Easy 10km Running

Not a nice day outdoors :  very windy, but always mindful that good health and life can be often so suddenly taken away, I should be saying : today is a like every other day that I'm able to get out and run...it's  a very good day!

10km 

 For a change of scenery and some shelter from the wind, I ran along Diamond Fields Road which is in need of resurfacing; right now it's a mass of stones, rocks and ditches....everything that's needed for a bad face-plant!  I stopped at around 3km for about twenty minutes to call in on friends just returned from the London Olympics and then on my way again to 5km and a turnaround.

The run was OK but I didn't need to go any longer  -  my calves are quite stiff from yesterday's hills!

A couple of drills as usual before starting
Easy 10km in 74 minutes...stopping again for a couple of photos
Stretches after.

Inquisitive Locals!

Anyone home at the wombat hole?

• 10km today.

Another Easy Day.....Long Hills & Easy Run

Not as nice a day as yesterday : cloud cover most of the time with just a few peeks at the sun, but all good just the same.

Today I decided on doing some long hill repetitions as outlined by Pete Magill in his article on hill running.  He suggests timing the first rep and then that becomes the finish line for all following repeats; no need to time any but the first.  This is what I did :

The Hill...30 sec to the top.

10 min warm-up
8 x 30 sec repeats
Jog down, walk around for a minute or two
And up I go again...8 times!

Followed by:
5km easy running
36:39
7:34;  7:23;  7:28;  7:15;  6:57
Plus 700m back to the car!

The Easy 5km.

Total:  5.7km today.

I'm enjoying this easy week and doing whatever I want before the hard yards to come when I start the 5km training program next week!

Spring Is In The Air!

...and all around the house.

 Very much like summer today!.....And so it was time to put on the runners and get started after a lazy, do-as-I-please week.  For the remainder of this week though I'll just do drills, hills - short and long - to wake up the body, followed by some easy running and then start the 5km program from F.I.R.S.T. aiming for Fishers Ghost 5km in early November.  That's the plan for now.

Today  :  Renwick street, 80m
1 set Magill drills & Strides
5km easy in 36:22
7:28;  7:20;  7:00;  7:14;  7:18
Avg. pace 7:16m/k......I said 'easy'!
Plus 500m return to the car.

Easy 5km

I'm so pleased I took those first easy steps this morning after a week without any runs, although I did walk (the doggies) each day, but there's nothing quite like putting on the runners and running!  Beautifully warm, sunny day and a slight breeze to make it just about perfect!

5.5km today

 

ACTVAC Half Marathon ~ The Story!

  Maybe 'virtual reality'. True 'Reality' was difficult for the first 5km running beside LBG which, like the rest of early morning Canberra, was completey enveloped by a heavy fog.  I've never run in such a fog and the front runners were out of sight almost immediately. Different, and one step further to the right disaster waited!  I could have made headlines in the news :  "Elderly female runner disapppears in heavy fog - last seen falling into LBG!"

The Lake is on my right....somewhere!

The start was from Stage 88, Commonwealth Park, 8:00am.  I drove to Canberra late Saturday afternoon and stayed at the Mercure...as close to the start/finish as I could get. 

Breakfast at 6:00am....2 baked potatoes and 1 hard boiled egg!  This works like magic and I've found it to be a super energy meal before a long run, usually hot, but pre-cooked at home this time and had to be eaten cold as there were no facilities in the room for heating food.


Even having 'Tom Tom' in the car, before I threw him to the floor cursing and swearing in frustration, I managed to use up some of my warm-up time going round in circles on the way to Stage 88!  Plenty of time, however, for registering, some easy running, a few drills and strides and a small sports drink.

I really love this course : first 5km in the fog was fun; through the cool, shady pine forests, beautiful scenery all the way and I felt terrific, mostly running as I felt, but with half an eye on the Garmin to make sure I kept the pace I wanted in order to finish with a nudge at my 2010 record time of 2:17:12 and 2011 time of 2:20:27.

Finishing!

 At 10km I started to eat pieces of an energy bar, thereby committing the gravest of all sins : eating something that had not been previously tried in training....and I paid for it...big time!  Nausea followed by vomiting for all of the next 3km!  I thought the energy bar would be good because it had "used by Cadel Evans" printed on it!  As an old bushie living here said to me one day when he came across me running in atrocious windy conditions :  "...the older you're getting, the sillier you're getting!"  Truer words were never spoken!

