5km Easy Run

Well the good news is the tooth pulled up fine this morning. Gave it a good warm up, a stretch afterwards, bit of Dencorub on the jaw and I’ll keep off it today by making the other side take the weight of the chewing so I think it’s a green light for tomorrow’s Striders… such a relief!! ;) lol

It was actually 5.6 km at a fairly comfortable average of 5 minutes / km. There’s a 1.4km loop down the end of the street that I hit about 20 minutes in. I ran at what I judged would be a sustainable 10km race pace and on checking it now it turns out it was just over 4:20 minute pace which I’m happy about. Whether I can keep it up for the full 10km tomorrow is an entirely different matter, but there’s only one way to find out!

Injury strikes when you least expect it

Yep, the bad news is…I’ve pulled a tooth!! Part of my tooth has fallen away, which is entirely my fault as I had a sense that something wasn’t quite right there for many weeks but procrastination set in. Hopefully it won’t affect my running, but I’ll go for an easy run tomorrow morning to test it out before Saturday ;)

It’s a bit jagged but there’s no pain or discomfort and the rest of the tooth seems stable, so I’ll make a Monday appointment for when I’m back home and just eat on the other side in the meantime. I was going out for a steak with a mate after work tonight, but might choose a more suitable meal instead!!

Unenthusiastic 400m Intervals

It was so cold and after 3 nights of minimal sleep I wasn’t feeling too crash hot this morning. I was doing 4 x 400m intervals with 90 second jog recovery, and I got through the session quickly by cheating on the warm up and cool down.

Suffice to say I wasn’t feeling very quick, and if it’s any indication I don’t see the 45 minute mark tumbling at the Striders 10km on Saturday. I think another couple of weeks after the Half would have been more suitable for a quick run. Maybe some good sleep over the next three nights will sort me out. In any case I might just relax, enjoy the morning and just say any mark under 50 minutes will be fine.

ps. I didn’t know exactly, so was guessing the distance this morning. I Google Earthed a couple of the legs just now and it seems I was actually doing about 450m intervals, so not as bad as I thought :)

There's been some tagging goin' on

Thanks to blkbox...

4 jobs I have had
- Newspaper Distribution Officer ;)
- Customs House Clerk
- Export Manager
- Software Developer

4 movies I watch over and over
- Pulp Fiction
- Lord of the Rings
- The Matrix
- Top Gun :P

4 places I have lived
- Randwick
- Lane Cove
- Baulkham Hills
- Port Macquarie

4 TV shows I love to watch
- Arrested Development
- The Sopranos
- Seinfeld
- American Dad

4 places I have been on vacation
- Backpacking around Europe (more specific? Ok, let's say Munich)
- Whistler / Blackcomb, Canada
- Nusa Lembongan / Bali, Indonesia
- South Island, New Zealand

4 websites I visit each day
- Sydney Morning Herald
- Cool Running
- Bloglines
- Bureau of Meteorology

4 favorite foods
- Everything Jodie cooks :)
- Thai
- Seafood
- Carbohydrate gels...no wait…Steak!

4 places I would rather be right now
- Balcony of Andechs Monastry (outside Munich) with an Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel in hand
- Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
- Diving at Blue Corner Wall, Palau, Micronesia
- Top of the Vallee Blanche ski run in the French Alps (assuming it was European winter!)

4 favorite bands
- Third Eye Blind
- U2
- Foo Fighters
- Red Hot Chili Peppers

4 Bloggers I am tagging
- Miners
- Tuggeranong Don
- Jorex
- RoyalKangas

Running with Vlastik

Today was originally to be cross training on the bike, but with Vlastik approaching I was up for another run. He’s actually due into Port Macquarie around lunchtime Monday before heading off again Tuesday morning, but because I won’t be here tomorrow I took the opportunity to meet up with him today.

Vlastik is an Ultra Marathoner who is running from the south of Tasmania to the north of Queensland. All up it’s around 5500km that he’s planning on completing in 100 days. That’s an ultra marathon every day for more than 3 months!!! It’s all to raise funds for Camp Quality, who are a non-profit charity organisation that supports children with cancer. There is a Cool Running thread here with updates on his journey, as well as his blog that he updates when he can. He also has a link on the main page of the Camp Quality site which contains links to his schedule and a donation form :)

I drove south with Jodie and Isabel until we came across Vlastik, Jo and Asta (their dog) by the side of the highway near Coopernook having a cup of tea. We spent some time having a chat with these lovely people before they set off again. Isabel always gets excited when she meets children and animals, and it was no exception with Asta, as she squealed with delight while we were trying to talk!! Sadly Asta had some stomach problems in Karuah so he wasn’t feeling too well still. We gave them a map of the local area and a donation, and it was soon time to head off. The girls all headed up the highway in the support vehicles while I set off for a run with Vlastik.

