Between the Raindrops

The alarm woke me at 5am but I had a lot of trouble crawling out of bed and it was nearly 6am before I ran out the door. I was surprised to find that the ground was wet from recent rain and the temperature was pleasantly cool. I ran under the street lights to start as the cycle track was unlit. I ran half the Kaleen block then headed out on the cycle track through the tunnel past Giralang and beyond. Then I turned and ran back home - not a fast run but it felt good. Just after I arrived home the rain returned and it was a very steady fall but the time I drove to work. This evening I'm writing this to the sound of thunder rolling quite close by. Another storm is definitely brewing.

Run Distance: 10km
Time taken: 58:42
Average pace per km: 5:52
Calories burned: 594

A Different Training Session Tonight!

6.15am - Gym
Weights session
Warm up for 10 minutes on the treadmill then a 30mins weights session for the upper body and abs and back exercises.

speedygeoff's training session - 5.30pm - Parliament House - Hill session
Distance: 8.18km
Calories burned: 542

Session: Warm-up loop, stretches, then a run down to the lake past the tent embassy and to Reconciliation Place. There speedygeoff found a couple of lovely little (!) grassy hills and we had to run up one side and down then up the other side at a good pace, then repeat this 5 times with a gentle run of the same route in between each repeat. Then off for a run around Reconciliation Place and back to the start where we ran the hill repeats 3 times fast then slow, back for another run before our last 2 fast hill repeats with 2 slow hill repeats to finish. Ouch! There was a group there doing a boot camp. They had balls and skipping ropes - it looked interesting!! We cooled down by running back to our starting spot at the top of the stairs near Parliament House. It was a tough little session. Those hills are deceptively steep. However, it felt good (afterwards) and the company was enjoyable.

Vets' Handicap at North Curtin

Distance: 6.3km (plus 2km warm-up)
Time taken for race: 33:14
Average pace per km: 5:17
Fastest km: 4:45
Handicap group: 24
Place: 34th (112 finishers)
Calories burned: 383

It was a great morning for a run, overcast and not too hot. The run started on a cycle path with a steady uphill climb for about 2km and after that it levelled off and there was quite a bit of downhill and some off road. It was a good run and if I had been slightly less tired I could probably have done a better time but I was reasonably happy with the result and felt quite comfortable after the little warm-up. The warm-up was definitely a good plan! CJ was flying - her knee heavily bandaged but on the mend. She is so well prepared for the 6' in a couple of weeks!

WTD: 86km
MTD: 231km
YTD: 427km

A Long Run with Great Company

Run Molonglo 7.00am
Distance: 34km
Time taken: 3:37:20
Average pace per km: 6:20
Weather humid
Calories burned: 1800

WTD: 78km
MTD: 223km
YTD: 419km

Only 5 of us turned up at Molonglo for the 7am run this morning. It was pleasant to start but grew hotter and hotter as the time progressed. I ran with Ewen all the way, doing the Mt Ainslie loop for 12km then down past the War Memorial to the lake. On Mt Ainslie there were even more kangaroos than last week - some quite bravely leaping in front of us. There was a large group of kangaroos watching us suspiciously in the hills. They had probably loved the recent rainfall. At least there was a touch of green out there on the dry hills.

After Mt Ainslie we ran towards the carillon and on past the ferry terminal where we found a few acquaintances to chat to (good excuse for a pit stop and to fill the water bottles). From there we ran to the Museum on a dirt track which was an interesting detour then back past the ferry terminal again and on to the yacht club, Kingston Foreshore and through the Wetlands back to Molonglo. We had a few pit stops on the way and when we reached the last bridge leading to Molonglo Reach we stopped the clock at 34km and walked the last 500m to the finish. That last 2km was so tough as it was very exposed and extremely hot by then.

Once back at the start we plunged into the icy lake and just lay in the water for a while in absolute heaven! It was cold, refreshing and absolutely bliss. Then we lay on the bank in the sun drinking ginger beer and nibbling on grapes. Neither of us felt like moving. In fact it was tempting to fall asleep. However I reluctantly drove home to do those mundane chores such as supermarket shopping. It was a good run and I thoroughly enjoyed Ewen's company.

All afternoon I felt like sleeping so Mr B and I stopped for a coffee to revive me. We had decided to drive to Gungahlin for a change of shops and we saw so many people we knew. In fact Barb and Mark joined us for coffee and we sat and talked for ages. It was a good day but I do need an early night before running the Vets' Handicap run in Curtin tomorrow morning.

Wise Decision!

