Two Bays Trail

Despite taking a wrong turn somewhere after about 16km, I had a good run today.

I was very surprised at the number of people who turned up, and even more that over half the field were completing the return journey.

Despite my (usual) woeful preparation before a long run, I managed to complete the 30+km fairly comfortably and pulled up well. Someone at the finish said I looked "way to fresh" I definitely have a preference for up and down hills rather than monotonous flat road.

Christmas Week

Another mixed bag of running. More bad days than good and again very little consistancy.

I missed my long run on Sunday 23rd and was going to make it up on the 24th but again ran out of time and motivation. Christmas Eve sucked. Home alone (the kids were with Jon for his family event) and I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I had planned to go for a nice long run after 5pm when the kids went off with Jon but that was when I lost it. Why was I alone on Christmas Eve? Ended up being a bit of a sook. Slept really badly too.

Christmas Day I slept a late, then headed over to Jon's house at 9am to watch the kids open their presents. I walked dog around 10:30am before going to the parent's house for lunch. Two small glasses of wine at lunch and I was a gonner. I don't really drink anymore and I shouldn't have had anything. I was tired and a blinding headache had started so I went back home without the kids around 5pm and slept on the couch for about an hour. Vegged out in front of the tv until my sister dropped them home around 7:30pm. I went out again that evening for a quickish 7km which I included 10 x 30 second sprints on the oval. There were

Wednesday (Boxing Day) I dragged my pathetic arse out of bed for a 16km around Williamstown and backed up on Thursday for another 11k.

Friday I packed up the house and the kids and I headed down to St Andrews Beach where I had rented a house for a week. It was 39 degrees when we arrived at 6pm and it took all our energy just to drag out the bikes two hours later to take the dog down to the beach. Worth the effort though as we saw a stunning sunset.

5km hobble

My god I have pulled up sore from Sunday's run. There were some big up and down hills and we did go down the 1000 steps twice.

I was too sore to run yesterday but managed to hobble out with the dog for a very slow 5km this morning. The first 200 metres were agony but once I started moving it was tolerable. It hurt to step up and down the gutters and each time I stopped to let Harry catch up or call him back from a wandering.

Leading back to my house are a flight of old bluestone steps - about 15 - which go down from the railway bridge. Going up them at the start was ok, but the return trip down was sheer torture!

12 Weeks until Six Foot

Ok, it is time to really become serious about my training. If I am going to crack 5 hours at Six Foot then then next 10 weeks must be full of hard work.

Yesterday I did 2.5 hours in the Dandenongs with CR Azza. I admit to tiring much sooner than I should have but it was good to get a long hard run done. There were some significant walking sections up the steep hills but I don't feel bad about it at this stage. Next Sunday I will back up with a 3 hour run, then I have the Two Bays Trail the following Sunday.

I must complete my mid-week sessions as scheduled and get on the bike more.

I am not sure if I will run today as the legs are quite tender...perhaps I leave it for an easy short run tomorrow morning.

Christmas (and Six Foot) is coming

I haven't posted here since I ran the Melbourne Marathon in October. I have started to ramp up the running again for Six Foot Track in March so it is time to resurrect the blog I think.

The past two months have included some running but nothing really consistant. Starting this weekend I will be more diligent about my training. I have a long run scheduled on Sunday in the Dandenongs with a few CRs.

Melbourne Marathon 3:32.30 net

Wow! Too easy at the end. I should do no training more often!!

I decided to start with the 3:30 group and just see how it goes. I know that if I had been a little more consistant with my training then sub 3:25 should have been my goal. My only hesitation now was the lack of good strong mid-week runs that would get me through the hard bits.

I saw many friends and co-runners at the start line and caught up with Chilliman & Eat 'Em (Mark) near the bag drop. Mark and I wiggled our way through the crowd to start a bit behind the 3:30 pace group. 500m into the run we had easily caught up with them.

The first 5km seemed to fly by as I was concentrating more on dodging the people around me than worrying about pace. 5-10km was a bit easier to run and I pushed ahead of the 3:30 group around Albert Park Lake, but I don't think I found a good rythym until I was down into St Kilda. I felt a bit flat going through Brighton but was still holding good pace. My goal now was to stay ahead of the 3:30 group for as long as possible! Mark and a small group were also running ahead of the 3:30 group and they caught and passed me coming into Sandringham. I wanted to go with them but didn't feel that I had the legs to sustain the pace they were running at. I was hitting sub-5min kms but they were on about 4:50 pace or even a bit quicker. At the turn-around point I could see that the 3:30 group was just a over 1 minute behind me. I hit a bit of a down patch here so I turned on the iPod for the first time and cranked up the music to get me home!

Sandringham to Elwood was just hard work. This was where my lack of training really showed. I am actually quite surprised with myself for getting through this bit pretty well considering. The 3:30 group overtook me going through Elwood and I momentarily lost the plot. I stopped and walked for about 1 minute while I had my 3rd gel and some water and waged the mental battle to start running again. From Elwood up to Fitzroy St wasn't quick but at least I was running.

Once I turned into Fitzroy St I made a real effort to work the 'hill'. I think I passed about 20 people just in 1km! I hit the top of Fitzroy St and was greeted by my parents and sister on the right and the CoolRunning cheer squad on the left! I stopped here briefly to tell them that I was over it (!) and Sue gave me a lemonade icy-pole which was exactly what I needed. I turned into St Kilda Rd with the mental mantra that I would not stop again.

