Rest days

This is me at 7.00 a.m. yesterday after we ended up in Nagambie on the way back from our work trip. We had to stay the night in an absolutely fantastic resort for next to nix and then headed out on the lake for a paddle first thing in the morning. Sadly I drank too much the night before and didn't really appreciate how glorious it really was. It is quite obvious that I did no exercise yesterday (apart from the paddling!) and had a "rest day" this morning. I had a BBQ last night with Mum and my sister and her housemate after we decided not to brave the smooching couples at any local restaurants so I cooked up at home. I have to say it was the first time I have ever driven the BBQ- being a non-red meat eater I have never been appointed as the chief BBQer. There were no complaints but I am not sure if that is just because they were being polite. Anyway it all went well and I didn't even drink too much but then as I went to bed I was overcome with nausea and threw up my dinner. What a waste!

Mum was good enough to do all the dishes, bless her.

Wind In My Face (8, 8, 60.1, 173.6)

Yesterday was a rest day so I headed back to the Tan track this morning for some intervals. I have decided that the sprints were okay, I didn't feel like I was running enough to call it exercise. So I am going to swap them for intervals- I hope I have this theory right.
I did two laps of the tan and alternated between running as fast as my chunky legs would carry me for 250 metres (about 5.10 pace) then gasping for air and slow jogging for the next 250 metres. I realised that when you run fast(ish) you get such a lovely breeze on your face! It was a lovely feeling, shame I can't make it last a little longer.
I didn't head to the Tan until 7am because I had dinner with some guys I worked with a few years ago and there were many stories to go over and lots of gossip to catch up on. I am always reminded of how I prefer to run earlier when I get to Alexander Avenue near the Swan street intersection and I get a mouth full of air pollution every time I gasp for air.
Anyway it felt good and I stretched well before returning home.
So much cleaning to do because Mum is coming to stay tomorrow night and I am going away for work tonight.
Must go find the mop.

Back In PumpTown

I headed back to pump class last night- it took all my energy just to walk to the gym so when it came to waving the barbell around the room I have to say that I didn't really have a lot left in the tank after my long run in the morning. I kept the weights light because it has been over a month since I went to pump class- and I am getting ready to feel the pain tomorrow. I do enjoy pump class but I absolutely despise lunges- my calf troubles don't help either. I wandered home and then spent a good hour on the couch. I took Bella to the park again then settled back on the couch for "So You Think You Can Dance". I am so impressed with people who can dance even a little bit- so I love these guys, I just don't like that they are so..... American, or cheesy, over confident, strutty, y'all, "on the love boat" etc, I forgive them because they look amazing.
The new half marathon record is now 58:?? and that is what I am even more impressed about- I would be more than lapped by the new record holder. I cannot even sprint as fast as they go for the whole half marathon.

Tan, Lake, Fed Square (15km, 42.5, 52.1, 165.6)

I really wanted to do a long run this weekend so even though I ran yesterday with the Run4Kids training group, I decided to head out this morning for a few more kms. I walked Bella first to warm up my ankle then drove to the Tan. I parked around near the shrine then ran around to the bottom of Anderson St, over the river, into Fed Square, back along the other side of the river, along the tan track, down domain road to Albert Road and along to lake, around the lake then back to the car. The foot pod was slightly out so I ran a little bit extra just in case it wasn't exactly 15km. It took me ages. I was a bit tired after yesterday- and my three other runs this week have been at 6min/km which I find a stretch. I am happiest at 6.30 min/km and I was around that for most of todays run. The lake was horrible though- the wind was really bad down the beach side and I just pulled my hat closer to my ears and concentrated on the ground about 3metres ahead. My max heart rate was 182 (97%) no prizes for guessing that was Anderson Street hill, and my average was 156 which is a bit better (83%). Ice and rest for the remainder of the day.

It is healing, but it still looks awful.

Just checked out my time for the Zoo run and they have me down as 49:13- almost a minute out. Am very miffed. I will be writing a letter- this won't be the last they hear of me (waving fist ineffectively)

Glared so hard my eyes bled

I was a very unhappy person yesterday afternoon- and bursting a blood vessel in my eye didn't help my glaring look. I have this big red blood spot on my right eye that looks horrible. Even the "client" we had in the office asked me if I knew I had a haematoma in my eye- and that it looked very red and nasty. I was feeling very nasty also. I ended up doing 3 hours overtime because of reasons beyond my control, but not beyond my colleague's.
Any way, because I looked horrible and had a matching mood, I didn't feel like going out afterwards so I was in bed by 8pm...on a Friday night...yes I am sooo sad.

But this morning I got up, very rested, walked Bella then headed into the Tan for a Run4Kids training run. I got to meet Em and caught up with Kathrynoh again. I decided to do the 8km medium run which should have been a 6min/km pace. I met the leaders and then we stood around for a while and it was about 9.20 by the time we headed off. The pace was a lot quicker than I thought- I kept up for most of the first lap but the hill hit me and I couldnt keep up during the second lap. I ran by myself for the next couple of kms then the slow group swept me up- but even they were going quick. I finished in a time of 48:57 for the 8km which is about 6.07 min/km. My heart rate averaged 94% which is as bad as usual- and my maximum was 104%. My second lap was only 30 seconds slower than my first lap.
Definitely the slow group for me next time. I was supposed to do a long run today but I don't know if I will try to do it tomorrow instead or just leave it for next week.
Boring weekend planned again. Might have to win tattslotto to make it more interesting.

Treadmill run

No run this morning because I just ran out of time. We started work at 7am so while I usually cram in a spin class, walk the dog and ride to work, I just couldn't be bothered this morning. Yesterday my legs felt quite good after the zoo run so I took myself off to the gym and tried to calibrate my foot pod on the treadmill. For some reason I thought that instead of just running a km to calibrate I would run 5km so I set the tready to 6 min/km and just ran- it still feels too fast especially at the start but after a while I could probably have cranked it up a bit. I live in fear of falling off the tready and I have had my share of near misses so I didn't fiddle with any buttons- resisted the urge to slow it down when I was worried about the pace and had a really good run. I wasn't watching the TVs they have so it was quite tedious just watching the numbers on the display just tick over- but I did sweat a lot more than I do outside.
Hopefully my foot pod will now accurately record the distance I plod (and maybe be a bit forgiving on the pace?).
I did some weights then walked home via supermarket. Afternoon shift yesterday normally means I consume a serving of Pad Thai that would feel four people, but I was so restrained and had wonton soup instead- the boys all got burgers and chips, lovely fat chips, with salt and fat and crunchy goodness. I didn't even steal one.

Zoo Run

I did the Sunset Series Zoo Run last night which was a bit of fun- I did the 8km option and was hoping for 6min km but it didn't pan out that way but only by 17 seconds! I parked a mile away because I thought it would be really packed but there was heaps of parking. Then I finally joined an enormous queue for my race number which I soon realised didn't have a timing chip in it. I met up with Deege and she introduced me to a lot of people I have only been reading about.
I made the foolish mistake of sparking up a conversation with a woman in non running attire who was making her way through the jam packed starting area- while Deege looked on in amusement I copped the aroma of someone who had spent the last week in the pub. I thought I was being cheeky in suggesting that she had forgotten her race number and she then wouldn't leave and kept assaulting my nose with her aroma and engaged me in a conversation that I couldn't understand and kept putting her arm around me.
Anyway we finally started running and it was down hill which is my favourite sort of hill- that obviously gave way to the uphill so I realised again I had no idea of what I was in for. I saw Lee on the up hill in her Skins powering away. We then ran into the zoo and through the rainforest section- it was really quite fun weaving our way through the trails. Then along the path and out the entrance for a trip around some nearby parkland then back to the start to do it all again.
I used up way to much energy on the second hill then felt like I was dying in the zoo again- I stopped to take some photos quickly then continued on. I realised I would really have to push it if I wanted to go under 48 minutes so I was sprinting in my mind but not in reality! I made it to the finish line in 48:17.
I started to queue for a vegie burger and show bag but I really couldn't be bothered. I caught up with a few ausrunners then hurried home.
I was a bit worried that Bella would have destroyed my lawn while I was out because she wasn't happy when I left, but she was fine. I scoffed some pasta then climbed into bed.
My splits:
6.11
6.27
6.01
6.28
5.21
6.32
5.43
5.30

Preparing for zoo run by eating too much

I didn't run this morning - slept in until 6am then walked Bella. I was home alone so Bella slept beside the bed until 5am when she barked at me and then got sent outside for her efforts in getting me to the park.
Last night I started the anti-inflams again and iced my knee and the result is that a very thorough fitness test has cleared me to run in the Sunset Series Zoo Run tonight. Okay the fitness test was just a short jog at the park. Anyway, here is hoping that it holds up otherwise I will be seeing the physio about it quick smart. The ankle is still the same, bruising is going down but a bit of swelling remains.
Thanks for all your stories about similar floodings- I didn't feel so bad then. And yes, the person responsible was spoken to loudly at the time and yes it was pointed out to me that I should have checked everything that he had done.
I am looking forward to the run tonight- as well as meeting other ausrunners. I have no idea about times etc. I have used it as an excuse to eat some crap food (first chicken parma in ages last night and oh it was good!) and beer, and bread for breakfast this morning (just bread, not beer and bread) Normally I run on an empty stomach so this will be a little different.

