Headache again. Able to get out of bed, but not much more. Including not much Team Moore at parliament house tonight.

I'll be zen about it. I've got this far over the last year by 'giving in' to feeling bad, instead of pushing through like I used to. Maybe tomorrow.

I woke up during the night needing to put artificial tears in my eyes, then stoked up the fire and put more wood on. I didn't get back to sleep for eons, and then only briefly before my alarm alerted me to the need to get up for the Vets Handicap Race for May. It was -2*C when I left home.

Following the instructions in the Vetrunner newsletter I went to the wrong place, along with quite a few others. Eventually found the correct location and was there in time for a start of group 18. Although I started off well behind the others in my group, my ankle which was decidedly stiff and sore after yesterday either warmed up or I learned to ignore it (at my peril). I had started my return to health with the short (4.5km) run on this event in April last year. I hadn't run the 'long' course, although there was general consensus that it was hilly. It was an interesting extension of the route, along more trails, over an equestrian stile, through an underpass into Isaacs pines and return. Running past many people on the out and back course enabled me to say G'Day to many people, and receive lots of greetings in return.




With a final downhill finish I ended up 3rd overall, however was not eligible due to not having completed a Vets race for a while. A good day and great chance to catch up with people, although my run was not st when I compared times with others of my standard who started back a little. I must do better!

Fiddled around for a bit on returning home, then crashed out, eventually sleeping a little. I look forward to hearing from Bob entering communication range, I expect that he shall be frozen after the sub-zero temperatures we have been experiencing. Only a week and a half before he heads over to Hanoi for his cycling trip. As much as I'll miss him, it is so much easier restricting my (solid) food intake when he is away.

I still didn't feel too flash this morning, the headache just wasn't going away and I felt drained and looked worse. However I made an effort to not just get out of bed (yesterday), but get dressed which was a big improvement. Having re hydrated yesterday, I drenched sheets, towels and covers overnight, which was a hassle.

Rad arranged to pick me up to go to the Mountain Run on Mount Majura in the afternoon. I had hoped to do the cross country a few hours earlier, however this was a forlorn hope. We arrived at the starting site and were impressed with the facilities, although the clear bright blue skies belied the icy air and wind that seemed to be coming straight off invisible snow. The course started a way from the fence-line, shown here by the red line on the left of the page. At the start, the uphill climb loomed in-front of us like Mont Blanc. It was painfully clear that this was a mountain run.

The route looks innocent enough:-


Route in Red. The start /finish is on the far right. The trail heads uphill to the road where there is a water station and then return down the heavy red line to the left and bottom of the map. Most of this is on a cleared fire trail, with a somewhat loose surface. It then enters forest and winds up and along single track to a water station at the conclusion of the first lap. Junior women did one lap, Senior women and Men over 55 2 laps, and other men 3 laps.

Ewan (a.k.a. Wombatface) had stated that this was a hill to be reckoned with in his blog. I still didn't expect it to be like this!



At the back of the pack with me, few even attempted to run up this sheer climb at the beginning. What made it even more difficult was the loose surface and large stones on this part of the track. A small saddle before it rose further, gradually becoming less acute at the witches hat turn around at the roadway. Despite being proud of my downhill running ability, this was difficult terrain and I didn't settle into a comfortable 'fall' until the second lap. Towards the nadir, the trail turned into thick forest (casuarinas?) and winding technical single track. Many mountain bikers were out in Majura Pines enjoying good cycling weather, although thankfully they stayed off the trails we were running on. By the end of the first lap, it was quite enjoyable, although I went over on my bad ankle in the forest around the 4km mark, so was looking forward to the finish. The second lap was easier by general consensus, a quantity, although I found the downhills particularly painful on my ankle and was pleased that I only to do 2 laps.

The finish, downhill seemed particularly fast; the first 1.8km had taken me over 20 minutes, the final 3km about 13:00.

I would recommend this race, to be run as the Australian Mountain Running Championships on 18 June to anyone who loves the sense of achievement that trail running can provide. Be prepared for a solid climb, and be sure to bring plenty of warm gear, gloves and a hat for defrosting afterwards. My lips turned blue and I couldn't stop shivering until I fired up the fire and languished in a hot bath and hot drinks on my return home.

Wednesday night I started to feel decidedly queer. Headache, gut pains, general malaise. I went to bed quite early and thought that I might take it pretty easy on Thursday.

It was a quiet Thursday, but not how I expected. My head hurt so much, but if I moved an eyelash my head was going to explode and my guts were about to turn inside out, violently. Could not eat eat, drink, move.

Thursday. Well, I made it out of bed today, just. Bob has headed down to a gorge with 2 of his nephews and a couple of their friends for a camping and hiking weekend. A last minute change of plans from his Vets Cycling at Gunning, but it should be good, if a little chilly.

Nothing to report from today, the pain in the head has ameliorated although it is still more than annoying and I don't feel very flash. Had a long talk to Aki tonight and heard about her PB. So sorry I wasn't there to share in it. I still hope to make it to the mountain run tomorrow, although I shall need to improve considerably overnight just to get dressed.

