Trav Blogs

I'm doing the BRW Triathlon

2006-01-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

I completed 9km jog this morning which felt OK. My body is starting to get back into the groove which is nice.
One of my work colleague's has sucked me into completing a small Triathlon in march so I will have to change my training to cater for that event. The distances are 400mtr/10km/4km.
*Note: I must be the fastest employee to complete the event this year.

Monday & Tuesday

2006-01-16T20:35:00.000-08:00

Got up early on Monday and Tuesday morning to head out for my daily jog and managed to clock up 7km on Monday and 8km this morning. Though the urge to walk half way through my jog has yet to subside I am now starting to get my running appitite back after my Christmas break lazy spell.
I've also been out for a few bike rides over the last few weeks so things are looking good on the exercise front.

Uni goal achieved

2006-01-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

Well i'm starting my degree in Febuary but I will not have to attend any lectures as I am doing self paced learning through RMIT. This has it's good points and bad points but I could always attend uni next year if things get a little tough. The Exams should be interesting!
With one goal achieved for 2006 I can now try and improve on my runs a little as I have been running like a dog for the last month. For some reason I don't seem to have the petrol in the tank at the minute and 6 1/2 km runs is all I can stomach. Whats up with that I wonder?

Goals for 2006

2006-01-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

Well prior to Christmas brake my goals looked a little different to what I now want to achieve in 2006 and you will have noticed all my running goals have disappeared and been replaced with four LIFE goals which I now want to concur.

Keep Fit: This is still a huge priority in my life and I tend to continue running all year round. In saying that, I have decided to cross train all year with weight training, bike riding, running and swimming. Why the sudden change? Simply because running 70km+ a week started to get a little boring and I was starting to become a little too focused on the amount of km's I was running instead of actually enjoying my runs. Now I have a few other options if I don't feel like going for a run.

Advance Career: I have just started a new roll so intend to make this year a winner. My major priority this year is to learn as much as possible in the first half of the year. By the end of 2006 I hope to be self sufficient and requiring only minimal assistance by other colleges.

Attend Uni: This ones a little out of my hands but I hope to either study International Trade or Logistics Management. All we can do here is keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Move into new house before new baby arrives: With plaster going in this week I am well on my way to achieving this goal.

This week

2005-12-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

Monday: 15km Jogged 8km and walk/jogged remaining 7km, felt shocking, no motivation!
Tuesday: 9km jog with some strides, felt good, did some strength work afterwards.
Thursday: 7.5km jog

The end of 2005

2005-12-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

Seeing today is the first day of my Christmas holidays and I wont be using the PC as much over the next few weeks, I thought it would be nice to post one more time to reflect the year that has just past.
Having run the last few days and not feeling too enthusiastic about running I have decided to cut back the km's for the next 3 weeks. I will go out for 6-8km jogs to maintain my fitness level for 2006 but I wont be to hard on myself if I don't run a zillion km's in January.
I would like to thank everyone who has visited my blog, given me inspiration and written nice messages over the last few months, it has helped me try harder to reach my goals all year which has been great. Good luck to all of you in 2006 and keep safe over the Xmas period.

2006 is going to be a huge year for myself, I have my first child arriving in June, I must finish building my new home by April-may so the new bubs and my wife have somewhere lovely to live, I'm starting my job in January which should see me travel the world over the next few years and my first business trip is in January(China), and I will be returning to University in July(hopefully) .
So with a jam packed year ahead I hope running can still keep me sane!

Merry Xmas and Thanks again!