St Kilda Rd was just fabulous! My music was blaring (too embarrasing to tell you what I was listening to), the weather was fantastic and I felt good again. Halfway up I found Mark really struggling. I tried to get him to run with me and yelled a bit of abuse at him to get his f***ing arse moving! A bit further up I saw the lovely Slowaz (Warren) and he ran with me for a bit. I would have loved his company for longer but I told him to go back find Mark give him some help.

Turning into Federation Square and down into the MCG area was a buzz! People everywhere and one of my favourite running songs had just come on my iPod (you can't engineer that if you tried!) I had a totally daggy hero moment or two running around the outside of the MCG with people clapping and and cheering. I heard someone call out to me but didn't see who it was. Around the back of the MCG and into the stadium. Unreal!! The grass felt sooooo good under my feet and I was almost a little embarrassed to be running around the ground. I saw a few people in the stands as I came through the finish at 3:33.20 gun time.

Once again I finished feeling way too good. I walked around for a bit and chatted with Tiger Boy, Slim DJ and a few others. Found my family and friends in the stands and enjoyed myself until the chills set in. 3:32.30 net time. A PB by by 4 minutes!

Melbourne Marathon tomorrow

Not much running this week: a speed/strength session, a 12km steady run and a shorter run. I happily took Thursday, Friday and Saturday off.

I am a bit uptight because the kids were supposed to be with Jon this weekend but somehow they have ended up with me. I am not sure what is happening tomorrow morning. I will be out the door around 6:30am and Jon will pick them up sometime.

I just posted on CoolRunning that I am not sure what my plan for the day is. Do I treat it as an 'event' and just go out and enjoy the run, or do I give it a bash and see what time I end up with. If I die then as least I will know I gave it a go!

We shall see!

The bigger drama is what to wear! I am feeling a bit fat so I am not sure about the crop top tomorrow. I will wait and see how the weather pans out.

I just read through the Elite Runners list for tommorrow. I think Hanny Allston will top the women's race. She looked so strong at Hobart in January.

Another week gone

Where has the week gone? I don't think there is much to write about my running.

Sometimes I wonder why I am even planning to attempt the marathon on such poor training. Stupid thing is that I know I can run the distance ok, just not at any decent pace!!

A few good runs in this week but nothing too serious. I have toned up a bit and dropped maybe 1kg in the past week.

Today I procrastinated all day about going for a run because it was so windy out there. Finally at around 4pm I stopped watching the rain-soaked Japanese Grand Prix and headed out around Williamstown and up to Yarraville for my last run before Melbourne next week.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be into the wind and I believed that I would be coming home with the wind at my back. About 10-15 minutes from home a huge dark cloud decended over the city and it began pouring with icy rain. I ran for a minute or two in it before I found shelter at the Sea Scouts, where another walker joined me very soon after! I waited 4-5 minutes for it to ease off from pouring to just raining before I ran for home. I figured I was wet anyway so the sooner I got home the better. A good steady run done.

Lovely long run

Today it finally felt good! I woke up feeling positive about going for a run (nice change) and it was a beautiful cool and crisp morning.

I did a long run with a few CRs through the city and around part of the Capital City Trail back to the Tan and then finished two laps of the Tan. We did a good steady pace the entire way and my second lap of the Tan was under 19 minutes which I was pretty happy with considering it was at the end of a 32km run. We shall see how the next week pans out!

Work gets in the way

Tuesday I decided not to run, eventhough I could have easily backed up after yesterday's long run. Pity I didn't.

Wednesday & Thursday I was in Sydney for work. Eventhough I took my running gear and was planning on two lovely runs, I just simply did not have time.

Friday morning I did a great 12km at a good steady pace and included 10x30 second sprints at the Newport Aths track.

Friday afternoon I backed up with a tough speed/strength session at the gym. This is a circuit combination of fast 500's on the treadmill with high intensity weight reps, push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, squats and lunges. Hard, hard work where my heart rate is flat out for 50 minutes. The only negative is that I did a 5 minute walk to cool-down instead of the 'proper' 3km of easy running.

Monday long run

My Sunday long runs are now Monday long runs. I worked from home on Monday which allowed me to indulge myself by going for a run lunchtime.

About 2 hours 50 minutes in windy, sometimes chilly and sometimes sunny conditions I went from home down to Skeleton Creek along the Williamstown & Altona foreshore trail which is about 16km away and return, then added an additional bit around Point Gellibrand.

The first half hour was an absolute struggle to get going and 5km in I actually conteplated stopping and going back home. I really have lost the motivation to run these days. Anyway, I persevered and actually felt really good in the mid-section and picked up the pace to run fairly strongly for a good 1.5 hours. The last 40 minuts was a real test of my will. Only having a bowl of Sultana Bran mid-morning and not taking a gel with me serves me right! As usual though, when I was approaching the end of my run I was able to push hard for the last km. 33km total.

a crap (running) weekend

Nothing good to report for my weekend running.

Saturday morning I did an easy 3k up to the Newport Aths Track and return with my dog and Number 2 son to register him (my son, not the dog!) for Little Aths this season. It was a lovely morning for a run but I took it easy due to my long run planned for Sunday.

