My bags are packed, I'm ready to go ...

Not quite yet, but I'm heading down to Geelong tomorrow so I can just take the airport bus to the airport on Saturday morning at the crack of arse!  Who on earth thought to get an early flight to the US?? ha.

Well the case has been packed, unpacked, checked, rechecked, repacked, clothes deleted, clothes added, clothes deleted again when presents were added, and I tell you I am that sick of looking at it, that it's now locked up tight.  

So glad that once the gifties I have for people in my case have gone, that there'll be more breathing space, particularly as I placed an order at Roadrunner Sports (an AMAZING sports store in the US) for a new pair of New Balance runners, same as the ones I have, but ... wait for it ... $120 cheaper than here.  I couldn't not, now could I?  Decided to become a member (which I'll cancel after I return home) and I got another 10% off and free postage (they are currently on their way to my friend's place in Houston where I'll be visiting last).  They are a cool shade of blue.

There may have been a packet of Jelly Belly jelly beans full of carbs and electrolytes to assist with long running also find their way into my order.  Funny how that happens.  Interesting concept.  As I've been doing longer and longer runs, I have found I need something, but I haven't gone down the path of gels yet.  I'm going to try these out.

It's comforting to know I have a number of peeps I know going it alone next round.  Great job.  We'll keep each other on the straight and narrow.

And okay, this blog is soon going to become a travel blog for the next three weeks, so I hope you'll stick with me.  I am about to go on a Thelma and Louise type trip with a girlfriend, meeting up with a stack of other girlfriends.  Promise there will be no canyon at the end!  ;-)

And whilst I will do my utmost to be good, I still want to immerse myself in everything.  I've been to the USA a couple of times before, but not to the parts I'm going to - San Diego, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and finishing up in Houston.  I have packed my running gear, don't you fear and I hope to steel away a couple of times for some runs.  But I also want to taste the tastes.  I want to try those s'mores I keep hearing about.  I want to enjoy the fine dining restaurant that we've booked.  I want to go to the supermarket and try every darn Chobani yoghurt flavour that we don't get !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha.

So catch you all on the flip side.   Exciting weeks ahead.

Rocking our little socks off !

Today we went to the Camperdown Cruise Rockabilly Festival.  We went last year and knew it was loads of fun, so even though the weather was drizzly we didn't want to miss it again.  There's something quite intoxicating looking at all those beautiful cars, so lovingly restored, they really are a thing of beauty (and I'm not a rev head, the most I know about cars is you put the key in the ignition and they're supposed to work!!).  And seeing the people wandering around all dressed up in 50's clothes and their make up impeccably done.  Such a way of life for a lot of these people.

Oh you may have noticed something in this shot, someone has lost a bit of weigh too - namely a lot of fuzz around the chin!  The whiskers have gone.  Gave me the shock of my life when I came home the other day and I saw him clean shaven, only the second time in 12 years!

I was standing admiring the bright yellow car and the gentleman came up to me and asked if I'd like to have a sit in it.  My goodness (although the pics turned out very dark).  Mike talked to him for a little bit asking about parts, and how he fixed it up.  Chat chat chat.  I got out, he closed the car door.  We thanked him and as we left I looked around and he was walking off the other way.  It dawned on me ... what if he didn't own the car???!!!  Woops.  Surely not.

Never one to miss an opportunity!  Mike found his hand got awfully tired and needed to rest! ha.  Fun times!

So after a wander around we went over to the Rockabilly Dance Lessons in the hall.  One hour of hip flipping, twirling, swivelling and generally sweating up a storm to a lot of laughter.  I soon realised I needed a square radius of about 10 metres when I danced, particularly when I decided to do my own hand movements, just adding a bit of flair of course, except I nearly took a lady's nose off dancing next to us at  one stage with one of my more flamboyant moves.  

I'd have to say though, if I grabbed Mike right now and tried to do the routine, we would look at each other and not remember a thing.  Lots of fun at the time though.  

Mosaic to Mountain Fun Run

Yesterday was the Dunkeld Mosaic to Mountain Fun Run and yay I did it.  My first timed 10km fun run.  I've run up to 12km in training runs so I knew I had it in my legs, so I just set out to enjoy it.  