Trav

Monday: 21km run suffered from 17km to 21km, was too hot for my liking.
Tuesday: 10km 5:05min pace, Ran at 9pm and it was so hot my head nearly exploded.
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: am 5.7km average pace
Friday: am 6.0km
Sunday: am 10km slow pace
weekly total: 52.7km

Below average week

2005-12-18T11:57:00.000-08:00

Having missed my Sunday long run and sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday mornings for the first time in a long time I have only managed to clock up 45.3km this week. For some reason I feel guilty even though I am not training for any races at the moment. These Christmas parties are playing havoc with my eating and training habits so I can not waite until the festive season is over.
Though I didn't run yesterday, I hopped on the spin bike for a 45min spin infront of the television to make myself feel a little better about my easier week. When you think about it, easier weeks do have some benefit because I feel a whole lot more energetic this morning.
I will be off for a 20km run after work today so I should clock up a heap of kilometers this week.
Four days of work before I start my Christmas holidays, Yeehoo!

Windy and hot

2005-12-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

I was feeling quite exhausted after work yesterday so running in the heat wasn't on the top of my things to do list. Apart from the fact that the weather was around 30 degrees outside, the WIND also decided to pay me a visit to make things a little more enjoyable.
After contemplating staying home, I hopped into my Asics and decided to jog down to my new house witch is currently at lock up stage. The overall return trip is around 12km which is a breeze usually but I felt like shit most of the way. I really don't know how Queenslander's run in the heat all year round??
Speaking of Queensland, i'm off to Broadbeach on the 30th of this month for a 5 day getaway which should be great. I'm staying at my favorite Casino, Jupiter's, which should be a costly but fun visit.

A little lighter..

2005-12-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

Weighed in this morning at 86kg even which makes my 83kg goal weight just within reach. The funny thing about my weight loss this time around is that I haven't been militant about the whole process, I have just tried to stay away from fried foods and upped the kay's a little.

Received my 200 tablets of Glucosamine this morning, I really hope it works because I feel really fit at the moment and could run much longer, but I also feel quite tender after long sessions which can be a little disheartening.

Thinking of going back to uni next year, mid-year intake to study Logistics part time. I don't think i'm to old to go back to uni even though i'll be a dad next year.

This weeks runs:
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 14.5km pace:5:15km weather was hot
Wednesday: 11.5km running group easy session
Thursday: 12.3km windy and hot, i felt below average
Friday:rest
Saturday: 7km

Sunday 19km run

2005-12-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

This week I decided to go for a run around the Maribyrnong river so I drove down to the Anglers Tavern and took off from there. The morning was just perfect at 7am with the sun out and some lovely scenery to run amongst.
I decided to run between 18km and 20km which wasn't going to be easy due to a sore back I had from the Saturday's house work. I did a site clean up on my block as I am currently building a new house.
During the run I felt great but the same old occurred at around the 16th km, tender sore knees. I honestly believe if I can get my knees in better shape by next year that I will be able to knock off 6mins off my half marathon time. Will just have to waite and see I guess.
I am going to start taking Glucosamine this week to see if that will ease the pain in my knees, not to sure if they work but my sister speaks highly of Glucosamine so I decided to give it a try.
I ended up running 18km and walked 1km for a cool down.

Hill reps at Brimbank Park

2005-12-08T11:59:00.000-08:00

Drove down to Brimbank Park yesterday with one thing in mind "Hill Reps"! For 9km's of my 11km run I ended running up and down this 900mtr hill which really gave my legs a total thrashing.
Though I felt quite tired yesterday, my legs feel very fresh this morning considering the battering I gave them.
I'm starting to think that a different set of muscles are used when doing hill reps compaired to the muscles used when running on the flat. I will try and do one hill session a week in the future.
Tonight I will head out for a 12km run and throw in some strength work, Rest on Saturday and head out for a long run on Sunday.

Storm

2005-12-05T13:04:00.000-08:00

Headed out for 10km run yesterday but had to cut it a little sort due to a storm that hit my area. I usually love running in the rain but this was ridiculous. The rain was coming down so hard that it was painful when it hit the skin and flooded most of the roads within ten minutes.
My strength training is coming along well and I am starting to feel the results of my strength sessions. In the past I used to push a heap of weights for my strength sessions but now I am concentrating more on higher reps lower weights which seems to work fine. I am also doing more natural exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups dips ect.

