Usual Wednesday : Bay 31.30 @ 4.30

It felt chilly on the warm up and on the run over the Iron Cove Bridge to where I meet JD and the Professor. However on the way to work they said it was the coldest Sydney morning ( June ?) in 61 years.

We didn't chat as usual. It was straight into the run with Proff leading out and setting the perfect pace for a 30.30 finish however I could not keep up and very quickly lost contact that was never going to be made up. I was hoping as a mental boast to go close to 30 but after hard session yesterday that was going to be hard and it is supposed to be a taper.

I never looked at my watch on the way around and just figured that as I was going as quickly as I could the time would take care of itself. It was 30 seconds slower that last week and I was hoping to go quicker but ....

Maybe I should now focus on the taper for the next few days.

Usual lap 12k : 56.31 @ 4.47

We have had the winter equinox and the morning are colder. This is the most difficult time to train for me as I just feel the cold so much. I know others train in the snow etc but I just feel the cold so much.

Anyway I was out and with a rest though my 12k loop could be hammered as I was kind of chasing a PB. That was run on the 24 April a week before the Canberra Marathon. As usual I ran how I felt with just one peek at the watch as about half way. Not quite a PB but 3rd fastest with other two in the same week before Canberra.

I now think 3.30 will be difficult and I expect I will be closer to 3.32/3.33.

No run

I felt a bit fatigued when I got up early. I thought there is nothing to be gained from 12k @ 5 pace in the week before the marathon. On balance I think the rest would be more helpful then the run. I need to feel a bit sharper than I do at the moment so I will have to manage the taper carefully and not do some runs just for the sake of running unless they are very slow and relaxed.

I will run the Bay on Wednesday and would like to go close to 30.30. I need to be rested to put in a good solid session on that morning.

Sunday 4 x 3k

It was an ambitious session as I wanted to get down to 4.35 or below average for each. However running to the start I felt there was no sharpness in the stride and thought that the quick 5k yesterday may have taken more speed out of the leg as that I thought.

That was easily confirmed by the first rep. I was not looking at the Garmin at all and was going on perceived effort and it felt as if I was going as fast as I could and thought that might be down around 4.30 for a 13.30. No way 14.24 @ 4.48. I almost jogged home and went back to bed but thought maybe that was warm up and set off for the second with about a 3 minute break in between.

I then run then in 4.35, 4.36 & 4.38 pace. Not as quick as I expected but still a firm session.

5K Challenge @ 4.19

I have not made one this year so it was pleasing to attend. The numbers were very low but there was a race on Sunday so most would have been resting for that. I thought my best would be between 22 - 23 and hoping for 22.30 @ 4.30 pace.

I started of at that pace or a bit quicker for the 1st K and that felt okay so I pressed on a bit faster to see if I could hold it. Managed a pleasing 21.35 @ 4.19. The time is not spectacular by any means but for the training I have been doing it was fine.

I doubt I have the time between marathons in the second half of the year to work on speed but to get a 20.xx would be nice.

No run : Recovery Friday

I had planned another 12k run this morning but felt I should have a rest day with the idea of a good 5k tomorrow morning. I guess taking a conservative approach and opting for a shorter higher intensity session with a rest day before. Also apart from the ever present Achilles issues I am absolutely injury free and I want to stay that way.

Time for GC marathon under just 3.30 will be fine under 3.25 would be the best result I could expect.

Easy day 12k @ 5.00

My usual 12k loop. The effort felt high but I could only manage 5 minute k's. The effort felt like it was closer to 4.45. But the plan was always to run this as a recovery run at 5 minutes k's and that is what happened.

The effort/pace issue is probably some residual fatigue from the faster sessions over the last few days. The same session tomorrow before hopefully a quick little 5k on Saturday morning.

Bay with Professor @ 4.26

The planned pace for this morning was to be no slower than 4.30 and the Proff was just the man to lead out and give me something to chase. It worked out just that way but as usual the first 3k were closer to 4.15 and a bit of a slow down at the end as you go through the uneven dirt section and then the stairs.

The time was 31.01 and hopefully next Wednesday I will get much closer to 30.

2 x 3k & 1 x 5k again

With no run yesterday I was hopeful of getting under 4.40 pace for each repeat. Rather a big improvement over 3 days but I thought it was possible because Tuesday was not flat out but not far from it and I was prepared today to push near to the limit but always with a bit in reserve mainly to avoid and injury.

3k @ 4.37

3k @ 4.35

5k @ 4.38

A pleasing result. I am not sure if these sessions will have much of an impact on GC Marathon but they are a pleasant change from the longer slower stuff.

I will do a quick lap of the Bay on Wednesday. Then a couple of 12k loops at just under 5 minute pace as the 'easy' days. On Saturday I might do the 5k Challenge and try and get close to 4.30 pace.

Rest day

I am aiming for high quality sessions and not quanity in the last week or so if training before the GC Marathon. So a rest today with the hope of repeating Sundays session but all at 4.40 (gulp).

2 x 3k & 1 x 5k

I am not sure what you call this type of session but it really doesn't matter about the name. It is all about just trying to get a bit of speed into the body.

I do not want a gut busting sub 20 minutes for 5k speed but just a bit of sharpening between now and Gold Coast marathon and I do not have much time to do much or achieve much but I will see what I can do in the time I have.

Today it was all about trying to do each rep at 4.45. I Could go a little quicker but I would probably get slower in the last few k's. So it was all about setting a manageable pace and being able to maintain it for each rep and tot he end.

3k @ 4.43

3k @ 4.42

5k @ 4.45

Nailed it !!!

