It had to come - a slow run

Monday was public holiday for ANZAC Day. In the afternoon I smashed myself at the gym for a few hours. I do go but not often and rarely recorded here. Mostly working on leg strength for the hills in some ultra's later in the year. It a pleasant place as gyms go, high on a hill with wall to ceiling windows over looking the water and the Bay run to the west.

It is pleasant as the sun sets and the sky turns those wonderful sunset colours.

Well back to Tuedsay morning. Did the usual 12k loop and was pushing as hard as I could with a slight hope of getting under 55 sooner than I expected. I do not look at my Garmin often while running and only looked at where I usually do. About halfway and 30 odd seconds slower that the PB time and I could not go quicker. Mentally eased off for a 58.15. I few weeks ago I would have been very happy - today pleased knowing the smashing I gave the legs Monday afternoon.

I am away in Melbourne for the rest of the week however I will fit in the usual Wednesday morning with JD. Probably not under 30 as I will run with JD. I may not post again until after the marathon on Sunday.

I am looking forward to it. I am ready and am very happy where I am at with the training. I still have a little way to go and have not tapered etc for this one. I still will push it as hard as I can and expect that will be 3.35 - 3.40 however it could go pear shaped and be well over 3.45 or all things could click for me to sneak under 3.30. I will start of with the hope of running 1.45 even splits. It wont happen but that is the plan.

If I fail it is not the plan just I was not quite as race fit as I thought with really a minimal taper.

Usual lap: 55.23 @ 4.40 (Another PB)

Same loop as Friday and many other days. After a couple of days rest I thought I would be very quick. I was slower than I thought I would be however it was still almost a minute faster than Friday so I suppose should not complain. It is an improvement. And it should be that most days should be quicker provided the day before has not been a thrashing. To me that means all of the long steady stuff over the last 4 months is working as the times are getting to where I hoped I would get to but really did not expect I would get to when I started this recovery in December.

This is the taper week before the Canberra Marathon next Sunday. So with that in mind the training will be still high intensity each day but a big drop in the distance being run.

Predictions for a time for the marathon. I will not be running flat out but I will be running as quick as I can but with some in reserve for the 100k that is 2 weeks later. I will run to finish in the 3.35 - 3.40 range however it could get closer to 3.45. No pressure as this is not a focus marathon with a full taper but just one on the way to the focus marathon at Macleay River and then Gold Coast a few weeks later.

Saturday & Sunday: No run

Too busy on Saturday to fit it in. As I have not slept in on a Sunday for a while I thought as this is the taper week before the marathon next week then a lay in would be pleasant. it was also raining very heavy early in the morning. My wife wanted to know what was wrong with me when she woke up at about 7.00am and I was dozing in bed on a Sunday morning!!!!!

Same as yesterdaty : 56.20 @ 4.45

Unbelievable !!!! 95 seconds faster than yesterday and yesterday was the quickest I had run this 11.8k or so loop. The almost 10% body weight loss might be helping as well as the weight training I have been doing for the last couple of months.

I will no have an aim sometime in May to get below the magic 55. When I started the serious recovery training in late January this loop was about 70 minutes and a struggle.

I do have some marathons before McLeay River but those are not real focus ones. That is I will run them as hard as I can but it will be on a taper of just a few days. I am not expecting them to as quick as I hope to run at McLeay.

I have in May:

• Canberra marathon;
• TNF 100k on 14/15 May; and
• Williamstown marathon on 31 May.

It was a wonderful clear sky and still around the Bay with bright orange sunrise peeping over the horizen just as I was warming up into my run. What a perfect start to another busy day. Ah but I have a treat tonight as I am running a night trail run with Rachael for a gear check for TNF.

