Peace in the Valley!!

Wednesday - RPM, Abs, work, run - in that order! Ewen and I ran our usual route from my office keeping the pace slower than last week to fit in with Ewen's low heart rate. This suited us fine as that meant more chatting was involved! Ewen explained the technicalities of his training and how he will reach his 3km goal. We also stopped briefly to gaze at the magnificent sunset near the Boathouse and spotted a lone rower on the water. It was very beautiful. The wind was a bit nasty on the way out but surprisingly it was calmer on our return loop. On the whole it was a pleasant run.

Total distance: 12.10km
Time taken: 71:30
Average pace per km: 5:54
Calories burned: 720

All Shook Up!

This morning I found RPM even harder than usual. I started off tired and the first two tracks were really hard. Once I warmed up it became better but certainly never easy. And after work it was back to speedygeoff's training at Parliament House.

It was a lovely sunny day for the first day of Spring but the air definitely had a strong chill to it by the time training started. I ran in shorts tonight but most people continued in leggings.

We ran a couple of warm-up loops before our main set which was 20 x 100m fast/slow with a short rest at the half way point. It was competitive, with short and sharp repeats - we pushed ourselves and it was hard but 100m is a great distance cos it's over so quickly and the 100m jog between each sprint was a good opportunity for a chat with lots of different people. We finished with another loop of PH.

Total distance: 9km
Calories burned: 530

Blue Suede Shoes!

Just for Tesso and Katy I have posted the "blue suede shoes" that I wear to the gym sometimes. Aren't they cool!! They match my pink/black tracksuit perfectly but they're definitely not made for running. Speaking of running yesterday I went for a run at about 11am and surprisingly became positively hot! Just as I was thinking that I should have worn less clothes the voice on my ipod sang, "girl you're so hot" - hmmm my sentiments exactly. However, they are not the sentiments of my just-6yr old grand-daughter who was explaining to me in a stage whisper in the car on Friday that "hot" means "sexy" and "you're too old to be hot grandma. You're pretty but you're not hot. Mummy is a little bit hot though cos her face is smooth!" Ah me, the disillusionment I feel - it is official, I am defnitely NOT hot!!

Yesterday's total distance: 10.4km

Time taken: 58:34

Average pace per km: 5:47

Calories burned: 600

This morning I ran in the Masters' monthly handicap run at Blewitt's Forest. When I looked out the window this morning it was pouring with rain and blowing a gale. Yuck - not a good start for a very hilly off-road run. Mr B opted to stay in our nice warm bed but I love catching up with everyone at the handicap and besides I needed to burn off the rather large meal I cooked last night and the choc chip muffins Miss 6 and I cooked yesterday afternoon! As I drove nearer the event the rain cleared and by the time I parked the car the sun was peeping through the clouds. The timing of the run was perfect - no rain, no wind and the only downside was the slushy mud underfoot. I did watch my footing especially on the downhills as it would have been very easy to slip over in that mud. It was a very hilly run with one long slow steady incline in particular which felt like it was going on forever, but the total distance was only 7km so quite manageable. Miranda won the gold medal in the 7km long course which was absolutely fantastic and well-deserved! Steve sped past me 500m from the end starting from a very big handicap and looking very fit ready for his enormous 100mile hill run in a couple of weeks.

And now the rain is back and that's a good thing, cos we desperately need it - excellent timing!

Total distance: 7km
Time taken: 41:51
Average pace per km: 5:55
Calories burned: 420
Handicap Group: 22
Place: 40th (about 80 runners)

And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind!

Tonight at speedygeoff's training on the oval we ran a couple of warm-up laps before the main set which consisted of two person relays with one person running 300m fast while the other person jogged 100m back to the previous cone where they waited for the first person to reach them and pass the baton for a repeat of this 9-10 times. The wind was very cold although we had experienced a gorgeous sunny day earlier. After the main set we ran another gentle cool down lap of the oval.

