Twang - ouch!

Molonglo Reach - 7.30am
Distance: 12.38km
Time taken: 1:19:27
Average pace per km: 6:25
Calories burned: 715

It was perfect conditions for a run this morning and there was a good turnout including Steve, Ewen and Barb. Barb had the best news ever - she's not returning to NZ to live after all but is staying here in Canberra. That's such fantastic news! I was really enjoying running and talking with Barb and Ewen with the others in the distance in front of us, when suddenly I felt a distinct "twang" and my hamstring sent a shooting pain through my left leg. I couldn't even walk let alone run and the others had to assist me hopping and limping to the road. It took ages but any pressure on my foot sent immediate pain through my leg again. Ewen ran at a fast pace (so much for his Hadd training) back to his car and drove back to collect us and drive us back to the start where my car was parked. I iced my leg frequently at home, went out to vote and shop, can now put weight on it and walk but it's aching and painful so disappointingly I think it would be safer not to run in the Vets' Handicap Run tomorrow. Instead I'll watch Mr B in his triathlon then join the Vets after their run for the Xmas celebrations as it's the last handicap run for the year. Damn, damn, damn - a physio appointment is obviously in order! But hey, on a positive note, it's moments like these that I realise how lucky I am to run with such wonderful friends!

We should be glad it rained but .....................

Monday 19 November
6.15am – Gym – Fitball

4.30pm – Early warm-up - speedygeoff’s training – Parliament House
5.30pm – Main training session
Total distance: 13.8km
Calories burned: 820

I managed to run in the early warm-up session with Ewen and Geoff. We ran up and round the course and then down to the lake and for a gentle 6.5km run.

The main session consisted of the following (borrowed from speedygeoff’s blog)

Lower level - bitumen path - 4 x 40 secs on 2 minutes, alternating directions-2 minute break
Middle level - gravel path - 4 x 40 secs on 2 minutes, alternating directions -2 minute break Higher level - dirt (was grass) path - 4 x 40 seconds on 2 minutes, alternating directions.

It was a really hot night but fortunately we were not too far from water and the company was good. We finished with a warm-down lap of PH.

Tuesday 6.15am – Gym
Bodypump

I couldn’t run in the Cross Country tonight as I had to attend a work function but I wasn’t too sorry as the temperature soared to 33degrees today!

Wednesday 5pm – Run with Ewen
We decided to run gently and for a shorter distance tonight for two reasons, the main one being that we were both planning to run the 10,000m at the track tomorrow and the other being that I had a Vets’ sub-committee meeting to attend at 7.30pm. However, there was a very strong head wind on the way out and we chose to walk for a short distance after the 5km mark. It was decidedly pleasant just walking and talking too. During our outward run near the carillon we spotted a bright orange bunny. There were a number of bunnies but this one looked like it had been crossed with a marmalade kitten. It was so cute and distinctive. I was sorry I didn’t have my camera although it moved rather fast. We ran the return trip via Regatta Point so that we could spot some of my young workmates at the start of their Boot Camp session and give them an encouraging wave.

Total distance: 9.1km
Time taken: 55:28
Average pace per km: 6:05
Calories burned: 530

Thursday

This afternoon it rained solidly and steadily. It took me twice as long as usual to drive home through very very deep puddles of water and avoiding crazy drivers. I prepared for our track event and listened for cancellations - none broadcast. The rain was coming down steadily but veteran runners are hardy creatures and I thought the race would still go ahead. Ewen travelled from the other side of town and at 6.45pm messaged me at home, where I was still debating as to whether to brave the elements, to say that the gates were locked and the track was cancelled. I assume there must have been some flooding as it had rained for several hours. No doubt the full story will be revealed. I felt sorry for Ewen especially as I know he was looking forward to the 10km run tonight. We had both organised our "speedy" lap counter. It is very rare for the track to be cancelled completely so I will be interested to hear what happened and who made the final decision. I had an unexpected "rest" day as I deliberately allowed myself an extra hour's sleep this morning so that I could be fresh for the run. And now the rain has stopped!

Struggling in Canberra's Heatwave!

Disaster!!

