No Running, No Blogging...

Life's been a bit disrupted over the last couple of weeks. I've been back and forward to Sydney a few times and I'm due to go back again this weekend - which is excellent!

But it has left me feeling tired and unmotivated to run.

Hopefully that'll change next week. I'll get back into the normal routine of 11 days on and 3 days off. The 11 days on should allow me to get back into my running. I should also be a bit more flexible with my time in the evenings because I will not have to rely on other people to get to the canteen. So I can run as soon as I get back from work - then eat.

We're also planning to utilise the 3 days off better too. Rather than me flying down to Sydney via Brisbane, I should be able to get flights for Shirley and Lian to meet me in Brisbane - then we have the opportunity to see Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, including Wiggles World at Dream World!

So life's not looking too shabby!

Blackwater, Rotation 2 of 5, Day 3 of 11...

Normally I'd be happily analysing statistics from my runs, but the main focus seems to be watching the days tick off until the next break.

I've just arrived back to site after my first long weekend break back to Sydney. Excellent to see my girls and the rest of the family, but just not enough time.

I also had 2 days in Rockhampton doing some inductions. I didn't make too much effort to explore Rocky but from what I saw on the map and from a couple of drives around (trying to find some decent food) there's not much to it. Oh, apart from being "The Beef Capital of Australia". I wonder if the Big Mac had local ingredients? It tasted the same as anywhere else!

Fortunately, I'm back to Sydney again this weekend, as we have some friends coming back from Singapore for a few days (hello, if you're reading, see you in The Orient on Friday). Just a flying visit: fly out of here Friday lunchtime and leave to travel back Sunday evening.

So no running for a few days. Hopefully once I get settled into a routine here - I can follow some sort of programme again. It's not like there's much else to do!

I've been trying to post some MotionBased screen shots to my previous posts from Blackwater, but no luck so far. I also got some Google Earth shots too, but I forgot to transfer them to my office computer! I was trying to record where I'm based. I'll try that later too.

Blackwater, Rotation 1 of 5, Day 7 of 11...

Another good run yesterday evening. 10.60km in 1:00:04 at 5:39/km pace.



I've figured out that the current map of Blackwater is wrong. I've tried to run along one road from both directions - and the middle section just doesn't exist! I ended up running through the bush to find another sealed road - and that got a bit scary at times!!

But excellent running conditions again. I'd set my Imaginary Friend off for an easy paced 1 hour at 6:00/km pace - and had no problem with that. In fact the last few kms were knocked off much quicker - and I felt like I could have carried on much further.

I'm not sure if I'll get into some running during the week. I'm up at 5.30am already, so not much chance of getting up any earlier - and we usually head for dinner straight after work, so no opportunity then either.

Blackwater, Rotation 1 of 5, Day 6 of 11...

Here I am, early on a Sunday morning, in the site office. 6.00am till 2.30pm today. Then I'll head back to camp, do some laundry (back to Dulwich Hill days...?) and watch the footy on TV.

So after a few days here, I've realised that the situation is bearable - all-be-it in the absence of my girls, although I can speak to them every day on the phone. Yesterday I was entertained by Lian singing and playing The Grand Old Duke of York on her new karaoke piano!

I also managed to get out for a run yesterday evening. The conditions were excellent! Not too hot, the sun was setting, and the roads are DEAD-FLAT! The details were 6.63km in 40:05 at 6:01/km pace. So nice and slow.


I intend to do a longer run this afternoon - after the footy on TV is finished there ain't much else to do!

Half Marathon Photos & Result...

So 39 seconds quicker than I timed it. I don't understand how they've adjusted the time as I timed it tape to tape. But I'll take it!

The thing I noticed was how different I look in the two shots. The bridge was within the first 2km of the race - so about 10 minutes in. I think I look fairly relaxed. Then some 1:45 later...

I haven't done a run yet here in Blackwater. I moved into some better accommodation last night - then celebrated down the Mine Workers Club with a locally reared rib-eye steak, a couple of beers and half a bottle of wine!

I planned to go for a run tonight, but then I realised it's Friday! Although seafood buffet at the Club doesn't appeal to me, so we'll see!

Definitely get a couple of runs in over the weekend. We only(!) work 6.00am till 2.30pm Saturday and Sunday whereas weekdays are 6.00am till 5.00pm. So a bit of time should be available.

Blackwater, Rotation 1 of 5, Day 3 of 11...

Not that I'm counting.

5 rotations puts me at the middle of November. 2 months, which is what they originally said. Although already they're trying to push that out to Christmas. NO BLOODY WAY!!

The upside is that my 2nd rotation falls over a Public Holiday long weekend, so it's been suggested (and far be it from me to steer them in this direction) that it's not worth traveling up for a Tuesday rotation start, back home on Friday, back up again the following Tuesday and back home for the end of the rotation on Friday. Hopefully I can spend that time in Sydney or worst case will be Brisbane. At least I get the long weekend off.

So, what's this place like? Well there's no other way to say it than: it's a shit-hole. What do you expect from a place with the sole purpose of supporting a coal mine?

I'm not going to go into detail - it'll depress me too much.

I'll try to go for a run tonight - partly to keep fit, partly to keep occupied and partly to be able to upload a course to Google Earth so that I see and show where this place is.

Then I'll have the joys of sampling camp food!!

Half Marathon Report...

The very fact that there is something to report is a huge bonus considering last week's distractions.

Even as late as Saturday night I was considering binning it. We were babysitting one of Lian's friends and they were running around screaming their heads off. The changes at work were still playing on my mind. And as well as the thought of getting up at 4am and running 21.1km on Sunday - they all combining to make my head feel like it was going to explode.

But I decided that the run would provide a good distraction from all the crap and may sort me out.

So up I got at 4am, wandered around a bit to get my system going, had something to eat, checked the cricket score and headed for the 5.05am train to Milson's Point.

I think I may have fallen asleep on the train because the journey went very quickly. I followed the crowds up to the park, collected my free singlet and dropped off the rest of my ballast at the clothing trucks / porta-loos!

I had a good stretch before the start and ended up stood next to the starters stage - from where I couldn't even see the red balloons signifying the 1:50:00 pacer (they were way behind me). I thought that'd be OK though as I had my trusty Imaginary Friend.

However, it didn't take long to realise that my Imaginary Friend was also suffering from the early start - or perhaps it was because he gets upset being hidden from the sky by the Harbour Bridge / buildings. Anyway, I couldn't rely on his advice of pace or distance too much - but at least it gave me an idea.

I felt pretty good for most of the first half, except when there was torrential rain (probably only for a few minutes - but felt longer) just before the turning point. That caused a fierce head wind going out which died on the way back.

I think I went through 14km (City to Surf distance) in about 1:15 - so a new PB there! I also saw the red balloons pass me on the way back toward the city and kept them in sight for a while.

But then I encountered the hills between about 15 and 19km. They really knocked me around. I remember walking up one particularly steep bit and had to force myself to kick off again when it leveled out.

I ran along with a lad from Sunderland via Brisbane who said he'd been limping since 8km and that seemed to give me a bit of a breather before I put on a bit of a surge down a hill and through to the Opera House.

...to finish in 1:54:30 by my watch.

So 4:30 outside my initial target, but as I said - considering where my head's been for the last week or so - I was very pleased with that.

I wandered round the recovery village to stretch a bit and put some dry clothes, then headed back to Circular Quay station and home.

I was switched on enough to keep drinking fluids for the rest of the day and didn't feel too beaten up.

I really can't imagine how I could ever do a Marathon, but maybe after I've settled down a bit and get back into training I might re-evaluate that idea. I'll certainly give the Half a go again. Maybe the Sydney Morning Herald sponsored event in May next year?

Who Threw that Spanner in the Works...?

It took something big to divert my attention away from the Half Marathon on Sunday, and this has seemed so big that I was about to throw in the towel at one stage!

There's just been a reorganisation at work. I'd been led to believe that my position would basically stay the same but I'd be working for a different group, still based in Sydney.

As it turned out, when the new org chart for that group was issued, my name wasn't on it! So a) I'm pissed off that no-one had the decency to come and advise me of that, and b) it suggests that the work I'd been doing and was intending to do for that new group was worthless!

Thankfully, there were some decent senior managers who did see the worth in what I'm trying to do and they were eager to pounce and grab me before I toddled off down to the Job Centre (via the pub).

However, their immediate need for me is to go to one of our sites for 2 months to sort something out. Anybody heard of Blackwater? No, thought not. It's 200km West of Rockhampton - a huge coal mine where we're building a $200M coal handling plant. Nice!!

It's an 11 days on, 3 days off roster - which means 11 days without my girls - living in a site camp. Hopefully they have a gym and no bar!

Just got to work out the details of when to go. But it's been very distracting these past couple of days.

It does appear to be an opportunity to work within this new group of people and prove hands-on the worth of what I'm trying to do - and therefore secure my long-term future (as much as one can these days). And I'm told that I will still be Sydney based!

The way that this reorganisation has been rolled out has been ridiculous - and it's affected more senior people than me. It's left a real bad taste in many peoples mouths!

So hopefully, I can sort my head out about this whole thing and get out for the Half Marathon on Sunday.

Easy Does It...

This morning was meant to be a 5km Easy paced run - so that's 6:00/km.

I didn't take too much notice of what my Imaginary Friend was telling me - I just ran what I thought was a comfortable pace, making sure I made a clean foot strike and breathing well.

It turned out that I finished 5.20km at 5:13/km pace. I really find it difficult to comfortably run any slower. I suspect my heart rate would've been higher than an easy pace is trying to achieve. Good job I don't wear a Heart Rate Monitor!

Coincidentally, 5:13/km is exactly the pace I need to run for 21.1km to achieve my 1:50:00 target. Whilst this mornings 5.20km was easy, I suspect Sunday may be considerably tougher.

Still some soreness in the left heel. So I will run no more before Sunday. Just have a stretch and remember to warm up properly.

