Denouement

4:52 ave pace.  So hot, so hot. abt 30C

4:55 ave pace. 30-32C. Day one of 8 week challenge (points for no sweets, drinking water, eating fruit and veg, keeping food journal, exercising).  

Also tracking heartrate and weight before running for Roberto.  Good times. 

First workout from Coach V. (my good friend Roberto Veneziani, who is also the gregarious president of the Hong Kong Italia Running Club). Wore HRM like an obedient athlete. Generally I think they make me feel constricted, but the one he gave me is better than the older Garmin model, so it was ok. Warmed up 10k. SB be 75% hr, which would be 135-140. during first 5k in warm up ave 136 (4:58 ave), then the next 4.08k had ave hr 145 but ave pace of 5:14, trying to slow it down to stay close to 140, last 1k lapped to see how slow I would have to go to keep at 140, but ran 1.1k in 5:55 ave pace, 144 ave hr, so I could not keep hr under 140 even jogging quite slowly, Ended this 10k warm up at the track, where I did 4 x 200m (39,39,39,40). Started to rain during these. I could see the drops but I was so hot I couldn't feel them. But downpoured on the last one. I could feel that. Then did 10 lunges each front, side, back. Then did quick steps up stairs times 2, did high knees up the stairs twice, then did did double leg jump up once., did all the stairs items but forgot the 10xjump from squat, Then did 5 x 200m: 38, 38, 40, 38, 39 hr got up to high 160's on the 200m, and down to 120's before starting again. Ran 1.1k to the Shatin MTR. Almost had a panic attack on the MTR. This happens occasionally when I am dehydrated and hot.

PM: slow 4k with Mickie and JJ did 2.8k with us.  It was raining and nice to spend time like this with the boys. 

I think I am coming down with something, throat a bit sore last night and this morning, ran to Kowloon Tsai (3.2k) then four laps and back, first 5k only managed 5:22 pace and ave hr was 124, though it had gotten to mid thirties by the end, second 5k was 5:05 pace and 141 hr ave, last bit was 5:28 ave pace and ave hr 143, definite creeping

Woke up at 3pm unable to fall back asleep, so worked on tax return then went out for a run. 9.64k in 5:03 ave pace (122 ave hr, 114 for first 5k which was 4:56/k pace, 135 for the second 4.64k which was 5:08 pace). Then 8 x 10 sec hill sprints. Did the hill going up to Kowloon Tsai Park, a jogging start for perhaps 3 seconds, was able to go further after a couple. Dodging old people a bit.

PM 3.77k with Michael, he averaged 6:35/k, which was faster than last time.  I told him since we were going less than 4k he could try to keep the pace faster up the hill, and bless him he did. 

60 min elliptical, HR about 115

Met Curtis in Tai Wai and ran MaOnShan back loop and added on: 4:55 total pace, 153 ave hr, by 5k: 1st-5:13/k, 139hr, 2nd-4:40/k, 157hr, 3rd-4:42/k, 159 hr, 4th-4:51/k, 158hr, last bit was high 150's, 4:51ish pace, core workout

5:18 ave pace, didn't wear hr monitor, spent a ton of time cleaning as we have our first visitors coming to HK tomorrow night.

11.36k at 5:05 pace, then 4x 200m: 41, 42, 40, 41, then lunges, jump from squat, stair exercises as outlined, then 5 x 200m: 39, 37, 38, 39, 39

5:12 ave pace

12 in the am slow, 3.7k with sons, niece and broin law slow in the PM

Terrible sleep, abt 5 hours then sleepless, did hill reps instead of HR test: 10x 10', first a 10k at Kowloon Tsai with my niece, 5:27 ave pace, then hill reps, then 2.39k home

5:11 pace, (first 5k 5:15 pace, 124hr, 2nd 5k same pace, but 137 ave hr, 3rd 5k 5:07 ave pace 141 ave hr, then last 2.66k at 5:04 pace and 145 ave hr

