You know you're a runner when ...

Despite having spent half an hour doing a hill programme on an exercycle this morning, and despite having followed that up with an intense circuit workout, the warm sunshine and lack of wind at lunchtime were too much to resist.

Seven very pleasant but VERY slow kilometres later .... I think I'm done for the day!

My exercise stats from Saturday to today:

• Four runs
• 3 RPM classes
• 1/2 hour exercycle
• 2 weights sessions
• 1 Balance class

The runs included the 14km Belmont trail run (2km straight up), an undulating and fast 7km on Monday night, a short but intense hill and stair circuit on Wednesday night and the flat, slow 7km today.

I'm feeling fresh, not terribly sore and reassuringly non-injured. It's all a bit of a miracle really! Now let's have some of that sun this weekend so that Cleo and I can continue getting to know each other ...

I found my legs

They were hiding in a 6.30a.m. RPM class and they weren't very happy with me! Things hurt a bit ...

I went on and did 11.10 Balance despite the sore legs, but was very glad to finish the class knowing that I wasn't planning any more leggy stuff until tonight. I made sure I got plenty of sleep last night and got up to do an upper body weights session this morning. I was feeling really keen to get to the gym and yet reluctant to get out of my nice warm bed at the same time. I forced myself to get up anyway and by the time I got to the gym I was feeling really psyched. Needless to say my weights session went really well!

Unfortunately though my morning's gym visit ended badly when the showers proved to be out of hot water. By around 8.00a.m. they tend to be a bit lukewarm, but this morning they were completely cold. I splashed myself a bit but couldn't make myself get completely under the water. Luckily I wasn't terribly sweaty, having only done the upper body weights. Afterwards I went downstairs to grumble a bit to the nice guy on reception, even though I knew my complaints wouldn't go anywhere. Luckily the maintenance man happened to be walking past at that exact moment and he headed off up the stairs to see what was going on. Nice! Really, it isn't acceptable for a gym to be running out of hot water. The fact that they often run out of towels is bad enough ...

So tonight I'm down for another run with Sarah, Sally and co. My legs are still a little sore but they're no worse than Monday so it will be interesting to see how I go. I've done a lot of hill runs lately though so I'm hoping someone will suggest a slightly flatter route. It's lovely out there right now so a run around the Bays would be ideal.

So whose legs are these?

Seriously, I don't think they're mine!

I went to bed last night feeling quite tired after a screening of The Dark Knight at the wonderful Empire Theatre in Island Bay (with a VERY good single scoop of chocolate ice cream that I'd been waiting for all day). I was sensible enough to know that I'd blow out if I tried to do weights this morning and the chance to lie in was too good to pass up. So I slept till 7am and woke still feeling a bit fatigued. It was such a big weekend, could I continue the pace without a little rest?

I continued to feel tired all day at work. I had to present a paper to a steering group and after that meeting finished at 3pm my brain pretty much checked out for the day. After the meeting I sat at my desk in a little pool of warm sunshine (hitting refresh for updates on the women's triathlon) until late in the afternoon when I looked up and saw clouds rolling in from the Strait. It appeared the forecast Southerly change had arrived.

All the same it was still calm and clear when I met up with some of the former Jog Squad for a run at 6. None of us were feeling terribly energetic. The organiser of tonight's run was bowing out with a migraine. I wasn't sure how I would go after yesterday's Belmont run. Sarah had a chest cold and a couple of girls had raced in the Five Bridges 10km event yesterday.

Karen set a reasonably challenging run for us along the waterfront almost to the base of Tinakori, then up a side-street to Tinakori, up Tinakori to Bowen, down Bowen, then up and over the Terrace and back via Dixon Street. Sally took off up Taranaki Street and I thought there was no way I was going to keep up. My legs felt a bit heavy as we ran along the waterfront towards the railway station but I held my own and was still on pace when we got to the railway station. From there Sarah, Sally and I stuck together all the way to Tinakori Rd.

As we were running along Thorndon Quay Sally commented that she thought she had felt a drop of rain. A few seconds later I felt another drop of rain. As we reached Tinakori Rd the heavens opened. Within seconds we were drenched and cold. It was about this time that Sally started complaining about her legs feeling dead. I was just amazed I was still keeping up. We decided the weather was too nasty to be fun and none of us felt like running up the Terrace. We all agreed to run down Bowen then return to the gym via Lambton Quay and Willis Street.

