Denouement

6.34k warm up

fartlek: 1 min on/off x 15

paces: 3:40, 3:46, 3:26, 3:10, 3:19, 3:23, 3:27, 3:31, 3:40, 3:28, 3:33,  3:33, 3:31, 3:29, 3:29

5.54 cool down @ 4:56 pace

18.6k total 

Met Kate, Jane and JoJo.  We ran from JoJo's to the Repulse Bay beach (about 12k) then ran up and down Violet Hill, then Kate and I did a leisurely swim to the shark's net.  The climb up Violet Hill is actually the course for King of the Hill race.  I got up the hill second, second only to Brendan, which was awesome.  But on the down hill I got beat by about 8 people, because much of the downhill was stairs, and I was not confident doing those fast.  Anyhow, it was a great alternative type of Saturday run, and I didn't get home until afternoon!

16k at 4:50/k pace.

Easy run around to and around Kowloon Tsai Park, trying to get any bit of shade I could.  Pretty sunny which made the 27F feel more hot.

Lots of walking around Mongkok, Yau Ma Tei and Kowloon City today.  Probably 8k of walking. 

I am a bad blogger.  I know it, and I am sorry.

Today I met Roberto for a hard workout, but only 3 x 1k.  Sounds easy right?  

We warmed up long enough for me to get a bathroom break.  6.15k.  Then we were doing the 1k bits along a straight stretch in FoTan, using the 100m markings used by the rowers who are in the water right by the path.  Roberto has been doing very well (just did a low 35 for a 10k in this HK heat, winning a race), so he gave me a 10 second head start.  Well he passed me before 400m.  My first was 3:26 (he 3:04). 1:55 rest.  The second one he gave me a 15 sec headstart and passed me midway, I was again 3:26 (he 3:08). 1:48 rest.  This workout was not feeling easy in the middle of the third rep and I just wanted to quit but gutted it out for a 3:29 (he wizzed by me before the halfway point again).  We cooled down, then I cooled down some more after we parted.  8.5 cool down.  17.5k total

Ran a workout with Ali, hadn't really planned to, but she thought I was going to come in the morning, so I thought I would help her out.  I did about 3.5k warm up.

We did 12x300m, with 200m jogs between.  The 300m's were 59 (1:46 rest), 1:00 (1:37), 59 (1:33), 56 (2:05), 57 (1:48), 57 (1:56), 57 (1:47), 57 (1:51), 56 (2:03), 56 (2:08), 55 (2:04), 52 that's right, 52.55 for the last one.  Suck it Hong Kong humidity!

5k cool down. 

Met Roberto early and we ran to Chinese U area, which is very hilly.  Did 5k warm up then 10 x 10 sec steep hill sprints, with one min rest.  I think the idea is that these hill sprints will activate the hamstrings and improve the strength of my legs in general.  I don't ask too many questions.  I was just along for the ride.  It was quite hot and humid.  We are going to the beach and trying to teach the kids how to snorkel, so should be a fun day.

5:38 ave pace.  Was I sick?  Running backwards?  I don't know.

Aberdeen track session.  6.5k warm up, then 6 x 1000m.  Curtis, a visitor from the US, Jonathan, and a couple of other dudes were in my group.  The plan was to go 3:40 for 3, with 60 sec rest, then take a lap jog, then do 3:30 for 3, another lap jog, then 3 at 3:20, (well those last three were Curtis' brain child, I came in expecting to do 6 and nothing in my body said--"please do three more and faster!").  Problem was, we did them a bit faster and Curtis a couple of seconds ahead so several times I got less than 60 sec rest.  

3:37 (58 rest), 3:34 (60 rest), 3:37 (2:39 rest), 3:28 (59 rest), 3:29 (59 rest), 3:38 fatigue and a side cramp combined against me so I petered out.  Overall a decent workout, though.  Rained in the cooldown--hallelujah.

4.52 ave pace.  Med long run.

