Glorious from all angles

After coming home to hail on my doorstep after Friday night's swim I didn't have high hopes for the weather over the weekend.  How pleasantly surprised I was.

Sat; run: 3:26:03 | 31.8 km | 6:28m/km
I pretty much hung out in bed for most of the morning waiting for the rain to clear. I ran beach side into the city, out along the Yarra to Richmond and back into the city to Flinders Street and caught the train home. At 25km I was hurting. At 27km more so. You get the drift. I did this without music, tried to stay strong mentally while physically felt as though I was crumbling. The walk home from the station was painful to say the least.

Sun; ride: 2:16:24 | 52.2km | 23km/hr
Essentially a recovery ride with a lot of stop starting in and through the city to Kew Boulevard. Nothing like setting course PBs when your legs are shot from the day before.

Run Melbourne

The short 21.1km | 2:04:34 | 5:54m/km

The long
I'd picked up my race packet on the Friday. I quite liked the addition of the race day checklist. I totally forgot to pick up safety pins and dug out a race belt last minute. Also I would have totally forgot to attach my timing chip because it was in a different envelope. Have I ever raced before??

Given my running over the last month I was quietly hopeful that I'd run a PB. But I had to keep a lid on it. I'm not one of those people who gets white line fever on race day. I assess how I'm feeling on the day and go from there.

I parked trusty scoot and made it to the start line with 8 minutes to official start time. It was dark and St Kilda Road looked a treat with all the fairy lights in the trees. Seeded myself with the 1:55+ group, I saw the 2 hour pacer, but when our wave was good to go, I couldn't get near them. Given the sheer number of people this run is always congested. Three kms flew by just trying to work out what pace I should be doing. I didn't really have a race plan...

As usual my Garmin was out a little. According to the Garmin I was running 5:30/km, but according to the markers, my pace was closer to the 6:00m/km mark. False hope was not something I needed, but I knew if I could keep it under 6:00m/km I'd get a PB. This is a really good reminder for Berlin and training that I'm not running as fast as I think I'm running! Or that I need to stop weaving.

The entertainment on course was fun, the African drummers, bands and DJs added plenty of atmosphere.
There was plenty of water and electrolyte available, though as expected the stations were crowded. Next time I race I'll have something more substantial than a bowl of rice bubbles. Not ideal race food, I was hungry at about the 7-8km mark and relished my gel at 10km. As soon as I felt tired or sluggish I'd remind myself to "zip up my core" - one from my yoga instructor and run tall. It makes a difference.

I was pretty stoked to see 5km in just under 30 mins, 10km in under an hour and 20km in under two hours! I knew that barring some sort of disaster I would get a PB and edge closer to the elusive (for me) sub 2hr half. I crossed the line and almost burst into tears, the relief, after so many attempts of improving my half marathon time by almost 5 minutes!

The swag at the end was water, an apple and the medal, however there was more on offer as you walked past the tents lining the river up to St Kilda Rd. Coconut water and a muesli bar? Yes please. Everyone likes free stuff!

Crane compression review

My friend has a saying "I'm going to make every dollar my prisoner" when he's on a saving spree.
I feel a bit like that at the moment too, trying to get on top of registration for a car and scooter, insurance, bills, and the flights to Berlin that are yet to be booked. You know, the usual.

My ears certainly pricked up when last Friday a woman in our way-too-open-plan office mentioned that Aldi was going to have a sale on compression tights and tops over the weekend.

Do I need new pair of tights or do I. My 2XU compression tights are loose to the point of chafing me on my long runs now. I love me some 2XU, all my items have lasted for years, are comfy and flattering. But I just don't have that kind of coinage at the moment. And there's been nothing but large sizes on the 2XU outlet site.

And so, to Aldi I made it for Crane brand compression. There was one long pair of women's tights left, in size large. Sigh. But many pairs of long men's tights in small. I figured it was worth the less than $17 gamble.

And it was.

