Christmas Parkrun!

Yes, I was crazy. But I wasn't alone.
Couldn't sleep beyond 7 ish on Christmas morning. I got the whole household out of bed...took a towel, set of dry clothes, spare shoes, plastic bags..

For a traffic free drive to Richmond park, dodging numerous puddles along the way..

Thanks to all of the volunteers that made it possible and pre-warned us of the treacherous course! It was one of the rainiest and boggiest run ever ..and a few months since I did a proper 5k.

Many puddles to dodge and after a while, the wet shoes didn't matter anymore. As with everything else..you were wet anyway. Quite a few had Santa hats, and garlands for a bit of festive spirit. A group of (rain)deers were sitting in the distance, observing all of us..Ho(e) Ho Ho...No Sleigh..Only our two feet.

The rain picked up as we went along, and the wind too. Very few stopped...getting to the finish ASAP was a better approach. Wasn't easy battling the elements at all..very exhausting.

Glad to have made it..to a slightly altered finishing line. A bit disappointed to have got a barcode with 105 on it...would've thought it to be a rare chance to get within the top 100 again (like a few years ago when I first started going to Richmond)..but at least done the workout before a full Christmas dinner ahead.




A repeat of the Special edition of Parkrun on New Year's Day?
Hubby (now glad he had been forced out of bed and did a parkrun this morning, finishing 72th) says its 'up for negotiation'.

Our trainers will need a few days to dry out. :)

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Merry Christmas

Inspired by Runner's World, my 2012 medals on my little tree...maybe, I need a bigger tree?

2 days of holidays, and the itch to go again, except the rain and short days have been spoiling the fun.

It will need to start again after the big feast.

Merry Christmas.



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Perth riverside in wind and drizzle

Hi from Perth Australia! The lovely blue skies of early summer has turned into a windy storm over the last few days - causing havoc all around. Lucky I managed to squeeze in a run on Wednesday along the Swan before it all turned bad...
21 degrees celsius, rain and wind outside- is that going to deter me from going out?
To a Londoner, this is warm.
To a person with no upcoming races registered - is there a reason?
This is a rare chance for me to be staying in Perth CBD.
This is dry country, rain is apparently rare, so it can only stop soon.
I waited, for my moment when the rain stopped - and managed a 5ish mile jog-exploration along one of the loveliest riverside cycling/running tracks that this capital city of Western Australia can boast.


Some pictures to share.
From the Perth Convention (near narrow bridge) to Crawley - the official signpost at Mounts Bay



The all-familiar smell of eucalypts (gum trees) - which truly brings me home to Australia, to my childhood. on this windy day, there were a number of branches with gum nuts being blown onto the tarmac...

a boat shed along mounts bay



- it was windy, and I was blown about a little. It was good to get out! This city is just perfect for cyclists (I miss my brompton)



Perth CBD on my way back.




One of the many exercise machines - although not quite customisable - it was a good distraction from the running....until, the rain started again, and it was a non-stop jog back to the hotel, and for a bit of exploration in the CBD for some post-jog tucker.




Time is running out for my weeklong visit in the Lucky Country. The wind is still blowing and the sun is out , but it is surprisingly not warm (although the Eastern States is experiencing a heat wave!) - perfect weather to go again when I have the chance...but not living near the river makes it a bigger deterrent...need to find a bit of motivation to get going again - as I will very soon be back in the land of running tights and running gloves, where glasses are worn to shield against the wind, and not the sun. :(
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Linking the Shopping and Marina Bay jogging routes

..by avoiding stopping for shops. It's impossible! One can't cross Paterson road on orchard without going thru the underpass that takes you via the shops.



As a result my GPS on Runkeeper got distorted. It didn't feel like 5.56 miles at all although the heat and humidity didn't help.

It was refreshing jogging along a less crowded orchard road but I had to avoid hitting pedestrians with eyes fixated on the smartphones.

Potential breakfast foodstalls on killiney road weren't open, so after a small hill, I got to Singapore River.

Clarke and boat quays came and went. Crossed the bridge at Fullerton Hotel (not stopping for a Singapore Sling!) and squeezed through the early tourists to say hello to the Merlion




The final lap was across Marina Bay to call it quits at the entrance of the casino shoppes (no credit card, no passport - intentional!!)

