Running Negative Splits

It’s the end of the week and the end of the month. First Saturday of the month tomorrow which means 10k Club Handicap Race for me.

Since last months handicap race I’ve been progressively working towards running a negative split 10k for October’s race! I thought this would be an ideal race strategy for this upcoming run. I figured it would also help me run my own race and not just sprint off with everyone else in the beginning! So while everyone is running fast for the first mile ill be holding back a bit and sticking with my race plan I’m hoping that my pacing skills are getting better and I will attain optimal race results.

A little rundown on what a Negative Split is for non runners. In a nutshell a negative split is when your speed increases during the run so the second half is faster than the first half. The speed increase can either be a minimal or a substantial amount. (ie; running a bit slower for the first third of the run, pick up the pace in the middle and finish with strength & speed). For every runner this will be different depending on what their goal time is!

Twice a week during my interval sessions (Tuesday & Thursday) I’ve been practicing negative splits. From this I took note at how much better I felt during/after a speed workout. My negative split abilities still need a little fine tuning but I am getting there!

The Plan for Saturday Morning:

• Start the race 10-20secs per mile slower than my race pace
• Gradually build up speed as I near the middle of the race
• Once I’ve hit my race pace I will start to pass as many tired runners as I can

It will take some self control but I will not be tempted to speed up when all the other runners fly by in the beginning. lol I can just imagine the conversation that will be going on in my head tomorrow morning.

I didn’t get to capture many of my eats today. So you will have to use your imaginations!

5:45am- 5k Run

Post Run- Green Tea, Oatmeal with Mixed Berries, Chai Seeds, Vanilla Creme Protein Powder and a dash Mixed Spice

Later that morning I went to grab some coffee with my dad. I was still feeling hungry and the cafe we went to was still serving breakfast. So I ordered their Seasonal Fruit Bowl with Citrus Yogurt.

Spent the rest of the morning shopping! I ended up buying a new running crop…couldn’t help myself (even though my wardrobe overflows with running gear).

Lunch was eaten at a different restaurant. I’ve been here about a dozen times and I always get the same thing either something with Salmon and combine that with the Greek Salad. But today I ordered off their Breakfast menu! I went with the Muesli, Honey Yogurt, Milk, Fruit and Chai Latte

I was feeling tired this afternoon so I skipped my workout that I had planned and just relaxed. Saving myself for tomorrow!

Pre-Dinner Snack- Strawberries & Green Tea + Sesame Snaps

Well I hope you’ve all had a lovely week

Weekend Plans? Saturday 10k race, Sunday 15k Long Run & I’m going to the Zoo for my friends B’day!

Tuesday & Wednesday Workout Recap

Happy Wednesday Everyone I hope your all enjoying the week so far!

Tuesday Morning started with a delicious breakfast. I was going to try out a new recipe that I had bookmarked from another blog. Sometimes it’s so hard to choose between them all there are so many amazing one’s out there! I had a craving for Sweet Carrot Oats. This was my second time making them and they tasted delish

In between Breakfast and Lunch I snacked on some Mixed Raw Nuts, Sesame Snaps, Apple & Cinnamon Muffin and a Mango-Coconut Fruit Ice.

Tuesday was definitely the day I went with what I craved! For lunch I roasted my fave veggie Beetroot and had that with some Brussel Sprouts + Blueberry, Muesli, Yogurt Parfait.

Afternoon Workout: 2 x45min Intervals on the Bike. It was a tough and sweaty workout. But I’m seeing the benefits from these workouts in my 10k times as well as in my Long Runs. Increased Stamina & Endurance

Post Workout: Chocolate Milk, Stretching & Ice Bath and snacked on my last Apple & Cinnamon Muffin with some Yogurt and a Mandarin.

Wednesday: Today I woke up just before 5am. Started off with my Pre-Workout fuel of Black coffee to get my heart rate up and a tablespoon of Honey.

Workout 5:45am-  3k warm up run followed by Hill Training. Completed 10 repetitions running at close to race pace. 2k warm down run back home. Just to rehydrate a bit before I moved on to some Light Weights I had a scoop of protein powder with 250ml water.  Shoulder Press 15 reps x3, Bicep Curls 20 reps x3, Side Raise 15 reps x2 Done!! Chocolate Milk & spent 15-20mins Stretching.

