Hard to believe, given the temperature today. A simple 8km recovery run on my loop through East Ryde and Ryde Common. For some reason I struggled to feel comfortable, everything felt ok just felt average at the pace I was running.
Stats 8.5km in 42:54 (avg pace 5:05, avg HR 163)
Maybe it was the increase in temperature....
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Vo2 Max
Main part of the run today was 3 x 1600 @ 5km Race Pace with min recovery. Initially I was going to go down to Rotary to do this but time conspired against me so it was around the corner instead to the gym and treadmill.
After a couple ok km to warm/loosen up turned up the volume and speed and set off. The first rep seemed to go on for ever and then it was only 2 minutes before I was off again! Towards the end of the second rep I started to flag a little and the HR really did not come down enough before the rest was gone again! Tough going here and I managed to grit the teeth to hold on for the km at least, looking back I may have been able to go further but probably not the full extra 600m!
A good warm down and jog back home. The calves actually felt great, so big tick to the witch doctor, however the next weakest link is shins and they copped a bit of a hammering towards the end. I did get to try out my early Fathers Day pressie wearing them under my work clothes and they do seem to have made a difference.
That was the last real hard session scheduled by Pfitzinger, just Saturday left for any real intensity, other than that some recovery runs and stride sessions till next Sunday.
After a couple ok km to warm/loosen up turned up the volume and speed and set off. The first rep seemed to go on for ever and then it was only 2 minutes before I was off again! Towards the end of the second rep I started to flag a little and the HR really did not come down enough before the rest was gone again! Tough going here and I managed to grit the teeth to hold on for the km at least, looking back I may have been able to go further but probably not the full extra 600m!
A good warm down and jog back home. The calves actually felt great, so big tick to the witch doctor, however the next weakest link is shins and they copped a bit of a hammering towards the end. I did get to try out my early Fathers Day pressie wearing them under my work clothes and they do seem to have made a difference.
That was the last real hard session scheduled by Pfitzinger, just Saturday left for any real intensity, other than that some recovery runs and stride sessions till next Sunday.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Witch Doctor visit
Around the corner (well and down the road) to teh witch doctor this morning. He is very handy and also is available early in the morning which makes it easier to fit into the schedule.
A quick chat about my calves seemingly now made from concrete and also my suspicion about my pelvis being out of alignment. A quick prod and poke and he agreed and went to work. A few pins in the lower left back to release some of the tigh muscles there and then he went to work on the calves. Fair dinkum, it felt like he was jamming knitting needles in instead of accupuncture pins. He agreed that they were "very" tight.
After a pleasant half an hour lying there with pins inserted he came back and then gave the lower back/pelvic area a good readjustment and then also wanted to have a go at the mid back area, just below the shoulder blades. Wow, there was some tension build up there.
Now the calves are tight from the treatment but that wears off, the left hammie feels perfect and he reckons I'm ready to roll!
Thanks for the opinions on the Striders 10km race guys, I have to admit I'm leaning towards going for it. As someone else has mentioned to me, if you are doing some speedwork in the taper the chances of hurting something is just as great as doing the 10km race. Lets see how the week and training unfolds.
A quick chat about my calves seemingly now made from concrete and also my suspicion about my pelvis being out of alignment. A quick prod and poke and he agreed and went to work. A few pins in the lower left back to release some of the tigh muscles there and then he went to work on the calves. Fair dinkum, it felt like he was jamming knitting needles in instead of accupuncture pins. He agreed that they were "very" tight.
After a pleasant half an hour lying there with pins inserted he came back and then gave the lower back/pelvic area a good readjustment and then also wanted to have a go at the mid back area, just below the shoulder blades. Wow, there was some tension build up there.
Now the calves are tight from the treatment but that wears off, the left hammie feels perfect and he reckons I'm ready to roll!
Thanks for the opinions on the Striders 10km race guys, I have to admit I'm leaning towards going for it. As someone else has mentioned to me, if you are doing some speedwork in the taper the chances of hurting something is just as great as doing the 10km race. Lets see how the week and training unfolds.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Airport Adrenaline Adventure
After the success of yesterday back to a longer run today and this is the last true "long" run before Sydney. I decided to run with the 6:20 gang, I know the people that run this a bit better than the group from 6:10 today. Also knowing the course being very flat early it would be a good fast work out, famous last words.
Off at a good clip with myself and Sawdust on the front for the first couple of km. Then as we rounded the corner near Cooks River for the long run along Botany Bay the pace picked up. Along here Andrew T, and then Luke Skyrunner and Silver Fox all joined in, not much of a 6:30 group it seems. Not paying a lot of attention to the Garmin but knew we were moving fairly fast.
Finally near Dolls Point a drink stop and I checked the avg pace and it was sub 4:30!! I decided to let them go if this continues but held contact over the river and into Sylvannia, but then let them go. By the time we got to the short cut I was still in contact and we had covered 16km at 4:30 min/km avg pace. The legs were starting to feel either the 5km yesterday or more likely still trying to recover from W2B and while some of the guys were trying to read a map I slipped ahead for a while :).
Out of interest I checked on the Garmin as I went through 21.1 km and it was 97 minutes. That was enough for me as I eased off a little further and got back for 25.5km in a smidge over 2 hours, which gave a avg pace all up of 4:45 min/km and avg HR of 163.
