11 weeks to Canberra Marathon

A rebuilding week to fully recover from the calf strain. Because of the injury then the running for this week is planned to be all at or as close to 5 - 5.15 minute pace per k with the hope that will not put too much of a the recovery but is at a pace where I am a little bit in front of maintaining my present level of fitness. BUT that is after a test run on Monday.

I kind of week where my base fitness does not go back and if anything goes a little forward because there are no planned 'rest' days although the k's will be less that or about the average. However I will treat each day individually as to how the calf feels.

12.6 Sunday 25 January: A calf test
Went out steady and managed 11k @ 5.18 and all felt okay. No twinge. Did the Achilles stretches before running. Iced after and massage in the night.

12.5 Monday 26 January : A tougher calf test
It just felt much better was I was warming up and stretching before the run. Decided to run a bit further and although I had the Garmin on I planned to run how the calf felt. Ended with 13.5k @4.58. Just about where I plan to be for the rest of the week. Second and last visit to my physio early tomorrow morning

12.4 Tuesday 27 January : Tougher and hills : 15.3k @ 5.07

Nothing works over a dodgy calf and Achilles like powering up hills on your toes. So I have reverted back to some variations of the Bay run to put back the hills I took out when I started in December. This is not the planned hill sessions but just moving up the difficulty for a few weeks before some specific hill drills.

The hills slowed me down a bit and I was cautious and because I have not trained hard on them for 2 months my technique was sloppy. Still I survived and was heartened by the fact the the calf had no issues and the Achilles was a minor discomfort that I can train with.

12.3 Wednesday 28 January: More hills : 15.5k @4.53

I added the last set of hills so that very little of the run is along the Bay route but is near it so that it has as many hills as possible. I will not add any more but for some sessions will adda lap of the Bay itself which because I start from very close to home will make the lap about 10k in total.

I just pushed and pushed all the way with no idea of the overall pace but could see from the Garmin that on the flats I was getting close to 4.20 - Yikes!! but the hills soon took that back. I was suprised at the over pace and that pushing up all the hills I had no injury issues. So it is now declared that there will be no further mention of either of these issues again as hopefully they are no longer a factor to be taken into account in the training.

Forward and for ever faster towards Canberra !!!!

12.2 Thursday 29 January: All's working well !! 25k@5.01

The same hilly loop as yesterday and then a lap of the Bay which adds about 10k because of where I start the original loop. It was very humid and it was tough to hold the pace from yesterday and then add10k to the run. But done.

12.1 Friday 30 January : 21.5k @ 5.06

Twilight Series at Parramatta Park - 10k @ 4.22 pace

A week in which I got back into some steady running with the calf sorted out. Just 119k for the week but it was a cautious start.

Summary for the month

For the month 514k that was down from last month but caused buy a couple of weeks with low ks. I am not sure where I am at in regard to running a 3 hour marathon in April as I am just in teh end of the base building stage and so not anaerobic work has been done. However even without any anaerobic work my 10k times are firm and certainly at a pace I have not trained at.

I have to be satisfied where I am at eventhough I don't really know where that is because quite frankly I could nit have trained harder. So where ever that is it is the best I can/could be.

12 weeks to Canberra Marathon

13.6 Sunday 18 January: SMC Half @4.56

Went to SMC with JD and Seris. I decided to run !!!! What did I say yesterday. Took it very easy and did the half in about 1.44 for a 4.56 pace. No damage done but it certainly did not do it any good in regard to recovery. I was very lucky to finish with no worse of an injury that I had started with.

13.5 Monday 19 January: Common sense starts!!!

Decided I would not run for a few days to get this niggle fixed. However it was such a beautiful morning I had a walk down to the Bay and did some exercises. To rationalise the situation: it is still 12 weeks to the marathon which is plenty of time for a complete preparation, a few days off will not harm the preparation and will probably freshen me up for the next stages of the program.

