New Shoes - Hoka One One Bondi B's

A friend told me about these new shoes that he got that annihalated injury, and bounced you along a bit like Tigger.  I had to try them.  Suffering from achilles injuries for most of my running life, I thought, why not?  Put them on and I have to say they felt bizarre!  Like I was rocking back and forth.  They put me in mind of those shoes that tone your arse that are advertised at midnight on the dodgy commercial channels.

I ran my first km in them around 5.40 min kms, which is faster than my average 6.20 min kms!  Just a smidge!!   Positively bounded around the streets, thinking, mistakenly, that any injury I was currently nursing would miraculously dissappear and I would be free to run my little heart out.  Of course, by the fourth kilometre the achilles Let Itself Be Known.  It was upset and angry after the half marathon and Saturdays 14km didn't help.  I didn't stretch or ice or do the stick roller so it is my own damn fault.  But lets not let that get in the way of a good story.  So lets talk about walking in these new running shoes.  Well, it engages muscles I don't think I have ever used because the backs of my calves were singing a rather unhappy song as I marched purposefully up Old Bathurst Road.  I imagined I was engaging muscles that I don't usually - I won't write these shoes off - FAR FROM IT - but they are NOT DESIGNED for walking.  Bursting  back in to running felt good despite the yukky achilles.  At least the calves were happy.

I think these shoes will be GREAT training for different leg muscles, the engagement of my arse, which has long been a problem with my running (I rely on the fronts of my thighs),  so I will be seen knocking around in my "clown shoes" and hopefully will get used to them, because  that SPRING you get in your step is just AWESOME!!! 

Thankful

What we take for granted, others really struggle for. 

I am very grateful to be able to run.  Tonight it didn't matter that I am a slow runner or that I am crap at everything sporty.

Tonight I took a friend out who is massively overweight and I saw first hand how difficult it can be when you are 120kg and I look back to the days when I was carrying another version of myself.  In fact, the day she got married, I was 105kg and remember not being able to find a dress to fit me and having to make one and getting all hot and bothered because I couldn't get it right and I still looked like an elephant.

And she was beautiful and slender and getting married and I felt like a big fat moo.  Tonight she committed to getting back in shape almost twenty years later, and she struggled with a two and half km walk.  And tonight I thanked God that I discovered running and fitness and oatmeal and vegetables and protein shakes and obsessing over crap times and knowing what an achilles tendon is and where your ITB lives and how many kilometres are in a marathon and just running in general.  And it is kinda fun sharing all that and hoping against hope that she gets it and loves it and embraces it. 

Fingers crossed.

Lake Macquarie

This weekend, I have planned for weeks to go up and spend the weekend with Toni, who now lives up on the Central Coast.  By total coincidence, I discover that the Lake Macquarie Half is also on this weekend.  We'd planned for me to do my long run Saturday morning then drive up to her, and hang out Saturday night.  Now with the discovery of the Half on Sunday morning, I'll be asking if we can partaaaaaay Friday night and have a quiet one Saturday night and might even see if I can persuade her to do the 5km on Sunday morning.  If I tell her there are bacon and egg rolls after and a good excuse for a beer Sunday afternoon, you know I think she will be in.....

The following weekend there is the Bankstown Hidden Half, which is another half marathon that is not flat.  I reckon if I can get the body to being used to half marathons each weekend, I will.....I dunno.  Be closer to a marathon?  End up injured?  Run myself sensible?  All of the above?

At the moment, life in general is not in general, it is by exception.  All the things that were normal are not.  I had twenty good years of being boring and predictible.  It appears that that comfort zone is over and now it is crazy times ahead.  I am becoming used to that and able to accept this with much less fanfare, but I am assuming at some point it will all stop and start behaving again.  I am starting to learn that that will only happen once I have made some decisions, which are difficult.  Until then, it will continue to be a little crazy.  Welcome to my world.

Please, come away for the weekend with me, run a marathon, then get arrested.

Oh go on, you know you want to.

Weekend in Mudgee was AWESOME until about halfway home.

