Hilly Tempo.

THURSDAY 15/6/06, 4.15PM, 14.5K, WEEK TO DATE 46.5K, 7 HOURS SLEEP, SHOES: ASICS 1100

SW's program today called for a "6km hilly circuit (continuous)" with 4K warm up and 4K warm down. Normally his squad would be running a hard hills circuit in Centennial Park today, but given I live 2 hours away I get to make up an equivalent session- basically 6K hilly tempo I suppose. It was about 9 degrees when I started, wearing t shirt and long Skins- wanted a bit of support for this session.

I warmed up with 4K following the railway line via Scott Avenue, then for my session I chose a mile long stretch of Megalong Rd from Clarence St to Gladstone Rd, very hilly- I ran this stretch as a double out and back. As a course, it included 6 uphills of about 400m length, two short (steep) ones of about 100m length, and equivalent downhills.

Bashed my way through the 6.75K in 33.04, 4.54 pace, with a nice negative split- 16.49/16.15. Neither leg strength nor aerobic conditioning are that great at the moment, but the negative split is a good sign.

Warmed down with 22 minutes of running round Leura Oval, on the grass.

I'll find a suitable offroad circuit in the near future.