Both calves are again tight, but not painfully tight. Pretty happy with this run, even if I did ease up a little. Now for the all important 2 week taper/sharpen, currently looking for this week like:
Monday - Rest/Witch Doctor
Tuesday - VO2 Max session, 13km including 3 x 1600 @ 5km pace
Wednesday - Recovery 8km
Thursday - Recovery & Speed, 13km with 8 x 100 strides
Friday - Recovery 8km
Saturday - Striders 10km (not sure if I'll "race" this)
Sunday - Fathers Day!! Medium run around 20km
The key question is whether I should go 100% next Saturday for maybe another 10km PB or even (maybe) sub 40 or if I should run it at Marathon Pace (perhaps do the 45 min pacemaking duties)
Off at a good clip with myself and Sawdust on the front for the first couple of km. Then as we rounded the corner near Cooks River for the long run along Botany Bay the pace picked up. Along here Andrew T, and then Luke Skyrunner and Silver Fox all joined in, not much of a 6:30 group it seems. Not paying a lot of attention to the Garmin but knew we were moving fairly fast.
Finally near Dolls Point a drink stop and I checked the avg pace and it was sub 4:30!! I decided to let them go if this continues but held contact over the river and into Sylvannia, but then let them go. By the time we got to the short cut I was still in contact and we had covered 16km at 4:30 min/km avg pace. The legs were starting to feel either the 5km yesterday or more likely still trying to recover from W2B and while some of the guys were trying to read a map I slipped ahead for a while :).
Out of interest I checked on the Garmin as I went through 21.1 km and it was 97 minutes. That was enough for me as I eased off a little further and got back for 25.5km in a smidge over 2 hours, which gave a avg pace all up of 4:45 min/km and avg HR of 163.
Both calves are again tight, but not painfully tight. Pretty happy with this run, even if I did ease up a little. Now for the all important 2 week taper/sharpen, currently looking for this week like:
Monday - Rest/Witch Doctor
Tuesday - VO2 Max session, 13km including 3 x 1600 @ 5km pace
Wednesday - Recovery 8km
Thursday - Recovery & Speed, 13km with 8 x 100 strides
Friday - Recovery 8km
Saturday - Striders 10km (not sure if I'll "race" this)
Sunday - Fathers Day!! Medium run around 20km
The key question is whether I should go 100% next Saturday for maybe another 10km PB or even (maybe) sub 40 or if I should run it at Marathon Pace (perhaps do the 45 min pacemaking duties)
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Turnaround!
Well after pretty much deciding at the time of yesterday's blog not to run the CR 5km challenge the body seemed to improve and last night I laid out the gear with the aim of being ready to go if I felt I was ok. Up this morning and decided to head over, do a warm up and see how everything went.
The warm up felt good and so next step was to front up at the 20 minute group. Had already decided to go out hard and see how long I could hang on. A much smaller 20 minute group with Mr G, Horrie and a female I have not seen before. She asked if we were going to run even 4 min k's and Horrie said it was unlikely with me there leading out!
Off we went and I immediately slipped into a good pace. With the work council is doing in the first km it was a bit of to and fro between road and footpath, I also could sense Mr G running just behind my shoulder. After the first km I settled down a little and I think Horrie cruised up to just behind me through here as I went wide and he stayed close to the bay at the divided section near the 2km mark.
Caught up to Eagle and Queen B not long after this and felt I was still running smoothly through the 3km mark. A few hundred metres further and Boof cruised by but I was also still catching some more front markers. Just after the 4km mark Coaster came past and I managed to hold him at around 10 metres for about 400 metres, about 200 metres out from the line Sparkie went screaming past and then I was there, thank goodness!
Splits
1km 3:44 3:44
2km 3:49 7:33
3km 3:54 11:27
4km 3:54 15:21
5km 3:56 19:17
I had deliberately not looked up my 5km PB but knew I was close. Upon checking at home it was 19:15, set in March, between 6ft and Canberra. While slightly disappointed not to go 3 seconds faster I am actually pretty happy with the run given I was not even going to have a go 24 hours earlier.
A good form guide which, given the circumstances should bode well for Sydney. I'm now pretty positive that I could break 19 minutes if I focus on some quality speed work now I have a better base.
Tomorrow is the STaR near the Airport, I'm aiming for around 25km and it is a nice flat course, the shortcut removing the nasty hill. Might even give the new Trances a hit out after the excellent work done today by the new Racer ST's (the old ones are retired after 520km, pretty good for a race shoe)
The warm up felt good and so next step was to front up at the 20 minute group. Had already decided to go out hard and see how long I could hang on. A much smaller 20 minute group with Mr G, Horrie and a female I have not seen before. She asked if we were going to run even 4 min k's and Horrie said it was unlikely with me there leading out!
Off we went and I immediately slipped into a good pace. With the work council is doing in the first km it was a bit of to and fro between road and footpath, I also could sense Mr G running just behind my shoulder. After the first km I settled down a little and I think Horrie cruised up to just behind me through here as I went wide and he stayed close to the bay at the divided section near the 2km mark.
Caught up to Eagle and Queen B not long after this and felt I was still running smoothly through the 3km mark. A few hundred metres further and Boof cruised by but I was also still catching some more front markers. Just after the 4km mark Coaster came past and I managed to hold him at around 10 metres for about 400 metres, about 200 metres out from the line Sparkie went screaming past and then I was there, thank goodness!
Splits
1km 3:44 3:44
2km 3:49 7:33
3km 3:54 11:27
4km 3:54 15:21
5km 3:56 19:17
I had deliberately not looked up my 5km PB but knew I was close. Upon checking at home it was 19:15, set in March, between 6ft and Canberra. While slightly disappointed not to go 3 seconds faster I am actually pretty happy with the run given I was not even going to have a go 24 hours earlier.
A good form guide which, given the circumstances should bode well for Sydney. I'm now pretty positive that I could break 19 minutes if I focus on some quality speed work now I have a better base.