Had a lovely drive up there, chatting about nothing in particular and running in general.  Caught up with the others at the pub, had a nice dinner, some laughs and went back to the Bates Motel, had a nice night cap and waiting whilst Mrs Bates put clean sheets on the bed (yes, my room had dirty towels and dirty sheets on arrival).  Anyway, once tucked in under clean sheets to a bed that resembled a board, I snuggled down to go to sleep only to find the air conditioner was blowing cold air in my face.  Up and down about seventy five million times to TRY and turn it off.  To no avail.  It just kept blowing air, so I climbed up on a chair and tried to stick the blades closed, unsuccessfully.  By this stage it was midnight and with me being an old lady and needing to be in bed by 8.30pm pre race, it wasn't a good start.  Lay in bed, tossing and turning, with cold air STILL blowing on me only to doze off then wake up to what sounded like the QE2 berthing underneath my room.  Either I was above the boiler room or someone was trying to work out the inner functioning of THEIR air conditioning.  1am came and went and so did many loud, DRUNK residents.  Not much sleep.

Woke up to a very fine morning, not too cold, in fact PERFECT running conditions.  The run itself was much better than expected.  Given my limited training, I expected it to be tough (and it was), but I found myself pushing on and at around 11km I really started to enjoy it.  By 15km running up a gradual long climb, with winds pushing me back, I knew there was never going to be a PB but I would do my best.  At this point a big kangaroo hopped across the path, scaring the living bejesus out of me initially, but it was lovely to be plodding along through the vineyards with the aussie wildlife.

I kept reminding myself of other races where I was unhappy with how I'd run because I hadn't tried hard enough.  So I kept pushing and pushing, I wasn't going very fast against that wind but I did keep going and finished in 2:11 ish (not exactly sure as I forgot to turn off my garmin / and / or look at the clock!!!).  So I was really happy with the run, because I knew I had done what I could with the level of fitness that I had (i.e. I knew it would be crap to start with).

After a visit to the winery and lunch at the pub, where everyone in my group except me got bling, we headed off on the long journey home. 

And that is where it all went a bit Pulp Fiction, with all sorts of bizarre, yet quite surreal things happening to two very nerdy law abiding citizens and culminating in us almost getting arrested, twice.  It was a bit like Thelma and Louise without Brad Pitt or any shooting or blow jobs. Actually it wasn't that exciting at all and by the time I got home, I really needed a medicinal vodka and a nice lie down.

Today, my muscles ache, everything is sorted and I am already giggling at our adventures.  My stars said that Saturn would give me a workout.  Well I expected it to happen in work.  I was totally unprepared for this. 

Saturn 1 -0 Me

More observations

If I EVER come off with "it's a good hit out" in relation to a run, can you please shoot me.  What does that even mean?

I regret telling someone too many of my secrets.  I always get scared that I will die suddenly and suddenly someone will read all my emails and my texts and piece together a life that is a bit off centre.  

But I am excited and a little bit apprehensive about this weekends race.  First race in an Ice Age.  Bought a new running outfit to celebrate.  Hope it doesn't chafe.

Bit of a proud mum today.  Curtis and his band mates spent today recording their first EP in a studio in Sydney.  In a few weeks time they play their first "proper" gig in a hotel in Sydney.  Lots of firsts as a mum at the moment.  The less said about last weekends first - the first time I was in the car with him driving, the better. 

Here is something that is funny and shows what clever stuff you can do with a bit of a knack for editing.



 

Last Minute Dot Com

On a whim I entered the Mudgee Marathon this weekend (doing the half).  This was my first half marathon ever and I have lovely memories of that race and the people I met there. 

This weekend I also have the absolute pleasure of driving up with someone who has encouraged me and inspired me over the years and that in itself will be a little adventure.

Then I have the run.  Not sure how it will go.  The last two runs I have done since Saturdays big one have been shockers!  But you know what?  It is time to TAPER!!  Yahoo.

Now, what dresses to bring......?

