8 x 500's - 100 secs,43 SR,100,32,101,40,98,37,101,41,99,40,102,24,102
Avg Rep 100.3 (1:40mins) Avg SR 36 secs. 3k WU, 3k WDA nice controlled session for me today albeit a little frustrating having
to hold back to ensure that I didn't go too much faster than sub 3:25 pace.
Like it or not, I will rarely exceed sub 3:25 for the next three months.
Lets see if my body can handle three to four months of 72-73 k's a week
before I get get stuck into the quicker stuff. Anyway, I averaged 1:40:3
for today's reps with a range between 98 and 102 seconds. Very short
recoveries averaging 36 seconds and a fair bit of cheerleading out there
ensured that I had my hands on my knees after some of the later reps. I
can't wait till I floor it at this session again - my PB average of 94:75
is sure to come in for a mauling!!
I was pleased to be the first one to recover and lead the way to and then
up Gold Coast Hill where I really put in on each of my two journies to the
top.
Langy, Glenda and Jonesy were all gutted after flogging themseleves a lot harder than I did on the 500's and turned down my invitation to do a Marathon pace warm down back to the Ship Inn. Fortunately, I ran into Brisbane Marathon winner, Siri Terjesen on her bike in the Gardens and we had a nice chat for the remainder of my warm down.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
The Wild Colonial Boy
Thurs - 4k tempo in 16:30, 3k WU, 3k ED
Sat - 50 mins, 10k's @ 4:55 mins/km
Sun - 120 mins, 25k's @ 4:45 mins/km
Got up at 4:30 am on Thursday and was out the door at 5am for my earliest start to a run since I made my comeback. It was a good tempo session and then I was ready for the much anticipated first day of the 1st Ashes test!
I had an interesting day at the Gabba to say the least. I had secured 8 tickets and invited 7 mates along and we had a great day starting with a breakfast bbq and a few beers. We got there early enough to avoid the queues and we're having a great time watching the Aussies get on top. Plenty of good natured sledging and bantering going on. With an hour to go, a Pom in a red shirt was standing in front of me slowly going through his wallet and obscuring my view. I politely asked him to sit down and he clearly decided to antagonise me by pretending to fumble his way through his wallet and continue to obscure my view. I had a skinful in me by this stage and as such, was a little short on patience and again asked him to sit down - this time in a much harsher tone of voice. The Pom's mate got scared and ran for the usher who came over and managed to get the Pom to sit down and all was ok. In hindsight, security at that point pegged me as a 'volatile character'. Half an hour later with just five overs to go I gave some departing Poms a boisterous and sendoff , chortling "Don't forget to close the door on your way out, you Pommie losers!". That was it - two cops came up to me and said 'we're going to have to remove you from the premises!' I went quietely and was handed a 'move on' notice becoming one of 43 people ejected from the Gabba that day. It was definite overkill on the part of security to evict me as we've all seen far worse 'offences' at the cricket go unpunished. Of course, that's only one side to the story - no doubt the Poms saw it differently.
Ironically, things turned nasty after I was evicted. In the biased eyes of the large mob of Aussies sitting behind me, one of their own had been turfed for seemingly nothing and the Pom in the red shirt was still there. As such, the rowdier elements of the mob unleashed a torrent of verbal abuse on the Pom in the red shirt and soaked him with beer on the way out. Probably none of this would have happened if security had more sense. Still i didn't let it put a dampner on a fabulous day.
Although not hungover, I put off my normal Friday recovery run till Saturday because I got called into the office for four hours overtime on my day off so that threw my schedule out. When I finally got around to that recovery run late on Saturday afternoon, it went well.
With only two weeks to Kurrawa, I was conscious of putting in an honest effort for my Sunday long run along the Kedron Brook. My preparation was less than ideal as I was again stuck in the office catching up on work on Sunday arvo when I should have been eating a good lunch. Starting after 5pm and fuelled with a GU, I opened proceedings with a 4:39 first k and then settled down comfortably churning out 4:45 k's. I topped up with a GU half way through the run and continued to run strongly as darkness enveloped me. It was quite pleasant running out there in the dark far away from the distant lights of suburbia until I bonked with eight mins to go. I managed to survive the lack of energy and the shakes, enduring the last eight minutes telling myself to imagine it was the closing stages of a Marathon and I needed to close out the race.
Gees, it was good to get stuck into some tucker when I got home!!!
Sat - 50 mins, 10k's @ 4:55 mins/km
Sun - 120 mins, 25k's @ 4:45 mins/km
Got up at 4:30 am on Thursday and was out the door at 5am for my earliest start to a run since I made my comeback. It was a good tempo session and then I was ready for the much anticipated first day of the 1st Ashes test!
I had an interesting day at the Gabba to say the least. I had secured 8 tickets and invited 7 mates along and we had a great day starting with a breakfast bbq and a few beers. We got there early enough to avoid the queues and we're having a great time watching the Aussies get on top. Plenty of good natured sledging and bantering going on. With an hour to go, a Pom in a red shirt was standing in front of me slowly going through his wallet and obscuring my view. I politely asked him to sit down and he clearly decided to antagonise me by pretending to fumble his way through his wallet and continue to obscure my view. I had a skinful in me by this stage and as such, was a little short on patience and again asked him to sit down - this time in a much harsher tone of voice. The Pom's mate got scared and ran for the usher who came over and managed to get the Pom to sit down and all was ok. In hindsight, security at that point pegged me as a 'volatile character'. Half an hour later with just five overs to go I gave some departing Poms a boisterous and sendoff , chortling "Don't forget to close the door on your way out, you Pommie losers!". That was it - two cops came up to me and said 'we're going to have to remove you from the premises!' I went quietely and was handed a 'move on' notice becoming one of 43 people ejected from the Gabba that day. It was definite overkill on the part of security to evict me as we've all seen far worse 'offences' at the cricket go unpunished. Of course, that's only one side to the story - no doubt the Poms saw it differently.
Ironically, things turned nasty after I was evicted. In the biased eyes of the large mob of Aussies sitting behind me, one of their own had been turfed for seemingly nothing and the Pom in the red shirt was still there. As such, the rowdier elements of the mob unleashed a torrent of verbal abuse on the Pom in the red shirt and soaked him with beer on the way out. Probably none of this would have happened if security had more sense. Still i didn't let it put a dampner on a fabulous day.
Although not hungover, I put off my normal Friday recovery run till Saturday because I got called into the office for four hours overtime on my day off so that threw my schedule out. When I finally got around to that recovery run late on Saturday afternoon, it went well.
With only two weeks to Kurrawa, I was conscious of putting in an honest effort for my Sunday long run along the Kedron Brook. My preparation was less than ideal as I was again stuck in the office catching up on work on Sunday arvo when I should have been eating a good lunch. Starting after 5pm and fuelled with a GU, I opened proceedings with a 4:39 first k and then settled down comfortably churning out 4:45 k's. I topped up with a GU half way through the run and continued to run strongly as darkness enveloped me. It was quite pleasant running out there in the dark far away from the distant lights of suburbia until I bonked with eight mins to go. I managed to survive the lack of energy and the shakes, enduring the last eight minutes telling myself to imagine it was the closing stages of a Marathon and I needed to close out the race.
