Sunday same old

Out with Barts, Craig, Ben and the Cap'n for the usual 29km.  Picked the pace up as usual towards the end to average 4:23's.

Bumped into Macca at the end and we tried a new breakfast joint post our dip in the ocean.  This is fairly momentous for us but the stale brioche rolls at Emporio have let us down one time too many (i.e. twice).  So Salt at North Steyne was chosen and the b&e roll was top notch and the belaroma coffee pretty good too.  A few too many cyclists for my liking but you can't have everything.

Sat - Curl Curl Parkrun

Saturday morning was a 2.5km jog to Parkrun with Timmy and Jimmy with the intention of pacing the former to sub18.  But with Ben Streck in the start line my job was done as he's been hovering around that mark for the past few weeks.

Scotty O was there and disappeared off like a rocket.  Ben went off quite quick while I followed Timmy through the first km in 3:24.  Pushed ahead to try to drag him back to Ben through kms 2 and 3 but he would only sit 5 yards off my shoulder content to smile at the cameras.  Drifted up towards Ben on the uphill between 3 and 4km so encouraged him home to a 17:54 with Ben strong over the final km.

Timmy just failed in his sub18 attempt and Jimmy ran well in his first race back to run a 19:12.

4.5km jog home with the boys and Julia Degan for 12km all up.

Redleaf

Another big night on Thursday for our client Christmas Party so a jog to Redleaf with Jimmy, Smolly and Liam, a dip in the pool and a jog back was perfect.

Melbourne

Caught up with Melbourne clients last night.  If my liver survives intact until Christmas I deserve HuRTS PoTY.

This morning was a run to the Tan, couple of laps, then back to the hotel for a lovely breakie.  Perfect morning in Melbourne - blue skies and cooler and less humid than Sydney.  

Wednesday short

Too busy at work then went to the STC production of King Lear starring Geoffrey Rush last night with Bec.  So missed my PM run and was too knackered to join Justin when my alarm sounded at 5.30am.  Got out at 7am for a very easy run to Shelley and back in 35:50 (4:28's).  

Usual crowd out there including Amelia (the future Mrs Cap'n) and Lewis who I high-fived in exuberant fashion.

Double trouble

AM:

6km tempo along the beachfront.  Erika, Jamie, Quentin and myself fronted up.  I told Quentin we needed to be sub20 and he duly obliged.  Km splits went:

3:13, 3:17, 3:18, 3:23 (turning at Shelley), 3:19 and 3:09.  So through 5km in 16:30 and 19:40 all up.  Mission accomplished.

Hard work that, but great to have Q there pushing the pace with me occasionally doing my share if he slacked a bit.

Saw the Cap'n pretending to smile on a see-saw.

3km warm up and 5.5km warmdown.

Sunday Special

The usual route with a returning Barts, Macca, Ben and Justin.  Stunning morning and we ran nice and easy but stretched our legs over the final few km.  29km in 4:31's.  Then a dip in the ocean (cold but perfect for the legs) and bacon & eggs at Emporio.  I challenge anyone to top that for a Sunday morning.  Saw Anna Fitz running around Narrabeen Lake.

Put up a new bed, chucked one out, lay down on the sofa to watch some David Attenbrough then wandered along to the Riverview Pde Christmas Street Party.  Lasted 30mins, just enough time to remind myself why I appreciate living at the povo end of the street.

Maggsie all dressed up for next week's ballet performance:

Saturday cop out

Another missed session.  This time courtesy of the Annual Super Series lunch at North Bondi Fish.  But a top afternoon celebrating with CT, Q and Barts - us all buying the latter his lunch as a result of winning with 2015 season.

Managed to get out in the late arvo for 10km around Nolan's running with the kids.  Charlie did 5km in 28:47.  I did about 45mins.

4 x broken 6:30's

Different session today.  4 x (2:30, 1:30, 30) with 1min easy between each rep and 3mins jog between each set.  So it works out as a continuous 35mins.

Just Quentin, Macc and me this morning.  Wasn't looking forward to it as I was tired all of yesterday and convinced myself I'd take it easy behind Q.  We did ease into the first set (just 3:20 average for the first 2:30) but you'll see those times started coming down for each new set.  Nice session in the end - mentally easier as once you've done the first 2:30 then 1:30 and 30 reps can be blasted out.