Sunday morning I had planned to run the Sri Chinmoy half marathon then follow that with an additional 10-12km. My alarm went off at 6:30am and I could not wake up. I had gone to be a bit late the night before after picking up Number 1 son from the football (he is a happy Kangaroos supporter) with the start of a headache. By Sunday morning my head was pounding. I woke at 8:45 and lay in bed for a bit before falling asleep again. It wasn't until Number 2 son came in after 10:30am that I woke up again. Head pounding most of the morning and drugs not working I knew running today was going to be a lost cause. Add to that the wind factor and I didn't even want to go out - I freely admit I am a hopeless runner in the wind.

At 1:15pm I finally went out the door planning a very easy 1 hour run and looking towards making up my long run on Monday morning or afternoon. After 20 minutes into the wind I turned around and went back home. I have to go to the chemist to get my nasal spray to kill what is now turning into a migraine.

A big 4 days

I backed up Monday's long run with a hard 1 hour session on Tuesday night which included 8 x 800's. I ran each 800 in 3.30 or less with 2.30 walk/jog recovery. The last one I did in 3.15.

Wednesday morning I took my dog out for a very easy 3-4k and finished with a good 10 minute walk back home to stretch out the legs. In the evening after work I did a lovely run around the city, Yarra and 2 laps of the Tan for about 18k. There were people everywhere! I put in some good hard efforts during the run (sort of like a fartlek session) and just thoroughly enjoyed myself. I find it really motivating when so many other runners are out.

I am always amazed that I can have a totally crap run on one day, follow it up with a good hard session and then go out for a fabulous run.

Thursday I was tired and a bit stiff so I did a nice and steady 5.5k in the evening around Williamstown. The night was a bit windy so it probably felt harder than it should have been

Friday I didn't have time for a run at all, but the small rest is probably good.

So all up around 70k in 4 days. It will be interesting to see how my weekend run feels after that.

Ugly Long Run

There was a post here about my long run but it has disappeared.

33km around the Capital City Trail & the Tan on Monday afternoon - Sunday's run started and ended in 45 minutes with a shocking headache.

I never, ever felt good at all during this run. The entire way around I was continuously thinking about stopping and the various ways of getting back to my car, which didn't include finishing the run. Sheer stubborness made me continue because I knew that if I didn't clock up at least 30k then I was not going to be running the Melbourne marathon in four weeks.

When I did finally finish I have to admit I was a bit emotional. I have come to the sad realisation that running gives me goals to focus on, but part of me doesn't want to do it anymore. It may be time to move on.

Sore!

Sunday afternoon saw me up and down some hills in the Dandenongs for the first time in many, many months. Today my legs are telling me just how long it has been!

The first 20 minutes up Lyrebird Track were a lovely warm up, then a loop around One Tree Hill with another walk up Chandlers Track told me I was probably out of shape! After returning to the top of One Tree Hill I went over to Sherbrooke and ran down and up there before going back to One Tree Hill and down the steps. Just over 3 hours total.

Map My Run plotted it at 27km, but I think it was more like 24-25km. All in all a very good workout.

Food

I have been really bad with food again this week. No more details now but I have to get this under control.

Yes it is a problem. I admit it.

Melbourne Marathon in 5 weeks?

Well is is only 41 days until the Melbourne Marathon and yet again I approach a major run totally underdone. I haven't put my entry in yet but I know I will run it irregardless of my training. It is a bit disappointing because I did have some achievable goals for this event, but life and illness have got in the way the past 5-6 weeks.

With 5 weekends left to train I am capable of running 3-hour runs on at least 3 of the next 4 Sundays and throw in some short speed work during the week. I always like doing a 3+ hour run two weeks before a marathon and using a very short taper so it is not as bad as it appears. I will also try to add a couple of 21k runs on Wednesdays in the next 3 weeks. The good thing is that I have an extremely good base from the past 12 months of training so I can run the risk of going a bit harder in the next 4 weeks without any real threat of major damage. I will also mix training up a bit and include a bit more strenght work and bike work so that the 4 or 5 runs I will do each week will be good hard sessions - not just jogging around.

Warning...Left hamstring is very tight and continually niggles me at the beginning and the end of a run. I need a massage or 10.

BRT

Ran the Bellarine Rail Trail yesterday in perfect conditions. I knew it was going to be a bit of a slog and that's exactly how it turned out. This was my first long run since the Sri Chinmoy 30k run on July 15 and a real test if I could still do the Melbourne Marathon this year in a decent time.

I Ran with Eat 'Em (Mark) at the back of the 5 minute group for the first 5km but then I knew that if I wanted to make the distance I would have to take it a little easier. I eased back just a little bit and tried to get myself into a rythmn but it wasn't working! I went through 10km in 51.05 and was struggling this early only. My legs were sore already and my hamstrings felt really tight. I actually started thinking about how I could pull out but logistically it didn't seem possible. I took my time at the 16km 'aid' station and had a good drink and a Leppin. Chatted with Kevin Cassidy (who was annoyingly taking photos!) and headed off again. The next 4km were just terrible. Both hamstrings felt really tight and sore and I had pain down the outside of both knees.

At 20km (1:44) the trail seems to run downhill so I picked up the pace thinking that the sooner I get to the end the sooner I can stop! Ran well through to the 24km aid station where I paused again for a few minutes to finally remove some stones from my shoe - blood on my sock told me I should have done it 10km ago! The last 10km were just hard work and I never felt good. There were two walking periods here and everything was sore. I finished bang on 3 hours by my watch - 9 minutes slower than last year!

