Worn Out

Adj. 1. worn-out - worn until no longer useful; "battered trumpets and raddled radios"; "worn-out shoes with flapping soles"
raddled worn - affected by wear; damaged by long use; "worn threads on the screw"; "a worn suit"; "the worn pockets on the jacket"
2. worn-out - drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted; "the day's shopping left her exhausted"; "he went to bed dog-tired"; "was fagged and sweaty"; "the trembling of his played out limbs"; "felt completely washed-out"; "only worn-out horses and cattle"; "you look worn out" dog-tired, exhausted, fagged, fatigued, played out, spent, washed-out, worn out tired - depleted of strength or energy; "tired mothers with crying babies"; "too tired to eat"

..... not sure fagged is what I'd call it ... but nevertheless I have a theory about marathon training .....

As the weeks go on, my body is accumulating the fatigue and it is harder to make each session faster .... harder? .... well physically there are limits ... but it's all good ..... I know that I will bounce back when I taper and it's a bit like running with a weight tied to me now ..... ok so it's a theory!

Week 6 - Cooked

It took me awhile to get going this morning, since this was a solo run. The forecast was for rain and overcast .... it wasn't. In short I was cooked, so decided to cut my long run to 21K.

Total Ks 60 versus plan of 88
Hill Workout 12K at 4:54 min/K (turns out to be my fastest despite a slow start.)
Yasso's were achieve at 6 x 800 in 2:55 min each.
Mid-week run up to 21K @ 5:00 min/K
Long Run 21K @ 5:05 min/K
Average pace over the week 5:00 min/K

I dropped my 12K tempo run out altogether as I was tired. There has been quite a bit going on with work and other things.

As I ran today I kept note of my thoughts. I started with a limp or a hobble as my lower right leg aches to start the run. It is something I don't know how to stretch or warm up as it isn't my calf or shin ...... it is more to the side of my lower leg and half way between my knee and foot. Early into the run, I ran past a long legged tanned woman wearing extremely brief shiny shorts and bikini top, at the same moment a car/truck passed, full of guys yelling out of the window at her. It is very Gold Coast ...... as were the groups of twenty something blokes drinking beer at 10:30 AM, ogling and talking a strange car engine dialect that I have never learnt. Also along the path that borders the beach, I also passed groups of japanese attending surfing lessons and hoards of cyclists most likely preparing for the triathlon next week.

After 40 minutes I was running freely and enjoying it. There was enough shadows and a breeze to keep the conditions pleasant. Another 30 minutes later, I was under direct sunshine and the air was still. Although I was still feeling good, I knew my core temperature was rising to the overheating stage and energy was being sapped. I could have stuck through a full long run of about 35K but decided it would completely wipe me out for the rest of the day. Sort of like this ....... (what I see to my right as I type) ...



So considering we are going out tonight and will be up early in the morning there seemed little point pushing it. I did however have a nice swim in the surf after my run. There is a sting across my shoulders from too much sun, so another hour out there would have been bad from that perspective as well.

Without Ice-cream there is no biscuit!

Amazing Facts #37: It takes 3 glasses of Glenfiddich before my legs feel numb.

The black dog is "CJ" .... it is our second blogger after "Bella" .... if a Tesso, Elizabeth, Tammy, Bolder or a Susan comes through the door .... well .... I might just get a little freaked out.

Back to the Olympics ...... Hey Alisa .... You Rock!

P.S. This is Bella.



And.... Katy has found someone she hates at work ... she says she is crappy puffy, doilies, bon bon eating, watches her soap operas and reads her gossip magazines .... she's very picky and without any strength ... like a blind domestic pet ... i can't keep up with Katy when she "unloads" on someone .. but boy this ain't pretty ....

And ..... I can't remember the next point I wanted to make.

Yippee Yasso Yah

I couldn't wait until the end of the week to share the joy ......

Tonight I ventured to the gym and the treadmill to complete my 6 x800 "Yassos" .... the 5th one I drop the incline but picked it back up during the final 6th 800. All runs were done in 2:55 min and I felt a sense of accomplishment. You have no idea how much I dislike these sessions.

And ......

One of my pairs of runners smells ..... no stinks ...... really really bad ...... could be time to let them go.

Week 5

And Week 5 passes with 4 more weeks building up distance to go and then tapering over the last 3.

Total Ks 85.5 versus plan of 81
Hill Workout 14K at 5:00 min/K (Melboure's "tan" short for botanical gardens)
Yasso no show
Mid-week run up to 18K @ 4:41 min/K (this has become more of a tempo run)
Long Run 35K @ 5:11 min/K (now I have the the distance I plan to get stronger on the next few long ones )
Average pace over the week 5:04 min/K (I backed off pace t get the km's up)

Did I mention it was hot on Saturday ...... try 70% humidity and low 30's C or 90's F. For me that's lots of stops and plenty of water which makes for a slower run to be cautious.

The plan for week 6 ..... must do the Yasso's ...... will be easier without the travel.

This was my base for the week .... the croutons inspected the digs when I checked in and Bear aka Clare aka eldest crouton, made sure the windows were thick enough by checking out the bug crawling up the outside.

Look Here

From the writings of "IHateToast" aka Katy aka my oh so sweet wife

This is what I wore on the plane on Sunday

The shoes were a present from my sister and I like the thai fishing pants rather than tracksuit bottoms. But they made fun of me and asked question like "Where is your red nose?" .... Nobody takes me seriously!

Wrong

I was driving the croutons through the city and as I passed this building I exclaimed "That is just wrong!" .... i drove around the block and we got a photo.