20k out and back from Jeju City. 4:59 ave pace, rolling uphill on the way out, the first 2k and last 2k hampered by street lights that are not pedestrian friendly (very car-centric here, reminds me of US). ave hr by 5k was 127, 158, 151, 152. It was way hard to keep the hr mellow on the way out. Sun so bright, hot, uphill, slow, lovely to turn around, got a nice sunburn. I am not used to strong sun. I even put sunscreen on but I guess it dripped off with the sweat. I stopped at two places looking for a sports drink or a coke, something, but they didn't have anything but water, but they were gracious and gave me water. One was a gas station, and one was a mom-and-pop korean restaurant. I found a grocery store 15k into the run and bought a 250ml gatorade.

PM:  11 min walking on the TM then core workout.

5:92/k ave pace, easy, hilly, exploring jeju jungman resort area.

13k at 5:26 ave pace (5k segments were 5:29/k and 120 bpm, 5:23/k and 137bpm, 5:24 and 140bpm) then 6 x 20 sec hill sprints, on a hill of about 7% grade, then 2.3k back to hotel (5:20/k, 134 bpm).  In South Korea (Jeju Island) by the way.  Blogging in a white terrycloth robe in the middle of the morning.  I love vacations. 

Ran 12.35k really easy, saw some beautiful sights.  Rolly hilly. 5:28 ave/k.  Hr was 105, 138, 144 for segments, hard to keep at the 70% target for today.  Throat feels much better though still stopped and coughed three times during the run.  I went to a pharmacy and got some mysterious Korean medicine I had to have my concierge translate for me.  I basically sprinkle onto my tongue what seems like a packet of yeast then swig from a bottle that tastes like watered down molasses.  It seems to be helping and I haven't noticed any negative side effects.

Easy 12k run, 5:25/k pace

HR max test. 6.35k warm up, then 5.92k at marathonish pace (got hr up to 160-167 in this part, 4:10 ave pace), then up a hill getting progressively faster, I lasted 2:30, but my coach wanted me to go about four minutes before failure. Started hill which progressively got steeper between 160-165 hr and had my watch set to mark 30 sec segments. 1st: 3:59pace, 167, 2nd 4:14 pace, 171, 3rd 4:15 pace 173, 4th 4:10 pace 174, 5th 4:04 pace 175 and I am afraid that is as far as I went--it did feel like I was sprinting at the end of a 5k--a very steep 5k. 2:30 up the hill, got to 173,174,175 over the last three segments. So we can see a trend. Within a few minutes I felt bad and like I should have tried harder, but say if I had gone 1:30 longer and the trend held I still wouldn't have broken 180. Will go do core exercise now.

A tad rainy--well ok it was more like taking a bath during the hole run.  I was releived to have a less hot run for my first run back in Hong Kong, but was a bit concerned since the river was the fullest I had seen, with mini-rivers flowing to it through and around my socks and shoes.  4:50 ave pace for 13k

Quite warm.  8.46k warm up at 5:19 pace, then 4 x 200m: 41, 44, 43, 43.  Then 5 x front, side and back lunges.  Then 10x two leg jump from squats.  Then 2x skip and high knees up stairs, then once two leg jump upstairs, then 5 x 200m on the track: 41, 38, 39, 40, 40, 2.75 cooldown

SI joint hurt first mile or two today, realized I am behind on my Humira shot, 4 weeks, give or take two days.

12.06k easy run 

HUMIRA 

met Ali and did hill reps. warmed up 8.28k then did 6 x 30 sec hill reps then 4k cool down. 

5:16/k pace overall, pace/hr per 5k were: 5:10/129, 5:20/138, 5:15/138, 5:17/140, 5:16/144

16.26k, 5:23/k pace overall, pace/segment were (hr strap was packed, didn't want to pack it all sweaty): 5:20, 5:21, 5:26, 5:33