Resting and Waiting

I picked up my race kit today, I am number 4243. These guys are using Championship rather than Windag timers, haven't used them before but they lace into my shoe like my Polar Footpod. It was quite exciting being in the race precint, I was with my sister so now she knows where the start and finish line is and we have found a meeting spot for after the race. She will be there armed with a camera, also I think these guys will have professional photographers as well. Not too sure how I feel about that considering I always end most races with my hand over my mouth owing the effort I tend to put in over the last Kms, will be one for the "run yourself ugly" album me thinks. I didn't run today, rather I enjoyed a sleep in and have just been bludging about the place with my sister. She took the day off work today, as a result we both keep thinking it is Saturday and I keep having fits of "oh my god, it's tomorrow", "oh no it isn't today is Friday idiot". Well, not much to report, just taking it easy and waiting for it all to happen, nothing more I can do now.

Finally I feel Human again!

Ok, confession time, I have actually been feeling much crappier these past 6 days than I have let on, I have been putting a brave face on things. Fuzzy head, very tired, coughing up nasties (sorry TMI I am sure) and so on, 2 days ago I was in tears at the frustration of it all. Anyway, not to worry, today I have woken up feeling human for the first time in 6 days, I would say I am feeling about 95% my old self, Thank God because running this week has been quite a struggle. Went out for another easy 8Kms today, left the HRM at home and even turned off the footpod at about half way and just ran for the heck of it. Headed out towards Runaway Bay and checked out more of the course. Said Good Morning to an old guy loading something in a van, got a smile and "you running on Sunday" from him, "Yep", another big smile and "Good on you!", that made my morning :-) Clarkey, your comment was very timely, I am actually considering not running tomorrow morning and taking it easy for the next two days as the legs felt a bit heavy this morning. My sister has the day off tomorrow so we may end up doing a bit of walking instead. I'll play it by ear in the morning, maybe just an easy 5Kms. Off to my sisters tonight for the rest of the week. Only 3 more days to go now, I think I have gone beyond nerves and a strange kind of calm has started to over take me.

Yikes, 4 days to go

My Polar watch has been set to count down, when I first added the date it said "95 days to GC Half", now it says "4 Days to GC Half", YIKES. Went down to the same bike path today, but headed off in the opposite direction towards Surfers Paradise, turned out it went longer than I thought so I decided to do 4Kms out and 4Kms back for another easy 8Km (43 minutes today). Well, about 3.5 Kms in and what did I happen accross? Only the start line for the Marathon/Half Marathon, phew, didn't that just bring on a whole new bout of nerves :-) Feeling a bit better today. The head has cleared up considerably, worringly a bit of a cheasty thing started yesterday but that seems to have gone away, that was my biggest concern as it would seriously interfere with my breathing. I finished today's run feeling better than yeasterday and did not feel physically sick afterwards. So same plan this afternoon, just had a great healthy lunch, lot's of juice as well and then nore reading on the sunny balcony. The weather is a perfect clear 22 degrees at the moment. Running this morning at about 7:45 felt quite warm and I thought I may have to just wear the crop top on race day. But remembered that by 8:30 my race should be over (6:30 start) so I should be OK with my sleeveless tank top, don't really fancy running in the crop, not that much of an exhibitionist. Went to Harbour Town today, confirmed my ongoing curse that I am destined never to get my preferred running shoes for a bargain. Nike did was not selling any Zoom elites, though I did pick up another pair of my favourite race shorts (aptly named "Race Day Shorts") for $25, and 4 pairs of Dri-Fit socks for $4 each instead of the usual $14. There was another shop selling Saucony's so I thought, cool, at least I can get a new pair of Omni's, my training shoe. But no, was not to be, every style except the damn Omni's. Flirted with the idea of getting a pair of Grid Hurricanes ($129) instead but decided against it, I am really paranoid about doing myself some damage with the wrong shoe, also they are heavier than the Omni's. So off to the Adidas outlet, they had Adistar Controls for $130, normally $240. I have worn Supernova Controls before and was very happy with them, the Adistars are a souped up version, they have more heel support and are lighter, which is a bonus for a stability shoe as they are always quite clunky. I tried them on and the felt great, I was confident, having worn the Supernova's that they would be fine. Only problem was the tounge, it poked right into the front of my ankle and was quite rigid, I just knew that it would end up chafing me quite badly. So, bummer, I really need new training shoes, my Sacony's have put in 700 Kms and will need to be rotated very soon as I am starting to get some niggles running in them. I guess it is back the Active Feet to pay full price, can't say I didn't try. Then again I have bought 2 pairs from AF already this year, I think I may be in line for a $50 discount this time around. Baby brother asked what I wanted him to bake me on Sunday, I was thinking Hummingbird Cake but we eventually settled on Sticky Date Pudding, YUUUUUUUUMMMMMM!!!!!!!! He also made the most wonderful veggie curry last night, the advantage of having a trained chef in the family, even though he only saves his magic for us now as he is no longer working as a chef. I have graciously allowed them to have snags tonight :-) so it will be last nights curry again for me tonight, though I have been assured it tastes even better then next day, no complaints from me. OK - back to my book on the balcony.

Rediscovering Belenos

Firstly, thanks for all the great comments everyone, you have all been so supportive. It was great to see little sis at the airport last night, and then off to little brother's last night, I am satying with him and his fiance for the first half. They have gorgeous house in Pacific Pines with a big deck and a lovely view to the mountains. I dropped Kel off at the station this morning which means I had wheels all day, woo hoo, felt very funky in the red Vitara. So where to run?? Got changed and headed down the Gold Coast Hwy to see what I could find. Now my map and compass reading skills may be questionable at best, but dump me in a new city and I always manage to find my way around. I ended up in Labrador (isn't that a dog?) where I found a bike path, and lot's of signs on the road warning of a road closure this Sunday, Hmmm, I wonder what for?? So while not exactly emulating a certain Ausrunner and running the course I certainly ran alongside of 8Kms of it today. The bike path section was almost exactly 8Kms as a loop which I completed in an easy 42 minutes, so this kept me honest and stopped me doing more. I am still battling the cold and am loathe to admit that I felt slightly ill after the run :-( However I have spent the rest of the day vegging on the balcony and eating good food. I had my usual breakfast, then I made a lovely tuna salad wrap with mountain bread and consumed HEAPs of water. Also had a nice nana nap this afternoon, the rest of the week will follow with much of the same, rest, rest and more rest. My sister has taken Friday off so we get more time together. My brother and sisters boyfriend are taking the Hobicat out for their first race, natuarally I declined the offer for a sail, last thing I need is a knock on the head from the boom the day before! So the Saturday morning beachwalk is off now, instead down to the yacht club for breakfast and watch the boys sail, just like when we were kids. Just discovered my brother has disabled pop ups on his 'puter so I can't spell check, and I am too lazy to proof read this post so please forgive any misktakes.