Pros
No branding
Minimal coloured stitching
Small reflective panel
Not see through
Tight/compression effect
Comfotable to run in
No swishing sound when walking or running

Cons
Slightly dinky rear pocket. Adequate to hold small set of keys, but I wouldn't trust my cash in there.
Because they are the mens version, the front pouch is kinda unsightly on a woman - lucky all my tees are long
The sizing/material details printed on the inside of the pants can be seen when the tights are on. Again the long tee negates this.

But really, you don't care about all that, you're just impressed that my socks match my top.

Run: 17:36 | 3.2km | 5:27m/km
A quick run to shake out the cobwebs before Run Melbourne on Sunday. I gots me some cups on Strava. That's always a good feeling.

Swim: 43:13 | 2km | 2:09m/100m.
2x 500m, 1x 1000m. My left shoulder felt a little niggly. Also I need to swim more. I noted the opening times for the week this visit. That's a first. Usually I rock up and hope it's open. I've not wasted my time yet.

In readiness...

Tomorrow my first sprint tri in quite some years. The goal is to finish. It will be interesting to see where I'm at and set more goals from there. I feel underdone on the running aspect, in that I'm not running the times I was hoping to at this stage. It's a little daunting, but all I have to do is keep moving forward, that's all I ask of myself.

Mon; run: 50:44 |  8km | 6.19m/km
Testing the distance. It feels like it's been a while since I've run this far.

Tues; yoga: Simply flow | 1hr
While I want to move up to power flow, all the simply flow classes I've done of late have certainly been challenging enough!

Wed; ride/run: 1:10:58 | 26.8km | 22.6 km/hr hilly ride followed by 12:58 | 2km | 6.28m/km run. It wasn't overly warm and my feet were numb making for some awkward running. Good practice for Sunday, the forecast is not warm.

Thurs; ride: 1:33:08 | 39.5km | 25.45km/hr. Beach rd ride.

Off the shelf: 50 Marathons in 50 Days

Have you read this?

This is up there with Born to Run another great running story. 50 marathons in 50 days by ultra marathon man Dean Karnazes is filled with tips about running. Some we've all heard before - the right shoes are important. To some I'd forgotten about - over-training signs; including lack of motivation, and new suggestions like run as far as you can in a day - pack a back pack and a credit card and go. The last one plays on me constantly... and I read the book last year.

Run: 39:36 | 6.3km | 6.16m/km
I had to throw in some speed in the form of intervals to my training. Glad I did, because I wildly underperformed. I really struggled to hold any kind of pace. Doesn't bode well for aim of 5.50m/km in my first triathlon. At least I know where I'm at and the work I need to do.

Time on my side

I like you night shift I do, but I love me some rest days!

Tues; ride: 1:39:25 | 39.6km | 23.8km/hr.
What a day! Blue skies, no wind, shall I say that again, NO WIND!!!  I headed out with Mum and got to catch up on all her recent holiday news. We stopped for coffee of course. Had I not needed to leave for work by midday I honestly think I would have spent all day on the bike. It was beautiful. My HR average was 143. I didn't exactly stick in Z2, but I did manage some Z4 efforts.

Wed; run: 39:04 | 5km | 7.48m/km.
It was toasty, even at 6:45pm when I started the run. I'd procrastinated all afternoon. My dinner plans were canceled and I had no excuses left. Hard to keep the HR down at 140, but an easy run otherwise.

Thurs; ride/run: 1:16:37 | 28.7km | 22.4km/hr ride followed by 25:28 | 4.2km | 6.45m/km run.
Brick session. It was only meant to be a 15min run at 150 bpm or Z3. But I wanted a bit of time to unleash. To let myself run free, so the rest of the run was done as the race will be done with my HR sky high. Felt good to be working.

Excuse me ego | Zone 2 training

The week was more productive than anticipated. I was on a course for work, my second time around and there was pressure to pass - mainly from myself. The travel was long and morning shifts weren't conducive to training, let alone the exhaustion after concentrating all day.

Add to all that the start of a training plan. One that adheres strongly to training in Zone 2, 65-75% of your max heart rate. Basically a rate of training that allows you to breathe through your nose if you wanted to, one that builds endurance and encourages your body to be more efficient at what it's doing.