Tomorrow is the STaR near the Airport, I'm aiming for around 25km and it is a nice flat course, the shortcut removing the nasty hill. Might even give the new Trances a hit out after the excellent work done today by the new Racer ST's (the old ones are retired after 520km, pretty good for a race shoe)
Friday, August 26, 2005
Recovered?
The head and throat felt a little better this morning so I laced up the shoes and headed out. Just aiming to run to the weir and back. Took a while to warm up and did not feel smooth or comfortable on the way down. A bit of a struggle back up Scribblys and back home, time of 55 minutes for the 11km, not as fast as recently but I let the body direct the pace.
Certainly Willy to Billy still is in the legs and the head felt ok but may have been why I was still a little sluggish. After I've cooled down the previously blogged tight right calf is tight, along with the left hamstring. I'll see how they travle through the day but I would say it is now unlikely that I'll front up for the CR 5km challenge, preferring to let the legs recover a bit more and the run about 25km at the STaR on Sunday.
As a precaution I have a witch doctor appointment for Monday.
Certainly Willy to Billy still is in the legs and the head felt ok but may have been why I was still a little sluggish. After I've cooled down the previously blogged tight right calf is tight, along with the left hamstring. I'll see how they travle through the day but I would say it is now unlikely that I'll front up for the CR 5km challenge, preferring to let the legs recover a bit more and the run about 25km at the STaR on Sunday.
As a precaution I have a witch doctor appointment for Monday.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Recovery??
The legs were a bit smashed fron Willy to Billy. Had a massage from a new guy who was quite good but that RH calf has them all beat. He went back to it twice and still could not crack the concrete :)
A little bit better yesterday but work and other committments conspired to keep me away from my new shoes. The old Trances have gone to 1100km and 600km respectively and I reckon the older ones have been part of the cause of the increased lower leg niggles of late.
This morning had a medium long run scheduled but woke up with a sore throat and head congestion. I hope it is not vat_man's flu. At least the legs are back in teh land of the living!
A little bit better yesterday but work and other committments conspired to keep me away from my new shoes. The old Trances have gone to 1100km and 600km respectively and I reckon the older ones have been part of the cause of the increased lower leg niggles of late.
This morning had a medium long run scheduled but woke up with a sore throat and head congestion. I hope it is not vat_man's flu. At least the legs are back in teh land of the living!
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Recap
The last 4 weeks have been pretty hectic running wise (well ok in general). A quick recap/summary as I am now in the final stages of sharpening and then tapering for Sydney.
4 races in 4 weeks
Sutherland to Surf (11km) 45:05 (debut and so also a pb)
Striders Lane Cove (10km) 40:28 pb
City to Surf (14km) 58:57 pb
Willy to Billy (35km) 3:02:29 pb
This program has certainly affected my ability to try and stick to the Pfitzinger program with assorted niggles and tiredness reducing my training effectiveness. From here it is 3 weeks of focus solely back on marathon prep.
4 races in 4 weeks
Sutherland to Surf (11km) 45:05 (debut and so also a pb)
Striders Lane Cove (10km) 40:28 pb
City to Surf (14km) 58:57 pb
Willy to Billy (35km) 3:02:29 pb
This program has certainly affected my ability to try and stick to the Pfitzinger program with assorted niggles and tiredness reducing my training effectiveness. From here it is 3 weeks of focus solely back on marathon prep.
Willy to Billy race report
Up early and eating up to load some fuel, given the time from leaving home to actually starting I also packed some provisions. James C, a fellow Strider had organised for us to share the car up and when he arrived we were off. Along the drive it rained, sometimes heavily which was not a good sign, but by the time we got to Bilpin, no rain and in fact some blue sky.
Dropped the car and boarded the shuttle bus to Mt Wilson, a host of Striders and CR on board. Upon arrival I opted to line up for a final tilt at the facilities and then caught up with a heap of the usual suspects and also participated in a few group photos.
Last year I ran this of a somewhat low base and did 3:18:11 and was hoping/aiming to break 3 hours this time round. A few quick speeches from the local hosts and we were off. I was going to try and run around 5 min/km pace, hoping to make some inroads on the long downhill and then hold it together on the climb to bring it home.
Despite my best efforts to rein in the enthusiasm I went out a little too hard and also the fairly vicious sharp climbs early on were taking their toll. So I decided to walk the steeper sections but attack the technical downhills to try and equalise time.
This resulted in quite a seesaw type battle with a few people, them passing me up and me likewise down. Of some concern through here I noticed that my RH ankle tendonitis was starting to become sore so I also focussed on how I was running uphill (if I was).
After a while the sharp climbs became a little less frequent and I started to get into a good rhythm. In particular there was a section of singletrack that I really enjoyed and really attacked with an open track in front of me for a while, and recatching a few people who had drawn clear.
The Garmin was proving next to useless with more lost signal time than actual tracking. Thankfully the course was well marked and I hit the 15km mark pretty bang on 1:15 so averaging 5 min/km like the plan. The next section of the course is pretty flat as we run along a sealed road for quite a few km and with not many people in sight it was a challenge to maintain pace. At the 20km mark my split was 1:38 so I had picked up a bit ahead of the downhill.
This piece seemed to go on for ever, and I believe that probably about 2/3 of the way down I dropped off the pace a little as a few people who were just ahead of me slowly pulled away. Still I got to the bottom and river crossing with a split of 2:11 and then the challenge was to try and efficiently get up the other side. While it was tough I was making ok progress through to the first hairpin, when I turned the corner though I realised why as I hit the headwind. MikeF caught up here, we ran together for a while and then he pulled clear at the drinks station at the next hairpin.
Here the course gives some respite with about 1km of flatter running before heading up again. When we started slimbing again it was tougher and through here Barry R (another Strider) went past, only 4km to go but I was struggling.
