Tempo Run ~~~

I wasn't expecting such a short run to become such a difficult one!

Program 
8km @ MT Pace (6:44/k)

Start from the Highlands School,  Bong Bong & Old South Roads.   I did 5km out and 3k back and walked 1km; this to avoid having to do the last kilometre uphill as part of 8km!

Tempo 8km Run, passing the Mittagong airstrip...>>>>

Few drills 
8km in 56 minutes
Avg. Pace 7:00m/k
 1km splits : Avg. 6:51 (1.2km);  7:14;  6:40;  6:35;  6:51;  7:18;  7:26  

Weather good, bit windy, sunny.  More cars than usual on O.S Road ....Anzac Day;  felt breathing bad from start to finish.  Many breaks to get my breath....don't know why but there it is.  Felt like, and no doubt looked like, an old duck waddling along before trying for take-off!  In this case, no take-off, just waddle, waddle, waddle!

Today..  8km

Walking Briskly ~~~

What a perfectly glorious day!  Nothing but blue skies, not a cloud in sight anywhere and sun, glorious sun shining everywhere!

To take full advantage of the day and to make it an easy one as well, I decided on a brisk walk of one hour from home and back.  This I did, stopping at 'Charlie's' house - at approx. 2km mark- Charlie being a very large brown Labrador whose owners were sitting in the sun at the side of their lovely new home in Renwick and I joined them for about thirty minutes for a chat and a cuppa!

5km Walk + 30 min chat at 2km!

 I'm going to try the Program's Tempo Run tomorrow.

For Today.....5km

Easy, again ~~~

Sunny but very windy today and windy days I do not like very much!  However, good for another easy run/walk from Renwick and a couple of different streets from yesterday to make today's session a bit longer.  Quite a few short walk breaks and a long one to chat to Lily's pups and her owner, Melanie.  Melanie has three children and the eldest girl, about 10 I guess, loves to run and was asking questions about my Garmin.  Naturally, I spent quite some time extolling its virtues and all the whiz-bang things it can do, on and on I raved, when a little voice from the four or five year old girl piped up with, "Yes, but does it tell the time?"  Out of the mouth of babes! REALITY CHECK!  Back to earth for me! 

Today's Run/Walk

 8km easy
AHR 80%
Time 1 hour

My breathing wasn't good this morning...forgot to use the puffer before starting and the wind didn't help at all when running head-on into it.  As a result I had to take more walk breaks than  yesterday, but just the same, I got out and did something.

Today  ~~~  8km

17 Weeks to ACTVAC Half Marathon ~~~~

That's where I'm planning to be on August 18!  After so many false starts over recent months, I can only set a far off date as a goal and then hope to be fit enough to get there and run well.  What is known as "wall of the chest pain" (Costochronditis) has kept me on and off running for far too long so today, after resting the blessed thing for several days (recommended treatment) with absolutely no improvement, I've decided to ignore it as much as I can and pick up where I left off.







Starting easily with a couple of drills, 5km from Renwick to Inkerman Road and back, including a couple of walk breaks.
AHR 78%; time 41 minutes.

Today's 5km

Maybe another 5km+  tomorrow and for the remainder of this week.

For today....   5km

Long Run ~~~

What a perfect day!  Skies blue and not a cloud in sight.  Just beautiful out and back on Diamond Fields Road.  I felt tired and slow on the way out but picked up a bit on the return. Fair bit of walking uphills.  I ran the first 3km around the school.

Program :  15km

15 sunny, slow kilometres!

15km in 2 hours 8 minutes
5k laps :  42:35;   43:37;   42:20

Today 15km
For the Week 31km (missed cross-training this week)

 




 

Tempo Run ~~~

Yesterday I did nothing more than take Amy and Oscar for a longer walk than usual.  Today was a tempo run which I didn't enjoy that much at all!  It just felt like too much effort!  Included some hilly sections.  Stopped briefly to say hello to Lily's two pups, Ninja and Alice.  Warm day.

Program :
1.5km easy
5km @ ST Pace (6:47m/k based on 33 min 5km)
1.5km easy.

5km @ tempo Pace

Renwick>Inkerman Road...5km
Time ...  34:08
6:46;  6:40;   6:49;  7:11;  6:40
Forgot HR monitor

Today  ...  8km
 

Track at Chev. ~~~

Track Program  : 
 10-20 min warm-up
5 x 1km (6:20)
400m RI
10 min cool-down.

This track session was hard!  Very hot and humid ahead of rain forecast.  As for last week, I ran just inside the boundary fence, changed direction after each 1km and was very pleased I didn't have to run a 6th kilometre!  I had VP set at 6:20/k but didn't look at him at all because I was afraid he would be ahead of me and, if so, I didn't want to know about it!  Today, I ran as best I could without his help and I think I did OK!

1km repeats...not easy!

