| DIARIES - Belinda's Diary |
Week 3 Monday August 16th After my 4 o’clock bedtime this morning, I was not keen on getting up at all, but had a haircut at eleven, so struggled out at 10am. I don’t feel very energetic today, but after such an exhausting (work) weekend there’s no surprise in that. Had a lovely day in the end (night off!), and after a quick lock-chop, pottered around Kalamunda doing some birthday present shopping, then headed home and put in a good 2hrs in the garden. It’s finally looking better! Now I just have to poison the weeds I missed last time, and put some new plants in, and by summer it should look great! I have about a 50% kill rate with plants I buy, so I might just buy cheap ones this time. Met Gemma at Inglewood Pool for a swim this afternoon. Just a recovery swim today, so this totally justified not going to squad (see a pattern emerging?), and we managed to get out of the water just as the squad was starting. Perfect timing! Had a yummy dinner with Ken and Gemma and their kids, and home for an early night. Got sucked in by the Olympics, and watched a bit of the equestrian (eventing was my first love), before getting depressed that I will never have a horse again, and going to bed.
The weather was quite ordinary today, and not really conducive to exceptional levels of enthusiasm, but I headed down to the river anyway, and the safety (relative) of the bike paths. This time I had my training 650’s, which meant I was a lot happier about being in the rain with Spock, and didn’t need to fret about my pansy race wheels. I had headed in this morning to TBE Belmont for the ‘changeover’, and Brian had done clever things with the new cluster on the training wheels that meant it would fit. I just can’t use the smallest cog and the large chain ring, but given that I am too much of a blouse to go really fast downhill, that’s probably not a real issue. I had stopped to pick up Muzz Buzz coffee for all @ TBE (what sort of real men drink Raspberry Mocha I ask you...J) Turns out the owner of the Muzz Buzz shops is a cyclist and he was there with his ‘emergency caffeine response’ vehicle! He came over to compliment me on Spock (he recognised the Griffen frame, which was cool), and I was tempted to ask for a free coffee on the basis of having a bike he envied, but piked. For some reason I really got off on the bad weather today. It was raining heavily, I was soaked, and yet I was laughing in the face of it. Not sure what that was all about. Maybe someone spiked my coffee? Ride Stats (for my own ref): Duration: 1hr 36min, Distance: 39.5km, AVHR: 142bpm, MxHR: 165bpm. Av spd: 24.5kph, MxSPD: 34.6kph. Av Cad: 92rpm, Max Cad: 111rpm, Temp 13C, 911kcal burned. After riding I headed over to Pilates, where I took nearly the full session to warm up, despite a full clothing change! It was a good session, and Fiona is going to write me a ‘formal’ home programme of exercises to do. I have so many bits of equipment now, but I always forget what to do with them…except the Wedge, which as far as I’m concerned is the worlds best ever invention! I suppose a tennis ball is a cheaper version of the same thing, but the wedge is outstanding for muscular back pain, and I highly recommend them. I bought a proper ITB roll today too, because my ‘noodle’ just wasn’t quite the same, and there are more exercises I can do on the roll than the noodle. After Pilates I headed into Murdoch (work) to visit a dog I am thinking of taking on. He was a stray who came in on the weekend, and is gorgeous. I don’t really ‘need’ another dog, but he is pretty special, and at the moment has not yet been claimed. Watch this space. Anyway, by the time I left work after playing with the puppy it was way too late to get to the Speed Dome, so I had a hot bath and ½ glass of red wine instead, and spent the evening watching telly and massaging my legs.
