Jen_races !

Sunday 11 September - Sydney Running Festival

I actually didn't want to run; didn't feel like it. But the entry fee was paid for so I was up at 5.30 for some toast and honey before Mr Jen kindly dropped me at North Sydney at 6am (what a nice fella!) so I could walk down to the start. Shortly after arriving I discovered a group of CRs (we are pretty easy to spot in a crowd!) and had a chat with a few people and cheered on the start of the Half and the full before going to the toilets and dropping off my bag. A few stretches and I headed over to the start (note to self: warm up next time!). On CR, I had said that my goal was sub-54 (when the race was originally 10km, my goal for the year was to run it in sub-60mins). However during the course of last week, I decided that it would be really, really cool to go under 50mins for the 9kms but given I just pulled that figure out of the air because it was a nice round number, I was too chicken to tell anyone :-)

I was at the back of the first wave in the 9kms and took a couple of minutes to cross the start. From the start, I felt like shite; my body was telling me to stop and walk the whole way. I really didn't enjoy the race at all. I don't know why. It really was a battle for me - a completely different experience to my C2S race. As I headed up Macquarie Street for the first time I was feeling terrible, getting about stressed about achieving my sub-50min goal and had to stop to stretch my left calf which was a bit tight so I decided to ignore my watch but I did notice the following:

1km: 6.18mins
2kms: 11.30 (5.12mins - shite!!)
5kms: 28.28 - at this point, I realised that my sub-50min goal was on so I just kept telling myself to keep going.

I stopped to stretch my left calf again on the return trip up Art Gallery road. On the return trip down Macquarie Street, I remembered that Paula Radcliffe mentioned that she counts her strides when it gets tough - that if she counts to 100 x 3 times, she will have covered a mile. So I tried that - and only got up to 20 before I found something else to focus on!!

Somehow I manage to find some speed in the last kms and felt like I was flying by the time I came down past the Toaster and stopped my watch at 49.42. As Lil Elf pointed out to me later, even with 2 pit stops to stretch my calves, it was approximately 5.40min/kms - no wonder it hurt! The time was a real surprise - I really didn't enjoy the run at all (until I checked my time at the finish of course!).

After collecting my medallion, I headed up to the recovery village which was pretty feral. Eventually I found my queue to collect my bag. 40mins later, I was still standing in the queue which had not moved. Grrrr. About this time the first marathoner came through to the finish so I decided I wasn't going to miss anymore cheering time so I left the queue with the idea of heading up to the Cahill to meet the cheersquad and to come back for my bag later. However when I walked past the back of the bag collection area, I noticed that people were climbing over the rope to get their bags and yes, I confess, I did the same *she blushes*. After ducking into the toilet to put on my new snazzy Skins, I headed up to the cheersquad to join in the fun. It was really hot up on the Cahill at that stage (it was only about 9.45am); I felt really sorry for the runners still out on the course. Seeing the reaction of the runners in response to our cheering is the most amazing and rewarding experience. The highlight of my day easily was seeing the smile on Belinda's face as she passed through the "guard of honour" created by the cheersquad. It is wonderful to be a part of such an amazing, supportive and positive community.

After Belinda and Horrie passed us, we decided to pack up and head down to the recovery centre to catch up with a few people before Benny, Vat, Don Juan, Owl, Tesso, JD and Mannerism headed over to the Rocks for some lunch and a great chat. Our Canberra girls Flash Duck and CJ (both of whom had sensational races) joined us later. By about 5pm I was fading so I headed home for some stretches, ice for my shins and a shower before heading out to meet Mr Jen and a friend for dinner. A great day!

The week ahead -
A recovery week before starting to build for the Half (which was 12 weeks away on Sunday):
Monday: Satan
Tuesday: walk to work (1 hr) + massage
Wednesday: dates with a witchdoctor + Satan
Thursday: run (40mins) with Lil Elf
Friday: 1 x spin class (30mins)
Saturday: rest
Sunday: run (45mins)

Monday 12 September 2005 - Satan

So how did my body pull up after yesterday - pretty well. My quads a bit sore, my shins are excellent, however the niggle in my knee has returned. I didn't notice it during the run yesterday but throughout the course of the afternoon I noticed it again particularly when walking down stairs. Hopefully my massage tomorrow and the WD can sort it out quickly so it doesn't get in the way of my Half preparation.

A few people asked me on Sunday about my Skins and whether I thought they aided recovery etc - I don't think it was the best circumstances under which to test them given that I had completely cooled down and had been standing still for 40mins (in the shade) while waiting for my bag before putting them on yesterday.

I had planned to walk to work this morning to get my legs moving - however I had to drop Mr Jen at the airport at some silly hour this morning so I ran out of time.

I managed to escape from work at 10.30am to meet Flash Duck and Owl at the Lindt cafe for a coffee and a chat. It was great to catch up with them both and to recap on Sunday. Then at 2pm I headed off to the gym to see Satan for an upper body session consisting of:
* dumbbell chest press
* tricep pushdowns
* bent-over row (barbell)
* bicep curls,
repeated twice and stretches for my hammies, quads and hips. I felt really good during the session - which was a surprise because I had eaten very little in the morning and I had had a terrible nights sleep.

Tuesday 13 September - walk + massage

Left the house at 6.30am to walk to work (1hr 12mins; approximately 8kms). A beautiful clear and still morning - another perfect morning to (this time) walk across the bridge. Legs are feeling good though my knee still isn't entirely happy - it's been 3 weeks now; it's really starting to annoy me. Grrr.

Off for a massage this afternoon *she winces at the thought*...

An exercise-related rest day

Well today turned out to be a rest day with lots of running-related stuff

Finished reading Paula Radcliffe's autobio on the bus into work this morning - a good read and what an incredible athlete! Later I met up with Lulu for a coffee and to bestow guardianship of CR pom poms on her. Lulu will be leading the cheersquad on Sunday. While I am looking forward to running on Sunday, I am really looking forward to joining her to cheer the marathoners. Not only is it fun, but I find it so rewarding. At leaving Lulu I walked up to Rebel to buy some golf balls to roll under my feet (ouch!) and *gulp* Skins....I then headed up to the registration centre for the race to pick up a t-shirt for prosperity. While I could have done it on Sunday, I want to get to cheerleading duties asap after finishing.

20mins of stretching tonight and again tomorrow. 2 sleeps to go - bring it on !!

"By setting barriers you also set potential limits in your mind"
- Paula Radcliffe

Satan

I've been feeling a little ordinary the last few days - like I'm fighting off a cold - so I took the opportunity to sleep in this morning and headed to the gym at lunch for another session with Satan. In preparation of Sunday's run, my lower body got a reprieve so we did an upper body session which was really tough as I'm feeling the effects of yesterday's session. However I felt great - really strong!

Very much looking forward to Sunday. It's going to be lots of fun !

Bend and snap...

Woke up this morning feeling pretty good but it wasn't until my pilates class (45mins) started that I discovered that I do have considerable soreness after yesterday's massage (maybe that's an excuse to buy a pair of Skins...) so I took it relatively easily. My feet feel strange today - I think they are actually working properly :-) My knee is fine too - amazing what happens when you get a really good massage!!

Session with Satan at 2pm today. A strange session consisting of weights plus an unusually large number of stretches (particularly PNF stretches for my hip flexors which are a bit tight). The weights component consisted of 3 different glute exercises, push ups and a new modified chin up exercise (I'm slowly - but surely - getting closer and closer to being able to do chin ups, woohoo!).

