Week ONE

Run:

Tuesday --> 10km with BMMC, usual Tuesday Sun Valley route (actually logged in previous post but included here to total the week). ~1hr
Wednesday --> approx. 36-38km run from Glenbrook NP gates up The Oaks and back in the evening with Princess Donga and Prince Donga (briefly). ~4:30hr
Thursday --> 10km with BMMC, usual Thursday loop (very very tired and slow) ~1hr
Sunday --> ~8km run out to Martins LO and back through the streets (35min)
Total Run: 64km (~7:05hr)

Ride:
Wednesday --> 120km ride shared with The Animal and Welsh Exchange Student (separately). Discussed in greater detail further down, ~4hr
Friday --> usual AM out and back with The Animal, 40km. ~1:25hr
Saturday --> Bells Line of Road loop with The Animal, 160km (~ 6hrs)
Sunday --> Cobbity Loop with The Animal, 125km (~4:20hr)
Total Ride: 445km (~15:45hr)

Swim:
Zippity Do Dah

Total time: 22:50hr (not even one seventh of the total week)

Well, the big mid-week effort began with a ride with The Animal. Was planning on doing the Hawkesbury Loop in counter-clockwise direction, however poor planning and execution of the alarm-wake-up procedure, meant last minute change of plans to clockwise direction in order for The Animal to be back in time for work. However, as it turned out in a bitter twist of fate, a direction change along Castlereagh Rd and brief interlude onto someone's property with 2 nasty looking (albeit a little fat) Blue Cattle Dogs added some KM and time to the trip. I won't say who's idea it was, but it wasn't mine!
Well the universe wasn't going to provide ME with some whingeing material without providing The Animal with an extra helping. A lack of communication re: some massive pot holes along a busy Londonderry Rd came close to being a friendship-ending manouvre. Needless to say, The Animal stayed on, did not get any flats, did not ruin his wheels and found it in his heart to forgive me. I am pretty poor at signalling when we ride, not because I am inconsiderate or rash, I just don't tend to notice the pot holes/obstacles until I'm upon them, and then I'm dodging and weaving to avoid hitting them myself. No excuse however!
We got back in one piece and at the foot of Old Bathurst hill I parted with The Animal, so that I could join up with The Welsh Exchange student who would be heading in to Blacktown for work. I figured he would be heading out soon and I could meet him at the bottom of the hill, sent out a message to inform him of the rendezvous point. Would have had time to get up Old Bathurst and meet ol' ShitKick up the top, but alas, maybe another time. Finally met up with Welshy and made our way along the M4 to Prospect Hwy, where we said our Good Bye's and I headed back home. Made good time on the way home, and was glad to cover 120 km.
A couple of hours sleep, and a quick stop at work before countless back and forth on the text msg with Prince Donga, and we managed to formulate a kind-of plan. I was going to head up The Oaks at 5pm while he and the Princess would head down after work. Princess got a head start (on Mick, that is - I actually got a 1:15 head start on her) and met me about 4-5km past the Heli Pad. I timed my exhausted sit-on-a-rock break well, as I had only been there for 2 minutes and eaten only 8 snakes (the Natural Confectionery Company Variety that is) before Gill came blazing down The Oaks (actually up a hill at this point in time). She had left at about quarter past 6. We both headed back down The Oaks, expecting the Prince to come bounding round a bend behind us at any minute. Due to Gill's very quick running we did not see Mick for another hour and a half I'd say, we were just short of the bitumen near Euroka turn-off.
I had been struggling for about an hour at this stage, and had been visualising the large Mighty Angus meal-deal and chocolate thickshake for about half of this time. A little-too-energetic Mick suggested he keep running ahead and meet us at McDonalds. I thought that was a fantastic idea as he had verbalised by deepest desire at that stage. He must have run hard (or we were going very slow) as we had only been and McDonalds for 5-10 minutes before he joined us for what would have to be the cheapest Big Mac meal (without the meat - so a double lettuce-burger) in history - $2.95. Based on this, those meat patties must be worth $2.50 each!! Must be all those hormones.
Got home a little later and promptly hit the sack. I had no real intention of getting up for the Thursday Morning run, as my legs were aching pretty bad and my knee had the slightest suggestion of pain. However, my circadian rhythm timed well with my alarm going off, so I pulled on some pants and a top and headed down to Blaxland. Was a sorry sight heading up the Oh-so-Steep incline that is Hilda st, lots of grandpa-shuffles with groaning and moaning accompaniment. I had decided that it was probably best if I only ran as far as the first stretching-point overlooking the plains, as I really shouldn't push my luck with the knee. It was this run on sore legs that had been a major player in the knee injury 3 months prior. Didn't have the balls to say I was heading back at that stage so I stubbornly pushed on. The going was very tough along the flat section before hitting the climb back up the gully track. I had decided since coming down that I was only going to run as far as the steep section off the fire trail and I would walk the rest. At this stage The Animal (who also proclaimed he was sore) was leading the others up a little bit ahead. I managed to remain running until the rocky section where I followed Shogun's example and stopped to a walk. Didn't get running till just a little short of the top (you most certainly cannot be seen walking as the others wait patiently for you to get up the hill). Powered on at the top and finally got back to The Animal's.
Now this run wouldn't normally get a write-up as I have done. But I was hurting bad, and I want everyone to realise that.
I suspect that day at work I was the most irritable I have ever been.

Saturday's big LSD ride with The Animal would have to be the hilight of my week (and this week has had some big ones for me). The Animal was very quick to bring my attention to what an LSD stands for and what SLOW means. I suspect he didn't want to be the one to call Rach to come and get me along Bells Line as I'd passed out at the top of one of the MANY climbs. Needless to say, I felt I was rather self-controlled the whole time. I didn't mind taking it easy behind The Animal for the first quarter, and I was doing everything I could to not lose sight of him for the middle half, then felt remarkably good for the final quarter. So this is what pacing yourself is all about? Interesting concept that actually WORKS. This loop has been on my to-do list for some time now. It is held in high regard amongst Triathletes and Cyclists alike. While only being 160km in length (not huge by any standards and a good 20km short of Port Ironman's bike leg), it contains about 90km of hills, and some decent ones thrown in for good measure. The Animal had done enough to warn me about the hills, and I had some experience riding them in the other direction, so I wasn't in too bad shape by the time we reached Bell, 100km down and only 20km to go before the last easy 40km.
Once home, a little nap interruped by Andeline loudly informing me (and the rest of Farm Rd) that she had done a poo! Not only had she done one, she had managed to do some interior decorating at the same time.
Got a start on Lance Armstrong's biography after we had cleaned up, and couldn't put it down for a good few hours. Missed the arvo swim with The Animal (his text message arrived 30 minutes after he had already started swimming), and didn't end up making it by myself. Despite not swimming for a week and a half, I was happy with this weeks effort. Less (should read NO) missed sessions for the next 15 weeks is the plan.

Now to saving the money to book my place at Port...