Run and Hill Repeats ~~~~~

Bowral parkrun cycle path and bloody hill!

5km warm-up
6x30 seconds + 2 x 3:30 minutes Hill Repeats;  walk down RI.

Felt lethargic for the entire time!  I'd like to blame the new Hoka Clifton IV shoes but that would be a false accusation, though I think they are noticeably heavier than wat I've been wearing.  Not the shoes, just me!

Total  6.76km

Chev. Track ~~~~~

I don't like long repeats one little bit!  They're just too damned hard!  And, to make matters worse, VP nearly always finishes ahead of me!

So this morning: Chev. College : no lanes marked this week so I ran just inside the boundary fence on the oval, two and a bit times around to make 1000m reps.

1.4km warm-up incl. few drills/strides

3 x 1000m (7:45);  400m RI

7:59  AHR 114-127bpm (84%-93% of max.)  TE 1.5

7:46  AHR 116-129bpm (85%-95% of max.)  TE 1.6

8:15  AHR 115-133bpm (85%-98% of max.   TE 1.6

Bowral Parkrun (with a twist) - My 94th Run ~~~~~

Another exceptionally cold, frosty and foggy parkrun!  However, I was pleased to run the entire course without a walk break and for the first time in a long while - didn't slow down much at all on the final uphill leg.  So, the hill repeats I've been doing on Thursdays for the past 3 weeks just might be paying dividends.  Anyhow, it was encouraging enough for me to continue with the session for  a few more Thursdays.  Besides, I like doing it!

5km in 39:16 (55 seconds better than last Saturday!)
85.44% Age Grading
AHR  123-138bpm;  90% - 101% of max.
TE 2.7  'Maintaining Fitness'
7:57;   7:51;   7:48;   7:39;   8:01

Earlier this morning : 
Alarm rang; dressed quickly; said good-bye to Amy (still curled up on her heated rug!); gave her a treat for no reason other than that I was leaving!  So dark, cold and foggy; not another car on the road; street lights still on.

Briars car park deserted.. except for me! Jump out, start warm-up jog 15 minutes; return to car park - still empty!  Had I got the day wrong?  Was it really Saturday? Yes, yesterday was Friday and tomorrow is Sunday so it must be Saturday!  Where is everyone?  Should be arriving by 7:45am ... as I thought it was!  Check Garmin time -- panic, fright, dismay - it was  6:45am!  I'd got up at 5:15am; Briars at 6:30am; finished warm-up at 6:45am!!

Mortified and with egg on my face, back into the car where I lay low,

emerging 30 minutes later to start the warm-up all over again!

How could this happen?

5km Plus Hill Repeats ~~~~~

Bowral Parkrun cycle path for warm-up including a few drills/strides.

5km warm-up + few drills/strides

First Set:  6 x 30 seconds Hill reps; walk down RI
Second Set : 4 x 3:30 mins;  walk down RI

AHR 101-129bpm/74% - 95% of max.   TE  1.4

Stretches on grass to finish a fairly exhausting but enjoyable session!

Briars Inn..........

Tuesday's Track ~~~~

Chev. oval, lanes no longer visible.

Program:

10-20 mins warm-up
2 of 4 x 1200m ... both slower than VP!

Changed to 6 x 100m intervals by running the long sides of the soccer field and walking the short sides as RI.

Saturdy and Sunday ~~~~~

Another cold and slow Bowral parkrun: my 93rd!

40:11 .....  83.49 % age grade
TE 4.5  Highly Improving!   What?  OK, I'll take it!  

Sunday ...  Long Run : 10km Diamond Fields Road... TE 2.9

Road surface improving as graders move further along the dirt road.

The Week So Far ~~~

Forgot Tuesday and Thursday!

Tuesday: 4 x 800m  Ok but still struggled.  About 5km incl. warm-up and cool-down.  Chev track.

Thursday:  So cold and windy I almost called the session off;  Bowral parkrun cycle path long warm-up then 3x 30seconds up hill repeats followed by 3x60seconds uphill reps.  6km total.

