12-19 January including Rottnest

Monday 12 January was our travel to Rottnest day which also coincided with my rest day and a weigh in

Weight: 75.6kgs (75.6kgs)
Body fat: 19% (19.7%)
Hydration: 55.6% (55.6%)

so no movement whatsoever ...

Tuesday 13 January was Rox's birthday - went out for what was probably just under 10km including a run up Oliver Hill which is one of the high points on Rottnest and where a 9.3inch gun is still mounted. It was put there in the 1930s prior to WWII as part a network of guns protecting Fremantle harbour and during the war it was manned 24hrs a day. Most of my run was along the route of the Rottnest Marathon course loop which I got to know pretty well over the week we were there.

Wednesday 14 January I went out for a medium long run - 1 hour 51 minutes. I ran out towards West End then came back and then did a loop of the marathon course. Main problem is that there is no drinking water outside of the settlement areas so was pretty keen for a drink everytime I got close to a drink fountain. Some pretty difficult and ongoing rolling hills on this run.

Thursday 15 January - a recovery run. A nice easy 7.65km run but unfortunately all on asphalt as the running on grass option is not really available on Rottnest so my legs didn't get their soft surface break that they are used to.

Friday 16 January - a long loop out towards West End and then around to Parker Point before coming back in via Kingstown before heading back to Geordie Bay where we were staying. Even though it was cooler on Rottnest than it was in Perth where it was 41 degrees (don't know by how much but it certainly felt a bit cooler) it was still hot and pretty windy. I wore my hear rate monitor for this run and out near Porpoise Bay on a killer hill my heart rate got up to 176 bpm. It averaged 164 bpm over the course of what was 1 hour 24 minute run with a max of 181bpm as I pushed it hard on the home stretch. Still don't really know what my maximum heart rate is but that must be pretty close. Using the 220 less my age my max should be 179bpm but I now know it is a bit higher. I took my resting heart rate on Monday 12 January when I first woke up and it was 44 so I have a good "heart rate reserve" between my resting and max heart rates.

Saturday 17 January - was scheduled for a recovery run but my legs were feeling a bit weary after the week's hills so Ben and I went with some friends for a decent ride around to Little Salmon Bay for some snorkling. This ride took in the hills I had run the previous day albeit in the opposite direction and they weren't much easier on a bike. I had contemplated going for a run along the beach but there wasn't really a long enough stretch to make it worthwhile. We went snorkling quite a bit but this was the best spot we went to. There is a snorkling trail at Little Salmon Bay with plaques under the water providing a bit of info about the fish etc. Pretty basic info but great fun for the kids to hunt out the plaques. Ben had a great week- he is a really strong swimmer and rode some pretty decent distances as well.

Sunday 18 January - was my scheduled long run. After riday I decided that there was no way I was going out around the island so did 4 laps of the marathon course instead. The beauty of this was that I was able to stop in at our villa every lap for a decent drink of Gatorade as well as taking a couple of gels over the course of the run at water taps. By my calculation this was a 30.4km run. of course Nike+ had it longer but I will work off what Map My Run produced. All up 2 hours 28 minutes with again some pretty challenging hills especially the big one between Thomsons Bay and Geordie Bay via the salt lake which I did 4 times. Had a nice soak in the ocean afterwards and only a short ride in the afternoon when we went to play mini golf (beat Rox by 1 stroke after she led by 1 going into the last hole ... not that we are competitive ...). Went out for dinner and had a big steak. Rox and I split a bottle of pretty average wine in what was a very nice end to a great week. Don't know the actual mileages but it was a good hard week of training taking in much more hills than I am used to so hopefully that should be of benefit in Boston if I can consolidate it.

Monday 19 January - return from Rottnest day and rest day. Missed the weigh in but will do it tomorrow. Should be interesting. Am a bit sore after yesterday's run, more in my lower back than my legs. Actually feel like I used to after a hard day in the field when I had bowled 20 overs so nothing another night's sleep (this time in our own bed) shouldn't fix. Around the bridges tomorrow with some strides scheduled as well. This week is a recovery week easing back a little on the mileage.