Sunday, July 17, 2011
Pleasant Distractions
Fern on tummy
Training has been a little haphazard since the birth of Fern but I've been more than happy to skip a morning session or two to enjoy her smiles of which there are plenty. She is a bit of a Daddy's girl and enjoys a nice cuddle. No complaints from me.
On to the training update - I've been running almost every day again and have enjoyed a couple of great sessions. Of note - ran a great 28km long run where I averaged close to 4min/k pace for most of the run, a couple of good interval sessions including mile repeats all under 6mins and 400s averaging quicker than 71 seconds. It seems the higher intensity sessions also take less out of my legs than the longer endurance runs.
As I've also signed up for a triathlon or two I've also started swimming and biking. Unfortunately they haven't been going too well as I'm finding that I need to spend considerably more time doing those activities to improve than I do with running. Swimming was starting to improve but then kids and wife all got sick I ended up missing three weeks. Going back to the pool this week felt like I was starting all over again. The biking is going OK but I've been putting in too much intensity and not enough endurance work. While I'm slowly getting fitter on the bike the biggest return has been the fitness/strength crossover to my running.
Discovery --- less running + biking = better running
Looking forward to August to put in some serious training hours as my wife's work schedule becomes a little less busy and chaotic.
Listening to my two boys talking in the back of the car over the weekend before going to the movies with their 16 year old sister.
Boy7 - "I bet we eat lots of crap when we go to the movies"
Boy4 - "I don't want to eat crap, I want to eat lollies."
Had us all laughing...
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
best smoothie ever
just had to post this smoothie recipe as i've decided that it is the best, tastiest and most refreshing smoothie i have ever made.
berry aloe smoothie
ingredients
1 cup frozen mixed berries
2 apples
1 punnet fresh strawberries
2 oranges
1-2 scoops pea protein
1 cup rice milk
1 cup iced water
2 large fresh aloe vera leaves
directions
- remove outer green part of aloe vera leaf to extract gel.
- throw everything into the blender except for water and aloe vera and blend until smooth. throw in aloe and enough water to reach desired consistency and blend for a maximum of 10 seconds (read something about maintaining the nutritional/medicinal quality of the aloe vera with minimal blending).
- drink
** no photo of this delicious smoothie as i was too busy drinking it...
berry aloe smoothie
ingredients
1 cup frozen mixed berries
2 apples
1 punnet fresh strawberries
2 oranges
1-2 scoops pea protein
1 cup rice milk
1 cup iced water
2 large fresh aloe vera leaves
directions
- remove outer green part of aloe vera leaf to extract gel.
- throw everything into the blender except for water and aloe vera and blend until smooth. throw in aloe and enough water to reach desired consistency and blend for a maximum of 10 seconds (read something about maintaining the nutritional/medicinal quality of the aloe vera with minimal blending).
- drink
** no photo of this delicious smoothie as i was too busy drinking it...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
weekly update: 15-21 november
training week summary (15-17/11/2010):
mon AM: 15k easy run
- typical lake loop. achilles felt good which proved the session on the grass yesterday was a good idea.
PM: 21k mixed session (dr. van aaken style)
- have been re-reading van aaken's book and it made sense to me last night. so ran the following session 10k easy (sub 130HR), 2kMP (surprised to see HR figures 15-20 beats lower than marathon race effort for marathon pace PB), 3min jog, 10 x 350m with 50m walk, 2k tempo, 3k easy. felt great at end of session. heart rate never above 80%mhr.
tue AM: 16k easy (run/walk/jog/sprints)
- loop of the lake with some extensions to get around the learner drivers. threw in a couple of 30 second sprints on the return trip. felt tired but better after eating.
PM: 32k easy run (sub 140HR)
- used van aaken's guidelines to keep hr in the 130-150bpm range. backed off on the hills and cruised the rest. surprised to hit the 12.5k checkpoint 1 minute quicker than my usual long run effort. extended the turn around and ran back feeling great. finished the run wanting to go further. about an hour after stopping legs started aching and i had trouble sleeping.
wed AM: 13k easy
- unplanned loop through jamisontown to regentville and back via the river. started with a 5min walk to warmup the achilles which was feeling a little tight but ok after about 500m of running. didn't bother me for the rest of the run.