20mins of stretches at home tonight. I'm not sure what to do tomorrow; I'm seeing Satan at lunch but I'm pondering doing an easy 20min run as well (as I had originally planned). I'm sure I'm being over cautious but I just don't want to aggravate anything 4 days out from the 9km. I might wait and see what Satan has planned for me first...

"So many dreams at first seem impossible. And then they seem improbable. And then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable."
— Christopher Reeve

You learn something new every day....

I had planned to walk into work this morning but the time I crawled into bed last night I was feeling rather ordinary so I slept in instead. I was feeling rather ordinary this morning but I felt better as the day went on.

Other than a massage, today was a rest day. To cut a long story short, it looks like my leg problem may be caused by my peroneus longus in my lower leg rather than my ITB. I didn't even know I had a peroneus longus, nor did I realise just how unhappy it was. This also makes sense because when I used the rolled up towel on my ITB last night, I got a bit confused because my ITB wasn't very tight at all. So she agreed with the witchdoctor that it's probably due to my body adapting now that my shins/calves are pulling their weight (so to speak). I've also got to buy a golf ball tomorrow to roll under my foot...(edit: forgot to mention that she commented that I've put on quite a bit of muscle mass since I last saw her 6 weeks ago - yippee!) So an hour of massage later, I was walking gingerly back to the office. My knee felt rather unhappy this afternoon - not a big surprise - but after a hot bath and 20mins of easy stretching tonight I'm feeling really good. I've got another massage booked for next Tuesday (as per the witchdoctor's instructions), before seeing the WD himself next Wednesday morning. I'm feeling really optimistic now :-)

From little things...

Well it's two steps forward and one step back with my ITB - but at least I'm moving forward I suppose. Met Lil Elf at 12pm today for a lunchtime run. Strangely it must the first time that I've actually run outdoors during my lunchbreak. A beautiful day for a run - clear, warm with a slight breeze. Ran for about 30-35mins throughout the Botanic Gardens and around the Opera House with Lil Elf pointing out parts of the Gardens that will soon become familiar to me - the grassy hill for hill reps and the path for our longer reps in the future....yikes!

As for my ITB, it was good during the run - only a slight niggle just at the end (which is a huge improvement on Saturday) but afterwards once I cooled down the niggle remained and was noticeable walking down stairs this evening. So it is improving but it still has some way to go. I also noticed a touch of tenderness on my tibia this evening (0.5 out of 5 on the shin pain scale) which I haven't experienced for a while so I must not forget to give them some TLC as well. Tonight, a session of glute and calf/tibia exercises followed by stretching and ice for both my ITB and shins. My massage tomorrow couldn't be better timed; hopefully I can iron out these problems a bit more. It was 12 weeks yesterday to the Half....

Raindrops are falling on my head...

Strange wet stuff has been falling from the sky all day today so it's been a perfect day for a rest day. No niggles from my ITB today (even when walking down stairs) - but that doesn't really mean anything cause the only time it's been a problem in the last 10 days is when running.... Apart from lots of TLC for my ITB, it's the perfect weather for a rest day - I've spent most of it curled up on the couch reading Paula Radcliffe's autobio. Although written (as you would expect) for the general public rather than being targeted at the running community, it is a fascinating insight into an incredible athlete. Quote for the day: your performance reveals your attitude as much as your talent. I like that.

Week in review - a strange week; Operation 21/31 was kicked off; work was a little unsettled and my ITB has been teasing me
Weights - 3 (including Satan x 2)
Walk - 1 (1 hr)
Spin - 2
Run - 1 (20mins)
Physio - 1
Witchdoctor - 1

The week ahead: the 10% rule is going to broken again - sorry running Buddha...
Monday: run at lunch with Lil Elf
Tuesday: AM walk to work (1 hour) + PM massage
Wednesday: AM pilates + PM Satan
Thursday: AM run (dependent upon how ITB goes on Monday) + PM Satan
Friday: Spin (one class only; my quads were dead after Friday's double classes)
Saturday: rest
Sunday: Blackmores 9kms

Grrrr...

Well it's nowhere near 100% yet but it is better than it was last week.

My physio told me to find a local oval for my first run post-ITB problems.. boring!!! After a mental tug-of-war between going to the local oval for 20-boring-minutes of going round and round and round and round or heading down to the trail and running for 20mins along the flatest and softest section (which option had much more appeal), I decided to be sensible and take the advice of my physio so I headed for the nearest oval - and less than 1/4 of the way into my first lap, I was dive-bombed by a magpie. Grrr. I shrieked like the girl I am because it scared the shite out of me. There is nothing I hate more than being dive-bombed by magpies....so I beat a hasty retreat and decided instead to run along the only flat section of road near my house instead.

About 10mins in, a (minor) niggle developed in my knee again. Strangely it was a bit different than last week because (a) I felt it through the whole stride (and not just the clawback like last week) and (b) there is no niggle when walking down stairs (unlike last week). So I came straight home to ice and stretch. I'll do my stoopid glute exercises later this afternoon before taking to my ITB with a rolling pin, to be followed by the voltaren/glad wrap combination....I was also a bit tight in one calf but there is no post-run tenderness on my tibia so I'll ice and stretch that as well....

Ravenous....

I saw The Producers last night - I really enjoyed it - but gosh I noticed the effects of my two upper body sessions with Satan this week. It hurt to clap - shoulders, arms, back, everything hurt. Hehe - I know I've worked hard this week. Love it !

Up early this morning for 2 x 30mins spin classes back-to-back with the Satanic Spin Instructor followed by 20mins of stretching. I'm feeling great today - strong and full of energy. I may only do one class next Friday (given the Blackmores 9km on the Sunday) but I will definitely add the back-to-back class to my weekly routine. A great morning - and I have been absolutely starving ever since. Might have to go and find a second lunch !

Off for a short/easy run tomorrow morning to test out the ITB - yippee!!

Operation 21/31 is up and running :-D

Sorry about the pun.

A rest day today - except for a follow up visit to the physio regarding my ITB. I've had no pain/niggles/problems for 5 days now so I've been honourably discharged and am (to steal the lyrics from a bad country song) "on the road again" (slowly of course!). Happy days. I am however under instructions from the physio to continue with my glute exercises and stretches (my physio is also going to chat to Satan so that my training with her focuses on these issues) because he suspects that if I don't, my child-bearing hips, Q-angle and lazy glutes are going to continue to conspire against me.

So with that happy news, Operation 21/31 is now underway. An easy and short run on Saturday to test out the ITB and then slowly but surely build for the Half. I'm really excited about the Half - I'm looking forward to the journey...

Witchdoctor + Satan - what a day !

Off to the witchdoctor this morning for a checkup. Some needling, cracking and general witchdoctor-like behaviour later, I was on my way to work. Basically he is happy with my shins and thinks that the tightness that I've had in my calves the last few days and the ITB issue may be a side effect of my shins settling down. I've also got instructions to get 2 x 30mins massages concentrating solely on my lower legs 7 days apart before I see him again in 2 weeks...lucky that I've already got one booked in for next Tuesday !

Back to see Satan at 2pm for another upper body circuit consisting of:
* push/pull thingys on the "danger Will Robinson" machine
* push-ups
* straight arm planks
* dumbbell reverse flyes
* crunches,
repeated 3 times. It was a tough session - the push-ups after the push/pull thingy were an absolute killer. I was feeling a bit tired today - not surprisingly after a late night at dinner and an early start.

