Sean's Training Diary

September 6- 12

2010-09-06T02:19:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 6/9- 15.5K run via Cliff Drive and Cahills Lookout. Feeling a bit stronger. Some interesting atmospheric phenomena- saw several lenticular clouds from near Devils Hole, a bit like Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

WEDNESDAY 8/9- 32K MTB- Hat Hill and Ridgewell Rds, Blackheath. Wonderful clear day, very scenic, photos here.

PM- 1K swim in 25.14.

THURSDAY 9/9- Sick all afternoon with aches, sweats, sore throat, sneezing.

FRIDAY 10/9- Pump Class at the gym followed by a 1K swim.

August 30- September 5.

2010-08-31T02:58:00.000-07:00

A little sciatica apparently sorted and back on track...

MONDAY 30/8- 1K swim in 26.44.

TUESDAY 31/8- 15K run home along Cliff Drive and a little trails thrown in for good measure. Highlighted lack of recent running, that's for sure- but I think I can do this run a few times a week. Sunny day, early spring weather.

WEDNESDAY 1/9- 40K mountain bike from Queen Vic Hospital to McMahons Lookout and back with Actionman. Great fitness ride, shattered when we got back. Some photos from it and a few recent rides out to Mt Hay are here.

THURSDAY 2/9- 1 lap of Furber Steps/Cliff Drive loop, uphill rep was 23.43. Faster than I felt.

FRIDAY 3/9- Cliff Drive run, 14.5K. Very dark and misty. Left calf and achilles a bit tight.

SATURDAY 4/9- Hill reps on the MTB. 5 x 1K on Glenraphael Drive in the range 6.24- 6.38. Pretty shattered at the end, back a bit tender. 80m gain over the 1K.

SUNDAY 5/9-1K swim in 25.24.

Three runs, two rides and two swims for the week. Not bad.

August 9-15.

2010-08-10T01:46:00.000-07:00

MONDAY AUGUST 9, 2010. 10K @ 5.45min/km. Slow road run with Anne, both of us a bit scratchy after weekend long runs. Clear cold day, frosts in abundance.

TUESDAY AUGUST 10, 2010. 7K including 20 x 30' sprint, 30' recovery. On a very wet track at Pitt Park. Last 5 reps really blew the pipes out. Slow warmdown.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 11, 2010. RPM Class followed by 1K swim. Good sweaty RPM class followed by 1K swim which was a mix of 100m kicking with float, 100m catch up drills, 100m freestyle. Felt like someone who hadn't swum since, oh, November last year......

Perrys Lookdown- Lockleys-return.

2010-08-07T04:28:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I feel quite smug about where I live. Like today.

I'm hoping this will be a regular jaunt as thoughts vaguely turn towards Bogong-Hotham.... about 12K of rocky trails with 1300m climbing and descent, bisecting the iconic Blue Gum Forest twice. Frigging awesome, wild views.

In Feb I did this with Rod, Beaver, Ponkey and Mick in 2.59. Considerably slower today. 3.23.58. Back then I was running three laps of Furber Steps every Thursday, track sessions etc, whereas lately I have been doing three fifths of bugger-all.

Splits as follows...

"Four Ways" in Blue Gum Forest- 37.45 (downhill)

Lockleys Summit- 60.00/ 1.37.45 (uphill)

"Four Ways" in Blue Gum Forest- 54.38/2.32.23 (downhill)

Perrys Lookdown carpark- 51.35/ 3.23.58 (uphill).

Magnificent day out, sunny but cold. Lockleys track is still exposed to the sun almost all the way, will be hell in summer. Quite a bit of loose rock around also, coming down was almost as slow as going up.

Some photos here.

6FT Beer Bet Time.

2010-03-10T19:58:00.000-08:00

November 16-22

2009-11-24T04:05:00.000-08:00

MONDAY 16/11-No training. Achilles getting a little TLC.

TUESDAY 17/11-8.25K with Anne @ 5.20 pace.

WEDNESDAY 18/11- 5.5K easy.

THURSDAY 19/11- Kedumba Pass, 15.5K in 1.52. Ran well until a couple of K up the Pass, then suffered badly in the heat.

FRIDAY 20/11 and SATURDAY 21/11- No training.

SUNDAY 22/11- 17K in 2.20 with Anne and Jo, rough going with lots of steps on the Cliff Walk on a hot day. Felt okay.

November 9-15.

2009-11-10T03:58:00.000-08:00

MONDAY 9/11- AM- 5.5K hilly road run, Wentworth Falls- Leura.

PM- 8K road run, flatter- Leura-Wentworth Falls.

TUESDAY 10/11- AM- 8K trail run with Anne, Darwins- Shortcut- Nature Track.

PM- RPM Class and 4K run around Catalina Park.

WEDNESDAY 11/11- Brick session, 21K on bike and 3K run. Hot day.

THURSDAY 12/11- 2 reps of Furber Steps, 11K, in 23.07 and 24.06. Improving. Good session, some competition out there.... pulled up with a sore achilles- right hand side- opposite to the one that was stuffed back in April.

FRIDAY 13/11- 6.5K run on Narrowneck with Scam in misty conditions. Achilles a bit sore.

SATURDAY 14/11- No training.

SUNDAY 15/11- Mt Hay Rd- Lockleys Pylon- Blue Gum Swamp- return. 13K, 2hrs 50, very steep and hot. Achilles still a bit tender.

November 2-8.

2009-11-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

MONDAY 2/11- 5.5K run on a hot morning, hilly roads from WF to Leura.

TUESDAY 3/11- 6.5K run, bit of road, bit of golf course, bit of bush.

WEDNESDAY 4/11- AM- 8K run, half road, half trail, misty weather.

