Dubbo Marathon: 4.35.01

I should be pleased with the time but I am disappointed. The expectation was to be quicker by maybe 15/20 minutes but clearly that did not happen.   

It was 1 degree at the start 7.00 am with no wind - so perfect conditions. But it did rise to 20 degrees plus by the time I finished. 

The course is 2 1/2 laps outside the zoo mainly on a walking path next to the Macquarie River. I ran firm but well within myself to halfway in 2.08. So a 4.15 was not likely so I reset to a 4.20 - 4.25 finish but as I ran past 30k that was possible but could not slow down. I felt that I was fatiguing and so just held on as best I could. 

I have been concentrating on shorter faster training and have totally neglected runs that are steady firm pace longer than 18k. No doubt that is the cause of the slow down over the last 12k or so. Also the hormone treatment has caused a slight but noticeable increase of 2/3k and carrying that extra no doubt contributes to the slow down. 

My next marathon is at Sydney in a couple of weeks so so longer runs are on the session agenda.

I won my age group but the again I was the only 70+. What was interesting was overall I finished 55th out of 86 starters. In gender 41/58 when at 10k I was 48th, at about hallway 45th and at the finish 41st - so some other males had a worse second half than me. On that basis I should be pleased that I held my own over the race with a slight improvement. I will take whatever positives I can. 

Some pics from the first lap. Same bridge from either side. I am not sure what the red growth is on one side. 

Pre Mudgee Marathon

The Mudgee Marathon is on Sunday and it will be the 17th time I have run it. I have missed it twice since it was started and ran the first. It is a challenging course that has not changed since the first one except for a slight movement of the start/finish but in the same street. 

From about 8k to 18k it is a long grind up and incline then a sharp hill over it for a k or so and back up before heading back into Mudgee that rises and falls but is generally down hill. It is usually zero degrees at the start at 7.00 am and then can rise significantly and quickly by the finish late in the morning. 

As I posted previously in 2018 I ran 4.20 at Blacktown and then 4.07 at Mudgee. This year I ran 4.15 at Blacktown so maybe just maybe I will sneak under the 4.07 from last year. It is a difficult race to pace because the course is not out and back and a lot of time to the finishing pace is lost in the first 18k. Then it is matter of how much time can be made up on the 24k run to the finish line. 

Will I be trying to be under 4.07? There is no reason why I should not give it a go and I plan do. All that is happen is that I run slower than 4.07.

I have been concentrating on shorter but quicker training sessions. I ran a lap of the Bay this morning and was better than any run this year by about 12 seconds. Not much but better than being slower. 

Photos from this morning around the Bay.

So what's happening and what's planned

Firstly I am away in Cairns for a week flying out early tomorrow morning. A belated family gathering  to celebrate my recent birthday as for many reasons the family could not be together. With a daughter in Victoria and a son near Byron Bay the changes for us all together is rare. Christmas day was the last time.

So some warm weather and hopefully some time for some high intensity and shortish runs. 

I have looked back on some times over the last few years and trying to judge with the right training what some of the marathons coming up might be in times. Lets look backL

                        2016              2017           2018             2019

Blacktown         X                4.26             4.20              4.15

Mudgee           5.35              4.14             4.07               ?

Sydney            5.22              4.44             4.12               ?

Melbourne      5.19               4.33             4.04               ?

Yes in 2016 I was not well at all. Since then I have improved despite the rapidly advancing years.

At the moment I am concentrating and higher intensity work to try and just get some decent speed in the legs. I want to be able to run 5k in under 25 minutes before Sydney. At the moment with a day rest I am at 25.30. But the most significant sessions I am doing at the moment are 5k reps trying  to get to a 3 x 5k session. 

My MP pace goal is 5.42 per k for a 4 hour marathon. At the moment I can easily do 2 x 5k at 26.30 each or about 5.18 pace. I am happy at the moment for the pace aspect but I need to be able to do a 3rd at the same pace. A canvas in progress at the moment.

I should have the 3 x 5k at 5.18 pace or better after Mudgee and before Sydney. If I can achieve that session before Sydney then I will have a fews weeks to consolidate it. On these previous years times it seems Melbourne will be my focus marathon for the year as it was last year.

I am do other medium distance runs of just under 20k each fews day. But speed is what I need to get close to 4 hours building on my existing solid endurance. Before Sydney I will run a rested 10kTT and to be close to 4 hours finish timeI will have to run it in 52 minutes. Who knows? It should be interesting.