Monday, January 31, 2011

Endurance and Anaerobic Threshold......

....This is the focus for the next four weeks of my training program. However, it becomes much more difficult in the heat.
Yesterday, on the last day of January, the temperature soared to 37deg and was positively steaming later in the day. In the morning I went to the gym for upper body strength work, abs and stretches. I headed for Parliament House at about 5pm to meet up with speedygeoff on his return from an 8km run.
We ran a very short warm-up before meeting up with the others for the main session. It was a small turn-out tonight, just ten of us, probably due to the extremely hot temperature. My car thermometer showed 39deg as I approached PH. We are having a brief heat wave. Fortunately in Canberra these heat waves don't usually last more than a week or two before we have a reprieve and according to the forecast some more rain.
Our main session consisted of a warm-up loop in and out the slightly shady trails and a practice of the 950m loop before running 3 x 950m undulating loops as fast as we could manage in the heat. Some of it was in the shade but even that was hot. In between the repeats we drank heaps of water and ran 400m along the straight grass by the road with Joel who was doing 200m sprint repeats. After our warm down, I continued on for a few kms with Susan, Ewen and Andy to make up my distance for the day.
Total distance: 13km
Total distance for January: 343km
Tuesday 1 February (today)
After a very late night last night I could only manage to run out the door just before 8am which was leaving it far too late as the temperature was already in the 20s. Today's maximum is 38deg but there's a hot wind blowing now and it's quite unpleasant. Thankfully I was back from my run before this happened. It was supposed to be a tempo session but I struggled with speed. Instead I ran faster in the shaded areas and slower in the exposed areas. I stripped off to my crop top very early in the run - the less clothes the better as long as I have heaps of sunblock on, even at that time of day.
Total distance: 11km (including some tempo running and some fartlek intervals)
Calories burned: 650
After reaching home I changed into my swimmers and headed for the pool for a refreshing 1km swim. I am very slow but it was absolutely wonderful to fit that in before heading off to town to meet a friend for lunch.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

The temperatures are soaring!

Today Mr B and I headed for Campbell Park to run in the Vets' Monthly Handicap race. My handicap group was 26 and Mr B's was 31. The sun hadn't reached its peak at that time and it wasn't too too hot. It has since risen to 35deg and we expect soaring temperatures over the next few days with temperatures from 31-38 celsius all week!
The track this morning was rough underfoot and dry. It was also steep on the outward course which meant there were some nice downhills on the return. I found it tough but I didn't walk at all although my speed on those hills was probably more of a "granny" shuffle than a run.
Total distance: 6km (plus 600m warm-up - hmmm)!
Time taken: 35:28
Average pace per km: 5:55
Handicap group: 26
Finish place: 88th (115 finishers)
Calories burned: 344
Maybe I'll be re-handicapped next month!

I always enjoy catching up with lots of running friends on those runs. Later we joined a large group of running friends at the War Memorial Cafe. The intention was to have coffee at Campbell shops but they were closed this morning. Instead we met up with Heidi, Janene, Maria, Peter, Rachelle, Bruce, Carol, Roger, Jen, CJ, Ewen and Michelle and Katherine and their gorgeous little childen. It was lots of fun.
Yesterday I ran my easy week "long" run with Ewen and Andy. We ran down to the lake along Anzac Parade and towards the ferry terminal where we met up with speedygeoff and his Metro running group heading in the opposite direction. We turned and ran with them for the remainder of their 8km then speedygeoff joined us for the rest of our run. Ewen and Andy stopped at 20km to walk the other km but sg ran with me back to the carpark before meeting up with Steve, Michael and Robbie and heading for the hills!
Ewen, Andy and I then headed for the cafe where we met up with Liz, Jen and CJ for cold water, coffee and a tasty morsel!
Total distance: 21km
Time taken: 2:21
Average pace per km: 6:41
total distance for easy week: 65km
Next week I increase the distance again for three weeks. There are ten weeks until the Canberra marathon!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Thursday Track Session

Today (Friday) was my rest day from running and I went for a lovely walk with Jen and Teddy round some Black Mountain trails late in the day. The sun was low and we were in the shade of the trees. There were stunning views and it was pleasant and cool - just delightful.
Yesterday I went to the AIS track, watched the exciting 1500m race then ran a gentle warm up out of the grounds with Andy for 4.6km before lining up to run the 4 lap spiral, my only event for the night. I came in 25th with Nadine and Rachelle sprinting past me right at the end. It was a hot sticky night and I was very pleased not to have run the earlier events in the burning sun.
Total distance for evening: 6.2km
Spiral distance: 1.6km
Time taken: 8.1mins
Average pace per km: 5:04 (not exactly earth shattering speed tonight!)

