Track Workout......

So cold and windy for this morning's training!

Program :
10-20 min warm-up
3 x 2000m (12:01)
400m RI
10 min cool-down.

For the warm-up I jogged around several street blocks to get a 2km circuit.

2km + 4 strides
3 x 2000m.....11:55/5:58m/k;   12:06/6:03m/k;   12:03/6:02m/k
1km cool-down + stretching.  

 Street/track

 

These repeats were tough!  Three blocks gave me a 'track' of just under 700m with a fair share of ups and downs on all four sides and, with an extremely cold wind blowing, it was a tough session that I couldn't wait to finish and get home!  Three and a bit times around for 2000m.

For today.....9km

Cross-Training.....

Short warm-up around the block.
1 x Magill drills + strides
Lunges and Walking lunges
Short jog around the block.

Once again I used 80m of a street block in Renwick for the above drills.  Nice sunny morning, clear, blue skies spoilt only by a cold wind.

35 minutes.

Poached Egg and Potatoes!

At 7:00 a.m. there was no thought worse than eating potatoes and egg before running!  By 8:00 a.m. I was getting used to the idea and by 8:30 a.m.the deed was done and I was interested to find out if  having breakfast would give me more energy than I usually had, especially during the later stages where I've been struggling lately.  I waited till 10:15 a.m before starting the longest run in my half marathon program.

Program : 24km @ 7:00m/k

I ran from the school, through Renwick and surrounds, for 12km.  Back at the start, I stopped for a drink of water and an energy bar to eat during the next 12km on Diamond Fields Road and back.  I'm a little nervous on this rocky, dirt road since the day I face planted there, taking a mouthful of dirt and biting through my top lip!  It's also very hilly, so the second half was the more difficult of the two.

24km....eeks!

24km in 3:00:23!
5k splits/avg. pace :  37:51 (7:34);  37:05 (7:25);  37:26 (7:29);  37:35 (7:31);  4k in 30:24 (7:35).
Avg. pace 7:31m/k

 So, did the breakfast work?  You bet!  It made a huge difference to my energy levels.  It felt like I was flying on those downhills on D.F Road and I was nowhere near as tired as I was after last Saturday's 16km.  I was tired....3 hours is a long time, for me anyway, but I ran every hill including the last 1km uphill to the finish.  I won't bother eating before the other two short workouts, just the usual cup of coffee but, for the remaining three long runs, a good breakfast is definitely the way to go.  Yo-Ho-Ho!!!

For the week....43km

 

Easy Day......

Very easy!  Pilates DVD and walking Amy and Oscar......cold and windy.  Tomorrow, 24km...Yikes!  It's going to be a long day!

Tempo Run....done!

Funny old day in Mittagong (and in Chittagong I suppose!) : to start it was sunny, then overcast, back to sunny, onto dark clouds and now, at 3:30 p.m. it's thrown in a blast of thunder accompanied by no more than a dozen drops of rain!  I think there's more to come which makes me pleased that I got myself out mid-morning for today's session...it took about an hour to make up my mind that I felt well!

Program  :  Tempo Run  8km
 2km easy
5km @ 6:25m/k
1km easy

...and the results are......

 5km in 33:24
6:28;  6:41;  6:41;  6:46;  6:45.....a bit slow!
Avg. Pace 6:42m/k 


.......but, still somewhat seedy, I was happy enough with that.

5km Renwick and surrounding streets.

1st Workout....Half Done

I wasn't feeling all that well yesterday  -  tummy bug and headache - so each of the 3 key sessions for this week will be a day late ...I felt OK, but not 100%, this morning and only did half of what was on the program.....now if this headache would go away!

400m Renwick streets track

Program :  10 x 400m, 2:17 (5:42m/k).  400m RI

After a short warm-up jog :
5 x 400m :  2:14;   2:13;  2:13;   2:14;   2:13
....  that was enough and better than nothing.

Long Run Today..

I usually do my long run on a Saturday but this week I didn't.....today, Sunday, instead.  The weather threw in a bit of everything : grey sky, sunny sky, heavy mist, light rain and just a touch of cold wind.  It wasn't a really long run - this week was a little easier - but I still ran out of energy on the return 8km, took a couple of walk breaks on the uphills and walked practically all of the last 1km...uphill again!

  I felt terribly cold by the time I drove home - only a few minutes - but I was shivering and couldn't wait for the heating to come on, followed by a hot shower and then two bowls of hot beef and vegetable soup!  Warming up with the heater on, the hot shower and steaming hot soup......sheer luxury!

16km .....from school to end of  Diamond Fields Road, incl. Buckmans Lane & back.

   Next weekend 24km - I must have a good breakfast before this one! - and after that, just four weeks to the ACTVAC half marathon.

Today  :16km in 2 hours 6 minutes
5k splits....  38:28:   38:57;   39:54 ... + 1km in 9:19!

For the week  :  40km

Easy and Relaxed.....

