After yesterday's faster session a chance today to again let the recovery continue with being back at home and so across the oval for soft impact circle work!
For some reason the Garmin was not too keen to get a fix today, might have thought it was still in Melbourne....
Anyway the whole intent of this session is not pace/distance but HR dependent and I did the usual trick of cruising under 150 bpm. Surprisingly (again!) the legs felt quite good and if anything it seemed the cardio system is taking a little longer to recover.
To cap it off, the Garmin continued to ignore the satellites and then the shuffle died as well, probably the battery ran out.
This weekend there are 2 options looming, SMC or the Berowra STaR. Given my immediate upcoming plans I think a longer run on softer trails will be of more benefit than another faster paced hit out on the pavement. That is a pity as it seems a lot of CR's will be out at Smiffo :( I'll certainly make some appearances out there as the season unfolds!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
No rest for the wicked!
Yes, already easing back into it. Down in Mexico again so I opted for the little run that Wobbly Man tipped me on a while ago which follows a tram line out to Port Melbourne where the car ferry to Tasmania docks and then down along the bay.
A decent breeze was awaiting me once I turned around, certainly would not want to be running into that all the way from Frankston (ie Melbourne Marathon)!
Most of the DOMS gone from the legs already, but still some residual stiffness. Seems the achilles pain from Sunday was just fatigue as it appears to be back to normal.
Stats
Distance 10.2km
Time 50:37
Avg pace 4:57
Avg HR 160
A decent breeze was awaiting me once I turned around, certainly would not want to be running into that all the way from Frankston (ie Melbourne Marathon)!
Most of the DOMS gone from the legs already, but still some residual stiffness. Seems the achilles pain from Sunday was just fatigue as it appears to be back to normal.
Stats
Distance 10.2km
Time 50:37
Avg pace 4:57
Avg HR 160
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Recovery!
Took Monday off but up to the oval this morning for some laps on the grass. Quite warm today, warmer than Sunday!
The legs did not feel too bad circling around but are still a little tender, especially the quads.
Been doing lots of reading on other peoples experiences on Sunday, both on Cool Running and blogs. Have to say that the one that really holds for me is 26 miles. Another great example of getting out what you put in and something I'll be refering back to in maintaining my motivation towards my next tilt at the dusty marathon PB!
The legs did not feel too bad circling around but are still a little tender, especially the quads.
Been doing lots of reading on other peoples experiences on Sunday, both on Cool Running and blogs. Have to say that the one that really holds for me is 26 miles. Another great example of getting out what you put in and something I'll be refering back to in maintaining my motivation towards my next tilt at the dusty marathon PB!
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Sydney Marathon - Race Report
As alluded to previously as part of my task in organising pacers for the half and full marathon I also decided to "fill one of the gaps". Thankfully Silverfox put his hand up for 3:30 which was looking grim but given 3:30 is usually a bigger group I opted to still run 3:30 rather than the 3:45.
An early rise to get to the start in time to organise the half pacers and then a quick respite before it was time to hit the road! Silverfox and I lined up in the pack and pretty soon we were off. The initial plan was for me to drive the front at a steady pace (as per plan) while Nick would sweep the back of the group. As we headed through the Domain and Lady Macquaries Chair Virtual joine dme at the front and was quite handy in surging ahead at the drink stations to pick up some extras in case any one in the group missed out.
The usual fun of running along Oxford Street with the nightclubs still going and the drinking going strong! The run through Centennial was good to offer some shade protection as the day certainly warmed up. We were still bang on schedule but teh group was starting to reduce. Just after halfway Nick came up and suggested that he take the lead group a little faster, worried about the back half. I agreed and as they moved a little up the road settled in with a few people, still holding the scheduled pace and splits as a sweeper.
Again running through the city was a good respite from the sun but no hiding as we hit the Western Distributor. Once again the climb up to Leichhardt was tough and as I upped the effort to hold the target pace the remnants of the back of the 3:30 group shattered. Was very grateful to see the turnaround finally and some cheeky comments from Action and Luke Skyrunner about me not shaving down :)
Alas the downslope did not dramatically alter the pace and so I focussed on again lifting the effort to stay on schedule. By the 35km marker the increased effort had it's effect and the piano dropped on my back. From here it was a struggle and my lack of depth on recent long runs came home to roost. Through Pyrmont I removed the pace flag so I would not confuse anyone and then ground it out all the way home. The splits (against planned) were
Dist Plan Actual
5km 25:15 0:24:36
10km 49:30 0:49:09
15km 1:14:00 1:13:40
20km 1:38:30 1:37:41
25km 2:03:00 2:02:23
30km 2:27:30 2:27:24
35km 2:52:30 2:53:18
40km 3:18:00 ???????
