Two left feet

I had a good laugh at work on Thursday when I went to gather my shoes for my lunch time run. Alas I obviously wasn't paying too much attention when I bagged them at home.

Two left shoes for a runner that often runs like she has two left feet!

It must have been a subliminal message. I had some old shoes at work that I could use, but even so I ran like I had 2 left feet as I managed to trip over at one point during my run around Black Mountain. As it turns out I was also thinking about falls when running. Message to self, "Don't think about falling while running, while running!" That said, there was no damage done, no blood, unlike poor Cathy today at the handicap, she did yet another CJ.

It was a stunning day for the monthly handicap at Majura Nature Park. Lots of good runs by friends on a tough course!

Latest Training:
Monday -  Off
Tuesday - after a ~2K warm up and 4 x 100m strides,  did 3 x 1km intervals with approx 1 min recovery in between. Intervals were 4:14, 4:15 and 4:12, just a bit harder than tempo. Conditions were windy and cold. HR sat around 160bpm for each interval. Felt like a fish out of water at this sess :-/.
Wednesday - Off. It was one of those days with an ice cold wind that went straight through you and wouldn't let up. I stayed curled up at home with a good book. I'm struggling with motivation at present.
Thursday - the day of 2 left feet! A lap around Black Mountain. 11.8K @ 5:30min/K and HRav 143bpm, a good LT run. Rating 3/3
Friday - A circuit around central basin and past Telopea school. 11K @ 5:35min/K and HRav 136bpm. Lagging a bit. Rating 2/3
Saturday -  Chose to do a long run today as the monthly handicap is on Sunday this week. 17.2K @ 6min/K and HRav 130bpm. Started run with a 1.5/3 rating and a side stitch for first few kms. Then gradually things improved to a rating of 2/3.
Sunday - 2K warm up jog then the ACTVAC handicap 10K @ 5:14 min/K and HRav of 152bpm.  Legs were tired (as shown in the HR data) from the long run and wheels came off at the 3K to go marker.  Not a great time, but a course PB by 3.5 mins (not hard to do based on the previous 2 performances!).  Rating 1.5/3.
Total mileage for the week 58K. A bit low due to 2 days off. Cruising speed is starting to slowly get a bit quicker.

Running tired

It was an easier week this week as the body was a little tired from the 76K week. However, the good news is there was no significant fatigue, the body was just a bit sluggish and slow.

My favourite lunchtime loop around Black Mountain

I ran Monday after the big weekend and as expected it was tough going. These runs are good for training outside of the comfort zone, focusing on form while a bit fatigued, like at the end of a marathon. Matt Fitzgerald talks about this in his book 'Run. The mind-body method of running by feel'. From the book "your neuromuscular system learns new patterns that increase your resistance to stride deterioration and increase your running efficiency in a rested state." "The objective is to subject yourself to judicious doses of fatigued running in training."

Tuesday was a well earned day off. Wednesday was a lap around my favourite Black Mountain loop, with a happy recovered body. Thursday involved some long intervals and Friday was an easy recovery day. Saturday was group training doing 3 x 5min hilly intervals with jog recover and Sunday was a long run that started with the 2.0 litre runners, my little 1.5 litre engine couldn't keep up. I ran a bit longer than the 2.0 litre group and joined them for brunch a bit later :-).

Latest Training:
Monday - 7.2K easy @ 6min/K, HRav 130bpm
Tuesday - OFF
Wednesday - 11.8K @5:50min/K, HRav 133 bpm
Thursday - 2K warm up, 4 x 6min intervals with 1 min jog recovery followed by jog cool down - 9.1K
Friday -7.2K easy @5:55min/K, HRav 125 bpm
Saturday - 5K warm up then 3 x 5min intervals (HRav around 150bpm/interval) - 5.1K
Sunday - 15.8K long hilly run @6min/K HRav 132bpm. Total for week 65K

Fun run #2

The 10K run fun went reasonably well. I had hoped to get in under 47 mins, but as I couldn't figure out the km markers and got the half way point mixed up, I ran 'blind' and finished in 47:26. Fatigue wasn't an issue (I did take some pre-race P). Listening to the body and taking off days as needed is no doubt helping. I'm not sure what to target as fun run #3, but may try a 'tempo' half marathon (YCRC in May) if I bounce back from this week's efforts.

An awesome cheer squad that included Stu, Lou, Scott and Gramps (taking the photo)

Latest Training:
Friday - 9.2K easy run around central basin and Lennox Gardens. This included a couple of 10K pace intervals of 5 mins and 7.5 mins (I misread the watch for that 2nd one). The legs felt good leaving me optimistic about Saturday.
Saturday - 2.3K warm up, 10K @ 47:26, HRav 159, 1K cool down and chat with the cheer squad.
Sunday - 21.16K hilly trail run (a half marathon!) @6:10min/K, HRav 131bpm. As I 'raced' the 10K yesterday, I chose to do this run very easily. There was none of that undefined fatigue, but I did take P pre-run. Presently I can't even imagine those 30K runs needed in marathon training!
Total for the week: 76K :-)

Dreams .....

