Ha! Now if you're from the US (like most bloggers seem to be) and not from an English good 'ole Commonwealth country, you will have no idea what that means! If you ARE from an English good 'ole Commonwealth country and follow cricket, you will know that those are darn good bowling figures! We went up to Wanganui for the day to watch Cameron and his team play two of their games in their annual tournament ... and those were Cam's bowling figures from the first game ...woohoooo, go Cam! He's wanted a five cricket bag for a while, he has had a couple, but I don't think he did at all last season, as the kids get older the batting gets tighter and it gets harder. So, we had a good day! Two wins to the boys, which is great, they are the Horowhenua/Kapiti rep team, and have very little numbers to pick from compared to the bigger Manawatu, Taranaki, Hawkes Bay etc ... they had an awesome season last year winning nearly everything, and looks they're still on track this year ... really nice bunch of boys too which is always nice (nice when you can say that about a bunch of 14yos!).
So anyway, on to the quick running update for the day - just a 5km on the training programme today, I was up at 6.30am, out the house by 6.45 and home after 27:50min!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Monday = Cross Training Day
and cross training = Spin class for me today, yay! I love that spin class! Bit naughty really the training programme definitely says "easy" cross training, and normally this takes care of itself as I do my delivering on my bike and as Dad and I do it together, and he and my mother go shopping on a Monday - normally Monday is a definitely biking day. But today is a holiday, and is the 4-5 days off per month we get every month, so spin class it was. Also while I'm off work and can fit in with the gym timetable I'm trying to do two spin classes a week for the weight loss - normally on a Tuesday and Thursday when I'm only running 5km which seems such a short run. We're off to Wanganui all day tomorrow to watch 14yo Cam play cricket, so no spin class = working out well to do it today.
I'm really really going to hate going back to work in a couple of weeks, because I work 2 evenings (6.30-11.30) and an afternoon/evening (2.30-9.00) ... and commute via a 50min drive into Wellington, there is no way I make the evening classes, the early morning classes are 5.50am, and well working evenings I need sleep so just don't do mornings well (plus the wee fact that it is pretty scary driving home when you can't keep your eyes open, believe me, after a couple of drives like that I make sure I get the sleep!) - if life isn't too busy I make the Tuesday morning 9.30am class and this is it. Oh well, in a few weeks I'll be doing enough running that I won't be contemplating spin classes anyway!
Good news today is that I'm on to day 2 of no Diet Coke and today was definitely easier than yesterday, yesterday I wanted one alllllll day and ate crap (as in the evil packet of liquourice allsorts and evil box of biscuits left over the Christmas) all day ... grrrrrrr so much to sticking to my eating plan 100%! Anyway, today was a good day, lots of water, no coke and sticking to my eating plan - I made a yummy vegetarian lasanaga for dinner that, even though filled with Kumura, peppers, onion and zuccini the kids all seemed to enjoy as well (always a bonus!).
Tomorrow I need to wake up early to run 5km and then get the girls and I organised and out the door by about 8.30am, we are definitely out of school/work mode so it won't be an easy task!
I'm really really going to hate going back to work in a couple of weeks, because I work 2 evenings (6.30-11.30) and an afternoon/evening (2.30-9.00) ... and commute via a 50min drive into Wellington, there is no way I make the evening classes, the early morning classes are 5.50am, and well working evenings I need sleep so just don't do mornings well (plus the wee fact that it is pretty scary driving home when you can't keep your eyes open, believe me, after a couple of drives like that I make sure I get the sleep!) - if life isn't too busy I make the Tuesday morning 9.30am class and this is it. Oh well, in a few weeks I'll be doing enough running that I won't be contemplating spin classes anyway!
Good news today is that I'm on to day 2 of no Diet Coke and today was definitely easier than yesterday, yesterday I wanted one alllllll day and ate crap (as in the evil packet of liquourice allsorts and evil box of biscuits left over the Christmas) all day ... grrrrrrr so much to sticking to my eating plan 100%! Anyway, today was a good day, lots of water, no coke and sticking to my eating plan - I made a yummy vegetarian lasanaga for dinner that, even though filled with Kumura, peppers, onion and zuccini the kids all seemed to enjoy as well (always a bonus!).
