Wed 30-11-2005 - Hoppers Crossing 12 km

Location : Hoppers Crossing Time of run : 6 pm Distance : 12.71 km Time : 1:03:41 Pace : 5:01 /km Heart-rate Max : 153 Heart-rate Avg : 137 Details of this run, all the data, can be found here. Easy run tonight, just plodding around the streets of Hoppers Crossing. The heart-rate graph clearly shows an easy effort. On return I pumped out 100 sit-ups and that was it. The 1 km splits are relatively even as indicated by the lap chart

Stats as of today

Weight : 78.3 kg Last 7 Days : 83.2 km Last 28 Days : 219.4 km November 2005 : 232.0 km YTD : 2112.1 km Weekly Avg (2005): 43.1 km Monthly Avg (2005): 192.0 km Yearly Avg (2001 on): 1489.9 km Total (2001 on): 7449.5 km

Tues 29-11-2005 - Gym session (abs)

Gym session whilst at work today at 3 pm for 25 mins. As per usual of recent times, well the last 2 - 3 months, I concentrated only on my abs. Sit-ups (exercise ball - crunch twist) 1 x 30, 3 x 20. Oblique twists (bar) 2 x 50 Side bends (7.5 kg) 2 x 50 Crunches 1 x 50 My intention during the gym session was to have a run after work. Well, plans are made to be broken. On arriving home I decided to have a rest from running. I'm feeling a little energy sapped most likely caused from the Two Bays 28 k run on Sunday and recovery run last night. I'm wondering now, why I'm calling last nights run a recovery run. Besides being energy sapped (buggered) my legs, quads, are still aching. I don't mind that so much as I realize that I must have exerted myself and therefore is good. I've got a slight niggling pain in my left foot. Therefore probably a good reason not to run tonight. Next Group Run Looking forward to my 3rd group run at Brimbank Park this coming Sunday. This time they're planning a 23 k run, extending the turn-around point to Canning St.

Mon 28-11-2005 - Werribee River 12 km

Time of Run : 5.25 pm Course : Werribee River Distance : 12.52 km Time : 1:03:14 Pace : 5:03 /km Max Heart-rate : 149 bpm Avg Heart-rate : 137 bpm Easy run tonight, no intention on going fast. My thighs are a little sore from the hills yesterday, the Two Bays run. Strong southerly wind.

Stats as of today

Weight : 78.2 kg Last 7 Days : 82.6 km Last 28 Days : 219.3 km November 2005 : 219.3 km YTD : 2099.4 km Weekly Avg (2005): 42.8 km Monthly Avg (2005): 190.9 km Yearly Avg (2001 on): 1487.4 km Total (2001 on): 7436.8 km

Mon 28-11-2005 - Gym session Abs at work

Gym session whilst at work at 2 pm for 30 mins.

Sit-ups (exercise ball) 1 x 200 Oblique twists (bar) 2 x 50 Side bends (7.5 kg) 2 x 50 Sit-ups (exercise ball - crunch twist) 3 x 20

Legs feeling a little tight and sore from yesterday's Two Bays Trail run. I'll get over it.

Sun 27-11-2005 - Results - Two Bays Trail

These results are a direct copy of an entry from this thread of the Cool Running Website.

All, With 27 starters it would be fair to say this was a successful day and on the larger side of Fat Ass events. Congratulations to Scott Thompson who won the 56km event in 5:59 and to Richard McCormick who took out the 28km event in 2:38. Well done to Mary Pickarance who was first woman (28km) to finish in a sprint for the line with Kelly Gerber. A special mention must go to Dylan Dwyer - in his first off road race - who was the first 56km runner to complete the outward journey to Cape Schanck. Watch out for Dylan in future off road races. WIth participation like this an official race beckons next year. From my perspective as a participant, it was a nice jog in the woods. Wearing my organiser's hat, I've learned that before we run an official event we'll need to ensure that this course is clearly marked. The number, twists, corners and turns confused a few runners, meaning they lost time and dropped places while running off the course. As Kevin points out runners went off the trail in both the out and back directions. We had a meeting with Parks Victoria this afternoon who seemed to be very supportive of any event which would help raise the awareness of the Track and its scenic passage to Bass Strait. We have some great pics which we will post here soon. Well done everyone. TWO BAYS TRACK RESULTS 2005 RESULTS 56km Event 28km 56km 1 Scott Thompson 2:37 5:59 2 Dylan Dwyer 2:25 6:08 3 Kelvin Marshall 2:59 6:30 4 Mike Pickarance 2:49 6:55 5 Kevin Cassidy 3:18 7:09 6 Robert Boyce 3:07 7:25 7 Steve Hyde 3:25 7:42 8 Justin McNamara 3:34 8:40 8 Matt McNamara 3:34 8:40 RESULTS 28km Event 1 Richard McCormick 2:38 2 Peter Bignall 2:39 3 Simon Gerber 2:41 4 Lachlan Fraser 2:45 5 Brian Trower 2:46 6 Philip Healey 2:47 7 Mark Foley 2:48 8 Richard MacAfee 2:50 9 Mary Pickarance 2:51 10 Kelly Gerber 2:51 11 Nick Thompson 2:52 12 Steven Taylor 2:54 13 Emma Miller 2:56 14 Julia Thorn 2:59 15 Brendan Mason 3:05 16 Erwin Koster 3:44 16 Mihaslk Provspiev 3:44 Geoff Carroll DNF Cheers, Brendan

