Unprecendented

Had an uprecendented day of field work today. We were searching for new localities of two rare species; the grass dart a species of butterfly and Floyd’s Grass (Alexfloydia repens), which is the food plant of the butterfly. We found both species if two new localities in the Warrell Creek catchment. These species had not been recorded outside the Coffs Harbour area previously.

It was amazing that at each site today that we found Floyd’s Grass there were the Black Dart butterfly also present.

Water Dragon on Lily Pads

Palms Crossing Trail Bongil National Park

Paperbarks with wet feet, Palms Crossing

 Dolmans Point

Broad-leaved Paperbark

Pixie Caps Orchid

Back from Perth

I have been back from my holiday for two days now. Now I am gearing up for the Sawtell Fun Run on New Year’s morning. Getting rather nervous at the prospect of red lining it in a 5.5km run. It will hurt,  and I haven’t done a fast race since last years.

I have run 23:31 and 23:48 in moderate intensity training runs. So I am quite fit, and should go much better then the 24:41 I did three years ago in the Sawtell Fun Run on very little training and with a knee cap that was just starting to sublux and really go off track.

My holiday in Perth was a happy sad one. I ran one day and went for a bushwalk the next, having fun with my new digital SLR camera taking macro photos of wildflowers.

Guinea Flower with tiny spider.

On the running side of things I did

4 x10km

5:25, 5:03, 5:16, 5:06, 5:27, 4:43, 4:53, 5:27, 5:23, 6:04 (53:24)

5:21, 5:13, 5:20, 5:10, 5:20, 4:41, 5:03, 5:24, 5:18, 5:16 (51:59)

5:15, 5:05, 5:02, 5:05, 5:34, 4:40, 4:56, 5:25, 5:27, 5:12 (51:42). The garmin made me run 70 metres further for 5km on this run.

5:03, 4:41, 4:52, 4:50, 5:09, 4:30, 4:44, 5:05, 5:20, 5:08 (49:24)       

2 X 8km

5:27, 5:03, 5:26, 5:18, 5:20, 5:32, 5:26, 5:32 (42:55)

4:57, 4:42, 4:52, 4:47, 4:34, 4:57, 5:13, 5:03 (39:02) 

The course I did in Kings Park was on concrete footpaths and along the grass of the ‘boardwalk’. There where three hills on the course that helped my fitness along nicely.  The first was a gradual incline between kilometres three to five, along the path that runs alongside Thomas Street. The next started from the bottom of the Poole Avenue and climbed up to May Drive.  And the last was the long gradual haul up the Boardwalk, across Lovekin Drive and up to the nature trail near the DNA tower. I was getting stronger on the uphills as the holiday went along, which is reflected in my times per kilometre.  One day there was a bicycle race on and I had to watch out crossing Lovekin Drive for the cyclists crossing my path.

http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/c/bgpa/pub/stories/community/memorial-map-large.gif

I had a good system going, walk about five minutes from the car park; stretch, then slowly roll into the run. Easy running until I felt I had warmed up. In all the runs I kept saying “roll it out” in synch with my breathing. I was not flat out on any run, but certainly was working it.

The fact that I ran as much as I did on this holiday is remarkeable given that at the same time last year I was in pain just walking around Kings Park. On Christmas Day I thought “Being able to run is the best christmas present ever.”

Pom Poms

On the sad side of my holiday was the fact that my father wasn’t well. One day he lacked the energy to put his shoes on to get out to the shops. He had a fall out of his bed one night and landed on his back, which was already badly bruised by a fall on a bus. They had to winch him back onto his bed. As I watched him on the bed sleeping I could see he was in pain lying on his back. Dad has a very bad cough, his lungs are not the best, he lost a lot of weight, he is in fact lighter than me at 76kgs. This is the first time in my life that Dad has weighed less than me.  Still he wanted to get out last minute shopping to get chocolates for the staff at the hostel where he is staying. This really knocked him around.

On the hugely positive side of my holiday was that on several occassions I walked around the city reasonably comfortably without the knee tape, just a ITB strap. Last year I could not do this. My knee is light years better. Also my achilles tendon gave me little trouble, just a few twinges in the mornings before I warmed up.

Several times my mind turned to negative thoughts about work  The most positive response to these negative thoughts was that I will work even harder.  I should also turn my thoughts to the possibility this year might bring in the area of my resurgent running career.  This is the inspirational postive side of my life. 

The fact is I AM working hard and have achieved extraordinary things with my return to running.  I have also taught myself to swim depsite a deep seated fear of water. I am inspired by this. I have beaten panic attacks; managed haemochromatosis; sought answers to the damage done to my health by clueless GPs and physiotherapists;  avoided knee surgery by patience, hard work and courage.

 I have thought I was dieing, I have though there was no future for me, I have been too scared to walk into a shopping centre in case I have another panic attack, been too fatigued and dizzy to walk around my unit, felt that my chest would explode, felt that I might collapse at any time. 

Despite all this I am alive and doing amazing things. This is only due to hard work and amazing COURAGE. I will give myself credit for that if no one else will.

  Also on the positive side was catching up with family over there. I met with their cute little dog, full of beans and personality.

Back from holidays

Had a great time over in Perth. My visit to my sister’s holiday house in Dunsborough was a nice little holiday within  a holiday.

So what did I get up to? Explored nearly every trail in Kings Park. Learnt to identify nearly 80 plant species with the excellent Perth Plants book. There were some nice flowers out in Kings Park, such as Swan River Myrtles, Mulla Mullas, Melaleucas, and Hemiandras.

I walked for more than 2 hours every day. The knee was fiery and sore  at the start of the week, but seems to have improved over my holiday. On 30 December I did a 7.4 km walk in Meelup Regional Park, and played 9 holes of golf; and the knee whilst not 100% percent, held up to the activity very well.

 http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/oursites/perth/shop/flora.asp

Spent a lot of time with my father and drove him around Perth to his and my favourite places. Kailis’s in freo, nice grilled fish and shopping in Cottlesloe and Claremont. I enjoy Dad’s company, I’ve spent every Christmas of my life with him. And wherever Dad is keeps me in touch with ‘home’ and the great childhood I had thanks to my parents. Only had one swim in the Claremont Pool. This was on Boxing Day, which was the hottest place in the world at 44 degrees. The day before was 42.

Dad let me take some photos of me, mum and dad. They were from holidays in the 1970s, 1980s in the Blue Mountains. There’s a photo of me with my first ever pair of binoculars when I started to get into birdwatching. I still have the book Common Bird of Australian Gardens they gave me. Fond memories of that time! There’s even a photo of me in the 1984 Sutherland to Surf. There’s a photo of me in Jan 1985 at the peak of my running powers. There is not a pinch of fat on my body, my quads look strong.

Flying into Coffs Harbour yesterday, I realised how much it doesn’t feel like coming home. It is a bad way to spend 12 years of your life; returning to a place that you don’t call home.   Moving to Northern NSW was a bad life choice.

Sand Spurge

A lady wants to use one of my plant photos in a booklet on plants under threat from bitou Bush. Here’s the link to the TSC act profile.

http://threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/profile.aspx?id=10160 

and another of the Gibraltar mallee.

http://threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/profile.aspx?id=10293 

Went for another 40 minute walk this morning. I think the knee feels a little better. Still inflamed though. Went for another walk tonight, my leg feels pretty horrible.