I am meeting up with friends at 6.30am for a cycle round the course on the roads. Hopefully most people will still be in bed and there won't be too much traffic!

A few of us went to Melbourne for the Half Marathon on 10 October (great date - 10th of the 10th of 2010). We stayed a few days and had heaps of fun. I ran the half a few minutes faster than the Vets' Athletics Half, in 2hrs 2mins. I still didn't break the two hour barrier but it will happen again.

Track has resumed at the AIS and the Cross Country spring series on Tuesdays will continue to the end of the year. My goal is to break 15mins for the 3k on the track (I ran it in 15:09 on Thursday) and 25mins for the 5km cross country. That will be tougher - my first run on Tuesday was 26.32 so I have a wee way to go!

Last Sunday the monthly Vets handicap was held at O'Connor Ridge, one of my favourite courses. It had rained heavily overnight and was still raining hard early on the Sunday morning. However, the rain cleared just before the run and the conditions were perfect - cloudy, cool and great off road running. Apparently this is the most difficult course on the Vets calendar but I prefer it to a lot of others and I felt really strong and ran comfortably for no obvious reason. I just had a good day but just before the finish Debbie came whizzing past me and scored a bronze medal. I was just pipped at the post and finished 4th eligible but consquently have now been re-handicapped back seven groups. Next month's handicap will be tough!!

I have been running on Sat mornings with Ewen and Andy and sometimes Jen. Last week Thea joined us and it was great to catch up with her. We always enjoy our coffee afterwards at the War Memorial cafe where the lovely Liz joins us after her long run. These are the best times - the coffee breaks after our runs.

My intention now is to keep my blog updated and to never let it get back to this state again. To sum up keeping fit and running with excellent company is keeping me healthy and happy. These are the best of times.

Photos: Jen and Richard; strewth and Yelena - at the speedygeese dinner in October

Mr B, strewth, CJ and her son Robbie at The Press Club for a sumptuous dinner in Melbourne

Rain, rain, go away!

Saturday

All night long and all today it rained and rained. Tonight it is still pouring down and the wind is blowing fiercely outside. This morning I drove to the War Memorial and met up with Margaret, Jen, Andy and Ewen for a very wet soggy run. We didn't end up starting the run until after 9.30am by the time everyone arrived. Fortunately the wind had not picked up at that stage but it was raining really hard with no sign of letting up. We ran from the war memorial along Anzac Parade down to the lake, over Commonwealth Ave bridge and on to the Wetlands detouring along the new path instead of the very muddy trails. Past Molonglo we took a shortcut through Duntroon - still very soggy underfoot. There were large puddles everywhere and we had fun splashing each other and ending up absolutely sodden right through to the skin - shoes and socks squelching! We only counted six other runners out there although we know there were lots of other crazy people running earlier.

After the run we all had to completely change at the War Memorial before heading inside the warmth of the cafe for great coffee, cake and conversation. We felt like we had run twice the distance we did. Here's hoping next Sunday is a lot better weather than this for the Canberra Times fun run! It was pretty dreadful weather today!

I am so glad I have hardy running mates because it would have been really tough running on my own today.

Total distance: 14.44km

Time taken: 1hr 39mins

Average pace per km: 6:50 (lots of stopping and clambering through mud and puddles)

Wednesday Run

Today was my first day back at work in a new job. I enjoyed the challenge and the company. I think it will be ok. I just have to get back into routine again. That could be interesting!

Today was not a wildly pleasant day weather-wise but the evening was not cold as I set off from Parliament House at 5.45pm with Ewen, Chris and Andy. We ran down to the lake, along Anzac Parade and on through Commonwealth Park where they are setting up floriade which will open to the public in a couple of weeks. It was good to have enjoyable company and the rain held off so that we could run slightly further than we have lately on Wednesdays.

Total distance: 11km

Time taken: 1:11

Average pace per km: 6:28

Thursday with the speedygeese

After work I quickly changed into my running gear in the very fancy changing area downstairs in our brand new office block before driving to Dickson Oval to join the speedygeese training. I haven't been to Thursday training for ages, the main reason being that the oval keeps being closed due to rain. We really have had a lot of rain over the past few weeks. There were 13 of us including our speedycoach.

After a couple of warm up loops of the oval the main session consisted of inverse pyramids with reverse recoveries. These were:

80secs fast/60 slow; 60fast/40slow; 40fast/20slow; 20fast/40 slow; 40fast/60slow; 60fast/80slow; 80 fast.

Fortunately we just listened for speedygeoff's whistle to know when to change speed!

After a short break we ran 440m fast/440m jog x two.

We finished with another warm down loop of the oval.

I felt like a bloated slug and was by far the slowest tonight. I had far too much soup at lunchtime and that was a big mistake. I'll remember just to have a sandwich next Thursday.

Total distance: 8km on a surprisingly warm evening.

Vets' Monthly Handicap at Mt Taylor

On Saturday I enjoyed a bike ride with Mr B, a long walk with Teddy and saved my run for the Vets monthly handicap at Mt Taylor on Sunday. Mount is the operative word. The run started uphill and continued that way until the last km when it was a lovely downhill finish. I ran slowly in my usual fashion lately. I enjoyed the trails and would have loved the course if I had trained more on hills and was uninjured. It was a struggle but I still enjoyed it on a pleasant almost spring-like morning with the sun shining. The handicap runs are always a great opportunity to catch up with heaps of people who I only see once a month. Later CJ, Jen and I enjoyed a pleasant coffee in Kingston where Mr B joined us after competing in a duathlon.

Total distance: 7km

Time taken: 43:42

Average pace per km: 6:15

Handicap: 22

Finish place: 79th (out of 89)

Monday training with the speedygeese at Parliament House

I arrived at PH just before 5pm and ran a short 4km warm-up with Ewen before the main session.

