7 weeks to Canberra : Hills, hills and more hills

The last week of hills before starting on some very short faster work and building up to longer and not so fast but all faster than 4.15 per k pace. Yes you may say the speed work begins !!! but only for 4 weeks and then the taper. Yikes where has the time gone since the 20 week countdown began in December.

8.6 Sunday 22 February: SMC 25k 1.51.57 @ 4.28

An overcast and pleasant day for running or at least pleasant for Smithy in February. Was hoping to go under 1.55 in fact I could say I was expecting that. But started of just a tad too conservative (read slow) and then eased off about after about 8k. Then kept it steady until about 15k when I realised that I was cruising along and not pushing it.I then forced the paced and pick up sometime to the end with the last 2 x 5k's getting quicker.

Still it is pleasing to average 4.28 that is not far off the 4.16 needed for the 3 hour marathon. It is a pleasing time but I was not pleased as I ran too soft at the start. There was not much in it but I suspect I could have got down to 4.24 pace - not much you say and I would agree but enough to be very pleased with if I had of run that pace.

I can still see the 3 hour bus in the near distance and I am not sure if in the next 7 week I will speed up enough to get on it at the start and stay on it for the 42.2k trip. I am sure the 30k TT in a month will be a good indicator. Let me say now I believe it needs to be at 4.21 - 4.25 pace to make me confident that the final weeks of training are heading very much in the right direction.

8.5 Monday 23 February : A real recovery run

Felt okay but knew I was a bit fatigued from yesterday so I decided a slow slow recovery run was better than no run recovery. 19k @ 6.00. Yes I know SLOW but that is what a recovery run is about - about strictly recovery and not about pushing it to gain some fitness.

8.4 Tuesday 24 February : A firm recovery : 18k @ 5.03

I have some new shoe inserts to rectify a signifcant imbalance in my stride and this is the first time I have run in them. I have been walking in them for a few weeks. They felt a bit odd running and I felt some muscles that had not be used for a long time or ever. So it was firm steady. I will not use them tomorrow for the usual mid week 'cruise' with JD

8.3 Wednesday 25 February : Daughters 17th Birthday !!!
Yep my little girl is 17 today. A quiet family gathering is planned at an Austrian Resturant tonight. Why Austrian - well my wife is Australian by birth but Austrian by heritage.

Onto the run. As usual 6 at the Rowers to meet up with JD. Did the usual lap at of just over 9k @4.50 despite each of us saying at the start that Sundays run was not out of our legs and 5 minute pace would be difficult. After leaving JD I thought I would push the 7k to home and did just that at 4.20 per k !!!! and dare I say it felt easy. Just goes to show you can sometimes havea good session when at the start that seems unlikely.

All up 18k @ 4.39.

8.2 Thursday 26 February : Some very firm Bays
Just needed a couple a Bay loops at a very solid pace with the second one a bit faster. Managed that with laps of 31.57 @ 4.32 and 30.33 @ 4.22. Then smashed myself with the second last day of hills.

8.1 Friday 27 February : Some steady Bays
Just some steady 2 laps asa recovery from yesterday. 33.09 @ 4.45 and 33.11 @ 4.45. Just what I wanted as I need to get my steady runs no matter the distance down to 4.45 pace. Did a couple of 800's on very tired legs just to see where I am at as they start next week. Then absolutly smashed myself on the last serious hill session.

I have the last of the Twilight Series run to night at the Bay but decided I would go allout on training effort this morning and not worry about the time tonight just run to have a good time as I have run them all.

Twilight Series : 42.35 @ 4.15 : Pleased in the Series that I was able to get down to 3 hour marathon pace of 4.15 per k but not pleased during the series to be unable to get closer to 40.

This week was the 3rd week of hills and the end of them. I now move onto the next phase after tomorrows long run. All up 142k for the week. A total of 1815k since the start of December at 140k weekly average.

8 weeks to Canberra : Hills and two TT's

I have the second last of the Twilight Series on Friday and SMC 25k on Sunday. I want each to be high quality so I will be easing off the k's near the end of the week to be a bit fresh for each. I would love to go under 42 for the 10k on Friday and under 1.55 on Sunday. I think each is possible provided I am fresh and somewhat rested.

