This time 2 weeks ...!

I can but hope to be alive, well & relaxing!!


Program : 15km.
9km 'easy' warm-up.
6km 'sitting on' HR 121 (82%).

I ran on two different sections of the East Bowral cycle paths. They seem to wander on endlessly & a quiet place to run, but hard on the legs. Cool & very windy morning & I felt the last 6km to be quite a challenge running into the wind & legs aching from the concrete surface. A very pretty course just the same : trees, lakes etc.

9km warm-up in 1:09:48
Pace = 7:59

6km in 42:27
Pace = 7:00
AHR = 118 (80%); MHR = 125 (84%).

Today's Distance = 15km
This Week's Distance = 51km.

Bowral Cycle Paths...

Program : 11km
5km 'easy' warm-up.
6km 'sitting on' HR 121 (81%).


Warm-up 5km cycle path that leads to the Bowral swimming pool (2.5km each way.)
Time = 40 minutes. AHR = 107 (72%)


6km East Bowral cycle path :
Time = 41 minutes
AHR = 119 (80%).
Laps = 7:00; 6:29; 7:04; 6:36; 7:18; 6:41

20:13 out; 20:35 back.



Surprisingly, this 11km felt much easier than yesterday's 5km! Work that one out!

The morning was very cool with heavy black clouds hanging around waiting for the afternoon storm to descend, which it did. I'm enjoying these cycle path runs winding their way through such lovely quiet scenery. Today's run felt smooth & relaxed.

A Very Easy Day......

An 'easy' 5km around the soccer field.

Two Easy Days....

....following the Sri Chinmoy 7km, Centennial Park, Sydney.....>

Program : Tuesday, 5km easy.

Today, Wednesday : 8km easy

1st 4km in 31:14. AHR = 70%

2nd 4km in 30:15. AHR = 76%

Time = 61 minutes. Neg. split 59 secs.!!

An enjoyable 8k this morning : cool with a westerly wind starting up. I ran on Diamond Fields Road where, thankfully, grading has commenced.

Distance for Tuesday & Wednesday = 13km

Special Event.....

Sri Chinmoy 7km Cross Country, Centennial Park, Sydney.

We left Mittagong around 5:00a.m. in fine weather & thought Sydney would be the same....wrong! It pelted down as we came into the city at 6:30a.m. after a quick run on the nearly empty freeway.

The park was dark & miserably wet so staying in the car was the only alternative until registration opened at 7:00a.m. Having done that, I buttoned up my jacket & set off on a 3.5km warm-up/slosh-up around the Grand Drive.

After the 14k runners had completed one loop, we 7km runners were off into the mud & puddles. The rain had stopped just before the start of the first wave but the 100% humidity almost undid me! However, I did get a very nice 1st place age-category trophy at the finish for my trouble! Time 48:49.

All up, it was a good run ... my first cross country race & I was pleased to have made the effort of answering the alarm at 4:00a.m! The course was clearly marked with red arrows upright in the ground so that not even I could get lost (though some others did!). Mostly flat on grass & muddy tracks, one short sharp incline. I wore #3 Frees which I was pleased with as they made it possible to step lightly through the quagmire & around the water traps!

Breakfast after : fruit & hot pancakes with maple syrup! Yum!!

Well done to Sri Chinmoy who always give us a great race & special thanks to the volunteers whom I watched, from the comfort of the car in the dark, as they set up the bits & pieces for the races in the worst of all possible weathers.

Out For Lunch!

5km XC at Chev.

Program : 5km 'easy' + 5 x strides.

Another drizzly day saw me off to Chev to run easily on their XC course. Good practice before Monday in Centennial Park where I've been told not to fall over! Enjoyed the run very much.

5km + 5 strides cross the soccer fields.

Time = 37 minutes.

AHR = 105 (70%)

Distance today = 5km

11 degrees...feels like 8!

Drizzle & cold at Chev track this morning....good running weather & I ran my fastest times for the 6 laps!

Program : 1.5km warm-up. Drills, Strides, Short rest.

6 Laps, 'sitting on' HR 123 (83%). Time each 2 laps....840m approx.

Warm-down as you feel.

Warm-up 1.5km....ok.

Each 2 laps = 5:19; 5:20; 5:23

For the warm-down I ran 1.5km on Chev's cross country course.

I was pleased with this morning's training & it's always a boost to see times getting faster...be it ever so little!

Distance today = 5.5km

A Very Easy Day......

At Renwick soccer field : Some drills & strides & then 4km 'easy'.

That's it! 4km.

Program : 2km warm-up.
6km 'sitting on' HR 123 (83%).

Over to the cycle path again, but what a change in the weather! This morning was cool, foggy & misty rain.

