ThursdayThis was track night and hot and dusty with temps still in their high 30s as the time came for the 3000m at 6pm. It was tough out there and my throat felt like sandpaper during and after the run. Needless to say I did not set any PBs or earth shattering times as I don't cope too well in the intense heat. However I was pleased to take part in three events.
Distance: 3000m (at 6pm)Time taken: 7:26:36Distance: 1500m (at 7.15pm)Time taken: 7:26:365 lap spiral (approx 2.07km)Time taken: 10:45Handicap group: 32Place: 26 (34 finishers)Total distance for evening including warm-ups between events: 10kmFriday - rest day from running6.15am - Body Balance class at gym including abs, stretching.
Saturday7.30am - Run from Molonglo Reach. Met up with large group and ran together until Campbell Park where Jen, Andy and I followed Ewen in a different direction. We ran around the '11 bridges' from there along the Mt Ainslie track (great surface), past the War Memorial, Commonwealth Ave Bridge, through the Wetlands and back to Molonglo. Jen was struggling with stomach cramps and she and Andy walked/ran the last 4km. We did run very gently to keep them in sight.
Later we joined the main group and had a pleasant picnic morning tea by the water's edge watching the kayakers go past.
Total distance: 16.2km
Calories burned: 947
Time taken: 1:43:29
Average pace per km: 6:23
Sunday (today)
This morning I met up with Ewen at Parliament House at 9.30am for a drills and hills session. We followed the Peter Magill drills but this week only did two repeats of each instead of three, as Ewen planned hill repeats afterwards!
We ran a warm-up around PH to the shaded grass opposite Portrait Gallery and did 35 mins of drills as follows
3 x 50m strides followed by 2 each x 50m of schoolyard skipping, high skips, skip-kicks, flat-foot marching, high knees, butt kicks and carioca (with 50m of strides between sets). We then ran a 100m sprint along some flat grass before jogging back to a steep hill on the west side PH for our hill repeats. Here we ran 5 x 10 sec hill sprints with a full recovery between each sprint. This was tougher than it sounds as the hill was very steep but we made it to the top and jogged back down for our recovery before the repeat.
After this we ran a gentle jog back to PH before driving to a nice spot by the lake for a coffee and after lingering too long and checking out the styles of passing runners we ended up staying long enough to buy a sandwich and turning it into lunch!
We were very lucky today as there was complete cloud cover and it was comfortable running even at that time of day. As I write this the wind has picked up and the temp has cooled. We may be in for a temporary cool change!
Total distance: 8.2kmTotal distance for week: 73km
6.15am - 45mins RPM/Spin at gym
7am - 15mins abs class
5.55pm - Run from Parliament House with Chris, Jen, Ewen and Andy. We ran to Lake BG, Kingston, the Wetlands, Molonglo Reach past the Carillon, over Commonwealth Ave Bridge, to Reconciliation Place and back to PH. It was hot, in fact very hot to start, but once the sun became low in the sky on the return journey it felt a little more comfortable. We all walked 1km at the end to stretch our legs. I didn't have much energy and felt very tired after burning the candle at both ends!
Total distance: 14kmTime taken: 1:32
Average pace per km: 6:35
Calories burned: 825
We did discuss ideas for a Christmas BBQ after one of our runs - sounds like a plan!
6.30am - upper body strength session at the gym
6.15pm - Spring series - Cross Country run at Weston Park
I arrived just before 6pm, in time to run a warm-up 2km with Ewen before the start of the race. It had been an extremely hot day in the 30s but about half an hour before the race was due to start the wind picked up and clouds covered the sun. Yes, the conditions improved considerably and after the start the wind dropped as well. It was a different course from last year, an out and back course over undulations, a lot of off-road uneven ground avoiding tree roots but some on the path and some on the grassy turf. We even had to leap over a ditch. It was a good course with lots of variety as long as we watched where our feet landed!
Total distance for race: 5km
Time taken: 26.42
Average pace per km: 5:20
After the race Ewen and I ran another 3km cool down. In fact when we stopped the weather really had cooled down quite considerably.
Total distance for day: 10km
Postscript: I have just entered the Canberra Marathon for April 2010 - no turning back now!
In this extremely hot weather it's nice to find a few shady spots on our runs even if it means running in the heat to find them. I met up with speedygeoff, Jen, Ewen and Craig for the early hot run at 4.30pm. We ran seeking shade past the yacht club and back to PH for a total of 7.5km.
At PH we joined the main group at 5.30pm. We ran another warm-up loop of PH before our main session which was similar to last week. 5 x 690m starting every 5 minutes including 5 push-ups on the fitness trail each lap.
Total distance for session: 7km
Total distance for day: 14.5imCalories burned: 830
Today the temperature was 33deg and the forecast for the next few days is rising rapidly!
I met up with Ewen at Parliament House just after 9.30am to practise our drills. We started with a warm-up around PH to the shaded grass opposite the Portrait Gallery. We did almost 50 mins of Pete Magill drills: 3 each x 50m of schoolyard skipping, high skips, skip-kicks, flat-foot marching, high knees, butt kicks and carioca. We ran strides between sets and finished with a jog back to PH. It was surprisingly hard work but Ewen assures me it will do me good and I have to try to do this at least once a week.
