27/10 Weekly Round Up- 7 days to go- FINAL WEEK

Just 17.4 kms this week, with last longish run to be Tuesday 29th.
Not an amazing week of kms, but nice fast training.
Within the zone now with food and visualisation of dream target times.
And of course hoping for a little bit of race day magic... and perfect conditions.
10-13 degrees and overcast- all day.

Group at 376 still.
Several injured.

This is it.

27/10 Focus Taper- Quick after work run- even when I wasn't keen but knew I had to go

Nice fast 4 kms- down to Joe's Kiosk and back at Henley.
8:10 min/km average which I am happy with.

26/10 Focus Taper 8 days to go

Not much happening except work at the moment.
Have lost 4 kgs in last few weeks.
Not sure whether it is due to the bitter melon capsules I have been taking or just a combination of everything.
Into the size 12 pants for work finally. It's taken 5 months.
Sissel and I have a small run planned in Central Park on Thursday morning.
Just to turn over the legs.

24/10 Focus Intervals, Continue the Taper 10 days to go

Just a short 3 kms this morning.
Legs are a bit tired.
Intervals as follows: ( somehow messed up the downward intervals)

6.6kms/8kms/hr
Average 8.26 mins/km
200/200
200/400
200/600
400/400
200/200
then 200 to finish
26:26

23/10 Focus Intervals 11 days to go

Headed to the gym late just to get some kms in the legs as it was blowing a mad westerly on the beach.
4 kms of 500/500 intervals
Pace 7.6/8.5 kms/hr which is 1 km/hr faster than usual
Total time around 30:35
Purple shoes

22/10 Focus Intervals 12 days to go

Down the gym to the treadmill as early as I could muster (after 8 am).
Did 6.4 km
400/800 x5
6.7km/7.7km/hr
53:05
Glutes are horrendously tight- again.

20/10 Weekly Round Up 2 weeks to go

Last long run this week of 35 kms in horrendous conditions.
Then a Mount Lofty yesterday for a total of 43 kms for the week.
Not lots of kms but I'm ready.
Considering I did that last long run after the monuments half Marathon in Melbourne.
Group at 376.
Few peeps with injuries.
I'm still fighting the TFL tightness, but managed the 35 kms with it really well.
Beetroot juice back on the menu once daily from tomorrow.
Will be glad when that is over!

21/10 Focus Taper 13 days to go

1 x set of 17 man push ups
1 x set of 10 man push ups
Most I have ever done- second 10 was a bit hard though.
Have to focus on lifting my body up with arms and not my legs ( sounds odd- but you can push your body back up with your legs lol)
60 lift crunches
Physio
Foam rolling Mount Lofty out of my rear.
Spikey Ball of death makes another appearance.

13 days to go

20/10 Focus Mount Lofty- 14 days until Race Day

Deb and I took off at 7 am for our Mt Lofty session. Got a George Costanza park right at the bottom of the falls.
Wasn't as hot as we thought but we got up again without stopping (but quite a bit of huffing and puffing). 6 mins at the top and then back down again. Encountered a bit of traffic but it moved quickly downhill.
Nice scrambled eggs and toast at Deb's house afterwards.
Excellent session
Purple shoes

17/10 Focus Long Run Recovery

Slept log like. Massage tonight. 16 push ups. Early to bed again tonight. 

Steak for dinner with steamed broccoli, asparagus, beans and roasted Roma tomatoes. 

Mashed potato for lunch with some mac and cheese. 

16/10 Focus last long run- 35 kms

Last long run of this training season. Went to bed with a new BOM forecast of bloody 30 degrees, so got up at 5:30 am and was out door by 06:10.
Was windy and by the time I was on the beach it was about a 45 km/hr northerly headwind that stayed with me for 17.5 kms.
The tail wind on the return was somewhat marred by heat and flies everywhere.
There was a few km walk from Sepaphore to Tennyson. It got to a point that it was just easier to run.
Managed to blow a hole in the inner thigh of my pants, so they are now in the bin.
12 mins faster than last time and would have been a bit faster with all running and not stoppting to stretch and refill bottles, but the clock on race day stops for no one.
Taper time now.

Purple shoes

16/10 Focus Melb Half Mara- Photo

Forgot to post this on Sunday. This is me post race in the MCG.

15/10 Focus Carb Load Day 2 19 days to go

With the weather forecast taking a massive turn for the hot end of the mercury, I hope I go ok tomorrow.

Breakfast:
750ML juice (4 beets, 1 apple, 2 carrots, cinnamon)
1 x English Muffin with nuttlex and vegemite

Lunch:
2 x Vegemite and Cheese sandwiches
1 x Powerade blue

1 x coffee

Dinner:
Gnocchi with tomato and bacon sauce
1 x Powerade 375 mL fizzy

1 x Musashi iced chocolate

14/10- Focus Back on the Carb Load

Been back on the Carb Load since last night after returning from Melbourne

Sunday Night
Gnocchi with a new sauce- tomato and bacon for something different.
Musashi Choc Milk
1 x Vegemite and Cheese Sandwich.