Because it was a lovely day today there was a good turnout of geese tonight. We totalled 21 which was great and that included three new starters which is always interesting and fun. After our warm-up loop we headed for the grassy bank in front of PH where we were divided into relay teams and ran fast diagonally down the grassy slope, jogged across the bottom short straight, fast up the long straight, jogged across the top straight and ran fast down the other diagonal. We repeated this for 30 minutes - tough but fun.

We finished with a cool down loop of PH.

Total distance: 12km (including early warm-up)

Today I went for a pleasant 21km bike ride with Margaret. On our return trip we came across Rad and Friar waiting for the start of the Lake G monthly handicap. It was a lovely day out there apart from the cold wind!

Tomorrow reality bites as I return to the work force for three months for four days a week. Ho hum!

Long Run on a Friday!

After a fantastic evening with a few Wednesday running friends I treated myself to a sleep-in this morning, making the most of a few more days before returning to the workforce. Instead I ran out the door after 11am for my long run. As my hamstring troubles me every day now I decided to give it a rest yesterday and not run my long run tomorrow as the Vets handicap is being held on Sunday morning.

It wasn't the best day to choose however. I started in the cold struggling against a bitter head wind and headed down to the lake where it started to rain, firstly sleet then steady rain. However, it soon eased off and for a very short time the sun shone through. In fact for about ten minutes it felt quite warm. It took nearly 9km before my leg felt reasonably comfortable and I could run more or less painfree. At 12km I took off my spray jacket and tied it round my waist but I kept my gloves and earwarmers firmly in place! I had no music so instead had to listen to the sound of my own breathing!

After completing the lake run I headed towards Gungahlin through the tunnel and on for a few kms before turning and heading home. Just 1km before reaching home Mr B ran towards me with Teddy running happily to greet me and run home with me. He is now four months old but still very much a puppy so a 2km run is quite far enough to wear him out but he can run really fast so I finished with a quick sprint!

Total distance: 20.02km
Time taken: 2:07:23
Average pace per km: 6:20
Calories burned: 1,175

Photo: Andy, Jen and Richard

Bring on the warm weather!

6.45am - Gym - 15mins on the rower
7am - 15mins abs class
7.15am - 15mins upper body strength
5.45pm - Running from Parliament House

Only two of us turned up to run tonight and a nasty cold night it was too. I thought we might be running in the carpark but Chris said we should try running outside. It was COLD! I wore my gloves, beanie and spray jacket and off we ran for good conversation and a cold run with splatters of sleety rain on the way out. The wind was nasty at first and it probably took nearly 5km before I warmed up enough to unzip my spray jacket and feel comfortable. We ran from PH through the rose gardens to the lake across Kings Avenue Bridge, Commonwealth Park, Commonwealth Avenue and back to Parliament House. Parts of the run were in shelter and when the wind dropped it was "almost" pleasant.

Without company I would not have been brave enough to face the elements but lots of political discussion made the time pass remarkably quickly.

Total distance: 8km

Time taken: 51.09
Average pace per km: 6:23

I have just been offered a three months contract working four days a week in a government dept starting next Wednesday. Oh dear, I need some warm weather early in the mornings and late in the evenings to make running at that time more pleasant! There are magpies nesting and daffodils blooming - signs of spring everywhere. Hurry up spring weather and lots of warm sunshine!

Hanging Parliament!

Thirty seconds after leaving the house for a run the rain came down. Fortunately it stopped after only a few minutes but the temperature was really cold and on the way out I was struggling against a head wind. I wore a few layers and eventually was able to take off the gloves, ear warmers and spray jacket! On the return journey the wind eased and it became more pleasant as the sun shone in brief bursts.

Total distance: 12km

I did forget to mention that over the past two Wednesdays, due to constant rain, I ran with Chris and Ewen for 7-8km in the Parliament House carpark. When we were tired of running in one direction we turned and ran in the other direction. Great conversation made for good company and helped pass the time. There was even some political discussion which put me in the right frame of mind for when I was asked to meet with speedygeoff and Roger as representatives of the baby boomer generation to give our views of the election campaign to the Canberra Times. They had also interviewed the Y and X generations earlier. It was fun and resulted in an article in the paper just before election day.

Of course now we are still waiting to find out the final results of the election. In the meantime it looks like we have a "hung" parliament.

Photos show Roger, speedygeoff and strewth in Parliament House ready to be interviewed

It's Been More than Two Weeks since I last Blogged.....

And so much has happened in that time. However the title could well be the same as my last one - it's still cold, windy and raining a lot. I am so looking forward to warmer weather - not HOT but warm and still - I have had quite enough of this cold weather!

A brief outline of my runs since I last blogged:

Wednesday 4 August

Total distance - 16km

Friday 6 August

Total distance: 8km

Time taken: 47:45

Average pace per km: 5:58

Sunday 8 August - City to Surf

We had a fun weekend in Sydney catching up with Canberra friends and our daughters who live in Sydney. I felt very comfortable throughout the run but decided to run gently as my hamstring still hurts when I try running with any speed especially up hills. Instead I was happy when Margaret caught up to me and we ran and talked most of the way together. At the start of the run while running alone I thought it felt quite tough starting on a hill but with company (and I don't mean the 70,000 other runners) the real hills felt easy. I just decided to enjoy the day and it was fun with no records broken!! What is more, my hamstring felt ok. I lost Marg in the last 2km when we were interweaving among the runners ahead but our times were only 30secs apart.

Total distance: 14km (plus a 2km walk/jog to the start from our hotel)

Time taken: 86:37

Average pace per km: 6:08

This was one of my slowest C2S runs ever but sometimes it's more about the fun and friendships than the time taken. It was lovely to catch up with Marg's identical twin Gwen from Queensland who also ran a little way with us. Their beautiful mother had died just a couple of days before and they decided that she would have wanted them to run anyway. They are two very brave and special ladies.

Tuesday 10 August

We made it a long weekend in Sydney and drove back in the late afternoon on Monday arriving too late to attend the speedygeese session. Instead I ran from home on the Tuesday for a total of 8km.