Flyin' away on a Jet Plane

Yay, off to the sunny Gold Coast today, though can't complain about Melbourne, we are having one of those glorious clear winter days today. My flight is at 14:35, mummy is picking me up at 12 and dropping me at Spencer St where I will catch the Skybus. The original plan was to strap on the backpack, walk to station etc etc, which I don't have a problem with, but I wasn't going to say no to a ride to the city. Today is my rest day, the "not quite a cold" is still lingering but I am generally feeling fine. I have my race day gear in my carry on luggage, wrapped around my post race bottle of Domaine Chandon! I am wearing my Polar and the footpod and HRM strap are also in carry on. My trusty Zoom Elites are strapped to my feet, feels a bit funny wearing them again, they have not been on since Williamstown. I was instructed to pack them away and not train in them so they felt nice and light on race day compared to my training shoes. But I am not taking any chances and will just wear them up today so I know they are safe, paranoid I know. I am getting the odd nervous rush now, but that is all part of the excitement, this is why I choose to race. I am looking forward to catching up on some reading, I have accumulated quite a few new books lately, but have been so tired at night from training that I fall alseep after 2 pages. From my big pile I have selected these two to make the journey - The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks A scottish writer and one of my faves (though not keen on his sci fi stuff) I have read most of his now. This was his first novel, this one is supposed to be pretty graphic (read: violent) but you have to take him with a grain of salt The Helmet of Horror by Victor Pelevin Never heard of this author, this is one of those "picked it up, looked interesting" books. This is a summary from the sleeve note - "In this radical reinvention of the ancient story, the labyrinth exists in the endless maze of the Internet. Strangers in chatrooms, sitting trapped and alone before their screens, are assigned obscure aliases and commanded by the Helmet of Horror, the Minotaur himself. The only path through the alienated landscape lies in the threads they trail." Hmm, considering the amount of time I spend in forumland and blogland I was naturally intrigued. Anyone interested in this topic should pick up Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson. Published over 10 years ago now when the Internet was more fledgling it is brilliantly prophetic and bloody funny, one of those books I keep re-reading. While I am plugging authors I love I also recommend China Meiville, Perdido Street Station and The Scar in particular, not quite Sci Fi, not quite Fantasy, set in a total Other World, brilliant stories. I also have a Graham Greene, Camus and some Satre sitting in waiting. Though the Satre and Camus are more flick though and read in parts than sit down and read cover to cover sort of books. Now just in case you are thinking I am totally nerdy and earnest, I also love the odd totally frivolous Chick Lit book as well. In fact my brothers fiance has the new Marian Keyes which I will devour and I am going to buy the latest Candace Bushnell (Sex and the City author) at the airport so we can do a swap. Hey, the brain needs the odd feed of junk food as well :-) I am not afraid to confess that I have also read Bridget Jones' Diary way too many times.

*Edit*

Because I am strange I just put my backpack on and weighed myself. All up I weighed in at 2 Kgs heavier than I was at my heaviest!!! I can't believe I used to carry that extra weight around, it was quite a shock.

The Last Long Run

Well, this time next week it will all be well and truly over. I headed up to Wandin to meet the ESRG crew at 730 this morning, good to catch up with the group again, Tony, Jay, Michelle, Mark, Paul, Beki and Marty on the bike. Great to run with the group as you can pick any pace you feel like on the day and there will always be company. All up I did 20km at a pace of about 5:30, probably a touch fast for a long run but there were some slow 6:00 Kms as well as a handful of faster 5:10-5:15 Kms, in particular the last 5Kms were quite quick. Very amusing moment after the run, I was changing out of my sweaty running top (don't get excited I run in a Triathlon style crop top, not a sports bra so my modesty was preserved), just at the moment a family of Kookaburra's choose that moment to start cackling their little heads off, gee, thanks fella's, I don't look that bad. Got some great advice today, along the lines of, If you go out and have a good race that's great, but if you go out and have a shit one it's not the end of the world. So very very true :-) Beki sent me a link to a blog report from 2004 and from a guy who ran an Ironman Triathlon, and did it bloody hard. It was a great read and really gave me a boost, I mean, what's the worry over a piddling 21 Kms? I am feeling reasonably good today, still a bit tired from this "cold" that is still thankfully refusing to turn into a COLD but apart from that pretty good. Just looking forward to getting up to the GC tomorrow and really relaxing. Especially as I have a big pile of books to get into, bought 2 more today so now I have about 8 unread books piling up and not one of them in about running! It occurred to me today how unconcerned about my appearance I have become since taking up running. Now I have always been a pretty casual sort of girl, tomboy wouldn't be an unfair description as I am pretty low maintenance. Don't get me wrong, I am not a total lost cause, I do comb my hair and wash my face :-) but generally don't muck about getting too done up on the weekends, definitely no make-up. But today really took the cake, we headed up to Glenferrie road for a late breakfast after my run. I was wearing my Skins around the house after my shower and I wanted to keep them on. So out of the draw come a baggy old pair of cords that are too big for me now, over the Skins they go, just a JJJ T-shirt and a hoodie on the top. Well, walking down the street I realise that I probably should have worn a belt, there I am, little tum bared to the world with the Skins waistband poking over the top of the jeans, WHAT A TOTAL DAG, even I hung my head. Breakfast was great though, the best bowl of porridge I have ever had with honey and lot's of strawberries.

Rest, Rest and more Rest

I just did 6 km today, at an easy 5:30 pace. Up at 6:30 with an achey head, so I flopped on the couch with a UK TV murder mystery (love them) that started at 7:00, fed myself some yoghurt and fruit and took a couple of nurofen for the head. Had a lovely doze but still managed to figure out "who dun it". There was absolutely no food in the house, scratching around in the cupboard I found one of those half size pancake shake thingies that I stock up on from time to time. Not as good as weet-bix and milk but it did in a pinch, so pancakes and raspberry jam it was. By 10 I was feeling reasonably normal, though my resting heart rate was up slightly, normally about 29% but it was sitting at 32% so I decided to keep it short and easy. So a easy 6 Km then back for a nice warm shower. Met mum somewhere local to catch up before my week up north, had a lovely restorative bowl of veg soup. Bless her she offered to take me to the airport on Monday, but I have already bought by return Skybus ticket so asked her just to drop me at the bus depot at Southern Cross station instead. Now I have been taking it very easy all afternoon, had a bit of a sleep and have generally just been resting up, and doing a bit of packing. My throat is still a little sore but no body aches, the head ache has gone and there seems to be no sign of the cold taking hold or worse, moving to my chest. Looking forward to a 20Km run tomorrow and catching up with the group before I head up to the Coast.

