I spent a bit of time last night on the Gmap Pedometer site and worked out a couple of longer loops, as the longest one I’m doing at the moment is 10km and it’s getting quite comfortable. I felt a lot better this morning after yesterday’s training session with Anja, my muscles must be getting used to the work. I now have a 12km loop and a 15km loop. Guinness will be fine for the 12km, but I’ll wait a while before I take him for 15km.

It wasn’t particularly warm when we headed out at about 6am, and for the first time in ages, the first km or so was comfortable - usually I have to battle through the first part of a run before I get into some sort of rhythm and start to cruise a bit. By half way, my gluteals were a bit sore - courtesy of all the lunges I did yesterday, I guess. I hadn’t taken anything to drink because I figured it wasn’t much more than the 10km and I’d be fine until I got home. Nope. By 11km I was so slow, and was feeling dry and weary and nauseous, so I just walked home. Guinness was fine. I was thirsty for the rest of the day after that. Note to self - take a drink next time. I’ve got my new you beaut bumbag with the water bottle I got for Christmas, and it’s got a zip lock section for poo bags, so there’s no excuse next time.

I spent the rest of the day tidying the kids’ rooms and the study - I’m sure that’s gotta count as cross training. Next time I’ll put on a pedometer and just see how far I go!!

We spent last weekend at Cooroy Country Cottages to celebrate Miss 8’s birthday. We went up on Friday night, the cottage we stayed in was just luxurious, and it was very dog friendly. If your dog was inside at home, it was welcome inside in our cottage. Having said that, after all the rain in the last few weeks, the dogs spent a large percentage of their time drying off their muddy legs on the secure fenced balcony which ran all around the cottage. The view from the upstairs bedroom was impressive:

There were over 90 acres to explore, with walking trails criss crossing the property. The grass had grown a lot with the rain and sometimes the trails were hard to see, but we really enjoyed walking for an hour or two every day. Master 5 is pretty good on hills!

There was quite a bit of bovine traffic on the trails at times. The cattle tracks were often very muddy, and being attached to an enthusiastic dog, a bit of “grass ski-ing” was inevitable. Fortunately nobody took a tumble. The cattle were pretty habituated to people, Sinner walked up to one and bunted it on the nose with his nose and it didn’t bat an eyelid. Guinness tentatively sniffed a black beast; when it snorted at him he leaped backwards in surprise - he got such a fright. What a working dog, eh?

We had dinner at Hog’s Breath at Noosa on Saturday night, although the restaurant was pretty empty, the service was still awful. The kids were pretty tired after the weekend and have slept soundly since.

We went over to Roseanne’s today to mind her kiddies so she could get out for a run - she’s had her new Garmin for over a week now and hasn’t had much chance to put it to use. We’ll possibly get her out again on Thursday or Friday and I’m hoping she can come to Mt Cootha on Sunday morning for a trail run.

Tomorrow we’re off to the swimming pool with some friends. Wednesday we’ve got friends visiting here. My children have the most amazing social life. Always funny to hear people speak about home schooling - what about socialisation, they say. Nobody seems to bother whether or not they can add up or write their name, but if they get out to play, that’s fine.

I got up this morning after a half hour sleep in, the weather was cool and overcast so I figured going out at 6am was going to be just as pleasant as going out at 5.30am. I felt just fine after yesterday’s weights session, no aches or pains or stiffness, so I grabbed Guinness and headed out for an easy 10km run. Guinness is so enthusiastic, he bounces at the front door as soon as he sees me put my runners on, and sits politely for me to put his halter on, even though he hates it. I’d feel guilty now if I didn’t go running. On the way down our street we were attacked by a little Foxie cross and a Golden Retriever, that just adds to the recent attacks by a loose Rottweiler and a little Sharpei. There’s also a loose Staffy mix bitch around the corner. I’m pretty fed up with it - I’m thinking of taking a stick with me when I go running.

We did the 10km in 1.04 and a few seconds - two poo stops (one was a longer one due to the need to double bag!), about 5 pee stops, a drink in a puddle (Guinness, that is!) and a wait for a constant stream of traffic to pass before crossing a busy road so probably would have been just under the hour if I did it non stop. Shins felt good. The weather was perfect, and I ran into my very first spider web!!