I can't believe I just typed an entire week's blog and lost the lot! I have no idea what button I pressed but I just lost the lot - aaaaaaaaaaaaah! I thought Blogger was supposed to save drafts but only one word is there so i have to start again and now I'm cranky - grrrr!

Tuesday 13 November
Morning - 6.15am - gym
Bodypump
This was tough after a week's break.

After work 6pm - Cross Country Run
Location: Weston Park
Distance: 5km (plus 3km warm down)
Time taken: 27:13
Average pace per km: 5:36
Temperature: 30degrees

I found this tough in the hot temperature. The location was great, the company excellent but I struggled in the heat and was not pleased with my time which was more than a minute slower than last week.

Wednesday 14 November
Morning - 6.15am - Gym
Spin/Cycle class followed by 15mins abs

After work - 5.15pm - Run with Ewen
Distance: 16km
Time taken: 1:41:27
Average pace per km: 6:20
Calories burned: 895

We ran from work, down to the ferry terminal at the lake and past Molonglo covering the East Basin and back via Kingston. It was extremely hot to start and a struggle at first but the return journey was more pleasant. We saw lots and lots of bunny rabbits and noticed that our black swans had moved location from the carillon to further down the lake.

Thursday - Track
I had an extra 45mins sleep this morning as I met CJ and Mr B for brekkie - lovely. The 3000m event at the track was still run at a very hot time of day and my running suffered accordingly.

Distance:3000m

Time taken: 15:56
Average pace per km: 5:23

Later in the evening I ran the 6 lap spiral handicap event which I really enjoy. The temperature had dropped a bit and it was much more pleasant.
Distance: 2.5km
Time taken: 13:13
Average pace per km: 5:18

Saturday - Run - 7.30am
Location: Molonglo Reach and round base of Mt Ainslie etc
Distance: 16.7km
Time taken: 1:45:44
Average pace per km: 6:20
Calories burned: 962

There was quite a large group there this morning, my first run out there this season. It was a good time of day to run as the temperature increased during the day. Ewen was kind enough to run with me at the back of the pack. At first I found it difficult as I'm out of practice at running at that time of day. We walked a little on some of the hills but ran slowly on most of the course. Later we all shared morning tea and perused Liz and Cathy's photos from their amazing trek in Tasmania earlier in the year - inspirational stuff. It was a good morning. In the afternoon I had a hot stone massage (a gift voucher that needed to be used). It was an amazing experience - I loved it - a full hour which just flew by - beautiful.

Today, Sunday, I made a trip to the Runners' Shop and bought not one pair, but TWO pairs of running shoes - a racing pair for the track (hope it helps me run faster - I'll try anything) and a medium light pair for training - how exciting! Then later in the day I spent a decadent few hours over lunch and coffee with running friends in a very civilized manner in the middle of the sunny city. What stunning weather. Later still there was a thunder storm and it rained - perfect!

New Week, New Challenges, Seeking New Body after all that chocolate!

Back to it!
Monday 6.15am - Gym
Fitball - Abs, abs, abs

4.30pm - speedygeoff's training at Parliament House

Made it to the early start tonight where speedygeoff, Ewen and I ran round the course and a little more of a warm up before the official warm up. The actual session after the warm up lap of PH was 4 x 700m undulating/partly flat repeats alternating directions. It was very hot tonight and felt quite uncomfortable. However it was good to be running.

Total distance: 13km
Calories burned: 762

Chocolate slows me doooown!!

Wednesday 7 November
Run after work

Ewen met me at the office and we ran around the East Basin of the lake via the ferry terminal and on past Molonglo Reach - no sign of our swans this afternoon. They must have sought shelter from the headwind which we battled on the way out. We still saw our bunnies running rapidly across the path on our way to Molonglo. I wouldn't have liked to be swimming in the lake today - definitely a tad undulating! (Can water be undulating??) The return journey was calmer but we had lost a little time by then - not a problem really as it gave us more time to catch up on the goss!
Distance: 16.35km
Time taken: 1hr 40mins
Average pace per km: 6:07
Calories burned: 970

It was just as well I burned a few calories on this run as I consumed a few more than I used over the next few days when I was in Hobart for a Training Awards Night. A few of us stayed on until yesterday afternoon and had a wonderful time on a boat cruise, visiting the chocolate factory, eating far too much chocolate and exploring the Salamanca Markets. Far too much food was consumed and absolutely no running took place!

