This post has nothing to do with running!!!!

But you will forgive me when you see these photos of goodness.  And well I did run at one stage from the car to the hospital!!!!

We are grandparents!!!

Beautiful Saxon Michael David (the middle names a nod to the two grandpas) was born last Saturday.  

After Tabby was having niggles during the day they got worse.  We were out at a dinner saying goodbye to some friends here in town who were going away and got a text message to keep our phones close and up loud!  Tab ended up going to hospital to check out the niggles and got admitted!  Then it all started happening.  We got the phone call, come now!  But we were 45 mins away!!

Saxon was still breech, he hadn't turned, but she really wanted to try a natural birth.  Aaron had put out the call to the three grandmas as Tab wanted us in the delivery room with her.  But by then Saxon wasn't waiting for anyone.  Two hours after full labor started and Saxon was here.  And the grandmas all missed it by minutes!!! 

As it happened because of the breech labor Tab had 2 doctors and 3 midwives and the doctor said there wasn't enough room for us anyway.

A little after he was born Aaron floated into the waiting room and filled us in on the name and details.  Seriously Tab is superwoman in his eyes.  She didn't have time for an epidural and did it by gas alone.

About an hour after his birth we were allowed in, the three grandmas all crying happy tears and Mike.  What a moment to share with the new little family.  And how serenely beautiful she looks here, and how privileged I was to photograph this special time.

Absolutely gorgeous.

The room was dim so I needed to bump the ISO right up and was shooting at f1.4 hence the depth of field, but I think that adds to the moments captured here.  I took about 90 photos that night!!!!

Nanna and Grumpy are over the moon happy for the new little family.  They are home now and all is right in the world.

I'm not a fair weathered runner!

I almost was, but no, I'm not.  I woke on Saturday with a run planned, and looked out the back door to this.  It had been raining all night and the driveway was amass with puddles.  And it was still raining.  Back to bed I went.

Felt guilty during the morning, will I? won't I?  It was eating at me.  Had a read up of our 12wbt Runners Connect group and got told well and good by a dear friend of mine from our Warrnie Crew ... "get your coat on, get out that door, and run!"

So I did.

Amazing what peer pressure will do.  

It was wet, I got wet.  I had an appalling time as I kept stopping under the trees in the park when the rain got too hard.  Realised the raincoat I grabbed to run in really isn't conducive to running as I got wetter inside the jacket than outside as I was sweating.  Hmmm, sauna jacket anyone?  

But it was great.   I came home ready for a lovely hot shower, and then sat the rest of the afternoon crocheting by the fire with a smug look on my face.  Thank you Kellie.  I needed that kick up the butt.

I really got myself out of kilter as I was in my pjs ready to go to bed when I realised I hadn't done the wall sit challenge the 12wbt Runners Connect group had started.   10 seconds more each day.  It was the 14th June, so that meant a wall sit of 140 seconds.  So on went the sneakers so I could grip the floor and here I am doing my wall sit.  But 140 seconds was my undoing.  I failed twice at it, not making the time.  And even looking at this pic I was hardly down low enough.  Oh yes, you may laugh at my flanny pj's, but you need them in this weather.

Ever the helpful husband part-time trainer (cough cough) he suggested I take my top off, to be better able to grip the wall yanno.  I even fell for that as I was desperate to make the 140 seconds.  But it was not to be.  I need to work on this old core of mine.

So another weekend has come and gone.  A week full of rainy weather ahead has been forecast so I very well will be hitting the gym this week.   Hope you had a great one.  Now time for dinner and a roast awaits me with lots and lots of veggies, yum!

Run Forrest ... DNS

So I had Run Forrest yesterday.  Totally excited, looking forward to the run and the resultant festival afterwards.  We were out the door by just after 7am to drive the one and a half hours down there.  Had to take my car as Mike's is out of action, waiting on a part.  Today also marked 17 years since my grandpa passed away from pancreatic cancer.  I had planned to run with this photograph in my pocket.  Hold on tight grandpa we were going for a run.

We'd gotten as far as Camperdown, half an hour away, and the minute Mike hit the brakes there was a nasty grinding groaning sound.  Now my brakes have been making a bit of a sound but nothing like this.  Stopped the car, took off again and it was a horrible metallic sound.  Mike wasn't happy at all and at that moment I knew what was coming, we weren't going anywhere.  

