Another Year Begins ~~~

....but with no running - or blogging - for me until this wretched groin pain has gone!

Here's to a Happy and Injury Free 2013!

A Very Happy Christmas Day to All.....

From LL!

Workout #1....Track ~~~ Unfinished!

Well, that's done it!  With only six repeats to run, I couldn't complete the last one because of the groin pain in my left leg. And I mean serious pain, otherwise I wouldn't have given up. I don't think I have any choice now other than to stop running, do the RICE thing and hope it goes away in time to resume training for a 1 mile race on January 10th.

I used Radio Road beside the Highlands School :  very hot but some shade.

Program :
2km warm-up
Drills
6 x 150m 'flat out'
5 min RI between each.

I did the 2km warm-up + drills
5 x  150m....couldn't run flat out!
5min RI

Icing as I type!

I think I'll join them!

 

Sunday ~~~ Off.

I'm not running today's easy 5km; instead I'm resting/icing my left leg where I have some slight groin pain.  Awful nuisance with only three weeks to the 1 mile race in Canberra.

I've been waiting for this "Little Gem" magnolia to flower for quite a few years and now, right at Christmas, it's brought forth its first beautifully scented white flowers with several buds still to open.  DLT!

Saturday's Workout #3...~~~

Better late than never  ~~~

Program :  
5km HR Evaluation

Same course as for last several Saturdays : School > Renwick>School.

5km course - out and back.

Few drills to start
5km 'easy'
AHR 118 (75%);   MHR 128 (81%)
Avg. Pace 7:14m/k   =  7.6 x 118 = 849.6...up from previous Saturdays....not good!  I have some pain in my left inner thigh to take the blame!
 Stretches.

Saturday 5km

Workout #2 ~~ Track ~~~

I did tomorrow's training today as I won't be able to fit it in tomorrow.

Program  : 
2km warm-up
Drills
6 x 200m 'strong'
50 sec RI.
 
Once again a warm, sunny day for this session at Chev where I wanted to run on the grass track instead of another workout on the road.  CC for the warm-up; 211m track for repeats.

2km warm-up
1 set Magill drills (no strides)

Warm-up and Track.

1:00.6 (68-82%);   :59.4 (78-85%);   :59.3 (76-86%);   :57.8 (73-85%);   :59.6 (78-87%);  :58.5 (77-88%).

I ran these repeats 'strongly' just like the program said! 

Today 3.2km

Easy Day ~~

Glorious sunny day in the Southern Highlands after the odd mixture of the past couple of days.  Today's session was an easy 5km for which I stayed in the Renwick streets.  This way, I had a variety of hills...long and short together with some flat sections.

Easy 5km

Slowed down when heart rate climbed into the 80% range.

 Few drills
5km in 36:30
Avg. Pace 7:18
AHR 111 (70%);  MHR 125 (79%).
Stretches.

Today  ~~  5km 

Workout #1 ~~ Track

Across to Bowral and Chev track again for today's session. Weather the exact opposite of yesterday's, which was 30 degrees; today, very cool, light rain, so far only 13 degrees and the ranges covered in mist.  A much better day for a track session, so I'm not complaining.

Program :
3km warm-up
Light drills and strides
4 x 800m 'strong effort'...last 'very hard'
4-5 min RI

With the school closed for long holidays, I can run anywhere! For the warm-up I ran every which way around the school grounds using, ovals, roads, bike track and cross country......a very enjoyable way to start off the day.  I haven't looked at the times for 800m repeats yet, but I struggled in each of them so I'm not expecting too much in the results.  Sleepless nights - until one, two and three o'clock before sleeping and then waking up like a zombie - haven't helped my training at all.  Nothing good comes out of being overly tired when it comes to training on the track especially.

3km Warm-up

3km warm-up through Chev campus
4 drills with stride between
4 x 800m ~~  4:40 (77/85%);  4:36 (78/87%);  4:43 (77/86%);  4:36 (78/86%).
No cool-down .... home to change.

Today  ~~  6.2km

Workout #3 ~~ HR Evaluation Run

Same course each week for this session.  Today was overcast, few drops of rain, very humid and I was very tired!  Have been tired since my one day and one night in Sydney on Thursday!  Does this mean, and I fear it might, that I'm past having a night in the big city?  I thought Sydney looked very grey and tired...much like I do... and I wasn't the least sorry to leave and return home.  I did enjoy the night though!

Program :
5km...on the easy side.

Starting at the school :  Few drills
5km in 36:35
Few stretches

5km RS course.

 
Avg. Pace 7:19m/km
AHR 112 (74%);  MHR 127 (84%).
RS Scale ( Heart beats per km)  =  817 (down from last Saturday...  Whoopee!)

