Posted my Polar S625x and Transmitter band to Pursuit Performance very late Sunday night in an express post bag. I requested priority service so that I had access to it for the Mt Wilson to Bilpin run on the weekend, and could use it in the final few weeks leading up to the Marathon.

No time to run, Bob and I headed over to do an hours work at the Triathlon Australia offices in preparation for the Duathlon Worlds in September. Ended up spending 7 hours in a windowless office doing mindless tasks that needed to be done. Blah. Not too bad a drive back to Canberra and a very cold house.

Tuesday, 16 August

Itching to get out there and run. However, had an early appointment for bloods as my IgM levels were greatly elevated again (a sign of inflammation), and there were some other abnormalities. Took an hour and a half. Picked up some samples of "Vital", another liquid meal replacement that my dietitian thought may be better tolerated.

Changed in the car at the back of CSIRO in preparation for another John Harding Production, the 'Black Mountain Up Down Gut Buster'. I had parked alongside another car near the power station, thinking that it would be another lunchtime runner. Wrong! A couple looking to canoodle (legitimately or otherwise) - my presence eventually scared them off even before the area was crowded by a cast of runners, Staring Emma Murray and Trevor Jacobs, with strong supporting roles from David Baldwin and Adrian Shepherd, and the usual rag tag crew of back of the pack extras. Darn Emma Murray! I was at least confident of finishing as second female!

It was a top run - something over 5km which took me around 33 minutes. My throat felt dry and scratchy at the start. Not sore, but something I needed to watch out for. When I 'fall' sick, I can fall hard and a long, long way with something seemingly innocuous. I'm learning to be sensible and hang in there for the long haul.

Wednesday, 17 August

Early morning delivery ensured that I received my s625x in time for the lunchtime BBQ Stakes. I can't speak highly enough of Pursuit Performance in Adelaide. Having had Polar products for over a decade, they are accessible, quick and replace items without question. My battery was replaced, pressure tested and returned for a tad over $20. The Wearlink Transmitter (a soft fabric like strap with electrodes built in) had only transmitted erratically since early this year. I had reverted to the coded strap from another HRM. They replaced this strap with a brand spanking new one, no questions. Bob had similarly received a new watch (an updated model to boot) last year.

BBQ Stakes was run in perfect conditions: Canberra days are at their best when the temperature range nears 20°. With an overnight low of -2° and an unseasonal maximum of 17°, and little wind, it was perfect. To add icing to the cake (mmm, cake), Peter, the perfect running buddy was able to get away for a lunchtime run. He has only run the Stakes once before when I wasn't there, so this was a special treat. Eschewing his (soft) handicap of 10:15, we both left off my new handicap of 12:15.

My throat had deteriorated overnight, no doubt accentuated by a mega massive night sweat which caused me to be chilled overnight. This was noticeable during the first few steps of the run, it was hard to breathe easily, and my attempts at conversation were soon abandoned. Although I felt that I was working hard and that Peter was pulling me along over the first kilometre or two, the splits were quite slow.

Surprisingly, we were passing quite a few runners, and I was working pretty hard. Peter seemed to be doing it easy, staying with me and holding himself back on the uphills. My watch had been set to 'pace' me at 4:40 pace, beeping at these intervals. Although I thought this a little optimistic, it was a challenging goal. More people to pass as we climbed over the lat rise on Oakey Hill and headed downhill for the last 2kms. With 1km to go I lost Peter in the throng of runners, and with the final climb coming up, I just kept going. I tried to hold it together for the final sprint to the finish line, and ended up coming in 6th with a nett time of 27:54. Although more than two and a half minutes outside my all time PB, this is the fastest for a long time and I feel quite chuffed. Peter finished only 9 seconds back.

A 5km warm down with the Perfect Running Buddy around Oakey Hill to the summit. My throat had worsened, my voice was crackling, and my nose was now starting to run. I headed home to a hot bath and took to bed.