Recovery Run

Last day of January already! 6 Km 'easy' pace : I used the grass track for this so as to go 'easy' on my legs - 15 laps. Grass needs cutting, lots of paspalum, but a cool day : down from 30 yesterday to 21 today; unfortunately for tomorrow's track session, the prediction is for another 30 degrees....I simply must get over early & not run into trouble with the heat as I did last Wednesday.

Will see the movie "Good Night, and Good Luck" later today.

Week Jan.30 - Feb. 5

From Ewen :


Monday - REST!
Tuesday - 5 to 6km easy running.
Wednesday - Track, Chev. Warm-up run. I suggest doing a run away from the track - maybe out to the front road and back. You'll be doing lots of laps on the track so warm-up and warm-down off the track. Warm-up jog 15 minutes easy, stretches. 4x100m strides. The runs from now until April will be longer, but at an easier pace. Recovery is resting and walking (in the shade if you can).

Pace for these is 6:30 per km.
4 x 800m in about 5:12 (even pace all the way - no sprinting). Recovery of 3:15 between each 800m, then 7 minutes break before:
4 x 800m in about 5:12 same as above.

Warm-down jog 16 minutes easy.

This session is about 10.4km, so more distance than usual.

Thursday - 4km easy jogging.

Friday - medium long run - about 17 to 20km easy. Can do this on the track if you want.

Saturday - REST

Sunday - AIS track Canberra. A moderate training session 1 hour or so. Probably a time trial over 600 or 800 metres.

Looks like a busy week ahead for Chickybabe!

A Long Run With a Wombat!

I don't think I'll ever see this 'wombat' on the road again! He would do well to steer clear of me in future!

And so it was that I did this morning's long run with Ewen who was coming through from spending a weekend on the coast. I had 30km to run and the poor darling thing was in agony trying to keep at my slow, slow pace! We did 31 km & took 4.5 hours to complete it!!! I enjoyed it immensely though!

A 7:30 a.m. start & we followed the fire trail I've been exploring lately to where it meets Tourist Road, well below Macquarie Pass. A super track, with lots of shade, a cool breeze blowing today, some steep & long inclines, which we walked, & a few rocky sections (also walked) but neither of us tripped or fell over or got lost! One other stop to refill water bottles at 'Doug's place', but no sign of Turbo, the dog. We started a stampede of a herd of cattle who were dead-set on coming along with us....on the other side of the fence!

It's quite normal for me to be out for anything up to 7 hours on a long run, but I fear some of the younger generation, of wombats in particular, are simply not up to this at all! I think he will be very pleased to run quickly on his next long run & finish the distance in half the time!

Nevertheless, I greatly appreciated having his company & commend him for his bravery in the face of such extreme hardship!

Medium Long Run

Today's run was 16km & I did it all on the track at Chev., just to see what it would be like going round & round for 40 laps! It's not that easy, but the worst was the heat & humidity even though I started at 8:15 a.m. & finished 2.5 hours later. It was so terribly hot & humid & without any shade, I don't think I could have done many more laps; however, I did 4 more laps as a warm down, making 17.6 km all together.

This was entirely my own idea & I think it was a harder run than if I'd been on the road; it certainly felt that way towards the finish! I had a drink & changed directions after every 4 laps; even did my own lap scoring! I did the first 20 laps slowly; the next 20 laps @ 2:48min/400m (7min/km); and finally 4 laps jog/walk as a warm-down. Luckily I had a tap to refill the bottle dozens of times; I drank gallons!

An interesting first time experiment & I can see how difficult it could become doing 6 or 12 hours in this way! I only did 2.5 hours & little aches showed up - back & knees - that I normally don't have on the roads. I think it was a good disciplinary lesson, not just for the body, but more so for the mind & so becomes good training for Canberra's 50km in April...that's the way I'm looking at it anyhow!

Completely exhausted by the heat which was over 30 degrees by 11:30a.m.; sat for about 10 minutes on the grass in the shade & did some stretches while cooling down so that I didn't go home looking like a lobster!

I'll probably do some more shorter runs this way; positives : soft grass & access to water every 400m; negative : it's boring! Must remember to take CD player next time.

