Hanging on

Running

Tempo session today, 10Kms in 49:18 which included 2Km warm up and 6Km at under 5:00 pace and 2Km warm down. Splits for the 6Km tempo session - 4:32, 4:44, 4:50, 4:46, 4:54 and 4:40. Really warm 22 degree afternoon, running gear totally soaked by the time I am finished.

Other Stuff

I'll be back soon, I know the posting has been short and sweet lately but I am not feeling myself at the moment bear with me, I'll get over it.

Can't think of a title

Running

16Km in 1:24:03

Just struggling a wee bit today after yesterday's session. Pretty tired. Early night and some good sleep will see me right in the morning.

I am OK, just tired, will be back to my normal nonsensical ramblings tomorrow........right now I am going to sleep Zzzzzzz

800 metres is a long way.......

Running

.....when you have already run 500, 800, 1000, 1000 and it's up hill :-)

No quick run this morning, the car had to be taken to Docklands to get the last of it's extra's added.

So to tonight's session:
500 mtre, 800 mtre, 1000 mtre, 1000 mtre, 800 mtre, 500 mtre with 2 minute recovery

As usual challenging as hell but thoroughly enjoyable, I look forward to Tuesdays. I would post my splits but I mucked up my stop watch and kept pressing pause instead of lap. The one lap I managed to successfully clock was the second 1000 mtre which was 4:20. So with warm up and cool down let's call today 8.5 Km. Just a bit short of the planned 10Km but will still be an 80+ Km week. Great encouragement from TC on the final 500 mtre, really pushed me through for a fast one and as always some good advice on form which I will put into practice again on Thursday when I have a tempo session planned.

Life
A bit tired really and just want to make my dinner, I'll save the ramblings for another day.

Stepping up a Gear

Running
Monday's are easy recovery run day.
10.3Km
54:09
Avg Pace 5:15

3 weeks of higher mileage under my belt now and I am still feeling pretty good, granted a bit tired and alot more hungry but I guess that is to be expected. It will be pretty much the same from now until a week and a half out when I will start my taper. I have decided against any other racing until the half marathon. There will be plenty of time for some "fun" runs in November and December, then I can have a lighter January before gearing up again for 2007.

It's like my running year has been broken into 2 halves. The first half was the discovery and building up mileage. The second half is building on the base mileage and getting used to speed work. I never imagined back in January that I would be were I am now. When I first started running outside it was sooooo hard, I came very close to giving it in, very glad that I didn't :-)

Just noticed as well, clocked up 304 Kms for the month today which means August will also be my biggest month. Biggest week, longest run, biggest month!!!!

Life

By the way, it may seem that I am a rather one dimensional character which not much else in her life other than running. Well, literally I do spend alot of time on my feet which does mean some other things have been squeezed out. I have deliberately left my politics, philosophies and more personal thoughts out of this blog. Mainly because I don't want to use this as a forum for debate and if I reveal too many of my innermost thoughts you will all think I am even more neurotic than you already do!

The Best Week Yet

Running

I have just finished off my biggest week yet, 84 Kms! I met Michelle today at Jells Park, she had already done about 12 Km having run up from home via Koomba Park. Today's run was 25.6 Km at an average pace of 5:34, that included a very quick 5:19 to finish (hey, I could taste the gatorade by then) total time 2:22:39. Michelle finished up with 38Km in about 3 and a half hours, so a sub 4 hour marathon is well and truly on the cards come October!!

The Week That Was

Mon - 10.3 Km @ 5:22
Tue - session 500, 750, 250 by 3 with warm up/cool down 11 Km
Wed - 15 Km @ 5:15
Thur - 10.3 @ 5:03
Fri - 12.3 Km @ 5:09
Sat - Rest Day
Sun - 25.6 Km long run @ 5:34 finished in 2:22:39

I was really pleased with myself this week, not only did I string together 9 days straight and still felt fantastic (I know I know, not the smartest thing, I promise I won't do it again) but I have had the biggest week yet and also the longest long run yet. I am certainly starting to feel very confident in myself at the moment :-)

Running

12.3 Km in 1:03:25, an average pace of 5:09. Had a bit of a breakthrough today, as this was just a takin' it easy run I decided to work on my form and stride. I lengthened my stride but still kept the pace easy and just travelled along for about 500 metres to allow myself to settle into it. Checked the watch and the pace was about 4:40, I was amazed because the perceived exertion was very comfortable, my breathing was steady and I felt at ease. So there you have it, so simple! Pretty sure I still sounded like a baby elephant in stampede, but let's not try and fix everything at once :-) I have been a bit naughty and have just finished a stretch of 9 days straight, WHY? because of work stuff last week I had to take the Wednesday off as I could not fit in a run before my massage appt. owing to a late finish. I cherish my Saturday's off, they are the one day I get to sleep in and hang out in my PJs all morning, soooo, I was not going to take this Wednesday off which meant I had to push through. To be honest it did not really tax me and I am feeling pretty good tonight. Just did the maths and I ran 111 Km over the last 9 days.

