Forum Sigs/Showing off.

I finally taught myself how to make signatures for the parenting forums I use this week. I am really happy with my efforts. I must have the most beautiful baby in the world LOL. Looking back at her newborn photos makes me clucky. She makes me laugh most of the day, she has started to turn around in circles and then falls over, she dances infrom of the telly when ABC kids is on or dances infront of the stereo when I have the radio on. Actually I often turn to check on her in the car and she is bopping on her car seat while the radio is on. She is 16months in a few days, I am loving this age.

Monday 7th August - Nuns Walk 5km

I loved todays run. I have been hanging for an enjoyable run for ages. I was just saying to Crissy on Saturday that I am gonna stick to the 5km runs for a week or two, I have been struggeling with running and I miss being able to run 5km without niggles or struggle. I also really want to get my 5kms under 30mins and have not been working towards it.

So this morning I was excited to get out for my first run with my new watch. I was aiming for 5km in 32mins, the way I have been running lately I thought I would be lucky to make it but had to set myself something to work for.

AT the start of the run I felt shocking, thought I had no pain I think I was anticipating it. I felt really awkward and as if I was running on the spot LOL. I get the same feeling at the start of most runs.

The pain never came, all I could think about was the pain in my legs on Saturday and I was dredding it happening again today, but it never did. My legs felt great for the WHOLE run. I couldn't have been happier and I am sure I was grinning like a dork thorugh most of my run.

I decided to hit the lap button on my watch every km, I wanted to see what it did. Of course I would not know till I got home to play with it. I really liked having it on the distance setting, I did have a look at my pace a few times but decided it was best to keep it on distance and just occasionaly glance at it so I would know when to hit the lap button and to know when to turn around.

Turns out the 2.5km mark is a tad bit closer than I have measured out in my car. Not surprising I suppose seeing how the road is straight and the track has some bends in it, still it felt weird turning a little before I usually do, felt like I was cheating.

Before I knew it I was on my last km, I felt like I was picking up pace without even trying to, and of course as usual I know I picked it up near the end but I didn't sprint like I usually do. It was more controlled I think.

Anyway here is all the data from my watch.

1st Km: Time=6.18.56 Pace= 6.14 Speed=9.4
2nd km: Time=6.07.19 Pace=6.09 Speed=9.6
3rd km: Time=6.13.86 Pace=6.09 Speed=9.6
4th km: Time=6.15.95 Pace=6.18 Speed=9.4
5th km: Time=5.42.75 Pace=5.42 Speed=10.4

The 4th km is the one with all the inclines in it. It's the one that if I am struggeling I will feel like giving up in. I was not surprised to see it almost my slowest km. The pace & speed are averages of course. I am pretty happy with that last km.

My husband is tormenting my child so I have to go, I have had to listen to her cracking the shits the whole time I have been typing. Think it's time to open a can of Whoop Arse.

Oh should add that yesterday I went for a nice long walk with the watch to try to work it out. Maybe that is why my legs were so good today, cos I stretched out any niggles yesterday.

OMG: I almost forgot to add that my finishing time was 30.38.31....Gotta be happy with that when I thought I was being cocky setting out to finish in under 32mins. Oooh I like this font!

Saturday 5th August - Nuns walk 45 mins

I have not run since the Bay run last weekend. My legs were trashed for a few days then I got a nasty case of the "Can't be bothereds" I finally pushed myself out the door yesterday.

I has a visit from my Boot Camp Instructor Kylie on Friday. I havn't seen her for a while and it was great to catch up. She was keen to run with Crissy & I yesterday but something came up and she couldn't make it. Kylie if you read this I have to say that you didn't miss out on much. Crissy & I both stuffed up and it was an ordinary run.

First of all I have been so excited all week about finally getting my watch and getting out and having a go of it, I finally get off my arse for a run and the bloody thing isn;t working the way I think it should. The watch just kept beeping at me. Crissy & I must have spent at least 30mins trying to figure it out, I just wanted to take it off and stomp on it. I had a zero tollerance level yesterday and wasn't in the mood. Anyway we ended up leaving the arm band part that picks up the satelites in the car and took off without it. So I was wearing a $150 stop watch. I even said to Crissy "Great, I am wearing a $150 stopwatch......my $17 Stopwatch was good enough for this". Anyway I am sure that my frustration and tension was not doing me any good and I was trying to relax my shoulders but my whole body felt very very tense.

Not long into the run my calfes, ankes & left foot were hurting. My left foot pulled up sore after the Bay Run, under the arch and it was aching as I ran yesterday., It was also sore on top of the foot where you bend it. Crissy was also experiencing pain in her left leg (I think) we are thinking Hip Flexor.

