Hi Claire

We've received your entry for the 2007 Canberra Marathon ~ thank you for your ongoing support & we look forward to seeing you in Canberra again.

All the very best to you and your family for a very merry Christmas, a happy new year and a wonderful 2007.



Regards

Fran
Canberra Marathon
www.canberramarathon.com.au
Ph: +61 (0)2 4342 7611
Mob: 0417 285 609

Pats Christmas Run

Tess and I decided to not run today.......we sent PCRG WONDERWOMAN in our place.

Santas little gift

What to get for a 24yo unfit male for a work christmas party???

Budget - $30

HELP!!!

Weekend Runs - its all good!!

After Kurrawa I did nothing. Zip Zaddo Naddo! Just ate, drank and watched movies late every night with the kids, went to Robbie Williams with Tesso and just spent the ENTIRE week thinking of anything but running. It was a good break.

Saturday I was keen to run again but knew I should only do an easy 12km. Easy it wasn't. It was bloody hot and I was tired after the first few km. My legs were fine but I could hardly get air into my lungs. It had nothing to do with fitness, it was all about weather. The day was slighly overcast which I thought would be good but it was dreadful and humid and days later I am still complaining. To top it all off Tess rang to tell me she was running in her jeans because it was so FREEZING in Canberra.

Sunday I was keen to run again and a group of us met on the Gold Coast beach and ran a very hard session for 50mins.
5min hard sand
5min soft sand
5min water running (just below knees)

Repeat 3 times and finish off with a run back to the start. Man it was tough and at the end we all just floated around in the tumble that was the surf. It was raining and there was no sun. It was actually cold - can you believe it! But the water was really nice and warm. My family - whom I had promised a great day at the beach (they played cricket whilst I ran) if they would just get up with me at 4.30am - were trying to work out which one would kill me first. We showered and went for a hot breakfast. It was all good.

Today I have calves that are like rocks and very tight. My feet won't fit into shoes at work because I have blisters covering the botttom of my feet. In fact everyone is asking if I went to see HAPPY FEET because I am walking like a waddling penguin today. But....it is still all good.

Can't wait for the next run.

KURRAWA 25KM

I put off writing my post because I needed to think a bit more about how I felt and what it all meant to me.

I love this race, it is honestly one of the most challenging runs I have done and it calls me back year after year.
The race is small - with approx 187 runners doing 25km. Of them 33 runners did the whole 50km this year. It is an out and back race - so 25km out (hand over to relay partner) and 25km back. A flat, hot course with hills. Sounds terrible doesn't it?

Views of the ocean, cars streaming past with runners cheering you on, friends driving 5km jumping out handing you drinks, jumping back in and driving further up the road. Family on the motorbike doing loops yelling encouragement and telling me how it was cooler a few km up the road if I can just get there......(liars!)
It was all good.

My relay partner Robbie had trained for months for this race after having a shocker last year. He worked very hard and was wired to put in a good run. He started out well but just towards the end his legs got very tired and he just couldn't go as fast as he wanted. Still - he did the 25km in under 2hrs so even though he was upset I was very impressed.
It was hot before I even started at 7.45am and I felt for Tess as I had not even seen her all morning since the start - her runner was injured and just taking it easy. Goodness knows when she would be starting!

THE RUN
After the initial 500m which is up a steep hill, I ran very hard for the next 6km. It was hot and I was not really warmed up. I was on 4.30min/km pace and feeling good but slightly breathless. I reached Liz by 7km and there was a group of runners there all keeping the same pace. I decided to go past and then ease up and get my breath back. Shortly after Hubby announced Tara was 200m behind me and just sitting there.

I was feeling unwell and in need of fluid but my camelbak only had weak powerade in it which I had been sipping. I took a gel and washed it down with the powerade. Everyone kept trying to offer me electrolyte drinks (must have thought I had water in the camel) so I kept refusing. I grabbed a cup of water at an aid station and it was cold and heavenly. I didn't realise until then how hot I was - this was 10km into the race!!
Shortly after I stopped and had to empty my stomach but it was brief and I felt better so it was the best thing to do. I had more powerade but cramped up shortly after. Looking back I know now I had no where near enough water. The powerade in the camelbak was a stupid idea.
My legs were happy little buggers and kept me going despite the rest of me telling myself I would never ever do this again. They kept going up the new hill and then raced down the other side to gain some momentum. Not long to go now.

With 6km to the finish Tara went past. It was good to see someone I knew and have a chat. I had been so lonely the whole race - I think that makes a difference. In the fist leg you have a lot of people around you pushing you to keep pace.
Tara was running well so off she went. She looked comfortable and I knew she was having a great day so I let her go.
3km on I had caught up and was only 2m behind Tara. We just played cat and mouse from there.

The First prize of the Running Buddy Trophy was on offer and we both wanted it.

I was getting uncomfortable again, Tara's partner Ciaran was offering water but I refused it thinking I just wanted to run and get it over with (only a few km now). Tara took some and put some ice in her ha - smart chick. I raced off and got in front and did some strides to put some distance between us. Not a good idea....1km on and I was hot and tiring very quickly. The effect of fartleking the last 7km had taken it's toll.
Tara went past again and kindly offered me her camelpak straw to take a sip, I smiled and said 'nothing could help me now'. She went off and I felt like I was going backwards.
Kurrawa SLC loomed up and she went left and I went right. Bloody got nipped by damn magpies, which was probably a good thing as it made me squeal and run fast. 200m to go.
Tara crossed and there I was just 30m behind her. I was devastated with my placing.
After I had cooled down I felt much better. I did a good time that I was happy with in those conditions and ran the best I could on the day. Tara had an absolute blinder and was always going to beat me in time (she started 1min AFTER I did) and was really suprised and happy with her efforts....but now I have to run next year to get that Trophy or I will be the only Running Buddy who has never won it. :(

At the end of the day I ran well and did 25km in those conditions in 2:03:00, gotta be happy with that.

My legs feel really good today so the recovery is going well and I should be back into form in a few days. I'm taking it easy until January when I will launch into my Sub 3:20 Training for Canberra.

Thanks for all the well wishes friends, it certainly worked and I felt you all with me out there on Sunday.

Day 1 of recovery....

Some photos................. just to show how hard we were working out there.....

Its just soooooo close now.....3 sleeps!!!!

Am still a bit under the weather but I can't work out if that is due to general malaise or the 18 pancakes I had at Pat's this morning.

Not long now till the race and too late to worry about general fitness. So just concentrate on keeping relaxed and in high spirits.

This is it...been working towards this and it is just about here.

Will post again after the race. Thanks to everyone for your witty, wonderful, encouraging comments. They all mean a lot and forgive me for not always responding.

Being in such an elated, weird mood, I am going to be psychic and predict that Tomorrow at Pat's speed session Tesso will win a pair of sunglasses........

5 More Sleeps.....

Allan (hubby) said last night as we were drifting off to sleep..."Kurrawa is going to be so good this year for you, you must be well prepared because you aren't even nervous yet"

I didn't sleep after that. Bastard! He went out like a light.

Time trial - 3km at Pats this morning. I didn't run hard as I choose to pace Sarah to a PB. She got an 8 second PB....gotta be happy with that.

I just love going to Pats group runs and this morning was no different - there must have been 100 runners!!!!!

6 More Sleeps......

Wow getting REAL close now.

I had a massive blowout on the weekend. Totally ate everything in sight. The kids are still alive, thankfully.

We ran 16km (or 14.5km according to Tesso) on Saturday. I had no watch or garmin so have no idea. The turnaround was 7.9km and then we headed back a slightly different route. I ran hard on the way out but took it easy coming home.

Sunday I was really unwell. Not sure if I am coming down with something but I struggled to get out with the kids to Southbank. We spent the day there watching the bike race and swimming in the beach. It was fun but I was very lethargic. Early to bed.

This morning - again lacking energy. Did RPM class but only stretching afterwards.

From here on - it's taper all the way. Gotta look after this sexy bod and get it to the start line in one piece.

10 Days.....Getting close now

Did the usual run up Mount Cootha - 9km. Hungover and tired (office Xmas party last night).
Feeling the brunt of it now.

No more hill work now for two weeks......so there is something good about today.

11 Days to go....Not quite hysterical YET!

Meet up with Toast and Tess at 5.30am. Despite the early hour it was certainly not a pleasant cool run along the river today. I ran behind the other two most of the way (single file over the bridge etc) and was just watcing the sweat pour off them. I could feel myself melting but it was amazing to watch it on others as well.

We stopped about a zillion times to drink water and then Tess turned into a politician and decided to stop all the men with prams to look over their merchandise and ask their names and ages. As we kept running we kept running into people. A very social morning out there today!

16km all up at 5min/km pace. It was a tough run and hard work in those conditions. I was very tired and cranky when I finished....and still am. But I feel good and glad that I got out there.

The Incredible Hulk on the Gold Coast Hill!!!!!!

One word....just one word..... from any of you and I'll get Tesso to sort you out.

12 Days......Yikes!!!!

Getting ever so close now. I am starting to suffocate and feel claustrophobic from the pressure I put on myself to train. I feel I haven't done enough but I know I have. aaaaarrrrgggghhhh.

This morning I decided no matter how much the in-laws (I love em)and babies at home were tiring me out I would run as hard as I could this morning. AND I DID.

Session was 6 x 500m with 30sec recovery. I rushed out to start but found myself amongst the leaders (fast group) at halfway so I pulled in a bit to reserve some energy. Sure enough Tara then flew past me so I stepped up a gear and finished off just behind her.

The next lot of reps I made sure to keep in front, but what was really working me was only have a 30sec rest. Normally I take a full 45sec recovery so it was hard to back up so soon after busting a gut. I was chasing Mark and managed to run with him for most of the sets and not be too far behind Robbie - though he was starting 5sec before me each time.

We wrapped it up with two hill reps up Gold Coast Hill. That was tough but I actually didn't mind it today.

