AV Shield Round 5

Huh?! Geez, it just isn’t my week, my get up and go has most assuredly gotten up and gone.

Thankfully it wasn’t 35 today, but it was about 30 when I got to the track and if you are a distance runner that is more than enough thanks. I keep having to remind myself that it’s still spring, it’s been over 30 for 6 days in a row now.

I also got to the track in time to be pressed in to a 4 by 400 relay team yeah, my problem is I am a sucker and if someone asks me to do something I pretty much always say yes, I am an accommodating lass, but don’t let that get around ok! It was an inglorious race, I ran second and in the space of about 50 metres I took us from first to stone cold motherless, by the time I was dragging my arse down the straight for the handover I was apologising to the third runner I was rather helpfully asked by a team mate if I was being paid by the metre, tres amusing, if you want me to run an event that I patently have ZERO talent for you can keep the smart alec comments to a minimum, ahh, but ya gotta laugh hey, points were still scored and the only thing damaged was my poor delicate ego

The event I was there to run was the 5000 but just not feeling my usual self I decided not to flog myself in the heat, like Mr Roger’s says, you gotta know when to fold ‘em.

I folded ‘em and finished in 24:11.

Just not my week, there is a heap of racing coming up and it’s going to be a full program for me in the lead up to Christmas, with shield events and 3 fun runs as well. My main goal is a 5km PB attempt in early December so I’ll be choosing carefully which shield events I have a proper crack at and when I just need to run for points and not for glory. I’ll leave the 5000 PB attempt for early in the new year.

Oh yeah, I add sheepishly, I also ran just over 9km run leading this morning, not something I am doing every week, it’s just an occasional fill in thing. Was not a get out of jail free card, I would not have run any better this afternoon had I not run this morning.

Oh dear

not a very good session last night.

8 by 400 with 200 float recovery on the grass track out in Berwick.

Felt pretty crappy during the warm up and then started to quietly sob when the session was announced

The instruction was to run at somewhere between 3000 and 5000 metre race pace, I did, so why was it so crappy?

Every rep was a struggle and I couldn’t settle in to a comfortable pace, my stupid dumb heavy legs felt like they belonged to someone else. Despite feeling that I was gradually slowing down every rep was run pretty much at the same pace, 4:20.

Oh yeah, and I pulled out after 6 reps, it was either that or I vomit.

I never do that, I can’t even remember the last time I couldn’t complete a session.

Sometimes you just have a crappy day no point in dwelling on it too much, it’s coming up to that time of the month so I guess it’s to be expected.

I couldn’t get my act together for a run in the relative cool of the morning so I just got back from 10km in the not so cool of the afternoon.

5000 metres on the agenda tomorrow afternoon

and the forecast is for 35 degrees

I might save the PB crack for another day.

Back to work on Monday, ick.

I repent! I repent!

Owing to my shameless worship of the rum and decadent food gods while I was in Cairns I am now being smacked about mercilessly by the running gods.

Monday
Still up north and I just couldn’t face another hot and humid run on the very flat and uninspiring streets (a bike path right next to the Captain Cook Highway ranks pretty low on my “great places I have run” list). By the time the sun was low enough in the sky someone had opened a bottle of bubbly and unwrapped the brie, somehow that seemed like a more enticing option.

Tuesday
6am flight out of Cairns so I was up at 415am

After collecting an extra hour as I flew over the Qld/NSW border I finally made it home at 230pm, phew, totally buggered and it was heaps hotter back home that it was in Cairns. I had a bit of a kip and when I woke up I figured I had better go do my interval session because I was feeling horrible and lazy.

Ughhh, here is where my punishment began, 4 by 4 minutes with 3 minute recovery, normally one of my favourite sessions but I struggled through the whole thing.

1 – 943 metres @ 4:16
2 – 964 metres @ 4:09
3 – 912 metres @ 4:23
4 – 919 metres @ 4:22

Yuck

Wednesday
Rest day, got my exercise putting together a flat pack shelving unit. Owing to my stubborn insistence on doing everything myself I visited an injury upon my back trying to haul the box into my car, a chivalrous gent did stop and ask me if I needed a hand but I’d pretty much shoved the box in the car by then. By the time I’d finished wrestling a pile of veneered chipboard into something resembling a shelving unit my back was seizing up on me.

