Monday September 5th - how did it get to be September already?  A work day from 8 am til 9 pm - no training, but I did sign up at the gym (at 7.30am!).  I think maybe I do need to some strength work to shift my muscle / fat ratio a little.  And I am hoping that 9 weeks out can make a difference, and is not too little too late.  I'll do a 4 week trial.  If I think it isn't any good for me, I'll stop.  

Tuesday - Sprint session - 2 sets of 4 x 400m at 4.00 pace with 90 sec recovery, and 150 sec between sets.  I did ok.  Not awesome consistency - I haven't managed that at all yet.  I am a bit worried about next weeks session - the program says I am meant to 'sprint' for 1 mile, then for 2 miles, then for 2 x 800m.  I can't run anywhere near that fast for 1000m, let alone 3200m.  So my mental battle will be to try to keep faster than 10k pace fullstop.

Wednesday - First gym session.  Up bright and early, and in there by 5.45 am.  The program I am trying is a single set of 8 - 10 exercises performed really slowly to muscle 'failure' ie so I couldn't do another rep.  This being the first session, I was a little conservative, and finding my way around the gym.  It is pretty well equipped, and not too busy at that time of day ;)  The session only takes a little over 30 mins, some foam roller work, and back home for a shower and off to work before 8.  Easy!!

Thursday - 13km run at steady state on the program (well, 10k pace plus 40 secs (5.10/km), which makes it steady jogging).  I thought I'd give the gym a go - I haven't run on a treadmill, so I figured this would be a good session to try it out.  It sucks.  I have no consistency, the machine was slow to respond to my button pushing and it is deathly boring.  At least on the road I have fences to pass, traffic to watch for and routes to plot.  Hills to climb and to kick out the legs on.  Puddles to dodge. Not on the treadmill, facing the window, watching people trying to reverse parallel park (hahahahaha).  But, I did it, then 15 mins on the versa climber, just to get a bit sweaty (why would you put the sweatiest piece of machinery in the middle of the big room, furthest away from the fans?).  A good session, then walked home (very close gym!). 

Preggie class stretch out in the evening - just in time for my second weight session tomorrow!!

Friday - off to the gym at 5 am again.  Not doing so many of the arm weights that the program says - after seeing myself in the mirror, I don't need bigger traps, deltoids nor biceps, no sir - rie!!

Saturday - Up bright and early again for my long run.  19 km today, so it is actually my shortest long run for a little while.  I did the same route as a couple of weeks ago, listening to similar podcasts and feeling good.  Only a few hours later, however, I was not feeling good.  A very heavy productive cough appeared, and walking to Kensington to see Charlie and the 2 older kids left me exhausted and breathless.  Home for a snooze (for 3 hours) and a quiet evening with 11 hours in bed overnight, and I was feeling brighter.

Sunday - yoga.  And then weights in the late afternoon while Charlie made lasagne for the kids dinner.  Not 100% well, but no where near as bad as yesterday.

The last couple of months, and the last of the fundraising events!

Enjo fundraiser

I love a chance meeting with an old friend at the kids sport!!  On Saturday I was at Luca's soccer game when I saw a lady talking on her phone holding an old fashioned phone handpiece.  It was my friend and Enjo rep Sonya, using her fancy Enjo phone accessory to try to prevent her frying her brain!  Probably we should all be using such devices.  Anyway, we caught up and she commented on my recent weightloss which led to conversations about my running and the Jodi Lee Foundation.  She was inspired both by the charity and Jodi's heartbreaking story and by the fact I am running the marathon in support of the Jodi Lee Foundation.

We are holding an Enjo fundraiser at VItal Core Physiotherapy on Tuesday 20th September from 7.30pm.  Sonya will introduce the products and answer questions about them rather than doing a full on demonstration of how they clean.  She has generously offered to donate all of her commission on sales from both the event and and pre orders, as well as a donation for any parties booked on the night.  Any 'host reward' that I qualify for will also be raffled or auctioned off to raise more funds.  If you need some more Enjo products or are curous as to how they work, take the opportunity to come along to this fun evening.