And this is?

I'm going to be in Melbourne for a few days .... but I'll be back .... enjoy the Games!

Week 4

Results for Week 4, destination Canberra.

Total Ks 68 versus plan of 65
Hill Workout 12K at 4:58 min/K (the summit climb was 5:30 up and 4:23 down)
Yasso x 4 at 3:38 min/K or 2:55 for the 800m
Mid-week run up to 16K @ 4:38 min/K
Tempo 6K at 4:14 min/K
Long Run 20K @ 4:47 min/K (With added challenge of numerous beers the night before)
Average pace over the week 4:47 min/K

In summary, it was quicker and the longer runs cut back according to plan so that the legs can recover a bit.

Monday's pacing run for Katy finished with her telling me something like "I hope your leg tendons snap and fly up like roll-up blinds".

The plan for week 5 is pushing the weekly km's over 80K finishing on Saturday with The River Loop starting at 5am with Tesso, Geoff, Glenno, Tara, Ciaren and a few others. I plan to keep with the group and then stretch it out at the end.

Secret Mission

(Cue the Mission Impossible Theme)

Your mission ......

Should you choose to accept it ........

Well you get the idea. Tonight we'll be dining at a fine restaurant,
and we'll be taking notes,
and we will be paid for this.

We have a friend of a friend, which means we get to do this.

Ducks II

Ever seen Donald Duck washing his face and then shaking his head and spluttering? ....


This haunts me on a long runs when there is a duck in my shorts that wants to quack......

Cause you never know!

Freaked out!

I freaked out .... I was running ...... no, pounding down the mountain, wind in my hair at a blistering pace feeling invincible and I glanced at my Garmin .......












I just caught the message before it disappeared ...... then I thought "Did I really see that?" ...... I had the feeling that finally the line between my imagination was reality had blurred ..... I had gone mad at last (what, no gasping or astonishment from you?) .... in over a year the Garmin had never told me to do anything, much less "Slow Down" ..... I waited to see if it would say it again ...... waited ..... and then to confirm my first thoughts there is was again .... "Slow Down!"

Eventually .... eventually I worked out that Katy has used it yesterday and set some sort of pacing threshold alert .... but it really had me going for awhile.

So now ... clutching onto my tentitive state of sanity, I thought how much I'd like to have input into the next release of Garmin and add a few of my own messages......

Week 3

Results for Week 3 of the Canberra Quest are not quite as flash ... something about starting a new job and missing the Yasso section and substituting it for a fine french meal with free cake for birthday celebrants

Total Ks 69 versus plan of 77
No Tempo, No Yasso
Hill Workout 12K at 4:55 min/K (the summit climb was 5:37 up and 4:03 down)
Mid-week run up to 18K
Long Run 5K short of 30K
First ever Interval/Fartlek's 6x60 sec @ 3:37 min/K & 6x30 sec @ 3:27 min/K
Average pace over the week 5:06 min/K which is slower but due to longer runs and shorter speed work plus introduction of hills.

Monday I do a pacing run for Katy which I really enjoy. She is coming along very strongly now and seems to be over the stress fractures she nursed through 2 marathons last year. I have also found the change in program a good way to keep fresh and motivated. The plan for week 4 is to cut back the longer runs but still progress the speed work before pushing the weekly km's over 80K in week 5.

Coot-tha Collection

Warning: Children Avert Your Eyes

Admittedly this warning may have be useful in previous posts.

Last week saw the introduction of Hills to my program ..... when I say hills I mean Mount Coot-tha. This is a 12K tourist road but a circuit of just under 10K from the Slaughter Falls (Remember that name ... it is relevant) car park. This track is popular with mountain goats and cyclists. The cyclists will come whirling down from the opposite direction and swosh past the hard working runners whilst challenging the numerous assents.

Being the Clever Executioner this doesn't worry me.

I smile .... the cyclist approaches ... and just as they whiz past I swing my battle axe and there is a "swish" ..... "plop" ...... "roll, roll , roll" ... I look around ...... kick the bike into the bush ... and then continue my run.

Shout

It is not really an Australian thing to do a shout ... except when it is a round of drinks at the pub. But I have had some education thanks to a Texan wife and reckon this is a bloody good idea.

I'm pretty damn proud of my friend Tesso in being the first woman in last nights Ultra and smashing the 100K mark. Often she has been referred to as the Energizer Bunny but now there is no doubting her ability to keep going and going.

Well done, I think you achievement is awesome!

Easy Saturday

The plan was to get up early, drive the hour or so down the coast for the long slow distance run and then a swim in the surf.

We slept in, decided on a little garage sale shopping and home for lunch where Katy made herb pancakes with avocado butter. This gave us the opportunity to put to use the trophy of the morning, a pottery set with tray, jug and goblets. Note Katy's mosaic table with resin cover (when she made it a year ago, a couple of flies landed and sank into the resin before it had hardened and now they are captured for eternity)

In the evening, we tackled the long runs after the temperature dropped to 90F or about 30C but the humidity stay around 70%. I cut the 30K down to 25K and slept very well that night.

A quiet moment of reflection ....

I was just thinking that somewhere out there are:

Two in-law parents who have recently had a strange foreign man take their only daughter back to a far away land; plus
My parents, who are able to proudly reflect on what their forty year old son has become; plus
Two children that can hold their heads up high amongst their friends and say that's my dad .....

Two times "Oh My!", one exclamation of "Oh" and silence from others

... tomorrow morning I have to get up early and go out in a truck with a driver to earn respect and instill some fear in him as the authoritative Transport Manager my title demands .... grrrrrrrr!