Today   5km. 
 



 

Thursday's Late Edition ~~~ on Friday!

I was unable to write up Thursday's training because I made a very late decision  - while running truthfully - that I would get myself to this year's Cool Running Christmas drinks in Sydney.  I told myself - while running of course - that if I found accommodation for an overnight stay, I would be on the next train to Sydney, and I was and so very pleased that I made the effort to be there. The reservation was made at 2:pm. and I was on the 3:00pm train Sydney bound and ready for good night on the town...and it was exactly that!

I stayed as close to The Rocks area as I could afford!  That was Travelodge Wynyard, right by Wynyard Station and a short walk to Harts Pub where the Xmas drinks were being held.  It's some years since I last attended CR drinks and I couldn't help but notice how the numbers have become fewer than in earlier years.  Why have so many gone to Facebook never to return to Cool Running?  In years to come are we only going to meet friends and such like by looking at a screen and tapping away on a keyboard?  I don't know, hope not and won't be here to see it, thank goodness!  There's something so very special, I think, about being physically in the presence of family and friends, talking, laughing, sharing good food and drinks.  Pity if it goes the way of a lot of old, well-tried customs and the small screen and keyboard take their places...much as I love my computer, tablet and mobile phone!

Enough of these musings, but where else can I 'let it all out' if not here on my blog?  This way I don't have to bore or annoy others with my rambling thoughts.

Back to Thursday's run  ~~~

2km warm-up
Drills
6 x 150m 'all out' sprinting
5-10 min RI between each.

Renwick streets used :
2km warm-up + 6 drills
:37.9;  :38.1;  :40.8;  :42.7;  :40.9;  :38.3.
5 min RI
1km cool-down + stretches.

Now, if these weren't true sprints, they were certainly as fast as I could run and, at the same time, think about making important decisions like getting to Cool Running Christmas drinks! 

For Thursday....approx 4km.  ( Nil, today...in recovery mode!)

Another Easy One ~~~

I felt like a change of scenery today so I headed in the direction of Diamond Fields Road.....all stones and rocks as usual.  At 2.5km I was right outside the property where "Slipper" lives with his owner/rider.  I called in to find "Slipper" being put through his paces on the dressage arena.  I wished both a happy Christmas and started on my way back to the school.

Program :
5km easy or Rest 

Diamond Fields Road.. 2.5k each way.

I didn't feel any need to rest.....cool, cloudy morning.

Few drills
5km in 37 minutes
Stretches
AHR 111 (70%);   MHR 126 (80%)

Today 5km

Easy Day ~~~

Today's Program :
5km easy.

Easy 5km

Before running : 1 Set Magill Drills + Stride between each drill.
5km in 35:19
AHR 114 (72%);  MHR 123 (78%).
Finished with usual stretches.

Nice, cool morning; mostly overcast and breezy;  some sunny breaks.  Run seemed to go without any problems, but then, it not supposed to have problems on an easy day!

Today  5km.

Workout #1.. Track ~~~

Over to Chevalier College for today's session, the 2nd of 5 weeks' training trying to run faster.  It's back to winter here, cold and light rain. Crazy weather for December but I like it!

Program :
3km warm-up;  light drills/strides.
4 x 800m ...4-5min RI.....I took 4 min this week, 5 last week.
Cool-down. 

I ran 3km warm-up on what I thought was the CC course but, after talking to the groundsman, I learned that where I was running, after leaving the main grounds, was in fact the mountain bike course!  Now I know why there were so many huge humps and corners to manoeuvre in this section!

3km Warm-up. Lower left..Section of mountain bike course!

 So...3km warm-up

4 drills with strides between
 4:50.8  (118/130, 75/82%);  4:44.2 (119/131, 75/83%);  4>46.6 (120/123, 76/85%);  4:33.3 (123/136, 78/86%).
1km cool-down + stretches.

I felt these were fairly good repeats......tried to run strongly and put on a spurt to make the last one hard/very hard!

Today....7.2km 

Workout #3 ~ "Heart Rate Evaluation" Run ~

This run, done weekly on the same course every week, will be a guide as to how aerobic conditioning is holding up - depending on weather.  The number should stay the same or get lower over the weeks to follow. That's the theory and I'll be really interested to see just how this works out.

Program  :  
 5km....run 'by feel'; on the easy side.

Heart Rate Evaluation 5km

Few drills
5km in 34 min.
Avg. Pace 6:48m/k
6:59;  6:39;  6:43;  6:48;  6:52
Stretches.
AHR 121 (77%);  MHR 132 (84%)
HR Evaluation =  786.5....Oops!  Error Alert!  Should be 822.8

Run felt OK; hot and very humid morning; waiting for afternoon storm likely.  Began at the Highlands school and into Renwick for 2.5km; returned the same way, 2.5km.  This will be the course I use each week for a HR evaluation run.  Cool!!

