Struggled my way out of bed this morning - thankfully it wasn't unbearably cold, so I managed to extricate myself from the doona without too much trouble!
Because I did the 5km TT yesterday, I had to do my long run today. I saw a whole truckload of familiar faces along the way including Eddie, Runner Bee, half of intraining and one or two others who shouted hello whilst the sun was in my eyes (so I'm sorry if you said hello and I was vague!)
Funny how different the running crowds are on a saturday to a sunday though! The Brissie to Bay Bike rides were also on and lapped through part of the riverside bike path by the gardens. Normally not a problem for me since I've become used to dodging bikes and hearing them approach - but this ride was *full* of kids and people who obviously never get on their bikes normally - they didn't yell out on approach and were weaving precariously across both lanes and at stupid speeds. They didn't care about give way signs or slow down signs or pay much attention to the occasional marshall I saw, either. Infact, I got quite shitty after almost having to jump in the river to avoid colliding with another zigzagging yuppy on a shopper bike and was just waiting for the accident to happen. Sure enough, not three minutes later, I round the corner and there is the stupid woman, sprawled out underneath her bike on the ground after colliding with another bike.
One or two other riders stopped to pick her up and dust her off so I didn't stop but it made me more worried for the hundreds of kids riding their bikes on the path too. On the whole they seemed to be better behaved than the adults, but it was bedlam and I would be very surprised if there weren't a whole lot more serious stacks on the course.
Anyway, enough of a rant about that - at least the occasional arsey 'proper' bikers can generally ride straight and at a reasonable pace - and don't almost knock you into the drink!
The rest of my run was great - no more bonking and having to walk at 25km (It still makes me giggle to use that expression: it means entirely different things in the UK to Aus) I had about four drink stops all up and stopped to stretch briefly on one of those but overall, I felt heaps better than the last time I did that run... once I get into my rhythym, I'm fine :)
Incidentally, can any of the lovely brissie bloggers tell me how to extend a run past brekkie creek? I end up at the end of a bikepath in a small park on the riverside of the road - do you cross the road somewhere to carry on down towards the gateway bridge? I have to do 3:30 after Doomben and want to try and go a little further on my usual route! Ta!
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Saturday, May 27, 2006
5km TT - 25:50 again!
Woke up this morning and was about to head to the regatta when I realised that this morning was actually the 5km TT instead, with a long run tomorrow. For some reason, I thought it started at 6am, when really it starts at 6.30am and bombed it from my place to Shorncliffe in record time (30 minutes from the south side! LOL!)
In my haste, I forgot my fuel belt or I would probably have continued my long run so I could sleep in tomorrow morning. Instead I'll have to do 3 hours tomorrow. I hate rushing to get ready and get to places - puts me off kilter. Anyway, at least I made it and half an hour early at that!
Lined up with Sam, Tracey and everyone else. My butt is still chronically sore from PT on thursday and my gazelle-feeling from wednesday was gone, so I decided just to run at a quick but sustainable pace and see how I went. Was bang on at 12:30 on the turn around, but slowed a little on the return, meaning I came through the line in exactly my last PB from a few months back. Grrr! Arggh! LOL!
I spent a few moments berating myself for not pushing a tiny bit harder (because I probably could've) and getting a new PB, but then I realised that last time I ran that time, I had to hang off Angie's butt the whole way and by the time I hit the finish, I sincerely felt like I was going to die. This time, I ran how I felt and it was nowhere near as painful as the last time. I really need to find someone to hang off who wants to run 24:something ;)
So, I may not have improved my time, but it felt better - and I felt like my form has improved too. Like Cirque, I've been concentrating on lifting my chin a little, as well as lengthening my stride and keeping my shoulders/arms down to open my chest.
Tracey did a PB as did quite a few of the gals. Yay, us!
Looking forward to the Queensland Half immensely. Got a lovely email from Tanky, who offered to pace me on my 2 hour attempt :) So nice of her - have decided that since I'm sort of a woman on a mission with this whole 2 hour mark, I want to do it solo - but just you lot wait until I do finally manage to crack it - you're all on my 1:55 pacer list for sure! (if you're willing of course ;)
After the TT, went to the gym for a good stretch. My butt is soooo sore. Lunges should be band! Then I headed into the sauna to warm up. My gym membership is worth every penny in this colder weather - the sauna is the BEST way to get the chill out of your body after an early morning :) I think a repeat performance may be due tomorrow after my 3:00 hour run! I know it's not great for muscle recovery, but it's sooo good to be warm!
In my haste, I forgot my fuel belt or I would probably have continued my long run so I could sleep in tomorrow morning. Instead I'll have to do 3 hours tomorrow. I hate rushing to get ready and get to places - puts me off kilter. Anyway, at least I made it and half an hour early at that!
Lined up with Sam, Tracey and everyone else. My butt is still chronically sore from PT on thursday and my gazelle-feeling from wednesday was gone, so I decided just to run at a quick but sustainable pace and see how I went. Was bang on at 12:30 on the turn around, but slowed a little on the return, meaning I came through the line in exactly my last PB from a few months back. Grrr! Arggh! LOL!
I spent a few moments berating myself for not pushing a tiny bit harder (because I probably could've) and getting a new PB, but then I realised that last time I ran that time, I had to hang off Angie's butt the whole way and by the time I hit the finish, I sincerely felt like I was going to die. This time, I ran how I felt and it was nowhere near as painful as the last time. I really need to find someone to hang off who wants to run 24:something ;)
So, I may not have improved my time, but it felt better - and I felt like my form has improved too. Like Cirque, I've been concentrating on lifting my chin a little, as well as lengthening my stride and keeping my shoulders/arms down to open my chest.
Tracey did a PB as did quite a few of the gals. Yay, us!
Looking forward to the Queensland Half immensely. Got a lovely email from Tanky, who offered to pace me on my 2 hour attempt :) So nice of her - have decided that since I'm sort of a woman on a mission with this whole 2 hour mark, I want to do it solo - but just you lot wait until I do finally manage to crack it - you're all on my 1:55 pacer list for sure! (if you're willing of course ;)
After the TT, went to the gym for a good stretch. My butt is soooo sore. Lunges should be band! Then I headed into the sauna to warm up. My gym membership is worth every penny in this colder weather - the sauna is the BEST way to get the chill out of your body after an early morning :) I think a repeat performance may be due tomorrow after my 3:00 hour run! I know it's not great for muscle recovery, but it's sooo good to be warm!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Crap Track but Fabulous Run!
Morning, my fellow lovely bloggers! I seem to be full of the joys of spring today :)
Monday, I decided I'd earnt a rest day after a big weekend and so I skipped my swim. It was also due to the fact that I'm currently snowed under at work!
Tuesday, I ventured back to track. Felt fantastic, but as soon as I started strides, I knew my body wasn't so keen - my left hammy was wound so tight it wasn't pleasant. It didn't hurt exactly, but it meant that I kept veering to the left and getting in front of the girls next to me. You'd think this would be an advantage at track where you're going round and round and round - but alas, not! I ended up doing one set and then calling it a night. I considered carrying on despite the hammy, but Phil told me he'd shout at me if I did, so I didn't *L*
Last night I went to do my medium long run with the group. I still felt bloody fantastic and despite some reservations on how my hammy would go, I had the best run there that I've had in ages. I didn't run at the back, I didn't fall off the back - infact, I stayed right at the front for the entire run and then felt I could've carried on afterwards!
I do love runs like that - everything comes together, breathing is great, lots of energy and body following through. I came home on such a high... I don't want to tempt fate but I feel a little like everything is starting to come together :) It's like peaks and troughs - you have a few weeks of feeling awful, then your body just adjusts and you feel great. I think I've finally shaken off the bug that was making me feel run down and am now buzzing.
