Two Bays & A Dog

Today Total: 25k
Week Total: 40k
Month Total: 171k
Year Total: 1138k

I woke up before the alarm at about 0515 pretty keen to get out on the road but after getting up and mooching around for a bit I judged the back wasn't quite up to it. Reluctantaly I headed back to bed at 0630 (lol - only a runner would be disappointed) and slept for another couple of hours.

It was last day of moving duties and even though the back felt better after the new stretching exercises that St Andrew had given me (a sordid little number involving a bed and a pool noodle) it was an apprehensive 2P that loaded 2 wardrobes and a dresser onto the box trailer - fortunately the planets had aligned and Mrs 2P's two sons were available to do the unloading at the other end.

You can imagine how sad I was when I waved goodbye to everyone and found I was alone with a few hours to fill in and not a stick of furniture in sight to move. After another back stretching session it didn't take long for my mind to turn towards the possibility of a run. I can be very creative if left to my own devices :-)

So I headed out on a kind of low(ish) heartrate LSD. The plan was to keep my heartrate under 160 at all times and just run comfortably. As a concession to not running much lately I also negotiated with my ego for a 1 min walk break every 4k - I had wanted to walk every 20 minutes but my ego can be rather persuasive at times.

I followed the water around from Cape Cabarita to Canada Bay and then a road route to The Bay complete with the Dog Run detour and return - it was very pleasant running conditions on bright sunny Sydney day - happy 2P.

All up 25k in 2.35.38 (av 6.14) @ average HR of 154bpm.

Now to answer Tesso's question - mate the jury is out on that one! And DJ I hear you brother - I'm all for job creation and hired help - it's good for the economy!

Might even extend that concept to the yard *he says as he heads out to do the lawn mowing recovery session*

Easy Ten

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 15k
Month Total: 146k
Year Total: 1113k

Felt pretty good when I woke - though it is amazing how quickly one can get out of the habit of 0530 - if only giving up dim sims and potato chips was that easy!

Decided against the CR 5K this morning for 2 reasons. The first being that time was tight as I had to be at the Homebush Sports Centre at 0845 and the second was I didn't reckon there was much to be gained by flogging myself over 5k when I haven't been doing much running of late.

Somehow I've managed to misplace my heartrate monitor - the lazy bugger is probably off skulking with all my odd socks whinging about how unlucky it was to get a runner with the heartrate of an excited ferret. So I just took the first 6k out at a gentle pace at what I'm guessing was sub 80% and then kicked into 2nd gear for the last 4k.

Came home in 57.28 (av 5.45).

As for the back - a couple of mild twinges but none of that nasty referred glute pain - so I'm pretty happy with it.

So Far So Good

Today Total: 5k
Week Total: 5k
Month Total: 136k
Year Total: 1103k

Well hopefully the drama queen era is behind me - well for a while I hope anyway.

My legs pulled up fine after SMH - a bit tight in both quads but nothing to write home about. If it wasn't for my back I could have run the next day - unfortunately though my back has been giving all sorts of grief and running has not been an option all week.

It's a bloody miderable thing a really crook back and as positive a chappie as I normally am it was really starting to get me down. Fortunately when I awoke this mornining I immediately noticed a marked reduction in pain level and the longer the day has gone on the better it has felt.

It is amazing the difference not being in pain has made to my disposition and when I got home from work I thought hang it I'll risk a run! Commonsense prevailed though and I just did a quick 5k dash around Concrod Golf Course.

All good :-)

5k in 25.08 (av 5.02)

I won't make a decision on CR 5k Challenge till I get out of bed tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow - 6 hours of tedium in store for me while I do my National Coaching Accreditation refresher - having done a number of these over the years it is like watching paint dry! No - I retract that - watching paint dry is interesting by comparison!

SMH Half

Today Total: 23k
Week Total: 35k
Month Total: 131k
Year Total: 1075k

I bludged :-)

Woke up with the back feeling a little grumpy but no major dramas and felt good enough to 'have a go' - unfortunately I was a little late getting to the start and was well back in the field but again no major dramas.

It took about 1m 50s to get across the start line and once it opened up a bit I just concentrated on staying out of trouble and working up to racing speed. Went through the first k in about 6.50 (gun time) which meant I had judged it nicely and it all felt pretty good.

Going up Hunter Street the first time and I got the first signs that today was not going to be my day as pain started to shoot down through my glutes - I ignored it for a while but half way down to Mrs Macquaries Chair I just snatched it and decided I was on a training run.

Across the top of my pelvis and down through my glutes remained pretty whingy even at a reduced pace and I really wasn't enjoying myself a whole lot and coming through the finish the first time in a bit over an hour I figured I'd be happy with anything sub 2 hours.

Thankfully somewhere around the 12k mark the pain level eased significantly and then finally disappeared (??) and I really started to enjoy myself. I had the curious pleasure of enjoying the second trip up Hunter Street a whole lot more than I did the first.

I briefly flirted with getting back into racing mode but then thought why, what's the point? Just enjoy it! And that is exactly what I did. I took my Gu at 15.5k - I didn't really need it but I'd carried it so why not?

I pretty much just cruised the last 5 or so k's - if I was famous I'd have had time to sign autographs and it was kind of nice passing bucket loads of people for a change whilst having time and the inclination to take in my surroundings.

Turned it up to about 4.40 pace for the last k along Hickson Road and crossed the finish line feeling like I'd been out for a bit of a stroll in around 1.56.25 gun time, 1.54.XX nett.

After seeing some CR's: Gronk, Nico, Truckie, Aunty K, Blkbox, Eagle, Horrie and others (?) I tracked down Mrs 2P to say g'day and then headed back out on the course to find the rest of Team DSA.

I first found CR Pipe looking replendent in his DSA gear - I then found CR's Lucky Legs and Ewen (not part of team DSA) and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to run with CR royalty - being nervous I think I alternatively called Lucky Legs Norma and Lorna (only one of which is her name). LL was moving well and as I was struggling to keep up so I begged off and turned to resume my search.

I found Paul halfway down the hill above the last drink station and ultimately Susan a bit further back. Susan deserves a big wrap - having never been a runner she set her sights on this race in late January and went from couch to half marathon in a few short months and I really enjoyed running the last 1.5k with her.

The plan had been to go across to the pub but Mrs 2P wasn't feeling too chipper so after touching base with some other Team DSA members in Dawes Park we headed off home.