Selfish People

No running today, unscheduled rest day. I couldn't run tonight because I had something on afterwork. I was going to run this morning, normally I don't like backing up from an afternoon run but last nights session wasn't taxing so I could have managed it. Fact is though the Soccer was on big screens at Fed Sq and Birrarung Marr and finished right about the time I would have started off so that would have been a fools errand. AND, I bloody woke up with a headache and sore throat this morning, not very happy I can tell you. People kept insisting on bringing their damn colds to work, I knew this would happen :-( Anyway, I don't have any other aches, no runny nose or cough and my appetite is fine. So I took it as a sign to rest today and I have been dosing up on the "Ease a Colds", fingers crossed that a good rest tonight will see me come good. But really, I wish people would keep their colds a home, do you think I could sue ;-)

Sacrifice

For my taper I have decided just to run for me for the next week and a half and not be a slave to the plan. I'll just do what I feel like each day, between 8 and 11 Kms, easy pace or fartlek with my 20Km run on Sunday. Today I had a massage booked for 7pm so I could not run for too long tonight, normally this would get me all bent out of shape, tonight I just headed out and ran. It ended up 8km at 5:11 pace, quite comfortable and relaxed. Then back to the car (parked at Fed Square) and home for a shower then out for my massage. My third one now and they are certainly getting easier, more of a maintenance thing now than needing to "fix" anything. So now to the title, this is my list of things that have been sacrificed or lost in this journey to the half marathon - Darrel Lee Rocky Road, weekend sleep ins, a nightly glass or 2 (or 3) or red, Cheesels, 5 Kilos, wearing high heels, scalloped potatoes, getting home before dark, a C cup, heck, a B cup (see aforementioned lost 5 Kilos), feet that look good in open toed shoes, almond croissants, late nights, Chocolate Wheatens, Butternut Snaps, a nice garden (I have the time for weeding when?), caring about being seen with no make up, my fear of the cold, my fear of meeting strangers in the dark in the bush ;-), being nervous around new people and oh, probably stacks more things I will think about later, but well, I am really tired :-) And tomorrow, shock horror, is going to have to be a rest day. A mate from working is heading off to live his dream on the Sunshine Coast so a group of us are off for a celebratory Ale (well, I will probably indulge in a champers, my last day of work before holidays and all), so contrary to the above, tomorrow will be a rare day when the run is sacrificed. I guess I have some balance in my life after all. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, tired, off to sleep now.

It's Taper Time

Training Plan - 11 Km at 6:00 Actual - 11.5 Km at 5:20 Weekly - 25 Km Ok, I am officially an obsessive. I just had to know how far I ran yesterday as I suspected 14 Km was stretching it a tad. So after a bit of mucking around on Google Earth (Brilliant piece of kit down loaded "sneakily" onto my work laptop free of charge, then quickly uninstalled before LAN got suss to it) and then re-running part of the course today with my footpod it turns out to have been a 13.5 Km run. Still, pretty happy with that becuase that gives an average pace of 4:47, still enough to have kicked my Run 4 Kids time and also to give me a new 10Km PB should I put in the same performance at my next 10Km race. So enough of this speedy business, I have decided to err on the side of caution and introduce a week and a half taper starting today. So no more speedwork and apart from a long run on Sunday I will keep my training runs to about 11 Km or less. In fact tomorrow will probably just be an easy 8 Km as I have to get home and showered then off to my all important massage appointment. I want to make sure I go into Sunday week with very fresh legs. I am also going to bed a touch earlier at the moment and trying to get lot's of sleep. Now I have been told I must have more self confidence (thanks MAR, you have been a total gem) and this is very true, I don't have a history of having great self belief when it comes to sport. I have always been of the mind that if you don't set yourself up there you won't be disappointed if you fail. Well, enough loser talk, I guess you have to puff your chest out sometime, lay your goals on the line and just go for it. So you all know what time I am aiming for (1:50 to 1:55) and I will be making no excuses for myself if I don't make it. I have trained my butt off (almost literally!), I am strong, confident and ready to go :-) and I will just keep telling myself that, over and over and over again.

Running Naked

Training Plan - 14.5 Km at HM race pace Actual - 14 Km at ?? pace Weekly Total - 14km NO!!! not that Naked, sheesh, minds out of the gutter people :-) actually, I forget my foot pod today so I was unable to check my pace or distance, was I annoyed YES. I was wanting to head out for about 14Kms today and push most of it to what I hope to be my HM race pace. Instead I had to go out with just the stop watch and HRM as my guide, hence, running naked, well it felt like it. I admit I am very dependent on my footpod for pacing, I suppose I am going to have to learn to pace by "feel" eventually but wasn't keen on starting today. Anyhow, I guess the advantage of running a similar course most days is that I know the distance. I headed up along the Yarra today to MacRobertsons bridge, the same run I did last week the came out at 13.3 Km. However instead of turning back just before the bridge I headed over then back up to the city again on the opposite side (my office is halfway up Collins St), which is why I think it was about 14km. However the time I did it in has me seriously doubting it was 14 km, check this, 1:04:34 which gives an average pace per km of 4:37, I don't fecking think so!!! I did the Run 4 Kids 14.7 in 1:15:10 so that would be a heck of an improvement in 2 months. Then again it certainly would have been at least 13.5 km and that still gives a very respectible 4:47 pace :-) Oh well, will have to do the run again sometime with the footpod so I can find out the true distance. Either way it was a great run and I certainly felt like I was pushing it pretty hard, heart rate sat at about 82%. A big thankyou to everyone for all the words of support, encouragement and advice I have been receiving over the last couple of weeks. You will never know just how much it means to me, I just hope that I can now put in a performance on the day that I can be proud of.

