It's down to the wire and the dogs.

It's now only 5 days until the Twisted Sisters compete in the 100km Trail runners event in Sydney.Excitement and nerves are building and we are all ready to go and tackle this madness.Training is complete, equipment prepared, final remedial massages have been endured and toe nails are ready
We all got together for breakfast yesterday and I had afternoon tea with my personal trainer Ros for a final bit of encouragement.

The Twisted Sisters; Babette, Tracey, Moi and Sue.

However this week has not all been smooth and carefree. As with all team events some conflict will arise and we have had our share of it this week.

Our team with DH Daryl and Mike.

This is how the story goes; Susi and Tracey have adjoining farms and both girls have farm dogs. Susi has Buster the Foxy and Tracey has Doris; 4 legs, a tail and walks like a dog so must be a dog.
Any how , the girls have been training so hard that clearly they have let their doggy responsibilities slip. Result ; Doris is now with child and Buster has been named as the most likely culprit.
Tracey claims the liaison was definitely non consentual , Sue claims Buster is choosey and a gentleman. Mike, Buster's Dad is requesting DNA testing. As with most blokes Buster has fled back to his kennel , denying all responsibility and poor Doris is doomed to a life on the Single Mothers Pension. Hopefully Abby the mother of his legitimate children has given him a well deserved bite on the bum.

The Mother to Be.

Everyone knows my absolute love of dogs.

As promised during my week of tapering, the sewing machine has been put through it's paces and 3 finishes have been achieved. Now my sewing ability closely resembles a horse race. I make a good start out of the boxes, do well on the straight, falter at the first bend and finally limp over the finish line on 3 legs with a project that does not usually resemble the designers intent.

My hexagon bag. I enjoyed this project so much me thinks another one is needed.

A little Dilly bag.

Blackbird designs Blue bird.

If you visit my blog please leave a comment as I like to know I am not talking to myself.

Cheers Karen.

Poo Busting Fear.

Three weeks to go now until our 100km. event in Sydney. I have now officially gone from nervous to a state of POO BUSTING FEAR!!!
The training is now very intense and I am clocking up around 60km. per weekend plus 3, 12 to 15km. shorter runs during the week.
By the end of next week I will start tapering, to get a good rest before I fly out to Sydney.

The Twisted Sisters have now worn the top off Anstey's Hill. This has been our main weekly training track. So we have now moved to the Black Hill Challenge circuit; 12.5km. of steep climbs and great down hill running tracks.It's a tough track and the kangaroos can be a bit of a nuisance but it's well worth the effort.
Today after we reached the top of the first peak, and all of us puffing our internal organs out we renamed it " The Black BASTARD " !!!

Ghost Gum Gully, part of the Black Hill Conservation Park.

The Black Hill Challenge is a 12.5 km race run every November here in Adelaide and it's well known to be grueling. This is mainly because of the extreme heat when it is run ( usually well over 35c ) and the 4km. steep uphill climb. Not to mention the snakes who like to join in on the day!
I have run this race twice and it's not been pretty, but at least I have finished both times while many do not.

I'm really looking forward to my week of tapering. Just a few gentle walks and jogs around my local area and hopefully some time for embroidery and quilting. The stitching basket is bursting at the seams with UFO'S and WIP'S.

DH. has had quite a lot of fashion advice from the Twisted Sisters of late. He will insist on training with us wearing baggy track pants, baggy t-shirts and bogan shoes. DF. Cathy finally told him she would not run with him again until he looked the part. And DF. Evi gave him a gift voucher for his birthday from a local sports clothing shop.
Now he is a slightly Tubby Hubby, and he tends to choose baggy clothes to hide a couple of chubby spots. However we have now managed to get him into a pair of Skins and trail running shoes YEAH!!!!!! He actually looks quite good in them and reluctantly confessed that we were all right and that he does feel more comfortable in them.

I'm too sexy for my SKINS!!!

DH. and MOI.

DH. with the Twisted Sisters in his Tubby Hubby clothes.

Last week he chargrilled his Boy Bits with chafing from his track pants, but let's not go there as it's best left to a medical text book!!

After Sydney I still have quite a few events before the end of our running season. My next ultra marathon is the Yurrebilla Ultra on October 3. This one is 58 km. through bushland in the Mt. Lofty Ranges. I love this race the best. It's through challenging terrain with beautiful scenery and also because it is quite remote we have check points every 5km. The folk who run the check points also have their own competition on who has the best check point as voted by the runners. My best memory from the race last year was being served Coke in wine glasses off a silver tray by three race marshalls in full formal dinner suits at the 40km. check point.

Our Summer Season starting in November/ December will see us moving our runs to beach and coastal areas. This is more for safety reasons than anything else, as bush fires and snakes are a very real risk here in Adelaide.However for now the hills are ours to enjoy and explore.




Thanks for dropping by,
Happy running
Karen.