Ha. Well this pretty much sums up my week. I started writing this on Wednesday - it's now Friday night & I'm finally getting around to finishing it. Work is feral at the moment & (as my boss acknowledged today) it's actually going to get worse over the next few weeks. Oh joy. Actually life is pretty good. I'm typing this at Cirque's place, having flown up to Brisbane this afternoon (Friday) (*waves). We have been catching up over a glass of vino or 3 for the last few hours.
As for the weekend's lil adventure, by Tuesday night the muscle soreness started to fade & the realisation (& associated confidence boost) started to kick in. Between an easy 30mins on the bike (L5 @ 85PRMs) trying to get the blood flowing through my legs again, 30mins spent stretching & (later in the day) a massage with Easy Tiger, I was feeling almost 100% again by Wednesday night.
Thursday morning, I had decided to do an easy 30mins around the oval. But given my usual oval isn't lit at night, I decided to get up at 5.30am and do an hour of work (end of month bills no less) before heading out for my run at 6.30am - yep, it's that busy at the moment. My run went well - I took it very slowly, doing 4.21kms in 30:02mins (aver pace 7.07mins/kms). My legs were still a bit heavy but I felt good & there were no sign of any niggles. Happy days.
I actually woke up on Thursday morning with a very sore collarbone/shoulder. I can't actually lie on my right hand side at the moment. Saint Andrew thinks that a few of my ribs are jammed (near the collarbone). Ouch is right. I could hardly lift my coffee with my right hand on Thursday morning. Tonight (Friday) it is still very tender. It might be a few days before it settles down which might impact on my ability to ride Clairie's bike while cheering at the GCM on Sunday but we shall see. At least I can still run :-)
Today (Friday) I flew up to Brisbane just after 4pm & am staying at Cirque's tonight. For someone who is away for 3 nights, I've packed running gear, cheering gear (including my nix & helmet!) , partying clothes & playing clothes. Never let it be said that I'm capable of travelling lightly ;-) I'm planning on heading out for an easy 30mins in the morning before we jump in the car and head down to the Gold Coast just before lunch. I'm really looking forward to Sunday - the pompoms & hooters are ready ;-)
My total for June is 80.75kms - a bit down on last month but hopefully I've recovered from W2G a little better than I did the Nosh.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Monday, June 26, 2006
The morning after...
Wow. I still can't believe how yesterday unfolded, nor how much it meant to me. Out of all the races that I've got lined up this year, W2G was the one that I truly did not think I would be ready for. After all it's only just over 3 months since I started running again after having 16 weeks off. I've found myself thinking to myself during the course of today "I can't believe I ran 25kms yesterday?". Fortunately I only have to move to be reminded ;-) Let's just say my 81 year old grandmother with her arthritic hips is probably moving more freely than I am right now, LOL. But gosh, it was worth it...
A few lessons from the day:
1. Always have a stash of safety pins in my bag.
2. (with apologies to Eminem), pace yourself properly & you can do anything.
3. I am (much) fitter & stronger, both physically & mentally, than I imagined.
I have got lots of work to do if I am going to achieve my goals for the year. But I'll just recover from this lil adventure & enjoy the moment a bit longer before I start thinking about that ;-)
I'm now home after spending the weekend in Penriff. Here are the stats according to Sportstracks:
Distance: 25.28kms
Time: 2:44:11mins (official time 2:44:07)
Aver pace: 6:29mins
MTD: 76.54kms
Horrie & I did the last 10kms were 55:37mins. Given that I haven't run a 10km race yet, I'll take that as my PB thanks ;-)
After 2 hours sleep, I'm now watching the soccer. Mr Jen_runs is currently on his way home to me :-) I find it quite funny that after 3 weeks in Germany attending all 3 of the Socceroo's first round matches, he will actually miss the second round match because he'll be mid-flight somewhere between here & Singapore. Hehe. At least the early morning text messages will stop now (Monday's message arrived at 4.30am asking me what I wanted for a present - how about some sleep dude...) & I can get some sleep. Or maybe not ;-)
A few lessons from the day:
1. Always have a stash of safety pins in my bag.
2. (with apologies to Eminem), pace yourself properly & you can do anything.
3. I am (much) fitter & stronger, both physically & mentally, than I imagined.
I have got lots of work to do if I am going to achieve my goals for the year. But I'll just recover from this lil adventure & enjoy the moment a bit longer before I start thinking about that ;-)
I'm now home after spending the weekend in Penriff. Here are the stats according to Sportstracks:
Distance: 25.28kms
Time: 2:44:11mins (official time 2:44:07)
Aver pace: 6:29mins
MTD: 76.54kms
Horrie & I did the last 10kms were 55:37mins. Given that I haven't run a 10km race yet, I'll take that as my PB thanks ;-)
After 2 hours sleep, I'm now watching the soccer. Mr Jen_runs is currently on his way home to me :-) I find it quite funny that after 3 weeks in Germany attending all 3 of the Socceroo's first round matches, he will actually miss the second round match because he'll be mid-flight somewhere between here & Singapore. Hehe. At least the early morning text messages will stop now (Monday's message arrived at 4.30am asking me what I wanted for a present - how about some sleep dude...) & I can get some sleep. Or maybe not ;-)
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Woodford to Glenbrook
Wow. What a big day. It's 6.43pm now, I've had a glass of wine & am ready for a sleep ;-)
Friday night after work I came out to my parent's place at Penriff for some R&R. Unfortunately I still wasn't feeling very rested on Saturday - I felt exhausted; I even had a nana nap - and I never nap. My right hip flexor was also niggling while walking around the house on Saturday so I was rather nervous about how it would go today. I shouldn't have been.
I left the house for the short drive up to Glenbrook to meet O Runner & CR lurker Wazza for the drive to Woodford. On arriving at Woodford station, we headed up to the Rural Fire Station headquarters to pick up our numbers. Lesson for the day - always keep a stash of safety pins in your bag just in case. They had run out by the time we arrived (just under an hour before the start). I had one safety pin before Wazza came to the rescue with a second. The next hour was spent chatting & catching up with friends. I was really nervous in the week leading up to this race but (as always) I woke up pretty calm & relaxed this morning.
This was a really big day for me:
*longest run in time (50mins) & distance(by 8kms)
* longest race (by 10kms) and
* even my first Half marathon!
Once we were off, my secret weapon Horrie & I let the greyhounds take off and slowly settled into our pace; walking some of the earlier short/sharp hills before settling into a good rhythm once the road flattened out around the 12kms mark. I had (previously) decided to ride the course next year but after seeing the appropriately named "Suicide Hill", let's just say that I'm re-thinking that plan.
I really enjoyed everything about the run - the course, the scenery & the company. People who don't run trails have no idea on what they are missing out on. The kms slowly ticked by & suddenly we were passing through the 21km mark - my first Half marathon! The last 4km however were really tough - I was getting v tired but with Horrie's company, I was able to maintain our pace all the way to the finish.
As we rounded the last corner before the finish, I heard a loud shout only to look up to find Go Girl & Go Baby cheering for me & a few metres further on, my sister-in-law-to-be. I looked up towards the finish & there were my parents & brother with "Go Jen" signs cheering loudly. Their attendance at the finish was supposed to be a "surprise" for me. However I had lunch with Mum on Thursday when she was asking all sorts of questions about the race, rather indiscreetly. It was pretty easy to work out what the plan was ;-)
I of course forgot to stop my watch at the finish but the results are out already - 2:44:07. Happy days! I really had no expectations about today other than to finish in one piece (which I did).
Got home not long after 3 after dropping Gnome, O Runner, Uncle Dave & Papa back to Woodford - & picking their brains about a few upcoming events
;-)
Thanks to Horrie for his company today - I can't begin to describe how much it meant to me. And to Twopennys & Go Girl whose immense faith in me more than made up for my own lack of it :-)
I am one tired & happy gal tonight. I still can't believe that I've done it. I'm sure I know that I have when I try & roll out of bed in the morning, LOL!
The week ahead - well that will largely depend on how well I feel when I roll out of bed in the morning but let's just say it will be pretty cruisy (so far as training is concerned). Work is crazy - there will be lots of late nights & early mornings this week; Mr Jen_runs is back from his trip to Germany on Tuesday morning (*yippee) and then I fly up to Brisbane on Friday afternoon for the GCM weekend. Woohoo :-)
Friday night after work I came out to my parent's place at Penriff for some R&R. Unfortunately I still wasn't feeling very rested on Saturday - I felt exhausted; I even had a nana nap - and I never nap. My right hip flexor was also niggling while walking around the house on Saturday so I was rather nervous about how it would go today. I shouldn't have been.
I left the house for the short drive up to Glenbrook to meet O Runner & CR lurker Wazza for the drive to Woodford. On arriving at Woodford station, we headed up to the Rural Fire Station headquarters to pick up our numbers. Lesson for the day - always keep a stash of safety pins in your bag just in case. They had run out by the time we arrived (just under an hour before the start). I had one safety pin before Wazza came to the rescue with a second. The next hour was spent chatting & catching up with friends. I was really nervous in the week leading up to this race but (as always) I woke up pretty calm & relaxed this morning.
This was a really big day for me:
*longest run in time (50mins) & distance(by 8kms)
* longest race (by 10kms) and
* even my first Half marathon!
