Secret Blog for Killing Track and Parkrun PBs

On a day when the wind is howling and the drizzle blowing sideways, three fools on the grass out at Stromlo. 5x100m strides. 3 x 600m efforts with walk back recovery. Paced for Heidz @ 20.5 sec /100m. 24s for Kathy. Brave people. One week to go until Australian Masters Games for Heidz...in PB shape again:-)

15km run including 10 min and 5 min threshold intervals with 1 minute jog between.

First intense track session or the season. A 20km run, after 60 minutes 4x100m (17-14), 3x400m+300m (1500m=4:15) with a lap trot between, 30 minute warm down. Karen, Em, Kathy and others also there. Track starts in three Thursdays. Bring it on:-)

Frylink 4km: (ast%) gt 78.7% ; sb 93.4% ; sk 78.5% ; heidze 74.6% ; george clooney 60.8% ; kt 84.4% ; em 74.2% ; missy 69.1% Thomas 8km: charlie 77.7% ; Helen 84.7% ; roget 70.2% Of me: Had to run almost flat out to place 10th over the line. Think I may have out-skanked myself. Next month the Arboretum with monster dry wretch uphill finish. My last handicap until 2012.

XC handicap tmoz, light session today. At Sromlo XC circuit, 8 hour mtb event in progress,kerstin,kj,emma,kathy,helen,heidze,sb+minnie4coffee after. Session 5x100m (21-16), 4-5x500m at just below 1500m pace. Paced Heidze, 1500m total time=4:54. Others slightly quicker or slower.

At Stromlo xc circuit, magpies almost ready to swoop, Kathy, Heidze, sb. 5 x 100m (19,18.7,18.4,17.3,16.2). Then 3 x 500m. Total times: Heidze 5:05 Kathy 5:40s. Long walk recovery. Finished off with 300m (56), 200m (35), 100m (17).

After a lazy couple of days due to sciatica (12km a day), 10 minute plus 5 minute tempo intervals, 1 minute between each effort. About 3:30 per km. The Canberra spring winds have been howling...so much so I watched Chocolat last night to find out where it was coming from. If in doubt blame Johnny Depp, the homme extraordinaire.

1pm 24.5 degrees, wind 26kph, gusting to 39kph...sunny and a beautiful spring day. 1500m Heidze 5:25 ; George Clooney 6:30? PB 3000m nobody in the field ran slower than 12:23 sb 941 ; l&p 11:50s ; jbhifi 12:01 ; kt 11:50 ; sk low 12s ; roget 12:22 Of me: paced Heidze in the 1500m...great to see her back running fast again. 3000m held pace for only 3.5 laps, couple of big gusts down the back straight knocked us all about. l&p+jbhifi great runs in the conditions

Out at Stromlo xc circuit, 2 groups. Group 1: nb,kirsten,kathy,kt,sk the Thursday set of 5x100m and 600m,500m,400m,300m,200m,100m with walk recovery, kick down in the last 200m of all efforts.. Group 2: sb,l&p,emma,helen,tori,charlie,minnie,roget set of 4 x 3 minutes on, 7 minutes jog between efforts. Then to coffee and brunch. Of me: Not quite to 1000m during each of the intervals. At 3:07 pace per km.

On the same day Kacham are announce winners of the W40-49 three person team in the Canberra Times Fun Run and Heidze 3rd place in the 5km...power intervals at Stromlo. Kathy, Heidze, Em, sb. The set 5x100m (18.1,17.1,16.3,16.0,15.3). Then 500m(36.2),500m(36.4),500m(35.5),300m(32.9),200m(31.6),100m(16.8). All walk back recovery. Final 200m kick down. Splits in brackets.

6,5,4,3,2,1 min intervals, 1 min recovery. On the grass, very windy. Fast the first 3 efforts, fatigued last 3. Sk, genie, missy, kt all out in the wind at different time of day also. Same set.

