Bring it on :)

Well it has been a rocky week. I have had a virus which has left me feeling exhausted! Which means the last long run i did was last Sunday about 9-10km around kings park with a run up Jacobs ladder. I was exhausted though and had to walk a little because of the virus. I just hope i have enough energy for tomorrow... that's right the city to surf is tomorrow!! I managed one short run throughout the week for the inter-college cross country in kings park. It was only 3.8km and i did it in 16minutes and was actually a little sore afterwards. But it was good to have one short run at least. I just have y fingers crossed i haven't lost too much fitness over the past week! But i am very excited for tomorrow. I'm going to try and beat last years time of 54 minutes given the circumstances, and if i get close to breaking 50 minutes like my goal, well that would be a big bonus :)

So the plan for tomorrow, first get a good sleep, breakfast before 7am, leave 7.30am and catch the train with a few others into the city, warm up and prepare and go!! The start i find is usually cruisey and a slower pace which is ok to save energy for the latter hills but i will try go a little faster at the start than previous years (even stopping to take a few photos) but no doubt i will pause at the top of kings park hill to see the sea of thousands of heads down the road! i love it :) To break 50 minutes i need to run around 4 minutes per kilometer at 14.4km/hr. But because of the hills i will pace myself so i know i am exerting myself but conserving my energy for the hills and taking advantage of the faster pace and gravity down the hills. I will balance it. If i get tired i will sing songs which inspire me in my head to keep going, but above all i will enjoy the atmosphere and the people and the day itself :) best head off to bed wish me luck!!

1 week to go :)

Time is sure going fast but at the moment i like it going fast as a way to 'rip the bandaid' off a few things i wouldn't mind being out of the way. Only one more week to go until the city to surf! I have had a busy past week and i think i am paying for it slightly now with a cold. Fingers crossed it will be gone by next week, it is probably a good thing to force myself to have a little break!

Last Friday was a 40 minutes run with some others around Matilda Bay which was quite nice. Saturday i did something different and took myself to a pump class at the gym, it had been way too long! While it felt great to get back into the weights i was sore Sunday and Monday but it was totally worth it :)

Sunday was a good long run through kings park and to Jacobs ladder where i ran up twice with 2 others. I need to do some more stair work as i found it quite hard! I suppose my legs being sore from the pump class did not help too much though.

Monday was a gym session where i went on the bikes for 45 minutes but too it slower than usual to help ease my legs back and get rid of some soreness.

Tuesday was a lot of fun as i went to my first spin class at the UWA gym! It is a great 45 minute workout on the bikes in a group session where you change resistance to mimic going up hills and sure works your legs! i'll be going back for more i am sure, then i had a 10 minute run afterwards to loosen up.

Wednesday was a 35 minute run around Zamia cafe in Kings park with the group and i did 10 minutes on the bike in the gym afterwards to add a little extra.

Thursday i went for a good km run along Matilda Bay which felt good even with a cold! it was such a beautiful afternoon. It took me around 40 minutes so it wasn't a fast pace but still felt good.

Friday/yesterday i had to force myself to not do anything but a nice walk outside as my cold has gotten worse. I wasn't feeling up to anything hard so i enjoyed the walk in the sun. I don't think i will be doing too much today either depending on how much i can breathe through a blocked nose but knowing me i will give it a try :)

No more running solo!

Hurray i am running with others!! It is so good to run in a group, you go faster, don't feel as tired and the time passes all too quickly while running. We had our first run Monday morning at 7am, the sun has only just come up which makes it lovely :) Our first run was a simple one along Mounts Bay road, i went to Narrows bridge which is about 6km there and back and had a fast finish which felt invigorating to catch some guys in front of me.

Tuesday I took myself to the gym and did a 35 minute bike session with 20 minutes of 30 second sprints on a higher level each minute. Followed by a few arm weights and ab work.

Wednesday was another early morning run with the group and we went up Kings park to the DNA tower. Again it was beautiful looking over the city with the early sun :) Myself and another guy ran up the tower 5 times before we all ran back for another 5/6km run. They are not as long as i do by myself but still good to get my fitness up :)

Today i went to the gym bikes and did a 50 minute session, 30km with 35 minutes of 30 second sprints on a harder level with a minute slower/recovery followed by some ab work. I like the bikes as an alternative to running, i will not get an overuse injury this time!

I'm looking forward to having more runs with the Trinity group, especially afternoon ones to get some more people involved and hopefully what looks to be a city to surf group also! 2 and a half weeks to go!

1 week and going strong

I have almost gotten through my first week back into everything minus 2 more lectures/seminars this fine Friday afternoon. I may feel it tonight after an early fire drill this morning! It always makes me feel like a buff body guard with my big RA jumper on and yellow fire hat but i am far from it haha. I am so happy my fitness is improving!! slowly but surely and i am not as sore after runs now. I have been to the gym everyday this week but am giving myself today off which ties in well being a busy day. So my training throughout the week has been:

Saturday - Gym session: 45 minutes on the treadmil with a total of 9km running. 5 minutes cool down on the bike and some sit ups and arm weights.

Sunday - Gym session: 45 minutes on the bike with 15 lots of 30 second sprints on a harder level and 1 minute active recovery between each sprint. Followed by sit ups and some arm weights.

Monday - Gym session; 10km run on the treadmil in 50 minutes (some walking at the start to warm up) this was a good session to see what a comfortable pace was for me over longer distance. I need to go a little faster to break 50 minutes for the 12km!

Tuesday - Gym session; 45 minutes on the bike with 20 lots of 30 seconds sprints on a harder level with 1 minute slower (active recovery) between sprints. The aim of this is to increase my anaerobic capacity which will be good when tackling the hills in the city to surf run! Good for when it is raining outside as an alternative to actually running up hills.

Wednesday - Gym session; 6km run on the treadmil about 30 minutes, then 10 minutes on the bike and some sit ups/arm weights

Thursday - Run to Narrows bridge (3km) i felt alive and so good! it was quite a fast pace. Then i found Kokoda stairs up to Kings park and ran up them 4 times... it was so hard i had to have a 10 second break half way up! i will be back there some more i know that! then i did 70 situps at the top and had a 15 minute run back to Trinity, it was just over an hour in total, was hard but felt good :)

Today - Rest :)

I have started a running group at Trinity which will hopefully start on Monday. I hope it goes well! It will be extra motivation for everyone :)