The best of both worlds!

Happy birthday today to Liz. Have a wonderful day amazing friend!

I enjoyed the best of both worlds today as I ran some of my run on my own and the majority with company. I left home at 6.30am and ran with my ipod in my ear listening to lovely music and enjoying the solitude as I took in a few interesting sights such as a youngish man wending a very crooked path in his dress pants, black shoes and no shirt - late night maybe, kicked out by girlfriend, threw up on shirt? All sorts of scenarios were going through my head especially as he couldn't walk in a straight line!

I ran along the cycle track through Lyneham and O'Connor, past the ANU and on to the Marcus Clark Street end of the city and over the bridge to the ferry terminal. This was just under 8km so I extended my 'pre' main run by running past the museum, where I spotted a very friendly bunny and many timid ones, and along that track for just over 2km before turning back to meet Andy, Ewen, speedygeoff and the Metro runners at the ferry terminal. I ran with them for their 10km Sri Chinmoy course before Emma, Zainab, Geoff, Ewen, Andy and I ran back through the ANU grounds and returned to the ferry terminal across Commonwealth Park to make their distance 20km.

Surprisingly I felt fine throughout the run. The temp was pleasant in the low 20s and there was cloud cover for the majority of the way with threatening rain clouds, although the humidity was so high that Ewen could wring out his t-shirt afterwards - eeew!

After the run we walked over the bridge for coffee at Urban Foods. The coffee was lovely but only luke warm and much more exe than the War Memorial cafe. It was also crowded and noisy with loud music - not as conducive to good conversation. CJ joined us there after her long run and Mr B came in later to drive me home.

Total distance: 32km

Time taken: 3:27

Average pace per km: 6:28

Calories burned: 1,860

Going for Gold!

Last night was the 10,000m ACT VETS track championship event. I decided I would have to run 12km for my training and the 10,000m would certainly help me achieve that. Thus it was, even after that hilly run last night, I decided to enter the championships at the AIS track. It was the last event of the evening and Margaret lap scored for Caroline and me. The majority of the field was men but there were six women entrants, each in a different age group. Ewen, Andy and speedygeoff also entered, Andy already having run a PB in the 1500m.

25 laps of a 400m track seems a long way to run in circles but it wasn't actually as bad as I thought it would be. I managed to squeeze in a 2.3km warm-up before the event and watch a few friends achieve great results in earlier events before lining up at the start line.

I stuck close to Caroline for most of the way but she pulled ahead of me later in the run. Although I shortened the gap quite a bit she managed to finish 10 secs ahead of me but I felt good and was happy with my result which turned out to be a PB for 10,000m on the track - woo hoo!

Distance of race: 10,000m

Time taken: 52:25

Average pace per km: 5:15

Calories burned: 575

Total distance for night: 12.3km
It also meant I had a chance to stand on the stadium and be presented with a gold medal as did my wonderful running friends shown in the photo!

Photo taken by Ewen on my iphone - from left:
Caroline W65 - 52:15; Annie W75 - 67:58; CJ W45 - 49:01; strewth W60 - 52:25

First Summer Series event with our new club!

YCRC Summer Series

Last night was the first event of the summer series this year run by our new YMCA Canberra Running Club. It was held at the Boathouse and the temperature was pleasantly mild. There wasn't a huge turnout with only 79 finishers in the 5km course. I ran a warm-up of 3km with Ewen and speedygeoff and after the race finished we ran a warm down of another couple of kms. Speedygeoff ran with me for the first 4km of the race which kept me honest. It was great. In the last km he took off and finished one minute ahead of me. However, I was happy with my time and my splits indicate that I got faster with each km. I wish that could happen in the marathon!

Distance of race: 5km

Time taken: 26:18

Average pace per km: 5:15

Finish place: 56th (out of 79)

Splits: 5:19; 5:23; 5:16; 5:08; 5:06

Oh, and the best thing was I came in ahead of Caroline and Ewen:)

Total distance for day: 10km

Wednesday

7am - Gym - 15mins abs class followed by an hour's upper body strength work.

5.10pm - I ran from Parliament House down to the lake for 2.5km before turning back to run to meet the others at the carpark. Andy, Emma P, Ewen and I then followed Chris on an interesting hilly but pretty run to Red Hill, past the Embassies, Yarralumla along dirt trails through the Westbourne Woods and back to Parliament House on an undulating route.

Total distance with my warm-up: 17.53km

Calories burned: 1005

I'm not sure how my recovery will be for the 10km track event tomorrow evening! I will treat it as another training run.

Only Nine Weeks to Go!

Sunday 6 February - Waitangi Day in New Zealand

I met up with Ewen at The Deck in Commonwealth Park just after 4.30pm for a lovely run in cooler, slightly windy weather. We ran to the Australian National University (ANU) and along the dirt paths which were in a really pretty setting among bushland. The wind was a bit strong at times but the time went fast as I was entertained the whole way by Ewen telling me in amazing detail about the movie he had watched that weekend. It was better than a storyteller on my ipod! Thanks Ewen.

After we had finished 8km I ran 6 x downhill strides while Ewen rested on a nearby park bench!
Distance of training run: 8km
Time taken: 51mins
Average pace per km: 6:20
Calories burned: 469
Total distance including strides: 9.15km
Total distance for week: 92km plus daily Teddy walks!

Monday -9 weeks until marathon

In the morning I spent over an hour at the gym working on upper body strength, abs, stretches etc with a warm up on the cross trainer and finishing with 1000m on the rower.

4.30pm Run - I was two minutes late for the early warm up but fortunately Ewen and speedygeoff saw me coming and waited for me. Amazingly enough I managed the whole early session and enjoyed it because the temperature had dropped by about 10deg. It was wonderful. It makes such a difference to how I feel when it is cooler.

We met up with the others back at Parliament House at 5.30pm for our main session. We ran our warm up before heading for the rose garden. There was lots of work going on with barriers and ropes everywhere and we had three attempts at navigating a course before finding a suitable unblocked way to run. We were divided into five teams of three and speedycoach just ran the loops. Chris turned up when we had 8 minutes of the 24min main session left as he had been held up at work. We ran a short relay loop with the first person running fast, one jogging the loop while the other team member waited to be tagged on the first person's return. The loop included a number of steep steps which ran into a short steep incline and then a run through the sprinklers back to the start. Half way through the session the sprinklers changed direction to run on the grassy slope as we ran downhill instead. It was fun and refreshing. Although the temperature was much cooler than it has been lately the sun still felt hot and the sprinklers kept us cooled down. We were all very wet by the end of our 24mins! To finish up we ran in and out of the trails and back to the start at PH. Ewen, speedygeoff, Chris and I ran a little further to round up our distances.

Total distance for night: 16km

As soon as I arrived home I had a shower and took Teddy out for his walk before dinner and by the time I arrived home I was absolutely starving! Thank goodness I had already prepared mushroom and basil risotto before training and only had to heat it up!