I've promised myself I'm going to stick with it for a month (potentially longer). It is painfully slow. It is constantly keeping my ego at bay. I know I can go faster, but I will be governed by my heart rate, not by how much faster that person who just passed me is going. The added bonus is that I can do a 2 hour ride prior to work and not be exhausted. I tend to feel ready for the next training session. So that's an early good thing. Go on body, adapt! Do your thing!

Mon: Run;  37:52 | 5km | 7:34/km. 
Steady Z2 run. Had to walk in the last 2kms to keep the HR down. This is my first real run since the Half and there was no ITB pain. Bonus!

Wed: Bike Trainer; 1:05
Majority Z2 plus 5x 3min @ Z4. Watched taped stages of the tour and listened to my fave playlist to keep the boredom at bay. Reward was my guilty pleasure 'The Bachelor'.

Fri: Run; 44:22 | 5.46km | 8:08/km
Warm up 15m @ Z2. Main 2x (4min @ Z4, 3min @ Z2). Cool down Z2.
So much walking. I let my Garmin determine my zones. I'm pretty sure it uses 220- age and as a result the numbers are a bit off because I saw 188bpm at the end of the half. I'll tweak the numbers before the next run.

Fri: Yoga; 1:00 Simply Flow. Lots of hip opening poses and ITB stretching. Felt so good.

Sat: Ride; 2:14:27 | 51.3km | 22.89km/hr
Majority Z2 plus 5x 3min @ Z4. Significantly harder to get into Z4 on the road rather than the trainer, unless of course there's a hill!

Melbourne Half Marathon 2013

 The Short: 2:18:45 | 21.1km | 6.35m/km

Pre race routine:
I never actually started training for this race after the half marathon at RunMelbourne in July. In the end I had no plans to actually run this event. I decided to downgrade to the 10km. But I left it too late, on Friday, when I went to the MCG concourse I was in line to change my event. I got to the front of the queue and was advised I'd need to pick my race packet/number up first and then change events. At about the time I picked up my race packet the 10km sold out and I was left holding a 21.1km entry. I quickly pushed aside thoughts of canning the run. I did what anyone else would do, I googled "how to run a half marathon with no training". The two key requirements appeared to be an awesome playlist and a running buddy who was in the same position. I had neither. 

As an aside how good are family? When my scooter opted not to start the night before a desperate phone call to Mum and I had a lift to the start line.

Run comments:
Instead I gave myself 'permission' to run whatever pace was required that would get me over the line. It wasn't fast. I haven't had a super close look at my splits, but they were pretty consistent. As is the case with my longer distance running. I tried to visualize good form and generally enjoy the company of running with other people. They of course were listening to their kick ass playlists! The crowd and volunteer support was really good.

The crowd thickened as we got closer to the MCG. It was easy to lift with all the cheering. Running onto the 'G was awesome. I tried for a mini sprint to the end and partially managed. It's a toss up to spend a heap of time out there on the ground or get the run over and done with!

I ended up fueling with three Gu. One at the 45min mark, one at 1:30 and another at about 2:00. I think I had 10-15 mins of stomach distress, but I kept running and it went. I took water at every drink station. Even if it was just a few sips. I felt as though my drinking and nutrition were spot on. I meant to take some Clif Shots, but because I didn't pack them with the rest of my stuff the night before I forgot them.
 
Before the race I took a photo of the splits for a 2:20 and 2:25 half marathon. I referred to these every so often during my run so see where I was at. I always find my Garmin is a little out and my math is appalling at the best of times. 

In terms of the race itself, it's massive. I think this year there were a record number of participants. Considering that the ability to get a drink of water during the race itself was relatively easy. There was an offer to pick up showbags prior to the day which I took advantage of. Not every finisher was directed to powerade and a banana - so I went hunting for same and got results.

Compared to Melbourne's other big half marathon, I actually liked RunMelbourne better. There's a stack of entertainment on course and the course is slightly more interesting route wise. But for finishing on the 'G Melbourne Marathon Festival is certainly recommended.

