Tues PM - 30 mins easy
Wed AM - 90 mins, 19k's @ 4:36 mins/km
Green Bridge Loop with Glenda, Matt L, Wayne and Gaz. Was a little bit tired in the first 20 minutes, but felt great in the last 20 minutes.
Wed PM - 30 mins very easy
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A pleasant surprise
Sun AM - 120 mins, 24ks @ about 4:50 mins/km
Solid long run with Pete, Wayne and Mike H covering the Green Bridge loop and then finishing the last half hour by myself.
Sun PM - 30 mins
Slow trot around Wavell Heights with MJ. Tallied up 65ks with six runs in four days after getting over the stomach virus.
Tues AM - 2 mins, 30JR, 1min, 30JR, 2mins, 60SR. Repeat. 30 second efforts, one hill.
Showed my face at PCRG for only the second time in five and a half weeks! Had done some glute firing exercises and strides on the street in front of my house at 9pm last night so was quietly confident I had my mojo back. Started out a little conservatively but after five minutes I felt great and then cut loose, finishing level with Andy at the halfway mark. Finished strongly and kept the momentum going through the 30 second efforts and then was sold a dummy by Glenda who told me we had to finish with a hill rep. I smashed myself up the grass hill, pleased that I was well clear of everyone else only to turn around and find that the session had ended and I was alone on top of the hill. Oh, well - a little extra work never hurt anyone. Pleasantly surprised with how I went today - I knew I still had my fitness, but thought I might have lost a few yards of pace but I have lost very little speed over the last five weeks. Next Tuesday's time trial will tell me a lot more.
Solid long run with Pete, Wayne and Mike H covering the Green Bridge loop and then finishing the last half hour by myself.
Sun PM - 30 mins
Slow trot around Wavell Heights with MJ. Tallied up 65ks with six runs in four days after getting over the stomach virus.
Tues AM - 2 mins, 30JR, 1min, 30JR, 2mins, 60SR. Repeat. 30 second efforts, one hill.
Showed my face at PCRG for only the second time in five and a half weeks! Had done some glute firing exercises and strides on the street in front of my house at 9pm last night so was quietly confident I had my mojo back. Started out a little conservatively but after five minutes I felt great and then cut loose, finishing level with Andy at the halfway mark. Finished strongly and kept the momentum going through the 30 second efforts and then was sold a dummy by Glenda who told me we had to finish with a hill rep. I smashed myself up the grass hill, pleased that I was well clear of everyone else only to turn around and find that the session had ended and I was alone on top of the hill. Oh, well - a little extra work never hurt anyone. Pleasantly surprised with how I went today - I knew I still had my fitness, but thought I might have lost a few yards of pace but I have lost very little speed over the last five weeks. Next Tuesday's time trial will tell me a lot more.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Road block
THE BAD NEWS - I have only done one of a possible nine speedwork sessions in the last four and a half weeks due to a mystery virus that has sapped me of the strength to run at full speed and on bad days has sapped me of the strength to run at even 4:20's. My plans to return to speedwork on Tuesday were thwarted by contracting a stomach virus from MJ despite staying away from her and sleeping on the floor of the rumpus room for three nights!!! I went 30 hours without food and was over the worst of it within 40 hours and was back on the road this morning for an easy 40 mins.
THE GOOD NEWS - Despite this being the worst four week period I have had health wise since May, 2006, I have still managed to rack up 78,79,80 and 70k's per week for the last four weeks!!! That is more mileage than I was doing in a good week as little as 12-18 months ago so I'm confident I've lost very little fitness. Hopefully my immune system is now ready for the rigours of the 4.5 months leading up to the Gold Coast Marathon.
THE GOOD NEWS - Despite this being the worst four week period I have had health wise since May, 2006, I have still managed to rack up 78,79,80 and 70k's per week for the last four weeks!!! That is more mileage than I was doing in a good week as little as 12-18 months ago so I'm confident I've lost very little fitness. Hopefully my immune system is now ready for the rigours of the 4.5 months leading up to the Gold Coast Marathon.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Fortnight of frustration
A cold I contracted on Sat 17th has proven a real nuisance. Whilst, I was was over the worst of the cold within 48 hours and missed only one day of work, I have yet to regain full strength. That week, I ripped into a can of "Harden Up" and slogged my way through 78k's of low intensity training, skipping both speedwork sessions. Wednesday, I was dropped by the Group after just 20 minutes and on Sunday I was only just able to keep contact with the Group for the first ninety minutes before finishing reasonably well.
This week, I attempted a return to speedwork on Tuesday when we did 8 x 1 mins in the Gardens. Right from the start, I was sluggish and off the pace - it felt like each of my legs had been injected with three litres of water that was weighing them down. I was breathing ok but had no strength and watched as Nic, Andy and Glenda raced away from me. Any thoughts that I was imagining things were disproved when I was only capable of doing half of my normal pushups back at the Ship Inn.
Wednesday, I held on for a little longer before being dropped by Glenda after 32 minutes and the rest of the week I just ran low intensity mileage recording 79k's for the week and skipping speedwork on Friday. Most of the runs the last fortnight, I didn't want to be running at all, which is unusual for me but I thought of my goals and laced up the Brooks anyway.
As I type, there has been no improvement in my strength and I will not be running the time trial or speedwork this week. It'll be another week of 8-10 hour sleeps, scoffing vitamins and OJ, avoiding alcohol and minimising dairy. I'm pretty sure that continuing to train at low intensity is not delaying my recovery and I'll just have to wait until the tide turns. I'm too scared to take a break and lose fitness anyway.
This week, I attempted a return to speedwork on Tuesday when we did 8 x 1 mins in the Gardens. Right from the start, I was sluggish and off the pace - it felt like each of my legs had been injected with three litres of water that was weighing them down. I was breathing ok but had no strength and watched as Nic, Andy and Glenda raced away from me. Any thoughts that I was imagining things were disproved when I was only capable of doing half of my normal pushups back at the Ship Inn.
Wednesday, I held on for a little longer before being dropped by Glenda after 32 minutes and the rest of the week I just ran low intensity mileage recording 79k's for the week and skipping speedwork on Friday. Most of the runs the last fortnight, I didn't want to be running at all, which is unusual for me but I thought of my goals and laced up the Brooks anyway.
