It's good to be training on a Tuesday again - getting a third run in Thursday will be much easier than getting motivated on a Friday night. It was also the first training run with Running Cat in a while - it's great to be training with RC again! I tagged along with her to the Hobo's running club, who run along the water from Newport down to Williamstown and back on Tuesdays - a 7km run. I turned around the halfway mark at 22:08 and got back at around 45:30. I was reasonably happy with the time and would hope to see improvement on this each week.
Here's the route:
A really lovely guy ran with us the whole time - we kept up with the group until the halfway mark where we dropped back a little. I can't remember his name, which is annoying. Running Cat pulled ahead a little at the end and I dropped back a bit, but he continued to run with me. He asked if I had much left in my legs with about 700m to go, and I said I didn't, but he could race to the end. He said that no, if he does that I'll back off and I was going to keep up the pace we were running to the end - he was so right! I would have slowed up as soon as he ran up ahead.
It definitely seems to be a friendly and supportive running club - great find from RC!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Skipped the Melbourne Marathon training, but ran 8km on a lone run
I got up late this morning and then Running Cat said she was skipping the Melb Marathon session due in part because of the weather... I looked out the window and considered the rush I'd have to be to get there in time and went back to bed. I really wasn't looking forward to trying to keep up with a group that would probably be running faster than I can for a distance longer than I've run before in the rain anyway.
I didn't want to skip a run though - 2 runs a week really is the minimum - I remember when I left it a week between runs when I was sick and it was hard hard run the next week. I'm sure it was hard going because I was still a little bit ill, but don't want that feeling again! So I headed out with the aim to do an 8km run at a slow pace. I've read in many places that it's important to run at a slower than usual pace when you are running longer distances than you have before, so that was the plan. And I'm happy to say I got it done.
Here was my route:
Split times were 6:21, 6:23, 6:36, 6:49, 6:57, 7:28 (a killer km), 7:14 (feeling better), 7:00 (feeling good but a tad sore).
There's just no getting around it though - running alone is damn boring! You notice the kilometres crawling by whereas there's so much more to think about in a group.
I've chatted to Running Cat about joining her at Hobos... it sounds like a fantastic group and the Melb Marathon sessions have been a tad disappointing. I'm not sure that Wednesday night works the best for me either - training on Friday as the third session hasn't happened yet and I'm keen to start getting a third session in, but Fridays, eww.
I didn't want to skip a run though - 2 runs a week really is the minimum - I remember when I left it a week between runs when I was sick and it was hard hard run the next week. I'm sure it was hard going because I was still a little bit ill, but don't want that feeling again! So I headed out with the aim to do an 8km run at a slow pace. I've read in many places that it's important to run at a slower than usual pace when you are running longer distances than you have before, so that was the plan. And I'm happy to say I got it done.
Here was my route:
Split times were 6:21, 6:23, 6:36, 6:49, 6:57, 7:28 (a killer km), 7:14 (feeling better), 7:00 (feeling good but a tad sore).
There's just no getting around it though - running alone is damn boring! You notice the kilometres crawling by whereas there's so much more to think about in a group.
I've chatted to Running Cat about joining her at Hobos... it sounds like a fantastic group and the Melb Marathon sessions have been a tad disappointing. I'm not sure that Wednesday night works the best for me either - training on Friday as the third session hasn't happened yet and I'm keen to start getting a third session in, but Fridays, eww.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
A frustrating training run
Looking on the positive side, at least it wasn't frustrating because my body didn't want to do what I wanted it to - I found it frustrating because the run leaders that took us out last night picked a poor route. It was raining, but I didn't mind that so much. They decided to take us down Docklands way for something different, but we probably stopped 12 times - I'm not exaggerating! They didn't seem to know exactly where we were going, so we took some wrong turns and literally had to stop and turn around, and there were numerous traffic lights. The girl that took us out at the front also seemed too worried about the beginners keeping up - some people weren't even sure they could make the 6km - and kept the group at a 7:30 pace for the first half of the course. Excruciatingly slow! Maybe I should be grateful that an excruciating slow pace exists for me now. I was partly kicking myself because I was debating doing the 8km slow group and then chickened out and told myself I would next week.
But strangely... my legs are sore today. Go figure. Perhaps because pushed out harder on the way back and we got closer to 7km than 6... one of the ladies in the group that was wearing a GPS watch said it was 6.8km. I'm not entirely sure of our track given we did a little bit of backtracking... it may have looked something like this:
I'm finding the Melbourne Marathon training a tad frustrating at the moment, partly because the pace is all over the place. I liked that the Run Melbourne guys stuck to a certain pace; the guy at the front kept an agreed pace and let the group position themselves around him. The guy at the back might be doing a pace 30 seconds slower so the group would spread out between the two. It seemed very straightforward and worked really well. Maybe the Melb Marathon guys will get it sorted soon. I hope.
