Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Day By Day ~ A Look at This Week ...

Four days off and it felt a little strange starting the engine back up again!  The plan for this morning and the next short while is some aerobic running each day for time, watching heart rate, but not distance.  I think this will be a good preparation before tackling a definite program for a specific race which I don't even know of yet!

I found a quite lengthy article by Pete Magill called "Solving the 5km Puzzle" which he wrote for Runner's World and Running Times.  At the conclusion of the article he gives a pattern of workouts for (1) Base-Building Phase and (2)  Race Phase.  It's the Base-building phase that interests me short term and a complete change from previous training for the "Glorious 5km" in Canberra last week!

So, off I set this morning, the weather hot, humid and stormy, and ran a Medium Run (60-80 min)  ...  I did 60 minutes and immediately my heart rate soared to the upper 80% of Max.!  To stop this happening, I walked a few steps whenever I saw high readings and until HR dropped into 70- 75% range.

Today : 60 min (turned out to be exactly 8k)
AHR 70% (110);  MHR 87% (138)

60 min aerobic run.

 As I finished, the rain began and more humid than earlier.  After the run I probably had about 1km walk back to the car and that replaced stretching.  I thought I was going to feel today's effort more, but I didn't, mainly because it was slow I suppose!

WEDNESDAY  ~  NIL

THURSDAY  ~   Drills/Short Hill Sprints.  Renwick :  Warm-up jog; 1 set Magill drills with stride between each; 8 x short hill sprints/walk down; easy running.  All up, from start to finish, 65 min. Very humid in spite of nice breeze; heavy clouds kept the sun out of sight. Looking like more storms - poor little Amy terrified by thunder and lightning!

FRIDAY  ~  Medium Run.   Renwick.  11:00am start.  Awful heat and humidity.  35 degrees.  Walk/Jog 60 minutes.  Long run with hills tomorrow, but will probably run this on Sunday as hot conditions lasting till then.  Felt bad during run...and have stayed that way ever since.  Too hot to be out.

SATURDAY  ~  Nil.  Too hot for me to go out.  35 degrees.

SUNDAY  ~  Short Run.  40 minutes.  Surprised still very hot even with some shade on Diamond Fields Road.  I don't much like these hot nights either; sleep difficult resulting in tiredness next day.

....and that's it for this week!



 



Saturday, November 24, 2012

5000m/ W80 Australian Record. Woo Hoo! ~~~

Now, if I could just get the hang of this track running, I might stay with short distances -  with the occasional half marathon  -  for two more years and have a crack at the W85 World Record which is somewhere around 32::xx minutes!  Another two years of training should see me in good form to make an assault!

I've run on the AIS track twice before and that was about 6 years ago, so I've no experience of track running at all.  This might be why I found it much harder running 5km on a track than I do on the road or on grass as I've been doing over the past 12 weeks in preparation for the record attempt.  Nothing to relieve the monotony of going round and round, no ups and downs, no corners at which to change direction, so how some people run long distances, hour after hour, day and night, on a track is beyond me!  It's a technique requiring lots of practice! I think, had I more track experience to call on, I could have worried less and run faster!

By 7:00pm on Thursday night I was at the track warming-up with Ewen and Ruth.  I kept moving - short strides and easy drills -  pretty much up until the 3km and 5km races were called.  When the gun was fired I took off with the others and that was the last I saw of anyone until those speedy youngsters blew past me like a southerly wind, lap after lap, so  that I began to look forward to the whir and reverberation of their approach as company, even though it was just a brief second or two and they were gone again!

Eventually, everyone had left the track and I was out there under the glaring lights all on my own except for my good friend, Ewen, who ran the 5km some distance behind me in lane1 for company, to call out the laps and to see that I wasn't bowled over by other runners.  To show how much a novice I am at track racing, Ewen had to explain even where I should stand and run from the start.  The finish was another matter!  I had no idea I had to run out of lane 1 and head towards yellow cones to my right.  If I hadn't heard Ewen calling out to me several times, to move over, I would have gone straight ahead and made a mess of everything.  What a hullabaloo!   I've a lot to learn about this track caper before I try again!

For my run...... I knew the previous W80 Australian record was 36:xx min. and I'd run 31 twice in recent months - Bankstown and Fishers Ghost - so I felt confident of doing better than the record.  I intended running much as I do when training  : not start off too fast and, most importantly, keep an even pace from start to finish and make a dash for the finish line!  I think this is the best way to race, for me anyhow...even kilometre pacing.  I felt quite good the entire race; a bit of puffing the last couple of rounds as I tried to speed up for a grand finish!  I had a wonderful night; it was lots of fun and I've discovered, be it ever so late, that I like track racing.