I just love running with the PCRG guys. It is so motivating and puts me on a high every time. Pat doesn't need to advertise - any newcomer gets a full welcome and gets to see first hand all the success stories and hear how people are improving and also see how motivated and encouraging we all are. It is one big family - where everyone is welcome. I don't even know the names of them all....but I love em just the same. Running is the best and running at Pat's is the icing on the cake. Where else in the world can Tess and I get up to mischief and get fit at the same time?

Seriously, I can honestly say I worked damn hard this morning and I deserve my luxury coffee today!

Two Weeks Today...........

Well two weeks Sunday (yesterday).

I got out of bed early (can't say I woke up till halfway during the run) and headed out to the BRRC 15km race at 6am. I got there early but sat on my bum feeling like not running. Tess was doing a half marathon and there was no-one else that would be running beside me. I managed to talk myself into it so after a last minute water and then loo stop I lined up at the start.

It was 3 x 5km loops.

First loop I did 5min/km pace; the second loop I ran at 4:50 pace and the last loop I ran at 4:30min/km pace. All up I ran in 1hr 11mins. It was a good run and I was glad that I was able to get faster - especially as my legs were dead tired from yesterday.

I spent the rest of the day swimming and surfing up at Mooloolaba. I got burnt, dumped and totally exhausted myself. When I finally went to bed I was totally bonked.

This morning - Monday - I went to the Gym but did not have much energy. It is not iron as I have been eating well but I am fairly sure it is just all the training at such high intensity (high for little ole me). Nonetheless....training tomorrow and I hope to put in a solid effort.

15 days.....and time to speed up

Okay I got the hint.

Turned up at the track at 7.30am to do a warm up with Tesso (who had been on night shift all night, ran with our normal group at 5.30am and then come out to run with me). I signed on but could not find the 3000m sheets until someone told me there was no 3km today - it was 5000m. *groan* I remembered Tess said that may be the case during the week. Oh well.
Tess was very tired and racing tomorrow so was not doing the run itself - just the warmup.

I was not really in the mood for a full on effort but decided that I had to start working on my speed. 12.5 laps of hot running doesn't really help the speed but I was determined to run my best on the day.

The first few laps up until 3km was quite good and I was in a rythym. Only problem was it was a fast rhythym so it was inevitable that I slowed down on the 4th km. The final lap was my fastest by 10sec so I was happy with that but determined that next time I will have to do TWO fast laps and not just one.

Final time 21:05. My first 5km on the track. Yah.

16 Days.....GULP!

After Wednesday's hangover I decided to sleep well Wed night and work hard at my Thursday run.

It didn't exactly look like that is what I was doing though. We were doing a loop of Mount Cootha via the trails and it was so bloody steep and rubbly that I could not get a good grip on my 'old' shoes. So there I was going backwards trying my hardest.

As soon as I got to the top I was in about 5th position. Miles behind the others.

I told myself...dammit you should be running with them so MOVE it. I did and was absolutely flying along. I suprised myself I was that damn fast. The smoke was coming of the back of my shoes and I was totally loving it. I could not breathe - because at that speed air is not of high quality.

Anyhow I was very happy to find that I came in first - totally not expecting that. Well to be really honest there was three runners that came in and went back out again but they are elite and were not in the group that I was chasing. I think they were running at 3:50min/km pace going UP the hill so I was never going to catch them!!! All up it was a great feeling and gave me a good start to the day.

FRIDAY
Down to 16 days until Kurrawa and the doubts are still niggling there. I am not training today - had to pick the in-laws up at 5am at the airport. But am considering my options for running on the weekend. Will let you know what I come up with. Choices are:
Sat - Riverloop (25-30km) or 17km flat or 18km Hilly or 3km Masters Track race
Sun - 15km BRRC race or 5km BRRC race or Half Marathon race with Tesso.

ooohh the choices....

18 days......and lots of beer to get through

I am never drinking again...till tonight.

The great Adventure Race was amazing. Lots of fun and many many hilarious moments. I was extremely competitive, suprise suprise, and had my team of six out in the lead for most of the race.

As the teams Navigator, I had them all blindfolded and running through the streets of Caloundra to find some red markers, we then (unblindfolded) had to ski - all six on one set of ski's - across 1km of grass, carrying some wooden poles. Do you know how hard that was!?? Next we had to go through a massive (man made) spiderweb without breaking/touching it - with the poles. We searched for the next clue at the end of each task and found ourselves directing the driver to a beach where we had to build a pontoon and float someone out to sea (that would be me). Yes I got soaking and came to shore firmly grasping two poles and four rubber rings so no-one could see the ropes had come undone. My undoing was the jellyfish in absolute swarms going past me and brushing up against me - lucky I had my jeans on, but I was still screaming the house down.
Next clue saw us tearing down the highway to the go-karts, we rocked up jumped in and sped away for 15mins of lapping. All the schoolies were watching and wondering what on earth are they doing.
We were forced to take a break as the next thing we had to do was eat a whole mars bar and bottle of water (it was a fun size mars bar and I don't know why they call that a task......). The filling up of a giant bin was very difficult - it was covered in tiny holes so the water kept coming out. We lost a lot of time on this task but still were in the lead.
Along the way we had to do riddles and puzzles. I felt like I was back at school driving along in a van screaming answers at everyone (okay so maybe I was screaming FOR the answers....).
The bowling alley was lots of fun - but take a hint and dont' try to save time by running into one with just socks on. I slipped A over T much to the amusement of everyone. I blame that on me not being able to get a strike. Anyhow we raced out of there and were now neck and neck with the other team.
The next few tasks don't get much of a mention because I was completely hopeless and let my team down big time. We all got handcuffed together and had to Houdini our way out. They all assumed it was something I do all the time......???...but I had absolutely no idea. The other team got undone in 3 mins!!

The pool task of making some letters with bits of rubber float was also a joke and I ended up paying $50 to the facilitator to let us out of that one (bribes were permitted). So at the end of the day we didn't win.....but we won the loudest and most enthusiastic award. Dare I say we also won the best drinkers at the after-party!! Everyone even commented on how I ran so well between the tasks and was the first one there everytime - yah does that count as training?

Wednesday morning was a struggle with getting out of bed and doing a run. I managed 6km without being ill and even had a wonderful I LOVE LIFE SO MUCH moment after throwing myself in the surf for a cold refreshing swim during the run. Pity it didn't last long and I felt shocking for the rest of the day.

19 days now....

Getting closer to the day and I am starting to feel like I have not done sufficient training. Certainly I have not done any heat training so that will be the focus from Wednesday to Wednesday this week. MIDDAY RUNS. Well one or two anyhow.

This morning we had 5 x 1min efforts with 30 sec jog recovery then turn around and come back with all 30sec effort and 30sec job recovery until we got back to where we started. Tess and I were running hard but still able to keep up a brief conversation. The plan for both of us today was not to run 100% - Tess had a big week last week and I am off for A GREAT ADVENTURE RACE in a few minutes. So I was conserving energy.

Have no idea what we are going to do but it sounds like fun.

21 Days left......recovery time

7.5km of hills. I ran this very slowly but was in good spirits and condition (ie. no sore muscles) so was holding myself back most of the way. A lot hotter this morning than Saturday's run.

22 Days to go....long run time

Today was 30km on the menu but when I arrived at the Ship Inn everyone was talking about only running 25km....very disappointed. I knew Toasty was running 30km so I was happy to see him there.

After the first few km a group of us let the lead pack go - we were running 4:45's and that was just too fast for a long run. The weather was really quite cool so it was perfect weather and we were all in good moods.

Toasty shot off with Phil after 5km and we never saw them again so there went my plan of running with him.

We did a long tempo run to compensate running 4:30's then 5:30's for the duration of the run. There are a few hills included so it was a solid workout and I was really quite exhausted afterwards with very tight muscles. A good stretch was in order before I got in the car and raced home to get ready for more house guests - November is a busy month!!!

23 Days to go - Friday GYM

No running as such.

Did RPM but hit the wall so to speak. It was weird but I found I had to keep my resistance lower than usual to cope with the unusual amount of hills we had today. We had a whole song dedicated to hovering - the wonderful art of being out of your seat and leaning forward, your bum is hovering just above the seat and your hands are gripping the end. We had to race in that position and forget the legs - I think I pulled a back muscle!!

Did weights after that and almost dropped them on myself. I am very drained of energy. So todays diet is all porridge and carbs. Big run on the agenda for tomorrow so I need to be well fueled as I am not likely to be well rested.

24 Days to go

Yesterdays run was still in my legs but I managed to get up and out to the base of Mount Cootha.
Coach Chris told us we were running the whole loop this morning instead of hill repeats. I thought this was a bloody stupid idea until I got dropped (too slow) of the fast runners and was way ahead of the slow runners. So there I was totally on my own running as best as I could and totally enjoying the surroundings.
After the rain last night it was slighly damp, very cool and extremely pleasant to be out in hills running.

A solid 9km hill session.

25 Days to go....

The Big countdown to Kurrawa has started. Only 25days now till race day. Getting very excited - that means less than 40days till Christmas!

This morning Tess, Toastie and I ran together around Brisbane city. Tess and I had started earlier and did about 4.5km, then picked up Toastie, Tara and Ciaran to do the Story Bridge route (16km). Tara and Ciaran dropped off early due to work committments.

The run this morning was a big tough one for me. I found it hard going all the way. We ended up running 21km (Tess did another 100m to make it a half-marathon but I wasn't budging).
The most fun I had was when we were going over the Storey Bridge and Tess tore in front like a little general. Naturally we turned it into an Indian run and took turns racing to the front in single file. I'm sure many walkers were thinking we were nuts.

Tess was miles ahead this morning and I was struggling just to keep her in view. She is really on fire and going to be my main competitor at Kurrawa. Think I might have to put up some fake detour signs on race day morning :)))

So from here on I am Focussed. Determined. Hardworking. Committed. oh and Buggered.

Weekend Racing

It's all good....because it's all over.

Friday I had to work so no gym and no running. Partied hard instead with my sister who flew in from Darwin.

Saturday I met up with Tess and we braved embarressment by running in the 3000m at the Masters Monthly Track race. It was good to pick a low profile event to do my very first track race in. They are a great bunch of runners with a lot of respect for ANYONE giving it ago. I was very nervous beforehand but was assured of not coming in last when I saw a few of the other competitors whom I know are 7-8min/km runners.

