PB's 2009 Marathon Diary

Moved Home ... A New Blog

2009-10-30T15:21:00.001+11:00

Hi Bloggy Friends

As promised, I have moved to a new blog-home. You'll now find my ramblings over at "PB Down Under" where I hope you'll join me!

Cheers, Paul :-)

First run back, next event and the hazards of running ...

2009-10-21T22:26:00.004+11:00

First run back today after the marathon. Was looking forward to this as my legs have felt really good the last few days. Then I started running (easily) and realised that I still have some recovery to go. Covered 5km at a gentle pace but my baby cows are now very unhappy! Will continue to take it easy for another week or so.

I have decided that my next big running event will be the Great Ocean Road Marathon next May. This 45km event runs from Lorne to Apollo Bay along one of the most spectacular coastlines anywhere in the world. At this stage I don't plan to run it hard, just coast along and enjoy the scenery.

Finally, saw these two articles recently about strange things that happen in marathons. The first was in the Des Moines Marathon where a train (!) stopped the leading runners 400 metres from the finish of the race. Bizarre! Would never happen here, of course, because our trains are so hopeless they wouldn't likely be running in the first place!

The second one was the sad passing of three runners in the Detroit Marathon and Half Marathon. Crikey, how often do you hear of even one runner dying in a race, let alone three. That race director must have really annoyed some black cats or something.

Finally, I need a new name for my blog. "2009 Marathon Diary" is so passe now. Any ideas?

Reflections on Race Day

2009-10-16T15:08:00.000+11:00

These are some thoughts on my race day and how it unfolded.

Race Morning

Woke up at 4.45am.
Shower to help warm up the muscles .
Breakfast of oats and peaches.
Take my drugs (antibiotic, vitamins and ventolin - so I can breathe!)
Taxi picked me up at 5.30am.
Everyone else still asleep!
Weather is perfect, 9 deg's or so and no wind.

At the MCG

Got out of taxi just before 6am at Hisesnse Arena where a dance party was still in full swing.
I looked at the people coming out of the party and thought "you guys are nuts."
They looked back at me probably thinking the same thing!
Walked over the footbridge to Gate 2 at the MCG and entered the stadium
A quick visit to the loo then up onto the concourse to look around
First time I have been to the MCG since all the stands were redeveloped ... it is amazing
Sat down and took in the atmosphere while listening to some music
Feeling pumped, but relaxed, this will be a big day
Walk down to deposit clothing bag then over footbridge to start - lots of up and down stairs here; must be careful not to trip (that would be embarrassing)
Woman in front of me (talking to her friends) says she hopes her bra doesn't fall off during the race. I said I hope so too cause I'd hate to trip on it!

Race Start

I desperately need to go for (another) pee. I remember all the talk about police not tolerating peeing behind trees. Too bad. (Sorry tree.)
Rob De Castella (Marathon World Champion, world record holder, Boston winner, multiple Comm. Games champ, etc.) gave the pre-race rev-up speech. Just fantastic! This guy has no time for wimps.
Get a spot in the front corral very easily.
They introduce (the late) Kerryn McCann's son who will start the race. His mum won the 2006 Commonwealth Games marathon here at the MCG in an epic race. Feel sorry for this kid.
The gun goes off at 7am and we are off. Only takes me 10 seconds or so to cross the line and I am running basically straight away. No problems there.
Glad to be on my way.

First 10km

The biggest "hill" on the course is over within the first 400m as you rise up on a bridge over the train lines.
Through the first kilometre in just over five minutes, feeling good. The 3.10 pace leader is behind me already. Hmmm.
Running along St. Kilda Road, fellow blogger Jason runs up beside me and says g'day (first time we have met!)
Worry a bit at the second km sign as I have either slowed dramatically or it is way later than it should be.
Cruise up St. Kilda Road enjoying the scenery, take a drink at the first aid station.
Through 5km in 22.59min (target was 23.10) so happy with this start.
Round the corner into Fitzroy Street; young female copper gives a "Go Cool Runner" to the guy beside me.
Onto the Grand Prix track around Albert Park Lake. Notice lots of swans beside the road; they seem oblivious to the thousands of runners passing them by.
Ask a guy beside me what time he is planning to run. He says 3:15. I think that is quicker than I plan to do. Not sure if I should slow down. Pace feels easy, conversational.
Take a drink and gel at the 9km aid station and wind our way back up from the bottom end of the lake.
Pass through 10km in 45.26min (last 5km in 22.27). Plan was 46.20. I know I am going fast, but is it "too fast?" (How fast is too fast anyway????) Still feels easy.

