General Aerobic + Speed + Meeting a Biker!

Only 10km today with 8 x 100m strides. Light showers while running....nice! Passed a man & his dog, got chatting (as we do in these parts!), turns out he has a Harley Davidson "Shovelhead" (whatever that is!).....will have to ask Wombatface; I suppose Bloggers know by now that Wombat & I will be seen tearing around Canberra on Marathon weekend on his 1400! Have cameras ready....the shot of a lifetime!

Speed Session

On the move again! Over to the gym for treadmill session of 4 x 1600m reps. with 2 mins. intervals; 2km warm up & 2km cool down. 11km approx.

Results : 10:44, 9:58, 9:34, 9:14; Max HR = 95-98% (so the monitor says)

Chickybabe so pleased to be out & about again, even with a 'graveyard' cough!

2 to Go!

Well, I'd hoped to get out this morning to do Sunday's missing long run.....and I didn't! Not feeling quite 'up to it'. Instead I'll just get on with this week's programme, beginning Tuesday. I don't think that 1 missed long run at this stage is going to make a difference.....I hope not anyhow!

Another Day Off

Still choked up with this cold & cough; didn't get today's long run in; slept in instead. Tomorrow, Monday, should be OK to go long....as Tim & Plu said....better now than later for a heavy cold to strike!

Coughing, Sneezing & Nose Blowing!

A beauty of a head cold like I said yesterday! All day coughing, sneezing, blowing; don't know why a head cold makes me feel so miserable & off! Hope the worst will be over before tomorrow's long run.

Run + Speed

In this morning's 12km, I included 6 x 100m strides, some of which were uphill.....pleasantly tiring!

Will take tomorrow as an extra rest day as I seem to have developed a huge head cold!

Rest Day

Replacing a short recovery run with an additional day of rest; freezing cold here this morning (7 degrees) so Chickybabe didn't too much mind staying in her nest!

First Session in Taper - Intervals

Used the gym treadmill for an intervals session; weather wet & windy..outside!

5 x 1000m with 90 secs between : 6:13, 6:03, 5:56, 5:44, 5:40....max hr = 90-95%; required a big effort & pleased to finish this session!

An Extra Rest Day

Taper is here! : today's short recovery run replaced with an extra day of rest. Tomorrow is intervals day; looks like the rain is settled in for the week, so the gym it will have to be for tomorrow.

3 Weeks & Taper Begins Today

Today & probably tomorrow I'll take off.....felt wretched yesterday after the long run; OK today, but an extra rest day is needed this week.

There was something good during yesterday's run......passing a paddock on one of the properties, a cow was giving birth to her calf & just 2 tiny hooves had emerged & I thought : there's two little feet that have never touched earth yet! I didn't stay to see the birth because the mother looked as if she needed her privacy for that special moment without humans watching her! I thought about her for the rest of the day.

Last of the Long Runs

With only 3 weeks till Canberra, I'm hoping I didn't push too far today, because at the finish of the planned 40km, I felt totally wrecked! Anyhow, that's it for the long runs. Nothing more to add & even if there was, I'm too tired to add it.

Chickybabe must go & rest! Total for the week : 60km

Rest Day

Spent half of the day getting back from Sydney & the CR drinks night! This Chickybabe had a real good night!

Intervals

Went to the gym & used the treadmill for intervals : 4 x 1200m with 2min jog between each. Warm up & cool down....total 12km.

Chickybabe is going to the CR get together tonight........if I can find the place!

Practising "Pace"

The aim of today's 19km was to keep the same pace as I'll need for about the first third of the 50km in Canberra; for a negative split on the day, a 7:48m pkm.

Results from monitor : Ave. Pace 7:09m pkm; OK, I guess, allowing for a bit slower (though tried not to) on the ups & a bit faster on the down hills.

Keeping to the same pace for the entire time (2hrs 20mins) is a bit tricky for a Chickybabe!

Tomorrow, I'm thinking......intervals.

Cross Training

Didn't run today; instead : 1hr bike; some upper body light weights, crunches....exciting stuff!

Just 4 Weeks Left!

Rest day of sorts today : Going to the big city of Sydney for the day!! And again tomorrow....so no running for this Chickybabe until Wednesday.

2nd last Long Run!