Tess and I took off when the gun went off (so that's a good start I guess)....I was just following everyone else and went through the first line (200m) in my planned time. For the next few laps I suffered from the extreme heat and weirdness of running the track. I was on target time but this slowly moved out by a second or two each lap. The 5th lap I think I realised I was 20sec outside of my goal time so I increased the pace slightly...then the bell rang and Jonesy slapped my hand and I realised the bell was for me this time...so I dug deep and went very fast. I don't know what my last lap was but for someone slowing slightly each lap I made up a lot of lost time.

My goal was 12:00 but I ended up with 12:10. I was very disappointed with this but have since quietly accepted that it is a time I can work on. The track will see me back again - but I admit it is a much harder form of running that the road.

SUNDAY 15km
Again had something different on this morning - met up with Tess (for a change) and we did a 3.5km warm up which told me that I was exhausted and tiring easily. Our goal today was to pace Cassie to a 50min 10km. I thought that would be easy but after the warm up Tess and I were moaning to each other that it would be a tough day out there.
I raced to the loo and came down the hill just as they were firing the gun. I chased Tess and was looking around for Cassie. After the 1km mark I turned around and waited for Cassie but she was no-where so I sprinted hard back up to Tess and asked her what was going on - turns out whilst I was in the loo Cassie had said she was not up for it today due to all her racing and hence Tess was just doing her own thing. We ran for a km or so together before I realised Tess was in the groove with her music so I got a few metres in front and just sat there. Each km I worked on my breathing and trying to get the person in front of me. It was a good race but I was tired.
At just before 5km I passed a Marshall who told me my hubby was right on my tail...so I did the only right thing and accelerated further. I finished the race in 45:38 with a gutsy last km - (hubby had to pull out at 7km with ITB worries). So back to regular training for him.

I wonder why I was able to run well still despite the solid warmup and with racing all week. Funny how these things come about. I think without the mixup in the first km I would have ran close to 44mins today so I was happy with the end results of todays race. Heat forcasted all week so I am going to plan a few days of running at lunchtime.

RUNNING UP FRONT.....

Pat had a 50min run on the agenda this morning - he calls it a recovery run but a few of us tend to use it as a chance to get a tempo run done.

This morning was no different as we headed out from the Ship Inn towards New Farm Park. We got into a steady but comfortable pace early on so we were just able to keep up a conversation. Pat joined us and began to entertain us with some jokes and funny stories. Sure enough though he kept increasing the pace slightly so I was very keen for the turnaround to come.

We turned around just after 25mins and headed back. Tesso and Deborah got up front and kept each other going. Robbie had a bit of a chat with me and then moved past and joined the girls. They were soon specks on the horizon as I slowed with Scotty because we were both struggling towards the end.
Just over 10km and we were back at the start for the 1km race. I predicted 4min but thought I would be running a 5min now after pouring cement into the legs on the 10km.

However Toastie stuck 4 fingers up to me and urged me to join him. I figured what the hell....and we were off. I raced out hard and then for 200m felt totally shite. However I came good and actually felt quite comfortable. Obviously I was going very slow and was easing off a bit to feel like that. Then when I crossed the line Pat yelled 3:49 - ha! here I was thinking I was running slow when really I was running fast! Amazing your perception when you are tired. I was happy with the result but slowly made it up the hill and over the top to finish the session. No chance of running a long cooldown today. But I watched Tesso do it...does that count?

Followed the run with pancakes and fruit....mmmmm I love NO WATCH THURSDAYS.

Punishment Run - 20km

After yesterdays Time Trial I decided to punish myself this morning with an extra long midweek run.
It was really weird because no one joined me so I had to run on my own and I left my ipod at work so I had to listen to myself the whole way (breathing that is - I wasn't talking out loud!!).

I choose to run from the Regatta in case I saw anyone I knew up and about (sorry about those rocks on your window Tess). I headed down the path and then doubled back when I realised I should have parked at the gym so I could shower when I finish. I ran past Steve and laughed to myself....got in my car...drove 3km up the road and then got back on path just as Steve was coming. He was very puzzled as to how I got in front of him. We ran together for a few km - which is a big ask. He was doing a tempo run at 4:20min/pace and I was struggling to keep up, but doing okay.

When we stopped in the gardens for water he turned around and I said 'yah now I can slow down'. He laughed and said "I was only trying to keep up with you, I wasn't going that fast before.." Too funny. We both had been getting faster thinking the other was increasing the pace and we just wanted to keep up!!!

After that I kept going out to New Farm park. Something big was happening and there were lots of trucks unloading equipment so did two full laps trying to be nosy. I was telling myself I needed to run on grass anyhow so the more mileage I did on grass the better but I forgot that regardless of how much I ran on the grass at New Farm - I still had to get home!!!!

The return journey was uneventful and fairly slow. Garmin stopped so I have no idea how far I ran until Gadget Fabian tells me.

I think it was 20km. It felt like 30km. Despite doing it to punish myself I actually really enjoyed it and wasn't doing it tough until the very end.

3km November Time Trial

I was all fired up this morning. I really wanted to do a good run and get as close to a PB as I could. I even entertained idea's of going sub 11:35.

As the crowd gathered at the Ship Inn I said to Tess I was off for a last minute dash to the loo, she said she'd come with me so off we headed on our warmup. We visited every loo in Southbank to find them all locked. Pretty desperate situation to be in really! I entertained ideas of using the loo under the GoodWill Bridge and even went inside but came straight out. Enough to make you ill. Drugs, syringes, mess and clothes all over the place. Even having Tesso guard outside was not enough to convince me to use them. I held on.

The race got underway after our warm up and I felt great for 100m. Then I felt really lethargic. I just could not get going. I was still running around others who would be doing 11.40'ish so I was happy but my energy was gone and I had to fight to not just stop and walk.

On the way back I really lost the plot and slowed down and just tried to encourage those around me. My heart wasn't in it at all. My legs felt ok and I was breathing well. No excuses really. I think mentally not being able to go to the loo made me grumpy. Tess caught up to me and was working towards her goal of going hard but not 120%. She was working hard on the last hill and I knew she had it in her to catch me so I kept calling out to her to come and get me....and she did. We crossed the line together in 12:15 and I was very miserable (but ecstatic for Tess who earnt her medal!). Before we started I had assumed I would be at the very least sub 12 today. I knew as I was running I wasn't going to do that but I was still disappointed to hear Pat say our time.

Okay race over.....what one's next?

RACING FIT

Tomorrow morning is the monthly 3km Time Trial.

I am so gonna bust a PB there tomorrow. I am all fired up and as fit as I'll ever be. I know I am going to jump out of bed all excited and run a fantastic race. It is just gonna be my day, I can feel it now.

Okay well that's it for the afternoon daydreaming session...............

I'm Glad I am a Runner

...and not a mountain biker. They are all so strong and intense and determined!! Totally out there as hard core endurance athletes...

Today was the 6Hr Mountain Bike Endurance about 90mins from Brisbane. Jodi Willet was contending so I was keen to get down there as soon as I could after my role as Race Director at Road Runners this morning.

The BRRC run was a 3 x 5km Relay - which was loads of run and it was good to be at the other end watching all the runners work hard. Tess's team won which I was doubly proud of!

I raced home then showered and headed out for a long drive with hubby.

It was hot out there and dirty and there was lots of tears and blood and vomiting.

See below photo - that's Jodi just after she finished.



Then just a few minutes later the cramps kick in and this was all you saw....



All that white stuff on her shorts is the salt from sweat! Man she did it tough out there today. I am so very proud. Out of 20 odd solo women (there were hundreds of teams) doing the six hour event she came third with lots of great (bike) prizes. How cool is she!!!

COOL NIGHT CLASSIC

WIPEOUT!

Sorry to disappoint everyone - including myself. I had Eddie in my sights early (despite him being incognito without his Coolrunning cap) on and tucked in behind him, went past him YAH! around Kangaroo Point only to be overtaken MOAN!. It was a game of cat and mouse the whole way. In the end he cruised past me evilly laughing - with 800m to go and whopped my butt by more than 20sec.

I felt good in the race - went out hard and kept it going but found my new shorts really sweaty and I also got a stiTch - which is nothing new. I find I tend to get them when I run in the afternoon (and have had big roast beef roll/gravy for lunch ha!). But I was happy with my efforts for sure.

Stephen - no prizes :( But I got to run....that's a prize in itself. And had fun!

Next year instead of lining up with the elites....I'm gonna be at the front of the line - not the back!
I could not believe how many lined up at the front and then went out in 5min/6min pace. I had to duck and weave the whole way to get past them and also towards the end as the fast runners stopped to walk (part-timers I call em). Very frustrating...still all in all a great run and whilst poorly organised it is good to run in the city with so many people.

I just love the end where you run them down one by one!!!!!!!! well except Eddie..

Cool Morning + Cool Night Classic 5.14km

This morning was a very easy session. I could'nt be stuffed doing anything to exerting. So I did a warmup at the gym and then an hr of weights and mostly stretching. It was very good for the body and soul.

Tonight - I am racing with the PatCarrollRacingGroup in the Cool Night Classic. It is a run for the corporates around Brisbane that starts at 5:15pm. Some great prizes and they get a good crowd - which unfortunately means slow times and a congested start/finish areas. I'm just heading out there to have fun....oh and beat Eddie :)

Quick Update

Thursday - Hill session. Ran the trail with Galeforce runners - including David Waugh (Tugger). Was hard but I ran well with no further injury to the back.
Went to the gym afterwards for a stretching session.

Friday - Rested and back exercises.

Saturday - 30km run with Tesso around the streets of Noosa. Around 5:20min/km pace. Was very tired and struggling at the end but came good just before we finished.

Sunday - 10km run with Tesso around the streets of Noosa. Felt much better than yesterday.

Monday - hungover at Noosa.

Tuesday - Speed session at Pats. Worked hard but not maximum effort. Still in recovery from the weekend running and partying.

Tuesday Speed Session

After the race on Sunday I felt really great. I even managed to go out for a 7.5km run later that afternoon to loosen up the legs.