Gorgeous morning this morning. Had a lie in because of watching telly again last night. Am getting better though. Only watched CSI x 2, and let Stingers go. What I do for my sport. Knew when I went to bed that I wouldn’t swim in the morning, as I need to sleep as long as possible the night before my first overnight shift, so slept until 9am. Excellent. Lovely blue skies allowed me to potter in the garden again doing some yard work, and I even mucked out my chicken house, the ‘Taj mahen’. Gross job, but if I want to eat guilt-free-range eggs, then someone’s got to do it! Weeded another ½ garden bed, and then got ready to run, just as the grey skies rolled in. Today’s run was to be 100minutes at 75-78%MHR, which for my run max HR (192bpm) is 144-150bpm. I decided to run down to the Zig Zag again, and head down for 50mins, and then just turn around. Although it was grey, the rain held off which was great, and I enjoyed my run. Certainly the first half was easier, as it is a gradual downhill from Kalamunda town centre, down the heritage trail, and then down the Zig Zag. Of course, when you turn around, it’s a steady uphill, which somehow becomes much steeper than the downhill was. Two pit stops (one formal, one informal) for the run, one stretch stop and one shoelace stop. Forgot to weigh myself before, but was 56.3kg after. Ate 3 carbo shots and drank 4 of the fuel belt bottles. Probably not quite enough fluid as wasn’t desperate for a wee when I got home. Worked again on my strides per minute, and my spinal alignment. Felt really good and strong most of the time, even as my HR increased on the second half of the run. Stats (please scroll ahead): Duration: 100minutes. Distance: unknown, Av HR: 149bpm, Mx HR: 165bpm, kcal: 1016 Temp: 19C. After a short home-break, I headed to Inglewood Pool. Please ensure that you are seated when I tell you that I swam with a squad tonight….Hoping that you have now regained consciousness, I will go on to admit that I did not do the full session, only 1500m, but given how much harder I worked during that 1500m than I normally would, I do feel quite virtuous! Virtuous, but somewhat old and clumsy. The 2 other lanes were full of teens who are faster, slimmer, and probably cleverer than me, and I felt quite inadequate. In my private and professional life I am generally considered a success. Not a raging, wondrous success you understand, but I am good at my job, and I have people who love me, and that’s good enough for me. In the pool, my life is one big apology of my own making. I kicked your head, sorry. I blocked your path, sorry. I am so slow, sorry! I’m breathing, sorry! Anyway, it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined, and I feel less intimidated than before, so I will try and keep going. The morning sessions are going to be tough to get to, but with my shift roster I have to chop and change, and probably never go to the same session twice. Still, I committed by buying a pool pass, and will see how I go. Quick shower, back in the car to head home for dinner, TV and then work for the overnight shift. Thursday 19th August Unremarkable night @ work last night. Busy, but not too stressful. Found out that the puppy has not been claimed, and his ‘time’ is up. He either goes to a new home or to the pound. Guess where he goes? I won’t take him home until tomorrow morning though, as will sleep all of today before my shift tonight. Hopefully he will fit in well with the rest of my menagerie. He is a big boy (Great Dane cross), and he is only 4-5 mths old now! Hope he can fit in the Jeep when he grows up! Anyway, I have named him Guinness (he is nearly all black), and I will hope for the best. I’m such a sucker. Went home via TBE Willetton for some gel flasks, and then via City Farmers for a new dog bed. Decided towels would do, as $80 can be spent on bike stuff instead! Home, sandwich and bed for the day to sleep as much as possible before work again tonight.
Was on the overnight again last night. A bit quieter than weds night, but busy enough I guess. Was supposed to ride this morning (105min from memory-rolling hills), but when I got Spock out last night to bring to work with me, I discovered a flat. Bummer. So I planned to do Saturday’s run instead today, and ride tomorrow after worrying about the wheel. In the end I was so tired after my two overnights, that I decided to call it an extra rest day, and do both sessions tomorrow as a brick instead. Good idea! I also had to take Guinness home, and wanted to get him settled without any absences from home during the day. So I did just that, had a bit of a nap in the afternoon, then went out to dinner with my oldest school friend for her birthday. Back to Halo again. This time the Seafood Platter to share. Yum!
