Geez That Feels Good!

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 30k
Month Total: 185k
Year Total: 712k

I am a very happy 2P :-)

I have not been game due to my calves to do a genuine shorter speed session for quite a few summers - I've dabbled a bit with a few 1k repeats and some 500m cruise intervals - but today after 6k warm up (I was pretty warm) I did 5 X 400's with a 90s standing recovery.

They went:

91s
84s
84s
87s
91s

90 seconds was right for recovery and 5 was definitely the right number because I really dropped form on the last one and had the head wobble thing happening over the last 30 or so meters.

It felt really great to stretch it out and hold some form - might even be tempted to do some really short stuff soon just for fun.

Bad Rabbits

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 20k
Month Total: 175k
Year Total: 702k

My 2nd run in just a smidge over 12 hours was never going to be real flash but I wanted to run again this morning to get back into some good training habits as I try to claw back some consistency after Six Foot and injury. For me the lure of the pm run is the first step on a very slippery slope to slugsville.

I had just the vaguest niggle in the ITB today so to be safe I took a couple of walk breaks and a couple of stretch breaks which meant I was on the road for 67 minutes for the 10k - I don't know what the actual running time was cause I didn't hit the pause button - not important today.

The main thing was I leapt out of bed (ok so I rolled out of bed and crawled on my hands and knees to the bathroom - briefly detouring via the kitchen to reach up from the floor and fumble for the on/off switch on the kettle) at 5.00am and some time after that was doing a barely credible impersonation of a runner around the streets of Concord and environs - good job it was dark :-)

Born Again Runner

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 10k
Month Total: 165k
Year Total: 692k

YEEEEHAA! That IS a light at the end of the tunnel and for once its not a train.

At the risk of offending the running gods *touches wood, rubs lucky rabbits foot & crosses fingers* apart from normal muscle tiredness from training last night I ran pain free from start to finish today :-)

An early start at work today and a late night last night meant that to run this morning would have meant getting up before I went to bed - so pm it had to be.

Headed off on a flat out and back along the foreshore of Canada Bay occasionally putting in a bit of a surge just to keep the pins on notice that speed will be the focus for the next few weeks.

All up 10k in 53.51 (av 5.23).

*goes off to rub Bhudda's belly, throw salt over shoulder and pray to all known dieties both major and minor*

PS To Tesso, Wobblyman, Clairie, Gnome and CJ - as you head towards Canberra may the same healing good fortune be bestowed upon thee in bountiful quantities.

Easy Gwandy

Edit: Tesso keeps hassling me to put up photo's of Gwandalan (peaceful waters in the local indigenous dialect) - so rather than posting the Google Earth image of my run here is a happy snap:

This one is the view from our Veranda - pretty much looking straight out.

Today Total: 15k
Week Total: 44k
Month Total: 155k
Year Total: 682k

The Ugly Step Sister pulled up remarkably well after yesterdays dash - just a little sore but nowhere near as bad as after other runs recently. But the but is my arms, upper back and tum were suffering DOMS big time by late afternoon as a result of going back to training on Friday night after a 3 week break as part of my taper and recovery from Six Foot.

We shot up to Gwandalan last evening so I can mow the lawns (lucky 2P) and I really wasn't looking forward to running this morning but wanted to keep the discipline of my Sunday longer run going. When you don't have the motivation of group running you have to rely on habits.

After mooching about for ages I finally got going at 7.30am - believe it or not I couldn't face the thought of muddy, hilly trails today (must be getting soft) so I headed off around the foreshore of the lake. The Ugly Step Sister made her presence known at once so after 800m I stopped and did some stretches focussing on the quad and ITB.

What happened next was 14.2k of the most enjoyable PAIN FREE running at a genuine LSD pace I've done in 2 months. It was a beautiful still morning on the lake and I hugged the foreshore where I could running on nice soft green grass around Gwandalan and Summerland Point. When I get back to Sydney I'll Google Earth it.

