The Body Speaks Again!.........

Thursday Morning - Treadmill Hills (5km/28.5km)
Rightly or wrongly i decided to do this session this
morning even though i didn't feel very well.
Warmup 1.4kms slow jogging pace then
2.5kms of hill running on the treadmill with one minute
at 12degs followed by one minute at 4degs repeated
for 16mins at easy pace. To finish i ran a cooldown of
just over 1km. Total distance 5kms.
Not feeling well at the moment - I'll have to wait and
see what i do next.

Wednesday Evening - Knox Masters (5.5km/23.5km)
Warmup including 3laps slow jogging pace
5 x 30m high knee skipping
5 x 30m bum kicks
5 x 50 strides (last one 80m)
3 x single grandstand step drills
400m slow jogging pace and various other drills etc
to keep up to the mark.
1 x 200m race - 2nd in 28.2
300m slow jogging pace
1 x 100m - 1st in 13.4 (gave it everything and felt
that it was faster than that?).
200m slow jogging pace (feeling very dizzy and
nauseas).
1 x relay 1/2/3/2/1laps x 3 per team - I completed
the one and two laps and could not go on. I was
feeling quite unwell and had to pull out of the event.
Luckily someone else continued on for me.
Some time later after a couple of biscuits i ran 2laps
to cooldown. Total distance run about 5.5kms.

Tuesday Morning - Medium Street Run (10km/18km)
It seems like days since i got a 10km run in. This
morning i got there and pushed it along a little for a
time of 53:41. It felt good and i do enjoy running along
at that pace when it's not a recovery run.

Monday Evening - Leg Speed/Drills (3km/8km)
Warmup 1.2kms slow jogging pace then
5 x 30m high knee skipping
5 x 30m bum kicks
5 x double stepladder runs timed at -
10.13/10.14/9.84/9.91/9.64 (quick times tonight!)
3 x 30m block starts followed by a cooldown jog of
1.2kms and a set of reverse arm pullups to finish.
I'm a little surprised by those times tonight as i
have felt a bit off today and didn't feel very fast.
Total distance run 3kms

Monday Morning - Treadmill Hills (5km/5km)
Warmup 1.3kms slow jogging pace then
2.5kms of hill running on the treadmill with one minute
at 12deg followed by one minute at 4degs repeated for
16mins. Then 1.2kms of slow jogging to cooldown and
a set of chairdips and pullups to finish off.
Total distance 5kms.

No Run Today!

Sunday - Rest (0km/0km)
I slept a little longer than usual and woke feeling
unwell. I didn't sleep soundly and this is becoming
quite a regular thing. I thought of perhaps trying
to get a run into later in the day but i also have
a bit of back pain (possibly from the situps??). I
will leave it to Monday morning to run again and it
will have to be on the TM as i have the kids with me.

The Week That Was - 59.1kms

1 x Long Run - 21.1kms (easy)
1 x Medium Recovery - 10kms (easy)
3 x Treadmill Hills - 15km (testing)
2 x Leg Speed/Drills - 6kms (25% fast but not hard)
1 x Boxing Bags 6x3min rnds (moderately hard)
1 x Masters Racing - 7kms (50% hard)
1 x Rest Day (Saturday)
Total Kms 59.1

Since Thursday i have started doing 100 situps each
evening when not running.

A great game today (last of the season) 

After the game (a win 2-1) 

Half time 

The team 

Friday Evening - Leg Speed/Drills (3km/59km)
Warmup 1.2kms slow jogging pace then
5 x 30m high knee skipping
5 x 30m bum kicks
5 x double stepladder runs timed at -
10.46/10.36/10.19/10.01/10.04 (very pleased with
these runs tonight - legs felt very fast)
4 x 30m block starts (first 3 with stepladder also)
A cooldown run of 1.2kms slow jogging pace and
a set of reverse arm pullups to finish off.
Total distance 3kms.


Friday Morning - Treadmill Hills (5km/56km)
Warmup 1.3kms slow jogging pace then
2.5kms of hill running on the treadmill with one minute
at 12degs followed by one minute at 4degs repeated
continuously for 16mins. Then a cooldown jog of 1.2kms
followed by a set of chairdips and pullups to finish off.
Total distance run 5kms.

