Oh my aching

everything!

Two pilates reformer classes and one round of physio exercises this week and I have reawakened all those muscles that had so lazily sat about doing nothing over the last three weeks. My core hurts, my chest hurts, my arms hurt, my butt hurts, I can’t move without creaking

That’ll teach me to slack off won’t it?

Tuesday – a handicap lap of Jells lake (about 2km) with the slowest 10km PB starting first and everyone setting off at 30 second intervals. There is no set path, the idea is to try and find the quickest way around, and I messed up completely and managed to find the longest way around and did 2.25km in just over 10 minutes. Then we did 4 by 30 second efforts on a slight decline with the run back up the hill as the recovery.

Wednesday – more torture, aka pilates reformer class, then after 6 days of running it was time for a rest day.

Thursday – had every good intention of doing my second lot of physio exercises for the week at lunch time. Then I got a serious case of the can’t be stuffeds and walked up to Vic Market instead and bought a roll stuffed with lovely homemade zucchini fritters and a heap of salad, was yum.

I skipped club training last night and did my own thing on the tan instead. A massive storm had rolled over the city at about 230pm, from my office I got a great view of the lightening. By the time I started running there was just a light on/off rain but it was pretty humid. I forgot my contact lenses and I can’t run in my specs because they fall off so I had to stumble about with my half blurred vision. About 2km in to my warm up the inevitable happened; I was heading over to cross a bridge, tripped on a curb and went sprawling. Banged up my hand and got a bit of gravel rash on my leg, thankfully no one was around to bear witness to my indignity.

The session I decided on way 8 by 250 metres with 90 second recovery, all programmed into my Garmin so I didn’t have to think about it and run at around 1500 metre pace. Most of my workouts these days are done with floating recoveries so it almost felt like cheating to do a standing recovery, at first 90 seconds seemed too generous but by about the 5th rep I was grateful for it.

This weekend I have a 3000 metre at Shield Comp on Saturday and the 15km Great Australian Run on Sunday. Still trying to figure out my plan, go all out for the 3k and just try for 5 minute Kms for the 15 or take it easy for the 3km and see if I can run a decent 15?

Essentially it comes down to my fear of racing longer distances having not had a chance to run well at anything over 5km since May last year. I should just stop being fearful, set a goal and see how I go, after all I managed about 5:01 per Km for a half marathon back in September, off pretty low volume training too. How about 72 minutes or thereabouts, about 4:50 per km, I might give that a crack and take it easy for the 3km. That’s the last little monkey I have to get off my back, running strongly over longer distances, it’s just a small one, more of a squirrel monkey than the big poo flinging half marathon gorilla, but he still smells and I would like to get rid.

He is very good at keeping the nits under control though.

A FUN run

I Ran Geelong on Sunday, the “passing showers” that were forecast for Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning turned out to be a months worth of rainfall in a 24 hour period. Considering the current parlous state of our water storage here in Melbourne it would have been churlish to complain and I’d rather run in a deluge than in a heatwave.

I picked up a friend who lives in the city and then we headed down the Princes to Geelong, if you put two girls in a car there is plenty to talk about so the journey passed very quickly. Miraculously I managed to find my way to the shopping centre that was offering free parking on the morning of the race, it was a mixture of competent navigation and blind luck, “ummm, I think this is the right street, ahh, hey, there’s the car park!”

Number collection was a breeze and despite the pouring rain it wasn’t all that cold, we found some shelter, took it in turns making dashes to the porta loo for nervous wees and figured out where to meet up after the race (my friend being a little more fleet of foot than I am).

Standing on the start line it was great to see so many people turning out, despite the rain. There was a good camaraderie as we waited for the start of the race, adverse conditions always seem to make people friendly in these circumstances so there was a lot of chatting and laughing with fellow competitors.

Just as the rain started falling even harder the gun was fired and we were off. I hadn’t really studied the course so I had no idea what to expect and I am not at all familiar with Geelong. I didn’t really care, after the 1500 in spikes the day before my calves were shot and my legs heavy, I just figured I’d enjoy the run and take each Km as it came. Woo hoo, what a course! There were a few flat sections but mostly it went up and down, it was a good challenging course though and I really enjoyed running it. After I warmed up a bit I knew I didn’t have the legs for a fast one so I just settled in and had a few chats with other runners along the way as we shared the pain of yet another uphill. There was one guy running without a watch who kept asking for splits as we passed though the Kms, he was hoping for 60 minutes so I encouraged him to stick with me, unfortunately he got a bit ropey going through the last couple of Kms though the park and he dropped off.

The best bit was the run to the finish, about 800 metres down hill and I ran under the slowly deflating inflatable arch (being tenaciously held up by a couple of guys with umbrellas) in just over 61 minutes. Because of the hills my splits were all over the shop and considering I couldn’t be bothered pushing up the hills I was pretty happy with that time as it felt comfortable. I jogged back to the baggage tent to collect my stuff, expecting the usual baggage tent chaos, only to find someone standing there holding my bag out for me, now that is good service.

So, great course, well organised event, good vibes all around from a few supporters who had braved the weather to cheer on the runners at random intervals around the course, support also from the 5km walkers that I ran past over the last couple of KMs (who to the very last all kept left, amazing!), a cheery atmosphere and at $35 for an electronically timed 12km fun run brilliant value. This is one that I will do again next year for sure, hopefully it will be a drier day as I would have liked to sit about on the lawn with a coffee and watch the presentations.

Last night I backed up with a very easy 10.6km at Lysterfield Lake.

Luckily this didn’t happen to me

AV Shield Round 6

Before today, how about yesterday?