Fortunately I had a massage booked for the afternoon and by the time that was done it felt heaps better. A hot water bottle and an anti-inflam was the best course of action but it wasn’t really hot water bottle weather so I just settled for the anti-inflam and a glass of wine.

Thursday
I’ve been handed a get out of jail free card, despite my not bending at the knees crime of yesterday and woke up with my back feeling fine.

Before the sun became too fiercesome I went out for a 6km run, for an easy run it felt pretty crappy, still being punished for last week I suppose

Training again tonight, hopefully feeling more spritely by then.

No good at doing nothing

Thursday
Up at a time no right thinking human should be up to drive myself to the airport for the first of two flights for the day. Melbourne to Brisbane smooth and fairly uneventful apart from the delightful tyke behind me who kicked my seat and constantly enquired of his father “is the plane crashing yet?”, until father finally cracked it and replied “do you want to die?”, tyke replied “No”, Father retorted “then shut up”.

Score 1 Father.

I passed the time nicely watching half of season one of The Mighty Boosh on my lap top. The Mighty Who? you might ask, you either know it or your don’t and if you do know it you either love it or you hate it, I love it.

Departed Brisbane and charged up the lap top and met up with my brother and sister, their others halves and kidlets, nice little family reunion in the departure lounge.

Fortunately none of us are in possession of the formula for coke, the seven secret herbs and spices or the whereabouts of Lord Lucan so we are all allowed to fly together. Flight to Cairns also smooth and the second half of season one of TMB kept me entertained and away from the emergency exit.

By the time we made it to our accommodation I was good for nothing more than lolling about in the pool so there was no running.

Friday
A trip to the supermarket for supplies then more lolling and reading.

By 3pm I was shot of “relaxing” and was pacing and going out of my head, “anyone up for a run?”.

Brother and sister put their hands up, we donned gear and all being of the ginger persuasion bathed in 30+ and hit the streets. Sis turned back after 1.5km, having given birth 4 months ago she is still rediscovering her running mojo. My bother and I bravely soldiered on, though I get the feeling that every pedestrian and motorist that passed us was thinking f@%&ing morons!

It was hot, it was freaking humid and it was damn thankless but 8.6km later we made it back to the apartment and hightailed it straight for the pool. I considered for about 1 second whether or not it was decorous to jump in the pool in crop top and undies and then jumped in the pool in crop top and undies damn it’s nice to finish a run with a dip in the pool.

Much eating and daiquiri drinking ensued.

Saturday
Brother, sis in law, niece and mum went to the Zoo, I stayed back at apartment with sis, bro in law and nephew and once again set about the business of “relaxing”. For me this meant reading, swimming, pacing, reading, swimming, pacing at 5 minute intervals, I suck at this doing nothing caper.

By about 3pm I was going out of my head and convinced my sister and in-law to come and explore a nature trail I had seen sign posted on the previous days run. I promised them it would be a run/walk and I wouldn’t make them run up any hills.

Hmmm, I think said nature trail was a work in progress as it turned out to be nothing more than a badly rutted 4WD track strewn with garbage and sinister intent. If you want an old washing machine (may or may not be working), a futon frame or a pile of old clothes (gender and size unspecified) let me know and I’ll tell you where you can pick them up. We did make it to a small stretch of beach but bearing in mind that salt water crocs frequent the area and it is stinger season we refrained from frolicking. On the way back we encountered a couple of guys who may have been more than friends, who knows, we didn’t hang about to find out! There was a distinct Wolf Creek vibe about the place and the sooner we got back to the street the better.

Sis and in law drove back home and I ran home the long way, a reasonably perky 5.6km considering the hot and humid conditions and a small spot of vanity fartlek when I came across another runner heading in the opposite direction.

Yup, straight back in the pool when I got back.

Had a fab dinner in Cairns, a rather generous seafood platter that I later found out from a very impressed waiter was for sharing, I didn’t share, he couldn’t believe I ate it myself, HA! you try getting between me and Morten Bay Bugs and Tiger Prawns, I dare you!

Sunday
CHUCKING IT DOWN!!! Tropical rain, it ‘aint like normal rain, this is serious rain, this is soaking you right through to your soul rain. I don’t mind running in the rain when it is warm but frankly I was afraid I would drown and also my running track would have probably been flooded. Not to mention the fact that my Garmin is only shower proof, not deluge proof.