Tomorrow I need to wake up early to run 5km and then get the girls and I organised and out the door by about 8.30am, we are definitely out of school/work mode so it won't be an easy task!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Running with a Buddy
So, today was my long run - 14.5km (9mile) on the training programme. Also first time running with who I think will be my training partner - still not sure I'm totally sold on the idea! LOL
Anyway, it was fine, we ran at a really nice pace - she is a little unfitter than me, so I slowed slightly, but I NEED to slow on my long runs so it was a good combination. The run went by pretty quickly with having someone to talk to, so all good :)
14.2km - 1:28 - 6:13/km - that was with Dee stopping for a toilet break, so infact I was probably pretty close to my 6:00/km which is what I like to sit at.
Today is also my last slow lazy days of the holidays, DH is back at work next week, and its time for me to start de-cluttering and organising this messy house for another busy year! I still have two weeks off work, and in that time I really do need to get classes planned and ready for the next few months, as I said, decluttering done and just generally getting myself as organised as possible ... I know those couple of months before the marathon are going to be hard work so hopefully the more organised and prepared I can get now will make it easier then!
Hope you all have a nice runfilled weekend :)
Anyway, it was fine, we ran at a really nice pace - she is a little unfitter than me, so I slowed slightly, but I NEED to slow on my long runs so it was a good combination. The run went by pretty quickly with having someone to talk to, so all good :)
14.2km - 1:28 - 6:13/km - that was with Dee stopping for a toilet break, so infact I was probably pretty close to my 6:00/km which is what I like to sit at.
Today is also my last slow lazy days of the holidays, DH is back at work next week, and its time for me to start de-cluttering and organising this messy house for another busy year! I still have two weeks off work, and in that time I really do need to get classes planned and ready for the next few months, as I said, decluttering done and just generally getting myself as organised as possible ... I know those couple of months before the marathon are going to be hard work so hopefully the more organised and prepared I can get now will make it easier then!
Hope you all have a nice runfilled weekend :)
Friday, January 1, 2010
Following everyone else - 2009 running totals
I finished the Couch to 5k programme in January, then went straight into a 10km training programme, looking back I'm impressed at how I pushed myself to the next step, even before winning the spot prize in June I was pushing pushing to run a bit further and a bit faster :)
Surprisingly, I ran a total of 1416km (880 miles), not bad at all for a total beginner. Jan-June I ran 38-47 miles and only 3 days per week, in June I was suddenly going to run a marathon so the miles picked up in July and picked up again in Aug/Sept as I started serious half marathon training. By October I was running 5 days a week, and still am.
As for today -
2nd week of half marathon training.
7.9km - 44:50
Tomorrow is Sunday, long run day, I'll be running approximately 14km and for the first time running with a running buddy. She is a mother from gymnastics who has run one marathon and is training for her second one, she lost her training buddy and asked if I wanted one, her marathon is a couple of weeks before mine so it should work well. She is aiming for a 4:30 time as well and it sounds like we run about the same pace ... so should work out well. Not sure I'm ready to switch from my solo with my ipod runs, but I'm very aware that the long runs over the next couple of months are going to get harder and that I'm probably going to appreciate it further down the track!
Surprisingly, I ran a total of 1416km (880 miles), not bad at all for a total beginner. Jan-June I ran 38-47 miles and only 3 days per week, in June I was suddenly going to run a marathon so the miles picked up in July and picked up again in Aug/Sept as I started serious half marathon training. By October I was running 5 days a week, and still am.
As for today -
2nd week of half marathon training.
7.9km - 44:50
Tomorrow is Sunday, long run day, I'll be running approximately 14km and for the first time running with a running buddy. She is a mother from gymnastics who has run one marathon and is training for her second one, she lost her training buddy and asked if I wanted one, her marathon is a couple of weeks before mine so it should work well. She is aiming for a 4:30 time as well and it sounds like we run about the same pace ... so should work out well. Not sure I'm ready to switch from my solo with my ipod runs, but I'm very aware that the long runs over the next couple of months are going to get harder and that I'm probably going to appreciate it further down the track!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Long time ... no write!
Happy 2010!! It is New Years Day here today, so what better time to get back on the blogging wagon!