A few more went past including 2 females who were flying! Finally got to the Bells Line Road and then tried to grind out the last 1.5km at a somewhat decent pace.
Ended up just outside of the sub 3 hour goal with 3:02:29 which is still a 15:42 PB from last year. In talking with others I really did die in that last 4km as Barry R finished with 2:58:xx meaning he put around 4 minutes into me over 4km!
The legs were pretty beat up and certainly some concern re the RH ankle again although it seems to be better after ice than how it felt 2 weeks ago. Indulged in a leg massage and enjoyed a couple of brews courtesy of Blue Dog and Sarge before watching the presentation and then driving home.
Dropped the car and boarded the shuttle bus to Mt Wilson, a host of Striders and CR on board. Upon arrival I opted to line up for a final tilt at the facilities and then caught up with a heap of the usual suspects and also participated in a few group photos.
Last year I ran this of a somewhat low base and did 3:18:11 and was hoping/aiming to break 3 hours this time round. A few quick speeches from the local hosts and we were off. I was going to try and run around 5 min/km pace, hoping to make some inroads on the long downhill and then hold it together on the climb to bring it home.
Despite my best efforts to rein in the enthusiasm I went out a little too hard and also the fairly vicious sharp climbs early on were taking their toll. So I decided to walk the steeper sections but attack the technical downhills to try and equalise time.
This resulted in quite a seesaw type battle with a few people, them passing me up and me likewise down. Of some concern through here I noticed that my RH ankle tendonitis was starting to become sore so I also focussed on how I was running uphill (if I was).
After a while the sharp climbs became a little less frequent and I started to get into a good rhythm. In particular there was a section of singletrack that I really enjoyed and really attacked with an open track in front of me for a while, and recatching a few people who had drawn clear.
The Garmin was proving next to useless with more lost signal time than actual tracking. Thankfully the course was well marked and I hit the 15km mark pretty bang on 1:15 so averaging 5 min/km like the plan. The next section of the course is pretty flat as we run along a sealed road for quite a few km and with not many people in sight it was a challenge to maintain pace. At the 20km mark my split was 1:38 so I had picked up a bit ahead of the downhill.
This piece seemed to go on for ever, and I believe that probably about 2/3 of the way down I dropped off the pace a little as a few people who were just ahead of me slowly pulled away. Still I got to the bottom and river crossing with a split of 2:11 and then the challenge was to try and efficiently get up the other side. While it was tough I was making ok progress through to the first hairpin, when I turned the corner though I realised why as I hit the headwind. MikeF caught up here, we ran together for a while and then he pulled clear at the drinks station at the next hairpin.
Here the course gives some respite with about 1km of flatter running before heading up again. When we started slimbing again it was tougher and through here Barry R (another Strider) went past, only 4km to go but I was struggling.
A few more went past including 2 females who were flying! Finally got to the Bells Line Road and then tried to grind out the last 1.5km at a somewhat decent pace.
Ended up just outside of the sub 3 hour goal with 3:02:29 which is still a 15:42 PB from last year. In talking with others I really did die in that last 4km as Barry R finished with 2:58:xx meaning he put around 4 minutes into me over 4km!
The legs were pretty beat up and certainly some concern re the RH ankle again although it seems to be better after ice than how it felt 2 weeks ago. Indulged in a leg massage and enjoyed a couple of brews courtesy of Blue Dog and Sarge before watching the presentation and then driving home.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Tough going
Thursday was supposed to be a medium long run but I was knackered from the trip down in Melbourne and just was not going to get out of bed so opted for an afternoon run instead. I kinked my neck last week and just as it was recovering managed to do the same again yesterday and it is becoming quite frustrating as well.
Got home, laced up and headed out, the lh hammie is still a bit tight and shins also felt sore. Ended up doing my 14.5km loop but the whole run felt like a struggle, maybe the C2S and then the 1km rep session catching up on me?
Stats 14.5km in 1:09:41 (avg pace 4:48, avg HR 163) so a good pace even if I felt crappy.
This morning was again a struggle to get up and there is still some tightness in the body so with a 35km race tomorrow I wimped out and decided for a rest day. Seems to be a trend for me recently but I'm hoping the quality I have put in for the base miles, coupled with some good races and speed sessions will hold me in good stead. Also going back to the accupuncture clinic today after consuming another dose of that hideous ginger broth last night. Hopefully she can do something for the neck, the good news is not a peep from the achilles so that seems to be fixed!
Got home, laced up and headed out, the lh hammie is still a bit tight and shins also felt sore. Ended up doing my 14.5km loop but the whole run felt like a struggle, maybe the C2S and then the 1km rep session catching up on me?
Stats 14.5km in 1:09:41 (avg pace 4:48, avg HR 163) so a good pace even if I felt crappy.
This morning was again a struggle to get up and there is still some tightness in the body so with a 35km race tomorrow I wimped out and decided for a rest day. Seems to be a trend for me recently but I'm hoping the quality I have put in for the base miles, coupled with some good races and speed sessions will hold me in good stead. Also going back to the accupuncture clinic today after consuming another dose of that hideous ginger broth last night. Hopefully she can do something for the neck, the good news is not a peep from the achilles so that seems to be fixed!
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Sweathog
After the success from yesterday back into the serious schedule today which means speed.
Down to the nearest Fitness First near my hotel in Melbourne for a menu of 1km reps. After the last attempt at this I decided to set the pace at 3:55 min/km and see how I went. To my amazement I knocked out 8 reps and was still going ok so notched the pace up to 3:50 for the last 2. So this gave me 10km in 39 minutes and the old rule of thumb was this type of session (with a standing rest of half the run time) was a good yardstick on a 10km time.
After looking back through my previous sessions this looks like my best ever session and it did not turn out to be a "stretcher" session! Maybe the treadmill was not calibrated right I don't know....
Did manage to pick up a slight blister on the top of the ankle, medium/long run tomorrow morning (back home!)
Oh and the sweathog title comes from the absolute drenching I gave the treadmill and the fact that I hogged it for 75 minutes :)
Down to the nearest Fitness First near my hotel in Melbourne for a menu of 1km reps. After the last attempt at this I decided to set the pace at 3:55 min/km and see how I went. To my amazement I knocked out 8 reps and was still going ok so notched the pace up to 3:50 for the last 2. So this gave me 10km in 39 minutes and the old rule of thumb was this type of session (with a standing rest of half the run time) was a good yardstick on a 10km time.
After looking back through my previous sessions this looks like my best ever session and it did not turn out to be a "stretcher" session! Maybe the treadmill was not calibrated right I don't know....
Did manage to pick up a slight blister on the top of the ankle, medium/long run tomorrow morning (back home!)
Oh and the sweathog title comes from the absolute drenching I gave the treadmill and the fact that I hogged it for 75 minutes :)
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Down by the river
Work drags me back to Melbourne again and so I lined up to do a recovery style run along the Bike Paths next to the Yarra River. A beautiful morning (almost as good as the average Sydney morning) and I headed up stream, dodging the rowing coaches on bikes while hoping the other cyclists would miss me.
Turned around at Chapel Street Bridge and headed back on the North Bank. Initially the hammies and calves/shins were a little tight but after warming up I was pretty happy with the recovery from Sunday.
Stats
9.5km in 47:16 (avg pace 4:59 and avg HR 155)
Turned around at Chapel Street Bridge and headed back on the North Bank. Initially the hammies and calves/shins were a little tight but after warming up I was pretty happy with the recovery from Sunday.
Stats
9.5km in 47:16 (avg pace 4:59 and avg HR 155)
Monday, August 15, 2005
City to Surf race report
Time for a benchmark test against last year and also to really celebrate my 2nd year of running. I did the City to Surf in 2003 with a mate, I thought I was pretty fit then having done some Orienteering for a while and even run a Striders 10km race or 2 earlier in the year. But my first C2S was an eye opener, running in 74:34 and absolutely knackered (barely able to walk the next day). To make it worse, my mate who was not running at all (but mountain biking) beat me by 4 minutes. At that point I resolved to get fitter and around 6 weeks later joined the Striders MTG with Canberra as the goal.
Last year, after slacking off through winter I posted 61:37 while on the upswing of training again. So this year I was already 2 minutes faster over 10km at around the same time so 59:xx seemed logical but 58:xx would be better.
Lobbed up to the line aroun 7:45am and there were a few of the crowd there already. Settled in with MPHaz, Podrunner, Mohammed, Tesso, Blue Dog, Minersrun, Dash Incredible Uncle Dave (robin) and RunningWolf (spiderman)(I know I've missed others but memory is shot). Not too chilly and varied between standing and sitting to avoid seizing up too much. They rolled the preferred runners in about 10m in front of us and then as a group we then rolled further forward behind the seeded runners. By then I was mingling with the preferred runners and only 5m from the front!
They stuffed around with the start procedure and then without any warning we had started! The first 100m was a little chaotic but then I got into some clear space. Staying on the right hand side meant the right tunnel, the lead pack went left. I felt a little uncomfortable through here, probably partly from no warm up and partly from not being able to clear the bladder before the start. After the tunnel a few lunatics hurdled the barriers to join the left hand stream which I think provided no benefit, one guy turned and darted right in front of me just about colliding with me and coping a few choice words.
Caught up to Dash Incredible going up Edgecliffe hill (he took off very quickly) and had a few Striders who are faster then me also come through including 26miles and Kanagra who I found out afterwards had a fall early. Settled down into a steady pace, partly fueled by adrenaline. Through the next couple of km I ran just behind a few Striders who again I normally am a little further away from. The 5km split according to Garmin was 20:01, a little bit faster than planned and I knew HBH might hurt if I used too much too early so eased up a little through Rose Bay to recompose for the climb.
The climb was not too bad Sarge went past a 2nd time (had stopped off for a nature break) and then also MikeF near the top. I held onto Mike for a little while but slipped a little near the drinks stop. Around here Tuttle I think caught up to me just at the turn south but that was the end of the upslope and I opened up the legs on the downslope. Through the 10km mark in 42:26 which was close to my expectations. The turns and undulations through here I had forgotten about and I obviously slowed a little (after looking at splits).
Then it was time for downhill, I am a little disappointed as to how I went here, normally passing a few more people than I did so the body was probably a little stretched. Noticed today that the hammies were very tight but the quads were very fresh, interesting to contrast against the Sutherland to Surf with the opposite feeling.
As I was coming down into Bondi and past the CR cheersquad (thanks guys!) I caught up to RunningWolf in his spiderman suit and then it was on for young and old over that tough last km. I knew I had sub 60 in the bag and was an outside chance for breaking 59. Rounded the hairpin and opened up the legs, about 200m later I realised I had gone too soon and fellow Strider Mark S went past, exactly the same as last year! Somehow managed to keep some sort of pace going and watching the clock, pretty sure that it just ticked over 59 as I went underneath but kept sprinting to the first empty time gate and got given a 58:57 time slip, happy days. Then remembered to hit the stopwatch which showed 59:10.
