Hi all I need your help so you should all post comments to this with your thoughts. What should I do this weekend... I have the Captain Cooks Landing race (25km trail run on the queen charlotte walkway). I have been really looking forward to this race. My physio says that I should be ok to run (as the swelling as pretty much subsided). I ran (ok well I jogged) at lunchtime today for 30 minutes and it didn't hurt while I was out, I jogged easily but tried a variety of terrains to see if anything irritated it: up stairs, down stairs, flat, up/down hills. It feels a little fatigued right now though.
I have been thinking a lot about that this week and I have accepted the fact that my focus has changed for this race... its not like I am going out to try and win it anymore. The first few days of the injury were really hard but I think that I will be ok with running less than full fitness if I had to. I will probably just need a gentle reminder not to start on the "If onlys" after the race. Jason and I have talked lots this week and we have decided that if worse comes to worse then I can stop running at Furneax which is about half way. I guess the only question I have right now is whether it is worth the risk?
I am definitely going down but need to tell the race organiser if I am running or supporting. If I am supporting then I need to go on a different boat in the morning on the way to the race start.
Argggggggggggghhhhhhh all these questions are going through my head right now:
Is it worth the risk to run?
If I do run am I going to be satisfied with a slower time than originally anticipated?
Would I be satisfied with not running?
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Oh what a weekend....
So where do I start on the weekend that has just been.Here are two very different images of what my weekend was like, the two images are not linked in any way... On the left I am dressed in a bridal gown made from toilet paper and ribbons from the hen's party I was at and on the right is my very sexy ankle after a fall while I was out running on Sunday (no it wasn't a party injury from Saturday night)... BTW my gown won the toilet paper wedding dress competition...
The hen's party was great, Nicole (the bride) was in fine form, but she is still seedy today apparantly. We started the hen's party at 2pm at Megan's house with lots of snacks and a spartie (which is where the girls had pampering treats i.e. manicure, pedicure and/or facials)... after that we headed into town, followed by dinner and then dancing at Boogie Wonderland. I lasted until 9.45pm (which is a real late night for me) !
Then on to Sunday..... hmmmm a lot of "if onlys" here. I went for my usual Sunday morning training run, yesterday I started at Kilbirnie Pool and was planning on running up to the Ataturk Memorial then along the Eastern Walkway to the Mt Crawford Prison and back to the pool. I planned to stop of at John's house on the way so he could run some of it with me.
Then on to Sunday..... hmmmm a lot of "if onlys" here. I went for my usual Sunday morning training run, yesterday I started at Kilbirnie Pool and was planning on running up to the Ataturk Memorial then along the Eastern Walkway to the Mt Crawford Prison and back to the pool. I planned to stop of at John's house on the way so he could run some of it with me.
I was half an hour into the run when disaster struck (in the form of a very helpless slightly raised rock). I stood on the rock awkwardly and fell even more awkwardly. As I flew through the air I heard a nasty "pop". This is what scared me the most, more so than the fact that I was sprawled out in the middle of the track a while from any help.... All I could think of was my race coming up this weekend... yip that's right, the one that I have been really focussing on!
So as I wailed (cried is too mild a term for it) I started heading back to the car... it took me 45 minutes to get back to the car and I spent the afternoon crying and feeling a bit sorry for myself...
DIAGNOSIS: I have just been to the physio and I have torn one of my ligaments part of the way through (the fan shaped one just above my ankle). The good news is it is only a grade 2 (out of 3) injury- this is a partial tearing of the fibres without a complete rupture. Unfortunately the swelling (which gives me a beautiful cankle) is compressing some of my nerves which is causing a bit of discomfort….
My ankle is strapped and I have a compression bandage on it as well… he is reluctant to give me a prognosis for this weekend at this stage. I have another appointment tomorrow… he said that sitting on my wind trainer should be fine as with swimming (no kicking or pushing off the wall)….
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
New racing shoes...
Yay! These are my new racing flats! I just used my prize winnings from the Wellington 10km race to buy my first ever pair of lightweight racing flats!
The shoes match the Scottish singlet as well (a very important feature you know!). So watch out everyone now, I should be running faster than ever!
This shoe is the optimal shoe for optimum performance. Speed and control come together in a lightweight package!