13.4 Tuesday 20 January : No run

Even with no alarm set I still woke up at 5.00am - rolled over and slept in until 5.45am then headed out for some serious stretching to finally fixed the Achilles and some odd looking exercises to fix a hip imbalance that maybe having a slight ripple affect in slowing down the recovery of the Achilles issue. The Achilles bursitis is almost gone and I would like it gone completely soon. A glorious morning around the Bay.

13.3 Wednesday 21 January : No run
Despite not runnng I was still out doing some much neglected stretching and still working hard on the achilles to get on top of that issue. I missed the usual run with JD. Even out early and not doing much you can feel the humidity becoming an issue.

13.2 Thursday 22 Janaury : Testing the waters and not good
Decided that I would see how the recovery is going and did a slow lap of the Bay. The calf was very 'tight' and felt like it was highly tensioned waiting to snap. Not a good feeling when I thought I would feel and improvement with the rest.

Had a serious feel of it and could feel a lump the size of a small marble that I thought was the scarring from the slight tear a week or so ago. That was not going to go away with just rest. It needs to be massaged out so that the scarred tissue is clean and long - it is a combination of those two things that it making in feel tight. So I was off to me favourite physio this afternoon and she confirmed the problem was as I suspected and then gave the calf one hell of a pounding such that I am now limping. As she says all in the cause of recovery.

Either no running or very very light over the weekend and back for a final pounding on Tuesday and I should be back in full flight later in the week. A small hiccup in the preparation but far enough out to be not much of a problem and a good time to give the body a very good rest before the final 1o weeks or so assault. Best to be fully fit going into that.

13.1 Friday 23 January : No run but excercises

As I am not running to recover then I am sure going to do my execises for the achilles, stretching and to correct an hip imbalance. Did that for about an hour this morning. Anyone see the stunning sunrise over the Bay this morning - a startling orange at first that gradually went to a delicate yellow before the full day was on us.

As I am somewhat addicted to the Twighlight Series I headed out to Oatley Park with JD and Rach as passengers. Even driving out I was saying the sensible thing to do was not to run at ALL but I did put my gear in the car. So I think deep down I had made my mind up in the morning I just had that wimper of doubt that running was not a good idea when I was in full recovery mode.

However common sense was soon disposed of when we arrived and I immediately changed and then said a very BOP steady 5k at a pace that would be no risk of putting the recovery in danger. That lasted for a k or so and then Martin and I ran firm to the end for a 'BOP' 23.45 with thanfully no damage done.

13 Saturday 24 January: No run exercises
Common sense did revail and I did not run today but continued the achilles exercises and I know they are having a positive effect because the discomfort is decreasing the longer I am regualrly doing the stretches.

Thoughts on the week:
A disaster of a week for running with just 45k. On a positive note it has given me a small but substantial break as a good way to start a recovery/building week. I had two base building weeks coming up but next week will be just getting back into significant k's and making sure the calf is fully recovered.

I am thinking I will extend the base building for another week as my ultimate pace in the marathon will be at the level I have attained at the end of the base building. That does not mean I will not get quicker but that speed is limited to the level of 'fitness' I have attained in the base building phase. If the base is low then then final pace will be slower than if the base is higher (higher that is in aerobic capacity).

In the next phases all I am doing is working on my bodies natural speed to bring it up to near its peak. But that speed is predetermined by the mix of muscles I have and I need to do some speed work to bring that out but I can no train it faster that what I was born with.

The profram has been under way 8 weeks and I have run 1141k in that period at an average of 143k per week.

13 weeks to Canberra Marathon

14.6 Sunday 11 January: Maintenance
Planned about 32k @ 5.15
Result 32k @ 5.03

Just after I started I ran into JD going the other way so I decided to run 3 laps of the Bay with him. Soon after we picked up Jo going the other was and she joined us. We were managing about 4.55 pace when JD finished his 3 and I continued on for one more including the Dog loop. It was fine until 3k or so from the finish and then I slowed down and I suppose I bonked but managed to shuffle to the end.

