Sunday laps again

Could only get out in the afternoon and Craig answered a call to arms.  He dropped Chelsea and Thomas off at ours to play with the kids while we ran loops of Nolans and Passmore - same as two weeks ago.

The kids were great, handing us bottles of water after every lap then picking them up as we chucked them on the ground.  14 laps and 30km done.  Same impact as last week - bloody tough on the glutes and hamstrings.  4:49's.

Back from the Brink

Saturday was ANSW XC relays in Miranda.  Was still feeling average in the morning so didn't intend to run, but was taking Maggie down after her morning ballet eisteddfod.  Got there, saw the awesome set up, saw the crowd and decided to give it a go.  But first Maggie's race.  She was fantastic, running 17:46 just 3 seconds behind (an admittedly very pregnant) Elle.  Here she is:

Then I was up first leg in the Open mens.  Well, I had only one aim.  Stay ahead of Enda.  Ran with him for the first 200m then pushed ahead a bit.  Could see I had about 5m after 1km and then got through the first lap in 6:50.  Then my legs started going dead.  Not sure whether it was lack of fitness, antibiotics or getting over the manflu, but every corner involved an increasingly desperate look over my shoulder to see where he was.  I told myself I owed this to poor Timmy who has been ostracised by Enda of late.  And so I got there.  14:10.  Better than I thought and something to work from.

Scotty had a great run in 13:11 mixing with the big boys.  Barts ran a great second leg in 13:26 but JFen was run of the day as he beat both CT and me to run 14:01.

Great turnout by Rejoov so here we are (at least the blokes and Mags):

Monday recovery

Good news is that the achilles is feeling better and better (despite a real test on Sunday) and I ran home Monday evening with the stated aim of going dead slow but just felt comfortable the whole way.  69:55 (4:53's).

Bad news is the bug I've been struggling with started to hit me again when I got home and I'm off work sick today with a temperature.  FFS.

Long run including SMH Half

Headed in with the in-form Benny, Erika and Tim and got to the office after a few City diversions which had Benny's heart rate up in the 160's before we'd even started running.  Met LJ and then into the office for a change before heading out for a few pre-race kms.  Only managed 3.2km at 5:00 pace around MMC before being the last person to join the race from the front.  Headed a few rows back and then we were off.

Plan was to run 4min kms all the way.  But after Saturday's effort I wasn't too confident, worrying whether this little bug would hit me in the legs later on.  So by some bizarre logic I decided I needed to run a bit quicker to get some time in the bank.  Met JFen on the detour up Grosvenor Street and we ran together for the rest of the way, generally chatting (except on the hills).  We averaged about 3:50's going through half way in 40:41.  More effort required in the second half up the hills and noticeable how people were coming back to us.  Finished in 82:11 with a confidence boost given it felt comfortably hard.

Some super performances out there today.  Hoey was the pick, knocking off my PB from 2015 by 9s to run 71:04 leaving Barts and Scotty in his wake.  A typical strong second half performance from him.  Bruce ran a strong 76 on a tough course and Benny likewise only 4s shy of his Canberra PB on a much more difficult course (78:55).  Jeet is returning to form with a low 79 and he needs to belt up about his injury now.

Another 5km cool down with car gang at 5:20 pace for 29km all up.

Benny, Erika, LJ and me.  Thumbs are the new Dab.

Saturday tempo abort

3 weeks since the previous 5km TT around the golf club so tried it again.  Fail.  Just felt crap.  Think I've had a low level bug for a week which explained Thursday but that could just be an excuse, I just can't seem to get firing.  3:24 then 3:30 then jogged out the rest.  12km.

Brisbane Friday

Felt very average on Thursday so took my kit to BrisVegas and snuck in 14km over lunchtime in 4:30's along the river.  Need to stop over striding. Found that when I relaxed and increased the cadence I ran quicker and more easily.

103km for the week.

Wednesday MLR

Well it was the usual Wednesday MLR route I've been doing for the past few weeks with Timmy but without Timmy.  Instead, Jeet, Jack the Lad and Irish Dave did the whole thing (actually I added a km at the end solo) while Jac, Elle, Renee and Bruce joined us to the top of Ocean St.

16km nice and easy.  4:52's.  296m of elevation.  Starting to feel as though I am moving properly again.

HuRTS Fartlek

1 km warm-up then into the 45mins fartlek (5 x 9mins of 3,2,1 each with a minute break).  Had ambitions of trying to stay with Bruce and Jerome but they fell apart coming around the Opera House.  From then on it was Gidon and Big Kev.  Turned at Barangaroo averaging 3:42's.  G and Big K didn't seem to turn very well so I was on my own on the way back.  Andy and JFen came flying by at CQ with Toby following shortly after.  Lots stopped at 30mins with SMH Half on this weekend and Toby kindly slowed to get me up the hills at the end.

Finished 39s over for 12.1km (3:46's).  Time not flash but at least feel as though I'm moving properly again.  3km cool down for 16km all up.

New of the day for a proud Dad was Maggie smashing all in her school XC win.  Charlie finished a credible 10th in his after falling at the start and someone standing on his ear.  Bec finished 12th in Zone.  God knows what the competition is like for that as she barely moves from her bedroom.

Monday recovery

Did 13km with the squad, running with BW, Bruce, JW, Eoin, Liam & Co.  Then finished with some hills (4) in the Bot Gardens.  To be honest, this is the first run I've done where I felt everything was moving properly and started to flow again.  Coincides with managing to do 8x single leg pivots in the shower this morning.  Also coincides with my starting on high strength turmeric tablets for their anti-inflammatory powers.  They seem to work!  Bursar on my heel hasn't been as shrunken in ages.  Make your farts smell though.

4:43's.

Easy recovery

Just an easy 13km in the late arvo to Shelley and about.  Legs were buggered to be honest.  4:45's.

Just finished re-watching "Lion" and "La La Land" over the past two nights with Kirst. Both great films for different reasons and I had a lump in my throat watching each. Young Saroo is the star of the first and Emma Stone rose in my estimations for the latter. Great actress.

Tommy: 1 Nolans/Passmore: 0

Thursday and Friday were off sick with this cold bug doing the rounds.  Billy has been diagnosed with whooping cough.

Wanted to go long on Sat due to Mothers Day on Sunday, plus had a chance to get out.  Only problem was I had to keep an eye on Claudia.  So hatched a plan to run around Nolans and Passmore while she was out playing on the fields.  She would high five me every time I ran past.  She kept a pen and paper to log the number of high fives.  131 was the final tally.  13 laps of Passmore and Nolans plus one final loop of Nolans made up the 30km in 2:18 (4:37's).

Hardest thing wasn't the boredom of running the same loop (I actually like running on Nolans, less so Passmore) but the lack of variation in gradient, pace and terrain which results in sore muscles.

Wednesday in Melbourne

Well Tuesday was a write off. Up at 4:30am for the flight to Melbourne then an all day meeting finishing at 8pm put paid to any run, let alone a session.

Woke early on Wednesday morning and, realising it was my only chance and with the Achilles feeling good, I did the Yarra Trail for 16km.  Lovely.  Just can't run at 4:30's at he moment though.  Struggled to get it there.