Gees, it was good to get stuck into some tucker when I got home!!!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Midweek long run....on the bitumen
90mins, 18k's @ 4:53 mins/km
Gees, it was nice to cruise along the Kedron Brook track this morning instead of on the tready now that my Fitness First membership has expired. I felt comfortable throughout and the 90 minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Ran past Andy P out for a ride on his bike and exchanged high fives as we went past. It was a rare encounter as I don't run into many fellow PCRG's out there.
BIG DAY tomorrow!!!!! I'll be off to the Gabba for the first day of the first test, so will have to be up early tomorrow morning to complete a 50 minute session with a tempo effort thrown in before I got to a Breakfast BBQ at 7am. Can't wait to get stuck into the Poms - those Poms on and off the field!! C'mon Aussie!!!
Gees, it was nice to cruise along the Kedron Brook track this morning instead of on the tready now that my Fitness First membership has expired. I felt comfortable throughout and the 90 minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Ran past Andy P out for a ride on his bike and exchanged high fives as we went past. It was a rare encounter as I don't run into many fellow PCRG's out there.
BIG DAY tomorrow!!!!! I'll be off to the Gabba for the first day of the first test, so will have to be up early tomorrow morning to complete a 50 minute session with a tempo effort thrown in before I got to a Breakfast BBQ at 7am. Can't wait to get stuck into the Poms - those Poms on and off the field!! C'mon Aussie!!!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Fresh and fast!!
5 x 1min, 30JR outbound, 30SR then 30 sec efforts with 30JR inbound
I think coming into a speedwork session fresh from a recovery week agrees with me - I certainly ran like a fresh staying thorougbred first up over 1400m this morning. I had run well at this session when I last did it as the jogging recoveries are tailor made for my high aerobic fitness base at the moment and I always manage to recover with a brisker jog than most.
Runing at West End this morning, I lined up right at the front as I always do for speedwork and was on the pace in the usual mad dash at the start. Then Andy moved into the lead trailed by Gary and myself. Gary dropped me on the 3rd one minute effort and set off after Andy whilst I motored along in third trailed by a pack including Slash, Glenda, Jonesy and Azza. I was feeling strong, concentrating on running a little faster than sub 3:30 min pace and I must have been doing no slower than 4:20's-4:30's for my recovery jogs - they felt easy and comfortable.
After five reps, we paused for a break with Gary finishing 20 metres in front of me and Andy about 30 metres in front of me. I was surprised to turn around and notice the chase pack almost 20 metres behind me. It didn't feel like I had gone fast enough to gap them by that much. But I knew that I would have to put in a hard effort on the return leg to catch up to the pack and try and finish at the same time as them otherwise they would know that I had spent myself in the outbound leg!!
Gary was running well this morning and caught up to me pretty quickly, but I managed to slowly gain on the pack in front of me. About 500m from home, I was determined not to let Andy catch me and with a strong but controlled finish, I managed to pass Azza, hold Andy at bay and hit the line right on the heels of my just agreed Kurrawa to Point Danger relay race partner, Slash. Jonesy and Glenda finished very strongly and I couldn't make any ground on them on the return leg. All in all, a very pleasing session.
Not long afterward, I was at the QSMC at the Gabba for preventative physio from Shane Lemcke and he gave my body the thumbs up. As usual, there were a few niggles that I need to keep an eye on but otherwise all is goinig well
I think coming into a speedwork session fresh from a recovery week agrees with me - I certainly ran like a fresh staying thorougbred first up over 1400m this morning. I had run well at this session when I last did it as the jogging recoveries are tailor made for my high aerobic fitness base at the moment and I always manage to recover with a brisker jog than most.
Runing at West End this morning, I lined up right at the front as I always do for speedwork and was on the pace in the usual mad dash at the start. Then Andy moved into the lead trailed by Gary and myself. Gary dropped me on the 3rd one minute effort and set off after Andy whilst I motored along in third trailed by a pack including Slash, Glenda, Jonesy and Azza. I was feeling strong, concentrating on running a little faster than sub 3:30 min pace and I must have been doing no slower than 4:20's-4:30's for my recovery jogs - they felt easy and comfortable.
After five reps, we paused for a break with Gary finishing 20 metres in front of me and Andy about 30 metres in front of me. I was surprised to turn around and notice the chase pack almost 20 metres behind me. It didn't feel like I had gone fast enough to gap them by that much. But I knew that I would have to put in a hard effort on the return leg to catch up to the pack and try and finish at the same time as them otherwise they would know that I had spent myself in the outbound leg!!
Gary was running well this morning and caught up to me pretty quickly, but I managed to slowly gain on the pack in front of me. About 500m from home, I was determined not to let Andy catch me and with a strong but controlled finish, I managed to pass Azza, hold Andy at bay and hit the line right on the heels of my just agreed Kurrawa to Point Danger relay race partner, Slash. Jonesy and Glenda finished very strongly and I couldn't make any ground on them on the return leg. All in all, a very pleasing session.
Not long afterward, I was at the QSMC at the Gabba for preventative physio from Shane Lemcke and he gave my body the thumbs up. As usual, there were a few niggles that I need to keep an eye on but otherwise all is goinig well
Monday, November 20, 2006
Recvoery week ends
Sat - 50 mins, 10k's @ 4:55 mins/km
Sun - 90 mins, 18k's @ 4:55 mins/km
My well timed recovery week ended with two easy runs. I still have some minor shin soreness brought about by my cold and was grateful for the chance to do some easy runs.
Am looking forward to three consecutive weeks of 72k's or more leading up to Kurrawa to Duranbah 2 x 25k relay.
Sun - 90 mins, 18k's @ 4:55 mins/km
My well timed recovery week ended with two easy runs. I still have some minor shin soreness brought about by my cold and was grateful for the chance to do some easy runs.
Am looking forward to three consecutive weeks of 72k's or more leading up to Kurrawa to Duranbah 2 x 25k relay.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Initiating a rookie!
2 x 5min Surges, hill repeats
I attended my first ever PCRG Friday speedwork session this morning to make up for missing out on Tuesday. There were only 13-14 in attendance and I was pleased to see that Azza was there as he is at my level at the moment and would be sure to keep me honest.
A rookie, 'Steve' was also there - having his first session with the PCRG. He had a bit of upper body bulk however and I didn't pay him much notice, figuring he wouldn't be duking it out with Azza and I. So, as Azza and I lead the way into the Gardens for the first surge, it was a surprise to see the rookie overtake us and quickly put 5 metres on us. 'No worries' I thought - 'he'll blow up shortly'. But the rookie impressed by leading the first surge throughout and again taking the lead on the way out for the second surge.Azza and I were in close attendance running around 3:30 pace and I was feeling sluggish, but pretty good considering the recent cold. I started thinking 'Gees - this could be the first rookie to ever lead a whole session if he keeps it up'. Then I thought 'Glenda and the boys won't be too impressed if they find out a rookie had dictated terms to us - I better do something about this!'
As is turned out, the rookie hit the wall about 2:15 into the second surge slowing down drastically as Azza and I passed him just before we made our turnarounds. The rookie dug deep to hold on to Azza and I for a while and I offered him some encouragement 'Think of your goals! You can do it! C'mon!' and then I immediately increased the tempo and dropped him! I ran a ten second negative split back to the Goodwill Bridge and a distressed rookie trailed me home by some distance. Wanting to tighten the screws, I urged Pat to start the hill reps NOW! Pat handed me the markers and I quickly made my way around to the QUT grass hill and powered up, dropping the markers along the way. I was feeling strong now and my aerobic fitness was coming into play as I ran the hills strongly and recovered at a brisk pace downhill. Azza was hot on my heels throughout and the rookie was doing the survival shuffle in the middle of the pack!! I finished of the session feeling great although my recovery time was a little longer than usual - no doubt due to the recent cold.
