Feeling So Much Better

The gardener rang yesterday and promised he would turn up today and finish the garden- so naturally I wasn't surprised when he didn't show up today- but get this- he rang and said he would drop off some plants and then finish the yard tomorrow. I would love to believe him, but he said it was his back yesterday and then his daughter was sick today and tomorrow I am waiting for some other excuse/ tragedy from him.

Bella and I had a sleep in this morning- she doesn't know about daylight savings still so I reset the alarm and slept in because I was on arvo shift today. I didn't make it to the lake until 7.15 and had to pay for parking again. Bella and I did two laps of the lake with the usual pit stops (all Bella's) and other stops just to sniff things. I tried to put in some sprinty type efforts on the second lap but Bella thought it was a great game and would run in front of me trying to grab her lead in her mouth for a bit of tug of war and nearly cleaned me up a few times.

I spent this afternoon trying to fence off part of the yard in case the gardener does turn up with plants today while I am not home and Bella treats them as her toys.

I ran 128km this month, up to 855 km so far for the year (starting in April).

Good food+good wine+no running= relaxed but feeling heavy

Well I haven't been for a run for a while now- I was busy on the weekend and I had a fitness test this morning so I rested up.
Friday night I went to Restaurant 2 at Como with family for Prue's 30th and had a fantastic meal- I made an early decision that I wouldn't weigh in on Saturday morning so I would enjoy my Friday night dinner so much more. Everything about dinner was perfect (especially the part where Dad paid!) - possibly better than the Flower Drum (where we went for Dad's 60th this year and again Dad paid!).
Then I had a wedding on Saturday and had a great day- because I have lost 15kg recently I was feeling fairly good about myself in my new little dress. The church service was very relaxed - Catholic service but no communion and all over very quickly. The reception was at Ripponlea and I ate too much great food and discovered mojitos!

On Sunday I was a little slow to get moving but just had a relaxing day coming to terms with daylight saving- it is now possible that Bella will get three walks a day because I cannot sit around after dinner and watch tv so I am sure we could get another walk in then.

The fitness test today was a grudge "match" between my co-worker Brad and I. We have a fitness test at work every two years or so and it is usually just blood pressure, skinfolds and the 12 minute bike test. With all the results in, the fitness co-ordinator has declared it a draw with body fat percentage (she said we were both 15%), I was devastated that I was only "good" when it came to cardiovascular fitness, though my score was 47.96 ml/kg/min and the cut off for "excellent" was 48! I was 50.04 in 2004.
I was pretty happy despite not beating Brad as convincingly as I had hoped, though he has dropped massive amounts of weight and improved his fitness dramatically since his last test so I guess he is the winner today. I had dropped a bit of cardiovascular fitness but nothing that I am too worried about.

Now I must pay close attention to the diet and exercise this week- a week off might not sound like a lot but it gets harder and harder to lose weight now.

I am living in hope that the gardener turns up today- even though it is raining now, but I should know better.
I went to spin this morning then rode to work- I tried out the gym at work but it was really disappointing. I need a plan for when my gym membership expires on 8-Dec-06 and I can't afford to renew. I got a super deal - half price- last year but the gym has been bought and changed for the worse by Fitness First who seem very capable of taking the fun out of everything. I am not keen on renewing regardless of the price and will have to hunt around for a deal. I should look at it realistically, I go to spin 2-3 times a week and I just do weights 2-3 times a week, gone are the days when I would be at step, pump, attack, tae box etc every morning (thanks to the dodgy ankle). So I could just pay casually and go to spin, and learn to use the gym at work for the weights. The gym at work is pretty ordinary and some muscle man has loaded up every machine I would use with massive plates I can barely lift off- so rude.

