Getting Back To A Long Run

Is 15k a long run?It didn't used to be for me but these days I guess it qualifies.It took me a glorious hour and 22min to complete at an ave. pace of 5m22s and ave. hr of 170bpm.The 170 hr was a bit surprising really, if I had to take a guess at it I would have opted for about 10bpm less.I was never out of breath and only pushed a bit during the latter half of the run - just to see if I could - and that particular km was 4m53s so hardly rushing.Bottom line is that it was a wonderful day weatherwise, no dogs, no pain, no better way to spend 80min on a Sunday.

I have been slacking a bit on the Pilates exercises lately, work again dictates far too much of my time these days.Our weight loss program tv commercial hit the air last week and the phones went into meltdown for about 4 hours, reminiscent of the Today Tonight coverage late last year.Same schedule again this week has meant that it's been almost a week since I made those slackarse core muscles earn their keep.As soon as I finish this blog entry I'm going to hit them hard!

Downloaded the MotionBased and Keyhole softwear for my forerunner and was just amazed at the clarity.The MB was definitely useful but the Keyhole was just a bit of fun really - incredible but still just fun.

I definitely need to have a speed interval session before next 10k race and Sat seems to be the best choice.Only problem is I have to spend some work time in Campbelltown early and depending on the customer traffic, leave around lunchtime, then there is a McLaren Vale wine tasting in Balmain between early afternoon and 7pm to attend - apparently it's one of the best shows of the year too.Even if it's just 20-30min I absolutely,positively have to run fast on Sat - preferably without a bottle of McLaren Vale's finest coursing through my veins!

A Painful Week

Work has ruled my life lately, it hasn't been a bad thing altogether either.I was sore in most places from my 45min 10k last Saturday so training was out until the soreness disappeared and we were just about to open our first weight loss and wellness clinic.An overnight stay in Mooloolaba (very busy running area) confirmed our future supply and direction of our business and then I returned home to get the news that my family's home since 1973 had for the most part burned to the ground.

When I arrived to the place, the roof had caved in and was slowly burning everything inside the house that could possibly be burned.There was a crane suspended firie sending a solitary stream of water into the middle of the house but it seemed to be mostly for no result.There was no injury to family or the menagerie of pets that Mum and Dad kept there but over 30 years you accumulate so many things of personal value that it's like losing a member of the family.

The fire apparently started with the seemimgly harmless hanging of some shirts on an upturned light fitting by a local lady that does some ironing for Mum every once in a while.The shirts caught fire and the wooden ceiling and walls in the entry hall did the rest.I really feel sorry for Mum's ironing lady because she is feeling responsible for it but there was no way she could have foreseen that my 6yr old nephew would start turning lights on without being able to gauge the flashpoint of the hanging shirts.We will be spending the weekend salvaging whatever we can and making lists of contents for insurance etc before deciding whether to rebuild or not.It's all very sad, less so for me because I moved from the area 6 years ago but the place held so many wonderful family gatherings that it may be too hard to try and replace it.

That was the emotionally painful part of the week, the physically painful came this morning when I had the most painful massage ever.The soreness from last week was just hanging around far too long and I knew I should be training again soon.The bloke at the State Sports Centre Homebush talked my ear off while doing a psoas release (deep muscle in the belly area beside the hip) - hurt like hell and the talk was annoying but may have been distracting too.No pain now so he obviously knew what he was doing - I'd definitely recommend him.

Off to search for some more bottles of red wine in the mess - we found our prized 1971 Penfold's Grange with ash and water stains all over it in a wrought iron rack yesterday!Anything's a bonus after that find.

Where The Hell Did That Come From?

Just back from the Lane Cove 10k and even though I forgot AGAIN to stop my watch at the line, I reckon I went under 46min!Certainly a 5min improvement from North Head last month.

I set the forerunner with the virtual partner at 5min/km and was very surprised to see him dragging the chain after the 1st km.I immediately slowed a bit to give him a lead of about 3m and tried to keep to a steady pace until the next km marker.I looked down at 2k and I was 30m in front!It didn't feel like I was running too fast so I switched the units to check the hr and it was in the 160s so I relaxed the pace a bit again.The next km was definitely a short km on my watch so I couldn't rely on the distance ahead of target pace it was displaying.

I just concentrated on holding form along the flats and up hills then letting go down the hills.So I was swapping places with other runners who would pass me on the flats and the ups but I would go past on the downs - alot of fun.I did this until my watch beeped at 7km but I was still a few hundred metres from the actual 7km.I read the time at the actual 7km and quickly calculated that I was a chance of beating 45min - then I remembered that 4min/km was a few months off yet so I set about keeping pace until the 8k and then deciding what to do.

Doing sums all through that km and still feeling untroubled I decided to up the pace at 8k and try to finish 45mXs.I went through 8k at 37m13s then maintained cadence up the hill and picked up a few runners on the way to 9km in 41m39s.All downhill from here and picking up more runners on the way - heard feet behind me for a bit but they faded and I just had time to pass one more runner on the weir to finish in 45something.Very surprising!Average hr was 175 bpm which means I wasn't bludging - gotta work on that cardio the next few weeks.

It's almost good to have the old teething injuries return as I increase kms/week and pace.Things like a bit of plantar pain and tender toes I scoff at now.I'm expecting some shin pain soon as I start doing some 400m and 800m intervals next week - these too will pass.I'm still deciding what my next half or full marathon event will be but my eyes are still on 6ft 2006 in sub 5hr.

p.s Just received the official times from today's 10k - I finished with a sub 4min km!I know I know I know it was downhill but there was plenty of uphill before it!I think I'm back.