I like this....not my own work....

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.

 

 

Vegan not "veggin'"

Relations are somewhat strained at home, now that John understands the full impact of agreeing to go on a Vegan Weekend.  John was mistakenly under the impression that the weekend would be "veggin'" - i.e. lounging around doing nothing.  In your underpants.  When in fact it is a retreat without animal products, and some running. 

Which I am now looking forward to, now that I have my shit together and feel a little more organised.

Looking forward to runs on some beautiful trails and three days off work.  No wait - FOUR DAYS OFF WORK.  Well, technically on Friday I am working from home, which will be SUPERB as I have lots of things I want to achieve but never seem to get to them in the office.  It would be nice to "produce" something from time to time!  And I am thrilled beyond belief that my lovely and wonderful and awesome boss (who is probably not reading this but you never know) saw fit to allow me to work remotely from time to time.  Happy happy days.

Running this week has been good, again, getting up early and fitting it in before work, and keeping up the core work, so jumping up and down off things on Mitchells Pass on a regular basis. The Oxygen Magazine turned up in my mailbox and this month they have a special feature on ab excercises, so I tried that yesterday, if Operation Smaller Arse works, surely I will have to balance it with smaller abs?  Mind you, my abs haven't been seen since about 1972.  They are Missing in Action.  I am an apple and a pear and all the shapes that have tummies.  A Bhudda.  Anyway, you get the gist, getting carried away here.

The short term plan is no running today, just don't have time, a longer run in the morning with Simon tomorrow, and then hopefully lots of trails at the weekend up at Katoomba.  Wooo hoooo!!

Bad Hair Today

Today I took the punt of arsing around on the computer instead of personal grooming, and didn't wash my hair after this mornings run.  The result was very messy, in a tied back, controlled kind of a way.  I like those ladies with grey hair who tie it back with the elastic band that comes with the asparagus, and sensible shoes.  You kinda take those chicks seriously.  Me, with my ungroomed "do" today, I  wanted to feel like one of those bohemian grey haired, Ulysses reading, bespectacled women.  Except I was wearing stilletoes, "Moondance" stockings and a Cue frock with the latest in shoulder pads, which kind of took away from the Scholarly Bookworm look.  Ok ok, one grey hair and a few loose strands and I am NOT Germaine Greer.  Lets face it, I don't think she went in for mascara much.

Anyway, I did toy with the idea of stopping talking about running on my blog and concentrating more on accompanying cosmetics and clothing.  John and I did this wee run at the weekend, where there were only 50 entrants and we were last.  That was kinda shite.  But it wasn't really because it was a really nice run and I really enjoyed it.  Probably because, although it was a race, I didn't actually race, I just ran along at a comfortable pace and really enjoyed it.  Like, hello?  There is no way I was going to win anything, not unless suddenly there is a category of "Under Five Foot One Wearing a False Hair Piece and Colour Stay Lipstick".  So whilst I would have come FIRST in that category, unfortunately, in all OTHER categories, I was last.  But as I say, I didn't much care, I had a nice cruisy run with the Leader of the Opposition, found a new GORGEOUS run with fantabulous views and a damn fine feeling of happiness during and after the run.  And because we had taken such a cruisy approach, there was heaps in the tank when we got home, much to the LOTO's dismay, so I commandeered a gardening session, with lawnmowing, whipper snippering and stick gathering all thrown in.  I am quite enjoying the shift in body clock since I started the new job, in that days start really early and getting up at Sparrow Fart is routine.

Anyway, lots of babble today, in summary, bad hair day, good week of running last week, feeling good, overcoming the hurdles that work puts in my way, even if sometimes I am just going around them and saying "I'll be back for you".  This weekend is Vegan Running Camp - which is another whole storybook all of it's own, I am sure......

In the most exciting news of the day - Coheed and Cambria are playing Soundwave.  Only for the last two odd years have I been wishing I could see this band live.  AND just when you thought live acts couldnt get any better, both Rammstein and Tool are playing Big Day Out this year, as is Plan B.  I swore last year I was too old for BDO but, sorry.....I'll be the old lady with the grey hair tied back with the elastic that comes with the asparagus, tapping her foot in the back row......