When I got back, that’s when I started to feel sore, particularly in the gluteals and hamstrings. We went to the park for the day with a group of homeschoolers we see regularly, and gee I hurt getting in and out of the chair. That too can only get better. I may leave Guinness at home tomorrow and walk the dogs a bit later, and just take it really easy.

The book on running with dogs was rather ordinary, it just had basic common sense in it. It was published in 1986 or so, but nothing much has changed to affect what running you do with your dog except perhaps the incidence of genetic orthopaedic disease in dogs has increased. So cynical for one so young! Maybe I’ll write my own book. I’ll add that to the list of things I want to do.

I just realised school starts again in 2 1/2 weeks!! Dang, there were some things I really wanted to get on top of before the new school year. I need to tidy out the study, and plan our first term - I think I still have to do a couple of weather projects to finish off term 4 last year, but that won’t take long. Where did the Christmas holidays go?

I had a personal training session with Anja today, it was at 5.30 am which means getting up at 4.30 to grab a bite, take the dogs out to have a pee, get myself sorted out and head up to the studio. Needless to say, I’m pretty tired this arvo. It was fun, but I found a couple of the pieces of equipment quite hard. The bench press - I could only manage a few reps of 10kg, and the leg press wasn’t very impressive either. And, push ups are not my friend! That’s okay, if I start off that badly, the only way to go is up, eh? It was so cool that early in the morning, I can imagine it’d be a lot more enjoyable running then rather than at 7am. I’ll just have to hit the sack earlier (won’t be too hard tonight!) and set the alarm for 5am.

After that energetic start to the morning, the kidlets and I went ice skating for about 3 hours. Great fun, and not as busy as I expected, given it’s school holidays, and it’s a rainy day so not a lot of fun for outdoor activities. Master 5 is now skating rather precariously by himself, and is as pleased as punch. He had pretty tired legs after a while but we just did a couple of laps of the rink, and had a break, rinse and repeat. The skates really hurt the ankles, it felt really good to get them off. Wonder if I could consider that cross training?

Just got an email from one of my dearest friends - she’s cool to mind the children in February for our photography weekend, they’ll spend Friday night with her, and Saturday night with my mum, so they’ll be rapt, and I’ll be relaxed. First time away without children in 8 years,  wonder if they’ll miss me. Probably not, they’ll have a ton of fun.

Nothing much to report dog wise, Sinner had a nice run with Hubby last night, did around 12km and he seems to enjoy it a whole lot more when it’s cool, and when they go through the bush. He’s quite an anxious soul and doesn’t really enjoy the noise of traffic. I’ll be taking Guinness out in the morning. I received the book I ordered from Amazon on running with dogs, I’ll be interested to read what it has to say. I’m going to try Guinness on a harness - he really doesn’t like the head halter, and from what I’ve seen and read about cross country running with dogs in other countries, a harness is the way to go. I can but try.

Miss 7 and I went out this morning at 7am, we did 5km and we just about melted! It wasn’t so much the heat, but the humidity. Guinness was really reluctant to finish the last km, and flopped onto the cool tiled floor as soon as we get home. I’m just going to have to get up and underway earlier, particularly if I want to go much further. That may mean that Miss 7 won’t be with me, but I can work around that by taking her out for a bike ride in the afternoon when it’s cooler. Not such a bad idea, Master 5 has just ditched his training wheels and could use the practice.

I’m going to do some weight training with Anja in the morning, and I’m looking forward to it. There may need to be some shuffling of running days/times with Hubby to fit that in and be home before he goes to work, but we’re both pretty flexible so should be able to work something out. I figure my legs are getting leaner and more muscular, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to work on my upper body too.

I need to find someone with a ride on lawnmower to tackle our lawn while our mower is broken. I’ll be getting it fixed but I think knee high grass is a bit beyond a push mower. I’ve made a ton of calls and nobody is ringing me back. Obviously got enough work on, but it’s not very courteous.