I've been debating a GPS watch purchase since I started talking about it with a colleague at work. There's a watch that Garmin do that combines GPS and a HRM that I like the look of, and the output of the maps looks really good too - it's the Forerunner 405CX:
I certainly wouldn't pay $500 for it - it seems you can get them on Amazon.com for a lot cheaper and in online stores for a bargain price from time to time. I was thinking that I couldn't justify the cost when I should be saving it for my time overseas, but then I remembered I got a $500 VISA gift card from work... coincidence?
I'll keep thinking about it a little longer, but I my mind was mostly made up once I remembered the gift card. I'm not sure I'll be even able to use my iPhone overseas depending on where we end up, and I think I'm getting some weird lopsided running action from running with my iPod/Phone in my left hand. Running Cat pointed out to me that my left shoulder looked a bit stiff and I've thought about it since and realised it probably comes down from running with something in my hand since I started running last year. Hehe. My left arm doesn't seem to swing as much as the right (you have to keep an iPod or iPhone steady you know or you might accidentally throw it out of your hand!). So I've been consciously trying to relax my left side and correct it... and once you know your route, distance and pace via GPS it's hard to go back!
But strangely... my legs are sore today. Go figure. Perhaps because pushed out harder on the way back and we got closer to 7km than 6... one of the ladies in the group that was wearing a GPS watch said it was 6.8km. I'm not entirely sure of our track given we did a little bit of backtracking... it may have looked something like this:
I'm finding the Melbourne Marathon training a tad frustrating at the moment, partly because the pace is all over the place. I liked that the Run Melbourne guys stuck to a certain pace; the guy at the front kept an agreed pace and let the group position themselves around him. The guy at the back might be doing a pace 30 seconds slower so the group would spread out between the two. It seemed very straightforward and worked really well. Maybe the Melb Marathon guys will get it sorted soon. I hope.
I've been debating a GPS watch purchase since I started talking about it with a colleague at work. There's a watch that Garmin do that combines GPS and a HRM that I like the look of, and the output of the maps looks really good too - it's the Forerunner 405CX:
I'll keep thinking about it a little longer, but I my mind was mostly made up once I remembered the gift card. I'm not sure I'll be even able to use my iPhone overseas depending on where we end up, and I think I'm getting some weird lopsided running action from running with my iPod/Phone in my left hand. Running Cat pointed out to me that my left shoulder looked a bit stiff and I've thought about it since and realised it probably comes down from running with something in my hand since I started running last year. Hehe. My left arm doesn't seem to swing as much as the right (you have to keep an iPod or iPhone steady you know or you might accidentally throw it out of your hand!). So I've been consciously trying to relax my left side and correct it... and once you know your route, distance and pace via GPS it's hard to go back!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday morning long run, also known as - You've Been Served.
My first attempt at 8km! Well, we only did 7.4km in the end, but either way, it's seems a lot longer than the 5km I've been regularly plodding out, or the 6km on Wednesday. My body got a little sore towards the end, but not too bad and I've been lucky with little soreness today.
It was quite amusing, because I was walking from where I parked my car to the gym where the session was being held and chatting to another girl who was clearly headed to the same thing... we were talking away and I made the assumption that we were at a similar running level given she looked the same age as me and didn't smack of elite runner, but when they called out for the 22 and 26kers, her hand shot up! Never assume there's a stereotype for a runner. There were a lot of people I hadn't suspected as marathoners, but didn't even look remotely scared at the prospect of doing a half marathon before breakfast.
If I was starting to feel too confident about my running ability, the Sunday session put me in my place. They ran through the list... a dozen 26kers headed off, then 30 or so 22kers after them. Then the 16 and 14kers. And finally the 8kers. One of the run leaders for the 8km group explained that the medium-fast group would be taken out at a 5-5.15 pace and the slow group who are around that "beginner level" would be a 5:30 minute pace. That's faster than my race pace! And despite all of my hard work over the last few months, I'm still a beginner. So be it.
Looking at it positively, I did want the training to be more challenging, and even it's a little out of my league at the moment, it should pull me up to the level of the group. One of the run leaders in charge said there might be scope for a 10km beginners type group, and I'd be happy with that. It's still a step up from a 5km beginner!