Australia Day!

......................and I slept in!!!!! Recalling the effects of heat & humidity in this event during the past 2 years was enough to make a decision not to run in Sydney today.

Track Session

Another cool day, light rain & mist all around. Program was 3x400m aiming for 2:04 each lap; 10 minutes between each....thinking Ewen had made a mistake - that sounded so easy, surely he meant 3 Sets of 3x400m!! Just as well I got him to spell it out as if to an idiot child, because 3x400m turned out to be just about the hardest session in a long while!

20 minutes warm-up, including 4x100m strides - done!

10 minutes walking & stretching - done!

Lap 1 - set off too fast for current fitness (& age!!) & tottered on wobbly legs to the end in 2:05.5

10 minutes rest - done! And I'd wondered if I'd need it!!

Lap 2 - finished sounding like Sharapova on the tennis court! 2:10.9

10 minutes rest - took & needed 15!

Lap 3 - just made it! Shoes had collected so much wet grass, they looked more like snowshoes! 2:10.5

Warm-down - Not done! But I was! Grabbed my bag, hurried to the car, tore off soaked shoes & socks & drove home!

Another lesson learned but not too sure what it is yet! Report Card should clear that up!







Report card for a very interesting and entertaining track session:

1) Carpentry - 90% - CB built a beautiful coffee table out of two planks of wood.
2) Mathematics - 92% - CB is improving but it didn't quite add up.
3) Science - 83% - CB should have started a tad slower. 62 for the first 200 would have been better.
4) English - 70% - CB used some fruity language which was rather unladylike.
5) Phys Ed - 85% - A good workout but not perfect. Can improve.
6) Biology - 90% - CB learned a valuable lesson in how lactic acid is made.
7) Art - 65% - CB's cubist style is very strange. She neglected to clean up after painting.

w

CB's comment : HOW GOOD IS THAT!!! VERY, VERY FUNNY!!!

Week 23rd - 29th January

Monday was set down as an 'easy' 6km which I cancelled without permission because of the heat! Instead I did 60 minutes on the stationary bike while watching tennis & then some core strengthening on the floor - still watching tennis!

Today, Tuesday : woke to find the Highlands covered in mist & wonderfully cool...crazy weather. Again without permission I made up a new session; I decided to do the 6km on the track at Chev. instead of on the road! 15 x 400m - & in the middle somewhere I did 4 laps faster than the others. I enjoyed this & will do, with permission already granted(!), Friday's medium long run on the track also. As Ewen has said about this: Positives - soft grass & water every 400m; Negatives - boring! He also warned about falling asleep on the track & crashing into the picket fence!!! I side-stepped this issue by telling him I would be wearing a crash helmet!

Wednesday : Track - the usual warm-up, strides, stretch.
3 x 400m Fast
Warm-down - as usual

Thursday : Fun Run....could be a question mark about this.
Friday : Medium Long Run - 15km
Saturday : Rest.
Sunday : Long Run ..... 28 - 30 km

A "Shorter" Very Slow Long Run!

The "long" long run is next Sunday. Today a very slow 22km : cup of coffee & an early (for me!) start at 7:30 a.m. - not nearly early enough considering I was out just short of 3.5 hours! Next Sunday I'll have to try for 5:00 a.m. if this heat keeps up.

First 2km on sealed road; next 6 on dirt road; next 3 on fire trail, which didn't seem as rocky as I remembered it from last week! Took a gel (didn't use it) & 750ml bottle of diluted Poweraid. A few short but compulsory stops along the way : (1) to drink from a tap in the Cemetery! (2) to give a hug to "Turbo" the beautiful X-Kelpie who knows I'm coming - he starts barking & in the silence I can hear him when I'm more than a km away; (3) to climb under a barbed wire fence without getting snagged; (4) at the 11km turn around, to take in the scene...tall gums & ferny undergrowth, the silence & a few birds singing.