Whilst I have to confess I did enjoy the second lap, I really don't think I am cut out for mass participation events - ok every now and again but they are not really my cup of tea - still it was nice to catch up with a bunch of CR's both on the course and afterwards.

Drama Queen

Today Total: 5k
Week Total: 12k
Month Total: 108k
Year Total: 1075k

Considering changing my handle again - this time to Drama Queen. As some of the more astute of you have pointed out first Six Foot and now SMH! At least this time it wasn't a training injury.

Anyhoo - in short the back has been giving me gyp and I have also been working pretty long hours so as my new mantra suggests maybe it is just the universe unfolding as it should.

I really should have done tonights run yesterday but there was too much pain. This morning was still a bit ugly but a trip to St Andrew (my chiro) and my new best buddy the local apothecary had me raring to go tonight. I was doubly motivated because my new DSA (the charity I work for) running kit (read Wonder Woman lookalike outfit) was delivered and I wanted to give it a whirl.

The plan was to run around the 5min mark on a hilly(ish) course and see how it felt. It felt good - but I think it is a little quick for a half marathon pace for me - maybe on a flat course like the Central Coast but not SMH.

Final stats were 5k in 24.55 (av 4.59) @ an average heartrate of 168bpm - a smidge over 90% for me.

To add to the Drama Queen status I took a tumble over the gutter crossing the road - fortunately 25 or so years of kung fu training are good for something and I only lost a tiny bit of bark - I must admit my first thought was for my new running gear and Garmin - glad I still have my priorities right :-)

So the plan for the half? Don't got one! No point in worrying about it till Sunday morning. Back feels good right at this minute but I've got five or six hours in the car tomorrow going to Bathurst and back to visit the Halfpenny. If I feel good on Sunday morning then I will probably go out at a 5.05 to 5.10 pace and see what happens. If I feel crap I'll go out in a 5.40 pace and just run a 2 hour training run.

Thanks for all the good wishes guys - hope to catch up with a few of you on Sunday and all the best to the Warwick contingent too. Also special thanks to Go Girl, Horrie, Sarge, another CR lurker and me mate Paul who have all volunteered to run in Team DSA colours on the weekend.

Mending

Today Total: 7k
Week Total: 7k
Month Total: 103k
Year Total: 1070k

I saw St Andrew again yesterday and so far so good with my back.

Managed a 7k doddle around Cape Cabarita this morning - certainly nothing flash but I'm runnin (sort of).

Thursday will be a better day and then I'll be all fresh and spritely for Sunday - sounds like a plan :-)

Cruise Intervals

Today Total: 12k
Week Total: 22k
Month Total: 96k
Year Total: 1063k

After seeing St Andrew again yesterday my back was noticably better for the first time this week so I went home and straight to bed at 6.15pm and slept through to 8.30am. Having not slept for anything longer than a cat-nap for 5 nights I was exhausted.

My back was still stiff this morning but not the spasms I've been having so definitely on the improve - decided discretion was the better part etc so left it till this arvo to go for a run.

Given the little time left before SMH I decided specificity was the way to go so after a 2k warm up I did 5 X 1k cruise intervals at < 4.50 pace (about 15 seconds faster than projected race pace) with the floats at around 5.45.

I found the intervals fine, but got quite a bit of referred nerve pain down through my glutes on the slower floats which was a bit weird - I even had to stop a couple of times to let the pressure ease a bit during the slower laps.

All up the stats are 12k in 63.04 (av 5.15) average heartrate 167bpm (90%).

Anyway it's done - probably won't run tomorrow due to family commitments but I think that might be a good thing.

Day 28

Day 28 of the Great Heartrate Experiment and unfortunately not much to report. Though to recap - I was really happy with last Sunday's effort and my low heartrate run on Monday indicated another small increase in pace.

I haven't run since Monday due to furniture moving induced crook back syndrome. Saw the chiro on Wednesday and will again today - I expect to run tomorrow.

I'm looking at it as a revolutionary new advanced taper technique for next weeks SMH Half. This could be big!

Easy Ten

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 10k
Month Total: 84k
Year Total: 1051k

Apart from the training fun of yesterday I also had the absolute joy of moving a lot of 40 and 50 year old furniture over the weekend. My back (or more specifically my chiropractor) can't thank me enough.

I didn't set the alarm this morning leaving it to the running gods to decide if I should run or not but when I started waking up every 10mins or so from around 5.00am I figured I got the gist of their decision.

So I rolled out of bed (literally) and headed out on the usual route around Canada Bay for an easy but very breezy (good decision to don the glovies) 10k @ av 142bpm.

Part 2

LOL

Accidently pressed send (I'm blogging via email) on the previou while I was munching on my protein bar between runs so here is Part 2 - The Fun Run.

The start was just 200m from our place so I strolled down around 8.45am to register. There was a total of 117 entrants - about a half of them kids doing the 3k "short" course.

Lovely community atmosphere only lacking in the absence of the CR cheer squad. I luckily had packed my CR T-shirt so was able to fly the flag.

Given the length of my "warm-up" my goal wasn't really to race but to try and maintain my previous half marathon PB pace (5.12) for the 5.45k. The course is fairly hilly so I figured it would provide a good form guide for SMH.

Ended up finishing in 27.25 (av 5.02) @ av heartrate of 169bpm. I was pretty happy with it because I wasn't really pushing myself at any stage and despite the hilly nature of the course my heartrate never got much over 90%.

Caught up with CR and erstwhile Team J member Miss Gazelle and family at the finish - Miss G had a good one and finished 2nd female across the line, picking up a bottle of plonk for her efforts.

The $7.50 entrance fee also scored each participant a bacon and egg sanger, hash brown and a drink - how good is that?

Very enjoyable and unexpected format for my weekly long.

Long Run, Fun Run

Today Total: 22k
Week Total: 74k
Month Total: 74k
Year Total: 1041k

Well time for another bold experiment -  do a 16.55k warm-up @ sub 2 hour half marathon pace before for a 5.45k race and see how I go. Pretty predictable hypothesis I would contend ;-)

Got up to Gwandalan on Saturday arvo to discover the Great Gwandy Gallop was scheduled for Sunday morning - not sure how I let this one slip under the radar - I really do need to pay more attention.

What to do? What to do?

Given the SMH Half is in 2 weeks I didn't want to miss doing my long run as I've been feeling a little under-cooked in this department. I missed last weeks longun and the 2 longuns before that were both at low heartrate. For specificity reasons I wanted a faster one under my belt this weekend as prep for SMH and as the fun run didn't start till 9.00am the only thing for it was to do the majority of my long run first then back up for the fun run.