Recovery "run"

Well the recovery run started out as a run, and ended up just being a series of movements cobbled together that  resembled shuffling.  In the end I gave up and walked (Buffy was a fan of this idea, her little legs were gone after the first five kms).  So ran the first 5km (listening to Otis Redding) and had a big smile on my face (because it was downhill) and then got to the steps going down into the valley.  Ouch ouch ouch.  Then the steps back up.  Approx 600m of steps going up up up.

So all up this week I have clocked up 59km.  Could eat for Ireland.  This marathon training lark is going to keep me very busy. 

Untitled by sonialiddell at Garmin Connect - Details

Untitled by sonialiddell at Garmin Connect - Detail

No land speed records but happy with average pace.

Ouch. Very large amounts of Ouch.

Did my 3 hour road run today.  Managed 27.8km which was exactly what I expected.  But by god I am hurting now.  And I have no idea where in my arse I am going to pull another 15 km from come marathon day.  I am starting to think this was not a Very Good Idea.  Not at all.

Would you like me to catalogue my various sore bits?  I thought not, but I am going to anyway.  Just in case I decide ANOTHER day to do something stupid like this.  Well currently my sorest bits are both my little toes.  Right at the tips of my little toes.  I did take precautions today and clip the toenails, but clearly that wasn't adequate.  Sore tips of little toes make it hard to walk.  Especially in heels.

Hips.  I knew this would happen, it is manageable. With alcohol.

Legs.  Shins.  Calves.  Thighs.  Backs of thighs.  Insides of thighs.  The very fecking CORE of my thighs. Again, alcohol is doing a stellar job of assisting with this.

When I finished my run my skins were all white on the shin bit from salty sweat.  I looked a bit like a homeless person.

All throughout my three hour run I alternatively craved avocadoes and Sauvignon Blanc.  But more Sauvignon Blanc.  In fact I think the prospect of a guilt free chilled glass was what got me through the last 6km.

I don't think I was built for running.  I looked at other, slimmer and more fit looking people breezing around the river with jumpers cockily thrown over their shoulders and walking small dogs and looking WAY more relaxed and at ease than small little curvy me just ooozing effot with every step.  I reminded myself many times today this is not about weight loss but is about a goal.  A fecking stupid goal, now that I re-assess it, but there you go.

Anyway I now have a nice chilled Sauv Blanc in my hand, which is helping to anaesthetise my aches and pains and help me forget what a damn fool I am.  Tomorrow is another day.  Another day with 13.4km planned.  Fark!

Untitled by sonialiddell at Garmin Connect - Details

Untitled by sonialiddell at Garmin Connect - Details

Probably the closest to even pacing I have ever managed!! Happy with this, even if the speed is something that needs work!

Piss off Winter Cold

Woke in the middle of the night with a headache that had nothing to do with vodka.  A dry throat, stingy eyes and aches and pains everywhere.  The Winter Cold has paid a visit.  Well, Winter Cold, you can just piss off because I am very busy being busy at stuff.  So there.

I also woke from the weekend to find I was entered in a) a marathon and b) a triathlon.  Super!  This is BOUND to keep me out of mischief for a while.  I was almost tempted to do DRY AUGUST until I came home, felt miserable with achy coldy sniffly heady pooey Winter Cold and proceeded to have a medicinal vodka. Phew!  That was close!!  Last time I attempted Dry Anything was a wee bit of a disaster and the 15 days of dryness were followed by 15 absolutely saturated days but I suppose it was a wee bit ambitious trying to do a dry month when on a tropical island on a work conference with free Mai Tais being bandied around here, there and everywhere.....

But that was summer.  Summer is a frivolous time where nothing gets done and people are silly and don't make any plans.  This is winter when everyone is very focused on shit and gets stuff done and people enter races, or enrol in Uni or remember to insure the car, pay the gas bill or become a Wizard. 

Anyway - everyone has PISSED THEMSELVES LAUGHING when I disclosed the entering of the marathon.  Everyone!  Even Monica.  Especially Monica.  Which actually is good because they all think I am mad and cannot do it, so now I have to prove to them that I can.

(Disclaimer:  I LURRRVE Monica and know she is right, but still want to prove her wrong!!!!!)