5k Challenge : 20.41

First time since January when I ran 22.09. So a nice time this morning. I could not have gone any quicker but it was at the end of another big week. Todays time puts me close to a sub 20 maybe in a couple of months.

K's for the week 157
K's for month 520

22k @ 5.00

I dry pleasant morning around the Bay. I am not sure but I think I have run every day now for over 2 weeks and so I expect some fatigue will set in. To maintain my pace in those circumstances is pleasing.

Today I could not have run any quicker and managed to run a few seconds quicker that my previous quickest. If I can maintain this weekly distance and the pace then I might,just might run a good marathon in the next couple of months.

Wet wet and wet : 22k @ 5.07

So wet his morning hat I was soaked through in the first 100m and wondered why in the hell I had left a comfortable warm bed on such a miserable morning.

I decided: I was a runner in training and so you do those things.

I felt heavy and slow besides wet and cold. I thought the run would be an absolute disaster as regards time. However I held on to be about 30 seconds slower than yesterday.

I did start out dodging the big deep puddles but soon gave up and rather enjoyed running straight the through them.

22k @ 5.05

It was always going to be a struggle today. With 30k runs on alternate days starting Good Friday some fatigue was going to set in eventually. I felt fresh and okay and pace with still firm. I few weeks ago I would have been very pleased.

Thankfully there was no rain during the run and it was a bit cool before starting to run but then very pleasant once you warmed up. More of the same for the rest of the week - just building a solid Lydiard base and trying to get back to where I was at in February.

If I do not have any injuries I might just pull out a good time at Williamstown and build on that for July at the Gold Coast.

28.26k/2.24.04 @ 5.06

Again long and again pushed to the limit. The body is holding up very well with no niggles despite the relentless distance and no easing off of the pace for an easy day.

The distance is less than 30k because I didn't do the full cool down.

Sunday was 2.27.48 @ 5.14 for the same distance. It felt tough but I managed a nice 5.02 Bay to finish.

22k @ 5.01

A very wet morning again.

After yesterday I thought I would struggle. I was pushing as hard as I could but did not peep at the Garmin until after the first loop of about 12k and found I was running at 5.05 over all of the hills - no wonder it felt tough. Wanting a PB I had just one lap of the Bay and pushed that to 4.50 pace.

Beat the my best time by about 6 minutes and that was only last Thursday. But when you are starting from a slow base there is significant improvement quickly. The question is can I continue and improve on my peak from February this year.

30 on Sunday with 28k @ 5.14

It's been a long while since I ran 30k on Sunday (yes I also an 30k on Friday).

You could say I am ramping up the distance. I would like to run a couple of good times later in the year and so the hard work needs to be done now. I am also taking advantage of the long Easter/Anzac break.

Yesterday in the morning I strained my back and I was uncomfortable with it all day and sleeping. I almost didn't run but I decided to give it a go. The first few k's were agony but then the Deep Heat and pain killer kicked in and it was less of a bother for the rest of the run.

I have a loop and then two laps of the Bay and over and back on the Iron Cove Bridge that get me to just over 28k and then I back off with a slow jog home to cool down making just on 30k. The last 2k don't count for timing. After completing just over 12k over hills I did 2 laps of the Bay at 5.01 and 4.54 pace. Nice solid finish.

Week in summary

Lets just put down some brief thoughts and stats for the week. I have ramped up the distance, I have run each day and there have been some good improvement in the pace of the sessions. The reality is yes I am getting fitter but I am only gaining back what I lost in March and I am not quite there yet

Wednesday 20 April

22k @ 5.28

Thursday 21 April

Same 22k loop @5.18

Friday 22 April (Good Friday)

Put in 30k for the first time in months @ 5.21 and keep the pace steady all the way.

Saturday 23 April

15k @ 5.29. I thought I was going quicker as I didn't look at my watch at all during the run. Maybe there was some fatigue from yesterday.

