The Great Brisbane CBD Running Games Begin! *L*

Forcibly dragged myself out of bed this morning after a sincere effort to ignore the two alarms I set for myself, and went and met my friend Kieran for a run. He runs quite a bit quicker than me but was happy enough to slow down to my pace, since he also runs on a monday night, crazy boy (!) even so, we went a little quicker than normal which was probably a good thing - made me push myself.

No idea how far we went in terms of kms, but we went southbank-victoria bridge-accross bridge-city-goodwill bridge-southbank, and it took us 45 minutes. If we were doing 6:00 pace (felt faster than that!) we'd have done about 7km I think. Forgot to use bodyglide this morning too which I'm now paying for *winces* (so easy to forget how much difference it makes!)

As we were running, we came up with a game to amuse ourselves - as anyone who runs the bikepaths around bris will know, there are always heaps of cyclists whizzing past. Early in the morning it seems to be predominantly 'serious' people in matching lycra gear. Now, I'm sure there are lots of very lovely cyclists out there, but there are quite a few that seem to dislike runners (I suppose they think we get in the way or something, even though we always move out of the road to let them by). The game involves dividing the run into 'territories' consisting of 1km zones along the bike path. Then, you say 'good morning' to each cyclist you pass. If they smile you get 1 point, if they grunt, you get 2 points and if they actually say 'morning' back to you, you get 3 points. The winner is the person with the most points by the end of the run. *snorks* It probably sounds a lot more funny in person, but we had a lot of fun trying to get grumpy cyclists to speak! Kieran thinks we should add bonus points if you can get another runner to join your run *L* but I think we might have to wait til I speed up a bit for that to work!

I think my monday runs are going to be quite key in increasing my distances - we're also running on friday, but I think next monday will be the day when we start putting in some effort!

West End 7km in 40:00

Self select run at the west end this morning, comprised of loops of 7km. I opted to do the smallest, as I'm trying to keep my obsession in check and not increase distance by more than 10% a week *LOL* The extra 2k certainly made a difference to the run... nice to push a bit more though. Looking at my calendar, the last four weeks have been better than I thought they were -

Week ending 6/03: 30km
Week ending 13/03: 21km
Week ending 20/03: 30km
Week ending 27/03: 32km

Which is quite a consistent distance, really. Next week I'm doing:

Monday: 5-10km slow run with friends (going to try and go a bit longer with this one, than our usual 5km)
Tuesday: Track (speedwork - 5km?)
Wednesday: Long Run with running group (10-12km?)
Thursday: No running, but PT session in pm
Friday: 5-10km slow run with friends
Saturday: REST (going camping!)
Sunday: REST (going camping!)

So, I'm running four times a week (although three days in a row) - Am wondering if that's a reasonable training plan - might run it past my trainer on thursday. Might not run on friday (muscles usually really, really sore after weights!)

Tesso took some really nice running piccies this morning - though I'm sure I looked stunning after running, all sweaty and redfaced! Clairie managed to have her pic taken whilst airborne which was quite impressive *weg* I'm thinking I might take my camera to the next west end run... as it gets darker and the sun comes up later, the light is really, really nice :)

Great morning, it was :)

Easter 10k in 1:01 :)

So, I can now say I've run my first complete 10km! (save about 20 seconds at a drink stop where I slowed to a walk to avoid getting water up my nose) and I'm feeling very pleased with myself.

Heaps of people came to the run... Kieran and Alexia (who I run with on a monday and friday morning) heaps of faces from the Run Inn, Pat Carroll people and of course a fair few CoolRunners! Got to meet Rith, who was really nice. As usual, everyone was lovely and cheered me on (and I did my best between gasps to do the same for them as they passed me on the return loop!)

When I got there, Clairie announced that she was going to run slow with me in the 10k because of her hammy, bless her. Needless to say, her slow is my fast so I sneakily dropped back at the start - when we lined up, I found myself next to a guy who started running when I did on wednesday nights and so we plodded along together. My watched stopped at about 5km in, so I had no idea how we were going, but we passed a few walkers and a guy running in a full on beige dress shirt and matching shorts! By the 6k mark, my running buddy slowed to a walk and so I went on and started to push myself a bit harder.