  One thing I'd like to mention about Thursday night that other runners might take for granted.  Because I always train alone, not by choice, it's just how it is, what a joy it was for me to be surrounded by other runners, both on and off the track; the sounds of laughter, shouting and excited voices, the pit-a-patter and drumming of fast feet on the track; watching others, young and old, race, jump, hurdle and throw equipment and themselves into whatever they were doing!  Rad, at 85, sprinting all the short distance events. I needed to see and hear all of this to be reminded that, though I train by myself, as a runner I need never feel lonely or alone.

AIS Track, 5000m


OK....here we go for the statistics!

Distance :  5000m
Time :  31:11.58
Splits  :  from Garmin 6:09.1;     6:08.0;     6:06.0;    6:07.6;     6:17.3**
Avg. pace :   6:09 m/k 
AHR  :  135/85%;     MHR  :  144/91%
W80-84 Australian Record and ACTVAC Record.
Age% = 95 

**Splits not accurate; will update when I can.


 It was a very good night and I enjoyed every bit of it
I did it!





With my friend & supporter, Ruth!
...not completely on my own!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Lucky Last!

The last of 12 weeks training with a short and easy 4km this morning!  If the Canberra weather tomorrow is as cool and overcast as it is here today, I'll be most pleased!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow night's 5000m but always feel a bit nostalgic when a period of training comes to an end; don't know why, it's just the way it is!  And where do I go from here?  Not to heaven just yet, there's too much running still left in my lucky old legs!

I guess that's it for now and will report back sometime Friday night.

Lining Up in 2007 & same place Thursday night, 2012.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Time Is Running Out!

So, off to Renwick streets for the second last little bit of training before Thursday night ~~~

1 set Magill drills with stride between
Easy Run around a few blocks
Stretching.

35 minutes.



Monday, November 19, 2012

1st Workout ~~~ Track

It was very cold, very windy and very wet when I did this morning's training at Chev track.  Immediately I reached home, the sun came out and has remained so ever since;  I can't believe how quickly it changed!
This is the last few days of  my 12 week program...sad it's coming to an end in a way;  I love the training more than the event I'm training for!  In this case, 5000m track in Canberra, Thursday night.

Today's Program  :

10-20 min warm-up
6 x 400m 2:20
1:00 min RI
10 min cool-down

In pouring rain, windy and cold conditions.....
1km warm-up + few drills & strides

200m lane Chev, track

 2:23 (76%-78%);  2:18 (73-80%);  2:20 (71-80%);  2:19 (73-80%);  2:23 (72-80%);  2:24 (72-79%)

1km cool-down + few stretches.   

Not an easy session; felt I had to try harder than expected but suppose it was an OK session for the last week of the program and the bad weather.

Today 4.4km

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Workout #3 ~~~ Long Run

Just two more training sessions and the 12 week 5km program will have come to a happy end!  Thursday, I drive to Canberra, run 5000m at night and drive home Friday.  No idea at all what I'll do after that....some new direction will come to mind, it usually does.  After reaching one goal it's never too long before another presents itself.  I know I'd like to do more short distance training.....something will turn up!

Today's Program :  10km. @ 6:41m/k....I did 11.8km by the time I finished visiting people!

Diamond Fields Road, 11.8km


 I called in on some friends on two properties in Diamond Fields Road.  Everyone was home in both places so I spent nearly as much time talking as I did running.  At my first stop I got to meet Patricia's new dressage horse, a very friendly black beauty called "Slipper", just 3 years old.

"Slipper" & Me



I found the run hard and slow today.  The hills were taller than last time I ran there, and if that's a lie, the surface was truly terrible and that's no lie at all; a real rocky road on which I did not want to fall....again!

For today  :  11.8km
For the week : 3 sessions...27.6km

Friday, November 16, 2012

Update on Fisher's Ghost 5km Results

From the website...  

Due to a technical malfunction the times for the first 159 runners in the 5km fun run were unable to be recorded. 
This issue also prevented the placings from 116th to 147th to be confirmed. Competitors placed 116th to 147th completed the 5km fun run in between those places but unfortunately the exact placings cannot be confirmed. 
The malfunction prevented all the category placings from being awarded. 
The event organiser Campbelltown City Council, sincerely apologises for the inconvenience.



I guess that's that!  I'll take my Garmin time of 31:56!









Thursday, November 15, 2012

Tempo Run ~~ Workout #2

This week is week 11 of 12 training for 5000m track race in Canberra, 8:00pm, Thursday 22nd.   Almost there and how quickly these 12 weeks have passed!  And all for one race, one night and one attempt at the Australian record W80, 5000m.  The remaining two sessions, after Saturday's long run, will be easy so in actual fact it's just about all over....not completely though... 'till the fat lady sings"!

