Pitter Patter Raindrops - Just a Few!! But I'm still wet through!

RPM this morning with our usual nice (but not gentle) instructor followed by the 15mins abs class where we were taught a new method of torture to make us taut and terrific!

Then after work met up with Ewen for our mid-week run. Since Monday the tops of my legs have been quite stiff and sore especially when walking down the 48 steps from my office. Going up them is no problem, it's the coming down which has hurt every step of the way. Today they were still sore although RPM wasn't too bad and I'm sure the run with Ewen probably stretched them out and by tomorrow they should feel normal again - that's my theory and I'm sticking to it!

We ran towards the museum to start our run, well-equipped with our headlamps and leggings (or long pants in the case of Ewen) then round the museum and beside Lake BG past Molonglo Reach and across the bridge before returning to the ferry terminal and over the bridge back to my office. I managed to step knee deep in a puddle (AGAIN) after carefully avoiding most of them - obviously Ewen's constant cry of "watch out for puddles" had the opposite effect! We also had problems with the wind tonight - the head wind followed us all the way out to Molonglo but when we turned expecting a tail wind the wind changed and we had a head wind on the return journey too. It was also a cold wind as the temperature dropped considerably well into our run. Obviously the combination of lack of light, a head wind and the drizzly rain that started on our return lap slowed us down considerably but it was still an enjoyable run even though by the time we stopped we were both pretty wet! Never mind, our Wed run is always a great opportunity to catch up on the goss!

Total distance: 18km

Time taken: 1:50

Average pace per km: 6:08

Calories burned: 1100

Mountain Goat Country!

At 8am I fronted up to Molonglo Reach to join the mountain goats (Ewen, TwoFruits and Softshoeshuffle) in an off-road "hill" (understatement of the year) run. Wow - it was quite a challenge.

I haven't run from Molonglo and over those Mt Ainslie hills since I tore my hamstring there last November so it was with some trepidation that I trotted off gently towards the hills. We ran through the golf course, past Campbell Park Offices and on towards Mt Ainslie past the water tower and reservoir behind Hackett. Then we followed Ewen along a single file track and on over the roller coaster (aptly named) up, up, up, down, down, down and again and again - interesting, then on to Mt Ainslie Road where Ewen left us after 1hr40mins. He missed the best bit (hmmm)!

My schedule said 3hrs15mins so the other mountain goats obligingly led me up more mountains along a rough track which ended up in a patch of rough sticks and a decision needed to be made on directions at this point. We headed up the most likely track until we came to a sign which read "No abseilling on the Quarry" - not much danger of our doing that! Now we had to make another decision - right or left. The track to the right, although narrow, definitely looked smoother than the one to the left so I suggested trying that one. Ever obliging the mountain goats agreed and up we went - HUGE mistake!! Up, up, up until we just had to walk up the cliff face. There was no turning back, that would have been scarier. At various vantage points we had stunning views over towards the lake but looking down we also viewed a great chasm, obviously the quarry and alarmingly close if we should lose our footing. Did I ever say that I'm terrified of heights? I no longer looked down but clambered up those cliffs like a good little mountain goat and we eventually reached the top which turned out to be the top of Mt Ainslie (863m) where we were greeted by cheers and appreciative comments from a bunch of mountain bike cyclists, comments such as "you guys are machines" - YES - damn right - it was a good feeling! They were about to cycle down the Mt Ainslie track but further along from us where there was a real track. We turned and looked down at the way we had come up - sheer cliffs - sheer drops - blimey, it looked scary!

Now as we headed off again we knew that this would definitely make our km rate look bad at the end - after all we had walked (slowly) for about 15mins to make it up that cliff face but there were parts of the rest of the course where we could pick up our pace a bit so although we had taken up to 11mins per km at that stage we managed to knock some time off our average pace on the way down.

We returned via part of the Bush Capital Marathon course - a bit rough in parts but nothing compared to that cliff face! When we finally reached Molonglo again we pulled off our shoes and socks and headed for the water. Now the mountain goats are used to this but this little chick felt like her toes would drop off, then her calves, then her knees, then her thighs - but after 10mins standing in one spot the numbness set in and the icy cold worked absolute wonders. When I was given permission to walk out of that water my legs felt fantastic - not a single ache - wowee, apart from tiredness I feel absolutely fine. Here's hoping I'll still feel like this tomorrow!

Thanks mountain goat friends for your patience. The sun came out, it was unseasonably warm and the company was fantastic.

Total distance: 30.34km

Time taken: 3:23:34

Average pace per km: 6:42

Fastest km: 5:13 (on the 19th km - that must have been that downhill bit!)

Calories burned: 1766

Interval Training

This morning I ran some intervals in place of Monday night training as speedygeoff is away and I have decided to do my long hilly run tomorrow morning with "the boys"! I just ran from home towards Lake Ginninderra, past Giralang and back - a 10km loop. I ran gently for a 15mins warm-up then ran 60secs sprints with 60secs jog between repeating this twelve times - I counted about five lamp-posts for my 60secs on the road but there were no lamp-posts by the lake so I had to keep looking at my garmin. It worked ok and was a good workout. It was a cooler morning and not as sunny as yesterday but no wind which is always a good thing!

Total distance: 10km
Time taken: 56:17
Average pace per km: 5:37
Calories burned: 590
Fastest km: 5:17 (km 4 and km5)

Avoiding the Puddles!

Actually, I didn't avoid the puddles at all as I ran with Ewen on Wednesday, both with headlamps which reflected in the lake on our return trip. Blindly I followed Ewen trying to avoid running into the lake and instead splashed right into the muddy puddles, not once but twice and the second time ankle deep. Talk about the Pied Piper of Tuggeranong! We started our run by heading towards and round the museum then we ran to Molonglo Reach and over the bridge and as we had both remembered our headlamps, safely (!) ran in the dark back to the ferry terminal, over the bridge and along London Circuit to the start. The run was slightly longer than my scheduled time but it was comfortable (apart from the sloshy shoes) and although we ran against a head wind for a short time mostly we ran in mild conditions. We'll go that way again and there probably won't be puddles to avoid as we had a rare rainfall the previous day.