PM- RPM Class, 4K run round Catalina Park- brick session basically.

THURSDAY 5/11- Kedumba Pass, 15.5K in 1.44, ascent in 64 minutes. Cool, misty day running with the Upper Mountains Chapter of BMMC. Not a bad run.

FRIDAY 6/11- 6K, Furber Steps- Federal Pass- Giant Staircase- Cliff Walk with Nathan. Slow, tough run on flooded trails, 58 minutes!

SATURDAY 7/11- 1K swim in 25.32 and a slow 5K run.

SUNDAY 8/11- No training.

October 26- November 1.

2009-10-28T03:45:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 26/10- 6K run, felt crappy.

TUESDAY 27/10- 10.5K run with Anne, half road, half grass (golf course). Felt quite good, hopeful that I'm getting over the 100K.

Pushups Test- 33.

WEDNESDAY 28/10- RPM Class.

Also a 7K bushwalk at Blackheath.

THURSDAY 29/10- 11K, two reps of Furber Stairs with Anne, John, Actionman and Nathan. Reps were 23.04 and 25.05.

FRIDAY 30/10- Easy 5K, calf muscles quite tender.

SATURDAY 31/10- Easy 6K.

SUNDAY 1/11- 1600m swimming drills with ST and a 3K run.

October 19-25.

2009-10-19T05:04:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 19/10- 1K swim in 27.18. Oh, boy....

PM- 9K trail run at Knapsack with BMMC. Got pretty tired from about 4K.

TUESDAY 20/10- Tired 7K run with Anne.

Pushups- 18, 22, 16, 16, 25.

WEDNESDAY 21/10- RPM Class.

THURSDAY 22/10- 40 minutes swimming drills with ST.

FRIDAY 23/10- Easy 6K run. Legs tender from kicking drills.

Pushups- 20, 25, 20, 20, 24 (should have been 28)

SATURDAY 24/10- 1K swimming drills finishing with 200m in 4.08, and a 4K run round Catalina Park.

SUNDAY 25/10- 18K run on Narrowneck with Actionman. Very slow.

Pushups- 23, 28, 23, 23, 33. Last set brutally tough and slow.

October 12-18.

2009-10-14T04:04:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 12/10 and TUESDAY 13/10- No training, recovery.

WEDNESDAY 14/10- Slow 5K run.

Pushups- 12, 17, 13, 13, 17

THURSDAY 15/10- No training.

FRIDAY 16/10- AM- Easy 7K with John. Knees a little tender.

Lunch- 1K swim in 26.54. Oh, so slow.

Pushups- 14, 19, 14, 14, 19

SATURDAY 17/10- No training.

SUNDAY 18/10- Easy 6K past the Lake. Tired.

Pushups- 16, 21, 15, 15, 21. Last set was very hard.

October 5-11.

2009-10-06T00:48:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 5/10- 6K ascent of Mt Imlay. 600m ascent and descent. Not flat, nearly two hours for 6K! Good fun.

Pushups- 12, 17, 13, 13, 9 (meant to be 17 on the last set)

TUESDAY 6/10- No training

WEDNESDAY 7/10- 10K run @ 5.17min/km along Warrnambool Beach Promenade.

Pushups- 12, 17, 13, 13, 20

THURSDAY 8/10- 3K walk up and down Mt Noorat, Victoria. Tapering for the 100K.

FRIDAY 9/10- 2K walk at Triplet Falls.

Pushups- 12, 17, 13, 13, 17

SATURDAY 10/10- Great Ocean 100K in 18.17. Report at Coolrunning.

SUNDAY 11/10- No training. Buggered.

September 28- October 4.

2009-09-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 28/9- 11.5K very hilly road run with Anne M.

Pushups- sets of 9, 11, 8, 8, 11

TUESDAY 29/9- AM- 10K South Wenty Run with Anne M, half road, half trail

PM- BMMC Espresso Run at Knapsack Reserve with Scambullant and GPB. 5.5K of trail nirvana.

WEDNESDAY 30/9- 6K easy, half trail, half road. Legs felt thrashed.

Pushups- sets of 10, 12, 9, 9, 13

THURSDAY 1/10- AM- 11K South and North Wenty @ 5.22min/km with Anne M and John G. Felt pretty good.

PM- 16K of Kedumba with Actionman. Warm day. Big hills.

FRIDAY 2/10- RPM Class. Legs thrashed from the previous day.

Pushups- sets of 12, 13, 10, 10, 19

SATURDAY 3/10- 6K to the golf course in rain, mist, cold, wind.

SUNDAY 4/10- 11K on Merimbula Beach. Loving it.

Pushups- Progress Test- 23.

September 21-27

2009-09-29T05:38:00.001-07:00

First week of existence as a man of leisure....

MONDAY 21/9- AM 11K run around South and North Wenty with Anne M.

PM- 5K run around local streets

PLUS embarked on the 100 Pushups Program. Did the following sets- 6, 6, 4, 4, 10

TUESDAY 22/9- 6K run barefoot on grass

WEDNESDAY 23/9- RPM Class

THURSDAY 24/9- 17K on Kedumba with Actionman (two reps from the top to the sign)- a touch under 900m climb and descent.

Pushups- sets of 6, 8, 6, 6, 9

FRIDAY 25/9- 11K run around South and North Wenty with Anne and John.

SATURDAY 26/9- AM- RPM Class

PM- 6.5K run past the lake

Pushups- sets of 8, 10, 7, 7, 11

SUNDAY 27/9- No training

September 7-14.

2009-09-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 7/9- RPM Class.

