Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Track at Chev. ~~~~

Today:
10 min warm-up + few strides
200m
400m 2:34
600m 3:53
800m 5:12
800m
600m
400m
200m


I ran all of the above within the required times but .......NO TRACE OF ANYTHING ON GARMIN WHEN I CHECKED AT HOME LATER!!!!  I don't know what's gone wrong with Garmin, but it makes me very annoyed whatever the problem is!

Sunday, March 29, 2015

"Longer" Run ~~~~~

Range Road again, and with Leah for company, for my longer run this morning.  Weather and scenery perfect! Easy running.

10km of rolling hills in 1hour 30 minutes.

Week 3 (of 10k program)...done!

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Bowral Parkrun #27 ~~~~~

Great to be back at Parkrun this morning after several weeks off and it was such a beautiful day to make a start! A very cold start but not long to warm up.  I ran very conservatively and didn't expect to do much better than the time (37:?) I did on the course last Saturday after volunteering.  I was very pleased then to see 34:44 on the Garmin 620 when I finished and that's  the official results time as well.

After looking at my time on the Garmin I accidentally discarded the entire run so I have no stats at all for this week!  Nevertheless, I'm OK with the time which wasn't that far off my PB of 33:43 for this course and therefore I'm encouraged to train well this coming week and chip away at 34:44 over the next few runs. Seems possible!

Today :
5km in 34:44
Age Graded Score 88.82%


Thursday, March 26, 2015

Tempo Run ~~~~~

Drove across to Bowral to run on Saturday's Parkrun course; a few cyclists, a couple of walkers; otherwise I had the path to myself.  Windy but sunny morning.  Slower than planned.

Tempo Run:
1km warm-up
6km @ Mid Tempo (MT) pace ...7:25m/k for me
1km cool-down...included running the hill at finish!

6km in 44:30
AVG Pace 7:25m/k
AHR 74%;  MHR 83%
TE 2.9 'Maintaining'.  3.0 would have been improving!

Total : 8km

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Track ~~~~~

Well, this is a first!  All trace of the first 2 repeats lost! Gone! Disappeared from my Garmin and the face of the earth!  I looked at each repeat as I finished each one and they were THERE!  Saved on the Garmin 620, but now gone!  I've searched and tried everything I can think of, but still no luck. Very strange that the last repeat is showing but first 2 missing!  And, yes I DID save them!   1600m reps were really, really tough and now I have no record of how I ran them, except that I think it's safe to say I was slower than I should have been.

To top it all off, it was raining;  there was thunder; there were no lanes so I had no choice but to run on the mowed marking for soccer or football...whatever it is they play at this time of year, cutting the corners to look like some sort of oval shape!

The session was :
10-20min warm-up.....did about 10min + couple drills with strides.
2 x 1600m in 10:41 (6:40m/k).. ?...?..

1 x 800m in 5:12 (6:30m/k) ..... I ran 5:18!
AHR 78%;  MHR 86%
TE 2.0 =  Maintaining!
Short walk cool-down + stretches.

I'm really, really annoyed that I can't find the two 1600m repeats

Sunday, March 22, 2015

My Kinda Day! ~~~

Light drizzle and heavy fog on Range Road this morning; visibility less than 100m and beware the occasional motorist suddenly appearing from the mist on any of the many twists, turns and hills.  Other than being mindful of that, I loved the cool, foggy morning run on Range Road.  I started and finished at "The Abbey" nursing home and must have given a false but nonetheless stunning performance of an elderly occupant for anyone driving past as I stormed (?) up the hilly driveway to the finish!









Long Run :  11km in 1 hour 30 minutes..... several walk breaks on hilly sections.
AHR 67%;  MHR 80%
Training Effect 2.4  =  Maintaining  ... almost reached "Improving" status!

Week 2 of 10k program.......Done!





Thursday, March 19, 2015

Tempo Run ~~~~ A headache!

The run was a headache and I had a headache!   I woke up with a headache and not feeling the least like a run, so I hummed and hawed, will I?  Won't I? Take the day off?  Get out and try?  The last mentioned won; can always stop if things go 'belly up'! It wasn't quite 'belly up' but near enough when I look at what the run should have been:

1.5km easy
3.5km @ Short Tempo pace (6:55m/k based on 34 min 5km time)
1.5km easy
3.5km @ ST pace
1.5km easy.

