A Massive Update

OK, so it's been far too long. It's been a massive couple of months.

So here is the quick summary (which will be very long):

June was a solid training month interrupted by a cold.

The family did our road trip to the Gold Coast. I had an ordinary race.
About 8K in I realized that it wasn't my day and I could either push
myself to my limits for an OK time or I could ease off and just enjoy
the event. I took the soft option and enjoyed another fine Gold Coast
event. I loved the cheer squad and the drinks. The twins had a good race
in the Junior Dash and then we had another great family holiday. Once
again my girls were just awesome for the whole road trip. Even the boy
was pretty good, and at 15 months I was worried about him beforehand.

I suspect that one of the reasons for the poor performance was the fact
that since Canberra I have eaten like a marathon runner and trained like
a half marathon runner. When I hopped on the scales a month ago I was
5Kg heavier than I was just before Canberra.

I've had a few issues with my bowel, and the doctors decided to do a
colonoscopy in July. This was the last straw in the preparation for the
Hunter Valley Marathon, so I pulled out of that. In the wash up from the
colonoscopy I've made a couple of adjustments to my diet. The first was
cutting from four coffees a day to one or two. I stopped my iron
supplements three weeks ago and started feeling sluggish, so I had a
blood test and my iron levels are fine. I suspect the sluggishness is
down to psychosomatic issues from iron supplement withdrawal and other
factors that will become clear later. Through all of this it has become
clear that I quite obviously would benefit from some expert advice on
dietary matters, so I am booked in to see a dietitian at the end of the
month.

So I shifted my sights to the City 2 Surf and redemption for my
lacklustre performance last year. All was looking good until I picked up
a sore throat 9 days out from the event. I lightened the training load,
but this thing just wouldn't go away, and then on the Thursday before
the race I went for a light 11K run and that day I just went downhill. I
could only work half the day, and when I went in to see my running
sympathetic doctor, he just said "four days of bed rest. Forget C2S." So
I did. This morning was my first run since, and I feel pretty good. I'm
pretty sure it was the right decision.

Now for the big news.

A few weeks before the Gold Coast trip we found out that Des is
pregnant.

Yeeee Haaaah!!!! {Ben punches the air}

We are ecstatic. Now we have just entered the second trimester and we
are now able to get a bit excited as the main danger period passes.

John will be just a little short of two years old, and is already
showing signs of a firm belief that he rules the world. Why wouldn't he?
His sisters do whatever he wants. He basically has the four of us at his
beck and call. This must change, and now it will. After he gets over
being put out he will have someone to play with. It works.

I grew up as one of four. I like the number - I think it was a good size
of family to be a part of. Four is, however, enough. I intend to have
some minor surgery after this child is born.

This has been the main reason that I haven't had tome to blog, read
blogs, relax or scratch my bum for the last three months. Des is having
a rough pregnancy. She has been nauseous and tired every night. Last
time I handled the first trimester quite well - Des collapsed on the
lounge and I made the girls dinners and put them to bed. For an instant
family still feeling it's way it was good for all of us.

This time we have John. John cuts no-one any slack. He has been teething
over the last couple of months, which has turned Des and I into zombies
as he has wailed for hours during the night. And then he wants to play
at 5:00AM. If we didn't love him we'd defenestrate him.

So as we move into the second trimester and John starts to sleep better
life resumes something approximating normal. Des is feeling a bit better
as each week passes.

So, where to from here?

I might run the Hidden Half as a training run this weekend. I am entered
for Mt Wilson to Bilpin the following Saturday, which I will attempt in
the knowledge that I need to go slowly.

I'm still tossing up whether or not to run Six Foot. The pointy end of
the training will need to be done over the months that cover the third
trimester. Training for Six Foot may prove to be too much of a
distraction from my primary purpose in these months. The thought of
lowering expectations and going out with the express purpose of
finishing under seven hours is a possibility, but I don't know if I want
to go into my first Six Foot knowing I'm underdone. It's a conundrum,
but I've got time to make a decision.