Headed back to orchard via the MRT against long-sleeved , woollen vest-wearing office workers(!) just in time for the last few minutes of the hotel's executive lounge 'continental breakfast' - with an oriental twist for the one who would've otherwise wanted a kaya toast and kopi c at a hawker centre ;)





More eating and shopping before heading South.

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Scouting Singapore's Sentosa Island

It's been a while- not easy to pick up again!

Hi from Singapore - finally on holiday from the cold weather..it's Day 2 of our escape into Sentosa Island, south of Singapore in a resort with ocean views away from the city, in an attempt to catch a real chance to rest before moving into town for the rest of our stay in the Lion City.

Wind and rain dashed our early hopes for a pre-gigantic breakfast buffet run, and after lying by the pool and a dip in the pool AND the beach. I had to get going.

So we did the beachfront jogging route along the south of the island and then went across to the north, via some hills.





Wasn't easy at all at 27 degree heat and humidity. Everything was sticking. My left foot/heel pain has been playing up so I can only go at a slow even pace.

Made it to sentosa cove - a new residential development with gigantic homes.

(View from the homes - busy port of Singapore and the city in the distance)



A lovely jogging route around the peninsula, and admiring the amazing architecture of these huge modern homes!


An example of one:




We could run back, having done almost 5 miles, but a supermarket and free bus back to the resort beckons. :)

Getting lazier! Isn't it ok whilst on holiday? I wonder how runners here keep up with training in the heat and humidity...

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Palace to Palace 2012 - 45 miles+ cycled - a Victory lap of 2012 training

2 medals in 2 weeks!

What a fortnight! Today's Palace to Palace marks the completion of my longest organised cycle ride to date, and although it is not a timed race, but an opportunity to raise funds for the Prince's Trust as well as for networking - I cannot help but apply the mindset of a marathon runner to the Bike ride - and have a few noticeable differences to a running race. In an organised bike ride:

1. there's no time to linger at the start (and almost missed my team start at 802am!), your hands are not free once you are summoned to the start line - no time to retrieve unworn sunglasses, unstarted GPSes (if it is in your bag), the only way to do anything is to stop


2. it's a lot easier to pass the 'talk test' although one has to multitask well, and watch the traffic when roads are not blocked


3. the more gears available the better for killing those hills!

With multiple starts/stops with my companions - I managed to make the 45 mile distance from Buckingham Palace to Windsor castle in just over 4 hours - if only this was a marathon time! The level of exertion isn't as bad as I thought (as you can stop!!) and I skipped 2/3 of the drinks stations!
Also received a lot of nice comments from those overtaking me on a Brompton - as if I am already in fancy dress (in cycling terms today: hiring a Boris bike to tackle the distance, Tigger suit, Tandems)
"I dont know how you do it in a Brompton!"
"I take my hat off to you!"
"If you had used a road bike you wouldve been a lot faster!!"...
The truth is, it wasn't that difficult - the Brompton foldable is actually a powerful machine- despite its small wheels, I was able to tackle all of the hills during the course without once getting off the bike :)
The other advantage of it is being able to get on London Public Transport at the crack of dawn (first bus 615- at 4 degrees celsius and when it was still pitch dark outside! and then on the Piccadilly Line - eastbound to Hyde Park corner!)

 Getting out from Hyde Park corner meant I got to go down past Buckingham Palace and the Mall to see how the start works - the area is lovely at 745am on a sunday morning!

 

Didn' t have too many photos to share along the route - but many memories (too tired to note for now but will sure capture it for later!) - many of these are from running/cycling earlier on this year/previous years.

This is Richmond Park - Misty - (and too much in love...!) a welcomed retreat after going through Millbank , Chelsea and Putney.