10km run along the Dandy Creek Trail, an out and back run after the cool change had come though, about 23 degrees in a light rain the whole time. My body appreciated the change in conditions as I started finding the pace effortlessly creeping up to under 5 minute Kms, nice to do but the day before I race and the day after a tempo run it was best to reign it in.

Now to today, 1500 metres, the third for me this season. I had planned on trying for 5:50, even though I thought it might be a bit of a reach I wasn’t (hopefully) going to die trying. I wrote the splits on my arm (because even for 3 and a bit laps I have no hope of remembering them), 1:10, 2:43, 4:16 and 5:49.

There were enough chicks for 3 heats today and as usual there was a bit of bother trying to get some of the younger girls to step up and get themselves in the correct heat. There were only 10 girls on the line for heat 2 and the stater was pushing up into 6:15, obviously a time I can run faster than, but still girls who I know can easily do sub 6 were looking at the ground and hanging back. In the end I stepped up to the heat and dragged my team mate, who was running 1500 for the first time, along with me. It was a bit daunting lining up with a pack of whippets half my age who I knew were going to kick my arse but someone had to step forward

My boldness paid off though, sure the whippets took off, but I was never going to keep with them, we were left with three runners, myself, my team mate and another girl. We settled in to a good pace, and although I kept waiting for the other chick to take off she never did, I toyed with the notion of kicking past her with about 500 to go but stayed by her side. She kept surging and dropping which was doing my head in, she looked like she was capable of running faster than the high 5s so maybe it just wasn’t her event. In the end she really dropped the hammer with 100 to go and I couldn’t go with her.

I finished in 5:53.09, a small PB (previous best was 5:53.9) I was happy to see a PB but not over the moon, I reckon I could have run 5:50 today. I felt great at the end, not doubled over and breathing fine about a minute after finishing, no coughing or throwing up, just a little fatigued, WOW, last time I ran I was a mess for about 15 minutes and that was only 3 weeks ago!

I did start a bit too fast, the first 300 was 65 seconds, about 5 seconds faster than planned, so I slowed up a little but I think I slowed up too much and had a bit of a confidence wobble. Physically I felt pretty good, markedly more comfortable than the run 3 weeks ago, in fact I was surprised to hear the splits called because I didn’t feel I was running the pace I was.

My team mate finished right on my shoulder about .6 seconds behind me and for the first time since I started running 1500s I feel like I’ve had a race and not just a solo time trial, it was so much better to have other runners around me to work with

So, now I just need to work on my confidence, I’ve let myself believe that I can’t string together all those 90 second 400s so I back off through that 3rd lap. Sure I can do them in training, with a 90 second recovery in between, but freak out a bit at the thought of doing them back to back.

Then there is the little matter of this being only my 5th 1500 ever, I don’t actually have any clue as to strategy or pacing and I am essentially just trying to run my guts out from the second the gun goes off

Anyway, it felt heaps better when I finished and I felt much more comfortable while running the thing, so that is certainly progress, even if I didn’t reflect in a better time.

It will be interesting to see the results from heat 3, I am pretty sure it would have been won in much less than 6:15!

Now I have that 12km fun run tomorrow, how I decide to run will depend on how I pull up from today.

Ah what a week, combine going back to work with hormonally induced psychosis my disposition has been rather poisonous of late (you try waking up 1.5kg heavier than you went to bed and not go seriously feral, bloody water retention!).

Tuesday’s session was fartlek of 1 minute on/1 minute off, I did 10 (that’s 10 hard intervals, not 10 all up), not bad, pacing a bit all over the shop though.

Wednesday a rest day

Thursday, couldn’t get out to club training due to another commitment so wussed out of the hot day and jumped on the treadmill for a pyramid set, 250, 500, 750, 1km, 750, 500, 250 with 250 metres float recovery between each interval, with warm up and cool down 10km total. Intervals run at just under 4:30 pace, any faster and I am scared I’ll go flying off the back of the tready and I’ve no desire to end up as a clip on fail.com.

Today, 10km somewhere yet to be decided but not on the bloody treadmill, I am thinking maybe Wellington Road down to Churchill park and back.

1500 tomorrow, aiming to run at least as well as last time, if not a few seconds better.

12km at the inaugural Run Geelong on Sunday, bit of an early start for the haul down the Highway but I am going with a friend so there will be plenty to chat about on the way there. No goal for this one, just somewhere different to go for a run.

I am idiot, not generally but specifically.

Restored

I don’t even want to talk about yesterdays long run, other than to say it was 16km of miserable hell, it’s done and that was yesterday and why dwell hey?

Back at work today, ugh.

Mat Pilates at lunch time, first time in almost 2 weeks. Yikes, was a bit hard, things will hurt tomorrow. We had to do tricep pushups from full plank, I managed a half (that is slumping to the floor and finding myself unable to push myself back up again with my puny little girls arms) before resorting to the knees on floor girlie version.

Home time finally dragged around and I was off to get changed, bugger!! forgot to pack my crop top, have to run in my normal bra, not as comfortable.

Lysterfield Lake, ahhhh, smell the serenity.

I took a slightly different trail today and finished up with just over 10km, today’s run was everything yesterday’s wasn’t.

Birds, wallabies, a big fat lizard on the trail (first reptile sighting of the season) and blissful peace to clear my head and just run for the enjoyment.

Was good

Huh?! Wandering back to the office after my lunch time Pilates class I saw a sign in a shop window for a product called “Natures Botox”.

I am pretty sure Botox is so named because it is a derivative of Botulinum Toxin which is naturally occurring in, well, nature, thus making Botox Natures Botox….

and that other product just something else Botox Like that presumably leaves you looking like a creepy plastic doll version of yourself.

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!