PCRG - 3KTT - Legs dead but streak continues

Tues - 3KTT - 10:07 - 3:21, 3:26, 3:19
Wed - 80 mins, 16k's @ 4:50-4:55 mins/km

My goal for the TT yesterday was to continue my rate of improvement and run in the 9:58-10:04 range which would give me my second fastest time ever. Despite my best efforts at a race like prep in the 24 hours leading up to the TT there were several hiccups. I've been driving my brother Benno's car whilst he is on a UK working holiday and I had to put it in for some smash repairs(not my fault!). As such, I rode into work on the MTB on Monday - an easy 20 min ride. Riding home was not so easy with lots of hills and a fierce headwind to contend with and my legs were feeling it. Then we couldn't have dinner at 6:30 because our regular butcher just down the road closed early and I sent Adam to Coles for chicken breast and he came back with chicken thigh as they had run out of breast - do you know how long it takes to cut all that damn fat of chicken thighs?? Anyway, we didn't have the stir fry till 7:30!!

Anyway I felt ok in the warm up and was quick of the mark when Pat sent us on our way. I was well placed at the 500 behind Al S, Andy, James, Jason and Coach Pat but that was where the wheels came off. More accurately, my legs went dead - there seemed to be no spring, zip or whatever you want to call it in them. Glenda and a new bloke went past me and then alarm bells started ringing loudly at the 1k which passed in 3:21, well short of the 3:15ish I would have liked. From experience, I know that most runners run the 2k slowest whether they want to or not and I knew that I would have to dig deep and overtake Glenda and the new bloke in front of me which I did around the 1200m mark before clocking 3:26 for the k - a considerable improvement on last months 3:30 middle k. Still I needed a 3:20 for the last k and set myself the challenge of running down Coach Pat who was about 10m in front of me. I busted a gut to catch up to Pat at the 2800m, passed him and ran as hard as I could all the way to the line with my feet so hot in my new Brooks Glycerin 5's they felt like they were on fire. Got home in 10:07 to extend my streak to six consecutive faster times at TT's.

Still, I was quite disappointed in my performance given that I had aimed higher. It seems like I still haven't come up from last week's gut busting 8 x 500's which I have since found out was run in 88% humidity and 24 degrees at 5:30am with an apparent temperature of 28 degrees.

Today, regulars Glenda and James joined me for my Wednesday PCRG run around the river while Davo and Mel B were first timers. Mel B used to run with the PCRG back in 2004 and it was great to have Davo come along as he continues his comeback from injury. Davo peeled of after 35 minutes and James after 45 mins leaving Mel and I to stick with Glenda's typically cracking pace that only slowed when we went up the hill to the Story Bridge. It was a good hitout in typically humid conditions and I was pleased to handle the pace fairly comfortably after the dramas with my slow pace last week.

Happy to clock my first 300k month since late 2004 - getting through a few more months like this will give me confidence that my shin splints are further and further behind me.

This week - 26k
This month - 309k
This year - 309k