Buonasera! I decided against running the 10,000m on the track this evening as my tummy had not been well today. Instead Mr B cycled with me while I ran from home to and round the lake and back the shorter way. My legs felt like lumps of lead for the first 3km but felt better once they warmed up a bit. However I did have to stop at the 7km mark and 5km later so I would not have made the 10km on the track without a detour so I was pleased I decided against it tonight. It was good to have Mr B's company. He's very patient! It was very hot to start and remained muggy. There was another storm warning but it didn't result in anything except black clouds on our side of Canberra. I was glad I had run in spite of the stops as it was a pleasant evening and it was good to have the company.

Distance: 15.21km
Time taken: 1hr 27:19
Average pace per km: 5:45
Calories burned: 858
Fastest km: 5:19

WTD: 44km
MTD: 189km
YTD: 385km

20km before brekkie!

This morning my program called for a middle to long distance run which meant rolling out of bed at a ridiculous hour to fit it in before work so I duly set the alarm for 4.45am but still didn't manage to start runnng until 5.20am. As I was on duty at the Cross Country Race at Lake Ginninderra yesterday I was unable to run it so I incorporated that run into my long run today. I ran from home to and round the lake then on through the tunnel towards Gungahlin and out for another couple of kms before turning and heading for home the long way. I did have to seek out the bushes a few times but apart from that it was a perfect time of day - still and pleasant. The only problem was that half the street lights weren't working and this meant the first half of the lake run was in darkness which was a bit scary! However, by the time I reached home the sun was coming out and it was light. I was pleased that I ran so far but I did arrive at work half an hour later than planned!

Distance: 20km
Time taken: 1hour 54mins 45secs
Average pace per km: 5:44
Calories burned: 1170

WTD: 29km
MTD: 174km
YTD: 370km

A New Week Begins.

Morning - Gym 6.15am

Worked on upper body weights and gee I noticed the difference after not going to the gym for a week. My poor wee car was in hospital last week and I couldn't go to the gym in the mornings but I have it back now as good as new so it's back to the gym and back to those weights and RPM class again.

Afternoon - speedygeoff's training - 5.30pm - Parliament House

Warm up loop of PH then the main set was 8 repeats x 80secs as fast as possible and a gentle jog back to the start on 4 minutes. This was followed by a warm down loop of PH.
Distance: 9.20km

Calories burned: 554

Marg and Gwen turn 60!

Dessert after Italian lessons on Valentine's Day!

CJ, Ewen, Peter and Aki

Where did the week go??

Monday - speedygeoff's training session
Parliament House

After a warm-up loop of PH we headed off road to run a practise loop of 900m before the real 3 x 900m on 8minutes then a warm-down lap of PH. I was very glad it was a reasonably gentle session (although it still felt hard to me tonight) as after every 900m I had to make a mad dash to the loo - not a very comfortable session tonight!

Distance: 7.5km

Wednesday - Middle distance run for mid-week
Distance: 15km
Time taken: 1hour 29mins
Average pace per km: 5:57
Calories burned: 890

I set off from home at 5.45am and ran down to Lake Ginninderra and round the lake and back home again. The mornings are becoming darker again and it took a while before it was light this morning. I ran with my music and enjoyed the peace although there were a surprising number of people walking, cycling and running round the lake at that time of day.
In the evening CJ and I attended our first Beginner Italian class - talk about brain overload! My tiny head was buzzing but the time went really fast and soon we were heading for Dickson where we met up with Peter, Ewen and Thea. Unfortunately Lucky Legs wasn't well and stayed in her hotel room which was disappointing. We were in our class and didn't see the message from Ewen and Thea and Peter were already on their way so we met up anyway and CJ and I had dessert with the others at Bellucis - absolutely delicious! (Photos to be posted soon)!

Thursday - Track
Woo hoo - reunion with Lucky Legs - so good to see her. She was so much better and ran fantastically on the track in both the 1500m and the 6 lap spiral. Marg and I ran in both those events too so it was lots of fun.

We ran a 2km warm up before the events. I had no intention of entering the 1500m but at the last minute decided, "why not?" so Marg and I joined LL on the track. It was a handicapped event according to age so that made it more fun and less threatening. Because of this LL was able to run off first and had a good lap lead on us. We never did catch her up either. Great run LL. I managed to run in just ahead of Marg which pleased me in a time of 7:09. Marg's time was 7:11 so it was VERY close at the end! Next we ran in the 6 lap spiral handicap. I ran from Group 30 and came in 23rd (out of 43) in a time of 12:28. Marg came in just behind me in 12:43. We are so close in our times. However these are the last runs Marg will run in my age group as this weekend she turns 60. Bit of a shame really as it's fun having such close competition.