Sun 27-11-2005 - Two Bays Trail (Cool Runners) 28 km

Two Bays Trail, Dromana to Cape Schanck. Time of Run : 8.09 am Distance : 29.42 km Time : 2:55:59 Pace : 5:59 /km Heart-rate Max : 169 Heart-rate Avg : 141 Notice the elevation chart, the first 30 minutes was all up hill, rising from sea level to about 310 metres. No warm up for this run. My heart-rate immediately up there around 160 bpm, obviously the hill causing it. Fastest lap (7) 3:58 /km (on the descent) Slowest lap (4) 9:19 /km (was lost) Highest Avg HR - Lap (2) 158 bpm Lowest Avg HR - Lap (9) 126 bpm Today's run all started yesterday or last night for me. I'm not normally this organised but I made sure my bag was packed, gear to be worn out and ready to be put on in the morning. My homemade energy gel all ready in the fridge. Just had to remember to retrieve it this morning. Went to bed early, well early for me, about 11 pm. Was up at 4.30 am and as per usual checked my weight at 78.4 kg. I was as quiet as a mouse, don't think I disturbed my other half, she lets me know when I do. Had breaky almost straight away, some cereal, orange juice and a multi-vitamin tablet. Of recent times that's my usual breakfast. I was out the door at 5.10 am and heading down the road to Cape Schanck. I arrived at the Cape Schanck light-house car park about 7.10 am and heaps of Cool Runners already there. It was cold and miserable (raining) at this time. A few of the 56 km runners had volunteered to pick up the 28 km runners and get us to the start at Dromana. I hitched a ride with Robert Boyce (cr - rb). While still at Cape Schanck my run nearly ended before it even started. In my haste to get to the toilet block I locked my keys in the car. Fortunately the door was not fully shut, though it was locked closed. Peter (cr - Pbig) just happened to have a coat-hangar in his car. Well that did the trick. I mentioned to everyone that that didn't need to be mentioned again, oh well, I've mentioned it now. Robert and I drove to Dromana, the start of the event. Robert was running the 56 km version. Far to far for me. At the start, Brendan Mason (cr - Virtual Runner), today's organiser, gave all of us maps and instructions for the course. I suppose I should have listened more intently. I was thinking along the lines I'll follow a bunch or someone and therefore getting lost or off-course will not be a problem. How wrong I was. Just prior to the start a group photo was taken, about 30 of us. I'll insert the photo here when I get it, most likely from the CR website. About 8.09 am the event started. I was in there with the first bunch climbing this big bloody hill right from the start. I followed the first bunch and was relying on them to be following the directions. There were tracks that went off in all directions. Well as you can imagine the leading bunch took a wrong turn about 20-30 mins gone and I followed. I'm not blaming the bunch I was following, I'm blaming myself for not reading the directions. At this point I was running with Lachlan from Maryville and we realised that we'd stuffed up. From the Google Earth map it's quite obvious where we went off course (is highlighted on the chart). That little diversion is 1.5 km and I've estimated that we actually ran further than that as we back-tracked and ran over the same ground a few times. I believe we probably ran about 2 km more than we had to. When we found the right track again all the others had zipped through and we were into catch-up mode. This is truly the first trail run I've done. Lachlan was catching up more so than me in that he left me behind. Now I had to read the directions. At certain points I had to stop to study the directions with the features at hand, a little disconcerting at times. Some tracks that I was running along I was thinking surely this can't be right. At various points my confidence was restored somewhat when I saw runners ahead of me and guessed or assumed that they were tracking along the correct track. Some of the tracks I negotiated were quite precarious. One was a narrow track at the top of a precipice. This section was towards the end of the run, I believe prior to crossing Boneo Rd. Along this section all it would take is to place your foot in the wrong spot and would be easy to lose balance and fall down the side. Well it didn't happen to me, though I was thinking about it at the time. It went through my head, "What if?" Other parts were wooden bridges or decking covering the track. Some deckings were covered with chicken wire. Some of the planks had rotted away or about to and the message to self was don't step on those planks. Along one section I missed the chicken wire part and my foot slipped, luckily I kept my balance but it did give me a fright. Lachlan was just ahead of me at this point. As I approached Boneo Rd Brendan was just ahead and then I knew I had taken the right path. Brendan told me to cross the road and continue on the track. His main advice was to keep the coast on my left. My misses reckons I've got a memory like a sieve and so I was saying to myself numerous times "coast on left, coast on left....". Considering the weather was miserable just prior to the start, during the event it was only cool and overcast. It didn't rain, though it wanted to. After 2:55:59 my Garmin said 29.42 km travelled. Other CR's with Garmins (that didn't go off-course) indicated 27.4 km. Photographs were taken of all the 28 km finishers, I believe, by Brendan's wife. I'll insert those photos when I get them. No injuries today other than soreness in legs. All afternoon I felt a little (well maybe a lot) drained or energy sapped. I'll do this again next year or when ever it's organised again.

Stats as of 27 Nov 2005

Weight : 78.4 kg Last 7 Days : 82.5 km Last 28 Days : 212.0 km November 2005 : 206.8 km YTD : 2086.8 km Weekly Avg (2005): 43.5 km Monthly Avg (2005): 189.7 km Yearly Avg (2001 on): 1484.9 km Total (2001 on): 7424.3 km

Fri 25-11-2005 - Hoppers Crossing 8 km

Time of run : 6.05 pm Distance : 8.03 km Time : 38:46 Pace : 4:50 /km Max HR : 165 bpm Avg HR : 145 bpm Weather : Hot high 20's maybe in low 30's, strong northerly wind. Just a normal run today, not looking for a fast time and not wanting to run at snails pace. Only hours earlier I did an ab session at work. It was the sort of night I could have easily not gone running. The excuses I could have used were many including the hot weather, gym session today and always I'm a little tired. Well I discounted them and went anyway as I really wanted a rest day tomorrow, being the Saturday before my big run on Sunday. The strong wind killed me along Morris St, running right into it. I was trying to keep under 5 min pace, so if it wasn't the wind, it was my cap blowing off and then a short time later having to tie my shoe laces again. After the run, I felt good and so decided to get in another 100 sit-ups.

