YABBADABBADOOOOOO......

I'm Back...aaaarrrrr FLASH....AAARRRRRR Clairie....(sung to the Flash Gordon music of course...)

mmm okay so it wasn't really that much of an achievement...but it was Fantastic.
I got a stitch, couldn't breathe, my legs were aching and I was smiling the whole time. Weird what we put ourselves through in order to have some fun heh?

Alarm went off at 4.10am this morning and I thought I was nuts. However with Tesso waiting on me I decided I had better get moving. My fat arse hasn't done anything for exactly six weeks since the op so today was MOVEMENT DAY. I got Billy up, fed him, changed him and threw him (= placed gently) in the car. Off we went to PCRG for our first session post op.

Ran with Tesso for the 3km warm up and felt great. Okay we were at the back of the pack and she was almost walking to stay with me but it was wonderful to just be out there with everyone. I did a few minutes whilst everyone went off and did their speed session but I didn't want to push it too much. I mean really if I follow the rules of getting back into it I should'nt be doing more than 10% each week....though how do you start if 10% of nothing always = zero :))))

The cool down was better for me because I was used to the action of running now and I felt I could go forever...until about 500m out from the end and a slight rise (remember I WAS pushing the pram) caused me to groan and ease to a walk for a bit. I didn't have the energy to do any pushups (my arms would have hated me) so I stretched, had a coffee and raced Billy off to care and me to work.

I feel fantastic, exhausted, tired, sore. But this is what I have been missing.

WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO

Alls Well...

No it wasn't an April Fools Joke :)

All good in my household. Well apart from being hit with a revolting virus that had the whole household floored. literally I spent Sunday laying in a daze on various beds/floors around the house in between running to the bathroom to be violently ill. This morning I woke up and it was all over THANK GOODNESS I can't bear to be sick.

So now is the good side of recovery. Getting my energy back up today from the Virus and hopefully by the end of this week I will be out for some longer walks to try to regain some fitness. The operation meant I had to have 6 weeks off from any strenuous exercise. For the first two weeks I couldn't even lift my baby - which drove me crazy. Having to wake hubby or my sister up in the night to bring my baby to me was hilarious. I felt like a queen but in reality it was not fun and I wasn't relaxed at all.

Now I am trying to work out how quickly I will be able to build up to a good 2 hour walk and from there onto a run. At least this time I will be able to run from middle of May - which I am sooooo excited about. I can't explain how it has made me feel to be fit but not able to run. I am already starting to dream about the exhaustion and endorphin rush of doing a long run. Man it has been a long time coming but I am going to thoroughly enjoy all the pain of training and slogging it out in the weeks to come. Not taking a single thing for granted any more :) well not for a week at least!!!!

Out of Action

Well tomorrow Wednesday 2nd April is the big day for my operation.

I know enough from my time in nursing to not be a big sook but perhaps too much to know that things can go wrong.

Tomorrow is my first time under a general and I am literally terrified. I have not been able to accomplish much this week and have been teary and/or manic in an effort to avoid thinking of it.
I know it is just one hour of my life and afterwards I will be well looked after with pain relief and hopefully a quick recovery...but nonetheless the thought of something going wrong and me not being here to see my kids grow up, to hear Glenda do a PB at Canberra or even share that bottle of wine with my best buddy Tesso is just gut wrenching.
I have had to consider where I want to be buried, what my husband should do with the kids, what to do with the money (aka debt) and so many other things. Yeah you could be hit by a bus tomorrow and not have all this planned out but knowing in advance something may need you to have this things detailed makes you think about all these things and prepare for the worst scenario.

Anyhow so this post is simply.....a big thanks to all my running mates out there (I am not sure if anyone still reads this blog or not...) and thanks for being there for me and for letting me read all your blogs even if I don't comment much heh heh.

I love you all and please please please....someone make sure Tesso runs her guts out in Canberra and puts all her hard efforts to work.

xxxxx
Clairie

STEADY PCRG RUN

After a relatively sleep deprived night I decided to turn up to Pats for training anyhow....I can't keep using the excuse of not sleeping well to avoid getting out for a run.

Hubby was kind enough to offer to go to work late and hence allow me to run without bub. Though having to wake him up at 4.30am to feed him so I could run empty was a bit tough of the little one :)

I picked a good session to turn up to, it was a 45min steady run. We ran from the Ship Inn over to Dockside, over the Story Bridge and back along the river to the gardens.

The first 20mins was okay but I started to get a stitch/need a break/die of thirst at 25mins so I pulled back a bit and let the faster runners go by.