Breakfast: Green Tea & Blueberry Oatmeal with Vanilla Creme Protein Powder and a dash of Mixed Spice.

Morning & Afternoon Snack

I’ve significantly increased my mileage this week hopefully my pace won’t suffer too much in the short term. But in the long run the harder workouts I’ve been doing plus the increased mileage are valuable and will help me become faster. It will give me confidence when I’m racing knowing that I can push on and finish hard

Spent the afternoon working on my workout routine and goals for October. It’s definitely crunch time now with quite a few upcoming races/events.

I’m Sprinting Again

Kicking it up a notch from last weeks Strides and getting back into Sprints. I was going to do Strides again but since my knee felt reasonably good during this morning’s 5k Recovery run…sprints was back on the menu for this afternoon’s workout!

Brekkie Post Run: Green Tea, Oatmeal with Vanilla Creme Protein Powder, Mixed Berries, Banana Slices, Chai Seeds & Goji Berries

Mid Morning Snack: Carrot sticks, Sesame Snaps, Apple & Cinnamon Muffin

Lunch: Broccoli, Sugar Snap Peas, Chickpeas smothered in Tomato Sauce & Mixed Berry, Yogurt & Muesli Parfait

10 x 100m Sprints = Done! Between each repetition I had a 1-2min walk recovery. For each set I ran close to full speed. I was just on a high after both workouts today. I taped my knee and it didn’t hinder my performance in any way. So I rejoiced in these 2 small victories

Post Afternoon Workout: Chocolate Milk & 200ml Water with Protein Powder

Afternoon Snack: Orange Slices, Apple & Cinnamon Muffin

Dinner: Baby Spinach, Tomato, Canned Salmon, Sweet Potato, Goat Cheese, Green Beans, Carrot, Broccoli also had a Grapefruit (not pictured)

Some Benefits of Sprinting

• Sprinting Increases Stamina
• Strengthens your Cardiovascular System
• Strengthens your Skeletal Muscles

Goal for the week: I will rejoice in each and every small milestone

Thought for the day: Everyone progresses at their own pace!

It’s Sunday Already

The only reason why we ask other people how their weekend was is so we can tell them about our own weekend.
~Chuck Palahniuk

Well another weekend flies by!

Weekend Highlights:

I started off Saturday morning with a 10k club run. Finished the run with a time of 40:55. Felt great throughout the run and managed to keep up with the guys for the first 7k. I dropped back for the next 2k and for the last 1k I decided to kick it a bit and see if I could at least have them in my sight. I finished 33secs behind the guys so I was extremely happy with this result.

Breakfast Post-Run: Green Tea, Yogurt, Banana & Apple & Cinnamon Muffin

Sunday’s Long Run was a 7am start. The weather was Grey but the rain held off till the very end of the run. For this run I decided to run with my dad’s running club. So the run mapped out for today was a 13.1k at 6mins per k. I stuck with the group for the first 1k then decided to pick up the pace. Two other guys were game to break away as well so I joined them and we increased the pace. Even though we ran at a faster pace it was still comfortable enough to hold a conversation! Overall awesome run and great company. I will definitely be doing my Sunday long runs with this group from now on. I’m glad I went

I spent Sunday Afternoon re-evaluating the events I will be competing in for the next 3 months. I’ve come to the decision that I will have to skip a few races. Less might have to be better at this stage. I think this will be best for me in the long run. After being pain free for about a week my left knee decided to be a pain after the run ugh! Looks like I will be taping it for tomorrow’s recovery run. This week I will be going through the whole process again of icing it after each run & heating packs before bed. I want to be ready for this coming Saturday’s 10k Club Handicap Race.

Sorry I don’t have photos of my weekend edibles but I wasn’t home all Saturday and for most of Sunday!

Workout Plan for the week:

Monday: AM-5k Recovery Run, PM-Short Sprints

Tuesday: PM-2 x45min Intervals on the Bike

Wednesday: AM-Hill Sprints & Light Weights

Thursday: PM-2 x45min Intervals on the Bike

Friday: AM-5k Recovery Run

Saturday: 10k Club Handicap Race

Sunday: Long Run 10-15k

How Was Everyone Else’s Weekend?

Apple & Cinnamon Muffins

Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday. ~ Author Unknown

Yes it’s that time of the week again. When we can all breathe a sigh of relief & relax!

