Secret Blog for Killing Track and Parkrun PBs

Quite warm and extremely windy today. Tomorrow expected similar wind, slight chance of snow at my house after the cold front passes...8 degrees max. Steve, Jane and I at AIS track. Did an extended warm up: 4.5km jog ; 4 x 100m (19.7,18.6,17.1,15.7) ; 4 x 200m (36.6, 35.1, 34.1, 32.9) ; 4 x 600m (1:54, 1:53, 1:55, 1:55 Steve 2:05 Me). Steve had similar times to me except last effort. I was tight down the left side so cruised, no damage done. Jane got as low as 37 for the 200s and 600s in 2:06, 2:08, 2:08, 2:06). 4.5km warm down. My efforts similar to Tuesday in the 100s and 200s. The 600s almost as quick as I was doing before I went away with similar effort. I will be interested to see what the Saturday session brings at maximum threshold and longer intervals. In Bega Keith did 5 x 3 minute efforts but noted the 800m times of: (2:41, 2:37, 2:41, 2:39, 2:42). It's still too cold to do any serious speed work in Canberra. September usually brings some weather warm enough.

My first day back home. Two runs with a morning loosener on Mount Painter with Bella. In the afternoon (after a nap) a strides session at the track. The set: 4.5km warm up, 5 x 100m with jog back recovery including stretching on steeple (19.2, 18.5, 18.1, 17.3, 15.9) ; 5 x 200m with 200m jog recovery including stretching on steeple (35.1, 35.1, 34.2, 32.9, 32.9) ; 4.5km warm down. With all the efforts I just let the speed come as I warmed up and stretched more. A 15+ and 32+ effort was what I was looking for, something around 85% effort without getting injured. This week I get to practice my final training schedule leading up to World Masters Athletics Championships in Lyon 2015 (almost exactly one year away). Travel is a major stress in itself and an airline cold more than possible. I am very interested in strides either the day I arrive or the day after in Paris 2015 and how to keep it together for two weeks without losing race fitness. My four loose rules for a full 10 day tape...

Today a long run from the Ibis at Roissypole, through the service town Le Mesnil Amelot and into the wheat and corn fields and (as I newly discovered)an orchard. Half the run was directly under the landing flight path which made interesting viewing. 75 minutes all up. That's it for us. We miss the parade in Paris catching our plane at noon before the race even starts. Next year I can't say, but likely to include only the final stage of Tour de France. If things go to plan we will stay in Paris on the final weekend of the 2015 Tour de France. On the Monday we pick up the car and drive to Annecy for my taper camp of one week. We will buy two bicycles and not drive. Following week we drive to World Masters Athletics in Lyon. When I finish my three races drive to Saint Malo and stay for one week. Then back to Paris and home...that's the plan.

An early morning run in Vatan. Ran for an hour surrounded by sunflowers and wheat. The roads were narrow and almost completely traffic free. Found an undulating straight section and ran as hard as I could four times (which took 2 minutes), only allowed less than 1 minute recovery. At the airport now so the run will be from here, an easy 30 minutes or so after watching the time trial. The fight for minor placings with the French in contention will be something worth watching. Yesterday in Bergerac was full of thunderstorms. We decided to make pique nique in the car. The caravan pass made it just in time for the fourth or fifth storm. It was just plain raining when the riders passed. Strangely it cleared up as soon as the race was over. We lingered in Perigueux cleaning the car and then discovered they would close the freeway entry/exit for the whole of today. We scouted the finish and then decided to abandon the tour for good and go to the airport, staying overnight car style in a re...

The last days for us here. Today we wake up in Saint Emilion and travel to Bergerac for the stage finish. After the race on towards Perigueux for the final time trial. At some point during the morning of the time trial we will jump on the peage and head for Paris and the CDG Ibis where we usually stay, drop off the car. One night there and we head for home. I will attempt to fit in three more long days of training before the flight home. It will just be runs cobbled together where I can. 18km a day has been normal for here since recovering from a chest infection. All up for this trip to Tour de France 13 stage visits plus a rest day in Carcassonne. That takes our total to 103. We only started counting when we realised this year we would reach 100 and wanted to mark the moment. We will stop counting again.

Our third night in a car park in Saint Lary. Last evening an operatic style concert was the sound to sleep by or not. In the morning an easy 55 minute run. This evening I will try for another 30 minutes although my eye is weeping from a big squirt of washing liquid in it. The drive from Saint Lary to Saint Emilion could have been 30 minutes quicker. A motorhome driver got stuck in a tunnel despite all the size precautions the township could take. We did a quick u-turn and followed a local. Next problem was my ongoing argument with the SatNav. I've long since given up on relying on it (instead some google maps research and a photographic memory a former orienteer develops). Still the heart was in the mouth until I spiked the Motel. I did take a quick deviation down a line of grapes off the beaten track to right the situation. Tmoz on to Bergerac for the stage finish...one more night sleeping in the Citroen C3 Picasso.