Sunday - Slow Run

Yes indeed, Mr B accompanied me on a painfully slow run from home to North Lyneham Ridge and on over O'Connor Ridge up and down hills and trails - normally a lovely run but I suffered every step of the way. I felt exceptionally slow, everything hurt and the last few days of over-indulgence really showed - oh dear, back to the drawing board tomorrow and I must not look at all that chocolate which I somehow managed to bring back cos it was such a bargain!!
Distance: 10.14km
Calories burned: 560
And I won't even go there when it comes to the time taken!!

After the Weekend - Cross country series begins

Monday - speedygeoff's running group at Parliament House

As we didn't return from a fantastic weekend (in spite of generally inclement weather) at the South Coast until 4.45pm it was a bit of a rush to make it to training at 5.30pm - no hope of making it to the early start. We ran our usual warm-up laps and then ran five intervals (plus a trial lap of the course) of 670m on an undulating circuit including one nasty little hill. We started each interval every five minutes. Those hills were a bit painful. We finished with a warm down lap.

Distance: 8.4km
Calories burned: 500

Tuesday - Cross country - start of Spring series - 6pm
Location: Boat House, Menindee Drive
Distance: 5km (plus warm up and cool down giving total distance of 10km)
Time taken: 26mins
Average pace per km: 5:08
Calories burned: 300

Tonight was the first of the Spring series cross country runs. As it was a public holiday in Canberra for Melbourne Cup Day (ok, they're calling it Family and Community Day) I had a nice relaxing day (including a very nice lunch) and collected Rachelle on the way through from home. I had a little flutter on the cup and chose the winning horse - yay, a very exciting win, but I saved the champagne until after the run tonight!

Track session at the AIS

Tonight was my first track session this season and of course, being a Thursday night, it rained gently but steadily during the 5 lap spiral but it was pleasant and cooling and quite welcome really. I do enjoy the social side of track season. It's lovely to have an opportunity to catch up with lots of people in-between events. I even met another kiwi tonight - a brand new starter to the track.

Events entered
3000m (3km) handicapped according to age
Time taken: 15:29
Average pace per km: 5:07
Calories burned: 180

5 lap spiral
Total distance: 2km
Time taken: 10:30
Average pace per km: 5:07
Calories burned: 122
Handicap group: 30
Place: 19th

Hey, at least I'm consistent! As this is my first track session I hope to improve. My goal is to run 3km in under 15mins. However it won't happen before Christmas as I'm in Hobart next Thursday so will miss another track session dammit!

The best and the worst of nature!

The Empty Nest!
Another week has gone and life has once more interfered with my blogging. Last Thursday it rained and it rained and next morning when I arrived at work I was devastated to discover that the baby magpies had disappeared from their nest. There was no sign of them on the ground and no sign of mum or dad. Neither has been sighted since. The nest remains deserted!

Saturday 27 October - short run
Distance: 8.22km
Time taken: 49mins
Average pace per km: 6:02
Calories burned: 482

Sunday - Vets' Handicap Run
Location: O'Connor Ridge
Distance: 8km
Time taken: 47:25
Average pace per km: 5:50
Place: 33rd
Handicap Group: 23
Calories: 488

This run was on familiar territory and in spite of the fact that I had an extremely late night, due to daughter-in-law's 30th birthday dinner party followed by an early morning due to the commencement of daylight saving, I really enjoyed the run aside from the tiredness. The surface was rough and there were lots of hills but it was challenging and I kept thinking if I hadn't eaten so much the night before and if I had more sleep, I could have run a lot better. Never mind, it was fun being surrounded by running friends. Later in the day I had a lovely time at Barb's get-together in spite of getting very lost finding my way to her new temporary home!

