Less than a week to go...

I can't believe that we are at this point. This time last year this was a pipe dream and now I am as ready as I can be for a half marathon. Just in the last three months I have broken so many mental barriers I am now a little unsure of the person who looks back at me in the mirror.. She can do way more than even she thought she could. I am looking forward to getting to know her.

I have one more 10km run to do tomorrow and a short bike ride on Tuesday, Wednesday will be making sure all the shopping is done so I can feed everyone and on Thursday the crowds will start to arrive. I apologise to my neighbours now.

All of you coming from a long way away, hurry up and get here all ready.   xoxoxoxox

All the seasons in one ride...

Wow, I did not know that the weather could change so much in a couple of hours.  Up at 5.45am for a quick breaky and get dressed for my 70+km ride. I stick my nose outside and decide that is definately going to be cold as their is not a cloud in the sky and I can feel the bite already. I decide on the shorts but add a jacket to the ensemble along with ear warmers.. I as am riding into town I am wishing for fingers on my gloves because they are sooo cold. Feeling very pleased with myself for putting on the jacket.

As I am riding along Ocean Rd I can see the mist floating in towards the shore and notice that the tempreture is getting much warmer, so much so that I am already rethinking the jacket. In the twenty minutes that it takes me to get into town it has gone from clear and crisp to warm and foggy. While I am waiting or the other riders I decide to lose the jacket and squish it into the back pocket of my cycling jersey, slightly bulky but eehh at least I will have it in case the weather turns..

Off we go on our ride, quite a few people really given the weather and the long weekend. Can you believe it but the fog gets thicker and we can hardly see where we are going. Water is dripping off everyones helmets, and we are feeling all rather soggy, even though it is not raining. By the time we are heading back into town for coffee, the fog has lifted and the sun has decided to come out in a big way and it is getting rather warm. At this point the group sets in for a sprint, some of the guys are teaching me the tactics... ever so much fun... and I come second today... wow flying along doing 49km per hour.. gotta love the wind behind you.

While we are having coffee, we are all sweltering and wishing we had the sunscreen on.. Anyone would think we were in Melbourne..

xoxoxoxoxox

Aaron has gone for an 18km run with me today...

So ok he wasn't actually running but he did cycle next to me the whole way, talking so that I didn't have to think about the pain. Love you much..

I have to look more at fuelling the body whilst running cause I ran out of uuummmphh at the end in a big way but still really happy with the run..

Ready for a snooze now....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Its way too early for the freak out nightmares to have started....

Right... Keith is not going to get lost at the start of the race.. He is a grown man, having successfully raised two young men, holds down a steady job and has a loving wife.. He will be where he needs to be when he needs to be there... Rachelle you do not need to run around like a mad woman trying to find him. Its ok, just breathe and go back to sleep.

Sarah is not, I repeat NOT, going to forget her bike (Maggie). Sarah and Maggie have successfully completely not 1 but 2 Ironman races. Sarah too holds down a steady job, has almost completed a University degree she also has a Scotty.... Rachelle, you do not  need to run around like a mad woman trying to measure Sarah up for a new bike.. Its ok, just breathe and go back to sleep.

Rachelle, you are a bright girl. You have managed against all odds to not only keep yourself alive this long, but the kids and Aaron too. You are not going to forget your running shoes. Neither are you going to put your shirt on backwards, or not know what to do with your hat. You are an intelligent woman, you will know where to run on the day,thats what the race briefing and Sarah are for. Now for the love of whatever higher power is out there, just breathe and go sleep.

Three runs for the week... :o)

I have had a busy week running..

Saturday        -    21km run
Sunday          -    Rest day
Monday        -   10km run with Doug my run coach
Tuesday        -    Cycle with the girls
Wednesday   -   Rest day
Thursday      -    1hr run on the treadmill
Friday          -   30min run on the treadmill

Tomorrow I am heading out on Stella for a 70km bike ride, rest day on Sunday and then the week starts all over again. Think I have my half ironman outfit all sorted too.. wooohooo! Not only will I be able to run a half marathon but I will look pretty good doing it too...

Who knew treadmills could be fun....

Certainly not me... I have always hated gyms because you never seem to get anywhere.. so it was with trepedation that I hired a treadmill to help get me to the finish line of the Busso half ironman in a few short weeks.. While I am still running on the road, I just wasn't getting in all the runs I should because of the usual time constraints we all struggle with. Training, partners, kids, work, sleep. Not neccessarily in that order.

But having just completed my first hour run on the treadmill I am happy to report that I quite enjoyed it. Now it is not at all like being outside in the eliments and actually getting somewhere.. I did have the news on (no sound) the telly, all the windows and doors open in the living area where tready is living, and the ipod cranked as loud as it would go on some cool tunes.. Quite surprised myself with just how quickly an hour went.

Having to keep my brain occupied whislt running I have started to consider what to wear for this run. Any suggestions????

Big big week..

With only 5 short weeks until race day... things have definately hit high gear in our house. I have been training up a storm. Saturday was the 21km trial run... Sunday rest day... and boy oh boy did we rest... Monday was 10km run with my running coach Doug. Thoroughly enjoying my runs with Doug, it is so nice to be out running with someone who is there to do nothing more than encourage me. It does make the run easier, such a shame he won't be able to be there on race day.

This morning was a ride with Gail and the girls. Bloody freezing! I had forgotten how cold it could be early in the morning. I am going to have to dig out the earwarmers... hehehehe.

My treadmill has also been delivered this week and I am going to be doing a 2 hour session on it in the morning. It is getting way too dark for this little scardey cat to go running by herself in the mornings now. I have a plan to run on the treadmill until the sun is up and then finish the run out on the road. Testing the theory out tomorrow morning.

Running, running and more running.

21km trial run done!

Well well well. I don't know just how to explain this but this morning I got up with a plan to run for 3hrs at a very slow pace just to see how far I could go. Thinking I would be able to use it as a guide for the Busso run in a few weeks.

Well the run started really well. I did the first 10kms easily, no walks or anything. WOW. Just a great run. So many people out and about and I was just running. I can't describe the feeling I get when I am running in the early morning. You notice stuff, like how fresh and clean everything smells. Birds, rabbits eating the grass, cyclists and other runners.  At the 10km mark I had a gel to help with energy and I am well under the time I was expecting so I turn around and head for home. At the 15km mark I notice I still haven't hit the 2hr mark. Totally hyped. The last 5km is a killer. Everything was hurting, feet, knees, legs, brain. I have a couple of walks in this section. In the last 2km I decide that I am capable of finishing the run strong its just all about using my mind.

At this point all I can see is the finish line of the half. I just put one foot in front of the other and keep going. So cutting this long story short... this morning I have run 21km in 2hr 40mins.. Now whilst for most this is snails pace.. I am totally excited because I couldn't run 5kms a year ago and now I can say I have run 21km. With just 5 short weeks till the big day, I can say absolutely I am ready.

Just get running..xoxoxoxox