End of month wrap

An uneventful 10k this afternoon finishes off my longest month ever.

Scheduled: 248.5kms
Completed: 248.6kms
Missed runs: 2 (no key runs missed)
Damage Report: loosing right big toe nail, shin splints clearing, lethargy fixed
30k+ runs this month = 2 (1 in Jan)
Energy levels: restored :)
Mood: Happy (about my running)
Motivation level: medium
March focus: more quality seesions

World's ugliest sculpture - photo competition

I made mention in a previous post of what I think is a particularly ugly sculpture that I run by fairly often (in fact it marks exactly 5kms from my place)- here it is in all its, umm..."uglyness"! If you run past a worse one, take a photo of it and pop it in a blog post. Apologies to the artist but I mean really - its just crap! I do admire your ability to get the local council to buy/commission it though (having said that it possibly says more about the local council)

Sunday = another 30k long run

I have tried hard to keep focused on diet and sleep this week in an attempt to replicate my successful long run from last Sunday. It worked again and I'm happry to report that today's run was as good as last week.

7am out the door to meet up with Greybeard and Cato. I seemed to settle into a decent rhythm and just ran to my Garmin pace indicator allowing the guys to get a bit ahead of me for most of the run. According to the McMillan calculator my long runs need to be at 6:00/km pace so although I could probably run them faster all the books emphasise the importance of doing them at a comfortable pace. The more I train the more I am realising the importance of the purpose and associated pace of each run. Apart from one long hill at the 26km mark where I put the accelerator down for a km I was very happy just plodding along with Garmin girl keeping me company.

I GU'd at about the 16km mark and again really noticed the difference when going through the 20-25kms. By the time I was hitting 30kms though I was getting fairly tired again. Maybe I should be thinking of a 2 Gu strategy for my marathon? Not having done one before I have no idea what people normally do (suggestions from the blogosphere welcome).

I still haven't made my mind up on a reward for finishing my first marathon (tempting fate by even discussing it I guess). The slab of beer and lots of pizza sound great right now (thanks Spark Driver), but I'm thinking of something lasting that will remind me of my "marathon journey". (maybe two slabs of beeer - lol)

WARNING - UGLY FOOT PHOTO ALERT! WARNING - UGLY FOOT PHOTO ALERT!

Big Toe nail update: Here it is - seems we may be parting company soon...

Aren't you glad you scrolled down now? (Don't say I didn't warn you!)

I'm really looking forward to a little nana-nap this afternoon.

Saturday early 10k

I had a quiet night last night. Just 1 beer to mark the end of a tough working week which was good but I had pizza for dinner. Bad move - this morning I felt really thirsty and lacking in energy.

I had 8k on my schedule for today and seeing as its tipped to warm up today and it had just been raining I thought I would slip out early before little Aths. I love running in the rain - especially when its not cold. Even though I was a bit lacking in energy I plodded along and started to enjoy the run by about 4k. The rest just flew by and before I knew it I was home again. The disappearing kms....?

26k planned for tomorrow and I think that will be plenty for now. Its been a big week for me with 38kms run so far - with 26k tomorrow it will be my biggest week ever again!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Oh, I'm trying to think of a suitable reward for me if I do complete my debut marathon in Canberra on 9 April. Any suggestions welcome...

Mid-week update

I'm glad everyone enjoyed the photos of the Capital City Trail. Dave - it has just two or three road crossings in Carlton (I think) but each is traffic light controlled from memory - but maybe one isn't I'm not exactly sure.

Thankfully I pulled up really well from my long run on Sunday and despite feeling tired legged for a couple of days there has been no real soreness and my Tuesday and Wednesday runs were great for working out any residual tiredness - both were 9k runs and I ran them at a comfy 5:30 pace at lunch time. Okay, so they were slightly long lunches once you add in a shower etc!

