Saturday, December 30, 2006

Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way (Dr Seuss)

Distance - 23km
Time - 2hr 19.30min
Av pace - 6.04min/km
AHR - 149; MHR - 176
Started with: Yo Mama - Butterfingers
Finished with: Its the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine) - REM

My mountain will have to wait for another day - it just wasn't calling my name this morning! Though that's not to say that I wasn't running a hilly run; just that I decided against walking/running up Black Mountain - running around it was more fun. And it was a gorgeous morning for running - everything smelt so fresh and eucalypty after the thunderstorms and rain we've had the last couple of days. Nothing can beat running along forest trails, in dappled sunlight, with no-one else around. It doesn't make the hills any easier but the scenery is amazing. Saw Roy while out running - I was 8km into my run and he was close to finishing. Had a quick chat and then I was on my way again. All in all, it was a good run - the perfect way to finish off the year.

Even better - had brekkie afterwards at Babars in Woden. It may have only been raisin toast and a long black but the fact that someone else had made it, made all the difference! But then we headed back to Belconnen Mall for a cappuccino at Bayswiss - its the best.

Have a wonderful new year's eve and here's to a great 2007! For me, its going to be a wonderful year - running SFT and Canberra marathon and then going to Italy in the middle of the year - can't wait!

My New year's resolutions:
"Life is a journey not a destination. Enjoy the journey. It will be over way too soon."
"You can either live your life like a daring adventure or live your life safe but sorry you missed it."
"Listen to your inner voice."
"Life is either a plain bowl of vanilla ice cream or a delicious hot fudge sundae. You choose." (no prizes for guessing what I'd choose!)

Friday, December 29, 2006

Black Mountain run

Distance - 21.4km
Time - 2hr 7.45min
Av pace - 5.57min/km
AHR - 148; MHR - 173
Started with: The Fallen - Franz Ferdinand
Finished with: The Rockafeller Skank - Fatboy Slim

The weather has been really different for the 3 longer runs I have done this week. Lat Saturday when I ran in the Black Mountain Nature Park it was hot and humid; on Boxing Day when we ran Rob Roy, it was sunny and cool to start with but slowly warmed up; and today, when I ran in Black Mountain Nature Park again, it was grey and overcast. I don't really like the start of the run because its on footpaths and goes steadily uphill until I reach the Pinnacle Nature Park. Then its on to gravel and dirt and the run is offroad from here. The hills don't stop though! However today I had planned on doing an undulating run and missing the bigger hills including Black Mountain. This doesn't mean it was that much easier as the path I followed in Black Mountain Nature park is very undulating. The payoff though is its a lovely run surrounded by native bush and trees, with the occasional sighting of kangaroos and the noise of the galahs and cockatoos.

A little troubling was the niggles I was feeling in my right knee particularly when I ran downhill - I was conscious of this from about the 13km mark. Fingers crossed it is just a niggle and after a day of rest (tomorrow) it will be okay. However I also have an easy week of (flat) running up on the Gold Coast which hopefully will help as well. The last thing I need now is anything to go wrong with any of my body parts! So yes, Katy, in response to your question I will do a couple of runs while on holiday but I will also be lazing around, shopping, eating and coffeeing! Oh, and I drooled over that photo of the gingerbread houses, or more precisely the amount of dark chocolate that was used in the construction!!!

And yes, Tesso - you've discovered my alter ego! ;-)

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Intervals

Session - 6 x 1min (2.30min RI)
Distance - 6.5km
Time - 34.14min
Av pace - 5.16min/km
AHR - 156; MHR - 204
Started with: Penguins and Polar Bears - Millencolin
Finished with: Kryptonite - Three Doors Down

I thought it was time to go for speed rather than slogging my way uphill - at least the pain of intervals is over quicker! I felt sluggish and my legs were feeling more like legs of lead rather than legs of steel! However I have to admit that by the 5th interval I was finding some speed but also very grateful that the actual interval was only 60secs long. Any longer and I might have expired on the cyclepath! Think I might try incorporating a speed session once a week just to break up the monotony of running/walking up and down hills.