Once we were off, my secret weapon Horrie & I let the greyhounds take off and slowly settled into our pace; walking some of the earlier short/sharp hills before settling into a good rhythm once the road flattened out around the 12kms mark. I had (previously) decided to ride the course next year but after seeing the appropriately named "Suicide Hill", let's just say that I'm re-thinking that plan.
I really enjoyed everything about the run - the course, the scenery & the company. People who don't run trails have no idea on what they are missing out on. The kms slowly ticked by & suddenly we were passing through the 21km mark - my first Half marathon! The last 4km however were really tough - I was getting v tired but with Horrie's company, I was able to maintain our pace all the way to the finish.
As we rounded the last corner before the finish, I heard a loud shout only to look up to find Go Girl & Go Baby cheering for me & a few metres further on, my sister-in-law-to-be. I looked up towards the finish & there were my parents & brother with "Go Jen" signs cheering loudly. Their attendance at the finish was supposed to be a "surprise" for me. However I had lunch with Mum on Thursday when she was asking all sorts of questions about the race, rather indiscreetly. It was pretty easy to work out what the plan was ;-)
I of course forgot to stop my watch at the finish but the results are out already - 2:44:07. Happy days! I really had no expectations about today other than to finish in one piece (which I did).
Got home not long after 3 after dropping Gnome, O Runner, Uncle Dave & Papa back to Woodford - & picking their brains about a few upcoming events
;-)
Thanks to Horrie for his company today - I can't begin to describe how much it meant to me. And to Twopennys & Go Girl whose immense faith in me more than made up for my own lack of it :-)
I am one tired & happy gal tonight. I still can't believe that I've done it. I'm sure I know that I have when I try & roll out of bed in the morning, LOL!
The week ahead - well that will largely depend on how well I feel when I roll out of bed in the morning but let's just say it will be pretty cruisy (so far as training is concerned). Work is crazy - there will be lots of late nights & early mornings this week; Mr Jen_runs is back from his trip to Germany on Tuesday morning (*yippee) and then I fly up to Brisbane on Friday afternoon for the GCM weekend. Woohoo :-)
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Guus for PM
What an busy, interesting & surprising week....
Tuesday saw the return of "Zen Jen" when I headed to the gym for my weekly Iyengar yoga class. Despite all that is going on at the moment both at work & personally, I didn't think I'd be able to turn my brain off during the class - but I did. That is, up until we were doing the splits (whatever they are called) - all I could think to myself was "don't tear a hammie, don't tear a hammie......" LOL.
Wednesday morning I pulled up much better after yesterday's yoga class than I did last week. Up at 5.15 for a run. It seems so long ago now I can hardly remember it. According to Garmin Elektra, it was 5.4km in 35:19mins - aver pace 6:32; MTD 51.26kms. I was really pleased with this run. My glutes, hammies & core were very fatigued after yesterday's yoga class, but there were no niggles. Happy days! Spent a delightful hour later in the day with Easy Tiger where he kindly suggested a race plan for me for Sunday. Let's just say if you see me crawl (literally) across the line and then lay there in foetal position, I've probably followed it ;-)
I've been "resting" since Wednesday but strangely, I don't feel v. rested. Work is mad (but I had a lovely reprieve from the madness on Friday when I had lunch with Go Girl *waves*) & I haven't had much sleep this week. Thursday night I had just over 4 hours sleep after crawling into bed about midnight and then being woken just after 4am by an SMS for Mr Jen_runs reminding me that the Socceroos match started in an hour (he was at the game) . Thanks dude. Anyhoo my latest big adventure is tomorrow. My right hip flexor is a bit wonky today & I haven't stretched in days (will go & remedy that now). But tomorrow I will have the company of an ultra runner& fellow blogger (stay tuned to find out who) and as Helen Kellar once said...
"Life is a daring adventure or it is nothing".
Tuesday saw the return of "Zen Jen" when I headed to the gym for my weekly Iyengar yoga class. Despite all that is going on at the moment both at work & personally, I didn't think I'd be able to turn my brain off during the class - but I did. That is, up until we were doing the splits (whatever they are called) - all I could think to myself was "don't tear a hammie, don't tear a hammie......" LOL.
Wednesday morning I pulled up much better after yesterday's yoga class than I did last week. Up at 5.15 for a run. It seems so long ago now I can hardly remember it. According to Garmin Elektra, it was 5.4km in 35:19mins - aver pace 6:32; MTD 51.26kms. I was really pleased with this run. My glutes, hammies & core were very fatigued after yesterday's yoga class, but there were no niggles. Happy days! Spent a delightful hour later in the day with Easy Tiger where he kindly suggested a race plan for me for Sunday. Let's just say if you see me crawl (literally) across the line and then lay there in foetal position, I've probably followed it ;-)
I've been "resting" since Wednesday but strangely, I don't feel v. rested. Work is mad (but I had a lovely reprieve from the madness on Friday when I had lunch with Go Girl *waves*) & I haven't had much sleep this week. Thursday night I had just over 4 hours sleep after crawling into bed about midnight and then being woken just after 4am by an SMS for Mr Jen_runs reminding me that the Socceroos match started in an hour (he was at the game) . Thanks dude. Anyhoo my latest big adventure is tomorrow. My right hip flexor is a bit wonky today & I haven't stretched in days (will go & remedy that now). But tomorrow I will have the company of an ultra runner& fellow blogger (stay tuned to find out who) and as Helen Kellar once said...
"Life is a daring adventure or it is nothing".
Monday, June 19, 2006
Let's get it on....
Tesso, the GU was called "Espresso Love". Such a great name - though I'm more a skim cap kind of gal ;-)
And yes, I crawled out of bed just before 2am to watch the soccer. Sat on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, freezing my butt off & then proceeded to spill my coffee all over the carpet. Oh dear. I did however sleep-in until (wait for it) 7am! That's a huge sleep-in for me. If I'm not exercising, I'm normally buying my coffee on my way into the office at that time of day. Nice. Shame I don't have an excuse to stay in bed tomorrow morning....
Work is crazy at the moment. All of my clients want all of their transactions finalised & arrangements in place before the end of the FY. My in-tray looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa before the restoration work that's been carried out in recent years. Blah. Actually I take the blah back - I'm not really in a blah-ish mood after an interesting weekend...
I had planned to go for an easy run at lunch but worked through lunch instead so I headed to the gym tonight for an easy 25mins (6kms) on the stationary bike (L6 @ 90RPMs) followed by 30mins stretching. Yoga tomorrow.
I think my iPod needs a shake up before my next big adventure on Sunday. Any song recommendations or requests people? I'm going to be out there for a while ;-)
....no Wobbly Man, I'm not putting Postman Pat on it...
...and yes Kit, Dancing Queen is already on there ;-)
And yes, I crawled out of bed just before 2am to watch the soccer. Sat on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, freezing my butt off & then proceeded to spill my coffee all over the carpet. Oh dear. I did however sleep-in until (wait for it) 7am! That's a huge sleep-in for me. If I'm not exercising, I'm normally buying my coffee on my way into the office at that time of day. Nice. Shame I don't have an excuse to stay in bed tomorrow morning....
Work is crazy at the moment. All of my clients want all of their transactions finalised & arrangements in place before the end of the FY. My in-tray looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa before the restoration work that's been carried out in recent years. Blah. Actually I take the blah back - I'm not really in a blah-ish mood after an interesting weekend...
I had planned to go for an easy run at lunch but worked through lunch instead so I headed to the gym tonight for an easy 25mins (6kms) on the stationary bike (L6 @ 90RPMs) followed by 30mins stretching. Yoga tomorrow.
I think my iPod needs a shake up before my next big adventure on Sunday. Any song recommendations or requests people? I'm going to be out there for a while ;-)
....no Wobbly Man, I'm not putting Postman Pat on it...
...and yes Kit, Dancing Queen is already on there ;-)
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Sleep? Who needs it....
The Mini-Mos fun run was on this morning. I didn’t enter because I run at least part of the course every time I got from a run from home & decided I didn't need or want to pay for the pleasure of doing so this morning. But given I drove all the way to Gosford yesterday, I could hardly miss cheering a race that starts a (literal) a stone’s throw away from my front door. An added benefit was a sleep-in :-)
So yes, I spent my Sunday morning cheering. I saw the 10km runners less than a 1km into the run – including, much to my surprise, my hero Kerryn McCann. Oh yeah, and I gave Superflake a cheer ;-)
Once they had gone past, I walked up to the shop & grabbed a coffee before heading down to Noble Street & giving the runners (including the 5km runners this time) a cheer up the final (nasty) hill.
After all the cheering that I’ve done this weekend, I decided it was about time that I went out for a run. I wanted to run mainly on grass to give my shins a break so I headed over to what has recently become my third home (after my office), Centennial Park. 1 ½ laps outside the fence line and my first GU. Now I feel like a real runner, LOL. I haven’t used one before but wanted to give it a test drive before next weekend. Thankfully it worked well (thanks for the recommendation Go Girl).
Distance: 12.16kms
Time: 1:21:41mins
Aver pace: 6:43mins
MTD: 45.86kms
A bit quicker than my usual LSD run pace (opps) but the pace combined with the lack of niggles was a much needed confidence boost. There was also no sign of the knee pain I was experiencing last night. Happy days :-)
I am feeling very tired tonight. No wonder I’m fading away – I haven’t eaten (or drunk) enough this weekend. But this is not a time for sleep – my country needs me - go the Socceroos. Yes, this self-confessed soccer (sorry, football) non-fan…..well, except for when Beckham is playing (*swoon) will be watching the football at 2am in the morning (*yawn*).
