..legs of death... again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.are you happy ewen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL
i knew tonights session would not be fun for a number of reasons
..girly stuff
..legs of death. i was talking to D.T and when i was saying my lesg were sore from last saturdays run, he said maybe hte last two saturdays runs.... i kind stopped and thought about it- my legs probs were not recovered from the ballart 15 and then i made them do 80min in heavy conditions so yeah it does actually make sense...

anyway shins were displeasingly sore yesterdy(and starting to worry me)
anyway, wacked the TENS machine on them which made them VERY sore but no sore shins today....wooohoo- that made me supper super super dooper happy!
warm up was blah......
first few reps were blah and so i reduced. as i said i knew from the get-go it wouldnt be fun tonihgt

suposed to be 4x1km approx 96 s but with slower reps considered ok since it was so windy
after the first rep(4.06) my legs were soooooo tired and breathing hard and i asked to go to 800s. stu does know when im serious and not just whinging so he let me go to 800s. it wasnt until the 4th rep that the legs started to even loosen up.
so this was the shit run that NEEDED to happen
i have revised my goal. no way for a pb. but if i can get 45.xx i will be very happy-if under 45.36 then it will be my second fastest ever 10km so cant complain- what you got up ypur sleeve ewen cos obviously there is also the SMACKDOWN in the sun COMPETITION between E and i too!!! lol... maybe ill just sit with him the whole race then outsprint him... hehe.. kidding.... im off like a rabbit, slowing to a hedgehog somewhere in the middle and then getting back to a yappy dog at the end.............
..sometimes rep sessions sucks, but at least my reps sucky sessions are about the same as my normal sessions last year :)

..feel a bit over cooked

..legs of death today.... could barely run the 6.3kms... it was just one fo those horrid runs. i dont know if the 80+ min run in mud was the killer on saturday but i found today very very tough. do not feel fresh at all.(well it has been a big month i suppose 175kms)-theyd better start coming good later this week or i will have to revise my goals. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

its cold, im minding the boys tonight and wed night since stu has meetings, the older two have gone to training with him. the youngest has stayed home to badger me....lol
JO....... JO........JO and so forth!

anyway it was also a 30min run in the water yesterday

niggly everywhere today, iced the flexor, both shins and my achilles

stu is back to his,old tricks(and a mega post)

..yep he had a murderous gleam in his eye today as we set out for ferny creek. seriously the boy is trying to KILL me
yes jo only 60-70 mins. oh okay thats not too bad. and we did fricking 84mins...lol-there was some walking i must say
it was wet, muddy and slippery. not my fave conditions with my back i can tell you. anyway all the juniors took off like the clappers and i was struggling to keep up for the first half hour loop. i panted to stu- i cant keep that pace up...... anyway he mustve felt kindly towards me as he said we would slow it down...thats probably because we did HILLS.....................
we drifted off in teh other direction from the pack, got a bit lost and stu's like we'll just go up this track for a bit and then decide(this was at the 45min mark) and um it was called hillclimb track which kinda tells you that there are fricking BIG hills.....lol. it was also at this stage that i started to have quite some discomfort in the hip flexor region(every step was hurting and the uphills were very unpleasant)
im hoping that its just fatigued and a bit niggly-anyway gonna hit the pool tomorrow(stu says i only have to do 30mins cos im racing next week xoxox woohoo)

oh yeah did i mention school break up last night so a BZILLION wines before 9 oclock(home by 9.30, barely coherent, and unm guess who lost their bloody wallet... ummm looks at the ground, kicks the dirt a bit and thinks what a loser they are...yep thatd be me! very shirty about being such a LOSER(yes double pun!!!!!!!!!!) and going grrrrrr that's gonna make qld tough if i dont have any cards with me...grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and then i remember i had $150 in my drawer so at least i was covered for cash for the weekend
anyway, because im a HUGE user of credit card i was able to ring the cab company as the receipt has all the taxi detauls-woohoo(as i was sure it was there since i had paid for the cab!!!!!!!!!!) after 3 phone calls, the cab driver responded to the cab company and yes he does have my wallet.
im going to give him a reward i think(cos i know cabbies dont make much money(in general)) so i will drive over to nunawading tomorrow to pick it up...how much reward should one give??? i was thinking i would be quite generous as NOT cancelling my cards is awesome. how do you think $50 sounds..