Richmond Park usually means hills to me, and glad to report, what I saw today wasn't the worst i have seen, as we were going downhill into Ham! skipped first drinks station (as it was too early after the first rest break ) and headed onto kingston - back along the river - bushy park - a308 along kempton park - only too familiar!
into Lower sunbury - and shepparton....yeap, walton on thames - past the road of the chicken run....and near 'yes- the meadow with lots of cows!' and across Chertsey bridge...a glimpse to the right, my usual 10k training route back home...
and into Chertsey - past a particularly hilly run through Lyne and into 'single file cycling only' territory - a stone's throw from my new-home-and playground-to be...new parks and heathlands to explore...and then more hills, up and down...but after some adjustment to the height of my seat....I stayed on the saddle through all of these..
at times it feels like a downhill ski, when I duck my head to let the wind pass on top of my helmets...whooaa..what a feeling.
and into Virginia Water, Englefield Green - yep, very familiar territory, and the big downhill into Old Windsor (it was only in late spring that we did a group run through runnymede on this) - all in all..very recent.
Into windsor, when fellow cyclists 'oohhed and ahhed' to stop and take pictures of the Home Park , and the first glimpse of Windsor Castle. I didnt need to. All done so many times before...and then, to the final miles, to Windsor Racecourse..
It was closer to noon, and traffic was building up in the area to what turned out to be a day of cool but clear blue skies. We were asked to use the footpath, which wasn't easy to navigate. Almost there, but no final dash allowed...felt a bit like the cobblestones last week into Grand Place of Brussels! Seeing riders coming out from the finish riding with their medals round their neck only kept me going...

Finally...Windsor Racecourse came into sight. and the finish line was there! Yes! Another medal to add to the collection!

some food and drink and to catch up with my colleagues and friends who have arrived before me - it was lovely to have made it!

Slightly refueled and decided to dodge the 1 hour wait for the next train home - I rode the extra mileage home, in 35 minutes. Knowing that the moment I stop and wait , I will get colder and my legs would seize up, I didn't regret this decision.
It has been a long day - and a long 2 weekends. What next? all i can think of now, is a good night's sleep and any tensions and pains to go away.  :)

Brussels Marathon - Oct 7th - a quick review....

Conquered those crazy hills with a Personal Best...only just!


A hilly course through the capital of belgium, a small marathon and considered a non-PB course, but with the right mindset, our group of 3 did it!

of course this was mapped by my faithful Runkeeper iPhone App who declared I have done an Ultra Marathon (43km+ Thanks to lack of GPS inside tunnels) - it nevertheless illustrates that we parted from the Half marathon crowd (whom I never saw, at around 20kms, to go into the woods) and back up into town again...my iPhone battery drained at the finish line, to deliver this result, and a last text message of where my hubby has been waiting for me.

Thanks to a conversation with a 3:57 veteran, we were prewarned - Some long uphills around 30km mark to save your energy for, once onto 40kms (which is near the start),

one can let loose  - (the first time in my racing 'career' that my toes have felt like they were burning in the last 6kms. )

running down these slopes through the arches, with photographers lining the grass...do I let my toes burn, or regret forever? I chose the former ;)

to hit the Grand Place finish (minding the cobblestones on the last 1km or so and entering via meandering the corner where the new Superdry store is, Tintin, Godiva...and in the centre of the Grand Place....the big clock....saying something less than what my fridge magnet at home says, so I knew...the PB is in the bag. :)

LHS: Seng's medal that came with free waffle, and foil body wrap and AA sports drink. Right: Mine, No frills, approx 3/4 hour later..after all, I am an 'ultra endurance athlete' per Lucozade re time out on the road, and therefore need no other encouragement. ;p

 Good atmosphere with crowds, marshalls and drink station volunteers cheering your name printed on your bib. "Allez Bonnie"...

A chance also to feel like an elite with 'personal drink' service available (although I didn't trust the service and came with no stickers/flags to label..hence I was my own personal drink carrier as I learnt from Amsterdam Half that AA (pronounced Ah-Ah - the Dutch 'After Activity' Isotonic drink, does nothing to me).






Then, an evening of enjoying the Best of Brussels culinary treats with my fellow runners and fellow travellers from Texas..

Another Blue technical shirt to keep...here's my collection of marathon finishing tshirts (all sub-5's!) over the years (missing Paris - which was another boring white tee good enough only for sleeping) - very, very relieved to report that it has been a consistent improvement in times over the 4.5 years since I started 'doing marathons'.


There's lots to juggle at the moment, so I should stop now and save more for the emotional, technical entry which I will post soon to do this event justice. A few days now to recuperate, eating and sleeping well, ensuring my legs can still move, for the Palace to Palace bike ride this sunday (Thanks All who are reading this, and have contributed to my fundraising efforts so far!).