Friday 13 August - Jen's birthday

Today, for something different and in order to catch up with Jen on her birthday, I decided to run the weekly Customs Run in the middle of the day. I used to run this event years ago in my lunch break when I worked in the city and it was fun to return. I will try to do this run as often as I can when I'm not working. They are all such a friendly group of runners. It is a handicapped event and I had to guess my start time. Jen ran at my pace to show me the route and it was lots of fun. Later we enjoyed a good coffee at The Deck.

Total distance: 5km (plus 1km warm up)

Time taken: 28:36

Average pace per km: 5:49

Saturday 14 August - Off to Melbourne to crew for Liz

Before heading for the airport I ran from home and down to Lake Ginninderra for a lap of the lake. I haven't run this course for ages and it felt good. The only problem is that my ipod has been playing up and it stopped dead after 4km so the majority of the run was without music. This happened to me at the C2S too but at least there I had company. This time I just had to listen to the sound of my own breathing!

Total distance: 17km

Today (14 August) was our 39th wedding anniversary but no time for fanfare on the day as at lunchtime Mr B took Ewen and I to the airport where we flew to Melbourne to meet up with Liz at the lovely apartment where she had organised for us to stay in order to head for the Tan (a track round the botanical gardens) the next morning to crew for her 100km run.

It was such an exciting weekend. The weather was dodgy to say the least and Sunday (event day) was no exception. Liz had arranged for her brother to bring us a canvas shelter to protect us from the elements. However, the organiser of the run requested that it be taken down as the council would not allow it to be erected. Fortunately Steve's wife had a table on which we could store the refreshments and food for Liz and protect the bags under it during the inclement weather.

We did experience four seasons in one day - rain, wind, sun and cold. It was definitely good to have several layers of clothing and umbrellas for protection! The run started with a 500m out and back before they had to cover 26 laps of the Tan within a 12 hour cut off time. It was great to see Steve and Nick in the 100km event and John and Di in the 53km event which started a couple of hours later. There was one big hill on the lap of the Tan - Anderson's Hill - and it must have felt like a mountain after running it a few times. Many runners selected to walk the hill which was a wise decision!

Liz ran a brilliant run finishing as first female in an amazing time of 9hrs 47mins 10secs. It was a real buzz being her support crew and we had a ball. Her brother ran a couple of laps with her, Ewen ran four laps and I managed three. We had to wait until she had run 70km before we could possibly keep up with her pace!

It was a great day and an awesome experience. We managed to fit in a little shopping, good coffee and yummy food over the course of the weekend. It was a memorable time indeed.

Monday 16 August

Liz flew home first thing on Monday and Ewen and I flew back at lunchtime after enjoying a lovely coffee and chat with Bev (Liz' mum) and a little local shopping. I joined the speedygeese for their main session at 5.30pm running in teams of three. My team was made up of Yelena, Ewen and me and we had to run fast diagonals and up the long straights by the grassy bank in front of Parliament House. The grass was full of potholes and we ran with care.

Total distance: 8km

Thursday 19 August

Today the Dickson oval was closed again due to yet more inclement weather over the last few days. Margaret and I decided to run earlier in the afternoon from my place and down past Giralang and through the tunnel which has been closed for renovations for some time. It was a slow run but good to chat.

Total distance: 10km

Sunday 22 August - Vets Half Marathon

For some bizarre reason I had decided to run in the ACTVets Half Marathon, mainly as a training run for the half marathon in Melbourne in October. It turned out to be a beautifully sunny day, cold - yes, extremely but no rain and little wind - ideal conditions. At 7am I had distress call from Marg who had a flat battery and couldn't start the car. I fast tracked and dressed quickly and drove out to collect her before heading for the start. It was probably the closest we have ever been to missing the start. We had opted for the "over 2 hour" start at 8am and after collecting our numbers and the quickest loo stop ever we ran to the start line just as the starter called out "go". Phew - there was a quick adrenalin rush and no time to feel nervous.

We ran together most of the way. The first 5km felt tough because the only warm-up we had was the run to the start!

The course is a run to the carillon and back and then a run round Lake Burley Griffin which is quite undulating. That last hill at 18km feels very tough indeed. Towards the end I put on a little spurt and finished in 2:06:40 - slow but comfortable. The amazing part was that I still managed to win gold for my age group. The fast 60 year olds obviously stayed home! Margaret was only a few seconds after me but won the bronze - the silver medal went to another Margaret who had run in a later group. CJ, Jen and Michelle ran awesome times and won well-deserved medals. The lovely surprise for the day was that Norma W80 (Luckylegs) turned up from Mittagong to run and in 2hrs17mins not only won gold but beat her own Australian record. Wow!

Total distance: 21.1km

Time taken: 2:06:40

Average pace per km: 6:01

Calories burned: 1231

Later Marg and I headed for the Deck for a relaxing coffee and cake! After that rushed start we needed a coffee break. :)

Photos:

Nick, Steve and Liz

Liz receiving her medal for first woman finisher at the 100k Tan ultra

John and Di after their 53km ultra

Margaret, Ruth, Margaret medallists at the Vets Half Marathon

Ruth, Margaret, CJ, Jen - medallists

Norma, Ruth, Marg admiring Norma's trophy for age percentage

Liz running the Tan - in the rain!

Battling the Cold Air!

Yesterday I met up with Margaret and we went for a very pleasant cycle. Roy joined us half way through and my total distance was 32km. Mind you I had to wear four layers to keep the cold at bay!

The temperature today has been no better. It's just plain cold. I went to the gym at 6.30am for ten minutes on the rower and upper body strength work followed by a 15mins abs class followed by more upper body strength work. Then it was home to change into running clothes and Marg joined me on a run in the mid morning.