Usual 12k odd in 57.55 @ 4.52

I am feeling strong each day and each session seems to be building on that. The times are coming down - the pace is getting quicker and I am enjoying the hurt as I know it is leading to significant improvements almost daily.\

How good is it to be alive, fit and training well and hard. Really life does not get much better. And the garbage that life deals us each day is much easier to handle when the day starts off in such a positive way. I was a few months ago struggling with getting as they say the mojo back. I now know that was in part being depressed in not being as fit as I could be. I am now moving in the right direction and very happy.

I may not run another marathon under 3.15 but whatever the time is I know it is the best that I can do because I am as fit as I can be in the time that I have to train. Bring on a marathon soon please before I break !!!!

Friday night bush run

A night run along part of the GNW from Gladesville for about 20k. I was with Rach and we were both just giving our night gear a check in preparation for TNF 100k in a few weeks. It was a gentle pace but still tough going on some very technical trails. The weather was very humid and we were perhaps a little over dressed but it did start to cool down as the night went on.

Bay 29.48 @ 4.16

Usual Wednesday with JD and our Bay loops. Last week it was 30.40 or so. All week I was thinking about whether I wanted to try for a lung busting effort for 7ks and try for under 30. When I arrived the Proff was there and it was mentioned that perhaps I would have a go at a sub 30.

He said he would hold on to me as long as he could. Well it was really me holding onto him for most of the lap. He managed 29.57 and he says 'I am just getting back into running'. Based on that I am not sure what he will do when he gets fit. He might get back to the 27.xx we did a few years ago.

You guessed it I was very pleased and still a very satisfied feeling. When I started back with JD and the laps of the Bay in 38 I thought sub 30 was gone forever.

It nice to get something you thought you had lost.

18k @ 5.04 in 86.09

A bit longer and a bit quicker as Sunday's effort wears off. I ran this same double loop about 2 weeks ago in 87.41. So a slight improvement.

I am feeling very fit. No injuries. The Achilles is still an issue but becoming less so as time goes on. I still do about 15 minutes day and every day of exercises with them. My weight is down. So I could not as regards training and running be happier. Prgress as regards at getting quicker is happening on almost a daily basis which is very pleasing and helps greatly with the motiviation.

It is usually about this time with these feelings that something goes wrong. Lets hope not.

Recovery 14k @ 5.18

Nothing much to report. I was a bit fatigued but was happy to have a solid run. Felt okay.

SMC Half 96.38 @ 4.33

Well what a surprise. I thought I might just slip in under 1.45. The last SMC half was in January when I was pushed to run 1.58.

Apart from the suprise of running the time the very pleasing thing was the even splits for each 5k on a very changing course. 23.07/22.52/23.06/22.57/4.11. I really thought after the first 10k that lack of fitness would slow me down over the last 10k. Didn't happen!!!!

But I was at max effort so running a marathon will be very different. But I have certainly improved since the last run .

Usual 20.3k : 1.41.54 and another PB

Training is training and racing is racing. So you don't race yourself in training you train at the right pace to have the desired affect on the body so that it can with rest adapt and you get fitter. However if you are coming from a slow base (as I am) then as your base building starts to take effect you will naturally get quicker over the same course when the same effort is used.

That will happen with the law of diminishing returns applying as you start to reach your peak fitness. That means that a greater effort in training is required for small gains.

It seems I have not reached that stage of base building yet. That pleased me for two reasons: Firstly I still have room to get quicker but how much I am not sure but with about a 90 second improvement since 9 April (the quickest before today) I would say there is still a bit to go.

Secondly I thought I might have peaked too soon as the focus marathon is mid June. If I had of peaked then unless I backed off then my times would have starting going backwards and that is not happening.

13.3k in 71.30 @ 5.20: Hills hills and hills

This is a slight variation on one of my loops but adds every hill that is close to the Bay run. I have not run this since late in January when the pace was 7.10 - I think I have improved !!! It is a very solid work out as some of the hills are short and sharp and other are long and need a very sustained effort. I nice time that gives me a chance of aiming for under 70 next time.

