Thursday nights I try to get out of the office on time
and head into Kings Park in the city to partake in punishing myself up and down
the staircase known as Jacobs Ladder. This is 242 steps (one way) with an
elevation of about 45mtrs (in the space of about 100m – so for every 2mtrs
forward you are going up almost 1!). Also, ONE lap is a trip to the bottom and
back to the top!
I tend to try to go with a running buddy either from work
or my dependable sister gets dragged along. This week she couldn’t make it and
so I decided to self-motivate and go it alone!
Well…punishing or what….
I mixed up the routine a little and decided that I would
run two laps of the stairs and then one lap (bottom and up) of the “hill” next
to Jacobs. [this is Mount Street – also one heck of a gradient, also over a
very short distance but this time with no hand rails or steps to keep you going
upwards). I decided that I would go till exhaustion.
I am very pleased to say that I managed 3 sets (ie 6 laps
of the stairs and 3 laps of the hill) but I didn’t quite make it to the top of
the hill on the last attempt – I was so spent and had nothing left in the tank.
People were causally strolling down the hill passed me on the way up and were
smiling away…I had no smile in return – in fact I didn’t even have the energy
for a frown. Thankfully I had a gentle stroll back to the car to recover my
breathing – wow it was a great workout and for the next two days my calves knew
about it!
Friday and Saturday were rest days. Am really thinking
that I need to get some cross training going on especially working on my core
(and love handles) and so am trying to work myself up to this twice a week –
Mondays and Fridays (Wednesdays are miserable at work and Saturdays – well one
days off is ok isn’t it?). We will see what I can con myself into.
Sunday had a longer run planned with my sister. The lake
near us is 6km around with nice path and markers every 500mtrs so we set off
for two laps of that. I was a little naïve in the ways of tempo running and
tried after 1km jogging to “run” 500mtrs and repeat three times….only in the
third “run” did it dawn on me that I still had more than a lap to go…doh! Well
after coming to my senses I slowed it down a bit and maintained an even (ish)
pace for the rest of the run and added 1km on the end for good measure
completing 13kms in an hour and nine (5’21 pace) so was happy with that. Plus it was good to get the run in before
getting on a plane for 6 hours.
Yup – back in Darwin for a couple of days for work. Last
time I was here was back at the end of September. I can say this much – it is
not any cooler and the humidity has stepped it up a notch! Went out at 5:45
this morning for a run and it was 26 and 95% humidity…probably ran too fast to
begin with as by the time I was half way I was blowing hard…had to walk 100mtrs
and then push on. Called it enough at about 5kms with a slower pace. [insert
excuse here…there is a Jacobs’esc stair case 2kms into the run (135 steps) that
has to be negotiated and adds to the exhaustion…] The humidity makes for a
tougher run but it is good the experience the different conditions after so
long in Perth. The run this morning was also a “bonus” run as I was not
scheduled for a run today but needed to get out and stretch my legs after the
flight and not the greatest food choices yesterday. I will make a mental note
to pace better in the morning for my 6.5km scheduled run….
Oh – I have signed myself and my 5 year old up to the
Variety WA Santa Fun Run this weekend. 4kms in a Santa suit. Even if he has to
go on my shoulders it will be a blast and his first taste of a big event….I can’t
wait!