Well, the best laid plans etc. Headed out into the back hills on the bike in the late morning, with the aforementioned brick planned. Felt very tired quite early, and couldn’t work out why until I realised at the top of Patterson Hill that I had a slow flat. That will teach me not to check for thorns in the tyre when I change a tube! It was raining and at that point I didn’t realise that the thorn was the culprit, and didn’t want to ruin another tube, so I just headed for home, using up my CO2 canisters as I went. I managed to get home OK (just) on the last canister, but was 1/2hr short on my ride. Stats for ride: Duration: 1hr 15min. Distance: 28.6km. Av speed: 22.8kph, Max Speed: 50.9kph, Av cad: 75rpm, Max cad: 105rpm, Av HR: 143bpm, Max HR 168bpm. Kcal: 715 In addition, now my run was blown out of the water, as I had to head to the bike shop for supplies, so that I could do my long ride on Sunday with spares etc. Managed to get back home just in time for my hairdressers appointment, got dolled up and went out to the Veterinary Industry Ball. Ate, danced and enjoyed one or two quiet bevvies, then headed home at eleven. Pulled into my driveway and remembered that my neighbours eldest daughter was having her 18th, and the marquee was about 40ft from the back of my bedroom, so I turned the reverse cycle on extra loud, plugged up my ears, and lah lah lah’ed myself to sleep. Sunday August 22nd Was planning on measuring my RHR this morning, but had turned my alarm right up last night, because of wearing earplugs. Sadly by the morning, they had worked their way out of my ears, so at 4.30am the full force of some commercial trash music jolted me out of my REM sleep, and into an instant state of maximum flight or fight response. Alert and seriously alarmed. Therefore No RHR measured again. Today was meant to be a 3 ½ rolling hills ride, but I had decided to abandon the hills of home in order to shout and cheer for Cathi and Bill at the duathlon in Freo, so I parked at Wattle Grove Vets, and at 5.30am headed in to Burswood to meet Shell. I get seriously nervous riding by myself in the dark, and had my bike lit up like a Christmas tree. Dark Sunday mornings make me especially twitchy as I imagine the seriously inebriated heading home from the night before. Anyway, I made it down Orrong Road in one piece, and then we headed to Fremantle via Mounts Bay Road and Stirling Highway. Sadly we had made a serious tactical error in not leaving a bidon holder free for coffee, as the Stirling Highway Muzz Buzz was open very early indeed (honestly-he should give me free coffee for the number of mentions his shops get!) Watched the duathlon, then headed to Point Walter for coffee and indulgences with Shell, Cathi and Bill, then home via Mt Henry, Freeway, Burswood and Orrong Road. Ride Stats: I measured the ride in three separate sections today, so have added them up and averaged them: Duration: 3hrs 32minutes (spot on for duration). Distance: 81km, Av Speed: 23.5kph, Max Speed: 64.8kph (this seems a trifle unlikely), Av Cad: 86rpm, Max Cad: 111rpm, Av temp: 14C, Av HR: 139bpm (2 beats under goal minimum HR), Max HR: 169bpm. KCal OUT: 1826, KCal IN: one peach and passionfruit muffin/two flat whites, one Burgen PBJ sandwich). A whinge: I have had serious ‘lack of interest’ issues today. In fact today’s lack of interest culminated a very ordinary enthusiasm week for me. Am tired, and slow, and fat, and wouldn’t mind lying on a beach in the sun with a pina colada. I suspect that I am victim of seasonal affected disorder, and just need a bit of sunny weather to cheer me up. Roll on Spring! Spent the afternoon preparing for said season by buying out every foothills nursery of their daisies, lavender and happy flowers for my garden. In addition, took the dogs for a walk in Jorgenson Park. For those of you with dogs, if you don’t yet know about Jorgenson Park in Kalamunda, you are missing out. It’s an old golf course, and is an off-lead exercise area (but watch out as you get the odd Skippy or pony lolloping about). At this time of year it’s lush and green (and no snakes). It’s a great way to walk out any sore legs, and get a bit of doggy-love at the same time. Anyway, the pup did just fine, apart from getting confused about his identity a few times. I felt much better after the stroll. This has not felt like a good week. I didn’t go to the track on Tuesday (though that shouldn’t matter as its not part of my programme), and I missed my 45-minute run yesterday because of my bike dramas, together with my ride yesterday being short. I feel that I piked by not riding in the hills today, when I really wanted to support Cathi and Bill. I have a sore throat, and my head is stuffed up, and despite swallowing bottles of vitamins, am pretty sure that the lurgy’s I have thus far avoided have sent their cousin around to give me a good talking to. Am going to drink Milo, and go to bed immediately, and try very hard to swim in the morning. Summary (New this week!) Swim Goal: 1 recovery, 1 squad Bike Goal: 405 minutes Run Goal: 145minutes Pilates Goal: 2 sessions YTD Total (excluding Pilates): 119 hours: ( note: YTD started May 24th)
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