Operation 21/31 is off to a flying start. I've been chatting with Lil Elf about the Central Coast Half and Elf has very kindly offered to help me with my program (and to make sure I don't chicken out!) in exchange for keeping her accountable and motivated with her training for the event. We are also going to run together once a week during lunch. I'm really excited and looking forward to it.

I'm looking forward to my spin class with SSI on Friday. I've done very little cardio since C2S (unlike my preparation for the C2S) so I'm feeling rather anxious about the 9kms - but definitely looking forward to it nonetheless !

Beautiful day

Magnificent morning in Sydney today to walk to work (once I eventually dragged my butt out of bed). It was almost balmy - I took my jacket off about after 20mins and walked the rest of the way in a short sleeve t-shirt; the first time I've done that this side of winter. A fantastic way to start the day - approx. 8kms; 1hr 5mins.

Due to dinner with friends tonight, I've had to shake up the program (yet again) - so I'm off to spin at 1.40pm to try and burn off some calories before Indian food tonight (yum!).

Well you'd think that, by this age, I would be able to read a gym timetable.......it turns out I'm not capable of it today. Misread the time of the spin class so as I arrived at the gym at lunch, it was just ending. Grrrrrr. So after getting on the bike to warm up (and think through my options), I decided to do a lower body weights session (which means I'll have to move Satan's appointment from tomorrow 'cause she will have a lower body session lined up for me). A circuit consisting of:
* lunges with front foot on a bench
* lunges with back foot on a beach
* hamstring curls
* inclined squat machine,
repeated twice followed by 3 of my physio-ordered glute exercises (also repeated twice). It's been a long time since I last did this session and I was surprised by my increase in strength during that time. Legs felt like jelly walking down the stairs afterwards - that's always a good sign !!

Off to see the witchdoctor in the morning...

Operation 21/31 commences...

Walking into work this morning proved to be a logistical nightmare so instead I caught the bus and took extra stuff (suits/shoes etc) into the office so I can walk into work tomorrow without carrying half my wardrobe.

Again no niggles from the ITB today. I went to bed last night wrapped in volarin and glad wrap just in case (such a sexy look…not!) and have done lots of stretches throughout the course of the day.

Headed off to see Satan at 2pm for an upper body session. On Saturday night, I think I slept on my dodgy shoulder the wrong way and it was sore all day yesterday. However it felt much better this morning and wasn’t a problem during this session. T’was a circuit of:
* assisted chin ups
* push ups
* rotator cuff moves
* a new killer ab move
* bicep curls
* dumbbell reverse flyes,
repeated twice. A tough session but I felt strong – better than I have recently.

Since C2S the idea of doing a Half has been, in my own mind, a much more achievable goal. Cirque said to me last night that it is my mind (and not my body) that is holding me back. She’s right (thank you C). The number of times I’ve caught myself today thinking “I can’t” is amazing – I never realised until today just how many self-limiting and negative thoughts I have about running (probably) on a daily basis. Stoopid really – I’m fit and strong thanks to all the cross training that I’ve done and even with the lack of mileage, at C2S I ran 14kms reasonably comfortably. So today I’ve set myself a goal – called “Operation 21 by 31” – being 21(.2)kms by my *gulp* 31st birthday. That gives me 5 ½ months to build up slowly to a Half. As it seems that I tend to work better under the “program, what program?” approach, I’m not setting a goal race just yet but it is likely to be either the Central Coast Half in December or one of the SMC races. So stay tuned – I’m on my way…

ITB update no. 2

Happy to report (again) that my knee has been fine today - no problems even when walking down stairs. Woohoo.

Apart from my physio-ordered glute exercises and stretches, today was a rest day. My calves were a bit tight after yesterday's walk around the hills near home so apart from a good stretch, I've given them a rest today and will do my calf/tibial exercises tomorrow.

So the week in review - another "eventful" week:
Weights: 3
Pilates: 1
Walk: 1
Run: 1
Days off work sick: 1.5
Witchdoctors: 1
Physios: 1

Hopefully the week ahead can be a little less "eventful":
Monday: walk to work + Satan + calf/tibial exercises
Tuesday: spin (30mins) + pilates
Wednesday: witchdoctor (for shins checkup) + Satan
Thursday: physio (ITB) - otherwise a rest day
Friday: spin (2 x 30mins)
Saturday: run (20mins) (hopefully)
Sunday: walk (45mins)

ITB update no. 1

I inadvertently tested out my ITB this morning. As I set out on my walk this morning, I decided to check out a new section of the trail near my home that was recently opened. It turned out to have lots of steps - all down....however it seems that last nights intensive treatment of heat packs, stretches, massage, anti-inflams and using a rolled-up towel on my ITB (ouch) have worked because while my ITB is still very tight, I've not had any niggles in knee today (even when walking down steps!). Needless to say my mood has improved somewhat (after feeling very down yesterday). Don't worry - I'm not going to hit the road too early. I plan to keep up the heat pack/stretches/massage/anti-inflam/towel treatment on Sunday and Monday before doing a spin class on Tuesday and (hopefully) going for a short run about Wednesday or Thursday next week. Once again, a crap preparation for an event (Blackmores is 2 weeks tomorrow) but I don't have any choice right now.

Summary - 1 x walk of 45mins today. Glute + calve/tibial exercises tomorrow, otherwise a rest day.

Grrrrr

Thursday 25 August (continued)...

Well I must have been in a zen-like mood last night when I wrote yesterday's entry (either that or it was the glass of red that I had) because I completely forgot that I also had a session with Satan yesterday afternoon. There is however no way I can forget about it today - I have discovered my adductors !

Session with Satan at 3pm yesterday who had a lower body/abs circuit session lined up for me (modified slight to take account of my stoopid ITB) consisting of:
* lunge with knee lift
* a glute exercise
* prone hold straight arms
* a new (and particularly punishing) exercise for my adductors involving a swiss ball which is no doubt the reason I have discovered my adductors today (don't know the name; might have to draw a picture);
* crunches,
repeated 3 times. I am really feeling this session today - I lurve that !

Friday 25 August

My knee hurts when I walk down steps today (and there is a slight niggle when walking on the flat) so I canned my usual Friday morning spin class and, given that it's only 2 weeks until the Blackmores event, have decided to obey my physio and not run for a week in an effort to get my leg right in time for the 9km. Very sad about missing the STaR on Sunday. Was really looking forward to it :-(

Headed to the gym before work for an upper body weights session - a circuit consisting of:
* single arm lat pulldowns
* cable reverse flyes
* seated rows
* bicep curls
* tricep pushdowns
* rotator cuff stuff
* abs,
repeated x 2. Followed this up with 2 sets of each of the 4 physio-ordered exercises for my lazy glutes (which seem to be causing the ITB to do all the work). My butt hurts now.

New plan for the weekend - 2 x 45mins walks up and down the hills near home + phyio-ordered glute exercises again on Sunday. (Edit: must not neglect my shins so calf/tibial exercises tonight - Friday - and again on Sunday). Hopefully I can get in a couple of spin classes next week...

It's all worth it...

