In an attempt to shake the body out of it's slothful recent behaviour I ventured to the gym last night for a treadmill session. Through the day I had been feeling a little average and hoped this workout might blow the cobwebs away.
After 2km warmup @ 5 min/km pace turned up the speed to 3:50 min/km
First rep over and I planned to reduce the rest time from half of the rep time (1:55) to 1:30.
Halfway through the third rep my lunch was starting to threaten to make a special return guest appearance which would not have been a good look so I jumped off. Had a break and then tried another rep @ 4 min/km with similar results so I then abandoned the speed stuff and did a couple of km warmdown @ 5 min/km pace and then thrashed the abs/core muscles instead.
A bit perplexing, obviously the shorter recovery made a BIG difference.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
I'm still here!
Yes folks, temporary break in transmission but I'm still here.
Firstly thanks to all re the passing of Madeline. Over the weekend we added to our menagerie 2 new members. they being Russell the Rabbit (named after Mr Crowe) and Barney the Guinea Pig (aka Mr Rubble). Still holding out on the dog front :)
Now back to the running/training, still in a bit of a motivation slump post marathon but managed to get out to Smithfield for the first race in the SMC series and had a bash at the 10km. Saturday was a write off after the heavy night on Friday at drinks with Cool Running leaving me very seedy Saturday morning.
I set up the virtual partner on the Garmin for 39:55 to see how long I could hang in there. The numbers seem to be increasing out there all the time and it is interesting as both the 5km and 10km head off at the same time.
Another Cool Runner, Sarge, asked me my plan at the start. He has run better than me in all recent events and so I was a little surprised when I told him that I'd be trying to break my PB that he'd run with me. However once we got going it was a different story.
First couple of km were good and I ran a bit faster than even pace, knowing the hill in the middle of the course would slow the splits down. At this point I would have been about 5th. Sure enough the hill did slow me down but was not steep enough for me to significantly regain pace on the down slope. A few people went past through here and just as I got to the 5km turnaround a group of 4 caught me. The 5km split was 20:24. Coming back I held onto the group until just before the top of the hill but then they slowly oulled away from me on the downslope again!
From here it was just a case of grind it out home, with little petrol in the tank to be able to drastically up the tempo in the last km or so.
The final time was 41:35. This course is a challenge for me in pace judgement. The hill in the middle is a real burner, longer and more gradual than the hills at Lane Cove, but you do it twice. Also given the more gradual slope I can't seem to up the pace on the run down as I usually can be faster than most others on downhills.
Since Sunday, nothing but I am to run this afternoon and will have a ride at Homebush tomorrow afternoon with Truckie and Aunty K.
Firstly thanks to all re the passing of Madeline. Over the weekend we added to our menagerie 2 new members. they being Russell the Rabbit (named after Mr Crowe) and Barney the Guinea Pig (aka Mr Rubble). Still holding out on the dog front :)
Now back to the running/training, still in a bit of a motivation slump post marathon but managed to get out to Smithfield for the first race in the SMC series and had a bash at the 10km. Saturday was a write off after the heavy night on Friday at drinks with Cool Running leaving me very seedy Saturday morning.
I set up the virtual partner on the Garmin for 39:55 to see how long I could hang in there. The numbers seem to be increasing out there all the time and it is interesting as both the 5km and 10km head off at the same time.
Another Cool Runner, Sarge, asked me my plan at the start. He has run better than me in all recent events and so I was a little surprised when I told him that I'd be trying to break my PB that he'd run with me. However once we got going it was a different story.
First couple of km were good and I ran a bit faster than even pace, knowing the hill in the middle of the course would slow the splits down. At this point I would have been about 5th. Sure enough the hill did slow me down but was not steep enough for me to significantly regain pace on the down slope. A few people went past through here and just as I got to the 5km turnaround a group of 4 caught me. The 5km split was 20:24. Coming back I held onto the group until just before the top of the hill but then they slowly oulled away from me on the downslope again!
From here it was just a case of grind it out home, with little petrol in the tank to be able to drastically up the tempo in the last km or so.