This morning I had a PT session which was hard but I still feel fantastic. My mind feels clear and the GCM is on it's way. Phil jiggled the last few weeks of my program around, so now I'm looking towards a 5km TT on the weekend, 3:00 run on the weekend - the next week is Doomben Half and then there's a 20 mile BRRC meet (where I'll add on the extra to make it 3:30) then I'm almost on a taper!
WoOhoO!
Monday, I decided I'd earnt a rest day after a big weekend and so I skipped my swim. It was also due to the fact that I'm currently snowed under at work!
Tuesday, I ventured back to track. Felt fantastic, but as soon as I started strides, I knew my body wasn't so keen - my left hammy was wound so tight it wasn't pleasant. It didn't hurt exactly, but it meant that I kept veering to the left and getting in front of the girls next to me. You'd think this would be an advantage at track where you're going round and round and round - but alas, not! I ended up doing one set and then calling it a night. I considered carrying on despite the hammy, but Phil told me he'd shout at me if I did, so I didn't *L*
Last night I went to do my medium long run with the group. I still felt bloody fantastic and despite some reservations on how my hammy would go, I had the best run there that I've had in ages. I didn't run at the back, I didn't fall off the back - infact, I stayed right at the front for the entire run and then felt I could've carried on afterwards!
I do love runs like that - everything comes together, breathing is great, lots of energy and body following through. I came home on such a high... I don't want to tempt fate but I feel a little like everything is starting to come together :) It's like peaks and troughs - you have a few weeks of feeling awful, then your body just adjusts and you feel great. I think I've finally shaken off the bug that was making me feel run down and am now buzzing.
This morning I had a PT session which was hard but I still feel fantastic. My mind feels clear and the GCM is on it's way. Phil jiggled the last few weeks of my program around, so now I'm looking towards a 5km TT on the weekend, 3:00 run on the weekend - the next week is Doomben Half and then there's a 20 mile BRRC meet (where I'll add on the extra to make it 3:30) then I'm almost on a taper!
WoOhoO!
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Warwick Pentathrun
I feel like I've lived three weeks in two days! Another huge race report coming up, sorry!
Friday night
Left work at 3pm on friday feeling like absolute crap. The bug that I've been fighting for a few days came back with a vengeance and I felt hot and cold, fatigued and headachey. By the time I arrived, I almost felt like heading for home!
It was around 5pm when I got to Warwick and no one else was around so I headed to a nearby cafe. Had a drink and read for a while. Then got jeered at and followed back up the street by some scary looking teenage boys, so I hopped back in my car and sent a few text messages to see how everyone was progressing. Thankfully, Tess was just across the street and so I headed into the pub with them for dinner.
Cirque was picking up Jen and The Owl from the airport and arrived shortly after, closely followed by Miners. A great evening of catching up with loads of CRs ensued - so many it's impossible to remember everyone, but there must've been at least 20 of us! Saw Vegie Girl again which was lovely, and Iron Bee, who I've met previously but was the first chance I've had to sit down and have a decent chat with him. After learning all about why he wears a bee costume (raising awareness about diabetes) I'm really inspired. I'm just about the only person in my family who doesn't have diabetes, so it's a cause close to my heart too.
Turned in at about 9.30pm and hopped into bed. Had my usual pre-race dream where I'm late for the starting line. I don't know why I dreamt it this time round - I wasn't even in 'race-mode' for the weekend! Training runs, all of them! LOL! I had paid for all of saturday events and was undecided about sunday, what with the nasty cold.
Saturday Morning: The Half Marathon: 2:05
Woke up to a chorus of alarms and got dressed ready for the half. Still felt yuck, but mildly better than the night before. Lucky for us, the half left from outside the motel, so we were perfectly placed to roll out of bed and onto the start line.
Despite my intention of not wearing a watch, I did end up wearing one - mostly because I wasn't sure if they'd have a clock and I wanted to see the end time (just not the km times!) It was pretty chilly when we started out - thanks for the gloves idea, Tess! You ROCK!
The course was incredibly pretty - misty rolling hills, mountainous backdrop, wide open space and fresh air. The bonus about doing Glasshouse 30k the weekend before was that it meant the hills in the half looked like bumps *LOL* Set out at a comfortable pace and just stuck with it. When I get comfortable and get into a rhythym, I feel like I can keep chugging along for a long time - it's what everyone calls their marathon pace I guess - I just can't seem to speed it up much for a shorter distance!
The km markers were great - really clear and easy to spot from a long way off. I knocked them off one after another. Between 11-14km my stomach decided to start messing around and I started looking for suitable bushes to duck behind. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately for those behind me!) there were no decent bushes in sight, so I managed to hold on til the finish. It did however mean that as I hit about 17km I needed a slight walk break up a hill (which also happened to be when the car load of CR cheersquadders flew by, dammit!) but bit by bit, I ran down the rest and came through the finish in 2:05. Two minutes quicker than Brisbane so I'm moving in the right direction again, hurrah!
As soon as I got through the chute, I bolted for the toilet. It was highly unattractive and slightly flooded (I think the cistern had been leaking) but I had reached the point of no return! Thankfully, it wasn't until afterwards, when I flushed it, that I realised a massive frog had been sitting under the rim the entire time - ewwww! (I bet that's what it had been saying, too! poor thing! LOL!)
Event 2: Cross Country 4.8km: 28:00?
After the half, we headed back to the motel for showers, threw on clean running gear, grabbed some lunch and then off to the next race. I caught a lift with Schultzy and Geoff which was fab because I had no idea where I was going! When we arrived, I also got my first glimpse of a certain gorgeous little CR baby belonging to our very own Shane and Cassie. Sam is sooooo beautiful - I bet the two of them didn't get a minute to themselves amongst all those adoring CR aunties! (cluck, cluck, cluck!)
The cross country took place at an equestrian centre and featured grass, hills, horse jumps and more. I was pulling splinters out of my bum at the end! Literally! My legs were tired from the half still, so Jen and I tootled around. It was pretty dusty and hot by then. Hopped across the line gratefully!
Event 3: 5km Road Race 43:00?
The 5km took place at the local industrial area, beginning at the Big W distribution centre. This would have to have been my absolute favourite race, mostly because I got to run it with Cirque, Jen and the Owl. Poor Cirque wasn't feeling too well either and ran the whole race pausing regularly to almost vomit. Cirque, you are an absolute legend for running the race - I would've pulled out after 500m!!!
Other hilights included watching Miners wear the big girls blouse for the entire race and reuniting a poor little girl, crying her eyes out, with her Dad. The finish was accomplished with loud singing of 'Chariots of Fire' and 'She'll be coming round the mountain...' lots of clapping, laughing and cheering all round. Fabulous.
Saturday Night Dinner
By the time saturday night dinner came around, we were all feeling the events of the day. My legs started to stiffen up, but I decided to run the sunday events as well. Afterall, it seemed rude not to, considering I'd already done three!
The dinner took place in the hall at the aquatic centre. They played the video of the races and Iron Bee did a guest speaker spot. Then we had presentations - I got second in my age group for the half marathon (*snorks* more twenty somethings obviously need to be running the half! Or actually, not - I like getting bling!) The medal is funky - silver and hot pink!
Our table cleaned up, actually - the Cirquelets got medals for every race and so did Kate (a woman I met on the bus who was there all on her own, who we then adopted for the evening) so there was bling all round! It was great knowing so many of the medalists - much cheering and stomping of feet was had!
Dinner was great - the food was amazing for the price! But I think we were all desparate to fall into bed when it finished. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow!
Sunday Morning, Event 4 - 10km Ascent 1:17?
Jen, Owly and myself got together with Vegie and ran the 10km as a group. I must admit, I was questioning the sanity of my decision to do five races by that point. When I woke up, my legs weren't as sore as the night before, which was good but I felt tired.