I struggled to get my butt out of bed this morning but eventually I did and set out for an easy 20min run around the streets near home. Only my second run on the road (as opposed to softer surfaces like the treadmill and trails) in months and I'm happy to report that once I warmed up, my shins were fine. However I did develop a niggle in my RH knee....Grrrr.... The afternoon of C2S and briefly on the following day, I had a sharp niggle in my RH knee only when walking down stairs. It went away and I thought nothing more of it. Until this morning. So as a zen-like person, I took myself immediately off to see my physio (unfortunately I couldn't get out to see the witchdoctor) who poked around and declared the dreaded letters "ITB". Grrrr. So it's back to the heat packs, stretches, exercises for my lazy glutes and (the worst part) no running for a week. Grrrr. I was so looking forward to running on Sunday.... Half of my brain is telling me to run anyway but the other sensible/conservative/boring side is, of course, telling me not to....

Had I written this earlier today, it would have become a vent about the crappy day I had - just one of those days where everything that could go wrong, did (my ITB issue is just one in a long list of crappiness about today)....but I'm not going to vent. I was sitting here tonight watching Lost with ice on my shins (standard protocol now) and a heat pack on my ITB. But I can honestly say that today I have not for a second thought to myself "Is it all worth it ?" All the heat packs, ice treatments, physio and witchdoctor visits, stretches and strengthening exercises will be worth it if even only once more in my lifetime I experience something similiar to my post-C2S glow. And I know I will have many more experiences like that - so it is all worth it!

Yuk

Woke up this morning feeling very ordinary - and it went downhill from there.

I went off to see the witchdoctor again this morning for some acupuncture on my tibial muscles. WD also adjusted my ankles - over the last week I felt like I couldn't get a good stretch in my soleus (what's the plural?) because of a lack of mobility in my ankles. Tendons around my ankles are a bit tender now but should be right in the morning.

Despite feeling like shite, I went to the pilates class at 12.10pm. I have now found a Satantic Pilates Instructor (SPI). Yikes !

Left work at 3pm to head home today - gradually felt worse all day; like I'm fighting off a cold/flu so I went home to sleep (mind you at 6.30pm tonight I had to check an advice to a client - there is no escape....). Funny - the reason I most hate being sick is not because I feel like shite but because I miss out on exercise. Yes, my name is Jen and I am an exercise-aholic...

Indulgence.....

Yes, that word sums up my weekend. Lots of food, lots of wine and not a lot of sleep (and very little exercise for that matter....). It was great! A lovely way to end a recovery week but now it's time to do some work. It's funny - I woke up this morning feeling very skinny but by lunch I was (and now am) feeling like a hefalump. I know it's all in my mind but still.... Anyhoo 3 days off-line and I've come back to an overload of race reports and blog updates to read through - such an inspiring way to start a week ! W2B sounds like a great race - looking forward to it in the years to come...

Off to the gym for an upper body weights session with Satan at 2pm. A circuit consisting of:
* assisted chin ups
* rotator cuff stuff
* straight arm prone holds
* barbell bicep curls
* dumbbell reverse flyes,
repeated 3 times. My arms felt like jelly afterwards - love it.

The week ahead:
Tuesday: an appointment with a witchdoctor + pilates class + 20mins run
Wednesday: walk to work (1 hour) + Satan
Thursday: 25mins run
Friday: spin (2 x 30mins classes back to back)
Saturday: rest
Sunday: I've just agreed to go to the 7am STaR group being hosted by the lovely Bernie for 12kms at 6min/km pace.....OMG.....

So moving ahead - I had sat down earlier this evening and developed a plan to build up over the next 10 weeks (including a couple of recovery weeks) before starting on a PC Half marathon training program....Sunday's STaR doesn't quite fit the plan but I don't have any shin problems at the moment and it has been guru-sanctioned so I will be there for my first Striders run...

Let's go to the moon baby...

Legs/shins are feeling fine after last nights session - though I am feeling rather tired and flat this morning (but yes, I'm still smiling). Up early for an upper body weights session in the gym before work. I had planned on doing the spin class with SSI but after yesterday's double leg day, I decided to give my legs a break.

So, this morning was an upper body circuits consisting of:
* single arm lat pulldowns
* (cable machine) single arm reverse flyes
* seated row
* bicep curls
* single arm tricep pushdowns
* ab work,
repeated twice. I was able to increase the weights on all of the exercises so it proved to be a tough session. Arms are feeling like jelly now. Love it !!

A rest day tomorrow before a run on Sunday. I'm heading out west tonight which means a weekend full of great food, wine and company! A nice way to end a recovery week.

Yep, still on cloud 9.....

Wednesday 17 August

Dinner last night with Owl, Lulu and Mr Lulu (aka Wine Trail Runner) was great; celebrating our C2S run and planning our attack on it next year from the A2 group. Next year's goal is sub-85mins which should move us up about 8,000 places !!

Up very early for a 6.30am appointment with the witchdoctor. Very, very interesting. Basically, the witchdoctor is satisfied that my shin problems weren't/aren't due to structural/biomechanical reasons but instead due to a muscle imbalance between my calves and tibial muscles (Sunday's run would suggest that this imbalance is slowly, but certainly, being rectified) so that was good news. A few (12 I think) needles and some cracking of my ankles (yikes) I was on my way to work. My left ankle was a bit tender afterwards but it settled down as the day went on. With a long boozy lunch with clients and dinner with the Owl, t'was otherwise a rest day.

Thursday 18 August

A much needed sleep-in this morning before seeing Satan at lunch for my first 'real' workout since Sunday and yes, you guessed it - she had a lower body session lined up for me; a circuit of:
* lunges with a front knee lift;
* adductor and abductor exercises;
* prone hold with straight arms; and
* rotator cuff stuff,
repeated twice. However I did get to tell my C2S story again :-) A good session; the lunges were ok but my adductors/abductors were feeling a little tired today.

I headed back to the gym tonight for an (easy) cardio session which I would normally have done this morning: 15mins run (7mins/km pace) followed by 15mins bike (L5 @ RPMs). My first run since Sunday. Shins are fine; no tenderness but I've iced them tonight just to be sure. Happy days.

And yes, I'm still smiling (not to mention consulting my guru to develop a 'plan'....stay tuned!)

It's official !!

Garth the Garmin recorded-time on Sunday was 91.52 - my official time was 98.32 for (equal) 20,296th place!!! That should move us up to the A2 group next year. Woohoo!!!

And yes, I'm still smiling!

Walk this way...

This sounds silly and I'm almost embarrassed to confess it but this thought occurred to me yesterday - "OMG I ran for 90mins yesterday!" Yes, I'm still grinning and still shaking my head in disbelief....

A leisurely (albeit chilly) walk to work this morning to stretch out my legs (approx. 8kms; 1hr 12mins as opposed to the usual 1hr 2mins). My quads (which stiffened up considerably after sitting on my butt all day at work yesterday) are still sore but improving. RH hip and calves/shins are fine. Happy days.

The delightful Mr and Mrs Lulu have invited The Owl and I to their place for dinner tonight so we can celebrate our C2S triumph - looking forward to it!!

The morning after.....

How long does the "runner's high" last? Because I am still smiling and still shaking my head after yesterday's run....I still can't believe it! A Half now feels like a realistic and achievable goal (but not one I'm setting my sights on it... just yet)

Last night I spent 30mins stretching before icing my shins. This morning I'm a bit tired but my shins are fine - no tenderness in my shins nor any tightness in my calves. Happy days. My quads are a bit sore and my RHS hip is a little tight and tender - but nothing that a day or two of rest won't fix.