I was up nice and early ready for my 5k run and even did the Hill twice halfway through…so I guess my run was a little over 5k today! Got back home and did the whole Chocolate milk, Stretching & Breakfast.

Not too soon after I decided to bake some Muffins

Apple & Cinnamon Muffins

• 1 cup Self Raising Flour
• 1 cup Soy Milk
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 Granny Smith Apple cored & chopped
• 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 Egg

1. Mix Flour and Cinnamon in a large bowl.
2. Whisk Soy milk, Egg and Olive oil in a smaller bowl.
3. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Mixture should still be lumpy.
4. Add chopped Apple and stir to combine. Don’t over mix!
5. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter into each Muffin tin.
6. Bake in the oven for 25mins. Allow to stand in pan for 5mins before serving.

Makes 12

These Muffins made their way into my Morning Snack and Afternoon Snack

Also had an afternoon workout which consisted of 45mins of Intervals on the bike. I followed this up with of course Chocolate milk, Stretching & Ice Bath. The rest of my afternoon/evening included a bit Reading & TV.

Weekend Plans:

Saturday: 7:30am 10k Club Run, Lunch with Family Friends, Dinner will be at a Vietnamese Restaurant for a friends Birthday! I will be out all day!!

Sunday: 7am 15k run and then some grocery shopping later in the day.

What are your plans for the Weekend?

“Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them.”
– John Shirley

Running Fuel

Oatmeal: Low GI and full of Carbs! Provides sustained release of energy into the bloodstream & helps lower cholesterol in your body.

Fruit: Mangoes-plenty of Vitamin A and beta carotene. Strawberries-rich in Vitamin C. Kiwi Fruit-Vitamin C & Potassium.

Dairy: Calcium, Protein & Carbs.

Vegetables: Fiber, Iron, Potassium, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A.

Workout this afternoon: 2  x45min Sessions on the Stationary Bike. Completed some High Intensity Intervals! This has to be one of my favorite ways to cross train and improves my running efficiency at the same time.

So glad I don’t have classes on Friday’s. I have some baking planned for tomorrow!

The weekend is just around the corner. Take it easy this Thursday

Things That Make Me Happy

We’re halfway through the week and this makes me smile. Only 2 more days till the weekend!

‘Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold

the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul’ - Aristotle

Here are some simple things that make me happy

Early Morning Runs

The Peaceful Feeling Of Drifting Off To Sleep

Being By The Sea

The Feeling I get When I Achieve A Far Off Goal

Curling Up With A Good Book

Memories Of Being A Tomboy Climbing Trees, Riding Bikes & Scooters

I had an awesome day. Morning Hill Sprints followed by some Light Weights, went shopping and bought some new running gear and a new book to read!

Happy Wednesday Everyone

So Tell Me What Makes You Happy?

Easing Back Into Speed Work

Waking up on Monday Morning’s is normally the worst feeling ever! Another week to count down till the next weekend.

I overcame my Monday Blues with a low intensity 5k Recovery Run. I jogged my usual route then followed up with some Chocolate Milk and Stretched when I returned home.

I went with something I had been craving this morning for Breakfast: Fruit Plate (Grapefruit, Kiwi Fruit and a Banana with PB&J.

Few hours later I snacked on some Cucumber sticks, Sesame Snaps & Dates.

The good thing about Monday’s for me = No classes. I generally use this to do some cleaning, and indulge in one of my fave pastimes reading! I’ve been pretty slack lately on setting time aside for myself to just escape into a good book and relax my mind.

So I decided to finish off a novel that I had set aside. Secret Daughter By Shilpi Somaya Gowda. I’d been wanting to finish this book but lately I’ve been tired and there’s always a million things that need to be done.

As a Social Work student I was attracted to the theme of adoption in this particular book and the effects on both the birth family, adoptee and the adoptive family. The book has a good plot, and the author captures the anguish of motherhood and a child’s search for her origins through two interwoven stories. It was hard to believe that this was Shilpi’s first novel she ties together adoption, family and search for one’s self quite nicely.

In between reading/relaxing I was craving Sushi for lunch. So I went to pick some up to enjoy with my usual Mixed Berry Parfait.

This was a very filling lunch and got me through my afternoon training session.