I caught up to a couple of girls who are doing the same sorts of 5km times as me at the West End, over took them (LOL, cheap thrill!) and then realised I was closer to the end than I had thought so started geeing myself on. By that point I starting to get a bit more tired, but I knew I was nearly there and kept telling myself that I could do it. As I rounded the last corner, my friends were there, cheering me on and ran the last bit with me again. I focussed on the woman infront and set off on a sprint. Gotta love a glory dash! More yelling and cheering and general barracking, crossed the finish line, scored a chocolate egg and what do you know?

I'd completed my first ever 10km race!

I didn't quite break 60, but I know I can - I think I may have piked out slightly in the first half because I wanted to be sure I had enough juice for the last part. It's a starting point! Gotta have something to improve on! The only bad thing, is that now, instead of asking myself 'can I do 10km?' I'm asking myself, 'Can I do 21km?' LOL. Guess we'll find out in the not too distant future!

Gold Coast Half, Here I come!

10k @ Running Group

Running group last night - did a nice, flat 10km run with two water stops. Nice, comfy pace - once I get into the 'zone' with the rhythym, I'm fine. Looking forward to friday, but also slightly nervous about it - it's like the next milestone!

Bring it on :)

Track (4 x 1km, fastest k=5.12)

I've decided that vitamin C is my friend - took a couple of big doses yesterday and have been feeling much more human today as a result :) The last few days I've just felt so drained... wanted to run but just couldnt find the energy. Yesterday afternoon I even crawled back into bed for a couple of hours in the afternoon! I don't do 'ill' very well - I annoy myself and anyone in the close vicinity. I'm so impatient! *L*

Anyway, all is good now it seems and tonight I went to track. We did 4 x 1km... my times sort of went something like 5:34, 5:37, 5:39 and then finished on 5:12! Mind you, I did have Joan pacing me through them which helped, particularly on the last effort.

I think I go faster on the last part of whatever I run because the end is in sight. Maybe it's also mental conditioning - I still don't trust myself to be able to go faster, earlier - on some level, I'm still expecting myself to conk out before the end... the only way to test the theory is to just to try going faster, earlier I suppose and stop saving it all up til the very end. Everyone keeps telling me that consistency is the key to track.

I have to say, I really like sprinting... There's something really enjoyable about running flat out like that... throwing all your effort into all your muscles, getting them working in unison, pumping away, the excitement of being neck and neck with someone else.... maybe it's just the fact that I seem to be able to go much faster in a shorter sprint than any longer distance. Who knows!

I took my water bottle with me tonight after taking it straight out of the dishwasher, which had just finished it's cycle. I realised during track that it hadnt been rinsed properly when I got a mouthful of detergent flavoured water. Bleurgh! Still, at least my insides are now lemon fresh!

3k run, 2k walk

This afternoon I went for a run around West End/Southbank/City and I got the worst stitch I've ever had. Ever. Normally, if I get a stitch, it goes in one direction and on one side. This one was right accross both sides, from the bottom of my rib cage to my pelvis, on both sides. I was almost sick as a result, but once I slowed to a walk, eventually it calmed down. Having said that, my stomach is still not right this evening and if I twist, it twinges.

I think it was caused by running on a full stomach - I've been eating a ton more carbs since I started running because I'm starving all the time and my body has sort of become used to not having them... so when I eat them now, I feel very full and a bit heavy (in a good way) but it seems to play absolute havoc with my ability to run, if I don't leave a good three hours for them to digest before exercise.

Anyway, enough stitch talk. I'm still feeling generally under the weather (maybe that had something to do with it too) but my sore throat hasnt yet progressed to anything worse, thankfully. Looking forward to the easter 10k in the botanical gardens. It'll be my first official 10km run outside of running group! woo!

roaming in the moaning

No running yesterday or today... had PT last night though, so am in a world of pain today with sore muscles. We've been doing a lot of dead lifting (where you put weights on a bar and hoist it upwards above your knees) which really works your lower back muscles. I can cope with just about everything else being sore but you have no idea how much you use your back muscles until they really hurt. Owww!