I've very much enjoyed 5km training for the past 11 weeks and would like nothing more than to continue with the same program and do more short distance track events over summer;  however, travel, distance,  time and overnight accommodation from here to anywhere makes that extremely unlikely.  So, for today.....

Program :
 1.5km warm-up
5km @ ST pace (6:10m/k)
1.5km cool down.

I drove across to Chev track for this session; decided not to run on the 211m lane, and chose to keep just inside the oval fence, avoiding the wet section at the north end of the field.  The ground is quite uneven and makes running just that much more difficult...but fewer circles to run around.  Weather great, but hot and sweaty when running, especially in the last kilometre and finishing 60m ahead of VP who was running 6:12 m/k!

5k Tempo Run at Chev. track
 Drills + strides
1.5km warm-up

5km in 30:38.3  My best so far!

Splits...  6:09;     6:14;     6:11;     6:03;     5:59  

Avg Pace 6:08 m/k

AHR 80%;     MHR 87%  

1.5k cool-down + stretching. 

For today....    8km 

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Cross-Training ~~~~

Walking briskly pushing a lawnmower and swinging an edge trimmer.  No, not both at the same time!

At least 1 hour.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

VP Wins, I Lose Workout #1 ~~~

No surprises this morning at Chev. track for me, but VP must have known what was coming!

Program  :  10-20 min warm-up
3 x 1600m 9:23 (5:49m/k)
1 min recoveries...I needed 1 hour!
10 min cool down. 

(1)  I hadn't changed the Garmin pace from Sunday's 6:24m/k pace
(2)  Took a wild, totally mad guess that it would be 5:37m/k for each 1600m
(3)  Wrong!  Wrong, on both counts!
(4)  I was way too unrecovered for this session....so,
(5)  Not surprisingly VP was laughing all the way to the finish!

1600m repeats Chev. track


2km warm-up + 4 drills with strides
1600m (1) 9:35/5:59mk  76/82%;     (2) 10:10/6:22mk  77/81%;     10:10/6:22mk  77-80%.
1km cool-down + stretching

For today  7.8km

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Fisher's Ghost 5km ~~~~~

Perfect weather, far more welcome than the usual high temperatures we have for this event; even the hordes of flies seem to have moved elsewhere.....northwards I hope!

I enjoyed a great run, ran as hard as I could on such a hilly course and finished feeling not as wasted as I've done in previous years on what I think is a very tough course.  In fact it was a PB for the 5km which I've been running there for the past three years!  Joy, Oh joy!

Having said that, I'm somewhat disappointed that I have no official time yet.  It was explained that the computer system crashed at some stage....actually it seems to have fallen apart just after the W69 age category got through!  After that....no one, which goes to show that computers are human after all and subject to the same good and bad days the rest of us have!  Hopefully, it can be fixed manually before results are published.

My plan :
VP set to keep running at 6:24 m/km
Me, to finish in 31:??

The outcome :
My Garmin time....31:56 ....no official times for 5km due to equipment breakdown, BLAH!!!
Avg. Pace...6:24 m/km

How funny is that? VP with me crossing the finish mat at the same time, together, friends for the first time after months of serious rivalry!

5km Fishers Ghost Course in University of Western Sydney.
 2.5km warm-up + usual drills & 5 short strides
Time....31:?.... Garmin time until corrected.....last year I finished in 33:33!  I must be getting faster as I grow older!  Or is my friend on Diamond Fields Road correct when he says :  I'm getting sillier the older
I get!

Splits ~~ 6:51;  5:58;  6:20;  6:39;  6:07
Avg. Pace 6:24 m/km
AHR 84%;   MHR 87%

Today 7.5km with a 5km PB!

11 days till 5000m track, Canberra.....serious days ahead for me and VP!
 





Thursday, November 08, 2012

Easy Running ~~~

From the 5km program, I took the last training session from the last week before a 5km race :  Fisher's Ghost 5km on Sunday.

Program :
1.5km warm-up
5km easy
1.5km cool-down.

After the 1.5km warm-up I stopped the Garmin, BUT forgot to turn it on to start 5km!!  I'd probably run at least 2km before I realized I'd had, what genteel folk might call "a senior moment", but which I'd call a  stupid lapse of memory - turning the watch back on...clean forgotten!  I started the 5km again because I wasn't going to count guess work in the total!

Renwick streets  :

1.5km warm-up
5km in 35:56
6:48;  7:11;  7:24;  7:34;  6:58
1.5km cool-down

AHR 75%;  MHR  80%

Today's 5km

 Reminding myself of the hilly run on Sunday, I took in nearly all the hilly streets in Renwick.  Only things missing were heat and a million flies! 