Also available at the moment are raffle tickets at $2 each, at the front counter at Vital Core Physiotherapy, or contact me if you would like me to send you either some tickets, or a book to sell.

Raffle prizes!!

Into the last couple of months of fundraising and training, and I have been donated some amazing prizes to raffle off.

1st Prize - 2 nights at The Miners Cottage Bed and Breakfast on 37 acres at Cockatoo Valley - value $440

2nd prize - 1 night for 2 people in a Spa Suite at The Highlander Hotel, includes LCD TV, continental breakfast and a bubbly spa - value $150

Prizes 3 – 8: Your choice of one of 3 Pilates training package from Inside Out Health Studios - 3x Private sessions,  6x small group sessions or 6x group personal training sessions - value $ 100 each

OR

A Fox Creek wine pack (2 available) consisting of 2 x Vixen (Sparkling Shiraz, Cab Sav, Cab Franc), 1x Chardonnay 2007, 1x Verdelho 2010 - value $95

9th Prize - 'Little Vili's' pack of 2 x 16 small pies, pasties or sausage rolls of your choice - value $24

Tickets will be drawn at Vital Core Physiotherapy on October 14th - please contact me for tickets!!

I am still making Rocky road for sale at work each week, tweaking the recipe here and there as required, so come and collect some as a treat for yourself or for friends or colleagues!  This week there is also some delicious looking Orange Marmalade homemade by Gail available for $5 per jar.  This is going fast!!

Team Trampoline for the Scouts!

This is a private fundraiser that I have organised with one of the lovely mums at school and her daughter's Scout group.  Brian at Team Trampoline has kindly offered to host another fundraiser for me, providing 2 hours of circus skills and trampoline fun for the scout troupe.  I'll sell some softdrinks and make up some chocolate crackles and honey crackles for sale on the night as well.

Monday 29th August - I've woken up not stiff but my toes are a little sore.  I ended up with a busy afternoon yesterday, so 8.30 bedtime for last night and the next few nights, I expect.

Tuesday - 4 x 800m sprints - hmm, legs are heavy but probably not that much worse than any other afternoon sprint session (given they are my most least favourite!!).  Not setting any records, but another session ticked off.  Some stretching, but not the roller session I planned to do - I got waylaid chatting to old friends instead :)

Wednesday - shifting furniture back into place at home and making beds - no training per se, but I still live in hope of a stretching session in front of the tv tonight!!

Thursday - my left second toe has been very very sore since Tuesday - the nail is all floaty and it looks like I have a blister underneath it - very read, swollen and acutely tender to touch.  So today I called a couple of podiatrists, and managed to hit the jackpot by getting to see the best foot dude around, whom I haven't been able to see for a couple of years.  He is at a new place and not booked out 8 weeks ahead like he used to be, so I was able to get in to see him this evening.  Right in the middle of running time, but I decided this had to be my priority today.  Feet dealt with, toenail will go, but is way less sore for now.

Friday - A pupil free day at school, so I knew my thursday run could happen this morning instead.  Adelaide turned on its very best spring charm with a 26 degree still sunny day.  Milla was on her bike while I ran, 12 km around the Torrens.  I decided that rather than the programmed tempo run, I'd just jog today - it means that between last week and this week my percentages of workload have stayed equivalent despite doing the half marathon at a much higher pace.

Saturday - Strong core class, and then yoga.  With an afternoon rest in between after a fun night out with some girlfriends last night.  I am going completely dry (take that 'Dry July' - I am doing 3 months!!), but had a great night chatting over dinner.  The others may have decided to kick on after I left at midnight, but I was very ready for bed by then!

I did get an email from SARRC (Sa Road Runners) - turns out that I came 20th in the half last weekend!!  Pretty pleased with that, even though I do acknowledge that many good fast distance runners would have done the whole distance rather than the short one.  Progressing well.

Sunday - 22 km run.  I also did somemore coaching for the Pembroke Masters crew, so I checked with Charlie for a lift home, which he was happy to provide.  I ran to Westlakes from 6.20 am, and it took exactly 2 hours.  I had to overshoot a little as the run was slightly too short, but that was easy to do.  One of the ladies had brought a waterbottle for me, and offered an apple and almonds whih I gratefully received.  About 8km on the old pushbike along the course and another $140 raised fro the Jodi Lee Foundation.