So a 2:40 pb and a very happy chappy. 2 PB's in 2 weeks and all off a base with minimal speedwork. Also very happy that the suspect achilles pain did not surface and so back into the proper schedule this week. Somehow I had it in my head that Willy to Billy was on Sunday but it's on Saturday so a shuffle of the schedule likely. Only 4 weeks to go and I know there is some pretty intense sessions coming up to sharpen that base up for Sydney.
Stats
14km in 58:57 (avg pace 4:13 and avg HR 176)
Last year, after slacking off through winter I posted 61:37 while on the upswing of training again. So this year I was already 2 minutes faster over 10km at around the same time so 59:xx seemed logical but 58:xx would be better.
Lobbed up to the line aroun 7:45am and there were a few of the crowd there already. Settled in with MPHaz, Podrunner, Mohammed, Tesso, Blue Dog, Minersrun, Dash Incredible Uncle Dave (robin) and RunningWolf (spiderman)(I know I've missed others but memory is shot). Not too chilly and varied between standing and sitting to avoid seizing up too much. They rolled the preferred runners in about 10m in front of us and then as a group we then rolled further forward behind the seeded runners. By then I was mingling with the preferred runners and only 5m from the front!
They stuffed around with the start procedure and then without any warning we had started! The first 100m was a little chaotic but then I got into some clear space. Staying on the right hand side meant the right tunnel, the lead pack went left. I felt a little uncomfortable through here, probably partly from no warm up and partly from not being able to clear the bladder before the start. After the tunnel a few lunatics hurdled the barriers to join the left hand stream which I think provided no benefit, one guy turned and darted right in front of me just about colliding with me and coping a few choice words.
Caught up to Dash Incredible going up Edgecliffe hill (he took off very quickly) and had a few Striders who are faster then me also come through including 26miles and Kanagra who I found out afterwards had a fall early. Settled down into a steady pace, partly fueled by adrenaline. Through the next couple of km I ran just behind a few Striders who again I normally am a little further away from. The 5km split according to Garmin was 20:01, a little bit faster than planned and I knew HBH might hurt if I used too much too early so eased up a little through Rose Bay to recompose for the climb.
The climb was not too bad Sarge went past a 2nd time (had stopped off for a nature break) and then also MikeF near the top. I held onto Mike for a little while but slipped a little near the drinks stop. Around here Tuttle I think caught up to me just at the turn south but that was the end of the upslope and I opened up the legs on the downslope. Through the 10km mark in 42:26 which was close to my expectations. The turns and undulations through here I had forgotten about and I obviously slowed a little (after looking at splits).
Then it was time for downhill, I am a little disappointed as to how I went here, normally passing a few more people than I did so the body was probably a little stretched. Noticed today that the hammies were very tight but the quads were very fresh, interesting to contrast against the Sutherland to Surf with the opposite feeling.
As I was coming down into Bondi and past the CR cheersquad (thanks guys!) I caught up to RunningWolf in his spiderman suit and then it was on for young and old over that tough last km. I knew I had sub 60 in the bag and was an outside chance for breaking 59. Rounded the hairpin and opened up the legs, about 200m later I realised I had gone too soon and fellow Strider Mark S went past, exactly the same as last year! Somehow managed to keep some sort of pace going and watching the clock, pretty sure that it just ticked over 59 as I went underneath but kept sprinting to the first empty time gate and got given a 58:57 time slip, happy days. Then remembered to hit the stopwatch which showed 59:10.
So a 2:40 pb and a very happy chappy. 2 PB's in 2 weeks and all off a base with minimal speedwork. Also very happy that the suspect achilles pain did not surface and so back into the proper schedule this week. Somehow I had it in my head that Willy to Billy was on Sunday but it's on Saturday so a shuffle of the schedule likely. Only 4 weeks to go and I know there is some pretty intense sessions coming up to sharpen that base up for Sydney.
Stats
14km in 58:57 (avg pace 4:13 and avg HR 176)
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Paranoia???
The mind is a wonderful thing. I swear that I was getting all sorts of wierd feelings in my right leg, fearing stress fractures or something like that.
That coupled with some high powered strategic meetings at work conspired to prevent running Tues and Wed. With the much publicised cold snap and fatigue I was not going to climb out of bed this morning either.
So this afternoon I bit the bullet and headed out, half expecting the achilles to snap or something just around the corner. Just down to the weir and back but felt pretty (well very good) and very happy to be out running (I only had 3 days off!!)
11km in 52:52 (avg 4:48 and avg HR 163)
Ice tonight and a more intense session I think for the morning.
Oh and thanks for all the comments, it really does pick up the spirits.
That coupled with some high powered strategic meetings at work conspired to prevent running Tues and Wed. With the much publicised cold snap and fatigue I was not going to climb out of bed this morning either.
So this afternoon I bit the bullet and headed out, half expecting the achilles to snap or something just around the corner. Just down to the weir and back but felt pretty (well very good) and very happy to be out running (I only had 3 days off!!)
11km in 52:52 (avg 4:48 and avg HR 163)
Ice tonight and a more intense session I think for the morning.
Oh and thanks for all the comments, it really does pick up the spirits.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Name that tendon
After Sunday I've been icing and applying gel to the achilles area.
On Monday it seemed the pain had mostly gone away, until I started walking too far. Managed to get in to see the physio at short notice. Observations were :
- calf muscles still bloody tight, even after the massage last week and accupuncture
- very hard to generate any pain, doing calf raises or things like that
- only seemed to be able to get pain when pushing off big toe
So diagnosis is tendonitis of the Flexor Hallucis Longus which can also be associated with shin splints (aha) and maybe even stress fractures.
So I opted out of running this morning after more ice and voltaren last night. The leg has been feeling a little funny today, sort of like a hot flash sensation sometimes. I'll see how it feels tomorrow and might head out for a shorter recovery style run and see what happens.