Yesterday's run
Distance - 11km
Time - 59.59min
Av pace - 5.27min/km
AHR - 147; MHR - 165
Started with: Voodoo Child - Rogue Traders
Finished with: Turn up the radio - Masters Apprentices (I love running to this song!)

This was an easy run on cycle paths close to home with hardly any hills. Leaving the run to the late afternoon probably wasn't the smartest idea - it was still very warm. As usual I felt slow and sluggish for the first 5km and then I eventually get into my stride and everything was hunkydory after that. One of my pre-New Year's resolutions is to do a lot more stretching and so after the run I spent some time doing just that. The intention is to do some stretching every day especially as my calves are really suffering from all the hill running I am doing.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

The perfect antidote.....

......to over-indulging on Xmas day - the Boxing Day run!!!!

Distance - 28.5km
Time - 3hr 7.01min
Av pace - 6.33min/km
AHR - 150; MHR - 176
Started with: Livin' la vida loca - Ricky Martin
Finished with: Maneater - Nelly Furtado

It was a gorgeous morning for running - clear blue skies and no wind. It was a little chilly to start with (5*c) but did warm up. The plan was to run Rob Roy, which we did, right to the top. At one point on the way up Rob Roy the song "Lift' by Shannon Noll was playing; you know the "I know you're hurting....." song - at that point all I could think was "you have no idea how much I'm hurting!" However, having said that I have to say that the ipod was only used for a small part of the run - about 10 songs, so I can't have been hurting too badly!

All in all it was a great run with great company and surroundings and I felt so much better knowing that I was running off some of the calories I had consumed yesterday! Today I planned on staying in a calorie deficit and this was a good way to start the day!

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Have a very merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a very happy and safe Christmas and a wonderful new year! Take care and I hope to meet many of you in 2007.

Now back to business - running.

Saturday's festive run
Distance - 26.5km
Time - 2hr 45.38min
Av pace - 6.15min/km
AHR - 157; MHR - 191
Started with: 2000 miles - The Pretenders
Finished with: All Star - Smash Mouth

Downloaded 90mins worth of Christmas tunes that had a decent beat so this consisted of festive songs from Twisted Sister, Jet, slate, Lou Rawls, etc! It was good for a laugh anyway. Imagine running to A Heavy Metal Christmas (Twisted Sister) - "a tattoo of Ozzie, 2 pairs of spends pants, 3 studded belts, 4 quarts of Jack, 5 skull earrings, 6 cans of hairspring, 7 leather jackets, 8 pentagram, 9 tattered t-shirts, 10 pairs of platforms, 11 black mascaras, and 12 silver crosses."

Ok back to running - I decided to run close t home and so ran through Mt Painter nature park, ran a few hills in aren't nature park and finally committed myself to running/walking up Black Mountain (812m). I have to say that my walking up hills is improving!!!

Halfway into my run, which I started early due to the number of commitments I had that day including picking up son #3 from the airport later that morning, I received a phone call from said son. This did not bode well because a phone call could only mean one thing: a missed flight. Yep, I was right. I listened patiently while son #3 vented about standing in long queues and the lack of service from Qantas staff and then informed him that I was part way through a run and was in fact standing in Black Mountain nature park and therefore could not help anyway. He had calmed down by this point and said they had transferred him to another later flight and could we pick him up in the afternoon. Problem solved. I could now continue with my long run.

It was a hard run, partly due to the hilly terrain but also because of the weather - by the time I finished (at 8.30am) it was already 29*c.

(Please ignore any spelling or grammatical errors as you are reading this - I am writing this with a glass of Bailey's type of liqueur and cappuccino truffles next to me!)

Thursday's run
Distance - 9.2km
Time - 53.22min
Av pace - 5.48min/km
AHR - 136; MHR - 209

A short run before heading off to breakfast with Strewth and Mr B - one of my favourite times of the week, before heading off to the hairdressers.

Anyway, again have a wonderful Christmas; stay happy and healthy and here's looking to a great 2007!!!!

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Bah humbug ten times over!

Running? Phooey! Hills? Bah humbug!