Monday meander

13km in the late afternoon around the City. Had a shout out from Robin Whiteley. That was about it.  4:47's. Don't seem to be able to run any quicker these days.

Back to 30km

Managed to persuade Benny, Macca, Hamish and the Cap'n to do the lunchtime long run.  Macca is playing injury Wac-a-Mole but did 10km with us, with Hamish and the Cap'n lasting until Addiscombe on the return.  Only Benny did the full 30 with me, with him doing 34km now preparing for GCM after his great PB yesterday.

I struggled over the final 5km but did it with the achilles feeling relatively ok.  4:47's.  Not quick, but enough at the moment.

Alien in my calf:

A significant day in running

It started this am at Curl Curl Parkrun. Forgive my fatherly pride, but Maggie ran a stormer. 3 weeks ago she knocked 90s off her PB to run 23:24.  This morning, she knocked another 90s off to run 21:56. In doing so, she achieved the highest Age/Gender score at Curl Curl this am:

 

I told her to give it a crack with 10 days to go before her school XC and she duly responded.

Then the Sydney 10 results came filtering through. It looked tactical upfront but Barts lived up to his billing as HuRTs #1 with a 32:05, followed by Scotty (who was with him until 8.5km) and Nick in 32:27 and Binfield running a great race to dip under 33.  Toby pipped CT in 33:17 and other great PBs went to Bruce (34:07) and particularly Benny in 34:55.  Sub35 is a special thing.  Timmy claimed my $20 with a 37:15 and gave me something to aim for in my tempo in the afternoon.

Then Kipchoge's sub2 attempt (let's not pretend the other 2 were doing anything but making up the numbers).  It was a much more professional set-up than I'd anticipated and really interesting to watch.  The bloke is amazing.  So smooth with virtually no wasted energy. It's like watching Tucks.  He smashed everyone's expectations in getting with 25s and proving that it's possible.

Then I got out for a run - feeling inspired.  Decided against a hard 5km having watched the marathon so settled on 10km steady tempo.  Tried to keep the pace manageable throughout and that equated to 3:45's.  Felt in control which was good and ended with 37:17 (just outside Timmy's time this am). 

14km all up.

Thursday HuRTs

Over to Rushcutters but a small crowd in light of Saturday's Sydney 10.  And no cones.  Session was the pyramid of 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 laps.  Decided to push it a bit but still incapable of hurting myself.

Quentin and Jake out front with Big Kev a bit in front of me.  Averaged about 3:21's throughout.

Longer cool down for 15km all up.

90km for the week.

Wed MLR

Out with Timmy again but joined this time by young Jack Maxwell and a chap we called Irish Dave.  Young Jack kept the pace a bit more honest so that we averaged 4:43's.  Same route of Centennial loop via Ocean St both ways. 15km.

Some reps

Ok.  Been procrastinating on this one.  Partly worried about the achilles, partly worried about lack of fitness. Finally joined HuRTs for 8 x 1km around Bangers.  Decided to settle on about 3:25 pace. After the first at 3:30 they were all around 3:22 to 3:23.  Variously ran with Jeet, Brendan, Timmy, The Bearded One, Biggsy etc. There's quite a pack at that pace.

Well, for the first time since January I wasn't even thinking of the achilles when running that pace. But then on the 6th rep it started to tighten a little.  Started the 7th rep before my head told me to cut it at that, and live to fight another day.  So stopped after 50m and jogged back to the office.

10km all up.  Achilles good this evening.  Sorry it's boring, but exciting for me.

Dinner tonight at the BFC before Dad and Liz head back to Blighty tomorrow:

 

Monday plod

Started to run home. Decided it was too much on my fragile achilles so did 7km around flat Barangaroo, was last man sprinting on to the ferry then 3km from the wharf home.  10km in 4:57's.  Just what the doctor ordered.

I've decided that success in life is about the quality of your distribution networks.

Longer Sunday

Got out at lunch with Darren and the Captain.  Did the same route as last week but adding to the lagoon and back and a loop of Fairfax.

Achilles surprisingly ok and got into the running after 5km.  Which was handy given that Darren had decided to punish his less fit running companions by pushing the hills.

All up 27km on a beaut of a day in exactly 2 hours (4:27's).

Then up to Narrabeen to ride the BMX next to Maggie as she ran 5km around the lake.  Legs shafted after that.

Saturday test

Was in Port Moresby Thursday and Friday with no chance to run.  Couple of days rest was probably what I needed in any case.

Headed out in the late afternoon to do another 5km tempo test.  3 weeks ago I ran 17:46 (adjusted to 17:39 on Strava) for the 2 lapper of Manly Golf Course starting from the corner of Kenneth and Quirk.  Ben Streck had run a 17:08 PB at Parkrun in the am so ambitiously set that as my target.

Went out hard over the undulating first km and was pleased to see 3:22.  A 3:26 followed and through the first lap in 8:32.  The tough 3rd km was 3:32 then consolidated with a 3:28.  Final km in 3:23 for a 17:11.  Strava seems to knock off 7s on the double loop as it gave me 17:04, finally knocking off Banksy's segment record.  Second loop was 8:39 so was happy not to drop off too much.

35s improvement in 3 weeks.  Next up sub17.

8km warm up and down for 13km all up.  Achilles sore in the evening.  6 hours of flying yesterday and the day before won't have helped.

Port Moresby:

 

MLR with Timmy

Out at lunch for what is becoming a regular MLR with Timmy. Chatted about everything from Rory Delap to Port Moresby and a few sidebars along the way.  15km around Centennial and back in 4:50's.

ANZAC Day

Kicked out of the house with the kids by Kirst, I ventured to the dark side to warn them of the perils of going astray. Venturing from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay, we encountered drug dealers (see pic below - my son pretending to pimp out his sister), latte sippers and beards galore.

Once home I got back to basics with a lovely 17km run around North Head with Charlie (the person, not the Eastern Suburbs drug of choice) and the Cap'n.  4:34's.

 

Monday

Still feeling ok (6 days in a row) and it was a beautiful day so joined HuRTs for 10-11km easy.  Chatted to Biggsy and Jac mainly.  Starting to feel more confident.  So much that I've got a bet with Timmy I'll run sub 2:34 in Berlin.  $50.

Sunday

Still can't run early with the Achilles being too stiff before lunchtime but got out at noon and Angus was keen to run at that time.  Did 25km with an extended route up around North Head. Great to have some company and kick off my first official long run post-injury.

Angus was remarking how I seemed to say hello to everyone in Manly before he stopped to say hello to Tony Abbott at Queensie on the way back.  I didn't.

Not the Novice

Down to Scarborough Park in the early afternoon. Wasn't up to running the Novice 10km but Maggie was doing the Under 12's 2km and Charlie decided to take part too as we travelled down there. Great running by both. They were knackered as they fell over the line. Mags ran a great 8:13 for 15th girl. Hard to tell how she did for her age as she has another 2 years in Under 12's.  Charlie was about 30s back.

Got home and, inspired, I ran loops of Nolan's and Passmore on the grass high-fiving the kids on the basketball court as I ran by. Felt great and as if I was moving properly again.  10km in 4:20's.

Friday with Jerome

Just me and the friendly Frenchman today.  But had a great chat with Jerome all the way round, a nicer bloke you will not meet.