My run may or may not have looked something like this:
It was quite amusing, because I was walking from where I parked my car to the gym where the session was being held and chatting to another girl who was clearly headed to the same thing... we were talking away and I made the assumption that we were at a similar running level given she looked the same age as me and didn't smack of elite runner, but when they called out for the 22 and 26kers, her hand shot up! Never assume there's a stereotype for a runner. There were a lot of people I hadn't suspected as marathoners, but didn't even look remotely scared at the prospect of doing a half marathon before breakfast.
If I was starting to feel too confident about my running ability, the Sunday session put me in my place. They ran through the list... a dozen 26kers headed off, then 30 or so 22kers after them. Then the 16 and 14kers. And finally the 8kers. One of the run leaders for the 8km group explained that the medium-fast group would be taken out at a 5-5.15 pace and the slow group who are around that "beginner level" would be a 5:30 minute pace. That's faster than my race pace! And despite all of my hard work over the last few months, I'm still a beginner. So be it.
Looking at it positively, I did want the training to be more challenging, and even it's a little out of my league at the moment, it should pull me up to the level of the group. One of the run leaders in charge said there might be scope for a 10km beginners type group, and I'd be happy with that. It's still a step up from a 5km beginner!
My run may or may not have looked something like this:
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
I ran 6km with the "medium" group tonight!
Granted, they did a slower than planned pace, but I'm still pretty pleased with myself! The medium group ran just under a 6 minute pace, finishing in about 35 and a half minutes.
The Melbourne Marathon training sessions are on a much smaller scale than the Run Melbourne ones were. There were 6 groups to choose from - slow and medium groups for 6km, 8km and 10km. There were run leaders for the front and back of each group, which is a relief - the idea of running with a group that stretches you and losing them is a little scary!
Because the majority of the 6kers wanted to run the slow pace of 6-6:30 mins they only had half a dozen that wanted to run a medium pace of 5:30, so decided to run the two groups together with under 6 at the front, 6 in the middle and 6:30 at the back. It was so strange because I thought that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the medium guys, but about 2km in I completely lost the slow group and was at the back of the medium one. Because the groups were so much smaller and there weren't any lights most of the way we spread out quite a bit and I felt like I was running by myself for the majority of the way. In fact I was for the last km or so!
The ran felt... dare I say it... easy tonight. My legs felt very fresh and I didn't actually feel tired at any time. Now, I'm not sure I'll be saying that after running 8km on Sunday!
The Melbourne Marathon training sessions are on a much smaller scale than the Run Melbourne ones were. There were 6 groups to choose from - slow and medium groups for 6km, 8km and 10km. There were run leaders for the front and back of each group, which is a relief - the idea of running with a group that stretches you and losing them is a little scary!
Because the majority of the 6kers wanted to run the slow pace of 6-6:30 mins they only had half a dozen that wanted to run a medium pace of 5:30, so decided to run the two groups together with under 6 at the front, 6 in the middle and 6:30 at the back. It was so strange because I thought that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the medium guys, but about 2km in I completely lost the slow group and was at the back of the medium one. Because the groups were so much smaller and there weren't any lights most of the way we spread out quite a bit and I felt like I was running by myself for the majority of the way. In fact I was for the last km or so!
The ran felt... dare I say it... easy tonight. My legs felt very fresh and I didn't actually feel tired at any time. Now, I'm not sure I'll be saying that after running 8km on Sunday!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Signed up to the Spring Into Shape series and the 10km at the Melbourne Marathon
So, three more races before I depart this country of golden soil girt by sea. I've signed up to the 12km (12km!) first and second races in the Spring Into Shape Melbourne series. The third race of the series is on the day I leave Sydney on a boat to San Diego, so I'll miss out there. It's a shame because I like the feeling of completing all of something, but not much I can do there. The plan was to start out with the 8km race and move up to 12km, but I've decided it would be nice to be able to directly compare the two times.
I've also officially signed up for the 10km Melbourne Marathon... number 20765. In some ways 10km seems just around the corner from 5km, but in others it seems so much more of a challenge. It probably depends on how hard a training run is on any particular day!
I've also officially signed up for the 10km Melbourne Marathon... number 20765. In some ways 10km seems just around the corner from 5km, but in others it seems so much more of a challenge. It probably depends on how hard a training run is on any particular day!
Final wrap up of the Run Melbourne 5km
So the official results have been posted up on the Run Melbourne website. They seem to be having issues with the database crashing, so I'll get an image up here from an email I have tomorrow. I was very happy with how I did versus the field - from memory my time was better than 71% of the group, which is pretty darn cool given it was my first formal 5km fun run.
Running Cat came prepared with her camera on Sunday...
Our beautiful friend Deborah (in the City) came and cheered us on at the 4km mark and enjoyed a lovely brunch with us after the run.
Running Cat came prepared with her camera on Sunday...
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