Friday Fartlek

I had a great run this morning! We were doing the outerloop of the park- alternating surges and floats around the park. Sean instructed me to take it easy so I will be fresh for tomorow. I decided to run with Lulu- I had a blast being that annoying little voice that says come on keep going, pick it up, blah, blah. It was fun trying to encourage her around the park.... and great to see her improving all the time :) I ran 10.1km in 57:30 (including my warm up and cool down)... averaged about 5:54/km. I finished feeling full of energy and ready for tommorow. It was great for my confidence to have a really positive, fun run and finished feeling ready to have a good one tommorow. I have made about 10 different race plans... so I am just going to relax and see what happens.

Hot and Humid!

Thankfully this morning was going to be an easy run! I dragged myself out of bed... only because I had agreed to meet Lorraine and my conscience got the better of me. The rain stopped, but it was so hot and humid around the bay... Yuck! We did a 7.2km loop... including the nastly little hill up past the fields heading back to Leichardt pool. I am not a big fan :) Despite the humidity it was a beautiful run.... the bay is at its nicest early in the morning.... minus all the people!

Time: 36:30
Distance: 7.2km
Average: 5:15/km

Yeah... only one more day and then a LONG WEEKEND!!! I just love that :) I am also very excited as Sunday is the first oficial run of the Marathon Training Group! Gosh... 6 months worth of training for one race... am I mad??? It is only a 10km run ( so I am going to a bit extra early) BUT Its official... Katie's attack on Canberra begins (take two)!!! For all those poor souls who had to listen to me whinge and carry on about falling to bits last year... not again! You will just have to listen to me whinge and carry on about other things :)

600's

We did 600's this morning..... I was lacking in motivation and could have easily stayed in bed. I decided today my aim was to try and maintian my reps at the same pace for the whole 7. I am trying to stop running my first few too quick and then dying at the end. I was pretty consistant with my pace, but found it a tough session. It is getting easier mentally doing these reps... I am not wanting to stop as often :)
Warm up
Drills
Strides
7x 600m - 2:37, 2:36, 2:37, 2:38, 2:37, 2:39, 2:36
Coolldown
Mood- pretty happy with my times and effort

Now I will take it easy tommorow and friday... yeah :)

Practice run...

Well I went out tonight for an 8km run and tried out my playlist for Saturdays 10km. It worked really well! I had a blast :) Let me just say that Eye of the tiger gives you a sniff of how tacky my playlist is.... but hey whatever works! I felt really strong tonight and found it easy again to maintain a quicker pace. My high knees are starting to become a habit... yeah! After my run I finished off with a session at the gym... upper body and abs.
Distance: 8.1km
Time: 39:15
Average pace: 4:54/km I even managed a few 4:30/km :)
Mood: feeling happy and a little more confident

Tommorow is 800m reps at the park and then I think the rest of my runs will be really slow and easy for Saturday.

Big Bertha

This mornings session with the sweat guys was Big Bertha. This is basically a warm up, drills, strides and then aprox 5km (10 laps) loop of a hill in the park. We do this as a continious session... we are meant to attack both the up and the down section. There is a nasty little steep bit at the top of the hill.... which I hate! I always find this a tough session...... usually feel like throwing up at about the 7/8 lap. I find I almost come to a stand still at the top and have to really dig in just to get around the tree and heading back to the bottom. I was not sure how I would go today. I didn't know if my legs would still feel tired after yesterdays effort. I am happy to report a 1:15 PB on Big Bertha. I did BB about a month ago in 23:30.... today 22:15. I tried to run pretty evenly and only had two brief stops at the top... very brief :) The boys ran well again... mark was on fire with a 17:??- but yeah they only lapped me once! I need to work on my up hill!!
I toddled off to work feeling really happy.... fingers crossed I can transfer this into my races. I would be ecstatic to decrease my 10km time on Saturday!!!! I made myself a playlist on the i-pod in my quest to run faster :) I am too embarrassed to put down my really corny play list... but it should definately have me in the mood!!