We ran from my home past the back of the AIS to O'Connor Ridge and Bruce Ridge where we ran lots of trails and hills on both sides of the ridge. We then returned via Dryandra Street, through Lyneham and back home past North Lyneham along the undulating cycle track. It was tough and slow and very cold especially in the exposed areas of the hills! However, we ran it all and there were lots of steep hills and the company was good. Hopefully that will be good training for the City to Surf on Sunday! At least Sydney will be warmer!

Total distance: 16km
Calories burned: 910

Winter has returned in full force!

Brrrr, it was a cold bleak day today - nasty! I went to the gym for a 6.15am cross-training class. This is a new class for me and is apparently different every week. It's a full hour of a variety of exercises. We started by warming up jogging backwards and forwards across the gym. We followed this with drills, high knees and butt kicks. The main session consisted of all sorts of contortions with the fitball - some very difficult and some requiring balance - lots of abs work and leg and hip exercises. It was quite tricky.

4.30pm - Early training at Parliament House

I made it to the early session tonight and met up with Craig, speedygeoff and Ewen for a gentle 8km run. It had been raining during the afternoon but stopped for our training tonight. It was only 4degrees and I didn't remove my spray jacket and leggings all night. My legs felt tired and the hamstring very sore but fortunately speedygeoff ran slowly with me as his hamstring was hurting too. We ran towards Kingston and back by the lake, a total of 8km.

5.30pm - Hill training session

There were only nine of us for the main training session tonight. I think the cold and unpleasant conditions kept everyone away. It wasn't too bad once we warmed up once more but nobody stripped their top layers off! After a couple of loops of PH we ran up a 100m hill 15 times on 2 minutes. I found it hard work but managed the whole session without coming last!

Total distance for both sessions: 15km

Bush Capital Running Festival

Talk about lucky! After huge threats of rain and bleak conditions the weather for the bush capital events yesterday were ideal especially at 9.30am for the start of the 16km. It was cool but still and overcast with a very light splattering of rain - in fact quite ideal conditions really for a very undulating bush capital run on the trails and hills of Mt Ainslie. Margaret and I started together and finished only 6 secs apart. I managed to run almost all of the way leaving Marg behind on the hills but she caught me on the downhills and flat. I still have no speed! I did have to walk a little on the very steep rough rocky part of the course but I was happy to at least have finished it in one piece although my hamstring was pretty sore in the evening. It was, as always, a well run event with lots of lovely cake, fruit bars and soft drinks at the finish and of course the bush capital mug!

Total distance: 16km (plus 2km warm-up)

Time taken: 1hr 44mins

My time was 8 minutes slower than when I last ran it in 2008. Age has defnitely wearied me!!

After the run I enjoyed coffee with Liz and Ewen at the war memorial cafe where we discussed plans for our pending trip to Melbourne in a couple of weeks where Ewen and I will crew for Liz' 100km ultra run of the Tan. This should be an amazing experience and I am so excited and very flattered to be asked - wow!

Running through Puddles!

Wednesday

6.45am - A warm-up on the treadmill at the gym before the 15mins abs class followed by some upper body strength work.

5.45pm - I met up with Chris and Ewen at Parliament House for a run in the steady constant rain. We ran down past the national gallery, Kings Avenue, Anzac Parade, Glebe Park, the library and back to PH. We ran carefully trying to avoid the biggest puddles and mud. It was a very mild evening temperature wise, just wet! In fact it was quite pleasant as we all wore spray jackets for a little protection from the rain. I was very wet by the finish but a quick towel dry and change of top meant I was ok to drive home relatively dry.

Total distance: 11.2km
Time taken: 1:15:41
Average pace per km: 6:45

Today was not such a good one. I didn't make it to training as I was struggling with a bad headache. I also had to take Teddy to the vet with a sore eye. He's now wearing one of those large plastic collars to stop him rubbing his eye and I have special ointment for him. I'm hoping tomorrow will be better. On the up-side Mr B arrived home today after six weeks in Europe spent following motor racing and the Tour de France. He had a wonderful time. However, his plane was delayed over two hours due to a very foggy morning in Canberra. It has been another grey intermittently wet day and the forecast is not good for the weekend. It doesn't bode well for the bush capital running festival on Saturday! i hope it improves.

The Hills are Alive....

........with the sound of heavy breathing! Yes, tonight at Parliament House we ran hills again. Jen and I met up before the main session and ran down to join the early group on their way back from Kingston, managing to squeeze in 4km before the start.

There were 16 of us for the main session at 5.30pm which consisted of a couple of warm-up laps before we headed for the hills.

Tonight we ran 15 x 100m hills on 2minutes giving time between each hill sprint to catch our breath. It certainly is a good way to warm up on a crisp winter's night. It had been a glorious sunny day - perfect for puppy walking but the night air was very cool!

Total distance including warm-up: 11km

Photos of my puppy Teddy and Jen

Ups and Downs

CJ creates Masterchef recipes - beef stroganoff and opera gateau - yum!

speedygeoff, CJ and Kermit at Blewitts

Wednesday

I went to my usual early morning gym session which included a 15mins abs class. I need all the help I can get.

Just after 5.45pm I met up with Jen, Ewen and Richard at Parliament House. Chris' car was in the carpark but no sign of Chris so we left for our run just before 6pm and headed down to the lake. It was a much milder evening than last Wednesday fortunately and half way through our run we met up with Chris on his return trip. He had left exactly on time tonight and we were running a few minutes late so missed each other at the start.

Total distance: 10km

Thursday

Tonight I returned to training at Dickson Oval. After a couple of warm up loops we headed for the grassy bank to one side of the oval. It was a fun session. We were divided into relay teams of three and ran in zigzag format up and down the hills round white cones. The ups were tough but the downs were fast and it was lots of fun. I really enjoyed the session tonight.

Total distance: 8km

Saturday

As I was on a time frame today I ran from home past the AIS and on to the O'Connor Ridge for a very pleasant hilly run through the trails. Then home again along the cycle tracks. I ran without music as my friend was downloading extra songs for me but I enjoyed the run.