PM: 14k easy/steady
thu AM: i know i did something in the morning and at lunchtime but have forgotten. high volume training has eroded my memory even further.
fri AM: 10k easy + strides
PM: 35-40mins w/ tempo intervals
- headed to the grass oval to be kind to the legs. bored after 1600m (not sure why i thought it would be any different this time). workout heading into the sleep train-style repeats on short rest with the plan for anything of up to two hours worth. short rests became slightly longer and then much longer at the sighting of sean and mel standing on the side of the track. was ok chalking today's effort up to a recovery day.
sat: nothing yet
sun: something bigger than saturday?
weekly totals:
run km
mon AM: 15k easy run
- typical lake loop. achilles felt good which proved the session on the grass yesterday was a good idea.
PM: 21k mixed session (dr. van aaken style)
- have been re-reading van aaken's book and it made sense to me last night. so ran the following session 10k easy (sub 130HR), 2kMP (surprised to see HR figures 15-20 beats lower than marathon race effort for marathon pace PB), 3min jog, 10 x 350m with 50m walk, 2k tempo, 3k easy. felt great at end of session. heart rate never above 80%mhr.
tue AM: 16k easy (run/walk/jog/sprints)
- loop of the lake with some extensions to get around the learner drivers. threw in a couple of 30 second sprints on the return trip. felt tired but better after eating.
PM: 32k easy run (sub 140HR)
- used van aaken's guidelines to keep hr in the 130-150bpm range. backed off on the hills and cruised the rest. surprised to hit the 12.5k checkpoint 1 minute quicker than my usual long run effort. extended the turn around and ran back feeling great. finished the run wanting to go further. about an hour after stopping legs started aching and i had trouble sleeping.
wed AM: 13k easy
- unplanned loop through jamisontown to regentville and back via the river. started with a 5min walk to warmup the achilles which was feeling a little tight but ok after about 500m of running. didn't bother me for the rest of the run.
PM: 14k easy/steady
thu AM: i know i did something in the morning and at lunchtime but have forgotten. high volume training has eroded my memory even further.
fri AM: 10k easy + strides
PM: 35-40mins w/ tempo intervals
- headed to the grass oval to be kind to the legs. bored after 1600m (not sure why i thought it would be any different this time). workout heading into the sleep train-style repeats on short rest with the plan for anything of up to two hours worth. short rests became slightly longer and then much longer at the sighting of sean and mel standing on the side of the track. was ok chalking today's effort up to a recovery day.
sat: nothing yet
sun: something bigger than saturday?
weekly totals:
run km
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
weekly update: 8-14 november
training week (8-14/11/2010):
mon: rest day - cross-training
- felt like i bruised my heel yesterday during my arvo run and together with my tight achilles decided to try something different. so hit the gym and jumped on the elliptical thingy for 45mins. didn't feel very manly so set it to a hill workout program and upped the intensity close to max. was overtaken by the fit old lady next to me up the incline and was forced to set the intensity back to a more modest level - hid the panel with my towel in shame. note to self - pay some respect for activities other running. heel and achilles felt good with reduced impact so tested it out on the treddy and ran 15mins with the incline at 10-15%. cruised the speed with heartrate less than 70%mhr feeling good.
tue: 11k w/ tempo intervals (55min) // 17k easy (1:17:36) // 15k (1:06) steady
- after yesterday's rest day decided to try and squeeze in a bit more running. first run felt good so put in 8-10x500m threshold efforts with 500m steady just to break it up. second run was a bit longer than planned around work as i decided to explore more territory. third run was a couple of laps in and around centennial park (sydney) while waiting for the teenagers to attend their hordern pavillion concert. ran too hard but was excited to see all the runners out there. included a couple of surprisingly good hills. made it back to the car and consumed the best post-run food. dinner one - fruit salad and dinner two - biggest salad (spinach, cos, mushroom, caps, cuke and mango with balsamic vinegar) i've ever seen thanks to my wife. i was stuffed but two hours later i was dreaming of food and hoping the concert would soon finish.
wed: 14k easy run
- started out running around the river again but bored with the idea i headed for the heights. found some quiet back streets but wilted in the heat. this humidity is draining me. have to start carrying a water bottle...
thu: 15k easy run (1:12)
- strapped on the heartrate monitor to forced myself not to exceed my aerobic threshold. felt hotter than it should due to himidity. made sure i stopped at each watering spot, drank and drenched the hat. surprised at the splits considering the effort recorded on the polar. tried running slower but lost form. all splits within 1-2sec of each other. hoping for cooler conditions at c2k but planning for heat. added water spray bottle to equipment list. perhaps my 3yo can man the water blaster and have some fun shooting me as i run along.
