Boulie Boulie Boulie

I missed the bike shop crew at the meeting spot this morning so headed to the Boulevard alone.  Best sunrise I've seen for a while.

One lap and a few postmans were enough for me today, I did some running sprints yesterday and my legs were  quite wobbly.

The no eating until 1pm hurt today, I was feeling very ordinary at work but powered on through.

Here I am

I'm still here.  Training hard and following a Leangains program with one 24 hour fast per week.

Enjoying training, but not sure how to keep posting here.  I had a bad week last week and I'm worried about public content.

So, maybe I'll keep this up or maybe I won't.  I'm leaning towards will, but I need to find a new voice.

Back to Jeff

I was up at 4 45am this morning to make sure I didn't miss the St Kilda bunch from Racer.  I only just made it so I'm not sure what happened this week - I don't really want to get up any earlier.

Nice roll down to Black Rock and back.  It felt good to be in a bunch and riding easy, today was the beginner ride and everybody was so friendly.  It was a nice confidence booster to actually feel strong on the bike.

I also finally made it back to the gym and Jeff's kettlebell class.  It's been so long, I kept the weights low so as not to cook myself.  It was one of my favourite work outs.

12kg bell

normal warm up
then round body pass 20 each way
all rest in prone push up position for 30 secs
30 swings each arm
rest
8 snatches each arm
rest
8 snatches each arm
rest
8 snatches each arm
rest
8 snatches each arm
rest
8 snatches each arm
rest
8 snatches each arm
rest
8 snatches each arm
rest
8 snatches each arm (or 8 x 8)
rest
15 cleans each arm x 3, rest after each one
6 x 8 jerks each arm, rest after each one

I was glad for the 12 and glad to be back.  Missed Jeff, missed the other people from the class.

Good week

I slept most of the day away today.  I was working myself into a right guilt trip about it until I realised that I put together a good 4 solid sessions this week.

That's more than I've been able to do for a long time.  Baby steps, hold it together Crazy Legs....

Hot doctor

Best laid plans and all.  I'd agreed with Jen that I'd be tootling along Beach Rd early and would get picked up by the Total Rush bunch as they sped past.  Jen and I weren't up for Mordi so we planned to turn around at Sandringham.

I rolled but around Brighton realised that I was too early or the bunch were late and if I didn't take off I'd be tootling all the way down to Sandy.  Just after I turned around and headed back I saw the big bunch and then a couple of mins later Jen and the stragglers went past.

I waited for Jen at South Rd and we headed back to town together.  That's my first road ride with Jen and I enjoyed it.

I went to birthday brekkie with the running girls and Jen went to work.   As I got to breakfast the girls started all pulling faces at me and then Susie handed me a note that said 'the doctor from Offspring is at that table'.  He was leaving by that stage so I could do a big stare without him noticing. 

Hot.  H-O-T hot. 

Brekky and  cake done, I went back to the shop, ordered some new road shoes and came home.

100% Yarra St

JBSECT hill training today with special guest star Steve.  Yay!  Always good to ride with him, he's one of my favourites.

The team decided to do a couple of repeats of the full boulevard and seeing as how there is no hope that I will stick with them, I rolled alone and braved Yarra St.

Got up the first one and had to take a little heave break at the top, turned around on very shaky legs to give it another go.

This time the top turned into a long heave, shake, spinfest.  There were people I knew up there so I got a little embarrassed and piked on doing anymore.  I've only ever done one Yarra St at a time so I have to be happy with 100% improvement.  I don't know that I had any more but I'll def give 3 a red hot go next time.

I had brekky with Steve at 3 Bags so I missed the TT into town.

PM was planned to be 'Cindy' with Gavin and Helen but I think crossed wires meant they thought there was no training.

I ran a k for a warm up and then came home.  I decided Cindy and I weren't very good friends and bailed on her after 5 minutes.  Skipped for about another 5 and then called it a day.

Pretty good training day today.  It's all about consistency from here on in.

Rain

Went for a run this morning, feels like such a long time since I last did.   Just as I got to Princes Park, thunder and lightening turned into big, fat, ouchie raindrops.  I love running in the rain when it's not cold, but given my track record of getting sick lately I turned around only halfway around and came home.

I felt mostly ok, my fitness is nowhere where I need it to be but nothing hurt more than it should have.

It's good to feel like a runner again.

Missed it by that much

Woke up art 5am and stayed in bed until 5.05am.  That's a little fact that will become relevant shortly.  Got my act together and rolled out the front door just after 5.15am.   It was a nice warm morning, no baselayers necessary which was lovely.

Bombed an ITT to Racer, where I hit the front door at 6.03.  Hmm, that 5 mins in bed came back to bite me as the bunch had already left.  I asked a guy sitting out the front how long ago the girls had left and he said they'd just gone.

I could barely make out the blinking red lights in the distance but thought I'd give it a red hot go chasing them down.  A couple of bad luck lights and they rode way off in the distance not to be seen again.  I rode down to Sandy and then decided to turn back to Albert Park and JBSECT.

I was back at Albert Park at 7 15 and waited for the team to ride by.  Lucky JP saw me as they were all cleanskin today and I nearly missed them.

Yummy breakfast. 

Bike time almost 2.5 hrs.

Knees held up ok.  Were getting a bit sore by the end but I can handle that.

Will be attempting a run in the morning.  Fingers crossed the running gods are smiling at me.

Hoping and wishing

Walked for 2 hours today.  My knees still not great, I need to spend some time rolling my glute around on a ball and attacking my hammies with the stick.

I'm planning to get out for my first ride with the St Kilda girls tomorrow.  Here's hoping I can hold myself together...

What did I say?

I kinda listen to myself....sometimes.

Met with JBSECT this morning for a boulevard ride.  Melbourne was on her best behaviour this morning, it was more gorgeous than usual and made me miss my Fi.  Mornings like that are made for 20k and lots of talking.

This morning instead I ate stem trying to keep up with Kath who is now over 7 months pregnant and so fast it's just kinda ridiculously awesome.   I've said it before and I'll say it again. I like riding with that crew. 

The knee that I banged on the MTB hurt me alot today, so much so, that I pulled the pin on Postmans this morning and tried to take it easy.  It felt fine walking around today (and yes, I am back wearing high heels) but getting on the bike to ride home was an exercise in gritting my teeth.  It hurt.

Did half a session with Helen as I had to go out to another meeting.

Warm up run around the block, stopping to do jump squats, windmills, jump lunges, squat jumps and lunge walking.

Then 1 min each of
Burpees
explosive push ups
jump squats
jump lunge
mountain climbers
v sits

Then run to the milk bar and back
Helen did some more, I pulled the creeper out of the garden.

Huh?

Firstly, I will preface the rest of what I'm about to say with the acknowledgement that I have a very fortunate life and the fact that the following is the biggest thing on my mind is a clear indication of that fact.  Talk about first world problems....

I don't know how to fit work, and training and life in the hours in week.  I'm struggling to find time for everything and my health is suffering.  I keep getting sick or overly fatigued and have to take time off training, that makes me put on weight which leads to tiredness which leads to binging carbs and the cycle continues. 

Like I said, first world problems. 

I'm fat, I'm slow so back to basics it is.  Walk first, then run. 

Heavy legs

Another killer session at RBT.  My legs were quite heavy after my ride yesterday.

Warm up big block stop for:
20 squats
30 lunges

Circuit10 burpees after each exercise
KB Swing 50
Push up twist 50
3 alley runs
50 deck squats

run big block stop for:
30 squat jumps
walking lunge

Circuit 30 mountain climbers after each exercise
50 KB squat push press
50 Med ball seated twist
50 box jump
50 push up to elbows (commandos)
rope in and out

run small block
travelling squat jump x 2
lunge walk x 2

1 minute of each
KB high pull
box
wall balls
single up and down rope

riding is fun

Riding with JPBSECT is awesome.  They are such a nice group of people, they're generous and friendly and fun!

Thursday is Boulevard day.  I decided to ride my SS - don't ask me why - I won't again for a very long time.

7 laps of the crit track. Then a Richmond TT, then bike track into breakfast.
K kept me company, she's 6 months pregnant but her slow is still my on the rivet. 

Breakfast was good fun, they make me laugh.  It's good to be amongst fit new friends and it gives me a good reminder about what it must be like for people to show up to the running girls for the first time too.

I've been very tired all day.

Post strongman

Mon
Too sore to go back to RBT, took it easy.

Tues
Crossed wires, short run, wait, walk.

Wed
Another good session, legs were still weary after Sunday.

3 times through circuit

1 minute each station
16kg KB squat, push press
8kg medicine ball bastards
16kg KB OA switch swing
box jumps
tricep dips
push up
double ropes, side to side step

then after each round, one time through
15 burpees
30 jump lunge
1 minute squat jump
run to end of alley way
20 squat jumps
run to end of street (short)
30 squat jumps
run to end of street (long)
wall sit

Round Up

Sat

Went for a gorgeous run with Fi on the Boulevard, it was lovely.  Noticed that my quad felt a bit twangy on the downhills and thought it must have been waking up after hitting it into the tree on Tuesday.  Stopped and stretched it out and kept going.  It felt ok.
Got back to the car and jumped on the bike and nearly fell off with the pain that shot up my quad.  It was so tight it felt like it was going to tear every time I turned the foot over.  Worst pain ever.  I put the bike in an easy gear and tried to ride it out on the flat.  After about 10 mins it was no better and I was putting all my weight through the handlebars to try and ease it over. 
We called it quits and went to a cafe for a pre breakfast tea.

Sun
I was the only person to show up for the strongman session.  I was glad they still ran it for me.  Leg seemed to be ok but I didn't do anything to overly load the quad.

Heavy session, nearly spewed.