End 3:29:30 3:41:50
The achilles really seemed to flare up as I was slowing down but now seems to be ok, or is it the rehydration dulling the pain???
Had a good time catching up and comparing notes at the Strider Tent at the finish which went down a treat, although hiking back and forward through the village to get bags, medals, t shirts etc on dead legs was a bit taxing.
So in summary, disappointed that I was unable to hold it all together as a pacer but this course is brutal and will chew up a lot of runners, especially if under prepared....
Thanks to:
Don Juan for the catering at the tent
Fellow Striders and others for volunteering their race to pace others
The CR cheer squad on the Cahill, something to look forward to!!!
An early rise to get to the start in time to organise the half pacers and then a quick respite before it was time to hit the road! Silverfox and I lined up in the pack and pretty soon we were off. The initial plan was for me to drive the front at a steady pace (as per plan) while Nick would sweep the back of the group. As we headed through the Domain and Lady Macquaries Chair Virtual joine dme at the front and was quite handy in surging ahead at the drink stations to pick up some extras in case any one in the group missed out.
The usual fun of running along Oxford Street with the nightclubs still going and the drinking going strong! The run through Centennial was good to offer some shade protection as the day certainly warmed up. We were still bang on schedule but teh group was starting to reduce. Just after halfway Nick came up and suggested that he take the lead group a little faster, worried about the back half. I agreed and as they moved a little up the road settled in with a few people, still holding the scheduled pace and splits as a sweeper.
Again running through the city was a good respite from the sun but no hiding as we hit the Western Distributor. Once again the climb up to Leichhardt was tough and as I upped the effort to hold the target pace the remnants of the back of the 3:30 group shattered. Was very grateful to see the turnaround finally and some cheeky comments from Action and Luke Skyrunner about me not shaving down :)
Alas the downslope did not dramatically alter the pace and so I focussed on again lifting the effort to stay on schedule. By the 35km marker the increased effort had it's effect and the piano dropped on my back. From here it was a struggle and my lack of depth on recent long runs came home to roost. Through Pyrmont I removed the pace flag so I would not confuse anyone and then ground it out all the way home. The splits (against planned) were
Dist Plan Actual
5km 25:15 0:24:36
10km 49:30 0:49:09
15km 1:14:00 1:13:40
20km 1:38:30 1:37:41
25km 2:03:00 2:02:23
30km 2:27:30 2:27:24
35km 2:52:30 2:53:18
40km 3:18:00 ???????
End 3:29:30 3:41:50
The achilles really seemed to flare up as I was slowing down but now seems to be ok, or is it the rehydration dulling the pain???
Had a good time catching up and comparing notes at the Strider Tent at the finish which went down a treat, although hiking back and forward through the village to get bags, medals, t shirts etc on dead legs was a bit taxing.
So in summary, disappointed that I was unable to hold it all together as a pacer but this course is brutal and will chew up a lot of runners, especially if under prepared....
Thanks to:
Don Juan for the catering at the tent
Fellow Striders and others for volunteering their race to pace others
The CR cheer squad on the Cahill, something to look forward to!!!
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Where's that bloody ark?
Saturday Sunday and Monday were all similar, awakening to the sound of torrential rain and deciding discretion was better than valour pulled the doona back up. Given the lurgy is still lightly lurking in the background it seemed unwise to go out in the cold wet conditions. Both Saturday and Sunday were then locked out with other "stuff" happening..... Monday morning it was absolutely bucketing down, our back yard resembled a lake and I had to go searching for the pets to make sure they were ok and give them some food. I promised them if it continued I'd be back in a boat and to start pairing up.
So a nice little enforced taper/rest.
Today the sky was clear (well ok in one corner) and I headed back to the hill for some more reps as atonement for my general sloth like behaviour in previous days. The confessional advice was 10 reps with minimal recovery, maybe with a hail mary thrown in for good measure :)
Very pleased to say that I pruned 2 seconds off my recent averages for the up reps and also 2 seconds off the average downhill. So after reviewing my previous records this looks like the best session I have had on this hill, a good sign that the legs have freshened up a little but also that maybe some adaption is creeping in, especially from Willy to Billy?
Stats
10 reps at average of 1:31.1 with average 1:48.6 recovery.
The plan for the rest of the week is -
Wednesday - Weir run at marathon pace with some stride outs at the oval on the way home
Thursday - Recovery run
Friday - Another run at marathon pace with more stride outs
Saturday - Recovery or complete rest
The marathon pace sessions above is the target pace I'm running as a pacer on Sunday, not my actual "race pace" and just to try and get the body used to the more even tempo, might even do one of these sessions around the bay which is flatter and more indicative of the terrain from Sunday than the ups and downs associated with LCNP.