Monday, July 9, 2007
On Saturday evening I was absolutely, totally shattered... its not often that it happens like this but I felt that I had used every ounce of energy that I had available in the previous week. Poor Jason bore the brunt of this as well. I literally did not have the energy to even shop for food... I was walking around the supermarket like a zombie. I couldn't even think what to cook for dinner let alone what I needed to buy. Its a sure sign that I am exhausted when I can't even think about food! Surprisingly enough though, as soon as I ate I felt so much better again and after a good night sleep I woke up on Sunday rearing to go again. Kevin and I had a great 90 min hills run on Sunday as well so it is a good sign that I am recovering well.
Hmmm what contributed to this tiredness?? After the mammoth run last weekend up in the Tararua's the training did not let up, I had:
Monday: 45 min wind trainer and 3 km swim
Tuesday: Swim squad and 60 min run (with 800m intervals)
Wednesday: 90 min ride
Thursday: Swim squad and 80 min hills run with 20 min up tempo
Friday: 40 min run, including drills
Saturday: 2 hour ride and a 9km club handicap race
Sunday: 90 min hills run
This was on top of a full on week of work as well. No wonder I was tired. The awesome thing about the human body is its amazing ability to go far beyond what you can ever think that you can achieve. There have been days when I am absolutely shattered yet once I start training I have the best session ever. My swimming coach says that it is the people that can constantly push past the boundaries that achieve the highest and I fully agree. It reminds me of a quate that I read in a magazine once: "Once all is said and done, victory is there for those that can push themselves the most". I agree wholeheartedly with this.
I had to race on Saturday afternoon (was meant to be 8km but was actually 9km) and it was interesting racing when I was feeling really flat beforehand. It was only a club handicap race (where we all start at different intervals and try to all finish on the line together basically) so I wasn't too concerned about the result. I started 18 minutes and 20 seconds after the first runners set out and although I did not feel like running I actually ran well. I started with about 6 other runners who had the same handicap as me and Tina Harris and I set a reasonably fast pace to begin with. The race started with 1km into the southerly and Tina and I were working with each other to take the lead and draft off each other which was nice! It probably made the race easier in the later stages as well. I ran pretty evenly through the whole 9km (over varied terrain- mud, gravel, concrete, grass...) and finished in 35.59. So essentially dead on 4 min kms. I am really pleased with that average over that terrain.
This week my load starts to drop off as the Captain Cooks landing race is jsut two weeks away! Yay, so looking forward to this race!!!
Jason has just finished his first week of training on the new programme and he really enjoyed it. This week he did:
2 swim squad sessions (3km each)
1 * 2km swim (technique focus)
1 * 3km swim; and
1 * 60 min continuous swim. He swum over 4 km during this swim. What a fish!
Jason also had a biomechanical assessment to see what he needs to fix to be in tip top shape to swim all these kms that Ali has planned for him!
I have a hen's night on Saturday night to look forward to, so maybe next week's update might be more than just training :-)
Hmmm what contributed to this tiredness?? After the mammoth run last weekend up in the Tararua's the training did not let up, I had:
Monday: 45 min wind trainer and 3 km swim
Tuesday: Swim squad and 60 min run (with 800m intervals)
Wednesday: 90 min ride
Thursday: Swim squad and 80 min hills run with 20 min up tempo
Friday: 40 min run, including drills
Saturday: 2 hour ride and a 9km club handicap race
Sunday: 90 min hills run
This was on top of a full on week of work as well. No wonder I was tired. The awesome thing about the human body is its amazing ability to go far beyond what you can ever think that you can achieve. There have been days when I am absolutely shattered yet once I start training I have the best session ever. My swimming coach says that it is the people that can constantly push past the boundaries that achieve the highest and I fully agree. It reminds me of a quate that I read in a magazine once: "Once all is said and done, victory is there for those that can push themselves the most". I agree wholeheartedly with this.