About 22mins into the run I told her that I may have to stop half way to stretch, we were planning on doing 30mins out then turning back. I have only ever done that once before, stopped halfway through a run to stretch. I don't like to do it but will if I have to and I knew I was gonna have to. Crissy said she was thinking the same thing for her sore leg and then as we approched a lookout we decided it was as good a time as any. Stretching my calfs I could really feel it, they were sore & tight. I did some Quad stretches aswell as they were a little tight. Crissy was trying to stretch hers out aswell. Not the easiest place to stretch, I was worries about her injury as I had it a little while ago and it was a shocker, hard to stretch. She has the City to Surf coming up so she is gonna have to sort this thing out ASAP.

ANyway after discussion we decided to turn around there and then after our stretches and head back. So instead of 30mins we only did about 23.30. Initially my legs felt a hell of a lot better, but then I got a stitch (not breathing properly) and as I shortened my stride to breath though it my legs started hurting again. At this point I was wondering why I was bothering at all. Who was I kidding, I am not built for running, I have never been the sporty type, I should have stayed home infront of the telly where lazy people belong. **sob sob*. LOL. I yelled back to Crissy "You know what? I am not in the Fing mood to work through this stitch" I just wanted to stop but kept going for some reason. I decided to pick up the pace a little and lengthen my stride, the change in breathing pattern must have been what I needed to get rid of the stubborn stitch cos it went quickly after that. I was really enjoying the slight increase in pace and my legs felt much better. Doesn't it suck when you find your Rythem and start to really enjoy a run when your not far from finishing! So that's it, the rest of the run was nice for me. I was worried about Crissy's Hip thingy while we were running up hill but she said it was the same. She mentioned something about taking off at the end and I told her that I am not going to today and my foot was hurting and I didn't want to risk stuffing it, I wanted to be able to run Monday. I then told her it wouldn't be a good idea for her either with her hip thingy and she agreed, she prob thought I was an idiot for even thinking it.

Anyway as usual I took off at the end, I did hold back a little but couldn't help but take off. It just happens. We fisnished off with some nice stretching in the park then took off to collect our offspring. So it was a crap run but at the same time it ended nicely. Once Hubby came home he looked at my watch for me and said I had the zone alert switched on and that's why it was beeping at me. I pretended to understand what he was talking about.

I think for the next few weeks I will just stick to 5km runs (at least the next 3 runs), I need to get my routine back.

Oh forgot to add my finishing time. I got 45:50 on my watch but I forgot to stop it when we were stretching so our times were different. We are guessing it was about 7km. If my Bloody watch worked I would have knoen exactly how far....AAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Mornington Bay Run - 8km

CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP........I just typed my blog entry then lost it cos the puter crashed. I am in a rotten mood so bare with me, this is gonna be a different style post.

I threw up my breaky.........we warmed up...........we stretched......we started......we ran hard hills........we finished one lap.........we ran more hard hills........the last hill beat me and I had to walk.........Crissy walked with me and I felt bad..........I feel guilty for walking....I felt guilty cos Crissy was walking......got easier after turning point, instant relief on downhills........Crissy ran a bit ahead of me as I slowed down to try to work through a stitch........I caught up to Crissy..........We neared finish line.......an old man was gaining on us.......we sprinted..........we finished in 48:08........we cooled down.....we stretched a little......we ate pancakes.......Crissy dropped me off.....I had a hot shower and stretched in there.......I stretched some more after shower and rubbed legs with Ice in a tube stuff........I went and got Poppy and took her to the park......we went home.......she tormented me all arvo and would not have a nap.......we had dinner.......I got some bad news........I opened bottle of red.....bathed Pop and put her to bed.......Now I am doing my blog FOR SECOND TIME and on third glass of red........Hubby is on nightshift and I really miss him, could use a cuddle and it's raining really hard and we both love listening to it on the tin roof but I have to listen to it on my own all night.

Thought I should add something positive as I know I must be sounding very whingy......The time I finished in today was better than I thought, I thought it would be way over 50mins. However I feel bad cos Crissy could have got a much better time if she wasn't running with me, but I suppose she got me back by posting the winning "run yourself ugly" shot on her bloody blog.

Wednesday 26th July - Nuns Walk 5km

This would have to go down as my WORST RUN EVER.

Mum & Dad were busy today so they could not watch Poppy while I ran today. "No problem" I say "I will just run with the pram". I figured that since my runs are meant to be a little easier this week that I would be O.K to take the pram and just have a really slow 5km jog.

WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!!

What a stupid Idea that turned out to bloody be, Poppy didn;t feel like going for a jog and whinged most of the way, she only stopped towards the end, you will see why. About 15 mins into the jog my calves were starting to ache, I turned around at about 16 mins at the 2.5km mark so I knew I was going much slower than usual which was good. Heading back I had about a 2min period where everything felt fine and I had a good rhythm which is hard to get with a pram, but it was very short lived and my legs were really achy, by 22mins into the jog they were really hurting , my right leg in particular in the lower calf where I felt I pulled something in that damn pothole on Sunday, so I decided to stop and walk.

