Week 2 and mouse is still smiling

Of course my smile could be due to the microwave popcorn I just ate but let's say its the exercise... I did a lot of gym work last week, lots of spin classes and some weights - good stuff!! I feel great but getting tired of the early starts. Need a sleep in me thinks.

Weekend was fun, had a great chat to Des while Benny and Ian ran the Bathurst 1/2. Was pretty pleased to see Benny come in before Ian, proving hard work pays off!! I think Ian is learning raw talent can only take you so far, he needs to train now to get the big improvements!! I still think he was the best runner out there (sorry Benny), not to mention the best looking and as always, I am very proud of his run.

Tomorrow AM is my turn for a run, probably and iPod assisted 8km, and tomorrow night I am going to take myself to a pump class at the gym. I have not done one for ages - I am very excited! Haha.

Yawn, stretch, yawn... bed time..,...

a day in the county ( ntr)

I did the Bathurst Half Marathon today - a really good event, great scenery - a local event like the Lindfield Fun Run etc.

A good day - finished the run feeling good in 1:52:xx, and am happy with that. Asthma got me right at the start, so i discarded my 1:45 aim pretty early on. My right arm/shoulder was sore about half way into it, and i stopped to stretch it - maybe just from sleeping wrong...who knows? I also felt dehydrated today - there were 3 drink stations, and i had 2 cups at each. At SMC, i normally have 1-2 drinks at 7 stations, so thats a big difference i think. I guzzled a few glasses of water at Lindsays at lunch time..wonder why?

The course was mainly flat, as advertised, but i know a hill when I run a hill, and there were a few out there! One even had a sign "crest" at the top, so i know for a fact it was hill. You cant fool me. However, we drove along the same road on the way to lunch, and the hills were a bit flatter this time - hmmmm.

Mouse and I saw BennyR and Des, and their new baby John. He is so tiny and fragile! And apparently noisy and restless at night - des and bennyr both sounded desperate for a good nights rest! Benny cracked his 1:50 goal with a 1:49:xx finish - he was stoked, and mouse and I were so pleased for him!! He truly deserved that!

We also met Keg and his wife and baby - i am really enjoying the social side of running and CR now - it is making it enjoyable before, during and after each event! I am kicking myself for forgetting my camera...arrgghh...it would have been good to get some happy snaps today.

I plan to go for a run tomorrow night - i miss the night time jogs with music as my company, it feels like ages since i did that!

we travel all over the countryside......(NTR)

I am off to bathurst later today for a the Half Marathon up there - i did a great run last week of 1:49:36 at SMC, which has a few hills in it. I am hopeful i can do the same, or even a few mins faster this weekend on the flat course.

I have done bugga all running this week - missed parra park runners AGAIN due to a pointless meeting at work ( aarrgghh ) but tried to redeem myself by stopping there after work. Did 3km before getting stomach pains, and calling it day. I would have felt better if i did not bother going at all!

Looking forward to going up, staying my auntie, seeing a friend for lunch, and spending time with Mouse and the kids.

The new mouse

Well not yet anyway, same old for the mo.... Have started a 12 week plan (written by myself) to kick start some fitness and weight loss. Started yesterday after a hard weekend (brick and SMC) with spin, running and gym work.

Will see how I feel after week one but 2 days in and I feel good. Pity I am used to getting up at 5 now so my body snaps out of sleep, wide awake at about 4:50am. By 6pm in the evenings I am really missing that last 10 mins sleep! But c'est la vie I suppose, it is all for a good cause.

Possibly doing the Bathurst 10km this weekend, as well as taking on cheer squad duties with the mini mouses and NTR junior for their dad - go baby!!

Busy week at work, drinks tonight but not too many, only cos I don't want to have to run further than I would like to work them off tomorrow!! Plus I am just generally sick of being tired and hungover after nights out. Think I am getting old and grumpy too, there are too many silly young things in pubs these days, guys and girls. They need oldies pubs and young-uns pubs, ours will have quieter music as loud music annoys me too these days. My god I sound like my mother.....

today was a good day for running...(ntr)

it was overcast, cool, and both of Mouse and I felt motivated. Doing SMC is one event we both try real hard not to miss - and this weekend, i asked my dad to come over and watch the kids so we can both go. But instead of turning up at 6:15am, wires go crossed and he was here at 5:45am, and rang my mobile to let him in - obviously i was still asleep, clinging to the last 30mins of zzzzz's i could grab. No worries, dad came in, got comfy with his book, and i went back to sleep for 30 mins!

