Thursday: The end of a DISAPPOINTING day and begining of a FABULOUS weekend

Today couldn't have started out more disappointing. Days of patience, ice, and stretching weren't enough for my knee. I was only able to complete 3 miles before the pain started really bothering me. This "IT Band" strain is more stubborn than I imagined. No running till Monday. Doctor's orders. So I will be joining the prestigious "power walkers" in the mean time. :'( How lucky am I...

However, the silver lining to this day came with the mail. I got a package from my mom with postcards, a letter, and a map from Galveston (a beach in Texas). We go there at the end of each summer as a family and have been doing so since before I was born. BUT being in Australia I missed it. The entirety of the package is now on my wall with my other letters and postcards from friends and family. The mail is always a highlight of my day. I think that may make me a loser?

The rest of my day consisted of school and laying by the pool. Pretty much the norm these days. AND of course while I was at school I went out of my way to go do my stretches on that "cylindrical roller" for my knee...since it works wonders. False.

We are thinking of going back to Irish Murphy's tonight with some more people, but I was also debating on going to see the movie Despicable Me. It's opening night tonight here. Even though it has been out in the US for over a month now. Not fair. But be aware that Harry Potter (in November) comes out here a day earlier than in the US...payback! So I am leaning towards movie night rather than party night since I have to be up for Lamington (rainforest hike) at 6:00 a.m. I've also been dieing to see this movie since everyone has absolutely loved it.

Plans for Byron Bay are still being finalized but as of now, since it is supposed to rain Friday, we are going to leave early Saturday morning. Personally I think this might be better after a long day at Lamington and then we won't have to camp with the possibility of rainfall throughout the night. We'll then have all day Saturday, camping that night, and then all day Sunday. Sounds like a plan.

Thanks everyone who has sent me any type of mail. All of it makes me feel at home.

Marathon Training:
Morning: cereal

Afternoon: bow tie pasta with meat sauce; cantaloupe; strawberry smoothie (Boost)

Night: pb & j sandwich; apple

(water all day)

Workout: 3 miles

Just another ordinary Wednesday

First update of news...No South Korea due to the fact that tickets are more expensive than my ticket to come to Australia...outrageous. Today started out normal. A couple hours poolside, school, and then I hit the gym. An easy day though of course and I worked on the stretch the trainer showed me for my knee. Painful, but I could feel a huge difference afterwords. Tomorrow I start running again, cross your fingers that patience, ice, and stretching paid off.

Instead of our usual Re or Regatta on Wednesdays, we went into the city to "Irish Murphy's." It was a really fun Irish pub with a live band and chill atmosphere. I really want to go back on a weekend when the city is at its peak. We danced all night and met so many people from all over Australia and the world (mine was from the outback and a friend's was actually from Ireland). I forgot to mention, our cross dressing show that happened right before we left for the night...our next door neighbors (Jon, Anna, and Sarah) played a little dress up. They even walked down the street in their attire. Oh how I admire their (especially Jon's) gumption. On our way back we found the sweetest kangaroo "statues" I guess is what you would call them...either way they were precious and uniquely Australian.

I'm feeling 100 times better today after sleeping a full 11 hours last night and loading up on the meds. I'm hoping to be back to my old self by the weekend. Lamington Park should be beautiful and we have a van to drive down to Byron Bay and then are planning on camping by the beach for the duration of the weekend. However, rain has been forecasted for Friday in Byron so we'll see how our plans turn out.

Since we booked the Whitsunday Islands from October 27- November 2 we are possibly thinking of Fraser Island for mid semester break (the week after next)...or I may go back to Sydney for a week of relaxation and surfing...who knows. BUT I was also considering the options of: Perth, Cairns, Darwin, Barbie Island, or Hamilton Island...All I know is I now have 9 days of no school, endless possibilities, and the decision is in the hands of inflated ticket prices. If not...Brisbane and I will be taking our relationship to a whole new level...I will see EVERYTHING this sunshine of a city has to offer.

Off to bed. Night.