He turned the car around on the highway and went off to a small road and got out to check.  He said the front left brake was red hot.  There was no way we were heading to Forrest.  We limped our way back home at about 60kmh and of course I cried the whole way home, big fat silent ploppy tears, and he was feeling bad too, kept saying sorry, which made it worse as he has nothing to be sorry about.  And even being a two car family we couldn't even take his car as it's out of action whilst we're waiting for a part for his.  Stuck.

DNS.  Did Not Start.  First time I've ever had that against my name.

Home, started unpacking, and still feeling in the miseries decided right, I'm already in my gear, at 10.30am I'm going to head out and run my 10km around town at the same time as I would have been doing Run Forrest.

It wasn't pretty, it was slow, but I'm so glad I did.  I took my grandpa in my pocket and we just ran and ran and ran.  

Although at one point I thought I was being stalked.  A van had followed me very slowly, there was some writing on the side but I couldn't make it out.  It would disappear and then reappear again.  Far out, it really was following me.  Then I was over on the other side of town and there it was again, slowly slowly inching it's way up the street, it turned and came up the service road after me.  I was at the stage of trying to work out fight or flight, what to do, then it passed me ... it was the Google mapping van!!  Oh that'd be right, my arse will probably end up on Google with it's own address code!  

And later on that night, a friend of mine sent me this.   Firstly he sent me a message to check if I'd had my concrete yet.  Concrete I asked?  He said yeah, to toughen me up a bit!  He knew I was disappointed about missing the race but told me I needed to start being super proud of myself and to celebrate how far I'd come, and be thankful about that.  I still went out and ran 10km, I don't need a medal to know I'm now a fit woman who can belt out 10km whenever I want to.

Yep, thanks Bruce, point taken!  Got to love the people who make me keep it real.

Oy, I'm still here!

Have just been busy and quiet, but still been running.  I did my 5km Licorice & Olives virtual race for May.  Nothing astounding about the time, holding pretty even.  I've been out and about, and the last two weekends  for my LSR I've been hankering for some different scenery so have travelled over to Terang for a couple of laps of the Dry Lake.

It's a great route 4.5km for the circuit that changes remarkably as you hit the different corners of the lake.  Running clockwise you start off in a bush trail, and you'd swear you were in the middle of the bush.  It smells nice too.

Then as you leave this area of the circuit you end up in country paddocks running in with the cows.  The first lap there were no cows but as I headed around for the second lap the cows had moved along the track grazing.  

There there, nice cow, you're mighty big up close, there's a good cow, let me pass!  I wax ready to take off sprinting in case they charged!!

Through another gate, yes there are gates to open and shut all the way along this route ...

Then you head through the grounds of the nursing home.  Firstly it's really nice for them to allow runners and walkers through their grounds, and secondly I imagine the residents must enjoy seeing people run through calling out a cheery hello.   Not to mention what the sight of my sweaty Lycra tights must have done to heart rates! Hahahaha

Then through another gate and you head up a grassy hill to the top and then wheeeeee! down you go, that's the good part, along a track down the side of the hill down to the flat area below. 

Then you head past some paddocks with horses through a lovely straight stretch, which was just lovely in the sun.

And back along the north side through an avenue of beautiful trees, where I was rained on by Autumn leaves floating down, very magical.

Back up to the main road, and along back to the start again.  Fantastic!  Ready to do it over.  It's a great run and good training for running on different surfaces.  Two laps for 9km makes for a very enjoyable morning run.

These photos are a combination of the last two weekends of long slow runs around the Dry Lake.  How lucky I am to have this area so close to vary my training.

Now on the eating front I've had a jolt and eaten clean for three days running.  One of the ladies from our 12wbt Runners Connect Facebook group has started a Foodies group and just checking in, chatting food, it's made a huge difference.  I don't want to report in that I've blown it yet again, not to mention I could hardly sit here eating choc and reading along.  So far so good.  My eating is where I've slackened off on over the last months and it's what I need to reign in.

GOR

For those 'in the know' that stands for Great Ocean Road and for those REALLY 'in the know' we know that a person is talking about the Great Ocean Road Marathon carnival at Apollo Bay.

I decided to enter the 14km Paradise Run and it was fantastic.  I am so proud of myself too, Mike couldn't make it and I didn't know anyone else from my neck of the woods going to it so I took myself off on the 2.5 hour drive (through some hairy roads through the Otways).  And look at the day!  It was spectacular.  I popped across the road to check out the water, absolutely gorgeous.