November/December are always busy busy months here - lets see if I can remember enough for a quick re-cap ... a couple of things, like my second half marathon! I'll write something longer over the next few days :)
S0, from my last post on the 18th of November ...
3 Birthdays - Charlotte's 8th (on 19th Nov), Rhiannon's 11th (on 11th Dec) and Cameron's 14th (on 20th Dec).
Finish of the school year -
David's last year at high school = lots of organising for university and hostel living next year (awards for service to School Council and contribution to school via being a peer mediator for one of the first year classes).
Josh's finish of 2nd year at high school = award for achievement in health (got to feel sorry for Josh he is the very quiet hardworking type that teachers don't notice - I was that personality and its hard!).
Cameron's finish of 1st year at high school = awards for outstanding achievement in Math and PE, outstanding achievement for contribution to cricket (he captains the school 1st year team plus captains the region's representative team), diligence in Social Studies and English AND award for being top in PE (yes, he is our over achiever ... with that twinkle in his eye that teachers DO notice).
Rhiannon's last year of middle age at school, she is in the "senior" part of primary school next year - lots of awards for service to the school - librarian, road patrol and a few others - she is our "always wanting to help" child ;)
Charlotte's finish up of her 3rd year at school - no awards at this age, but if she got any it would be personality of the year, or making the teacher laugh the most with her stories (I hate to think sometimes, when you're the youngest of five and have three teenage brothers ... I'm sure a lot of her stories aren't what you'd expect from a sweet 8yo girl's mouth! LOL).
What else have I been doing? My last few Stamping classes for the year, organising Christmas for our family, last Board of Trustee (for the school) duties - including making decisions on what to do with a poor lost boy who threatened someone with a screw-driver, hopefully next year will see lots of intervention and help for him ... and I'm getting side tracked.
We had the end of year dance performances as well ... which involved sewing up the girls' costumes - now I like sewing and can do the basics, but those costumes are way too much stress each year, all cut out ready to go - but no spare pieces, the pressure of making sure your child hasn't got the costume that looks "wrong" ... wayyyyy too much pressure for this Mama! But done, the girls had a great time ... and I'll conveniently forget how stressful it is until next (this!) year when we do it all again.
Oh, and I HAVE been running too - I ran a half marathon on the 12th of December, I put lots of pressure on myself wanting to run it in 2:06, managed it in 2:09:20 - nothing wrong with that at all - but the short tale, I went out too fast - the first half was 1:03, but was really tired for the second half ... ran the whole way, but it was definitely hard work! Looking back, I think my body was just plain tired from a busy month. Anyway, in other running, I've started my marathon training and am 2nd week in ... so far so good - but this is the easy part!
Weight wise, I've lost and gained the same 1-2kg way too many times and decided after the half marathon that I really really need to drop the last 5kg if I want to run better ... and um, I still haven't lost any of it ... but new year, new resolutions ... hopefully over the next month before marathon training gets really hard I will lose it!
That's the quick version ... hopefully I'll be back over the next few days to fill you in on training etc :)
Oh, and I just set a goal on Nike+ to run 2010km in 2010 ... I'm hoping I'll still have the running "bug" after the marathon, and that will be a great goal to keep me motivated :)
November/December are always busy busy months here - lets see if I can remember enough for a quick re-cap ... a couple of things, like my second half marathon! I'll write something longer over the next few days :)
S0, from my last post on the 18th of November ...
3 Birthdays - Charlotte's 8th (on 19th Nov), Rhiannon's 11th (on 11th Dec) and Cameron's 14th (on 20th Dec).
Finish of the school year -
David's last year at high school = lots of organising for university and hostel living next year (awards for service to School Council and contribution to school via being a peer mediator for one of the first year classes).
Josh's finish of 2nd year at high school = award for achievement in health (got to feel sorry for Josh he is the very quiet hardworking type that teachers don't notice - I was that personality and its hard!).
Cameron's finish of 1st year at high school = awards for outstanding achievement in Math and PE, outstanding achievement for contribution to cricket (he captains the school 1st year team plus captains the region's representative team), diligence in Social Studies and English AND award for being top in PE (yes, he is our over achiever ... with that twinkle in his eye that teachers DO notice).