I repeated this throwing-up performance for the benefit of runners who passed me, on and off for the next 3km.  Each one stopped to see if they could be of assistance and told me to walk, not run.  Strangely though, after each bout of vomiting I was able to get back into top gear and proceeded to thunder past the very runners who had passed me!  It was embarrassing really to keep passing them, as I thought they'd think I was playing some psychological game aimed at destroying their morale!  Sick one minute,  pale and wan on the side of the road and the next minute to go flying past, repeated over and over!

With the seventy-fivers!

I wasn't at my best from 10km to the finish but just the same I ran and ran all round the dam, uphill, through the pine trees and downhill as fast as I could go to finish very close to my 2010 time.  Here are the details......

Time :  2:18:42 (Garmin)

...2010 ~ 2:17.25;    2011 ~ 2:20.27
 and Canberra HM in May 2012  ~  2:24:48

5km splits....32:48/6:34m/k;     32:39/6:32m/k;    33:48/6:46m/k;     33:59/6:48m/k.....pretty even!
Avg. Pace 6:40m/k.

Truthfully and secretly, I thought I was brilliant!

~       ~      ~     ~      ~      ~      ~      ~

Drove home after presentations and meeting up with Ewen, Ruth and others.  Stopped at McD in Exeter for a cheese burger and fries....I was travelling on empty and fully recovered!

And now....what's ahead?  Well, after some thought I know I need a change from half marathon training : 18 weeks lead up to HM in May and another 18 weeks same program for Sunday's HM.

So....I've decided to try the FIRST 5km training program for the next 12 weeks with the thought in mind of maybe doing a 5km track race when the ACTVAC track season gets under way.  This should be fun doing something not tried before and I'm already eager to start the program next week.  In the meantime....some walking and reading to catch up on.

With 85 year old Rad.

Special Event : ACTVAC Half Marathon.....

The Course.....

The Runner!  ........

The Age Category Winners.....80 with the 75s!















.......here we are again, happy as can be ('cos I ran the fastest time!)

Best Performance on the Day Male and Female A/G%...with Perpetual Trophies...3 consc.yrs. for me!

Finally....the happy couple!

The Story  :  Tomorrow!  Tonight, I'm too tired!  and happy!  and relieved;  and wondering what to do next....?

18 Weeks Finished!

Eighteen weeks gone, just like that!  Time was, the weeks dragged but not any more, and so the last run today before the ACTVAC half marathon on Sunday.  This half marathon is special for several reasons, not the least of which is that it gave me an age category (W80+) Australian Record and here goes another attempt at getting near the 2:17:12 in 2010.

Program:
5km easy & relaxed.

Relaxed 5km

 1 set Magill drills/strides (before run)
5km in 36:16
7:10;  7:17;  7:03;  7:11;  7:32
Stretches (after run)

Clear skies, warm sun, no wind......just right!  Soon, i.e. after Sunday, I'll have to work out where I go from here.....what to do next?  Heaven knows!  It's about moving on, keeping going and change.

 

Almost There.....

After today's track session, there's only an easy 5km to do before Sunday's half marathon in Canberra, but I'll probably do some drills tomorrow to keep the legs alert and a brisk walk another day. Being tired is the thing to avoid this week.

Program  :

10-20 min warm-up
6 x 400m in 2:17/5:42m/k
10 min cool-down.

Street/track...400m

2km warm-up incl. measuring 'track'  +  4 strides
2:14.5/5:36;     2:11.4/5:28;     2:09.7/5:24;     2:11.9/5:30;     2:08.0/5:20;     2:06.6/5:16
1km cool-down + stretches.

No problems with today's track; strange sort of morning :  quite warm but heavy clouds; heralding a storm, I wonder? 

5.4km today. 

Dead Beat!

.....powerless, weaponless, defenceless and every other 'less' against today's wild wind!  I was shattered and exhausted long before I finished what is my last long run before next Sunday's ACTVAC half marathon.  To put it mildly, it would have to be one of the worst and wildest days I can recall.

13km @ 6:49 m/k

Needless to say, I didn't bother looking at the pace....too busy trying to stop myself spinning like a top as the wind whirled in every direction around me.  On a couple of sections the wind was behind me and at such speed, I felt I was on a launch pad and on my way to Mars!  On all other roads when I wasn't 'heading for Mars', I was completely rudderless!

