Cooking spray and rubber gear!

I bet you never thought that triathlons could be so interesting! Actually the cooking spray is used around my ankles - it helps get the wetsuit on and off easily!

Women's and Girls' Triathlon
Distances - 400m swim/14km cycle/4km run
Weather - grey, damp, 10.9*C, but no wind!
Provisional time - 58.24min
Provisional splits: (these are very approximate because I didn't press my watch at the official timing points)
8.31min - swim
30.34min - cycle
19.18min - run
Place - 1st in the 40-44 age group! Yay!

Woke up to very grey skies - I was convinced it would start raining again, and there were light showers at times. However, there was no wind, thunder or lightning - should be grateful for small mercies!

Was surprised, when we got to the event, at the number of women who had shown up despite the inclement weather. I would've thought quite a few would give it a miss because of the weather - obviously we are all stark raving mad. Strewth arrived about the same time as me but was stressing out about the weather and the swim (this is normal for Strewth).

Wasn't keen about taking off my t-shirt, jacket or spray jacket but figured it would probably be quite difficult swimming with all that gear on. The one thing I hate about triathlons is the amount of time you spend hanging around at the start waiting for your wave to start - I was in the second last wave.

Swim - I love my wetsuit! It was such an easy swim and I managed to get clear of the pack from the start. There was one woman ahead of me but everyone else was behind. I wasn't bothered by any other swimmer until I headed back to shore and had caught up with the slower swimmers from the previous wave. The water wasn't too cold and it was only very reedy near the shore. It also wasn't too murky which was surprising given all the rain we'd had in the last 24 hours.

Cycle - stuffed around in transition - I'm so out of practice. The wetsuit came off easily but it seemed to take forever to get my bike shoes on (I haven't managed the art of getting into my shoes when on the bike), as well as my helmet and number belt. I had no sunnies because they were broken - not that there was any sunshine to speak of. Passed lots of women on mountainbikes and old clunkers (its really good to see the range of women that get out to do this triathlon). Passed Jackie Fairweather, who was spectating, just before heading down to Adelaide Ave. I thought I'd be cold on my bike but it wasn't too bad, except for my feet - they were going numb, but that's normal for me. Before I knew it I was heading back into transition and changing into my runners, taking off my helmet and replacing it with my CR cap.

Run - I stood for what seemed like ages trying to figure out where the run chute was. Yes, I had walked the transition area before the start and checked out all the exits but in the actual event my brain does not function logically. Finally I followed someone else and for the first 100m I felt fine. However, once I was past the crowds and on the cycle path that oh-so-familiar post-bike dead-leg feeling started. I sooo wanted to stop but ignored this feeling and just slogged away up the hills trying to recall what I've been taught in yoga - don't fight the feeling, relax and go with it. So I settled my breathing, relaxed my stride and my shoulders, and damn if I didn't start feeling better. Passed more women on the run and began to feel really good - so much so I was smiling for the rest of the run.

Summary - it was great event. It never rained, the road surfaces weren't slippery, I enjoyed the swim and the fact that I was 2nd woman out in my swim wave (this is virtually unheard of for me), and I ran a comfortable race. As well as the usual fruit provided at the end of the event, there were also different varieties of fruit buns and date scones - yummo. I came first in my age group and Strewth came second in hers.

Late edit - had a huge bowl of Tim Tam icecream that night - it was worth the wait ;-)

CJ and Strewth - with our trophies. *Rae please note the BPRTT numbers we are wearing! We used the run leg as the First Inaugural BPRTT run!

All that's missing is the wind

Woke to thunder and lightning and a very heavy downpour about 4am and its been like that all day. We've even had hail. The only thing missing is the wind.....oops, I let that thought out! Postponed the run this morning because of inclement weather and also because I got a text message from Strewth who was feeling blah and didn't want to run. That's okay - I decided to do a short sharp session on my bike on the windtrainer, just to get the fast twitch fibres firing for tomorrow (to be honest, I'm not sure I possess any fast twitch fibres). But before doing this, I lay around in bed for a while reading the paper and watching Rage on ABC TV. What's with this Scnappi character? - 2 songs in the Top 50 - oh pleeeeaaase!

Exercise- cycle on windtrainer

Session - 10min wu; 2 x 1.30min very fast cadence (1.30min rest); 5min cd.
Total time - 21min

It was very muggy, given all the rain we've had in the last 24 hours. Listened to an updated playlist on the ipod.

*Tesso - I can definitely recommend Lenny Kravitz - Are you going to go my way* Great song, great beat.

This afternoon I went down to register for tomorrow's triathlon - there was thunder and lightning and it was raining very heavily. This does not bode well for tomorrow. It was very soggy around the registration tent - there was a small river flowing through the middle of the tent making it awkward waiting to register and collect my race number - I got very soggy shoes. Any plans of going for a quick swim in the lake to test the wetsuit went right out the window - no way was I getting in that lake, not with lightning flashing across the sky.

Have just got out my gear for tomorrow:
race outfit - check
wetsuit - check
cooking spray - check
swim cap and goggles - check
number belt and race number - check
bike shoes - check
sunnies - amber (for low light conditions) and darker ones (for sunny conditions - being very optimistic) - check
bike helmet - check
runners - check
CR cap - check
bike/pump/tubes - check
drink bottle - check
towel - to put gear on in transition area - check
I'm still deciding whether to wear the garmin - not sure whether I should wear it in the swim leg.

Sometimes I think it would be a lot simpler to just stick to running!

Temptation in my freezer...

I finally succumbed and bought a container of Tim Tam icecream this evening. I thought I would treat myself after the Women's and Girls triathlon on Sunday. But, oh boy, I swear I can hear that container whispering to me. Just a little spoonful wouldn't hurt, surely. But I know myself far too well and one little spoonful would not be enough...before I knew it half the container would be gone! *did I really eat all that?....* Sunday is not that far away...I can wait...I have willpower...I am strong!

House update - we have chosen a kitchen and paid a deposit, so that is done. Now we have the bathroom to work on.

Friday morning - swim

Session - Drill Day, so a combination of drills, alternate side breathing (yes, I persevered!), kicking (sans fins) plus 4 x 100m (30sec RI)
Distance - 1.3km
Time - about 35mins but lots of stops after each 100m.

Times for 100m:
* 2.04min
* 1.54min
* 2.05min
* 1.54min

As a result of changing my upper body weights session yesterday I am feeling the effects today - yes, very stiff and sore. So swimming certainly helped. I persevered with breathing to alternate sides, and while I still was a little breathless near the end of each 100m, I knew my swimming form had vastly improved. Yay!!! Kicking still left a lot to be desired - I felt the burn in the first 50m and the second 50m is just plain hard work for minimal returns ie I don't get very far for the amount of energy put in.

I plan on swimming in Lake Burley Griffin tomorrow afternoon to become familiar with my wetsuit - its been well over a year since I've last worn it. So I'm hoping for half decent weather tomorrow *fingers crossed*. Its been wet and miserable and cold the last couple of days.

Thursday evening - yoga

We attempted headstands - the emphasis on 'attempted'. I could do a headstand with assistance from 2 other people to get my legs up in the air! I love shoulderstand but handstand and headstand, hmmm, not so sure yet. We also did a lot of upper body work, and since I had done a new upper body weights session at lunchtime, I found this a little difficult to say the least because I was beginning to feel the after effects of the weights session. However, all the leg/hip/glute stretching seems to have helped my sore R glute :-) I love my yoga.

Thursday lunchtime - gym

Session - upper body weights session plus killer abs workout.

I had been doing my upper body weights session for 6 weeks now so decided a change was in order. I have some impressive arm muscles now, but no, I'm not a female Arnie!!! The killer abs workout was the same as usual - a bloody hard challenging workout but I am slowly improving, and more importantly, gaining a lot more control and strength in the abdominal area.

Tomorrow:
(am) The Canberra Inaugural BPRTT 5k Turkey Trot Time Trial!
(pm) Registration for Women's and Girls Triathlon followed by wetsuit swim in lake

Proud mama!

He'd die of embarrassment if he knew I was writing about him but hey, I'm allowed to, I'm his mum! Yesterday son #3 (who turns 21 next Wednesday) was accepted into an IBM traineeship that commences on 5 December this year, with 3 months summer school up at Surfers Paradise. After 3 years he will have a bachelor degree in IT, specialising in mainframe. He only found out about this 2 weeks ago at his graduation (he completed a diploma in software development) so it has all moved very quickly.

Edit - Ooops, nearly forgot - plans for the renovation/extension/practically new house have been approved. If we sign the contract before Xmas, work could start on the house aka 'the moneypit', in February next year.

Now back to boring mundane things like my pathetic attempts at any sort of training this week. Decided to skip the Tuesday afternoon run session at North Lyneham (and after reading Strewth's training Blog I'm so glad I did!). Also skipped the Wednesday evening Bilby's swim squad session.

Thursday morning - run

Distance - 6.93km
Time - 40.23min
Av pace - 5.50min/km
AHR - 144
Calories - 364

Downloaded some zippy songs onto my ipod last night to inspire me this morning - going by my average pace it doesn't appeared to have worked! And my R glute is sore, sore, sore - must get it checked out *groan* more dollars!
Current fave running songs:
Paris to Berlin - Infernal
Hung Up - Madonna
Have a Nice Day - Bon Jovi
DOA - Foo Fighters
Bitch - Meredith Brooks
Hey Mr DJ - Rihanna

Wednesday morning - cycle (on windtrainer)

Session - 10min wu; 3 x 1.30min L4 (1.30min RI); 5min cd
Time - 24min
AHR - 143; MHR - 161

Legs felt very tired but it was short session. Tried to maintain a cadence of at least 90 throughout.

Wanted: some zing, vim, oomph, spark.......

