Long Run ....with Leah ~~~~~

Range Road 10km ..out and back.

We parked in "The Abbey" nursing home grounds on Range Road and I don't think a fitter pair were ever seen running down that driveway!

I wanted to do a long hilly run and that's what I got. With Leah for company the 5km out and back  didn't seem too bad but we did have to take a couple of walk breaks on some of the hills.


Warm and humid morning; thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon.

This was a good week having got all sessions done : Track, Short Hill reps, Tempo Run, Parkrun and Long run.  That's how I hope the coming weeks will pan out.

Today 10km.

Bowral Parkrun #10.......Volunteering.

I handed out the tokens to each finisher this morning and I must say it was interesting to see the frontrunners come in and their sweaty bodies collapse to the ground! I always see how the back-of-the-pack runners finish ...because that's where I am .... so it was interesting to say the least, to watch the fast runners finish.  Some of the little kids are amazingly fast!

And so.....I did my 5km (slowly & with walk breaks) after finishing the volunteer job;  very warm on the course and windy as well :

5km in 38:20...no stats. 

Tempo Run

I can't begin to guess why the Garmin 620 gives me a predicted 5km race time of 27 minutes when I'm puffing and blowing to finish this morning in 38 minutes!What it doesn't say is how many years of training this would take!

Tempo Run :
1.5km warm-up
3.5km @ ST pace (7:23m/k based on 36 min for 5km)
1.5km cool-down.

Overcast with a very light rain; good for running.  Course included 3 good hills!

Time : 38:13
7:35;  7:27;  7:57;  7:50;  7:21
AHR 80%;  MHR 90%
TE  2.8  (a little more than half way between 'Maintaining' and 'Improving'!!)

5 of 8km

TODAY  :   8km

Short Hill Repeats ~~~~

I had a look at Pete Magill's short hill repeats....all in the hope of tackling the hill at Parkrun each Saturday!  This coming Saturday I'm on the volunteer roster, so I have an extra week before running it again.  I used do  Magill hills and drills regularly, haven't in ages, enjoy them.

Magill Short Hills :

8 - 10 times, fairly steep, 40-80m, just under 'all out' effort, walk down, walk around for 2-3 minutes and start all over again!

Down from the school where I'd been for an hour : on BongBongRoad I chose a section that was steep enough for me, and did the full 10 repeats over a distance of about 50m.  On one or two of the 3 days I help out with one of the children at the Highlands School, after I finish is an opportunity to do some training on either drills or hills......if I feel up to it!

Track at Chev. and Amy's Pool! ~~~~~

Amy's Pool!

Amy's pool is located outside the back door, so I see it as I come from the garage to the house.  This morning, returning from Chev. I looked at it, as I usually do, and saw a poor little beetle swimming frantically to reach a leaf.  Mesmerized, I watched as it swam and swam in an effort not to drown and reach dry land!  After a magnificent crossing of the pool and the leaf right in front, the tiny beetle made a last valiant struggle and climbed aboard the leaf!  Relief, but now what would happen?  Endless pool crossings clinging to a leaf?  Attacks from other critters? Starvation?  This was all too much for me so, suddenly aroused from my reverie back to reality, I quickly bent down and gently lifted the leaf with beetle still on board onto dry land!  Deep sigh of relief and pleased with my good deed, I felt I'd done something really worthwhile as the beetle, without so much as a glance back, scampered off to do whatever it is beetles do for the rest of the day!

On the other hand.......My Track Session at Chevalier College!

The Program :
10-20 min warm-up
5x800m (5:32) based on 37 min 5km time. 
400m RI
Cool-down.

Warm-up was a light jog followed by set of Magill drills with strides between each.
5x800m :    5:29;    5:36;    5:39;    5:43;    5:38
400m RI walk between each.
Short cool-down + stretches.

I don't like 800m repeats!

 Despite the pleasant conditions, I really don't like 800's!  They're hard work!  I was intending to finish after the 4th repeat and only continued with the 5th because my Garmin 620 showed I had a new VO2Max of 37 and .......predicted a new 5km time of 27:50!!  It also showed I needed a recovery time of 7hours!
 

PARKRUN BOWRAL #9 ~~~~~

Terribly disappointed with my run this morning, especially when I was sure I was going for a PB!  I didn't take any walk breaks which is why I was more than a little surprised when I looked at results on my Garmin 620 at the finish.   Anyhow it's done and there's no use moaning about it now....but I am disappointed, surprised and annoyed that I was so far off PB of 36:16!

Garmin Time :  36:43
Official :  36:46

7:19;  7:13;  7:14;  7:12;  7:43
AHR 90%;  MHR 97%

5km Sleep Walking!