On Monday it seemed the pain had mostly gone away, until I started walking too far. Managed to get in to see the physio at short notice. Observations were :
- calf muscles still bloody tight, even after the massage last week and accupuncture
- very hard to generate any pain, doing calf raises or things like that
- only seemed to be able to get pain when pushing off big toe
So diagnosis is tendonitis of the Flexor Hallucis Longus which can also be associated with shin splints (aha) and maybe even stress fractures.
So I opted out of running this morning after more ice and voltaren last night. The leg has been feeling a little funny today, sort of like a hot flash sensation sometimes. I'll see how it feels tomorrow and might head out for a shorter recovery style run and see what happens.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Cherrybrook STaR
Another early morning and even more frost on the windscreen this morning as winter finally decides to show up, just before spring. Up to Cherrybrook for what is traditionally a tough STaR. The 6:10 group was pretty big today. With quite a few refugees from the 6:20 group also joining in it was no surprise to see some of the other regular 6:20'ers earlier as it would have been a pretty small bunch.
In the group were Spud, Langswm and co (Langswd??) and Kev Tiller. Sawdust caught up pretty shortly and we had a good group going up through Cumberland Forrest and then out along through Cherrybrook. The RH achilles was twinging a bit right from the start, something I just put down to the cold and the hard workout from yesterday. A pretty good pace along here and then down into the bush to Berowra Creek and then up the brutal hill to the pony club. Through here the rh achilles really started to complain and so I eased up headed up the hill. Once we reached level ground it was obvious that I was still going to struggle a little, but I pressed on hoping it would clear up.
By the next set of hills it was very obvious that it was not going to clear up so discretion instead of valour was adopted and I took all available shortcuts to get back to the start. Each upslope meant a quick shuffle or walking and when I got back I tried stretching which was not good. Had a quick chat and headed home for ice and voltaren.
Still did around 22km (still to download from Garmin) and even ended up averaging 5:30 pace which is more a testament to the faster pace at the start rather than me keeping going coming home.
Got home and iced up but also noticed I seemed quite crappy generally, dropping into a snooze on the lounge. Even had an afternoon sleep as well but feel better for it now. It seems the 10km maybe took a bit more out yesterday than I though, even though I was feeling and running good for the first 15 or so km.
Rest day tomorrow will see how the heel pulls up before jumping to any conclusions. What a contrast in 2 days, the highs and lows of running....
In the group were Spud, Langswm and co (Langswd??) and Kev Tiller. Sawdust caught up pretty shortly and we had a good group going up through Cumberland Forrest and then out along through Cherrybrook. The RH achilles was twinging a bit right from the start, something I just put down to the cold and the hard workout from yesterday. A pretty good pace along here and then down into the bush to Berowra Creek and then up the brutal hill to the pony club. Through here the rh achilles really started to complain and so I eased up headed up the hill. Once we reached level ground it was obvious that I was still going to struggle a little, but I pressed on hoping it would clear up.
By the next set of hills it was very obvious that it was not going to clear up so discretion instead of valour was adopted and I took all available shortcuts to get back to the start. Each upslope meant a quick shuffle or walking and when I got back I tried stretching which was not good. Had a quick chat and headed home for ice and voltaren.
Still did around 22km (still to download from Garmin) and even ended up averaging 5:30 pace which is more a testament to the faster pace at the start rather than me keeping going coming home.
Got home and iced up but also noticed I seemed quite crappy generally, dropping into a snooze on the lounge. Even had an afternoon sleep as well but feel better for it now. It seems the 10km maybe took a bit more out yesterday than I though, even though I was feeling and running good for the first 15 or so km.
Rest day tomorrow will see how the heel pulls up before jumping to any conclusions. What a contrast in 2 days, the highs and lows of running....
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Race report Lane Cove 10km
Up with the sparrows and it is bloody cold, with a frost on the windscreen. Driving down to the park the temp sensor in the car reads 2 degrees. The light is getting better but it was hard to set up the timing system with gloves on. After fiddling around for a while with the new setup it was time for a quick warmup. I decided to run with the green lycra t-shirt I got from the US a while ago under the Striders singlet, along with Kathmandu polypro gloves and the CR cap.
I had decided before the race to try and run close to 4:05 pace with a goal of getting to 5km in around 20:25 and see what happens coming home. In the past I have gone close to this at 5km but always struggled home downhill and dropped off the pace.
The first few km were at a steady pace and coming down from Scribbly's I caught MikeF which was a tad surprising. Kept the pace going to the bottom of the hill. Rather than busting a boiler on the hill I decided to try and tempo run up and keep a little in reserve. A few went past here, including MikeF. After turning at the top I opened up and pretty much passed everyone back again.
I settled into a small group or runners including Danielle, MikeF, John VY and another female Strider that seemed familiar but I could not place. I usually did not run with these guys in a 10km race. Coming back at different points each of us was a little stronger and surged a little. I had stopped looking at the splits, just focussing on form and breathing. The last hill (at about 1.5km) slowed me up a little and Danielle L pulled away with John VY.
As we hit the 1km mark the unknown female strider drew up next to me and said, lets go, it's a fast last km. I could not match her but managed to stay in contact. MikeF then cruised past and gave me some encoragement, he certainly has better baseline speed than I do. I held the female strider in check but could not close the gap. Sprinted to the line and with no race clock really had no idea as to what time I really did.
After regaining somewhat normal breathing the garmin said 40:28 which mean around a 45 second PB!!!
I found out afterwards that the unknown strider was Jenny W, one of our best females over longer distances and obviously on the comeback after a recent child birth.
