Flash Duck 2008: March 2007

Fetch Boy!

1 comments Published Saturday, March 31, 2007 by Carolyne.

It has been a busy, although quite productive week, with a generally positive trajectory.

Despite 'solid' runs at Lake Ginninderra (37:35) on Tuesday, the BBQ Stakes 6k (34:25) on Wednesday, and Customs on Friday (26:53) it was the discovery on Thursday that Rudi could "fetch" was the highlight of the week.

By Friday morning, the little boy was obsessed. Finding a plastic cap was great fun to toss around and chase, he would faithfully return to our feet and drop it before looking up at us expectantly. One of us would throw or kick it away . . . upstairs, under furniture, around corners and off he would rush to retrieve it, having a bit of a play with it along the way.

By the time we left to go to Customs, he would have chased around fetched it around 100 times. Good Dog, uh, Boy!

Errant Duck

4 comments Published Monday, March 26, 2007 by Carolyne.

I have logged into blog umpteen times over the last month, and never succeeded to get cyber pen to virtual paper.

The Gordon River and Cradle Mountain in Tasmania were spectacular, and I don't know what has really happened since then.

"Little Boy" Rudi revelled under the PRB's care, finally being able to suss out how to enter and exit the house on his own through the hidden cellar door.

I have returned to running, sort of. It started to go OK, and then !phlat! ~ a bit of a backward step. Nevertheless I managed to do the Sri Chinmoy 10k on Sunday after an ignominious should-have-DNF'd on Friday at Customs. I got around the 5km, but only by walking and having the PRB alongside me, where I felt too embarrassed to cut the course short and cross the road early.

An early trip to bed after getting home, and sleep for much of Friday afternoon and Saturday meant that I was able to lob up to my pre-entered Sri Chinmoy event on Sunday, not knowing whether I would get through the 10k. Despite a pretty rough time over the first few k's (the shivering and chattering teeth returned - a shock-like reaction I suffered from last year whenever I started to run no matter how hot the temperature) I settled into it, and managed to finish far more strongly than I began.

Although rather embarrassed my the tortoise like time of nearly an hour, I was 10 minutes faster than the last time I ran the event (in October?).

Small steps to begin with. It's good to be running.

A DNF, and a good decision

4 comments Published Sunday, March 11, 2007 by Carolyne.

Both were related to the Weston Creek Half Marathon which was run today in absolutely perfect conditions.

Anthony Haber won in 66-ish in a cracking solo run on a course that isn't the fastest half around. I left with the early (slower than 2 hours) group at the unofficial start time of 7:00am, half an hour earlier than than the official 7:30 start.

I started slowly, and very comfortably, remembering to take my Ventolin before the start, and felt really comfortable and strong. I had set my watch to keep me on 6 minute pace, and within a couple of kilometres, the few early starters had spread well out and I was happy to keep on my own counsel and stay on track. I had once again forgotten to take a water bottle and drink sufficiently before the run, and was spitting rather more than was 'ladylike' (huh!) until the first unmanned waterbag station at around 3km. I took two and felt better immediately, tying the empty bags onto my number belt and disposing of them later in a bin.

The first 5km was reached in an even, albeit slow, 30:00. However soon after I could tell that something was afoot: without going into too many gory details, I had 'popped' something from my op yesterday when Bob got me to pump up his road bike tyres with a track pump yesterday to 125 psi. This put far too much pressure on my abdomen and there was an equipment failure (me). The sixth k didn't really hurt so much, but I could tell that things were popping out more and more. Continuing to run for another 17 km wasn't smart, I knew that.

At the next drink station I decided to walk to the 3 person relay change over point at the 7/14 km mark to seek a lift back to the start. Even walking at this point was not great, so I knew that I did the right thing. I was feeling very smug and complacent with myself by this time, as I am not known for doing the sensible thing and stopping, especially when the running part is actually fine.

Back at the start I saw Strewth, the PRB, Tuggeranong Don and Aki , as well as Friar. Coolrunners did well overall, with a number of age group prizes, and barrel draws.

About me

I'm Carolyne
From Canberra, Australia
I love to run! Staying in Weymouth, Dorset on the South West Coast of England until October. I'm 46, live in Canberra with Bob and have been running since 1990. This has been interrupted by long periods of illness, however I am extremely stubborn! I'll never be a fast runner, however I give it everything, and am slowly learning to read my body better and adjust my training and expectations accordingly. Or rather I would, if running were possible at the moment - I will retuyrn soon.
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