By this stage Poppy's whinging had evolved into full blown screaming and I was ready to cry myself. I was so bloody stressed I could feel every ounce of my body tencing up. My right calf felt like it had a massive knot in it and I was just about limping. I had to stop to try and calm my baby down but she wasn't having any of it. I had to get her out of the pram and carry her. She was fine then and proceeded to tell me about the trees and birdies. Her face was all red & blotchy and covered in tears and I felt terrible. So with an 11kg baby in one arm and pushing the pram with the other and hobbeling on one leg I made my way to the car. The 5km ended up taking me 41mins. I had to keep re-positioning the baby as she was getting bloody heavy.

Once I got home and set Poppy up with some munchies I started my stretching, OUCH my calves were sore. I have also been having sore quads this week but don't seem to feel much relief from the stretches. I have been icing the really nasty calf but don't know what to do next.

Tell you one thing, I am Never NEVER running with the pram again. It is a piece of crap and with an 11kg baby in it it is just too much hard work for me to get up the inclines. I am thinking this is why my calves are so sore. It's not a propper baby jogger, not that that would have made all that much difference. It is something I am not used to and I was stupid doing it a few days before a Fun Run.

Certainly not an enjoyable run. I started running as a means of stress relief after becomming a Mum, jogging with a screaming baby and a rattely pram is by no means relaxing and I came out of todays run more stressed than before I started it.

On a possitive note however my darling hubby purchased a Timex Speed & Distance watch last night off Ebay. I am so excited about it and can't wait to get it. Fingers crossed I have not done anything serious to my calf and will be able take it for a spin as soon as I get it.

Anyway must stop crapping on now, am expecting a knock on the door any minute and have the kettle boiling and a little cherrub cahhing away in her cot waiting for me to come and fetch her for a cuddle.

TOODLES!

Picture of Nuns Walk

I thought it was about time I learned how to post pics and get this pic I took a few weeks ago up for you guys to see. This is the wonderful view I get while doing my stretches after a run when I run at Nuns walk. It is only up the road from my house. I get a few glimpses like this one while running aswell. I am looking forward to summer/daylight savings when I can do some evening runs, it's amazing running on this track when the sun is going down over the bay.

Monday 24th July - Nuns Walk 5km

OUCH My legs are really sore are my shoulders & neck. This is the first time I have ran two days in a row and maybe it was not such a smart idea to do so after a long run. This morning I woke up feeling a little better than yesterday and my legs didn't appear to be suffering at all form yesterdays long run, and so they shouldn't as it was an easy paced run however my neck & shoulders were really sore which could be either form not dropping them while running yesterday or from my glands being up. Anyway I headed out for my usual Monday 5km run at midday, I planned to leave my watch at home and make it an easy slow run but decided to take the watch and even use it to make sure I pace myself properly.

7mins into the run it was clear that my legs were feeling heavier than ever and this was not going to be the easy enjoyable run I thought it would be. I did manage to pace myself so I got to the turn around point in over 16mins though which was really good. My legs were feeling great just before turning around and I thought that maybe they were so sore earlier cos they were so cold before I ran but the good feeling didn;t last long. They were really heavy tackeling the small hill that is in my track and I was getting really tired. All I could do was slow down and concentrate on dropping my shoulders and not slouching and tipping slightly forward from my hips, this did help alot and I was back on track. I did pick up the speed at the end as usual but not as much as usual. I finished in 32:29 not that I cared about time at all today, infact I was after a slower run today.

I forgot to mention that when I got up this morning I felt some strain on the outside of my right leg above my ankle, I assume its from rolling my ankle in the pothole yesterday and have to keep my eye on it, another reason I didn't want to push it today.

Anyway This arvo we took Poppy to the park to feed the Ducks and play on the swings. She had a great time. It was her first time at the park as a walker, I have not taken her to the park since I stopped doing Baby Boot Camp, it has been too wet & cold and she has been too little to play on the equipment anyway. I got some great photos of her playing on the swings and some beautiful shots of her and her dad looking at the Ducks.

Now I am sitting here with very sore legs. My quads are sore on the outside (not at the front). I can't remember the last time they were this sore. Certainly not since doing Squats at Boot Camp. Anyway I think I will be hitting the spa tonight. I am a little worried about the sprain I may have in my leg also. Will rest my legs tomorrow and work on core instead then prob only do 5km on Wednesday.

Oh Chris, Thanks for the comment. I am looking forward to catching up sometime too. My hubby has agreed to get me a watch like yours when he gets his Tax return, I would love to pick ya brain a little more about it though and even have a look at how it works. I don't know who is more excited about GPS, Me or Crissy LOL.

Sunday 23rd July - Nuns Walk 9+km

Have been looking forward to this run all weekm woke up this morning feeling extremly shabby. My laringitis is back prob due to staying out till 4am Sat morning but I also have a stuffy nose/headcold aswell now. Determined not to miss todays run I headed to the chemist as soon as it opened this morning and got some Sinus Tablets.