I had two small walk breaks going over the bridge which really helped. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to doing a hard run and saying at the finish "GOSH THAT WAS TOUGH"... in other words I am waiting for the day when I don't mutter "f*&K THIS IS TOUGH" after just 15mins of running!!! At least it seems more acceptable to say it AFTER the run.

My legs are getting used to running again but I do have to get into the habit of stretching and possibly see what I can do about scheduling a few massages in somewhere to ensure I don't injure the hip or ITB too much this year.

Slow and Steady....

It was a lovely Sunday morning in Brisbane...by that I mean hot, humid and drizzly :)

It was a special farewell run for one of the members at PCRG so we all met up at 5:30am at the Ship Inn to run the Sunday run together. We started out at a nice easy pace - I have to admit to being quite nervous about actually being able to get through the first three kilometres with this group!!! By the time we hit the 5km mark and stopped for a quick top up of water I knew I was not going to last much longer so I decided to turn around with some of the others and head back. I was pretty proud of myself in getting to 5km maintaining a nice steady pace and not walking or gasping for air or anything.

The last km was a killer. We were running past the beach at Southbank and I just wanted to stop and not go any further. However I had to make it all the way back to the start and then turn around and finish at the beach to make it the full 10km. The watch recorded 54mins so I was pretty happy with that - bear in mind I did stop it for the two water stops we had!

So my longest run in many many months and I feel great. The legs are tired, I am tired but I am confident now that I can handle this running caper again. At least I will gain some fitness back before I go back into hospital. I am not looking forward to starting speed training but with me heading back to work this week I guess all good things must come to an end.....and that includes my couch lifestyle of the past 15 weeks!

Another Saturday Passes By....

Again, met up with the Brisbane Running Buddies after several weeks of doing nothing at all. I struggled through but due to time constraints Katy and I managed to do quite a fast (okay we flew) paced walk/run session for just under two hours.

We did the green bridge loop which is around 12km and after sitting down for breaky for 30mins I was almost unable to get up and move again I was that sore!!

Billy joined us for breaky but stayed in bed with Daddy for the run so it was nice to be able to push the pace and see what it felt like without the pram.

I can't wait to be able to do a long run and go for two hours running. I am so far away from doing that but it is a dream that I am clinging to right now.

My Uterus and I

I finally did it - I went out for a run. Not just a pretend jog across a bridge or fast paced walk dressed as a runner. I actually did a run!

I titled the blog post My Uterus and I, because we are separate entities now. With the easy birth of Billy came some internal trauma that I was not aware of. This has obviously affected my return to fitness and will result in me having a hysterectomy in the next two months. I'm okay with that so I thought I would blog it for anyone's future reference to return to running after such an operation.
Anyhow when I have attempted running in the past few weeks I have felt like I was a handbag with coins inside rattling around. I am glad the coins will be soon removed and I can just be an old bag again :)

This morning after the doctors approval I decided to turn up for the Brisbane Road Runners 5km. I planned on attempting to run 6min km. A big feat for someone who hasn't run for 6 months. Whilst I have returned to pre-pregnancy weight almost I am still "soft" and the habit of running has been forgotten by my lungs. It was an interesting experience.

Some things don't change and as soon as the gun went off....so did I. After 200m I slowed it down a bit. The body decided to do that for me anyhow. The first km couldn't come fast enough.....and what the hell was playing on my ipod? I think the kids must have been using it in my absence from running. I almost fell over from the lyrics I heard - and hoped no one else could hear - coming through the earpeices. Will have to find the culprit and put them on a music appreciation course.

Just before the 2km mark there was a water station and I stopped to walk and grab some water. I felt okay but I knew this was going to be real hard. I managed to get walking again - mainly because it was at the start/finish line and people were watching me ha ha. Soon enough the 3km mark came up and I was breathing very hard. A girl running beside me checked her watch and said "15:50" I was running faster than I had intended but was comfortable. Still, I decided to walk for a minute and get my breath back. People went past me and I vowed to try to catch up to them. When I started running on the home stretch I easily caught up to those who had gone past and overtook them. That made me feel good and I knew nothing was going to let me stop now. I started to wheel people in - I had a goal on a girl in pink 500m ahead of me. Secretly (can you keep secrets from yourself???) I knew I couldn't catch her but I thought it would be good spirits to attempt it. Before I knew it I had gone past the corner which signals to me the last 500m. I was out of breath and was hurting. I wanted to sit down and stop this foolishness....but I couldn't. Any second now Tesso would be coming to save me and I had to be at least standing when she did.
Seconds later Tesso and a group of runners came up over the hill on their cooldown to come and bring me home. I got the spirit to run a bit faster and finish the run off. At the top of the hill I could see the finish line and Tess and Liz were cheering me on. It felt awesome and I knew I was going to finish. I just hoped I didn't kill myself in the meantime. Running fast through the finish line just about did kill me! I had a chuck on the grass and alarmed myself at the red vomit...can you run so fast you bleed? Then I remembered the plums I had for breaky ha ha ha.
A glass of water later (thanks Tesso!!!) and I was raring to go again. Well not quite :)

Now I am sore, tired and exhausted - but you know what. Today I got the high I have been looking for the past 6 months. If nothing else that was what I wanted. I'm thrilled to be able to run 5km and just hope that soon it will be less of a task and without the pitstops.