Can't complain, I think my days of wellness:sickness ratio is certainly better this month than earlier in the year.

Onward and upward (all trails at Mt Majura lead up)!

I took every precaution to get to the starting line at the BBQ Stakes today having indulged in food last night. I managed OK, if more than a tad uncomfortable, and did a considerable negative split as the hills of the first half were ascended (c.60m) and I warmed up. There was quite a wind blowing making it hard going at first, however once over the worst of it (about 4km) I opened up and ran much faster at the end.

• First 3kms = 16:10
• Next 3kms = 14:25

In fact, the last 2kms were done in under 9 minutes. The first 4km took nearly 22.

Afterwards, visited The Runners Shop to meet Rad who was looking at some new running shoes. Much to my surprise, this runner in his mid-seventies was keen to get buy the best available for his feet (I estimate that the Kayanos he was wearing are circa 1962), however dismissed the new Kayanos instantly for not being aesthetically pleasing enough (to wit; lacking 'blue' - his favourite colour).

After much trying on, we finally settled on a pair of Asics Nimbus VI (blue and silver grey), although it was a bit of a battle in ensuring that he didn't walk away with the 11 ¹/₂ size which were certainly too large.

He will be the best looking guy out there when he is kitted out at the next race!

My ankle is still a bit iffy after Sunday, rather stiff to run on and it is certainly slowing me down. Now, I just have to decide what to do tomorrow. The swirling wind and colder weather takes the gloss off cycling, so maybe a swim and a rambling run?

Saw Graeme Sproule (from SportsCare and Physiotherapy) this morning for treatment and an assessment following the Half Marathon on Sunday. I was delighted with how well the ankle held out and I managed to get through the event without drama. Interestingly, objective testing indicated that it was much less flexible than on Friday, and the 'gentle' massage and targeted exercises hurt a lot!

Once again it was some of the best value I have had for my bucks ~ it has been so long since I have had been treated for injury that I forgot how beneficial it could be. My most recent physio sessions involved :-

• being trained to swallow;
• trying to crawl and/or balance on all fours;
• relieving contractures in my left hand.

This is brilliant - I can RUN!!!!!

Anyone living or visiting Canberra, I heatedly recommend Graeme. Good Bloke. Great Professional. Nice Guy.

The rest of the day disappeared under a mountain of errands, a haircut / running talk session with a fellow member of Geoff's 'Team Moore', and further errands and grocery shopping.

Winter has hit Canberra. Late, but a disheartening day of grey skies, wind curling crisp brown leaves around the streets, and an icy wind. Perhaps I can blame this on my resolve weakening and eating dinner tonight (solid food). Enjoyed it too. A pumpkin and tofu curry with basmati rice I had made for Bob. Far from ideal before the BBQ Stakes tomorrow, but winter does make it harder to live on FortiJuice alone.

What to say?

Now I have read some of the posts on the Cool Running site about the wash-up to the Half on Sunday and don't know what else to add to such positive and eloquent posts.

It was an excellent start to the day walking across the bridge to the start of the race. Many others were doing the same thing, and the sunrise to the east was a wonderful backdrop to a great day.

The only concern was my inability to strap my ankle in the morning. I had made some attempts, although when I finally had a smooth taping, the base level seemed too tight for comfort given my experience on Friday, so I removed this sticky mess and left it as is ~ I had now exhausted my supply of tape, so that was that.

I saw Gronk heading towards the start and offered my encouragement. It was amazing coming into the marshaling area of the start and seeing an ocean of cool running caps, it made me feel quite proud. I lost Bob at this stage yet I knew that we would catch up at the end and he would be ensuring a good starting position for himself near the line. Action passed nearby and gave me a winning smile, and all was good with the world. Despite obtaining a good position myself, it took longer to cross the start line than I imagined, so I was quite happy that the idea today was to finish rather than chase a PB.

For the run itself ~ the greatest joy came from the Blue and Yellow clad CR's around the place; Johnny Dark chatting to me before powering away up Hunter Street; the absolutely inspirational Cheer Squad; seeing Lucky Legs and Miss Skarmel smiling as they moved along; a few collegiate words exchanged with Tim; and a sense of pride at seeing all those others from the leaders to the back of the pack cheering and supporting each other.

At the end I saw Miss Skarmel and the ill-looking L'il Elf who sadly had to DNF. With the sense of family in the CR community I felt gutted for her. Get better soon, Elf.

My ankle was OK ~ I had been most conscientious in doing my exercises, icing and wandering around like a punk Frankenstein clad in Glad Wrap. The corresponding hamstring was however of more of a concern during the first part of the run, until I succeeded in dissociating sufficiently to ignore it.

Overall, I may have been disappointed with my time, (about 1:42:something I think), however it was still way better than I considered possible since the sprain. I was far more disappointed in not managing to find Lucky Legs and others at the finish to cheer and catch up with.

A top day, and I am further enthused to enter the Sydney Marathon in 16 weeks time. I now have Bob's imprimatur, and a good time-frame for a new goal.

Bring it on.