Total distance: 18km
Time taken: 1:49:19
Average pace per km: 6.04
Calories burned: 1066

Thursday Run

I wasn't able to go to training at Dickson after work as today was my grandson's 2nd birthday and we had celebrations to attend. Instead I flexed off early (again) and squeezed in a tempo run from home along the cycle track towards Giralang, through the tunnel on the way to Gungahlin and home again.

Total distance: 8.01km
Time taken: 44:30
Average pace per km: 5:33
Fastest km: 5:18
Calories burned: 466







Myattempt at a Racing Car cake (at least Sam recognised it as being a car!)


Friday RPM

The dreaded Sylvia returned as our replacement instructor this morning. Although it was so hard I nearly passed out from dripping exhaustion, at least I knew it was a good workout and I felt ready to face Friday knowing I had started well!

This was the night of 'Sex and The City' at the movies with my daughter and daughter-in-law. Although I had bought tickets a couple of weeks ago we queued for an hour with a glass of champagne and an icecream (how healthy is that) waiting for good seats. It was worth the wait - a fantastic night - woo hoo!

Winter in Canberra - mild and pleasant

The cycle yesterday with Rachelle and Dave was good fun. We rode 23km gently and it was a good stretch for the legs. This morning I was back on the bike at the gym doing an RPM session, this time with our usual instructor who works us hard.

After work off to speedygeoff's training group at PH. After a couple of warm up loops the main session was 8 fast laps of the rectangular grassy bank in front of PH. We started at one corner of the rectangle and ran as fast as we could down the long edge, across the short edge, up the next long edge and across the short edge to the start, then a gentle jog to the next corner to start again on the whistle. Each time the whistle blew we started from a different corner. It was challenging but fun and certainly a good work-out.

Total distance: 9.3km
Calories burned: 542
Total distance for week ending Sunday 1 June: 73.79km

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy!

This morning Mr B accompanied me for the first 1.5 hours of my long run which was really great. We ran from home through the back of the AIS, through the ANU grounds to the lake, on round the museum and at the ferry terminal Mr B left me to run over the bridge and back home giving him 22km while I continued on to Molonglo Reach for the extra distance before turning and returning home via Turner and O’Connor. Parts of my body were objecting today but apart from general tiredness I have had no ill effects afterwards. Running past Lake BG on my own I was struck by its beauty. We are so lucky in Canberra to have such beautiful places to run. The water was clear and still and the sky was very blue with a comfortable temperature of 19deg – just perfect. We didn’t leave home until 10.45am so it was a late run and the sun was at its best. Maybe I’m trying to acclimatise for the Gold Coast although by July our temperatures will have dropped considerably unfortunately.

Total distance: 32:54km
Time taken: 3:15:09
Average pace per km: 5:59
Calories burned: 1909
Best km: 5:39

Yesterday (Friday) I did my usual RPM class at the gym with a temporary instructor who obviously would have rather stayed in bed! She was just a little off-the-planet! However, we still managed a good work-out!
Tomorrow (Sunday) the plan is to join Rachelle on a bike ride as she has just purchased a brand new bike. I hope my legs won’t object too much.

Dickson Oval with speedygeese

More photos from the training group dinner

Katie, Ken and Helen

Helen and Maria
Christine, Peter (PRB) and Neil

Tonight we ran two warm-up laps (yes, Rachelle and I made it for the start) before commencing our main session which was 3 x 1km fast with up to five minutes active rest between each km. After the first km speedycoach took note of our times and handicapped us accordingly. It was challenging but fun.

km times: 5:08, 5:07, 5:00
Thus I managed to run slightly quicker each time which pleased me. Mr B ran his last km in 4:08 so I have a wee way to go!!!

Total distance: 7:29

Calories burned: 431

Xena - Warrior Princess!

Same as, same as - 50mins RPM class at 6.15am followed by 15mins abs class and a mid-distance run with Ewen at 4.45pm. Wednesday is always a full day and I'm always falling asleep writing up my blog - oh dear!

However, it was another lovely sunny day and I was able to wear shorts and a sleeveless top for the run after work despite Ewen wearing a tracksuit for the entire distance! I was comfortable - perhaps we are just not running fast enough to warm him up! We ran off-road out towards the museum, around it and back towards the central part of the lake and two loops past the flags. On our second loop we were joined by Emma and her gorgeous white fluffy labradoodle, Zena - great company. It was quite dark by then but fortunately Ewen had his headlamp with him. It helped light up the track. Next week I'll remember to wear mine hopefully so we can avoid potholes without running too slowly. It was very pleasant out there this evening though. We start in daylight on Wednesdays and can watch the sun setting over the water but it becomes dark very early these days.

Total distance: 16.45km
Time taken: 1:40:43
Average pace per km: 6:07
Calories burned: 970

More piccies from dinner

Maria and Charlie

Pat, Gary and Katie

Roger, Miranda and hubby

Graeme, Cathy M and Christine

This morning I struggled out of bed (literally, as I was in a lovely deep sleep when the alarm woke me) and went to the gym for some strength training. I found it really difficult this morning, maybe I should have stayed in bed!

Busy Birthday Weekend!

strewth, Mr B and Rae
Peter and Marg

Mark and Barb. Jenny, speedygeoff and Rachelle

On Thursday our training group all went out to dinner instead of training at Dickson, to celebrate all things running and speedygeoff's 60th birthday. I will post some more photos over the next few days. It was a great night. On Friday morning I still rose early to attend my RPM class - another tough session although that was two days without running. However I more than made up for it over the weekend.

On Saturday, despite it being my birthday, I had scheduled in a three hour run so no sleeping in for me as I had a big day planned. Thus it was that I was out there running on a glorious Autumn morning enjoying the music on my ipod and actually loving running on my birthday. It was almost a religious experience; I guess they call it a runners' high as I ran past Molonglo Reach in the absolute peace and past Canberra's beautiful icons by the lake. There were lots of people out there enjoying the lovely day and the still water. I ran from home past Molonglo over the bridge towards Fyshwick and at the 1hour 30min point I turned and retraced my steps arriving home in exactly 3 hours at which point my legs were burning and I stood in the shower running icy cold water on my legs alternating with hot. It took a long time for the pain to go.