Trying to get some perspective

Training Plan - Rest Actual - Rest With increased mileage I don't feel as restless on my rest days as I used to. In fact I have come to quite enjoy getting home before dark and having time to prepare a proper dinner on a Monday evening. Well, this time next week I will be blogging from the Gold Coast, am I excited, hell yeah, still have to get through another 4 days of work though. I am so looking forward to seeing my brother and sister and their partners and of course Charlie the world's cutest chocolate lab. So today I am trying to focus and keep it all in perspective. That is, it my first race at this distance and while I want to do the best I can I have to keep reminding myself that I am a total novice and to take this as a benchmark race. Phew, does not stop me being nervous as hell though :-) I keep having awful thoughts of things that could go wrong. Worst of all I am worried about letting myself down, I guess that is why it took me so long to commit to a goal time. Now that I am in the final weeks I should credit where I got my training plan from. Being a total newb and having no idea where to start I grabbed a training plan from www.runnersworld.com (the US site). You enter your recent race time for a chosen distance, enter the distance you are training for, your lead time & whether or not you want a maintenence, moderate, hard or very hard schedule. Then hey presto you have a plan, the only downside was converting all the miles to kms. I chose the moderate level and I'll say here that I have not been totally slavish to it as it asked for some damn high mileage for a "moderate" plan. Including a couple of races & a Rogaine kept the mileage down a few weeks in there. Someone wise pointed out to me yesterday that at this stage I am not going to get any fitter so should be careful not to over do it. Now I did put up my plan for the week yesterday but I will revise. Firstly, it scheduled a 26km long run, well, I obvioulsy am not going to do that. I will still do the 14.5 Km tomorrow, mostly at goal race pace, but will follow with a 11 km on Weds, 13km on Thurs, 10 km on Fri, 8 Km on Sat and 20km on Sun for a 76 km week. The training plan actually had a whopping 92 Kms scheduled, even I know that is waaaaaay too much 2 weeks out. My taper week will be 4 runs only of 8km, 8km, 10km and 8km with rest days on Monday and Saturday. There are no interval sessions planned in the last 2 weeks. So steady as she goes and just trying to keep healthy.

An 82 Km Week

Training Plan - 20 Km long run Actual - 20 Km long run Weekly Total - 82 Km My goodness, no wonder I have been so tired this week, 82 big KMs, phew. I was going to run by myself today, but Beki wanted to run early as well and was looking for a slow easy pace. As I was rounding out a big week so that suited me perfectly so we met up on the Koonung track and headed out for 20km at an average of about 5:50 per K, just perfect and we were both able to keep talking the whole time. A run and a gasbag, what could be better on a Sunday morning, well, sleep, coffee, a big cooked breakfast, OK, the 2nd best thing to do on a Sunday morning :-) Well, looks like the Melbourne Marathon has been confirmed this year for 8 October (or 9th, whatever), which set me off in fits of panic late last week as it is only 16 weeks away. Decided to file that away in my mind and worry about it after the 2nd, keep the focus on the half. The date of the marathon will hold quite a bit of weight for me as it will be just on the 4th aniversary of the day my best friends father died. It causes me grief to even write the words, even after this time has passed. He was such a special man and his death was so pointless and stupid, he didn't even get to meet his first grandson. I know he would have been proud of my achievments of late and I would like to run the Marathon to honour him. Provided running the half does not turn out to be a totally horendous experience I would like to concentrate on the 10km and half distances for PBs going forward, the marathon will just be for "fun". Not sure what attracts me to these longer events as I don't think I am particularly built for distance (a bit tall and awkward with heavy legs) but while I enjoy it I won't question it. Well, 2 weeks until the big day and this is what is planned for the last week before taper - Mon - Rest Tues - 14.5 Km at 5:30 Wed - 13 Km at 5:15 to 5:30 Thurs - 13 Km including 9 km at 4:50 (& a massage booked for the evening) Fri - 11 Km at 5:30 Sat - 11km at 5:30 Saturday - 20 km long run Total - 82 Km

Belenos, where are you?

Belenos, the Celtic God of the Sun, celebrated at Beltane in the northern hemisphere on May 1st (May Day). He's my man, I HATE winter, my mood has become as grey and drab as the sky, I think I may suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. I wish I could find a positive in all this but I really just can not wait for Spring. Training Plan - 11 km at 6:00 Actual - 11 km at 5:30 Weekly Total - 62 Km Depsite being bone tired I did not sleep to well last night, kept tossing and turning. I got up at about 06:30 and dozed on the couch watching murder mysteries on UKTV and reruns of The Simpsons until about 10:30. I finally dragged my running gear on and headed out for a run around the block at about 10:45. GOD, what a grind, boring scenery, trudging around just to get the mileage up, definitely one of those rare "only doing it because I have to runs". There was one bright point, in the small park there was this gorgeous little chocolate brown puppy bounding after me, you know that little hoppy run they do when they are little. I eventually stopped running to allow the owner to retrieve him, I had a joke with him and said that if I didn't stop the dog would have followed me home. Like I said it was a grind, so I had to do a few laps of the park, so I ran into the puppy again. The owner picked him up and his little legs where churning in thin air :-), it was a cavalier king charles crossed with a pug!! sounds awful but he really was an adorable little thing, all this from a cat person as well. I think the owner must have thought he had bought himself a right little chick magnet, sorry buddy, I really was only interested in the puppy. Aghhh, have I mentioned I hate winter, so grey, dreary and drab, I really must get my chimney cleaned so I can have a fire. I can not wait to get to the Gold Coast and feel that lovely warm sun on my face, only a week to go. Wow, I had a right old belly ache today, sorry about that.

All going to plan

Training Plan - 11 Km at 6:00 Actual - 11 Km at 5:30 Weekly Total - 51 Km This was always going to be a big week, and I am on track to round out the week at 82 Km, which will be my highest mileage week yet. Some of the other weeks in this plan have ended up falling short of plan because I chose to do a few a races over the last couple of weeks. I enjoyed the races and they provided valuable experience so they were worth the mileage sacrifice. I just took it easy today, my legs were certainly still feeling yesterday's session so this really was just taken at recovery pace. I stayed off The Tan again today and headed up along the Yarra bike path towards Burnely, turned around at about 5.5 Km and cruised back again. The last couple of evenings have been deceptively mild, the Nylex clock was reading 14 yesterday and 12 today. Despite that I have still layered up with a LS top over my tank top, though yesterday I took the LS top off and left it on the side of the track while I did my intervals. I wore my favorite cozy Asics top today, they seem to be the only label that make their tops long enough in the body, all the others I have tried on are too short and my tum and back get cold. Thank god for Saturday mornings, the only day of the week that I get a sleep in, which means I am up at 07:00 instead of 05:30 :-) I have been particularly tired this week, I don't help myself by not really eating properly. My biggest downfall in dinner, by the time I get home I really can't be bothered and end up either with toast and baked beans or pasta which I generally don't feel like and hardly touch anyway. Interestingly I figured out last night that my Basal Metabolic Rate is about 5700 Kjs, that is the amount of energy that is required to keep me alive every day, to maintain my current body weight I require about 9500 Kjs a day. Add to that the average 3200 Kjs burned through exercise I should probably be more diligent with my diet to ensure I am getting enough good quality energy. It is too close to the half to start changing things now. I am planning on taking it easy in the week following, and I have the week of work, so I will take the time then to sit down and plan my nutrition more sensibly. I have a pretty sound knowledge in that area and know what I should be doing, I just need the time to put some plans into action. That's all for now, nothing earth shattering today, just sticking to the plan and seeing out these final couple of weeks before the big day.