All up 15k in 1.32.36 (av 6.10)

Nice :-)

Chasey Chasey

Today Total: 11k
Week Total: 29k
Month Total: 140k
Year Total: 667k

CR 5k Challenge

Well last of the rhyming titles for a while but it seemed appropriate - other bloggers suggestions do appear in the text but not as rhyme :-)

Putting this into context - I looked up my old training diaries and I have not raced over a measured 5k course for nearly 20 years - the Evil Gastroc Twins would not allow it when I came back to running in 1996 and it has been a battle ever since - hence my focus on longer (slower pace) distances. But the twins have been remarkably good since Christmas and I felt confident to have a lash.

I was a bit apprehensive at the start - the ITB was still a bit sore, its only 2 weeks since Six Foot and not having raced 5k (or even run 5k in training) for a good while I wasn't sure which group to go in. I eventually settled on 24mins but when the starter called us up I didn't know anyone in that group and thought "hang it - I'll join fellow Team J mate Kit off 23mins".

The racing snake Kit Kat took us out fast - the Garmin was useless this morning but I think we crossed the first k marker in 4.18 - I chased Kit for the first 2 and a bit k but after that she and the other runner in our group gradually drew ahead and I pretty much ran to about 3.8k on my own.

Johnny Dark was the first of the big chase pack to rake me in and I went with him for a while managing to catch and pass the other runner in the 23min group. But then the world and his dog started to go by (I'm not convinced the majority of the pack seeded themselves entirely honestly) and I trailed off a bit.

Maybe I'm lazy and don't run hard enough - I don't know - but I always (no matter what the distance) can manage a kick at the end and over the last 200m I picked up the pace and passed a couple of runners who had previously passed me - immediately ahead was Go Girl and I set my sights on her but ran out of track to finish 1 second behind her (GG was off 22mins so she beat me by 61secs).

Finished in 22.50 (av 4.34) so it was a good decision to go off in the 23min group and I guess this is now my "recent" PB.

The jog back (av 5.37 pace) was a nice social jaunt - I spent most of my time with Go Girl, Kit, Rags, Gnome and somewhere along the way we also picked up Professor. To our delight Jen_Runs and the Owl were waiting for us back at the start and I was disappointed that due to some other commitments I couldn't go off and have cake or breakfast with this convivial company.

I really enjoyed this morning - the ITB behaved whilst running (bit sore now though), the group of 40 or so (guess) were great company, the format with everyone finishing within 2mins of each other was great fun with lots of PB's and lastly I was very happy with my time - what a fantastic way to start the weekend.

Achey Lakey

Today Total: 8k
Week Total: 18k
Month Total: 129k
Year Total: 656k

In Canberra for work and I couldn't resist my traditional dash down through Telopia Park and then a prance through the goose poop along the lake.

The Ugly Step Sister kept up a consistent but bearable moan right from the start today - but not the stabbing pain I finished with yesterday so not so bad.

In keeping with my new policy of developing some speed (kind of) I pushed the 3rd and 5th k's out in a sub 5 min pace. The plan is not to do any real fair dinkum speed work though till I have properly recovered from Six Foot - but these relatively faster k's are just my way of putting my legs and lungs on notice for what is to come.

On the way back four hot air balloons had commenced their somewhat majestic ascent into the calm skies over la la land and I would have loved to have stopped and watched the show but the need to get to a  breakfast meeting on time won out.

8k in 43.34 (av 5.27).

Wakey Wakey

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 10k
Month Total: 121k
Year Total: 648k

My first early morning run since before Six Foot *yawn* I'm just not a natural early morning person.......

Pulled up after Sunday with classic ITB pain right down the side of the knee and an achey quad - sideways stairs again. Two days of rest and I was ready to go  - all felt great to 9k then it started to ache again - bugger.

Looks like I'm going to need to restrict my runs to 8k till I get rid of this thing - unfortunately work is a bit too hectic at the moment to take time to go get some massage done on it.

Anyhoo apart from all that I was pretty happy with this mornings effort 10k in 54.31 (av 5.27) included a nice -ve split and I even managed to throw in a sub 5.00 min k for my 7th k.

Flight Of The Phoenix

Today Total: 15k
Week Total: 15k
Month Total: 111k
Year Total: 638k

Well for the last 7 days I have done no training whatsoever, nada, zip, nuffin - about the most energetic thing I've done is get up to change the channel on the tele when I couldn't find the remote.