As I type, there has been no improvement in my strength and I will not be running the time trial or speedwork this week. It'll be another week of 8-10 hour sleeps, scoffing vitamins and OJ, avoiding alcohol and minimising dairy. I'm pretty sure that continuing to train at low intensity is not delaying my recovery and I'll just have to wait until the tide turns. I'm too scared to take a break and lose fitness anyway.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
It's all good
Sun AM - 120 mins, 24k's @ 5:01 mins/km
Ran by myself down to Nudgee Beach as I had to take MJ to airport straight after.
Sun PM - 30 mins, 6k's
Tues AM - 16:30 of hills/fartlek
Battled for the first half but managed to keep rolling along ok before finishing off reasonably well.
Tues PM - 30 mins, 6k's
Ran by myself down to Nudgee Beach as I had to take MJ to airport straight after.
Sun PM - 30 mins, 6k's
Tues AM - 16:30 of hills/fartlek
Battled for the first half but managed to keep rolling along ok before finishing off reasonably well.
Tues PM - 30 mins, 6k's
Friday, January 02, 2009
Six sessions in four days
Tues AM - 2 mins, 2:30 mins, 3 mins x 2, 45SR
With a heatwave descending on Brisbane - this was a tough hitout under the Story Bridge. Backed up from Sunday's 5k race solidly enough working throughout with Jason H.
Tues PM - 30 mins easy
Wed AM - 90 mins, 19k's @ 4:41 mins/km
Green Bridge loop with Wayne and Matt L. Dennis Fitzgerald, Don Wallace and co joined me on Riverside Drive and I finished off the run with them and a good clip in the low four minute range.
Wed PM - 30 mins easy
Thurs PM - 50 mins, 10k's @ about 5 mins/km
Had a pretty restrained New Year's Eve with MJ and I joining my mates Big Fella and RooBoy and their girls for dinner at the Tepayaki Bar at Morgans Seafood Restaurant at Scarborough the previous night. I was pleased that my slips catching skills had not diminished as I caught two raw eggs in one after another in a tiny egg cup holder in each hand when the chef flipped them to me!
After the obligatory New Year's Day sleep in, I decided that being a recovery session, I would take the sensible option and run in the cool of the afternoon than at 10am.
Fri - 4 min, 3 mins x 2 with 60 SR, 1 hill
Legs were really feeling the workload of the week and I spent the session busting a gut to stay a fraction of a second in front of Andy. Was really happy to get through this one, again in warm and humid conditions.
With a heatwave descending on Brisbane - this was a tough hitout under the Story Bridge. Backed up from Sunday's 5k race solidly enough working throughout with Jason H.
Tues PM - 30 mins easy
Wed AM - 90 mins, 19k's @ 4:41 mins/km
Green Bridge loop with Wayne and Matt L. Dennis Fitzgerald, Don Wallace and co joined me on Riverside Drive and I finished off the run with them and a good clip in the low four minute range.
Wed PM - 30 mins easy
Thurs PM - 50 mins, 10k's @ about 5 mins/km
Had a pretty restrained New Year's Eve with MJ and I joining my mates Big Fella and RooBoy and their girls for dinner at the Tepayaki Bar at Morgans Seafood Restaurant at Scarborough the previous night. I was pleased that my slips catching skills had not diminished as I caught two raw eggs in one after another in a tiny egg cup holder in each hand when the chef flipped them to me!
After the obligatory New Year's Day sleep in, I decided that being a recovery session, I would take the sensible option and run in the cool of the afternoon than at 10am.
Fri - 4 min, 3 mins x 2 with 60 SR, 1 hill
Legs were really feeling the workload of the week and I spent the session busting a gut to stay a fraction of a second in front of Andy. Was really happy to get through this one, again in warm and humid conditions.
Monday, December 29, 2008
BRRC 5k - 1st 17:27
BRRC 5k - 1st in 17:27 - 3:15, 3:24, 3:33, 3:41, 3:39
This was a race like none other.
After Pat cancelled Thursday and Friday speedwork along with next Tuesday's 3KTT, I thought it might be an ideal opportunity for me to have a hitout over 5k at West End. It was a reduced volume week for me anyway so I could afford to miss the shortened 90min long run and besides, I wanted to have a crack at finishing the year with a new PB in every distance from 3k to the Marathon whilst also picking up my first win for the year after a win-less year to date. I would also try and have a crack at 16:50 averaging 3:22's.
I rocked up to the new starting venue at the South Brisbane Sailing Club and after a 15min warm up and strides, we were away. After 400m (inluding a bungled attempt to start my Timex) it was already down to a race in two, myself and David Williams who ran a handful of sessions with PCRG three or four years back. I recalled having the edge on him back then and was confident that I had improved more than he had in the intervening years. However, my brow furrowed when Williams pulled up alongside me and we ran for a few hundred metres next to each other jostling elbows along the way. Eventually, I'd had enough of this and put in a short, sharp surge to break away before resuming what I felt was 3:22 pace. Alas, the sound of runners slapping the bitumen behind me did not fade away and before I knew it, Williams pulled up alongside me and we ran together through the 1k mark in about 3:15 or perhaps even a touch quicker.
I swore under my breath as my pacing plan went astray and put in another surge to go in front. I had come into this race untapered and with an increased workload the previous week and now the legs were starting to hurt and I hoped like hell that this time Williams would be dropped and stay dropped!!! Again, Williams fought back and overtook me but noticeably slowed the pace after he went past me. Encouraged that he was trying to slow down the pace, I immediately surged again for the third time - this time, I would drop the bastard once and for all!! But this time, I didn't have the strength to go on with it after my surge and Williams countered it staight away and we again ran side by side through 2k with a 3:24 as I shook my head at the absurdity of the situation - this was like a 1500m race on the track, which incidentally, I've never done. The next kilometre was like an episode of Groundhog day with almost five lead changes, with neither of us able to go on with the job. After three k's of cutting each other to pieces with repeated surges, followed by occasional slow downs, I had given up on the idea of a fast time and was contemplating the strategy of drafting closely for the next k and letting Williams do all the work before unleashing a big kick 400 out. As I bowled along in the lead and considered strategy, Williams put in a huge effort to overtake me going up the hill behind the Boat Shed and glancing across at his exertion, I sensed it was his last throw of the dice. He couldn't have picked a worse place to have a High Noon shootout with me for I have long practiced the art of going strongly up that very hill at PCRG Time Trials without breaking stride or losing momentum as I crest it. Sure enough, I finally shot clear after maintaining my momentum past the hill and Williams' footsteps finally receded into the distance. The cost had been high though and I knew that the final 1500m was going to hurt before I could collect my first 'W' of the year. Surely enough, ugly splits of 3:41 and 3:39 followed as I battled home, annoyed that a u-turn 150m from the finish line interrupted my efforts to finish with a fast last 400m. I crossed in 17:27 about 20 or 30 seconds clear of Williams, missing my PB of 17:26 by the smallest of margins. No doubt I would have got the PB had the final u-turn been 500m away and well before my kick. But the disappointment of the time was offset by the valuable racing experience I picked up and the satisfaction of coming out on top in a head to head duel - that kind of race was worth 10 normal races in terms of learning the art of racing an opponent head to head.