Total distance: 7km
Calories burned: 380

A Little less Conversation!

Okay not much less - but I did listen more than Ewen talked cos he decided to set our pace a little faster and our distance a little shorter. The first few kms were a little tough but after warming up it became much more comfortable. We ran our usual route just cutting it short by a km. It was a still, mild evening and only just started to become dark as we almost reached our finish point. Spring is coming, hurrah hurrah!

Total distance: 12.2km
Time taken: 1:10:32
Average pace per km: 5:47
Calories burned: 723

Sweet Caroline

Parts of the cycle course - Mr B on an uphill

Caroline on a down-hill

Mr B finishesCaroline wins Gold!
Smiles for competitors and supporters!
Caroline's proud son!

We have now returned from a lovely weekend in Newcastle where Mr B competed in a challenging duathlon as did a few of our Canberra masters athletes, including Caroline. It was a great course for spectators and there were several laps where we could cheer everyone on loudly (the "toasties" would have loved it)! The distances were standard - 10km run, 40km cycle, 5km run which will be the same as in Italy, the difference being that the Rimini cycle course is flat whereas the Newcastle one was very very hilly - good training! We drove around the cycle course the evening before when the wind was so strong that the organisers could not set up the course markers and instead had to return to do this at 3.30am on the Sunday! During the Sat evening it also rained heavily and we were very relieved when the wind dropped and the rain stopped in time for ideal conditions for the morning of the event. Although Mr B did not gain a medal he still managed a good time considering the cycle course and he did have some serious competition. The winner of his age group beat him by 30minutes!

While Mr B rested in the afternoon I went on a short run of my own as I definitely felt the need for exercise after being inspired by those duathletes. We stayed at Adamstown Heights which gives some indication that hills surrounded us but I was directed to a disused railway line and found a great place to run - a steady gentle incline was involved and the weather was brilliant. Back to work tomorrow - why do weekends always go so fast even when an extra day is involved?

Distance: 14.3km

Time taken: 1:22:54

Average pace per km: 5:47

Calories burned: 820

Oh and yes, Elvis did sing the title of this blog! He just wasn't alone in doing so.

Good Luck Charm!

Happy 38th wedding anniversary to our speedycoach and his speedyjenny today! He wins by a year! Yesterday he led 7 of us in training at Dickson Oval. It was actually quite a mild night for a change with no wind - woo hoo! We ran our warm-up loop (I missed the first loop but arrived in time for the second) and then our main set was 10 laps (unless we were lapped) running fast on the straights and slow on the bends. All except 3 of us were lapped once and consequently only had to run 9 laps - great. We then ran a warm down loop making a total distance of 7.5km.

This morning I tried something different at the gym - a Body Balance class. This is a combination of pilates, yoga, stretching, abs, balance, strength and relaxation in the space of an hour. I had to concentrate hard especially on the core and balancing work but I'm sure a compulsory hour of various types of stretching will help me, especially as I no longer attend yoga classes. It does mean however that I will only be doing two RPM classes a week instead of three - may need to add an extra run in soon to up the ante!

Tomorrow Mr B and I drive to Newcastle where Mr B is competing in a championship duathlon on Sunday - a good practice for the big one in Rimini, Italy next month. It should be good fun cheering him on along with a few other Canberra competitors and I have the opportunity to catch up with my brother there. Best of all we are not returning until Monday - a day off work, woo hoo!! Good luck Mr B!

Help me make it through the night!

Tonight Ewen and I ran our usual route out past Molonglo Reach and back struggling with a head wind after the turn around. That wind was cold! We saw numerous rabbits on the way including one poor little prostate one which we suspect an eagle may have attacked! The evenings are staying lighter later now but I still needed my headlamp for the return trip. After intensive treatment at the physio yesterday my leg was still painful for the first half of the run but I have committed to lots more stretching and will need to do this in order to continue to run without discomfort. It seems to take about 5km before my legs are operating in a normal fashion. It would probably also help if I had more sleep and didn't burn the candle at both ends watching Olympics late and going to the gym early! I had to make two pit stops tonight - defnitely a bad move to celebrate a work colleague's birthday with icecream cake!