It's been a FAB week of training, just fab.  When training is good, everything is good.  Even when it is bad, if you know what I mean.  But this has been a week full of wonderful things and memories are made of weeks like this.  Nothing I could even articulate, nothing I want to share, just life and friends and stuff.  Work has been really challenging, but in quite a fun way.  What is it about working with a bunch of cool people that makes even shit things all right?

So, no running today.  It felt wierd.  Lazy.  My skin didn't look quite so good.  But I need to keep my legs fresh because tomorrow is the first Running Wild run.  I want to support the guys because they have done a great thing by bringing structured marathons and smaller distances to our beautiful mountains.  I am particularly interested in the Mt Solitary race.  Not because I have any burning desire to run a marathon, but in normal conditions, all runs out there would be ad hoc, unorganised, and therefore only really catering for the fast - most normal people run quite a bit faster than me, and who wants to head off for a really challenging run only to be held back by someone much slower....?  In an organised race, even slowpokes like me get to enter and experience the beautiful scenery, in a supported environment, which is not often offered, usually only by longer events like North Face etc.  So whilst someone else mentioned that we locals could rock up any day of the week and do the Mt Portal run for nothing, I think it is important to support local people organising structured runs in our area.  The Blue Mountains area is so pretty and the views breathtaking, why wouldn't we locals want to shout it from the rooftops?  Plus I am just looking forward to catching up with old friends- all of whom are excited about this new series of races.  (To them they are races, to me they are runs!!!). 

Operation smaller arse is moving along ok.  I bought a size ten dress the other day.  I have eight weeks to lose five kilos.  I am always trying to lose five kilos.  Still I have fun trying.

 I am reading a book called "The Help"  - it is bewitching.  So if I start talking like a honky black person please excuse me.  It is easy to get engrossed.....

Ner ner ner ner ner

hehehehe DID IT!!  Ran every day for days and days on end. Well.  Like, seven or something.  Feeling rather smug (if slightly tired in the legs - on account of all the jumping up and down off high things).

Tonight, leaving work there was this fat looking bird thing on the grass.  Well I walked over to it, because it was just sitting there and I thought it was hurt.  Next thing it started squawking all Monty Python like.  It stood up and next thing this fully grown looking bird sort of walked out from underneath it.  It kept doing the Monty Python Squawk.  Another fully grown looking article popped up and walked off.  Continued squawking.  Finally a third big mother of a bird popped up from under this birds plumage and stalked off.  Three big fully grown eejits sitting under this Monty Python-esque bird squawking like the Romans pretending to be ladies at a stoning.  Bizarre.  As long as I am in this country, I swear I will never get used to the odd wildlife on offer

Anyway, this mornings run was painful in the old legs but in a kinda nice, comforting way.  I have been doing my core exercises again because I know that I have let this slide and am suffering the consequences, sore hips, sore calves, more little niggles.  So I am trying to do all the things that Darren from Shalvey had me doing back when I paid him $40 for half an hour to listen to him talk about himself.

So - This week - lots of hills, lots of Mitchells Pass, lots of weights and lots of tricep dips.  Tomorrow is local run with Simon, which means I will be doing a tempo session whilst he will be doing an "easy jog".  Saturday I will do the river run and Sunday I will most probably front up for the first of the Running Wild runs.  So by my calculations this will be about a 60km week which isn't bad at all, and will certainly help Operation Smaller Arse. 

So - running - today I managed another "long" run - that is two weekends in a row, so Officially - I am back in the game.  I enjoyed the run today, even after I had a Heart Rate of five million and six after seeing a very large, very mature, very lazy looking red bellied black snake about five centimetres from my foot.  Paul has coined a new term for this - "Shartlek" when you shit yourself and run really fast.

Tonight I have running friends coming for dinner, and the "plan" is to run in the morning.  I bet if the red wine flows this evening, the plan will not eventuate, which is a shame, I finally feel like I am getting back into a routine. 

I do this funny thing every weekday now where I say to myself - you organised to start work late, so that you could miss traffic, and it is a great excuse to run, but if you don't run, you are just cheating yourself.  So this week I ran Mon, Tues and Wed.  By Thursday I will admit to be totally knackered and enjoying a lie in.  My motivation left me on Friday.  But by Saturday it was back.  I guess my goal for next week should just  be four weekday morning runs plus a long weekend run. 