For today    5km 




 

Workout #2 ~~ 200m Repeats

I really enjoyed this session, mainly because I love running downhill but, besides that, I believe it's good for the musculoskeletal system.  It was a superb day, all day, here in Mittagong  :  sunny, warm but not hot and a cool breeze.  The perfect weather and running downhill combined to make this a fast, fun workout!

Program  :

2km warm-up
Drills
6 x 200m 'strong effort'
50 sec RI
1km cool-down.

I ran the first 3 x 200m from the car and down a gentle sloping road in the new Renwick development which seems to provide all I need for running purposes : no traffic, uphills, downhills, long and short stretches of new bitumen roads and no one to observe my strange antics especially when doing drills!  Because I finished each 200m further ahead on the road, I ran the last three on a downhill footpath at the other end of the development.  55 seconds RI...jog back for that time and take off again!

First 3 reps here...

2km warm-up
Drills
0:58.0;   0: 57.4;   0:55.7;   0:53.7;   0:56.2;   0:51.2
1km cool-down + stretches. 

Last 3 reps. here.

For today....a lovely day!  :  4.2km

Another 5km ~~~

What a gale we have blowing today.... and a cold one at that!  A couple of sections I had to walk into a headwind that had me tripping over my own feet!  All things considered, it was a better run than yesterday.  Not exactly the same course.

5km Easy Running.

5km

Couple of drills
5km in 35:06
AHR 113 (72%);  MHR 137 (87%) 
Avg. Pace 7:11m/k
6:58;  6:51;  7:05;  6:58;  7:11.
Usual stretches.

For Today....  5km

Easy Run? ~~~

After yesterday's track, an easy run sounded good, so why didn't it feel all that easy?  One reason could be a bad night's sleep :   until around 9:00pm last night I was so tired I felt like I couldn't wait to get to bed, but from then on, to my surprise and horror, the fatigue lifted bit by bit, more and more wide awake so that by  10:00pm when I went in, sleep had deserted me altogether.  The hours ticked by and I saw 3:00am, then 4:00am on the clock before I finally dozed off for a couple of hours.  I hate nights like that because I know how the run next morning is going to feel....not easy!

Program :  4 - 5km easy

5km through Renwick

Renwick streets :
Few drills.....I knew immediately how the run would be so stopped after two...
5km in 35:16
AHR 113 ( 72%);  MHR 126 (80%)
6:40;     6:37;     7:11;     7:15;     7:31  ......slowing progressively with each kilomotre
Usual stretches. 

Other than lack of sleep, it was very windy and that didn't help at all.  Another easy 5km tomorrow before a hard day on Thursday and I hope that 5km will feel easier than did today's.

For Today....5km

Track ~~ Workout #1

Glory be!  This session was very, very hard work this morning!  Temperature down to 20 degrees from previous days of 35 but it was extremely hot and humid and the grass track very wet from overnight and early morning rain.  Nevertheless,  I had to give this first day of training (for a 1 mile race) my best shot no matter what the conditions.  And give it my best, I did!

Program : 
 3km warm-up
Light drills/strides
4 x 800m 'strong effort' ...first one slowest, last very hard.
4-5 min RI......I took 5 min.
Warm-down + stretches.

Rather than do the 3k warm-up in the 210m lane I decided to run a section of Chev's CC course and enjoyed it a lot, even though I had to about turn when I almost ran into some cows resting in the shade under trees.  Gave me quite a fright!

A Section of Chev's CC Course.

 On the Track :
 4 drills + strides

4:42.1 (129-140, 82-89%);  4:40.2 (129-141, 82-89%);  4:41.9 (129-140, 82-89%),  4:37.6 (130-145, 82-95%).

1k cool-down + stretches.

For the last repeat I couldn't have taken another step without falling over...legs lactic and came to a stop right on the 800m mark!  

This first track workout was a really tough one, so thank heavens for an easy day tomorrow!

For today ...7.5km

Another Goal ~~ 5 Weeks to Go!

Starting tomorrow, Monday, another change of program.  With help and good advice from Ewen regarding training, I hope to run a 1 mile race in Canberra on January 10 which gives me 5 weeks to be ready to fly!  This will be quite a challenge, however there's nothing like a challenge to stir and renew enthusiasm!

The new program is mainly geared towards speed so I'm in for a whale of a good time as of tomorrow when I begin the first day's training on the track at Chevalier College!

More stories to come over the next 5 weeks!