After getting home and showering etc, we decided to ride to meet Karen for the Father's day lunch at Hindmarsh via the city, so we rode into town, found a new shirt for Charlie, then rode to lunch.  Another gorgeous day to be out riding and rowing with another still sunny day in the mid 20's.  

I am feeling good, although I am getting frustrated with my weight, which is very stubbornly not shifting despite doing the extra miles.  I am going to experiment with some weight training over the next month and see if that helps get me a little leaner.  I can always stop 4 weeks out if I think it isn't helping me.

Monday 22nd August - Up bright and early for a sprint session.  I am trialling the early run vs the lunchtime session, both because I need to stay back at work a bit longer so won't have time at lunchtime and would rather not do it at 7 pm after an 11 hour work day, and because I didn't feel good doing my long sprints last monday at lunchtime.  So, a 6 am session it was, a bit chilly around the edges, 5 x 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off, so a lower volume session.  It was still pretty hard to sprint for that long, and it took longer for the HR to get up, but certainly more comfortable early in the day vs later.

The Adelaide half marathon is this weekend, so I will probably modify my program a little for my midweek run - I am meant to do 11km at tempo, but I think my marathon will cover a lot of that, so I may just do a 13 km or so slower run.  That way I keep the km the same, and I think the HR work over the week will be the same as my 21 km on Sunday will be higher intensity than I would normally do my weekend run.

Tuesday - no training

Wednesday - I was going to do my run this afternoon, but decided some rest time was in order - I am so tired after such a busy week and weekend, so took the opportunity for a little couch and novel time with the sun streaming in the windows.  Good for the soul.

Thursday - and off for my run.  The timing is good, however, given the half marathon is on sunday morning, so this staggers my sessions better.  13 km, at 5.15 pace rather than the 4.40 programmed - I'll run hard on sunday, I promise!!

Friday - a short foam roller session.  Must do better.

Saturday - busy day with kids, but I did sneak in some quality couch reading time and I got out to do yoga.  Yay.

Sunday - Adelaide half marathon.  I think about 3-400 people were assembled at Henley High School at 8 this morning for the half distance trot up to Westlakes, onto the esplanade, past Grange SLSC, Henley square and down to West Beach then along the linearp ark uphill to Adelaide Oval.  I started out with the pack, moving much faster than I planned.  Last run (in early may) was 1hr 44, a 4.52 pace or so which was setting a pretty high benchmark, so I was actually pretty nervous.  I did the first 10km today in 46 mins 20 - only 25 secs slower than my 10k PB, so  I was already a little concerned about how the second half of the run would go.  But I was feeling good, chatting a little to the people around me, and stayed in contact with a small group, at least until the last little bit.

I lost some pace as we got towards town - from the brewery was pretty tough, the last 4 km or so.  I was doing all sorts of bargaining with myself - just keep it at 5.00 splits and you won't be losing any time.  Then it became - just keep it faster than 5.30 splits - you're ok.  Once I had made that bargain, my watched beeped for another lap and I had managed to keep that km at 5.00, so I told myself I was doing well - just another km or so left.  I still mnaged to increase the pace for the last little bit into the oval, and managed a wave for Charlie and the kids as I approached the finish.

I finished in 1 hour 41, grateful for the water stops every 4 km or so (I decided to stop and actually drink the cupful each time) and the few lollies from the lululemon girls at Henley Square.  I collected a couple of snakes later on, but they were too sticky in my hand so I tossed them after eating a head.  No sugar available in the last 10km, although powerade was available at every drink stop.  Well organised, and a happy crowd.  Apparently the best marathon finishers came in just under 3 hours - so well done to them!  I had perhaps 20 marathoners go past me in the last few km.

Tired now, with somewhat heavy legs several hours later, so we'll see how we go to have a quiet afternoon (having already done the supermarket rounds), or a walk up to town with the kids.