This week has been a bit unusual – I’ve only run 17kms but have done 60kms(!) on the bike.
The week ahead will be easy – gotta love tapering:
Monday: 20mins easy on grass
Tuesday: Yoga
Wednesday: run 35mins & massage
Thursday: wheel alignment with Saint Andrew but otherwise rest.
Friday: rest
Saturday: more rest
Sunday: Woodford to Glenbrook!!!!!!
So yes, I spent my Sunday morning cheering. I saw the 10km runners less than a 1km into the run – including, much to my surprise, my hero Kerryn McCann. Oh yeah, and I gave Superflake a cheer ;-)
Once they had gone past, I walked up to the shop & grabbed a coffee before heading down to Noble Street & giving the runners (including the 5km runners this time) a cheer up the final (nasty) hill.
After all the cheering that I’ve done this weekend, I decided it was about time that I went out for a run. I wanted to run mainly on grass to give my shins a break so I headed over to what has recently become my third home (after my office), Centennial Park. 1 ½ laps outside the fence line and my first GU. Now I feel like a real runner, LOL. I haven’t used one before but wanted to give it a test drive before next weekend. Thankfully it worked well (thanks for the recommendation Go Girl).
Distance: 12.16kms
Time: 1:21:41mins
Aver pace: 6:43mins
MTD: 45.86kms
A bit quicker than my usual LSD run pace (opps) but the pace combined with the lack of niggles was a much needed confidence boost. There was also no sign of the knee pain I was experiencing last night. Happy days :-)
I am feeling very tired tonight. No wonder I’m fading away – I haven’t eaten (or drunk) enough this weekend. But this is not a time for sleep – my country needs me - go the Socceroos. Yes, this self-confessed soccer (sorry, football) non-fan…..well, except for when Beckham is playing (*swoon) will be watching the football at 2am in the morning (*yawn*).
This week has been a bit unusual – I’ve only run 17kms but have done 60kms(!) on the bike.
The week ahead will be easy – gotta love tapering:
Monday: 20mins easy on grass
Tuesday: Yoga
Wednesday: run 35mins & massage
Thursday: wheel alignment with Saint Andrew but otherwise rest.
Friday: rest
Saturday: more rest
Sunday: Woodford to Glenbrook!!!!!!
Undamaged goods
….isn’t that right Easy Tiger? ;-)
Apologies in advance for a long post – I’ve been busy :-)
Friday – on the road again..
Distance: 4.68kms
Time: 30:03mins
Aver pace: 6:25mins
MTD: 33.7kms
Given that I hadn’t run in over a week, I decided to do a very easy (and tentative) 30mins around the oval again. Very pleased to say that there were no complaints out of my shins/calves. Phew.
It’s been so long since I last ran at the oval – at least before the CR 5km Challenge in April. This is the oval where I took my first tentative (running) steps in March after my ITB battle & made me remember the early days & how far I have come since then. I certainly wouldn’t have believed that in such a short period of time I would be “ready” (she says adopting a broad definition of the word) to line up for a 25kms race next weekend.
Later I spent my lunch hour in Easy Tiger’s company with my tib-ants getting lots of his attention. Typing this 2 days later (Sunday), there are still a bit tender…
How ‘bout a wedding update – there hasn’t been one for a while – I had dinner with my bridesmaids on Friday night. One of them – my maid of honour (or “Head Maid” as I call her) announced that she is pregnant. 2 months pregnant. Meaning she will be 7mths pregnant at the wedding. Clearly she isn’t a maid anymore – at least it will be bridesmaid & not the bride who is barefoot & pregnant at this wedding ;-)
Saturday – Poor Man’s Comrades
Wow. What a huge day.
PMC for those who don’t know is the “Fat Ass” version of the 96kms Comrades ultra held in Sth Africa each year with an “up” course (Sydney to Gosford) and “down” (Gosford to Sydney) being held in alternate years. Sorry, I don’t have any photos for you – my camera is with Mr Jen_runs in Germany.
Suspecting that my good friend Twopennys was likely to put in an appearance I had planned to make it to the start – 7am on the steps of Sydney Opera House. A glorious morning in Sydney – chilly but clear. After dinner late night, I somehow made it out of bed in time. When I actually arrived at the start there was no-one there so I walked a lap of the Opera House to keep warm, bumping into Truckie amongst others on the way.
Just after 7am there were off so Kevin T, Blkbox & I headed to City Extra for a coffee. I had planned to head up to the gym for the 8am pilates class (as a way to justify heading into the city at such a silly hour on a Saturday morning). I didn’t make it – KT ended up chatting for about an hour. So then I headed home, picked up my bike & headed to Centennial Park for a ride.
The plan was to do about 20kms given my plans to run tomorrow. A good ride – I ended up doing 22.68kms at an average pace of 20.8km/hr (again). I do have a problem with my front gears – they are stuck. I can’t change up. Grrr. My mood didn’t improve much when I had an “encounter” with a car thanks to a woman who failed to give way on the driveway into the park & then had the nerve to give ME a glare. Grrr.
From Centennial Park, I ducked home to grab some food before setting out to chase the runners up the Pacific Highway. While it would have been quicker to head up the freeway, I decided to drive through Bobbin Head as I’ve never been that way before. What a beautiful drive but a bloody tough road to run.
Soon after Cowan, I found Twopennys and stopped for a quick chat. Not far out of Mt White I stopped to chat first to Truckie and just ahead of him, a group of 4 runners including Horrie & Virtual. At Mt White, I found Belinda & Tim at the Bikers Café. Once again, I think I made a couple of biker’s days by getting out of the car & walking the café in my long tights. Why didn’t I learn my lesson after I did the same thing coming home from Warwick? ;-)
By now it was about 2.30 (I think). I certainly didn’t plan to follow the runners all the way to finish but given I’d gone 60kms already, there didn’t seem much point in turning back now – so I joined a car convoy with Belinda & Tim by driving 3-5kms up the road & stopping to offer the boys encouragement, water & food as they ran past us. Our first stop was the other side of Mt White where Aunty K & Uncle Dave joined us briefly & Plu rode past (stopping for a photo opp) before following Virtual up the road. This leap-frogging continued for the next 20kms or so. About 10kms out of Gosford, Virtual & 2 other fellas had broken away from Horrie so I left Belinda & Tim and tried to catch up with Virtual who I knew would need a lift back to Sydney. I caught him – about 100m before the finish. Horrie came shortly afterwards.
An incredible event. 96kms sounds like a long way (it IS a long way) but it’s not until you drive the course – not to mention the mountains along the way – that you truly appreciate what an incredible effort it was – and how mad they are (haha).
After dropping Ken at Chatswood, I got home about 8.45. It was one very long day - I was exhausted & the only running I had done was about 40m to catch up to Virtual to hand him a coke :-)
One concern for me personally was that later into the afternoon I was experiencing a bit of knee pain in my right knee (yes, the knee formerly known as TPC). Quite short, sharp, stabbing, ITB kind of pain. Yikes. Came home & basically pulverised by ITB with the rolling pin. It was a bit tight but not too bad. Will keep an eye on it over the coming days…
Apologies in advance for a long post – I’ve been busy :-)
Friday – on the road again..
Distance: 4.68kms
Time: 30:03mins
Aver pace: 6:25mins
MTD: 33.7kms
Given that I hadn’t run in over a week, I decided to do a very easy (and tentative) 30mins around the oval again. Very pleased to say that there were no complaints out of my shins/calves. Phew.
It’s been so long since I last ran at the oval – at least before the CR 5km Challenge in April. This is the oval where I took my first tentative (running) steps in March after my ITB battle & made me remember the early days & how far I have come since then. I certainly wouldn’t have believed that in such a short period of time I would be “ready” (she says adopting a broad definition of the word) to line up for a 25kms race next weekend.
Later I spent my lunch hour in Easy Tiger’s company with my tib-ants getting lots of his attention. Typing this 2 days later (Sunday), there are still a bit tender…
How ‘bout a wedding update – there hasn’t been one for a while – I had dinner with my bridesmaids on Friday night. One of them – my maid of honour (or “Head Maid” as I call her) announced that she is pregnant. 2 months pregnant. Meaning she will be 7mths pregnant at the wedding. Clearly she isn’t a maid anymore – at least it will be bridesmaid & not the bride who is barefoot & pregnant at this wedding ;-)
Saturday – Poor Man’s Comrades
Wow. What a huge day.
PMC for those who don’t know is the “Fat Ass” version of the 96kms Comrades ultra held in Sth Africa each year with an “up” course (Sydney to Gosford) and “down” (Gosford to Sydney) being held in alternate years. Sorry, I don’t have any photos for you – my camera is with Mr Jen_runs in Germany.
Suspecting that my good friend Twopennys was likely to put in an appearance I had planned to make it to the start – 7am on the steps of Sydney Opera House. A glorious morning in Sydney – chilly but clear. After dinner late night, I somehow made it out of bed in time. When I actually arrived at the start there was no-one there so I walked a lap of the Opera House to keep warm, bumping into Truckie amongst others on the way.
