Reflections

It's time for a quick look back over 2007 before starting to think about some new goals for 2008.

• My first half marathon: I was just so glad to get out and complete this one. After being diagnosed with Graves Disease about a month earlier and the related racing heart and loss of fitness I was happy to complete this one and pleasantly surprised with a time of about 2hrs 3 1/2 minutes.
• The diagnosis of Coeliac Disease on top of the Graves meant a change to a gluten free diet. I survived my first gluten free Christmas thanks to G's family (his sister cooked a gluten free pudding and another sister bought me a gluten free cake!). I'm feeling much better overall now.
• The second half marathon: this one was a little disappointing. Knee pain for the last third of this race meant missing my goal by 3 seconds. I am reassured by the fact that I know I really hung in there just to keep running all the way.

I guess they were the major running related events of the year. I enjoyed the longer runs and the commitment paying off with being able to complete a half marathon.

G gave me a Polar heart rate monitor for Chrissy. I haven't run in over a week due to a chronic chest infection (passed on by D and the G, thanks) so I have only done the walk test. Was meant to be done on a flat course but I went up the road anyway and the analysis was 'good', whatever that means!

I have a new route to try out after checking with a neighbour that his dogs are fenced in. There is actually a road off our road only a couple of hundred metres from our door, but I have never walked, run or even driven on it in the five years we have been here! Exciting!

Merry Christmas

It is great to be on holidays at last, but wouldn't you know it? I have come down with a horrible chesty cough and general feeling of lethargy. However, as D has pneumonia a few weeks ago and G had a chest infection last week, I guess I can hardly be suprised.

Fortunately I don't feel too bad and am not bed ridden or anything like that. But, I haven't been running since last Thursday as I feel like there is a big rock in my chest and the thought of running does not appeal at all. Walking is okay.

I hope everyone has a good Chrissy. We will be out at the in laws with 30 for lunch (that is just siblings and their families plus G's parents). Fortunately they live by the beach so there will be swimming and beach cricket at some stage.

J's comment this morning "I wish that my tiredness would neutralise my excitement" - in relation to the wait for Christmas.

151

That's the number of posts so far, not the number of kilometres or anything.

I have been running a consistent three runs a week now, although my longest run this week has been 5ks. It has been pretty humid up this way and I didn't get out till too late for a long one on the weekend.

Went back to the doctor today. She had the coeliac checked out and it was negative this time which means that the gluten free diet is working. My iron levels are also back to normal (finally) so I can stop taking iron and my blood cells are normal size. The thyroid info hadn't come back so I have to ring about that tomorrow.

It has been a bit of a crazy year health wise this year but I think it has all been related to the coeliac disease, I am sure that it triggered the Graves Disease. So it is great to end the year in a positive way. Maybe time to start thinking up some new running goals for 08. Now that's a scary thought. Have to get through the next little busy patch first. Any ideas what to buy for teenagers who have everything?

What?

Not quite sure what blogger is doing with my posts at the moment but I guess this one will appear under the other one as it's still not December 11th! Thanks for pointing that out Scott, I hadn't even noticed. Are you still blogging?

Yay - I managed 3 runs last week, finally back to normal. Today I only had time for 8 ks as I had to make lunch for the inlaws. My MIL has just had surgery for breast cancer so we took lunch over: gluten-free vegetarian lasagna, regular lasagna (for the boring folk) and a pavlova.

The run was good. Loads of cicadas buzzing away. They were even drowning out the birds.

A weird thing happened on one of my early orning runs this week. There was someone walking up the road. This is really strange as it was about 6 am and this road leads into the bush. You do reach the nearest village but it takes about an hour in the car, in other words it is a very long walk. Judging by the way he was dressed (I only saw him from behind and I don't think he saw me) he was not exercising. I am not happy about this! It is very isolated up there and I like it that way. It is one thing looking out for dingoes let alone people.

Anyway I have been up there three times since and no sign. Good.

A busy week at work (again, sure I'm not the only one) but I will need those runs for stress release.