Splits were
1km 3:56 3:56
2km 4:01 7:57
3km 4:02 11:59
4km 4:03 16:02
5km 4:25 20:27
6km 4:01 24:28
7km 4:01 28:29
8km 4:00 32:29
9km 4:10 36:39
10km 3:49 40:28
Finally a significant improvement on the 10km time, very encouraging given that I have been doing mostly base work with not much speed. Makes thinking interesting for the City to Surf next week.
I had decided before the race to try and run close to 4:05 pace with a goal of getting to 5km in around 20:25 and see what happens coming home. In the past I have gone close to this at 5km but always struggled home downhill and dropped off the pace.
The first few km were at a steady pace and coming down from Scribbly's I caught MikeF which was a tad surprising. Kept the pace going to the bottom of the hill. Rather than busting a boiler on the hill I decided to try and tempo run up and keep a little in reserve. A few went past here, including MikeF. After turning at the top I opened up and pretty much passed everyone back again.
I settled into a small group or runners including Danielle, MikeF, John VY and another female Strider that seemed familiar but I could not place. I usually did not run with these guys in a 10km race. Coming back at different points each of us was a little stronger and surged a little. I had stopped looking at the splits, just focussing on form and breathing. The last hill (at about 1.5km) slowed me up a little and Danielle L pulled away with John VY.
As we hit the 1km mark the unknown female strider drew up next to me and said, lets go, it's a fast last km. I could not match her but managed to stay in contact. MikeF then cruised past and gave me some encoragement, he certainly has better baseline speed than I do. I held the female strider in check but could not close the gap. Sprinted to the line and with no race clock really had no idea as to what time I really did.
After regaining somewhat normal breathing the garmin said 40:28 which mean around a 45 second PB!!!
I found out afterwards that the unknown strider was Jenny W, one of our best females over longer distances and obviously on the comeback after a recent child birth.
Splits were
1km 3:56 3:56
2km 4:01 7:57
3km 4:02 11:59
4km 4:03 16:02
5km 4:25 20:27
6km 4:01 24:28
7km 4:01 28:29
8km 4:00 32:29
9km 4:10 36:39
10km 3:49 40:28
Finally a significant improvement on the 10km time, very encouraging given that I have been doing mostly base work with not much speed. Makes thinking interesting for the City to Surf next week.
Friday, August 05, 2005
Down time
After Wednesday's run the schedule called for a recovery run with some Strides for Thursday and then a recovery run for Friday. Still concerned about calves and went for a deep tissue massage on Wed afternoon. I reckon it was debatable as to what hurt the most, my calves or the masseurs thumbs :).
From there Thursday morning calves felt better but the LHS piriformis and hammie were tight so I opted out from rnning. Friday for some reason I was just tired in the morning and for a change could not get off work early to run in the evening so in a way an enforced taper for the 10km tomorrow.
From there Thursday morning calves felt better but the LHS piriformis and hammie were tight so I opted out from rnning. Friday for some reason I was just tired in the morning and for a change could not get off work early to run in the evening so in a way an enforced taper for the 10km tomorrow.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Misty Morning
A little cooler this morning and there was a fine mist/fog in the Lane Cove National Park valley as I ran down to the weir. Not a soul in sight through the park, other than the usual 2 power walkers that I see pretty much every time I run through in the early mornings.
Back along the bike path from Macquarie Centre to Quarry Rd and added the diversion in through East Ryde so I could do my "favourite" Pittwater Road climb at the end. For a change my right achilles got a little tight about halfway through, other than that a good stretch out, nice undulating course (sporttracks says climb/fall of 100m) at a pretty good pace.
Stats 21.5km in 1:43:35 (avg pace 4:49, avg HR 158).
Shorter run tomorrow with some 100m strides, a recovery run on Friday and then much interest in the 10km Striders race at Lane Cove.
Back along the bike path from Macquarie Centre to Quarry Rd and added the diversion in through East Ryde so I could do my "favourite" Pittwater Road climb at the end. For a change my right achilles got a little tight about halfway through, other than that a good stretch out, nice undulating course (sporttracks says climb/fall of 100m) at a pretty good pace.
Stats 21.5km in 1:43:35 (avg pace 4:49, avg HR 158).
Shorter run tomorrow with some 100m strides, a recovery run on Friday and then much interest in the 10km Striders race at Lane Cove.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
First legs, now lungs...
Time to up the ante on how fast my legs can go. After building the base for the last 6 to 8 weeks attention now swings to VO2 type training rather than aerobic. After the CR5km challenge on Saturday it was obvious the ability for top line speed over shorter distances has declined.
After last week's 1km rep session which was only so so in terms of previous efforts today called for 500m reps. I decided to back off the pace a little with the goal of doing 10 x 500 @ 3:30 min/km pace. This was a tad slower than efforts earlier in the year where I did 8 x 500 @ 3:25.
I had forgotten how intense these 500m reps were, the last few really made me work and I had to cut short the 10th and last rep as I was sure I was just about to chuck.
Pretty happy to knock this over, hopefully will have an effect on the coming races in the next few weeks. Coupled with warmup/down (6km @ 5:00) a good session. Longer run tomorrow again.
After last week's 1km rep session which was only so so in terms of previous efforts today called for 500m reps. I decided to back off the pace a little with the goal of doing 10 x 500 @ 3:30 min/km pace. This was a tad slower than efforts earlier in the year where I did 8 x 500 @ 3:25.
I had forgotten how intense these 500m reps were, the last few really made me work and I had to cut short the 10th and last rep as I was sure I was just about to chuck.
Pretty happy to knock this over, hopefully will have an effect on the coming races in the next few weeks. Coupled with warmup/down (6km @ 5:00) a good session. Longer run tomorrow again.
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