Crissy got to my place at about 11:30 and we set off just after 12. We started at the Mornington Park, it felt strange for me to be running so out in the open. I couldnt help but be relieved once we veered off into the track into the bushes. We started off very slow and kept that pace till we turned around. It was a really nice pace and we were able to chat. I had to keep blowing my nose but only took one tissue, it was pulp by the time we finished the run. We hit the turning point at 33mins and picked up the pace a little on the way back then really started pushing it towards the end. I hit a pothole in the grass at one point and rolled my ankle then swore a few times worried that I may have hurt it. It was a little achey while running but not too bad. Nearing the end was a pretty nasty hill and we were really pushing ourselves up it going faster than any other part of the run. We finished at 1:03:58 so we managed to knock 2 mins off the second half of the run. Crissy was hanging for a neg split so I hope she was happy with that.

Was such a beautiful day and great to do our stretches in the park in the sunshine. We definately took our time stretching, my ankle was and still is fine so I was worries over nothing, however I feel like crap now. My cold had me knocked out on the couch this arvo and my head feels really heavy now. I don't feel much like any dinner but have been a good girl and drank over 2 litres of water today. I have not been drinking enough water lately and have to make an effort to drink more.

After stretching we took a drive along the course for next weeks Fun Run. OMG it is hilly, I am pretty worried about the run now.

This coming week will be my first ever taper week. I think I will just do 5km runs unless someone had any other suggestions. I will leave my watch at home for all my runs this coming week so I don't try to beat any of my times. Friday may actually only be a slow 4km run with the pram.

Oooh my Brother In law gave me his heart rate monitor this week. The watch part needs a new battery but once we work out how to get one of those I will be able to have a play with it. I was never gonna get into the HR stuff and still prob wont get into it too much but I do need to know how to use it for when I am pregnant with the next baby as I plan to try to keep running a little.

Off to put Poppy to bed now.

Friday 21st July - Nuns walk 5km

I was really looking forward to todays long run at Nuns Walk but Crissy had to pull out due to her little girl being ill. These things happen and can't be helped so we have re-scheduled our long run for Sunday which works out well cos it means I will get my 3 runs in this week and get another 5km run into my legs before attempting 8km or over.

Being such an awesome day today I couldn't wait to get out there. I decided that I would slow it right down today and just enjoy the weather and the amazing view of the bay I have on the Nuns Walk track and hopefully avoid a run like Wednesdays that I ended up struggeling with and left me feeling very negative. A run is meant to make me happy and relieve me of stress, not make me feel negative and more stressed out. Anyway it worked. I still wore my watch but didn't look at it as much and when I did I didn't care about how I was doing time wise. I felt alot stronger in the run and didn't seem to struggle at all. The incline that I almost gave up on Wednesday was alot easier today and I left like I was going alot faster for the last 6 mins. My finish time was 32:01 so it was a tad slower than Wednesday but I don't care cos it was a very enjoyable run.

I took a little more time stretching today because my calves have been a tad niggly and also cos it was such a beautiful day so why not spend more time at the lookout. Once I had finished stretching I felt like heading out for another 5km. Strange huh. Anyway I had to hurry home to give Poppy her medicine. Tonight I am going out for a girls night with my Mum's group. There are nine of us and this is out first night out together without the babies. Should be a good night. I had a terrible night with Poppy last night, not much sleep at all but my run has made me feel better so I should be right for tonight.

Am now looking forward to Sundays run with Crissy. I love running with her and it will be great to run somewhere different, same track but a different part of it. Shame the weather wont be as nice but as long as it's not windy or raining I don't care. I don't wanna get any sicker. Oh yeah that loogy is really hanging on here. I had a sore throat all night last night. As long as it doesn't get worse before the fun run I suppose I can deal with it.

Thanks for the comments Jaykay & Stu. It is great to see our ittle girl walking, was very exciting on the night and we had the vid camera out to catch most of it. We havn't moved anything yet. She has been able to get to everything for quite sometime now as she has been able to pull herself up and stand for a while now. Of course we don't have anything dangerous in reach and the big TV is bolted to the entertainment center so she can't pull it down. We dont have locks on out cupboards or drawers, we have taught her "No" instead and lucky for us she is a quick learner. I don't clean with chemicals, only Bi-carb & Vinegar so we don't have the problem of poisons in our cupboards. I am sure as she gets older and more stubborn we will start having problems and may have to lock everything up but here is hoping she stays like this.

Wed 19th July - Finally A Tick in The Box

O.k, I have to be honest. I have been avoiding my Blog cos I have been feeling so damn guilty about not running. This Virus I have has really taken it out of me and to make matters worse you know when you have a sore throat and the only time it feels better is when your eating, well that's all I have been doing.....EATING so I have been feeling like crap for so many reasons the last week or so. My body is trying it's hardest to get rid of this thing, every night I wake up soaked. Cam says it's my body trying to sweat the virus out. Last night was the worst. BUT today I finally got off my arse and went for a run. But before I go into that I have to share some other FANTASTIC NEWS....................

OUR BABY GIRL IS WALKING!!!!!!! She started on Friday 14th so she was 15months and 3 days old. She took her time getting there but in 30mins after her first real steps she was practially running. We are so proud of our Poppy.