(K)night Rider

Got my gear ready for the Palace to Palace bike ride from the post room today. Here's the back view:





Very timely. It's getting colder, and for the first time, I rode half of my commute after sunset. Lucky I was able to make use of this jacket, and the roads and bridges across the Thames were pretty well illuminated.

That's it. Last bike ride before I head across the Channel for Brussels for 26.2 miles on my feet.

Then it's all cycle, cycle, cycle til Sunday 14th!
Later!

Link to my sponsorship page ;
http://bitly.com/TVkAkX

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Almost there!

The end of a long road.
4 consecutive years of marathon training - 3 spring, 1 autumn.
2012 was a long training season, starting with Wokingham Half (Feb) with nothing in the horizon, til Milton Keynes (July) and then...Pilgrim Trail Half  (Sept). and finally...the crazy fortnight of Brussels Marathon and Palace to Palace Cycle is just around the corner...(please sponsor me here if you haven't already!)
Last weekend was a busy one, 'cross training' between lifting boxes, and a final 11-miler on sunday morning up to Shepparton-on-Thames, a route that I've come to know very well and this year, down to even the mile splits.
Yes, the milestones I have created for myself, the little excitements to look out for.
There's been many times I've looked:
-The Scout camp, doing all sorts of fun things at different times of the day.
-The families setting up volleyball nets on the meadow where my cows roam
-at the barge selling pots of jams by the shore, where it's moored - could I have stopped and paid and carried one home?
There wasn't the time, and logistics to do that on a weekend run.
The days are getting shorter, cooler, summer is almost over...



 
It's been lovely seeing the Thames Path over this summer, having missed the peak of it last year - the ups and downs, lessons learnt on hydration, nutrition, experimenting with different terrain, clothing choice, technology (or better, lack of) - some of my friends ask: will I ever get tired of it?
I can almost visualise the Brussels marathon expo like every other. Check-in, collect bibs, tour and last minute bargains on sports gear, early saturday night. mushy breakfast on sunday morning, bin bags before the start...and then run, run, run until the finishing line :)

and...the day after? now this year, I've got Palace to Palace bike ride to look forward to.

Miss Brompton has made a big difference in my life. Shortened (or more fun) commutes, efficient running of errands, the dual ego of a pedestrian/cyclist ....I've never cycled so much in my life. Have I followed the training plan for the 45-mile ride? I might've done my mileage only on feet, but every little bike ride counts. The legs and body feel rejuvenated even when my feet are sore and tired...a quick dash to the shops, to the station, makes it worth it (at the expense of carrying more luggage, and not looking as civilised when arriving at the office).and the friends one makes when I have "Sagey" Brompton in tow. The nods with fellow bike commuters, the race on unfolding our bikes at the station (I won :) ) makes it so much more fun - at the expense often of a proper seat...but less load on my back, and a (sometimes) good excuse to get home before one needs to use/rely on the lights.

The good thing is, after the 7th, I dont have to care about race time anymore, as the Palace to Palace on the 14th is not a race, its a journey through the city I love, the Palace I use to work just right down the road from....along to the back routes through the Parks that I love...potentially near my new home...and then to the working home of Her Majesty - Windsor, a place that holds much (touristic) memories and a destination for quite a few of my long runs and weekend bike rides.

Time to get some sleep - 3 more to go! But too much to do before setting off again on the commute!

Staines to Richmond - the last of the long runs

It's all done (the long runs) before Brussels Marathon - 2 weeks to go.

For the 3rd time in 4 years, I've chosen to finish this journey on this route.
This time, with the Runkeeper GPS - measuring 19.66miles meandering through the Thames from Staines to Richmond.

Timing and milestones - some only to be traced through the good ole faithful spreadsheet and not electronically recorded!

2009 -15/3   3:58:49
2010 - 18/5  3:49:04
2011 - skipped route - ran to virginia water instead
2012 - 22/9 3:26:58

am I faster? I'm not so sure...but the only thing I know is that, I feel less tired than my other runs along this route. Only too familiar with the route now to halfway mark, only thing new being the Hampton Court - Richmond leg which as I approach Richmond, I know I'm almost there...but not quite.