Monday
1 punnet of Strawbs blended
1 x English Muffin with butter and Vegemite

2 x coffees

2 x Vegemite and Cheese Sandwiches
1 x 600mL powerade

Gnocchi with the Tomato and Bacon Sauce
500 mL juice (beetroot x 5 small, 2 carrots, 1 large Granny Smith and cinnamon)

350mL almond milk (no use for the load)
1 x Musashi Choc Milk ( for protein repair and then carb load)

14/10 Focus- Just Push Ups as it's Physio Day

Small post for small bit of work.
16 Man Pushups. Which is no increase on my last lot but the same as my last session over a week ago.
Will be happy if I can get to 30 by NYC.
Physio today as it is every Monday. Dry needling just to keep niggles at bay and so I can try to keep myself from falling apart.
Small hammy strain from yesterday.
Hopefully all good on Wed for last long run.

13/10 Weekly Round Up 3 Weeks to go

Not a big week of miles but a big week of PB's and meeting fabulous people.
Melbourne Half Marathon PB
3 training sessions during the week with
a Sub 30 4 kms
11 kms of intervals on a pyramid
6 kms of track intervals on treadmill

Then a run with the mighty Rob de Castella on Friday with Maria Smith from the facebook group.

Group at 376 members.
One more long run on Wed and then in to taper.

13/10 Focus Melbourne Half Marathon and PB! 21 days to go.

After a terrible sleep, I was determined not to be beaten by mind, lungs or legs today. Weather report was not amazing but the rain held off until about 18.5 kms and then provided enough moisture to wet the lungs a bit and give me the air I needed to keep going fast. At the start, I moved up to the front amongst the 2 hour finishers and kept left to get over the line early. I just decided to keep up with everyone (excluding Kenyans and Ethiopians). Had a Gu Peanut Butter Gel on the start line and then took gels every 3.5 kms after the 4 km mark. Drank at the drink stations. Ran the whole damn way. No Galloway- just a gallop. The Barack Bridge is just a bitch at 19.5 kms. Uphill and may as well be a mountain at that point but I didn't stop and kept the 7:35 pace up. The run in to the MCG was fabulous but I was spent and totally out of air. However a PB and course record for me was the motivation to leg it and breathe later. Time of 2:47:34. 19 mins faster than last year, 17 mins faster than 2011 and 7 Mins off my Half Marathon PB done in Clare in April 2012 when I was marathon fit for Paris.

A 2 day massive carb load with juice, Gatorade, scones, noodles, pancakes, gnocchi served me well. 

Had drunk beetroot juice morning and night since Tuesday night. Cherry juice in the mix as well. 

An amazing day all around in the black runners.

11/10 Focus Melbourne Half Marathon 23 days to go!!

Off to Melbourne today for the annual pilgrimage to the Half Marathon.
Third time.
Hoping for a Half PB under 2:54. Secretly Hoping that a bit of magic might give me 2:45 but with training run times being over 3 hours, I'm really not sure.
Thunderstorms expected- weather forecast is not PB material.
Will post later regarding tonight's exciting meet and greet with my hero, Australia's Greatest Ever Marathon Runner.

10/10 Focus Intervals 24 days to go

Long run thwarted by rain after driving 15 kms to Largs to try out a new path.
Ended up on the mill of dread with 6 kms of intervals.
400/800 @ 6.6/8.0 kms/hr
48:20 approx.
Happy with that.
Hip ok.

08/10 Focus Intervals: Hip Flexor/Groin Test #2 26 days to go :)

Boo Yah.
11 kms of intervals on the treadmill- 92 mins.
6.6/7.6 kms hour
300/200
300/400
300/600
300/800
300/1000
300/1200
300/1000
300/800
300/600
300/400
300/200
then 200 m at 10 kms/ hour.
Needed a loo break at 9 kms. It just couldn't wait.
Came back to finish the last 2 kms.
Muscle pull on top of hip which is easier to stretch out and is linked to glutes and ITB.

07/10 Focus Bit of Strength Training

15 man push-ups (2 more than yesterday)

20 ab lifts. 

07/10 Dashers Backpack

So when we are sightseeing!

07/10 Focus Race Day Shirt Work in Progress

With Dashers transfers so I can be easily spotted by other group members on race day.

07/10 Focus test injuries

Accidentally on purpose Sub 30- 4 kms. Testing the hip flexor/ groin and knee. Knee strapped with K tape. Hip and groin no niggle. However top of hip needs a stretch. 

Purple shoes 

06/10 Weekly Round Up 4 weeks to go

A mere 28 days to go until raceday.
A terrible week with no mileage but 2 cross trainings.
Resting a hip flexor/groin issue.
Group has gone secret at 375 members

06/10 Focus Cross Train and Rest Possible Injury

Today I decided the planned 37 km long run was not going to eventuate. Woken up by hammering twice during the night, losing an hour... the list of excuses goes on.
Went to gym instead. I rowed for 3 kms which was 1 km longer than Thursday and did that in 16:16.
Did 13 Man pushups.
Did 4 x 15 x23 kgs on the ab machine.
Did 5 x 10 x 27 kgs on the lat pull down
Did 1 x 10 x 36 kgs on lat pull down
Did 3 x 10 x 13.75 kgs on the double rope pulley thing.
Out tomorrow- distance unknown.

03/10 Focus on Weights

Have had a raging headache all day and when I went to run on the treadmill, my brain felt like it was rattling in my head. So 2 km row, 3 x 15 x 23 kg compound row, 3 x 15 lat pull down, 1 x 10 and 2 x 15 x 23 kg ab cruncher, 12 pushups.

01/10 Return of the Plank

Back on it with 1 and 2 days to go.

11 push ups (+1 since last time). 

15 leg lifts for the abs