Monday - speedygeoff's training at Parliament House

Because of work commitments I didn't manage to go to the early session. However, I did run with the main group at 5.30pm starting with our usual warm-up lap. It was a great turn out and a good chance to catch up with a number of people. After the warm-up the main session was four x 640m repeats from the road and through the rose garden then jogged back to the start. Marg, Jodie and I only managed to squeeze in 3 repeats before the rest completed their 4. We then did a warm down loop of PH. After our warm-up we completed a number of stretches - yes, we are doing proper stretching at training now - great stuff!

Distance: 8:34km Calories: 530

After the training session I had to return home to clean up our deck. How fortuitous that daylight saving started the day before and I had enough light left for over an hour. A huge storm last night had whipped through our yard and our outdoor umbrella smashed through the glass topped table on the deck. I was left with one swinging enormous umbrella and shattered glass absolutely everywhere – shards of it on the deck chairs and shattered glass covering the deck. I climbed precariously up the step ladder to untie a million knots to release the umbrella off one hook and then it swung ominously close to my good ceramic pot so, wearing galoshes and leather gloves, I balanced myself pulling it out from the table frame (no glass top left at all) and then moved the ladder to release it from the other hook. Then the fun started – to try to fold up the umbrella. Oh dear, it went half way and stuck. I was almost in tears of frustration and ended up ringing Mr B (currently in NZ) who told me the ropes had to be loose and released so it would then fold. So I crawled under it in my running gear (must have looked an interesting sight if the neighbours saw me!!) and untwisted a very knotted rope from the inside top of the umbrella then after about 15mins it released and folded up on top of me!! So I pushed and shoved my way out from the umbrella and then rolled it up and dragged it into the garage where it now lies in state (but not nearly the same state as I was in at that moment)!! Then back to the garage for the outdoor broom, the kitchen shovel and lots of newspaper and bags. It took over an hour more to sweep up the glass and carry it through the house (cos I had shut the back door into the laundry and I had to go through the sliding doors and through the living area) holding a huge bag of several paper loads of glass and praying I didn’t drop the lot all over the carpet. I made it and for the next bag loads I made sure the back door was open!! I was utterly stuffed by the time I finished and it was now dark outside cos of course the outside light bulb had gone!! After all that I made myself some dinner and had a well-deserved shower!

Tuesday - Bodypump class at gym
I missed last week's session and found it really hard this morning especially as I decided to attempt to increase my weights. It was very painful!

Wednesday
Morning 6.15am - RPM - Cycle class
7am - 15mins killer-abs class

Our abs coach is being married in 6 weeks and is determined that we will all share her perfect abs. Consequently we worked extremely hard in that 15minutes! Her motto is "no pain, no gain" which may give some indication of how hard she works us!

After work - 5.15pm - Run with Ewen

Ewen met me at work and we ran down to the lake, over the bridge to the ferry terminal and on to Molonglo Reach doing a U-turn and returning to the start.

Distance: 14km
Time taken: 1hr 24mins
pace per km: 6mins
Calories burned: 830

It was another good run. I started off feeling very slow with my knees hurting after yesterday's gym session. I also had two pit stops which was annoying. However, the return journey was much better and we picked up the pace. At the carillon we stopped for a moment on the bridge and watched fluffy little goslings with their mum and dad - very cute. One of the highlights of our run, for me, was the tin mounted on a telegraph pole containing bags for 'doggie do' clean-ups. I have never seen these before and think they're a wonderful invention for assisting to keep our environment clean and fresh.

Tomorrow morning I'm meeting CJ for brekkie and I'm so looking forward, not only to catching up, but to that extra 45mins sleep in the morning!

Where do I start?

I have just realised I haven't blogged for a week. How on earth did that happen?? The last week has been a bit disjointed and didn't exactly go according to plan.

Friday 19 Oct - Run
Distance: 6km
Time taken: 35mins
Average pace per km: 5:50
Calories burned: 355
I just ran round the local block at 5.45am before work instead of going to the gym as I missed my run yesterday.

Sunday - Run
Distance: 14.3km
Time taken: 1hr 34mins
Average pace per km: 6:39
Calories burned: 818

Mr B and I went for a very hilly trail run around North Lyneham Ridge and O'Connor Ridge. It was hot, dusty and hilly but it felt very good especially after an excess of food yesterday as we had a bbq to celebrate youngest daughter's forthcoming birthday.Unfortunately I probably won't be able to go to attend the first track session at the AIS tomorrow as we'll be having a family dinner for same daughter's actual birthday.

