Thursday, April 29, 2010
Still NOT SICK. Yeah, I feel crummy occasionally and there's more than the average amount of mucus, but I'm NOT SICK. My powers of denial are strong. While I was at knitting camp last weekend, Fiona and I went out for a run that instead became more of a hike. We followed a steep and narrow trail up to Robertson's Lookout at Mount Keira, stopping every ten minutes to pick the leeches off our shoes. (Yes, really.) The view was fantastic though. We ran the rest of the way back down the mountain to camp. On Sunday I got in my long run for the week, a 16km jog through Newtown, Enmore, Marrickville, Tempe, and Sydenham. (It's really, really weird now that a ten-miler doesn't feel like that big a deal!) I did 3:1 run/walk and still managed a 7:30/km pace, which is 45s faster than the 19km run I did a few weeks ago. Yay for cooler weather! Yesterday I did a nice easy morning run and then had a session at Spudds in the afternoon. I am BEAT. April 25: 6.70km April 26: 16.02km April 28: 5.35km Total this week: 28.07km (17.5mi) Total in 2010: 357.99km (223.7mi) To meet my goal of running 1000km in 2010, I should be at 327km right now. So I'm maintaining my nice cushion. We're only 2.5 weeks out from the Sydney Half Marathon! This week will be the longest run of my training: 22km. Yes, I'll actually be going slightly farther than the actual race distance. I'm looking forward to it, actually! Then the following weekend will be the Mother's Day Classic 8K. I'll be in my taper period here, so I'm not going to push it too hard. I'd just like to run the whole thing comfortably so I can feel confident leading up to the big race.
While Snookums was in the shower this morning, Petey and I were playing on the bed. He gets very affectionate always right when we're getting ready for work. He loves to head-butt your hands and stretch and rub and PURR like a chain saw. Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
 Knitting Camp 2010This was my second year attending the Wollongong Knitting Camp put on by CR&K Daisy Designs. It's held at Mount Keira Scout Camp overlooking Wollongong. This year about 30 knitters came together for two days of knitting, food, wine, chatting, and relaxation. My photos and write-up of the weekend are here. Bells, Lyn, Kylie, Miss Fee, Anne, Margarita, and Jody have also posted their accounts. (Bells's includes a truly HAWT photo of yours truly in a vintage frock with a fake rose in my teeth! And Fiona's got a nice one of me knitting lace. LACE. I KNOW.) Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
A nice easy week to follow that long run. Sunday was meant to be a 5km time trial, but my speed let me down miserably. I decided not to beat myself up too much over it though; as much as I keep telling myself I'M NOT SICK, I think my immune system has been fending off something. I feel okay right now though, and I'm actually looking forward picking up my distance/speed again. Maybe the funk is finally clearing? April 16: 6.91km April 18: 5.16km April 21: 5.37km Total this week: 17.44km (10.9mi) Total in 2010: 329.92km (206.2mi) To meet my goal of running 1000km in 2010, I should be at 307.6km. So I've still got a healthy cushion there. Of course, you're probably asking (as Ted did this week): Where's the next episode of Geek Girl Runner? Yeah, sorry about my increasingly erratic podcasting schedule! I've just had a lot of balls in the air lately, and the podcast has been the easiest one to drop. I'll try to get one out soon, I promise. :)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
 New ThingsI spent Saturday morning at my hairdresser getting new hair. I was tired of the red, and I was sick of the length. I needed something different. My usual stylist Desireé was booked out, so I had an awesome new Kiwi guy named Carl. Carl spent FOUR HOURS taking the red out. He did a full head of foils, and then another colour in-between, and then a third colour once the foils came out. Then he cut about half of it off, changing Big Red into the Caramel Bob. I love it! I feel grown-up yet funky.  