Perhaps I had rested for a day, and only did a 4 miler earlier in the week? or that I had fuelled a bit better , with a bottle of 50% diluted lucozade in hand and topped up by my 'drinks station' at the 11 mile mark? Or it is the honey pastilles - I didnt even finish all of my gels (although I did use my elastic on my trail belt to display them externally). with minute-miles- this was not as hard work as farnham pilgrim half.but still, not happy with it being an ideal timing (compared to actual marathon minute-mileage)

with this range and effort - fingers crossed I should be able to pull through (only just) within my target time (or rather, a PB on the marathon course).

time to stop/slow down. reflect. lose weight. eat good food. get lots more sleep!

The taper begins.....(with a big Dim Sum lunch, and a 1:30am bedtime... but this will need to go away..)

The other thing to think about is the Palace to Palace Bike Ride the week after Brussels - and the pledge for sponsorship. My page is up and running - please click here  and give generously!

Stiles, kissing gates and Mars Bars - my first trail half marathon!

Completed Farnham Pilgrim today - my first trail half marathon!
I had low expectations of timing, and my main goals were to:
1. enjoy the view,
2.finish the race and
3.not trip over and jeorpardise Brussels marathon and Palace to Palace - my endurance challenges in October
Achieved all three, and more!
Excuses not to get a PB were given to me by a fellow runner at the toilet queues:
1. the refreshment stations are well equipped with goodies like Mars Bars so you need to get your money's worth;
2. Queues build up at stiles and kissing gates ( ie steps and gates across fences to stop animals from getting across);
3. Roots and obstacles are marked with orange paint so you know what (not) to trip over.
It was an amazing experience and I do think my runs in Edinburgh holyrood park and the long run thru Lyme back to home on a friday's evening prepared me for this. I wasn't too afraid of hills and only stopped to walk up one. Had to hold back on some downhills so that I don't trip over roots.
Due to the narrower trails and to an extent the types of people that enter these races, there wasn't a lot of aggressive overtaking and people acknowledge they can only pass when they really can.
The stepping up and down thru the stiles were a good workout, lack of defined mile markers and real landmarks mean you just simply had to keep going . Well marshalled course so one would get lost.
Focus was crucial as if you don't, it can cost you an injury! Kept me occupied without headphones and no zoning out like other road races..
Running through sand was interesting, and how to keep myself going? The imagery of mr bean running thru sand in the opening ceremony came up, and the chariots of fire theme kept me going..
The fields, and panoramic views across the Surrey hills was worth it. Especially so after quite a bit of 'eye candy'.
First refreshment station outside a pub at 3miles (or even before the first mile!) was furnished with a buffet table of goodies. Bourbon cremes, choc digestive biscuits, jelly beans and the infamous mars bars chopped in bite sized pieces.
Feeling dehydrated after a first big hill, I went for some water and then greedily went for a portion of mars bar. And then drank more water and choked on it!! :( despite that, it did give me renewed strength to power through the next field.
I only attempted one banana piece in one future station, so it was all eye candy... Stuck to my tried and tested gel. Did not want any choking risk again.
This was a shorter run than our last few weekends long run , but effort was probably more...I made it to the finish with lots of cheering and landed on the mat at 2:22 - if they say a trail adds 15 mins to your half marathon time... Only just slightly better than MK in july but not really...
Medal round my neck, I was directed to another refreshment table - best I've ever seen! Cakes brownies flapjacks fruit cake bananas (fresh and mushed) more biscuits!! I only managed to take a picture (only now and not during the race at all despite the temptation!) , and few pcs - what a napkin could hold.
Goodie bag has a Farnham pilgrim 2013 which will probably have a copy up on our wall and another for my dad in HK.
No wonder It's voted one of the best new races !

The cotton race Tshirt (small sized this time!) has the words 'there's no discouragement' ...brings me back to the Pilgrim's Hymn - and as less pain this week (no reciting hymnals required to distract from distance/boredom!) I'll share part of this one as its got some good motivating bits- the trail which forms part of the pilgrim's way of the north downs way..
He who would valiant be ’gainst all disaster,
Let him in constancy follow the Master.
There’s no discouragement shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent to be a pilgrim.

Who so beset him round with dismal stories
Do but themselves confound - his strength the more is.
No foes shall stay his might; though he with giants fight,
He will make good his right to be a pilgrim.

......
Then fancies flee away! I’ll fear not what men say,
I’ll labor night and day to be a pilgrim.
Legs tired but all motivated to go again. There's work to do before the taper..
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Below the flight path..

