Run: 4km Cycle: 6km Walk:2km Av:130 Cal:609

Well after two lackluster days I had a very subdued session this morning- the usual walk around the park with Bella and others, cycle to work then run to and around the Tan. I tried to include several efforts around the Tan where I would run as fast I my legs would carry me then slow down and try it again. When I am "sprinting" I lose concentration and find myself dawdling again so my efforts also contain mini efforts. The last two days I was at a course for work and my exercise attempts were pathetic- I didn't have my heart rate monitor on for my spin class and it put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day, I didn't realise how much I depend on it to record every little elevated heart beat. If my heart beats and the monitor doesn't record it, does it really beat?

Run: 14.6km Av:163 bpm

Well the weekend was a write off- I worked some ridiculous hours, lost two kilos but didn't make it to fat club and the only exercise I got was walking up the stairs to the 15th floor because the lifts weren't operating at work.
To make amends I did three laps of the lake this morning but took my time, because I had little or no sleep on the weekend I was a little sluggish. I also made it to the gym for some weights as well. I am now at work and it has all caught up with me and I feel like I could crawl under the desk and have a nap. The lake is really quiet during the morning compared to the Tan which is like Bourke Street mall at the same time. After my five laps of the Tan the other day I was sick of the Tan and that is why I headed to the lake. It was mighty cold at the start, my fingers and toes were like blocks of ice but I soon warmed up. Less than two weeks to go until the Melbourne (Half) Marathon so that might be my longest run until then.

MorseyRuns

It is so windy today that I am glad that it is not a running day- it was not even a ride to work day either or I am sure I would still be out on the road. I did spin this morning after the usual run around the park with Bella. Nothing really to report- I am going to miss my long run this weekend so I am glad I squeezed one in during the week.

Due to work I didn't get to my usual spin class this morning which upset me greatly, but I still found time to take Bella for a run around the park with Arnie, Leslie and Lucy. Then Bella and I did "sprints" up and down the oval- I use the inverted commas because I don't really have a sprint speed, it is just slow, slower or not so slow. So I did some not so slow runs up and down the oval but only burnt 300 calories and averaged 130 bpm (!) before I ran out of time and had to have a power shower and scoot off to work.
Bella had been a bit off colour since her trip to the vet- think it may have been the anti-inflammatory shot but this morning she was her chirpy self again thank goodness. My boyfriend is on leave and used his free time Monday to teach Bella to shake hands.

Got some groove back

I made it out for a run today and it was a big one (for me) 19 ks around the tan in the early hours of the morning while it was still mild and not as windy as it is now. Because I was a bit unsure about how I was going to feel I wanted to stay near the car so I just did laps of the tan instead of venturing out along some of the loops that Steve has mapped out for me. My splits weren't that good- until my last one which was two minutes quicker than the previous four- and I don't know why. I felt good all the way and only had one pit stop- a new record for me on my long runs.
On my first lap I was overtaken by a pack of runners who took up the whole path and nearly ran me off the path, then someone coming the other way must have decided to stick on the path rather than get out of their way so they jostled and shouted at him. It was nasty to watch especially because the solo runner was a lot older than me so I was pretty shocked to see him treated like that.
I have been shoved by a runner in a pack coming down Anderson St hill before because I was obviously in his way as the pack overtook me- it was horrible because I try to keep out of everyone's way but I imagine it is like a ski slope and you give way to those in front of you. I bet when those guys hit the slopes they snowboard.
My ankle is a little sore now but other than that I have pulled up okay- though tomorrow will tell. I was messing around with how I carry my ipod and I just attached the plastic clip to my waistband today and by the second lap I had worn a hole in my hip- ouch. I moved it around a bit, but I think the arm strap is going to be the answer.
I burnt 1545 calories and averaged 164 bpm. I am happy just to be getting my groove back after 5 days without a proper run- and I enjoyed my run today.

Blah

I have hit a real low spot- our work plans were cancelled early Saturday morning so I was pretty happy and planned to do a 20k run on Sunday morning. That never happened thanks to some dodgy Mexican the night before that saw me being quite unwell on Sunday morning. So instead of sweating away around the tan track and along the yarra I was lying in bed sweating- it was very unpleasant. I tried to go to the gym for a run Sunday night but my guts hadn't recovered so I didn't manage more than 5ks on the treadmill. If you haven't seen the treadmill dance then you must have a look- this must be the best use of a treadmill ever.
I weighed in on Saturday morning 74.6 kg meaning that I lost another kg! Yeah- one less kilo to haul along on the half marathon.
Hope my training picks up, I didnt even feel like running this morning so I only had a half hearted work out using the bike and stepper this morning. I need to get re-enthused, now is not the time to be slacking off.

