Happy New Year : World Rankings Update : Berry Wine

Three runs today, the first being after midnight returning from the party. Second the usual 8km morning run with Bella, the third a little longer after the sun had slipped lower in the sky. The more I did today means the less I will do tmoz allowing for an easier day to get some spark back in my legs for track on Thursday.

The World Rankings have been updated twice since I last blogged them. None of the friends I help have improved on their 2012 results. The chasing I did in Melbourne helped my 10000m jump to third in age provisionally. Couldn't do anything about the 5000m despite trying twice...wind and then rain was a spoiler. The chase for 2013 rankings begins this month. Being fit and skinny already means the results should come quickly.

Our garden yielded 10kg of surplus summer berries (raspberry and boysenberry). My first attempt at wine began two days ago. The fermentation process was evident this morning. Another 4 days of pushing the fermentation cap back in until I filter the wine from the pulp. The three batches I make should provide around 16 bottles of wine. Not sure of the taste as yet but it smells OK after two days.

Stromlo : XC Intervals

Only me and Emma this morning on the grass. The set 4x100m, 2000m, 1000m, 5x200m, all with longish recoveries.

Think I've done enough now to start 2013 were I left off in 2012. It's been a good mental break. Depending on the weather it will be either 800m or 3000m/5000m on Thursday.

Will start 2013 with a long run tmoz. Happy New Year to you all.

Pacing Session : 1600m

An early morning trundle at the track. Warm up, 4 x 100m, 1600m @ 5000m pace (5:04 or 15:50), 200m, warm down. Second run later in the afternoon keeps the 120+km per week chugging along.

800m Training

The Pennington Series Race 3 final race in 3 weeks, all to be decided then...Kathy (2nd after two races), Emma and myself on the track for the first session post-Xmas binge. As expected not great but consistently good from all three.

The set: 4 x 200m with 200m jog recovery, 2 laps walk, 600m chasing start.
200s: Kathy 3:04, Emma 2:24, Me 2:12.
600m: Kathy off zero (2:24), Emma off 42 (1:54), Me: off 54 (1:42). Start positions were finish placings, we all chased hard.

Felt awful yesterday, another insect bite, this time a redback on the finger. Only 7km for the day but 120km+ for the week. A much better health today, still 120km + for the week and 17km in two runs. Will try to stay out of the garden tmoz.

Stromlo : Long XC Intervals

Back from a wonderful Christmas break and lots of running. Ran twice every day but no speed work, accumulating over 120km in the last 7 days...my first big week for a while and a few more to come.

This morning a session with the Tuesday girls +Geoff +Emma, post session KT and SK showed up. The set varied, three of us did 6,5,4,3,2,1 minutes on, 1 minute jog off. Helen ran very fast and Emma also on a hot 1km effort.

Will keep the high volume going until the last week in January with as many 10km specific sessions as possible.

Wandiligong

Started the holiday journey at 4:30am with a 20 minute run from home, water the plants, then away by 5:45. 40 minutes into the drive some bad things started to happen with my health, went straight to the nearest hospital. It took 5 hours for the problem to go away and underwent an ECG and blood test. They wanted to keep me in for another 8 hours, mostly because the didn't understand how a 50yo can have a resting pulse of 37!! My best guess was an insect bite as I watered the garden in thongs. Not a trouble since.

On top of the 20 minute morning run another 40 yesterday afternoon. This morning 20km along the river with Bella, punctuated by a coffee and assorted bakery product in Bright. (did Beechworth Bakery yesterday on the drive down). On Saturday morning only 5 turned up for running: Roger, Tori, Emma, Keith, me. We did 1000m (3:01), 300m (51), 200m (31) with 1 minute recovery.

Courtesy of the hospital...my updated blood values
Date........Haemoglobin....Haematocrit....Reticulocyte%
2012.05.03...15.1..........43.3...........1.66
2012.05.25...15.6..........43.5...........1.64
2012.05.31...15.7..........43.5...........1.47
2012.12.23...14.6..........43.0...........
and that leads me to Lance. So much has happened in the last few months with Lancegate. More proof liars and cheats can be caught with disastrous consequences. There aren't many secrets in the world this side of the year 2000.

Bedaki Cottage 4 Christmas

No more work for 11 days:-) The three of us head down to Bedaki Cottage in Wandiligong (near Bright if that helps) to be lost and lonesome for Christmas...really looking forward to it. We spent time there in 2008, 2010 and now 2012. Poor Bella has to sleep in the big room at the bottom of the ladder as she can't climb (or can she?, I remember she cries at night poor thing). Minnie will have to remember to pack the mtb as we have a new toy to capture our memories. Here are some memories from the 2008 toy.

Merry Christmas to you all xxxooo

Christmas Cheer

Last night the traditional end of year ACTVAC track event, full of novelty races and festive spirit. The weather perfect for the occasion, very warm in the sun, no cloud, a nice breeze and loads of happy people out there.

Of me: I took part in one novelty event and one 3000m effort. The novelty guess your time 2000m with no watch I won. Guessed 8:00, ran 8:00.76. Not too hard to do when I pace my friends all year at that pace. Thanx for the bottle of McLaren Vale Shiraz, it was delicious.

The 3000m I had an all out effort, only an 9:32 run. A few too many on the track making life a little slower in lane 2 and four parties this week putting on 2kg making it a little heavier as well:-)
Keith worked hard in the 5000m 18*, KT a return to form in the 3000m 11:47

After having an easy few weeks without volume it's time to gear up again for 2013. Will return to racing on January 10 with hopefully an ACT M50 mile record. January 31 is the ACT 10000m championships soon followed by the ACT 5000m championships. Looking forward to keeping the good form I have in 2013.