I waited for a break in the weather and headed out before the cabin fever killed me, or my family killed me for my sheer inability to sit still for more than 2 minutes.

It may have been cooler (25 instead of 30) and overcast but with humidity at about 300% it was still a slog, I only managed a “long” run of 9.3Km.

So I’ve finished a pretty slack week of only 41km so let’s call it a rest week hey.

From looking at the weather forecast it seems I’ve done well to try to adapt to the heat because it looks like I’ll be leaving hot and humid and going home to hot and dry!

Oh, and I am on line because cabin fever drove me spare today and I paid for 48 hours worth of wireless internet, I am so pathetic.

One more day in the tropics and then I am back home.

PS – Daiquiris will be the death of me.

PPS – have been napping heaps and taking my multi vitamin, I feel heaps better.

PPPS – Sometimes I think it would be nice to be Pamela Anderson and thus have the world think it was socially acceptable to spend most of the day in a bikini, but I wouldn’t want boobs as big as hers.

Or to have to sleep with either Tommy Lee or worse still Kid Rock, Euowwwwww

Didn’t Stop me

There was a little horse race on in Melbourne today so a lovely public holiday for me

Apparently it’s the race that stops a nation, though I must confess that I was probably dozing on the couch at the time and I can’t remember having ever seen a running of the cup, horse racing doesn’t do it for me really, apart from the day off that is.

And considering I probably was sleeping at the time I suppose that invalidates my post title too.

I got my B12 shot yesterday morning, though it’s still going to be a week or so before I start to really feel better. I also had another dose of shock wave therapy on my hamstring tendon, I’ve got another injection and shock wave session tomorrow morning.

Running is pretty much just maintenance at the moment because I am so wiped out. Sunday morning was a rather horrible 15km slog, gross, kept getting a stitch, couldn’t breathe properly and just generally horrible. Monday I ran 9km at Lysterfield, quite humid and I slogged around slower than usual. Today it was 2 minute hill reps at Jell’s park, 6 in total, not fantastic but not too bad.

I am off to Cairns on Thursday morning, definitely planning on running while I am there but I’ll take each day as it comes. I am due an easier week anyway so I’ll do what I feel like, get a heap of rest in and hopefully these B12 shots will have kicked in by the time I get back.

Wow, very uninspiring at the moment, I want my mojo back!

Change of scenery

With this weeks shield round having already been run I was free to do as I pleased this morning so I decided to head up to the Dandenong’s.

There was a cracking thunderstorm last night, heaps of rain and all the attendant rumbling and flashing, it was a good one, it woke me up so I lay in bed and watched it all go on out the window. This led the mountains an ethereal air this morning, it’s been the first proper hot day of the season today and was already in the 20s when I got started at about 8am. The humidity was up because the hills were really wet and the light falling through the trees was beautiful, heaps of bark on the ground though so very careful with my footing and no tripping today.

Part of the trail was familiar to me but there was a stretch of about 3km that I hadn’t run on before, though I figured that logically it would head up and head up it did, Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhh. It made Wallaby Track in Lysterfield look like a speed hump. Needless to say I couldn’t make it in one go so I turned it in to an interval session, ran until my legs gave out, gave it about 45 seconds to recover and started again and thus I made my way to the top, one day I’ll make it one go, I needed a new hill challenge anyway and even at my painfully slow pace it’s still making me stronger.

All up a 9km run.

The elevation for today

And some pics from the trail, when I was little and used to go walking up in the hills with Mum she used to tell me it was a fairy forest, of course I believed her and even now, older and more cynical it still feels pretty magical up there.

Friday
Was a bit cheeky yesterday and took a sick day, extra cheeky being that it was also a Friday, but I’ve only had one sick day so far this year and have about 650 hours of sick leave up my sleeve, so

So I ran twice, 6km in the morning in the warm pouring rain, home, a little nap and then 6km in the afternoon in the warm pouring rain

It was lovely, very tropical, kind of acclimatising for Cairns I suppose.

After the second run I was having a shower and felt something weird in my hair and did a mental freak out spider dance in the shower, turned out just to be some Banksia flowers, they were hanging low over the path all heavy with rain so I suppose they brushed over my head as I ran under them.