A satisfactory finish to a solid year, my friends - which I'll recap later. Happy New Year everyone!
This was a race like none other.
After Pat cancelled Thursday and Friday speedwork along with next Tuesday's 3KTT, I thought it might be an ideal opportunity for me to have a hitout over 5k at West End. It was a reduced volume week for me anyway so I could afford to miss the shortened 90min long run and besides, I wanted to have a crack at finishing the year with a new PB in every distance from 3k to the Marathon whilst also picking up my first win for the year after a win-less year to date. I would also try and have a crack at 16:50 averaging 3:22's.
I rocked up to the new starting venue at the South Brisbane Sailing Club and after a 15min warm up and strides, we were away. After 400m (inluding a bungled attempt to start my Timex) it was already down to a race in two, myself and David Williams who ran a handful of sessions with PCRG three or four years back. I recalled having the edge on him back then and was confident that I had improved more than he had in the intervening years. However, my brow furrowed when Williams pulled up alongside me and we ran for a few hundred metres next to each other jostling elbows along the way. Eventually, I'd had enough of this and put in a short, sharp surge to break away before resuming what I felt was 3:22 pace. Alas, the sound of runners slapping the bitumen behind me did not fade away and before I knew it, Williams pulled up alongside me and we ran together through the 1k mark in about 3:15 or perhaps even a touch quicker.
I swore under my breath as my pacing plan went astray and put in another surge to go in front. I had come into this race untapered and with an increased workload the previous week and now the legs were starting to hurt and I hoped like hell that this time Williams would be dropped and stay dropped!!! Again, Williams fought back and overtook me but noticeably slowed the pace after he went past me. Encouraged that he was trying to slow down the pace, I immediately surged again for the third time - this time, I would drop the bastard once and for all!! But this time, I didn't have the strength to go on with it after my surge and Williams countered it staight away and we again ran side by side through 2k with a 3:24 as I shook my head at the absurdity of the situation - this was like a 1500m race on the track, which incidentally, I've never done. The next kilometre was like an episode of Groundhog day with almost five lead changes, with neither of us able to go on with the job. After three k's of cutting each other to pieces with repeated surges, followed by occasional slow downs, I had given up on the idea of a fast time and was contemplating the strategy of drafting closely for the next k and letting Williams do all the work before unleashing a big kick 400 out. As I bowled along in the lead and considered strategy, Williams put in a huge effort to overtake me going up the hill behind the Boat Shed and glancing across at his exertion, I sensed it was his last throw of the dice. He couldn't have picked a worse place to have a High Noon shootout with me for I have long practiced the art of going strongly up that very hill at PCRG Time Trials without breaking stride or losing momentum as I crest it. Sure enough, I finally shot clear after maintaining my momentum past the hill and Williams' footsteps finally receded into the distance. The cost had been high though and I knew that the final 1500m was going to hurt before I could collect my first 'W' of the year. Surely enough, ugly splits of 3:41 and 3:39 followed as I battled home, annoyed that a u-turn 150m from the finish line interrupted my efforts to finish with a fast last 400m. I crossed in 17:27 about 20 or 30 seconds clear of Williams, missing my PB of 17:26 by the smallest of margins. No doubt I would have got the PB had the final u-turn been 500m away and well before my kick. But the disappointment of the time was offset by the valuable racing experience I picked up and the satisfaction of coming out on top in a head to head duel - that kind of race was worth 10 normal races in terms of learning the art of racing an opponent head to head.
A satisfactory finish to a solid year, my friends - which I'll recap later. Happy New Year everyone!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
PCRG Xmas Run
Tues 23 AM - PCRG Xmas Run - 3,2,1 with 30WR x 2 then three hills
Tues 23 PM - 30 mins easy
Big turnout for the annual Xmas Run. Each year, I look even skinnier with my singlet off! My current weight range of 75-77kg is a long way from the 84kg I bulked up to when pumping iron and benching 95kg! Pushed all the way by Andy and Ryan in this session - see photo. Also starting to gain increasing confidence in my ability to stay injury free as we do more PCRG sessions on the grass - I'm ready for a serious crack at the upcoming Qld Athletics Cross Country season in 2009!
Wed 24 - 90mins, 18ks @ 5:08's
Four to five drinks when hosting Xmas Dinner Party last night so easy run by myself breaking in the new Brooks Glycerin 7's.
Thurs 25 - 50 mins easy
Fri 26 AM - 50 mins easy
Fri 26 PM - 30 mins easy
Regretably, Pat cancelled speedwork Thursday and Friday - dunno why??? I was keen to go but will settle for a hitout over 5k at BRRC on Sunday. Friday arvo run marked the first time I've done this - I am now on eight sessions per week and will take three months to conservatively absorb the increased workload before bumping it up to nine sessions a week towards the end of March.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Kurrawa to Duranbah 2 x 25k relay
Some of the key sessions over the last fortnight:
Tues 9 - 17 mins of hills
- Fairly strong session in the Gardens - see attached picture
Fri 12 - 4 x 3 mins, 1 x 2min
With Pat in Sydney for Kerryn McCann's funeral, he promised a special guest coach. I waited with interest to see which former elite runner Pat would secure, but instead he scraped the bottom of the barrel by asking yours truly to take the session. So, there I was pushing the pram along the river and barking out instructions. Pinched a quote from Wayne Bennett's book, "Don't die with the music in you" where Bennett reveals how he urges players "Don't stop three steps short" in sprinting drills and I made that the theme for the day's session. Fortunately, a good time was had by all and importantly, the PCRG safety record remains intact!
Sun 14 - Kurrawa 25 return leg 1:50:50 - 7th overall team.
