Healthy!

It's taken me much longer than I'd have anticipated to get over the cold.

Ran Striders 10k at Lane Cove and took a few more seconds off my 2012 10k time and then ran a further 5k with Alison and felt pretty ordinary.  The next day I tried to run the 15k on my schedule but had to walk after only 7k of very slow running; my heart started racing and skipping beats which made me cough.  Same issue as I had years ago.  I walked till my HR returned to normal and then ran again, only to have to stop again repeatedly to try and settle the HR.  At 11k I wrote the run off and walked home.

Recovery week 

Monday rest day

Tuesday had a session on my program but didn't feel up to it so decided to run Wednesday morning.

Wednesday didn't feel up to a run in the morning so decided I'd run before Primal.  Left work late, got caught in traffic and only just made it to Primal in time.  Conditioning workout with Elliot included some 100m sprints.  Felt dizzy and weak and generally blah so didn't run after the session either.

Thursday Ran to RunClub from work.  Felt better than the last few days but not great.  Session was a killer but loved it!
drills
run throughs
16 mins of 'rolling hills'
core work
5 mins of 'rolling 100m'
5 mins of hill reps
800m on track
stretch

Felt great afterwards!  Thighs hurt to walk after all the squats at Primal yesterday so I might not be able to walk tomorrow!

Owly vs Monkey Bars!

Friday was a well needed rest day.  Yoga in the morning for 1 hour then nothin' else for the rest of the day.

Saturday the big kahuna!  Wentworth Park workout and Blackwattle Bay run.  Something for everyone.  I LOVE this workout!

Started at Wentworth Park then ran up the hill and around the corner to our little park where we climbed a wall, commando crawled across the grass and I did not 1, but two full sets of monkey bars!!  Yeay me!!  First time ever!!!

We then ran back to Wentworth park and to the first exercise station.  I'm never going to remember which order we did what exercise so I'll just list them.  If you click the link above you'll see on the map little icons where we did a set of 1 or two exercises so you can use your imagination:

• planks over low bar with press up in between x 4
• dips 
• leg raises 
• incline rows
• leg raises
• sideways jump things over a diagonal bar
• box jumps
• chin ups
• obstacle course without touching the ground (first time ever!!)
• stair repeats x 5
• squats 
• upper and lower ab crunches
• side crunches
• hill repeats
• step ups with high knee
• leg raises in pairs
• horrible hamstring exercise in pairs
• supermans in pairs
• pushups in pairs 
• incline rows while everyone held plank position
• plank while everyone else took turns to do incline rows
• balance beam
• more dips (thanks Chris!)
• running backwards across the citywest overpass
• upper and lower ab crunches 
• hill repeat up anzac bridge spiral 'onramp'
• stair repeats with box jump in between x 3
• stair pyramid repeats with the following in between (push ups, sit ups, pressup position to plank position x 10)
• jumping over 'logs'
• more monkey bars (yeay me!)

All up about 2:15 and about 10km distance.

I think I earned a massage!

Running up that hill and that hill, oh, and that hill...

forgive me readers (both of you) for I haven't blogged in a while.

Sunday 29 July

I headed to Cronulla with 13 v-stars and we did a session on the sand dunes which basically just consisted of running up and down every dune we could see... sometimes more than once.  Tough session but a stunning day and great company.  Some photos on the V-Stars meetup page 

Monday 30 July

Headed to Primal early so I could do my run beforehand.  Dave put 6km on my program so Lou and I set off however I got an attack of the gingerbread men (i.e. the runs) so I had to race to the toilet.  With stopping at lights and stopping for the toilet we ran out of time and had to pick up the pace to make it back to the Primal Den for the session.  According to Mapmyrun app we completed 4.73k total.  

Primal session with Tarek

Tuesday 31 July

Had 1k easy, 3k hard, 1k easy on the program but ended up doing 5.29 total.

Wednesday 1 August

Primal with Ray.  I nearly backed up with a second session but decided I'd give it another week before I step this strength training up.

Thursday 2 August, Friday 3 August

1hour yoga in the morning Thursday and had a 10k run on the schedule.  Had large dose of bad attitude hit me that day and didn't run.  I told myself I'd run before work on Friday but didn't.  I did do 1hour of yoga.