A rest day today - might have a bubble bath tonight before doing 30mins of stretching and will walk (slowly) into work tomorrow morning to stretch my legs out a bit.

I forgot to mention last week that my number for the Blackmores 9kms arrived last week - #7237. Bring it on.

The runner's high....

Very long post warning…..this has taken me a long time to write. My mind is all over the place at the moment (and I’m very tired!).

First of all – I have to thank CR’s amazing blogging community who have been so supportive, encouraging and inspiring.

So this is what a runner’s high feels like. Why didn’t y’all tell me about it ?? I’ve been grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat all afternoon. What an amazing day.

A big day of firsts for me: my first fun run and my longest run ever, both in time (previously 58mins) and distance (previously 8kms). What 10% rule ??

As I’ve previously mentioned in my blog, because of my shin problems and lack of (running) training, I had set myself the goal of simply enjoying the day and to walk in the event that my fitness meant I wasn't able to keep up with my companions or my shins decided they didn’t want to play (particularly given that I haven’t run on a hard surface in months now). A negative approach I know but nothing in my training leading up the event even suggested/hinted at how my day would turn out.

It turned out to be a day of personal discoveries for me: I am so very much fitter than I thought I was (no doubt thanks to the two satanic influences in my life – Satan and the Satanic Spin Instructor) and perhaps for the first time I felt like a runner, particularly because we ran the whole way and powered (well, ran slowly, comfortably and strongly at least) up HBH & and the hills beyond...

Where to start. I met the delightful Wobbly Man for the first time on Saturday afternoon when I met up with The Owl and him for a drink. I must admit to feeling a little anxious about the run in the last day or two but I woke up at 6am this morning completely rested and relaxed. I decided to go with a modified version of my usual breakfast – a bowl of porridge with 2 pieces of white toast (ick) with honey (yum). A lot of food yes and at 8am I was thinking it was perhaps too much – but by 9.30am I was peckish so I think it worked well (though I will skip the porridge for earlier, shorter races in the future). Mr Jen and I caught the bus to North Sydney and walked down to Milsons Point to meet Wobbly Man at 7.40am to walk across the bridge. It was a stunning morning on the Harbour. Very still and not as cold as it has been over the last few days.

After arriving in the city, Wobbly Man and I left Mr Jen to register and headed over to College Street to drop our bags off and to meet our running companions for the morning The Owl, Caro and Lulu. Wobbly Man had very kindly offered to pace The Owl and I. While we were waiting in the queue, the conversation soon turned to the state of my shins. The Owl, Lulu and Caro then decided to pay homage, and send good thoughts, to my shins (which worked it seemed!). By far the funniest moment of the day. After a long wait in the toilet queue, we positioned ourselves in the middle of the road and waited for the gun. It took us almost 5 minutes to get around the corner and into Williams Street. The mass of humanity headed up Williams Street was an incredible sight.

Wobbly Man took the lead at ducking, weaving and side-stepping our way up Williams Street. It took me a while to warm up and to feel comfortable but soon I settled in – as much as that is possible during the C2S. Somewhere around Double Day a niggle developed in my LHS shin. Grrrr. Of course I thought that my shins had already had enough and that I would soon be waving my companions off into the distance. Well, the strangest thing happened. It went away. Never before has a shin-niggle gone away. Happy days. My LHS calf was feeling a little tight as we passed through Rose Bay so The Owl and I stopped to stretch (one for all…) before tackling HBH. Caro and Lulu at this stage ran off into the distance and powered up the Hill.

I have to admit (and I feel almost like I shouldn’t be saying this) and it was no doubt due to our very comfortable (read: slowish) pace, I never really felt pushed or uncomfortable during the second half of the run. This is no doubt thanks to the support and pacing efforts of Wobbly Man and that The Owl and I ran most of it side-by-side or one of us just slightly in front of the other. Without the support of both, I would not have achieved what I did today.

We slowly ticked off the kms and counted down until 13km where we knew the cheersquad would be. It was wonderful to see – and hear – them as we went past. Wobbly, Owl and I made a pinkie-swear somewhere (early) in the second half that we would finish together. We caught Lulu not far from the finish and we all finished hand-in-hand. An amazing experience

I, of course, forgot to turn my watch off. The timing card read 106.40 but Garth tells us it was closer to 91.52. Once we passed through the drinks station, I left them to go and collect my bags. As I headed over to the grass to stretch for 20mins I bumped into the cheersquad and met my shin splint mentor Gronk for the first time and said hello to Tesso, Superflake and JD. After a stretch, some jellybeans and a banana, I had planned to go and stand in the water for 10mins to give my shins a bit of relief. I lasted a grand total of 1min. It was just too cold. And I managed to get my butt drenched in the process. So I headed over to the Striders tent for a chat and met (albeit) briefly Nick, CJ, Flash Duck and Aki. It was then off to the pub for a quiet drink where I finally tracked down Mr Jen and found out that we only just caught him. He ran a 107.?? so we must have passed him very close to the finish line. Mr Jen and I left the pub and caught up with friends for a meal, before heading home.

I’m still find myself shaking my head. My run today so was far beyond what I expected and what I thought I was capable of. I am almost astounished.

And how did I feel now? Bloody brilliant and bloody tired. My only ‘niggle’ is that my RHS hip flexor is a little tight. My shins are fine, good, excellent in fact – no tenderness at all. I can’t believe it (but I will ice them tonight just to be sure...) I can't begin to decribe how happy I am.

So my incredible week in review (it’s been an emotional rollercoaster this week):
Walk: 1 (1 hour)
Spin: 1
Satan: 2
Cardio: 2 x 30mins
(Edit: I can't believe I left this out)
Running: 1 (14kms non-stop baby!)

The week ahead:
Satan is away until Wednesday this week – so in light of today’s efforts I’ve decided on a recovery week:
Monday: rest
Tuesday: walk to work (1 hour) + pilates
Wednesday: appointment with the witchdoctor – otherwise a rest day
Thursday: walk to work (1 hour) + Satan
Friday: spin (30mins)
Saturday: rest
Sunday: run (20mins)

So a question for the wonderfully wise CR-blogging community – where on earth do I go with my training now ??? My last week of solid running consisted of 15min/23mins/25mins Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. However today I ran 14kms reasonably comfortably. Do I go back to, and continue to build on, my existing program or do I bump it up ???? Help.

Off to bed. Very sleepy now :-D

As Big Kev would say....

Ok, it's official. I'm excited. See you Sunday.

Wow

Wow. What an amazing response to yesterday's post. I can't begin to thank everyone who has left a message. It really means a lot to me - thank you.

I headed to the gym this morning for a cardio session. I had planned to do a 20mins run followed by 15mins on the bike. However I decided to be cautious and instead only did a 10mins run (@ 6.30min/kms pace) followed by 25mins on the bike (10+kms). My legs were dead by the end of the session. The shins seem ok but I will continue to stretch and ice them over the next few days. As for the C2S, I will do it - after all, I've bought the t-shirt; I can't wear it if I haven't finished it!. I'll start out running, as planned, with Wobbly and Owl, but I will walk if my shins flare up (repeat Jen: walking is not a failure). I will also take myself off to see the witchdoctor next week to see if he can shed some light on my problems...