Life

Q - How do you know you are having dinner with a group of runners? A - No one orders dessert :-) Had a lovely farewell dinner for Beki tonight, sadly I was driving though so had to remain sober. Good to catch up with a few people I haven't seen for a few weeks and meet a new face.

Now that's what I call dedication folks....

Running

10.3Km today, I wanted a fastish pace was thinking of a threshold session but frankly the rain put me off. So instead I opted for some Fartlek, up the Yarra to Morell Bridge once around The Tan and back the way I came. I put on some fast bursts along the way and finished up with 10.3Km in 52:05 which was an average pace of 5:03. Polar crapped out on me so no splits (think it is time to make the move to the Garmin 305, getting sick of this Polar, damn thing is moodier than me) . Ran into Steve AGAIN, people will start to talk, I wonder who is doing the stalking :-) Seriously it was a bit bleak out there so it was particularly nice to see a friendly face

Life

OK, 'fess up, who else got out there for a run today?? It was not an option to not run today, granted it was a wee bit wet (well alot bit wet at some points) but it was not too bad. There were only a handful of hardy souls braving the conditions this afternoon but really I have only had about 4 wet runs this year so I am certainly not complaining.

No quiz today, due to the rain there was no iPod with me. Gold Star to Stu yesterday for getting in very quickly with the answer, Pop Will Eat Itself - Dance of the Mad Bastards.

Now if only I could get someone to cook my dinner for me, any takers?? No, Ok, off to the kitchen I go then.......

3 is the magic number

Running

15Km today at an average pace of 5:15, kept trying to slow it down a bit but there you have it. I headed up along the Yarra up to Mac Robs Bridge, an extra 500 metres out and back to add 1Km before heading back to the city along the other side. Ran into Steve on my way out. With a long run of 24 Km planned for this Sunday I am on track for a week of about 82 Km. I think my body is getting used to it because I don't feel as tired as I used to

Life

Why is 3 the magic number? Because at the 3Km mark I start to feel good, if the legs are heavy this is when they start to lighten up, the breathing becomes more regular, this is when I find my rhythm and settle into the pace of the run. No matter how shit I might be feeling before I head out I always have that magical 3Km mark to look forward to.

Music Quiz

Geez, I thought yesterday's was waaaay easy, espeically as JJJ seem to play it about 5 times a day at the moment. It was "I want you so hard" by the Eagles of Deathmetal.

Alright, for today's challenge you really had to be a product of the early 90s, I got this album when I was 16 and I still love it, this is from my fave song on the CD, I know it so well I didn't even have to google the lyrics

Dance like a psycho
a sight like nothing on earth
keep a wide bearth from anyone you might know
So no first night nerves
All First Serves All Aces
Straight Home Bases
Sweating like a pig do a jig at the gig of the century

I could go on but I won't.......

That old runners high

Running

It was raining when I woke this morning so I wussed out of my usual Tuesday morning 5Km run. Instead I opted for 5Kms this afternoon before my session began. Tonight's session was 500 mt, 750 mt, 250 mt by 2 or 3, Em, how about 3? Ok, I'll see how I feel, Hmmm, halfway through the first 500 mt rep I was already mentally preparing myself for 3 sets. Before I knew it 3 sets were over and it was no where near has hard as I thought, in fact the last 250 mt was the easiest. Come on, I could hardly sit out the last one and watch everyone finish, who cares if I was the slowest. It was a good session and I think my form is starting to show some improvement, I'll never be super speedy by I am starting to feel more comfortable.

Life

I have not stepped on my scales for almost 2 weeks now, and surprise surprise there have been no dark moods. Ok, there was a feral PMS day on Saturday but that is like death and taxes really. Clothes feel the same, pretty sure I look the same just don't need those little numbers haunting me every day. I'll just stick to weighing in once a fortnight to keep myself in check.

Music Quiz

Alrigh, yesterday was pretty easy. No iPod today so I have picked something from the radio, if yesterday was easy today is piss easy so no clues -

My Friends are talking and their telling you "you're wasting your time because the boy is no good"

Song and Artist, answer tomorrow if no one gets it.

The Pregnant Elephant is back

Running

An easy recovery run was on the cards today, so I did 10.3Km in 55:12:09 which was an easy average pace of 5:20. As I mentioned yesterday I have now strung together 2 consecutive weeks of over 70Kms and will be on track for another one this week. Conservative by some people's standards but high mileage for me, I am now entering the period where if anything can go wrong it will (touch wood). So the time has come to be sensible, listen to what my body is telling me and don't do anything stupid! It was glorious this afternoon, still 19 degrees when I ran over Morell Bridge at about 4:20 pm.

Life

Yep, it's that T.O.M again where despite all evidence to the contrary I feel like a pregnant elephant, why oh why do I retain water like a camel? I cope better these days, I even did 10Kms in the pouring rain in Sydney this time last month, despite feeling like crap before the run I felt amazing during the run. Though I did need to sit down in the shower for about half an hour afterwards to recover. I read somewhere recently that if you get onto the Nurofen before the cramps kick in that you can beat them, so on Wednesday morning it will be 2 Nurofen at breakfast and wait and see. Oh blessed Nurofen, surely the person who invented it should be awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine.