2km warm-up in 17 minutes.
6km...AHR = 121 (82%); MHR = 130 (87%).
Time = 40 minutes
1km warm-down.

Total for today = 9km

This was OK; Some effort required to run with this HR for 6km. Up till now, this has been a Chev track session for 2.5km. I felt the concrete was more difficult to run on than the grass at Chev track.....my knees are saying so! This section of the pathway had a few inclines. The run was slower than 10km pace, but I kept a low HR with which, as Ewen said, Mr Hadd would be pleased!

Coming Attraction. ... Bowral Cycle Path

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Program : 10km 'easy'

For the first time I ran on the cycle path through East Bowral & it was flat with just the occasional incline but nothing I'd call a hill. And what a pleasant surprise this course was! Not a soul or a cycle out there; plenty of shade, sufficient incline to relieve boredom & get the heart rate up & stunning countryside all round.

After finishing the 10km, which headed out towards Kangaloon, I noticed that the cycle path continued on the opposite side of Old South Road towards Bowral. I decided to explore & discovered it was an equally beautiful, but flatter course & finished at the Bowral swimming pool...what a pity it closes this weekend! Next Summer it would be good to start from the pool, run out for whatever distance & return for a swim! This section is 5.5km.

'Easy' Run 10km. 5km splits = 40:31; 38:24. Negative split 2 minutes, in spite of taking a wrong turn & doubling back!


Walk 5.5km
Today's total = 15.5km

Week 20 of 23 to Canberra Marathon

Program for today : Rest.

Tomorrow, I'll be looking for some flat pathways that wind around the ponds in
East Bowral. I'll be using these pathways for 10km & shorter runs over the next few weeks.

I did some reconnaissance today and, if it fits the bill, it'll be easier & less time consuming than driving down Macquarie Pass.

Long Rocky Run...

I think this is the last of the long runs before Canberra Marathon.....4 weeks from today!

Program : 24km (3 or 4 more if feeling good).

I decided on 3 x 9km loops, knowing/hoping I'd be feeling good! The dirt road, however, is in such need of repair that I walked a lot for fear of tripping (again!) on rocks, tree roots etc. For all other runs between now & the marathon, except for Chev track, I'll drive along Range Road to Glenquarry, then down the Macquarie Pass where there are flat stretches of sealed road. This will add quite a bit of extra time to each day's session but very little traffic, plenty of shade, flat stretches of road &.... better to be safe than sorry! After today's rocky road run, my knees are 'killing' me!

1st 9km loop in 1:19 (hrs. mins.!) AHR = 59%; MHR = 77%.

2nd 9km loop in 1:18 " " AHR = 55%; MHR = 79%.

3rd 9km loop in 1:19 " " AHR = 66%; MHR = 85%.

Distance today = 27km.

Distance this week = 47km.

Chev Track....

This was so much better than yesterday's 'orrible run!

Program : 1.5km warm-up. Drills, strides, etc.

6laps, lane 8, sitting on HR 123 (83%). Time each 2laps.

All ovals, including the one where the track is, were being set up for a cross country race when I arrived at 9:30a.m. No one minded that I ran on the track so I set to work to finish before the kiddies came charging down. It was already hot at 27 degrees; the grass was cut low & lane 8 was clearly visible; wore #3 Frees.

Warm-up 1.5km - included some drills & strides.

Times for each 2 laps = 5:35; 5:29; 5:35.

AHR = 120 (81%); MHR = 125 (84%).

I left without a warm-down as XC about to start.

Lap times today were the fastest to date, which Ewen says is "really, really good" & I think he's right! "Really, really good" is so much better than just 'really good'.

Like a very old & heavy elephant was how I plodded out & back this morning! I didn't run yesterday thanks to a stomach bug that kept me in bed for most of the day. I was more than a little surprised to find that I still felt so sluggish for today's run which really turned into a jog/walk affair. I started far too late & it was already very hot by 10:30a.m.

Program: 10 km easy (don't worry about neg. split etc...)

Not much use if I had worried! Some of the bug must have still been hiding somewhere as I went from a run to a jog to a walk to a very slow elephant walk!

10km in 86 minutes (!). AHR = 74%; MHR =80%.

I must get to the track before the heat tomorrow or else leave it till late evening. I hope there's something left in the tank!

Long Run....

No wonder the cows just stood or lay down and stared! Who was the crazy lady who ran past 18 times today?

Program : Long Run 27km (up to 3 or 5 more if feeling OK).

I decided on 3 x 9km loop out from & back to the car & then see how I felt. I felt OK & did another loop making 4 x 9km loop & each of the 18 times I passed these cows they hadn't moved. Easy to see who had more of the grey matter!

36km

AHR = 96 (65%); MHR = 121 (82%).

