Random Running

My wife took one look at the map of my run tonight, and asked if I'd got lost!

Harrumph!

No, I knew where I was, of course - I just decided to run almost at random, for 5km, rather than plan my route out in advance.

I was due to do a 5km run tonight (along with the 5km on Monday night), before this Friday's long run (13km) and then Sunday's 5km relay (which I'll get to in a moment).

So I headed out on my usual 5km 'home' run ... but decided I was gonna try to run as much as I could on the bitumen, or the grass, rather than the concrete paths that I normally use.

But that would have meant running on some fairly busy roads ... so instead, I decided to just take side-streets pretty much at random.

One advantage of this was that I got to run down more inclines than normal ... but the disadvantage was that I got to run up more inclines than normal, too :)

It wasn't a fast run ... in fact, at an average of just 8.9km/hr, it was pretty slow - but I'm proud of the fact that I kept running - even when I felt like stopping.

Which is a bit different to Monday's treadmill run.

That took nearly 43 minutes to do 5km ... so I obviously dropped back to a walk more often than I intended.

But I did the last 400m at 12km/hr, so at least I finished strong :)

Now ... to Friday's 13km. Probably do a variation on the Green Bridge run of a fortnight ago. I just hope it's not too hot (although 29 is the forecast).

Learning to run with my mouth shut :)

It was a small, but cheerful group that participated in the Jacaranda Festival Fun-Run on Sunday morning this week.


In fact, I think volunteers outnumbered the runners - there were only about 26 of us taking part - but I have to say, the flies outnumbered us all, hundreds to one!


The Fun-Run has apparently been a tradition at Goodna for more than a quarter of a century - but seems to have 'dropped off' the running calendar. In fact, I only knew it was on because RobR at Coolrunning.com.au mentioned it.



It started, just after 7am, at a dry and dusty park at Goodna, in Brisbane's west, and then winds its way, via (mostly) bitumin roads, to the old Railway Workshops at Redbank, before returning.
The weather was fine - but quite hot. In fact, as I drove to the start at 5:45, I passed a time-and-temp clock which showed 20 degrees .. so I'd put the 7am start temp at around 24 or so.

There were a few small hills, which was fine, and some lovely shade from Jacaranda trees. But unfortunately, not enough for some people.

Within the first kilometre-and-a-half, the field (such is it was) had spread itself across about 800 metres ... with the faster runners powering ahead, the plodders like me at the rear, and about 5 people who were taking the 5km 'walk' option at the back.

By the 3k mark, there were only three runners in my sight - a woman who was around 150m ahead, an older runner who was about 150m behind me, and a young woman who had, it appears, gone out far too hard for the conditions.

She was collapsed against a road-marker, obviously in some distress. The woman in front of me had stopped, to make sure the lass was ok - leaving just before I arrived. I, too, stopped to offer some comfort and concern, before leaving the young woman in the hands of the runner behind me, A few moment later, some volunteers were there, to give the distressed runner a lift back to the start, and make sure she was properly hydrated, etc.

Of course, that then meant that it was hard to get back into the rhythm (you know, once you stop running, its hard to get back into it) so I essentially gave up any chance of setting a PB and decided to just run as best I could, enjoying the communing with nature.

Except the flies.

I mentioned that there were a few flies out and about on Sunday... and more than a few ended on me. And in me.

You see, I'm one of those runners who breathes through the mouth. And these flies seemed to think that there was some moisture to be found there.

Mmmm! Free Protein! (Ack! Thwat!)

The final time? A slow 1:09:09.

But I had fun - and that's what fun-runs are all about.

Treadmills are not dreadmills - sometimes.

I needed, according to my training schedule, to do a 5k run yesterday - but it was just not gonna happen.

It was still quite hot until about 5:30 - and then, we had arranged to meet my sister and her husband for dinner.

So the logical answer was to use the $2k treadmill that we have downstairs (bought mainly for my wife) - it would save time, I could turn fans on, etc etc etc.

It's a lovely machine - but after running outside for so long, I always have trouble running on the treadmill.

It's so boring, and I just lose enthusiasm about a kilometre in to a run - even if I turn on the TV and watch music videos, like at the gym.

But last night, I had left my Jericho boxed set downstairs ... so I decided to watch an episode of that - 40 minutes seemed the perfect length for an easy 5k run.

And waddya know? The time just FLEW pastt!

Because I was engaged in finding out why someone had buried a nuclear device in a basement in Kansas, I didn't think about the fact that I was running - and it was great!

So now I have another option - and one less excuse not to run.

Committed .... I am, now (and maybe ought to be!)

Been a while since I blogged - life just keeps getting in the way.

But I have been running - and have made myself a pledge: I am going to compete in the Central Coast Half-Marathon on December 2, at The Entrance, north of Gosford in NSW.

I've modified a training program so that I'll be ready - it's essentially a 12-week program, picked up at week 6 (which, fortunately, was about what I'd been doing in any case).

Week ends	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
28/oct	5 k run	Stretch & Strengthen (BodyAttack & Core classes)	Strength, + 5 k run	BodyAttack class, then Rest	5 k run + strength	50 min cross	11.5 k run
4/nov	5 k run	Stretch & Strengthen (BodyAttack & Core classes	Strength, + 5 k run	BodyAttack class, then Rest	13 k run + strength	50 min cross	5 k relay
11/nov	8 k run	Stretch & Strengthen (BodyAttack & Core classes)	Strength, + 5 k run	BodyAttack class, then Rest	8 k run + strength	Rest	10k run
18/nov/nov	8 k run	Stretch & Strengthen (BodyAttack & Core classes)	Strength, + 5 k run	BodyAttack class, then Rest	15 k run + strength	60 min cross	10 k race
25/nov	8 k run	Stretch & Strengthen (BodyAttack & Core classes)	Strength, + 5 k run	BodyAttack class, then Rest	16 k run + strength	60 min cross	8k run
2/dec	6.5 k run	Stretch & Strengthen (BodyAttack & Core classes)	Strength, + 5 k run	Rest	3.2 k run	Rest	Half Marathon

I've put in a few good runs, recently ... on Sunday, I set a near-PB - a 5km race in 29:48
. I think my best for the distance, on the same course, was 29.28 a fortnight earlier.

And I reckon that's pretty good ... since I was running just 36 hours after doing my longest-ever distance - a slow but challenging 13km which involved LOTS of hills!

I mentioned in a previous post that I was gonna try 8km there-and-back St Lucia run - then extend that out to an 11k 'loop' involving the new Green bridge.

Well, I decided to skip the 8k run, and go straight for the 11km run.

But I was only estimating the distance, as google-maps doesn't make it clear whether its possible to traverse certain roads.

And in the end, the run turned into 13km ... including a kilometre or so of pretty tough hills. Sigh. I walked them, a bit :)

But next time, I'm gonna go straight up the hill, and then head straight for the Victoria bridge. The view will be less interesting - but it should also be about 3km less distance :)

Meantime, I also did a 5km today, and am scheduled (as shown above) to do 5k runs Wednesday and Friday - then a 12k on Sunday.

(whimper!) :)