So next post should be Monday with a report!

Easy 7km, Tapering...

I had my doubts whether I'd get out this morning, considering how I felt yesterday afternoon. But dosing up on drugs seems to have sorted me out - at least they suppressed the symptoms. I'll keep taking them until the weekend (hope I don't get a podium finish, otherwise they might drug test me!)

So 7+ km at an Easy pace (should have been 6:00/km but turned out to be 5:40/km) was achieved.

I felt a bit of a niggle in my left heel again. Hope that doesn't give me a problem on Sunday!

Another Easy run tomorrow and maybe Thursday too. Then a good rest and a good feed up until Sunday!

Feeling Like Crap...

I've been hit by a major case of the snuffles. And with a nose as big as mine, that means serious trouble!

I'm dosing up on Cold & Flu tablets. But I can't concentrate on anything work related.

I also just checked the train times for Sunday. I'll have to get the 5.05am train in order to get to Milsons Point before 6am. That's going to be tough!

I think the Cold has been brought on by being kicked out of bed by Lian again last night. She's been feeling under the weather too lately, so we've been letting her sleep in our bed with mummy. So my being downgraded to the spare room means no electric blanket! Maybe I'll try to squeeze into Lian's bed (with heater) if I get booted out again tonight.

I think I need to get stuck into work so I don't get distracted to write this sort of crap again!

Extra Long Rest...

I was torn between having a final 'long' run yesterday and having an extended rest before a couple of easy sessions this week.

The rain conspired to make the rest day the only realistic option!

And it was Father's Day so I had to give Lian the chance to pamper me!

So just a couple of easy sessions this week to give the legs a taste of what to be prepared for next Sunday!

10 days to go...

My programme called for a 5km easy run at 6:00/km pace this morning.

As usual, I was a bit quicker than that. Average pace was 5:43/km but I carried on a bit beyond 5km (5.18km) to go for half an hour.

I was trying to focus on getting a good rhythm, breathing well and not shuffling. I've noticed that my heels are hitting the ground before I plant my foot. That's got to be the reason why the soles of my shoes are wearing in that area. It has to be mechanically inefficient too as I either have to work against the friction of my foot hitting the ground and / or my stride length is not optimised.

I guess the solution is to pick up my feet more on the follow through.

I'm also feeling a bit sore in my left heel. Not sure whether it's my achilles...? Probably not, as it feels lower than that. I was intending to do a long run on Sunday, but perhaps I shouldn't push that much so close to the Half Marathon. I'll still run an easy pace on Sunday, but I think just less distance.

Speed Session...

Following the training programme I researched last week - I was due a speed session this morning. 8 x 400m at 4:13/km pace with 3 to 4 minute jog recoveries in between each repeat.

So each 400m lap should have been completed in 1:41.

My actual splits were:

1. 1:23
2. 1:40
3. 1:35
4. 1:38
5. 1:33
6. 1:34
7. 1:44
8. 1:42

So I slowed up a bit on the last 2 repeats, but overall I averaged 1:36 per lap at a pace of 4:00/km.

That now gives me a good indication that the training pace calculator is consistent and achievable. I'll not make any predictions about beating the 1:50:00 target for the Half Marathon, even though these recent sessions have been a bit ahead of the predictions. I think I need to stick to this pattern on an ongoing basis and see how it works out in the longer term.

It does however give me the confidence that 1:50:00 is achievable... with the help of my Imaginary Friend and the pace runner!

The weather was warm again this morning. I was definitely overdressed in my long sleeve top, tee-shirt and hat! Hope it continues like this...

12 days to go...

... until the Sydney Half Marathon.

My programme called for an Easy run this morning which means 6:03/km pace.

I set out with my Imaginary Friend with an aim to complete 8km. My Imaginary Friend said "Heh, don't worry about the :03, just say 6:00 - you always try to get ahead of me anyway".

Who was I to argue? As usual, he was right. We finished the 8km in 45:37 at 5:42/km pace.

I wonder if the equation works backwards? As I understand it, the 6:03 Easy pace is based on me being able to run a Half Marathon in 1:50:00. So, as I finished this morning (and my other recent sessions based on this theory) faster than the prescribed pace, should I be able to run the Half Marathon quicker than 1:50:00?

I suspect that even 1:50:00 will be tough to achieve and I'm just not quite optimising my training (although it's close enough).

Tomorrow calls for 8 x 400m at 4:13/km with 3 to 4 minute recovery jogs between each repeat.

Longest Run in 11 Years!

Even though I did complete the Singapore Half Marathon in 2001 - I remember having to walk a fair bit because a) I was unfit and b) there was no water at the drink stations!!!

So Portsmouth 1994 was the last 'long' run I'd done.

Yesterday was a successful long-slow-distance session. I ended up at 18.28km in 1:53:18 at 6:11/km pace.

I was supposed to run between 6:03 and 6:50/km pace. The first 3kms were too quick (never thought I'd say that) but then I managed to slow down to the required pace. The 16th km was a bit slower - I think that must have been a long drag uphill.

I carried a water bottle with me - which I must remember to do in future.

I should also remember in future to keep drinking water after I finish the run. I woke up with a 'hangover' type headache this morning. No beers last night so I can only assume it's due to dehydration.

My heels and ankles felt sore toward the end of the run. I noticed that my shoes are wearing down quickly on the heels too (I think the outside edge) even though I've only had them for 4+ months - and I'm hardly doing huge mileage. So I wonder if I have some form problem there? I'll keep an eye on that.

Didn't stay up to watch the cricket last night. It would've been good to see an England victory at my home county ground. I woke up this morning to a text message from my dad advising me of the result.

Should I pray for rain in London for 5 days from the 8th September? I don't think so. Looking forward to a 3-1 series win!

I have a Plan...

I spent some time yesterday doing a bit of research into a structured training programme.

This is what I found:

Runners World - Training Pace Calculator

It talks about how many sessions to do per week, how many of those should be 'hard' sessions, what 'hard' sessions are and how fast the different sessions should be based on my current achievements.

So I've taken that information and set up my schedule as follows:

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Easy
• Wednesday - Hard (Tempo / Max O2 / Speed / Yasso)
• Thursday - Easy
• Friday - Easy / Rest
• Saturday - Rest
• Sunday - Hard (Long)

This morning was therefore an Easy run - 7km at 6.03min/km pace was the target.

I actually found that very difficult to achieve - I mean that I found it difficult to run so slow. I finished the 7km at an average pace of 5:45min/km in a total time of 40:12.

My long run on Sunday should be 18km at 6:03 to 6:50min/km pace.

Another highlight of this morning's run was finding Lian's favourite doll (Bon-bon) which she'd dropped on the way to Por-por's (Cantonese for Granny) place yesterday. I ran the route that they'd walked and there it was! Some kind soul had propped her up against a fence! What a result!!

That was different...

I'm not sure how to describe this morning's session! Once again I'm not really following a proper plan - I'm just playing around with my Imaginary Friend.

I asked my Imaginary Friend to lead me through an Interval Session. There are so many options, but I chose Run Distance and Rest Distance, for 5 repetitions. I set the session to run for a quarter mile, rest for a quarter mile (402.34m!). Typically American influenced gadget has set distances in miles although it is possible to set custom distances in kilometers. I just had the intention to run as fast as I could - without really knowing how fast that would be.

As it turned out I covered the quarter mile run splits in about 1:20 to 1:30 and felt like I needed less than the quarter mile rest, so I cut that back to about 300m.

I then realised that I'd only run for about 7 :30 (plus the rests) so I ran a loop back to home at about 5:20min/km pace for 1.5 kms.

I'm sure I've said this before, but I must check out some structured training routines. The problem with those is that they seem to be geared around running a particular event on a particular date, whereas my ongoing training will not necessarily be event driven.

I'm sure I can work something out!

8km in 0:39:24...

It felt like a good run this morning. I asked my Imaginary Friend to go out at 5min/km pace for a total of 8km. As usual, I kept a little ahead of that pace, partly with the expectation that I would fade toward the end. My actual splits were:

• 1st km in 4:59
• 2nd km in 4:56
• 3rd km in 4:41
• 4th km in 4:33
• 5th km in 4:48
• 6th km in 4:54
• 7th km in 5:43 - a bit of an uphill drag here
• 8th km in 4:50 - but managed to get back to the average pace

Total time was 0:39:24. That's 1:50:08 pace for the half marathon (according to my race pace calculator), but I really have my doubts whether I can achieve this. Hang on, didn't I have the same doubts about my target for City to Surf? I only missed it by a fraction!

My programme calls for 5km tomorrow, 8km on Thursday then 14km on Sunday, same next week except 16km on Sunday, then a taper down before the half marathon on 11th September.

I can't remember where I found that programme but I suspect it's a novice - just enough to finish plan rather than an intermediate - finish in a certain time plan!

I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Very Average...

I just can't seem to get these long slow runs working very well.

I think I must be setting off too fast - being a bit too optimistic about my ability!

So the intention was to run for 1:30:00 at 5:30min/km pace. That would've been about 16kms I think.

The first 6kms went to plan. The weather was great. Not too hot but plenty of sunshine. But from 6km until the end, my pace dropped down to 5:46min/km AND I had to walk for about 1km up a not too steep hill.

So overall, I only managed 1:09:01 which got me 11.95km.

Obviously a long way to go to achieve the 1:50:00 time for the half marathon.

In other news: I've got a new project on at home. I'm going to build a DIY solar pool heater! A few lengths of 90mm diameter pipe cut in half length-ways, painted silver to act as reflectors and some 13mm diameter polycarbonate tubing to circulate water in front of the reflectors. Add in a solar powered pump to get the water moving and there you go!

Hopefully it'll encourage more use of the pool than last summer!

Back in Training...

My first run since City to Surf this morning.

I think I need to do some more research into my training routine. I just tend to run as far and as fast / slow as I feel like, apart from the specific intention to run long - slow - distance on Sundays.