Cool Running Cheer Squad

Slept pretty well and headed away relatively early (for us) to head to Sydney for the SMH Half Marathon. We had a great opportunity to talk during the drive and catch up on news and plans for the next few months. Bob was quite supportive of me planning to do the Sydney Marathon in September, despite some reservations of it being only a fortnight before the World Duathlon Champs in Newcastle. Bob is fairly confident that I shall make the team, although I know that I shan’t be competitive. Bob has won his age group at a past Worlds (Alpharetta, USA 2002), and has the potential to do equally well again this year on a good course at Newcastle. However the Team Management role is taking up a great deal of time and energy at this early stage (prior to the team being announced), and this shall only increase as the Champs draw closer. Hopefully he shall have some time for extensive training as well upon his return from his cycling odyssey in Vietnam.

We managed to get to the city fairly easily, and I jumped out of the car at the corner of Elizabeth and Park Streets to head down to the Town Hall to pick up our race packs. He managed to find a parking spot in Liverpool St, and I felt as though I had done at least a little exercise today dashing from one place to another.

Then, across the bridge to our hotel, ‘Vibe’ at Milsons Point. It is in an excellent location, a fairly short walk across the bridge to the race start tomorrow morning. I shall inquire about staying here for the Marathon in September and may make an early booking. My sister and her two daughters live nearby in McMahon’s Point, however with young adult social schedules and the taxing schedule of an academic we are only hopeful of grabbing a coffee together on Monday morning.

As I am ‘on the juice’ Bob went to a pasta place early this evening on his own for a plate of pesto, and another of arriabiriata. Whilst eating he caught up with a bit of reading of the Lonely Planet Cycling in Vietnam guide, and came back even further enthused about his upcoming trip.

We left the AGM a bit early last night, arriving home around 11 o'clock (before I turned l'orange). We hung on until after the after the farce of reports were done and the election of all office bearers and a new committee was satisfactorily completed by an overwhelming margin.

A good result.

An early start to prepare for a plumber to come this morning to install a couple of new toilet suites and shower unit was necessary, however this process has been almost six months in the ordering, re-ordering and obtaining a tradesman.

I left for an appointment in Civic, leaving Rob to assist with the drilling and coffee making. Instead of coming home to change, I stayed in the area, and attempted to tape my ankle, first in the car, and then at the coffee shop at Regatta Point. It was a gloriously sunny winter day, without the winds of yesterday, and warmth from the sun despite a feeble maximum of only 17*C. Upon arriving at the Customs run, I was aware that I had taped the base layer too high and too tight ~ however having already used a few metres of sticky congealed tape, and contorting myself in unnatural positions to get this far, I was not going to revisit it now. To give myself a better idea of how I was managing with my ankle, I went off my 'correct' handicap of 13:00 minutes, which should predict about a 4:30 minute pace for the flat 5k.

On starting the run, it was apparent that my ankle was fine, yet the taping was far too tight. I tried to ignore it, and managed to do so until about the three km mark, however by now it was starting to adversely affect me. Within the next km, I found that I was pulling up tight and and stiff in the right hamstring. As this progressed, and I was passed by the last (fastest!) runner, I realised that I was only doing myself a disservice, and stopped in an attempt to rip off the strapping where it was the tightest. I did not succeed in doing much of a job, and jogged back to the finish, trying not to favour or aggravate the hammie further. I don't know what time it was (nor does it matter), as I ripped off my shoes, socks and attempted to remove the tape and bandages. The hammie still twinged rather alarmingly.

On returning home, I iced and spent a dangerous few hours vacuuming and washing floors and stairs from plumbers detritus. Too much housework. Too likely to get injured.

I'm pretty annoyed with myself, I could have done without the tape, and now have caused an unnecessary niggle.

I hope that is all it is.

To Sydney tomorrow to collect race numbers and prepare for the SMH Half.

Tra la la la la la, la la la lah.

One on Tuesday, and one that is likely to be a long nights' journey into day tonight.

Great session at the physio this morning, with significant improvement evident. It's been so long since I have been well enough to have an injury, I had forgotten how effective treatment can be.

It has been just over a year since I have been up and about, so it is interesting comparing events from 12 months ago to present. I was only capable of the 4k option in the Mothers Day Sri Chimnoy event last year (23:47), whilst I fronted up for the 10k this year.

I also did the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Fun Run lat year and was overjoyed with my time of 39:55 for the 7.3km circuit of Lake Ginninderra. I have to remind myself of this as I did the event again today, and was reasonably (only sort of) happy with my run in flukey wind, but not with my time of 34:48, ankle and all. go figure.

Time to head off to the AGM battleground. If a large contingent of aging distance runners in Canberra fail to materialise at races after today, search for . . . . . .

Good News.
The ankle held out really well, although it was something of a slapstick comedy watching me attempt to strap it before leaving. Metres of tape were in a sticky congealed mass on the floor beside me as I attempted to keep it straight and firm. The final result may not have looked pretty, however certainly did the job admirably for the gentle trot.