Short Session

Final session before going back to basics. Hot and still conditions...ideal for running quick. I paced Emma (21s), Helen (24s) and Maria (23s)for as long as they could suffer before doing myself (18s). The minimum was 1000m, maximum 1600m. Emma and Helen spot on, Maria way under, me quicker by 2 seconds. Later Yelena 1000m, 300m, 200m with 1min recovery.

We did a few lazy 200s in a short set (2-5 efforts each).

Not sure of the weather on Thursday. I have options of 2000m, 3000m or 5000m. Whatever I choose it will be 100% effort. See what comes of it.

Picnic with Bella

3000m again

Lined up for what was to be a crack at a 5000m time with 4 others, all of whom were doing 3000m. 30 seconds before the start the rain began again. Sat on the slowest runner from the start, aged 14 and running consistent 73s for the first 3 laps, me hanging on for dear life. As each lap went by the shoes got heavier. By 5 laps there was a 40m gap between the leading 3 and us two...then one by one they all slowed then stopped leaving us two to finish it off. With two laps to go I committed to only 3000m and tried to lift the pace. End result was Joel 9:24, me 9:27...not bad in the conditions but 5 laps short of 5000m.

Pennington Series Race 2 : 3000m Handicap

Over 30 degrees and low humidity for the start of race 2. Giving Kathy 2:35 head start is a little daunting. I had to un-lap myself first (took 1000m to do that) before chasing her down. Last season I only caught her in the home straight so couldn't leave anything to chance. This time around it was 600m to go (I started very fast), could afford to take the last 600m not so hard. 9:35 for me, 12:42? for Kathy and a season best. 3rd place to KT, 4th place to Phil.

After 2 races Me:100pts, Kathy 98pts. Final race is an 800m in the New Year. Kathy would only need to beat me by two places to take the series on countback...it's not over yet.

800m: Maria 2:51, Helen 2:54

Lactate Intervals : 8 * 200m

Most of us the same set 8 x 200m with 200m jog recovery. Was to be with the wind but the easterly came in just as the set began... too late to switch. For me 35,34,33,33,33,33,33,32.

11 Training/Racing Days to Christmas

Well you never can take life for granted but I am counting down the days of athleticism to the end of 2012.
The plan:
Tuesday 11 December...short intervals, no more than 1500m in effort
Thursday 13 December...collect Pennington race 2 3000m handicap, maximum points, minimum effort
Friday 14 December...5000m with Athletics ACT at the right time of night with the right weather? maximum effort
Saturday 15 December...probably only 200s set
Tuesday 18 December...short intervals, no more than 1500m in effort
Thursday 20 December...5000m with ACTVAC at the right time of night with the right weather? maximum effort...that'll do me for 2012

Black Mountain Challenge 5km

Decided yesterday to do this run for social reasons. A few of us gathered in the National Museum (new start) and flogged ourselves up to Black Mountain tower. At the top was fruit salad and juice (buns and soft drink as well but I tried not to look at those). Most of us won a voucher or some lucky draw prize or both. Then we ran back down the mountain, looked for Helen's lost car key and finished up with coffee.

Emma was 2nd overall females. I was 3rd overall male, a step behind 2nd.

From the base of the ascent:
Total Distance: 2.70km -- Starting Altitude: 570m -- Finishing Altitude: 810m -- Average Gradient: 8.9% -- Elevation Gain: 240m

Short Intervals

Only three on track today, others on the bush tracks doing 5 x 3 minute intervals, 1 minute recovery or taking it easy. Black Mountain Challenge on tmoz.

On track: Group 1: (Helen 2:43 and Maria 2:37) 4 x 200m, 200m jog recovery, add the times. Two laps walk, then 600m chasing start.

Group 2: (Me) 1200m (3:46), 300m (47) with 100m walk recovery. Two laps walk, then 600m chasing start.

600m: Helen scratch, Maria +6sec, Me +26sec. I caught the girls with 100m to go who finished together. Me (1:43), Maria (2:08), Helen (2:13)

ACTVAC 3000m

Paced Keith to a 10:34 equal PB today. Dropped him off with 800m to go, me running the last 800m in 2:16 to finish under 10 mins. Not bad conditions out there. Roger and Helen both showing some good form. I had to trot off to a dinner by 6:30 so didn't see the Higgins 800m. Phil 1st, Kathy 2nd, Lance 3rd.

Zatopek 10 : B Grade : The Race

Almost everything went as I anticipated yesterday...cool and very windy with not even a grandstand for protection. Put on a positive head. Went with the leaders for 4400m, only taking twice into the wind. I survived an extra 2 laps than eventual 3rd place. Last 5km we all ran on our own braving the elements in solitude. 32:44 for the winner, 33:18 for me, similar gap to third. All up very happy, move into 2nd in the rankings provisionally.

Zatopek 10000m : B Grade

Tomorrow another trip to Melbourne for the Zatopek 10 Lower Grades meet. C/D grades goes off first (630ish), around 20 starters and a cut-off of 37:30 including 6 females. My race following that with 13 starters.

A quick check of the entrants shows one or more quicker than me, one or more around the same level. Most closer to the 37:30 cutoff. It's gonna be cool (15-18 degrees) and windy (20-25kph). I will get some help from the quickest runner if I am prepared to go out hard.

The goal: It's all about world rankings for 2012. This is what it looks like at the moment. I have an unsubmitted 33:36.5 from 16th Feb which moves me up a spot. Anything better than 33:36 would be great. Sub-33 is the season goal and chasing the M50 Australian record of Ronnie Peters.