We set off at a comfortable pace, with the finish car right behind us. The first part was quite good - undulating. Then when we got to 5 or 6km, true to form, the nasty great big hill started. It immediately reminded me of mount cootha - so that will be a definite training strategy for next year!
After a while, we decided that walk-run-walk-run was a far more sensible approach so started picking off landmarks for each stretch. It seemed to work and we chugged our way upwards, stopping for drinks on the way.
Reached the finish line to another loud chorus of 'She'll be coming round the mountain...' which definitely seemed more apt! Cirque was also standing 200m up from the line, cheering us on which was lovely!
Event 5: 1500m Dash 7:33
I really surprised myself with this one - a 1500m dash up the high street and back. I started out conservatively because I thought my legs would give out. Weirdly though, I managed to run at 5:00 pace and crossed the line in 7:30!
I felt better after the last race and 42.2km than I did after the initial half marathon! When I sit down and add my times up, I think I did the 42.2km in around 4:30 which is fab. I think I could probably shave some off that yet, although it's different doing it over two days than in one hit. Not sure which is the most taxing!
I also realised this weekend that realistically, my gold coast time is going to sit around that mark anyway - if I struggle to get sub 2 for a half, then 4:30 or so is probably the optimum time for me. I'm quite happy with that for now. Years to come in which to improve that marathon time, anyway - as I start to look past the Gold Coast at other events, the less pressure I feel about it. Though, the nerves are always going to be there!
----
Doubtless, I've forgotten tons of stuff - The Owl misplacing her coffee cup in the motel room for one and Jens WTF hat ;) I really enjoyed the weekend and I'll be back! Can't wait for the photos! Thanks all the Warwickers for making it a great weekend!
Go, Team CR!!!
Friday night
Left work at 3pm on friday feeling like absolute crap. The bug that I've been fighting for a few days came back with a vengeance and I felt hot and cold, fatigued and headachey. By the time I arrived, I almost felt like heading for home!
It was around 5pm when I got to Warwick and no one else was around so I headed to a nearby cafe. Had a drink and read for a while. Then got jeered at and followed back up the street by some scary looking teenage boys, so I hopped back in my car and sent a few text messages to see how everyone was progressing. Thankfully, Tess was just across the street and so I headed into the pub with them for dinner.
Cirque was picking up Jen and The Owl from the airport and arrived shortly after, closely followed by Miners. A great evening of catching up with loads of CRs ensued - so many it's impossible to remember everyone, but there must've been at least 20 of us! Saw Vegie Girl again which was lovely, and Iron Bee, who I've met previously but was the first chance I've had to sit down and have a decent chat with him. After learning all about why he wears a bee costume (raising awareness about diabetes) I'm really inspired. I'm just about the only person in my family who doesn't have diabetes, so it's a cause close to my heart too.
Turned in at about 9.30pm and hopped into bed. Had my usual pre-race dream where I'm late for the starting line. I don't know why I dreamt it this time round - I wasn't even in 'race-mode' for the weekend! Training runs, all of them! LOL! I had paid for all of saturday events and was undecided about sunday, what with the nasty cold.
Saturday Morning: The Half Marathon: 2:05
Woke up to a chorus of alarms and got dressed ready for the half. Still felt yuck, but mildly better than the night before. Lucky for us, the half left from outside the motel, so we were perfectly placed to roll out of bed and onto the start line.
Despite my intention of not wearing a watch, I did end up wearing one - mostly because I wasn't sure if they'd have a clock and I wanted to see the end time (just not the km times!) It was pretty chilly when we started out - thanks for the gloves idea, Tess! You ROCK!
The course was incredibly pretty - misty rolling hills, mountainous backdrop, wide open space and fresh air. The bonus about doing Glasshouse 30k the weekend before was that it meant the hills in the half looked like bumps *LOL* Set out at a comfortable pace and just stuck with it. When I get comfortable and get into a rhythym, I feel like I can keep chugging along for a long time - it's what everyone calls their marathon pace I guess - I just can't seem to speed it up much for a shorter distance!
The km markers were great - really clear and easy to spot from a long way off. I knocked them off one after another. Between 11-14km my stomach decided to start messing around and I started looking for suitable bushes to duck behind. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately for those behind me!) there were no decent bushes in sight, so I managed to hold on til the finish. It did however mean that as I hit about 17km I needed a slight walk break up a hill (which also happened to be when the car load of CR cheersquadders flew by, dammit!) but bit by bit, I ran down the rest and came through the finish in 2:05. Two minutes quicker than Brisbane so I'm moving in the right direction again, hurrah!
As soon as I got through the chute, I bolted for the toilet. It was highly unattractive and slightly flooded (I think the cistern had been leaking) but I had reached the point of no return! Thankfully, it wasn't until afterwards, when I flushed it, that I realised a massive frog had been sitting under the rim the entire time - ewwww! (I bet that's what it had been saying, too! poor thing! LOL!)
Event 2: Cross Country 4.8km: 28:00?
After the half, we headed back to the motel for showers, threw on clean running gear, grabbed some lunch and then off to the next race. I caught a lift with Schultzy and Geoff which was fab because I had no idea where I was going! When we arrived, I also got my first glimpse of a certain gorgeous little CR baby belonging to our very own Shane and Cassie. Sam is sooooo beautiful - I bet the two of them didn't get a minute to themselves amongst all those adoring CR aunties! (cluck, cluck, cluck!)
The cross country took place at an equestrian centre and featured grass, hills, horse jumps and more. I was pulling splinters out of my bum at the end! Literally! My legs were tired from the half still, so Jen and I tootled around. It was pretty dusty and hot by then. Hopped across the line gratefully!
Event 3: 5km Road Race 43:00?
The 5km took place at the local industrial area, beginning at the Big W distribution centre. This would have to have been my absolute favourite race, mostly because I got to run it with Cirque, Jen and the Owl. Poor Cirque wasn't feeling too well either and ran the whole race pausing regularly to almost vomit. Cirque, you are an absolute legend for running the race - I would've pulled out after 500m!!!
Other hilights included watching Miners wear the big girls blouse for the entire race and reuniting a poor little girl, crying her eyes out, with her Dad. The finish was accomplished with loud singing of 'Chariots of Fire' and 'She'll be coming round the mountain...' lots of clapping, laughing and cheering all round. Fabulous.
Saturday Night Dinner
By the time saturday night dinner came around, we were all feeling the events of the day. My legs started to stiffen up, but I decided to run the sunday events as well. Afterall, it seemed rude not to, considering I'd already done three!
The dinner took place in the hall at the aquatic centre. They played the video of the races and Iron Bee did a guest speaker spot. Then we had presentations - I got second in my age group for the half marathon (*snorks* more twenty somethings obviously need to be running the half! Or actually, not - I like getting bling!) The medal is funky - silver and hot pink!
Our table cleaned up, actually - the Cirquelets got medals for every race and so did Kate (a woman I met on the bus who was there all on her own, who we then adopted for the evening) so there was bling all round! It was great knowing so many of the medalists - much cheering and stomping of feet was had!
Dinner was great - the food was amazing for the price! But I think we were all desparate to fall into bed when it finished. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow!
Sunday Morning, Event 4 - 10km Ascent 1:17?
Jen, Owly and myself got together with Vegie and ran the 10km as a group. I must admit, I was questioning the sanity of my decision to do five races by that point. When I woke up, my legs weren't as sore as the night before, which was good but I felt tired.
We set off at a comfortable pace, with the finish car right behind us. The first part was quite good - undulating. Then when we got to 5 or 6km, true to form, the nasty great big hill started. It immediately reminded me of mount cootha - so that will be a definite training strategy for next year!
