Program Error

This week is pretty easy with the lead up for the SMH half on Sunday, so I was of the opinion I had 35 minutes easy on the program for today. I decided to have a mid-week sleep in (5:45am) and go for my run after work.

Set out along Kogorah Bay into Botany Bay with a couple of small hills to keep me honest. Today was one those days when everything felt great. I completed just over 7km in 36.25 min, which was an average pace of 5.12/km. I finished off with some stretching.

I then looked at my program for the rest of the week and realised I only had 30 minutes for today.

Headed over the SWEAT this morning in sight drizzle, expecting a chilly morning. By the time I arrived the drizzle had stopped. I managed to take a set of gloves today, but found that after the warm up I was too hot, so they were quickly disregarded.

Did the usual drills and strides. Today I completed 2 x 2km and 1 x 1600m. My program had my third rep as 1200m, but when advised we were all to complete a 1600m, I thought what the hell. I felt a bit flat today, my times were 9.29, 9.28 and 7.28.

Sean commented that he has noticed an improvement in my form and times, which is very pleasing. Watch out Blue Dog ;-).

Total ks for session; 8.9km.

I will have to think about something to eat before training, which may give me the energy levels I was lacking this morning, I have ruled out Up and Go's after last weeks disaster.

Weekend Update

13 May 2006

It was a pretty hectic day, I had a fair bit on: domestic duties (house work/grocery shopping), a race, and my parents over for dinner.

I had 7.5km Cross Country at Sydney Park on the program for today. Luckily I know this course well, I do a few of mid week runs through the park and hill reps. I had also completed the 5km Cross Country there last year.

I arrived to find Vat warming up, Blue Dog met me there and another mysterious runner "Superflake". I chatted to Blue Dog before the race and advised I was not going to run it too hard, but push myself hard than my normal training runs, as I know the hills can knock it out of you on this course.

The 2.5km, 5km and 7.5km runners all started together as it was a 2.5km circuit. I ran tall on the hills as suggested by Sean the other day. I finished with my own personal cheer squad, and was latter advised I was the first female for the 7.5km, I was the only female (but it's a win ;-) ). However, the results have me listed as a male, with a very strange spelling attempt of "Bernadette". I finished in 37:56, (5.03min/km). I looked up my time from lasts years 5km race and found my pace was 5:11min/km.

I then raced off home, and prepared a beautiful dinner for my parents.

14 May 2006

The Strider's STaR was at Dee Why today, and only had 90 minutes on my program, so Blue Dog and I decided to treat ourselves to a sleep-in and run locally. We ran the same route on Wednesday, fractionally quicker (1min 20sec) but it felt really comfortable. Blue Dog commented how I appeared my relaxed and breathing was more controlled, which is good.

Finished off with some stretching.

I headed off to a BBQ at my sisters house for the afternoon, which involved alot talking about her September wedding, which I happen to be bridesmaid for. I should mention she has been very careful to avoid an major races, and even agreed to changing the date for the hen's weekend to avoid clashing the Sydney Running Festival :-)

Up and Go!!!

I usually don't eat before SWEAT, but his morning I thought I would try and Up and Go, and it worked, not in the running sense but lets say if felt very hydrated. The sprints to the loo interferred with my recovery today ;-).

Today's session was "Wild Wally" which mean hills reps, I had five reps on my program. Times were; 3:30, 3:29, 3:34, 3:24, 3:21 which was a big improvement on previous session. Today I was advised to run tall and push my chest out. I used this technique for the last couple of reps, which has proven to assist.

It was a big group this morning, and I was very happy to see Katie back and running strong.

Bays Run

I had a day off work today and enjoyed a sleep in until 7.30am :-). Blue Dog and headed off on a little venture for our mid week run. Our run incorporated Kogarah Bay, Carrs Park, Sylvania, and along Botany Bay. It was beautiful running around the waters edge today.

I had a plan of ninety minutes, but the run was completed in 1hr 26, with a total of 15:83km, average pace of 5:28/km. Felt pretty good throughout the run, however I didn't carry any water and the first tap/bubbler I found was at the 12km mark. A lesson for the next time.

Short and Sharp

I left home a little late this morning wanting to witness the miners being released, unfortunately I had to leave for SWEAT. So I left home a little later than usual which cut into my "warm-up" time.

Today's session was speed and now that I have a program I don't have to keep bothering Sean. My reps were 1 x 2km (9:14) and 2 x 800m (3:36, 3:28). I was really pleased with my effort this morning. Finished off with a cool down and smile on my face.

Long Slooooooooow Distance

Due to Blue Dog's shift work I had agreed to met him at his workplace and then head over the Strider's STaR for the 7am group. However, he phoned me to let me know he had a crap night. So I headed over there on my own. I had a pretty good idea of direction, but pulled up at a set of lights noticed the person in front wearing a cap, and thought that person is probably heading to the STaR, it was Bec. Kit, please advise Ray his theory on "runner's head" is correct.

There was again another problem with the map/instructions ect. so the the 7am group split. We ended up with a total distance of 15.5km. With a lot of standing around map reading.

