Secret Blog for Killing Track and Parkrun PBs

Following on from the head cold 140km in the last 7 days...either I have got the 6 days training I missed back or I just made myself very tired?? Friday a 3000m ; Sunday Run4Fun in Sydney (10km fast and flat accredited road course) ; Thursday Pennington handicap 1500m ; Sunday City2Sea 14km in Melbum...that's my next fortnight. Most worried about the Pennington 1500m. Two kick arse females running with nice handicaps. Not sure I will be able to catch either or both. Have to make sure I get those lactate sessions in each week or the #1 crystal goblet may allude me once again.

Jogged down and up to the Arboretum for the XC Handicap, the Frylink 3,5km, then back home again. 22km all up for the morning. Courses starting high above Canberra and the lake on a sunny and windy morning. The last in the King of the Mountain series. kt has snagged the Frylink pot, Emma got lost on the course or confused, ran the same hill twice. Unfortunate. Of me: Absolute flat out, could only manage 15th across the line 12:24 Frylink 3.5km: kt 9th 84.2% ; sk 14th 77.6% ; sb 15th 92.3% ; gt 24th 75% ; heidze & emma jogging Thomas 7km: roget 68.2% ; psw 79.4% ; helen 78.7%

Out at Stromlo XC circuit, the grass getting more lush, softer and slower by the week with spring rain and sunshine. All the animals newborn out of pouches, trees and holes in the ground. Today an easier than usual session. XC handicap tmoz. 4 x 600m, long recovery, paced at 800 or 1500m pace for most. Of me: Still can't get enough oxygen in the lungs, lingering head cold. Sciatica swapped legs. 600m efforts in 148,148,153,153.

Cool with a breeze, not great conditions for running fast but some good times out there. Kathy an 11 second slice from the W60 3000m record...12:41 KT some form coming back with a 11:41 In the relays not many official teams, mostly second runs of the night. In the 4 lap spiral handicap I was already running home in the dark and cold. 4x1500m Relay M50 2167 Roget 6.09 M45 4841 sb 4.42 M55 2293 sk 5.19 W60 3603 Kathy 6.30 W40 5147 Emma 5.37 3000m M45 4841 sb 9:34.99 86.8 M50 2167 Roget 12:55.42 65.9 W40 5147 Emma 11:46.82 75.6 W40 4084 Missy 13:19.23 67.6 W45 4263 Kt 11:41.19 78.8 W60 3603 Kathy 12:41.86 88.5 Of me: 3000m 934 1500m leg 442...Very sore and heavy legs, not recovered from Tuesday or the head cold. So much racing in the next 3 weeks I will only be able to use them as training. Reset my eyes on the 10000m on December 8 and keep training hard and smart.

After 4 days resting with a near normal days training in between, another near normal day. Just a chesty head cold, an interuption, a nuisance. Today: Jog to the track, 5 x 100m (17,16,15,15,14), 3 x 600m (148,147,146), 200 jog recovery. Another jog. Set with Heidze: 4 x 100m (17,16,15,15) 5 x 200m (33,33,32,32,34). 200 walk,jog recovery. Jog home. Thursday, hopefully a 3000m & leg of 4 x 1500m relay.

At Stromlo, 2 groups, the magpie was fixated on finding worms for the nest rats, plovers minding the 500m mark. Group 1: 4 x 500m, longish recovery at 800m pace Group 2: 2 x 1000m + 500m, 1000m at 3km pace or quicker, 500m at 1500m pace or quicker (kick down) Of me: Pacing the girls, hay fever or head cold?? Something hard tmoz to make up for today.