Thursday, January 27, 2011

A Hot Sticky Australia Day Run!

I spent Australia Day afternoon beginning a big decluttering campaign. I have filled another two bags of clothes for recycling and have heaps more to go through. It's going to take me weeks to sort out all my junk. I have already bought a filing cabinet and started reorganising paperwork but there is loads and loads to do.
It was still 38deg when I drove to meet Ewen and Andy at Parliament House for our evening run. We headed off at 6.40pm trying to find some shade on the way. It was incredibly uncomfortable weather and I ran only in a crop top instead of a singlet hoping I didn't meet up with anyone I know! I was just too hot to care and I was smothered in sunblock even at that time of day. We ran down to the yacht club and on to Yarralumla Bay and turned when we reached 6km. On the way back I felt so dehydrated that we had to stop at every single water fountain. Fortunately there are quite a number in that direction. I just couldn't seem to take in enough fluids. On my return home I just kept on drinking until bedtime. If it wasn't for the good company I think I would have given up - not pleasant conditions but we were so lucky to find a little shade, thanks to Ewen's navigating skills!
Total distance: 12km
Time taken: 1:20:23
Average pace per km: 6:41 (!!!)
Calories burned: 699

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Day 2 of Easy Week!

Yesterday morning (Tuesday) I went to the pool and swam 1200m. It was very refreshing on such a hot day. I didn't go out for a run until 7pm when it was still hot but at least the sun wasn't quite as brilliant. I ran from home along the cycle track and under the tunnel and on for another km towards Gungahlin. Mr B ran with me (or slightly ahead of me) until the 4km turnaround point but I wanted to run the extra km to make up the required distance for the day.
Total distance: 10km
Time taken: 59:53
Average pace per km: 5:59
Calories burned: 583
Today, Wednesday, is Australia Day and a public holiday here. Teddy and I went for a long hot walk this morning as the temperatures are expected to rise to 37deg later today. We stopped at the local coffee shop after his run at the oval, for a coffee for me and a cold bowl of water for Teddy. Now he is lying collapsed on the wooden floorboards while I write this.
I am meeting the boys for a slightly later start than usual this evening for our run but it will still be very hot - guaranteed!

Monday, January 24, 2011

More Hill Training

Today is the first day of my "easy" week. My marathon training program is made up of three weeks of build-ups followed by an easy week with less kms and less intense training to give the body a chance to recover before increasing the distances again.
This morning I did an hour's strength training at the gym followed by abs and stretches. I didn't go to the early session of training this evening. Instead I took part only in the main session at 5.30pm and it was still very hot. It was great to see a few people who haven't been to speedygeese training for quite some time! such as CJ and Colin.
We ran a couple of loops of Parliament House as a warm-up before the main session of an undulating loop incorporating a very steep hill. We repeated this four times before heading for another hill for attrition sprints. The last two up the top of the hill were out each time. I was in the second bunch to be out so for once I wasn't first out!! Joel won again but there was some strong competition from Colin and Tim.
We ran another loop of PH for a warm down and some of us ran on for another loop to make some more distance. It was a hot night but a good session.
Total distance: 8.6m

Sunday Fun Day??

Hmm, I lack original ideas for post titles. However, it really was a fun day as it happened. It was a very early start as Mr B took part in the sprint distance triathlon down at the lake and I enjoyed being a spectator, especially as I caught up with Charlie who was being a spectator too! Mr B went really well as, in spite of a no-wetsuit swim, he still managed to beat his nemesis, Bob, by two minutes overall which meant he won his age group - yay!
Later in the day I ran a short 3km with Teddy but it was very hot and not a quick pace. I had to run him down to the drain so he could run in the water and let him off the lead on the oval where we raced round and round. It was so hot but fun. Next I headed off to Regatta Point at the lake to meet up with Ewen for another run. We tried to keep to the shady parts on a track down to the Museum and were hissed at by some protective mother swans. We gave them a wide berth and enjoyed our little run in spite of the heat and appreciated a cold bottle of coke afterwards.
Total distance: 9km
Time taken: 58:58
Average pace per km: 6:31
It's difficult to maintain any speed in the heat unfortunately.
Total distance for day: 12km
Total distance for week: 89km
Next I hurried home to shower as we were meeting friends for a wonderful dinner and a great evening - yes, a fun day.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Saturday's Long Run Done!