So a nice little enforced taper/rest.
Today the sky was clear (well ok in one corner) and I headed back to the hill for some more reps as atonement for my general sloth like behaviour in previous days. The confessional advice was 10 reps with minimal recovery, maybe with a hail mary thrown in for good measure :)
Very pleased to say that I pruned 2 seconds off my recent averages for the up reps and also 2 seconds off the average downhill. So after reviewing my previous records this looks like the best session I have had on this hill, a good sign that the legs have freshened up a little but also that maybe some adaption is creeping in, especially from Willy to Billy?
Stats
10 reps at average of 1:31.1 with average 1:48.6 recovery.
The plan for the rest of the week is -
Wednesday - Weir run at marathon pace with some stride outs at the oval on the way home
Thursday - Recovery run
Friday - Another run at marathon pace with more stride outs
Saturday - Recovery or complete rest
The marathon pace sessions above is the target pace I'm running as a pacer on Sunday, not my actual "race pace" and just to try and get the body used to the more even tempo, might even do one of these sessions around the bay which is flatter and more indicative of the terrain from Sunday than the ups and downs associated with LCNP.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Storm & Tempo
No this post is not about Storm from Supernova being cut.....
Thursday my recovery session rapidly turned into a rest session as the rain bucketed down and the thunder belowed. With the lurgy still lurking in the background no need to go out and ask for trouble!
Friday I decided for a tempo run to the weir and back. This is a tough course but I ground out a sub 50 minute for the 11 odd km which is close to my best.
Work this week has been very ying and yang. That coupled with various deaths/passings around the place have been a bit of a downer :(
Anyway in my Striders prez persona been busy working on trying to align the planets for pacers next Sunday in the half and full marathons. Things seem mostly under control but a few gaps, especially around 3:30 for the full, seems I might need to don the flag. Probably a bit underdone to do this but I've cranked out three sub 3:30 mara's and each one has been led off from a too hard too early approach. At least if I have to run a bit slower early it might be a relevation????
Thursday my recovery session rapidly turned into a rest session as the rain bucketed down and the thunder belowed. With the lurgy still lurking in the background no need to go out and ask for trouble!
Friday I decided for a tempo run to the weir and back. This is a tough course but I ground out a sub 50 minute for the 11 odd km which is close to my best.
Work this week has been very ying and yang. That coupled with various deaths/passings around the place have been a bit of a downer :(
Anyway in my Striders prez persona been busy working on trying to align the planets for pacers next Sunday in the half and full marathons. Things seem mostly under control but a few gaps, especially around 3:30 for the full, seems I might need to don the flag. Probably a bit underdone to do this but I've cranked out three sub 3:30 mara's and each one has been led off from a too hard too early approach. At least if I have to run a bit slower early it might be a relevation????
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Sharpening up
Another "intense" session today with 1km reps in Lane Cove National Park, again between the 8 and 7km markers.
The splits were
3:56 Up
3:48 Down (ooh a bit faster!)
3:52 Up
3:52 Down
3:59 Up (legs starting to fade)
3:55 Down
The form was getting a little ragged on the last 2 and still some err "congestion" in the respiratory system. This gives an average of just under 3:54, so a little bit faster than the last lot but the very heartening additional piece of information was that I cut the standing rest from 2 minutes to 90 seconds, so as fast as the last session but with less recovery, I can tell you I was pretty wiped at the end of the last rep. After a short re-oxygenating break the run home seemed very sedate but was actually at a decent clip, funny how semi tempo feels quite comfortable after you have been racing at pretty much 5km race pace!
The splits were
3:56 Up
3:48 Down (ooh a bit faster!)
3:52 Up
3:52 Down
3:59 Up (legs starting to fade)
3:55 Down
The form was getting a little ragged on the last 2 and still some err "congestion" in the respiratory system. This gives an average of just under 3:54, so a little bit faster than the last lot but the very heartening additional piece of information was that I cut the standing rest from 2 minutes to 90 seconds, so as fast as the last session but with less recovery, I can tell you I was pretty wiped at the end of the last rep. After a short re-oxygenating break the run home seemed very sedate but was actually at a decent clip, funny how semi tempo feels quite comfortable after you have been racing at pretty much 5km race pace!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Bad boy bubby
Some good excuses not to run on Sunday/Monday
- Fathers Day, I needed to open my loot
- Excessive consumption of fine red wine
- continued effects of lurgy
- Excessive consumption of beer and bundy & coke
- depressed due to not picking any winners at the local races
- poor motivation?
Anyway after a weekend of excess and a much heavier car coming back due to numerous cases of wine (we went to Mudgee) I'm back!
This morning back to my hill reps, a struggle for the first couple as the respiratory system cleared itself, certainly the legs felt a little heavy.