The final time was 41:35. This course is a challenge for me in pace judgement. The hill in the middle is a real burner, longer and more gradual than the hills at Lane Cove, but you do it twice. Also given the more gradual slope I can't seem to up the pace on the run down as I usually can be faster than most others on downhills.
Since Sunday, nothing but I am to run this afternoon and will have a ride at Homebush tomorrow afternoon with Truckie and Aunty K.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Nothin doing...
Not much to report, since the run on Tuesday I've done nothing.
Have felt more motivated to sleep in than exercise and work has become extremely busy.
On a positive note that means little niggles have all gone away and I'm feeling pretty fresh. I'll try and get out on the bike tomorrow but may struggle to do it early with Cool Running drinks on tonight.
Aiming to run SMC on Sunday but 10km, will certainly race it and will be interested to see how I go. Adaption after the marathon should have taken hold.
On a sad note our pet rabbit "Madeline" developed an abcess and made a one way trip to the vet, 3 very heart broken kids :(
Of course this just means the campaign already underway by #1 for a puppy will now escalate.
Have felt more motivated to sleep in than exercise and work has become extremely busy.
On a positive note that means little niggles have all gone away and I'm feeling pretty fresh. I'll try and get out on the bike tomorrow but may struggle to do it early with Cool Running drinks on tonight.
Aiming to run SMC on Sunday but 10km, will certainly race it and will be interested to see how I go. Adaption after the marathon should have taken hold.
On a sad note our pet rabbit "Madeline" developed an abcess and made a one way trip to the vet, 3 very heart broken kids :(
Of course this just means the campaign already underway by #1 for a puppy will now escalate.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
River Run
The usual run down to Lane Cove weir and back. I never tire of this run, always great value to run through the park with no cars. Lots of native birds out again today, a couple of magpies loitering by the side of the road and behaving themselves. There was a mist coming off the river today, a beautiful morning!
At about 4km I saw spud coming the other way doing some "sekret" bike training. Sounds like he has pulled up well after that amazing 3rd place in the Glasshouse 100 mile ultra.
For some reason Garmin was not being co-operative today and measured long.
Stats 11.1km in 52:30, avg pace 4:44 and avg HR of 161.
So a much better run that last Saturday, a little bit faster but much lower avg HR. Some residual tightness still in calves and hammies but getting there. At least 1 more run before the weekend but I am now surer of running/racing at SMC on Sunday but 10km, not the half!
At about 4km I saw spud coming the other way doing some "sekret" bike training. Sounds like he has pulled up well after that amazing 3rd place in the Glasshouse 100 mile ultra.
For some reason Garmin was not being co-operative today and measured long.
Stats 11.1km in 52:30, avg pace 4:44 and avg HR of 161.
So a much better run that last Saturday, a little bit faster but much lower avg HR. Some residual tightness still in calves and hammies but getting there. At least 1 more run before the weekend but I am now surer of running/racing at SMC on Sunday but 10km, not the half!
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Easy rider
First time back on the bike for a while. Initial thoughts are the cardiovascular system is in pretty good shape so the cycling muscles in the legs will need the work. That given and also with the advance knowledge that the Canberra Half Ironman has a very "technical" bike course (read hard and hilly) I'll be doing most of my rides over similar terrain to try and achieve maximum adaption in as short a period as possible.
So for this morning out at 6:30 climbing up through Pymble and then out through the back of Turramurra to Bobbin Head. A little cool on the descent but was pretty happy with the climb out. Then from Mt Colah to the back of Hornsby and down to Galston Gorge which is a more technical descent but a nice fairly even climb out the other side. Then through the back of Dural and Pennant Hills to the M2. I really like riding the M2 back home, it is a real fast hammer, again a good replication of the end of the bike leg at Canberra which will also be faster.
The last climb on the off ramp up to Delhi Rd confirmed not a lot left in the quad tank but the legs have pulled up really well. Usual discomfort from sitting on a bike seat for the first time in ages but thats life and will go in a little while after a few more rides.