Circuit- 3 times through of each

Farmers Walk 25kg each hand
Big tyre flip

Keg snatch x 3
snatch 20kg dumb bell
sled pull

olympic deadlift
sled run

Knee Fail

The bruising is starting to come out on my knee.  No running today.

ouch

I woke up very sore this morning.  The knee that hit the tree is swollen and the other hip is bruised and battered (and I don't even remember hitting that).

I decided to give the early morning RBT class a miss today.

Bang

I'm a bit tired and sore now but here's what I wrote about today's ride somewhere else.

I went for a MTB today on some truly awesome trails off the Great
Ocean Road between Anglesea and Torquay.   So many trails to
choose, from wide old fire road to rocky single track. Such good fun!

I only had 2 stacks, the first caused by poor pedal position hitting a
rock and sending me careening into a tree. It was pretty spectacular,
happened on a down hill, I saw it coming but don't have the skills to
correct once I've picked a line.

Anyway, picked myself up, collected everything that had flown out of
my jersey, found my sunnies, straightened the seat post, checked chain
and both brakes still ok and continued on the descent.

After my back wheel sliding out majorly a couple of times, I realised
I had NO front brake and hit a log at a bad angle, made it over but
then headed over the handlebars. Ha! All my brake fluid had leaked
out after the first crash.

Kept riding around for another hour or so, was pretty careful and got some training in at riding with one brake.

Some logs I was brave enough to go over and some I wasn't. 

Banter

Loving my classes at the new gym, but it's so, so quiet.  They'll get used to me soon.

I ITT'd there this morning after a quick light change on the bike meant I was running late.  Had a good race with a guy down Flinders St and Clarendon.  We were sad to say goodbye.

bit of a warmup

Circuit 3 times through 1:30 or so on each station
duck walk
explosive push up (ouch)
bag kick
run with the keg
box jump
ropes (in and out)

after each round,  around the block 20 squat jumps 20 lunge walk x 2
last time through we were running late so instead of the lungewalk squatjumps we ran around the big block

rode around Albert Park, Prahran and Richmond for an hour until the caf opened.  Then extended commute home.

Dug a hole in the garden and went for a walk. 

M2W

SAT

Went for a short solo run to test the legs.  Not surprisingly I was feeling very sore and tired after a very heavy week.  I didn't do too badly so decided that running with Fi might work.   I forgot that she runs fast so we did a bit of run a bit of walk and a lot of talk.  She's my favourite.

PM
I was following the Warny on Twitter and listening on the radio and getting super excited by the coverage.  My goodness, that is a hard, hard race and I have massive respect for everybody who lined up on the start line to give it a crack.  I got so excited that I needed to go for another run to burn off some energy.
I felt alot better than in the morning and did an extended P Park loop quite happily.

SUN
Went for a quick run before family lunch.  Felt good, was a shame I had to head for home so quickly to get ready.

Do you remember?

I need to write the RBT sessions down earlier.  So much going on and I just can't remember it all.  Had a bit of fun this morning.

Warm up
run around the block stopping 4 times to do
20 squat jumps
20 jump lunges
windmills
lungewalk

Circuit:

50 KB swings 16kg
10 burpees
50 v sits
10 burpees
3 street runs
10 burpees
50 push ups
10 burpees
double ropes
10 burpees

Run around the large block

50kb high pull
40 jump lunges
50 leg raises
40 jump lunges
50 step ups
40 jump lunges
40 push up twists
40 jump lunges
50 single arm rope work
40 jump lunges

Run around the small block carrying 8 kg KB overhead

50kb swings
40 mountain climber twists
50 turkish sit ups
40 mountain climber twists
3 street runs
40 mountain climber twists
40 push up to elbows to push ups
40 mountain climber twist
50 double ropes
40 mountain climber twists

run around the block
3 street runs
40 mountain climber twists

zzz

I got up to go to the Tan but only ended running a short distance.  I spent the rest of the time enjoying a walk with Nickers and Mrs B.  The sunrise was gorgeous.  My legs and back were very sore.

I went for another walk after dinner and ran about another 800m.  RBT is taking it out of me, it's all good though.

Tomorrow I'm back there for another session.

Wed RBT

First Wed RBT class.  There's so much going on that it's hard to remember what we did at the start of the class by the end.  12 or so hours later I know I'm going to forget stuff.   I'm so going to make Gavin do some of it though.

Warm Up
25 squats
25 lunges each leg
25 jump lunges
25 jump squats
15 burpees


Rope work in pairs - one person on the rope, other person runs to street and back (100m) x 2, rope work continues until runner returns 10 mins
up and down singles
up and down doubles
in and outs
circles
up and down singles

Warm up again

KB 16kg
high pull
plank
swings
v sit
walk around the block holding kb above eye level, if it drops 30 jump squats

mountain climbers 100
push up 40
mountain climbers 80
push up 30
plank

walk around the block with kb same rules as before

Spinning

My legs were weary and my abs sore this morning.  I woke up and considered running for about half a second and then continued on with my riding plans.

Met JBSECT in Carlton and rode down to Albert Park, they were recovering from racing on the weekend but their tempo is still way too fast for me so I practised spinning in the little ring.

I don't like riding that way but I know it's something I need to get better at. 

The headwind was a brutal southerly today so pit lane was the hurtbox for a change.   It was hard work.

JP, Gareth and Joe were all tired so they cut the session short just after they'd lapped me.  We rolled into breakfast and then I headed into work.

Pretty uneventful.

RBT

First bootcamp at the new gym and by golly it was hard work.  High intensity, hard cardio work which I haven't done for quite some time.

Too many squat jumps for my liking.  (that's for you Jeff)

50 mins

warm up
Push up position hands walk out and in

10 and 1
burpees and v sit
down to 1 and 10

circuit - 1 minute each station twice through

kb swings - 16kg
rope 2 hands up and down
50m sprints
squat jump travel

50m squat jump
jog
50m squat jump

50m sprints tag, rest = jump squat

2nd circuit - 1 minute each station twice through
kb sit up
keg push press
medicine ball slam - 8kg
partner hand cycle
jump lunge
wall sit
push up

50m squat jump
jog
50m sprint tag, rest = jump squat

Yee and Ha

Sat

Hard work for me, my legs were a bit heavy from my extended commute on Fri and I felt bleurgh.  We covered 10km but I probably only ran 8.  Was hard going.

Sun

Strongman session at new gym.  Nothing compares to Jeff but this is probably as close as I'll ever find.  45 mins of similar intensity to the shed.  Missed my peeps.  It was a circuit working in pairs 1 min each station but there was no gym boss and the minutes were pretty long. 3 times through then once round the block with a tyre.

mallet hit (heavier than Jeffs)

Push press or
70 sled backward drag and then bear crawl push (was on astroturf so moved pretty easily)

30kg sandbag run
20-30kg waterfilled keg run

tyre drag (unweighted med Jeff tyre)

MTB with Gavin in the arvo - just under 2.5 hours.  Loved it, perfect way to end the weekend.

bout time

had a good week this week.  I've been training hard, and I think I've found a gym that might suit me.

Listened to a presentation from our fraud team this week about blogging and social media, not sure what I'm going to do with this space.

and

no exercise again today.

Happy Riley Day

Happy Birthday cute boy!  It doesn't feel like 4 years ago that I met you for the first time.  You make me laugh.

No exercise at all today.

New tricks

Fi and I ran down to and along the beach this morning.  I was very tired and my legs felt very heavy after a pretty big week.

We ran for 1/2 hour and then walked back to breakfast.  It was another gorgeous morning, such a nice way to spend it with a lovely friend talking about all manner of things.

run 1/2 hour
walk 1 hour

New Park

I joined Nickers and Marc for conditioning work in a park that I didn't even know existed.  It was another gorgeous Spring morning and we went and checked out a new cafe as well.

It was a very lovely start to the day.  I plan to be back with them again soon.

warm up run
Circuit =
explosive step up 15 each side
lunge 15 each side
squat 30
mountain climber 30

one circuit
high knee run
one circuit
run
one circuit
butt kick
one circuit
5 x skip

chin up x 5
ab work 5 minutes

Beach in the morning

I ran from the Tan down to Beach Rd this morning.  Melbourne turned on the charm.  Moon set on my right, sunrise on my left, still bay reflecting a pink sky, traffic lights glinting on the Westgate, Spirit of Tasmania in the dock and stand up paddlers gliding softly by.

I was so taken with how pretty it was that I walked out onto Kerferd Rd Pier and stood there for a good 10mins.

Rach kept me company on the run back and kept me honest.

7km

PM

Wow, my legs are sore.
skip 100
box jumps 10
single leg step up to squat 3 x 10 each leg
2 16kg kb step up 3 x 5 each leg
2 x 16kg kb bulgarian split squat 2 x 5 each leg

enough.

Ride to Work

Today was Ride to Work Day, I rode Upfield Bike Path and stopped at the Commuter Cycles breakfast for muffins and coffee.

Nik and Justine where there with some other familiar CX faces.  I had to leave there quickly to meet Mel at the Bridge.  She's just returning to work after illness so good on her for being on the bike.

We stocked up on fruit and goodies at work as well.

I rode Marc back to her car which I guess was in Hawthorn.  We had fun tootling along the bike path and Marc displayed some very good safety signals.  It was such a nice night for a ride, I think I'll join her again soon.

I ITT back to Nth Fitroy for dinner.  The Glenferrie Rd hill was the only place I was wishing for gears.  My CX bike is such a nice ride, it's a great commuter.

Now I am tired.

JPSECT AP

I rode with JPSECT this morning and did a speed session at Albert Park.  By golly, they go hard.   One day I hope to stick with them for one circuit. 

I did 3 laps and pulled up a little too early as I had time for one more.   Down in the drops pushing pit lane then, gear down and into the wind for the ride into the city.  Hard work, snot dripping off my chin kinda hard work.

Very delicious porridge to follow at Degraves.   Not sure how I'll fit more of these sessions in because I won't take my road bike to the gym for Jeff. 