Instead of that it faded into :

1.0km easy
3.4km @ 7.7 m/k avg.....walk breaks!
1.5km easy
3.0km @ 7.4 m/k avg......walk breaks!
1.0km easy ... walk!
TE 2 = Maintaining.....surprising!  Thought it would be 'Minor' which is as low as it goes! 

All  9.9kms were a struggle.  Headache forced too many walk breaks, so if I achieved anything at all, I've yet to work out what it was! I hope it was better than not doing anything.  Rest tomorrow and back to Bowral Parkrun on Saturday after missing the last 4 weeks.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Track at Chevalier College, Bowral ~~~~~

I used the 200m+ mowed lane which is still visible but won't be for much longer as the grounds man was preparing the oval for football.  I was supposed to do 5 repeats of 800m, but I just didn't have anything left after the 4th so I quit!  Weather : overcast but warm; light wind.

I did : 10 min warm-up jog + few drills and strides.

Program: 5 x 800m in 5:12... (hate 800's...so hard!)  I did 4.
400m Recovery Intervals ....walk.
Cool-down + some stretching

4 x 800m : 
5:05.3 (76-85%) TE...Minor!
5:09.4 (76-84%) TE...Minor
5:09.6 (78-84%) TE...Minor
5:18.3 (78-84%) TE...2.0  Maintaining!! 


Again...I hate 800m repeats!




Sunday, March 15, 2015

Long Run ~~~~~

I returned to Range Road for today's longer run.  Ages since I ran there but I'm going to use it each Sunday because I can't think of anywhere else I'd get such a thorough workout on hills!

This morning was windy, but that's par for the course up on Range Road which overlooks Mittagong, Bowral and beyond. I didn't bother about pace or time, just happy to go the full  distance for today...... with a few walk breaks.  Enjoyed the run very much  - magnificent views - even though it wasn't an easy run by any means.





Turn around at 5km

 10km in 1 hr 20 min
Avg. Pace 8:10m/k
AHR 70%;  MHR 82%

Training Effect (TE) = 2.6 (Maintaining!) 

....and that's Week 1 of my 10km program....Done!

.




Saturday, March 14, 2015

Training Run ~~~~~

I was a volunteer at Bowral Parkrun this morning but once finished with that I ran the course ...slowly!  Beautiful morning, though a heavy fog hung low over Bowral for the starters........


 A foggy day in Bowral town!




  By the time I set off with Jan and Max (who had already run the 5km) it was sunny and warm.  Next Saturday I plan to start with the others, after missing three Saturdays with a heavy cold/cough.

Today : 5km
35:55
AHR 123 (78%);   MHR 140 (88%)
Training Effect 3.4 ....  Improving!!

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Tempo Run at Parkrun ~~~~~

For the second time this week I drove to "The Briars" - Bowral Parkrun course - for today's run.  I love running on this course :  it's totally quiet and very picturesque as it follows alongside the Wingecarribee River and open fields for miles around.  I didn't see another person on the path the entire time.

Tempo Run :  8km
1.5k easy ...down grassy slope and cycle path
5km @ ST pace (6:56m/k based on 33:50 5k time).... along cycle path 2.5k and back)
1.5k easy ..... cycle path + up grassy slope without stopping!

My  time for 5km : 34:14.....not too bad considering ......
Avg. Pace 6:50m/k ...OK with that.
AHR 129 (81%);    MHR 140 (88%).
Training Effect : 3.6 = Improving!

Very much enjoyed this run;  pace was comfortable; no walk breaks; lovely sunny morning that has now, at 2:00 pm, changed to another thunder storm.  So far so good for this week!

 

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

At Chevalier College for Track Repeats ~~~~

Week 1, Day 1 :  F.I.R.S.T. 10km Training Program  :   Paces based on 33:50 5km time.

Track Repeats :

10-20 min warm-up ......did 10 min + few drills & strides
8 x 400m (2:33)  .....  400m RI walk/jog
10 min cool-down...did 5 min + stretching.

