Secret Blog for Killing Track and Parkrun PBs

This afternoon on track the first time back with the girls...my set early. A breeze in the home straight, cold enough for gloves but a t-shirt top and shorts. My best sets done fully tapered just after a couple of races in mid-June. I think I am back to where I was before I left OZ...will find out at City2Surf. 2000 1600 1200 800 400 31/07/2012 628, 508, 348, 230, 69 28/07/2012 628, 514, 354, 230, 70 21/07/2012 519, 516, 238, 77, (1600,1600,800,400) 26/06/2012 625, 508, 348, 229, 69 19/06/2012 623, 510, 350, 228, 68 12/06/2012 629, 509, 350, 229, 69 29/05/2012 631, 513, 357, 230, 69 22/05/2012 635, 517, 357, 230, 70 15/05/2012 638, 518, 358, 230, 69 Maria, Kathy and Julia all working well on the same set, Tori popped in for a hello. Heidze doing circles on the grass, a neural calf niggle.

How much frost this morning? Over the mountain again twice in the work commute, the last time before City2Surf...maybe it will be spring after that? Will hit another 120km week tmoz before starting that taper.

Second race in the King of the Mountain series so must be a hilly course. The Frylink almost all down, almost all up on the return. The Thomas more of the same with more undulations in the middle. Highlight for my day, a puddle on track at after 1km, a competitor on his return saw I was going to run through the puddle and so as not to get splashed with muddy water stepped backwards to wait and fell over:-) Results: Frylink 3.5km Gary 75.1% ; SB 89.9% Thomas 7.2km Minnie 71.9% ; Janene 69.1% ; Maria 84.7% ; Charlie 66.6% ; Mick 64.2% ; Pete 50.1% Of me: 12:29, 3 seconds faster as an M50 than as an M45

A foggy track this morning, cold but not below zero and still. Found it hard to warm up and wore gloves, two tops and tights during the session. The set: 2000m (628), 1600m (514), 1200m (354), 800m (230), 400m (70). I did 6 of these sets before I went away, this session ranking smack in the middle of where I was at then. I shouldn't find it hard to get back where I was for City2Surf. Much of it is technique and some leg speed, some of it jet lag (I still get dizzy spells). Will be able to fit in another 2-3 sessions on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Start my taper on August 1.

Feeling better this morning so a running commute to work and back over the mountain, 18km for the day. Tmoz on the track the normal Tuesday session my friends have been doing with good results in my absence, a step down from 2000m at 10km pace, last 2 efforts at 5000m/3000m and 3000m/1500m pace. On Sunday a cross country handicap to blow away the cobwebs.

Feeling much better now, good enough to commute run over the mountain. Back to a normal load until next Wednesday when I start a mimi-taper into City2Surf. The test 1600m on Wednesday identical speed to last Saturday in Chartres, means I need 1-2 sessions to find the rhythm again. May skip bush intervals for the track tmoz and an xc handicap on Sunday to blow away the cobwebs.

Jet lag almost has me beaten...2km yesterday, 13km today including 1600m in 5:14...not up to a normal session. Today also completion of the AIS Iron study. Watching the blood numbers on the apparatus noticed the blood levels are still elevated after the last injection 5 weeks ago. Hopefully I get a good sleep tonight and feel better tmoz.

Off to Rambouillet to watch the tour depart this morning. A little sad and a big thankful smile inside to see it all go away for another 11 months. Before that up early, a fluent 8km through Cognieres. Found a loop on road or bike path near the centre commerciale (the tour caravanne were parked and sleeping near there), must have done 6 x 1km loops at just under 4's. After that a drive through Paris on the periphique, too scared of the traffic to admire the views, dropped off the car at touriste temporaire, jogged back to the CDG Ibis to watch Village Depart and the tour on the box. May get one last run in after the tour finishes.

Runners Shop 10km: Jodie 39:30?, KT 42:30? , Maria 44:55, Roget 44:58, Kathy 47s, Missy 47s, Julia 50:40, Pete 57 Sutherland2Surf 11k: Heidze thru 10km 42:40 with lame leg, Janene thru 10km in 46-47?,both soaked

As luck would have it found an open athletics track in Chartres being used for housing Tour de France infrastructure folk who were mostly sun basking. Too good an offer to pass up...some of the crew even decided to race me for a lap:-) The set: 1600m (514), 1600m (516), 800m (238), 400m (77)...best I could do. Then walking the city, streets, window shopping, picque nique and watching early riders finish...now back in the motel watching the final riders on tv.

The final day to change the placings in Tour de France in a time trial from Bonneval to Chartres...Long and Flat. We are 45 minutes drive away and in the same Etap Hotel for 2 days. Start of the final day is not far from here but neither is Versailles???<br> For me the end of 4 big weeks. Lost the plot on sessions this week...basically running up hill several times a day and down, often fast. Loads of volume (130km+ average this month), not much specific. Will start fixing that up in 4 days.<br> Weight? Piled on a kilo or two in the first 10 days...then stopped eating pizza!! The scales will tell when I get back, my guess is race weight +2kg.<br> Back in OZ I know the GIRLS and boys are fit and have been looking after Bella. Some great Tuesday sessions done...I miss them...I miss you all. Vatan is where a stage of the 2009 Tour de France was host for a depart. We spent a night there, did a run...this morning I pushed the boundary a little further...a bit...

what a journey...raced from the finish at the peyragudes summit back down the mountain to the car just as the last riders finished then into the bouchon immense fighting for space with cyclists and pedestrians to get out of there...beat all the team bus:-) now in Chateauroux decathlon for a shop and coffee after last night in a highway car park. Retraced the final 20km of today's stage in failing light last evening...clipped a poor startled deer...he is ok. Now to near Chartres, a motel and some running.

