Short Run 5ks

Not even worth reporting. Very late run due to end of month work commitments.
It was already 10pm so I just ran up to Fox Studios and back.

5ks in 25:10.

ES Marks Track 6x300 Reps

Very humid. Didn't feel like doing much of a warmup at all. Did do a 1.6k warmup or 4 laps of the track before starting. Damn forgot those strides again. Not many people left when I started at close to 8pm.

The reps were 53.0, 50.6, 52.4, 52.3, 52.0, 52.9. All done with a 60 second walk recovery. At least I'm consistent without doing them faster.

Tesso the State 3000m titles are on November 10th at Sydney Olympic Park. The goal is 9:xx. The PB is 10:32.84 from December last year. So I'm pushing hard to do it.

Centennial Park 7ks

A slow recovery run around Centennial Park. Still pretty warm even at 7pm. The bats were getting very upset with each other. A few ducks of the head were needed to keep clear of some that didn't hear me.

Ran 7.1ks in 41:45. Average pace of 5:52 per klm.

Long Run Sunday 17ks

Slept in Sunday morning. Must have needed the sleep. Got up in time to watch the Melbourne Marathon highlights. So had to wait until it cooled down a bit before I could run. Still was 29 degrees when I started at 6:30pm but felt cooler in the shade.
Did a lap of the running track in Centennial Park as well as a run up to the SFS and SCG.

All up 16.9ks in 1:24.13. Average pace of 4:59 per klm. A good steady pace.

Well I can't add, it was 82 seconds for the 2nd lap of the 800m. Thanks for the comments.

Bankstown Track 800m race

Didn't turn out as well as I planned but hey there is always a first time at running any race distance.
Did a warmup and some strides before the race started. Including running fast around the bends.
I did manage to read some splits and then it all became ugly. Well I thought so.
200m - 32 seconds
400m - 70 seconds
600m - forgot to look
800m finish in 2:32.11. Very ugly.
A 70 second first lap and a 92 second final lap is not good. I'm sure I'll run better the next time I do an 800m, whenever that is.

Easy 30 Minutes

Ran up along Anzac Pde to the SFS and back. Took it very easy as I have a race tomorrow afternoon. I know just a short race but still the same I would like to run it fast.

Total was 5.7ks in 30:25. Average pace of 5:20 per klm.

There is a clock at about the 200m mark Ewen which is on the scoreboard so I will have an easy to thing to look at as I come down the back straight.

Will my finish tomorrow look like this? Ralph Doubell at Mexico City Olympics in 1968. Gold.

ES Marks Track 6x300m Reps

20 Degrees and 88% humidity without rain. The air certainly did look very heavy and wasn't easy to run through.
Did a 2k warmup before starting the session and then half a dozen 100m strides.

The reps went 50.2, 50.8, 51.3, 52.2, 52.9, 51.5. All done with a 60 second walk recovery.

Did a 2k cool down after the session.

Thanks Ewen. I'll just see how it goes, would like to run under 2:30 for the 800m.

Timbrell Park Reps 6x500m

There was Thunder, Lightning, Wind and Rain. And I was still out running. I'm a glutton for punishment.
Did a 2k warmup before the session, and half a dozen 100m strides.

The reps went 1:33.5, 1:34.9, 1:35.4, 1:35.1, 1:35.7, 1:34.9. All done with a 2 minute walk recovery between each rep. At least I'm consistently boring!
Did a 2k cool down after the session. Not as fast as I wanted, but I was carrying a bit of excess weight from the rain.

Saw Guz running around Timbrell Park as I finished.

I have a race this Saturday afternoon at Bankstown. I've decided to run the 800m, as the only other race on is a 5000m, and that really doesn't help make me faster for 3k.

Southerly Buster 11k

As I was running around Moore Park and Centennial Park the Southerly came through blowing half of Randwick Racecourse with it. The clouds of dust were huge.
A very leisurely run until the wind came roaring through with a couple of k's to go.
Ran 11ks in 59:54.

Surf Club Swim and Run,with a win!

My clubs first race of the season. Very nice it was too on the coast. Only 25 degrees apparently it peaked at instead of the 33 degrees at Smitho. That nice sea breeze certainly helps.