Mixing up my mid-week runs to midday instead of mornings has allowed me to get more much needed sleep this week and has taken away some of the repetition that was creeping into my training. Running the Tan again - which I haven't done for 9 months or so has been really refreshing and reminds me that I need to vary the courses I run a bit more. It is also great to get out of my cube at work instead of working all the time.

I have just got back from a great 1/2hr leg massage from a local Myotherapist. She is great at working out knots before they develop into anything more serious. Having brought forward my rest day to today I will run 10-12k in the morning and end the week on a high. That is provided I don't end up too sore from the massage!

Sweet dreams bloggers!

Capital City Trail (because at first I didn't succeed..)

Today's run was 32.6kms (my longest so far) and after my dismal attempt at the Capital City Trail three weeks ago I figured I might give it a go again. This time though I had a great week's preparation. Limited alcohol (2 glasses of red wine and 2 beers all week), I have eaten some red meat and lots of mushrooms, got myself onto some B complex vitamins and managed to get some good sleep. I also bought myself some Gu (chocolate) for the 18km mark of my long runs. The end result = a great run. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions - in combination they all worked! I had a good strong run completing 30.8km in 3:02:00!

Now I have blogged before about the Capital City Trail (here) and what an awesome trail it is so I won't bother and promised to take some photos next time I ran it. Here they are some but my photography doesn't do it justice:

Lower reaches of Yarra River around Sth Yarra




Along the Yarra around Abbotsford and Collingwood




Merri Creek Section

(CC Trail on right hand side)

Next to the old tram rail in Carlton into Princess Park then onto Royal Park)

Underneath Expressway along Mooney Ponds Creek


That marks the end of week 7/14 of my program:
Planned: 65kms
Run: 63.6kms (biggest week ever)
Shin Status: Only just 1/5 (nearly gone)
Big toe nail status: Kind of yellowish under the nail now (not particularly pretty).
Mood: happy
Energy Levels: Back where they should be!

Friday make-up run

I was slack yesterday and didn't run. It was one of those mornings where I layed in bed at 5:15 after the alarm went off and I just kept thinking of ways I could make up the run I wanted to miss and finally convinced myself not to run.

Today I had to pay for it - but not without another long debate.

It was pretty warm this morning (27 degrees) so I took it easy with a 10km trundle along the coastal trail to the world's ugliest sculpture (a photo will follow soon - just to prove it). I didn't take a watch as Mrs W has been using Garmin Girl on her walks and keeps forgetting to turn her off - thus she was not charged up and ready for the run.

Good news - the digital camera has been fixed. $99 was the damage - ouch! Photo of the Wobblette #2's completed Paul Frank inspired clothes stand below....

Half way into my program

Okay - the graphs tell the story so far. I figured I am about half way through this program and apart from one week I have kept the effort going pretty well. With this in mind I am pretty happy!

Today I bought some Multi B vitamins to see if that can help lift my energy levels and I also slept in again - opting for a run after work. The additional sleep this week (3.5hrs) has been very welcome (and needed).

Today's late afternoon run was my Coastal Torture Trail - three sets of 70 stairs, a big boat ramp and steady pace increase up a fairly long hill. I did this with Holly and although it was fairly warm there was a nice coastal sea breeze and we finished the lot without any walk breaks.

It is forecast to be 31 tomorrow so I am going to skip speed training and see if I can get a run in early or at least by lunch time before it heats up too much. My coastal trail is a pretty hard work-out so that will substitute for speed work this week.

Tuesday midday trundle

Hi everyone!

After a lovely sleep-in (relative to the alarm time) this morning, I took my gear to work and slipped out of my cube for a lunch time 11k.

While it is a hassle finding time to run in the middle of the day, I have so much more energy in the afternoon. I might try and keep this routine up for a while. Tuesday and Wednesday 5:15am starts have been really taking their toll on me and this might help a bit.