Finished the first 16.55k in 1.32.59 (av 5.36) @ av heartrate of 156bpm (84%). A quick munch on an FX protein bar a drink an then walked off to the fun run start for registration.

Bike Bliss

Today Total: 40k MTB

I had briefly flirted with the idea of doing the Striders 10k this morning but as it was the North Head venue I decided against it. It's probably my South Western Suburbs upbringing but I hate going North of the harbour.

So bike ride it was - headed out to Tempe and return for a nice couple of hours low heartrate stuff. The HRM had a hissy fit today and didn't want to play (maybe it didn't like the el-cheapo Tarfet coolmax singlet I had on under my riding jersey) - no big deal - I rarely (except for hills) get over 75% MHR on the bike anyway.

Anyhoo when I got home and turned the Garmin off and back on it appeared we were friends again.

Alls well that ends well.

Day 21

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 52k
Month Total: 52k
Year Total: 1019k

As has been customary upon each 7th day - a report on The Great Heartrate Experiment - to summarise - I feel great, I haven't trained longer or been faster for quite a few summers.

As an example, during Wednesday I ran for an hour @ 75%, rode the bike for an hour @ < 75% and I cross trained for a further hour, most of which was > 80% - ok no biggie, 2 hours of that was relatively gentle exercise - but the sweet bit is - I then got up Thursday morning and ran 10k at my half marathon PB pace and felt fantastic! NB whilst this is not race pace for a 10k it is certainly my fastest 10k in training for a mighty long time.

I have also trained between 50 minutes & 3 hours on 22 of the last 23 days - now 2P of old never even came close to that! My biggest dilemma these days is finding enough time to train.

So yeah - I think there is something to this. To be fair - I'm not saying that the low heartrate stuff is solely responsible. If you've been paying attention you would have noticed I've  also been working the middle and the top end as well - rather I think the reality is more that it is the variety (of which for me low heartrate stuff had previously been missing) that has meant:

- less chance of overuse injuries because I'm using muscles a bit differently on different runs
- generally the impact on the body is lower because I'm not pounding the pavement hard on every run
- all energy systems across the spectrum are getting conditioned
- I've been able to up the ante on workload and pace niggle free *touching wood, rubbing lucky rabbits foot, and throwing salt over shoulder*
- I'm not getting bored and I really look forward to my faster hit outs

So to respond to a couple of comments about being patient and how do I stand running so slow?

Well to be honest at first it was a bit of a shock just how slow 75% was for me and I was highly embarrassed at running so slow - till I realised no one else gave a rats bum about it except for me! People who are running faster don't think about how slowly someone else is running - they are just chuffed that they are faster - hard to believe I know - but it turns out it's not always about me :-)

As for the patience thing, at first it was a bit of a trial, but I mentally had commited to at least 1 month of this to give it a fair go - but now I'm seeing and feeling results it has been much easier and I've been happy to stick with it.

My conclusion thus far is that I (and probably a lot of others) had previously done my easy and long runs too hard. The goal is to get back to the old pace on these runs but at a much lower heartrate - only time will tell and the experiment continues.

And so for today it was back to an easy 10k @ 141bpm. No real difference to the pace this week at the low heartrate, I suppose like most things the gains wax and wane in their progress.

Regards, Lab Rat ;-)

Grand Retro

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 42k
Month Total: 42k
Year Total: 1009k

To celebrate my 1000th kilometer for the year I decided today would be a return to the 80's - so after donning my stubbies, KT-26's, matching head and wrist bands, and my Life Be In It T-shirt I set the HRM alert function to "Off" and headed out the door humming the cheezy Bee Gee's number Jive Talkin and a vague notion that I would run with my heartrate somewhere in the 80 - 90% zone.

I also had another thought that I would like to run somewhere around my previous half marathon PB pace to see what that felt like these days - obviously I was hoping the two notions were compatable.

The first warm up k clicked through in 5.33 and I gently accelerated up to cruising speed. The next 9 k's flowed like water down a mountain stream - seemingly effortless and with a bubbling enthusiasm (where IS that Mills and Boon contract?) with splits ranging between 5.04 & 5.10.

Final wrap up was 10k in 51.56 (inclusive of the warm up k) @ av 5.12 pace which is bang on for my previous half PB pace. Average heartrate was 161bpm (86%)

J J J Jive talkin....

PS sorry for planting that song in your head but it is stuck in mine and I like to share :-)

Almost A Grand Run

Today Total: 10k + 20k MTB
Week Total: 32k
Month Total: 32k
Year Total: 999k

Hehe 1k short of the 1000k YTD milestone - just messin with your head Tesso ;-)

Edit:Got home in time to squeeze in 20k on the bike @ 135bpm for another hour of low heartrate training before a blog and shower PB and heading off to training :-)

I did briefly think about putting in an extra k this morning and call me puerile if you like, but I like to see the numbers line up - just the same way as I used to love it as a kid watching the speedo in my Dads old '64 XP Falcon. I remember vividly the excitement that grew as we approached the one hundred thousand mile mark - we kids were hanging over the from the backseat (no seat belts back then) eyes glued to the speedo as the numbers clicked over (didn't have many toys back then either!).

Anyhoo another 10k at low heartrate of av 141bpm. Had real trouble keeping it low for the first k - in fact I couldn't - at a 7min pace I was pushing up into the 160's??? The only thing different was I DIDN'T drink coffee this morning - this seems a little counter-intuitive as caffeine generally elevates heartrate. The only conclusion I can draw is that it must also kick start my metabolism and not having had coffee this morning it took 6 or 7 mins for my system to click into gear? Dunno.

After the first k everything was sweet and nearly all of the next 9k's went at sub 6.30 pace - wooohooo I'm almost up to a jog :-)

Mona's Fartlek

Today Total: 12k + 15k MTB
Week Total: 22k
Month Total: 22k
Year Total: 989k

Edit: Managed to escape work today in time to squeeze in a 15k ride for another 45mins of low heartrate stuff @ 134bpm av. I would dearly have loved to have ridden for longer but alas time is a thief. My legs felt amazingly fresh considering what I put them through this morning - I'm lovin it!

Well running is a confidence game and after Saturdays mild disappointment I was hunting for a good one - enter me ole mate Mona's.