Pool with a preggy

No Jen at the pool this morning but a very cute Ness turned up to have some fun.  It was good to be doing a workout with her again, she had a good time. I think she'll be back, I hope she will be.

warm up
4 x 25m
run
2 x 25m
straight legs
4 x 25m
tabata x 8
high hands
2 x 25m
high knees
15 secs, 5 secs rest x 6
high knees
15 secs no rest x 6
ball work
2 x 5 mins
resistance band run x 4
underwater
2 x 25m

Shovelling dirt

I was meant to go for a MTB around Hans Loop with Micala this morning but a night of rain put an end to that. 

With a few hours to spare, I turned my thoughts to helping a friend move 4 trailer loads of now wet dirt.  Ben's been doing his garden this weekend and had already put in 28 hours of work, I was happy to help even though he thinks I'm nuts.

I haven't shovelled dirt before, unloading it was a good ab workout and with the 2 of us, we got through the last 3 trailers in no time.

I needed to have a snooze in the arvo.

PM in the carpark

tyre runs
tyre arms: straight, bent, behind, backwards
sand bag shoulder walk to milk bar and back
sandbag carry to milkbar and back
rope shenanigans
window wipers 3 x 5 each side
kb twist 2 x 20

White Weddings

I took a rest day on Friday, picked up Amy's new bike and headed home.

Sat am

It was a super gorgeous morning in Bendigo.  I ran down to Lake Weeroona and then met Dad in town for breakfast.

Beautiful Beach Rd

The running girls met at Beach Rd this morning for a change.  It was very lovely, the air was warm and I was surprised to notice that it felt different.  Melbourne's a small city, but the air at my house, feels different to the air at the Boulevard which feels different to the Beach.

There was no wind, truly gorgeous.

I probably ran 6km but I'm not sure because my GPS wasn't working.

PM Backyard

Our last chance at tree ups tonight as the trees being removed tomorrow.

Deck squats 2 x 20
box jumps 3 x 20
step ups 2 16kg kb 3 x 20
step downs 3 x 5
tree ups 5

Bikes are awesome!

I met some new workmates on the Boulevard for an early morning session.  We talked out some things that have been concerning me about work and generally had a very excellent time.  We will be back.

ITT to the Boulevard
One full loop
4 Postman repeats
commute to work and home again.

Minutes and ten downs

Oh golly, I'm out of shape!  My legs are soooo sore, I was trying so hard to disguise from Jeff how sore I was but he worked out pretty quickly that I'm soft at the moment.

I had so much fun running with Fi this morning,  what's a little bit of DOMS between friends?  (ok, alot).

We did 20 repeats of 1 min sprint, 1 min jog recovery.  My sprints weren't very sprinty but I still pushed out what I could and got more than a little vommy.  All up I did just over 7km in 40 minutes.  Not bad, but not great.

Pm at the Gym was tough.  I chose the 12kg kb to my shame, but the black spots and vomit feeling makes me think I made the right choice.

round body pass 20 ew x 2

OA swing 20 es
OA swing 10 es
OA swing 9 es
OA swing 8es
OA swing 7es
OA swing 6es
OA swing 5es
OA swing 4es
OA swing 3es
OA swing 2es
OA swing 1es

From here on in, I'll call that pattern '10 down'.

cleans 20 es
cleans 10 down

jerks 10 es
jerks 10 down

LCCJ 10 es x 3
LCCJ 5 down

the end.

Watercise

Yay!  Back in the pool.  Oh my goodness it was cold on the pool deck this morning but I was happy to see lots of steam coming off the water because that means the heater is working.  When we turn up and it's 5 degrees and there's no steam we know it's going to be a cold session.

I didn't have alot of strength, endurance, legs or lungs.  Well, maybe I did have some lungs - I managed half a lap underwater at the end of a session.  I may have done a very good impression of a beached whale when I surfaced but at least I did it!

warm up 50m
straight legs 2 x 50m
high hands 2 x 25m
high knees 15 secs on 5 secs rest x 8
high knees 20 secs on no rest x 6
tabata - one set
soccer ball throws 5 minutes
resistance rope run x 6
underwater swim 75m

Weekend fun

Saturday Oct 1

Finally, finally I was well enough to go for a run with Fi.  We nearly headed to the pool because I wasn't keen on running in the rain but after a rudie nudie change in the car because the weather was fine I was good to go.

We started from Swan St and headed along the flat boulevard to Walmer and then back, I lasted 50 minutes and I was so sore afterwards that I spent the day in Skins.

It was so lovely to be running with Fi again, we had alot of life to catch up on.  Lucky Fi had a lot to talk about because just running and listening was more than enough effort for me.

I'm happy with the distance, I've got no idea of pace because we both went Garminless.

Sunday Oct 2

Daylight savings started last night so after a bit of a sleep in I woke to a beautifully sunny spring day.  Hmmm, trail running or a ride on the Boulevard?  I decided to get on the bike as I'd already run this weekend.
I didn't do a mega ride, my heartrate was super high and I was at threshold for the entire time.  I rode for an hour in beautiful sunshine and when I'd been swooped 3 times was happy to turn for home.

I was all alone for training in the backyard, and again in the interests of sensibleness eased myself back for my first strenght session in weeks.

500 skips
100 bodyweight lunges
100 bw dragon lunges
100 bw squats
30 pushups

I'll see how I pull up tomorrow.

Sugar is bad

I rode the sugar rollarcoaster today and it was not fun.

Time to get serious about what I'm putting in my mouth methinks.

In other news, I am very much looking forward to running with Fi in the morning.  It's been way too long.

healthy?

I was at an all day conference today and I think the corporate catering was the unhealthiest I've ever come across.

Not a hint of fruit or anything green all day.

want you back

I went for a run this morning.  Finally.  It hurt.  Alot.

I've got a lot of work to do to get back to usual fitness and then alot more to get to race fit.  I wish Jeff still lived here but he doesn't so I'm going to have to work it out myself.  First stop, regain usual good health.  Second, don't overdo it with impatience.

Dist 6.5km

just a little bit longer

I feel much better, I'm just incredibly tired.  I hope Jeff's taking the class tomorrow night as I can't make the Tan in the morning so KB will be my comeback.

here we go

I feel much better than yesterday.  Finally....

Aahhhh

I think it might be the antibiotics that are making me feel sick.  I'm going to stop taking them and see what happens.

Might be better before I know it!

You've got to be kidding me....

I'm still sick.  This is getting ridiculous.

My bike has been in the shop and came back to me looking very shiny and lean today.

Thursdays

Thursdays are a good day.

Alex and Helen trained tonight.  I did a little mobility work.

over it

sick again

and now

well, my legs are getting better but my fever and sore throat are back.

sigh. sad face.

Ouch

My legs felt very post marathon like today.  I couldn't get in and out of my shower without some difficulty and I was wishing for some disabled bars for the bathroom.

I also started thinking about 'next time, when I do that race...'
Funny.  That didn't take very long.

Race report is now up.

Gran Fondo

I am utterly smashed. 

  Amy Gillet's Gran Fondo

I drove down to Dean' s Marsh where I was staying with Team Specialized and tried to get the best possible sleep in a top bunk.

We woke up at 4 30 to be ready to drive down to Lorne before the road closed.  It was drizzly when we woke up which made me a little nervous as there had been much mention of dangerous descents in the race briefing the day earlier. 

The course was 110km of racing, followed by an 8km descent back down to Lorne.  Check out the profile of the course in the link above.  That's alot of climbing and a long way for someone who's not spent alot of time on the bike.  The most training I'd done at pace was 40km, the only hill training was the Boulevard and I've never ridden further than 80km in one day.

I knew it was going to hurt.

We lined up at the start with the 3000 other competitors.  This was no fun participation event, there was serious money on offer and qualifying for the World Champs next year was a possibility for the winners.

I've never seen so many expensive bikes in one place.  I had decided to play 'pick the nice bike' but I had to change to 'pick the pile of sh#t'. 

I'd been having a lovely chat to a nice girl at dinner and was a little stunned to discover I'd been chatting to Natalie Bates, she was very generous with her knowledge and very friendly.  She was there as team manager for The Daisy Chains, a really nice group of girls.  They ended up winning the women's team category and were super excited.  They were very kind to give me some good tips about descending as well.

The stage was split into start waves of 200 and Team Specialized were in the third wave.  I knew that I would get spat very early in the piece and I was really worried about getting cleaned up. 

The first two waves took off really quickly even though the first k and a half was under control for safety, we started in no time and I made it to the official start line with the team.  Then I managed to stay with them for about 5kms.  I'd started to far back in bunch and when they ramped it up I had no hope of sticking with them.  I feel a little better as some people have told my that Team Specialized gunned it from the start and overtook alot of the first two waves.

Once I was spat, I knew I was in for a really long day in the saddle, in the wind, by myself.   I tried to merge into some groups but for the GOR sector no one was really too keen.

My back started hurting about 30km in which I can only put down to my lack of hill experience.  I stopped for a toilet break at Skene's creek before the King of the Mountain and saw Fee so stopped for a 10 min chat to her.  She'd missed Steve going past unfortunately.

Skene's Creek was the only KOM and it was 9.5km long.  Check out the profile in the link.  I discovered some happy news.  I can climb!  I was very comfortable the whole way up (well as comfortable you can be with screaming legs and max HR) but I had enough air for Islands in the Stream and a couple of phone calls to Marce.

Adam from Team Specialized had been helping someone else up the climb and kept me company for the last couple of k's.  What a nice guy!  He was actually, the only company I had all day.  He told me to take 3 deep breaths just before the KOM finish and look like it didn't hurt.  Good advice - hope the photo turns out ok.

From there, I experienced my first dangerous descent ever.  I LOVED IT!  I was laughing out loud, and very tempted to shout 'WHEEEEEE' at the top of my lungs but I decided concentrating might be a better option as I wanted to keep all my skin where it belonged. 