Just after 7am there were off so Kevin T, Blkbox & I headed to City Extra for a coffee. I had planned to head up to the gym for the 8am pilates class (as a way to justify heading into the city at such a silly hour on a Saturday morning). I didn’t make it – KT ended up chatting for about an hour. So then I headed home, picked up my bike & headed to Centennial Park for a ride.
The plan was to do about 20kms given my plans to run tomorrow. A good ride – I ended up doing 22.68kms at an average pace of 20.8km/hr (again). I do have a problem with my front gears – they are stuck. I can’t change up. Grrr. My mood didn’t improve much when I had an “encounter” with a car thanks to a woman who failed to give way on the driveway into the park & then had the nerve to give ME a glare. Grrr.
From Centennial Park, I ducked home to grab some food before setting out to chase the runners up the Pacific Highway. While it would have been quicker to head up the freeway, I decided to drive through Bobbin Head as I’ve never been that way before. What a beautiful drive but a bloody tough road to run.
Soon after Cowan, I found Twopennys and stopped for a quick chat. Not far out of Mt White I stopped to chat first to Truckie and just ahead of him, a group of 4 runners including Horrie & Virtual. At Mt White, I found Belinda & Tim at the Bikers Café. Once again, I think I made a couple of biker’s days by getting out of the car & walking the café in my long tights. Why didn’t I learn my lesson after I did the same thing coming home from Warwick? ;-)
By now it was about 2.30 (I think). I certainly didn’t plan to follow the runners all the way to finish but given I’d gone 60kms already, there didn’t seem much point in turning back now – so I joined a car convoy with Belinda & Tim by driving 3-5kms up the road & stopping to offer the boys encouragement, water & food as they ran past us. Our first stop was the other side of Mt White where Aunty K & Uncle Dave joined us briefly & Plu rode past (stopping for a photo opp) before following Virtual up the road. This leap-frogging continued for the next 20kms or so. About 10kms out of Gosford, Virtual & 2 other fellas had broken away from Horrie so I left Belinda & Tim and tried to catch up with Virtual who I knew would need a lift back to Sydney. I caught him – about 100m before the finish. Horrie came shortly afterwards.
An incredible event. 96kms sounds like a long way (it IS a long way) but it’s not until you drive the course – not to mention the mountains along the way – that you truly appreciate what an incredible effort it was – and how mad they are (haha).
After dropping Ken at Chatswood, I got home about 8.45. It was one very long day - I was exhausted & the only running I had done was about 40m to catch up to Virtual to hand him a coke :-)
One concern for me personally was that later into the afternoon I was experiencing a bit of knee pain in my right knee (yes, the knee formerly known as TPC). Quite short, sharp, stabbing, ITB kind of pain. Yikes. Came home & basically pulverised by ITB with the rolling pin. It was a bit tight but not too bad. Will keep an eye on it over the coming days…
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Buns of steel...
Tuesday 13 June - oh my poor butt part 2
Iyvengar yoga class at lunch. Really enjoyed it – so did my glutes ;-)
I booked my flights for the GCM tonight. I’m hoping to get my bike to Qld so I can ride up and down the course cheering - oh, and so I get my exercise in for the day ;-) I had thought about taking it on the plane with me (and no, not in my carry on luggage) but I've just realised that I'll be heading straight to the airport on Friday from the office & then heading straight into the office on Monday morning....Mmm, will have to think about it. Oh yeah, and I’ve entered W2G….
Wednesday 14 June - oh my poor butt part 3
My upper body - and butt - are sooo sore from yoga yesterday. Excellent - definitely going back to that class next week :-)
It’s now been a week since I ran. Yikes. 10 days to W2G to go. Yikes. I’m sure all the time I’ve spent on my bike will help to maintain my fitness. I guess my real concern is that I’ll get my tib-ants & calves to behave just in time to run W2G – and then trash them all over again. Oh well, I’ll deal with that later ;-)
To give my legs another few days off, I decided to head into the gym this morning for a cardio session on the bike today (I gotta get me a windtrainer...). A CJ-inspired session for 40mins on the bike:
5min WU
5 x 1mins intervals (L7 @ 110RPMs) with 1min recovery
5mins @ L7 @ 90RPMs
repeated twice
5mins CD
Geez CJ, that was nasty – but fun. 17.48kms in total & 30mins stretching to finish. Phew.
A rest day tomorrow with a visit to Saint Andrew before heading out for an easy run on Friday morning...
Iyvengar yoga class at lunch. Really enjoyed it – so did my glutes ;-)
I booked my flights for the GCM tonight. I’m hoping to get my bike to Qld so I can ride up and down the course cheering - oh, and so I get my exercise in for the day ;-) I had thought about taking it on the plane with me (and no, not in my carry on luggage) but I've just realised that I'll be heading straight to the airport on Friday from the office & then heading straight into the office on Monday morning....Mmm, will have to think about it. Oh yeah, and I’ve entered W2G….
Wednesday 14 June - oh my poor butt part 3
My upper body - and butt - are sooo sore from yoga yesterday. Excellent - definitely going back to that class next week :-)
It’s now been a week since I ran. Yikes. 10 days to W2G to go. Yikes. I’m sure all the time I’ve spent on my bike will help to maintain my fitness. I guess my real concern is that I’ll get my tib-ants & calves to behave just in time to run W2G – and then trash them all over again. Oh well, I’ll deal with that later ;-)
To give my legs another few days off, I decided to head into the gym this morning for a cardio session on the bike today (I gotta get me a windtrainer...). A CJ-inspired session for 40mins on the bike:
5min WU
5 x 1mins intervals (L7 @ 110RPMs) with 1min recovery
5mins @ L7 @ 90RPMs
repeated twice
5mins CD
Geez CJ, that was nasty – but fun. 17.48kms in total & 30mins stretching to finish. Phew.
A rest day tomorrow with a visit to Saint Andrew before heading out for an easy run on Friday morning...
Monday, June 12, 2006
My poor butt...
It’s a beautiful clear sunny winters day in Sydney & my house is freezing. The warmest place is my bed. Ah, don’t you just love public holidays!
If you can't run, ride I say. After yesterday's aborted LSD run, I decided to take my bike out for a spin today. I do have to thank Wobbly Man. I love cleats! After reading about his 'adventures' with his new bike - and cleats in particular - I decided it was about time I used mine. However unlike Wobbly Man, I didn't fall off today *yippee* (yes, I know I will eventually).
After a sleep-in and a lazy breakfast, I headed off to Centennial Park. The plan was to do 10 laps of the Park & basically to trash my legs after yesterday’s aborted LSD run. 37.5kms, 1hr 48mins & 10 laps later, my quads felt like jelly. Hehehe – love it! No ankle flexion (to protect my dodgy tib-ants) so my hammies had an easy day. Average speed of 20.8kms/hr. Given it is my first real session on the bike, I’m really pleased. My butt is also pleased to be off the bike – I need more padding on my arse I think…Any excuse to eat more ;-)
If you can't run, ride I say. After yesterday's aborted LSD run, I decided to take my bike out for a spin today. I do have to thank Wobbly Man. I love cleats! After reading about his 'adventures' with his new bike - and cleats in particular - I decided it was about time I used mine. However unlike Wobbly Man, I didn't fall off today *yippee* (yes, I know I will eventually).
After a sleep-in and a lazy breakfast, I headed off to Centennial Park. The plan was to do 10 laps of the Park & basically to trash my legs after yesterday’s aborted LSD run. 37.5kms, 1hr 48mins & 10 laps later, my quads felt like jelly. Hehehe – love it! No ankle flexion (to protect my dodgy tib-ants) so my hammies had an easy day. Average speed of 20.8kms/hr. Given it is my first real session on the bike, I’m really pleased. My butt is also pleased to be off the bike – I need more padding on my arse I think…Any excuse to eat more ;-)
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Soccer (sorry, football) widow
Mr Jen_runs is on his way to Germany now for the World Cup. Wonder what mischief I can get up to while he is away.... ;-)
I actually have v. little to post about so I thought I'd fill this out with some more photos taken in Arica, Chile last year:
Tsunami warning sign - head for higher ground..
Start running!
Thursday 8 June – we have a winner…
Rest day
Spent a delightful hour with Easy Tiger today as he tried to iron out the blocks of concrete that are my calves & shins.
The good news for the day was that I had to go to a work function tonight (well, that wasn’t the good news). The good news was the fact that I won the business card draw – 2 tickets in very nice seats to the Aus-Seth Afrikan rugby test in August. Cool.
Friday 9 June – mission aborted….
Run (kinda)
I was feeling rather crap when I got to bed on Thursday night – and no, it wasn’t alcohol related. I felt like I was coming down with a cold so I decided to run at lunch on Friday so I could get some extra sleep.
Distance: 2.07kms
Duration: 14:11min
Aver pace: 6:50min/km
MTD: 27.14kms
No, your eyes are not mistaken. It is not a typo. To say that I “ran” 2kms is even somewhat of an overstatement. It was actually a walk-run-stop-stretch-massage-run-stop-stretch-massage-walk-run (you get the idea).
I was actually really looking forward to this run around the Botanical Gardens & Opera House during my lunchbreak – even Sydney’s currently crappy weather decided to co-operate. Unfortunately my shins & calves wouldn’t join in the party & clearly have not forgiven me for running the Great Nosh off absolutely no hill work over the last, oh, 9 months (and no Cirque, one lil hill outside Warwick does not hill work make). Both of my tibialis-anterior (thanks ET) burned the whole bloody way. They were a bit tight & tender during the first 10min of my run on Wednesday but eventually settled down. Not today. So I bailed at the 2km and turned around & walked back to the office. What a fun way to spend your lunch break. Not.
