A Shorter Long Run

13k throughout Renwick streets

The flat........

.....and an incline.  I started on road just visible in top right corner.

With only two weeks till Canberra Half Marathon, this morning's run has been shortened;  same for next week's.

The Program  :  13km @ 7:34m/k.

Knowing there were less kilometres to run today, I decided to try to run faster than the program said (7:34m/k) and nearer to half marathon pace (6:38m/k)...brave decision but I didn't quite do that!  I was close though.

 

• I did the entire run, except for 2km from the school, within the quiet streets of Renwick.  I chose this because it gave me a variety of terrain  :  some flat sections, long inclines as well as a few shorter ones......all the essential ingredients needed to finish preparations for Canberra in two weeks' time. 

This is how it turned out:

13km in 1:31:29
Avg . Pace 7:02m/k
AHR 120 (75%);  MHR 135 (85%)
5k splits :  35:14;  34:45; (3km 21:29).

What a brilliant day it is, everywhere I hope, but certainly here in the Southern Highlands : clear, blue skies, slightest breeze and warm, friendly sunshine.  I don't think it could be any better than it is here right now!

Just 32km this week on the 3 key workouts.

Workout #2

5km Tempo Run

Tempo Run Program :

3.5km easy
5km @ 6:41 m/k
1.5km easy.

A very late start today around 11:00a.m.  Clear skies, plenty of sunshine and a light breeze. Now, at 3:00p.m. the sun has gone and just about completely replaced by cloud,  but all good while I was out for this week's tempo run.

5km in 33:33 (same 5k time exactly as Fishers Ghost 2011!)
1km splits :  6:29;  6:31;  6:50;  6:52;  6:45.
Avg. Pace =  6:42m/k  near enough to program!

Total...10km.  

Workout #1.....Track

Track session on the road at Renwick.

Program  :  10-20 min warm-up 
                    5 x 1km @ 6:14m/k
                    400m RI
                    10 min cool-down.

It was a beautiful morning : sunny, warm, nice breeze coming through the streets of Renwick where I ran this session.  I had one long stretch of 700m to a roundabout and then 3oom back along the same road.  I had Garmin 1km vibration set so I had only to feel that on my wrist and stop on the spot....it turnd out to be 1.1 k each time....the .1 must have been when skidding to a full stop!

Results    :   2km warm-up
                    5 x 1km.......5:58;  5:57;  5:56;  5:52;  5:42         
                    400m walking RI between each
                    2km cool-down.

I thought this was a good track-on-road session.  For all five repeats I kept ahead of VP ! 

Road course for 5x1km repeats.

Total 9km. 

Cross-Training

 For about 45 minutes this morning :  10 min easy jog + 4 strides.
                                                        1 set Pete Magill drills.
                                                        10 min easy jog.

Nothing like this session to loosen up the legs at the start of  another week's training.

Last of the Really Long Runs!

20km in 2 loops (12k+8k)

Workout #3.....

Program : 20km @ 7:34 m/k.

I ran 12km loop on Diamond Fields Road and an 8km loop in and out, up and down, the streets of Renwick.
It was truly a wintery start with icy cold winds blowing but the clear blue skies almost made up for that!  I felt quite good during the 20km though I was glad to finally get in out of the wind : 12km loop had me back at the start where I stopped for a gel and water before doing the last 8km. 

20km in 2:29:34
Avg. Pace 7:28 m/k
5km splits :    38:02;   37:16;   38:41;   35:31. 

39.4km for the week.
 

Workout #2....Tempo Run

"Oscar".....my lovely Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, 11 years old today!

Today's progam was :
2km warm-up
5km @ 6:50m/k (based on 5km time 32:30)
1km cool-down.


2km from school to Renwick
5km through Renwick & streets beyond.
2km cool-down (1k extra to get back to the car)


5km in 32:08
1k splits =  6:26;  6:30;  6:17;  6:29;  6:24
Avg. pace =  6:26 m/k (same pace as Tuesday's track.)
AHR 80%.

I was OK with today's 5km which was faster than most previous 5k tempo sessions. 
The morning was ideal :  quite cool, misty and looking like rain.

Today's 5km

Total  9km.

Workout #1......Track

I'm pretty sure that doing track sessions on the road makes it a much more difficult session than if run on a proper track surface, grass or whatever.  I try for roads where there aren't too many changes in elevation, but that still leaves quite a few inclines not to mention a section of the road that's rough with exposed stones, potholes, etc to contend with.  All this is by way of saying that this morning's session, as usual, was a hard one!