My friend Jacqui came around today and brought a gift for me - Paul Potts CD. This guy was a totally ordinary phone salesman from Wales and went on the telly show Britain’s Got Talent. He sang Nessun Dorma, and was brilliant. It’s amazing to think that there’s such talent out there in suburbia undiscovered. I’d love to be able to sing well. I sing a bit, and it’s awful, but I tell Hubby that if I’m singing, I’m happy and he hasn’t done anything wrong, so he may as well enjoy it!! I read a blog post somewhere - 7 things you didn’t know about me. I guess that’s one thing many people don’t know about me, that I’d love to be able to sing well, but I’m not going to take the time to figure out another 6. If people don’t know some things about me, there may well be a reason for that. Anyway, here’s Paul on youtube:

I had a busy couple of shifts at work on Friday night and Saturday, and was bitten by a grumpy little terrier who didn’t want a manicure. I also received a pay rise, which made it all more bearable.  I was working with Lucie, which is always fun, and she’s very organised - usually manage to get everything done and out of there quickly after closing.

On Saturday afternoon we went geocaching again, and went to find a new cache in the hills behind Samford Village. It was a 5km round trip and the kids and the dogs were knackered after it. I had to tell Master 5 not to run along the rocky gravel fire trails several times, but it didn’t seem to sink in; he ran along one more time, tripped over a rock and made a total mess of his knee. It’s much more comfortable today, thank goodness. He really doesn’t like the sight of blood, even the slightest scratch is a drama if there’s so much as a drop of blood.

I skipped going out to Redcliffe this morning and went out for an 8km run with Anja. We’re very much at the same pace, and we manage a similar distance so it was really comfortable, and I really enjoyed the company. Hopefully we’ll do it again, maybe try the environmental centre again when it’s dried up a bit. My shin was great, no problems. I don’t think I’ll increase my distance quite that much in one hit again, I’ve learned my lesson.

We went shopping with our Christmas vouchers, and I bought a hydration belt with a zippered pocket and a pocket to hold a drink bottle. I’m told it will come in handy when I get up to runs around 20km or so. We also got some clothes for Miss 7’s birthday present, and then took the kidlets swimming at the lagoon to try out their new boogie boards.

All in all, a nice weekend.

This afternoon I’m off to work again, and I just realised that I haven’t paid my registration as a vet surgeon for the new year. It would be illegal for me to work this afternoon, not that anybody would really know. Thank goodness for credit cards and fax machines. While I was digging around for the form I had to send off, I also found a lost electricity bill and two lost phone bills. My desk is a pigsty, I need a better system, I’m sure my credit rating is shot.

Miss 7 wanted to come out with me again today, and we did a slow 7km in a nice cool light drizzle, it took us 46 minutes, including two poo stops and three pee stops - for Guinness, not us. My shin warmed up okay but was still nigggly, felt a ton better after some ice this afternoon. Tomorrow is another rest day, then I’m aiming for 10k on Sunday, a nice light week.

There’s been a lot of media coverage about Diff the dog and his fall in Mt Maroon National Park, story here. Fortunately the dog and the walkers were rescued. Given the repeated “no”’s I’ve had from the local council about taking my dogs on lead in a local conservation park, with poo bags to pick up droppings, and staying to the tracks that horses are allowed to use, I’d expect this guy to be fined for taking a dog off leash in a National Park. The Environmental Protection Agency has opened up a series of trails for horse riders, which might be worth exploring - there’s quite a few in State Forest, where dogs are allowed. Further details and maps here.

Yesterday was a rest day, and today my shin was still sore and it was raining,  so I made a date with the elliptical trainer. It was a pretty humid day and I was wearing track suit pants, I worked up quite a sweat while I was watching the Hopman Cup tennis. I had to look twice, but it looked to me like Serena Williams asked for a power bar after only two games. Strange.

All this wet weather has encouraged us to get the tyres on the cars checked. Two days, 8 new tyres and the local Goodyear franchise love us so much they gave me a free mp4 player. Very nice. Now I just need the brakes done and a service, and then the registration will be due. Cars have to be one of the most expensive items, but oh so necessary.