Tan (d-6.5k, w-6.5, m- 16.1, y-139.1 ??)

I got up at 5am this morning took Bella for her usual walk around the park then back home. It is so dark again in the mornings- it just sort of sneaked up on me and it means that summer is on the way out.
I was going to get the tram to work then have a run, but I missed the tram so I started jogging until the next tram came along. Only made it about 2km before the next one, so better than nothing. I got to try out the backpack with all its million straps- no matter how tight I got them, I could still be heard a mile off with the fish oil tablets bouncing around so that it sounded like I was loaded up with maracas.
I then dumped the big maraca at work and ran to and around the tan. My knee was so sore at the start that I nearly turned around but it sort of needed to be "clicked" and then it was fine again. I am too embarassed to post the pace, but it was very slow. I am trying to ease back a bit and take care of my ankle - and I am saving myself for the zoo run on Wednesday. When I got back from my run I remembered that I normally do sprints on a Monday- I have no idea why I even forgot. This getting old and fuzzy in the head thing is just silly- I am only 32!

Yesterday saw me lose it completely- I was doing loads of washing and decided to let one wash cycle go down the drain instead of saving it for the lawn because it had already been through one load of washing (the final rinse becomes the wash water for the next load- my water saving has become obsessive). However, someone (not me) had tampered with the hose that should have been going into the bath and down the drain, but instead went all over the bathroom floor, all over the hallway carpet. I spent the whole day with every towel I own mopping it up. I was exhausted after it all because I had been putting the towel down then walking up and down the towel until it was soaked then starting again. So my flat smells like wet wool and the carpet is still a little damp- might have to put the heater on it tonight!

2 x Lake (d- 9.6, w- 25.1, m- 9.6, y-123.1)

My run this morning was all over the place. My ankle was fine when I got up and didn't hurt at all while I took Bella to the park so I decided that I should get out and run while I could because the weather is only going to be horrible and hot all weekend. Unfortunately I had very disjointed sleep - had to pick my sister up from the boozer then was woken numerous times by drunk BF trying to get a lift, see if I wanted any KFC (very caring) and see if I just wanted a chat. The answer to all those questions was NO.

So it was very late when I headed out around the lake due to several attempts at sleeping in.

My inner right ankle gave me grief almost from the outset and I couldn't think why then I remembered the Physio suggesting that I press a tennis ball into the muscle when I get the chance. So I sat on the couch and did as she said while being watched very closely by Bella who thought she might get to chase that ball. And man did it hurt.

The second lap didn't hurt as much and I found that if I stopped for just a little bit then the pain subsided.

I used my new heart rate monitor and foot pod- the foot pod said that the distance was 5.01 km around the lake which was a bit interesting. The first 500metres also read as 530m so I will have to calibrate it properly- though I loved it saying that I was doing 5.40 m/k!

Sick day

Decided to stay home today and do some serious icing and resting with my ankle. I don't want to be carrying more injuries for longer than necessary and because this one is just a knock (though a painful one!) I am sure if I rest and ice it then it will be okay. My ankle is purple all and massive but not as sore as last night which is good.
So I have re- planned my runs for this weekend- I might put my run off till Sunday morning now- it is supposed to be hot so if my ankle is good I will head out for maybe just a 10ker. Not a good start after I was so happy with my running in January, but oh well, will see how I go.
The plan for no booze and no carbs took a beating on the 1st of Feb so I will just be making a conscious effort to cut down.

Physio

No run today because I was seriously short of time and I knew I had a physio appointment today and I don't want to turn up all puffy and swollen because she keeps talking about cortisone injections.
My ankle still isn't strong enough, my stretch is still about 5 centimetres shorter on my right leg and the ankle joint is still jammed up. Having said that the physio is still happy with my progress and doesn't mind if I keep increasing the distances I have been running.
I have a lot of work to do and a lot of stretching and massage. She recommended that I massage it myself constantly and maybe see a MT once every six weeks. There is one who works out of our building and we can go in work time so I might have to make an appointment.

*Edit*
Just came back from walking Bella again and dammit but if cricket training wasn't still going- and I copped a straight drive to the ankle with a cricket ball. My ankle is now the size of a cricket ball. Yes it was my sore ankle. Aaarrrggghhh!

3 x Tan (d=11.5, w=15.5, m=113.5)

Bella 2, Wildlife 0

Slept in until 6am this morning and I could hear Bella in the yard moving around from about 5am then when I went outside I saw two branches from my Japanese maples on the ground- but Bella wasn't hiding like she had done anything wrong. Then I noticed that there was a dead slightly mauled possum under the table. I turned into Morsey: Possum Detective- and after examining the crime scene I was able to determine that the possum was in the Japanese maple when it was attacked and killed by the protector of the maples, Bella. I stopped short of examining the contents of the possums stomach to see if it had been eating my maple or just taking a fool hardy shortcut.
Bella has killed two possums now and I am not very happy about it- I might have to start keeping her inside like a responsible cat owner!
Also the dirt in the clam shell worked- Bella did not touch the lawn at all yesterday despite being alone with the lawn for about 9 hours! She got praised like she had discovered a cure for cancer when I got home and didn't find one hole.

3 x Tan

Headed out around the Tan at about 7.20- no watch still- I was going to do two laps but I was feeling quite good so I did an extra one. The first two felt a lot quicker than the last one. My ankle niggled a bit but no real pain to speak of. I have been stretching my calves and I will ice my ankle when I get back from the gym.

I have no idea of the time, pace or heart rate because I still have no heart rate monitor. I was getting ready to sing the praises of athleticedgeonline but then I spent the whole day annoying our mailroom at work because I was expecting my new heart rate monitor in the mail. I finally rang them at 2pm (not very patient I know) and they said to expect it anytime before 5pm. Then they rang me back to tell me that even though they had sent me an email saying it was in the mail, they hadn't sent it yet. Apparently they were very busy. Not too busy to send me an email getting my hopes up.

If this is the worst thing that I can complain about then my life is pretty good and I cannot complain about anything (I don't mean to go all children-are-being-killed-in-Iraq on you a la Matthew Newtons silly lawyer- sorry). I am very lucky- I do not want for much and my complaints are very trivial.

Spin class/ 8 seconds to weight loss

Big walk for Bella this morning - though I am still angry about the second enormous hole she dug in two days then off to spin class. My knee and ankle hurt a bit when I wound up the resistance so I kept it light.

The instructor had recently read about the fat loss in 8 second study so after about 20 minutes we just did 8 second sprints followed by 12 second recovery. I am not surprised that people lose weight doing that- it was damn hard even on the easy resistance and I was happy to leave early- 20 minutes of interval training is enough to make me sweaty enough. I wasn't really sneaking off early, I thought the class started at 0615 so I was there warming up after riding my bike to the gym at 0610. So I was pretty exhausted at 0700 and very glad to climb aboard my real bike and ride to work.

I visited Bunnings last night and bought a lot of cheap dirt which I then put into Bella's clam shell and hid her toys, some snacks and every old bone I could find in the yard in the dirt. I then sprayed the lawn with stinky citronella which is supposed to keep the dog away. I really don't know what to do about her- obviously something is just too good in the lawn and she is prepared to risk the wrath for it. When I got home she wouldn't get out of her kennel, even when I pretended I wasn't going to shout at her- she it too smart for that.

Sprints (d-4,w- 4, m-102, y-102)

I took Bella to the park for some sprints this morning- she has been limping again so I didn't really drag her around much- though I had enough time to do everything this morning. My ankle was quite good and I put that down to anti-inflammatory drugs and gel. I also iced it all day practically (with appropriate rests in between).
I really appreciate all the advice about my ankle- I am going back to the physio hopefully this week and I will definitely get some massage. The physio has me massaging my ankle and calf myself at the moment, along with the exercises to build up my right calf which is currently at about 80% compared to the other one. But while the physio can make me cry when she massages my calf, I can just make myself grimace and curse.
I really miss my heart rate monitor, I am now watchless and have turned into one of those people who constantly asks what the time is. Can't wait for the new one.