I complimented 'Steve' afterwards saying that he had put in one of the best PCRG rookie efforts ever and urged him to come along on Tuesday and see how he could back it up.
Now, I should add that I'm not a masochist, but gees, I love ensuring that rookies have a painful initiation to the PCRG!!
I attended my first ever PCRG Friday speedwork session this morning to make up for missing out on Tuesday. There were only 13-14 in attendance and I was pleased to see that Azza was there as he is at my level at the moment and would be sure to keep me honest.
A rookie, 'Steve' was also there - having his first session with the PCRG. He had a bit of upper body bulk however and I didn't pay him much notice, figuring he wouldn't be duking it out with Azza and I. So, as Azza and I lead the way into the Gardens for the first surge, it was a surprise to see the rookie overtake us and quickly put 5 metres on us. 'No worries' I thought - 'he'll blow up shortly'. But the rookie impressed by leading the first surge throughout and again taking the lead on the way out for the second surge.Azza and I were in close attendance running around 3:30 pace and I was feeling sluggish, but pretty good considering the recent cold. I started thinking 'Gees - this could be the first rookie to ever lead a whole session if he keeps it up'. Then I thought 'Glenda and the boys won't be too impressed if they find out a rookie had dictated terms to us - I better do something about this!'
As is turned out, the rookie hit the wall about 2:15 into the second surge slowing down drastically as Azza and I passed him just before we made our turnarounds. The rookie dug deep to hold on to Azza and I for a while and I offered him some encouragement 'Think of your goals! You can do it! C'mon!' and then I immediately increased the tempo and dropped him! I ran a ten second negative split back to the Goodwill Bridge and a distressed rookie trailed me home by some distance. Wanting to tighten the screws, I urged Pat to start the hill reps NOW! Pat handed me the markers and I quickly made my way around to the QUT grass hill and powered up, dropping the markers along the way. I was feeling strong now and my aerobic fitness was coming into play as I ran the hills strongly and recovered at a brisk pace downhill. Azza was hot on my heels throughout and the rookie was doing the survival shuffle in the middle of the pack!! I finished of the session feeling great although my recovery time was a little longer than usual - no doubt due to the recent cold.
I complimented 'Steve' afterwards saying that he had put in one of the best PCRG rookie efforts ever and urged him to come along on Tuesday and see how he could back it up.
Now, I should add that I'm not a masochist, but gees, I love ensuring that rookies have a painful initiation to the PCRG!!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Back in business with two easy tens
Wed - 50 mins, 10k's @ 4:55 mins/km
Thurs - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:00 mins/km
After what turned out to be a mild cold characterised by extreme lethargy and an achey sensation in my back and legs I was back in business yesterday. I left it till 6pm before commencing an easy run at dusk along the Kedron Brook. The run turned out to be easier than expected which was pleasing. I finished at 7pm and with 35 hours between then and speedwork on Friday, I decided to do today's run at midday allowing me 17 hours recovery time before that run and another 17 hours recovery time before speedwork on Friday.
At midday - it was off to Fitness First for my last run on the treadmill before my 12 month contract expires tomorrow!! There were no feelings of nostalgia as I cruised through another easy 10k's and am feeling about 95% at this stage and will hopefully be 100% tomorrow morning.
Thurs - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:00 mins/km
After what turned out to be a mild cold characterised by extreme lethargy and an achey sensation in my back and legs I was back in business yesterday. I left it till 6pm before commencing an easy run at dusk along the Kedron Brook. The run turned out to be easier than expected which was pleasing. I finished at 7pm and with 35 hours between then and speedwork on Friday, I decided to do today's run at midday allowing me 17 hours recovery time before that run and another 17 hours recovery time before speedwork on Friday.
At midday - it was off to Fitness First for my last run on the treadmill before my 12 month contract expires tomorrow!! There were no feelings of nostalgia as I cruised through another easy 10k's and am feeling about 95% at this stage and will hopefully be 100% tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
A minor cold
I did not attend speedwork or go to work yesterday after waking up with a minor cold.
I'm feeling much better now but am still a little weak and instead of training this morning, I went to work at 6:30am. The plan is to regain strength as the day goes along and do a run after work at around 3pm. I'll do speedwork on Friday this week and all going well I should still be able to do five days of training as per usual. Fortunately, this week is a recovery week so I'll only need to do about 60k's instead of 72.
I'm feeling much better now but am still a little weak and instead of training this morning, I went to work at 6:30am. The plan is to regain strength as the day goes along and do a run after work at around 3pm. I'll do speedwork on Friday this week and all going well I should still be able to do five days of training as per usual. Fortunately, this week is a recovery week so I'll only need to do about 60k's instead of 72.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Sunday - Heat training
Fri - 50mins, 10k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Sun 120mins, 24k's @ 4:55 mins/km
Some disorganisation and procrasitination saw me start Sunday's run at 7:45am and finish just before 10am in temperatures in excess of 30 degrees. The heat ensured that the pace was a little slower than my normal pace in the high 4:40's but otherwise it was a solid effort. Good heat training for the Kurrawa to Duranbah 25k relay leg if I do it! As of yet, I don't have a partner and will only flog myself in the race if my partner and I are a chance of winning or placing.
Things are humming along nicely at the moment. Bruno mentioned on Friday that my calves are in the best shape he's felt them so all's good!
Sun 120mins, 24k's @ 4:55 mins/km
Some disorganisation and procrasitination saw me start Sunday's run at 7:45am and finish just before 10am in temperatures in excess of 30 degrees. The heat ensured that the pace was a little slower than my normal pace in the high 4:40's but otherwise it was a solid effort. Good heat training for the Kurrawa to Duranbah 25k relay leg if I do it! As of yet, I don't have a partner and will only flog myself in the race if my partner and I are a chance of winning or placing.
Things are humming along nicely at the moment. Bruno mentioned on Friday that my calves are in the best shape he's felt them so all's good!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
A smelly run
Wed 90 mins, 18k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Thurs 50 mins, 10k's @ 4:57 mins/km
After catching up on some sleep, yesterday's midweek run on the tready went smoothly enough - 18k's in the bank.
Got home late from work last night and forgot to remove wet running shorts from the line after the storm and put them out to dry. So I had to throw a pair of sweaty, slightly wet and smelly running shorts into the dryer this morning before heading out for my run this morning. It was probably a good thing I didn't bring my pungent aroma to Pat's No Watch 1k and Pancake breakfast this morning.
From now on, I've decided that time trial weeks will see me do a 50 min recovery run on Thursday instead of the tempo run I've been doing. It was just as well as I only plodded for the first five k's today before coming good and running home comfortably.
Body is feeling good. Life as a runner is good. Its all good!
Thurs 50 mins, 10k's @ 4:57 mins/km
After catching up on some sleep, yesterday's midweek run on the tready went smoothly enough - 18k's in the bank.
Got home late from work last night and forgot to remove wet running shorts from the line after the storm and put them out to dry. So I had to throw a pair of sweaty, slightly wet and smelly running shorts into the dryer this morning before heading out for my run this morning. It was probably a good thing I didn't bring my pungent aroma to Pat's No Watch 1k and Pancake breakfast this morning.