Not only have I figuratively hit a brick wall, it has collapsed on top of me. Still feeling very very very tired and blah, so decided not to run this afternoon. That decision, according to my work colleagues, confirmed that I am definitely not feeling myself! Maybe I need to try Cirque's approach - overindulgence and slothfulness!

However CJ's usual approach to dealing with illness and general blahness is to battle on through, ignore the symptoms and it will go away. This is based on the premise that if run fast enough or exercise hard enough the germs won't catch me. Ok, so its not infallible. Anyway, yesterday I decided to do a 30min workout on the windtrainer in the afternoon and then went along to swim squad in the evening.

Monday afternoon session - cycle on windtrainer
Workout - 10min warm up; 5 x 1.30min L4 (I upped the resistance and pedalled as hard as I could)(1.30min rest interval); 5min cooldown.
Time - 30min
AHR - 145; MHR - 168

It was like being in a sauna - the windtrainer is outside, in the carport, and it was a warm afternoon. Hot, hard work but I felt vindicated once I'd finished.

Monday evening session - Bilby's swim squad
Workout - its a bit blurry but there seemed to be a lot of 50m fast bits in there.
Distance - about 2km
Time - about 1hour

I enjoyed the session because a) I was prepared, and b) I wasn't the slowest swimmer. All the really scarey fast swimmers must go to the Wednesday evening session. The drills were a bit of a struggle - I think Bolder's comment on Al's blog really sums it up: drills are a bit like organised drowning.

Also I was 'encouraged' to breathe to both sides when swimming freestyle. I have to confess that I am a one-side breather - I breathe to my left side on every 2nd stroke. I have tried in the past to breathe both sides but I run out of breath and am hypoxic when I get from one end of the pool to the other, and I tend to sink when I breathe to the right side. Anyway, with many misgivings I tried swimming and breathing to alternate sides and you know what, I was getting the hang of it. So it wasn't fast and I was still a bit out of breath by the end but I was swimming, not sinking. Yay! So now I have to diligently practice the alternate breathing.

Tuesday lunchtime session - Gym
Workout - lower body weights session plus killer abs workout

I thought that maybe if I went to the gym I would feel so much better. It was a huge struggle getting out of bed this morning but fortunately I had nothing planned exercise-wise until lunchtime. The gym was so-so - I tired easily on the reps and the killer abs were damn hard. But I would not be defeated! I slogged on and finished the session. The afternoon dragged on at work - the air conditioning in our building failed on a regular basis today so it was hot and stuffy, with no possibility of opening a window.

Anyway, come 4.30pm I knew I wouldn't be running,and after phoning Strewth to let her know, I headed home for a snooze on the couch. Fingers crossed, tomorrow will be a better day energy-wise.

Feeling flat

I thought having a rest day meant that the body recovered and you would be raring to go on your next workout. Hah! If that's the case, I've been gypped because I feel blah and very flat. Saturday was my rest day and yesterday I could barely drag myself out of bed in the morning - so the idea of a cycle went out the window. I finally managed to get out the door late afternoon for a run but it took quite a while to get into it - 20mins to be precise.

Session - 20min easy run with 2 x 5min faster bursts (5min RI), followed by 24.50min easy running.
Distance - 11.4km
Time - 59.50min
Av pace - 5.15min/km (the 2 x 5min were 4.57min/km and 4.27min/km respectively)
AHR - 157; MHR - 195
Calories - 603
Weather - very warm, blue skies, slight breeze.

As I said, it was a good 20mins before I felt reasonable; after that, I improved. It was an out and back course down to Lake Ginninderra and on the way back, just before a short, steep, nasty little hill, 2 cyclists on mountain bikes came racing down the hill side by side. It was a close shave - I could've been Squashed CJ (or possibly worse because they were going really fast) but somehow we all managed to swerve different ways at the last minute.

We spent part of yesterday at the Kingston markets where I bought a paua shell necklace, pictures for our 'new' house, and fudge (the best ever, to die for fudge).

Today I still feel flat and had problems getting out of bed this morning, so any idea of cycling again disappeared! I've got the Bilby's swim squad tonight so I probably need to conserve my energy for that!

Only 6 sleeps to the first triathlon for the season (for me) - Women's and Girls triathlon on Sunday morning. It is a 400m swim/14km cycle/4km run.

Also, got a text message from a good friend Kezza, the other night to say that she had a fall when cycling on the weekend and broke her collarbone and also needed stitches. She was training for the Canberra Half Ironman and is feeling really down because she can't do it now. :-(

Weak buttocks ruin the runner (ie do I waddle when I run?)

I was reading an extract from Sports Injury Bulletin and came across this article! Sean Fyfe, an Australian sports physio, says that "the gluteus medius should be considered in every running injury." The deep-lying gluteus medius muscle is normally associated with movement but its key role in running is to act as a stabilising force, to slow the downward drive of the pelvis on the opposite side during stance phase. This pelvic restraint prevents excessive hip sway or roll of the type that is classically known as "Trendelenburg gait". But even short of the tell-tale waddle of a Trendelenburg, there are various adaptations that runners make to compensate for weakness in the gluteus medius. Hmmmmm, I'm having problems with my glutes - could it be that they are weak? Though, no-one has told me I waddle when I run!

Friday lunchtime - gym

Session - lower body weights session plus killer abs workout

I focused on glute strengthening and stabilising exercises such as one-legged squats (with a swiss ball behind me), the glute machine, stationary lunges and one legged raises on swiss ball. (Saturday - I am feeling it in my glutes today!!!!)

Friday morning - swim session

Distance - 800m
Time - about 20mins
Session - 200m fs; 200m backstroke; 200m kicking (without fins); 200m freestyle.

I was supposed to have swum 1,000m but miscalculated and by the time I realised, was out of the pool and heading to the change rooms. Oh well, another day......


Oh, and by the way, today is a rest day - yes, I do have them!!!

Tomorrow:
(am) Cycle
(pm) Run


This was one of the poses we were attempting the other night at yoga - the Crane pose, I think. I spent more time on my backside than up in the air!

The art of inflexibility and CJ's revenge

Thursday evening - yoga

When I arrived at class this evening and our instructor, Karen, said that it would be a restorative session I could've hugged her. I wasn't looking forward to doing handstands, shoulderstands, backbends or the like but relished the idea of lying down on a mat with legs up the wall contemplating my navel for an hour or so. I had had more root canal treatment this morning and my jaw was sore, the tooth in question was achey and I was cranky.

The session started promising enough - lying down with my legs up the wall, this I could cope with. Several other poses later and I was starting to get suspicious, particularly when we had to sit up with our legs out in front, then bend the right leg and somehow hook the right arm under and over, or something like that. Then we moved on to one where we end up balancing on our hands with our legs hooked over our arms or the other way around - its probably something I could do after a few drinks! Anyway they were the sort of poses most people would tend to associate with yoga, where being a contortionist would be of considerable advantage. To achieve any of these poses I need to literally loosen up, I am so tight and very inflexible. Though then again do I really want to master being able to hook my legs around my ears?!

Thursday morning - cycle with H

Session - 6 hill repeats, increasing the resistance on alternate repeats.
Distance - 18.3km
Time taken - 49.15min (this includes a brief stop)
Av spd - 22.3kph; Max spd - 45kph
AHR - 143
Calories - 375

Had arranged to meet H for a cycle session early this morning, before work. I decided we needed to do hill repeats, increasing the resistance on alternate repeats. My revenge for the swim session I endured the night before! Another cold morning so wore arm warmers though I must admit we definitely warmed up on the hill repeats. I love the recovery part - its a downhill cruise back to the start - it goes too quickly! A fun session!

Got a surprise phone call from Wobbly Man as I was on my way to the dentist for more root canal treatment. Wobbly, I'm assuming you found someone to help you since I didn't hear back. Anyway it was lovely to talk to you! Looking forward to meeting you next year, here in Canberra.

Tomorrow:
(am) Swim with Strewth, followed by brekkie
(pm) Gym - lower body weights session plus killer abs session

When is a warm-up not a warm-up?

When its a Bilby's tri club swim session! I finally plucked up the courage to go along to a bilby's swim session. Also, because I had said to H earlier in the week that I would show up. All day various flimsy excuses for not going flashed through my mind however I resigned myself to the fact that I would be there at 6.30pm.

I introduced myself to the coach, Tony, and then asked which of the two lanes was the slow lane. Silly me! Slow lanes! Well, he did point one out as the slower lane but there were several people swimming in that lane who I knew from my previous swim squad and they were anything but slow. Hmmmmm.....

Okay...get in the water....adjust the goggles....look at my watch...suss out the other swimmers.....re-read the instructions on the whiteboard....can't put it off any longer.....c'mon just get going. Swam 100m and then we stopped. Now what? Oh no, 200m of backstroke. I'm not a great swimmer but freestyle is my best stroke so that gives you some idea of what my other strokes are like. And they swim bloody fast - even upside down! I had someone constantly swimming into my feet so consequently I was swimming harder - lactic acid set in like concrete in my arms and legs, I was seeing spots before my eyes, my heart rate was almost flatlining, I was swallowing a lot of chlorinated water and I was not, I repeat, NOT having fun. This was followed by a 200m set of kicking without fins using a pullbuoy as flotation. Now I suck at kicking without fins and so everyone else took off down the lane and I brought up the rear...a long way behind. Finally another 200m set of freestyle - never was I so happy to be swimming plain old freestyle.

Up to this point I was questioning my sanity and asking myself why I couldn't be like normal people and be content with sitting in front of the TV knitting a scarf, reading a book or doing a crossword. H would come over at the end of each set and offer consoling words and a smile - I would grimace in return.