This morning I started my long run from the War Memorial on my own (with my music) just after 7am in order to have a few extra kms in the bank. I ran down to the lake where I saw some of the half marathon in progress. I ran in and out of some of the little side tracks and then back to join the boys for a longer run with good company.
We ran a little loop on the Mt Ainslie trails, across the Duntroon golf course and past Molonglo Reach round the West Basin of the lake including the wetlands and back over Commonwealth Bridge. Ewen turned back soon after this while Andy and I continued on past the yacht club where we spotted Jen out doing a 20km walk (very impressive at 7months pregnant). We turned just after Yarralumla Bay and returned to the War Memorial. Here we freshened up and headed for the cafe to meet up with Ewen, Liz, CJ and Steve - a great catch-up and good coffee!Jen arrived later after completing her very long walk. I had a very bruised toe but managed my run ok by keeping it strapped to the next one and well protected. It's a bit sore now though!
Total distance: 30km
Time taken: 3:21:27
Average pace per km: 6:42
Calories burned: 1741
Later in the day I headed off to watch Mr B take part in his first bike criterium race (about 25km at a VERY fast pace). It looked utterly exhausting!

Friday, January 21, 2011

A Little Trip to Sydney

Mr B and I drove to Sydney for a few days to make the most of part of his Christmas present and see The Jersey Boys. It was fantastic and brought back lots of memories from that era. We also went to a fantastic newly opened restaurant near where the girls live in Woolloomooloo, visited China's Entombed Warriors at the Art Gallery and had a great swim at Watson's Bay followed by fish and chips at Doyles - yummo! Needless to say I did not run while in Sydney. However, I ran on Tuesday morning before we left Canberra and on Thursday night after our return and instead of having my Friday rest day I ran this morning as well! This means I am still on schedule - phew!
Monday 17 January - speedygeese training at Parliament House
I ran at about 4.45pm with Ewen to gain some extra distance. We just missed the 4.30pm early start but did manage to run 6km to help our day's total.
At 5.30pm we met up with the other speedygeese for the main session. There were 19 of us in total which is good for this time of year. It was very warm but not as humid as it has been lately. After a warm up loop we headed for a sandy hill and ran 20 x 100m hills. It was a good surface but extremely dusty especially after a few repeats. I didn't push myself too much as I knew I had to run again the following morning. However, it still felt hard and I didn't miss any repeats. We ran another loop of PH for a cool down.
Total distance with early warm-up: 14.4km
Tuesday 18 January
I left the house at 8.15am after making sure I was completely packed and ready for our trip before I ran. I just ran out along the cycle track and through the tunnel towards Gungahlin for 6km and then turned and ran back.
Total distance: 12km
Time taken: 1:14:26
Average pace per km: 6:12
Thursday 20 January
After our afternoon swim in Sydney we left quite late and managed to become caught in peak hour traffic. It therefore took much longer than planned to leave Sydney let alone reach home at a reasonable hour. It was after 7.30pm when we arrived and too late to go to track. Mr B was even late for squash! I left home at 8pm and it was becoming quite dark by the time I arrived home.
Total distance: 10km
Time taken: 1:01:20
Average pace per km: 6:08
Friday 21 January
The plan this morning was to run to the gym in time for my Body Balance class then run home again. However, the best laid plans and all that. I left home in plenty of time (5.30am) but in the dim light I managed to take a wrong turn or three when I was attempting a short cut and by that time I was feeling very disillusioned and frustrated so I just ran instead. At least I had a lovely early start to the day!
Total distance: 10.6km
Time taken: 1:05
Average pace per km: 6:12
Tomorrow my long run is scheduled. Here's hoping I manage the distance!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Building up the kilometres!

