I made it, just in the nick of time! Following on my theory from the Lake Stakes yesterday, I decided to go off my correct handicap time of 7:30 (having left at 5:00 the previous week).

My kilometre markers were as follows (last weeks time in brackets)

1. 5:59 (6:23)

2. 6:35 (6:33)

3. 5:35 (5:47)

4. 6:37 (6:33)

5. 5:11 (5:14)

6. 5:40 (5:50)

I didn't expect to be any faster than last week, but was pleased nevertheless to be a few seconds faster. The uphill k's (the second and fourth) were essentially no different, showing that my lung capacity still has a way to go!

This evening I headed off to the pool for my first swim in ages, and certainly the first since my operation. I was a little nervous, but managed to do 400m first up. Ten minutes in the steam room to finish made it a quick trip, but enough for now, and enough to send my sinuses off to a constant stream.

2007 has been so much better than 2006, and I'm sure that February will just get a great deal better.

The long time spent in the wind at the lake on Saturday told on me Sunday morning . . . my cold had returned and settled on my chest, making breathing difficult and ensuring that I was going nowhere soon.

Unfortunately this lasted throughout Sunday and Monday, so that I had no exercise on either Sunday or Monday.

I did manage to get out on Tuesday to 'do' the monthly Lake Ginninderra Stakes at lunchtime. The PRB gave me a lift down to the run, as Bob left late on a cycle around the Cotter Urriara loop and needed the car to get down to the lake in time. My handicap had been 'corrected' to 15:30 from its previous 18:00 minutes, however this was still hideously inaccurate. Realising that my handicap had no chance of being corrected unless I went off my assigned time, I watched Demetrious complain about his bung knee and go off 7:30 while I waited around for another 8 minutes.

The run was good, and I worked hard. It took me just over 40 minutes to complete the 7 kilometres, with an average heart rate of 155 bpm and a maximum of 170. The conditions were hot, and on reflection I went off a bit too fast, completing my first km in 5:27. This seemed slow enough at the time, however subsequent splits were 5:49; 5:55; 5:40; 5:43; 5:47 and 5:39. I took some Ventolin during the run which seemed to help, and recovered reasonably well.

I left it too late to cycle to Cross Country, so that was the end of the exercise for the day.

Hard to believe, but true!

This morning I met up with "The Pink Arrows" - the Saturday morning group which attracts such (Southside) running luminaries as Tuggeranong Don and the PRB. Coffee afterwards is an integral feature of the activity, which always sounds good to me!

I snuck out of the house around twenty past five (I didn't want to disturb Bob, who had a big triathlon on Sunday, and did a competitive lake swim the night before), arriving at Southlands Mawson in the first rays of light. I saw that Don was there already, stretching and warming up, however he had hoped to arrive a full hour early and get some extra distance in for his marathon training. My mind boggled at the notion of waking up an hour earlier! I grabbed my fuel belt as others arrived and got underway at around 5:45am.

It was a companionable, slow pace and I felt good. As the sun rose we were in the nature park at Farrer Ridge, surrounded by inquisitive kangaroos who were a little stunned by the Indian File of fluorescent two-legged creatures making their plodding way through the 'roos territory.

Soon, the PRB and I were on the track on our own - the decision had to be made whether to extend the run onto Isaacs Ridge or not. I felt good, and reminded myself that it was most important to get the distance in my (chubby) legs, not to worry about time. We turned right at the Yamba Drive underpass and headed into the cool pines of Isaacs Ridge. We turned around at the "GreenHouse", an appropriately named residential property with a apple green colourbond roof and matching paintwork on the building structure.

Although slow and struggling a little on the hills, the final few kilometres were essentially downhill, and I thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of travelling a bit faster than the first few k's. Everyone else was well ensconced at "Pashas" at Southlands by the time we arrived back, some preparing to head off with takeaway coffees in hand.

A serving of Raisin Toast was enough for a family of six (well, too much for one person!), and the coffee was good, if a little long in coming. A great start to the weekend! I was delighted with the distance covered (16-point-something kilometres) despite the often over 7 minute kilometres. I can't wait until next week!

The afternoon was spent helping out at the Triathlon site at Rond Terrace from 1:45pm. It wasn't hard work, and I did spend a great deal of time chatting to my friend Adrienne. However, as the wind come up and the tents blew down, my cold also freshened. Unable to leave until nearly 8pm, my hopes to make it to the Vets Handicap the next day were dwindling as I coughed and spluttered. Bob was doing the Olympic distance Tri the next morning and I would have to cycle the 15km or so to Campbell Park if I were to make it.