The ride into Forrest was a bit of a slog as I'd run out of water and I was thirsty.  At Forrest, the wait for water was 30mins and then I took a toilet break there as well.  70kms done, 50 to go.  Piece of cake right?

The sector between Forrest and Dean's Marsh was hell.  I hated it, strong hot headwind/crosswind made life really difficult. 

I discovered that my legs were useless on the flat, I couldn't turn the pedals over any more.  I was fine on any of undulations but anything flat was hurting like nothing else.  My back was sore, my quads were sore, my right ITB was twanging away and my calves were on the verge of cramping.

I was not a happy camper at all.  I'd been eating really regularly, the banana I'd eaten when I stopped at the top of the KOM was the most delicious thing I've ever eaten, and the fruit cake at Forrest was similarly so.  I can only put my fury down to a hunger flat.  I was so angry with the world, I got off the bike and threw a tantrum at nothing.

It was time to phone a friend.  I ran through the list of people who I knew would get it and decided to call my lovely Fi.  She was brilliant. I was not happy at all and thought everything was stupid. 
She talked some sense into me and I slammed two gels and was good to go.  I realised that I needed a bunch.  I'd done 70-80kms by myself by now and I was exhausted.

I jumped on the back of a bunch going past and found some instant relief.  The effort required seemed to half instantly and I was back to being a happy camper again but hanging out for some more hills.

Unfortunately, my quad cramped like all get out right at that point and I had to stop.  Bye bye bunch, thank you for that 5 minute reprieve.

I was back in the wind by myself.  After what seemed like a couple of hours, I finally made it to the final drink stop at the base of the Dean's Marsh climb.  12km to go.

I rang Fi again who reminded me that we run 12km in an hour all the time. 

Turn right and start climbing.  Hallelujah! said my legs.  We like to climb. 

I found a good gear and started tapping away. Up and up.  Got a few comments of 'how are you doing that?  You look so strong' as I passed people which gave me some confidence.

Up, up, keep going.  No more cramping.  Bizarro world.   I was expecting another KOM so was surprised to see the 1km to finish sign.  In that last km (which was the steepest of the whole day) I passed over 20 people. 

Finally finished - then came 8km of the most fun I have ever had on a bike.  I was by myself, closed road so I could go wherever I liked on the twisty windy downhills.  I had a smile on my face the whole way down and would have turned around at the bottom so I could do the descent again.

I really enjoyed the hamburger, chips, coke and caramel slice I slammed in Lorne while I watched the Daisy Chain girls on the podium.

The scenery was gorgeous all day, such a well organised race.  The volunteers and spectators were fantastic.  It was a tough day out for me.  120km solo is a hard slog for anybody. 

My time was listed as 5 hours 58 minutes which is probably the reason why my bum is so sore.  I think I lost at least 45 minutes between talking to Fee, the Forrest water queue and my phone call to Fi at the side of the road. 

At this stage, I'm not sure I'd do it again.  We'll see how long that lasts for.

Bend and stretch

I went back to work today but I didn't make it through a full day.  I'm sure I'll feel even better tomorrow.

I wasn't up for training tonight and Helen's sprained her ankle so we did the magnificent mobility DVD instead.

It made me realise how tight I am.  I need to be making time for more stretching, more often.  Actually, make that any stretching, any time.

I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow.

Use hand signals

I finally feel like I've turned a corner today and am headed back to good health.

Back to work tomorrow.

And again I say aachoo

I went to the doctor today who thinks I have the real life flu, not a plain old cold.  I don't care what you call it, I'm over it and ready to be healthy.

A couple of days off work will hopefully sort me out.

In other exciting news, I tried on my race kit for Sunday.  It's sweeeet!  Gonna look awesome - that is until I start getting spat out the back!

Boo Hoo

It was the Victorian Cyclocross Open today and I was still too sick to race.  I'm pretty disappointed but I'd be even more disappointed if I'd raced today and then put myself on the sidelines for the Gran Fondo next weekend.

still

sick.  I always like to give everything 100%.

Gimme a break

I am sick of being sick.  Hope I'm well enough to race on Sunday.

Achooooo

Still sick.  Nothing of interest going on here.

Bless you

Still sick.  Worked from my couch today.

Gesundheit

Sick.  Got a cold.  Pulled the pin on riding this morning.

Paying attention

I'm determined not to make the same mistakes again so as my legs were still sore and I was feeling super tired, I decided to give the pool a miss this morning.

I know I missed a gorgeous morning.

Smashfest

Ha!  My legs are still sore from Thursday, or yesterday.  I woke up, got up had a snack and went back to bed for more sleep.

I was meeting my cousin for brunch so when I did actually got up, I got on my CX bike and rode down to Nth Melbourne for some very delicious food.

I smashed it into the headwind on the way home and practised some more 'look Mum, no hands' in my street.  Today, I could keep turning the pedals over rather than just rolling. 

PM
Gavin had requested a smashfest so I set up an old school Jeff circuit in the backyard.  We did 1 minute on, 10 seconds break for 50 minutes.

The stations were:

tree chin ups
2 x 20kg step up to lunge
16kg renegade row/man makers
burpees
tyre jump in and out
tyre tube squat
Girevoy jumpsquat
push up
sandbag shoulder

Then we went for a run around the block.  It was hard to hold the intensity for the whole time, much easier when there's a big group to banter with.  We were both spent by the end though.

2 bikes are better than one

AM
I'd decided to give Beach Rd a miss this morning in favour of breakfast with the running girls and the Boulevard.   I've been missing them and feeling a little disconnected by all my bike time.  Fi's not back to running yet so she decided to join me on the bike.  We've never ridden together so we were both quite excited by the prospect.

I tried to get to the Boulie the same way JBSECT did the other morning but I got lost and was riding through the back streets of Northcote when Fi called to say she was at the Gipps St bridge.  I was passed by a new friend in Rush Cafe kit and rode with him to the Boulevard where he headed off to the Dandenongs.

I met up with Fi and we cruised for a bit to warm up.  I introduced Fi to Yarra St which I'm sure she totally enjoyed.  I didn't much like her asking me which way to go half way up, I could only choke out one word and I'm glad she didnt turn around to notice the snot hanging off my chin.  So attractive!

I thought one Yarra St was enough for the first time, so we headed to Walmer St for some Postman repeats.

I think I was turning around a little later than the other morning but that just gave us a couple of extra seconds rest. We hit out 5 repeats with the gear getting a little harder each time.

We still had some time before breakfast so we rode the flat boulevard all the way out and then time trialled back.  We were still the first for brekky even after spinning a couple of blocks around 3 Bags for a cool down.

Fun time!

Vix was picking up her new bike so we decided to meet in Northcote for lunch.  I took the CX bike out - I'd put the bigger gear on it after the last Dirty Deeds and need to remember to change it over before the CV race next week.

I rode over, had a nice lunch and then rode home where I realised I'd left my water bottle behind.  A quick phone call to the caf to make sure it was there and I headed back out to collect it.  It's all about the extras hey?

Ouch

Walking was almost beyond my capabilities today.  I woke up sore and got worse (better??) as the day wore on.

Tonight on the way home, I stood up on the tram at my stop and cramped my entire right quad.  Oh so painful.

Funny.

big ring, grind, repeat

AM

Steve arrived at my house just before 6am (what kind of crazy world do I live in where this is normal?) and we rolled down to the bus stop in Nicholson St to meet the JPBSECT gang.
A strength workout of hill repeats on the Boulevard was the session planned for today and we quickly made our way to the pipe bridge and up the hill to the Boulie. 
TT to Walmer St where we turned left put the bike in the big ring, sat down and ground all the way up to the post box.  Turn around, back down to the Boulevard where we rode back down to the playground then repeat 5 times.
I didn't get 5 repeats out, I lost the group on the TT to Walmer and by the time I'd got there they'd already done one rep.  I got out the 4.

This was a great workout.  I loved it, hard work but the efforts were something I felt comfortable with.  I've always loved the hills and the Boulevard is my favourite place of all time.

I was very tired all day and lucky I was working from home so I could have a nap.  I've needed to eat alot of food too.

PM

Skipping and deck squats to warm up

Box Jumps
30
30
30
20
20
Single leg explosive step up to squat
30
30
30
20
20
Tabata squat, elbows to knees 21, 21, 21, 20, 23, 23, 22, 24
Tabata kb swings 16kg, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12
Tree chin ups, no kipping, 4, 5, 3, 3
KB side twist 20, 20, 20

carbs

featured today. With plenty of chocolate on the side.

blerk.  I feel sick.

walkie talkie

My run at the Tan lasted about 1/2 lap this morning. I was feeling great and running fast, so why did I stop you ask?

Because I ran past a very rugged up Fi and decided to spend the hour walking and talking with her.  We haven't run together for such a long time and we have so much to catch up on.  We barely touched the surface today but we did set ourselves some training goals for when we're both back on the running track for real in a couple of weeks.

PM Jeff at the gym

45 secs on each hand
all rest was either 45 secs snatch each hand for the first half of the workout and then 45 secs of cleans each hand
for a total of 52 rounds
round body twist
snatch
jerk
LCCJ
lunge
squat
single leg deadlift
cleans
swings

until the 52 rounds were up. 

off air

My laptop's been in the shop for a few days so I haven't been able to post.

Sat
Made it down to Mordi and back with the bunch!  Yeee Haaa!  I was so excited.  I should mention that the bunch rode back slower than usual so they could practise rolling turns.  They clapped for me when we got back to St Kilda because I was so excited to still be there with them.

It was confidence boosting even though I know I'll get dropped again next week.

Sun
I walked for 2 1/2 hours today to get home after a massage.  My back was so tight that Bec didn't get time to work on my legs as well. 
We started doing a kb workout in the backyard but I was concerned about Helen's technique.  I knew she was moving unsafely but I couldn't work out how to correct it. 
We took the tyre and rope down to the car park and spent the hour on rope shenanigans and tyre runs.