I had to race on Saturday afternoon (was meant to be 8km but was actually 9km) and it was interesting racing when I was feeling really flat beforehand. It was only a club handicap race (where we all start at different intervals and try to all finish on the line together basically) so I wasn't too concerned about the result. I started 18 minutes and 20 seconds after the first runners set out and although I did not feel like running I actually ran well. I started with about 6 other runners who had the same handicap as me and Tina Harris and I set a reasonably fast pace to begin with. The race started with 1km into the southerly and Tina and I were working with each other to take the lead and draft off each other which was nice! It probably made the race easier in the later stages as well. I ran pretty evenly through the whole 9km (over varied terrain- mud, gravel, concrete, grass...) and finished in 35.59. So essentially dead on 4 min kms. I am really pleased with that average over that terrain.
This week my load starts to drop off as the Captain Cooks landing race is jsut two weeks away! Yay, so looking forward to this race!!!
Jason has just finished his first week of training on the new programme and he really enjoyed it. This week he did:
2 swim squad sessions (3km each)
1 * 2km swim (technique focus)
1 * 3km swim; and
1 * 60 min continuous swim. He swum over 4 km during this swim. What a fish!
Jason also had a biomechanical assessment to see what he needs to fix to be in tip top shape to swim all these kms that Ali has planned for him!
I have a hen's night on Saturday night to look forward to, so maybe next week's update might be more than just training :-)
Monday, July 2, 2007
Mission mountain run
Well what an adventure I had on the weekend, John and I ran the Jumbo-Holdsworth loop in the Tararua Ranges on Sunday in pretty dismal conditions. Tramping websites state that this loop "can be done in a weekend but is best spread over three days" and we ran it in under 4 hours.
The weather forecast was for occasional rain and north westerly winds, but it should have been solid rain and north westerly gales!!! But anyone that knows me would know that I love a challenge and that adverse conditions suit me. We were well prepared for the conditions with emergency blankets, spare polyprops, woollen hats and gloves as well as lots of food and water.
Stage 1: Holdsworth carpark to atiwhakatu hut: The first stage was a nice easy lead in to the run along a flat well graded track. The biggest thing for me here was getting used to my new camelbak! John and I were careful here to dodge the mud and puddles (hmmm if only we knew what was to come and we wouldn't have bothered hehehe).
Stage 2: Atiwhakatu Hut to Jumbo Hut (via rain guage spur): This is where the hard work started, essentially you head straight up from the hut. I uttered halfway up this part of the "run" that I thought I was fit before we started this climb! I was really struggling through this section and I wasn't sure how I was going to complete the whole run. It was a solid 45 minute climb to Jumbo Hut and my body felt like I had been steamrolled. We got to Jumbo Hut and took a well deserved food break. I decided to give my body a bit of a lift and drank a can of V here. For those of you that don't know, I am a caffeine responder and the effect was almost instantaneous, essentially the caffeine gave me the lift I needed and meant that I could carry on. Yay for caffeine! It rocks!
Stage 3: Jumbo Hut to Mt Holdsworth summit: So from Jumbo Hut the climbing continues... only this time we were wearing our woollen hats and gloves as it was here that the weather packed it in. I thought that the last stage was challenging but this next section was way more challenging. We were subjected to (in no particular order):
So 3 hours 50 minutes after we started out we arrived back at the car to..... HOT SOUP AND SWEET TEA from the thermos! What a treat that was and boy did it make us feel fantastic.
We sat in the carpark with our tea and soup and reflected on the run for quite a while! For me it was the longest run I have ever done but it was fantastic experience! Bring on the next mission I say!
The weather forecast was for occasional rain and north westerly winds, but it should have been solid rain and north westerly gales!!! But anyone that knows me would know that I love a challenge and that adverse conditions suit me. We were well prepared for the conditions with emergency blankets, spare polyprops, woollen hats and gloves as well as lots of food and water.
Stage 1: Holdsworth carpark to atiwhakatu hut: The first stage was a nice easy lead in to the run along a flat well graded track. The biggest thing for me here was getting used to my new camelbak! John and I were careful here to dodge the mud and puddles (hmmm if only we knew what was to come and we wouldn't have bothered hehehe).