The last of summer is approaching. Thoughts of 'should
I cycle home?' need to be extinguished after 6pm, last night I pushed my luck.

Headed southwest into the setting sun for as long as the shared cycle/ walkway took me.
The exciting bit was watching keen photographers waiting for the perfect shot of LHR arrivals. Yes, we were metres from planes!
Of course I had to pause and do the same.





The shared path got more cycle unfriendly after that, and I had to alternate sides of the pavement. Yep, borders of where the tube can reach and the start of 'rural' surrey is best approached by fast cars. Hmm.

That's 11.8miles done under 1:20. At least I have done some cycle training for the Palace to Palace!

It is getting colder, my toes can feel it when I'm wearing my inov8s. And also this morning, even a long sleeve tech top feels cold. Perhaps this also means less perspiration, and the possibility of wearing proper civilized work dress even when doing a 4 miler on the way in?

I 'look forward' to using my new front lights on the bike :)

And more comfort meals like a veggie tagine...energy levels have been really low since the long runs over the weekend, been wanting early nights . Perhaps the body is trying to compensate.




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7 + 19+...?

It was supposed to be the weekend of the longest run, but a Friday night out and a Saturday afternoon start at 4pm for Proms in the Park ( and subsequently making it home past midnight), meant that we 'had to' do a short one on saturday (after having porridge and part of smoothie as you do before long run..) and then a longer one on Sunday.

A steady 7miles it was on a sunny Saturday (quite happy with the pace I maintained!), and then a new diversion that allowed us to see the start of the Wey Navigation (a canal that links the Thames at Walton all the way to guildford and godalming).

Thought it was 10 miles there and return but the gps wasn't at its most accurate- ended up being slightly more than 19 miles which wasn't too bad.

A very warm day 28degrees Celsius and sunny too. Had many relay racers from nearby clubs past me, and marshals cheering me on and clearing traffic for me even though I wasn't a bib wearer (Thanks!)

Tried some new nutrition, a high 5 orange gel which was watery and worked for a few mins, and a vanilla halwa bar wrapped in foil(not the same sugary energy hit as a powergel or when having the same as a normal dessert). So, have to keep looking or get back to diluted lucozade (headache).


The main thing was dehydration. Had to desperately refill in water taps from toilets, unsure if it contributed to my bathroom visits afterwards, and I wasn't energized! Started to divert myself from tiredness by chanting in head all the verses of the hymns that I remember : Amazing Grace got me through the last few miles but the words became muddled towards the end!!

Glad there was a lovely lamb roast (that started cooking before we left - ie no excuse to get home late or the flat will burn down!) waiting at home, what a way to relax and put my feet up for rat of the evening , watching the Paralympics closing!



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Oops, did a week's mileage in a 23-mile dose ;)

Not recommended. Especially after a full Saturday at a wedding and then sleeping in til 11am on a Sunday (extremely rare in our household!) it was 1pm when we finally got out.

Where to? Hampton court bridge sounds like a bit longer than 17miles, so...see you there! With only one phone, one set of keys and one set of money between us, the only way of determining the next plan of action is to reach the finish.

Thinking after a feast of suckling pig, Peking duck, seafoods, lotus rice, red bean soup and the likes, we were very well fueled. Nope! A new banofee gel with guarana and some sultanas wasn't enough at all. I found myself almost shouting at the woman splitting her 99 flake from the soft serve with her 2 dogs ( thought chocs are no-no's for dogs?) and even with hubby talking about the post race spuds we were going to have, was no good.

I just need to focus and finish. And hope this is not the form I will be in for the next run.

No music to distract. The skies were getting darker. Pub crowds were dispersing. Home just before dinner time. Where did the weekend go?




Monday, a day in the city. Very sunny and seeing that I have a professional appointment in Covent garden, to save my legs, I took miss Brompton to town asked whether it was step free/elevator office.

With the help of Barclays bike app, I found a slow way to get access to Waterloo bridge and up. I can just feel miss B's joy in wheeling up the back of the royal opera house, and around the markets, and bump...br..br along the cobblestones of the piazza. The post office and bank seemed better after hours, and I managed to get my errands done in around 15 mins as opposed to a hard dash to London bridge at lunchtime which got me nowhere.

Last stop, touching in at the office again and turning off the lights . And it was merely still light.