Rhiannon's last year of middle age at school, she is in the "senior" part of primary school next year - lots of awards for service to the school - librarian, road patrol and a few others - she is our "always wanting to help" child ;)
Charlotte's finish up of her 3rd year at school - no awards at this age, but if she got any it would be personality of the year, or making the teacher laugh the most with her stories (I hate to think sometimes, when you're the youngest of five and have three teenage brothers ... I'm sure a lot of her stories aren't what you'd expect from a sweet 8yo girl's mouth! LOL).
What else have I been doing? My last few Stamping classes for the year, organising Christmas for our family, last Board of Trustee (for the school) duties - including making decisions on what to do with a poor lost boy who threatened someone with a screw-driver, hopefully next year will see lots of intervention and help for him ... and I'm getting side tracked.
We had the end of year dance performances as well ... which involved sewing up the girls' costumes - now I like sewing and can do the basics, but those costumes are way too much stress each year, all cut out ready to go - but no spare pieces, the pressure of making sure your child hasn't got the costume that looks "wrong" ... wayyyyy too much pressure for this Mama! But done, the girls had a great time ... and I'll conveniently forget how stressful it is until next (this!) year when we do it all again.
Oh, and I HAVE been running too - I ran a half marathon on the 12th of December, I put lots of pressure on myself wanting to run it in 2:06, managed it in 2:09:20 - nothing wrong with that at all - but the short tale, I went out too fast - the first half was 1:03, but was really tired for the second half ... ran the whole way, but it was definitely hard work! Looking back, I think my body was just plain tired from a busy month. Anyway, in other running, I've started my marathon training and am 2nd week in ... so far so good - but this is the easy part!
Weight wise, I've lost and gained the same 1-2kg way too many times and decided after the half marathon that I really really need to drop the last 5kg if I want to run better ... and um, I still haven't lost any of it ... but new year, new resolutions ... hopefully over the next month before marathon training gets really hard I will lose it!
That's the quick version ... hopefully I'll be back over the next few days to fill you in on training etc :)
Oh, and I just set a goal on Nike+ to run 2010km in 2010 ... I'm hoping I'll still have the running "bug" after the marathon, and that will be a great goal to keep me motivated :)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
One Year Ago ...
I started running! Wow ... what a difference a year makes, here I am at Boxing Day last year - believe it or not I was feeling good because I'd lost a few kg's -
I haven't got a recent photo of me anywhere handy, but believe me I look different now!
Anyway - one year ago I started the C25K programme, best thing I ever did! My then nearly 13yo came with me, with a stop watch and he did the timing - and oh my gosh, that one minute running was HARD, I felt like I was going to die! But I started, and finished, the programme and the rest is history :)
So, since last year -
Okay, I found two photos from Saturday's race, but really they're not that good - I need to pose for the camera! LOL
Here I am trying to avoid getting my feet wet -
and at the end!
I haven't got a recent photo of me anywhere handy, but believe me I look different now!
Anyway - one year ago I started the C25K programme, best thing I ever did! My then nearly 13yo came with me, with a stop watch and he did the timing - and oh my gosh, that one minute running was HARD, I felt like I was going to die! But I started, and finished, the programme and the rest is history :)
So, since last year -
- I've lost 25kg
- I've run five 10km races (and improved from 1:12 to 59:40)
- I've run one half marathon
- I've done things I only ever dreamed about (Duathalon, 10k, Incline run).
- and the biggest thing, I'm training for the London Marathon!
Okay, I found two photos from Saturday's race, but really they're not that good - I need to pose for the camera! LOL
Here I am trying to avoid getting my feet wet -
and at the end!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Rimutaka Incline (aka Last Tick on my "Dream List")
Firstly ... look at my weight ticker! I reached the 60's *happy happy happy dance*, okay, it is a bit of a cheat, I don't normally run on a Friday which is weigh-in day, and when I do run I know I drop about 500g from water lost ... so yesterday I was a day ahead of myself because my long run was today (Saturday) rather than Sunday, so I had my rest day on Thursday and ran 5km yesterday - but I'm taking it, even if it means I probably won't change much this week (in fact will have to be very careful not to go up!).
