The week

Monday 27 August : No run

Tuesday 28 August : No run

Wednesday 29 August:
Another pleasant cruise with JD, Tess and Karin. The Bay was just wonderful today with the first time I had noticed it was warm air and warm to run. I must start taking a winter layer off. I felt very good after the marathon with no stiffness or soreness. I nice 23k with some wonderful friends.

Thursday 30 August:
An untimed LKL - just enjoying another early morning of peaceful running and comfortable in my own thoughts.

Friday 31 August:LKL 13k @ 5.18 per k.
The extra winter layer is off and how much more free does that make you feel. New top, new tights and new shoes - I felt great as well. Just thought I should get in early for the start of spring tomorrow.

Just over a week to Glasshouse 100 miler and I am looking forward to the challenge bur also am anxious. I have set some goals that maybe unrealistic but hey you need goals that do set a challenge. Always the first aim is to finish under the cutoff. There is a magic in finishing in under 24 hours and maybe that is possible if all goes well on the day. Any faster?? I don't know but all that I have been doing over the last 4 months or so has been to put me in a position that when I get to 100k I can push the last 60k - whatever that turns out to be in time I will just have to wait and see.

Mudgee Marathon : 3.13.32

It was a glorious day in Mudgee.

The morning was cool but not cold with heavy fog for the start. Visibility was at best 40 meters.

The half marathoners and the marathons start together and run the same course until about 10k when the half marathoners turn around. I could see runners in front but was surprised when it seemed like quite a few started coming back through the fog. Then as I crested a hill I could see the flashing light of the pace car with the lead runner. It was maybe 250 metres ahead but I could not see any runners. At first I thought it was stopped because I assumed the lead runners would be much further in front of me at 10k. But the car was moving so I assumed it was travelling with the lead runner.

There is a hill that starts gradually at about 9k and continues until just after 19k. It rises steeply from about 15k then tops out at 16k. You then go down the other side and back up to just after 19k.My plan was to go out hard to19k and then hold on to the finish. This is not my usual race plan but I wanted to work the hill section - I didn't want to just cruise it.

As the road rose and fell and turned I kept getting glimpses of the flashing light from the car but I could not see any runners. At about 14k the fog cleared and as the final ascent to the mountain started I could see on a long straight incline the lead car and ONE runner. OMG I was in second place!!!!. I haven't been at the pointy end of any marathon since I won the Jindabyne Marathon in 2001.

On the out and back 3k section I could see the distance between runners and I was less than a k in front of the next very fit looking and much younger runner. I thought it would be just a short while before I was passed by him and others who were not far behind him.

I pushed hard and I got to halfway in just under 95 which was about as I expected. At about 23k we were back into heavy fog which lasted until about 33k. It was wet and cool in this section.

While I was running I never looked back and anyway the fog was so thick I would not have been able to see very far behind. Also I couldn't see the pace car up in front. The fog cleared at about 33k and I could see the pace car about 3/4 minutes up in front and on a corner I saw a runner a couple of a hundred meters behind me and he appeared to be gaining. He did gain and passed me at about 36k. I thought others would follow however none did.

I felt I was slowing down a lot however I managed to finish in 3.13.32 for a second half of 98. I would have liked the second half to have been faster than the first but I guess I paid the price for the hard first half. Really the race went the way I should have reasonably expected taking into account the race plan.

What was not expected was 3rd outright behind a 3.07 and 3.08.

No run

No run : rest

Cruise with friends

I was asked to join JD, Tesso and Karin for a cruise around the Bay and chat. It was a pleasant morning and we ran at a pleasant pace that allowed a lot of chatting and was just so so pleasant. By the time I had run to meet them, did a very much longer version of the Bay run and then back home it was a good solid 26k or so for me.

I will not run Friday as the taper for Sunday. I suspect I will run the CR challenge on Saturday as well but sloooowly.