- scout night tonight but thinking about heading out for a few hours from 10pm on to rack up a long run and build some confidence that i can go the distance.
fri: 2 x 15+k runs
sat: 40min easy run
- started out on the road but turned back with achilles pain. frustratingly drove down to the oval to see if running on the grass would be better. thankfully it was and i was able to run for an hour easy without pain or discomfort. at the hour mark boredom set in so ran the last hour as 400m steady (88-90sec)/45sec easy (~100m).
weekly total: ~140km run
sun: 2hr easy run w/ intervals
mon: rest day - cross-training
- felt like i bruised my heel yesterday during my arvo run and together with my tight achilles decided to try something different. so hit the gym and jumped on the elliptical thingy for 45mins. didn't feel very manly so set it to a hill workout program and upped the intensity close to max. was overtaken by the fit old lady next to me up the incline and was forced to set the intensity back to a more modest level - hid the panel with my towel in shame. note to self - pay some respect for activities other running. heel and achilles felt good with reduced impact so tested it out on the treddy and ran 15mins with the incline at 10-15%. cruised the speed with heartrate less than 70%mhr feeling good.
tue: 11k w/ tempo intervals (55min) // 17k easy (1:17:36) // 15k (1:06) steady
- after yesterday's rest day decided to try and squeeze in a bit more running. first run felt good so put in 8-10x500m threshold efforts with 500m steady just to break it up. second run was a bit longer than planned around work as i decided to explore more territory. third run was a couple of laps in and around centennial park (sydney) while waiting for the teenagers to attend their hordern pavillion concert. ran too hard but was excited to see all the runners out there. included a couple of surprisingly good hills. made it back to the car and consumed the best post-run food. dinner one - fruit salad and dinner two - biggest salad (spinach, cos, mushroom, caps, cuke and mango with balsamic vinegar) i've ever seen thanks to my wife. i was stuffed but two hours later i was dreaming of food and hoping the concert would soon finish.
wed: 14k easy run
- started out running around the river again but bored with the idea i headed for the heights. found some quiet back streets but wilted in the heat. this humidity is draining me. have to start carrying a water bottle...
thu: 15k easy run (1:12)
- strapped on the heartrate monitor to forced myself not to exceed my aerobic threshold. felt hotter than it should due to himidity. made sure i stopped at each watering spot, drank and drenched the hat. surprised at the splits considering the effort recorded on the polar. tried running slower but lost form. all splits within 1-2sec of each other. hoping for cooler conditions at c2k but planning for heat. added water spray bottle to equipment list. perhaps my 3yo can man the water blaster and have some fun shooting me as i run along.
- scout night tonight but thinking about heading out for a few hours from 10pm on to rack up a long run and build some confidence that i can go the distance.
fri: 2 x 15+k runs
sat: 40min easy run
- started out on the road but turned back with achilles pain. frustratingly drove down to the oval to see if running on the grass would be better. thankfully it was and i was able to run for an hour easy without pain or discomfort. at the hour mark boredom set in so ran the last hour as 400m steady (88-90sec)/45sec easy (~100m).
weekly total: ~140km run
sun: 2hr easy run w/ intervals
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
weekly update: 1-7 november
can't believe it november already!
training week (1-7/11/2010):
mon: rest day
- decided to reward myself with a day off. actually foot was a little sore over the weekend so took today off to see if that helped.
tue: 12k easy (50min) // 13.7k (59min)
- ran the typical lunch route out to regentville and back. felt like i was crawling along but pace was quicker than i realised.
- planned on running three loops again but stopped after two due to foot bruising. felt ok but playing it safe this early in the week.
wed: 14k w/ workout // 2h30 trails easy
- got bored during the morning run and ended up running 9 x 400m moderate (90sec down to 80sec) finishing with 5 x 30sec on/off. felt good to break out a bit of pace.