These are the tulips my niece and nephew gave me for my birthday last week- still going strong.
After giving blood yesterday I was exhausted last night so I was in bed very early- I have no interest in TV at the moment so once I have had dinner, played the guitar and thrown the ball for Bella, if Sharpy isn't home I find myself asleep by about nine. As a result I was up before five this morning because I couldn't sleep. Bella reaped the rewards and was at the park nice and early for a run. I then rode to the gym and did a spin class which included 34 minutes of hills- it was a great workout, my legs were killing me and I was soaked by the time I finished. Rode to work and had a shower here- I now have my routine organised and haven't forgotten my socks yet. I managed to burn 900 calories today and averaged 140 bpm.
Weigh in day tomorrow and I should be okay- but you never can tell. I am working two 12 hour shifts on the weekend so it is unlikely that I will get to do my long run on either Saturday or Sunday so I may have to squeeze one in mid week.

MorseyRuns

Well I didn't make it to the gym last night, but I am blaming work even though I was just tuckered out. I got up early this morning and went for two laps around the tan with Bella then went home and rode my bike to the gym for some quick weights before coming to work. I managed to burn846 calories and averaged 142 bpm.
Work is really starting to get in the way of my fitness regime at the moment- how rude. Though I did duck off from work this morning shortly after starting and donated blood. My haemoglobin was at an all time high (chemically enhanced by my herbal tablets of course). The nurse did something strange after taking the needle out of my arm and blood went everywhere- it looked like a crime scene. No pain for me though and it was my blood so I wasn't as upset as everyone else who was madly disinfecting everything. I will sleep well tonight,

MorseyRuns

I missed writing yesterday due to an unscheduled trip to Gippsland for work. We ended up staying over night down there and we were pretty busy- but the best part was having a few hours off yesterday afternoon so we drove to Lakes Entrance and went for a run- we used the footbridge to cross over to the little sandy island where the ninety mile beach starts- and then ran the 4.8 km return trip to the Entrance. It was a fantastic run and Brad run just ahead of me nearly the whole way so I was pushing myself to keep up. The track winds along, sandy in some parts, boardwalks in others, little steep hills with shady cool sections and parts of it along the beach. It was a great run, I wished I had my camera. We then had a run along the foreshore for about a k as well before cooling down. I averaged 151 bpm- though that included the cool down because I was hovering about 175 for quite a lot of the run, I burnt 650 calories too.
No run so far today, we only just got back to the office so I am hoping to make it to spin and pump tonight.

MorseyRuns

Today I picked up my new shoes- I was hoping that Brooks were going to bring them out in a sensible colour, but no, bright pink it is. Hopefully these shoes will keep me going for a while because they arent bringing out another colour anytime soon apparently.
Well my two days rest have done the shins wonders- no soreness at all for my short long run on Sunday morning. There were no ill effects from wearing heels at the races on Saturday either. I did three laps of the lake, very slowly though so I won't even tell you the time. I burnt 970 calories, averaging 155 bpm. I pulled up okay and made sure that I stretched properly- I think my shin soreness may be linked to me not stretching my calves properly during the week.
This morning I did a spin class which made me sweat so much I looked like I had done the class in a shower, I then did some weights in the gym (729 calories burnt, average 132- including my time doing weights).
I am getting happier with my weight- and I was able to wear clothes to the races on Saturday that I hadn't squeezed into for a while which made me even happier- though I was wearing sensible 3/4 pants considering it was going to hail at some stage, but when we got to the marquee at Flemington there were so many girls freezing in gorgeous little frocks. I wished I was wearing something a little more glamorous but only for about five minutes, then it was eating, drinking and punting time. Result- ended up about even, ate too much, drank not enough.