So this morning I ran 7km in 35 minutes. That was pushing it fairly hard! I use my Forerunner to set the pace, but then I purposefully set out to get ahead, only to slow down at the end and finish in line with the average pace. Surely I'd be better off setting the pace and sticking to it!

Anyway, everything feels fine - no sore joints or muscles. So that's good.

It was so cold again this morning and I think I'm still catching up on sleep from watching the cricket on Monday / Tuesday - so it was a bit tough to get out of bed. I'll see how I feel tomorrow morning. Hopefully I'll be right for another trot, then a long run on Sunday.

3 Hours Sleep...

I stayed up to watch the finish of the 3rd Test at Old Trafford. Another amazing finish to a Test Match! I feel pretty rough now though, and not just from the lack of sleep! England missing out on the win could be a pivotal moment... Who'd have thought we'd see Australia celebrating a draw?

I haven't decided when to get back into the running. Probably should have a session tomorrow morning and Thursday and then a longer run on Sunday. I have to start using my Forerunner to optimise my training now - especially pacing myself over the long runs. Only 26 days to go until the Sydney Half Marathon.

I was sat on my arse for most of yesterday, so every time I did get up - my legs, especially my calves were feeling very stiff. They're OK now though.

I bought the newspaper on the way to work this morning - just to check my official time from the City to Surf. It's recorded as 76:34 - 1 second quicker than I thought, so that's a little bonus. 8025th place! So I must have overtaken more people than overtook me!

I'm a bit annoyed that I forgot to set the video to record the City to Surf coverage. The record holder (Steve Moneghetti) ran with a microphone and was commentating as he ran!

OK, time for some work...

City to Surf Report...

I love it when a plan (almost) comes together!

I'll note the important statistic first: Finish Time according to my watch was 1:16:35. The official results will be out on Tuesday.

So even though that was 1:35 outside of my target time, I am very pleased with how it all went.

I'd had a good dose of carbs on Saturday evening, thanks to Shirl's homemade spag bol. I was amazed at how well I slept on Saturday night. I guess I should be thankful for the rain in Manchester - i.e. not much play in the cricket - so that didn't keep me awake late. I was up at 6.00am, had breakfast (nutella sandwich), checked the cricket progress (not much), had a wander round - double checking my gear, performed some important body functions(!), thoughtfully moved my car out of the driveway so Shirl could use hers, and headed down to the station to catch the 7.02 to the City.

There were a few other people heading in with the same intention, but I was a bit too nervous to chat to them so kept to myself on the train. Got to Town Hall, walked up to Hyde Park, grabbed a clothing bag, had two attempts at dropping that off with my clothes (forgot to take off my extra socks at the first attempt), thought about having another visit to the loo (declined), then wandered down to the blue group start.

I was amazed that I was so close to the front. Probably about 10 rows back and that was I guess at about 8.00. So I was pretty happy with that. I turned around every 10 minutes or so and realised I was lucky to have got there when I did. It was filling up very quickly behind me (and in front, where some chancers always have to sneak in). There were a couple of footballs (round shaped!) bobbling around - which was a bit annoying, because it meant everyone had to be on their guard to avoid getting one in the face. Anyway, the time passed fairly quickly.

And so it came toward the start time - 9.30. Looking across the junction of College, Park and William Streets, I could see the whole of the 'Back of the Pack' - an amazing sight. Not sure how many people were there but I was happy that I didn't have to get caught up in that!

And then they were off. The first group started at 9.30. I was amazed at how fast the front runners go off. I doubt I could sprint that fast for any distance, let alone for as long as they do and then carry on for 14km! I switched on my Forerunner in anticipation of our start - some 10 minutes later I guessed - but I couldn't get a GPS signal. I guess I was too sheltered by the Australian Museum building - which was also blocking out the sun, meaning that it was a bit chilly standing still for that time. Never mind, it'd lock on (and warm) up when I rounded the corner to William Street.

The next group started a few minutes later, then it was us next. I'd tried to do a few warm-ups and stretches, but too difficult in a mass of people. I was also a bit nervous about a group of people who were just in front of me who looked like they were off for a day of bush-walking. Slouch hats, rain coats, backpacks and camelback water carriers. I just hoped they didn't expect to walk and not get trampled!

So then we were off. I started my watch on the gun, so I'm sure my timing was accurate. I managed to avoid the bush-walkers - although it did get a bit physical in there! As I recall, I was basically running straight away - not held up too much by the mass of people. That would come later!

A good little downhill stretch for the first few hundred metres or so got me warmed up fine and into a good rhythm. It would've been so easy to have got caught up with the excitement and blast off at a faster pace. Thankfully I didn't do too bad and was actually conscious of my breathing!

I kept an eye on the pace for the first few kms. I didn't even see any km posts at the side of the road, apart from 7km and 11km, so I was glad of having the Forerunner. My target time of 1:15:00 worked out at an average of 5:21 per km. But of course that doesn't take into account the hills! So I just tried to keep to around about that 5:20 pace for as long as possible.

The drink stations were where it really got mad. I skipped the first one because it was just too messy. The roads were packed full width coming up to the stations and of course everyone just split off left and right to try to grab a drink - obviously causing a bit of a traffic jam. I guess I made up quite a few places there. But I knew I'd have to drink at the next station.

I got to the bottom of Heartbreak Hill (6km) in about 32 minutes - which was keeping to my average pace. I didn't find the hill too bad. I did slow down a bit, but just kept a nice steady pace - about 6min/km I later found out. I walked through the drink station at the top - partly to have a bit of a rest but also to make sure I got the drink inside me rather than outside!

There was a little rest for the next 2 kms or so, then for me the hardest part was the hill from about 9.5 to 10.5km (see marker on map below). That was tough to keep going and I may have walked another drink station too (can't remember).

The last 3km or so was hard work but I knew the toughest bits were behind me and it'd be over soon! So I just kept going without worrying about the pace or time. I remember how long the run out to the turn back is along Campbell Parade and wanted to leave a bit in the legs for a good finish.

And so I did. I think the official clock read 86 minutes or so. I stopped my watch at 76:35. I can't remember the time on the card I was given. I did see a card on the floor with 82 something on it and was tempted to pick it up! But no, there was nothing to gain from being dishonest.

I walked through the finish area in a bit of a daze. I grabbed some more drinks, a newspaper and picked up my bag. Had a good stretch in the park and then wandered some more. I was tempted to hang around and wait for my sister-in-law and her hubby, but I knew they'd be walking for a fair part of the way so I decided to head for home. I later found out that they didn't take part at all because one of them wasn't feeling well.

I bought a banana smoothy and some water and walked up the hill back to Bondi Junction station.

So that was it. An excellent day. The idea of all this was for me to get into some regular training - and I do intend to carry on. But to have had the added bonus of taking part in this fantastic event gives me that reward too.

I've got the Half Marathon in 4 weeks time. I'll start thinking about a plan for that later this week. I have no idea about how hilly it is.

And I'll definitely be up for the City to Surf next year. My time this year will certainly get me into the A2 start (100 minutes or less) but depending on my official time, I may even squeeze into A1 (75 minutes or less this year). But the main thing is that I'll have to keep up with the training and make sure I get as good a start as this year to improve my time by any great amount.

Thanks to anyone that's been reading this for the last 6 months. I'll keep it going. Hope you will too.

2 days to go...

The questions I raised a couple of days ago, have some answers...

• What time should I wake up? - 6.00am. Walk around a bit to get my system moving!
• What should I have for breakfast? - Toast with honey.
• Can I buy a train ticket in advance so I'm not left with change to carry? - No! I'll just have to take the exact money. Buy a return to Bondi Junction. Get the train at about 7.00am.
• Make sure I get a black bin liner to wear to keep me warm before the start. - Don't be an idiot! This is not advisable. I've got an old jumper that I can take off before the start and leave for the charity collectors.
• Find a small ziploc bag to keep my train ticket and $10 under my hat. - I have (even though I hate to admit it) a bum bag - courtesy of the Singapore Half Marathon - which I can carry money, train ticket etc.
• What time should I get there to ensure I'm as close to the front of my group as possible? - Should be in the City by 7.30am ish. Drop off my clothes to pick up at the finish.
• Leave enough time before the start to queue for a number 2! - Very important.
• Check the weather forecast to ensure I won't need any extra clothes to wear on the way home. - Take them anyway.
• Work out my race strategy (check time at 7km and adjust to meet target / use imaginary friend to set pace for whole race / consider how far back I'll be at start and how long it takes to get up to pace.) - Still got to work that one out.
• Check that a sausage sandwich from North Bondi SLSC is good post-exercise food. - Of course it is, together with a fruit smoothy!

Should be fine with all that.

I missed my final training session yesterday because I was on a course in the City. I just consider that to be an extended taper. No worries!

This should be the last post before Monday...

Easy 5km...

4 sleeps to go until City to Surf.

A fairly easy 5km run this morning. Maybe pushed a bit too hard in the last km. Total time: 25:15. I tried to concentrate on a relaxed style and good breathing.

I'll do a similar run tomorrow morning, then 2 rest days - gorging on pasta!

Another thought for Sunday: Perhaps I should take a bag along with some clothes to keep warm after the race - and send the bag to Bondi. I'll check on the website to see what a hassle that will be. I better check the weather forecast too.

I received my race pack for the half marathon last night. First race I've done with a timing chip!

5 Sleeps to go...

I really wish I'd have invested in my Forerunner months ago.

Having an imaginary friend to set the pace is exactly what I need. I don't have enough running experience to judge my own pace and I'm too lazy too push myself at the appropriate time.

So this morning, me and my imaginary friend set out on a 7km route. I requested a pace of 5 minutes per km - which my imaginary friend was more than happy to set. Wow, he's fit! He never seems to slow down on hills, nor does he adjust his pace going round tight corners!