In addition to which, I think I'm coming down with the nasties - not good! I've sternly been telling myself I cannot have a cold or flu until after I finish my thesis. It's just not going to happen! I do know that I've currently got noooo energy and my throat is getting sore, but dammit, I'm not going to get sick! Blah! I'm not going to be running til I feel better either :(

Whinge, whinge, whinge, moan, moan, moan!

To end on a positive note, I did get a free five minute massage at PT last night - they've got a new massage therapist and she rocks!

Long Run

Long run with running group tonight. It was Schultzy's birthday so everyone wanted to get back for the cake - so we did an hour run rather than the planned 1:10. Consequently, a lot of them seemed to be speeding up on me, so a few of us sort of hung off the back and went a little bit slower. Maybe they should put regulation cheesecake at the finishing line of every race - seems like runners are all very motivated by their bellies! It'd be PB city!

Now that I've booked and paid for the GC Half, I'm wondering whether I should in fact get a room down there somewhere instead of driving... it's a really early start to be driving from Brisbane and then parking, then catching a shuttle bus. Mind you, with my finances in their current state I shouldnt really be paying for hotel rooms, though maybe I can find people to share with and cut the cost a bit. With all the CRs coming up for the run, I'd love to meet some of them in the flesh - I wonder if there's normally a CR get together before/after the race? I do love a good party! Or at least, dinner/coffee or something!

I'm thinking I need a non-running day tomorrow.... I've got PT in the afternoon but that's weights. I've just realised that I've run ten days out of the last fourteen and the last four of those were in a row *snorks* Could probably do with a recovery day!

Yoga + track

So, Yoga last night was.... interesting *L* Parts of it were very relaxing and hit the spot in terms of stretching the muscles that were so tight - but, other parts were just plain hard and/or painful. We actually did shoulder stands off metal chairs which made all the blood rush to my head and my teeth felt like they were going to pop out of my jaw. Nice. Today, my neck is really sore from some of the movements and I can feel one or two pinched muscles. Maybe I might try a different class somewhere else. I can't believe it was a beginners class and they had us doing full on shoulder stands! Everyone I've spoken to about it since then who've done yoga are all incredulous about it too... mmnn.

Anyway, tonight I went to track... we did three laps warm up (1200m) then we did some strides, then the main part of it was 5 x 800m sprints with 400m jog recovery between each. I'm starting to see why track is so evil, but also so good for making you run better... I didn't quite feel like throwing up as much after tonights session either (always a bonus!) For some reason my last lap is my fastest (maybe because I know I can kill myself on it and I don't have to do it again). Tonights final lap of 800m was 4:40, I think.

I love watching people sprint around the track... I think it's because you can really watch the way they move... someone who runs well is sort of like poetry in motion... graceful and powerful all at the same time. I'm sure I must still look like puffing billy, but hey, one day I won't!

I paid for the Gold Coast Half today, as well as the Lest We Forget Run. So it's all locked in now! No escape! Part of me is a little overwhelmed by it... what have I let myself in for? *L* I'm excited and scared all at the same time.... If I can run a half marathon, that means that I'm then going to have to up the ante for 2006, and we know what that means! I'm still sort of scratching my head over how fast I've managed to get to where I am now. The Run Inners have been reminding me how important it is not to try to rush things - it's just so hard when you know how much better you feel.... but I'm in this for the long haul and I've got years ahead of me to run at all manner of speeds, events and distances :) *rubs hands together in glee* I'm so hooked!