A post baby PB of 26:38 for my uterus and I today for the 5km. Happy with that.

Back at PCRG

Might have only been a 4km walk....but it was a start. My first day back with Pat's group.


It was the first Tuesday of the month so it was Time Trial day. Hence I just walked to the start and then watched and then walked back again. Aside from a pitstop to feed Billy....it all went well. Can't wait to be back in the swing of things and for this to get easier! I was so jealous watching Tesso and others race in to the finish line.


My simple plan (I am a VIRGO so shortly there will be a more complex plan outlined...I just love plans!) is as follows:

Week Beginning:

3rd December - 30km walking
10th December - 30km walking
17th December - 25km walking 10km running
24th December - 25km walking 15km running
31st December - 30km walking 15km running
7th January - 20km walking 20km running
14th January - 30km running
21st January - 40km running
28th January - 20km running
4th February - 45km running - including first speed session
11th February - 50 -60km running
18th February - 50 - 60km running
25th February - 50 - 60km running

The idea is from January any walking that I do is just for fun/fitness and not something I will necessarily keep track of - unless it is intense or overly long.

February I have nominated as the date to start speed work. I had planned earlier but that is just silly and wishful thinking. Best to have a plan that will work without injury. A couple of weeks I have planned to drop back to give the body a rest and I will ensure the following up until March:
2 Rest days a week
1 Rest week a month
No timing aside from general interest in fitness improvement.
As I will be running with Billy in attendance for most of my runs (yet to work that out with hubby) I won't let any weather interruptions upset me. Can someone remind me of that if it rains for a week and I don't get outdoors and go beserk on you all again!!!!

Oh yes and new years resolution is - STICK TO THE PLAN

Coming Back Run # 1

Not quite 6 weeks postnatal but I thought I would go out in my running gear and see what it all felt like.

BIG MISTAKE

After a 10min warm up I decided to try to jog a bit with the pram up the hill...a few things to remember next time:

1: Wear a better sports bra
2: Wear a tight bra OVER the sports bra...just in case
3: Don't try to run until the bra thing is worked out

I expected to feel all loose and flabby but feeling bouncy is a new one for me as I have not had the pleasure of having to cope with running with boobs before.

Apart from that it hurt all over as well and my hips and tummy felt like they were pulling - a weird sensation and not one I would like to repeat. I just am not ready for a run quite yet. I turned the run into a walk and covered 45 mins at a very fast pace. This worked well and my legs felt great and without the bouncing I could have been out there for ages.

I decided I would track my progress for my first 10 attempts at running and watch how I improve.

I'll wait a week before I attempt another run but in the meantime I will look at the bra situation and also continue to do a 45min walk each morning. Fitness first they say :)

Looking forward to meeting up with the Running Buddies this Saturday for a run (walk for me and Billy) and breaky.

oooh progress is going to be oh so slow........ :(((((((

I need help!

Anyone got any great links or tips for me?

I want to start easing back into it next week (4 weeks post baby) and am only allowed to start with walking 1-2hrs a day. That's okay by me, but I was wondering if following two weeks of that, should I just start on a couch to 5km program? Or do I just run easy for as long as I can a few times a week?
I won't be adding in any speedwork until January but am desperate to get out and run and NOT injure myself.

Any advice would be appreciated to assist me to come back, I feel like I have been away forever but when I walk I am really holding myself back from breaking into a run...so I feel ready.

WELCOME TO BILLY BELLENGER

The big event finally happened on Tuesday. Thanks for all your messages on my blog, email and through Tesso. They were all received, it not acknowledged, and got me through the last few days and then the labour itself.

Born at 2:13pm 23rd October weighing in at 8"9oz or just under 4kg. Billy came quickly into the world but not without some pain to his mother. Trust me...being fit does not help you in labour....it actually causes difficulties because all your stomach and pelvic floor muslces work against the contractions and not with them - or so the Obstetrician decided to inform me halfway through.

Billy is beautiful - yes I am very biased and his father and I are proud as punch of our new addition.