Total distance: 14km
Time taken: 1:25
Average pace per km: 6:08

Girls, Girls, Girls!

It's a bit difficult to drag myself away from the Olympics long enough to write up today's entry. After RPM this morning I did go to work for a few hours before whizzing home at lunchtime to watch the women's tri. Wow, I'm so glad I didn't miss it - just the best watching those Emmas win gold and bronze - just awesome!

Tonight at speedygeoff's PH training we ran a couple of warm-up in and out loops of PH before running 5 x [600m fast out and slow back] along the top flat grassy bank by the road beside PH. I'm still having trouble with my leg and it seems to take me about 4km to warm up but it was a good fast session. Tomorrow morning I have a physio session. Jimmy has had a bike accident and fractured his collar bone in four places (ouch) so I have a different person tomorrow and obviously a very different injury!

Total distance tonight: 10km

Calories burned: 600m

After our training tonight we celebrated Helen's birthday, Yelena's PB in the 3ooom at the High Noon meet yesterday and Rae's 3rd place in her age group at the C2S - lovely bubbly supplied by the birthday girl went down very nicely thank you!

Just a Closer Walk with Thee!

Saturday's run was not very memorable. It looked like a lovely day and the sun was shining but there was a cold headwind for a fair bit of the way and I didn't take off my long sleeved top until about 8km into the run. For the first 5km my legs felt like blocks of lead and everything hurt. It was not good at all. I did have a very late night on Thursday but hey that was two nights ago - no excuse for such a bad run. I think a physio appointment is in order this week and I think I have also made up my mind to go with Mr B to Newcastle next weekend and cheer him on in his duathlon instead of competing in the Canberra Masters' Half Marathon where a satisfactory result would not be likely at the moment. Besides Mr B is very keen on having me as his cheer squad!

Distance: 15km
Time taken: 1:30:25
Average pace per km: 6:05
Calories burned: 874

Today, Sunday, the weather was absolutely stunning - the wind didn't pick up until late afternoon. We spent the morning watching the women's marathon and the 1500m men's swim before being on babysitting duties for the rest of the day which resulted in us taking master 2 year old for a 7km brisk walk in his pram - at least it was some form of exercise and enabled us to make the most of the gorgeous sunshine.

'He is My Everything'!

Tomorrow I have been married 37 years to the same wonderful caring man who has learnt to share my love of running and fitness and understands my idiosyncrasies. To quote a well-known movie which we both enjoyed, "he completes me". I am indeed very blessed!

Last weekend we both competed in the City to Surf. I was excited with my time on Gandalf which stated I ran it in 78:43 which would have been a PB by 1min. However, in the paper it tells me my chip time (my official time) is actually 80:25. How can this be, I wonder? Is Gandalf speeding me up? I pressed the start as I ran across the timing pad at the start line. How mysterious and how frustrating. Mr B ran a PB in 70:58 and is obviously very happy with that. We both enjoyed the run. I felt the hills at the start but after settling in to my rhythm barely noticed heartbreak hill. The most difficult part for me was wending my way around so many people, purportedly 70,000 starters. The morning dawned very cool but the conditions were actually ideal with no wind and definitely not too hot. Later in the day it poured with rain and turned extremely cold so we were very lucky to have had a clear morning. We saw a lot of familiar faces out there, a large contingency of Canberrans. We spent a lot of hours later just watching the Olympics on the telly in the hotel room - very relaxing.

