"With a Song in My Heart".......

..........and Flash Duck beside me!

Thursday, 16th November.....

AIS Track, Canberra, 7:20 p.m., 1500m Race where at long last I ran out of sight on a dark night!!

Result: ( official time) 8:24.65 ......a new 1500m ACT W75 Record, taking approx. 1 minute 15 seconds off the existing record.

No wonder there was a "Song in My Heart" as I finished.......... & it's still there 48 hours later!

On the 1500m road course on a street in Bowral where I'd trained for this distance, I struggled to go under 9 minutes & succeeded in 8:45 just a week before Canberra. Ewen had said he'd be happy with 8:30 on the night of the 16th - & I thought he was being funny - so to get below that time was something I'll never forget....I'm becoming not so slow at long last!

(Confirmation still to come for ACT W75, 800m Record, Thursday, October 26, 2006.)

Friday, 17th November, Canberra "Customs 5km" Race:

Since I was right there in the vicinity, I might as well have a go at this one too!

A 5km PB!! 31:08 ............ speedygeoff ran this with me for very obvious reasons : I'd have had search parties & sniffer dogs out following my trail to Cooma & beyond! Thank you for taking me through & especially being so willing & cheerful about having to "Go Slow" to stay back with me! You're a gem!

After the previous night & then this event, I was way, way up high & getting higher & higher! We (Flash Duck, Peter, Ewen & I) decided to celebrate by enjoying a great meal at an Italian restaurant & cracking a bottle of glorious red which I got stuck into before anyone else & before the wine glasses were placed on the table.... showing an appalling lack of good manners by pouring the wine as fast as I could into my water glass! Even worse, I suggested the waiter uncork the bottle which he willingly would have done, except that it was a screw top!

We finished the night back at the motel for more coffee & peering over Flash Duck's laptop to see if Thursday night's results were up on the ACTVAC website, checking the latest news on Cool Running & me still laughing & clowning around like a harum-scarum wild woman!

Now, Saturday afternoon, & back in "downtown" Mittagong, I don't know what to say about the last 48 hours : Firstly : How effective for my running in every way it has been to take a stab at training for middle distance running over the last 6 months, thus having a break from years of training for long distances, marathons, etc. I believe there's been nothing lost, but a hell of a lot gained by training to run not so slow!

Many thanks to Flash Duck for staying on my heels & seeing that I didn't falter or slow down too much on the track (I will improve that on the curves, FD!) & for "looking after" me on Friday night! To Ewen : everything meaningful has already been said, so again to everyone for everything!

Training resumes tomorrow with a "long easy run" & a return to
Canberra on Thursday, November 30th. Odzookins!! Life's Good!!!