The swim was very choppy, plenty of missed strokes as the wave disappeared underneath you. Felt like I had just eaten a packet of salt and vinegar chips at the end as I sucked up so much sea water in the swim.
As first race of the season we were all off scratch. So the Dolphins won. I improved my handicap for next race.
The run was up to black rock and back, went off quick and settled into 3rd place by the turnaround. The sand was very soft as the tide was coming in, making it hard to run through.
Kicked for home about 200metres out for the win. There goes my good handicap for the season.

Consequently I had to buy beers for the post race BBQ. Excellent! Then I was off home to discover I got a bit sunburnt. Fixed up that dodgy runners singlet and shorts tan at least.

SMC 5K

A very sticky start this morning at Smitho. 18 degrees and 78% humidity does not make for good running conditions. I didn't feel good from the start and I would have been better off just doing a 20k training run instead.

Ran 19:02. Placed 4th. 8 seconds slower than last month. But closer to Easy Tiger who was 22 seconds slower this time.
This racing caper really does have its ups and downs. It seems more down than up for me since June. But that happens.

Timbrell Park Reps 5x500m

Did a 2k warmup before starting and half a dozen 100m strides as well. Very windy down at the bay tonight. At least I didn't have to dodge anyone running or walking in the park.

The reps were: 1:33.2, 1:35.4, 1:34.5, 1:35.9, 1:36.0. All done with a 2 minute walk recovery.
Did a 2k cool down after the session.
Average pace for all of these was 95 seconds over the 5 reps. Last time the average was 100 seconds over 10 reps. Now just to push that pace down to 85 seconds in 3 weeks and I'll be flying come the 3000m.

Easy 12ks

Just a local run around Centennial and Moore Parks.
12.1ks in 1:04.55. Average pace of 5:21 per klm. Took it nice and easy tonight.

ES Marks Track 6x300m Reps

Hard session tonight with the Southerly blowing down the home straight. Did a 2k warmup before the session. And damn I forgot to do the strides. Lucky for me I didn't do them as I ran:

49.9, 52.0, 52.0, 53.7, 52.8, 53.4. All done with a 60 second walk recovery.

Must have been the squad doing some very fast reps that made me run faster. Did a 2k cool down after the session.

Centennial Park 7ks

Skipped around Centennial Park tonight. Very warm still at 8pm. Total was 7.1ks in 37:22.

The coach has skipping as part of the training Tesso.If I could wink on here I would. It is actually a course PB for the half by 9 minutes. I was injured the last time and running with a post brothers wedding hangover.

I would feel better if we could run this as a race all off at once. I know it is not the point as some of us would be out in the park a lot longer than Tucks. But I like that better.

Striders Internal Half Marathon

I was given a handicap time for the half of 86 mins. Meaning I should finish in that time if I raced it. I had decided during the week that I would do the half as a training run. The aim was to run it at 4:30 per klm pace. Which is probably half way between what I race a half at and what I would run 20ks at in training.

The race was on the Striders 10k course in Lane Cove National Park. So two laps of the hilly monster. Started with three others with the two males including Sub50 racing off and Jenny Truscott running with me, then behind and then in front for about 10ks and then dropping out. So heaps of running on my own for an hour and a half.

The time was 1:34.17. Average pace of 4:28 per klm. Pretty good training on that hilly course.
Didn't bash the legs up too much which is the real reason for a long run.
Saw Tesso before she went back to BrisVegas this morning.

Easy 7ks

Did a lap of Centennial Park on the grass late afternoon. Only 15 degrees when I ran at about 5pm. To think Saturday last week was 34 degrees. What a change.

Total was 7.05 in 41:36. Pace of 5:54. Couldn't be bothered running any faster actually.

Tesso it is all short stuff for awhile. I'm still doing a 20k long run every week and a 12-15k mid week so I havn't dropped all distance.
The Six Foot training will crank up once the State 3000m is over.

Bay Run 3x1k Reps

A bit tough to run in tonight with a good 20k Southerly blowing around the bay. Gusts up to 35k as well. Enough excuses about the wind already.
Did a 3k warmup from the car as I felt pretty cold and it took me a long time to warmup.

The reps were 3:23, 3:26, 3:23. All done with a 5 min jog recovery. The 3:23 reps were equal to the best I have done which was back in April this year before Canberra Marathon.
Stopped after three as I felt myself fading after the last one.

There is pace for the legs to go faster I believe.