Week so far

Inspiration for Sunday's Marathon

Monday 20th :
No run

Tuesday 21st :
Easy run a around LKL and some stretching which felt so so good

Wednesday 22nd :
Did 3 x 5k with no break : 26.07 + 25.39 + 24.47. A good solid session wedged in between recovery and taper.

Bankstown Half : 88.31 @ 4.12 pace

No run on Friday or Saturday - I suppose that is an extreme form of taper.

When I left home it was raining very heavy and I really thought about returning home but once I started heading out west it began to ease. It was very light drizzle when I arrived and about 12 degrees which was not cold.

I was not sure what I could run knowing the course is very difficult to get rhythm going with lots of turns and even more hills up the top end of the course. On a good day I thought I would get under 90 and if it was not so good something much slower. I wanted it to be really hard for the first 5k and before the hills started - got to 5k under 20 minutes (wtf where did that come from with only training at 5 minute pace) and then eased back to about 4.15 per k pace and pretty much kept that all the way and finished in 88.31. Pleased.

I have still been following Lydiard and this was really another test of whether training in the 4.40 - 5.10 k per minute pace can produce a better pace on race day with a short taper. The system did it again today and the more times it proves itself the more I am convinced I will continue to use it as the main theory behind my training.

There were some short steep hills on this essentially 2 lap course and I managed to run them well and once at the top to resume a good pace without a 'rest' - problem is I cannot run downhill if my life depended on it.

2 Bay : 34.15 and 33.22

What a wonderful sunrise over the Bay this morning. Just as I was on my second lap at Rodd Point the bright orange sun glided up over the horizon and then quickly slipped behind the clouds but for a short while ever thing had a spectacular orange glow to it.

I thought my times would be close to 30 minutes but they were heavy. This is usually the case when the rest hasn't yet kicked in. Maybe just on lap in the morning and some stretches.The thing is I don't want to ease off too much as this half on Sunday is of little importance compared with keeping the training going for Glasshouse. The rationale is that I need just a slight easing off to make sure no overuse injury arises as that would be a disaster at this stage of the preparation which has gone so well to date.

No run : rest

LKL 64.04 @ 4.55 + LKL 57.14 @ 4.25

I felt very fresh this morning just like the temperature. It was also very fresh after a few pleasant warm mornings. So the cool early mornings have not left us yet.

. Had a steady first lap and pushed very hard but was just comfortable for good hit out. It is only the 3rd time I have been under 58 minutes since I started running this loop about 8 months ago. Not sure what that means is possible for Sunday and then the marathon the week after.

I will have to give thought to starting a very short taper for Sunday. I may ease off just Friday and Saturday.

Easy 20k as a recovery

LKL 65.47 : LKL 61.14 : Hill 27.43

It was tough getting up for a 5.00am start after a late night for Mum's 79th Birthday celebration.

This was the hardest session of the week. Despite the late night and a very big week of k's I felt like having a session that pushed me to the limit and my aerobic capacity. Started off with 13k just over 5 minutes per k and at the end I felt fresh and so pushed hard on the second loop to be about 4.42 pace and then the hills in 4.36.

I wanted the second LKL and the hill to be the fastest of the week. Not that speed was the objective but to gain the strength to be able to run longer and hills and to just maintain or increase the speed. That is as Lydiard would suggest to have then ability to maintain a good pace endlessly. I am not sure I have that but it is coming and that has been the purpose of the big k's this week and what will continue until Glasshouse with just a slight easing for a half marathon next week and a marathon the week after.

I have been surprised how well I have managed this week. I was fatigued early in the week but that disappeared and never came back. Also I had no muscle soreness at all during the week.

There were no easy days just hard + long or hard + not so long. All up 163k's for the week and I feel great !!!!

2 x Hills : 30.54 + 29.35

A couple of good solid times following on from a hard Friday morning. Felt fresh and the fatigue from earlier in the week seems to have gone. It could be just the body adjusting to the solid sessions.