13 windy kilometres.

13km in 1:37:40
37:10;     37:35;     3km in 22:56


 A couple of drills before and a few stretches after, at the school...... in a sunny, sheltered spot!

ACTVAC 21.1km Course, 2011

 This is the course I hope to run again next Sunday......but, dear God, do let it be a nice, calm morning!

3 key workouts 31km.

Windy and Cold Tempo Run.....

Try as I might, there was no escaping this morning's cold wind, although I did manage to run the middle part of the run outside of Renwick streets where there was some protection, be it ever so little.

Program : Tempo Run
3.5km easy
5km @ ST pace (6:16m/k)
1.5km easy.

Before starting, as usual I did a few drills.
   
3.5km easy...out of Renwick

5km in 31:30.6.......thought this a good 5km time!

6:27.9;     6:25.6;     6:17.1;     6:27.0;     5:53.0.......under 6:0 m/k!  

For me, to run the last 1km under 6 min is very unusual! In fact, unheard of! I was very pleased with this 5km in spite of the cold wind and a few steep inclines along the way.

5km tempo run

 Total 10km.

When the Lights Go on Again.....

A popular song during WW2 was Vera Lynn singing "When the Lights Go On Again".  To be able to remember it and still know all the lyrics, a person has to be my age, a little younger or a lot older!

I was reminded of the title when I woke this morning and the little dull light came on in my head to startle me with the realization that the ACTVAC half marathon was just two weeks away and not three as I'd thought!  Now, I'll have to skip a week's training in my program so that I have only one more long(ish) run to do this coming Saturday.....frustrating to make such a miscalculation but at least the light did come on in time!

Program  :  10-20 min warm-up
 5 x 1km (5:49)
 400m RI
10 min cool-down.


I didn't have the car today......it's in need of an overhaul...like its owner!

1.5km brisk walk to Renwick + measure 'track'...approx 310m around 2 blocks.
 4 strides along 1 side of the square.
5 x 1km =  5:50.7;   5:48.9;   5:46.9;   5:49.4;   5:44.3
RI walk back around the track.
Stretches + 1.5km walk home. 

Street/Track

 
It was just a perfect day : no cloud in the skies, no wind on the ground and a sun full of warmth!

Today....8km

Talk About Windy!

It was horrible running today!   The wind was fierce no matter where or in what direction I ran.   Never so pleased as to finish!

Program : 16km @ 6:48m/km

A windy 16km

16km in 1:52.11
36:33/7:19;    34:36/6:55;     34:21/6:52;   1km in 6:40

Today's 16km felt much harder than last Saturday's 24km. None of it was easy with the last 500m uphill and into the full force of the nasty wind and complaining loudly :  "I really don't want to do this!"   I had a bagel with peanut butter about an hour before leaving so I thought I was off to a good start, but the fierce wind had me tired in no time and I couldn't wait to get home and into a hot shower and then some hot soup for lunch.  I'll try and trick Amy and Oscar into not going for their walk this afternoon;  I don't think I could face any more outdoors today.  Sufficient for the day.......

Only 1 more long run before the ACTVAC half marathon!

36.5km for 3 key workouts.

Tempo Run.....

Except for the cold wind, a really nice sunny day here.

My program....  Tempo Run  11.5km

1.5km easy
3.5km @ MT pace (6:25m/k)
1.5km easy
3.5km @ MT pace
1.5km easy.

I ran what I felt was quite hard for both 3.5kms and finished ahead of Virtual Partner...not just once but twice! Hee-hee!  Started with a few drills.

3.5km in 22:31
6:17;  6:19;  6:42  + 0.53 in 3:11

2 x 3.5km

3.5km in 22:08
6:15;  6:29;  6:18  + 0.53 in 3:14 

Finished with a few stretches in a sheltered, sunny spot.

11.5km total

Track Workout......

So cold and windy for this morning's training!

Program :
10-20 min warm-up
3 x 2000m (12:01)
400m RI
10 min cool-down.

For the warm-up I jogged around several street blocks to get a 2km circuit.

2km + 4 strides
3 x 2000m.....11:55/5:58m/k;   12:06/6:03m/k;   12:03/6:02m/k
1km cool-down + stretching.  

 Street/track

 

These repeats were tough!  Three blocks gave me a 'track' of just under 700m with a fair share of ups and downs on all four sides and, with an extremely cold wind blowing, it was a tough session that I couldn't wait to finish and get home!  Three and a bit times around for 2000m.