Wobblette #2 gave me a picnic hamper with corn chips, sakatas, tomato sauce and a sandwich (not sure what is in it yet) when I got home today. Its for me and Mrs W - because it is Valentine's Day. Isn't that sweet!

I redeemed myself with Mrs W for forgetting it was Valentine's Day by cancelling the movie night (Munich) I had planned with the the lads and bringing home a cold bottle of bubbles and take-away Thai.

I hope you all had lovely Valentine's days wherever you are.

Long run chats

Hmm, the end of another week of marathon training and man am I tired! I think my body is taking longer to adapt to the longer kms than most peoples do due to the many years of abject neglect and abuse.

25kms was the required distance this morning and even though it was lovely and cool along the bay early this morning when we started, it really warmed up quickly and I was quite hot and bothered towards the end.

I ran with Cato and Greybeard for the first two thirds of the run down to Mordialloc. We talked a lot about the (Canberra Marathon as we ran and before we knew it we were down past pakdale and had run into a triathlon which was really interesting. (Cirque, I was thinking of you and C1 - wondering how you two were going!) Having never seen one close up, I was amazed at the expensive equipment everywhere and the frenetic activity in the transition area - it was an enduro one with three goes at each discipline and all I could think of was how confused I would be in the transitions wondering what I had to do next! There were lots of people yelling what to do though so I guess being a conformist I would do as I was told and rely on them knowing.

The pace with Ron and Rob was a good solid one averaging my dream marathon pace and I was felt reasonably comfortable doing it. Being a perpetual social butterfly, when we bumped into Ian and Sue on the way back (who were on their way out) I switched trains and jumped onto their's and ran with them for another 5kms or so. Rob and Ron were having a step back week so were going shorter than I needed to.

Once I got to about the 20km mark I really felt fatigued and once again needed a three walk breaks over the last 5km. I managed to finish the last 2kms running so I guess I should be pleased eough with that. It is starting to niggle me that I haven't had a strong long run for three runs :( The heat and giving blood haven't helped I guess.

Fingers crossed next week I will be able to muster up some more energy to go the distance strongly on my planned 30k long run! Capital City Trail I hope! Hopefully the digital camera will be fixed and I can take it with me this time.

End of week 6 (of a 14 week program)
Kms planned: 61
Kms run: 60.5
Shin pain: 2/5 (no worse thanks to ice and ibuprofen)
Big toe nail pain: 0/5 (but starting to turn an odd colour)
Summary: All planned runs completed this week
Mood: good

A Saturday saunter

Today I was scheduled for 8.5 easy but I couldn't get out until mid afternoon and as it was warming up quite a bit I have to say it was just an very easy jog at my long run pace - just turning the legs over really.

My splits were all around 6:00/km and the loop I took today is a shady one that runs around Sandringham and Royal Melbourne Golf Courses. It is flat for the first 2/3rds and a bit hilly towards the end.

Mrs W is out for the night so I am cooking the kids Pasta (carb loading for me) and then probably watching an Arnie DVD followed by an early night as I have a 26k run planned tomorrow. I have been sleeping poorly lately so an early one will be blissful!

Enjoy your evening and long runs tomorrow folks!

Speed Work/Updates

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement while my energy levels were low. As hoped for, they are still on the way up so I headed on down to Sandy Aths track for some much needed speed work last night with the HVT gazelles! I can tell they enjoy it when I turn up as the recoveries often start from the last person (me)!

Torture Tim was away so it was Katie's turn to keep the rabble working hard and a fine job she did too. I confess to missing some of the instructions in the second relay thingy and probably messed a few runner up along the way. Sorry guys! Seems we all worked hard though and I felt so good afterwards for having gotten down their for the first time in a month or so since my shins flared up.

Rest day today - mission accomplished

Easy 8.5km on Saturday followed by 26km+ on Sunday with Rob and Cato along the Coastal Trail (distance depends on how fast those two go).