Interval Training

Training Plan - 16Km with warm up/cool down and 5 x 1600 mt at 4:50 with 800 mt recovery Actual - 13.5 km with warm up/cool down and 5 x 1000 mt at 4:15 to 4:30 with 1000 mt recovery at about 5:30 Weekly Total - 40Km I decided to modify my plan today, to reduce the rep length and up the speed, this based on no rhyme or reason, I just wanted to try and run faster. Well, phew, what a session, obviously the first 3 reps were much faster, about 4:15, the 4th about 4:20 and the 5th about 4:30, by the last 200 mts of the final rep I think my arms were doing most of the work. This session took all the mental toughness I could summon, it is a hard one to get through on your own, but I just kept talking to myself in my head and I got there. I tried not to dwell too long on the fact that my heart bursting, leg pumping lactate over load interval pace is a walk in the park to the VIS athletes who were also doing to reps at the same time. I have leant very quickly that it is best not to be too concerned with those around you, just to concentrate on my own ability. I did these reps on the straight section of The Tan, along Linlithgow Ave. As mentioned it is a tough session, both mentally and physically but so satisfying when it is finished. Sitting in the car driving home afterwards I realised that I felt fantastic and was so happy that I did not pull out of the last rep and give up, despite really wanting to at the time. Rogo and I discovered on Saturday that we both have the same mantra, "you are only cheating yourself", not particularly original but it works for me when I really want to give up.

I have my massage booked in for next week, it will be my last one before the half, I should probably book one for when I get back from the GC as well.

Getting close now, 17 days to go, one more week of work. I head up to the GC on Monday the 26th so I'll be able do my taper up there and get used to the conditions. I have a lovely bottle of Domain Chandon bubbly that I have been saving for after the race, the thought of it sitting on ice will probably get me through the last 4 Kms :-)

Good Race Pace Run

Training Plan - 13 Km at 6:00 Actual - 13.2 Km at 5:12 Weekly Total - 26.5 Km I couldn't resist, I had to test out my race pace. So after a warm up Km at about 5:40 I picked up to between 5:05 and 5:15 for the remaining 12. I have to say it felt quite comfortable, now the question that remains to be answered on race day, can I keep it up for the remaining 9 Kms?? I stayed off The Tan today, I felt like a change. I headed up along the Yarra, over Morell Bridge then back down along the Yarra up to a bridge that I can't remember then name of that crosses over the freeway in Burnley. On the way back past Fed Square I passed the registration table for the Run to the G training sessions, I didn't recognise anyone as I whizzed past, otherwise I would have stopped to say Hi. Quite a satisfying run today and happy to have felt so comfortable with the pace. I don't think I have mentioned this before but I have to say I have the coolest boss who pretty much let's me work my hours when I want to fit in with running. At this time of year I prefer to run in the evenings so I start work at 07:00 so I can nick off at about 16:00, yes I know this is a 9 hour day but I also take longer lunch breaks a couple of times a week to fit in Pilates as well. Not everyone would be fortunate to have such flexibility in their day. Speaking of Pilates I have been doing it for about 7 weeks now and the benefits are really being felt now, the group class instructor mentioned today that I was looking much stronger. It was a very strong class today, anyone who has done Pilates will be familiar with a particularly brutal exercise called 100s, well, we had to do 2 sets today, WITH a fitball between out knees, Aghhhhhhhh. Funny though, I always leave the classes feeling just that little bit taller. I will book my last massage before my race for sometime next week as well. I am generally feeling very good but my masseuse has an uncanny ability to uncover hidden knots!

Recovery Run Today

Training Plan - 13 km at 6:00 Actual - 13.3 km at 5:32 Today was all about recovery after a pretty hard weekend, so I just did an easy 13.3 Km in 1:13:46. I was a bit grumbly heading out this afternoon, it was just a bit cold and grey and it was one of those times when I wished there was someone meeting me. Finished off work at 16:00, got changed, rugged up in long tights and long sleeved top, but once I got about 2 Kms in the cobwebs started to clear, it turned out to be a lovely evening and the loneliness dissipated. Rather than doing the 2 laps of The Tan I veered off from Morell Bridge, over the freeway and back up to The Tan along Swan St, then I just did the one lap and wove around some of the inner paths to make up the distance and just enjoy the evening. It was a very still evening and at one point I could hear the Last Post drifting over from the Shrine. I was lurking around on the Coolrunnings forum on the weekend and one of the posters had a great Muhammad Ali quote in their signature. I have pilfered it to put here because it really spoke to me....... "The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses.........behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." Muhammad Ali After my mini freak out on the weekend about not having done enough this could not have come at a better time to give me some perspective.