Small steps back into proper training.  I am enjoying it. 

I have a lot of travel with work coming up, which again will test the willpower, and the running gear will get packed and hopefully used.  Two years ago I clearly remember failing Business Travel Training 101 - hopefully with a couple of years of running under my belt I will do a better job.

Dear Seb

I am not going to mention C ever again.

We fell out after she told me she was going to live in Dingle Bay, Ireland, and wasn't taking me with her.

You can stop reading now.

Three times a day. 

The Dog Days are Over

The other half has gone on a Sales Conference to the Emirates Resort in the Wolgan Valley and I am Very Bloody Jealous.  He gets to go great places, and I am often invited but don't go.  This time I wasn't invited and am very very very envious.

So I am stuck at home on my own with the cranky cat and dippy dog.  I spent 45 minutes tonight coaxing the dog out from under the  bed so we could go to the Vets and get her stitches out, and I finally managed to pull her out by the tail (she wasn't being very co-operative) and my nice new fitted black Cue dress is now covered in dog hair.  We arrived at the Vets late for our appointment, and to clarify her total disgust at the entire proceedings, Buffy decided to do a couple of big watery craps on the waiting room floor.  And of course, the waiting room was packed and the receptionist was busy with lots of other customers and I had to stand there with my head hanging in shame, whilst Buffy clawed at my stockings making Scooby Do noises as if to say "that'll show ya" whilst everyone pretended not to notice, except for the woman who had her hand over her mouth going "eewwwwwww" and the bull terrier that looked like it wanted to EAT Buffy.  After half an hour of shame in the waiting room we finally get seen by the vet who informs me that Buffy has already got a Bachelor of Veterinary Science because she managed to remove her own stitches.  We drove back home in Johns car, cos he took my nice convertible to the fancy resort, so we had to drive the whole way home with the back window wiper on and the Sat Nav lady shouting at me because I didn't know where the controls were for either of these things, plus I put the window wipers on instead of the indicator and got all flustered when Buffy tried to crawl under the accelerator pedal and so any ideas of a double day running went out the window and I came home and had a glass of sauvignon blanc and a chocolate biscuit.

But I did get a TEXT MESSAGE at 5am so got up and ran this morning, and it was a Very Nice Way to start the day thank you very much.

And am running in the morning, whether or not that lazy sod across the road wants to come or not.  So there.


Off to bed now, us athletes need our sleep.

Not Dumped !

Ha.  Does little "Jig of Glee".

Not dumped afterall.

Yesterday Simon devised a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel.  A plan whereby we get to motivate each other to get out of bed and run, one lap of the river run together, and one lap at our own pace.

So bed at 9pm except Friday nights are really bloody noisy and so I read my book, tossed, turned, turned over pillows, shook pillows, patted pillows, threw pillows on the floor, heard John leave to pick up Curtis, heard Curtis come in, smelt Curtis heating up an Indian, heard the microwave bing, heard the fridge complain and beep that someone had left it open, heard doors squeak, heard cars go up and down the road (god there were a lot of them last night) and finally heard the birds singing and I am not sure I got one wink of sleep in between.  So when my alarm went off at 5am I threw it across the bed and snuggled back down.  This wasn't looking promising.

However, S was expecting his "wakey wakey hands off Snakey" text message telling him to get up, so decided to text me, which scared the bejesus out of me and I was up in a flash and out the door and down at the river for the arranged meeting time.  With lots of "F" words coming out of my mouth as I hopped into running gear, and gathered up the paraphenalia of the run, garmin, iPod, water, head.

Anyway, the first lap was freaking hard!!  I realised a flat run was not going to get any special treatment, and struggled to keep up.  But I did and it was good.  After a lot of huffing and puffing on lap one, he took off to do his fast lap and I dropped back to a more sedate pace, sat back and enjoyed the scenery, the music and the just being up at farty sparrow o'clock with the sun glistening off the river and a chill still in the air.  Bloody beautiful way to start the day.  Apart from the big dead turkey on the road, which S mistook for an Emu. 