I actually didn't pull up too badly after Six Foot - I was a bit sore in the quads and calves but because I really didn't push it at Six Foot this year I felt heaps better than I have on previous attempts.

Of course my right ITB wasn't the happiest muscle on the planet and my left calf was a bit tight too. So I was back to doing the crab thing down stairs again. Failure to trim my big toe nails also means they are history and it is just such an exquisit joy wearing leather shoes to work :-)

Whilst I'm whinging - the other thing is I had recurring stomach cramps all week - not sure what they were about but they only really started to fade yesterday but are gone today. Ok end of whinge.

I'm in Bathurst to visit the Halfpenny this weekend and I had 3 hours to kill this morning while HP was at eistedfodd training so with no tummy cramps or any discernable pain anywhere I felt compelled to have a run before I turn into a bigger jelly belly than I already am.

So after dropping HP I did the 15k loop from the Bathurst PCYC out around 11 Mile Drive and through Eglinton and back to Bathurst.

The Ugly Step Sister resisted at first but after about 500m decided to join the team. It was nice running with cows and horses for company and I was just happy to keep clicking over sub 6 min k's - I even threw in a couple of walk breaks and at 3 and 7k stopped for a stretch - just because :-)

At 10k the Ugly Step Sister decided she didn't want to play anymore and commenced protesting - not really a fair dinkum protest, but enough for me to realise I better throw a bit more work Easy Tigers way.

Finished in 1.26.32 (av 5.46) so I'm pretty happy with that as a first up effort after Six Foot :-)

The Ups & Downs

*Long post alert*

Six Foot Track Race Report

Well as previously documented, getting to the start of Six Foot proved to be as much a part of the fun as the race itself.

On Friday morning the leg was much improved but still dodgy - though given the rate of improvement from the previous day my spirits were bouyed and I was almost ready to give myself a green light for go.

A visit to Easy Tiger at noon (thanks Lulu for swapping appointments *waves*) only improved my disposition. Gary worked my right leg almost exclusively for an hour, really concentrating on the adductor as the most likely cause of the pain in the ITB/quad area. The massage was much more intense than you would expect the day before a race but as Gary explained - if I was to make a start it was the lesser of the 2 evils. Gary also warned me that I would feel flat the next day due to the intensity of the work done.

I should also take time out here to mention again the good work done by Andrew from Access Chiropractic in Concord on Thursday night - Andrews ability to identify the cause of the problem and not just treat the symptoms I believe was pivotal in me getting to the start line.

Friday arvo and I headed up to the Edge for registration - it was pretty obvious KT was under a bit of pressure with only Phil from S.A. and O'Runner (alias The Prez) at that stage helping out with the registrations (though others had helped earlier and probably after) so I pitched in for a couple of hours - soon after Sarge joined the team and we had a pretty well oiled system working. By 6.30pm I was getting itchy feet and I wanted to get on and have some dinner and give my leg some more attention - fortunately Bristol City FC turned up and volunteered to relieve me.

When I got to base I put the spaghetti on to boil and headed out for a walk occasionally breaking into a gentle trot for 10 or so paces - the pain was there but bearable. Back to the cabin I put the nose bag on and then started a routine that would take me through till 11pm. I played swapsies with some ice packs and a thermo-skin for a couple of hours continually warming the leg up and cooling it back down.

Last thing I did was to lay out my gear for the morning including my Gu fuel belt complete with 500ml bottle, Gu container full of Gu, a couple of Elastoplasts, toilet paper, some anti-inflammatories and vitamins (magnesium, vit B and No Dose) in a sealable sandwich bag and stuffed into the zippered section.

I woke well before the sun was up and had a 10min warm bath to get some heat into the muscles and after a bit of a stretch went for a short trot - not exactly pain free but close enough.......

Both Catalina Park and Explorers Tree were the usual smooth set-up you expect with Six Foot (KT really is a logistics master). Arriving at the start line was a bit like old home week with lots of handshakes, back slaps and the occasional hug and kiss.

All the usual suspects were there  including the CR cheer squad (Jen_Runs, Go Girl with Go Baby, Lulu & Owl) thanks guys you are legends. Like always the last minute nervous fidgeting and nervous humour were the most popular pre-race activities.