Thursday Morning - Treadmill Hills (5km/51km)
Warmup 1.3kms slow jogging pace then
2.5kms of hill running on the treadmill with one minute
at 12degs followed by one minute at 4degs repeated
continuously for 16mins. Then a cooldown jog of 1.2kms
followed by a set of chairdips and pullups to finish off.
Total distance run 5kms.

Wednesday Evening - Knox Masters (7km/46km)
Warmup including 3laps at slow jogging pace then
5 x 30m high knee skipping
5 x 30m bum kicks
3 x 60m strides
400m slow jogging pace
2 x single grandstand step drills
1 x 1000m race - 10th in 3:44 (treated as a solid
workout run).
200m slow jogging pace
1 x relay (600/400/200 in which i ran the 400m)
Our team came 3rd (i think)after we were leading
going into the final 200m.
1 x distance relay (2/4/6km in which i ran the 2km)
Our team came 2nd (i ran 8:59 for the 2km)
2 laps at slow jogging pace to cooldown.
Around 7km total distance run.
A pretty solid evening of running but i didn't go
flat out in any of the runs. I did want to do the
200m leg of the relay but gave way to another runner
so ended up with the 400.

Tuesday Evening - Boxing Bags
I started tonight's session with some medicine ball work.
Then into the boxing bags with 6 x 3min rounds using
all 3 bags. To finish i did a set of 100 situps.

Tuesday Morning - Treadmill Hills (5km/39.1km)
Warmup 1.3kms slow jogging pace then
2.5kms of hill running on the treadmill with one minute
at 12degs and then one minute at 4degs continuously
at easy pace for 16mins. To finish i did a cooldown
jog of 1.2kms. Total distance 5kms.

Monday Evening - Leg Speed/Drills (3km/34.1km)
Warmup 1.3kms slow jogging pace then
5 x 30m high knee skipping
5 x 30m bum kicks
5 x double stepladder runs timed at -
10.68/10.51/10.49/10.51/10.17 I was very pleased
get the last one in a touch quicker.
3 x 30m block starts
A cooldown run of 1.3kms and a set of chairdips
and pullups to finish off.
Total distance 3kms.


Monday Morning - Medium Recovery (10km/31.1km)
A real Monday morning struggle for a run today! 10km
at not much under 6min pace and it felt very very hard.
I ended up getting through it in a touch over 59mins and
it leaves me wondering whether i might be better off doing
shorter runs for recovery - say 5-7kms?? I usually
come good for Tuesday morning anyway. Do i really
need to do 10kms on Monday morning?? Even though i don't
believe there is such a thing as junk mileage, running
when it is a real struggle may not make much sense(???)
A rest may be a better option(???)

By the Yarra early this morning. 

Sunday Morning - Long Run (Tan)(21.1km/21.1km)
A very nice sunny morning at The Tan today for a long
run. I headed off for the first lap at 8.15am and then
once i got back around to the Morell Bridge i crossed
over the river and did roughly the same loop as the last
time i came here a few weeks ago. This time Garmin
was much better behaved and only paused itself for a
very short time twice. I again decided on two more
laps of The Tan to bring it up to 20kms which i got
to in 1:52:22. I then cooled off with a very slow 1.1kms
to give me HM distance for the day and still under
2hrs. I really do enjoy running there and i'm always
inspired by the great 'scenery"!!! Also as i got to
the start of the Anderson St hill for the second last
time, Gary Moore's "The Loner" started on my MP3 player
which gave me extra motivation to push on up the hill!
By the way at about 18kms Wilco arrived up beside me and
we ran together until i stopped at 20. He was off to do
a few more laps by himself. Total distance 21.1kms


Saturday - Rest Day
No training today. A little running around kicking a
soccer ball with Fleur in the morning while at Jack's
soccer game.

Friday Morning - Treadmill Hills (5km/46.1km)
Warmup 1.5kms slow jogging pace then
2.5kms of hill running - 1 min @ 12degs alternated with
1 in @ 4degs continuously at easy pace. I then ran a
slow easy 1km to cooldown. Total distance run 5kms.
This week has ended up a fairly light one as i will be
taking tomorrow as another rest day.