Was then back at the gym at 2pm to see Satan, this time for a killer upper body session. I could hardly lift my arms to push my glasses back up my nose by the end of the session - t'was a circuit of:
* assisted chin ups
* straight arm prone holds
* rotator cuff stuff
* bicep curls
* reverse flyes,
repeated 3 times. Really tough. My shoulder (which had a niggle or two last week) was fine.

I had planned to walk to work in the morning to stretch out my legs but, quite honestly, work has been crazy this week and I'm buggered. So a rest day Friday, a short walk on Saturday to stretch my legs (I always feel crap the day after a rest day; weird I know) and then the C2S on Sunday.

Edit: I am (almost) looking forward to the C2S now. Went to bed last night with my left shin covered in Nurofen gel and clingwrap (!) - very sexy (not) - but no tenderness on it this morning. I'm off to see the witchdoctor next Wednesday morning.

Oh this feels so crazy....

I have a strange 'relationship' with spin classes (it's a random thoughts kind of day, bear with me). Part of my brain dreads them because they chew me up and spit me out; I find them really tough mentally not to mention the jelly legs at the end of the class. On the other hand, I can honestly say that I have never thought of not getting out of bed to get to a class with SSI. And the more tired I feel on the morning of a class, the stronger I feel during the class. Strange, very strange.

Anyhoo, t'was a 30mins spin class with the Satanic Spin Instructor at 6.40am this morning that seemed to go very quickly. One minute we were warming up; the next it was over. Unfortunately the powers-that-be at the gym have again messed with the timetable so there will be no spin classes on Wednesday mornings. Grrrrrr. Maybe I'll sleep in on Wednesday mornings.....or then again, maybe not.

I must admit to feeling a little stressed/not really giving a shite about the C2S this Sunday (I can hear the collective gasp from the audience right now). No doubt a combination of a limited preparation (a 23min trail (long) run does not a C2S make), the shin flare up this week and a basic fear as to how my shins are going to cope with running on the road for 14kms (I haven't been on the road for months....). Blah, blah, blah, blah. I could sleep in on Sunday morning for all I care right now.

Off to see Satan @ 2pm - Satan had a lower leg session lined up for me, very similar to the session last week. A circuit of:
* lunges with knee lift
* adductor stuff
* abductor stuff
* straight prone hold
* rotator cuff stuff,
repeated twice. A tough session but really enjoyable. Tomorrow is another tough day - 35mins cardio session in the morning (including 20mins easy run on the treadmill with my fingers crossed) followed by another session with Satan at lunch.

Cardio + pilates

I had a HUGE dinner last night and (of course) woke up this morning absolutely ravenous !! Love the way the body works.

I headed to the gym early this morning for a cardio session - 17mins run on the treadmill (7mins @ 6.30min/km; 10mins @ 6min/km pace) followed by 13mins on the bike (L5 @ 105RPMs) for a total of 30mins + 20 mins of stretching.

I've come to realise that my shins can flare up because (a) I've been wearing high heels too often and not stretching enough or (b) for no apparent reason. Today, it's the latter. Slight shin tenderness on my left leg so lots of ice and voltaren over the next few days. Hopefully my shin tenderness now is in lieu of any soreness on Sunday...fingers crossed.

Heading back to the gym for pilates at lunch....well, that was the plan but once again something urgent cropped up at work and I didn't make it. Grrrr. Hate it when life gets in the way.

Walk this way

With another long lunch with clients and dinner with my folks tonight, my only opportunity for exercise today was my now-standard Monday morning walk to work (1hr 2mins - approx. 8kms) (a weekly 8am meeting makes any other form of exercise a logistical nightmare!). A slightly cool albeit stunning sunrise this morning. A glorious way to start the day (though I hope it is a little warmer on Sunday morning...)

Edit: 1 week and 1kg down; 1kg to go. I know its largely fluid and very little fat, but still - who doesn't like to see the scales go down ??

Dear Buddha

Saturday 6 August

We were meeting friends for breakfast at 10am this morning so I decided to get up early and get my run in before breakfast. I walked down to Clifton Gardens to warm up then set out on the trail around to the zoo. A stunning, clear morning on the harbour. I never cease to be amazed and humbled by the beauty of our harbour. Apart from a strong head wind from the south as I rounded Bradleys Head, it was a great morning for a run. Today’s aim was 23mins and at 22.30, I realised that I was close to the end of the trail near the zoo so I picked up the pace in the hope that I would make it to the end of the trail within 23min– close but not quite: 23.08 in total (+ 40mins walk to/from the trail). Another very comfortable and easy run with no calf/shin problems whatsoever (I will ice my shins tonight just to be sure). Happy days

Sunday 7 August

Rest day.

Week in review:
In reviewing this week, I’ve just realised that I forgot to blog about Tuesdays session (opps). A good week. I felt well rested and strong!
Spin: 2
Weights sessions with Satan: 2
Run: 3
Walk: 1 (1 hour)

The week ahead:
Dear Buddha. I have been obeying the 10% rule down to the minute recently. I’ve been running on soft surfaces; stretching & strengthening my calves and shins and icing when necessary. In light of all these efforts, dear running Buddha I ask for your forgiveness this week when I will break the 10% BIG TIME ! I don’t remember the last time I ran on a hard surface so I’m a little scared as to how my shins will handle 14kms on the road (not to mention my preparation is a little lacking...understatement of the year!) – but I guess all I can do is make sure I focus on stretching my calves this week (oh, and crossing my fingers and icing my shins when I get home!!!) :

Monday: walk to work (1 hour)
Tuesday: cardio session (17mins run/15mins bike) + Pilates
Wednesday: Spin + Satan
Thursday: cardio (20mins run/15mins bike) + Satan
Friday: walk to work (1 hour)
Saturday: rest
Sunday: my first ever fun run, the City 2 Surf !

Speaking of the C2S, a question for bloggers – I’ve got the gear sorted for Sunday but what on earth do I eat beforehand ??? I don’t normally eat before a morning exercise session so I’ve got absolutely no idea….help (and your good shin thoughts) is greatly appreciated !!

Winter is back !

A chilly (but clear) morning in Sydney today.

This morning I had a sleep-in....I didn't have to be at the gym for a spin class with the Satanic Spin Instructor until 7.15am! Another great & tough class (30mins) from SSI which I followed up with 20mins of stretching. Recently my legs have been feeling like lead during spin classes but not today - I felt great and was really able to push the resistance right up, particularly during the standing hill climbs. The seated hill climbs still screw me but I'll get there. I think making sure most of my heavier sessions are 24hours apart has made a real difference in my recovery times, as has the fact that I've caught up on my sleep post-TdF.

Run tomorrow before a rest day on Sunday.

Is it really winter ?

Another gloriously balmy morning in Sydney. Unfortunately out my window I can see the change rolling in as we speak. Can't complain though - we have had sensational weather in Sydney now for about 3 weeks.

Up early (again) for a cardio session in the gym: an easy and comfortable 17mins run (@ 6min/km pace) followed by 15mins on the bike (L5 @ 100RPMs), then 20mins of stretching. No problems to report - shin/calves are fine but I will ice them tonight just to be sure. A great session and now I'm wearing my snazzy new dress - happy gal!

