Thursday
Another early start for work and packed schedule so no run (lets call it a rest day!)
Friday
Missed the morning but got out in the afternoon for a jaunt down to the weir and back. Despite it being quite warm I felt good and went out a bit faster than usual. Got to the turnaround in a decent time and kept it going coming home.
Stats
Distance : 11km
Time : 48:59
Avg Pace : 4:25
Avg HR : 166
My fastest time for this run and I was still not going 100%!
Sunday
Planned for a flatter, faster and slightly shorter run than normal for some sort of taper. Another good group for 6:10 and we weaved through the back streets of Birchgrove and Balmain before moving through Leichhardt towards Enmore/Stanmore. I departed from the bunch shortly after leaving them to do 30km. After here I decided to up the pace a little and sat on sub 5:00 min/km pace all the way back.
Another pleasing run, still some tightness in the LH hammie though.
Stats
Distance : 23.3km
Time : 1:55:50
Avg Pace : 4:58 min/km
Avg HR : 157
As I joked today I am now tapering from my taper (middle of Feb was a shocker!)
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Summer Series - Rydalmere
Back in Sydney and Wednesday means Summer Series! This week the lovely surrounds of Rydalmere.
First immediate issue upon arriving is the sign out the front of the car park stating that the gates might be closed after 5pm, and this was at 4:30 when I had to prep and then run at least for 45 minutes. So a while later I parked in a side street and went to review the map.
Quite obvious it was going to be impossible to get anywhere near the lot so I mapped out in my mind a hopeful course with run home short cut options when it would get close to 45 minutes.
Off to 10 & 17, across the creek to 1 and then along and back across the creek for 29 on an in and out with access to 22 on a similar approach through very heavy bush. Pick up 7 on the way for another in/out to 16 and then some fast street running through 5, 8, 27 and 13. Back along a track on the creek for 30 and then up hill for 4. More street runnning and another in/out for 23 then more uphill for 20 before heading down to another creek for 26. Here it was obvious my short cut options would be required not heading further uphill for 15, 18 & 12. Instead staying closer to home for 6 then 19 (along the creek which in hindsight was longer than a street option), in and out for 9 then homeward bound for 25 and 3.
Only 20 seconds late so 10 point penalty with a score of 400 so net was 390. Upon relfection maybe a bit of the eastern side of the map with less in and oit for 10 pointers would have been better. Anyway a pretty good run and also good nav. The hammie niggled at the start but had gone away by the end...
Stats
Distance : 8.9km
Time : 45:20
Avg Pace : 5:06
Avg HR : 174
Two good hit outs back to back!
To answer Tesso's question, running through the suburbs is always interesting and the reaction of the locals is from total ignorance to bemusement to trying to stop you and ask what you are doing!
First immediate issue upon arriving is the sign out the front of the car park stating that the gates might be closed after 5pm, and this was at 4:30 when I had to prep and then run at least for 45 minutes. So a while later I parked in a side street and went to review the map.
Quite obvious it was going to be impossible to get anywhere near the lot so I mapped out in my mind a hopeful course with run home short cut options when it would get close to 45 minutes.
Off to 10 & 17, across the creek to 1 and then along and back across the creek for 29 on an in and out with access to 22 on a similar approach through very heavy bush. Pick up 7 on the way for another in/out to 16 and then some fast street running through 5, 8, 27 and 13. Back along a track on the creek for 30 and then up hill for 4. More street runnning and another in/out for 23 then more uphill for 20 before heading down to another creek for 26. Here it was obvious my short cut options would be required not heading further uphill for 15, 18 & 12. Instead staying closer to home for 6 then 19 (along the creek which in hindsight was longer than a street option), in and out for 9 then homeward bound for 25 and 3.
Only 20 seconds late so 10 point penalty with a score of 400 so net was 390. Upon relfection maybe a bit of the eastern side of the map with less in and oit for 10 pointers would have been better. Anyway a pretty good run and also good nav. The hammie niggled at the start but had gone away by the end...
Stats
Distance : 8.9km
Time : 45:20
Avg Pace : 5:06
Avg HR : 174
Two good hit outs back to back!
To answer Tesso's question, running through the suburbs is always interesting and the reaction of the locals is from total ignorance to bemusement to trying to stop you and ask what you are doing!
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Bleak running?
Yep, back in the bleak city (aka Melbourne) but I decided to pull the finger out and run tonight, opting for some street O given my recent poor nav efforts on Wednesday nights. A real scramble to get there on time failed and I ended up starting a few minutes after the actual start. For those Syndey Summer Series runners, the Melbourne Street O is a little different with a mass start and only getting to view the map after the start. There are 4 grades available to choose from and 20 controls on offer. A grade have to visit 19 of the 20 controls which are orienteering punches mounted on a metal plate and padlocked to the control, typically a power pole. So I headed off, trying to tuck my money away, pick a route, warm up, stretch etc etc....
I soon got into the swing of things and had a good workout, route is below.
Stats
Distance : 9.8km
Time : 48:05
Avg pace : 4:55
Avg HR : 168.
Felt pretty good striding out, a little residual stiffness still in LH glute/hammie.
I soon got into the swing of things and had a good workout, route is below.
Stats
Distance : 9.8km
Time : 48:05
Avg pace : 4:55
Avg HR : 168.
Felt pretty good striding out, a little residual stiffness still in LH glute/hammie.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Still struggling.....
Firstly thanks to all for the thoughts on el presidente! I hope I can live up to the expectations....
Back to the running (or lack thereof).
After the Equaliser I did again head down to Melbourne and another busy schedule conspired against any interstate running. Back to Sydney in time to run Summer Series at Gladesville. Quite a deal of careful plotting of different route options I headed out westward bound and then seeing how much time was in the bank for route options coming home from the east. Everything went to plan until the 40 minute mark where in a brain fade I ran pretty much straight past a 30 pointer, then spent a minute fumbling at a control on a path near a wharf and then stumbled on the waterfront at the final control :(. So going from a score of 560 to 510 in the blink of a few eyes grrrrr.
More work stuff, including a visit to chunderboltville (hey Ben!) to welcome our newest Strider saw no running in the rest of the week. No idea why but motivation to get out of bed and run early at an all time low and actually feeling quite fatigued through the day as well.
Sunday rolls around and I had pumped myself up enough to have a last long hilly hitout and what better place than Quarry Rd. Got to Stewart Ave at 6am and there were a few others there just heading out. I sorted myself out and started downhill. Only a few 100m and I saw a fugure emerge from the mist (radio said it was 98% humidity!) and it was none other than Spud! He had started at the Dural end and so I ran back up the hill with him and we headed off.
Felt really good for the first lap and we ran 36 minute out and back splits for a 1:12 lap. Second outward felt ok, but my lh hammie was starting to complain, we caught up to another runner who we had seen a few times. At the turn around I tried some stretches to loosen up the lower back. Comng back as soon as we hit the downhill it became obvious I was going to be limited by this niggle so I eased up a little and let the others go ahead. By the time I got back to the Stewart Ave end I was obviosuly running with a altered gait favouring the LH hammie and so the RH hip flexors were starting to complain.
I decided enough was enough and pulled the pin, 2 laps, 1:12 and 1:16 for 2:28 all up. Pulled up a bit tight so some sretching to do this week as I head into a taper from a taper......
Back in Melbourne again today but hope to head out tomorrow morning for a loosener!
Back to the running (or lack thereof).
After the Equaliser I did again head down to Melbourne and another busy schedule conspired against any interstate running. Back to Sydney in time to run Summer Series at Gladesville. Quite a deal of careful plotting of different route options I headed out westward bound and then seeing how much time was in the bank for route options coming home from the east. Everything went to plan until the 40 minute mark where in a brain fade I ran pretty much straight past a 30 pointer, then spent a minute fumbling at a control on a path near a wharf and then stumbled on the waterfront at the final control :(. So going from a score of 560 to 510 in the blink of a few eyes grrrrr.
More work stuff, including a visit to chunderboltville (hey Ben!) to welcome our newest Strider saw no running in the rest of the week. No idea why but motivation to get out of bed and run early at an all time low and actually feeling quite fatigued through the day as well.
Sunday rolls around and I had pumped myself up enough to have a last long hilly hitout and what better place than Quarry Rd. Got to Stewart Ave at 6am and there were a few others there just heading out. I sorted myself out and started downhill. Only a few 100m and I saw a fugure emerge from the mist (radio said it was 98% humidity!) and it was none other than Spud! He had started at the Dural end and so I ran back up the hill with him and we headed off.