Indian Summer

Well it was really humid with the approaching thunderstorm from the West and the wind blowing hard from the East. So you know something good is going to happen above your head. Some cracking lightning strikes while I was out running tonight. Nearly got all the way through the run and then just near home I managed to dive into a servo before the Lord turned on the tap and drowned us all. The heavy stuff only lasted 5 mins and then I ran back home without getting too wet.

It was an easy run around Moore Park and Centennial Park without too much trouble. Ran 13.38ks in 1:12.01. Average of 5:22 per klm. Very easy.

Gronk a stride is sorting of like doing a few sprints that start at about 50% effort and build up to about 90% at the end of it. So not a flat out sprint. Designed to get the blood moving fast before you have a race or do some fast reps I believe.

ES Marks Track 6x300m Reps

There were only about a dozen people running around the track tonight. Very different to last week, although it is a different night.
Did a 2k warmup and then 4x80m Strides before starting.
Very windy tonight and not much protection at this track from the wind.

The reps were 53.3, 51.9, 52.3, 52.8, 53.0, 53.7. All done with a 60 second recovery between each rep. Which basically meant stumbling around another 100m to get back to the start position again.
Did a 2k Cool down after the session. Really struggled to do that last one rep.

Recovery Run 7ks

Just a lap of Centennial Park tonight. An old tree root leapt out at me at one point and I've managed to sprain my ankle. Not too bad though, so no problems.

Run was 7.1ks in 41:50. Average pace of 5:53 per klm. Nice slack pace for a recovery.

Sunday Long Run 21ks

Felt terrible in the legs again this morning. Weighed down by the Wallabies losing to the poms at 1am.
Went out around 9am doing a few loops around Centennial Park, Moore Park, Fox Studios, the SCG and the SFS.

All up it was 21.57ks in 1:48:14. Average pace of 5:01 per klm. Ok maybe the pace wasn't as bad as I felt. At least it was better than last Sunday.

Striders Homebush 10k

A race where everything went to mud. No energy at all during the race. The Marathon must have hurt me more than I thought it did.
41:35 I think. I started ok and then everyone passed me, was there any left to do so?
Chatted to Tom31 and Springer after the race. Tom had a good one but Springer was getting over his injury that forced him to miss Sydney Marathon so was a bit slower than last month.
I guess the focus is now squarely on getting some speed for the State 3000m titles in 5 weeks time. Everything between now and then will just be hard work to achieve the goal of sub 10 mins.

ES Marks Track 6x300m Reps

A very busy track tonight. At least a hundred people going around in different stages of pace. Drove to the track straight after work as I drive past it on the way home.
Did a 2k warmup and 5x100m strides before starting.

The reps went 50.1, 51.4, 52.8, 53.0, 53.6, 53.3. All done with a 60 second walk recovery.

Did a 2k cool down after the session.
I'm well aware they kept getting worse after the first. Just need a bit of practice with these to keep them consistent.
These were not easy. Now I know what happens to a 400m runner when they hit the home straight and they start running on the spot. I was getting that feeling after 200m.

Easy 12ks

A very warm 29 degrees when I went for a run tonight. Just ran around Randwick, Moore Park, Centennial Park and the SFS.
Total was 12.5ks in 64:11. Average pace of 5:08 per klm.

No strides Ewen. Wasn't sure on how many reps to do, ten seemed like a good number. Longer recovery between reps, ok.
I have a nice kick, I guess I shouldn't use it in training.

Timbrell Park Reps 10x500m

A nice night for a run. A bit windy though from the East, so all the reps straight into it were slower. Not many people around on the path so I didn't need to dodge to much during each rep.

Parked the car at Lilyfield Rd and ran over to the park doing a 2.5k warmup in the process as I ran up to near the 2k mark of the Bay Run and back to the park.

The reps were 1:40.7, 1:37.8, 1:40.0, 1:39.2, 1:41.1, 1:39.3, 1:41.6, 1:39.3, 1:41.1, 1:39.9.
All done with a 75 second walk recovery. I thought I could manage 60 seconds but after coughing up a lung every rep I needed more time to put it back in.

Did a 2.5k cool down back to the car.
Have not done these since December. Have to get them faster.

Don't let the sun go down on me

It took me so long to do a lap of Centennial Park the sun went down while I was out running.
Seriously!
Did a lap of the park on the dirt trail around the outside fence. A very warm 27 degrees when I was out, with the sun going down in the West.

Total was 7.1ks in 38:35. Average pace of 5:26 per klm. Ok for a recovery from Sundays run I guess.