So it’s about bloody time I took to the hills again. I’ve got plenty near home. When I can run again that is.
Saturday 10 June – nada
Rest day
Have been stretching the crap out of my calves today. My tibialis-anterior have got to know rather intimately both my tennis ball & golf ball. Fingers crossed they are a lot happier for tomorrow’s long run which I will take very easily. Only 2 weeks to W2G!
Sunday 11 June – should have stayed in bed on a v. cold winters day...
Run (if you can call it that)
I had arranged to meet Ellie in Centennial Park at the civilised time of 8am for a long run. The plan was to listen to my body. At a minimum I wanted to do 5km. At a maximum & assuming the planets aligned, 14kms. Wishful thinking.
Distance: 1.88kms
Duration: 13:07min
Aver pace: 6:58min/km
MTD: 29.02kms
I lasted 1.88kms before pulling the pin. My tibialis-anterior & all ligaments/tendons at the top of my feet are not happy. Cool. 2 weeks from a 25km race & I can’t even run 2km. Unfortunately I’m not due to see Saint Andrew until Thursday night & Saint Tiger until Friday. Bugger. Might have to take a lead from MPH & trash my legs on the bike tomorrow.
Edit: thinking about it further, not only have I not done any hill work, I haven't done my calf exercises for a while. 2 of those exercises focused on the tib-anterior. Another thing to add to the list once they settle down...
Total for the week – 9.01kms. Great. If nothing else, I’ll be well rested for W2G…
I actually have v. little to post about so I thought I'd fill this out with some more photos taken in Arica, Chile last year:
Tsunami warning sign - head for higher ground..
Start running!
Thursday 8 June – we have a winner…
Rest day
Spent a delightful hour with Easy Tiger today as he tried to iron out the blocks of concrete that are my calves & shins.
The good news for the day was that I had to go to a work function tonight (well, that wasn’t the good news). The good news was the fact that I won the business card draw – 2 tickets in very nice seats to the Aus-Seth Afrikan rugby test in August. Cool.
Friday 9 June – mission aborted….
Run (kinda)
I was feeling rather crap when I got to bed on Thursday night – and no, it wasn’t alcohol related. I felt like I was coming down with a cold so I decided to run at lunch on Friday so I could get some extra sleep.
Distance: 2.07kms
Duration: 14:11min
Aver pace: 6:50min/km
MTD: 27.14kms
No, your eyes are not mistaken. It is not a typo. To say that I “ran” 2kms is even somewhat of an overstatement. It was actually a walk-run-stop-stretch-massage-run-stop-stretch-massage-walk-run (you get the idea).
I was actually really looking forward to this run around the Botanical Gardens & Opera House during my lunchbreak – even Sydney’s currently crappy weather decided to co-operate. Unfortunately my shins & calves wouldn’t join in the party & clearly have not forgiven me for running the Great Nosh off absolutely no hill work over the last, oh, 9 months (and no Cirque, one lil hill outside Warwick does not hill work make). Both of my tibialis-anterior (thanks ET) burned the whole bloody way. They were a bit tight & tender during the first 10min of my run on Wednesday but eventually settled down. Not today. So I bailed at the 2km and turned around & walked back to the office. What a fun way to spend your lunch break. Not.
So it’s about bloody time I took to the hills again. I’ve got plenty near home. When I can run again that is.
Saturday 10 June – nada
Rest day
Have been stretching the crap out of my calves today. My tibialis-anterior have got to know rather intimately both my tennis ball & golf ball. Fingers crossed they are a lot happier for tomorrow’s long run which I will take very easily. Only 2 weeks to W2G!
Sunday 11 June – should have stayed in bed on a v. cold winters day...
Run (if you can call it that)
I had arranged to meet Ellie in Centennial Park at the civilised time of 8am for a long run. The plan was to listen to my body. At a minimum I wanted to do 5km. At a maximum & assuming the planets aligned, 14kms. Wishful thinking.
Distance: 1.88kms
Duration: 13:07min
Aver pace: 6:58min/km
MTD: 29.02kms
I lasted 1.88kms before pulling the pin. My tibialis-anterior & all ligaments/tendons at the top of my feet are not happy. Cool. 2 weeks from a 25km race & I can’t even run 2km. Unfortunately I’m not due to see Saint Andrew until Thursday night & Saint Tiger until Friday. Bugger. Might have to take a lead from MPH & trash my legs on the bike tomorrow.
Edit: thinking about it further, not only have I not done any hill work, I haven't done my calf exercises for a while. 2 of those exercises focused on the tib-anterior. Another thing to add to the list once they settle down...
Total for the week – 9.01kms. Great. If nothing else, I’ll be well rested for W2G…
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
By the way....
Here is the photo that my new header is based on. Arica in northern Chile is in one of the 2 driest places in the world - absolute desert basically with no annual recorded rainful. Beautiful eh?
Let's get it on...
Wow. Thanks to everyone for your comments after my lil adventure on Sunday :-)
Monday 5 June 2006 - testing the waters...
Rest day
I got out of bed this morning a bit gingerly testing to see what, if anything, was sore after Sunday's adventure. To my utter surprise, very little was the answer. My quads are feeling quite beaten up & the ligaments & tendons around my ankles were tender but there were no niggles or injuries. *Yippee* I was feeling a bit run down & tired (and struggled to keep my eyes open at a seminar all afternoon) but otherwise I pulled up really well. *Yippee*
Looking back to yesterday I am really pleased with my run. I ran it conservatively & managed to hold back & not get catch up in the madness that was the sprint to the 3km mark (where the trail narrowed down to a single trail). Though one thing I need to work out is why I felt bloated after the drink stop at the 12km mark - despite the fact that I only had 2 mouthfuls out of 2p's water bottle and one cup of water at the drink stop (my only drink previously being a cup at the 6km drink stop & a one or two small sips of water in between). A bit strange. Any ideas?
Saw Saint Andrew for a wheel alignment tonight who was just as surprised as me as to how I pulled up. And yes, again he rolled his eyes when I told him of my next adventure :-)
The next challenge is, of course, Woodford to Glenbrook, a 25kms trail run (which I'm told is not as hard/"technical" as the Nosh). Strangely I'm still feeling uncertain, unconvinced & undecided about it. I'm not sure why. Maybe I'm forgetting the golden rule I learnt when I was injured - "every run is a good run". I'm not sure where I left my "F*ck it, just go for it" 'tude that I had a few weeks ago but I need to find it ;-)
Tuesday 6 June 2006 - back to the gym
Upper body weights session
Headed to the gym after work for an upper body weights session - circuit of:
* reverse flyes
* single arm cable rows
* barbell bicep curls
* single arm lying tricep curls
* lat pulldowns
* internal/external rotator cuff stuff,
repeated twice.
I was feeling pretty tired as I'd been up early to pick up folks up from the airport at 5.15(!) so I thought the quality of the session might suffer but once I'd warmed up, I was fine.
Wednesday 7 June 2006 - on the road again....
Run
Time to hit the road again.
Distance: 5.06kms
Duration: 33:20min
Aver pace: 6:35min/km
MTD: 25.07kms
When I went to bed last night, there was torrential rain (again) so I had a back-up plan of heading to the gym at lunch in case there was heavy rain when I woke up. Thankfully the running gods listened to me & I woke up to discover a clear sky and even a few stars! So out I went. I must have fluked it because within 20mins of getting home it was pouring again! To say it was a bit rough would be an understatement. My shin muscles (whatever they are called) complained loudly during the first half & my quads the second half. Still, there were no niggles or injuries so I am one happy gal :-)
I'm not sure what the rest of the week holds for me. I will just listen to my body & decide on a daily basis. A massage tomorrow from the Tiger should go some way to sorting out this residual muscle stuff...
Monday 5 June 2006 - testing the waters...
Rest day
I got out of bed this morning a bit gingerly testing to see what, if anything, was sore after Sunday's adventure. To my utter surprise, very little was the answer. My quads are feeling quite beaten up & the ligaments & tendons around my ankles were tender but there were no niggles or injuries. *Yippee* I was feeling a bit run down & tired (and struggled to keep my eyes open at a seminar all afternoon) but otherwise I pulled up really well. *Yippee*
Looking back to yesterday I am really pleased with my run. I ran it conservatively & managed to hold back & not get catch up in the madness that was the sprint to the 3km mark (where the trail narrowed down to a single trail). Though one thing I need to work out is why I felt bloated after the drink stop at the 12km mark - despite the fact that I only had 2 mouthfuls out of 2p's water bottle and one cup of water at the drink stop (my only drink previously being a cup at the 6km drink stop & a one or two small sips of water in between). A bit strange. Any ideas?
Saw Saint Andrew for a wheel alignment tonight who was just as surprised as me as to how I pulled up. And yes, again he rolled his eyes when I told him of my next adventure :-)
The next challenge is, of course, Woodford to Glenbrook, a 25kms trail run (which I'm told is not as hard/"technical" as the Nosh). Strangely I'm still feeling uncertain, unconvinced & undecided about it. I'm not sure why. Maybe I'm forgetting the golden rule I learnt when I was injured - "every run is a good run". I'm not sure where I left my "F*ck it, just go for it" 'tude that I had a few weeks ago but I need to find it ;-)
Tuesday 6 June 2006 - back to the gym
Upper body weights session
Headed to the gym after work for an upper body weights session - circuit of:
* reverse flyes
* single arm cable rows
* barbell bicep curls
* single arm lying tricep curls
* lat pulldowns
* internal/external rotator cuff stuff,
repeated twice.