Rest Day - well earned

Training Plan - Rest Actual - Rest Plan for the week: Monday - Rest Tuesday - 13 Km easy Wednesday - 13 Km easy Thursday - 16 Km speedwork. 5 x 1600 at 4:40-4:50 with recovery of 1km between. Friday - 11 Km easy Saturday - 11 Km Fartlek Sunday - Long Run. 20 to 23 Km Weekly Total - about 84 Km This will be the biggest week before the taper begins. The count down is one now with 3 Weeks to go and lot's of thoughts running through my mind. Picked out my race day kit, as per the photo here (looking like a bit of a Nike tart me thinks). The anticipation is building, along with an underlying feeling of raw naked fear :-) Have started thinking about my previous racing experiences. The first 5 k'er, got to 3 Kms and thought, oh god, what the hell am I doing?, the first 8 k'er, got past 5 SMS and thought, oh god, why didn't I enter the 4 Km?, first 10 k'er, got to 6 SMS and thought, oh god, why didn't I enter the 5 Km? Well, I am sure you get the gist, so of course I am now starting to think, will I get to the 15 Km mark and think WTF do I think I am doing out here, why didn't I just have another crack at the 10Km?? Not too mention all the other thoughts, have I done enough? Did I start too fast? Should I have a drink at 10Km, is it worth it as most will end up down my front? Should I have made more of an effort to lost a bit more weight? Well, shoulda, coulda, woulda really, because none of this will make a difference on race day will it. My last 2 races have been great however, really confident going in and no negative "why am I doing this crap during the runs" so I just need to hold onto that and know that I have done the work. Really tired still today after a pretty demanding couple of days, so for once I am enjoying just taking it easy and not running. Just doing the house work (yuck) in between stints on the couch just vegging out. Oh, and how could I forget, got some great news yesterday!!! I am going to be an Aunty Em, my younger brother rang yesterday to tell me that his fiance was pregnant, he is very excited, I am thrilled at the prospect of being an Aunty!!! This is what I was faced with this afternoon when I went to put some clothes in the dryer - For a brief moment I wondered if he would come out all fluffly like the cat in the cartoon if I turned the dryer on, then I realised the RSPCA would probably frown on such behavior (people, please, I am joking).. This is Asterix, the worlds most badly behaved Russian Blue.

So THIS is what dead tired feels like....

And I was worried about missing out on an 11Km training run today, cue roll eyes please! Beki, Rogo and I teamed up for a spot of Rogaining today, after all what else would you want to do on a cold Sunday morning? Phew, 6 hours though scrubby bush just outside Castlemaine, along spurs, up knolls, down whatsits (see I was listening to you Rogo, mostly) and we did not sit down once. We started off with the best intentions and did some running at the start, but to be honest it is bloody hard going in that terrain and I was backing up from 18Km cross country running yesterday so we soon resorted to walking. Poor Rogo ended up rediscovering his much under utilised "walking" muscles. I just can't get the hang of running "encumbered" though, I had a great blackwolf backpack but my shoulders were too narrow for it and it kept slipping off, the chest strap thingy was not very comfortable. I prefer to run without carrying anything. Still great day though and a hell of a workout AND there was food at the end, I love these events where they feed you. Well, after such a big day I have treated myself to fish and chips for dinner, and, wait for it.........a can of pre-mix Johnnie Walker and Coke, woo hoo, Em is living large tonight ;-) Oh god, too tired, think I will go and fall asleep in front of Dodgeball, it's on Foxtel tonite.

LSD on a Saturday Morning

Training Plan - Long Run Actual - Long Run, 18Km at 6:19 Weekly Total - 66 Km Due to tomorrow's Rogaine the Long Run this week was moved to Saturday so Rogo and I headed off to Sugarloaf Reservoir to run the trails with the Kangaroos. Rather than posting the "training plan" distance I have just opted for Long Run. Mainly because I run trails mostly for the long run and you can't always plan the distance, as long as I go for about 2 hours I am happy. Today's running time was 1:55:21, the average pace was bought down by a couple of long Kms as I had to *shock* walk up a couple of hills. The terrain was pretty rough which took it's toll and at one point my legs pretty much said, "screw you, we're on strike!". Here I have to give a big thanks to Rogo for his infinite patience as a running parter as I took my walk breaks. And I think we took the right turn at Alberquerke when we should have taken the left (Bugs Bunny reference in case you didn't know & I know it is spelled wrong, but I can't be arsed checking) so we went on a bit of an adventure trek, the GPS map will be interesting, lot's of squiggles I imagine. It's all good though, that is why I like X-Country and Rogo learned that whining for me amounts to no more than "man, will this hill ever end?" It was a very cold morning, the temp gauge in my car made it to a minus reading for the first time ever by the time I reached Lilydale. I am assured there were some great views, but it was very misty, it threatened to clear at one stage but it rolled back in again. I quite like it like that though, looking out over the damn I could see little treed islands rising from the mist, so my imagination turned them into Avalon and I could pretend I could see King Arthur being rowed out there to be buried - that'll be my Cornish ancestry coming out there, or maybe it was just the LSD, sorry terrible joke :-) The final part of the run over the blessed sealed road took us over the damn wall, long and straight and with the mist looked like it was stretching on forever, this is when Talking Heads Road to Nowhere sprung into my mind. Phew, I will sleep very well tonight, another early start. This next bit has nothing to do with running - when I was driving up to the shops this afternoon In Between Days (The Cure) came on the radio, isn't it funny how you don't hear a song for years but you can still remember every single word to sing along. Yet I get to the shops and can't remember half the bloody things I needed to buy, I get more exercise at the shops as I re-visit every isle 3 times!!

Looking to the future

training Plan - 11 Km at 6:00 Actual - 9 Km at 5:32 Weekly Total - 48 km I was going to do 11 Km today, however I was a bit tired after yesterday's session. Rather than heading to a trail I decided to be less regimented and just do a big loop around the block (had the day off work today). Basically a squarish course along the major roads that enclose my part of the world, Canterbury rd, Middleborough rd, Burwood rd and Blackburn rd. Rather than worrying about the distance I just decided to run it, it also takes in some short sharp hills and turned out to be just about 9kms. I ran it because before I started running outdoors I used to think, Hmmm, I should do that big loop around the block, then I drove it one day and thought, naaaa, I'll never make it that far, so in way I did it to prove that I can. Anyway, I over ran a few times this week so it all works out in the end. Though I will be missing out on one extra 11Km run this week as I am off on a Rogaine on Sunday, though 6 hours through the bush will still be a good cardio work out. I am going to head out for my long run tomorrow, probably about 20/22 Kms. Now, why the obscure title?? A running friend, Rogo, asked me earlier in the week if I had checked the Sri Chinmoy results from the 28th to see how I would have placed if I had have run my goal time of 45 minutes. I did check quickly at the time and had a vague recollection that I might have gained a category placing. Well, I just checked again this afternoon and I can confirm that a 45 minute finish would have given me a category placing of 3rd, which would have meant a nice little bit of bling. The 3rd placed 18-39 female finished in 46:11, 2nd finished in 43:35, it would have been a 6th placing overall for the women. incidentally there were a couple of women in older categories that totally kicked my butt (40-49, 50-59 and 60-69), so that gives me heart for the future, looks like I'll be at this for a while. It also validates something that I have read in several publications that it takes 7 to 10 years of training for a distance athlete to reach their full potential. Now don't worry people I have not taken total leave of my senses, I do realise that when/if I get around to joining a club and I run in AV events that I will only be running for myself and that placings are not a reality. But with these Sri Chinmoy events it is looking like a possibility one day down the track and will certainly provide ongoing motivation. The 10Km I did on 26/3 earned me a category finish of 13th, on 28/5 I earned a category finish of 10th, so hopefully I keep moving in an upward trajectory :-) Alright - I just deleted that last paragraph, I was having a bitch but took it back. Those who know, know, I felt better just writing it even if I wasn't going to post it.