Monday morning I hit the gym and managed to totally fuck my back after lifting some weights following my spin class.
I raced to a phsyio who specialised in back pain and they spent an hour diagnosing and relieving my pain. Apparently I strained a disc. But the ultrasound also showed that under all the flab I have some very strong/tight Abdominus muscle. Yah.

Now I have lots of additional core exercises to do, NSAID's to take - and a lighter workload for the week. NO GYM PERMITTED. mmmm

Tuesday morning I fronted up to Pat's with a bit of trepidition. I shouldn't have worried - it was all good. I choose to just run steady at a decent pace instead of doing the 30fast/30recovery session the rest of the group was doing. It was funny going past them all in the recovery and trying to stay ahead of them when they started running fast. Didn't help that Pat NEVER runs 30sec recovery....more like 20sec. My back never crossed the unbearable threshold so I was happy.

When I got home from work I even braved the lap pool to do some laps - apparently swimming is excellent for the back. Pity the lungs got soaked as well - I think I swallowed half the pool.

I had NSAIDs on Monday and one yesterday before training but then didn't take anymore. I wanted to see how bad the pain got. I had a really good day yesterday but this morning I am no better and it may even be slightly worse so I will follow Dr instructions and take the NSAID's for a few days. Also have a 4pm appt with the Physio again to follow up.

Final BRRC Championships Race 2006

This morning was the final race in the series for 2006 - a 5km. If it wasn't in the Championships I guess I would not have run it. I would have done the 15km option instead.

I have never run 5km as a race before so I was interested to see what I could do. I know what all my friends, coaches and running calculators say I can do but I never meet up to those expectations when the distance is short - as we all know from my dismal 10km attempts.

This morning I woke up feeling well rested and ready to go but still didn't bank on having a great time. I was confident of one thing - I was going to give it everything I had.

Tess and I got there early so we could socialise...I mean warm up.

We headed out down the road but just before the 1km turnaround I realised I had not had my can of V (or any breaky) so turned back and left Tess to keep on runnning.

I had a few mouthfuls and knew I would regret it as it was only 8mins to race time.

I did two run thru's - pathetic really but it got my heart rate going so some good came from them.

The gun went and I hurtled out. I would like to know how fast Robertsong did his first km in because my Garmin says we did it in 3:34 and I am amazed at that. It was fast but I didn't think I could run THAT fast. The km's ticked by steady and I got a bit tired halfway but then pepped up when I realised it was HALFWAY. I then ran it home to get to the 4km mark where I was now physically tiring. I was really trying to just hold my form. My legs felt great - like I could go on forever. I was breathing like an elephant but with the ipod turned up loud I didn't care.

Crossed the finish line in exactly 20:30 - woo hoo third female and Gold for my age group. Faster than I expected and I was very very happy with that run. Any time today would have been a PB but at least now I can say I have a 5km time I am happy with....so I won't have to run one again!

Friday - Rest Day

Got up this morning and lacked enthusiasm but habit is stronger so I got in the car and headed into the gym.

The day started out badly when a BCC truck driver nearly ran me off the road. Then when I got to Milton road I was directed around in another direction due to the closure of the Riverside Expressway. When I went that way I was then directed over the Goodwill bridge - into Southbank....which is not anywhere near my gym.

I turned around and came back then went into Roma Street into the city. You could not turn right into the street my gym was on. I was 30mins late by now and really steaming.

So I gave up and came to work.

I feel sorry for the businesses that this road closure must be affecting. The gym is just one. How on earth anyone in a car can get to it is beyond me.

So enforced rest day today. Will have to do something tomorrow instead.

It's Tough Out There......

The hill session at Mount Cootha this morning turned into a hard slog.

We ended up doing the whole loop! Raced up the trail (without tripping up or hurting too much) though I was totally spent by the time we got to Channel 10.
We then continued along the top on an undulating road - which is wonderful on a long slow run - yet this morning was anything but! I had dead legs and was running on empty. I persevered more-so when a new girl tried to get in front of me! Imagine!

Going down was the hardest - my left knee was really aching. As soon as we went uphill again it was fine. Weird - but I always knew I hated downhills.

We ended up running for just over an hour of tough hills and I was totally buggered.

Obviouly I am an obsessed runner - because at lunch today I decided that HARD DAYS HAVE TO BE HARD so I went out for an hours run at 12:30pm.
Secret heat trainnig for Kurrawa!
Was meant to do it with Tess but she had a Very Important engagement to attend to.
So there I was dying along the river, sweating out buckets and looking at all the other people out there thinking "are they actually enjoying this??" I wasn't.
Then again, I had forgot my sunscreen and my Garmin went dead after 20mins so I had no idea how fast or how long I was actually out there for.

I have a headache now - so lots of water this afternoon.

Might have a rest tomorrow...then again might do SPIN.

Heh Neuted - can you sit on a bike yet? Maybe you can join me? 6:15am North Quay Fitness First gym.

Bring it on Sis!

I have a very fat sister. Well actually she used to be fat. Now she is damn skinny and rang me last night just to tell me she is now 54kg.

She is arriving shortly for the Noosa Triathlon and the first task will be to weigh her in to ensure this is correct. I liked being the skinniest sister (there are 6 of us). So water and crackers all week until she arrives.......

This morning, tired as I was I met Liz and we ran for 13km from Regatta into the Gardens and back - via the city thanks to the closure of the Expressway. It made for a welcome and interesting detour! Those police were very polite in offering their assistance upon witnessing my sweaty breathless demeanour.

I was exhausted when we finished - we averaged 5min/km so nothing too fast. Will try to eat some red meat in the next few days.

Today also was my regular massage day. I am not sure if it was just me or not but they don't hurt anymore and I don't really feel any pain during the massage. So my question to you - DO MUSCLES GET USED TO PAIN? Do they adapt the the vigours of a masseuse so that it feels quite thereapeutic (ie. aromatherapy like)????? I'm curious. Either that or I have to tell Jodi to have her weeties next fornight :)

Back at it again.....

Was so great to see Tesso back at Pat's this morning. It really lifted my spirits.

After the warm up I was feeling very lethargic and leg-heavy but was reassured by Tess that I would feel better once we got going.

I think the key is that you work so hard in a speed session you don't have time to ponder how you are feeling.....

We had 1min hard (30) 30 sec hard (15)15sec hard (15) REPEATED

Not sure how many times we did this but it felt like lots. Tess and I usually run together but the damn little champion has pneumonia and still was keeping up with me so I am obviously in need of some more speed sessions to keep up with her in the future.

It was a great session - all topped off by 2 x hill repeats that totally wasted me.

I felt great afterwards knowing I had worked hard and not slacked off (ummm thanks Tess for that comment halfway through..)

Going to go and reward myself with a cup of coffee now..mmmmmmmmm

Hard at it......

Thursday - Hills with the great Glasshouse Guru Tugga! Was a very hard session and I worked extra hard to keep with Dave. I felt great afterwards but definitely very tired.

Friday - Went back to spin class. Went well today - I definitely prefer the Friday man to the Monday woman.

Saturday - Hills again *groan*. We did the 18km circuit around Mount Cootha and I, for once, was glad to finish.

Sunday - Rest

Monday - Spinning again. Christian was there. He had won the Toowoomba 10km yesterday (32:10) and was still riding like a maniac!!!

Had a disgusting weekend on the food and alochol front. I even ate a hotdog at the Bullets game last night which was totally dubious. So this week - more focus on healthy eating, no alcohol and lots of mileage. BRING IT ON.

Its a beautiful day...

Liz and I struggled to get out this morning so we laughed when we both saw each other in the carpark at 5.30am both scowling and moaning.

We ended up having a great run and feeling really good for getting out there.

10.5km Fartlek that went like this
2.5 warmup
500m fast
500m steady
500m fast
2km steady
1km fast
500m steady
1km fast
1km steady
500m fast
500m cooldown.

A good workout. Steady pace was around 4:30-4:40 but we focussed on form and breathing as opposed to running all out speed so we were very happy. Even managed to talk through a few of them which gave us an added aerobic benefit.
Everything is just smooth sailing at the moment.
I love being a runner.
Thanks to everyone out there for making me enjoy it so much.

Gotta love the endorphins heh?

Bum back on the Bike

Monday:
Went to the gym and decided to try spinning again. I was confident that knowing how to get out of the bike and also how to set it up that I would be okay today.
The class was not as hard as the first one but I was not prepared for the pain in my butt when I took my first seat - I think I might have bruised it from the first session last week. Does that happen often?
Anyhow it was a great workout but this woman was not as good as the bloke - you could not hear a word she was saying and she did not really give off any energy or vibes. Nonetheless I worked hard and managed to get through it (and off) in one piece.

Tuesday:
Everyone was asking about Tess today - they knew she was due back and I was constantly being stopped and questioned about her absence. I will take a sign next time :)
I caught up with her quickly on Sunday night after she arrived back from her time in Sydney but she found out she was off to Adelaide for work for a few days - so no running at Pat's for another week for her.

We had her favourite hill session this morning. It was strange, I didn't feel like I was working hard. The first two laps I was out the front, then I got overtaken by a couple of people. Nothing unusual there. However I just kept going and towards the end I was able to go past those same people. Consistency really paid off.
Normally in this session I burn and bust and am satisfied but after today - it was way more satisfying finishing in one piece and working consistently hard throughout the session. I feel really great and all fired up so pretty happy that the spin yesterday didn't have any drastic effects on my legs for today.

River Loop - SATURDAY

We found the perfect course this morning - for a mid-long run.

The standard riverloop but go straight from the cementry to Southbank - ie leave out the meandering through Orleigh Park and West End. All up 24km of flat, hills and curves. A good workout.

We managed to finish strongly but I was very tired at the end. For the first time EVER I succumbed to a bacon and egg burger at the Regatta. It was great and fuelled me up for a big weekend.

Saturday the kids and I cruised around the shops and played Monopoly all afternoon. We had a BBQ for dinner and I got a good night sleep. Sunday it was golf followed by housework. Finished off with a trip over to Jodi's to celebrate her birthday.....I have a feeling she is still celebrating judging by the amount of alcohol there!!