Post run analysis was more encouraging, 10 reps at an average of 1:33 with average recovery of 1:50, this is quite close to my best average, somewhat heartening.
The best news for me is that since Willy to Billy with the few days off, a visit to Easy Tiger etc the niggly LH achilles aches no more joy of joys!!!
ps Vale Steve Irwin, so sad to see such a passionate person struck down in the prime of his life with so much still to offer to the community, environment and his family :( :(
- Fathers Day, I needed to open my loot
- Excessive consumption of fine red wine
- continued effects of lurgy
- Excessive consumption of beer and bundy & coke
- depressed due to not picking any winners at the local races
- poor motivation?
Anyway after a weekend of excess and a much heavier car coming back due to numerous cases of wine (we went to Mudgee) I'm back!
This morning back to my hill reps, a struggle for the first couple as the respiratory system cleared itself, certainly the legs felt a little heavy.
Post run analysis was more encouraging, 10 reps at an average of 1:33 with average recovery of 1:50, this is quite close to my best average, somewhat heartening.
The best news for me is that since Willy to Billy with the few days off, a visit to Easy Tiger etc the niggly LH achilles aches no more joy of joys!!!
ps Vale Steve Irwin, so sad to see such a passionate person struck down in the prime of his life with so much still to offer to the community, environment and his family :( :(
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Sekrit training camp
While most others were charging around North Head I headed out for a scenic run in the country.
Some highlights include a few unexpected hills, my first magpie swoop of the season and a red bellied black snake sighting!
Just over 21km in around 1:47
The lurgy still has somewhat of a presence and the legs still some W2B but happy to get out again!
Sent from my Blackberry
Friday, September 01, 2006
A pinch and a punch
For the first day of the month!
Despite the lingering lurgy I ran down to the weir and back to try and clear out the pipes and get the blood pumping. Still a little residual soreness from Saturday and I did not run hard so it was midway between recovery and long run pace.
Distance 11km
Time 58:41
Avg pace 5:23
Avg HR 158
Oh for Prof's benefit Go Girl saw me in my day job clobber rather than the usual running gear, the mohair singlet however is a permanent wardrobe item for me. Hope that puts to bed the rumours about my moonlighting ;)
Despite the lingering lurgy I ran down to the weir and back to try and clear out the pipes and get the blood pumping. Still a little residual soreness from Saturday and I did not run hard so it was midway between recovery and long run pace.
Distance 11km
Time 58:41
Avg pace 5:23
Avg HR 158
Oh for Prof's benefit Go Girl saw me in my day job clobber rather than the usual running gear, the mohair singlet however is a permanent wardrobe item for me. Hope that puts to bed the rumours about my moonlighting ;)
Thursday, August 31, 2006
August
A mixed month!
No running at all for the first 5 days, then the run at Airport Adventure where I vowed to become more consistent. From there I ran for 22 days straight, by far my longest consecutive sequence of days running. The races at City to Surf and Willy to Billy are somewhat in alignment as to my current fitness level. The current cold thingy is a mere hiccup as I'm keen to continue the approach for the next couple of months. I do have somewhat of a schedule of races etc in mind but we will see how things roll along, next step however, as stated below is to run the Sydney Marathon and I have 2.5 weeks to prepare, not aiming for much of a taper as there is not a massive base to exploit.
No running at all for the first 5 days, then the run at Airport Adventure where I vowed to become more consistent. From there I ran for 22 days straight, by far my longest consecutive sequence of days running. The races at City to Surf and Willy to Billy are somewhat in alignment as to my current fitness level. The current cold thingy is a mere hiccup as I'm keen to continue the approach for the next couple of months. I do have somewhat of a schedule of races etc in mind but we will see how things roll along, next step however, as stated below is to run the Sydney Marathon and I have 2.5 weeks to prepare, not aiming for much of a taper as there is not a massive base to exploit.
Lurgified
The sore throat is now accompanied by congestion but for a while there yesterday I thought I was over the worst of it. However more symptons and so the legs and achilles in particular are getting a good recovery after Willy to Billy.
On other fronts I have decided to go long at Sydney. For a change I will not try and go out at PB pace, this is more for the experience. Also Striders are organising the pacing groups and so I might even be involved in one of these :) The much vaunted half PB will certainly be tested before the end of the year though!
On other fronts I have decided to go long at Sydney. For a change I will not try and go out at PB pace, this is more for the experience. Also Striders are organising the pacing groups and so I might even be involved in one of these :) The much vaunted half PB will certainly be tested before the end of the year though!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
End of run
Yep the days of consecutive runs has ended :(
I did my recovery run over the road around the oval on Sunday which while difficult did get the blood flowing again!