After the obligatory obscenely early wake up alarm, Slash led us out running 1:50 for the opening leg with temps 24 deg at 5am. I started my leg solidly enough but was 19 minutes behind the leader from the word go and we were no hope of defending our male team title. The PF started to tighten after 7k and I leaked time till 15k when Mark finally caught up with me in his car. Took 90 second pit stop to retape the PF and then with not a great deal left to run for, ran home solidly in 29deg heat to clock 1:50 including the pit stop - eight minutes slower than last year's leg. I've been managing the PF issue for 2.5 years now and its the first time its cost me time in a race. Luckily it didn't happen in Melbourne.
Tues 16 - Fartlek
Being restricted at Kurrawa, I didn't have the usual DOMS that comes with a hard run of 25k or longer so it was back to speedwork today and I trained solidly.
Wed 17 - 90 mins, 20k at 4:27's
Felt real good today and ended up moving ahead of Glenda and the boys.
Fri 19 - 6 x 2 min, 1 x 2min
Pushed all the way by Andy - ran a positive split of 10 secs for the three return reps. Not bad considering we started out like a bat out of hell.
Sun 21 - 120 mins, 25k's @ 4:42 mins/km
Solid run with Wayne, Scotty and Aza.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Vale Kerryn McCann
It was a sad week with Kerryn McCann passing away - I'll never forget being at work on that Sunday morning she charged into the G for a memorable win - I was cheering myself hoarse whilst disinterested colleagues continued to work in the background. I was lucky enough to meet her when interviewing her for R4YL after the Noosa Half in 2007 and she was as warm and friendly as everyone said she is.
Read a great quote from Krishna Stanton (who's 9:38 PCRG 3K TT i'm yet to beat) about her Melbourne Marathon win - "She floated on the wings of angels". Couldn't agree more, Krishna.
Read a great quote from Krishna Stanton (who's 9:38 PCRG 3K TT i'm yet to beat) about her Melbourne Marathon win - "She floated on the wings of angels". Couldn't agree more, Krishna.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
PCRG - 3KTT
Tues 4 - 3KTT - 9:54 (3:11, 3:27, 3:16)
This time trial was all Nic, with the young fella bolting away into the distance to clock 9:17 and smash Gaz's PCRG record of 9:27. Gees, it hurt to see him over 100m in front of me over the last kilometre considering we were duking it out head do head earlier this year before I reached the high mileage stage of my marathon prep. Even a welcome appearance and a 9:35 from Australia's M45-49 3000m record holder David Sweeney couldn't stop Nic.
Further back, Adam bolted away from me at the start in a valiant attempt to beat his 9:48 PB despite a lack of recent training. He proved the perfect rabbit for me dragging me through the 1st k in 3:11. My uncooperative legs suffered through a 3:27 second k before sibling rivalry kicked in and I ran past Adam at 2400m to record a fair closing split of 3:16. That makes it ten sub 10's for the year. I'll take it and hopefully have some real speed back in my legs soon.
This time trial was all Nic, with the young fella bolting away into the distance to clock 9:17 and smash Gaz's PCRG record of 9:27. Gees, it hurt to see him over 100m in front of me over the last kilometre considering we were duking it out head do head earlier this year before I reached the high mileage stage of my marathon prep. Even a welcome appearance and a 9:35 from Australia's M45-49 3000m record holder David Sweeney couldn't stop Nic.
Further back, Adam bolted away from me at the start in a valiant attempt to beat his 9:48 PB despite a lack of recent training. He proved the perfect rabbit for me dragging me through the 1st k in 3:11. My uncooperative legs suffered through a 3:27 second k before sibling rivalry kicked in and I ran past Adam at 2400m to record a fair closing split of 3:16. That makes it ten sub 10's for the year. I'll take it and hopefully have some real speed back in my legs soon.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Be careful what you wish for....
Fri - 4 x 1k, 2 x 500, 45SR - 3:17, 3:20, 3:26, 3:29, 107, 98
Gees, this was a tough morning at the office. After whinging about missing heat acclimatisation sessions, I finally got one when I didn't want it - at a key speedwork session!!! It was 23 degrees and 84% humidity at 6am - as I said, be careful what you wish for - you might just get it.
Legs still haven't got their zip back post marathon, but otherwise all is ok. Battled a bit today but then again, so did everyone else.
Sun - 120 mins, 24k's @ about 4:55mins/km
Finished a solid session just in time to watch Geb show our boys a clean pair of heels in the Great Australia Run. What a legend.
Gees, this was a tough morning at the office. After whinging about missing heat acclimatisation sessions, I finally got one when I didn't want it - at a key speedwork session!!! It was 23 degrees and 84% humidity at 6am - as I said, be careful what you wish for - you might just get it.
Legs still haven't got their zip back post marathon, but otherwise all is ok. Battled a bit today but then again, so did everyone else.
Sun - 120 mins, 24k's @ about 4:55mins/km
Finished a solid session just in time to watch Geb show our boys a clean pair of heels in the Great Australia Run. What a legend.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Uncooperative weather
Sun - 120 mins, 24k's @ 5:08mins/km
Started off at 7:30am for another heat acclimatisation run but it a cool breeze throughout and strong wind the last 5k's put paid to that.
Tues - 8 x 1min, 30JR, 4 x grass hills
A carbon copy of last Tuesday's sessions, unable to match Nic in the first half but finishing strong to almost match him in the second half.
Wed - 90 mins, 20k's @ 4:26's
Green Bridge loop with Glenda in cool fresh conditions just after an early morning shower. Pace was solid from about 2k's onward.
Started off at 7:30am for another heat acclimatisation run but it a cool breeze throughout and strong wind the last 5k's put paid to that.
Tues - 8 x 1min, 30JR, 4 x grass hills
A carbon copy of last Tuesday's sessions, unable to match Nic in the first half but finishing strong to almost match him in the second half.
Wed - 90 mins, 20k's @ 4:26's
Green Bridge loop with Glenda in cool fresh conditions just after an early morning shower. Pace was solid from about 2k's onward.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Wild week!
A wild week of storms and heavy rain in Brisbane but training continues unabated:
Tues - 2/1/2 with 30JR x 2, 3 min
Spent the session chasing Nic D who has improved in leaps and bounds the last few months. Through the steady rain He steadily pulled away from me in the first set but I was able to limit the damage in the last two sets. Nice to have someone a fair distance in front of me so I have a target to chase as I work my way back to top speed and beyond.
Wed 90mins - 19k's @ 4:38mins/km
Green Bridge loop with Glenda.