Music Challenge

Here is a challenge for all the music fans out there. Now that I am doing some of my runs with my iPod Shuffle I have all sorts of song lyrics bouncing around in my head. A gold star to the first person who can name the song and artist, answer will be posted tomorrow

"Ain't no sum bitch gonna treat me like a ho, I'm a classy honey kissy huggy lovey dovey ghetto princess"

A hint because it was such a lovely day and I am feeling generous - You shouldn't really run with them - come onnnnnn, I couldn't have made it any easier

LOL when I did the spell check the alternative for Nurofen was Nirvana, could anything be more appropriate :-)

Spring is in the Air

What a beautiful morning and a gorgeous day!

This mornings long run was along the coastal trail starting from the Brighton Beach railway station, not a part of the world I am familiar with but an easy trip up Warragul Road and onto South Road.

I wanted 20Kms today and finished up with 20.7Km in 1:51:40 with an average pace of 5:35.

I finished up with another strong week, details below

Mon - 13.2 Km @ 5:12
Tue - AM 5.8 Km @ 5:13 PM session 600, 400, 200 by 3 warm up/cool down
Wed - Rest and a massage
Thur - 15.2 mini long run @ 5:12
Fri - 12 Km @ 5:25
Sat - 5 Km fartlek
Sun - 20.7 Km long run @ 5:24 finished in 1:51
Total - 77 Kms

Melbourne Half Marathon 49 days to go, I'll lay my cards on the table, I don't think I am ready for a sub 100 minute, but I don't think it is unreasonable to look to cut 4 minutes and am aiming for 104 minutes. I have been saying that I won't train for a Marathon until I can manage a sub 100 minute half, but I am thinking I would like to manage a 95 minute half first.

Just checked my training diary, this is the first time I have put together 2 weeks in a row of over 70Kms, this is because I am focusing on training this month and am not racing.

Your Daily Energy Requirements

Just a quick run today, 5Km in 25:08, a slow warm up then fartlek for the last 4Kms.

Yesterday I mentioned a way of determining your daily energy requirements, so after a eye blurring hour or so writing the HTML for the tables here it is. First of all I will credit it, this came from The Complete Guide to Food for Sports Performance by Dr Louise Burke, the tables all came from Recommended Nutrient Intakes, NHMRC, Australia 1990.

Step 1 - Determine your Base Metabolic Rate. Your base metabolic rate is the minimum number of Kilojoules required every day to keep you alive, this is based on your gender, age and weight

Gender	Body Weight	10-18 yrs	18-30 yrs	30-60 yrs	over 60 yrs
Male	55 Kg	6824	6360	6295	5156
	60 Kg	7195	6675	6535	5400
	65 Kg	7565	6990	6775	5645
	70 Kg	7935	7305	7015	5890
	75 Kg	8305	7620	7255	6135
	80 Kg	8675	7935	7495	6380
	85 Kg	9045	8250	7735	6625
	90 Kg	9415	8565	7975	6870
Female	40 Kg	5140	4515	4900	4275
	45 Kg	5420	4825	5070	4465
	50 Kg	5700	5135	5240	4845
	55 Kg	5980	5445	5410	5035
	60 Kg	6260	5755	5580	5225
	65 Kg	6540	6065	5750	5415
	70 Kg	6820	6375	5920	5605
	75 Kg	7100	6685	6090	5795

Step 2 - Rate your everyday activity level, minus your sporting activity. Bear in mind that if you have an office job and spend alot of the day on your butt on front of a computer (like I do) then your acitvity level will probably rate as Light. If you have a physical job, for example you are a builder or landscape gardener then you will rate higher. Once you have selected your everyday activity level (minus sporting activity) multiply by your Base Metabolic Rate

Activity	Males	Females
Bed Rest	1.2	1.2
Very Sedentary	1.3	1.3
Sedentary	1.4	1.4
Light	1.5	1.5
Light/Moderate	1.7	1.6
Moderate	1.8	1.7
Heavy	2.1	1.8
Very Heavy	2.3	2.0

Step 3 - Estimate the average cost of your training. Multiply the hours you spend in exercise every week by the energy cost of the specific task. The energy cost is given as Kj per minute, therefore if you ran for an hour at 5.5 min/km and you weigh 60Kg then the energy cost is 2940 Kj. When you have the weekly figure divide by 7 to get your daily everage.

Speed	50 Kg	60 Kg	70 Kg	80 Kg	90 Kg
5.5 min per Km	40	49	57	65	73
5 min per Km	44	52	61	70	78
4.5 min per Km	48	55	65	75	85
4 min per Km	54	65	76	87	98

Step 4 - There are allowances for kids under 18 and breastfeeding and pregnant woman but I haven't put these in, if you are interested post a comment and I'll add them.

Step 5 - Add it all together and you have your daily energy requirements. If you would like to lose weight then aim to reduce this figure by about 2000 Kj per day.

