Skygarden

Lots on today. Started early taking Tommy to his hospital apt in South Ken. Lots of interesting stuff there including the theory of 'breathing'. Learnt more in 10 minutes about running than ever before. 

J met us at South Ken tube and then ran the tube route past the Natural History museum (one of my favourite buildings), Harrods, Hyde Park, the Ritz, Picadilly onto Fleet Street (6kms).

Then a case of changing quickly to take the team out for lunch which I had booked at the new Skygarden (dubbed the 'electric shaver' building). It is something else and one of the endless new buildings that have gone up in London recently.

Worked late to catch up and left planning on running 5ks then hopping on train but felt good so just continued on. It was 10ish by the time I was home and freezing again. 23kms for the day in circa 4.30s. A long day.

* Right foot still sore on ball.

** Highlight of the day: hanging with my eldest son and grabbing brekkie after. I always enjoy his company.

Dark and icy

Usual frantic day with markets down massively.  Had a 30 min window at lunch so stretched.

My next window was 8pm and ran home in the dark being careful as was very icy. 17kms done picking up pace in last 7. In total 4.19s.

Rest

Easy day but gym'd it at lunch. Core, glute and calf work.

* Right foot sore on ball and heel.

Martin Luther King day

National holiday in the US so a wee bit quieter at work today.

Decided on run home, 1 degrees celsius when I left -2 when I got home. More kms banked. 17ks in 4.40s.

Had the boys going for some time before they twigged that the magic crayons were actually chocolate. The daft buggers actually thought I was eating crayons!

Running gods hope you were watching (101k for week)

Woke up to a winter wonderland for the first proper marathon session with Roger aka Messi. Not what I had expected.

The plan was for 4k easy, 5 tempo, 13 easy, 3 tempo, finishing with 6 easy.

It was very slippery underfoot which meant that the tempos were a good 10s slower than planned. The first 5k tempo I could only muster 3.50s and a touch slower for the 3k. Anyway after another heavy week including >42ks at sub 4min/k pace (of which 20 @ 3.45s) it's another small step forward.

Roger was well ahead on all the tempos averaging 3.30s which we did in Norman Park with the middle easy section heading out around Hayes and back. He's looking good for his 2.37. Very thankful that he laid on the session too. Rachel also helped us with the final 6 as we all jogged home together. 

Reflecting on the session whilst pleased it is done I was a tad dissapointed with the tempos (notwithstanding the snow) but felt fine at 30ks. Only took one H-5 gel today at the 13k marker and with no breakfast.

Pictures of the day, the first pulling back the curtains, Norman Park, the loop around Hayes and the boys' snow ball fight.

Smashed Saturday

Felt smashed all day and Palace also got smashed by City. Then fittingly saw this smash around the corner. Amazingly no one was hurt.

Forced myself out with Tommy on his bike around the houses and looping past his school plus their football and rugby grounds. 10ks in 5.05s. Smashed. 

Watched 'Me and Earl and the dying girl' with my boys, a good one!

2.15.25

Ran into work. It was below freezing when I left. Never felt good and the usual spur post Sydenham Hill (London's highest point) never materialised.  Running tired but done and more kms under the belt.

Then it was a case of head down and an intense 11 hours of non stop grind to 7.30 to clear the slate ahead of the weekend.

PS Doubters don't mess with my Paula.

London sunrise - 100 days to go

Momentum continues with 10k TTT (treadmill time trial) at lunch in 3.45s. It felt like 3.30s with my tired legs. Before Christmas I would have pulled the pin at 5k as was working really hard at that point but stuck it out albeit reverting back to old ragged habits after Tuesday's temporary fluency.

Running is so bloody mental and have been strong of late. 'Whatever it takes' is the new motto.

HR went as follows:
2.5k #146
5k #155
7.5k #158
10k #162

I was up at the crack of dawn this morning for brekkie with the powers at be. The sun rise was stunning, or as close as it can be in London town.

* jogged home in the dark. It is F.ING FREEZING.