Brett and his family and friends are just fantastic people to put on a wonderful event for nothing. Great to chat with so many CR people.

On the way back!

On Wednesday night I came home from a week away in much warmer weather and I am happy to say I am finally over my cough and breathing easier.

I only ran two 1/2 hour runs and one 20 minute run during the last week - which is really, really bad for my Melbourne marathon preparation - but so much better for my general health.

I did 1/2 hour slowly with my dog on Thursday morning and then an hour this morning on my own. I feel re-energised and ready to run again. I will try for a nice and slow 1.5 hours on Saturday and back up with a 2 hour run on Sunday. It sounds like a bit in four days to come back to but I have the base and know I can handle it.

Getting over the flu

God the past week and a half have been a real struggle with my health.

Wednesday 18th July I was on a late flight home from Sydney and I knew I was getting sick. The next two days I was sure I has just caught a bad cold, so I didn't really look after myself properly...then the flu hit me. Every body part ached. My skin was hot and cold at the same time and I just could not get my body warm. Even standing in an almost boiling hot shower I felt cold. I was totally stuffed up in the head and my ears but I didn't really have a runny nose. I started a deep chest cough on the Thursday, which now 9 days later, I still haven't really got rid of.

I didn't eat much for 3 or 4 days because I just felt so bad and it was amazing how quickly I lost weight. I was keeping my fluids up but still dropped to low 57kg but I looked worse. My mother said I looked like I was at least 5kg lighter and it was not a good look. She had me over for dinner last Thursday to fattened me up with a roast pork!

I started running again mid-last week but only 20-30 minutes at the most. I sounded like an asthmatic emphysema sufferer as I ran and had no energy. Even now the longest run I have been able to do is about 45 minuts and it was very slow. The one benefit has been that I have been running with my beautiful yellow labrador Harry. He is normally only good for about 5km before he wants to lag behind and amble back home, but this week we have been running at the same slow pace and finishing together! I think the worst of it is over now.

Weighing in

I have decided that I am only going to weigh myself once a week now on Monday mornings.

The scales are out of bounds at all other times!

Bad day or two

On Wednesday I started to come down with a cold, which now is worse than what I first thought.

My nose is stuffed, I can't stop coughing, I have a unbelievable pain up my neck from in between my shoulder blades and all of my skin feels like it is sunburnt. I am sitting on my couch with the central heating up on 28 degrees but I am still cold. God I want to die.

I have been a bit of a sooky-la-la the past two days. I know it is because I am sick. I am so lonely and I hate being alone, especially when I feel so bad.

Build a bridge and get over it right?!

Run to Eat

There is a very interesting thread on CoolRunning titled Do you eat to run or run to eat? where the question has be posted by Felisaffe: "...how intricate the connection people's running is with their eating..."

This is a huge issue for me nowdays. I definitely run to eat and I am borderline on having a major eating disorder.

I never used to be like this. When I started running in 2003, I ran purely for fitness and simply to see what I was capable of. Over the past 12-18 months I have increased my training, and therefore had an additional weightloss which I admit I love. I like looking lean - to me it makes me feel more like a 'runner'. With every single thing I eat I mentally count the kilojoules content and keep a daily total in my head. The minutes I run are -ve kJs which will then allow me to eat something later in the day. If I don't run then I will deny myself food. I always feel guilty about the food I eat and will always weigh up [pardon the pun] the input vs the output.

So how did I become obsessed? I think my marriage breakdown had a lot to do with it. I have now become more concerned about how I look. My self-confidence has taken a battering and I would often pose the question to myself "who would want to hook up with a women in her mid-30's with two kids?" I want to look the best I can and I think I look better slimmer.

The bigger question now is how do I break out of the cycle. I hate it but I can't see any way to stop.

I have put on a couple of kgs since Six Foot Track - which a few people have said looks better on me for it - but I hate it.

Gold Coast Done - 3:36.48

Not as bad as I thought it would be!

My plan was to have no plan. Anyone reading this would know full well that my training over the past 2 months has been simply woeful and without any sort of routine. Having only done three runs of 30km plus since Six Foot Track I really did not expect too achieve much:

- 31.8km Maroondah Dam race, 15th April
- 35km around Williamstown, 3rd June
- 34km with CRs around Capital City trail, 10th June

< 1 week to GC

Slack week again (nothing has really changed for the past 2 months!!!). Surprisingly I did pull up a little stiff from last Sunday's half marathon. Did not run Monday or Tuesday for a number of reasons and the weather played a big part in that too!.

Wednesday I did a great session on the treadmill at the gym (so cold and dark at night now) which included 8 x 800m efforts with 200m walk breaks. Friday was a quickish 7km around Williamstown after waking up at 5am then not going back to sleep until 6:30am. Woke up at 8am and rushed out the door to get in a quick run before having to be at a trade show for work by 9:30am. Saturday was a lovely 8k - 40 minute run at marathon pace (or what I am planning to do until I crash!) on a gorgeous cold crisp Melbourne morning. Today I did a steady 16k around Williamstown in the afternoon but it did get pretty cold after 5:00pm.

Run to the G

I ran the Half in what I would consider to be perfect running conditions (it is pity my running is far from perfect!!)