Stats as of today Weight : 78.2 kg Last 7 Days: 74.4 km Last 28 Days 224.7 km November 2005: 177.3 km YTD: 2057.4 km Weekly Avg (2005): 42.9 km Monthly Avg (2005): 187.0 km Yearly Avg (2001 on): 1479.0 km Total (2001 on): 7394.9 km

Next run will be the Two Bays Trail Run on Sunday, 28 km. Will have a rest day tomorrow (Saturday).

Fri 25-11-2005 - Gym Session (abs)

Gym session whilst at work at 2.15 pm for 30 mins. It went something like this:-

Sit-ups (exercise ball) 1 x 200 Side bends (7.5 kg) 3 x 50 Oblique twists (bar) 3 x 50 Sit-ups (exercise ball - crunch/twist) 3 x 20

Not enough time available for me to go for a run during company time today. I'll do that after work at home.

Thur 24-11-2005 - Werribee River 20.5 km run

Time of Run : 4.00 pm Distance : 20.56 km (my Garmin says so) Time : 1:43:04 Pace : 5:01 /km Max Heart-rate : 162 bpm Avg Heart-rate : 148 bpm Weather : Warm to Hot about 26 deg. Little or no wind. After run, stretches and 100 sit-ups (using exercise ball). Today I was fortunate to get home from work early and therefore had time up my sleeve. I'd had a good nights sleep and got over a dose of the tired's from yesterday. So I thought to myself, "self - why not get a 20 k'er in before my Two Bays 28 k'er on Sunday". So I did, even though it was on the warm to hot side. Because of the weather and the distance to run I made a batch of energy gel, enough for the distance. I'm calling my gel at the moment, "Rocket Fuel". Anyway, during the run every 30 minutes I took a shot of gel and washed it down with water. Tastes quite nice and I think it's doing its job - giving me an energy boost. I must admit towards the end of the run I was starting to feel a little drained and was quite thankful to myself for not planning a longer run, if that makes sense.

Stats as of today Weight : 78.5 kg Last 7 Days: 66.4 km Last 28 Days 223.6 km November 2005: 169.3 km YTD: 2049.4 km Weekly Avg (2005): 42.7 km Monthly Avg (2005): 186.3 km Yearly Avg (2001 on): 1477.4 km Total (2001 on): 7386.9 km

Wed 23-11-2005 - Abs only - no run

Only managed a gym session today at work at 3 pm for 30 mins. Concentrated on my abs and it went something like this:- Sit-ups (exercise ball) 1 x 200 Side-bends (7.5 kg) 3 x 50 Oblique twists (bar) 3 x 50 Sit-ups (exercise ball, crunch-twist) 3 x 20 Plus some stretching. Plan was to go for a run after work at home. Thing was though, I was feeling tired all day and the 45 mins on the train doesn't help. Got home, sat on the couch, idiot box on and that was it, decision made, no run tonight. As I write this about 9.45 pm I'm extremely tired, eyes heavy. I'll be in bed very soon. I've got a feeling all this training is catching up with me and just need a rest day, maybe two. Weight this morning 77.4 kg. Until next time...

Tues 22-11-2005 : 12 km Easy Run

5.40 pm Run after work, at home, running around the streets of Hoppers Crossing. Distance : 12.05 km Time : 1:02:01 Pace : 5:09 /km HR Max : 145 bpm HR Avg : 133 bpm Hook or by crook, I wanted 12 k's today. Due to hard session yesterday I didn't feel like too much exertion today, hence an easy run. Heart-rate graph clearly shows a nice easy effort for the pace of the run. After the run felt good and not exhausted. After the run 100 sit-ups. No injuries.

Stats as of today (I will get this into a table at some point) Weight : 76.6 kg Last 7 Days : 66.9 km Last 28 Days : 211.0 km November 2005 : 148.7 km YTD : 2028.8 km Weekly Avg (2005) : 42.3 km Monthly Avg (2005) : 184.4 km Yearly Avg (2001 on) : 1473.3 km Total (2001 on) : 7366.3 km

Mon 21-11-2005 : 12 k Run - hard

3.15 pm Gym session at work. 30 mins on abs. Session included 200 sit-ups and other ab type exercises (must get their proper names - all I know is they strain the stomach muscles - and aching afterwards) 6.30 pm Run after work, at home, taking in the Werribee River. Distance : 12.47 km Time : 59:08 Pace : 4:44 /km HR Max : 163 bpm HR Avg : 146 bpm First half of run fairly sluggish and was at that point resigned to an easy pace run. Felt sluggish as abs a little sore (a nice sore) from the earlier session. Second half changed, felt good and so upped the ante. Each lap = 1 km. Heart-rate graph clearly shows the extra effort for the second half of the run. After the run felt tired but good. No injuries.