Still Mediocre- But Getting Better

I rode into work this morning then headed to the Tan for the 8.8km trip that includes my flat out timed lap- last week I think I did it in 24:15 mins- this morning I was making excuses for myself before I had even started- I was thinking I rode in so my legs aren't as fresh as last week, I didn't get much sleep because we worked arvo shift yesterday etc- but I decided to give it a crack anyway. I took off 1:50 from my last weeks time! That means I have gone into the whole new world of running UNDER SIX MINUTE KMS!(though only for that section, I averaged 6:20 m/k for the whole trip because I was pretty knackered for the rest of the run.
I was so excited when I was heading towards the finish post (like Tawqeet, struggling to get a clear run) and I checked my watch and realised I had done a lot better than last week. Some how I think it may take a lot longer to get another 1:50 mins off my time, but this morning I am happy with myself.

Garden= Mess, Ankle= Sore,

Well the gardener rang this morning and promised that he would be around on Wednesday and do everything except pavers and then when the pavers arrived he would finish it off at once. Do I believe him? Yes. Am I am idiot? Probably.

I did my long run this morning instead of over the weekend- Sunday morning I was recovering from one dodgy prawn in my otherwise fantastic Japanese meal. I had a small win on the Caulfield Cup (thanks to the boss giving me a tip) of $150 so went out to dinner with Shane and Leslie and boyfriend to a local Japanese restaurant. It was a great dinner but as I bit into that prawn I knew it was bad, but I didn't think it would be that bad. Anyway I was a bit exhausted in a throat burning, blood shot eyes sort of way so I didn't run on Sunday. I did make it to the Flemington Market with my sister and got some Christmas shopping done (and replenished my stomach with far too much good food).

I did 3 laps the Tan this morning- I started off very slow and was convincing myself to run but after half a lap I was into it and really enjoyed the run. Because I was there a bit later than normal I was hoping to see the same man I saw a few weeks ago: about 55-60 years old, white hair, wearing a proper suit and black shiny shoes with leather driving gloves and riding a Razor scooter down the Anderson Street hill! It made me smile the whole way around last time, but I haven't seen him since.

I went to the gym as well and did some weights.

I had fat club on the weekend and have lost another 0.7kg which means 15.4kg so far!!

Tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen.....

....pour myself a cup of ambition and yawn and stretch and try to come alive- yes I love to run to Dolly!
I walked Bella early this morning then got the tram to work before heading to the tan- I did two laps plus ran there and back which the boys tell me is 8.8 km total. I tried to keep the tempo up during my one solid lap and did a time of 24.15 which is terrible probably for most people but I was quite happy. Then I remembered that once when I was fit and light (1999 - what a great year) I did a lap of the tan in under 20 minutes- I had to train to do it, but I could do it. So I have decided that is one of my goals as well.
All in all today I ran 8.8 km in 55:46 minutes- burnt 502 calories and averaged 164 bpm. I also used Anderson Street hill to see how high I could get my heart rate and I have to say that at 189 I was struggling to breath and thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest. That is only one beat away from my theoretical maximum of 188 so I guess the training zones on my heart rate monitor are pretty accurate.

Well Bella didn't dig another swimming pool thankfully- she has been very good so we have been making a fuss over her to try to reinforce the message, I hope it works. She is getting better - apart from the occasional fight at the park, last night she even took on Elvis again (bull mastiff x ridgeback) but there were no injuries this time (last time I had to take Elvis' owner to emergency with a dislocated shoulder after he dived on the fighting dogs in a ridiculous effort to break it up).

Bella and I ran twice around the Tan yesterday morning nice and early- it took us 59 minutes but that is good considering there were four pit stops - none of them mine- and a bit of back tracking to bins etc. Then I spent the day waiting for the gardener who turned up at 3.45 pm and said it should be finished by Friday (as if!).

Went to spin class this morning and then did some weights- but it did nothing to appease the guilt I felt for staying at home all day yesterday and eating rubbish. Burnt 400 calories, averaged 145.

Rest Day ish

My ankle was pretty sore this morning when I took Bella to the park so I changed plans and didn't do any exercise this morning. Mondays I don't know what to do because I would like to do an early morning spin but I don't like the instructors music etc. so I think from now on I will make an effort to head to the 5.40 class this evening.