TUESDAY 8/9- Hill reps on Falls Rd. 2.5K warmup, 5 x 230m reps in 57, 59, 53, 53, 55 seconds. 1K warmdown.

THURSDAY 10/9- 2 Reps of Furber Steps with Actionman. Cooks Bridge- Furber Steps- Kiosk- Cliff Drive- Landslide Lookout x 2. 11K total, reps in 23.53 and 24.54.

FRIDAY 11/9- 4.25K run and RPM Class. Ran round the old Catalina Park racetrack, then straight onto the bike. Felt yesterday's stairs every minute of the session. Legs are now thoroughly trashed.

August 31- September 6.

2009-08-31T05:46:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 31/8- 7.5K run to gym, RPM Class, 7.5K run home. Cold afternoon. Totally rooted when I got home, nearly fell asleep eating dinner.

TUESDAY 1/9- 5K run on local trails. Still stuffed.

THURSDAY 3/9- 5K run on local trails.

FRIDAY 4/9- 6.25K lake loop.

SATURDAY 5/9- 26K Woodford-Glenbrook night run.

August 17-23.

2009-08-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

Missed about a month of regular training with unexpected work commitments followed by the flu, but last week ran 5 days and cycled one, so back into it again...

MONDAY 17/8- RPM Class at Katoomba.

TUESDAY 18/8- AM- 9K run easy on trails with Anne M.

PM- RPM Class at Springwood. Really suffered in this one.

WEDNESDAY 19/8- PM- 10K of stairs and trails with Actionman.

Evening- RPM Class at Springwood.

July 6 -12.

2009-07-06T06:51:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 6/7- 31K cycle to work. Legs felt okay after the KOM actually, but haven't ridden for a few weeks and it told on every hill.

TUESDAY 7/7- 6.25K @ 5.25min/km past the Lake. Felt pretty flat.

WEDNESDAY 8/7- No run.

THURSDAY 9/7- Slow 6.25K, fairly uninspired.

FRIDAY 10/7- 7.25K Lake Run with Reservoir Trail Loop extension @ 5.31min/km, first run with new toy, Garmin Forerunner 310XT.

SATURDAY 11/7- 6.25K Lake Run @ 4.55min/km, felt pretty good and moving well today.

June 29- July 5.

2009-06-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 29/6- No run.

TUESDAY 30/6- 23K @ 5.49min/km. Springwood- Tusculum Rd- Greens Pde- Rickard Rd- 5 Ways- Finchs Lookout- 5 Ways- Shit Hill- Sun Valley- Greens Pde- Tusculum Rd- Springwood. With Sarge, almost the same as the loop we did about 10 days ago, but run in the other direction. Felt okay but slow till 6K to go, then picked it up. Faster than the 23K the other day. Not flat.

WEDNESDAY 1/7, THURSDAY 2/7, FRIDAY 3/7- No run. Felt very tired, headachy and sniffly- bit of a sinus problem I think.

SATURDAY 4/7- 6K @ 5.20min/km past the Lake.

SUNDAY 5/7- Shoalhaven King of the Mountain. 32K, 3.04, 5.42min/km. Decent run today, happy to get some evidence of how the comeback progresses. In two previous attempts at the 32K option I'd done 2.58 and 3.08 so hoped to fall between them. Set out with Cliffold at the start and noticed at the 4K mark we were running sub-5 min/km so eased off a bit and let Cliffold go. Took it fairly steady till the big hill then picked it up, passed quite a few people and came in at 3.04, so well pleased. Nice day, good conditions. Had a chat with Tim at the finish then had to bugger off to work.

Couple of good runs this week but only 61K total.

June 22-28.

2009-06-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 22/6- South and North Wenty. 12K @ 5.27min/km. Felt like utter shit for first 4K then gradually picked it up.

TUESDAY 23/6- Penrith/Leonay 11.5K @ 5.20min/km. With Shogun, a few quick km along the river, some hilly streets in Leonay, then finishing with a couple of sub 5 Ks along the river. Never felt that great really.

WEDNESDAY 24/6- No run.

THURSDAY 25/6- 31K @ 5.42min/km- Springwood- Faulconbridge- Grose Rd- Faulconbridge Point- return. With Sarge. Felt pretty good for the first 20km then faded. Roughly half road, half firetrail. The lookout at Faulconbridge Point is sublime.

FRIDAY 26/6- Slow 8K. Recovery.

SATURDAY 27/6- 6.5K @ 5.18min/km past the Lake. Getting ready for W2G. Felt pretty good.

SUNDAY 28/6- Woodford to Glenbrook Race, 25K in 2.11, 5.12min/km. Not a great time, not a bad time. At least Renee Artup only beat me by 2mins this time, unlike the 6 mins she beat me by at NOSH.

94K for the week.

June 15-21

2009-06-14T19:11:00.001-07:00

MONDAY June 15- South and North Wenty, 12K @ 5.29min/km. Felt flat and struggled a bit today.

TUESDAY June 16- South and North Wenty, 12K @ 5.18min/km. Felt much better today.

WEDNESDAY 17/6- No run.

THURSDAY 18/6- 23K @ 5.56min/km- Burns Rd, Springwood- Tusculum Rd- Hudson FT- Green Pde- Sun Valley- Rosenthal FT- Shit Hill- Five Ways- Rickard Rd- Waratah St- Green Pde- Tusculum Rd- Burns Rd. Run with Sarge on cool, drizzly day. Some hills there.

FRIDAY 19/6- 13K @ 5.24min/km. To Sublime Point on the roads and back. Great views from the lookout. Felt a bit tired.

SATURDAY 20/6- South and North Wenty, 12K @ 5.26min/km. Tired for the first 4 or 5K, then improved. Cloudy, humid day with occasional drizzle, then occasional sun.

