Just the double commute. 6km across Bicentennial before work. Back again the same way before NYE kicked off. Still holding off adding any quality training for another week or so. ...
Monday Just an easy 50 min run with Wooey during lunch. He seemed to be really struggling towards the end. Headed out to Pyrmont wharves before circling back around Hickson. Tuesday Headed out to Rushcutters with Charlie at lunch. Chose to avoid doing the HuRTS 45 progressive tempo. Not the right time to do this at this time of year. Parted ways after...
A little scattered in the running over Xmas as planned. A quick fly through of the last few days Friday (Boxing Day) - headed down for a single lap of the Bay Run. Felt pretty sluggish after a full day of non-stop Xmas feasting. Did a short recovery down to Balmain with Lorie in the afternoon to add another 8km or so. Saturday...
My initial visit scored a resounding 8/10. Logical progression - head East again and try lunch. Highly recommended by running mate Mike C. Same place, different menu (lunch), new company (Mike C) Does lunch really trump brunch? Menu has six amazing sounding salads - thankfully no farcical names or puns. Just a list of the key ingredients with solid protein add-ons (hot smoked...
Last one for the year. Joined a very small but dedicated HuRTS crew of 12 down at the Opera House Gates for 10x 3 min intervals with 60 sec rest. This is suppose to be done at threshold pace. Turned up 5 min late, so I only did 9 reps. Just a shirtless CT out front with a larger pack of 10 led...
Been a little slack on the run updates last few days. Combination of: - moving house, - no internet - broken TomTom GPS watch, just got it fixed though - R&R – I’ve put some good training in this year, want to rest up over Xmas/NY period. Only notable run last few days has been a double Bay Run on Saturday morning. I...
First up on my new neighborhood (Inner West) is a local favourite. Local Press absorbs a lot of foot-traffic from the Lilyfield Food Markets, just 50m away. The Local Press - Lilyfield I pitch this to a hungry wife as a safe bet: solid spoon rating, #1 pick of our neighbours and mid-range pricing. Menu is high impact and features house cured salmon. So...
Very little to report. Using the second half of this week to really freshen up. Wednesday - easy run into work and back again after work. Thursday - absolutely nothing, even used public transport for once! ...
With a now 6+6km run to work plus a daily run at lunch, mileage is getting out of control. Triple run Monday and again today. The key is keeping the commute at 6 min/km plus. Today session was the 45 min HuRTS fartlek: 60s on, 30s off with a turnaround at 22.5 min. I love this session. Smaller turnaround today, many of the...
Sunday - Moving house Pretty exhausting Sunday, but a pending move is no excuse to derail training. 9am curfew for my morning run. Found myself in East Lindfield exploring a plethora or backstreet and mildly rolling hills. 15km quickly doubled but my legs were dangerously fresh from lack of a beating yesterday (rest day). With the move all day was was pretty exhausting...
Friday - Cremorne Point Loop Last time running into work from the North, so I grabbed it with both hands, trotted along Pac Highway and the Harbour Bridge. Did a mini detour around Circular Quay to bank 10km all before 7am. Seem to be feeling the affects of accumulated fatigue. Not so much so that I'd pass on a run down to Cremorne...
Big big fail from the GP. I'm anemic with very low iron - possibly explains my recent flatness / fatigue. Add to the mix high cholesterol too. Obviously I take this all with a grain of salt. Doubt the GP I saw has many other runner patients. Anyway, hard to do much today with the wind and rain. Caught up with Jono L...
Keeping the effort at a minimum but maintaining the miles. 10km into the city with Matt as per usual. Had to moderate his pace expectations to 5+ min/km Trying to savour these few remaining changes to run from the North, as I move to inner-west this coming weekend. Back out again at Lunch with newly-made dad Richard Woo (Wooey). Wooey's update - 3...
Bike just back from service and it runs like a dream. 25 min spin across the bridge and straight into a bricks run from Observatory Hill. I headed down to Hickson before shooting towards around Darling Harbour. Why do this? Well it was 6:30am, I was too early for work and I saw some floating Santas in the distance. Covered 6km on foot...
Great new smoothie idea from the weekend. Fact - smoothies need creaminess. This recipe uses avocados which are now in season. Also coconut almond spread is amazing in a drink. Good fats, low on carbs and very tasty.... please try. Coconut almond green smoothie Coconut Almond Green Smoothie (4 ingredients) - 1 avocado - 1-2 Tbsp coconut almond spread (use MiLA's) - 1...
Luckily the weather eased and I joined Matt for another very early trundle into the city. Small extension across Cahill Expressway brought the total to 10km. Pace around 5 min/km. Lunch came round, heat picked up to high 20s but the humidity was the killer. The double run for the day was with HuRTS down to Hickson Wharves. Terrible terrible cross-winds on the...
2nd weekend running with a notable absence of a long-run. Unsuccessfully tried to sneak out at 6:30am for a run through the rural roads of Matcham, Central Coast. What a fail - Lorie woke up, gave me a lecture about a much needed rest day and ordered me back. So all to report was a few laps in the pool (25 min total)...
Friday - Recovery Energy best described as deflated..,, so I brought forward my semi-annual GP check-up - check the iron which is always an issue. See if anything is abnormal next week. So it was just 10km of recovery in the morning. Small detour back around Luna Park. Also no to the usual Redleaf run at lunch. I did get out for a...
Uneventful recovery run again into the city - certainly glad the crazy overnight stores had cleared. Kept the pace incredibly slow with the knowledge I would be back out at lunch. It wasn't a hard decision to give the HuRTS hills session a miss. Instead, headed out with Charlie D back across the bridge onto the North Shore. The visit this time ......
