Hunter Valley Marathon :3.42.25 and the week

Well much slower than I expected. Not really sure why - I guess I just cruised along with some regard to the splits but I was really not running according to them but more just how I felt. I did have some 'stomach' issues in the first half that required a long stop in a very well place porta loo at about 16k.

Felt better but not 100%.

The 'inclines' were tougher than I recalled in the second loop but I just plodded up them and was pleased I never gave in and walked. I felt I finished strong although the laps were about 1.46/1.56. I am just not sure how the time just slipped away in the race.

As usual I enjoyed the event and the wonderful atmosphere at the end. Not sure if I felt like I deserved but managed and age win by just 2 minutes. Nice company with Jane and Rach on the drive up and back.

I did not run until Thursday. It was just a cruise around then Bay and then some exercises. Despite Friday being the day before the Bush Capital Marathon I ran again around the Bay and did some stretches.

After last week no predictions however it would be nice if Saturday was under 4 hours just - and Sunday well I am the 4 hour pacer so 3.59.59 is the aim. However I am not feeling confident that I will be able to manage that. I have nightly nightmares of falling off the pace before the first 5k marker. I will be so pleased to finish Sunday and just hope I can do the job.

The week to date

Sunday 12 July : 13k @ 4.58

No long run needed as it is intensity that is needed in between the marathons. So a short very sharp (well sharp for me at the moment) session. Back under 65 minutes - it has been a while but still not down to the 60.50 run on 30 June.

Monday 13 July : Very easy around the Bay with no watch

Tuesday 14 July : 10 TT in 44.55 @ 5.00

I was not expecting it to be quick and that was true. It was more just a feeler for Thursday. Out and back along the 5k Challenge course 22.53/22.02.

Wednesday 15 July : No run

Thursday 16 July : 10k TT in 43.30 @ 4.21

It was a quick as I could go but I clearly left something in reserve on the first lap. 22.06/21.24.

Now for the pace of Sundays marathon. McMillan say 3.24 but with splits of 1.37/1.47 or a 10.3% slow down. Now go back to GC and my 10k TT on the Thursday before had McMillan predicting 3.30 with splits 1.39/1.51 and a 12% slowdown. What did I do? 1.42/1.43 for 3.25 with a about a 1.5% slow down.

So what does that all mean? I think a 1.37/1.47 is not likely as the first half is a bit quick and the slow down is too great. So I think a 1.39/ 1.41 at best for 3.20. Slow down 2%.

See how that prediction goes.

No run - respect the taper or is that the recovery

Steady 13k @ 5.34

A beautiful crisp morning out with some high scattered cloud and still. You can notice it is a bit lighter now than a few weeks ago.

Second run after the marathon so it was going to feel better and it was going to be quicker than yesterday. Keep pushing as hard as felt just beyond comfortable. Everything seems fine - the body and mind seem okay and both are ready to some tough stuff in the next few days.

Recovery & Taper

I didn't run on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday as I need to recover from the last marathon more than I need to train for the next one. So it was an easy swing around the Bay this morning with no regard to time and just enjoyed the predawn sights and sounds.

It was not too cold and so it did not take long to feel comfortable. It has been raining a bit in Sydney and did so just before I was out of the house. It was very misty to start with and reminded me a bit of when I lived in London but as the dawn broke the mist went.

I will continue with some easy runs until Sunday. May have 2/3 hard runs over the next 5 days and then ease off for the marathon on Sunday. I am looking forward to this one and may just be able to get under 3.25. I may do a TT on Thursday again to see where I am at again.

I just love this time of the year when they come every few weeks.

Gold Coast Marathon : 3.25.27

The calculations and the training said I was fit enough for a 3.30 marathon. But as runners we all want to squeeze a bit more out of the body when every thing says it is not there. Even after 100 marathons that thought always arises although common sense says ignore it.

Well I did ignore it and I didn't. On Thursday I said on the GC thread that maybe 3.25 was the very best that I could expect. I thought that over and decided that would be my starting pace. I watch the pacing very carefully and for all of the first half I kept backing off as the pace would just keep creeping up quicker and quicker. However I managed to keep churning out 5k splits around 24.15 and went through halfway in 1.42.15 or so. That was right on pace.

It felt okay then but I knew that the real test would come as we passed the 30/31k mark. It did get more difficult to maintain a steady pace but I pushed harder and harder and was motivated by being able to pass runners most who seemed as if they were running through a thick bog.

I was continuing to maintain the 5k splits around 24.30 from halfway. I was tiring but was able to respond with an increased effort to maintain the pace. I got to 40k in exactly 3.15 and know if I pushed to the end I would have the best time I could have expected.

The second half was a 1.43 split so I was very pleased with the almost even pacing.

A great 4 days away with my family and very pleased with the time but as I have said very disappointed that a long held goal was not achieved by a long way. I am thinking that if I peak well for the Masters games in October if I could find a Marathon soon after I might be able to run my best time for the year ....

10k TT : 44.45

I was not looking forward to this as I knew I would have to push hard and harder than I have done for a while. I did think about opting for 5k but I knew that was a mentally weak option and would really not give me the information I wanted or confirm what I already had worked out.

I took it too conservatively in the first 5k of an out and back. Splits of 22.50 + 21.55.

Put that into Macmillan and would you believe you get a marathon of 3.30.01. Spot on where I thought I would be. No doubt that is the pace I will starting at and holding for as long as I can. I want to squeeze a good time out of this that reflects my current fitness and that looks like a 3.30. In all of the circumstances I will be happy with that but very disappointed that my long term aim of running close to 3 hours will not be meet. But I have to be realistic that things just did not go very well after Canberra and the single obsessive focus on this race was just not there.

The mind wanted to focus but lots of things got in the way of that actually happening on daily high quality training sessions. I just plodded along with no focus no aim and got more and more frustrated with my running and training. Very much a 'Catch 22' and I am hoping a solid run at GC will turn things around for the rest of the year.

Maybe next year I will get a chance to run under 3.10, Just maybe ...

Rest day again

Well it is the taper week!!

Decided I need to do a 10k TT on Thursday - I know this close to the marathon but it will not be flat out but close to it. I want a good idea of my fitness level and so the realistic pace I should run the marathon.

At around the Canberra Marathon I could 5k in 19.40 and 10k in about 42.30. McMillan gives those a 3.11 - 3.20 marathon. I ran badly for 3.17. Lat week I ran 21 for 5k and have not done 10k for a while. McMillan puts the 21 minute 5k to a 3.24 marathon. I will probable run about 46 for the 10k that equates to 3.35 marathon.

My guess for Sunday is a few minutes either side of 3.30 on a best possible result but probably a bad fade for 3.38.