Thursday - Rest Day (0km/41.1km)
Last night's session was pretty intense so i felt
pretty drained this morning. I suppose i could have
gone for a slow recovery slog but decided against it
in favour of a rest. Besides it was raining very
heavily also which just sealed the decision!
Tomorrow morning will be a hill session on the TM.

Another Sprint PB.........!!!

Wednesday Evening - Knox Masters (6km/41.1km)
A very big turnout tonight as it was pizza night down at
Masters. The downside was that it was very blustery
conditions for running. Tonight was also a trophy night
so there were some keenly contested races.
Warmup 3 laps slow jogging pace then into some drills
5 x 30m high knee skipping
5 x 30m bum kicks
4 x 60m strides
4 x single grandstand steps
400m slow jogging pace
2 x 200m @ fast relaxed pace
400m slow jogging pace
1 x 75sec N.O.S.P. race (I chose about 460m) and
really didn't run at all well and i'm not sure why???
300m slow jogging pace
1 x 100m race - 1st in 12.96PB (the first time inside
13secs since i was 11yo!)
800m slow jogging pace then
4 x 100m strides at fast relaxed pace followed by
1 x 200m solid run again at fast pace.
400m slow jogging pace to finish. (then to pizza!!)

Pre Dawn Running.............

Tuesday Morning - Medium Run (12.5km/35.1km)
I wanted to get a longer run in this morning and was
kinda hoping for 13kms. I went for almost an out and
back course so i took the Garmin and headed out over
towards the Knox bike tracks in a round about fashion.
I should have realised that the way i was going was
very dark for most of the way and this kept my pace
down to less than usual. Anyway it ended up not
quite as long on the way back so i added a bit but
still only came up with 12.5kms total for the run. Oh
well never mind, I'll try a different way next time!
A very slow 81mins for the distance with very little
visibility so i'm not concerned with the time.

Session Aborted...........

Monday Evening - Leg Speed/Drills (1km/22.6km)
Leg speed session aborted after a warmup jog of 800m
and a few high knees skipping drills and bum kicks.
My legs are just too tired and as i'm getting up early to
run about 13kms in the morning, my legs just weren't
going to do the job required. Total distance 1km.
I also didn't run this morning for the same reason.
I rearranged my training schedule a bit more sensibly
late yesterday removing one of the interval sessions
and returning Saturdays to Rest Day status. Of course,
as i overdid the speedwork for the last week, i must
now try and get my system back to normal. Hopefully the
morning will bring a fresher feeling in my legs.
Lesson learned AGAIN!!!

From this morning's long run along the Knox bike track..... 

and again..... 

and another... 

A Major Struggle Today......21.6km

Sunday Morning - Long Run (21.6km/21.6km)
I decided on a long run around the Knox area again
this morning as i didn't want to get up too early today.
A slightly different version of the Knox bike track and
surrounds today and straight away i knew i was in for
a difficult one! I didn't feel comfortable at any stage as
my legs were very tired and didn't improve until about
30mins in. A bit too much of the speed stuff in the past
few days i think. I will have a think about it and i might
make a couple of changes for the next week or so of training.
Oh well, I got to the 10kms in 60:30 and then struggled to
the 20km mark in 2:00:15. I did manage to average around
5:38 pace for the last 4k's but that shows you how slow the
rest of it was! Another 1.6km of cooldown on the way home.
Total distance 21.6kms.
(Now that i think about it - 4 speed or hill type sessions
plus Masters racing is too much in one week. Especially as
it made up over 20% of the "hard effort" training)

The Week That Was - 64.6kms

I'm starting to move into my training for 800m now
and this is reflected somewhat in the past weeks efforts.