With Sally's legs bothering her and Sarah's chest holding her back I somehow found myself in the lead. The further I went the better I felt. I bowled down Bowen and would have been first to the bottom had my silly Formotion shoe laces not come undone in the wet.

Sally and I met up again at the Terrace/Bowen intersection. We decided to run up the Terrace to Woodward, then cut down to Lambton Quay. Sarah was some way behind us at this point and I thought briefly that she might mistakenly think we'd gone the whole way to Dixon. Unfortunately I was right and Sarah went the whole way up the hill.

Once we got down to Lambton Sally and I were really sprinting along. I dropped my arms and concentrated on staying relaxed and keeping my shoulders down and chest high, trying not to lean forward. I tried to keep engaging my glutes and pushing forward. I was doing really well too, then about two thirds of the way to Willis Sally seemed to engage that other gear that I've always suspected her of having. She got ahead of me slightly and I couldn't haul her in again.

As we neared Manners Street there was a flash of lightening and a crack of thunder. The temperature had continued to plummet. I was nearly all done from trying to keep up with Sally and I let her pull ahead a little more. All the same I finished fairly strongly and couldn't work out where tonight's display of speed had come from.

We were all freezing cold and soaked so it was a very quick stretch before we all headed for the showers. I got an itchy rash from being frozen then warm from the hot water in rapid succession. By the time I got to the bus stop I was cold again, and continued to cool as I waited for the bus. It was a relief to find the heater blasting when the bus eventually did arrive.

I can't believe how well tonight's race went. I should have been barely able to walk after the weekend's exertions and yet I managed to fly through most of the run. I can only conclude that two and a half years of consistent training are finally paying off. Perhaps I finally have the strength and endurance to be able to push myself daily and yet still recover. One thing is for certain, I run faster when Sally is around. I just need to be careful that I don't get so competitive that I overdo things and injure myself.

I'm off to bed soon because I'm going to be up at 5.30 to do Dee's RPM class. I expect that if I thought I was tired today I'll REALLY be tired tomorrow. It's not idea finishing a run at 7pm at night then doing RPM less than 12 hours later. However Dee's classes are good enough to warrant it. Once Gearshifters starts I'll be able to do her RPM classes at night, and that will make things easier.

Trail Bunny

I wrote earlier about how the weather wasn't looking good for a ride on Saturday. I decided to wake early on Saturday and make a call then about whether to ride or book into a couple of RPM classes.

It was quiet and calm all night and I was feeling cautiously hopeful. At 6am it started raining. At about 6.15 the thunder and lightening started. Soon after that it started hailing and then the wind started up. I decided not to gamble on it clearing later that day so at 7am I started trying to call the gym to book my classes.

By 7.40 there still wasn't anyone answering the phones so I jumped in the car and headed into town. Thankfully there were still enough places for me to claim my bike. RPM was, well, RPM. I did my two classes. I went reasonably hard. I chatted to a friend from Gearshifters between classes. I left the gym to find that it had cleared earlier than forecast. It was now a beautiful crisp day. Gutted! Sure, I could have taken Cleo out anyway, but I had other things I needed to do and a trail run scheduled for this morning. I will just have to try and commute a couple of days this week.

We went to a housewarming last night and I was conscious of having drunk a couple of glasses of wine and eaten not quite as well as I might have done. We watched the Olympics and cheered Mahe Drysdale as he bravely rowed his way to bronze then collapsed vomiting. Winning bronze with a 'Beijing Belly' must have been one of the most heroic things I've seen so far. We also cheered on the Evers-Swindell twins as they rowed to gold by some ridiculous fraction of a second. Even they weren't sure whether they'd won or not, clearly pointing to themselves and mouthing "us?" as the news came through.

I got home and off to bed a little later than I would have liked, a little less hydrated than I would have liked. I was up at 7.30 and pleased to see that it looked like it was going to be a gorgeous day. A quick bowl of porridge and a few glasses of water and it was off to Belmont Park to meet up with Emma and co.