Stats as of today (I will get this into a table at some point) Weight : 77.7 kg Last 7 Days: 54.8 km Last 28 Days 199.0 km November 2005: 136.7 km YTD: 2016.8 km Weekly Avg (2005): 42.0 km Monthly Avg (2005): 183.3 km Yearly Avg (2001 on): 1470.9 km Total (2001 on): 7354.3 km

2000 k's for the Year - Cool Runners Brimbank Park 21 km run

Milestone What a day, after today's run I've smashed 2000 k's for the year. 2004.3 km to be precise. Planned Cool Runners Brimbank Park 21 km group run. I was up about 6 am as I wanted to eat something before today's run. I have to get up a little earlier in order to give myself time to digest breakfast. While I'm on the subject of breakfast I had a bowl of Nutri Grain, Orange Juice with 2 multi-vitamin tablets and coffee. I retrieved my homemade gel from the fridge, filled my water bottles and out the door. Oops, nearly forgot my cap, back inside, make noise, get cap, wife not happy and back out again. Arrived at Brimbank Park Scenic Lookup carpark about 7.45 am. Morley was already into stretching and a little warmup jog. Travis (CR - Antipop) arrived a few minutes later. For todays run only three of us running. Travis was wearing a Camelback for the first time, carrying 1.5 litres of water. He also wearing a Timex GPS watch which he recently purchased (that's from his blog). During the run we compared readings from his Timex and my Garmin and both were similar. We headed off on a slightly different route from last time. Morley suggesting that following the road to the track is a more gradual descent than the track we followed last time. Who was I to argue; it was still going to be a 21 km run. The run itself was basically a nice even slow pace and we followed the trail along the Maribrynong River to an 8 km marker (same point last time) which is about 10 point something k's gone and then returned following the same trail. Morley was the only one not carrying his own water. Travis had a PB Sports Gel and I consumed my own gel every 30 mins flushing it down with water. Note to self, "add a bit more water to the mix - to dilute it further". It's very hard to determine whether my gel did the trick. What I did notice is that at about the 20 km mark both Morley and myself were heading up a steep hill. I was feeling rather good within myself and so sprinted up the steepest part of the hill to the apex. At the top I slowed, took on water and waited for Morley and we then finished together. Travis finished a few minutes later (not that long). In the second half of the run Travis complained of a slight problem with his right knee. We slowed down somewhat as we wanted to stay together. The pace though seemed to pick up and Travis didn't complain. About the 17 or 18 km mark at a park just before the hill Travis slowed and told us to run on, so we did. My Garmin registered the distance at 21.28 km, for a time of 1:49:34. That equated to an average pace of 5:09 /km. Max heart-rate 167 and average heart-rate 137 bpm. I have my Garmin set-up to automatically record each km as a lap. Here are some, what I think are interesting figures:- Slowest lap - 5:28 Fastest lap - 4:45 Lowest Avg HR - 132 (lap 15) Highest Avg HR - 148 (lap 20 - was the steep hill) All in all quite an easy paced run today. After the run I called in at Mum & Dad's as they live nearby.

Stats Weight : 77.8 kg Last 7 Days: 49.0 km Last 28 Days 186.5 km November 2005: 124.2 km YTD: 2004.3 km Weekly Avg (2005): 42.6 km Monthly Avg (2005): 182.2 km Yearly Avg (2001 on): 1468.3 km Total (2001 on): 7341.8 km

Next Sunday The group have planned a run at Williamstown next Sunday but unfortunately I will not be able to make it as I've committed myself to the "Two Bays Trail Run" also being organised by the Cool Running website.

Rest Day (messed around with gel)

Not much happened today, rest day from all training. Messed around with two batches of homemade energy gel. One batch using Saline instead of Gatorade. That didn't work, Saline made the gel to airy and not very convenient to use. With the second batch I went with a Gatorade component (6 Poly-Joule, 2 Gatorade & 2 Cordial). This turns out ok, on the thick and dense side. I'll trial it tomorrow on my Cool Runners Brimbank Run. Until tomorrow.... By the way, weight this morning 77.8 kg.

Gym session - abs - 30 mins

Just a short entry today, nothing special, no running just an ab session in the company gym at 2.30 pm. Started with stretches as per usual and now purposely including back stretching as well. Session started with 200 sit-ups (using exercise ball) then various torso twists and bends using bars and light weights, crunches and finishing with another 100 sit-ups. Actually, finished with stretching. Session lasting about 30 mins. At weigh-in this morning I was 77.8 kg. Until next next...

Just a quickie - abs & easy 5 km

3 pm at work and into a gym session. All abs for about 30 mins or thereabouts. Started with a few stretches and then into my favourite exercise at the moment 'sit-ups on the exercise ball' 200 of them. This followed by other ab type exercises including crunchies & leg raisers ending with another 100 sit-ups. Yes Travis, I'm now including some back stretching type exercises and may pick your brains on Sunday about this. I didn't get a chance to get a run in during work, low and behold, some work got in the way, bummer. I was home from work about 6.45 pm and at 7 pm out pounding the roads of Hoppers Crossing. Nothing special, just 5.27 km for a time of 25:51 which equates to a pace of 4:54 /km. This I did relatively easy which is indicated by my heart-rate graph, max 146 and average 137 bpm. I'm told that these easier runs more efficiently burn fat - or that fat is burned in preference to carbo stores. I'm trying to justify that these easy runs are in fact beneficial. Weather was fine and little or no wind, all in all a pleasant night to run.