Felt really good for the first lap and we ran 36 minute out and back splits for a 1:12 lap. Second outward felt ok, but my lh hammie was starting to complain, we caught up to another runner who we had seen a few times. At the turn around I tried some stretches to loosen up the lower back. Comng back as soon as we hit the downhill it became obvious I was going to be limited by this niggle so I eased up a little and let the others go ahead. By the time I got back to the Stewart Ave end I was obviosuly running with a altered gait favouring the LH hammie and so the RH hip flexors were starting to complain.
I decided enough was enough and pulled the pin, 2 laps, 1:12 and 1:16 for 2:28 all up. Pulled up a bit tight so some sretching to do this week as I head into a taper from a taper......
Back in Melbourne again today but hope to head out tomorrow morning for a loosener!
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Equaliser Race + more
The Equaliser is the first event in the Striders Super Series and a cross country run from Belrose to St Ives and then looping back again. It consists of a downhill to a creek, up to St Ives, some street running to another trail which heads back downhill and meets up to the outward course for the run home uphill.
A pretty good turnout and we charged along the slight downhill around a power substation and communications tower and then the downhill rush, I settled in near Jenny T and KT as we crossed the creek. The plan for the uphills was a steady pace and I pretty much held my own, with Suzanne and another female going past but that was pretty much it. A quick drink and then along the St Ives streets. There was a good line of runners in front but a few corners later and they had moved form view and it was just myself and another as we hit the next bit of trail.
This was the area I did not get a chance to mark yesterday but I thought from memory the course was fairly obvious. Not so with a few junctions that could have been misleading. However there were branches etc blocking the wrong way and I assumed someone in front was doing this. Pretty soon it was clear who that was as Action loomed up heading back in the other direction. One or 2 junctions later and there was a very obvious group of branches across one option so the guy ahead and I followed the clear option. About 100m later I realised this was wrong and called him back. When we got to the intersection a group had just arrived, including Spud and MikeF. They headed down the "right" option while I moved the branches to stop other runners going the wrong way.
Back into the groove on the downhill and thankfully we eventually saw Silver Fox who was manning the second river crossing point. Once again I aimed for a steady tempo and to my surprise I was hauling in a few of the group who had caught us. About halfway up I had caught spud and went past, a big change from last year. By the time I got to the top there was only 1 guy left with me. Picking up the pace we ran it out back to the road but he was just a little too strong.
Ended up with 1:08:49 which I thought was a good improvement over last year but it seems only a 2 second improvement. However by looking at sportstracks I lost about a minute and a half in my "excursion" so actually an improvement over last year. I certainly felt stronger on the hills. Quite a few people who were in front of me at St Ives followed the wrong marker and drifted in a bit later :(
Stats
Distance 14.27km
Time 1:08:49
Avg Pace 4:49 min/km
Avg HR 174
After the race the Striders Annual General Meeting was conducted, as some Striders would know I was nominated for the role of president as Action was standing down. The news is that I was elected, not sure what I have let myself in for but hope that I can make a positive contribution to the ongoing success of the club. This is the other significant item that has been somewhat of a distraction recently, so now I have both work and my involvement with Striders confirmed I can get on with things.
This week hopefully will be better running wise, however another trip to Melbourne is already planned for work.....
A pretty good turnout and we charged along the slight downhill around a power substation and communications tower and then the downhill rush, I settled in near Jenny T and KT as we crossed the creek. The plan for the uphills was a steady pace and I pretty much held my own, with Suzanne and another female going past but that was pretty much it. A quick drink and then along the St Ives streets. There was a good line of runners in front but a few corners later and they had moved form view and it was just myself and another as we hit the next bit of trail.
This was the area I did not get a chance to mark yesterday but I thought from memory the course was fairly obvious. Not so with a few junctions that could have been misleading. However there were branches etc blocking the wrong way and I assumed someone in front was doing this. Pretty soon it was clear who that was as Action loomed up heading back in the other direction. One or 2 junctions later and there was a very obvious group of branches across one option so the guy ahead and I followed the clear option. About 100m later I realised this was wrong and called him back. When we got to the intersection a group had just arrived, including Spud and MikeF. They headed down the "right" option while I moved the branches to stop other runners going the wrong way.
Back into the groove on the downhill and thankfully we eventually saw Silver Fox who was manning the second river crossing point. Once again I aimed for a steady tempo and to my surprise I was hauling in a few of the group who had caught us. About halfway up I had caught spud and went past, a big change from last year. By the time I got to the top there was only 1 guy left with me. Picking up the pace we ran it out back to the road but he was just a little too strong.
Ended up with 1:08:49 which I thought was a good improvement over last year but it seems only a 2 second improvement. However by looking at sportstracks I lost about a minute and a half in my "excursion" so actually an improvement over last year. I certainly felt stronger on the hills. Quite a few people who were in front of me at St Ives followed the wrong marker and drifted in a bit later :(
Stats
Distance 14.27km
Time 1:08:49
Avg Pace 4:49 min/km
Avg HR 174
After the race the Striders Annual General Meeting was conducted, as some Striders would know I was nominated for the role of president as Action was standing down. The news is that I was elected, not sure what I have let myself in for but hope that I can make a positive contribution to the ongoing success of the club. This is the other significant item that has been somewhat of a distraction recently, so now I have both work and my involvement with Striders confirmed I can get on with things.
This week hopefully will be better running wise, however another trip to Melbourne is already planned for work.....
Resuming Regular Service!!
A while since my last post and both a lot and not much happening....
Thursday
A solid run to/from the weir in humid conditions, legs felt reasonable after the Summer Series bashing the night before.
Saturday - Striders 10km Lane Cove
No real expectations but again a humid morning, noticeable during my easy warm up where I immediately started sweating. A huge turnout of over 300 and we set off. I had decided to go out hard (as usual) and held around 4 min/km pace really until the hill. Pressed pretty hard going up to try and keep pace but when I turned for the downhill I think the lungs/cardio had hit their limits. A struggle to keep the faster pace coming home with semi stitches occuring. Right in the last km both Professor and seagull went past as the legs were willing but I just could not go faster!
10km time of 41:55 (avg HR of 181!!)
Splits
1km 3:59 3:59
2km 3:59 7:58
3km 4:00 11:58
4km 4:12 16:10
5km 4:31 20:41
6km 4:10 24:51
7km 4:17 29:08
8km 4:21 33:29
9km 4:22 37:51
10km 4:04 41:55
Legs felt quite fresh afterwards so after the longer races I think there is a good base for speedwork to sharpen.
Sunday - Bobbin Head STaR
With 6 ft and Canberra looming another huge group at both 6am and 6:10! I reckon there would have been 20+ people at 6:10. A nice steady pace through the streets of Wahroonga to St Ives with a couple of nasty little pinches as we headed towards North Turramurra. The group was very much intact at the top of Bobbin Head and a nice cruise down the hill, the 6:20 guys catching us just near the bottom.
A quick regroup and then it was on up the hill. I was pretty happy with my form/strength up the hill, another quick regroup at the top. We had slimmed down the group a bit now, being about 8 now and stepped up the pace! For the next few km we were going sub 5 min/km and even hit one or 2 km at 4:30 pace. A bit fast but after 20km already I think it is ok to open up the legs/lungs as required. As we entered the sole piece of bush near Asquith I started to feel the pinch a little and the group fragmented at around the same time. Ground out the last couple of km and ran back to the start with Tim Austin
Stats
Distance 30.8km
Time 2:25:31
Avg pace 5:03 min/km
Avg HR 162
A very pleasing run in hindsight, about 8 minutes faster than the same course in the middle of last year in much cooler conditions but only at the start of my Sydney prep.
Monday/Tuesday
Another real early trip to Melbourne and lots of meetings pretty much kyboshed any running plans.
Wednesday - Summer Series Riverview
Not a good run... Started off ok on a clearly obvious route to the west first. But came unstuck in a big way in the first bush section losing several minutes looking for one control and then quite a few more trying to make a short cut through a lantana patch (ouch!). Ran home strongly but the damage had been done. This sees seagull zoom past me in the overall points table, relegating me to third :(
Thursday/Friday
Really struggled at the back half of the week, feeling very tired and not at all motivated. Got up early Fruday morning intending to run but just did not feel like it and went back to bed. Not a good week at all.
Saturday
No run in the morning, still feeling very tired/fatigued. Got a call just after lunch, the organiser for Sunday's run (Equaliser) had apparently encountered some "problems" and was unable to mark the course and/or advise as to the status of who was doing what!