9.3km in total for the 35mins (3:45 pace including 9mins of slow jog).

2.5km warm up and 3.5km warm down for 15km all up.

Wednesday MLR

Same as last week with Emma - elongated it to 17km this time but with the same 4 x 80m hills which I'm finding really beneficial.

Emma's getting stronger.

12 x 500m

AM:

It's now become my most dreaded session.  Hurts like hell and is hardly over and done with quickly either.

Big group out on Nolan's this morning with Macca, Jamie, Emma, Erika and the Cap'n all showing up.  Beautiful morning with mist over the fields but which meant they were pretty damp.  The shoes were heavy after the warm up.  Marked out 500m on the grass to keep the boss happy.

Reps went 1:33, 1:33, 1:34, 1:34, 1:34, 1:34, 1:33, 1:33, 1:33, 1:32, 1:30, 1:28

Took my shoes off for the final 3 which made a big difference as ever.  3-4s a rep slower than on the paths but made a difference when Jamie or Justin was on my shoulder.

3km warm up and 4km warmdown for 14km all up.

PM:

11km running at the back of the HuRT Squad 45min progressive tempo.  Canny warm like.

Monday get together

Strangely Monday is almost the most popular running day of the HuRTs week.  Big crowd today including MC, Charlie, Erika, Renee, Sonya, Enda, Birchy, Jacquie et al.  Achilles a bit sore again - need to stretch and get the magnesium in.  Too much beer and too much heat makes the body very stiff.  Out to Barangaroo and back around the wharves.  Finished up with 4 x 80m hills with Erika for 17km all up.  Legs and achilles felt much better after the 4th hill rep than before, as ever.

Plenty of banter and stories today with Charlie cowering inside his house all last night because he's forgotten how to fight and Mikey giving us his stock picks after telling us he did 7 hours of meditative silence yesterday.  He's unique, that fella.

Sunday

Saturday was a wipeout.  Felt guilty.

Out again Saturday night to Jon and Jane's Shaggiversary in The Rocks.  Too tired Sunday morning so got out at 3pm after joining the Climate Change march.  26km around North Head and Manly.  Felt fine but Achilles was sore.  Got some abuse from Darren out of a car window up at North Head and, thankfully, bumped into Thamal at Shelley beach on the way back so ran the final 10km with him chatting the whole way.  4:29's.

HuRTS Beer Mile

So Friday evening was the scariest event on the HuRTs calendar - the beer mile.  4 beers (min 5% vol, 355ml), one at the start of each 400m lap.  Now, I'm not renowned for the swiftness of my beer drinking.  More like a chugging Diesel engine than a TGV.  So this is always a struggle for me.

Double the crowd from last year and I can see this event becoming more and more popular.  We had to split into two races due to numbers - I went in the first "fast" race only because all my betting rivals (Macca, Timmy and Birchy) were in this one.  I'd have been more comfortable in the B race (as would Birchy and Timmy as history will show - but more of that in a second). I had 3 bets on - head to heads with Timmy and Birchy and with Macca giving me a 29s head start - based off last year's result.

Timmy's done a great job in marking out the lap with his magical cones and laying out all the VB and New on the picnic table ready for us to grab each lap.  We line up, Birchy goes early opening his can before the starter gives the sign, someone cracks the obvious joke and then we're off.  At least everyone else is while I do my repeated gulps.  The leaders start the run and I'm only half way through. Everyone is now off bar Me and Nick Roberts.  Someone is as slow as me!  We eventually go, I burp for 100m then start sprinting.  Just catch Birchy by the end of lap 1 and the next beer awaits.  

Same again, everyone else slowing down now though.  Next lap I overtake Timmy and Birchy and, barring a barf, I know I've got $40 in the bag here.  Where is Macca.  Holy cow, he's challenging the leaders.