I had a ball out there this morning - my ambition was to keep all my faster efforts quicker than a 4.10 pace which except for 3 out of the 14 efforts I managed to do. The 3 errant laps were more due to lapses in concentration than fatigue as most of other 11 efforts hovered at + or - 4 seconds of 4 min pace.

Whilst I was happy with my pace this morning was particularly pleased with the last 4 x 15sec efforts as I had enough gas in the tank to progressively increase the pace:

3.56, 3.45, 3.31, 3.25 - now if I could just hold that for a full km or two or three or ten..... ;-)

For the heartrate followers out there - I pretty much stayed a smidge over the 90% mark throughout the session (20mins) as an average - sometimes dipping a little below on the recoveries and always a bit above on the efforts. Did the 6k return journey @ av 150bpm (80%).

A very enjoyable morning - I really do revel in the redline zone :-)

May Day

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 10k
Month Total: 10k
Year Total: 977k

After 17 days straight of training (2 of which were bike only) I decided to heed the signs from Saturday and declared Sunday a rest day. A bit of a bugger it being my long run day as I haven't missed a weekend long run in a long time - certainly not in '06.

Funny how the mind game works because when the alarm went off this morning my thoughts were "well you missed yesterday, another day is not going to hurt......" - well it probably wouldn't, but that's not the point, get your ass out of bed!

So another 10k trudge @ 140bpm.

Done..... next.....

CR 5k

Today Total: 11k
Week Total: 51k
Month Total: 255k
Year Total: 967k

Another fine gathering of the clan CR this morning in showery conditions for the end of month 5k challenge. There was even a special guest appearance by none other than Jen_Runs who put in a blistering performance that made us all suspect she has been in sekret training.

I was feeling really blah this morning which was a bit disappointing as I've been feeling great lately - I suspect I just over-did things at training last night and was a bit dehydrated. Earlier in the week I had thought of going off 22mins but when I turned up I thought 25 sounded good...... Anyhoo after a warm up I felt a little brighter and started off 23mins.

I was bang on schedule for the first 3k but then really started to struggle and thought I might be joining Benny as the second of the Chunderbolt brothers and I briefly contemplated pulling the pin but pride kept me going and I eventually lost the urge to add colour and a few carrots to the event. As the crowd started to go past I got a bit more despondent till Blue Dog caught me - he was running conservatively for him as he has an XC meet this arvo and so I was able to run beside him for a couple of hundred meters but then tailed off and letting him get about a 30m gap on me.

I knew I was a mile behind what I needed for a sub 23min finish so I stoked the boiler, dug deep and sprinted the last bit to come in on 23.02 - 12 seconds slower than last month - not great but considering how blah I felt I suppose it wasn't too bad.

A couple of people asked what was with the sprint finish? Figuring if I had that much left I could have run faster throughout - I dunno to be honest, I've always had a bit of a kick - but I'm not sure it is due to bludging. The HRM showed I averaged 176bpm which is 94% MHR for me so I don't know how sustainable anything higher would have been over 5k?

Sauntered back most of the way nattering away with Jen, Gnome and Benny in a cheerful little group. Then proceeded to chatter away at the end with anyone who would put up with me.

I'd like to say nice morning but I still feel a bit too crook for that - company was good but :-)

Day 14

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 40k
Month Total: 244k
Year Total: 956k

Well here we are - day 14 of The Great Heartrate Experiment.

Ran the usual 10k this morning @ 140bpm in 65.01 (av 6.30) which is 34 seconds faster than yesterday.

So conclusions thus far:

- have remained niggle free despite hitting terminal velocity in a 3k TT last Saturday (which was a 14sec PB of 12.58)

- really enjoying my training managing to get in 2 session most days ie run/bike or run/kung fu

- I am convinced that not all of my improvement is due to changes in the weather, phase of the moon or imaginitis.

- the benchmark 7th & 8th k's as well as overall times continue to fall

7th k:  6.39, 6.38, 6.35, 6.34, 6.29, 6.22
8th k: 6.37, 6.38, 6.32, 6.27, 6.22, 6.20

- no further weight loss ie intake to burn ratio appears balanced (bugger)

I'm a happy 2P - I would like to increase the mileage (10k at this heartrate leaves me wanting) but I really don't want to get up any earlier - guess I'll just have to wait until I become more efficient at lower heartrates and get faster before extending the distance.

Thoughts For The Future

OK - I know I'm getting a little obsessed by this heartrate stuff but there ya go - I'm never really happy unless I'm learning or thinking as much as I can about something.

Obviously having been involved in sport for yonks and having had Level 1 (the lowest) Coach Accreditation pretty much since they introduced the concept, I've been aware things like training zones, interval training, resistance training, nutrition etc and their impact on results - but like many I've never really given a whole stack of thought to how the whole shebang fits together.

Apart from anything else the "no pain, no gain" and "go hard or go home" concepts have been hardwired into my bonce since birth, so whilst all this easier stuff is all very nice for beginners and returning from injury it definitely isn't for 2P - well think again Scoop!

So to contextualise this - I have a couple of simple philosophies:

Your actions need to be in sync with your aspirations (otherwise you are just dreaming).

If your actions do not progress you towards your aspirations you need to try another way.

So what are my aspirations?

1. To actively be a nuisance to my grand kids and great grand kids :-) - generally, to be an old geezer who younger people can see as a bit of a role model and like to be around because I am not an old fuddy duddy. Part of this aspiration is to stay happy, healthy and active till my number comes up, whenever that may be.

2. Not have too many regrets as I head into the twighlight years and be satisfied that I gave this game called life a fair crack.

Now as far as number 2 is concerned - so far so good - but I'm not exactly going to be ready to hang the runners up till I have achieved a few more running goals and frankly, according to my philosophies above something clearly needs to change to enable these goals to be reached (and no - I'm not tellin - my goals are my lil secret).

In terms of number 1, unless I can streamline the ole 2P a bit the physics and physiology of the situation are agin me.... I eat well, exercise very regularly, don't smoke yada, yada, but I am also very short for my weight ;-). And though I have tried, I now know I can't grow any taller, so another solution is required.

In short - I require a more holistic approach to my training - not necessarily more, just more balanced.

The following I lifted from a website for walkers and I reckon it is one of the best written descriptions of training zones in simple language I have come across.

TRAINING ZONES

Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) --- 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate: The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warm up for more serious walkers. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!

Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) --- 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat calories is still 85%. Ignore this zone to your peril.

Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) --- 70 - 80% of maximum heart rate: The aerobic zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system AND increase the size and strength of your heart. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. More calories are burned with 50% from fat.

Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) --- 80 - 90% of maximum heart rate: Benefits of this zone include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an improved cardio-respiratory system, and a higher lactate tolerance ability which means your endurance will improve and you'll be able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, 15 % from fat.

Red Line (Maximum Effort) --- 90 - 100% of maximum heart rate: Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short periods.

So what does it all mean - well up until a couple of weeks ago I was completely ignoring anything below 80% - I literally never went there, virtually every sport activity I have been involved with since I was ten have had a focus on 80%+ and nothing much structured that went into the lower zones. I sit on my bum (mostly) for work and even with my approach over the last couple of weeks I'm still not doing anything under 70% (well mowing the lawn might count - but not even the grass is growing much now).... it's a wonder I haven't burst a foofoo valve!

So I'm going to continue the low heartrate stuff and also go lower still (on the bike or by walking). This is going to be important not only for improving my performance but also to lose a bit of lard(check the % rates of fat burning in each zone). And gives me a fair shot at achieving my aspirations above.

So I reckon my weekly schedule is going to look a bit like this:

Bike rides and walks targeted at both 60% to 70% zone and also 70% to 80%.
Long run and some other runs (maybe) at 70% to 80%
1 or 2 runs at 80% to 90% (plus generally my kung fu training sits in this zone)
1 session of speedwork i.e. 90% to red line

I will just mix it up depending on what I am specifically trying to achieve at any given point in time.....

Anyway a bit of a ramble but I wanted to record this for posterity.

Lies, Damn Lies & Statistics

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 30k
Month Total: 234k
Year Total: 946k

Back to the tedious ten this morning after yesterdays parole, but it is getting better and the benefits continue - todays 10k was 52 seconds faster than on Monday at exactly the same average heartrate over exactly the same course.

Todays stats - 10k @ 140bpm in 65.30 (av 6.33).

And Lulu - no need to be jealous of the weight loss at the moment - the scales have refused to budge since Monday - the 90 kilo curse continues!

Oh and BTW - I was only kidding about changing my handle - there was never any question of 2P or not 2P?

:-)

Sanity Run

Today Total: 10k + 30mins MTB
Week Total: 20k
Month Total: 224k
Year Total: 936k

Edit: Got home from work later than planned but still enough time for a quick ride - 30mins at 128bpm before heading off to training.

I had to start work early this morning so decided to venture into the 80-85% HR zone which is such a nice change from the 75% trudge.

It was also a chance to benchmark progress - 10k @ 155bpm in 54.35 (av 5.28) which is a good 10 seconds per k better than my last two excursions to this HR zone.

Happy, happy, joy, joy :-)

Considering changing my handle from 2P to Lab Rat :-)

Lest We Forget

Today Total: 1hr 56mins MTB

So used to getting up early now I just can't sleep past about 5.00am (probably should have gone to an ANZAC Day dawn service) so I got up and headed out for a ride.

Took the Cooks River Cycleway option to Tempe and return. The morning was chill and I decided to wear my Skins under my short (padded) bike daks and fingerless gloves.

I didn't feel particularly cold but when I ran the cold water tap at home and it felt warm I knew I must be! No sense - no feeling huh?

All up 40k @ 136bpm.

For O/S readers today commemorates the first time in WW1 when brave lads from Australia and New Zealand went into battle on the foresaken penninsula of Gallipoli (Turkey). In short it was a balls up from the beginning but the ANZAC's held on for 9 bloody months far from home - the only really successful part of the campaign being the withdrawal under ANZAC leadership (finally) - the Spirit of ANZAC is deeply ingrained in the Aussie Psych - sadly this year is the first year we have been without any survivors from the war to end all wars.

Lest we forget.

Back In The Harness

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 10k
Month Total: 214k
Year Total: 926k

Another 10k @ 140bpm and I am definitely starting to see some improvement. Three of my 10k's this morning were sub 6.30 pace - the 8th k in 6.27 which is 5 seconds faster than last weeks quickest - wooohooo I'm almost up to a trot!

The other pleasing aspect is I'm down to 89.5kg making the total weight loss since I started this low heartrate game 2.9kgs in 10 days and I'm still eating like a horse.

I am going to stick with it because I'm liking the results thus far - but I have to say that mentally this is some of the toughest training I've ever done.

Dead Slow Ahead

Today Total: 25k
Week Total: 77k
Month Total: 204k
Year Total: 916k

After stoking up the boiler yesterday I rang the engine room bells for Dead Slow Ahead and navigated my way around the lake.

It was a chill but glorious morning and without a chest strap I just went on breathing and pace - a gentle run on a mixture of grass and trails with either water or bush views for the entire distance - it doesn't get much better than that :-)

Pretty happy with 77k for the week plus 2hrs 16mins on the bike.

Nibble At 90%+

Today Total: 6k
Week Total: 52k
Month Total: 179
Year Total: 891k

To add some balance to the low heartrate stuff I've been doing I had a crack at a 3k TT today.

I'm up at Gwandalan and forgot the heartrate monitor strap for the Garmin so it suited me anyway. After mowing the lawns I got Mrs 2P to drop me up the road a bit on her way to Lake Haven to do some shopping.

Finished the 3k TT in 12.58 knocking some 16 seconds off my previous attempt on the same gently undulating course the week before Six Foot Track. I definitely would have hit max heartrate in the last little bit as I was behind the Virtual Partner by 13 meters with 178 meters to go - I didn't look at the watch from that point I just gunned it till the beep went off and was gasping like a gaffed fish.

The warm up k and the two warm down k's judging by my pace and breathing would have been about 80 to 85% MHR.

Back to the long slow stuff tomorrow.

And So It Goes

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 46k
Month Total: 173k
Year Total: 885k

Well today is the 7th day of The Great Heartrate Experiment - another 10k @ 140bpm.

My impressions thus far:

- I have genuinely felt better and looked forward to all my runs and bike rides, waking before the alarm and feeling energetic all day NB I've averaged less than 6 hrs sleep per night all week

- the dreaded Ugly Step Sister has moved out again (zero ITB pain today)

- zero other niggles

- initial weight loss has stablised at 90.2kg but my diet in terms of volume has been atrocious (note to self: fix this)

- some minor improvement observed through benchmarking the 7th & 8th k of my standard run (flattest k's), though frankly this could have been due to environmental factors and initial weight loss

7th k: 6.39, 6.38, 6.35 (all @ av 141bpm)
8th k: 6.37, 6.38, 6.32 (all @ av 141bpm)

- the times I have done a 30min ride in the evening have really made my legs feel great

- total training times (duration) have increased markedly which can't be a bad thing

- my two little forays to the 85% zone have left me feeling ecstatic

- it sates my need to have something new to obsess about

- I still feel self conscious when seeing other runners (particularly on hills when I can be going as slow as 7.30)

- I have a sore arse

Well onwards and upwards - I am going to stick with it for a while to give it a fair go but I need a nibble at 90% + soon to keep me from going too stir crazy.