Afternoon Workout: Since this was my first speed work session in approx 2 weeks. I decided to do Strides (less then 200m of faster running). My main focus in here was working on running form -Strong torso, Arm swing, Leg speed. Overall this was a gentle but effective workout. So my workout consisted of a Warm Up, Stretch, Formal set of Strides, Warm Down & Stretch. I came home and of course had some Chocolate milk and followed this up with an Ice Bath.

Then I was free to enjoy the rest of the evening “actively resting” and do some more reading

Hoping You All Have a Great Start to the Week!

Sunday Telegraph Body + Soul Bridge Run

2011 Blackmores Sydney Running Festival kicked off this morning with the Half Marathon at 6:30am, the 7:30am Full Marathon, 8am Family Fun Run then my race the 9k Body and Soul Bridge Run!

My race was the last one to start at 9am. It was forecast to be a hot one today (86)…I was already hot and a little sweaty by 8am. At least the weather is warming up here, Spring is off to a great start

I decided to not tape my knee for today’s race since I had been fairly pain free for the last 2-3 days. But my knee hold up for entire race ( I was nervous about this) .

I stuck to my plan of starting off at a moderate pace and really focusing on the middle k’s and finally finishing hard. I’m glad I made a plan it helped with getting in the zone and running my own race. It’s so easy to stick with someone and not really move out of your comfort zone. Through parts of the race I was hesitant at times of passing people. I kept thinking to myself am I going too fast, should I slow it down. But as soon as those thoughts popped into my head I was like no keep doing what your doing….run your own race!

I didn’t quite make the time I had wanted but I’m still happy with the results overall. I was going to blame my injury for my performance and because I had to back off training for the last 2 weeks. But that’s just life! Every race will be different there will always be factors beyond your control. Just got to go with it and make the best of the situation.

I finished the 9k Bridge Run with a time of 36:21 (Average Pace 4:02 per km)

7th out of 2 832 Females 20-29 (Age Division)

16th out of 8 736 Overall Females

Now that’s over and done with I have my next 10km Club Handicap Race in 2 weeks. I can finally ease back into Hill and Sprint Training this week

My Training Schedule for the Week:

Monday: 5k Recovery Run (Morning) + Short Burst Intervals (Afternoon)

Tuesday: 2 x 45min sessions on the Bike

Wednesday: Hill/Speed Work + Light Weights

Thursday: 2x 45min sessions on the Bike

Friday: 5k Run (Morning) + 45mins on the Bike

Saturday: 10k Club Training Run

Sunday: Long Run 15-20k

The rest of my Sunday Afternoon was spent relaxing and catching up on blogs while sipping on some Green Tea & munching on this yummy Muesli Cookie

Sorry this was such a picture-less post!

What Did You All Get Up To This Weekend?

Sunday’s Race Strategy/Tactics

Here’s my plan and race strategy for the 9k race on Sunday! I’m going to treat it as though it was a 10k race though.

Nutrition wise this week I’ve been eating foods like pasta & rice with my dinner. Lots of fruit and veggies throughout the day pretty much with every meal/snack. Yogurt, Chocolate Milk and Protein Shakes have been my source of Protein.

Rest & Recovery: This has been a bit of a challenge for me considering my sleeping patterns have been slightly erratic this past week. Waking up at unheard of hours! But these next 2 days I will try and get 8hrs of sleep and Ill most likely have an afternoon nap on Saturday. Hopefully this will help with muscle recovery and relaxation!?

Strategy: ok so my race starts at 9am. Pre-Race I plan on having my usual Black Coffee + Protein Powder with 200ml water. Ill warm up about 8:30am for about 15mins (moderate intensity jogging) and follow that up with 5mins of Stretching. I’m going to try and line up as close as possible to the front. When the gun goes off ill start at at a moderate pace for the first 2k. I will make up the time in the next 5-6k.

Things I’ve got to remember:

• Don’t go out too fast
• Maintain good posture/form
• Relaxed Breathing
• Concentrate on the middle k’s
• Stay mentally tough pain is only temporary
• Finish hard and try and overtake as many runners as possible

My workouts and eats these past 2 days have looked something like this:

Thursday: 2 x 45min sessions on the bike

Friday: 5k run + 45mins on the bike

Ahhh this week went so quickly. I’m not complaining though

What’s Everyone’s Plans For the Weekend? Saturday Morning I plan on walking the course and then chilling, stretching & sleeping for the rest of the day.