This morning Jen rode her bike beside me as I ran down to the lake from the War Memorial heading for the ferry terminal to meet up with the Metro Runners. Andy met us there and we met up with Ewen a little later. Jen rode with us all the way as we ran, in very humid sticky conditions, towards Molonglo Reach for 5km before turning and running back to the ferry terminal where the majority of Metro Runners left us as they had run their 10km. The lovely Emma P joined us as we ran to and round the museum and on for another 4km before turning again and heading back to the War Memorial, leaving Emma and Andy there to join us later for coffee.

The Metro Runners are a delightful group of young university students who run with speedygeoff on Saturday mornings, gradually increasing their distance each week. We stopped at the carillon for some water and this is where a few of us took advantage of the photo opportunity on our iphones!

At just under the 9km mark my garmin decided to give up on me telling me my database was full and I had to delete some runs. Instead of stopping to do that I relied on Geoff's garmin to let me know the distance. He ran the rest of the way with me and my total distance was 28km as planned. However, I do not have the pace (which was slow) or the calories burned. Never mind, the distance is what really matters for those long runs.

Total distance: 28km
After the run Jen, CJ, Andy, Emma, Ewen and I enjoyed a lovely coffee break and some cold drinks while speedygeoff ran back to the ferry terminal. Phew, it was so hot. I really need to start much earlier to try to avoid some of that humidity.

Running between claps of thunder!

Wednesday

6am - I ran a very short run from home just to ensure I ran the appropriate distance for the day before heading off to the gym.

Total distance 4.3km

7am - 15mins abs class followed by a warm-up on the cross trainer before I spent 40mins doing strength work.

During the afternoon inbetween showers I took Teddy for a lovely long walk.

6.30pm - Expecting very hot weather we began our run from Parliament House a little later than usual. As it turned out a storm came through just before I left from home and immediately after our run the thunder roared and the rain just teemed down. In fact I had to pull the car over on the drive home and stop for the rain to subside just a little as I couldn't see in front of me.

I ran with Chris, Andy and Ewen initially. However, Chris had to turn back fairly early on as he had a prior engagement.

Total distance: 12km

Time taken: 1:20

Average pace per km: 6:40

Calories burned: 704

Total distance for day: 16.3km

Thursday

Thinking that I was on roster duty at the track in the evening I decided to go for a run early in the morning before meeting a friend for breakfast. It rained for the entire run but I enjoyed feeling the cooling rain on my skin. I was absolutely saturated and there was not a soul about being as crazy as me but it was great not being far too hot for a change. I did have to run a bit carefully though as there were lots of muddy slushy puddles to negotiate. I could have competed in a wet t-shirt or mud wrestling competition by the time I finished! My session was as follows:

2 x 60sec/60 float

4 x 30sec/30 float

2 x 60sec/60 float

4 x 30sec/30 float

2 x 60sec/60 float

Total distance: 10.22km

Time taken: 1:04:41

Average pace per km: 6:19

Calories burned: 596

During the afternoon I had a call from Gwen offering to go on roster at track in my place in the evening to allow me to take part in the postal walking relay. Hmmm, I hadn't counted on that happening and as I was there and able to run after all, at the last minute I decided to enter the 3000m event at 8pm too. It was probably a huge mistake as I was already tired but it did seem a bit of a waste not to make the most of the opportunity.

I went in the 4 x 800m walk relay and was the youngest member of the 60+ team. The others were 75, 70 and 65 so I was the baby at 60 - needless to say our team came last but it was heaps of fun!

Total time of team: 23:20

My individual time for 800m walk: 5:12 (which happened to be the fastest time in the team- what a hoot - that was an unexpected bonus)!

The night was hot and humid, even at 8.05pm when I ran in the 3000m event. I did NOT run well but at least it gave me some more kms for the day and I could enjoy the supper afterwards guilt-free!

Distance: 3000m

Time taken: 15:18 (no PBs tonight)!!

Average pace per km: 5:06

Total distance for day: 14.3km (including short warm-up)

Today, Friday, was my rest day. I went for a gentle 22km bike ride with Margaret and we rode out to Federation Square to visit Adore Tea for a creme brulee flavoured tea - most interesting experience. We rode and chatted and it was lovely. We were also lucky to avoid the raindrops as later in the day the thunder roared, the lightning flashed and the heavens opened. Fingers crossed that the weather will be kind early in the morning for my long run!

Endurance and Anaerobic Threshold......

....This is the focus for the next four weeks of my training program. However, it becomes much more difficult in the heat.

Yesterday, on the last day of January, the temperature soared to 37deg and was positively steaming later in the day. In the morning I went to the gym for upper body strength work, abs and stretches. I headed for Parliament House at about 5pm to meet up with speedygeoff on his return from an 8km run.

We ran a very short warm-up before meeting up with the others for the main session. It was a small turn-out tonight, just ten of us, probably due to the extremely hot temperature. My car thermometer showed 39deg as I approached PH. We are having a brief heat wave. Fortunately in Canberra these heat waves don't usually last more than a week or two before we have a reprieve and according to the forecast some more rain.

Our main session consisted of a warm-up loop in and out the slightly shady trails and a practice of the 950m loop before running 3 x 950m undulating loops as fast as we could manage in the heat. Some of it was in the shade but even that was hot. In between the repeats we drank heaps of water and ran 400m along the straight grass by the road with Joel who was doing 200m sprint repeats. After our warm down, I continued on for a few kms with Susan, Ewen and Andy to make up my distance for the day.

Total distance: 13km

Total distance for January: 343km

Tuesday 1 February (today)

After a very late night last night I could only manage to run out the door just before 8am which was leaving it far too late as the temperature was already in the 20s. Today's maximum is 38deg but there's a hot wind blowing now and it's quite unpleasant. Thankfully I was back from my run before this happened. It was supposed to be a tempo session but I struggled with speed. Instead I ran faster in the shaded areas and slower in the exposed areas. I stripped off to my crop top very early in the run - the less clothes the better as long as I have heaps of sunblock on, even at that time of day.

Total distance: 11km (including some tempo running and some fartlek intervals)

Calories burned: 650

After reaching home I changed into my swimmers and headed for the pool for a refreshing 1km swim. I am very slow but it was absolutely wonderful to fit that in before heading off to town to meet a friend for lunch.

The temperatures are soaring!

Today Mr B and I headed for Campbell Park to run in the Vets' Monthly Handicap race. My handicap group was 26 and Mr B's was 31. The sun hadn't reached its peak at that time and it wasn't too too hot. It has since risen to 35deg and we expect soaring temperatures over the next few days with temperatures from 31-38 celsius all week!

The track this morning was rough underfoot and dry. It was also steep on the outward course which meant there were some nice downhills on the return. I found it tough but I didn't walk at all although my speed on those hills was probably more of a "granny" shuffle than a run.

Total distance: 6km (plus 600m warm-up - hmmm)!
Time taken: 35:28
Average pace per km: 5:55
Handicap group: 26
Finish place: 88th (115 finishers)
Calories burned: 344
Maybe I'll be re-handicapped next month!

I always enjoy catching up with lots of running friends on those runs. Later we joined a large group of running friends at the War Memorial Cafe. The intention was to have coffee at Campbell shops but they were closed this morning. Instead we met up with Heidi, Janene, Maria, Peter, Rachelle, Bruce, Carol, Roger, Jen, CJ, Ewen and Michelle and Katherine and their gorgeous little childen. It was lots of fun.