I was starting in wave 2 and I positioned myself towards the back third of the pack wanting to make sure I started conservatively. After the gun went off we headed down the hill and remarkably my leg was pretty much pain free. I looked up and found myself running next to The Hermmanator and we chattered our way down to the bottleneck at the top of the stairs.

A tree had fallen just before the stairs and this created a worse than usual delay - we literally didn't move a step for 4 or 5 minutes. The Hermmanator managed to slip a few places in the queue ahead of me but another ultra levethian Mr G was directly behind me. Eventually we cleared the obstacle and we nattered away down the stairs taking 21 minutes to get to the Nellies Glen sign *rolls eyes* and hitting the fire trail in about 23 mins.

After I tapped the lap button on the Garmin when we hit the fire trail proper I realised we were running at about a 4.30 pace - "what the"? This was waaaaay too fast for me even if we had lost a lot of time on the stairs -  fortunately one of the safety pins holding my race bib had come loose giving me an excuse to back off. Easy Tiger was right - I did feel flat and by 5k my right leg felt really heavy and at that stage all I really wanted to do was just lie down and have a nap - oh well just 40k and a few hills to go :-)

Through Megalong Valley Road in about 58mins was a bit of an anticlimax as there was no one there I knew. Having planned to go through here in about 50 mins I put the foot down a bit but elected to walk up Pinacle Hill citing my Six Foot mantra of "walk the hills early - walk the hills often".

Into the technical section down to the Cox's and I was feeling much better but to my frustration I found myself tagging onto a conga line of about 40 runners - it was particularly frustrating for me because technical downhill trail running is my only strong suit and it is one of the few places I can actually claim to have any advantage. I could have passed the next in front and so on but what was the point? I was never going to get past them all, so I just accepted the situation and settled in and concentrated on staying safe.

On the steep (clear) hill just before the river crossing I just went left off the track onto the grass and passed about 25 people in one fell swoop - then got in front of the rest as the wimps almost exclusively went for the rocks. Now a word on the river crossing - I have read that some people whinged they got sand and grit in their socks and regreted it..... The trick is to WALK and put your feet down deliberately outside heel of the shoe first and then roll the rest of the foot down - no grit or sand and you still beat the rock hoppers AND you get to be on the video :-)

I went across the Cox's timing mats in 1.46 about 5mins slower than last year and 10 mins behind my race plan. A quick resup of High 5 and I was on my way. In training I had run up here but my legs were flat from Wednesdays and Fridays massages so again I just accepted it and walked the majority of the way to Mini Mini - just before the cattle yards (roughly 18k's) the Ugly Step Sister made her presence known and my ITB/Quad started to ache - on a pain scale of 1 to 10 - I would rate it as a 5 and I was a bit apprehensive that it would only get worse so I took the decision to pop my anti-inflammatories (1 x Voltaren Rapid and 1 x Nurofen Plus) and my vitamins here - no point leaving it too late. Whilst the pain stayed with me for the rest of the race at the same level it never got any worse and was quite bearable.

Getting to the top of Mini Mini in one piece I felt like I had got over the first hurdle and I really flogged it down the other side - reverting to the walk thing up to Pluvio - I suck at walking more than I suck at running - my short stumpy legs just can't cut it - so in frustration of seeing other walkers pull away from me I did run a bit more of the up toward Pluvi than I had up to Mini Mini. I had a bit of a duel with Professor (which I eventually lost) from the Cox's but it was great to have some CR support.

Crossing the Pluvi mat in 3.30 (2 mins slower than last year and still 10mins behind my race plan) I stated aloud for anyone who cared to listen that this is what I had trained for - to run up Blacks Range! Well I ran up a fair bit of it (albeit slowly) but I reverted to walking some of the steeper ups too - being a stronger down runner I commenced playing a game of leap frog with a group of people who were stronger on the ups. I could start to feel the adductor on my right leg fatiguing and chose not to push it - though when one spectator (rather uncharitably) said "I'm not sure if you call that running or walking" towards the end of Blacks Range I self-consciously picked up the pace a bit.