Rest Day

Well I was pretty smug about pulling up from the half marathon on Sunday, until yesterday afternoon when I started getting pain in my left shin. It won't go away so I didn't run this morning though it still hurt just walking with Bella to the park.
Last night I went to fat club and have lost another 1.4 kg! That makes it 11.1 kg in total- only another 20kg to go before I am the perfect weight for a long distance runner of my height- according to Dr Van Aaken- he seems to think that if I weighed 55kg then I would be an ideal weight for a long dist runner- I am concerned that if I ever weighed 55kg I might not have the energy to get out of bed, let alone run a marathon.
We went to dinner at SoulMama last night with some good friends- I ate way too much but that is the danger of the buffet- there was too much that appealed to me in my post weigh in hunger so I had the "five options plus rice" and while I don't regret it now, I might not need lunch today, or dinner.

One Year Older

I had a very disjointed morning today- a short jog around the park with Bella, then with Arnie, Lucy and Leslie before riding my bike to work then running around the tan and back to work, showered and at my desk at 7. I have to weigh in today so I didn't want to miss my run even though IT IS MY BIRTHDAY! My legs were fairly heavy around the Tan this morning but I don't know if that is because of the half marathon or the weights I did at the gym yesterday, anyway I managed to push myself and sped up for the last 1.5km. I don't know how far I ran but it can't have been more than 4km, but with my jog with Bella and then the bike ride, I still burnt 705 calories, averaging 135bpm. I should lose some grams this week for sure.

I have pulled up okay from the half marathon- my hip and ankle aren't sore, but the real test will be this weekend when I try to do my short long run- maybe about 15km. Now that I know I can run faster for a longer period of time (and I don't really need three toilet stops) I am hoping to see that time per km start to fall. On Monday I was very sore and I didn't sleep well because every time I turned over in my sleep, something hurt and then I woke up. I really felt the effect when I was crossing the road to get lunch and suddenly had to run because the cars were coming toward me and the best I could manage was an old lady hobble for safety. Next time I will cross at the lights.

This is the same shot of Bella with the flash for
anyone who thought the last photo was a bit dubious. Nothing really write about today, the weather is bad so I just did a spin class this morning and then some weights. Bella got the shortest walk in the world and still ended up wet and stinky. I am happy when it rains, unless it means that Bella gets only a 10 minute dash around the park.
Burnt only 500 calories today, averaging 133 bpm, possibly the lowest ever.

Recovery complete

Bella and I just had a short run this morning- 5km around the tan at a very slow pace. I have recovered okay, my calves are still a bit tight but my hip and ankle are fine but I have started on the fish oil tablets this morning, one per meal as per Em's suggestion.
This is a photo of Bella at the park- with her little head lamp on.
I went to the gym last night and used the spin bike for half an hour- made up my own class and then came home, went for a big walk with Bella to see Pruesy, and the end result was that I slept so soundly, I didn't wake up until about 3ish (normally I wake 3 or 4 times throughout the night) and then straight back to sleep. I also jumped on the scales at the gym and I am on track to lose some kilos this week finally- mustn't get too excited too early, there is plenty of time for a blowout before then. I have started riding my bike the whole 6km to work in the mornings, there is a bit of stuffing around with shower, hair dryer, thongs etc but I am sure I will get it all stream-lined soon.

I did it!

I did it- I ran my first half marathon and I am sore in a million different places. I was so adamant that I wasn't going to enter the run if the weather was bad, but it was raining as I handed over my money to enter and I had already decided that the rain was clearing.

Half an hour later I was heading north on Beach Road while the rain and wind were heading south. My first 5km was easy and I was running along thinking that maybe I could do a marathon after all. But by about the 13km mark my left hip was hurting with every step and I didn't think I was even going to finish- then the pain went away and I just concentrated on keeping up with the person in front of me.
I was chasing the 2.10 pacer and had lost sight of him in the first 5k so then I was running in fear of being caught by the 2.20 pacer.
The course was straight up and down Beach Road, but then at the end you have to run in and out of car parks which was annoying because the surface is so uneven.
The end result, I did a time of 2:16:42 (according to heart rate monitor) , my ankle was fine, but my hip today is still very sore. The inside of my arms is chaffed and red raw- no more singlets for me.
The most distressing part was the rain- and not only because my shoes were so heavy by the end, but it ruined my hair and I ran pretty much the whole way with a hairstyle that would frighten small children.
I got home, took 5 mins to get out of the car, had a shower- the salt stung my eyes, climbed into bed and slept for 2 hours. I woke up so hungry but still didn't have the energy to get up and eat. More sleep, then well deserved scrambled eggs on toast.