So I took the 2 girls out to the course to see what he had managed to do. I decided to check the eastern side of the course and it was a good thing as he had started, already made 1 mistake and there was a lot to do. The girls were great as I walked them all the way down to the creek, marking out the trail at various intersections. To their delight we saw up close a goanna poking it's head into an termite mound looking for ants to eat! Climbing back out was a bit tough and I alternated piggy backs for them but they were real troopers so I rewarded them with an icecream on the drive home.
Also then chased up various volunteers to make sure things were somewhat on track for the race.
Thursday
A solid run to/from the weir in humid conditions, legs felt reasonable after the Summer Series bashing the night before.
Saturday - Striders 10km Lane Cove
No real expectations but again a humid morning, noticeable during my easy warm up where I immediately started sweating. A huge turnout of over 300 and we set off. I had decided to go out hard (as usual) and held around 4 min/km pace really until the hill. Pressed pretty hard going up to try and keep pace but when I turned for the downhill I think the lungs/cardio had hit their limits. A struggle to keep the faster pace coming home with semi stitches occuring. Right in the last km both Professor and seagull went past as the legs were willing but I just could not go faster!
10km time of 41:55 (avg HR of 181!!)
Splits
1km 3:59 3:59
2km 3:59 7:58
3km 4:00 11:58
4km 4:12 16:10
5km 4:31 20:41
6km 4:10 24:51
7km 4:17 29:08
8km 4:21 33:29
9km 4:22 37:51
10km 4:04 41:55
Legs felt quite fresh afterwards so after the longer races I think there is a good base for speedwork to sharpen.
Sunday - Bobbin Head STaR
With 6 ft and Canberra looming another huge group at both 6am and 6:10! I reckon there would have been 20+ people at 6:10. A nice steady pace through the streets of Wahroonga to St Ives with a couple of nasty little pinches as we headed towards North Turramurra. The group was very much intact at the top of Bobbin Head and a nice cruise down the hill, the 6:20 guys catching us just near the bottom.
A quick regroup and then it was on up the hill. I was pretty happy with my form/strength up the hill, another quick regroup at the top. We had slimmed down the group a bit now, being about 8 now and stepped up the pace! For the next few km we were going sub 5 min/km and even hit one or 2 km at 4:30 pace. A bit fast but after 20km already I think it is ok to open up the legs/lungs as required. As we entered the sole piece of bush near Asquith I started to feel the pinch a little and the group fragmented at around the same time. Ground out the last couple of km and ran back to the start with Tim Austin
Stats
Distance 30.8km
Time 2:25:31
Avg pace 5:03 min/km
Avg HR 162
A very pleasing run in hindsight, about 8 minutes faster than the same course in the middle of last year in much cooler conditions but only at the start of my Sydney prep.
Monday/Tuesday
Another real early trip to Melbourne and lots of meetings pretty much kyboshed any running plans.
Wednesday - Summer Series Riverview
Not a good run... Started off ok on a clearly obvious route to the west first. But came unstuck in a big way in the first bush section losing several minutes looking for one control and then quite a few more trying to make a short cut through a lantana patch (ouch!). Ran home strongly but the damage had been done. This sees seagull zoom past me in the overall points table, relegating me to third :(
Thursday/Friday
Really struggled at the back half of the week, feeling very tired and not at all motivated. Got up early Fruday morning intending to run but just did not feel like it and went back to bed. Not a good week at all.
Saturday
No run in the morning, still feeling very tired/fatigued. Got a call just after lunch, the organiser for Sunday's run (Equaliser) had apparently encountered some "problems" and was unable to mark the course and/or advise as to the status of who was doing what!
So I took the 2 girls out to the course to see what he had managed to do. I decided to check the eastern side of the course and it was a good thing as he had started, already made 1 mistake and there was a lot to do. The girls were great as I walked them all the way down to the creek, marking out the trail at various intersections. To their delight we saw up close a goanna poking it's head into an termite mound looking for ants to eat! Climbing back out was a bit tough and I alternated piggy backs for them but they were real troopers so I rewarded them with an icecream on the drive home.
Also then chased up various volunteers to make sure things were somewhat on track for the race.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Return of Summer!
Summer Series - Blues Point
All of a sudden the heat (and humidity) is back, after some respite. Tonight was based at Blue Point and so I changed and ran down from work for a warm up. A little later than usual as well but it was still quite warm. A well set out map by Larry with some tricky route choice as we ran long the most scenic parts of Sydney Harbour.
Starting at Blues Point, a quick up and down for 30 and then around the bottom of the point for 17 then up and over to pick up 7. Now climbing up Blues Point for 23 & 5 down to 8 and then my big mistake. I did not look close enough at the placement of 14 and opted to leave it and get it on my return route.... So quickly picked up 24,9,18 running around the outside of Luna Park. Under the Harbour Bridge for 25 and then a climb up into Kiribilli for 15,26,27,6,16 and 28. Picking up 29 on the way to the shortcut back across towards Blues Point. Had already decided to bypass 19 and so picked up 10 then towards 14 which I suddenly realised was a long way down and so missed to 20 points :(. Uphill again for 20 then across towards Waverton for 1,11, chossing to get 12 even though time was running out. Detoured for13 on teh way to 2 then downnnn to 22 and along to 3. Reminicising on the way through this park as this is where we got married! Already a few minutes late so I chose to collect 4 despite the uphill slog and then downhill to the finish.
Stats : 9.8km
Time : 52:50
Avg Pace : 5:22
Avg HR : 172
Ended up with 450 points after lateness which really should have been 470 with 14. Andrew Hill posted 560 so it was a tough run. I think seagull pipped me by 10 points and so gains on my lead in the pointscore.
The legs felt ok after warming up, left hammie/glute is still a little tight though.
Thursday
Headed down to the weir, when I stopped at the turnaround for a drink I was sweating profusely and decided to head straight home rather than tack on a few extra km. By the time I got back I was soaked and took a good while of stretching and a shower before I stopped sweating, very humid morning. 11km in just over 54 minutes.
A gentle recovery run tomorrow and then Striders 10km on Saturday morning.
All of a sudden the heat (and humidity) is back, after some respite. Tonight was based at Blue Point and so I changed and ran down from work for a warm up. A little later than usual as well but it was still quite warm. A well set out map by Larry with some tricky route choice as we ran long the most scenic parts of Sydney Harbour.
Starting at Blues Point, a quick up and down for 30 and then around the bottom of the point for 17 then up and over to pick up 7. Now climbing up Blues Point for 23 & 5 down to 8 and then my big mistake. I did not look close enough at the placement of 14 and opted to leave it and get it on my return route.... So quickly picked up 24,9,18 running around the outside of Luna Park. Under the Harbour Bridge for 25 and then a climb up into Kiribilli for 15,26,27,6,16 and 28. Picking up 29 on the way to the shortcut back across towards Blues Point. Had already decided to bypass 19 and so picked up 10 then towards 14 which I suddenly realised was a long way down and so missed to 20 points :(. Uphill again for 20 then across towards Waverton for 1,11, chossing to get 12 even though time was running out. Detoured for13 on teh way to 2 then downnnn to 22 and along to 3. Reminicising on the way through this park as this is where we got married! Already a few minutes late so I chose to collect 4 despite the uphill slog and then downhill to the finish.
Stats : 9.8km
Time : 52:50
Avg Pace : 5:22
Avg HR : 172
Ended up with 450 points after lateness which really should have been 470 with 14. Andrew Hill posted 560 so it was a tough run. I think seagull pipped me by 10 points and so gains on my lead in the pointscore.
The legs felt ok after warming up, left hammie/glute is still a little tight though.
Thursday
Headed down to the weir, when I stopped at the turnaround for a drink I was sweating profusely and decided to head straight home rather than tack on a few extra km. By the time I got back I was soaked and took a good while of stretching and a shower before I stopped sweating, very humid morning. 11km in just over 54 minutes.
A gentle recovery run tomorrow and then Striders 10km on Saturday morning.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
January Recap
Monday - designated rest day
Tuesday - still quite fatigued and tight after Sunday, opted from running in the morning hoping to run in the afternoon but no dice.
Monthly summary for January
Distance : 323km
Avg pace : 5:39 min/km
Total climb : 3,803m
An increase of close to 100km against January 2005 which is a good sign. Some good sessions in the month but still lacking some consistency.