Tempo Run ~~~~~

....and a hot one at that!  I didn't start until 10:00am due to a lack of sleep during the night which meant I had to cancel meeting Leah at 7:00am, catch a couple of hours sleep and then attempt today's tempo run.

I didn't feel too bad running but when I stopped I was lathered in sweat and feeling any old how!

So here's what I had to do :

1.5km warm-up
3.5km @ 7:27m/k  (based on a 5km time of 36 min in F.I.R.S.T. Program)
1.5km cool-down.

This is back to Week 1 of 12 in the F.I.R.S.T. 5km program.

3.5k of 6.5km

Results  ~~~~~
3.5km in 25:46
AHR 87%;  MHR 97%
Avg Pace 7:20m/k...just made it!
TE  3.5  ~~  Improving!
Splits:  6:58;  7:18;  7:54....3:35

Total : 6.5km

Track at Chev. ~~~~~

These days I need 2 days to recover properly from Parkrun 5km so today was the first run since last Saturday.  I find I do a better session taking adequate rest after a hard run.

 A pleasant morning : warm, cool breeze; grass dry on a mowed 400m lane.

This week's track session :

10-20 min warm-up......including 4 strides with drills
8 x 400m  (2:49)
RI 400m jog/walk

2:42;  2:50;  2:45;  2:44;  2:35;  2:38;  2:28;  2:28

I didn't mind this session at all :  felt good and ran fairly hard, puffing at the end of each repeat!

 

BOWRAL PARKRUN #8 ~~~~~

Missed a PB by 10 seconds!!  BAH!!  GRR!  BOO!  BAH!  If only I hadn't taken those few walk breaks!  I should be satisfied with today's results, not having done a single run since Fisher's Ghost 5km last Sunday!  A whole week off!!  That's one run on my "not to do again" list!   It took the entire week for me to feel fully recovered. 

My time today = 36:16
Official time    = 36:26

Pleasant enough morning though quite humid while running. 

5km BongBong Common

Some stats from my Garmin Forerunner 620 .......

Time 36:16  (official 36:26)
Avg. Pace ... 7:20m/k
AHR 131 (92%)
MHR 146 (102%) ?
TE 4 =  Highly Improving!  Woo Hoo!
Splits :  6:47;    7:18;     7:21;     7:31;     7:16
Age Graded Score  = 84.68%

So.....that's Ok for now, but I'll be aiming really, really hard to get past those 10 seconds next Saturday!

Fisher's Ghost 5km ~~~~~

5km course

Spoils of the day!

Well!  For sure, that was the toughest 5km I can recall!  The old, and much kinder, course has been changed to make way for new development, buildings etc. and what was left for a new course were hills, hills and more hills!  More drink stations than previous years...they must have known it was going to be a hard day for most!  

The awards,  M & F under 8 yoa and every year from there up to 16 (or was it 18?) yoa, dragged on forever, seasoned intermittently with unstoppable chat from Council member etc..etc.  I thought I might reach my next age category before they finished!

However, I did manage 3rd place in 70+ age category which, at age 85, seemed to me like a damned good effort....even if I say so myself!! 

My Results : Fisher's Ghost 5km, 2014 :   Garmin distance 5.3km!

Time :  38:48
Avg. pace   7:17m/k
AHR 90%;  MHR 100%....?
7:27;   6:53;   7:21;   7:37;   7:25

606 runners in 5km
149 of 308 female runners

1st place getter 70+....33:35
2nd ..............................37:28
3rd................................38:48..Me!

Will I be back next year?   Doubt it!

2nd & 3rd places

(l. to r.) 2nd, 1st & 3rd

Track at Chev. ~~~~~

10:00am start at Chev track and looking very much like an approaching storm.  It's forecast for later today but so far no sign of it :  sunny, quite warm day.

Program : 
10-20 min warm-up
4 x 400m in 2:45
RI
Cool-down

I did the warm-up + few drills with strides.

2:51;  2:35;  2:34;  2:32

Cool-down + few Pete Magill drills.


 

400m lane at Chev.

Tempo run on Thursday, no parkrun on Saturday, Fishers Ghost 5km on Sunday.......and it's going to be the usual sweltering hot day!   

BOWRAL PARKRUN #6 ........and the wheels fell off!

My 2nd slowest time!  I suppose I could make excuses like :  it was so hot and so windy!  And it was! But I won't!  Just one of those days when, right from the start, you know it's all going bad and can only get worse.  And it did :  several walk breaks and a struggle from start to finish.  One of 'those' days!

5km in 37:47.......I'll say no more!