The last tick on my "Dream List"
When I was overweight for years, I always had vague thoughts in the back of my mind of what I'd like to do if I ever lost weight and got a fitter. They were the Kapiti Womens Duathalon - I did that in February, the 10km run Around the Vines - did that in March and the last one was to WALK the Rimutaka Incline, I never thought I'd run it - but I did, today :)
Such a neat race, as far as organisation goes, you don't get a lot for you buck - no free fruit at the end, nothing in the goodie bag except your number (in fact no goodie bag, just your number), water only at the drink stops. But the actual race, and course - amazing!
It is run off-road through what was the old railroad route (the actual tracks have long gone - not sure how many years ago, but
they have a huge tunnel that goes through the hill now), 10km up hill, then 7km down (they lied, it was 11km up and 7km down). It is a gentle incline upwards, you don't really notice it until the last 2-3km, they were hard. There is just one small railway tunnel on the way up, and three longer ones on the way down 
- so, so, so cool running through railway tunnels, except of course for the fact that it is dark (they put lights up via generators but it is still dark), and worrying about tripping!
Okay, the running part of the race - about 400 people were entered, not a huge number. My sister Julie was doing it to, her husband kindly dropped us off at the start and was there at the end to drive us home (you end up on the other side of the Rimutakas, a big windy hill road). She decided that I was grown up enough to run on my own this time, so she took off at the start, and of course I didn't see her again until the finish. I started, going at my new 5:50 pace which seems to be the new "comfortable" for me - kept that 5:50-6:00 pace pretty much until the last couple of kms of the 11km hill. The hill work I've been doing really paid off, there were a lot of people walking those last couple of km, but even though it was hard, I never felt like I couldn't keep running ... although, a woman in front of me turned around and asked me if I needed an inhaler! Sheesh, no wonder i have music so I can't hear my breathing, it must be bad! LOL ... I assured her I was fine, just working hard :)
Reached the summit
(*phew*), had a drink and gel and then started running down, bit stony, slippery at first, and the longest tunnel, then a really steep gully down and then up - impossible to walk up, more like a stony mountain goat kind of up! But once we got down and then up that gully it really was downhill, in the middle of nowhere, just the track and amazing NZ bush surrounding us - it felt really good, going gently downhill and being in the middle of nature :) Some of the way down was a bit worrying as it was pretty stony, rocky, but mostly I felt great that second half. The finish seemed to be miles away once I had about 1km to go - but I got there!
According to my ipod - it was 18.2km (rather than 17km as advertised, at the 10km mark I checked and my ipod said 9.9km, so I think it was pretty accurate) and I ran it in 1:48:30 - woohoooo! Although (and don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled with my time for what is quite a hard run), to put things in perspective, Julie ran it in 1:35 and two mothers from school ran it in 1:22 and 1:23 (sheesh they are fast!).
(I didn't take the photos - I found them on the web and copied them onto here - thank you whoever you are, great photos!).
I have a huge blister on the inside (arch) of my foot - I could feel it the whole way, not sure if my sock had a wrinkle, or what quite happened - I was relieved when I took my shoe and sock off and it was still whole and not a bloody mess though, because it was feeling like that by the end.
So ... now, roll on four weeks of half marathon training, I'm starting to look forward to my next half marathon in four weeks - I'm feeling stronger and stronger all the time :)
Now I'm off to our school's annual community fireworks display - for Guy Fawkes that was over a week ago ... in all honesty I'd rather be watching the all important All Whites (NZ Soccer Team) game, they are playing in the Wellington stadium, a sold out crowd of 35,000 - if they win (against Burain (Sp!)) they will be in the World Cup next year, for the first time since 1982 ... so DH and two boys have gone into watch that - I get to take the girls to the fireworks, fireworks don't do it for me at the best of times, when they're on just as the soccer game is on TV, they're really not doing it for me ... but Miss Charlotte (8yo in a few days) is very excited about the fair they have on before hand and the fireworks, so I have to put on my happy Mother face and make it fun for her! Miss Rhiannon (nearly 11yo) is already down there hanging out with her friends ... wonder when she suddenly grew up?
Good luck for everyone else running this weekend - enjoy yourselves!