So an example, I am a 32 year old female who weighs 58 Kg and runs on average 6.5 hours a week betwen 5:00 and 5.5 minute Kms (so I will calculate on 5.5 minutes Kms) and I have an office Job

BMR = 5755
Actvity Level Light = 1.5
Energy Cost over 7 days = 19110
Average per day = 2730

Daily energy requirements (approx) = 5755 X 1.5 + 2730 +11362

So 11362 Kjs per day to maintian my body weight. Though for me this will be less as I based mine on 60Kg and I weigh 58 kg, so in reality it is more likely to be 10500. This is more generous than I would have thought, but I have to consider I am running between 70 and 80 Kms per week.

I apologise that the Male weight only goes up to 90 Kg and the Female only goes up to 75 Kg, the book didn't give data for weights over this range.

Obvioulsy this is just a guide as well but if you are eating proper meals and looking after yourself you should have a pretty healthy metabolism so the figures should be reasonably accurate.

Have fun, hopefully like me you will find out you can eat more than you thought :-)

TFIF

12Km today in 1:04:58, that is an average pace of 5:24. Much better as I feel I have been doing some of my easy runs faster than I should be. On reflection I have done some long runs this week, in an effort to keep the mileage up with Wednesday as a rest day instead of Saturday. Resting on Saturday has meant that I have been fresh for my long runs and I didn't want to be lumped with a 10Km+ run this Saturday. So as a result of some long runs during the week I will be able to get away with just a quick 5Km tomorrow morning as I have already done 51Km so far this week, then a 20Km run on Sunday. I might make tomorrow a quick progressive speed session, kicking it up a gear each 1Km. Guess what? It is only 51 days until the Melbourne Half Marathon, it is coming up so quickly, seems like an age ago since I set my watch to count down to it, the day after the Gold Coast Half Marathon. I can recommend a good book, The Complete Guide to Food for Sports Performance by Dr Louise Burke. When she authored the book prior to the 2000 Olympics she was the head of the Sports Nutrition program at the AIS. It is the best book on sports nutrition I have ever read not all bogged down in tech science stuff and very straightforward. It has been very useful, particularly the charts to help calculate the ideal number of Kjs you should take in, turns out I have been shortchanging myself. When I am a bit more alert I'll post more details for anyone who is interested on working this out for themselves. Sorry, not really anything scintillating to share today, a bit weary, looking forward to a sleep in tomorrow.

Escapee

Didn't run this morning afterall. Took advantage of the fact that the conference wasn't starting until 9am today so I had a rare weekday sleep in. This meant that I was up at 630am instead of 530am, total bliss!! Got dropped off at the station, my last ever trip in the crappy little Daewoo, thank god. I dropped my sport bag off at the office then doubled back to Degraves Street for a heart starter at Degraves Espresso. I also had some sour dough toast with the best homemade raspberry jam I have ever had, there was no sugar in it so it was nice and tart with that gorgeous berry flavour just the way I like it. On the way to Crown I stopped in at Glicks for a bagel, so I could avoid the temptations of the pastries on offer at morning tea. Conference, ughh, what ever. One of the speakers this morning saw fit to put up some family pictures as part of his presentation, "this is my daughter, these are my boys, that young woman there who looks like my daugther is my wife, she is half my age", WTF!!! I am still trying to figure out what the hell it had to do with his presentation and why I had to know that. What a wanker, I mean seriously, I was waiting for him to tell us how big his willy was next. And I am generally not one to notice male attention, but I have just spent the last 2 days being given the once over by every 2nd guy I met, not nice. Any wonder I opted out of the Dinner last night, 4 hours in a room fending off the attentions of liquored up delegates on a night away from the wife, ghastly, my poor manager had to tell a couple of guys where to go. Not a great state of affairs really, the suffragetes would be appalled. Anyway, I took off at about 3:45, I couldn't take it anymore and just wanted a run. Luckily I had a massage booked last night and with knots worked out of my hammy's and calves I was able to get out for a good 15Km today, well 15.15 to be precise, and you know I like to be precise :-), it took me 1:18:48. Instead of heading along the Yarra Trail when I got to The Tan I headed up anti-clockwise and then crossed over to Fawkner Park and did about 4Kms through there as well, then back down The Tan and to the office. And, I was picked up from the station in my brand spanking new car, lovely!

Rest

Had to make today my rest day this week, which kinda throws things out for me but shit happens. Got a Massage booked for this evening, much needed. Conference, Yawn I am all outta small talk and I ate too much garbage, tomorrow I bring my own snacks in, feeling a bit seedy at the moment. 15Kms planned for tomorrow, will have to cram it in before conference starts at 9am, carless tomorrow as old car being taken away for trade in and new car being picked up at 11am. So will have to catch the first train in a get the run done, if I don't blog again I guess the boogy man got me. *Update* Now 6:26am on Thursday, it was raining when I got up, bugger that. So I decided a sleep in would be nice as Conference does not start until 9am. Instead I am going to sneak off before the last presentation and go for my run instead, shhhhhhhh, don't tell anyone.