I took Bella to the park despite the fact she is in so much trouble for deciding to dig a swimming pool in the middle of my brand new turf. Not just chewing the edges or scratching at the joins- a massive hole. Today I sprayed dog deterrant spray all over the lawn and gave her a massive bone, reward ball, rope toy and ball before I left for work. I am almost too frightened to go home and see what she has done.

10 km 1:05 (seconds are unimportant with a time like that)

Well I got to work early this morning and headed out to the lake for my first timed 10km run. I even strapped my watch to my arm so that I could record my splits, but I am not too sure what value that will be: 6:48, 6:35, 6.24, 6:40, 6:30, 6:35, 6:31, 6:25, 6:28, 6:05.
It is pretty obvious to me, that this can only get better, I was pretty tired this morning and my legs felt like lumps of wood- though I really only did light jogging yesterday before some cycling at the gym then weights (upper body only).

I had fat club yesterday and have lost another 1.2 kg bringing the total to 14.5 kg (woo hoo!- that is a lot less weight for me to carry around the lake!) So another 2kg and then I might be happy.

My yard is still a demolition zone with lovely green turf- you were right Sparkdriver, it is starting to look better all ready but Bella punishes me everytime I leave her at home by digging up a patch of the new turf. Then when I get home she hides in her kennel and won't look at me- the end result is that no-one is happy so I am trialing a new regime of lots of bones and toys.

As for the previous comment about running a marathon- I really am only just entertaining the thought in the back of my mind- I remember the pain of my first half all too well and I don't know if I am ready to be reunited with that pain x 2. All the respect for people who can run that distance and then think about doing it again, but I just don't know if it is for me.

Goals

Well I would post another photo of my yard BUT IT WOULD BE THE SAME AS YESTERDAYS. I am a bit more calm about it than those capitals would suggest but I was getting worried when Dave the gardener didn't answer his phone for a few days and didn't come around at all after laying the turf. He arrived this morning and said that he wont be back to pave and finish until Tuesday next week. I took deep breaths and said that would be fine. Ten minutes later I lost all calm after I had to ring a plumber for the "hot water" service which was not living up to its name. Anyway, the upshot is no hot water until at least Wednesday- though it isn't really a drama for me as I seem to shower at the gym or work or the pool, but the boyfriend is really going to be angry (when I get around to telling him, might just let him work it out!)

Exercise
I went to spin this morning at 0600- despite not working until this afternoon, then later on I went to Prahran pool and swam just over a K. I tried my hardest in spin- it is a great class on Fridays and really put in an effort at the pool so I wasn't just slogging away getting nowhere.

It is time to set some goals:

1. Start recording times for my runs on my blog not just my running log
2. Get faster and faster
3. Run a half marathon in under 2 hours (this is long term)
4. Keep entering runs
5. Lose another 3 kilos without being silly about it

I want to include that I might try the Melbourne Marathon next year, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

Damn Flat Tyre

It was so light and warm this morning it was great to be up early walking Bella with Leslie, Arnie and Lucy- they love the sprinklers that are on in the mornings to water the cricket pitch. I went to spin class and then when I went to ride to work I discovered a very flat tyre on my bike (only at the bottom though!) So it was a shuffly jog to work until my boss kindly stopped and offered me a lift. I only burnt 575 calories and averaged 130 but I did get some good sweat up.

My legs still have little twinges in them but they are a lot better today. I definitely didn't lose any weight on Sunday- but the up side is that I bought some shorts for work several weeks ago that were a bit tight and wore them for the first time today and I think I should have got the smaller size!

The next plan is to run the Sri Chinmoy on the 22nd of Oct at Maribynong- followed by a stroll around the market at Flemington Racecourse. It is only 12 km so it shouldn't be too bad and I might just treat it like a normal training run. No tapering, no consuming every piece of bread in a 25km radius.