Monday - gym - Fitball - abs

A very late night attending the presentation dinner of the Graduate Cooks' Awards - six courses of absolutely divine food with the appropriate wine to match each course! Needless to say I did not rise early for a gym session on Tuesday morning!

Wednesday (today) 6.15am - Gym - RPM/Cycle class
Tough, aerobic and a great session.

After work today - Run

I met Ewen and we spent the first 600m walking until my garmin found a satellite. Then we ran a similar run to last week. Again we saw tiny baby bunnies but only sighted 6 baby ducklings presumably to a different family from the 10 we saw last week. It had cooled down and there was plenty of cloud cover. In fact apart from a head wind in parts it was ideal conditions for a gentle longish run.
Distance: 16.62km
Time taken: 1hr 43mins
Average pace per km: 6:12
Calories burned: 990
It was a little slower than last week (perhaps we talked too much or perhaps it was the wind) but it was still a pleasant run. This time next week it should be much lighter at that time of day with daylight saving coming into effect. Thanks Ewen for yet another lovely run.

A 'Feel-Good' Run in the Bush Capital!

Morning 6.15am - Gym
RPM Cycle class

45 minute tough cycle class followed by a 15mins abs class with the original coach who has been on hols for a few weeks. Boy, is she enthusiastic and tough but every part of our abs was worked upon and it was such a good session. She's one tough lady!

5.15pm - Run
Distance: 16.3km
Time taken: 1hr40mins
Average pace per km: 6:09
Calories burned: 970

I met Ewen near my office and we went for a run to the lake and round the East Basin loop. Wow, what a run! It makes one really appreciate living in the bush capital. Running that part of the lake is almost like running in the country, it's quiet, it's off road, has a country smell and about the only person we met was running in the opposite direction. That person was none other than Emma Carney and Ewen assures me we were running faster than her! However, the best part of our run was yet to come. We saw pelicans, swans, ducks and then two very proud ducks taking their family of at least 12 tiny fluffy ducklings for a fast waddle. It was so beautiful. Then to top it all as we ran further on past Molonglo two rabbits crossed our path quite close to us and a little further on we saw three tiny baby bunnies running for cover. It was so exciting - what a fabulous run. We talked, ran gently, the company was great and altogether it was one of those feel-good runs which is what is what running is all about really!

We have Babies!!

Yes, the magpie mummy in the tree outside my office window has produced two babies. Two of her four eggs hatched over the weekend and there was big excitement this morning with the staff crowding in to have a peep at the babies through some little binoculars. Now these babies are not exactly beautiful, in fact they look like tiny skinned rats with a bit of white hair sticking out. One is pink and one is grey. However, I am confident they will develop into beautiful teenagers. The other two eggs are unhatched - not sure if they will still hatch or whether mummy will give up on them. In the meantime she has been feeding her babies today with daddy's help and it's quite a nature lesson to watch them - a slight distraction from the normal work load!

Morning exercise - 6.15am - Gym
Fitball - lots of nasty abs

Afternoon - 4.30pm - Run - Parliament House
Distance: 16.3km
Calories: 960

I managed to leave work early again which was great as it was a lovely sunny day today and it meant I could run with Ewen and Helen who also turned up early. We ran nearly 8km in the warm up run down through Kingston. It was very thirsty weather and I felt quite dry. At 5.30pm we met up with the others and ran the warm-up 1.7km loop of PH before the main set where we divided into relay teams of two. I ran with Ewen as my partner and we ran the usual diagonal laps across the grass and back up the hill to tag the other person. Those uphills felt hard especially as we really tried to race the person closest to us. After the winners finished ten repeats of this the whistle blew and we ran a cool down loop of PH. Then Ewen and I ran the loop again to make the distance over 16km in total.
Tonight I am very tired!

On Ya Bike!