Highlights - All time 2nd fastest half time, hard hit outs at Black Stump and 6 ft
Lowlights - Still some inconsistency, struggling with Summer Series somewhat, more hill work required
In a non running related area it looks like I have sorted out some work related stuff which has been weighing very heavily on the mind for the last 2 months! (thank goodness)
Tesso's question - I used a diluted Endura raspberry mix (about half of the recommended mixture), but had no "plain " water available other than at the car, or the water tank at Coxs River.
Also for gnscon (or is that Fake Plastic Trees?) - Yes I am sure I have seen some discussion somewhere that talks about the idea that gu/powerbars are not a good idea with an electrolyte solution, I'll have a dig and see if I can find the link.
[Edit] - found what I was looking for here time to re-read it.....
[Edit #2] just realised this was my second all time biggest month in terms of distance yeehaa!
The next 28 days are key for Six Foot lets see how it goes :)
Tuesday - still quite fatigued and tight after Sunday, opted from running in the morning hoping to run in the afternoon but no dice.
Monthly summary for January
Distance : 323km
Avg pace : 5:39 min/km
Total climb : 3,803m
An increase of close to 100km against January 2005 which is a good sign. Some good sessions in the month but still lacking some consistency.
Highlights - All time 2nd fastest half time, hard hit outs at Black Stump and 6 ft
Lowlights - Still some inconsistency, struggling with Summer Series somewhat, more hill work required
In a non running related area it looks like I have sorted out some work related stuff which has been weighing very heavily on the mind for the last 2 months! (thank goodness)
Tesso's question - I used a diluted Endura raspberry mix (about half of the recommended mixture), but had no "plain " water available other than at the car, or the water tank at Coxs River.
Also for gnscon (or is that Fake Plastic Trees?) - Yes I am sure I have seen some discussion somewhere that talks about the idea that gu/powerbars are not a good idea with an electrolyte solution, I'll have a dig and see if I can find the link.
[Edit] - found what I was looking for here time to re-read it.....
[Edit #2] just realised this was my second all time biggest month in terms of distance yeehaa!
The next 28 days are key for Six Foot lets see how it goes :)
Monday, January 30, 2006
Six foot post run ponderings
Thanks to all that commented some answers to the various questions.
Horrie - very unlikely I'll do the rogaine given it is only 2 weeks out from the big show, likewise for Blue Dog's proposed Orchard run. Colin and I had along talk about tapering etc and I think such long runs/efforts 2 weeks out will do more harm than good.
Electrolytes - About 30 min before I started I drank and Endura Opti and actually I had an Endura electrolyte replacement in the camelbak, slightly diluted. I think this made a big difference against when I raced as yesterday I did not even get a twinge of a cramp where as in the race I started cramping up Mini Mini and then all the way to the finish. Thinking about it more I think the powerbar I had at the river caused some of the problem, I should have washed it down with more water from the tank while we were stopped. Potentially this caused part of the digestion of fluid problems.
Condition of track - Spud, given this was only my second time through here and the first time I was pretty smashed by the top of Pluvi I did not notice much. Colin did not that he felt the track was rockier and his feet/toes are a bit beat up today. I was very happy with my shoes etc, no blisters whatsoever and that is with running right through all teh creek crossings.
I have pulled up pretty well, plenty of fluids and a massage today. Interesting to note, after all the rehydration and dinner last night I lost more weight (73.8kg this morning and 74.2kg when I got home yesterday). Seems the body was buring energy/fat while I slept!
Plan for a steady medium distance run tomorrow before Summer Series Wednesday, probably back to hill reps Thursday with a recovery run on Friday as taper for the first Striders 10km at Lane Cove Saturday morning.
Horrie - very unlikely I'll do the rogaine given it is only 2 weeks out from the big show, likewise for Blue Dog's proposed Orchard run. Colin and I had along talk about tapering etc and I think such long runs/efforts 2 weeks out will do more harm than good.
Electrolytes - About 30 min before I started I drank and Endura Opti and actually I had an Endura electrolyte replacement in the camelbak, slightly diluted. I think this made a big difference against when I raced as yesterday I did not even get a twinge of a cramp where as in the race I started cramping up Mini Mini and then all the way to the finish. Thinking about it more I think the powerbar I had at the river caused some of the problem, I should have washed it down with more water from the tank while we were stopped. Potentially this caused part of the digestion of fluid problems.
Condition of track - Spud, given this was only my second time through here and the first time I was pretty smashed by the top of Pluvi I did not notice much. Colin did not that he felt the track was rockier and his feet/toes are a bit beat up today. I was very happy with my shoes etc, no blisters whatsoever and that is with running right through all teh creek crossings.
I have pulled up pretty well, plenty of fluids and a massage today. Interesting to note, after all the rehydration and dinner last night I lost more weight (73.8kg this morning and 74.2kg when I got home yesterday). Seems the body was buring energy/fat while I slept!
Plan for a steady medium distance run tomorrow before Summer Series Wednesday, probably back to hill reps Thursday with a recovery run on Friday as taper for the first Striders 10km at Lane Cove Saturday morning.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Six Foot Track Dry Run
As planned up early for the drive up to the Blue Mountains. Pretty uneventful with little traffic, swapped calls with Colin a couple of times as he was parking at Megalong Rd with the goal of meeting up at the river and running back to my car, then me dropping him back at his car. Managed to miss the turnoff to Black Range but eventually realised this and turned back, but this meant I was running a little late.
Loaded the gear up, using the 3L Camelbak but also included the mobile, a camera and first aid kit (just in case!) along with a few powerbars. The descent along Black Range was great, no one else around and only a few kangaroos to keep me company. Just as I arrived at Pluviometer I got the phone out to check how Colin was going, just as I got found it, it started ringing! So he was just leaving Megalong Rd while I was just about to begin my descent. Early on in the run down I started seeing hikers coming up and out, which was a little intriguing as it was still pretty early, much too early for anyone walking the whole way. By the time I got to the bottom it was warming up and I enjoyed the cool water of the number of creek crossings, opting to just charge across.
As I neared the start of the Mini Mini climb I saw where all the hikers were coming from as a fairly large tent was being pulled down, along with several support vehicles. I decided to take it pretty easy up to Mini Mini saddle with the large climbs back home very clear in my mind. Downwards again, spotting another runner heading up near the cattleyards and looking strong!
About 500m from the river I saw Colin coming up the hill, so we joined up and returned to the river for some water, a quick clean of the feet/shoes in the river while munching a power bar and then ready to climb!
My aim was to walk the steep sections and run when possible which seemed to be going ok. During one of these steep sections the runner I saw previously was returning obviously knew Colin so we stopped for a quick chat. It turns out it was fellow Cool Runner Chonky also out for some "sekret" training! The ascent continued, with the real steep pinches requiring a bit of effort as the sun was blazing now, with continuous sweat pouring from me. As a result the camelbak was getting a good workout. Through here we also saw a few motorbikes. A nice refreshing run down the other side of the saddle and past the now empty camping area.
At the first major creek crossing Colin stopped to clean out his shoes and I was very happy just to stand in the middle of the water enjoying the cool water. Finally we got going again and started the Pluvi climb. About halfway up I started to struggle a little and was feeling a little nauseous. Closer to the top I told Colin to go on faster if he wanted and regroup at the top. A real struggle to get there and I sat down with Colin to top up the supplies, still feeling a bit crook. He gave me a few gummi bears but when I tried to stand up I felt quite dizzy. My HR was a little high for having rested and also was getting some pins & needles in my hands.
Eventually after standing up and sitting down a few times with no change I decided we should get going again and see how I reacted. Amazingly after about 500m the sensations had gone and Colin and I ran on although a little slower. After a few km I was starting to struggle again on the uphill bits and so again I told Colin to go on as we were only about 4km from the car. Clearly I was dehydrated but it seemed the body was struggling to process the liquid I was trying to replace fast enough, thus the nausea feeling.
A bit of a shuffle with run/walk combo and eventually I hit the slight downhill to get back to the car. I immediately focussed on trying to rehydrate now that the stomach would not have to absorb and run at the same time. Fairly quickly downed about 1.5 litres, comprised of a solo, along with some remaining camelbak fluid and some cool water from the large water bottle I had packed. I also took a powerade to drink on the drive back to Colin's car. By the time we got to the highway the powerade was empty and I was getting very dry in the mouth.
Once we got back to Colins car we had a quick dip in the creek to cool down before heading home. I packed more fluid to drink on the drive home and doned the sportskins as well, also eventually stopping to get a bite to eat as I was ravenous!
