Sharla's Log

[Youngblood]

OK i know I said the training log is finished and I guess i really don't have time to keep updaily reports because I'm not on the net much anymore but I have to commit to my newest goal here so I can't wimp out.

I've already told my mum the plan who was already planning to walk it but the more anti-wimping out insurance I have the better.

This is what i plan to do - 56 km hilly but beautiful terrain. It'll hard but local so not expensive and fairly casual. So basically no one will care what my time is nor will they care what proportion i actually manage to run versus walk.

It's a personal challenge and demands fitness without ultr-competitiveness etc so i think it'll be fun!

This is it:

South Australian Road Runners Club | Yurrebilla Trail Ultra

I'm probably not going to keep a daily log but I may continue to use you poor Saddo members as anti-wimping out insurance every now and again. From this point on this is mainly a running and core training log so it'll probably bore you senseless though sorry!

Am glad to see you quit your training log. Because you are actually posting more now. haha

I think this is exactly the right reason to be here. For training and health related stuff, and using the logs as a check and balance on yourself. This does sound like fun, but I still maintain ther is something wrong with marathoners, like...in.the.head.

[Sharla]

Am glad to see you quit your training log. Because you are actually posting more now. haha

I think this is exactly the right reason to be here. For training and health related stuff, and using the logs as a check and balance on yourself. This does sound like fun, but I still maintain ther is something wrong with marathoners, like...in.the.head.

..........And boxers aren't the least bit nutty?


OK update

Last Sunday:

12 km trail run with a trail running group - was meant to be 11 but I was silly enough to run alone for some of it and missed a turn off.

I had to double back and find the right track again, Seriously when you yell out "cooooeeee" a few hundred times don't people know you need them to yell back so you can work out where the hell they are! Apparently not!

Monday - Legs killing me from the hills so I did a 1 hour walk in new "earth" shoes. I'm wearing these for work too. They have a negative heel which balances pretty much all other shoes which have the heel raised above the toes.

They let your calves and hamstrings stretch out properly and do a lot to help correct poor posture. I plan to stick to this brand for all shoes except my runners from now on because my lower back doesn't get as sore wearing them.

Tuesday - 20 min walk warm up and 30 min jog - still have really sore legs.

Wednesday - the day off - needed to let my legs recover. The Sunday run was really hilly on rough terrain and my legs just were not used to it!

Was meant to go to yoga in the morning but underestimated how long it would take to walk there and missed out. Ended up starting work early instead. I could have cycled but my bike has really been pissing me off lately.

Thursday - After work I caught a bus to uni to do some work there and ran home. About 20 mins walk walm up and 40ish minutes run home. It's downhill which isn't the best. I have to hold my core muscles as tight as I can to stop my pelvis rocking forward and tightening muscles in my lower back.

Friday - Cycled to meet the road runners for a 6 am run. Got there too late! Had no where to put my stuff - would normally get it locked in a car - so I couldn't do it.

I had allowed 30 mins to get there which should have been heaps! I got overtaken by a really obese guy pedalling at a third of the pace I was and decided my bike is definately ready for the junk yard!

Saturday - Went for another trail run. Had the option of turning to the finish at the 15 km mark for a total of a 16 km run or going on to do 22 km.

The terrain was harder and hillier than last time by a looong way. I did 16 km and a lot of people who had planner 22 decided 16 would be enough after all. Really I would have been stupid to jump from 12 to 22 anyway!

Not just because it's a big jump but also because I didn't carry water. The 12 km without water was fine but while it started off being really chilly it warmed up quickly and the long sleeved running top I wore was real overkill!

I decided early on if I really had to I could rest at the tops of hills if I ran up them. As the run went on I cursed that decision! Everyone else would walk up the steeper slopes and I would try to run with teeny tiny little steps and buurrrrrrning gluts! I made it though.

Some of the down hill slopes were pretty steep also though. The terrain often included a lot of slippery sand/pebbles which would slip out from under you at the wrong time. I really couldn't run down them and had to climb down holding onto shrubbery with white knuckles for dear life. At least I got my breath back from the up hill parts!

I had some good luck too - at one stage where the track ended for a hundred metres going through a pine plantation area I had to walk over logs etc and weave my way around areas with lots of branches etc. My S sensor footpod worth AUD $150 got snagged and came off. I didn't know until my heart rate monitor beeped at me and I thought it was gone for good.

Everyone behind me in the group started looking for it though and we found it. This little silver pod amongs all those sticky and old bark and greyish dirt! I could have kissed the woman who found it! I didn't though.

Also another runner was nice enough to share his water with me closer to the end. Everyone was so friendly and staying with a group rather than running at exactly my pace paid off as far as not missing turn offs this time! I'm really enjoying it! I'm going to try to run with these people every weekend from now on.

My mother's partner Micheal meawhile had been working on my bike (slept at mum's Friday night to get a lift to the run).

We found out The rear wheel thingy holding the ball bearings etc had frozen up so it didn't turn properly, the front brakes were gone, the rear brakes only worked on one side.

The chain had stretched and the tyres were on backwards which is apparently like "stroking a cat the wrong way" plus half flat. The tape inside the wheel beneath the tube had worn and moved so the tyube would get punctures where the spokes joined the rim easily too.

He spent all day fixing it all except the chain which i need to buy and he put some better tyres on which are a bit slicker than the thick mountain bike ones for me to try. He had them sitting in his shed so i can buy them if i decide i'm not going to ditch my bike and buy a new one after a month.

He's an absolute legend! Does more for me without expecting anything in return in one day than my real father did ever total!