I felt confident running down into the Deviation but by this stage I knew I was too far behind on my 5.45 race plan and re-focussed on a sub 6. Shortly afterwards Horrie (who had started in wave 3 and was therefore actually 15 mins in front of me) yelled out and before long he was beside me and then in front.

Unfortunately Horrie started to cramp a bit and after a while I caught and then pulled away from him - but then my fatigued adductor on my right leg threatened to cramp on the steepest part of the course - the dreaded middle hill of the Deviation at around the 36k mark - bugger - fortunately I had the enough brain cells still functioning to stop immediately and give it a bit of a rub (I wasn't brave enough to try a stretch) and the crisis passed.

So that was me off again and on the next downhill I again pulled away from Horrie - it had been nice to have a bit of a chat to someone I knew and who unreservedly offered me encouragement despite his own predicament (ta Horrie). NB though I beat Horrie across the line he beat me well and truly on corrected times.

Out of the Deviation and I left the leap frog group behind as I got a wriggle on downhill on the first part of the single file Mt George Track. For a while I was blissfully alone with no one in sight either ahead or behind. Eventually I caught up to the next pack (this group contained the guy dressed in the cow suit - yeah great for my confidence being beaten by a guy dressed as Clarabelle) and played the familiar game of leap frog with the pack back markers including another CR (Stacey??).

It doesn't matter how many times you run this part of the course you always forget how many little ups there are to go - mongrel things! Eventually I got to the second last aid station and I had 28 minutes to run 4.4kms to get in under 6 hours - sounds easy huh?

Anyway I chased that bloody cow up hill and down dale to the last aid station - I really wanted to get past him - 2 very steep k's to go and only 10 mins to do it I was doubly motivated and I hit the afterburners - I was really regretting not cutting my big toe nails (not a word Jen or Nat!) knowing that they were already lost I just tried to tuck them in a bit to ease the pain.

I passed numerous runners over the last 2k (15? 20?) who all without exception made way as I thundered through (thanks guys 'n gals) and I only got passed once (and that was only after I hit the paved track and it got a bit flatter) but I never got closer than one runner away from that bloody cow!

Hitting the bottom of the stairs I could see the cheer squad and other CR's who had already finished lined up - I put on a spurt and charged towards the finish with a show-boating high-5 along the way - 10 meters from the finish I found the face in the crowd I most wanted to see - Mrs 2P - gave a wave and did my best interpretation of a sprint finish to the line I could muster.

Finished in 6.03.00 gun time and 6.02.12 nett. Mildly disappointed not to go under 6 hours nor best my previous PB from 1998 of 5.53 - but I took some consolation that I bettered last years time by some 18mins and that despite the hiccups over the last 3 weeks I had actually finished more or less in 1 piece.

I received my medallion from the lovely Belinda - how gutsy is that? Having trained for this race as a major goal for months and making the decision only 24 hours earlier to pull out due to a calf injury sustained the week before - there she was graciously handing out medals and offering congratulations to smelly, sweaty runners - now that's class!

Great runs for lots of folk and some bitter disappointments for others but hey - that's the unpredictable world of Six Foot for you - well done to all who had a go! If ever there was a race where there are never any losers - to my mind it is the Six Foot Track.

And finally a huuuuuuuuuge thankyou to the Firies who man the aid stations - you deserve every cent raised - not only for manning the aid stations but for doing a great job 365 days of the year.

Six Foot Track

Today Total: 45k
Week Total: 50k
Month Total: TBA
Year Total: TBA

Well whilst I couldn't actually run completely without pain this morning it was very manageable and so I fronted up for Six Foot - good decision :-)

Finished in 6.02 - not as fast as I originally planned - but I'll take it :-) :-) :-)

ITB/quad behaved till 18k then gave me a bit of gyp (but bearable gyp) from there on in. Adductors on the same leg threatened to cramp on the middle hill of the Deviation - the steepest part of the course at approximately 36k. A quick bit of massage and the potential disaster was averted.

Flew the last steep downhill 2k in 12 mins passing bucketloads of people and only being bested once - I only wish I was as good on the ups!

Will post a full report over the next couple of days (still in the mountains tonight) - but I can't leave this post without thanking all the wonderful bloggers for their support and encouragement - so ta :-)

Once More Into The Breach?

