Bend and stretch....

Pilates class AM today. My first in about a year since my back problem last year. I was a bit concerned how tough it would be after my session with Satan yesterday as my abs were sore when I woke up this morning. But it was a great class. It was amazing to see how much my core strength has increased over that time (thanks Satan!) Great class with a new instructor. Will definitely be part of my weekly plan from now on.

I headed back to the gym for my run/bike session. After a warm up, I ran for 15mins on the treadmill. I took it very easily (7min/km @ 140HR) as it was my first run in almost 2 weeks thanks to my shins. My hammies were/are sore after yesterday's session with Satan and for the first 3mins my calves, hammies and hips felt sore and tight. Once I warmed up they were fine. Will ice tonight just in case. In order to make it a half decent session, I then did 15mins on the bike (level 8 @ 100RPMs; 160HR). While it was a very easy session, I am so far off being ready for C2S next month, it's not funny. Fudge.

Satan + sleep

Only 4 hours of sleep last night thanks to the TdF. Last nights stage was simply tortuous. Think I woke up the whole building cheering for Hincapie and he's not on my team!!! I can't begin to describe how much watching the TdF inspires me. Just the punishment they take day after day is nothing less than mind-blowing. Fortunately it is a rest day tonight so I can catch up on some sleep...

Had a lunchtime date with Satan today. Strangely, my legs felt dead and heavy. Always do after a rest day. No idea why. Today was a really tough session:
* step up/knee up things for glutes
* jack knifes on the ball for abs (ouch)
* a ball-based glute/core/hammy exercise I don't know the name of (I haven't done this exercise for over a year since before my back problems last year. Today proved how much stronger I have become. The first time I tried it, I rolled off the ball and landed in Satan's lap..not this time. 10 reps each set. Easy. I am strong, I am invincible...)
* barbell chest press
* reverse row thingy.
Repeated 3 times...

Right now, I just want to curl up under my desk and go to sleep. I wonder if anyone would miss me....

Photos from our GC weekend….

Part of the CR cheersquad planning its assault on the GCM...


The Owl and I planning, over coffee, the best spot for the cheersquad to establish itself (the glass of wine to the right belonged to Cirque!)


No alcohol had been consumed the day this photo was taken; I promise. The Owl and I taking advantage of the sensational weather to enjoy some ice cream!!

At dinner the night before the GCM...


Could I stand between 2 skinnier girls ?? I think not. Vespa, Lil 'Elf and yours truly...


Minersrun, yours truly, Plu and The Owl

On the big day...


The cheersquad escorting LuckyLegs to the finish
(L-R: yours truly, The Owl, LuckyLegs, Bellthorpe and Tim)

I'm back !!!!

Friday 15 July - Sunday 17 July: "time out" week

End of my "time out" week. Between work, my cold getting worse on Friday and low levels of motivation, this "time out" week has been great timing. The only exercise-related activities to report are:
(a) watching the TdF;
(b) going to the tennis (Davis Cup) on Saturday;
(c) buying a Livestrong wristband;
(d) seeing Marty and Genene when I was having brunch with my girlfriends this morning;
(e) doing my calf/shin exercises today,
so just your typical couch-potato activities.

It's funny how a lack of exercise plays with your mind. I'm feeling very much the lardy-arse at the moment - I feel like I've put on 20kgs. I know I haven't but that doesn't stop part of my brain playing tricks with me...

So the "time out" week in review looks like this (v. scary):
Satan weight sessions with Satan: 2
Spin: 0
Run: 0
Stretch/pilates: 0
Time spent watching the TdF: lots!

The week ahead - I'm back !!!

My cold has subsided, work should (I hope) ease a little this week, I'm feeling very motivated again and looking forward to my mental health day (otherwise known as a sickie that my boss has approved in advance) later this week (not to mention the fact that Lance will have retained the TdF title by the end of the week!). Goals for the week are: (1) to add a pilates class to the usual plan; and (2) ease back into the running after 10 days off.

Monday: Satan
Tuesday: Pilates + run (15mins)
Wednesday: Spin + Satan
Thursday: Run (20mins)
Friday: Spin + upper body weight session
Saturday: rest
Sunday: run (25mins)

Satan + shins...

Made it to the gym at lunch for a session with Satan. Another largely upper body session with a glute exercise in the middle to break things up. I felt a lot better today than in the past - stronger and more energetic than I have anytime over the last week. I was a bit bummed earlier as I had an email from the organiser of the fun run I was supposed to be doing on Sunday :-( :-( But despite that, both my cold and the blahs are finally lifting - bring on the weekend !!

Lots of calf stuff tonight after I finally got home from work - calf raises (3 * 15) plus two new exercises thanks to Chundachick (2 * 10 each). My shins/calves want to curl up and die right now so that can only be a good thing... Have dumped the spin class I had (sort of) planned for tomorrow. Let's just call this week a 'time out'. I'll be back on track next week...

Blahs be gone !

Well work is still terribly busy but despite a desk that looks like a rubbish tip, my blahs are (slowly) lifting. Still sick - not getting worse; not really getting better either

Slept in this morning (stayed up late last night watching Lance make the rest of the TdF field look like amateurs) instead of doing a spin class so today became another rest day....

I had a couple of emails today from Chundachick (thanks to Clairie) who has - and continues - to battle spin splints and yet manages a heavy training load. I'm feeling much more positive about my shin problem now, how to manage it and how to increase my training load without stressing them too much. No doubt part of the reason my blahs are lifting....

Off for acupuncture this afternoon for my neck/back problem. I also had him have a look at my calves. Turns out my soleus are particularly tight on both legs(who knew I even had one!). After an attempt to set a new world record for the number of needles inserted in various parts of my anatomy, an hour later I was walking gingerly down the stairs. I always feel a bit out of it after an acupuncture treatment; but I think it's more do to with the fact that I almost fall asleep on the table rather than the effect of the needles. Tonight my calves, neck and back are a bit sore which is usual. A heat pack tonight (a nice change from the ice!) & some magnesium and I should be right for my session with Satan tomorrow.

Might do a spin class on Friday morning (which would be my first cardio session for the week, yikes...don't panic Jen, you are sick right now...) depending on how I feel tomorrow...

Go Lance !

The 'new' plan

Today I've realised that it is my 8th consecutive day in the office. No wonder I'm still sick and tired and blahish. Another rest day today. Was planning to do a spin class tomorrow morning but in all blog honesty, I couldn't be arsed right now...

After reading Plu and Tim's blogs and Gronk's sad news today, I've decided to delete (for now) my upcoming races table. The evergrowing list of DNS is doing nothing for my state of mind - and I think I need to go back to basics and straighten out and deal with my shin/calf issues before even thinking about racing. Depending on how I go over the next few weeks, I think I'll do the Bay Run (7km) at the end of the month as a training run rather than a race. The "Training Slow" thread on CR also has my attention - might be a good time to work on both issues. Now I've just got to get a HRM...

Off for acupuncture tomorrow for my usual neck/back condition but I'm going to mention my shins as well and see what he can do. Failing that, I'll be off to the (in)famous witchdoctor very soon.

Once I finish my snazzy new mag (R4YL), I think I'll start on Lance's second autobio (Every Second Counts) - in serious need of some inspiration right now...

JOCS rock

My mood is not much better than yesterday. Got into the office at 7am and finally ate (my lunch) at 4pm - pretty much sums up another crappy day.

Finally escaped from the gym at 5pm to see Satan for a(nother) tough session (after which I promptly when back to the office). Given my lack of food today, I felt surprisingly strong. Nothing like adrenaline to keep you going through the tough times I suppose. Largely an upper body session with 2 glutes exercises thrown in for good measure. Shins seem ok today - will ice them tonight (while reading my R4YL mag which arrived today!). I'm supposed to be making my fun run debut this Sunday (Red Cross 8km)......we'll see. Given my shins flared after running on a treadmill and grass, I'm not convinced my shins will appreciate it...

This week....
I have a shite load of work and a cold at the moment so I'm not expecting much...
Monday: Satan
Tuesday: dunno
Wednesday: spin (30mins) + acupuncture
Thursday: Satan + somethin'
Friday: dunno
Saturday: rest + cheerleading practice at the Davis Cup
Sunday: Red Cross 8km (my fun run debut)...
Geez, how blase do I sound. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...

Blah

In the interests of blog honesty it will be short cause that's how I'm feeling today. Sick. Tired. Shins are sore. Not at all in a good head space. At work. Not happy. Rest day. Blah.

Kebabs and witchdoctors...

My shins, and the right in particular, are (still) sore today. Yesterday I was frustrated. Today I’m trying very hard to feel blah as I watch the clouds roll in from my desk here at work (the fact that I have spent most of the day at my desk has not helped my mood). I probably haven’t stretched or strengthened my calves as much as I should have recently – but otherwise I don’t know what else to do right now. I’ve been obeying the 10% rule, taking things very easy, doing a lot of running on softer surfaces (grass & treadmill), I have new shoes and orthotics but my stoopid shins still aren’t up to it. You’d think that after a year I would have managed to get past 8km without breaking down... Off for acupuncture on Wednesday for my usual neck/shoulder treatment but I might mention my shin problem as well. Otherwise I think I’ll take myself off to G’s witchdoctor to see if he can whip up a spell for me...I'll try just about anything right now.

CR drinks last night was a fun night. After a very shitty afternoon at work and a purge which the lovely Owly listened to, I got myself a drink and tried to forget about 'stuff'. Met the delightful Lulu and Mr Lulu. Lulu, Owly and I have agreed to go for a C2S training run (obviously the alcohol had limited the pain I was feeling from my shins). I also met, and had a long chat, with Diane – absolutely lovely. Crawled into a taxi with Mr Jen as everyone else headed for the Lowenbrae (a wise move I think). Shared a kebab with Mr Jen on the walk home (which I must confess I really really enjoyed) and got home and turned on the telly just as Le Tour reached the last 5kms. Vegemite toast, coffee and Le Tour – not to mention Mr Jen’s company – nice way to end what largely was a pretty shitty day.