  

The only thing about going to these events alone is that unless you find a kind soul to help out you end up with selfies!  The other thing is tha you just end up wandering around and making some chit chat with people as you pass by.  And coming back over the finish line and you are all elated and you just want to hug someone and share the moment and there's no one.  But I can't expect Mike to come to all the events with me, I just need to find a like minded local that wants to do these events as well and share the experience.

Pretty soon we were lining up on the Main Street to start, crowds had lined the street, I was a bit closer to the start than I was comfortable with so I kept way over to the side so I didn't get in the way with too many people, and then we were off.

Up the Main Street and soon enough we had left town and were making our way out to a paradise.  Kind of a cool,ring to it, hey today I ran to Paradise!  What a gorgeous setting to run in, lush green vista on each side of the roadway, beautiful country scenes.  We passed a paddock with some amazing looking horses and they were having such fun galloping up and down the fence line as the runners ran past.  

It was hot!  And looking ahead in the sweeping road it was amazing how quickly the pack had spread out.  I was just past the the 4km mark and the front runners, two guys, were already passing us on the way back (the 10km Mark for them).  They were positively sprinting, I can't wait to see the results to see how close they finished.  All the runners around me, myself included, broke out in spontaneous applause as we all passed them.  It was amazing seeing their stride.

I continued m plod, the water stops were very welcome, I was drinking a cup then dowsing myself with another cup.  Soon enough though we were up in the beautiful fern filled shady treed area, the shade was bliss!  I hit the 7km turnaround point and was slightly ahead of my goal.  I wanted to finish by 2 hours, yes I am a plodder!

It's funny, I look at the elevation and it looks horrendously steep, but I would more say it was undulating, although obviously gradually raising.  It was nice thinking I was homeward bound, and not last by a long shot, there were still plenty of runners making their way to the turnaround point.

At one stage the ambulance went past and shortly after we saw a fellow in distress being worked on.  This is obviously a wonderfully run event, a number of motor bikes up and down the road checking on runners, and St Johns Ambulance were out in force.  I was also taken with the support by the people.  People were out and about calling encouragement. The Main Street was positively packed with people cheering as you were coming down the straight.  I heard "Another one Bites the Dust" being played over the loudspeaker and I sprinted to the end.  1 hour 45 mins or so I saw up on the board, I'll have to wait to get the official time.  I was rapt, well within the 2 hour limit I had said.  Not a cracking pace, but on target for me.

And I finally got bling!  It's been a running joke with my friends that I sooooooo wanted a medal.  Not a convertible keyring, not an embroidered facewasher, but a medal, undeniably a medal.  And I now have one.  And it's beautiful and quite heavy for it's size.  I wandered back around to the finish and snapped this photo.  I had just run 14km and I think I was on a high, I didn't look as exhausted as I felt.

Oh, you'd like a closer look ;-)

And here's the course...

Oh and I loved the signs that people were holding...

"If you think your legs hurt, mine do too standing here watching!"

"The only thing between you and the finish line is sweat"  (I called out to her that she told us that 12km ago, being that I'd seen it on the way out of town!!)

"Run like Joel Selwood is standing at the finish line with a puppy" 

I wanted to get going home pretty quick smart, to get through the curly bit through to Colac before dark, and I did, but not before stopping at the bakery and buying a chocolate milk and a sausage roll!  I deserved it.  2.5 hours later and I was home.  And now about ready to drop.  What a great day.  Fantastically run event, completely enjoyable with amazing scenery, I would certainly do it again in a heartbeat.

MDC Geelong

Okay so Mother's Day is a pretty special day for us in Australia (just for my overseas friends reading this), not just because it's Mother's Day, but it involves the Mothers Day Classic.  People all around Australia take part in a running event in cities and towns across the country, all raising money for breast cancer research and awareness.   It was this time last year which was the first time my mum had seen me run.  And she couldn't wait for it to roll around again this year.  Mum used to be a keen walker (comes from not having a drivers licence) and I know she would have loved to have taken part in the walk, but for her hip problems.  However she is an amazing cheer squad.   And once again it was fun taking part in the Geelong event with mum.

So the day started early, here's my alarm!  Pushy isn't it?

We had a quick breakfast so it would subside by the 7.45 start and donned our pink, and in our opinion the brighter the better!   Check out mum's runners!  Yes my mum is short, cause I'm not the tallest by a long shot, but mum is 4'11 and a half inches tall (yes, she says that half is very important!!)  It was a PERFECT morning.  No wind, no rain, it was just glorious.  Overcast, but then the sunrise was beautiful.  Couldn't have ordered a better morning.   