What would you do differently?
In terms of during the race, nothing. I was happy enough with my performance. My attitude remained positive throughout. This is key!  Prior to racing; train! Work and life and everything else became a priority.
I say it every time and one day, just one day I might take heed; speed work would be of great benefit.

Warm down?
The bucketing rain after finishing helped that. I took a mineral salt bath afterwards.

What limited your ability to perform faster?
Talent!
Oh and some ITB pain on the left kicked in at the 12km mark. This will be watched.

1637

Yesterday being Grand Final day was a day full of food and drink. I ended up overdoing it and feeling a little queasy. You live and learn. Today back on track.

Breakfast: Apple and ricotta pancakes (base being 1 egg, 1/3 cup oats, 1/2 tsp baking powder - works with mashed banana too)
Lunch: Satisfying salad sandwich, scoffed this after yoga!
Dinner: Wile rice pumpkin and eggplant salad mentioned previously.
Snacks: Dates and walnuts, Celery and an Almond milk hot chocolate (last two not pictured)

Run: 35:34 | 6km | 5.55m/km
It was windy and rather unpleasant for 3 km.

Yoga: 2hr Flow Workshop
I learned so much. I realised how little upper body strength I have. And that's ok. Just got to keep plugging away at it.

1653

Friday's eats
Breakfast; Cape seed loaf and butter. So delicious. And a large coffee after yoga.
Lunch; Corn tortillas with ricotta & eggs, scrambled plus generous lashings of hot sauce. 
Dinner; very loosely based on this, subs included wild rice, walnuts, addition of feta & avocado.
Snacks; Celery, blood orange, stewed apple, almond milk hot chocolate.

My eating is not usually this virtuous. I had totally planned to have a chocolate bar at work, but we were so busy there was barely enough time to eat dinner! I had the hot chocolate at home instead.

Run: 1:19:52 | 12.2km | 6.32m/km
Windy conditions. Not feeling the love with my running at the moment.

Yoga: 1:00 | Simply flow
I found it a challenging on the mat today, probably due to tiredness after running.

1587

 

These are Monday's eats.

Instead of moaning about my weight gain (I'm up a kilo or two) it was time to do something about it. Everyone knows what they need to do, it's just a matter of knuckling down and for me; eating less. 1500 is my target range.

Breakfast: coffee and a huge piece of toast with jam and cottage cheese.

I was on an afternoon shift, so I had my 'cooked' meal at lunch: salmon with dukkah, steamed veggies with a horseradish/mayo dressing and baked sweet potato chips. Protein at lunch works so well for me.
Dinner: I opted for a wrap so I could essentially eat on the run.

Snacks: gluten free bar, popcorn, tea and an almond milk hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Mon; run: 36:59 | 6.02km | 6.08m/km. It was cold and windy, but satisfying nevertheless.

Time off

I've just had a week off work and this is the first time I've made it to the computer.
I've been out and about and doing stuff, oh yes I have! More about that through the week.

But today I baked ANZAC biscuits for my workmates and made a pretty tasty rice pilaf for dinner - I used dried ginger and dried chili instead of fresh and added green beans at the same time as the prawns - turned out just fine. Other than my glorious run this morning, I took it pretty easy today.

Run; 37:33 | 6km | 6:15m/km. First run in forever! Or about 2-3 weeks. I thought it was going to hurt. It didn't and I really enjoyed it.

Time keeper

If it were my choice, I'd never wear a watch. I didn't for 11 years while at my old job, because when I did I'd sit staring at it wondering why on earth time was at a standstill. However with new career come new requirements, one of them to accurately record the time. Oh and to be on time!

My choice was the Polar FT40 and I don't regret my choice. I wanted something a little less full on than my Garmin 310XT (which I still love) for the pool, stationary biking and any other physical activities asked of me.

I was initially skeptical that the white rubber wrist band wouldn't stay white for very long, but five months down the track it looks like it did the day I got it.

I love the ridiculously easy to read numbers and the fact that you have the option of having the day of the week included in the date format.

For the most part it records my heart rate accurately. It can be a little dodgy in the pool - like most HR monitors I've ever used, but it is far more reliable at recording my HR than my Garmin 310XT is.