My garden is being overhauled this week- much to Bella's delight as the landscaper brings his dog around too. Bella has dug up all the grass and killed most of the plant life in the yard so I am hoping now that she has matured enough to ignore my new hedge and lawn etc when it is all planted They turned up Monday and made a mess, tearing out two trees and digging up everything before asking for more cash and promising to return Wednesday.
The first photo is a before shot! Before Dave the gardener and after Bella the plant killer that is. The next shot I took after Dave left on Monday.

Long Story Short

I had yesterday off so it has been a while since I posted, here goes:

Saturday
It was my friend Savannah's hens day and birthday so we had a lovely lunch at the Stokehouse. I managed to get some more carbs in (great risotto) and avoided all alcohol (I even surprised myself). Savannah avoided all the usual tacky bride things, though she did have to answer some questions about her betrothed that included some things she didn't need to reveal in front of her mother. I made it to bed early but didn't really sleep very well.

Sunday - D Day
I woke up with a fright at 5.40 and madly showered dressed despite being very early. I had to go to work and get my race number which I had foolishly left in my diary at work. I went to my friend Kendra's house and waited with her for our lift and then we all crammed in the car with the rest of the girls and then there was no turning back.
Kendra and I headed straight for the portaloos at the start area- and queued as it rained on us. We huddled together to keep warm as we waited then once we had finished in the portaloos we headed to the start. We followed the shivering masses up the hill to the start (very glad we didn't start at the bottom of the hill). Then it became nice and warm so we both donated our tops to the pile of clothes on the side of the road. After the national anthem (I did take my hat off) we were on our way.
The wind felt like a tail wind and we were doing 5.30 min k's at the start but then this drifted out despite our efforts to keep it up. We averaged 6.13 min k's (Sandy Point I averaged 6.27 min k's) which was okay but my original plan of finishing under 2hrs was never going to happen- I would have to shave 50 seconds off per km from my Sandy Point time.
It was a good run and I didn't feel tired until the last 4km, we even put in some efforts and tried a bit of speed to get away from a very pongy man who seemed determined to run in front of us with his odour assaulting my nose as I tried to suck in some air.
Kendra stayed with me most of the whole way despite it being obvious she could stride out and finish way ahead of me. We saw our friend Vic madly waving on the side of the road, then my sister also carrying on and keeping me going a bit longer.
I really enjoyed the run, I didn't get any joint or muscle pain and did better than last time. Kendra struck out with about 2km to go and met me at the end. Burnt 1565 calories (AVERAGED 182 BPM!)

Recovery
After we finished and collected our medal (which I hung around my neck much to Kendra's embarrassment!) and got some fruit and finally sat down and stretched. We still felt ok so Kendra headed home while I thought I would wait and see how Steve went. Then I felt very unwell, apparently I lost all my colour and everyone was a bit worried about me so I decided to head home. I made it to the tram then collapsed on a grotty seat. I made it to my street then my body decided to reject the fruit and endura and I made a public spectacle of myself by throwing up in the street.
After I had slept then had more bread I felt a million dollars. Took Bella for a walk then had the girls around for some wine and dip etc. My quads and hip flexors hurt a bit as well as my shoulders but I was very relaxed. I didn't have the massive weight loss like I did last time but I think that was because I ate too much. Next time I won't just eat everything in sight, but I will make sure I eat on the morning of the run, this time I had nothing because I woke up with a massive head ache so I only consumed panadol.

Monday 9th October
Had a swim to get the muscles moving but they were pretty tight so had a light jog to the gym and did a spin class which hurt a lot but I definitely felt better afterwards.

Tuesday 10th October
My legs felt good this morning so I thought I would rest them some more, I used the rower at the gym then did some weights.

Need to find the next goal, but I just checked my calendar and realised I have no free Sunday until December 3rd.

Eating my body weight in carbs

I went to fat club last night- lost 1.4 kg bringing the total to 13.5 kg so far, I am not sure how much more I will lose but hopefully another two or three. Didn't run today, just got up and started eating bread. I don't think I could eat as much as they suggest but I am cutting out coffee and alcohol and just hitting the bread and pasta. I could easily use this as an excuse to just munch away on any rubbish but I am going to try to keep healthy as well (maybe one chicken schnitzel sandwich, surely it couldn't hurt?)

