Bowral Parkrun ~~~~~

.... and that was my 83rd parkrun yesterday!  I managed to run just over 1 minute faster than I did two weeks ago - I was a volunteer last Saturday so no run on that weekend.  While there's improvement there's hope!

5km in 40:31
82.77% age graded.

Avg. Pace 8:09m/k which was slower than I had VP set to run.

AHR 123bpm;  MHR 135bpm

90%  -  99% of MHR.

7:47;  8:01;  8:08;  8:09;  8:22

TE  2.3  Maintaining.

#83 finished!

Complete Rest ~~~~ Bowral Parkrun Tomorrow!

Some Long Repeats ~~~~

Over to my favourite place to run, Bowral parkrun course!  First chill of winter in the air but otherwise another gloriously sunny day.

3km warm-up down the hill & along the cycle path towards the Moss Vale end.  Turn around!

2.5km at mod. pace ... towards Oxley end!

8:19m/k

20:48 minutes.

3 minutes jog RI....  turn around!

2.5km at mod. pace

8:12m/k

20:33 minutes

2km cool down + few stretches on the grass in the sun at the top of the hill!

I really enjoyed this run, in particular the second 2.5km!

2nd 2.5km repeat

A Few Drills etc ~~~~~

Drove to Scarlett Street after my hour at school to do a few Pete Magill drills/strides after a short warm-up jog.  Just enough to keep the legs moving in the right direction and easy after yesterday's harder effort and in view of another less hard day tomorrow and practising better breathing at the same time ...  in 3 out 2!

Looks like a storm is making its way through the region now at 2:00pm!  Amy, poor little pet, is terrified of storms and is inconsolable when there's thunder and lightning. Right now she has firmly planted herself on my lap and I won't be able to move until the storm and rain clear!

"Once in love with Amy, Always in love with Amy!"

Some Long Road Repeats ~~~~

Though it was looking like rain this morning I did as planned regardless .  I drove across to Bowral parkrun course so that I could have a long, uninterrupted stretch on which to run some long repeats.  My program asked for a moderate to hard effort for the repeats and that's what I did not bothering about VP for a change!  3 minutes RI between each.

1.5k warm-up
walk/jog

1.5k mod/hard

12:29  :  8:04m/k

TE 1.6    Minor!

2.5k mod/hard

21:44   :   8:39m/k

TE 2.8  Maintaining

2.5k mod/hard

20:08   :   8:03m/k

TE  2.8 Maintaining

1.5k Mod/hard

12:30    :   8:20m/k 

TE  2.4 Maintaining

1.5k cool-down walking mostly; jogged up grassy hill.

Stretches on grass to finish!

The 2nd 2.5km loop

Saturday & Sunday ~~~~~

This was Saturday .......  at Briars after Bowral parkrun when my lovely friends drove up from Canberra, some camping the previous night, to allow me to be part of Ewen's 60th birthday celebrations!  I mean, when you've got friends like that, what more can you say or hope for from others?  I often think to myself, but have never said it out loud before let alone put pen to paper :  I have living relatives who neither know nor care if I'm alive or not and it has been hurtful and distressing for many years but then comes a day like yesterday and I remember my wonderful, loyal friends and I don't mind anymore!

After such a joyful birthday breakfast, unexpectedly, I found myself a little sad for the rest of the day.  I think because I wondered if there would there be another such reunion in my lifetime?  I do hope so, but I think a little part of my heart might have been saying goodbye ... just in case!  Hence the pang of sadness that followed.

This is Sunday ........ part of where I did my long run/walk.  Plenty of walking because the hills never get any easier and I was just so very tired!  Maybe I ate too much of Ewen's wombat birthday cake and then, being greedy, also took home an even larger portion for supper!  The cake was made by the amazing Ruth and was transported from Canberra along with Dave's bikes for a triathlon today at Batemans Bay.  I wouldn't have dared!  I could see the bike colliding with the chocolate 'wombat'!

So the run had a lot of walking;  I was very tired but I guess it was better to do what I could rather than staying home doing nothing! I probably underestimate the value of walking as part of training but it's so slow and takes so long to get done! 

6 to 9km easy running.

I did 8k along my favourite dirt roads incl. 6x80m strides
TE  1.5!  Really?

Road Repeats ~~~~~

1.5k warm-up

3 x 1500m @ mod. to hard effort ...... I did 2 & that was enough!

VP set to finish in 12:25

3mins RI

Short cool-down + stretches at home.

11:41.  TE  2.4

12:09   TE 2.5

Normally, Friday is a rest day but since I'm a volunteer at Bowral parkrun tomorrow morning, there was no need for a rest.

Low Heart Rate Run ~~~~~

Low Heart Rate Run ~~~~~ 4 to 8km with 4 to 6 Strides.

Bowral Parkrun Course:

8km

6 x 80m strides ..... did most of these on hilly sections including up the grassy hill to finish.  Took a couple of longish walk breaks on return 4km.

...'Quaint Bridge' was under water last time I ran here.

Plenty of water in the old Wingecarribee River.

Enjoyed this easy run on another sunny autumn day!

Easy Run with Strides ~~~~~~

Another glorious summery day!

Easy Run with 6 x 80m strides.

Repeats on Road ~~~~

3km warm-up   ......  I jogged 2km

7 x 1km @ mod. to hard effort .....  I did 3 with VP set to run 7:34m/k

3min RI

3km cool-down ...  I walked 1km

A breezy morning with the sun in and out along Scarlett Street where I did 3 of 7 road repeats.