5km morning run + yoga

Thankyou all so much for all the lovely comments I've been getting - I can't tell you how motivating it is to feel that there are people cheering me on! Most of my non-running friends and family just sort of look at me blankly or with a 'you-must-be-insane' expression when I talk about how much I'm enjoying my running or my times etc! I'm loving blogging so much because it's such a chance to do this for other people too, even if most of you are already very well established runners with loads of experience :) So, Thanks Guys! *hugs*

This morning, I met with two friends and we did the same southbank-city-gardens-southbank loop. Lots of fun. It's getting so dark in the mornings now, winter is very definitely on it's way! I like being out at that time to see all the people emerging into the day. Everything seems soft and sort of mutable; without the harsh lines and focal points of the summer... the air smells like damp earth and eucalypt and running seems easier, somehow.

Tonight I'm going to yoga for the first time. I had inadvertantly booked myself in for a PT session today, too, but I rang up and changed it to thursday. I figure training three times in one day would be a little excessive, even for me!

Hope you're all having a great day :)

West End 5km - 27:40! PB!

Wahoo! Today I did the 5km at the West End in 27:40 :)

Happy, happy me! I even managed a bit of a sprint at the end, which was a welcome change. the last couple of times, I've had absolutely nothing left in the last km. This time I found myself wondering when to really start to push (not really wanting to surge too early and then end up having to walk the last bit!) So, since the first time I did the 5km, I've shaved over three minutes off my time!

25 minutes is so close, I can smell it!

Early, early morning run!

I can't believe it, but I actually got up at 4.15am this morning and met a new friend at Southbank to go running! She's also new to running and caught the bug at the IWD run... so we're running along the Lest We Forget 8km loop (although, this morning we chickened out of running under victoria bridge in the dark (as it doesnt really feel that safe in the day, let alone in pitch black!) So instead we ran from south bank, accross the william jolly bridge, down past the casino, did a loop around the botanical gardens and then back accross the goodwill bridge to southbank... it took us half an hour so I'm guestimating it would've been 5km... maybe a bit less.

We've decided to do it twice a week, on mondays and fridays and then add a k a week til we're doing the whole 8km loop. I think it's probably a good idea for me not to jump straight into doing 8km runs as 'short' runs, seeing as wednesdays are currently the longest run I'm doing (11km and counting!) So my routine is currently looking like:

Monday - AM: 5km building up to 8km PM: Personal Training
Tuesday - Track (speedwork)
Wednesday - Long Run (11km building up to 21km)
Thurs - Yoga (organising this at the moment!)
Friday - 5km building to 8km
Sat: Kickbox
Sun : REST DAY!

Sunday is the West End, Yippee! *grins*

11km! Again! *bounces* :)

Well, I didn't hallucinate it the last time, It's true - I can run 11km! Had running group again tonight, we're increasing times by five minutes each week in preparation for the gold coast half! This week was 1:05, next week will be 1:10 and so on til we're covering 20km I guess.

We did a lot of hills tonight which were really hard going but all in all, it was good. I huffed and puffed my way up the hills and then in the last km or so, but I didnt have to walk and all in all my breathing is sooo much easier, it's fab! I'm now starting to feel that if I can keep a steady pace on the flat, I can just keep going. Makes me feel optimistic about being able to do the half - I'll just plod along under my own steam and eventually, I think I might just get there! I even managed a very short sprint on the way back tonight, instead of just wanting to drop down and kiss the pavement!

The other lovely thing that happened was that they heard I cracked the half hour mark for 5km and announced it to everyone during the notices before the run - everyone cheered and clapped and I went bright red and got all embarrassed *grins* That's one of the reasons why I really like the group - they're so supportive and it just doesnt matter if you're doing 5km in 30 minutes or 3 minute ks - we're all in it together! I've even gotten a girl from kickboxing to start coming along and she's enjoying it - and another new aquaintance from the IWD run is going to come and run the 8km Lest We Forget loop with me on friday morning. That's if we can work out where it goes from the map!

Looking forward to the West End on sunday... I can feel a quicker time coming on! I'm not doing another track session tomorrow under orders of Run Inn people - instead I'm probably going to go swimming or for a walk or some such. Then on friday I'll run again, have saturday as non running exercise again and then take on the west end on sunday. Starting to formulate some sort of routine, I think :)

Almost a Technicolour Track Run!