On the return 11km it was getting hotter & hotter, though there was shade on the fire trail & some on the dirt road. Another couple of short breaks (1) climbing back through the barbed wire fence; (2) at 'Doug's property (where 'Turbo' lives & there are 2 beautiful palomino horses) & I can refill my bottle with fresh water; (3) at 'Tom's' property for more fresh water (where there are 2 dressage horses & arena & 3 cats!) Tom is the one I mentioned a few weeks back & who is preparing to climb to base camp, Mt. Everest. So all in all, I'm well looked after by the local property owners on this course! Just 2 other breaks! (1) to remove my right shoe when, as on every single run, the toes & ball of that foot burn so painfully that I have to remove the shoe, massage the foot & wriggle the toes till the burning subsides...must have a very peculiar right foot! (2) back on the bitumen road, the heat coming up just about fried my face, so I walked for about 500m - a fried face is not attractive at any stage of life!

Other than that, I finally finished feeling pretty good considering the heat & time on my feet; showered (gave myself the luxury of smothering myself in what's left of my Channel No.5 body lotion, usually kept for 'special' occasions) & then had breakfast while watching tennis!

I'll probably nap while watching the afternoon tennis, Devenport is playing someone!.......but I feel quite good after today's shorter, slow long run.

Medium Long Run

14km - Done!

Track Session

Both weather & body were not ideal for today's track session!
Heavy rain all morning; grass hadn't been cut; paspalum & seeds everywhere; trainers soaked during warm-up - but I think the real difficulty came from not being properly recovered from Sunday's 4 hours rough run over rocks, etc. The body & legs were just not ready to do what was expected of them! I'll wait for Ewen's confirmation or otherwise on the following :-

20 minutes slow jog warm-up; 4x100m strides - done!

10 minutes walk around & stretch - done!

2x200m in 60 secs. - 1:45 min. intervals.
1:01.6; 1:00.2
Slower than usual - legs wouldn't respond as they should!

10 minutes rest - done!

2x400m in 2:06 mins. - 2 mins. intervals.
2:11.8; 2:19.7
Definitely not up to standard; heavy legs that became lactic each repeat with about 20m to go.

10 minutes rest - done!

2x200m in 60 secs. - 1.45 mins. intervals.
1:03.9; 1:00.6
Flat out getting to the finish & completely out of breath.

Warm-down - Cut short to fast walk around 400m lane; walk to car; home to a hot shower!


Report Card:
1) Following instructions: 95%
2) Determination: 93%
3) Performance: 85%
4) Effectiveness: 83%
Overall - 89%

"Easy" Run

Program - 'Easy' run - 7km : did a slow (65mins.) 8km to even it up! Definitely not recovered from Sunday's rough run : legs heavy & took several walk breaks in the first half. 33:45 out & 32:05 back......neg. split....how encouraging!! Between showers; humid & zillions of flies! Not worried that I was so slow....better to take it easy today & hopefully be more recovered for track tomorrow.

Program for week 16/1/06 - 22/1/06

Not going fishing! Going to a movie : "Mrs. Henderson Presents".

Monday 16 - REST DAY!
Tuesday 17 - 7km Easy:
Wednesday 18 - TRACK : 20 minutes warm-up slow jog...3-4 strides.
2x200m in 60 seconds. 1:45 walk between.
10 minutes rest.

2x400m in 2:06 seconds. 2 mins. walk between.
10 minutes rest.

2x200m in 60 seconds. 1:45 walk between.
15 mins. slow warm-down jog.

Thursday 19 - 5km slow easy jog.
Friday 20 - 14km Medium Long Run.
Saturday 21 - REST
Sunday 22 - 20km (shorter) Long Run on trails is OK.

A Long Run

Not so long in distance, but mighty tough & long in time! 3hours 54 minutes to cover only 28kms. Oh dear! At this rate I'll never run out of sight... day or night!

A cup of coffee & left 8:30 a.m. : very cool, overcast morning; nice breeze. After 8km of dirt road, continued along last Sunday's fire trail for 6km that very much reminded me of 6ft Track - TSV !! Same terrain as the better parts of it... like Fitzroy Falls Marathon course, part of the same ranges, so similar rough, rocky track. Forgot to carry a gel or anything to eat & needed it; had plenty of water & tap for refill. Beautiful bushy location, running through silence. Phoned 'im what's 'ome to see if I had mobile coverage - I do! Remembered as usual to have I.D disk tied to shoe laces; wore new, but getting dirty, trail runners...boy, are they worth the money!!