M50  2167  Roger Pilkington 2:50.02  69.6    M55  2293  Ken White 2:26.80  84.6    W30  5895  Karen Just 2:32.39  74.3    W40  5147  Emma Adams 2:34.80  76.6    W40  4084  Amanda Walker 2:50.94  70.0    W60  3603  Kathy Sims 2:57.09  82.3    3000 m Age Gp ID First Name Last Name Performance Age % Comment or Points M55  2293  Ken White 13:04.22  68.6    W40  4084  Amanda Walker 13:41.55  65.7    W50  4440  Helen Larmour 12:28.24  80.6    W60  3603  Kathy Sims 12:54.55  87.0    5000m Age Gp ID First Name Last Name Performance Age % Comment or Points M50  2167  Roger Pilkington 21:20.45  68.7   

At the AIS, perfect spring afternoon. Set 1: 5 x 100m (17,16,15,15,14) 5 x 400m (66,65,65,66,66) 400m walk / jog recovery Set 2: pacing Heidze: 5 x 100m (18.1,17.1,16.5,15.7,15.7) then 4 x 400m (80,82,84,84) 500m walk / jog recovery

This fun run has been a constant since I started running again in 2007. Back then it was a tune up the week before the Rottnest Marathon minnie and I both did. What keeps me coming back is the relaxed community atmosphere, sitting in the Irish Club after with friends, the lucrative barrel draws (this year a pizza oven) and that almost always the entry is much less than the prizes received. This year 5 hot men plus a dud 49yo, 3 hot women. Best field in the 5 years I have run the event. Of me: Chased them the whole race, all males in the same minute. me 20:18 (10 seconds slower than my course pb). The leading 3 women a minute or so back, similarly hard fought race. sb 1st M40-49, minnie 1st W50-59, sb+minnie 1st hubby and wife, loads of prizes, some we will give away. Wot to do with 2 R4YL subscription in same house?

Out at Stromlo XC circuit a largish bunch of happy camperson a cool morning that slowly warmed up. Some strides to start and finish. Using the 1km loop on a 10 minute cycle some efforts from 200m to the full 1km at either 800m, 1500m or 3000/5000m pace. ..using the yellow 100m posts with a beeping watch. Of me: 4 x 1000m loops at 18s, dropping off pace at the S bends (600m). All efforts between 3:00 and 3:07. Tmoz the Weston Creek Fun Run 6km. Tonight some Indian:-)

Cool, a cool breeze, not bad conditions for the first night of track. Most of us treating it as a pacing session so early into the season and another month of conditioning before we give things a lash, especially in the shorter events. sb, roget 3000m an hour later 1500m kt (535), sk (517), missy (610), george clooney 1500m an hour later a different 3000m kj just the 400m (67+), first run as an old person full results later of me: set the watch at 19s in the 3000m (931) and 18s in the 1500m (432)

Training Overview - Direct Preparatory Period 1 Direct Preparatory Period 1 October 15 - Nov 15 Aims to develop: Aerobic endurance, race pace, specific speed, power Training Goal: Aim to fit in no more than 3-4 of the sessions below each week according to body fatigue LT Runs: steady runs comfortably hard of 20-50 mins at lower threshold or 6 to 1 session, effort =3/10, weekly once Race Pace Intervals: short intervals at race pace, effort=9/10, weekly once-twice Long intervals, long recovery: 1000-2000m with long recovery at race pace, effort= 9/10, weekly once Race Conditioning: Track races, fun run, BBQ stakes, monthly handicap, effort =8/10, weekly to monthly Power: 150m hills on slight to moderate incline, jog back recovery, high hips, effort=7/10, weekly once All sessions begin and conclude with stretching and 4 x 100m strides Plyometrics, strength training, core stability, yoga optional

Today at the AIS track some pacing and strides. In the bush psw,kt,steve irwin,missy,sb On the track all the above minus psw...later George Clooney en moto Splits for kt: 100s (18.4,17.8,16.9,16.4,15.3) 200s (37.0,35.4,34.9,34.8)

At stromlo, dat after the 24mtb, still packing up, swooping magpie on the lower track. 5 x 600m @ 17+ sb ; 24s maria, 25s tori, kj late arrival 2 @ 19s per 100m

Well done jbhifi. 3:33 run after that huge swim and ride, 24th in age group:-)

This morning a longish ploddle in the bush with psw, pete, tori and roget. Welcome back to psw & pete. Completed the morning at Tilleys Devine Cafe. Killing Heidi finishes her AMG with gold in the 400m, a very windy day, 68sec. The tally 2 gold, one silver, 3 pbs. Well done Heidze:-)

Yesterday a pb 800m 2:32 for silver, today an equal pb lead all the way 1500m 5:20 gold in the Australian Masters Games. So nice to see after missing Brisvegas when in pb form due to the stressie.