Total distance: 30.35km
Time taken: 3hours
Average pace per km: 5:55
Fastest km: 5:37
Calories burned: 1778 (that's a relief cos I consumed a few later!)
After my shower it was off to lunch with Mr B followed by the movies with my girls - fun!

Sunday - Masters' Run
Yes, we are soon to officially change our name from ACT Veterans Athletics to ACT Masters - woo hoo! It's been a long time coming but it will be so good.
This morning there was still no sleep-in as Mr B took part in a duathlon and I took part in the monthly handicap run, this time at Oakey Hill in the south of Canberra. The name of the run says it all really. Anything with "hill" or "Mt" in the name is a dead give-away! Yes, it was hilly and there was one particularly long hill which was a struggle but I was surprised at how good I felt after yesterday's run. It was tough but I do like the off-road hills so in spite of myself I did enjoy the event.
Distance: 7.5km
Time taken: 42:54 (almost 2mins faster than last year)
Best km: 5:02
Average pace per km: 5.43
Calories burned: 444
Handicap Group: 22
Place: 29th (out of 115 finishers in the long course)

Later I met up with a couple of girlfriends for a leisurely lunch and more celebrations. In the evening we bought Italian takeaways with all the family and enjoyed the birthday cake later! It was a lovely weekend.

Monday - Parliament House training
This morning I returned to the gym for another RPM class then after work it was a speed session at PH with speedygeoff. After the warm-up of a couple of loops of PH we ran the main session of 12 x (1min fast/1min slow) before another loop of PH for a cool down.

Total distance: 10km
Calories burned: 582

Tomorrow I have a strength/upper body session scheduled at the gym.

Busy Wednesday!

Actually I had a short day at work today. At 6.15am I had the 50mins RPM class at the gym followed by a 15mins killer abs class followed by brekkie at Black Pepper to celebrate our instructor's 40th birthday - lots of fun. However I didn't start work until 9.15am. Then I flexed off work at 4.15pm to meet Ewen to start our run a bit earlier as he had a meeting to attend in the early evening. We had a good run. My legs felt a bit tired and I was suffering from DOMS after my strength session yesterday at the gym but apart from that I was ok, just very hungry for some reason and both my hamstrings felt a bit tight! We ran a two lap course from work down to the lake and round the Central Basin area. This time we managed to stay where it was lit on our return journey. That's a good time of day to start and we may plan to start by 4.30pm in future so that we have some daylight at the start of the run. The sun was low in the sky and there were dark threatening clouds on our first loop but we reached the end of our run with no sign of rain and it was reasonably mild by then whereas earlier we had a strong Easterly wind as we crossed the bridges.

Total distance: 15.16km
Time taken: 1:30:57
Average pace per km: 5:59
Calories burned: 896

A Half Rest Day

Ok, I didn't go to RPM class at the gym this morning. The thought of getting up that early this morning just didn't do it for me. However, I did go to speedygeoff's training session at Parliament House this evening. It was very cold to start but we soon warmed up. We ran the loop of PH then headed for the grassy slope in front of PH where we ran 60secs fast/30secs slow x 10. Murphy's Law meant that I always seemed to end up either just before the start of the hill or just into it, never on the other side where it sloped slightly down! I was surprised that I could even put in a sprint after yesterday but I found the more I ran the better I felt. We then ran a warm down loop of PH.

Total distance: 7.5km

A Cold Start for the Canberra Half Marathon

Indeed, the morning was very cold but NO rain, NO snow, at least where we ran. The wind was strong in places but it was manageable and it was fantastic to be out there amongst it with all those awesome runners and to catch up with just so many lovely running friends. Mr B ran a PB by 20secs in 1hr41:28, Kelly ran 1hr35mins which boggles my mind! The awesome CJ ran 1hr39mins, Gary ran 1:38:54 and our speedycoach ran 1:30:30. I felt good, I enjoyed it, I listened to my ipod on the way but could still chat to people as I had it turned quite low. It was exciting on the home stretch just to squeeze past Caroline by a few seconds - woo hoo! At the finish I cooled down very quickly and needed to pile on the warmer clothing. It was bitterly cold but the sun was shining and that was so much more than we expected. I am one very happy vegemite and the best part is I won my age group which meant I received a medal and a $20voucher from the Runners' Shop - yay! And then Mr B won a barrel draw and received a subscription to Runners World and a $30 voucher to the Runners Shop. Woo hoo!! All the speedygeese competitors ran well (obviously something to do with our speedycoach) and it was a fantastic morning. Well done too to those who ran the 5km on half marathon eve especially Ewen who ran a great time of 21:45 - awesome!

Total distance: 21.1km
Time taken: 1:55:05
Average pace per km: 5:27
Place in age group: 1st
Calories burned: 1244
Best km: 5:15

Some Splits:
1km: 5:25
5km - 27:36
10km: 54:51
15km: 1:21:48
20km: 1:49:06
21.1km: 1:55:05

Friday I did go to the Spin class at the Gym. It appears to be permanently a spin instead of RPM class on Fridays now and it's very tough but I'm confident that the leg work is helping make me stronger on the hills and there were certainly a few hills out there today!

A Little Taper for the Half

Wednesday Run
Distance: 11.23km
Time taken: 1:08:22
Average pace per km: 6:08
Calories burned: 660

Ewen met me after work and we ran a variation of our usual run with a shorter loop of the Central Basin incorporating Anzac Parade. My schedule said 50mins although we ran slightly longer than that. Running beside the lake was absolutely stunning tonight. It was a perfect evening and the lights reflecting in the still water were awesome - definitely a beautiful time to run, just a shame that some parts were unlit and we had to watch our footing and dodge between cars when we changed directions and crossed roads. However, we will perfect this run soon so that we can run two loops and increase our usual distance (16km) by a couple of kms.

Thursday training at Dickson

Tonight eleven of us (plus our fearless leader) turned up for training and we split into 3 teams with our team being a team of 5. This meant that each person in our team sprinted hard for 100m then passed the baton to the next person while we gently ran approximately 200m between each baton change. Short sprints meant hard sprints and I really pushed myself for the short distances. It was fun. We totalled about 17 x 100m sprints plus the jogs between and the warm up and warm down.

Total distance: 8.4km

Now my schedule says two rest days before Sunday's half marathon but I may go to RPM in the morning at the gym if I can face our Friday Commando at that hour!!