Mon
I ran for 6.5kms this morning around Princes Park, I held a pretty good pace and felt good.

I feel like I'm finally on the way back.  It's a good feeling.  I like it.

Run CL Run!

I went for a run this morning!  It felt great!  I could run fast!  Fi was not with me.  She will be soon, but not too soon.

Run 1/2 hour
walk 40mins
bike 30 mins

Endurance

of a different kind was required today.   I sat in one meeting from 8am - 5pm.  That's one long day.

I tried to do a workout this arvo but with no Helen or Gavin, I was pretty useless.

500 skips
20kg kbell
20 OA swings es
30 swings

edit:

I felt a bit yuk after sitting for so long so I jumped on the trainer for an hour and did power intervals, stomps and max efforts.  Hard work but I feel better now.

trainer

On the trainer this morning.  The dvd I was using wasn't as good as the Carmichael training systems so I ordered some of them.

15 min warm up with 2 1:00 efforts
10 min E3 (which felt like an eternity)
5 min cool down

the end

Running legs

Last night it was a lovely pre Spring evening and there seemed to be hundreds of people running around Princes Park.  I felt a little wistful, so I canned my planned ride this morning and went for a run.

Well!

Cycling and running are so different, my fitness in one does not translate to the other.  I knew I wasn't using my hamstrings too much on the bike and golly gee they felt it this morning. 

I ran two laps of the Tan, I enjoyed it, my legs hurt.

PM  Gym, no Jeff

16 kg kbell

12 of each (each hand), 3 times through

swings
snatches
cleans
press
clean and squat
one arm high pull
jack knife
russian sit up (half turkish get up)
russian twist

5 windmills each side to finish

no bikes tonight

said Jen this morning.  I agreed with her.

CX tires my legs out.  I took it relatively easy at the pool this morning and spent some time swimming instead of running which was a nice change.

warm up 25m x 2
25m x 4 for time
straight legs 25m x 2
high knees 15 secs with rest x 6
tabata sprint one round
run high hands reach 25m x 2
swim 10 mins
underwater dive 25m

Race 3 Dirty Deeds CX

Finally - I found my sweet spot with CX!  I was so chilled today, I was yawning before the race.  My strategy was to just go easy on myself and have fun after how crook I felt yesterday.

I rode the course once during warm up and noted that it was going to be tough going on most of the infield and 2 of the hills were unridable on my SS.  I could however smash it up Pavlich's hill, so that was confidence building.

We took off and it took me about 20 secs to realise this course was perfect for me?  The muddy infield was unridable for almost everybody and guess what?  I can run good!   I could smash the hill as I suspected and thanks to Jen, I'm confident to stay off the brakes on the downhill.  My legs were strong enough to make it up the steep stairs ok and the mud pit where I stacked last year was no problem.

I gritted my teeth and passed people running up the two hills over the back of the velodrome and could hold my own riding around the river.

I still need to sharpen up my dismounts and flying mounts because I lose alot of time on both of them.

I have no idea where I placed but I think I was mid pack somewhere.  The results on the website are likely to be wrong because everything got a bit mixed up but I'm happy with how I rode today.

I didn't want to stop and if A Grade hadn't been a full field I would have gone around again. 

Good course for a SS, good course for strong legs, good course for a runner.

What a shame it's all over for another year.

Flatted

I decided to give the Shop ride a miss today.  My legs were pretty tired after a big week and I wanted to save a little something for CX, luckily I think I made the right decision.   I wasn't happy to realise that I'd bailed on Gavin though.  I'll make it up to him another time.

I did almost 4 laps of Albert Park (sprinting pit lane) before Heather flatted.  She didn't have any kit with her so we tried to use my spare tube which didn't fit her flash tyres.   After 2 patches failed to fix it we ran out of gas in my cannister so H called her husband to come and pick her up.  I decided to keep riding as it was a gorgeous day and I was having fun.

I did another lap and a half of Albert Park and then headed to Rush for breakfast as I knew I'd well and truly missed the girls.

Leaving Rush the weather had got even better so I rode down to GE intending to head to the Boulevard and take the Chandler Hwy exit home.

I made it to Walmer St without any problems but heading up it I started to feel really off.   I took a rest break half way up and got the shakes.  I slammed a gel and kept going. 

Down the hill was ok and I passed the Gipps St bridge thinking I'd come good.  As soon as I started up the next hill though I was cactus.   I turned around and took the exit and made my way home. 

I called into Small Block for my second milkshake of the day.   I hope I've eaten enough today to recover the energy stores for crazy cross tomorrow.  I think I'll know within a minute of the race starting....

Dist 50km

CBD

walking around town and not much else.

Tree ups

Crit Trainer Session

10 min warm up with 2 x 1:00 efforts
7 x 2 min power interval 1 min recovery between each
5 min recovery
3 x 2 min Steady, Power interval 30 secs on 30 secs off
5 min recovery
5 x 1 min Power interval
8 min cool down

I thought that was going to be too much recovery but I was wrong.  Those intervals came around so quickly and I was really hurting by the end.

I could say that I had a meeting at work that meant I couldn't go ride the Boulevard with JPBSECT, but really I was just too scared.  I need to go riding with them next week otherwise I'll psyche myself out for good. 

PM Backyard

300 skips
15 deck squats
30 box jump
300 skips
15 deck squats
300 skips
16kg kb x 2 box step ups
10 es x 3
16kg kb box step downs (heel touch)
5 es x 3
box side step heel touch downs
3 x 5
pull ups in the tree
2 x 5
side twists 16kg kbell
2 x 10es

Chin ups in the tree were very good fun!

Not much

exercise going on today.

Skins

So, for the second time this week I'll be sleeping in my skins tonight.  My legs were pretty sore after the sprint workout last night and then Jeff had to go and put the icing on the cake.

16kg kbell

circuit of hell (squat, reverse lunge, jump lunge, jump squat)
30
40
50

OA swings
20 es x 3 no rest

cleans
20 es x 3 no rest

jerks
10 es x 4 no rest

deadlift
25 es x 2 no rest

I say no rest but there was a bit of putting the kb down going on.

New start

First time I've had my first day in a new job in 6 years!!! Was I nervous? Yeah, I was.  Did I have a good day.

Yes, I did!

AM at the pool

Beautiful, bright pink sunrise this morning.  We were feeling a bit bored with the usual routine so we mixed it up a bit for a change.

warm up 25m x 2
sprint 25m x 4 (for time)
straight legs 25m x 2 (for time)
high knees 15secs, 5 secs rest x 6
tabata sprints
swim sprint + run 25m x 2
resistance rope run x 8
soccer ball hot potato 5 mins
high hands run, reach each 8 steps 25m x 2
cool down

No hypoxic work today because I didn't want to be shattered at work.

PM on the trainer

Chris Carmichael sprint workout

10:00 warm up ( 2 x 60sec max)
Stomps   3 x :12
5 min E2
Power starts 3 x :12
5 min E2
Agility sprint seated 2 x :20
4 min E2
Agility sprint out of the saddle 2 x :12
4 min E2
Race sprint 60-20-10 x 2
8:00 cool down

There may have been a little vom in the back of my throat after the second lot of agility sprints.

Stockpiling

Golly goodness, my legs are tired out today.

I went for a run this morning but only lasted 5kms.   I was just plain worn out, my legs weren't really hurting at that stage but I just didn't have any gas in the tank.

PM

tyre bags in the car park

By now, my legs were sore.  Really sore.   I did 500 skips and could only string 20 together at a time.  I then tried for lunges, but dropped the bag after one return trip. 

Board jumps x 2
jump lunges x 2
dragon lunges x 2
side lunges ow, ow, owwwwww
try again with the side lunges
Nope, "get lost" said my legs. 
backwards lunges x 2
side lunges, surely my adductors will have warmed up by now
"I said GET LOST" said my legs
ok, said me, you win

side twists 2 x 50
mountain climbers 2 x 50

stretch

Stay with the pack

YEEE HA!

I stayed with the bunch all the way down to Mordi this morning.   I got dropped at about Beaumaris but worked hard all the way back to town. 

We got split by lights at Brighton but Troy was with me this week and he pushed me back to the pack, we were going sooooo fast, it was so much fun!  Once I got back on, he made me got to the middle of the bunch and then Simon came and gave me some lessons to keep me on the wheel in front. 

It sure is alot easier in the middle of the bunch.  I've got nothing on the hills though and that's where I got dropped on the way back into town.

I had so much more fun than last week and I'm going to keep going until I feel more comfortable.

Dist 85km

Cadel Day

Cadel Evans was in town today to ride to Fed Square from St Kilda.  I headed down on the road bike to join in the fun.

There were so many people that I only got to see the very top of his helmet as he went past.  I rode back to the bike shop after that and watched the rest on TV with Jen.

I'm going to give Beach Rd another go tomorrow.  I hope I do better than last week, it's both frustrating and humbling to be so bad at something.

If at first you don't succeed.........

Pool and Ignite

Wed 10.8
AM
Was at the pool by myself this morning.  water was great.

25 m run x 4
tabata 8 x 4
run high hands 25m x 2
high knees 15 secs on 5 secs rest x 8
resistance band run x 6
straight legs 25m x 2
swim 200m

Thurs 11.8

Up at Lancefield for the last Ignite session.  Went for a couple of k's run.

Walsh St fourpeat and Pain

I haven't run Walsh St in so long, and it really hasn't got any easier.   I managed to get out 4 loops of running up Walsh and then around to and down Anderson.  I used to be able to do that 5 times without a break, but I was just happy to get the 4 out today even with rest.

It was nice to see Justin hooking past on his way to work as well.  He did well to spot me around the corner.