Up in higher gear, faster speeds, less people, zoom zoom thru the Cut and onto Waterloo Concourse.

I do love the biking after the long run. It is an amazing way to recover from it all.

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New frontiers, camping and racing cows

It's Friday again, and for the first time this week, I'm not traveling with my bike. Walking to the station takes so much longer, and I'm actually wearing civilized clothes.

Been a busy week, too much paperwork and computerwork to be had and due to the camping trip last weekend, we got our long run out of the way on Friday evening.

A new route to the new place. Sad discovery that instead of a minute away from the Thames like now, it will be 30 mins and not on level ground! A plus (maybe) will be some rural roads (with no pavements) near farms etc.

Running in the evening is tiring especially after a day of brain draining, although we didn't worry too much about nutrition due to dinner afterwards. And we stopped and explored, eventually taking 3 hours to do 15 miles and arriving home before 9pm in almost darkness.

Times spent on the bike were more enjoyable esp an canal exploration near banbury in oxfordshire! After a hike there a day earlier it is heaps faster on the bike though, the narrow paths were slightly tricky and overgrowth isn't too nice on my skin!

Monday morning I went for a morning run towards Oxford side of canal. Decided to take a detour back on civilized roads back to the campsite at kings sutton, and got mooed by a herd of cows across the fence!

The whole herd followed me as I ran on the driveway along their fence to the gates. Was scared! This is not Pamplona! I slowed and walked for a bit, and they slowed too. Eventually I tried detouring and then made a beeline for the gates , lucky it was unlocked on my side for me to escape!



Price paid for bringing home pics of raging dairy cows!

Happy to be camping, that could be it for the year as summer ends :(




Lack of sleep - so, saving time via using the bike has been my main exercise this week so far!
I've been enjoying it, and getting to the station with time to spare for moments like this has been priceless :)



Legs have been itching for a run but just can't afford it - hopefully the runny nose will stop and I will be in better shape by Sunday for another 3 hr +!

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Mare et Monti - From the Mountain to the Sea

[name inspired by a dish on the menu of a lovely Italian restaurant in Leith last Friday]

Can't believe its been a week already! I'm still recovering from my weekend in Edinburgh, catching up with our friend Liam who's moved up there and offered us options for our saturday long run which ended up in this 11.72 miles scenic tour of Edinburgh!

Edinburgh was a lot hillier than I'd expect (having spent previous trips mainly on the Royal Mile and Princes street environs) and running with 2 boys meant that I was struggling to keep up (on uphills!) and subsequently made up the time by utilising the power of gravity when we went downhill. It is a lovely place for hiking and hill running - each base loop is roughly 3miles + long but we just weren't in the mood to just go round and round. (Or rather, the 'hike' to St Anthony's chapel - a ruin in a steep location with sweeping views of the Castle and towards the bay, killed my energies). There was a slight drizzle too - which slowed our decision as to where to go next..





After Holyrood Park we ran to Calton Hill for some more panoramic views. Great sense of achievement to be so high up above the city!





The sun was starting to shine through and after checking out the funky bike racks at the Scottish Parliament, the Dynamic Earth, we were on our way to the beach! Took a less busy road through quieter suburban roads through to Portobello West Beach - it's been a while (since end of June at Poole) since I have been near the sea, oh so excited!

some milkshakes and cakes at the Beach House (this so reminds me of sundays at Balmoral Beach in Sydney!) and then we were back home, on the bus, and off for a busy weekend of experiencing the Edinburgh Fringe! There were so many choices, and when I get the time, I shall update on my travel blog...

Training this week so far has only been 1 run (4 miler as my new shoes were yelling to be broken in!) and a few bike rides which is eventuating to a big financial decision (!) Other than that, been sneezing and with too much going on - i have been feeling run down. Hopefully the weather stays up for a reasonable long run before the long weekend starts!

Chicken run and melting 'Mo'-ments

The Olympics are finally over. Leaving a void as there's not always something inspirational on TV.
I've really enjoyed spectating at Olympic events and especially last Wednesday, a full day off just for London 2012 starting with Hockey in Riverbank Arena, spending a good part of the rest of the day lying on the grass watching the big screens, feeling the BMX cycling nearby and finishing off with watching USA play against AUS in Basketball Quarter Finals. Still yet to fix up my pics but a screenshot of our time on TV at the badminton finals (me to the left in the red top)

Training has not been too bad this week, though still under 30 miles total. Due to a few appointments from lunchtime and a relatively late start (8:30am) - I've done my first 3-hour run (17miles) to a new diversion on the Thames path near weybridge and back.
Had the company of the usual ducks, dogs but had a chicken joining me out of a gate for a short while in shepparton!