Stats from Gandalf 2

Distance: 14.12km

Time taken: 78:43 (official chip time: 80:25)

Average pace per km: 5:34

Calories burned: 824

Fastest km: 4:50

This afternoon Ewen was unable to join me for my mid-week run so I took my courage in my hands and ran on my own. I didn't start out until 5.15pm which was later than usual but I took my ipod for company and at the half-way point turned on my headlamp. I also wore ear warmers and was very glad of them on my return journey. My right leg has been playing up and is stiff and sore causing me problems sleeping. It was ok running C2S although it was aching the day before. On my run this evening it hurt for the first 5km then seemed to settle down and I managed to complete the run comfortably. By the time I reached Molonglo Reach it was dark and I turned on my headlamp. The second half of the run was tough. There was a bitterly cold fierce headwind and it was dark and I was a tad scared out there on my own. My imagination was working overtime and I turned my music up loud to drown out the noise of the wind! Ewen, I missed you out there - don't leave me alone again - eeeeeek! However, I made it home in record time avoiding a few potholes and running as fast as possible to try to find some light. I can't say I particularly enjoyed the experience but I'm glad I did it! It was very necessary as I have to squeeze into a new little black dress for an awards night tomorrow night! This of course means that I will miss training AND that Mr B and I will have to celebrate our anniversary dinner on Sat night instead!!

Distance: 14km

Time taken: 1:22:24

Average pace per km: 5:52

Calories burned: 829

Fastest km: 5:34

My son has sent me an interesting link to an article about how running after 50 slows the aging process. This seems to me a very good reason to continue running! Take a look http://www.theage.com.au/world/running-slows-aging-process-study-20080812-3tqg.html

Only the Strong Survive!

Wednesday morning after a tough RPM class we had an equally tough abs class. Then after work I met up with Ewen for a 14km run. We were joined half way by Grant, a visitor from Sydney who was keen on running by the lake but unsure of directions. He was pleased to run some of the distance with us. Although cold it was a still night and the conditions were good. My garmin was playing up a bit and tells me I ran a faster pace than Ewen's garmin which was obviously incorrect but I'm still going to report what mine says cos it sounds better! Besides it felt fast even if it wasn't.

Total distance: 14km
Time taken: 1:22mins
Average pace per km: 5:57
Calories burned: 800

Thursday - speedygeoff's training at Dickson oval

Tonight would have had to be one of the coldest nights we have run at Dickson this winter. It was really really cold yet 9 people still managed to brave the freezing temperature and turn up for training. We started with a couple of loops of the entire oval then the main set was :

12 x [45secs fast followed by 75secs slow]

We then finished with a cool down loop of the oval.

Total distance: 8km

I did strip down to my t-shirt and off came the gloves but when I stopped it felt like I was going to freeze to bits so I jumped into a hot shower the moment I reached home and by the time I emerged Mr B had the dinner on the table. Aah, I love having a retired hubby who cooks me meals (on the nights he's home anyway)!

Beyond the Bend

Oh dear me, I now have some catching up to do! On Saturday for some crazy reason I decided to run in the Cross Country 10km event from the Boathouse at the lake. It started at 1pm and by that time the wind had picked up and the weather was cold and bleak to say the least. I felt ok for the first half but after the turn-around it was like running uphill against the strong wind - really tough. I couldn't catch Caroline who finished 2 minutes ahead of me although she was only one place ahead. I finished 85th in a field of 95 - at least I wasn't last!!

Total distance: 10km

Time taken: 55:39
Average pace per km: 5:33
Calories burned: 617

Monday - speedygeoff's training at PH

Tonight was the first of the training for track season. After a couple of loops of PH for a warm-up our main session was a series of 400m fast/400m jog for 30 minutes running fast along a grassy bank edge beside the road just up to and around the bend in the road then a slow jog back to the start. We followed this with a cool down loop taking us back to the start. I found the first 4 fast 400m really tough, my legs didn't want to run. They felt very heavy perhaps because we had an extra track at RPM this morning or perhaps through lack of sleep. However by the 4th repeat I was feeling much stronger and felt I could have run more than the 6 fast repeats I managed in the time frame if only I hadn't been so slow at the start. It seems to take me ages to get into my stride and warm up properly in this bitterly cold weather although it was actually a still night with no wind which made it ideal conditions for training (just a pity it wasn't slightly warmer)!