Stage 2: Atiwhakatu Hut to Jumbo Hut (via rain guage spur): This is where the hard work started, essentially you head straight up from the hut. I uttered halfway up this part of the "run" that I thought I was fit before we started this climb! I was really struggling through this section and I wasn't sure how I was going to complete the whole run. It was a solid 45 minute climb to Jumbo Hut and my body felt like I had been steamrolled. We got to Jumbo Hut and took a well deserved food break. I decided to give my body a bit of a lift and drank a can of V here. For those of you that don't know, I am a caffeine responder and the effect was almost instantaneous, essentially the caffeine gave me the lift I needed and meant that I could carry on. Yay for caffeine! It rocks!
Stage 3: Jumbo Hut to Mt Holdsworth summit: So from Jumbo Hut the climbing continues... only this time we were wearing our woollen hats and gloves as it was here that the weather packed it in. I thought that the last stage was challenging but this next section was way more challenging. We were subjected to (in no particular order):
- gale force winds whipping rain onto us that felt like thousands of tiny, painful pin pricks;
- ankle deep mud;
- ankle deep snow;
- streams of water along the track;
- winds so strong that I had to stop and hold on to the reeds to keep from being blown off the track;
- totally numb hands and legs;
- extremely challenging terrain i.e. loose rocks/shingle, swamps etc (John must have been a mountain goat in his past life I think).
It sounds horrendous but I totally loved it! what a challenge it was and it is things like this that make us tough! Both John and I took tumbles during this stage. John landed on rocks and I face planted in the middle of a swamp, but landed on soem nice soft reeds. I tried to throw a snow ball at John but its been a while since I have played polo and my aim was way off!
Stage 4: Mt Holdsworth Summit to Powell Hut: we finally got to head downhill (after an abortive attempt to take a photo of us at the summit with the snow in the background). The terrain is still pretty tricky with rocks etc so still reasonably slow going but we were running. Powell Hut was a welcome sight! We tried to light the gas heater once we got there but no luck. I changed out of my sodden polypro into a fresh dry top which was heaven. We ate some more and John had his red bull.
Stage 5: Powell Hut to Holdsworth carpark (via gentle annie track): From here on down it is all down hill, but it is again pretty challenging terrain and you need to keep your wits about you. There are lots of tree roots and loose rocks. But once we started our descent we warmed up pretty quickly.So 3 hours 50 minutes after we started out we arrived back at the car to..... HOT SOUP AND SWEET TEA from the thermos! What a treat that was and boy did it make us feel fantastic.
We sat in the carpark with our tea and soup and reflected on the run for quite a while! For me it was the longest run I have ever done but it was fantastic experience! Bring on the next mission I say!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Wellington 10km race- 2nd women home
Well last weekend my coach decided that I should run the Wellington 10km race this weekend. I had a pretty light week of training as it was a recovery week and I had been experiencing some foot trouble so I really wasn't sure how it would go. I bought a new pair of running shoes on Friday to race in as my old ones were looking a bit worn so I was hoping that this would minimise any foot discomfort that I had been getting.
I woke up on race morning to totally awful gusty north-westerly winds which was always going to make the run tough going, especially on the return leg.
The course is an out an back course from the Wellington Stadium, around the bays with the turnaround about 300m past point jerningham.
I started the race a bit too fast, doing my first km in 3.39! But I slowed down and settled into a nice rhythm not long after that! I ran the first 5km in 19.40 and then hit the full force of the wind on the return leg! So the second half was a bit slower! I came home in 40.52 which is a personal best for me by 50 seconds which is cool.
The other good news is that I came second women overall to Sarah Christie and second in my age group (18 - 34). I came away with $150 of shoe clinic gift vouchers and a voucher for a pair of Thorlos socks (worth $32.50) for the days efforts. So all in all a good days work! Hmm I only just bought a pair of shoes on friday! I have decided that I am going to use my prize money for a pair of racing flats (lighter weight shoes).
Looking forward to lots of good food and a good nights sleep tonight! The awesome news is my foot didn't trouble me at all during the run either so buying the new shoes (and wearing them for the first time in the run paid off!
Yay so another successful weekend! Next weekend I don't have a race, which is the first weekend in a long time! So I will be aiming to get a good long off road run in!
Thats all for now!
Look out for the photos, I will add them once available (probably Wed/thurs this week).
I woke up on race morning to totally awful gusty north-westerly winds which was always going to make the run tough going, especially on the return leg.