Monday: 5.8km recovery run. Hot. 6min pace
Tuesday:8.8km pace:4:50km Felt OK
Wednesday:10km running group
Thursday:11km Hill running 70min
Saturday:12km easy pace
Sunday:19km easy pace
---------weekly total:66.6km

Sunday Run, 21km.

2005-12-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

After my cousin decided to drop out of the Susan Classic on Sunday, I took up the opportunity to catch up with a few other Coolrunners for a Sunday longish run. Due to doing a speed session the night before, I felt quite tight in the quads but had no knee soreness so I didn't think the 21km would be a problem.
5 km into the run I felt great due to the slow pace and a few of the other guys decided to run 23km but I decided to turn around at 10.5km mark because I really need to get a few more 21kers under my belt before I to increase the distance.
At around the 15km mark the knee soreness started to kick in again and by the 17km I was forced to walk due to the uncomforte. The last 4km were pretty ordinary(run and walk) and I felt VERY tired by the end. Though I drank through out the run I was unable to quench my thurst all day after the run.
I have decided not to run with the group till next year when the runs commence again so I am able to get comfortable with the 21km distance at my own pace. The other guys are a little stronger than I am currently.
All in all, another great run with some good company.

*Current weight: 86.1kg < A little lighter again this week!

New Garmin forerunner 101

2005-11-30T12:04:00.000-08:00

After trying to fix the Timex GPS and getting no where fast I decided to count my loses and get myself a new forerunner 101($195 Johnny Appleseed) yesturday. This unit is even better than the Timex with a heap more functions and all in one little unit. The thing I didn't like about the Timex was that Gps unit was a little bulky and a two piece set up. Anyways i'm another $200 out of pocket but i'm sort of relient on the buggers now.
Went to running group last night and clocked up 11km in that dam hot weather, I seem to really under perform in the heat(No Badwater Ultra for me). All in all it was another good session with a bunch of nice people.
Weighed in this morning at 86.4kg. I'm starting to get closer to my 83kg goal which is great.

GPS tragedy!

2005-11-28T12:31:00.000-08:00

Headed out for a nice 16km run along the Brimbank river trail at around 2:45pm. I parked my car across the road from Green Gully Soccer club at took off from there. Around 6km into the run I started getting a weak GPS singnal due to low battery's and by the 8km turn around the GPS was dead(not the tragedy yet).
I only saw to forms of life on this run, one being a human and the other being a 2 meter brown snake! I was lucky that the big bugger went on it's way before I stepped on it.
12km into the run my knee started to get sore again but I pushed on to the very end. Once I got back to my car I stripped off my shirt and unclipped my GPS unit off my shorts when I got the attack of the fumbles and dropped the thing. It then proceded to roll down(more like bounce down) the hill before coming to a sad stop.
You know what happened next when I tried to turn the thing back on, NOTHING! Made a few calls and was told I would have to send back to Garmin in the states for repair, I wont be doing that.
Called my uncle(sparkie/ engineer) to have a look at it and will know the result later today, fingers crossed!
Monday: 16km run half marathon pace.
Tuesday:6.8km run Avg pace
Wednesday11km running group
Thursday: Rest
Friday:14 km Avg pace:5:09km Best Pace:4:24km Time:01:11:47
Sat: 6km Avg Pace:4:33km Best Pace:3.46km Total Time: 27'20"
Sunday: 21km slow painfull jog
---------Total: 75km

8km PB still not enough!

2005-11-27T11:55:00.000-08:00

Well Sunday's 8km race finally arrived and I thought a sub 35"min 8km wasn't above me but yet again I was wrong. I ended up running 35'30" which was a new PB and 1 minute faster than 2 months ago but a little short of my sub 35min goal. Maybe next time I guess!