The Trot.
Just about sums it up really. I went off 3:15 with Anne, my favourite new W70. This was at a very relaxed pace, although heading into the wind which blew out of a clear blue sky from the snow on the mountains made it harder than it would seem. Within the first 2kms however, the solid food of the previous week made it's presence felt, despite being on fluids since Tuesday and having dosed up on 8 Imodium that morning. I pulled away to find a discreet stand of bushes in the Oakey Hill bush, and continued to do so each kilometre to the finish. I raced away at the finish to change in the library, but by the time I returned everyone had left! Rad kindly left a note on the car inquiring after my welfare, however I am unsure about who or how many people turned up. Next week!

No idea of my time, wasn't actually concerned about my watch. My ankle was good though, and I am feeling more confident about keeping up with Lucky Legs for the first lap at least!

Water. Ginger Beer. (mmmm, beer) FortiJuice.

Half Marathon Number 2083 and 2084 ('Flash Ducks' - Bob and Carolyne)

First Things First:
To Do List (from Physio)

1. Balance Exercise
   10 seconds each foot, 2-3 minutes.
   Harder with - Soft surface (trampoline or cushion)
   - Eyes closed
   
2. Wobble Board
   Forward/Back x 3-4 minutes
   Side to Side
   Circles
   'Balance'
   
3. Belt Mobilisation
   x 2 minutes
   
4. Ice, Anti inflammatories

I thought that I should put that front and centre before anything else to remind myself. (Acknowledgement to Gronk for putting his training programme for the SMH on his Blog).

Went for a run/jog around midday. Although starting out on an even bike-path (as per Bob's suggestion), I quickly determined that I would enjoy and test my ankle much better if I went into the bushland of Aranda and Black Mountain From the outset, it was apparent that my (injured) right ankle was pretty good with the strapping. In fact, my left ankle and knees felt painful! Importantly, I was surprised at how stiff my muscles were in the calves after a week of inactivity. I seemed to warm up a bit, even if pretty slow. As much as I enjoyed eating over the last week, it was apparent that it remains incompatible with activity, especially running. Mmmmm, FortiJuice.

On the one extended downhill on the course, the ligament on the of the sprained ankle did hurt quite a bit, although was bearable. All up, maybe a bit short of 6km of undulating trails. A good start. I remain optimistic about Sunday, even though my time will be s.l.o.w. Oh well, gotta look at the big picture!

Time to wobble and Ice!

I hope that this isn't too premature . . . however I have just returned from an appointment with Graeme Sproule, Physio Superemo.

I was upfront about my desire to run the SMH Half this Sunday, and the other events I have entered or planned to enter over the next month or two. My desire was not at the expense of causing further damage however, as I didn't want to be short sighted and aggrevate things further.

He was extremely thorough and professional, and understood where I was coming from. After a comprehensive assessment of movement, pain, balance etc, I underwent a number of treatments and exercises to objectively improve mobility. Concluding with a TENS machine to reduce inflammation, and stirrup strapping I came away with a loan of a wodbble board and an appointment for Thursday. Best of all was the ability to go out for a jog today to test it, to be followed by a regime of anti-inflammatories, ice, and exercises.

So, once I tame this headache which seems to be endless, I will head out the door for my first run in a week. Fingers crossed that my excitement is justified!

I hadn't considered not participating in this event; the decision was whether to race it, or run with Aki in preparation for the SMH Half in a week's time.

The Great Housework Fiasco of 2005 put an end to this, and I wandered down to the finish line to assist instead of running. Although I probably spent too much time on my feet, I was able to be a 'spotter' on the sidelines, calling out the names of those finishing before their numbers were visible for checking. It still surprises me how decimated my cognitive abilities were for much of the previous decade. I couldn't recognise work colleagues I saw hour to hour, let alone running acquaintances. Now, I can count to ten and chew gum at the same time.

I alternated spotting finishers with photographing people as they crossed the line. Most significantly, I was there when Aki stormed home in 1:56:23, comfortably ahead of her sub-2 hour target. It took a while to catch up with her afterwards, but she was justifiably proud, and boasting how she was overtaking others over the final few k's.

[To be continued . . . . ]

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the dinner with Geoff Moore's Training Group. Although I may have only attended two sessions thus far, it was like a homecoming to a nice warm blanket of old running friends. The food was excellent, and extraordinary (almost embarrassing) value at only $20 a head. The company and general joi de vive was even better. Bob had vasilated about whether to attend or not, however decided to have a quiet night at home with Lucy, the wonder cat (born 13 July 1985 and going strong). With much eating out whilst away cycling and a huge backlog of emails to attend to when he returned, he felt like staying in. He missed a great evening though! I got to catch up with old friends, and spent a pleasant time talking to my new running buddy, who is as nice off the track as on. It was a very special night, and I am so thankful that this ankle injury enabled me to eat!

The enforced sitting was however not great for the joint, and ached increasingly over the course of the evening. By the time I got home it was screaming, and even now it is quite painful. It looks much better - the bruising seems to be isolated towards the toes, and around the rim of the heel, although there is nevertheless still some swelling. Rest Ice Compression Elevation. Anti-Inflammatories.

I made an appointment to see a highly recommended physio on Tuesday morning. I am still hopeful, although do not want to aggravate it further.