The session was:
10-20 min warm-up
2x3200m @ 6:22m/k
400m RI between
10 min cool-down.
  

1st 3200m

2nd 3200m

2km warm-up from school to Renwick.
(1)  3200m   :  6:17;  6:41;  6:22.  Avg. pace 6:27m/k.  AHR 82%.
(2)  3200m   :  6:23;  6:18;  6:44.  Avg. pace 6:27m/k.  AHR 85%.
2km cool-down back to school.


Surprised that both were the same avg. pace and, as I've already said, a hard enough session!

Total 10.4km
 




 

Workout #3........Long Run

Program for today's long run:

16km @ 7:34m/k


I did 15km........I was just too tired during today's run to go the extra kilometre!
Avg. pace 7:59m/k (should have run 7:34m/k)
5k splits:  39:31;    39:12;  41:00

Diamond Fields Road in a worse for wear state after recent heavy rain.  I took a couple of walk breaks.

Weak in the Upper Story..or....

 ...'Apartment to Let"!


I couldn't account for feeling at a stage of collapse in today's tempo run, until much later at home I looked at Garmin Connect and saw what poverty of intellect truly means in my case!

This is what I should have done according to my program :  TEMPO RUN......

1.5k easy; 3.5k  @ MT pace (6:50m/k); 1.5k easy; 3.5k @ MT pace; 1.5k easy.

However, this is what I did :  

1.5k easy; 3.5k @ MT pace; 1.5k easy; 3.5k @ MT pace; 1.5k easy; 3.5k @ MT pace; 1.5k easy.

Spot the difference?  And I couldn't work out why I was almost stumbling to finish!  I knew I'd done this tempo run before (the correct version) and yet here I was thinking:  what on earth is wrong with me today, etc. etc

I was dying for water by the last 3.5k and luckily found a hose in the grounds of a sand and gravel workplace.  To top it all off, the man in charge gave me a short but concise lecture about the perils of running in the hot part of the day!  It was after mid-day by then and the day had become hot and very humid.

After all that carry on, there are some results....good and bad for the three x 3.5km @ 6:50m/k.....


(1) Avg. pace 6:47m/k (6:51, 6:42, 6:33 + 3:42).  AHR 84%.
(2) Avg. pace 6:45m/k (6:43, 6:49, 6:52 + 3:12).  AHR 82%.
(3) Avg. pace 7:20m/k (7:03, 7:43, 7:21 + 3:29.   AHR 82%.


Grand Total 16.5km.


Warning for Ewen  :  Don't you dare say what you're thinking! 




 







 

Workout #1....Track

1st 2000m

2nd 2000m

3rd 2000m

The Program :  10-20 min warm-up
                          3 x 2000m @ 6:25m/k (12:50)
                          400m RI
                          10  min cool-down

I used Renwick streets and beyond for today's track session.  I  don't like these long repeats very much.....they're hard work!  I managed, in spite of this, to keep ahead of VP for the three repeats...very pleased with myself!

 2km warm-up starting at the school, Bong Bong St,  then towards Renwick.
3 x 2000m :

(1)  12:40 (6:18m/k);    (2)  12:45 (6:21m/k);     (3)  12:43 (6:20m/k)

2km cool-down back to school.

10km Total. 

Cross-Training.......Short Hills

Running Up.....

......and walking down

Iron Mines Oval was a quagmire!  Nevertheless, once there I had to make use of the time and do the best I could on the short,steep, grassy, muddy slopes!

5 min warm-up jog.
12 x muddy grass slope (10 sec each); walk down.

My shoes, feet and socks quickly became water-logged after 8 so I finished the last 4 on a section of the road that leads down to the oval...this road would be a good place to do long hill repeats, another day! 

Total :12 short hill repeats; 5 min cool-down jog.
 

 

A Very Long Run....

Parts of DF Rd with top soil washed away...no wonder my legs are weary!

Well, for me it was!

Program : 24km @ 7:41m/k

.....and this

Other sections as lovely as ever!