I'm becoming a bit of a running club tart lately - jumping around from one to the next *grins* Tonight I went to the Run Inn Track night and where we ran 600m loops around the track about five or six times, trying to set a consistent fast pace for each set. Hard work and I even felt like I was about to throw up in the car on the way home (not a good sensation to have whilst doing 100 down the freeway!)

I really need some way to record my times - I can't remember mine tonight, except that the last three were something like 3:45, 3:30 and then 3:25, but by that point I'd slowed right down to my usual steady lollop (confused as to why the last one was faster!) I always set out wayyy too fast and then I've got no energy left after the first couple.

I also carry my arms and shoulders really high when I run apparently, so we did some work on me keeping my arms low and relaxed. I know exactly why I do it, too - it's because I've spent so much time on a treadmill in the last couple of years - the safety bar on that is just above waist height and I've been lifting my arms up as I go to avoid cracking my hands on it. Annoying because it's become a subconcious habit that I'm now going to have to break. Oh well, not a big drama at all :)

Well, I think I might go and distract myself and watch some boring television. Still feeling a bit green around the gills!

One Door Closes, Another Opens...

Did a stretch class tonight. Starting to feel a bit less locked up and I'm not sure why (havent really stretched much more than usual) but it's a welcome relief! There were only two of us in the class and so we did a lot of work on core stability - hard work but well worth it.

I had some bad work related news today. I don't know if I've ever mentioned this but I'm an artist by trade and I run my own small business doing everything from photography to graphics and web design. Well, as is the nature of small business, you get your ups and your downs - and looks like the next few months are going to be a bit of a financial down for me, so I'm having to look at ways to tighten my belt a bit until things level out again.

Consequently, I'm not going to be at Pat Carroll training for the time being - am looking at Run Inn training on tues/thurs evenings instead, basically because it's cheaper and there's not the commitment to a set monthly fee. I'm a bit miffed about it because I was enjoying being inspired by my fellow CRs, but I don't really have much of a choice for the time being. I'm still going to come to the 3km time trial every month if I can though! And there's the regular BRRC runs which I wouldnt miss for the world!

I'm trying to look at my work woes as a small blessing in disguise too, because it's also given me a bit of a push to stop procrastinating and just cancel my gym membership, which has in turn, deepened my resolve and commitment to keep running because it'll be my main form of exercise... not that I actually need my resolve or commitment deepened at the moment, I'm absolutely obsessed already!

International Womens Day Fun Run 29:40 (ish!)

Well, I can finally say I've now achieved one of my New Years Resolutions and a goal that's been on my 'TO DO' list for a year. I finally did a fun run!

I got to southbank quite early and there were already thousands of people milling around. It was really interesting to see how much of a variety of runners and walkers there were. I think there were a lot of people there who'd never run before - I saw people running in the most awful shoes - fashion trainers with a slight platform (!!!) and another was running in full length fleecy tracksuit pants in full sun. And it was hot... very, very hot! In a way, it was really nice to see that the absolute beginners outnumbered the seasoned runners quite considerably. And, bonus for me, it meant that this time, I wasnt at the rear of the pack by any means! *grins*

The start was quite chaotic and a lot of the walkers went right to the front, despite being told to go to the rear... there were a fair amount of people elbowing each other out of the way. I bumped into a girl who came to the Run Inn running group once who recognised me and we ran together in the race. We run at a similar level, so it was good fun egging each other on along the way. We passed quite a lot of people (loving that new experience!) and consequently went at a pretty fast pace. It felt faster than my last west end run, but because there were points where the run bottle necked, we all had to slow to a walk about three times and then dodge the walkers, so I'm not surprised I didnt crack my last 5km time. I think walkers are great and should definitely be involved in events and everything, but it drives me nuts that so many walk RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of the track and are completely oblivious to everyone and everything else. It's just rude.