Got to Dunkeld early and picked up my race bib attempted to pin it on and pinned my stomach instead!!  BLEEDING!!  Oh heck, I can't even get further than the registration tent and I'm in pain.   What a sense of self satisfaction walking around with my red numbered race bib, like a neon sign ... HEY LOOK AT ME I'M RUNNING THE BIG ONE!!!

Unfortunately Mike couldn't be there yesterday so I'm proud of myself that I went up there on my own, not even any of our Warrnie crew were there.  I sent Mike a text message telling him all was good and I was a bundle of nerves and he texted me back "You'll be right. JFDI".  Got to love that man talking the 12wbt lingo.

Such a warm day, they said there was around 200 there, this was the second year they had held the event.  I had planned to run my own pace and not get carried away and knew I was at the back of the pack the whole way, but for me it was about taking part, not setting the world on fire.  Having said that I was rapt to see all my average splits were 6 mins something except one at 7:05.  That has never happened!

Such a well organised race by the Dunkeld Kinder.  Love that on many direction points that there would be a parent with their kinder child.  Then having the child clap as you run past calling out "come on you can do it" just terrific.  Running out of town closer and closer to the imposing Mt Sturgeon really was wonderful, completely fantastic views.  It was hot and I learnt a lesson I should be running with a cap or sun visor.

So glad to run through the finish line although Runkeeper reliably informs me that the 10km fun run measured 11.2km.  Hmmm, who knows.  The orange I had at the end was the sweetest most fabulous tasting orange ever!!

I was quietly fingers crossed hoping to do the run in 1 hour 15 mins.  Final time was 1:14:04 !!!!  Yay I have a PB!  Plus I came 74th out of 80 runners in the 10k.  Still rapt.  Six people came in after me.  Mind you when I looked at the results, they had me in the Veterans Category.  WTF did that happen?  I'm a veteran?????

It was lovely also to meet Matilda and husband of Run Mum blog.  I have been reading along that blog the last couple if weeks and saw a lady wearing a tshirt with Run Mum on it and had to say hello to find out if it was her.  Such nice people, we chatted for a short while trading stories.

Here's a pic of Mt Sturgeon I took from a look out on the way home so you can see the types of view we had, albeit much much closer.

After that I was on such a high, I got changed and then headed to the market in town, such wonderful arts and crafts, so I could pick up some gifts to take on my trip away with me.  Then home for a rest, feet up, and a snooze.  Not for long though, had a function to go to with the man last night, I even wore high heels, can you believe it !!   Ouch.

So what's next on the horizon by way of fun runs.  Honestly with November out of the equation being that I'll be away overseas for three weeks, unless something pops its head up in December, I think the Surf T Surf in January will be the next one.  And yes, I'll be one of those runners with the snazzy red bib on, cause I'll be doing the 10km!!

Instagram wrap ups

I have decided that each month I'll put my favourite Instagram photos onto a page, and slip the page into our yearly albums.  How fun.  Lots of little snippets, nothing overly of consequence, just the fabric that makes up our lives.  Some of the photos may even make their way with a story onto a page of their own.  Other photos I will be hitting the delete button once I get these pages printed out.  All good.  All part of the memory keeping.

And because June we got our iPhones and I was a bit taken with Instagram (actually, I still am!!) there were enough photos to fill two pages!  Every month won't be like that though.

Credits Designer Digitals.

I did my last training run tonight, just a nice easy 4.5km before my big race on Saturday.   I say "big race" as in it's my first 10km fun run.  But the event isn't a big event.  It's being run by the local kindergarten at Dunkeld, called the Mosaic to Mountain Fun Run, starting at the Mosaic in the park in town and running to the base of the Grampians and back.  I'm really pumped for it.  I know I can now do 10+ km so hopefully that stands me in good stead for Saturday.  Saw that the forecast for Dunkeld is 26C and Windy.  Oh joy!  

I like my new hat that I got for my birthday from my American friend, thank you Bob!!  :-)  Makes me feel happy thinking I can definitely be seen bobbing around with a bright orange head.  Go Boise State!  I forget what they were, basketball, football, baseball?  Something with a ball anyway.  I don't look too winded here having just run 4.5km.  Go me.