From now on, I've decided that time trial weeks will see me do a 50 min recovery run on Thursday instead of the tempo run I've been doing. It was just as well as I only plodded for the first five k's today before coming good and running home comfortably.
Body is feeling good. Life as a runner is good. Its all good!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
A rollercoaster life....
Sat- 120 mins - 22k's
Sun - 25 mins, 5 k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Tues - 3KTT - 10:20 - 3:26, 3:30, 3:24
Wow - what a coupla days it has been!
Friday, I still felt like I was coming down with a cold so decided to delay my recovery run till Sunday arvo, especially with a Mt Cootha run coming up on Saturday morning.
Saturday morning dawned with a beautifully drizzy day and a fog hanging over Mt Cootha. I still didn't feel 100% and struggled to maintain 5:00 pace for the first 30 minutes. Thankfully, Langy was patient and understanding. I kept in touch with Langy going up the mountain and felt much better after we stopped for a break up the top. Had to be careful of the quads going down the mountain on the slippery road and I speculated to Langy that Brisbane could do with a cable car running from the Regatta to the top of Mt Cootha - what a great tourist attraction!! And runners would be entitled to free trips down the cable car. That would enable us to run up the mountain three times on a Sunday long run but not have to worry about running down it!! Don't you think its a great idea? Anyway, I really started to feel much better once we got back to Coro Drive and Langy and I really lifted the temp for the last 35 minutes finishing off the two hours at around 4:20 pace. I then did half a shift at work and attended a wedding for a good mate that night and managed to restrict the damage to about 15 beers.
Sunday saw me doing another half shift in the office before getting my place ready for a BBQ that I was hosting on behalf of my good mate Lacho who was in town for a week's holiday before returning to the UK. Still, I managed to slip out for a 25 minute recovery run as the guests started to arrive. Ducked into Langy's backyard for a quick drink of water from the tap and was disgusted to see brown water running out. The maintenance needs a bit of work at your place, Langy!! A great afternoon and evening with good non-running friends followed and this time the damage was about 10 drinks. MJ was late to joining in the festivites thanks to Chelle who plied her with tequila at Chelle's Mexican themed birthday party the previous night.
Monday saw my long awaited appointment with allegist-immunologist Dr David Hayworth-Smith at Greenslopes Private Hospital. He suspects that I had a bad and unlucky six month run with my health and was pleased with the changes that I have made to my life to reduce the chances of contracting colds. He's pretty confident that I don't have a lactose intolerance and I had a blood test taken to test for allergies to wheat, house dust and many more. Took the day off work and went up to Kings's Beach for a swim with Lacho and RooBoy. Gees, I am a fish out of water and spent most of the hour in the surf snorting and wheezing.
I was a little tired arriving at the time trial this morning after four consecutive nights with less than eight hours sleep due to all the extra curricular activities but was confident that I could make my third consecutive imrovement in time as the legs had pulled up well from Saturday - the extra days break helped. Jonesy asked what I wanted to do and I responded 10:25 and he said 10:20 so I said I'd go with him and we would do 3:25, 3:30, 3:25. Jonesy and I worked together to 1k in 3:26. Jonesy then ensured that the pace did not slacken in the second k by giving me a push in the back because he couldn't pass me on the narrow path!! A 3:30 second k was the result. It was great to see Jonesy kick away down the hill next to the boatshed and charge home in 3:18 for a well deserved 10:15 PB. I concentrated on maintaining my stride and cadence and worked home in 3:24 for a 10:20. That was a nice honest hitout and I worked hard without shattering myself.
I put about $70 of bets on the Melbourne Cup working around my top five selections 1. Tawqeet 2. Pop Rock 3. Maybe Better 4. Geordieland and 5. Delta Blues. It was a real rush when the two Japanese horses kicked to the line together with Maybe Better hanging on for third!! Despite being a keen punter for well over a decade now, I'm primarily a win bet only punter and today I had managed to win my first trifecta and do it in the Cup! I had boxed the above 5 horses for 50 cents at a cost of $30 and I was optimistic that I had half of a probable trifecta dividend of about $3k to $4k given that the winner was 18-1! However, I was deflated big time when a dividend of $1227 was declared - the weight of professional money must have crunched the odds of that particular trifecta combination. Still, its hard to whinge about a $613 collect and $543 profit for the day.
The rollercoaster had its final dip shortly after the cup when I rushed out of the office early to assist MJ who's back had gone again. Hopefully she'll have a speedy recovery.
Sun - 25 mins, 5 k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Tues - 3KTT - 10:20 - 3:26, 3:30, 3:24
Wow - what a coupla days it has been!
Friday, I still felt like I was coming down with a cold so decided to delay my recovery run till Sunday arvo, especially with a Mt Cootha run coming up on Saturday morning.
Saturday morning dawned with a beautifully drizzy day and a fog hanging over Mt Cootha. I still didn't feel 100% and struggled to maintain 5:00 pace for the first 30 minutes. Thankfully, Langy was patient and understanding. I kept in touch with Langy going up the mountain and felt much better after we stopped for a break up the top. Had to be careful of the quads going down the mountain on the slippery road and I speculated to Langy that Brisbane could do with a cable car running from the Regatta to the top of Mt Cootha - what a great tourist attraction!! And runners would be entitled to free trips down the cable car. That would enable us to run up the mountain three times on a Sunday long run but not have to worry about running down it!! Don't you think its a great idea? Anyway, I really started to feel much better once we got back to Coro Drive and Langy and I really lifted the temp for the last 35 minutes finishing off the two hours at around 4:20 pace. I then did half a shift at work and attended a wedding for a good mate that night and managed to restrict the damage to about 15 beers.
Sunday saw me doing another half shift in the office before getting my place ready for a BBQ that I was hosting on behalf of my good mate Lacho who was in town for a week's holiday before returning to the UK. Still, I managed to slip out for a 25 minute recovery run as the guests started to arrive. Ducked into Langy's backyard for a quick drink of water from the tap and was disgusted to see brown water running out. The maintenance needs a bit of work at your place, Langy!! A great afternoon and evening with good non-running friends followed and this time the damage was about 10 drinks. MJ was late to joining in the festivites thanks to Chelle who plied her with tequila at Chelle's Mexican themed birthday party the previous night.
Monday saw my long awaited appointment with allegist-immunologist Dr David Hayworth-Smith at Greenslopes Private Hospital. He suspects that I had a bad and unlucky six month run with my health and was pleased with the changes that I have made to my life to reduce the chances of contracting colds. He's pretty confident that I don't have a lactose intolerance and I had a blood test taken to test for allergies to wheat, house dust and many more. Took the day off work and went up to Kings's Beach for a swim with Lacho and RooBoy. Gees, I am a fish out of water and spent most of the hour in the surf snorting and wheezing.
I was a little tired arriving at the time trial this morning after four consecutive nights with less than eight hours sleep due to all the extra curricular activities but was confident that I could make my third consecutive imrovement in time as the legs had pulled up well from Saturday - the extra days break helped. Jonesy asked what I wanted to do and I responded 10:25 and he said 10:20 so I said I'd go with him and we would do 3:25, 3:30, 3:25. Jonesy and I worked together to 1k in 3:26. Jonesy then ensured that the pace did not slacken in the second k by giving me a push in the back because he couldn't pass me on the narrow path!! A 3:30 second k was the result. It was great to see Jonesy kick away down the hill next to the boatshed and charge home in 3:18 for a well deserved 10:15 PB. I concentrated on maintaining my stride and cadence and worked home in 3:24 for a 10:20. That was a nice honest hitout and I worked hard without shattering myself.