Not the perfect spring day, although such a nice one with all the friends out running and post race up at a cafe in the sun sheltered from the gnarly nor-westerly wind. Coffees, chats, happy people...what else is a life? The course 10km: flat 3km into a block headwind, undulating next 5km with both tail and headwind, last 2km mostly block headwind again, especially by the lake...5km: mostly into the wind, mostly flat. Results: 5km: gt 5th time? ; heidze 22mins? 10km: george clooney 24 (stopped at 5km new pb) ; sb 33:25 ; kt 41 ; helen 43 ; sk 44 ; charlie 44 ; tori 47 ; minnie 47 ; missy 48 Of me: Splits: 311,314,310 [936],327,333 [1647],326,319,334,305,320=33:25 The story: The perfect race. Last 2 races against Emily B in the last 6 weeks, knew she was at my level. Made sure I wasn't any faster than her at the start. Hid in back of a huge pack into the wind for the first 3km, race leaders clear ahead all struggling with the wind. First hill (3-4km) pack thins to 10-12. Se...

Two trots today, one involved coffee after with friends, the other only with the dog late in the day. Tmoz Canberra Times Fun Run. Tonight pizza and bad tv.

At Stromlo XC circuit, Emma, Kathy, Genie, sb...5 x 100m strides (19.1,18.2,17.0,16.8,16.4) then 600m(39.1),500m(38.6),400m(36.6),300m(35.8),200m(35.8),100m long recovery walked. Efforts run at cruising speed with last 200m kick down. Last 200m for genie & sb in (brackets). Emma sometimes quicker, Kathy sometimes slower.

Not a pit bull in sight, 5 x 3 minutes on,1 minute trot between, on the grass at Aranda at the end of a longish run. This week nothing too adventurous. A balance of not doing so much as to get tired, one session days to fit some longer runs in, making sure the tendon recovery keeps progressing. I should be right for Canberra Times Fun Run. I had given up on the idea this time last week. KM in last 7 days=108 Weight=Race weight+1kg Some strides tmoz, then easy running until Sunday.

Bit of a stiff breeze in the back straight. A shame as Kathy Southgate would have easily broken the W55 Australian record. As it was she smashed the ACT 3000m record, around 11:17 for her. In the early 800m only Roget, a warm up. In the 3000m George Clooney a PB, Missy? getting stronger each run, Roget 1246?), SK (1204?), KT (1150?), SB (931?). Of me drifted off 19s per 100 second last time into the wind, couldn't get it all back on the last lap. Two days in a row no pain the ankle. Maybe those menacing puppies I owe them a favour.

Through Bruce Ridge, a social trot, gt, tori, bella, zena, emma and an italian cyclismo shirt, kathy and little ole me. After a coffee and chat After in the garden, all the front, some of the back. After an anti-social trot...would not even let the dog after she recognised marsupials on the tv...she also barks at the sound of dog owned by Cadel...did some video editing from Tour de Romandie, such a long time ago. Last night a treat, at Canberra Casino, Steve Kilbey (The Church) and friend followed by Shane Howard (Goanna) with friends, family and ex family. Steve Kilbey encore 'Under the milky way', Shane Howard encore 'Mountains and the Sea'. Next year 30th anniversary of 'that' Goanna album 'Spirit of place'. First and last songs in the set last night 'Razor's Edge' and 'Solid Rock'.  30 years...did I learn anything?...'thinking it was about money and stuff'...

On the grass at Aranda, the safest place I thought for a sore post tib, 5 x 3min intervals, 1 min recovery. In the last 50 metres two puppy pit bulls decided to chase or eat me...lots of screaming on my part, especially when the ankle lateral tendons started to sublux repeatedly. Looks like it's back to Stromlo again, fight the huge roos instead. Not funny until tmoz when I forget about the sharpness of those pit bull puppy tongues.

Session 2 at Stromlo XC circuit, this time Genie, Kathy & SB. The set: (with Genie) 5x100m (19.3, 18.9,18.2, 17.4, 16.4) and 4x200m (37.3, 35.4, 34.7, 34.4). An improvement for Genie on last week 0.5 sec 100m ; 1 sec 200m Kathy 100s 23-19 ; 200s 43-40 Next week a full set: 600m, 500m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m. All efforts with long recovery, first 4 intervals relaxed to 200m, strong finish.