I haven't run that distance in ages!  I didn't worry about the pace; I was totally worried though by the distance!  I started with 2km warm-up around the school, followed by 14km on DF Rd.  At the 10k mark I stopped for what started out as a chat with Doug and Cheryl (who live on a 100 acre property on DF Rd) but which lasted almost an hour with a walk around the garden  and stables for two Appaloosa horses and coffee on the verandah in the company of a lovely old dog, three tame hens who rolled on their sides in the sun - I've never seen hens roll about like this - and a tiny lizard only about six inches long who comes up to be fed by hand......all these different creatures living together in harmony!   I saw some of the eggs these hens lay and I can honestly say I have never seen such big eggs...not just big, they were huge!

I found it difficult to get started again after such a long break, but the coffee kicked in and I soon got back into some sort of rhythm and by 16km I was back where I started.  Short stop for a gel and water and then off around Renwick for the last 8km.  I thought the final 4km would never end, I was so tired; but it did end thankfully right back where I started over 3 hours earlier....and that's not counting the long coffee break!

The outcome of this long day :  24km in 3:13:04
                                                   Avg. Pace 8:03m/k
                                                   5km splits:  41:14;  40 :58;  40:22;  39:12; and 4k in 31:16.

I feel very tired tonight, but it was a glorious day to be out!

A False Start.....

No start at all for my Garmin.....I must have left it turned on for over 24 hours.  When I tried the 'on' button at the school where I start, I realized the battery was flatter than a tack.   For a few seconds I felt completely bothered and bewildered!  How was I to do a tempo session knowing neither distance nor pace?  Decision made : go the same route as previous tempo runs and feel for the pace.  I did this but how successfully I'll  never know!

The program was :  8km
                                 2km warm-up
                                 5km @ 6:40m/k
                                 1 km cool-down.

In reality what I did was use my mobile phone where I could see the time and did a 10 min warm-up, ran fairly hard for 35 min in the same location as last week and then a cool-down jog back to the car.  I think this was pretty much how I would have run had the Garmin been working....hope so; if not, not much I can do about it!

Workout #1...Track

A windy wintery day for track on Radio Road.

The program : 10-20 min warm-up
                         10 x 400m (2:27 / 6:07m/k)
                         400m RI
                         10 min cool-down. 

1km warm-up
2:24;  2:22;  2:23;  2:24;  2:22;  2:23;  2:26;  2:20;  2:24;  2:25 
Avg. time 2:24;  Avg. speed 5:59
1km cool-down.

400m jog/walk recoveries.

Radio Road Track

These times were OK and managed to keep up with VP for all repeats.  Light rain.  

Total 6km (I don't count recovery intervals (RI) as part of distance).
 

A Long Wait...

Today's track session didn't happen. I spent over 4 hours waiting for a power steering hose replacement for my car due to what I think is called a 'power steering fluid leak'.    I had to take the car into Moss Vale and knowing I had such a long wait, I walked about 2km back into town, had a coffee and then walked back to the repairers and waited the next several hours for the car to be ready! Oh, what a feeling!

I hope to do the track session tomorrow....heavy rain being forecast!

Workout #3........Long Run

I waited until the heavy fog lifted before starting out on this morning's run.  I couldn't see the end of the street when I first looked outside at 8:00am.  By 9:15 there was some visibility improvement and there was no rain so off I set.

The program  :  16km @ 7:41m/k  (based on a 5km time of 32:30 instead of 31:28)

 16km in 2:02:32
Avg. Pace 8:03 m/k
5k splits :  40:19;   39:21;   40:27;  + 1k 8:49.

A Foggy 16km!

I was pleased there was no sign of rain until a very light drizzle commenced just as I finished so it turned out to be a foggy morning for what was an enjoyable run on Diamond Fields Road.

Cross-training......also Raining!

Raining, but only very lightly and certainly not heavy enough to put off getting out....though I did consider it for a minute or two!

I parked in one of the many deserted streets in Renwick near where I was going to do some Magill drills.  The session consisted of :

10 min warm-up and a couple of strides.
1 Set Drills with a stride between each.
3 long hill (60sec) repeats......starting half way up!
5 min easy jog.

The Long Hill

It continued raining lightly the entire time so I was wet enough after about 45 minutes to call it a day!

Easy, Relaxed Running

That, mercifully, was on my program for today instead of the usual tempo run.  Someone must have realized it was time!

Program :   10km easy, relaxed running.

 Taking in the Scenery.

....and that's what I did!  Diamond Fields Road.

10km in 1 hour 15 min.  Avg Pace 7:34m/k

The morning was fine, some sun, some cloud, a little humid but at my easy, relaxed pace I hardly noticed it.