Busy

AM - 5.8 Km The Tan and along the Yarra, about 30 minutes. Lovely clear morning, ran into Mark and ran the straight section together. PM - HVT Speed Session. 600, 400, 200 by 3, 2 minute recovery and 4 minutes between sets. Started to concentrate on technique, felt the difference on the last set. A bit taxing tonight but probably due to poor nutrition today due to a busy day. Daily total about 11Km Had to sit in a presentation this afternoon, so boring I almost nodded off several times. Ended up occupying myself counting how many times the presenter said Actually or Actual. She clocked up 89 times in 14 minutes!!!!!!!!! Any wonder I nearly slipped into a coma. Next 2 days in conference and also a massage tomorrow, and gotta fit in my running. New car ready to collect on thursday (YAY), but gotta send the BF to pick it up because I can't get away. Starting to wonder about my training frequency and weekly mileage. Even from other runners I am getting comments like, "You run 6 days a week!", "You ran 75 Km last week!!!" I thought what I was doing was reasonable and normal, but starting to feel like I am over doing it, people are making me paranoid, I should stop listening to them. Take care everyone :-)

A busy week ahead

I have a very busy week ahead juggling my visiting manager, a 2 day conference, a massage appointment and training, phew. Got out for a 13.2 Km run this afternoon, up to MacRoberton's bridge, over the to the other side of the Yarra and back up to the office in 1:08:33. Quick shower then take the boss out for dinner, couldn't manage it any other night. Went to Tutto Bene at Southgate and had a fantastic pupkin risotto. Pretty tired now, gonna be hard to fit in all my training this week so blogging may not be too regular as I will either be working/conference, training or sleeping. Damn I am stubborn, but I 'aint missing my training.

A good strong week

Really pleased with my week, finished up with 75Km. Headed down to the Yarra Trail starting in Templestowe today, seems on any given day I am running a section of this fantastic trail. The day dawned clear and fresh, it was 6 degrees in Blackburn so I chose shorts and a long sleeved top. I wasn't counting on it being -1 in Templestowe, Brrrrrr. At least I had long sleeves, the boys, Clarkey, Mark and Ron where all in T-Shirts, not even my gloves stopped my hands from going numb. I wanted to get 20Kms in, Clarkey and Ron had gotten started earlier and done 30 minutes extra before Mark and I met them. I was a bit apprehensive about running with the boys as I would clearly be the slowest in the group and did not want to hold anyone back so I told them not to worry about leaving me behind if the pace was too pedestrian for them. Saw a few Kangas early on, me "Oh, look at their cute little faces", Clarkey "look, Dinner!". Well, it was a fast run (well for me), we got to the 10Km turn around in 54:02, at which point I re-emphsised, please don't wait for me, I really should slow down. "I really should slow down" then became my mantra, thing is, I didn't really listen to myself. Mark headed off to pick up the pace but Clarkey, bless him stuck with me to the end. I was pushing it for a long run but I was able to keep talking (just about) for most of the way and we finished up with about 20.2 km in 1:48:53 which was an average pace of 5:23. Let's have a look at that again, 20.2 Kms, that is 900 metres short of a half marathon, in 1:48:53. My half marathon time 6 weeks ago, 1:48:00!!!!!!! Very amused to get back to the picnic ground to find Ron who had turned back earlier getting stuck into a roll and a thermos of tea, very well prepared :-) Needless to say I am looking forward to Melbourne. Part of me wants to reign in the confidence, you know, in case I fall on my face, die in the arse and limp home in October in a worse time. But the new me has self belief and confidence, if I don't do as well in October it won't be for a lack of training. I won't post my training for the coming week, it will be much of the same until the taper week starts. The only variation will be in the Tuesday night sessions and the daily sessions will vary in length to include some 80 Km weeks and some lighter 75 Km weeks. 80Km seems to be just about my tolerance limit at the moment, any more and I think I run the risk of breaking down. I have a massage on Wednesday night, just the usual niggle with the calves and quads. PS - forgot to add, Anna Thompson was the first female home in the City to Surf, well done, a Melbourne girl as well. She is a bit of a running hero of mine at the moment, finally a nice tall distance runner for me to look up to (literally), but based on some interviews I have read with her a lovely girl as well. I was over the moon to see her get over the line first.

New Wheels!!

Total non running post today because it was a rest day. The BF and I have been looking for a new car for a little while now and frankly I was over it, particularly the salesmen. We had been looking at a particular manufacturer as the BF works for a major Aust car company, but the dealer we visited a few weeks ago was an arrogant little turd. When he priced the car for us he just sat there and said "So! how a about it?", I told him that we would like some privacy to talk about it and he said, you'll love this "What's to talk about?", at which point we said see you later and walked out. Anyway, developments, the BF has now quit major car company, thank GOD! Because the place was a shambles and he was constantly stressed. The way the place is managed it is a wonder they ever get around to actually making any cars, anyway that chapter is closed so no more bitching. That is why I didn't blog on Thursday night because we went out to dinner to celebrate, funny I know but it is a relief really. So, today we headed down to Subaru in Port Melbourne and I am now the proud owner of a shiny new Subaru Forester (Red). I am really looking forward to having a car we can chuck the bikes into the back of again. Best thing they actually offered a really good trade in on my shitty old Daewoo, I could barely conceal my shock! Even better they did not have the colour I wanted with the interior trim I wanted so I ended up picking up he demo that I test drove, it had only done 1600Km - HEY, I have done more than 1600Kms this year ;-) so a good day all 'round really as it came in under my budget. And I'll give credit to the place, no heavy salesman crap, they were happy to let us just wander around jumping in and out of cars and generally poke around until we were ready to have a test drive. Then they took us on this really cool off road set up they had so we could see what the AWD was like. Never thought I would be raving about a "buying a new car" experience. Can't wait to pick it up now.