3 x Lake (14.5- 24- 98)

Headed out for laps of the lake a little later than planned- despite being in bed very early I woke up tired so had another snooze before Bella was taken out for a walk.
I drove to the lake then did my laps. Without my heart rate monitor I was very lazy- it wasn't the same as I didn't have the clock to race so I just plodded along, every now and then speeding up but having no real idea of how fast I was travelling. I didn't enjoy it as much at all- not helped by the wind that was pushing me backwards on the golf course side. So I have no idea how long ran for (maybe just under 1 hour 30 mins) and no idea what my heart rate was doing- though I am sure it would be lower than usual.

My ankle hurt so badly when I got up that I doubted that I would make it around once, but after some laps of the park with Leslie, Arnie and Lucy the pain had subsided. My knee didn't hurt at all which was a relief. My ankle hurt after about 10 km and the pain didn't really go away. It hurt on the inside of my ankle and now my heel is sore when I push on it (I know- so don't push on it!) I completley forgot to tape my ankle this morning.

Am thinking about giving up booze and carbs for February (yeah, just because it is the shortest month)- I really need a proper regime to get me back on track.

Hungover + tired= resting ankle

I have continued my rest so I am hoping that when I get out for a run tomorrow morning I should be free from niggles and pain. Okay the truth is that I got very drunk on Thursday night (who else eats Hungry Jacks at midnight??) and I was a little scratchy at 5a.m. Bella got her walk a little later than normal on Friday and then I had to work at 8. Thankfully we were allowed to leave early (not early enough for me though!) so I made it home for a LLD (little lie down). I complain very loudly whenever BF has an afternoon nap so I was trying to stay awake but reading on the bed with the light off isn't fooling anyone.

Then we went off the Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North for fish and chips, bocce and beer in the park (no beer for me, just mineral water and greasy food) with some friends. It was a great night- Bella got to meet some dogs from north of the river and interrupt a game of cricket.

For some reason we didn't get home till after midnight so I had a massive sleep in this morning and the only exercise was walking Bella.

I have just been shopping on-line and bought a Polar Heart Rate monitor after mine died the other day- the keepers had broken off the band so it was time to get a new one (just doing some self justification). I decided on a RS 200 SD- not the cheapest but not the most expensive. I got it at www.athleticedgeonline.com.au and I can't wait for it to arrive. It was $100 cheaper than any other shop or site (more justifying).

Anyway big run planned tomorrow with no recording device which will be very strange.

No running today- just another walk for Bella. The plan is to run tomorrow morning - but I drinks tonight for a friend who is leaving to go on a peace keeping/ law and order tour of the Solomon Islands so that plan is fairly flexible. So there are a few things I should answer/ mention:
Sekmet- you have convinced me- I will do the Puffing Billy run- though I am nervous about my ankle!
Steve- you should know that the BF does not get out of bed early for anyone, and does not run unless someone has stolen his beer and tried to run away.

I was planning to write my 100 things about me when I had done 100 posts, but I forgot, so here is 102 things about me. (I know everyone went through this phase several months back, but I have always been a bit behind everyone else- unless I am running, then I am a lot behind!)

1. My sister thinks I am the only person who goes shopping in Chapel Street but only goes Rebel Sport.
2. I love horse racing, especially but not just the Spring Racing Carnival
3. I spent four weeks in Italy a few years ago but haven’t really travelled around Europe.
4. I went to Italy because I like the food.
5. I always wanted to be a police woman but my parents made me go to university so I didn’t waste my private school education.
6. I am 32 years old and I can just hear my ticking biological clock starting up.
7. My brother and his wife live in Perth with their kids Harry and Daisy and I travel over there every chance I get.
8. I drove to Perth with a friend last year in a campervan (for $1 a day!)
9. I played the piano for six years when I was at school but I can’t play now.
10.My horse was called Modesty Blaise and I lent her to a friend 12 years ago.
11.I can’t sit on the couch and watch videos or TV, I get restless.
12.I sprained my ankle 18 months ago doing step ups on a park bench.
13.I sprained my ankle at 5am and no-one answered their phones so I practically crawled home.
14.I worked at Target while I was studying at uni.
15.I completed a Bachelor of Science at Melbourne Uni in 1996.
16.I have never put my degree to use.
17.I love chips, hot or cold.
18.My sister had cancer and had a bone marrow transplant and now she is well again.
19.I become anxious when I see water being wasted.
20.My first car was a 84 Nissan Bluebird.
21.I left home to go to uni when I was 18.
22.I returned home for a year when I was 26 and enjoyed living with Mum and Dad.
23.I worked part time for my dad as a yard hand at the sale yards and enjoyed it more than my full time work.
24.I grew up at the foot of the Grampians and love to go bushwalking, mountain bike riding whenever I am home.
25.My parents both love golf but I hate it.
26.I still have the scar on my hand from when I crawled in the fire when I was 1.
27.I have no patience and rudely finish people’s sentences.
28.I shaved my head to raise money for cancer research.
29.I like my hair very short.
30.I love listening to Johnny Cash- especially while I am running.
31.I also love listening to Dolly Parton.
32.I had braces on my teeth from age 17 to 20.
33.I only just had my retainer removed because I was worried my teeth would become crooked again.
34.I have no interest in football
35.I have given blood 27 times- and fainted only twice.
36.I can laugh until I cry watching “Funniest Home Videos”.
37.My cat died and my sisters cancer came back at the same time, my dad didn’t know which one to tell me first.
38.He told me about the cat, then the next day about my sister.
39.25 was my favourite age
40.No-one in the family was a bone marrow match for my sister- but a stranger in London was.
41.I said I would never become cynical, but it has happened.
42.I cannot believe that people listen to Andrew Bolt.
43.I try to be conscious of being manipulated by the media.
44.My hair is quite grey so I dye it dark brown and pretend!
45.I have a pet sheep called Brian (even though it is a girl) that I hand raised.
46.I taught her how to lap milk from a bowl so I didn’t have to bottle feed her in the night.
47.Brian is now 15 years old.
48.I wish I could play the guitar and sing at the same time.
49.I wish I could play the guitar.
50.I wish I could sing.
51.I used to be in love with Han Solo.
52.I wanted to be Princess Leia.
53.I love red wine – but not Pinot
54.I don’t drink spirits often, beer is my preferred beverage.
55.I have very large hands.
56.I wear a lot of black.
57.I turn the shower off while I shampoo my hair.
58.Sometimes I am frightened of the dark.
59.I can never watch Wolf Creek.
60.I never had a dog, only cats, horses and lambs until I got Bella.
61.My boyfriend said I wasn’t allowed to get a dog, but I did.
62.I found Bella on the internet by googling “lab x staffy for sale” and for $80 she was mine.
63.I do not excel at anything.
64.I am 32 years old and a Virgo.
65.I am not particularly Virgoan, but I aspire to be.
66.My mother is my harshest critic as well as being my strongest supporter.
67.I was suspended in Year 10 for drinking and I was innocent.
68.I missed my netball grand final because I was suspended and I cried a lot.
69.Bella partially tore her anterior cruciate ligament when she was a pup.
70.I don’t eat red meat but I love chicken pies.
71.I am obsessed by food, I think about it constantly.
72.I get separation anxiety when I leave Bella.
73.I enjoy taking Bella to the park and meeting strangers with dogs.
74.I love oysters.
75.We had a pet kangaroo (Hoppy) when I was young, and a pet kookaburra (Kookie)
76.I encourage my 4 year old nephew’s sense of the ridiculous.
77.I wish I could eat what I wanted and stay under 70kg.
78.I think I order chicken parmies because I love that they come with chips.
79.I don’t think I should have to eat broccoli now that I am grown up.
80.Or cauliflower or brussel sprouts or squash.
81.I have a mortgage and I feel like I will never go overseas ever again.
82.I always enjoy work.
83.I bought chooks when I lived on the farm with Mum and Dad and named them after my friends Nano, Savanna, Kendra and Vic.
84.When Dad’s dog ate my chooks he bought new ones thinking I wouldn’t notice- I was 26 not 6 years old.
85.My dog isn’t interested in eating Dad’s chooks, but the cat is living on borrowed time!
86.I was happy with my weight when I was 65kg but I just can’t get back there.
87.I get along well with my brother and sister.
88.I can wiggle my ears.
89.And curl my tongue.
90.I have been to Fiji, Italy, France and Thailand.
91.I would love to go to New Zealand and South America.
92.My feet are size 10
93.I wish the rest of me was size 10.
94.I have a problem with water wastage- it makes me very anxious.
95.I blame the ‘82-83 drought for my water problem.
96.I am very forgiving.
97.I don’t know how to say no when people ask for help.
98.My brother, sister and I all appropriate each others memories and each of us think we broke Dad’s Davey Crockett record.
99.I am not frightened of heights, spiders or snakes.