12.5km in 4:34's.

Watched another 3 episodes of Thirteen Reasons Why tonight.  Holy crap it's heavy but gripping stuff.  Although I do wish he'd just listen to the tapes a bit more quickly.

Thursday with HuRTs

Jogged over the Rushcutters with the crowd to find Greta having diligently laid out some cones.  Set the group off on the Quarters session and then proceeded to just run it easy myself at the back.  Longer jog back with Q, Scotty and a new bloke called Jake.

11.5km

Wednesday MLR

Missed Timmy due to the worst meeting of my life. Got out eventually and ran to Centennial Park via Ocean St and, still angry, decided on a white fence tempo to see if I could beat last week's time.

First km - 3:32 (same), second km - 3:37 (2s quicker), third km - 3:34 (6s quicker), final 600m - 2:01 (6s quicker).  So all made up in the back half and that's how it felt too.

Achilles a bit sore after but ok this evening. Have a massage with big David Morgan Smith (who sounds and looks like a rugby player) in the am so will take it easy tomorrow.

Back home Monday

Back home and did a loop of North Head in the afternoon. Bumped into Erika on Manly beachfront and ran with her to Shelley.  Gradually increased the pace the whole way ending with a couple of sub 4's for just over 16km in 4:27's.

Achilles a bit sore after so rested Tuesday.

Easter Sunday

Well yesterday was a monster walk doing the 18km from Bundeena to Garie Beach.  I was shagged at the end (and the achilles a bit sore walking in the 4mm drop Sauconys).  Got home and fell fast asleep on the sofa.  I'm turning into an old man.

Woke up this morning though feeling pretty good and with the achilles feeling good again.  Best thing is it seems to heal a bit every night now.  Did my first 20km'er with the first 5km very slow with Maggie, then hitting some hills which kept the pace slow and finally opening up a bit in the final 7 or 8km.  Great to get through this run.  Has been an awesome weekend down here in the Royal National Park.

Red belly black snake:

Good Friday

Staying down in Bundeena and doing the Coastal Walk over 2 days.  Shorter day today doing Otford to Garie Beach.  Just stunning on a beautiful day.  With the whole family and Dad and Liz.  Everyone loved it, with Claudia walking the whole way.  Couple of photos below.

Got back fairly fatigued but got out for an hour around Bundeena in the early evening.  13km feeling pretty good after a great massage yesterday.

70km for the week!

Another Timmy MLR

As per last week, but a bit longer this time circling the park and retracing our steps from the top of Ocean Street.  Plus we added a Mini Timmy Tempo (his request) around the white fence.  15km in 4:42's.

Nice chat, couldn't get "House of Fun" out of my head after Timmy told me he was going to see a Madness concert.  Good to get another MLR in the legs. In fact they're feeling nicely fatigued right now. Might rest tomorrow and run Friday.

White Fence Tempo

Missed HuRTs due to meetings but probably a good thing as I'm nowhere near fit enough to join them yet.  Plan at the moment is just to get some miles in and gradually increase the pace of doing them.  Natural pace is currently 4:40's.  So to get it down I threw in a tempo of the white fence at Centennial yesterday.  Hurt a bit into the wind in the second half as the splits showed (3:32, 3:39, 3:40).  But did the trick with 4:26's all up for the 15km.

Up early this morning for Maggie's session.  She hates the 500's but they're good for her.  2:04, 2:01, 1:55 and 1:59 this morning.  She's pumped to be running for Rejoov at Scarborough Park a week Saturday.

Furthest yet

Well, the achilles was a bit sore, but I've discovered that if I stop every 20mins and stretch the legs then it all seems to hold together ok.  So today I pushed out to 16km.  Would have gone further but ran out of time.  4:41's.

3 youngest on a walk with Kirst this am:

 

Saturday test

Decided to test myself yesterday so did a 3km warm up then two loops of Manly Golf Course (5km).  Decided 18mins was the target - 3:36's.  Well, it was horrible.  Felt like I was carrying 15kg on my back, it's the only way to describe the breathing and leg weakness of being out of form.

Pushed on through and the one saving grace was that the pace was relatively consistent - 3:32, 3:32, 3:38, 3:33, 3:31.  Strava got 17:39 for the 2 looper from corner of Quirk/Kenneth - missed Banksy's record by 5s!

3km warm down for 11km all up. Achilles a bit sore this morning but hopefully ok for a run this arvo.

Huge congrats to Benny (78:50) and Darren (2:50:00) down in Canberra. Awesome times on a tough course. The boys are in form.

Big news today was Mags finally nailed her no-handed cartwheel:

Commute

A month ago we had "National Walk to Work" day and I remember thinking how far away I was from being able to commute in by running.  Yesterday, managed to do that. Had a lunch on so knew it was the morning or never.  Contemplated a run around Manly but decided to try running in with the ability to catch a bus of it got too tough.

Had left my Brooks' at work so it was back to the Mizunos.  Noticed that:

(a) they are much lighter; and

(b) my OP aches returned as soon as I wore them.

But the achilles was ok despite all the hills.  Top of every hill I'd stretch the legs which made a big difference.

1:09:32.  Massive confidence booster.

55km for the week.

Wednesday MLR

Just me and Timmy for a late start loop of Centennial via Ocean Street.  Plenty of banter passed the time quickly.  Achilles a bit sore to be honest, but feels immediately better after I stop and stretch.  It's the tight legs that are pulling on it.

12.5km in 4:50's.

Timmy's tempo (but not hills)

Well, after a blazing argument with Barts we settled on the Domain hills and tempo with me running laps of the Domain car park before the tempo took off.  Took the laps very easy and the tempo more seriously (running with Jeet) and in the end an enjoyable session.

3:56's for the tempo.

Boozy night at the ISDA dinner in O Bar and Grill. Beautiful views of this amazing city. Should come back to this place more often.

Feel like I'm running more normally again rather than like a cripple.

Weekend roundup

The Saturday:  8km to Shelley and back. Decided to push the pace on the way back and run a couple of sub4's.  Lost so much fitness that that spiked my heart rate to 182 and had me breathing hard.  Achilles felt much better for it though. It prefers running fast than slow.  4:19's.

Then followed a huge night at the Harbord Hilton, Shandar Tandoori and Stowaway.  Huge crowd of Manly runners plus some ring-ins from the Inner West.  Great fun.

Sunday:  Achilles felt good enough to go for the trifecta. 10km in 4:34's.  First run that has felt effortless. 

Some photos from last night:

Finally, spent a lot of time with Claudie today and had to post her work list:

An hour

Well, despite Wednesday's new found enthusiasm, I failed to get out yesterday as it was just too wet and windy.  Checked in today with poor Mikey Conway (not many people have ever called him that) but fortunately he lives up high and has avoided the flooding.

Today with the achilles feeling ever better I got our for 13km in just over an hour (4:47's), coincidentally meeting Barts just as we were both about to set off.  Had a good yarn with him for 40mins then upped the pace a bit when he headed back to the office (tapering for Lane Cove 10km tomorrow).  Another run done in one piece.

Nice response Sammy.  Good to have some intelligent banter on these pages rather than the drivel you find on rival blogs.  Come home soon mate.  Big Manly Hardcore Curry Night planned for tomorrow starting in the Harbord Hilton, you would love it.