Usual Wednesday with JD & a 30.38 Bay Run

For most of the year JD and I share a run together with a couple of laps of the Bay. He is such a nice guy that when we started in on 27 January I was pleased to be led around for a lap of the Bay in 37.07. Over the next month he continued to be patient with me, my huffing and puffing and trailing him with some 36 minute laps. I was pleased I am sure he was waiting for some speed to come to match his fitness.

He said I would get faster and be able to push him. I was not sure he was holding so much back to keep a mate company and happy.

Over the last 7 weeks I have lost quite a bit of weight and am almost down to my lightest of a few years ago. Being significantly lighter does make running just that much easier.

We do not race each other - we are mates but we do like to use the opportunity to push each other past where we think our best. I think I managed for the first time to pull him along a bit quicker than he expected and quicker than I expected.

I think a sub 30 will come soon.

Usual 20.2k : 1.44.30 @ 5.10

After the quick run late yesterday I thought this morning the legs would be heavy but they didn't feel too bad. At the start I thought havinggot below 1.45 for the first time on Friday to go under 1.45 again woul dbe nice considering the long run on Sunday and the shorter but quick run as well.

The first long loop was just a few seconds over 60 minutes and so I knew I woul dhave to dig very deep to get that second loop done in under 45 but just managed with another lung busting and quad burning run up that bloody hill.

A quick afternoon run

An afternoon run is a very rare event for me. I didn't run this morning but had an opportunity to leave work a little early. Got home and was about to make a coffee, check emails and log onto CR when I thought no bugger it lets do a quick lap of the Bay as the sun sets.

My short loop is the Bay Run with a start & finish near my home making it 8.5k. I rarely run this other than the second lap on 21k run. I felt like thrashing it and seeing what happened despite after a day at work feeling more like a rest than a run.

However as is often the case once you get started all the tiredness is left behind and the body seems to produce the energy that you thought you did not have. It started way quicker that I have run for a while and I thought just keep pushing mentally as hard as I can.

Resulted in a nice 39.15 @ 4.38.

Slow 30k @ 5.40

After a number of hard and fast days I knew when I decided to run 30k it was going to be tough. Today was not about pace but just doing the distance at a steady sustained pace. I started off at just over 5.30 which was fine as the morning wore on and the heat started the pace slowed off a bit.

Another PB !!!

Yep managed to run on Saturday morning. I was not in bed until 1.00am and was up by 5.00am to fit this run in with my other Saturday morning chores. It is the 11.8k loop. The weather was just perfect - still, cool and as I started the sky to the east was just changing from black to grey.

I felt pumped despite the lack of sleep. The last time I gave this loop a push was on 27 March for 58.31 and today it was 58.11. Not a huge improvement but following on from the last few days I was pleased.

20.8k @5.06

This is my long loop and short loop both with that gut busting lung burning hill at the end of each. Yesterday was longish and quickish and today I was wanting a quick one as well.

Despite going to bed reasonably early I am still finding it a struggle to get up in the morning but once I am up I am fine. The weather is just starting to be cool but there is still quite a lot of humidity on most days.

My PB on this course was a few weeks ago at 1.46.28 and I have trained hard since then and thought it was about time to get under 1.45 knowing in February I could not break 2 hours and on a bad day it was up near 2.10 and at t that time I thought I was running hard.

I knew it was going to hurt all the way but I was prepared for that and I wanted it that way.

Enough said - 1.43.40 @ 5.06. I would have to say training is coming along very well at the moment. That 5.06 pace is nothing to be excited about but I think it is some tough and long training sessions and should get quicker with a good taper. While I have a couple of marathons and a 100k in May this present training and those events should get me well trained for McLeay and Gold Coast Marathons in June and July.

Couldn't be happier and the loss of some weight has no doubt helped.

2 x 8.5k loops @ 5.10

I was a bit short for time today and so did the short version of my 2 loops around the Bay and up the big long hill. I ran this on Easter Friday. I was hoping to be quicker - well just because as runners we like to do that as its much better than getting slower.