SUNDAY 21/6- No run. Stuffed after a massive Saturday night at work.

Only 72K for the week, missed two days.

June 8-14.

2009-06-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 8/6- 8K easy. 1.5K run to Pitt Park, 5K on the grass, 1.5K home. Still a bit tender. Cold gusty winds blowing.

TUESDAY 9/6- 11.5K North Wenty Loop. Valley Rd- Fletcher St- Falls Rd- Station St- Blaxland Rd- the Lake- Station St- Armstrong St- home. 11.5K @5.32min/km. Cold winds blowing out there today.

WEDNESDAY 10/6- Abridged North Wenty Loop Reversed. Armstrong St- Falls Rd- Station St- Blaxland Rd- the Lake- Station St- Armstrong St- home. 10K @ 5.22min/km. Night run with minus 5 windchill. Rugged up with UnderArmour tights, merino thermal, Netti shell jacket, polypro beanie and windstopper gloves and felt just fine all the way, decent run.

THURSDAY 11/6- Springwood- Linden- return, 20K @ 5.07min/km. Fairly straightforward run- uphill for 10K, turn around, come back. Pushed hard the last couple of km....

FRIDAY 12/6- Abridged North Wenty Loop, 10K@ 5.20min/km. Felt a little tender from the 20K yesterday. Sunny, still, cool conditions.

SATURDAY 13/6- Abridged North Wenty Loop, 10K @ 5.20min/km. Quite cool and cloudy, was rugged up in longsleeve coolmax, long tights, beanie and gloves.

SUNDAY 14/6- Armstrong St- Darwins Walk- Dalrymple Ave- GWH- Tableland Rd- QE Drive- return. 10K @ 5.38min/km. Was going to go longer today but felt flat and tired.

Only 80K this week, some decent runs though. Ran every day.

June 1-7.

2009-06-01T20:08:00.001-07:00

MONDAY 1/6- 31.5K cycle. Very slow and feeling very beat up.

TUESDAY 2/6- 10.5K run- Armstrong St- Darwins Walk- Dalrymple St- GWH- Tableland Rd- QE Drive- turnaround at Ingar gate- return. Bit beat up in the quads but finished fairly well actually.

WEDNESDAY 3/6- MORNING- 15.5K run, lap of Kedumba Pass with Sarge. Slow and steady on a foggy morning.

EVENING- RPM class at Katoomba gym.

THURSDAY 4/6- 19.5K run, 1.38, 5.01min/km- North Penrith- Cranebrook- Penrith Whitewater- River Walk- Nepean Bridges. With Shogun on his lunch break. Finished feeling like I'd worked hard, but not buggered. Happy with the pace, good run.

FRIDAY 5/6- 10K run- Armstrong St- Darwins Walk- Dalrymple St- GWH- Tableland Rd- QE Drive- Ingar gate- return. Very tender and slow this morning- was going to be a 16K, turned back early.

SATURDAY 6/6- 31K run, 2..42, 5.13min/km. Down the highway to work. Really happy with this run- previously it's been hard getting this much under 6min/km. Saw B+ on his bike at Linden. Things looking up.

SUNDAY 7/6- 14K run out and back on Tableland Rd. Dirt road for my beat up legs- a very slow amble along. Brought up 100K even for the week- second in a row, with a couple of encouraging runs in there.

May 25-31.

2009-05-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 25/5- 15K, Penrith- M4 Bridge- River Rd- Lapstone Trail- Lapstone Zig Zag- Knapsack Bridge- Emu Plains- Penrith. With Shogun from his work, mix of roads and some steep trails. Suffered a bit. 90 mins, 6min/km.

TUESDAY 26/5- 13.5K, Penrith River Walk out and back plus Nepean Bridges Loop, 5.23min/km. With Shogun again, unseasonably warm day. Wore new Adizero XTs, great shoe judging from first testing.

WEDNESDAY 27/5- 7.5K road run to Katoomba Gym, 45 minute RPM class, 7.5K road run home. On a wet and misty evening. Legs felt a bit beat up subsequently.

THURSDAY 28/5- No run.

FRIDAY 29/5- 7.5K road run to Katoomba Gym, 45 minute RPM class, 7.5K road run home. Very cold this morning, felt reasonably okay.

SATURDAY 30/5- 16K, Armstrong St- Darwin Walk- Dalrymple Ave- GWH- Tableland Rd- QE Drive- Ingar firetrail- turnaround at Aeroplane Hills FT junction- return. Cool misty morning run over varied surfaces, felt pretty decent.

SUNDAY 31/5- Great NOSH footrace and return run, 25.5K total incl. 15.5K race in 99.10. A course PW by 18 minutes! Lots of mud. Very grim run back, but totalled an even 100K running for the week (plus 2 RPM classes), which is something I suppose.

May 18-24.

2009-05-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

Recovered from achilles problems, missed the TNF100, training resumes...

MONDAY 18/5- 12K, home- Conservation Hut- Lilians Bridge- Fairmont- Cliff View Drive- Pool of Siloam- Gordon Falls Reserve- home. From now on to be known as the "Stair Run" as it is nothing but up and down steps, except for a km each way on bitumen in the middle. Took 1.40 for 12K!

TUESDAY 19/5- 6.5K, 1.5K warmup, 5 x 100m strides, 5 x 400m in 93, 94, 93, 93, 93, 1.5K warm down. First 400s in a while, hard friggin' work.

WEDNESDAY 20/5- 7.5K road run, home- highway- Scott Ave- Woodford Ave- Megalong St- return. Very hilly, misty, wet.

THURSDAY 21/5- No run.