2:07, 2:10, 2:10, 2:13, 2:13, 2:14, 2:14, 2:21 (feeling sick), 2:17, 2:11
Time: 22:15
The garmin said 4.6km.... but it cut out quite a few times (lots of trees). Sean says its 5km ( I am happy with that!!)

I wussed out of my Gym session this afternoon... hubbie talked me into going out for dinner- much nicer!
Tommorow- plan for an easy run and a swim.

Sunday long run

What a fantastic start to the day!! I decided to head off with the 7am striders group today and have a sleep in. This mornings run started at the Woolich peir and ran through Hunters Hill and some bush around Buffalo Creek and back. All up we ran about 16.5km in 1:39. We started off at a nice pace and ran fairly consistantly.... althought the km's through the bush were much slower (single file, rocks, low trees etc). On the way back Steve thought we should us the run for some hill training ( who brought him!). I protested that I was doing hills tommorow and had planned on plodding my long run.... fell on deaf ears :) I surprised myself and was able to really pick it up and averaged between 4:30-5:00/km most of the last five kms. We practiced working the down hills and maintaing the up hills. I was very pleased with my final km at 4:30 pace. I really worked on maintaining my form and lifting my knees.
Finished a happy girl :)
Topped it off with hot raisin toast and a coffee.... YUM!

Distance: 16.5km
Time 1:39: 30
Average pace 6:00/km
Mood: Happy camper!

Hills tommorow~ hopefully the legs are not too tired!

Beautiful Balmain

I had a great night last night at CR drinks! I was really nervous... new people, in the city blah blah. Anyway I actually knew most of the CR's and had a great time :) Needles to say I failed to roll up for the CR challenge..... opted for a nice 8km run around Balmain with the guys from Woodstock. It was a perfect morning.... although what happened to Autum? I found the hills a little tough, but much needed- I have been avoiding hills for the past few weeks. It took me a few kms to warm up... felt really heavy initially, but once I got going I felt much better. te last two kms I tried to pick up the pace and tried to fly home down Victoria rd and across the Iron cove bridge. the last two were by far the fastest about 4:30/km. Steve had looped back to pick us up for the last km and really egged us on to fininsh strongly. It is amzing how just when you think there is nothing left you can dig in a bit and find a whole lot more in the legs.... I need to remember this in my next race.

Balmain- 8km
Time 41:30
Average 5:14/km

I am looking forward to the Striders 10km next week. I am feeling almost over my cold and if I have a good week this week I really want to put in the effort for a good 10km. I ran 49:40 at Lane Cove a few months ago.... I really want to imrove on this time.


I was very excited for Ray... he got about 20 photos published in this months R4YL magazine! He is loving taking photos at the races... now I have to remember to smile :)

Fartlek Friday

Thursday 22/9/05
Lovely run around the bay this morning. Met up with the girls and did a lap of the bay.... caught up on the gossip :) Covered 7km in about 36 mins

Friday 23/9/05

This morning was Fartlek at the park with the sweat guys. I found this a hard session this morning! My nose was a bit stuffy and I felt my breathing was crap! I put the effort in for the surges... kept my pace under 5min/km pace.... but really slacked off on the recovery sections. We always circle back to round up whoever is still coming.... but I am sorry to say today I stopped for a breather a few times (sorry Lulu). Deanna was back today which was great to see! Lulu ran well... she unlike me did not stop for a breather despited feeling sluggish! Anyway I felt great after I cooled down, stretched and had my breakfast :)

Distance: 9.6km
Time: 50:30
Average pace 5:15/km

Yeah!!! Cool running drinks tonight... I am looking forward to this! But a little bit nervous given my inability to remember a whole heap of new names! Still undecided about the CR 5km.... I will decide in the morning :)

400's

400's at the park this morning. I am finding these are getting a little bit easier... my breathing is better controlled. Although by the 5th rep I was regretting last nights race with the little garmin man! I am trying to practice lifting my knees and extending my stride.... and maintaining a fairly consistant times for all rep's. Hopefully they will all gradually come down rather than only managing 1 or 2 fast ones and dying! There were a few more people at this morning session, which was great... more people to chase! I started each rep a little slower and tried to "wind it up" and finish strongly on the last 80m. I always seem to struggle at about the 300m mark.... today was a little better. I try to visualise that I am running the last 400m of a 10km race and am running to break the 45min mark...... ahhh to dream :)
Warm up
Drills
Strides x 5
400m x 8
1:37, 1:42 ,1:42, 1:42, 1:42, 1:43, 1:40, 1:38
Cool down
Tomorrow is a nice social run around the bay with the girls. I may even turn up for my first CR 5km challenge on Saturday.