Hill - 31.28: LKL - 64.48: Hill - 28.48

Just wanted to continue to turn the legs over with a firm pace at he hard end of aerobic. I wanted to stress the legs out to start with and then have 13k at 5 minutes pace and then do the hills again on the even more stressed legs. Was pleased to finish with a lot of power over the whole of the hills loop.

2 x LKL : 66.22 + 62.46 = 2.09.08

The same run as Tuesday. Very similar times as well and that is pleasing considering the heavy week of running so far. Over 90k's since Monday and the body is holding up well. I should get to 150k all quality running for the week which was the main aim. The build up for Glasshouse is progressing just fine.

3 x hills : 31.10 - 29.55 - 29.25 = 90.35

I felt very fatigued last night and no better in the morning. I was dreading this session which is not usual for me. I hesitated when I woke up but just dressed and headed out. It went much better than I expected and although feeling fatigued the times were easily better than Monday and the effort felt comfortable/firm.

2 x LKL (13k) : 66.21 (5.06 ) + 62.14 (4.46)

With the relatively high k's each day and the new hill sessions I felt fatigued this morning. I was hoping for even laps around 65 minutes each. It took a while to ease into a steady pace and lost 2 minutes in the first 2 ks and never made it up. On the second lap I made up time on each of the sections. I was so so pleased when the session was over.

However I know the next couple of weeks will have tiring sessions each day with no real easy days just different days - oh well it is only for a few weeks. Maybe I will see the benefit at the Mudgee marathon.

3 x hills : 32.47 - 31.27 - 30.55

Nothing like starting with a full on session to start the week. I felt like I was struggling on each lap but they DID get quicker. A much tougher session than I thought. No wonder Lydiard would only incorporate this training after a solid base had been built.

The Recovery week

Monday & Tuesday (30 & 31 July)

Actually I felt very good on Monday and was not sore or stiff at all. I expected that would happen in a big way on Tuesday but that day was just marginally uncomfortable. Needles to say I did not run on either day.

Wednesday & Thursday (1 & 2 August)

I needed a bit of a runners fix so I ran on Wednesday. It was easy around the Bay with lots and lots of stretching which felt so good. Same on Thursday and was starting to feel very good and fresh. Really I was feeling too good in the circumstances. Eating on the weekend was quite disrupted and light and I thought I would have a huge appetite during the week but it was quite the opposite and so I just ending up eating very lightly and felt better for it.

Friday : LKL : 13k in 74 minutes @ 5.41 p/k (3 August)

Felt fresh and so thought I would test the legs with steady run around my favourite loop if 13k. Nothing flash was expected and nothing flash was the result. But it was steady and there were no problems although the left knee area is still a bother until I am warmed up. It is getting better so I will just ignore it as much as I can.

Saturday : Hills (4 August)

Time to add stage 2 of the Lydiard sessions into my training although there is not long to develop it fully before Glasshouse but some I figure is better than none. I wanted some hills close and so tired a loop from home up to the back of the swimming pool and back. It has some good hills and I wanted shortish loop that I could do as repeats.

Measured at 5.8k but I can see where I can continue a hill to make the loop just over 6k which is perfect distance as I was able to do it in 31 minutes or so in each of the 2 laps in the first test in the dark. I will continue this sessions 3 times a week until Glasshouse. I expect to have sessions of 2/3 reps and maybe a couple of 4 - that should be interesting.

My other runs will be like before at the 4.30/5.00 range with as many k's as possible.

Sunday : LKL x 2 : 68.11 @ 5.15 pace & 64.18 @ 4.56 pace (5 August)
Big difference to the time on Friday showing the recovery is going well. Ran firm for the first lap with the intention of getting under 65 minutes for the second lap. I have 3 intermediate times on the loop and I was making up time on each which is what I want - not a mad dash at the end to catch up all the time.

The best effect will be achieved by being firm all the way. It did extend me this morning but that was probably the new hills session still in the legs.