Total distance: 9km

This morning I concentrated on my upper body strength at the gym and this afternoon I took an early mark to come home to re-make grand-daughter's 6th birthday cake - a mouse! My first attempt was a disaster as overnight it gradually sunk, sunk, sunk and all the innards slowly seeped out of the undercooked mouse! Attempt number two was considerably more successful - one brown chocolate mouse to be delivered safely to birthday girl tonight!

C'mon Everybody

At speedygeoff''s training tonight we did the reverse of last week. We started with a couple of warm-up laps then our main session consisted of:

3 x [300 easy/200 hard; 300 easy/300 hard; 400 easy/500 hard] - I think!! I was a little confused especially when I had to race off for a loo break towards the end of the second set and then had to attempt to catch up!

We had a warm-down lap of the oval for finish.

Total distance (for me - I missed half of the first warm-up loop) - 9km
Calories burned: 500

It was a small group tonight - only 9 of us turned up which is unusual - the cold must have frightened everybody away! However we did welcome one newcomer so that was good.

One Boy, Two Little Girls

Ewen runs 3km with a "little" competitor at High Noon

This morning was the usual RPM class followed by abs and after work this afternoon Rachelle joined Ewen and I on our afternoon run from the office to the lake and on to the bridge past Molonglo Reach where we turned and returned to the office. For the first half of the run my legs felt heavy and tired but after the turn-around I started to feel quite good and a whole lot more comfortable. It was a very cold night especially when the breeze picked up. We did take our long sleeves off for a short time but on the return trip the wind picked up and we were glad to put them on again! At one stage I tripped on a rock and nearly did a CJ but managed to stop myself just as the ground was rushing up to meet me - phew! Rachelle struggled a bit with a sore foot and when we finished our run Ewen gave a demo on a different way of tying shoe laces!

Total distance: 14.12km

Time taken: 1:25:34

Average pace per km: 6:03 (exactly the same as last week)

Calories burned: 826

You Gave me a Mountain!

No sleep-ins for me this weekend with the Bush Capital on Saturday and on duty at Mt Taylor on Sunday. I had opted for the 16km distance for the Bush Capital on a very very chilly morning.

Although our start was not until 9.10am it was still bitingly cold. I started off with a long-sleeved top but I did discard my gloves and ear warmers and ran in shorts rather than leggings. It took me nearly 5km before my frozen fingers had any feeling in them and another 5km before I wrapped my long-sleeved top round my waist. There were lots of hills but also lots of lovely downhills which I treated with much respect as there were lots of loose stones and I didn't want to fall flat on my face (again). This was probably wise as there were a couple of nasty falls from others on the course. The sun shone through the clouds and it turned out to be a lovely day (sunny anyway, but still cold). I passed a large group of curious kangaroos and stopped to check on a fellow runner who had stopped breathless due to a nasty cold and was walking with difficulty.

It was a lovely off-road run - tough but really pleasant and although I was slow I enjoyed the event and may even consider upping it to the 25km course next year. There were so many friends out there running in different events. Jen (from Sydney) ran really well in the 10km event and Mango, CJ and speedy speedygeoff in the 25km while Mr B and Rachelle ran good times in the 16km, Kelley blitzed the 42.2km and Steve ran an awesome 60km (phew)! Later in the afternoon when all the races were over I met up with Rachelle, CJ, Aki, Jen and later Mango at Tilleys for good coffee and to hear all about Jen's forthcoming amazing adventures.
Distance: 16km

Time taken: 1:36:45
Average pace per km: 6:04
Calories burned: 925



Sunday

I was on duty at the Mt Taylor handicap in the morning - another freezing cold day when I probably would have been better off running to warm up. Rachelle and I whizzed out to the AIS track after the run to cheer on Aki in the 800m and Yelena and Ewen in the 3000m as well as various other runners we recognised. It was fun and they all did great times.