This morning I met up with Ewen at Parliament House for a short run at 8.30am. It was already over 22deg at that time of day and I started the run feeling stiff and sore after yesterday. The sky was bright blue and we only counted two white fluffy clouds in the distance - a stunner of a morning. We tried to keep in as much shade as possible running to Yarralumla Bay and slightly beyond turning at the 4km mark. There were quite a few people out there we recognised, friends running and friends cycling. We also chatted to a man who is training for our marathon and I told him about the speedygeese. Maybe we'll have a new recruit.

It was a gentle run and I think it helped to loosen up some of the sore spots. After the run we left our cars at PH and walked back down to the lake (1.3km each way) to sit outside in a shady spot to enjoy coffee and raisin toast - a lovely morning.

Total distance of run: 8km
Time taken: 52:12
Average pace per km: 6:31
Total distance for week: 93km

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Hello Sunshine!

The sun was actually shining and the sky was a vivid cloudless blue when we set off for our run from the War Memorial just after 7.30am this morning. I ran with Chris, Ewen and Andy and about 3km into the run we met up with speedygeoff and his Metro runners and ran with them for their 6km course. Ewen pulled up at 12km and walked back to the War Memorial; Emma ran with us until she had run for two hours then returned to join us for coffee later; Chris, speedygeoff, Andy and I continued on right round the lake covering central and west basins. We stopped a few times at the drinking fountains on the route and farewelled speedygeoff at his 24km mark before continuing on back to the War Memorial. The boys stopped to walk just before 25km but I managed to continue (albeit slowly) for my desired distance. Later we met up with Ewen, Emma, Jen and her little Laura, at the cafe and enjoyed a very leisurely coffee which turned into lunch. It was a lovely pleasant way to pass the morning.
Total distance: 27km
Time taken: 2:57:55
Average pace per km: 6:35 (slightly faster than last week)
Calories burned: 1569 (which I'm sure were replaced very quickly!)


Footnote: After reading Jog's and Friar's blog I am feeling much more positive about the Canberra Marathon recognising that Jog and I will be aiming to complete our tenth Canberra Marathons this year and may gain Griffin status after all. There has certainly been some doubt about this so we now have our fingers and toes crossed!
Photo shows me with Jen and Ewen during a lake run in 2010!


Thursday, January 13, 2011

Another PB by a very narrow margin!

This afternoon I ran with Teddy for 3.8km as a warm up for the track session. It was very humid out there and even after such a short run I was dripping wet. Off to track at 7pm for another warm up with speedygeoff, Ewen and Yelena before the start of our race at 8pm. The rain held off and we had lots of cloud cover and a little wind for the event.
Yelena ran past me about 100m before the finish line but our times were very close. It was very humid and my back was troubling me for some unexplained reason. However I managed to beat my PB - JUST - in fact by less than a second! Phew!!
Time taken for 3000m: 14:53.21 (last week 14:54)!
Total distance for day including warm up and cool down: 11km

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Wet Wednesday

7am - Off to the gym for another upper body strength session. I started with a warm-up for 10mins on the cross trainer. Next I spent 50mins on the machines working on the shoulders, back, chest, triceps, biceps etc followed by a circuit of abs training and finishing with 1000m on the rower as fast as possible which currently is 5mins 31secs. My goal is to get this down to under 5mins eventually! It's quite hard to do at the end of a tough session. After the session I spent about 10mins stretching and when I headed home it was pouring with rain.

1.30pm - It continued to rain on and off most of the day. When it eased off a little I put on some running clothes and a spray jacket and took Teddy out for a run in a light drizzle. However, about 10mins into the run it began to rain heavily and we headed to a friend in Lyneham just over 3km away where I stopped for a cup of tea and Teddy had a big drink of water as we watched the rain through the window and towel dried. When the rain eased off we headed back home stopping briefly to chat to Maria through her car window when she spotted us. A hot shower was definitely required on my return. Teddy is starting to get the hang of this running. The break in the middle probably helped.
Total distance: 6.5km

Later I headed off to Parliament House to meet up with Chris, Ewen and Andy for our usual Wednesday run. It had stopped raining and the sun shone bravely and intensely for a short time before cloud cover caused intense humidity instead. In fact on our return the boys were wringing out their singlets making puddles on the concrete - eeeew! We ran our usual run over King's Avenue, to the War Memorial, Constitution Avenue and Commonwealth bridge with a little extra distance round the back of the War Memorial. We did spot some large hares running very fast near Commonwealth Park. I wish I could run that fast.
Total distance: 11.5km
Time taken: 1hr 14mins
Average pace per km: 6:26

Total distance for day: 18km

Tuesday's training

This morning (Tuesday) I decided to go for a swim to start the day. I managed 1300m so was pretty happy with that. Once I reach 1500m I will just concentrate on swimming a little faster but swimming is not a strong point for me and I will always be slow. It is however excellent cross training.