He’s a really nice guy, and it was so interesting talking to him about some of the things he’s done, and good for a chat in general. He elaborated on some of runs that are mentioned in his blog profile…just amazing! The girls were stopped a couple of times along the way for a quick drink and a couple of photos. The distance passed by very fast. All up I ran with him almost to Johns River - about 12km and well over an hour before we had to get Isabel back home for some food, a bottle and a sleep.

Driving back to Port made me appreciate what Vlastik is doing knowing that he was going to be running the whole way rather than cruising in a car, and the section I ran with him was such a small part of his journey. The day to day reality is that it’s just Vlastik, Jo and Asta out there on the road every day no matter what the conditions. They really appreciate any support they can get along the way. As far as I’m concerned they are the ones that deserve the appreciation. The world is a much better place thanks to these sort of people that are willing to get out there and do things that are so difficult in order to raise money for such a wonderful cause.

It was a real pleasure to meet Vlastik, Jo and Asta. I think his run so far has had a fairly low profile considering the scope of what he is doing, but I believe this is picking up and I truly hope they can get some increased support as they travel north. It would be hard enough completing a "simple" Marathon without support, let alone a huge undertaking like this over such a long period. It was a morning I won’t forget, and I hope that the small amount of support I could provide helps him on his journey.

Vlastik was saying things may be difficult as they move beyond Cairns as some 4WD support that was arranged can now unavoidably lend a hand, so I hope that situation resolves itself when they get to that point.

So now, just after the girls arrived back on Friday it’s me that’s heading away :( I’m out of here tomorrow, but Jodie’s brother is on a break from Uni, so is visiting to help them out while I’m away. He also dives, so with a bit of luck we'll get out for a dive when I get back, which is something I haven’t done since my pre blog days. It's really overdue seeing as it's in my blog title!

A couple of “action” photos and one with Isabel getting in on the act:

17km Aerobic Run

I had it all planned…watch the first half of the Australia v Croatia World Cup match, record the second half while I’m out for a run and the watch it afterwards while I eat breakfast. It almost worked perfectly until some clown told me the 2-2 result and that we were through to the second round while I was on the way back. Oh well. It was an eventful second half, so was still interesting to watch the drama unfold.

Anyway, it was a good run straight down Kennedy Drive, out to Clifton, then Westport Park and back via the beaches. I enjoyed the flat middle section as I was cruising in a nice rhythm by that stage before the undulating climb home. All told it took just under 1hr 40min with an average HR of 145bpm. It’s odd that it seems like ages since the Half, but it was actually less than a fortnight ago.

In other news, I comfortably avoided starvation during my week alone. Not exactly earth shattering information, but it’s been a long time since I’ve fended for myself. I didn’t resort to my backups of Saos or Spaghetti on Toast once, although there was the Pizza thrown in there, but I made myself run in the cold, dark rain as punishment! I pulled out some of my old regulars with a selection of meals from around the world…even visiting Italy twice. The menu included Penang Curry Chicken, Spaghetti Bolognese, Pizza, Beef Goulash and Mongolian Lamb.

Wet 9km Tempo Run

My plan was to join the group run after work this afternoon. The rain was set in by mid afternoon so I conducted a straw poll with miners. With the prospect of a very small group, not a single beer waiting at the end and having to drive home soaked I quickly pulled the pin on that plan.

Instead I finished work a little early and with the rain pouring from the sky I set off from home in the fading light. I was pretty much soaked through within the first five minutes, so I was glad I chose my lightest singlet…also that the shoes didn’t quite reach the squelching stage.

I repeated the Lighthouse loop from yesterday morning, extending it further north at the end for the extra 3km. I did 2 x 12 minute efforts with a 5 minute jog recovery and arrived back home after 46 minutes.

Despite the dark, the cold and the rain I actually enjoyed the run immensely. I was really thrilled to be out there and it was so invigorating. I was imagining all the people driving home past me shaking their heads at the lunatic out running in that sort of weather. Not something I'd want to do every day, but a novelty for the moment.