Woke up this morning feeling surprisingly good. Have spent most of the day at work but ducked out at 12.15pm for a session with Satan. I felt a lot better today – stronger and less lethargic than I did on Wednesday. My glands in my neck are still up and a have a slight sniffle but I seem to have avoided too much of a cold. Today’s session with Satan was tough – upper body session with step-ups between each exercise to keep my heart rate elevated. It worked. Was due to run tomorrow. Will have to settle for a walk instead. Bummer.

On debut

Thursday 7 July - On debut...

The lovely Owly offered me a lift to RunClub (my debut appearance) so I met her at Central just after 6. On arrival at RunClub, I was greeted by a very loud and welcoming "Jen" as I was getting out of the car from TigerAngel, shortly followed by another loud "Hi Jen" from all the other CoolRunning RunClub members. Once again I was humbled by this amazing community that I am a part of.

After meeting Tim, two laps of the oval and some stretches to warm up, my debut night of RunClub consisted of 3 drills (upright, clawback & high knees) each followed by 3 x 400m to practice form. Running 400m was interesting – I haven’t done any interval work in, oh, about 5 months now...The first few were hard until I started to judge my own pace. The last few were getting easier (!) but unfortunately at about this time my shins started to protest (!) so I sat out the last 400m. After a lolly or two, it was a few strength exercises and stretches to finish out the night. In all, a great session which I really enjoyed, both physically (well, except for my shins) and socially. It brought to my attention my form which I admit I haven’t really been paying attention to lately. The gals are organising a long run for Sunday but at this stage I don’t know if my shins will agree to let me play.

Now as for the shins, by the time I got home they were both getting quite tender to the touch (grrrrr) so I iced them & applied volarten before collapsing into bed. I’m (a) frustrated and (b) somewhat bewildered by my shins – my last two sessions (including tonight) have either been on the treadmill or grass and I have had to apply ice for treatment purposes (rather than as a preventative measure) after both sessions. I confess that I haven’t been doing as many calves raises & calf stretches as I have in the past so I need to up them both again. However I think my shins just don’t like doing 3 sessions in a week. They seem to be ok with two sessions but add an extra session and on week 2 I have troubles again. Grrrrrr. So the question is now – what sessions do I keep and where can I do a long run on grass... Grrrr. Maybe I should take up cycling...

Terrorists struck again this evening. We are still waiting to here from Mr Jen’s best mate. No news is good news in my book. What evil and hate there must be in the perpetrator’s hearts.

Friday 8 July - Shin update 1

I was due to get up this morning to do a spin class with the Satanic Spin Instructor but I woke up with a very sore throat so I rolled over and went back to sleep. Between my sore throat & shins, I’m fighting off the blahs at the moment. My shins are better this morning but the right is still a little tender to the touch (grrrr). Once I finally rolled out of bed, I iced my shins and did some calf stretches before heading to work.

Stretch class at the gym at lunch today (20mins) followed by another 20mins of stretching my lower body (shins and hammies in particular). CR drinks tonight!

Go Lance !!!

Really struggled to get up this morning - it was cold and I stayed up late (or should that be early) watching the TdF (Lance was on his way to the yellow jersey, how on earth could I sleep!)

Spin class with the Satanic Spin Instructor this morning (30mins). Another tough class in which I really struggled (which was pretty unusual - although I find SSI's classes tough, I've never really struggled before). Also never before have I felt like throwing up during/after a spin class. I did this morning. Not sure why. The lack of sleep probably didn't help.

Weight sessions with Satan at 2pm. A tough session of glute/hammy (3 sets), back and chest exercises. I felt very flat, weak and lethargic during today's session but strangely the reps & weights didn't reflect that. Need sleep I think.

Shins have pulled up well this morning - will ice them again tonight just to make sure - so it looks like I'm off to RunClub tomorrow night.

Back to life, back to reality

Back to work today after my wonderful weekend at the GC.

An early meeting this morning meant that I had to hit the treadmill when I left the office tonight. 30mins @ 6min/km pace. Relatively easy. Right shin and ankle were a little tender to begin with but they settled down once I warmed up. Will ice tonight just to be sure.

Provided my shin pulls up ok, I’ve decided to head to RunClub on Thursday night to add intervals to my program. After discussions with a number of people over the weekend, I am thinking of joining SS but I doubt my fitness levels are up to Pain in the Domain at this point in time.

TdF update: I can’t believe that I took Boonen out of my team on Friday morning. Lessons to be learned – to trust my instincts, not to second guess my decisions and not to decide your TdF team based on how cute they are or how nice their quads are (*kidding* I didn’t really)...

The CR cheersquad is on the move...

Warning – one incredibly long update ahead.

Friday 1 July – off to GC!!!

Thanks to the end of the financial year, I only had about 3 hours sleep. Worked to midnight, then home to pack before meeting The Owl at the airport at 6am. When I arrived, the check-in queue stretched out the glass sliding doors (no doubt due to all the cancellations the day before thanks to the flooding on the GC). Anyway, 45mins later we had checked in, only to discover our flight had been delayed by 1 ½ hours...but we could hardly complain after the experiences of others like MPHaz in the last few days. Anyway, coffee & toast later I was feeling decidedly human again and after a chat with Allison who we bumped into at the airport and a read of my form guide (ie Official TdF guide), I had finalised my team for the Dream Team competition (otherwise known as Jen’s Boys – ok, not so inventive but it was early and I wasn’t functioning particularly well...) we were onto our flight and off to Brisbane.

Cirque met Owl and I at the airport which felt more like seeing an old friend after a prolonged absence rather than meeting someone for the first time. There was a short rain shower not long after we arrived but otherwise the weather was sensational for the whole weekend – warm t-shirt/singlet weather as opposed to Sydney’s cold-leather jacket-crappy weather; combined with the company, it made me a very happy gal.

After lunch, a long catch-up chat, pom-pom "fluffing" & lots of laughing, Skizzik (Mel) arrived and after a bit more laughing, Melski took Owl & I for a run along the Brisbane river while Cirque went to the gym. A relatively easy run (just under 5kms in 30mins) – that is, after our stomach muscles recovered from a comment made by Owl regarding a part of her anatomy... After picking up supplies, it was back to Cirque’s place for our gals night which started about 5.30pm. I confess to falling asleep on the floor in the lounge room sometime after midnight...Thankfully a cone of silence was erected around the house so no details can be recorded – suffice to say that ladybirds, Kinder Surprises, Mt Everest & "fluffing" will forever remind me of our gals night...

Saturday 2 July – Brisbane to GC...

I must confess to being more than a little rusty on Saturday morning. After a very slow start, Owl, Cirque & I set out for the GC. After checking into our very spacious apartment with sensational views over the baby-poo brown river and the beautiful ocean, we set out to walk to the Expo. Unfortunately we took the long way and it was very warm but we did have a few extra calories to burn off after last night. Eventually we made it and caught up with Bandanna, Vespa, Truckie and Karin. I think Vespa gets my award for quote of the weekend – in attempting to talk me into running the 10km, V said to me words to the effect of "...run the 10km; it’s only 30mins out of your day!" (maybe in my next life...) Cirque joined a queue in order to register Bellthorpe in the 10km and emerged an hour with her mission accomplished. By this stage, we were standing around chatting to Minersrun, Plu, Tesso, Clairie, JD, MPHaz and others but I was unfortunately fading quickly thanks to the effects of last night and my stoopid neck giving me the beginning of a migraine so Owl, Cirque & I left and headed to Australia Fair to pick up some drugs for me, supplies for us and an ice cream (you have to love a state where it is warm enough to eat ice cream during the day in winter!) We then caught the bus to the hotel and prompted spotted Plu in his CR gear heading back to his place (does that count as a non-race sighting ?). After a drink and nibblies on the balcony overlooking the ocean, we were collected by Cirque’s sister and Mr Cirque’s sister for dinner at the North Cliff SLSC where I met Hannah, Whale Boy and Elf for the first time and we were joined by Minersrun, Miss Skarmel, Larissa and a few others for dinner. Plu joined us a bit later for a drink. After a couple of glasses of wine, it was back to the hotel for another glass of wine and I caught the end of the Hell on Wheels while I did stretched.

Sunday 3 July – the big day had arrived...

My first thought when the alarm went off at 5am was "thank god I’m not doing the marathon; I would have had to get up an hour ago to eat". After breakfast, we all piled in the car to head up to the start.

After watching the start of the half, the full and the kids sprints, we headed just north of the start of the finish shute and set up camp in the sun to watch the day unfold. The weather was very ‘fresh’ to start with but I quickly discovered that pom-poms also make great arm-warmers!

I can’t begin to describe the day, nor can I list all the CRs that I met for the first time. It was a very long day for me - 6.5hours of cheering and (as it turns out) not enough to eat or drink during that time. I also seem to have picked up a cheerleading-related injury to my left wrist but it was certainly worth it. To see the smiles & reactions on the faces of competitors (and not just CRs) made the trip worthwhile. Highlights included the smiles and enjoyment on the faces of Truckie and Blue Dog in particular (who were much more low key when they passed the cheersquad during the SMH Half) and seeing Tesso fly past with a graze on her shoulder. I remember looking at my watch and realising she was going to smash 3.30! The highlight of the day however (and the weekend for that matter) was the cheersquad escorting LL to the finish. When the police officer arrived to tell us about a 50 yo woman (!) with a similar shirt as ours appeared to be struggling, the cheersquad (which consisted by that stage of about 15 people) just moved as one to pick up our bags and to walk down to meet her. When we arrived she sounded very emotional and tired but continued to run strongly to the finish. We walked with her until she picked up the pace, at which time I had to start jogging! I must confess to feeling a little emotional at this point in time at the thought of this amazing community I am a part of.