For today.....9km

Cross-Training.....

Short warm-up around the block.
1 x Magill drills + strides
Lunges and Walking lunges
Short jog around the block.

Once again I used 80m of a street block in Renwick for the above drills.  Nice sunny morning, clear, blue skies spoilt only by a cold wind.

35 minutes.

Poached Egg and Potatoes!

At 7:00 a.m. there was no thought worse than eating potatoes and egg before running!  By 8:00 a.m. I was getting used to the idea and by 8:30 a.m.the deed was done and I was interested to find out if  having breakfast would give me more energy than I usually had, especially during the later stages where I've been struggling lately.  I waited till 10:15 a.m before starting the longest run in my half marathon program.

Program : 24km @ 7:00m/k

I ran from the school, through Renwick and surrounds, for 12km.  Back at the start, I stopped for a drink of water and an energy bar to eat during the next 12km on Diamond Fields Road and back.  I'm a little nervous on this rocky, dirt road since the day I face planted there, taking a mouthful of dirt and biting through my top lip!  It's also very hilly, so the second half was the more difficult of the two.

24km....eeks!

24km in 3:00:23!
5k splits/avg. pace :  37:51 (7:34);  37:05 (7:25);  37:26 (7:29);  37:35 (7:31);  4k in 30:24 (7:35).
Avg. pace 7:31m/k

 So, did the breakfast work?  You bet!  It made a huge difference to my energy levels.  It felt like I was flying on those downhills on D.F Road and I was nowhere near as tired as I was after last Saturday's 16km.  I was tired....3 hours is a long time, for me anyway, but I ran every hill including the last 1km uphill to the finish.  I won't bother eating before the other two short workouts, just the usual cup of coffee but, for the remaining three long runs, a good breakfast is definitely the way to go.  Yo-Ho-Ho!!!

For the week....43km

 

Easy Day......

Very easy!  Pilates DVD and walking Amy and Oscar......cold and windy.  Tomorrow, 24km...Yikes!  It's going to be a long day!

Tempo Run....done!

Funny old day in Mittagong (and in Chittagong I suppose!) : to start it was sunny, then overcast, back to sunny, onto dark clouds and now, at 3:30 p.m. it's thrown in a blast of thunder accompanied by no more than a dozen drops of rain!  I think there's more to come which makes me pleased that I got myself out mid-morning for today's session...it took about an hour to make up my mind that I felt well!

Program  :  Tempo Run  8km
 2km easy
5km @ 6:25m/k
1km easy

...and the results are......

 5km in 33:24
6:28;  6:41;  6:41;  6:46;  6:45.....a bit slow!
Avg. Pace 6:42m/k 


.......but, still somewhat seedy, I was happy enough with that.

5km Renwick and surrounding streets.

1st Workout....Half Done

I wasn't feeling all that well yesterday  -  tummy bug and headache - so each of the 3 key sessions for this week will be a day late ...I felt OK, but not 100%, this morning and only did half of what was on the program.....now if this headache would go away!

400m Renwick streets track

Program :  10 x 400m, 2:17 (5:42m/k).  400m RI

After a short warm-up jog :
5 x 400m :  2:14;   2:13;  2:13;   2:14;   2:13
....  that was enough and better than nothing.

Long Run Today..

I usually do my long run on a Saturday but this week I didn't.....today, Sunday, instead.  The weather threw in a bit of everything : grey sky, sunny sky, heavy mist, light rain and just a touch of cold wind.  It wasn't a really long run - this week was a little easier - but I still ran out of energy on the return 8km, took a couple of walk breaks on the uphills and walked practically all of the last 1km...uphill again!

  I felt terribly cold by the time I drove home - only a few minutes - but I was shivering and couldn't wait for the heating to come on, followed by a hot shower and then two bowls of hot beef and vegetable soup!  Warming up with the heater on, the hot shower and steaming hot soup......sheer luxury!

16km .....from school to end of  Diamond Fields Road, incl. Buckmans Lane & back.

   Next weekend 24km - I must have a good breakfast before this one! - and after that, just four weeks to the ACTVAC half marathon.

Today  :16km in 2 hours 6 minutes
5k splits....  38:28:   38:57;   39:54 ... + 1km in 9:19!

For the week  :  40km

Easy and Relaxed.....

.....that was on the program for yesterday replacing a tempo run for this week, except I didn't run at all yesterday.  However, on yet another perfect, sunny, windless day I ran today instead.

The Program :  10km at an easy, relaxed effort.

I started at the school, down Bong Bong Road, into Old South Road and then Diamond Fields Road where I haven't been for ages.  The change was good and also gave me the opportunity of calling in on some friends - working in their garden - who have a large property on Diamond Fields Road;  a 15 minute chat and back to the start. A little over 10km but easy and relaxed it was!

10:83km

Off Road......

My right knee is a bit cranky today; I think it didn't approve of yesterday's hill repeats so I've stayed off the road and worked through the' Pilates for Runners' DVD......and took Oscar and Amy out for their usual walk.  They were both eager to go for their run after having had the doggie groomer clip and shampoo them earlier.   Both are now sound asleep.......

It's a dog's life!

Same here!

Cross-Training.....

This morning, another sunny but windy day, I ran some long hill repeats on a suitable street in Renwick.

Running up.......

 8 x 60 seconds up
Jog down, wait 2-3 min. between.

.....and rolling down.

 I did a 10 min warm-up before starting and a few stretches after finishing.  Hard enough for what is an easy day!

Track on the Roads...

I suppose I shouldn't call Tuesday's workout a track session since it's run on roads and not a proper track, but what it's called doesn't matter so much as what happens when I get there!  In any case, I think it has some advantages running the repeats on the road since it's some of what's likely to be encountered when having to push hard in a road race.

Today's program :

10-20 min warm-up
3 x 1600m (9:33; 5:58m/k)
400m RI between
10 min cool-down.

I was able to stay ahead of VP again, but had to run hard!  The 'track' isn't by any means a flat one :  the start side 1 is flat;  side 2 is down, up, flat;  side 3 is a killer...all up; and side 4 has a bit of everything!

Road/Track approx. 340m

2km warm-up, couple of drills, 4 strides
(1)  9:31.5 (5:57m/k);    (2)  9:26.1 (5:54m/k);   (3)  9:24.9 (5:53m/k)
1km cool-down and stretches.

Finished, feeling I could have done more, and I've read somewhere that's a good thing!  Another perfectly beautiful, sunny, Spring day.

Since I don't have a tempo run on Thursday (easy 10km instead), I might try some long hill repeats tomorrow as cross-training........should be amusing!

Today.... 7.8km

Cross-Training

I suppose I should have done a recovery run yesterday, but I didn't, I wasn't sufficiently recovered!  Instead, I spent a relaxing day with friends at Robertson and had scrumptious home made hamburgers for lunch.


Today.......just under 40 minutes (5km) easy running on a magnificent sunny morning, more like Spring than Winter.  Actually, more like Summer than Spring!

Something Has to Take the Blame.....

........for making a run feel as profoundly awful as did today's 22.5km and I'm putting all that blame, all my fatigue and my close encounter with giving up, on...........The CARBON TAX!

Has to be it!

What else could have moved the decimal point one place further to the right and turned 22.5km into what felt like a 225km ultra run?  It was also irritatingly and unexpectedly windy and I'd like to know why, no matter in which direction one runs, the wind is always a headwind?  I think I can now safely throw into the blame mix, some CLIMATE CHANGE!  How else can one run into a headwind, turn around, run back in the opposite direction, and still be running  into a full force headwind?  Definitely, 'Climate Change' because tailwinds are a thing of the past!

The program was to run 22.5km at 6:53m/k

Instead I ran....

22.54km at avg. pace 7:27m/k in 2:47.48
5km splits......38:45;  36:48;   36:21;  37:03  + 2.54k in 18:50

22.54km of  42.84km week's total.

....and I'd like to know why 500m needed to be added to 22km?  When I finished back at the school where I started, I slumped down onto the grass, stretched out in the sun, no wind, and thought I might spend the rest of the day there, except it was by that time already 1:30 p.m., I hadn't eaten anything all day and darkness would soon be on its way.  That, and the thought of a cuppa, soon had me up on my poor, sore feet doing a bit of stretching - waste of time - I could barely bend over to remove shoes and socks so as to feel the cool grass underneath.

I wonder if the fact that I spent all yesterday dreading, not wanting to do today's long run, had anything to do with it turning out to be just that....a dreadful run?  In any case, it's all too late now to be bothered thinking about, so the winners are....................... THE CARBON TAX  and CLIMATE CHANGE!

A Tough Tempo Run....

What a grey, miserable day!  No sign of the sun, just grey clouds everywhere, but it wasn't windy so there's always something to be happy about!

I chose to run all the uphills and inclines I could see in the streets of Renwick, just to make things a bit more difficult than usual.....and slower in parts.  In fact, I slowed down to 9:00m/k at one stage, but upped the effort....and the puffing!

The Program : 
2km warm-up
5km @ MT pace (6:25m/k for me)
1km cool-down.

5km course

Results for 5km
Time 33:33
Avg. Pace 6:42m/k
5km splits  :  6:41;   6:57;   6:25;   7:05;   6:19

Finished with a few stretches and thought the workout satisfactory.

Total 8km. 
 

 

VP Loses!

.......which means I was ahead of Virtual Partner for each repeat in today's track session.  He's such a handy little fellow to keep an eye on during track work!

Program for today :

10-20 min warm-up
1km in 5:49
2km in 12:01
1km...5:49
1km...5:49
10 min cool-down.

Track on Renwick Streets.

2km warm-up (to measure track) + 2 strides

1km......5:51.2
2km......11:51.6  (5:58;  5:53)
1km......5:46.2
1km......5:46.9

1km cool-down + stretches.

I felt OK with these repeats;  each one meant I had to run hard to keep ahead of VP, more so for the last 1km.  Windy day but not so cold; some sun but could be rain ahead later.

Love passing VP with a comment such as : "See you at the finish, stooge!" 

Total 8km 

Cross-Training

A beautiful, sunny morning for some jumping around to wake up lazy Sunday legs!  Parked the car at the school where I did a set of drills with stride between each - school holidays - and then an easy run to Renwick and back.

About 30 min drills
3.3km easy running.

Around the 'block'.

3rd Workout....Long Run

16km

Program : 16km @ 6:49m/k

An ordinary sort of run, OK I suppose.  I thought I'd run a bit faster since I only had 16km to do and I tried; here are the results:

16km in 1 hour 54 min.
Avg. Pace 7:00m/k
5k splits : 34:18;   36:14;  36:33;  + 1km in 6:30

Nothing untoward occurred along the way, apart from making friends with two dogs.  I used the car key to lock and unlock the car in case the battery in the spare remote was flat! 

For the 3 workouts this week :  40.2km 

Tempo + Temper Tantrum!

7k Tempo before the Tantrum!

Program : Tempo Run...10km

2km easy
7km @ 6:25m/k
1km easy.

A sunny but cold day to start, getting colder and less sunny as the day progressed....7 degrees now at 3:30pm.  I purposely chose all the hillier sections of Renwick streets.....since the run was longer I thought I'd also make it a little more difficult...hence slower pace.  It was all OK though and I certainly could have run further if I'd had to, but.......little did I know what some evil demon had in wait for me at the finish!

7km splits :  6:33;  6:23;  6:40;  6:41; 6:47;  7:00;  6:22  

Not Programmed :  The Tantrum!

Back at the car, the stupid central locking thing/button wouldn't work to open the car!  What's inside those things?  Batteries, I suppose, and flat ones at that!  Used the key to unlock and off goes the alarm...loud and clear all over the surrounding countryside.  Of course, being where I was, there was no one close enough to hear it, thank goodness!  I continued unlocking and locking with the key ....alarm on, alarm off, car couldn't start, it just sat there screaming its head off for at least fifteen minutes before I realized I'd have to go home and get the other set of keys and central locking thing/button. There must be some other way of turning off the alarm.....I'll look in the book!

That meant jogging 2km home and 2km back and I'm counting all of it in today's total! I suppose it could have been far worse if I'd been further from home...perish the thought! Nevertheless, I thought it sufficient motivation and reasonable to throw a temper tantrum and mumble some unseemly swear words as I stormed off across the roads and paddocks towards home.....and back!

SO......10km + 4km = 14km! 

New housing creeping up.....

....towards MY piece of turf!  And that's my car on the right...waiting for me!

 

 

More like a Racecourse!

The Race Track!

Today's Track Program :
10-20 min warm-up
3 x (2x1200m) 7:04 (5:53m/k); 2:00 RI
(4:00 RI between sets)
10 min cool-down.

I didn't really need a cool-down time at all.  I was frozen from start to almost finish!  The only part of me visible was my face; I wore long tights, two tops, a beanie and gloves and only removed one top after the warm-up. It was a bright and sunny day but the bitterly cold wind made it feel like Siberia....not that I've ever been to Siberia to make a fair comparison!  

However.......I did what I set out to do  :

2km warm-up to find suitable blocks of streets in Renwick  + 4 strides

3 x (2x1200m)  :  7:07 (5:55m/k);  7:00 (5:50m/k)
                                    :  6:59 (5:49m/k);  6:49 (5:40m/k)
                                    :  6:54 (5:45m/k);  7:00 (5:50m/k)

HR monitor not working - clip broke off while cleaning it! -  but I'd guess MHR would have been 9?%  


1km fast walk back to the car, home and like a shot into a hot shower!


Total 10.2km


.....and I think I did real good 1200m repeats!

  

Cross-training.....

Drills but no hills!  I reckon I do more than enough hills every other day!   Today, same flat 80m section of road as on previous drills days...sunny, bit windy.  I went through 1 set of Magill drills and strides after a short warm-up jog.  Long repeats tomorrow and I don't like doing them very much at all!

About 40 minutes today.

The Long Run.....

21km!

Before leaving home this morning, I made a decision to stay with the program's pace for 21km instead of running at HMP as I'd intended. The program has served me well so far by running speed sessions for speed and endurance runs for endurance and, hopefully, both will come together for the ACTVAC half marathon on August 19.....which reminds me to get an entry in, now that I know I can successfully go the distance once again!  Looking at the program, I see there's still a 22.5km, working up to 24km over the next 8 weeks.

Program : 21km @ 6:53m/k

I ran on the flattest streets I could find :  every which way in and around Renwick and some surrounding roads; nevertheless there were quite a few long inclines and a couple of short, steep hills.....good practice, when I recall from the past few years some of the hills on the ACTVAC course.  I felt good for the entire 21km, stopping just once at 10km at the car for a quick drink of water.  Thirst still remains a factor for me even in Winter on a cold morning with some sunny breaks and a slight breeze....perfect for a long run.

21km
Time  2:26:16
Avg. pace 6:58m/k
5km splits  35:04;   34:41;   35:19;  34:28;  +  the last 1km in 6:38!  

I have to admit to being really, really tired later in the afternoon!

40km for this week's three workouts. 

Tempo Run.....

Another cold, overcast day with not even one sunny break.  The session was a little brighter than the weather!

2km warm-up
5km @ 6:25m/k
1km cool-down

5km in 32:43.1
1km splits  :  6:34;  6:22;  6:51 (oops!);  6:26;  6:28 

This was OK, hard but not uncomfortably so.  The thing that bothers me is : can I run a faster pace than that for the entire half marathon distance?  I think/plan to try Saturday's long run of 21km at what I hope will be at PHMP, in which case I think/plan to use all the streets in Renwick where the course would be similar to the one used in the ACTVAC half in August.  I want to find out, sooner rather than later, if I can do it without 'dying' towards the finish!

Nothing more till Saturday.

Total....8km

An Easy Day...

I didn't do much today after yesterday's effort...in fact, no running at all.  I took Oscar and Amy for their usual daily run;  I dug and weeded a couple of garden beds;  I went through the exercises in the 'Pilates for Runners and Cyclists' DVD......and that was it for today......a dull, overcast sort of day with an occasional drizzle.

Tempo run tomorrow.

There Are No Words.....

....to adequately express how absolutely awful this morning's track session turned out to be, neither do I have a vocabulary extensive enough to describe it, so I'm going to turn to my Thesaurus for help and copy just a few of the words that come somewhere close to my feelings :  mental (and physical) suffering, pain, dolor, discomfort, discontent, dejection,weariness, vexation of spirit and 'the iron entered into my soul'....whatever that means I'm sure it happened! - and that's just a vague idea of how I felt!

This all comes about from the program asking -  demanding - that I (at 82 y.o.a.) do the following session:

10-20 min warm-up
1.5k in 8:07.1;  5:24m/k...for God's sake!  (400m RI)
3.5km in 18:39.4; 5:47m/k..... for heaven's sake! (800m RI)
2 x 800m in 4:39 each; 5:48m/k....for Pete's sake! (400m RI)
10 min cool down.