Starting up again

So, I'm going to start posting more regularly in the hope of kick-starting a more regular training regime. 

The achilles is sore for 24 hours after each run but I'm able to progressively run further and faster each time before it affects my form.  I think it's at the stage where running is not detrimental to it but just needs to be managed.  I'm doing 120 eccentric loading heel drops per day and more rolling out than Macca on a Sunday morning.  

Yesterday was 10km in 45mins.  Had to work hard to maintain 4:30's, such has been my drop off in form.  I've put on a load of weight but not bothered by that. Just want to run free again.

News of the day was Britain's formal invocation of Article 50 to trigger Brexit.  To be honest, I don't know enough about the economic fundamentals to have a real feel on the sensibility of the decision.  It feels wrong and I was sympathetic to a Labour politician on ABC24 asking people to remember what Britain was like economically before 1973 when they joined.  But then Britain wasn't much better in the late 70's in the era of national strikes, high inflation and the 3 day week.

So you have to do a straw poll. In 5 years time, will:

(a) the pound be stronger against the Euro than it is now?

(b) the FTSE have risen by a greater percentage than the DAX?

I'll guess no to both.

Update

Well, it's a whole month later.  Maggie's training continues to go well.  We did the 2 x Passmore reps again this morning (coincidentally after last post) and she ran 2:28 (3:47 pace) then 2:31 (3:52 pace).  Getting stronger by the week.  She has inherited her Mum's Garmin FR 25 and is becoming obsessed with it.  A true runner in the making.  Followed by 6 x 60m sprints.

I've been trying everything with the achilles but became pretty depressed after having a whole fortnight off running (which included a trip to New York where I couldn't have fit it in anyway) but came back with the achilles more sore than before.  It has still been sore just to walk.  So on Monday I decided to try everything.  Been doing a lot more on the plantar with a cricket ball which provides a lot of relief, increased the heel drops to 120 per day but, more importantly, booked an appointment with Dr Isaacs in North Sydney (on Ben Streck's recommendation) who specialises in laser therapy and dry needling.

Well, I don't know about the laser therapy but he did dry needling all the way from my mid-back to my heel and every section produced a huge release spasm from the relevant muscle.  I walked out of the room high-kicking like John Cleese and virtually pain free.

Have also invested in a new pair of trainers (Brooks Transcend 4) and in-soles.  Did my longest run in 2 months today - 10km with Pete, Bruce and Brendan.  Only marginal pain from the achilles which, for the first time, eased as the run went on.

Further update

Still sore to walk.  Getting better each day though.  Hope to jog on grass by the weekend.

Maggie training this morning.  1.3km warm up and down.  2 x Passmore Oval reps in 2:32 and 2:38.  She was upset not to get the second under 2:36 (4min kms), but going well.

Update

Wednesday was 12km around Centennial with Brendan, Ray, Andy and Mark B.  Achilles sore the whole way.

Thursday did Maggie's session in the morning: 3 x 500m on the Nolans path (so it's accurate). She ran much quicker than I expected doing 1:52, 1:53 and 1:56.  At the same age Billy and Bec would run low 2:00's.  That was it for the day for me.

Friday was 9km to Redleaf with Barts enjoying a dip with the wealthy Eastern suburbs socialites.

Saturday did Parkrun with Mags but ran around in about 4min kms with Elle.  Nice to see Robbie turn up for the win.  Achilles was really sore after though and only did 6km without even pushing.  Going to have to rest it for a while and stray from scratch.  Pretty depressing.

Still sore Tuesday

Started to run home after work. Achilles sore (down the sides of heel, not the bursar which is no longer swollen due to the Voltaren) and wasn't getting any less painful so pulled the pin in Cremorne and caught the 179 to Balgowlah Fish Cafe for dinner with Mrs H.

This may take a while.

Did 5km mind. Not very quickly.

Sore Sunday

Leg numb from the V but promised Maggie a run so did two loops of Nolans/Passmore with her in the heat of the arvo.  She's starting to look very comfortable jogging 5km.

 

SunRun

Easy jog to the start with Darren, Erika and Dicky.  Felt tentative the whole way worrying about my achilles which had been sore since Tuesday night and which I was hiding with Voltaren.  Decided to race in my Wave Rider 20's as I was too worried about putting more pressure on it wearing flats.

Good field in the end with a couple of top triathletes, Vlad (looking very fit), Ben Liddy, Sean Bowes, Barts, Scotty, Rowan Walker, James Tunbridge, Alex R and others all toeing the line.  Took it steadyish up the monster hill off the start line with Barts, Scotty, Toby and Alex just in front then opened up back down the hill.  3:27 first km including the monster climb but by now my achilles was already hurting.  Then Rowan Walker went to the front of the second group and started pushing the pace (3:12 next km) and I was falling off the back and not running freely.  Sean Bowes came past, the achilles got worse so I pulled the pin at 3km.

There was a big gap until Gary Mullins, Dicky and Darren came past while I was walking.  Then Erika came by with 3 girls (Bec Lowe and 2 I didn't recognise) and I shouted out to her that she was in the lead before she disappeared off. Hell, Erika's winning the SunRun!  I'm still tossing up whether to just walk home but decide it's un-Australian, plus Dad will be waiting at Queenscliff, so start running. See the girls 100m ahead so decide to try and catch Erika to help her up the killer hill by the Harbord Hilton.  If she's going to win this, she'll do it using her strength on the hills. 

Well, outside my old house on Charles St in Freshie (about 6.5km) there was about 30m separating the first 4 girls.  By 8km Erika has a 150m lead.

Buggered my achilles further in finishing off the run (38:42 for the record).  Hobble home to discover Dad is in hospital with a dislocated shoulder after taking a tumble while coming to watch me and Scotty is in the bed opposite him having collapsed at the Novotel.

What a day.

Bought some more Voltaren.

HuRTS Thursday

Mona Fartlek. Barts promised he'd be there. Apparently got confused and turned up at Rushcutters. WTF? Worst excuse ever. Plainly he's lost it and Scotty's got to him.

Ran with Quentin; JFen and Moyle.  Did 5.84km averaging 3:26's.  Felt buggered and left achilles was very sore.

12km all up. Worried about the achilles for Saturday's race. Worst race possible for a sore achilles.

Day 40

Out at lunchtime with Barts, JFen and Brendan for 15.6km.  After 15mins of discussing where to go, we headed to Centennial via Oxford Street and did 2 laps. Plenty of chat along the way with Barts starting to obsess about how Scotty is going to beat him (for the first time apparently) at the Sun Run.

Was very sore this am but better for the run.

4:38's.

Tuesday's my worst day

AM: Just 6.5km to Shelly but finishing at Emporio for coffee with Kirst. Seemed to high-five half of Manly on the way. Near Shelly I was staring at this lady because she looked familiar and eventually realised it was Asher Keddie. She smiled at me so I think I'm in.

PM: Turned up at ES Marks already feeling tired but told myself to push through this one.  6 x 1km off a rolling 4:30 followed by 6 x 200m off a 200m jog.  Ran with Alex, Damien and Neil. Kevin and Matt miles ahead off rolling 4mins.

