Bon Voyage running buddy

This post is a little early but I wanted to make sure it was up before Erica's departure. Bon Voyage running partner! To get you in the mood for your trip to warmer weather here are two versions of the song you said you'd never heard of.

An early one


and a Melbourne one

Deep Water Running

Over the last couple of weeks we've eased back into the idea of running by taking some DWR classes at MSAC.

They've been fun and seem pretty effective.

Photo from Runners world

We ran Melbourne

Erica and I at Fed Square after the run. We managed to run the whole course without stopping or taking any walking breaks so that was very satisfying.

I didn't go as fast as I'd have liked to - partly on account of a pain in my hip which I got by jarring it playing GK in hockey - but was able to keep up a steady pace.

My time was 1 hour 14 mins and 46 seconds. That's inside the 1:15:00 that was my basic target but slower than the pace we ran on Mothers day. It meant I met one, but only one, of the various challenges I'd been set in the context of sponsorship; the 1 hour 15 min target set by Amy.

Next time I may decide there's no shame in walking breaks, up the pace and see how that goes.

Thanks for all the support.

Recommended routes

All suggestions as to new routes gratefully received. Please leave a comment.

Playing in a dirty sandpit

We decided to add variety by running somewhere we'd talked about but never tried out. I'd heard of people running at Caulfield racecourse - including early in the morning once the horses have finished training.

Early was out, it being Saturday, but it seemed like time to find out just how picturesque the middle of the track can be? Public use of the centre of the track was an issue at the Council elections. I hadn't followed 'what happened next' but it according the The Melbourne Racing Club's vision there could be a boardwalk and a good running/walking track by now. Erica found a map of what's available which looked promising.

Promising looking but disappointing in fact. The sand and the grass were hard to run on. The 'running' track was super sandy. The cenre of the racecourse turned out to be a kind of desolate.

Our adventure didn't leave us wanting to return in a rush.

Seeking Sponsorship

This time I'll be running for a cause. I've set up a fundraising page as part of the Run Melbourne site with Oxfam as my chosen charity. So my efforts on 28 June will have some wider impact.

The fundraising page is on the right of the page. Alternatively you could donate directly to a specific Oxfam appeal via their website. If you choose the direct donation route it would be great if you could leave a brief supportive comment below to help keep my motivation up.

Run Melbourne

After completing the Mothers Day Classic we took a couple of days off and then started a new training plan aimed at the 10km with Run Melbourne on 28 June.

We're using a plan that assumes that we are already running 30 mins 2 or 3 times a week - which we are - and incorporates some yoga style stretching. It's a modified version of a plan I found online - more of that in another post.

Mothers Day Classic

Great atmosphere and the running was (relatively) easy. We had hoped to do the 8km in less than an hour and we managed it. My time was 57:28.

All the goodwill and community spirit made me promise myself that next time I'd link fundraising to the run.

Photos to follow.

Mid April at Albert Park Lake

The hockey season began in mid April and training nights at the club are a great excuse for a running around a new venue. With the start of training on our own ground came a plan to run Albert Park lake at least once a week.

Photo courtesy of Parks Victoria.

Interstate and lakeside

Early April we'd been running regularly and I managed to show enough self discipline to get out for a run while away from home. A couple of laps of Mawsons Lake + a small loop and I clocked up 5km and 38:22 of (almost) non stop jogging.

Felt enthusiastic about this - and inspired by the speed of the players at the Rugby Sevens!

Commiting to a plan

A friend and fellow hockey player announced in early February that she was thinking of running a half marathon in October. "Good on ya!" was my response - but I made it was clear that I wasn't interested in so much running. Several weeks later, after 3 weeks enforced rest due to rolling my ankle, I changed my mind a little. I suggested that we train together; although I'd aim for the 10k rather than the 'half'.

Tuesday 24 March was the start of the plan - 6 and a half months out from the Melbourne Marathon day on 11 October .

We set some intermediate goals with our first public test along the way the 8km Mothers Day Classic on Sunday 10 May - close enough to provide focus but far enough away to give us a chance to see some decent progress.

The circle that should become very familiar is Caulfield Park.