Today I headed to Marigold for yum cha with Steph and Eva and a bunch of friends. It was fantastic! Noisy and chaotic and packed (well, not in this pic, but soon after!), but fantastic. I ate everything. I even felt brave enough to try my very first "phoenix talon" (i.e. chicken foot). I KNOW! I just repeated to myself several times that it was just a funny-looking chicken wing. The sauce was delicious, and it was mostly gelatinous yumminess (with a fair few bones to spit out). I also had my first ever piece of tripe, which was probably more confronting (in terms of texture). I celebrated my bravery with some yummy desserts such as mango pancake and egg tarts. It was a magnificent feast!Tonight, the Snook and I headed off to Alexandria to mooch around the homewares stores and get ideas for our kitchen renovation. On the way home, we stopped off at Bunnings to cross a long-standing item off my House To-Do List: new toilet seats! We have two toilets, and I actually like the style quite a lot. But the seats! They're flimsy old plastic with horrible chips and stains on them. We picked up some beautiful new ones and Snookums had them installed within minutes. The new ones are stylish, sturdy, and pristine white. It seems like such a small thing, but having these in my bathroom really does make me feel happier! Here's the Before and After...   Friday, April 16, 2010
Last night was our building's Strata AGM. You'll recall that last year the Snook put up his hand to be on the Committee. He was going to do the same this year, but he caught a cold yesterday and didn't feel up to going. So I went along without him and put his name forward as before. Then it came time to elect the officebearers, and the outgoing chairperson really wanted to hand over to somebody else. No one volunteered. I eventually called the Snook to see if he was willing, but he really didn't want to do it. That's when my neighbour Mark (the treasurer) said, "Why don't you do it, Kris?" Oh balls. Sure, why not take on ANOTHER extracurricular activity?! So not only did I get put on the Committee in the Snook's place, I got installed as the bloody chairperson. I've never done this before.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Edited to add: But Margaret Pomeranz loved it. HA! I love it when she accuses David Stratton of becoming "this conservative person."
Less than five weeks til the Half Marathon! I received my bib number (#3516) and timing chip in the mail this week. EXCITEMENT. My training has been going well. I mentioned last week that I had a slight speed increase, and that seems to have stuck around. On Sunday I did my longest run in nearly two years: 19km (12 miles)! That one was slow and steady, but it was also on a very warm and sunny day. Yesterday's run was on a much cooler morning, and I found my pace naturally picked up a bit. I also managed two workouts at Spudds this week that have left my abs feeling beat-up. In terms of actual injuries, my right arch continues to improve. I had some foot stiffness and pain after the long run, but it was actually towards the outside of my foot (where the bone scan had previously shown some inflammation). I've been putting anti-inflammatory gel on that and I'll probably ice it too. I've still got one long run to go two weeks before the race: 22.5km (14 miles). That will actually be my longest run EVER! But I've got two recovery/speed weeks in the meantime... April 9: 6.02km April 11: 19.02km April 14: 5.83km Total this week: 30.87km (19.3mi) Total in 2010: 312.48km (195.3mi) To meet my goal of running 1000km in 2010, I should be at 288.5km right now. So I've built up another cushion! One thing that's worrying me is that I've entered the Sickness Danger Zone. With both of my previous half-marathons, I've caught colds a few weeks out from the race. It's been really frustrating. I'd speculate that the training is causing me to become a little immuno-compromised. So here I am once again, and this morning the Snook tells me he's got a sore throat. ACK. How do I keep from getting sick? Obviously sleep and being hydrated are important, so I'm working on those. Is it worth taking any extra vitamins? (I'm guessing it'll probably only be a placebo at best.) Our office flu shot is coming up. Should I get it? I know it's not supposed to make you sick, but maybe I'm a little more vulnerable than usual right now? And this paranoia isn't helping...