Stats Weight : 77.8 kg Last 7 Days: 35.7 km Last 28 Days 208.5 km November 2005: 102.9 km YTD: 1983.0 km Weekly Avg (2005): 42.2 km Monthly Avg (2005): 180.2 km Yearly Avg (2001 on): 1464.1 km Total (2001 on): 7320.5 km (I'll eventually format the stats into a table when I get around to it) (Only 17 km until I break 2000 km for the year)

Yarra 15 k'er - 1:15:47 @ 4:48 /km

Straight after work at 4 pm I was out of the office and warming up and stretching in Fawkner Park. A little noisey at that time as an ambulance helicopter was landing at the Alfred Hospital. The weather was fine, warm and not windy. Basically a very nice day and not too warm. I started from Fawkner Park, to Anderson St, left at the Yarra and along the river bank to Flinders St. Crossed Flinders St bridge and back on to the other side of the Yarra to about half a kilometre past Grange Rd bridge. At this point I turned around and crossed the river at Grange St bridge and tracked back to Fawkner Park. My Garmin 301 told me (well I read it) that 15.81 km travelled for a time of 1:15:47 which equates to an average pace of 4:48 /km. My slowest km was lap 9 at 5:26 /km and fastest was lap 14 at 4:00 /km. Each lap being a km. My heart-rate max was 169 and average being 144 bpm. On todays run when running back up the Anderson St Hill I came across a colleague, Robbie, who was walking up the hill. I encouraged him to run with me but he complained that his calf was playing up. I apoligised to him that I couldn't stop and continued on. At 5.30 pm I was back in the office and into the Gym. Today's stomach session was hard. Only did 100 sit-ups and a few other stomach exercises. At this time it was playing on my mind a comment from Travis that I should incorporate some back exercises. Note to self, "make sure to do some back exercises". Thanks for that advice Travis. Overall I felt really good for the run and not so for the stomach session which only lasted 15 mins. That didn't bother me that much as I thought well at least I got 15 k's out of the way.

Stats Weight : 77.9 kg Last 7 Days: 30.4 km Last 28 Days 223.9 km November 2005: 97.7 km YTD: 1977.8 km Weekly Avg (2005): 42.1 km Monthly Avg (2005): 179.8 km Yearly Avg (2001 on): 1463.0 km Total (2001 on): 7315.2 km

Nearing milestone I'm getting closer to the 2000 k's for the year, only another 22.2 km to go. Yep, I reckon I break it on the Brimbank Park Group run this Sunday. Soccer Why I wanted to get a run out of the way early is that I just had to watch Australia play Urugay in the soccer - which we won 1-0 on penalties. Next stop - Germany 2006.

Just a gym session today

Again I did a training session whilst at work today (about 3.30 pm). This time it was only in the gym and I concentrated solely on my abs for about 30 mins. I did have my running gear with me but leading up to 3 and 3.30 pm I was feeling a little light-headed. All this week whilst at work I've felt more tired than usual and I''m hoping this is just 'first week back at work' blues. I also have a feeling that maybe I should be sleeping more or getting to bed earlier. Well with a light-headed feeling I thought to myself, "self - today is not a day to go for a run" and I didn't. In this instance I was listening to my body. Most of my gym sessions revolve around exercises for my abs. After most runs I try and at least get in 200 sit-ups. I've been doing this now for about 3 months and I'm sure this is why I have started to lose a little weight and trim up around the stomach. Weight this morning was 77.9 kg. I reckon 75 kg is an achievable target and when reached will re-assess my weight situation. I'm wondering how much faster could I run if I was 2 or 3 kg lighter. There must be some sort of rule of thumb calculation. Plan for tomorrow 15 k'er getting on the Yarra from Anderson St, up the Yarra to Flinders St, cross the bridge and back along the Yarra to a few km's past Grange Rd, return back to the office. I'll do this one after work. Well that's the plan. I'll even try out some of my home-made energy gel. Until next time...

The Tan Run 6.6 km (Garmin 301 lost signal)

First day back at work today, after 2 weeks of leave. I'm fortunate that I work in a workplace where you are encouraged to keep fit. With that being the case not all employees take up the opportunity, but then again each to their own. So at 3.45 pm I headed out and as per usual I was wearing my Garmin 301. Just a little jog for warmup to Fawkner Park and then stretches gives my Garmin enough time to acquire the satelites. This is definately one thing I don't like about the Garmin, having to wait 5 or so minutes to acquire the orbiting thingies up in space. Weather wise, it was not a bad day, reasonably warm and not a strong wind. The planned course was starting at Fawkner Park, around The Tan, up Anderson Street Hill and return, all up about 6.6 km. This was the course I ran but along Alexandra Pde and Anderson St Hill my Garmin lost the GPS signal. At that point the overall distance ran was static for about 5 to 8 mins (yes, I was running). On the Google Earth map it clearly shows where the signal was lost and regained itself. All in all the distance and pace graphs for this run are useless and not worth publishing. The distance recorded was 6.18 km which is clearly false. 6.6 km ran for a time of 31:21 @ 4:45 /km. Easy type of run, nothing special. Heart-rate max 160 and averaged at 140 bpm. On return 100 sit-ups in the Gym. One of the hassles running during work time is that it is time restricted and would have preferred an 8 k'er and a few more sit-ups - but I'm not complaining.

Stats Weight : 77.9 kg Last 7 Days: 32.2 km Last 28 Days 220.4 km November 2005: 81.9 km YTD: 1961.9 km Weekly Avg (2005): 41.7 km Monthly Avg (2005): 178.0 km Yearly Avg (2001 on): 1460.2 km Total (2001 on): 7299.4 km

I've only got another 38.1 km to run to make 2000 k's for the year. Looks like I might achieve that on my Brimbank Park group run this coming Sunday.

No workout today - The week ahead

Only read this entry if you really have nothing else to do. Surely there is a good ad you could be watching or even a half decent movie. Okay, yesterday I planned to run about 12 or 15 km today. Well, I didn't. I was up early 6.30 am watching Australia lose to Uruguay 1-0. Going to bed late and up early is not a good training combination - so I didn't (train). The Week Ahead Next Sunday I'll be ruuning in the Cool Runners 2nd Brimbank Park group run (21 km) , same place, same time. So on Wednesday I'll try and get a 15 km run in after work. Most likely around the Yarra River and The Tan. Other days my runs will be around the 7 - 8 km. I'll decide on the day whether fast, slow, fartlek or whatever. All I'm committing to at the moment is that I want to get a 15 km run out of the way before Sunday's run.

