Treadmill Session

4km on the gym treadmill; programme set for steep hills - walked briskly; more practice for 6ft Track - TSV!!

The Week Ahead.....

The Programme -

Monday - 4km easy.
Tuesday - Rest Day.
Wednesday - I have a choice!
(1) 1500m Time Trial - a PB expected! (Yes, Sir!) Go out harder in first lap than last TT.
Time each 445m.

OR

(2) 3 X 890m ( 2 full laps of CB Lane ..Lane 7!). Run easier pace e.g. 6:12 per
km pace; so 5:30 for each 890m - no faster! (Who's he kidding!). Ten
minutes rest between each set.

Just gotta' love this man!!!!!

Thursday - 6km easy.
Friday - 4km easy.
Saturday - REST DAY (Gee! Thanks Mister!)
Sunday - LONG RUN - 24km easy.

HERE'S TO SURVIVAL!

The 'Long' Run

There's nothing quite as delicious as a hot shower after a run in rain, mist & fog! Something quite sensual being soothed & comforted by the hot water; just standing there & occasionally stretching out above the steam!

Not a really long run - (leaving at 8:30 a.m., 16km+ 4 hills; 2.5 hours), light rain & lovely mist on the way out, but heavy rain & fog on the return leg. Visibility no more than 100m at the highest point, so on went the fluro-yellow jacket - until then I'd been revelling in the rain on my face & body - but this way there was less chance of being run over, as had happened to hundreds of little frogs......I suppose they're frogs, hard to tell when their little bodies are squashed all over the road....poor things!

After turning at Glenquarry, I did 4 times the really, really steep hill - brisk walking 4 times up and jogging 3 times down as practice for Six Foot Track - TSV, which is now 1 day less than 4 weeks away. I'll be dragging poor old Ewen along!!

After the delicious shower, breakfast - a bowl of hot "Uncle Toby's........equally delicious!

Obviously, I'm not good with all this computer 'stuff, but this is the "curve" (1 term I've mastered!) of this morning's run. It's very pretty, but I haven't a clue what it means!!

3km Time Trial

As usual, I wasn't looking forward to this session! It was hard even though I held back from starting too fast which I normally do & then die with the finish in sight!! I felt like I was keeping an even & not too fast pace until the last km & then I was able to put on a bit of a 'spurt' . I wanted to get under 18 minutes & I did....just!!

The usual 20 minute warm up, stretches etc..

Total Time = 17 minutes 56 seconds!!!! 26 seconds faster than the last 3km TT!!

Each km lap = 6:04; 6:03; 5:47

I download all data from the monitor to Polar Software, but now I have to learn how to read the dozens of charts, graphs etc. The information about each training session is amazing...I just don't understand all the lines, curves, colours, etc.....yet!! But they're pretty pictures!

I think I should get a Report Card for today's effort, so I'm going to ask for one. I already know that points will be deducted for not following instructions accurately....I only did a 5 minute cool down! I'll copy the report here later today.

It's now "later today" & I have the Report Card from Ewen! I knew I'd be penalised for not completing the full warm-down....and I was!!


Yes, I marked you down for your wimpy warm-down.

1) Following instructions 8/10 (due to a drop of rain)
2) Performance 9/10
3) Form 9/10
4) Learning 9/10 (good pacing)

(There were at least 2 drops of rain that prevented me completing the full warm-down!! But thanks a million, Ewen, for everything else!)

For the rest of the week....

Thursday - 4km 'easy'
Friday - Rest Day - (morning supervision at Chev.)
Saturday - TIME TRIAL - 3km 'fast' (at the end of the week..you're joking!)
Sunday - LONG RUN - short, slow 12km + some brisk uphill walking as practice for 6ft!

Intervals Session

.........On the track at Chev.!






.....at 10:00a.m. - very warm, strong breeze.

The Session :

20 minutes warm up.
5 x 445m (i.e. Lane 7) with 3 minutes rest between each.
20 minutes cool down.

The Results :

20 minutes warm up incl. 4x100m strides, stretch, walk around &, in case anyone was watching, (which they weren't) try to look like I know what I'm doing!


2:08; 2:06; 2:07; 2:07.7; 2:03.

20 minutes cool down.

This was really hard work for Chickybabe! Hot, blustery wind didn't help...stuffed at finish! Home, hot shower ( bliss!), soup & muffin - feeling good!

The All Important "Report Card" from Ewen :


1) Following instructions 10/10 (for your artwork)
2) Performance 9/10
3) Form 9/10
4) Learning 9/10

w


'artwork' - refers to spectacular graffiti art accomplished with spray can of white paint!!

a Rest Day... sort of!

