Bay x 2 : 29.15 + 29.03

The right ankle is still a problem but at the moment I am using the Ron Hill injury recovery method - keep running until it comes good. Notthe usual advice I woul dfollow or give. It is slightly painful during the whole run and just causes me to be hesitant in the push off. The hard 5k TT on Saturday might not happen and I do not want to put ut it under extreme stress.

Both laps very firm and easily under 3 hour marathon pace.

Last few days

Wednesday
A right ankle that did not feel right and so I didn't run.

Thursday
Tried a Bay run and the ankle was better but still an issue that was reflected in a 30.25 lap. I was just too hesitant to start with and through the whole lap. Stopped the session after that and did some stretches and went home early. Went to Melbourne in the afternoon to give and evening lecture.

Friday
Four laps of the Tan on a very pleasant morning in Melbourne. I haven't run the Tan for a while and it was a pleasure to renew the challenge with the Anderson Street hill.

Saturday
A 10k pacing duty around the Bay with one of my favourite CR's. The ankle was better but not right. Then a wine tasting in the evening. For me it was a night of watching the wine tasting !!

Sunday
BIRTHDAY !!!!

Usually I run but this morning I decided the ankle should be rested and so I slept in. I had a pleasant day with the family. Let's not dwell on another year being added to the age. I feel 59 young.

Tuesday

Same session as yesterday in similar times but they all felt tough today:

Bay 29.40 @4.15

2k : 7.56 @ 3.58

2k: 7.54 @ 3.57

I am not trying to get faster in the sessions - it is just not possible to do that if you are doing fast work each day. All that I am trying to do is place the same stress on the body and have it respond by increasing the speed that I can run at and remain in a 'comfort zone'. I will not know if the sessions are working until I have a few days off to recover and then have a TT. That TT will be at the 5k Challenge in 10 days or so.

Monday 16 June

On Friday this

Bay : 29.11 @ 4.10
2k : 7.53 @ 3.57
2k : 7.56 @ 3.58

Today
Bay : 29.45 @ 4.16
2k : 7.46 @ 3.53
2k : 7.47 @ 3.54

I was ruuning freely on the Bay run but slower than Friday. The 2k efforts today seemed very easy but they were faster than Friday. Weird.

Fast Friday ??

I am going away for a few days but managed a session this morning. The weather is not cold in the pre dawn like it was a few weeks ago. AND only 10 days or so to go until the shortest day so eventhough it may get colder it will start getting lighter earlier.

I am surprised at the speed only 5 days after the marathon - if the pace I ran at this morning is thought to be fast. All I plan to do between now and Cold Coast is to almost all my running faster that 4.15 pace. I managed that today.

Bay : 29.11 @ 4.10
2k : 7.53 @ 3.57
2k : 7.56 @ 3.58

Thoughts about Gold Coast preparation

I don't often put down my thoughts about what I plan to do as regards training but I thought if I did this it would commit me to do the hard work planned.

long steady state runs at 4.30 pace and 150k weeks are manageable and present a pleasant challenge that can be achieved most days and most weeks. The k's in the last few weeks have been lowish because of the TNF100 and then the marathon BUT a lot of k's have been done in the months before that will stay with me for a while provided I maintain the base.

The reality was the marathon distance on Sunday was no issue and the pace was easily maintainable - so that aspect is not of a concern. So with just over 3 weeks to the Gold Coast marathon I could just do the same training but I suspect that will just get me better at running another 3.06.

So the important question is - How in that time can I get faster?? I believe I need to move onto another phase of training. Lydiard had hills and then speed work and the I think sharpening. Yeah I know his spent more time on each stage BUT he was targetting just one race for his runner.

Speed sessions is that the right word? Probably not because I associate that with intervals fast and - maybe 1k reps. I don't need the speed that would be generated by those sessions and I also don't want to increase the risk of injury.

I would prefer to call what I will do for the next 2 weeks or so stamina sessions. I aim at 4.15 pace for the marathon and use that as my base time. So I will do almost only the following sessions (as I want to keep some distance up and some steady running I may run a Bay lap at 4.15 pace before or after the tempo and repeat session:

1.Steady:30 - 60 minutes between 4.00 - 4.10 (2 laps of the Bay under 60)

2.Tempo:15 - 30 minutes between 3.50 - 4.00 (2 x 4k in 15.20)

3.Repeats:10 - 15 minutes between 3.45 - 3.50 ( 2 x 3k in 11.15)

I will be away until Monday so things will start then.

What do I hope all of this running at a pace that is very uncomfortable hope to achive. Well and endurance base no at all. If it can be achieved in a short time increase lactate threshold and engage what fast twitch muscles have been under engaged in the endurance stage. If Lydiard is right I should have an increase of speed in a short time and it will go almost to me maximum speed becuase of the strong base I have built up.

My test will be the 5k challenge on 28 June and being warmed up and with a steady pace all the way I should get under last months 18.40 and may give my PB of 18.14 a scare.

No run - just making sure of the recovery

Rest day - No run

Easy around the Bay

Yep day after the marathon. A public holiday and so I had sometime. The weather was dry and I want a quick recovery so it was easy around the Bay and some gentle stretching. I felt good.

MacLeay River Marathon : 3.06.04

A couple of minutes slower than last year but okay as a solid run before Gold Coast in 4 weeks.