I tried to show him who's boss and got away from him a bit in the first 4kms (well it was mostly downhill), but then he started to reel me back in. I ended up trailing by some 42 seconds.

I'll take it much easier tomorrow and Thursday - perhaps a couple of 30 minute runs at 5:20/km pace. Then that'll be it before Sunday.

I'm starting to think more about the big day...

• What time should I wake up?
• What should I have for breakfast?
• Can I buy a train ticket in advance so I'm not left with change to carry?
• Make sure I get a black bin liner to wear to keep me warm before the start.
• Find a small ziploc bag to keep my train ticket and $10 under my hat.
• What time should I get there to ensure I'm as close to the front of my group as possible?
• Leave enough time before the start to queue for a number 2!
• Check the weather forecast to ensure I won't need any extra clothes to wear on the way home.
• Work out my race strategy (check time at 7km and adjust to meet target / use imaginary friend to set pace for whole race / consider how far back I'll be at start and how long it takes to get up to pace.)
• Check that a sausage sandwich from North Bondi SLSC is good post-exercise food.

Probably more of that later...

More Encouraging...

Yesterday was my last "long run" before I taper off towards next Sunday.

I had the intention to set the pace on my Forerunner to run 14km in 1:15:00. The route I chose has a hill similar to the Heartbreaking one on City to Surf. From 5 to 8 km it rises by about 80m whereas C2S rises about 60m from 6 to 8km. So I knew it would be a good challenge.

I got a couple of minutes ahead of schedule by the time I reached the hill, and as expected, I lost most of that advantage by the top of the hill. I managed to pull a minute back by the end of 11km, but I was really starting to struggle by that stage. The 12th and 13th kms had another couple of nasty short hills and I dropped back again to a minute and a half or so behind. I picked up a little pace on the final km but ended up finishing in 1:16:46.

The details were:

• 1st km in 4:49 ahead by 0:32
• 2nd km in 5:05 ahead by 0:49
• 3rd km in 4:50 ahead by 1:20
• 4th km in 4:43 ahead by 1:59
• 5th km in 5:13 ahead by 2:07
• 6th km in 5:23 ahead by 2:06
• 7th km in 6:22 ahead by 1:05 (a simulated walk through a drink station here!)
• 8th km in 5:49 ahead by 0:37
• 9th km in 5:08 ahead by 0:51
• 10th km in 5:08 ahead by 1:04
• 11th km in 5:16 ahead by 1:10
• 12th km in 6:13 ahead by 0:18
• 13th km in 7:05 behind by 1:25 (another drink station!)
• 14th km in 5:42 behind by 1:46

I'm quite pleased with that. I reckon it was a tougher route than C2S - even though there were about 59,999 less people around! Perhaps the adrenaline will kick in enough to get me over the line next Sunday close to my target.

Just a couple of easy runs this week. Plenty of pasta on the menu.

My Imaginary Friend...

Having done a long run on Wednesday night this week, my schedule has been thrown out of pattern a bit. I had to draw my attention away from the cricket last night to think about my plan for the next 9 days before City to Surf.

I got as far as deciding to go for a run this morning. I'll have to think about the other days during today.

So the plan was to try to follow the "Virtual Partner" (my imaginary friend) on my Forerunner. I set it to target 7km in 36 minutes (5:09/km pace) - on the basis that that equates to about 1h15m for the City to Surf, according to the race pace calculator I've been using (more on that later).

For those that aren't Forerunner aware - you can get it to display how far ahead or behind of this pace you are - hence the "Virtual Partner" description.

So I set off on a familiar route, keeping a fairly close watch on the read-out. I was pleased that what felt like my normal pace was keeping me ahead of the pace.

The details were:

• 1st km in 4:52
• 2nd km in 4:46
• 3rd km in 4:48
• 4th km in 4:47
• 5th km in 4:56
• 6th km in 4:56
• 7th km in 5:19

To give a total time of 34:24 for the 7km, which equates to 1:11:43 pace for C2S.

Now I should explain that from 1.5km to 5.5km, the route dropped by 75m, i.e. a -2% gradient and the last 1.5km rises by 25m, i.e. +2% gradient. (I wonder if there's a formula out there to convert w minutes per km at x gradient into y minutes per km at z gradient?)

So back to that pace calculator. I wonder how accurate they are. Do they suit everybody? Should I set my "Virtual Partner" to target 14km in 75 minutes and push myself to follow the pacer? I guess that there are so many variables; like congestion, course profile, et.c. - which would affect the achievement of any pace, that it's just not reasonable to allow the pacer to dictate too much.

Clearly it's going to be very useful in training, on known routes.

I'll have a think about my planned sessions for the next week or so and make some commitment here later.

In other news. Woke up this morning to see a decent score posted by England in the cricket. Although I certainly won't get too excited by that until we see how the Aussies fair in their 1st innings.

I've often thought that they should be able to measure the actual status of one teams performance against the other, considering all the variables like weather & wicket conditions as well as previous scores at that ground in similar conditions - so that we can see who is ahead at any one point in time. I'm sure this would encourage more interest in test cricket.

Just a thought!

A Dose of Realism...

I did complete the 'long' run last night. The route I chose is a good one. It's challenging with plenty of undulations. I think I may use that route some more.

I'd had the idea to do 15km but 14km came up at a convenient point and that was a big enough mental hurdle to leap, it being the same distance as City to Surf, so that was enough for me!

Unfortunately, I think I may have to be realistic and accept that I'm unlikely to achieve my goal time for C2S. Last night's 14km was completed in 1:21:39. That's 6:39 outside my 75 minute target - about an 8% improvement required. Very unlikely in 10 days.

I don't use my Forerunner to constantly check my pace, and speed up or slow down as appropriate - I just ran at what pace felt comfortable. Anyway, it was mostly too dark to see the display. I reckon if I try to do this at C2S, I'll just exhaust myself before the end. In any case, I'd have to adjust my target pace for the hills! Too complicated.

Lucky I didn't go for the Forerunner with Heart Rate Monitor. I reckon that'd give me information overload!

Be Prepared...

OK, I'm all set up for a long run tonight.

I've had a sensible lunch and I'm drinking plenty of water. I've got a rough idea of the route I'll take - it looks like a good one:

Along Shrimpton's Creek to Macquarie Centre, round the back to Talavera Road, along to Culloden Road, then all the way back to Eastwood along Vimiera Road, along Blaxland Road to Melville Street, through West Ryde to Chatham Road, back up to Eastwood and up again to Blaxland Road - at which point I need to check the distance to make sure I do at least 15km, so probably head down Melville again and hopefully finish back near home!

Hopefully a successful report here tomorrow!

Confidence Boost...

After Sunday's disaster with the beef-burger in the belly run, I really needed a decent run this morning to assure myself that the last 5 months of effort weren't going to be wasted come City to Surf.

So I was pleased with a total of 7km in 36:07 which broke down like this:

• 1st km in 5:11
• 2nd km in 5:09
• 3rd km in 4:57
• 4th km in 4:35
• 5th km in 5:09
• 6th km in 5:21
• 7th km in 5:40

The course is overall down-hill with the 4th km dropping 50m - hence the quick split. The 2nd and 3rd kms were pleasing though as it's basically flat.

According to my race time calculator that gives me a 1:15:18 City-to-Surf, which is a bit below my target and as I've said before, there are the crowds and Heartbreak Hill to add into the equation. I'm hoping that the adrenalin on the day plus the last 3km being basically down-hill and the run into the finish should help me to creep under my 75 minute target!

I'm going to try to fit in a longer run (have I said that before) on Wednesday evening, so I can get 2 long runs in before the big day.

First the Good News...

The good news is that my new gadget is fantastic. I figured out how to set it to Auto-Lap to log each kilometer and I eagerly hooked it up to the computer to download and analyse the results.

The bad news is that I had another failure yesterday, thanks to my own stupidity (or greediness).

I'd planned to go for a long run - 15km - because I'd taken the week off to recover from my cold. I intended to go out before tea to allow my lunch to settle down. We went out for lunch and I had it in mind to have a small tomato based pasta - no fat and not too much protein. So what did I end up with? A huge beef-burger and chips!

We only finished lunch at 1 o'clock and I went out for the run at 3. Anybody guess the outcome? After about 4.5km, I had to stop to walk as my stomach was cramping to the point where I thought I was going to hurl. I still walked to the extremity of that leg of the route and then turned and walked back. I started running again at the 10km mark and finished on 12.98km - in a not so grand total of 1:30:25.

But the good stats were:

1st km in 5:03
2nd km in 5:09
3rd km in 5:07
4th km in 5:48 - starting to slow down here!
11th km in 5:12
12th km in 5:19

The basic software that came with the Forerunner gives a breadcrumb trail map;

a plot of speed or pace or elevation against time or distance;

and a table of lap splits and totals.

For US$20 per year I could subscribe to Google Earth Plus to integrate that with the GPS data and plot the route on the aerial photos. What a great idea - but a luxurious gimmick that I probably can't justify.

Oh, I figured out how to break the news of my new toy to Shirl - but I first had to soften her up with a new food mixer - which cost twice the amount that my new toy, I mean training device, cost!

So I've only got one more weekend before City to Surf to do a long run, unless I restructure the next 2 weeks to do a long run during the week... perhaps in the evening...?

Got Gadget...

I couldn't resist it!

Still Alive...

Yep, I'm still here. I have rested since last Sunday, and I'm feeling much better. Still got the last remnants of the cold to get rid of, but I reckon I'll be right by Sunday to get back into the training.

I need to ensure that I prepare well for a good long run. No beer at lunchtime (not even half a bottle with the missus), plenty of water, a decent feed a couple of hours before the run, then perhaps try for 1.5 hours. If I can run 1 hour feeling like crap last week, then surely 1.5 hours after a week of rest and recuperation should be achievable this weekend.

Shirl reckons the possums are still active in the roof, so I need to phone the pest controllers to get rid of them, then patch up any holes where they've been getting in. Then we can progress our next little job - insulate the loft, line the floor & roof and install a ladder to convert the space into much needed storage.