I put about $70 of bets on the Melbourne Cup working around my top five selections 1. Tawqeet 2. Pop Rock 3. Maybe Better 4. Geordieland and 5. Delta Blues. It was a real rush when the two Japanese horses kicked to the line together with Maybe Better hanging on for third!! Despite being a keen punter for well over a decade now, I'm primarily a win bet only punter and today I had managed to win my first trifecta and do it in the Cup! I had boxed the above 5 horses for 50 cents at a cost of $30 and I was optimistic that I had half of a probable trifecta dividend of about $3k to $4k given that the winner was 18-1! However, I was deflated big time when a dividend of $1227 was declared - the weight of professional money must have crunched the odds of that particular trifecta combination. Still, its hard to whinge about a $613 collect and $543 profit for the day.
The rollercoaster had its final dip shortly after the cup when I rushed out of the office early to assist MJ who's back had gone again. Hopefully she'll have a speedy recovery.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Coming up for air!!!
Wed - 90 mins, 18k's @ 5:00mins km
Thurs - 75 mins, 15k's @ about 5:00 mins km
Have been very time challenged(I'm trying to erase the word 'busy' from my vocabulary as it sounds too much like an excuse)this week and have just spent the last two days on a WH&S Officer course when I normally have my two days off work!
Wednesday saw me on the tready for my longest mid week run in two years - you beauty! Thursday saw me postpone my run till the afternoon as I wasn't willing to sacrifice sleep in order to train and make the start of the course at 8am. I was also feeling a tad achey in the joints and in case I was coming down with something, I did a very easy 15k instead of 10k's with a hard 4k tempo. Ran around the river, whilst the Cool Night Classic was being run and stopped for several breaks.
Feeling fine today. Have a 5k recovery run this arvo. Because of my crowded social calender this weekend, will take the rare step of doing a Sat long run - 2hrs around Mt Cootha with Langy.
Thurs - 75 mins, 15k's @ about 5:00 mins km
Have been very time challenged(I'm trying to erase the word 'busy' from my vocabulary as it sounds too much like an excuse)this week and have just spent the last two days on a WH&S Officer course when I normally have my two days off work!
Wednesday saw me on the tready for my longest mid week run in two years - you beauty! Thursday saw me postpone my run till the afternoon as I wasn't willing to sacrifice sleep in order to train and make the start of the course at 8am. I was also feeling a tad achey in the joints and in case I was coming down with something, I did a very easy 15k instead of 10k's with a hard 4k tempo. Ran around the river, whilst the Cool Night Classic was being run and stopped for several breaks.
Feeling fine today. Have a 5k recovery run this arvo. Because of my crowded social calender this weekend, will take the rare step of doing a Sat long run - 2hrs around Mt Cootha with Langy.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
A Barry Crocker
2min/1min/2min with 30JR then 30SR x 2, 4mins. 3K WU, 3K WD
Didn't come up this morning with Sunday's run perhaps taking more out of me than I thought it would. I was also exhausted on Monday night and could have done with 9hrs+ sleep instead of the 7.5 I got. Waking up hungry didn't help.
Nevertheless, I plugged away running some distance behind Jonesy at the back of the A-Team. It wasn't until the warm down run that I started to feel ok and then I rolled along nicely.
The body feels ok so I'm not too worried. Its been quite a while since I had a disappointing session and I was probably due for one.
Didn't come up this morning with Sunday's run perhaps taking more out of me than I thought it would. I was also exhausted on Monday night and could have done with 9hrs+ sleep instead of the 7.5 I got. Waking up hungry didn't help.
Nevertheless, I plugged away running some distance behind Jonesy at the back of the A-Team. It wasn't until the warm down run that I started to feel ok and then I rolled along nicely.
The body feels ok so I'm not too worried. Its been quite a while since I had a disappointing session and I was probably due for one.
Sudnay - Great weekend at Noosa!
Fri - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:00mins/km
Sun - Noosa Tri 10k run leg 40:06, 3k WU, 5k WD
MJ and I had a fabulous weekend at Noosa!! Ran around like a headless chook on Friday morning getting the pool man to install a new filter (@ $725 - ouch!!), doing my Friday recovery run around the back streets of Wavell Heights and getting swooped by a magpie and getting a rub from Bruno. So it was a relief to jump in the car and head up the coast at 1pm, only just beating all the traffic heading up the Coast. \
We arrived at Noosaville's Islander Resort in good time and spent the arvo relaxing before getting a gourmet pizza for dinner washed down with a bottle of red. Saturday morning saw us enjoying a gourmet breakfast at Berardo's on the beach with my Northies team mate RooBoy and his girlfriend Tanya. Then it was off to the Expo to get registered and it was there that I bumped into Lee Troop registering for the Bolt and I had a chat with him for about five minutes about his thoughts on the race - a nice bloke. After an afternoon of chilling out, MJ and I headed back to Noosa Parade for the Bolt. But firstly, there was the small matter of watching the Cox Plate and the Noosa Heads SLSC and I had former Carlton great, Stephen Kernahan watching the race next to me. I managed to refrain from mentioning the 1986 Grand Final (I was a Hawthorn fan at the time) Just like last year it was great fun to get out on the road with all the Bolt runners and have a quick chat with them pre-race and fire them up. It was a pretty inspiring race with Marty Dent and Eloise Wellings getting the spoils and from a personal perspective, I realized that I've got a lot of work to do before I can run in the Bolt without embarrassing myself! The last place male ran 17:30 and was overtaken by Wellings who gave him a one minute start as the women's race started shortly after the men's. The day wound down with MJ and I enjoying a Thai dinner, two XXXX Golds and a relaxing DVD.
Triathlon day saw me getting numbered at 6:30am with my new team mates. They were actually Chelle's team before she passed the run leg baton to MJ who passed it on to me!! I then headed to Noosa Beach where I found a quite table at the back of the dunes and spend most of the next two hours writing my Intraining Women's Classic Repot, Simon Doyle 1500m Classic report and the start of my Noosa Bolt report. Finally it was time to head to the PCRG tent and drop my gear off before heading out to for a 3k warm up prior to entering transition just before our cyclist to arrive after 60-65mins on the bike. Note to all triathlon team runners - NEVER trust a cyclists time prediction as they are more often than not grossly optimistic!! After 78 minutes (and 20 minutes of waiting for me!) our cyclist finished his ride and I headed off feeling good and energetic with three GU's fuelling me. I was running very comfortably and a cool breeze meant that the warm weather wasn't an issue for me. Despite a plan to cruise around in 42 minutes, I reached 5k in 20:06 after missing the 3 and 4k markers. Still feeling comfortable I then cruised home steadily with a slight negative split. It was fun to overtake a zillion people including plenty of other team runners and I would have yelled 'Coming through' close to 100 times as I weaved and bumped my way through the traffic. I pulled up nicely and was breathing normally barely thirty seconds later.
A great weekend ended when we headed straight back home and I faced the sobering reality of having to type up 2 R4YL reports and then do a shift at work ending at 11pm.