Now I will be concentrating on running longer distances for the next 6 months and aim at getting my Sunday runs to around 30km! I will only do 1 speed session a week(Wednesday running group) and try to get the weekly KM's above 80 on a regular basis.

*Currently reading The Perfect Mile.

Bombed Out

2005-11-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

Did morning and evening sessions yesterday and was very surprised how quickly I bombed out in the evening session. The plan was to run 6km at race pace to see how I would go but to my disappointment I ended up flaking within 2.5km into the run. It was a hot evening and I did run 13km in the morning but I can't help but be disappointed with my effort(4.03 min km pace).
I'm not to sure if I should use the Garmin on this Sunday's race or just run on feel? I am starting to doubt breaking 35min for the 8km on Sunday which is not a good feeling going into the run.
Once Sunday is over i'm going to forget about running fast times for a while and concentrate on running longer distances at a pace that feels comfortable for me.
I just want to run for about 3 months and enjoy the whole experience of running instead of looking down at my watch all the time.

21/11/05: 6 Days till SIS 8km

2005-11-20T12:06:00.000-08:00

Ran 19.4km(overall 21km with walking) with Steve and Morley at the Brimbank trail and felt pretty good considering I hadn't run over 20km since Melb Half. I'm a little sore in the right knee but I went OK considering.This year I had 2 goals to complete, one was to run a Half marathon(done that) and the other was to run 8km under 35mins to get a top 50 placing at one of the Spring into Shape races. The 2nd goal is this week so fingers crossed. Can on hope the last 2 months worth of speed training pays off. No fast sessions this week!Next year I will be concentrating more on distance than on speed so I might even get 2 marathon's under my belt.As of today I will become militant about sit-ups and push ups and see how far I can push my body. Weighed in at 87.3kg

Currently reading Ultra marathon man by Dean Karnazes, Highly recommend!

Monday: 8.55km slow Recovery-Avg pace 5'12"km- Best Km: 4'57"km
Tuesday: 12.94km Best Pace:4'29km Avg pace: 5'05km time:1'12"
Wednesday: Bike Ride: 40km
Thursday: 11.9km best pace: 3'39"km- Avg pace: 5'21"km time:1:08 + 3km evening
Friday: 9.4km Best pace:4'13"km Avg pace:5'16 event time: 46:39
Sunday: 8km race 35"30PB
Weekly total: run 54km +40km ride

1 hour Ride, 10km run!

2005-11-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

Got home from work at 2:30pm and decided to go for a Bike ride seeing the weather was so good. Hadn't been out for a spin for a while but I clocked up 30km in an hour which is not so bad.
Then at 6:10pm headed down to lake Caroline for running group and ended up running 10km for the night which was good. Completed 4.5km warm up, Beep test and Indian file Intervals.

Weighed in at 87.5 kg this morning, 1/2kg lighter!!

Timex GPS watch

2005-11-14T12:03:00.000-08:00

Recieved my new Timex GPS watch from the USA yesturday and it only took 5 days to show up at my door. Great service and it only cost me $245 AUD which I was very happy with also. Bought a Hydration pack on the weekend also for only $25 from Harris Scarf of all places. I'll give it a try on Sundays Brimbank trail run.

Now I own a GPS I can start to log my weekly mileage which should help me improve my times over shorter and longer distances. Here's this weeks KM's.

Monday: Easy run 13.26km-Avg pace 5'49km-Avg speed 10.1kph-Max speed16.7kph
Tuesday: Tempo run 9.43km-Ave Pace 5'19km-Avg speed 11.1kph- Max speed 26.kph Best pace 3.28km
Wednesday:Run group 10km, 1hour bike ride
Thursday: slow jog 8.88km, Average pace 5'26"km
Saturday: medium pace 7.20km Average pace5'16"- Best pace 4'05"km
Sunday: long run 21km Best pace 3'58"- Avg pace5'30" Time 1:55
Weekly Total: 70km

Olympic Dream 10km race

2005-11-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

On a perfect Sunday morning I headed out to the CBD to compete in my first Olympic Dream race and my first 10km for that matter. Knowing that I have improved a little this year I estimated a run under 45min would be a good result not knowing the course at all.