In case you haven't picked up on it yet, I'm not that hung up on running at the moment and hills are definitely not doing it for me. I'm feeling discouraged and frustrated with my running.

So what has brought on these un-CJ-like feelings about running? Tour de Mountain! It was crap, it was horrible, it was........well words fail me. But anyway lets start at the beginning....

Saturday's run

Where: part of the Tour de Mountain course excluding Mt Taylor.
Distance -15.2km
Time - 1hr 40.24min
Av pace - 6.34min/km
AHR - 145; MHR - 178

Now this was fun. We had Tesso and Tuggeranong Don (TD) for company and it was great. Poor Tesso, though, I think she was thinking it was going to be a flat easy run, oops! But with great company it didn't feel too bad (tho' TD going for a tumble may think otherwise!) and I was feeling relatively optimistic for the race the next morning. Anyway it was great to catch up with tesso and hopefully the favour can be returned when I'm up at the Gold Coast early January - somewhere flat would be nice!!!! *hint, hint!* I had also brought my camera especially to get a photo but forgot after the run...dammit! And next time Tesso, we'll include Mt Taylor! *wink*

The rest of Saturday was spent xmas shopping, fruit and veg shopping, before heading off to our friends' Xmas party (a not-to-be-missed annual affair!). No alcohol passed my lips (tho' in hindsight I may as well have, it might have helped my running!) but I did snack on party food eg dim sims, party pies, little meatballs, and various other delicious food items.

Sunday
What - Tour de Mountain
Distance - 19km
Time - 1hr 45.59min
Av pace - 5.45min/km
AHR - 163; MHR - 191

Not a lot to say other than it was a horrible run, did a lot of walking and generally never got going. Between the 8th and 10th kilometre things improved, albeit very briefly! Never was I so glad to finish a run. So what went wrong? Don't know - haven't reflected on the run at all.

Tuesday run
Distance - 12.1km
Time - 65.47min
Av pace - 5.25min/km
AHR - 149; MHR - 195
Started with: Born to run - Bruce Springsteen (appropriate)
Finished with: Someone that you're with - Nickelback

After a rest day on Monday I thought I better get out and see how I felt. It was an easy, relatively flat run and I didn't have to get up at some unearthly hour to do it! Mission accomplished!

Wednesday run
Where - Mt Taylor
Distance - 16.4km
Time - 1hr 42.47min/km
Av pace - 6.15min/km
AHR - 142; MHR - 170
Started with: Fingers - Pink
Finished with: Twisted transistor - Korn

It was a cool, grey and cloudy morning. As per usual there were parts of Calf Cramp Hill that I had to walk but otherwise it was just a slow steady plod from start to finish. Not as many people out either; other weeks there have been lots of walkers heading up and down the path but not this morning. No mishaps to report either - no falls (though quite a few close calls) and my ipod remained fully powered!

I'm also feeling much better about Sunday's run. It wasn't a great run but hey, that's life! You have good ones and bad ones. I still love running though the jury is still out on hills!

Also, in the mail today arrived entry forms for SFT and Canberra marathon. Decision time!

Thursday, December 14, 2006

I like to move it, move it

Thanks to Tesso (her music list) I downloaded this song to my ipod - its so cool to run to!

Anyway just to prove to myself I could still run after yesterday's 'splat' I ran a fairly fast 9km this morning before brekkie with Strewth and Mr B. It was great - I really enjoyed just going for it and not having to worry about hills! Admittedly I found it a bit hard going near the end but still a very enjoyable run on a very muggy steamy morning.

Oh, and only one more day and then I am on leave for 4 glorious weeks! Am I excited - oh noooooo!!!!!!!!! ;-))))

Distance - 9km
Time - 42.12min
Av pace - 4.48min/km
AHR - 154; MHR - 171
Started with: Can't repeat - Offspring
Finished with: Special K - Placebo

Tomorrow:
(am) Gym - upper body / abs
(pm) Work Xmas lunch
(later pm) Xmas dinner with friends

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Another one bites the dust, aka fall #2

It had to happen.......fall #1 happened in January (photographic evidence). Fall #2 happened today - no photographic evidence. I had run Mt Taylor (855m / 2805') as per usual for my Wednesday run, my ipod decided to die about halfway into the run (flat battery) and about another kilometre after that I bit the dust, very heavily (I blame it on lack of music). Once I regained my breath and managed to get up I surveyed the damage - one very grazed knee, grazed arm and hand, bruises appearing on leg. I was about halfway from the finish no matter which direction I ran, there was nothing for it but to continue on my way, with a bloody knee that seemed to attract attention from anyone I passed.

