A week of basketball & here comes the tour!

So I survived my 7 games in 6 days. Not bad for a cripple!! Seriously, it was ok. Managing injuries is really not so bad, as long as you commit to doing the right thing. I iced after every game, I did my rehab in the pool (heated - yeah right!!) and LIVED in my Linebreak gear. Im fairly certain after the week my full length tights would have stood up on their own... not nice, but saved me worlds of pain. :-)

We finished 2nd overall, which was a good effort, but losing a Grand Final by 3 points always hurts. Losing to WA hurts more! Look at us, aren't we pretty... its a shame we weren't that good looking with a gold medal instead of a silver! Still now my focus changes...



After nearly 3 weeks of onconsistent riding due to 43 degree weather, basketball carnivals and the like Im about to face my first 100km+ ride. The Tour Down Under brings out a whole new world of lycra clad beasts... there are middle aged men showing off body parts that they can't even see due to the size of their bellies, but you know what? No-one cares. Its great. I love to see every get enthused and involved in such a healthy, active, social pursuit such as cycling... and Im right there on the bandwagon.

In a move that may yet prove fatal, we have decided to stay overnight in Goolwa after the TDU ride, and then back up the following day with another 100km back home. The ride from Goolwa to Willunga is just over 40km, and the ride from Willunga to home is more than that again. Fingers crossed I get there! Quite honestly, if it wasn't for stopping at Willunga to watch the pro's go round a few times, Im not sure I would, but a stopover then, and my pride (damn pride!) should ensure I finish it without any kinds of collapse, seizure or general softing out.

Im always up for a challenge to be honest, and in the back of my mind, I will keep telling myself that if I want to get my 1/2 ironman and marathons done after my surgery that this kind of endurance is required. Don't be so soft Sue, suck it up.

THAT time of year

So today is my first day back at work, its tough. I was on my bike riding the wee little 5.1km up here and all I wanted to do was keep riding south, not stop at work. It was a perfect day, I needed to do the k's for my tour ride, and the first day back at work is never an exciting time, lets be honest!!
Oh, and the size of my belly after Christmas and New Years celebrations certainly left something to be desired. I think my sweet tooth (think?? know!!) got the better of me, despite telling people to give a miss to the mince pies, honey biscuits, apricot balls etc, saying no is a skill Im yet to develop.
So the ride was definately appealing. That said.... 4 more days of work after this little fella and I get another week of leave before playing a week of basketball. Now THATS a good arrangement. Melbourne, basketball and SALES shopping... bring it on.

A toughy, but a goody

At present, it seems its all about riding... the last 2 weeks I have ridden further than ever before... which although gives me a real sense of achievement is also bloody hard work!

Last week we went out to McLaren Vale and back, about an 80km round trip... stopped for coffee half way - as seems to be the way it goes. I don't know about this caffeine business. Talk about uncomfortable the whole way home. I have a tiny bladder at the best of times!!

This week we extended it a bit further and went to Willunga... an extra 10km each way so I managed to clock over the 100km mark for the first time ever. Its a real sense of achievement. I felt really great afterwards, as well as through my ride which was very pleasing. I think I must be made for distance work.... ask me to do sprint work and I will baulk at it, but anything with some distance just sounds like a challenge!

So after nearly 5 hours in the saddle (the last little bit one of our group was cramping so we had a bit of a plod back to drop him home) I was famished. Got home and put on the old compression gear and absolutely monstered a turkey salad sandwich... what a great way to spend a Sunday hey?

Who's up for next week?

Sometimes it just hurts!

This one hurt!!! 32 Degrees, 10km of suck it up princess and keep running. That said, Im thankful for the running that I can do as it won't last forever. I felt like I was running at an absolute plod! Last night in bed my legs kept doing that "nearly cramping" thing so I spent a fair portion of the night waking up!! Bugger.

I haven't done a 'long' run in a while (back in the day... 10km wasn't a long run) but the plan after my ankle is reconstructed is for 10km to again become a fairly regular sort of distance again. To train for and complete my half marathon and then go from there...

Friends of ours just ran the New York Marathon - I was inspired by what they did. One day deciding that they wanted to run a marathon, they began the training and got stuck in. Heading to NY they had no expectations of actually running the whole way, but on arriving at the race thats just what they did. Ran the WHOLE 42km. Isn't that insane? 42km. Its the challenge. The challenge drives me, the aftermath hurts, and the memories and sense of achievement last for years. Bring it!

My big day out.

So despite weighing up how bad this could possibly be, with scenarios running through my head of bonking half way up a hill, not yet even at the half way point.... it wasn't so bad. In fact not only that, it was well... enjoyable. (Ssshhh its our secret hey?)

The boys wanted to do an 80km ride, up hills, a long way from home. The furthest I had ever previously gone is 60km and that was flat! I had spent 3 weeks off my bike.... you can imagine my hesitation.

So cutting a long story short - I decided to suck it up and give it a bash. As it turns out, Gorge Rd was just a beautiful ride. We managed to dodge the awful weather from the weekend - even getting outselves some sun, we managed a tailwind up and a headwind down (ah- thank you!!) AND managed all 75.29km of it.

A sense of achievement - yes. Sore shoulders - also yes. Compression gear afterwards - hell yes. Do it again?? Of course!

So this is the ride:

New ride to work!

So, we have moved... all be it temporarily, but we have moved. With this brings all kinds of fun (& nightmares!!) but what it does mean, is that in our relationship I now have the longer ride to work. Still not far, only 10km - but it works for me. I need to put in some extra k's and riding to work is the best way for me to do it. Its a guaranteed 20km round trip per day, then (or do I mean now) that the weather is fine, I plan to pad it out a little with some additional distance each day.
Truth is 111km ride for the TDU is an intimidating prospect given that I haven't done a long ride for 3 weeks now. 3 WEEKS. Crap. Best get moving.

Talk soon.

S.
xx

Head in the books

On a recent work trip interstate I grabbed myself a copy of the latest runners world. I love to read these kind of things on the plane (& yes, lets be honest, it beats the airline mags hands down) and it bit me. You know... the kind of sneak up behind you when you're not looking and bite you so you get "the bug"... well I have the bug. The running bug that is.

Its funny, right through winter I forget how much I enjoy getting outside and running. I see new things, I keep in touch with my local area, I end up that nice golden brown colour (YES I do appreciate this is bad, but trust me... I do wear sunscreen religiously and it STILL happens.) and I find that the scales tell me nice things when I jump on them.

I can't tell you why, but running - only running sheds the kilos for me. I can spend hours on a bike, or swimming laps in a pool, or in the gym and I will get fit, strong and all those good things, but running just is the only thing that makes me drop any extra kilo's. Which is great - because it does mean that I can do those other things BETTER. My swimming improves, my cycling is stronger, my basketball is better and I actually get muscles, little girly muscles. :-)

Running & gym are the only things which really give me muscle soreness. I HAVE to say a massive thanks to Barry & the team at Linebreak for their compression gear when this comes round. To be brutally honest, without this my recovery takes so much longer. Shameless plug... maybe - but it is the truth at the same time. So for all my fast approaching old age (no it doesn't scare me, no I don't worry about it) I have to say, being able to do the things I enjoy is far more important!

Live people. Get out and live!