More Little Steps...

I did a few drills in the soccer field again today and then set off for an 'easy' lower aerobic run. Warm day, nice breeze though; returned to Diamond Fields Road where I haven't run since discovering the Inkerman Road side of Mittagong.

9km.
AHR 67%; MHR 80%

I felt good from start to finish today! Had a word or two with an old doggie friend who belongs to one of the properties out there; very friendly, dear old thing he is! We both have advanced age in common!

Tomorrow.....run longer. Next Sunday: Fisher's Ghost...I've entered the 5km this year since I'm already doing 10km races at SMC events each month. Besides that, once around that hilly course at University of Western Sydney, Campbelltown, is more than sufficient! It's always a hot day & has the most vicious flies in the world!

Instead of Running......

We....

Mowed the lawns
Trimmed the hedges
Cleared out the garden shed.......and what a task that was!
Watered the gardens
Walked the dogs.

That took both of us all day!

Another cool and overcast day; another good one for a run.

Program called for 6km easy. I did.....

10km easy (on the Inkerman Road side of Mittagong).

5km out in 41:50.
5km return in 37:45

4mins. negative split.

AHR 113(72%); MHR 149 (94%)...probably a glitch there. 94% seems high for 7:24min/km pace.

Distance today = 10km

"Every Little Step"

Renwick soccer field for today's 'hard 'n fast' training! Cool day, bit humid, looking like more rain later in the day. I made an earlier start than usual so as to get to a movie this afternoon : "Every Little Step", which has nothing to do with running thank goodness!

2km warm-up
Drills & Strides

16 x 100m...no monitor or watch; just ran hard from one end of the field to the other; jog back after each 100m.

2km warm-down.

Today's distance 5.5km

I Didn't Run Yesterday...

.....just too lazy! But I did run today : cool, some light raindrops; perfect for another 10km effort.

10.5km
Time 1:13:47
AHR 110 (72%); MHR 122 (77%)

I felt this was an easier and slightly faster 10km than Sunday's SMC 10km race!

SMC 10km Race

The alarm went off at 4:00 on Sunday morning! I left home at 5:20a.m so as to be at Smithfield for the 7:30 start of my first 10km race of nine in the 2009/2010 series. In the car with me I had "TomTomXL 340" whose sole purpose for existing was to get me to Smithfield as I had no idea at all of where it was. Even though I'd had a couple of practice trips locally with TomTom, it was an entirely different scenario once I found myself in foreign places and trying to listen to directions from an unfamiliar voice! Naturally, it wasn't long before I was taking all the wrong turns and becoming totally lost....and not just once either!

This happened at least three times, but each time TomTom would say very patiently: "When it's safe, turn around" and then guide me through a maze of streets towards my destination which , by this time, I was thinking not only would I not have time for a warm-up on arrival, but that the race itself would have finished!

So there I was twisting and turning every which way towards Smithfield, happy that it wasn't a real live person directing me who, by this time for sure would have been saying : "Turn around again, you stupid woman!" I simply am not used to someone telling me where to go! The return trip went off beautifully however. I did exactly what I was told, when I was told and we both came through with flying colours. I think my TomTom is one of the best friends a person like me could have!

But now for my SMC debut 10km race. Having registered for the whole series on line, I had only to pick up my race bib and timing chip both of which I keep and use for all nine races. Thanks to TomTomXL, I still had plenty of time to do a warm-up jog for 20 minutes, take a break and then do a few drills and strides before what was quite a long walk across a paddock and road to where the races started.

The course was harder than I was expecting, with a few long, steep inclines but a good road race course nevertheless: marshals, sports drink and water sachets along the course and, though the roads are not closed to traffic, I can't remember seeing a single car. The area is industrial rather than residential, so I guess that would account for the absence of traffic early on a Sunday morning. In any case, all runners have to run close to the curb and there were marshals at all sections where we had to cross roads.

Finally, the results according to the Garmin, start mat to finish mat...official results still to come.