My iPod has a personality disorder......

I went out for dinner last night and was too tired to blog when I got home. So here is the run down for the last 2 days of running - Thursday 8Km along the Yarra and around The Tan finished in 40:52, that's an avg 5:06 pace. It was supposed to be a tempo run but I ended up doing Fartlek instead. Splits 5:32, 5:06, 5:30 (inc Anderson St), 5:00, 4:54, 5:08, 4:54, 4:44 Friday 13Km along the Yarra Trail finished in 1:07 which is an avg 5:11 pace. Splits 5:22, 5:06, 5:12, 5:16, 5:11, 5:08, 5:19, 5:12, 5:40, 4:59, 5:00, 5:08, 4:45 Both runs were reasonably comfortable, on the P.R.E scale (perceived rate of exertion - see below) I'd say overall both runs were 5, when racing I would tend to 7 to 8. 1 - Rest 2 - Extremely low effort 3 - Low effort 4 - Very comfortable but noticeably working 5 - Comfortable but working 6 - Slightly uncomfortable, breathing regular 7 - Uncomfortable can talk but must stop talking to catch breath 8 - High effort, cannot talk 9 - Approaching extreme, difficult to breathe 10 - Extreme effort, cannot continue. So these last 2 weeks I am feeling particularly strong, a small part of me is doubting that there is something wrong with my Polar footpod and that the feedback I am getting is wrong. But these are the same paths I was running before the half marathon and looking over my training diary these same runs were at an average pace of 5:20 to 5:30. There were a handful of 5:15 pace runs in there but I recall they were more difficult than they are now. The improvement just seems a bit sudden that's all, then again I have been doing the speedwork for 5 weeks now so that must be having an influence as well. Also I have added more runs of greater than10Km in the weekly training. It's OK, I am not doubting myself, the new pace is just taking a bit of getting used to. I entered some old races times into my diary today, my first 8Km last September was done at a 5:44 pace and I remember working as hard as I could, so there you go with hard work comes improvement. Now, I am all turned around on this running with music thing, I love my iPod shuffle! Though a quick flick through the play list appears to reveal it was set up by someone with multiple personality disorder, the following people seem to have had a crack at loading the song list, The Bogan, The Goth, The Punk, The Indie Chick and The Rock Chick, as evidenced by the following selection I was treated to today - Chemical Brothers, The Bloodhound Gang, MGF, Dead Kennedys, Dallas Crane, Marilyn Manson, Guns N Roses, Ministry, Faithless and Survivor. Ok, lame attempt at hiding that last one, in a momentary lapse of sanity and good taste Eye of the Tiger has ended up in the play list. I forgot it was there and when it kicked in this afternoon I nearly pissed myself laughing, not an easy thing to do when you are running, the passing cyclist must have thought I was nuts :-) Speaking of cyclists they are still giving me odd sideways looks, I am starting to think that I am breaking some unwitten code about not running on the Yarra Trail, I mean it is a shared path way, they are making me paranoid.

Cold, Windy, Cold, Ughhh

The schedule today was for my mid week mini long run, I had 14Km planned, ended up with 15Km in 1:17:01. At 5:08 (my half marathon pace) it was way too quick, I really should have been looking at 5:20. But (whinge alert) it was bloody cold and bloody windy and generally bloody miserable. As soon as I stepped out onto Collins Street I knew it would be a grind, Collins St is a wind tunnel at the best of times, but this afternoon, phew. At some points I got a lovely tail wind, but unfortunately most of it was head wind and cross wind, just ghastly. The wind would whip up and grab me then would go away again and I would fall forward. I think the speed stemmed from the fact that I just wanted to get it over with and get somewhere warm again. I was so cold when I finished that I could barely move, I had to stick my hands under the dryer to get them working again. I think I feel the cold alot more now than I used to, the wind was really bowing right through me. Alright, enough whinging I should be proud of myself for not bailing and sticking to the plan. I must have grown another head today, I am not being paranoid but I could swear the cyclists were looking at me funny today. My face was probably all contorted and screwed up as I ran into the wind, they were probably thinking "she must be mad". My sister sent me an e-mail yesterday to let me know that although she was still battling to give up the ciggies she had still managed to run regularly for the last 2 weeks. Not only that she is now running for 30 minutes without stopping, I am very proud. She has the perfect build for a runner so I hope she enjoys it enough to stick with it. Her and her BF are off to Sth America in October for 5 weeks, they are planning on doing the hike up to Machu Pichu. It is because of this planned hike that they are both trying to quit smoking and get fit. I reckon they would be in for a hell of a shock with the high altitude if they were still smoking. It was census night last night, god that thing is personal, if they want to know what the population earns ask the tax office. Anyway, sticklers probably won't appreciate this but when it came to the question on religion I usually tick none. Feeling a bit cheeky last night so instead wrote in the little boxes "I Run", LOL, what they hell, the Sri Chinmoy people would approve.