A New Week Begins - Parliament House Sprints

After a late night I found it very difficult to roll out of bed and go to the gym for an RPM class. I turned the alarm off and dozed off for a minute but managed to arrive at my class just in time for the last bike - in the back row! RPM is lots of hard work and never feels easier but after a shower it feels like a good way to start the day. After work it was training at Parliament House with speedygeoff back in charge.

A couple of warm-up loops followed by a main set made up of:

8 x 80secs sprints and when the whistle blew at the end of the 80secs we jogged slowly back to the start within 4 minutes.

Then another warm-down loop of PH.

Total distance: 8km exactly!

Happy Mothers' Day!

I do hope all you mothers out there had a wonderful day. I certainly enjoyed mine. This morning I ran down to Lake Ginninderra to meet my daughter at Black Pepper and from there we walked briskly round the lake and back to Black Pepper for a lovely coffee. An hour later we met up with the rest of the family (apart from Mr B who is currently in NZ) for a delightful lunch at the Yarralumla Nursery. We sat outside where the little ones could run around in the gorgeous grounds and although it wasn't quite as hot as yesterday it was still a lovely day for being outside. A glass of wine, a yummy lunch, exciting pressies - being a mum rules!!

Run Distance: 6km
Time taken: 34.44mins
Average pace per km: 5:46
Calories burned: 355

Total distance for week: 60km

Walk distance: 7.43km
Time taken: 1hr 9mins (not as efficient as running but very pleasant)
Calories burned: 282

Gods' in His heaven, all's right with the world!

What an absolute stunner of a day it was today - just perfect for a run. I didn't set off until 10am and the sun was warm by then. I decided to try quite a different course and ran from home past the AIS and through the stunning tree-lined back streets of O'Connor where the Autumn leaves were magnificent oranges, golds and browns. I just love this time of year in Canberra especially on a day like today, not a breath of wind, just a clear blue sky and sunshine but not too hot - a pleasant 20deg by the middle of the day - just beautiful. I ran on to Lake Burley Griffin and ran the 16km loop of the lake from the ferry terminal. The plan was to run 2hrs 40mins but I underestimated the distance especially as I ran a bit of a convoluting course, being me and always becoming lost wherever I go! However, I ran towards home via Lyneham and having reached Tilleys at the 30km mark I stopped! After all Tilleys is one of the best coffee spots in Canberra in my opinion and I had a few dollars in my bottle bag, just enough for raisin toast and a coffee. Boy was it good!! I also drank oodles of water. When I reached the ferry terminal on my return journey round the lake I refilled all my drink bottles and drank every one. At Tilleys I had several more glasses. Now, whether this had anything to do with the cocktail party I attended last night or whether it was my cold dehydrating me or indeed the beautiful sunshine, who knows but I obviously needed to hydrate heaps which I did! I also called a friend who met me at Tilleys and drove me home - phew, I didn't have to walk the extra 5km - my legs had definitely had enough although I have had no ill effects afterwards and feel surprisingly good. Woo hoo!

Distance: 30km
Time taken: 2:58:18
Average pace per km: 5:56
Calories burned: 1755
Best km: 5:38

No speed for me!

Tonight I went to training probably against my better judgement but I just chose to jog the entire session round and round the track as my breathing and my cold are definitely not right yet. It looked like a really good session too which was disappointing for me. However, I decided against speed work as there was just no energy left in me at all. I even found the warm-up difficult. After the session we toasted speedygeoff's health with champagne welcoming him back and singing Happy Birthday to our esteemed leader.

Distance: 8km

Winter bugs descend upon me!

I spent yesterday at home from work with a very bad cold and headache. I could feel the sore throat starting on Monday afternoon when I left work early to babysit the grandchildren. No training for me Monday night and as a consequence today (Wed) is the first day I have run since Saturday and it was very very slow! Poor Ewen was very patient with me as I struggled to keep going. We tried a little detour from our usual run endeavouring to keep to where there was some light but it wasn't very successful. We'll go in a different direction again next week. The sky becomes dark very early in the evening and it's not winter yet. In fact the days are very sunny and beautiful but the evenings and early morning are very dark and cool.

Distance: 15.72km
Time taken: 1:39
Average pace per km: 6:18
Calories burned: 990

Another Run Bites the Dust!

This morning Mr B kept me company for 13km of my scheduled long run. It is a gorgeous Autumn day today. Certainly we started off with long sleeved tops but by 5km mine was tied round my waist as the sun was streaming down. The leaves were really pretty hues of brown and gold and it was very pleasant til I stopped at the 2hour 41mins mark to walk the rest of the way as that was my scheduled time. At that point my legs just burned with pain for the last 2km walking. On arrival at home I took advice from Two Fruits and filled a large tub with cold water and stood in it til the pain subsided. Cold is good! I feel better now and ready to prepare for the family dinner this evening - looks like a bbq might be a goer!

Distance: 27km
Time taken: 2:41:30
Calories burned: 1592
Average pace per km: 5:58

I'm Still Breathing (just)!

Yesterday Rachelle and I drove to Dickson for a session like last week's. We missed the first half of the warm-up but managed to join in as the others were returning from their long warm-up loop and run the second shorter loop of the oval. The main set was 12 x 100m slow/200m fast. Then we finished with another warm-down loop of the large oval. There were ten of us at training although a few had to leave before the warm-down. It was a very chilly night but we did strip down to singlet tops for the sprints and I definitely ran my hardest, completed the session and was not last to finish - that's always a bonus! Neil took our session tonight as speedygeoff is still galavanting, currently in Adelaide, celebrating his big forthcoming 60th birthday!

Total distance: 7.3km

Friday

This morning it was a trip to the gym for an RPM/Spin session. We had a stand-in instructor and if you have watched The Biggest Loser you will understand what I mean when I say she reminded me of the Commando. OMG - she worked us sooooo hard and the music was soooo loud and the beat so fast. We spent a lot of the session climbing hills (that is, standing on the bike and pushing in a very hard gear) - but up, down, up, down to the beat very quickly. We did not even draw breath, no gaps between tracks at all, for the full 45 mins. I thought our usual instructor was hard but oh boy, she has nothing on Sophie - ouch!