A great weekend!

It's all about the bike..............

Only read on if you promise not to laugh at me!

The legs had been a bit punished lately so I thought I would waiver my 8km run the coach had me down for and head to the gym.

I snuck into the Spin class before anyone was there and had a look at the bikes. Can't be too hard I thought, the teacher came in and saw me and came straight over *groan*. He was great. Showed me how to adjust the bike for height, arm length and workload (and I thought you just sat on it). Then he ran through some of the catch phrases he would use during the session and what it meant (ie stand, sit, drink fluid etc). mmmm this is now getting too technical for a simple cross training exercise.

Just as it was about to get underway Champion Christian came bounding in (he runs 10km in 32mins), saw me and grinned. Grabbed the bike next to me - that I left purposely empty - and the class got underway.
That damn nasty teacher had to announce I was a newbie and Chris grinned even bigger and whispered - "don't worry I'll watch out for you - just follow my lead"

The teacher forgot to mention that the music was going to be so loud that I would not hear his catch phrases and I have never been good at lipreading when the sweat is pouring in my eyes.
Hence a few times I had a slap on the arm from Chris telling me to keep looking up or to put up the resistance (my response being a kindly "I'll put the resistance up something in a minute..").
I got through 20mins and we eased off and everyone was stretching their arms and grabbing some water. Great I thought, it was time for the cool down. Just as soon as I picked up my water bottle the man up front screamed and everyone was pumping their legs furiously. WTF was going on...I thought it was all over now!

I never knew I could run up a hill on a bike. Or glare at someone 5m away from me and have him smile widely back and say "CMON LETS SPRINT"
Yah finally something I can do. Oh...he means still on the bike....

The 45mins went for 45hrs. Everyone else was stretching after the cooldown but I just kept turning the legs over gently. Then they all starting leaving the room and I was still gently peddling along. The instructor came up to me and asked me what I thought so I told him it was a great workout and it really tested me. He then asked if I was staying for another class and I said no I had to go to work. I kept peddalling.
So he politely told me the next group would be in soon.
So I politely told him that I was waiting until everyone left so I could figure how to get out of the damn clips he had put my feet into. I mean did he really think I wanted to just keep peddalling when my legs were groaning?????
I think Christian is still laughing. I daren't ever go back there again.

50mins + 1km

Another hard session today, but it was fun.

We had just a 50min run on the program. I decided to run hard with Pat and Jonesy at the front - they were just doing a jog! We were going at 4:40pace - the garmin had it at much slower but when I asked Mark he had a good idea and knows his pace really well.

After 25mins I turned around and they kept going for another 500m past the bowls club. I thought we had been running 5min km (due to Garmin) so decided to run harder on the way home. Ended up doing 4:14 from the Garmin may have been a bit quicker but not too much. I was strong but tiring towards the end.

Rested up for a few minutes before Pat called a 1km no-watch run. I guesse my time of 4:30 and ended up running 4:24.

We finished off with a wondeful breakfast of pancakes and fruit salad - it was a great morning out! But I got the terrible news shortly after to put a damper on my day......Tess has decided to stay in Sydney. Well for another night or two anyhow :)

I am a naughty runner.....repeat after me...I am a naughty runner

Decided I was awake early so I might as well run at 5.30am. Headed out from the Regatta on my own and had my stop watch with me (instead of Garmin). Was taking the km splits and pleased to see the times were not as bad as I thought they were going to be. 4:58 was the first and slowest. Did the next 4km at 4:40 pace - give or take 5ec. Then stopped for a stretch and drink in the gardens.

Got going again and told myself to ease of and then I can push it when I get to the km markings again at 4km (4km back to the Regatta). The 500m markings are very accurate and allow you to run farlek, time trials, even races.

This morning however I was just enjoying it. Then I saw Liz just after the marker that says 3km to home. We stopped and chatting for a a few mins and then I told her to run hard with me instead of doing her planned 9km run. Naughty aren't I?

We raced 500m then jogged 500m then raced etc all the way back - finishing on a sprint of 500m followed by a jog to Tesso's house. We were exhausted. All efforts were done at 2min pace - the last one was 1:54 so I was really happy with that considering how tired we both were from our weekend race.

All up an honest days work.

3km Time Trial

Went out to the Time Trial this morning with absolutely no expectations.

I even contemplated just watching after the warm up but I was surrounded by so many enthusiastic persons that it was hard to not want to run.

Ally was racing and going to go sub-12 for the first time so I was keen to watch - which meant I had to stay close or not run. I decided to run and stay right behind her. Well I would never have had the energy to go past anyhow!!!

The legs felt lactic after 1km and I couldn't believe I was doing this to myself. But to tell you the truth they never got any worse and I started to just coast along. A very tranquil feeling, then again I eased off at the turnaround as it was quite crowded and you had to remain in single file.
I never got that gut busting finish or exhausted myself like I usually do but still I was able to have a good run.

Pat clocked me at 12:10 and I was happy with that effort. The km splits speak for themselves:
3:56
4:12
4:02

Another day in the bank. Oh and I must mention - 500gm lighter this week. So 4 weeks of solid effort has paid off (what a joke!)

Bribie Island Bash - 30km Beach Run

well well well

Another beautiful day in paradise. Only blur on the horizon as I arrived at Bribie was knowing Tesso wasn't going to be able to join me. This is one of her favourite races. :(

I arrived 1min (yes!) before the gun went off. It was so embarressing. I was putting on my shoes, signing a disclaimer as Allan was clipping up my camelpak. I didn't get the chance to put on extra sunscreen (big mistake) or any sportsshield (ouch) but I was glad to get to the start with 20secs to spare. Talk about wired.

I ran out onto the beach and found myself talking and laughing with Gavin Bell and CR Beagle. Run67 and Parso were just up in front with Ian sprinting off into the distance. We got to 10km just like that before I pulled back a bit. We had been running 4:50's up until then and I was fairly comfortable and definitely confident of doing 2:30hrs for the race. However when I reached the turnaround I realised what those grimaces had been on everyone's faces. I even understood Ian's reluctance to high-5 me as he went past.... The cool breeze on the way out was a massive headwind on the way back. It was terrible.

I struggled bad and instead of enjoying the view was forced to keep my head down to avoid the salt spray and sand. Despite that I enjoyed the challenge. I never gave up and I never walked. I plodded on and focussed on going from one song to the next on my ipod. When it was really bad I ran hard on the verse's and relaxed a bit on the chorus's. Before I knew it I had only 6km to go. It was then that I saw all the 15km runners coming toward me. It gave me an inner glow to see all my friends out there. I got to high five them all and smile and encourage them knowing what they didn't - they were still running with the wind at their back! LOL

The last few km were tough and the finishing beacon was a glorious sight to behold.

I raced up to the finish line in 2:39hrs - over my goal but elated with the result given the circumstances. I promptly declared I had no more energy left. Somehow i found some as we stayed around until 2pm surfing and having a BBQ and generally enjoying being with the family and some friends. A great day out!

GO THE BRONCOS!

WEIGHED DOWN....

I'll be weighing an extra 10kilos this week due to the heavy metal in my body. The amount of iron I have had in the past two days - I'm hoping some of it gets absorbed!!

Went to the gym yesterday as I thought it would be best to give the hills a miss this week. Did 30mins on the bike followed by 90mins on the weights. It was tough but I enjoyed it for a change.

Today is rest day. Yah. Haven't had one of those for a while.

I am really noticing my health plan benefits this week. I have been having coffee maybe 3 times a week. I no longer crave it and don't need a hot drink in the mornings either.
As for alcohol, I have had the odd glass of wine when out with friends but in the past 3 weeks have maybe had a total of 5 glasses. Thats a massive cut down for me.
But aside from the actual products themselves, what I really notice is that I am out of the habit.I love my coffee and wine and bad foods. But I no longer have them just because.
I no longer have a coffee when I arrive at work or go out with a client. I have grown inventive with other options.
I no longer have a glass of wine when cooking a special meal or eating out with my hubby. If I feel like one, I'll have one. But it is no longer habit.That is what I call eating healthy.

13km Hard Easy run

I just can't trust my garmin at all anymore. Ran for 30mins then into the gardens and back and it said 8.97km in total...aarrggh. I know I ran at least 13km today.

The first bit on my own at 5.30am was a struggle. I had some great music and was keen to run but the body just wasn't willing. I had to push myself up the hills and then prevent the body from walking down. I actually stopped after 2km (10mins) and stretched then turned around and ran back.

Back at the Regatta I picked up Liz and Chris. Saw Mark - who was off racing the world (what he calls taking it slow is 4.30min/km).

I ambled about with Liz and Chris and we talked about our running and iron levels. It was really good to chat to her - a nutritionist. She is doing a study at the moment (paper due at Uni after the break) about iron levels in women - with some focus on long distance runners. Very interesting.

Anyhow I finished the run feeling like I had done a marathon. Certainly won't be doing hills tomorrow.

Maybe I make this week a low mileage week before upping it again next week....

LITTLE SISTER

My little sister is a triathlete and is coming to Brisbane to do Noosa in 30 more sleeps. Look how fit she is.....I am so excited!
I will be cheering her on and then celebrating with the Moet in the spa afterwards (stuff the diet when she's here - I need her to get fat!!)

Go Rosie Go!

3 more weeks of tough training, 1 week of taper and YAHHOOOOO.

Speed Session and the Light goes on!

Was a great session. I worked hard to get to top gear. My HR was 172 during the recoveries - I never got to see what is was when I was hurtling along. But my average was 192 - which is higher than my max??

We had 5 x 1min efforts with 30sec recovery jog, then turn around and do 30/30 all the way back. For once Pat actually followed the times correctly. It was amusing because everyone was prepared for him to say "all the way home now" in the last minute but we got a rest just before the last 30sec effort. It was great and made us all go harder to get home.

I was just behind Robbie (15m) on the way out and gaining on him - I was doing well but as soon as we turned...well another story. My legs felt lactic and I was breathless. Pat stopped twice and asked me if I was okay. The first time I thought he was being nice. The second time I wiped my nose in case it was bleeding...I mean I was working hard here....of course I am not ok. But I didn't think I was attracting attention for any reason.
He spoke to me afterwards and suggested that I maybe low in iron. BINGO. That may be correct. With the new diet and the weights program I may be neglecting the iron food. I eat red meat once a week (ie a steak or stirfry) but I eat mince once a fortnight also, which I thought was plenty. I have been eating loads of fish and chicken. Spinach with every evening meal as well but Pat mentioned that even if you are taking sufficient Iron in your diet your body may not be absorbing it well due to training or other body issues. Hence you may need more than usual just to get the right amount absorbed.

I hope to get on top of it very quickly. Pat said the two main symptoms are:
* breathlessness when running (more so than usual)
* fatigue (at any time in the day - you may feel great when you run but tire easy later)

I have no upcoming races so I wont' suffer too much even if I was very low in iron but I don't want it to worsen and I have a 30km beach run on Sunday that I don't really want to feel dreadful all the way like I did on Sunday. So off to the chemist for some fluriovax or whatever it is called.

10KM WALK - BRRC

Was all fired up this morning for a good run. Went to bed early, ate well, hydrated well.

Woke up in the morning tired (Hubby was sick during the night) but still felt good. I left everyone at home to recuperate and sleep in and headed off to BRRC.

Arrived early and then remembered it was a handicap so I had more than an hour before the start. It was good to have a chat to everyone and see what their plans were for this morning.
There was a group of guys from Pat's that were pacing Gerard to run sub 40min/10km. He was very very nervous so I tried to make him laugh and loosen up a bit before he started.

Shane was also going for the magical sub 40. Owen was aiming for the 40min goal as well but I knew it would be hard for both of them as they would have no competition going off 30+mins for their handicapp. Not quite the same as a race start where everyone bolts out and chases each other.

Gerard & Pat's fellows were not in the Handicap race so had special dispensation to start at 0:00. It was great to see them do the first 5km right on target before I headed out for my warm up.

Christian (who runs sub 33min 10km) saw me and joined me for the warm up. I didn't have the heart to tell him that after the first 200m we were running at my race pace and he was just blabbing away talking whilst I was breathing hard!

A quick toilet break and chat with Parmy and I was ready to go. Did some run throughs (boy did everyone laugh at me for that!!) and was all fired up on the start line. BANG I was off. flying start....the heart was pumping, the legs were turning - it was all good. Close to the 1km I thought oh no I have gone out too fast and will regret it. At 1km I looked at my watch - it said 4:24 *groan* I wasn't even doing race pace. I knew then that today was really going to hurt. And that it was unlikely I was going to get close to my race goal dream of 42:30.

As it turned out I have no idea what went wrong. I felt strong and good, no issues with the stomach or fluids. I had great music on and just kept in ryhthym. The clock shows some drastic tales though with the following splits: 4:24, 4:20, 4:14, 4:46 and so it went - up and down.

Thanks to Matty Phillips and Langy who joined me as they were doing a warm down. It made me stop thinking and just run. Matty stuck with me to the very end and I was happy to finish strong. The last few km was decreasing and the last km was a 4:00min/km so I was wrapped with that. Yes I was very heady afterwards and needed fluid - which Cass kindly provided me with. Really angry with myself though because within an hour I felt I could run another 30km - obviously I didn't work hard enough.

Overall a crap race with a crap result. 45:00 (officially). I had 44:59 on my watch but whos' going to argue over a second? I am very very sad about this. No actually I am furious with myself. I felt great the whole way and despite knowing I wasn't running fast have absolutely no excuse. I think I will stick to longer runs from now on. Whilst I don't expect a PB everytime I honestly believed I would be better than that. I mean I run faster in a half marathon for crying out loud! Anyhow, the run is done and the experience is in the bag. Now onto the heavy training for Kurrawa!!!! Have finally decided to stick with the 25km but would like to aim for 1:55 this year. Thats a big ask for the second leg as it will be a zillion degrees then.

Well done to Owen for his great run at 40mins (yah a PB) and for Shane's extraordinary effort for sub 40.
Gerard didn't quite make his goal but he'll be back and more determined than ever. It was a big reminder to me about relaxing before a race. I saw firsthand what I must be like when I am stressed about a run. I will try to remember that....

The BRRC course was officially announced as being 100m short (50m per lap) at the committee meeting after the race (this didn't affect me whatsoever but I thought of those trying to go for sub 40 and just missing out by a few seconds - it would have made a difference to them!).

The course is going to be remeasured and re-routed to be an accurate certified course on the 8th October. We have a 20km run on the same day in which I will try to run consecutively faster loops. (4 x 5km).

It's a Busy Week

THURSDAY - Did Mount Cootha this morning. It was brilliant. I felt so strong. Did it three times with the elite runners (Jen Epps and John etc) and I was not too far behind them. They rested at the top for 10secs for me to get there and then I turned around and went straight down.
We did it three times. I walked the steep section on the last one - my legs were burning and my lungs were choking. But I started running again and finished the summit in good time. I was very very happy with this session. Stayed in my skins all day but didn't rest up too much - had a to play 18 holes of Golf. It's a hard life.

FRIDAY - Shane was at the regatta this morning so he, the Bee and I ran off in one little group whilst the others went at their pace. We did the first 4km in 5min/km pace and then sped up a bit. Shane went wild on the return journey and within seconds we couldn't see him anymore - he's fast! The Bee and I ran together going from 4:45 to 4:35 to 4:30 and then 4:20. I finished off strongly - thanks to Shane who came back out and ran in the last bit with me to make sure I didn't slack off. It was a good session and I was glad I got out of bed again. As usual we stayed and had breakfast - which was super as Cass and baby Sam stayed too and we all had a good ole chat and I drooled over their pancakes and icecream.

Saturday - Mostly due to my husbands illness I stayed in bed this morning. Coach Chris had said to anyhow but I was intending on still running 15km or so. However I got no sleep last night and at 3am finally got to sleep. I didn't wake up until 7am and realised the reason I had finally got to sleep was that Allan had moved to the couch to let me get some sleep. Fingers crossed his cough is not so bad tonight.

The last 10km race for the year is on this Sunday. Coach says I can run 42:30 but I will be happy to run strong and get a PB that I can work on in early 2007.
Wish me luck!!

Go Tesso - have fun in your half run on Sunday morning.

*********BRONCOS RULE*******************

14.5km or was it 15.5km - perhaps it was 35km?

Met Shane and Mark at the Regatta at 5.30am for an easy 5km before starting with the rest of the group at 6am.
Well if you know Mark - EASY just isn't in his vocabulary. We headed out to the St Lucia Uni and did 5km of hills! Which were actually quite enjoyable. I love hills.

Back at the Regatta Mark was chomping at the bit to keep going but I was happy to stop to for a minute or two.

We picked up Tesso and the rest of the Regatta crew before heading out again.

Amazing how the time passes when you are having fun. Shane, Tess and I just chatted and ran the 10km loop into the Gardens and back. Very pleasant but I still felt like I was running steady and not taking it easy. We increased the pace on the way home slightly and then I settled in for a solid last few kms.

With 500m to go - the pace had been getting faster but not overly much. Then Tesso pointed to Shane who was in front and said "Run Rabbit Run" I thought she meant we should get in front of him or chase him down. Anyhow her legs were getting faster and faster so I thought she was just about to burst into a sprint.
To counteract I moved up ahead and worked hard for the last little bit. Shane pulled up alongside me and it was good to have someone push you to the end.

Finished feeling great - just a bit grumpy that my X201 was more than a km out. I kept telling Tess it needed calibrating and she kept telling me it ran on the satellites....doh! Anyhow it doesn't work and has been slipping kms in the past month and getting worse...any suggestions anyone? Shane checked it and it has version 3.50 firmware on it. Though I may try to load it up again.

All up we ran just over 15km this morning - by Shane's GPS.

I'm a Wannabe Triathlete.....

Worked hard this morning! Feel alive and hot to trot. If anyone out there is eating dinner late please please please you owe it to yourself to eat healthy and eat early. If you train in the morning your body will thank you for it.

Was good to turn up at Pats and see some old faces as well as our good buddy Shane. A real catch up session. Anyone know where MJ is?? Is she okay??

Pat had us running out to the Floating Bridge near New Farm for our warm up and then a few strides before doing 8 x 1min efforts with 30sec standing recovery.

As we all know Pat's 30 seconds is just a standard 10sec. I tried complaining but he just told me to dig deep and well basically...shut up. Only he can get away with that.

I got to a certain place on the first effort and told Tess that was where we had to get to each time. We almost made it, with the exception of the last two where I was about 5m from the place I had mentally marked. I was happy with that as the recoveries were getting less as we progressed.

On the 6th effort I was really feeling it in my legs and struggling to run with form. I told Tesso this was were I needed her and she told me to keep running in front of her because I stunk of Garlic (it was a joke) and it actually made me laugh and run harder. Yah I made it!

After the session Pat had us do a 500m effort followed by the HILL CLIMB from Hell. I went up strongly but was struggling at the top and felt faint. My blood must have all been in my legs..I normally go back down and do it twice but not today.

We ran a good steady pace back to the Ship Inn and then had some psycho yelling at me to run up the hill at Ship Inn to finish off the session. *groan* When I blinked through the sweat I realised the Psycho was actually Tesso so I turned around and followed her up there. Were were the only two crazy enough to do it.

Pat had a competition that I entered - NOOSA TRIATHLON ENTRY. It's worth $145 I boasted to everyone that I would do it if my name came out and lo and behold....he calls out my name. *shame*
When everyone left I felt really bad and went up to him and discussed it. I felt like a fraud because a lot of the people in our group train really hard for this race and were hoping to win (the comp not the race). I was just going to do it for fun and a bit of a lark (on my mountain bike and with floaties..). Pat said it was my prize and I could give it to anyone I wanted. Jan and Tori had already entered so I gave it to Liz who really wanted it and was very very happy. I felt like Father Christmas!

Going is Tough...

Life is sweet....and then you get injured.