nyway training since tuesday
wed OMG how tired am i ..........ridiculously...to the point where i didnt train. i very rarely skip sessions but i was just EXHAUSTIPATED-yes i know its not a word!!!!
thursday... supoosed to do 3xfast 800/1km- was trying to convince myself on the way there that it was my type of set-wasnt really working though...lol
got out of the car and was almost blown off my feet-it gets windy in the werribee wind tunnel....
anyway i wasnt going to ask stu to reduce as he gets annoyed and already thinks im SOFT a custard......................... but it musta been windy cos stu was talking to burkie and had decided to reduce OMFG, where were those flying PIGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i said how about 20 x 200s stu(kinda joking cos i thought hed probs make us do 600s)
anyway the other coach also did 200s so stu did too!!!!!! woohoo...200s are right up my alley

anyway in groups of 5 with the diagonal jog along hte grass (aim for 45s) and walk after every 5th
tired tired tired legs from the 15km
first set were all 45
second set were all 45sec and i was starting to think 10 more..good grief
..anyway third set starting to feel good- 1st one 42s..oops and the the rest 44s
fourth set felt very good, and at one stage claires gone speedy jo-first rep so i went okay and slowed it down to ummmmmm 42s, then the rest were all 43s
a ripper set- as i said right up my alley , please sir may i have some more(ie do it next week with a Twist(ie oliver)-its okay i find myself funny
its still a distance set, but the shuffle recovery still meant i never fully got my breath back in the 5 reps. the odd thing is, last year i HATED HATED-with a passion- the continuity of the float now i actually think it is VERY beneficial-9kms for the night

AND its my biggest month for the year. i just passed 175kms this month(i know not much for others but HUGE for me)
if i keep this up i may actually have a good 1500 come track season
-dont think ill pb the 10km next week, but hoping to go sub 45

oh BTW-im very fricking tired after todays run..i think i am soft as custard!
ciao chippolatas and chipolettes

...seriously stu

..ummm you do realise i raced 15kms on sat
..yes
..cn i do 20x200m with 200 float(a light set)
..NO-do the longer reps

...bugger

oky so supposedly it is 600,800.1km.1km,800,600. i knew i would struggle with this. i strugled with a 35 min easy run yesterday. MY SHINS are sooooooooooooooo sore..that'd be the 15km road race when you have NOT(and i repeat)NOT have done enough kms in training to no be this sore afterwards... yes it was a good run..yada yada yada and im paying for it NOW!~

anyway plan was to go a tad slower(dont forget standing recovs) than we have been and sit on approx 96s laps (approx 4min/km)

first rep it was like-sheesh jo-seriously?????
di the 600 in 2.27(very restrained and just over 4min pace...like 4.03)
then 800 in 3,14 bit off pace
then 800 in 3.16 bit off pace-couldnt do the 1km-just started to drop off and legs were like death and i knew 800 would be more beneficial
the 800 in 3.15-right on pace-same as above for why i didnt do 1km
then 800 in 3.14- close enough
then 600-stu worked a bit so i did too, hit 2.14 (2.24 IS 96 LAPS)

yeah um it was a good session CONSIDERING- i hate the term considering, it was a shit session if it was normal, but a good session with tired and sore legs

am i happy? yep, last year i struggled to do 96s per lap reps, now i get close to them on my BAD days! and im only just 6 weeks back running
it could be a good track season(which it is all about!!) next season :)

okay so a 15km race is not OVERLY easy

..yep to say i wasnt looking forward to this is an underwhelming statement to say the least.....
having not run15km since about jan and only been back running for about 5 weeks, it was always going to be a tough ask..
anyway the plan was to go out at sandown pace....
i literally ran exactly the same 10km time as sandown...lol

i must say i hit the wall not once but twice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! stu very nicely waited for me at about 6kms(he was about20m ahead at this time and slowed for me :) good lad.
anyway he pushed me and worked me pretty hrd. Em overtook me at about 8kms i think and then at about 12/13 we drew up to her and she sat with us for the last 2 kms. no talking for em and i though, we were working our GUTS out.
i think i told stu to f-off about 5 times....lol
at one stage, hes gone, cmon jo we've got women to catch up to, my response- well you go and f-ing catch them then.. in my defence this was where i had hit my 2nd wall
lol, im a pleasure arent i?

but the 15km was NOT the worst prt of my day. came home and had an ice bath. OMG ice baths in winter are even worse than icebaths in summer. OMG OMG OMG- i was screaming out OMG for the while time i was in there..stu was laughing at me..
i was in for 2min...cmon jojo you can do it OMG OMG OMG OMFG, 1.5min and 60s

anyway tuckered out but pretty happy with a 70.xx time. officil results not in but it will be 70.4x

here are my km splits 4.36 ish, 4.43, 4.40,4.43,4.44,4.44,4.49(wall)4.46,4.52,4.514.48,4.44,4.40,4.43,4.34

so the 2nd 5km slower than the first and the last 5km 23.12 was the fastest (under duress i might add though)

ughghghghg

that kinda sums it all up really.feel particualrly tired and worn out.
no doubt from all the report writing and ennui that follows. probs trained a bit too hrd tuesd as well espoecially since i wasnt feeling fresh on thurs after a rest day.
had some sore shins/knee on wed which i didnt love, anyway they were okay last night and i gave them a good ice when i got home.feel fine today

so the set is 9x400s
3lots of 3x400s with 200 float recovery and a stand recovery after the third. did this 3 times

most of the reps were 92/93/94 with a 90 and a 91 thrown in one misjudged one was about96???????