It was a bloody good Saturday though!

It may have taken me a decade and a half to fully appreciate it, but there is a lot to be said for setbacks in running, as in life.

So running Customs last Friday may not have been the smartest thing to do as far as the barking dog on my chest was concerned, but I did need to do it for something else inside me. On Wednesday I fronted up to the BBQ Stakes for the first time in heavens knows how long, and saw that my handicap was 7:30. I knew that I should go early, but when? I missed Friar's start of 3:30, so was next cab off the rank at 4:00 with Ted. I was pleased to go steadily and hold back for the first kilometre or so with Ted until we caught up with Friar. I know that I'm likely to bolt out of the gate too fast (although at a snail's pace that belies the silliness of what I am doing) at the moment with inexperience so a slow start was ideal.

It was so much easier to breathe! The few or four days off must have helped as well. I didn't die on the hills as I expected and found the first rise up Wardock Street easier than I remembered from my last runs on the course. I felt as though I was floating on the downhills, despite doing well over 5 minute pace, and was finding it a little uneasy that I hadn't been overtaken by the halfway point. A stunning lizard, maybe a shingle back, strolled across the track in front of me as I came up the last rise on Oakey Hill and I hurdled over the top to ensure that his pretty stubby tail remained intact.

Finally I heard footsteps thudding behind me, and was surprised to see that it was Bob coming up and passing me. Although he disappeared over the final rise a few hundred metres from the finish, I managed to hold on for (an ineligible) second, delighted with my run and how good I felt! Not fast, 36:29 for 6km, but a wonderfully inspiring run that just made me want to go around again and again.

Unfortunately, there was no time for this as I recorded the finishers and then dashed off to an appointment at the Tuggeranong Health Centre. Despite a comedy of errors straight out of a Shakespearean farce at the beginning it was a very enlightening and informative session. I still need to wait for the Surgeon to sign forms and the left hand to talk to the centre right hand and yada yada yada before things actually happen, but it was very good.

At home I pulled on my much neglected cycling gear and headed off on the shopping trolley for my first cycle in a long time. The rear brake was cactus, and I had to stop frequently in an attempt to fix this and line up the sensors for speed, cadence and good karma. It was a lovely, relaxing ride though and it felt so good to get back on the bike!

The PRB had miraculously performed surgery on my power adaptor and I was back on-line by Thursday. After catching up on some bill paying on my laptop, I took my bike into Lonsdale Street Cycle precinct to see what could be done to fix my brake. A helpful assistant was able to make it barley operable, however with the National Mountain Bike Championships being held in Canberra this weekend at Stromlo Forest Park, along with Triathlon Selection Race, the workshop was booked up for weeks. I had to ride carefully with one and an 3/8ths brakes, but at least I could ride.

As Bob was completing his Cotter / Urriara Loop on his Colnago, I rang and arranged to meet him at Cafe D'Lish at the top of Stromlo for a coffee and a few jugs of water. The service was so-so, the food looked OK, but overpriced for home-style stuff, but the coffee was good. After a stop off for the ever so boring supermarket shopping on the way home, I met the PRB at the base of Red Hill for a very slow circuit of the track around the perimetre base. I must admit that I didn't make it all the way running, pulling up with less than 9 kilometres completed, way too thirsty and dry. I had been studying every distant back yard for a tap, and considered diverting via Rad's place to get a drink. In the end I decided making it back to the car was the best decision, and walked the remaining way. My bidon was emptied in record time.

With Cafe Bohemian at the summit of Red Hill closed for renovations, we tottled over to Deakin for a coffee and restorative bottle or three of water. To my surprise it was also Cafe D'Lish, apparently undergoing renovations (but open), with a far superior looking menu and food selection than at Stromlo.

A good day was had by all, and I am so excited about running I can't wait for more!

After a weekend spent nursing the cold (with no running despite being given the go ahead), and a slow and quiet Monday morning, I picked up and thought that I would give walking home from a late afternoon appointment in Civic a go whilst Bob was at his cycling Time Trial (TT) on Old Federal Highway.