9.6 Sunday 15 February : 25k @ 5.01

Wet and cool. I wanted to do over 30 but went out late and had to get back by a particular time to be ready for a family commitment. I never really got into the run and so the time was a little off what I would have expected with the previous week being low k's and a day off yesterday.

9.5 Monday 16 February: 12k @ 4.32

After Sunday I needed a run that pushed the limits and this did just that. Then did 3 sets of 3 hills that left me drained but feeling good.

9.4 Tuesday 16 February : 12k @ 4.36

Exactly the same session as yesterday. Just drifted off the pace in the last 5ks that was possibly the hills from yesterday. But still felt 'strong' and I hope that is the hills over the last week or so kicking in. The pace has increased and I now know why this part of the training is not pleasant as it hurts most of the time. Give me the base building days at 5.15/5.30 pace. Did the hills again that needed a lot of focus to complete in the same times as yesterday.

A long session with JD tomorrow and then a bit of an ease off for the TT's.

9.3 Wednesday 17 February : No show

A combination ofa very late night and heavy rain at 5.00am meant I did not run. I am cool with as this is a low k week as I am preparing for a couple of TT's later in the week. Sorry JD if you braved the wet atth eusual spot and time. And I hope you applied the runners rule we have.

9.2 Thursday 18 February : 12k @ 4.31

I thought I would be on the 4.15 side of 4.30 today but .... Also did 3 hills with 4 in each. I was struggling after the first set but managed to hang on and kept each set to comfortably under 12 minutes each.

9.1 Friday 19 February : Recovery 15k @ 5.02

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do this morning. I wanted to run but not smash myself too much becuase of the 10k this afternoon. So I decided on 15k hard over all of the hills that are around the Bay. The time was not flash at 5.02 per k. However I don't think that run will make me fresh for later.

Twilight Series 10k TT

Ran 42.38 for 10.1k @ 4.14 or 42.20 for the 10k Not quite there but maybe I shouldn't have ran 20.38 for the first 5k. But I knew I was pushing hard and that likely it would result in a very painful slow second half which it was. Next week it will be much closer to even splits.

An okay week with 3 hill session and only 111k. It is a bit if a rest week because of the 25k TT on Sunday. I expect to push the k's back up in the next 3 weeks before a light week before the SMC 30k.

9 weeks to Canberra - Base Building to Hills

Well the base building as such is over. 10 weeks at just under 150k a week. I have begun to feel very secure in this training but I know I now must start doing some other types of sessions during the next 9 week to increase my strength and speed. The end of the base building essentially sets the limits on what I can build on. My aerobic capacity will not increase much further and so the pace from that training is just abut set. The next 9 weeks is focused in developing my strenght and the fast/slow twitch muscles so that the base building speed can be increased.

It will also involve in a few weeks time some anaerobic work with runs faster that MP.

A consequence of the 3 hill sessions a week will be a big drop in the weekly k's as the hills sessions are intense in effort but not in the distance run.

9.6 Sunday 8 February: 33k @ 5.12
Hot and humid - just not a pleasant day for running it was a real struggle.

9.5 Monday 9 February : Hills
A 14k warm up @4.57 and then three sets of hills. The hills are being done with very high leg lift and very slow movement up hill. Then do a loop of about a k and up the hill again. Time and not relevant. I am not sure if these sessions will have any benefit but I have always wanted to do the full Lydiard build up and it includes hills and so it is in for better or for no benefit. If they have benefit I should see an increase in speed in a few weeks bases upon increased strength.

9.4 Tuesday 10 February : 3 x Bay
A kind of easy day depending on how I felt. That is try and run a lap of the Bay firm and then increase the next two if possible. Managed a good session perhaps because it was coll and wet. Laps of the Bay : 34.12/ 33.26/ 32.21. Noice.

Off tp Brisbane later today and overnight. So no run on Wednesday morning as I have to be on the first plane out in the morning. Damm!!!!!

9.3 Wednesday 11 February: No run in Brisbane

9.2 Thursday 12 February : Hills

Same session as Monday but I increased the distance and of the loop between running up the hill. The 14k warm up was at about 4.50 per k. Much too early in the 3 weeks of hills to know if it will/is having any affect/benefit.