2km warm-up + couple of drills & strides
6:19 (75-83%);  6:22 (76-84%);  6:08 (77-85%);  6:17 (78-86%);  6:08 (78-86%)
1km cool-down + stretching.

Today  8km

Long Run With Hills ~~~

My program didn't say to run a hilly long run, I just decided to do that myself!

15 hilly kilometres!

First 3km I ran around the school to wake-up in preparation for what lay ahead!  Turning right at the bottom of Bong Bong Road into Old South Road was straight up a winding hill for 2km to the roundabout, which I ran around.   From the roundabout, left into Range Road and uphill continued for another 1km before settling into a pattern of up and down hills.  What a ride!  I walked some of every kilometre on the way out and also on the way back.....walking when I could barely breath, jogging when I could.  On Range Road I ran as far as Nannas Lane and about 200m in. This marked the turnaround point and then there followed the joy of running down all those hills back to the school!

200m in and turn back for home!

I wasn't tired when I finished, but my legs are a bit stiff now, a couple of hours later.  Apart from this course being good training.... once up on Range Road it all seems worth the climb...the views in 360 degrees are superb!

Program : Long Run 15km.

15km in 2 hours 2 minutes
Avg. Pace 8:29/k!!
AHR 111 (70%);  MHR 135 (85%)
5km laps  ~~  46:34;   42:43;   37:47

For Today  15km
For the Week ~~~ 36km  

Tempo Run ~~~

Rain and mist just slightly more of each today compared with yesterday,  fined up at the turnaround mark but another grey day ahead.  I decided against running on the track at Chev because of the weather and instead ran on Old South Road which is a lovely area except for the bends around which it's almost impossible to see or hear the occasional approaching and speeding car or truck.  More than once I had to stop and hop off the road into the wet grass.  The road has its fair share of hills and long inclines, especially between 4th and 5th kilometre and again the last kilometre....uphill all the way.....as slowing pace reflects!

Program  :  8km run @ MT Pace (6:56/k based on 33min 5k)

Old South Road

8km in 58:15
7:40;  7:04;  6:41;  6:37;  7:19;  7:09;  7:34;  8:09
Avg. Pace 7:17
AHR 114 (72%);  MHR 130 (82%)

I had VP set but didn't look at all!  Just ran as best I could considering the weather, the hilly course and care of approaching cars.  Started and finished at the school where I stopped for some stretching and a chat with some of the staff after my run.   I can stroll in at any time and always made feel welcome.

I'm thinking of driving to Canberra on Saturday, 13th, to do another 5km Park Run at Lake Ginninderra and redeem my last disappointing effort.  It's also the Canberra Marathon weekend, which I'd forgotten about until Ewen reminded me,  but I don't suppose that would make any difference to Park Run.  I think I'll still go.

For today.....8km

Cross-Train ~ in the Rain!

A very light rain while I was out this morning, more like mist than rain, but sufficient to dampen clothing.  Sun emerged just as I finished but made only a very brief appearance and now the skies are grey again.  I'm finding that I need to keep these "off" days very,very easy, otherwise I can't do justice to the following day's key workout.  In this case, tomorrow's Tempo Run.


Jog/Walk 5km, including some stride-outs and drills along the way!

Jog/Walk......cross-training 5km

Today......5km

Track at Chev ~~ Finally beating VP!

I took a rest day yesterday so as not to have two 'hard' days following each other, so it was over to Chevalier College for today's track session.  A surprisingly cold (12 degrees) and windy day after all the warm and sunny weather of late.  The oval had been marked for football, so with no lanes at all to guide me, I ran just inside the boundary fence where the grass was a bit long, the ground bumpy and with several pot-holes for the unwary to trip in...which I did twice, going over on an ankle, until I learned where NOT to run!  I reset the Garmin before each rep. for lap distance and time.

Program  :
10-20 min warm-up
1200, 1000, 800, 600, 400, 200
(200m RI)
10 min cool-down.

Warm-up + Strides!

Based on a 33 min time for 5km, program times were :

 7:40;  6:20;  5:03;  3:46;  2:29;       no time on the program for 200m so I just made a dash for it!

My Times  : 7:38 (76-81%);  6:19 (76-81%); 4:55 (76-84%); 3:43 (75-82?%); 2:20 (73-83%); 60 secs. (71-82%).

Basing reps on a slower 5km time (from 31 to 33 min for the time being), I was quite comfortably able to stay ahead of VP for all distances!  Very happy with that!

2.5km warm-up + 4 Strides with drills + Program + 1km cool-down

For Today.....7.7km 

 
.

Long Run ~~~

I missed doing my long run on Saturday and again on Sunday, so today had to be the day.

Program : 16km at no specific pace; easy/relaxed effort.

16km ~~~ Long, Easy, Relaxed!

That suited me just fine and that's exactly what I did, including some walk breaks and a stop for water at the school.

16km in 2 hours and 6 minutes.

For the week   ....  41km