Just to clarify, in the U.S. people call the seeds coriander and the leaves cilantro. In most other countries, the whole thing is coriander. Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Update: It's happening! Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Have I mentioned Toodledo before? This is my preferred task manager (i.e. "To Do list"). I used to use Remember the Milk, but I balked at their $25/year subscription fee to use it on my iPhone. Toodledo has a version that's completely free, and you can get the iPhone app for less than $5. All your tasks are synced to the Toodledo website, meaning you can access them wherever you are. They've also got loads of other ways to access your list: a Firefox add-on, Twitter integration, Google gadgets, iCal feeds, and various solutions for Android, Windows, and Palm devices. I've been using it for well over a year now, and I absolutely love it. So why bring it up now? A few days ago I noticed on the website that I'd been upgraded to a Pro subscription for three months! This normally only happens if you give out your referral link and somebody uses it to register for a Pro account. I've asked around and nobody is willing to own up to it. So whoever you are, thank you! It actually prompted me to purchase an additional year's upgrade since I like the app so much. Sunday, April 11, 2010
I'm just so tired these days, and I don't know why. I've been feeling ready for bed by 9pm every night. Is it Daylight Savings making the evenings darker? Is it my Implanon screwing with my moods? I just want to feel peppy and energised again. I want to feel engaged and passionate about my hobbies. Right now I'm going through the motions a little bit. I don't think I'm depressed or anything; I'm still technically Getting Shit Done. I guess I'm just a little blue, is all. I spent most of Friday night getting ready for the Guild meeting on Saturday. In addition to my normal duties as Convenor, I also had to give a presentation on "Joining, Weaving and Splicing" (with help from Tia) and then reprise my "Welcome to the Knitternet" presentation for some guests from the Southern Highlands. It was our biggest meeting yet - 47 people! - yet also one of the smoothest and best. I'm actually really proud of that. That took up most of the day, and after a quick beer with Amy, I headed home to chill out. (The Snook spent all day Saturday at work, as his team is working to meet a major deadline.) So I had dinner, watched some Gossip Girl, and went to bed. This morning I got up early for my planned 19km run. (That's 12 miles!) It took me just over 2.5 hours to complete. It was a hot day, and my biggest problem was staying hydrated on the hills. My foot injury wasn't an issue at all, which was nice. I feel like I should feel more pumped up about the accomplishment, but really, I just got 'er done. As soon as I got home, I had to quickly shower before Miss Fee and JP arrived. The three of us were heading off to a very special baby shower for Rose Red. There were loads of bloggers there: her and her and her and her and her and many more... We had sausage rolls and nibbles and cake and champagne. We knitted and chatted. We cheered as Jane opened all her pressies. It was fun! Afterwards I came home and pretty much collapsed. I just can't muster up the energy to DO anything. I want to record a podcast. I want to start a new knitting project. I want to clean the kitchen. I want to plan a trip to the U.S. I just feel a little... stuck. How do I get unstuck? Friday, April 9, 2010
That said, I will give one big tip that helps a LOT with not skipping workouts: have plenty of workout clothes. When I started out, I only had a couple sports bras and shorts to run in. It was easy to slip up on laundry and think, "Whoops! Guess I can't run today." I made a concerted effort to build up my store of running gear, and now I can't use that as an excuse anymore. Thursday, April 8, 2010
I noticed recently that my 45-minute morning runs have been feeling easy. I think I've been concentrating so hard on gently recovering my fitness (after two weeks off for injury and illness in February) that I didn't realise when I had reached it. My pace had been dropping regularly but now it's levelled out. My foot's been feeling good. After my run last Wednesday, I hopped in the shower and realised that I didn't feel winded at all. In fact, I couldn't tell that I had just been on a run. "That's probably not good," I thought. "Am I falling into the dreaded junk miles trap?" I decided to shake things up. For Friday's run, I pushed myself to see how fast I could go without too much discomfort. I also threw in a couple cadence drills for fun. To my surprise, I knocked nearly a minute off my pace per kilometer. I could definitely feel the effort afterwards, and I was even a little sore the next day. It felt good. On Sunday, Eileen and I went for a run in Canberra with a view towards doing some speed intervals. Again, this was definitely pushing me out of my comfort zone. I gave myself a few days to recover, then went out for my normal run yesterday. I ran the whole thing at what I considered to be a comfortable pace, and afterwards I discovered I was still 30s/km faster than I was during my "junk" runs. Obviously I can run at this faster pace, but I just needed to prove to myself that I could! April 2: 5.42km April 4: 6.06km April 7: 5.81km Total this week: 17.29km (10.8mi) Total in 2010: 281.61km (176mi) To meet my goal of running 1000km in 2010, I should be at 269km right now. So I'm still ahead of schedule. This weekend will see me doing my second-longest run of my entire half-marathon training plan: 19 kilometers (12 miles). That's only just shy of the actual race distance! Wish me luck...