PM Jeff @ the gym

My friend Ben came back tonight so of course Jeff turned up the temp.  I'm tired out now and will need to give the pool a rest in the morning.

16kg kb
round body pass 50 ew
push up prone brace at least 2 mins prob closer to 3-4 for all rest
50 1a swings each hand
prone brace
50 cleans each hand
v sit
50 jerks each hand, swap on 25
push up prone brace down to elbows and back a few times
50 lunges each leg
prone brace to push up
50 deadlifts each leg
v sit

Bye bye

I had a lovely farewell lunch at Mo Vida today.

I walked to and from work but otherwise did nothing but eat delicious food.

good hard look at myself

Went for a run this morning, in Bendigo.  It was my 20 year reunion last night and there's alot to be said for a healthy lifestyle!  I was very happy to see that my nerdy friends are all starring at life and careers.

My run was hard, my legs are tired out from the Beach Rd ride yesterday.  I ran for about 50mins but I took a few walking breaks too.

PM

skip 500
run up and back the carpark with the tyre x 10 return
rope shenanigans 12 mins
sandbag shoulder walk to milkbar and back
16kg kb farmer walk milkbar and back
24kg kb farmer walk end to end carpark
24kg kb renegade row x 5
carpark forward and backward lunge

Rush ride

First time down Beach Rd in a bunch today and I knew it was going to be hard work.

I knew I was going to get dropped as well, it was just a matter of when.  I'm finding it quite disappointing that I can't accelerate off the lights very well, my running muscles are just not helping much on the bike and it's so hard to get back to the bunch once I'm off the back.

The group got split at the lights at Glenhuntly Rd and I never got back on.  One girl waited for me and we rode down to Mordi and back together. 

It was hard work for me, she was cruising but I was working the whole way down and back.  Once we were back in the city, I rolled by the cafe where the girls were but they'd already gone.  By the time I got back to the bike shop I'd ridden just under 80kms.

Not bad for my first go.....now to keep working on skills.

last day

Today was my last day in this job.  I hope my next one can make me laugh until I cry.

rest

JPBSECT + 1

Oh my golly goodness, the bunch that I rode with this morning were fast.  I should have been warned by the cannonball run through the city to get to Albert Park.  They could accelerate like nothing, I've got some work to do.

At Albert Park, they headed off for 5 laps, sprinting from the pool around to the street where Junction Oval is then a steady pace back to the pool.

I was redlining during the steady pace, I couldn't hang on to the back of the bunch on the sprint and then worked hard to get back on. The second time around, once I was off the back, I couldn't get back.  Kath dropped off the back and we worked together around, well, really, I hung onto the back of her wheel into the wind and she dragged me around.  I'll repay that favour one day.

I need to work on cornering, accelerating and hurting. 

PM  Backyard Blitz

2 x 20 deck squats
5 min skip

30 box jumps x 3
20kg kb step up 5 es
16kg kb step up 5 es
20kg kb step up 5 es
16kg kb step down 5 es x 3

run around the block, sprint to finish.

I was so tired today I had to come home to have a nanna nap before training.

super magneto

I bought myself a trainer the other day and today was the first time I used it.  I was a bit scared that I'd set it up wrong and would ride off into my glass cabinet but it was all ok.

I did 20 mins of speed intervals and then went outside for 5 mins of skipping. 

Tomorrow morning I'm riding with a new bunch that Steve has hooked me up with, hope it goes ok.  I'm sure I'll get dropped but that's ok.

up for it

AM

Pyramid down at Fawkner Park.  Nice morning again, no real chill in the air.  I'm pretty happy with how I held up this morning, I didn't have really fast pace but I could push reasonably hard for as far as I needed to.  Love a pyramid, they hurt but you can play mindgames with yourself to keep going.

total dist about 5km
200m
400m
600m
800m
600m
400m
200m  sprint distances are approx

I had a corporate lunch today at Merchant at the Rialto.  I won't be going there and paying for myself so I decided to make the most of it and drank some lovely wine.  Not the best prep for a KB session.  I did the first run through with the 16kg but wasn't lifting very well, so I dropped to the 12 for the second round.

2 x 1:30 es
round body pass
1A swing
snatch
lunge
jerk
lccj
one leg deadlift

spring in his step

It was a gorgeous morning this morning.  The outdoor pool was lovely, the sunrise was beautiful and I could hear birds all over the place.

Our friendly lifeguard was so excited about the warmer weather that I caught him having a little skip along the pool deck.  We like the lifeguard, he keeps a very close eye on us during the hypoxic work and he laughs at the games we play.

run warm up 25m
timed run 25m x 4
high knees 15 secs on 5 secs rest x 8
high knees 15 secs x 6
straight legs 25m x 2
soccer ball passes 5 x 4 mins 2 mins rest
soccer ball high passes 5 mins
run arms high reaching with alternate arms 25m x 2
soccer ball side swim reach 25m x 2
underwater dive 25m x 2

good work out.

hearing ghosts

Alex says that he can hear Jeff's ghost when we train on a Thursday.  Well, Helen and I could definitely hear him this evening.

We took our gear down to the carpark at the end of the street.  I did rope work work while Helen ran the length of the carpark with the weighted tyre 10 times. Then we swapped and did farmer walks down to the milk bar and back to the car park which is over 500m. We were pretty broken by then so finished with a little more rope work.

Rope work x 4
double up and down x 50
single up and down x 50
side to side x 50

tyre runs x 10

farmer walk
2 x 16kg kb milk bar and back
2 x 20kg kb milk bar and back (had to stop and rest a few times)

rope work single rope
up and down x 50
single up and down 50 each hand forward
side to side x 50

HR shot up and I drank 1/2 of my water on the first set of rope shenanigans.  My legs hurt more than I remembered on the tyre runs and then everything else gave out on the farmer walks. 

I like having Jeff hang around in our heads.

Like a loon

Fri 29/7

Tired out, rest.  Early to bed

Sat 30/7

Most beautiful sunrise I've seen in a long time.  Bright, bright orange which faded to apricot and purple.  It was so stunning that after giving Fi a massive fright we stopped and watched it for a while.

I didn't have it today, my legs are sore from Thursday, and I had a massive stitch which just wouldn't go away.  I ran one lap of Princes Park and then walked 1/2 then ran again.   I was ok at a slower pace but just felt off.

I'm so tired from a super busy week at work that I think I've got not much left over to give to training right now.

Sleep will do me good.

Crazy days

I couldn't get out of bed this morning.  Work has been nuts and I'm exhausted so I slept.

PM
Training in the backyard

skip 10mins

three times through
3 phase pause squat
20 single leg box jump to squat
 5 16kg x 2 kb step ups
step up to lunge x 5

sandbag bastards
3 x 5

20kg kb renegade row
3 x 5

Pool tired

Bec took Jen and I through a session at Melb High today.  It was hard, I was very tired out.  We did much more hypoxic work than we have been at Fitzroy and that always makes me incredibly tired.

4 x 33min warm up, getting faster each time
high knees 15 secs, no rest x 8
hypoxic dive for weighted ball repeat for 10 mins
soccer ball hot potato 15 secs on, run to rope x 10 mins
more hypoxic dives, swim back

I'm been very tired all day, it's been a bit of a chocolate and carb disaster.

Is this fast?

AM

Not sure how it happened but I put my fast legs on this morning.  Fi and I did a blistering lap of the Tan this morning at 4 05min/k pace.  We started out at a fairly usual pace and then gradually turned it up, we were chatting then we got a little quiet.  Then Fi asked 'is this fast', um yeah, it is!  It felt great!  So good, to push and get a response from my legs, it was definitely my lungs that gave out this morning rather than my body which is a promising sign.

We then kicked up Anderson St and held fast for the first rep, then my legs started to hurt.  I pushed out another 3 but couldn't match the pace of the first.

My legs got incredibly sore during the day, it felt so good to hurt.

PM

16kg Kbell

20 Round body passes each way x 2

10 snatch es
10 lunge es
10 push ups
9 snatch es
9 lunges es
9 push ups
8 snatch es
8 lunge es
8 pushup
all the way down to 1

20 OA swings
1 min push up prone brace
20 cleans es
1 min push up prone brace
10 jerks es
1 minute push up prone brace
30 single leg deadlifts
1 minute push up prone brace

Brisbane return

Up and back to Brisbane for a meeting today.

Not very enviro friendly.

rest

Cadel FTW!!!!!

OMG - TT at the Tour was unbelievable!  Cadel Evans, champion, giving it everything, hurtbox, power, never give up, attitude.  I don't have the words to describe how I felt watching that stage and I can only imagine the emotion of finally achieving a goal you've focussed your every moment to for over 10 years.

I'll be using that ride for motivation for years to come. 

AM
Run 6.5km

PM Backyard at my place

15 deck squats x 3
Skip 3 mins x 3

3 x
3 phase pause squat x 5
20 one leg explosive step up to squat

2 x 16kg kb step up
5 each leg
2 x 20kg kb step up
5 each leg x 2

20 kg KB Bulgarian split lunge
5 each leg x 3

24 kg renegade row
3 x 5

We sipped champagne and watched the highlights of the TT to end.

Xmas in July

Roast turkey, roast pork, two types of stuffing, beans, snow peas, brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnip, potato, plum pudding and trifle.

Yum!

Boulevard

I took my road bike up to the Boulevard for a spin this morning.  I quickly realised that my knee and my glutes are still pretty sore from CX on Sunday.  I won't have time to train the next couple of days so that will give me time to recover.

Sleep!!

Yay!

I got my first full night's sleep in a week and a half.  Feel much better now.

Sleep!

I haven't been sleeping well for the last week so it was a very weary version of myself that got out of bed this morning for a speed session at the Tan.

I haven't done a serious speed workout for some time so not surprisingly, it hurt.  The only time I felt like I could run fast was when a rat ran across the path in front of me and I wanted to get away.