Then something truly wondrous happened in the main set - I could breathe, my arms and legs were working again, my heart rate was returning to something resembling normal and I could keep up with the others. In fact I was starting to enjoy it. It seemed everyone had settled down now and weren't hell-bent on getting from one end to the other in the shortest possible time. I had said at the start that I would only swim for an hour (the sessions go for 1 1/2 hours) and was surprised when it was time to get out. I'll be back, H is forgiven and I will be better prepared for the warm-up session next time!

Stats:
Session - (warm-up) 100m fs; 200m bs; 100m kick; 200m fs; (main set) 3 x 100m on 2.10min; 3 x 200m on 6.30min; 500m on 11min.
Distance - 2km
Time taken - 1 hour


Wednesday morning - easy run
Distance - 6.9km
Time taken - 40.35min
Av pace - 5.53min/km
AHR - 140; MHR - 206
Calories - 367

It was cold - about 6* and I wasn't dressed for it. I was wearing a top with short sleeves and didn't really warm up throughout the run.

INDULGE and you'll BULGE

I saw this message on a fridge magnet. Maybe it should become my mantra..... I had a rocky road chocolate truffle on Sunday, 2 serves of chocolate cheesecake brownie and an assortment of chocolate licorice bullets, fantales and milkshakes yesterday. Hmmmmmm......

For more photos and write-up of the Tour de Femme have a look at Strewth's training Blog.

Tuesday afternoon - cycle (on windtrainer)

Session - 5min wu; 2 x 2min L4 (3min RI); 3 x 2min L2.5 (2min RI); 4 x 2min L2 (30sec RI); 5min cd.
Time - 42mins
AHR - 129; MHR - 163

The original plan was to go the North Lyneham run session after work but the weather was looking very dodgy - there had been thunder, lightning, strong gusty winds and rain throughout the day. Besides, work was hectic again and getting out of the office by 5pm was looking very doubtful. So I decided to do a cycle session at home on the windtrainer instead. The first couple of intervals were very hard work and it was agony maintaining the speed for 2 mins. However, I gradually improved over the following intervals though, while the intensity lessened, the rest time also decreased between each one.

Tuesday lunchtime - gym

Session - upper body weight session plus killer abs session
Increased the reps for some of the exercises, though not the weight. The killer abs session was just as hard again today but I think I am improving...slowly. And I think I'm starting to see abs......;-)

Monday afternoon - run

Session - easy recovery run
Distance - 9.66km
Time - 53.42min
Av pace - 5.33min/km
AHR - 144; MHR - 159
Calories - 515

Work was hectic so it meant I wouldn't get away in time for the run session at Parliament House. Decided to run from home. I had no particular plan for the run so I just strapped on the ipod, stuck in the earplugs and headed off to such tunes as Bohemian Like Me (Dandy Warhols), Its Raining Men (Weather Girls) and Voodoo Child (Rogue Traders). A good run though a new ache/niggle developed on the inner aspect of my left calf - it did go away however. The ache/pain in right glute however did not go away - I am getting very tired of this glute problem - its not getting better but also not getting worse. Anyway, apart from these little problems, it was a cruisey run - the type of run that remind me why I enjoy running so much.

Monday morning - swim

Session - 300m wu; 3 x (100m kick; 100m pull buoy); 3 x 200 variable pace.
Distance - 1.5km

After a busy and active weekend I decided that this swim would be a recovery session. Usually I use fins when doing a kick session but after reading a Minersrun entry where he said, in a manner of speaking, that fins were for wusses, I decided that I would also give the fins a miss. The first 50m was fine but I definitely experienced the 'burn' when completing the second 50m of kicking without fins - I also feel it in the hips - is that normal? Maybe its just that I really suck at kicking!

Killer abs session - final instalment

4. Double Straight Leg Stretch

* Exhale, lowering legs toward the mat no lower than a 45* angle. Stop when your lower back begins to arch.
* Inhale, raising legs back up to the ceiling at a 90* angle, keeping buttocks on the mat.
* Repeat 15 times; 1-5 sets. Finish with hands behind the head and knees bent to chest.

TIPS:
* If your back is arching, lower head and place hands under buttocks as you raise and lower legs.


5. Criss-Cross
* Inhale and extend left leg out at a 45* angle as you twist your upper body until left elbow touches right knee.
* Exhale and look back beyond right elbow and stretch from elbow to opposite foot.
* Inhale, switching sides. Hold a moment. Exhale and stretch a little longer.
* Repeat 15 times; 1-5 sets.

TIPS:
* Engage abdominals so pelvis is steady and hips don't rock from side to side.
* Make sure elbows are extended out and not folding in or touching the floor while you are twisting.
* Twist from your waist. Your neck, shoulders and elbows do not initiate the movement - they only follow the direction of the twist coming from the work of your abdominals.

FINISHING POSITION:
* Lower head down, bring feet to the floor, hip-width apart. Place hands on belly, relax abdominals and exhale deeply into your stomach, letting your belly rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale.


Remember:
The 5 exercises in the stomach series are meant to flow seamlessly from one into the next, according to the rhythm of your breathing. The challenge is to get through the entire series without changing the initial body position.

Tour de Femme

Event - Tour de Femme, women only cycle race
Distance - 20km
No. of entrants - 528
Weather - beautiful; blue sky; no wind; not too hot nor too cold

I rode down to the start of the bike race this morning. I could hear a vehicle driving slowly behind me on Springvale Dve - it was MsH on her way to the yacht club. I felt a bit tired as a result of yesterday's run but wasn't too worried as I wasn't planning on racing this morning.

Warm-up ride
Distance - 16.68km
Time taken - 40.41min
Av pace - 24.6kph
AHR - 149
Calories - 354

A comfortable ride - not too much traffic on the road at that time of the morning. Quite a few vehicles that passed me had bikes either on the back or on the roof - they probably thought I was mad riding to the start. Once I got closer to the yacht club (the start of the race) there were lots of women on bikes warming up - one advantage of riding down was that I was already warmed up. MrB and Strewth arrived about the same time as me. Met up with Flash Duck and we kept an eye out for familiar faces. Tried ringing MsH but she wasn't answering her phone - obviously focusing on the race ahead! We managed to find Strewth and MrsH in the mass of lycra-clad women and worked our way through to where they were standing. Was feeling very nervous about the start of the race as there are so many cyclists in such a confined space and many of the women are once-a-year cyclists and therefore not very confident on their bikes.

Tour de Femme race
Distance - 20km
Time - 40.10min (official results)
Max speed - 50.5kph
Av speed - 30.2kph
AHR - 162
Calories - 498
Place - 121st (of 528 competitors); 26th in 40-49yr age group (of 155 entrants)

After what seemed like ages we were finally away and I nearly came to grief - had clipped both shoes into my pedals when the woman in front of me decided to swerve my way and I felt myself toppling over. Uh oh this is it - I am going to land on the koppers log barriers - this is not going to be pretty......when somehow I managed to straighten up and veer to the right and around the cyclists in front of me. I still don't know how I managed not to go over - adrenaline can come in handy!

We headed off down the road and it initially felt like a comfortable Sunday ride. It occurred to me that maybe I was taking it just a little too easy and should probably make more of an effort to go faster (my first km was 20.9kph and my 2nd km was 30.9kph!) Flash Duck had shot off and was nowhere to be seen and MsH had also done a disappearing act. I gradually got into a rhythm and started passing other cyclists - many were all over the place; there was definitely no pacelines happening.

I would move from one bunch of cyclists to the next bunch up ahead, hoping that as a bunch we could work together but many had decided they were out there for themselves and weren't interested or didn't understand about drafting, etc. Still I thoroughly enjoyed the race. I managed to stick with a Women on Wheels (WOW) cyclist from Kangaroo Valley called Sandra, for the latter part of the race. We passed Flash Duck on Adelaide Avenue, not too far from the finish. I took off down Flynn Dve (probably where my maximum speed of 50kph happened) and then there was the Finish line. Passed the timing chip, that we had to wear on our left wrist, over the sensor and then it was off for watermelon, banana, an iced finger bun, and 2 cups of plunger coffee. MrsH was the only one from our group to win a barrel draw prize - sunnies. We also decided that next year we would enter as a team.

Other results:
1st - Oenone Wood - 32.01min
74th - MsH - 36.47min (10th in age group)
121st - CJ - 40.10min (26th in age group)
125th - Flash Duck - 40.42min (29th in age group)
201st - MrsH - 46.22min (56th in age group)
224th - Strewth - 48min (20th in age group)

Tomorrow:
(am) Swim
(pm) Run session at Parliament House

The day that all the fast veteran women decided to stay at home.....

Saturday morning - Belconnen Community Fun Run
Distance - 6km (3.75 mile)
Time - 27.23min
Av pace - 4.32min/km
AHR - 173bpm
Calories - 323
Place - 1st veteran woman

A beautiful Spring morning - blue skies, no wind, perfect... Decided to run down to the start of the fun run, at CISAC (Belconnen pool). Had been out the night before to a graduation followed by cocktail party at the Hyatt and had indulged in 2 very large glasses of wine - in hindsight not a good idea (though it seemed like a good idea at the time!). Was feeling a little dry this morning!

Warm-up run from home:
Distance - 5.58km
Time - 30.02min
Av pace - 5.22min/km
AHR - 154
Calories - 309

Comfortable run, listening to music on my ipod. There was quite a crowd of runners and walkers gathering outside when I arrived to register and collect my number. The run was being held in memory of Ben Donohoe, who died earlier this year from a brain tumour at the age of 9. All money raised was going to the paediatrc brain tumour foundation (or something like that).