Out running the little man...

Well I was going to hold out until tommorow to go for a run... but couldn't help myself :) I thought I would try out the training partner on the garmin, which was really fun. Seeing I can be a wee bit competitive there was no way I was going to let that little man beat me ( small things I know...) So I programed in for 30 mins at 5:30/km pace- planing to not push it given my cold. So off I go keeping a close eye on the little man and what do you know I am in front... YEAH! Now this is probably my only chance at winning anything in running so I am lapping it up. I felt really strong and had no idea what pace I was running. I finished feeling pretty happy with myself, pats on the back after my little watch tells me I am a success and finish my evening with some upper body and abs at the gym.
Time: 31:05
Distance 6.5km
Average pace 4:50/km
Finished feeling a happy girl :)

Tommorow off to the park for 400's....

As promised Sunday was a rest day... much appreciated!
I am feeling alot better today, my cold is almost gone :) I decided to give hills a miss this morning and get back to the park on Wednesday. I am itching to go for a run, but gave myself another no running day. I had a great swim in the rain...rainbow and all! I swam 30 laps in 34mins... alternating fast laps and slow ones. I was also alternating between using my upper body more for one lap and strong kicking for the other lap- obviously the strong kicking coincided with mt faster lap :) I have no idea if this helps anything with swimming but it was fun.
Yeah... I will go for a run tommorow and then back to the park on Wednesday!

coffee and a chat...

Feeling very snuffly tonight!!! I ran with the guys from Woodstock this morning, which was really nice. I have not been on a saturday morning for ages, instead I was running cross country races in the afternoon. Now that the CC season is finished I will get back to running with the woodstock guys... if I feel like two early mornigs on the weekend. I missed seeing all the usual faces and most of all the yummy friut toast and capaccino at Bowen Island when we finish :)

This morning was a really easy 7km. We ran 7km around the Bay in 39mins averaged 5:40/km. I was very happy to plod and chat :) As always Ron was out and about looking spritely ( fantastic effort given he is 81 years old!!!) I hope I will be as fit and healthy at 80- there is a long term goal for us all :)

I am going to give my long run a miss tommorow so I can shake this cold.... YEAH a sleep in :)

Friday Fartlek

What a great session this morning! We usually run the outside loop of the park as a group, surging along the way. But as Sean is still recovering from the marathon he wanted to remain stationary and put us through our paces. So he got us to run a warm up, drills and then laps (30mins) around the oval alternating between surging and floating. I thought that this would be really hard to stay focused but I loved it. Sean typically kept a close eye on us and gave instructions/encouragement and fixed our form as we ran. I felt really strong this morning (despite my hayfever turning into a cold) and loved the surges! It is getting easier to run faster and I tried really hard to not slow too much when we were not surging. It is also getting easier to lift my knees when I run and lengthen my stride...it was much easier to put some speed on when I did this. The boys only lapped me once... I think... they are so fast and make it look easy :)

I covered 8.6km (including 1km warm up) in 38:30mins.
Average pace 4:17/km
Then a nice 1km cool down and stretches.