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Me: DUUUUUUUUUUUUDE Me: Data with an iPad??? Kunaal: I know! Kunaal: and Q! Me: who's the dude next to ... Me: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Me: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Kunaal: I know! Kunaal: That is the awsomest of pics
Meanwhile, who is to say that cupcake gentrification might not function as cause, as well as effect? Could urban planners “seed” depressed areas with gourmet delis and boutique coffeeshops, in order to lure in a gentrifying vanguard of artists and hipsters? Forget former NYPD chief Bill Bratton’s “Fixing Broken Windows” theory; in this view, what would really turn around certain neighbourhoods is a state-funded injection of artisan bakeries.It's not a joke. Apparently Magic Johnson has a foundation that puts up money to start Starbucks in poor neighbourhoods. I did not know that. But yeah, I'm kinda over the whole cupcake thing. Not that I was ever really big into it in the first place, but there you go. Bring on the whoopie pies! Monday, April 5, 2010
Well, THAT was a fun trip! On Friday the Snook and I packed up the GoGet car and headed off to Canberra. We took our time on the drive, knowing that traffic would be heavy with everyone heading off for the long weekend. We had lunch on a lookout in Mittagong, then gawked like tourists at the Big Merino in Goulburn.  We ventured in to the Big Merino gift shop, where we were disappointed to find you weren't allowed to climb all the way up into the merino's head. (Apparently there was some safety issue to be resolved.) So we bought a postcard and headed on.  The drive along Lake George was brilliant, with the sun shining brightly off the futuristic propellers of the Capital Wind Farm in the distance. We dropped our stuff off at Bells's and Sean's house before heading into the city to check out Lake Burley Griffin.  Read on for more pictures and description! [more...] Friday, April 2, 2010
Light posting this Easter weekend, as the Snook and I are heading to the national capital. We're meeting Eileen tonight at the airport and tomorrow we're going to see the Masterpieces from Paris Exhibition. Special thanks to Bells and Sean for letting us stay in their house, and to Issy for catsitting at our place! I leave you with a photo of me and a giant concrete sheep. Yes, really. IT'S THE BIG MERINO! Thursday, April 1, 2010
It was 10 years ago today that I found out my work visa to stay in London had been approved. It was 10 years ago today that I went out and celebrated with my co-workers at a succession of dodgy pubs and clubs in Hammersmith and Fulham. It was 10 years ago today that I finally kissed the cute boy in the office that I liked.  How lucky that he also turned out to be my best friend! Happy first decade, Snookums. May we have many more together. The photo was taken on my iPhone with this app. I am on an iPhone photo app bender here lately.
This week saw my longest run yet: a scheduled 16km (10 mile) run on Sunday. (RunKeeper details) I headed to Centennial Park as usual and managed 2.5 laps around. I did 2:1 run/walk ratio the whole way, and it was fantastic. I felt much better than I did the previous week (where I did 3:1 for 13km). My legs didn't cramp and my overall average was actually faster! I was having some stomach pain though, and somehow I managed to lose one of my water belt bottles. Still, I got it done. This week is a cutback week, which I've been looking forward to. Mar. 27: 5.34km Mar. 28: 16.72km Mar. 31: 5.35km Total this week: 27.41km (17mi) Total in 2010: 264.32km (165mi) We are officially one-quarter of the way through the year, which means I should be at 250km to meet my 1000km goal. Looks like I'm about 14km ahead of pace. Woooo!
Jimbo has posted a great overview of marathon training programs for beginners. I knew Higdon and Galloway, but the other two were new to me. The Furman FIRST program looks very interesting to me. Very interesting. I've bookmarked it. We'll see... |
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archives
You can search through the archives by post keyword using the form on the left, or you can browse by month using the links at the bottom.
"Moblog" refers to posts and images posted directly from my mobile phone.
"PW Blog" refers to posts recovered from my very first weblog, which dealt with news related to my college dorm. |
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