Nice week with 153k's

22k @ 5.37

A slight change in the course to bump it to just under 22k. Nice morning around the Bay. The tide was much lower today.

Nice firm pace. Plenty of hills in the first 12k that do slow you down.

21k @ 5.45

A beautiful morning around the Bay. A fullest of full moons low in the western sky. The tide near full and so glassy smooth and a light chill in the air that was soon forgotten as the body warmed up.

Nice and steady after yesterday.

Time to rebuild some base with some long steady run for a few weeks. Expect more of the same for while.

SMC Half marathon : 98.57 2 4.40

The last half I ran was at SMC in October and then I just got in under 100. I originally thought I would cruise to 110 or so time.

On the drive out I thought I should just push as hard as I could. I started of with JD and we got a good system going of each of us taking the lead for 250m or so. I thought we would maintain that fora while until I feel off the pace. Unfortunately he fell off the pace early and we were just maintaining just under 100 pace.

I was then left more most of the run to run alone. I pushed to the limit in the sense of the limit I could maintain to the end. The 5k splits were pretty even considering the course : 24.01/22.58/23.58/23.04. Nice solid time that gives me something to work on for the next race at SMC and the next marathon.

Wet morning around the Bay

I was out very early to get my run in before going to the markets.

It was 5.00am and still very dark with not a hint of the coming dawn because of the rain clouds. It was pouring when I left the house and did not get much better for most of the run. It is so difficult to run in the dark, the rain and in glasses that get covered in rain or fog up.

Anyway I completed the 13 odd k loop at 6.13 pace. Okay for 6 days out from the marathon.

Another beautiful Bay morning

Almost a repeat of yesterday morning. The tide was almost if not full around 6.00am.

Pushed a bit longer an harder with about 14k @ 6.20. Nice an firm. Really a bit much for a recovery week but I feel good. This morning was after a solid 60 minutes cardio last night that is mostly stairs.

I am looking to build well and quickly for some strong marathons in late May through July. My sessions after Canberra in 2008 led up to the 2.58 at Gold Coast. I could not repeat that time but I might just go back to my diary and here to see what I did. Very tempting.

Recovery run and a beautiful sunrise

First day out after the marathon. What a glorious morning over the Bay. Absolute burst of pink, orange and grey as the sun rose over the city skyline. The sky turning from black to a light blue in almost no time, not a breath of wind and just a slight chill to the air - more refreshing than uncomfortable.

I could take all this in this morning because it was very slow. In fact time was not relevant. Halfway around I stopped at the sailing club and did some light stretching on the jetty above the water. It is far enough away from the traffic not to hear it and only hear the lapping of the water with the movement of the tide.

It was so difficult to run home and get ready to appear in Court. It was a simple matter but in any matter where you appear their is always that tension before that you will not get what you want. Thankfully this morning it all went to plan. Now I am at the College drafting and exam paper.

Canberra Marathon : 3.47.xx

I looked at my training diary and it was 28 February that the hamstring twinge was felt and it never really come any where near recovered until the last few days and then I didn't trust that it was in fact fully recovered. That meant that since 28 February I ran only about 18 days and most of that was no more than a slow 7k. It was only in the last week that I was able to get the distance up to 14k and the pace anywhere near okay.

So no run over 14k in about 6 weeks did not give me a lot of confidence about finishing the last 12k without a meltdown.

So I started of with my mate Horrie with a 4 hour bus. But as there were no committed passengers (we had a few joined for a k or two and then left moving off into the distance) and we ran a bit faster than pace. A four hour marathon is about 5.40 per k pace and we settled into 5.25 pace.

That was the pace that I held for the first 30k. I was watching the 5k splits but they where all between 27.05 and 27.30. I am not sure what happened at about 30k as I thought I had another gear to move up to - it was tough but I was comfortable and thought I could push harder and get into the uncomfortable space.

So as I passed the 30k maker I pushed hard. I though that would be a bright start for a while that would fade and I would drift back and be re-passed by those runners I had just foolishly speed past. Thankfully I held on an completed that last 12.2k in 5.15 pace. It has been a while since I have finished so strong with about a 115/112 split.