Yesterday I ran my easy week "long" run with Ewen and Andy. We ran down to the lake along Anzac Parade and towards the ferry terminal where we met up with speedygeoff and his Metro running group heading in the opposite direction. We turned and ran with them for the remainder of their 8km then speedygeoff joined us for the rest of our run. Ewen and Andy stopped at 20km to walk the other km but sg ran with me back to the carpark before meeting up with Steve, Michael and Robbie and heading for the hills!

Ewen, Andy and I then headed for the cafe where we met up with Liz, Jen and CJ for cold water, coffee and a tasty morsel!

Total distance: 21km

Time taken: 2:21

Average pace per km: 6:41

total distance for easy week: 65km

Next week I increase the distance again for three weeks. There are ten weeks until the Canberra marathon!

Thursday Track Session

Today (Friday) was my rest day from running and I went for a lovely walk with Jen and Teddy round some Black Mountain trails late in the day. The sun was low and we were in the shade of the trees. There were stunning views and it was pleasant and cool - just delightful.

Yesterday I went to the AIS track, watched the exciting 1500m race then ran a gentle warm up out of the grounds with Andy for 4.6km before lining up to run the 4 lap spiral, my only event for the night. I came in 25th with Nadine and Rachelle sprinting past me right at the end. It was a hot sticky night and I was very pleased not to have run the earlier events in the burning sun.

Total distance for evening: 6.2km
Spiral distance: 1.6km
Time taken: 8.1mins
Average pace per km: 5:04 (not exactly earth shattering speed tonight!)

A Hot Sticky Australia Day Run!

I spent Australia Day afternoon beginning a big decluttering campaign. I have filled another two bags of clothes for recycling and have heaps more to go through. It's going to take me weeks to sort out all my junk. I have already bought a filing cabinet and started reorganising paperwork but there is loads and loads to do.

It was still 38deg when I drove to meet Ewen and Andy at Parliament House for our evening run. We headed off at 6.40pm trying to find some shade on the way. It was incredibly uncomfortable weather and I ran only in a crop top instead of a singlet hoping I didn't meet up with anyone I know! I was just too hot to care and I was smothered in sunblock even at that time of day. We ran down to the yacht club and on to Yarralumla Bay and turned when we reached 6km. On the way back I felt so dehydrated that we had to stop at every single water fountain. Fortunately there are quite a number in that direction. I just couldn't seem to take in enough fluids. On my return home I just kept on drinking until bedtime. If it wasn't for the good company I think I would have given up - not pleasant conditions but we were so lucky to find a little shade, thanks to Ewen's navigating skills!

Total distance: 12km
Time taken: 1:20:23
Average pace per km: 6:41 (!!!)
Calories burned: 699

Day 2 of Easy Week!

Yesterday morning (Tuesday) I went to the pool and swam 1200m. It was very refreshing on such a hot day. I didn't go out for a run until 7pm when it was still hot but at least the sun wasn't quite as brilliant. I ran from home along the cycle track and under the tunnel and on for another km towards Gungahlin. Mr B ran with me (or slightly ahead of me) until the 4km turnaround point but I wanted to run the extra km to make up the required distance for the day.

Total distance: 10km

Time taken: 59:53

Average pace per km: 5:59

Calories burned: 583

Today, Wednesday, is Australia Day and a public holiday here. Teddy and I went for a long hot walk this morning as the temperatures are expected to rise to 37deg later today. We stopped at the local coffee shop after his run at the oval, for a coffee for me and a cold bowl of water for Teddy. Now he is lying collapsed on the wooden floorboards while I write this.

I am meeting the boys for a slightly later start than usual this evening for our run but it will still be very hot - guaranteed!

More Hill Training

Today is the first day of my "easy" week. My marathon training program is made up of three weeks of build-ups followed by an easy week with less kms and less intense training to give the body a chance to recover before increasing the distances again.

This morning I did an hour's strength training at the gym followed by abs and stretches. I didn't go to the early session of training this evening. Instead I took part only in the main session at 5.30pm and it was still very hot. It was great to see a few people who haven't been to speedygeese training for quite some time! such as CJ and Colin.

We ran a couple of loops of Parliament House as a warm-up before the main session of an undulating loop incorporating a very steep hill. We repeated this four times before heading for another hill for attrition sprints. The last two up the top of the hill were out each time. I was in the second bunch to be out so for once I wasn't first out!! Joel won again but there was some strong competition from Colin and Tim.

We ran another loop of PH for a warm down and some of us ran on for another loop to make some more distance. It was a hot night but a good session.

Total distance: 8.6m

Sunday Fun Day??

Hmm, I lack original ideas for post titles. However, it really was a fun day as it happened. It was a very early start as Mr B took part in the sprint distance triathlon down at the lake and I enjoyed being a spectator, especially as I caught up with Charlie who was being a spectator too! Mr B went really well as, in spite of a no-wetsuit swim, he still managed to beat his nemesis, Bob, by two minutes overall which meant he won his age group - yay!

Later in the day I ran a short 3km with Teddy but it was very hot and not a quick pace. I had to run him down to the drain so he could run in the water and let him off the lead on the oval where we raced round and round. It was so hot but fun. Next I headed off to Regatta Point at the lake to meet up with Ewen for another run. We tried to keep to the shady parts on a track down to the Museum and were hissed at by some protective mother swans. We gave them a wide berth and enjoyed our little run in spite of the heat and appreciated a cold bottle of coke afterwards.

Total distance: 9km

Time taken: 58:58
Average pace per km: 6:31
It's difficult to maintain any speed in the heat unfortunately.
Total distance for day: 12km
Total distance for week: 89km
Next I hurried home to shower as we were meeting friends for a wonderful dinner and a great evening - yes, a fun day.

Saturday's Long Run Done!

This morning I started my long run from the War Memorial on my own (with my music) just after 7am in order to have a few extra kms in the bank. I ran down to the lake where I saw some of the half marathon in progress. I ran in and out of some of the little side tracks and then back to join the boys for a longer run with good company.

We ran a little loop on the Mt Ainslie trails, across the Duntroon golf course and past Molonglo Reach round the West Basin of the lake including the wetlands and back over Commonwealth Bridge. Ewen turned back soon after this while Andy and I continued on past the yacht club where we spotted Jen out doing a 20km walk (very impressive at 7months pregnant). We turned just after Yarralumla Bay and returned to the War Memorial. Here we freshened up and headed for the cafe to meet up with Ewen, Liz, CJ and Steve - a great catch-up and good coffee!Jen arrived later after completing her very long walk. I had a very bruised toe but managed my run ok by keeping it strapped to the next one and well protected. It's a bit sore now though!

Total distance: 30km
Time taken: 3:21:27
Average pace per km: 6:42
Calories burned: 1741

Later in the day I headed off to watch Mr B take part in his first bike criterium race (about 25km at a VERY fast pace). It looked utterly exhausting!

A Little Trip to Sydney

Mr B and I drove to Sydney for a few days to make the most of part of his Christmas present and see The Jersey Boys. It was fantastic and brought back lots of memories from that era. We also went to a fantastic newly opened restaurant near where the girls live in Woolloomooloo, visited China's Entombed Warriors at the Art Gallery and had a great swim at Watson's Bay followed by fish and chips at Doyles - yummo! Needless to say I did not run while in Sydney. However, I ran on Tuesday morning before we left Canberra and on Thursday night after our return and instead of having my Friday rest day I ran this morning as well! This means I am still on schedule - phew!

Monday 17 January - speedygeese training at Parliament House

I ran at about 4.45pm with Ewen to gain some extra distance. We just missed the 4.30pm early start but did manage to run 6km to help our day's total.

At 5.30pm we met up with the other speedygeese for the main session. There were 19 of us in total which is good for this time of year. It was very warm but not as humid as it has been lately. After a warm up loop we headed for a sandy hill and ran 20 x 100m hills. It was a good surface but extremely dusty especially after a few repeats. I didn't push myself too much as I knew I had to run again the following morning. However, it still felt hard and I didn't miss any repeats. We ran another loop of PH for a cool down.

Total distance with early warm-up: 14.4km

Tuesday 18 January

I left the house at 8.15am after making sure I was completely packed and ready for our trip before I ran. I just ran out along the cycle track and through the tunnel towards Gungahlin for 6km and then turned and ran back.

Total distance: 12km

Time taken: 1:14:26

Average pace per km: 6:12

Thursday 20 January

After our afternoon swim in Sydney we left quite late and managed to become caught in peak hour traffic. It therefore took much longer than planned to leave Sydney let alone reach home at a reasonable hour. It was after 7.30pm when we arrived and too late to go to track. Mr B was even late for squash! I left home at 8pm and it was becoming quite dark by the time I arrived home.

Total distance: 10km

Time taken: 1:01:20

Average pace per km: 6:08

Friday 21 January

The plan this morning was to run to the gym in time for my Body Balance class then run home again. However, the best laid plans and all that. I left home in plenty of time (5.30am) but in the dim light I managed to take a wrong turn or three when I was attempting a short cut and by that time I was feeling very disillusioned and frustrated so I just ran instead. At least I had a lovely early start to the day!

Total distance: 10.6km

Time taken: 1:05

Average pace per km: 6:12

Tomorrow my long run is scheduled. Here's hoping I manage the distance!

Building up the kilometres!

This morning I met up with Ewen at Parliament House for a short run at 8.30am. It was already over 22deg at that time of day and I started the run feeling stiff and sore after yesterday. The sky was bright blue and we only counted two white fluffy clouds in the distance - a stunner of a morning. We tried to keep in as much shade as possible running to Yarralumla Bay and slightly beyond turning at the 4km mark. There were quite a few people out there we recognised, friends running and friends cycling. We also chatted to a man who is training for our marathon and I told him about the speedygeese. Maybe we'll have a new recruit.

It was a gentle run and I think it helped to loosen up some of the sore spots. After the run we left our cars at PH and walked back down to the lake (1.3km each way) to sit outside in a shady spot to enjoy coffee and raisin toast - a lovely morning.

Total distance of run: 8km
Time taken: 52:12
Average pace per km: 6:31
Total distance for week: 93km

Hello Sunshine!

The sun was actually shining and the sky was a vivid cloudless blue when we set off for our run from the War Memorial just after 7.30am this morning. I ran with Chris, Ewen and Andy and about 3km into the run we met up with speedygeoff and his Metro runners and ran with them for their 6km course. Ewen pulled up at 12km and walked back to the War Memorial; Emma ran with us until she had run for two hours then returned to join us for coffee later; Chris, speedygeoff, Andy and I continued on right round the lake covering central and west basins. We stopped a few times at the drinking fountains on the route and farewelled speedygeoff at his 24km mark before continuing on back to the War Memorial. The boys stopped to walk just before 25km but I managed to continue (albeit slowly) for my desired distance. Later we met up with Ewen, Emma, Jen and her little Laura, at the cafe and enjoyed a very leisurely coffee which turned into lunch. It was a lovely pleasant way to pass the morning.

Total distance: 27km

Time taken: 2:57:55

Average pace per km: 6:35 (slightly faster than last week)

Calories burned: 1569 (which I'm sure were replaced very quickly!)

Footnote: After reading Jog's and Friar's blog I am feeling much more positive about the Canberra Marathon recognising that Jog and I will be aiming to complete our tenth Canberra Marathons this year and may gain Griffin status after all. There has certainly been some doubt about this so we now have our fingers and toes crossed!

Photo shows me with Jen and Ewen during a lake run in 2010!

Another PB by a very narrow margin!

This afternoon I ran with Teddy for 3.8km as a warm up for the track session. It was very humid out there and even after such a short run I was dripping wet. Off to track at 7pm for another warm up with speedygeoff, Ewen and Yelena before the start of our race at 8pm. The rain held off and we had lots of cloud cover and a little wind for the event.

Yelena ran past me about 100m before the finish line but our times were very close. It was very humid and my back was troubling me for some unexplained reason. However I managed to beat my PB - JUST - in fact by less than a second! Phew!!

Time taken for 3000m: 14:53.21 (last week 14:54)!
Total distance for day including warm up and cool down: 11km

Wet Wednesday

7am - Off to the gym for another upper body strength session. I started with a warm-up for 10mins on the cross trainer. Next I spent 50mins on the machines working on the shoulders, back, chest, triceps, biceps etc followed by a circuit of abs training and finishing with 1000m on the rower as fast as possible which currently is 5mins 31secs. My goal is to get this down to under 5mins eventually! It's quite hard to do at the end of a tough session. After the session I spent about 10mins stretching and when I headed home it was pouring with rain.

1.30pm - It continued to rain on and off most of the day. When it eased off a little I put on some running clothes and a spray jacket and took Teddy out for a run in a light drizzle. However, about 10mins into the run it began to rain heavily and we headed to a friend in Lyneham just over 3km away where I stopped for a cup of tea and Teddy had a big drink of water as we watched the rain through the window and towel dried. When the rain eased off we headed back home stopping briefly to chat to Maria through her car window when she spotted us. A hot shower was definitely required on my return. Teddy is starting to get the hang of this running. The break in the middle probably helped.

Total distance: 6.5km

Later I headed off to Parliament House to meet up with Chris, Ewen and Andy for our usual Wednesday run. It had stopped raining and the sun shone bravely and intensely for a short time before cloud cover caused intense humidity instead. In fact on our return the boys were wringing out their singlets making puddles on the concrete - eeeew! We ran our usual run over King's Avenue, to the War Memorial, Constitution Avenue and Commonwealth bridge with a little extra distance round the back of the War Memorial. We did spot some large hares running very fast near Commonwealth Park. I wish I could run that fast.

Total distance: 11.5km
Time taken: 1hr 14mins
Average pace per km: 6:26

Total distance for day: 18km

Tuesday's training

This morning (Tuesday) I decided to go for a swim to start the day. I managed 1300m so was pretty happy with that. Once I reach 1500m I will just concentrate on swimming a little faster but swimming is not a strong point for me and I will always be slow. It is however excellent cross training.