On that note, I also managed to run straight into the back a woman who stopped RIGHT INFRONT of the drink station at the half way mark, too. *grumble* I guess that a few months ago, I wouldnt have known about the general running rules either, but I'd like to think I'd have had the common sense to get a drink and then get out of the way if I wanted to stop!

Oh well, that aside, was a great morning and got lots of free stuff! Donut, anyone? LOL. Wore my CR singlet and kept an eye out for any other CR people but didnt spot many, aside from Eddie *waves* Someone official looking took my photo too and I didn't get a chance to ask where they were from. I wish I had, because I'd really like a copy of it.

I had a really nice morning and the BRRC deserve a big pat on the back for all their hard work. It's a massive event to organise and they did an exceptional job.

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we...

This is so stupid. I'm so excited about the IWD run tomorrow that I can't sleep. I think it may also have something to do with the fact I've had two days off and ate lots of carbs today (am experimenting with letting them back into my diet again because since I've started running, I'm hungry pretty much all the time!)

My last 5km was 28:40 - I'm setting myself the new goal of 26:00 - I'd loveeee to do it in 25:00 but we'll see. Plenty of time to chase that goal, and the one after that and the one after that.... am going to run with a watch this time and see if me looking at my pace along the way might help. I also caved in today and went and bought some bodyglide. Sick of bandaids and a sore chest...

Come on, be tomorrow already!

*bounces impatiently!*

40kg Lat Pull Down!

PT last night was good - I moaned about my sore legs so we did an entire session on upper body (!) The good thing about that is that now my legs feel as if they're fine by comparison! Signed up for another stretch class on monday, too.

I did two sets of 10 reps on 40kg lateral pull down which was quite amusing considering I remember doing 45kg about six months ago in a bit of a comp we had going (won it!) but only being able to do 3 reps! Now, it's heavy, but it's not anywhere near as difficult. We worked on my core muscles, including doing ab crunches with a fit ball between my legs and an 8kg medicine ball in my hands, and bringing the two together to touch in the middle. That one was a new one on me, and particularly evil.

My heels are much, much better (or maybe that's just my newly sore upper body making them seem better) and I want to go out for a run. But I won't. Might do a slow 5km tomorrow or go for a swim... nothing too strenuous. I feel like a hamster who needs a wheel!

Owwwww

This morning I woke up and felt not so good... bit fatigued from doing three days of running ina row (plus kickboxing on tues night and then personal training tonight) I feel full of energy in myself and my mind is willing - but it seems my body is not! My achilles are really tight and quite sore and looking at what I've done over the last two weeks, I've broken the magic 10% rule by quite a bit - did 20km total last week to 33km by the end of this week. Oops. Will try not to run tomorrow or saturday to give everything a chance to settle down.

I found this mornings session really hard... by the end of it I couldnt even manage a slow jog back to the starting point. Clairie (bless her) waited for me to catch up and walked most of the way with me.

I think I really, really need to sit down and work out a proper training program so that I've got structure there, but so I'm not going to overdo things and end up injured. Another major priority is to find a decent Ivengar (sp?) yoga class to sort out my flexibility issues. One of the good points of doing PT is that stretch you out afterwards... and today I really feel like I need it!

8km Run

Running group tonight and the club singlets were back so I have another running top to add to my new found dri-weave-goodness. You won't miss me in it either - day glo yellow and purple! But I don't care - I'm proud of it... it's sort of taken on a symbolic meaning for me. Got my race number through the post for the IWD run this morning too, and feel the same way about that, too. Definitely want to keep it for prosperity. I wonder if other runners keep their race numbers? Have also discovered that running group also run track training groups of an evening, so I think I really need to sit down and work out what I want to do and when. At the moment, I'm a bit (okay, a lot) like a kid in a candy store!