I had a hot shower waiting at home, followed by a hearty meal and a bit of housework along with the opportunity to blow the cobwebs out of the amp and speakers before the girls get back home on Friday. On the play list tonight is
U2: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Third Eye Blind: Out of the Vein
Tool: 10,000 Days (thanks blkbox)
RHCP: Stadium Arcadium.
So many cds and so little time!!

Easy 6km

I got up at 7.30am this morning and can't even blame the Australia vs Brazil match yesterday for being tired as I recorded it to watch at the more civilised time of 6am!

So I trotted out 6km in 36 minutes at an average HR of 147bpm. I was a bit blah during the run, but feeling good afterwards.

It's a busy week for me and I can already feel bloglines straining under the weight of unread posts :(

btw today was a regular - Lighthouse loop via Tacking Point Tavern...here's a little something I prepared earlier:

Cross training and Intervals

Saturday: 25km Cycle

After months of putting it off I finally pulled the bike out of the garage today while Isabel was down for her morning sleep. The bike isn’t fast…it’s not pretty…and it’s certainly not built for comfort. If it looked even half as good as the Miner Rocket or Jen’s new ride then I’d post a photo of it.

I went out past the golf driving range, before heading over to Town Beach and back along the coast. I took an unscheduled break at Town Beach as the swell was up, so I watched a fairly big pack chase the waves breaking out the back in good conditions.

All up the ride time was just over 70 minutes excluding the break, with an average HR of 136 bpm.

The afternoon’s exercise is an upper body workout: splitting firewood.


Sunday 7km with 5 x 400m Intervals

Not too sure of the merits of speed training just a week after the Half, but I wanted a bit of preparation with the 10km coming up in 2 weeks.

I've finally worked out an accurate 400m on one of the playing fields near town. The first 400m took 1:30 and felt good, as did the warm up. The other four intervals were all just under 1:45. Each interval had a 90 second jog recovery.

The legs felt a bit heavy from the second interval to the end of the run. Maybe a result of the first ride for about 8 months. They certainly feel good now after several hours and seem fully recovered from the Half.

Back into an easy 6km

It was great to get back out for a run again today as planned. Only my nose and fingers complained about the chill in the air today as all my other senses were too busy enjoying the beautiful morning sunshine and the birds singing.

As part of my new regime I reacquainted myself with the heart rate monitor today. It helped me cruise through for an average of 143bpm in 36 minutes. I caught myself coasting on 122 and 131 bpm on a couple of slight downhills, but made up for it up the hills.

Now that I can Google Earth my runs properly I’m going to trace out a few of my regular ones until the novelty wears off! Today’s run is indeed a regular for me, which is my run “around the back of Waniora” - Granite, Hamlyn, McLaren, etc. GE reckons it’s 6.27km rather than the 6km I’ve always worked on - at least I’m under reporting rather than over reporting my distances…and what’s a couple of hundred metres give or take anyway!

Some R&R

Thanks…
to everyone for your comments. They are very encouraging and a wonderful source of motivation. This is in relation to the race itself as well as during the training. I find it helps keep me on track during the days when I might otherwise just sleep in :o)

The Aftermath
I’ve taken a few days off for a mental and physical break this week.

After finishing on Sunday I was too busy talking and never got around to doing the stretching which I almost always do. I think that contributed to a degree of muscular stiffness afterwards, which is something I haven’t experienced for ages.

I experienced a mild case of shin splints in my left leg. I could feel it faintly about a week or two beforehand. I’d say it’s on the back of the big jump in km for May. The self treatment (in particular stretching) combined with a reduced load thanks to the taper and recovery has taken care of it though. I’m hoping that a more gradual increase in training load and following the preventative measures prescribed will keep it away.

The Future
A big goal for me now is to shift at least 5kg by the end of the year. I can achieve this by cutting some excess snacks out of my diet and including some more HRM assisted aerobic sessions in my training.

The plan is for a run on Friday and a ride on the weekend. There’ll be a couple of quicker sessions thrown in prior to the Striders 10km in two weeks. I’m looking forward to having a 2nd look at the Homebush course, although it may be a bit quiet there with the Gold Coast Marathon on that weekend.

I’ve updated the races I’d like to enter in the sidebar. There’s a big gap between July and December. Anything I enter during that time (including the Lake Macquarie Half) would be more of a last minute decision.

I think the reality of the situation is I’m not going to make the Lake Macquarie Half at the end of August so I want to try for the Hunter Valley Half in July. I’m likely to be heading to Sydney the day after anyway. Last year I offloaded a Queens of the Stone Age ticket which was a couple of weeks after Isabel was born because I didn’t want to leave home at the time. This year with a new baby plus Isabel to look after I think it’s going to be the same situation come August.