Several nights camped up here without most of the comforts but lots of fun...and lots of mountain running. Still 140km this week. Off towards Paris this evening.

An early run in Montgailhard this morning, 50 minutes all up, the legs very heavy...140km in the last 7 days. Today a couple of hours drive to Bagneres de Luchon or somewhere near there to be based for the next 4 days. Today and tmoz no tour watching. The tour comes twice to Bagneres de Luchon on Wednesday and Thursday. Gotye playing on the radio in McDonalds Foix NOW! Memories of Rosedale:-) Some images from Saint Paul Trois Chateaux

This morning a sleep in until 830. The run from a camp ground in Montgailhard, have stayed either there or in a pique nique spot 200m up road for the last 5 years. The road dead end no traffic, undulating, similar to Bruce Ridge in length. 2*5 minutes + 1*8 minutes, then jog to Foix and back for the finish.

Loads of travelling, my head is spinning. Last evening out of where were we? Annonay a bouchon immense (traffic jam). Best we could do is make Saint Paul 3 Chateau (unplanned) which was the start for the next day. 45 minutes running through town, in and out of the old cite, everyone dining in the hot July night...nice to have a bit of Provence this trip even if it was just inside it (vines, plums, cherries, figs, lavender, rosemary, apples, pears, gardens everywhere). Those blue window shutters...love them! Early next morning another drive to the beach (after run 1), finish for same day, bouchon immense again. Run 2 to the beach and through the town. Left early to avoid bouchon immense 3, made Foix in great time...run 3 at Montgailhard. Well over 20km for the day, 130km or thereabouts for the week. Some intervals tmoz morning, 4 x 5 minutes. Tomorrow the stage finish in Foix (it was busy in 2008). Then off to Bagneres de Luchon (never been there) for two stages and the tour's s...

http://www.steephill.tv/players/eitb/?title=Last Km of Stage 12&dashboard=tour-de-france&id=923896&yr=2012  2 seconds in

Left the French alps in drizzle this morning, whinging about the lack of shade here in Annonay. Watchout for the crash with 450m to go on the roundabout. In the alps three huge runs from 1650m asl to 1500m then to 1925m return same way back. GLORIOUS VIEWS..legs very happy to find flat today, just found smaller hills. Tomorrow at the beach near Sete:-) must be flat there , but windy, the mistral.

Back to our favourite bike path between Ugine and Annecy for some long intervals. 6,5,4,3,2,1 minutes on, 1 minute jog between efforts. The pace in the 3:20s/km, slightly quicker in the last two efforts. The legs very heavy. Hard not to be distracted along the way looking for wild strawberries, trying to work out who is growing what in the many house/market gardens and greeting the many bike riders out there enjoying the great weather. Shower after in the old train station, nice even if it was cold water. Similar session my friends were scheduled to do today at Stromlo back in Canberra Yesterday the session a 3km hard tempo on the Tour time trial course between 15 and 12 km, included one substantial ascent. Managed a second run while watching the Tour along the course and some quiet lanes along the river Doubs. In between a 2 hour drive to Les Rousses du Lac for a swim at 9pm and a car sleep in a secret spot. No roughing it tonight, a bed in Albertville.

Spent a second night in the same paddock at the base of Belles Filles. Only a 20 minute drive to Belfort, a much busier place. Last night much quieter. Watched the final part of the two day concert while consuming our sixth pizza for the tour. Prior to the pizza a 30 minute ploddle to loosen the legs. That made well over 130km for the week. I met a 32 minute 10km 46yo French man on ascent of Belles Filles, only 50m into my run. We ran together the whole journey and met gain to swap details. Nice running with someone the same fitness as me. We had both run up the mountain the day before as well. Back to the ploddle...tops of my thighs in pain from the ascents, bottom part of the thighs from the descents. Feel much better today. Tried Belfort early this morning...it was pouring. Drove 15km to a smaller town (coffee and internet) and now it has cleared off. Best head back there again for a morning ploddle without the rain. After the start off to somewhere on the route of the time tria...

Pizza Count=5 First week done, surprised at 130+km given I've had to scramble every day...helps dusk at 11pm.
Sessions: a weak point until this weekend. 2 * 6km or 33mins ascent at threshold saved the week. Need to find some time and space at a faster pace into week 2...Albertville on 10 July will help...night in a soft bed...no crackers or lighting fires to the sound of AC/DC

BELLE FILLES : STRENGTH HILLS
 Second run of the day, first in Epernay, up the final 6km of tmoz the Tour mountain top finish. 33 min all up to 1100m asl, 13% gradient in places...tough going for me. Have to do it all again tmoz to watch the race. For now a concert and food and beverages, all the town folk dressed to have fun.

130km in the last 7 days for me. No wonder I am feeling tired. My biggest week since turning 50. This morning and yesterday evening a flat ploddle along a soft trail, fields of wheat and asparagus that has gone to fern. Yesterday drove into Saint Quentin and retraced today's route until the lack of culture or a nice place to run led us to here. Stayed here in 2010 and only a short drive to Reims and Epernay, the champagne capital of the world. No guesses what we will be drinking tonight....decided to skip today's stage and spend more time in Epernay, awaiting the start tmoz.