By my calculation I drank about 5 litres before/during/after the run but obviously still not enough as I was till about 1.5kg under my current trend weight when I got home. I will need to think about this as while I was drinking regularly it was not enough to replace what I was sweating, but too much for the stomach to deal with. Hopefully it will not be as warm on the race day!
Important stats
Distance : 38.13km
Running time : 4:31:24
Total time : 5:22
Avg running pace : 7:07 min/km
Avg HR : 151
Climb : 1252m
Comparison to race data this year
Cox's to Pluvio - Race 1:46:02, today 1:34:33
Summary - again a lesson learned never under estimate Six Foot, I was feeling decidedly dodgy at the top of Pluviometer. I did run more of Black Range on tired legs but still need further improvement. Current thinking is to ease up a little further on the run to the river and up Mini Mini which should see me at the top of Pluviometer a bit healthier for the run home to the line. Of course not lugging a 3-4kg camelbak, a proper taper and more focussed training hill also help! Well worth the effort in retrospect and will help in making sure race day will be successful.
Despite the extra driving involved I also think this might be the best way to train on 6ft in trying to replicate race conditions. The descent to the river is a good replica of the run from the start and then all you have left is the run from deviation to the finish which is (mostly) downhill....
Loaded the gear up, using the 3L Camelbak but also included the mobile, a camera and first aid kit (just in case!) along with a few powerbars. The descent along Black Range was great, no one else around and only a few kangaroos to keep me company. Just as I arrived at Pluviometer I got the phone out to check how Colin was going, just as I got found it, it started ringing! So he was just leaving Megalong Rd while I was just about to begin my descent. Early on in the run down I started seeing hikers coming up and out, which was a little intriguing as it was still pretty early, much too early for anyone walking the whole way. By the time I got to the bottom it was warming up and I enjoyed the cool water of the number of creek crossings, opting to just charge across.
As I neared the start of the Mini Mini climb I saw where all the hikers were coming from as a fairly large tent was being pulled down, along with several support vehicles. I decided to take it pretty easy up to Mini Mini saddle with the large climbs back home very clear in my mind. Downwards again, spotting another runner heading up near the cattleyards and looking strong!
About 500m from the river I saw Colin coming up the hill, so we joined up and returned to the river for some water, a quick clean of the feet/shoes in the river while munching a power bar and then ready to climb!
My aim was to walk the steep sections and run when possible which seemed to be going ok. During one of these steep sections the runner I saw previously was returning obviously knew Colin so we stopped for a quick chat. It turns out it was fellow Cool Runner Chonky also out for some "sekret" training! The ascent continued, with the real steep pinches requiring a bit of effort as the sun was blazing now, with continuous sweat pouring from me. As a result the camelbak was getting a good workout. Through here we also saw a few motorbikes. A nice refreshing run down the other side of the saddle and past the now empty camping area.
At the first major creek crossing Colin stopped to clean out his shoes and I was very happy just to stand in the middle of the water enjoying the cool water. Finally we got going again and started the Pluvi climb. About halfway up I started to struggle a little and was feeling a little nauseous. Closer to the top I told Colin to go on faster if he wanted and regroup at the top. A real struggle to get there and I sat down with Colin to top up the supplies, still feeling a bit crook. He gave me a few gummi bears but when I tried to stand up I felt quite dizzy. My HR was a little high for having rested and also was getting some pins & needles in my hands.
Eventually after standing up and sitting down a few times with no change I decided we should get going again and see how I reacted. Amazingly after about 500m the sensations had gone and Colin and I ran on although a little slower. After a few km I was starting to struggle again on the uphill bits and so again I told Colin to go on as we were only about 4km from the car. Clearly I was dehydrated but it seemed the body was struggling to process the liquid I was trying to replace fast enough, thus the nausea feeling.
A bit of a shuffle with run/walk combo and eventually I hit the slight downhill to get back to the car. I immediately focussed on trying to rehydrate now that the stomach would not have to absorb and run at the same time. Fairly quickly downed about 1.5 litres, comprised of a solo, along with some remaining camelbak fluid and some cool water from the large water bottle I had packed. I also took a powerade to drink on the drive back to Colin's car. By the time we got to the highway the powerade was empty and I was getting very dry in the mouth.
Once we got back to Colins car we had a quick dip in the creek to cool down before heading home. I packed more fluid to drink on the drive home and doned the sportskins as well, also eventually stopping to get a bite to eat as I was ravenous!
By my calculation I drank about 5 litres before/during/after the run but obviously still not enough as I was till about 1.5kg under my current trend weight when I got home. I will need to think about this as while I was drinking regularly it was not enough to replace what I was sweating, but too much for the stomach to deal with. Hopefully it will not be as warm on the race day!
Important stats
Distance : 38.13km
Running time : 4:31:24
Total time : 5:22
Avg running pace : 7:07 min/km
Avg HR : 151
Climb : 1252m
Comparison to race data this year
Cox's to Pluvio - Race 1:46:02, today 1:34:33
Summary - again a lesson learned never under estimate Six Foot, I was feeling decidedly dodgy at the top of Pluviometer. I did run more of Black Range on tired legs but still need further improvement. Current thinking is to ease up a little further on the run to the river and up Mini Mini which should see me at the top of Pluviometer a bit healthier for the run home to the line. Of course not lugging a 3-4kg camelbak, a proper taper and more focussed training hill also help! Well worth the effort in retrospect and will help in making sure race day will be successful.
Despite the extra driving involved I also think this might be the best way to train on 6ft in trying to replicate race conditions. The descent to the river is a good replica of the run from the start and then all you have left is the run from deviation to the finish which is (mostly) downhill....
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Weekly recap
Monday - a scheduled rest day and made so by work with an early flight to Melbourne, followed by a late flight home
Tuesday - My wife's birthday and so with personal health and safety in mind I did not run :) Pressies in the morning and the now traditional chinese meal at the RSL around the corner.
Wednesday - Summer Series time, this week at West Lindfield, based at Fiddens Wharf Oval. The course layout gave no option other than to run one side of the track along Lane Cove River with the skill being in how much time there was to collect extra points running back through the streets before the rest of the track in returning.
I immediately stuffed up at the first control (24) running past the minor track that it was located. Then it was slow and steady along the river for 10,21,17,25 and 14 before dropping down to 22. I was considerably behind the planned schedule so picked up 1, bypassed 12 and then faster street running with 15,29,7,30,8,23 and 13. Now for some downhill with 3 and then another slip up going too low for 19, then having to bash up through the bush. Quickly to 16 and 27 then more lost time locating 11. By now I had already hit 45 minutes and the time penalty was ticking. Ran straight past 28, never seeing it and realised when I hit the small creek a little further on. By now I was frustrated and so just kept going getting 20 and then 2 to finish just under 6 minutes late.
Net score of 400 and with Andrew Hill posting 560 this is not going to count in my best 12 scores of the year. I am now in overall second spot but only have a slender 8 point lead over seagull who for a change in recent times I beat this week!
8.3km in 50:56 (avg HR of 171)
Thursday
Decided to do a longer run in preference to a recovery and knocked out 14.5km from one of my standard routes. I really attacked the hills and did not have much left in the tank by the time I got home.
14.5km in 1:9:39 (2nd fastest ever over this route) gives an average of 4:48 min/km and an average HR of 165. Quite pleasing after a hard run last night.
Friday
Missed the chance to get out in the morning so fitted in a quick run down to the weir and back in the afternoon heat which knocked me around a bit.
11km in 54:02 for avg of 4:55 (HR of 163)
Saturday
I wanted to get another run in and got out early before the girls head off to Little A's. Same run as yesterday in pretty much the same time but lower avg HR of 156.
Summary
82km for the week
Avg pace of 5:14
Climb of 597m
A big day tomorrow with a punishing hit out planned over the toughest bits of 6 foot track. Starting at deviation and running back along the course towards the start, down the 2 big climbs to Cox's river. Then climbing back up and running Black Range Rd on tired legs.
Tuesday - My wife's birthday and so with personal health and safety in mind I did not run :) Pressies in the morning and the now traditional chinese meal at the RSL around the corner.
Wednesday - Summer Series time, this week at West Lindfield, based at Fiddens Wharf Oval. The course layout gave no option other than to run one side of the track along Lane Cove River with the skill being in how much time there was to collect extra points running back through the streets before the rest of the track in returning.