I needed to be home before 9am as I was on grandma patrol for the day. I had such fun. During the morning little Miss 8 and I went to see 'Tangled' in 3D at Dendy Cinema and it was terrific. We both loved it. We also enjoyed the icecream and popcorn!

In the early evening I went for my run from home. It was overcast and really pleasant out there. My schedule was to run 10km steady plus 6 x 100m strides with 100m jog between . This I did and then ran home to collect Teddy and squeeze in a quick and short run round the block with him before dark and dinner time. It was a good work-out.
Total distance for day: 13km
Time taken for 10km: 59:28
Average pace per km: 5:56
Photos taken on Christmas Day with my gingerbread house slowly being demolished! What fun :)

Monday, January 10, 2011

A Good Start to Week 2 of my Marathon Training

At 7am I headed for the gym for a strength program including a warm up on the cross trainer and a warm down for 1000m on the rower. I also completed abs and stretches. The whole session took 1hour 15mins.
In the late afternoon, as a little warm up before speedygeese training, I ran with Teddy for 3.4km from home just avoiding the raindrops. He is getting better at running on the lead and I'm looking at increasing his runs gradually so that I will be able to go for a decent run with him before too long.

I chose to meet Ewen earlier than the main session at Parliament this afternoon. We ran out for nearly 3km where we met up with speedycoach and Katherine, ran a little further and then turned and ran back to PH, a total of 6km. There we met up with the rest of the speedygeese including a new starter, Emma. There were only 14 of us tonight. Some are still on holidays.

After a warm up loop the main session consisted of:

12 x 100m hill sprints with a jog down to the start between each sprint

We then ran another gentle loop before heading for another hill for attrition sprints. The grand winner again this week was Joel. He is truly amazing!

Total distance for day including warm ups: 16km

The countdown has begun!

Early this morning (Sunday) I went out with Mr B to cheer him on in the Australian Triathlon Championships. He entered the sprint distance - 750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run. There were heaps of people I knew there, both entrants and supporters. Lots of speedygeese runners also stopped to say hi and it was lots of fun. The conditions were perfect with a glass-like lake and cloud cover for the entire event. The rain started just as we packed up the bike at the end of the race. It was very exciting to watch as Flashdrake and Mr B were racing neck to neck in the same age group. Mr B was pipped at the post by about 30secs to achieve a 3rd place in his age group but he gave Flashdrake a run for his money! Of course the most inspirational competitor of the day was our Rad who is now 84 and featured in today's Canberra Times. He is such an amazing man with an incredible life story.
Late in the afternoon, before my beautiful local family joined us for dinner after their holiday, I met up with Ewen for a run from Parliament House. Of course it rained and it rained for the entire run. It was humid and I loved the feel of the rain to keep us cool although we had to run with due caution. Ewen was a bit tired as he had already run 10km earlier in the day but after the first few kms I felt fresh and really enjoyed the run. We were slow but it didn't really matter. Today was more about completing some more kms for the week.
Total distance: 10km
Time taken: 1:04:17
Average pace per km: 6:25

Total distance for week: 74km
Total distance so far for January: 96km

I have a lot of work to do as I really need to increase my weekly distance. The countdown to the Canberra Marathon in April has begun!

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Just One More New Year's Resolution for 2011.....

Stress less!
This year I resolve to start preparing for Christmas early. I always leave everything until the last minute and then my stress levels rise as I try to do my Christmas baking, write my annual newsletter (or poem) and shop til I drop. I try every year to be organised but 2011 is the year I will plan to achieve this and avoid last minute panic. Hmmm, we shall see!

This morning I met up with Ewen and Andy at the War Memorial where we spotted lots of speedygeese heading off for the Mt Ainslie hills. Our plan is to pick up the distance and endurance before we start on the hilly trails. We still have hill training on Mondays in the meantime.