I've never run Belmont before and I haven't done a lot of trail running. I had an absolute blast today and I think I'm addicted. I just want to get out there again! We met up at Cornish Street before 8.45 and from there we headed out to the Korokoro dam. We were following a narrow trail along the side of a small river. The trail was gently undulating but on an almost inperceptable upwards incline. With all the rain it was amusingly wet and muddy in places and my shoes definitely weren't waterproof. I was running in a retired pair of Adidas, not wanting to ruin my new pair.

We were running at a really nice comfortable pace and I was having a great time. We were having to regularly dodge other runners and very happy dogs and the constant attention paid to dodging puddles, tree roots and very slippery rocks was distratcting my brain from any pain. In fact my legs weren't feeling the big week too badly and I wasn't even feeling the effects of last night's wine. The first five kilometres were over before I knew it. I'd only been planning to run 10km, but it just didn't feel like time to turn around just yet.

We decided to run another 2 kilometres up to Oakleigh Street. This section of the trail includes several stairs and some very steep, slick sections with lots of tree roots. Even when the trail was in a better condition it was still relentlously uphill. I walked a little bit more of this section than I would have liked! My goal is to be able to run the whole way to the top without stopping. I don't think I did too badly for my first real trail run.

We paused at the Oakleigh Street entrance to drink from a water fountain then it was back down again. The downhill portion of the track was in better condition and I was able to pick the pace up a bit. As is often the case the big climb had woken my legs up and I was feeling really strong. Before long we were back on the undulating track along the river. Five kilometres to go! I couldn't believe how good I was feeling and thought I was flying, although in fact I wasn't really. It just felt like I was. The last two and a half kilometres did seem a little long though and I was quite happy when we made it back to the cars. However it really didn't feel like 14 kilometres. Perhaps it was that running on trails is a lot easier on your legs than running on concrete footpaths. Perhaps it was just the novelty of the new environment or the social side of running with other women.

Afterwards we stopped off at Caffiend in Petone. It was about 10.45 so I didn't want to eat anything lunch-like because I knew I would just be hungry again later in the day. Instead I settled for a bottle of guava nectar and a bowl of fruit salad with yoghurt. By the time I got home though, just before mid-day, I was starving. I must have used up a lot more energy than I'd thought. I cooked up a big bowl of rice with marinated tofu and inhaled it.

As I've been typing this 38 year old Tomescu Dita from Romania has won the women's marathon in 2.26.44. Kenya took second, but only after an intense sprint against a woman from China. Tomescu was inspiring to watch, particularly as she entered the stadium and started waving to the screaming crowds whilst rounding the track and entering the last 200m. Afterwards she continued to jog slowly out while the Kenyan woman a minute or so behind her dropped to the ground. Tomescu looked like she was hurting over the last few kilometres but her pace stayed strong and she managed an impressive negative split. Now she seems to have a second wind and she is still running around the stadium for her fans with a flag around her shoulders. Amazing. New Zealand just finished in 15th place in 2.31. Still a good, solid effort.

I want to run. I want to ride Cleo. I want to ride Cleo to Belmont to go for a run. Oh dear. I really am an addict!

Phelps and Food

There's been an interesting discussion on Diet Blog (and elsewhere) lately about the 10 to 12,000 calories American swimmer Michael Phelps is rumoured to put away. His diet is said to consist of copious amounts of fried eggs, French toast, chocolate chip pancakes and ham and cheese sandwiches.

My first reaction was that I felt sick just thinking about eating the amount he was putting away, and that it seemed high in saturated fats and refined carbs and low in fruit and vegetables and whole grains. However I also noted that I'm not a sports nutritionist and heck, his diet seems to be working for him ...

A British journalist tried and failed miserably to consume Phelp's stated daily food intake, although it seems his leftovers kept the office happy for the rest of the day. I was interested to read comments from a real nutritionist who made the same observations I did about the high levels of saturated fat, but then also made the obvious point that Phelps wouldn't be able to take in the amount of energy he needs if he didn't eat the way he does. This is not a man who is about to turn raw foodist any time soon.

I have to admit to being slightly mesmerised by the sheer athletic freakishness of this guy. For example a few years ago he experienced an episode in which his heart began racing during training. As someone whose arm span is so much greater than normal he is apparently at risk for a particular type of heart condition and his cardiac functioning is therefore tested on a regular basis. Surely Phelps is the result of some kind of knife-edge genetic accident. History may or may not prove the man to be the greatest Olympic athlete ever, but his performance at the 2008 games will surely be recorded as legendary.

Now that's what I'm talking about!

It's been a good week, the first week in a while I've truly felt I've put the effort in. It's been the kind of week that I feel I can treat as a base, something I can now start to build on. I feel like I'm back ...

It started of course with that wonderful ride around the Bays on Cleo on Sunday. Being mostly flat and not that long it was a fairly easy ride and I felt good afterwards.

I would have gotten up for a weights session on Monday morning, but I had a conference to attend and there wasn't enough time to work out beforehand and still be there in time for registration. I ended up spending the whole day trapped in an overheated internal room in the Duxton with no idea of the weather conditions outside. To my credit, I managed to successfully negotiate the buffet lunch. I filled my plate with salad and, having assessed the various hot dishes, selected a small helping of vegetarian lasagne. It was the lesser of the available evils. Afterwards I piled up a small plate from the fruit platter while other conference delegates swallowed down a particularly delicious looking fruit crumble and a chocolate tart. I knew that, as good as they tasted going down, I would feel nasty afterwards, and I stayed away!

It was only as I was walking away that I noticed the soup sitting off to one side of the buffet. Given the choice I would have had the pile of salad and a bowl of soup. Foiled! However I didn't feel over-full (as has been the case in the past post-Duxton buffet). I did have a couple of mints from the bowl on the table in front of me as the afternoon went on, but I stuck to fruit for both morning and afternoon tea. No cake or biscuits for me! The Duxton always has a bowl of fruit in their conference rooms, together with a selection of fruit cordials and iced water. It's one of the few things about their conference facilities that I really appreciate.

After the conference the other delegates were being treated to free wine. I badly wanted a glass and I was tired. I started whinging about not being able to decide whether to run or not. My workmate Elaine ran out of patience. It was heads I run, tails I drink. The coin fell heads-up and I dutifully trudged off to the gym.

I'm glad I did despite being convinced I would have a bad run. Instead, confronted with a pack of speedy runners, I took the lead early on, got all Mad Dog on myself, and worked to stay there. We ran a very fast, undulating route from Taranaki Street up Adelaide to the BP, left and through to Newtown, through Newtown and back to Taranaki Street via Buckle. For the first time I really felt myself powering up the hills. At first I was simply trying to hold my place against other, stronger hill runners. After the first hill though I realised I was flying upwards without dying. I almost felt like I was experimenting as I continued to push the hills. I was having a huge amount of fun.

Afterwards, coming back down Adelaide Rd towards the Basin it was starting to hurt, but in a good way. As I turned up Buckle I knew the others were no more than 100 metres behind me. I jaywalked all the way back down Taranaki Street to try to maintain my lead. I think they'd gained on me by the time I got back to Extreme, but I put on a last minute sprint just to make sure I finished first. Yes, I'm competitive. Type A all the way ...

I was up early on Tuesday morning to do Dee's RPM class and boast about my new bike. My legs were a little sore from the night before. My calves had cramped up the second I'd stopped running and they were still a bit tight. I spun my legs out a bit and when they warmed up I was able to power my way through the class again. I could have done without Behind the Cow as a track 7 though. That hurt! I could also have done without Dee advising us that she'd managed to find the Irish Jig again. Ouch ...

I managed to fit in Mike's 11.10 Balance class. My back was feeling pretty tight and I knew I'd probably put it under a bit of stress up all those hills. My hips were complaining a bit too. I tried not to let it all get to me and elected to head home straight after work for an early night.

Wednesday morning I was back into it, getting up early in the morning and heading to the Terrace gym for an upper body workout. I rocked three sets of 10 horizontal body pull-ups then accidentally fitted in a few more one-legged pushups then were scheduled. I managed a third full set of 15 reps of swiss ball chest press, whereas last week I suffered muscle failure half-way through the final set. I felt strong and pleased with my workout.

