Chev Track....

.......Best 6 laps so far! Only problem : I should have done 8!

Program : 1.5km warm-up. Drills. Strides. Short Rest.

8 laps lane 8, sitting on AHR 123, timing each 2 laps.

Warm-down.

After having sent today's results to Ewen & boasting about how well I ran today, I checked the program only to see I should have run 8 laps....not 6! Now I'm having a major meltdown! In any case, today's 6 laps were 1 minute 20 seconds faster, at the same heart rate, than last Friday's, so in one way, I think it was a good mistake because I was able to make a comparision with last week's track session....& that's my excuse!

6 Laps of lane 8 in 16 minutes 58 seconds.

2 lap splits = 5:36; 5:39; 5:42

AHR = 121 (82%); MHR = 126 (85%).

Distance = 2.56km.

After the warm-up etc..I could see that most of the lanes had almost disappeared into the uncut grass. I gathered an armfull of pine cones from around the grounds & placed them in lane 8 wherever there was a danger of going 'off track'. This worked well &, big surprise, I didn't go astray at all.

Distance today = 5.6km

To the Gym.....

A wet day so I headed off to the gym.

Program : 4km + 5 x strides.

On the treadmill I ran 4km easy including 6 x 100m strides with treadmill set for 12kph.....for the strides only!

Today's Distance = 4km

One Day Later....

....what no words can paint, my stunning speed on the return leg of this morning's run!!

Program : 8km. Run as you feel; if good, a negative split.

Yesterday down in the world; today nimble as a squirrel! Not only did I feel good, I ran fast (well, fast for me) on a hilly road. Who would have thought it!

8km in 62:31

1st 4km in 33:25...nice & easy out.

AHR = 103 (70%); MHR = 118 (80%). Avg. pace = 8:16

2nd 4km in 29:06 ...this is where I would've turned heads if there had been any to turn!

AHR = 121 (82%); MHR = 129 (87%). Avg. pace = 7:14

Negative split 4:19

Not Such a Good Run...

...Plod! Plod! Plod!

Program : 4 - 6km very easy. On grass Renwick soccer field.

By 3km I thought about stopping. At 4km I stopped! My legs felt really good until I started running & then they felt not so good so, rather than push for another 2km, I decided to save the energy for another more important day during the week. Some stretches on the grass in the shade.

Today I took a look at the link to the Sri Chinmoy Races Sydney Series 2008, the first of which was held last Sunday. I'm thinking I'd like to do some of these during the coming months....the ones I know how to get to without getting lost! The Dolls Point Half Marathon in July is where I did my very first half marathon, late 1980's I think.

Week 17 of 23 to Canberra Marathon...

It's getting closer and closer and closer all the time!

Program : REST!

Long Run...

Program : 30km only. Start easy. Record AHR but don't worry about it.

I managed an early start at 7:45a.m. It was quite cool then, hot at 27 degrees by the time I finished. Strong westerly wind. Plan was to run 3 x 10km out & back to the car where I'd left sports drink, some jelly beans & water.

I wanted to run each 10km a little faster than the previous 10km & I just managed it!

30km in 4 hours 21 minutes. Oh dear, it was a long day!

1st 10km in 1:28; AHR = 96 (65%); MHR = 112 (75%).
5k laps = 43:46; 44:51.

2nd 10km in 1:27; AHR = 102 (69%); MHR = 125 (84%).
5k laps = 43:07; 43:36.

3rd 10km in 1:26; AHR = 107 (72%); MHR = 122 (82%).
5k laps = 42:30; 42:45

Goal accomplished but my legs were thrashed & very painful especially during the last 10km due to the awful state of the dirt road: hills, rocks & ruts. Am I nuts?!

Distance today = 30km
Weekly Distance = 58km

Chev Track

Program : 1.5km warm-up. drills, strides. etc.
6 laps lane 8, 'sitting on' HR 123. Time each 2 laps.
Warm-down as you feel.

The usual late start 11:30. Fairly hot 25 degrees, but not as humid as yesterday at the soccer field. Slight easterly breeze. Grass cut low & dry.

1.5km warm-up in 14 minutes. Drills, strides.etc..

6 Laps, lane 8 timing each 2 laps = 5:56; 6:11; 6:09
AHR = 122 (82%); MHR = 126 (85%).
Distance = 2.53km. Time = 18:18

Maybe I shouldn't say it, but this was a fairly easy session. Finished with 1.5km warm-down walk/jog.

Total Distance Today = 5.5km

An 'Easy' Day....

Program : 4km 'easy' + 5 x strides.

And that's what I did this afternoon at the soccer field where it was so humid it felt more like being in a sauna. I finished this short session dripping with sweat.

4km in 36 minues, including 6 strides (not 5... because I don't like finishing with an uneven number) on the long side of the field; jog/walk the short sides between strides.

AHR = 102 (69%); MHR = 117 (79%).

Track tomorrow...just about my favourite session each week!