Photo below of Mum, Dad and Billy's first night out...Carbo loading at Arrividerci's.

Now...thats it folks....back to a running blog and for me to start my training for Canberra.

BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

40 Weeks and Counting.....

If you are wondering why I am looking so harrassed it might be because I sort of thought I would have had this baby by now!!!!

My beautiful little baby has decided to not come out and greet the family so anxious to have a cuddle so doc has scheduled me in for an índucement' on Wednesday 24th October at 6am.

So whilst you are all out there doing a speed session or a mid week run....just think of me huffing and puffing just as much but not really moving far.

Hopefully the next post will have some exciting news to announce to the world :) Aside from Tesso being back in town................ :))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Latest Update

Now 34weeks but femur testing through the ultrasound shows 35weeks.....mmmm it's all abit hit and miss I think. At least I am reassured bub will be okay if it does come early.

Anyhow all is good. Diabetes test came back negative yesterday and the baby has not grown in last two weeks so that means I won't have a giant....just a big big baby.

In regards to running - the 14k Club Champs are on at BRRC this weekend and as everyone will be running - I put my hand up to be Race Director. I totally forgot GlassHouse run was also on so now I am going to have a hectic weekend racing from Brissy to the North and back.

CR BlueDog and wife Bernie as well as Eagle are all up to run. Bluedog is not doing the 100Miler (thankfully) due to his injury but will instead be running 30km alongside Eagle to pace him and keep company in the last of his 100Mile effort.
Bernie is doing the 30km race that starts Sunday morning. I spoke to them this morning and it is wet and extremely muddy up there so not sure how well the racing will go. Still, it should be fun to watch.

On another note I bought the worlds most expensive pram...not because I am into labels or anything (quite the opposite) but because I am a RUNNER and I had to invest in the best running pram. At the very least I should get a lot of use out of it. I am pretty keen to get fit again as soon as possible. I won't push it (ha ha ha) to get back to running fast or anything but I'd love to be able to go 4km around the block again. I can't believe even walking at the moment is just tiring me!!!!

PS. Kerryn McCann had her baby delivered on Wednesday and is due to start chemo on Monday. I' got an update from Pat but haven't heard anything further about how she is doing. God Bless her and her family.

Big wave to Tesso whom I am missing terribly.......................................

Update - 33 weeks

I'm struggling to waddle at the moment let alone walk or run. I got off the phone from Tesso yesterday and walked in the front door to be confronted with the scary reality of my waters breaking.

With 7 weeks to go not exactly what you want to happen.

I spent last night trying to find someone who would talk to me on the phone whilst I twiddle my thumbs waiting for something more to happen. Hubby was at work and in an interview for some new staff so I coudn't reach him. My backup - ihatetoast/iliketoast were not answering their phone either. mmmmm found out today Tesso was on the line to them. I think she needs shares in Telstra! :)

The hospital staff were not very keen to talk to me despite the big bucks I am paying them. They had 7 women in labour last night alone and didn't want me in there unless I started having contractions or other symptoms.

As it turned out nothing progressed and a checkup today has given me the warning to TAKE IT EASY. ha ha ha ha do they know what deadlines I have at work????
I am having regular checkups now to ensure there is no infection but at least it scared me enough to get my hospital bag packed.

The upside of all this is I missed another chance to catch up with everyone at Pat's. Hopefully I will get through the weekend in one piece (literally) and make it to the 3km time trial on Tuesday. Just to watch and cheer of course.

Kerryn McCann

Tesso rang me yesterday with the devastating news that Kerryn has breast cancer.

It really amazes me the number of people surrounding me that struggle with cancer of one sort or another. It is never good news and I pray hard that Kerryn has successful treatment that can remove the cancer and quickly.

She is 32 weeks pregnant - same as me and due to give birth on 22nd October. However reading the bits of news it would appear they are going to put her into labour early so she can then focus on the cancer treatment.
After 34weeks the baby can be born with no ill side effects as their suckling relexes, breathing etc are all formed by this stage. Any earlier and there are risks the baby may have some difficulties but I am sure she will have the best support and team on hand to assist her through this. Another 10 days and she will be 34 weeks and at a good stage to give birth.

It makes me pause and consider how her family will get through the hard times of a new infant, two other young children and a mum with invasive cancer treatment. I wish the whole family a quick recovery for Kerryn and the strength and joy to all that a new addition to the family can bring.

Best of luck Kerryn. My thoughts are with you.

Bridge to Brisbane 12km

This is what happens when Tesso leaves me all alone....