Same loop same time: 58.25

Saturday morning and out well before any hint of daylight. I was moving well until I got the the sections that have absolutely no lighting. It was running on instinct and slow as in one section in is dirt with lots of slightly raised rocks.

This section slowed the session down for a 58.25.

Back into it - yeah!!: 58.27

I feel positive and ready to attack the second half the year with all I can both physically and mentally. Today was really the start of some quick sessions in preparation for the Gold Coast Marathon.

I ran my little 12k loop that I have not done for 6 weeks or so. I last ran it about on the 26 April in the lead up to the Canberra when it was 55.23 and today 58.27. I knew it was going to hurt but I was happy with that.

Still a bit of time to take off but I am confident I will be close to 55.23 on the Friday before GC. The next 2 weeks will be all about speed but speed sessions for a marathons - sessions like 2 x 5k and 3 x 3k with the shorter ones being close to 4.30's with the other days being 15/18ks at 5 minutes pace

No run: felt a bit fatigued

I went to bed expecting to have a quick 12k but woke up and felt a bit more fatigued than usual. I took that as a sign from the body that I might be pushing it a bit post marathon to try and run hard too soon.

Recovery with JD

As usual I meet JD at 6.00am at the Rowers Club on the Bay.

We both felt good after Sunday's marathon but it was only meant to be a recovery run. We chatted about the weekend, admired the beautiful still crisp morning and part of the way through the run the glorious pink/orange on the eastern horizon as the sunrise started. In amongst all that we managed a firm 5 minutes pace.

Thank heavens in a few days the shortest day will be with us and so it will start to get lighter earlier for the morning runs. However the worst of the cold is still to come.

Easy 9k around the Bay

Monday was spend driving home from the marathon with Blue Dog, Bernie G and Seris. I felt good with no aches or niggles. In fact I felt the best I have for a while 2 days after a marathon.

So I went for an easy 9k around the Bay and again felt good. It is very unusual for me to run earlier than Thursday or Friday. But that is good because I need to get about 10 days of solid training before a few days of taper for the Gold Coast.

Macleay River Marathon : 3.34.02

As I said in an earlier post I planned to run with JD for as long as I could. Well it just did not happen. He got away at the start quickly and soon moved a couple of hundred meters ahead. By 10k I was 30 or so meters behind after pushing a bit faster that I really wanted to.

I eased back and he was away and ever so gradually pulling away the further we ran. When that started to happen I settled into a steady pace that was about 10 seconds a k faster than what I knew was able to be maintained for the whole race but I was contend to have a firm 25k or so. And really that is what happened with a steady fade in the second half but no where as near as much as Williamstown and that was pleasing.

Williamstown was splits of 1.44/2.04.

Macleay was splits of 1.43/1.51 - so I was just a bit quicker in the first half but held the second half much better. And it felt like I was moving quicker in this one which was right. So the 13/14 minute improvement all came in the second half. Maybe the 100k a few weeks before Williamstown did have a residual affect on the time.

That gives me some confidence that with some smart training sessions between now and Gold Coast and a race plan for even splits I should be able to get back under 3.30.

The Achilles was a minor issue for 3/5k and then become just an irritating throb. I pulled up very well overall.

12k @ 4.55 pace

A nice cool and crisp morning around the Bay. There was a prediction of a cold front this morning but I don't think it arrived. I hope to run about 4.55 pace for as along as I can on Sunday so it was nice to just run and get the feel of that rhythm - for 12k it felt easy but it won't be that way Sunday.

My race plan for Sunday is not smart and will not get me a good time but races are not all about a great time. Sometimes you have to throw that away for some other more important reason. Running with JD fits that perfectly. Whatever the result I will be happy because I have no expectation about a time just about sharing part of the run with my mate. If that happens then I have achieved what I set out to do. The time is rather incidental.

No run - the taper day

Update before the Macleay River Marathon

After Williamstown Marathon I had a mental and physical meltdown. I just could not run and could not be bothered to run and nothing I did could get me out the front door in the morning for what is my usual dose of early morning private time.

I was up at the usual time and just did not get changed into my running gear and just did nothing for an hour or so then decided it was too late to run but a good time to get into work early and so I did. The regretted not running for the rest of the day and made a promise when going to bed that night not to do it the next morning and promptly did it again all over. This went on until Monday this week when with a marathon on Sunday it was time for me and running to become acquainted again and become friends not a chore or task that just needs to be done.

Maybe it was a good thing not to force myself to run when I didn't want to.

I have managed to run each morning this week but the cool winter mornings don't make it easier. Also the Achilles (yes I haven't mentioned that for a while) has come back to be a major issue and is making training and running very painful. There just is no pleasure in running when it starts off as very painful and merely reduces to a moderate pain and discomfort and enough to affect the stride pattern, rhythm and any thing else you can think off.

Well anyway the thought of this marathon being a focus one is now non existent. It will be all about survival. Six weeks ago I was running under 30 minutes for the Bay but this morning it was 32.45 - it was not a struggle but I could not have gone much faster.

So the fitness I had for the Canberra Marathon has ebbed away and there is no way I will get close to that. I suspect something between 3.40 - 3.40 BUT my good mate and regular Wednesday training buddy is running and wants under 3.25. Common sense says wish him well at the start and let him go his way but I can't do that. He does not need me running beside him he can do it alone but I would like to share some of the run with him so I will start off at for me at the moment will be a suicidal pace of 100 minutes for the half. I may not stay with him until halfway but that will be the pace.

I intend to stay with him for as long as I can and hope the crash is not too slow and ugly. Not the best race plan for my fitness level at the moment but absolutely perfect for sharing part of the event with my buddy.