Secret Blog for Killing Track and Parkrun PBs

With three months spent in Europe for 2011 most of my great memories come from OS...but not all. Tour de France visited 4 years straight, 2012 will make 5. My favourite kilometre I watched from La Mongie on the car tv having cheered the riders on the way over Col du Tourmalet. The SBS highlights package on DVD didn't do the race justice so I hunted it down elsewhere...as the Norwegian commentator excitedly proclaimed 'Thor I love you'.

Back to the track this morning, a warm one, two groups. Group 1: (800m) 4 x 100m, 2 x 200m, 600m, 4 x 200m, 4 x 100m. The 600m paced at 72s. Heidze and sk at 225-225 pace. Emma a big set yesterday. Garry helping out. Bodes well for a 2:2? on Thursday Group 2: (3000m) 4 x 100m, step down at 3000m pace, 4 x 100m. The stepdown pace differed for each. kt@23s, maria&missy@25s. All going very strong. Should be good for season bests over 3000m or 5000m on Thursday. Minnie 4 x 6 minute intervals on the criterium circuit. Of me: paced the 800m group. Ran some hard 200s for leg speed, most at 30.? seconds. None under 30. Some work to do still. Brunch at Manuka. Very quiet there.

Like on a school excursion we all took the journey south to Isaacs Pines and the aquaduct trail for some long intervals. The session 4 x 6 minute intervals with 1 minute jog recovery. All up almost 70 minute running for me, an easy 35 with the dog later in the day as recovery. Hansel & Gretel do make a nice coffee. The dog was very happy for the serving size of the pancakes...woof, woof Track starts again next Thursday. The last few weeks have been a joy to put in some big weeks and plenty of hard sessions without pressure in pretty places. I can be sure there will be plenty of season bests in January and February for my friends as a result of all their hard work. Now to keep the good sessions going and niggles away until March and April is the difficult thing.

Some preliminary info on the championships for those interested. Looks like the 10000m will be on in the morning. I already have accommodation booked for Thursday night. The cross country will be held in Yarra Bend Park. I've raced there 3 times and lived across the creek from the likely course. Probably a 2km loop. Flat on two levels with a very steep short hill (up one direction, down the other) on each loop. Nice view of the Melbourne skyline. See the attached image. If they use this course an athletics track with clubroom facilities is across the road. The famous Yarra Bend tea rooms are next to the crossy course:-) I sure hope they are open. Weather? You can expect anything from Melbourne. Something like the low teens in the morning and the low 20s mid-afternoon on a nice day. Most wind comes off the bay from the south or south west. I've rarely known it not to be windy in Albert Park. Thursday 5th. April Registration open from 12.00 noon at State Athletics Centre ...

Finally summer, thanx for the ice machine at the track. Wind, sun, humidity. Three groups: Group 1: 5 x 1000m. 200m walk+ice+fluid recovery. Everybody looking strong and quick (kt,sk,helen,kathy,missy). Range: 3:40s - 4:00s. All those long intervals in the bush have everyone in good shape. Group 2: Just me. 4 x 100m (19-14) 7 x 400m+200m, 250m jog recovery. Total time for 3000m of efforts=8:39. All 69 or better. Group 3: Heidze+just me: 4 x 100m (17-15) 5 x 400m (75,74,73,73,72). 250m walk/jog recovery That's the end of week 6 for me. 140km this week. Will keep up the volume until at least New Years Eve so I can average over 130km per week for the month of December. Next race 5000m in 9 days time.

Pack run in the arboretum this morning. After 30 minutes 4 x 6 minute intervals with 1 minute recovery. For me just keeping company as I did the session yesterday. Probably around 4s with a couple of frisky fast bursts with the dog. Everybody looking very fit, even those with the sore head.

Boring isn't it! 4 x 6 minute intervals on the sweet sweet grass at Aranda, 1 Minute jog recovery...that some hours after a 75 minute ploddle with some friends and 3 dogs, red bubbles, white bubbles, after that a nap with the dog, woke before the thunderstorm...just in time for the intervals... that's an Xmas day 4u. Almost 2 hours for the day...almost 140km for the last 7 days...the track is shut on Tuesday...long run tmoz...wot2doTuesday???