Yeah, feeling pretty good again

A little taste of Spring these last 2 days has put a smile on my face, though I know the brief respite from winter is going to be snatched away again. Yesterday in my lunch break I bought a sandwich and ate it by the Yarra, here is a piccie I took, it was the view to the boat sheds from my park bench. Today's running schedule was for a easy(ish) 5Km this morning then a session with the training group tonight. This mornings run was 5.9 Km at 5:15 pace, brisk morning but it held the promise of a lovely day so it was thoroughly enjoyable. Though I was plagued with a nagging feeling that I had forgotten something. Sure enough I unpack my bag for my shower and I forgot my towel, bugger, so I had to try off with a handful of paper towel, which was surprisingly effective :-) tonight's session was relatively easy because much of the squad are heading north for the City to Surf of the weekend. We did a seeded relay in teams of 2 based on running speed, fastest with slowest and so on. My partner was a guy (Martin? Steve? shit I am so bad with names it is embarrassing, I am not rude or inconsiderate, I just have a dreadful memory) and we agreed to run the inside track to make it easy to meet. The "A" runners copped the Anderson St clockwise direction and us "B" runners got the anti-clockwise route. The idea was to run out, meet, tag, turn around and head back. The winner being the first team to finish reasonably close together. Funny, it was only a training session but put me in a competitive position and I get white line fever, it felt no different to lining up for a proper race. So off we went, a bit tricky to judge your pace when you don't know when you are stopping and I think I went out a bit hard, I also had a gradual incline for part of the way. Still I think I did quite well and made it all the way up past the Shrine to just past Dallas Brooks Drive, probably about 1.5 Km to make 3Km all up. Found my partner, IN THE DARK mind you, a good effort I say and turned around. Some of the other girls had not made it as far so I challenged myself to try and pass them, which I did. The best bit!!! Heading down the straight I could see my partner heading right for me, so I backed of just a tiny bit and we managed to finish in almost perfect sync, beautiful :-). All up just over 16 minutes and first place. We even had prizes, appropriately enough a little box of mini choc bars. Reminds me of year 10 PE when I "won" a Crunchie bar for being the first girl back in a 3Km X-C around the school grounds. It stands out in my memory because we rarely had sweets or chocs in our house growing up and I reckon I made that Crunchie last 4 days. Anyway, a bit of a long description of a simple session, but I just wanted to get across how much fun it is. I mean speed work sessions can be damn hard so it helps to have a bit of fun with it.

Wired for sound

No, not the dodgy Cliff Richard song with the even dodgier roller skating video clip.......my iPod shuffle turned up today, pretty chuffed as I only ordered it on Friday! Now I have previously been opposed to running with music, I tend to be pretty happy with my own company. But now that half marathon training has started again in earnest I will be spending more and more time on my feet, generally on my own. Most of my weekly runs are between 10 to 13Km with plans for a mid-week mini long run of up to 15Km on Wednesdays. So to that end I have decided that a little musical company will be in order. I set up my running play list this evening and it is ready to go, I may publish some selected highlights but let me say it is a pretty eclectic mix with Dead Kennedy's, Tool, Ministry and The Prodigy sitting alongside Kylie, Robbie and the Scissor Sisters. Add to that my tendency to sing along (badly) and well, please don't laugh if you happen to run past me :-) Alrighty, what did I do today? Stuck to the plan, and 8Km recovery run. The battery in my footpod was dead but I have a tried and true 8Km route (actually 8.5Km but lets not split hairs) which I got around in about 43 minutes. Now, as I alluded I was not in the best of moods last week, I was being very negative and generally feeling sorry for myself. So I have had a stern chat with myself and have a few things to work on this week - * I will NOT compare myself to other people. I need only be concerned with myself, know that I work hard and should be proud of my achievements. * I will NOT weigh myself every day and allow the mood of the day to be determined by the number on the scales. * I will NOT stand in front of the mirror and criticise everything about me that I think is wrong.

The hills are alive with the sound of...........