Started out ok and settled into a pretty steady pace for the first 12k. The first 2k in 10:02 were somewhat crowded so I was pleased to go through 12k in 58.30. I wanted to run just under 100 minutes for 21k and felt that I came home really well and seemed to be continuously passing runners for most of the next 9k.

I missed my goal time by a minute and finished with 1:40:44 (by my watch). That's a PB for me for a Half. Some people have posted that the course was anywhere from 200 to 500 metres long. Whatever!

So underdone

I can't believe I am actually planning on running a marathon in just over two weeks time so underdone. Funny thing is that that I am not really stressed about it and don't really care what time it takes me.

Really looking forward to 3 days off on the Gold Coast though. If I can I would love to take the eldest son up with me for some R&R

3 weeks to GC Marathon

Sunday's long run was a lovely one with a bunch of CRs around Capital City Trail. I was joined by Tiger Boy, Eat Em, Azza, Livinia G & Virginia (?) which made the time fly by. Tiger Boy and I did a lap of the Tan to finish. For me that was a good 34k run. Tiger Boy looks in fantastic shape. I am sure he will kill his marathon time at Gold Coast. He has a fairly conservative goal but I reckon he can go closer to 3:10 or less.

Monday & Tuesday I didn't get out at all. Not for any particular reason, just couldn't find the time in between kids, work and home. Today I went out for a run at lunchtime in the streets around Burwood and Camberwell which turned out to be a run with quite a few hills for just over an hour (in the rain!). Kept up a pretty good pace too.

My food intake is appalling. Some days I eat well and other days I feel fat so I don't eat. I need to plan my food during the day better so that I don't stuff myself at dinner.

4 weeks to GC Marathon

This seems to be turning into a weekly blog. There aren't enough hours in the day to do everything!

Last week was a good running week for me.
- Started early on Monday morning making up for the 1/2 marathon I didn't do on Sunday.
- Tuesday night saw a hard but good Tempo session on the treadmill at the gym: 10 minutes easy pace then every 5 minutes I increase the speed by .5km for 50 minutes with the final 10 minutes back where I started.
- Wednesday was an average run around the Tan. I hate the cold.
- Thursday I can't remember!
- Friday morning was cold, dark and wet so I chickened it and headed to the treadmill at the gym again. After 10 minutes easy running I did 6 x 1200 metre efforts at 4:15 pace with 300 metres walking in between. The first few felt like I should have been going a bit harder and it wasn't until the last two efforts that I really started working (and I increased the speed too). I will do that one again this week a bit faster and will have more time to add at least two more reps.

Saturday night I slept like I haven't done in over a year. I went to bed around 9:30pm and turned off the 6:15am alarm. Then slept through the next alarm at 8:00am and did not wake up until 9:00am. I lay in bed for another 1/2 hour before finally getting up. God it felt good. That meant that I totally screwed up my Sunday long run but I really didn't care!

So on Sunday I went out at 11:30am and ran a good 21km with a solid 4km effort at 4:30 pace at the end. Then at 4:00pm I went out again and did another 14km at 5:00 pace. I felt like I could have kept running for another 1/2 hour at least. Yes the legs were tight and getting a bit sore, but I had no inkling to stop and my breathing was steady and even. 35km all up in just on 3 hours with some good pace running in the mix. I don't think my Gold Coast Marathon chances are totally dead.

New Life

I am now officially divorced

5 weeks until Gold Coast

As the title says, it is 5 weeks until the Gold Coast marathon and it looks like I will be a non-starter. The past 4-5 weeks of training have been nothing short of pathetic. Too many life distractions and an overall feeling of 'just can't be bothered anymore' have left me down and a little depressed.

I got up early on Sunday after another bad night's sleep with the intention of running the Sri Chinmoy half marathon. My plan was a nice easy jog from home to the start (about 3k), run the race, then take the longer loop home for another easy 5k - giving me a total for the day of 21 hard and 8 easy. 2k into the easy jog to the start I stopped and stood there for nearly 5 minutes fighting with myself not to turn around and go home. I just felt so bad and totally lacking any energy or willingness to run. I decided to continue up to the aths track but had also realised that there was no point entering the Half. The wind was ferocious and my poor mental state would lead to a very ugly day out. I also was having trouble reconciling the $65 entry fee for a course I run almost every other day of the week!

Chatted to a couple of CRs prior to the start, then watched the runners go off. Absolutely no regrets not running at all. Slowly jogged back home still feeling terrible.

So, I punished myself by eating almost everything in sight for the rest of the day. I felt fat, lazy and disgusting for not running, so why not load up!!! It was sort of therapeutic in a way and I think it helped me with my motivation later that evening. I re-read sections of a fitness book called "Body for Life" and reaffirmed that I didn't want to turn into a couch potato.

I don't believe that Gold Coast marathon is an option for me now. Certainly the half marathon, but not the full. Nevertheless, I will do a 3+ hour run next Sunday as a 'just in case'. God knows with all the training I did for Six Foot that there must be something left in the legs' memory bank even if I just decided to run it for fun?

So this morning I dragged my fat arse out of bed and did 16km along most of yesterday's course. Glad I did. Also weighed myself and found that I am 60kg. 2kg more that whan I should be and 3-4kg more than what I want to be. Today I have put myself on a much better eating plan following most of the "Body for Life" philosophies. We shall see how the next few weeks pan out.

Where have two weeks gone?

It's Thursday again, but two weeks since I wrote here. I haven't had much time to do anything, let alone run and write about it.