So indecisive

Well I am at work again, frantically checking the weather in Mentone every ten minutes to see if the wind has picked up. I didn't run this morning, just took Bella for a short walk at the park before coming in to work. My ankle was a bit sore last night- too much walking around at Chadstone last night- but it is fine now. I had Pad Thai last night- hoping that the noodles help with the carbo loading and I am trying to drink a bit more water today. However, I still havent really committed myself to running in tomorrows half marathon. Well I say that, but I downloaded the entry form and filled it in, maybe I don't realise that I have already decided. 16 degrees tomorrow. What do I wear? I feel ill everytime I think about running- so it is important for me to get over this. Why am I carrying on like a sook? I don't know but I will cut it out.

Woo Hoo..Spring Is Here

Well I didn't really run this morning- more of a shuffly, jog around the park with Bella. I am trying to taper down to prepare for Sandy Point but in the back of my mind I am not sure if I will do it yet. It was very windy and it made me think about what it would be like to run 21k with a head wind and the likelihood of me showing up on Sunday morning was reduced significantly.
I had fat club last night and didn't lose a gram for the previous two weeks. It is better than putting weight on but I was pretty disappointed with myself, must try harder.
Last month I ran 152k- easily the most since I started recording everything, I have lost 9.7kg total and run 615 km for the year (Steve runs nearly that far every month).
Running the Sandy Point half depends on two things, the weather and work- I cant control either of those things.

Crazy New Office

Well all my plans have been thrown into disarray. My new office has taken a turn for the better and we have some interesting work to do, the only problem is that I am at work now, on my day off and it is going to be 22 lovely degrees today. As a result my plans for exercise have changed a lot too- I ended up running around the park with Bella this morning then I went to spin class- good instructor again and I really pushed myself, then came straight to work. I burnt 720 calories, and averaged 142. I am still planning on the Sandy Point half on Sunday but it really depends on work now. My ankle isnt sore at all but I am not sure if that is the Boswellic acid herb tablets or not. I am planning on starting the fish oil again- last time I took two straight away without food and I felt nauseous all day- and the horrid fishy burps, it was enough for me to put the jar away and say never again. Now that I have thought about the cost invovled and the possible benefits I will try again. Because I went straight to work from the gym I left home before the paper arrived- so I sent my sister a message and she went around there at about 8.15am and rescued the paper literally from the jaws of death (Bella). She is so naughty and was sitting on her bed chewing the middle of the paper.
This is naughty Bella on her favourite midday spot in the sun when I am not home to tell her to get down.

MorseyRuns

MorseyRuns
Despite working afternoon shift yesterday I made it out of bed this morning at 5 and took Bella to the park. I usually run around and Bella tears around the place sniffing but this morning we met up with Arnie and Lucy (american bulldog and boxer) and their owner Leslie. So Leslie and I walked around while Bella and Arnie wrestled over sticks and chased each other - at least Bella got a work out. I went to 6am spin afterwards and today it was a really good session- Wednesdays usually are. I burnt 546 calories, average was 139 bpm.
My ankle is a bit sore and I am a bit worried about Sunday but I will rest up after a short run tomorrow so it should be okay.
I have been preparing for the Sandy Point marathon by seeking advice from Steve on carbo loading and starting the fake tan. Normally I am frightened of carbs- since I stopped the bread and pasta I have dropped nearly 10kg so I am reluctant to start again, but I am looking forward to risotto on Saturday night.

MorseyRuns

I slept in again this morning- didnt get up until 6am (Bella hadn't even touched the newspaper when I went outside). Decided that I would run around the lake and took Bella with me. Bella is very annoying to run with because she still acts like a pup and we don't run around the lake very often so the whole first lap was a nightmare because she wanted to sniff everything and chase everyone. It takes all my energy to keep her by my side. I persevere with her because I imagine that one day she will just run along beside me regardless of the distractions. At least today she didnt fall into the lake, as has happened in the past (three times) and it is quite embarrassing- especially the last time because she was nearly fully grown and I had to almost get into the lake to get her out. We both walked back to the car dripping wet.
We ran two laps very slowly, my ankle was a bit sore and I was conscious of not over training if I am going to do Sandy Point on Sunday. I did the usual RICE thing when I got home. Burned 650 cal, averaging only 144 bpm (didnt realise my monitor wasn't working for the first 2k).
I did make it to pump last night but I hated every second of it, I would have to be offered a fantastic rate to re-join the gym when my membership expires in December.