AV Shield Round 4

This was my first night meet, though my race was at about 6:45 so the sun was still doing it’s worst when I raced, it was about 27 degrees and a wee bit humid.

Aghhhh, flatter than a really flat thing at the moment, I think I feel worse on low B12 than I do on low iron, just really wrung out and a wee bit depressed, but I get my shots next week so I’ll be back to my old self again soon.

So of course sitting on the side of the track this afternoon I was already making my excuses terrible I know, but I didn’t feel too shabby when I did some strides so was ever so quietly confident of at least matching my last run. Though in spite of this I had still gamely written the splits on the inside of my left arm, 1:12, 2:46, 4:21, 5:56 so I hadn’t totally given up the sub 6 dream.

I set myself up in the second heat and pretty quickly found myself in my usual position, no man’s woman’s land, the front pack just out of reach and the back runners behind me. Lucky I am so used to slogging it out down the back in training so I don’t feel all that uncomfortable on my own, I just get on with it.

Anyway, long story short, first 3/4 a tad quick in 1:05 but then settled in on pace and felt better than I thought I would, by the time the last 400 started I was reasonably sure I’d get under 6 minutes, I saved a bit for the last 100 and managed a half decent kick to the line.

You could have knocked me down with a feather when I looked at my watch and saw 5:54.1 (pending official results, I wasn’t able to sneak a peak at the time sheet today)

Actually I was so shagged from the effort that you could have knocked me down with a feather anyway

And then the coughing started, I think my left lung may still be at the track.

I honestly don’t know where I pulled that run from today, I really don’t and of course it’s just going to get harder from here on in to keep pushing it down, but right now I am going to enjoy getting under that 6 minute mark for a little while, then start getting my head around 5:50.

Only 4km in the diary today, we had club duties tonight and I spent the next 90 minutes after my run dodging Javelins so my cool down consisted of running about marking the throws, by the time that was done I was too stuffed to reel out a couple of laps around the complex.

Two weeks off now, no comp next week and I am off to Cairns for 5 days next Thursday and yes I did try to find a fun run in FNQ that weekend but no luck.

EDIT – times are in, 5:54.0

Gotcha!

I haven’t said anything about my high hamstring attachment for a while, mainly because unlike “Stress Fracture, “ITB” or “Plantar Fasciitis” what I had didn’t have a nice easy name to say or type, High Hamstring Tendonopathy is a bit of a mouthful.

Anyway, it’s been getting better S L O W L Y, but it has definitely been improving, I haven’t hobbled around the house like an old woman after a long run or interval session for a few weeks now and I’ve been off the anti inflam’s for yonks. It’s still ever so slightly there though so the Doc is going to give me another couple of rounds of Shockwave Therapy next week. I am off to Cairns Thursday week so we decided to hit it again before I have an easy week with no racing planned.

When I saw the Doc on Friday I also had a bit of dry needling done on my back and hammy, it wasn’t particularly painful, except when I moved a bit on the bed, Aghhhhhhh, note to self, DO NOT MOVE when you have about a billion needles sticking out of your back and legs. Lately I’ve been feeling generally pretty crappy, really tired, in fact I have been waking up tired after not sleeping very well, serious trouble concentrating at work and my moods have been awful, quite negative and down in the dumps, it’s taken a heap of effort just to present a “normal” front to the world. I thought maybe my iron was down again, turns out that it’s B12, according to the Doc I am “very low” and all of the symptoms I described would point to that apparently, so not only Shockwave next week but a couple of B12 shots as well, that should perk me up again.

The last couple of Monday’s I’ve been taking myself to Lysterfield Lake for a run after work, the siren call started again around lunch time yesterday so I was back out there again in the afternoon. This time I went a bit longer and feeling like my hammy was probably up to it I decided to head up Wallaby Track for the first time in ages, it’s rather challenging 1.4km stretch of hill that rises about 270 metres. I may have had to slow down to about 6:30 kms to make it up, but make it up I did, no stopping, no walking, no crying, no swearing and ultimately about as comfortably as I have ever made it up that damn hill. The last bit is the worst, you think you are almost there and then it rises sharply over the last 100 metres or so, aghhhhhhh.

Then, I somewhat sheepishly admit, when I got to the top I turned around, pointed down the track and said “Gotcha!”, luckily there was no one around to see me, it’s bad enough that I talk to the wildlife, let alone the trail.