I was feeling pretty tired as I'd been up early to pick up folks up from the airport at 5.15(!) so I thought the quality of the session might suffer but once I'd warmed up, I was fine.
Wednesday 7 June 2006 - on the road again....
Run
Time to hit the road again.
Distance: 5.06kms
Duration: 33:20min
Aver pace: 6:35min/km
MTD: 25.07kms
When I went to bed last night, there was torrential rain (again) so I had a back-up plan of heading to the gym at lunch in case there was heavy rain when I woke up. Thankfully the running gods listened to me & I woke up to discover a clear sky and even a few stars! So out I went. I must have fluked it because within 20mins of getting home it was pouring again! To say it was a bit rough would be an understatement. My shin muscles (whatever they are called) complained loudly during the first half & my quads the second half. Still, there were no niggles or injuries so I am one happy gal :-)
I'm not sure what the rest of the week holds for me. I will just listen to my body & decide on a daily basis. A massage tomorrow from the Tiger should go some way to sorting out this residual muscle stuff...
Sunday, June 04, 2006
NOSHing it
First I must thank Hannah for help with my new blog header. I took that photo through the windscreen of our bus during a 6 hour trip from Arica in northern Chile to La Paz in Bolivia during our Sth American adventure last year.
Now, to the NOSH. What a day - what a course!
My day didn't start particularly well. I woke at 5am with a terrible headache. Partly due (I think) to my neck being out of alignment (where is Saint Andrew when I need him?) & dehydration (& no, it wasn't alcohol-related). I was so cold last night that I wrapped myself up like a mummy in bed & turned the heater on. Anyway I woke again at 7am and after breakfast, a shower & some drugs I was feeling just about sub-human by the time I arrived at the finish at Seaforth at 8.30am. It's nice being at a race northside for once - only took me 5mins to get there!
After picking up MPH, Bristol FC & Ellie, we headed to the finish at Lindfield to meet up with the rest of the crowd. I wasn't feeling my usual chatty self thanks to the headache so my apologies.
My plan today was simple: run conversatively & don't break anything!
I started with Ellie and The Owl and lost them about 50m after the start as I took off with gusto. Fortunately 2P quite unexpectedly appeared on my shoulder at about the 2km mark. We ran along chatting & taking in the lovely scenery until about the 4km mark when 2P dropped back to check on Ellie & The Owl. At about this time, my left achillies started to complain (loudly) so just before the Roseville Bridge I stopped for a few minutes to give both a good stretch which worked.
At the 6km drinks station, I managed to pour most of the water into my lungs so the next km was a bit slow. Just before 2p caught up to me again at about the 7km mark, I found myself thinking of the dark days of late last year when my ITB was at its worst. I can't begin to describe how I feel about being back running on trails again! Funny, I still can't quite believe that "I'm back" - and now I clearly am as this race was my longest ever , my longest ever run (based on time) & my first trail run.
From about the 7km mark, 2p & I ran most of the way to the finish together. A really challenging but fun run - having to use your hands to scramble up one huge rock face made for change of scenery from my usual long runs!. I must thank Satan when I next see her - my lack of cardio-fitness was starting to catch up on me towards the finish but my legs (and quads in particular) felt fine. All those hundreds of lunges I've done over the last 3 years certainly paid off today!
I was having a few negative thoughts mid-race about my next adventure: Woodford to Glenbrook. Doubting that I am fit enough for it etc - but I managed to block out those thoughts & concentrated on the job at hand. A good thing too - it's not a course to lose your concentration on.
The kms marks slowly ticked away & all of a sudden we popped out of the bush & onto the Seaforth oval for a short run to the finish. Mr Jen was there - sitting on the hill to cheer me on which meant a lot to me.
After a long chat and (of course) some food, we were about to leave when the announcer said that there were a few mugs left for anyone who hadn't won one - so with a sprint that Asafa Powell would have been proud of, I bolted to the table to grab one of the last mugs :-) Though someone please remind me in future to always order race t-shirts in size XS. Even the small is waaaaay to big for me!
A few lessons learned:
(1). I lurve trail running. It's where I'm meant to be. Well, I knew this already - today's race (despite its difficulty) simply reminded me of this.
(2). Trust my judgement. I didn't use my fuel belt. I brought it with me but after speaking with a few people who suggested I wouldn't need it, I left it behind. That was a mistake. Thanks 2P for the water.
Edit:
(3) Trail running is 95% mental. If I let negative thoughts sneak in or started thinking about something else, my landing became less secure & I started to stumble and trip a bit. Focus/control your thoughts on the task at hand & the body will follow.
(4) Porridge & white toast with honey is a good pre-race meal for me. Though I might add a coffee next time ;-)
(5) I am fitter & stronger (both mentally & physically) than I imagined.
A great day - but gee, I'm going to sleep well tonight!
Distance: 14.91kms (according to Garmin Elektra)
Duration: :1.53.30
Aver pace: 7:36min/km
MTD: 20.01kms
Now, to the NOSH. What a day - what a course!
My day didn't start particularly well. I woke at 5am with a terrible headache. Partly due (I think) to my neck being out of alignment (where is Saint Andrew when I need him?) & dehydration (& no, it wasn't alcohol-related). I was so cold last night that I wrapped myself up like a mummy in bed & turned the heater on. Anyway I woke again at 7am and after breakfast, a shower & some drugs I was feeling just about sub-human by the time I arrived at the finish at Seaforth at 8.30am. It's nice being at a race northside for once - only took me 5mins to get there!
After picking up MPH, Bristol FC & Ellie, we headed to the finish at Lindfield to meet up with the rest of the crowd. I wasn't feeling my usual chatty self thanks to the headache so my apologies.
My plan today was simple: run conversatively & don't break anything!
I started with Ellie and The Owl and lost them about 50m after the start as I took off with gusto. Fortunately 2P quite unexpectedly appeared on my shoulder at about the 2km mark. We ran along chatting & taking in the lovely scenery until about the 4km mark when 2P dropped back to check on Ellie & The Owl. At about this time, my left achillies started to complain (loudly) so just before the Roseville Bridge I stopped for a few minutes to give both a good stretch which worked.
At the 6km drinks station, I managed to pour most of the water into my lungs so the next km was a bit slow. Just before 2p caught up to me again at about the 7km mark, I found myself thinking of the dark days of late last year when my ITB was at its worst. I can't begin to describe how I feel about being back running on trails again! Funny, I still can't quite believe that "I'm back" - and now I clearly am as this race was my longest ever , my longest ever run (based on time) & my first trail run.
From about the 7km mark, 2p & I ran most of the way to the finish together. A really challenging but fun run - having to use your hands to scramble up one huge rock face made for change of scenery from my usual long runs!. I must thank Satan when I next see her - my lack of cardio-fitness was starting to catch up on me towards the finish but my legs (and quads in particular) felt fine. All those hundreds of lunges I've done over the last 3 years certainly paid off today!
I was having a few negative thoughts mid-race about my next adventure: Woodford to Glenbrook. Doubting that I am fit enough for it etc - but I managed to block out those thoughts & concentrated on the job at hand. A good thing too - it's not a course to lose your concentration on.
The kms marks slowly ticked away & all of a sudden we popped out of the bush & onto the Seaforth oval for a short run to the finish. Mr Jen was there - sitting on the hill to cheer me on which meant a lot to me.
After a long chat and (of course) some food, we were about to leave when the announcer said that there were a few mugs left for anyone who hadn't won one - so with a sprint that Asafa Powell would have been proud of, I bolted to the table to grab one of the last mugs :-) Though someone please remind me in future to always order race t-shirts in size XS. Even the small is waaaaay to big for me!
A few lessons learned:
(1). I lurve trail running. It's where I'm meant to be. Well, I knew this already - today's race (despite its difficulty) simply reminded me of this.
(2). Trust my judgement. I didn't use my fuel belt. I brought it with me but after speaking with a few people who suggested I wouldn't need it, I left it behind. That was a mistake. Thanks 2P for the water.
Edit:
(3) Trail running is 95% mental. If I let negative thoughts sneak in or started thinking about something else, my landing became less secure & I started to stumble and trip a bit. Focus/control your thoughts on the task at hand & the body will follow.
(4) Porridge & white toast with honey is a good pre-race meal for me. Though I might add a coffee next time ;-)
(5) I am fitter & stronger (both mentally & physically) than I imagined.
A great day - but gee, I'm going to sleep well tonight!
Distance: 14.91kms (according to Garmin Elektra)
Duration: :1.53.30
Aver pace: 7:36min/km
MTD: 20.01kms
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Twas the night before Nosh & all through the house....
I still haven't decided what to wear tomorrow - Sydney's 'inclement' weather (and the fact that I've been cold all day today) hasn't helped with the decision making. Oh well - I've got another few hours before I go to bed.
I'm really excited about tomorrow - and a wee bit nervous. To remind me of one of my recent 'adventures', I thought I'd post this - the 10km Killarney Ascent from Warwick 2 weeks ago..
I'm excited!