Blah
One thing I found from watching the video of the race is how slow 5min/km looks on camera!!

I can see a lot of time will be spent playing with the new features on the Cool Running site.

I found out yesterday that Google Earth now includes detailed coverage of Port Macquarie and surrounds. How exciting!!

Lucky I've only made two posts in the last week given how long they are ;)

Here’s a picture of Isabel and myself just after the race. Not the best shot of either of us, but the best I’ve got. Isabel really just wants me to have a shower and I hate facing the sun for photos!!

Macleay River Half Marathon

Result

Official Time: 1hr 45min 12sec
Overall Position: 41 / 119
Category Position 10 / 20


Pre Race

I went to bed close to 11pm with the rain pouring down outside, with more of the same promised for the day along with gale force winds!! So what a surprise to arrive at South West Rocks for a truly beautiful morning with a bit of a breeze that was more refreshing that anything else.

One thing that caught my attention on the drive in was the hill climb approaching 1km to go. It threw me out as I was surprised by the length and degree of it…I had known it was there, but I thought it was shorter.

I arrived early enough to sort out the formalities and watch the roughly 60 runners take off for the start of the Marathon. I then wandered back to my car to gear up. I took my sweet time about it too, as I was also having a chat to a couple getting ready in the car next to me. This meant I only had time for a quick jog back to the start to line up with the other 118 runners a couple of minutes before the start.


Underway

So away we went, heading out of the caravan park past the old Trial Bay Gaol and off towards the town of South West Rocks. Much of the course is along pathways until you head out of town again in the direction of Kempsey. I felt fairly comfortable cruising along just under 5 min/km pace all the way out to the turnaround. I didn’t get the exact turnaround time, but I was 48:50 through 10km.

I had a couple of cars worth of “support crew” that arrived just in time to see us run past the gaol at the start before they headed out to one of the intersections around the 9km and 12km mark to provide a welcome boost, as well as catching a bit of video and some photos. They arrived separately to me as my daughter doesn’t do pre 6am too well!

I was around a small group of runners for much of the race. I kept swapping places with one woman in particular. I’d overtake her on the hills and the drink stations, then she’d draw me back in on the downhill and flatter sections.

I know why my pace dropped slightly on the return leg. I was too preoccupied with the hill just before the finish, which in reality was no worse than anything I’ve done in training, but for some reason it played on my mind, and I was too conscious of wanting to make sure I had enough left to not lose much pace on it.

I realise now that I needn’t have been too concerned about it, particularly given my recent habit of finishing my long runs with an uphill climb. With 5km left my main dueller had kicked away and she had half a minute on me at the finish. Part way up the hill I thought “this isn’t so bad”, and I could hear the announcer and crowd cheering at the finish line so I just powered into it from there. I was talking later to another woman that was behind me at the time, and she said that she tried to stay with me on the climb but I took off too fast. From the top of that hill it’s a great downhill run to the finish for the final several hundred meters and I was really charging all the way to the end. I had a 20 second gap either side of me in the end so I had the finish all to myself. It’s a fantastic feeling coming around the bend and hearing the announcer’s voice calling your name and the crowd cheering you in!!

So in the end I got the time that I was aiming for (give or take 12 seconds!) and gained some valuable experience so I am very happy :o)


After thoughts

A wonderful event, characterised by...
Plenty of parking…beautiful location…friendly, well organised event…drinks stations every 5km (more frequent in the first/last 5km)…special needs transported to drink stations…personal announcements for Half and Full Marathon runners…great place for a post race swim …20 cent hot showers…free massage…homemade cakes, and sandwiches…BBQ…plenty of room to lay about on the grass afterwards…heaps of prizes and giveaways…bargain at $30 for the Half.

We were able to spread out the blanket and have a family picnic as the finishers in the marathon came through prior to the presentation. I couldn’t believe how many awards and giveaways there were!! Mountain Man finished his 304th marathon during the course of the presentation and got a big reception.

It really is a well run event in a beautiful location. I’m looking forward to heading back next year, certainly for the Half again if not the Full. I’m still thinking Canberra would be good for a first Marathon though.

A few photos if you're into running photos!

On the way out...about 9km:


On the way back...about 12km:




For later reference…tune out now!