Marathon Training:
Morning: cereal
Afternoon: grilled chicken sandwich; apple; cantaloupe; granola bar
Night: strawberry smoothie; turkey and cheese sandwich; apple
(water all day)
Workout: 7.5 miles on elliptical; ab lab

Crazy Tuesday

Why has American not thought of this concept yet? Ok let me explain. Every Tuesday, not only is food cheap on this particular day, but Dominos has large pizzas for $5.00 and garlic bread for $2.00 (garlic bread in Australia is AMAZING...I don't even like it in the US) but movies on top of this spectacular deal are $1.00. ONLY on Tuesdays does this fanciful twilight zone exist. Dominos and "Video Ezy" (an equivalence to our Blockbuster) are both right down the street...dangerous. So the majority of Tuesdays we walk down and load up on movies (our highest rental yet being 9 movies) and food, enjoying all Crazy Tuesdays have to offer to the fullest. Furthermore, if you didn't know there is no tax in Australia...so when I say $1, $2, and $5 it is exactly that...no hidden fees.

Today was another lethargic day of recovery. Woke up, realizing of course I was sicker than the previous night, took medicine and headed down for a tranquil day of rehabilitation at the pool. After a long 4 hours poolside, I headed to Milton (a couple train stations away) to pick up my new running shoes from In Training. The trainers there further diagnosed my knee, assuring me that the prior trainers were correct that it is in fact my "IT Band" that is "strained." They showed me some more stretches to do over the next few days and recommend that I not run till Thursday. It has been diagnosed, and so it shall be done...elliptical and cycling it is. One of the stretches: you use a cylindrical roller and you roll yourself up and down it along the side of your leg to your knee...so painful but is one of the best stretches you can do apparently.

The rest of the night will consist of lazing about and participation in the Crazy Tuesday madness.

*Lamington Park (Rainforest) Friday
*Byron Bay this weekend :)

Update to this day: It is currently 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday night (CRAZY TUESDAY NIGHT) and I was only able to watch ONE movie...I am, to be quite frank, sick. I feel very little but terrible. I have a cough, sore throat, and maybe a fever (I'm freezing then burning up)...and to top it off, I have never felt so much pain or "soreness" from lifting weights or whatever this pain is in my life...my back is in knots, my arms are throbbing, and my spine is on fire....I'm hoping I didn't pull anything. Most of all I pray that I am better when I wake up because I have a big weekend approaching. Come on Cold and Flu and Aleive...work some magic.

Marathon Training:
Morning: Cereal; banana
Afternoon: bow tie pasta with meat sauce; apple; orange
Night: egg whites with turkey sandwich; banana and cantaloupe
(water only)
Workout: None

The Monday Blues

The test went decent today but definitely better than I had been anticipating during the prior 24 hours of misery. After my test I went to the trainer on campus to have my knee checked. I've pulled something (I can't remember the name) and he said to do low impact training for the next few days, a lot of ice, and stretching. I then went grocery shopping and home to do laundry...nothing exciting. I am developing a cold---so overall I'm not in the best of conditions.

UPSIDE to my day: We (me, Frankie, Kaydee, Claudia, & Sarah) booked our tickets to the Whitsunday Islands (Great Barrier Reef) from October 27-November 2. On top of that I am looking into going to see my sister, who is in South Korea for a year, during my mid-semester break. Cross your fingers that tickets are cheap! I've been getting slightly homesick more frequently so I'd really like to go see her.

Just took my medicine (with codeine in it) and will pass out momentarily...Goodnight.

Marathon Training:
Morning: banana; apple; toast with jelly
Afternoon: bow tie pasta with meat sauce; granola bar
Night: teriyaki chicken with rice; banana; orange
(water all day)
Workout: 13 miles of cycling; weights

Study Study Study

It's a humid, rainy day here in Brisbane. I woke up around 8:00 and went for a run through Southbank and all the way to Kangaroo Point (where we go mountain climbing on the cliffs). It was my best run yet...9 miles in 1 hour and 21 minutes...not bad as long as all of my miles continue to stay under ten minutes each. The training for the half marathon continues at a steady rate with about a month and a week till the race in Melbourne. My goal is to run 10 miles by the end of the week and before the race have completed 20 miles so the race seems easy. BUT training here in Brisbane includes HILLS, STEPS, and BRIDGES with plenty of different terrains. Melbourne on the other hand is as flat as Texas so the race should be heaps easier than the training here as well.