.....that was on the program for yesterday replacing a tempo run for this week, except I didn't run at all yesterday.  However, on yet another perfect, sunny, windless day I ran today instead.

The Program :  10km at an easy, relaxed effort.

I started at the school, down Bong Bong Road, into Old South Road and then Diamond Fields Road where I haven't been for ages.  The change was good and also gave me the opportunity of calling in on some friends - working in their garden - who have a large property on Diamond Fields Road;  a 15 minute chat and back to the start. A little over 10km but easy and relaxed it was!

10:83km

Off Road......

My right knee is a bit cranky today; I think it didn't approve of yesterday's hill repeats so I've stayed off the road and worked through the' Pilates for Runners' DVD......and took Oscar and Amy out for their usual walk.  They were both eager to go for their run after having had the doggie groomer clip and shampoo them earlier.   Both are now sound asleep.......

It's a dog's life!

Same here!

Cross-Training.....

This morning, another sunny but windy day, I ran some long hill repeats on a suitable street in Renwick.

Running up.......

 8 x 60 seconds up
Jog down, wait 2-3 min. between.

.....and rolling down.

 I did a 10 min warm-up before starting and a few stretches after finishing.  Hard enough for what is an easy day!

Track on the Roads...

I suppose I shouldn't call Tuesday's workout a track session since it's run on roads and not a proper track, but what it's called doesn't matter so much as what happens when I get there!  In any case, I think it has some advantages running the repeats on the road since it's some of what's likely to be encountered when having to push hard in a road race.

Today's program :

10-20 min warm-up
3 x 1600m (9:33; 5:58m/k)
400m RI between
10 min cool-down.

I was able to stay ahead of VP again, but had to run hard!  The 'track' isn't by any means a flat one :  the start side 1 is flat;  side 2 is down, up, flat;  side 3 is a killer...all up; and side 4 has a bit of everything!

Road/Track approx. 340m

2km warm-up, couple of drills, 4 strides
(1)  9:31.5 (5:57m/k);    (2)  9:26.1 (5:54m/k);   (3)  9:24.9 (5:53m/k)
1km cool-down and stretches.

Finished, feeling I could have done more, and I've read somewhere that's a good thing!  Another perfectly beautiful, sunny, Spring day.

Since I don't have a tempo run on Thursday (easy 10km instead), I might try some long hill repeats tomorrow as cross-training........should be amusing!

Today.... 7.8km

Cross-Training

I suppose I should have done a recovery run yesterday, but I didn't, I wasn't sufficiently recovered!  Instead, I spent a relaxing day with friends at Robertson and had scrumptious home made hamburgers for lunch.


Today.......just under 40 minutes (5km) easy running on a magnificent sunny morning, more like Spring than Winter.  Actually, more like Summer than Spring!

Something Has to Take the Blame.....

........for making a run feel as profoundly awful as did today's 22.5km and I'm putting all that blame, all my fatigue and my close encounter with giving up, on...........The CARBON TAX!

Has to be it!

What else could have moved the decimal point one place further to the right and turned 22.5km into what felt like a 225km ultra run?  It was also irritatingly and unexpectedly windy and I'd like to know why, no matter in which direction one runs, the wind is always a headwind?  I think I can now safely throw into the blame mix, some CLIMATE CHANGE!  How else can one run into a headwind, turn around, run back in the opposite direction, and still be running  into a full force headwind?  Definitely, 'Climate Change' because tailwinds are a thing of the past!

The program was to run 22.5km at 6:53m/k

Instead I ran....

22.54km at avg. pace 7:27m/k in 2:47.48
5km splits......38:45;  36:48;   36:21;  37:03  + 2.54k in 18:50

22.54km of  42.84km week's total.

....and I'd like to know why 500m needed to be added to 22km?  When I finished back at the school where I started, I slumped down onto the grass, stretched out in the sun, no wind, and thought I might spend the rest of the day there, except it was by that time already 1:30 p.m., I hadn't eaten anything all day and darkness would soon be on its way.  That, and the thought of a cuppa, soon had me up on my poor, sore feet doing a bit of stretching - waste of time - I could barely bend over to remove shoes and socks so as to feel the cool grass underneath.

I wonder if the fact that I spent all yesterday dreading, not wanting to do today's long run, had anything to do with it turning out to be just that....a dreadful run?  In any case, it's all too late now to be bothered thinking about, so the winners are....................... THE CARBON TAX  and CLIMATE CHANGE!

A Tough Tempo Run....

What a grey, miserable day!  No sign of the sun, just grey clouds everywhere, but it wasn't windy so there's always something to be happy about!

I chose to run all the uphills and inclines I could see in the streets of Renwick, just to make things a bit more difficult than usual.....and slower in parts.  In fact, I slowed down to 9:00m/k at one stage, but upped the effort....and the puffing!

The Program : 
2km warm-up
5km @ MT pace (6:25m/k for me)
1km cool-down.