Total distance: 10km

Later I headed off to a cocktail engagement party which turned into a surprise wedding -lots of fun!

Sunday - Vets' Monthly Handicap Run

I drove Marg and CJ to Blewitts for our July handicap run. This was definitely undulating - lots and lots of ups and yes, there were downs. It was a bit rough and muddy in parts but it really was a glorious winter's day. The sun was out and I ran in singlet and shorts, anticipating I would warm up on those hills! I didn't have to walk at all although some would argue that my running was their walking pace. It didn't matter, I was happy just to do it.

Jimmy was celebrating his 200th handicap run by dressing and running the event as Kermit the Frog. It was very funny.

Total distance: 7km (plus 1km warm up) = 8km

Time taken: 44minutes

Handicap: Group 23

Place: 89th out of 104

Later a few of us headed to Weston for coffee and a snack and a lovely catch up. Thanks for organising this Janene. It was fun. :)

It was exciting to watch the final episode of Masterchef in the evening - edge of the seat stuff and I was happy with the result. To me both boys were winners. CJ has been creating some of the Masterchef dishes and I was lucky enough to be invited for a delicious meal to sample some of her creations last weekend.

Almost Worth it??

On Monday at training we ran our usual warm up loops before heading for the steep grassy bank leading us to the top of Parliament House where it's all happening at the moment. Actually, that's not true as it's all 'not-happening' as Parliament as been dissolved and we await the outcome for the new Prime Minister!

We ran up those hills for 25minutes varying the distances as numbers were called from 1-5 and each number represented the length of the hill, 5 being straight to the top. 25minutes can be a long time running up and down hills. It was tough but fun and 15 of us participated. On the last sprint to the top we were allowed to stop and count to 5 at two points on the way making the last part of the sprint to the top as fast as possible. We were then told to admire the view from the top. Yes, it was gorgeous up there looking down on the twinkling lights. It almost made the effort worth it!

We finished with a little run away from Parliament House. Although it was a shorter session than usual it was definitely a quality one! It was good to see our speedycoach joining in part of the run after coming back from injury.

Total distance: 6km

I have now visited a sports doctor and as a consequence have an appointment for an MRI next week. I also have a script for some medication. Hopefully we will solve this niggling pain once and for all!

Yesterday I went for a leisurely cycle ride with Margaret. Oh, when the sun is shining winter in Canberra can be very pleasant, especially when one is able to take puppy for a walk and go for cycles in the middle of the day!

Photos are from the Gold Coast over the running weekend

Saturday waiting for coffee:

Ewen, Roger, Victoria and Liz

Sunday after Liz, Roger and Victoria had run the marathon:

Liz, Ewen, Andy, me, Roger, Victoria, Heidi

Sunshine and Laughter

Ah, what a difference it makes when the sun shines bravely on a cold winter's day. Yesterday morning just before 9am I met up with Ewen and Andy to run from the war memorial for the majority of the bush capital 16km course. We started at a different spot from last week shortening the distance by a couple of km. It was a good time of day to run although even at that time we had to avoid a bit of black ice on the trails. We ran more of the course than last week only having to walk a couple of times on the very steep rocky bits. The sun was glorious as the day progressed and later we met up with Kelley, Mick, Liz, Steve and Michael at the war memorial cafe. It was great to catch up with our running friends who had all been on their various runs first. Later in the day Andy flew off to the UK for three weeks to visit his children and I spent time with my family as my daughter came to visit me for the weekend - a lovely day.

Total distance: 14km

Time taken: 1:36

Average pace per km: 6:58

A Bitterly Cold Snap!

Wednesday

7am - 15mins abs class with a new instructor who is standing in place of our usual one for two weeks. Wow, she was tough - ouch, she chose different moves and it hurt but it was good pain! I then spent 20mins working on upper body weights.

5.45pm - running

Today it was really cold, bleak and not pleasant at all. It drizzled on and off constantly and by the time I drove to Parliament House to run with the Wednesday group it was raining without stopping. I arrived expecting them all to change their minds and run in the carpark. Oh no, not this hardy lot, we set off with long sleeves, leggings, spray jackets, beanies and gloves to face the elements. This was a different sort of pain to the abs class. As we approached the lake the biting westerly wind blew the rain into our faces and oh boy, it stung like hail stones. It was freezing. During part of the run the wind eased and it was reasonably mild but as soon as we moved out into the more exposed areas it was totally unpleasant. I'm sure I would never have run at this time without my hardy buddies. Ewen, Andy and Chris kept me honest and although we only ran 8km it felt much further and it was a really tough run.

I was drenched right through all my clothes to the skin and did a complete change into warm clothing before we headed off to the Italian Club for yummy pizza and a warming glass of vino. Aaah, we deserved it!!

Total distance: 8km

Time taken: 54:50

Average pace per km: 6:51 (blame it on the head wind and sleet)!

Thursday (today)

Training at Dickson has been cancelled as the oval is officially closed. It's probably flooded! Instead I had the opportunity to run while the sun was still out. After taking Teddy for a brisk walk I changed into running gear and set off. Now the sun through the window is very deceptive. It was cold out there and the wind was nasty. Running into a head wind was tough. I decided to warm up (?) for about 15mins before running a few intervals - 1 min fast, 1 min slow x 6 - then ran home again. The return journey was considerably more pleasant with the wind easing off. I couldn't say it pushed me along but at least I had warmed up a bit by then.

I am really delighted that I don't have to run in the dark and cold tonight. I can stay home and watch Masterchef instead! :)

Total distance: 8km

Time taken: 50:37

Average pace per km: 6:19 (that will be the slow bits inbetween!!)

Back to the serious stuff!

It's now time to get serious after a fantastic week at the Gold Coast with great running buddies. With injuries preventing a couple of us running the proposed marathon and half marathon we opted for the 10km run on the Saturday instead. The Gold Coast weather was considerably warmer than Canberra but the evenings were still cold, especially in our apartment, until we figured out how to turn on the reverse cycle heating!