I'm really excited about tomorrow - and a wee bit nervous. To remind me of one of my recent 'adventures', I thought I'd post this - the 10km Killarney Ascent from Warwick 2 weeks ago..
I'm excited!
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Because I can...
My upper body is really tight & tender after the pasting Satan gave it last night - I really noticed it so far as my form today was concerned.
Distance: 5.10kms
Duration: 30:35mins
Aver pace: 5:59min/km
MTD: 5.10kms
The plan for the day was an easy 30mins @ 6:30-ishmin/km pace just to turn the legs over in preparation for my next wonderful adventure on Sunday. Well, that was the plan - my splits make for, um, interesting reading....
6.09
6.09
6.11
5.45
5.45
My lower legs complained (loudly) over the first 2kms. Well, I'm nothing if not consistent (kind of). I actually was conscious of the fact that it was supposed to be a 'cruisy' run and I certainly didn't feel like I was running that pace over the last 2 kms. I'm going to blame the yummy baked dinner that Mr Jen cooked last night for my extra energy levels!
A lovely morning too - quite mild actually. Once I turned for home, I saw that there were huge dark storm clouds out over the ocean. Such an incredible sight. I didn't see them when I started because it was dark - and that's probably a good thing too; I might have gone faster ;-)
Love my new Mountain Designs long sleeve top which I wore for the first time - might have to go & buy a few more of them ;-)
Another wheel alignment from Saint Andrew. Now, I'm ready for the Nosh. 3 sleeps to go! I've just realised that the Nosh will be longest ever race not to mention my first trail race. Bring it on baby - I'm excited :-)
Distance: 5.10kms
Duration: 30:35mins
Aver pace: 5:59min/km
MTD: 5.10kms
The plan for the day was an easy 30mins @ 6:30-ishmin/km pace just to turn the legs over in preparation for my next wonderful adventure on Sunday. Well, that was the plan - my splits make for, um, interesting reading....
6.09
6.09
6.11
5.45
5.45
My lower legs complained (loudly) over the first 2kms. Well, I'm nothing if not consistent (kind of). I actually was conscious of the fact that it was supposed to be a 'cruisy' run and I certainly didn't feel like I was running that pace over the last 2 kms. I'm going to blame the yummy baked dinner that Mr Jen cooked last night for my extra energy levels!
A lovely morning too - quite mild actually. Once I turned for home, I saw that there were huge dark storm clouds out over the ocean. Such an incredible sight. I didn't see them when I started because it was dark - and that's probably a good thing too; I might have gone faster ;-)
Love my new Mountain Designs long sleeve top which I wore for the first time - might have to go & buy a few more of them ;-)
Another wheel alignment from Saint Andrew. Now, I'm ready for the Nosh. 3 sleeps to go! I've just realised that the Nosh will be longest ever race not to mention my first trail race. Bring it on baby - I'm excited :-)
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Namaste
One of my role models and heroes, Sue Fear, died in Nepal this week while descending Mt Manaslu. I have been a big fan of Sue's for many years. I followed her climb of Everest in 2003 and had the pleasure of meeting her (very briefly) after a talk she gave about her Everest climb. She was one gutsy woman who thrived & succeeded in a male-dominated sport and gave the mountains and the environment the respect they deserve. A role model to anyone who has ever thought to themselves "I'd love to...." but never had the courage to take a risk in life.
_________________________
I woke up feeling very tight & tender after the Tiger's massage yesterday. Having a lower body rest day the day after a massage seems to work best for me. 20mins of stretches this morning before work then a tough upper body weights session with Satan tonight consisting of 2 circuits of:
* dumbbell chest press on the swiss ball;
* single arm bent overs row balancing on a swiss ball;
* (assisted) chin ups;
* barbell bicep curls;
* barbell shoulder press,
followed by an extra set of the chest press and bent-over rows to finish. It's been 2 weeks since I've done an upper body session and I felt it today. Still, it's done. 30mins easy run tomorrow then resting up for Sunday's little adventure....
_________________________
I woke up feeling very tight & tender after the Tiger's massage yesterday. Having a lower body rest day the day after a massage seems to work best for me. 20mins of stretches this morning before work then a tough upper body weights session with Satan tonight consisting of 2 circuits of:
* dumbbell chest press on the swiss ball;
* single arm bent overs row balancing on a swiss ball;
* (assisted) chin ups;
* barbell bicep curls;
* barbell shoulder press,
followed by an extra set of the chest press and bent-over rows to finish. It's been 2 weeks since I've done an upper body session and I felt it today. Still, it's done. 30mins easy run tomorrow then resting up for Sunday's little adventure....
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
The great loungeroom adventure racing incident of 2006
Um. I wasn't quite honest in my post on the weekend. I had an 'incident'. It's too embarrassing to tell the full story. Suffice to say - I fell off my bike. My knee took most of the impact - yes, THAT knee. It's fine. Just a bit of skin missing & a lovely bruise (which I "enhanced" when I bumped it on the bus on Monday morning).
The reason for the disclosure is that my lower back was rather tight on Monday but thankfully I had a wheel alignment planned with Saint Andrew on Monday night who gave me "the look" when I told him about the 'incident'. Apart from my back, I pulled up really well after Sunday's LSD run. Saint Andrew also gave me the results of my "progress evaluation" last Thursday. It's all good - or at least on the improve. Happy days :-)
Today (Tuesday) I had a 40mins run on the plan. With doing so much slow stuff lately, I feel like I only have one speed so I decided to pick up the pace just a tad & take a more "rolling" route around the 'hood. Had a lovely time - no niggles - legs turned over nicely - happy days :-)
Distance: 6.72kms
Duration: 40:11mins
Aver pace: 5.58min/km
Total for May: 91.18kms *grins widely*
I'm back baby!
The reason for the disclosure is that my lower back was rather tight on Monday but thankfully I had a wheel alignment planned with Saint Andrew on Monday night who gave me "the look" when I told him about the 'incident'. Apart from my back, I pulled up really well after Sunday's LSD run. Saint Andrew also gave me the results of my "progress evaluation" last Thursday. It's all good - or at least on the improve. Happy days :-)
Today (Tuesday) I had a 40mins run on the plan. With doing so much slow stuff lately, I feel like I only have one speed so I decided to pick up the pace just a tad & take a more "rolling" route around the 'hood. Had a lovely time - no niggles - legs turned over nicely - happy days :-)
Distance: 6.72kms
Duration: 40:11mins
Aver pace: 5.58min/km
Total for May: 91.18kms *grins widely*
I'm back baby!
Sunday, May 28, 2006
With a little help from my friends...
It was a real struggle to drag my butt out of bed this morning - at 7.30! I woke up tired & blah-ish. Thankfully I'd arranged to meet The Owl & Caro at the Bay for our long run. If not, I would have invented all sorts of reasons to stay in bed.
My hip flexors/top of quads are really sore today. I'm not sure whether it was the yoga or the hills I tackled on my bike yesterday or both. Easy Tiger is going to have a field day on Tuesday *sob*. They are so sore that I wanted to drive to the Bay from home in first gear so I didn't have to lift my left leg onto the clutch. Mr Jen will be pleased to know that I didn't ;-)
Distance: 11.69kms
Duration: 81.57 mins
Aver pace: 7.00min/km (ish thanks to operator error)
MTD: 84.46kms
Once I warmed up, I felt much better - quite strong & comfortable actually. Must have been the company - thanks girls! I didn't eat before this run (which is normal for me). However at about the 4km mark I decided I was really hungry & began to get a bit concerned that I was going to fade long before the end of my run - thankfully I didn't but maybe eating beforehand is something I need to think about during winter (when our LSD runs start much later than in summer).
Trivia Dave, The Owl & I finished up with breakfast in Rozelle - I had poached eggs, mushrooms, spinach, hash browns, toast, coffee & pineapple juice. Yes, I have quite an appetite ;-)
I was going to take my bike out this afternoon. Instead I think my pillow is calling me!
The week ahead - looking back over my blog, my training hasn't been that consistent since my glute problem appeared during April's CR 5km challenge. Eg, I haven't done my 4th (recovery) run of the week since then. Opps. Unfortunately this week isn't going to be the week it's reinstated:
Monday: rest
Tuesday: run (40mins) & massage
Wednesday: upper body session with Satan
Thursday: run (30mins)
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest
Sunday: The Great Nosh *woohoo*
My hip flexors/top of quads are really sore today. I'm not sure whether it was the yoga or the hills I tackled on my bike yesterday or both. Easy Tiger is going to have a field day on Tuesday *sob*. They are so sore that I wanted to drive to the Bay from home in first gear so I didn't have to lift my left leg onto the clutch. Mr Jen will be pleased to know that I didn't ;-)
Distance: 11.69kms
Duration: 81.57 mins
Aver pace: 7.00min/km (ish thanks to operator error)
MTD: 84.46kms
Once I warmed up, I felt much better - quite strong & comfortable actually. Must have been the company - thanks girls! I didn't eat before this run (which is normal for me). However at about the 4km mark I decided I was really hungry & began to get a bit concerned that I was going to fade long before the end of my run - thankfully I didn't but maybe eating beforehand is something I need to think about during winter (when our LSD runs start much later than in summer).
Trivia Dave, The Owl & I finished up with breakfast in Rozelle - I had poached eggs, mushrooms, spinach, hash browns, toast, coffee & pineapple juice. Yes, I have quite an appetite ;-)
I was going to take my bike out this afternoon. Instead I think my pillow is calling me!