Stats 64.92km in 2:20:46 (avg speed of 27.7kph and avg HR of 151, so my thoughts at the top were pretty spot on)
So for this morning out at 6:30 climbing up through Pymble and then out through the back of Turramurra to Bobbin Head. A little cool on the descent but was pretty happy with the climb out. Then from Mt Colah to the back of Hornsby and down to Galston Gorge which is a more technical descent but a nice fairly even climb out the other side. Then through the back of Dural and Pennant Hills to the M2. I really like riding the M2 back home, it is a real fast hammer, again a good replication of the end of the bike leg at Canberra which will also be faster.
The last climb on the off ramp up to Delhi Rd confirmed not a lot left in the quad tank but the legs have pulled up really well. Usual discomfort from sitting on a bike seat for the first time in ages but thats life and will go in a little while after a few more rides.
Stats 64.92km in 2:20:46 (avg speed of 27.7kph and avg HR of 151, so my thoughts at the top were pretty spot on)
Saturday, September 17, 2005
2nd Recovery run
Out for a bit longer today, the usual run to Lane Cove Weir and back. A pretty good tempo this time but hard work.
Stats 11km in 52:45 (avg pace 4:45 and avg HR of 172.
Obviously the body is still processing what happened last Sunday, that avg HR is not good. No running tomorrow, I'll head out on the bike.
Stats 11km in 52:45 (avg pace 4:45 and avg HR of 172.
Obviously the body is still processing what happened last Sunday, that avg HR is not good. No running tomorrow, I'll head out on the bike.
Race plans and results July to Sept
Wanted to keep this table somewhere for posterity.
| Race Plans & Results | ||
| Woodford to Glenbrook | 26/6/05 | 1:57:52 |
| Striders 10km Homebush | 2/7/05 | 0:42:07 |
| King of the Mountain | 17/7/05 | Canned |
| Sutherland to Surf | 24/7/05 | 0:45:05 |
| Striders 10km | 6/8/05 | 40:28 (pb) |
| City to Surf | 14/8/05 | 58:57 (pb) |
| Willy to Billy | 21/8/05 | 3:02:29 (pb) |
| Striders 10km | 3/9/05 | 43:35 (tempo run) |
| Sydney Marathon | 11/9/05 | 3:25:05 |
Friday, September 16, 2005
Relaxing Recovery
Went for a 5km run yesterday, the legs feel good walking around but running again was interesting, mainly could not get into a good rhythm.
Still the run was around 24 minutes which gives about 4:50 pace and an average HR of 152.
The plans for the next couple of months are solidifying nicely. It seems I will actually do the running training around a 12 week half marathon program but only include the hard or long runs, for the days that are scheduled for rest/recovery I'll turn these into cycle/swim sessions.
One thing that seems certain after looking at what I have planned is that I won't be running many STaRs in the next couple of months. With some family holidays, coupled with orienteering/rogaining, Striders Half and then Nepean and Canberra I'm dedicating the "spare" Sundays for longer rides and will move my long runs to Saturday of the same weekend. (another time constraint with Little Athletics on again).
Still the run was around 24 minutes which gives about 4:50 pace and an average HR of 152.
The plans for the next couple of months are solidifying nicely. It seems I will actually do the running training around a 12 week half marathon program but only include the hard or long runs, for the days that are scheduled for rest/recovery I'll turn these into cycle/swim sessions.
One thing that seems certain after looking at what I have planned is that I won't be running many STaRs in the next couple of months. With some family holidays, coupled with orienteering/rogaining, Striders Half and then Nepean and Canberra I'm dedicating the "spare" Sundays for longer rides and will move my long runs to Saturday of the same weekend. (another time constraint with Little Athletics on again).
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Post Marathon Musings
A couple of days in Melbourne for work provided an opportunity to sit back and reflect over the last couple of months and think about what I want to do going forwards. I've already identified that if I don't have a goal and an associated program I tend to wander and drift away from regular training (which is not necessarily a bad thing).