After a while, we decided that walk-run-walk-run was a far more sensible approach so started picking off landmarks for each stretch. It seemed to work and we chugged our way upwards, stopping for drinks on the way.
Reached the finish line to another loud chorus of 'She'll be coming round the mountain...' which definitely seemed more apt! Cirque was also standing 200m up from the line, cheering us on which was lovely!
Event 5: 1500m Dash 7:33
I really surprised myself with this one - a 1500m dash up the high street and back. I started out conservatively because I thought my legs would give out. Weirdly though, I managed to run at 5:00 pace and crossed the line in 7:30!
I felt better after the last race and 42.2km than I did after the initial half marathon! When I sit down and add my times up, I think I did the 42.2km in around 4:30 which is fab. I think I could probably shave some off that yet, although it's different doing it over two days than in one hit. Not sure which is the most taxing!
I also realised this weekend that realistically, my gold coast time is going to sit around that mark anyway - if I struggle to get sub 2 for a half, then 4:30 or so is probably the optimum time for me. I'm quite happy with that for now. Years to come in which to improve that marathon time, anyway - as I start to look past the Gold Coast at other events, the less pressure I feel about it. Though, the nerves are always going to be there!
----
Doubtless, I've forgotten tons of stuff - The Owl misplacing her coffee cup in the motel room for one and Jens WTF hat ;) I really enjoyed the weekend and I'll be back! Can't wait for the photos! Thanks all the Warwickers for making it a great weekend!
Go, Team CR!!!
Friday, May 19, 2006
Giant Green Asteroid!
Went to track on tuesday night and limped my way through the session - who would've thought a stupid little blister between your toes would be so painful? (I even resorted to taping a corn pad between my toes the next day!)
Track was quite gentle because most of us had done Glasshouse. Suzannah had even run 12km the next day! (mind you, it turns out that the girl runs 100km weeks!) We did about four sets of five laps at 70%. As we were standing recovering from one of them, all of a sudden this bright green flare passed overhead. At first I thought it was a firework gone awry, but it was silent. That's when we realised it was an asteroid - later confirmed by the evening news!
Apparently, people kept phoning the observatories because it was so bright! I'd never seen one so close before... it seemed like it landed quite close. A few years ago, a friend showed me an asteroid she'd found - they're really strange things - very heavy lumps of metal, covered in small bumps that look like warts. They're really cold too and perfectly round. Hah, X files, eat your heart out - come to track!
I missed the wednesday run because of work :( In my absence, I also got nominated as captain of our trivia team because 'I wasn't there to argue' LOL. I don't think they realise I'm crap at trivia LOL!
Aside from that, I've also got a nasty cold which I've been fighting with my usual mega doses of vitamin C. I'm working this afternoon until 3pm then heading down to Warwick (yaaayyyyy!) so I'm hoping I feel slightly more human by tomorrow :( Fingers crossed!
Track was quite gentle because most of us had done Glasshouse. Suzannah had even run 12km the next day! (mind you, it turns out that the girl runs 100km weeks!) We did about four sets of five laps at 70%. As we were standing recovering from one of them, all of a sudden this bright green flare passed overhead. At first I thought it was a firework gone awry, but it was silent. That's when we realised it was an asteroid - later confirmed by the evening news!
Apparently, people kept phoning the observatories because it was so bright! I'd never seen one so close before... it seemed like it landed quite close. A few years ago, a friend showed me an asteroid she'd found - they're really strange things - very heavy lumps of metal, covered in small bumps that look like warts. They're really cold too and perfectly round. Hah, X files, eat your heart out - come to track!
I missed the wednesday run because of work :( In my absence, I also got nominated as captain of our trivia team because 'I wasn't there to argue' LOL. I don't think they realise I'm crap at trivia LOL!
Aside from that, I've also got a nasty cold which I've been fighting with my usual mega doses of vitamin C. I'm working this afternoon until 3pm then heading down to Warwick (yaaayyyyy!) so I'm hoping I feel slightly more human by tomorrow :( Fingers crossed!
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
blisters, pictures and weight loss
This is one of the 'orange wall' piccies ;) I really want the high resolution copy so I can get it blown up. Everytime I look at it I grin stupidly ;)I have the biggest, most painful blister from the weekend. It covers almost my entire little toe and goes between my toes. I've got two bandaids on it and I'm still limping! I'm hoping my trainers are a bit more comfortable than my work shoes but we'll see! Except for my nasty blister, I'm not as sore as I thought I would be actually. My hips ache a bit when I first stand up, but it's bearable. I went for a recovery swim last night which helped matters too.
Tonight is track and I don't know quite how I'm going to go, but we shall see! If I pick up okay, doing every event on the weekend is starting to look appealing (at the moment, I've just entered the saturday runs) I now have to go to a work function friday evening, so I'm debating whether to drive down late or just go saturday morning.
Weight loss continues - another half a kg gone :) yay! The diet is going okay, although I've been avoiding the protein shakes *grins* am still working on 3L of water a day though (do you think diet coke counts? *wicked grin* shhhh!
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Glasshouse 30km!
I hardly know where to start with this race report! Here goes!
Got up at 3.30am and drove to Ronnie's to meet her and Sam so we could carpool. Makes the trip to races much more fun! Headed up the freeway to Beerwah and just as we got into the area, we got overtaken by a speeding Aasics van containing Phil, Di, Angie and co. It was quite lucky really since we had no real idea where we were going and we managed to follow them the rest of the way. Mind you, Phil got us lost once anyway, but we won't talk about that ;)
We arrived at the last decent loo stop aka lookout toilets before the race. It was just too early, so we all looked at the view out across the mountains as the sun rose through the mist. It is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, that's for sure. Really took my breath away and I wished I'd taken my camera! Sometimes it's nice not to though - it's as if the special moments like that, shared between a few, link you all together.
Arrived at the start and really didn't want to get out of the car. It was sooo cold! Saw CRs Veggie Girl and Davo who had been there for hours already. They were all rugged up in blankets and we had a good chat waiting for the start. Saw a lot of friendly faces which was nice and went some way to calming my nerves. Suzannah (from track) came which was lovely. It ended up being me, suzannah, angie, schultzy, phil and stu all running in our bright orange shirts as a group.
Before I knew it, we were off. Nice easy pace and a gentle up and down lulled me into a false sense of security before we turned off into the bush and down the side of the mountain. My first thought was OMG - how on earth am I going to manage 30km of this? We had to slow to a walk and carefully hop down the hillside which, like a lot of the trail, was bumpy uneven 4WD tracks, with a coating of loose dust and gravel which made it even more dangerous. I nearly went arse over tit multiple times in the first 2km, but somehow managed to stay upright (thankyou core strength exercises!)
My nose started to run and continued until the end. I spent the whole 30km continuously blowing my nose - I think I must've had hayfever or was allergic to something in the air. It was incredible *L* At least it was a distraction from my feet! We tootled along at the back and before long, arrived at the first checkpoint. I was cautiously optimistic at this point, feeling pretty strong. Perhaps it was the coldness of the start or the just the ever changing sorroundings and obstacles, but it passed by quite quickly. We grabbed some water, lollies and endura and carried on. A lot of the trail has blurred into a continuous stretch in my mind already!
For some reason, there was a huge amount of fairly deep sand along the trails. It was like running on the beach in parts! I don't know if they were just filling some of the potholes or not but it made for hard going and Schultzy remarked that it was like running at Surfers Paradise, renaming it 'Runners Paradise' (I thought it was more like Runners Hell, but what can you do?) We bobbed around as a group, running with different people at various times. I surprised myself by staying around the middle and front for a lot of the way. We walked a lot of the hills which was fine by me!
The next checkpoint was situated at the top of the biggest frigging hill I think I have ever seen. All potholed and lose gravel, too. The marshalls at the top must've had such a great view of us all chugging our way up the side of this awful, awful thing. Got to the top and drank about four straight cups of water and endura, ate more lollies and then off we went again.
By the time we got to the powerlines section, I was starting to feel it. This consisted of an array of steep rock faces, much of which we had to clamber up on hands and feet. It seemed to go up for ever and between gasps I told Phil I hated him *L* Obviously, it's a love-hate relationship like all good coaches. Needless to say, it was hard going and by the time we hit the top, I had so much sweat in my eyes I couldn't see properly!
I can't remember if it was before or after this that we also came across the most gorgeous view. We're so lucky to live in this part of the world. It was just stunning and I felt really priveleged to be able to be there to see it. How many people never bother to go further than ten minutes down the road, or even anywhere they can't get to by car? There are so many beautiful things out there just waiting to be discovered and all it takes is the effort to go looking.
We started to pass people and I continued to feel really good, even pulling ahead a tiny bit at times, with Phil wisely reigning me in. I didn't start seriously struggling until we literally had about 1km to go (by which time we'd technically already done 30km, since the course is actually 31.1km!) then despite the first and only serious bout of prodding from Phil, found myself walking up the hill. If I'd known exactly how close I really was, I may have been able to run the whole last bit, but I guess I was still trying to conserve some energy to see me to the finish. That part is all mental and something I'm going to have to continue working on.
We rounded the corner and there was the finish line! I couldn't believe it actually... I kept expecting myself to have another serious blow up and end up walking vast sections of the course, but it didn't. Which was so nice, because it renewed my faith in all this training I've been doing and my progress so far.
I think my favourite part of the race was running towards the finish line, side by side with each other - a wall of orange singlets. We could see everyone dashing for their cameras and I think they'll be some lovely piccies from it. We crossed the line in 4:01. Running as a group was sooooo good and helped so much. I'm so lucky to have such lovely running friends - not just the people who ran with me today, but all of you guys too. The support is just so fab.
All up, I think I surprised myself today. What a difference a couple of weeks can make. Once I find my pace and trust myself, I can do this stuff. I've discovered I really like trail running. I like the variety of it, the constant changing of the landscape and the path - the different obstacles along the way. It was, all in all, a great run :)
Hooray! Look out Warwick, here we come!
Got up at 3.30am and drove to Ronnie's to meet her and Sam so we could carpool. Makes the trip to races much more fun! Headed up the freeway to Beerwah and just as we got into the area, we got overtaken by a speeding Aasics van containing Phil, Di, Angie and co. It was quite lucky really since we had no real idea where we were going and we managed to follow them the rest of the way. Mind you, Phil got us lost once anyway, but we won't talk about that ;)
We arrived at the last decent loo stop aka lookout toilets before the race. It was just too early, so we all looked at the view out across the mountains as the sun rose through the mist. It is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, that's for sure. Really took my breath away and I wished I'd taken my camera! Sometimes it's nice not to though - it's as if the special moments like that, shared between a few, link you all together.
Arrived at the start and really didn't want to get out of the car. It was sooo cold! Saw CRs Veggie Girl and Davo who had been there for hours already. They were all rugged up in blankets and we had a good chat waiting for the start. Saw a lot of friendly faces which was nice and went some way to calming my nerves. Suzannah (from track) came which was lovely. It ended up being me, suzannah, angie, schultzy, phil and stu all running in our bright orange shirts as a group.
Before I knew it, we were off. Nice easy pace and a gentle up and down lulled me into a false sense of security before we turned off into the bush and down the side of the mountain. My first thought was OMG - how on earth am I going to manage 30km of this? We had to slow to a walk and carefully hop down the hillside which, like a lot of the trail, was bumpy uneven 4WD tracks, with a coating of loose dust and gravel which made it even more dangerous. I nearly went arse over tit multiple times in the first 2km, but somehow managed to stay upright (thankyou core strength exercises!)
My nose started to run and continued until the end. I spent the whole 30km continuously blowing my nose - I think I must've had hayfever or was allergic to something in the air. It was incredible *L* At least it was a distraction from my feet! We tootled along at the back and before long, arrived at the first checkpoint. I was cautiously optimistic at this point, feeling pretty strong. Perhaps it was the coldness of the start or the just the ever changing sorroundings and obstacles, but it passed by quite quickly. We grabbed some water, lollies and endura and carried on. A lot of the trail has blurred into a continuous stretch in my mind already!
For some reason, there was a huge amount of fairly deep sand along the trails. It was like running on the beach in parts! I don't know if they were just filling some of the potholes or not but it made for hard going and Schultzy remarked that it was like running at Surfers Paradise, renaming it 'Runners Paradise' (I thought it was more like Runners Hell, but what can you do?) We bobbed around as a group, running with different people at various times. I surprised myself by staying around the middle and front for a lot of the way. We walked a lot of the hills which was fine by me!
The next checkpoint was situated at the top of the biggest frigging hill I think I have ever seen. All potholed and lose gravel, too. The marshalls at the top must've had such a great view of us all chugging our way up the side of this awful, awful thing. Got to the top and drank about four straight cups of water and endura, ate more lollies and then off we went again.
By the time we got to the powerlines section, I was starting to feel it. This consisted of an array of steep rock faces, much of which we had to clamber up on hands and feet. It seemed to go up for ever and between gasps I told Phil I hated him *L* Obviously, it's a love-hate relationship like all good coaches. Needless to say, it was hard going and by the time we hit the top, I had so much sweat in my eyes I couldn't see properly!
I can't remember if it was before or after this that we also came across the most gorgeous view. We're so lucky to live in this part of the world. It was just stunning and I felt really priveleged to be able to be there to see it. How many people never bother to go further than ten minutes down the road, or even anywhere they can't get to by car? There are so many beautiful things out there just waiting to be discovered and all it takes is the effort to go looking.
We started to pass people and I continued to feel really good, even pulling ahead a tiny bit at times, with Phil wisely reigning me in. I didn't start seriously struggling until we literally had about 1km to go (by which time we'd technically already done 30km, since the course is actually 31.1km!) then despite the first and only serious bout of prodding from Phil, found myself walking up the hill. If I'd known exactly how close I really was, I may have been able to run the whole last bit, but I guess I was still trying to conserve some energy to see me to the finish. That part is all mental and something I'm going to have to continue working on.
We rounded the corner and there was the finish line! I couldn't believe it actually... I kept expecting myself to have another serious blow up and end up walking vast sections of the course, but it didn't. Which was so nice, because it renewed my faith in all this training I've been doing and my progress so far.
I think my favourite part of the race was running towards the finish line, side by side with each other - a wall of orange singlets. We could see everyone dashing for their cameras and I think they'll be some lovely piccies from it. We crossed the line in 4:01. Running as a group was sooooo good and helped so much. I'm so lucky to have such lovely running friends - not just the people who ran with me today, but all of you guys too. The support is just so fab.
All up, I think I surprised myself today. What a difference a couple of weeks can make. Once I find my pace and trust myself, I can do this stuff. I've discovered I really like trail running. I like the variety of it, the constant changing of the landscape and the path - the different obstacles along the way. It was, all in all, a great run :)
Hooray! Look out Warwick, here we come!
Saturday, May 13, 2006
7km lazy lollop
Went to the Regatta this morning and had a lovely bludgy 7km or so walk interspersed with the occasional lollop. It was quite nice not to have to head down to brekkie creek for once! Met Sam for brekkie and caught up with Clairie, who I feel like I haven't seen in forever! I took a bag of my old 'fat' clothes to give to Tesso, whose neighbour is doing a clothing stall for charity. I pulled out an old brown pair of trousers of mine and we had a giggle over the hugeness. I could practically use the arse as a hammock now!
Strange letting go of the last few reminders of how I once was but also very therapeutic. The trousers were bought when I'd already lost 20kg and I clearly remember them being too tight!
Anyway... on another note....
I emailed my personal trainer yesterday to ask a couple of questions about the new diet. He cracks me up - this is what he sent back. Incidentally, if you've ever wondered where I caught the habit of calling people 'dude', this'd be where *grins*
Yes you can swap the morning and afternoon snack around. No you cannot try
to drink 3 litres of water per day, it is essential that you drink at least
3 litres per day!
*snorks* Okay. 3L it is. *cough* I also commented on how disgusting the sculpt protein drink is when made on water - to which he replied:
You can have one sculpt shake per day with no fat milk - any more
must be on water. You'll be ok, it's not going to taste like a chocolate
milkshake dude!
and then, an example of why he's fab at his job -
You can do this and it will be worth it!
Aw. I have to say, I'm feeling better for eating like this already. Though eating fruit toast without butter was a bit of a challenge today (dry as!) The scales are moving in the right direction again, however!
Right. Bed! Tomorrow is craziness and evil - must have lots of sleep for it!
Strange letting go of the last few reminders of how I once was but also very therapeutic. The trousers were bought when I'd already lost 20kg and I clearly remember them being too tight!
Anyway... on another note....
I emailed my personal trainer yesterday to ask a couple of questions about the new diet. He cracks me up - this is what he sent back. Incidentally, if you've ever wondered where I caught the habit of calling people 'dude', this'd be where *grins*
Yes you can swap the morning and afternoon snack around. No you cannot try
to drink 3 litres of water per day, it is essential that you drink at least
3 litres per day!
*snorks* Okay. 3L it is. *cough* I also commented on how disgusting the sculpt protein drink is when made on water - to which he replied:
You can have one sculpt shake per day with no fat milk - any more
must be on water. You'll be ok, it's not going to taste like a chocolate
milkshake dude!
and then, an example of why he's fab at his job -
You can do this and it will be worth it!
Aw. I have to say, I'm feeling better for eating like this already. Though eating fruit toast without butter was a bit of a challenge today (dry as!) The scales are moving in the right direction again, however!
Right. Bed! Tomorrow is craziness and evil - must have lots of sleep for it!
Friday, May 12, 2006
Track + 15km + Food Glorious Food...
Wow, I actually went a few days without posting anything! LOL!
Tuesday was track. Reasonable session, only I felt pretty tired from the weekend. Rel came for the first time which was great - we've got such a nice group of people doing track now, it's so much fun. Painful, but fun ;)
Wednesday night was at the club. Tracey decided to run with the shorter group, so I ran with Phil's group and lucky for me, there was a new girl who had just moved up from beginners so I had some company at the back. Still felt tired from the weekend and Phil came back to run us in at the end. Repeated mantra of no-pressure to myself. I've come to terms with the idea that I'm probably going to be closer to five hours in the GCM and am working on not caring ;)
Yesterday, I went and had a PT session and got weighed and measured again. I lost half a cm from my waist, my boobs actually got slightly bigger (hurrah!) and I am down half a kg. I showed Tony my food diary, which apparently wasn't too bad. Though it did have muffins on it,here and there ;) Consequently, I am now following Tony's "Lean Mean Running Machine" diet, which looks like this:
---
BREAKFAST
Wholegrain toast x 2 with 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg
Or
1/3 cup of oats, and serving of Sculpt and skim milk
SNACK
3 Ryvita or Rice Cakes with weight watchers cottage cheese or 85g tuna snack
Or
Sculpt Bar
Or
Sculpt shake on skim milk
Or
1/3 of a can of chick peas with ¼ avocado and 4 cherry tomatoes
LUNCH
Wholegrain sandwich with 125 –150g lean meat (chicken, turkey, tuna, salmon) with salad
(For example – 6-inch subway, no cheese, no sauce, balsamic vinegar is ok)
SNACK
1 piece of fruit and a handful (approx 25g) of almonds
Or
Low fat yoghurt
DINNER
200g of grilled lean meat (steak, chicken, fish) with salad or fibrous veges (no potato, pumpkin, corn)
(For example – Kebabs, mixed grill, meat and vege stir fry, meat and salad)
NOTES
1.Allowed 2 treats per week – 2 pieces of fruit toast on Saturday morning is a good treat, try to have it without butter
2. At least 3 litres of water per day
3. Leave 90 minutes between workout and next meal
4. Alcohol – only 2 drinks per week
5. Must record exactly what was eaten on your Nutritional record sheets
---
It's always interesting talking about nutrition because I learn something every time - this time, I learnt that the porridge I was eating religiously for brekkie is not good for me (I have the flavoured stuff because unflavoured is so nasty without jam/honey/something on it) I also learnt apples after lunchtime aren't good either.
I think I can probably follow this plan. I had the breakfast this morning and liked that. The thing I'm going to struggle with will be drinking 3 litres of water a day. The sculpt stuff is protein powder/bars - I don't always have time or opportunity to eat during my work day, so they're really an easy alternative. I've got to say it's bloody revolting stuff though. One of the worst protein powders I've tried! Oh well! Perhaps it'll grow on me. Haven't tried the bars yet.
Today is a rest day, tomorrow will be a very cruisy 5-10km (if that!) before glasshouse on sunday. I know I keep saying it, but I'm sooooo nervous!
Tuesday was track. Reasonable session, only I felt pretty tired from the weekend. Rel came for the first time which was great - we've got such a nice group of people doing track now, it's so much fun. Painful, but fun ;)
Wednesday night was at the club. Tracey decided to run with the shorter group, so I ran with Phil's group and lucky for me, there was a new girl who had just moved up from beginners so I had some company at the back. Still felt tired from the weekend and Phil came back to run us in at the end. Repeated mantra of no-pressure to myself. I've come to terms with the idea that I'm probably going to be closer to five hours in the GCM and am working on not caring ;)
Yesterday, I went and had a PT session and got weighed and measured again. I lost half a cm from my waist, my boobs actually got slightly bigger (hurrah!) and I am down half a kg. I showed Tony my food diary, which apparently wasn't too bad. Though it did have muffins on it,here and there ;) Consequently, I am now following Tony's "Lean Mean Running Machine" diet, which looks like this:
---
BREAKFAST
Wholegrain toast x 2 with 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg
Or
1/3 cup of oats, and serving of Sculpt and skim milk
SNACK
3 Ryvita or Rice Cakes with weight watchers cottage cheese or 85g tuna snack
Or
Sculpt Bar
Or
Sculpt shake on skim milk
Or
1/3 of a can of chick peas with ¼ avocado and 4 cherry tomatoes
LUNCH
Wholegrain sandwich with 125 –150g lean meat (chicken, turkey, tuna, salmon) with salad
(For example – 6-inch subway, no cheese, no sauce, balsamic vinegar is ok)
SNACK
1 piece of fruit and a handful (approx 25g) of almonds
Or
Low fat yoghurt
DINNER
200g of grilled lean meat (steak, chicken, fish) with salad or fibrous veges (no potato, pumpkin, corn)
(For example – Kebabs, mixed grill, meat and vege stir fry, meat and salad)
NOTES
1.Allowed 2 treats per week – 2 pieces of fruit toast on Saturday morning is a good treat, try to have it without butter
2. At least 3 litres of water per day
3. Leave 90 minutes between workout and next meal
4. Alcohol – only 2 drinks per week
5. Must record exactly what was eaten on your Nutritional record sheets
---
It's always interesting talking about nutrition because I learn something every time - this time, I learnt that the porridge I was eating religiously for brekkie is not good for me (I have the flavoured stuff because unflavoured is so nasty without jam/honey/something on it) I also learnt apples after lunchtime aren't good either.
I think I can probably follow this plan. I had the breakfast this morning and liked that. The thing I'm going to struggle with will be drinking 3 litres of water a day. The sculpt stuff is protein powder/bars - I don't always have time or opportunity to eat during my work day, so they're really an easy alternative. I've got to say it's bloody revolting stuff though. One of the worst protein powders I've tried! Oh well! Perhaps it'll grow on me. Haven't tried the bars yet.
Today is a rest day, tomorrow will be a very cruisy 5-10km (if that!) before glasshouse on sunday. I know I keep saying it, but I'm sooooo nervous!
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Mt Mee 10km
My cold seems to be in suspended animation, so I headed out to Mount Mee for the 10km this morning. Tracey, Rel, Ronnie and I carpooled and the trip up was great fun. It's such a beautiful area - really scenic and being a passenger gave me a chance to appreciate the views.
When I woke up, my legs were really, REALLY sore from yesterday's 30km+ and I felt slightly nervous at the prospect of having to run a 'slightly' *cough* hilly 10km. I really didn't care how long it took me or how much I walked and yay for me, Tracey was in the same sort of mood, so we plodded along together, walked up the steepest hills and generally gossiped away the run.
The return route was much easier for some reason, despite it being an out and back course. I think perhaps we had more downhill on the way home. Certainly felt like it, although there were one or two killer hills in there too. Arrived back at 'base camp'
at about 1:07 *LOL* but as I say, this new no-pressure strategy of mine seems to be working because I couldn't have cared less!
The scenery on the run was fantastic and the company great - It was nice to do a run that was comfortable like that (it's been a while!) My legs were feeling it, but the walks up the worst hills took the edge off. I can remember when doing 10km two days in a row used to kill me, so today was a good chance to count my blessings :)
Also got a chance to have a chat with Karen (CR Karisma) which was lovely *waves* - I haven't seen much of her lately with all the races around the place. She is such a calm person and through the things she says, reminds me why I love to run and why the journey is just as important as the finish line :)
Incidentally, it seems half of you keep getting redirected to bible websites via my blog URL! As Tanky says, maybe I'm being targetted, LOL! Not that I'm getting all conspiracy theory or anything, but funny they hone in on the resident pagan CR blogger! LOL! Is it happening to any of you?
And to answer Tess (I think it was Tess who asked!) question - I'm doing the 30km at Glasshouse and I'm quite scared *grins*
According to my new revamped Tony-PT-esque training schedule, tomorrow is a 5km recovery run followed by 20 minute swim.
Hope you all had a fab weekend :)
When I woke up, my legs were really, REALLY sore from yesterday's 30km+ and I felt slightly nervous at the prospect of having to run a 'slightly' *cough* hilly 10km. I really didn't care how long it took me or how much I walked and yay for me, Tracey was in the same sort of mood, so we plodded along together, walked up the steepest hills and generally gossiped away the run.
The return route was much easier for some reason, despite it being an out and back course. I think perhaps we had more downhill on the way home. Certainly felt like it, although there were one or two killer hills in there too. Arrived back at 'base camp'
at about 1:07 *LOL* but as I say, this new no-pressure strategy of mine seems to be working because I couldn't have cared less!
The scenery on the run was fantastic and the company great - It was nice to do a run that was comfortable like that (it's been a while!) My legs were feeling it, but the walks up the worst hills took the edge off. I can remember when doing 10km two days in a row used to kill me, so today was a good chance to count my blessings :)
Also got a chance to have a chat with Karen (CR Karisma) which was lovely *waves* - I haven't seen much of her lately with all the races around the place. She is such a calm person and through the things she says, reminds me why I love to run and why the journey is just as important as the finish line :)
Incidentally, it seems half of you keep getting redirected to bible websites via my blog URL! As Tanky says, maybe I'm being targetted, LOL! Not that I'm getting all conspiracy theory or anything, but funny they hone in on the resident pagan CR blogger! LOL! Is it happening to any of you?
And to answer Tess (I think it was Tess who asked!) question - I'm doing the 30km at Glasshouse and I'm quite scared *grins*
According to my new revamped Tony-PT-esque training schedule, tomorrow is a 5km recovery run followed by 20 minute swim.
Hope you all had a fab weekend :)
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Three Hours Something, max HR and cramps
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten...
-Natasha Bedingfield, Unwritten
I think this would have to be one of my all time favourite songs... I listen to it a lot on my ipod and it makes me feel like everything is right with the world ;)
Met up with the Running Buddies crew this morning to do 3:10. Schultzy ran with me, even though I knew I would be incredibly slow, all things considered! I went to bed really early the last two nights and had a nap this afternoon and my cold seems to be improving. I hadn't realised just how tired I was on top of everything else. I may have to start having early nights as a matter of course!
We ran from the Regatta down to Breakfast Creek and then out towards the Gateway Bridge - we turned at the end of the footpath in a small park by the river. I felt bloody fantastic all the way back until the Botanical Gardens, when I started to struggle somewhat (the last 5kms) I ended up doing a walk-run-walk-run to try and ease my calves which were cramping like all hell. I was really thirsty - I don't think I've ever drunk so much on a run! (perhaps that's why the cramps?)
The interesting thing was that Schultzy is really good at splits and we were going at an even pace for the 25km. I even wore my heartrate monitor for once, and it sat on 160 for the entire run. Once I'd started struggling a little, it went up to 165, but no more. I still have yet to find out exactly what my max is (should really wear it at the next 5km TT) but according to an online calculator and my resting heart rate of 55, it should be around 198 - which makes 160 around 80% - no idea if that's ideal or not... Time to do some research!
Pretty tired from this morning - am feeling slightly nervous about Mt Mee tomorrow! Ah well...
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten...
-Natasha Bedingfield, Unwritten
I think this would have to be one of my all time favourite songs... I listen to it a lot on my ipod and it makes me feel like everything is right with the world ;)
Met up with the Running Buddies crew this morning to do 3:10. Schultzy ran with me, even though I knew I would be incredibly slow, all things considered! I went to bed really early the last two nights and had a nap this afternoon and my cold seems to be improving. I hadn't realised just how tired I was on top of everything else. I may have to start having early nights as a matter of course!
We ran from the Regatta down to Breakfast Creek and then out towards the Gateway Bridge - we turned at the end of the footpath in a small park by the river. I felt bloody fantastic all the way back until the Botanical Gardens, when I started to struggle somewhat (the last 5kms) I ended up doing a walk-run-walk-run to try and ease my calves which were cramping like all hell. I was really thirsty - I don't think I've ever drunk so much on a run! (perhaps that's why the cramps?)
The interesting thing was that Schultzy is really good at splits and we were going at an even pace for the 25km. I even wore my heartrate monitor for once, and it sat on 160 for the entire run. Once I'd started struggling a little, it went up to 165, but no more. I still have yet to find out exactly what my max is (should really wear it at the next 5km TT) but according to an online calculator and my resting heart rate of 55, it should be around 198 - which makes 160 around 80% - no idea if that's ideal or not... Time to do some research!
Pretty tired from this morning - am feeling slightly nervous about Mt Mee tomorrow! Ah well...
Friday, May 05, 2006
PT Epiphany :)
I am coming down with a nasty cold I think :( Haven't had enough sleep over the last few days and working really, really hard so I guess it was just a matter of time til I got the lurgy. Have taken half a ton of vitamin C and went to bed at 7.30pm last night so hopefully I can fight it off!