Back to the fun run. Met up with Aki, Flash Duck, Strewth, Mr B, Geoff and friend (I can't remember her name but it was her birthday today). Also saw Friar and met Jody (?) and Huxley - a gorgeous looking dog. We headed down to the start and after a little wait, were off. I headed around on the outside to avoid the crush and it seemed to work in my favour. However, I broke my cardinal rule again - don't go out too fast. I think my first 2 kms were 4.22 and 4.18 respectively. So it was going to be a case of grit the teeth and hope to hang on for the next 4 kms! Actually it wasn't too bad though there were more hills than I remembered on this course, or it may just have been the case that because I went out too fast, any little rise felt like a hill!

Mr B caught up with me at about the 5km mark and I kept tossing up mentally the idea of slowing down and letting him go ahead or trying to stay with him. I chose the latter course of action and this worked until about the last 150m when he took off and I couldn't respond. I'm not a sprinter. I crossed the line and someone announced that I was the first veteran woman to finish so I waved my arms around. Actually, to be honest, I wasn't sure whay they said because I was still listening to my ipod so had to ask Mr B to repeat it!

Flash Duck came in not long after me so she was the second veteran woman to finish. Cool Runner chicky babes were having a good day! Waited for Strewth to come in and then we hung around talking and eating the supplied fruit before heading across to Margaret Timpson Park for the presentation. I had found the coffee stall and was waiting in line for a much anticipated cappuccino when Flash Duck said that the presentation was about to begin and so we had to leave before I could order a coffee *sob*.

After the presentation (received a medal and a 1 month Gold membership to Club Lime at CISAC - this includes use of gym, classes, pool entry, spa and sauna) and obligatory photo shoot we finally headed off to Musica e cafe for something to eat and a *coffee*.

Later in the afternoon, headed off to the yacht club for the Tour de Femme registration - the bike race is tomorrow morning, 9am. I plan on riding to the start - about 18km - a good warm-up!

Friday morning - swim

Session - 300m wu; 100m pullbuoy; 100m kick without fins; 100m pullbuoy; 3 x 200m; 100m kick without fins; 100m pullbouy; 100m cd
Distance - 1.5km

Times for 200m:
1 - 3.58min
2 - 3.56min
3 - 3.55min

Killer abs session cont....

2. Double Leg Stretch

* Beginning in initial body position, inhale and extend arms straight back alongside ears as you stretch legs out at a 45* angle from the floor, working the inner thighs to keep legs together.
* Pause for a second, feel your arms and legs are being pulled in opposite directions.
* Make sure lower back is firmly anchored on the floor and head is still lifted toward chest.
* Exhale and make a big circle with arms, bringing around to wrap around knees and pull into chest like a little ball
* Repeat 15 times; 1 - 5 sets. Finish in initial body position.

TIPS:
* If you can't keep lower back on the floor, bend knees or bring legs toward the ceiling. Never arch your back.
* If head drops as you bring arms over head, lift arms straight up to the ceiling instead.


3. Single Leg Straight Leg Stretch

* From initial body position, straighten right leg up to the ceiling and grab ankle with both hands. Extend left leg out at a 45* angle from the floor.
* Inhale, pulling right leg toward head with a double bounce action as you lengthen left leg away.
* Exhale, switching legs by scissoring them past each other in a dynamic and energetic way.
Repeat 15 times; 1-5 sets. Finish by bringing legs together at a 90* angle from the mat, buttocks on the floor and both hands behind your head.

TIPS:
* Stabilize your abdominal core as legs are moving vigorously.
* Relax shoulders; do not pull onto the legs too hard; use abdominals to raise leg t chest.
* If hamstrings are tight, bend raised leg slightly and hold onto anywhere behind the leg rather than the ankle.

Tomorrow:
4. Double Straight Leg Stretch (this is a killer)

Power of the Stomach Series aka Killer Abs Session

These exercises are from Fit Yoga, August 2005 issue.

The 5 exercises in the Stomach Series are meant to flow seamlessly from one into the next, according tot he rhythm of your breathing. The challenge is to get through the entire series without changing the initial body position.

Initial body position:
* Lie on back, bend knees to chest, point toes.
* Engage abdominal muscles to lift head and shoulders off the ground. Do not lift from neck itself. If abdominal muscles are too weak or tired to hold head and shoulders up, keep them on the mat.
* Gaze softly at navel and use it as a visual aid to make sure head stays lifted throughout the series.
* Press belly down to spine. Lower back should be anchored to the floor at all times. If you find yourself arching your lower back, modify the exercises by bending knees and/or lifting legs toward the ceiling away from the floor.
* Remember, it is called the Stomach Series because even though your arms and legs seem to be doing all the movements, the stomach is working hardest by stabilizing the core.

EXERCISES

1. Single Leg Stretch
*Assume initial body position.
* Inhale, bring right knee toward nose, shin parallel to floor, right hand on ankle, left hand on knee. Simultaneously straighten and stretch left leg at a 45* angle from the mat.
* Exhale and switch sides, pulling left leg in and extending right.
* repeat 15 times, 1 - 5 sets. Finish in initial body position.

TIPS
* Extend elbows out to the sides, and press shoulders down and away from ears.
* If you cannot keep your back on the floor, raise straight leg higher, toward the ceiling.

To be continued....
Tomorrow:
2. Double Leg Stretch

Bugs for breakfast

Session - Cycle with H
Distance - 25.14km
Time - 1hr 5.33min
Av spd - 23kph; Max spd - 48.6kph
AHR - 133; MHR - 169
Calories - 503
Weather - warm, 20*c at 5.30am!

Was determined to get out of bed at 5am. Woke up at 5.10am and flew out of bed, rushed around getting dressed, finding sunnies, gulping down a black coffee, getting bike out of shed, searching for my helmet and shoes, go back and get Garmin Girl, now where did I leave my cycling gloves.....Cycling is hard work before even getting on the bike sometimes!

Managed to get up to the meeting point by 5.30am to meet with H to ride the large loop this morning. Because I was still feeling really tired, suggested to H that she lead the way. Heading up Dryandra St I inhaled a bug or two - yuk! Coughing and spluttering and very close to throwing up for the next km, I think it was the steady incline on Ginninderra Dve that finally took my mind off my unexpected and unwanted breakfast!

A good ride but legs were stuffed by the end (actually so was the rest of me).

Lunchtime: retail therapy!

Tonight: Yoga

Rules of Chocolate
#2 Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.

Hot chocolate, fantales, chocolate cheesecake brownie....

and all this before 9.30am. Oh dear, its going to be one of those days!

Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.

Session - Gym, upper body weights session plus killer abs session

I struggled through the work-out today - the weights seemed heavier, the reps seemed to go on forever. If I thought I was tired before I started the session, there was no doubting I was tired by the time I finished. The idea of a swim session after work was rapidly disappearing.

After a meeting with our architect at our place, I fell asleep on the sofa for about 45mins, then I fell asleep again during CSI Miami and then decided to go to bed, where I promptly fell asleep again! The closest I got to swimming last night was dreaming about it!

Ps I will post the killer abs session on the blog soon - seems there are a few people interested in the workout.

I feel better now.......

.....that the run session at North Lyneham is over, I've had a shower and something to eat! It was very warm and muggy this afternoon and I swear the hills at North Lyneham have got steeper and longer.

Session - 1 lap warm up (3.05km); a timed 958m run; slow jog for 1.12km; a timed 1km run; 3.13km cool down
Total distance - about 9.2km
Total time - 51.03min
Calories - 492

Timed runs:
958m - 4.23min; AHR - 161
1.01km - 4.53min; AHR - 164

It was a tough session this afternoon, not helped by the weather. Also, I felt heavy and slow after my massage at lunchtime so tried to take it easy. The 2 timed runs were hard - both involved hills; the second run includes a shocker of a hill. And Rae, there was not a kangaroo to be seen - must be the construction work that's happening there.

Today was also an 8 Fantale day - must've needed a sugar boost.

Tomorrow:
(pm) Gym session - upper body weights session plus killer abs session (TA, I will give you the info tomorrow)
(pm) Swim session with Bilby's squad - this ia a big maybe - depends on how brave I am feeling tomorrow afternoon!

Getting all hot and sweaty

We had so much rain overnight accompanied by a very long and drawn-out thunderstorm. At one stage it felt like the thunder was just above our roof - the windows were rattling. Mia, aka Missy Hissyfit, was under the sofa growling and hissing, and was generally feeling very unhappy about the state of affairs. Anyway this morning it was feeling very steamy - more Brisbane than Canberra weather!

Tues morning - cycle on windtrainer

Session - 5min wu; 2 x 2min L4 (3min RI); 3 x 2min L2.5 (2min RI); 4 x 2min L2 (30sec RI); 5min cd
Time taken - 42min
AHR - 128; MHR - 203
Calories - 387

I love my new cycle shoes - its not psychological, I know I cycle better - I have more power. I'm also concentrating on keeping good form on the bike - core muscles engaged and shoulders relaxed, and it does make a difference. I find I tend to hunch up and then start using more than just my leg muscles when cycling so I have to make a conscious effort to relax. The sweat was pouring off me this morning and I was outside on my windtrainer - it was hard work but enjoyable, for a change.

Lunchtime, I'm off to visit my MMT (marvellous massage therapist), can't wait!!!

Monday morning - swim

Session - 300m wu; 10 x 50m on 70sec; 7 x 100m on 2.06min; 100m cd
Distance - 1.6km

I basically made this session up as I went because I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted to do. Somehow my intervals seemed to clash with a couple of slower swimmers in the lane - I'd give them a good start but still get stuck behind them. Still, it was nothing to stress about. I have been thinking of going to Bilby's swim squad on Wednesday evening for some variety but also because I know I will get a hard workout. This would be good for me because I don't tend to push myself otherwise. However I have to admit that H's description of the session, and the fact that she said she was the slowest swimmer in the lane (she's not slow by any means), has made me very very apprehensive.