Before I get too much into that I have to say that I am amazed with the level of recovery I have had after Sunday. Not sure if it was the extra base, the sportskins, the opti or a combination of all three but the body feels so much better than the previous post marathon experiences. Very interesting..... maybe I just did not run hard enough on Sunday?
Knowing that the major goal early next year will be preparing and racing The Six Foot Track I am inclined to try and vary my schedule for a few months to freshen the body and mind before a very serious tilt at Six Foot which will require and intense running training effort over 4 months.
To this end I'm going to do a few different things for a while:
- step back (just a little) from full on running training and also racing most weekends
- embark on a cross training regime, still running (say 50-60km/week) but adding swimming and riding, as well as trying to reintroduce pilates and some core strength work
So a few things that I will be doing to try and keep some focus but freshen at the same time
- a triathlon or 2, have been planning and thinking about Nepean (sprint) and then the Canberra Half Iron Man for a while so time to step up to the plate publicly
- get back into the orienteering, which I really enjoy with the Summer Series looming
- and with an eye on testing the body and spirit for maybe attempting an ultra next year I'll be looking to enter the NSW 24 hour Rogaine Championships.
Should be fun! I'll probably also renovate the blog a bit to concide with the new regime. Fear not, I'm not going to the dark side, there'll still be heaps of running here and that is the main game, I'm actually still going to try and break 40 for 10km and 90 for the half by the end of the year as well :)
Before I get too much into that I have to say that I am amazed with the level of recovery I have had after Sunday. Not sure if it was the extra base, the sportskins, the opti or a combination of all three but the body feels so much better than the previous post marathon experiences. Very interesting..... maybe I just did not run hard enough on Sunday?
Knowing that the major goal early next year will be preparing and racing The Six Foot Track I am inclined to try and vary my schedule for a few months to freshen the body and mind before a very serious tilt at Six Foot which will require and intense running training effort over 4 months.
To this end I'm going to do a few different things for a while:
- step back (just a little) from full on running training and also racing most weekends
- embark on a cross training regime, still running (say 50-60km/week) but adding swimming and riding, as well as trying to reintroduce pilates and some core strength work
So a few things that I will be doing to try and keep some focus but freshen at the same time
- a triathlon or 2, have been planning and thinking about Nepean (sprint) and then the Canberra Half Iron Man for a while so time to step up to the plate publicly
- get back into the orienteering, which I really enjoy with the Summer Series looming
- and with an eye on testing the body and spirit for maybe attempting an ultra next year I'll be looking to enter the NSW 24 hour Rogaine Championships.
Should be fun! I'll probably also renovate the blog a bit to concide with the new regime. Fear not, I'm not going to the dark side, there'll still be heaps of running here and that is the main game, I'm actually still going to try and break 40 for 10km and 90 for the half by the end of the year as well :)
Monday, September 12, 2005
Sydney Marathon Race Report
How tough was that??
I was going to subtitle this report as "hot, humid and hilly" but got lost looking for a decent "h" word to describe wind.
An early start to the day and after parking the car at North Sydney we got down to the start line just in time, 6:30am, to watch the half marathon start in overcast and humid weather. We (wife, 2 eldest girls, sister in law and her partner, they were all running in the family fun run which was 3.8km) then found a few fellow Striders and CR's and set up camp while I went and picked up and dropped off various bits and pieces. Around this time it actually started to drizzle rain which I was actually quite pleased about as the previous day had been quite warm.
They called the marathon runners to the start and so I bade the family farewell and went and lined up. While we were waiting for the start it started raining properly. A few words from the obligitary politician and we were off. An early "highlight" of this run is the first km is an uphill climb to loop onto the Harbour Bridge. A magic feeling running across the bridge. The blue line from the Olympic marathon is still there in parts (and was so on quite a bit of the course) and so given this was the shortest/direct route I decided to follow it whenever possible. I was amazed to see most of the runners not doing so. Was running with Riz here but he drew away from me and I did not want to stretch out any faster at this point.