For every session it logs calories burned, the percentage of calories burned as fat, how long you were in fat burning zone vs fitness zone, average and max HR.

There's also a fitness test application within the watch to measure aerobic fitness. But lets face I haven't made use of that yet.

Sat; run: 17:06 | 3.07km | 5:34/km. Vibram run. Short & sweet.

Fri; swim: 18:00 | 1000m | 2:00m/100m. Part PE part my own doing.

Thurs; run & strength:: 30:11 | 5.5km | 5:29/km. There's nothing like healthy competition to push the pace. This was in PE class! Half an hour of strength after the run. Shoulders & abs focus.

Wed; strength: 40m. Included 5 min on the bike to warm up. Hard legs session. I could feel my quads burning.

Tues; bike trainer & strength: 55m spin class + 40m back, biceps & abs in the gym.

Choc Berry Protein bars

I also made these chocolate protein bars featured in Jamie Eason's Live fit trainer series. The change I made surrounded the pureed baby food that I've never heard of. Instead I subbed in ~220g of frozen berries. Worked a treat! They are easily portable and make a great pre or post workout snack.

Agility; 25m. Included some pylometric work. 
Bike trainer: 10m | 4km. Warm up. 5 min easy, 5 min of 30s climb, 30s easy.
Strength: 30m. The gym was packed tonight, I did what I could on the equipment and then headed home to finish off the rest of the sets.

Great Train Race | Puffing Billy

Run: 1:20:40 | 13.2km | 6:07min/km

Pre-race routine:

Drove out to meet P & M at Ferntree Gully station, on the way I ate breakfast that consisted of two crumpets with peanut butter and a coffee. Because M was spectating we decided to carpool to Belgrave, the race start. We stood around for a bit before they started calling competitors.

Run comments:
I could not believe how quickly the first 3 kms went. It was pretty much all downhill, past cheering spectators and beautiful forest.

At about 5km there was a hill that was a real giver. It just kept going and going and going, I ended up having to walk for a little bit.

We were held up by the second train at the last crossing. I wasn't overly disappointed, it was quite fun having all the passengers wave at us. The community involvement in this run is pretty impressive too. People were cheering from their picnic tables, or chairs that they'd set up outside their houses. There was a huge Country Fire Authority and Police presence too.

Running into the finish line was spectacular, the park and trees in all their Autumnal glory. There's a little kicker to the finish line which made it difficult to sprint finish.

Two things struck me about the run - I was surrounded by people the entire time. For so long it was just me at the back with very few other people running as slow as I.

The second was that I estimated I'd come in at 1:20 and actually did. Usually my expectations far exceed my talent.


What would you do differently?
About 30 seconds before the race start I remembered I'd forgotten to eat my clif shots.

Not really knowing the course I held back a touch - not a whole lot, but I wish now I'd pushed harder in the last couple of km. I'll know for next time. There will be a next time. A fun run indeed.

Warm down:
Mmm blackberry gatorade, I'm a fan.

What limited your ability to perform faster?

I've not done a whole lot of run training, let alone hill training. I was buoyed by the fact that I ran a 9.6km last weekend, that had it been extended to 10km would have been a PB. My form appears better without training ;)

Other places: Beginner Triathlete

I wanted to do a little feature on other places I log my training. It cycles through, but I glean motivation from each site at different times.

Are you a beginner triathlete? Are you a seasoned triathlete? Whatever the case there is a gluttony of triathlon related information to be found at Beginner Triathlete. I've been logging there since September 2004. I don't love the site design but I absolutely love the amount of information I can get from my training. I can look at that calendar above and know that in April I had 5 full rest days (yellow squares). That looking at the graph my exercise has been tapering severely over the last five weeks. That I have not been consistent at all.

It is an amazing and supportive community there. There's forums, race reports, gear reviews and plenty of people to answer whatever question you may have about triathlon. I can't imagine ever not logging there.

Bike trainer: 30min | 12km | 24km/hr. I totally sweated it out one of the many Biggest Loser episodes I've missed.
Strength: 15m. Arms & chest.

Sri Chinmoy Princes Park 9.6km

54:47 | 9.6km | 5:43min/km

Or the morning I had three breakfasts...