My injury is running related I say but my husband said it is not really. I got it when I hopped on the scales this morning after my first week of hard effort at training and following my regime of healthy eating. I put on weight. WTF. I am devastated.
So naturally my swollen toe seems to come from kicking the wall as opposed to running too many kms....

Headed to the gym in a foul mood that passed as soon as I went through the front door. Did a hard 30mins on the bike followed by 60mins of weights and stretching.

Going to stick it out still and see what comes of it. I'm not a quitter.
On the positive side I feel fantastic and full of energy so that is a better benefit than any body changes I was hoping for.

Run run run...

Feels great to be a runner doesn't it!

Friday:
Went to Gym and did bike work and weights. Nothing overly exciting.

Saturday
Was all geared up to run the Riverloop today but circumstances had us running out to New Farm park. Given the drizzly rain and overcast day it was probably just as well.
We ran 10.5km and I stopped to have a Gu - just as I was washing it down Tesso said we were going to turn around and run back! Noooo I felt terrible as I would not have had the gu to run just 20km but thought we were going further today. To compensate I decided to run harder on the way home and increased the pace.

Tess,Owen and Charlotte were all up for it and kept with me - pushing me even to go harder, which was great. In the last 2km Tess jumped in front and just as we hit the 1km mark (to home) I yelled out for us to all finish this off. Tess ran hard and we were all just chasing her. Owen flew past as if he had just been doing a walk and got to the finish first. Tess was running very strong and it was good to see the increased distance has only been positive for her. I came in last but very happy with a 4:20min/km last km. 1:43 for 21km - once upon a time I would have been happy with that for my half marathon time!!! Very strange thinking of it like that.

After the run Tess and I went to the gym for 90mins and did a good overall workout and stretch session - followed up by a sumptious lunch in the city with (Tess) Lulu, Vegie and Cirque. We had a ball and it was great to catch up over a relaxed lunch when you have worked so hard beforehand - it somehow feels more deserving by then!

Hill Assault

Met at the bottom of Mt Cootha this morning with a group of about 20 of us. Due to the sun rising earlier now we are able to go back to the trail run from Slaughter Falls up to Channel 9.

It was very nice out there this morning - chilly but good once you were warmed up.

Did 3 reps which I was really really really happy with - everyone else did 2!

I was keen to run and do the hills but the legs complained. No real pain just general slowness. Gosh I hope it is not permanent! :)

Got the skins on at work today (can you tell?) so hopefully the legs recover fully in time to be thrashed again tomorrow.
Thinking seriously about running on the treadmill at the gym instead just to give my legs a bit of rest from the concrete & bitumen before Saturdays long run.

The training begins.....

I am starting to feel really good - bodywise. Still have tired legs and sore muscles from the gym workouts but overall I feel the new plan is working.
The main thing is I am more aware of what I eat and....most importantly WHEN. I have been eating before 7.30pm which really helps.

This morning I met Tess and Toastie at Regatta at 5.30am. It was light and despite it being cool you could sense that we are on the end of winter.
We ran out towards the city and then over the Goodwill Bridge, along Kangaroo point over the Story bridge and back to the Regatta. All up 16.5km. Garmin had 16.3km in 1:21 - just under 5min pace. I was very happy with that. The Garmin always loses 200-300m on this run as we run under the bridges/riverside expressway for some time. When you come out the other end it corrects itself but doesn't match up to the markings on the footpath exactly.

Did 5mins of stretching and felt great after a hot shower.

An interesting discussion came up at Pat's yesterday - he is going to put a team in for the NY Marathon 2007.
Tess and I are both keen and this has just fuelled my desire to train hard. I am glad I am motivated as over the summer months I will look back on this posts/words to ensure I don't loose track or get discouraged as the heat affects my times and energy levels.

Running Buddie at Pats!

How exciting - this morning I was asked to be a Running Buddy. That means buddying up with a newbie to the group and taking them through the ropes. It was lots of fun and I think it will certainly help me learn everyones names - I am hopeless at names!

Daughter was her name this morning. I don't think I will ever forget that one! Strange but lovely. I can see all the puns now..hee hee. Anyhow she is a marathoner but had taken a long break since Gold Coast and today was her first run and first speed session. Poor girl...

We ran into the gardens and did a few strides. It felt great to run fast but I knew I wasn't able to do 100% still today. Nonetheless I did 100% enthusiasm instead!

We ran 30sec on 30sec jog for 15mins or so. I was running hard but never hurt - a sign that I am taking it easier than usual. I started behind everyone but the plan was to keep Tesso in sight. Umm well that worked until the last few laps. I think she got faster and faster with each lap...she certainly got further and further away. The only thing motivating me was the fear of being lapped.....

I feel very stiff now - my bum and lower back are all tight as. Thanks to the gym workout (part of the new me) I did yesterday. Hopefully I will go back in there on Thursday and be not as sore so I can get a good workout again which should free up some muscles.

Tomorrow 5:30am - the start of the midweek long runs with Tesso and Toastie.

DAY ONE

This is the first day of the rest of my life......

Well not really but I did start a Healthy life plan today.

It covers my running - I now have all my training till the end of October planned out. Including some double up days..yah!
It also includes weekly pilates and gym sessions *groan* and the worst thing....a weekly weigh in.

My meals - whilst not planned - are outlined with guidelines. So no alcohol or coffee, no bread, 5 fruits a day, 3 x fish meals a week etc etc.

I am looking forward to the 9 week challenge. Will keep you posted if it has any positive benefit on my training. I will log major things here so I can review it down the track but mostly it is boring stuff. I think my biggest challenge is to ensure my evening meal is before 7:30pm each night....have no idea how to cope with that one!!

Oh BTW I got Byron Bay bananas for $3 a kilo - lady finger ones. yummo! Got a whole box so will likely be eating just Bananas all week now...

Sunday plod

After a night out with my Husband (in a posh hotel on the Gold Coast) including a seafood buffet and bottle(s) of wine I decided to sleep in on Saturday. We voted and I then drove down to Ballina with my mum.

We had a lovely time and on Sunday morning I managed to get out early for a 15km run. The whole time I was thinking of Tess and Eddie running in the 25Km Championship at BRRC. I really wanted to be there but was glad I wasn't...does that make sense. I enjoyed my run but had no time restrictions and stopped for plenty of breaks along the way to enjoy the breaking ocean views - Ballina is beautiful.

Covered the 15km in 1:16 but as I said - had plenty of walking breaks and stretches to ensure the whole run was very leisurely. Camelbak worked very well again and I am in love with it and can't wait for the summer months to get some real good use out of it.

Struggle some..then struggle some more

I am fully motivated but the body hasn't seem to caught up yet. I was itching last night to go for a run but as soon as I started this morning I knew it was going to be a slow and painful jaunt.

Managed to do 8km in spot on 40mins but the final km was 5:30min/km pace - I was really hurting.

Still - I'll be back out there tomorrow and then rest up for a couple of days.

I'm reading books every night and planning my running for the next few months - not to mention talking to lots of running buddies about there running. It is all helping me work out what I want to do and what sort of training I need to get there.

Comrades.....interesting.....

OUT - but not down.

I should be devastated but in actual fact I feel only relief and some disappointment.

Due to family committments (they do come first - despite what many think!) and also my incapacity to run this week - I could barely walk until last night due to the Glasshouse Run. I have decided to not do the last remaining BRRC Championship race.

This Sunday is the 25km run - of which I had hoped to do well in and get a 99 or 98 score (second or third female member) but now I will not be competing. There is the true final - a 5km Run but I am not very competitive over the smaller distances so am never keen on this race. In fact I don't recall ever doing a 5km race before.

I am glad the pressure is off me now but I am sad to miss a great run with my running buddies. Will have my fingers crossed that Tess does her sub 2hr run with lots of time to spare.....GOOOO TESSSOOO

In the meantime my legs have been healing and today I can finally walk up the stairs at work without support.

I am looking forward to a long leisurely run on Saturday morning now to really free up the legs.

Next big focus is KURRAWA - 25KM in December.....then again I'm keen to run the full 50km if rumours are true and others are doing the full monty..(Tess you out there???)

Glasshouse 30Km

Aptly named that - Glasshouse. My legs feel totally shattered like broken glass. At least I escaped with no major blisters this time around.

My run was truly magnificent and has given me the confidence and enthusiasm that I desperately needed in my running. I felt strong the whole way and though I hurt a bit on some of the uphills I managed to overtake quite a few guys.
And guess what - NO ONE OVERTOOK ME well with the exception of three guys who got lost. I kept with them for about 20sec but two of them were running very hard and got way ahead. I stayed within 100m of the third guy - who is way faster than me normally but he was struggling on the hills so I was able to keep up for once! It was very rewarding to be so challeneged and come through feeling positive.

The 24hrs before my race I was totally focussed on the ultra runners and crewing for them. I even thought I may end up pacing during the night. That would have been interesting but I was terrified of what could happen out there and everyone was coming in looking terrible....not my idea of fun!
In the end Blue Dog was way ahead of schedule and I doubt I would have been able to keep up, Brendan was taking his time and still close to his plan and Horrie had a much better offer from Shultzy to pace him for the full 60km (which I could NEVER have done) so I was relieved that it was not necessary for me to run.
Nonetheless I was tired from being up all day and on my feet not the best lead up to a long race. I certainly thought I would struggle through the run and despite Tess absolutely knowing for sure that "I was going to have a great run"...I truly thought I would be coming in with the sweepers.... I would have been glad just to have done the distance for a training run anyhow!

I couldn't have done it without all the crew and coolrunners. Just knowing Tess was going to be at the finish line made me come in strong (and hollering....just in case she had fallen asleep waiting for me :)
During the run I was motivated by BlueDog who had finished his run by then and Tugger who did an awesome run as well...not to mention Spud, whippet and Tim who had all run sub24hr and of Tam and Tam who were out there doing it for the girls!

So I ran and thought of them all.

I thought of Horrie still being out there, I thought of Brendan's anguish at his DNF and how I had to keep going because of all of them. I had to do the best I could to be part of the whole amazing weekend. It worked and I am totally over the moon about my run. I don't even recall the exact time - it doesn't matter. I didn't think of time or splits the whole way, I just ran with the flow and ebb that is a trail run. It was great.