It was so good to catch up with LL and lovely that Aki was there to support her as well. She makes a very vocal cheer squad - fantastic!

Saturday - Long Run - 7.10am
Distance: 30.5km
Time taken: 3hours 10minutes
Average pace per km: 6:20
Calories burned: 1833
WTD: 63km
MTD: 145km
YTD:341km

Today I ran with Ewen for the entire run. It was great company and a very pleasant run. I really enjoyed it and the best part was I felt ok and the tummy behaved itself! We ran with the group from Molonglo Reach, past Campbell Park and on to the Mt Ainslie saddle loop then left the others and ran towards the War Memorial and on to the lake. From there we ran past the yacht club and on round the lake, out to Kingston Foreshore and the Wetlands, a right turn towards Fyshwick then back to Molonglo Reach. It was good to stop and enjoy grapes and ginger beer at the end! The weather was perfect, a little cooler first thing which helped heaps and it didn't become hot until about 10am so it was manageable for running. In fact it was a thoroughly enjoyable run and I was very happy to at last have run the 30km.

After a short rest at the lake I whizzed home to make a rice salad, shower, change, iron some pants, wrap gifts and then we rushed off to Marg and Gwen's 60th birthday party. What perfect weather for it - great food and excellent company.

Vets' Sprint Marathon Relay

This was another interesting experience for me. This morning I had to rise early AGAIN - gee, I need a sleep-in! I was due at Govt House by 7.15am (what's more I was on time) for the organisation of the sprint marathon relay teams starting from there. There were ten teams of six and Tuggeranong Don was our team leader. It was tough but a lot of fun, I met new people and I enjoyed the challenge. Unfortunately our team came ninth but the main thing was it was a fun day and the rain stopped for the morning. Gosh, it's been good to see the rain this weekend. The storm stopped just in time for our run yesterday and the rain stopped in time for our run today - great management from above! In previous years I have often run my long training runs on Sunday mornings and passed this group of people in the sprint marathon relay so it was fantastic to take part in it this year and know what it's all about.

We ran according to our average speed for a km, thus the fastest runner in the team (in our team it was TD) ran as Number 1 and the slowest runner as Number 6. I ran in Number 5 spot. This meant my first leg was 2km then I waited with others until my next leg which was 1km and repeated that km three times with a break between each leg of about 10minutes, then the last leg was 2km (a total of 7km for each team member). For this last leg everyone in the team ran over the finish line together holding hands. It was a great way to finish.

Sadly, I forgot to stop Gandalf after the run so it kept on timing until I realised and stopped it about 5 minutes later. However, I do know my fastest km was the second one which I ran in 4:36.

Total distance: 7km
WTD: 60km
MTD: 93km
YTD: 309km

Combination of Hills and Flats

Left: CJ, Ewen and Jen
Below: strewth, CJ and Jen

Run at 7am
Distance: 23.12km
Time taken: 2hrs 32mins!
Average pace pr km: 6:36
Calories burned: 1415

I had been out of bed an hour when huge claps of thunder and lightning lit up the sky. It was really really close to our house and then it rained and really heavily too. I even telephoned Ewen to check we were still running - I should know better - vets run in absolutely any weather - a bit of rain won't stop them! However, as it turned out, by the time I arrived at Molonglo the rain had stopped and the conditions were perfect for running as the intense heat was not there at all.

A lovely new girl, Jill, who has been emailing me after contacting speedygeoff, turned up to run with us today. Ewen and I had decided she wasn't old enough to be a vet until she told me she has a 24yr old daughter! Wow, she doesn't look more than 25 - runners so often look great for their age! Anyway, we all ran from Molonglo Reach towards the Mt Ainslie hills in reverse which meant we started on the flat and it was while before we reached the undulations and even longer before we reached the real hills. Jill ran out for about 6km before turning back with some others. Ewen and I continued up the hills until we reached a turnoff towards the war memorial where we headed for the lake. From here we ran round part of the lake and back via the wetlands. It was a good run and fortunately there were plenty of bushes! My legs were a bit tired though, possibly due to the RPM class yesterday morning or more likely because of lack of fuel. I just didn't want to risk eating before the run and had very little the night before. Thus, my energy ran out about 5km before we finished and it became quite a struggle to keep going. However, the company was great and the conditions ideal.

Later CJ, Ewen and I met up with Jen (here from Sydney for a couple of days) for lunch and had a lovely time - so good to catch up with her. I was the only one of the four of us not doing Six Foot this year - a dedicated bunch of runners!

Another New Adventure and I only JUST made it!