Sun - Noosa Tri 10k run leg 40:06, 3k WU, 5k WD
MJ and I had a fabulous weekend at Noosa!! Ran around like a headless chook on Friday morning getting the pool man to install a new filter (@ $725 - ouch!!), doing my Friday recovery run around the back streets of Wavell Heights and getting swooped by a magpie and getting a rub from Bruno. So it was a relief to jump in the car and head up the coast at 1pm, only just beating all the traffic heading up the Coast. \
We arrived at Noosaville's Islander Resort in good time and spent the arvo relaxing before getting a gourmet pizza for dinner washed down with a bottle of red. Saturday morning saw us enjoying a gourmet breakfast at Berardo's on the beach with my Northies team mate RooBoy and his girlfriend Tanya. Then it was off to the Expo to get registered and it was there that I bumped into Lee Troop registering for the Bolt and I had a chat with him for about five minutes about his thoughts on the race - a nice bloke. After an afternoon of chilling out, MJ and I headed back to Noosa Parade for the Bolt. But firstly, there was the small matter of watching the Cox Plate and the Noosa Heads SLSC and I had former Carlton great, Stephen Kernahan watching the race next to me. I managed to refrain from mentioning the 1986 Grand Final (I was a Hawthorn fan at the time) Just like last year it was great fun to get out on the road with all the Bolt runners and have a quick chat with them pre-race and fire them up. It was a pretty inspiring race with Marty Dent and Eloise Wellings getting the spoils and from a personal perspective, I realized that I've got a lot of work to do before I can run in the Bolt without embarrassing myself! The last place male ran 17:30 and was overtaken by Wellings who gave him a one minute start as the women's race started shortly after the men's. The day wound down with MJ and I enjoying a Thai dinner, two XXXX Golds and a relaxing DVD.
Triathlon day saw me getting numbered at 6:30am with my new team mates. They were actually Chelle's team before she passed the run leg baton to MJ who passed it on to me!! I then headed to Noosa Beach where I found a quite table at the back of the dunes and spend most of the next two hours writing my Intraining Women's Classic Repot, Simon Doyle 1500m Classic report and the start of my Noosa Bolt report. Finally it was time to head to the PCRG tent and drop my gear off before heading out to for a 3k warm up prior to entering transition just before our cyclist to arrive after 60-65mins on the bike. Note to all triathlon team runners - NEVER trust a cyclists time prediction as they are more often than not grossly optimistic!! After 78 minutes (and 20 minutes of waiting for me!) our cyclist finished his ride and I headed off feeling good and energetic with three GU's fuelling me. I was running very comfortably and a cool breeze meant that the warm weather wasn't an issue for me. Despite a plan to cruise around in 42 minutes, I reached 5k in 20:06 after missing the 3 and 4k markers. Still feeling comfortable I then cruised home steadily with a slight negative split. It was fun to overtake a zillion people including plenty of other team runners and I would have yelled 'Coming through' close to 100 times as I weaved and bumped my way through the traffic. I pulled up nicely and was breathing normally barely thirty seconds later.
A great weekend ended when we headed straight back home and I faced the sobering reality of having to type up 2 R4YL reports and then do a shift at work ending at 11pm.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Matty reporting from Noosa!!!
Thurs - 3kWU, 4k tempo 16:06, 3k WD
Fri - 50 mins - 10k's
MJ and I arrived at Noosa at 3pm this arvo and checked into the Islander Resort opposite from the Noosa River. The accomodation is nice and comes courtesy of the good people at USM Events who have shouted me the trip so I can come up and cover the Noosa Bolt for R4YL.
Its been a very frantic yet fulfilling time for me over the last 48 hours and I'm looking forward to chilling out next to the pool and reading a good book(you know the one I'm talking about, Lacho!!) I will be replacing MJ in a team for the Noosa Tri and will just do a solid tempo run - maybe around 41-42 mins for the 10k run leg. Coming so soon after a hard 5k last Sunday and a fast speedwork session, I'm not going to flog myself considering I may have pushed it a little bit too hard at speedwork on Tuesday. I didn't think much about it at the time, but late on Tuesday or Wednesday(I can't remember when!) I had a funny feeling in my left calf muscle - it felt like someone had pumped it full of air. The feeling went away after a few hours and I had no probs with my next run. I then forgot about it until I mentioned the incident in passing to Bruno whilst getting a rub this morning. Bruno then felt around and found a tight nerve behind my left knee and at the top of the calf muscle. Gees, it was possibly the most painful minute I've spent with Bruno and believe me there's been some. Bruno is pretty certain the tight nerve was caused by the back to back hard runs on Sunday and Tuesday and that my body, whilst in good shape overall, is not quite ready for hard speedwork twice a week. As such, I will be discussing with Pat about incorporating a tempo run of maybe 8-10k's into my program on Thursday's over the summer and hopefully my body will be right for twice a week speedwork by the time Pat kicks off our 'Countdown to Gold Coast'.
That's it for now - looking forward to the weekend!!!
Fri - 50 mins - 10k's
MJ and I arrived at Noosa at 3pm this arvo and checked into the Islander Resort opposite from the Noosa River. The accomodation is nice and comes courtesy of the good people at USM Events who have shouted me the trip so I can come up and cover the Noosa Bolt for R4YL.
Its been a very frantic yet fulfilling time for me over the last 48 hours and I'm looking forward to chilling out next to the pool and reading a good book(you know the one I'm talking about, Lacho!!) I will be replacing MJ in a team for the Noosa Tri and will just do a solid tempo run - maybe around 41-42 mins for the 10k run leg. Coming so soon after a hard 5k last Sunday and a fast speedwork session, I'm not going to flog myself considering I may have pushed it a little bit too hard at speedwork on Tuesday. I didn't think much about it at the time, but late on Tuesday or Wednesday(I can't remember when!) I had a funny feeling in my left calf muscle - it felt like someone had pumped it full of air. The feeling went away after a few hours and I had no probs with my next run. I then forgot about it until I mentioned the incident in passing to Bruno whilst getting a rub this morning. Bruno then felt around and found a tight nerve behind my left knee and at the top of the calf muscle. Gees, it was possibly the most painful minute I've spent with Bruno and believe me there's been some. Bruno is pretty certain the tight nerve was caused by the back to back hard runs on Sunday and Tuesday and that my body, whilst in good shape overall, is not quite ready for hard speedwork twice a week. As such, I will be discussing with Pat about incorporating a tempo run of maybe 8-10k's into my program on Thursday's over the summer and hopefully my body will be right for twice a week speedwork by the time Pat kicks off our 'Countdown to Gold Coast'.
That's it for now - looking forward to the weekend!!!
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
16k's of midweek boredom
80 mins - 16k's @ 5:00-5:10 mins/km
Trundled along on the tready for a mindnumbing 80 mins with the assistance of a GU and the Bullets game replay on Fox Sports.
Trundled along on the tready for a mindnumbing 80 mins with the assistance of a GU and the Bullets game replay on Fox Sports.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Going hard.....
15 min Fartlek, 3k WU, 3k WD
Felt good and ready for a solid session this morning, helped by taking a GU when I arrived at South Bank. We went to the Edward St corner of the Botanic Gardens and instead of running our usual 'square', Pat marked out a triangular course covering a longer stretch of grass than is normally the case. I've taken it pretty easy on the grass in the last two years due to the shin splints and concerns over the stability of my ankles but I thought today was as good as any other to push it a little harder on the grass and see how we go whilst doing 30sec fast, 30sec jog fartlek
I scooted away to a quick start and opened up a 10m break on a chase pack. It was nice to be feeling strong and leading a session again and I maintained the lead till the six minute mark when James (17:25 5k at BRRC on Sunday) and then Gaz went past me. Later Mark T passed me and Andy, Jonesy and Mike R joined me to form a pack chasing Mark T. As twelve minutes ticked over, Mark began to come back towards the chase pack and this was the moment for me to tap into my reserves, drop the pack and overtake Mark to reclaim third. With Pat yelling for us to sprint the entire last lap, the competitive instincts kicked in and I selected my top gear and rocketed to the line well clear of my challengers. A satisfying session.