Tried to check into the new hotel in Carcassonne on Monday noon...they lost my booking!! No panic, I slept in the car for a couple of hours, supermarket car park. When Minnie was done with the walled Cite we moved on to Saint Lary Soulan. As it turned out we parked our car on the side of the course in town and a quiet little spot (at night anyway, but not last night, a concert). We ate pizza for the fifth straight night, drank nice red wine and marvelled at the fountain and the every changing colours and volume of thrust into the night sky. At 4am I temporarily misplaced the car key. We spent an hour looking for the little thing. Having found it we went back to sleep in the car and woke up to the sound of people racing to the shops open at 830am. Up the mountain. I ran along the course and after 2km started the ascent of Pla DÁdet, 10km at 9% average gradient starting at 800m asl, rising to 1680m asl. It was a leisurely run up hill. I was taking photos of parapenting, the camping cars ...

The theme of wine and movie film locations continues for this year and our Tour de France. On Thursday we will stay in Saint Emilion where 'Tu Seras Mon Fils' was shot. What I loved about this movie aside from the clever drama and script was the real son checking the vines while running. We don't have to miss any of the tour as it is quite near Bergerac, the finish on Friday. What we do need is a choice or decision of what to see, logistics, escape plan for the next days. Anything up a mountain is problematic due to evacuation of the riders, teams and spectators cause huge traffic jams into the next morning...decision taken to spend another night here in Carcassonne, watch start, travel to Saint Lary for the mountain top finish, then onto Saint Emilion (probably skipping Pau-Hautacam stage) Most of the teams are here in Carcassonne for the rest day. Cannondale, BMC and AG2R I spied on morning run including 4 x 75 second power hills.

Left Cavaillon early, there were thunderstorms. Drove to Nimes where the weather was clear (raining now as I watch on tv) and did 25 minutes taking in vibe from the arrivee. Drove to Carcassonne, walked around the Old Cite briefly, checked into motel. After race on tv a 60 minute run. Neither venue conducive to speed work, will have to wait until tmoz. Some images.

On this trip I've been scoping for next year and the championships. Driving through the outskirts of Lyon I didn't like what I saw again. I've decided to go without car for both the WMA and a pre-championships seven day taper camp. I moved my Lyon hotel into town and near TGV station. It's a short metro ride to the main venue or a 6km warm up. For the pre-WMA taper camp I decided on Annecy and in centre of town, very near the lake, TGV station and with kitchen. Annecy has a direct train connection to Lyon. Annecy has a lovely lake for cooling off, all the bike paths I need but also some large expanses of grass for soft surface intervals and strides. For the Tour de France 2015 I know the route starts in Utrecht, travels anti-clockwise, Pyrenees first, Alps last including Alpe d'Huez and a time trial in Macon is the penultimate stage...at least that's what the well informed rumours are. So if I do see the tour next year Annecy is in the right spot. If I am righ...

Apt has the largest street market in all of Provence. We stayed there a few nights in 2011. My long run took me along Veloroute du Cavalon in both directions (Pont Julien and Forlacquier). Basically flat. I ran for 85 minutes all up with two stops for water (it was over 30 degrees). I was in trouble early in the run due to heat stress, found a discarded bottle of mineral water for on the head and a fountain near the market to save me from trouble (multiple water on head). Minnie braved the market longer than I and actually got lost, couldn't get out. Survived on tasting cheese and rock melon. Tomorrow we are skipping the tour again even if it passes out front of the hotel in Cavaillon. Going to the walled Cite of Carcassonne and will watch the tour from there on motel tv, awake next morning on the tour rest day where we are staying. Not sure where from there...somewhere in the Pyrenees sleeping in back of Picasso again.

At Stromlo the annual XC championships were held today. Will have to wait for a report. From what I saw everyone ran as expected. Keith again another solid effort and similar time to last year. Weather for Canberra said it was 10 degrees with 45kph winds. More wind than I recall for the last two years makes the time by Keith quite good. I can't see that he had anybody to run with. Steve and Jane trained, both solid efforts Report and images from Steve (thanks): First to the big story of the day…Keith runs great time in cold and blustery conditions. Lap 1 – 9.16….looking strong and staying with pack of 4 including Anthony Kennedy? Lap 2 – 9.23 for 18.39…just drifting off the pack by about three seconds…need to keep pace for lap 3 Lap 3 – 9.39 for 28.18…in no-man’s land now, guy at finish line remarks to me that KL is running as quick as the guys in front but gap now too big to cross Lap 4 – 9.48 for 38.06...still going strong starting to stoop into wind Lap 5 – 7.45 for 4...