I needed to be home before 9am as I was on grandma patrol for the day. I had such fun. During the morning little Miss 8 and I went to see 'Tangled' in 3D at Dendy Cinema and it was terrific. We both loved it. We also enjoyed the icecream and popcorn!

In the early evening I went for my run from home. It was overcast and really pleasant out there. My schedule was to run 10km steady plus 6 x 100m strides with 100m jog between . This I did and then ran home to collect Teddy and squeeze in a quick and short run round the block with him before dark and dinner time. It was a good work-out.

Total distance for day: 13km

Time taken for 10km: 59:28

Average pace per km: 5:56

Photos taken on Christmas Day with my gingerbread house slowly being demolished! What fun :)

A Good Start to Week 2 of my Marathon Training

At 7am I headed for the gym for a strength program including a warm up on the cross trainer and a warm down for 1000m on the rower. I also completed abs and stretches. The whole session took 1hour 15mins.

In the late afternoon, as a little warm up before speedygeese training, I ran with Teddy for 3.4km from home just avoiding the raindrops. He is getting better at running on the lead and I'm looking at increasing his runs gradually so that I will be able to go for a decent run with him before too long.

I chose to meet Ewen earlier than the main session at Parliament this afternoon. We ran out for nearly 3km where we met up with speedycoach and Katherine, ran a little further and then turned and ran back to PH, a total of 6km. There we met up with the rest of the speedygeese including a new starter, Emma. There were only 14 of us tonight. Some are still on holidays.

After a warm up loop the main session consisted of:

12 x 100m hill sprints with a jog down to the start between each sprint

We then ran another gentle loop before heading for another hill for attrition sprints. The grand winner again this week was Joel. He is truly amazing!

Total distance for day including warm ups: 16km

The countdown has begun!

Early this morning (Sunday) I went out with Mr B to cheer him on in the Australian Triathlon Championships. He entered the sprint distance - 750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run. There were heaps of people I knew there, both entrants and supporters. Lots of speedygeese runners also stopped to say hi and it was lots of fun. The conditions were perfect with a glass-like lake and cloud cover for the entire event. The rain started just as we packed up the bike at the end of the race. It was very exciting to watch as Flashdrake and Mr B were racing neck to neck in the same age group. Mr B was pipped at the post by about 30secs to achieve a 3rd place in his age group but he gave Flashdrake a run for his money! Of course the most inspirational competitor of the day was our Rad who is now 84 and featured in today's Canberra Times. He is such an amazing man with an incredible life story.

Late in the afternoon, before my beautiful local family joined us for dinner after their holiday, I met up with Ewen for a run from Parliament House. Of course it rained and it rained for the entire run. It was humid and I loved the feel of the rain to keep us cool although we had to run with due caution. Ewen was a bit tired as he had already run 10km earlier in the day but after the first few kms I felt fresh and really enjoyed the run. We were slow but it didn't really matter. Today was more about completing some more kms for the week.

Total distance: 10km

Time taken: 1:04:17
Average pace per km: 6:25

Total distance for week: 74km
Total distance so far for January: 96km

I have a lot of work to do as I really need to increase my weekly distance. The countdown to the Canberra Marathon in April has begun!

Just One More New Year's Resolution for 2011.....

Stress less!

This year I resolve to start preparing for Christmas early. I always leave everything until the last minute and then my stress levels rise as I try to do my Christmas baking, write my annual newsletter (or poem) and shop til I drop. I try every year to be organised but 2011 is the year I will plan to achieve this and avoid last minute panic. Hmmm, we shall see!

This morning I met up with Ewen and Andy at the War Memorial where we spotted lots of speedygeese heading off for the Mt Ainslie hills. Our plan is to pick up the distance and endurance before we start on the hilly trails. We still have hill training on Mondays in the meantime.

We ran down to the lake, turned right and ran right round West Basin and over Kings Avenue Bridge. Andy lost us after 12km as he took off as a speck in the distance. He was running well, we were running slow. Having said that we felt comfortable and I certainly felt better than last week, possibly because we had cloud cover all the way. I just need to 'up' that speed! However the company was good and of course the coffee and chat later, when we next met up with Andy, was great fun. During our run we spotted speedygeoff running in the opposite direction with two lovely young ladies. We also spotted a family of ducklings which were still fluffy although they were not tiny newborns anymore.

Total distance: 24km

Time taken: 2:39:13

Average pace per km: 6:38 (which is exactly the same pace as last week)

Calories burned: 1408

Photo taken with Ewen and Andy on a trail walk at the Gold Coast in 2010.

Resolution Number Five - Declutter!

I'm not totally sure that "declutter" is a real word but that's what has to happen around me. I have this immense accumulation of paperwork, unworn clothes and things to be done! Today, one day after the twelfth day of Christmas, I took down the tree, the decorations and the cards. It always feels a bit sad - that after-Christmas clean-up and I still need to vacuum all those bits of tree and tinsel that somehow are always left behind when the tree comes down!

This morning I swam 1200m before meeting Marg for a coffee to toast our daughters' birthdays which both happen to be today.

Later, a long walk with Teddy helped to work off some of the nibbling I had been doing during the day trying to "declutter" my refrigerator!!

Fridays are my non-running day in preparation for the long run in the morning.

Photo is of my two girls who live in Sydney - birthday girl on the right.

I did it - a PB at last!

Tonight at track I finally ran the 3000m in under 15mins. I was going to write that down as one of my goals for this season not expecting to run it on the first track session of the year. It was a combined meet with ACT Athletics which meant that Yelena could run the 3000m too. Speedycoach had promised to pace Yelena and suggested he pace me too. He managed to keep us on an even 1min or just under for every 200m. Yelena took off with about 400m to go and went through the finishing line in 14:46 which equals her PB. I ran through in 14:54 which is a PB for me by 4secs so I was very happy indeed.

Thank you speedycoach. You rule!

Total distance with warm-up and cool down: 6.2km

Time taken for 3000m track race: 14:54

Average pace per km: 4:57

Photo: speedycoach and his Jenny

Resolution Number Four......

Keep in constant contact with my friends, not necessarily just running friends!

This morning I cycled to meet Margaret (who is unable to run for some months due to an achilles infection) and we rode down to the lake for a great coffee before continuing on our way making a total of 30km. We had lots of catching up to do today but next time we will cycle faster. It was really enjoyable.

Just before 6pm I met up with Ewen, Chris and Andy for a run from Parliament House along Kings Avenue, round the War Memorial, Constitution Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue and back to PH. It was quite a strong wind in parts especially crossing the bridges but it was a pleasant run although my hamstring felt quite tight and sore.

Total distance: 11.2km

Time taken: 1:13:13

Average pace per km: 6:31 (I did forget to press the stop button on my Garmin a few times when we were waiting to cross roads which may account for a couple of minutes!)

Photo: Andy, Jenjen (from Sydney), Margaret at the speedygeese Christmas BBQ

Resolution Number Three .....

Keep up the Cross Training!