It was a fun fun morning because some of the runners from the 12wbt Runners Connect group were there and funnily enough recognised me from my hair!   ha.  So I got to meet Shev and Trish as well which was super super great.  I love that this running gig brings you into contact with the most wonderful people.   Not to mention my partner in crime at the Geelong Half Marathon Sarah.  We made our way to the start line as we were taking part in the 8km run (mind you Sarah finished and then did the 4km walk with her family, go Sarah!).

Lots of people there, they had flipped the course a bit this year, and we had to make our way up the extension of Brougham Street up along the water front at the top of Eastern Beach.  Ouch.  That's a nasty start to the race.  A bit excited lining up at the start, and Sarah with her trademark smile, does this girl ever have a down moment?  ;-)

It was a fun morning, there was an 8km run and walk and a 4km run and walk, but it was only the runs that were timed.  The official times are now on the website:

• My time:   57:17    (last year I was 56:37 so close, I'm blaming the hills)
• Overall placing:   606 out of 676 runners in the 8km run
• Gender:  470 out of 528 females in the 8km run.
• Category (female 40-49):  118 out of 128.
• An average pace:   7:09 min km, which is fast for me, so I'm happy with that.

There's a bit of a running joke in our 12wbt Runners Connect group that I am holding out to finally get a medal.  And that I don't count a convertible keyring on a lanyard as a medal.   I don't want a transformer medal, I want something that is undeniably-can't-be-used-as-anything-else-medal.   But still, I'm pretty pleased to get another one of these.

And a princess sash!  What can I say, it's official, I'm a pink princess!  Mum won a spot prize of an umbrella too, she was rapt (it was white with butterflies all over it).  They put us in front of the wall and took our photo and stuck a big bow on mum's head!   Got to love it.

What a great mornining.  Mum had enjoyed it down there as they had singing and entertainment, a number of stalls, it's a gorgeous water front, she had a ball chatting to people and soaking up the atmosphere.  

Article from the Geelong Advertiser so you can see the fun of the day and the beautiful area we had to run in.

Home, shower, change and then it was a lovely lunch at Empire Grill for us, for their special mother's day lunch.  We've been going out to a lovely restaurant for years now, but for the last three have kept going back to Empire Grill.  Sensational.

All that running ans spectatoring meant we were in fine spirits to enjoy a beautiful three course meal, including a yummy dessert.

After dropping mum home I finished off the day going to the cemetery to leave some bright coloured flowers on my mother-in-law's grave, and stopped in at Rebel Sports for a bit of a look see and then the long drive home.   And the surprises didn't stop there, waiting for me was a little box of chocolates and a mother's day card, such a clever menagerie we have  ;-)

So what's next ... Saturday the 14km race as part of the Great Ocean Road Marathon Festival, the 14 km being from Apollo Bay to Paradise, out and back.  I'm a bit uneasy thinking of the elevation, but eh, I do believe there may be a finisher's medal involved.  A real-live-medal.  I got my race pack in the mail today, squeeeeeeal !!

Oh and yes Cat, I was filmed 4 times getting my runners - my old ones, bare foot, and the final two which I had narrowed it down to.  Amazing seeing the difference in each.

Ready for tomorrow

Clothes are all laid out, new pink top cause I needed to go brighter than my other pink tops!! ;-).   Ready for the Mothers Day Classic 8km in Geelong tomorrow.

Mum has her pink all planned out too! Although her days of any distance walking are long since passed as she has hip problems now.  Still she will be there to cheer and disk up the atmosphere and entertainment.

This arvo though I popped into The Running Company in Geelong West and got fitted for new runners.  What a fantastic experience.  They videoed you running on a treadmill from behind paying particular attention as to how your ankles rolled when you landed.  I was shocked at the inward roll of my ankle, I swear it looked like my ankle could have snapped.  What pressure I've been putting on them with my plodding.  I'm lucky it hasn't resulted in more serious problems.

After a lot of talking and testing I came away with these beauties...

Mizuno Wave Alchemy 12.  The difference in my ankle roll when running in them was quite amazing and they feel sooooo good.  

I won't wear them tomorrow however. Don't do any different on race day!  But I'll give them a few runs during the week to see how much they love me ;-). I do believe a love affair is about to begin.

Back tomorrow with a race recap.  Do for anyone running the Mothers Day Classic across Australia have a fabbo morning.  And everyone have a lovely Mothers Day.