I finished feeling pooped and very satisfied! I am hoping that this type of work out will help me get quicker over 10kms. No gym this afternoon... a well deserved hot bubble bath :) and Thai takeaway!! YUM

Laps :)

Today I opted for a lovely relaxing swim! I just love the feeling of the water on my face.... and I can let out some of my autistic tendancies - one, one, one , one, two, two, two, three, three....thirty, thirty :)
I did 30 laps in about 35 mins and then did some ab crunchs in the water. I felt like I could just keep on swimming today... except I got sooooo hungary!!! I do not know if it just me- but put me in water and I am starving!
Tommorow is Fartlek with the group... I enjoy this run, but I miss the laps around the lake ( not the geese though!). I am eating well again... more energy and surprisingly a drop in weight! This is very motivating... only 3kg to go!! I can not believe how easily I put on 5kg when I was not running due to the old ITB!!! It is a bit like a bad house guest.....doesn't know when to leave! This has been very frustrating... I lost 47kg with ease and 5kg has been killing me! Any way only 3 more to budge and I will be back to where I felt the most comfortable. Anyway there are better things to be complaining about :)

800's

This morning I awoke with itchy eyes and a sneezy nose... hubby informed me smugly this was hayfever. Mental note to self... be more sympathetic when he has hayfever!!! I dragged myself out of bed.... yesterdays enthusiasim not quite as strong and headed off to the park. I thought today would be a real struggle after Sundays run, but I am very happy to report that I did my fastest 800 this morning. Sean was being very generous and let those of us who raced the half do only three sets... after our 2km warm up, drill and surges :) Surprisingly me legs felt great and my breathing was a lot more controlled. I definately felt stronger and was able to maintain my pace on both 400m laps....instead of dying in the last 200m.
2km warm up
Drills
5 x 100m surges
800m 3:39
800m 3:37
800m 3:29 (yeah broke the 3:30 barrier!)
2km cool down then off to work.
I really enjoyed this mornings run and even better was that I felt like I was holding back a little bit.
This evening I had a great Yoga session... lots of poses to stretch the legs, which felt fantastic. Happy to report no niggles and my feet are feeling great :)

Recovery

Monday 12/9

Today I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a bus... you have got to love that feeling! Once I was up and moving I felt a lot better, but my calves definately know they worked yesterday! The plan for today was a slow 30min run to get the blood flowing and work away some of the muscle soreness. I covered about 5.6km and averaged 5:20/km. I felt a bit heavy to start with but once they warmed up my legs felt fine. Happy to report that the feet feel great and no other niggles worth mentioning. Then I finished off at the gym with some light upper body work and lots of stretching.

Tuesday 13/9

Felt less sore today... calves are still a bit stiff but nothing worth complaining about :) Since I have been doing a lot more running on grass I have really noticed what 21km of pounding on the road feels like. Today was another 30 min recovery run- I covered 5.5km in 30mins, averaged about 5:30 /km. The legs definately feel better than yesterday but still took some time warming up. Again finished at the gym with some weights and stretches.

Tommorow off to the park with the Sean and the group.... I am down on my program for 3 x 800m reps (easy) but will see how I feel. I am still on a high from Sunday!! I feel really motivated and excited about running. For the moment I want to concentrate on my speed for a while and maintain my endurance with a Sunday long run. The striders 10km is in a few weeks... something to aim for. I would love to run sub 48mins ?? if I can do it but I am going to give it a good go! I have been hovering around the 49/50 min mark for a while... time to pick it up a bit :)

My goals for this year were:
1. to build back my strength and distance following ITB problems- done
2. run the city to surf and better last years time- done 1 min PB
3. get back under the 50min barrier for my 10km- done 49:40 Lane Cove Striders
4. run Lake Maquarie half and improve my time- done 2 min PB
5. run the Sydney half for fun- done, had a ball
6. improve my speed on shorter distances- done 5km Pb 23:45 and 4km PB 18:55
7. try new things- done competed in lots of cross country events inclding a relay, which was heaps of fun
8. loose a few kg put on through injury- still struggling, have lost 2.5kg another 3kg to go.

New goals:
1. complete my first marathon, Canberra 2006
2. build on my speed- improve my 10km times
3. break the 105min barrier for the half marathon
4. stay injury free
5. continue to enjoy my running
6. consistant training and see what happens

Enough rambling for tonight! I am feeling very excited and motivated.... I hope this lasts!!