Our house is being auctioned this Saturday at 2pm and I am constantly up and down over whether it will sell and for what price. Our house looks really good, but the Williamstown market is very fickle if you are not in one of the prime streets. Not much more we can do now but wait and see.

I have tried to be a little more consistant with my running this week, but I continue to lack energy and I sometimes think that I am just training to run really badly. Ok, I can churn out a 10k run, but if I am running slowly and feel terrible am I actually doing any good? I haven't been stretching before and after my runs either and now I am noticing the error of my ways. My hamstrings are so tight I can barely bend down. 7 and a bit weeks out from Gold Coast it is not looking good!

11k Monday, no run Tuesday, 16k Wednesday and 10k today. Planning to do the Capital City Trail on Sunday. I have in my head that if I can make it through a 30k run, no matter how slowly, it will mentally help me turn it around. There is always time for speedwork!

Another week gone

Yet another week goes by without any consistancy in my running. I had a good run with some CR people in the Dandenongs on Anzac Day. Lead out by Kevin Cassidy we did two loops from Gran'ts picnic ground. Lovely run.

Last Sunday I dragged myself out of bed after 3 hours sleep because I watched the World Cup cricket to run the 10k Sri Chinmoy at Princes Park. It was pouring with rain in Williamstown when I left, but turned out to be ideal conditions for running. I managed to go around 44:30 and was pretty happy with that. I don't think I could have run any faster on the day. My legs were still a bit heavy from the Dandenongs run.

This week I have spent a bit more time at the gym working on strength and weights. It means I don't run as much but the benefit is that my legs work better and I have less stress on my knees.

Sunday is the Puffing Billy run and I am really looking forward to that. The run back is almost as enjoyable. I believe that this week without running much will probably do me good for Sunday.

I need a routine

My running is like my life at the moment...all over the place with no structure or routine.

Finally our house is on the market. First Open for Inspection is on Saturday, but we have a couple coming through on Thursday night. Thank god for Anzac Day to allow us to finish off the little bits and pieces.

I have started working part-time this week. 10am to 4pm. It seems really slack but I drive an hour to and from work so I need to do this to give me sanity by avoiding the traffic and just being home at a more normal time for the kids. Hopefully it will also mean that I can get into a much better routine everywhere.

Looking forward to a long run tomorrow in the Dandenongs with the CR people. I didn't do a long run on the weekend. 16k on Saturday and 15k on Monday so I need a good hit-out. Still a little stiff in the legs from Maroondah Dam though.

Size 0 in 30 Days

I watched with great interest a show on Channel 10 last night where TV presenter Louise Redknapp - who was voted UK FHM’s Sexiest Woman of the Decade - is usually a size eight, but in 'The Truth About Size Zero' she attempts to get down to a UK size four (US size zero).

On one hand I saw it as almost a "How to" guide for slimming down. Sure there was a Doctor telling Louise she was doing damage to her body, but in the end, she stuck to the programme and 'achieved' a Size 0.

What was confronting and far more educational was her visit to a clinic where girls were being treated for eating disorders. Other celebs were spoken to regarding their problems too. More on this and less on the diet and exercise programme would have been better I think.

Sore!

Oh my god I am sore. I forgot how badly the downhills at Maroondah hurt. I am sitting at my desk at work and I have spasms of pain going down my left leg from my bum to below my knee almost continuously. My left ankle is still very tender from Sunday's fall too. Getting up out of my chair is a struggle!

Went out for a run this morning and was way to ambitious. It should have been an easy 5-8k but I decided to do a 12-15k, but ended up walking after 12k. Very heavy and dead legs. The ankle was tender from halfway too. Probably shouldn't have run at all.

Food intake since the weekend has been pretty good. I need to have bigger breakfasts.

Great Day Out!

Forgive me Blog for I have been slack, it has been 8 days since my last post.

A very up and down week for me. Training was all over the place. On Easter Monday I did 2.5 hours in the Dandenongs and met up with Kevin & Kelvin at the finish. We must have missed each other by just a minute or two at the start. No time to run on Tuesday so the next outing was a 5k crap run around Williamstown on Wednesday which should have been an 8-10k. Just had no energy for anything and walked home. Thursday night I went to the gym and did 6x800 on the treadmill with 200m jog/walk recovery. Very little warm up or warm down because I simply didn't have time. Friday morning I went out very early and did 15k around the Tan and Yarra before heading to work. Again felt like I had no energy but had to mentally clock up a longer run for the week.

I finished the week with a great day out yesterday at the Maroondah Dam 30k. Everything felt good right from the start as I took off and never looked back. I forgot how hard the first 5k is - almost all uphill - as you try to get into a rythmn and keep the HR down because you know there is another 25k to go. I took the strategy of walking early and walking often but really working hard when I was running. HR was pretty high the entire way but that was a great learning experience for me that I can keep the work rate up even when my HR is high. Finished in 3:01.50 which gave me 1st female and 8th overall. WOW!

Bad day

I can't stop crying today. Easter Sunday and I have spent the whole day painting. God I hate this house. I feel like I am suffocating when I am here. I spend more time working here than at my own place. My house is a pig sty and I don't even have any spare time to clean it. Going fucking mental. Will have to take a couple of days off work this week to get everything finished before putting the house on the market next week. I will be divorced before my house is sold...for some reason I find that amusing.