I immediately stuffed up at the first control (24) running past the minor track that it was located. Then it was slow and steady along the river for 10,21,17,25 and 14 before dropping down to 22. I was considerably behind the planned schedule so picked up 1, bypassed 12 and then faster street running with 15,29,7,30,8,23 and 13. Now for some downhill with 3 and then another slip up going too low for 19, then having to bash up through the bush. Quickly to 16 and 27 then more lost time locating 11. By now I had already hit 45 minutes and the time penalty was ticking. Ran straight past 28, never seeing it and realised when I hit the small creek a little further on. By now I was frustrated and so just kept going getting 20 and then 2 to finish just under 6 minutes late.
Net score of 400 and with Andrew Hill posting 560 this is not going to count in my best 12 scores of the year. I am now in overall second spot but only have a slender 8 point lead over seagull who for a change in recent times I beat this week!
8.3km in 50:56 (avg HR of 171)
Thursday
Decided to do a longer run in preference to a recovery and knocked out 14.5km from one of my standard routes. I really attacked the hills and did not have much left in the tank by the time I got home.
14.5km in 1:9:39 (2nd fastest ever over this route) gives an average of 4:48 min/km and an average HR of 165. Quite pleasing after a hard run last night.
Friday
Missed the chance to get out in the morning so fitted in a quick run down to the weir and back in the afternoon heat which knocked me around a bit.
11km in 54:02 for avg of 4:55 (HR of 163)
Saturday
I wanted to get another run in and got out early before the girls head off to Little A's. Same run as yesterday in pretty much the same time but lower avg HR of 156.
Summary
82km for the week
Avg pace of 5:14
Climb of 597m
A big day tomorrow with a punishing hit out planned over the toughest bits of 6 foot track. Starting at deviation and running back along the course towards the start, down the 2 big climbs to Cox's river. Then climbing back up and running Black Range Rd on tired legs.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Chatswood Chase STaR & extras
7 weeks to go to Six Foot
After the somewhat disappointing week last week I decided to start this week with a bang. This Sunday's STaR was the Chatswood Chase and I have done portions of this run several times, given it pretty much goes past my front door and also starts at the LCNP weir, where most of my runs take me!
Today I decided to try and get some extra time on the legs and opted to run to the start than driving, this was a nice downhill warmup of 3.5km. Another massive 6am group headed off and as 6:10 rolled around some familiar (Action, Redback, MikeF, Gefjam, Professor, Blue Dog) and new faces (sfGnome) headed out up the 10km course. At the top of the hill we meandered back through North Ryde, past home and then across Lane Cove River, climbing Mowbray Rd to Chatswood. Followed some of the sub arterial roads to eventually end up running next to the railway line headed north. The roller coaster hills from Lindfield to Gordon really sapped the legs as they appeared with monotonous regularity. Finally a break as we cruised down a pleasant downhill bush track all the way to Lady Game Drive, a final climb and another nice descent back to Lane Cove National Park.
A bit of a top up on drinks and some jelly beans, a quick chat with a few people and then I headed off to run home, now remembering that the pleasant 3.5km downhill warmup was now a 3.5km uphill slog in the intensifying sun! Finally home and I did some stretches etc on the verandah, absolutely dripping sweat for at least 20 minutes. Hopped on the scales and was 73.2kg, certainly dehydrated. A cold shower finally fixed the sweat and heat as I then drove the family up to the Central Coast for a combined birthday lunch (excellent Nasi Goreng!) and then over to Wamberal for a great refreshing swim before heading home.
Somewhat perplexing to me is the fact that the various niggles I had been experiencing while evident at the start of the run have now gone away! I have had this happen a few times now and cannot provide a good reason as to why it happens....
Stats
Distance : 37km
Time : 3:21:21
Avg Pace : 5:26 min/km
Avg HR : 164
A very pleasing "time on the legs" run and already more climb in this one run than all of last week. Also in other news the Six Foot entry form has been submitted and I have also booked the accommodation. I'm really looking forward to this, more so know as my dad is joining me for the entire weekend to spectate etc etc.
After the somewhat disappointing week last week I decided to start this week with a bang. This Sunday's STaR was the Chatswood Chase and I have done portions of this run several times, given it pretty much goes past my front door and also starts at the LCNP weir, where most of my runs take me!
Today I decided to try and get some extra time on the legs and opted to run to the start than driving, this was a nice downhill warmup of 3.5km. Another massive 6am group headed off and as 6:10 rolled around some familiar (Action, Redback, MikeF, Gefjam, Professor, Blue Dog) and new faces (sfGnome) headed out up the 10km course. At the top of the hill we meandered back through North Ryde, past home and then across Lane Cove River, climbing Mowbray Rd to Chatswood. Followed some of the sub arterial roads to eventually end up running next to the railway line headed north. The roller coaster hills from Lindfield to Gordon really sapped the legs as they appeared with monotonous regularity. Finally a break as we cruised down a pleasant downhill bush track all the way to Lady Game Drive, a final climb and another nice descent back to Lane Cove National Park.
A bit of a top up on drinks and some jelly beans, a quick chat with a few people and then I headed off to run home, now remembering that the pleasant 3.5km downhill warmup was now a 3.5km uphill slog in the intensifying sun! Finally home and I did some stretches etc on the verandah, absolutely dripping sweat for at least 20 minutes. Hopped on the scales and was 73.2kg, certainly dehydrated. A cold shower finally fixed the sweat and heat as I then drove the family up to the Central Coast for a combined birthday lunch (excellent Nasi Goreng!) and then over to Wamberal for a great refreshing swim before heading home.
Somewhat perplexing to me is the fact that the various niggles I had been experiencing while evident at the start of the run have now gone away! I have had this happen a few times now and cannot provide a good reason as to why it happens....
Stats
Distance : 37km
Time : 3:21:21
Avg Pace : 5:26 min/km
Avg HR : 164
A very pleasing "time on the legs" run and already more climb in this one run than all of last week. Also in other news the Six Foot entry form has been submitted and I have also booked the accommodation. I'm really looking forward to this, more so know as my dad is joining me for the entire weekend to spectate etc etc.
Weekly wrap
Again missed running on Saturday which capped off a disappointing week. Several distractions this week have kept me occupied. Still concerned about the rise in niggles all of a sudden. As such cracked the ice and also nurofen gel and wore the sportsskins to bed on Friday night. Maybe the half last Sunday took a little more out of me than first thought....
Stats
Distance : 62.2km
Avg Pace : 4:58 min/km
Climb : 203m
Parrot Marathon Predictor time : 3:15:40
Stats
Distance : 62.2km
Avg Pace : 4:58 min/km
Climb : 203m
Parrot Marathon Predictor time : 3:15:40
Friday, January 20, 2006
Shuffling the schedule
Thursday
Nothing in the morning so got the guilts and headed out after work, originally scheduled as a recovery run I decided to extend it a little :)
Down to the Lane Cove Weir and back, but at a pretty good clip, upping the tempo a couple of times in the park to catch other runners ahead. When I got back close to home I decided to do some strides on the oval opposite our house and knocked out 6 x 100m on slightly tired legs.
Stats
Distance : 12.6km
Time : 1:00:31
Avg Pace : 4:48 min/km
Avg HR : 158
Friday
Originally scheduled for 2 laps of Quarry Rd but other committments meant that I had to run from home so I went out for a hilly tempo/fartlek session. Initially felt quite tight, especially in LH hammie/glut but eventually warmed up. The run was one of my stock runs down to the weir, then along the Striders 10km course taking the bike path under Lane Cove Rd. Weaving through to Macquarie Centre and then up along the Shrimptons Creek bike path to Quarry Rd, downhill back to East Ryde and then tacking on a trip down to Pittwater Rd so I can *enjoy* the 1km climb back home.
I really seemed to struggle a little, even after the glute eased up I also had a niggle in the usual rh top of ankle. Probably also as a result of last nights effort. Anyway I finished hard up the hill and did extra stretches etc.
Stats
Distance : 20.9km
Time : 1:44:46
Avg Pace : 5:00 min/km :)
Avg HR : 157
I was really soaked when I finished (from sweat) so it must have been humid. Also I did a post run weigh in and I was 73.9kg, about 1.5kg below my current median weight so some fluid loss for sure!
Nothing in the morning so got the guilts and headed out after work, originally scheduled as a recovery run I decided to extend it a little :)
Down to the Lane Cove Weir and back, but at a pretty good clip, upping the tempo a couple of times in the park to catch other runners ahead. When I got back close to home I decided to do some strides on the oval opposite our house and knocked out 6 x 100m on slightly tired legs.