Yes today for the first time in months and months (probably over a year) Mr B pumped up my bike tyres and I took my bike out for an airing. We just rode to the lake, had a drink, then cycled home again. The outward trip was tough as there was a nasty wind and I felt a bit insecure. I had to become used to using gears again avoiding pitfalls and glass on the way but on the return journey I began to relax and speed up and felt good that I had actually made a start. The first cycle is always the worst and out there in the real world feels quite different from cycling in the safety of a gym!

Distance: 17.5km
Max speed: 37kph
Average speed: 19kph (caution prevailed)

This afternoon Mr B and I met up with Rachelle, Kelley and CJ at KokoBlack for a yummy feast of Belgian chocolate to die for. Ewen opted to watch the motorcycle racing instead - never mind Ewen, we'll do it again, I feel confident of that! In the meantime I'll just have to run more to use up those calories!

Trails rule!

Friday - Gym
RPM - Cycle class

This morning I forgot to take my trousers to the gym so considering a shirt and jacket would not be a good look on their own I detoured home after my RPM class to shower and dress there instead consequently missing out on breakfast - grrrr!

Saturday - Trail Run

Mr B and I ran from home to North Lyneham ridge where we ran a loop and a half of the hilly route there before running on and crossing the road to O'Connor Ridge where we ran the trails there - lots of steep hills and a bit of uneven surface with loose stones and rocks but gee, I enjoy trail running. It's so much more pleasant than running on hard concrete. However, it's also much slower struggling up those hills! There were a few interesting signs on the way, one warning us about swooping magpies so for a few kms we ran carrying sticks above our heads looking a bit like Olympic Torch bearers - nah, we didn't look a bit like that really but it did make me giggle thinking of the comparison!

Distance: 15.34km
Time taken: 1:36
Average pace per km: 6:15
Calories burned: 880

Gym, Gym, Run, Run ....... How original!

Tuesday - 6.15am - Gym
Bodypump

Wednesday - 6.15am - Gym
RPM (spin/cycle) followed by 15mins killer abs

6.15pm - Run
Just a short run round the block to finish the day.
Distance: 6km
Time taken: 34:50
Average pace per km: 5:50
Calories burned: 360

Thursday - 5.30pm - Run
Training at Dickson oval
Distance: 6.8km

Only 8 people turned up for training tonight, probably due to the threatening black clouds. During the warm-up it started to rain (what a beautiful smell) and it was a fairly good downpour which only lasted for the duration of the first warm-up lap - just enough time to become drenched! Then the rainbow appeared and the sun shone briefly through the clouds. We continued training without any more rainfall. After another warm-up short lap our main set consisted of:

5 x 400m laps on 6mins
Thus we had quite a long rest between each 400m and ran one less than last week.

Lap 1: 1:57
Lap 2: 1:51
Lap 3: 1:49
Lap 4: 1:51
Lap 5: 1:48

At least I was faster than last week but that could have something to do with the fact that we ran from the opposite side of the track which meant we finished on a slight downhill rather than a slight uphill. I also had the motivation of racing against Jodie who is a similar pace to me and I wanted to race her against the finish line!

Slightly Off Training!

Monday 6.15am - Gym
Fitball - This is another name for abs exercises using an exercise ball. It's painful and intensive but presumably it works! I found it so hard to make the early start this morning and felt tired all day at work, probably due to a very full-on weekend!

Early and Late Training - 4.30pm
I arrived at training at 4.30pm which enabled me to run a 7km warm-up with Ewen. It was great to hear all about his Melbourne half and Norma's marathon. They both did really well.

It was pleasant weather with some warmth still in the sun but unfortunately I felt a bit blah and had to stop a couple of times at nicely-placed toilets! In fact I was unsure if I would manage the main training session but I was really pleased to be able to complete the whole session, albeit with slow caution! We ran a warm-up loop of PH then our main set was 10-12 repeats of about 200m zigzag runs across the grass in front of PH. We divided into teams of two and ran it as a relay. I didn't push myself too hard as I still felt a bit dodgy but it was fun and I'm glad I lasted the distance. I even managed the cool-down loop to finish off. There was a great group there tonight. Rae was there for the first time for ages and Caroline was there too. In fact I think there were about 20 tonight and after the session a few of us stayed to drink a glass of champagne in honour of Ken's birthday yesterday.