9.1 Friday 13 February : 3 x Bay : 1.39.40 @ 4.43
The aim of the session is to run 3 laps the same with the first one firm and each one after that getting faster and faster. The first lap always feels as fast as I can go but it seems that once I get warmed up the pace is able to be increased despite what the mind is saying. It was a very good morning around the Bay for running with cool overcast conditions with some light rain.
33.48 @ 4.50
33.05 @ 4.44
32.27 @ 4.39

Twilight Series : 10k at Shelly Beach @ 4.14
The afternoon was wet cold and not inviting fora run. However I went and it was a very pleasant evening although wet and cold. Again with a lot of k's in my legs from the morning it is always difficult to know at what pace to run at. I also seem to feel like not running at all but once started I seem to get going okay.

I thought 44 was about right. Got to halfway in 21.50 and about in schedule. Sailaway then went out next to me and decided he woul dgive me something to chase. So he pushed hard and gianed a few meters, I pushed to catch up and just as I got on his shoudler he was away again. And so it went for the next 5k. Back in 20.50 for a negative split. Garmin said 10.1k for 4.14 overall pace and 4.09 on the second 5k.

Thoughts for the week
I now have serious doubts about 3 at Canberra as I would have to do 8 of those at that pace - really that just feels impossible at the moment. I am not depressed at the position but may have to radically revise my expected finishing time if things don't improve significantly over the next 6/7 weeks.

I am not sure what I can do other than continue the program and trust that what I am doing is planned to only have me race fit on the day and not before. I suppose if I was running comfortably at MP now I would be concerned that I have peaked too soon. I guess you can't have it both ways.

10 weeks to Canberra Marathon

I have been a bit slack in keeping this up to date this week but here goes. It has been another week of base building - in fact the 10th since I started in the first week in December. No speed work nothing else except relentless k after k at between 4.45 and now 5.15 pace with a Friday night second session and 10k usually around 4.20 - 4.30 pace. Amazing to be able to do that pace when the training has not gone that quick.

It's Lydiard and the base building. I would not be able to sustain it for much longer that 10k at the moment but I will start working on that shortly and hopefully in another 10 weeks I will be able to put 4 x 10k together at a slightly quicker pace. It's a mystery to me how that will happen however I do have a plan for the training and all I can hope is that it will get this old body moving a bit quicker than now and a bit longer at that quicker pace.

By the way even though I say 10 weeks to go that means on the Saturday of this week it is 10 weeks. So that in the taper week it will be 1 week to go then the Monday will be 6 days to ge etc until the Saturday will be no days to go.

11.6 Sunday 1 February 31k @5.15

11.5 Monday 2 February 22k @ 5.12

11.4 Tuesday 3 February 17k @ 4.52

11.3 Wednesday 4 February 20k @ 4.43

Not much detail need. Foer 3 days decreased the distance and increased the speed. The On Wednesday increased the distance and the speed to see if that could be done on the 4th day. As it should be at this stage it wasa firm effort but well under control. That is I could have kept going. A thanks to my usual Wednesday partner JD for the quick first lap.

11.2 Thursday 5 February 19k @ 6.15

I know you will WTF and what went wrong. No all to plan - 3 x 5k loops of all the hills I can find down and round Leichhardt swimming pool and they are not fast up hill and back down but a Lydiard special to give some power and strenght to the legs in prepation for the fast work to come.

See below

http://lydiardfoundation.org/training/hilltrainingdvd.aspx

11.1 Friday 6 Febuary 25k @ 4.51
Tw0 12.5 loops. Faster and longer than last Friday. With yesterdays very tiring hill session I did not think I would be able to bonce back this morning with a solid effort. It was humid to start with an then a cool breeze came briefly and then eased off that then made conditions steamy. I as pleased to get the session over with the second loop just 30 seconds or so faster than the first.

Ventured out to Blacktown in western Sydney in the high heat for anothe 10k in the Twighlight Series. Any consideration of a quick time was abandoned as soon as I stepped out of the air conditioned car. A controlled 45.09 but it was a bit of a struggle near the end.

11 Saturday 7 February : Hills
Despite the heavy legs it was out early in the morning for a series hill session. Again 3 loops and just trying to get the technique right. I have slightly modified the loop to incorporate Lilyfiled hill. 18k all up and the pace is not important.

Summary
A good week were the pace was firm in all the runs with 165k for the week. Started to play around with some hills - they were not really serious sessions as I was just trying to get the loop right and the technique right.