What a fantastic day! Today was not a PB, in actual fact I was 3 mins slower than last year!! Running for me is not just about running to get new PB's ( feels great when you do!!)... it is about the challenge, reaching goals, feeling good about myself and today I realised it is about being part of something bigger than yourself. After I finished the half I met up with Lulu and the CR cheer squad on the cahill expressway. I found it quite a special experience being able to cheer and encourage people after what can only be descibed as gutsy effort! The support and encouragement amoungst this little community is amazing. It was awsome to watch the elites fly home and be inspired by amazing women such as Liz Miller! I was also moved by Sean (my trainers) never say die attitude in the marathon! He was obviously having a bad day at the office and was srtuggling along the Cahill expressway.... huge effort to keep going and finish. So next time he tells me to not give up and dig deep.... I know he talks from experience!

This is the third year I have run this half, and this year was the toughest and most satisfying. I usually feel really disapointed when I do not meet the goal I have set for myself. I spend hours mulling over the race in my head and beat myslef up for each part of the run you "slacked off" or should have "pushed harder".... Today I felt like I had put in a consistant hard effort and felt contented with my run. My goal was to come in under or around 108 mins and I finished in 111mins. I found today that my legs were heavy and tired and I had to put a lot of effort in to maintian my pace. I felt really hot for the first 10kms (I hate humidity). I averaged about 5:08/km according to the trusty garmin. There were two spots in the run that I struggled. The first was at 12km following the heavy rain, I felt like my shoes were filled with lead and suddenly felt quite tired. I pushed on and picked up again and felt pretty strong until the hills at 19km. I have done lots of hill training but today my legs died going up those hilsl.... also the 110 pace group caught me here which was deflating while struggling up the hill. I loved the run down to the opera house and the crowds were great at the finishing chute. One great thing for me was that despite feeling tired I did not have any yucky negative thoughts... I kept really positive and just enjoyed the run. I finished feeling like I had given it evrything. So, not the time I wanted, but a really satisfying run. I found it a tough run, but enjoyed the challenge. I will look forward to this one next year :)

Time:111:15 ( 108:15 last year)
Average: 5:08/km

Thanks again for all the support from a great bunch of people!! It was great to catch up with Tesso, Jen, Flash duck, the Owl, LL, Truckie, Aunty, Bernie G, Blue Dog and all the others I have forgotten to mention. Thanks to all the marathoners who again have inspired me to have a go at Canberra 2006!!! Very gutsy effort guys!
I feel really excited by running at the moment... not sure what the next short term goals are ( apart from drop some body fat).....but Canberra here we come!

What happened to Autum???

What happened to Autum???? What a glorious day! Ray and I went for lunch and a stroll at Cronulla... almost felt like I could swim. Yesterday I went for about a 9km run with Sean and the group around Centenial Park.... usually this is a Farlek session but all of us are racing on sunday, including Sean, so we took it really easy. We averaged about 5:45/km's and chatted mostly about strategy, times and who would take out the Marathon. I really love the support running with these guys... always full of encouragement! Today I slept in and am making sure I drink enough before tommorow. I hope it is not hot tommorow, I do not feel prepared for that! The feet are feeling fine and I am really looking forward to tommorow...apart form the early rise :) Ray will be taking photos at the finish and then I can't wait to cheer home the marathoners!
Fingers crossed for a great day of running :)

Slept in this morning...... enjoyed each lovely exra minute! No running today, even though my program says 40mins.... I felt like a rest. I went to the gym instead and did some upper body and core stability stuff. I am planning on taking it easy the next few days, eat well and get enough sleep. I will run at the park tommorow with Sean and ? a swim to loosen up. I am feeling really sore from Yoga last night... I had myself in knots literally :)
3 sleeps to go :)

400's

Well this morning we did a nice easy warm up, drills and the 7 x 400 sprints with about a 50sec recovery. This is a hard session for me! My heart rate soars and the legs usually start to burn at about the 5th one (especially after the Gym last night ). I was pretty consistant... my best was 1:37 and my worst 1:40, but most of them were 1:39. This was better than my session a few weeks ago- about 4-5 secs per lap better. I also was able to stay relaxed and didn't have that overwhelming urge to stop. Now I will be able to relax for the rest of the week... just a few plods and then run the half on Sunday... Yeah!

Touch wood!