The course is an out an back course from the Wellington Stadium, around the bays with the turnaround about 300m past point jerningham.
I started the race a bit too fast, doing my first km in 3.39! But I slowed down and settled into a nice rhythm not long after that! I ran the first 5km in 19.40 and then hit the full force of the wind on the return leg! So the second half was a bit slower! I came home in 40.52 which is a personal best for me by 50 seconds which is cool.
The other good news is that I came second women overall to Sarah Christie and second in my age group (18 - 34). I came away with $150 of shoe clinic gift vouchers and a voucher for a pair of Thorlos socks (worth $32.50) for the days efforts. So all in all a good days work! Hmm I only just bought a pair of shoes on friday! I have decided that I am going to use my prize money for a pair of racing flats (lighter weight shoes).
Looking forward to lots of good food and a good nights sleep tonight! The awesome news is my foot didn't trouble me at all during the run either so buying the new shoes (and wearing them for the first time in the run paid off!
Yay so another successful weekend! Next weekend I don't have a race, which is the first weekend in a long time! So I will be aiming to get a good long off road run in!
Thats all for now!
Look out for the photos, I will add them once available (probably Wed/thurs this week).
Monday, June 18, 2007
Weekly round up: 11 - 17 June
Well Jason and I had a busy week last week, some key highlights were:
Thursday: my favourite ever swim session- a power set which included some 50m sprints with pressups between them! Hard but really awesome (my muscles did hurt for the next few days though)
Friday: Natalie's birthday drinks and dinner
Saturday: Club handicap race (I got the fastest women's time on the day over the 5km course in
a time of 19.53, I was stoked with this as it included a hill and a run along the sand at Days Bay). Followed by an awesome spa at Kedal's parents place and dinner and the rugby at the lifeboat out in eastbourne
Sunday: Triple Peaks race. The peaks for this race were Mt Crawford, Ataturk memorial and the View Rd lookout. I finished this in 1 hour 57 mins (FYI: The Wellington Triple Peaks series is a great way to combine some good running with exploring new ways to the tops of the hills around central Wellington. The Three Peaks series comprises three events, in late May, June and July. Each is over three hills. It is up to the runner how many peaks are climbed, and in what order and what route). I came in first female in this event as well, so now have an 8 minute lead in the series!
On Sunday Kevin (my coach) decided that I should do the Wellington 10km race next weekend so I have an easy-ish week's training this week to recover from the last few weeks and to semi-taper for the 10km. The goal for the 10km will be to work on my pacing and aim for a negative split (this means to run the second half of the course faster than the first half).
Looking forward to this week:
I have birthday drinks on Friday night for Nicole (work buddy) and the 10km race on Sunday, which will no doubt be followed by a yummy brinch/lunch out somewhere. Other than that it is a pretty quiet week for me.
Jason has just two weeks left before his training starts in earnest so he is making sure that he enjoys the rest!
Thats all for now! Till next time!
Thursday: my favourite ever swim session- a power set which included some 50m sprints with pressups between them! Hard but really awesome (my muscles did hurt for the next few days though)
Friday: Natalie's birthday drinks and dinner
Saturday: Club handicap race (I got the fastest women's time on the day over the 5km course in
a time of 19.53, I was stoked with this as it included a hill and a run along the sand at Days Bay). Followed by an awesome spa at Kedal's parents place and dinner and the rugby at the lifeboat out in eastbourne
Sunday: Triple Peaks race. The peaks for this race were Mt Crawford, Ataturk memorial and the View Rd lookout. I finished this in 1 hour 57 mins (FYI: The Wellington Triple Peaks series is a great way to combine some good running with exploring new ways to the tops of the hills around central Wellington. The Three Peaks series comprises three events, in late May, June and July. Each is over three hills. It is up to the runner how many peaks are climbed, and in what order and what route). I came in first female in this event as well, so now have an 8 minute lead in the series!
On Sunday Kevin (my coach) decided that I should do the Wellington 10km race next weekend so I have an easy-ish week's training this week to recover from the last few weeks and to semi-taper for the 10km. The goal for the 10km will be to work on my pacing and aim for a negative split (this means to run the second half of the course faster than the first half).