13.01k in 4:54 ave pace

Met Roberto for a fartlek. 3.53k warm up (4:47 ave pace).  Then 10 x 1 min on/1 min off, then 10 x 30 sec on/30 sec off.  Ave pace for 1 min fast bits was 3:23 with no slow down, then 3:18 ave pace for the 30 sec bits

Ran/hiked up to Bowen Road.  Was planning to meet Peter's crew but didn't get the details right.  It was raining.  Ben was taking Johnny to a church kids hike, but they missed their busstop and were most of the way to Stanley when they called me, so I told them to hop on the bus the opposite direction, get off at Repulse Bay, walk to the beach, and wait for me there.  I then ran the 8k or so to meet them.  I did go down the mountain the wrong way for one k and had to back track.  It was raining hard and we were all soaked.  Had a snack and a drink at the 7-11, the rain lightened up, so we bought two ponchos (with just a sports bra on I decided I would look silly in one since they are see through) then went on a hike up the Violet Hill, the same way I ran with Peter's crew last week.  We didn't make it all the way--it started raining pretty hard again.  There were waterfalls coming off the mountain and puddles on the trail, and then streams coming down the trail, so it was good we turned around when we did.  Our hike was about 7k.  Then we went to Pacific Coffee Co. and got hot chocolate and sandwiches, hopped on the bus, and then I got off at Bowen Road since one of my favorite tank tops was left there, and I ran the 5.2k back to Admiralty.  4 hours later and my tank top was still there.  So I was rewarded (plus the second run helped my mileage top my husbands).

It is great to not be training seriously so that I could make this detour.  Still an active day but didn't need to stress about a workout that must be done at all costs. 

5:06 pace

Pm workout.

3.25k warm up, then broken 800's,  2 x 300m, 100m rest between, then 200m, then 400m between

#1 57, 58, 37

 #2 58,56, 37

#3 55, 57, 36

#4 57, 56, 37

#5 56, 57, 36

#6 57, 55, 36

#7 55, 55, 36

#8  54, 54, 35

4k cool down 

4:53 pace

20k  in 4:48 ave pace

Met Roberto, Curtis and Kristian.  Three men, all faster than me, happy to run my workout.  Golden.

Warmed up 3.86k, then did 4k tempo on the bike trail: 15:11 (3:48/k).  It rained during the tempo which cut down on heat and cooled my hands which were burning up from the chilis I had cut for my tom yum goong soup from the night before. They felt so hot during the run except for when it rained. Then about a 6 min rest, including potty break and jogging to a track.  On the track 2 x 1k (s/b  3k pace), 3:25 (2:55 rest), 3:24 (5:17 rest), then 400m which was supposed to be FAST.  I did a 71 and felt pretty weak in the middle.  Should have been sub 70 sec but what do you do. I didn't feel great on the track part of the workout, but not bad either. 5.8k cool down

18k total

Red dots formed on the back of my right hammy after the run, I figured it was some bug bites much like I had gotten about four months ago.  The bites are concentrated in the lower half of my ham and there are 55 of them in one count I made.  By evening they had developed into postules (lovely term aka zit like things).  I was so tired during our date I almost fell asleep during dinner.  Got diagnosed and a second opinion confirmation that this actually was not bug bites but shingles.  Lovely. 

My sores on my hamstring are painful!  Planned to go to the doctor on Sunday.

Slow easy run.  I can feel my sores as I start my run when I strike on that side.  I feel tired and want to quit in the first 5k.  Seeing a gweipor (white chick) in the park perks me up due to an unreasonable competitiveness gene I inherited.  So I sped up.  Pace first 5k: 5:14, 2nd 5k: 4:46, out of the park and out of the gweipor's influence, my pace slips to 5:02 pace for the last 1.78k.  

Went to my rheum appt and mentioned my bug bites.  He asks to see and says that it is shingles, that it is not uncommon for people taking Humira to get shingles.  It sounds like a dirty disease, but there you go.  I got antiviral meds from him.  I read up on shingles when I got home and looked at pics online which do not look like my rash much, so I go to our medical clinic to get a second opinion.  The doc there confirms the diagnosis, lets me know that the meds will likely keep me lethargic, and gives me an antiviral cream as well.  So that explains why I was so tired on Saturday evening and on Sunday, and possibly why I didn't feel so well in my workout. 

I slept in.  Then spent 7 hours taking care of renewing our visas.

Met Ali and Coach Paul and the other athletes at HKSI.  I had informed him beforehand of my illness.  My workout was already not that hard (200, 400, 600, 800, 1000,800,600,400,200) so we just backed off the goal splits a bit.  Lots of rest because of heat/humidity and the nature of the workout.

4.74 warm up at 5:01/k. Splits were 40 (2:10), 83, (2:25), 2:03 (2:11), 2:43 (3:23), 3:25 (4:20), 2:44 (4:05), 1:58 (3:13), 77 (3:39), 35

5.34k cool down 

I felt not so strong, but was glad to be able to show up, support Ali, interact with coach, and get in some decent speed. 

5:01 pace

Long run 4:57 ave pace