Monday afternoon - run session at Parliament House

Session - usual warmup loop around PH then it was off to the small oval following a winding path. 7 loops that included a sprint up a hill (and because, as usual, I didn't listen to the instructions carefully I did the complete uphill more times than I had to) and then a sprint around the oval.
Distance - 8.38km
Time taken - 44.29min
Av pace - 5.18min/km (however after the warmup my km laps were: 4.35, 4.04, 4.33, 4.31)
AHR - 153; MHR - 180
Calories - 456

After a looooong day best forgotten, my motivation and energy levels had hit rock bottom. I rang Strewth to see whether she would still be going to the run session secretly hoping that she'd changed her mind. However, she remained firm in her convictions (bugger!) and so I resigned my self to going along to the session. Some people have problems getting up in the morning and running before work; I have the opposite problem - I find it really hard to do things at the end of the day. I can think of a million and one excuses why I can't, won't or shouldn't go!!!

Anyway the session was good. We had to attempt chin-ups afterwards during our cooldown and even though I didn't fully extend between each repeat, I managed to do 7. And thank you to Geoff for his kind words about my blog :-))

We were very lucky with the weather - it was quite warm during the session and then on the way home, the rain came down.

Tomorrow:
(am) - cycle (WT)
(lunchtime) - massage with my MMT (marvellous massage therapist)
(pm) - run at North Lyneham (weather permitting) - and I will try to get a photo of the kangaroos, Rae!

Final workout for the week

4.25pm Session - run

Distance - 11.19km
Time - 60mins
Av pace - 5.22min/km
AHR - 166
Calories - 595
Weather - overcast but warm

Set my running buddy Garmin Girl for an hour run at 5.30min/km pace. Felt okay running down to Lake Ginninderra though my L ankle was twingeing a bit. However, once I had turned around at the 30min mark and headed for home I started feeling like crap, with stomach cramps. My pace became quite variable as I slowed down when the cramps got really bad but then sped up when they eased off (fartlek session I guess!). I was also starting to feel the heat, not being used to running in warm weather for quite a while. Maybe the cappuccino I had at the Mall with Mr CJ about 45 mins earlier was not agreeing with me.

Note to self - maybe wait a little longer before running after a cappuccino. Anyway, I did manage to get home under the pace I had set, beating Garmin Girl...again!

Tomorrow:
REST DAY!!! Yay!!!!

Riding the Tour de Femme course

Session - ride with H down to the yacht club (Lake Burley Griffin) where we would meet up with Strewth, NH, and MrT (honorary girlie today!). Then we would ride the cycle course in preparation for next Sunday's race....er...event.



Distance - 39km
Time taken - 1hr 44.28min
Av spd - a very leisurely 22.4kph; max spd - 49.1kph
AHR - 134; MHR - 171
Calories - 757
Weather - overcast and a little cool at times (let's be honest - I was freezing at times), no wind.

Was meant to meet H at 6.15am at her place to drop off my bag this morning before heading off on our bikes. So why was I still in bed at 6.05am, with a cold coffee on my bedside table?! Luckily I had packed my bag the night before and had got out my cycling gear but it was still a mad dash to get out the door and to H's by.....6.25am? *lots of heavy breathing*

We begin our ride with a hill not long after we start - not pretty. Otherwise it was an uneventful ride down to the yacht club where the others had only arrived, so we weren't too late. Somehow I was the one leading our little group around the Tour de Femme course, and of course I had left the directions at home, but was fairly confident of the way.

It was a very leisurely ride and I enjoyed our surroundings as we rode along, even on the Parkway, where the cars go whizzing by (speed limit is 100kph but most are doing well above this). Spent a lot of time avoiding crap on the road eg glass, wood, branches, vacuum cleaner hose(!). Was really happy with my cycle shoes - seem to have more push-off on the pedal - must be that carbon sole!

We went down Novar Crescent in Yarralumla (a very pretty and very expensive suburb by the lake with some stunning houses) and came to a sudden stop when a car in front of me also stopped, as another car reversed into a car park. Fortunately we were well spaced out so no crashes. Hopetoun Circuit was a bit of a bugger - its uphill. Must remember that next week! Finally we were heading down Flynn Drive when H took off behind us and zoomed past. Of course MrT took off in hot pursuit so of course I had to follow! It was fun while it lasted! Finally we were back at the yacht club and then it was off for brekky (I was starving - my stomach had been making awful grumbling noises for the last couple of kms) at Regatta Point - a cafe with deck, overlooking the lake. Nice view, mediocre cappuccino but the toasted muesli ("is it toasted or untoasted?" I asked the waiter. "Definitely untoasted" or something to that effect, was his response ) was tasty.

It seems we'll have some competition next week in the Tour de Femme - Oenone Wood (world champion) is riding. Damn, I thought I had a chance - NOT!

Friday morning - swim

Session - 300m wu; 5 x 100m of 50m L1; 50m L2 (20sec RI); 5 x 150m of 1st 50m L1; 2nd 50m L2; 3rd 50m L2.5 (15sec RI); 50m cd
Distance - 1.6km

Got a phone call from Strewth just after 6am to say that she had just woken up and so wouldn't make it to swimming but that she would come to brekky (this girl has her priorities right!). For a nanosecond I thought about skipping swimming as well but then the guilts kicked in and off I went to the pool!

Good session - not too many other swimmers in the lanes.

Friday lunchtime - gym
Session - lower body weights workout plus killer abs session

I have new cycling shoes

"Made especially for the triathlon/duathlon racer, the TR02 has all the features to give you an advantage over the competition. A lightweight hollow channel carbon sole provides incredible stiffness while helping to dissipate road vibrations and eliminate cleat hot spots. A single 45mm Velcro® strap allows for quick transition times without sacrificing security. For your comfort, the seamless interior and quick drying mesh give you comfort without socks and the ventilated, scented antibacterial insole keeps the stink out."

They are great! I wore them this morning for the first time and had no problems with them. I'm sure I cycled better too! Looks are everything!

Session - early morning ride with H
Distance - 25.09km
Time - 58.40min
Av pace - 25.6kph; Max spd - 45kph

We rode one of our old loops this morning. We used to ride together a lot a couple of years ago when I was training for the HIM. I don't think I could've cycled throughout winter without H's support - all those sub-zero mornings on the bike - brrrr, I still remember them! Anyway, since we have both entered the Tour de Femme, which is on Sunday week, we are naturally panicking about the lack of bike training we have put in to date and so are madly trying to do some cycling in the next 10 days! Luckily we are not taking this too seriously, are we H?

Also, luckily for me, H's lack of bike fitness means that I'm not looking at her disappearing off into the distance, as usually happened in the past.

Anyway after admiring each other's new cycling purchases since we'd last seen each other (the best part of cycling in my view), we headed off down Belconnen Way, towards Haydon Drive (Calvary Hospital). We turned left down Haydon Dve, past the turn-off to the Australian Institute of Sport and left onto Ginninderra Dve. Yikes! Who put all those little bumps on the road? They weren't there last time I rode that loop - admittedly that's quite a while ago! Anyway, somehow managed to avoid slipping on any of the little bumps and we headed down Ginninderra Dve, past Canberra Uni, Lake Ginninderra and towards Kingsford-Smith Dve, where we turned left again. The weather was gorgeous for riding - no wind, not cold, not too warm. Up Kingsford-Smith Dve - there was definitely more traffic on this stretch of road, though there is an on-road cycle lane which we stuck to. Finally it was back onto Belconnen Way, close to home. Because we had done this faster than planned we then rode a smaller 8km loop before calling it a day and heading off home for a well-deserved breakfast (muesli, yoghurt and banana for me).

Thursday night - Yoga
It was very humid in class and we had the door open for most of the session. A good session that was over too quickly.

Tomorrow:
(am) Swim followed by brekky with Strewth
(pm) Gym - lower body weights session plus killer abs session

One year anniversary

Its a year today that I had my ITB operation. Twelve months ago I was wondering whether I was doing the right thing and whether I'd be back running the way I was before the ITB started playing up. And until January of this year I was beginning to think having the operation was a bad move - my knee was swollen, there was no flexibility, I had irritated a disc in my back through lack of exercise so didn't have a lot of mobility, I had put on weight, etc.

However, since then I have run 2 marathons, 2 half marathons, the 25km bush capital run, the 27km downhill run, City to Surf, Terry Fox 10km, Canberra Times 10km and plenty of other smaller races. I've not had a problem with my ITB (wish I could say the same for the rest of my body...) so yes, I'm glad I went ahead with the operation.

And I also think being part of the CR community has helped as well - reading other runners' blogs gets me motivated to try different runs and everyone is so supportive.

Wednesday morning - run
Distance - 9.03km
Time - 49.13min
Av pace - 5.27min/km
AHR - 147; MHR - 172
Calories - 474

Good run :-)

Hill repeats x 6

Looking back over yesterday's entry I don't know what I was on but I was obviously delirious by the time I got to the last sentence and stated that I had 8 hill repeats to do on Tuesday morning. Correction - 6 hill repeats on the bike.

Session - 6 hill repeats on the bike (1st 2 repeats in largest rear cog; next 2 in the 2nd largest rear cog; final 2 repeats in 3rd largest rear cog).
Distance - 16.33km
Time taken - 46.30min
Av speed - 21kph (my excuse: I was going uphill 6 times with added resistance)
Max speed - 42.2kph
AHR - 128; MHR - 157
Calories - 318

It was a fairly balmy morning by Canberra standards - about 15*c I think, when I headed out the door at about 5.50am. There were so many birds around - in gardens, on the roads, up in trees. Its no wonder so many baby magpies get squashed by cars - they are too busy wandering on the road following their parents, too worried about food to check to see if a car is coming. The ride was uneventful - I found the hill challenging by the 4th repeat but not as bad as a couple of weeks ago. I must be improving.