Once we were off I started at a pritty quick pace(by my standards anyway) and went through the first 3km in around 12min so I pulled it back a little to stop me from burning out to fast. Once I got to KM number 7 I was a little tired but decided to pick it up a little because I could see that the remaining few Km's were downhill which would let me recover a little.

The hardest part of the race was the final KM because I was totally buggered. I did still manage to pull out a final 500mt sprint from my behind to finish in 45min01sec by my watch. I was happy with this result and should be able go close to going under 35min(8km) in two weeks time for the Spring into shape race.
Official time: 44:58 I did go under 45min after all!

Brick Session

2005-11-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

After reading a few other blogs I decided to give a brick session a try to mix things up a little. I started off with a 20min Spin in front of the TV(raining outside) and then headed out for a 30min run. Im enjoyed the variety of the session and felt pritty fresh doing it for a change.

Today I will be off for a longish run(around 14km) at a slow tempo and will have a rest tomorrow in preperation for Sunday's Olympic Dream run(10km). Funny that I have run a half marathon but never run a 10km race.

Wednesday Running Group

2005-11-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

Jogged down to Lake Caroline for a warm up and did a few laps of the lake before the group started. We started out with a 1200mtr timed run which I completed in 4:30, Slow I know but I still feel very tired and fatigued due to my Flu I think.
We then headed out for a 5km run which I did slower than usual. I ran at a moderate pace to save energy for Sunday's Olympic Dream run but felt pritty slow all the same.
Once we finished the 5km run I jogged home at a slow pace to a nice cooked meal and a shower.

I'm really trying to loose some weight at the minute but am struggling to shed the Kilo's. Went to a wedding on Sunday and struggled to get into my new suit so I decided it was time to cut back for a few months. I'll keep you guys posted with my results.

Just bought a TIMEX Bodylink 59561 online which should be a cool tool to log my runs. Hope it gets here, ordered it on the net!!!

50 minutes in the rain

2005-11-07T13:31:00.000-08:00

Well I headed out for my first jog since getting over the flu and what a great run it was. After just 2 minutes into it, it started pelting down and didn't stop for the whole run. I love running in the rain for some stupid reason.

I think I am at my best when things are a little tougher so running in the rain must fall into that category I guess. I know most people must think i'm a little mad but I dont mind at all. I think everyone should give it a go, I bet they too will enjoy it. I still feel a little sick but I am getting better. I don't think I will be producing a quick time this Sunday at the Olympic Dream run due to the 6 day lay off.

6 days off, time to start running again!!

2005-11-06T11:53:00.000-08:00

Well this Throat Infection hit me pritty hard but it's time to get those legs moving again seeing I have'nt been for a jog for 6 days. I'm still on medication but feel a hell of alot better in myself so I should be able to get in 5 runs before Sundays Olympic Dream for a little tune up.

Should look something like this, I HOPE:
Monday:45min jog
Tuesday: 1 Hour jog
Wednesday: running group, 1 hour+
Thursday: 45min
Friday: 1 Hour jog
Saturday: rest
Sunday: Olympic Dream

SICK!

2005-11-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

Nothing to report, ran yesterday but felt like shit!!
Woke up this morning feeling worse than yesterday so i'm off to the doctors this morning!
Hate feeling like this!
Looks like i'll have to miss the new CR Brimbank Running group which I was really looking foreward to.

Running Group

2005-10-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

After having a not so good run on Tuesday I really wanted to put in a solid speed session on Wednesday and I did not disappoint myself. Left home a little early and jogged to my running group but threw in a few extra laps of Lake Caroline to make up my 20min warm up.
We then headed off for a 40min fast Tempo run and I roughly covered 8.8km. This was not a bad time because we ran the first 1.5km in 8mins which was really slow. I got about 400 meters ahead of everyone in the first 4km and chased down most of them on the return trip.