I had another great run today... still feeling strong and running well :) I am hoping finally all this training with Sean is starting to pay off! Went out for just a short 5 1/2 km around home and then off to the gym:
27:20
5.5 km
average pace: 4:55/km (getting faster.. woo hoo)
Now my challenge is to run as relaxed and easy in a race... well I will have to push a bit I guess :) I have decided that all going well I am definately having a run on Sunday... YEAH! No pressure either, this one is for fun :)
Feeling on top of the world at the moment... Quick touch some wood!

I had a fantastic run tonight! I went out to do my 9km loop around home instead of hills with sean this morning... too hard to get out of bed. I felt really strong tonight...
9km
43:40
averaged 4:55/km
and I was able to surge up all the hills and maintian my pace. I was not trying to push it, I just felt good tonight... I hope this keeps up! Even better my feet felt great and still feel great! Hopefully the nerve has unstuck itself! So if the feet feel like this I will definately be running on Sunday!
Easy run tommorow...food now!

Happy Father's Day :)

This morning I could have easily stayed in bed, snuggled under the doona.... this drought has certainly made me soft!! I am very happy I made the effort, it was actually a really great run with Striders through Centenial Park, the City, the Domain and back through the cross. I ran about 15km and it felt very comfortable. My feet/heels felt great... no dramas at all, and the last km I picked up the pace and finished feeling really strong. runningn in the rain is fun... the cazy stuff that as adults we should be too sensible to do... a bit cold once we stopped though! It was great to catch up with the MTG- all excited about next weeks Marathon challenge! I can't wait to give canberra another go!! Hopefully the body plays fair this time around! I can not imagine being able to actually complete the distance in one piece, but after lots of half's I am ready to give it a go.

The plan for this week is to follow Sean's program, but keep a close eye on my feet... oh so neurotic :) If they stay good..... Sydney half here I come :) I just love the run over the bridge and that last 2km down to the opera house are a buzz!

Now fingers crossed for a win for the beloved Knights to cap off a great weekend :)

Katie

Friday evening I ended up going for a 6km run, which felt really comfortable. You know those runs where your form feels great, breathing is easy and you feel like running forever... well I limited it to 6km :) I averaged about 5min/km which was a bit faster than I set out to do, but it felt easy today. No pain in my heel, but still pins and needles. But after the stretches and massage... much better!
I am off to the pool this morning to do some laps. My plan is to keep up the running, but to cut down the distance untill the pins and needles settle. So it is a good chance to fit in other things I enjoy that you can't do when running all the time. I am also having a good think about whether to run the Sydney half next week. I really love this run, especially across the bridge.... but I will hate it if it gives me an injury that takes ages to fix. So I will see how it all feels next week, but ??? I will don the pom poms and be cheer girl for the morning :)

A Pain in the heel....

Well the physio said that my heel pain/tingling is due to a nerve being compressed in the tarsal region of my foot. He has given me some stretches and instruction for self massage. He put my foot through evry possible range of motion and no pain... the only time is when in a certain position (leg straight bending forward). Phew, at least it is not my achilles or something just as awful. He said it is definately neural which is why there are pins and needles. He said I can maintian my training and it should right itself with the stretches and massage, but I feel really confused about what to do. Of course running is the preferred option, but not if it means I end up with a worse problem. This body of mine is so frustrating!! Any way I will keep a close eye on it and rest if there is any pain when I run... so far it feels fine. So I may or may not run this afternoon...depends how neurotic I feel. The plan was for about a 10km easy run...I'll see how I feel after work.

Recovery Week

This week so far has included a nice slow recovery run on Monday, rest on Tuesday and some 600m reps on Wednesday. I felt pretty good on Wednesday and put in 7 good reps at Centenial Park. I managed to hover around 2:35 per lap. I really enjoy the challenge of the track work.... really great training for races when you really want to stop. Today I am heading off to the gym... rest day from running. I am also heading to the physiotherapist... I have sore heels which have not been hurting when I walk or run, but during the day I have had tingling in my heel area. I am a bit paranoid follwoing my ITB problems so I want to nip any little niggles in the bud before they become a problem. Hopefully a few days rest will sort it all out :) So fingers crossed!!!