End of Movember

Well, a decline in blogging means a decline in running. Fate was against me all week. Monday was a planned rest day (check), Tuesday I couldn't get up due to lack of sleep bought on by too much coke the night before, when I haven't had coke in sooooo long. Damn cafeine and sugar kept me buzzing till the weeee hours of the morning. Wednesday morning, planned run, alarm went off at 6am, but made no sound, so when I woke up it was too late to go for a run. OK enough winging, what did I do about it!

Yesterday arvo after the morning debarkle I stepped out into the warm afternoon air and took the old canoes out for a lap of the cemetary, only 6k but at least it was something. This morning I got up and did the pilates DVD, well as much as I could anyway, damn thing is still hard but I can't wait to see how it helps my running. At lunch time today I went out with a guy in my department for a 5k loop around Salisbury, it was only 33°C but I still look like I have stepped out of a shower now.

Tomorrow is the first day of the Adelaide Ashes test. yay. While today is the last day of MOVEMBER! I raised $95 for men's health. Thanks to all those that contributed, 2P, Ewen, SparkDriver, Rachel49.

I will sign off now, I am not sure if this post makes much sense so I might edit it later, when I have cooled down a bit.

Clearing the bugs

Went out for a tentative 7k this morning, hoping to drive the last remnants of the unwelcome invading bugs out of the system as Ewen suggested. Felt drained on up hills but apart from that this mornings trot was quite pleasant.
One thing I can say about this damned mustache is that it increases the wicking factor of my face...it is quite pleasant cool feeling actually...but it won't be staying past Movember. Now I just have to get a bit more normality back into my routine, but with the ashes, moving house and Christmas coming in 3 out of the next four weekends I don't think normality will return until 2007.

And this one is for 2P

BOO!
Well, where have I been?
Squeezed in the Pilates DVD on Tuesday morning, then at 11:45am BAM! head, nose and through get hit simultaneously in a surprise raid by an army of angry germs, no warning...very Pearl Harbour'esc. Needless to say, no run Wednesday morning, or work for that matter. A lot of time spent on the couch, or in bed. Thursday, feeling over the worst of the attack, ventured back to work, disgusted in the fact that I have to miss the start of the ashes on TV. By yesterday evening I could feel the germs trying to fight there way down into my chest, hopefully I have some strong defence now built up there and they won't be able to get a foot hold leaving me free to do a light run on the weekend! yay.

This one's for SD

This one is for you SparkD Thanks for the donation. The second time around I have gone for the big "Chopper" style Mo. Actually it is just a goatee with the middle bit shaved off.
2P - I generally weigh myself in the mornings before going for a run too...I just don't record it, so I have a pretty good idea about where I actually am. I also play the game where I predict what I will weight at the end of a run, I generally lose between 1.0 and 1.2kg for a 7-10km run.
Confession time...goals were thrown into dissarray yesterday...over eating on cheese and gourmet sausages and rissoles at a Christening BBQ and then was just feeling too lethargic for a bit of pilates. In fact I have been feeling really rundown lately...maybe my iron levels are low, seems to be the popular thing. I will go home tonight and eat a nice juicy steak wrapped in spinach.

Can the motivated Simlin come out and play?

Only the second run for the week this morning, 9k in 57mins. I just couldn't be bothered, I have so many other things on my mind right now. The strange thing about my apparent laziness is that my weight is still on a nice downward trend. I think this might be due to the fact that instead of running I have been including other activites ie exercise bike and pilates. So even though the workouts haven't been as intense, there have been just as many and I heard/read somewhere that variety is good for weightloss because your body gets used to / efficient at doing one type of exercise.
My motivation for running training has hit a new low these last two weeks, probably due to the fact, as 2P, pointed out I have no goals set for the rest of the year. I was planning a crack at my remaining 2006 goals but as fate would have it I realised 2 weeks ago that the two races left in the year are both on morning when I can't make it. One was last weekend when I was in Mt Gambier and the other is in two weeks when I will be at a breakfast before going to the third day of the Adelaide Ashes Test. Therefore I think I might stick to the current routine and see if I can't weight in at less than 110kg before Christmas...this morning was 112.25kg (remembering I cheat by weighing in after a run...before rehydrating....WHAT A CHEATER!...but it makes me feel good.)