We caught up with lots of Canberra running friends and spent lots of time having fun times. It was great fun cheering on our friends in the marathon on the Sunday and of course meeting up for lunch afterwards and numerous coffee breaks along the way.

Apart from the 10km race we enjoyed other runs including 7km, 15km and 17km runs by the beach enjoying the sea air. We also went for a bush walk up in the mountains. Then there was the casino, the views from the top of the Q1 building, the cocktails, the movies, the shopping, the walking, the expo, the beach, the restaurants, the card games, the food, the wine, the coffee - did I mention the shopping? We even enjoyed a swim in the ocean. Yes, it was all good fun and great company.

Since returning to the cold weather in Canberra on Thursday night I have returned to the physio and been given a referral to a sports doctor who I see next week. I am hoping to finally sort out recurring problems with my hamstring and run faster without pain.

On Sat morning I met up with Ewen and Jen at the War Memorial and we ran the 16km bush capital course. Actually, in my case, "run" is probably a generous term. I defnitely had to walk some of those hills. Then it was a coffee catch up with Andy and the amazing Liz who ran the marathon in 3:11:57 (wow!). Next Sat hopefully we will run the same bush capital course slightly faster!! If that happens I may enter the actual event which is held at the end of July.

Last night (Monday) it was a return to speedygeese training at Parliament House. After a couple of warm-up laps weaving in and out the trails our main set was hill repeats.

This involved 15 x 100m hill sprints on 90secs.

Now hills are definitely something that need more work for me considering the approaching Bush Capital Run followed by the City to Surf a week later. This was therefore a great session for me and I managed all the repeats slowly.

We finished off with a warm down loop of PH.

Total distance: 8km

Today I cycled 23km with Marg in the rain. It was cold, wet and the hot shower later was absolute bliss!

Cows, Kangaroos and HILLS!

It was bleak out there today, cold, damp and generally grey! I went to my Body Balance class at 6.15am at the gym and thought this might help loosen me up for my run later - wrong!

After taking Teddy for his walk I set off for a hilly run - big mistake! It hurt, in fact it hurt heaps. I headed towards North Lyneham Ridge and seeing a herd of cows in front of me I headed in the opposite direction. At 2.5km I faced a very large group of kangaroos eyeing me suspiciously. I 'walked' past them (some were VERY large) and once safely past continued on my slow hilly jog. Of course eventually it was inevitable I would return to the cows as it was a loop after all. Now one of those cows had horns and looked suspiciously like a bull. Again I walked past talking calmly to them and then I broke into a run. I've heard enough stories of bulls to know I didn't want to argue with one. That was probably the fastest 100m of the run. When I found a hole in the fence I leapt through it and only then dared to look back. Those cows and Mr Bull had not moved a centimetre. They just stared at me with big brown eyes thinking "silly old woman"! Oh well, it made for an interesting morning.

Actually, there was a lot of walking involved in today's "run". I found the hills extremely hard and I worry about Sunday's hilly handicap as it is one of the hardest on the calendar and I have not been training on hills since my hamstring has been playing up so much. There could be lots of walking involved!

I'm so lucky to have squeezed in my run this morning as now the rain is bucketing down, absolutely bucketing.

Total distance: 7.5km

History has been made in Australia today!

Wednesday

7am - abs class at the gym followed by upper body strength work

After the physio in the morning and Teddy's walk I went for a run, along the cycle path past Giralang where I met up with Margaret and we ran down to the lake and part of it before turning back and separating at the cycle track again to return to our respective homes. It was great having company for part of the run.

Total distance: 15.3km

This was the furthest I have run for some time and although it was a slow pace I was happy to have run that far. The physio had been using the elbow treatment in my butt (ouch) and this did loosen up the hamstring to a certain extent although there was still a fair amount of discomfort. I am currently only running every second day.

Thursday

Today, after Teddy's walk, I cycled down the track to meet Margaret again and this time we cycled around the lake stopping halfway for the most delicious date and walnut toast and coffee before continuing on round the rest of the lake. I could get very used to this not working life!

And this morning it was announced that Australia has a new Prime Minister. Yes we now have a red haired female to lead our nation - the first female Australian PM ever - an historical day indeed. Congratulations Julia Gillard - long may you reign!

Moving forward ever so slowly!

I have slowly been returning to running without walking, managing about a slow 11km, sometimes with Ewen, sometimes on my own and yesterday I finally returned to the speedygeese training still injured but running slowly. It was lovely to see everyone after such a long break. We ran the warm up loops of Parliament House followed by a 450m loop from the rose garden with the flat sandy stretch (200m) by the road supposedly being run fast. This was repeated as many times as possible in 20minutes. My 'fast' is still slow but it was good to be back.

The physio has decided my problems with the hamstring stem from the sciatic nerve so my 'friend',who is cruel to be kind, has become the tennis ball. In fact I am sitting on one as I write this so it may be a bit erratic as I wriggle in pain!

I have also returned to bike riding. After a little taster on Sunday afternoon I decided to go for a longer ride today with Margaret. It was fun and now I have the bug. It was cold out there but with several layers and a great coffee break on the way it was defnitely to be repeated! At this stage I am only running every second day until I can run with less discomfort so the cycling is good cross training as will be more regular trips to the gym.

Mr B has arrived in Nice, France with his bike. He will be away some weeks, following some of the Tour de France on his bike and going to car races in Italy and the UK. He's also attending the Alfa Romeo centennary in Milan. I envy him the warm weather as we shiver here in Canberra!

My puppy Teddy is now nine weeks old and can now walk for 30minutes but he does need a little rest half way through. I can relate to that little Teddy!

A Slow Return!