After making sure that she was OK, Plu, Cato (with a "c"), Owl & I walked to the Main Beach SLSC for post-event drinks where I met many other CRs for the first time and had a few interesting chats with people which started me thinking, and later in the evening committing to certain running related plans with The Owl (all for one...). I also scored myself a rather cute husband and a child ;-) At about 7.30pm a couple of us including Tesso, the Owl, JD, Truckie, Karin, V, Kelvin, Bandanna and a few others ended up in the Cavill Ave Mall for dinner where the great all-you-can-eat-ribs competition between Truckie, Kelvin, V, Karin and Bandanna was won by Kelvin (for the record, Kelvin ate 3 ½ plates of ribs. Bandanna and Truckie only (!) managed 3 plates each...)

Everybody was pretty stuffed by this point in time so the Owl & I headed back to our apartment for a post-mortem & clean up...both of us were very sad that this amazing weekend was coming to an end.

Monday 4 July – another early start...

Another early start – our alarms went off at 4.40am so that we would be ready for our shuttle bus to the airport which was picking us up at 5.25am. By 6am, we were sitting at the GC airport, drinking coffee, reading newspapers and not really saying much thanks to sheer exhaustion. However I did manage to say the word "suxty" (instead of sixty) – the combined effect of exhaustion and spending 3 days with the Owl I think :-D

In all, an incredibly funny, relaxing and inspiring weekend. Photos to follow shortly. It was great to place faces to names and get to know a few other CRs a lot more. So what did I commit to over the weekend (as inevitably happens to any CR when in a room with lots of other CRs):

* the next Striders 10km at Lane Cove next month (which was in the 'plan' anyway but I know V will remind of that one - I’m actually scared shiteless at the prospect of this...I think I've read too many horror stories about the Lane Cove course on blogs...)

* Owl and I have agreed to run a marathon together in 2007 – OMG, am I really putting this out there...

As for today, not long after I arrived home this morning a package was delivered for me – my C2S t-shirt that I ordered when I entered – woohoo! I’m really looking forward to running C2S with the Owl and Wobbly Man (who has very kindly agreed to pace Owl & I). I was due to see Satan at 4pm this afternoon but my cheerleading-related injury to my wrist is bloody sore. I can’t grip anything with my left hand so needless to say, I didn’t particularly want to be lifting heavy weights over my head. So today is now a rest day – but at least this injury doesn’t stop me from running ;-)

So week in review...
Monday: weights (lower body)
Tuesday: run (25mins)
Wednesday: spin (45mins) + Satan
Thursday: spin (45mins)
Friday: run (30mins)
Saturday: rest
Sunday: cheerleading duties

And the week ahead...
Monday: rest
Tuesday: run (30mins)
Wednesday: spin (30mins) + Satan
Thursday: run (30mins)
Friday: spin (30mins)
Saturday: Satan
Sunday: run (40mins)
I’m in serious sleep deprivation mode at the moment after our GC weekend but I can catch up on my sleep in 3 weeks time – the TdF has started !!! Woohoo !!

Feral...

Despite:

* leaving my breakfast, lunch, MT & AT (accidentally) on the kitchen bench at home this morning;

* Sydney's feral weather; and

* my one and only umbrella turning itself inside out and then bending to a 90' angle in the pouring rain on the way to a conference with Counsel this morning,

my mood will not be dampened! Very much looking forward to some R & R, food, wine, laughing, gossiping, cheering and general frivolity this weekend at GC (not to mention 2 days off work!). Must pack tonight as Owl & I are on a 7am flight to Brisbane tomorrow morning. We are staying at Cirque's place on Friday night before heading down to the GC on Saturday morning. Now the only question is whether to pack wet weather gear or singlets and my bikini. Accordingly to my meterologist (Cirque), a bit of both might be required.

Somewhat unfortunately, I had already decided to swap my run for a spin class this morning so I had no excuse to stay in bed. 6.40am (45mins) spin class with the easier of the two spin instructors - which was good; by half way through the class, my quads were feeling pretty smashed but I focused on breathing deeply and just pushing through(note to self: buy more jelly beans for the gym bag). I'm getting much stronger; I noticed that the dial for the seated hill climb (which I have always found the hardest) is a bit higher than it normally is. Hehe. Love it! Bring on GC. Full report to follow on Monday.

Spin + Satan

Up early this morning for the 7.15am spin class (45mins) with the Satanic Spin Instructor (SSI). I walked into class and declared how tired I was this morning, to which SSI responded "well that’s good because we have hill climbs in every track today". I resisted the urge to turn around and walk back out of the room. I’m so glad I didn’t. It was her hardest class yet but it was bloody brilliant! By the last hill climb of the class, I had the resistance (much) higher than it has ever been before; I just closed my eyes, sung to myself and ground it out. Sensational!

Back to the gym at lunch to see Satan. Thankfully no lunges after the pounding my quads copped this morning but lots of other good (read: hard) stuff for my glutes, tris, chest, back and my dodgy rotator cuffs. Was feeling very tired afterwards but this was probably do to a lack of food…

Calf and ITB exercises and stretches tonight. My shins are actually fine today. Absolutely no tenderness at all. Not quite sure what happened yesterday – but I’ve decided to give them a rest tomorrow just in case. Have dropped tomorrow’s run in favour of another spin class (my last 45mins before the new stoopid new gym timetable starts next week) and will run in Brissie with Owl on Friday.

Two sleeps to go !

A runner is underneath there somewhere....

A sure sign that there is a runner lurking somewhere inside me. I sent an email to a colleague today about our "PD" meeting (practice development) – but instead I wrote "PB". I didn’t pick up on it until she pointed it out. Running has found its way into my subconscious it seems...

25mins on the treadmill at 7pm today (6min/km). A bit of calf tightness/shin pain early in the run but it seemed to settle down as I progressed. There is some slight tenderness on my LH shin now so its back to the ice & time to up the stretches and strengthening exercises again. Might skip Thursday’s run and do another spin class instead but I’ll see how its going tomorrow...

'cause we all have wings...

Worked through lunch but managed to escape the office (if only briefly) for a quick legs weights session at 3pm this afternoon. My legs (quads & calves in particular) were feeling pretty beat up after yesterday's run - which was my longest in quite a while and was on bitumen. Once I warmed up, they felt better but still very tight. Need to increase my stretches over the next few days. Back onto the treadmill tomorrow for an easy run.

My gym's new timetable is out. They have dramatically cut the number of spin classes - grrrrr. In order to make up my third class for the week, I may have to do it on a Tuesday - run in the morning and then spin in the evening - or maybe I switch my midweek runs to Mondays and Wednesdays (rather than Tuesday/Friday). Decisions, decisions.

Strange day today. I read Hannah's blog this morning which brought back memories of my battles with my inner demons... Fortunately I fought that battle and won. Quite simply, food is fuel and I need it if I'm going to train like an athlete. I've come a long way baby. Speaking of which, it's time to eat !

Yum cha !

This is why I run - yum cha with my girlfriends on a Sunday afternoon...sensational!

Rest day yesterday consisted primarily of lots of food and lots of sleep ! However strangely I always feel worse after my rest day - heavier, slower, just plain crap. However it was another pain-free run so I can't complain too much ! Relatively easy 30mins on the first half of the MiniMos course with only two small rises. It was a little interrupted - first I stopped to stretch, then to blow my nose and then a woman stopped me to ask for directions. It's so nice to be able to run without pain. I will never take it for granted after the problems I've had over the last few months.

Week in review...
Another strange week. Great on the exercise front - first time running 3 x p/wk pain free in a very long time. Not so good on the food front.
Monday: weights (legs)
Tuesday: run (25mins)
Wednesday: spin (45mins)
Thursday: run (25mins) + Satan
Friday: spin (45mins)
Saturday: rest
Sunday: run (30mins)

The week ahead....
Another strange week (and thankfully the last before the end of the financial year). Training this week will be somewhat interrupted by GC but I'll have to make up for it jumping around like a madwoman next Sunday:
Monday: weights (legs)
Tuesday: run (25mins)
Wednesday: spin (45mins) + Satan
Thursday: run (28mins)
Friday: rest - early flight to Brisbane; gossiping, laughing, eating, drinking and pom pom making with Owl, Skizzik and Cirque
Saturday: run (35mins)
Sunday: GC ! Can't wait !

Spin with Satanic Spin Instructor

Very hungry & tired this morning. Despite getting more sleep than I normally do, I felt shattered this morning. Woke up at 6am and stared at the cricket for 15mins before finally dragging my butt out of bed and onto the bus for the 7.15am spin class (45mins) with the Satanic Spin Instructor.

My quads felt very heavy and tired this morning and it took a long time before it felt like the blood was following. I normally get onto the bike for 10mins before the class starts to warm up but my bus was a bit late this morning so I ran out of time.

Despite the lure of having Blue Dog cook me breakfast tomorrow at the CR Challenge, tomorrow is a rest day. Right now I really need it. Lots of sleep and R & R tomorrow and then out on the road (well, the trail) on Sunday. Must say the idea of going for a run certainly holds even more appeal when it doesn't hurt !!

One week to go - this time next week Owl & I will be in Brisbane with our gals Skizzik and Cirque for our "gals take on GC" weekend. Must do some pom pom training next week. As Big Kev says "I'm excited"...

I told you that we could fly...

Had a great (and late) night last night at dinner with several CRs. Owl used her wonderful skills again to produce a masterpiece in the form of a blouse for "the Blouse" (ie Minersrun) which I had the pleasure of presenting to the man himself.

Moved my morning run to this evening (no surprises there) and did my version of a "brick" session – 25mins run on the treadmill followed immediately by a session with Satan. Yikes.

I am very happy to report that it was another pain free run. 25mins on the treadmill – 10mins @ 6.30min/km; 10mins @ 6min/km; 5 mins @ 5.30min/km (edit: 4.2kms). I’ll do this session once a week on the treadmill and slowly increase the duration of the faster kms as the duration of the run increases. I’ve also planned out the next 8 weeks that will get me to 30/45/60min runs (all the time obeying the 10% rule – well, except for C2S...) I am a happy gal. Who knew that running was so enjoyable when each stride doesn’t hurt!! My calves are a little tight tonight (but no shin tenderness) – nothing that some stretching and two days rest won’t fix ! *cartwheel*

Satan had another tough session lined up which began with a superset of glute/hammy exercises which were really tough given that I’d just walked off the treadmill and my glutes are still recovering from Monday nights session. I am sure to feel my glutes and quads during tomorrow morning's spin class with the Satanic Spin Instructor...