OK. I coped pretty well for the first couple of days, however I'm getting pretty anxious now to get going.

One can always count on your husband for words of encouragement. When I took off my bandage yesterday for Voltaren Gel and ice, Bob came out with a disgusted yuck!, followed by the assertion that "it might feel better, but it looks horrible". Gee, thanks, Bob.

Having spent rather too long on my feet yesterday, I have tried to busy myself today in sedentary activities. This is OK up to a point, but I want go out and run!

On the bright side, there are a number of compensating factors to this enforced lay-off;

1. I can eat. Maybe not with complete immunity, but hell, if I'm not running I may as well have some solid food for a change!
   To this end I will go to Geoff's Running Group social dinner on Friday night. Woo Hoo!
   
2. A taper / rest probably will do me a little good after a high mileage week (c.100 k's).
   
3. It's marvellous to have an injury for a change instead of just being sick.
   
4. It allows time for my skin to heal where it has been rubbed raw from the HRM strap.
   
5. It gives my eyes a break from wearing contact lenses.

I'm sure that there's more, but I can't think of them at the moment! I wish I was out under the orange "Hey Diddle Diddle Moon" running around Dickson Oval.

In spite of my ankle injury, I went along to the BBQ Stakes today. Another freakishly good day for running for this time of year, and a decent turn-up of 53 runners and two injured. Although I was virtually unrecognisable in street clothes, there was an important event in conjunction with today's handicap. Anne Young, a woman I chased and chased (rarely catching) when I commenced running seriously in 1991, was celebrating a milestone birthday, her 70th, and was going to run today.

A few of us organised bottles of champagne, a cake and candles, and a big basket of muffins. Cutting a cake into 53 equal slices didn't seem like a feasible post race idea! The celebration went well with quite a few people hanging around for a while to chat.

My ankle has already improved considerably, and I am hopeful of my chances for the SMH Half in 11 days time. Bob reminded me that I was instructed to keep my foot facing forward rather than sideways when putting weight on it. This hurts. Actually, it hurts a lot, but it was explained to us how it is necessary to strengthen the ligaments.

I feel like I've lost a limb or something not being able to run at the moment. Went to the library this afternoon for a guide to HTML so that I may be a bit more elegant with my blogging. Visited the sport section, and came away with a book or four on marathoning. If I can't do it, I can Just Read It!

Bob finally convinced me to go to the doctor about my ankle. It was quite painful overnight, and extremely swollen this morning with an attractive Hendrix-esque purple haze descending over the foot. It disturbed my sleep quite a bit last night, and we resurrected the walking stick this morning to assist me hobble-^!hop!-hobble-^!hop! around.

I bounced into the doc's office on my good clog, leaving the other on the floor behind me as even it didn't fit now.

Stating up front that I thought it was only a sprain, he came back with asking me what race did I need it right for this weekend! Bob just laughed and mentioned the half marathon this weekend, and the one the week after . . .

I was then presented with a a crash course of Torture 101 as he prodded and poked in places I wouldn't have thought it was possible to hurt. Although a fracture is possible, we will treat it as a sprain for now. I got the R I E OK, but omitted the C for compression. He strapped my ankle thoroughly, and it now presents a large brown target.

No half for me this weekend, must ring Ken and see if there is something I can do to help sitting down I'm really tired and feel under the weather now.

Moral of the story: Washing, and housework generally is a dangerous activity and should be avoided.

It is well known that activities such as squash, gardening, and housework are dangerous pursuits for the committed runner. Blisters, sore muscles, and tripping are examples of the hazards connected with this non-running. This morning, hanging out the washing, I tripped or overbalanced or something, receiving a knock on the chin, a bruised ego, and a big, fat, blue ankle.

I didn't think anything of it at first ("don't be a wimp, Carolyne") and it wasn't until somewhat later that I noticed how distorted the fibula (the ankle 'bump') had become, and rapidly applied peas (frozen - kept for this purpose) until I found the ice pack. I went to the chemist for some Voltaren Gel, although the pharmacist was alarmed at it's size and impressive colour so soon after the event that she urged caution.

So ~ no attendance at Geoff's parliament house group (again) tonight, and much willing on my behalf for a miraculous recovery (?tomorrow maybe) . . . .

Bob is now back! With phone calls from Goulburn, Bungendore and 'the Servo' on the Canberra/NSW border, we kept in touch and met at Tilley's for a coffee and chat before ascending to home (we live uphill from everywhere else in Canberra!), and the turmoil that comes from unloading a dusty bike, putting on washing and so on.

Bob looks wonderful, a bit tired after four solid days of cycling up and down the mountains to the coast, but bright eyed and clear skinned. It taught him a great deal in preparation for his upcoming three week independent cycle tour of northern Vietnam.

What a great day!

Aki has completed her second 10k race and blitzed it!

I didn't have great expectations for a personally fast time today after a big mileage week, and was satisfied with my 47:54, a second or two faster than the same course 9 weeks ago.

