Running through Puddles!

Wednesday

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

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

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

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

The Hills are Alive....

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

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

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

Total distance including warm-up: 11km

Photos of my puppy Teddy and Jen

Ups and Downs

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

speedygeoff, CJ and Kermit at Blewitts

Wednesday

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

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

Total distance: 10km

Thursday

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

Total distance: 8km

Saturday

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

Total distance: 10km

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

Sunday - Vets' Monthly Handicap Run

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

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

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

Time taken: 44minutes

Handicap: Group 23

Place: 89th out of 104

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

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

Almost Worth it??

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

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

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

Total distance: 6km

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

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

Photos are from the Gold Coast over the running weekend

Saturday waiting for coffee:

Ewen, Roger, Victoria and Liz

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

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

Sunshine and Laughter

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

Total distance: 14km

Time taken: 1:36

Average pace per km: 6:58

A Bitterly Cold Snap!

Wednesday

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

5.45pm - running

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

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

Total distance: 8km

Time taken: 54:50

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

Thursday (today)

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

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

Total distance: 8km

Time taken: 50:37

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

Back to the serious stuff!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We finished off with a warm down loop of PH.

Total distance: 8km

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

Cows, Kangaroos and HILLS!

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

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

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

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

Total distance: 7.5km

History has been made in Australia today!

Wednesday

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

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

Total distance: 15.3km

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

Thursday

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

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

Moving forward ever so slowly!

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

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

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

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

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

A Slow Return!

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

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

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

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

Reflections from a Senior Citizen

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

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

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

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

A Shorter Session with the speedygeese!

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

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

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

Total distance: 8km

A Sunny Weekend of Running and Coffee ....

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

Saturday

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

Total distance: 17km

Time taken: 1:50:59

Average pace per km: 6:30

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

Sunday

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

Total distance: 15km

Time taken: 1:36:52

Average pace per km: 6:27

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

Thursday training with the speedygeese

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

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

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

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

A Few More Geese!

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

Total distance: 10km

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

Some Happy Geese!

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

Total distance: 10.7km

Time taken: 1:08

Average pace per km: 6:20

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

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

Easing slowly back into it!

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

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

Total distance: 11km

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

First gentle run after the marathon

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

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

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

Total distance: 7.7km
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And some official marathon photos!