Spin + Satan

Up early this morning for the 6.40am spin class (30mins) with the Satanic Spin Instructor. SSI wasn't able to offer us the additional 15mins this morning thanks to a timetabling mistake by the 'powers that be' at the gym. Oh well - not at all fussed today. My legs felt pretty beat up after yesterday's massage (normally I'd have a rest day after a massage but my timetable this week just didn't allow for it) and I don't think my glutes have ever screamed as much as they did this morning. Fortunately it sounds like the spin classes are going back to 45mins in a couple of weeks which will be good. 30mins doesn't quite cut it (what, masochistic - me ?)

I've picked a good week to clean up my eating. We have had birthday cake in the office every day this week and not only have I not had any of it, I haven't been tempted to either. It's amazing what happens when you focus your attention on a goal. However I have a client lunch tomorrow (you know, one of those long boozy lunches which no-one really has time for) which makes eating 'cleanly' a lot more difficult...

Weights session with Satan at 2pm. My lower body got the reprieve today after Monday's session (my adductors are still sore!). Today's session consisted of a circuit of:
* straight arm lat pulldowns
* reverse flyes
* assisted chin ups
* rotator cuff moves
* straight arm plank move,
repeated 3 times. Another tough session. My RH shoulder (which I had problems with last year) is good; a few days ago I thought that I had strained/damaged/pissed off my rotator cuffs again but it seems ok today. Will make sure it gets some rest and some rotator cuff moves before seeing Satan again on Monday. I had been thinking of adding a swim to my weekly schedule but I'll give my shoulder a few weeks to settle down.

Back on track....

Feeling fabulous today.

Left home at 6.15am this morning to walk to work (1hr 4mins; approx. 8kms). An orange sunrise and another beautiful, calm and still Sydney winters morning. The view from the Harbour Bridge was magical. Nice way to start the day.

Satan @ 2pm. Managed to escape from the office at 2pm to see Satan. Satan was in fine form telling me "We have a bondage day today" as she strapped my leg into the cable machine (minds out of the gutter please boys!). My upper body got a reprieve today as my lower body copped a Satan-special circuit of:
* lunge with a knee lift
* abductor on cable machine
* adductor on cable machine
* rotator cuff exercises;
* prone hold with straight arms,
repeated twice. T'was a tough session; my legs have felt like jelly all afternoon.

I had been hoping to get out of the office at a decent hour to attend a presentation by Doug Scott, a mountaineering guru (I am addicted to all things related to Everest), but yes, you guessed it, work has got in the way yet again. Grrrrrr.

Blog honesty...

In the interests of blog honesty, I confess that I haven’t done any exercise this weekend because I couldn’t be bothered. Very strange for me – even the thought of C2S in 2 weeks isn’t enough to scare me out and onto the road. Oh well. C’est la vie. I’ve had a lovely weekend of eating, socialising, sleeping, drinking and reading (now I’ve just got to do the housework – yuk!)

I think my slightly blah-type state (but only in respect of exercise) is not helped by the fact that I’ve been getting increasingly frustrated by the fact that the scales aren’t moving and my clothes haven’t been getting any bigger over the last month or so (despite the amount of exercise that I have been doing) – but then again if I’m entirely honest with myself, I have been satoaging my efforts over the last few weekends as a result of feeling frustrated...Having said that, losing weight has not, for quite a while, been my motivation to exercise - it is to move, to maintain my sanity, to manage stress levels and simply because I love it. However at the moment I am 2kgs above my ideal weight - the weight at which I feel most comfortable and confident. It's the same damn 2kgs that I brought back from Sth America; hence my frustration. But no more - I am not going to feel frustrated nor will I sabotage my efforts. My diet/eating will be back on track this week and I am setting myself the goal of losing the 2kgs over the next 2 months (by 1 October). I'm also going to spend more time reading. Reading is one of the great loves of my life (apart from Mr Jen of course) - the way I recharge my batteries and keep my sanity but something I have not been doing much of lately.

Week in review:
Spin: 2
Weights: 3 (Satan x 2)
Runs: 1
Walk: 1 (1hr)

Not a bad week (though clearly not enough running). Unfortunately no pilates class and I don’t think I’ll make it to one this week thanks to work. My quads been dead the last few weeks. I’ve hardly been doing any weights work on my legs so I think that during my cardio sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have to take a bit of the load off the bike and increase the RPMs – might help my legs recover a little better for the spin class on the following days.

The week ahead:
Monday: walk to work (1 hour) + Satan
Tuesday: cardio session (15mins run/15min bike) + massage
Wednesday: Spin + Satan
Thursday: cardio session (17mins run/15mins bike)
Friday: spin + upper body weights
Saturday: run 23mins

To finish on a high and to answer the question about Mr Jen’s good news. As some might know, Mr Jen moved out to western NSW for work about 18 months ago. Well on Friday afternoon, he was offered a job in Sydney so as of October he’ll be back in Sydney full time. Yippee !

You were always on my mind...

I was spotted today sans-CR gear ! Attended a breakfast function this morning. At the end, a woman approached me with a familiar face that I just couldn't place. Turns out it was CR Koala who lives not too far from my place. Talk soon turned to Tuesday afternoon runs around the lower north shore.....

I managed to escape from work (which is still manic) at 2pm to do an upper body weights session at the gym:
* single arm lat pull downs
* (machine) reverse flyes
* seated row
* single arm biceps curls (20reps @ 6kg - woohoo !!)
* single arm tricep pushdowns
* external + internal rotator cuff moves; and
* ab stuff,
2 sets of each. It's been a while since I've done this program so it was v. interesting to see how much stronger I've become during that time (v.!). A great session which I really enjoyed - and when combined with dinner with my girlfriends tonight and Mr Jen's great work-related news leaves me a v. happy gal at the end of what has been a pretty ordinary week. Happy days.

...in a one night stand

Up early this morning to walk to work. Approximately 8kms in 1hr 5mins. Is there a better way to start the day than walking over the Harbour Bridge on a clear, still winter morning? I think not.

PM: the plan to do a Pilates class at lunchtime is now, thanks to work, a hope of escaping in time to make the 6.15pm Spin class (however I will have to come back to the office afterwards). Fingers crossed. TBA

**********

Later: Well I made it out of the office in time for the 6.15pm spin class. Felt like shite (again) to start with. My quads again/still felt like lead even though they have had it reasonably easy (compared to my upper body) lately... About 10mins in, I started to pick up and really pushed it through the rest of the class. Would have been interested to check out my HR during one of the tracks. I don't think it's ever been much higher. 20mins of stretching to finish off and then, yes I'm afraid, it was back to the office....

Tomorrow I had planned a spin class but two meetings have brought an end to those plans. So I'm hoping to escape from the office at some stage tomorrow afternoon to do an upper body weights session before another big dinner with my girlfriend's tomorrow night.

23 positions....

Busy times.

Tuesday 26 July - 30mins cardio

Why is it that I had double the amount of sleep that I had the night before (7 hours cf 3.5) but I felt twice as tired ?? I could not get out of bed so I had a bit of a sleep-in and headed to the gym at lunch for my 30mins run/bike cardio session. Easy 15min run (7min/km) followed by 15min bike (L8 @ 100RPMs). Legs/shins felt good.

Wednesday 27 July - Satan x 2

6.40am 30mins spin class with the Satanic Spin Instructor. Felt like shite. Quads felt like lead even with very little resistance on the bike. Even thinking about the TdF or picturing SC's arms weren't enough to lift me. Simply felt like crap. About half way through I decided not to stress about it and just take it (reasonably) easy. I have been eating well over the last few days so I'll just right it off as one of those things (particularly given how I felt during my session with Satan later on), perhaps due to dehydration and/or my interrupted sleep patterns over the last 3 weeks...

