This one time…….

With Christmas Day over I am now getting myself ready for a running camp with Sean Williams at Jindabyne.  For some strange reason I had set in my mind I will be away for nine days, but sitting down today to look over the itinerary (again), I finally realized I will experience 11 training filled days at camp .

The last few days have been very busy, with only one day of training missed due to an unexpected health scare with my mother during her usual chemo treatment, thankfully it was my 30 minute relaxed session.

I ventured up to Quarry Road on Sunday (23 Dec) for two laps.  Razor, Redback, Kerry and myself all agreed to meet at 6am to get an early start, so we could get away and finished off the last few pre-Christmas necessities.  Kerry and I ran well together with our second lap being slightly quicker than the first.  I was really pleased we I came home and found that I had cut 40 minutes from my previous time of two laps, although a while ago (December 2005) it’s good to notice improvements.

I meet the usual crowd at the Bay for the Christmas Day run, a run I have enjoyed for the last four years.  This years crown we all a little quicker than me but I held my own and managed to keep up (or they slowed down for me), and finished with a lap of the Bay plus a little extra to give me an even 10km for the day.   I then enjoyed a nice relaxing day at my parents place with my sisters, brother-in-laws, niece, nephew and joined by Blue Dog after his finished work.

Now back home to pack my bags for my little adventure.  See you in a few days.

Lots of training, no blogging……..

It has been quite a few days since I last checked in, and quite alot has happened in those few days.  Some of the highlights include;

•  Otford to Bundenna
• A short holiday in Grafton and Byron Bay
• Hill training on the Bryon Bay headland (all good strenght in the legs for an event in March
• Welcoming little Charlie Rowell into the world
• My birthday

Today I was back at SWEAT for another hill session, Wild Walter.  My legs felt very heavy, particularly my left calf that felt like it was burning during the warm up.  I happily settled into a a relatively comfortable pace, until Sean challenged me for the last few reps and set targets for me.  In the end I finished the 12 reps with very erratic pacing but I won the challenge

After coming back to work yesterday for a week before I go on Annual leave for three weeks I am finding it very hard to get motivated but at least it’s that time of year.  I am now starting to get very excited about my training camp starting on 27 December to 6 January.

Pumped

This morning I decided to head down to the gym and do the 6am PUMP.  I have always found gyms extremely busy on a Monday afternoon and it’s hard to access specific equipment, so I was happy to get my strenght session in nice and early and get to work at a reasonable hour.

Now I know they say girls don’t sweat, but I think with the amount of perspiration I had running down my legs and dripping off my face during the class, I can safely say I sweat.  I came home looking like I had just run 10km.  I think I’ll have to position myself underneath the fans next time.

A brief update

After a busy week that has left no time or energy for blogging, here is a brief description of my training over the last few days.

•  18 November:  SMC Half Marathon, ran as LSD
• 19 November:  Strength session (Gym)
• 20 November:  10km (Botany Bay) at 5:32/km average pace
• 21 November:   16km
• 22 November:  SWEAT, 4 x 800, 1 x 1km
• 23 November:  rest day
• 24 November:  12km, including CR 5Km Challenge
• 25 November:  20km (Lady Carrington Drive) 5:43/km average pace

Back to Basics

15 November

I set the alarm with all intentions of going to SWEAT, however I was extremely tired and reset the alarm and just run along Botany Bay.  When the alarm went off again, I jumped straight out of bed knowing it would be dangerous to hit the snooze button.  I grabbed the ipod and hit the road,  I enjoyed a nice run along Botany Bay watching the day come alive.  I did a total of 10km with an average pace of 5:20.

 16 November

I headed out for my usual Friday run and noticed alot more traffic than usual and I finally found the answer when I approached The Grand Parade, somebody had hit the telegraph pole in the night and workman were in the process of replacing the pole.  I enjoyed the luxury of not having to wait the for lights to change and settled into a good rythem.  Unfortunately my Garmin died half way through the run (flat battery), however I knew the course very well and finished up with nice easy 7km.

17 November

We enjoyed a nice sleep in with one of those rare mornings that we didn’t need to set the alarm, so it was great to wake up naturally.  After a quick cup of coffee I headed out the door for my run, just taking my regular Kogarah Bay and Botany Bay route of 10km.  I finished with an average pace of 5:33/km, which was a little quicker than I had planned but it felt comfortable.

Moving on up…..

I meet Kerry this morning at the civilised hour of 6 am this morning for our mid-week run.  We did our usual Wednesday lop and enjoyed plenty of chatter in regards to race plans and forthcoming training plans.  It was a beautiful morning to be out running and with great company.  After having four days off training due to various commitments it was nice to get training again.  We finished our 15km with an average pace of 5:47, which felt very comfortable.

Actually I have been enjoying and pretty low key couple of weeks with an average of 65km base training, which allowed the body a good break and given the family health issues I have encountered in the last couple of weeks I think this was well deserved and has kept me fresh as I now start to increase the tempo.

Highlights

Wow time has really slipped by since my last post. Life has been very busy and my training has been going well. Some recent highlights include;

• 5km CR Challenge, 23:25 and only 14 seconds off my PB two weeks post Fitzroy Falls Marathon
• signing up for a 9 day training camp – I’m very excited
• crewing for Blue Dog at the GNW 100 mile.

Now that I have set a new goal, I have a revised training program and getting some solid training back into the legs. I now need to focus on my strength and conditioning.

Training Blindly

I have set another goal post Fitzroy Falls to keep me honest, and I have even recruited the assistance of my lovely husband for additional support, so it’s time to get training and re-focussed.

20 October 

I enjoyed a nice run around Kogarah and Botany Bay, a run that I call the “Sansi Circuit” which is a nice 7.5km loop.  I took my ipod and just enjoyed a nice cruisy run and was comfortabley surprised to finish with an average pace of 5:36/km.

21 October

I vetured out to SMC and decided the 10km event was what I needed, and good solid run to push myself harder than I have been lately and get my mind back into race mode.  I went throught the first couple of k’s quicker than I planned but I kept a good solid pace going.  I finished in 50:08, and I was happy knowing I had put in a good solid effort.  Wayne and I had discussed a race plan and he suggest the last kilometre should be quickest, that was achieved with a 4:35 for the last kilometre.22 October

22 October 

Rest Day.

23 October

As I am still on a “recovery” program post marathon I still arrive to SWEAT with no idea of the session ahead, it was Wild Wally.  I completed 5 reps and felt pretty good, a little breathless but no too bad.

24 October

I had the day off work so I ventured out along Botany Bay with Blue Dog.  I suggested a 13km run, my longest since the marathon.  I actually felt quite uncomfortable through the run and we ran back in a really strong head wind.  Finished with an average pace of 5:36/km.

After a quick shower I was then out the door to accompany my mother to a doctors appointment.  Another anxious day.

 25 October

After waking to the sound of rain I drove over to SWEAT for a speed session.  Sean advised me to run 4 x 800 and see how I go.  I just didn’t feel good this morning, my legs were very heavy and I just could find the right gear.  Sean advised me after the session to have a couple of easier days, as he could see I was fatigued.

Extreme Makeover

I decided the old blog was getting a bit boring and needed a change, so welcome.