Reps went 3:01, 3:03, 3:05, 3:04, 3:06, 3:05.  Much quicker than last week and makes a huge difference having a standing rest.  Alex was in fine form about 2s ahead and taking the wind on each rep.  200m reps were awful, with Neil schooling me after I jokingly told him it would be a comp between us as to who didn't finish last on each one.

Broke down with cramps afterwards (had also had them at work during the day) and am shattered now.

4km warm up and 3km down for 16km all up and 22.5km for the day.

Run home

Knackered today and it was still 28C when I set off at 7pm so started very gingerly not worrying about pace at all.  Gradually got into it and was moving OK by the end.  Average HR 134 so it's getting better.  14 and a bit km (came home via Burnt Bridge Creek deviation) in 67:51.

Change in the Long Run!!

Darren and Erika were restless this morning. I could sense something amiss immediately.  Within 100m I had Erika in my ear suggesting a different route to that which we have done for the past 4 years without change.  Mutiny was in the air.  We picked up Hamish (Ben and Lewis also there) and headed to Dee Why to pick up Toby.  Then at Fitness First we looped down Harbord Road and immediately up Headland Rd (a killer) to satisfy the Jordans. A loop around Dee Why headland and back along Curl Curl beach and the beautiful coast track before following the Sun Run course to scare those taking part next week.  Dutifully scared, we headed to Shelly where we farewelled Toby and Lewis but something was nagging at me.  Then it dawned.  We'd forgotten that we'd arranged to meet the Cap'n at Narrabeen Lake. Poor fella would be devo.

Finished with a loop of North Head and back to Queenscliff.  Darren, who is in great form, was pushing all the hills (properly pushing) and I was working hard to stay with him.  He is going to surprise a few when he races something more than Parkrun. I much preferred the hilly route though and it suits me better having done a lot of hill work recently.  The standard Sunday route had started to depress me and I wasn't enjoying it.

All up 27km in 4:40's.  No takers for Emporio after the ocean dip so I headed home to find the family heading out to Rosebery Cafe.  They serve a great brekkie there so may need to start to incorporate it.  Saw Emma C and Amy S there with Emma looking over her pregnancy as she's due next week.  Good luck!!!

Great pic from yesterday's Parkrun with Maggie finishing strongly:

Parkrun

So I got up early this morning to fit in a 4km warm up knowing I was taking Maggsy to Parkrun so couldn't do it there.  Did a loop via the ABC Pool passing Darren and Erika on the way.  They were running 10m apart so must have had an early morning tiff.

Picked up Mags and off we went. I was pumped knowing Scotty was running and someone to try to hold on to for as long as possible.  Got there, did a few strides, calmed Mags down, said hello to Ben, Cap'n, Darren and Eoin but no Scotty.  Stood up.  Half relieved, half disappointed. 

Dragged my ass around the course with Eoin keeping me company for the first km then solo.  Legs felt like they were wading through treacle.  Finished in 16:42.  Starting to get a bit worried about the lack of form.  It's either the load with no rest days, impatience or getting old.

Darren ran a stormer to PB in 17:31.  But run for the day goes to Maggie who smashed her PB by 43s and ran 25:30.  Watch out sub5 min kms.  She was stoked.

15km all up including w/u and c/d.

Rounding it out

Just a lunchtime run to Redleaf with Barts, including a dip in the pool with a bunch of over-privileged 16yr olds.

10km.

120km for the week and a solid one at that.

RunCrew Centennial Set

Well, an evening kick off in Centennial at least kept me off the beers during Australia Day.  Had to play backyard cricket with no excuse of "holding a beer can" for why I dropped the catches.

Smaller crowd with Gary, Benny St, Matt H and Dave Byrne leading the 6 x 800m with Alex and I working together behind.  Admitttedly, Alex taking the outside line so probably running an extra 10m than me.  Straight into a jog 400m "recovery" and, while it slows the reps down a bit, I prefer the constant moving and think it gets me fitter.  They were all 2:35 to 2:37.  I'm sure Tiger's 800's are longer than HuRTs ones.

Short recovery then Alex and I went into a tempo.  I did 1 lap of the white fence, he did 2.  I ran 12:18 although may have finished in the wrong place (all over the place at the end).  Was probably more a 12:25.  Anyway, 3:26 pace.

Happy with that.  Feel as though I've got a bit of strength there but totally lacking in speed at the moment.

17km all up with w/u and w/d.

Wed plod

Jogged to work. Forgot how hilly it is. Legs a bit leaden but have been worse. 1:06:57 (4:45's).

Tough Twin Tuesday

AM: 40mins very easy fortunately bumping into Lewis along the way.  Ran past the Cap'n now looking like Jon Bon Jovi courtesy of a new haircut.  4:54's.

PM:  Jogged to ESMarks with Renee and Erika. The latter could hardly control her excitement at her first ever track session.  They were joining Greta while I did my first RunCrew session since pre-JPMorgan.  Session was 3 x 4 x 400m with a 200m jog between reps and 600m jog between sets.  

The crew has changed a bit in my absence with some seriously fast blokes.  The first group was Matt Hudson, Kevin Batt, Keith Mc, Liam Ridings and wonderkid Jackson someone (16yr old who has run 3:50 for 1500m).  Second group was me, Alex, Neil and Damien Simpson, much improved chap from Dee Why.  We split up over the second set and I was well behind Damien at the end.  Fastest 400m was 72s (WTF? I normally average 67/68) and slowest was 75s.  Very windy but still.

Jogged back to the office after for 18km all up and 26km for the day.

Back home (again) - Monday

Very easy 11km route to Shelly Beach trying to keep the heart rate under 130bpm.  Failed with it averaging 133bpm.  I blame the wind along the beachfront.

4:38's.

Mollymook - Sunday

Similar loop to yesterday but including a run along Narrawalee beach each time.  Got the tides wrong having to run in soft sand.  Bloody hill and bloody hard.  I was seriously depleted after 2 hours (26.5km - 4:31's) and almost collapsed when I got back into the room.  Had to have a Coke - my first in 3 years.

Mollymook - Saturday

Out again in the late afternoon around the streets of Mollymook.  Schedule was a hilly 60minutes so I interpreted this as run hard.  Was also keen to test myself.  Planned on trying to get the average pace under 4min kms (i.e. 15km).

First (hilly) km in 3:52 so knew I was going ok. Felt great today so just kept on ploughing through.  Hills started to get to me towards the end with one monster at 15km.  The Garmin Connect pace graph gives an indication of how up and down it is:

 

Managed 16km all up (3:45's).  A great session.  Bizarrely I heard someone shouting my name out half way through - turns out Sam Towill was staying down here (looked like he was on a surf trip).  You can't hide from the tentacles of HuRTs.

Followed by a massive dinner at Bannisters which was awesome.

Rare selfie:

 

Mollymook - Friday

Kirst and I drove down early after dropping the girls at the airport. Stunning place.  Got out for an easy 40mins (although plenty of hills) before dinner.  Starting to feel stronger in my running.

View from our balcony.

 

108km for the week.

Back home

Touched down at 8am and straight to work on a busy day.  Farked now.  Got out at lunch and trundled around at the back of HuRTs for 10km, in awe at Enda's new found form.  That boy is going to smash it in Tokyo.  Good chat with Kanser who seems to be running 140km weeks.  I go away for 3 days and the world goes topsy turvy.