Looking forward to this week:
I have birthday drinks on Friday night for Nicole (work buddy) and the 10km race on Sunday, which will no doubt be followed by a yummy brinch/lunch out somewhere. Other than that it is a pretty quiet week for me.
Jason has just two weeks left before his training starts in earnest so he is making sure that he enjoys the rest!
Thats all for now! Till next time!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The mighty Dorne Cup
After a bad stomach reaction to some panadol on Thursday, very little food and a day and a half in bed recovering I wasn't feeling 100% for the Dorne cup.
The Dorne Cup (as described by the hosting club) is a "flat cross-country event around the picturesque Trentham Memorial Park and the Hutt River stop banks"... hmmm I didn't notice the picturesque surroundings while I was slogging it out around the 1 1/2 lap 6km speedy run! This run hurts (as do all cross country races) and it doesn't suit my natural strengths as it is a fast and flat course. Although as the photo shows, I must have been enjoying myself as I am smiling...or is it a grimace!!
Last year's Dorne cup is better forgotten so even though i was sick this year I was expecting to come in a reasonable amount faster than 2006. I finished in 25.35, about 1 min 45 sec faster than 2006 so I was pleased with what I would call a solid effort!
I was the 6th Scottish Woman and 15th overall. Natalie was first for Scottish, 9th overall and Kendal 2nd for Scottish and 11th overall so a great outing for them!
We (Kendal and I) backed up yesterday's race with a 2 hour hills run this morning with Kevin and Johnno, we ran to the wind turbine, Wrights Hill, the Karori cemetary, crofton downs and Tinakori hill. Lets just say we enjoyed the cafe stop after this run! The good news is I can finally eat properly again today so am busy re stocking my fuel stores!
Jason had a very quiet weekend, taking a well earned break between his nationals last weekend and his impending training regime for the Lake Taupo swim challenge.
I am looking forward to next weekend where I race the Novice Cup (a 5km Scottish handicap race in Eastbourne) on Saturday and the second of the Triple Peaks series on Sunday. That means some research time this week on www.mapmyrun.com to ascertain the fastest time around the three peaks: Mt Crawford Prison, Ataturk Memorial and the View rd lookout.
That's all for now...
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Queens Birthday weekend round up...
Jason played the Canoe Polo national league finals on the weekend and his team came 2nd overall to Christchurch's A team: Justice. Jason also coaches the Wellington Women's team, they came third overall. So all in all a good weekend.
Individual game results will be published once I get the information.
Now that the Canoe Polo national league is over, Jason will be switching his focus to his swim training. He still has another month before the swim training starts formally though so his focus for now is to just add a couple of extra swims per week.
There were no harriers races this weekend (which was nice) so my weekend's training consisted of:
Saturday: swim 1 hour, bike 3 hrs, run 1 hour
Sunday: run 3 hours in the hills (was only meant to be 2 hours but we managed to get lost in Belmont regional Park!)
Monday: Easy recovery swim- 40 min and running drills- 30 min.
My hamstring strain seems to have sorted itself out which is good, so back to training at 100% this week. I have the Dorne Cup this weekend which is a 6km interclub Cross Country Race at Trentham Memorial Park, starting at 1pm). The course is over flat grassland, plus a grassy stopbank or two. I raced this last year (not one of my better races for 2006) so I am looking forward to a much better performance this year!
Individual game results will be published once I get the information.
Now that the Canoe Polo national league is over, Jason will be switching his focus to his swim training. He still has another month before the swim training starts formally though so his focus for now is to just add a couple of extra swims per week.
There were no harriers races this weekend (which was nice) so my weekend's training consisted of:
Saturday: swim 1 hour, bike 3 hrs, run 1 hour
Sunday: run 3 hours in the hills (was only meant to be 2 hours but we managed to get lost in Belmont regional Park!)
Monday: Easy recovery swim- 40 min and running drills- 30 min.
My hamstring strain seems to have sorted itself out which is good, so back to training at 100% this week. I have the Dorne Cup this weekend which is a 6km interclub Cross Country Race at Trentham Memorial Park, starting at 1pm). The course is over flat grassland, plus a grassy stopbank or two. I raced this last year (not one of my better races for 2006) so I am looking forward to a much better performance this year!
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