On another note, I have now received my training program therefore, my Sunday runs will become more focused.

Heading in the Right Direction

5 May 2006

Decided to have an easy day with the NSW Road Champs. coming up so I headed to the gym. I completed 40 minutes of the elliptical Trainer followed with some streches.

6 May 2006

Ventured over to North Head this morning for the Striders 10K, but only as a spectator. Blue Dog was the 50min pacer so it gave me good excuse to head over there and catch up with the regulars and have nice breakfast ;-).

We then head to Holsworthy for the 10k Champs. Given the race was held in the middle of the day, I thought it would be a good idea to hydrate well, it was almost too well (another lesson learnt). This is the first time for a while have been nervous before and race, otherwise I felt pretty good.

The course was 2 x 5k loop. I finished in 50:10, which is still outside my PB, but it is the best time I have ran all year, so I am very happy.

I am now going to head over to Sylvania Athletics Track to support a fellow runner who is doing the "Relay for Life" this weekend.

Fartlek around the Park.....

Today's session was a fartlek session. I really enjoyed this session and felt pretty good after yesterday. I missed one of the surges as I was chatting to Sean about my running goals then noticed people turning around to meet me. I'll put that down to private coaching ;-).

The total distance for today's session was 11.5kms.

On a general note I am feeling really good, energy levels are great, no niggles so I am very happy. Hopefully with a little more structure I will start to some positive results.

Jumped out of bed this morning ready to take on the world. Got all my gear together then woke Blue Dog with a coffee and explanation that I am not insane getting up before the sunshine, but put forward my argument that doing my midweek long run early allows maximum recovery time before another session of SWEAT in the morning.

Drove to work and ran to Sydney Park for a few laps of the park. Sydney Park is "dog friendly" environment. Which I must say annoys me. Dog owners generally walk around admiring the furry creature who runs across in front you, and don't even think about using the tap for drink. Negative toughts for the day over.....

I ran a total of 15.2km with an average pace of 5:42/km, which is pretty good as the run included a couple of nasty hills. All good preparation for the SMH.

30 April 2006

LSD, STaR River Run. Due to Blue Dog's work commitments and my effort after Saturday I decided to run with the later group. Meet Bec and Kerry and delegated map reading duties to Blue Dog, who ended up getting away from us. After a few k's Bec and Kerry decided to take the shorter option of 13k so I decided to run ahead to catch up with BD. I ended taking the wrong turn so re-grouped with my original running buddies. The run took us into the bush along part of the Great North Walk, at the end of the bush section I spotted BD and finished the last couple of ks with him. In total I did 17.5km.

1 May 2006

Rest day.

2 May 2006

SWEAT this morning. I arrived at Centennial Park to find the gates were still closed so I parked the car and commenced my warm-up. Did the usual strides etc, and today I completed 3 x 1600ms. Sean suggested we run the reps at 10k pace, however I felt very comfortable and pushed it a little harder. Times were: 7:54, 7:40, 7:41.

Total distance for today's session 9.6km.

A big day out.....

I had two choices today the CR 5K Challenge or the NSW Novice Cross Country, so I did both.

Part 1: 5K Challenge

This was just a social run and a good excuse for breakfast. I took the run very casual, with no concern for time, just an easy 10k in total.

Part 2: NSW Novice Cross Country

My first event a "Registered Athlete" (that's sounds impressive). The course was a local course for me which I am very familiar with, so I knew it's not fast but very sandy. I didn't know what to expect, thinking I would be racing against people way out of my league, but I recongised a few faces from other races and knew I was in familar territory.

The female novice event was 4km, a two loop course. I finished in 19:28 (my watch, not official). I was happy with that.

Big Bertha

Again out of bed this morning and headed to SWEAT. Today's session was hills, Big Bertha. I had done this session about 12 months ago, so it had been a while. Hills are my weakness, so the best way to resolve this, is attack (as best I can). Although everybody was waiting for me to finish, I was happy to complete the 10 with evens fairly splits (almost) 2:19. 2:31, 2:31, 2:33, 2:33, 2:36, 2:33, 2:32, 2:30, 2:22 total time for the session was 25:05.

Total session for today was 9.5km.

On another note, I lost my first toe nail. Maybe my pedicures will be cheaper with one less nail to buff and paint ;-).

When a bargain is not a bargain.....

I decided to revisit one of my favourite training locations today, Sydney Park. Last night I got all my gear ready so there was no excuse and no waiting time.

Arrived at work and which is approximately 2km from Sydney Park. Started off nicely felt good, except for one problem, my tights kept slipping down. I am a regular visitor of the Nike warehouse and picked up a pair of running tights for $40.00, I later realised there was no draw string in them. Anyway a put the tights on this morning thinking they would be okay, but no they kept heading south. I apologise to anyone who may have witnessed this. As I starting to warm up...sweat.... the tights stayed in a reasonably modest position.