And so we get through.  Nick Roberts is with me the whole way, beer for beer and stride for stride but a barf on lap 4 consigns him to a penalty lap.  I run 7:44 (pretty much same as last year). Birchy is happy with his 8:00.  Macca takes $20 off me running an impressive 7:04 for 3rd place behind Nick Haines and Charlie Low.  Captain Grumpy was in the mix enjoying th VBs.  Funniest thing though was seeing a table of VBs lined up for race 2 with almost everyone in race 1 choosing the New.

I won't mention how Timmy went.

Then we watched race 2.  Great showdown between Durante, Darren and Greg(?) and then Jacquie, Sonya and Erika for the ladies champion.

Then we're all on a high so retire to O'Malleys in the Cross.  Never seen Macca so high.

4 x 2km

Probably my worst session of the year.  Got up at 5.30am for the 6th time in a row and it showed.  Not helped by it being 28C at 6am and blowing a hot westerly wind.

Just me and Emma today.  Used the same 1km Nolan's route as Tuesday and did 2 laps changing direction each time.  That was the first mistake.  Clockwise was considerably slower than anti-clockwise due to the wind.

Reps were ugly.  When things got really bad, I just concentrated on form.  Reps went:

6:52

6:42

6:50

6:34

Last rep was barefoot finally feeling vaguely ok.  Otherwise I was heavy legged and lacking desire.  Emma was the same.  We decided not to ever talk about that session again.

Long warm up and down for 17km

all up.

Beer Mile tomorrow.  I don't think I've ever wanted to beat anyone in a race as much as I want to beat Timmy in this one.

Wednesday MLR

16km easy with Emma, Erika and Dicky followed by 4x80m hills.  Beaut of a morning.  Then onto Claudia's Christmas concert where she was a Japanese dancer.  Not sure what it's got to do with  Christmas but she got to dance with a parasol so she was happy.

Tuesday 3 x 1km

Short and sharp today.  Up at sparrows fart as usual and managed 3km jog before meeting Erika and Emma for the session.  Decided to finally obey coach's orders to run on grass and so got my cones out and marked out 1km around Nolans.  Grass was fairly long and dewy so was expecting the times to be down a bit.

Km reps went 3:03, 3:00 and 2:57.  Happy with that on the grass.  Took my shoes off and ran barefoot for the final rep which feels magic in longish damp grass.  Anything to take concentration away from the lactic build up in the legs.

Girls going well running under and over 3:30.  5km warm down and all done before 7am.

Monday morning starter

Manic morning with Kirst held up in Melbourne overnight.  Managed to get out at 6am for 12km to Shelley and back.  Ran fast up the hill behind Shelley just to get the blood pumping.  High fived Lewis running back along Manly Beach and chatted to Macca after bumping into him on Riverview Pde.  How very social.

4:24's.  Left achilles sore after the weekend.

Sunday similar

Just me, Craig and Rich Mullaney this morning.  Slightly different route going around the back of Narrabeen Caravan Park and the West side of Narrabeen Lake.  28.5km averaging 4:24's.  Bit quicker as Craig was down to do the final 8km in 4min clicks.

Tom B has got Craig into shape nicely for the 50km World Champs in Doha.  He's put in some big blocks of mileage, has been sickness and injury free and now just has to taper nicely for the race in 2 weeks.  I sense Craig's biggest worry is whether to ease off at the start and run his own pace or whether to go in a pack with someone like Brendan Davies.  I think he should just see how he feels on the day.

Manfred Mann and Parkrun

Busy morning on kid duties with Kirst away so had to do the 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1min reps (off 1mim jog) before Parkrun and under strict instructions to do it on the grass.  So did 3+km warmup then the set on the fields adjacent to the Parkrun start.  Found it tough going on the grass.  Got through it averaging 3:30's (inc. the jogs).

Then 5mins jog and rest before starting Parkrun.  Recognised Gary Mullins but didn't realise how fit he was.  First km was comfortable in 3:17 (having been fully warmed up), then 2nd km in 3:17 and he's still there.  Third km in 3:23 and now Gary is in front, 4th km in 3:16 and we're side by side, final km in 3:05 after being urged by Gary to keep going with 500m to run and I get the win by 5s.  Pretty bloody tired at the end of that.  3+km jog home for 17.5km all up.

Charlie at cricket this morning.  His batting is improving: