Why do my arms always go so red when I'm running?

Looking toward... Something. A half?

Friday morning, I got up bright and early. Wait, scratch the ‘bright’. Emphasise the ‘early’. I somehow managed to bludgeon myself into some semblance of consciousness and get out on the road at 6:15. Saw the massive plume of smoke coming from the Mitchell chemical fire thing. I was glad I was running in the other direction. Then I plodded all the way to work.

The distance was about 17.5 km in the end. I think I may have mis-plotted the route I was going to take. Also, got a little lost in around Yarralumla Bay. Nothing too devastating.

I was absolutely starving all day at work. Gorged on cake and associated goodies at the Divisional morning tea. Then ate two massive chicken tacos for lunch. Then, if I wasn’t tired enough, I went to a Les Mills Body Balance class after work. Then, a Zumba class. Came home and completely crashed.

I feel like doing a half marathon sometime soon. I think I’m up for it. Can’t seem to find any appropriate races in the Coolrunning calendar though. Maybe the Mount Majura two peaks run in October? Both peaks is 20 km. But it is mountain running. Might be a little too hardcore for me. Hmm. I’ll have to think about this.

Past triumphs, and future challenges

So yeah. I ran the Canberra Times 10km fun run in a Little Red Riding Hood Outfit. Observe.



The watermark is because I’m too cheap to buy my race photos.

Here is my outfit in all its glory prior to the race. Note the sexy chicky I’m standing next to. She’s awesome.



This isn’t going to be a really pic-heavy post. Nor is it going to be very content-heavy, so I apologise in advance.

I guess I just need something to run toward, so to speak. Goals are awesome. I have no goals. I need goals, at least in the interim before I start training for the Canberra Marathon next year.

I haven’t mentioned that yet, have I? Yeah. I’m doing the marathon again. I think the five months or so since my first mara has caused me to forget how much agony I was in. Maybe it’s the same as people who just keep on having children. Pain + Time = Amnesia. Or something.

The Canberra Times Fun Run was easy. Very easy. Too easy? I don’t know. I was just having so much fun. I’ve never run that far with someone before. We chatted the whole way, and it seemed like the shortest 10k of my life. Next time, I’m just going to have to push myself just that little bit more. Aim for a PB. Get in the zone.

Anyway, tomorrow is the Cancer Council National Walk to Work Day. I decided, just for the heck of it, I was going to run to work. It’s only 16 kilometres from Bruce to Woden. The only thing that bothers me is having to get up at 5am so I can get on the road nice and early. I will be running in standard running attire. I’m going to save the dresses for special occasions.

Special delivery!

I just walked to Jamison to pick up a package that the lovely courier folks didn’t even bother to try to deliver this morning. It usually happens, no big deal, but I was hoping they wouldn’t force me to come back and get it tomorrow, because I knew it was at the damn post office. They gave it to me, after a small amount of bickering over the fact that I don’t have any ID with my address on it. Like, seriously? Just because I stumble over my street name. I’ll have you know that the post office were the ones who told me I was using the wrong address in the first place. I’m just trying to do the right thing, and surprise surprise, I’m the one who gets punished.

What was I saying?

Oh yeah, the package.

I just got my outfit for the Canberra Times 10k, and it exceeds my every expectation. Don’t worry, photos will be coming. I’ll suffice it to say that I decided to dress as little red riding hood, in the understanding that these outfits tend to be flimsy and badly constructed, thus having a white peasant blouse top to the dress (as in all the dirndl-style outfits) would be ever so slightly indelicate when I get sweaty or, as is likely to happen in a race, I pour water all over myself.

My dress is red, and short, and it has black lacy frills at the neck and white puffy sleeves and white lace on the hem. It’s shiny, and red, and plaid. It has a velveteen cape with black lace. I’ve made the command decision not to wear the little shiny black vinyl waist cincher, as I just don’t want to run in it and the outfit looks a lot more appropriate without it. I was initially concerned about the propriety of this kind of outfit to begin with, but seriously people, I’m going to be wearing basically a full running outfit underneath the dress. Shorts, full sports bra. All I need to buy now is a white lacy petticoat to make the skirt all puffy, and a little basket to carry. I can put goodies in my basket.

If I really get into it I can run past people, screaming pleas for a little help, a little direction.

“DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO GRANDMA’S HOUSE? I’M LOST HERE, PEOPLE.”

In lieu of photos of myself wearing the outfit, as it just isn’t finished yet, here is a photo of the costume as worn by someone who is a great deal sexier than I am.

A crisis of indecision

Yes, forgot to write yesterday. Always intended to. Actually ran, too. Did you miss me?

I did a nice 14k. Nothing too daunting, even got out there fairly early. Lovely. It’s nice to occasionally go harder/further than I really need to, it makes me feel like I’m running because I love it and not because I have some event or another in my sights. Not that it’s an issue to have something to train for. Quite the contrary. I love to have an event booked. Fun runs are the coolest thing ever, no matter how much I may curse myself for my masochism during one of the said fun runs. It’s just not the be-all and end-all. I would still run if I didn’t have races, but I wouldn’t feel that sense of achievement you get from running at race pace.

I’m so tired today. I forgot what I was talking about. What was it? Oh yeah. I had a nice easy 14k yesterday, even though I probably could have done with some of the energy I expended, later in the day. It has been quite a tiring weekend, all things considered.

Looking at the title of this post, I suddenly remember the point I was supposed to be aiming for. I’m currently looking for a costume for the Canberra Times 10k, and I’ve found a cute little dress, pink and green and brown with little bows and things. There was another that was cuter but it was all in white with a maroon skirt. I know I’ll be wearing a sports bra underneath, but all the same I’d feel self-conscious about it. I feel like buying my costume now but I’m still hesitant. Maybe a little red riding hood outfit would be more fitting, with a little basket to carry? I don’t know. So many choices.

Speedy Gonzales? I think not.

I had serious difficulty getting out of bed this morning, probably due to my less than early night last night. My alarm went off at 6:30, which is a perfect time for running, at least at this time of year. Not too dark, and it’s not too late when you get home, depending on your mileage of course. However, I didn’t get out of bed until 7, and when I finally did get out there (at 7:45 or thereabouts) I was not really in my best form. I ran slow the whole way, seven minute kilometres for the most part, but nothing hurt and I wasn’t feeling out of sorts. I was just slow. Probably due to the race last Sunday, but I’m not sure.

It was an uneventful run for the most part. The only thing I was curious about was that my fastest kilometre was the second to last one, bizarre in that it’s all on a pretty steep uphill. Could I have taken eight kms to hit my stride? Or am I just a masochist who speeds up on hills? Maybe it’s due to the fact that prior to the hill I was listening to a podcast (Sex Nerd Sandra, from the Nerdist) and then I switched to the new Zumba release. Music might be the key here. All in all, a fairly disappointing 10 kms, but at least I’m getting out there.

Meep meep!

Official City2Surf Net Time: 1:24:55

Many thanks to mum for acquiring the time for me and texting it to me at work. I couldn’t wait to find out!

As you can see with the time above, I managed to beat last year’s time for the City2Surf.

In the most eloquent terms - YEAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I was, I admit, a little hungover at the start line. I had about five or six glasses of champagne the night before in the Club Lounge at the Sheraton on the Park (my home away from home when I’m in Sydney) and hardly any water to chase them. I also ate a hearty breakfast prior to the start, and if you’ll excuse a little too much information (I apologise in advance) my breakfast kept on coming back up to say hello over the first ten or so kilometres of the race. I never actually vomited, which is a plus, but I had a bit of... unpleasantness.

My legs felt like crap as we crossed the start line, and my lungs started to give me hell after the first kilometre in a way that made me think I was going to be walking a large portion of the way. I felt disheartened, like I’d cheated myself out of a good race. The first little hill (just as you head toward the tunnel) was way harder than it was supposed to be.

I’m going to assume that these issues came from not being warmed up, at all. It was also a bit cool at the start - in Sydney standards, mind you. Canberra folks are made of hardier stuff. It was grey, and it drizzled a little before the start, but I was too focused on my own pain to care even if it was raining (and I don’t think it really was raining). At the first drink stop, I got a cup of water and poured it down my neck and back as I walked through, drinking another. As soon as I got back into my stride, I felt good. Actually, I felt great. The cold water gave me the shock I needed to harden up and get on with it.

Heartbreak Hill? More like a speed bump. I noticed coins on the road, a fifty cent coin here, a five cent there. They started halfway up the hill (or at least that’s where I noticed the first one) and I followed them all the way up the slope. A welcome distraction. Actually, there were coins on the road all the way down to Bondi. Someone had a hole in their pocket, methinks.

Mum didn’t catch me at the finish line, but I didn’t catch her either, unfortunately. It was a great run though, and even though there was no live rock band on the pub roof this year (something I always keep my eye out for) there was a jazz band (or maybe two), cheerleaders (multiple), some very well dressed drag queens and the obligatory smurfs, presumably drinking at nine am on a Sunday.

Recovery wasn’t too much fun. I was tired as hell after the race, and that continued until yesterday. Starting to feel a little more like myself now, but I’ve still got the pain in the front of my thighs that comes with a two kilometre sprint at the end of a race at what was at least for me a blistering pace.

All in all, very happy with this year’s race.



Very happy indeed.

(ps. Love this pic, but unfortunately my medal was flipped around so you can’t see it. It’s a pity. And yes, I’m a dork. I’ve cross-posted this pic everywhere because it’s awesome and I look like a big awesome dork in it.)

Cough cough cough

Alright, one week out, I thought I’d give the rundown on the run-up to the City2Surf.

I took one step forward with my training, then I took a pretty big step back. Inexplicably, I got sick again. A viral lung infection, leading to a great deal of coughing, at times coughing up blood. Had to get a puffer as my old friend bronchial asthma decided to come back and say hello. I’ve been barely able to breathe, and I haven’t run in two weeks.

This morning I hoped to get a quick 14k in (as I was hungover yesterday from my birthday on Friday. My own fault, I’m not going to try to rationalise) but when I hit the turnaround point on the first bridge heading around Lake Gininderra I took stock of my breathing, took stock of my legs, and decided to go on back and leave it at 10k. My legs were fine, great even, but I had a tightness in my chest that I didn’t want to push. I felt like I had enough steam to confidently jog up College Street on the way back, didn’t even have an issue on the last piece of Hayden Drive, which usually pushes me into the anaerobic and is never comfortable. I think I’ll do fine in the big race, but I know it won’t be anything special.

On the costume front, I didn’t have time to source a costume online so I went to the Funny Shop in Civic to look for something. I found exactly the costume I was looking for, in brown, unfortunately, but the price made me pause. $90 or thereabouts, for a crappy cheap ‘sexy beer wench’ costume! Outrageous! I know I could get exactly the same thing, maybe even in blue or pink or purple, on the internet for maybe $30. So I made a decision. City2Surf, I’ll wear my usual boring gear. I’ll plan my costume for the Canberra Times 10k, and hope not to embarrass the crap out of my pal Dina, whom I’m going to be pacing in said race.

I'm back, baby!

This morning I ran 14k and it felt GREAT. Actually, I should clarify. I felt terrible to begin with, had niggles all the way, but after I managed the run and with nary a kilometre at slower than a 6:30 pace, I feel enlivened and reassured and recommitted to kicking butt at the City2Surf.

It felt like it was going to be a tough one going out, my knee was hurting from the outset and I could feel that my form wasn’t very good, so I concentrated on making sure my toes weren’t clenching inside my shoes (a terrible habit, I think I picked it up with an old pair of shoes that were badly fitted, and my feet slipped back and forth badly), turning my hips out properly, and keeping my shoulders loose. I didn’t really watch my pace at all, alternating between obsessing about my form and distracting myself with the latest Zumba instructor CD. I must have had the energy to burn though, as I don’t feel like I was going out too hard and I finished the 14k in under an hour and a half. I don’t know if aiming for an 80 minute C2S is really feasible, but I’m not going to hold myself back on that account. I’m going to go for it. Eye of the tiger, etc.

I think it’s the tilt on the footpaths that causes my hip clickin’ evilness and my left knee problems. I can also really feel the transition between the different surfaces more than I used to. Pavement isn’t as springy, and tarmac bike paths don’t cause as much impact up my legs.

On the costume front, I think I want to run the City 2 Surf in something like this:

Yes indeedy. A dirndl. Then I can run straight to the pub after the race. What do you folks reckon?

State of Affairs

Okay. It’s two thirds of the way through July. The City2Surf is in... 24 days. I have barely trained.

I had a cold at one point. Eh. It’s not important. It’s all excuses. I’m going to spare myself the rationalisation.

I haven’t run at all this week. I did a 12k on Saturday, slow as hell. A couple of 6k staggers home during last week. Before that, a half-hearted 9k on the previous Saturday.

I think my performance will be seriously lacking at the race, so there is only one question now.

What ridiculous costume should I wear to run the City2Surf?

This is the way I figure it - I’m probably going to run the whole way, not in a spectacular fashion but not breaking any records. I will feel like I’ve wasted my potential.

BUT, if I run in a stupid (and hopefully lightweight) costume, I will feel like a massive tool, and other race participants will treat me accordingly. Plus, it has always looked like a great deal of fun.

So what do you reckon, silent blogosphere? Little red riding hood? A simple tutu?