The week ahead - looking back over my blog, my training hasn't been that consistent since my glute problem appeared during April's CR 5km challenge. Eg, I haven't done my 4th (recovery) run of the week since then. Opps. Unfortunately this week isn't going to be the week it's reinstated:
Monday: rest
Tuesday: run (40mins) & massage
Wednesday: upper body session with Satan
Thursday: run (30mins)
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest
Sunday: The Great Nosh *woohoo*
Saturday, May 27, 2006
It's as easy as.....
I entered W2G last night - OMG. Scary stuff but geez, I'm looking forward to it!
Today (Saturday) has been a lovely day.
No CR 5km challenge for me today. I had thought of heading over to meet everyone for breakfast after the 5km but the prospect of having a sleep-in for the first time in weeks (well, as much as 8am is a sleep-in!) won.
Headed off to the gym for a great yoga class at 10am. I thought I was going to have to move to a different spot in the room when the woman next to me started to breath heavily even before the class started. I couldn't decide whether she was about to hyperventilate or give birth. Fortunately she did neither and quietened down eventually..
Picked up some gloves on the way home from the gym for my trail adventure next weekend. Now I just need to remember to use test out my fuel belt during tomorrow's LSD & I'll set for the Nosh :-)
Took my MTB out for a 10.18kms spin this afternoon. About 4kms into it, I realised that I'd left my nix at home. Needless to say (a) I was glad I had only planned to do 10kms and (b) I won't make the same mistake again! I almost had my first crash - so glad I didn't - there would have been lots of gravel involved & would have resulted in a very ungoddess-like look!
Do you like the latest addition to my bike?
These look like fast, aerodynamic shoes to me!
Anyone notice the latest adventure that I've added to the long list? Who wants to join me for the trip to the Gong? Let's hope I don't have a fall otherwise I'm going to be one ugly bride, LOL!
Today (Saturday) has been a lovely day.
No CR 5km challenge for me today. I had thought of heading over to meet everyone for breakfast after the 5km but the prospect of having a sleep-in for the first time in weeks (well, as much as 8am is a sleep-in!) won.
Headed off to the gym for a great yoga class at 10am. I thought I was going to have to move to a different spot in the room when the woman next to me started to breath heavily even before the class started. I couldn't decide whether she was about to hyperventilate or give birth. Fortunately she did neither and quietened down eventually..
Picked up some gloves on the way home from the gym for my trail adventure next weekend. Now I just need to remember to use test out my fuel belt during tomorrow's LSD & I'll set for the Nosh :-)
Took my MTB out for a 10.18kms spin this afternoon. About 4kms into it, I realised that I'd left my nix at home. Needless to say (a) I was glad I had only planned to do 10kms and (b) I won't make the same mistake again! I almost had my first crash - so glad I didn't - there would have been lots of gravel involved & would have resulted in a very ungoddess-like look!
Do you like the latest addition to my bike?
These look like fast, aerodynamic shoes to me!Anyone notice the latest adventure that I've added to the long list? Who wants to join me for the trip to the Gong? Let's hope I don't have a fall otherwise I'm going to be one ugly bride, LOL!
Friday, May 26, 2006
Trashing your legs in 3 easy lessons....
Monday 22 May - Leaving Brisvegas...
Rest day
I got out of bed a bit tentatively this morning; cautiously putting one foot followed by another on the floor then standing up to see what hurt or ached. The fact it was 4.30am may have also accounted for my sluggish start to the day. To my amazement, nothing hurt. Despite doing my average weekly mileage in the space of 24 hours, I pulled up fine. No niggles. No muscle soreness. Zip. Zero. Nada. Had there been enough space in Cirque's loungeroom, I would have done a cartwheel.
Thanks to Cirque who also dragged her butt out of bed at 4.30am in order to get The Owl & I to the airport in time for our 6.30am flight back to Sydney - and, in my case, back to work. Yes, I went straight from the airport to the office and surprisingly had a productive day at work. No doubt the endorphines were still flowing!
A trip to see Saint Andrew for a wheel alignment finished the day nicely. Needless to say, I slept very well.
Tuesday 23 May - I'm sorry. Did I move to Melbourne?
Rest day
Another rest day. A good thing too because of Sydney's arctic weather conditions today. Did make it to see Saint Tiger for a massage (who I think was just as surprised as me as to how well I pulled up). Thankfully his hands were warm ;-)
Wednesday 24 May - Oh my poor legs...
Run, fire drill + Satan!
4 races over the weekend weren't enough to trash my legs. Today was - my day started with a run; included walking down 18 flights of stairs during a fire drill; and a lower body weights session with Satan!
Distance: 5.36kms
Duration: 34:39mins
Aver pace: 6.27min/km
MTD: 66.41kms
After the weather conditions in Sydney last night, it took me a llloooonnngggg time to get out of bed this morning. Thankfully I did. The wind and rain had stopped and the temp had risen - slightly. Not a bad run after such a big weekend. A few niggles here & there but probably also the result of having a massage the day before.
Time: 6.30pm
Weights with Satan
A lower body session with Satan tonight - my legs were really feeling the effects of today's other activities. A circuit - repeated twice - of:
* lunges;
* VMO exercise;
* single leg hamstring curls;
* 2 x core exercises using the swiss ball.
My core strength tonight was utterly appalling (which it isn't). No doubt I'm still feeling the effects of the weekend's fun.
Thursday 25 May - killer quads!
Rest day
Another rest day. I could get used to this ;-)
Saw Saint Andrew tonight for a "progress evaluation". I get the full results on Monday night but it's promising - my quad & adductor strength has increased "considerably" (his words, not mine).
Friday 26 May - Stripping off...
Run
Distance: 6.36kms
Duration: 39:59mins
Aver pace: 6.17min/km
MTD: 72.77kms
A beautiful morning today. Much milder than the last few. I ran in a long sleeve t-shirt (amongst other apparel) and actually contemplated taking it off (yes, I was wearing a crop top). But I didn't want to be responsible for a car accident - I was scared the highlights might reflect off my extremely pale stomach and blind the people driving past ;-)
The first 20mins was really tough - my hammies in particular were/are still feeling the effects of Wednesday's adventures. Thankfully they loosened up..eventually.
I had planned to do a yoga class at lunch but I got a better offer - lovely to see you Go Girl!
Rest day
I got out of bed a bit tentatively this morning; cautiously putting one foot followed by another on the floor then standing up to see what hurt or ached. The fact it was 4.30am may have also accounted for my sluggish start to the day. To my amazement, nothing hurt. Despite doing my average weekly mileage in the space of 24 hours, I pulled up fine. No niggles. No muscle soreness. Zip. Zero. Nada. Had there been enough space in Cirque's loungeroom, I would have done a cartwheel.
Thanks to Cirque who also dragged her butt out of bed at 4.30am in order to get The Owl & I to the airport in time for our 6.30am flight back to Sydney - and, in my case, back to work. Yes, I went straight from the airport to the office and surprisingly had a productive day at work. No doubt the endorphines were still flowing!
A trip to see Saint Andrew for a wheel alignment finished the day nicely. Needless to say, I slept very well.
Tuesday 23 May - I'm sorry. Did I move to Melbourne?
Rest day
Another rest day. A good thing too because of Sydney's arctic weather conditions today. Did make it to see Saint Tiger for a massage (who I think was just as surprised as me as to how well I pulled up). Thankfully his hands were warm ;-)
Wednesday 24 May - Oh my poor legs...
Run, fire drill + Satan!
4 races over the weekend weren't enough to trash my legs. Today was - my day started with a run; included walking down 18 flights of stairs during a fire drill; and a lower body weights session with Satan!
Distance: 5.36kms
Duration: 34:39mins
Aver pace: 6.27min/km
MTD: 66.41kms
After the weather conditions in Sydney last night, it took me a llloooonnngggg time to get out of bed this morning. Thankfully I did. The wind and rain had stopped and the temp had risen - slightly. Not a bad run after such a big weekend. A few niggles here & there but probably also the result of having a massage the day before.
Time: 6.30pm
Weights with Satan
A lower body session with Satan tonight - my legs were really feeling the effects of today's other activities. A circuit - repeated twice - of:
* lunges;
* VMO exercise;
* single leg hamstring curls;
* 2 x core exercises using the swiss ball.
My core strength tonight was utterly appalling (which it isn't). No doubt I'm still feeling the effects of the weekend's fun.
Thursday 25 May - killer quads!
Rest day
Another rest day. I could get used to this ;-)
Saw Saint Andrew tonight for a "progress evaluation". I get the full results on Monday night but it's promising - my quad & adductor strength has increased "considerably" (his words, not mine).
Friday 26 May - Stripping off...
Run
Distance: 6.36kms
Duration: 39:59mins
Aver pace: 6.17min/km
MTD: 72.77kms
A beautiful morning today. Much milder than the last few. I ran in a long sleeve t-shirt (amongst other apparel) and actually contemplated taking it off (yes, I was wearing a crop top). But I didn't want to be responsible for a car accident - I was scared the highlights might reflect off my extremely pale stomach and blind the people driving past ;-)
The first 20mins was really tough - my hammies in particular were/are still feeling the effects of Wednesday's adventures. Thankfully they loosened up..eventually.
I had planned to do a yoga class at lunch but I got a better offer - lovely to see you Go Girl!
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