After discovering i forgot to a) take money for the run ( had to detour via a service station atm ) and b) forgetting to leave my keys at the canteen ( had to hold them during most of the run ), i got started with a chat with Mike about cramping. He suggests an apple vinegar cider and honey drink to help...so many suggestions...

I had the garmin set to do the half in 1:50. I didn't care if i matched the virtual training partner or not, but i thought i would give it a crack. Post marathon, there was a goal, but no serious expectations, other then go out and run my best, and the fastest i could muster today. And i think i did that today. I finished in 1:49:36 - a course PB by 2:13. I am really pleased with that positive result, after not going under 4hr in the marathon last week.

For the first time in a long time i ran the whole course alone with my ipod and thoughts - rags was doing the 10km, bennyr busy with the bub i assume, and the other SMC friends not at the same pace ( they are mostly faster). As much i enjoy running with friends, i really enjoyed the solitude today. I just focused on breathing, attacking the hills, targeting the drink stations as the place to take a little walk and drink.

Even better then my run, was seeing mouse enjoy herself ( well kinda...for a runner, she really doesn't like running that often! ) and finish feeling good in herself. Yesterday she did a triathlon training session called Brick, cause thats how your legs feel at the end!! To do that, and back up today - inspiring and motivating!

Thanks Paul for the marathon training program - i am going over it tonight, and i think i could really use it to focus on Cities which is on in 14 weeks ( who's counting? )

Also, yesterday the kids did the Met West 2km cross country - they loved the sense of satisfaction from finishing something hard - and the Sundae treat we gave them afterwards ( oops!! ). They did really well! I escorted 6yr Jnr on the run, and was neck and neck with Mrs Tiller and Jnr Tiller for the wooden spoon! It was a fun ( but hot~! ) afternoon.

the imperfect recipe for perfect battered fish

how does this related to running ( primary aim of blog for me ), well not a lot, except its what i made for dinner last night before doing hill reps ...

most people make or buy overly oily battered fish i have observed, and the batter has no real taste of its own. Since we all like garlic in this house, this is how i make battered fish, that everyone eats as much as i give them...

• plain flour ( .about 2 handfuls..no exact measurements! )
• bi carb - a very generous sprinkle ( maybe 2 tablespoons )
• half dozen shakes of garlic granuls from the spice jar ( maybe 2-3 tablespoons )
• shake of salt
• add water so you get a guey mixture - i think about a cup. Must be guey enough in consistency to stick to the fish
• 1 - 1.5 kg boneless dory ( or barra or whatever. make sure its boneless though )
• first press olive oil

1. Mix in the ingredients down to and including the water, in the order listed. Use a whisk to mix it. Should take about 5 mins to do this.
2. Cut the fillets of fish into 4, so you should have about 16 pieces from a kilo.
3. Using a wok ( so oil drains away better then frypan ) squirt the oil, and heat wok till a tiny drop of batter will start to bubble straight away.
   
4. Now, dip the fish, a piece at a time, into the batter, and with tongs place in the wok. Let it bubble and cook for about 2 mins, then turn over. You want a brown crisp texture on the batter. Place on a plate covered in paper towel to absorb the oil. Let it sit until you have cooked all you need for dinner.
5. Serve with a simple salad ( lettuce, onion, cherry tomatoes, grated carrot - so simple 6yo jnr made it for us all).

After dinner, cook any left over pieces for later!

Then go and do hill reps - enjoy the cool night air, say hi to the cyclists and listen to tracks on your ipod! Thats what i call a nice night.

The PB tumbles in our nations capital! (ntr)

warning: long post. get coffee and comfy now...

In Canberra on Sunday, i ran the marathon in 4:17:30 - this is a 37min PB! Of course I am disappointed not to have broken 4 hours ( that was the goal ) BUT i am stoked with 4:17!

Mouse, 3 mini runners and I got to Canberra with about 20mins to spare before Mouse had to run the 10km run - that time pressure, plus mouse having left her running pants at home, lack of access to the motel ( the only con of staying literally 10 metres from the finish area is that the roads are restricted! ) meant the mood before that was a little stressed! While Mouse ran a hard 10km, i registered myself and the kids in their event, and then we met other CR's in the cheer squad and i started getting toey for a run, seeing the 10km runners go past!! Mouse finished feeling drained, and we recovered this by checking into the room, and going out for a pizza dinner. Unknown fact about Canberra: you can get a chocolate pizza!! how good is that...