I saw that they have pacers in the half-marathon in September, so I've identified to join the 1:50 group. We shall see how that goes.

Feeling Like Crap...

I think the cold / flu that I've been trying to ignore (or at least hide with a regular dose of Cold & Flu tablets) for the past couple of weeks, has finally worn me down.

Adding to that the lack of sleep I got on Saturday night by; a) staying up till 1.30am to watch the Tour de France Time Trial and b) being kicked out of my bed by Lian and sleeping in her bed (the spare room is just too cold).

So I had a mild headache for most of Sunday, which probably wasn't helped much either by sitting out in the sun having lunch (and half a beer!!) from the Fish Market.

I still wanted to get out for a run though and had spotted what looked like a good route through some parkland. I headed out in the late afternoon and ran for about 4km before finding the start of what looked like another 3+km of parks broken up by some cross streets. What I didn't realise was that the parks were also fenced off at each cross street too. What is all that about? So it took me a bit of searching to find a way through and finally got back onto familiar territory having covered, I guess, about 7km. Still feeling a bit crap!

I intended to do a long loop around to complete 15km in total. But I really wasn't feeling good at all so I binned it at about 10km - in just about 1 hour.

So not too shabby, but I'm not sure if it did as much good as it did harm!

I'm contemplating taking this week off the early morning runs. I'm in Brisbane tomorrow anyway. I really want to shake off this cold completely and with only 3 weeks to go until City to Surf, I figure I should get it out of the way sooner rather than later.

I'll see how I feel after returning from Brisbane tomorrow night!

The Magic Number...

19012. That's my number for City to Surf, which arrived in the post yesterday.

That confirms that I'm in Group B as I hoped for. What it also means is that there were 11 people even more eager than me to enter on that first day (Group B starts at 19001).

I also learned that Group A has been split into two this year (presumably to make it safer for those who sprint start to get through the narrowed roads around the Cross City Tunnel roadworks). Group A1 is for runners who completed last year in 75 mins or less, group A2 in 100 mins or less. Kind of (shockingly) puts my target time of 75 minutes into perspective. I'd hate to be the one in next years race starting in A1 being trampled by the masses of A2!

Anyway, only 23 days to go. I want to do an extra long run on Sunday - maybe in the region of 15km. I've felt strong on my long runs in the second half, after taking most of the first half to warm up. I wonder if I can warm up properly and quicker how much longer that 'strong' feeling will last?

Almost Too Cold...

Heading out this morning for a warm-up before attacking the hill was more like walking through a freezer - or I should say past several open freezer doors. I clearly felt a few pockets of colder air. Even having made the effort to wake up, get dressed and get out - I was so close to just turning round and heading back to bed!

But I didn't, and was able to do the 10 short, steep hill repeats. There's a nasty extra steep bit in the middle of the hill which is actually like a big step - but really slows my momentum - requiring a bit of an extra push off through that section.

Hope it's all worth it.

A rest day Friday (we have a baby sitter so we're off to the flicks in the evening) and Saturday. A long run on Sunday. I'm in Brisbane again on Tuesday so will miss my usual run that day. May have to put in a recovery type run on Monday instead.

No picture today. I assume you know what a hill looks like!!!

If Slow and Steady Always Wins the Race...

...Then I'm a Winner.

Another run this morning, varying the route but basically sticking to the same area. I didn't really set out on a fixed route so had no pre-conception of the distance I would do, but I wanted to do 30+ mins.

So 34 minutes later I was pleased with the work-out. I had a good stretch back at home, a hot shower and then a bowl of cereal in front of the computer, where Google Earth enabled me to produce this...

It's a clockwise direction and the long straight(ish) bit at the bottom is a gradual 2km up-hill.

But only 6.19km in total. So that equates to 5 minutes slower for the City to Surf.

Hills tomorrow!

Numbers, Words and Pictures...

Here's my route from this morning. It's a 3.66km, out-and-back (according to Google Earth) making 7.32km in 38 mins flat. I just checked my race calculator for the 14km City to Surf and that equates to a 1:15:34 finish time. My run on Sunday equated to 1:15:30. So there seems to be some consistency.

However, if you look at the elevation of the City to Surf (below), there is that big hill from 6 to 8km. So I think I have a little way to improve to meet my target of 1:15:00. And then there's the crowd to consider!


Thanks to Vat_Man for the above profile. Now that's why I need a GPS!

A Well Earned Rest Day...

As usual, back to work on a Monday for a rest.

I was in Brisbane last Friday. A really long day. I didn't have chance to get the GPS unit, it was no cheaper than I can get it in Sydney anyway.

I have however discovered another geeky 'gadget'. Google Earth. I haven't figured out how Google will make money from it yet - maybe they expect businesses to mark themselves on the map... but it is fantastic! You can zoom in on the world and view a '3-D' aerial photo. The detail is amazing - although it seems like some areas haven't been covered by the higher quality satellite yet (our suburb is much better quality than the city of Sydney).

You can also measure point-to-point or multi-point routes, which I've done for my 3 main runs.

Here's my run from yesterday:

It measures at 11.98km. My time yesterday was 1:04, which I was pleased with, although since City to Surf will have about 59,999 more runners on the road and it's a bit more hilly, I think my target time of 1:15 for the 14km has to be questioned. Still 4 weeks to go though, so we'll see!

Anyway, feeling knackered today. Didn't sleep too well as Lian jumped into our bed in the early hours. Woke up with an annoying headache.

A rest from the running today too. Back into it on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Short, Steep Hills...

Another hill session this morning. 10 repeats of the short, steep hill. I timed it a bit more accurately today - 35 seconds up, 1:10 down. And I managed to be consistent with that pace all the way through.

I did a walk / jog warm up first, then had a quick stretch, then in to it!

Again, the run home was sooo easy - felt like it was downhill all the way, even though it's basically flat with even a little uphill!

I have to admit that I'm probably not pushing hard enough on these hill sessions. I should find a longer hill - which probably wouldn't be so steep, and expect to feel that burning sensation in my legs rather than just getting wobbly legs like I'm experiencing with this sprint hill. So, longer but less repeats.

My back feels fine today - probably I was just sitting awkwardly for a while.

No response from the shop in Brisbane on the GPS unit. So I'm prepared to wait until next week to get it in Sydney. Even though I want it NOW!!!

32 days to go...

I'm eager to confirm the distance of this morning's run. I think (hope) it was 7.5km and if that's right, then I'm pleased with the time of 37:30.

I'm in Brisbane on Friday and I've spotted a Garmin GPS at a good price in a shop close to the office where I'll be. I just need to confirm a couple of details with them and all being well, I intend to get it. Failing that there's another shop here in Sydney (Mona Vale) who reopen after their winter break next week.

I felt a bit of a twinge in my lower back yesterday, but no affects this morning either during the run or since, so that's all good.

33 days to go...

Not as uneventful as the title may suggest!

I covered just less than 6km (5.8 I guess, but I really need that Garmin) in 28 minutes this morning. For me, that's a good pace. I didn't feel too uncomfortable at any time - apart from the obvious out-of-breathness at the end!

I couldn't find my wooly hat (think it was in the wash - perhaps I need a spare) so I had to go with my cap. As a result, my ears were bloody freezing!! Thankfully the rest of me warmed up once I got into the run.

I was unimaginative too so ran my old favourite route, but at least that has the advantage of me being familiar with the ups and downs so I can push along knowing that there's a down-hill coming up.

Maybe a hill session and another 30 minute run this week before a long one on Sunday.

Blown off Course...

Yesterday’s Long run turned out to be a bit of a non-starter.

It was blowing a gale all day, there were intermittent showers and it was probably not even a good idea to go out at all with tree branches falling all over the place.

But I did go out in the morning, after having a bit of breakfast and popping a few sultanas. I intended to make it a long 1 hour 15 minute run.

I started out pretty well, but that was probably because of the 30km/h wind at my back. But I soon started to feel sick – probably ate too soon before the run. I did about 7km on an out and back route, but once I came back in sight of home I decided to bin it and head back for a stretch and a shower.

So a bit disappointing really, but I’ll maybe try to fit in a longer run this week – maybe Thursday so I can still have a bit of a rest before hopefully getting back on schedule with another long run next Sunday.

Only 5 weeks to go until City to Surf, I’ve got to get the mileage under my belt. And I’d better sort out my pre-race feed time too!

I’m still keen to get hold of a GPS unit, so I’ll give one of the retailers a call and see what price I can get it for… and hopefully offset some of that cost by putting my Playstation on eBay! Don’t worry, I intend to wait until Lian is old enough then buy her (us) a state-of-the-art game system!! Don’t suppose she’ll be into Scalextric or Subbuteo!

So Close...

Bugger!

I lost out on that GPS device on eBay. The auction ended at 4.30pm yesterday and I was watching my winning bid from 4.15ish. 5 minutes before the end, somebody came on and upped the bidding. We traded about 12 bids until I realised that I could get it for just a few dollars more, brand new, with warranty from a shop. So I gave up.

I can see how eBay can be addictive!

My legs have felt stiff following the hill session I did on Thursday - which I see as a good thing! A rest yesterday and today should prepare me for a long run tomorrow.

A Glorious 12 Hours...

First, NSW stuffed QLD in the State of Origin decider - in Brisbane no less!

Then, some 200 years after stuffing the French at The Battle of Trafalgar, we stuffed them again in Singapore - London will host the 2012 Olympic Games.

And to top it all off, I did my first hill session this morning.

It was bloody cold again, so I took some time to walk then jog up to a warmed up state. I headed to a short but steep hill. I didn't time myself too closely, but I think I was running up in about 30 seconds (by which time I was starting to lose control of my legs) and then walked down in about 1 minute. I did 10 or 11 reps (lost count at 5/6), then jogged home to cool down.