Distance - 15.9km (fall happened at about the 8km mark)
Time - 1hr 38.40min
Av pace - 6.10min/km
AHR - 146; MHR - 174
Started with: Stand up - Jet
Finished with (at the 7km mark): Welcome to the black parade - My Chemical Romance

The rest of the day - feeling sore and sorry for myself :-(

Tuesday - Gym
Workout - leg session
Worked hard and supersetted some of the exercises.

Monday's run
Distance - 12km
Time - 67.38min
Av pace - 5.28min/km
AHR - 145; MHR - 181
Started with: Hit that - Offspring
Finished with: The middle - Jimmy Eat World

Recovered well after Saturday's almost-marathon effort so feeling happy about that.

Saturday's run - now this was a run!
Distance - 34.5km
Time taken - 3hr 40 something mins - a very long time
Av pace - 6.40min/km (does include walking up Mt Ainslie the 2nd time)
AHR - 152; MHR - 182
Started with: Do-do's and Whoa-ohs - Kisschasy
Finished with: Gone away - Offspring

Ran up Mt Ainslie okay the first time; ran most of the way up Mt Majura the 2nd time, but the 3rd time up Mt Ainslie was just a little too much - I had to walk most of it and it never seemed to end. However after that I seemed to get my second wind and managed the rollercoaster okay and also the run back to Molonglo reach. So pretty happy with my first very long run in a long time and the fact that it included a few steep hills!

Friday - gym
Workout - upper body session

Thursday's run
Distance - 10.2km
Time - 59.04min
Av pace - 5.46min/km
AHR - 135; MHR - 180
Started with: Your woman - White Town
Finished with: This is how a heart breaks - Rob Thomas

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

It doesn’t get any easier

I’m not sure why I think it will get easier to run up Mt Taylor – maybe its because I run the godforsaken hill every week so I think I must eventually get used to it. However, it’s still just as steep and unforgiving in parts and I find myself slowing down to a walking pace and wondering out loud why I’m even doing this at 6am!

Distance – 15.9km
Time – 1hr 39.57min
Av pace - 6.16min/km
AHR – 151; MHR – 180
Started with: Joey- Concrete Blonde
Finished with: Girls just wanna have fun (methinks it’s my ipod’s little joke)

The run up Mt Taylor was then followed by a run down the other side, after a brief stop at the top to enjoy the view, have some water and wait for my calves to stop screaming. There was quite a bit of traffic both up and down the hill – everyone else was walking, which was very wise I thought. I would get these sympathetic looks from the walkers – particularly if I was heading up as they were walking down, looking as cool as a cucumber whereas I was red faced, hot and perspiring! Once down the other side I followed the vets run route which had been graded since I last ran there on Saturday – in parts it was quite heavy going as the dirt had been stirred up.

On the Oakey hill part of the run I turned my ankle ever so quickly – fortunately it wasn’t too bad and I could keep running. I’m not sure what had happened but the surface was firm and even so I can’t blame it on that. I was very conscious of my footing after that however.

Finally I was back at the gym ready for a shower and something to eat before heading off to work.

This afternoon I have yoga.

Tomorrow:
(am) 12km run

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Back to the gym

Its been over a month since I’ve done a decent workout at the gym so I was looking forward to getting back there. The first thing I noticed on my return is that there has been a mini population explosion – it was soooo busy. People must be getting in some last-minute exercise before Christmas. I found myself circling/hovering around the machines I needed to use and for a while it look like I was destined to never get to use the leg press machine. I had completed all my other exercises before it became available and then there was no way anyone else was going to get to that machine before me. Gym rage could’ve been on the cards!