Bonkers

10km on the treadmill in 42:37 in the am.  Thighs smashed after coming down from The Peak yesterday. Jumped in the pool afterwards.

About to hit Lan Kwai Fong:

 

Honkers

AM:  Run to the Peak.  Hilliest run known to man.  I have to admit I walked Old Peak Road in parts.  The locals were coming down backwards.  Short and extremely slow but got the heart rate going (and buggered my achilles).  27mins up and 15mins down for 7km.

PM:  Managed to squeeze in a treadmill session.  8km in 32mins.  Wanted to get the legs moving after this am.

2 different sessions but I reckon it does the world of good to mix it up.  Staying in a fantastic hotel (The Landmark Mandarin Oriental).  The amenities put Australia to shame.  Weighed myself on their fancy scales in the gym and was 66.5kg.  Heaviest I've been in 18months. No wonder the long runs feel so hard.

Getting it done

Heading off to Honkers this arvo so only option was another 6am start.  Almost rolled over this morning but the thought of the satisfaction on CT's face was enough to get me out the door.  Met with Lewis and Darren after yet another PW first km (5:48 this time).  In truth, it was a cracker of a morning and actually felt pretty good by the end - good enough to do the 4x hills at Queensie.

15.6km and 4:40's.  The fact that Lewis and Darren average 4:30's and 4:32's when we do 90% of the run together show the impact of my first and last kms solo!

Slog

29km with the Hardcore. Tried a fast finished. Failed after 2km. Thanks Lewis for bringing me home.

4:23's.

Hot, hot, hot

AM:  Parkrun with Mags in just over 27mins.  Doesn't work me running with her. She just slows down so I end up running 10m in front the whole way.

Lunchtime:  31C so I decide to do my hilly route around Manly dam.  Extended it around Nolans to make up 15km.  Legs moving well (still a touch of OP) but too hot to do anything other than get around. 1:10:17 (4:42's).

Resting this arvo in the heat watching How I Met Your Mother.  Claudia knows not what she does:

 

Early loosener

Early loosener in many senses.

Just to Shelly and back with Dicky, Darren and the Cap'n.  Muggy.  Sweat man.  37:08 (4:38's).

10th day off booze.  May be tested today though.  104km for the week.  Second in a row over the ton.  Good.

Ooh, not sure I mentioned that I caught up with LJ yesterday.  Well, she's looking great, on the road to recovery and in good spirits.  Top lass that one, come back soon!

Thought for the day.  Young Mark Hughes is the spitting image of Jamie Stewart.

Jamie Stewart:

 

Mark Hughes:

 

HuRTS Rushcutters set

Jogged over with a decent sized group which included a Dutch chap called Hessel (who apparently found out about HuRTs through Strava) and Kevin Batt being dropped off with the group by his old man.

Arrived at Rushcutters to find Timmy had faithfully laid out the cones for a perfectly marked out 800m/200m set.  So it was to be 6 x 800m (off a rolling 4 mins) then 6 x 200m (with a 50s rest).  Well, any illusions as to feeling as though you might be an alright runner are shattered when someone like Kev Batt comes past you.  He floated by as if he was jogging for the bus.  I knew he was quick but didn't realise until chatting to him afterwards how quick (7:51/13:39 last year).  Nick Roberts was a bit in front of me for the first 4 reps but came good in the final 2 when I went barefoot.  I ran them starting at 2:33 and bringing them down to 2:23 by the 6th.  Legs felt like treacle though.  No bounce in them at all and the times only came down through sheer hard work.

Then on to the 200's where we did the usual trick of me choosing a hare and telling them to stay in front of Kev for as long as possible.  Jerome, Mikey L, Brendan, Nick, Toby and I all had a go.  I think Mikey and Toby may even have succeeded in staying ahead the whole way.  I certainly didn't.  Gave it my all but he coasted alongside me with 50m to go shouting encouragement as he did so.  Keeps the 200's interesting though, gets everyone involved and makes it a fun session.

Warm today.  Garmin Connect tells me it was 27C for the session.  11km all up.

Apparently Lewis is my top training partner:

https://2016.strava.com/en-gb/share/7771236

Steamy MLR

Alarm went off at 5.45am and I had to make the decision whether to be out running within 15 minutes or roll over and head out at lunch.  But with a forecast 39C by lunchtime I had to bite the bullet.  It resulted in a new PW for the first km (5:32, which actually included a few strides to get some bloodflow into my legs) and when I saw Darren and Erika the former said I looked like Macca at the start of a run.  Lewis and The Cap'n then showed up so we did the Shelly/Fairlight loop and I finished with 4 x strides on Nolans.  Turned out to be pretty pleasant running along the beachfront.  We'll be longing for these sorts of days in July.

16km all up averaging 4:36's.  Need to start incorporating some hills into the MLR but for the moment I'm just adjusting to the increased kms.

HuRTs - getting it done

Well, I slept in this morning so that counted out a Manly Hardcore session.  Then my watch failed to charge so that counted out a solo session following the RunCrew schedule.  So turned up to find a huge HuRTs crowd, obviously full of January good intentions.

Tough session on the cards with 20mins of Domain Hills followed by the 4.8km Mrs Mac tempo.  Made doubly hard by the fact it was 30C.

Nick Roberts, Hoey, Fats and Darren Moyle all shot off ahead up the hill while I just worked alongside Mikey Lichtwark knowing how tough this session is and how the hills catch up with you in the final 7-8 minutes.  Pulled ahead of Mikey towards the end and just caught Fats and Darren but with Nick and Hoey about half a lap in front.

Then followed quite a long gap as we all desperately queued for water.  I was pretty strict in setting people off for the tempo in 4:20, 4:00, 3:45 and 3:30 pace groups, but with only Nick, Fats and myself in the final group.  Tried to hold on to Nick but he pulled ahead on the first hill at Mrs Macs.  Was pretty tough doing the tempo in the heat but dragged myself around in 16:47 (pretty much on 3:30's).  So the session was done and another in the bank.

3km cool down for 13km all up.

17 days

Wildman Thurston once said to me that if he could put together 17 days straight, he knew he was back on the wagon and starting to get fit.  I raised this with him a few years later and he claimed he had no idea what I was talking about and shouldn't listen to the crap he made up on the spot to start a conversation.  But it's always stuck with me as I realise how infrequently I put together 17 days straight.  Just done so, for the first time since July or August I reckon.  

It was an easy wharves run with a big crowd.  Spoke to (variously) Elle, Renee, Enda, Hoey, Bruce, Brendan and finished off the 18km with just Big Brother Kev and a good chat to him.  Also did my prescribed 4 x hills and I'll try to stick to Gary's training schedule from here on.  Not sure why I've been paying him for the past 2 months as what I've been doing hasn't looked anything like what Training Peaks told me I should be doing.

Watched this with the family this evening.  Bloody brilliant.  5 popcorns.

 

Last day of hols

Different crowd this morning with Barts spending time at his second home in Palm Beach, Scotty out on the piss, Macca still nursing a broken body and Lewis deciding to run 30 hilly kms at sub 4min kms.