The star of the day though was undoubtedly Aki. With little race experience and a hectic schedule, she went out to go well, and did. Caught up with the excitement of the event, she was even the leading female for a few kilometres. The out-and-back course provided a good opportunity to see the front markers whizz past, while my favourite running buddy and I once again mirrored each other for most of the run. Apart from being self conscious of my endemic anti-social spitting, exacerbated by the restrictive fluid diet, I thoroughly enjoyed his company.

Unfortunately, I was not at the end to see Aki finish, and was delighted and stunned at her great race. She came away with a 5 minute PB and a trophy! I felt quite proud and high at her achievement matched by a grin from ear to ear that wouldn't give up. We celebrated afterwards with a beverage or two in the sun of The Deck at Regatta Point before heading home.

Bring on the challenge of the Canberra Half Marathon next week.

Bob has now reached Goulburn, enjoying the climb up Camberwarra Mountain on a sealed road, through Kangaroo Valley, Bundanoon and Bungonia. A big day for him, although he now is only a hop and skip from home tomorrow.

Another unseasonal late autumn day in the running capital of Australia - cool nights and mild, dry days.

Although waking early, I decided to miss the Bilbys cycle this morning, as I am still irritated and don't want to make it worse and be unable to cycle and run.

Despite leaving plenty of time to make it the the ACT Cross Country Club's three and 6km races, I hadn't counted on the extensive delays at the War Memorial due to the VE Day open day, and the continuing roadworks on Fairbairn Avenue.

Fortunately, I wasn't the only one, so the 3k began a little late. I had hoped to jog the 3k easily, and put more into the 6k at 1:00 pm. I felt good, but 50 metres into the run I found that my legs were going to be a bit slow today and settled into a steady pace. As usual, I picked up as I warmed up, and managed a reasonable negative split and more comfortable at the end than the beginning with a time of 14:44

Twenty minutes to socialise and catch up with people before the next run, a little hillier and with a much larger field. Much to my delight, I found that a fellow Canberran was there who I had matched step for step during the Nail Can Hill Run, and ran with at a similar pace during the Thursday night track session.

We ran together comfortably, although once again I died a bit on the uphills and found that the creamed rice I indulged in yesterday afternoon may have been a mistake after all. I persevered, and rounded the turnaround point (a little long methinks) at 16:00 minutes flat. I ran with a few metres behind my new running buddy for most of the route back, although our pace was a little faster than a few others who we passed. We crossed the line in a dead heat at 29:44 although this is reflective of a sporting gesture on his behalf, rather than nett ability.

A short cool-down and I was off, ready to face many of the same faces at the Sri Chimnoy 10k tomorrow morning.

I procrastinated a bit, but finally decided on taking an Ultimate Designs hip pack with a pair of shoes; dry top, shorts and socks; a wallet, mobile and a couple of gels; and a Fortijuice just removed from the freezer. I left wearing a light long sleeved Ground Effect fleece.

Unsure about how long it would take to get to Stage 88, I decided to head down the boring way, via the bike path along Bindubi St to the lake, and then following the bike path to Regatta Point. I would prefer to be on the undulating bush trails of Black Mountain, however this was safer. I was able to soon remove my cuddly soft top, it has a very long zip and is easy to get off 'on the fly' and tie around my waist.

This route is downhill, so it was quite easy. I changed into a dry top, socks and lighter shoes in preparation for the race. I felt good, although faded, and dropped back dramatically in the last kilometres. My splits were:

1. 4:24
2. 4:24
3. 4:39
4. 4:46
5. 5:18!

Despite finishing in a slow time of 24:05, I didn't really mind, and felt rather virtuous!

After genial chat, I had a cup of coffee at 'The Deck' at Regatta Point, filled up on iced water and had my FortiJuice, now defrosted, but adequately chilled. Changing shoes again, I jogged off. For the first kilometre or so, I developed chills with goosebumps on steroids and teeth chattering. I knew that this must be primarily due to blood glucose levels rather than the temperature, so zipped up my top and waited for the FortiJuice to kick in.

It did, and I continued on to ANU, and rambled my way through the campus, the Botanic Gardens and the trails of Black Mountain. So lucky to be living in Canberra! Although I stopped to walk when Bob rang from Nowra which slowed my overall time, I managed to complete the 10+ km in about 65 minutes, at better than 6:00 minute pace (just) when I wasn't walking.

Bob is going well, although yesterdays cycle down the deep sand and corrugated Nerriga Road for around 130 kms took it's toll. With rain in Nowra today and the forecast not being too auspicious, he is likely to return by the sealed road through Kangaroo Valley.

On returning home I cracked when I got the chills again and didn't have an appetite: I indulged in a tin of creamed rice, and thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of food with texture! With 0.5 g of fibre and 1.0 g of fat it seems fairly safe. As a change, it was bliss!

I noted a few weeks ago that I was at my (recent) fittest after an operation in October/November last year when I was not permitted to "run, cycle or do any strenuous activity" until I got the OK from my surgeon about 7 weeks post-op.

This was devastating at the time.

Instead of losing fitness, I made a concerted effort to walk. Everywhere I could.