Kidlets and dogs both have a bit of cabin fever. We saw Bee Movie while the car was getting the new tyres. The kidlets liked it a lot, I thought it was one of the silliest kids movies I’ve seen in a long time. I usually don’t mind watching a movie with them, but this really was awful. Totally daft storyline. Miss 7 was asking me today if I thought she was fat. She is the most perfectly proportioned, long legged, lean athletic girl, and I immediately had concerns about her developing an eating disorder if she was starting to think she’s fat. Turns out she’s just a bit concerned about the amount of junk food we’ve eaten over the festive season, capped off by a Dreamy Donut today for morning tea while waiting for the movie. I don’t mind her taking an interest in her health, but she can get a little ummm obsessive.

Dinner tonight was my bean/pasta/vegie soup - well, it’s not so much a soup I guess, you can eat it with a fork. It’s got no meat in it which makes a nice change. I slightly modified a recipe Roseanne gave me. I wouldn’t mind cutting down the amount of red meat I eat, and replacing it with a bit more fish. Heat a couple of tablespoons in a large saucepan, add a sliced onion, some garlic, 2 stalks celery, chopped, 2 carrots, chopped, cauliflower, chopped (can really add whatever vegies you like here), cook until vegies just tender. Stir in a tin of diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, some basil and oregano to taste, 6 cups stock (chicken or vegetable) and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in 125g small pasta shells or elbows or bows (again, whatever you like) and a can of 4 bean mix (I add half a bag of dried soup mix but that takes another half hour to cook). Simmer until pasta is cooked. Serve with crusty bread. So yummy, and reheats really well. Enjoy.

Well, it’s the first day of a new year. I must admit, I don’t get terribly excited by it, but it does lead me to reflect a little on the last year and what I may be able to do better this one. I don’t always make resolutions as such, but I think a bit about specific areas of my life that I want to change. I soooo want to get back onto my bagpipes this year, I miss playing them. I wonder if all the running I’ve done has improved my blow power??  I also want to train Guinness more - he’s such a clever dog, and I have a great book on tricks that dogs can learn. I want to take more photographs. There was an article in the Courier Mail today about how we spend our lives working to ensure a comfortable retirement, and don’t enjoy the process. One thing that’s particularly important to me is to have a solid family base - myself, Hubby and the kidlets, and have us all support and encourage each other in whatever interests we have. Doesn’t always work out that way when life gets busy, but I’d like that to be much more of a focus this year.

We watched Oh Brother, Where Art Thou last night on DVD, and it was quite weird (Hubby chose that one!), but the music was excellent - southern gospel type songs with great harmonies. It was followed by Hannibal Rising, which was the prequel to the Hannibal Lecter series of movies. It was good enough, not a lot of suspense as with the other Hannibal movies, but fairly true to the book and, as to be expected, lots of gore. Hit the sack at 1am and slept in until Master 5 came in for a rather fidgety cuddle.

I was going to go a bit bush for my run today, but Miss 7 wanted to come out on her bike with me, so I just went around our local area. A slow 6km, in around 37 minutes, but she did really well. We got rained on which was refreshing, I was glad to get home as my right shin has been a bit niggly again, after the fast-ish run on Sunday morning. Tomorrow is a rest day, running-wise,  and we’re going to tidy up the house after the festive season. I’ve promised the kidlets that as soon as it’s sunny again, we’ll go to the lagoon with their boogie boards, so that may be enough incentive for them to chip in and help. They don’t have the longest attention span.

We went to the shops today to let the kidlets choose something with their Christmas vouchers. Master 5 knew exactly what he wanted, and we left Big W with another transformer, and the movie Transformers. We all snuggled up on the couch to watch it, it was actually a great film. I really enjoyed it. Optimus Prime is my hero! Miss 7 commented that it was really nice to cuddle up as a family to watch a movie - that’s exactly the type of thing I mean when I say I would really like a strong family connection, and we will do more of that.  We’re going away for the weekend for Miss 7’s birthday, and we’ll do some bushwalking, some swimming and maybe a bit of running. Looking forward to that, but can’t believe she’s going to be 8!! Where did the time go? I’m so fortunate to be able to homeschool, I have so much more time with the kidlets. They’ll be teenagers in the blink of an eye, so this time is so precious.