anyway i deliberately sat behind stu this tme. to be a bit calmer than tuesday. achilles is ok, back is NOT GOOD AT ALL..can hardly bend today.i drop stuff on the floor, kinda look at it and go hmmmmmm i think it wil have to stay. stu is very good and picks it up for me when he is around. i took a naprosyn 500mg this morning and will take another tonight-nd a few wines too i think.......................................
anyway after a punishing 15km tomorrow on the road, i will be doing pool running for the next two days... lol i had to laugh when i read that last sentence, i had left the "L" of pool...ewwwwww

anyway if im still alive after tomorrows race, ill blog. considering i havent run 15kms since january, its not gonna be pretty, i just about died in the 12km in the YY last sunday.

oh well if i peter off, i know Em will continue without me llike i did last year to her. its good to run with people who know how it works. ie you only run together if the times are aligning

...a hrd training session, some slight misjudgement

..okay so not having done this set more than once, i was a bit unsure as to how fast to go out. I went out at what i though was comfortable
....hmmmmmmm by the end i was that cose to spewing it wasnt funny

the set is 3min,2min,1min,30s interval with the same float(shuffle between) x3.
yep apparently running 93ish second laps is a bit fster than i shouldve gone. held it pretty well for the first two 3,2,1,30,3,2,1,30 but on the last lot i was GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i droppped off by about 8s per lap and even dry retched on one of the reps.... oopsies...ah well, ill know better for next time and sit on 95/96 in the reps
but gee it felt good initially. there was even some push from my achilles...woohoo..i can tell you it is a whole lot easier to run when you can push off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and 40mins in the pool yesterday. did notice that my shins are a little bit sore, so will have to ice the leftie i think

..whew big weekend of running

okay 21km for normal runners it is NOT a big weekend but for the just returnng (aka soft jojo), it is a big weekend

friday night's multitude of wines probs didnt help but................................
brisbane ranges ont he saturday. the run was SHITE...well know thats not true, i was SHITE...too many hills and i still cant push off the right foot so the stupid leftie had to do all the walk-way beihnd everyone else.
anyway got through a miserable 9kms and yes the achilles was a bit sore at the end

and then today 12.5km at the you-ies in as flat a section as we could find and umm the achilles still felt it. water tomorrow will be the plan. no running wed just sets on tues /thurs before the 15km(egad) race next saturday
50kms last week and should be the same this week

now writing reports and being grumpy...lol.. havent done enogh this morning(probs because i went out to brekky and shopping) oh well now i must get back to it

..coolies

.alright ewen -time to get out your uncanny time predictor for my 10km

a faster and tough rep session tonight. it was going to be 9x400 with 200 floats but stu relented...woohoo
here are hte sets (they may be confuse din order but pretty right-i dont have a lap timer)

400(90s) ,shuffle, 400(92s), shuffle, 400(90s)
then stu said we could do two efforts one float and a standing recovery
400(90s)shuffle,400 (92s) standing recovery
400(88) walk 20m then shuffle,400(92)
400(90), walk then shuffle, 88

so another good session. and it wasnt ridiculously hard either. i was working hrd but i actually felt like i was kinda in a good zone

felt good to run in a pack again. AND whilst my achilles is a little sore, its BECAUSE i was able to push off-just a teensy bit... wooho
im pretty much BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! roll on the racing. i my still pb some races after all. i am defintely FASTER than last year, once the endurance happens i am THERE!!!!

..another good training session

..achilles starting to feel better.the dry needling definitely helped. still quite tender during running today, but ohhhhhh so close to being able to actually push off-there was some slight push off today.
trained REALLY well today
proposed set 600,800,1k,1k,800,600 with 90-2min standing recovery...bit of a breeze though

600 2:21 so 3:55min/km pace
800 3:08 so 3:55 pace
1km 4:02
1km 4:05
800 3:13 so 4:01 min/km
600 2:20 so 3:53 pace man this last one felt fast i was about 4 metres off the pace but kne i needed the windbreak so i suck it up and tacked back on. Felt generally pretty good(apart from the first rep where i was 3seconds behind the pack(they went out fast)
getting my fitness back! not anywhere near as far behind as i thought i would be.