Pain free! *cartwheel*

Tuesday 21 June - 25min run; 4.11kms (6.08min/km pace); 6.30pm

An 8am meeting meant that I had to do move my usual morning run to the evening. I decided to wimp out of going out into the cold so I headed to the gym.

Started out very slow but gradually increased the pace so the last 4mins were at 5.30min/km pace. I was getting a little tired and bored about half way but then it occurred to me that I was running easily and pain free. After that realisation, I was a very happy gal and the rest of the run seemed easy. I could have kept going but I have promised myself that I will obey the 10% rule (well, at least until the C2S). Although my shins were pain-free during the run, I iced them when I got home just to be sure. So far, so good. I am a very happy gal !

Wednesday 22 June - 45min spin class; 7.15am

My "killer quads" did not feel very happy this morning. Monday's weight session and Tuesday night's run left my quads feeling very tired and heavy this morning. It took about 10mins before I started to feel strong again. Another tough session with the Satanic Spin Instructor. Unfortunately my gym has decided to not only reduce the number of spin classes but to make all classes only 30mins (grrr). While the gym is adding pilates (which I love and swear by), I'm not quite sure how I am going to add an extra spin class (given that I've been doing 2 x 45min class a week) not to mention a pilates class....yikes !

Edit: have moved my session with Satan today to tomorrow night so that I can have lunch with Mr Jen today. Can you blame me ? :-D :-D

Killer quads....

Flew back from Dubbo this morning so no exercise but no sleep-in either today.

Headed to the gym tonight but a great lower body weights session (40mins) followed by 15mins of stretching. Another good, tough session. Again, I increased the weight on the squat press but I think it's time to ask Satan for another lower body program. Dare I say it but this one (even with increasing the weight almost each week) is getting a little easy...

A happy gal....

Saturday 18 June

Flew up to chilly Dubbo on Friday night. Went for a 35min walk on Saturday morning. The combination of the flat course and the weather meant that it took me about 25mins to warm up.

After breakfast, Mr Jen & I set out to walk home (45mins) via the river, during which walk we discovered, and put out, a bushfire !! Well, ok if the truth be told there was one bush/shrub and it was smouldering rather than being on fire as such; but had there been a breeze it would have been a grassfire, if not a bushfire !

Sunday 19 June

After breaking my orthotics and new shoes in over the last few days, I decided to set out on a short run (20mins). Very happy to report that my legs love my orthotics and shoes and there was no shin pain at all, not even any tenderness on my shins after the run. Needless to say I am a happy gal. This was even despite the fact that most of the run was on bitumen – what little grass exists in Dubbo had turned to (red) mud after lots of rain on Saturday night. While I lurve running in muddy conditions, I just couldn’t bring myself to mess up my new shoes on their first outing....

Somewhat unfortunately I spent the rest of the weekend sabotaging my weight loss goals by overindulging in food and wine. Dammit...

During the run I was thinking about a conversation I had last weekend. A person I had just met asked me how far I ran. I told him that at the moment I was running about 5kms. He then said to me "ah, so you are not a serious runner then..." Grrr. SOB. Fortunately Buddha granted me the serenity not to leap across the table and smack him in the head which was my first thought (ok, so it wasn’t very zen to have such a thought in the first place..) It’s amazing how such a negative remark can inspire you rather than tear you down. One of the reasons that I love spending time with CRs is that they are such a positive and inspiring community to be a part of.

Week in review
An easy week – a little easier than I had originally planned but c’est la vie. I’m ready for the next 4 (heavy) weeks...
Monday: rest
Tuesday: spin (30mins)
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: Satan
Friday: rest
Saturday: walk (80mins)
Sunday: run (20mins)

The week ahead –
A big week...
Monday: weights (lower body)
Tuesday: run (25mins)
Wednesday: spin (45mins) + Satan
Thursday: run (25mins)
Friday: spin (45mins) + weights (upper body)
Saturday: rest
Sunday: run (30mins)

Day 1 of Jen_runs' (new) running career !

It turns out that I’ve picked the perfect week to have an "easy" week. Work has gone to shite (I’d forgotten of course that the world ends on 1 July so everything must be stitched up on or before 30 June) and my body is again/still fighting a cold. With lots of sleep and R & R this weekend, I should be back on track next week.

I am now the proud owner of orthotics. Saw Andy the Pod at lunchtime today to pick them up. They are surprisingly comfortable. I’ve been wearing them tonight at the gym and now around the house. Very happy so far. Will continue to (slowly) wear them in over the next few days before heading out for a (mini) run on Sunday morning. I’m feeling so very positive and excited at the moment at the prospect of, at the very least, making my shin problem manageable...

Had a lovely chat (and giggle) this afternoon when Cirque called me at work. I'm so looking forward to (finally) meeting her and to our 'gals GC' weekend....only 2 weeks to go now.

Headed to the gym tonight after eventually escaping from the office for a date with Satan. We left the "Danger Will Robinson" cable machine alone for once but she had a remarkably nasty superset of glute/hammy exercises to do instead ! I felt very weak tonight but the weights/my reps didn’t seem to reflect that. Strange.

I had planned to do a spin class tomorrow but I feel like crap tonight so I’ll scrap that and make it another rest day...At this stage, I’m planning a walk to break in the orthotics on Saturday before going for a (mini) run in them on Sunday. Beanie and gloves are packed; I fear it is going to be icy out west this weekend...

Woohoo - new (fast and shin-friendly) shoes !!

20mins of stretching to start the day.

At lunch today I jumped on the train and headed over to Edgecliff to see Damien at Sydney Running Centre to buy my new shoes. After getting numerous strange looks from shoppers, I finally settled on the Brooks Trance shoes. I found the Brooks Adrenaline & Asic Kayanos very heavy; they felt like bricks on my feet. I’m slow enough; I don’t need bricks to slow me down even further! The Trance is predominately blue and looks like very a fast shoe - I think my shins, my orthotics and shoes are going to have a long, happy and fulfilling relationship !! Woohoo ! Feeling very happy, excited and positive right now :-)

Dinner with my girlfriends tonight – a great way to end a rest day. Off to see Andy the Pod and Satan tomorrow.

Race calender

Ok, this is a record. My third post for the day (and my last I promise).

In an effort to keep my eye on the road (so to speak) while my orthotics, my new shoes and feet get to know each other (slowly), I've finally committed my money and have just filled in my entries for the following:

* Red Cross 8km run - 17 July

* 7km Bay Run - 31 July

* C2S - 14 August

* Blackmores 9km - 11 Sept

There are, of course, a few more races in my snazzy table over ------> but this gives me something to focus on start with.

My conspiracy theory

I’m having a grrrrr kind of week it seems. I had planned to do a spin class tomorrow morning with the Satanic Spin Instructor but I was informed late this afternoon that my annual performance review at work will be at 8am tomorrow morning – grrrrr. So the spin class is scraped, as is my session with Satan at lunch tomorrow as I need to head out at lunch tomorrow to get them before my date with Andy the Pod on Thursday morning. Grrrr....

So I’ve accepted that there is a conspiracy against me this weekend and have decided to go with the flow. I had planned to have another two "heavy" weeks before an "easy" week starting on the 27th. Given the events of today and being Zen Jen, I’ve decided to bring my "easy" week ahead to this week. The rest of the week now looks like this:

Monday: rest - tick
Tuesday: spin (30mins) - tick
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: Andy the Pod + Satan
Friday: spin (45mins)
Saturday: walk
Sunday: either a walk or a mini-run depending on how the orthotics/new shoes are going.

And lots of sleep so I’m ready for the planets to align next week !

CR drinks - Sunday 12 May

The 3 musketeers. My gals, Lorna & Melski, at CR drinks planning our assault on the Gold Coast and Trailwalker 2006 (kidding). I'm sure the 4th musketeer, Cirque, was with us in spirit!

Spin but as yet, no shoes...

Up early for a 30min spin class with the Satanic Spin Instructor (SSI) this morning – it was fantastic !! As usual with SSI, a very tough class. I was feeling very tired when I woke up this morning and had trouble dragging my butt out of bed but felt very strong during the class. 30mins of stretching followed.

I was planning on heading out to Running Science at Rozelle during lunch to buy my new shoes – but that plan has been thwarted as no-one at Running Science is answering the phone! Grrrrrrrrrrr. Now I am unlikely to have a chance to get out there and buy shoes before I see Andy the Pod again on Thursday morning. Grrrrrrrr. What to do; what to do.... I don't know right now.

Tonight – more glute exercises. Haven’t done them in a few days now. Opps...

R & R

An (unscheduled) rest day today. I was due to have my rest day for the week on Saturday but will do today’s planned walk and strengthening exercises then. I was hoping to get to Running Science at Rozelle today to buy my new shoes but it seems no-one is home :-( Will have to get out there (somehow) on Tuesday or Wednesday before seeing Andy the Pod, and picking up my orthotics, on Thursday.

Last night’s CR drinks was a very fun – and funny - night. Met Superflake and Scottie77, got to know a few first names (Bruce, Sue, Sebastian, Darren but I’ve forgotten Vat’s...damn that red wine !), and had a long chat with Truckie about orthotics, the mind, running and achieving anything I set my mind to – thanks Truckie !

Walk this way....

Was due to run today but unfortunately I haven't had an opportunity to buy my new shoes so, as per Andy the Pod's instructions, no running for me today. Instead I headed out for a 45 mins walk around the Regatta Centre at the 'Riff. Easy, dead flat course. I don't think my heartrate moved much above its resting rate. Oh well, it was a beautiful, still and clear morning and it was nice to stretch my legs after yesterday's rest day.

