MELBOURNE HALF MARATHON TRAINING: WEEK 10 DAY 3

All I can say is #dontbeafraid
OMG this is my fastest ever 10 in history. Faster than the last treddy effort on the Saturday night.
Run intervals at 10/10.5 and pushing it up to 11.0km/hr.
Run intervals really 300-500 at that speed. Walk intervals 200 at the start but reduced to 100 when doing only 300 running.
OMG. So chuffed. Next goal is under 65 but that is going to take some work.
Just got to get this kind of speed up to 15km distance.
Still got 6 weeks. Hoping for some #racedaymagic.
Finally can do this without running out of air.

Giddy Up, Happy Running.

MELBOURNE HALF MARATHON TRAINING: WEEK 10 DAY 2

So back on the treddy. It was my first mid week day off in weeks. I had the alarm set for 5:30 am t go out for 14 kms. It went off and I reset for 8:30. Just needed a sleep in. It has been a long 3 weeks since I got back from leave.

I'm definitely #racefit for City2Bay. no doubt about it. The fast 10 km on the treddy a couple of weeks back showed me that.

See what tomorrow brings. Long runs are necessary but so are some quality short ones.

MELBOURNE HALF MARATHON TRAINING: WEEK 8 DAY 7 - ADELAIDE MARATHON DAY

Today, for some it was marathon day. For me it started as a 12km long run up to the city to meet Sam and cheer on the marathoners and the halfers. The day finished very differently.
Was up at 5:45 and out the door by about 6:20am. It was fresh but perfect running weather.
Sub 1:40 not a bad time for the 12km. Met up with Sam and we based ourselves at the weir for cheering. My friend Julia was running her first marathon and I had promised I would have a bit of a run with her each time she passed. This plan also finished differently. Like me she is a back of the packer. She had had a sprained ankle 7 weeks out on a 30km run. She came past me at 13 km and off we went for a bit of a trot, just 1/2km to get her under the bridge and on her way.

Good morning!

Not a bad time for a training run

Sam and I at the weir, preparing for cheering duties

After that, we waited for some people to come past on their way back around to the botanic loop. Steve Moneghetti was running and Sam and I managed to get this selfie as he came past.

Not sure why but I am all cross eyed. Sam, Steph, Ev and I!

So the girls had left and I knew that Julia would be coming around the weir again at about 27 km to head back up the hill to North Adelaide. She was in a bad way. There were tears and talks of pulling out. I wasn't having a bar of it. You can't come 27 km of a 42 km race and pull out. So we joined forces and we walked the next 15 km to the finish. Her ankle was sore, everything was sore. I get that, I've been there. Twice. If it never hurt, everyone would do it. The ankle was a bit of a worry but she wasn't limping and was still moving forward, so I was confident she would be ok. So for 15 pretty brutal km, we talked, we walked and we got to the finish. At about 38km we had got a message from Julia's husband who was at the finish that they had saved a medal (she was only a little over the 6 hour cut off). That was enough to spur her on to keep going as honestly, it's the bling that makes this idiocy that we put ourself through worthwhile. We got there, and so my day went from a 12 km training run to actually around 30 km ( if you count the back and forths from the weir to the oval and then my walk to Currie St). The bus was going to be 26 mins so I got a cab.

Today was one of the first times, since volunteering a year ago in NYC, that I have been able to give back to some one in the running community. To see someone become a marathoner for the first time is really truly amazing. It was a great day and topped off by Julia's daughter putting her medal around her neck as she came over the line. I only had one day off this week and I spent most of it at this running festival. Great, great day. 

So what you need to know is this entire day was fuelled by a honey stinger wafer and a medium cappuccino. I do not condone this type of fuelling for this distance, but it can be done. At no time was I hungry, AT ALL. Nor did I feel that I was lacking energy.

Needless to say though, I nearly cleared out the local supermarket of food and have since inhaled that and a piece of Red Square Cheese (cheese = protein).

I've had a shower and a snooze and am currently wearing all sorts of compression. 

My unplanned afternoon of compression

And hideous minutes on this tool of torture

This is me.

MELBOURNE HALF MARATHON TRAINING: WEEK 7 DAY 6

So solo Saturday turns into a PB Party.
Was sitting at homing pining for NYC. I had 10 km planned for tomorrow as my first long run for this half (leaving it rather late as we all know!). Was so bored I got dressed and headed to the gym just after 9:00 pm to do tomorrow's 10 today.
On the treddy by 9:20. Finished by 10:30. Ran on 0 incline (because I didn't realise I had forgotten to put it up until about km #5!!!
Fastest ever everything!!!

4k @28:49
5k @35:40
6k@43:10
8k @57:00
10k @71:10

Just goes to show when you think you can't, you can.
I ran this session on intervals again with the walks at about 6.3km/hr (0.3km/hr faster than last 2 sessions) and the runs at 9.5-10km/hr.
Walks were all 200m. Run intervals varied from 500-800m and I did run a 1km interval towards the start at 9.5km/hr.
Bear in mind, I have hardly run for 2 months and just ran a PB over every distance.
This is my 5th run this week. Definitely rest day tomorrow now.
Totally smashed it out of the ball park.
So all those time trials I talked about yesterday? #doneanddusted !!!!!

Happy running, enjoy your Sunday!



#dasherlife
#racefit

MELBOURNE HALF MARATHON TRAINING: WEEK 7 DAY 5

Sub 40 5 km time trial SUCCESS!!!
Ran the last couple of intervals on 9.5 and 10km/hr!

Still on the interval pyramid which I am liking for the moment.
200/200/200/500/200/600/200/800/200/600/200/500/200/500 (because I wanted my sub 40!)

Once again running on an incline and next week will up that 0.5 to 2.5 to further test my fitness.
Next goal is sub 60 8km followed by a sub 1:15 10 km
When I achieve those I will know I am moving forward to race fitness.
Hoping to get the 8km by 25 August and the 10km 10 days following that which will bring me to 2 weeks before City to Bay where I want to go for the sub 1:30 across the 12km.

Happy Running!

MELBOURNE HALF MARATHON TRAINING: WEEK 7 DAY 3

So 3 days in a row. I wasn't quite fast enough on the run intervals so missed my sub 40.
Ran on a mini pyramid.
200/200/200/400/200/600/200/800/200/600/200/500/200/300/200
2.0 incline. Used 5.8-6.0 for walk intervals and runs varied from 7.5-9.5
Its the best way to push up the speed and test fitness. I used to run on zero incline but now find I can do a slight incline with no trouble.

Had a rest day on Thursday.
Happy Running

PRODUCT REVIEW: GYM BOSS miniMAX INTERVAL BEEPER

This girl is big on interval running. I never used to be. I used to think you had to run all the way to get faster times. I have had 4 PB's this year using Jeff Galloway's method of run/walk intervals. I got the gym boss to help me in the NYC Marathon in 2013 and have used it ever since. I love it.
If you have a basic Garmin or watch for running this will be the perfect accompaniment to your either of those. Available in an array of colours, the Gymboss Mini Max runs off 1 x AAA battery. You can adjust your intervals to anything you like. Maximum of 99 rounds of the 2 intervals. Beeps go off for 1, 2 or 5 seconds and the beep can be quite loud (for a race like NYC Marathon, this is essential. I had to wear it on the neck hole of my top the crowd was that loud. It's so easy to use this product, I am a big fan and recommend it to anyone who needs something to time their intervals. It means you aren't always looking at your watch.
So if you want to get the perfect interval timer click below!




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