As if all that wasn't bad enough, the day was cold and dreary; no sun, no cheer!  I had to go to McMillan for times to run 1.5 and 3.5kms...FIRST doesn't have them on their chart.   So why ask me to run them, for goodness sake!

The results, after making a near heart-stopping effort to comply with instructions, are :

1.5km in 9:16.5; avg pace 6:11m/k
3.5km in 22:28.3; avg pace 6:25m/k
800m in 4:53
800m in 4:50

With warm-up, cool-down + stretches.....10km 


Tomorrow, I will be (using Thesaurus again!) : inactive, passive, conservative and abstain from all action... So Let It Be!

All that aside....it was a good, hard workout!

3.5k track/block!

 

Easy Cross-Training

About 50 minutes in total  :  started with an easy jog around the 'the block' at Renwick, followed by 1 set of Magill drills and strides along 80m street - added lunges and walking lunges - and finished with an easy 10 minute jog...around several blocks!

I was looking for ways to extend the streets for tomorrow's track workout of longer repeats than I've done lately on the FIRST half marathon program....3.5km for goodness sake!  Nevertheless, it's handy to be able to extend or shrink the 'track' as I need!

Nearly forgot to say what a beautiful, sunny day it is!

Long, Cold Run......

Today's long run was shorter than usual and so I decided to run it faster than usual....didn't happen!  I made a return to Diamond Fields Road where I'd fallen flat on my face two weeks ago and I have to admit to being nervous every step of the way.  I walked one of the worst sections where there were not only stones and rocks to negotiate but also plenty of mud and water.

For the entire run I was saying to myself :  lift your feet, lift your feet, lift your feet, until it became a mantra and rhythm to run with!  The worst today was the bitterly cold wind;  even though the sky was clear, sunny and blue, there was no escaping that icy wind.

I stopped for about twenty minutes at one of the properties to say goodbye to the friends there who are about to head off for the London Olympics; and then on the run back met another couple heading for home and had a short chat with them too.  That was all very nice, but it was so hard to get moving again in the cold!

I did 15km (program had 13km)
2:02.1
Avg.pace 8:09m/k.....slow, but safe! 
5km splits :    41:50;  39:28;   40:48


Week Total : 40km

A Return to the Scene of the Fall!

Workout #2...Tempo Run

Program for today:
Tempo Run:
1.5km easy
3.5km @ MT pace (6:25m/k)
1.5km easy
3.5km @ MT pace
1.5km easy.

A perfectly beautiful day : clear blue sky, sunny and warmish!  I was feeling a lack of energy for the second 3.5km and thought I'd be slower than I actually was.  Still, a little off pace for both 3.5km.

1st 3.5km

3.5km in 22:57.2
Avg. pace 6:31m/k
Splits : 6:33;  6:28;  6:32 (0.5k in 3:23)

2nd 3.5km

3.5km in 23:07.4
Avg. pace 6:33m/k
Splits :  6:44;  6:34;  6:40 (0.5k in 3:07)

Total : 11.5km 

I like this kind of tempo run because there's a break in the middle!  Hee Hee!

An Easy Day.....

Nothing much doing today, so I can't truly call it cross-raining :  I did the DVD Pilates for Runners and the half dozen or so strength exercises in the FIRST program.

Spent a few hours over coffee with a friend in the afternoon.

Around the Block....

This block...not that other 'Block!

Each side of this street block at Renwick is 80m which made it easy to use for a 400m track....one round plus one extra street!

Program....10-20 min warm-up
2 x (6x400m) (2:17)... 1:30 RI
2:30 RI between sets
 10 min cool-down. 


I did 2km warm-up + 4 strides ...incl. high knees & butt kicks!

Set 1, 6x400m  :  2:11.5;  2:11.8;  2:20.0;  2:17.7;  2:17.8;  2:16.5.....walk back to start between.
Set 2, 6x400m  :  2:20.8;  2:15.8;  2:16.1;  2:13.0;  2:09.0;  2:09.7.....walk back to start between.

1km cool-down + few stretches

TOTAL :  7.8km

 Apart from the headwind on 3rd and 4th streets.....Ah, NYC!, the workout went quite well according to the pace of 2:17 (5:42m/k) on the program, but I had to work hard on every single repeat.  The block worked very well as a track, with a slight rise on 3rd street and an ever so slight 'down' on first street.  A worthwhile effort, I think!