Photo is in the last 500m of Bridge to Brisbane with Jordan doing her first fun run with me. We took it VERY slowly and walked most of the way. It got warm towards the end so thankfully the race numbers were stickers - which meant I could still get a photo when I took my top off. Also saved me some dignity by covering up the stomach that looks like I ate the runner in front of me.

Farewell Tessooooo

....and the winner is......S Y D N E Y...





The prize is......TESSOOOO





For some strange reason Tess has decided to abandon me and go where the weather is colder, the running is harder and the boyfriend is closer :)





It's okay she's coming back....well she had better come back. This little baby wants to know who Aunty Tess is that I keep talking about!





Was great to get out with the group this morning for a 50min run. Of course I only managed a few km before I had to walk - but I was pumped to find I was overtaking many other walkers out there so pretty happy with that. Tess seemed to think that overtaking people sitting down doesn't count but I'll take all the overtaking I can get these days.





After the jog we had a 1km dash. I got a head start of 1min so I wouldn't get trampled - or left behind. It was great fun to have the really fast people take a while to catch me but when they did it seemed like the whole group went by.





I finished around 5:40 but the last 100m I honestly sprinted hard. It was nice to know that we were finishing with a pancake breakfast in Tess's honour. Made the sprint worthwhile.

Went and picked up my race pack for the Bridge to Brisbane this weekend. If anyone sees a fat chick out there carrying a wide load....say hello because I love seeing you even if it is just as you go past!!!

Gold Coast Half Marathon

I just have to start with saying a big thankyou to Cato!!!!

I started the race very sad because I lost my Aunty in the carpark and could not find her again. We were meant to be running together and so I had not bought my ipod or considered what I would do running by myself for two and a half hours!!! My longest run since February!!!!

I saw a few coolrunners and said hello to them. Cato and I worked out in that first km we were running similar paces - what with LL not able to get her flights up. So he kindly suggested we run together. Obviously he was running much slower than he was able to run with me.

It was fairly easy going. I was not pushing it at all and actually really enjoyed running with no pressure and no desire to look at the clock. When everyone else started coming back it got very excited and I am sure I used up a lot of energy cheering everyone on....but I wouldn't have it any other way!!!

One of the hardest things to witness was seeing Allan going past as the second last wheelie. At PCRG we all see him every morning training near the river. He trains just for this race and I was sure he was out for a good time. To see him struggling and having a bad day bought home to me that no matter what you do in training.....it really does come down to the day!

Cato was great and made sure I walked the uphills. The amount of times I have run this race and never realised there were hills!!!!! He also made sure we walked every drink station and took two cups of water at each one. I was ok until the baby woke up at halfway and really jumped around. The pressure on my bladder and on my right side was terrible.

A quick stop at the loo (well there was a line so we actually had to wait for 2mins!!!) and we were on our way to the finish and i was feeling much better. I ran the last 2km holding my belly - which has given me the most painful glute and lower back muscles - but I am glad I did it as the weight was starting to really pull.

When I got home I found I my sports bra had cut into my stomach where the belly starts sticking out and I have a deep cut going across my belly which was weeping all Sunday and I woke up with it bleeding fresh this morning. Thankfully now with a day of rest and good ointment it is drying up and after a quick checkup booked with the doc tomorrow I am sure I will be back to running - albeit no more than 10km.

Cato and I were searching for the CR Squad for the last 5km...it really kept us going to think they would be there soon and we knew we would get a good cheer from them to get us across the line.

So many highlights of the day for me - aside from my wonderful run with Cato. I witnessed so many friends have either good days or bad days but no one regretted lining up to start.
Tesso made my day by stopping her race to give me a big hug just 500m out from her finish, she is really a wonderful person. It was good to see her have a great run.

Well done to everyone - it was great to see you all. Sorry we had to leave so abruptly....my husband became incredibly ill when he finished the half (with no training).....but that is another story.

Out with Tesso!!!

I have a new best friend now. We are even having babies together.......

Had a great night out with the crew from PCRG last night and got to relive Kerryn McCann's gold medal win. It was awesome. She is such an unassuming person.

We are both due in October but I was devastated to be standing near her because she is such a petite pregnant woman and I am a heffalump. Nonetheless we both have the big smiles pregnant women have and both are enjoying the time off serious training before starting again in the new year with some big goals.

I am only kidding you know....Tesso is still my bestest friend.

Just another day at PCRG....

Yes we all just attend the training group to watch Tesso undress.
Thats Pat in the middle, me on the left and Tesso in 'Transformation'.

Pat told everyone to get their gear off for the famous naked photograph.....only Tess got sucked in....nah just kidding she wanted her PCRG singlet to show so had to take her jumper off. But it made for a good story heh :)