Food consumption high, coffee to die for!

At the moment in Italy it is Friday afternoon and Mr B and Caroline have gone for their final briefing before their respective races. It's blowing a gale and has already rained today. I'm so glad I brought my spray jacket with me - it's had constant use! Mark (Caroline's son) and I have found an internet site inside a games parlour so we are being entertained at the same time as we blog! This morning we walked into the city for great cappuccino and to browse. It's about 2km each way and we have done that twice a day so are using up a few of the calories we're consuming! Last night the pasta party was set in a large venue near the beach. There were well over 800 people there and it was fairly chaotic. It was fun socialising with everyone and I met more people but mainly in the queue for food! This morning we also spent some time perusing the Expo between showers of rain! Caroline's race tomorrow is at 4pm and Mr B races at 7.30am on Sunday. Fingers crossed the wind and rain will ease off and the temperature will improve!

Rimini, like most Italian towns, has a main square and although it is apparently a tourist resort and very busy during the summer months it is currently quiet and the shops close for 3 hours for siesta in the middle of the day. However, the coffee is great and yes, Griffin, we have tried yummy chocolate, pastries and had a good gelati a couple of nights ago. Temptation is everywhere and some of the designer shops are mind boggling and so beautifully set out. It is quite flat here and the duathlon course is looped and flat and goes in and out and round about - not easy to navigate the run course but hopefully it will become clear after the briefing today.

Mr B brought his bike tools, bike pump and of course international plug with him. He has been in constant demand for all of the above. The nearest bike shop is some kms from the hotel and as a consequence he has become Mr Popular as he has all the necessary gear with him, even down to his international charger - it's been a great way to get to know people!

Rimini - sunshine and rain

After a very long trip we were safely met by Mr B in Rome and driven to Perugia where we delivered Mandy to her friends for a few days. We explored Perugia for a little while, a pretty little town with cobbled streets and lots of history. Lisa's apartment is set very close to the mini metro which is a cute little tram running on its own up and down to the city without a driver ie fully automatic - great fun. After lunch in a delightful little pub with awesome coffee (sublime - we have truly arrived in Italy) Mr B and I drove on to Rimini and I must admit I dozed a lot on the journey utterly exhausted! On the plane trip I managed to watch about 4 movies and several episodes of Sex and The City but I slept very little and was very tired.
Rimini is busy preparing for the duathlon. Our hotel is full of athletes from all over the world. We have met lots of interesting people and of course there are lots of people we know from Canberra too. Caroline, Rad and Lachy are here and we have met lots of other interesting people from Aussi, NZ and Canada especially. I have run the route a couple of times, once with Caroline at a gentle 6min km pace and today with Mr B at 5:37 pace - 5km each time. We have experienced every season so far - extreme cold, wind, rain, storms and this afternoon the sun has shone and finally we enjoyed running in a singlet and felt the warmth of the sun. Mandy, in Perugia, on the other hand has had hot sunny days every day and it's only 2 hours drive away - grrrr!
Yesterday Mr B and I drove to San Marino, a fascinating independent city set high on a hill with a tower at the top where we walked to explore. It was such an interesting place. We visited it in 1974 and it was just a distant memory. There were lots of interesting nooks and crannies and it was a lovely little city to explore. We saw lots of cyclists struggling up the long steep hill no doubt enjoying the thought of riding down again rather fast trying to avoid those Italian drivers on the way!
Last night we had the Aussi team dinner - a great way to meet everyone. There are only 25 entrants from Aussie and 45 from NZ! Tonight is the pasta party and this involves everyone from every country so should be heaps of fun. Already we have met heaps of people - it's a bit like being in a mini Olympic village! Today was registration day and another opportunity to meet yet more people. Mr B has been training hard and is ready to go. This is all very exciting! Tomorrow we will explore the Expo. And now I will leave this as people are waiting. Mandy and her friends arrive on Sat to support Mr B too - our supporter singlets are ready - woo hoo!