Piles

No, I haven't been sitting on cold concrete.
I have been wading through piles of paperwork...a contract at work to become permanent...check...I officially start on the 1st of December.
Loan forms...check...need to complete.
Convayencer forms...check...need to complete.
Forms to open a new bank account...check...need to complete.

I have been cross training lately instead of running, don't know why, just a change in mood. I did the pilates DVD on Monday, it didn't get any easier and my mind was wandering so much, I don't think I was concentrating on my T-zone and breathing enough to get maximum results. Yesterday I jumped on the stationary bike for the first time in a while and did 45mins.

Today was the fun run for corporate cup but it was horrid weather out and everyone piked, so instead I did a loop of the cemetery straight after work. It felt like a struggle, must be the non-running I have been doing lately. I think I will put it down to running in the afternoon, I hate running in the afternoon.

Tomorrow I will run in the morning and everything will be back to normal.

Thanks SparkD for the MOnatory donation, it was not a MOment too soon. Photos toMOrrow of the new MO.

Jelly Belly

After a long weekend, involving the involuntary (I swear) shovelling mountains of food into my mouth, late nights and a lot of driving I set out for a horrible 4.2k this evening after returning some DVDs. I could have sworn I was wearing a fake belly full of rocks and was running through water.

Update on Movember, being a family weekend for miss Simlin, she donated to Movember for me to shave it off, so I have to start again. Alas.

Edit: SD - It wasn't just a good donation, it was the only donation made so far...my Mo was feeling un-loved and un-appreciated, so when the opportunity arose to actually add a donation to my registration there was no objections from my dejected Mo.

Woof! You Bloody Choir.

Sorry, stole the title. (apologies to Augie March)


The title comes from running down Main North Rd in the pre-dawn light, when even McDonald's windows are dark, and the only company you have is the car yard guard dogs. Main North rd is like one long car yard, and every one has at least one Rottweiler or German Shepherd, some have 2 or even one of each. Some mornings they are either too sleepy or I don't smell so bad and there is silence. While other mornings, like this morning, I set the first one off and then for the next km there is constant barking and gnashing of teeth, even from the other side of the road. Each guard dog decides to say hello in a friendly way and then Back Off Bitch! in an unfriendly way while baring teeth. Maybe it was my Movemeber Mo which made me look like a criminal this morning?
Not a great photo, but it was taken before 7:30am and I don't have my happy face on yet :).
Though I should, because our mortgage broker called at 8pm last night to tell us that our loan was going to be approved! Now we just need to get the paper work from the financial institution.
Yay, I am a home-owner (*he says in as serious a voice as he can muster*) of course if you are reading this you are most welcome to the housewarming!
Anyway, to todays run, seeing as I only have a month left running in Enfield, I decided to go over an old route that I haven't done in a while, so it was 9k in 55mins. Following the run I did my usual 15mins of stretching, minus the sit-ups...my T-zone / abdominals have not yet forgiven me for that devilish pilates work-out...what they don't know is that I am planning on giving it another go on Sunday evening...muhahahaha (*he laughs, an evil laugh, while going into a deliriously happy state of insanity*)

Damn T Zone

Reluctantly rolled out of bed this morning for a lap of the Cemetery hoping my legs weren't too sore. The legs felt quite loose and relaxed as I started out on a surprisingly chilly morning. Then I got to the first hill. I could feel the tiredness in my legs as I started up the first incline. Luckily the tiredness I felt in my legs didn't phase me as the only thing I could think of the entire time was "am I pulling in my T zone?" "Is my T zone OK?". Damn pilates, now all I can think about is my damn T zone.
Garmy died trying to display my 4k split, so I had to guess my pace over the last 2 k, 6k in 36min50sec.