Now back to the run. I always enjoy running around Sydney Park (except for the dogs), it has some good hills to keep you honest. My average pace was 5.48/km. I actually arrived back at work 200m short of 12km (garmin) so I ran a couple of laps of the car park to make up the difference.

24 April 2006

I headed down to the gym this afternoon and completed an hour on the elliptical trainer. The goal of the session was to keep the workout on the border line of a weight loss/cardio workout. This was followed by a weight session. I had not done any resistance training in the past 6 weeks. I forgot how good it is, and how much it can hurt. My arms were feeling it all afternoon. Finished the session with some streching.

25 April 2006

SWEAT. Today's session was either 1600m or 1200m, I was instructed to complete 3 x 1200m. Did the usual warm, strides and then got stuck into it. The plan was to finish each one faster. My times were: 5:47, 5:38, and 5:33 so I was very pleased.

Total distance for the session was 8.2km.

A good start to the day.

It's starting to feel good again.....

21 April 2006

Due to social commitments (tough life), I decided to you use the treadmill at work today. Decided to run for 45 minutes and just fiddle with the speed. I managed 8.23km, felt pretty comfortable and pushed the last couple of kms. Then some strectching.

22 April 2006

Headed to the gym (Fitness First) for any easy session. Ran for 25 minutes on the treadmill, distance of 4.91km, followed by 25 minutes on the elliptical trainer, abs and streching.

23 April 2006

SMC 21km. I decided to treat this run as my LSD. I have only done one long run since six foot, and I was in no shape for racing. Bec has also treating the run as a LSD so we ran together, felt pretty comfortable, but was happy to finish.

I am still undecided of what my goals are and key races. However, I have decided I love 6 Foot, and this will be big one for my annual race calendar. I am also planning on some interesting runs (actually races) with Kit.

Do I still run?

Well I have to admit I had not run for a complete week. I have been so busy at work and settling in at the new house, all my energy had been exhausted. Even with the Easter break, I did not get out the door to exercise once. The closest I got was hosting the Striders STaR.

So what's the plan now? I have not ruled the Gold Coast Marathon out, but I really need to get back on track. Sitting outside with Blue Dog on Tuesday evening looking at the stars, I decided to go back to SWEAT. This is something I have been thinking about for a while now.

I have also decided to go back to Weight Watchers. I have been carring extra weight for a couple of years now, and it's creeping up slowly, even with all the running (exclude the past couple of weeks). I will start on Monday, 24 April 2006.

19 April 2006

I ran 9.16km at an average pace of 5:25km/hr. I it was quite windy, and the new training area has a couple of slight hills in comparison to my old training routes. Came home and did some streching.

I enjoyed that post-run feeling again.

20 April 2006

Return to SWEAT. I was really looking forward to going back to SWEAT, I actually woke up a couple of times looking at the clock, I did not want to sleep in ;-). Did the usual warm-up, strides and got stuck into. Today was "Wild Wally" x 5 reps. My reps were: 3:33, 3:39, 3:37;3:43,3:37. Not the fastest, but now I have a target.

Hello neighbourhood

Well I finally got of and went for a new run at the new residence, which I should state is still within the same area I have lived for the past few years. I ran a total of 9.2km with an average pace of 5.24km/hr. It was nice to run a different route, and even experience the smallest hills.

Came home and finished off with some stretching, which I must admit I have been neglecting.

8 April 2006

Arrived in Canberra with just enough time to register, book into our accommodation, quickly get changed and return to the start! Saw the usual familiar faces and walked over to the start, which I nearly missed as I was chatting. It was a pretty good course, but there was one small section which encountered a pretty strong head wind. My time was 51:19 (not official), which is still a two minutes off my PB, but getting there.

9 April 2006

No exercise except walking to the best locations to cheer people on. I must admit I did not suffer "runner's envy" I was quite happy to encourage people and witness other's achieve their goals.

Headed off to post run dinner, and set a date to meet Bec at 7.30am at the Marathon start for a run.

10 April 2006

Met Bec at the agreed time and headed off for a run around the lake. The battery in my garmin was dead, but Bec recorded it as 10km, it was a nice comfortable pace.

11 April 2006

I head over to the track this morning for some reps. After a 2.25km warm up, I did 5 x 800m reps with a 400m recovery. My times were; 3:24, 3:32, 3:34, 3:33, 3:32. This was followed with a 1.5 km warm down. Total Session 9.75km.

I'm Still Alive......

29 March 2006

Given that Blue Dog and I were starting our move on 31 March 2006, we headed over to my parents place to take them out for dinner. As some would know my father had a nastly accident, so it's definitely a case of family first.

30 March 2006

Headed over to the track for the 3000m. I had a huge PB of 26 seconds 13:48. I was very happy. I ran a fairly even paced run and felt quite comfortable.

31 March 2006

Started the endless process of moving. No running, just hard labour.

1 April 2006

Striders 10K - Domain. This was the first time I had ran this course. Very scenic but hard to find your rhythm.

2 - 7 April 2006

No exercise. We'll actually we moved house, therefore the week was spent moving, moving, and moving. How can two people collect so much crap?