My goal is to regularly attend the gym for upper body strength work at least twice a week and attend RPM, Body Balance and abs classes each week. I also aim to cycle and swim at least once a week to maintain overall fitness and of course take Teddy for his daily walk. Judging by my absymal effort at the hill sprints at training last night I also need to incorporate hills and trails in my long runs. 2011 will be the year to make me stronger!

This evening I went for my run at 7pm when the temperature was cool and pleasant. I ran from home and out towards Gungahlin on the cycle track turning at 4km.

Total distance: 8km

Time taken: 47:44

Average pace per km: 5:57

Photo: Teddy before and after grooming! Yes, it IS the same puppy!

Resolution Number Two ......

Stretch, stretch, stretch!!!

Yes indeed, I do not stretch enough after my runs. I stretch at the gym but it is so important to warm up before a run and stretch afterwards. This year I am going to aim to stick with my plan of stretching after every run to try to avoid injury. After my long run yesterday my left hamstring has been playing up again. I took Teddy for a long walk in the afternoon but the hamstring continued to hurt.

This morning I headed off to the gym for a work-out as follows:

ten minute warm-up on the cross trainer

super sets x 4 of the following with the 1st set 15 reps, 2nd set 12 reps, 3rd set 10 reps, 4th set 15 reps. The 1st and last set have the same weight and the weights increase for the 2nd and 3rd set.

Assisted chin-ups + push-ups

Barbell chest press (15kg) + tricep dips with leg elevated

DB alternating bicep curls + French press (5kg)

DB rows x 15 on each side (6kg)

Abs - 30 secs each of the following repeating the circuit x 2

Side plank right

reverse plank

side plank left

plank

double crunch
I finished with 1000m on the rower.

This is one of my Michelle Bridges routines and takes about an hour. The photos show CJ and I with Michelle after "pain in the domain" in Sydney and later at the celebration party.

Later today I headed off to Parliament House for the speedygeese running session. I was too late for the early session but too early for the 5.30pm start. However, I had time to run just over 4km down to the lake before the main session started.

There were only 12 of us there tonight - 9 guys and 3 girls. Others must still be on holiday. After the warm-up loop we headed for a hilly bank where we incorporated a fast sprint up a steep short hill, a slower run up the rest of the hill and a windy loop, as fast as possible, then a short rest before repeating this three times. This was followed by an attrition sprint running to the top of the hill. Last person to the top each time was out. Joel won the last sprint and Andy came second. We finished the session with a warm down loop of Parliament House.

Total distance including warm-up: 11.3km

AND I finished the session with stretches!

New Year's Resolution Number One .......

....To keep my blog updated!

On that note, Happy New Year to anyone out there who hasn't given up on me. Here's to a fantastic injury-free, healthy and happy 2011.

Some highlights for 2010 have been:

• Running my 100th Veteran's Handicap run
• Winning the first place trophy in the Adler Spiral Handicap series at the track
• Being support crew with Ewen for Liz at the 100km Tan in Melbourne
• Running in my 9th Canberra Marathon
• Changing age group and celebrating Mr B and my 60th birthdays with a trip to Bali
• Becoming a proud mother to Teddy, my labradoodle
• Being interviewed and appearing in the Canberra Times with speedycoach and Roger
• Having fun at the Gold Coast with lots of speedygeese entering in lots of races
• Winning a medal in my age group in the Vets' Half Marathon
• Completing a 12-week Total Body Transformation program with Michelle Bridges (from Biggest Loser) on-line and meeting her in person at the culmination of the program in Sydney

I'm quite sure there are heaps of other golden moments which I can't currently recall but all in all 2010 was a fun year and I'm hoping 2011 will be even better and maybe I might be able to run a little faster! Hopefully my hamstring won't give me too much grief.

Total kilometres run in 2010: 2,651

It's been so long since I last blogged that I won't bore everyone (including myself) with all the details of the last few weeks. Suffice to say I have been running, going to the gym regularly, cycling a little and swimming about once a week. I now need to 'up the ante' as the YCRC (YMCA Canberra Running Club) will now be conducting the marathon in April and more training is required. As this will be my 10th marathon in Canberra I have my fingers crossed that Griffin status (ie acknowledgment of ten Canberra marathons) will still apply.

Temperatures in Canberra have risen excessively in the past few days. Summer seems to have finally arrived and this means running earlier or later in the day to avoid the heat. We have had heaps of rain this season and the grass is green and growing rapidly.

On New Year's Day (when I started this entry) I swam 1.1km at the pool instead of venturing out into the 37deg heat after rather a late night on New Year's Eve! Instead I ran my first run of the year today (Sunday) with Andy at 7.30am from the War Memorial. We ran down to the lake and round the East Basin, through Kingston and back to the lake, down to the yacht club and on to Yarralumla Bay where we turned and ran back to the carillon before returning to the War Memorial to loiter over coffee.

Total distance: 22km
Time taken: 2hrs 25mins
Average pace per km: 6:38

Yes, this pace needs work but it was decidedly humid out there this morning and we may have to start our long runs earlier to avoid the heat of the day at this time of the year.

Photo shows some of us having fun at Maria's Heroes and Villians Party on New Year's Eve.
From left: Kerry (Cruella), Drew (Phantom), strewth (Batgirl), Kelly (Supergirl), Mick (Dracula) and Andy (Gunslinger)

Fun Times Abound!

There is no doubt that this is a busy time of year preparing for Christmas and all that entails. I have been busy making gingerbread men and decorating our Christmas tree this afternoon. Just before lunch I sped off for a run in the sun - yes, that yellow ball in the sky bravely appeared today and it was hot and humid. There were still huge puddles and fallen tree branches to avoid and as I had scheduled a 1km time trial it was difficult to find an unbroken km stretch. In the end I ran two 1km time trials and chose the second one which was marginally faster.

This is my last week of my 12week body transformation program. I'm not exactly transformed but I have definitely lost weight and am eating much better. Next weekend is the culmination of all that hard work when CJ and I head for Sydney to take part in "pain in the domain" before the celebration party that night with an after party to follow. On the Monday night Mr B and I have tickets to see U2 in concert at Homebush. That too should be an amazing experience. Good times, fun times!

It has been a couple of weeks since I blogged and the weather has been wet. That is an understatement. We have had the wettest spring on record and since the start of summer it has rained almost every day and more is expected. The grass and gardens look amazing but I have to admit I love it when the sun shines and we can run without heading for cover when the thunder roars.

Back to my blog continuing on from my last entry -

Tuesday 23 November

I started the morning with yoga before work.

At 6.15pm I headed for the last official ACT Cross Country Club spring series run. It was held at Weston Park and after a 1km warm up on rough ground the main event was 5km. I ran it even slower than the week before in 28:51 which is an average pace of 5:52 per km. After the run Ewen, speedygeoff and I ran a 4km cool down to make a total for the day of 9km.

Wednesday 24 November

Because I went to a gingerbread house making class this evening I couldn't make my usual Wed group run after work. I did however go to the gym in the morning for strength work followed by the abs class.