Distance: 11km
Time taken: 1 hour
Average pace per km: 5:27
Fastest km: 5:13
Calories: 630
Tonight I decided to enter the 1 hour run on the track. Everyone starts at the same time and each runner has a lap scorer. At the hour mark the gun goes bang and everyone stops still exactly where they are at the time. I was 70metres from the end of a lap. I managed to scrape in ahead of Margaret but I was still slower than I would have liked, probably because I was running on absolutely NO fuel. It was too risky to eat anything after lunch! Even then I only just made the hour, I was about to veer off to the loo when Steve called out, "Don't stop now, there's only ONE minute to go" so I returned to the main track and ran as fast as I could for the last 30secs! There was a bit of a wind but at least the conditions were mild and not too hot for once. In fact afterwards we cooled down very quickly and I could have done with a jacket! I was so pleased I actually managed to last the full hour but gee an hour seems a long time when you're going round in circles. However, it's all good training.

Bad Decision!

Tuesday - Cross Country Run
Location: Eddison Park
Distance: 5.3km
Time taken: 29.26mins!!
Average pace per km: 5:33

This was an absolutely disastrous run. After the first lap (it was a two lap course) I felt really uncomfortable and could hardly run at all due to tummy troubles (AGAIN)! I sneaked off from a meeting to run this race so obviously it was my karma. I should never have attempted it as I was definitely not 100%. I felt dreadful and was disappointed with my time and the way I felt. Still, at least it gives me room for improvement!!

Wednesday - today - short run with CathyM, George, Ewen, Dennis, Chris
Distance: 5:42km

CathyM, George and I started from the bridge near the swimming pool and met up with Ewen, Dennis and Chris who had run from PH. They left us at the carillon where they veered off for a drink and we continued on round the two bridges. It was very hot indeed and I ran very slowly keeping well behind the others. Naturally it was a mad dash to the loo at the end. I have lots of new ideas for diets to experiment with from Cathy and Chris. I meet up with more and more runners who have had similar problems. It is very frustrating currently. All I want to do is run long distances without interruptions!

The Long and the Short of It!

This morning Mr B joined me on a longish run to shake off the cobwebs and get in some mileage. It was the first time I had been able to run since Thursday and I really noticed the difference not helped by a decidedly dodgy tummy. I had to stop four times to head for the loo, which was one reason why we decided to stay at the lake near the loo stops! Anyway we ran from home round Lake Ginninderra twice and back home. It was hot and I was uncomfortable most of the time but at least that's a few more kms done. Unfortunately I have had to miss two long hilly Saturday morning runs due to family circumstances so I do hope I can catch up. Next Saturday I will struggle on those hills!

Distance: 22km
Time taken: 2hours 9mins
Average pace per km: 5:52
Calories burned: 1270

Monday - speedygeoff's training at Parliament House
Warm up loop to start then main set as follows:

5 x 350m loops on 2:20; 4minute rest; 5 x 350m loops
Warm down loop of PH
Total distance: 8km
Calories burned: 800 (I don't know why I even mention the calories burned cos I always eat like one of the starving millions after one of these sessions).

It was 33degrees at 6pm when we were training and there was a smoky haze over Canberra from the fires at Kosiosko. It was very hot although we did run in a little bit of shade in parts but it still felt very hot and I have been drinking endless supplies of water ever since.

This morning I did manage to go the gym for a weights session before work. I found it difficult but I always enjoy the brekkie afterwards!

Thursday Track Session and Something New!

Tonight I managed to arrive at the AIS Track with ten minutes to spare before the 3000m race at 6pm and didn't bump into a pole on the way out of the carpark!! A quick couple of laps to warm-up before the event and off I chugged - chug being the operative word! Obviously what goes on in your personal life can affect the way you run (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it)!! Although the temperature was considerably cooler than it has been for some weeks it still felt pretty hot at 6pm on the track with the sun still streaming down. I felt slow and blobby but I made it with a very close finish to Marg at the end.

Distance: 3000m
Time taken: 15:11 (definitely NOT a pb - how about a pw!)

Having completed the 3km run for some bizarre reason I was persuaded to take part in the 3000m WALK at 6.30pm. Now this is something entirely new for me and it's always good to give new things a go. What after all was there to lose?

Event: 3000m walk
Time taken: 22:20 (interesting!)

Now that was fun! It was very non-threatening and I really enjoyed it. Everyone was encouraging and giving me hints as to how to power walk. I didn't wear a number so that I wasn't judged but I could get used to this. I felt on a high at the end and although different muscles are definitely used when walking fast (for me) I would be happy to give it another go next week. I don't think I'll ever be able to race walk properly though - the shins feel it!!