Hi all,

I have a confession to make - the blog of my run last Sunday was not as comprehensive as it might have been. Over the last 3k my ITB/quad really flared up quite badly - one of the reasons I ran the last k fast - I just wanted to get home ;-)

By Wednesday I knew I was in strife so booked into see a sport performance massuese who did some mighty fine work (though he was a tad fascinated by the Evil Gastroc Twins and I had to keep bringing his attention back to Ugly Step Sister). He recommended a light jog for Wednesday night which I did but unfortunately it made matters worse.

Thursday was a real roller coaster both physically and emotionally as I was limping even when just walking on the flat. A visit to my Chiro (Saint Andrew) made an amazing difference to the pain level - confirming the biomechanical component to this injury - and I was able to walk for 40 mins last night with no pain on the flat but I could feel it pulling on any ups or downs. I bit the bullet and put 10kg of ice into my cold bath last night and then slept in Skins.

This morning I am still aprehensive but the injury is a lot better, I have another massage scheduled for noon so it is fingers crossed.

I really don't want to miss Six Foot it is such a terrific event, but if I can't go for a warm up jog in the morning without pain I will not start. I reckon its about an even money bet for the punters out there.

Please no soppy comments - but all positive vibes will be gratefully accepted.

With apologies to Mr Shakespeare:

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers (and sisters); For he (or she) to-day that sheds his (or her) blood (or any other bodily fluids including sweat for that matter) with me shall be my brother (or sister); be he (or she) ne'er so vile, this day shall gentle his (or her) condition: And gentlepeople everywhere now a-bed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods (or womanhoods) cheap whiles any speaks that ran with us upon this Six Foot Track

:-)

Plan 49C

Today Total: 5k
Week Total: 5k
Month Total: 51k
Year Total: 578k

Due to some ordinary bio-feedback the planned 500's yesterday turned into a light 5k jog today. Done.

Mud & Mad Dogs

Today Total: 15k
Week Total: 54k
Month Total: 46k
Year Total: 573

True to my promise to myself I had a nice easy 15k on fairly flatish trails this morning. I used the opportunity to explore a couple of turn-offs I have noticed off the main fire trails.

There has obviously been quite a bit more rain up here at Gwandalan because in places the track was fairly muddy and there were some mighty puddles too - I swear I saw a cow walk into one and disappear - ok I made that bit up.

One exploration took me to the abandoned YMCA camp on the Southern shore - well almost abandoned - some motor cross guys were camped there with 2 nasty Blue (red) Cattle Dogs.

They did the pack thing and came at me at angles one trying to distract the other trying to slip around me - I generally take a very calm approach to dogs but these guys meant business and I went after them - not to hurt them (yet) just to let em know they didn't have a victim. Eventually the owner emerged from his tent and called them off.

Amazingly after he called them off he ducked back into his tent again and back they came - right then no more mister nice guy - but then the errant owner emerged again and called them off - distracted and thinking it was over I let my gaurd down (figuratively & literally) and the bitch (in more ways than one) made a final lunge and nipped me right on the keister - no blood but a couple of sealed blood blisters emerged instantly.

I had a bit of a chat to their owner and let him know I was taking his number plate details - he was ok with that - unlike a lot of dog owners he was genuinely apologetic stating he normally had them tied up yada yada.

I must confess to being in two minds on reporting the incident - being the crocodile I am I kind of enjoyed the encounter - I haven't had a good donnybrook with a dog for years :-) And there was no real damage done - but I can't help thinking what if it had of been a kid that wandered in there?

The owners contrition, the fact he showed me where he kept them tied (and clipped them on while we were talking) and the relative isolation of the spot makes me think the episode had taught him a lesson - so - unless there is a puncture that I can't see, I won't report it, but any sign of infection..........

With that behind me I just kept on keeping on exploring nooks that I'd never been to before often stopping to mooch around - with the heavy overcast conditions and having enty of water being out and about was no chore.

Eventually Mr Garmin told me it was time to head for home and I made my way back by a slightly longer and I hoped drier route - LOL wrong again 2P - the way back was wetter and muddier than the way I came - no matter - I was just happy to be there.