FRIDAY 22/5- 12K road run, home- highway- Scott Ave- Gladstone St- Megalong St- Lovel St- Kingsford Smith Park- return. Very hilly! Did this at lunchtime but was geared up in goretex jacket and gloves, beane, tights, cold and wet....

SATURDAY 23/5- 5.5K Low Gear Lane loop at Warrimoo. Felt like utter shit.

SUNDAY 24/5- 12K stair run, same as Monday. Felt much better today.

Six days of running this week, only 55.5Ks but it's a start.

April 13-19.

2009-04-13T07:21:00.001-07:00

MONDAY 13/4- 31.5K. Ran to work again. At the start the achilles felt fine but gradually got sore, then sorer, although once past Hazelbrook the pain didn't seem to get any worse so just kept plodding along. Solid rain for the first 45 minutes, cloudy and a bit misty after that. Glad I got it done even though it was a slow shuffle.

Back on the ice packs and Voltaren tonight.

Given I did 3 x 30K runs in 4 days, not surprising that some body part rebelled.

TUESDAY 14/4- 31.5K cycle to work. Achilles very painful at the start but manageable by the end.

WEDNESDAY 15/4- 34K cycle to the mechanics to collect the van. Achilles a bit better, very stiff still. Having trouble finding a good practitioner this week, the two fellows I would normally consult are both on Easter holidays....

April 6- 12.

2009-04-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 6/4- No run. Buggered.

TUESDAY 7/4- Double Kedumba Pass, 30km, 1300m climbing and descent. With Sleep Train on a cool and misty morning. Felt okay, left achilles feeling a bit rough by the end.

WEDNESDAY 8/4- 5K walk. Woke up this morning and my achilles was screaming at me. Tried to go for a run but after a few hundred metres pulled the pin and did a 5K stroll along the Nature Track instead. (The Nature Track is part of the TNF100 course, so this counts as training, right?)

No running the rest of the week- spent the time with my foot on ice and hitting the Nurofen and Voltaren gel.

March 31- April 6.

2009-04-03T05:57:00.000-07:00

Got through 6FT in a slow 5.56, moved house to Wentworth Falls... time to think of North Face 100k and further goals down the line....

MONDAY 31/3- 9K. 1.5K to Pitt Park Track, 6K barefoot on grass, 1.5K back. Felt like shite after the previous day's Great Volcanic mountain race.

TUESDAY 31/3- 12K around the streets of Wentworth Falls in the esteemed company of Kieron Thompson. Had planned to run long today but had to go to work for a few hours in the afternoon instead. Steady rain.

WEDNESDAY 1/4- 6K incl. 3K tempo in 13.19. Not much time today so flogged myself at the track to get some benefit from a 30 minute session. Also gives me a benchmark to aim at.

THURSDAY 2/4- 9.5K Lap of the Falls- home- Con Hut- Shortcut Track- picnic area- waterfalls- Rocket Point- Hordern Rd- Tableland Rd- highway- Cascade St- home. Felt like crap pretty much the whole way. Not much helped by me leaving all my running shorts at work the night before and having to run in Mel's soccer shorts instead...

FRIDAY 3/4- 9.5K Lap of the Falls again, a minute or two quicker but still struggling.

SATURDAY 4/4- 31.5K. Ran from home to work. Wentworth Falls- Railway Pde- Bullaburra-Loftus St- Lawson- Hazelbrook- Woodford- Faulconbridge- Springwood- Warrimoo. Felt pretty good actually, haven't done a road run this long in a few years. Cool, misty weather.

Flake, I got the belt for 6FT number 12 this year. Just six more till I get the jacket!

SUNDAY 5/4- 31.5K. Repeat of yesterday's run on a muggy day and tired legs. Brought up 108K for the week- first training run over 100K in three years. Neat.

December 15-21.

2008-12-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

MONDAY 15/12- No training.

TUESDAY 16/12- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Boorea St- Rusden Rd- Mt Riverview Tennis COurt- return. 1.05, 12K, 5.25min/km. Night run, felt good, even on hills.

WEDNESDAY 17/12- Warrimoo Underpass- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Boorea St- Wilson Way- Railway Pde. 55.45, 10.5K, 5.19min/km. Another night run. Skipped the Underpass Loop on the way back. Moving well.

THURSDAY 18/12- Warrimoo Underpass- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Boorea St- return. 1.01, 12K, 5.14min/km. Same as previous night with Underpass loop added on return leg as well. Felt very creaky at first but was moving well after that.

December 8-14.

2008-12-17T18:46:00.000-08:00

Only 3 runs this week with work and C2K crewing duties.

THURSDAY 11/12- MORNING- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Boorea St- Rusden Rd- Mt Riverview Tennis Courts- return. 12K on a rainy day at 5.30 pace.

THURSDAY 11/12- NIGHT- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Old Bathurst Rd- Bowaga St- return. 10K at 5.40 pace.

FRIDAY 12/12- Two Hills Loop, 10.5K.

Weekly total 32.5K. Not good.

December 1-7

2008-12-01T05:16:00.000-08:00

MONDAY 1/12- 11K @ 5.40min/km. Ran to Springwood at midday to visit the bank, totaing a backpack and took it fairly easy. Hot day.

TUESDAY 2/12- Winmalee Trails. Blue Gum Swamp Trail- Bees Nest Hill- Grose Head South Lookout- St Columbas- The Grotto- Blue Gum Swamp Trail- 10 Rock Hill- Shaws Ridge. 19K in 2.05. Run with Sarge involving a couple of new trails, pretty hilly. Struggled from the start, felt very rough.

WEDNESDAY 3/12- No training.