Total distance (by Ewen's garmin as mine had a flat battery): 14km

A Memorable Weekend with the Whales!

Friday - 6.15am - Gym
RPM -cycle/spin

I left work early, although a meeting delayed me longer than planned, to enable us to drive through to Merimbula in the South Coast while it was still daylight. There we stayed a couple of nights with two other couples (including CJ) on a whale watching package tour.

We had a wonderful time on Saturday, saw lots of amazing whales but oh boy, it was a rough boat trip in extremely windy, stormy conditions out there on the ocean. However, it was a fantastic experience and we had a ball. The whales put on a real show for us. It was great. The package included a very nice meal in an Italian restaurant where we exchanged travel stories over a few glasses of vino!

Sunday - Run
Mr B and I managed to squeeze in a run before breakfast. We ran down to the Boardwalk and along to the end through bush and then round the Merimbula inlet. It was a pleasant early morning run.
Distance: 9km
Time taken: 53:10
Average pace per km: 5:54
Calories burned: 530

I Don't Like 400metres!

This I have now decided after tonight's session! After our usual long loop and short loop of the oval our main set was 6 repeats of 400m on the uneven and rough surface of Dickson Oval track on 5minutes which gave us a long rest inbetween each set to jog lightly. Then to we ran a warm-down loop of the oval. Those 400m repeats were very tough in the nasty wind after a hard day in the office!

My times were slow but I was still stuffed!
lap 1: 2mins
lap 2: 2mins
lap 3: 1:56
lap 4: 1:56
lap 5: 1:55
lap 6: 1:56

At least I was consistent - consistently slow!
Total distance: 7.6km

Spin, spin, spin!

Stationary bike climbing up, up, up then intervals and fast spin, spin, spin! Yes, that was part of our session in the RPM cycle class at the gym at 6.15am. After the 45mins of "dripping" exercise on the bike I went to the 15mins abs class in the next room for more pain including a reverse plank which is an absolute killer.

I worked late to finish an important project so couldn't fit in a run after work today and tomorrow morning I'm meeting CJ early for brekkie so no gym - yay! No doubt however I will be going to training after work at the oval so will have to work extra hard!

Continuing the good start to the week!

Tuesday 6.15am - Gym
Bodypump (including abs)

Tuesday 5.45pm - Run

Yay, I collected my repaired tyre after work and as the shop officially closed at 5pm I left work early. However, the lovely gentleman there obliged by changing my tyre for me ever so quickly with his super duper mechanical wheel brace and a jack that was just like a foot pump only bigger. How easy it looks with the right equipment! What's more I didn't even need a new tyre. They could mend the puncture even though I could see daylight through it where the glass had embedded - amazing - I was impressed! Anyway to cut a long story short I made it home while the sun was still out and could squeeze in a run.

I ran from home and past Giralang to the 4km turnaround point near the tunnel heading for Gungahlin and then returned home the same way. I don't particularly like cycle tracks but for some reason I was running quicker than usual probably because nature was telling me I needed to get back home quickly!

Distance: 7.9km (not sure why I was short-changed here - must have cut corners)
Time taken: 44.2mins
Average pace per km: 5:37
Calories burned: 455

A Windy Labour Day in Canberra

Actually, it's been a windy weekend altogether - sunshine but nasty cold wind. We took the grandchildren to Floriade ( the annual spring flower festival in Canberra) today for a picnic and fun in the animal petting area and the children's parks. Out of the wind the sun was warm but I wouldn't have liked to be battling the wind in the Sri Chinmoy 10km race earlier. Instead of competing in that I chose to join Ewen at 4.30pm (or just after) and run an extra 7.3km before Ken took speedygeoff's training group for our session at Parliament House. Only five of us turned up tonight, probably due in part to the race in the morning and in part to the public holiday. We ran our warm up loop round PH and headed for the rose gardens where we ran 12 x 350m loops with 40secs fast and 80secs round to the start. Then we ran a warm down loop back to the carpark.

Total distance (including warm up before training): 15.3km
Calories burned: 950