The track closed for a few days, to Aranda on the soft grass, 5 x 3 minute intervals, 1 minute jog recovery, 6 of us this morning (sk,kt,mia,kathy,sb,missy plus bella and minnie on the warm down), Heidze the same session on her own from home. All fit, all happy.

My third long run for the week, all positioned in between the key sessions. 80 minutes in the bush, twice up Mount Painter, once Bella a dip in the creek in Aranda. Had to survive a left foot niggle over the last 2 days. Think I am on top of it again. Will be spending lots of my running time at Stromlo on the grass over the next 10 days. But not tmoz...hitting the track for some pace intervals. Coe, Kipketer, Rudisha, Jelimo...the most graceful of 800m runners...power, poise, picture perfect. The voiceover in Finnish. I know of only one couple among my friends where the female is kick arse at 800m and her partner Finnish...

Somehow seven of us managed to find an hour or so during lunch to come to the AIS and smash ourselves on the bush trails. Very warm and humid, thunderstorms approaching but strangely not there yet. The session 4 x 6 minutes on, 1, 2, & 1 minute jog or sipping liquid recovery. Inspiring, chatting, no coffee...:-(

On the bush tracks Maria 7 x 3 minutes hard, 1 minute recovery. Helen a similar session 6 intervals. On track: Heidze 4 x 100m (17-15) then 5 x 400m (78,76,74,74,74) 300m recovery. Of me: 4 x 100m (17-14) 7 x 400m + 200m. 300m jog recovery. Total time of efforts 3000m=8:31  All efforts 68 sec or better, Then paced Heidze on her set.

Twice over the mountain shrouded by mist and cloud, 90 minutes all up...oh my the legs are heavy. That's the end of week 5...2 weeks to go. Barring what happened last year (dehydration and melt down during the Xmas break) December and most of November will be my biggest training block, all the sessions included, in over 20 years.

Day 2 on the coast in the big house. This morning to Broulee along the coast track, pack run then 4 x 6 minute intervals, 1 minute jog between efforts to re-group. All up 60 minutes and 13km. Yesterday the birthday of Roget, today kt although we wished her happy birthday just after midnight.

Weekend at the coast, pack run this morning, 2.5km hill done twice, 90 minutes all up with 5 x 3 minute intervals mid way through with 1 minute recovery between each effort. A leg soak in the waves. A 30 minute ploddle in the afternoon.

A session for rostered track officials and helpers tonight, the session at Stromlo, just me and Helen. How nice to be back there again. Perfect weather. 4 x 6-7 minute intervals, 1-2 minutes recovery. All up an hour in the sunshine, then back to work:-(

On my lonesome this afternoon. sk some long intervals in the bush, heidze an ailment. Of me: This will be my standard short interval session for the next few months. Something to chip away at and measure with the past. The set: 5 x 100m (17-14) ;  7 x 400m + 200m. 400m float between the 400s, 200m float before the 200. Today all efforts 69 or better. Total time for 3000m of efforts=8:37 My PB for this session=7:41 from 1984...less than a minute to go:-)

Nice sized bunch for brunch after a long run this morning in the arboretum. All sort weather hot and steamy after and before some rain. All up 90 minutes approx on the fire trails, included 4 x 6 minute efforts on undulating to steep terrain, 1 minute recovery between efforts.

Large group of us assembled this morning for the inaugural Roget Rogaine. Loads of fun, some sneakiness, some coffee and brunch after. Thanx Roget. In the afternoon at Bruce Ridge 5 x 3 minute intervals with 1 minute jog between. All up for the day 60+30+10 minutes in the morning, 15+20 minutes in the afternoon. 2hr 15m or 28km for the day. For the group, two more of us world ranked this year...congrats kt & helen in the 10000m on the track. Both girls a track pb with loads of room for improvement in the new year. See how many of us in 2012. Next 10000m in February. Of me: Well into my 4th 120k+ week now. 4-5 more big hard weeks until the serious racing begins. Thursday's 10000m was a bit of an experiment. Normally at this time of year not at race weight but fresh and run agressively. Thursday's effort at race weight, untapered and run conservatively. Also the weather perfect instead of the usual hot and sticky. The result a positive in that not far off a nationals stand...