Bad news though, my knee has started hurting again (similar to the pains during Cross Country)...so I'm icing it tonight and then probably only weights and RPM (cycling) tomorrow to give it a breather. My friend next door is Pre-Physical Therapy and showed me a few stretches so hopefully all will be well and training will continue smoothly. I think I may need a new pair of tennis shoes before the race though.

The rest of the day shall consist of me sitting in a chair, bed, or maybe a couch solely studying the terrestrial environment of Australia for my exam tomorrow. Lucky me.

Marathon Training:
Morning: pancake; toast with jelly; banana
Afternoon: bow tie pasta with meat sauce; apple; banana
Night: grilled egg white and turkey sandwich; orange; granola bar
(water only)
Workout: 9 miles

Brisbane Riverfire

Today started out with a nice run to Southbank and back. This run went much better than my previous Southbank run a few days before...I only stopped once I reached Southbank for a drink of water and to watch the crazy preparations for the upcoming night. People were already camped out along the river in Southbank for the fireworks at Riverfire! (almost 10 hours in advance!)

The Riverfire festival was BEAUTIFUL! There were fireworks along the whole Southbank stretch. Fireworks went off under the closest bridge, on the tops of multiple surrounding buildings, from the middle of the river on a barge, and jets soared during the show! It was so fun and there was an outrageous amount of people there! I was told that it is the most expensive firework show in the world and that this was the last year to have the jets! So it really was a treat to attend!

The next 24 hours will now consist of me studying for my Australia's Terrestrial Environment test Monday morning :(

Marathon Training:

Morning: Cereal

Afternoon: Chicken and rice; apple; banana with peanut butter; orange

Night: Turkey sandwich; granola bar; toast with jelly

(water all day)

Workout: 8 miles (Southbank run); ab lab

Brisbane Forest Park

A beautiful day in Brisbane, Australia. 75 degrees and sunny...not to upset any of those still in Texas with the three digits continuing through the summer. Today we (Alex, Marc, and I) went to Brisbane Forest Park. Only 30 minutes, a train, and bus ride away and we were there.

We bushwalked the Araucaria and Corymbia trails. They were both beautiful and interesting, having many of the plants (epiphytes, lianas, redwoods, and eucalyptus) we've been discussing in our terrestrial class. However, my absolute favorite part of the day was the wildlife we saw on the hike. We saw a Red Belly Black Snake (highly poisonous!), a Whip Snake, and a Lace Monitor (looks like a Komodo Dragon)! The snakes were both very quick! The Red Belly Black Snake was between 4 and 5 feet long, the Lace Monitor was around 4 feet long but was up in a tree and hard to tell (huge claws though!), and the Whip Snake was really slender and probably only 3 feet long. The bushwalks were about 5 miles altogether and after we went to the wildlife center at the entrance of the forest park.

The wildlife center has a lot of interesting animals that aren't in American zoos. My favorites were the sugar gliders, squolls, Bushthick-Knees, and of course the wombat. Sugar gliders are like miniature squirrels that can fly through the air. Squolls are marsupials that are like...large....well I'm not sure how to describe them but they are brown with spots down their back and tail...google it! Bushthick-Knees look similar to owls and of course the WOMBAT looks like a huge guinea pig (my favorite).

After a long day of hiking we met up with a few friends at the RE (bar) and then headed home for dinner. I'm thinking tonight will be a low key night, maybe a movie? We shall see...the nights I predict to be low key often turn out being far from chill.

Riverfire tomorrow!

Marathon Training:

Morning: egg whites; cereal

Afternoon: pb & j; granola bar; apple

Night: bow tie pasta; potato; 2 bowls of cereal

(water all day)

Workout: None (UNLESS you count about 6 miles of walking including the trek back to the apartment after the RE)