Stats
Distance : 12.6km
Time : 1:00:31
Avg Pace : 4:48 min/km
Avg HR : 158
Friday
Originally scheduled for 2 laps of Quarry Rd but other committments meant that I had to run from home so I went out for a hilly tempo/fartlek session. Initially felt quite tight, especially in LH hammie/glut but eventually warmed up. The run was one of my stock runs down to the weir, then along the Striders 10km course taking the bike path under Lane Cove Rd. Weaving through to Macquarie Centre and then up along the Shrimptons Creek bike path to Quarry Rd, downhill back to East Ryde and then tacking on a trip down to Pittwater Rd so I can *enjoy* the 1km climb back home.
I really seemed to struggle a little, even after the glute eased up I also had a niggle in the usual rh top of ankle. Probably also as a result of last nights effort. Anyway I finished hard up the hill and did extra stretches etc.
Stats
Distance : 20.9km
Time : 1:44:46
Avg Pace : 5:00 min/km :)
Avg HR : 157
I was really soaked when I finished (from sweat) so it must have been humid. Also I did a post run weigh in and I was 73.9kg, about 1.5kg below my current median weight so some fluid loss for sure!
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Summer Series Vineyard Creek
Flying back into Sydney it seemed nothing had changed with again pretty consistent rain, great for the dams and water supply but a little challenging while trying to run with a paper map and control card. Today's map included a greater percentage of bush and trails than most of the prior events.
I decided to head south-east first and clear the bottom of the map and leave the faster street running to take short cuts depending on how the bush sections went. So down along the creek, following a bit of a conga line through 5,26,6,18 and 8 with some street running to 29 and then sweeping through 19,9,20,10,30 and 28 with a lucky break shortcut across the creek.
Now for the more technical section with 17 after again crossing the creek a little hard to find in a network of tracks. Up towards 7 and 27 but got a little offput by Mel who was clearly looking a bit early for 27, but still made me recheck my position. 14,24,16 and 4 were all pretty easy to locate from the track and then back out for some open running to 21 (leaving out 11). With time running short I picked up the pace getting 12,2 and 22 (bypassing 13). A slight route choice error here going to 23 via 3 and then back again and then with the penalty clock already clicking a nav error running past 15 before going back and then clearing 25 on the run home.
A tougher run than expected, no doubt due to slippery underfooting in the bush (read lots of mud) and more technical running and controls in the green stuff. Legs felt very fresh, a good thing since they had 2 days off!
Stats
Distance : 7.6km
Time : 50:45
I decided to head south-east first and clear the bottom of the map and leave the faster street running to take short cuts depending on how the bush sections went. So down along the creek, following a bit of a conga line through 5,26,6,18 and 8 with some street running to 29 and then sweeping through 19,9,20,10,30 and 28 with a lucky break shortcut across the creek.
Now for the more technical section with 17 after again crossing the creek a little hard to find in a network of tracks. Up towards 7 and 27 but got a little offput by Mel who was clearly looking a bit early for 27, but still made me recheck my position. 14,24,16 and 4 were all pretty easy to locate from the track and then back out for some open running to 21 (leaving out 11). With time running short I picked up the pace getting 12,2 and 22 (bypassing 13). A slight route choice error here going to 23 via 3 and then back again and then with the penalty clock already clicking a nav error running past 15 before going back and then clearing 25 on the run home.
A tougher run than expected, no doubt due to slippery underfooting in the bush (read lots of mud) and more technical running and controls in the green stuff. Legs felt very fresh, a good thing since they had 2 days off!
Stats
Distance : 7.6km
Time : 50:45
Off topic short interlude
Some pretty heavy work committments saw a late night Sunday, followed by an early start on Monday and another full day so pretty much impossible to get out for a run. Tuesday was not much better with the sound of heavy rain easing the guilt somewhat as I drove to the airport to fly to Melbourne.
The good news is I got a gig to go to the Australian Open Tennis, which involved drinks and dinner in a corporate marquee, a behind the scenes tour of Rod Laver arena and then prime seats at the night session. We got to watch Martina Hingis pretty effectively demolish a russian girl. I was a little taken aback as Hingis was a lot smaller than I had imagined from TV shots.
From there it was Phillippousis vs Grosjean and again I was amazed at how big Scud was, he towered over the frenchman. Unfortunately scud's game was very eratic, some absolute booming serves but very inconsistent and lots of unforced errors. Anyway lots of fun, but not much running on my behalf!
The good news is I got a gig to go to the Australian Open Tennis, which involved drinks and dinner in a corporate marquee, a behind the scenes tour of Rod Laver arena and then prime seats at the night session. We got to watch Martina Hingis pretty effectively demolish a russian girl. I was a little taken aback as Hingis was a lot smaller than I had imagined from TV shots.
From there it was Phillippousis vs Grosjean and again I was amazed at how big Scud was, he towered over the frenchman. Unfortunately scud's game was very eratic, some absolute booming serves but very inconsistent and lots of unforced errors. Anyway lots of fun, but not much running on my behalf!
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Race Report SMC Half
Back out to Smithfield for a benchmark test over a good testing half course. My parents joined me today, after staying overnight and thy went for a walk on the course while we raced.
Another good turnout, and while still humid, it was overcast and thankfully not much wind. Out at a decent pace, taking advantage of the water bags to keep hydrated in a controlled fashion. I started to haul a few people in from in front, one was fellow Strider, running incognito (and also less his former flowing hair) David Martin. I caught him near the 5km mark and we then tussled for the next 10km. As I caught him he put in a surge like a startled rabbit and then I had another grind of a km or so before the same happened again.
Going up through "the loop hill" just after 10km Barry caught me (as per our usual race form) but this time I held with him, dropping David and catching and dropping another in the process. Near the final turnaround for the final time Barry had slowly stretched away to about a 20m gap but we had caught another runner by here as well.
On the way back up the hill I noticed that my right shoe suddenly became loose (shoelace undone!). Persevering for about 100m I decided I had to stop as it was becoming very loose and I did not want to self inflict an injury! The previously passed runner went by as I quickly tightened and tied the offending lace and set off in pursuit of the 2 guys in front.
Despite giving my all, I was not able to haul them back in but made good inroads finishing strongly and semi sprinting across teh line.
Distance : 21.1km (of course!)
Time : 1:32:48
Avg Pace : 4:25
Avg HR : 168
This was a 35 second improvement over similar conditions in December and probably another 10 seconds lost in the shoe lace debacle. A pleasing run after a one day taper :) and now my second all time best half time. It seemed that I held the pace better in the back half, not as far as negative splitting but less of a decline and the stats below confirm this.
Splits against last month
5km 21:48 21:37 (a little slower!)
10km 22:14 21:21 (slower still!)
15km 22:17 22:49 (thats better)
20km 22:32 22:56 (and that includes the lace retie)
Another good turnout, and while still humid, it was overcast and thankfully not much wind. Out at a decent pace, taking advantage of the water bags to keep hydrated in a controlled fashion. I started to haul a few people in from in front, one was fellow Strider, running incognito (and also less his former flowing hair) David Martin. I caught him near the 5km mark and we then tussled for the next 10km. As I caught him he put in a surge like a startled rabbit and then I had another grind of a km or so before the same happened again.
Going up through "the loop hill" just after 10km Barry caught me (as per our usual race form) but this time I held with him, dropping David and catching and dropping another in the process. Near the final turnaround for the final time Barry had slowly stretched away to about a 20m gap but we had caught another runner by here as well.
On the way back up the hill I noticed that my right shoe suddenly became loose (shoelace undone!). Persevering for about 100m I decided I had to stop as it was becoming very loose and I did not want to self inflict an injury! The previously passed runner went by as I quickly tightened and tied the offending lace and set off in pursuit of the 2 guys in front.
Despite giving my all, I was not able to haul them back in but made good inroads finishing strongly and semi sprinting across teh line.
Distance : 21.1km (of course!)
Time : 1:32:48
Avg Pace : 4:25
Avg HR : 168
This was a 35 second improvement over similar conditions in December and probably another 10 seconds lost in the shoe lace debacle. A pleasing run after a one day taper :) and now my second all time best half time. It seemed that I held the pace better in the back half, not as far as negative splitting but less of a decline and the stats below confirm this.
Splits against last month
5km 21:48 21:37 (a little slower!)
10km 22:14 21:21 (slower still!)