Short summary: where did that come from !!! Back I won't spend anytime trying to answer that. I will just enjoy a good marathon with the hope that there are some better ones to come during the year.

Saturday morning - Bay run

Not the usual morning before a marathon but I went for gut busting run around the Bay just a daylight was breaking. I was up the weather was perfect and I felt good - so what does one do with those planets aligned.

Go for a short but fast run and enjoy the moment. The after worry if it has taken all of your finishing energy for the last 12k of the marathon. Oh well I enjoyed it at the time and set my mind up positive all I need is the body to be right on Sunday morning.

Rest day: no run

Last night I did and intense cardio session of about 60 minutes and so was quite fatigued this morning. I did this session regularly quite sometime ago and had good results. It involves a lot of running up stairs and generally do things that keep the HR up without really running. Maybe not the best a few days before a marathon but really I am a long way from being race ready and so doing does wonders for the mental side of the preparation.

Anyway it was a shame to miss being out on a glorious autumn morning around the Bay but I also enjoyed the sleep in.

A nice 14.4k @ 5.01

The same loop since Monday - no I don't get bored, well at least not yet. It is the only way to gauge how I am progressing when the rate of recovery is important to be known.

Yesterday was at 5.10 pace so it was nice to have a significant increase in pace with the HR not much above. I am not really into HR training zones but it is a factor to take into account when assessing your fitness level. It is a good comparison tool. The usual though nit accurate calculation for MaxHR is 220 less your age. That would give me 158 or there abouts - on some hills I hit 160 so it confirms that formula is not accurate.

On today's run the speed is fine but the endurance will be a real issue and holding my pace at the end will be more than a challenge - probably an impossible task. I just hope it does not get too ugly.

Back running again and training

It was a false recovery in mid March. The hamstring improved and there was a further issue that required more and more rest and treatment. So there was very little running in the last 2 weeks of March except for a couple of very slow laps of the Bay that were done more to stay connected that anything to do with running.

The progress since the start of April has been pleasing but I now have huge negative thoughts in my mind about running too quickly or too long and causing a further injury and an already weak hammy. So I am enjoying running regularly again but most of the time my mind is filled with negative thoughts waiting for the stride that will result in another tear of the muscle. I guess time will allow the risk of injury to recede as well as those negative thoughts.

So what have I done in specifics - just the briefest of information but the clear picture is that even with a significant injury forced lay off it does not take long to get some moderate pace up but I suspect the endurance will take much longer.

Friday 1 April
8.5k @ 5.32 Average HR 130
It was not the first time out as I had run slower the day before. The running was not twinge free.

Saturday 2 April
Morning 8.5k @ 5.22 AHR 136
Afternoon 8.5k @ 5.01 AHR 145
I am not sure what happened in the afternoon but I was running how I felt and did not look at the Garmin until the end. It was a suicidal pace and could have caused an injury. I was very lucky to get away with it. I intend to watch my pace much more closely.

Sunday 3 April
12.16k @ 5.31 AHR 127
A slight increase in distance and the hammy held up well.

Monday 4 April 14.5K @ 5.28 AHR 133
Another slight increase in distance and ever so slight increase in pace. All systems held together well. Pace up HR up.

Tuesday 5 April
Same 14.5k @5.24 AHR not recorded
Slight increase in pace which was just luck not planned.

Wednesday 6 April Same 14.5k @ 5.10 AHR 140
I did plan to push hard and it felt like it !!

Not what you would call a taper week before a marathon. But I am not trying to catch up for lost training sessions. I know my body after a break needs a few sessions to start to move back into fitness. It seems to hold up okay to the increased activity being exerted after the break.

Any decent time at Canberra on the weekend will not even be possible. A good time might come later in the year. Probably at Gold Coast if the preparation goes well before it. Canberra - all I will be doing will be running to get a 3.59.xx finish.