Stats Weight 78.0 kg

Back into running (only 2 days off)

Well I recovered from my little bout of headaches (eye-strain) over the last two days. So today, after mowing the lawns I was ready for a run. I decided to run 8 km and the intent was an easy 8 km. I left about 4.55 pm and the first km paced out at 5:01 and then all the rest were sub 5 mins. What can I say, but I felt great and so I upped the pace for the remaining 7 km's. Overall my time was 36:20 for an average pace of 4:32 /km. The slowest km was the first at 5:01 and the fastest was the last at 3:57. The weather conditions were not the best, it was wanting to pelt down, storm clouds were amassing and there was a strong south-westerly wind. I missed the rain (that came a few hours later). What can I say, the last two days off were a blessing in disguise. I actually felt that I had more in the tank when I finished. If I had of gone out with the mindset of getting a fast time I reckon I could have shaved a minute or two, maybe more, off this time. I believe my heart-rate graph clearly shows a nice even heart-rate, no spikes. Max heart-rate was 166 and averaged at 144 bpm. At the conclusion - some stretching and then 200 sit-ups using an exercise ball. Not sure what I'll do tomorrow, maybe a 12 or 15 km along Werribee River. That will be in the afternoon as I'll be watching the Soccerrooes beating Uruguay in their first leg World Cup playoff about 2 or 3 am in the morning (Sunday).

Stats Weight : 77.4 kg Last 7 Days: 54.7 km Last 28 Days 226.3 km November 2005: 75.3 km YTD: 1955.3 km Weekly Avg (2005): 42.5 km Monthly Avg (2005): 178.0 km Yearly Avg (2001 on): 1458.0 km Total (2001 on): 7292.8 km

Until next time...

Sick Day (oh - and some plans)

Well I had a terrible nights sleep, bloody headache (eye-strain) kept me awake for ages. The headache was with me (and still is) all day. So out the window with any type of training today. That's 2 days in a row without running. Oh well, these things happen. This is my last day of holidays (had 2 weeks off), basically did nothing productive all day, except surf around the internet (Cool Running & Blogging sites). Planned Group Run I've tentatively committed to run the "Two Bays Trail Run - (VIC) - FatAss" on 27th November 2005. Details can be found at this thread on the Cool Running website. The run starts at 8 am from Anthony's Nose Boat Ramp, Dromana (75 km from Melbourne) for 28 km to Cape Schanck Lighthouse car park, Cape Schanck. The return trip will make it 56 km. I'm thinking of running the 28km. The organiser, Virtual Runner, has offerred to collect the 28km runners from Cape Schanck and drive us to the start at Dromana - this certainly helps with logistics. This was my main concern. If I do run it, it means that I'll have to be up very early and leaving home around 6 am to arrive at Cape Schanck about 7.20 am. Energy Gels Also messed around with my homemade energy gels. Have figured out that I need to add more sodium component to the mix. Yesterday, I came across Saline in the supermarket; this is packed with sodium, 425mg per 100g. I'll need to seek some proper advice but I believe I could substitute the sports drink powders (either Gatorade, Staminade or Gastrolyte) with Saline. I have yet to make a mix (sound like a druggie) with Saline. I'll do that on the weekend. Stats: Weight : 77.8 kg (up 0.6 from yesterday). Until next time...

Forced Rest Day (damm....)

Well it had to happen sooner or later, today is a forced rest day. Last night I developed a mild headache around the left eye. This is usually a sign that the following day will not be so good. Well, woke up with the headache (eye-strain) and have felt terrible all day. No way could I have trained. Anyway, I've analysed this to the death today. I trained quite hard yesterday, even when my stomach felt empty. During the session I felt okay. I missed a lunch (before session) yesterday but did have a nice rice and chicken dinner (after session). I had heaps of water as per usual. What is interesting is that my weight this morning was 77.2 kg, 1 kg down from yesterday's weight of 78.2 kg. Over the last two weeks my weight has been hovering around the 78.2 to 78.4 kg mark. Prior to the two weeks ago it was higher. My thoughts on this are:-

1. Probably shouldn't have trained yesterday or at the least not trained as hard.
2. Probably my system working on reserves (if that makes sense) and at the end of the session I was near enough on empty.
3. Which means that recovery will take longer
4. Corroborated by increase in loss of weight - most likely fluids (1 kg)

I believe headaches are a symptom of dehyrdration and at the moment I've got it big time. What annoys me is that I'm pumping heaps of water into my system everyday (at least four 750 ml bottles - I'll start keeping count for interest sake). Looks like I'll be out of action again tomorrow. Until next time.

Cooking 101 - (Home-made gels) - continued

Well I checked my four gel batches this morning. All had mixed well together and were in a gel like state. Batch 1 was the least viscous and had the least carbohydrate content. Batch 4 was the thickest and had the most carbohydrate content. I’m tending towards batch 4. It was the thickest and nearly filled a gel flask, I estimate about two-thirds (80-85 ml). Batch 4 was mixed using this ratio:- 6 scoops Poly-Joule 1 scoop Gatorade 2 scoops Red Cordial My next step was to calculate the nutritional aspect of the gel. After messing with pencil and paper I ended up writing a simple spreadsheet with all the variables entered. All I do now is enter the number of scoops of the ingredients and the figures returned tell me the per 100 gram figures of Carbohydrate, Sodium & Potassium. The nutritional values (per 100 g) of batch 4 are: Carbohydrate 65.9g Sodium 9mg Potassium 3mg I am trying to duplicate the nutritional values of the commercial product, PB Sports Gel as they have served me well. PB sports gel (per 100 g) carbo content is 57g . Their sodium content is 85.7mg and potassium is 45.7mg. The sodium and potassium content is a lot higher than I can achieve using Gatorade or Staminade (my little spreadsheet tells me so). In the interim I’ll modify batch 4 to include 2 scoops of Gatorade and the nutritional values (per 100g) will be:- Carbohydrate 60g Sodium 12mg Potassium 5mg I’m now looking forward to my next long run simply to try out my own homemade gel. It actually tastes quite nice, I’ve done quite a bit of finger licking tests. I’ve got one more calculation to work out and that’s the cost per 100g or per 35g in order to compare it against PB Sports Gel that cost $2.10. Until next time, Chef Steve, signing out.