Saturday 4 August

Lane Cove Striders 10k.  Woke up with the gingerbread men... not sure why.  Nerves?  Something I ate?  Anyway, had to go 4 times between waking and the start of the race then had the urge to go again about 2km in.  Managed to hold of till about 7k and then cramping tummy sent me running for the bushes (no toilets on the course).  

I was about to head off again when a second bout of cramping sent me back into the woods.  

I ran hard to try and catch the people who'd overtaken me while I was indisposed and managed to catch one.  Disappointed in my 68:xx for the race but couldn't be helped.

Sunday 5 August

Bay Run 7km - I had 5k on my program but I was 12k short for the week and Lou talked me into running The Bay Run race.  Felt good all the way and enjoyed my run.  Was able to pick it up in the last few kms and pick off people one by one.  Not often I am in an event where I can do that!  44:xx for the race.

Monday 6 August

Had 8k on the program.  Difficulty sleeping last night meant difficulty getting out of bed this morning meant no run before work.  I was meeting a colleague for a 'drink' after work so running 8k before Primal was out of the question.  I did manage to get 2km in before the session as a warmup though.

Harnessing up my big-girl suit.

Primal social event last night - indoor rock climbing at St Peters.  I'm quite scared of heights so rock climbing might seem a strange thing for me to do but I know that facing your fears is key to overcoming them so it was with this in mind that I harnessed up my big girl suit and climbed like I was being chased.

Speaking of big girls pants... I also discovered last night I need new jeans.  Actually I can probably get back into my old skinny jeans.  The most recent pair are sliding down my hips when I walk.  Not a great look on teenage boys, let alone a 38 yr old woman.

Today Lou and I headed out to Epping for a session in Phil's front yard.  Being a landscape gardener he had set up an interesting circuit using lots of tools of his trade:

Station 1:

• two 'chin ups' on an overhanging branch (I did 'chin downs' as I still can't lift my body weight enough for a hint of a chin up
• 10 tricep dips on the wall
• walking lunges (27 but who's counting?) to a dead tree stump
• stand on the dead stump and hold squat position holding sledgehammer above your head
• walking lunges to station 2 (6)

Station 2:

• attempt to climb a rope up a tree.  I had no hope so did ground to standing pulling myself up hand over hand using the rope
• 10 incline pull ups
• 10 push-ups
• 10 'kettle bell' swings using a bucket full of bricks

Station 3:

• fireman's run with two buckets full of bricks to small wall
• step up on wall and lift knee still holding the buckets x 10
• fireman's run up slight incline and short set of stairs
• back down stairs and squat lowering buckets to ground each squat x 10
• run back to start

Station 4:

• lying on ground and holding onto slim tree trunk 20 x leg raises
• squat holding large ropes and creating waves with arms x 40
• tow 35kg sandbag down the lawn to a wall, climb over the wall towing sand bag till it hits the wall then turn around and run back up the lawn

We did 4 rounds of these 4 stations then went for a short 3k run which included 2 steep hills.  

Honeymoon Track

Lou and I met Duncan, Nat and Zac at Audley and walked to the foot of the Honeymoon track.  Walk up the stairs and jogged the flat sections realising I'd forgotten to start my Garmen.  Typical!  Why bother wearing it?

Got to the top of the stairs and realised it was shorter than I remembered so we headed off past the school and on a track towards Grays Point.  I ran/walked most of the way to Grays Point School where we turned around and I turned the Garmen on.  By now my tank is feeling pretty empty again despite the massive serving of quinoa porridge this morning.

Walked most of the way back with a few run breaks till we got to the stairs and ran down the stairs.  Stopped for a photo opportunity and realised I'd left my phone in the car.  Seriously?  Luckily Duncan, who was walking pretty fast, caught us and took this photo:

We look pretty happy and that's cos we were.  Geez it's a beautiful spot!

Stopped the Garmin at the foot of the stairs and it read 2.9km so I ran 5.8k all up.  Not bad backing up after yesterday.

Next Sunday I run Woodford to Glenbrook... I say run but I'm thinking of it more as a long walk with run breaks as I'm very underdone for this!  It will be nice to be in the mountains and nice to be on the trails again.