Monday saw me back down to Melbourne on the plane planning to run that night. But through the day I started to experience a sore throat which became worse. By the time work finished I felt pretty crappy and the throat plus DOMS was too much of a reason not to run. An early start today, plus still feeling pretty crappy saw another enforced rest day.
Thanks to all for the thoughts/feedback no decision yet on full vs half. Some wise words slightly leaning towards long, just with the rest of the year in mind and Go Girl yes, no tell on the ? :)
I did my recovery run over the road around the oval on Sunday which while difficult did get the blood flowing again!
Monday saw me back down to Melbourne on the plane planning to run that night. But through the day I started to experience a sore throat which became worse. By the time work finished I felt pretty crappy and the throat plus DOMS was too much of a reason not to run. An early start today, plus still feeling pretty crappy saw another enforced rest day.
Thanks to all for the thoughts/feedback no decision yet on full vs half. Some wise words slightly leaning towards long, just with the rest of the year in mind and Go Girl yes, no tell on the ? :)
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Weekly update
So a week with tough bookends with Trotters on Sunday and Willy to Billy on Saturday.
Total distance : 87km (note this is actually my biggest weekly milage since July 2005, which really speaks for itself!)
As posted below I'll digest things and decide on which distance I'll run at Sydney in 3 weeks.
Total distance : 87km (note this is actually my biggest weekly milage since July 2005, which really speaks for itself!)
As posted below I'll digest things and decide on which distance I'll run at Sydney in 3 weeks.
Willy to Billy race report
Day 21....
Up early to await my ride up to the mountains with Langswm. Accompaying him were Grandpa and a visitor from Germany and friend of Bandana, Thomas. The drive went pretty quickly and soon we were unloading and headed to the bus. I reckon 2/3 of the bus were Striders and/or Cool Runners, way too many to mention :)
Finally arrived at Mt Wilson after the bus driver tried to drive us up to Mt Irvine for a pre-race course inspection! Once the necessary ablutions and registration was over it was a case of standing around for a chin wag as each bus dropped off another load. Got to catch up with Will, Go Girl, Sarge, piriformis, Highway Man and, and....
Finally we got a very abbreviated start from a representative of Macquarie Bank. As I mentioned to my fellow car travellers the first 10km of this race can really test you out with numerous undulations. I worked on trying to minimise the effort on the numerous steep pinches, while as usual screaming past a whole heap of people on the technical downhills :) Through here I traded places with numerous people, finally after the last steep climb it was time to open the legs. Running near Sarge, Will, Shell and Barry R through here.
As we lapped around Mt Irvine I again focussed on trying to conserve energy and maintain form but slid back a couple of places. About now the troublesome achilles finally started to complain, I had wondered where it went!
Finally got to the 21km mark, which is the start of the long downhill, I held my position pretty well through here but the Garmin had an absolute hissy fit about 1km down. This descent seems to go on for ever and it is a little disconcerting looking across the valley to the other side and seeing people already climbing back up the long climb. Eventually reached the bridge in around 2:15 but the legs were actually still pretty lively and so I started climbing. After about 2km Robert W (Wazza?) caught me and asked if I was ok, at that point I was feeling pretty good and replied, you should see me when I am feeling bad.
I was very happy with the way I ran the climb, the last 2 times I have had to walk quite a deal. But finally, just as I rounded the last corner to head away from the valley (and the garmin came back to life!) I started to struggle. About a km later, despite grinding along the lack of real distance in my legs finally caught up and all of a sudden the grand piano dropped. I did my best to persevere but a few people went past here, including Horrie who looked like he was only just started running the way he went past.
At last I reached Bells Line Rd and a quick drink followed by a glance over the shoulder seeing Paul Bullas about 100m back. This section along the road always seems to get erased from the memory bank but I tell you it is a killer. With a couple of 100m to go I checked on my progress ahead of Paul and being safe cruised to the line.
Despite the optimisitic comments of good wishes I knew in my heart that today would be tough, this is my longest run since Canberra and also the first time I have breached 30km for quite a while as well and it showed!
The ending time was 3:08:48 about 6 minutes slower than last year which stacks up against the C2S time this year vs last. To be honest I was totally drained and it took quite a while to perk up, not even the offer of a special rehydrating brew from Blue Dog was appealing. After a bit of stuffing around I finally got changed, putting the skins on and working on knocking back an Endura opti.
As I type this tonight while still tight and sore I am walking ok but the achilles is tender and swollen (more ice!). I'll digest all the information and see how the recovery run tomorrow goes before I decide between the half or full for Sydney.
Special thanks to Langswm for the lift up an back!!