By Wednesday night I was feeling a little fatigued but totally pumped. I was on a roll. It was a beautiful evening and I wanted to be out there running in it. I started out from the Terrace gym, running up Bowen then down Tinakori, then turning up Wadestown Rd. I managed to beat a cyclist to the top. I didn't feel fantastically fast but I was steady and didn't feel like I was going to have to stop. Once I got to the hairdresser's I turned around and ran carefully back down again. I wish I could have taken photos of all of the blossom that is out on Wadestown Rd at the moment. Perhaps it really is nearly spring!

It was all going so well, then I had a bit of an incident on Molesworth Street. I was approaching a sidestreet on the right-hand side of the road and I saw that there was a car approaching. There was a pedestrian crossing across the side-street so I had right-of-way but I slowed in case the driver failed to stop for me. He stopped before the crossing and I assumed he had seen me and kept running.

Molesworth Street is a one-way road and the traffic was flowing towards me. This meant that the driver had to look to his right to make sure the way was clear for him to pull out. I have no idea what he was thinking, and perhaps he had never seen me at all (but if so, why did he stop so far back from the intersection?), but as I ran in front of him I heard a scream. I turned to see the car heading for me at speed and the female front passenger with her hands in the air. I swore, rather loudly and the driver slammed on his breaks. I looked at the driver, who was making apologetic gestures and mouthing that he was sorry. I screamed out "You stoppped!", which was a bit of an incoherent comment in retrospect. Filled with adrenalin I turned and kept running. I broke all speed records on my way back to the gym!

The ironic thing is that a couple of days earlier my medic alert bracelet had broken. I'd slipped it into my bag thinking "I must get this fixed before I get on my bike again". I had also been pondering the likelihood of getting hit by a car now that I had a great new bike. So of course I nearly get hit by a car out running!

I was feeling a bit tired and stiff that evening but still full of energy. I decided to go for it the next day. I had a great night's sleep and woke early on Thursday morning for a Duck-bashing-without-the-Duck session. I spent a half hour on an exersize bike on what I now consider a fairly easy level but which only a few months ago was incredibly difficult. Feeling suitably warmed up I progressed to a lower body workout - leg press, walking lunges, squats, leg extensions, side-steps, box jumps, swissball abductor press and hamstring curls. All the while a new trainer was taking a young female client through a fun-looking circuit that was clearly kicking her butt. I could see how his session was targeted to be both cardiovascularly challenging and to develop her balance and agility. I saw myself of a couple of years ago in her wobbly progress. I envied her! I decided I needed to design a circuit of my own to kick my own butt. Hmm ... must do that.

By now my legs were definitely letting me know they existed but I was still feeling pretty good. Against all predictions the weather outside was stunning all day - once again still, warm and sunny. After getting stuck inside all day in meetings and at my computer I decided to throw in an extra run after work. I decided I would do an easy flat run around the Bays for a while. I didn't want to be out there for too long but I was keen to make the most of an opportunity to up my weekly mileage.

As soon as I left the gym I knew something had changed. It was freezing! I had on a pair of short shorts and the long-sleeved polyprop I was wearing might not have existed for all the good it was doing. I watched all of my exposed skin turn an angry pink. For the first time this year I wanted gloves.

Around Frank Kitts I was hit by a frigid and strong Northerly. As I reached Te Papa it started to rain then, a few seconds later, it began to hail. I started swearing internally. I wasn't dressed for the conditions and my only goal for this run had been to do it for the fun of it. This wasn't fun! I'm ashamed to say I ran as far as Freyberg then turned around and ran straight back to the gym. I wouldn't have even been out there for half an hour. Pathetic!

Today was my scheduled day off and I elected to do 1.10 Balance with Mike. The class was ridiculously full thanks to a Balance promotion that is running at the moment. I ended up crammed in one corner at the very front of the class with another woman trying to find a bit of space next to me. The poor thing - it was her first class and she just couldn't see what was going on at all. She kept looking behind her to see what I was doing.

On the positive side I totally rocked the Balance poses on my right ankle. The glute strengthening seems to be working (it is probably the reason for the speedy hill runs of late as well). I also took the hip openers further than I normally would. I felt I had a much better class than I'd had on Tuesday, despite the week's workouts. My physio appointment later today even went well. I am making progress! I may be able to get through the Gearshifters training without breaking myself after all ...