So tomorrow I probably won’t be able to walk (it was ‘leg’ day today) which is a bit of a worry because it’s my mid-week Mt Taylor run (the 4.30am wake up call).

Tomorrow:
(am) Mt Taylor run
(pm) yoga

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Mt Taylor x 2


Distance – 24km
Time – 2hr 34.10min
Av pace – 6.25min
AHR – 150; MHR – 177
Mt Taylor – 855m (and I felt every bit of that!)`
Started with: Cuz I can – Pink
Finished with: Here comes another one – SGT (again)

I must be mad, stark raving mad (no comments please) but anyway I decided that because I was skipping the Mt Tennant walk on Saturday (after reading the write up on it there is no way I would’ve been able to run any of it!) I would instead run Mt Taylor twice.

It was very overcast and humid and it briefly looked like it might rain as I started my run from the gym. I stopped off at Woden Plaza for a toilet stop and got some very strange looks from the early risers who were out for breakfast. Somewhere between there and the top of Mt Taylor I lost one of my small drink bottles, something I discovered after stopping to talk to Charmaine who had come flying down as I was struggling up! This didn’t bode well at all as I had finished one of my drink bottles at the 7km mark and only had 2 left for the remaining 17km.

I passed a few more runners as I descend on the other side – one being Tuggeranong Don, who did not recognise me. I think he was focussed on getting up the hill! Then I followed the vets Mt Taylor course around to the other side (this is quite undulating) and then headed up Mt Taylor again, before down the other side, another lap of the vets course and then across to Oakey Hill nature park (BBQ Stakes course) and finally back to the gym. I had also managed to make my water last for the duration of the run.

Despite wanting to have a nap badly in the afternoon I was busy xmas shopping and baking. I made World Peace cookies (they’re meant to be that good) – basically a very chocolatey cookie filled with dark choc bits (looks ugly but if you love chocolate then looks don’t matter!), and Hummingbird cupcakes (banana, crushed pineapple and pecan mixture topped with cream cheese frosting). These were for afternoon tea on Sunday – they went down a treat!

Today’s run
Distance – 12km
Time – 67.50min
Av pace – 5.39min/km
AHR – 139; MHR – 164
Started with: Vertigo – U2
Finished with: Plastic loveless letter – Magic Dirt

I hate Mondays! It seems like I get back on that treadmill and start all over again for another week. I need a holiday and I need it now! Ok, rant over – I was up at 5am and out the door half an hour later, not nearly fortified enough on back coffee. It was a drudge today – just one foot in front of the other until thankfully I could finally stop and have breakfast. I think I’m like this because my weekend was pretty full on with early starts both days and now I’m tired.

Tomorrow: back to the gym


I was bored..........

You are a Buff Girl!
You've got a boomin' body and a fearless spirit. Most guys have trouble keeping up with your energy and fitness level. Competitive and fun loving, you're up for almost anything. Make sure you pick a guy who doesn't mind getting beaten by a girl!

Friday, December 01, 2006

Happy birthday















It was son #3's birthday yesterday - the baby of the family has turned 22. I stunned the family by making the birthday cake(s) - something I haven't done for years. After all, that's why we have The Cheesecake Shop, Cake It Away and Michels, isn't it?! Anyway I managed to make Florentine cakes ie double choc mudcake topped with chocolate ganache, chopped ginger, cherries and flaked almonds, then dark chocolate drizzled over (there's a chocolate theme happening...). I won't bore you with the details but let's just say that there was drama aplenty in the making of these! However, the cakes were delicious and that's not just me saying so, so it was all worth it.

On to running things........

Yesterday morning's run
Distance - 10.8km
Time - 60.35min
Av pace - 5.34min/km
AHR - 144; MHR - 193
Started with - Put your money where your mouth is - Jet
Finished with - Here comes another one - SGT

Uneventful run. Felt okay after the Mt Taylor run the day before - just a little bit of DOMS, which was to be expected.

Tomorrow: long run of about 25km
Sunday - rest day - son #3 flying out in the morning, destination Gold Coast, for 3 months IT summer school (Griffith Uni) then friends coming over for afternoon tea. Planning on doing some baking before then.