THURSDAY 4/12- Warrimoo Underpass- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Boorea St- Rusden Rd- Emu Plains Rd- return. 18.5K, 1.43, 5.33min/km. Road run at night. Felt good.

FRIDAY 5/12- No training.

SATURDAY 6/12- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Boorea St- Rusden Rd- Mt Riverview Tennis Courts- return. 12K. On a very hot day, had to walk a bit.

SUNDAY 7/12- No training. Worked from 7am till 11pm.

Weekly total 60.5K

November 24-30.

2008-11-28T18:33:00.000-08:00

MONDAY 24/11- No training.

TUESDAY 25/11- Blue Gum Swamp Trail (Winmalee) x 2. 20K, 2.11, 6.34min/km. With Sarge and Darkie. Died badly in second loop.

WEDNESDAY 26/11- Grose Head South Lookout Trail. 13K, 1.25, 6.34min/km. With Sarge. Felt okay.

THURSDAY 27/11- Home- Mitchells Pass- Nepean River- Lapstone. 1.11, 12.5K, 5.44min/km. Road run with Shogun. Moving well but suffered on the trail climbing back up to Lapstone. Felt very beat up.

SATURDAY 29/11- Two Hills Loop w/ 5 x 100m strides to finish off. 10.2K, 1.00hrs, 5.55min/km. Felt pretty good- don't think I have done this loop under 6min/km before. Very muggy day, very sweaty.

SUNDAY 30/11- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Koala Ave- Winnicoopa Ave- Long Angle Trail- Low Gear Lane- Sun Valley- Waratah Pde- Home. 14.3K, 1.22, 5.44min/km. Should call this one the "lap of Warrimoo" as it is all on a road or on a trail running parallel to it- extension of the Two Hills Loop with some flatter stuff around Blaxland added on. Felt fairly good.

Weekly total- 70K. Best weekly tally for quite a while. Feeling positive.

November 17-23

2008-11-28T18:19:00.000-08:00

MONDAY 17/11- Tom Hunter Oval, Faulconbridge. 2K warmup, 5 x 100m strides, 3 x 2K aerobic in 9.38, 9.27, 9.20, 2K warmdown. 11K total. Felt a bit rough but more sub 5 Ks.

TUESDAY 18/11- BIKE- 32K MTB in Blue Mountains National Park.

WEDNESDAY 19/11- No training.

THURSDAY 20/11- RUN- Tom Hunter Oval, Faulconbridge. 3 x 3K in 14.12, 14.05, 13.59, 5 x 100m hill reps, 5 x 100m strides. 11K total. Well happy.

FRIDAY 21/11- RUN- Mt Portal. 12K, 1.19, 6.43. Felt pretty rough and did some walking.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 22-23/11- No training.

Weekly total 34K running, 32K bike.

November 10-16

2008-11-12T18:40:00.000-08:00

MONDAY 10/11- RUN- Track session at Tom Hunter Oval. 2K warmup (Nike Frees), 5 x 100m strides, 2 x 2K w/3min recovery in 8.22 and 8.37, 2K warmdown (all barefoot). 9K total. Went out a bit hard in the first one and suffered in the second one. Lap splits were 99, 99, 99, 101, 102 and 101, 101, 103, 105, 105.

TUESDAY 11/11- No training.

WEDNESDAY 12/11- RUN- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Blaxland station- return. 5.8K, 31.31, 5.26min/km. Night run after work.

THURSDAY 13/11- RUN- Tom Hunter Oval. Aerobic reps- 3 x 3K w/ 3min recovery in 14.23, 14.21, 14.20. First two in Nike Frees, last barefoot. Running solidly aerobic without becoming breathless. Haven't run that many sub 5/min Ks in at least two years. Well pleased.

FRIDAY 14/11- RUN- 5K @ 4.43 pace. Very hot day, 5K was all I could manage.

SATURDAY 15/11- No training.

SUNDAY 16/11- RUN- 4K warmup @ 4.58min/km, 6 x 250m hills in 1.56, 2.00, 2.07, 2.08, 2.07, 1.59, 4K warmdown including 5 x 100m strides @ 5.29 pace. 11K total. Good session with Shogun including hill reps on the notorious Sanctuary Drive, Leonay (16% grade).

Weekly total- 39.8K

November 3-9.

2008-11-03T03:55:00.000-08:00

Time for some real training.

MONDAY 3/11- BIKE- Full lap of M7 cycleway (3.00, 78K, 25kmh). Good ride for the first 65 or so k before I started to run out of gas. Hot day, well pleased.

TUESDAY 4/11- RUN- Track session at Glenbrook Oval (all in Nike Frees). 2k warmup, 5 x 100m strides, 3K tempo in 12.49 (4.16min/km), 2k warmdown, 8K total. Night run, repeating Sunday's session but noticeably quicker. Felt more efficient too. Happy.

WEDNESDAY 5/11- RUN- Low Gear Lane Loop. 5.6K, 30.28, 5.28min/km. Recovery run, felt pretty good.

THURSDAY 6/11- RUN- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Boorea St- return. 7.5K. Felt very rough so eventually turned the watch off and shuffled back.

FRIDAY 7/11- MORNING- RUN- Track session at Tom Hunter Oval. 2K warmup (Nike Frees), 5 x 100m strides (barefoot), 6 x 400m (barefoot) in 94, 92, 88, 90, 90, 89, 2k warmdown. 7.5K total. Felt very rough but kept pushing. Not bad numbers in the end.

FRIDAY 7/11- NIGHT- RUN- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Boorea St- Rusden Rd- return. 8.8K, 50.01, 5.41min/km. Felt pretty good actually.

SATURDAY 8/11- BIKE- M7 Cycleway- 39.5K, 25kmh. Dead legs today.