I really struggled for about 10 mins in the middle of the run but was very surprised how quick I recovered by slowing down a little. I ran the last 1.5km at a nice tempo and was pleased that I brought it home nice and quick for a change. I then ran home at a slow pace for my warm down.

These sessions are doing me the world of good and my goal of running 8km under 35min by the end of this year at the final Spring into shape is starting to become reachable. Fingers crossed and a few more speed sessions should do the trick.

2005-10-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Well took my new Asics GT-2100 out for a spin yesterday and was really happy with them. I felt like shit though and only ran for 40 minutes when I planned a 1 hour jog. I'm taking this week a little easier so i'm not to fazed by the fatigue I felt during the jog but I hate braking my schedule.

I went for my massage on Monday and got all the soreness worked out of my legs and booked myself in for another session in a fortnights time. This guy was really professional(from Hepburn Springs but gets around abit) and really knew what he was talking about which was really refreshing.
Got my Wednesday running group today so i'm not to sure whats install for us.

Off the running subject for a sec, I got an annoucement to make: My wife is Pregnant! This was a little surprise we were both not expecting but we are both pritty happy by the news. Fingers cross everything turns out O.K.

Saturday & Sunday

2005-10-22T23:57:00.000-07:00

Well on Saturday I ended up heading out for 2 jogs, am and pm sessions. Did 30min on grass in the morning and a slightly quicker 40min in the late afternoon. My legs felt tight as hell and my feet were still hurting due to my runners.
Sunday morning I was planning on doing 5 laps of the Tan but could only manage 4 due to the same problems with my feet and legs. After being totally pissed off with my feet I went out and bought myself a new pair of Asics today, only 3 weeks after lashing $160 on those dam Dukes(I mean Brooks). I have also booked in a massage for Monday to try and loosen up my legs a little.
I have decided to train a little lighter this week and recoup a little. I weighed in at 87.9kg this morning so I have'nt shed any kilo's this week.
This week should look a little like this:
Monday: massage and weights(abs,bi,shoulders)
Tuesday: 1 hour jog
Wednesday: running group and weights(abs,tri,chest,back)
Thursday: 1 hour jog
Friday: rest and weights(abs,bi,shoulders)
Saturday: am 40min and pm 40min
Sunday: light jog

Just felt like it!

2005-10-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

Well I was supposed to rest yesterday but ended up going for a 75min jog at 78%MHR average.
Felt tired most of the way and shoes gave me hell again. Toe keeps on bleeding for some stupid reason. I now officially hate BROOKS and will never buy another pair for as long as I live, Long live ASICS!
I'll do yesterdays strength session tonight and maybe have a 30min spin also.

Running Group

2005-10-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

Did a 45min strength workout yesturday before heading out to my new Wednesday night running group. Jogged to CS and did a lap of the lake to past some time. We then headed out for a 20min up tempo jog which consisted of heading out for 10mins and then bring it home within another 10min time limit. I brought it home 2min faster than my first 10min so I was pretty pleased.
We then did 5x100mtr sprints which were great as I really felt them in my legs. I really enjoyed the sprint session because I am trying to get faster and believe this sort of training is pointing me in the right direction.
I am now starting to mix it up a bit and feel a shit load better for it. I also did a Hill session on Monday which consisted of 14min warm up, 30min hill repeats and 14 min cool down. I felt pretty good doing the hill repeats and I will try and make them a regular feature of my training schedule.

Increase Work load a little.