Having run at a very pedestrian 6.30 per k average I decided I needed to blow out a few cob webs and pushed the last k (all on wet spongy grass) out in 4.48.

I'm thinking some 500's on Tuesday and that will just about do me :-)

3K TT

Today Total: 6k
Week Total: 39k
Month Total: 31k
Year Total: 558k

I don't normally mess about with all this short and faster carry on but I guess if I've been doing all this training, I might as well see what, if any effect it has been having?

So today I did a 1k warm up (would have preferred 2k but this was logistically difficult) followed by a 3k TT and a 2k warm down. I did it on a dirt walking path beside a bitumen road up the Central Coast. It was far from an ideal surface because of recent rain and there were lots of puddles to navigate but I figured this was good training for my concentration for next weekend.

Anyhoo I finishes the 3k TT in 13.14 but being honest even on a flat hard surface I don't think I would have broken 13 mins. Not used to pacing over this kind of distance I did the predictable and went out a bit hard and then did my best to hold on.

Splits were:

4.11
4.34
4.29

So you can see I really lost it in the middle k - nyeah what's it matter - the idea was just to have a bit of fun running fast over a short distance after all the long grinds I've been doing and it was fun - so mission accomplished.

Tomorrow I've planned an enjoyable 12 to 15k around some of the flatter trails in Crangan Bay on Lake Macquarie and I'm quite prepared to stop and smell the gum leaves :-) I like this taper thing - it agrees with me!

2P's Chin

Ok, ok, I've caused enough confusion - time to clear this up.

There is nothing wrong with my chin - that's the point! Whenever I want to concentrate on a positive I think of my chin because unless I have been giving a bigger guy than me a bit of lip, it is usually pretty good!

Its kind of slipped into common usage in the 2P household but it has its origins in my 1997 Six Foot prep.

I had not run for ages and my training buddy was a 3hr 15ish marathoner (and about 6'4" tall) so even when he thought he was going up and down on the one spot my little stumps would be going ten to the dozen trying to keep up and I would constantly whinge about all the bits of me that were hurting (particularly my calves and one foot where I had trodden on an obnoxious stone).

One day quite exasperated at running just a little faster than a walk (maybe) and me carping on about all the hurty bits he turned to me and said "mate - how's ya #*$:"#* chin"? Well we both cracked up and it became a standing joke between us because soon after he developed an ITB injury and I was able to give it back in spades - right up to me getting a knee injury and then it was flying both ways.

This subsequent episode gave rise to another piece of banter that exists to this day on the odd (rare) occasion we run together:

One of us) We don't get sore knees do we?

The other) No we don't!

Response) Good - otherwise I might be a bit worried about this pain........

Response) Good then - how's ya chin?

So there you go - that is all there is to the chin story - How is your chin?

:-)

Hill Test

Today Total: 13k
Week Total: 33k
Month Total: 25k
YearTotal: 552k

Edit: Turns out I think I just ran too close to a business lunch.... Friday and feeling much brighter, legs are fresh and getting toey (looking for narrower gaps in the traffic to sprint though crossing the road)

I'd always planned to do a single lap of Quarry Road as part of my taper but since the "flare up" this session took on a different significance - I wanted to see how the old pins felt about hills.

Not wanting to be under any pressure I left the watch in the car. I took off at a moderate pace and I felt pretty good down the hill across the creek and up the other side with no dramas from the legs at all not needing to walk until the last little bit past where the new toilet is.

When I got to the top flattish bit I didn't feel so flash and just took it easy to the far side gate but on the return journey I felt as sick as a dog - no idea why - I ended up taking regular walk breaks on the way back - the good news is the legs are fine.

Oh and my chin is great too :-)

Taper Twelve

Today Total: 12k
Week Total: 20k
Month Total: 12k
Year Total: 539k

Not much to report really - woke up - ran 12k at a relatively easy pace (av 5.42) - got home.

ITB good, nothing from it today - slight niggle at the bottom of both quads just above the knee towards the inside - you know - the little bulgy bit (technical term).

Might head up to Quarry Rd tomorrow arvo for one last run on some hills before chilling out and doing some really easy runs over the weekend, followed by something short and quick next Tuesday.