Distance today = 4km

Medium/Long Run with Negative Split.....

....another version of "My Avatar" stretch....definitely a 'positive' split!

Program : Medium/Long Run. 10 - 12km. Negative split or faster if feeling good.

I wouldn't dare not feel good, so for a negative split there was no option other than to do it!

12 km in 1 hour 40 minutes.

AHR = 109 (74%); MHR = 126 (85%).

6km splits = 52:22; 47:35. Yeah! Negative split = 4:47

The second 6km was one helluva hard slog, driven by the fear of 'not making it'! Diamond Fields Road is also in one helluva mess : rutted like moon craters, rocks & stones awaiting the unwary. This makes the run all the more difficult; slipping, swerving at the last minute to avoid tripping or falling into one of the many 'craters'. Aching legs tonight adhere to the fact that I was literally jumping from post to pillar....almost!

Week 16 of 23 to Canberra Marathon.

.....I must be feeling well again if I can still do my Cool Running "Avatar" stretch! And I did.... at the end of an easy run this morning.

Program : 4 - 6 km 'easy' running.

I did this morning's short 'comeback' run on the deep, spongy grass in Renwick soccer field. This location is a great surface, not only easy on the knees etc, but also for ensuring that you must lift your legs up & out of the thick turf. So, even though I did only 6km, my legs were nicely tired at the finish.

Distance = 6km in 55 minutes. AHR = 104 (70%); MHR = 127 (85%).

To add some variety, during the 4th & 5th kms I ran 100m strides (my version of) on the long sides & walked/jogged the short sides. Probably 10 of these, but as Ewen will tell you, I can't count past 2!

Finished off with stretching on the grass, including The Avatar. Overcast, hot when the sun came through 24 degrees; humid.

A Good Starting Up Again Session!

A Few Days Off...

I've had some nasty stomach virus since last Thursday & have been in bed for 2 days. What a surprise that was for me! Up & feeling well now, I hope to do some, if not all, of my long run tomorrow which I should have run today. The only other session I missed was the track on Friday, so not all that bad really.

7 weeks to Canberra Marathon!

Medium/Long Run.

Program : 10 - 12km....run as you feel. If good, negative split or faster.

What a nerve...asking me to run faster than a negative split!

10km in 1 hour 17 minutes.

1st 5km in 41:35. AHR = 103 (70%).
2nd 5km in 36:22. AHR = 117 (80%).

Negative split = 5 minutes! Ha! Ha! Hee! Hee! Dit it!!

Brilliant morning to run : cool, very light misty rain, slight southerly on the return. Temp. top 21 degrees. I was fully determined to get that negative split so I took the first 5km easy & then pushed hard (what I call hard) on the way back. I might have done better but I had to be very careful , especially as I sped (?) downhills, of the many rocks & stones on Diamond Fields Road after recent rain. This all felt good & left me feeling quite pleased with myself!

Distance Today = 10km

Easy Run....

Program : 4 - 6km very easy running.

The rain looked close when I began today so I did the run mostly in Renwick soccer field & some in the surrounding streets. This way I could stay close to the car if a downpour occurred.

It was quite a slog in the soccer field. At each step my shoe almost disappeared as it sank into the soft, deep turf. Then it was 'knee high" drills lifting each leg up again! Several times I moved out onto the road for an easier stretch. It was humid & the rain started just as I finished. I think this was a drill, if not a thrill, of a run!

Distance Today = 6km.

Week 15 of 23 to Canberra Marathon...8 to go!

Program : A Rest Day.

I was absolutely spent last night after only running 18km during the day. I was so surprised to feel so terribly tired....almost the way I feel after I've run a marathon! So I was pleased to find I had a rest day today & feel OK again, I guess. How can 18km make one feel so pulled down?

Does make me a little worried though about the 30+km run on Sunday!!

Shorter 'Long' Run....

........but with a fast 4km finish over the hills & far away!

Program : 16 - 18km . Last 4km fast.

Anyone who reads here knows by now that Range Road is a hilly road! So why was I so cruelly asked to make the last 4km 'fast'?

11:30a.m. start : cool morning 21 degrees, mostly cloudy, good breeze, more traffic than usual at that late hour : a stream of Jaguar cars off to a rally & then a long line of bikers on huge motor bikes swept past. They all wave now as we fleetingly see each other every Sunday. I think Ewen, with his spies, could've been amongst them today...there was a big, shiny, blue Kawasaka (or whatever it's called)) just like his!

(2 x 5km) + (2 x 4km) = 18km (Ewen will correct me if I'm wrong as I sometimes am!).

10km in 1:20

5km Splits 39:46; 40:00.

AHR = 110 (74%).

8km in 1:04.

4km splits 33:00; 27:09....negative split 6 minutes! Ha! Ha!

AHR =117 (79%).

Total Distance = 18km

Time = 2hours 24 minutes.

For the Week 36km ( an easy week where I took an extra rest day).