Across the Cahill Expressway, which we were to visit again 39km later and then into the back of the city and down to Mrs Macquaries Chair. Already the pacing seemed a little hard to monitor with undulations, combined with poor Garmin signal strength and seemingly inaccurate kilometer markers. At about the 3km mark the pacer with the red balloons (Sailaway??) ran past which was a little surprising as I thought he was the 3:15 pacer and I was ahead of 3:15 pace as evidenced by the 5km split 21:50!! (more like 3:00 pace)
I knew I would slow up a bit on the climb back out of Lady Macquarie's Chair and then it was also a bit of a climb up Oxford Street. The contrast of people still lined up to get back into nightclubs/discos and marathon runners moving past was quite comical, but even funnier was the cheer squad at the top of the hill of a heap of drag queens etc from the local gay bars. Felt a little happier about the pace at the 10km marker with 44:12 (22:22 5km)
The next 5km was through Anzac Parade and then around Centennial Park and this felt really comfortable (and uneventful) with the 15km aplit being 1:07:38 (23:26 5km).
Continuing the smooth running on the first out and back along Randwick Racecourse and I was quite surprised to catch and pass David Martin, a fellow Strider and much better runner than myself. This was a great section as I also got to see people both in front and behind me with the turnaround. Hit the 20km mark in 1:29:54 (22:16 5km).
A couple more little out and back loops included the halfway point (about 1:35 which was the target). Was a little surprised at the climb back up Anzac Parade but then the run down through the centre of the city was good being mostly downhill. Through here another Strider Barry Rutter caught up to me, we had a bit of a chat while running along Pitt Street and then I let him slowly draw away. Through here the Garmin had no chance but I also missed a few km markers.
As soon as I hit the Western Distributor I was worried, it had become noticeably warmer, with no clouds now, and there was a nice (read nasty) little headwind as well. Around here while keeping Barry in sight I started passing a few runners including Riz, Nando who seemed to be struggling and then Sailaway, looked like the 3:15 bunch had burst. It seemed again that the markers were not all there, which made it hard to work out splits, and I was now walking through the drink stops drinking 2 cups and then another over the head. By the next km the cap was completely dry again and the wind and heat were taking their toll. To make things worse the looong climb up to Norton Street really hammered the legs (and the mind).
It was great then to see fellow coolrunner plu there and muttered several curses about the hill. Even though I was slowing I was not overly concerned as I seemed to be about the same proportion of time behind some of the faster runners that I saw comning back from the turnaround. Saw Action at the turn around. Enjoyed the cruise back down the hill but then the ups and downs through Pyrmont really slowed me down.
Caught Mohammed along Hickson Rd and then set about "the climb", forget a single sniper on "the grassy knoll" I reckon it was more like a machine gun nest as a lot of people were struggling here. I succumbed to walking for about 100m on the steep bit up from Argyle street and then it was downhill (well sort of) to the finish.
The CR cheer squad was superb, it really picked me up and I actually caught and passed a few more people in those last couple of km. Again the reception from the crowd at the finish was great.
Finished up with 3:25:05, not a PB but I am actually happy with the run. Clearly the back half had a high attrition rate on the runners with lots of slowing down, will not be a pretty analysis of positive splits of first vs second half times.
Legs actually feel pretty good, whacked the skins on to go home and also downed some opti. A day later and I am very impressed hopefully the legs are feeling so good because of my recovery efforts rather than not having gone hard enough.
Having the family there meant not a lot of chatting/socialising but it was great to cheer Horrie and Belinda as we were moving the troops home.
Maybe more thoughts later, time to go introspective for a day or 2 and cement into place some plans/goals for the future.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Last run and pre marathon thoughts
A very easy cruise around the neighbourhood today, a beautiful day and lots of lorikeets etc flying around chirping. I ended up back at the park opposite home and did 6 x 100m strides just to stretch the legs out a bit further.
Stats 7.3km in 35:55 (avg pace 4:55 avg HR 159).
Now for a massage today to clear out any kinks, then more carbs and more water. I've decided not to run tomorrow, no need instead I'll enjoy the first day of Little Athletics with my 2 girls.