I saw the surgeon and got the go ahead to run ("But don't do a half marathon for a while") . It was the Wednesday afternoon before the Sri Chimnoy Triple Tri on Sunday. I was delighted to be included in "Rad's Ravers", a group organised by 77 year old dynamo Rad Leovic to run, cycle and swim in each of Canberra three lakes, and across the mountains and forests. I had hoped to do the initial 20km run over Mt Majura and Mt Ainslie to hand over to 15 year old Milli for a 3.8km swim across Canberra's Central Basin. I mentioned this to the good doctor, who just shook his head and didn't forbid it.

On the day I felt wonderful! I came in around half an hour ahead of my estimated time, and Milli had to quickly fix her wetsuit, cap and goggles to start. Unfortunately, the team instigator, captain and inspiration was injured in the week before the event, and had to pull out at the last minute. I put my hand up to do his leg, the third and last over Red Hill, and on this rather easier course managed an excellent run with fresh legs. In fact, I was fitter at this time than I had been for years.

Talking to a friend who is just resuming running after a 5 year hiatus, I recalled this as advice for her, and it reminded me of the value of this. I am having some difficulties with cycling saddles at the moment, and would normally cycle to the BBQ Stakes, Customs and so on. Instead, I am trying to work out the feasibility and logistics of (brisk) walking to Customs today, racing the 5k, and then jogging home. I have the time, the only difficulty is in deciding what to wear and carry, and how long to allow to get there without spending too long standing around getting cold. Ideally, I would have lighter shoes for the race and fewer clothes! A bit of cash, mobile, water, fortijuice . . . I would prefer not to wear a backpack, but it seems inevitable that I make a decision between gear and weight and convenience.

Answer:When waking at 2am one duck starts to plan long runs to do and doesn't bother going back to sleep!

With Bob away, I got caught up in 'sorting things out' and was surprised at the time I ended getting to bed. I woke a couple of times to go to the bathroom, and feeling good, starting thinking and planning long runs through the cork oaks, the prickle trail, up Stromlo . . . this was so engrossing that I couldn't get back to sleep. At 4 am I gave in and got up. Felt great, although by late afternoon it really started to tell on me, and I really wanted to crawl under some covers and snooze.

This evening was to be my first Thursday at Geoff Moore's School of Running at Dickson Oval under lights (with 1,001 soccer players). Feeling a little seedy, I was yawning constantly at the start and was rather less enthused than I hoped to be. However, after an extended two lap warm-up of the playing fields, I felt better, although was amiss in my stretching following this. Aki was there and a wonderful example of flexibility. Good habits to get into.

Note to Self: Must stretch more.

After this, a collection of batons appeared along with some initially confusing instructions. Three runners of roughly equivalent ability form into teams. The first runner (R1) sprints 200m (in lane 2) and then hands the baton to runner two (R2). R1 then jogs 100m in lane 3 to a witches hat, and then does a 180* to jog back to the 200m finish. R2 does the same, handing the baton to the third runner (R3). R3 sprints the same 200m course that R1 ran originally, handing the baton to R1 again for the cycle to continue.

This was great! No confusion in it's implementation, and plenty of recovery time on the 200m jog for the next sprint set. I was impressed. We repeated this 12 times, and I for one was tiring at the end, although very satisfied. A single lap of the still practicing soccer players was it for the night.

Having made the first step and turning up for a Thursday session, I am very keen to return, and look forward to next week.

Bob left on his cycle tour to the South Coast this morning, travelling through Captains Flat to Braidwood today, and on the Nerriga Road to Nowra tomorrow. As usual, he was somewhat later in leaving than he planned, however with loaded panniers and a new Ortlieb handlebar bag, he was off on his Cannondale hardtail mountain bike, obviously getting accustomed to the handling with the additional weight.

I had a bit of a flare up yesterday, and was not able to sit comfortably, so cycling was out for today. I did a load of chores at home, then whipped down to the BBQ Stakes at lunchtime. Another big turn-up, in part due to it being the monthly corporate challenge (a.k.a. the T-Bone Stakes) where members of different agencies and employers 'race' against each other, running the course in reverse. I have always found this more difficult, as it starts with a climb, although I did my (recent) PB on the reverse course in December last year.

I worked fairly hard, although my heart rate was quite low over the course of the run. Seven seconds outside my December PB, I was pleasantly surprised, and felt ready to go again and give it a good shot.

After running a number of errands in Civic, filling up with petrol and lining up behind 18 others at a single service post office counter to buy a couple of 5c stamps.

Later, when for a restorative 12km jog through Aranda and Black Mountain bushland, where the fire department were doing another controlled burn-off around Little Black Mountain. The smoke was thick, somewhere between an out of control barbeque and a carbon overload, and the eerie orange glow of embers and tongues of flames licking up snow gums was quite beautiful.

Only solid food in the last week was on Monday (a mandarin, apple, and some vegetables) and it didn't sit well with me. No night sweats when I am fortijuice and clear fluids, however even with this amount of solids on Monday it invokes a flare up which affected me quite significantly yesterday and today.

So put another case of Fortijuice on ice, and learn to love it!