Now back to running. I was really going to go Monday, I had my Mum & Dad over to watch Anna so I could go but it started raining quite heavily. Ordinarily I would just run in the rain but being sick already I didn't think it would be a great idea. I certainly don't want to get worse before the Fun Run, Plus my Dad was insisting I don't go so we all had some lunch instead. Then I was going to go yesterday after my hair appointment, Poppy was at Mum & Dads while I was getting my hair done in Hastings so it would have been soooooooo easy to duck out for a few laps of the foreshore BUT my hairdresser took 3 hours on my hair and I didn't get out till 4:30 and still had to go to the shop for some stuff for dinner and get Anna home to have her dinner. This morning however NO EXCUSES. I headed off to Nuns walk as soon as I got Poppy's breakfast ready and left it for Cam to give her.

In the car I was pumping myself up saying "just an easy 5km, you can do this, it will be easy" I was so scared, I didn't know what condition I would be in. I have missed 4 runs and put on a couple of kgs and am lacking energy. Once I started jogging though I felt great, yep this is where I should be. I thought I may have been going a little fast but couldn't seem to slow myself down so just went with it BIG MISTAKE. There is a spot in the track I always check my time and I am usually spot on about 10:30(ish but today I was just over 9mins. Ordinarily I would be happy with this but prob not a good idea when I have not been running. I started to slow down and get a little puffed about 2 mins from the turn around point. Once I turned I really had to slow it as I was puffing, I still have a bit of a cough and didn't want to have a coughing attack while running. Anyway it was at this point I realised how stupid I was for going out so fast and just knew it had come back to bite me on the arse. AND IT HAD. I struggled a bit for the rest of the run. Mostly with breathing. At one point I thought "stuff it, I'm gonna walk" but remembered a post Em wrote in the forum about how angry you feel when you give up and kept going (Thanks Em, that post has got me through a few runs now). Anyway I made it, 5km in 31:51. I suppose I should be happy with that time all things considered but I'm not. I am angry that I have gone backwards, it's not just the time that has given me the shits, it's the way I felt while running. So close to the Fun Run and I decide to get lazy. AAAGGGGHHHHHH.

NIGGLES: I have had a niggle in my left calf for a couple of days, was sore before I headed out this morning but didn't give me any curry while running. Hurt a fair bit while stretching and is a little tender now. I also have a bruised foot right near my big toe, long story. Lucky it didn't hurt too much in my runners but my boots kill it.

**Ha Ha, forgot to mention that I posted my entry to the Mornington Bay Run last week while I was sick, no getting out of it now. I got my bib today number 38 LOL. Crissy: If you havn't already entered get of ya arse and do so. Don't you dare leave me to run this on my own, your the one who talked me into this.

SICK, SICK,SICK....AAGGGHHHHHH

I missed my first training run for a while yesterday. I Lost my voise Saturday arvo and everything has just gone downhill from there. I now have a sore throat and some sort of respitory infection. IT'S GROSS.

My little baby girl is also sick and it breaks my heart, we are both going to the doctors today and will hopefully be given anti-biotics or something to clear this up fast. There is no way I will be runnign tomorrow either and Friday is looking doubtful and if I do I don't know if it would be wise to make it an 8-10km run.

I have been training so well and feeling so good then this happens. I am so dissapointed, and let me tell you how frustraiting it is for someone like me to not be able to talk. I can't even answer my phone. I even had to drive to the docs to make the appointment cos I can't use the phone. Little "A" keeps handing me books to read (three little pigs is her fav) and I can't read it to her. We had to download "Old Macdonald had a farm" cos I can't sing it to her at the moment, I actually thought that was what stuffed my voice in the first place.

Once positive however is that with no run yesterday I had to put my mind into something else and finally to do a scrapbooking page for the Mothers Day Classic, along with 3 pages of beautiful baby pics.

Well that is my whinge, I hope everyone else is enjoying thier running. *sob sob*

Friday 7th July - Pelican Park 10km

Yep that's right 10km WHOO HOOOOOOOOO. The plan for todays run was to try to beat last weeks time by at least one min. Crissy has been having some shin trouble and saw the same massage/sports Guru I see yesterday and he said NOT to run today and gave her instructions to walk 5km then slow jog 1km. We still decided to meet up and each do our separate thing at the same time & place. I was really nervous about trying the 8km on my own, I really enjoy the company and Crissy seems to pace me well. Plus I secretly wanted to try for a 5th lap today bringing the run to 10km, mind you I have not been feeling 100% this week and I have been having leg problems and with Crissy not running today you would put off trying for 10km till next week but I decided to see how I felt while running and decide then.

Anyway while waiting for Crissy to turn up I had a little warm-up walk and got my Ipod in position. Once she turned up it was all go. Felt funny me jogging off and leaving her to walk, I can imagine how she was feeling. Anyway the first lap wasn't too bad, legs seemed to not want to warm up. The second lap is always a killer for me, I was beginning to think I wouldn't make the 6km let alone the 8 or 10. My legs were so heavy and tired, they have felt like this since my massage on Tuesday. Anyway I kept going telling myself how great that high will feel if I manage the whole 10k. I kept telling myself "you have been craving this high all week now go and get it woman" I also tried the old "Pain is temporary, glory is forever" quote and it made me chuckle.

Crissy jogged with me for the last bit of the 3rd lap and all of the 4th lap which is more than she was meant to, I felt so much better while she was running with me. I complained to her about the shocking head wind we were copping for half of the course and how there was no way we were gonna break any times today but I really want to do the 5 laps. I think she thought I was a little nutty but understood completely so she told me she would finsih the 4th lap with me then walk while I did the 5th lap.

The 5th lap was my fav of course cos I knew I was going to complete another goal and two milestones and that would make up for the fact that my 8km was slower than last week (not by too much, about 30 seconds I think). The head wind was a killer but this final lap I was able to think to myself "last time I will fight that wind today whoo hoo" and once I got past it my legs eased off a little and I was comfortable again. I managed a little sprint at the end but not as good as I usually do, Crissy was waiting for me and had her camera ready, great a run yourself ugly shot for me. I was so excited about finishing my first 10km that I screamed a little and forgot to hit stop on my watch once I realised I stopped it at 1:07:20.

Today was my first 10km and my first run for over an hour. Now I have something to celebrate tomorrow night. I have almost drank 3litres of water since and am about to stretch again. That right thigh is a little sore, thinking I should get some skins soon to wear after runs like this.

I am looking forward to a beer tomorrow night. This week I ran 20km (one more than the last two weeks). Tonight I will celebrate with some yummy Lamb Stew full of vegies, one of my fav dinners and of course some more water and stretching before bed.

Wed 5th July - Nuns Walk 5km

I wasn't as pumped for todays run as I have been lately. I woke up with a sore throat yesterday morning, it got better through the day but then at 5pm I hit the wall and my head was pounding, my eye sockets were sore, my jaw was sore and it was a huge effort to move my limbs. I kept saying to Cam "I can't be sick, I can't be sick, I need to train" Oh I was so dissapointed. Anyway I took some panadol and drank a shit load of water and wentto bed to watch Rove then had a good nights sleep waking up feeling a little better today. A little lightheaded and felt like I was gonna blackout this morning and my throat was a little sore & daggy but I had my breaky, a berocca, my usual Multi vit tab followed by my magnesium suplment then a nice cupp of green tea, 1.5 hours later I was ready to run WHOO HOO.

I decided to just go for the 5km today as I wasn;t feeling 100%, I wasn't even going to try to beat my last time or anyting BUT I should have left my watch at home cos as long as I am wearing it I can't help but try to beat my time LOL. After yesterdays massage my legs were actually feeling tired, heavy & achey while running today but that may also be the loogy that I seem to have, anyway I managed to get to the half way point a little quicker today but I can't tell you the exact time as I didn't look till a bit after I turned around. I started to struggle on the way back. My legs were really sore & tired. My breathing wasn't too bad though, it was just my legs. Anyway I was starting to think that I would be lucky to finish without walking let alone finish with a decent time, I had another runner behind me and I just wanted her to pass her cos hearing her foot steps was messing with my head. She did pass me, I have never been passed before as I have only ever seen runners going the opposite direction, it didn't feel great but I was glad not to have her behind me anymore. Isn't it bizzar how we let things get to us.

Anyway I didn;t think there was any chance of finishing with a decent time but would have been happy to just finish at this point. I still managed my sprint at the end though but today my legs were like jelly and it didn;t feel as strong, ever had that feeling your legs are going slower than your upper body and your gonna face plant PMSL, don't worry I didn;t but I felt like I was going to. Anyway I pushed as hard as I could right up to the end, hit the stop button on my watch 30:12 I actually said "Bull shit" out loud and had to look again a few times. I couldn't believe it. I was guessing I was gonna come in at 33mins something I can't believe I beat my last time, not complaining though.

When I got home Cam was getting ready for golf and he says "how did you go" I bet I had the goofiest look on my face. I said "fantastic, I always feel like a giggly school girl after a successful run". He was proud.

I can't believe I was 12 seconds off my goal time. Maybe next week huh! Wont be doing 5km again till next Monday. Looking forward to trying to beat last weeks 8km time on Friday morning with Crissy.

Monday 3rd July - Nuns Walk 5km

I couldn't post yesterday cos Hubby was re-formatting the puter, infact I have to be quick on here now as he wants to get back on.

Anyway I ran at my fav sopt yesterday, my usual 5km withthe goal of beating my last time. Everyone keeps telling me not to worry about time and it will come on it's own but sometimes when I am out running I just really want to beat my last time and have to try. First I wanted to get to the turn around point faster and I did by about 30secs WHOO HOO. I felt like I was running alot haster than usual and my technique felt better, I also seemed to get my Rythm alot quicker. However on the way back I was starting to feel the effects of going a bit faster and was getting a little puffy at times. I did manage to keep my breathing under control though and allowed myself to lean forward slightly in todays run which is why I think I found my rythm quicker, everything just seemed to happen better once I was leanign forward, the arms moved better and I was more relaxed and able to keep my shoulders dropped. AMazing.

Anyway I was close to finishing before I knew it and guessing I only had to run for a further 5-6mins I picked up the pace a little more then launched into my usual semi-sprint at the same spot I always seemt o do so finishing the run at 30:58 mins. thats about 1.5mins faster than my last time YAY YAY YAY. I was wrapped. I am hanging to get it below 30mins and I am on my way.

Any spelling mistakes are due to rushing. I will have to get back on later and post about my appointment with the Sports massage guy today.

Friday 30th June - Pelican Park 8km

I have been hanging for this run all week, I was looking forward to seeing if I could beat last weeks time BUT I had mum's group today and even though I promiced myself I wouldn't eat anything there, cos it's all naughty food, I still managed to walk out of there with a full belly AAAGGGGHHHHHH "I have to run in less than 40mins" I said. The girls found it amusing. Anyway I meet Crissy at about 3pm after dropping my girl off at Mums.

We were both not into it today, I think we both would have rathered been anywhere but out in the cold. Crissy started out really fast and I had to tell her to slow down. I am nursing a sore leg and thought it really important that I eased into the run, plus all that naughty food wasn't sitting well and I was worried about puking. As it was I got a stitch almost straight away and it took me about 1.5laps to get rid of it. After the second lap Crissy had a MRTH which called for an emergency stop for her but I kept going, we made plans that she would run the opposite way when she was finsihed and meet up with me that way. I used the time alone to get my breathing back on track without talking.

The last lap was a good one. We picked up the pace and talked a little about how well we are doing, we both struggeled to be there today but we made it and were on our last lap, even so I admitted that if someone were to dangle a bottle of JD in my face I would have stopped right there and then. It felt good to know we were gonna make it. We even managed the sprint to the car (my fav part, yes I have mentioned that before.) We were meant to do this run faster than last weeks, I decided I would be happy to just make the 8km today and didn't care if it was faster or slower but on that last lap I decided I really wanted to finish faster. Our finishing time was 53:45 mins. That is almost 3mins faster than last week. WHOO BLOODY HOO!

Great feeling, we had a nice stretch and a little chat but it was freezing so we didn't hang about too long. We were toying with the idea of a drink at the pub but I had to collect my daughter and hurry home to see the hubby before he left for work.

My legs are a little sore as is one of my shoulders. I have decided not to go to Mums group before a run EVER again. I am just waiting for the little one to go to sleep then I think I will hit the spa with a glass of red.

Thanks Mum for looking after the girl today and thanks Crissy for being there. I think we both pushed each other mentally today and we needed it.

Thursday, 29th June - Bike

You gotta love those "at home" workouts. Today's workout was my usual tension on the bike for 30mins then 5mins on the hardest tension followed by 5mins of easy peddle cool down. I had to get the baby up halfway through the workout, once she was up though I was able to crank the stereo. I love being able to exercise while watching her dance. Very entertaining. After the bike I did 2 sets of 35 crunches, 2 sets of 15 full body push-ups then some core work. I have been hating the core work lately so today I didn't do any "V" sits or planks, instead I did more gentle core exercises I learned in Boot Camp.

I did lots of leg stretching today, my right knee was a little sore on the bike so I didn't push it, I am so looking forward to tomorrows run and would be spewing if I couldn't give it my all cos of a sore knee.

Well my little girl and I are off the the supermarket now. Just as soon as I rug her up, it's bloody freezing out there.

Wed 28, June - Pelican Park 6km.

Again, my parents were absolute champions and looked after my little girl while I ran at the foreshore today, so I dropped her off at lunchtime and pretty much headed straight off. I was really looking forward to this run, I knew that it would have to be much better than my last attempt of 6km there (Last Monday I think).

I decided to wear my Ipod today and run in the opposite direction that I like to go, I don't know why. Anyway only about 4mins into the run it felt like I had been running forever and I was having head troubles already. I couldn't believe it and kept telling myself that it would all be sweet and become easier once my legs warmed up, which of course it did. I tried keeping a steady pace for the first two laps. The first lap took me 13:02 mins, the second took 13:13, then the last lap I decided to try and run it at a faster pace for 3/4 of the lap. I started the lap at the same pace I was doing but picked it up once I got to the first bend. I completed that lap in 12:12 mins. I felt like I pushed that last lap and don't think I could have done it much faster. The final time was 38:27.

My legs were heavy and hurting a little through the run, mainly the first 1.5laps. BUT I had no probs with my blisters and my shins have pulled up well. I have booked in for some nasty deep tissue massage for next tuesday though. It actually feels like I have fluid in one of my shins, I was trying to describe how it feels to Dad but it's a hard thing to describe. I am prob up for new shoes soon. I can't remember how long I have had these for.

After all that I went to Crissy's. She'd had one of those bad runs and was looking to get tanked I think. Crissy, we all have them. It has surprised me how much our heads have to do with our running. Once you let to much negative thoughts in your stuffed so brush that run off, don't think about it and use Fridays easy run as something enjoyable that will put a positive spin on running again. Im looking forward to trying to do it a little faster this time. See you then.

Nun's Walk - 5km

Hubby & I are at our wits end with a teething baby. She has a runny nose & a rattly chest and is extremly sooky and not up for sleeping. So even though this morning I woke up feeling extremly un-rested I still couldn't wait to get out for a run, infact I was hanging to get away from it all.

I could not decide what I wanted to do today, did I want to run 4mins past my turning around point or did I want to try to beat my last 5km time. I decided to make my mind up while I was out. I felt like I was going a pretty decent pace today while remaining comfortable so I decided to try to beat my last 5km time and if I still had it in me I would continue past the car afterwards to make my run a little longer.

I have never had a stopwatch to be able to see how long it takes me to get to the 2.5km mark, I think it was 16:36mins.........at this point I knew I was gonna have to keep a good pace to get back faster than I got out and beat my last time. I thought I was going alot faster than I usually do and I felt comfortable doing so. I didn't feel like giving up at any point and even powered up the hill that I usually struggle with at a good pace, I even managed my usual bolt to the car BUT...................my time was still 32.22 whick is only a few seconds faster than my last time. SPEWING. I couldn't believe it. Very dissapointing. I kept jogging a little further to cool down the legs and get my breath back then jogged back to the car again and stretched on my fav little lookout. I took photos of the view and will post one when I figure out how to post photos.

It was great having a watch, felt good to push myself (even if it was for nothing) The new socks worked out well too.

Just have to add: Cam, you got up to our daughter last night and stayed up with her for a while. I do appreciate it, it was a huge help. Today you asked me to say something nice, well I couldn't imagine a better dad for our princess, you also have a beautiful shaped head. Now when you read this I will have a nice hot drink, hot chocolate with marshmellow hehe. XXX

New Socks for me!

WHOO HOO, I got some new socks today from Rebel. Asics ones. They have elastic around the middle and are meant to wick away sweat so hopefully I am onto a winner. There was no way in hell I was gonna ask hubby to buy me Thorlos(s?) I later told him that the good ones are $30 a pair and his eyes bulged.

Anyway, I pulled up really well after yesterday. I only did 30mins on the bike today though. I mixed the tension up between my usual tension & the hardest one. I didn;t time how long I did each for and I didn;t care how many kms I ended up doing. My main aim was just to gets the legs going and warm them up for a big stretch session afterwards. I think I must have stretched for longer than I was actually on the bike for LOL. I will be doing some crunches later, I have been doing two sets of 40.

Oh I also got a cheap $10 stopwatch today so I can time my runs better and add time to my turning around point once a week. Hubby is keen to get me the Timex Speed/Distance watch I am after once he gets his tax check. You gotta be happy with that!

A lovely girl on the forum suggested I take a dip down the beach this morning, Thank god my legs pulled up fine and I got out of that one but it is something I will remember as my runs get longer. Can't wait till summer when I can do some water running/walking on my rest days. Crissy you will have to come along. Easy to do while watching the kids play in the water.

Pelican Park - 8km **WHOO HOO**

That's right baby......8km. And if I really want to split hairs, and I do, it was actually more like 8.5km.

I met Crissy at the foreshore at 2pm. I was planning on trying for an easy paced 6km with a little chatting. We started at a nice pace and I was chatting away quite hapily but managed to give myself a stitch as I do when I talk too much when I run, so I had to force myself to shut up and concentrate on my breathing so I could get rid of it. We did the first two laps in the opposite direction that we both usually run in. When we had just about finished the second lap I said to Crissy "should I try for 8km?" She expressed her concerns but then said that at the pace we were going it shouldn;t be a problem. I said I would tell her how I felt near the end of the third lap. At this stage my left foot was aching, have never had that before. Anyway I ended up going for the fourth lap, I felt we ran most of the run at a very even pace, the last lap seemed to go a little faster at times. I did do my usual bolt to the finish. Crissy knows what I am like and said to me "take off when your ready" I mutted something about being surprised if I had it in me but as usual I found some reserved energy to pick up the pace at the end and bolted to the car. Ooooh thats my fav part of any run.

I loved todays run. It may have taken 56.20 mins but it was a very comfortable, enjoyable and theraputic run. And it means alot to me to know that I CAN make 8km. I am definately gonna enter that Fun Run now.

BLISTERS: I used the blister block things I have and then wrapped one layer of sports tape around my foot to keep the blister block things in place, they have a habit of moving. I did feel some burning on the bottom of my left foor while running but it was tollerable. Both blisters are alot bigger now but not causing any dis-comfort. I think the pop & dry are in order though.

Thank you so much Crissy for letting me tag along today. I hope I didn't slow you down too much, I do love running with you and had a ball today. It's even mroe fun stretching with someone else...even if we do get weird looks from passers by. I hope to run with you more regualry.