Bed Time!

Yesterday, Tuesday, I went to an early morning session at the gym warming up with 1.5km on the treadmill and following this with free weights concentrating on the upper body.

Wednesday is the busiest day of my week. At 6.15am my RPM class starts and lasts 45mins before I head for the abs class which is 15mins. She truly gives us killer abs exercises - ouch! Then after work I meet Ewen for our middle distance run from the office to the lake following Esst Basin past Molonglo Beach and over the bridge before we turn and follow the track back the way we came.

It was very beautiful out there on the lake with the lights reflecting in the water after darkness set in. However, a lot of the pathways we run are unlit which means that there is a risk of losing your footing and we therefore ran with caution on the return journey. We chose to run much more slowly than last week partly to do with the darkness and partly to do with Ewen wishing to keep his heart rate down. For this run speed is not priority. As usual the company was enjoyable and in spite of the cold we saw lots of little bunny rabbits - in fact one group looked like they were having a party!

Distance: 15:34

Time taken: 1:33:43

Average pace per km: 6:06

Calories burned: 910

And now, as the title says, it's bed time!

And the temperature drops down, down, down!

Gee, it was soooo cold in Canberra today. The sudden drop in temperature brought out all the winter woollies and skarves - brrr! I went to my RPM class to warm up which I definitely did but that was at least indoors. Going to training at Parliament House after work was another story. It was so damn cold and obviously it's only a taste of things to come. Everybody was wearing long pants and long sleeved tops. Two people even wore gloves! We ran a similar course to last week except the sprints were shorter (about 580m each) as it was very dark indeed and the slow jogs between were up hills and about 350m. I was so glad I wore my headlamp as it would be very difficult to know where I was going without it. Our numbers dropped this week probably due to the cold snap. It was barely 5degrees out there this evening and I understand it's gradually heading for minus 1 overnight - brrrrr, I repeat brrrr!

Distance: 8km
Calories burned: 478

Mt Majura on a brisk Canberra morning

On Friday night Mr B and I thoroughly enjoyed Matchbox 20 playing at the AIS stadium. It was truly awesome. The support band was Thirsty Merc and they too were fantastic - both groups were very entertaining and it was a wonderful night topped off by seeing lots of people we knew from different parts of our lives including Charlie who had an equally good evening.

Then last night we went to the movies to see The Painted Veil - wow, it was so fabulous - it made me cry. I love movies that make me cry - either from happiness or sadness. This was sad but we both really enjoyed it.

Now back to the running!

It was a little nippy this morning for the Vets' monthly handicap run at Mt Majura - not called Mount for nothing I might add! It started on a hill (I soon warmed up and was glad I just wore a singlet top) and there were several more undulations thrown in for good measure but I have to admit it was great to be off road running hills again and I enjoyed it in spite of myself. I actually felt quite comfortable and surprised myself with a reasonable result in a time that was 2 minutes faster than the same course last year. Yippee! Of course Mr B and CJ and lots of my running buddies were at least 7 minutes faster than me but I was happy although I know the handicapper will be tough on me as I came in 12th in a field of 98! :(

Distance: 10km (9.91km according to Gandalf 2)
Time taken: 56:34
Average pace per km: 5:39
Handicap Group: 22
Place: 12th
Calories burned: 582
Total distance for week: 66.34km

Later a large group of us enjoyed brunch at Carlo's in Watson - a great opportunity for a catch-up. On a cold blustery day it was a lovely way to finish the morning.

Yay for a Long Weekend!

It's so good having an extra day in the weekend. What's more, it's a stunner out there today. The sun is shining and it's the perfect day for a run. So why wait for Saturday - let's do it today instead. Just one little glitch - having run hard yesterday afternoon and consistently the day before it felt just a tad more difficult than I anticipated. However, I'm so glad I ran my long run today cos it means I have a rest day tomorrow before the Vets' Handicap on Sunday. Besides the forecast for the rest of the weekend is COLD! And so I ran from home round Lake G (where everyone and their dog and child and stroller and bike was out and about and at times it was a bit of an obstacle course!) Then on towards Gungahlin before turning and heading for home. This course is mainly on cycle tracks although I tend to head for grassy verges to prevent injury but as my long runs become longer I may head back off-road to some nice little undulating tracks - hmmm, we'll see.

Distance: 24.01km
Time taken: 2:21:30
Average pace per km: 5:53
Calories burned: 1412

Total distance for week: 56.34km

Sprinting towards Anzac Day.

Another sprint session today at Dickson Oval. This time Neil led us in speedygeoff's absence following his instructions. We ran a couple of warm-up loops of the oval then did a similar session to last week, only this time without the batons or relay. In other words we ran round the 400m track on the oval as follows:

200m fast/100m slow x 12

except that I lost count and apparently ran 13 repeats. Still it's better to run too many than not enough. We ran the cool-down loop of the oval to finish.

It was great to catch up with Caroline and Marg during the warm-up and cool-down parts - no ability to talk during the sprints!

Total distance: 8km

Calories burned: 460

A Run Full of Surprises

This morning I arrived at my spin class to find that my favourite row of bikes had been taken and I had to cycle in the front row - eek. I much prefer to hide! As a consequence I had to work even harder than usual as everyone could see me . Boy, I certainly did work hard so I was a bit worried about my run with Ewen later in the day. However as it turned out it was a lovely run and I felt quite strong. Maybe the morning spin class helped after all!

Distance: 16km
Time taken: 1:32:12
Average pace per km: 5:46
Fastest km: 5:17
Calories burned: 940

We started out at 4.45pm and the conditions were perfect. We ran from my office in London Circuit across the bridge to the lake and along the East Basin side of the lake past Molonglo Reach over the bridge and out towards Fyshwick for 45mins before turning and returning the way we came. Just past Molonglo we found Marg running towards us and when we turned she ran another ten minutes with us before turning back. It was great to see her. Then on our return journey round the lake we saw Christine from our training group. It was one of those days when everyone was out and about and we soon discovered why. As darkness approached we remembered that there were to be fireworks in three separate places on the hills to celebrate the Olympic Torch Relay tomorrow and we were in a prime spot to view them. We ran up the grassy hill near Stage 88 and had a great view of the fireworks - a real bonus. The carillon was all lit up in a gorgeous red/pink colour and there was a stunning sunset earlier in the evening with fabulous reflections in the lake. It truly was a lovely evening for a run, great company and ideal conditions.