Thurs - 2 x 4 min, 1x 2k
A rare appearance at Thursday speedwork due to a couple of drinks planned at the cricket. Ended up being a bit of a debacle. Shaw Rd along Kedron Brook was flooded, so I had to turn back and drive down Sandgate Rd. ICB was flooded, so I diverted to the city. I was 200m away from making it to the session when I saw Pat send the Group on their first four minute rep. I stretched, did strides and waited for the guys to return before joining in from the second rep. Went ok for the first two minutes but ordinary after that. Finished off with a woeful 2k rep by myself in 7:14 where my watch fell off with 200m to go and I stopped to pick it up. Forgettable session.
Fri - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:14 mins/km
Another heat acclimatisation session.
Tues - 2/1/2 with 30JR x 2, 3 min
Spent the session chasing Nic D who has improved in leaps and bounds the last few months. Through the steady rain He steadily pulled away from me in the first set but I was able to limit the damage in the last two sets. Nice to have someone a fair distance in front of me so I have a target to chase as I work my way back to top speed and beyond.
Wed 90mins - 19k's @ 4:38mins/km
Green Bridge loop with Glenda.
Thurs - 2 x 4 min, 1x 2k
A rare appearance at Thursday speedwork due to a couple of drinks planned at the cricket. Ended up being a bit of a debacle. Shaw Rd along Kedron Brook was flooded, so I had to turn back and drive down Sandgate Rd. ICB was flooded, so I diverted to the city. I was 200m away from making it to the session when I saw Pat send the Group on their first four minute rep. I stretched, did strides and waited for the guys to return before joining in from the second rep. Went ok for the first two minutes but ordinary after that. Finished off with a woeful 2k rep by myself in 7:14 where my watch fell off with 200m to go and I stopped to pick it up. Forgettable session.
Fri - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:14 mins/km
Another heat acclimatisation session.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Back in business
Tues - 8 x 1min, 15WR, 3 x 30 on/off + 3 hills on grass
Eased into session and finished quite strongly - good to blow out the cobwebs and run fast for the first time in five weeks.
Wed - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:03's
Thurs - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:08's
Fri - 2 x 3 min, 30SR, 6 min return, 3 x GC Hill
Pysched myself up to go as hard as I could for as long as I could to shock my system back into getting used to running fast. Went to the lead and was pushed by newbie and 9:48 time triallist Ryan the whole way. Finished up in New Farm around 20 metres short of where I last did this session. Battled back home in 6:11. Buggered after that and struggled through three hill reps. Satisfying session.
Sun - 115 mins, 23k's @ 5:08 mins/km
Started at 8am and battled through the heat approaching 30 degrees at 10am. First heat acclimatisation session ahead of Kurrawa to Duranbah 2 x 25k relay on December 14th. I have the return leg this year as Slash and I attempt to defend our title in the male teams category. It feels good to say that - "attempt to defend our title......"
Eased into session and finished quite strongly - good to blow out the cobwebs and run fast for the first time in five weeks.
Wed - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:03's
Thurs - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:08's
Fri - 2 x 3 min, 30SR, 6 min return, 3 x GC Hill
Pysched myself up to go as hard as I could for as long as I could to shock my system back into getting used to running fast. Went to the lead and was pushed by newbie and 9:48 time triallist Ryan the whole way. Finished up in New Farm around 20 metres short of where I last did this session. Battled back home in 6:11. Buggered after that and struggled through three hill reps. Satisfying session.
Sun - 115 mins, 23k's @ 5:08 mins/km
Started at 8am and battled through the heat approaching 30 degrees at 10am. First heat acclimatisation session ahead of Kurrawa to Duranbah 2 x 25k relay on December 14th. I have the return leg this year as Slash and I attempt to defend our title in the male teams category. It feels good to say that - "attempt to defend our title......"
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Auckland and Singapore
Have pulled up exceptionally well from the Marathon, doing four easy runs most weeks since then. Mileage was 33, 41, 46 and then 35k's per week. During this time, I took my first overseas trip to Auckland for three nights, then off to Singapore for five nights and back to Auckland for five nights with a one night trip to Rotorua sandwiched in there. Some running highlights included:
- Running up to the top of Auckland's Mt Eden volcano - not unlike Mt Cootha in terms of elevation, but shorter.
- Getting up at 2:30 am for the flight to Singapore and then squeezing in an easy 20 minutes in the carpark at Auckland International at 4am whilst waiting for the plane. Better to run before a 10 hour flight than after. It was predicatbly cold and windy and I managed to put my foot into the only water filled pothole in the carpark!
- Running in Singapore was inconvenient at times with lots of stoppages at busy intersections in the first and last 15 minutes of each run. I was staying at Chinatown and had to run down to Clarke Quay and the waterfront to get clear running. Usually came across a few runners.
- Did a Sunday long run in Rotorua when it was about 12 degrees. Got to run through the local park on a boardwalk that took me right over the hot thermal springs and the hot steam was a very pleasant way to warm up!
A highlight of the trip came when I won a bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne on the the flight home from Singapore. As I was flying a special charter flight, the cabin crew put on a competition.
To enter the compeition - you had to write of a funny or interesting experience during your stay in Singapore or a unique item you purchased shopping and the winners were selected and read out by cabin crew: My true story was as follows:
"On the last day of my Singapore stay, I decided I had just enough time to venture north to the Kranji War Cemetery just before dusk. Upon arriving I was the only person in the cemetery and spent nearly half an hour wandering the immaculately maintained graves and reflecting upon the sacrifice of the men who lay beneath me. My stroll was interrupted by the clanging sound of the curator shutting the tall spike tipped wrought iron cemetery gates. 'No worries, I thought - that's just to stop cars driving in at night and Lonely Planet says the cemetery is open 24hrs.' It was nearly pitch black when I finally made my way back towards the entrance. A brief pang of alarm gripped me as I reached the entrance and could not find a pedestrian opening through the six foot fence that surrounded the grounds........ I was locked in a cemetery in the dark all alone with the brave souls of 4500 men!!! Bereft of other options, I scaled the six foot fence and made my way back to the city - Phew!!"
- Running up to the top of Auckland's Mt Eden volcano - not unlike Mt Cootha in terms of elevation, but shorter.
- Getting up at 2:30 am for the flight to Singapore and then squeezing in an easy 20 minutes in the carpark at Auckland International at 4am whilst waiting for the plane. Better to run before a 10 hour flight than after. It was predicatbly cold and windy and I managed to put my foot into the only water filled pothole in the carpark!
- Running in Singapore was inconvenient at times with lots of stoppages at busy intersections in the first and last 15 minutes of each run. I was staying at Chinatown and had to run down to Clarke Quay and the waterfront to get clear running. Usually came across a few runners.
