Unexpected & Exciting.....

...from the top of Range Road, just before an unexpected & almighty storm broke, looking towards Sydney in the far distance.

Exciting, because I can't remember feeling so good when running as I have this week & on today's 2 hour run, finishing just as the rain fell.

Also Exciting because I have flights & accommodation booked for the Gold Coast Half Marathon!

The Colours of Autumn.

Powered by GoodWidgets.com

......taken on cross country course at Chev. before track session.

Meaningful, unexpected (not really), and exciting!

Anzac Day, 25th April, 2008

During & Post-Canberra Marathon.....

When anything meaningful, unexpected or exciting happens, I'll post it here.

Today I resumed running after a full week's rest & felt terrific....better than I would have been feeling when this photo was taken by J.White (ACT)!

That's meaningful, unexpected & exciting!!

Canberra Marathon, 2008.

....I'm very pleased to be able to say I did NOT look like this at any stage of Sunday's marathon....or so I hope, because I have decided that this is to be my last marathon.

Very briefly then....

I was pleased with the run, the weather, the cheer squad (bless 'em all!), other runners and even pleased with my time - 5:34:06....not my fastest but not my slowest either. In fact, my time was just 5 minutes slower than the last time I ran Canberra marathon 2 years ago, so I count that as mild deterioration only! I know I would not have been anywhere near as comfortable as I was (in the early stages), nor would I have run even close to a time from 2 years back, had it not been for the day-to-day coaching over many months from Ewen. Thank you, Master W!

As he did 2 years ago when I ran the 50km, Ewen kept popping up at various stages along the cycle path, making sure I didn't go off into the bush - or the lake - & pushed me towards the end to overtake a few runners up ahead..... a rare thrill for me these days, but I DID IT!

I will post here, for the future, only after I've taken part in a run. Day-to-day running will be simple & unadorned...and probably just plain boring to read!

Thank you so very much for your encouraging comments in the lead-up towards Canberra marathon....23 weeks in all. I appreciated them more than you would know.

So, for now...... "Good Night & Good Luck"!

"Yesterday"

Seems like only yesterday that training for Canberra Marathon 2008 began! In fact though, it's 23 weeks that has come to an end today : the weekly e-mails from Ewen with training prgrams; the daily e-mails reporting back; the return e-mails telling me if I'd "stuffed up" or 'did goof'; text messages & phone calls galore.....all coming to an end today.

But what a great time (for me anyhow!) it's been. All the work taken out of wondering how to train - and conversely, all the work that it involved for Ewen writing programs to suit someone of more 'mature' years! Not an easy task I imagine & I didn't realize just how little I knew about how to run & train appropriately!

So.....on Sunday the race is run & then c'en est fait!

Rest....

No running for me today...I gave my dogs a long run through the paddocks instead..

Getting Closer & Closer All the Time!

Back to Bowral cycle paths for today's session.

Program : 7km

4k easy warm-up + 3km @ 7:25 pace. Optional few extra kms afterwards as warm-down.

Don't look at Garmin at all during 3km!

I stuffed up, of course! Afraid to find out later I'd run slower than 7:25 pace, I ran all the faster!

4km warm-up in 30:56. Pace = 7:50

3km in 21:31. Pace 7:08....that's the 'stuff up'! Laps 7:10; 7:06; 7:12. AHR = 112 (75%).

2km warm-down included some strides & a few drills.

I should have done strides before starting. I felt more 'awake' & energetic after doing them than I did during the entire earlier session!

Today's distance = 9km

Getting Closer and Closer....!!!!.

Program : 4km 'easy' running. Some drills & strides.

Ran 4km & walked 1km back to the car. Forgot all about the drills & strides!

Feeling fine! : no niggles, legs good, allergy gone, well rested & refreshed by reading (& dozing!) & walking the doggies in the afternoons.

Distance today = 5km.

Getting Closer....Canberra Marathon!

Program : 4km 'easy'. Last 1km run at 7:25 pace.

And that's all I did, running on the grass in Ironmines Oval. Cool, cloudy & looking like storms on the way.

4k 'easy' in 32 minutes
Last km in 7:25 exactly!

Distance for today = 4km

The Last Long Run...for now!

Program : 10km. First 7km 'easy'. Last 3km @ 7:25 pace.

....the start on the East Bowral cycle path. I chose it to avoid steep hills & to settle for a few long inclines instead. A nice morning, 21 degrees, slight southerly wind.

First 7k OK. Turn around at 5km & with 3km to go I stopped timing, clicked new lap to get a separate reading on Motion Based for this section and.....forgot to start timing!! Bugger!!!!!! That really does deserve 6 exclamation marks, Ewen. And so I ended up with only 1.77km showing on the Garmin instead of 3k.

1.77km (of 3k) in 13: 14. Avg. Pace = 7:29. AHR = 113 (76%).

Distance today = 10km

Distance for the week = 28km

This time next week...it'll be all over!

Chev Track....

Arriving at Chev track mid morning, all the ovals & grounds, including "my" track were being set up for tomorrow's NSW Schools Cross Country Championships! What to do?

Not to worry! One of the friendly grounds people told me I could lower two sections of the tapes which stretched across all lanes & out to the boundary of the oval. This was a big help as I didn't fancy my chances of going over or under them safely! And hurdles were not on the program anyhow!

Program : 1.5km warm-up. Usual drills & strides.

6 laps, Lane 8 (420m), sitting on HR 123. Time each 2 laps.

I've had what I thought might be a head cold for the past couple of days but now I think it's change of season allergy with sneezing etc. Tablets from the chemist help but I think I'll use it & the tablets as my excuse for being slow today. And that would have to be on the very day I've been asked to compare today's times, heart rate, etc. with the same sessions done during the past few weeks. Eeek!

6 laps in 17:09.

AHR = 129....but I don't believe that, because there were spikes all over the place on Motion Based for the first half.

MHR = 170...if that's the case, I'm dead without knowing it.

Laps = 5:32; 5:49; 5:47

Compared with the previous 2 sessions of this type, I ran 1:04 slower today.

Glorious morning & all day here : blue skies, not a single cloud & warm following a freezing early morning.....so the radio man said. I wouldn't be out to know about it!

Back to the Cycle Paths...

Program : 8km on Bowral cycle paths.

3km warm-up easy pace.

5km at marathon mid-race pace...7:25 . Take heart rate.

I did the 3km warm-up on a section of East Bowral cycle paths feeling sluggish & slow. Picked up the pace when I saw the huge grass cutting maching bearing down on my car which I'd parked on the grass beside the path!

5km @ 7:25 pace...I used the cycle path into Bowral...less concrete, more shade.

Time = 37:08 minutes.

Pace = 7:25 exactly!

AHR = 116 (78%); MHR =123 (83%).

Laps = 7:22; 7:27; 7:28; 7:25; 7:24.

A hot day, 27 degrees while running & a strong easterly wind blowing. Not the best conditions, but good training for the running I'll have to do in the hot part of the day in Canberra. This was the reason I started late at 10:30a.m....to catch the heat but could have done without the wind!

Week 22 of 23...

Program : 4-5km 'easy' run. Strides & Drills.

Diamond Fields Road has been graded so I went back there for today's short run.

I did an extra km, making 6km altogether.

Along the way I ran a few strides & took to the hills with a vengeance!

....Just one more week!