Big Toe update: My nail was sitting at about a 30 degree sideways angle so I stuck a pin in under the nail and a gusher followed. Instantly the pressure was relieved and the nail although not a healthy pink like the other one is no longer looking deep red and the pain has almost gone completely. (Lesson learned: Always make sure my toe nails are trimmed before doing a long run.

My digital camera is being repaired so the "Wobbly" version of a Paul Frank Clothes stand photo will be posted in a week or so when the camera is fixed. Wobblette #2 wants a dog one now so that will be started this weekend.

Mid-week meanderings..

Good news - my energy levels are returning! They are still not back to normal but are definitely better than they have been!

Monday was a scheduled rest day. That was easy!

Tuesday I took some running gear into work and went for a run at lunch time down along the Yarra and around the Tan. I didn't take a watch but suspect it was pretty fast (for me) as the "ponytail" effect was very strong. I used to run at lunch time a lot and had forgotten how nice it is running amongst other runners. It was a really enjoyable run. It was about 25 degrees and sunny and the elm trees along the Tan are at their glorious shady best. 11kms all up

Wednesday was an early start. Up at 5:15am and out the door by 5:25. I ran with Holly and the apprentice turned up so we had a good run and chatted about goal setting and how important it is to have them. We ran reasonably fast (for us) and the 9.4kms were steady paced with a gradual pick up along the Balcombe Road hill getting down to just under 5:00/km by the time we reached the top. Another great run.

So, seeing as my energy levels are coming back I think I will head down to speed training tonight just to remind myself how slow I am compared to the rest of the Gazelles. Its good for their egos when I turn up you see..

Saturday slacking and Sunday long

Saturday was spent nursing a medium grade over-hang after the cricket and fooling around with the kids. The Wobbly-built Paul Frank clothes stand is now complete and sitting proudly in Wobblette #1's bedroom. Wobblette #2 wants a dog face for her clothes stand so that will the next project over the next couple of weeks. I had planned a 6k run on Saturday but basically was too tired and unmotivated to do it and thought I would make up for it by adding 6km to the (abridged) long run on Sunday.

Sunday morning I enjoyed a healthy sleep in and got out a little late at about 11am (it was 24 degrees and the sun was out). Went out fine with Holly and arranged for her pick up at the 15km mark. I struggled home with a few walk breaks feeling the heat and generally a bit lacking in energy. I completed the 22k but it wasn't a run where I felt strong except for a couple of kms where I upped the pace slowly to 5:00/kms and felt comfy until I hit an incline and faded quickly.

End of week: 5/14 (9 weeks to go)
Distance planned: 62.5km
Distance run: 58.5

Mood: Lethargic - probably a combination of giving blood and upping my kilometres so much over the last month or so. Hopefully my energy levels will return or I have to revise my "A" goal time from sub 4:00 to about 4:30. Time to eat more healthily and get more sleep.

Well I could still do it - but I did go slower!

I slept in big time this morning and consequently missed my planned run. I spent lunch time beside the Tan track eating a sandwich watching the runners wishing I could be running too.

I passed the blood bank and felt guilty about not having donated for 6 months so slipped in. As the nurse was finishing off she said to me "Now, no tennis tonight okay"..."Huh, what about running though?" was my concerned response. "Oh maybe in a couple of days".... Wobbly mumbles obscenities at himself for not thinking about things before acting impulsively and then sits down for a milkshake and a party pie feast.

So I waited until 9:30pm tonight after drinking lots of water all afternoon and went for a slow (6:12/km pace) 15 km run along Beach Rd to Hampton and back. Its nice running late at night as the paths are all your own - well mine and Holly's anyway.

Rest day tomorrow, with the afternoon at the cricket at Telstra Dome. I'm still on track for kms this week despite my planned reduction in my long run to about 18kms to rejuvenate and recover from last week's long one fully.

Shins: 1.5/5
Big Toe: 2.5/5 (deep red for half the nail - not pretty, I guess it will go soon)
Mood: Happy wobbly