The last tick on my "Dream List"
When I was overweight for years, I always had vague thoughts in the back of my mind of what I'd like to do if I ever lost weight and got a fitter. They were the Kapiti Womens Duathalon - I did that in February, the 10km run Around the Vines - did that in March and the last one was to WALK the Rimutaka Incline, I never thought I'd run it - but I did, today :)
Such a neat race, as far as organisation goes, you don't get a lot for you buck - no free fruit at the end, nothing in the goodie bag except your number (in fact no goodie bag, just your number), water only at the drink stops. But the actual race, and course - amazing!
It is run off-road through what was the old railroad route (the actual tracks have long gone - not sure how many years ago, but
they have a huge tunnel that goes through the hill now), 10km up hill, then 7km down (they lied, it was 11km up and 7km down). It is a gentle incline upwards, you don't really notice it until the last 2-3km, they were hard. There is just one small railway tunnel on the way up, and three longer ones on the way down - so, so, so cool running through railway tunnels, except of course for the fact that it is dark (they put lights up via generators but it is still dark), and worrying about tripping!Okay, the running part of the race - about 400 people were entered, not a huge number. My sister Julie was doing it to, her husband kindly dropped us off at the start and was there at the end to drive us home (you end up on the other side of the Rimutakas, a big windy hill road). She decided that I was grown up enough to run on my own this time, so she took off at the start, and of course I didn't see her again until the finish. I started, going at my new 5:50 pace which seems to be the new "comfortable" for me - kept that 5:50-6:00 pace pretty much until the last couple of kms of the 11km hill. The hill work I've been doing really paid off, there were a lot of people walking those last couple of km, but even though it was hard, I never felt like I couldn't keep running ... although, a woman in front of me turned around and asked me if I needed an inhaler! Sheesh, no wonder i have music so I can't hear my breathing, it must be bad! LOL ... I assured her I was fine, just working hard :)
Reached the summit
(*phew*), had a drink and gel and then started running down, bit stony, slippery at first, and the longest tunnel, then a really steep gully down and then up - impossible to walk up, more like a stony mountain goat kind of up! But once we got down and then up that gully it really was downhill, in the middle of nowhere, just the track and amazing NZ bush surrounding us - it felt really good, going gently downhill and being in the middle of nature :) Some of the way down was a bit worrying as it was pretty stony, rocky, but mostly I felt great that second half. The finish seemed to be miles away once I had about 1km to go - but I got there!According to my ipod - it was 18.2km (rather than 17km as advertised, at the 10km mark I checked and my ipod said 9.9km, so I think it was pretty accurate) and I ran it in 1:48:30 - woohoooo! Although (and don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled with my time for what is quite a hard run), to put things in perspective, Julie ran it in 1:35 and two mothers from school ran it in 1:22 and 1:23 (sheesh they are fast!).
(I didn't take the photos - I found them on the web and copied them onto here - thank you whoever you are, great photos!).
I have a huge blister on the inside (arch) of my foot - I could feel it the whole way, not sure if my sock had a wrinkle, or what quite happened - I was relieved when I took my shoe and sock off and it was still whole and not a bloody mess though, because it was feeling like that by the end.
So ... now, roll on four weeks of half marathon training, I'm starting to look forward to my next half marathon in four weeks - I'm feeling stronger and stronger all the time :)
Now I'm off to our school's annual community fireworks display - for Guy Fawkes that was over a week ago ... in all honesty I'd rather be watching the all important All Whites (NZ Soccer Team) game, they are playing in the Wellington stadium, a sold out crowd of 35,000 - if they win (against Burain (Sp!)) they will be in the World Cup next year, for the first time since 1982 ... so DH and two boys have gone into watch that - I get to take the girls to the fireworks, fireworks don't do it for me at the best of times, when they're on just as the soccer game is on TV, they're really not doing it for me ... but Miss Charlotte (8yo in a few days) is very excited about the fair they have on before hand and the fireworks, so I have to put on my happy Mother face and make it fun for her! Miss Rhiannon (nearly 11yo) is already down there hanging out with her friends ... wonder when she suddenly grew up?
Good luck for everyone else running this weekend - enjoy yourselves!
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