It felt like replacing mountain bike tires with slicks - i.e. the hills were running with knobbly tires, the jog home was running with slicks!

Obviously (but unfortunately) the benefits will take some time to show, but it felt like a good work-out - one that I will repeat.

A couple of days of rest now before a long run on Sunday.

Still highest bidder on the GPS Unit - ends 4.30pm tomorrow! So fingers crossed!

Back to a Familiar Route...

Very cold again this morning, so it took a while for me to warm up. In fact I was probably just about warm by the time I finished my run!

I only did a short one today. My original 5km run in 25 minutes. I thought I'd have been quicker than that, since I felt like I was pushing along quite well and certainly put in a big effort up that last 500m hill. But I guess the slow warm-up start took a minute or so off my time.

I really should do a hill session. Maybe tomorrow. I'll have a quick look at some suggested routines to see if I need to get up any earlier. I know I'll need to allow time to warm up and cool down...

Still highest bidder on a GPS unit...

Easy, Flat Run... but Hills to Come...

I ran part of the route I did on Sunday this morning. It's fairly flat and runs along a creek so it's a peaceful start to the day.

I intended to run for 17+ minutes, turn round and complete 35 minutes in total. But I was so close to the end of the trail that I went a bit longer on the way out and ended up with 40 minutes on the clock. I'm not sure of the distance - hopefully 8km, but I think less.

It's still tough getting out when it's so cold, but it doesn't take long to warm up and I'm running fairly smoothly now so that's enjoyable. I should probably be pushing harder - no pain, no gain and all that!

I'm supposed to introduce some hill training so I'll have to figure out which hill to choose so I can run there to warm up, do the reps and cool down on the run back home.

A Bit Disorganised, and Sore...

Well I didn't make it for the Saturday morning race. The 6am wake up was just too early. Didn't get to bed till midnight on Friday.

But I did get out on Sunday morning. I've no idea on the distance (I'm currently highest bidder on a GPS unit on eBay) but the time was 1h15m, so I was pleased with that. I just checked the map and the distance was about 12 - 13km.

The idea of taking a different route to the usual is fine, but I think I still need 'a plan'. Because having not set a firm target I was close to quitting a few times, usually at the top of a hill (which I suppose is marginally better than at the start of the hill).

So a bit more thought in future... planning ahead. There's another 10km event in early August, which should be my last big effort before the City to Surf, so that'll be a good indicator of what kind of pace to aim for.

Now I'll just go and check on the status of my eBay bid...

Who Said "A Change is as Good as a Rest"...?

Well I wasn't really expecting a rest anyway.

I ran a different route this morning - following the "vary your routes" advice. My traditional 5+km route was chosen as the flattest route around where I live, so now, introducing some more hills - though nothing too hard yet - should see some gradual improvements in strength.

I just went for a time, and did about 35 minutes, which was probably about 6.5km.

I really need a GPS Forerunner to measure my distances and times. I had a look at one last night: $475 for the model with Heart Rate Monitor, $269 without. At the moment, I don't want the heart rate monitor as I think it would be too much information, but hopefully, if I keep the running going, eventually I think it'll prove useful. I might have a look on eBay to see if I can get it cheaper.

I'm also tempted to enter the "Sydney Striders 10km Series" race tomorrow morning. They're half way through the series now, but there are still 2 races before City to Surf. I think these kind of challenges would be good to push me along, but I'm not really prepared to run tomorrow. I should have rested today. But will it really make that much difference.

I have the rest of the day to consider...

Drought? Hah...

It's been raining for days on end here but prior to today it hadn't interfered with my training since it wasn't raining in the early mornings. Kind of makes a joke of the water restrictions that have been in place here for a long time though!

The rain woke me on and off throughout the night and so when it got me at 6am, I reached for the alarm and reset it to 7.30 as I knew there was no way I'd go for a run.

In my defence, I did try to remember the whereabouts of my rain-coat that I used to use on the bike, but I haven't seen it since returning from Singapore so couldn't take that option. I should probably try to dig it out anyway, just in case...

I'm a bit disappointed about missing the run because I was ready to embark on my new tactic of random routes (or at least not the same route every day)! I should try to go for a run tomorrow so that I can rest Saturday before a longer run on Sunday.

I bet you never knew that there were gadgets to aid running? I didn't. Well check it out. There's a range of GPS units which strap on the wrist and they will log your distance, speed. The top of the range model even records heart rate. All that data can be downloaded to PC for analysis.

No more guessing on my distances (particularly on unfamiliar routes) or wondering whether I'm going too fast or too slow. Oh sorry, I shouldn't talk too soon, I have to check the price and get permission from the boss yet!

New Inspiration...

Just the usual 5+km route this morning, in a bit less than 30 minutes.

But that's all going to change. I've taken the advice from some new found friends and I've realised that I have to start varying my route. Goodbye to only running on the easiest route around, hello to the rest of the surrounding streets and the inevitable hills. I think I have established enough of a base now to conquer my hill-phobia.

That, in theory should keep my enthusiasm up as well as improve my strength and fitness.

And my longer runs on Sundays need to get even longer. That means I'm unlikely to see any of the Sunday Arvo Footy from now on! Hope it's worth it!

47 days to go...

Another steady 5.5km this morning.

I'm really spurred on by the successful Sunday runs too. Even with the cold mornings, it's no hassle to get out of bed and get out there. Mind you, the much awaited rain in NSW is now starting to fall so I don't know how I'll cope with a cold, wet morning!

I pushed a bit harder through the middle of the run and finished in a bit quicker time than usual (less than 25 minutes anyway) but I really felt it in the last km or so. It's got to be good though, right?

Until tomorrow...

Same as Last Week...

Again, the Bulldogs were on TV on Sunday afternoon, smashing the Manly Sea Eagles and proving they're back in contention for the finals series.

But I still went for the long run, this time completing the same 11.7km route in 65 minutes, but managing to get back to watch the second half of the game.

I felt really good on the run again. The first 5+km circuit must be what I need to warm-up, because I (felt like I) was flying along between 8 and 11km. There are a couple of long hills which don't seem to take too much out of me now. I'm using the 'magnet pulling me up the hill' and 'falling forwards towards a point 20m ahead' techniques to get me through it.

I can't say my pace is too high on these hills nor is it for the first 5km or so, but I'm beating the mental demons by proving that I can go the distance (only another 2.3km to go to complete the City to Surf circuit) and I'm finishing with something left in the tank.

So it's all good...

Half Marathon...

Another date to note in my diary: 11th September 2005 - Sydney Half Marathon.

I'm runner number 3398. I understand that there will be far less than the 60,000 City to Surfers taking part in the Half Marathon, so there'll be no excuses about being caught up in crowds. This race uses timing chips, so I can't even play around with my finish time either.

I intend to really make a big effort on the long Sunday runs. That's where I'm going to teach my body and mind how to run for what's likely to be close to 2 hours. Maybe I should introduce some hill training during the week too.

I've run two half-marathons in the past. The first was Portsmouth 1993, where I finished in 1:38 - which was a great effort achieved with particular assistance from the two hares I was running with that day (big thanks to Chris and Simon). The second was Singapore 2001, where I finished in 2:01 (agonisingly close to a round 2 hours).

Now considering that Singapore was typically hot and humid that day, and the organisation was terrible with no water available by the time I reached the water stations (and I certainly wasn't anywhere near the last to reach them) - I should definitely be able to beat the 2 hour mark. I should probably wait until I see how I go in the City to Surf, but if I achieve my target time of 75 minutes there then I should be in line for a 1:55 finish for the half marathon.

But a 1:45 is a much rounder number, isn't it?

Wish me luck!

Can it Get Any Worse...?

According to the weather report, it was 8 degrees C this morning with a wind chill taking the "feels like" temperature down to 4 degrees.

I was just thankful for the double layer of clothes up top and the hat to keep me warmish.

It's even too early for the sun to show through. No that doesn't occur until I'm on my way to work, shining just above the buildings, through my murky wind-screen, blinding me in the process.

Anyway, it gives me a good feeling to keep logging in the morning runs. 5.5km again this morning. That's my three weekday sessions completed, now for 3 lie-ins and a rest before the long run on Sunday.

I had a thought yesterday. Rather than wait for over a year after the City to Surf until next September's Half Marathon, why not do it this year? That only gives me 4 weeks to recover and get some extra mileage into my legs, but I could adjust my current training to get that mileage in now - I just need to make sure those long Sunday runs are in fact - long, like 20km or so!

My 75 minute target for the City to Surf extrapolates to 1:55 for the Half Marathon. I've no idea whether the course is hilly. I know it starts over the Harbour Bridge and ends up at the Opera House.

Bugger it! Why not? I'll check it out and get my entry in: then there's no turning back.

Sooooo Cold...!

I'm having to wear a tee-shirt over my long sleeve top now. I can't believe how cold it is, or how sensitive I am to these single digit Celsius mornings.

Still got around the 5+km route, fairly comfortably. I keep trying to kick up the pace but I just don't seem to have anything. Is that really due to the fact that there's no fuel in the tank?

I only need to do one more run before another Sunday arvo long, slow, distance. I hope I can repeat last Sunday's efforts.

The creature visitors seem to have disappeared. There's been no noises up in the roof and the newspaper flag hasn't moved either. I guess Jack's poison attack has worked. I'll check with him to see if the bait is still being taken and also have a go at blocking the hole in the roof up this weekend. I hate ladders!

54 days to go...

Yep, you guessed it. Not much to report today.

Just did the 5.5km route this morning. I realised that I've won a bit of a mental battle with the longer run on Sunday. I now know that I can run for over an hour and for over 10km, so my meager 5-6km weekday runs should be easy-easy.

I measured Sunday's route in the car last night. 11.7km. So 65 minutes for that distance extrapolates to 78:30 for the City to Surf, i.e. 3 minutes outside my target time. With 55 days to go, I should be able to gain that sort of advantage.

Later...

On a High...!