Up early to await my ride up to the mountains with Langswm. Accompaying him were Grandpa and a visitor from Germany and friend of Bandana, Thomas. The drive went pretty quickly and soon we were unloading and headed to the bus. I reckon 2/3 of the bus were Striders and/or Cool Runners, way too many to mention :)
Finally arrived at Mt Wilson after the bus driver tried to drive us up to Mt Irvine for a pre-race course inspection! Once the necessary ablutions and registration was over it was a case of standing around for a chin wag as each bus dropped off another load. Got to catch up with Will, Go Girl, Sarge, piriformis, Highway Man and, and....
Finally we got a very abbreviated start from a representative of Macquarie Bank. As I mentioned to my fellow car travellers the first 10km of this race can really test you out with numerous undulations. I worked on trying to minimise the effort on the numerous steep pinches, while as usual screaming past a whole heap of people on the technical downhills :) Through here I traded places with numerous people, finally after the last steep climb it was time to open the legs. Running near Sarge, Will, Shell and Barry R through here.
As we lapped around Mt Irvine I again focussed on trying to conserve energy and maintain form but slid back a couple of places. About now the troublesome achilles finally started to complain, I had wondered where it went!
Finally got to the 21km mark, which is the start of the long downhill, I held my position pretty well through here but the Garmin had an absolute hissy fit about 1km down. This descent seems to go on for ever and it is a little disconcerting looking across the valley to the other side and seeing people already climbing back up the long climb. Eventually reached the bridge in around 2:15 but the legs were actually still pretty lively and so I started climbing. After about 2km Robert W (Wazza?) caught me and asked if I was ok, at that point I was feeling pretty good and replied, you should see me when I am feeling bad.
I was very happy with the way I ran the climb, the last 2 times I have had to walk quite a deal. But finally, just as I rounded the last corner to head away from the valley (and the garmin came back to life!) I started to struggle. About a km later, despite grinding along the lack of real distance in my legs finally caught up and all of a sudden the grand piano dropped. I did my best to persevere but a few people went past here, including Horrie who looked like he was only just started running the way he went past.
At last I reached Bells Line Rd and a quick drink followed by a glance over the shoulder seeing Paul Bullas about 100m back. This section along the road always seems to get erased from the memory bank but I tell you it is a killer. With a couple of 100m to go I checked on my progress ahead of Paul and being safe cruised to the line.
Despite the optimisitic comments of good wishes I knew in my heart that today would be tough, this is my longest run since Canberra and also the first time I have breached 30km for quite a while as well and it showed!
The ending time was 3:08:48 about 6 minutes slower than last year which stacks up against the C2S time this year vs last. To be honest I was totally drained and it took quite a while to perk up, not even the offer of a special rehydrating brew from Blue Dog was appealing. After a bit of stuffing around I finally got changed, putting the skins on and working on knocking back an Endura opti.
As I type this tonight while still tight and sore I am walking ok but the achilles is tender and swollen (more ice!). I'll digest all the information and see how the recovery run tomorrow goes before I decide between the half or full for Sydney.
Special thanks to Langswm for the lift up an back!!
Friday, August 25, 2006
Ho hum
Day 20
Across the road for the jaunt around the park as my one day taper for Willy to Billy. Alas the shuffle had run out of battery and so I had nothing to keep me company doing the laps. This was soon rectified with the arrival of a galah who proceeded to search for worms as I continued lapping. He had no issue with watching me run past as he found brekkie.
The actual run was not too bad, a little tight in the adductors after yesterday but that ironed out after about 10 minutes. Achilles is still inflamed but certainly seems manageable.
So to Willy to Billy.....
The idea is to use it as a long tempo run rather than a pure race. Last year I did it in about 3:02 but faded in the last 10km. This year, I'll try and take it out a little slower and see how much is left in the tank when I hit the long down and up at the end.
Across the road for the jaunt around the park as my one day taper for Willy to Billy. Alas the shuffle had run out of battery and so I had nothing to keep me company doing the laps. This was soon rectified with the arrival of a galah who proceeded to search for worms as I continued lapping. He had no issue with watching me run past as he found brekkie.
The actual run was not too bad, a little tight in the adductors after yesterday but that ironed out after about 10 minutes. Achilles is still inflamed but certainly seems manageable.
So to Willy to Billy.....
The idea is to use it as a long tempo run rather than a pure race. Last year I did it in about 3:02 but faded in the last 10km. This year, I'll try and take it out a little slower and see how much is left in the tank when I hit the long down and up at the end.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Circle work #2
Day 19
Back to beautiful Sydney last night and up this morning for my "hard" day. Decided to head down to Rotary Park for some fast running on grass, with Saturday looming in the background, to minimise impact on the legs. Just to make life more interesting a light drizzle of rain accompanied the run today!