Friday:

New Hoka Hoka One One, Clifton IV shoes.  Sun visor, cap, T-shirt and compression socks a gift from Hoka!  Would like more of their socks!  Love them!

Saturday, Sunday and Today ~~~~~

Saturday:  Bowral Parkrun in another slow time of 39:40 (84.58% age graded).

Sunday:  Long Run/Walk 13km.  TE 2.8 .. Maintaining!

Today, Tuesday:  Track at Chev. College

4 -6 x 800m ... I did 4!

6:10 or 7:43m/k

My times:   6:08;    6:26;    6:30;    6:15

Lanes not visible so it was guess work where to run!

"Leg Drains"!

Continuous Session including Hill Repeats ~~~~

The

on our Bowral Parkrun course!

After a long warm-up :  First set: 6x30 seconds with 30sec RI.

Second set:  4x3:30minutes with jog/walk down RI.

Short cool down walk and stretches.

Very pleased with myself after this tough session!

7km.  AHR 100-134bpm (74% -99% of max.)

Strength Exercises!

... as set out in my program from "Run Less Run Faster", on non-running days.  While I can still hold 'the plank' comfortably for 2 minutes, I'm happy!

Tomorrow, some long hill repeats; another assault on the

.... on our Bowral Parkrun  course!

Road Repeats ~~~~~

Jog warm-up about 20 mins.  Scarlett Street.  Super morning, but bit windy on every second repeat where I turned around to return to the start ... to run the next repeat.

10 x 400m (3:03), 90 secs. RI

Pleased that all 10 were ahead of VP!

2:56;   2:53;   2:56;   2:59;  2:53;   3:01;   2:52;   2:59;   2:53;   2:56

Saturday and Sunday ~~~~~

Saturday : Missed parkrun!

Sunday :  After probably more than 2 years I made a return to Range Road for a long run this morning...

12km:  Run/Walk 30/30 seconds

2hours;  AHR 104-131 bpm/76% -96% of max.  TE  2.9 ... Maintaining!

I'd just about forgotten how tough and hilly this road is but very soon reminded!  I parked at the "Abbey Aged Care facility" on Range Road ..... thought it a good advertisement to be seen running down the long driveway and up the first of many hills! 

Wonderful views from the crest; recalled the many much longer runs I'd done there years back when preparing for a marathon; all the way to Glenquarry and then down winding Tourist Road and the hard climb back up again!  Four, five and six hours! Recall driving the course on the previous day and placing water bottles along the course to save carrying any!  When I look back to those days, I don't know how I did it!  Those were the days, my friends!  Those were the days!

Very much enjoyed the change from the rough surface of Diamond Fields Road to a sealed road all the way. At 6km turnaround I ran every 2nd run segment as a 30 second acceleration; got back faster that way to where I started looking more like a resident of the Age Care facility than when I set off!

An Uphill Battle! ~~~~~

Forgot to write up Tuesday's track session at Chev.  Nothing to shout out loud about either!  I was behind VP for the entire time so I'll leave it at that!
1600m 1200m, 800m 400m.

Today, Thursday:  and another change from the usual tempo run.....

As a continuous run......  Long Hill Repeats ... Bowral Parkrun grassy hill and cycle path: 6.5km total...

12 mins warm-up on cycle path

First Set:

6x30 seconds up hill with 30secs RI downhill

Second Set:

4 x 3:30 minutes from the bottom to the top with jog/walk down RIs.

15 mins cool-down

This was a tough slog up that hill!

MHR 134 bpm.... 99% of max.!! 

TE only 2.8 after all that donkeywork!

From almost at the top.

Saturday and Sunday ~~~~~

Saturday's Bowral Parkrun, #91 for me!  :  did the entire 5km run/walk, 60/30 seconds right from the start and still managed to go under the vital moment of 40 minutes!

5km in 39:01 Age Grade 85.99%
TE 5.0  =  OVERREACHING!!  Meaning the activity was very demanding.. and it certainly felt that way!

Finishing a "very demanding" parkrun!

Sunday's Long Run :  did the same 60/30 jog/walk for 14km in 2hrs 16mins.
TE  2.8 ... Maintaining!