So - first long run in what feels like a hundred years, 14 km (ok so its not that long) but it felt good and I was able to sprint the last 400m, so all in all, a very very pleasing foray back into longer distances. 

I've been dumped!

I knew it would happen.  My running partner has got himself fit again and now I am too slow for him.  Bugger!

However, that was motivation enough in itself for me to get up at 5.30 this morning and run alone.  There is no better feeling than seeing the red sky and the sun peeking through the trees, the birdies singing and the start of the hustle and bustle of the day.  Legs hurting after yesterdays "speed" session (was speedy to me anyway) - it's been a while since my legs have been sore - I quite like the feeling where I am running every day but not getting sore.  So the aim is for the rest of the month to run every day, no matter how short a run or how busy I am.  It is just good for my mental wellbeing too.  I did some basic weights after my run - lunges, squats, press ups and some ab work.  Looking at my friend Beki's transformation I have decided I want some of that!!! 

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday nights all right.....

Todays observations:  whoever is in charge of the "messages" on the big screens on the M2 is a true comedian - a geg.  "Expect Delays" - we do.  It's the M2.

Ben Lee - he's always going on about cigarettes - he must be a reformed smoker.  Just saying.

Facebook - thinks I am currently in Switzerland and I am getting all the ads in German.  So I clicked on one and it was this FABULARSE website selling gorgeous clothes and all the prompts were in German so I bought two identical dresses, on in a size 6 and one in a size 14.  I managed to resist giving it my credit card number, therefore averting disasterous double purchase of said dresses.

Snappy Tom Ad - god that is one catchy tune.  2WS is currently running that ad every morning and it sticks in my brain - THE CATS OF AUSTRALIA HAVE MADE THEIR CHOICE!  SNAPPY TOM!  SNAPPPPPPPY TOM!!

Speaking of the Eurovision Song Contest (what?  we weren't?)  I think the Snappy Tom song should be the Aussie entry for next year.  Except we are not in Europe.  I also think The Poodles - Streets of Fire fits the demographic well. That's not really a compliment to The Poodles or their song.....

Today Marie and I are going to see Dr Botox.  I am looking forward to a startled expression and an empty wallet.  

No running today - yet.  This hasn't been a very good training week - BUT - I did get to my docs yesterday for some drugs maaaaan for my TMJ (temporal mandibular joint dysfunction for those playing at home) - and on reading the packet, they are also good for osteo-arthritis.  So my dodgy elbow and back are really good but the dodgy hip is still sore.  Having had the pleasure of a cortisone needle in there previously, which took all my strength not to kick the man administering it, I dont think I want to go back there.  So I really "should" be resting it or else getting it looked at.  Hmmmm.  It's just very inconvenient working in an organisation that doesn't have its own diagnostics division at the end of the corridor. 

Friday!!!!!!!!  Oh how I love Fridays. Such a sense of expectation in the air.

Today I am bringing my running gear to work and running with two of my workmates in Lane Cove National Park.  That should be fun, and it is pissing down so that will add to the excitement. 

Ever since the King of The Mountain I have had a dodgy hip - it went away for a while, but now it is back (probably because in the last few weeks I have been running consistently again).  I have a cunning plan.  There is a new Stem Cell Company who has discovered that there are stem cells in fat.  So they are liposuctioning people for thier fat, separating the fat from the stem cells, and injecting the stem cells into joints to cure osteo arthritis.  Hmmm, why does "two birds, one stone" leap to the forefront of my mind????  Little bit of Lipo round my bot bot and a dose of stem cells in my dodgy elbow and hip.  Brilliant!!! 

In the meantime, I have been trying to rest the hip by running only shorter distances this week, and making up the rest of the time with weights.  As always, feeling the DOMS after an over zealous squats and lunges session on Wednesday morning, but in a nice way. 

There is lots of talk about the Penrith Lakes Marathon, which clashes with the Vegan Running Camp.  My plan would have been to do the 10km and see if I could maybe, just maybe, squeeze in a PB.  However running with the likes of Brick, Pug, Tim, Carmen and Mr Liddell in the bush around Katoomba will be far better fun.

Then there is the Running Wild Series, which I am going to do, and Woodford to Glenbrook by night, so there is lots to focus on, so best get that hip sorted out soonish!