Race day...after having an early breakfast, we all went over the road at
6:30. Had a good chat with Otter and took mutual before shot photos, thanked the new 4 hour pacer, CR Digger, before the race, as I was not sure how i would feel afterwards! Mingled with a gaggle of CR's ( Rags, sfGnome, Mango, Scurry711, GoGirl, LuLu and others ) before hitting the start line with Muzman, Anth and Scurry. The race is on.

Felt very good and restrained for the first half - stayed ( just ) in front of the pace group with Scurry711, at 5:35-5:40 pace - all as planned. I really enjoyed running past the parliment houses, the tent embassy, over the bridge, along the tree lines streets - it was the most scenic urban course i have ever run. At this point, the 4 hour group all had 10 mins in the bag, allowing for a 6min pace for the second half of the race. All was well, until right before the turn around point. I started to feel cramps in the quads, and instead of being just in front of the pace group, was just behind them. It was awesome to see the CR squad, and my 3 kids in Kids Marathon shirts complete with medals ( the hi fives they gave me gave me an unnatural boost for sure!!! ) and mouse cheering on!! That corner was a very special moment in the race.

After that though, the wheels started falling off. I was cramping at 27km - and I was so mad at my muscles!! Cramp at a later stage sure, i have not done that many long runs, but not at 27km, and not whilst I was doing a pace SLOWER then what i did the 30km smc with rags a month ago, and not whilst i taking salt tablets, eating bananas and beroccas leading up, all in an attempt to keep cramps at 30km+ at bay. I was feeling so dirty! Not upset, not deflated, but just dirty on the situation!

OK - situation assessed as crap. I had two options. Walk and finish in 5 hours again, or open up a can of "toughen up" ( you had to bring your own) and get going. I got going. I took the 2 panadol i carry, my last gel, and finished the GU drink i was carrying. I decided i will take take as much sport drink, water and gels at it as i could and soldier on.

It was tough. When the cramps would subside, i could run nicely at 5:50average pace, but then i would feel them coming, and transition delicately into that walk - you know the walk if you have been there..not knowing how far to bend, straighten or stride - i spotted quite few people like this out there unfortunately.

I saw scurry run past on the other side of the track at about the 31km mark - felt low then...that where i wanted to be! Soon after, the 4 hour pace group passed. Getting low again. Then, out of the crowd of hats and headbands, i see the word "kato" rise above the rest. Now i have met Kato for about 5 seconds before at the start line, so I hardly know him, although i do know of him ( from CR posts and my lovely Mouse purchased Succeed from him ), so i say "hey kato, got any salt tablets? please......" and he goes "No Problems", and deftly slips me two tablets in a little plastic bag - in a dark alley it was seem so dodgy!! I apologised for being rude and presumptuous, took the salt, and struggled on. ( thanks Kato! )

The last 10km were basically run, cramp, walk, run, cramp, walk. They were tough, but i gritted my teeth and kept going. I was not going to bomb out of this! Instead I chatted to people that i passed, and those that passed me. The mad lady of the lake who i thought was a scream was dressed in cow inspired dressed with a sign telling us to keep Mooooving, also met a guy from Italy in ACT for the run ( spoke little english, and no watch, so was desperate to know the time! ), and got some encouragement from who I deemed to be "Poster Runners" for Sydney striders - their uniforms were immaculate they both seemed so very relaxed - i didnt recognise it was CR Auntie K, and now i know DazzaK!

And there it was....40km mark. Time to run, soak it up, visualise the finishing chute and the roar of the crowd. I started to run, encouraged someone else to visualise the end and run too, so we ran the last km together taking it in. The final turn was fantastic - the CR squad was there, and the kids came out and ran me up the finish line. Mouse was there ( thanks babe, love you!! ), and it was great. I heard the announcer call my name, commenting that i owned the support crew coming with me! And i made it. 4:17:30.

So i did not make my 4 hour goal ( what are goals:realistic yet challenging targets...and it was that! ) , but am stoked at so many things this weekend. The kids marathon, and how Mouse managed to get the 6yr jnr to run over 2km, and the shirts and medals the kids are so proud of now. The CR squad - always supportive, before, after and during the race. The mad lady at the lake - went from dressing gown and sign "not a morning person" to a cardboard cutout bikini and sign "you are all Kenyans to me" to the final cow inspired motif!. The good and gutsy efforts of other CR friends are all inspirational to me, even if they didn't meet their own targets, they are still massive efforts.