I don't have any delusions of grandeur, but I do still dream of that sub 3:30 marathon. I'd love to have another crack in the Melbourne Marathon in October. Alas, it all depends on how long this 'fatigue' plans on lingering. Step 1 is my first 10K event in a very long time at the Australian Running Festival this Saturday. Based on my favourite running calculator, using my 5K time from the Women and Girls Fun Run, I could run ~46:35ish. I'd be very happy with that. However, I haven't actually trained to run/race 10K and I'd have to be feeling 100% on the day, something I just can't predict, not even with a good dose of P. It's been a bit of a flat week so far. Monday I thought things were looking up based on average pace and HR data for the Saturday and Monday runs. However, Tues and Wed were not good days. Sluggish, slow, just not right. Wisely I took today, Thursday off and will do a shortish session on Friday in preparation for the 10K on Saturday.

I like to think of myself as the Spielberg of running videos (ha ha) and here is one from Nationals that features Maria O'Rielly (W55) running a magnificent 5:34.82 and Helen Larmour (W50) with a season's best 5:46.56 in the 1500m. They scored Gold and Bronze, respectively. Rock stars!!


W50-59 1500m by jkkingston

Latest Training:
Tuesday - 9.2K, Little Black Mountain Loop, 6:20min/K HRav 133bpm. Stopped and chatted with Amanda for a little while.
Wednesday - 11.8K @ 6min/K, HRav 129 bpm.
Thursday - OFF  

And shine they did ......

AMA National Championships were very fruitful for a number of my running friends. Their performances were just outstanding and inspirational! Heidi had a brave run in the 800m that didn't quite get her there. However, her run in the 1500m was just fabulous to take the silver. She also ran a blinder to take gold in the cross country. Maria was just amazing, getting silver in the 800m and gold in both the 1500m and the 5000m. Other great performances include KT getting gold in the 10000m and bronze in the 5000m; Helen getting bronze in both the 800m and 1500m and silver in the 5000m; Kelley claimed the silver in the 10000m and bronze in the 5000m. Bruce ran a great 1500m and nearly pulled it off, taking the silver after a bold attacking run. There were lots of other great results, I have just highlighted a few!

Heidi ran a great PB to take the silver medal in the 1500m

Bruce may be outsized, but never out run. A great run for the silver

Latest Training:
Thursday - 9.2K @ 5:45min/K, HRav 134bpm
Friday - OFF, spent the AM driving and the PM cheering :o)
Saturday - 14.8K run through the Tan and along the Yarra @ 5:26 min/K, HRav 138bpm
Sunday - OFF, cheered AM, then drove all the way from Melbourne to Canberra. Total for week 56K (2 days off)
Monday  - 11.3K @ 5:47 min/K, HRav 132 bpm.

Time to shine

With Easter approaching, there will be a number of friends and running buddies putting themselves to the test at AMA National Athletic Championships this Easter long weekend. I hope to pop down to Melbourne for a couple of days to watch my good friend Heidi shine in the 800m and1500m. These are two events she has really made her own! It's been a long time coming as she missed out competing last year due to a stress fracture. This year she is primed and in excellent shape to smash her PBs and collect some bling. There are other talented friends I will be cheering for, naturally! Hopefully I will get some good photos and video coverage to do them justice!

Here's hoping the Easter Bunny brings some BLING!

It's been a few days of basic running training with easy runs on Mon and Tues post-fun run. Wed was a long interval session, although not really to plan due to warm conditions and tiredness from one of those restless nights sleepwise. I limited my P use to just Wed.

Latest Training:
Monday - 11K central basin + Telopea School loop @ 5:43min/K, HRav 137 bpm.
Tuesday - 11.7K Black Mountain circuit - quite warm! @ 6 min/K HRav 138 bpm
Wednesday - 4 x 6 min intervals with 1 min active recovery between each rep. First 2 reps @ 4:30min/K; 2nd 2 reps @ 4:50min/K. 2K warm up and 2K cool down. This session was a struggle and the third interval involved a couple of stops at the drinking fountain!

Fun Run #1

The fun run season is now upon us and I participated in my first one for the month (and year for that matter) - the Women and Girls 5K Fun Run. It was a stunning morning for it with the sun shining and only a gentle breeze. The goal was to see if I could run under 23 minutes on this undulating course. As per my previous post, I dosed up on paracetamol and hoped to be fatigue free. It worked, my watch said 5.1K and time 22:55. We will see once the official results come out (net time 22:51). I even managed to scrape into the top 30, finishing 28th. Lots of awesome performances by friends and training buddies. Lou came in 5th (19:13), Kathy S won the W60 (22:15), Kathy SG (20:18) won the W55, with Maria 2nd (22:06), Helen L won the W50 (21:56) and KT won the W45 (20:27). Lots of other ACTVAC runners in the top end of the field. It was nice to have our male friends on the sidelines cheering :o).

Two very speedy W55s, Kathy Southgate and Maria O'Rielly

Latest Training:
Friday - A paracetamol (P) assisted lap around Black Mountain 11.7K @ 5:42 min/K, HRav 137 bpm. I can now call myself a P addict ;-).
Saturday - 14.6K run in Goorooyaroo and Mulligans Flat. Despite some P, felt v tired and so didn't push it. 14.6K @6:13 min/K, HRav 125 bpm.
Sunday - P + ~1.8K warm up; 5.1K fun run. Time 22:55, pace 4:29 min/K, HRav 158bpm - 2nd W45. Total for the week 66K, Total for the month of March 250km. Next fun run planned is 10K at the Australian Running Festival.