Jo

All is well with my leg. I’m walking about 4 miles every day and might try turbo tomorrow. The only restriction is the stocking I have to wear. I expect it will be hot and uncomfortable when I try to do something more than walking. I’ve manage to avoid taking the painkillers as the doctor said it will hurt more next week (!) so I’m saving them for then

Saw 4 Buzzards out hunting today when I went for a walk. I sat and watched them for ages.

I did my long run on Saturday this week with the Loch Ness Marathon gang although I cutback early as they were doing about 13 miles. I think I did about 9.5 in the end which was enough after all my ailments.

Ed & I went MTBing in the Chiltern Hills on Sunday. It was a great day and nice to be back out on the bikes again. I think we were out for about 3 hours. We followed a route I found on the internet but quite honestly I can make a better route up myself using the map. A lot of the downhills were on tarmac and the climbs were off road – something not right about THAT arrangement! We finished off in a Chocolatier in Wendover. If you are ever in Wendover, nr Aylesbury, go to this place. They make their own chocolate on the premises and also serve cakes, ice cream and drinks (also lunch I think – I was too busy tucking into the carbs to notice!!)

We were up early on the Bank Holiday to go to the hospital for my operation. It all went well, although they did give me a lot of sedation, and I stayed in overnight just to be on the safe side. Ed picked me up this morning  and brought me home and I’ve been stuffing my face with chocolate and tea ever since! Oh, I did manage to pop out for a walk earlier. The bandages come off tomorrow and are replaced by a Nora Batty styley stocking but it should be more comfortable. The only discomfort at the moment is in my adductors which feels nothing worse than after a heavy sports massage. Not sure when I’ll try a run but it will be a few days yet.

Did 5.5 miles easy yesterday and an hours riding lesson. Echo was being pre-menstrual or something so it was a bit frustrating. Or maybe I was riding like an idiot?

Another tempo run today – 2 x 2 miles-ish off 2 minutes again. 13.42 & 13.36. Times were fine but I didn’t feel great.

No news from you know where…………….

Throat infection cured with copious amounts of red wine! A miracle

Wedding was very good! The happy couple arrived on a MTB tandem (having got changed in the bushes while Keith practiced his Finnish speech – Anu the bride to be is Finnish) sporting wedding balloons and a fog horn heard as far as Eastbourne!!

A crowd of about 50 people heard the humanist ceremony which was very personal and touching, guzzled a few glasses of champagne and either walked or biked their merry way back to Keith and Anu’s for a party. (The champagne appeared out of the back of an English Nature Land-rover – very helpful warden!)

Ed and I went for a MTB ride around Hambledon on Sunday for old times sake finishing off with lunch in The Vine. All in all a great weekend.

Now I’m over the lurgy, I went swimming and did a short-ish session (2500m) but was bored which is unusual as I usually really enjoy swimming.

Looking forward to a tempo run tomorrow

Oz news- non-priority applications have moved on by 2 weeks and priority applications (us!) have not moved for the 6th week in a row!!! This roughly translated means we can’t expect to hear anything for at least another 6 weeks! So the waiting goes on……………………

Cold has turned into throat infection. I suppose it wouldn’t be as bad if I still had a tonsil for it to attack instead. I’ve resigned myself to no training this week now and hopefully will be back to normal next week. As long I can get fit enough for the first cross country in October I’ll be happy.
We’re off to a wedding reception tonight and another wedding tomorrow. Some bonkers ‘do’ on mountain bikes on the South Downs!! Strange but true 8O.  A full report will follow!

I was all fired up to go to the club for some speed endurance track work tonight- and I’ve got a cold! Never rains but pours eh? I can see this will be another week off training.

Too fed up to write anything else today.

Still no Aussie news.

I must be a bit run down ‘cos I came down with some lurgy last week. Met Saz at Chicksands for a MTB ride but didn’t have any energy and spent more time watching the others playing on the Northshore. It was great to see them all again after about a year though and pleased to see Saz and Vaughan have been on their bikes even less than me!! Nipped over to Jill and Marks for some nosh afterwards and they tell me they’re thinking of emigrating to NZ! Tried to persuade them Australia would be much better but it’s too hot they said On Sunday I lumbered around a long run with a couple of boys from the Runners. It was quite warm and I really suffered towards the end of the run (quite short at about 10 miles) although I think they did too. Sorry Dave and Paul if you weren’t suffering too but I think you were!!

Felt crap for the rest of the week and had a migraine until Friday. Finally managed to stagger around 5 miles on Friday, weights/strength on Saturday and 8 miles on Sunday. Feel OK now and seem to be back on track. Managed a tempo run of 2 x 2 miles off 2 mins recovery yesterday.

Riding was ace yesterday – we did cantering!! I know I used to do all this stuff when I was a kid but this riding teacher is so good that everything feels really easy and coming together nicely. My horse (Echo) is a sweetie too although Christian did mention she liked to run fast!

After leaving my thoughts for a short period, Australia is back at the forefront of my mind again. The visa applications haven’t moved for 5 weeks now and it’s getting very frustrating. I did see that an application from May has been granted and someone from April has now got a case officer so everyone keep those fingers crossed for us!! The wait is a nightmare. Everyting is on complete hold. I want to start planning. I’ve got so many ideas about what I want to do when we get there!!

Oh oh……….and Jo & Graham have a baby girl! How fab is that – so welcome to Abigail Sophie Hinton Brooks. A little Kiwi

I had a blast last weekend. Went down to Southampton as Tony (my old running coach) was having a 70th birthday party. I met Steph in Winchester and we went on to Karen’s in Totton. Had a good night out on Saturday before a long run in the New Forest on Sunday morning. Steph is still in shock that I can run 12 miles with a hangover – years of training!!

Tony’s party was on Sunday afternoon and there were so many old faces there that I began to feel quite homesick. Funnily enough, most of them now had kids in tow and not running much anymore but was so good to see everyone that I hadn’t seen for about 5 years I was surprised to learn how many were starting out in triathlon – been there, done that and got loads of t-shirts!! Tony was in good form too, rocking and rolling all over the plce. I managed to escape before he asked me to dance, thank God!

Still keeping up the cross training. Also managed a 12 x 300 session in 64’s on the track on Thursday. I was really pleased as I kept to the recoveries and it was pretty windy too. Clocked a 26 mile bike ride today – not very far but I plan to build it up to about 40 miles.

Saw the doc. on Thursday who reckons he can zap my vein with a laser in about 4 weeks time and it shouldn’t interupt training too much Could start jogging in the same week.

Still no news from Oz.