October 27- November 2

2008-10-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 27/10- Worked all day.

TUESDAY 28/10- BIKE- Warrimoo- Springwood- Hawkesbury Lookout- Warrimoo- Mount Riverview- Warrimoo. 51.5K, 2.06, 24kmh. Good ride. Legs a bit beat afterwards.

WEDNESDAY 29/10- RUN- Track session at Glenbrook Oval. 2K warmup, 5 x 100m strides, 6 x 400m in 92, 92, 91, 91, 89, 87, 2K warmdown (all in Nike Frees). Total 7.4K. Quite happy with this session on a humid evening, pacing was excellent and the last two reps felt efficient and not particularly hard.

THURSDAY 30/10 and 31/10- No training.

SATURDAY 1/11- Warrimoo- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Blaxland Station- return. 5.8K. Untimed easy run after work.

SUNDAY 2/11- Track session at Tom Hunter Park, Faulconbridge. 2K warmup (Nike Frees), 5 x 100m strides (barefoot), 3K tempo in 13.09 (4.23min/km, barefoot), 2K warmdown (barefoot). 8K total. Haven't done this session for a while. Hurt like buggery.

Not the best week, couple of good sessions though.

October 20-26.

2008-10-26T03:07:00.000-07:00

This week started off on a very depressing note when the sale of my cafe fell through and that is reflected in bugger all training at the start of the week. However another potential buyer has come to the fore so my time should be considerably freer in a week or two- I will be just working the one job (restaurant) for the first time in close to two years.

MONDAY- WEDNESDAY 20/10- 22/10- No training.

THURSDAY 23/10- Warrimoo- Waratah Pde- Green Pde- Tusculum Rd- Macquarie Rd- Hawkesbury Rd- Winmalee. 10K, 56.58, 5.41min/km. Very slow road run.

FRIDAY 24/10- Low Gear Lane Loop. 5.6K, 32.33, 5.51min/km. Felt very flat.

SATURDAY 25/10- Low Gear Lane Loop. 5.6K, 31.21, 5.37min/km. Same loop as day before but feeling quite a bit better.

SUNDAY 26/10- Track session at Tom Hunter Oval. 2K warmup (in shoes), 5 x 100m strides (barefoot), 6 x 400m w/60 sec recoveries (barefoot) in 97, 92, 92, 93, 93, 93, 2K warmdown (barefoot). 7.5K total. Not fast but pace was steady, quite happy with session considering all the missed training beforehand.

WEEKLY TOTAL- 28.7K

October 13-19

2008-10-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 13/10- BIKE- Warrimoo- Mt Riverview- Springwood- Warrimoo. 31K, 1.17, 24kmh. Legs very beat up from yesterday's track. Was going to longer but was sensible and kept it short.

TUESDAY 14/10- Worked all day.

WEDNESDAY 15/10- BIKE- M7 Cycleway- Eastern Creek- Prestons- Eastern Creek- Kings Park- Eastern Creek. 63km, 2.10, 26kmh. Good ride, worked hard, cool conditions. The M7 Cycleway is a suberb resource and 'tis a pity other roads don't have something similar.

THURSDAY 16/10- RUN- Track session at Tom Hunter Park. 2K warmup, 5 x 100m strides, 15mins of 30sec spring/30 sec walk, 2K warmdown. 7.8K total. Was going to do 6 x 400m barefoot again but my calf was still pretty battered from last Sunday, so did 15 minutes of 30/30s instead in shoes. Covered 2.8K during the 15 minutes.

FRIDAY 17/10- BIKE- Warrimoo- Springwood- Mt Riverview- Warrimoo. 31K, 1.16, 24kmh. Was going to ride 50-60K but very tired this morning after a late night, so kept it local.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 18-19/10- Worked all weekend.

October 6-12

2008-10-12T04:33:00.000-07:00

Managing my time a bit better now. Also adding some bike instead of runs to reduce the stress on my body and also help deal with the spring heat.

MONDAY 6/10- RUN- Waratah Pde- Green Pde- Tusculum Rd- Hawkesbury Rd- Winmalee Shops. 10K, 55.39, 5.36min/km. Rolling road run, felt pretty average.

TUESDAY 7/10- BIKE- Glenmore Park Rd, Glenmore Park- Belmore Rd, Bringelly- return. 40K, 1.26, 27kmh. Good ride on rolling road with nice verge. Pleasant farmland country much of the way.

WEDNESDAY 8/10- RUN- Glenbrook National Park gates- Mt Portal lookout- return. 12K, 1.14, 6.14min/km. Best run in the lower mountains. Slow, very hilly, loved it.

THURSDAY 9/10- RUN- Track session at Glenbrook Oval. 2K warmup, 5 x 100m strides, 5 x 400m with 60 second recovery in 88, 85, 89, 87, 88. 2K warmdown. 7K total. First intervals session since early 2007 I think. Buggered but happy.

FRIDAY 10/10- BIKE- Warrimoo- Hawkesbury Lookout- return. 30K, 1.14, 24kmh. Hilly road ride, legs beaten up from the track session.

SATURDAY 11/10- worked all day.

SUNDAY 12/10- RUN- Track session at Tom Hunter Oval, Faulconbridge. 2K warmup, 5 x 100m strides, 6 x 400m w/ 60 second recovery in 92, 92, 90, 90, 91, 95. 2K warmdown. 7.4K total. Did this all barefoot. Very tough going on a hot day.

36.4K running and 70k riding for the week.Some good sessions there. Happy if I can keep the momentum going.

Not Much Happened in September.

2008-10-12T04:31:00.001-07:00

Juggling two businesses (anyone want to buy a Deli/Cafe in the lower Mountains?) and sucessive colds kept things very quiet over September, just a couple of short runs each week.