It was a nice morning, mild and I could hear birds. 

5 repeats of the loop opposite the Arts Centre (400m or so)
4x100m repeats

Total dist 5.5kms

tired legs

Goodness, CX takes it out of your legs.  It was hard work in the pool this morning.  I piked on the underwater work as it would have made me far too tired for my all day meeting today.

50m sprint
50m straight legs
high knees 20 secs 5 secs rest x 6
high knees 20 secs no rest x 6
tabata spints 50m
soccer ball tread water passes 10 mins
resistance run to rope x 8

Crazy cross

Round 2 of Dirty Deeds CX was held at Jackson Reserve at Coburg today.  CX is a killer, so hard, that half hour of racing feels like a 3 hr sprint running session to me.

The course today was longer than last time, the climbs were off camber and longer than Darebin and the whole lot was incredibly muddy and slippery.

My gearing was way too hard.  I was spinning or grinding the whole way around, even on the flat.

My lower back and knee started to hurt from the effort of grinding but they seem to be alright now.

I love CX, it's tough, but it is so much fun.  The people are lovely and I'm making some great new friends.

let them eat cake

AM

Brrrrr.  It was a very chilly 2 degrees when I left home this morning.  I dug out my NYC 5 boroughs gloves to keep my hands from hurting and I was very glad to have them on.

It was Fi's first kind of, almost, serious run back this morning and we intended to do 10kms together.  I hadn't quite intended to do them so fast but we had some stuff to talk about and we tend to get faster when we do.

We held 5 15 for most of the run, with a bit of sub 5 thrown in for good measure.

Although chilly, it was a beautiful morning.  The birds were chirping in the pitch black, the grounds were white with frost and the sunrise was a gorgeous hot pink.  The bare trees looked fantastic against the sky across Princes Park and I was very happy to be alive and out in it. 

Fi detoured at the end to come view my new bike and then we all went to breakfast for Susie's birthday breakfast with cake.

Tax time

I met with my new accountant today who will hopefully work out lots of good things for me.

6.5km round trip walk there and back

New bike smiles

I took my road bike out for the first time today.  The weather wasn't great, but although the ground was wet the air was dry when I rolled out the front door.

I took the time to do a couple of back and forths up and down my street to get used to the road pedals and shoes and then headed off to meet Steve and Gavin at 6.30.

At 6.40am I got a call from Gavin to say he'd slept in but was on his way, but still no Steve.  Then a silent SS rolled next to me and I saw it was Jim. 'Oh, hello, are you riding with us today?'  'Maybe'.  Eeek.

Let me set some context.  Jim makes the other competitive people I know look soft, he smashes every session and goes hard every time.  Training with him scares me even though he's lovely, good fun and great company.

Just after 7am, and Steve let me know he taken a wrong turn but was on his way.  Gavin showed up, so Jim, Gav and I decided to roll the Boulevard and wait for Steve to catch us.

I was dropped on the second hill.  But, OMG, my bike.....so light!  Gears!  Quiet! Lovely!

Jim and Gavin took off and I kept a pretty good pace.  I was getting a bit more comfortable with the gears, but still standing up to get up the hills rather than gearing down.   Jim and Gavin set me straight on that front and encouraged me to keep spinning and sitting rather than stand up.

I attempted Yarra St, but pulled hard on the bars expecting my heavy bike and gave myself a fright when I pulled myself across the road so I headed back down.

It was raining by now and the roads were really slippery.  We kept going for a bit longer, but when Steve got a flat we decided to call it quits when he'd fixed it and went to 3 Bags for porridge.

Nice ride, nice guys. Nice way to start the morning.

A directive?

I went for a run this morning instead of tomorrow as I'll be riding with Steve and Gavin.  I was a little weary in the body and mind but waking up to The Clash followed by Dolly Parton was a great start to the day.  Gotta love RRR.

Dist 6.5km

I've organised to meet Steve and Gavin early tomorrow for long loop around the hills of the Northern suburbs.  In a txt I noted to Steve that I thought the two of them will tear my legs off - he replied that he'll take that as a directive.

It's going to hurt....can't wait.

Welcome back legs

AM

I decided it was time to test my legs on some hills.  It wasn't pretty and it hurt, but I got through everything ok.  I was pretty tired today at work, but I have to remind myself, it won't be as hard as this morning again.

3 at the monument
2 backwards at the monument
5 at the grass pinch climb at the top of the Bowl
2 from the water trough up around to the chairs
1 Anderson St
Jog back to car

Lunch - walk in and back from the city

PM  Jeff's at the gym

16kg kbell
20 round body pass ew

Girevoy style session - 2 mins rest between each of
3 mins each side snatch
2 mins each side snatch
1 min each side snatch
2 mins each side jerk
1 min each side jerk
3 mins each side LCCJ
2 mins each side LCCJ
1 min each side LCCJ

Well!  It's been a long time between drinks for Girevoy and I've got a very attractive case of arm pump going on.  My grip gave out very early, I couldn't lock out my right elbow and I could feel it all the way down my triceps, obliques and hip flexors.  Tomorrow will be interesting.

My form, though slow was consistent.  No where near my old pace but I held 12 min each side for each of the snatch minutes, 7 for the jerks and 5 for the LCCJ. 

I'm a little scared that I'll be riding the Burbs loop with Steve on Thursday.  I think he's going to smash me.

Bike joy

My glutes haven't been this sore for a while.  Must have been the box jumps.

In other news......I picked up my new road bike today!   I'm so excited, it's a shame I have such a busy week at work and I'm not sure when I'll have a chance to ride it.  I can't wait to get out there.

A new kind of Sunday

The kettlebell crew has decided that even though Jeff's shed is closed for business we'll keep on training ourselves and keep the gang together.

Tonight I was hosting and I'm pretty happy with how it went.  With a big crew we might be a bit crowded but with only Gavin, Helen and I we had plenty of room.

Deck Squats 20 x 2
3 x
Three phase pause squat x 5
One leg explosive box jumps to squat x 20 (ouch,haven't used those muscles for a while :) )

Bulgarian split squat 16kg each hand
5 x 5

Rope Shenanigan merry go round (run end to end means no rest)

50 up and down x 5 each
50 jump lunge x 5 each
50 side to side x 5 each
50 overs x 5 each

Run 1km
Stretch

Beach Rd goodness

AM

I parked at the usual Albert Park starting place all alone and headed down to Beach Rd.  My legs were pretty sore from Jeff's Thursday farewell gift so I was happy to just cruise. 

I really like running along Beach Rd most of the time, so many pretty colours and hot legs to look at as they whiz by.  I ran out for 5km and then turned around to come home.  Oh, where was the turnaround you ask?  Why, right outside Cafe Racer.

I noticed I was speeding up as I ran back into the headwind so I decided to turn up the pace a little.  Then I decided to turn up the pace alot.

I was cruising at 5 30 kms for most of the run, then I went to 5 and finished off with 4 20's.   It felt awkward but still good fun.  I love pushing it and feeling my legs respond, gives me faith that I should keep at it.

10km

I'm a bit sad

time to HTFU.

The last one

Last Thursday session with Jeff.  This has been my absolute favourite hour of the week for so many years, I have dozens of happy memories of hanging out in the shed with Neil, Justin, Alex, Gavin and Helen or even the old timers Jason, John, Jim and Steve.  These people have taught me so much about being an athlete and going until you can't give any more. 

They've taught me how to train and how to live so you get the most out of each day.We've laughed together, sweated together and spewed together.

One in a million, that's what Thursdays at the shed were. 

length of hall
high knees
quad stretch
hip to cradle
dragon lunge
board jump
jump lunge
spider walk
bear crawl
backwards lunge
for 20 min

10kg tyre tube
15 round body pass ew x 5
50 squat to clean
50 squat to back of neck
circuit of hell x 30
circuit of hell x 30
circuit of hell x 40
tyre push x 10

Do you know, this is the first week I've been able to do the tyre push and I'm not really sad to say I hope I never do it again.

Twitchy eye

means need more sleep.

The time is right

AM

It was a nice morning for a run around the Tan this morning, my legs and achilles are sore from my epic walk on Sunday but I thought it was as good a time as any to test them out.  I ran up Anderson St once, it felt ok, there was no speed but it felt ok.  Then I did 2 x 400m repeats, they didn't feel so great, I had no form and was landing really heavy.  I took off for another km cruise and then finished up with one more 400m.  It felt a little better but not fantastic.

ARVO

I picked out my road bike last week and today I picked out some shoes.  My foot doesn't fit in the women's specialized range so I've gone with the men's (expert?) with the carbon sole.  The colour isn't my favourite but Mrs Barb will like them.

PM

Jeff's at the gym

Marc's first night back after a few weeks off and Jeff was always going to make it a good one.  All rest in prone push up hold to begin with then some added movement for interest added in.

16kg KBell
40 1A swings each hand
rest - caterpillar (foot to opposite hand under body)
40 cleans each hand
rest - knee to elbow 20es
30 cleans each hand
plank hands to elbows 40
40 lunges
rest - knee to elbow 20 es
30 lunges
rest - caterpillar 40
20 lunges
rest knee to elbow
cleans 30 es
rest - caterpillar
20 cleans es
rest - plank elbows to hands 15
10 cleans es
plank 1 minute

Fi's Marathon

I've been up at the Gold Coast for the weekend to be support crew for Fi during her first marathon.  I knew it was going to be hard to watch her and not run myself but I had no clue as to how difficult it was going to be.

I need to think about the race a little more before I post a complete update.  I will say....

It was not Fi's day
the marathon is all about learning how you cope when thing's go wrong
never try something on race day you haven't tried in training
Fi is tough
it's hard to watch a friend hurting
42 km is a long way and it really only starts at 30km
Fi is tough
Fi is tough
Fi is tough
This won't be her last one

It was the last Jeff Sunday session and it sounds like it was a beauty.  Lots of old friends were there having fun and hurting.
Thanks for teaching me how to hang in Jeff and keep going no matter what.  That's a good lesson to have learnt.