7:19  TE 2.4

7:34  TE 2.4

7:34  TE 2.2

I enjoyed getting out this morning despite the fact that my blog and I face the threat of possible extinction in 4 weeks!

To Run or Not to Run? ~~~~

I've been asking myself that question for weeks now, ever since my 5km parkrun times began to spiral downwards and have continued to do so no matter how hard I try and train and wish it wasn't happening.

Today I've come to a showdown with myself!  If in 4 weeks I've made no significent increase in my 5km parkrun times, I'll hang up the runners and close this blog for good! If  running goes so does the blog .... can't have one without the other!  

On the scale of things that really matter this is of no relevance, gravity or even interest to anyone at all except myself.  It'll pass like everything else without much notice, I know, but this is all about me to myself!  I'm giving myself an admonishing warning :  perk up, shape up or shut up the blog and hang up the runners!  I've got 4 weeks in which to do it.  How?  I've no idea!

Starting this week ~~~~~

Today ~~~ Thursday ~~ Complete Rest!

                          "What is without periods of rest will not endure."  Ovid

Low HR Run ~~~~~~ Tuesday & Wednesday!

Nasty blister well padded; felt OK to run.  An easy 6km run this morning keeping a low heart rate and including 6 x 80m strides.

6km

AHR 101 bpm .....  74% of MHR

6 x 80m strides

TE   1.8  Minor

Wednesday: same as yesterday!

6km easy run including 6 x 80m strides

AHR 98bpm (72% of MHR)

TE 1.6  Minor.

Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow ~~~~~ & Tomorrow is Here! Which Means it's Monday!

Yesterday ......  yesterday seems so far away!

Bowral Parkrun #81 for me...

39:51 age graded 84.19% .. just about finished berating myself over this slow one!

Today .....  today I had the feeling!
Long Run ....  the feeling of a huge blister on the sole of my left foot! So painful!  I hobbled the last few metres, sat down and inspected the damage!

Reminder to buy Blister Block before next run!

9km easy running (with some walk breaks) including 6 x 80m strides & 6 x 10 second hill sprints.
TE  2.2  Maintaining

Tomorrow ... the sun will come out tomorrow!
Stepping back from usual running plan this week to have more recovery time and do some easy, low heart rate runs while I sort out why I've been so tired when Saturday's parkrun comes around. To be continued ......

Monday :  Going Nowhere!  Just as well a rest day is the plan! Really, really, really sore!

Repeats on Road ~~~~~

Chev oval would have been impossible to run on this morning after not only more rain but more feet to plough up the ground after football matches.  I used quiet and secluded Scarlett Street where I had a cheer ("You're doing well!") from the driver of a passing garbage truck!

Program was:

Warm-up .....  I jogged 1km to get distance right.

5 x 1000m (VP set to run 7:45m/k)

400m RI ... walking around.

Cool-down & Stretches .. I did the latter at home.

7:38  TE 2.1 Maintaining

7:15  TE 2.7 Maintaining

7:33  TE 3.1  Improving!! 

7:17  TE 3.0  Improving!!!!

7:21  TE 2.8  Maintaining

1km Repeats all ahead of VP!!

Tempo Run & the Thrill of Staying Ahead of VP! ~~~~~

Bowral parkrun course; light wind and rain ... all good!

1.5 km warm-up
3.0km @ ST pace (ie 8:10m/k based on 40 min 5k finish)
1.5km easy
1.5km @ ST pace
1.5km easy
3.0km @ St pace
1.5km cool-down

Ran all of the above segments either on grass hill, cycle path or surrounding Burradoo streets.  Over the moon that I left VP struggling to keep up!

3:0km in 23:03

Avg. 7:41m/k

TE 2.5 Maintaining

1.5km in 11:55

Avg. 7:57m/k

TE 2.5 Maintaining

3:0km in 23:33

Avg. 7:51m/k

TE 3.2 IMPROVING ... at last!

I was extremely pleased with myself this morning!  Not in a very long time have I felt what it's like to run almost effortlessly while at the same time enjoying the light rain and, best of all, staying ahead of VP!

The 1.5km lap at pace, Burradoo.

It Worked! ~~~~~

The changes made this week, paid dividends this morning at Bowral parkrun! I'm dead chuffed to have taken 2 minutes off last Saturday's 5km time!  Nowhere near a PB of 33 minutes but a whole lot closer than I've been in weeks.

The changes were swapping my tempo run from Thursday to Tuesday and track on Thursday instead of Tuesday.  That way, I had the easier session towards the end of the week, not the other way around.  Just as importantly, I believe, was getting up at 5:30am, an hour earlier than I normally do, and thus giving myself time to wake up!  This is dedication par excellence because I really, really, really love my warm and comfortable bed! Zzzzz!  It's like a magnet that refuses to let go!

Outside, it was a bed lover's nightmare!  Heavy fog made driving across to Bowral a real worry. Once there, one final step in preparation before the run started at 8:00am sharp :  a 10 minute warm-up easy jog and a few strides ..  all done  ... ready to run!  Forgot to turn off the Garmin at finish! The official result is ........

5km in 37:57

Age Graded 88.41%

TE 2.9
AHR 92%

Avg. Pace 8:08m/k;  VP ran 8:00m/k!

Atop the bleeding hill!