HSC supervision at Chev. from 8:30a.m. - 5:30p.m! During lunch break, I walked down to the oval to see if my 'graffiti' was still visible on the track.......it was, just! Good news for Wednesday's session!

Long Run

.<.......as slow as! How 22km can feel like 100km is beyond me!

On Range Road there was hardly a car to be seen, but the 3km down & then back up Macquarie Pass was a nightmare! 3km of winding road & hairpin bends with cars & bikes racing like lunatics!

I did the miles with a lot of difficulty & disregarded the time it took (3hours!!) - put in a walk break of 1 minute after each km; carried water, but found this morning's run really REALLY hard!

"Easy" Run

Over a fairly hilly course, a comfortable 8km.

'Easy' Run

Just 4km today - rain all day - gym treadmill.

Intervals!!

Over to the track at Chev. this morning. Light misty rain. Most of the white markings are fading, so I took along a spray can of white paint so as to put a dab here & there - while no one was looking (!!); that way I'd know exactly where to start & finish the session that Ewen had programmed - Chickybabe could teach the Road Runner a lesson, dashing around faster than a speeding pullet !!

Not to be believed.....just as I'd finished, along came one of those dirty big industrial mowers & proceeded to mow the whole oval!! Almost threw myself down screaming in front of the thing - and there went the top layer of my graffiti! There was, however, enough left to start the session, which went as follows:

20 minutes warm up, finishing with 4 x 100m strides.

3 x 308 m - with 2mins 30secs intervals between each rep.
10 minutes break.

3 x 308m - with 2mins 30secs " " " "
10 minutes break

3 x 308m - with 2 mins 30secs " " " "

20 minutes cool down. Felt good for the entire session; not too difficult at all, but out of breath on the straight!

Time for each 308m rep. in sets of 3 =
1:27.7; 1.22.6; 1:20.9.
1:20.1; 1:22.1; 1:20.9
1:23.8; 1:21.1; 1:21.2

REPORT CARD (from Ewen) !!
Following Instructions - 9.5/10
Performance - 9/10
Form - 8.5/10
Learning - 9/10


Chickybabe with white paint spray can in blue bag.......

An 'Easy' Gym Day

Elliptical Trainer, Leg Presses, Bike, Treadmill walk .......about 1 hour.

An 'Easy' Run

An 'easy' run....that seems to be the title for most days! It was raining here & I really didn't feel like getting wet so 6km on the gym treadmill became today's session.

Thanks to Flash Duck's help, (thank you FD!), I've downloaded the software necessary to transfer data from my Polar S625x to the computer. I've read through & I think I understand most of it, so later tonight I'm going to have a go at uploading today's session. I just can't believe the amount of data, charts, graphs etc. etc. that come with this software; I expect it'll take me all night to find all the bits & pieces & then hopefully it works out...should be an interesting experiment! (I hope I've used the up & down loading terms in the right places...it's all guess work with me!)

Fitzroy Falls 10km Run.......a 7 minute FF Course PB

What a day! Chickybabe had another good run! - WF will have to run fast to keep up when we do "Six Foot Track - The Slower Version"! Last year's time for Fitzroy Falls 10km was 75 minutes (checked it when I got home) & today's was 68:23 minutes - a nice 7 minute PB for that course & I was mightily pleased with myself!! I thoroughly enjoyed the course this year - even the steep hills - & positively flew down the 'downs' & that's where I really feel as if I'm running fast!!

Good conditions : cool & cloudy. Even though I had only a 20 minute drive to the grounds, Owl & Jen-Runs were there before me. After the 10km & while we were waiting for the first of the marathon runners to finish, we were approached by a journalist from the local newspaper for an interview & PHOTO! Must remember to get a copy during the week. Fame surely follows the distinctive cool running gear!

I was initiated into the ways of the Cheer Squad today! It's quite hard work that those girls do! Cheering EVERYONE who came past & waving those pom poms is tough on the arms as well as the lungs! Nevertheless, it was a privilege to be with them & it was, without doubt, the best part of the day.

We'd spread our picnic rugs under one of the blue & yellow marquees - very nice of the organizers to use the CR colour scheme - & after the last CR marathon runner had finished, we sat &amp;amp; talked & laughed & ate sandwiches & cakes! I love this run & its surroundings; volunteers & runners most friendly &amp;amp;amp; helpful & Cool Runners who make every run a good run!

An 'Easy' Run

A nice & easy 8km this morning; very overcast & hope it stays that way for FF 10km tomorrow.

.............not authorised, but I took one just the same!

First 1500m Dash!

This morning I went to Chev. College & did my very first 1500m on the track in Lane 7. Warm up 20 minutes, 4x100m strides, stretch & go!