For today ~~  8.00km

So that's it, from me, Oscar and Amy, till after Sunday's Fisher's Ghost 5km! 

 Edit : 40 minutes brisk walk today, Friday.

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

1st Workout ~~ Track

Chev. track again, round and round 211.5m!

10-20 min. warm-up
Program :  6 x 400m in 2:15 (5:37m/k)
1 min RI
10 min. cool-down.

I chose to do the program of the week leading into a race which is Fisher's Ghost, this coming Sunday 8:00am, University of Western Sydney, Campbelltown.

My 211.5m track!





2km warm-up + few drills & strides

2:14 (76/85%);   2:15 (76/84%);  2:14 (75/84%);  2:14 (77/84%);  2:17 (78/85%);  2:14 (77/88%)

1 min. standing recoveries!


1km cool-down + stretches. 

Oh boy, was it hot and humid on the track this morning!  Shorts and singlet soaked!   Maybe we'll get the forecast storms later this afternoon and rain for the rest of the week.  I thought this was meant to be an easy session; instead, it was hellishly hard, probably to do with the heat and humidity.  Importantly though, I did stay ahead of VP for the session!

5.4km today.





Sunday, November 04, 2012

3rd Workout ~~~ Long Run

After not having run for two days, my legs were feeling quite sprightly this morning...a welcome change!  Normally, my long run would have been yesterday, Saturday.  Instead, I worked on my vegetable patch, ripping out old spinach and planting two different varieties of tomatoes, lettuce and sweet corn.  There's still space for more but I don't know what I want yet; baby spinach is good in summer salads.  I'll have a look around tomorrow.

Today's program :  11km (6:41 m/k)...I did 12km

I ran entirely in the Renwick streets which meant running up and down, across and back every single street and hill.  Great morning to be alive, out and about! 

 A group of about six teenagers, dressed in what I'd call rags, but which were probably the height of fashion for them, were taking advantage of the long downhills on their skateboards  As I approached, they with downcast eyes and frowns,  might well have been thinking :  Here comes an old spoilsport who's going to try moving us on.

 I wasn't and I didn't!  Instead I chatted about how impressed I was with their speed compared to mine etc.  Immediately, they were all smiles, told me about the falls they'd had and all the amazing things they try with their boards.  When they were leaving they gave a big wave good-bye and called out : "Have a good day!"  Never judge a book by its cover......how true!  They were nice kids just having fun.

12km run today.


12km in 84 minutes
Avg. Pace 7:00 m/k
7:02;  7:07;  7:08;  6:48;  6:43;  6:59; 7:12;  7:16;  7:07; 7:06;  7:05;  6:51 
AHR 76%;  MHR 85%.....finally replaced a broken strap!

For this week's 3 key workouts....26.8km (excluding XT)

Next Sunday....Fisher's Ghost 5km!  

Then, at 8:00 pm Thursday, Nov. 22 in Canberra, I'm running a track 5000m, optimistically hoping for a new Australian record W80, 5000m.  Cheeky!

Thursday, November 01, 2012

2nd Workout ~~ Tempo Run

I checked before leaving this morning that the Garmin was fully charged......  I hate guess work!  Chev. track for the tempo run :

Program :
1.5km warm-up
5km @ ST Pace   6:22 m/k for me.
1.5km cool-down

The grounds keeper came across the oval to measure the lane with the wheel.  I was curious to know how it compared with the Garmin......and the results were :

Wheel.....211.5m
Garmin...206m  ~~  quite a difference!  The wheel would have to be correct......interesting!

5k on 211.5m  lane!


1.5km warm-up + few drills

5km in  31:37.0  ;  Avg. Pace 6:20

Splits ~~  6:32.4;  6:17.4;  6:20.3;  6:09.4;  6:17.5

1.5km cool-down + few stretches.

I have to say that going round and round a 211.5m lane for 5km is nothing short of cruelty and enough to drive a person crazy!  I changed direction after each kilometre and  had auto lap set at 1km so I didn't have to work out distances.

I tried as best I could for even pacing, (secretly) hoping to outdo Ewen's recent incredibly even pacing in a 5km track race!  I tried but didn't even get close, even though I thought my results quite acceptable!  It was reasonably hard work I must say, with quite a bit of audible puffing in the last 2 kilometres.  I'd love to run 30 min or just under; won't happen at Fisher's Ghost...much too hilly; but Canberra track?  Wouldn't it be wonderful!  Today, I finished about 40m in front of VP!!

For today  :  8km