Week in review..
A strange week:
Monday: weights (lower body)
Tuesday: run (20mins)
Wednesday: Spin (45mins) + Satan
Thursday: Spin (45mins) + massage
Friday: weights (upper body)
Saturday: rest
Sunday: walk (45mins)

Despite the fact that I only ran once (and only for 20mins), I am (surprisingly) not too fussed or frustrated. Also it was my first week of Spin x 2 (and on consecutive days) - my legs pulled up every well. Happy gal !

The week ahead.....
Will be another strange one as I slowly break-in my new shoes and orthotics...
Monday: walk + calf/glute exercises - my gym is closed :-(
Tuesday: Spin (45mins)
Wednesday: Satan
Thursday: Spin (45mins)
Friday: weights (upper and lower body)
Saturday: rest
Sunday: run (I hope). Must remember to pack beanie & gloves next weekend...

I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman !

Ok, well not quite invincible but certainly strong. I seem to have fought off that cold which was threatening yesterday afternoon – helped no doubt by 7 hours sleep last night (which is about 2 hours more than I usually get on a school night).

At the gym early (again), for an upper body weight session for 55 minutes followed by 20mins of stretching. Good session; I probably should have increase the weight on a couple of exercises but I was feeling a bit tired this morning so I decided to take it a little easier. My hips are quite tender after yesterday’s massage (but nothing like last time !) as she focused on trying to open up my hips. Unfortunately I won’t get my orthotics now until Thursday (originally I was due to pick them up on Tuesday) but (surprisingly) I’m not at all fussed. Will just keep up the spin classes and keep down the running until then.

Tomorrow is my rest day then off for a (short) run in my new shoes (which I am off to buy tomorrow) on Sunday. Bring on the long weekend !

If you can't run, spin !

My stomach muscles are sore this morning – and I blame my dinner guests last night for making me laugh for 4 hours!! Had a lovely (and extremely funny) night – topics ranged from (now how do I make this PC) books, art, shoes, the female form, s-e-x, most embarrassing stories, meeting our beloveds, first dates, CR drinks, eating disorders (ok, that part wasn't funny), GC, runners (but not running), hotpants, wine...and so it went.

After yesterday’s double header (Spin + Satan - my toughest (exercise) day), a couple of glasses of wine with dinner and very little sleep, I pulled up remarkably well this morning and made it to the gym for the 6.40am Spin class. I was supposed to run this morning but (as expected) I haven't had an opportunity to buy new shoes as per Andy the Pod's orders - hence the second Spin class in 2 days. A good class; again I felt (I am) very strong mentally and physically. Today’s instructor was a lot more low-key than the Satanic Spin Instructor from yesterday – she actually didn’t say a lot during the class – which was good because I was off in my own little world this morning thinking, singing & spinning. I really felt today’s class in my glutes – no doubt a combination of doing a lot of climbs in the class and the effects of Satan’s difficult ab/glute/quad/hammy/adductor move yesterday. Favourite song from the class was the soundtrack to Rocky which has been stuck in my head all morning (Rocky’s a fighter, getting strong now...)

Off for a massage this afternoon. ‘Nuff said about that. The bruises from the last have now faded...

Feel like I’m fighting off a bit of a cold this afternoon. I’m due to do an upper body weights session in the morning but I will see how I feel then..

Tonight a post-massage bath & 30mins of stretching before lots of sleep...

Spin, Satan & Skizzik !

A big day !

A bit of a sleep-in this morning (well, these days I can call 6am a sleep-in), followed by a 45min spin class to start the day. It was a tough class with SSI (Satanic Spin Instructor) which I really enjoyed. I felt (I am) strong both mentally and physically this morning. Must lose the remaining 2 holiday-kgs – my (strong) quads are looking even stronger right now…

AJ is encouraging me to do the 10km at GC. Dunno. I don’t want to push myself too much and piss my shins off – at the same time I sometimes wonder if I am being too conservative. Better to be conservative than injured I suppose but where the hell is that line ??

Was back at the gym at 2pm this afternoon to see Satan. More lunge/chest fly combinations on the “danger Will Robinson” machine, following immediately by push ups, planks, a really difficult ab/glute/quad/hammy/adductor move & lat pull downs (repeat x 3). Ok, now I’m tired (and hungry for that matter).

Dinner tonight with Skizzik & Owl (+1) which I am really looking forward to. I have no doubt that I am in for my third workout of the day – this time my abs from laughing a lot !!

Unfortunately no sleep-in tomorrow – 6.40am spin class instead…

…and I’m feeling good !

Otherwise known as "I’m plastered".

Up early this morning for my 20min run (on grass) around the Domain and the Botanic Gardens. No moon report today but the pink clouds over the Harbour as the sun rose more than made up for it. Legs felt very heavy after last nights weight session. A little shin pain to start but it seemed to fade as I went on. If nothing else, all this running on grass is going to make my already strong legs even stronger.

Later in the morning I went off to see Andy the Pod. He noticed that I’ve actually managed to deform my quite new shoes with very few kms on them - well done Jen ! I can’t remember all the technical/scientific terms for my "issues" (well my shithouse lower leg issues that is) but after getting on the treadmill and watching my foot strike ( nothing short of ugly; my poor ankles!), he has prescribed a full length orthotic (hence getting plastered) and new shoes – either Asics Kayanos or 2100s or Brooks Addiction or Trance. Andy made me promise not to run again until I have my new shoes (which rules out Thursday’s planned run as I won’t have a chance to go shopping before then – will spin instead) and to take it very easy until my orthotics are ready next Tuesday.

So how do I feel now – well my shins are a little tender tonight (more ice) and I am a little disappointed to put my "run x 3 p/wk" plan on hold for another week but as Big Kev would say "I’m excited" and feeling very positive. Although my shins will require constant TLC through running on grass, ice, stretches and strengthening, I am really excited by the prospect of "managing" the problem at the very least so that I can train consistently. The last 4+ months have been interrupted largely due to injuries – with the effect that the idea/concept of being able to train consistently (not to mention actually compete in the races & fun runs I have planned) seems almost foreign. I’m so looking forward to getting out there and training consistently (and sensibly) again !!! Woohoo !!!

You have all that you need within you now to become all that you can be

And because I’m feeling so excited and positive – another one...

Give recognition to the greatness of those around you. Because of them, you are given the opportunity to be your best.

Thank you to everyone for all your support – and continued support - on this (sometimes difficult) journey. You are the greatness that surrounds me.

It’s a new life for me….

30mins of stretching this morning.

40mins (lower body) weights session tonight followed by more stretches. Increased the weight on the plate squat machine which I will probably pay for in the morning. Fortunately tomorrow’s run is only 20mins (on grass) - followed later in the morning by an appointment with Andy the Pod. It will be interesting !

The words you choose are the seeds of your future realities

It's a new day....

Saturday 5 May
Really enjoyed my rest day – lots of sleep (10.5 hours on Friday night & 11 hours on Saturday night) & lots of food (and a little bit of wine) ! On Saturday afternoon, I saw “Hell on Wheels”, a doco on the TdF – fantastique ! Zabel’s humility was particularly surprising. One month to go !

Sunday 6 May
Left at 3pm for a 35min run, along the trail starting at Middle Head and heading in the direction of the zoo. Felt great from the start. Made it to Bradleys Head in just on 30mins and decided to try and push it to get to the Zoo/Athol Wharf Road within 35mins. Alas, the 35min mark came and went so I decided to keep running until I finished it – which I did in 36.18 (5.7kms). My longest run in a long time!! Such a different run from last Sunday’s disaster. I felt (reasonably) comfortable most of the way and much more positive mentally. Hip is fine; shins are ok – not great. I realised about half way that I had been ‘tightening’ my toes on my left foot – whether it was in response to the terrain, I’m not sure – but if I’m doing it regularly, it would no doubt contribute to my shin problems. Just another thing to be conscious of. More ice for the shins tonight just in case.

Quote for the day: soft is strong

Week in review...
* to find my groove or at least lose the blahs - tick

Monday 30 May:
PM weights session (lower body)- tick

Tuesday 31 May:
AM run – 20mins (on grass) - nope :-( (spin class instead)

Wednesday 1 June:
PM Satan + spin class - tick for Satan; spin class on Tuesday

Thursday 2 June:
AM run – 20 mins on grass - tick
PM – massage - rescheduled to next week

Friday 3 June:
Rest day - moved to Saturday

Saturday 4 June:
AM weights session (upper body) - tick (on Friday morning)

Sunday 5 June:
AM run - 35mins - tick

The week ahead:
* primary goal: to add a third run for the week (she says with fingers crossed)...

Monday:
PM – weights (lower body)

Tuesday:
AM – run (20mins on grass) + a date with Andy the Pod

Wednesday:
AM – spin (45mins)
PM – Satan + dinner with Skizzik and Owl

Thursday:
AM – run (30mins on grass)
PM – massage

Friday:
AM – weights (upper body)

Saturday:
Rest

Sunday:
AM – run (35mins)

It's a new dawn...

Up early again this morning for an upper body weights session at the gym. Was watching the moon at 5.45am while waiting for the bus (which was late). Haunting - slight mist/cloud cover. Very beautiful.

5mins on the bike to start to get the blood flowing followed by an hour of weights. Fun but tough session. Once again I increased the weight on a number of exercises so I'm really feeling it in my arms and shoulders now !

Meeting Skizzik and Owl for a coffee later this afternoon where we will no doubt talk running (not)... :-)

Much needed rest day tomorrow before heading out for a run on Sunday. Iced my shins last night after yesterday's run - they are feeling really good today. I'm a happy gal !

Quote for the day: What you can conceive, you can achieve

Why not ?

Arrived at the gym at 6.15am this morning. Spent 5mins on the bike trying to get the blood flowing through my legs which felt like lead after the last few days. I then headed out of the gym and up to the Domain for a run. Calves felt very tight walking up the Hunter Street hill but after a couple of stretches, they felt better. I did my calf raises again last night – I think that I need to do them a full 24hours before I run in order to give them enough recovery time...