tired..marking exams and writing reports...eyes are googly googly
icing the achilles now.very happy with tonights reps

woohoo 20kms in the bank this weekend

2 weeks in a row hat i got 20kms in the bank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ummm it was a LOT easier this week NOT racing 10kms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(are you happy with that many !!!!! ewen!!!!)

anyway 11.2kms this morning at the rather chilly you yangs. the chilles was OK not great but okay, better than i expected fter some hills yesterday though(icing now)
took a while to warm up then it was okay
11.2km @ 5.33min.kms. no worries about the pace that is definitely my long run pace, any faster and im getting into the non long run zone
according to mcmillans calcualtor (based on 45 min runner for 10kms)(http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm
my long runs should be between 5.20-5.57
easy runs 5.20 -5.39
recovery jogs 5:57 to 6:16

for the faster runs

Steady-State Runs 4:45 to 4:53
Tempo Runs 4:33 to 4:45
Tempo Intervals 4:30 to 4:39

anyway, it seems i do my stuff within the time ranges(except my recovery runs are too fast)wow-never thought that was possible

so a 10km showdown at Gold coast eh?

...lol
over the track season, ewen and i have jousted over the 800/1500 and now it appears we are running the 10km at gold coast. so it must be a 10km showdon then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol- this is definitely more in keeping with ewewns forte than mine, i must admit, but hey any race within a race makes me happy
so ewen, what time will i need to beat then? hehe, cant help it , im a competitive little lassie.

now Andrew, i buy my running shoes and accessories at www.wiggle.co.uk ... super cheap and very good(just make sure you remember it is UK sizing. spend over 85 nd shipping is free.woohoo(i havent ever paid for shipping)
my compression socks were about $20 per pair AWESOME
i have 1 pair of fluoro white asics(stu calls them skin coloured.. and i bought some black ones that are BRAND "craft' they seem pretty good too. so yes three pairs.
i forgot mine today, and ALSO stu had taken the key so i was unable to get my back brace d'oh. lucky it was just a run without any tempo.
anyway 9km run today approx 5.37min/kms -couple hills which tested the achilles. it just shows though that even the FAST people run slowly at times. bel who runs 38mins for 10kms, was more than happy to sit at 5.30-5.40 pace(she did go off for a bit of tempo, but a LOT of her long runs are at that pace too)
it was great. i felt like id been running 5mins and looked down and we had done 3kms already.woohoo
went to a coaching workshop today with richard huggins(coach of a number of very good athletes) and learnt some very interesting things. .saw a friend who i race aginst(sigh, she's so much skinnier than me-i really do need to diet(im sure i would run faster!!!!!!!!!!!!) YES,i do okay for a fatty boombah, but obviously i could do better

oh i have at least started doing planks. 3 times this week.
3x30s plank first time
2 days later 3x45s
2 days later 3x45s
sore abs after the first time and lots of shaking..hehe

anyway 60-70mins tomorrow.woohoo. and yes the achilles was a little tender today. no hils tomorrow(well as few hills as you can get in hte you yangs anyway

..bit sore but trained well

after training yesterday (6kms@5:14min/km) today was to be the first time to run three consecutive days since ummmmmmmm early march
and yeah i was a bit sore at the start. had to stretch MANY times in the warm up(and the legs felt a bit tired in the quads-no surprise -everytime ive been training lately, its been after a days rest
did the strides etc but wasnt sure how i would go
planned set 6x600 with 200 float(shuffle) in between, supposedly with no break at all

stu wanted me to do about 4min/kms so 96s per lap or 2.24 per 600
reps
2.25 float
2.26 float
2.22 walk then float (started having tummy issues)
2.20 -had to go to the toilet(no choice!!!!) slight standing stop then walk over
1.57-joined them at the 100 so a 500 comparable to a 2.22ish walk then jog
2.25- was bit fatigued in the last

then 4 lap cool down so approx 7.5kms tonight.

so a good set. i feel like im at least as fast as last year, just dont have quite the endurance yet

oh did i mention, im flying up to gold coast to run hte 10km :) yay

..a good hard training session

okey dokey...not too far behind where i should be but OMG my legs yesterday were LEGS OF DEATH
i was so shonky walking downstairs it was incredible! it felt like i had done like a million squats! yep sore either side of the quad

anyway tonights rep set
proposed 1200,1km,800,600,400
i knew during the first rep that this was too much for me after a 10km race on sat plus 8kms on sunday so i altered it to 1km,800,800,600,faster 400
1km 4.06
800 3.16 (4:05min/km pace)
800 3.17 (4:06 min/km pace)
600\ missed the time but it was approx 4min/kms
400 -84 seconds

90s recoveries(except probs 45 secs more on the cut down sections)

trained solidly, achilles was sore after the 400 though(got a bit carried away)

did 4 and a bit lap cool down so probs about 7km in total