- second run in the national park up to the helipad and back. legs felt like death!
thu: 15k steady run (1:06)
- solid run out for a loop of the lake.
fri: 16k easy run (1:12)
- around the streets of penrith on the way to pick up the car. felt easy and relaxed. resting up for a bigger one tomorrow. running only once a day feels like i'm tapering. better stop eating...
sat: 3hrs easy
- drove down to the m7 for some mindless bike path running. was planning on running for longer but path was cut north and south forcing me to turn around. running past the car for the second time i decided to call it a day. took it easy but still ran faster than i should have. splits were around 4:30-4:40 pace. felt like i was stumbling forcing myself to run slower. might play around with walk breaks to help slow down and go longer.
sun: 1h20 easy // 1hr easy
- got out for a solid run at lunch and then backed up with a couple of loops of the river on the way home. planned on going longer but helped a young couple break into their car. actually by the time i stopped the father had already broken his car window in an attempt to get in.
total: ~166km run
still haven't managed to put in an extra long run. need more weekend mileage!!!
training week (1-7/11/2010):
mon: rest day
- decided to reward myself with a day off. actually foot was a little sore over the weekend so took today off to see if that helped.
tue: 12k easy (50min) // 13.7k (59min)
- ran the typical lunch route out to regentville and back. felt like i was crawling along but pace was quicker than i realised.
- planned on running three loops again but stopped after two due to foot bruising. felt ok but playing it safe this early in the week.
wed: 14k w/ workout // 2h30 trails easy
- got bored during the morning run and ended up running 9 x 400m moderate (90sec down to 80sec) finishing with 5 x 30sec on/off. felt good to break out a bit of pace.
- second run in the national park up to the helipad and back. legs felt like death!
thu: 15k steady run (1:06)
- solid run out for a loop of the lake.
fri: 16k easy run (1:12)
- around the streets of penrith on the way to pick up the car. felt easy and relaxed. resting up for a bigger one tomorrow. running only once a day feels like i'm tapering. better stop eating...
sat: 3hrs easy
- drove down to the m7 for some mindless bike path running. was planning on running for longer but path was cut north and south forcing me to turn around. running past the car for the second time i decided to call it a day. took it easy but still ran faster than i should have. splits were around 4:30-4:40 pace. felt like i was stumbling forcing myself to run slower. might play around with walk breaks to help slow down and go longer.
sun: 1h20 easy // 1hr easy
- got out for a solid run at lunch and then backed up with a couple of loops of the river on the way home. planned on going longer but helped a young couple break into their car. actually by the time i stopped the father had already broken his car window in an attempt to get in.
total: ~166km run
still haven't managed to put in an extra long run. need more weekend mileage!!!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
weekly update: 25-31 october
i'm finding as the training progresses that i'm hard pressed to even remember back a day or two to what i've put out there on the roads. so in order to preserve the detail i'm committed to updating the log on a more (semi) regular basis...
training week (25-31/10/2010):
mon: 15km (1:08) steady run/21km (1:31) steady
- on what has become the norm i ran the first session at lunch. started out feeling the quad fatigue from yesterday afternoon's 40k'er but loosened up and felt good over the last 30mins. pushed a little hard and worried that i'd have a tough three loops of the two bridges loop three hours later. fueled up with 1.5 litres of freshly squeezed organic orange juice and a dozen fresh dates. race fuel test!
- on the second run i felt great and even managed to run the last 5 odd kms at under 4min pace. thought it would be a good idea to break out of the ultrarunning shuffle!
tue: 60min recovery run
- not surprising today's run was tough. got through a loop in 30mins and was heading back to work back convinced myself that i needed to HTFU and keep going. thankfully i did as the last 30 minutes was blissful.
** discovered that not all smoothies are good no matter how much fruit you add to them. not sure that adding avocado, beets and greens together in the one mix can be successful.
wed: 15km (1:06) steady/31km (2:15) easy
- went out at lunch for a loop of the lakes feeling good after yesterday's easy day. worked, ate and then 90 minutes later got out again. the storm provided some interest as i started thinking about what the safest place would be to get struck by lightening. might start carrying some food/drink with me as the runs get over two hours. discovered my new superpower - jedi vision. my awareness on the way home was out of this world.
thu: 11k (somewhat) easy // 20k w/ 12k moderate (0:49)
- actually made it out of bed after another night of sleeplessness. i would have thought with the increase volume there would be a direct correlation with an increased need to sleep but unfortunately my body hasn't got the message. on to the run... not much to report. felt good on the flats and small rises but quads didn't want to help out on the climb up from the railway. achilles a little tender to so better keep an eye on it.
