Tue 31 Jul 07, a day off work

Don't you love days off from work!!! Clearing some flex leave, getting it back down below 20 hours. With more than nine hours sleep WOW WOW!! For those who know me well will know that is not normal, but it was a GREAT sleep. I woke up just after 8:30am and decided a nice easy run run of about 5k would be nice, finishing at the Aquatic Centre where one of the PTs promised me a free swim entry. I took advantage of that and swam a VERY easy 750m and then hung out in the hydro pool which was a lot warmer than the lap pool!!

Arrived at the track 4:30ish and tried to warm up with the swooping plovers which just make it bloody hard work! Some dynamic stretching and then 5x60m strides on the infield with the wind. The wind was VERY strong and was making running VERY difficult and I decided any attempt of 1k repeats was gone! Before getting into my strides I helped lower the nets on the discus cage before the poles were bent any further with the 'gale force' winds.

I changed my session to 200m reps, starting at the jav run up and finishing at the other jav run up and then jog back up the infield into the head wind. Starting was even diffcult, the first 5 reps or so I nearly got blown off the track into the infield after just starting and before the discus cage.

Reps: 40.1, 39.7, 35.9, 37.9, 38.3, 37.6, 36.4, 37.1, 37.5, 39.5/// 41.1, 38.7, 37.1, 38.3, 39.1, 40.1, 37.6, 37.8, 37.6 & 35.9

Most of the recoveries were between 1:03 & 1:07, the jog was quite tough but slow into the tough wind! A couple of times I had slightly longer recoveries so I could chat with Michelle about the session I wanted her to do with 3 girls from Burkie's squad; 15x150m, concentrating on being on her toes but staying relaxed on the back straight using the tail wind. A few reps later I delayed my recovery to ask Clare to change her session from 600s & 400s to 12x200m in the same manner as mine. After my 10th rep I changed from my flats to my Zooms for a bit poor stability and support.

My recovery was 12 minutes of jogging along the back straight and through the infield in the opposite direction as the groups still training so I could watch and coach on the move, the only way to stay warm. Funnily whilst jogging I was thinking this is a funny way to watch the session of the athletes I'm coaching, but afterwards Burkie mention that my way of including my recovery and coaching was a great idea.