10km in 1:08:18
AHR 131 (83%); MHR 144 (91%)
1km Splits....7:25; 7:03; 7:24; 6:58; 7:06.........6:36; 6:50; 6:10; 6:30; 6:04

Obviously I need to pick up the pace during the first 5km to finish in 1:05 or under, so there's something to work on before the next SMC 10km race on 22nd November....or, as a sign posted for all to read along the roadside by some anonymous person said : HTFU!

Official Result: 1:08:43 (1st in age category F80)

A 'Warm-up' for Tomorrow's SMC 10km Series

At Renwick soccer field for:

A warm-up jog
Then 2.5km very easy
Followed by 0.5km at goal pace (6:30) for tomorrow's 10km.

Today's distance 3km!

I'm setting out at 5:30a.m in the morning, trusting "TomTomXL340" to get me to the race on time!

Today Was an Easy One.....

I went to Renwick soccer field : a hot and windy day.
There I did :

2km warm-up
Some drills

10 x 100m (probably a bit more than 100m; I didn't wear Garmin or HR Monitor; just ran as fast as I could the length of the field!)
Jog back to start between each.

2km warm-down

Slowest interval 32 seconds; fastest 29 seconds

Distance today : 5km

Still with a Cold!

Damn this head cold! It's getting in the way of my training! I should have run 8 -10km today. Instead, because my breathing was laboured :

I ran easily for 6km and then called it quits!

Running with a Partner...

.....Garmin's Virtual Partner actually! I did today's training on the track at Chev College. A very hot day. I wanted to see if I could stay with or just ahead of Virtual Partner for 4km to finish in 26:45 (i.e. approx 6:40 pace).

Knowing I had competition, I charged off like a bull in a china shop when I saw the bottom half of the screen all black which meant that VP was ahead! Within seconds that changed to white and I almost came to a skidding halt and applied the brakes! For the next 2km I stayed about 30m ahead and then slowed down to around 6m in front, to finish 4km comfortably in 26:40. VP sure puts the pressure on! I'm thinking of running with him for the SMC 10km race on Sunday.

Chev Track:

3km warm-up
Drills & strides

4km in 26:40
AHR 129 (82%); MHR 136 (86%)


Distance today 7km

Long Run

Good weather for a long run : overcast and just the occasional burst of sunshine.

16km
Time 2:13:25
AHR 66%; MHR 76%

I had a very sore throat yesterday so I took a day off running. Today I set out laden with tissues for what has now developed into a heavy head cold. Lucky it wasn't last weekend! Ahchoo!

This week 40km.

Ran a little longer today. Still very windy, but took it easy for 11km.

11km
1:25:58
AHR 109 (69%); MHR 124 (78%).

Distance today = 11km

Easy Again.....

Another short and easy run. Another very windy day. I didn't have time today to do more than 6km, but that's OK; just turning the legs over until next week. Heart rate back to 'normal' for easy running.

6km
49 minutes
AHR 64%; MHR 75%

Talk about 'weather all sorts"! I had it all today when I set off for an easy run, post Melbourne Half Marathon recovery. Cold, wind, rain, sleet and sunshine one after the other. I didn't mind it really and the legs were happy to be running again no matter the weather.

Next up : my very first 10km race at the SMC Series on Sunday week, October 25! The worry is: will I get lost driving there and/or do the same during the run? I need one of those car navigation things....that way at least I'd get to the start!

7km 'easy'
54 minutes
AHR 117 (74%); MHR 132 (84%)
Heart rate a bit high for an easy run, but typical after a half marathon.

Distance today 7km

Melbourne Half Marathon

Back home late yesterday afternoon after almost a full day of travelling! Worth it though : I had a great run, as the official results now show, in spite of feeling like I couldn't get into any sort of running rhythm for nearly all of the first 10km!

The course is such a scenic one; the weather was perfect; volunteers & crowd support a huge help especially in those last few kilometres. Running a lap of the MCG still gives me goose bumps! I wore the same "Skirtsports" bright pink top & multi-coloured patterned skirt as for Blackmores half last month. Stands out in a crowd that's for sure!