Time = 5 hours.

An early start, but 5 hours later it was quite hot at 25 degrees. I walked all the steep hills & some of the flat. Felt OK for all except the last 9km loop....I was fading fast! At each return to the car I had a gel, sports drink & water. The last 9km I ran solely on the sugar from jelly beans!

Today's Total = 36.4km

Week's Total = 66.8km

The neighbours I wrote about had everything set out on a table in the stable : cold drinks in the fridge, my very own mug & even had left the radio on! The last time I called in the owners & horse had gone to a dressage competition & I had to strongly resist the temptation to stay & lie down in horses's bed of straw!

Chev Track...

Program : 1.5km warm-up.
Drills, strides, short rest.

8 Laps (lane 8 = 420m), 'sitting on' heart rate 123. Time each 2 laps.

The grass had been recently cut & once again Lane 8 was easy to follow. It was hot, humid & looking like a storm approaching so I got to work quickly!

1.5km warm-up in 12 minutes.
Drills etc...about 20 minutes.
Time for each 2 laps of lane 8 = 5:41; 5:56; 6:02; 6:04.
AHR = 121 (82%); MHR = 125 (84%).
1.5km warm=-down.

This is never an easy session & isn't meant to be, but I felt good & could have run more laps had I been told to!

Distance = 6.3km

An Easy Day......

Program : 4km + 5 strides.

I used Ironmines Oval today. The 4km included strides & drills while running easily on grass without tripping over! Hot 27 degrees.

Today's Distance = 4km

The Walking Wounded....

At 6kms today I triped on some rocks & fell...again & hard! I can stand the sight of blood, except when it's my own so I sat dazed for about 5 minutes in the middle of Diamond Fields Road wondering how on earth to stop my knee bleeding & if I could get myself up & going again. I tied a few tissues to my knee with a piece of long strong grass & managed to haul myself up off the ground, cursing in the vilest possible way!

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Not just my knee, but also grazed the palm of my right hand and, to make a good job of it, the right side of my face as well!

Program : Medium/Long Run 12 - 14km. If feeling good, a negative split.

7km out in 58:25
AHR = 62%; MHR = 78%.

7km back in 55:27.
AHR = 72%; MHR = 82%.

Distance for today = 14km... & Yes! A negative split of 2:58.

Almost finished when I was spotted by the owner of a property on Diamond Fields Road.... difficult to miss the bloodied knee & grazed face! Unknown to me, they've been leaving what they call "Norma's Mug" & drink at their front gates, but I hadn't seen them there. Now, they're leaving bandages, antiseptic solution etc in one of their stables, also 'my mug' & drinks in the stable fridge which usually only has carrots in it for the horses! Goodness me! There are some kind-hearted people in this part of the world!

A slow run when I thought all was going well : 'The mountain brought forth a mouse'!

Ewen has asked me to check if the label isn't : "Norma's a mug"!!

A Bit of This & That.....

Program : 4 - 6km easy running.

I used the soccer field again to run on grass. After 2kms I decided to incorporate into the run some strides of different lengths, sprints, fast walking, jogging, several drills that can be done while still running, running fast diagonally across the field & along the road parallel to the field. This way the time passed quickly & made the session more interesting. Some stretches after.

Distance = 6km
AHR = 102 (69%); MHR = 126 (85%).

Week 18 of 23 to Canberra Marathon...

......getting scary, getting closer & closer!

REST DAY :

We spent today in Sydney. Met friends at Circular Quay & caught the ferry to Garden Island. Fabulous place to spend such a brilliant day - what a view in all directions around the harbour - looked through the Museum (some pics of 'old relics' below), walked around the grounds & then had lunch overlooking the harbour before getting the ferry back. It might be a well kept secret place .....just a couple of other visitors, a few sailors & us!

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End of an Easy Week....

.....and back to 'serious' training in the week ahead!

Program for today : Medium/Long Run. 14km.

First 4km easy, last 10km at a 'good effort'.

And a 'good effort' it took to avoid stumbling on the rocks, tree roots, stones, etc on Diamond Fields Road.

1st 4km warm-up in 34 minutes. AHR = 106 (72%).

10km at a 'good effort', given the roughness of the trail & a few mighty hills, a 'very good effort' in 73 minutes.

AHR = 116 (78%). MHR = 125 (84%).

Perfect weather conditions to compensate for the awful road conditions : cool, overcast, misty rain towards the finish of the session. I really enjoyed the 10km and, even though my time points to the contrary, I felt like I was running strong & fast the entire time. Downhill, I thought I would run out of sight but decided to save that for Canberra Marathon!

Warm-down 1km making Total Distance = 15km

Distance for an easy week = 36.6km

First Day of Autumn...

A Rest Day.....