So this dose of circles was 400m reps with 90 sec standing recovery, again in an effort to work the cardio a little more while also getting the legs used to going a "bit" faster :)
8 reps seemed enough as the form on the last couple was becoming particularly ragged...
1:26
1:25
1:25
1:24
1:27
1:27
1:28
1:29
That gives an average of just over 1:26, which for interest sake translates to 3:36 min/km pace.
Then a quick visit to the witch doctor for some preventative needling on the lh calf and achilles. Tomorrow is recovery and my 1 day taper for Willy to Billy :)
Back to beautiful Sydney last night and up this morning for my "hard" day. Decided to head down to Rotary Park for some fast running on grass, with Saturday looming in the background, to minimise impact on the legs. Just to make life more interesting a light drizzle of rain accompanied the run today!
So this dose of circles was 400m reps with 90 sec standing recovery, again in an effort to work the cardio a little more while also getting the legs used to going a "bit" faster :)
8 reps seemed enough as the form on the last couple was becoming particularly ragged...
1:26
1:25
1:25
1:24
1:27
1:27
1:28
1:29
That gives an average of just over 1:26, which for interest sake translates to 3:36 min/km pace.
Then a quick visit to the witch doctor for some preventative needling on the lh calf and achilles. Tomorrow is recovery and my 1 day taper for Willy to Billy :)
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Circle work in the city
Day 18
No I am not doing donuts in the rental car on Swanston St :)
Out to a nice little park in the city on the Yarra, just across from the casino for the exciting 30 minutes of recovery on grass. For a change there was some excitement as a helicopter came in and landed on the helipad float on the river next to the park. Some high flyer stepped out and into the waiting limo, no idea as to who it was though....
Certainly felt last night in the legs but still I suppose that is the point of these sessions.
No I am not doing donuts in the rental car on Swanston St :)
Out to a nice little park in the city on the Yarra, just across from the casino for the exciting 30 minutes of recovery on grass. For a change there was some excitement as a helicopter came in and landed on the helipad float on the river next to the park. Some high flyer stepped out and into the waiting limo, no idea as to who it was though....
Certainly felt last night in the legs but still I suppose that is the point of these sessions.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Black and White
A tale of 2 days....
Day 16
Back up to the oval for the 30 minute recovery consisting of laps around listening to the iPod shuffle. Things seemed to pull up ok except for the usual dodgy lh achilles. Down to Melbourne again and while working in the hotel room and watching tv I worked quite a bit on self massage on the achilles, also put in a heel lift to try and reduce the stretch factor.
Day 17
I decided that I was going to run with the Gunn Runners tonight after the aborted attempt 2 weeks ago. A great idea with a 5km time trial for $6 which then includes a fresh amber ale for recovery :). The run is an out an back around Albert Park lake and I have always struggled to post anywhere near my CR5km times. I suppose it is due to the soft crushed rock surface, a turnaround plus running on a slightly uneven surface in the dark...
Anyway, I had resolved to hang on to the leaders for as long as possible, the first km split flashed up with a 3:40 and at about the same time I let them slowly stretch away with 4 in front. the next garmin split was a 4:10 but the others were still well and truly in sight. Coming back after the turnaround I could see I was slowly hauling in one guy and after another 2 4:10 km splits went past him with a km to go. However I could sense him pick up the pace and loiter a couple of metres back. As we rounded the bend with about 200m to go he came at me and it was an absolute ball busting sprint to the line, even my patented "kick of death" did not seem to sort him out but somehow I still edged him at the line :)
Well and truly stuffed after that and took quite a while to suck the oxygen back and also feel that lunch might not reappear! Ending time was 20:30 but as stated above this always seems to be a slow course (garmin said 5.07 km).
The best part of the whole exercise is the fact that there was absolutely no whinging from the troublesome achilles whatsoever so maybe the self massage really worked!
Day 16
Back up to the oval for the 30 minute recovery consisting of laps around listening to the iPod shuffle. Things seemed to pull up ok except for the usual dodgy lh achilles. Down to Melbourne again and while working in the hotel room and watching tv I worked quite a bit on self massage on the achilles, also put in a heel lift to try and reduce the stretch factor.
Day 17
I decided that I was going to run with the Gunn Runners tonight after the aborted attempt 2 weeks ago. A great idea with a 5km time trial for $6 which then includes a fresh amber ale for recovery :). The run is an out an back around Albert Park lake and I have always struggled to post anywhere near my CR5km times. I suppose it is due to the soft crushed rock surface, a turnaround plus running on a slightly uneven surface in the dark...