5km course

Results for 5km
Time 33:33
Avg. Pace 6:42m/k
5km splits  :  6:41;   6:57;   6:25;   7:05;   6:19

Finished with a few stretches and thought the workout satisfactory.

Total 8km. 
 

 

VP Loses!

.......which means I was ahead of Virtual Partner for each repeat in today's track session.  He's such a handy little fellow to keep an eye on during track work!

Program for today :

10-20 min warm-up
1km in 5:49
2km in 12:01
1km...5:49
1km...5:49
10 min cool-down.

Track on Renwick Streets.

2km warm-up (to measure track) + 2 strides

1km......5:51.2
2km......11:51.6  (5:58;  5:53)
1km......5:46.2
1km......5:46.9

1km cool-down + stretches.

I felt OK with these repeats;  each one meant I had to run hard to keep ahead of VP, more so for the last 1km.  Windy day but not so cold; some sun but could be rain ahead later.

Love passing VP with a comment such as : "See you at the finish, stooge!" 

Total 8km 

Cross-Training

A beautiful, sunny morning for some jumping around to wake up lazy Sunday legs!  Parked the car at the school where I did a set of drills with stride between each - school holidays - and then an easy run to Renwick and back.

About 30 min drills
3.3km easy running.

Around the 'block'.

3rd Workout....Long Run

16km

Program : 16km @ 6:49m/k

An ordinary sort of run, OK I suppose.  I thought I'd run a bit faster since I only had 16km to do and I tried; here are the results:

16km in 1 hour 54 min.
Avg. Pace 7:00m/k
5k splits : 34:18;   36:14;  36:33;  + 1km in 6:30

Nothing untoward occurred along the way, apart from making friends with two dogs.  I used the car key to lock and unlock the car in case the battery in the spare remote was flat! 

For the 3 workouts this week :  40.2km 

Tempo + Temper Tantrum!

7k Tempo before the Tantrum!

Program : Tempo Run...10km

2km easy
7km @ 6:25m/k
1km easy.

A sunny but cold day to start, getting colder and less sunny as the day progressed....7 degrees now at 3:30pm.  I purposely chose all the hillier sections of Renwick streets.....since the run was longer I thought I'd also make it a little more difficult...hence slower pace.  It was all OK though and I certainly could have run further if I'd had to, but.......little did I know what some evil demon had in wait for me at the finish!

7km splits :  6:33;  6:23;  6:40;  6:41; 6:47;  7:00;  6:22  

Not Programmed :  The Tantrum!

Back at the car, the stupid central locking thing/button wouldn't work to open the car!  What's inside those things?  Batteries, I suppose, and flat ones at that!  Used the key to unlock and off goes the alarm...loud and clear all over the surrounding countryside.  Of course, being where I was, there was no one close enough to hear it, thank goodness!  I continued unlocking and locking with the key ....alarm on, alarm off, car couldn't start, it just sat there screaming its head off for at least fifteen minutes before I realized I'd have to go home and get the other set of keys and central locking thing/button. There must be some other way of turning off the alarm.....I'll look in the book!

That meant jogging 2km home and 2km back and I'm counting all of it in today's total! I suppose it could have been far worse if I'd been further from home...perish the thought! Nevertheless, I thought it sufficient motivation and reasonable to throw a temper tantrum and mumble some unseemly swear words as I stormed off across the roads and paddocks towards home.....and back!

SO......10km + 4km = 14km! 

New housing creeping up.....

....towards MY piece of turf!  And that's my car on the right...waiting for me!

 

 

More like a Racecourse!

The Race Track!

Today's Track Program :
10-20 min warm-up
3 x (2x1200m) 7:04 (5:53m/k); 2:00 RI
(4:00 RI between sets)
10 min cool-down.

I didn't really need a cool-down time at all.  I was frozen from start to almost finish!  The only part of me visible was my face; I wore long tights, two tops, a beanie and gloves and only removed one top after the warm-up. It was a bright and sunny day but the bitterly cold wind made it feel like Siberia....not that I've ever been to Siberia to make a fair comparison!  

However.......I did what I set out to do  :

2km warm-up to find suitable blocks of streets in Renwick  + 4 strides

3 x (2x1200m)  :  7:07 (5:55m/k);  7:00 (5:50m/k)
                                    :  6:59 (5:49m/k);  6:49 (5:40m/k)
                                    :  6:54 (5:45m/k);  7:00 (5:50m/k)

HR monitor not working - clip broke off while cleaning it! -  but I'd guess MHR would have been 9?%  


1km fast walk back to the car, home and like a shot into a hot shower!


Total 10.2km


.....and I think I did real good 1200m repeats!

  

Cross-training.....

Drills but no hills!  I reckon I do more than enough hills every other day!   Today, same flat 80m section of road as on previous drills days...sunny, bit windy.  I went through 1 set of Magill drills and strides after a short warm-up jog.  Long repeats tomorrow and I don't like doing them very much at all!

About 40 minutes today.