Speed Demon

Training Plan - 13Km including warm/cool and 9.5 km at 5:10 Actual - 13 Km, well see below for the rest Weekly Total - 39 Km Well, yesterday's session was pretty much what today's was supposed to be. So today I was feeling like I didn't really want to have such a structured session. I did 13Km pretty much exactly in 66 minutes with an over all average pace of 5:04. Rather than running around the tan a few times instead I headed up along the yarra to Morrel Bridge and then turned towards Richmond and headed back towards the tan on the footpath. I decided to take this as a Fartlek session so a nice straight footpath was perfect for some faster stuff. I did some 400 metre bursts of about 4:15/4:20 pace, then backed off to 4:40/4:50 and held that for almost the whole 13Km. Once I got back onto the tan I kept the tempo pace and also sprinted Anderson Street, albeit in 2 sections with a quick standing recovery, talk about burning legs! I jumped off the tan track in some parts and wound up around some of the inner paths, when back on the tan I used the light poles as guides and did some more sprinting, didn't pay much attention to distance just ran as hard as I could for as long as I could then backed off again for a floating recovery. So some pretty free form speed work tonight but quite enjoyable all the same. I was feeling sorry for myself at the start, having some negative body image issues, just stupid stuff like "oh why wasn't I born all petite and delicate, why do I have such a clumsy awkward body?" blah blah blah, I am strong and healthy stop whining!! But once I got going I blew the nasty negative thoughts away. I plugged my recent 10Km race time into Mr McMillans Calculator today, then generous soul has given me a predicted half marathon time of 1:47:11, what a sweetie!! I have kept saying I am aiming for a 2 hour finish, but I may as well 'fess up to my real goal, I am aiming for 1:50:00 but wouldn't be devastated with 1:55:00 - well, 24 days to go and the goal is out there now!

14Km today (opps)

Training Plan - 13Km at 6:00 Actual - 14km at 5:17 Weekly Total - 26 Km Opps, what happened today?? It was supposed to be an easy 13Km today, turned into a quickish 14Km. Well, again, mapped out the route in my head and just ran it, turned out I overestimated the distance. It had been over a week since I ran on the tan so I guess I just felt at home and cruised along a touch faster than expected. I had a Pilates group class at lunch time today, some interesting work today mostly with the fitball. I rather gracelessly went arse over at one point and fell off the fitball, much to the amusement of the rest of the class, well at least I can laugh at myself :-) Mucked around with google maps today and had a look at the satellite image of the GC Half course, why, god knows, looked pretty cool though?

I can't explain it, I just love it :-)

Training Plan - 13km at 6:00 Actual - AM 6 km at 5:18 PM 4800 at 4:42 1200 metre warm up Weekly - 12Km Decided to go to Masters at the Croydon Aths track tonight, so I just did a 6km heart starter this morning and then a quick 12 laps on the track tonight. I like using the track for the faster stuff, it would be better if I could get down there to do my 1600 intervals rather than doing them on the tan, but it isn't possible so the tan it is. At first I found track running a bit tedious but I am starting to enjoy it now, weird, but I quickly find my rhythm and it becomes quite meditative. Also it's a great social night catching up with people and having a good chat. Now, why the title, well, as I hit the Yarra this morning, in the dark and the cold I was about 2Kms in when it hit me, I don't even have to think twice about going out for a run, and I am the original card carrying cold wuss, I even have a heater under my desk at work. I really thought this time of year would be a real mental battle, but so far it has been unquestioned, just get out there and run. Now I really do get a runners high, I kid you not, I just get filled with this feeling I can not explain, it's a rush, I just love it. I got my confirmation for the GCHM today, the course map went up next to my computer at work yesterday (a bit of a ritual for me). And my gorgeous wonderful little sister told me that there is no argument, she and Charlie (the black lab!) will be driving me to the race, even though she has to get up at 5am on her Sunday. I can't wait for the 26th when I fly up, I haven't seen her since Xmas and I miss her heaps.

So, what do I eat?

Training Plan - Rest Actual - Rest Someone asked me on the weekend what I would eat on an average day, so today I kept a record, so here it is - 05:30 - 2.5 Weet-bix with 150ml physical Milk mixed with 3 teaspoons of Sustagen powder 08:00 - Hungry again! 2 slices of toasted Burgen fruit and museli bread with 5gms butter (how do I measure the butter? I buy the little single serve thingies, 12 in a box, they are 10gm each and I only scrape on half a serve each time). Sorry, but I am not sacrificing butter, I would rather have the tiniest bit over ghastly margarine anyday. 08:30 - Small flat white, full fat (skinny flat white, ughhhh, may as well drink dirty dish water) and a gossip, it is a morning ritual with a work mate, after a week in Sydney we had stacks to catch up on. Not least of all me welcoming her to the mortgage club as she had bought herself a flat the previous weekend. 09:50 - Fighting serious hunger pangs here. I have read the hunger is often mistaken for thirst so I am drinking water. 10:30 - drank enough water to drown a fish, I slosh when I walk, still bloody hungry, can't concentrate so I give in to a museli bar. 12:30 - Very yummy lentil and vegie soup with a slice of bread 13:30 - Oh for god sake, hungry again, surely I can not be hungry only an hour after lunch??!! Oh well, more water and a walk to buy a yoghurt (low fat) with stewed apple on top. 14:30 - Ate the yoghurt I bought at 13:30 15:00 - "saved" by a meeting, if I have to concentrate on a teleconference I won't be thinking about my stomach. 16:30 - home on the train, tortured by the walk past the bakery with the great muffins and the vendor at Flinders street who sells those oh so fabulous Belgian waffles, but I resist. 17:30 - Home, cave into a square of Lindt chocolate (oh why did I go to the Lindt shop in Syndey, why?) and also a couple of dry biscuits, salada's small squares. Now dinner is on and I hanging out, trying to keep out of the pantry. So without the commentary Weet-Bix and milk Fruit toast Flat white Museli Bar Lentil Soup/bread Yoghurt Wee bit of choccie 2 small salada squares Dinner will be pasta bake with tomato sauce and tuna, no cheese for me and a small serve. Probably some tinned pineapple and a scoop of frozen yoghurt for desert. I am pretty much hungry all the time, I live from meal to meal and I struggle most in the mornings. I think I eat reasonably well, I watch my serving sizes and don't have seconds, also I only eat desert once or twice a week. Though I know I should have more fruit but it is hard at this time of the year because none of my favorites are in season so I generally snack on the golburn valley fruit cups. So that's it really, now weighing in at about 58.5 Kgs, down from 62 just after Xmas last year. Final word, I picked up a great book last week, Run Strong, edited by Kevin Beck. It has contributions from 13 coaches and it is shaping up to be a great resource. It originally caught my eye because it had Buster (Mmmm) on the cover, though it turned out to be an American publication, they probably put each countries local hero on the front to boost sales. Anyhow, anyone looking for a good resource that is reasonably technical but not too full on would probably get alot from it.