Tapering/ Lazy Shuffle

I ran twice around the tan today- last run before Sunday, it took forever because of Bella again but I wasnt in a hurry. It is so windy today and I am praying that it is still on Sunday morning (or a lovely tail wind). The only drama now is that I have turned awkwardly and hurt my lower back- am hoping that this also disappears before Sunday.
I drove down to Ricketts Point and then drove back along the course to get an idea- it includes the course for the Sandy Point half that I did at the start of September so I was familiar with that curvy hilly section.
Fat club tonight and it is amazing that despite not training hard I have still been losing weight- I guess I am not that hungry right now.
Today burnt 566 calories, averaged 147 bpm.

This week is going way too fast

I am not really feeling good about Sunday at all right now. I did a spin class this morning but kept my heart rate low and didn't tax my legs too much, it didn't feel like exercise at all. I hope I am not using this tapering thing to just be lazy. I rode my bike there and then on to work and burnt 460 calories- averaging..........122 bpm (my 65% limit) it was almost like I wasnt moving at all. I found that unless I am giving it everything I have got in spin, my pace and heart rate drop off until I am not really exercising.

Was pretty happy with my new running t-shirt yesterday it certainly felt lighter and less restrictive than my normal t-shirts, guess I will have to wait and see. Not so happy with new sports bra though but that is probably more information than anyone really needs.

Will have to speak to my friend KJ who is doing the run on Sunday as well and sort out logistics, transport etc soon so that I have everything planned to within seconds.

I am sleeping well, but I do go to bed about 9pm at the moment because of the 5am starts so I will be trying to sleep in over the next few mornings.

Walk Cycle Run

I made it up early today and took Bella for her usual walk/ wrestle with Arnie then rode my bike in to work and ran around the tan. (burnt 567 calories, averaged 148 for run/cycle)
I cannot get over how light it is in the mornings at the moment, not long until daylight saving steals the daylight from us in the morning though. I definately prefer to run in the dark, though given that I tend to have a good stack every now and then, I probably shouldn't. I have fallen over quite regularly since I started running, around the tan, around the lake, along the Yarra (during a fun run so there were plenty of witnesses), it doesnt matter. This morning I was so careful about watching where I was putting my feet, I am worried about getting this close to race day and injuring myself.
Work hours should be fairly stable this week which is good for the final preparation, I have been madly reading other blogs about the run and while the advice is good (dont go too fast in the first 5km, drinking at 5km is better than drinking at 30 km) I have also realised I know nothing about the course andI thought that we had to climb the hill from Carlisle Street towards the St Kilda Junction which made me panic, but I have just checked out the course and I think we run around it (phew).

Spin 468 calories, bpm:148

Well I have had very disjointed preparation this week- I didn't have a long run on the weekend and I can pretend that it was due to "tapering" but we all know that it was due to laziness. My work hours have been quite horrendous and so I slept in Sunday morning (beers in the park with Shane and Leslie and Baxter on Saturday helped that) and just had a big walk instead. The weather was fantastic and I did get a little burnt too. I was able to get out in the sun in my shorts that haven't fitted for quite some time.

I missed my weigh in for the second week in a row which always makes it hard, I really need the fear of standing on the scales in front of people to make me lose weight. I had a pretend weigh in at the gym so there was no public humiliation but I think I lost another half. I will try to weigh in on Thursday and start befriending bread and pasta again (my long lost friends).

I slept in again this morning (I did start work at 2am on Saturday so I feel like it is okay) and went to the park with Bella. I did make it to spin class then did some weights.

I am getting very nervous about next Sunday, I have bought a new t-shirt so my arms shouldn't get chaffed to bits like last time. I decided against new tights because my old ones are so comfy but I should wear in some new ones soon. I have a hens party on Saturday but I plan to be there all day but home early without drinking anything alcoholic (where is the fun in that?).

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.