Fartlek 12 km session (and milestone)

Distance: 12.4 km, Time : 58:54 @ 4:45 /km Weather : Warm/Hot and windy. Time of day : 12:35 pm. Again, all I planned was to get 12 k’s out of the way, how I was going to do that I hadn’t yet decided. 200 sit-ups first and then stretch and run. Well I headed out, easy pace to start with and then after 300 or 400 metres I upped the ante somewhat, running at a pace of around 4:30 – 4:35 /km until I hit the Werribee River about 5.5 km's later. At this point I slowed in order to take on some gel and flush it down with water. I decided to ease back on the pace somewhat, run around 5:00 – 5:10 /km which was not a problem. I was going to run at this pace all the way home. I couldn’t help myself, I changed my mind yet again approaching the 10 km point, I decided to run another fast kilometre. Between the 10 and 11 km point I paced out at 4:04 /km and then eased back to 5:00 /km all the way home. Overall I was happy with this session and as usual the type of run was not pre-planned, it just happened and I felt good. As I was feeling so good I did another 200 sit-ups.

Stats Weight : 78.2 kg Last 7 Days: 54.7 km Last 28 Days 263.6 km November 2005: 67.3 km YTD: 1947.3 km Weekly Avg (2005): 42.3 km Monthly Avg (2005): 177.0 km Yearly Avg (2001 on): 1457.0 km Total (2001 on): 7286.0 km

Milestone achieved Todays session puts my YTD figure at 1947 km just nudging ahead of my previous max yearly total from 2001 at 1945 km. My next little milestone is the 2000 km mark; I’m expecting to reach that sometime next week.

Easy Run 5 km

Distance 5.22 km 26:51 @ 5:09 /km + 400 sit-ups. Today's session started a little later (5.15 pm) than I was expecting. I was messing about with making home-made energy gels and time escaped me. For something different today I started off with 200 sit-ups prior to my run. My stomach was feeling a little empty - didn't really feel like a hard session but nonetheless I still wanted to hit the road. My only option then was an easy, casual, one leg in front of the other type run. Well that's what I did, running 5.22 km around the streets of Hoppers Crossing. Time taken therefore was not really an issue but for recording sake it took me 26:51 @ 5:09 /km. Heart-rate max 211 (don't know why so high - it was only one spike - see graph) and average was 135 bpm. The weather was reasonable, slight wind but not wet. It had been raining earlier in the day. On return I decided there and then that I'd do another 200 sit-ups. 200 sit-ups takes me about 12 minutes, therefore overall it was a 26 min run plus 24 minutes of sit-ups. I haven't got a six-pack yet, I think it's a two-pack but definately not a slab.

Stats Weight : 78.1 kg Last 7 days : 54.9 km Weekly Avg : 42.1 km Last 28 days : 266.3 km November 05 : 54.9 km YTD : 1934.9 km Monthly Avg 2005 : 176.0 km Total (from 2001) : 7272.4 km

Cooking 101 (Home made gel)

When picking up my race kit for the Melbourne Half-Marathon in October I also purchased a box of PB Sports Gel at a sponsors stand. The boxes were going cheap, $35 from memory, which equated to $1.45 per 35 ml sachet. Cheap I thought. Well anyway during training after the Melbourne Half-Marathon for the Portland Marathon I experimented with the gels. I established that for me, they work. During the Marathon I never once felt like seizing up (hitting the wall). I've now only got two sachets left and the cheapest price I can get is $2.10 per sachet from Coles Supermarket. I thought running was suppose to be cheap. I came across this thread at the CoolRunning website relating to homemade gels and thought I'd give it go. Last week I purchased the ingredients - 900 g tin of Poly-Joule (pure glucose - 95% carbohydrate), Gastrolyte sachets and red cordial. I reckon I could substitute Gatorade or Staminade powder for the Gastrolyte sachets. Last Saturday I quickly tried one batch which didn't go too well - I couldn't get all the lumpy bits out - what was left I consumed on my Inaugural Brimbank Park run on the Sunday. I was then off to the CoolRunning forum seeking advice on how the hell all the stuff is mixed. So today, with time on my hands, I mixed four batches and all four are currently in the fridge which I'll check on tomorrow. The difficulty I had on Saturday trying to mix the powders with the cordial is that lumpy bits remained. The advice I got from the CR forum is 1. Microwave mix and/or power blend. Microwaving is the least messiest. Batch 1 : 3 scoops Poly-Joule, 1 scoop Gatorade, 2 scoops red cordial - nuke 15 secs, then stir. Batch 2 : 4 scoops Poly-Joule, 1 scoop Gatorade, 2 scoops red cordial - nuke 15 secs, then stir. Batch 3 : 5 scoops Poly-Joule, 1 scoop Gatorade, 2 scoops red cordial - nuke 15 secs, then stir. Batch 4 : 6 scoops Poly-Joule, 1 scoop Gatorade, 2 scoops red cordial - nuke 20 secs, then stir. Using the nuking method certainly assisted with the mixing. Batch 4 will certainly be the most viscous and batch 1 the least. Tomorrow I figure out which batch to stay with and may need some fine-tuning as regards the Gatorade ingredient (I'm suspecting more required). I also have to figure out the nutritional aspect as I want it to be similar to the PB Sports Gel I'm familiar with. All in all, this should save me a lot of money. Until next time, Chef Steve signing off.