Training for the week

Back from the family dinner now, my step dad's daughter is out from Canada for 3 months and tonight was the first chance I have had to catch up with her. I haven't seen her for 2 years so it was great to have a reunion. Anyway back to the training for the coming week Monday - Rest Day Tuesday - 13 km at 6:00 (though it will end up 5:20-5:30) Wednesday - 13 km at 6:00 (though it will end up 5:20-5:30) Thursday - 13Km (warm/cool down and 9.5 km at 5:00-5:10) Friday - 11 Km at 6:00 (though it will end up 5:20-5:30) & I have the day off, woo hoo 4 day weekend!!!! Saturday - LSD 20 to 23 Km depends on how I am traveling. Training plan had me booked for 25 Km but I won't be doing that. Sunday - 6 hour Rogaine, just for a bit of fun. This really is me being flexible and not slavishly following my plan :-) Weekly Total - about 73Km

72 Km week

Training Plan - 23 Km at 6:00 Actual - 19.5 Km at 5:40 Days to GC Half - 29 Headed out for a solo run on a paved track today, as a bit of a GC half prep, also I wanted to see if my zoom elite's would go the distance. Ended up running into some buddies who were originally not going to run today, which was fine, got caught up gasbagging and didn't go as far as intended, but I am not too worried about that. This week has ended up being 20Km longer than last week anyway. Trialled my gel at the halfway point, I was able to get it open this time, it really gave me a boost. Also happy to say the zooms were perfectly comfortable over the distance and on the pavement. Oh and I didn't wear my skins today, I don't want to become dependent on them for a long run, though I did put them on when I got home. Went out for a bushwalk this afternoon, so I will probably sleep like a log this afternoon. I want to pop up my training for next week but I have to head out for a family dinner soon so I will post again when I get home.

Back on home turf

training Plan - 13Km at 6:00 Actual - 13.1 Km at 5:15 Weekly Total - 52.6 Km Days to GC Half - 29 (a month to go) Back on home turf today and a great run on the Dandy Trail, lovely sunny morning. Due to the hills in Sydney I did not do any fast stuff this week (apart from running away from bats in the Bot. Gardens) so I did some fartlek work today. I added some faster paced Kms as well as some 400 metre (more or less) speed bursts of about 4:15 pace, well, that is speed for me, god knows how some people manage to hold this over 10Kms, hopefully I might be able to one day, well maybe 4:30. Started thinking about setting some more goals today, now that I have achieved my sub 50 minute 10Km. No more mucking around now, what is the point of a goal that is easy to reach? Well, I have put my goals in the sidebar, but I will reiterate here - 10Km - Sub 45 minutes Top 10 finish for gender (overall, not just age category) A category placing (this is more long term and will require a better time than my current goal), I am probably kidding myself and almost feel daft putting it up here, but WTF, why not think big? 5Km - Sub 22 minutes 21Km - reluctant to set a goal for a distance I have not yet raced, but aiming for sub 2 hours in a months time. I will set my proper goal after this race. There was some more stuff I was going to put here but I have alot whirling around in my head at the moment, I will try and get it a bit clearer in my head during my long run tomorrow. When I get it clear I can speak to a few people whose opinions I respect and start sorting out my post half goals and training. I spoke to mum today and reminded her that my half marathon is only a month away, the response "how far is that again?", "21.1 kms mum", oh dear, my poor mum is awfully concerned now and is worried that I will either A) collapse from exhaustion or B) have a heart attack, she asked me to promise if I thought my heart was going to give out that I would stop and rest??!! and said that she is going to ring Amy (my sister) during the race to make sure I am OK? I shouldn't laugh because she is deadly serious and is genuine in her concern for my wellbeing.

Another Rest Day :-(

Oh dear, 2 rest days in one week! Had to admit defeat today, 3 13Km+ runs this week to give a weekly total of 39.4 Km so far. But I am flying home from Sydney today so can't run this afternoon as I won't be home until after 20:00, and I wasn't going to run this morning with less than 13 hours rest between runs, I have done that before and there is just no quality to the workout. So, reluctantly I am resting today, probably for the best as technically I am recovering from a race this week, also I have done quite a bit of hills this week,being the Sydney is not the flattest town. Ughhh, terribly frustrating though. Opps, almost forgot to mention last nights run, took the same track as the last 2 nights. I think the fact that I have to run in the twilight/dark stopped me being more adventurous. Has been fun running somewhere different though and doing lots of hilly stuff (or "inclines" if I were Stu Mac), made sure I ran strong up each hill and kept going instead of stopping to recover. It looks like I will be up here a few more times this year as our tech upgrade project gathers momentum, so I will have more chances to seek out some other routes next time. Maybe even try to squeeze in lunch time runs instead, though a bit tricky when you want to get some good distance in which takes time.

Almost a local now

Training Plan - 13 Km at 6:00 Actual - 13.3 Km at 5:28 Days to GC Half - 31 I bought my plane tickets to the GC yesterday and my entry for the half marathon went in 2 weeks ago, it is all happening now, just over a month to go!!! getting butterfly's in the tum just thinking about it :-) Managed to get away from the office at 1630 yesterday after an early start so I was able to get about half my run in before the sun went down. So I kept to the same route as yesterday and this time the run around the park was less scary as it wa twilight and there were more people about. I am glad I got to do it again a see a bit more of the view, the run was a bit stop/start in places as I would stop here and there just to take in the sights. The only nervous moment was on the path past Mrs Mac's chair (opposite Wollomoloo docks) when I had a run in with a low flying bat, Eeeeek, picture me running waving my hands in the air freaking out, very funny.