15km 22:17 22:49 (thats better)
20km 22:32 22:56 (and that includes the lace retie)
End of week
Despite best intentions I did not get out for that run on Saturday. So that ended the week.
Total Distance : 69km
Avg Pace : 5:23
Avg HR : 161
Vertical Climb : 717m (a nice feature from Sportstracks)
Little disappointed that the distance was not a little more, but very few junk miles in this lot!
The plan for this week
Sunday - SMC Half Marathon
Monday - Recovery
Tuesday - Hill reps
Wednesday - Summer Series Telopea (a little flatter!)
Thursday - Recovery
Friday - Long Hills (Quarry Rd)
Saturday - Recovery
Total Distance : 69km
Avg Pace : 5:23
Avg HR : 161
Vertical Climb : 717m (a nice feature from Sportstracks)
Little disappointed that the distance was not a little more, but very few junk miles in this lot!
The plan for this week
Sunday - SMC Half Marathon
Monday - Recovery
Tuesday - Hill reps
Wednesday - Summer Series Telopea (a little flatter!)
Thursday - Recovery
Friday - Long Hills (Quarry Rd)
Saturday - Recovery
Friday, January 13, 2006
Smashed
A common school of thought is if you want to get better then train with better runners. I kept on repeating that to myself today as I joined MPHaz and Fats for a hilly tempo run. There were supposed to be a couple of others there a little more my speed but they withdrew and so here I am heading out with 2 sub 3 hr marathoners on a hilly tempo run with already semi dead legs!
Quite an overcast morning and seemingly high humidity as a light drizzle accompanied us. MPHaz has a nice route laid out from his place with a bit of everything as we wheeled around West Lindfield, crossing Lady Game Drive and getting in some trail running on the Eastern Side of Lane Cove National Park. The guys were cruising while I was making an effort to keep the pace and so they were chatting away madly while all I could do was heavy breathing!
Then we turned back from the park and ran up an absolute bugger of a hill, which stretched on for about a km all the way from Lady Game Drive up to the Pacific Highway. I don't know about these faster guys, they seemed to want to rest at the top while I just pressed on!
Then after a more gentle continuing climb a nice downhill stretch to open the lungs before a couple of nasty pinches, the final one being very demoralising as you actually run past where you started and keep on going up the hill and around the corner!
End stats
Distance : 13km
Time : 1:06:50
Avg pace : 5:07
Avg HR : 172 (yes it was a tough run!)
Looking back through the log for this week I'm close to 70km and other than the recovery run yesterday it has been all pretty hard stuff (with lots of hills). I'm sitting at work trying to complete a big document but am pretty knackered, the glutes are certainly not used to this sort of punishment. Well I hope the old saying about what doesn't kill you makes you stronger is true.
So a "recovery" run tomorrow to round out the week, I doubt that I will include any strides now and then the half out at SMC before another big week.
Oh and just in case anyone did not read between the lines, the reason why they wanted to rest at the top of the big hill was because I was dragging the chain. Pretty hard going though, they get some respite/recovery but then start running as soon as I catch up :)
Quite an overcast morning and seemingly high humidity as a light drizzle accompanied us. MPHaz has a nice route laid out from his place with a bit of everything as we wheeled around West Lindfield, crossing Lady Game Drive and getting in some trail running on the Eastern Side of Lane Cove National Park. The guys were cruising while I was making an effort to keep the pace and so they were chatting away madly while all I could do was heavy breathing!
Then we turned back from the park and ran up an absolute bugger of a hill, which stretched on for about a km all the way from Lady Game Drive up to the Pacific Highway. I don't know about these faster guys, they seemed to want to rest at the top while I just pressed on!
Then after a more gentle continuing climb a nice downhill stretch to open the lungs before a couple of nasty pinches, the final one being very demoralising as you actually run past where you started and keep on going up the hill and around the corner!
End stats
Distance : 13km
Time : 1:06:50
Avg pace : 5:07
Avg HR : 172 (yes it was a tough run!)
Looking back through the log for this week I'm close to 70km and other than the recovery run yesterday it has been all pretty hard stuff (with lots of hills). I'm sitting at work trying to complete a big document but am pretty knackered, the glutes are certainly not used to this sort of punishment. Well I hope the old saying about what doesn't kill you makes you stronger is true.
So a "recovery" run tomorrow to round out the week, I doubt that I will include any strides now and then the half out at SMC before another big week.
Oh and just in case anyone did not read between the lines, the reason why they wanted to rest at the top of the big hill was because I was dragging the chain. Pretty hard going though, they get some respite/recovery but then start running as soon as I catch up :)
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Summer Series & Recovery
Wednesday morning at the moment I have off given the hard run I will be doing that night. The body certainly was still feeling the effects of yesterdays hill rep session with again the glutes and lower back both exhibiting signs of DOM's which is actually probably a good sign!
To answer Kit's question from yesterday I would say that Cox's Rd hill is certainly steeper than Lilyfield Rd, it is also a more even grade. In terms of length it is a bit longer as well, about 10-20m longer but I am going to ask Action if I can borrow his measuring wheel to get a more exact length.
Anyway onto Summer Series which was at East Lindfield this week. A well set out course (more even control distribution than last week) with some good route options. I decided not to head down onto the bush track, given the climb back out and number of available points down there. Instead sticking to more of the streetscape and cherry picking some controls at the edge of the bush when possible.
Not having my map with me the run route is better viewed below, with the running in a counter clockwise direstion.
Notice the overlapping tracks up near the right hand area, where despite knowing this area would be a challenge I still came unstuck going on a wrong track and having to climb back up to the right one, I lost more than 2 minutes here (this was control 18). Then I fell into trap of losing concentration and proceeded to run straight past the planned entry point to a 30 pointer, so in the space of 3 minutes I cost myself at least 50 points!!
A sharp run back which included some more lung/leg busting climbs and I really started to feel the effects of the hill reps in the legs finally getting back just under 2 minutes late. End score was about 430 I think with the top being 500. But Seagull had my measure again with a great run posting 480, he is on fire at the moment!!
Stats:
Distance : 8.42km
Time : 46:45
Avg pace : 5:33
Avg HR : 171
Thursday
Back to my gentle recovery run of 2 laps of North Ryde common, shins feel a bit beat up but once I got going felt sort of ok. 6.7km in 35 minutes and avg HR of 149 so just right for a recovery run.
Tomorrow I am planning to head over to MPHaz's place for a hard hill based fartlek style run trying to keep up with him and Fats should be loads of fun (read pain!). Saturday another recovery run, probably with a few strides thrown in for good measure and then out to scenic Smithfield on Sunday for the SMC series and a hit out over the half marathon, for another benchmark measurement.
To answer Kit's question from yesterday I would say that Cox's Rd hill is certainly steeper than Lilyfield Rd, it is also a more even grade. In terms of length it is a bit longer as well, about 10-20m longer but I am going to ask Action if I can borrow his measuring wheel to get a more exact length.
Anyway onto Summer Series which was at East Lindfield this week. A well set out course (more even control distribution than last week) with some good route options. I decided not to head down onto the bush track, given the climb back out and number of available points down there. Instead sticking to more of the streetscape and cherry picking some controls at the edge of the bush when possible.
Not having my map with me the run route is better viewed below, with the running in a counter clockwise direstion.
Notice the overlapping tracks up near the right hand area, where despite knowing this area would be a challenge I still came unstuck going on a wrong track and having to climb back up to the right one, I lost more than 2 minutes here (this was control 18). Then I fell into trap of losing concentration and proceeded to run straight past the planned entry point to a 30 pointer, so in the space of 3 minutes I cost myself at least 50 points!!
A sharp run back which included some more lung/leg busting climbs and I really started to feel the effects of the hill reps in the legs finally getting back just under 2 minutes late. End score was about 430 I think with the top being 500. But Seagull had my measure again with a great run posting 480, he is on fire at the moment!!
Stats:
Distance : 8.42km
Time : 46:45
Avg pace : 5:33
Avg HR : 171
Thursday
Back to my gentle recovery run of 2 laps of North Ryde common, shins feel a bit beat up but once I got going felt sort of ok. 6.7km in 35 minutes and avg HR of 149 so just right for a recovery run.
Tomorrow I am planning to head over to MPHaz's place for a hard hill based fartlek style run trying to keep up with him and Fats should be loads of fun (read pain!). Saturday another recovery run, probably with a few strides thrown in for good measure and then out to scenic Smithfield on Sunday for the SMC series and a hit out over the half marathon, for another benchmark measurement.
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