No, I'm not talking about the height I climbed up the ladder at the weekend to investigate our possum problem, which incidentally may be something far less cute and cuddly sounding - like a rat! I've shoved a piece of newspaper in the hole where I think they're getting in and out. In theory, if the paper is moved, that confirms where I'll need to block up. However, my next door neighbour is tackling the bigger picture by laying poison bait for any such unwanted guests and he tells me that the bait was being taken over the last few days but not now, which suggest that he's probably cured it that way. In which case my newspaper idea will not confirm anything. Either way, I'll block up that hole next weekend.

Nor am I talking about the victory that England scored over the Aussies in the one-day cricket last night. I watched the 1st innings but the 9 hour time difference prevented me from watching England bat. If the (northern) summer carries on like this though, I may be having a few sleepless nights watching the test series.

What I refer to in the title is the run I notched up yesterday.

I intended to go while the girls were at church, but they didn't rise until 9.30am by which time we all wanted to go for a big breakfast and get on with the tasks for the day.

So I ended up going just before tea - about 5.15pm. I intended to be back before 6. I even thought that was a great effort since it meant me missing the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (my team, based on it being the local team to where I first lived in Sydney) beat the Canberra Raiders in the Rugby League on TV.

The thought had crossed my mind to follow the 10km route I'd mapped out, and just see how it went. If I got tired, I could cut it short and head home. I never really expected to complete the whole 10km.

I started off at a steady pace, following my usual 5km route. I was feeling good. I was thinking that having eaten lunch only 4 hours earlier was paying dividends.

As I came to the point at about 4km where my 10km route heads away from the 5km, I had no problem in making the turn.

There's a long steady hill at about 5.5km for 1.5km or so, which I just steadily worked up. Still feeling pretty good. That took me toward the furthest point away from home which then turns back and rejoins my 5km route. I knew that part of my normal route was fairly flat and then heads to a steep down-hill for the 10th km, so I felt confident I could complete that. I wasn't too concerned about the time, this run is supposed to be "long, slow, distance".

So back onto my familiar route through kms 7, 8 & 9, I was amazed how good I felt. So good in fact that I thought I could go a bit further. So I passed the street which would've finished the 10km and headed to the next side-street which in fact would be the same finish as my 5km route. Hang on is that getting confusing? Let me re-read that... No, I think that makes sense.

I discovered that I could run easier if I "stiffened my feet" - or at least that's what it felt like. Rather than plodding along, I found that I could bounce off my toes, using my feet and calves more.

I really felt like I could just keep going, rather like Forrest Gump when he started running. But then I thought I'd better not push it too far and cause injury or too much soreness to run this week.

I think I did about 11.5km in 65 minutes. I had a good stretch when I got home, a hot shower and then a big bowl of lamb curry stew and rice for tea. Yum, yum!!

So as a reward, I took this morning off. I'm glad I did because my heels feel very sore. I'll run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - then rest Friday and Saturday before hopefully repeating yesterdays effort next Sunday.

No, Rest for the Wicked...

Watch the punctuation...

No, I didn't go for a run this morning. I felt like 3 runs already this week was enough and a couple of rest days would refresh me for a good long run on Sunday (I hope nothing distracts me from that).

The possums are obviously having a rest too. No sound of them running and jumping up in the roof space for the last couple of nights. I still need to get up there to take a look at what they're up to though.

Until next week...

Heh, Not So Fast...

Well I thought I was attempting a faster 5km this morning, but ended up finishing in an ordinary 25 minutes.

Perhaps I was delayed more than I thought by the car that almost knocked me over... some idiot backing out of his driveway wasn't looking where he was going, so I had to swerve around him with a hope that he'd stop before he got to the road (he did). I managed to get a couple of slaps in on his boot lid and gave him a "what the f..." look.

But that's OK, I'm on track this week to get 4 runs in plus a longer run at the weekend.

No further news on the possums, but we think we've spotted where they're getting into the roof... more to follow on this me thinks!

That must have been 7km...

I'm feeling a bit sore now, but that's not unusual. I reckon my route this morning covered 7km, in 35 minutes. I might have to measure it by car tonight.

I have to admit that I almost binned it though. I don't think I slept too well last night and this has been too easy an excuse for me to reset the alarm in the past. So good that I dug deep and got out.

I'll have to check with Shirl, but I'm sure I heard some scurrying in the roof last night. I suspect that we have some possums hiding from the cold. Either that or I was dreaming. At first I thought it was Lian who'd woken up and was wandering about, but I checked and she was sound asleep in bed.

Better put in a call to the pest controllers...

A Sunday Run to Report...

At last, I finally managed a run on Sunday.

As suggested, I went out while the girls were at church. I ran for 40 minutes - haven't worked out the distance, although I hope it was 7 to 8km.

It was just a plod really. I just wanted to get the time and the first tick in the Sunday column.

Yesterday was a Public Holiday here, so we enjoyed a lie-in till 8.30, then out for breakfast and a picnic in the park for lunch. Certainly no chance of a run.

I went for a run this morning though. Another 5.5km I think - about half an hour. It felt good for most of the run, but the last km or so was the usual effort.

So as I missed Monday, I now have to add Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to this morning's run before another long(?) run on Sunday.

The weather was unseasonably warm this morning. Hope that continues...

65 days to go...

Another 6km this morning, but a bit slower than Wednesday's run.

The last 1km of this route passes the end of our road, goes away and loops back. This is a real mental challenge since it would be soooo easy just to stop as I reach the end of our road and walk home to cool down. So I'm pleased that I can resist that temptation.

I am feeling a bit sore though. My left heel aches and my hammies are a bit tight. I'll review our weekend schedule and either do the long run on Sunday or Monday (Queen's birthday public holiday) morning.

67 days to go...

Another good session this morning. I reckon it must've been close to 6km in less than 30 minutes.

This is exactly what I need to do. Slowly increase the time (and hopefully the distance) of my runs during the week. The next step is to slot in those longer runs. I should really try and do a 45 minute run this weekend.

It's a long weekend with a public holiday on Monday, so likely we'll try and get out and about to enjoy some quality family time. I just hope that still leaves time (and energy) for a run!

Again, bloody cold this morning!

Back on Track, Again...

I know I've used that title before, but it certainly seems apt to use it today - I hope.

There was no doubt in my mind that I'd be up this morning for a run, despite the recent failures. And what a good run it was. I finished via a slightly different route, obviously still finishing at the same point (home) but taking a little bit of a detour to decrease the gradient encountered in the usual last 500m or so.

I reckon it probably added another 600m to the run, so 5.6km in all.

I should definitely look to vary the route in future. Even if it's just to prevent the onset of boredom!

Still it was bloody cold though. The wooly hat is certainly proving useful.

Not a Good Start...

Entries to the 2005 City to Surf opened yesterday.

I got my entry in on-line first thing yesterday morning. So now I'm committed. 10 weeks to go.

So imagine my frustration when I had another sleepless Sunday night - just like 2 weeks ago (see my Revenge of the... entry). Except I did make it in to work this time. But I did fail to get out for a run this morning. So I must go for a run on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday this week... without fail!

A Week to Forget...

With only a run on Tuesday and this morning for this week - I should hang my head in shame.

Even this morning's run was a huge effort to get out of bed, so I am at least pleased I got around.

I really hope that the opening for entries to the City to Surf on Sunday will give me the boost I clearly need, although I suspect a sudden increase in temperature would have a more significant effect.

There is one piece of positive news from this week - last night I became an Australian Citizen. Despite a comment made in a speech given by some old bat representing the state government, I haven't had to "give up my identity", in fact the Australian Government actively encourage people like me to hold dual citizenship. I guess they recognise that the biggest reason for people not to do it is the resistance to break any historical ties.

The pros and cons for me were: Pros = don't have to keep reapplying for Permanent Residency every 5 years; and a stronger link to the country where we expect to live. Cons = I now have a legal obligation to vote, i.e. it's mandatory here! I will still support England in cricket and football is still played with round shaped balls.

So, like Lian - I am now a Citizen of the United Kingdom and of the Commonwealth of Australia.

75 days to go...

I was determined to go for a run this morning. I missed Friday (no excuse) and yesterday (I was in Brisbane). It was so cold though. I reckon 7 deg C.

I finished the 5km route with my ears ringing - they were soooo cold. Then the hot shower felt like it was going to burst my ears. Should I really wear a hat, and gloves? I think so.

At least the air feels clean and crisp and good to get into the lungs.

Squash has been put on hold for a few weeks. My squash partner is on stand-by to become a father. Maybe I can use Wednesday evenings for my long run... Hopefully it'll be a bit warmer in the evenings having had the sun shining all day. Better pass that one by the wife first though!

The entries open this Sunday for the City-to Surf, so I must remember to buy the Sun-Herald rather than the Sunday Telegraph this week! Or perhaps I can enter online...

No excuse...

I missed the run this morning for the first time with no excuse. As I recall, my previous misses have been for good reason - illness being the only one I can remember.

I must admit that on poking my nose out of bed this morning, the feel of the cold air did put me off. I heard on the radio that it was only 9 degrees. Unfortunately it's likely to get even colder in the next few months.

I'll miss next Monday morning too as I'm flying up to Brisbane for a day of work.

I should get plenty of exercise over the weekend though as we're due to lay the concrete slab at my father-in law's starting tomorrow morning.

I just need to check that the cement mixer will be there!

More on Star Wars...

Shirley suggested last night that we watch Return of the Jedi. She wanted to see the scene where Darth Vader dies.

What an excellent idea that proved to be. Even Lian was getting into it - she loved the Ewoks and Chewbacca. My family sitting together, enjoying Star Wars - that made me very happy!

I've read a load of reviews of Revenge of the Sith - of course some good and some not so good. My opinion of it, as I said earlier, is that it's a great introduction to the original movies. Return of the Jedi has much more meaning for me now. The climactic scene involving The Emperor, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker are excellent.