Panting, feet sloshing through mud, more panting, "do we turn left or right?" and a good deal of swearing under my breath :-) Today's long run was in Sherbroke up in the Dandenongs, only 16Kms but a reasonably unforgiving 16Kms (and yes I turned the watch off for the couple of times I had to stop and walk, probably about 5 minutes in total). So this week has been all about the hills really, will be happy for a reasonably flat 20 to 22Km long run next Sunday. A stunning place to run though, and quite nostalgic because I have walked alot of the tracks we were running on throughout my childhood, I grew up in Montrose. Mum used to tell me that fairies lived in the forest there and that if I walked very quietly I might be lucky enough to spot them. A pretty quaint notion but let's face it, it was probably just her way of getting me to shut the hell up and stop asking questions for 5 minutes. I clocked up 67 Km this week (66Km) last week, I just wanted to keep the mileage pretty much the same these 2 weeks just to get the legs used to it again. But about 2 months out from the Melbourne half it is time to start building again. I am hoping to average about 70 to 80 Kms a week from here on. This is my plan for the coming week Mon - 8Km recovery pace (about 5:30) Tue - AM 6Km @ 5:10 - PM HVT session Tan seeded relay, probably only clock up 4Km Wed - 14Km @ about 5:20 to 5:30. I want to introduce a mid-week mini long run, I'll cap it at 15Km Thurs - 10Km Tempo session Fri - 10 Km easy session Sat - Rest Sun - 20 to 22 Km long run Total - 72 to 74 Km As for the other stuff, well I am working through it. I can be my own worse critic and I fell back into some bad habits this past week that just made me feel like a failure. A new week is dawning though, put it all behind me and start again. It could be worse, I could be Floyd Landis. I am so disappointed, I hate it when you support someone and it turns out they were not being honest. The man says he is innocent and knowing his background I still want to give him the benefit of the doubt (see I am more generous with others than I am with myself), but he evidence is pretty damning. I guess in his soul he is the only one who truly knows the truth.

Techno Cat

Running to time

Decided to let go of the whole "gotta do XX Kms today" and just run to time. Decided to do more than 45 minutes but no more than 60 minutes. It seems now that my minimum hit out is 45 minutes these days, anything less feels worthless to me. Headed out along the Yarra trail and turned back at about 27 minutes. Tried to keep the pace slow, I was aiming for 5:30, finished up with 10.3 Km with a avg pace of about 5:15, bugger, I need company to keep the pace down. Oh, woe is me. I am just not myself at the moment, I have been in a mood these last couple of days and I am not being very kind to myself. I'll probably go off line for a couple of days and try to sort myself out. Happy running.

Mid Week Mini Long Run

Ahh, the staple of my running diet, the 13Km easy run, well actually 13.5Km today in 01:09:53. I don't know if there is any science behind it but I reckon these runs form a good solid base for my half marathon training and I like to get one done on a Wednesday, I think by next week I'll be pushing these up to 14km. It was a very enjoyable and theraputic run today, the pace was easy and it gave me plenty of time to work through some mess in my head. I want to say what it is that is bothering me but it is difficult for me to get the words right without soundling like a shallow whiney little pain in the arse. Suffice to say I am my own worst enemy sometimes and sincerly wish I could turn off that nagging little negative voice in my head that just loves to chip away at my self esteem. *Sigh*, anyway, by the time I had finished 13.5 Km I was feeeling much better, I just wish I could hold on to that feeling. I need to be kinder to myself. Reflecting on last nights hill reps, that was hands down one of the hardest sessions I have ever done, the 5 x 1000 mtre I did 2 weeks before the half marathon being up there as well. Just want to give a special thanks someone who pointed me in the right direction. 4 weeks on now since I joined up with my training group I am throughly enjoying myself and look forward to every Tuesday knowing that I am going to be truely challenged, I always sleep so well on Tuesday nights :-) Oh, Spics and Specs just started, See Ya.

Hellish Hills

Now I only did about 6 Kms today, I say only, but today was really about quality not quantity. Normally on the days I do speed work I will do an easy 5Km in the morning, just to keep the mileage ticking over. This morning I had one of my rare "it's cold and I just don't wanna" moments. AND, I knew tonight was going to be a hill session, I haven't done a structured hill session before so I wanted fresh legs. So tonight we ran down to Airlie St in Sth Yarra, a steep hellish 250 odd metres. It would be either 6, 8 or 10 reps, to be determined by TC, not ourselves. Here I was thinking I would get off lightly with 6 reps, nope, 8 for me. So 8 up the hill with jog down for recovery, turn around and head up again, repeat until legs give way :-) Today was about technique and strength, not speed, well, I couldn't have mustered much by way of speed anyway. It was hard, bloody hard, but I dug in and got through it. TC ran my last rep with me, it is amazing how a bit of motivation can help push you over the line when the body is close to giving in. Pretty ragged by the end, I now have a new slogan for Nike "Run Yourself Hideous". But a couple of minutes later I felt fantastic, I love how quickly I can recover these days. There was one girl who was allocated 7 reps who had pushed on for the full 10. This is one runner with a whole lot of heart, she just does not give up, she came down the hill and told us she was pushing through for one more, so I decided to join her to bring my reps up to 9 and 2 of the boys joined in as well, great spirit and an inspiring girl. Now, I have to confess I have a new addiction, Bagels!!! I have discovered a proper Bagel bakery near my work, if you go in there around 8am they are pulling fresh bagels out of the oven, the smell is amazing. They are lovely and chewy in the inside and so warm and soft that you wouldn't dream of adding butter or cream cheese. They are a 70 cent piece of heaven, Glicks make the best bagels. I lived up the road from their Balaclava outlet when I first moved out of home and would buy one on the way home from clubbing on Sunday mornings, so nice to rediscover an old favorite. And really they are not that bad for you, surely there is no harm in having one every couple of days.