Slowed down to walking through the rocky parts - a fall out there would mean big, big trouble! Remember to take bandage - could be handy, especially if I ever again feel as worn out as I did this morning, I could use it to hang myself & end the torture! The return 9km was like that : jog some, walk some; nothing left in legs, nothing in the tank. I know I kept saying to myself : "You're going to feel like this & worse in Canberra 50km, so get used to it & keep going!" Almost 4 hours to do just 28 kms! And I needed something for energy!

This will be a good place to train for 6 Foot Track - TSV, 2006(!), but Ewen agrees it's too rugged an area for long Sunday runs : involves too much walking, so I have to find something flattish where I can run without stopping for hills, rocks, etc...Can't think of anywhere, but I'll drive around & see what I can find.

...and now, it's "good night" from me, fellow Bloggers! Nearly forgot...a kangaroo hopped across the track!

Medium Long Run

Unsealed dirt road, some parts rocky, 14 km. (2x7km). Good run, keeping HR between 70% & 80% of Max. Overcast, cool breeze; felt good. Wore trail runners. Slept in, so no breakfast. Start 10:30a.m. Back for shower then lunch. No complaints!

Recovery Jog

4km recovery jog.....Done!

Track Session

Warm-up 15 minutes incl. 3 'easy' strides. Done!

Stretch & walk around 10 minutes. Done!

6x100m at '800m pace' (aim for 28-30secs.); 100m slow recoveries:
28.9; 27.8; 27.2; 28.0; 27.0; 27.4

Rest 10 minutes. Done!

5x200m at '1500m' pace (aim for 64 secs.); 2:30 recoveries:
61.0; 59.7; 59.5; 59.5; 59.3

Rest 10 minutes. Done!

6x100m (as above)
27.9; 27.3; 26.8; 27.1; 27.2; 26.1

Rest & Stretch 10 minutes. Done!

I have to say I like these track sessions in spite of a very hot morning start at 9:00 a.m. I like the change from just running every other day; it's different & hardship is short lived! I felt really good at the end of the session today; not at all tired. Drank plenty of water & Poweraid. Home - shower - breakfast - watch tennis!




..........Report Card 11/01/06

CB sets an excellent example to other students in the class. She always arrives on time and never gets lost on her way to school. Today her concentration on the lesson was equal to the best I've seen. She answered all questions correctly and her comprehension of the task was excellent. If she does this well in future lessons she will almost certainly be dux of the school. The only reason I cannot mark her at 100% is that such a mark is reserved for Australian and World Records. Therefore, for today's lesson, CB is marked at 95%.

w


CB very happy with that Report Card!

Steady, Easy Run

7km Steady, Easy Run - Done!

This was to be 7km but I made it 8km because I hate finishing half way to the next full km! I just have a "thing" about it!

Overcast, humid, nice breeze & I felt "fresh as a daisy" for this run!

Stationary cycle 30 minutes.

Recovery Run

Slow, easy 4km run.......done!

Program for Week 9-15 January - WOW!!

Monday 9 Jan. - 4km easy, slow run.
Tuesday 10 Jan. - 7km steady easy run.
Wednesday 11 Jan. - TRACK : 15mins. warm-up jog; 3-4 easy strides.

6x100m at '800m pace'
100m slow walk recoveries.

REST - 10 minutes.

5x200m at '1500m pace'; 2:30 recoveries.

REST - 10 minutes.

6x100m at '800m pace'.

15mins. warm-down

Thursday 12 Jan. - 4km easy slow run.
Friday 13 Jan. - 14km Medium long run.
Saturday 14 Jan. - REST!
Sunday 15 Jan. - 23km : little more if feeling OK!!

Sunday Run - 18km

Took my new & first pair of trail runners out today even though I hated the thought of getting them dirty! Carrying them would have looked a bit strange!