Topped it off with a lovely second-breakfast at Audley.  Great company, great trails, great food.  Bliss!

Travel, juggling and a 'fun' with fruit

How did I go while away in Brisbane?


Wednesday am: meditation, yoga at BML studio
Wednesday pm:
Meditation, journalling

Thursday am: meditation, run
Conference
Thursday pm: yoga called this my rest day
Dinner
Meditation 

Friday am:
Yoga, meditation, run 
Conference
Friday pm: Train to Sunshine Coast
Meditation, yoga 

Saturday 
Yoga assisted by Buddy, run, meditation am and pm

Sunday
Meditation am and pm, yoga

Monday am: Meditation, run
Bus to Brisbane
Fly to sydney
Monday pm:
Yoga at studio
Meditation. 


So I didn't manage to keep up everything, but I did more than if I'd had no plan.  


Since then I've kept up the daily meditation x 2 daily, the yoga x 6 per week but this week a 3 day fruit cleanse left me with 3 day headache so running fell by the wayside.  I trained with Primal on Thursday morning (day 3 of the fast) and it was a dizzying experience!  I don't recommend fruit only as training food.


The TM crew did a practice run on the City2Surf course yesterday morning and, despite a day of real food, I still felt pretty ordinary.  For breakfast I had a pear and a banana and in hindsight I probably should have had some complex carbs.  I felt light headed and weak right from the start of the course.  I couldn't keep the others in sight so from Edgecliff I ran by myself and didn't see the others till Bondi.  This caused all manner of negative thoughts about my running, whether I should quit the team, holding people back, despair about my lack of speed etc. etc.  


I ate two mandarins going up HBH as I was feeling very dizzy.  I could barely run even slight inclines and walked all the uphills.  Toward the end I struggled to run along Campbell Pde so had to walk/run that. I had well and truly emptied the tank!


Lesson learned, so I had a big bowl of quinoa with banana, cinnamon, raisins and almond milk for breakfast this morning.  I'm meeting Lou, Nat and Zac at Audley for a 'run' up the honeymoon stairs and back.

Mileage with Milov

Met the TM team and Milov at Coogee surf club for 5 x a nasty little hill circuit devised by Milov.

First lap we ran together slowly i.e. a little faster than my pace and finished in 16:30.

The subsequent laps we ran at our own pace:
17:00
18:20
18:35
18:47

My legs felt pretty tired but not as bad as I feared. My stomach however was pretty crampy.

A tough circuit and a good session. Now I'm HUNGRY!

Monkey Bars 1, Tofu 0

First ever session with Team Captain and trainer Phillip Marino. Can be summed up in four letters. O U C H.

warmup lap of Wentworth Park (10:30)

circuit of nasty exercises each for two minutes:
Push up with side plank in between
Sprawlers ( burpees without the jump)
Crunches with oblique twist (legs off the ground)
Squats
Mountain climbers
Sideways jump over a bar
Pushups
Lunges
Pushups with spiderman
Crunches

X 3 circuits

Nasty as single leg forward extensions with 10 small circles in each direction, followed by holding leg in extended position. These were done in pairs with your partner doing a low squat while holding their hand out for you to circle with your foot.

5 x single leg squats to sitting position. I couldn't do this so I did 10 x single leg squats to as far as I could without my form going to hell.

Duck walks x 2 mins (basically a walking lunge but without standing straight in between so going from lunge to lunge without your head changing height.

Walking lunges with martial arts style knee in between x 2 mins

Walking lunges with knee and front kick x 2 mins

Swinging on monkey bars (I almost managed to swing to 1 bar).

Climbing across play equipment without touching ground (defeated by monkey bars again)

2 x long hill sprints, 3 x short hill sprints.

Struggled with embarrassment about being the slowest and weakest link. However, the team are very supportive.

I'm going to suffer tomorrow!

Slight Incline Session

Yoga in the morning.

Fitted in a quick (13min) run between getting home from work and getting ready to go to the first Tuff Mudder team meeting this evening.  I knew it was going to be short and that I'd missed a hill session on Monday so to compensate I ran twice around the block making sure I fitted in as many 'inclines' as I could.  In NZ it would be called a flat run, here in Australia I ran a hill session.

According to MapMyRun app it was 1.99km averaging 6:34/km.