Too little sleep, caused by heavy night sweats which meant I was cold and wet all night. Finally returned to sleep about the time I has hoped to get up, and slept through until way too late. I felt groggy, headachey and my eyes were gritty all morning, however I managed to get to the Mt Ainslie Run-up at lunchtime.

The monthly turn-up is increasing all the time, surprising Bob who hadn't been to this event for years. I chatted to others at the start of the run, although found that I felt good and drew away to run on my own. Slow and steady, I caught up with one or two guys on the steepest bits, and managed to finish feeling strong. Best of all the endorphins kicked in and the grey cloud of blah lifted.

Chatted about duathlon jogging down from the summit, and waited for Bob to return via the roadway. It was a good day for running, about 20*, so I decided to jog home through Glebe Park, the ANU and the Botanic Gardens. This gave me access to water en route, and generally good trail surfaces.

All up, about 16k, including a minor PB for the Run-up of 18:00.

In the bath when I got home (I love my bath after a run), I had a Eureka moment about what may be the problem with the email being rejected. Unfortunately this required further phone calls to Telstra, which had to be delayed until after dinner, and took somewhat longer than it should have. Nevertheless, I am now up and running again, although it seems that all email traffic in that intervening period has been lost to the ether.

Tomorrow - BBQ Stakes and ideally a good ride. Bob is heading off to cycle to the South Coast tomorrow morning, and will be away for a few days. Hopefully I might be able to turn up to the Bilbys swim squad tomorrow evening as well.

Life is good.

It was a perfect Autumn day in Canberra, and I was itching to go for a cycle and a languid run the bush.

However, although I was able to dial in to my email in Albury, and connect Sunday evening when I got back, on Monday morning when I got up - nothing. Internet access was OK, Bob's email was OK, and despite checking all the POP & STMP settings, on different computers, nothing, Nada, niet.

Forty minutes spent waiting on the line listening to muzak before I spoke to a person, who couldn't help me at all other than suggesting that I wait 24 hours to see if I needed to reset the password after a password violation. I knew this was highly unlikely unless I had been doing some nocturnal wanderings.

After over an hour of frustration on the 'phone, I felt rather despondent, and lost my 'Go'; I didn't even make it to Geoff's group this afternoon.

Hopefully all will be resolved tomorrow, and I shall resume running and receiving my emails.

What a great Run!

All the charm of a country event (although I'm sure that Albury Wodonga is a legitimate city), with loads of community support and participation at all levels.

Arrived fairly early on Saturday afternoon, checked into my Motel room and changed into my cycling gear. Rode around Albury a bit, picking up a map at the visitors information centre, and discovering a nice network of bike paths along the parklands along the river. Lots of people out enjoying the weak autumn sunshine having picnics, kicking footballs (this is resolutely AFL territory) and cycling.

Met up with quite a few Canberrans who had treked down for the run, and were checking out the finish line / marshaling point and parts of the run. Saw the lime markings on the ground for the race, and rode over part of run before meeting up with Rad for a while. Although I would have liked to have done more, I had just got too cold, even arm warmers and a cap under my helmet, so headed back for a hot shower and a blast of the heater to warm up.

Slept really well, so up early, packing the car in readiness for the quick trip home after the event to attend a family dinner.

There had been light rain, so the cloud cover meant that it wasn't too cold, however between 8 and 9 am the chill set in and it got progressively colder. There was an air of excitement at the start line with nearly a thousand people collecting race numbers, catching up with friends and warming up. Here I spied a Cool Running Cap and introduced myself to Gronk, and met of his local mates.

At the slated start time, 10 am, we were off, although once again my decision to self seed at the middle of the pack was not too smart. After a kilometre of flat bitumen, the surface changed to gravel and the climb started. More and more people started walking, and although I can keep running I know that my strength on the hills still leaves a lot to be desired and I was very slow. Water stations at 2km and 4km were well utilised, although I didn't drink until the 7km mark. After the summit, the trail undulated considerably through what looked like pretty nice bush. Admittedly I didn't spend much time in taking this in! I had hoped for a sub-60 minute finish, although reached the 5km mark at 30:30 and wondered aloud to a fellow runner whether this was possible, and voiced my amazement at Moneghetti race record of 34:57.

A few killer descents began which enabled me to open up and pass quite a few runners as they watched their footing. In the distance I saw what looked like a Cool Running singlet on the hill ahead. This gave me another focus to chase to cheer 'Go Cool Runner' , however it passed in t of view over the rolling trails. On the descent from the War Memorial I finally caught up with 'A Wiseman' and puffed my encouragement. I had also reeled in quite a few women.

Onto the finish chute, which always seems so long over the final few hundred metres. A final time of 56:23 was within my own 1 hour cutoff, although a little slow. Despite the flat start, first kilometre was very slow; as I waited to move, waited to jog, tried to weave my way past those already walking and talking.
Note to Self: Get closer to the front at big events. You're not as bad as you think you are.




A great day, with good organisation and a T-Shirt included in the $12 entry fee. Rad did extremely well, easily beating his age (71 minutes for 77 years) and looking really comfortable at the finish. I feel very proud of him!

This is a course that would particularly benefit from some previous knowledge. I am one of many who would be pleased to be back next year.