Glad to have a headlamp!

This morning I went to the spin class at the gym for 45mins of highly aerobic cycling. Tonight it was speedygeoff's (in absentia) session at Parliament House. It was the same as last week in that we ran a warm-up loop of PH and another half a loop before starting the main session which consisted of:

3 x 950m with the same amount of distance run gently in between each set.

We finished off with a warm down loop back to the start.

Total distance: 8.25km

Calories burned: 825

Fortunately this time I remembered to use my headlamp. It certainly helped to see a little on those dark curling paths weaving in and out.

Let's Do the Time Warp Again!

I've just had a fantastic weekend. Six of us (three couples) drove to Sydney to see The Rocky Horror Show last night. It was absolutely fantastic. A couple of us dressed for the occasion!

Yesterday morning before departing for Sydney I fitted in a long run.

Distance: 24km

Time taken: 2:21:35

Average pace per km: 5:53

Fastest km: 5:16
Calories burned: 1415

Total distance for week : 56.3km

It was a good run from home out to Gungahlin to Horsepark Drive, round Yarrabi Pond and back home. There was a nasty head wind in some parts which made me struggle but on the whole I was happy with run and the music playing as I ran.

strewth as Magenta (that's me with the red hair) and Mr B as Brad!

Back to the Oval

Tonight was quite a fun session at Dickson Oval but it was very tough and definitely outside my comfort zone which was the requirement for my training session. Quite a few people who hadn't been at sessions since last year turned up tonight. It was great to catch up.

We ran a couple of loops of the oval to start and the main set was done as one big relay with four people passing batons after fast 200m sprints while some of us tried to keep up with them before they passed the batons and jogged for 100m. In other words it was similar to last week's session in that we sprinted for 200m, jogged for 100m and repeated this 12 times. However, I had to really run fast to try to keep my partner in sight let alone keep up with him - good fun though, at least I can say that afterwards! We finished with another loop of the oval.

Total distance: 7km

Calories burned: 410

Roger running at the half-way point of the marathon and CJ on the home straight

Some days we just need to run!

Distance: 15.33km

Time taken: 1:30:05

Average pace per km: 5:52

Calories burned: 901

Fastest km: 5:27

Locality: East basin of Lake BG - out past Molonglo and return to office in London Circuit

Ewen met me a little earlier today. We started off at 4.45pm and had an awesome run. It was cool but pleasant, no wind and just becoming dark towards the end of the run. I have just started training for the Gold Coast Marathon in July and today's schedule was for 1hour 30mins so we ran for 45mins and turned and ran back for the same time. It was a really pleasant and enjoyable run, much needed to relieve a very very stressful day in the office. Gee, running is a great release sometimes.

Roger and CJ before the marathon - eager smiles!

Happy little speedygeese!

Charlie in the last leg; Gary being cheered on by Rachelle





LL just after she finishes
CJ on the home straight; Caroline being de-numbered after her 50km after the hail storm

Roger,CJ, spody & Gary - all happy speedy geese finishers!

Tuesday - A trip to the gym this morning to lift some weights and do some much-needed stretches and abs work.

But wait there's more - photos galore!

Charlie running under blue sky - LL being relieved of her running chip after the marathon

the 'toasties', speedygeoff & ewen

CJ & Charlie - all smiles
Thea running in the rain - still not warm enough to remove her jacket

Some of the supporting speedygeese- strewth, Rachelle, PRB & Ewen make speedycoach look smug!

Monday morning - RPM/cycle - 45mins class at 6.15am

5.30pm - speedygeoff's training at PH

Distance: 10km

Calories burned: 594

Warm up loop of PH followed by shorter warm-up loop then main set consisting of 3 x 950m fast interspersed with 2 x 950m slow. This week I actually managed to fit in all three fast 950m so was pleased about that. Then we had a warm down loop weaving in and out the dark tracks. It was difficult to see and annoyingly, I remembered to take my headlight but left it in the car! It was mind boggling to note that after the marathon the day before speedygeoff still took our session and Gary even ran an extra km with me to collect my long sleeved top which I had left at the start of our main set. They have both recovered so impressively - obviously doing the right training!

Tomorrow I will publish some more marathon photos. I have a few!

Canberra Marathon Weekend!

Saturday - Marathon Eve

Today Rachelle and I decided to put in a late entry and run the 10km marathon eve run. At least this way we could feel part of this awesome weekend. It is rather a boring course, spectator friendly but mainly flat and on hard concrete and looped round and round and round - hmmm. This was a first for me, quite different from running the marathon but the cheering was fantastic and there was still a big buzz in seeing those familiar faces out there and hearing my name called out - thanks guys. It does help!

Distance: 10km
Time taken: 54:20
Average pace per km: 5:19

I was quite happy with that as I haven't run a 10km race for ages. I may run the Mothers Day one just to attempt to improve my time! Rachelle ran a PB of 47:20 so was very happy with that - awesome!

And today, Sunday, was marathon day. What a day. The race started in the rain - a gentle drizzle followed by a steady downfall for an hour or so before the sun decided to push its way through the clouds and slowly there was some warmth out there. I have now discovered that being a spectator can be very exhausting and very exciting all at once. A group of us ran to the 5km mark, cheering loudly at PH, then on to the 8km mark for more cheering, before running on to visit Katy and Mark in their stunning selection of cheer squad gear in a sheltered spot under the bridge. They are so amazing with their fantastic and original outfits which they changed regularly to brighten the runners' day and lift their spirits. Originally Mark was to be a pace marker but he became injured and unfortunately had to pull out of the run. That didn't stop these awesome Queenslanders from getting into the spirit of the event and making everyone else's day much more fun.

We ran on to the halfway point where we had a great view of our running buddies - so many familiar faces out there, so many smiles, so much pain. Then back to the finish so that we were in time to cheer in the winner and all our awesome running friends and speedygeese and stay cheering on our favourite W75 - Luckylegs, looking amazing and strong at 5:35 and Caroline after her 50km finishing in a hail storm! Well done CJ, Charlie, speedygeoff, Griffin (who is now officially a Griffin), LL, Caroline, Roger and Thea on her debut marathon. Woo hoo, the speedygeese rule - we are the champions! Long live the speedygeese!