Kids had a fun egg hunt in the back yard this morning. Weather has been stunning but haven't got out in it.

Life has to get better. It can't go on like this. 3 hour run sheduled for tomorrow in the Dandenongs, but I will have to be out the door at 5:30am for a 6:30am start. Not sleeping much these days anyway.

Good Friday

It always seems to be the way...I start off a week really well, then life gets in the way of my running! It is 9:20pm on Good Friday and I haven't been able to get out for a run today or yesterday.

Planning 10-12k tomorrow morning then may do a quick 5k at night. To me there is not much difference between doing two runs in one day vs a night run followed by a morning run the next day. 12 hours is 12 hours!

And another 13k

Lovely run last night around the Tan. 2 laps then and extended 3rd lap down Domain Rd, St Kilda Rd to Fed Square, back along the north side of the river to Morell Bridge and up Anderson St. Excellent!

49k in 4 days. Nice easy week back into training!!

37k in 3 days

Well I have jumped back into training with a vengence (watch me get injured!) after RFTK on Sunday.

Monday night I did an easy 10k around flat Williamstown. It took me 8k just to warm up and stop feeling like crap! Last night I did a good steady 12k with hills around Mt Waverley with Ebo - nice that we can still go for a run together. Starting in Lawrence Rd we went down Regent St and left into Waverley Rd, up to Blackburn Road, left turn and up to Burwood Hwy, left again and along to Stephensons Rd, left again and along Stephensons Rd to Waverley Rd, left again and back down the hill to Regent St, finishing with 200m up Regent St. We covered the first 5k in about 28 minutes (sl0000w) but finished the full 12.1k in 1:02 which included some long hills on Burwood Hwy and Stephensons Rd, so pretty pleased with that.

Signed the divorce form last night and Ebo lodged it with the court today. Had a good cry. Not the way I planned my life but time to move on.

Run for the Kids

What an amazing site to see the thousands of people turn up for an event like this! Perfect conditions too.

A funny run for me today. I felt crap the entire way and had hamstring/glute pain in my left leg almost from the beginning but was able to finish in 1:09.01 by my watch for an average pace of about 4.45 km/hr (based on 14.8km distance). The course had to be short, otherwise I ran the last km in just about 3 minutes!! Very dead and tired legs and was breathing way too hard - but that is probably caused by the cold I have been fighting off.

I have to do more hard running & racing.

I took the dog for a walk last night and I can feel my left ITB starting up again. Maybe I have gone a bit hard this week. Note to self: More stretching!

Big food issues the past 4 days. Trying to get a handle on what I am eating. I know I look a bit better having put on a couple of kgs since Six Foot but I am struggling with it.

Thank god it's friday

Well I didn't get up this morning for spin class. I slept really badly and only woke up at 6:20am (spin starts at 6:15).

Last night's session at the gym though was fantastic. Completed a speed/strength circuit that left me buggered but very happy.

1. Treadmill 3.5k warm up
2. Treadmill 2 minutes at 15 km/h
3. 12 squat/jumps (burpees)
4. 15 chin-ups
5. 15 push-ups
6. 30 ab crunches
7. 24 body weight squats
8. Treadmill 2 minutes at 15 km/h
9. 12 squats with weights
10. 15 elevated leg push-ups
11. 15 bench dips
12. 30 lower back extension
13. 15 lunges on each leg
14. Treadmill 2 minutes at 15 km/h
Repeat steps 2 - 14
Jog or walk warm down

I must look a little crazy at the gym because the treadmills are upstairs on a mezzanine floor and everything else is downstairs and you barely pause for breath between sets! Luckily my gym isn't too busy after 7pm so I usually have free reign on the equipment I need.

Ow it hurts today

This morning was a bit of a struggle. On Monday night I did a good weights session - not too heavy but kept the HR up and did lots of reps. This was my first session since Six Foot Track so I knew I was going to be a bit sore afterwards.

Tuesday morning I had to get out early for a meeting and couldn't run, then at night I got home late from work and it was too dark to go outside so I headed to the gym. The legs were a bit sore but in a good way so I thought I would start off easy on the treadmill and just keep increasing pace - my version of a tempo run. Starting at 10km/hr for the first 10 minutes (easy!) I increased by .5 every 5 minutes - 10.0, 10.0, 10.5, 11.0, 11.5, 12.0, 12.5, 13.0, 13.5 then a 15.0 (15km/hr). Oh the last 10 minutes were ugly but it was good. The legs were already telling me in the walk warm down that I would pay for it tomorrow!

Wednesday morning I woke up sore! The wind was howling and I freely admit that I am a hopeless runner in the wind! Perfect excuse(s) to skip the run and take Harry for a walk instead. Even that hurt for the first 1/2 hour but I am glad I went out. Work dinner meant that I wasn't going to be running Wednesday night either.

Well today I got up at 6:15 after sleeping badly (probably the red wine from last night) and went out for an easy 1/2 hour. What a stunning morning it was! For the first time this year I had 3/4 leggings on and a long-sleeve top (I am scared of the cold as well as the wind!), but ended up taking the l/s top off halfway through. The legs felt very heavy but it was such a beautiful morning for a run I really didn't care. 35mins later I returned home feeling great.

I will do a speed/strength session tonight, a spin class Friday morning then nothing really until Sunday's RFTK. Sort of an odd training week to 'start' with but I know it will all work out for me next week.