Squishing The Middle

Today Total: 10k + 33mins (MTB)
Week Total: 36k + 2hrs 16mins (MTB)
Month Total: 163k + 4hrs 32mins (MTB)
Year Total: 875k + 6hrs 52mins (MTB)

Edit: Got home after a mighty long day at work and headed out for a quick 11k ride at 133bpm.

A taste of higher heartrate at training last night had whetted my appetite so this morning I decided to squish the middle of the tube of toothpaste for half the distance of my run.

A bit on the overcast and breezy side this morning - even got a couple of spots of rain early - but still balmy and I feel obligated to make the most of the good weather before it turns chill again.

Stats for those interested (including me):

3k @ 140bpm av 7.00mpkm (a bit hilly for first 2k)
5k @ 154bpm av 5.39mpkm (flat)
2k @ 142bpm av 7.06mpkm (hills)

Weight - no change but I didn't eat till 10.30pm (after training) last night so I am guessing I will have dropped another little bit.

154bpm is a smidge under 83% MHR for me and feels entirely comfortable to run at. My 75% pace on the flat is about 6.50mpkm - it is amazing that a mere 8% difference in heartrate can equal a 1.10mpkm differrence in pace......

I wonder if any of the guru's out there know of a relativity chart that shows the ideal heartrate to pace ratio through the spectrum? If anyone has benchmarked this stuff I'd be interested in your results.

PS - Sorry my blog is becoming so boring - don't be too perturbed - with my attention span things are bound to change soon - oh look there goes a butterfly ;-)

Play It Again Sam

Today Total: 11k
Week Total: 26k
Month Total: 153k
Year Total: 865k

Another mooch along @ 139bpm out around Canada Bay. Pretty fine morning out there again, this certainly has to be the best time of the year for running.

Haven't noticed any difference in pace yet - but it has only been 5 days.

I have however (despite eating like a horse over Easter) noticed a significant difference on the scales. Last Thursday morning I was 92.4kg which scared the willies out of me! By Sunday Morning (after the long Saturday ride) I had dropped to 91.5kg and this morning to 90.2kg. This alone has made the Great Heartrate Experiment all worthwhile. The great part is I haven't cut back a jot on the food intake and haven't been hungry at all (hunger is something I truly loathe).

For the last 12 or so years 90kg has been extremely difficult for me to get under so it will be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of weeks.

At this stage my thinking is (with just 4.5 weeks to SMH Half) to keep the majority of my sessions at < or = 75% for the next 2.5 weeks, then some forays to 85%, with a nibble at 90%+ in the last lead up. SMH was never a goal race so I'm happy to use it for the purposes of the experiment - no biggie if I crash and burn - by giving myself permission to fail I can also dare myself to have a real go ;-)

Keeping The Faith

Today Total: 10k + 30mins MTB
Week Total: 15k + 1hr 43mins MTB
Month Total: 142k + 4hrs 1min MTB
Year Total: 854k + 6hrs 19mins MTB

Edit: Got home and decided to have a quick bash on the wind trainer for 30mins @ 132bpm - given that I intend using the trainer a bit I've decided to measure the bike riding by time rather than distance.

I was planning on a Mona's fartlek this morning but that was Testosterone 2P trying to undermine the plan - eventually Centsible 2P took over and decided after the food excesses of the weekend that low heart rate was on the menu again today.

Blimey it's a trudge though 10k in 67.21 (av 6.44) @ 140bpm av. Keep the faith brother, keep the faith......

Baby Brick

Today Total: 5k + 25k MTB
Week Total: 5k + 25k MTB
Month Total: 132k + 69k MTB
Year Total: 844k + 113k MTB

I was going to have a rest day today but when Mrs 2P announced she was off to the gym I had a look outside and it was such a gorgeous day I couldn't resist a quick session (settle down Miners I aint heading to the pool any time soon).

I pretty much did my 2 Bays route for the bike leg with the extra canal section thrown in to make up the mileage - those familiar with The Bay Run will know where I mean.

In keeping with the great heart rate experiment I kept my HR to < 75% MHR completing the 25k in 1.12.59 (av 20.5kmh) @ av 137bpm.

Now to answer a few questions - Tesso and LL the bike is RED of course, do they make them in other colours? And no the bike doesn't seem to aggravate my ITB if anything I think it is helping. For those who wanted to know how I established my MHR I ran 4k at > or = 90% theoretical MHR then gradually upped the pace over the last k to the last 300m where I attempted to sprint - the last 80m being uphill - if that didn't get me to MHR or close to it I'm not sure what will. I'm pretty sure it is accurate as I notice my breathing really changes gear about 143 bpm (4bpm above 75%).

Anyhoo nice ride onto the run.

I decided a 5k lap of Concord Golf Course @ < 85% MHR (158bpm) was the go. It felt fantastic - It might be the novelty of it but I think there is something to this HR stuff. Completed the 5k in 28.03 (av 5.37) @ av 153bpm and felt like I could have gone forever.

A perfect way to end a perfect training weekend - speedwork tomorrow ;-)

Humble Pie

Today Total: 23k
Week Total: 49k
Month Total: 127k
Year Total: 839k

I sure hope this heart rate training thing works because this morning was downright embarrassing. I wanted to put a sign on my front and back that said "Heart Rate Training In Progress - Honk If You Are Sympathetic".

The Garmin almost used all of its battery in the first 2k as the alert (set for 143bpm - 4bpm over 75% MHR) was going off so often - people were coming out of their houses thinking the paper boy had traded in his whistle.

I finally got the hang of running at 75% but it was very slow - over the first 10k some of my splits were exceeding 7 mins!!! From about the 10k (67 and a bit mins) mark my body seemed to understand what was expected of it and got more efficient and my splits came down considerably but were still slow at around 6.30.

To add insult to injury the only flattish course I could identify for a long run was my Canada Bay and The Bay Run combo - not like there is many people out there on a Sunday morning - NOT!