The awsome Lucklegs looking fresh as a daisy at the finish and Thea happy to finish her debut marathon!

Griffin becomes a "Griffin" with big smiles from Mrs Griffin!

Dickson Oval speed session

I am sitting here nodding off so I had better wake up, write this quickly, pack my gym bag and go to bed for some sleep! After work today I went to speedygeoff's Thursday Dickson Oval session. There was a good turn-out of people and the weather was mild and perfect for training - marred only by the fact that it becomes dark quite early and then it's difficult to see the potholes!

Distance: 8km

Session: A long warm up loop of the oval followed by a short warm-up loop.

Main set: 12 x 200m sprints with 100m slower jogs between.

It was tough but a good work-out. It was great to catch up with Barb who has just returned from another trip to refresh her kiwi accent.

Best of luck to all those people running in the Canberra marathon on Sunday. I very much envy you and will really miss running it this year. However, I will be out there cheering you on in my CR gear!

Trying out the New Shoes!

Yesterday at lunchtime I replaced my shoes with Brookes Axiom which is what I was using before. The latest pair have purple bits and tone in quite well with the 'berry' pink running gear! I was unable to purchase a bigger size in the Mizuno and these feel comfortable although they're not quite as pretty!

After work today I met up with Ewen and we ran a middle distance run giving me a chance to run in my new shoes! We ran the East Basin and continued on through the Wetlands, past Kingston and back to the start. As we passed Molonglo we met up with Chris running in the opposite direction. He turned and ran with us back to Kings Ave at which point he returned to where his car was parked. It was lovely to run with two very tall gentlemen and I felt secure running through the unlit backblocks where I would never be brave enough to run alone.

Distance: 16km

Time taken: 1:39:13

Average pace per km: 6:12

Calories burned: 960

We were slower than last week but that could have been because we ran with extreme caution in the unlit parts as nobody wanted to turn an ankle or run in potholes. Next week we will take lights!

Parliament House becomes darker!

Rachelle and I arrived early enough to run about 2km warm-up before the rest of the group arrived. We both ran in our new shoes just for the warm-up but I am wondering if I should have selected half a size bigger as I can feel my toes touching the end when I run.Kathy suggested taking them back to the shop when she is working tomorrow and just checking the next size up for comparison. Better to be safe than sorry!

This evening's session after the warm-up loop and a half was the same as last week. 950m undulating repeats with slow recovery runs of the same distance between each one. Then another warm-down loop.

Distance: 10.5km (including extra warm-up at start)
Calories burned: 430
With daylight saving ended the sun sets much earlier and we were running our last warm down loop in darkness. Looks like I may have to hunt out my headlamp!

Women's and Girls' Fun Run in the Sun!

It was a stunner of a day for the W&G Funrun. I collected Rachelle in plenty of time to collect our numbers and catch up with just so many friends and acquaintances who seem to come out of the woodwork at awesome events like this. There were almost 1,300 entrants of all shapes, sizes and abilities and it really was a great atmosphere. Our speedyganders were cheering us on from the sidelines along with those speedygeese who had run longer distances beforehand and of course all those many other families and friends supporting so many people. It was a well-run enjoyable event. I did not run very well, possibly a lot to do with little sleep and a bad week but I was happy. It didn't matter, it was all about having fun and that was there in multitudes. I wore all pink today (except for the shoes which definitely looked a tad grotty) and thus it was that Rachelle and I trotted off to the Runners Shop after a pleasant lunch for a little retail therapy. R was in search of lovely track shoes and I was in seach of shoes with a touch of pink to complete my outfit. I bought some Mizuno shoes in the end after trying just so many others. They feel comfortable and lightweight. I'll try them out in the warm-up before tomorrow's session and will hopefully run in them at the 10km marathon eve run.

Distance: 5km

Time taken: 27:05
Average pace per km: 5.20
One of these days when I'm feeling bug-free and fit I will beat that elusive 5min km pace!

Daylight Saving Ends!

This week has been a bit of a disaster. I had a few days off work sick and as a consequence was unable to run between Monday's training and today. It's taking a long time to shake it off and energy is lacking. However, this morning I bit the bullet and organised to meet CJ for a coffee at Black Pepper at 9.30am. This would ensure that I ran to meet her there at that time. Besides Mr B is in Bathurst this weekend at a squash tournament so I am free as a bird. He's such a gadabout but by all accounts is winning his matches so that's good.

Anyway the run wasn't too bad. I felt very heavy and slow for the first half and then at about the 10km mark I met up with CJ (totally unplanned at that time) running in the opposite direction so I turned around and ran the rest of the way with her, back to our coffee spot! That probably made me speed up a bit!

Total distance: 15km
Time taken: 1:29:52
Average pace per km: 5:59
Calories burned: 890

It turned out to be a stunning sunny 21deg day in Canberra today with not a breath of wind, not many of these days left now I imagine, but oh boy it was pretty damn cold at 8am! Tomorrow is the Women's and Girls' Fun Run. Although I have entered I know it will be a slow run. After all the emphasis is on having fun in the sun. :) I must remember to put back my clock as daylight saving ends. How sad. Summer is truly over now.

Weekend Review

Wow, quite a weekend really. After Friday's spin class I had a call from speedygeoff which set my thoughtwaves in action and that evening I checked the Cross Country calendar, contacted a couple of friends and decided at about 9pm to run the 10miler early next morning.

Saturday - Cross Country Run - 7am

Distance: 10miles (or 16.22km according to Garmin)

Location: Black Mountain Peninsula round Lake BG

Time taken: 1:32:33

Average pace per km: 5:42

Place: 68th (out of 108)

Calories burned: 965

It was a cold morning that early (what an uncivilized hour for a race) but actually the conditions were absolutely ideal - not a breath of wind and the sky remained overcast until towards the end. It was lovely - undulating (those hills can be tough for that distance) but for a last minute decision I enjoyed the run and was pleasantly surprised with my time. Later a few of us enjoyed a coffee and chat (as we do) at Tilleys - a good morning. Oh and we remembered to turn everything off at 8pm for earth hour and enjoyed the sounds of silence!