8 x 400m  :
2:25.8 (AHR 75%);  2:25.9 (78%);  2:21.9 (78%);  2:31.2 (79%);  2:27.4 (80%);  2:25.5 (83%);

2:24.2 (AHR (80%);  2:20.5 (83%).

Training Effect ranged from "Minor" to "Maintaining"!

The morning was overcast...good!  I felt...... good!  Repeats..... also good!

Sunday, March 08, 2015

5km non-stop! ~~~~~

I drove across to "The Briars" at around 11:00am this morning to see if I could get through the 5km Bowral Parkrun course without a single stop.  I did!  Slowly, but surely, after several weeks off and only light jogging last week, I managed to get through the 5km course without a break, not even on the final hill.  It was quite hot with a strong breeze.

5km in 38:45
AHR 127 (79%);   MHR 150 (94%)
8:12;    7:45;     7:38;     7:17;     7:46

Bowral Parkrun 5km Course.


Training Effect 3.8 =  Improving!  4.0 would have been highly improving!

Next Saturday I'm down as volunteer .....scanning bar codes; by the following Saturday I will be running with the others!

I've also made a change to my running during the week by changing to the F.I.R.S.T. 10km training program from the 5km which I've been using for several months now.  I need change as a challenge and for motivation! This, like all F.I.R.S.T. training programs has all paces based on a recent 5km time.  Recently, mine was 33:43 so I'm using 33:50 for the three major sessions : track repeats, tempo run and long run.  Start Tuesday at Chevalier College track.


Friday, March 06, 2015

Continuing to 'Maintain' ~~~~~

Just made it into the "Maintaining" category today!  An unpleasant, windy morning when I left the Highlands School at 11:00am.  I moved on to Week 5 in C25k to add a little more time to the session.  Hopefully, back onto my 5km program next week.


Week 5, Day 1:  45 minutes
Brisk 5 min walk warm-up
Jog 5 min; Walk 3 min
Jog 5 min; Walk 3 min
Jog 5 min; Walk 3 min
Jog 5 min
5 min walk cool-down.




AHR 97 (61%);    MHR 123 (77%).
TE 2.0 .....  Maintaining!


Thursday, March 05, 2015

"Maintaining" ~~~~~ Continuing!

A warm and very windy day!  Started 'fitness' run/walk at school, to Diamond Fields Road and back to school.  A couple more hills today and all OK!  Feeling stronger each day....woohoo!

C to 5km Week 4, Day 3:  35 min approx.

Brisk 5 min warm-up
Jog 3 min
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 5 min
Walk 2.5 min
Jog 3 min
Walk 90 sec
Jog 5 min
Walk 5 min cool-down 




AHR 97 (61%);  MHR 146 (91%)
TE 2.2 : "Maintaining"!!

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

"Maintaining" ~~~~~ Fitness?

Today was much warmer and more humid than yesterday when I began my C to 5km return to fitness regime.  Nevertheless, there were no problems with the following easy 30 minutes :

5 minutes brisk walk warm-up
Jog 3 min.
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 2.5 minutes
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 5 minutes cool-down.

3.5km
AHR 102 (64%);   MHR 132 (83%).
Training Effect 2.3  =  Maintaining!  WooHoo!! Included a couple of hills.  Better result than yesterday's.

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

After Almost 3 Weeks Off ~~~~~

....with a horrible cold/cough, I got myself out this morning and what a glorious morning to make a comeback: sunny, warm, slight breeze, a hint of autumn in the air and green leaves, that will soon change their colour to red, orange and gold, starting to fall from the trees.

I used the C to 5km app on my phone so as to keep some sort of rhythm going and also to take any guess work out of what I was to do....

C25km, Week 4, Day 1...about 30 minutes
Brisk 5min warm-up
Jog 3 min
Walk 90 sec
Jog 5 min
Walk 2.5 min
Jog 3 min
Walk 90 sec.
Jog 5min
Cool-down walk 5min.

AHR 92 (57%);  MHR 113 (71%)
Training Effect 1.5 =  Minor!!  

Fingers crossed I'll continue with Day 2 tomorrow and so on for approx the next 2 weeks until I'm fit enough to resume my 5km program.  So good to be out and about again!