100.I want to do the Kokoda Track before someone makes it a concrete tourist path.

101.I love cheese.

102. I am pretty self obsessed but man this was harder than I thought!

WORST DAY IN THE WORLD (yes, very melodramatic this morning)

By 6.15 a.m. I had decided that today was the WORST DAY IN THE WORLD for the following reasons:
1. Creepy park guy was at the park and I didn't have my phone with me so I was too wary (frightened) to walk Bella at the usual park and had to find another park
2. Ankle was very sore this morning and I couldn't really walk properly on it
3. Rode my bike to gym- tyres are half flat so it was hard work
4. Got on scales and it appears that despite drastic diet improvements have put on 1 kg in the last week- I was so confident there would be a 2kg loss!
5. Tried spin class but my knee AND ankle hurt too much so I left after 10 minutes
6. Rode my bike to work IN THE RAIN
7. Realised that I had left my socks at home after my shower.

So the following measures will be considered to try to pull today back from the brink:

• Food diary
• Going home and starting again?
• Anti- inflammatory drugs
• Fish oil tablets
• More ice
• More socks

Will make today a rest day after such a bad start- will probably be good for my ankle and knee, but not my sanity (or my ever increasing butt)

2 x Lake (9.5, 83.5, 83.5)

I had a lovely sleep in this morning- during the night I decided there was no need to get up at stupid o'clock when I don't have to be at work until 3. So I got up when BF got up to go to work (still it was 0630) and took Bella to the park.

Then I drove to the Lake, realised I didn't have any money for parking (damn that greedy Port Phillip Council) so I had to drive back up High Street till Iand found a spot I could park for free. Walked a kilometre back to the lake and started running.

I have realised that I am lazy- I run too slow even though I can go faster just because my comfortable pace is 6.30 m/k. So I am trying to make 6.0 m/k my comfortable pace. I was timing my k's and I was pretty close to 6 m/k for the first lap- though when I zone out, my pace blew out too- must remember to concentrate.

The second lap was different because I got this silly pain in my right knee. I walked a little bit and then it gradually went away when I started running again. I still think it is from when I twisted it a bit in the stairs last Thursday. I resumed my pace and kept going at about 6m/k

So I have been icing both ankle and knee after running this morning, my ankle is sore in the back, front, inside and outside. I also managed not to have evil toast for breakfast after my run- muesli and yoghurt again.

So my main issues at this stage of running are:
- ankle pain
- ridiculously high pulse rate (sure it drops like a stone after I stop but while I run it is out of control)
- lack of concentration to keep my pace going
- unsure of whether to wear a hat, no hat or a visor (man my head gets hot with a cap, but I want some sort of shade!)

Damn ankle

Obviously no run today so I have tried to distract you with more photos of Bella and her new toy.



Damn damn ankle- it was pretty sore this morning so when I got up at 5.00 and it was raining it didn't take much for me to can the plan of sprints at the park. I still took Bella for a walk- but instead of around the park in the rain we walked up and down Glenferrie Road and High Street Armadale- so Bella got to walk under cover and I got to do some window shopping.


My ankle pretty much hurt all day, even just sitting at my desk so it was easy to can my other plan of running tonight. Instead Bella will get another walk (making it 3 for the day - spoilt puppy!) maybe around the lake. I am on arvo shift tomorrow so I will get a proper run in as well as a trip to the gym so all is not lost.

Tam x2, Fed Square loop (12, 39.6, 74.3)

I was planning a quick shortish long run this morning- i.e. 15 odd ks tryint to keep the pace about 6 m/k. However this plan was thwarted when my soon to be shouted at boyfriend rang at 4a.m. and wanted to be picked up from wherever he and his mates were standing. I said no and tried to get back to sleep. Two minutes later he rings again, "please, it is raining and there are no taxis." I can believe the no taxi bit because if I was a taxi driver I wouldn't pick up four blokes, all drenched, carrying souvlaki and a stubby either. So I picked them up- less than a kilometre from home. Angry?

I walked Bella and my right knee was really sore- I twisted it walking down 15 flights of stairs during a fire drill at work (even though we had been evacuated when the power went out on Tues)

I was just testing all my joints when I went out to the tan and at the start I was so slow, it was bad. I had to keep speeding up and then I would forget and slow down again. I think it will take me a while to realise that I am quicker than I was but my legs are used to running slowly.
I did a lap of the Tan then up to Fed Square along the Yarra, back through the gardens to the Tan and then two more laps of the Tan. I think it was about 12k all in all and the pace was okay by the time I stopped. I was going to do another lap but my ankle was starting to niggle so thought I would call it a day.
I did some proper stretches and my knee and ankle both feel fine.

This is Bella and her new toy I just had to buy for her- even though she will just destroy it within days.

No running today - or exercise, I am just staying home trying not to leave the house because I only spend more money. So I have the internet, papers and too much spare time on my hands. My boyfriend has two old school buddies down to stay the night and one of them said he would come for a long run in the morning- but chances are they won't be home from the pub when I am heading out tomorrow morning.

I am planning to run to the lake, around twice and maybe run home- that would be about 16k so maybe a walk home for 13km. Thankfully it has been raining all day- my lovely green lawn will live another day without me having to put the washing machine water on it.

So because I have nothing else to write about- I will use the tag from Sharon that I read on her fantastic blog:

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Waitress
2. Checkout Chick
3. Yard Hand

4. Distributor of Educational Publications (I packed books)

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:

1. The Sixth Sense

2. Pulp Fiction

3. Monsters Inc
4. The Castle

(Man I struggled with that one)

C) Four places I have lived

1. Dunkeld
2. Carlton
3. Glen Waverley (but only for 20 weeks)
4 Prahran

D) Four favourite T.V. shows (the movie bit was hard enough!)

1. Top Gear
2. MythBusters
3. CSI
4. The Shield

E) Four of my favourite foods: (see previous post about why I am so fat again!)

1. Blue Cheese

2. Persian Fetta
3. Fish and Chips
4. My mum's Xmas pudding with white sauce

F) Four places I would rather be right now:

1. Nice - swimming in the Meditteranean
2. Mackay visiting Catie who left last week

3. Roxby Downs visiting another friend who left last week
4. Yunderup with Harry and Daisy

G) Four friends I think will respond:

Come on Steve,

Smithy,

Leslie and

Kim

Spin Class/ Fat Club

Spin class this morning- the Friday one is really good because the instructor is a proper cyclist not an aerobics instructor and he really makes us work. I walked out as the usual bucket of sweat.

I weighed in last night- I was expecting to get into trouble for going over my "goal weight" which is actually my upper limit. Fortunately I was 0.2kg under it- so I didn't have to pay $17.95 just to stand on the scales in front of solemn looking women. So I have put on 2.7 kg since 9-12-06 and it was great fun- almost worth it. I think back to the blue cheese, cheezels, red wine, beer, pies, chips- hot and cold, camembert, creamy dips, bread- lovely bread and realise that I never thought that I should deny myself something in the last 6 weeks. So now it is time to just work hard and get rid of it all plus an extra 1.1 kg. I figure I have four good kilos to lose. I only have to weigh in monthly but I think I might go back at least every two weeks just to keep me vigilant about what I eat.

I took Bella to the park this morning- I am in a good routine now and I do the physio exercises for my ankle while Bella has a big sniff around.

2 x Tan (d- 7.7k, w- 27.6, m 62.3)

Two laps of the Tan this morning, pace was pretty slow and the hill really killed me this morning, I usually imagine a rope attached to my middle pulling me up the hill, but today I felt like I was dragging a tyre behind me. I did max out my heart rate monitor and made it to 103%! Not good I know but I only averaged 162 bpm which is better than it has been lately.

Yesterday at spin class I concentrated on staying in my fat burning zone instead of trying to get my heart rate as high as it can go- don't think that will help me when the judgement time comes tonight at 6pm when I get on the scales and realise that I have no self control unless I am on a controlled eating program (note the avoidance of the d word Steve!)

I drove to the Tan after walking Bella then scoot home and do the panic getting ready for work so I could pick up my dry cleaning then make it on the tram with seconds to spare, got to work, had to iron shirt and get changed and was barely late at all. I hate starting off in a rush but the dry cleaning threw me this morning.

My ankle has been fine with the running and taping so I have started to ease up on the anti- inflammatories- I am hoping that there will still be no pain. My chest pain has also subsided so I am a bit happier today.