Thursday 25 November

I wasn't feeling 100% when I went to track tonight (probably from nibbling at the lollies while making the gingerbread house) and as a consequence didn't compete in the walk or the 1500m events. Instead I ran the 3000m and the spiral at the end of the night. My 3000m time was slower than usual 15:19 (average pace 5:06per km) - no PB tonight! However in the spiral I felt much stronger and ran the 7 laps (2.98km) in 14:48. I must have had a second wind (no pun intended)!

Friday 26 November - Bodybalance or my weekly stretching class - great!

Saturday 27 November

I met up with Ewen, Andy, Jen and CJ at the War Memorial from where we ran round the Mt Ainslie track and down to the lake and round the wetlands, Kingston etc. It was good to have all that company and later Liz joined us for coffee at the Campbell Shops.

Total distance: 16km

Sunday 28 November - Vets' Handicap Run

It was not a pleasant day weather-wise and not many people lingered afterwards as the heavens opened. The last handicap of the year was held at Weston Park and because the ground was soggy and the weather had been so bad the course was changed slightly to an out and back course. It was fun to catch up with people but it was also very muddy and slushy and I ran with due caution as I didn't want to slip and fall. Later I enjoyed a very pleasant coffee with some of my running mates at the War Memorial cafe where we warmed up again after shivering in the rain.

Handicap group: 27

Finish place: 57th out of 87

Distance: 7km (plus 1km warm up)

Time taken: 39:44

Average pace per km: 5:41

Age percentile: 72.7%

Monday 29 November

6:30am - strength work at the gym

7:30am - swim 600m

5.30pm - speedygeoff's training at PH

As it was still raining when it was time to start the training and a few soggy runners had just returned from their early run we opted to train in the carpark - round and round for the warm up and cool down and the main session was hill repeats as fast as possible for one side of the carpark which slopes upwards - 12 of them. We ended up racing each other in pairs and it turned into an excellent workout. Naturally we all prefer to be outside in the fresh air but preferably without the rain!

Approximate distance: 8km

Tuesday 30 November

It was another very wet day and instead of heading to the cross country run at a soggy Stromlo I headed for the RPM class at the gym - probably a wise decision! It was a really good work out.

Wednesday 1 December - First day of a wet summer!

6.30am - strength work in gym followed by 15mins abs class

No running tonight as our Wed group had a party instead which proved to be heaps of fun - lots of food, laughs and charades which turned into an absolute hoot. We have such a great little group.

Thursday 2 December

Another really really wet day and this time track at the AIS was officially cancelled. Instead I once more headed for the gym and ran 5km on the dreaded treadmill. I did hill intervals and I absolutely dripped. I felt like I had run 20km by the time I ran 5km. I am not at all used to the treadmill and it felt like really really hard work, not something I would ever choose over running outside but it could happen more often if the rain and storms persist. At least I have the option.

Friday 3 December - my usual body balance class - I love Fridays.

Saturday 4 December

I met up with Ewen and Andy at 7.45am for a run to the lake from the War Memorial. This time we ran an out and back course to the hill near Scrivener Damn and just past the ferry terminal we met up with speedygeoff heading towards us. He turned and ran another 5km out and back with us which was great. The best part is it didn't rain. It was overcast but very very humid as obviously a storm was brewing later in the day. We were all dripping wet (especially the boys) on our return journey. We left speedychief at the ferry terminal and continued on back to the war memorial to meet up with CJ at the cafe for a great coffee and chat. It was a slow run but good to be building up the distance again.

Total distance: 20km

Time taken: 2hrs 12mins

Average pace per km: 6:37

Later in the afternoon I had just left the house to take Teddy for his walk when the thunder started rumbling in the distance. I had no jacket or rain gear with me so we started to run. Then the heavens opened, the rain pelted down and the inevitable happened. Teddy ran across me, I tripped on his lead, sprawled on the soggy ground, partly landing on him. He yelped and pulled away on to the road - eek, fortunately I still had hold of the lead, pulled him back, scrambled up and we jogged on to the corner and home. We both looked like drowned rats, literally. Teddy has very long shaggy hair and it was all sticking to him and as for me, when we finally reached our front door and Mr B let us in, he burst out laughing at the sight that greeted him. I had to peel everything off before daring to go any further indoors. Oh boy, wet, bruised and very sorry for myself I towel dried the poor dog (who didn't seem to mind one bit) and headed for a hot shower! Not great timing - so lucky to get in that beautiful run this morning!

Sunday 5 December

This is where I started this blog entry and my total distance including two time trials was 8km.

Monday 6 December

This morning I headed for the gym to spend over an hour pumping iron and working on my abs before going to the pool and swimming a km. Woo hoo, I was very happy to manage a km as that's the furthest I have swum in over twelve months. Tonight is the speedygeese Christmas party at Pialligo - we are so lucky to have a wonderful venue. Here's hoping the rain stays away. It has rained again today of course but currently the sun is struggling through. It should be another fun night.

This is my last week at work. Yay, I may finally be able to keep my blog up-to-date and catch up with all the Christmas "to do" list after we return from Sydney on Tuesday.

Photos: Richard, Ewen, Andy at our Wed group celebration.

Gingerbread houses

Sunday

I cycled 23km today on cycle paths but at least it was a cycle. Half way I stopped and had a coffee with CJ and Mr CJ - not a good place for coffee as it happened but great company and a chance to have a chat before CJ later headed for the final run leg of the triple tri. The only other exercise today was a long hot walk with puppy Teddy.

Monday

7am

This morning I headed for the gym for an hour's weight session including abs and 10mins on the cross trainer. Next I went to the pool for a swim and managed 500m in the 50m pool. Woo hoo - it's been so long since I swam properly as a shoulder injury had prevented me swimming freestyle. It felt wonderful to finally be able to swim again. I will continue to try to increase the distance gradually every few days.

5.30pm - speedygeese at Parliament House

It was hot today, much hotter than what we are used to and it will take a little while for us to acclimatise to the warmer weather. The temps are gradually rising all week.

Today after our warm up lap of PH we headed for the rose garden and ran around the 750m course where we were to do our main session. We ran this loop four times, running fast on the uphills and slow on the downhills. The first 120m was fast, then we ran slowly before speeding up for the next 160m, slowing down on the downhills again and running fast up the hill and the steps before a short warm down back to the start. We repeated this loop five times with a little rest between each interval until speedychief blew the whistle every six minutes at the start.

We finished with a cool down loop making a total of 9km.

Here we go "Loop the Loop"!

Monday

Today's speedygeese session at Parliament House avoided the rain again. We have been very lucky fitting in our sessions between showers. Tonight after our warm up we ran a 950m loop six times - three fast loops and three slow loops followed by a cool down lap round PH.Total distance: 10km

Tuesday

This evening the Cross Country Spring Series run was at Barrinjoey Drive - another true cross country accessed via a long windy dusty road. It was a looped course which we had to run three times. Parts of it were uneven and stony but it was certainly interesting. The climate was perfect but my run was still slow. After the race I ran a 4km warm down run with Ewen and Jen.