Total distance: 7.2kmCalories burned: 370
We rewarded ourselves with a very nice coffee at Kingston Markets afterwards.
Total distance for week: 64km
Yesterday morning (Sat) at 7.30am I met up with the Cotter group who have moved to Molonglo Reach for the summer. Ewen, Jen, Andy and I joined Chris (the Mountain Goat), Marianne, Elizabeth, Graeme and Stuart for a run before the sun became too hot. We "ran" around Duntroon to Campbell Park, Ainslie saddle, the rollercoaster, straight up to Ainslie summit (defnitely NOT running at this stage, more like clambering up rock faces) through the streets of Campbell and back to Molonglo via Duntroon. Our mountain goat leader pointed out all the interesting spots and sights on the way, especially from the magnificent view from the top of the mountain. He has so much history and knowledge at his finger tips and makes the run/walk very interesting.
Jen, Andy and I also stopped to ogle at a huge lizard on our path on the way up the mountain before we reluctantly left it to chase the others before losing sight of them.
As we headed down Mt Ainslie Jen was feeling considerably ill so we left her at the picnic area in the shade near the War Memorial and took a short cut back to Molonglo to enable someone to drive back to collect her.
As we were running on the flat near the end of the run I tripped on a tree root and landed flat on my face in the dry dirt. I didn't suffer any undue damage except to my dignity as I was completely covered in dry dirt from head to toe (literally). Back at Molonglo Ewen, Andy and I went straight into the cold river water and in fact Andy and I went right under the water, clothes and all - one way of washing the mud off! It was really refreshing and I felt so much cleaner after that - albeit wetter and cooler!
We then joined the others, including Jen, for a drink and nibbles at the picnic table - very pleasant. Next week we will run further but as our mountain goat will be away, Ewen will ensure we don't walk up vertical hills and we will run all the way on the undulating trails instead. I have to say it's great to get back to the trails though - so much easier on the legs and feet (when I don't trip over them)!!
Total distance: 13.61kmCalories burned: 744
Time taken: 1:45 (walking involved!)
Now I'm off to do drills (and hopefully not spills) with Ewen!
After some initial indecisiveness I opted to run 3000m at track and enjoy the 1500m fitness walk rather than running the 10,000m. I made the final decision when the sky clouded over a little and the heat didn't feel quite as intense as it did earlier in the day. I managed a short warm up with Janene and Marg before we headed for the start at 6pm. I felt good tonight, no record breaker but at least I was a little faster than last week. If I just knock a few seconds off each week I will go under that 15mins eventually hopefully!
Distance: 3000m
Time taken: 15:28:25
Average pace per km: 5:10
Activity: Fitness Walk
Distance: 1500m
Time taken: 10:17
Average pace per km: 6:45 (that's faster than some of my training runs!!)
Total distance including warm-up: 7km
Later in the evening I lap scored for one of the entrants in the 10,000m. It was great fun sitting on the sidelines cheering on the competitors and taking times on each lap - quite different from being on the other side!
And finally, at supper afterwards, I was one of the lucky recipients of the barrel draw - two weeks in a row! Woo hoo, I won a movie ticket - yay!
6.15am - RPM/Spin class at gym
7am - 15mins abs class
5.45pm - Run from Parliament House with Jen, Chris and Andy.
Ewen decided to run from home as he plans to race the 10km at track tonight. I think I may opt for the 3km although it will be run at 6pm when the heat is really on!
Jen and I ran in crop tops as it was over 30deg when we set out on our run with Chris as our leader. We ran past the National Gallery, along Kings Ave, Parkes Way, Anzac Pde and past the War Memorial then down to Commonwealth Park, Commonwealth Ave, through the streets of Reid past Regatta Point heading in a roundabout way back to the start. We included a stop to dislodge hundreds of biddy bids pricking into our toes through our shoes and socks from the dry dry grass.
It was hot, there's no denying this and we didn't stop for water until after the 9km point by which time I felt really dehydrated. We ran gently although Jen powered up the hills. It was an interesting run as we always manage to run past new places when Chris is leading and often stop for a little history lesson on the way!
Total distance: 13kmTime taken: 1:30Average pace: SlowCalories burned: 745
6.15am - Gym - upper body strength work and abs
6.15pm - Cross Country Spring Series Run at Barrenjoey Drive near the zoo.
Distance: 5km
Time taken: 28:55
Average pace per km: 5:40
It was 33deg at the hottest part of the day today and had not cooled down at all by the start of the run. Fortunately the course was partly in the shade of trees but it was a 3 lap course on rough uneven ground which meant treading with caution to avoid tree roots and sticks. I didn't want to trip and fall flat on my face which is a very likely scenario for me!
I ran a slow 2km warm-up before the race but it didn't help my pace. Today I was over a minute slower than in last week's run.
Total distance for day: 7km