London sunsets

Hectic as always but determined to gym it at lunch for some me time. 

Started with 30 minutes of core including calf and glute work and then jumped on treadmill before catching my breath. Thought of doing 7ks but then extended to 10 (4.17s) in case work got too busy to run home. Lo and behold that's exactly what happened.

Can tell I am getting stronger as felt better at end of run then at start when legs were fatigued from strength work. Guessing HR somewhere in the 130s, nice and mellow.

Enjoying this core work. This was always one of my strengths but have neglected it big time over the last few years.  It must be a 40s thing that you can no longer get away with not putting in the basics. Jacqueline is super strong on this and is thinking about training to be a PT. 

Today's sunset from office:

Eddie Jones

Told myself to man up and get involved in a proper session so blocked my diary, stocked up on electrolytes and headed to the gym (opted for the 4th treadmill in the middle isle). 

This time I brought fluids as have been overheating of late. The plan was to get though 10k keeping my HR in check and then knuckle down to 20kms. At 5k the HR was 146 and then at 10k only 1 notch higher at 147. Between 10 and 15k still no meaningful hike which got me to 150 by the 15th. I then threw caution to the wind and wound down to 3.45s for the final 5. At 17.5k the HR was up to 158 and then 161 for the final km. 

This run was a revelation. I even felt some fluidity coming back and really only the last km was I having to work hard. In comparison to this time last year my HR was over 160 at 10k and had to call it a day there.

I cannot put my finger on why but the fluids definitely helped plus I ran in my own gear as oppose to the crappy gym stuff.

Elated I then signed up for the Brighton half on 28 Feb and will also do Hastings (March 20) and then Fulham 3 weeks later again on April 10.

The only snag is we have now booked our 2 weeks skiing in Austria over Easter (first two weeks in April). It's either going to be ideal high altitude training or last minute injury disappointment. I am hoping for the former nevertheless the boys are pumped.

This evening I attended a great session with Eddie Jones, the new head coach of England Rugby. He was introduced as the former Australian. He quipped that he 'was a former Australian coach' and that he was still very much Aussie!

He spoke about the Woodward team when they were 'humming with a packed Twickenham - nothing better in world rugby' and referred to his 3 pillars of success:

Preparation

Attitude

Effort

All equally important.

He spoke at length about the South Africa game and how the moment changed Japan rugby. Interestingly Japan did not have one player taller than 6 foot 6 whereas SA had plenty. Japan ended up being the #2 ranked line-out side in the entire rugby WC (see #1 Preparation above).

He spoke very highly about Ben Teo at Leinster. One to look out for (he played with Sammy Burgess at the Rabitohs). On that note he thought it was rediculous that Sammy was asked to play 2 union positions, 'any full time union player would have struggled'.  If he had had 15 games under his belt he 'could have been the difference'.

On overseas players being allowed back in i.e. Steffon Armitage: 'I would not feed him' he said as in the Media have hyped him too much.

England's achilles heel is 'the fact that players are too pleased to have the shirt as oppose to winning'. We shall see.

One thing for sure is that it is going to be entertaining with him at the helm.

Bromley boy Bowie

No time but did manage 30 mins at lunch for strength.

Palace an absolute shoo-in for the FA cup.

Dad's home team: 

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35212032?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_sport&ns_source=facebook&ns_linkname=sport

Hilly long (109k for week)

Dreading this one again. Roger and I had decided to run my Hilly Long route which is the main cycling route where I live. There are literally hundreds of cyclists that come from all over London to do this route around the country lanes which loop around Biggan Hill airport.

It is an absolutely brutal run with nigh on 500m of vertical climbing. In fact the first 18ks feel like a monotonous uphill with some sections so steep the cyclists struggle to get up.

Roger was running fluently as always and if he can remain injury free he could be on for 2.35 at London. On the way back he rolled his left ankle after knocking the average down from 4.36s to 4.28s. Ended up with 33.5k at 4.30s which on this course is really ok.

109k for the week with some decent tempos thrown in. Need more of the same next week and the week after before heading to NY later in the month.