Dinner with old friends

rest

Fun stuff

AM

One lap of the tan this morning. I've had a carb heavy, corporate catering week so I felt a bit heavy but still felt better than a few weeks ago.

PM Jeff's @ the Hall

I rode to meet Helen, she's had some bad news this week so we had alot to talk about. 

high knees
butt kick
cradle
spider lunge
dragon lunge
backwards lunge

jump lunge
board jumps
for 10 mins

10kg tyre tube
30 round body twist
30 squat to clean back of neck
30 squats
30 backwards lunge
30 jump lunge
30 jump squat
30 push up

50 round body twist
50 squat to clean
50 squats
50 backwards lunge
50 jump lunge
50 jump squat
30 push ups

push tyre length of hall x 2

Then rode home with Helen.

zzzz

slept in.

something to remember me by

AM

went running from home this morning, it was a nice morning but I felt a little dusty after a glass of wine and a late night with Amy.  It's been lovely having her stay and play.

Dist 6.5kms

PM Jeff's @ the gym

Couple of beginners put the dampeners on a killer session Jeff had planned,  he needs to work harder at keeping the newbies away!  I wasn't too sad as I've had a couple of weeks off and the first one back always really hurts.

16kg kbell

round body pass 25 ew x 2
3 mins work 30 secs rest
one arm swing change hands (ch) on 20
clean ch on 15
jerk ch on 15
jerk ch on 15
lunge cl on 15
long cycle ch on 15
snatch ch on 15
single leg deadlift cl on 10
clean ch on 15

That will hurt tomorrow, disabled toilet here I come.

Bec's back

Bec joined Jen and I at the pool this morning, it was her first session back since having Mitchell and the first time she's been in the water with us.  I found it funny that she talked more than us.  

warm up
high knees
20 secs on, 5 secs rest
20 secs on, no rest
tabata sprints 50m
resistance lane rope lunges x 10
tread water hot potato 10 mins
tread water, hot potato dive for weighed ball 10 mins
under water dive 25m Yay!
cool down

I bought a soccer ball today so the tread water hot potato will be a little harder next time.

All good things must come to an end...

Tonight was my last Sunday at Jeff's.  I don't quite have my head around the fact that something that has been such a major part of life for over 8 years has come to an end.  I've driven to that shed twice a week for such a long time, I think I'll find myself there out of habit.

I've spoken with a few of the special kettlebell crew and we are all in agreement about what we've got from Jeff.

Not just an incredible level of fitness and access to one of the sharpest fitness minds in the country.  I know I value the friendships I've made, it's so special that I have a gang of friends that think exactly the same way I do about training and competing.  I never have to explain myself, they know what I'm capable of and I know when to push them.  I respect every one of them and consider them among my closest friends.

By far, the most valuable thing we've got from Jeff is confidence.  Confidence in our physical abilities and also confidence in our mental strength....confidence in our bodies as well as our minds.

I know I'm a different person to the one that rocked up at Doherty's so many years ago.  Jeff has pushed me past my perceived limits so many times that I now believe I'm capable of anything I put my mind to.  No limits.  HTFU. Laugh, have fun, live and train hard.

Thanks Jeff.  I wouldn't be me without you.

Tyre drag 1/2 hour
straight arms, superman, arms behind and backwards
rope shenanigans
20 mins
tyre hits with the mallets
500
then one arms and double arms

THE END of Sunday's xxx

Well, what do you know?

HAH!

comeback run today!  It felt awesome to be running with Fi again!! I loved it.

Actually, I felt very reflective and priveliged to be running with my beautiful friend.  We've come along way together and shared some very special k's so it was lovely to share her last training run.

We ran around and about Richmond.  We went past Em's gym but her car wasn't there so I didn't go in.  We noticed a gorgeous sunrise and some interesting architecture as well, we talked, we laughed, I sweated, Fi cruised.

Actually, we ran fast, our slowest speed by my Garmin was 5 30 pace and we ended up well under 5 min k's. 

I was talking to a friend this evening and he reminded me not to get ahead of myself.  It's all about running for fun at the moment, no pressure, no time goals, no event planning.

Well, event planning of another kind.  This kind, and this kind, and this kind!

dist 11 kms

Dinner but no date...

I'd planned a lovely pre marathon dinner with Fi for this evening so I got up a little earlier for a teensy workout.

Skip 10 mins
16kg kbell
100 2arm swings
100 1 arm swings
50 cleans
skip 5 mins

A good day

AM

It was a nice morning at the Tan today and I was happy to be running.  It felt good and I wanted to keep going.

5.5kms

PM

I was late finishing work so I rode like the clappers to meet Helen and then we continued onto the Hall.

Usual warm up then 15 mins of
10kg tyre tube
board jumps
bounds
dragon lunge
lunge
reverse lunge
jump lunge
cossack lunge

30 round body pass
30 swing to squat
30 squats
30 reverse lunge
30 jump lunge
30 jump squat
30 round body pass

Tabata 1 round (8 repeats alternating)
jump squats
jump lunge
squat

tyre tube push
3,3,2,2,2

rode to the hospital to visit Gavin but he wasn't there, then I actually rode up Burgundy St for the first time!  I've been too scared to do that on the big gear but it was ok on the 42:22.

rode back to Moreland Rd with Helen having a lovely chat then I said goodbye and continued on home.

Nix

On a leadership course for work so no time for training today. 

Too rainy

AM

I ran for just 1/2 hour this morning at the Tan.  My legs are still really tired after the weekend and I was pretty happy to cut it short.  I'd like to work up to high intensity for 30 minutes rather than endurance as that will help my CX racing.

PM

Too rainy for kettlebells at the gym.  very disappointing as I was looking forward to getting smashed.

CX tired

Absolutely tired out today, with a big orange sized lump on my right ITB.  Don't even remember hitting my leg, but it probably happened on a dismount.  The bruise is starting to go black, super black, I hope the swelling goes down soon.  I've still got a sprinters cough too which is a little strange, I guess I'm more efficient at running so I don't get it any more running.  It's annoying though, I sound like a sick smoker.

I went to the pool with Jen this morning, it was busier than a usual Wednesday, we had company in the aqua play lane.  Our friendly lifeguard was laughing at the games we play.

25 m run
25m x 2 straight legs
20 sprint 10 sec recovery x 8
High knees 20 secs, run to rope, 5 secs rest x 6
High knees 20 secs run to rope no rest x 6
lane rope resistance run
max effort sustained at lane rope x 6
run to lane rope and stay there x 6
max dive 25 metres YAY!!!!  cough, cough, cough, wheeze, wheeze
max dive 25m broken into 3
dive for the ball racing Jen, she won every time, 6 x 25m

the end.  Fun, love the pool.

Here's some photos from yesterday....

CX photos

Dirty Deeds CX

Dirty, sooo dirty.  So much fun.  I am shattered.

I finished racing over 3 hours ago and I'm still coughing.  That is honestly the hardest effort ever.   I felt much more confident in the mud, so confident in fact that I had fun taking the deepest lines through the mud pit much to the delight of the crowd.  It was nice that some of them came and said thanks for the entertainment later.

I took a beer hand up which made me want to spew so I might not do that again.  I was the only girl riding a SS, I just can't keep up with the gearies so was pretty happy with 5th.

My dismounts were good until my legs gave out and then it felt a little hairy.  No crashes but I still managed to take bark off my leg and have a massive bruise on one of my knees that will need some ice.

Can't wait for next time.

Much better!

AM

10km loop around Princes Park this morning had my perfect sound track.  Islands in the Stream, 9-5 and Jolene kept me amused the whole way around.  Legs felt pretty good, I'm starting to feel a bit tight in the right glute so I"ll need to book in a massage after the CX race.
I was pretty happy with how I felt, I was having fun, which was nice.

Midday
Left Montmorency (Tim and Micala's place) and rode to Hans loop.  It was more muddy than last week but I managed to ride the whole way round.  I needed to unclip for some of the more technical stuff but I only unclipped in terror once on a rocky descent.  I managed to pedal most of the uphills and the more muddy sections.  I finished the loop more that half as fast as last week and I had way more fun because I wasn't as scared.   I hope to do this ride every weekend for a while so I can work on my skills.
We went to Eltham Burger Lounge which might be a new favourite after Hans and then rode up the hills back to Micala's.

I was filthy, hosed off at her place and then came back home and cleaned up some more.  

PM
hungry and tired!

Thurs June 16

AM
Lovely run around my burb this morning.  Islands in the stream kept me very good company the whole way around, it was probably lucky I was running by myself.  I felt good, nice run.

6.5km

PM
Rode my mtb to training at the hall.

Usual warm up
then some reverse lunges, cossack lunges, dragon lunges, board jumps over and over again. 
10kg tyre tube
30 round body pass
30 squat to clean behind head
30 squats
30 reverse lunge
30 jump lunge
30 jump squat
30 push ups

50 round body pass
50 squat to clean behind head
50 squats
50 reverse lunge
50 jump lunge
50 jump squat
50 push ups (no weight)

bag push length of the hall return x 8 or so

then ride home

Fri June 17

nil by legs

how cool.

Inside Pool this morning.

25m x 2 run
25m x 2 straight legs
high knees 15 secs 5 secs rest x 6
high knees 15 secs no rest x 6
high knees 20 secs 5 secs rest x 6
high knees 20 secs no rest x 6
max dive...........................swim back

I did 25m x 3

Wow!  it hurt everything, particularly my quads.  I was very excited and am looking forward to going further next week.  I was pretty shattered after the 3rd

Resistance run to lane rope x 10, good form this week, getting stronger

Dive for the ball 25m x 2

The end.  I hope we're back outside next week.  I like it better even though it's freezing.