Monday 26 March

Well today is when I 'start' training again. I have done bits and pieces since Six Foot but nothing really serious.

Last Thursday I ran 10k easy around Williamstown, Friday was golf (in the heat) so a good 6.5k walk! Saturday a quickish 6km in windy conditions around Williamstown and Sunday a 1 hour steady run around the Tan and along the Yarra.

I will start off the week tonight with a speed/strength session at the gym. I found this programme http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0196.htm about 1 month before the Melbourne Marathon last year and gained so much from the 30-Day Schedule. I now do at least one speed/strength session each week (usually Mondays) then ramp it up a bit more with an extra session and more reps a couple of weeks before I have a race on.

Aiming for Gold Coast in July as long as we get the house on the market and the finances are sorted.

Food

I have been eating well the past few days and I have to admit that I am a little bit pleased with myself because of it. I have made a 'rule' with myself that when I am struggling with food intake and weight issues that I have to write about it. So far so good since I started this up. We shall see how it goes.

A weekend without a long run

What an unusual weekend that I didn't feel like I had to go for a run - especially not a 3 hour one! I sort of missed it but at the same time was glad for the break.

Saturday morning I did a very easy 1 hour run. I was actually feeling a bit stiff and sore from working around the house on Friday so I stopped at 30 mins and did a good 5 minutes of stretching. It didn't make the return leg any easier! On Sunday I did a good steady 10k and actually felt like I was running at a good, quick and sustainable pace (very unusual for me!). I am really working to control my breathing while running at pace.

The rest of the weekend was spent with the kids and working on the house. I went to dinner on Saturday night at a friend's house and we demolished too much wine and vodka. Very happy to see the Blues win the NAB Cup!

Rest? What rest?

I can't rest and do no exercise. Last night I went out for an "easy" 5k just to turn the legs over. Ended up running a bit quicker than I planned any my "easy 5k" finished in 23 minutes. Ooops. I know full well that tonight I will end up at the gym and there is a spin class tomorrow morning.

At work this morning and I have already updated the calendar with my planned runs and rough training schedule leading up to Gold Coast in July 2007.

Goals

I need to have goals. If I don't have them I severely lack motivation. Generally I use races as my goals because that gets me out the door at 5:30am! I will never, ever be fast. That is probably why I choose to run the longer stuff.

In the 4 years I have been running now I have finished
Melbourne Marathon: 2003, 2005, 2006
Gold Coast Marathon: 2004
Canberra Marathon: 2006
Six Foot Track: 2005, 2006

I really need to work on the shorter stuff and get quicker.

I have listed my fairly average PBs on the right as a daily reminder that they severely need improving. 3k, 5k & 10k are the most important now & 21.1k will happen as a happy result. The biggest problem I have is moving out of my comfort zone. I should easily be able to improve these times if I accept the fact that it is going to hurt.

PB Goals
Within the next 12 weeks
3k: 11.45
5k: 20.30
10k: 42.30

I will list my goals for the longer stuff at the beginning of June when I have hit the times listed above.

Six Foot Photos

A couple of good ones.

This one is a the finish.

Diet

I have diet & food issues. I know I have a problem and one of the reasons for starting this blog is to make me accountable.

13 March 2007

I wanted to go for a walk or a run this morning but I slept really badly (again) and couldn't get out of bed when the alarm went off at 5:45am.

Poor Harry - my gorgeous yellow Labrador - needed a short run or a good 1 hour walk this morning.

My legs are still a little stiff from Saturday but nothing too bad. I have decided that I will only go for walks for the rest of the week and not run again until Friday or Saturday, eventhough I know I can. I am sure it is better for me to have a good rest.

I have checked the diary already and I am starting to plan for Gold Coast Marathon now.

12 March 2007

Today I have decided to start a blog. I have thought about doing it before but I always considered it a bit self-indulgent and a waste of time. In my life now I need an outlet so here it goes!

It is Monday evening and I am at home after running my second Six Foot Track on Saturday with a finish time of 5:08. Goal 1 was under 5:15 and goal 2 was under 5:10 so I am very pleased with myself. I can honestly say that I was on pace to go sub-5:00 but I did not have ability to gut out the hard stuff on Black Range. I picked up again with 10k to go and ended up finishing feeling way too good. I could have gone for a run today if I wanted to so I know I didn't work hard enough out there. Maybe it is too easy to be critical of yourself.

Ha! Sitting in front of the TV and Michael Slater on 'Whats Good for You' just said that "marathon runners are a rare breed." Yes we are!

So back to the start...why start a blog now? Life has taken a turn the past year. My husband (Ebo) and I first separated nearly 12 months ago. God I can't believe how time goes. I moved into a new place just before Christmas and we are working at getting our house ready for sale. Kids are 50/50 between home and my place and I am nearly going mental. Oh yeah, and during the year I lost my job, started another in a completely new industry and became an egg doner to a woman who is desperate to have kids (no luck for them yet). Some days I feel like I am drowning in the sheer desperation that my life will never be normal again.

Training for 6FT gave me something to focus on during the past 4-5 months. I am pretty pleased with myself that I got through all the training and then race weekend on my own. I felt very alone at the start and there has been a few flat moments since it is all over, but all that means now is I will have to start planning my next race! I can't afford Canberra in 3 weeks which would be perfect, so I guess Gold Coast here I come.