Results :

Time 2:25:38 (6 minutes better than last year's time!)

1st half 1:17:25; 2nd half 1:08:28
5km splits: 36:14; 35:19; 33:40; 32:34 + (7:03)

AHR 130 (82%); MHR 157 (99%)!

There were 6 runners in my age category 75+ (3 males & 3 females.) Allowing for a brief personal boast, the time for each of these was:-

2:19:20 (male, Japanese)
2:25:38 (female...me!)
2:30:26 (male)
2:45:16 (male)
4:05:49 (female)
4:05:50 (female)

Pleased to see that I made it up there with the boys!

This was the last of the 'big' events for this year and for each one of these I have been able to improve by 5 to 7 minutes on the same events run during 2007 and 2008! I can close the year off happy with that!

I found time whilst in Melbourne to spend a few hours at the exhibition "A Day in Pompeii"...fabulous! I'd intended seeing the Dali exhibition also, but it had closed.

Excellent weekend!

Farewell!

I didn't run today....as in training, but seemed to be running everywhere getting things done before leaving for Melbourne in the morning.

Once again, many thanks for all encouraging comments. I'll try not to let anyone down...including myself! I have last year's time of 2:29:51 to better!

My best 5km at Chev Track!

I think it's my best 5km.....ever! On 29th September my time was 32:40. And not a nice morning today either : cold & windy.

2km warm-up.
I had Garmin's Virtual Partner programmed to finish in 32 minutes; nothing like a bit of competition to run faster! I love it when I see "YOU WON!" come up on the screen!

Time = 30:49.
AHR (139) 89%; MHR (153) 97%.
Splits 6:29; 6:07; 6:00; 6:09; 6:02

The rain started just as I finished; no warm-down!

Distance today 7km

Not Much to Write About!

Just a few drills first and then an easy jog in the soccer field this morning, including a few accelerations along the short sides of the field.

30 minutes
3.5km
AHR 69%; MHR 82%

Two more days and then on the way to Melbourne....very exciting now!

Last Long Run Before Melbourne Half

Perfect conditions yesterday for a run : cool, misty rain, slight breeze, very overcast.

I ran here, there and everywhere, doubling up on some sections, to do the last long run before Melbourne Half Marathon.

Distance 17km very, very easy!
Time 2:23
AHR 68%; MHR 82%

Nothing too difficult this week and 2 days taper.

Getting Some Speed Going....Well trying!

I used the track at Chev College this morning for today's session which was :-

3km warm-up. A few Drills & strides.

5 x 1km at half marathon pace; 2 minutes rest between each kilometre.

6:12; 6:09; 6:07; 6:10; 6:09

I had 'Virtual Partner' on the Garmin set for 6:23/km, which would be far more realistic for the half in Melbourne, but competition got the better of me and I just had to win every time! It wasn't a difficult pace for 5 x 1km; 21.1km might be another story!

I think it was good training for faster pacing anyhow!

A Tired 10km.....

After yesterday's brisk walk, I got stuck into the garden again and remade an entire garden that was fast disappearing under grass. With pick, shovel & mattock, I hammered, dug & swung the pick for the best part of 5 hours and, I have to say I made a pretty good job of it too! Looking good now with flowering azaleas that I transferred from another garden where they weren't doing so well; camellia and lilac trees in bloom giving shade the azaleas need and replacing them with many bright orange clivia under the silver bark birch trees.

However, when I got up this morning and all day and even now at night I have the sorest butt ever known to woman! I guess this is from forcing the spade into the hard ground hundreds of times! Anyhow, I'm very pleased with the finished work and it looks a lot better than before. Very pretty, in fact!

But, back to training :

10km.....big struggle; just too tired! some long walk breaks; but I covered the distance and that's the best that can be said about today's session!

Distance 10km
Time 1:25!!
AHR 68%; MHR 83%.

Hot & windy day, but rain forecast for the entire weekend!

Today's distance 10km