Ran for 30-35mins run around the Domain, Lady Macquarie’s Chair and then up through the Botanic Gardens (I’m not exactly how long it was because my solar-powered watch won’t recharge under a lamp, go figure !). Beautiful morning for it – still and fresh. Watching the sun come up over the Harbour was a great way to start the day. Ran largely on the grass to keep my shins happy. I took it very slowly because I wanted/needed it to be a comfortable run - felt like I had to rebuild some confidence after Sunday’s shocker. Being on grass combined with heavy legs made it a tough session but I felt quite good. After Plu’s comments in chat last night, I tried to focus on my stride and, in particular, my foot strike – making sure my foot rolls through the motion rather than the front of my foot striking the ground heavily and pissing off my shins. Shins held up surprisingly well but I have been icing them tonight just in case... My favourite moment during the run (apart from spotting a CR of course) was when I turned into the centre of the Botanic Gardens and felt like I had the park to myself – I didn’t see another person for a good 10mins – fantastic !

This morning I started reading a book JD had recommended called Running Within. Great book – has made me realise how many negative and self-limiting thoughts I have had & comments I have made about my potential and my abilities. Not any more...

Satan does her best….

Well, the blahs it seems have finally pissed off – feeling much better today...

Only 5mins of stretching this morning – damn snooze button got the better of me...

30mins with Satan at 2pm today. Another tough session and getting tougher by the week as my strength returns/improves post-holiday. My gym has this fandangled piece of machine that reminds me of the robot in Lost in Space (danger Will Robinson !) Satan had me doing lunges with my back foot on a bench whilst doing (chest) flyes, followed immediately my push-ups (amongst a long list of other exercises...). Love it – very hard on my quads and chest though..will be sore tomorrow.

More calf exercises tonight and a run in the morning – my first since Sunday (fingers crossed)...

From little things big things grow…

Was surprised this morning to discover that Sunday’s run was actually 5kms. I feel more positive about that run now – it wasn’t a terribly crap time given how terribly crap I felt, not to mention the mini walking break in the middle (she blushes with embarrassment for being such a wimp). Perhaps LA is right – we are stronger than we imagine...

30min spin class @ 6.40am today. A tough instructor – she walked around, counting our RPMs and turning up the gear if she thought we were slacking. Great class! After last nights weights session and spin this morning, my glutes and hammies are sore (but, for once, in a good way !). More calf exercises, stretches and ice tonight...LH shin is still a little tender but (fingers crossed), it should be right for 20mins on grass on Thursday morning.

Have just finished reading LA’s book – wow; nothing short of riveting and inspiring...PR’s book arrived today (great timing).

From little things big things grow...

Weights...

My shithouse lower legs (thanks Marty !) & I are off to see Andy the Pod next Tuesday. My shins are still quite tender today after Sunday’s run (particularly surprising given it was on a trail...) so I’ve canned tomorrow’s planned run and will do a spin class instead. Not particularly happy but the blahs at least are lifting (slowly). I think Owl is right – it stems largely from feeling frustrated by my injury problems and feeling like I am watching others make huge progress while I’m still covering the same distances/times that I did earlier in the year – whilst I haven’t made much, if any, progress in the last 4 months, I know that I am a lot stronger both in strength and in cardio-fitness. Now I just have to pull it all together...which will come with time (and patience!) Maybe I need to take my focus off 'the plan' for the year and just focus on getting my body right on a week by week basis...

Weights session in the gym for an hour tonight. Lower body session followed by lots of stretches. Will make tomorrow morning’s spin class interesting...

Sports day/Blah…

Saturday 28 May – sports day

I work up this morning feeling like crap; for some reason, I always feel worse the day after a rest day. Don’t know why – don’t get any less sleep; don’t change my diet; just feel crap – lethargic and heavy..

One hour (upper body) weights session at the gym today. A good session actually – I increased the weight on a number of exercises. Thankfully my strength is finally coming back post-holiday.

My sporting day continue when I spent part of the afternoon laying on the grass in the sun at Burwood watching friends play cricket (nice) and then headed to the pub to watch the 'Tahs forget how to play rugby (bad).

Sunday 29 May – blah…

I didn’t want to go for a run today; almost didn’t. Very unusual for me. I’ve been in a blah-mood all week. Not sure why. Today was even worse. Eventually at 4pm I talked myself into going for a run for 30mins along the trail which is (normally) my favourite run and (normally) improves my mood to no end. Today I should have stayed on the couch and ate junk food (which is what I really wanted to do). I felt weak as piss mentally (I even stopped to walk for a minute at some stage because I couldn’t be bothered to run – how bad is that !) and not much better physically. Hip and shins are ok (not great but not as bad as they were on Tuesday night). I’m thinking of seeing a pod to see if it can help with, or minimise, my shin problems. Feeling very frustrated today – blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

PS Booked tickets for GC – had better start making pom poms…

Plan for the week –

* to find my groove or at least lose the blahs..

Monday 30 May:
PM weights session (lower body)

Tuesday 31 May:
AM run – 20mins (on grass)

Wednesday 1 June:
PM Satan + spin class

Thursday 2 June:
AM run – 20 mins on grass
PM – massage

Friday 3 June:
Rest day

Saturday 4 June:
AM weights session (upper body)

Sunday 5 June:
AM run - 35mins

The pom poms are packed !!!

Yesterday afternoon, Owl & I decided to take the CR cheersquad on the road (well, the plane) and to head up to Qld for GC in July!! I am so looking forward to the weekend and to meeting so many (more) CRs (particularly Cirque, Tesso & Clairie !). Spent a wee lil bit of time today emailing Cirque, Melski, Owl & I trying to plan our weekend. Today was actually a CR-filled day – bumped into Amjan at lunch, had a telephone call from the delightful BT and emails from Clairie and Tesso (and somehow I still managed to make budget by 3.30pm!) And I thought that I would have no running related stuff to mention today (my rest day).

I can still feel – and see – the effects of yesterday’s massage. My whole LHS hip/butt/glute region is v. tender to the touch and some bruising has now come out. Doesn’t sound particularly good I know but I have to say that I seem to have a lot more movement through my hip – it doesn’t feel as ‘restricted’ as it did yesterday pre-treatment.

No CR challenge for me tomorrow – instead I’m off to the gym for a weights session (primarily upper body but I’ll give the lower body a test) before running on Sunday. I’m (slightly) bummed because it will only be my second run of the week but I’m feeling v. Zen at the moment so it doesn’t bother me too much. I have so much running to do in the future – I just need to get my ‘issues’ sorted out now.

Off to a bath and to stretch for 30mins to try and encourage some healing...

LA's wisdom for the day: We are so much stronger than we imagine

Spin + massage = pain

Thursday 26 May

Actually, I had a great day. Up early for the 6.40am spin class at the gym – my first since I got back from my holiday. Surprisingly, it didn’t burn my quads as much as I was expecting (maybe I need to crank it up more next time !). It was however a bit of a mental battle during one of the tracks. My legs were screaming at me to turn the gear down, but my mind (thankfully)was having none of that. Increased leg strength post-holiday has no doubt helped. Followed by 30mins of stretching. Very happy to report that not only did the spin class not aggravate my hip, but it has been fine today – no niggles at all !

At lunch, I headed off for a massage. Nothing short of swearing could possibly convey just how much today hurt. I have suffered migraines for as long as I can remember – I think they have given me a particularly high pain threshold (not sure if that’s a good thing or not) which I need today. My therapist is of the view that I need to “open my (left) hip” (sounds almost crude) so I have a few more stretches to do. It seems that I’ve got issues with the range of movement in my left hip so my right (and problematic) hip is having to do extra work. I’ve been more conscious of my gate over the last week and I suspect she is right. I seem to walk strangely – my right leg takes a longer stride than my left (don’t ask me to demonstrate), She spent an hour solely working on my LHS – hip flexors, obliques, hip joint, ITB, quad and shins. I have bruises already and I can feel the tenderness on my LHS hip when I wear my handbag on that shoulder….. needless to say, I’ve brought my rest day forward to tomorrow (Friday).

Following the ‘discomfort’ of the massage, my day ended very nicely – flowers were delivered to me at work this afternoon(!); had dinner with my girlfriends followed by a drink at the Tilbury with G, Fats, KT, Amjan and a lurker !

Started reading Lance Armstrong’s autobio yesterday – what an incredible athlete & man. His mental strength amazes and inspires me… Not long til TdF now - looking forward to more sleepless nights...

Return to Satan

20mins stretching @ 5.30am
30mins with Satan @ 2pm
30mins glute/calf strengthen exercises + 30mins stretching @ 7pm

Big day.

Both shins and my right hip are a little unhappy today so its back to the ice (a wonderful experience on a chilly Sydney night). I’m trying not to feel frustrated but I was on such a high after the Half on Sunday and my great run on Tuesday night…. Think I might start doing at least one of my weekday runs during lunch so I can run on the grass at the Domain/Botanical Gardens. Apart from running round and round the local oval (boring), there are no other grass/soft surfaces near home which are lit at the times I normally run. I was due to go for a run tomorrow morning but I will give my shins another days rest and bring my spin class forward. Don’t know if spin is going to aggravate my hip further but there is only one way to find out I suppose…

Session with Satan at lunch was very tough – loved it ! Mainly an upper body session but slowly building up the lower body work again. I’ve done very little lower body work since I got back from my trip so it’s time to up the ante..

I run therefore I am !

Only 10mins of stretching this morning. Damn snooze button !

Headed out for a run for 30mins at 7pm tonight along the route of the second half (the toughest part) of the MiniMos course (I assume it’s the second half, I have no idea how far it was) – starting from the corner of Raglan & Queen St through to the finish. Beautiful night for a run – almost a full moon and surprisingly mild. Apart from (I confess) stopping once to walk for a minute after running up a nasty-arse hill and to stretch my calves at the 5min and 20min mark, I’m really happy with this run. I ran all the way up one extremely nasty-arse hill at the very end of the course (and continued running once I made it to the top) and felt reasonably comfortable. It was one of ‘those’ runs where it just seems to flow and feel (reasonably) easy – so much easier than last Saturday’s run (must have been all the caffeine I consumed this afternoon in the form of a coffee and Lindt chocolates; call the drug squad !) It seems that hills are a strength of mine thanks to my leg strength but it is my cardio-fitness which lets me down when I get to the top. That will come with time I suppose !