Got to half in 90.11. I thought I would be a minute faster but there was a solid head wind from 10 to 21. I thought I might be able to hold the pace back but that wasn't to be the case and the time just drifted back to 22.45 for 5k's on the second leg. So I didn't get slower and slower just no ability to hold the faster pace.

Second half was 95.23 and I was not pleased with the large slow down. Although my plan was to run 90 for the half and see what condition I was in and so then be able to determine what needs to be done for the next marathon.

I will work on the second half speed between now and Gold Coast with a big increase in the speed work. I should have the Lydiard base and so for the first time this year I will incorporate some speed work to gain that 6 minutes.

It was a close run in the age group with Greg Love passing me at 23k and me hanging on 25 meters or so until 35k. It was then I thought if I was going to beat him I would do it by passing him then and giving him 7k to get it back. It was a real struggle to make up the small gap and I really thought that effort would burn me out and he would soon come back - if he did I was not sure if I could have raised the effort both physical and mental to pass him again. I took a breath and made the effort and passed him and did not look back and managed a 40 second or so victory.

13k loop @ 4.26 + Bay @ 4.12

No run yesterday. The preparation is going very well but I am concerned that I have not run any long runs greater than 26k for a couple of months. However the many 26k runs have been at a much better pace than last year and the weekly k's are greater. I wonder if that positive will balance out the negative of the lack of long runs. Will stopping short by 5/6 k every second weekend have a signifcant affect in the last 10k of the marathon.

Update 26 May

Saturday 17 May TNF 100k
19.36 and the less said the better. I was not happy with the time but then again if you do not train on trails you cannot expect to run them well. Also in the back of my mind was to do as little 'damage as possible so that I could resume marathon training as soon as possible.

Was able to start marathon training again on the following Thursday.

Sunday 25 May : SMC 25k @ 4.21 pace

Pleased with the overall pace. I ran at 4.24 pave to 15k and 4.15 for the next 5k and 4.10 for the last 5k.

Monday 26 May : 13k @ 4.30

Tuesday 27 May : 2 x Bay @ 4.14 each

Wednesday: 13k @ 4.28 and Bay @ 4.10

The Mcleay River Marathon is the next race on the 8 June. This week is the start of my type of taper -the distance comes down slightly and the speed is increased. It is all going very well and as planned.

Week ending Sunday 11 May

Just continued in the later part of the week with more loops keeping in the 4.30 - 4.35 pace range for the 26k. I looked at what I was doing this time last year and the pace of the same runs were closer to 4.50 and I thought I was doing well. Also last year I was carrying an injury which had a significant affect on the training pace. No such issue this year.

A couple of Bay runs thrown in at 4.15 pace as MT.

All up a quiet week for distance because of the two days off and the 100k coming up on the weekend. Total for the week only 111k

13k loop @ 4.36 (59.45) + Bay @ 4.14 (29.30)

I just decided to have Tuesday and Wednesday off. Also work was very busy and so there was no sleep in but up at the usual time and then to work. But 2 days of that is enough.

Ran the same session as Monday in about the same times. After I finish the loop I cruise down to the Bay and do some stretching at the park just near Iron Cove Bridge and then do the lap. It was tough all the way around and I was struggling but managed to get under 30 - more pushing the mental side than the heart to make it.

13k loop @ 4.32 + Bay @ 4.15

Adding a shorter run at MP.

2 loops 1.57.18 @ 4.31

Best time yet. It must have been because I did only one loop yesterday as a rest day !!!

A great week of training. Out each day and a total for the week of 167k. Apart from Monday on some big hills and all of the rest was running between 4.37 - 4.28 pace with 5 runs of 26k. No run was greater that that distance but all were run at close to maximun aerobic capacity.

I was surprised to run a 2 loop PB this morning at the end of the high k week. I feel as if I am getting much stronger than I was at this time last year and so I am hoping to continue that base building for the next 4 weeks. I just need to stay injury free and hope the 100k run in a few weeks has little interruption to the training.

Saturday: Usual13k loop @ 4.28

2 loops : 1.58.16 @ 4.34

Managed 58.52 + 59.22 - so each lap comfortably just under 60 and that is the pace I will stay at for the next week. Maybe I will have a few easy days in the taper week before the North Face 100 and give the 2 loops a real push for under 1.55 as a TT.

Reflection on 1st May

My children :

Nick, Gabi and Matt

The farm at Byron and the bottom paddock with orange trees and pecans

The deck for breakfast and reading catching the early morning sun

Isn't it wonderful to be alive, healthy and running early in the morning. As I was running this morning I took sometime to reflect on what I was doing and what was around me.

It was predawn around that Bay, cool but nothing a layer or two couldn't fix and then as you eased into the run a layer came off to remain pleasantly warm. How different to the hot humid weather when you start off with the least possible and that becomes uncomfortable before you are out of the front gate.

I also like to start in the predawn and then have the day awaken as I run. In summer it is just too early to be out before the sun rises.

As I run each morning I feel any residual stress from the day before recede as the run progresses. Then I arrive home absolutely battered each morning (my training at the moment only has 2 types - intense and very intense, then into a hot shower to remove the chill from the extremities, a healthy breakfast and drive to work waiting for those wonderful endorphins to kick in that allow me to float through the day and ward off most of the stresses of the day.

And before I know it the cycle starts again.

Oh I did 1 loop of 13k @ 4.35 and then a lap of the Bay. I thought I would struggle to be under 31.30 for 4.30 pace but managed 29.25 - so there was a heavy flood of endorphins later in the morning and I was just plain happy with life.