Run on Strava: 

http://strava.com/activities/467171643

Dinner with the family at Siccilian Art Pizzeria in the evening and early to bed.

Pics of today's kit as well as Lukie's game which they drew one each. Lukie was excellent today in central midfield. Delighted for him. An eye for a pass.

Millwall

Decidedly dehydrated this morning but under cosh to take Jack to training. It was bloody miserable. Managed 10ks in a PW whilst Jack was playing.

Evening at Mums and Dads for dinner after long sleep in the arvo. Pics of the day including Mum's polar pix. She is one on the left. Then below the horrible ridge on Mont Blanc as well as me and siblings at the Aletsch Glacier (Europe's largest) in [1982] with Mum again.

JJ's 40th

Monster day. Up early to run into work (c.17ks) and then followed up with strength training at lunch. Heavy focus on core and glutes at the moment.

Then in the evening we had JJ's 40th at the Dandeleyan bar, the Mondrian hotel (@ London Sea Containers) on the river. All my crew there who I have known since the age of 10, Steve, Jeremy, Odin, G-man Hall and others plus better halves.  Top night.

JJ is a diamond.  Brockley boy who has 'done good'. All my mates have no kids so JJ and I have a lot in common. He like me also took the brave decision to get the hell out of London at the expense of not seeing his mates. I have a tonne of respect for him that he made the move in order to create a much better future for his three kids. Tough for him to see it but it is by far and away the right decision.

JJ dserves enormous credit for being able to put himself in tough situations (out of his comfort zone) for the greater good. In 2007 JJ and I were roped up together going up Mont Blanc. It was nerve racking and scary as hell but he soldiered on - it took serious guts. This sums him up. He is also one of very few people I know that is comfortable with talking to people from ALL walks of life. JJ has the unique ability to relate to anyone. He is a very fortunate guy who has everything he could possible ask for. Most importantly he stays grounded. 

Moreover, he has always been there for me and has been with me for all of my most memorable life occasions: wedding in Sydney, Tommy's birth, my first London marathon in 2000, school, the list goes on. Am fortunate to have him as a constant friend and feel bad that have not made more effort since being back in the UK  - I have been struggling in that time.

The highlight of the evening was him doing his dance with all of us blurting out a chorus of happy birthday. After many beers and cocktails Jacqueline and I sprinted for the last train.

10 T

Not much time so banged out 10 (3.59s) at lunch.

I overheat whilst running the treadmill. So does not really work for tempo session.

Jog home from TS in the evening (3k). 

One busy day, lots of volatility out there.

Need to book skiing. 2 weeks are in order.

Mum

Combined a busy work day with a running rest day. Had planned on 30 mins of strength but the window never opened. Thinking about a tempo in the morning.

Mum did meet me for coffee tho which is always nice. Mum is a free spirit. Took up running in her 40s with 3 kids and full time job and ran 3.36 in her debut marathon (London) back in the day and got a bunch of awards for doing so. In my last year of Uni in 97 she was also part of the first ever women's only expedition to reach the North Pole. Mum and dad have also been to the top of Mont Blanc in their late 50s and still love skiing and high hut walking in the Alps. As kids we were dragged there both in summer and winter months.

http://www.carolinehamilton.com/book.htm

MLR

Had to go to Victoria to renew my passport this afternoon so decided on running there past Buckingham Palace (5k) and then running home.  This added an additional 5ks to the 17k home, only I added another 2 going over Chelsea Bridge for 24ks all up.  I was toast at Denmark Hill (c. 15ks) and nearly pulled the pin there but told myself to man up. With 5ks to go I had nothing left after racking up 65 odd ks in the last 3 days.  I crawled through the front door.

* A tinge of sadness saying farewell to my passport from the last 10 years.  It was falling to pieces and has clocked some serious mileage.

** Jack has finally succumbed to wearing long trousers.  His school frowns on the kids wearing shorts and so out of principal he has continued to brave the conditions.  'A sign of respect to my Australian heritage' he says :)

*** Now watching Liverpool smash Stoke and this time without having to throw Timmy's Stoke videos into the bin pre-game (the normal ritual).  I think this proves the theory once and for all that Sparky cannot manage.