Track at Chev...tough!

Track Program: 1.5km warm-up. Drills, Strides, Rest. THEN...

Best effort over 6 laps. Get splits every 2 laps (i.e. 3 splits). Record heart rate but don't run by it or look at it. Run by "feel".

Rest. Warm-down 2km easy jogging.

This was supposed to feel faster than a normal Friday...and it did & was. It was supposed to feel harder than a normal Friday...and it did & was, much harder! I thought my poor little lungs would surely burst...but they didn't!

1.5km warm-up in 14 minutes. 20 minutes drills, 6 x strides, rest.

3 x 2 laps lane 8: Distance = 2.53km. Time = 17:23

AHR = 127 (85%); MHR = 137 (92%).

Splits ....5:42; 5:55; 5:44

Avg Pace = 6.5; Avg Speed = 8.7

Distance for Today = 6km

2km walk/jog warm-down.

A cool, overcast morning; the track was very wet & so were my feet; 10:30a.m. start. I thought I was going to die in the last lap, but I didn't, and as Ewen said, that's a bonus!

Unscheduled Rest Day......

My legs were quite a bit sore from yesterday's 12km on the 'treddy', so as soon as I stepped out of bed I stepped right back in again!

The Program was to have been : 5 - 8km 'easy' running.

All I did today was take the dogs for a long walk, picked & ate handfuls of wild blackberries while they raced around after rabbits, which they never catch & should a rabbit turn to face them, they the dogs, would come racing back to me for protection!

I need to be fresh for Friday when I might be starting a new track session!

To the Gym.....

Wet & muddy roads made the gym en easy option for today's run & looks like the same for tomorrow.

Program : Medium/Long Run..... 10 - 12km. Negative Split.

It was a hard slog on the treadmill for 12km, but I stuck it out & turned up the pace for the last 6km. For whatever reason Polar didn't work well, so I gave up on monitoring heart rate & just did the second half faster than the first. About 90 minutes.

Distance for today = 12km

Week 14 of 23 to Canberra Marathon..Recovery Week

Program for Today : Rest ......YEAH!

Took in the movie "No Country for Old Men"....now there's a thriller full of relentless violence & suspense where you won't believe what happens next, even though you know it's coming!!

A couple of lines from Tommy Lee Jones had the only touches of humour. One, when his rather naive deputy remarks after they've come across the shocking sight of shot to pieces dead bodies: "It's a mess, ain't it Sherrif?" and the sherrif answers, "If it ain't, It'll do till the mess gets here."

And then his line on how crimes gotten out of hand : "It starts when you begin to overlook bad manners. Anytime you quit hearin' 'sir' and 'ma'am', the end is pretty much in sight."

Great movie, but that country is for no one, never mind old men!

Long Run.....32km

Program : 26km .......or more if you feel like it!


I felt like it! Started early (for me) at around 7:30a.m. Weather was good for a longer run : a mixture of all sorts...mist, fog, rain, sun, cool breeze, some humidity...all depending on what part of Range Road I was running on. I did this run in 3 x 10km loops & 1 x 2km loop to make a total of 32 km. In the car I had sports drink, gels, water, Power Bar...enough to last for a week if necessary!


Range Road for 32km run. Time = 4 hours 21 minutes.


1st 10km loop in 1:22:29. AHR = 103 (69%); MHR = 117 (79%)
5k Laps = 41:39; 41:19.


2nd 10km loop in 1:22:59. AHR = 110 (74%); MHR = 123 (83%)
5k Laps = 41:16; 41:19.


3rd 10km Loop in 1:22:45. AHR = 115 (77%); MHR = 129 (87%).
5km Laps = 41 :10; 41:34


Last 2km loop in 15:41


Finishing 32km on Range Road was really hard work and I was pleased no one was around to see me staggering up those hills in the last 12km! Also, running on bitumen, which I hardly ever do, added to the pain in my legs, feet & knees. But I was determined to get 32km no matter what...& I did, but not a pretty sight at the finish!


However, tonight after an afternoon nap, I feel fine again & ready for another week of fun from Ewen! I intend to do more runs of this length & longer if possible. They give me a pretty good reminder of what running the marathon is going to be like!

Distance Today = 32km

Distance for the Week = 62.2km

Chev Track.....

Program : 1.5km warm-up.
Drills, Strides, etc....rest.
8, 12 or 16 laps "sitting on" AHR 123 (83%). Time each 4 laps.

I started abut 10:30am; cool, overcast & light rain; track grass wet; no marked lanes yet; used strip where lane 8 would normally be.....same every week. Always a hard session, but not "struggle mode"! Wore #3 Frees that became soaked & carried tons of wet grass underneath!

1.5km warm-up followed by some drills, a few strides & a short rest.

16 laps, timing each 4 laps = 11:39; 11:41; 11:40; 11:38
AHR = 121 (82%).
Time = 46:40.
Distance = 6.7km.

Today's Distance = 8.2km