The run was sooo much easier for me tonight. Last time (when we did 11km) we kept pace with the next group up for most of the way and they went quite a lot quicker, but this time round, because there were more of us (and two more people moved up from beginners) we kept a nice steady pace and I finished feeling really strong. I felt like I could even have kept going for a while actually. There's something about falling into a certain rhythym with breathing and steps, I think - a point where it seems to become less of an effort to run. We did a whole hour of running - not sure of the distance, but I asked one of the girls and they reckon we'd have done about 8km or so. Also got a leaflet for the Gold coast marathon shoved my way - there's talk of me doing the half (!!!) I realy don't know if I'll quite be up to that distance by then, but I'm told that if I can get myself up to 16km or so, I should be able to do a half without too much of a problem! The girls tell me they're going to increase the distance we go each week til then anyway, so maybe I will be ready in time.

Anyway, I should take my poor sore legs/stomach (all from kickboxing last night!) to bed - have a bright and early start tomorrow morning!

West End was 28.40 (Woo!)

Running-Related High + Credit Card = Bad Combination

LOL

Yesterday I was on such a high from running that I went out and bought a new running outfit - made out of driweave, which, I'm rapidly discovering is soooo much better than anything cotton for running. For the whole of the last two years of exercise related activity... rowing, kickboxing, PT etc... I've made do with ultra cheapo bonds singlets and bike pants, but since I started running, I've realised exactly how truly revolting it is to sweat copiously in cotton (and after the chafing incident, never again!) So Nike goodness is allll mine. Muahahaha.

Last night I went and did kickbox, but I was a bit buggered from the morning still. May have to swap my classes around or something, or maybe I'll recover better from running as time goes on - my squat front kicks were awful! While I was there, I had a chat with the trainer who was going to do the Triathlon club, but now looks like he isnt going to do it :( dammit :( Nothing to do but wait and see what happens. Either way, I can still train myself up to that standard, whether I end up doing the whole tri or not. Journey, not destination and all that.

Tonight is running group. Second week with the big kids! I think I definitely need a decent watch so I can time myself. I'm contemplating whether to get a heart rate monitor too, but I don't know if I'd use that function or not... time to go and read the relevant threads in CR perhaps, and see what the general consensus is.

Oh, and got the time for my West End Run - 28.40! Sub 30, Baby!!! Now to aim for 25 minutes instead!

Carroll Singing...Gasping...Huffing...Puffing! LOL!

First morning with the Carrollers today... only to discover that it was the bloody 3k time trial not training! LOL! In a way it was probably a good thing that I didn't twig - if I had, I might not have gone til thursday! Saw Tesso and Clairie and we started off on the (2km?) warm up early which was good because it gave me a few minutes to recover before we started the trial.

The first km was okay, but I felt early on like I was going to be really, really slow or that I might have to slow to a walk at some point. Everyone was cheering us (me and a couple of other newbies) as they looped back the way we'd come. The second km was harder and I kept thinking, any minute I'm going to have to slow down, any minute.... but somehow I just grit my teeth and thought, bugger it - if I can run the 5km at the west end, I can do a 3km time trial, even if it does take me twice as long as everyone else. The third km was better because I knew it was the last one. I felt like I could surge a bit, but I wanted to wait til I saw the end to do that so I didnt run out of puff. The last girl who was just behind me, passed me (bugger it! LOL!) but as she went by we ran together for a minute or two and somewhere between gasping and spluttering for breath I managed to say, 'they're flying, arent they?' to which she replied 'yeah, but it's all relative - I feel like we're flying too!' and she was so right... that's one of the things I'm loving about running - the fact that there's such a positive attitude about doing your best and believing in yourself :) Getting good times is only really the icing on the cake!

Speaking of times, I'm happy to say I surprised myself - If I take my usual 6 minute pace for 5km, I was expecting to finish the 3km in about 18 minutes or so, but managed to do it in 15.32! 15.32! Can't believe it! I was last and everything and it was a snails pace compared to everyone else, but I don't care - fifteen-thirty-two! *bounces* On the last km I was thinking to myself, this is going to be shocking....maybe I need to go and get better at the 5km before I get involved with all these scarily fast people... but now I think, well, yes I'm slow but I don't care!

I can only get better!!!