- Did a Sunday long run in Rotorua when it was about 12 degrees. Got to run through the local park on a boardwalk that took me right over the hot thermal springs and the hot steam was a very pleasant way to warm up!
A highlight of the trip came when I won a bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne on the the flight home from Singapore. As I was flying a special charter flight, the cabin crew put on a competition.
To enter the compeition - you had to write of a funny or interesting experience during your stay in Singapore or a unique item you purchased shopping and the winners were selected and read out by cabin crew: My true story was as follows:
"On the last day of my Singapore stay, I decided I had just enough time to venture north to the Kranji War Cemetery just before dusk. Upon arriving I was the only person in the cemetery and spent nearly half an hour wandering the immaculately maintained graves and reflecting upon the sacrifice of the men who lay beneath me. My stroll was interrupted by the clanging sound of the curator shutting the tall spike tipped wrought iron cemetery gates. 'No worries, I thought - that's just to stop cars driving in at night and Lonely Planet says the cemetery is open 24hrs.' It was nearly pitch black when I finally made my way back towards the entrance. A brief pang of alarm gripped me as I reached the entrance and could not find a pedestrian opening through the six foot fence that surrounded the grounds........ I was locked in a cemetery in the dark all alone with the brave souls of 4500 men!!! Bereft of other options, I scaled the six foot fence and made my way back to the city - Phew!!"
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Melbourne Marathon - 69th out of 3800 in 2:59:01
Melbourne Marathon 2:59:01
I rocked up to the starting line ready to go and the goal was a sub 2:52 marathon with a fallback goal of sub 3. I had no probs getting close to the front of the field but was on the right hand side instead of the preferred left hand side and I had to cover some extra ground in the first couple of hundred metres and hop over a traffic island. Not sure if the first k was long or if I was too relaxed but I went through in 4:35 before gently easing past the sub 3hr pack on the downhill second k in 3:42 and settling into a rhythm. Motored through the next five k's at a range of 4:02-4:09, just over goal pace and already we had caught up to the half marathon stragglers forcing me to divert around some of the inconsiderate ones every now and them. Got to Albert Park and copped the full force of the famed northerly winds that were forecast for that day - a forecast that I had tried not to think about pre race.
At this point, pack running became a priority and I concentrated hard on drafting to shield myself from the wind. Occassionally, this entailed going outside the normal racing line to avoid the wind and a fluid running stride and cadence was becoming difficult to acheive. There was penty of this till we reached the beach at 14k and turned around, receiving a partial tail wind. By this point, I was over a minute behind sub 2:52 pace. Pre race, I had resolved not to get carried away if a tail wind was received and to just stick to goal pace. Got my first personal drink from my brother Benno at St Kilda Beach and it was God sent as the personal drinks tables were once again a crowded mess and I was thankful I didn't have to go hunting for a drink in there.
The 15-20k stretch was probably my weakest of the race - we were out of the worst of the wind and those runners I had ran with to that point were moving ahead and stringing out but I was a bit one paced, couldn't latch on to a pack and was becoming concerned that I had gone out a little too hard. Sub 2:52 was slipping further and further out of reach and I was almost resigned to giving up on it. Help arrived at about 18k in the form of some familiar faces in team mates, Pete, Jason and also Chris Gale. They were part of a pack of 10 around 2:55 pace and the company of familiar faces and the good sized pack got me back in my groove again.
The half was reached in about 87:30 and before I knew it the halfway at 26k had been reached and it was into the headwind!! A headwind strong enough to blow a plastic crowd control barrier into the path of our pack at one stage. The teamwork started immediately with Chris going to the front and the rest of us shielding, then Pete and then myself and so on. Fortunately, the pack was still about 10-12 runners so I didn’t have to take too many turns at the front. The pace dropped to 4:15-4:18 range and I told myself to keep plugging away – this would not last forever and I had a new goal of sub 3 to focus on. By now, a mixture of Gus and Gatorade was sitting queasily in my gut but I’ve felt worse for sure. Approaching St Kilda again, the pack was losing some stragglers while Jason and Stef had taken off ahead, both looking very strong in the process. I accepted my last Gatorade and encouragement from Benno and Eli at 33km thinking that at least I felt stronger than I did when I accepted a drink from Benno at the 32k mark of my debut 2004 Gold Coast Marathon. The drink came at a good time and gave me a burst of energy shortly after and once we left the worst of the headwind and turned onto St Kilda Rd, I found myself moving ahead of the pack. Upon hitting a steady incline, the pack really fragmented for good and I was alone again, occasionally finding some shield from runners coming back to me.
But the wind really picked it up again, and I began to lose steam and slipped into the safety of a newly formed pack of about five or six to stay out of trouble. I was tired and looking forward to the end of the race but I was not physically spent to the point of exhaustion. Importantly, all those fortnightly Wednesday morning runs with Glenda, Beth and the boys had conditioned my body to keep rolling along at 4:10-4:20 pace no matter how I felt. 38k arrived and I looked down at my watch to read 2:41 and thought to myself “You can run four f#####g k’s in 19 minutes!!! And once again, I moved ahead of the pack, inspired by the majestic sight of the G to my right. Ran steadily to 41k and then a God sent downhill enabled me to pick up my pace and by the time I got to Tess, Ciaran, Tara and all the other PCRG gang just outside the G, I was home and told them so. Entered the hallowed ground and looked up into the rafters to drink it all in. Ran about 150m near the boundary line and saw the finish clock ticking over towards 2:59 as I approached. There was no finishing kick, no hysterics and no carrying on. Just a quiet and reserved fist pump and I ran through the finish line and ticked an important box on my journey to a sub 2:45 marathon.
The aftermath was typical Matty. After swapping quick war stories with Jason, Stef, Beth and Glenda next to the finish line, I started to feel weak and unsteady on my feet. 600ml of water did not help and I got down on my hands and knees to have an inglorious hurl on the hallowed turf of the G – not far from where Dermott Brereton coughed up blood in the 1989 Grand Final!! Another hurl when handing in my timing chip saw me carted off to First Aid where accepted and injection to help me keep fluids down. An hour later, I was back on the the road to recovery and by the time I had walked 2k back to the hotel while drinking a bottle of Coke on the way, I was already mentally mapping out my recovery week’s training.
Thanks to everyone for their support – you know who you are!