From last night: One Mile W55 Kathy S2 5:55.40 89.8% W60 Kathy S1 6:19.15 90.3% 10,000m M45 sb 33:27.58 89.3% M50 Roget 45:17.74 67.6% W45 Kt 41:38.60 77.6% W50 Helen 43:24.34 81.0%

I can't remember a night at ACTVAC that made me happier to be an athlete. The two Kathy's: A mile, cool, some breeze, not many starters. Two Kathy's, the best middle distance runners in the club separated by 5 years in age, both breaking all the ACT records in their age groups (W55 & W60) and in some events Australian and World records as well. Kathy #1 breaks her old W55 mile record, sets a new W60 record. Kathy #2 breaks Kathy #1s W55 record. Both records by a fair margin. Pentathlon night: Emma breaks her own pentathlon record,runs a 2:33 800m to finish off. Looking very strong and composed. On top of her game. 10000m: Almost perfect conditions and a very large field. kt awesome 41+. Very quick last lap. Better to come yet. Got the fiffy$$ Helen awesome. Complete spent at the end 43+. Roget? Results later. Of me: 33:27 (2km splits:6:30 , 6:39, 6:48, 6:49, 6:41)

At the AIS, long warm up to start at the tail of the elites training, nice cool day with an easterly breeze, just me and Heidze. 4 x 100m 17,17,16,14. 4 x 400m 72.6, 71.1, 71.8, 76.0 with 350m recovery. Another PB session for her, 5 seconds quicker than last week, first 3 efforts all quicker than the best last week. Of me: pacing in lane 2 first effort, lane 1 the last 3 efforts. Can admit to no taper for the 10km on Thursday. Even with tmoz completely off I will still have 125km in the legs in the last 7 days before I start the 10km. Surprisingly felt ok after I was warmed up today. Will start on Thursday at race weight +1kg. Relatively light for this time of year.

A low key fun run in Bungendore today with brunch after in the Woodworks Cafe. Fun and delicious. The run, 50 or so people, mostly locals with 10 of us...a tour of Bungendore on bike path, a testing hill and some nice forest and views in the middle of the course. Of us? We filled out most of the top ten places, KT and Heidze (the instigator) 3rd and 4th home outright. Of me? 3 x 6-7 minute intervals with 15-20 seconds recovery between each effort. 140km in the legs this week.

Out at Bruce Ridge on the fire trail, all of us the same session, 5 x 3 minutes hard, 1 minute jog recovery....except...heidze and I dropped the gang on the warm up, started our session, got one minute in and then found them on the single track...started the session again....some girls ran extra on the last effort to get back to the start point...one girl got a rock in her shoe. Coffee booked this time, once again more at coffee than at training. That is the last official Saturday training for 2011. Next week the Roget rogaine, then the coast, then xmas, then New Year. Tmoz the low key Bungendore Fun Run. Of me: Over 130km this week including a day off. That makes three big mileage weeks. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be a mini taper and see what comes on Thursday in the 10000m. The last 4 years I've only managed around 34 minutes flat at this time of year, although 2008 I was on 33 minute pace to 7km before a calf tear stopped my dead. The weather looks good. See what Thurs...

In an ideal world Rachel wouldn't have come into work yesterday...Rach didn't want to come in but there are rules...2 days or see a doctor$$$...10 sick days a year...I went home at 10 for 2 hours...when I came back I knew Rach would be gone home...I thought I was safe...there are no bubbles to hide from life...life is coping with the hurdles...I may well fight this sore throat off...today I turned up crusied the 3000m in 10:18...last 800m in 2:30...13km for the day...try to stay on the safe side of the fence...where is the fence? 3000m: emma 1138? ; kt 1141? ; roget? ; meg lemonade, chocolate cake, milk? Higgins 800m: emma? kathy? missy??? spiral 7 lap: ?????