Today is the Melbourne Cup - "the race that stops a nation". I'm going out to lunch with friends but then its back to work.

Some days its probably better to stay in bed

Monday morning - swim

Session - 1 km time trial
Total distance - 1.3km
Time - 21.17min for 1km

I hadn't done a time trial for quite a while and since I have been swimming twice a week regularly for the past month, I thought my 1km time would improve. I thought I was swimming okay; it felt faster and I felt stronger, apart from a nagging ache in my upper R arm. There were not many swimmers in my lane so I certainly wasn't getting stuck behind slower swimmers. So why hasn't my 1km time improved - if anything, I've got slower. Sometimes I find swimming so frustrating.


Monday afternoon - easy run

Session - no plan, just follow the cycle path
Distance - 9.58km
Time - 56.27min
Av pace - 5.53min/km
AHR - 154
Calories - 523

It was supposed to be the regular Parliament House run session this afternoon but I had forgotten to bring my running bag to work. So instead of driving home after work, getting changed and then turning around and heading back into the city, I decided I would do one of my usual cycle path runs from home. I thought it might be just what I needed after a very so-so day at work but my body initially rebelled against the idea. Everything hurt - not at the same time but in turns - first it was my R calf, then my L hamstring, followed by my L calf, R glute, L ankle, and so on. Some days its probably smarter to listen to the body and quit while I'm ahead but I plodded on, in the vain hope things would improve...and they did marginally. It was a very forgettable run to finish off a very forgettable day.

The one highlight in my day was a phone call this afternoon from a very good friend, Kezza, who lives in Alice Springs. She was ringing to let me know that she's training for the Canberra Half Ironman and would be in Canberra in early December. This is so exciting - it was Kezza's fault that I decided to do an Ironman because she invited me to Forster with her back in 2003 to cheer on some of her Alice Springs buddies who were competing. The rest, of course, is history! Anyway, the other reason she was ringing was to let me know that the Alice Springs marathon is held in August every year and that we (Strewth and I) were very welcome to stay at her place.

So it might be.....August 2006 Alice Springs marathon!

Tomorrow:
(am) Cycle - 8 x hill repeats

Tiptoeing through the cow pats

Well I wasn't exactly tiptoeing, but there were plenty of cow pats to avoid.

Session: monthly vets' run @ Bluett's Pines
Distance - 7km
Time - 34.31min
Av pace - 4.51min/km
AHR - 172; MHR - 192
Calories - 398


Km splits:
1 - 4.35
2 - 4.59
3 - 4.06 (obviously downhill)
4 - 4.26
5 - 5.18 (hill)
6 - 5.42 (hill)
7 - 4.41

Woke several times during the night to rain falling, and it was still raining when I got up this morning. However, it managed to clear up before the actual run but it was quite muggy while running. The event was held not far from where I live, in what used to be a pine plantation, hence the name. However, the pine plantation has long since gone, one of many casualties of the 2003 bushfires, so its quite desolate and exposed out there now. Cows graze in there and in today's event it was a case of 'dodge the cow pats'. Unfortunately, the presence of cow pats also means the presence of lots of little sticky black bush flies, which wasn't a problem when running but was oh so annoying when standing around afterwards.

The surface was quite muddy in parts, with puddles scattered throughout, and cow pats to round out the obstacle course so at times it was a challenge just to stay upright and out of trouble. My legs, having only just recovered from last week's downhill run, weren't entirely happy with the undulations today but didn't really complain until we hit the long gradual incline at the 4.6km mark which didn't level out until about 5.8km (1.2km of gradual uphill - not pretty). Many people were walking and I was soooo tempted to but gave myself a stern talking to about not wimping out and plodded on relentlessly. Passed Strewth at this point. In the final 100m I somehow managed to slip into a hole (I do have a reputation for finding holes, ditches, etc) and how I didn't go over I don't know, but I managed to catch myself and continue on. Which is probably a good thing because I don't think it would've been a pretty sight falling face first onto the muddy, cow pat dotted surface just before the finish line!

The best part of the morning: the post-run cappuccino with friends at Black Pepper cafe ;-)

The joys of cycling

It was not exactly a gut-busting effort Miners, but I was out there :)

And all the fond memories of cycling on the road came flooding back:

* bus drivers who think its their calling in life to see how close they can get to cyclists and then honk their horn;
* large semi-trailer vehicles that go roaring past as you hang on for dear life and hope not to get sucked under the wheels;
* bright sparks in cars who think there is nothing funnier than harassing a cyclist by yelling out, swerving in front of you, and not giving way when they are supposed to;
* and finally, my personal favourite - the driver who thinks that cyclists have no place on the road and that their taxes should not be wasted on on-road cycle lanes. They tend to slow down, wind down their window and let you know exactly how they feel, punctuated with many expletives.

Yes, I got one of this motorists this morning so they consequently got the finger - I really wasn't in the mood. For a couple of seconds he seemed to slow down and I thought uh-oh he's going to come back but then he continued on, gesticulating madly. As if I care!



Session - Cycle
Distance - 37.54min
Time - 1hr 32:09min
Av spd - 24.4kph; Max spd - 45.5kph
AHR - 144; MHR - 192
Calories - 769



I thought I might ride some of the Tour de Femme course since I actually entered the event yesterday. However, it has been a few years since doing the event so I was pretty vague about where it actually went but I'm sure I covered some of the course!

Hopefully I will be getting a new pair of Shimano tri cycling shoes next week - they had to order in my size.

Tomorrow:
(am) Run - monthly vets' run at Bluett's Pines, 7km

Back into it

Friday morning - swim
Session - 300m wu; 3 x 300m L2 (30sec RI); 2 x 100m kick (20sec RI); 100m cd
Distance - 1.5km

Times for 300m:
1st - 6.06min
2nd - 6.15min
3rd - 6.03min

Not a bad swim - my mind tended to wander when swimming the 300m sets hence the slower 2nd 300m.

Tomorrow (Saturday):
(am) cycle...maybe

Thursday morning - cycle (windtrainer)
Session: 5min wu; 10 x 20sec sprint (1:40min RI); 5min cd
AHR: 129; MHR: 158
Finally decided it was time to get physical again after having a few easy days following the Bulls Head Challenge. So it was out of bed and on my bike (on the windtrainer) in the morning for a half hour session. My legs were feeling it by the 5th repeat and I was only halfway through the session. Somehow managed to get through the rest of the session.
Best music to sprint to:
Highway to Hell - AC/DC
I See Red - Split Enz

Thurs lunchtime - Gym
Session - upper body weights session (again) and killer abs session
Felt as though my legs had suffered through enough in the past week to inflict more pain on them so rather than do a lower body weights session, opted to do another upper body weights session (I'll have Popeye post-spinach muscles soon!). I am improving slightly on the killer abs session though still have to have a break after the 4th exercise before moving into the 5th and last exercise of the session (the intention of the routine is to move seamlessly from exercises 1 through 5 - 15 reps of each).

Thursday evening - Yoga
Any ideas of going to yoga and zenning out on the floor were quickly dismissed with the announcement at the start of class that we would be focussing on standing poses for the session. Currently my hamstrings and calves are so tight you could play a tune on them so trying to bend this way, stretch that way, turn the leg in the hip socket, keep the heel on the floor, was a challenge to say the least. To top it off we again practised the beginnings of a handstand (adho mukha vrksasana) - this is going to be a personal challenge for me, I'm really not sure of this one. Shoulderstand yes; handstands, hmmm.

The no-exercise option :-)

Woke this morning and briefly thought about my options for today:
a) get on my bike before breakfast, or
b) get on bike after work, or
c) go swimming after work, or
d) don't do any exercise

Guess what option I chose! Yes, the no-exercise option won out so I closed my eyes and dozed off again. And today I've refused to feel guilty about not doing any exercise. And how are my legs? Well, walking down steps is still testing my calves and quads but I am feeling a bit better. Still not running though.

Tomorrow:
(am) cycle (hometrainer)
(pm) gym - upper body weights session plus killer abs session
(pm) yoga

Thank you Susan

A big thank you to Runner Susan for my cool new header/banner :) Very appropriate......and definitely worth a packet of double choc Tim Tams!

DOMS....in a big way

Woke up this morning and attempted to get out of bed. !@#$% what happened to my legs overnight? All muscles seem to have seized. I was doing a pretty damn fine interpretation of a hunched over little old lady. In fact, little old ladies could've given me a run for my money this morning - it was very embarassing. Although I didn't think it was possible, my legs were more stiff and sore than yesterday - I've decided that I do not like downhill running. Then to add insult to injury - I read on Flash Duck's blog that she has no muscle soreness whatsoever! How can that be! Here I am, hobbling/shuffling around, grimacing when attempting to go down steps (and believe me, there are lots of steps around today!) and Carolyne is not experiencing any discomfort at all. Hmmmppphhh.

Decided to go to the gym so shuffled/hobbled over there at lunchtime to do an upper body weights session plus the killer abs session. Figured that I was better off concentrating on the upper body today, and let the lower body recover from Sunday's effort (never again!)

I'm also still feeling very tired and nodded of four or five times in front of the TV last night before heading to bed. Gosh, the life of a runner - so exciting!

Sore quads, tight calves, feeling very tired....

Yesterday afternoon I was so tired - I wasn't that tired after Sydney marathon. Today, I'm still feeling really tired, my quads are sore and my calf muscles are very tight. Walking down steps is proving to be a challenge - I am so over downhills! I wore my Linebreak tights yesterday afternoon after the race and I think it has helped a little. But I have come to the conclusion that downhill running does put a lot of stress on the body.

Monday morning swim
Session: recovery swim inc 300m wu; 200m pullbuoy; 200m fs with fins; 300m kick with fins.
Distance - 1km

A very slow and leisurely pace in the pool this morning though it was like peak hour traffic in the lanes. Was more focused on the brekkie with Strewth afterwards.