It's Now or Never!

Indeed, this is my last opportunity to update my blog before "leaving on a jet plane" tomorrow. Yes, one more sleep and then my daughter and I head to Rome where Mr B will meet us and drive us to our destinations, Mandy to Perugia to a friend for a few days before joining us and Mr B and I to Rimini where we stay until after the duathlon next weekend. I think I have almost packed - weighing the bag will be interesting. I have to leave some weight and space for the return trip!!

Running over the past couple of weeks has been a bit intermittent. I seem to have heaps of interruptions. However, it has included a good 13km run with Ewen where I found $20 on the return lap (woo hoo) and speedygeoff's bi-weekly training sessions although I did miss last Thursday's group as I managed to squeeze in a hair appointment to have my hair cut ultra short ready for summer!! Besides it's so much less trouble short!

Last Sunday was the Canberra Times Fun Run - not a very successful result. The weather was pretty bleak after a gorgeous day on the Saturday. Overnight there were huge flashes of lightning and the heavens opened. In the morning the rain had stopped although it fell heavily just prior to the start of the race. Rach drove Marg and I to the start and took the car to the finish which was fantastic except that it didn't go quite as well as planned. For a start I left my ipod in the car which meant running without music. That felt strange for a while as I'm not used to hearing myself breathe so loudly for 10km but the advantage was that I could hear other people breathe too and acknowledge others along the way. After being caught in the rain and wind towards the finish, to add insult to injury a number of walkers spread across the track up to seven abreast in front of me, causing several runners to have to detour up the slippery muddy bank to avoid them and in my case this definitely meant walking for a bit as I was sliding in the mud - not happy! However, on a positive note, it was great to catch up with so many people who come out of the woodwork annually for that event and there were heaps of familiar faces. At the end I met up with Marg and we then searched for our driver. We became cold very quickly and it took a very long time to meet up with Rach again. We were shivering and PRB came to my rescue with his jumper which helped a lot - lovely man. No PB for me this year, in fact I ran nearly a minute slower than last year but next year will be better and over all it was a good day.

Total distance: 10km
Time taken: 55:29
Average pace per km: 5:30

This morning I ran a final run before leaving tomorrow. I had heavy legs from an exhausting week and felt every step of the 10km. However, I did listen to my music before packing my ipod. Now I'm off to repack and weigh that suitcase. I will be blogging when possible but from now on my titles will be travel related - farewell for now, Elvis. There are heaps more song titles but I will go with the flow. Back soon my friends!!

It Hurts Me!

This morning RPM was a killer after far too much over indulgence yesterday. I have also been suffering from a sore hamstring all day - the same spot as last year - not a good sign! Tonight I was a bit nervous as we headed for the oval after our warm-up loops round Parliament House. Our main set was 25 x 50metre sprints with a jog back between each. It was fun and being on the grassy oval was a bit gentler on the hamstring. I lasted the distance and enjoyed catching up with lots of people during the jog backs and the warm down at the end.

Total distance: 8km
Calories burned: 450

Now I need to stretch lots more!

Doing the Best I Can!

This morning Mr B and I left for our run a little later than usual and headed for some off-road hilly running. We ran past the AIS and through to parts of Lyneham and O'Connor Ridge and further. There were lots of hills but the off-road is so much better than the cycle paths where we had to start and finish. Of course the rough surface and the hills slowed down the pace but on the return Mr B took off and I ran as fast as I could to try to keep him in sight at least. It felt like a good work out and the second half was definitely much faster than the first.

Total distance: 14.12km
Time taken: 1:24:52
Average pace per km: 6mins exactly
Slowest km: 6:47 (up hill obviously)
Fastest km: 5:13 (in the 11th km)
Calories burned: 818

Happy Fathers' Day tomorrow to all those dads out there. On Wed Mr B leaves for Italy and ten days after that I follow him - not long now - woo hoo!!

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