I ended up in second spot (female) in 2:44:xx which was rewarding but then again there were no more than 15 females in the race so can't get too excited about that!! Nonetheless...I did the best I could and felt great so nothing to complain about whatsoever!!!!!!!!!

Thankyou GBH.

MidWeek Crash

I just feel so tired!

Looking back over my blog I used to feel great on a Wednesday after a mid-week long run. So I know my tiredness is not from mileage. Rather I think it is from over-racing.

This morning Toastie, Tesso and I ran for 16.5km (well they both ran for 18km).

I stopped halfway whilst they did a 1km rep to measure one of Pat's courses and then had a quick detour to a loo on the way home. So I should have been comfortable the whole way but instead went in crazy waves of good/bad/ugly/good/great/bad etc etc

The pace was 5:07 average, which I think is pretty good for a longish run. Doesn't give me any confidence though when it hurts so much and I was hoping to be running that pace on the Glasshouse 30km Hilly run this Sunday!!!

The only bright point about the run this morning was the company. It is bloody marvellous to see Tesso out there shining again. She was on fire this morning and was holding herself back. Not to mention running circles around the city when I went to the loo and zipping up ahead when she was bursting of energy. It was good to see and certainly helped drag me through the worst of it.

Speed Work - 500M Efforts

Great day for a run. I milked my birthday for as long as I could - Pat gives everyone a free session for their birthday. I even got an email from him this morning calling me sneaky hee hee!

Back to business - we had 500m reps this morning. I chose to do 6 but as hard as I could. We had done a 3km warmup which got the blood pumping.

The rep distance is not accurate. I am not sure but after talking to other people it would be around 40m short. Might take Garmin out to measure one day.

I did a few strides and felt good but was not really looking forward to it. In the end it was a lot better than I expected after Sunday.
1:52's were the average - faster on the downhills and slightly slower on the uphill. I had one uphill rep at 2:00min where I really felt I was dying. In fact I thought my time would be much slower than this. Pat tried to pace me for one rep but I was going as fast as I could and he ended up dropping me - that was my third rep and I ran 1:50 up the hill - I was flying.

Afterwards I jogged slowly along the course to where the bottom of the Story Bridge hill is. Pat then sent us all up this one - it is very steep. I felt good with my breathing and stomach and legs but just wasn't going very fast. I was happy nontheless as I was overtaking everyone on the way up. Didn't quite manage to catch Tess but got close. I felt very solid after doing that hill rep.

Unfortunately putting 100% into training means you have nothing left - I found the warmdown a struggle and could not wait until the session finished. Finally got back to the Ship Inn and ate a bowl of pineapple.

I was horrified to be informed that during the session as Sue was setting out all the refreshments some guys came along and stole what was on the table. Poor Sue and Pat. I think the guarddog is coming to the next session!!!!

Best Birthday Ever!!

Still grinning and it is a wonderful wonderful day!

First up the kids didn't need to be shaken awake - they just got up by themselves *relief* at 5am so we could all go to Brisbane Road Runners for the 14km Club Champs race.
Matt thinks I'm getting fat so he gave me a cool pair of bathroom scales (no only kidding they were a requested item!) and Jordie made me a painting and all the kids signed it. Then hubby spoiled me with a beautiful gold bracelet. Very lucky indeed.

Off we set for BRRC and got there just as Tess was pulling up. So were 100 others so I raced down to sign on quickly - only to find no queue. The cars must have been for the hot air ballooning not the race!
Tess met me at the sign up table and checked if I had to change age categories - nope still a H. Fabulous seeing her there and we had a chuckle when we realised we had worn identical outfits (have no idea how that happened hee hee). Yep the Noosa Team were out there racing today.
Was lucky enough to get a birthday hug from Eddie so I knew today was going to be good!
We did a 2km warm up then a trip to the loo. We both had sworn of creamed rice after last weekend and I had had a very small honey sandwich. I say small because I cut the crusts off and there was pretty much nothing left!! That and a can of V would see me through.

I set the Garmin on Virtual partner for 4:25min/km and headed off to line up. Not sure how but the race starter knew it was my birthday and called me up to the line. I turned and faced everyone as they sang Happy Birthday. I did a little jig and laughed through it. It was a great feeling. No nerves anymore, I was going to enjoy today no matter what.

The first km was fast. Ran about 4:15 but soon settled into what I thought was an even pace. I only checked the garmin every now and then. Sometimes it said 23m in front others it said 200m in front. The km markings were incorrect (I never trust the 7km setup but the 5km set up is dead accurate). The loop turned out to be 120m long and as we had to run it twice we ran an extra 240m. Garmin said I ran an extra 400m but I think the 240 is more accurate.

I felt so good running today. Thankfully the tide must be turning on that account.
I even tried a new GU in the 8th km and it went down so well. I had no stiches, no stomach ache. I just hurt running - but it was a good hurt!
At around 10km Shane and Tesso pulled up alongside me (both fresh as a Daisy). Shane is like way fast so I knew he was just crusing and not racing. He must be unwell or have an injury? I looked at Tesso - tried to smile but think I grimaced and scared her. She told me to keep a hold of Shane and he would drag us through. Cool.
I did just that.
I didn't worry about pace or running. I just fell in with Shane's rythym and drafted behind him for the last 4km. It was great. I felt strong but knew I was working as my breathing was getting heavy. I just turned up my ipod - but must have been scary for Shane. He kept looking around to see if I had died yet or not :)
One km to go he held up the 1 finger. I didn't have enough juice left in me to push hard. Then Tess pulled back up beside me - she had been drafting behind me! and got in front. As we are both in diff age categories and some other sheila had by now already won the race I was cool to let her go past (anyone else I would have cried) we were both a sure thing to win gold for our age groups at this stage, but then I got a great song on and saw the finish chute - well the hill we run down anyway - and got a burst. I ran ahead and tried to get faster. I don't think I did but I was very very happy with my run. Tess and I finished 3sec apart which was fab as well. Running in identical outfits I think we made Team Noosa look good!

Thanks so much to Shane for dragging us home and giving up his own race. It was the best birthday present ever! Official time - 1:03:50 for 14km. Though Garmin said I did 1:03:00 for 14km and then did a bit extra. Either way - it's a great result for me.

The champagne breakfast afterwards was a roaring success and I am so grateful to have wonderful running buddies to run and eat with. Thanks to Tesso for organising and making the whole day memorable.
The kids are still talking about their icecream iced chocolates!

Struggling

Monday - I rested.
Tuesday - drove to work and ran for just under 5km. At 6min pace. Wow! The legs were really hurting from Sunday. I don't know what it was but they had DOMS bad!
Wednesday - Tess and I ran from the Regatta for 11km. Garmin went lost on us in the gardens so no accurate reading but by the time and the km it did click, we were running around 5:10's. The last few were faster - 4:45s and yes they felt it too!
Thursday - stuffed. Nothing
Friday - thats today! Met my favourite runner and ran with her for 4km. Then Tess went to work (she had ran in to meet me so that was her big run for the day!) and I turned around and ran back to the Regatta. We ran exactly 20mins for the 4km - but had done the first few at just over 5min pace so the last one was a fair bit quicker.

My 4km on the way back felt so slow. I could hear Tess still yelling at me as she ran into the city "SUB 4min" and just laughed. Yeah right. That wasn't happening today!

Finished the 8km in 39:27 so only 30sec faster on the way back. I faded alot and felt fatigued so not sure what is going on. Oh yes I do - had a bottle of red last night....mmmm almost forgot about that! OK so then today was a fairly good run all things considered :)

NOOSA HALF

Well it has taken me ages to get around to this! I think the DOM's affected leg also stretch to the brain....

I had a fantastic weekend with all my running buddies - as usual. The race itself was a big disappointment for me but all the other aspects of the weekend overshone so I was a happy girl when I went home.

We had a relaxing day on Saturday and I ate and drank well in preparation for the race. Early Sunday I arose and ate my creamed rice and had some gatorade. I felt much better than I had on Satruday and not very nervous at all. I was excited. I said goodbye to the family - who were all running as well but were still in bed!!! They don't understand my desire to get there "early".

Met up with Tess and we hung out at the loo line forever and misssed our chance for a warmup. We had to make do with doing 3/4 strides at the front of the race line. Wow for a minute there we looked like elite runners!

The gun went off and so did we. Owen, Tess, Liz and myself were all running 4:30's till the 5km mark and then doing whatever we could after that. Owen was a bit faster and we pushed each other for the first 4km. 4:18, 4:19, 4:23, 4:20 before I wound it back to closer to 4:30's in case I blew up. Actually it wasn't the plan - I think I just started getting slower that early on! Eddie had been so close to me and the tears welled up when I saw him getting further and further away. Damn wouldn't be the day for catching him!

It was not long after that Tesso caught up and we ran together for a while before she pushed on ahead. I chased her and got in front and we placed cat and mouse for the rest of the race. At the halfway mark we went around with Tesso in front but she stopped and grabbed my hand and we waved to everyone and ran for 100m grinning and yahhoooing like little girls. That was so cool. Pat Carroll called our names over and made fun of us and we lapped it all up...

100m down the line we got back to business. This is where I hurt. I was drinking lots and not feeling the heat very much so that was good. However I had a stomach ache that was not great and kept coming and going. Hence my running kept coming and going. I would get faster, then slower, then faster then slower etc. Looked like a rubber band I think!

I got a burst of wind 10mins after I had a gu at the 15km mark and we only had about 4km left so I put the legs into action and went out chasing everyone in front of me. I kept telling myself (and everyone around me) that it was just a 3km time trial from here. It didn't work for me. I don't think I actually got any faster - just stronger.

I finished in 1:37:25 on my watch. Just in front of Tess and about 90sec behind Owen. It was a bad run for me and I was devastated. Tess was too so we consoled each other. It wasn't long before we realised a lot of our buddies were having a bad day out there. For some reason - that cheered us up!

Hubby and Matt came springing over the line a few minutes better than Gold Coast and they were thrilled with that - even with a toilet break.

Can't wait for next year to do this one. The carnival atmosphere and partying afterwards was just the best.

On to the next race now..