2pm session with Satan. I must have woken up by the time I saw Satan but I felt fantastic during this session. Again another largely upper body session - a circuit of:
* straight arm lat pulldowns
* reverse flyes
* assisted chin ups
* push ups
* step ups
* kneeling on the swiss ball,
repeated 3 times. Highlight of my day came when Satan commented on my shapely shoulders and arms. Woohoo. On my way to SC arms !!

I had planned to run tomorrow but I've since remembered that I had earlier decided to do 2 runs/wk every alternate week in an attempt to convince my shins that they like running 3 times/wk. So I've decided tomorrow to walk to work instead (about an hour) and then try to get to my pilates class at lunch (work is crazy again/still). With some sleep and lots of water, I should be back on track for a tough spin class on Friday.

Vive le Tour

A strange day - despite:
(a) 3.5 hours sleep thanks to the TdF and an early meeting;
(b) arriving at work to discover I had no 'work' shoes there and spending the day in my friend's extremely high heels - I could feel my calve muscles shrinking with every step (I have been known to wonder around the office sans shoes if the bosses aren't around or after hours. However today I spent the day walking between my office and that of my boss - and past a meeting room that had a continual flow of client traffic all day...hence it was not a non-shoes day);
(c) working through lunch instead of seeing Satan at 2pm;
(d) having to reschedule a coffee with a client because of the amount of urgent work on my desk; and
(e) having my client pull out of a deal that I have been working on almost non-stop for the last 4 weeks (grrr),

I was in a fabulous mood all day (think someone spiked my coffee....). I am however sad to see the end of the TdF (my fav sporting event of all - can you tell?) and LA's career (my (sporting) hero). What an amazing athlete. And I'm happy to see that Jen's Boys (my team in the CR Dream Team comp) finished second in the KOM and third overall. Woohoo !!

Fortunately I was able to reschedule my appointment with Satan to 6pm. Probably my toughest session so far (clearly these names are mine):
- bench step up/knee up with shoulder press;
- jackknives;
- glute/hammy exercise that kills me;
- barbell chest press on swiss ball (17.5kgs to exhaustion, then 10kgs to exhaustion);
- row (17.5kgs to exhaustion, then 10kgs to exhaustion),
repeated twice. Very tough but once again, another great session. I saw a photo today of Sheryl Crow at the TdF - she has the most amazing arms. Might stick the photo on the fridge to keep me out of it!

Food glorious food

A late night (again) thanks to the TdF. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more stress nor more emotional than I did watching the TT last night. Ok so it was late, I was tired and I’m female – I’m allowed to be irrationally emotional (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!).

Today I have done nothing but eat. First I met the C2S trial runners at Bondi at 9.15am for breakfast (took me 1.5 hours to get there – I love public transport timetables on the weekend...not). Then after laying on the grass to read the newspapers overlooking Bondi for an hour, I headed to Maroubra for a BBQ with friends... A great way to spend a day.

Week in review:
Monday: Satan
Tuesday: pilates + cardio (15mins run/15mins bike)
Wednesday: Satan
Thursday: cardio (15mins run/15mins bike)
Friday: spin (45mins)
Saturday: run (30mins) + walk (40mins)

Thanks to all the support I’ve received from the amazing CR community this week and the fact that I’ve managed to run 3 times this week (total of 60mins) without any shin/calf issues, I’m a happy gal right now.

The week ahead:
Monday: Satan
Tuesday: pilates + cardio (15min run/15min bike)
Wednesday: Spin (30mins) + Satan
Thursday: cardio (17min run/15min bike)
Friday: Spin (30mins) + upper body weights
Saturday: run (23mins)
Sunday: rest

So the plan includes 2 x spin, 1 x pilates, 3 x weights sessions and a total of 65mins of running (note I’m obeying the 10% rule)...might also try and squeeze in a massage or a trip to see the Witchdoctor. Busy week but I will be able to get back to normal sleeping patterns as the TdF ends tonight :-(

Life is beautiful

It's hard to remember that sometimes when work and 'shite' gets in the way.

Had a fantastic night last night - dinner with my closest girlfriends. Plenty of red wine (pinot - my fav!), sensational gourmet pizza and (my other fav) mud cake!

My dad stayed at my apartment last night and woke up at the unearthly time of 6.30am this morning (I like my weekend sleep-ins!) but made up for it by bringing me a coffee while I was still in bed (Mr Jen, are you taking notes ?). After Dad left, I was feeling decidedly flat and ordinary so I decided to run later in the day and sat down to catch up on my blog reading. An hour later I was up and ready to run. Reading about the lives and experiences of my fellow bloggers always lifts my spirit and mood.

During the walk down to the trail (my fav place to run), I noticed that both of my soleus (whatever the plural is) were very tight. Must work on that. A beautiful Sydney winters day; calm, clear and still. Ran very easily and slowly for 20mins. A very comfortable run on a beautiful day. I took it particularly easy through a couple of rocky areas as it was the first time I had run the trail since I got my orthotics (which I realised very quickly after my shoe didn't 'give' on a rock - don't worry, I was very careful). No shin pain or even tenderness before, during or after to report but will ice tonight just to be sure. A great way to start the weekend.

Tomorrow is my rest day (except for calf/shin stuff). I'm meeting the C2S trial runners Owl, Go Girl, Lulu, Caro et al in Bondi for breakfast - looking forward to it !

Spin

45mins spin class at lunch today with a different instructor - my first spin class in 2 weeks. Felt shattered afterwards. Quads felt like jelly. Could hardly walk.

Tomorrow - my long run of (wait for it) 20mins. Shins seem ok but LHS ITB is a little tight I think...

Same again

Thank you to everyone for your comments. I appreciate it. I guess I just don't feel (mentally) like a runner at the moment...

Same as Tuesday. 15mins easy run on the treadmill (7min/km) followed by 15mins on the bike (L8 @ 100RPMs). Shins are fine but I felt like shite.

Edit: C2S race number arrived today (#19904). Groovy. Ran 15mins tonight. It's going to be a long day

Satan

Had planned to do a spin class with the Satanic Spin Instructor this morning but the TdF (or more specifically my lack of sleep because I've been staying up half the night to watch it) got in the way. Oh well. Evans was just inspirational last night; such a determined ride in such sad circumstances.

A date with Satan at lunch again today. I've decided to see Satan twice a week for the time being to give my body a bit of a kick. Oh boy, does it get a kick. Another largely upper body weights session with Satan but a glute exercise thrown in the middle for good measure. Session include lat pulldowns (2 different versions); reverse flyes; push-ups; the glute step-up exercise and trying to balance on my knees on a swiss ball. I fear in the not-to-distant future Satan will be throwing at me (and no doubt expecting me to catch without falling off) a medicine ball....yikes. Her eyes also lit up when I commented that I didn't seem to be doing anymore push-ups. Satan then said that I was doing them better than I was in the past and that she hadn't really been pushing me to increase the no. of push-ups after my shoulder problem last year...but I suspect that I have put the idea in her head. Double yikes. However on the good side, I discovered that I actually have abs which are visible without sucking my stomach in and twisting into a strange angle. Very cool.

Think I will delete my blog from the CR list of bloggers. As Wombat pointed out yesterday, it really has very little to do with running anymore...

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 !!