Sunday - Vets' Handicap Race

Location: Kowen Forest

Terrain: Very hilly

Distance: 7.5km

Place: 76th (out of 100)

Handicap Group: 23

Time taken: 45minutes

Average pace per km: 6mins

This was a tough hilly uneven run but the weather was ideal. I probably found it more difficult as I arrived very close to the time it started and didn't allow enough time for a reasonable warm up. However, I was pleased to have run it and it was great to catch up with heaps of people who I only ever see at the handicap runs.

The afternoon was spent on grandparent duties followed by a family dinner and a big family working party packing up furniture and pulling up carpet as Mr B is painting walls and laying floorboards as his next project resulting in rooms full of boxes and books and furniture being stored while this project takes place. We have one very empty echoey (is that a word?) family room and several very cluttered rooms as a result! I'm sure it will be worth it when he finishes!

Monday - speedygeoff's training at Parliament House

Distance: 7.6km

Calories burned: 450

I arrived too late for the warm-up loop due to work commitments so this cut the distance very short. The main set was a number of 950m fast undulating loops alternating with slow loops. I struggled a bit tonight but every little bit helps. This was followed by the warm down loop of PH.

Wombat Wednesday

In the morning I struggled out of bed to attend the RPM/spin class at the gym. Gee, it was hard work after missing Friday's class!

After work Ewen met me for our mid-week run round the East Basin of the lake. It felt slow and tough initially but once we were in a rhythm and involved in all our long weekend catch-up session it felt good, although we were battling a head wind on the return journey. We beat last week's time by 4secs per km!

Total distance: 16km
Time taken: 1:37:20
Average pace per km: 6:05
Calories burned: 950
I do enjoy those Wednesday runs and the company is great but once I finish I just can't seem to eat and drink enough. I'm hungry all evening!!

I think our hot snap is defnitely over. The mornings and evenings are becoming exceedingly brisk (unlike my running) and our overnight temperature tonight (Thursday) is forecast to be 3deg - ouch - back to boots and jackets for the office and I must look out that long-sleeved running gear!

Fun at the Coast!

We had an awesome weekend - great company with lots of walking, running, swimming, wining and dining, kayaking and far too much chocolate! The weather was fairly average - some rain, some cold snaps, some sunshine but on the all-important kayak lesson day it was beautiful. The sun came out and we had a fantastic time even including swimming during our morning tea break and later in the afternoon at the local beach.

On the Friday morning seven of us set off for a run, all running various distances according to our needs. Mr B and I were running at a gentle pace and decided to go on to run almost 22km. We ran several kms on the beach bush track that Ewen had recommended and it was just beautiful, set amongst the trees in the shade. The surface was a bit rough at the start but great later and it was sad to emerge back on to the pathway where we headed for Huskisson before we turned back. I had to run another km at the end up a very steep hill before heading for the beach to stand in the cold surf while Mr B went for a proper dip. It was very refreshing.

Distance: 21.43km (yes, I know I should have run that extra 600m)

Time taken: 2:18

Average pace per km: 6:28 (parts of it were a bit rough and parts were on soft sand which was tricky)

Calories burned: 1270

During the course of the weekend I went on a 9km walk with one of the girls and a few swims in the surf. It was just a lovely social weekend.

Tuesday - Back to work!

I managed to run between showers this morning before work. Later it absolutely pelted down so I was lucky to run when I did. It had been raining overnight and the ground was wet but it was really pleasant temperature-wise.

Distance: 8.8km

Time taken: 57mins

Average pace per km: 6:30 (no excuses, just tired I think)

Calories burned: 525

I need to burn heaps more calories to work off a lot of extra chocolate intake. I've been desperately trying to eat up all the chocolate so that I can be good again. If there's none around I can't eat it. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it, but I don't think it quite works, somehow!

Happy Easter to you all!

This has been a stressful week - far too many hours at work, auditors in the office and lots of other dramas. I was unable to go to training on Monday night which was very sad so instead I ran a short run early in the morning. It was only a short run as that was all I could fit in but at least it was something.

Distance: 6.79km
Time taken: 40:22
Average pace per km: 5:57
Calories burned: 398

Wednesday
6.15am - spin class - 45mins of hard work on that bike!

5.20pm - Run with Ewen round East basin of Lake.
Distance: 16km
Time taken: 1:38
Average pace per km: 6:07

Now that's a better pace for that distance. We'll be down to 6min pace soon. it's great to have Ewen back running with me again after his awesome SFT. We only had one stop and that was on the return trip. It was a really good run on a perfectly still balmy evening - bunnies, lizards, kayaks, good conversation - a lovely run altogether.

Tomorrow afternoon Mr B and I are off to Hyams Beach near Jervis Bay with three other couples (including CJ and Mr CJ) - should be a fantastic weekend, with plenty of exercise involved as everybody going is training for something - duathlons, ironman, marathon and half marathons - so it will be lots of fun. Oh and there'll probably be a bit of chocolate involved too somewhere in there! Happy and safe Easter everyone!

Flat batteries, lack of fuel, empty radiator; overheating!

That was me on my run this morning! I started way too late in a 33deg temp and suffered accordingly! Last night we met up with friends for a great meal at a local restaurant and of course a few wines were consumed. I guess the combination of the wine, the temperature and lack of food as I didn't eat before my run, caused me to struggle this morning. I can only describe this run as an exhausting exercise in determination! I ran from home to Lake Ginninderra, round the lake, back past Giralang through the tunnel on the way to Gungahlin and back down to Kaleen shops where I bought another bottle of water as I had drunk all four of my little bottles from round my waist, on towards the AIS then back home. I just couldn't seem to drink enough and the moment I reached home I drank gallons of water and gatorade. It was a HOT run but at least I did it (slowly)!

Distance: 22km
Time taken: 2:20:14
Average pace per km: 6:22
Calories burned: 1300

Friday - Yesterday morning early I had a mammoth session at the RPM class. I'm sure the air conditioning wasn't working Although the fans were operating all the glass windows steamed up and we were just dripping. It was a new track and it's great music but an extremely hard workout! Am I losing weight with all this hot hard work? - nah, not a gram, not a kilo, zilch!!