Kms this week - 10
Kms this month - 201
Kms this year - 1518
Core Strength this week - 39 min
Core strength since 16/10 - 1hr
Felt good and ready for a solid session this morning, helped by taking a GU when I arrived at South Bank. We went to the Edward St corner of the Botanic Gardens and instead of running our usual 'square', Pat marked out a triangular course covering a longer stretch of grass than is normally the case. I've taken it pretty easy on the grass in the last two years due to the shin splints and concerns over the stability of my ankles but I thought today was as good as any other to push it a little harder on the grass and see how we go whilst doing 30sec fast, 30sec jog fartlek
I scooted away to a quick start and opened up a 10m break on a chase pack. It was nice to be feeling strong and leading a session again and I maintained the lead till the six minute mark when James (17:25 5k at BRRC on Sunday) and then Gaz went past me. Later Mark T passed me and Andy, Jonesy and Mike R joined me to form a pack chasing Mark T. As twelve minutes ticked over, Mark began to come back towards the chase pack and this was the moment for me to tap into my reserves, drop the pack and overtake Mark to reclaim third. With Pat yelling for us to sprint the entire last lap, the competitive instincts kicked in and I selected my top gear and rocketed to the line well clear of my challengers. A satisfying session.
Kms this week - 10
Kms this month - 201
Kms this year - 1518
Core Strength this week - 39 min
Core strength since 16/10 - 1hr
Monday, October 23, 2006
Sunday - BRRC 5k Champs
BRRC 5k Champs - 9th in 17:56 - 3:34, 3:34, 3:41, 3:39, 3:28 - 2k WU, 8k WD
I had a shocking prep for this race with MJ and I attending a BBQ on Saturday arvo. I only had three beers but ended up grazing on food throughout the arvo instead of eating a substantial meal. That probably contributed to me waking up at 4:30am absolutely starving. Like an alcoholic signalling for the bartender, I knew I was doing the wrong thing as I wolved down a very large helping of porridge to go with the 600mls of water I had gulped upon awakening. But as I have significantly reduced milk intake until after I get tested by an immunoligist/allergist, there aren't many other cereal options. So it was not surprising that I was feeling nauseous as I eased gingerly through a warm up run. With 15 minutes to the gun, there was no choice but to duck into the bushes for a self assisted hurl - no, I'm not anorexic!!! I took a GU straight after the hurl to top up the energy levels and finished the warm up, snorting stray oats from my nose!!
After stretching and strides, I arrived at the start line with an A goal of a sub 17:45 PB and a B goal of sub 18:00. There was a good sized field at the starting line but I was surprised to settle into the race in the top ten. I ran a controlled first k tracking City to Surf runner up, Clare Geraghty as I knew she was in 17:30 shape and would run close to a 3:30 split to open proceedings. I maintained my momentum with a 3:34 second k, but like many others before me, watched as CG pulled away from me. Rejoining Riverside Drive past the Boatshed, I hit a bad patch and felt like I was only plugging along. Had to stave off negative thoughts at this point with the weak side of my brain arguing 'You had a poor prep and vomited before the race - a low 18 min race is still a fair effort.' Going though 3k in 10:49(only 22 secs of my recent 10:27 3KTT) I made a pact with myself to attack the incline next to the milk factory and proceeded to run strongly up this incline and through to Montague Rd. Ahead of me, Clare G had just overtaken a reasonably quick 10k race runner on his second lap and I set myself the challenge of reeling him also, which I did just before we turned off Montague Rd, having clocked a 3:39 effort to stem some of the bleeding from the 3rd k. I was feeling better at this point and although starting to hurt, I knew that with a downhill stretch to come, sub 18 was mine and so it proved as I kicked home in 3:28, passing an encouraging MJ 200m from the finish to stop the clock in 17:56.
I was sucking in the big ones at this point and deeply regretting that I had agreed over a few drinks at the Bullets last Sunday to go back and run Clairie in. Sure enough, only two minutes later, Clairie came surging towards the finish line. I managed to run with her for maybe 10 metres, but was too stuffed to go any further and had to settle for yelling at her rather loudly :) I picked up a gold medal for winning the 30-34 age group category and it'll be interesting to see how I can go in that category next year, but in the long run, I'm more interested in trying to win BRRC races and the Championship outright. Given the poor prep, the pre race dramas, the fact that I'm holding myself back to 3:30 pace at speedwork and the fact that I'm still a little short of full weekly mileage of 72k's, I'm quite satisfied with my effort.
Tesso announced afterward that her Garmin had recorded the newly measured course at 5.13k's. If correct, the extra 130 metres took me around 24 seconds meaning I would have run a 17:32 PB. It didn't really feel that fast but you just never know sometimes! Put it this way - I wouldn't be disappointed if Tesso was proved corrrect!
The above photos show me in control at the 1.8k mark as go past the start finish area and again at the finish line as I veer left into the finishing chute at top speed. I like the position of my legs well behind my centre of gravity and suggesting that my overstriding problems are well and truly behind me.
The only downside to the day was failing to get some core strength work in leaving me with a miserable 21 minutes for the week and 5hrs and 39 mins to do next week to catch up!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Overcoming difficulties
Wed - 14k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Thurs - 2 x 1k @ 3:37, 3:23 - 4k WU, WD
Its been a difficult couple of days after my dear 91 year old Grandmother had a fall on Tuesday arvo. She was not answering her phone when my Uncle tried to call her so he texted me to go and check on things. After a nervous drive, I arrived at her place to find a message from the Qld Ambulance Service on the front door saying she was fine and had been checked into RBWH. I then went there and checked her out with the doctors advice rining in my ears 'Someone needs to be with her for the next 48 hours'. With Mum on an overseas holiday for a month, both of my brothers on an extended working trip in the UK and all other rellies interstate, yours truly was the man on the spot! Fortunately, Nanna's recovery has been rapid.
I managed to order her to stay in her armchair for two hours yesterday whilst I dashed out to Fitness First for an easy 70 mins on the tready. I followed that up with some solid 1k efforts along the Kedron Brook in very warm conditions at 9am this morning after I had waited for Nanna to get out of bed. It felt good to get the work done given it would have been easy to skip a session or two.
Thurs - 2 x 1k @ 3:37, 3:23 - 4k WU, WD
Its been a difficult couple of days after my dear 91 year old Grandmother had a fall on Tuesday arvo. She was not answering her phone when my Uncle tried to call her so he texted me to go and check on things. After a nervous drive, I arrived at her place to find a message from the Qld Ambulance Service on the front door saying she was fine and had been checked into RBWH. I then went there and checked her out with the doctors advice rining in my ears 'Someone needs to be with her for the next 48 hours'. With Mum on an overseas holiday for a month, both of my brothers on an extended working trip in the UK and all other rellies interstate, yours truly was the man on the spot! Fortunately, Nanna's recovery has been rapid.
I managed to order her to stay in her armchair for two hours yesterday whilst I dashed out to Fitness First for an easy 70 mins on the tready. I followed that up with some solid 1k efforts along the Kedron Brook in very warm conditions at 9am this morning after I had waited for Nanna to get out of bed. It felt good to get the work done given it would have been easy to skip a session or two.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Countdown to Gold Coast Marathon 2007 starts NOW!