Dragged myself out of bed and bumped into Darren, Erika, the Cap'n, Ben and Craig already running 4:30's due to Darren having started 20mins earlier.  So that lopped a minute of my average pace for the 2nd km.  OCD went through the roof when Toby (who we picked up at Dee Why - not many people often say that) took us in a detour around Long Reef and the lovely houses of Collaroy Basin.

From Narrabeen lake Toby and Darren started picking up the pace and by Cromer we were running 4min kms.  Toby peeled off at Brooky Oval so finished off solo.  28km in 4:22's.  Bloody knackered but the ocean was perfect.

Parkrun - 1st in 16:34

Well, it was better than Christmas Day.  Looking after myself a bit better this week but on the other hand just finished my first 100km+ week since early October.  

Had Benny pushing me hard in the first km with him determined to get there first and me determined to deny him.  I pushed a bit ahead and got there in 3:10 but could still hear him on my shoulder at 2km (6:30).  Could it really be him?  Determined not to look over my shoulder but he's still there during the third km and it's starting to hurt.  3:30 for that one.  Struggled up the hill but with "Ben" dropped I eased off and starting blowing hard.  3:40 for the 4th km which is a shocker. I normally pick up again for that one.  Came home a bit quicker (2:02 from the bridge) for 16:34 official (16:37 on my watch). 

Plus points are there is a load of time to pick up in that 4th km.  Minus points are it's still a crap time when pushing hard.  But it's where I'm at.

2km warm up and 3km warm down bringing Maggsy home.  She, like Darren who ran very even splits but missed his PB by 2s, needs to attack more from the start.

Recovery day

8km very easy (4:53's) to Shelly Beach and back with a dip in the ocean at Queensie.  Heart rate averaged 127's which is the lowest I've got it.

101km this week and 3 days off the booze - both records since early October.

75 continuous

Just did this solo. 15mins jog via the golf course to Passmore, 20mins fartlek (2mins on, 1min off) on my usual Nolans/Passmore/Riverview loop, 5min jog, 20mins tempo, 15mins jog reversing the first jog.  Warm conditions (Garmin connect says 24C) but a decent amount of shade for the hard bits.

Intended on just getting it done but it went better than that.  Was pleased to see the fartlek averaging 3:35's and even more chuffed for the tempo to average 3:31's.   Make no mistake, at peak last year I would be averaging 6 to 7 seconds quicker per km but for the time of year and shape I thought I was in it was pretty good.  Main thing was to keep the times consistent.

18.9km all up averaging 3:58's.

Now on to watching Season 3 of The Fall.  Best TV series since Game of Thrones.  It's brilliant.

Easy hour Wed

Back from Jamberoo in the afternoon so headed out in the evening for an easy hour. Planned to meet Kirst at Freshie ocean pool but it's being cleaned.  4:32's trying to keep the heart rate down (137 average but was 131 average until I hit the Queensie hill).

Short sess Tuesday

Met Sammy and Ben very early doors for 8x800m on Graham's Reserve.  Was probably a bit longer than 800m but nothing too quick this morning.  Short warm up and down for 11km all up.

Then headed to Jamberoo with the family where bizarrely we saw Macca and family and then TKS with family.  It was the HuRTs day to be at the world's greatest water park.

Local long

Craig came around at 6.30am and met Darren and Lewis 5mins later at the lagoon.  Very sore first 10km having just woken up and the achilles not being too happy.  Body warmed up by 10km though and the final 15km went well with Craig pushing the pace a bit over the final 3 or 4km to finish averaging 4:30's.  Just happy to get it done though before catching up with neighbour Jase and Sammy in the Grumporio.  Highlight of the morning was the barista in The G knowing my name.  It's only taken 3 years of daily visits.

New Year's Day

12.4km running to Craig's to pick up the car after last night's revelries. Hot, humid, overcast and still.  The sort of day where everyone is short tempered.  Horrible run and my left achilles was sore.  4:33's.

2016 in Review

Well, it was a good year.  Having trained all through December 2015 with a view to London marathon in April, I started in pretty good form.  Ran a good Sun Run in tough conditions (headwind the whole way) and it's a tricky run in the best conditions.  Went on to win Striders in March in a good time and all was looking good leading in to London.  Then I got sick 3 days prior.  I was disappointed to say the least, but at the time felt so crap I just wanted to get better.

Came back and was sick for a couple of weeks before starting up again obviously with a really solid base.  Ran a windy Striders at North Head in June and was beaten by The Vonk but knew things were coming together well and Gary's speed work was paying dividends (shown via a good run at the City Mile Dash).  Then ran the Gold Coast 10km and was stoked with a big PB.

Went on holiday to Florida, where didn't do much but I think the stinking hot weather helped keep the fitness up.  Can back in great form in training and it came

together well for a big PB at City to Surf.  Won the Striders 10km just ahead of Scotty in September but by then I sensed I was on a bit of a downhill and losing my mojo after a long season.  Dragged myself through the Melbourne Half in crappy conditions and with a cold but by then it was just a case of holding on for the JPMorgan.  That went OK, frustrating not to get the win in the easiest year ever but you've gotta take your chances and I missed mine.

Top 3 races:

1. Gold Coast 10km:  31s PB.

2. City to Surf:  43s PB.

3. Sun Run.

Top 3 HuRTS Nights Out:

1. City to Surf

2. Awards Night

3. 4 Pines Curry Night.

Worse 3 races:

1. Melbourne Half

2. Striders North Head June

3. Every single Parkrun

Looking back on this, have realised I raced pretty sparingly.  Would like to do more next year.

Things I learned:

1. Cumulative impact of an uninjured training block is priceless.

2. I respond well to high mileage and long tempos.  If I can do three consecutive 20km sessions/runs feeling OK it has great effect.

3. Sessions in Perth and Melbourne work quite well.  Not so much Brisbane.

So on to 2017.  Berlin Marathon in September is the main aim. Would like to run X-C if I can fit it in with kids sport commitments.  Race more.

New Year's Eve

Had 45mins spare before heading up to the McCredie's for NYE so headed out intending to do 10km.  Got a cricket ball into my glutes last night which really released them (not sure why I haven't done this in 3 months) and as a result felt great.  Turned into into a progressive tempo as a result trying to fit in 11km in the time available.

Hot, hot, hot but finished in 42mins for 3:49 average, high-fiving Sammy at the lagoon.  God confidence booster as it felt great.

Friday with kids

8km nice and easy with the kids on their bikes.  Finishing at Queensie for a swim.

Thursday

Losing track of the days of the week.  Lewis and The Vonk organised a 60min tempo session this morning up at North Head which attracted Barts, Scotty, Toby, Anthony Martin, Lewis, Ben and even Sam.  I arrived 30s late having ran 5km to get there to see them disappear off into the distance.  

Joined them after 3.5km and hung on for 10 brutal kms in the heat (36:22) before stopping.  Was very hot and 37C out there now.  

5km cool down with Lewis (including a beautiful dip in the ocean at Queensie) for 20+km all up.

Wednesday

Easy 11km in the late afternoon after watching Rogue One. Really enjoyed it (although very poignant seeing Carrie Fisher at the very end following the news of the day before).  I would rank it 3.5 popcorns on the Timmy scale.