I am slowly returning to running after a hip injury and a continuing hamstring problem. Injuries are a pain literally and I have been walking/running very slowly every second day. I ran/walked 11km with Ewen on Saturday followed by a great catch up coffee with Liz, Victoria, Andy and Ewen. I have been really missing running with the speedygeese and do hope to return gradually to proper training next week.

Today I managed to run an hour without stopping so I guess that's progress finally. However, I can't imagine running the Gold Coast Half in a few weeks so I still expect to have to downgrade to the 10km and even that will be slow. I am finding this very frustrating indeed.

On the upside my new little labradoodle puppy Teddy came to live at our home on Saturday (just 8 weeks old) and he has settled in very quickly. He's funny, cuddly and ever so cute. I'm really looking forward to the day he'll be able to run with me. So far I have managed to persuade him to walk to the corner and back (only about 5 houses away) so it could take a while!!

Photos: A Bali temple, Teddy our puppy, notsospeedy geese at a massage parlour, Balinese woodcarver

Reflections from a Senior Citizen

I qualified for the above title a couple of weeks ago when I celebrated my 60th birthday in Bali. It was a lovely relaxing week with massages, cocktails, swimming and lots of long walks. The temperature was 31deg every day but we did encounter daily storms and overcast skies. The Balinese people are delightful, always smiling and friendly.

After a visit to the physio just before the trip I was advised not to run until visiting him on my return. This I did on Wed and was told to just run/walk a maximum of 40mins every second day until I see him again this coming Wed. To make matters worse I went to Bali with a sore throat which gradually became worse and this past week back in Canberra it has turned into a nasty cold. I have also been advised that my current part-time job, where I have been working for just over 12 months, is being reinvented into a full-time position and consequently as from Friday I will be retiring for the second time, for a few weeks anyway as I'm sure I will continue to work somewhere else for a few days a week.

However, I do have some exciting news. From next weekend I will have a new addition joining our family in the shape of a cute cuddly puppy called Teddy. Teddy is a gift from my children for my birthday and he is just beautiful. He is a labrador crossed with a poodle and as his mum is a gorgeous gentle dog I am hoping for the same - no doubt with a little puppy mischief on the way!!

Yesterday I ran/walked my first 40mins and it was uncomfortable and strange. I will run again in the morning but it is frustrating as I have been advised not to return to training sessions for a while. As I have entered the Gold Coast Half Marathon already I may have to do a re-think nearer the event and change to the 10km race instead perhaps.

A Shorter Session with the speedygeese!

Tonight I arrived at training in time for the main session only. My hip is painful and I am being a bit careful until I have advice from the physio on Wednesday.

We ran two loops of Parliament House before the main session which was one practice loop then three 954m undulating loops incorporating a different exercise station on each loop - push-ups, chin-ups and tricep dips - eight of each.

We then ran a cool-down loop. It was really dark down there on the trails so it was good that a few of us had headlamps to light the way.

Total distance: 8km

A Sunny Weekend of Running and Coffee ....

Or should that be coffee and running?? Canberra really excelled itself this weekend. The mornings were cold and crisp but as the sun came through the misty haze both days turned out to be gorgeous, sunny and a mild 17deg - fantastic Autumn weather for the middle of May.

Saturday

I met up with Andy at the War Memorial at 8.30am and we ran down to Molonglo Reach where Ewen joined us to run round the Duntroon Golf Course and past Campbell Park offices on the flat part of the trails and back again. Andy and I continued back to the war memorial while Ewen headed to Molonglo Reach where he collected his car and drove back to join us for coffee.

Total distance: 17km

Time taken: 1:50:59

Average pace per km: 6:30

It turned into a stunning day and we enjoyed great coffee and cake sitting outside the new cafe at the war memorial.

Sunday

This morning I met up with Thea, Ewen and Andy at the War Memorial at the very civilised hour of 9am. Although it was cool to start the sun soon warmed us up and it was just lovely out there. We ran along some of the Mt Ainslie track, past Campbell Park offices, through the wetlands, Kingston, Kings Avenue and back to the War Memorial along Anzac Parade keeping off-road as much as possible.

Total distance: 15km

Time taken: 1:36:52

Average pace per km: 6:27

Of course after the run we again headed for coffee at The Terrace restaurant at the War Memorial. Later Jen joined us for soup and a chat. It's so lovely sitting outside in the sunshine on these glorious days. It was also great to catch up with Thea again after such a long time. She is so well and happy.

Thursday training with the speedygeese

Tonight at Dickson Oval training we ran a couple of warm-up loops before running 850m repeats on handicaps. I started the first couple at zero handicap because my hamstring was hurting and I thought it would slow me down. However, after winning the first two repeats speedychief rehandicapped a few of us and gave me a handicap of 30secs for the next two repeats. I still won on the next 850m just sprinting past Caroline at the end but she was a long way ahead of me in the last round as she had truly warmed up by then!

My first 850m was 4:28, next 4:17, next 4:10 and last one 4:08.
Total distance: 7.5km

Strangely once I had warmed up properly my hamstring didn't feel so bad and I found I could push myself.

It was a cold night but very still and we became warm quite quickly!

A Few More Geese!

On Wednesday morning I returned to the gym for some strength work followed by the 15mins abs class and after work it was off to Parliament House to meet up with Jen, Chris and Andy for a short run in the cool of the evening. It had been a sunny but cold crisp day and I wore 3/4 length leggings and a long sleeved top and ear warmers throughout the entire run. We missed the company of Richard and Ewen tonight as we ran down past the lake and managed to keep in the reasonably well-lit places with the help of headlights.

Total distance: 10km

Photos: A few more speedygeese at the dinner. From top - chatting to Peter and Roger; with Chris; some of the geese at the table - Jen and Katherine, Jenny and Helen on the right, Peter talking to Caroline on the other side with Michelle in the distance; speedygeoff with Richard

Some Happy Geese!