Matty
I rocked up to the starting line ready to go and the goal was a sub 2:52 marathon with a fallback goal of sub 3. I had no probs getting close to the front of the field but was on the right hand side instead of the preferred left hand side and I had to cover some extra ground in the first couple of hundred metres and hop over a traffic island. Not sure if the first k was long or if I was too relaxed but I went through in 4:35 before gently easing past the sub 3hr pack on the downhill second k in 3:42 and settling into a rhythm. Motored through the next five k's at a range of 4:02-4:09, just over goal pace and already we had caught up to the half marathon stragglers forcing me to divert around some of the inconsiderate ones every now and them. Got to Albert Park and copped the full force of the famed northerly winds that were forecast for that day - a forecast that I had tried not to think about pre race.
At this point, pack running became a priority and I concentrated hard on drafting to shield myself from the wind. Occassionally, this entailed going outside the normal racing line to avoid the wind and a fluid running stride and cadence was becoming difficult to acheive. There was penty of this till we reached the beach at 14k and turned around, receiving a partial tail wind. By this point, I was over a minute behind sub 2:52 pace. Pre race, I had resolved not to get carried away if a tail wind was received and to just stick to goal pace. Got my first personal drink from my brother Benno at St Kilda Beach and it was God sent as the personal drinks tables were once again a crowded mess and I was thankful I didn't have to go hunting for a drink in there.
The 15-20k stretch was probably my weakest of the race - we were out of the worst of the wind and those runners I had ran with to that point were moving ahead and stringing out but I was a bit one paced, couldn't latch on to a pack and was becoming concerned that I had gone out a little too hard. Sub 2:52 was slipping further and further out of reach and I was almost resigned to giving up on it. Help arrived at about 18k in the form of some familiar faces in team mates, Pete, Jason and also Chris Gale. They were part of a pack of 10 around 2:55 pace and the company of familiar faces and the good sized pack got me back in my groove again.
The half was reached in about 87:30 and before I knew it the halfway at 26k had been reached and it was into the headwind!! A headwind strong enough to blow a plastic crowd control barrier into the path of our pack at one stage. The teamwork started immediately with Chris going to the front and the rest of us shielding, then Pete and then myself and so on. Fortunately, the pack was still about 10-12 runners so I didn’t have to take too many turns at the front. The pace dropped to 4:15-4:18 range and I told myself to keep plugging away – this would not last forever and I had a new goal of sub 3 to focus on. By now, a mixture of Gus and Gatorade was sitting queasily in my gut but I’ve felt worse for sure. Approaching St Kilda again, the pack was losing some stragglers while Jason and Stef had taken off ahead, both looking very strong in the process. I accepted my last Gatorade and encouragement from Benno and Eli at 33km thinking that at least I felt stronger than I did when I accepted a drink from Benno at the 32k mark of my debut 2004 Gold Coast Marathon. The drink came at a good time and gave me a burst of energy shortly after and once we left the worst of the headwind and turned onto St Kilda Rd, I found myself moving ahead of the pack. Upon hitting a steady incline, the pack really fragmented for good and I was alone again, occasionally finding some shield from runners coming back to me.
But the wind really picked it up again, and I began to lose steam and slipped into the safety of a newly formed pack of about five or six to stay out of trouble. I was tired and looking forward to the end of the race but I was not physically spent to the point of exhaustion. Importantly, all those fortnightly Wednesday morning runs with Glenda, Beth and the boys had conditioned my body to keep rolling along at 4:10-4:20 pace no matter how I felt. 38k arrived and I looked down at my watch to read 2:41 and thought to myself “You can run four f#####g k’s in 19 minutes!!! And once again, I moved ahead of the pack, inspired by the majestic sight of the G to my right. Ran steadily to 41k and then a God sent downhill enabled me to pick up my pace and by the time I got to Tess, Ciaran, Tara and all the other PCRG gang just outside the G, I was home and told them so. Entered the hallowed ground and looked up into the rafters to drink it all in. Ran about 150m near the boundary line and saw the finish clock ticking over towards 2:59 as I approached. There was no finishing kick, no hysterics and no carrying on. Just a quiet and reserved fist pump and I ran through the finish line and ticked an important box on my journey to a sub 2:45 marathon.
The aftermath was typical Matty. After swapping quick war stories with Jason, Stef, Beth and Glenda next to the finish line, I started to feel weak and unsteady on my feet. 600ml of water did not help and I got down on my hands and knees to have an inglorious hurl on the hallowed turf of the G – not far from where Dermott Brereton coughed up blood in the 1989 Grand Final!! Another hurl when handing in my timing chip saw me carted off to First Aid where accepted and injection to help me keep fluids down. An hour later, I was back on the the road to recovery and by the time I had walked 2k back to the hotel while drinking a bottle of Coke on the way, I was already mentally mapping out my recovery week’s training.
Thanks to everyone for their support – you know who you are!
Matty
Friday, October 10, 2008
Melbourne Marathon Taper - Week 2 and 3
Tues 30/9 - 3KTT - 9:49 - 3:12, 3:18, 3:16
- Took care of business and got back under sub 10 with a 9:47. Settled nicely and the breathing was great indicating a high base fitness. The heavy marathon training took enough sting out of my speed that I was unable to go with the in form Stefan when he moved past me at 2100. The course was probably at least 20m short and possibly more due to roadworks but adjusted time of 9:51 to 9:59 still has me under sub 10 so I'm happy.
Wed AM - 30 mins, 6k's @ about 5:10 mins/km
Wed PM - 50 mins, 10k's @ about 5:10 mins/km
Last double session before Melbourne today. Some rare scheduling dramas forced me to reshuffle my Wed and Thurs sessions.
Thurs - 68 mins, 13k's @ 5:08 mins km
Fri - PCRG -
Sun - 90 mins @ about 4:55 mins per km
Easy run with Pete's crew. Another run where time seemed to fly. Everyone gearing up for Melbourne and lots of chatter.
Tues - 1min, 30 JR, 1 min, 30 SR. Repeat, 3mins.
Just turned the legs over.
Wed - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:07 minskm
Thurs - 6 x 30 on/off
Short, sharp session with Stefan at Kedron Brook with a 15 min WU and WD.
Fri PM - 30 mins, 6k's @ about 5:15mins/km
Decided not to sacrifice sleep as I had an early flight to Melbourne. Robbie L was on the plane with us as was David Sweeney who as a Qld rep in the Half, was met by Melbourne Marathon staff at the airport to be escorted to his hotel (Note to self - I must run faster!!!!) Arrived 11am and MJ and I checked into our apartment and we'll be joined by Chelle later tonight. We're about 1600m from the G and at 5:30 this arvo, I went for a run down to the iconic venue. Depite spending a bit of time on my feet today, felt good and will spend most of tonight and tomorrow with my feet up reading and watching DVDs and of course.....eating profusely.