I was way too laid back on the morning and the day before. I was distracted with other things on Saturday, and even on the morning right up to the last minute was more focussed on the now rather than what was coming. Apart from making sure I had everything I needed I didn’t give any last minute thought to my mental attitude to the race. Often if I’ve got a tough training session I’ll run through it beforehand, preparing myself for when I'll have to push through the difficult sections. As such I feel like I coasted through most of the run, which was fine for the first half, but the second half (particularly the final 5km) could have been at a more solid pace if I was better prepared to tough it out. Relaxed is good, but some nerves and mental determination don’t hurt either.
I'm not down on myself for this at all - it's just something I wanted to note for future reference. I'm happier to have had an enjoyable time and finished as I did, knowing that I can improve and will be better for the experience in future efforts.

I was breathing very comfortably the entire run, perhaps with the exception of the last km when I was pushing harder.

I had two gels…probably overkill, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. Both High 5 Raspberry, at 45min and 1hr 20min. Used fuel belt, 2 x water, 2 x powerade…refilled the water on the run from the aid station cups.

1km markers to 5km, then 10km and turnaround at 10.55km, which is not far past the Jerseyville Bridge.

2 Days to go

Wednesday 5km Recovery

It was wet on the ground with threatening clouds about as I was dressing, but I’m not precious about my new shoes any more so I strapped them on. The rain obediently held off until I was 10 minutes in and nicely warmed up (helps that the cold snap has passed, so the mornings are respectably over 10 degrees or so by 7am). So I enjoyed the light rain falling as well.

I was really conscious throughout of keeping this one very relaxed. I traced my old “inner Lighthouse loop” through Bangalay Drive which I rarely use anymore as it’s only 3km, then extended down to Shelly Beach before heading back home.

At half an hour it seemed to be over ridiculously quickly. I was thinking that not long ago most of my runs were only 5 minutes longer than this, and it’s satisfying to be reminded in odd ways like that about the progress I’ve made.


Friday 6km Recovery with Strides

I woke up to a beautiful morning today and enjoyed an easy run around my Waniora 6km loop. Did the required strides and threw in a few brief surges at race pace just to remember what it feels like! I had to resist the devil on my shoulder telling me “if you turn left here you can extend the run another couple of km”.

Fortunately work’s been so busy, so I don’t have too much time to dwell on how odd it feels to be running at such reduced distances and intensities when I know the half is only a couple of days away. I always feel a bit rusty on my first run back when I’ve had a few days off, and it’s got that feel about it even though I am doing some easy runs. Hopefully the 4 km planned tomorrow will keep it at bay.

The forecast is for rain on Sunday, so I’ve been mentally preparing for that possibility. Then again they forecast showers for yesterday and today but both days have been sunny (unless you were silly enough to get up early enough to catch the rain that fell very first thing in the morning yesterday ;o) ).

I think I did a decent job of loading up on some carbs yesterday, and trying to drink a bit more water. This will continue throughout today and there’s a hearty meal planned for tonight before easing back a bit tomorrow.

8km with 4 x 400m Intervals

I took advantage of the flat terrain with a run out to Settlement Point this morning. So a couple of k’s into my warm up who should glide up, but Miners on his shiny red speed machine. We had a chat for a km or so about the upcoming weekend, but his trusty steed was bristling to shake off the dawdling pace and he was soon speeding on his way again.
At which point I got stuck into my VO2 intervals for another otherwise uneventful run.

This is actually the last specific training session on the program :o) So all that remains is an easy recovery run Wednesday, a “Recovery run with Strides” on Friday, then I’m thinking a very relaxed 3-4 km run followed by say a 15 minute brisk walk on Saturday just to keep the legs moving before the race on Sunday.

A weekend...where?

Well that was one of those weekends that seem to be over before you can snap your fingers. Here's what I recall...


Saturday Easy 6km

After a red-eye drive back to Port on Friday night I wasn’t going to make the group run at Town Beach. So later in the morning I just headed out for an easy loop around the back of Waniora.

It hadn’t been an ideal week, with only 1 run in the previous 5 days, so an easy one was good just to get moving again. Lucky I planned to get ahead of schedule the week before!

I was considering using the heart rate monitor next weekend, but hadn’t used it for a few months so I threw it on for a test. As a result I’ve decided against it, even though I was only going to use it for analysis after the event. I just found it detracted from the feel of the run and my pacing, which I think has progressed well recently. Even if I covered the reading it would still be on my mind that I’m being “monitored”, and is an unnecessary distraction. So I’ll leave it to its intended use – as a training tool for lower HR sessions.