Followed it up with 30mins of stretching. Hip is OK – still not 100% though - and my shins were a little unhappy so I’ve been icing them tonight and will step up the calf exercises again over the next few days. I was wearing ¾ tights tonight which end mid-shin; I don’t think they help the situation.

Overall mood: :-D

The cheerleaders...

Owl & I and THAT banner at drinks following the SMH Half on Sunday 22 May. What a fantastic and inspiring day !

A trail runner is born & my day as a cheergirl !

Friday 20 May – rest day

30mins of stretching at 5.30am – otherwise a rest day.

Saturday 21 May – 25mins run

Felt like crap this morning – the result of a little too much red wine last night, too little sleep and a slightly congested head. After dropping my folks at the airport, I set out at 9am to walk down to Sirius Cove to run the trail in the direction of Clifton Gardens. It was cold in the house so I wore a long sleeve top – which of course I took off even before I started to run.

Even though I felt like crap – and my cardio-fitness felt like it had disappeared in the last 2 weeks - I always enjoy this run along the harbour. Never fails to lift my spirits. I think that under this lardy body (thankfully the scales are slowing moving in the direction of pre-holiday weight) lurks the body of a trail runner. Absolutely love it. 30mins of stretches to follow. No problems with my calves. My hip was fine both during the run and after I had cooled down. It’s still not 100% but not far off.

Sunday 22 May – a source of inspiration !

Walked across the Harbour Bridge this morning at 6.45am. Stunning. What a way to start what turned out to be an amazing day – the SMH half.

After watching the start from Hicksons Road, we headed for the corner of George and Argyle St which turned out to be the perfect spot to watch the race. Unfortunately I didn’t see Kel but I did see a number of friends including Satan who sent me a lovely SMS afterwards. Owl’s CR banner and pom poms were a huge hit (and saved my hands from too much clapping) !!

So many highlights from the day – watching Brett Cartwright fly (quite literally) up the Argyle St hill; watching Vespa mix it with the best and smile while doing so; the smiles on people’s faces as they passed by; the old man who blew me a kiss as I gave him a cheer; JD’s wink as he passed us by at the end of the second lap; LL; the complete strangers (non-CRs) who stopped to thank us for cheering as we walked back to the start; Vat going back to run with LL as part of his cool down; seeing Rooster stand less than a km from the finish and clap and say encouraging words to every single runner/walker at the end of the pack who went by. Too many special moments to mention.* A few diet cokes at the Palisades afterwards went a long way to cooling my (by now) very sore throat. I’m very proud to be a part of such an amazing community. So supportive, encouraging and inspiring. Today has done nothing but strengthen my desire to run.

* there was one moment I plan to forget – a male runner spat in my direction. Landed not very far away from my feet. Gross. ‘Nuff said.

40mins of glute/calf strengthening exercises + 30mins of stretches tonight. Hip is still not 100% but there are no spasms or niggles – so it’s getting there, slowly but surely.

Plan for this week –

Monday
Strengthening exercises; otherwise rest

Tuesday
Run – 30mins

Wednesday
PT with Satan

Thursday
Run – 30mins

Friday
AM – Spin
PM – weights (upper body)

Saturday
Rest

Sunday
Run – 35mins

Ouch !

Up at 5.40am this time for 20mins of stretching. The snooze button stole the extra 10mins of stretching time.

Today was a much needed rest day. My arms, back, chest and abs are sore (in a good way) after yesterday's session with Satan. Actually, the only body parts that didn't hurt were my shins and hip so I am a happy camper !!

Had a massage this afternoon - I have a pretty high pain threshold but it still really hurt. Interestingly, she thinks that my LHS may not be moving as freely as it should, causing the RHS (including my dodgy right hip) to do extra work. Need to increase flexibility in my hips/pelvis and a return visit is planned for next Thursday. Will finish today with a bath and more stretches before an early night. Tomorrow is a rest day (with stretches of course). I'm also due to do my glute and calf strengthening exercises tomorrow but will see how my parts are feeling post-massage.

I heard good news today from my good friends Cirque and Skizzik - they are both doing so well and are making so much progress. I'm so proud of them !

Edit: I run therefore I am...
Had a conversation with a client today which made me question my perception of myself. I mentioned that I get up early and he said to me: "That's right, you are a runner aren't you ?". I said "yes" but as I said it, my immediate thought was "no, not really". I felt like a fraud; like I was trying to pass myself off as a "runner" and hoping no-one would notice. I think that I have an image in my head (if only subconsciously) of what a "runner" is and what a "runner" looks like and because I don't think that I fit that image, then I couldn't possibly be one. But the fact is "I run therefore I am". I just have to believe that....I will; it will just take a little time...

The great hip test....

Up at 5.30am to head to the gym to test out my hip on the treadmill. After a long warm up on the bike, I did my physio-ordered 3kms at a very easy pace (6.45min) followed by a cooldown and 30mins of stretches. Am very happy to report that there was no discomfort/pain in either the hip or calves/shins during the run. Back in the office, after sitting at my desk for a hour or so, there was a slight ‘thing’ in my hip when I first stood up so it's not 100% but not far off (lets say 95%). I have a massage tomorrow and a rest day planned for Friday – with lots of stretches in the meantime, I should be ready for another run on Saturday (which has been downgraded from 40mins to 25mins after Stu’s wise advice).

At lunch I headed back to the gym to see Satan. First time ever that I’ve gone to the gym twice in one day. After my ‘easy’ program last week, she was back to her old tricks today with a really tough program which included lunges which I was a bit worried about but my hip was fine !! My abs have lost some of their conditioning. Bugger. I hate ab work and had done so much of it after my back problem last year. Not to mention the additional blubber which now sits on top of them ;-) C’est la vie. Conditioning will come back quickly

After Stu’s wise words, I sat down tonight and have written myself a (conservative) program for the next 5 weeks (including an easy week) which should take my long run back to an hour. I will probably miss the CR challenge next weekend (though I may show up for breakfast :-) and a couple of fun runs/races in the meantime but better that than come back too quickly and bugger my hip, or another body part, up again.

Edit: + 30mins more stretching before bed :-)

Glutes of steel…

Saw the physio at lunch today. After a couple of exercises and tests, I was honourably discharged, yippee !! For my first run to test out the hip, he wants me to run 3kms at a slow pace on a soft surface. He suggested that I not increase my distance by more than 1km per week – however this approach will play havoc with my plans, at least for the next 2 months. Obi has suggested another plan which should have me back to running for an hour within 5 weeks. While I will listen to my body, this plan (obviously) is a little more favourable. I will however resist the temptation to do too much too soon; it has been over 2 months now since I trained consistently so I must, and will, be careful and listen to my body.

I actually resisted the urge to head out for a run tonight and instead headed to the gym to do my strengthening exercises – which are largely for my ‘lazy’ glutes (which has at least in part contributed to the problems I’ve had recently with my ITB and hip) and hopelessly weak and inflexible calves. Returning to spin class next week will also help my lazy glutes pull their weight (quite literally)! My glutes were so sore and tired tonight that I had trouble walking properly. Love it.

Plan for the rest of the week (subject to how my hip holds up):

Wednesday 18 May
3km run + Satan

Thursday 19 May
Massage

Friday 20 May
Rest

Saturday 21 May
Run – 40mins (not sure about this just yet – might make it 30mins instead)

Sunday 22 May
Walk – 1 hour + being inspired at SMH Half

Ordered Paula Radcliffe’s book today from B&N. Should be here within 3 weeks. Looking forward to reading it. My first running-related book – I think this means I’m officially hooked :-)

Zen Jen thanks to the Owl !

Buddha watching over me...

As promised, here is the wonderful - and very appropriate - gift that Owl gave me on Friday.

Weights + more stretches

The snooze button got the better of me this morning. Instead of my usual 30mins of stretching at 5.30am, I only managed to squeeze in 10mins so I concentrated (as much as you can in 10mins) on my hip flexors and calves.

After work, I headed to the gym for an upper body + abs weights session for 45mins. I decided not to do any leg work tonight for fear of aggrevating my hip. My calves are also feeling very tight today - probably from the number of hills and calf raises I did on the weekend. Tough session; it has almost been 2 months since I last did that weights program....

No problems with my hip today. However negative thoughts (about my hip, my fitness levels, how long it has been since I ran, how my hip will hold up after a run, how terribly I am going to run at the CR challenge and embarrass myself blah, blah, blah) tried their best to creep into my head today but I refuse to let them - well, ok I'm trying to fend them. I know why they are creeping in - I'm feeling very inspired and enthusiastic after the weekend and very much looking forward to getting out there and running and racing myself. I'm scared (primarily) of aggrevating my problem and spending more time off the road. But I will ignore these (silly) thoughts, stare at Buddha and stay positive. Off to the physio tomorrow afternoon...with fingers crossed

Niggle-free day no.2

Cheering at SMC + 50min walk + 40mins stretching and calf and glute exercises

Up this morning before the sun to head to Smithfield to watch the SMC races (I would not have imagined myself doing such a thing 12 months ago) as per the agreement Plu and I reached in the chatroom last night. Had a fun morning chatting to Plu and cheering on the runners. Thankfully Plu for the foresight to bring a couple of very comfy chairs which saved us from sitting in the gutter. Owl and I also planned our strategy for cheering on everyone next Sunday. Met JD, Ray James and Sailaway amongst others. Everyone ran really well, particularly Sailaway who was (I think) 4th man home.

This afternoon I headed out for my 50min walk; this time up and down the hills of Balmoral and part of the track from Middle Head to Chowder Bay. I’m really looking forward to running that track again (hopefully) next weekend – my favourite run. Followed it up with (more) stretches and strengthening exercises. No problems with the hip today so I should (fingers crossed) get the ok from the physio to run again (albeit only 3kms) on Tuesday. Happy days !!