Ran all of this morning's 24km as if it was the first half of the 50km in Canberra : i.e. a very slow first half! Seemed to work well & if ahead of time at any of the 1km marks, I walked for the few seconds left at each one; felt really good on such a short run compared with the last two long Sundays.

Next Sunday will be the last really long run, so maybe I'll run the first half very, very slowly! A Chickybabe has to be very careful at this stage....today 4 weeks!!

Rest Day

Nothing for Chickybabe to do today except worry about all the cool runners doing the 6ft Track ! I won't be able to rest till the last one is in! LL

(Late) Mid-Week Run

Cool & overcast, so went for 18km this morning, keeping to a comfortable pace of 7:48mins. per km....bit slower on the hills! Tomorrow......rest & think about all those running 6ft Track!

On the Road Again

Well rested after last Sunday's long run, so....out of the pool & on the road again! Today, 14km @ 70-80% of max HR; will take it a few more kms tomorrow & rest Saturday & long again on Sunday.....and then 4 weeks only!!!

Another Pool Day

Same as Tuesday....1 hour deep water running (incl. 10mins. hot spa!)

Deep Water Running

More recovery time needed between recent long Sunday runs : used Berida Manor heated pool in Bowral for 1 hour session : 10mins. warm up, 40mins. intervals, 10mins in hot spa. Probably keep to this for the week & be fully recovered to go long again on Sunday. Time for all Chickybabes to take stock & not get injured!

Rest

As usual, Monday is a day off. Tomorrow, will probably do pool running instead of on the road. Have a bit of a niggle in the lower back; will take each day one at a time & see how it goes.....away, I hope; if not, I'll stay with pool work.

5 Weeks to go!

With only 5 weeks remaining, there won't be too many more long runs!

Out this cold morning at 7:00 a.m., just the sort of day to do 42km; the usual Macquarie Pass road, taking the usual supply of food : sports drink, de-fizzed 'V', raisin bread & Nutella sandwich (only 1 today since I wasn't going as far as last week), dozens of snakes & one of the new (new in this far flung outpost!) ' Pria, Power Bars'; I suppose everyone has seen & tasted them; they're quite small & come in 2 flavours 'Chocolate Cookie Flavour' & 'French Vanilla Crisp'; really tasty & a vast improvement of those horrible big things that tasted like cardboard & used give me awful stomach cramps! At 21km ate sandwich & from then on, bit by bit, km by km, hill after hill...I got through the rest of the supplies. I'm starting to like taking lots of food & these simple goodies never tasted so good!

Have to mention how much difference, psychologically, it makes to have gone as far as 50km; the thought of 42km wasn't at all daunting : before leaving I said to Mr LL, "Only 42km today!" A bit nonchalant, I know, because it is a long way, especially the way I do it..(today, lengthened the walk breaks.....jog 1km/walk 2mins. ....time 5hrs 46mins. Next week will shorten the run & also the walk breaks & then hope to get 1 more long one in before the taper!!

This week I will omit the shorter runs, replacing them with deep water running (legs very tired tonight); keep the mid-week medium long run, take 3 rest days (I think!) & then go "long" on Sunday.

86km for this week.

And now it's good night from me & good night from a tired Chickybabe!

Rest Day

Rather than do an 8km recovery run, I've decided to take the advice of some bloggers to be careful (thank you!) & take the day off; tomorrow's forecast is for a cool day & that will help with a medium long run.

A Miserable Medium Long Run

The aim was to do 18km with the middle 14 @ the pace for the ultra; it didn't go exactly like that, in fact it was a shite session! First half reasonable except for having to walk the hills; at 12km quads felt like jelly & I walked the last wretched 6km home! A wasted session? I hope not; at least I finished!

Tomorrow, rest; Sunday will cut back to somewhere around or under 40km.

Chickybabe is very disappointed with today's training!

A Day Off!

I've taken another rest day & will do a medium long run tomorrow...hope it's as cool & misty as this morning!

An Extra Rest Day

Change of plans for this week.....& will take each day one at a time; how I feel will dictate what I do because I need more rest before tackling another 'long' run on Sunday; doing more of these & recovering well seems to be more important than trying to fit in more, shorter distance runs during the week; either Thursday or Friday probably a medium length run...we'll see how Chickybabe feels!

Week 6

Getting closer & closer all the time!

Took Monday off as rest; today 12km ....jog 1km/walk 1km, as more recovery from the weekend; that's all I felt like doing, so that's all Chickybabe did!