- Took care of business and got back under sub 10 with a 9:47. Settled nicely and the breathing was great indicating a high base fitness. The heavy marathon training took enough sting out of my speed that I was unable to go with the in form Stefan when he moved past me at 2100. The course was probably at least 20m short and possibly more due to roadworks but adjusted time of 9:51 to 9:59 still has me under sub 10 so I'm happy.
Wed AM - 30 mins, 6k's @ about 5:10 mins/km
Wed PM - 50 mins, 10k's @ about 5:10 mins/km
Last double session before Melbourne today. Some rare scheduling dramas forced me to reshuffle my Wed and Thurs sessions.
Thurs - 68 mins, 13k's @ 5:08 mins km
Fri - PCRG -
Sun - 90 mins @ about 4:55 mins per km
Easy run with Pete's crew. Another run where time seemed to fly. Everyone gearing up for Melbourne and lots of chatter.
Tues - 1min, 30 JR, 1 min, 30 SR. Repeat, 3mins.
Just turned the legs over.
Wed - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:07 minskm
Thurs - 6 x 30 on/off
Short, sharp session with Stefan at Kedron Brook with a 15 min WU and WD.
Fri PM - 30 mins, 6k's @ about 5:15mins/km
Decided not to sacrifice sleep as I had an early flight to Melbourne. Robbie L was on the plane with us as was David Sweeney who as a Qld rep in the Half, was met by Melbourne Marathon staff at the airport to be escorted to his hotel (Note to self - I must run faster!!!!) Arrived 11am and MJ and I checked into our apartment and we'll be joined by Chelle later tonight. We're about 1600m from the G and at 5:30 this arvo, I went for a run down to the iconic venue. Depite spending a bit of time on my feet today, felt good and will spend most of tonight and tomorrow with my feet up reading and watching DVDs and of course.....eating profusely.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Melbourne Marathon Taper - Week 1 - Sept 22-29
Well here we are - a solid training block has been completed since the Gold Coast Half, the highlights of course being the 78:47 at Noosa and a sharp effort at the Sherwood Forest 5.9k. Feeling strong and fit after five 170min Sunday long runs in the last seven weeks. The week went like this:
Tues - First session back at PCRG after last week's cold and after a sluggish start, ran strongly at the back end of the session. A relief to get the speed back quickly.
Wed - An easy 90 minutes with the Wednesday crew - I was content to sit back and cruise along in comfort as they edged ahead of me.
Thurs - DISASTER!!! Turned up at the Kedron Brook for an easy 50 minutes and pulled the pin after less than 400m with an extremely tight right ITB. Was unsure if I would aggravate the condition further by running so did a rather stiff 40 minute walk. Despite this, I was not too concerned as the main area of tightness was clearly in the middle of the ITB and not closer to the knee which spells real trouble. Got home and texted Bruno asking for a slot today if one of his clients cancelled. I really wanted to get on top of the problem straight away so I could run fast at speedwork the next morning, rather than miss speedwork and get it fixed up at my scheduled rub on Friday afternoon. Fortunately, my luck was in and Bruno got a cancellation. Predictably, he bashed and cupped the hell out of the ITB and I was hurting like I haven't done so in a while. Mindful that I had to get back on track as quickly as possible, even at the height of the pain, I was egging Bruno on through gritted teeth - "Don't go soft on me!!". Fortunately, much of the tightness dissipated immediately upon completion of the rub. On Bruno's instructions, I had an Epsom salts bath that evening and went to bed pretty confident I'd be right for the next day.
Fri - 3 x 1k, 45 SR - 3:12, 3:18, 3:16
Got up and did some strides barefoot on the road out the front of my place and the ITB could hardly be felt so I got dressed for PCRG - wearing the long Skins. There was a little bit of niggle during the warm up but none whatsoever when I did strides at speed. Ended up having a great little session working with Stef throughout. Whilst the others did 4 reps and a short out and back, I followed Bruno's suggestion to pull the plug after three reps rather than risk trying to run fast on the fourth rep when the fatigue really starts to kick in.
Sun AM - 120 mins, 23k's at about 5:10's
Sun PM - 30 mins, 6k's at about 5:10's
Felt ok on Sunday.
Tues - First session back at PCRG after last week's cold and after a sluggish start, ran strongly at the back end of the session. A relief to get the speed back quickly.
Wed - An easy 90 minutes with the Wednesday crew - I was content to sit back and cruise along in comfort as they edged ahead of me.
Thurs - DISASTER!!! Turned up at the Kedron Brook for an easy 50 minutes and pulled the pin after less than 400m with an extremely tight right ITB. Was unsure if I would aggravate the condition further by running so did a rather stiff 40 minute walk. Despite this, I was not too concerned as the main area of tightness was clearly in the middle of the ITB and not closer to the knee which spells real trouble. Got home and texted Bruno asking for a slot today if one of his clients cancelled. I really wanted to get on top of the problem straight away so I could run fast at speedwork the next morning, rather than miss speedwork and get it fixed up at my scheduled rub on Friday afternoon. Fortunately, my luck was in and Bruno got a cancellation. Predictably, he bashed and cupped the hell out of the ITB and I was hurting like I haven't done so in a while. Mindful that I had to get back on track as quickly as possible, even at the height of the pain, I was egging Bruno on through gritted teeth - "Don't go soft on me!!". Fortunately, much of the tightness dissipated immediately upon completion of the rub. On Bruno's instructions, I had an Epsom salts bath that evening and went to bed pretty confident I'd be right for the next day.
Fri - 3 x 1k, 45 SR - 3:12, 3:18, 3:16
Got up and did some strides barefoot on the road out the front of my place and the ITB could hardly be felt so I got dressed for PCRG - wearing the long Skins. There was a little bit of niggle during the warm up but none whatsoever when I did strides at speed. Ended up having a great little session working with Stef throughout. Whilst the others did 4 reps and a short out and back, I followed Bruno's suggestion to pull the plug after three reps rather than risk trying to run fast on the fourth rep when the fatigue really starts to kick in.
Sun AM - 120 mins, 23k's at about 5:10's
Sun PM - 30 mins, 6k's at about 5:10's
Felt ok on Sunday.
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