Last night I was so tempted to pull the pin on this run. My run training has not been inspiring of late. Melbourne put on the most gorgeous Autumn morning, I couldn't not head out. Not in my mind anyway.

Pre run breakfast: 2x crumpets with jam
Initially I'd signed up for the 15km, that had been changed to a 16km and so I downgraded to the 9.6km. Three laps of Princes park. I hate abhor laps at the best of times. So I just zoned out. I tried to pick people off or stay with them. That's what got me around. Oh and trying to run 5:40m/kms.
Turns out had this been a 10km and I'd maintained pace for another 400m, I would have run a PB.

Post run breakfast: pancake with maple syrup, water and plenty of gatorade.
I saved the banana for our post ride snack. Yea, riding later in the day.
Yay, pancakes. These races do an awesome job catering for the masses.

Walking back to the scooter I noticed a whole lot of yarn bombing. Yarn bomb a bike rack = pure awesomeness.

Post shower breakfast: Seven seeds coffee and a salted caramel cupcake.
Oh man the savoury stuff looked awesome at Besito, but the dehydration was kicking in and I just wasn't that hungry.

T.I.T.S

Time in the saddle, people, time in the saddle. T.I.T.S. Somehow it transpired that last week I worked one day. I had the rest of the week off. I am not complaining because even though I worked Thursday we started the day with a bike trainer session. Friday saw gorgeous blue skies and I decided to get in the saddle for real. I decided that there would be no nutrition fail as I aimed for 50km or two hours, whatever came first.

Sun; run: 1:11:43 | 11km | 6.31m/km. This was meant to be 14km, but at 11 I had to stop and walk home. All sorts of GI issues and I felt so ill that there were moments I thought I was going to lose my breakfast. I'm hoping to get up to 14km prior to my April 29, 15km race.

Sat; cycle: 54:22 | 22.8km | 25.16km/hr. Just a short one to Williamstown. Flew down with a tail wind and battled home in the head wind. The bike is much improved after the cable tightening.

Fri; cycle: 2:05:30 | 49.44km | 23.64km/hr. By no means was this a speedy ride, 40 mins of this is stop/start and extra safety precautions due to trucks. I wasn't tired per se, just a little sore in the lower back, which is a reminder to activate my glutes sooner rather than later. I stopped in at the LBS on the way home, the chain had been catching and it's due for a service. Cable was tightened and the bike is booked in for tuesday.

Thurs; bike trainer: 40 min

Wed; run: 50:11 | 8km | 6:16m/km. Vibram trail run in yarra bend park. Undulations and slightly softer footing were the go. Fitness wise 8km was ok, foot wise I could have pulled up a kilometre short, my feet were starting to hurt. Next time 7km vibram run!

Easter recap: Thursday & Friday

Fri; horse riding: 3 hours. This was so much fun. The last horse riding I did was between vineyards on the peninsula and was a little slow going with horses that knew exactly when the trot was coming. This was "Man from Snowy River" country and the views were breathtaking, we climbed and descended steep hills, trotted and cantered (when my horse wasn't being lazy). I'm so keen to do a 5 day horseriding tour, but will need to strengthen my inner thighs and remember to stretch them!

Thurs; jog/run: 54:14 | 8km | 6.47m/km. I was lucky enough to snag a girlfriend who's back from San Fran for a lap of the lake. We took it slow and chatted the whole way. I did an extra 3km at the end at around the 5:40m/km pace as per the session dictated.

Reward and stats

Oh yeah!
Not only did I get an extra hour sleep due to daylight saving finishing but my long run is done. Ok, long run was 12km, but I tell you that's the furthest I've run in quite some time. When I looked at the program it suggested a 6:40/km pace. I scoffed, then a kilometre in retracted scoff and figured I'd be lucky to maintain the pace. Also a good reminder to myself that one cannot improve ones running if one does not run.

Pretty happy coming home that there was a cold coconut water waiting in the fridge for me. It went down a treat!

Run: 1:18:25 | 12km | 6:32/km. No ITB issues apparent. That's a win.