Total distance for day: 9km

Time for 5km race: 28:31

Average pace per km: 5:36

Wednesday

6.30am - Gym - strength work

7am - abs class

5.45pm - I met up with Chris and Ewen at Parliament House for our mid-week run. We ran and talked and did not break any records. Chris stopped after 10km but Ewen and I continued on for a loop of PH to finish making our total 12km.

Thursday

This evening was the track and field session at the AIS. I arrived on time to compete in the 1500m fitness walk (10:56) - always fun then I thought I would eat a banana and relax until the 3000m event later in the evening. However, just after I had finished eating Maureen approached me and roped me in for the 4 x 800m relay team. I am definitely not an 800m runner. However, the W55s needed me to make up their team of four and I agreed very reluctantly to join them. Although I am in the next age group apparently one person is allowed to run in a younger age group. I ran in number two spot after Kathy and passed the baton to Maria, followed by Maureen. It was hard work but fun to be part of it. Of course I was the weakest link, my time for the 800m being 3:40. After the race I started coughing and even after sucking on peppermints I just couldn't stop.

I lined up at 8.15pm for the 3000m event. I didn't break my PB but I guess I had already run and that may have slowed me down.

Time for 3000m: 15:10

I managed a short warm down after the run before announcements and supper were held.

Friday

I went to Body Balance class this morning which always makes me stretch heaps. I'm quite sure this is a good thing! Friday is my rest day from running.

Saturday

It was a stunning day today and at 7.45am I met up with Ewen and Andy at the War Memorial. There were quite a number of runners there who usually run at the Cotter and have moved to the War Memorial now to run at Mt Ainslie. They started off before us and we saw some of them at various spots throughout the run. We ran a loop of Mt Ainslie then headed over a stony rough trail where we hadn't run before. Part of the hills were unrunnable but it was great to be on the trails. The view at the top was stunning.

It was a lovely morning and later we met up with CJ for a coffee at the War Memorial cafe.

Total distance: 15km

Weekend Fun!

Friday

At 6am I went for a bike ride, on the cycle track, before work. I managed to squeeze in 18km to try out my nice new gatorskin tyres which supposedly are tough and should not puncture easily - good plan!

Saturday

My schedule demanded that I had to fit in a 1km time trial today and I decided to do this before my longer run a little later. Thus at 6am I ran 2km gently before turning and running back as fast as I could for 1km and jogging back home. I ran along cycle tracks from home as this is the time trial I have done on other occasions. I managed 1km in 5:03 - not exactly earth shattering but at least the time was recorded.

I then whizzed home, had a piece of toast and a quick shower before driving to the War Memorial to meet up with CJ, Ewen and Andy for a run round the base of Mt Ainslie and past Molonglo Reach through the wetlands and back for a total of 15km. It was tough as my legs objected and by 12km I had really hit the wall. Fortunately Ewen wanted to run slowly too so I had company when I was tagging along for the last few km.

Total distance for day: 19km

Sunday

This morning I met up with friends at the Yacht Club as we had entered the Tour de Femme, a 20km all women's bike ride. Six of us entered as The Motley Crue. We all wore pink tops and tried to stay together for the duration of the ride. It was heaps of fun. We had only had one training ride together and for me the only other riding I had done this year was on cycle tracks. We felt quite happy with our time of 48mins. There were about 650 women and the start was a bit hairy and about 3km into the run one of our team had something caught in her wheel so we waited to fix it, probably losing a couple of minutes. That was the only snag and at times we were cycling over 42km an hour - great fun indeed!

In the evening we all met up for dinner at a local Balinese restaurant where far too much wine and food was consumed but the company was fantastic!

Slowing Down!

I made it to track with about five minutes to spare for a warm-up before the 3000m event at 6pm. It was really hot tonight compared to what we are used to, still 27deg at 6pm when we ran. Because we are not yet acclimatised for the warm weather it felt really hot and muggy after all the rain we have experienced lately.

I did not run well taking 15:23 (5:10 per km average pace) which was almost 14secs slower than last week. I think I run better when it is slightly cool. However, it wasn't windy and it certainly didn't rain!

Immediately following the 3000m I took part in the 2000m fitness/race walk. This took me 14mins but was a great warm down.

My final event was the 6-lap spiral handicap. My handicap group was 28. I felt slow and sore initially but by the final couple of laps I felt much better and put in a bit more of an effort. There wasn't a breath of wind and the sun had gone down but the air was still very warm. Of course Bronwyn raced me to the finish as did Maria who just raced me over the finish line. It is always a fun event.

Total distance with warm-ups and cool downs: 9km

A True Cross Country Run

Tuesday
6.45am - Yoga class before work.
6.15pm - Cross Country spring series at Weston Park

It had been raining on and off most of the day but when we ran at 6.15pm the rain had stopped and humidity had taken over. It was sticky weather and the course was "cross country" in the true sense of the word. It was undulating, grassy, potholes and uneven surface. I ran carefully as I do have a habit of tripping over. I found it much more difficult than last Tuesday and my disappointing time reflected this.

Total distance of run: 5km (plus 1km warm up and 4km cool down)

Time taken:29.1mins

Average pace per km: 5:45

Total distance for day: 10km

Wednesday

6.15am - Strength work at gym

7am - Abs class

6pm - Run from Parliament House with Jen, Ewen and Chris.

We just ran a gentle run this evening. Again, it had rained earlier and the weather was sticky but the company was good.

Total distance: 8km

Gaining Confidence

Yesterday morning at 6.30am I met up with five other girls at the yacht club where we rode a practice run of the Tour de Femme course which is being held next weekend. I was very nervous as this is fully on the road and I haven't been riding on the road for years. However, we rode as a group and it was great fun. We have entered the event as a team. The course is 20km but we rode 22km with a couple of stops to regroup. It was good company and lots of fun. It certainly boosted my confidence for road riding and afterwards we had a beautiful coffee in Yarralumla.

Later, after taking Teddy (puppy) for a 45min walk/run, Mr B and I decided to go for a swim at the CISAC Pool. Again, it's been years since I went swimming, partly due to my left shoulder being painful. I swam in the 25metre pool and the water felt really warm, like a hot bath, not the most conducive start! However, I managed 30 laps and then we dashed home to change and drive to the China Tea Club for a delightful dinner with a couple of friends. Next swim I will attempt the 50m pool which will be much cooler.

Monday

Although I am supposedly working four days a week, today was an unexpected work day as I was asked to work an extra day this week as we are very busy. Thus I went to the gym early for my strength session and did not make the early speedygeese session tonight, instead arriving in time for the 5.30pm start.

The rain had slowed when I arrived and we were about to venture outside when thunder reverberated across the sky and the heavens really opened. Therefore we initially ran a 4km warm up under the carpark in the shelter. Then once the rain eased we ran to the rose garden and ran 4 x 800m undulating intervals as fast as possible before the rain started pelting down again. Then it was a quick dash to the underground carpark, as the thunder clapped around us, where we ran a couple of km cool down to finish off our session.

Total distance: approx 9km

The forecast is for showers off and on for the rest of the week, a bit frustrating for our running sessions.

Photo: Warrick and Chris at the speedygeese dinner in October

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.