And when Princess Leia tells Han Solo that Luke is her brother... Classic!!

82 days to go...

This morning's run proved that there were no after effects from my mystery illness yesterday. I felt just the same whilst plodding around the 5km route. I didn't bother to check the time. I guess it would have been a bit slower than usual though.

I'm pleased that I didn't use yesterday as an excuse to skip the whole week. I would have been so easy.

I managed to recover sufficiently by mid afternoon yesterday to finish off most of the sunroom floor. I just have to fix the moulding round the edges and that's another job done.

The big one is this weekend - my father-in-law's floor slab. We discovered yesterday that the supposedly redundant pipe which he was going to dig out is in fact a groundwater drainage pipe. So we'll have to divert that before the weekend too. He's also decided to put some reinforcement into the slab - just as I suggested 2 weeks ago. So I have to organise that too.

I'll be glad when it's all done.

Revenge of the...

We saw Revenge of the Site last night.

Not that great a film in itself, but as a link or more to the point, as an introduction to the original Star Wars movie - fantastic. I kept going... "aaah that's why" and "oh that's who they are".

Usual excellent effects that you'd expect from a Star Wars movie.

However, I think I was taken over by the Dark Side overnight. I couldn't sleep, had a massive headache, felt sick. So didn't go for a run this morning and didn't go to work either.

Thankfully, a bit of sleep this morning and a cup of tea, and the balance has returned.

It'll give me a chance to finish off the sunroom floor.

Later...

Star Wars, Citizenship...

Another 5km this morning in about 25 minutes.

No noticeable improvement but I'm pleased I'm keeping going during the week as the weather gets colder.

The entry will open for City to Surf in 2 weekends time, so I'm hoping that will give me the final burst of encouragement to get stuck into those longer weekend runs.

Shirl and I are off to see Revenge of the Sith this Sunday. Most of you will know what a big fan of the Star Wars movies I am. The original Star Wars was the first film I ever saw at the cinema without my parents.

The cinema tickets (La Premiere cinema - with sofa seats) are a gift from my sister-in-law and her husband to celebrate the approval of my Australian Citizenship which will be confirmed at a ceremony at our local Town Hall next Thursday.

So that concludes the news this week.

89 days to go...

Another dose of glucose before the 5km run this morning.

I don't know whether it's making any difference or whether it's psychological. I am feeling stronger these last few days. No improvement in time though.

Actually, this morning I felt like crap as I got out of bed. I think I may have a bit of a cold coming on. I can feel a sore throat now. I'll pop a few cold & flu tablets and hopefully that'll prevent any disruption.

The depressing thing is that it's only going to get colder heading towards the City to Surf. Those of you who know how I whinged about the winter in UK will realise I hate the cold. Even though we're unlikely to dip below 5 deg C in the early morning - that's bad enough! Lucky I bought the Helly Hanson shirts!!

I've been planning the DIY activities due to be tackled over the next few days.

The concrete slab at my father-in-laws place is a bit of a challenge as I've never done it before. But I'm hoping the thought I'm putting into it up front will pay off. I just hope we have time to prepare the area as my f-in-law wants to finish it this weekend.

I need to check his measurements to ensure we get enough material. He's also talking about digging out an old (I hope) earthenware pipe before we concrete - which is probably the right way to go, but it may mean we need to cover that area with sand so that the broken fragments of pipe don't pierce the Damp Proof sheet.

Then after we lay the sheet we'll have to set in some formwork to break the job in two and as guides to get the slab level.

Shirley's family think I'm fussy, whereas I think they charge into a job without any thought and bungle on through any problems they come across.

This is the reason why I'll be doing whatever jobs I can at my place on my own.

Time for lunch.

13 Weeks to go...

I have been a busy boy. I missed posting Friday because I didn't have spare time at work. Unfortunate really because I'd thought of a different title to these defaults...

It was going to be Abort, Abort!!!

The first Abort was in reference to Thursday night's dinner being aborted in a public toilet on my route. An urgent Number Two rather than a Barf!

The second Abort was in reference to not being able to get my legs going after the first Abort so I walked up the hill to home from there.

I'd slurped down some Lucozade before the run in attempt to give me some energy. I thought it may have been that that caused the urgent sit down.

I tried some Glucose powder this morning, continuing the attempt for an energy boost. This did seem to give the required boost with no consequential effect on my bowels, so I now guess it was just the massive meal I'd had.

Again, no run to talk about over the weekend. So much for my strategy of inviting ridicule / encouragement from readers of this when I slipped from my plan!!!

It was another active weekend though. I finished the mortar rendering on the sunroom wall. It's ready to paint (when Shirley picks the colour). Then I can put down the floor.

I had a bit of practice at the floor laying because Shirley's brother is also laying the similar product. I'm glad that I've seen some problems to avoid and I realise that my nice, uniform, rectangular room will be easier than the cut-outs and 45 degree angles that Thomas and co. had to deal with.

I've also been roped in to help my father-in-law lay a floor slab. It's a fully enclosed basement so I just have to work out whether to cast it in sections or how to level and float it off in one go - as we can't walk round the sides.

Again this is practice for a similar but easier job at our place.

Another couple of busy weekends ahead...

96 days to go...

Oh I missed noting 100 days to go to City to Surf last Friday.

I can't say I'm on schedule, because I should have been well into the longer Sunday runs by now.

I wonder whether there's another way to get it in? Maybe get up even earlier one day during the week (say Friday) and go for a longer run then. But that would mean my fuel problem would be even worse. I need to try the dextrose drink first to see what effect that has. I'd also have to add an extra run during the week.

So that'd be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday run, Wednesday night squash, Thursday rest day and the long run on Fridays.

We'll see how that plan goes. Need to visit the home brew shop first.

I did the same old 5km route this morning in about 25 minutes - again.

I'm starting to feel stronger up that last rise. Obviously the 'magnet' theory works as well as 'falling up-hill'.

14 Weeks to go...

Did I say cold last week? Well this morning plunged to new depths!

I'm impressed with myself that I even made it out for a run this morning, considering another hectic weekend and the temperature differential between under and out of the covers.

But I did. I even had flashes of an idea to buy a pair of gloves for future runs, but now I realise that would be a bit silly. I warmed up pretty quickly and there's plenty of sunshine on my route.

The 5km (again) was fairly straight forward. I feel as though I've conquered the last few hundred meters up the hill - with the aid of an imaginary magnet situated at the top of said hill exerting it's force and pulling me up. Isn't it bizarre how the mind can trick the body?

I borrowed a book on sports nutrition from a bloke at work. I was particularly interested in a trick to solve my problem of running first thing in the morning and not having any time for a normal snack to get into my system to give me some much needed fuel.

Well apparently my solution is dextrose - a type of sugar which has a very high glycaemic index (i.e. it converts into something usable very quickly) and if taken in liquid will be absorbed very quickly too. It's used in brewing (which is nice) so I'll pay a visit to the local home brew shop and purchase a bag.

I'm hoping that it'll give me some extra zip and start to see some improvement in my week morning runs. I then hope that'll give me the momentum I need to finally start the Sunday longer runs. This weekend was another failure in that department. I just can't get out of the pit early enough and Shirl and Lian are going through a non-church phase so no opportunity to go then either.

I also picked up a local contour map to try to figure out some flat routes. Haven't had a chance to study it yet though.

On other news, I started my next mini-project at home. We have a sunroom off the kitchen which is basically stuck on the original external wall of the house, therefore the bare bricks are visible. So we had the idea to render the brick-work. However, being a perfectionist I realistically doubted my ability to get an even finish with a trowel - so we went for the next option, which over here is called 'bagging'. It's the application of a creamy consistency mortar with a piece of hessian sacking (hence the name) or more commonly these days a sponge is used. It just means that getting a flat finish is not necessary - in fact it's designed to give a rough finish.
So I first decided to fill in the (quite deep) gaps between the bricks with mortar to bring that out to the level of the brick face. The reason for this is because I figured that if I try to 'bag' it in one operation, the deeper mortar at the brick joints will dry slower than the mortar on the face and cause cracks. So that first step was finished on Saturday.

Next weekend will give me a chance to finish the 'bagging'. Then we'll paint it with a bright, light colour. We'll finish the room off with a laminate (wood look) floor to get rid of the old tatty carpet. Should be finished by end of May - easy!

Life goes on...

Starting to Get Colder...

I tried the run this morning without the accompanying music, just to see whether it makes a difference to my concentration / boredom balance.

The fact is that the only difference using the MD player makes is that the headphones keep my ears warm!

It felt sooo cold this morning. I guess it's just the relative drop in temperature rather than the actual temperature because it was probably still about 15 degrees.

It's likely to get colder as we get further into winter. I remember last year when I was getting in the car to drive to work at 6.15am, the temperature often got down to 5 degrees, which for Sydney is bloody cold. Remember we don't have central heating here either.

Anyway, another 5km this morning. No different to any other day really. Still struggle to finish off up that last hill. And my hamstrings really felt tight. Perhaps a massage is in order!

I've also ordered a contour map of our area so I can study it in detail and pick some flatter routes.

Squash tomorrow so no run in the morning.

15 Weeks to go...

Another failure to get up on Sunday and go for a run! Very disappointing!

What have I said all along about forming the habit? Well Sunday is a prime example of that. Running before work during the week is one thing (and a habit that is thankfully set) but that apparently has no effect on the Sunday attempt.

I have to get that longer run started.

So starting this week with a clean slate, I put in the 5km run this morning. It's still a struggle. My mind wanders and I lose a bit of rhythm (what little I had in the first place). Perhaps I need to ditch the MD player. I'll give it a try to see if that makes things easier or harder.

I also need to get hold of a contour map to see if I can find some flat routes! I hate hills!!! My guess is that I've got to run 3km down to the river to get to the flat river bank. But then 3km back up-hill will kill me.


Another 5km tomorrow, squash Wednesday and another 5km Friday. Hopefully finish the week off on Sunday with another run.