The thing which I thought was really bad about my bike though was I had the seat too high and I didn't even know. I was rocking my hips from side to side to pedal rather than just using my legs.

Being bent over to reach the handle bars with my lower back bent and my pelvis basical training itself to be unstable had to be really really bad for me! What an idiot I am!

It's Sunday morning now and I don't feel too sore so hopefully I'll get a bit more in this coming week and make up for the two yoga and one pilates class I missed!

[Howlin Mad Missy]

Sharla - keep us posted on the negative heel shoes?

sounds like you're keeping busy

[Sharla]

Hi Missy

Yeah so far i can recommend the Earth shoes. I was able to try on the first pair I bought here and bought a pair of boots online. I'm usually about an 8 but in the shoes I was a 7.5 because your toes are not pushed into the front of the shoes unlike most others and they have heaps of space.

I bought an 8 in the boots just in case it was a one off. I think they are a little big but that gives me space to wear thick socks and tuck my jeans into them so I'm not too worried.

These are the two pairs I bought:







The shoes are really really comfy, the boots are still being worn in but reasonably good. I had to get the boots shipped from the USA which was a real pain in the arse because i had to do it through another company since for some reason US companies don't seem to recognize Australia as a country which might buy women's shoes from time to time.

I have to wear closed toe shoes in the lab at work and it's coming into winter here so sandals and open shoes were out for me but they have more of those styles if that appeals to anyone.

My sister needs to get some closed in leather ones for work and is considering trying one of the men's styles! To be honest it is easier for guys to find good looking Earth shoes than women I think.

I guess it's more common to associate at least a small heel with women's shoes as the norm and it's a bit of an adjustment to see it slightly the other way.

[Sharla]

Um ok training for the last week and a bit:

Monday 23rd March - off

Tues - 20 min walk warm up, 15 min jog - began to feel a slight twinge in the knee so walked to make the time up to an hour.

Wednesday - First run with the Athelstone running group - part of the SA Road Runners I've never trained with because they train Wednesday nights and I've always had other trainings then. They're awesome!

They have a set up where they hire a school staff room and for 50 c (BARGAIN) members get toast, orange juice and watermelon on returning from the run and can use the staff room before and after to gather and stretch etc.

Overall costs would be far greater than 50 c per person but they have an easter fun bun run with a raffle and hot cross buns which makes up the rest and a bit more for a pizza night and a pub night once a year plus some for charity. VERY clever set up!

Thing which is good (or extremely cruel) is they do more hilly runs. The first one I did with them was a run they call the cork screw. I could have joined the 22 km course runners but I didn't bring water for a run that long and probably wouldn't have managed too well anyway.

I got a lift with a bunch of others to the start of the hilly bit and di 12.5 km.

Thursday - off

Friday - cycled to meet the road runners. Fidgeted for ages to get my stuff in the new bag rack bag my mum gave me (she upgraded) and ran rate again! Ran anyway but took it easy - 8.9 km with 12.5 mins walk warm up. Finished strong though so felt good.

Yoga plus class at night - this is half pilates and half yoga from the pilates instructor - she's an awesome instructor - always find I feel good afterwards.

Saturday - no running, pilates class though 1.5 hrs.

Sunday - Went with the long run group and did 20.1 km, They did 28 but I knew that would be a bit too much for me just yet and turned back early. Reasonably happy with the pace although it was pretty flat so naturally the terrain for the Yurebilla trail will be much harder!

Monday - off

Tuesday - Cycled to uni and back before work to grab something i'd left there. Since it's 40 mins each way I'm going to ocunt it although it made for an easy recovery day. Probably needed it though to be honest!

Wednesday - 11.2 PAINFUL kms with the Athelstone group. The worst hill I've ever been up - would love to say i ran it my 98 % of people there walked a good proportion of it. One freak ran all the way but you have to admit the elite dude's hill endurance is going to be better than mine so I'll give myself some time to build up to that.

I think mentally I wasn't prepared for it either. most hilly roads have some undulation and flat bits but every time we reached a prt of the path we couldn't see before it was - more hill! No rest from incline at all really!

Coming down called for some walking too because it was steep and too easy to slip. We had one fall - my mum - who fell on a flat bit apparently (i was further ahead) just due to the gravelly surface so it would have been suicidal to run it. When mum fell she slid for a reasonable distance and has the wounds to prove it so I don't really need any more convincing than that!

Still when it was safe to run i had some people around to push me a felt like I finished strong again - even if it is just being really eager to get to the damn finish!

Thursday - nothing - ouch sums it up!

Friday (this morning) - ran with the road runners. An uphill run on streets - gentle compared to Wednesday but hard because my loegs were still sore. I had to concentrate to not let my form go which meant I ran maybe a little slower than my max but the alternative would have hurt within a short distance. Felt like work trying to hold good form but I am feeling reasonably happy with the pace.

Will have tomorrow off running because I'm completely stuffed now though. Still not up to the stage where I recover fast enough to do more frequent runs. That's ok though since I'm happier to feel the recovery working and to be seeing some progress than to push more often right now and have inevitable decline and knee pain!

I'm coming back to the Sa Road Runners and keeping up with some runners who never miss a day. They look stiff with a restricted, jerky running gait and i wonder if they took it a little easier and got into some stretching etc they'd actually be much better than me right now since they've been training consistently. Sometimes I think being too 'tough' is counter productive.

Didn't have yoga plus class tonight - the 8 week block for this class is finished and doesn't start again until early May! Still have pilates tomorrow though.

[Howlin Mad Missy]

I feel so lazy reading your logs +rep when I can