I ran 8km along a dirt road which then led onto a quiet fire trail through the bush. I've not ventured onto this trail before, not knowing where it led to, but there was only one way to find out. I would only have covered a little over 1km on the fire trail before turning back, but each alternate Sunday, when the run is a shorter one, I'll go further each time & see where it takes me. I have a feeling it will come out onto Tourist Road a long way down Macquarie Pass, but have no idea what distance it is......it's exciting to have something new to explore; my only concern is that it's completely isolated. I'll give it another go in 2 weeks' time & see how I feel about being on the beaten track!

My legs, to my surprise on the way back, were getting fatigued even though I haven't run at all since last Monday; I guess they're not fully recovered from the "Black Stump" run, so I walked up 3 of the steep hills. Total 18km.

Programme for the week ahead coming from Ewen tonight....before he falls asleep!

5 Days' Break From Running.

From yesterday (Tuesday) until Sunday, I will rest from running; Sunday, maybe 12km. Instead of running, I'll do some stationary cycle, light weights & gardening which I spent all day today clearing & tidying up!

I'll have time to read all the blogs!

Starting Monday, 9th January : all training geared towards Canberra 50km, 9th April.

A comment on comments about the Fat Ass Run : For me, yes, it was much harder than 6Foot Track TSV!! There was a lot of fairly tricky/dangerous rock hopping that made for very little progress in some sections; hands as well as feet absolutely necessary in order to negotiate your way through the large boulders - all of which meant climbing down them & then up on the return leg! I did some of this actually sitting down from rock to rock!! There were sections where the only way up was to place each foot in some sort of steel hook in the rock face & haul yourself up to the next level! And lots of sneaky steps.....a really tough course this one!

All of that, plus the difficulty of finding the right track through the bush, makes my mind up about which run I'd prefer if I had to make a choice - 6Ft Track any day!! I think they're two very, very hard runs, but each in a different way! I'd still like to do them both again...some day!!

"Fat Ass - Beyond the Black Stump"

I copied this, my short account of "The Fat Ass" run 2/1/2006, from the main message board on the same topic :

From Horrie:
quote:
"This is one tough woman! "

From me:

....and this is one tough course!!

Just back from Sydney where I stayed for an extra recovery night.

I thought the 6ft track was hard going but this was more rugged & less runnable. Where did all those rocks come from? I've never ever experienced anything like it before & I don't think I'll be doing it again in a hurry (well, I couldn't do it in a "hurry" anyhow!)

Surprisingly, I have no stiffness or soreness after going "Beyond the Black Stump", whereas I could barely walk for 2 days after 6 foot track -TSV. If nothing else, these sorts of runs toughen you up not just physically, but mentally & emotionally as well. On this one I didn't sit down & cry (not even once - the rocks would have been unbearably uncomfortable!) & I was in full control of my gastrointestinal system (i.e.I didn't throw up)! We stopped at the Marina, after the ferry crossing, where Belinda ordered scones & jam & Horrie & I 2 slices of banana bread which we ate as we slowly hauled ourselves up the hill to rejoin the bush track littered with huge boulders to climb down & then back up again on our way to & from 'The Castle'.

As Horrie said we lost quite a bit of time getting ourselves thoroughly lost several times, but still that's what bush trails are for - to confuse! As Confucius would say : "He who gets lost, will not necessarily stay lost!"

The scenery looking down into Berowra Waters was glorious & that I stayed on my feet (they were my feet, I think!) for more than 7 hours to see it all, was due to the assistance of my two helpers, Belinda & Horrie who would have finished the course several hours earlier (nearly typed 'days earlier' there!). Thank you both for picking me up at Bronte & bringing me back. A special thank you to Kevin Tiller who waited all day to make sure that the 3 of us finally & safely finished....Kevin, you are a wonder & a "national treasure" for your camaraderie & vigilance & supplying us all with bottled water, ice, Coke, Gatoraid & snakes - the chewable variety!!

And that's another run, that Chickybabe never imagined doing, ticked off the list!

I Made It to 2006! Phew!!

Leaving for Sydney this afternoon for

"Beyond The Black Stump"

tomorrow!






......................................................................from Chickybabe!