Update : Sunday 30.03.08

Well the last big week is finished !!!

I am both happy and sad. I was starting to enjoy the 160k + weeks and so are sad to see them stop. They were getting much easier to run but the time involved becomes a bit of a strain. Each day it is a balance between the time to run and meeting all the other obligations of life both private and work.

Happy because that means I can have a bit of a taper and keep my fingers crossed that two weeks will be enough for the full benefits to flow through.

Some great achievements this week:

* 160k + again
* got the single loop down from 58.xx to 56.42
* got the double loop down by over to minutes to 1.59.xx
* ran the Bay below 30
* ran an 8k cross country run on Saturday afternoon in 31.45


I will ease off the distance this week but push the intensity up and see if I can get some of the above time down a bit. I will be doing it this week as the week before Canberra I will be in Adelaide and so will be running none of my usual courses for TT's.

Update: Tuesday 25.03.08

Another week of consolidation with the following to note :

* The single loop time was down from 59.xx to a PB of 58.31;
* The double loop time was down from 2.06.xx to a PB of 2.02.15;
* Did a 36k run being the only one above 27k for 5 months or so;
* Just above 170k for the week.

Another week of preparation before I will taper. Three week tapers do not work well for me. The k's will be down and the week will include mostly runs between 14 - 21k at MP if possible. I might run the Bay and see if I can go under 30.

Tuesday 18.03.08

As I have said it is not my intention at the moment to give daily updates but....

On Monday I do a lot of hills and stairs in a very early morning 3 hour session and so I do not have much of an expectation for Tuesday morning. As usual it was the double loop this morning and after a longer than usual sleep and I good one I felt refreshed and ready for a full on hit out. I fully expected to fatigue badly in the second half but wanted to give under 2.10 a shot.

First loop 64.08 so well placed to give 2.10 a nudge if only I could hold that pace on the second lap - nailed it in 62.29 for a 2.06.37. A very very happy little runner today.

Now the equation that shouldn't even be thought of:

* 2 weeks more training;
* add 15k to the double loop:
* a taper;
* can 20 seconds per k be found by the second Sunday in April ???

I expect it will be an interesting and very painful challenge.

Update : Monday 17 March

A week of not so much gains but consolidation.

Over 160k again.

Managed to get the single loop down from 62.xx to 59.xx. Didn't push the double loop just happy to keep it at just below 5 minute per k pace.

No rest days and no recovery run days. No injuries. No niggles. Just one happy little runner.

Update : Monday 10 March

Another week of significant gains.

My double loop was done as lot in December and I was locked into 2.17.xx's and no better no matter what I did - on Sunday after a heavy week and a double session on Saturday it is now 2.12.xx.

A single loop in December was never faster that 66.xx's - after Thursday 62.xx.

Also managed a 160 + k week.

I have now decided that if the next 3 weeks progresses well I will race Canberra as my progress has gone so far better than expected.

I might add my training so far has broken every rule that could possibly apply - forget the 10% increase unless you are referring to daily increases, no hard/easy days just hard/harder and no rest days for 4 weeks - that is I have run hard each day although what I am doing in regard to running is much more varied that in the past. A couple of sessions a week I devote to hills and hills and more hills then stairs and more stairs and ..... I think you get the picture.

Tuesday 04.03.08

I am not going to have day by day updates of progess but I thought this was significant or at least it is to me.

On Sunday I ran my 13.5k loop twice in 2.29. Today I ran it again and was down to 2.21. I ran this double loop a lot in early December and was consistant at 2.17's. I maybe close to those times but I do not have the endurance to continue after that distance. But with time ....

Update: Monday 3 March

Another week of good consolidation and improvement.

Friday was the last of the Summer Series held at the Bay a 10k in 42.58 was a bit quicker than expected. Followed that up on Sunday with 27k steady at 5.35 pace.

A good base established with 133k for the week. I am not sure how that was managed.