Yup yup---still doin' the runnin' thing. Hey, it ain't without pain. I ain't even gonna try to lie 'bout that, but at least I'm doin' it. Yesterday, I took a leap forward. At least that's the way I choose to view it. I only took one day off in between yesterday and the last time I ran instead of the usual two days. My Achilles was sore, of course, but I felt like it was good enough that I could get a run in which I did. I did alright---26 minutes. After my runs, I do some calf raises. I hang on to a door to help myself go on my tippie toes one leg at a time, and then I let myself down slowly. It's an eccentric sort of contraction because what I'm doing is overloading my calf muscles by helping them up and forcing them to lower my body down. It would be like if someone was helping you do curls or the benchpress by helping you curl or push the weight and then allowing you to bring it back down on your own. That's called an eccentric contraction. Okay, well anyway, so I do 15 of those each leg, and it effin' hurts, and my Achilles is really swollen afterwards, but I figure it's all jacked up anyway from my run, so why not do more to it. I'd hate to run one day and do the calf raises the next day because then I'd be hurting really bad all the time. This way I'm hoping my body is healing overnight and throughout the next day.
It hurts to run in my shoes, so I'm still running barefoot on the grass. I dunno how I'm gonna do the shoe thing later on...

I was reading in the paper this morning about these Great White shark incidences down in southern Australia. They want to put metal mesh out in the water at the area's most popular beaches. Last year an 18-year-old man was ripped from his surfboard and chomped to death, and then there have been some recent incidences. One was quite interesting. This 64-year-old fisherman was fishing and doing something with a crab trap below his aluminum boat when a Great White became airborn next to his boat so close that the fisherman could have touched him! Yeah, those sharks are leaping out of the water these days. I remember seeing a documentary on that, but it was off Cape Horn or somewhere in South Africa; they were leaping up and eating Sea Lions.
Anyway, I'm going down to Adelaide where all this stuff with the sharks is happening. I'll be there and in Melbourne over the next 2 weeks. Lovely. My ass ain't goin' anywhere NEAR that ocean!! Well, maybe I'll go up to my knees. Okay, maybe my ankles...

Happy Holiday,
Andrea

Yes, I think I'm finally getting used to the heat a bit; although, I had a rough time the other day when I rode a little bit later than usual. It hit almost 100 degrees that day. I met up with a triathlete here who is really good, so I hope to train with her sometimes. Her name is Sarah Fien, and she is training for Ironman New Zealand. Ah, Ironman New Zealand...
Stephanie tries to explain the game of cricket to me nearly every time I catch glimpses of it on TV. Steph used to be on the junior national team for cricket, and she loves the game. I used to find it to be boring, but now that I know a bit about it I can get into it a little bit. The game we have in the states that most resembles cricket is baseball.
I'm still running every few days with great pain, but at least I can do it. I'm just gonna keep on doin' it...
It's weird being here during the Christmas holidays because it's so hot. I've never experienced Christmas like this! It's funny because people back home aske me things like, "Do they celebrate Christmas there?" "Do they put up lights?" LOL. They do all of those things. Shopping is huge, and celebrating is huge.
Hemal, I know it's hot in India. Is there a time when the weather is pleasant i.e. a bit cooler? What major airport do you live closest to? I really want to visit sometime.

cheers from down under,
andrea

Soooooooooooooooooo cool. Today I was doing intervals up this climb, and two HUGE white cockatoos or cockatiels (i dunno the difference) were sitting off the side of the road havin' a chat. It was AMAZING to see that---those birds out in the wild so close to me. I see beautiful parrots flying around as well, the kind you usually only see in a petstore. Did I write this already in an earlier blog? I'm so happy seeing these beautiful creatures around me. I am so lucky or blessed or both.
This guy was trying to have a chat with me while I was doing an interval. I stopped my watch because I couldn't go hard and stay back with him, and I didn't want to be rude. I spoke with him a little while because he seemed so excited to engage in a conversation with me. Then I told him I had to go. I waved at him during my descent down while he was still climbing up. He was kind of a heavy fella, but he was still out there doin' it.
I walked around the mall today because it has good air conditioning. I broke down and bought some kettle chips and some cookies AND ingredients to make some shortbreak cookies which I shall do shortly. I just needed some chips and cookies, OKAY!!? LOL!