I eventually ground out 23k in 2.32.57 (av 6.39) @ av 139bpm (bang on 75%). And except for the times the HR alert went off I also got a sleep in ;-)

New Approach

Today Total: 44k (Mtn Bike)

*Long Post Alert*

If you always do what you have always done, then you will always get what you have always got.

Farting around with a HRM recently highlighted a very salient fact - I am running too fast in training (hard to believe at my pace but sadly its true). Being on the wrong side of 90kgs @ a smidge under 178 cm I have to get close to 90% MHR to run @ 5.30 pace - now I can do this and hold it (somehow I managed 5.12 for 21.1k at the CC Half) for quite a period but a) I'm not losing any weight (obviously as not much fat gets burnt at these heartrates) and b) improvement is in teency increments.

Honesty time - I'm a bit fat, not hugely fat but I could stand to lose a few kgs - I'm also a muscly bugger - no chicken legs here and well chesty bond may have had just my build in mind (well maybe a taller version of me)  but I digress - I didn't do anything specific like weights or anything to deserve it - mostly it's attributable to genetics and an attitude that goes at things flat stick till something busts.

What to do? What to do?

Well somethings gotta give because being on the wrong side of 40 I don't want to be carrying this load into my twilight years and also (call it midlife crisis if you like) I'd like to get back somewhere close to the kind of pace I could run as an early tween - this means knocking about 4 mins off my recent 5k PB and 8mins off 10k. I also want to chalk up some more ultras (the two are not mutually exclusive - people like Blue Dog and Spud are good examples).

So enter the bike! Why the bike?

Firstly trouble with the ITB makes running everyday difficult and as most of my running goals involve hills I initially approached this from the perspective that the bike would help with hill running and give the ITB a rest - but I've made a few other observations lately.

Uncle Dave just ran a 2.40 mara, Aunty k a 4.40 (?) 50k, Minersrun is Tri-nut but does bugger-all running (well except for his recent IM campaign) by marathoner standards and he never has problems belting out 4min pace or so on his runs - all of them ride a gazillion miles per week on a bike.

Also an article in R4YL mag recently named the top mountain running gurus and most of them did the majority of their training again on a bike.

Now prima facie I was thinking this was all due to muscle specificity (for the mountain runners) and just increases in total training times (which to a degree it is both of these things) but after reading Hadd, thanks to Steve L *waves* (sorry can't do hyperlink via email blogging) http://www.ffh.us/cn/hadd.htm (which made my brain hurt) I am  starting to think a lot of it may be due to training at the lower heart rate zones that are easier to achieve with the mechanical advantage of the bike and the inherent benefits thereof.

Now I could achieve this running but the rub is I'd have to go so bloody slow it's embarrassing and as anyone who's ever experienced an ITB problem will tell you "slow = pain". Also for some reason my ego goes into cruise control on the bike - which it can NEVER do whilst running.

So the plan from here is to do some rides each week at no harder than MHR minus 50bpm = < 136bpm for me, my long run at 75% MHR no matter how bloody slow this is, one speed session per week and my other runs about 80% to 85% MHR.

And as there is no time like the present to start I went for a 44k ride this morning at average heartrate of 132bpm which is a bit low, but I'm still learning to judge what 136bpm feels like. I rode from my place at Concord to the International Terminal at Mascot Airport via the Cooks River Cycleway and return. A pleasant jaunt for a couple of hours even if it was a bit windy.

I must confess at that heartrate I felt like I was bludging so this is going to take some getting used to - I'll feel better once I've mowed the lawn :-)

Paying The Piper

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 26k
Month Total: 104k
Year Total: 816k

Well that was awful!

I paid the piper well and truly this morning in penance for not doing a warm up or warm down for last nights dash for cash. My legs were tired and frumpy and it felt like I was running in clogs as seemingly my achilles on both legs had no bounce at all. To top it off the Ugly Step Sister nagged away right from the start.

My pace and heart rate were all over the place during the first 6k's with my pace range fluctuating between 5.30 and 5.50 and my heart rate from 140 to 155. By the end of the 6th k the nag in my ITB had turned into a real hurty bit that wouldn't be ignored so I put in a walk break during each of the last 3k.

The transition from walk to run each time was interesting to say the least but once I got into a trot it was managable for while and then I'd need to walk again - repeat.

Guess I've been a bit lazy with the treatment regimen because I'm not actively preparing for anything close - the SMH Half (though I have entered) completely fails to register even a flicker on my excitement meter and PMC doesn't seem quite real yet.

Looks like I'll have to dig out the ice and voltaren and get a bit disciplined again.

Searching For Max

Today Total: 5k
Week Total: 16k
Month Total: 94k
Year Total: 806k

Sadly the Ugly Step Sister turned up early for Easter by moving back in at the 15th k on last Sundays run. I had hoped it was just a drop in visit but on Tuesdays Mona's fartlek she made her intention to stay well known (ITB's are such whimsical yet demanding creatures).

I'm using my tried and trusted anti-social approach and am just ignoring her so I slipped out for a 5k lap of the block in search of a distant royal relative HR Max.

I took off at a fair clip going close to the 5min mark for the first k (mostly gentle uphill), then upped the pace to 4.40 for the second k (1/2 downhill, 1/2 flat) and pushed the heart rate up to an average of 168. The third k is all uphill and the heart rate went to an average of 174 and the pace dropped to 5.21. Over the 4th and 5th k it is mostly flat and I just concentrated on keeping form.

For the last 300m I put the pedal to the metal - the last 100 meters is steep uphill and I finally found Max at 186 so that is what I am going to program into the new 305.

The average heart rate for the entire run was 168 which means except for the 1st k I ran the distance at over 90% MHR. In fact the last 3k averaged well over the 90% mark

All up 5k in 24.32 (av 4.55) - pretty happy with that.

So Steve L any suggestions on where to from here?

Mona's 305 Style

Today Total: 11k
Week Total: 11k
Month Total: 89k
Year Total: 801k

The new toy arrived yesterday - oh joyous day ;-)

Can't have a new toy and not play with it so I headed out around Canada Bay for a Mona's Fartlek. My pacing was much better than last week and most of the faster efforts were in between 4.10 & 4.20 pace - the exception being a couple of the shorter efforts at the back end which were a bit quicker. My goal is to get the faster efforts sub 4.00 pace.