Edit: I found this definition: "t-zone" (pilates geek for inner abdominals = tummy muscles)
The t-zone is basicaly a line from hip bone to hip bone bisected by a line from your pelvic bone. I am not sure if the above definition is correct, I thought it was more the pelvic floor muscles etc. (those used when you need to go to the bathroom but are holding on)

the other, other type of workout

This is the Pilates DVD , I first heard about it on Ellie's blog I think. I got it from here, which just happens to be 200m up the road.

Well tonight I whipped it out gave it a go. Concentrated on my T zone. Damn it was tough...I can tell doing this regularly will really benifit to running. From my first pilates work out two things are obvious:
(1) my core strength is poor. very poor.
(2) my flexability is poor. very poor.

Wonder how long it will take that to improve?

Movember

Ok this is what I got so far...my facial hair tends to come through ginger over time, so doesn't look very full. My rego is 15981.

Anyway, set the alarm for 5:30am this morning. Didn't get up till 6:45am. Ooops. No running. Maybe I will try out the Pilates DVD I have finally found, Studio Pilates for Runners and Cyclists, this evening. It looks hard.

Lazy Sunday

Who said anything about a lazy Sunday?
Didn't go in the Black Hill Challange. If I had woken up in time I might have considered it, but instead I awoke at 8am and set out to just do a loop of the horse paddock and back (10km). Well that went out the window, once again my auto-pilot had other ideas, which involved running past the horse paddock and down to the Torrens, along the Torrens to Lower Portrush road and then up to hampstead and home. It was a route I mapped out a very long time ago but have never done. Till today. Overall it was about 14.5km and I finished it in 1hr35mins. When I stopped to have a walking warmdown to the end of the block and back as usual my right ITB was very tight, so taking extra time on each of my routine stretches it now feels ok, but I won't be running tomorrow, two days in a row over 12k was how I set it off last time as I recall. Mmm stupid me.

Split Personality

I think over the last year I have developed a split personality. One is lazy, the other, not so lazy. For instance. This morning I really didn't feel like getting out of bed, but the brain said different so 15 minutes later I found myself plodding down hampstead road with a grumpy look on my face. This is not the first time I haven't really felt like a run but somehow have ended up out pounding the pavement, I didn't even take my mp3 player this morning (and haven't for a while) because my lazy personality hasn't been bothered charging the batteries in a while. I had other things to occupy my mind, waiting for approval for finance is making me nervous. What happens if they refuse us finance, what do we do then? there won't be time to approach other lenders.
But anyway, today I did the velodrome loop, pretty much on auto-pilot 12.5k in 1hr20min, tomorrow morning I might go for a run in the other direction just for something different.

Let the excuses begin

Didn't get up on the alarm this morning, the legs, especially knees were still complaing after two hard days over shorter distances (tue and wed). But to the excuses, now that I am planning to have a mortgage I have decided to opt out of Sundays Black Hill Challange, maybe I will leave that one for next year. Instead I will know doubt head out on my own, solo, free run, because today I am feeling a bit flat and won't make it out.
Couldn't even get up the energy to jump on the stationary bike now either, instead I am reading blogs/posts etc being lazy in front of the computer...maybe I will feel different tomorrow?

Corporate Cup - Run 7

Run 1 - 24mins36sec - 5:41 pace
Run 2 - 24mins30sec - 5:40 pace
Run 3 - 23mins01sec - 5:19 pace
Run 4 - DNS
Run 5 - 25mins34sec - 5:52 pace
Run 6 - 22mins30sec - 5:10 pace
Run 7 - 22mins29sec - 5:10 pace

Didn't have the ideal preperation leading up to this run, nutrition etc, consequently I was incredibly flat over the last kilometer falling away to only improve by a solitary second. I think I struggled with the mental barrier of pushing myself when I felt tired going around on the second lap. I finished the first lap in 11min10sec then dropped 19seconds on the second lap, mostly in the final kilometer.

Other news: It's official, I am a home owner...well if someone decides that they will lend me a rather large sum of money anyway...all ready planning some new runs, but settlement is a month and a half away.

Let Movember begin.