Found some unexpected company in the Northside Runners for 3km of my commute this morning. Basically got swept up in a group of 10 along the Willoughby cycle paths. Turns out they do 10km in the area most morning plus trails on Saturdays. Round 2 at lunch on the legs. All I can say is humid, humid and humid. It's getting tougher and...
I've lied to the misses and am not proud of it... Was on the receiving end an intervention last night - she saw my Strava kms last week and joined the dots with my comment at the start -"this will be an easy week". The result was a blanket ban on intervals at lunch. This was not a bad thing mind you -...
Caught in two minds as to whether I will re-attempt a rest week. In the absence of a decision, I joined Matt for a very early commute. First km spit of 5:20, and like clockwork came the comment from the front "can we go a little faster...". I'm sure he's sick of my perpetual complaints about sore legs. Hence I obliged and we...
Saturday - Northbridge Trails 5 hours sleep not enough to dull my enthusiasm for a 6:45am start with Bryan. Kicked off at Artarmon Station and headed down the back streets of Northbridge. Heat picked up quickly and the trails starting at the gold course provided great respite. This brought us to Tunks park, where at Bryan's request we did a short monkey bar...
Once again much too difficult to do a passive Friday... Morning was brilliant ... slightly cloudy but a lot cooler than earlier in the week. Started off with 9km recovery run to work. I seem to still be struggling with energy levels in the morning. Explains the 5:20 min/km pace but at an effort that felt much faster. Fridays have now turned into...
Again I've failed at keeping the mileage low. Early morning text from Matt asking for some run company into the city - had to oblige at a pace that is slightly-faster-than-recovery for 9km all up. I was looking for an excuse NOT to ride - lower back is really killing me after 2 days of easy cycling. Must be really bike unfit and/or...
Stopped off by Lane Cove pool again this morning, purely because I was up at 5:30am, looked at my scrawny arms and had nothing else to do. 1.5km very easy freestyle, before jumping back on the bike and off to work. Trying to minimise run mileage this week, so I turned down an offer for a 20km MLR to Bondi. Headed out to...
I very rarely have baked goods - too much butter, oil, refined sugar and refined carbs. The misses has just nailed a really simple combo... Big tick on being healthy, easy and tasty. Chai almond slice - 3 ingredients Chai Almond Slice (3 ingredients, 20 min) - 1 Jar (250g) Chai Spiced Almond Spread (use MiLA's) - 1 egg - 1/2 tsp baking soda...
Magpie 1, Hoey 0 Decided to roll the dice and ride to work in pretty damp roads. No longer than 5 min in I was deeply regretting this. There I was, riding innocently past Artarmon Oval, when I heard a piercing sound from the skies. Looked up just as a huge magpie came swooping down. Lucky I reacted fast, else I would have...
First day of a cut-back week, so no commute into work. Did the usual HuRTS wharves run in what was pretty uncomfortably hot/humid weather. Started a touch late so first 3km with Renee playing catch up. Found the group and took it really easy at around 5 min/km. This meant the main group went ahead and I hung back with Conway and Nathan....
Had to give the Striders Chatswood LR a miss today. Absolutely no incentive to be stuck in the heat after 8:30am. So instead, all I did was a recovery run out to Macquarie Hospital before shooting back along the Lane Cove cycle tracks. Not sure if it's a coincidence but two hospital visits in two days... all for the right reasons though. Happened...
After confessing my brunch addiction to a long-time running mentor (Conway), I was prescribed a visit to Lox, Stock & Barrel, a deli diner located 15 minutes from Bondi Beach. Lox, Stuck & Barrel My brunch company consisted the misses plus three new recruits: newly-made parents Nick and Christine plus a chubby 3 month bundle of joy. No secret that the best group...
Just realised I've banked some serious kms for 7 days straight and on track for another 150km week. It's all unplanned really, no idea why I'm doing so much mileage. Comes down to doing what I love, being uninjured, an understanding wife and no kids. Out the door at 6:40am on a warm Saturday morning for what turned into an unplanned long run....
Thursday Knew I was unable to do a lunch session so extended my commute around Blues Point and the beautiful boardwalks circling Luna Park. The ascent back up from the water to Milson Point is never fun, particularly early morning with a backpack. Great run nonetheless - 12km all easy. Circling Blue's Point Headed out again at lunch to stretch the legs once...
Astounded today how fresh I felt, as if I've taken 2-3 days off. The reality is obviously the opposite and I was expecting to be in a world of pain. Could it be the magic of the massage? Possibly, but gone is my tight ITB, chronic hamstring pain and swelling under left foot. 9km this morning with Matt at a slow progressive tempo....
Joined Matt for an early morning run to work. 9km all up as I was running in circles outside his apartment waiting for 5 min. Deliberately slowed him down to save my legs for lunch. Matt (RHS) and I near Milsons Point Lunch temperatures pushing high 20s and I was fairly unmotivated to push today's 45 min progressive tempo. Luckily most people started...
So my legs and lower right calf is still crying from Saturday's massage. Was told by MC after yesterday's half plus my morning jog, I should typically rest the day after... my mistake. HuRTS MLR around Hickson was pretty tough in pretty hot weather. Started 2 minutes late so had the pleasure of 5km at 4 min/km to catch a fairly large group...
Saturday - Long Run Didn't plan to do a LR but amazing how some nice trails and cool weather combine to double a planned 15km trail run. I retraced my steps from the Striders Willoughby Winder a few weeks ago. First 8km on road, then onto some easy trails from Castle Cove. 6km later I emerged a tad battered and bruised from some...
Deep in the depths of ‘hanger’ in our maiden trip to Eastwood at midday, how on earth did the misses and I find ourselves so desperate for a good brunch? Can't speak for Lorie, but I went head-to-head with some beautiful but brutal trail runs the same morning. The long long lead-up We checked out Café Centro, a 'hole in the wall’ set-up...