September 8- 14

2008-09-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 8/9- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Blaxland Station- return. 5.8K, 31.11 5.22min/km. Felt like a bloke who hadn't run for a week. Funny that.

September 1-6

2008-09-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 1/9- Finchs Lookout.7.2K, 42.33, 5.56min/km. Felt thrashed but slowly grinded my way through.

Missed the rest of the week with yet another bout of flu.

25- 31 August

2008-08-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 25/8- Instead of running, I spent this morning having root canal. Lovely.

TUESDAY 26/8- Waratah Rd- Greens Pde- Tusculum Rd- Macquarie Rd- Hawkesbury Rd- Winmalee Shops. 10K, 55.42, 5.33min/km. Road run after work.

WEDNESDAY 27/8- Nepean Bridges x 2. 13.6K, 1.15, 5.32min/km. Was going to do three laps but felt buggered from the start and slowed badly on the second lap.

THURSDAY 28/8- Helped my sister move house then worked- no running.

FRIDAY 29/8- Waratah Pde- Green Pde- Tusculum Rd- Macquarie Rd- Hawkesbury Rd- Winmalee Shops- return. 20K, 1.50, 5.29min/km. Good run in the early afternoon. Felt pretty good for the first 14K or so, battled a bit on the uphills after that. My longest run since Six Foot Track in March.

SATURDAY 30/8- Worked all day, no running.

SUNDAY 31/8- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Boorea St- Rusden Rd- Grandview Pde- return. 15.5K, 1.27, 5.36min/km. Muggy afternoon run with some cool drizzle. Felt rough but got around okay.

WEEKLY TOTAL 59K. Starting to look more respectable.

18- 24 August 2008.

2008-08-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 18/8- Still got this damn cold.

TUESDAY 19/8- Waratah Rd- Green Pde- Tusculum Rd- Macquarie Rd- return. 9.6K, 50.38, 5.16min/km. Undulating road run.

WEDNESDAY 20/8- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Old Bathurst Rd- Rusden Rd- Outlook Pde- return. 14.2K, 1.20.23, 5.39min/km. Road run. Hard work!

THURSDAY 21/8- Rickard Rd- Five Ways- Long Angle Trail- Long Angle Rd trailhead- return. 12.5K, 1.19.39, 6.21min/km. Mainly on hilly, sandy firetrail. Boy was this slow.

FRIDAY 22/8- Low Gear Lane Loop. 5.6K, 32.46, 5.51min/km. Cold and rain today. Wore a jacket and definitely needed it, even in the middle of the day.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY- No running. Too busy with work. Saturdays in particular I usually work from around 8am till 11pm, so running Saturdays could be a problem....

WEEKLY TOTAL 41.9K

August 11-17.

2008-08-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 11/8- Low Gear Lane Loop. 5.5K, 30.24, 5.27min/km. Windy cold day. Felt a little rough but tried to match last Monday's time.

TUESDAY 12/8- Two Hills Loop. 10.2K, 1.02, 6.11min/km. Longest run for a while. Slow going but not tired at the end which is a good sign.

WEDNESDAY 13/8- Spurwood Rd- Long Angle Trail- Elizabeth St Trail- Rusden Rd- Boorea St- Wilson Way- Railway Pde- home. 10.1K, 1.00, 5.58min/km. Scratchy throat today. Walked up the Elizabeth St trail (steep, eroded and overgrown) and jogged the rest of the way.

THURSDAY 14/8- Sore throat, cold, sniffles, sinus pain. No running.

FRIDAY 15/8- Slow 6K with cold still lingering.

The weekend was buried by work and the cold. Weekly total 31.8K.

Week 4-10 August 2008.

2008-08-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

MONDAY 4/8- Spurwood Rd- Long Angle Trail- Low Gear Lane- Rickard Rd. 5.5K, 30.21, 5.27min/km. Midday on a cool winter day I ran my local "round the block" loop, half road, half trail with one horrible hill included.

TUESDAY 5/8- Nepean Bridges. 6.75K, 32.11, 4.46min/km. Lunchtime, muggy day, solid-paced lap of the Nepean River.

WEDNESDAY 6/8- Spurwood Rd- Long Angle Trail- Low Gear Lane- Rickard Rd. 5.5K, 31.32, 5.39min/km. Same run as Monday under cold, grey and windy skies. Love Blue Mountains running in winter. Felt a little tired so took it easy at first but on the 1.6K Rickard Rd stretch did 7 x 20 sec sprint/ 1min jog.

THURSDAY 7/8- Railway Pde- Wilson Way- Boorea St- Mt Riverview- return. 8.85K, 47.57, 5.25min/km. Road run on a cold winter night. Was going to go to Pilates as I usually do Thursday evenings but a veterinary appointment ran over and I did a run later instead. Hilly, a bit tired on the uphills on the way back.

FRIDAY 8/8- Rickard Rd- Five Ways- Finchs Lookout- return. 7.2K, 40.56, 5.42min/km. Mid morning run- half road half trail. Did a mile of 30sec sprint/ 30 sec walk on the way back. Same loop as Monday and Wednesday with the big hill. Felt tired so cruised it.

SATURDAY 9/8- Spurwood Rd- Long Angle Trail- Low Gear Lane- Rickard Rd. 5.5K, 32.07, 5.46min/km. Same loop as Monday and Wednesday with the big hill. Felt tired so cruised it.

SUNDAY 10/8- Bradbury Oval. 6K, 30 mins. Was in Campbelltown today so fitted in half on hour of circling one of the cricket ovals.

WEEKLY TOTAL 45.3K