1 x Long Run - 21.4kms - easy
2 x Medium Runs - 20kms - easy
2 x Interval Training - 10.5kms - quite hard
1 x Hills - 4.5kms - quite hard
1 x Leg Speed/Drills - 3kms - intensive but easy
1 x Masters Racing - 5.2kms (1x1600m) 30% hard/70% easy
(also leg speed drills)
1 x Rest Day - (Thursday)

Total Distance 64.6kms (80% easy)

Saturday Morning - Treadmill Intervals (5km/64.6km)
Warmup 1.4kms various jogging pace then -
5 x 500m @ 4:00 pace/2mins walk recovery. I have
always felt that this treadmill reads a little slower than
it actually travels at. I feel that i was travelling at about
3:45-3:50 pace with these which is about where i want
them at the moment. To finish off this morning i ran for
around 500m easy pace to cooldown and did a set
of chairdips and pullups. Total distance run 5kms.

Friday Morning - Treadmill Hills (4.5km/59.6km)
Warmup 1.4kms slow jogging pace then -
15mins of hill running on the treadmill with the incline
set to go for a minute at 12 degrees followed by a
minute at 4 degrees etc etc for the duration. The speed
was easy pace and was followed up with 800m of
cooldown jogging. To finish off i did a set of chairdips
and pullups on the Power Tower. Total distance run
4.5kms.

Just Because!...........

Thursday Morning - Rest (0km/55.1km)
I decided this morning while sitting here that i
would have a break from running and just relax for
a change. It just seems to be all go go go at the
moment (except while i'm at work but that's a whole
different story!). Anyway, I'm not sure whether
i will do a session tonight, but will certainly
be doing my treadmill hill session tomorrow morning.

Wednesday Evening - Knox Masters (5.2km/55.1km)
As i was on duty tonight i decided to get down to
the track a little early, warmup and just run
in the first race which was the 1600m. I wanted
to do this one as it is outside my comfort zone
and my worst distance of all. I hate 1600m!
Warmup including 3 laps at slow jogging pace.
5 x 30m high knee skipping
5 x 30m bum kicks followed by another slow lap.
3 x single grandstand steps followed by another slow
lap. 2 x 50m strides followed by 3 x 90m strides.
1 x 1600m race (8th in 6:31). I had the Garmin set
to do splits for each lap - 1.29/1.39/1.48/1.34
You can really see from that how i really struggle
with the middle part of that distance.
2 laps of slow jogging to cool down. After that i
just played starter for the remainder of the races.
Total distance run 5.2kms.

Tuesday Evening - Leg Speed/Drills (3km/49.9km)
Warmup 1.3kms slow jogging pace then -
5 x 30m high knee skipping
5 x 30m bum kicks
5 x double stepladder runs not timed
3 x 30m block starts
3mins on the skipping rope - various
Finished off the session with a cooldown jog of
around 6mins. Total distance run 3kms


Tuesday Morning - Medium Street Run (10km/46.9km)
This morning's 10km run was a little quicker than the
one yesterday. I certainly could feel the effects of the
interval session last night though. The last 10mins
were quite a struggle but did manage to finish off the
last 250m or so quite strongly. 10kms in 56:58

Monday Evening - Treadmill Intervals (5.5km/36.9km)
Warmup 1.5kms various jogging pace then -
5 x 2mins @ 4:00 pace/2mins walk recovery.
This works out to be 500m for each rep which will do
for the time being until i get more into these. I found it
quite difficult to do these as i haven't done this kind of
training for about 6 months. Over the coming weeks i
will work on increasing the distance and reducing
the walking breaks etc. Actually the first rep i did
tonight was a 600 at 3:45 pace and i knew that was
a bit too quick if i was to get through more than one.
A cooldown jog of round 8 mins and a set of chairdips and
pullups to finish up.
Total distance 5.5kms



Monday Morning - Medium Recovery (10km/31.4km)
A very very cold morning today so i made sure to wear
my gloves this time! A fairly even run with perhaps the
first 10mins or so a little quicker than i would normally
run a recovery. Must be a leftover from yesterday's
quicker run. 10kms in 57:46

A pic from my long run this morning. 

Morell Bridge this morning 

The Car Is Back!!!........