Nolans 1km reps

Great turn out with Barts, Darren, Erika, Elle, Toby, The Vonk, Lewis, Ben, Paul H and even Jamie showing up at 7am for some Nolans 1km reps.  Did a decent 5km warm up and set up the cones.

The Vonk was flying doing just 5 reps whil Lewis, Barts and I formed the second group.  Averaged 3:13's which wasn't bad on that surface.  Last 2 reps were quicker when I took my shoes off.  Interesting data on the new watch shows just how much the cadence increases when running barefoot. Angus will be excited by this:

 

Cool down to Queensie, quick dip in the ocean and then brekkie at Emporio.

Caught up with Big Sam in the evening, great to see him again:

 

Finally, my mates from school had their annual get-together back in Hexham and sent me a special photo message:

 

Christmas Day

Dragged the family out to the now traditional Christmas Day Parkrun.  Pleased that after the initial protestations that actually all enjoyed it.  Even better was the dip in the ocean pool at Freshie afterwards on a cracker of a morning.

I did 17:17 and felt crap the whole way.  Reaching a whole new nadir of lack of fitness.  But very happy with my Christmas present:

 

Boxing Day

Just my standard 11km route which, having got a Garmin FR 235 from Santa, I now realise is 12km.  Dip in the ocean at Queensie with 1km to go.  Am determined to get in the ocean everyday while on holidays.  52:30 (4:21's).

Average heart rate of 141bpm (which was higher than I thought given my resting heart rate is 42) and average cadence of 171 (don't know what that means).  Loving the new watch.

HuRTs Moaning Fartlek

Well if Tuesday was my first session in a while, Thursday was the first real speed.  And I was left wanting yet again.  Started out with Enda, Andy, Fats and a few others with CT and the Vonk darting off into the distance and Mikey L stranded in between. Haven't done this session in ages and it doesn't ease off.

Started to push on in the second half and finished it off OK covering about 5.9km in the 20mins.  Longer cool down for 11km all up.

Hills and Trail #2

WTF I hear you say.  Met up with Sammy at Queensie at 6.15am and he drew a big crowd with Q, Banksy, Darren, Lewis and the Cap'n all joining in.  Headed to Shelley Beach then a detour through St Patricks and onto some trails I'd never seen before eventually popping out at North Head.  Made our way back to Manly and home seeing Sam head off for some extra.

About 15km all up, 50% more than I was intending.

HuRTs 4 x 10mins

31C today.  Sensibly, I decided to wear an all black outfit.  

Arrived a bit late and with JFen in attendance there would be no hanging around.  So found myself straight into the first rep chasing the pack who were about 30s ahead.  Caught some back-markers by the end.  Second rep ran with Jeet who was pushing the pace the whole way.  That fella doesn't like anyone running in front of him.  3rd I went with the leaders (albeit Nick R, Crossy and The Vonk seemed to back off) so it was me, CT, Fats and The World's Least Sensible Runner. Final rep back and I eased off a bit running with TWLSR.

Felt a little better on each rep.  Hard coming back into the tougher sessions as the mental prep falls to pieces with a couple of weeks off.

Nice cool down with Enda and Jeet.  15km all up.

Just noticed this on the fridge door.  Only in Australia:

Hills and Trail

Got up at 6am, put my running kit on, wandered outside, turned around, took my kit off and went back to bed.  Too bloody tired after a big week and another party last night.

Headed out on the afternoon up Allanbie Hill, down Wakehurst Parkway, down to Seaforth, then Tania Park, then Spit to Manly path (much more manicured than the last time I ran it) to South Steyne then home.  Still no Garmin (pls Santa!) but I doubt it was more than 23km in the 1:50 due to all the hills and trail.  But it was enough for me as I was rogered at the end.

Wave Rider 20

Tested the new shoes and first impressions are they are great.  Ran with the kids on their bikes to Queensie, then left them and ran on to Manly Hospital before retracing steps and joining them for a dip in the ocean followed by Salty Rooster.  Magic.

Some snaps from yesterday's Super Series lunch, although none of us are feeling particularly super at the moment:

 

 

 

  

Perth #2

Another stunning day in Perth.  I don't think I've ever seen a cloud when I've come to this place.

Out at 6.30am with Jamie from the Allens Perth office.  Same route as yesterday, but a bit faster this time.  I think Jamie was getting competitive as he waved me on when we approached Elizabeth Quay. Felt great this morning.  Finally found a decent hotel to stay in over here too - Best Western Premier Terrace.  It's a bit like going into your granny's house finding the room, but once in they are awesome.

Perth

Flew to Perth from Melbourne this morning. Watched a fantastic documentary on the way: "Free to Run (Libres de courir)".  Made me cry.  Thoroughly recommend it (especially for the girls and the old sooks like me).

Headed out in the later afternoon for a run between the bridges via South Perth with TKS.  Lovely to have some company and try a new route rather than my usual 'Dalkeith 'n back'.

 

Monday sweats

No time at lunch (again) so out early with Lewis knowing I couldn't miss a day with plenty of travel this week.  A nice 10km chatting with him meant the time passed quickly and feeling almost quite good at the end.  Top start to a lovely Summer's day with a cooling breeze along the seafront.

Thoughts for the day:

1. Who is this Martin Odegaard fella? Some silky skills.

2. As I get older, old conservative people annoy me more and more.

3. Need to sit down and talk with my lawyers more.

4. I've become obsessed with a large glass of water with lemon in it first thing in the am.

5. Some people are born pleasers and others not. 3 of my kids are pleasers, 2 definitely not. 99% of lawyers are pleasers.

6. Sell and rent or reno now. You read it here first.

Sunday

So finally felt well enough to head out on Sunday but was still pretty tentative so decided on 90 mins turning around at the fire station.  Had Ben, Erika and the Cap'n for company with only Lewis and Scotty doing the usual loop.

Tried to speed up to get to Narrabeen quicker for a pit stop (a feature of the virus) but only managed Collaroy before nature called.  Tough old run (at 4:37 pace) but happy to get something done at least.  Hanging on 'till Xmas.

Wed 7th

Couldn't get out to Redleaf due to work so did 10km solo around the wharves.

Then went to client Xmas party in the evening and ended up getting sick with some virus for the next 3 days.  Probably had it coming trying to burn the candle at both ends.

HuRTs 6 x 5mins

So after a bit of rolling out I'm starting to feel a bit less in pain when running so decided to test myself out with 6 x 5mins today with the HuRTs crowd. First rep and I'm puffing and panting around Farm Cove mid-pack trying to stay with HuRTs Most Improved Brendan.  Christ this is hard.  Same on the way back.  3rd rep we detour up the hill to avoid the crowds and, having called for the detour, feel compelled the lead the way.  That nearly killed me.  Repeat for another 3 reps.  

Great to run with the Squad and love the banter but a bit of an eye-opener after a few weeks taking it easy.  When did Jerome and Brendan get so good?  How come I'm struggling to overtake Elle?

Cool down with Timmy and Elle for 13km all up.  

Thoughts out to LJ who is injured again.  Do what you need to do to get back LJ (I know she's the most avid reader of this blog - and refuses to click into Timmy's mumbo jumbo).  We miss you.

 

LJ hydrating.