8 km Fartlek Session

Wasn't really sure what type of session I was going to do today. I don't generally run to a schedule, it's more a 'how I feel approach'. I know that's not how elite athletes would train but it serves me well. Some stats first. Checked my weight this morning : 78.4 kg. I reckon I can lose another 2-3 kg's. Within 5 minutes of heading out I decided I'll do a fartlek session over an 8 km course. Plan was alternating km's easy and fast, starting with an easy one. I had my trusty Garmin 301 to tick off the km's. It was raining, and had been since noon. I headed out for my run at 4.35 pm running a block of streets around Hoppers Crossing. Well, what can I say, my first km was easy, next hard, next easy and so on. I was running the hard/fast km's faster than I would in a race. During the hard km's I thought I can't slow down as it will take longer to reach the start of the easy km. I really enjoyed the easy km's and was pleased with my recovery and readiness to take on the next hard km. Overall, for 8 km's the time was 36:18 for a pace of 4:32. My heart-rate max was 169 and average 145 bpm. On return I was completely soaked but generally happy with the session. Using an exercise ball (in my study) 250 sit-ups completed - they take about 14 mins. Usually I do 200 but today was feeling good, hell why not , do more. Details of this session can be found here. All the data was uploaded to the Motionbased website. If you do not have an account you will have to create one (free) to peruse the data.

More stats:

Previous 7 Days : 49.6 km Weekly Average : 42.0 km

Previous 28 Days: 261.1 km

This month: 49.6 km Monthly Average : 175 km YTD : 1929.7 km Yearly Average (2001) : 1453 km Total (from 2001) : 7269 km

Until next time.

Inaugural Brimbank Park Run (21 km)

On 20/10/05 Coolrunner (CR) 'slowaz' posted this message on the Cool Running (AU) website seeking interest for a group run starting from Brimbank Park following the Maribyrnong River. The inaugural run of about 21 km was booked in for today (Sunday 6th November 2005 at 8 am). I arrived about 7.45 am, after first going to Horseshoe Bend Road, the farm. No car park there and thought to myself, "self, I've stuffed this up - I really should have read the message properly". What I'd done, is that I skimmed the message, saw the street name "Horseshoe Bend" and didn't bother taking note of anything else. The actual location was the "Horseshoe Bend Scenic Lookout" which is accessed from Keilor Park Drive, Keilor East. Thank god I knew the area at least a little bit. I was getting a little concerned thinking I driven 30 odd minutes and possibly missed the run. I didn't have any phone number to contact. On arrival I kitted-up, heart-rate strap on, big wad of cotton wool around my left heel (sore from last week's Portland Marathon), a little vaseline, fuel belt on and powered up the Garmin 301 unit. The 301 seemed to access and aquire the satelites straight away, other times I've had to wait 5 or so minutes. I had my camera with me, I couldn't not get any photos of our inaugural run. Who knows this may kick off something that will last for quite a while and so was thinking would be nice to have a record of the 'originals'. A friend of Jegster's (Kylie) did the honours and took three group shots of us. After all the introductions and photo shoot it was about time to head off. All were talking about a 5:30 pace which seemed to suit everybody. I wasn't looking for a fast run today, merely to back-up with a longish run after my marathon last week. I was the only one carrying any fuel of any sort. It was mentioned in the CR thread that there were not many water stops along the way. Along with water I was also trialling my own homemade gel which I prepared the night before (a very messy affair - I should get better at it). Slowaz and Morely advised that we'd be running from our current location to the trail and then follow the trail to the 8km marker and return, about a 21 km course. We were off and as it worked out we organised ourselves into three little groups. The trip out was very comfortable for me, at about 5:00 min pace. Whilst heading out to the 8 km marker it didn't register with me that we would be basically running up hill on the return leg and one massive/steep hill towards the end. That only dawned on me on the return trip. The return trip was a gradual rise and then at the 18 km mark it was a steeper rise for about a 1 km distance. I was running with Jegster and (Jon) two young blokes and they powered on up the last hill. I was feeling the effects of the hill, more so than I did last week running the hilly marathon. I took the mindset that I was not going to stop or walk, had to run/jog, which I did. My legs were certainly feeling the pain. At the crest, and I was glad to get to the crest, recovery mode kicked-in and then felt alright. At this stage the two young blokes had decided to walk, no wonder they near enough sprinted up the hill. I followed the trail back to the car park, getting lost along the way. Those forks in the path were so confusing when you're stuffed. My Garmin 301 registered a total distance of 21.04 km and a time of 1:48:49 for a pace of 5:10. Yeah, I was reasonably happy with that considering I was backing up from last weekend. My heart-rate maxed out at 189 and averaged 147 bpm. Not bad for a 45 yr old. I got my camera out of the car and took shots of everybody finishing. All in all I think everyone had a good day and was enjoyable running with a group. Our next run will be in two weeks time at the same location. It was also discussed that we might vary the location and Williamstown was suggested, that's okay by me. Slowaz and Morley mentioned that they saw a snake on the last hill which squirmed back into the grass as they got closer. I certainly didn't see any snake and I certainly would have given it a wide berth. Joh - he sprinted up the hill with the Jester. The Jegster with Debbie and Little Jegster. Jegster sprinted up the last hill. I'll update these names later, sorry I simply can't remember. Until next time.