We ran down to the lake, turned right and ran right round West Basin and over Kings Avenue Bridge. Andy lost us after 12km as he took off as a speck in the distance. He was running well, we were running slow. Having said that we felt comfortable and I certainly felt better than last week, possibly because we had cloud cover all the way. I just need to 'up' that speed! However the company was good and of course the coffee and chat later, when we next met up with Andy, was great fun. During our run we spotted speedygeoff running in the opposite direction with two lovely young ladies. We also spotted a family of ducklings which were still fluffy although they were not tiny newborns anymore.
Total distance: 24km
Time taken: 2:39:13
Average pace per km: 6:38 (which is exactly the same pace as last week)
Calories burned: 1408

Photo taken with Ewen and Andy on a trail walk at the Gold Coast in 2010.

Friday, January 07, 2011

Resolution Number Five - Declutter!

I'm not totally sure that "declutter" is a real word but that's what has to happen around me. I have this immense accumulation of paperwork, unworn clothes and things to be done! Today, one day after the twelfth day of Christmas, I took down the tree, the decorations and the cards. It always feels a bit sad - that after-Christmas clean-up and I still need to vacuum all those bits of tree and tinsel that somehow are always left behind when the tree comes down!
This morning I swam 1200m before meeting Marg for a coffee to toast our daughters' birthdays which both happen to be today.
Later, a long walk with Teddy helped to work off some of the nibbling I had been doing during the day trying to "declutter" my refrigerator!!

Fridays are my non-running day in preparation for the long run in the morning.

Photo is of my two girls who live in Sydney - birthday girl on the right.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

I did it - a PB at last!

Tonight at track I finally ran the 3000m in under 15mins. I was going to write that down as one of my goals for this season not expecting to run it on the first track session of the year. It was a combined meet with ACT Athletics which meant that Yelena could run the 3000m too. Speedycoach had promised to pace Yelena and suggested he pace me too. He managed to keep us on an even 1min or just under for every 200m. Yelena took off with about 400m to go and went through the finishing line in 14:46 which equals her PB. I ran through in 14:54 which is a PB for me by 4secs so I was very happy indeed.

Thank you speedycoach. You rule!
Total distance with warm-up and cool down: 6.2km
Time taken for 3000m track race: 14:54
Average pace per km: 4:57


Photo: speedycoach and his Jenny

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Resolution Number Four......

Keep in constant contact with my friends, not necessarily just running friends!
This morning I cycled to meet Margaret (who is unable to run for some months due to an achilles infection) and we rode down to the lake for a great coffee before continuing on our way making a total of 30km. We had lots of catching up to do today but next time we will cycle faster. It was really enjoyable.

Just before 6pm I met up with Ewen, Chris and Andy for a run from Parliament House along Kings Avenue, round the War Memorial, Constitution Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue and back to PH. It was quite a strong wind in parts especially crossing the bridges but it was a pleasant run although my hamstring felt quite tight and sore.

Total distance: 11.2km
Time taken: 1:13:13
Average pace per km: 6:31 (I did forget to press the stop button on my Garmin a few times when we were waiting to cross roads which may account for a couple of minutes!)

Photo: Andy, Jenjen (from Sydney), Margaret at the speedygeese Christmas BBQ

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Resolution Number Three .....

Keep up the Cross Training!








My goal is to regularly attend the gym for upper body strength work at least twice a week and attend RPM, Body Balance and abs classes each week. I also aim to cycle and swim at least once a week to maintain overall fitness and of course take Teddy for his daily walk. Judging by my absymal effort at the hill sprints at training last night I also need to incorporate hills and trails in my long runs. 2011 will be the year to make me stronger!

This evening I went for my run at 7pm when the temperature was cool and pleasant. I ran from home and out towards Gungahlin on the cycle track turning at 4km.
Total distance: 8km
Time taken: 47:44
Average pace per km: 5:57

Photo: Teddy before and after grooming! Yes, it IS the same puppy!

Monday, January 03, 2011

Resolution Number Two ......


Stretch, stretch, stretch!!!

Yes indeed, I do not stretch enough after my runs. I stretch at the gym but it is so important to warm up before a run and stretch afterwards. This year I am going to aim to stick with my plan of stretching after every run to try to avoid injury. After my long run yesterday my left hamstring has been playing up again. I took Teddy for a long walk in the afternoon but the hamstring continued to hurt.