5km in the bush warm up, 5 x 100m (18,17,16,15,15,14), the kickdown pacing for 1500m. 3 groups: 3 efforts on 10 minute cycle at 3 speeds: aim to cover 1500m in total with first effort at least to 800m Group 1: 24,23,22sec per 100m (missy,vic,helen,kirsten,kathy) helen 1000m 4:00 , 500m 1:55=5:55 + 400m 1:28 Group 2: 21,20,19sec per 100m (em) 800m 2:49 , 500m 1:40 , 200m 39=5:08 Group 3: 18,17,16sec per 100m (sb) Of me: paced groups 1,2. My set 1000m 3:00 , 300m 50, 200m 31= 4:21 Then off to Rocksalt (we are regulars?!) the blueberry pancake, two coffees

Killing Heidi pb 2:32 silver AMG

On the bike path, kathy, sb, alex en velo, 6 x 20 sec 10% gradient power hills, walk back recovery.

Same session as yesterday, left the car at home, 11min,4min,3min,2min,1min efforts, 1 min jog recovery all at 3:20s to 3:40s per km. Last of these sessions for a month. Next weeks the track begins, for me a series of 5000m and 3000m races, one 1500m relay leg, one 1500m handicap (the Pennington series and two fun runs on consecutive weekends in November (Run4Fun 10km in Sydney, City2Sea 14km in Melbourne). There is a one hour track run at the end of this, extremely silly of me to do...see how silly I am. Last race for 2011 will be a 10km on the track December 8th. All that racing means only two big sessions a week. Power / lactate intervals on a Monday or Tuesday, Pacing Intervals on a Saturday or Sunday. Only threshold runs will be at the XC handicap and as a second run on track night in the spiral handicap.

A preliminary 2011 rankings list is now up at http://www.mastersathletics.net/Rankings-2011-Track-and-Field-Master.2633.0.html 2011 still has a long way to go and some of us have recently changed age groups. Of us 3 have made the cut so far including PSW in the W55 1500m 5:47 and 5000m 21:23, Kathy in the W60 800m 2:55 and 1500m 5:56. At a quick glance there are some of you who could easily make the list with a good run in the right event. 2012 is a different story. It is calendar year based.

Early morning, brisk, on the bike path to work, 11min, 4min, 3min, 2min, 1min on, 1 min recovery between efforts between 3:20s-3:40s per km.

A short session today. Day spent mostly in the garden after a mid-morning jog with Bella. The dog and I have been doing Mt Painter lately as Aranda has too many kangaroos for by back to handle (she is attached to my waist). On Painter I can let her loose usually...only people and dogs there. After the garden a jog out to the AIS. 5 x 100m (17.6,16.4,15.3,14.7,14.2)...then an 800m set 4 x 200m, 150m jog recovery, each 200m should get slower as the lactate builds. (30.2,30.4,30.8,30.9=2:02). 200m warm down in 38, jog home.

Out at Stromlo again, drizzle, no wind, cold. All doing pace intervals of some sort. Group 1: 4 x 1km @ sub 4's kt, em, steve irwin Group 2: 3 x 500m @ 20sec / 100m Heidz, kj ; kathy+garry @ 23sec, noeline, tori @ 25-26sec...kj additional 2 x 500m @ 19sec Of me: pacing Noelene, then pacing kj, then 2 x 1000m 305,309 Then marscapone rissotto @ Rocksalt...delicious