10km | Moderate | 3:1 I left the house last night stressed out of my brain from work. Had the world on my shoulders (or so I felt) so I was looking forward to running hard to shed some built up anxiety. I can honestly say that last night was the first run since say May that I felt zero niggles. Amazing. I felt 21yo again. My run took me down to Clovelly beach and then up and down hills to Bronte Beach and then up again to Bondi Junction to home. I think that I love hills. Yes, without an undulating terrain in my path I am a very dissatisfied runner. I felt so good last night that I decided to do a 3:1 run. I read somewhere that finishing the last 25% of your run at an up tempo pace builds stamina and teaches your body to cope with the stresses in the backend of a race. Anyway, that sort of a routine suits me waay better than running 1km intervals or speed sessions. Yuk. We're all heading off to Berry tonight for the school holidays (I rented this trendy farm house for the kids) so I'm looking forward to my long run on Sunday with the cows, horses and green (?) rolling hills as my company. I am however ducking up to Sydney for Striders 10km and to see the Eels win the NRL Grand Final (hopefully). In the meantime I probably won't be blogging for a while, unless I can find a cow with a notebook and wireless broadband ! Mood: --->

This article was posted by CoolRunner Fats. Makes you wonder what I am doing to my body ? I think its all a bit paranoid. The last paragraph seems the most logical. ========================================================= What happens to a runner's body? The body is pushed hard by running long distances, as the death of four people in the Great North Run has shown. So what happens to it during a race? Any exercise is a challenge to the body, but long-distance running is bigger than most. The outward effects are obvious - breathlessness, redness, sweating - but what goes on inside? When a person runs, the body makes sure the muscles cope by keeping them supplied with oxygen to help burn fuel to make the energy they need. One of the key physiological attributes of a good distance runner is the body's capacity for oxygen consumption - known as VO2max. The runner starts to breathe quickly and more deeply and their heart beats faster to provide more and more oxygen for the muscles. The arterioles - the small terminal branches of an artery - also widen to stop their blood pressure getting too high. Blood that would usually go to organs like the gut and liver is diverted to the muscles, to make the most efficient use of the runner's blood supply. Contracting muscles also squeeze the veins, forcing blood back to the heart more quickly, which stretches and then contracts more strongly to pump even more blood. As the muscles work, they generate heat which warms the blood. It is then diverted closer to the skin to allow the heat to escape and avoid overheating. This makes people go red and start to sweat, which helps keep them cool. Drinking fluids also helps lower body temperature. But if a run is done in humid weather the sweat may not evaporate, reducing the efficiency of the system and causing heat stroke. It can cause a person to collapse, or, in extreme case, lose consciousness or even die. It's been suggested that unseasonably warm weather contributed to the deaths of the four men who died in Sunday's Great North Run. However, post-mortem examinations on two of them found they died of natural causes. Examinations of the other two will take place on Tuesday afternoon. Levels of glycogen - energy stored in muscles - start to run low and the body starts begins to consume its own protein and fat for the energy needed to carry on. The best way to restore glycogen levels is to take on water and energy drinks. This, however, only has a partial effect as the body does not like to absorb fluids during exercise. Height loss Stomach cramps can kick in as oxygen-rich blood is diverted from the digestive system to the muscles. At this point the runner faces "hitting the wall", when the body starts running on empty. Glycogen levels have been exhausted, so blood sugar levels are very low. As a result a runner can feel faint and woozy. Lactic acid levels may be high and the levels of important salts in the body, known as electrolytes, may be very low. Pain and muscular cramps could occur. The constant pounding of running also causes tiny micro-damage and undetectable tears in muscle tissue, making the joints - especially the knees - sore. As the body tries to prevent further damage and repair what has been done, swelling can occur. The runner's body is reaching exhaustion point and at this stage they are most likely to suffer a heart attack. The heart rate has soared, while blood pressure and core body temperature are also dangerously high. One of the more surprising affects of long-distance running is the temporary loss of height. Evidence suggests marathon runners can finish a race 2cm shorter than they were when they began because of the impact of their feet hitting the ground. After a race, blood pressure plummets and a runner can feel faint. The heart rate and core temperature should go back to normal fairly quickly. On a cold day a runner should put on something warm or they could suffer from hypothermia, when the body cools down too much. Nevertheless, running is widely credited with numerous health benefits, from helping weight loss, fighting disease and ageing and relieving depression.

8km | Easy I zipped (probably more of a zopped) down to Bondi Beach and back last night. Family dramas (cranky 3yo, sniffly 7yo) meant that I couldn't leave until 9.00pm. Tuesdays are my most dreaded running day. I just hate them. Can't get motivated. Last night walking home from work I was busy working out an excuse not to run. Anyway, I did run and I feel better for it. I guess. Mood: --->

After having to wait a whole 7 days for the results, my chip time was a surprising 1:54:12. Thats a full 1 minute faster than by my watch. I'll take that ! EDIT: 19/9/05 A search of the website this morning shows a chip time of 1:54:08. I'll take that as well ! Mood: --->

19.2km | 2:02:45 | LSD I ran this morning at first light. I was just me and the birds out there for a while. Quite fresh but no breeze like yesterday. I ran down to Coogee way and then ventured south for a while following the coastal path. I've never been south of the beach before so it was interesting to see the vintage baths built along the cliff tops. They stand there as if time had stood still for 80 years. Ladies and Children's sea pool surrounded by a high wooden fence painted in flakey yellow paint. The sea was like a pond this morning. No a waves to speak of - apart from the odd ripple made by an old man doing his morning ocean swim. I bet he's been doing that same swim every day for decades. My calves were hurting again today so the demons were constantly at me to turn for home. As I battle with the voices in my head I think of those CoolRunner ultra guys who did Glass House 100 Milers last weekend. They don't quit, so I should at least be able to finish my little run. Cramps etc seemed to ease a little about 12km and I just plodded along until I reached home. I finished feeling quite fresh and looking forward to the running week ahead. Mood: --->

5km | Recovery I know I'm a big girl for leaving my first run after a Sunday half until Thursday night - but my quads and calves have been complaining all week. Even last night my calves were tight and rock hard, which impacted on my (sometimes) dormant shin splints. I stretched and iced afterwards. I'll be right in a few days, ready for a nice long run on Sunday morning. Mood: --->

CoolRunning Messageboards: Marathon Training, how do I get faster?: "The way that I've gotten faster is to train slower. By doing almost all of my training in my aerobic zone, when I went out and ran hard, I was blitzing my old times by heaps. The benefit of this type of approach is that it's easy to do as everyone can run aerobically without feeling buggered." Found this in a thread on CoolRunning about running faster by CoolRunner Obi-Wan. I've always felt a tad guilty that I dont go out and run fartleks, monas, intervals and the like. I just go out for a run ! Phew, now instead of "just going for a run" I can blog that I "trained within my aerobic zone". See, I knew I was doing it right ! Love it ! Mood: --->

21.1km | 1:55:12 | race Well that was a fun day. My second 1/2M after my debut at SMH and I would have to say that it was much harder this time around. I was shooting for a 1:55 finish and managed 1:55:12 (my watch) so I'm happy with that and the 5 minute PB. Caught up with Omni, Owl, Podrunner, Kev Tiller b4 hand and positioned myself at the back for the start. It took me a few mins to cross the start pads after the gun and then about 1km to catch up to Tuttle who was the 2:00 pacer. I ran the rest of the way with the aim of keeping Tuttle a safe distance behind me and ran a conservative first 10km with fellow CR (who's handle escapes me - nice guy from Neutral Bay. Sorry mate ! [Roll Eyes] ). Ran for a while with RunnerLynn as well. Spotted the course photographer Plu about then and a bunch of greyhounds (Supported CRs, Brightshoes, Action, Amjan, Bernie G) to name a few, who were coming back the other way. The climb up to the Victoria Road intersection was a toughie and it was from there that I think I started to slow up. Thankfully it was not far from home at that point and tried to draw on final reserves to get me through the Rocks. Saw BennyR somewhere around there, also Allrounder and then climbed the speedhump - OMFG - what a nightmare climb right at the end ! Saw lone cheersquader Lulu on the Cahill before a downhill stroll home. Felt good after the finish for about 15 mins, but then started to feel a bit dodgy. I ran the race with my own gatorade and grabbed some more afterwards with a Bacon & Egg roll. Not long after that a started to feel poorly and had to sit down on the Opera House steps for 20 mins or so . Then the stomach cramps started. From then I had diarrhea on and off for about 3 hours after the race. Don't know what caused it as my diet beforehand was nothing different from any other race. Pasta for two days before. Plenty of water. Fruit & yoghurt on the morning before the race. Found this and this but still can't work out the cause. Lets put it down to a bad end to a good day at the office ! By the time I had got home and showered, I has feeling OK. Very short illness. Very odd. Mood: --->

10km | Easy I ran last night into the city and return as my last hit out before the half. Whilst most runners would still be running during their taper in the latter parts of this week, I find that a good run on Tuesday followed by a hard spinning session on Thursday leaves my legs fresh for Sunday. Right or wrong, that's this old man's routine before a race. The route into the city is mostly downhill on the way in so I try and maintain my pace for the return uphill 5km. Throw in a few rests at red lights and its a quite enjoyable run. No niggles to report. The weatherman tells me that it's forecast for morning rain on Sunday. Whilst it would be nice to run across the Harbour Bridge with blue skies, rain doesn't really bother me all that much. Bring it on ! Mood: --->

1:30 | Easy Thanks all for your best wishes. That wet stuff was rain apparantly and at 6.00am this morning there was plenty of it ! Whilst I still has the sniffles, I was feeling much better today so I did a big loop of the very flat Brisbane Waters. No watch or GPS so it was all about time on my feet and running at a solid consistant pace. If I had to guess I reckon I did 15kms. Tuesday I will do 10kms, Thursday I will hit the static bike for 45mins and that will be it until Sunday for the Blackmore's Half Marathon. As Big Kev would say - I'm excited ! Mood: --->

My flu got one day worse overnight, rather than one day better. I woke up this morning feeling pretty stuffed up and running Striders was not an option. We're going up the coast today to see Dad for Fathers Day, so I will run Sunday around Umina / Ettalong Beaches if I can shake this cold. Mood: --->

9km | Easy After my long run on Sunday I was feeling extra good on both Monday and Tuesday. Any sign of shin splints and cramping calves were almost gone. I kept my appointment for a massage on Wednesday as I was feeling tight, so I thought that it would do me good. Well actually I don't think it did. Tonight I ran with returned cramping in the calves and localised pain in my hammies and butt. I wouldn't be surprised if a bruise or two show up along my ITB or top of the butt from where she was digging in hard with her elbow. Yeowch ! The run was OK. I did it slow and steady with minimal effort really. Just enough to maintain fitness is all I need. I will run Striders on Saturday but without the PB striving heroics of the last outing. That was the start of my foot problem in July. A nice and easy 50 or 55 minutes will do me just fine. This weekend and next week will be all about getting my calves and shins right again ready for the half. Apart from overcoming the sniffles, I think I will be OK. Mood: --->