The weather forecast this weekend is not looking promising. My plan for tomorrow is either a ride (obviously my first preference) or two RPM classes, but I may be faced with gale Northwesterlies and cold rain. I will have to get up at around 7am and make a call as to whether it's likely to be a ride-worthy day or not. If not then I will have to call the gym and book the two classes, hoping they are not already booked out.

On Sunday I'm supposed to be making my delayed debut at Belmont Park. After wimping out a fortnight ago there's no way I can wimp out again and ever expect to be invited back. I'm only aiming for the 10km loop until I have a feeling for how I handle the trails.

I want the rest of the week to be like this week, but with longer runs. I have a short window in which to extend the distances I'm running before Taupo training sucks me in and pins me to Cleo. It's going to be a fun few months!

A cold night in Mornington

This, in our household, is what is referred to as being 'kitty-catted'. A combined weight of nearly 12kgs of very happy Burmese ...

First Ride

I picked Cleo up from Penny's yesterday. I took Lola along with me and Mike switched over the pedals and the drinks cage. He also fixed the handlebar tape on Lola and even wrote me a Trademe ad. What a star! I have been thoroughly impressed with the service I have received from these guys.

We fine-tuned Cleo's fit, lifting the seat, then lowering it, then lifting it. The last adjustment was only 2mm. We left the handlebars pretty much were they were. Finally we put both bikes on the scales. Lola is a full two kilos heavier than Cleo! Side by side the difference in fit was clear to see. Lola's seat was almost an inch higher and her handlebars far further forward. Poor dear, she really didn't fit me at all.

Unfortunately yesterday the weather was cold, wet and very blowy. Not a good day to get out on a new bike, especially one so much lighter than what I was used to. So I spent a lot of the rest of the day watching the Olympics. When I went to bed it was still raining and there was a fiercesome Southerly. By the time Hamish got home from the Black Tuesday afterparty at 4am however it was absolutely calm. The weather forecast had been for winds continuing today but dropping off this afternoon and I'd been hoping for a ride later today.



Fortune smiled. I woke early in the morning to a cold but beautifully calm and clear day. The snow on the Orongarongas was shining in the sun. I stayed in bed until the bike stores opened then dashed in to see Veronica at the Bike Barn for 20% off a pair of leg warmers and some full-finger gloves. By the time I got to Oriental Bay it was mad. There were people and cars everywhere and I had to drive right to the far end to find a park.

Nervously I unloaded Cleo from the car, clipped in, and I was off. I expected the ride to feel really strange. We rolled away from the curb and, apart from a few frantic seconds searching for the thumb shifter then having to remind myself how to use the new system, I was flying. The best part? Cleo felt right, right from the start. She rides completely differently, but in a way that feels natural. I am officially in love.

Today's motto was "heels down". Mike and the others had shown me quite clearly using the Penny's video system the way that my heels tend to creep upwards. Heels down was a bit of a foreign concept on Lola, but it's amazing what a difference a seat that's at the proper height can make! The physio had warned me I would be likely to feel my quads and glutes more for the first few rides, and I definitely did, but I was riding in the large cog comfortably for most of the ride. That's something that would never have happened on Lola! Large cog? What large cog?

The new, lighter wheels slid along the ground more than they rolled. All that carbon made it feel like Cleo had suspension. The bumps that used to rattle my bones on Lola barely even registered. This time I felt like I got a response from the bike that was in accordance with the effort I was putting in. I was flying along and it was all so easy. Bliss!

I stuck to an easy ride today, a simple spin around the Bays. This was a 'getting to know you' ride. I called out to a guy who was stopped at the top of the Pass of Branda to check he was ok, then he caught me a little further along the road and we talked all the way to Lyall Bay. He was riding a very nice Pinerello. At Lyall Bay I stuck to the plan and rode back through to Kilbirnie. I was regretting my decision though! Oriental Bay was even crazier with cars and people going everywhere, so I threw Cleo back in the car again and got the heck out of there.

I am sooooo glad I got a new bike now rather than try to train for Taupo on Lola. I am really looking forward to riding with Gearshifters now and seeing what I am really capable of. Let's hope this weather holds for a bit longer and I can get some more rides in before then.