14.5 Monday 12 January: Maintenance
Planned 24k @5.00
Result 19 @ 5.15

I started off strong but about a third of the way in the pace started to slide back slower than 5 minutes per k and it was then I realised I was still very fatigued from yesterday and so eased back on the pace and cut the planned distance. I think with 4 weeks of base building to go I have started to push too hard thinking there is not much time left.

I will have to ease back and trust the pacing I set at the start and be patient. A definite slow recovery day tomorrow and tonight if I get time.

I did manage to get out in the afternoon for an easy recovery run of 10k @5.30. I feel I have been pushing too hard on the recovery runs of late.

14.4 Tuesday 13 January : Recovery

19k @ 5.30

It took a lot of changes in pace to get the session at the average pace I wanted but it varied to close to 5 and then I would back off and it would slide to 6 minute per k pace. The 5 minutes pace felt comfortable so it was good to have a plan to run at 5.30 pace as that made me back off. If I didn't have that plan then I would have again run this session too quickly and then made the planned quick session for tomorrow not happen as well as it should.

14.3 Wednesday 14 January : Maintenance (Between 5.00 - 5.15 pace)

20k @5.11

The usual hook up with JD for a couple of laps. We had both had tough sessions the day before an ageed we would ease off from the usual sub 5 pace. Just over would be our plan. It went okay. After Sunday's run the left calf is just not right but with some self treatment I will continue to run although it is a bit of concern but more of anirritation thana estriction on free running.

14.2 Thursday 15 January: Maintenance (Between 5.00 - 5.15 pace)

A slight problem but more later as I planned two laps like Tuesday but a bit faster. I am planning to run a few more Maintenance runs this week because I want to run quick (?) at the twilight run on Friday night and SMC on Sunday so some maintanance runs should see me maitain fitness without pushing the pace and by doing that it is a kind of very active taper.

The left calf could be felt the whole first lap without getting any worse then about 150m from the end of the lap there was just one slight but sharp pain and so I stopped. I was very close to home went here and iced it. Ican feel it as I walk today but it is not causing me to limp or favour it. It is an overuse and so a few days rest and treatment should see it mended. The quick runs will not occur if I ran at all.

Still the lap was 11k @5.06

14.1 Friday 16 January

Decided not to run this morning. The first morning without running in 52 days. Decided to run the Twighlight Series in teh afternoon but took it very easy in 46.40 or so.

14 Saturday 17 Janaury
No run at all in the day

Comments

Over all a disappointing week. Because of the calf issue I never really did a session that contained quality and one with any quantity. It was a struggle each run with the feeling being that I was always just one stride of a major issue. Why are runners so dumb and run when they know it is no good and the risk of making the injury more serious ignored. I guess sometimes we hope an improvement will come as an overnight miracle by wishing instead of accepting the reality of needing to take a few days off and letting the body do what it needs to do.

Still there has been 7 weeks of base building with 133 k this week. The total for this build up is 1096 at a weekly average of 156k

14 Weeks to Canberra Marathon

I was away most of the week running in Thredbo. The weather was perfect and the hills were very challenging. Ran from the Village to Kozi a rise of about 1000 metres with a very steep climb up Crakenback to the appropriately named Eagles Nest at the top. I was pleased to be presented with just strong winds on the run up to the summit with cool but not cold conditions.

Otherwise enjoyed plenty of walking, a daily round of golf, sleeping, reading and watching the Sydney Test. It all came to and end too too quickly.

On Friday evening I ran the 10k at the CR Twilight Series at Taren Point. Managed 42.29 on a hilly course and a 40 second improvement from the flat course at the Bay last week. The hope will be to get below 40 in the next 4/5 weeks. It is pleasing to see the times come down and all that I have been doing is base building.

Speaking of base building I have just completed the 6th week of a planned 10 weeks - so 4 weeks to go. I ran 152k this week and have averaged 160.5k each week over the last 6 weeks. I ran a few days before starting the program and have now run 47 days straight and have not felt like the need to have a no running day.

I enjoyed the last 2 weeks of some different runs organised by CR and being away. The changes has allowed me to feel fresh and keen to complete the next 4 weeks of base building before moving onto some hills before the hard Anaerobic work starts in late February.