Spin and maybe Pump

Spin class this morning and I am very nervous about how my posterior is going to feel tomorrow morning! I finally rode my bike home- it seems I ride it to work something happens and I need to be dropped off so my bike lives in the car park at work for a week until I can get organised to ride it home again. I feel lucky that it is still there after a week- someone stole my rain jacket that I had drying over the handlebars while it was in the car park.
I am planning on venturing back to Pump class tonight to get the muscles back in action, but this class is usually so crowded that I miss it all the time because it isn't worth the elbowing to get in the door. Will ride my bike there and back so it will be exercise regardless.
Bella has had her second walk for the day and I think I would rather head to bed but I will soldier on!

*edit* I didn't soldier on at all, I collapsed like a sooky la la and am heading to bed ridiculously early. I get these silly chest pains which I have had checked out and apparently there is nothing serious wrong with me, but the pains don't stop. So I feel like I have a huge rock on my chest so I didn't feel like lifting weights. Maybe tomorrow night.

Sprints (17/51.5/51.5)

Sprints this morning because we were back at 7am at work and I didn't have time for anything else- and it is probably a good idea after my long run yesterday. I didn't realise until I got to the park that I had no soreness anywhere- not even my ankle. Normally I limp to the park then as I warm up my ankle is okay. I did 10 x 100m (ish) sprints while Bella chased, then over took me as well as three laps at a slow jog. I also did my physio exercises too. Walking Bella is the only thing that never changes much in my routine so I figured if I did my exercises while walking her then I could be sure they would be done. So far so good. I am not sure how long it takes to build a calf muscle but I need it to be soon!

I am thinking forward to my February run- maybe the Zoo 8km? I don't have a plan for March either.

I have booked my accommodation for the Bunbury Half Marathon- my brother, his wife and the kids are coming along so it should be a bit of fun.
I might even be heading to Perth in the next few weeks because my brother has a car he needs driven from Ballarat to Perth so I offered. Even though I have done the drive before it was good fun - Mum wants to go as well so I will wait and see what happens. Maybe there is another run in Perth in Feb!

I have put on some serious weight in the last month- it is time to bite the bullet and head back to fat club with my tail between my chubby legs and say "I tried to go it alone, but I need your help!" I will go Thursday night.

Damn blogger

This is a gladdy I caught when Dame Edna was tossing them into the crowd on thursday night!








I have been struggling to post recently because Blogger is testing my sadly lacking computer skills so this may be one long post: (if anyone else is struggling you have to open every window by right clicking and opening in a new window)

Thursday night:
I went to see Dame Edna with my Mum and sister, as well as my sisters friend Sob, and her Mum, Judy- and it was quite possibly the most I have ever laughed in my life. My guts hurt from laughing as did my cheeks. I was crying with laughter. I was not helped by the fact that Judy was one of the people dragged up on stage by Edna for a bit of fun. We were in the second row so we spent the first half trying to dodge spit from Les Patterson who I don't find funny at all- he is too disgusting for words. Fortunately the second half was just Edna.

Friday:
I was flat out trying to clean up, pack and do some grocery shopping because boyfriend, Bella and I were going to stay with friends at Venus Bay. I didn't run because I had a pod and physio appointment and I didn't want to be inflamed! The pod was first and she said I don't need orthotics (hooray!) but just some strapping and exercises. She agreed that I have been running with only 3/4 of my right leg! The physio did some "massage" which is more like torture and usually has me saying "yes that hurts a bit" through gritted teeth as I try not to cry!

Saturday:
Woke up with a fuzzy head from waaayy too much red wine last night but I did sleep well. I took Bella for a walk to the boat ramp but she wouldn't relax and just stroll because of all the wildlife- kangaroos especially- she was on high alert the whole time, tensed up with hackles too. She looked ferocious and I think she is actually quite scared when we are in Venus Bay because it is all so different. There is also a resident brown snake so I don't leave her alone.

Sunday:
Bella and I got up early and went to the beach for a big walk- Bella likes to run like a crazy dog in and out of the surf, chasing seagulls and generally acting like a carefree puppy. I was careful to keep her away from the dead seal and numerous washed up birds - they smelt so good to her but I really didn't want her to roll in any of them.

Today: (17/ 51.5/ 51.5)
Got up at stupid o'clock and took Bella for a quick walk so she doesn't sook when I leave. Then headed out the door and ran to the lake, then three laps and then walked home- I think it is about 3k to the lake but will have to check map my run before I post my totals. I strapped my ankle as per instructions from the pod (I think I got it right!). My ankle was fine, my hip flexors were a bit tight when I finished but I stretched well and will walk Bella again soon then stretch out once more. the pace wasn't very good, but it was good to get a proper long run in as I haven't been very serious about it recently. Afternoon shift today and it is supposed to be hot this week so I will have to be good about my morning exercise.

2 x Tan (week 14.5 k, month 34.7k, year 34.7k)

Thursday- Tan
Man it was hot out there this morning- and the flies were driving me absolutely batty. I was so slow and for once I stopped and drank out of every bubble tap- I was thirsty before I started so it wasn't very fun. I did two laps and that was enough- I had planned three but I ran out of time because I got halfway to the tan and realised I was still in my dog walking shoes. I have been trying to get some k's up in my shoes with the heel lifts in before my podiatrist, physio appointment tomorrow morning. My ankle has been very sore and I think that has given my knee some dramas.

Wednesday- Nothing!
I had to drive to Corowa for work so we left early and drove as fast as decency allows. We made it back late afternoon and it was just too hot to do anything. I tidied up because mother is coming to stay and finally took Bella for a walk when it was a bit cooler (but not much).

PB- 5.29 mins (Time taken to donate blood!)

To & From Tan etc 6.8km, av 161 bpm
Struggled out of bed this morning- don't know if I am just getting lazy or the donating blood has slowed me down a bit. I took Bella to the park and strolled around a few times trying to get my ankle warmed up because it was really sore. I then rode my bike to work and headed off to the Tan. I ran to and around the Tan plus another km just for fun then back again- it is only 6.8km but I needed to get a run in today because I am not going to be able to exercise tomorrow morning and then it is going to be stinking hot again on Thursday.

I did struggle with the run today but again I am blaming the blood loss. I had no dramas donating which was good because my iron stores are a bit low most times and my blood pressure is also low. It was a record time too but I think that was because I was clenching and unclenching my fist to get a good vein up then I just kept going and it absolutely pumped out. (In my mind it is because my heart is so efficient!)

Sprints

I took Bella for her walk this morning (after sneaking around under the cover of darkness putting all my recycling into the neighbours recycling bins because ours was overflowing from NYE and it is collection day today finally!) and then did sprints around the park. My ankle was really sore but by the time I had done a few warm up laps it was okay. I have been taking the anti-inflammatory tablets for it but now I am a bit worried because I have booked half the office in to give blood this morning and I might not be allowed.
Anyway the sprints went well and Bella seems to love it more than when I just jog around. I then did the exercises the physio gave me and some proper stretching before returning home.
Wish me luck for the blood bank!

I am not sure if I will have a little jog this afternoon or not- I am waiting for the rain to come and make it pleasant enough for me to run in the afternoon two days in a row. My ankle is fine at the moment but I guess I didn't really run that far- but it is more likely to be due to voltaren.
One thing I didn't mention yesterday was when I went past the 1km mark I checked my watch and surely enough I had run a 4.20 k.... so I thought, damn I have gone out tooooo hard and eased up a bit. But by the time I got to the 4km mark I was back doing my usual slacker 6.00 km- though I am blaming the hills for that.
Bella and I have been for our usual 3km walk (no fights today- hers or mine!) and no creepy guy thank goodness.

Portsea Twilight

My sister kindly drove me to Portsea for the twilight run and as we got out of the car I almost instantly saw Deege in her new race day cap. So I got to finally meet someone who was just another supportive name on the computer until today. So we got to get all our nervous energy out with chatter before the race. I also met chilliman and kelvin at the start line but then when the whistle blew they were miles away.

Ohmigod, when people say it is hilly, they don' t mean a little bit hilly they mean hills that go for ages and then you turn a corner and it still goes on. Having said that, then you get to run down hill on the way back- until they make you go out onto the sand for a bit of extra fun. The sand was actually good to run on because it wasn't soft squishy sand.

The hills were hard but I resisted any urge to walk. I never usually drink when I run, especially if it is less than a 10 km run, but the fact it was 35 degrees for most of the day meant that I stopped and drank at every drink station. I drank a bit of water all day before the run but I didn't know how to prepare foodwise so I just had a honey sandwich for lunch.

I did the run in 41:15 (unofficial) which isn't that good for 6.7km run but the hills and the heat just changed everything. The worst thing is that I averaged 179 bpm!
Anyway, the end result is that I am exhausted and stinky, but my ankle is okay.