15 min fartlek, 2 x Gold Hill, 3k WU, 3k WD
A solid fartlek session this morning and two efforts up Gold Coast Hill to get my day underway. A fair hitout. Moving on to my announcement:
The first Sunday in July might be more than eight months away, but my preparation to crack the three hour barrier starts now! I know plenty of good runners who have just fallen short of that Sub 3 holy grail despite good campaigns and I'm determined not to be one of them. I also know a number of runners who needed at least five marathons under their belt to get from 3:10-3:15 to Sub 3 so the magnitude of my attempt to improve from my 3:12:45 debut Marathon in 2004 to Sub 3 at my second attempt next year can't be underestimated. To be successful, I'm going to have to work bloody hard and leave no stone unturned over the next eight and half months. Probably the key part of my preparation will be to build up my core strength to a level that will withstand the rigours of the Marathon. It hasn't gone unnoticed by me that the likes of Glenda, Peter and Phil K who are in the 2:50-2:59 Marathon range have a stronger core and leaner appearance than most colleagues in the 3:00-3:10 range. So lets see how I'm planning to achieve this goal:
CORE STRENGTH - Starting this week, I will be doing a minimun of three hours of core strength gym work per week. I've been doing an hour to two hours per week for most of my running career, but tend to drop off quickly when I pick up a cold or have a busy week and I don't try to catch up. From now on, if I fall behind one week, I'll catch up the next. I want to stand on the start line at the Coast knowing that I have at least 130 hours of core strength work in me. I will be keeping a log of my core strength hours on my blog and urge my readers to get stuck into me if I drop off the pace - thanks! Most of my core strength work will be done in my home gym aka 'The Steel Factory' with emphasis on the mid section, abs, sides, lats etc. More than likely I will have a monthly session with a PT in the last 4-5 months of my campaign. Pilates will also be included in my core strength work.
MILEAGE - Weekly mileage will be determined by Coach Pat when I get back on a program shortly but I'd imagine I'll average around 70k's a week over the summer before ramping up mileage from around February next year.
SPEEDWORK - At the moment, I'm still holding back and doing 3:30 mins/km pace at speedwork. Will pick up the speed to around 3:25 pace in November and work my way towards 3:20 pace from there. To counter my frequent problems with lack of energy at speedwork, I will start taking GU's beforehand - they work for me. I've been reluctant to utilise this approach previously as it is a 'quick fix' and I've really wanted to get to the bottom of my real problems - but that will have to be solved as I go along.
LONG RUNS - Pending discussions with Coach Pat, I would like to start doing at least one hilly Mt Cootha Sunday long run per month - they definitely toughen you up! Without forcing the issue, I'd like to see my running efficiency, fitness and core strength improve to the point where I roll along at 4:30-4:40 pace for the duration of my Sunday long runs by next May or thereabouts. This would still be at a 'comfortable talking pace' throughout.
RACES - All going well, I'll do the classic Brisbane Half-Doomben 10,000 lead up to the big dance. In the short term, the Kurrawa to Duranbah 25k relay leg is a target and I will try and race about twice a month over 3-5k's this summer.
INJURIES - My body is holding up well as I steadily increase my weekly mileage from 60 to 72k's. The shins only bother me when I contract a cold thus I'll be working hard to avoid contracting colds! My plantar fasciitis problems are almost a distant memory but I still have to vigorously massage them each night and tape them up before a run. The recent VMO niggle in the knee is still a tad sensitive but getting better quickly. Finally I've resigned myself to the fact that my ankles (which are shot from years of basketball) will have to be taped up before each run for the rest of my career. Pretty happy with my condition at the moment - nothing I can't manage.
So there is it - bring on Gold Coast Marathon, 2007!!!
A solid fartlek session this morning and two efforts up Gold Coast Hill to get my day underway. A fair hitout. Moving on to my announcement:
The first Sunday in July might be more than eight months away, but my preparation to crack the three hour barrier starts now! I know plenty of good runners who have just fallen short of that Sub 3 holy grail despite good campaigns and I'm determined not to be one of them. I also know a number of runners who needed at least five marathons under their belt to get from 3:10-3:15 to Sub 3 so the magnitude of my attempt to improve from my 3:12:45 debut Marathon in 2004 to Sub 3 at my second attempt next year can't be underestimated. To be successful, I'm going to have to work bloody hard and leave no stone unturned over the next eight and half months. Probably the key part of my preparation will be to build up my core strength to a level that will withstand the rigours of the Marathon. It hasn't gone unnoticed by me that the likes of Glenda, Peter and Phil K who are in the 2:50-2:59 Marathon range have a stronger core and leaner appearance than most colleagues in the 3:00-3:10 range. So lets see how I'm planning to achieve this goal:
CORE STRENGTH - Starting this week, I will be doing a minimun of three hours of core strength gym work per week. I've been doing an hour to two hours per week for most of my running career, but tend to drop off quickly when I pick up a cold or have a busy week and I don't try to catch up. From now on, if I fall behind one week, I'll catch up the next. I want to stand on the start line at the Coast knowing that I have at least 130 hours of core strength work in me. I will be keeping a log of my core strength hours on my blog and urge my readers to get stuck into me if I drop off the pace - thanks! Most of my core strength work will be done in my home gym aka 'The Steel Factory' with emphasis on the mid section, abs, sides, lats etc. More than likely I will have a monthly session with a PT in the last 4-5 months of my campaign. Pilates will also be included in my core strength work.
MILEAGE - Weekly mileage will be determined by Coach Pat when I get back on a program shortly but I'd imagine I'll average around 70k's a week over the summer before ramping up mileage from around February next year.
SPEEDWORK - At the moment, I'm still holding back and doing 3:30 mins/km pace at speedwork. Will pick up the speed to around 3:25 pace in November and work my way towards 3:20 pace from there. To counter my frequent problems with lack of energy at speedwork, I will start taking GU's beforehand - they work for me. I've been reluctant to utilise this approach previously as it is a 'quick fix' and I've really wanted to get to the bottom of my real problems - but that will have to be solved as I go along.
LONG RUNS - Pending discussions with Coach Pat, I would like to start doing at least one hilly Mt Cootha Sunday long run per month - they definitely toughen you up! Without forcing the issue, I'd like to see my running efficiency, fitness and core strength improve to the point where I roll along at 4:30-4:40 pace for the duration of my Sunday long runs by next May or thereabouts. This would still be at a 'comfortable talking pace' throughout.
RACES - All going well, I'll do the classic Brisbane Half-Doomben 10,000 lead up to the big dance. In the short term, the Kurrawa to Duranbah 25k relay leg is a target and I will try and race about twice a month over 3-5k's this summer.
INJURIES - My body is holding up well as I steadily increase my weekly mileage from 60 to 72k's. The shins only bother me when I contract a cold thus I'll be working hard to avoid contracting colds! My plantar fasciitis problems are almost a distant memory but I still have to vigorously massage them each night and tape them up before a run. The recent VMO niggle in the knee is still a tad sensitive but getting better quickly. Finally I've resigned myself to the fact that my ankles (which are shot from years of basketball) will have to be taped up before each run for the rest of my career. Pretty happy with my condition at the moment - nothing I can't manage.
So there is it - bring on Gold Coast Marathon, 2007!!!
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