Vale Royal AC Runners

Hello All!

Wow its been a long time since I sent an update (thanks for passing ahint along James!)...I forget that not everyone lives in the facebookworld to see the updates on there!!!

Anyway....lots has been happening here since I got back, some good,some not so good.  When I first got back I found out that my ferritin(iron) had gone low again, so my build up to full training was slowerthan planned.  It just meant that although I could still put in a lotof miles, I couldnt do too much in the way of sessions.  But after 3weeks another blood test showed that it had recovered to a good enoughlevel for me to hit the training 'properly' again. 

On the brighter side, I now have a new best friend called Hank.  He isa white Saturn L200, and he takes me to lots of fun places to run :o)unfortunately Dad has passed on his obsessive streak of having a cleancar...everyone tells me im obsessed as I think Im about the only personin America who washes their car with a bucket and sponge!!!  Hank looksgood though!

As most of you know I am training for a marathon in earlydecember...Las Vegas!  So Ive been racking up the miles over the pastmonth.  Im up to 18miles for my long run now, and I nailed that in 2:01today so things are starting to look up.  That rounded out a 108 mileweek for me!

Race wise I have only run 1 so far...down in southern New Mexico.  Itwas a low key race, and I had to combine it with 3x10mins of temporunning afterwards to put in a decent marathon training day.  the racedidnt go too well, but I wasnt in race shape at that point.  I stilldont think Im in great race form (at least not over 5k anyway!) but itsearly in the season and with 10 weeks til my marathon i dont want to besuper fit just yet.  Next race is this coming friday in Notre Dame,IN.  A flat, fast 5k round a golf course...definitely not ready forthis speedy one but will see what happens!!!

Only other exciting story I have for you is my first rattlesnakeencounter!  I was running in the foothills with one of the othergirls...I was in front as it was a narrow single file path...I stoppedsuddenly with an "Oh s**t"...as this 'stick' (that was only about 3ftaway from me treading on it) moved, lifted its head to look atme...hissed and rattled.  we promptly turned and ran the otherdirection.  not too sure who was least happy to see who, but I dontthink I would have won a fight with that guy.

Right, thats it for now...pretty long update this time as I hadntposted one for so long.  Will try and make it more regular if I can!

Hope all is good back home and your all training hard (and trying to keep my old man in check!)

TTFN :o)