- will get out at lunch and try and put in a good 20k.
fri: 17k (1:15) // 13.4k easy (2 x two bridges loop)
- went out at lunch for yet another 15k loop of the lake to discover that 3/4 of the way around the bridge was fenced off and i had to turn around and back track. don't think i fueled enough prior to the run as i could feel my edges beginning to tear. i was focusing on running at an easy effort trying to establish my mental strategy for race day thinking about what it will be like to run through the night and into the morning... but that all went to hell when i realised i had to run an extra couple of kms. discovered a large hole in my mental fabric. need to patch that up so i can continue to operate and adjust when things don't go according to plan.
- will head out after work for another triple loop before heading home giving me just over 100 miles for the last five days. feeling that my body is handling the mileage effort without stressing over it.
sat: 13k (1:01) easy run
- after a day of physical work run got ugly and decided to cut it short. planned on trying again tomorrow.
sun: 30k (2:23) easy
- another day spent on house renos left me with a sore back and dog tired but headed out to log some miles. finished up with a sore foot and in need of a rest day (tomorrow).
total: 200km run
training week (25-31/10/2010):
mon: 15km (1:08) steady run/21km (1:31) steady
- on what has become the norm i ran the first session at lunch. started out feeling the quad fatigue from yesterday afternoon's 40k'er but loosened up and felt good over the last 30mins. pushed a little hard and worried that i'd have a tough three loops of the two bridges loop three hours later. fueled up with 1.5 litres of freshly squeezed organic orange juice and a dozen fresh dates. race fuel test!
- on the second run i felt great and even managed to run the last 5 odd kms at under 4min pace. thought it would be a good idea to break out of the ultrarunning shuffle!
tue: 60min recovery run
- not surprising today's run was tough. got through a loop in 30mins and was heading back to work back convinced myself that i needed to HTFU and keep going. thankfully i did as the last 30 minutes was blissful.
** discovered that not all smoothies are good no matter how much fruit you add to them. not sure that adding avocado, beets and greens together in the one mix can be successful.
wed: 15km (1:06) steady/31km (2:15) easy
- went out at lunch for a loop of the lakes feeling good after yesterday's easy day. worked, ate and then 90 minutes later got out again. the storm provided some interest as i started thinking about what the safest place would be to get struck by lightening. might start carrying some food/drink with me as the runs get over two hours. discovered my new superpower - jedi vision. my awareness on the way home was out of this world.
thu: 11k (somewhat) easy // 20k w/ 12k moderate (0:49)
- actually made it out of bed after another night of sleeplessness. i would have thought with the increase volume there would be a direct correlation with an increased need to sleep but unfortunately my body hasn't got the message. on to the run... not much to report. felt good on the flats and small rises but quads didn't want to help out on the climb up from the railway. achilles a little tender to so better keep an eye on it.
- will get out at lunch and try and put in a good 20k.
fri: 17k (1:15) // 13.4k easy (2 x two bridges loop)
- went out at lunch for yet another 15k loop of the lake to discover that 3/4 of the way around the bridge was fenced off and i had to turn around and back track. don't think i fueled enough prior to the run as i could feel my edges beginning to tear. i was focusing on running at an easy effort trying to establish my mental strategy for race day thinking about what it will be like to run through the night and into the morning... but that all went to hell when i realised i had to run an extra couple of kms. discovered a large hole in my mental fabric. need to patch that up so i can continue to operate and adjust when things don't go according to plan.
- will head out after work for another triple loop before heading home giving me just over 100 miles for the last five days. feeling that my body is handling the mileage effort without stressing over it.
sat: 13k (1:01) easy run
- after a day of physical work run got ugly and decided to cut it short. planned on trying again tomorrow.
sun: 30k (2:23) easy
- another day spent on house renos left me with a sore back and dog tired but headed out to log some miles. finished up with a sore foot and in need of a rest day (tomorrow).
total: 200km run
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