I have been getting increasingly distracted with thinking about Sunday. Some would call it focus, others, fixation, I think my wife would call it obsession :). In particular ideas on pacing are forefront in my mind.
To remind myself (publicly) back in May I wrote "However I do want to run this marathon so that I can finish strongly and so the end goal must be achievable so I don't race off and go out too hard (again)!". Certainly I built a better base, although the last 6 weeks have seen a drift away from targetted milage, more to do with racing every weekend (which has it's own benefits) but also from some niggles and lack of motivation. I truly believe I am in better shape today than I was 2 days out from Canberra. The weight has not dropped off as much as I thought it would but I have lost another couple of cm from the waist so it must have shifted to muscle in the legs.
So for Sydney I have a few different types of goals
- disappointed if I don't break 3:22:01 (pb)
- aiming for sub 3:15
- dreaming for 3:10
I've decided to go out at 4:30 pace which if I run evenly the whole way will see 3:10. Given the nature of the course after about 5km I may try and go a few seconds faster as it is pretty flat for around 20km. Then it will be a case of trying to hold the pace and/or minimise slowdown as the harder last 10km comes into play.
To compare against Canberra, I went out at 4:25 pace from the start (3:06 Marathon time) and died pretty spectactularly at around 30km. The aim will be to get to halfway in around 95 minutes (2 minutes slower than Canberra) which gives me 5 minutes of slowdown on the back half of the course up my sleeve.
Thanks to all the positive comments from those that have been reading my ramblings they do make a difference when things seem a little bleak or when the niggles are affecting the running.
A deep breath now, remembering to focus on relaxed running, restrain my enthusiasm in the first 5km and be confident about having a good base to support me in the last 10km.
Next blog will be post race.
Stats 7.3km in 35:55 (avg pace 4:55 avg HR 159).
Now for a massage today to clear out any kinks, then more carbs and more water. I've decided not to run tomorrow, no need instead I'll enjoy the first day of Little Athletics with my 2 girls.
I have been getting increasingly distracted with thinking about Sunday. Some would call it focus, others, fixation, I think my wife would call it obsession :). In particular ideas on pacing are forefront in my mind.
To remind myself (publicly) back in May I wrote "However I do want to run this marathon so that I can finish strongly and so the end goal must be achievable so I don't race off and go out too hard (again)!". Certainly I built a better base, although the last 6 weeks have seen a drift away from targetted milage, more to do with racing every weekend (which has it's own benefits) but also from some niggles and lack of motivation. I truly believe I am in better shape today than I was 2 days out from Canberra. The weight has not dropped off as much as I thought it would but I have lost another couple of cm from the waist so it must have shifted to muscle in the legs.
So for Sydney I have a few different types of goals
- disappointed if I don't break 3:22:01 (pb)
- aiming for sub 3:15
- dreaming for 3:10
I've decided to go out at 4:30 pace which if I run evenly the whole way will see 3:10. Given the nature of the course after about 5km I may try and go a few seconds faster as it is pretty flat for around 20km. Then it will be a case of trying to hold the pace and/or minimise slowdown as the harder last 10km comes into play.
To compare against Canberra, I went out at 4:25 pace from the start (3:06 Marathon time) and died pretty spectactularly at around 30km. The aim will be to get to halfway in around 95 minutes (2 minutes slower than Canberra) which gives me 5 minutes of slowdown on the back half of the course up my sleeve.
Thanks to all the positive comments from those that have been reading my ramblings they do make a difference when things seem a little bleak or when the niggles are affecting the running.
A deep breath now, remembering to focus on relaxed running, restrain my enthusiasm in the first 5km and be confident about having a good base to support me in the last 10km.
Next blog will be post race.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
3 more sleeps
A day of rest today.
Already starting to eat extra carbs and drink more water.
A light run tomorrow with some strides at the end and then a massage at lunch time.
Already starting to eat extra carbs and drink more water.