Notice how Lucky is in the background ignoring me.  He gets really shitty when he seems me in my running gear about to leave the house.  When I take him with me on his long lead, he can only run about 1km before he gives up and then wants to walk and sniff every tree and post.  I promised him tomorrow.

The plan now is a walk and light weights tomorrow (Thursday).

Rest up (Friday)

Up to Dunkeld nice and early (Saturday) for the race starting at 9am.

I will go on record here and say I'll just be ecstatic to finish it.  But I would be absolutely over the moon if I can do it in 1 hour 15 mins.  Yeah yeah, people keep aiming for sub 60mins for their 10km runs.  I am being realistic.  I am still a plodder, but a happy plodder.

Weekend happenings

Love it when I get an RDO on a Friday and it makes a three day weekend.  Plans were to go down to Geelong and spend the night with mum and take her out for a week late belated birthday dinner, as I couldn't get down the week before.

Mexican mmmmmmm.  With my fajitas and mum's burrito finished we took one look at each other and just knew we were going to dive into the dessert menu.  I figure I ticked the fruit box for the day when I tucked into a banana split, and mum certainly ensured her calcium levels were up with her icecream sundae.  Can we say big kids???

Love Mexican Graffiti in Geelong, you put the flag up at the table when you are ready to order or need something from the waiting staff, there's no needing to catch someone's eye, they know straight away and service is always super quick.  Such a fun and novel thing.

Don't our desserts look fab???

I knew I was going to make up for it on Saturday morning as I had planned my long Saturday morning run around the foreshore, and that I did.  I ended up running to Rippleside and back and then all the way over to Limeburners Point and back.  Around the big pool on the way back, then fluffed about going back to the carousel to build my k's up as I wanted to get into double figures.  End result 10.48 km.

And to put it into perspective for those who don't know Geelong, here I am on the tip of Limeburners Point looking back towards Rippleside.  Not a bad self-portrait of me running!  Wind in my hair, looking slightly on the thin side!

Can someone say ... birds nest!!??  But oh how arty farty with the sun rays coming through the tree like that.  Total fluke.  This was half way through my run.  Good times!  And such a beautiful morning for it.

And the best part about the whole weight loss thing is clothes shopping for sure.  I have been looking for a black jacket for ages and here it is.  Come to mama!  Excuse the sideways photo, that was not intentional, I've just not mastered the art of one handed selfies yet, and in a changeroom with three mirrors showing every angle, eeek!  David Lawrence jacket marked down by $110 !!!!!  Got to love a sale like that.

So having run 10km+ a few times now I feel quite good about next Saturday's fun run, where I'm doing the Mosaic to Mountain at Dunkeld.  My first ever 10km fun run.  The race is from the mosaic park area behind the main street to the base of the grampians and back.  It's fairly low key I believe being run by the local kindergarten.  I'm really looking forward to it as I feel ready.  Plus despite a sensational Friday and Saturday, and now turning cold and rainy today, the forecast for next weekend is apparently good.

Have a great Sunday!  

Better late than never

I really suck at keeping this blog up to date - so much to do, so little time.

So I mentioned my Fifty before 50 idea.  To do fifty fabulous, fun, frivolous, fantastic things before I turn 50 and document them.  To celebrate the things that put a smile on my face, whether they be big and grandiose, small and insignificant to some but maybe not to me, and everything in between.

Hope you will enjoy.

Here's the title page.  Thank you to Mike for taking such a nice photo of me on my birthday, sitting on the front porch just prior to going out for our ritzy chi chi pooh pooh lunch.

If you click on the page you will be able to read the journalling, if you so care to.

And page 1, my first fun thing I want to celebrate and of course starting the album off on a running page, it just was right, wasn't it !!

Credits:  Designer Digitals

Speaking about running, I ran my longest run on Saturday morning, 12.7km !  And despite feeling achy I followed it up on Sunday with a fun run, just a 4.5 km down at Camperdown the Lake2Lake.  A quick photograph after the run of the girls from our group who joined in, just before the heavens opened up and drenched everyone!

Well that's it for me, over and out.  Lights out!