On Easter Friday they were very uneven laps as regards time. This time I wanted to be even and faster - not asking much. Easter Friday 88.34 and today 87.41 with 43.54/43.48 laps.

Happy.

Recovery day : No run

Recovery run ???

I struggled to get up this morning despite an early night. Just some residual fatigue from Saturday I suppose.

I ran the longer loop of 12.8k and thought I would take it easy as recovery paced run. I felt better than I thought and the pace was just over 5.15 per k and it felt sustainable. When I got to just past halfway I thought I should push to the limit (whatever that would be) and really see if I could get under 60 minutes but that would mean well under 5 minutes pace with one tough long steep hill.

Anyway with that it mind I just pushed to the limit. As I got closer to the end it was looking like under 60 was possible but it would take a lung busting effort up the hill. I got to it an just pushed to the max and managed 59.51 with 4.40 for the last 6k. Nice little recovery run!!!!

Recovery run ???

Easter Monday

I decided that although I felt like an easy run it would be nice to rest up and treat myself to a sleep in. Even without any alarm I was still up at 6.00 am. I got up and had a coffee, finished reading a book and went back to sleep until after 9.00.

This afternoon we plan to go to the State Library for an exhibition they opened about a month ago.

Day off running

A day off running although I felt very good. No blisters and aches or pains.

We(my wife and I) went to Berry, a quaint town on the south coast about 2 hours drive away. My son, who is a chef is into making and selling herbal teas and chai. We helped out selling them at the local market.

Pleasant 62k

As I had planned I went with Rach & Jess to the Blue Mountains to run parts of the North Face 100k course. It was just a magic day in the mountains.

We started about 6.30am with just a hint of daylight peeping over the eastern horizon. We were in a residential area and so the street lighting was adequate. Just as we hit the bush trails the sun was up and all was fine. I wont go into details where we ran but the track conditions and scenery were always changing. We did have some navigational issues caused mainly by enjoying the running and ignoring the trail signs. But that was fine we just saw some parts of the area we will not see on race day.

It got very warm in the early afternoon going yo a long 14k hill out of the Valley to the top of the escarpment. It is a bit depressing to look up and see what appears to be and endless climb with very few section that can be run. It will be run in the night and so perhaps that will make it mentally easier.

About 90 minutes before the end we were back into civilisation and spotted and ice cream truck. Enjoyed the soft serve cone that did not touch the sides. Pushed on to the finish with one major navigational error that could have had us running back to the ice cream truck but luckily we stopped and looked at the maps and went back to the junction and took the correct track for the final climb out of the valley and back to the car.

About 11 hours all up with quite a few stops for map reading, went into a shop to restock drinks and off course a loooooooooooong stop for the ice cream.

No physical issues or gear issues. All positive for the event that will be in about 5 weeks.

Great result : 2 x 8.5k

I was fresh after no run yesterday. I plan to run 60k or so on Saturday on part of the course of the North Face event being held in mid May. I therefore didn't want a long tiring run but decided on a shortish sharp one.

Instead of the more usual 21k loops I ran 2 of the shorter loops. It is the Bay run with a huge long hill at the end added on as it takes it back close to my place and then we do it all again. I do not run this often but as as very solid tempo run it is a good challenge.

I ran this about 6 weeks ago in about 93 and so to get under that was the aim. The first lap was 46.33 @ 5.28 and I thought my chances of under getting under 90 were gone and under 93 was at risk. I then pushed the second and was not watching the Garmin. Pushed up the lung burning and lactic acid producing hill like never before and clicked stop. Stooped over for a few minutes to get my breath and looked to see the second lap time. I couldn't even guess what it might be. I just knew it was as quick as I could go - 42.00.83 to be exact @4.56 for 88.34.

You could say I was pleased.

No run

The day before the 4 day Easter break. I just HAD to go into the College early to do some work. I did miss my early morning fix of a run around the Bay.