A light run tomorrow with some strides at the end and then a massage at lunch time.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Dress rehearsal
The program calls for 11km today but with a portion at Marathon Pace. Also to dress as you would for the race, ie racing shoes etc. I decided to head on my usual run to the weir and back. A 3km warm up and then into pace which just happens to be about 2/3 down Scribbly's. It was a little cool this morning and I was just wearing the CR singlet and shorts. Coming in close to the weir I saw MPHaz headed in the other direction, fully rugged up, even with a beanie on!
Coming back the 5km section at pace ends about 1/3 up Scribbly so I was really pushing to hold pace until the Garmin said enough. Right at the end I again saw Marty who had run to the top and was coming down and told me to ease up!
A nice cruise home, still a little niggle in the core muscles area but I seem to be managing it ok.
Stats 11.1km in 52:46 (avg pace 4:45, avg HR 161)
Coming back the 5km section at pace ends about 1/3 up Scribbly so I was really pushing to hold pace until the Garmin said enough. Right at the end I again saw Marty who had run to the top and was coming down and told me to ease up!
A nice cruise home, still a little niggle in the core muscles area but I seem to be managing it ok.
Stats 11.1km in 52:46 (avg pace 4:45, avg HR 161)
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Tapering
Short and sweet.
8km easy in 38:35 so 4:48 min/km. Felt good, a little scary that this is a recovery run and I took it easy but still ended up fairly close to marathon pace.
The head is getting sorted and I think I have hatched a pacing strategy but it will probably change 100 times between now and 7:15am Sunday.
8km easy in 38:35 so 4:48 min/km. Felt good, a little scary that this is a recovery run and I took it easy but still ended up fairly close to marathon pace.
The head is getting sorted and I think I have hatched a pacing strategy but it will probably change 100 times between now and 7:15am Sunday.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Fathers Day catch up
Thursday : In Melbourne and slept in so missed out on early run
Friday : More slackness, after getting back late from Melbourne and attending a Striders meeting then catching up on work
Saturday : Striders 10km @ North Head
I had pretty much decided to run this as a tempo type run with the more important true race a week away. Significant hassles with the electronic timing system ensured no warm up so probably a good thing I was not going to go all out.
It was very hard to watch the usual suspects slowly pull away from me but at around 3km another coolrunner Riz caught up, he was in a similar position and so we decided to run together. I'm sure some of the runners around us may have been a little annoyed as they were at full 10km race pace and Riz and I were cruising and having a bit of a chat.
Ended up with 43:35, feeling very comfortable.
Sunday : Spent the Saturday night at my parents in Gosford for Fathers Day and as usual dad and I raided his old stock in his cellar for a few good drinking old reds. This and fathers day presents and rain made it too easy not to run.
Got home after lunch and the rain had stopped so I went out for a last longer run. A good undulating 18km in 1:25 which is about 4:43 pace and included about 10km @ 4:30 pace. A slight niggle from the groin area which has been pretty quiet but I'm onto that.
Thats it for long runs, the body is as ready as possible. Working on the mind now and a bit of sharpening in the last week.
Friday : More slackness, after getting back late from Melbourne and attending a Striders meeting then catching up on work
Saturday : Striders 10km @ North Head
I had pretty much decided to run this as a tempo type run with the more important true race a week away. Significant hassles with the electronic timing system ensured no warm up so probably a good thing I was not going to go all out.
It was very hard to watch the usual suspects slowly pull away from me but at around 3km another coolrunner Riz caught up, he was in a similar position and so we decided to run together. I'm sure some of the runners around us may have been a little annoyed as they were at full 10km race pace and Riz and I were cruising and having a bit of a chat.
Ended up with 43:35, feeling very comfortable.
Sunday : Spent the Saturday night at my parents in Gosford for Fathers Day and as usual dad and I raided his old stock in his cellar for a few good drinking old reds. This and fathers day presents and rain made it too easy not to run.
Got home after lunch and the rain had stopped so I went out for a last longer run. A good undulating 18km in 1:25 which is about 4:43 pace and included about 10km @ 4:30 pace. A slight niggle from the groin area which has been pretty quiet but I'm onto that.
Thats it for long runs, the body is as ready as possible. Working on the mind now and a bit of sharpening in the last week.
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