Anyway, I had resolved to hang on to the leaders for as long as possible, the first km split flashed up with a 3:40 and at about the same time I let them slowly stretch away with 4 in front. the next garmin split was a 4:10 but the others were still well and truly in sight. Coming back after the turnaround I could see I was slowly hauling in one guy and after another 2 4:10 km splits went past him with a km to go. However I could sense him pick up the pace and loiter a couple of metres back. As we rounded the bend with about 200m to go he came at me and it was an absolute ball busting sprint to the line, even my patented "kick of death" did not seem to sort him out but somehow I still edged him at the line :)
Well and truly stuffed after that and took quite a while to suck the oxygen back and also feel that lunch might not reappear! Ending time was 20:30 but as stated above this always seems to be a slow course (garmin said 5.07 km).
The best part of the whole exercise is the fact that there was absolutely no whinging from the troublesome achilles whatsoever so maybe the self massage really worked!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
De Agony of De Feet!
Day 15
Up to my old stamping grounds at the Central Coast to spend some time with my parents and so in advance I contacted the
Terrigal Trotters, thus the "borrowing" of their motto. I actually ran a little with the Trotters many. many years ago when I lived at Gosford. They usually run every Saturday morning but I was hoping there might be some sort of organised run on the Sunday. As it turned out I was in luck, a much smaller turnout at 6am than I am used to as I met up with just 2 Trotters. We headed off towards Wamberal doing the introductions etc and talked up the Trotters vs Striders rivalry. They were initially planning on doing around 15km but were more than happy to extend when I mentioned I had been thinking more 20-25km :)
At around this point I noticed the pace was pretty strong and as we started talking about the City to Surf I realised why, both Wayne and Lyndon had posted 54:xx C2S times, yikes!! Anyway I hung with them as we ran out the back of Wamberal through the hills in the semi farming area near Tumbi Umbi and onto Mingara. At about 18km I was starting to feel the pinch and hoping they might stop for some water. But no we kept grinding on eventually popping out on the Entrance Rd near Bateau Bay. As we approached Wamberal I now was starting to struggle to keep pace and so I told them not to worry about waiting as I knew my way back from there.
Got back to the Terrigal car park and the legs were very toasted but that is to be expected when you are running with what would be a 6:20 Striders STaR group. Thanked Wayne and Lyndon for the run and extended an invite if they were ever down our way to join us (maybe the 6:30 group hehehehe).
Stats
Distance : 24.2km
Time : 1:56:47 (and no water stops today folks!)
Avg Pace : 4:49 min/km
Avg HR : 161
Have to say I am pretty chuffed with this run, there were a number of hills along the route and I just hung in there. Comparing this to the Airport Adventure, only 2 weeks ago which was a flatter course and I struggled big time near the end to average just over 5:30 min/km. Still very early days but I believe the consistent training is already showing some results, need to nursemaid the achilles still and it will be interesting to see how I go next Saturday at Willy to Billy as adaption should start to take hold by then.
Up to my old stamping grounds at the Central Coast to spend some time with my parents and so in advance I contacted the
Terrigal Trotters, thus the "borrowing" of their motto. I actually ran a little with the Trotters many. many years ago when I lived at Gosford. They usually run every Saturday morning but I was hoping there might be some sort of organised run on the Sunday. As it turned out I was in luck, a much smaller turnout at 6am than I am used to as I met up with just 2 Trotters. We headed off towards Wamberal doing the introductions etc and talked up the Trotters vs Striders rivalry. They were initially planning on doing around 15km but were more than happy to extend when I mentioned I had been thinking more 20-25km :)
At around this point I noticed the pace was pretty strong and as we started talking about the City to Surf I realised why, both Wayne and Lyndon had posted 54:xx C2S times, yikes!! Anyway I hung with them as we ran out the back of Wamberal through the hills in the semi farming area near Tumbi Umbi and onto Mingara. At about 18km I was starting to feel the pinch and hoping they might stop for some water. But no we kept grinding on eventually popping out on the Entrance Rd near Bateau Bay. As we approached Wamberal I now was starting to struggle to keep pace and so I told them not to worry about waiting as I knew my way back from there.
Got back to the Terrigal car park and the legs were very toasted but that is to be expected when you are running with what would be a 6:20 Striders STaR group. Thanked Wayne and Lyndon for the run and extended an invite if they were ever down our way to join us (maybe the 6:30 group hehehehe).
Stats
Distance : 24.2km
Time : 1:56:47 (and no water stops today folks!)
Avg Pace : 4:49 min/km
Avg HR : 161
Have to say I am pretty chuffed with this run, there were a number of hills along the route and I just hung in there. Comparing this to the Airport Adventure, only 2 weeks ago which was a flatter course and I struggled big time near the end to average just over 5:30 min/km. Still very early days but I believe the consistent training is already showing some results, need to nursemaid the achilles still and it will be interesting to see how I go next Saturday at Willy to Billy as adaption should start to take hold by then.
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