Spin, weights etc

I got to sleep in this morning because I am on afternoon shift today- but I was planning on still going to 6am spin but sadly I forgot to set my alarm so I got up at about 6am and tried to let some cool air into my flat before taking Bella to the park. Bella started a fight so we didn't stay as long as we planned and creepy park guy was there calling out to me the whole time so I was happy to find another park before it got too warm and then went home.
Rode my bike to the gym and did 30 mins of my own cycle class by myself- I lost .5kg in sweat. I have put on 3kg now- all of it bad bad bad. It is just poor food choices- like last night my sister rang to say it was too hot to cook so we ended up going to the Lucky Coq for $4 pizza- how bad, but soo good. Then I get on the scales and act all shocked.
Anyway did weights at the gym and some hard proper stretching of my calf. The physio said that there is a massive difference between good calf and sore calf- in size, strenght etc and so it is no wonder that my ankle struggles and hurts a lot. So did the exercises she gave me and have vowed to continue because I know I slackened off last time and that is why I still have pain.
Too hot for another walk for Bella so a lot of house cleaning on the cards until I go to work.

Yesterday I rode to work after having a little jog with Bella- I was planning on doing cycle class in the evening. I had a shower at work and then all of a sudden it felt like I had been stabbed in the left side of my stomach. I was in so much pain I felt like I was going to pass out- and very worried that my colleagues would have to break the door down then find me nude on the floor and then I would have to get a new job.
After about 15 minutes the pain slowly moved away but I was left with an aching stitch all day- it was really sore. So I went to the doctor last night (googling symptoms only ruled out exploded appendix) and he told me it was most likely to be shingles! Then he said it could be a torn stomach muscle but it really isn't in the right place. I was worried he was going to ask me what I had eaten in the last week and I would still be there remembering pieces of pudding. Maybe I ate too much and my stomach was just starting to explode. Who knows but now I am frantically checking for the rash that should appear to indicate shingles.

So I didn't make it to cycle class- I ended up having dinner with a good friend who is a doctor who is also sceptical about the shingles call. She is moving to Mackay next week so I am going to miss her (and not just for the second opinion!).

I was a little concerned this morning heading out for a run- so I ran 3km, walked 2km at the local park because my stomach is still really tender and hurts a bit. I normally would just write today off but it has been so hot I am worried I will struggle to get a run in the next few days.
My new years resolutions aren't going that well (see previous post about snickers) and while I was planning a run per month, I had the Sri Chinmoy 10km at Princes Park pencilled in for 14-Jan only for boyfriend to say we were going away that weekend so unless I do the Portsea Twilight this weekend, my favourite resolution may just bite the dust very soon. (Haven't picked up guitar yet either but boyfriend is going away for the next day or so and won't be here to complain about the noise/lack of rhythm.

Have physio appointment this arvo - 3rd different physio so I am hoping this one will be able to help my ankle.

*edit*
Medical Update
No sign of the shingles rash.
Physio has recommended lots of ankle/ calf stretching and strengthening exercises, Voltaren gel and tablets, and has given me heel lifts. Appointment made for podiatrist re:orthotics. PT says that I just have a poorly rehabilitated ankle injury.

Sprints and Tan

I was up at stupid o'clock this morning- though I was thinking quickly when the alarm went off, trying to justify sleeping in. I had a terrible warm chicken salad for dinner last night, and nothing gets me angrier than salad, it was awful and made me feel so sick that I had to take drastic action. I won't go into details but it involved me eating a snickers, a big one. to "get the taste of bad salad out of my mouth", yeah right.
So I got up and took Bella to the park, I did sprints down the straight edges of the park and tried to out run Bella who just stayed ahead of me, almost laughing at my attempts to catch her! I then drove to the Tan and did a "quick" lap before work.
A colleague has some sports degree and he was getting into me about how slowly I run (though I had the log to prove that I am getting quicker!) and he said I should do a sprint session a week. This morning was a good opportunity because I felt so ordinary about the salad that I had for dinner that I felt sick all night and didn't sleep very well.
I averaged 151 bpm for the tan and the sprints and burnt 369 calories- but the best thing is that I got to enter in my first run for the year on my running log.

No photos this week because I have left my charger at the farm so my camera is out of action- I wished I had it this morning though because the sky was so pink and crazy at 5.15.

Happy New Year

No run today, might stroll to work later - am on at 3pm, but feeling a little scratchy this morning despite not actually drinking that much, it must be a food hangover. Shane and Leslie came over with so much good food that we all sat there stuffed by midnight. We could barely shout Woo Hoo and wave a few pathetic sparklers over our heads because we had eaten too much. But we did manage a little woo hoo and wave the sparklers before collapsing into bed shortly after those in Adelaide would have been shouting woo hoo! Leslie made bagels- and her fantastic smoked salmon dip, and sushi- add that to a lot of yummy cheese and bbq chicken wings and it is now time to begin the starvation again.
Man, we are old now- though having said that I am sure that my parents stayed up dancing to the Beatles until those in Perth had shouted Woo Hoo.
So, time to get back into healthy eating, no more drinking during the week for no particular reason, wonton soup instead of pad thai on afternoon shift at work and back to the exercise routine I loved so much before Christmas.
I am hoping to run in an organised fun run every month- here are the certainties:

April 1st - Run For The Kids
May 20th - Bunbury Half Marathon
August 12th- Sydney City To Surf
October 7th- Melbourne Half Marathon

Will have to search the net for other good runs. (good = easy and not to expensive!)

I ran 1058 kilometres last year- surely I can make it up to 2000 this year!!!! (maybe 1500)

Time To Review The Year

Back to spin class this morning after walking Bella- I have missed the gym so I stayed after the class and did some weights as well. After my run yesterday I was so happy because my ankle didn't give me any pain at all but it was very sore this morning despite the icing i gave it last night.
I have done a little review of the year but it isn't that comprehensive.

Runs Completed:
Run 4 Kids
Run To G
Sandy Point Half Marathon
Melbourne Half Marathon
STF Xmas Run

Best Run:
Melbourne Half Marathon- great company (thanks Kendra!) and it felt like more of an achievement than the Sandy Point Half

Worst Run:
Run To G- I had never done it before and I thought we got to run into the G.

Achievements:
Losing 16kg!
Making my yard into a little oasis finally

Good decisions:
Changing work location (though I miss having Steve so close by to ask all my computer/running questions)

Bad decisions:
Choosing gardener with gambling problem
Paying gardener too much money up front
Choosing dodgy physio with no interest in my ankle (twice)

Best Holiday:
Driving across Nullarbor with good friend in campervan for $1 a day thanks to standbycars
(4 berth Mercedes with shower and toilet!!!!)

Not So Good Holiday:
Driving from Cairns to Sydney with boyfriend in campervan for $1 a day etc..(he wouldnt even stop at the big banana let alone detour to Tamworth to see the big guitar)

I should have:
Practised my guitar more
Started losing weight earlier so I wasn't going into Christmas with just a few kilos to go

I really appreciated:

Everyone's support with their comments- and the inspiration contained in their blog

My black dog- Bella, the digging drove me crazy and the recent biting incident made me a bit sad, but I love that she likes to sleep next to me no matter what I am doing, even when I do the dishes

3 Laps Of Lake

Three laps of the lake this morning (14ish km)- not very quick at all 1:28:05 and my heart rate averaged 166bpm. A friend rang to see if I wanted to go around the Tan but it was nice and still so I thought I would head back to the lake- I prefer the Tan if it is a bit breezy because the lake is unbearable with any wind.
I had a terrible nights sleep and wasn't going to run but then I was reminded of Smithy and his constant taunt "while you were sleeping your enemy was out there training".
Shane and Leslie came over last night with their minature daschund Baxter and unfortunately there was an incident over a bone and Bella bit Baxter and caused a hole in his neck- it was awful and bled for ages. Dogs being dogs they were back playing nicely shortly afterwards but we were still very nervous- Bella gets into a lot of fights- starts them, joins in etc but she has never drawn blood before. She isn't that aggressive and I thought she wasnt that possessive about food- Baxter had been wandering around with her bone for ages and she didn't seem to care.
I finally bought a hand mower and have mown (?) my little lawn- it is looking very green thanks to the washing machine water. The hand mower is a bit like hard work but I like the non-power feel of it, like I am a bit rustic- though a sheep would be the most rustic option and I am sure Bella would prefer it.

Boxing Day- Mountain Climb
Well Mum and I didn't let Boxing Day disappear into another haze of food and drink- we jumped in the car nd Mum dropped me at the start of the walking track for Mt Sturgeon- she then drove aroue and the mountain a bit and started walking a bit further on. She kept saying, oh I am so old and my hip hurts. I got to where she started in fourteen minutes and then started the chase- Mum must have been running because it took me another 25 minutes to catch the "poor old dear". She said she was imagining I was the enemy and she had to beat me. So then we kept going to the top and back again- I wish I had my heart rate monitor on because I would have had some fair old beats going! It took us two hours and it was great exercise.
We then went to Halls Gap to see how the Australia Day fire areas have regenerated- the trees look hilarious with their green jackets on and no other leaves. There were so many grass trees that would have been hidden by the undergrowth normally.