2005-10-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Though the MM run is over, I still have a few fun runs which I will be running in the last few months of this year and I would really like to better my 8km time of 36:30min next month.
To achieve this I will be adding in a few speed sessions a week to really get my legs turning at a faster speed.
Weighed in yesturday at 87.3kg so i'm a little lighter this week which was a surprise. Trying to get down to 83kg to help my running a little. You know what thay say "Extra weight can slow down trains".
This is how this week should look:
Sunday: 1:20min slow jog
Monday: 10min WU 30min hill running 10min CD -Brimbank Park (arms+shoulders+abs)
Tuesday: 1hour slow jog
Wednesday: Running group (chest+back+Tris+abs)
Thursday: Rest (arms+shoulders+abs)
Friday: Tempo session- Warm up for 15min, run fast tempo as much as I can for 45min
Saturday: Easy 7km run (chest+back+tris+abs)
Sunday: Slow 1:30min jog

Melb Half Marathon 9/10/05

2005-10-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

Well the day finally arrived and I was feeling pretty excited and nervous about the run.
Got to the start line Ok after my back strain on Friday and ended up with a new pair of runners on the Saturday due to my other NEWLY broken in Brooks starting to fall apart(I new this was a bad idea).
Once we were off it took me about 3km to get into my own stride but by the 8th km I was feeling very good.
I learnt one thing on Sunday, If you feel good during a marathon things can turn very bad very quickly!
By the 9km mark I started getting massive pain on the soles of my feet due to the new runners and I actually thought my feet were on fire.
From then on in I ran the next 12km in pain which was an experience in itself. I did not stop and walk which I am proud of but I did have to change my stride a million times to try and feel comfortably which effected my result I'm sure!
By the 17km I started slowing down dramatically and was getting passed by heaps of runners. My goal for the day was to run in 1hr45min and I ended up running it in 1hr46min unofficially!
After the race I felt pretty stuffed but my legs held up surprisingly well and feel fine today(a little stiff), but my back is another story. I can hardly walk and breath due to the back pain. I will head off to a chiro today to try and get things back into wack.
I will run my next half marathon early next year at the Williamstown running festival and believe I will better my time by 5 minutes at least due to all I learnt yesterday.
The only disappointment I have with my run was I was unable to bring it home STRONG in the last 4km due to the foot pain and fatigue. With a few changes to my training and the knowledge I have gained from yesterdays run I am sure things will be different next time.
I need a few days rest to get my back right but after a very painfull last 13km I am still very excited about my future running goals and will aim at completing the full Marathon next year.

Muscle Strain

2005-10-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well all the training is over and I am very excited about Sunday's race. I have a little bit of doubt whether I have done enough training to run strongly but I am pritty satisfied with my commitment over the last few months. I think the doubt is due to me never running 21km before and the fear of the unknown is starting to creep in a little.
Getting out of bed this morning I pulled a muscle in my back. I feel pritty stiff but I am sure I will make it to the start line if it dose'nt get any worse. I will stretch all day to loosen the bugger up, sitting in a office all day dose'nt help one bit.
After work today I am off to the city to pick up my race pack!
Can't waite until SUNDAY!

Weight Training

2005-10-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well seeing I have started to watch my weight again I have decided to start Light weight training again. I did 2 sessions at the end of last week and feel a hell of a lot better for it.
With 6 days to go till MM I am really starting to get nervous. I hope the weather holds up and that I perform well.
This weeks sessions should look like this:
Monday: 1 hour jog/ Biceps, Shoulders and abs
Tues: Run rest/ Chest, Tris, Back and abs
Wed: Running group
Thurs: 50min jog/ Biceps, shoulders and abs
Friday: 30 min spin/ Chest, Tris, back and abs
Sat:Rest
Sun: MHM

7 Days till MHM!

2005-10-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

Well with only seven days till the Melb Half I thought a nice 1:20min jog along the Maribyrnong river would be a nice place to jog for a change. The weather was perfect but I had to cut my run short by 20mins because I ran in a singlet for the first time in 6 months and started to chaf under my right arm! I'm not really happy because I like things to go to plan and feel like I have cheated myself by not running the whole 1:20. I will go for another 1hour jog tomorrow to ease my mind a little.
After 9 months of eating anything my heart desired I have decided to loose 5 kg to trim down a little. I know this week is not the best week to start dieting with the Carbo loading at the end of the week but i'll record my weight anyway just for the record.
Weigh in Sunday morning:
Weight: 88.9kg
Body fat: 27%
Hydration: 50%

2 weeks till Melb 1/2, My last long run!