Niggle-free day no. 1

2 x 40mins walks + 2 x 30mins stretch sessions

Great day. Loved walking through the fallen leaves and hearing them crackle under my feet (ok, and I confess to walking through a couple of large piles of leaves which had (obviously) been swept off the footpath…).

This morning I walked part of the MiniMos course that I wasn’t familiar with (19 June, 5 weeks to go). Tough course, particularly the last 4kms. Must remember not to go out too hard otherwise I will curl up and die somewhere in Cremorne.

Today I caught up on some blog reading – I missed so much while I was away. After reading Horrie and Miss Skarmel’s Canberra marathon experiences and turning on the telly to find a show about this year’s Ironman event, I must admit to feeling very inspired and very much looking forward to all the races and experiences that are ahead of me. I’m thinking of attending one of Dan Green’s camps towards the end of the year – but first, the goals are to remain niggle-free and to train consistently. Today has been my first niggle-free day. Looking forward to seeing the physio on Tuesday.

Rest, physio and a hot date for lunch !

Friday, 13 May 2005 - rest, physio and a hot date for lunch !

Has anyone ever set themselves a 9km race as their target race for the year ? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Well, someone has to be the first...may as well be me !

Had a hot date at lunch today. Spent 2 hours with the delightful Owl gossiping – um, I mean chatting - about work, men, running and runners. Owl has a tradition of giving all CRs she meets for a meal a little present – mine was a little laughing Buddha statue!! Haha – how appropriate !!! He is very cute (can Buddha be cute ?) I have no excuses not to “Zen Jen” now !! He is positioned on my desk at home, watching over me and sending me “zen” thoughts. How wonderful of her ! Thanks Owl !!

Saw the physio this afternoon. My hip has certainly improved since I last saw him but I’ve had one or two slight niggles in it during the course of today. After a few more (painful) “interventions” on my hip flexors and to loosen up my lower back, he had me doing some new/more strengthening exercises for my lazy glutes. Burn, baby, burn – ouch !! I even bought a fitball today so I could do these exercises at home rather than at the gym. Unfortunately, no running for me until I’ve had 2 or 3 niggle-free days and until after I see him again on Tuesday. Surprisingly I’m not too frustrated by this outcome (must be the little guy watching over me !) because I want to be free of the problems that have frustrated my training over the last 2 months so I can train consistently again. I have big plans !!

Long walk home...

30mins of stretches again to start the day. The idea of getting on the cardio equipment in the gym this evening bored me to tears so I decided to walk home instead. It took me 1 hour 15mins tonight; normally it only takes an hour but I had to walk around a dark, scary park which I normally cut through during daylight hours. It’s quite a tough walk; largely uphill. It also started raining as I was on the Bridge but fortunately it stopped pretty quickly. When I got home, I did another 40mins of stretching (including calf raises, this time 3 x 15 reps – ouch !!) My hip has been pretty good today apart from a few niggles after sitting for long periods. I’m off to the physio tomorrow so I hope I’ll get the OK to start running again. Don’t know if I’ll do the SMC on Sunday. Will wait and see how it is over the next two days. If I do, it will be nothing more than a slow, easy run and (given it’s my debut) a PB !

Today I realised that due to my holiday and my pre-holiday injury and illness, it has been 9 weeks since I trained properly. Yikes !! Scary but I have been training heavily for over a year now without a substantial break which my body no doubt needed (how Zen is that !) My calves/shin problem is/will be an ongoing issue which will need constant attention but it is manageable. I’m looking forward to running consistently again and to stepping up my training regime.

Also today I discovered that my target race for the year – the Blackmores 10kms in Sept – is now only 9kms. WTF ! My target race for the year is now a km shorter. Well, if I don’t achieve my goal of finishing it in sub-1 hour, it will have been a really bad day at the office. Am a bit disappointed by this but I suppose it’s another PB…

Satan takes mercy...

30mins of lower body stretches (focusing on glutes, ITB and hip flexors) to start the day and another 30mins (including this time calf raises) just before bedtime.

In the middle, I had a lunchtime weights session with Satan. Given it has been 6 weeks since our last session, she had designed a "relatively easy" session (her words). It actually was relatively easy compared to our "normal" sessions but it still left my shoulders and arms shaking for a hour afterwards. Love it. Was great to be back in the gym and I'm looking forward to increasing the intensity of my workouts back to near pre-holiday levels next week. Happy days !!

Physio and rest day

Saw the physio this afternoon for my dodgy right hip. After much poking and prodding and “interventions” (his word for torture - a bruise report will follow tomorrow), the physio decided that my hip flexors are once again too tight and are putting pressure on the other muscles in my hip/pelvis. More stretches to add to the already long list and no running and no spin classes until I see him again on Friday. Given that I am feeling like a big lardy, lardy arse at the moment, this wasn’t particularly welcome news.

Later this afternoon I was catching up on blogs. This normally inspires me and fuels my enthusiasm. Today (when combined with my physio visit and sore hip), it left me very flat and a little down (I admit that that damn green eyed monster won’t leave me). Then I read the blog of my friend, the very wise Owl, which reminded me of something said at yesterday’s graduation ceremony – “I think therefore I am”. I choose not to get disheartened or adopt a negative mindset. I choose to enjoy and celebrate the fact that I can run and that I have a strong body and strong mind. I choose to celebrate and feel happy and proud of the achievements of others in doing something which I love.

When I got home from work tonight, Channel 7 had a “Riverdance” show on. I lurve the music from that show. Must dig out my CD. Cranked up the TV whilst doing my stretches and strengthening exercises. Made my heart sing. :-)

Graduation day !

My hip was very unhappy after yesterday’s run. Same problem as before but it has never been as bad as it was yesterday. It’s my own damn stupid fault for not doing my strength/stretching program while I was away. After ice and voltaren, it was feeling much better but I think it might be better to skip tomorrow’s run. Will run again on Thursday before deciding whether to do the SMC 5km on Sunday.

Today was a great day. I had my graduation ceremony this morning followed by a celebratory lunch with Mr Jen and my parents. After 4 ½ years, I finally finished a Masters in Law from UTS. I wasn’t really looking forward to the ceremony; I was very sick of studying about half way through the degree – and let’s just say my enthusiasm for the law hasn’t been particularly high of late - but I’m glad I went. Once the ceremony had started, I found myself thinking about all the hard work and late nights over the years. I was very glad I decided to celebrate.



I’m not due back at work until tomorrow so after lunch, I headed home and – I confess – had a nap before heading to yoga. Feeling very tight and inflexible at the moment. I truly love yoga. I always leave the classes feeling rested, clear headed, refreshed, not to mention more flexible !

Back to it...

Got on the scales this morning. Yikes. The description "big lardy lardy arse" is certainly appropriate so today is officially "back to it" day.

Ran this morning for about 30mins. My cardio fitness seems not to be far off where it was pre-holiday which was a pleasant surprise - but mind you, pre-holiday I had 4 weeks of reduced training due to injury and a cold. My calves are very tight, with the effect that my shins were troublesome to start with but seemed to improve as I warmed up. Back to stretching and doing my strengthening exercises on a daily basis.

While the body seems to be in order, I think I've left my brain somewhere. Not only have I been unable to resize my photos despite some very clear instructions (I'll get around to it eventually), I left my watch at home this morning - which in itself doesn't seem like much but I confess that I actually went back for my watch and somewhere between climbing 3 flights of stairs and changing my t-shirt, I still forgot to pick up my watch. Duh. Crap sleep last night. Couldn't keep my eyes open so I was in bed at 7.30pm (how embarrassing), wide awake at midnight and then back to sleep at 3am....Just love jetlag.

I'm back !!

Well, I’m back from 5 weeks holidays !! Flew in at some ungodly hour Sat morning and apart from a slight inner ear thing (the loungeroom is spinning as I type this – and no, it’s not alcohol-related withdrawal symptoms), I’m feeling pretty good right. Slept very well on the plane.

My holiday was fabulous. I can’t begin to describe it without going on for pages and pages but I will put a few photos over the new few days. Here's a couple to start with:


On Easter Island


At a very high place somewhere in Peru...

As for running, as expected I didn’t feel particularly secure running by myself in most of the places we visited in (mainland) South America – and we were at altitude for most of the trip which made even walking up hills taxing. I planned – and managed – to run 3 times during the trip each for 30mins (she says trying to ignore the fact it was 3 times in 5 weeks !!). I ran on the treadmill in my hotel in Tahiti and then on the road on Rapa Nui/Easter Island and again in Dublin. I also trekked for 4 days and 45kms to Machu Picchu in Peru – ok, so it didn’t involve running but it was one of the most physically difficult and rewarding experiences of my life:


Taking a well deserved break !

Anyway enough of the past and on with the present. To steal Marty’s description, I am now a “big lardy lardy arse”. Minimal running combined with complete and extreme over-indulgence for 5 weeks has, lets just say, given the scales a rather large nudge in an upwards direction. Surprisingly, I don’t give a shite. I had a fabulous time !!!

I ran on Thursday (5 May) in cold Dublin for 30mins and was very surprised with my fitness levels, notwithstanding the fact that it had been almost 4 weeks since I last ran and the fact that I’m carrying a little extra weight. Towards the end of it one of my shins started to make itself known – but it’s my own fault. I must confess that I left “Zen Jen” at home in Sydney and I did none of my exercises/stretches while I was away. Opps. Will remedy that immediately.

As for my upcoming plans, my almost-sadistic running adviser suggested I run (and make my debut) at the SMC 5km next Sunday (15th). Whilst not the best preparation, I’m up for it. I was planning on running tomorrow (Sunday 8th) but I seem to have developed this inner ear ‘thing’ on the flight from Dublin so I will wait until tomorrow morning to see if, and by how much, the room is still spinning. I hope it stops spinning quickly – this break has been fantastic but now I’m more than ready to get back into !