I worried about its safety luckily no car ran over it. Chicken decide to turn back home after 50metres? Hope it manage to find its way back okay.

Need to retune my iPhone holder as Voice control kept on coming on and messing my music. Also my nutrition needs to be fine tuned as our ginsting gels are running out!
Glad to spend rest of weekend putting feet up and watching another Mo-ment in the 5000m the marathon start and finish. I now use his 10,000m final 6 laps as an imagery for winning the race in the final moments. Sure enough, this has worked when I overtook a guy who was right ahead of me in my morning run, on my last mile home.
7ish weeks to go til Brussels Marathon. I've booked our flights and hotel, and checked the course map and nutrition stops. Reviews say its not a PB race. Scenic but undulating. Hmmm.
Only 'consolation' is 2 hilly long runs coming up that might prepare me for this.
And then there's Palace to Palace bike ride. Training guide came out - saying 30 miles on the bike weekly.
How will I ever find the time? I'm not full timers like this lot...



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Celebrating 1000 miles logged on Runkeeper!

and a fantastic night of GB Athletics at the Olympic Stadium!

A late start on Saturday's 16 miler, avoiding a dump of rain and missing some, being overtaken by hubby early in the course and then later at 3/4 of the way, was glad to have received this milestone update from Runkeeper - the gps app on the iPhone tracking mileage on running, cycling and a little on the treadmill.

So, how far is 1,000 miles?
4,000 laps around a track
14,664 football field lengths
32,180 Olympic pool lengths


decided to tally my old Nike+ app that was another 909 miles since July 2008 before I ever signed up for anything more than 14km (Sydney city to surf)


So that's at least 1900 miles invested over 4 years, prepping for 4 marathons, and other races in between. Mileage completed in the UK, Europe, USA, Hong Kong, Australia :)
and counting, because the training is not over yet and I'm under my weekly mileage!

The Olympics have been inspirational so far. Good to see China keeping on top of the list since hosting their games at home. Team GB have had an amazing performance in the last few days so I'm feeling happy again, since comparing to the top of the charts Team AUS achieved in the first days in the pool in Sudney 2000, their success came later. Disappointing results for AUS this time, and media reports have been pouring in as to why. In fact, reading how different countries report on their countries athletes performance has been very good reading.

2 great moments to share:
Women's Kieren Track Cycling, HKG's Lee Wai Sze takes bronze, a 3rd medal for the SAR in history! And on TV too in such a high profile race!
Inspirational to the the people of Hong Kong to get out there and cycle ( in the countryside) I hope!
Love the flags, last seen in 1997..


The other one that captures me is seeing Mo Farah take gold in the 10,000m in the Olympic Stadium.
The last 6 laps saw him take up speed and go right past his opponents and leading a good distance away into the finish. Determination was in his face. His training mate from the USA took silver - truly good to have people who push each other to the top.

Read Mo's page on London 2012 website, inspirational quotes:

"No pain, no gain. Train hard. The harder you train, the less likely you are to lose." (telegraph.co.uk, 12 Mar 2007)



Sporting philosophy / motto
"I'll do whatever it takes to get close to a medal, to become Olympic champion. You have no choice. If you want to be the best you have to do that. There aren't any mornings when you wake up and think, 'I don't feel like going for a run today'." (bbc.co.uk, 26 Jan 2012)

"If you train with them [Kenyan athletes], mentally you think, 'I can compete with these guys, I know how they do what they do'. It makes you feel stronger. It's like if you're in a football team and you've played with someone before - you know what that player is capable of. They've shown over the years that they're the best in the world by far, but we can compete against them. The mentality is changing now. We can do what they do." (bbc.co.uk, 26 Jan 2012)

Now, as the gun goes on the Women's Marathon at the Mall, I'm off to Wembley arena to see the Badminton Finals, will I sing 起來? Or would I see Malaysia take their first Gold Medal in history?

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