The long and the short of it!





















Yelena is flying!

Monday - Parliament House

Not many of us fronted up for training tonight - probably related to the after effects of a big weekend and to the extremely cold evening which grew even colder when the wind set in towards the end of the session. After a couple of warm-up laps we ran on the grassy bank in front of PH jogging the diagonals across the grass and sprinting up the hills on each side (about 90m each hill). We repeated each set 10 times. Our top layers came off as we warmed up but soon went on again in time for the cool down.

Total distance: 10km

Incidentally I highly recommend Mamma Mia as a light entertaining and "fun" movie which Mr B and I throughly enjoyed on Sunday night at the premium cinema!

Such a Night!

Sometimes it proves difficult to match Elvis songs to the training session. In response to his comment NEVER will I "move on" from my training partner, Ewen. It's awesome running with him for company on a Wednesday. We have such interesting conversations!

Tonight, however, I went to speedygeoff's session at Dickson Oval. I started off wearing earwarmers, a long sleeved top and gloves but did strip down to a singlet without gloves and earwarmers by the middle of the main set.

Rachelle and I missed the first warm-up lap but managed to fit in one loop before the main set. It was different tonight. We ran: 3 x [500 hard / 400 easy + 300 hard / 300 easy + 200 hard / 300 easy] in lane 2. Some of the faster people, including our very fast new starter, Steve, managed 4 sets but 3 sets was quite enough for the rest of us mere mortals. We finished with a warm down loop of 1.2km wrapped up in all our warm gear again - brrrrr! It took ages to feel warm again afterwards. This has been a very cold week with frosty early morning temperatures of minus 2 to minus 4. Dress warmly on Saturday Jen!!

Total distance: 8km

I'm Movin' On

I forced myself out of my warm bed for an RPM session this morning with minus 4 being the outside temperature - brrrr! I was glad to warm up pretty quickly at the RPM class followed by killer abs - those side planks are gruesome!

Ewen met me after work for a slightly shorter run than usual. We ran for 7km which was just before crossing the bridge after Molonglo Reach then turned and ran back. The evening was perfectly still, the lake was perfectly still, even the bunnies stopped to stare before running off. It seemed we were the only ones "movin' on" until a few cyclists raced past with their bright headlights. On the return trip the lights on the lake were beautiful and the carillon especially looked fantastic. It was a great evening in spite of the cold and we ran at a comfortable pace.

Total distance: 14km
Time taken: 1:24:43
Average pace per km: 6:03
Calories burned: 830

It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'

Mr B and Carolyne at the turn-around

Robyn smiles at the turn-around

Mr B runs to his bike after the first run leg

Caroline at the bike transition

Is that pain on Mr B's face?

Well done duathletes!

Husky Dusky Day

And so another week begins! Yesterday Mr B completed a great race in the duathlon. As predicted it was a freezing cold morning but at least it didn't rain until the afternoon when it was a beautiful steady fall which lasted for hours. In the morning however the rain stayed away and it was cool with cloud cover but fortunately no mist. In fact the conditions, although very chilly, were really good for at least the running part of the event and by the time they rode their bikes they had warmed up so it wasn't so bad apparently AND there was a coffee machine which, as a cheersquad person, I took full advantage of!

This morning our RPM Monday/Wednesday instructor had returned from a cycling tour in Cambodia ready to motivate us with a hard session and encouraging us to take part in a similar tour in the future saying it was just fantastic - sounds a great experience indeed.

Later in the early evening it was back to the hills at speedygeoff's Parliament House session. After a two loop warm-up we ran 20 x 100m hill repeats, with the time being called out by our speedy leader as we approached the top of the hill each time, putting the pressure on, to say the least! Then a warm-down loop of PH.

Total distance: 8.2km
Calories burned: 485

Footnote: speedygeoff has inspired me to use Elvis Presley songs for my blog title. He uses the Beatles so I will use Elvis. There are hundreds of them so I may become tired of them before I run out!