Yesterday I went and had the best personal training session... he sat down with me and we started plotting out my program between now and the GCM. Mine was no good by all accounts - got told off for not incorporating an easy week, er, ever. Apparently, the plateau's in my running program do not equate to an easy week... it's a bit delicate trying to balance my trainer's program with Phil's, but Tony (trainer) seems happy to leave that side of things to Phil and work with me on weights, other cardio and nutrition. I've been training with Tony for about three years now and it's quite amusing that he knows me so well -
One of the things that made heaps of sense to me was when he said that if you train really hard all the time, with no easy week to recover, you end up being able to train all the time but you're only about to put in 70% effort - whereas, if you recover fully and regularly allow your body to adjust, you might be doing less sessions but those you do, you do at 100% and get better results. It made me turn red and grin actually because this is exactly my problem - my instinct, when I've gotten really crap results, is to think I should be pushing harder - which usually only makes it worse!
Everyone has been saying this to me in numerous ways, but for some reason it didn't really click in my head until Tony said it.... so consequently, I've decided to bump PT up to weekly sessions (currently fortnightly) until the GCM, to keep me on track with nutrition and losing weight - and to keep myself in check ;)
I came away feeling a lot more positive about things. I don't even care that I've done the bare minimum of what I set out to do this week in training... if this cold doesn't improve tomorrow, I may even take the rest of the week off entirely. It's a bummer because I've paid for Mt Mee already, but maybe I'll be okay by then :)
Yesterday I went and had the best personal training session... he sat down with me and we started plotting out my program between now and the GCM. Mine was no good by all accounts - got told off for not incorporating an easy week, er, ever. Apparently, the plateau's in my running program do not equate to an easy week... it's a bit delicate trying to balance my trainer's program with Phil's, but Tony (trainer) seems happy to leave that side of things to Phil and work with me on weights, other cardio and nutrition. I've been training with Tony for about three years now and it's quite amusing that he knows me so well -
One of the things that made heaps of sense to me was when he said that if you train really hard all the time, with no easy week to recover, you end up being able to train all the time but you're only about to put in 70% effort - whereas, if you recover fully and regularly allow your body to adjust, you might be doing less sessions but those you do, you do at 100% and get better results. It made me turn red and grin actually because this is exactly my problem - my instinct, when I've gotten really crap results, is to think I should be pushing harder - which usually only makes it worse!
Everyone has been saying this to me in numerous ways, but for some reason it didn't really click in my head until Tony said it.... so consequently, I've decided to bump PT up to weekly sessions (currently fortnightly) until the GCM, to keep me on track with nutrition and losing weight - and to keep myself in check ;)
I came away feeling a lot more positive about things. I don't even care that I've done the bare minimum of what I set out to do this week in training... if this cold doesn't improve tomorrow, I may even take the rest of the week off entirely. It's a bummer because I've paid for Mt Mee already, but maybe I'll be okay by then :)
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
track and 10k
Woe! I looked at the weekend results tonight and lo and behold, I did worse than I thought. Have built a bridge however and am mostly over it :)
Went to track last night and did a reasonable session. Phil pulled Schultzy and I out one set early for warm down. I was still quite sore yesterday, so I didn't complain. Phil gave me another pep talk which helped. I am immensely stubborn about this whole running lark, it seems... I'm so impatient to get better and improve that I seem to end up being my own worst enemy sometimes! Anyway, I digress...
Woke up this morning feeling less sore, but still tired. The new training plan morning sessions have been absent this week thus far - mostly because I didn't bargain on feeling so bushed from the weekend. I think it's going to take me a few days to recover properly. I'm not too concerned because I know I've got a big weekend coming up with Mt Mee and a long run.
Tonight I ran with the slower group - did about 10km, although they weren't slower at all really. Few people in that that should shift up to the next group. Felt a bit blah about not sticking in with the usual crowd, but I just need some time to find my feet again I think.... some sense of running-equilibrium.
On the plus side, weight loss appears to be going reasonably well.... PT session tomorrow :)
Went to track last night and did a reasonable session. Phil pulled Schultzy and I out one set early for warm down. I was still quite sore yesterday, so I didn't complain. Phil gave me another pep talk which helped. I am immensely stubborn about this whole running lark, it seems... I'm so impatient to get better and improve that I seem to end up being my own worst enemy sometimes! Anyway, I digress...
Woke up this morning feeling less sore, but still tired. The new training plan morning sessions have been absent this week thus far - mostly because I didn't bargain on feeling so bushed from the weekend. I think it's going to take me a few days to recover properly. I'm not too concerned because I know I've got a big weekend coming up with Mt Mee and a long run.
Tonight I ran with the slower group - did about 10km, although they weren't slower at all really. Few people in that that should shift up to the next group. Felt a bit blah about not sticking in with the usual crowd, but I just need some time to find my feet again I think.... some sense of running-equilibrium.
On the plus side, weight loss appears to be going reasonably well.... PT session tomorrow :)
Monday, May 01, 2006
Thoughts, Plans :)
Spent this morning having a therapy session with some weights at the gym, then had a sauna and vegged out in the aromatherapy room whilst thinking everything through. Onwards and upwards, as they say!
Thankyou all for your comments... they all made sense. Shane, you're right - I do think too much and I'll have to see if I can remedy that situation! Music seems to help :) I'm not going to kill myself by doing huge sudden increases in training, but I am going to try to maximise my chances of improving along the way to the GCM. This means fitting in a bit more yoga, a bit more cardio and really, really trying to drop a few more kgs. One of the ways I can do that is to keep myself very, very busy so that I don't have time to eat more than I should!
I've been thinking about why I haven't been able to lose any more weight in the last few months. It's another one of those annoying things - I managed to lose 50kgs but all of a sudden, now I struggle three times as hard just to move five. Every time I've tried recently, I've come to a grinding halt. No point in making yet more excuses for why that might be... I know what I have to do, I just have to buckle down and do it! So you can all expect copious amounts of food and weight related entries in the next month or so as I try to keep myself honest!
My new job has unsettled my routine a little and so today has been a great opportunity to refocus and work out ways around the occasions where things clash.
The next week look like this. My plan is to see how I go and adjust accordingly:
Mon
am: weights
pm: REST
Tues
am: gym
pm: track session
Weds
am: BodyCombat
pm: Run Inn 15km
Thurs
am: PT session (Weights)
pm: RPM/gym (dep on legs!)
Fri
am: easy 10km
pm: Body Balance
Sat
am: Long Run (3:10) Yoga
pm: REST
Sun
am: Mount Mee 10km
pm: REST
Thankyou all for your comments... they all made sense. Shane, you're right - I do think too much and I'll have to see if I can remedy that situation! Music seems to help :) I'm not going to kill myself by doing huge sudden increases in training, but I am going to try to maximise my chances of improving along the way to the GCM. This means fitting in a bit more yoga, a bit more cardio and really, really trying to drop a few more kgs. One of the ways I can do that is to keep myself very, very busy so that I don't have time to eat more than I should!
I've been thinking about why I haven't been able to lose any more weight in the last few months. It's another one of those annoying things - I managed to lose 50kgs but all of a sudden, now I struggle three times as hard just to move five. Every time I've tried recently, I've come to a grinding halt. No point in making yet more excuses for why that might be... I know what I have to do, I just have to buckle down and do it! So you can all expect copious amounts of food and weight related entries in the next month or so as I try to keep myself honest!
My new job has unsettled my routine a little and so today has been a great opportunity to refocus and work out ways around the occasions where things clash.
The next week look like this. My plan is to see how I go and adjust accordingly:
Mon
am: weights
pm: REST
Tues
am: gym
pm: track session
Weds
am: BodyCombat
pm: Run Inn 15km
Thurs
am: PT session (Weights)
pm: RPM/gym (dep on legs!)
Fri
am: easy 10km
pm: Body Balance
Sat
am: Long Run (3:10) Yoga
pm: REST
Sun
am: Mount Mee 10km
pm: REST
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