Secret Blog for Killing Track and Parkrun PBs

It's been a long time since the last big Saturday set at Stromlo due to the viscous magpie. Today two groups. At 7am Steve, Jane and myself, at 8am Maria, Helen, Tori, Gabe, Pam, Kathy, Roget and myself as pacer. KT, Missy and many others out there as well. Group 1: 2000m (6:48), 1500m (4:59), 1200m (4:01), 800m (2:29), 400m (68) with long recovery. Steve cruised through the first efforts having raced last evening, quicker than me on the last two efforts. Jane cruised through the 2000m and was substantially quicker than last week on all remaining efforts (35 seconds or so quicker cumulative). Group 2: 3 x 1000m with the quickest efforts all under 4:00/km. Roget, Maria and Helen the fastest and looking very impressive, others very close behind. It was a big morning that ended as usual, coffee and brunch, this time at 'Little Oink', after a 10 second shower a short stroll from home with Bella. Of me: No niggles really to speak of. This head cold / chest infection will lin...

Perfect conditions this evening. Both Keith and Steve had great runs. Keith was flying for 2000m, lost a little in the last kilometre...risk nothing gain nothing. Keith had to do everything himself, 10:28 and in that zone of times under 10:30 that Keith has been setting this season and really gave 10:15 a shot. Steve had the perfect run. Some help in the early laps, did his best work in the last kilometre for 9:55, a 4 second PB.

OK so maybe I got carried away on my 4th stride during the warm-up for the Mile, saw the 13.9 (wind with + 3.5mps in the back straight) and twang the right hammy (not the usual left). Out came the right thumb and finger grabbing whatever I could tight tissue and squeezing hard...all good maybe!! Only had two minutes to get it right before the gun. It's become a habit now...Anthony takes a couple of laps, I take the next laps. I sat in there and relaxed (hiding from the wind) until I was confident I would do no further damage to the hammy. Lap 1 79, Lap 2, 3 quicker, Lap 4 the quickest. The wind in the home straight was awful for all the laps. Results: Mile: Me 5:11, Anthony 5:13, Helen 6:47 3000m: V 10:54 (easily beat all the males) 5000m: Roget 22:10. It was Pentathlon evening so a reduced track schedule. I have a head cold / chest infection, twang the hammy and I am still positive. Really I've only missed one session in a few weeks. I have no idea what will happen tomorrow ...

Steve and I at the track. Warm to hot and some wind in the back strait as usual. The set: 6.5km warm up, 4 x 100m (fastest 14.7), 5 x 300m with 100m jog recovery in 35-40 seconds. Total time 1500m=4:21, a little quicker for Steve. Difficult for me, still a bit chesty from the virus, very pleasing still quicker than last week. Tomorrow I will test a few laps at track in the mile to see if it's OK to run on Friday in the ACT masters 3000m championship. I am hopeful. Mr Jim x 2 arrived today to install a satellite dish and decoder purely for French TV, a way of encouraging my french as a second language in between visits. I started talking to Bella the dog in French last evening in preparation. Poor thing was a little confused at first although like most Border Collies would has now added 'pain au fromage avec tomat et moutarde' to her vocabulary in the 8pm time slot.

Keith today 5 x 100m, 5 x 300m (53,55,53,54,54) plus warm up and warm down. That's his final hit-out before ACT Masters 3000m on Friday evening. He's in great shape for a PB and maybe that ACT M55+ record of 10:14. Verbier, Switzerland Not so far from Mont Blanc on the border of Switzerland and France Verbier is known mostly for skiing and mountain biking...try to tell the cows that! It's pretty good for running too as the gravel roads above Verbier (1500m asl) climb gently but relentlessly up to 2200m+asl. Like all of Switzerland the villages are immaculate and have a tasty choice of cafe's, eateries and patisseries. In July 2009 the visit was for Tour de France but also coincided with a jazz festival. As things would have it snow came on the second night. The Renault Kangoo was parked well above the village, near the golf course, on a gravel road near an Auberge (Inn). We did two runs, first full of snow up to a ski station, second the following day in a different ...

Very humid, warm and still this afternoon at track. Steve and myself: 6.5km warm up, 4 x 100m. The set: 1000m, 400m x 4 all with 100m jog recovery in 38 seconds. All efforts at 3:10/km. 2.5km warm down. Met Kathy back from Nepal out on the trails. Helen repeat of above except 400m x 3 only and at 4:10/km. Of me: Much better than I expected during the 100m strides, last in 14+ seconds, decided to do the set with Steve. Coped very well with it, very good running technique all session, hopefully no health regression tmoz. I did enough not to race 5km tmoz on road. Will do a 300m or 400m lactate set on Wednesday if all is well.

Keith ran at 5:15am on Sunday. The set: 3 x set of 400m, 800m, 600m all in under 3:20/km which is his training goal pace for 3000m of 10:15 (the ACT M55 record). The ACT Masters 3000m is on Friday evening. The weather looks promising for an 8pm or so start. On Sunday at 7.30am a few braved the heat and lack of trees for a run on the new Majura Parkway before cars get to use it. Depending on fitness and tolerance of heat the results were slower than normal. Field in the 5km was weak, the 10km excellent (winners time 3-4 minutes slower than expected), the Half only a couple of minutes slower. Maria, Kelley and Gabe ran the 10km. All were in that 3-4 minute slower range so good runs in the conditions. Of me: Started a run at 8am and limited it to 55 minutes to the Arboretum and back. The legs felt fantastic and effortless. Too bad about this virus. I will limit every day to under an hour easy and do some strides today at track. Not sure how long this thing will linger but reevaluate as ...

Started with a sore throat on Tuesday evening,  by Friday evening a head cold. Had Friday no running. Thursday at track eliminated the 1500m as a precaution but no success in stopping the inevitable. Today missed the morning session, will have to run this afternoon to stay on track for races in coming weeks (I did 37 mins, saw one brown snake at close range of 60cm).  At this stage will run easy all weekend. Monday session as normal, will race 5km on Tuesday road and freshen up for Friday and ACT Masters 3000m championship. Today a lazy effort. Watched Science of Sleep while I convert some old tv files recorded on pc in 2011 during 3 months in France, Italy, Switzerland. Looking for as much  footage on Cadel Evans before I make a little micro-doc. Triple Tri has been cancelled, total fire ban in ACT. Steve and Jane at Stromlo: Steve: 2000m 6:59, 1500m 5:08, 1200m 4:08, 800m 2:36, 400m 68...10 seconds up on last week. Jane: 2000m 8:14, 1500m 6:10, 1200m 4:55, 800m 3:10...

The humble patch is starting to deliver again things other than leafy greens and carrots. Very soon it will be a vegan glut. I must be crazy for being excitable over producing 100 corn and pumpkins, 30 litres of raspberry, boysenberry and cabernet sauvignon wine (plus the berries that go on the morning yoghurt). For now it just looks pretty and new. The grapes have gone to flower along with the feijoa trees. maybe the hail gods will be kind this year.