Ah, the mountains. I rode 5:37 in them today. I zipped down this real twisty narrow road defying the speed limit. It felt good, but it was bumpy and dangerous. I climbed for about an hour or so and went off the beaten path just to conquer a 20% grade hill. After Tuesday's ride it was just something I needed to.
My ass is a bit chafed from all that time in my riding shorts. I hate that. I stood up for last half hour or so home and pulled my shorts down so far that the top of them was just barely above my pubes! I had a serious saggy ass going on, but I couldn't even stand for the chamois to be on the red line created by the seam in the shorts where the chamois is sewed in. Ouch! It feels, I guess, like diaper rash. It feels like you've been stung by a jelly fish when the shower hits it. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarg!
A storm just moved in. It's raining! It's cool!
Oh, and STEPHANIE BOUGHT A PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER!!! Isn't THAT exciting!!?? Well, it is for me. I can tell you THAT! Aaaaaaaaaaaaah...
No great stories to tell. Just parrots flying around, brilliant colors and sounds, and lovely people.

I had a bad ride today. I was climbing this 15% grade mountain, and I just didn't feel well. I knew that I wouldn't when I got up this morning. I didn't sleep well, and awoke with a sore throat, but I was so eager to get into the mountains that I went anyway. I ended up riding to a wine tasting place to get water, and the woman was SO friendly like everyone is around here. We chatted awhile and drank some antioxidant ginger potion. It was good! When I left there I felt heaps better. I'm hoping I'm not getting sick, though. Maybe it's still jet lag and the heat-----ohhhhhhhhh, the heat...
I went shopping tonight. The mall is right around the corner from me about a 5 min. walk on the bike path. In the mall there are grocery stores. I went to good ole K-Mart, and like a typical American, I headed STRAIGHT for the candy/chips aisle even though I went in there for vitamins which they don't carry, at least not here in Australia. Interesting candies. I saw candy bars labeled Whip, Wurly-Curly, Boost, and Twirl. Now, if that don't make ya wanna jump up and down for some candy then I don't know what will!
I nearly ran into an old handicapped man because I was on the wrong side of the sidewalk---again. It's so hard because I constantly have to think, "Left side, left side." I even say it out loud sometimes. But then when I need to cross the street, I have to think, "Look right first, THEN left." I say that out loud too ESPECIALLY when I'm on my bike crossing intersections. Every day I mess up and live to see another day. I hope that continues! I'm hoping I'll get used to this lefty thing pretty quick. My life depends on it!
I wish people in Norman Wal-Marts were as friendly and as considerate as the people here are in stores. I'm not bashing the good ole U S of A. I love my country, but there's a lot of things I notice in my travels, and I compare other countries to ours. It's just horrible how we treat each other in the states sometimes ESPECIALLY around the holidays. I saw news footage of people trampling each other in order to get in on early bird specials the day after Thanksgiving. Is saving a few hundred bucks on a computer REALLY worth doing that to someone? Is getting the first doll in your kid's hand really worth it? It's just plain embarassing and senseless8co6 if you ask me.

It is hotter n' (you fill in the blank) here in Brisbane, Australia!! Yesterday I rode 3.5 hours at 5:30am. I got up at 4:30am. It gets light at 5am. Amazing. Today I rode 3 hours and then went to watch a criterium in South Bank which featured many of the world's top sprinters. It was exciting to see the Tour de France riders in action up close. There were Bradly McGee, Robbie McEwen, Henk Vogels, Baden Cooke, Matt Wilson, Allan Davis, and Graeme Brown, Scott Davis, and Nick Sanderson to name a few. This won't mean much to a lot of you who read this, but it will mean a BUNCH to a few of you who read this. A local guy from the Australian Institute of Sport won after getting in a break with some other dudes--the biggest name being Henk Vogels, but Vogels did so much work driving the break to keep it close to every single rider who tried to get off the front. The break was like 10 men strong. In fact, they lapped the main field which contained the rest of the big names. Understand, though, that these pros have their season mapped out so carefully and precisely; I'm sure this race was just a training race for them. Plus, it was around 96 degrees! The criterium was an hour long plus 3 laps, and it was just an oval with a roundabout that the riders had to skirt, so it wasn't technical like the criteriums in America, but it was fast.
My ass is suffering some serious heat exhaustion not to mention jet lag. My friend here doesn't have air conditioning. Well, that sounds like I'm spoiled, and maybe I am, but when it comes to recovery you can't be sweating all the time like I am over here. I can't keep my electrolytes balanced, and I can't keep hydrated. Maybe it will get better once I get acclimated. If not, I'm outta here, or we're renting an air conditioning unit.
I caught up with some riders this morning---some 46-year old dude and his brother. They were strong. I feel out of shape compared to these people here. Then again, it's their summer, and they are acclimated and all of that. I feel sluggish. Plus, I'm messing with the position on my bike to alleviate some hamstring soreness that I experienced last year. I hope to start feeling better soon. I'm just antsy I guess and homesick.

p.s. this is only the BEGINNING of their summer here...