I decided to go for a pleasant run in the sun on Monday morning as we had our speedygeese dinner in the evening instead of training. It was a gorgeous sunny day and I was so lucky not to have to go to work. I found as many off-road trails as I could, some new discoveries behind the streets. It was fun. In fact I felt on a real high in the sunshine. It's not often I have the opportunity to run at that time of day in the sun in a perfect temperature. I ran down past the AIS and on to the O'Connor Ridge where there were some lovely undulations. I was almost sorry to turn and run back over even more trails home again but I have been very careful to run only short gentle distances since the marathon as my hamstring is still uncomfortable. It was a lovely run.

Total distance: 10.7km

Time taken: 1:08

Average pace per km: 6:20

The speedygeese dinner attracted a record number of 35 speedygeese with some partners. As always it was a very enjoyable evening. Thank you speedycoach!

Photos: two grinning geese - strewth and Yelena; Warwick; Cheers - Katherine; speedyjen; speedygeoff and Jenny

Easing slowly back into it!

This morning I met up with Ewen at Molonglo at 9am - a very civilized hour for a run in the sun. It was a stunning morning - we ran on the sunny side of the trails and although the temperature was still only a few degrees at that time of day, it was very pleasant in the sunshine. We ran from Molonglo and past Campbell Park offices on the trails towards Mt Ainslie. It was pleasant, slow and fun. I was aware of the pain in my hamstring but it is definitely improving. It was good to run slowly and Ewen didn't seem to mind.

Later we met up with Liz at Campbell Shops for coffee where Andy joined us after his 23km run at the Cotter.

Total distance: 11km

Later still we drove out past Collector (about 40mins drive) for a wonderful family lunch at Grandma's Little Bakery - absolutely beautiful spot overlooking lots of little olive trees which are grown there. The countryside looked almost Tuscany-like - just lovely on a sunny Autumn day.

First gentle run after the marathon

Tonight I joined the speedygeese at Dickson Oval. I ran a couple of warm-up laps of the oval with them and then just trotted gently round and round the track while they did speedy 800m repeats. I ran with Yelena most of the time but her ITB was playing up and she was hurting even more than me so had to stop a bit earlier. My hamstring is still very tight and I think it may require another physio visit and some more exercises before I can run normally again. Never mind, it was worth it!

It was bitterly cold tonight once the sun went down and I wore my skins, long sleeved top and ear warmers. As I didn't take part in the speed work I kept these on the entire session!

After the session finished we enjoyed some of Janene's beautifully home baked cookies - absolutely delicious!

Total distance: 7.7km
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And some official marathon photos!

Just a few Marathon photos - more to come!

Just a few photos courtesy of Nadine.

The official photos are not yet on the website.

Inaugural National Capital Marathon DONE!

I am a very sore, tired but happy goose tonight! Yes, I'm happy because I finished and ran all the way in spite of a sore hamstring which niggled right from the start and did not improve with distance. However, the pain didn't become unbearable and I managed to finish and although my time was very slow I felt just so happy to finish my 9th Canberra Marathon. I am suffering now but it was worth it!

The conditions were perfect - a cool 2deg to start (brrr) but no wind and the sun streamed down as the day progressed. The early 7am start meant rising at 4.45am in order to digest a couple of pieces of toast and honey and leave home at 6am to arrive and park in plenty of time for a little warm up with Michelle and three nervous visits to the loo!

It was a well run event starting from Manuka Oval which had a plentiful supply of toilets and a special room for bags. It also included a stadium finish within the oval which was pretty exciting. The cheer squad was great.

I couldn't find the four hour balloon at the start and as a consequence I ran out too fast (again) as I assumed it was up ahead somewhere and was running to catch it! After about 2km along came Roger with the four hour balloon - oops! Later when I checked my garmin I discovered I had run the first km in 5:20 and the second km in 5:30 which is a bit fast for my prospective time and may explain why the balloon just ran on past and I didn't catch it again!

At the 5km mark I sighted Margaret who was running the half marathon and I ran with her until she turned off on the half marathon course at the 15km point. It was great running with someone at that stage and I was hoping she would make it in under two hours but unfortunately she missed out by a few minutes. However, she still came second in her age group. :)

After leaving Marg I plugged in my music to keep me company for the long hard run ahead. I had forgotten about all the undulations on that course and the bitumen which is so hard on the body. It was fun to see so many familiar faces out there and I remembered to smile for all the cameras along the way (hopefully) and the lovely encouraging spectators and volunteers.

This was an inaugural running weekend and I would think the Cross Country Club would be very happy with the way it turned out. It was great fun having the half marathoners run with the marathoners for the first 15km. There were lots of late entries. In fact they had only catered for 300 marathoners and 400 decided to run. As a consequence the last 100 have their medals posted to them so I was very lucky to receive one. I also received a medal for finishing third in my age group - amazing! Mind you the other two winners in my age group (Claire and Maria) did times of 3.40 and 3.42 respectively - fantastic!

It was a good day. I loved the finish and found a little bit of extra oomph in me to sprint past Katherine over the finish line - woo hoo! I think it was just that great crowd cheering us on, including my workmates who had brought huge pink pom poms and were screaming out my name. It was so cool. My son and grandchildren were there at the finish too which was just lovely. Mr B ran the half in 1hr 42mins so didn't quite beat his 1hr 40mins goal but I think he ran really well! There were some great times out there and lots of PBs were set and lots of first time marathoners who ran great times.

Later it was great to catch up with so many friends who had all run so well, including the lovely Norma (Lucky Legs) who, at age 80, had finished the half marathon in 2hrs 17mins - amazing effort.

The results are already on the website.

Total distance: 42.195km

Time taken: 4hrs 18min 22secs (2nd slowest time I have run)

Average pace per km: 6:07

Place in age group: 3rd

Place overall: 285th (out of 377 finishers)

Calories burned: 2,482

Next year I will run faster (does that sound familiar?) as it will be my year to become a Griffin when I will have run ten Canberra marathons - yay, not to be missed!