All up a 11.9km run that was a hell of a lot more enjoyable than the 13.6km pathetic excuse for a long run I dragged myself around for on Sunday morning.

We don’t have AV Shield this Saturday as the program is being run on Thursday night this week (1500 for me). So, because I can’t get enough of them thar hills this week I am going to head up to the Dandenong’s on Saturday morning and try out some trails I’ve not used before, part of the route I’ve worked out is on the Trailwalker course I am familiar with but the rest of it will be new, should be fun.

PS
Have just finished 6 days straight, including 2 sessions and one track race and am now looking forward to a rest day, when I start looking forward to a rest day I know I have been working hard. Mona fartlek tonight and I ran like shit, actually I ran the session as well as I normally would (expect I lost count and only did 3 30 second intervals instead of 4) but I just felt like rubbish. Can’t wait to get those B12 shots next week, I need them as much as I need oxygen right now, I just want to sleep all the time.

AV Shield Round 3

3000 metres today and the plan was for 13:30.

13:15 (or better) was predicted.

12:49 was the time I ran

Yeah, pretty happy with that

I only looked at my watch when I took the 1km splits and wasn’t really registering when the time was called every 400 metres (there was no time clock) so when I managed a half decent kick to the line with 100 metres to go I didn’t realise that I was running for a sub 13 minute finish.

They ran two big heats today, probably about 45 runners in my heat, the best thing was that I had someone to run with and I managed to make up a few places in the closing stages. There were also 5 people from my club in my heat and two others ran the faster heat, makes a change to have so many team mates to run with and to warm up and cool down with, I love it.

Splits
4:12
4:20 (8:32)
4:16 (12:48) But prob 12:49 owing to a delay in starting my watch when the gun went off, I can’t get used to the starting pistol, I am going to have shell shock by the end of the season.

Tired but content now, I think I’ve earned a glass of wine.

Did I mention my time? 12:49

There is just one little problem, I am finding myself indulging in a little bit of negative self talk around the middle stages of my races, whether they be 5000, 3000 or 1500 metres. I don’t give up as such but I start to talk myself into accepting a slower than planned performance, then with about two laps to go I seem to sort myself out again. Perhaps it’s just the repetition of the track and my total lack of experience, I am sure I’ll get on top of it if I just keep at it.

I am really enjoying it though, I’ve never raced so regularly before, races used to be a special occasion, something I looked forward to and put a lot of stake on. I prefer it this way, the nerves are going, it’s a heap of fun and I love the atmosphere and it’s making me a better runner.

I am an Island

Bit of a weird week, have not run as much as I normally would have, stuff has got in my way so this week is one of quality, not quantity. I am learning not to stress about life getting in the way and shan’t be trying to cram in what I have missed like I once would have.

Tuesday
Tempo session at Jell’s Park, we ran on a light gravel section between the gates, this is about 900 metres, I did four reps.

916 mtres – 3:55 (avg pace 4:17)
911 mtres – 3:57 (avg pace 4:20)
922 mtres – 4:01 (avg pace 4:22)
924 mtres – 4:01 (avg pace 4:21)

Felt good, worked hard and was disciplined enough to stick to my plan and not push harder to keep up with the group just in front.

Thursday
Adidas were putting on a special session at Olympic Park so we moved club training to the city tonight. A few of their sponsored athletes were there for a Q and A and they then lead us for our warm ups. I was in Sally McLellan’s group, she was a sweetheart and there was some good natured sprinters vs distance runners ribbing. We did some drills and she had a laugh and declared us all completely uncoordinated, in my case a pretty apt assessment.

The session was 6 by 400 with 90 second recovery, unfortunately I only got 5 sets in. There were heaps of people and mine was the last group to set off, so by the time everyone else had done 6 we only had 5 and they finished the session before we could do our last rep

In spite of that it was a good session and I ran nice even reps -
91 seconds
90 seconds
92 seconds
91 seconds
91 seconds

Pretty happy with that

Before the session I went to visit the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre, during the Melbourne Marathon training series we were taking gold coin donations for the CPEC and they invited us out to have a look at what they do. We met some pretty special kids and their parents and it was wonderful to see the good work the centre does. I was having a bit of a crappy day today but after spending some time with these kids my mood lightened considerably.