27th Dec
I trotted out the road again- I did a 8.6km loop that again finished with me trying to sprint up the hill to home- I was knackered. I did get a breather when two sheep were running down the road in front of me obviously thinking I was chasing them (I thought I looked like a vegetarian!). So I climbed through the fence and ran in the paddock around them so they stopped their escape down the road- they would have run straight out onto a main road otherwise. I did feel very silly running through someone elses paddock just so I didn't upset the sheep.

Prue and I then slowly packed the car (Prue's new golf clubs taking up most of the room, though Bella also had to contend with a lemon tree in the back as well- she only chewed it once) and came back to Melbourne. It was boyfriend's birthday and I felt bad about not seeing him at Christmas so I thought I should make an appearance.

Merry Christmas!

Bella and I have had a great Christmas so far- as predicted there was about 20 x 60 year olds dancing to music from the 60's at 1a.m. in the kitchen last night- what else could Prue and I do but join in? They were absolutely hilarious- and by all accounts there were sore heads on all adjoining properties this morning. Despite the (at least) 25 year age gap Prue and I joined in and I have now realised where I get my bum waggle from when I dance (thanks Mum, am also happy with inheriting the calf muscles!).

I didn't run today but Bella and I had a walk before everyone surfaced- my ankle was really sore but I think it is because of all the uneven ground we have been traipsing around.

Christmas lunch was going to be just Mum, Dad, Prue and I, so Mum invited another couple from nearby and Dad invited a two young guys from the property next door, Brian and Rohan. Rohan couldn't make it but Brian did and we were so grateful for someone new to be coming along. Brian grew up in the real bush, Kalumbura (I think) so we learnt all about the customs and tribal ways of his tribe. The poor thing was inundated with (probably silly) questions about his life before he came to work here.

My family is completely white bread so it was fantastic to have a different face at Christmas with a whole new perspective. Brian however, had heard that my mum cooks a great Christmas lunch and said he came along just to see if it was true.
Mum did cook a great lunch and I am so full I can barely have another piece of pudding, unless I have too.

I did very well from unwrapping those bright red packages under the tree, new running shorts and tights, towels, backpack, lamp and books, socks etc. I am feeling very happy with the world (and full of good wine) so I will just say Merry Christmas and good night!
PS It rained today, and hailed as well so everyone in the area had a very merry christmas!

Ankle was a bit sore this morning so I didn't run far- just a quick trot down the paddock with Bella and then some hill work. Normally once I have warmed up a bit my ankle is okay but it didn't seem to get any better so I didn't keep running on it- because I am at the farm I don't have any other exercise options so I don't want to upset my ankle too much. I used Dad's weight bench again (Prue got stuck on the weight bench last night after she didn't realise how heavy the bar was and couldn't push it off her chest!)

We went into town to buy everything for Mum and Dad's Christmas Eve party and now the kitchen resembles a crime scene.

I am obviously loving my new camera- though it doesn't have a view finder so I keep bringing it up to my face then having to wipe the smudge from my nose off the screen. I haven't tested the shockproof feature yet- or the "waterproofness" but it is a matter of time because I am so clumsy! The photos are of our wool shed which is very small compared to others, and Mt Sturgeon which is just over the road from the farm.

This is a photo of the dam on the farm- obviously it is nearly empty so it looks fairly sad. When we moved here in 1980 we were told that the Chinese chef from the large property next door committed suicide in the dam so we have always referred to it as the Suicide Dam. All the other dams have names but they are called "Top Highway Paddock Dam" etc and are much less interesting.

This is the road I ran down today- it is so hard to judge distances when it seems to go forever!

Driving to the farm
I slept in this morning after driving to the farm last night with my sister- the trip took a little longer than expected because Prue and I were coming in separate cars until she rang and said she might take a bit longer because she was at the pub. So I said I would drive her (even though it meant I couldn't take my bike) so I had to pack my car, drive to her place and move all my things into her car then leave. Prue's present wouldn't fit in her car (enormous glazed pot -dwarf lemon tree is already at the farm) so I had to hide it in her flat.
We had just about made it to Deer Park when Prue realised that she had left a bag of presents at home so we turned around and drove back- only adding an hour to our trip- I didn't even get angry. We rang Mum and said we were nearly at the Westgate- but heading towards the city and I am sure Mum thinks that Prue and I will never grow up.
It was finally starting to rain when we stopped in Ballarat and soon it was pouring. Sadly we got to the farm (near Dunkeld) and it was still very dry. It is going to be 15 on Christmas Day- hard to believe that when it was 35 yesterday.

Long Run
This morning I got up, took Bella for a quick walk then put on my ipod, grabbed my camera and went off down the road for a run, thanks to mapmyrun I had set a course- I ran to Manns Road and back which should have been 14km. As I got to Manns Road I decided to try for a negative split so I turned around and headed up the hill into the wind. I hadn't realised how strong the wind was so it was a lot harder than I thought but with a massive effort up the last hill to home I made it. I was really happy with my effort. Averaged 162 bpm, 6.25 m/km.
I dusted off Dad's weight bench and pumped some iron (?). Dad said he had used the bench six days ago but I spoke to the spiders that had moved in and they have been there for a while.

Bella is very happy on the farm- she has been in the trough already and has been hanging out with the working dogs, chasing the cat, chasing rabbits, being scratched by the cat and eating goodness knows what!

No running, spinning or pumping

Okay so the sleep won out this morning and I didn't do spin class like I had planned, I didn't do sprints at the park like I had planned but that was due to the massive ankle and knee pain I had this morning. I think a few days in heels at work followed up by walking around shops in my thongs has aggravated my ankle and it has swollen up again and I think that my knee pain must be related to that.

So Bella got a trot around the park- she has a sore shoulder so we make a great pair.

Heading to the farm tonight- I cannot wait but I don't know if I am prepared for how dry it is going to be. I can't take my bike due to one enormous present that I am taking which is a same because we are right at the foot of the Grampians and the trails are great fun- guess I will have to run along them instead. I used to run up the mountain a bit, but one snake and a rolled ankle made me to hesitant to enjoy it. Dad has some weights so I will have to give them a go- he got them for Christmas a few years ago so I might have to dust them off!

Tan

I ran around the Tan this morning- I don't know why but it takes more to motivate me for a short run rather than a long run. I lay in bed for a few minutes rationalising that maybe I would go to spin tonight instead and have half an hour more sleep. In the end I dragged my butt out of bed and took Bella to the park where she played tug of war with a stick with Arnie (who weighs 20kg more than her!) then went home. I had a work car so I drove to the Tan, one sub-standard lap, then off to work.

I should still try to go to spin tonight but it will depend on how organised I am- I am hoping to head to the farm tomorrow afternoon if I can leave work a bit early- or it will be Saturday morning before I head off.

Mum's birthday today- she must hate having a birthday so close to Christmas but we haven't gone the joint present this year, we have given her tickets to Dame Edna and my sister and I are going too!

I didn't run today, or spin or pump, I won't post any photos to distract you from the truth- I was just plain lazy and I slept in after boyfriends Christmas party (at the same Greek restaurant that we went to last week for my Christmas party) and I missed my spin class.
I have spent the morning racing around finishing Christmas shopping, what a diaster. Every year I swear that I won't go to Chadstone in December and every year I am out there practically three times a week in December.
My nephew rang to tell me that he saw Santa today and asked for a real crocodile but Santa told him that it might eat the reindeer. My sister and I have sent him a 1.5 m toy crocodile (he lives in Perth) and I wish we were going to be there on Christmas Day to see him open it up! I said to Prue my sister, "we could really win Christmas this year!" Apparently it isn't a competition.

Walk, Ride, Run

Took Bella for her usual walk this morning- Arnie, Leslie and Lucy weren't there so it was up to me to get her moving, she had a big run but it isn't the same as when she tears around the park chasing Arnie. I rode my bike to work ( I was thinking about getting the tram because it was a bit drizzly but decided to harden up!) and then ran to and around the Tan and back. It was nice and cool this morning and there were heaps of fit looking people out and about (sprinting past me). The time was ordinary and the distance is unknown but it felt good to be running around- I did the hill twice in an attempt to max out the heart rate monitor- got it up to 100% again.
I did spin last night- the class was so boring and I was seriously about to nod off, boring music and boring exercises- the ride there or home wasn't boring because everyone is in a hurry and distracted at the moment and I am continually dodging doors or having to come to a massive stop because some knucklehead has turned in front of me then had to stop for peds. I am trying to be tolerant.