Tomorrow:
(am) cycle ....maybe
(pm) gym - upper body weights plus killer abs session....maybe
(pm) run....maybe

I'm keeping my options open!

Bulls Head Challenge

Stats:
Distance - 27.28km
Time - 2hr 16.51min
Av Pace - 5.01min/km
AHR - 170; MHR - 182
Calories - 1,502



This morning I ran in the Bulls Head Challenge, part of Australia's toughest downhill race (Brindabella Classic). It is 27.2km of mainly downhill, all on bush roads and tracks. It starts at an altitude of 1,280m and finishes at the Cotter reserve, at an altitude of 484m. Great weather - blue skies, no wind (to start with anyway), mild temperatures. Met up with Flashduck and PRB at the start and also met Bernie G.

We got under way just after 9am and immediately it was downhill. The downhill specialists, Flashduck and PRB, flew past me and it was only on the very few uphills not long after the start that I managed to pass them again. Also the front runners in the Brindabella Classic (54.4km run) were heading to the turnaround. After running this course I have a lot of respect for those runners - we mainly ran downhill; they ran the same route uphill to the turnaround before running downhill. Ouch! I loved running through the bush, surrounded by trees, hearing the birds, waterfalls, and other sounds of the bush. I half expected GG to drop out during this stage but it never failed me.

For most of the run I was by myself and I didn't have any idea how many were ahead of me; though I had a pretty good idea who was behind me! Stopped at all drink stations for water, cordial and jellybeans and also had 2 GU sachets in my back pockets. Note to self - if I do this again next year, wear something a bit lighter - the CR tri top was way too hot. Emma Murray, World Champion mountain runner, passed me at about the halfway mark - I think she was doing the longer race. Had a little chat as she went past - I think I was saying that I wanted some uphills for variety! She did warn me that there were hills to come. I regretted making that comment!!

Jackie Fairweather (Gallagher) passed me just before Vanitys Crossing and said that I was running well. I might add she was too - she was also doing the longer race! I waded through knee deep water of Vanitys Crossing, had something to drink and then set off again feeling distinctly blah at this point. My stride was out, I was running with sopping socks and shoes on, and I was feeling hot and oh boy, there were hills. My km times certainly showed the problems I was experiencing at this point (about 6km from the finish)- up until this point my pace had been mostly under 5min/km; for the next few kms it was as follows:
6.58/5.50/6.15/6.06/5.09 (this was the downhill bit to the finish).

Finally I could see the Cotter reserve and had one final downhill to run - by this stage my legs were complaining bitterly, my right foot was hurting, in fact, everything was aching.

That Finish banner never looked so good! After that, I headed to the river, took off my socks and shoes and lowered myself into the cold but very refreshing water. Not long after Carolyne finished, and Peter a little after that.





I couldn't hang around for the presentation but Roy, the race organizer, dropped off my trophy tonight - I was 2nd woman in the Bulls Head Challenge. I received a beautiful silver cup.

This afternoon, I was soooo tired - had a nana nap on the lounge. I felt like I had run a marathon. I'm also sunburnt!!!

Tomorrow:
(am) Recovery swim

In serious bike training........

for a very important cycling event: the Wamboin Winery Wander on Saturday 3 December. I have about 5 weeks to get my cycling up to 80km for this event.

The Wamboin Winery Wander is an 80km participation ride with leaders on sealed roads that explores some of the undulating country to the north of Canberra and includes lunch and wine tasting at Lamberts Winery. For those not keen to ride after lunch there is the option of a bus back to the finish. The bus can also carry any wine you purchase. It is 50km to lunch [talk about working up an appetite] and 30km from there to the finish.

That is my type of cycling!

Addendum to Friday

4pm Run session: warm up; 12 x 30sec sprints (30sec RI); cool down
Stats:
Total distance - 5.71km
Total time - 32.55min
AHR - 146 (during warm up) 160 (during main session); MHR - 176
Calories - 331

1 - 3.56min/km (127.2m)
2 - 3.34min/km (139.9m)
3 - 3.45min/km (133.2m)
4 - 3.59min/km (125.7m)
5 - 3.49min/km (131.2m)
6 - 3.49min/km (131.2m)
7 - 3.56min/km (126.9m)
8 - 3.48min/km (131.8m)
9 - 3.37min/km (138.4m)
10 - 3.32min/km (141.3m)
11 - 3.53min/km (128.7m)
12 - 3.22min/km (148.6m)

I was very hot and bothered by the time I finished. Went out to dinner that night with good friends/work colleagues to Ginseng Asian restaurant in Manuka. Good night.

Tomorrow (Sunday):
9am Bulls Head Challenge, 27.2km run.

Friday on my mind

"...Wednesday just won't go
Thursday goes too slow
I got Friday on my mind...." (Easybeats, 1967)

I have been a day ahead of myself for most of this week so yesterday (Thursday) I thought it was Friday, and then this morning I thought I could sleep in, thinking it was Saturday. Fortunately, my brain registered something was not quite right with that thought before I dozed off again! However, I am only working until lunchtime today - having an early start to the weekend.

Since my last entry (Wednesday) I have managed to cycle (on the windtrainer), go to the gym and do the killer abs exercises again, go to yoga, and then swim this morning. Phew!!!!

So, starting with the most recent and working back:

Friday morning - swim
Session: 300m wu; 10 x 50 L2.5 (15 sec RI); 8 x 50m of 25m sprint/25m easy (15 sec RI); 200m L2; 100m cd.
Distance - 1.5km

Good session. Quite busy in the lane this morning so some of my rest intervals were actually based on starting when the person in front of me was about halfway down the pool, rather than on time. Followed this with brekkie at Red Belly Black with Strewth, who had been to dragon boat training.

Thursday evening - yoga
A good workout - I never thought I would say that about yoga, but with this type of yoga I always leave feeling like I've had quite a workout. We did repeats of adho mukha svanasana (downward facing dog pose) followed by chaturanga dandasana (four limbed staff pose - similar to plank pose) - I am trying to remember the sanskrit names as that is what they use in class, and I have to look at what other people are doing because I can never remember them! We also did halasana (plough pose) and salamba sarvangasana (supported shoulderstand), and lots of other poses that I can't remember the names of!

Thursday lunchtime - gym
Did the killer ab session again, and I could still feel the after-effects of Tuesday's efforts. For each exercise I do 15 reps but for the last one I had to do 3 x 5reps because 15 in one go was just too hard. Also did a lower body weights workout.

Thursday morning - cycle (windtrainer)
I was planning on doing a ride out on the road but woke up to rain so changed the session to an interval one, similar to what I did on Tuesday.
Session: 5min wu; 2 x 2min L4+ HR - zone 4 (3min RI); 3 x 2min L2.5 HR - upper zone 3 (2min RI); 4 x 2min L2 HR - lower zone 3 (30sec RI); 5min cd.
Total time - 42min

Tomorrow:REST DAY!!!!!!!!!

Hill repeats

The first thing I noticed when I got on my bike this morning was the wind chill factor when riding. However, I was pretty certain that I would be feeling very warm very soon because today it was 5 x 2min hill repeats. Now I know Chewings St is not up there with Black Mountain, Mt Ainslie or Red Hill but its still a hill; I'm starting off small.

Session: 13min wu; 5 x 2min hill repeats; cd
Stats:
Distance - 17.52km (bike computer); 17.46km (GG)
Time - 46.47min (bike computer); 47.10min (GG)
Av spd - 22.4kph/ Max spd - 41.4kph (love those downhills!)
AHR - 141; MHR - 167
Calories - 355



The clean, mean, just recently serviced racing machine (aka the bike) was great to ride - amazing what a new cassette and chain can do! For the first 2 hill repeats the chain was in the largest cog on the rear (don't laugh Miners) and it was still a struggle. The 3rd and 4th repeats (had a bus on my tail for one of them - not fun) I had the chain on the 2nd largest rear cog; and the 5th (and last) repeat, the chain was on the 3rd largest rear cog. I have to admit that even the small hills I encountered on the cool down ride felt huge after the hill repeats. I truly suck at cycling.

Now if I could just sneak in a nana nap sometime today......

Tomorrow:
(am) Cycle - about an hour on the road
(pm) Gym - those killer ab exercises again
(pm) Yoga - can't wait!

Late edit:
I have been starving all day and craving anything sweet, such as chocolate. I've tried to resist so munched my way through a mandarin, apple, small packet of dried fruit and nuts, Koolmints, yoghurt, salad and crispbead. But eventually succumbed to chocolate licorice bullets and fantales and I was sizing up the Turkish Delight and other chocolate bars, but didn't have any!

Peak hour at Nth Lyneham

Last session for the day and I was looking forward to it, for a change. It had been head down, bum up all day at work (apart from the killer abs workout at the gym at lunchtime) so I needed to get outdoors.

Session - 3 laps of Nth Lyneham course (all offroad)
Stats:
Distance - 11.08km
Time - 1hr 6.56min
Av pace - a comfortable 6.02min/km
AHR - 135; MHR - 159
Calories - 589

It was quite busy at Nth Lyneham this afternoon - other runners, people out walking their dogs, and kangaroos - lots of them. In fact, I wished I'd brought my camera phone along for the run because I could've got some great shots. Next week. Anyway I managed to get in a 1.6km warmup while waiting for Strewth to show up so had the advantage of getting all my huffing and puffing done before we started running the course! No problems with the run today - after doing a fairly hard cycle session this morning and then a gym session at lunchtime, I really just wanted to turn my legs over on an offroad course, and this was perfect. There was quite a brisk chilly wind blowing so I never really got too hot while running and once we had finished, we didn't hang around talking for too long because it got quite cold quite quickly.