Sunday 16km Aerobic

I felt better for having done the easy Saturday run. This was an uneventful run into town following the coast and the river, then back home via Granite Drive. Threw in a few detours to extend the run to the target time and distance, and finished fairly strongly in a similar manner (just from a different direction) to last week's long run with a climb up Mimosa, Plantation and to the top of Astonomers Terrace again. All up it took 85 minutes.
The fuel belt was drained by the 70 minute mark. I think I’ll wear it next weekend as I find it so awkward drinking from a cup on the run. Most of it ends up spilt, and I don’t fancy stopping and breaking my rhythm to take in the fluids I need. It’s much easier to be able to work through the bottles at leisure whilst on the move!

An Abandoned Run and the next 12 Months

Abandoned Run
I actually got myself out of bed at 5.30 this morning to go for a run, before jumping right back in and sleeping for another hour and a half! I just did not feel like it today and it was only going to be a quick recovery run anyway. I can guarantee that if it was any other session I would have been out the door rather than dreaming. Then again I overindulged at a work dinner last night so I really should have made the effort...too many courses…and I really know better than to choose the creamy sauces!

May Total
Luckily I pulled back on a few runs towards the end of the month as my total was looking like spiking a bit too quickly for my liking. Ended up with 176km, which is about 30% up on last month. This doubled my previous monthly increases and was a bit more than I expected.
I don't anticipate hitting this level in June as there are no real long runs before the half, and I'll probably ease back for a week or two afterwards which would result in a more modest total. May even pull out the bike as well...if I keep threatening it I'm sure it'll happen sooner or later!


Macleay River and Beyond
So in getting away from non running matters, some comments from go girl, jorex and blkbox have got me thinking…

Macleay River Half
My goal for a fair while has been plus or minus 1:45, so I’m going to stick with that. I reckon that if I was feeling good on the day and everything falls into place I can dream about getting closer to 1:40. Then again if I was feeling a bit out of sorts 1:50 would probably be closer to the mark.

and beyond...
I’d say it’ll be fairly full on at home in the second half of the year. Very generally I’d like to consolidate and build on the fitness I’ve very recently acquired. I’m thinking that I’d benefit from strapping the heart rate monitor back on and doing some more low HR aerobic running sessions. Over the rest of the year do at least a couple of 10km events and another Half Marathon or two. Basically set myself up to start a marathon training program for next year.

More specifically…
It would be nice to work on a bit more speed to have a crack at the 45 minute mark over 10km, which was one of my goals for the year. So a couple of Sydney Striders 10km are a certainty before the end of the year.

The Gold Coast Half Marathon is my backup event in case something unforseen caused me to miss the Macleay. It’s in the back of my mind to duck up there anyway for either the Half or the 10km. It sounds like a big turnout is on the cards, and of course there’s always Go Girl’s Marathon debut to cheer on! Depends a lot on how I pull up after the Macleay River Half, and also on whether it’s practical to actually get up there at the time.

So with Baby #2 due on 13th August the City to Surf is not an option. Although Jodie went a week over with Isabel, the fact that she was in labour for less than 4 hours means that I’m not going anywhere at all around that date!

Lake Macquarie Half Marathon at the end of August is a possible option.

At this stage I’m not really enthused about the Blackmores/Sydney Half in September for some reason, but it might be a chance if none of the others come off before that time.

Reading Jen’s blog has planted a seed about the Sydney to the Gong bike ride in November, which I’d really love to do again. The only problem I’ve realised is that it’s the same day as the Port Half Ironman. Not that I’d be racing in the HIM, but that’s not the point! :(

Central Coast Half Marathon early December: definitely maybe (actually more definitely than maybe).

Whilst I haven’t given too much consideration to which marathon I’d like to aim for, my first thought is that Canberra Marathon might be a good place to start. I heard some good reports about it this year, and it’s sooner than most others, so that would leave the rest of the year open to take advantage of my hopefully further improved fitness! Hey, I might even be able to build a family holiday to our nation’s capital around it!! ;)

There may be an event or two that I don’t know about yet that I may get the urge to enter. That’s a good consequence of all this blog and CR reading…lots of ideas for fun events pop up all over the place…I’m always open to suggestions!

Well there's a long answer to a short question(s)! It was a bit rambling, but I’m glad to have it all written out now so I can refer back to it. Obviously I won’t get to all of these and who knows what life will throw at me in the meantime, but they are just some options at this stage.