2005-09-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well today I went to Brimbank Park to complete my last long run before the MHM and I was pritty happy with the way I felt. I did an 1:45min jog with no problems and my knees felt good for the first time in a long time.
I am looking forward to cutting back the KM's over the next few weeks and will taper over the last seven days prior to the event. This is the first time I will be tapering before an event and am not to sure what to expect.
Here's what the next seven days should look like if all goes well!
Mon: 40min jog
Tues: rest
Wed: 45min jog
Thurs: 1hour jog
fri: 45min jog
Sat: rest
Sun: 70min jog
Mon: Start taper

Spring into shape 8km.....36.30min PB

2005-09-18T02:08:00.000-07:00

Run an a 8km fun run today and completed it in 36.30 which was a PB for myself. I was really happy with my run and felt no sorness in my knees which was an added bonus.
This weeks lighter work load has done wonders for my body and I can really concentrate on the Melb half now and put in 2 harder weeks before my taper.
Pics below from todays run!

This weeks sessions:
Mon 50min slow jog
Tues Rest
Wed 70min slow jog
Thur 45min jog
Friday Tempo 10km run
Sat Rest
Sun 90min jog

2005-09-18T02:03:00.000-07:00

Spring into shape 18/09/05

Long Sunday run.....18km

2005-09-11T01:42:00.000-07:00

Got up at 6:00am this morning and went for 18km jog. I felt ok but my knees are still playing up and I ended up icing left knee. I will not be doing many Km's this week as I need a little rest and will be doing an 8km fun run on Sunday. I might try and do a few of this weeks sessions on grass to try and recoup a little.
This is how this week is going to look:
Monday Rest
Tuesday 45min jog
Wednesday 10km Tempo session
Thursday 45 min jog
Friday 1/2 hour jog and walk
Saturday Rest
Sunday race and lap of the Tan

Windy Melbourne....weekly mileage

2005-09-10T02:06:00.000-07:00

Went for a 10km jog on Thursday in very very windy conditions but still managed a decent 50min time without really busting a gut, so I was pritty happy with that.
Today I was only supposed to jog for 5 or 6 km but ended up doing 9km because I felt so good but really should have stopped due to my long Sunday jog tommorrow.
I am still a little sore in the knees after my workouts but am really going to try and stretch alot more over the next few weeks.
Here's this weeks total.
Sunday (normal pace) 17km
Monday 1 hour bike ride
Tuesday (speed session) 11km
Wednesday rest
Thursday (windy) 10km
Friday rest
Saturday (normal pace) 9km
Total= 47km

Hard Running for 4km

2005-09-06T23:15:00.000-07:00

Went for a 10km run yesturday and ran 4km of it at race pace. I felt ok but really struggled at the last KM and ended up walking to the end of the 4th km. I am trying to quicken my pace in training but am also very weiry about getting injured before the Melb-half.
My training is improving every day but i'm sure I will really see my times improve dramatically by the middle of next year.
I am having a rest day today and will go for a 1hr20min jog tomorrow.

First Post, 33 days till Melb mara

2005-09-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

Just finished an 1 hour ride to help me recover from yesturdays 17km run which I really injoyed.
Yesturday was longest distance I have ever run and I felt pritty good apart from the knee soreness I experienced for the last 20 minutes.
I am starting to get a little sore in the knees after my Sunday jogs but feel pritty good otherwise.
I have decided to run an 8km fun run on the 18th of Sept to help break up the routine of just training. I have not completed a fun since this time last year so I am really looking forward to it.