I am proud of myself for pushing through those bloody cramp ( just ), and knocking off 37min from the previous effort! Today i will enter the Cities marathon.....guess what my target time will be...you guessed it...4hours!

three more sleeps... (ntr)

Not long to go now till Canberra marathon - and i feel pretty ordinary. Kids,mouse and I have sniffles and colds!! But, i refuse to let that distract me...i started training for this a few days after xmas past, with a max of 3 runs a week, and an average of 2. Originally the aim was sub 4hours so i can do the 6foot track next year, but after a training run on Australia Day, i think i love the bush, want to get into trail running some more, but not sure if 6foot is for me. However, the dream lives on and i am sticking to the sub 4 hour plan!!

I have run 466km since dec 28 2006, most with Sunday in mind!

So come rain, hail or shine - clear head or head cold - good or bad sleep - run gods and moon aligning or not - I am giving it my best shot, and am pretty damn excited now!!!

Thanks to running friends who offered advice and encouragement along the way - i really appreciate it!! And mouse...you KNOW i could not have gotten this far with you!! xxx

Full report in a few days time!!!

Lance says congrats

I went for a run this morning with NTR. It was 7km then back home to a quick bathroom stop then picked up Basil the Beagle and we were out for another 4km. 11.63 in total and Lance Armstrong congratulated me on my ipod that it was my longest run yet - yay!!

It was great to be out running again, though it is funny that NTR can only run with me as he is tapering for Canberra. Was so nice to be running together again though, we have not done that since we were training for Gold Coast last year - yikes!

I went into work today. NTR came in and we bought his dad also, the boys strolled around the Rocks whilst I worked for a few hours at the office. It was nice to have company and such a beautiful day to be out. Not too unhappy I worked today, feel much more organised for the week ahead. Hopefully this means I will get a few more runs/rides/swims in this week than in the previous few.... Would be nice :)

Happy Easter!! (Mouse)

This week has been a strange one, a couple of runs but very little motivation or energy. It is a terrible cycle for me - no energy so no run so less energy the next day! Plus work has been a bugger, late nights, weekends etc etc. I keep telling myself its the "busy season" leading up to end of financial year but I think it is just the company.... Ho hum, need some thinking time about that one.

Got myself out of the slump yesterday by running, skipping, push-upping and stepping in the rain. Felt better for it, and a lot less guilty about eating chocolate!!

Today I got up with the kids, watched them eat a breakfast of champions - chocolate chip hot cross buns followed by chocolate easter eggs :) After breakfast I went for a 20km ride and a 4km run, a bit of a basic brick session. I missed brick yesterday after setting my alarm but not turing the damn thing on. Not happy jan...

I have been a bit strssed at work recently and exercise is usually my outlet, so missing brick was very disappointing.

Anyhoo, onwards and upwards. Need to use this week to not only get back into a rhythm but to help NTR prepare for Canberra. I am so excited for him!!!! 7 sleeps to go.....

nothing new....(ntr)

ho hum....in the 7 days, i have run once, and really just felt a bit down at work, home and in general i guess.
Started with a rough night last week when my little one was sick - i never really caught back up the sleep, work is a bit nuts, home always hectic......I did have a good weekend - saw a few different friends - movie night on saturday watching borat, drinking kalhua, and a babyshower on Sunday- tip:never ever mix those two events, the results could be disastrous!!

On Monday this week i started my Canberra "health prep". Basically doing things i should do almost every day....

• Asthma preventative medication every second day ( supposed to take it daily, but if i do, i lose my voice :-( )
• Cod Liver Oil Tablets - supposed to aid respiratory system ( see point above for why i take it! ) and circulation
• Berocca daily - bring back the b b b bounce...actually told it helps get vitamins in the body right to aid in cramp prevention in long runs
• eating lunch daily - and sometimes i even eat at lunch time!
• reduce down to 3 cups of coffee max a day - this is hard..real hard!
• increase up to 3 glasses of water a day - this is easy as i take a water bottle in the car for the drive to and from work

I did do 7km hill rep session last night - wasn't exactly enjoyable, but i really needed to shake the lead out of the legs, and it surely did that. I am hoping to get to parra park for the 1pm run with parra park runners. I am not worried about the time this week at all - and am hoping the kids will come and walk/run/ride whilst I am there.

So, over all, i am bit tired and down, nervous and excited about the marathon next week, but so thankful its a long weekend!!!

Heres to a weekend of rest, relaxation and rebounding!!