Sunday Morning - Long Run (21.4km/21.4km)
I got my car back yesterday which was a little earlier
than i expected - It really does make life easier.
I thought i would head down to The Tan this morning
as i haven't run around there for a while. I also wanted
to run along the Yarra up to Macrobertson Bridge as i
haven't run along there before. I got a good parking
spot just after 8am and was running within a couple of
minutes. Perfect running weather and of course
great scenery (both kinds!!) all the way. The thing
i find about running in a setting like this is that i find
myself running at a faster pace than i would at my
normal haunts. Because of that i do feel that a Tan
run is quite a hard workout but a really good one.
I decided on a lap of The Tan before heading east along
the Yarra and figured that on arrival back at The Tan,
I would do two more to make sure of at least 20kms.
I did lose the satelites for a while on the way along
the Yarra heading east just where you have some
overhead sections of the freeway etc. I have had to
adjust the readings from my Garmin to account for
this but that wasn't a difficult task as i know that i
held a good pace for that section. I ended up with
21.4kms in 1:59.21 and passed the 20km mark in
a very good (for me) 1:51.33. Of course i did stop
a couple of times for a snack and a drink, but that
is what i usually do on my Sunday long runs. All
up i'm very pleased with the run and would like to do
The Tan a little more often when i get the chance.
3 good solid runs up the Anderson St hill today, 2 of
them late in the run. Total distance run 21.4km

The Week That Was - 40kms

A prescribed light week for me this past one -

No long run
2 x medium runs - 20km easy
2 x Leg Speed/Drills - 6km (33%hard/67%easy)
1 x Treadmill Hills - 4.5km (60%hard/40%easy)
1 x Masters Racing - 9.5km (200m/15minTT - 50% of total
distance easy).
2 x Rest Days (Monday/Saturday)
40kms total for the week.

***Highlight of the week for me was my 200mPB which was
14 months in the making - 27.96 (and now for the sub 27)***




Saturday - Rest Day (0km/40km)

Hills...........

Friday Morning - Treadmill Hills (4.5km/40km)
Warmup 1.3kms slow jogging pace then
treadmill hill reps - 1min @ 12degs/1min @ 4degs
repeated for 16mins done at easy pace.
To cooldown 1km easy followed by a set of chairdips
and pullups to finish. Total distance run 4.5kms

On my travels 

Red Hill today 

Thursday Morning - Medium Recovery (10km/35.5km)
This morning's 10km recovery run was again a real
struggle. I certainly must have "put in" last night at
Masters and even tonight i'm still feeling some soreness.
I got through it which is what counts and it took 60:12
for the run. Tomorrow morning i will be doing a treadmill
hill session before a rest day on Saturday.

A Major PB Breakthrough!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday Evening - Knox Masters (9.5km/25.5km)
27.96 is the number!
Tonight i ran down to Masters as i still don't have the car.
Once i got there i started on some drills -
5 x 30m high knee skipping
5 x 30m bum kicks
4 x 50m strides
4 x single grandstand step drills for leg speed
1 x 400m at slow jogging pace followed by various
drills and exercises to keep warm for my race.
Included in this were around 6 block starts.
1 x 200m race - 2nd in 27.96PB (chasing Andrew
Watts). After a short break for the talk i did some
slow jogging for around 300m before the TT.
1 x 15min TT - 8 laps and 5m which at 4:35 pace
i very happy with. I finished up with a cooldown jog
of 800m before the coffee and snacks and then ran
the 1.85kms home. Total distance run 9.5kms.
I have been trying for i think 14 months to break
28 seconds for the 200 and i finally did it tonight.
For a change i had someone faster to chase and that's
what did the trick.

Tuesday Afternoon - Leg Speed/Drills (3km/16km)
Warmup 1.3kms slow jogging pace then
5 x 30m high knee skipping
5 x 30m bum kicks
5 x double stepladder runs timed at -
10.81/10.88/10.56/10.51/10.65
3 x 30m block starts followed by a couple of runs
over some makeshift hurdles in my driveway.
To finish off a cooldown jog of around 1km.
Total distance run - 3kms

Tuesday Morning - Medium Street Run (10km/13km)
I managed to get out there this morning finally after not
having a decent length run for a while. Felt good this
time so i kept my mind on the job of keeping an even
pace and finished the run in 55:16 which i'm fairly happy
with.