I used the HRM with the 305 - I haven't done much with a HRM so I was a little in the dark about what to program as my MHR but took a punt on 190. The Garmin measured a 189 towards the end so I might be in the ball park (though that could have been spurious - haven't downloaded it yet to analyse properly - I suspect 190 might be a smidge high) - average HR for the faster efforts was between the high 160's & low 170's - which from a perceived effort point of view was uncomfortable but not flat stick.

Now the important bit!

Rationalisations (post road test) for a buying a 305 from the perspective of a GPS tragic (I now own four):

- It is way more comfy
- It looks better :-)
- It is RED :-) :-)
- It is definitely quicker getting a satellite fix, can even get a fix from inside the house (oh joy, oh joy)
- All 3 screens are fully customisable, not just with what you want to see but also the number of data fields
- Their is a greater choice of data to display eg the GPS accuracy grabbed my attention as  a neat but probably useless addition ;-)
- The new course feature that allows you to race a previous result for a particular run looks good (itching to try)
- The alerts and beeps seem to sound louder and a higher pitch so should be a little easier to hear around traffic etc
- There are enhanced navigation features for nav geeks (like me)

And did I mention it is RED :-)

Love it!

Autumn Leaves

Today Total: 21k
Week Total: 51k
Month Total: 78k
Year Total: 790k (corrected to fix an error from a ways back)

In Bathurst again to visit the Halfpenny - so while she was off at Eisteddfod training I squished in a 21k loop taking in the Sofala Road, 11 Mile Drive, the Eglinton bicycle track and the Macquarie River bike track.

It was very chilly in Bathurst and my thoughts were with the Canberra Crowd when I saw it was zero degrees here this morning - fortunately my run didn't start till 10.30 am when it was a relatively balmy 10 degree and absolutely crystal clear and still.

The autumn leaves lent a magical variety of hues as I ran between fields of thigh high dry grass out along 11 Mile Drive and with no pollution or humidity to impair the view it was beautifully stunning - I love a sunburned country :-)

All up 21k in 2.02.56 (av 5.51).

Noice!

Getting Quicker

Today Total: 10k
Week Total: 30k
Month Total: 57k
Year Total: 768k

To mix the speedwork up a bit I decided on a 5k tempo run this morning.

It was another stunning autumn morning (I just got back before the breeze kicked up) out around Canada Bay and after a rest day yesterday I was set to go.

First warm up k in 5.41 then 5k @ 5.05 followed by an easier 4 k. All up 10k in 52.43 (av 5.16).

Best of luck to the Canberra crew this weekend (marathoners, ultra-nuts and 10kers). For those still overcoming injuries to get to the start line - the power of the human mind can do amazing things so give it a whirl, you've nothing to lose - but please, if it hasn't done its thing by the end of the second kilometer take the smart option and join the cheer squad ;-)

Nice Surprise

Today Total: 8k
Week Total: 20k
Month Total: 47k
Year Total: 758k

I expected to find this morning a bit tough after last nights Mona's fartlek but after my first k in 5.59 everything seemed to be working ok so I upped the pace a bit.

Apart from the fact that the rising sun across the water almost seared a hole in my retinas it was a gorgeous morning out around Canada Bay - interestingly more people said hello this morning too so the weather obviously has an impact on peoples sociability.

All up 8k in 43.07 (av 5.23)

:-)

Mona's n Me

Today Total: 12k
Week Total: 12k
Month Total: 39k
Year Total: 751k

Mona's n me have got heaps in common - ok, ok so he is from regional Victoria and I'm from metro NSW and he is tall and thin and I'm...... er.... not. True, he is almost twice as fast as me over any respectable distance and he has represented Australia on numerous occasions and I never have - but apart from that we might have been brothers!

I even keep a happy snap I took of him at the 2000 Olympics on my coffee table - doubtless he has one of me lying around somewhere at his place. So in looking for a fartlek session to do as I head towards the SMH Half (one of his pet events) it only seemed right that I should adopt the Mona's version - thanks to R4YL and Bernie G for reminding me of it.

So after a 2k warm up I belted out 2 x 1min 30sec, 4 x 1min, 4 x 30sec and 4 x 15sec efforts with equal recovery between each one - well that's what I should have done anyway - due to a user error programming the Garmin I actually did 8 x 30sec which made it 22mins so I ditched the final 15's - numnuts!.

I really, really enjoyed this session it was fantastic fun at one stage another runner thought he would tag along but in DJesque fashion I just looked across and blew him off - I averaged 3.45 pace for that minute covering 267m. My quickest pace was my last 30sec (which showed I had been bludging) @ 3.25 pace I covered 146m.

To finish - what I really respect about Mona's is his longevity in the sport - I love the way he ignores the stereotype that you're done and dusted as a sportsperson by 32. Onya Mona's!

Two Bays

Today Total: 22k
Week Total: 57k
Month Total: 27k
Year Total: 739k

Wow - the end of daylight saving was just like opening the fridge door - the light came on and the cold air hit.

For those of you non-Sydney residents who peruse these pages we had our first chilly autumn morning today.

I haven't done a longish run since the hill hop a few weeks back - so I figured it was time to get out there and go a bit longer before the old pins forgot how. I had been planning to do this particular run for a while but between one thing and another I just haven't had the opportunity till today.

The route from my place took me to Cape Cabarita and then along the foreshore to Canada Bay - from there I used a road route to get me to Nield Park where I joined The Bay Run for a lap and then returned home the same way.

I avoid The Bay Run during the week like the plague due to all the traffic and noise - but on a crystal clear cool autumn Sunday morning it reverts back to become a slice of paradise.

About half way into my run on The Bay I detected another Six Foot singlet heading towards me (I was sporting mine as well) long before I recognised the happy face of Johnny Dark as he flashed by me at warp speed, effortlessly greeting me as I wheezed out a stifled "gmornin" - Edit: LOL after reading JD's comment you can see how far gone I already was :-).

Enthused by this encounter with a fellow CR I picked up the pace a bit and managed a pretty nice -ve split for the morning.

All up 22k in bang on 2.05.30 (av 5.42) - pretty happy with that :-)

Short & Sweet

Today Total: 5k
Week Total: 35k
Month Total: 5k
Year Total: 717k

I've been fighting off a bit of a cold since my 72 inch sabbatical and I wasn't going to run today as it had freshened a bit after Thursdays 400's. But after some agricultural exploits this morning (ok - I mowed the lawn) I was feeling a little brighter so I went for a doddle around the perimeter of Concord Golf Course - on the road that is - the esteemed members would never let small change like me in!

Barely raised a sweat - 5k in 26.30 (av 5.18).

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.