Set #3
https://www.strava.com/activities/463712983

Set #2
https://www.strava.com/activities/463712392

Set #1
https://www.strava.com/activities/463711762

Back to work Monday

Back up for it today and everyone back on deck. A pleasant day in London so did my 11k lunch circuit through Covent Garden, The Mall, Westminster/ BB, Southbank, Tower Bridge, TOL, St Pauls  and back to Fleet Street.

 

I did more strength with Jacquers yesterday too and actually felt fine. So much so that ran 4 minute ks almost comfortably.

 

https://www.strava.com/activities/462919081

The best football journalist out there:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/jan/02/tv-football-fans-leeds-united

Long run Sunday (80k week)

Oh boy I was dreading this and going by yesterday's form it was going to be grim. In fact as soon as I met Roger I blurted that I was unsure if I could stomach 30. He quickly dismissed it and so off we went.

We went past where the boys play their footie at Bishops Justice and then continued towards Farnborough. At 13.7 ks (63 minutes, 4.39s) we turned with Roger complaining that we were going too slowly (that's elite runners for you :)...). We got back in 59 minutes (4.18s) to make it 27.5ish ks in 2hrs 2mins (4.28s.) The longest run in 9 months done and thank goodness.

 

http://strava.com/activities/461901704

 

Chelsea at Selhurst in the arvo. The less said about game the better. Did I say I cannot stand Chelsea? At the very least Jack and I plus the rest of the Selhurst faithful gave it to them.

 

Pardew needs to break the bank to keep Bolasie. We cannot score without him.

 

2 Jan Saturday

My legs were jelly from my strength session with Jacquers the day before. I stumbled around in the dark down to Beckenham Place park and looped home for 11ks in 4.50s. My legs were absolutely cactus. I have realised I am completely unfit.

Tomorrow have planned 30ks with Messi. And I am dreading it, the first long'en. Roger aka Messi will run 2.38 in London in April. You heard it here first.

NYD

And so a new year dawns.  A successful year on the work front but mixed in so far as my running was concerned.  Most importantly the family have all made their way:

J - happy, buoyant and forever the vibrant social animal. Could not do what I do without her.

T - now at big school and feels like I have him for another year before the dreaded P. Really enjoyed being out with him / J a couple of days back.

J Jnr - freaked out by thought that he also will be at big school in September. The Schalke week was fantastic.

L - happy and constantly on my case for more surfing and skiing.

R - already in the second year of primary school and tough as old boots.

My running wrap is pretty meagre in content as I really only gave London a shot. Bearing in mind I had not ran for 2 years, had my cortisone in late Nov 14 and only started running in Jan 15 a 2.51 marathon was all I could muster.  I have spoken before about running a 2.40.59 marathon in April but I am off the pace and feels unrealsitic but I am not giving up hope.

In 2015 I ran c.3,200ks at c.300 runs.  In 2016 would like to hit 4k.

My favourtite moment of the year was stepping out of Salzburg airport, the boys with outstretched arms catching heavy snow flakes - seeing them for the first time - and the Semana Grande festival in San Sebastian in the summer.

The London episode continues to offer on the one hand rich experiences like no other place can (it feels like the epicentre of the globe right now) and then on the other is utterly dysfunctional (eg the trains are a nightmare). To conquer London you need exceedingly high energy levels, it will not take pity.  Rudimental tickets booked today - start as you mean to go on.

In 2016 we are all determined to have some more skiing and surfing family adventures.  The 2 weeks in Austria exceeded expectations with the three elder boys skiing tough icy blacks with me after 4 days as did the surfing holidays in Mauritius and Biarritz/San S.

* managed a 10.5k in the late evening with Jack on the bike in 4.15s

NYE

Managed 5k at lunch and then some half hearted strength.

Happy new year.

I love this story:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10153201159726987&id=9815486986