Time : 7:58.4 .......tough last lap!!

Waiting for Report Card from Ewen : & here it is!


1) Following instructions 8.5/10 (would have got 9 if you'd done the warm-down)
2) Performance 8.5/10
3) Form 8.5/10 (you don't get near the record with bad form)
4) Learning 8/10

Hurray! Chickybabe is very happy with that Report!

"Easy" Gym Session.

Option to rest or 'easy' gym...I took the latter & did 20 minutes on the Elliptical Trainer, followed by leg presses, followed by 10 minutes on the bike (set on hills), followed by 5 minutes walking on the treadmill (to stretch the legs out).

The week's Program

OCTOBER

10 - 6km 'easy'.
11 - Rest Day or Easy Gym.
12 - 1500m on grass track : 20 mins. warm up; 4x100 strides; stretch. Bit slower than 445m
pace, but 'evenly' all the way.
13 - 10km 'easy'
14 - 4km 'easy'
15 - FITZROY FALLS 10km

16 - ??

Long Run/Jog/Walk/Stagger!

...in the worst of all possible gales! Jog/walk.....Go forwards! Go backwards! Go up! Go Down! Repeat over & over for 20km & 2 hours 45 minutes!

I left around 9:00a.m., as usual for a long run, without breakfast , & into the wildest wind I've ever experienced in these parts. A 'tailgale' on one turn would send my flying around a bend, only to have it immediately slam me in the face as a 'headgale', practically back to where I'd just come from! It was fear that made me step it out on the return - fear that an almighty big tree would come crashing down on top of me - or a cow or a house - or all three!

Achieve anything - a backache & a splitting headache!

My Purple Nike 'Free' trainers have gone....!

Mission accomplished! Thumbs up to Michael & "The Athletes Foot", Centre Point Arcade, Sydney! I made a special trip to the city today to return my much loved purple Nike 'Free' trainers because the mesh had torn from the sole on each heel after only 5 months of use.

The staff & Michael who 'looked after me', were very obliging & friendly & I could choose either a full refund or replacement...no questions asked. I chose the latter because I love this trainer! Even when I told them there was a chance I could be back in another 5 months with the same problem, they still smiled & happily said, "No problem!" They've had similar returns so I guess it won't be long before the mesh section at the heel is replaced with something more durable.

Also available now is the Nike 'Free' Cross-Trainer; same price but not nearly as good looking!

BUT......tragedy of all tragedies! My 'Frees' are no longer purple as in the banner!! This is the only sad turn of events!! The purple (or mauve), that I loved so much, has been replaced with 'black & blue".....baby blue! I like it, but the purple ...or "Wild Cherry" as it's correctly called - will live on in my 'Hanna Banna'!!!

An 'Easy' Run...

8km this morning; very warm, overcast & rain promised!

Tomorrow is a 'rest from running' day & I'll be in Sydney for most of the day. Reason for this trip is to return my Nike 'Free' runners (bought mid- May) to "The Athletes Foot" - the mesh at both heels is tearing away from the sole. ........& that's not from pulling them off at the heel with the toe of the other shoe. I know others have the same problem with their 'Frees'.

I'll report on the success or otherwise of this mission tomorrow night!

Looks Like Snow?

....it's our beautiful crab apple tree shedding its blossoms!

'Easy' Run - 4km

I changed this to 6km fast walk.

Track session

<........Today, for the first time, I used the running track at Chevalier College, Bowral! Had the whole thing to myself...& just as well; me, running on a track? Enough to frighten the bravest!

Warm up, some strides & stretching & then, on your mark.....! 4x445m, fully rested between each rep.

Times - (1) 2:05.0 (2) 2:07.1 (3) 2:07.5 (4) 2:05.7

Completely out of breath at the end of each lap but OK afterwards! This was different from anything I've done before & it was tough but I liked it!

Forgot to mention that I ran in lane 7.....i.e. between 6 & 8!!

A Rest Day.......

5 Km 'Easy'

A hot & windy day.......did 6km brisk walking instead of 5km 'easy' run.

This Week's Program.

OCTOBER

3 - 5km 'easy'
4 - Rest Day
5 - 4x500m in 3:00 (or less) with 4 mins walk between each....on a real track!! Late Change to -
Using lane 7, 4 x 445m with full recovery between each.

6 - 4km 'easy'
7 - 8km 'easy'
Sat 8 - Rest Day
Sun 9 - Long Run 20km 'easy'.

Long Run

Not that long really (16km), but gradually increasing the length each week from now on. .... a strong breeze but very pleasant morning jogging along, as Ewen says, at "talking to the cows" pace.

Short Run or Rest

Took the 'short run' option - 3km. Another superb Spring day!