11.5 - 11.1 : Various

This covers Wednesday 26 to Sunday 30 Janaury.

Down at Adaminably - with pleasant cool and foggy mornings with some great runs right outside of my sisters in laws property of 50acres. Not to bore with what I did in detail but ran 30k on Wednesday morning over a very testing hiily couse. Played tennis in the afternoon and had a slight muscle strain in the foot - thought it might be a serious ligament problem but responded well to ice and rest - so did not run Thursday or Friday - how bloody annoying but rationalised that a small recovery/adoption period at the end of a big month was good - just it wasn't planned!!

Ran a tenataive 20 on Saturday with no problems - so blasted a flat out 30 this morning with again no problems.

Will review the month and think about any changes to the proposed schedule for February. Despite the days off still managed 100k for the week and 475k for the month. No run on Monday which by the way is 69 days to go.

11.6 : Tough Tough : 3 x 5km

Another tough Tuesday morning session. The weather was wet and varied from dry with some ssun to heavy down pours all in the space of a bit less than one and half hours. 3 x 5k lactate threshold - 19.13, 19.28, 19.21. All felt very firm but comfortable. An improvement from last week - and pleased all under 19.30 which I didn't manage last week. Thought with the fast first one that I would not be abl to hold the last 2 but managed. Pleased with the steady improvement but that has to plateau soon,

Off to the Snowy !!

11.7 No run

12.1 : Long Long Run 31.5k : 2.35.40

First run since Jindabyne Marathon in November over 30k - average 4.54 minutes/seconds per k. Exactly on pace for the long run in my programm - 1 minute above goal race pace. It was firm all the way and felt strong at the finish - the weather was pleasant in Sydney early moring being overcast and then about halfway through the run steady cooling rain. Felt a little drained in the afternoon so was pleased it was book reading weather and no gardening as the wife had planned.

120k for the week and 375k in January. I am going to Jindabyne on Tuesday afternoon and will not be back until Sunday night. Expect to get in a lot of running with a mate so I guess January will exceed 500k which is according to the program. The first week in February is a 'rest ' week in my cycle and I will use it as a short taper to do the Striders 10 on the following Saturday 6 Feb if I have my dates right.

Next post Monday 31 January.

12.2 : 5k TT : 18.16

Another Saturday and again thought I would do just a hard 5k - kind of a long tempo/lactate threshold run. It was not meant to be a TT but as I ran through 3ks I felt very comfortable and so thought I would push on - still felt comfortable at 4k and was very surprised at the time - first time I looked at the watch - thought I could do a good time so pushed very hard although it felt like I was slowing down a great deal - how wrong can you be. Splits 3.43, 3.42, 3.38, 3.39 & 3.33. PB by about 23 seconds.

I am surprised because I have not done any short intense speed work for 6 weeks or so - I have been doing 4.00 per k pace and slower - I am following basically the Lydiard approach. Endurance running to start with and only incorporate real speed in the last 4/5 weeks before the goal race. So Canberra is still 12 weeks away and I will not be starting the short intense speed work for another 7/8 weeks or so. Maybe at the end of that speed work I might just break into a sun 18 minute 5km and a sub 38 10k - ah dreams.

12.3 : Marathon Pace : 14.8k : 58.53

Last ran this course on 26 December in 59.05 - so a slight improvement but getting faster for this run is not the aim. It is a marathon pace training run - at the moment that pace is 4.00 minute per k - the pace for today 3.58 so the desired cardiovascular affect should have been achieved.

12.4 ; Rest

Glorious sleep in!!!

12.5 : Medium Long Run : 25.2k : 2.06

Exactly on pace - 5.00 minute per k on a hilly run. A couple of minutes faster than last week and after yesterday it was a solid effort and completed the last 10 k in about 4.50 pace which was a solid finish. Satisfied with the session.

In the afternoon 15 k easy with Striders Marathon Group.

12.6 : Long repeats/tempo

The super session to see how things have progressed in a month - the lasttime I attempted this I couldn't complete it and the times were just on the pace for the session - the session 3 x 5k each at 20 minutes - the last time was 2 x 5 with each just at 20 minutes and stopped at 3k in the last as the 4 minute per k pace had blown out.

Today 19.29, 19.37, 19.28 - so made it and with some time to spare. Only 10 more of these sessions to go before Canberra!!! It seems that my fitness in the last month has moved up a level which is indicated by the session result. Good position to be in 12 weeks out - must keep reminding myself to train wise and don't overtraain and risk an injury. Also means that the program I have setup is working.

12.7 : No run

13.1 : SMC Half Marathon : 85.22

Warm and humid at the start and didn't get any better. Expected to struggle with about 90 minutes because of the weather and the TT yesterday. Decided to run slowly to start and then see what I felt like near the end. First 10k in 40.42 which was just comfortable - felt bad in the next 5k uphill with a 21.09 5k split so then expected the large numbers to start but surprisingly at 15k seem to feel much better so picked up the pace and cruised the last 6.1km in about 23.30 for a 85.22 (4.03 minute per k pace). To say the least surprised and pleased.

100 k for the week.

13.2 : 5km : 18.48

Decided to do the 5k TT around the Bay. The weather at 6.00am was coolish, overcast but some strong wind gusts - they always seem to be a headwind never a tailwind. I was not sure of a time as speed has not been part of my training for the last 6 weeks or so - I was pleasantly pleased with 18.48 - PB 18.39 end of November - was more pleased with the even splits : 3.42, 3.42, 3.48, 3.48, 3.48.
Total since Monday 80km and so with a half on Sunday will reach 100 - down from the 125k last week as I did a slight taper for the half on Sunday.

13.3: Rest

Decided to be wise and have a rest today - enjoyed the long sleep in - and considering a 5km TT tomorrow as I suspect the half at SMC will be afffected by the heat that is expected and I would like an idea of where I am at compared with the recent past. Even though I will not be fully rested for a TT I think it will give me a better guide than the run on Sunday and if the TT goes well then I will not be oo concerned about Sunday.

13.4 : Thursday 13 January ; Long Run : 26k

No posts for two weeks but I will not bore you with the past except to say that I spent a week in Melbourne and stayed just near the MCG. So managed to run the Tan most days - never run it before and enjoyed the experience. The spent a few days in the Snowy just out of Adaminaby and enjoyed some country runs on some very cool mornings. In the 2 weeks I managed 240 ks so I managed to keep up my increased base intended for this month.

Did 25k early this moring but it was humid near the end - 2.08 - a bit slower than usual but the humidity does that at this time of the year. So I don't think the 2 weeks away slowed me down and I suppose doing two 15k sessions yesterday may have had an impact !!! The pace was about 5.05 per k whiich is fine as the first half is almost all up hill from Balmain to North Sydney through Lane Cove - Vat_Man knows it well.

SMC half on Sunday - expect with the expected heat and humidity in Sydney that anything uner 90 will be a good effort.

10.7 : Recovery day