The para-medical appointment was OK, lots of hope but little knowledge, and I have another with their colleague down at Tuggeranong on Wednesday. I decided to walk over to the bus interchange and pick up some of the new bus timetables, and then wandered via the bike and camping shops in Lonsdale St.

A hot afternoon, I popped into McDonalds under James Court for a toilet stop and a large cold drink before strapping my pack on my back and heading on my way.

Serves me right! With only one female loo, and two young pink dressed girls behind me, I hurried through my ablutions only to find half a kilometre along that I had mislaid my mobile phone. Retracing my steps it seemed obvious where I had left it, however a quick reconnoiter and enquiry at the counter and filling in forms provided no answers. Kicking myself, a little further along the 7km or so track to home, I diverted again to pick up a card and try my mobile number from a public box.

Success!! One of the little girls had picked it up and they and their father were walking back to their hotel. I looked a mess, but was in the foyer before them, where I safety stowed the phone away to live another day.

It was a beautiful walk home through the evening birdcalls of Black Mountain and Aranda Bushland.

This morning I was alarmed to see that the power cord on my laptop was frayed (I suspect by a new to the house Rudi Cat when he snuggled up to the warmth of the transformer when he first arrived and was nervous and kittenish). Not just frayed, but smoking! I disconnected and powered down, cursing that I had little or no battery power left at the time. Damn!

I am using Bob's computer at the moment, but feel lost without my own. I must fix or organise a replacement first thing tomorrow morning

Thanks Gronk! Happy 2007!

OK, so Bob said it wasn't wise to run Customs on Friday with my his cold, but some things you just gotta do.

And I did!

A nasty cough kept me from having much sleep on Friday night, and I just fell asleep around the time I had planned to gt up and deliver Aki's new car to her. Somewhat belatedly I made it, and we went straight to Weston Park to watch the Cross Country selection races for the World's in Mombasa.

There were may familiar faces there, which was good to see that Canberra runners turned up in rather stifling conditions to cheer on a small band of runners lapping around the 2km course.

We missed the junior women, but just caught the start of the open women on their 6km course. It was interesting to see how dramatically the placings changed as we saw them at the 1k and 2km points. Younger, inexperienced (but still able to maintain a good 3:45 pace) runners went out too fast and died in the final stages, whereas the elder veterans (such as Joy Terry) started in last place and only picked her way gradually through the field. Those in the first places had impossibly long legs compared to we mortals.

The junior men's 8km was different tactically, although again an example of experience and testosterone. A NSW runner led out for the first two laps, while the group run in a tight bunch behind him like a peloton. Few, if any took advantage of the water bags on offer at every kilometre, and the field started to spread out over the course. The lead runner was soon in 2nd last position, which he maintained until the end, and the leaders spread out. I later found out that many suffered from heat exhaustion and needed medical intervention and re-hydration.

The crowd had grown considerably by the start of the Open Men. Marty Dent was the undisputed local favourite and received lots of encouragement. I took their lap times as best I could at each kilometre and I recorded the following splits:
1 km: 2:56
2 km: 3:03 5:59
3 km: 2:53 8:53
4 km: 3:00 11:53
5 km: 2:51 14:44
6 km: 3:04 17:48
7 km: 2:52 20:52
8 km: 3:01 23:42

The conditions were oppressive, hot and humid and Martin Dent's talent shone through as he assumed the lead half way and held on for an excellent win. It was great watching all of the runners though, who made it look so effortless that it was hard to fathom that it was 14:44 for the 5k, not 24:44.

We stayed around and chatted a little, however every time I laughed, or attempted to, my death rattle cough would clear the neighbourhood. Aki dropped me home to meet the rapidly growing Rudi, however I was fading fast and chucked her out to sleep.

And sleep I did. All afternoon, and most of the night, moving only to go and get a fresh box of tissues. So much for Saturday.

Sunday? Well the weather is much milder, and I have that "feel worse, so I must be getting better" groove.

Our hot water heater blew up during the hail storm, and we have occasional luke warm water, accompanied by a persistant pppssssttttt. Being New Years Eve, the timing wasn't optimal, and it was only yesterday that we were able to get a plumber to confirm the worse ($100 thanks). Getting a replacement is also taking rather too much time as we run through the gambit of solar with electric or gas boosters ($7,500) and so on. Once again the time of year doesn't help, and I'd be happy if it's hot for the next week or two - makes cold showers easier to take!