Tomorrow:
(am) Cycle - hill repeats (so looking forward to it - not!!!)

Killer abs....

I wish - but I'm trying; boy, am I trying. At the gym today I did a series of Pilates-type ab exercises - oh my, were they tough. I'd want to see some results for the effort I put in!

Lunchtime - gym
Session:
Upper body weights + killer ab exercises

Also increased weights on some of the exercises so consequently had wobbly arms by the end of the session....to go with the jelly legs from this morning's cycle session!!!

Jelly legs

Time to get back on my bike this morning. I programmed and downloaded the interval session to GG last night. Note to self - reprogram!

Session:
5min wu; 2 x [1 x 2min L4/HR zone 5 (3min RI); 1 x 2min L2.5/HR zone 4 (2min RI); 1 x 2min L2/HR zone 3 (30sec RI); 5min easy]; 5min CD
Total time - 44mins
HR - will add later (AHR appears to be about 135; MHR - 171)

It was a hard session, particularly the 2min at zone 5 heart rate (90%+ MHR). I don't know if I managed to get my HR up that high but my poor legs were spinning at top speed, to the point I was seeing spots before my eyes and the sweat was dripping off me. But its got to be good for me, right?! And 2 minutes can take forever unless, of course, I'm at the rest interval stage, and then 2 minutes just flies by.

A good swim

Monday morning - swim

Session - swim inc 300m wu; 2 x 100m L2 (15sec RI); 2 x 100m L2.5 (30sec RI); 2 x 100m L4 (1:30min); 2 x 100m L2.5 (30sec RI); 2 x 100m (15sec RI); 100m cd
Stats:
Distance - 1.4km
Times for 100m -
2min/2min/1.59min/1.58min/1.49min/1.49min/1.55min/1.54min/2min/2min

Had a good swim this morning. Thought I paced myself quite well over the main set of 100m swum at increasing then decreasing intensity - a version of pyramids. Felt strong in the arms and focused on pulling through the water. It was good to have a good swim for a change.

Monday afternoon - run

Decided to run from home rather than go to Geoff's run session at Parliament House. Was having the usual problems with motivation.

Session - 10min wu; 3 x 5min L2.5 (5min RI); 5min CD
Stats:
Distance - 8.5km
Time - 47.08min
Av pace - 5.32min/km
AHR - 143; MHR - 170
Calories - 468

Interval times:
1st 5min interval - 4.56min/km
2nd 5min interval - 4.46min/km
3rd 5min interval - 4.43min/km

Thought I was going to die in the first interval - heavy breathing, tired legs, and Garmin Girl kept beeping at me incessantly to 'speed up'; god I hate the first interval. I'm traditionally a slow starter and have always struggled with the first one or two intervals on the track. However, the 2nd and 3rd intervals were much better - time-wise and physically. In fact there were a couple of times when GG beeped at me to 'slow down'. By the end of the session I was feeling so much better and glad that I had made the effort to run after work.

Tomorrow:
(am) Cycle (on windtrainer)
(pm) Gym - upper body weights workout plus ab exercises
(pm) Run @ Nth Lyneham with Strewth

The week in review

Dinner at a Thai Restaurant back in Sept!

l-r: Lulu, CJ, Jen, Owl and Mr "The Legend" Lulu.

It was a great night.


It was a hectic week, work-wise, but I still managed to do most of my sessions.

Mon 10 Oct:
(am) Swim - 1.4km
(pm) Run - about 8.5km, inc 12 x 30sec intervals

Tues 11 Oct:
(pm) Massage - mmmmmm
(pm) Run - 15.6km @ Nth Lyneham

Wed 12 Oct:
(pm) Gym - upper body weights + ab exercises

Thurs 13 Oct:
(am) Run - 7.9km inc 3 x 5min intervals
(pm) Yoga - Level 1 classes commence

Fri 14 Oct:
(am) Swim - 1.6km inc pyramid session
(pm) Gym - lower body weights + ab exercises

Sat 15 Oct:
(am) Long run - 22km

Sun 16 Oct:
Rest day; sleep in; read newspaper; update blog.

Total:
Swim - 3km
Run - 54km
Gym - Wed/Thurs
Yoga - Thurs pm
Massage x 1

Injuries:
Just annoying little niggles eg tight L calf muscle, sore R glute, lower back soreness on Wednesday

Overall health:
Just tired

Events this week:
Sunday 23 Oct - 27.2km Bulls head Challenge

Tomorrow:
(am) Swim
(pm) Run session at Parliament House

I've been tagged!

Rae (Runningintoabrickwall), has tagged me in the latest fun 'get to know your fellow bloggers' chain game. I'm new to this so bear with me.

Here are the rules:
1. Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or the closest one to it)
4. Post the text of your sentence in your blog along with these rules.
5. Tag five other people.

From Friday, July 8, 2005, here's my sentence: "Have friends who are in Florence at the moment (Strewth and Dave) and work colleagues who are in the Czech Republic but heading to London shortly."

What was I talking about?: The bombs that went off in London were the talking point at that time and I was worried because friends of mine were overseas at the time, but fortunately not in London.

I tag: Hilda (Every day's race against), Strewth (Strewth's training diary), Al Carter (The Mighty Pen), Jen_runs, & Lulu runs.

A clean, mean, racing machine........

My bike, that is, not me! My bike finally got a well deserved service during the week at Rideshop in Braddon and has a shiny new cassette and chain. I was also advised not to neglect my bike in future...oh dear. So now its home, sitting in the shed, waiting for its next spin on the road.....next week.

* Saturday morning - long run *



Stats:
Distance - 22km
Time - 2hr 52 sec
Av pace - 5.29min/km
AHR - 151; MHR - 187
Calories - 1,326 (much happier with that!)
Fave song - "I feel good" - James Brown (came on at a very crucial time in the run)

Weighed myself pre- and post-run - lost 1.1kg, so made sure I drank lots during the day to replace the fluid loss.

Perfect running weather this morning - overcast, no wind, and not too cold. Spring has sprung, and the trees are getting new leaves. Decided to run out past the Cork Plantation, alongside the Parkway. Passed quite a lot of people initially on the cycle paths going through Macquarie/Cook - out walking their dogs or on their bikes. However, once I hit the off-road part of my run I didn't see another soul, and that included kangaroos. Was running with Garmin Girl this morning at 5.30min/km pace and for most of the run I stayed a comfortable distance in front of her...until I hit the 18km mark (going uphill, I might add). Next thing I know GG has slipped past and somehow had managed to get about 35m in front of me. However, at that point my favourite James Brown song "I Feel Good" popped up on my ipod and I powered away, leaving GG in my tracks.

This afternoon Mr CJ and I visited Floriade, an annual Canberra flower festival, held over about 4 weeks in September/October. We thought we better go today because tomorrow is the last day of Floriade for this year! Personally, I can take it or leave it, once you've seen one tulip you've seen them all, but I was interested in visiting the area that contains jewellery, handmade soaps, clothing, food, etc. We had a cappuccino to fortify ourselves for the visit (very mediocre) and then visited the craft area. Bought a packet of chocolate coated licorice nibbles and one handmade soap. Disappointed in the craft displays - wasn't really my type of jewellery or clothing. Mr CJ rushed me past the Belgian chocolate and fudge displays.

* Friday morning - Swimming - Pyramids *
Stats:
Session - 300m wu; 2 x 50m/100m/150m/100m/50m (15sec RI); 2 x 100m kick/fins (15 sec RI); 2 x 100m swim/fins (15sec RI)
Distance - 1.6km

Good swim.

* Friday lunchtime - Gym *

Session - lower body weights + ab exercises

A hard session - not because I had increased weights or reps but I think I was tired. Work has been really hectic all week and has meant some late nights as well. By Friday this had all caught up with me and I definitely felt it, trying to get through the session. But I felt good once I'd finished! Also, because I knocked back several offers of going out for coffee at lunchtime 0;-)

It was also a 20 Fantale day - which started at 9am! Not good.

* Thursday evening - Return to yoga, Level 1 *

This is my 3rd 10 week session of Iyengar yoga for the year and I'm hooked. It has really helped with my flexibility and strength. Tonight we did a lot of hip opening and stretching exercises - really good for running. A lot of reps of downward facing dog pose, and several variations on lunges. Plus some shoulder opening and stretching exercises and finally shoulderstands. I felt like I had had a really good workout by the end of the session.

Calories...schmalories.....

Opened one eye...surely not, it can't possibly be *pull the doona over my head* ....have another peek, ohmigod, it is...damn, damn, damn - time to get up. Its morning! I wish I was in Sydney going to the Lindt Cafe with Jen, Lulu and DJ but unfortunately I'm in Canberra and I have a run to do before work.

Stats:
Session - 10min wu; 3 x 5min L2.5; 3.56min cd
Distance - 7.9km
Av pace - 5.31min/km
Pace per 5min interval - 4.43min/4.49min/4.49min
AHR - 149; MHR - 178
Calories - 454

Now I have a gripe about calories expended - I think there should be bonus calories for doing a hardish session early in the morning. 454 calories is pathetic - I worked damn hard for that measly amount. I think my session was worth at least double that *stamp foot*

The run itself was fine - it was done mainly on Florey cycle path. It was a lovely morning - no wind, not too cold and everywhere is so green - its lovely. The warm up wasn't too promising - a slow hard slog to begin with but once the 5min intervals started I felt much better. And Garmin Girl only gently reminded me once or twice to speed up. Also, there is nothing like "Turn up the radio" by Masters Apprentices to get the legs turning over - I love that song for running and it always brings a smile to my face. Then there was a bit of thigh slapping, foot tapping Dixie Chicks music.

Yoga tonight - I am really really looking forward to it. Not as good as Lindt Cafe though.....