This morning I headed off to the gym for a work-out as follows:

ten minute warm-up on the cross trainer
super sets x 4 of the following with the 1st set 15 reps, 2nd set 12 reps, 3rd set 10 reps, 4th set 15 reps. The 1st and last set have the same weight and the weights increase for the 2nd and 3rd set.
Assisted chin-ups + push-ups
Barbell chest press (15kg) + tricep dips with leg elevated
DB alternating bicep curls + French press (5kg)
DB rows x 15 on each side (6kg)

Abs - 30 secs each of the following repeating the circuit x 2
Side plank right
reverse plank
side plank left
plank
double crunch
I finished with 1000m on the rower.

This is one of my Michelle Bridges routines and takes about an hour. The photos show CJ and I with Michelle after "pain in the domain" in Sydney and later at the celebration party.

Later today I headed off to Parliament House for the speedygeese running session. I was too late for the early session but too early for the 5.30pm start. However, I had time to run just over 4km down to the lake before the main session started.
There were only 12 of us there tonight - 9 guys and 3 girls. Others must still be on holiday. After the warm-up loop we headed for a hilly bank where we incorporated a fast sprint up a steep short hill, a slower run up the rest of the hill and a windy loop, as fast as possible, then a short rest before repeating this three times. This was followed by an attrition sprint running to the top of the hill. Last person to the top each time was out. Joel won the last sprint and Andy came second. We finished the session with a warm down loop of Parliament House.
Total distance including warm-up: 11.3km
AND I finished the session with stretches!

Saturday, January 01, 2011

New Year's Resolution Number One .......

....To keep my blog updated!

On that note, Happy New Year to anyone out there who hasn't given up on me. Here's to a fantastic injury-free, healthy and happy 2011.

Some highlights for 2010 have been:

  • Running my 100th Veteran's Handicap run
  • Winning the first place trophy in the Adler Spiral Handicap series at the track
  • Being support crew with Ewen for Liz at the 100km Tan in Melbourne
  • Running in my 9th Canberra Marathon
  • Changing age group and celebrating Mr B and my 60th birthdays with a trip to Bali
  • Becoming a proud mother to Teddy, my labradoodle
  • Being interviewed and appearing in the Canberra Times with speedycoach and Roger
  • Having fun at the Gold Coast with lots of speedygeese entering in lots of races
  • Winning a medal in my age group in the Vets' Half Marathon
  • Completing a 12-week Total Body Transformation program with Michelle Bridges (from Biggest Loser) on-line and meeting her in person at the culmination of the program in Sydney
I'm quite sure there are heaps of other golden moments which I can't currently recall but all in all 2010 was a fun year and I'm hoping 2011 will be even better and maybe I might be able to run a little faster! Hopefully my hamstring won't give me too much grief.

Total kilometres run in 2010: 2,651
It's been so long since I last blogged that I won't bore everyone (including myself) with all the details of the last few weeks. Suffice to say I have been running, going to the gym regularly, cycling a little and swimming about once a week. I now need to 'up the ante' as the YCRC (YMCA Canberra Running Club) will now be conducting the marathon in April and more training is required. As this will be my 10th marathon in Canberra I have my fingers crossed that Griffin status (ie acknowledgment of ten Canberra marathons) will still apply.

Temperatures in Canberra have risen excessively in the past few days. Summer seems to have finally arrived and this means running earlier or later in the day to avoid the heat. We have had heaps of rain this season and the grass is green and growing rapidly.

On New Year's Day (when I started this entry) I swam 1.1km at the pool instead of venturing out into the 37deg heat after rather a late night on New Year's Eve! Instead I ran my first run of the year today (Sunday) with Andy at 7.30am from the War Memorial. We ran down to the lake and round the East Basin, through Kingston and back to the lake, down to the yacht club and on to Yarralumla Bay where we turned and ran back to the carillon before returning to the War Memorial to loiter over coffee.
Total distance: 22km
Time taken: 2hrs 25mins
Average pace per km: 6:38

Yes, this pace needs work but it was decidedly humid out there this morning and we may have to start our long runs earlier to avoid the heat of the day at this time of the year.

Photo shows some of us having fun at Maria's Heroes and Villians Party on New Year's Eve.
From left: Kerry (Cruella), Drew (Phantom), strewth (Batgirl), Kelly (Supergirl), Mick (Dracula) and Andy (Gunslinger)