I made it out for my long run on Saturday finally- I had to walk Bella first so it was about 7.30 a.m. by the time I got to the tan- I did one lap then crossed over the Yarra and ran to Fed Square, back over the Yarra and back to the bottom of Anderson Street - did that loop again then one more lap around the Tan. I bumped into an acquaintance so I stopped for a chat, (where is your boyfriend? was the first question to me) then I bumped into a lady I normally see at the dog park when we are walking our dogs (where is your dog? was her question to me). I had my camera, Ipod and phone (was on call for the weekend) and I certainly felt like I was being weighed down. I can't remember the time etc and dropped my heart rate monitor last night and it wiped all the settings.
Saturday night I went to Carols By Candlelight in Central Park in Malvern- packed a picnic and dragged along some mates to really get in the festive spirit- I do love this time of year- the weather, the impending presents, the eating and drinking (it always comes back to that!)

Yesterday I just pottered around, Bella got several big walks and I did some more Christmas shopping.
I started work at 7am today so it was just one quick lap of the tan this morning - well not that quick because I was very disorganised- ended up running in my dog walking shoes which are just old old runners anyway so it didn't really matter - apart from in my mind!

Bella and Harvey

This is Bella and her friend Harvey who were cooling off in between chasing each other around the garden when it was just too hot to move.

I will stop posting photos in an attempt to distract you from the fact that I have really dropped off the exercise.

Plans for tomorrow

I confess that I haven't exercised today apart from a stroll with Bella, I further confess that last night was our Christmas party and I ate too much (fantastic) Greek food and drank to excess. So my post today is to record for the ages that I promise to run very far tomorrow- I am thinking of 2 laps of the Tan and then 2 laps of the Yarra/ Fed square loop so it should be about 15ish km.

I am just two km from making 1000km for the year- I was hoping to finish the year under 70kg but that is getting harder and harder (see above re:Greek food).

This is a painting I did to put some colour in the loungeroom- I did 2 very similar and hung them side by side- I was happy at the time but now I am bored with them. Gotta be happy with cheap canvas and paint!

I did the run after all that complaining, and it wasn't too bad- I did a time of 27:25 but I don't have a real 5km time to compare that to- it works out to be 5.29 m/k which is okay- I love anything under six minutes! I had enough in the tank to really power through the last km when people were starting to drop off. I was pretty exhausted afterwards. I realise that $30 is a lot to pay for- the showbag was obviously why- hat, bottle, keyring and socks - not that I will use most of it, I don't know if I will happily fork that out for a non-charity run again. Anyway, 10km to go before I break 1000km for the year (missed out on January) so I will have to come up with a suitable goal for next year- maybe 1500? I had ankle dramas for a large part of the early year so that might be very possible.

Nervous about STF Xmas Run

I am still at work just waiting to go and get changed then toddle off to the STF Christmas run around Albert Park- but the thing is I am really nervous, and I don't know why. I should be very excited about getting out and running again instead of turning back into a fat lump again. It is so smoky that I am sure that no-one will see me, let alone notice my shuffly 5km run. This is a bad picture taken out of the office window, but normally the city is as clear as day behind the shrine.

I have fitted the new camera onto my ipod arm band (yes it will overload one arm so I may have to keep swapping it for every run!) so I should be able to get some photos as I run, unless I chicken out.
I seriously have a proper nervous tummy, it is only 5km, lucky I am not doing the 10km or I would be in tears!
I will stop being such a baby and get into my running gear. Stand by for the update.......

New camera (sorry no photos yet)

I got my exciting new camera today- and a 1 gig card so I have been taking photos all morning and as a result didn't do anything other than have a big walk at the park with Bella- it was a fair old power walk with Jane and her dog Wilbur though and I have to say I struggle to keep up with Jane's pace. So I will be a very rested runner tomorrow night for the Christmas run at Albert Park- I think I will just do the 5km so that I have a chance to catch up with Steve at the end rather than finishing in the dark by myself!
I was supposed to go to spin this morning, but woke up with the chest pains that I get occasionally (have had it all checked out and there is no problems with my ticker!). Last Saturday morning I went to the gym at 7.30 a.m. when it was due to open, but unfortunately it was the staff Christmas party the night before and a very flustered staff member showed up to open the doors at 8.15 a.m. and was greeted by a lynch mob! I was jogging up and down the street waiting so I wasn't too upset but I did have a very quick work out.

Missing my holidays all ready

Back at work this morning and I wish I was still at home. I have signed up for internet access at home but it won't be activated until the 20th of December- so back to posting at work again.

Garden
I finally rang another gardener and asked him to come around and finish my yard- the rest is that it looks fantastic and I love to sit and read the paper, eat dinner etc. outside now. I contacted the person who recommended the previous gardener and got very angry down the phone! He told me that Dave the gardener has a large gambling problem and is now being sued by him for causing damage to some properties he was supposed to be landscaping! Thanks so much for recommending him to me was the next thing I shouted down the phone. That is when I decided to cut my losses and get someone else to finish it all off or I would just see the unfinished yard and get angry every day instead of looking at it with love. I will post a picture when I get a bit more organised.

Exercise
I have been pretty good with the running etc- I did three laps of the lake the other day (without Bella) and it was great- the best thing was that I ran in the morning at about 11am- normally I think that I can only run very early in the morning but I was a bit disorganised and discovered that my legs still work when the sun is up!
My knees have been fine but my ankles have been quite sore recently so I will go back to ice etc.

I have stopped losing weight but that is largely to me eating and drinking too much while I am on leave so I am hoping to drop a bit more before I say I am finished with the dieting thing. I am about 71kg and I would love to be in the sixties permenantly- that may be a new years resolution!

Bella
My naughty little dog has been making a huge mess of my yard but I will be putting in some more temporary fencing very soon to thwart her attempts to destroy all the hard work.

The rest
I had to go to Bendigo for a wedding on the weekend (boyfriends uncle) and as usual I complain and hate it- but the only good thing about going to Bendigo is stopping in Harcourt for apples, cherries and pears, then in Malmsbury for pies! (Actually this time I got quiches, apple pies and vanilla slice!)
Two more weeks at work and then another week off - it is ridiculous but I haven't been able to organise my leave into more reasonable blocks- we get 9 weeks a year and I took a month at the start of the year for my trek across the Nullabor in the campervan with a friend but haven't had any more big holidays since then.

Back at work in the middle of my leave again!

Back at work today- briefly I hope! I got up at 5 and took Bella to the Tan for two laps and she was surprisingly good this morning. I have trouble keeping at a good pace because I lose concentration and then all of a sudden I am plodding again- I don't have any fitness problems running a lot faster than I do, but I just find myself gradually slowing down.
I am making a concerted effort to lose weight this week after again gaining on the weekend- so I am trying to be very strict with the diet and exercise. I would love to blame the fact that I have really ramped up the Pump classes and done a stack more weights than I would usually do. On the trailer for the new Rocky movie Sly describes "building some hurtin' bombs" and I have been concentrating on the arms a lot as I have been getting out in tank tops for the first time in ages- but I don't know if they are "hurtin' bombs" yet!
My knees felt a lot better this morning than they did around the lake on Sunday so it must have just been a failure to stretch properly that I have fallen victim to before.

I have decided that the reason I keep putting on weight at fat club is that I have become complacent because it all came off too easily. I have also scaled back the running- my long run has become non-existent and my shorter runs are too slow because I have been taking Bella. So this morning I did my early morning run - only 9.6km because strangely my knees were giving me pain, but I made sure I did it at a reasonable pace. It was a beautiful morning for a run- I started at 6am and there were hardly any other people around the Lake- I am enjoying running around there while there is no Grand Prix construction but I don't think it will be like that for much longer. I took Bella for a short run beforehand and then left her behind and she wasn't happy but she didn't dig a hole.

I then took Bella over to say goodbye to my niece and nephew who have returned to Perth today after a tumultuous month here. Daisy (2yrs) is either very very good or very very bad - she was put in the "naughty corner" so she took her nappy off and peed on the carpet - and not just once! But she loves "Bella Dog" and ever chance she gets, she tries to climb on board for a horsey ride. Harry (4yrs) is just delightful always. I wish they weren't so far away, it was great to have them here.

I have just come from pump class and doing squats really hurt my knees as well so I might ice them tonight- my ankle is thankfully pain free.

I have this next week off as well (but have to work Tuesday which is annoying) and I can feel my leave just disappearing in a blur of eating too much and then frantically trying to exercise it all away! I have all my Christmas shopping too- the plan to send presents back with my brother and his wife didn't really eventuate- yesterday it was either shopping or the Werribee Zoo and of course my sister and I were too keen to build up aunty brownie points with the kids to waste any time shopping.