10km to half way

Glance over and can see the u-turn at the very bottom of Pit Straight - further down than I thought it was going to be. I know the Elwood end of the course must now be different (shorter) to what I though too.
Over a timing mat, around the corner then down into Pit Lane. No need to put on my 'speed limiter' but have to shuffle over to get another drink. Try a water sachet and cop a face full as I open it.
Have been running with my CR mates for 6km now. They say hello to every other CR out there. I wonder if they can keep it up.
We exit back onto Fitzroy Street then run down to the beach and turn right towards Port Melbourne.
I feel comfortable along here. It is my 'stomping ground' and I know every landmark up and down this stretch.
See the two Ethiopian leaders going back the other way. Gosh, they look quick!
Through 15km in 1:06.55hrs (last 5km in 21.29). Plan was 1:09.30. Is this marker in the right spot ... seems awfully fast. Doesn't feel that fast.
After my really successful run on the second half of this course a few weeks back I am just looking forward to getting to half way.
Beautiful conditions along the beach; make the turn at Port Melbourne (think of mum and dad - who live nearby).
Another drink, gel, water sachet at the aid station; not losing time now.
Through 20km in 1:29.51hrs (last 5km in 22.56). Plan was 1:32.40. This is definitely going too quick. Anyway, almost halfway now. Have a neat group forming around us as we move through to St. Kilda.
Over the halfway timing mat in 1:34.45hrs. Ok, this has definitely been too quick. Plan was 1:37.46 or up to a minute ahead of this. But three minutes quicker! Curse myself for doing this. Suspect I am going to pay for it later (soon).

Halfway to 30km

Looking forward to this next stretch down to Elwood and back. I know this bit really well too and expect to see family and friends at the turn.
There is a big crowd on the "hot corner" at Fitzroy Street as they cheers runners going in three directions. Gives you a lift!
Just after halfway the "3:10 bus" comes up behind me ... and passes me by. I have also lost my earlier CR companions too.
Nearing Elwood I have my first signs of discomfort. Not major problems; just not as relaxed as before.
Do a right-left-right-left combo at Elwood Beach to get through the carpark; then another left after 100m to head back to the road. This is the only "technical" (as they'd say in cycling) section of the course.
Through 25km in 1:52.19hrs (last 5km in 22.28). Plan was 1:55.50. Have held on nicely through here. Am getting further ahead of schedule, now up to 3.31.
Turn right to head down to turnaround at Kingsley Street (where my mate lives). He is there with his son Colin and - most importantly - my crew are there with him (Fiona and our girls Brooke and Keira)!!!
Stop to say hi to all and give the girls a quick kiss. That's not outside assistance is it???
Run away from them back towards St. Kilda, trying to look strong and relaxed, even though I don't feel that way. Am later told I looked ok (not great) but a lot better than some!
Still feeling ok, but I know it is getting harder. The return stretch to Fitzroy Street seems longer than I would have thought.
Love the crowds up here and make the turn onto Fitzroy Street. Do not notice what many people call "the hill" along here.
Cross 30km in 2:15.58hrs (last 5km in 23.39). Plan was 2:19.00. Even I can do the simple maths - still 3.02 ahead of schedule; but now losing time instead of gaining it. The tide has turned. Time to dig in.

30km to The Finish

250m further up the road and OMG ... there is a wall of half marathon runners streaming out in front of me.
I go from having plenty of space and a few marathon runners to pace off to havingwhat feels like the entire universe of slow runners blocking my path.
We turn onto St. Kilda Road in the service lane where we will be crammed together for the next four km.
I dodge and weave through the crowds whilst trying to maintain my diminishing pace.
I miss an aid station because I cannot get near it for the crowds.
I miss three of the next five km markers as you cannot see anything for all the runners.
I hope the half runners will keep going straight at the Arts Centre so I can get some peace! Aargh! No such luck, they make the turn with me.
Through 35km in est. 2:40:48hrs (last 5km in 24.50). Plan was 2:42.10. I still maintain a small buffer of time to my goal.
Finally, just before 36km, they turn off and I am alone with a rather diminished field. I have my first bad moments around here and need to stop to yell at myself! Come on, I am so close now, just keep going.
The 37th km takes 5.37 which will be my slowest of the day. Stop some more. Beat my thighs and yell at them some more. I am still 5sec in front of my target time; but I know this will be the last time I am ahead.
Round the bend onto Domain Road and a gentle downhill. Pass by a spectator who yells out "you're a gladiator." I don't really feel like one but this lifts my spirits and gives me an emotive soundtrack for my brain. Just the tonic!
Turn back onto St. Kilda Road. There are now people walking, running and everything in between. I go past the "Cobbers" memorial to the battle of Fromelle. Remind myself of what they went through and how weak I am in comparison. Resolve not to stop any more.
This resolve is good - while it lasts - but I have a couple more bouts of stopping for a few seconds over the next km or so. Not sure why???
Have merged back with the half runners but try to ignore there presence.
Through 40km in est. 3:07.28hrs (last 5km in 26.40). Plan was 3:05.20. If I can hold it together I'll run 3:18 or so.
Go through Federation Square and right onto Flinders Street. Must run it home from here. Soon the MCG looms large in my vision as we veer right and down a gentle hill to Jolimont.
Less than one km to go now and my time is good. I start to get a bit emotional but keep it in check. Run around the outside of packs of half mara runners; feeling strong.
Left into the MCG tunnel and out onto the arena. What a buzz, running on the MCG. Start out running on the matting, but quickly decide to run on the turf.
An official shunts me across other runners into the marathon finishers chute. I choke up with emotion as I cross the line in 3:18.38hrs. Woo! Hoo!
Am filled with a feeling of sheer relief. Eight months of preparation, lots of problems along the way, but I DID IT.
I lay on my back and notice the heat in the sun for the first time. Just stare up at the grandstands in awe of them and of what I have just done.

Post Race

Down the ramp into the bowels of the stadium to collect my gear and finisher medal. Why didn't we get the medal as we crossed the line like every other event I've done?
Have a piece of banana and a drink. It is very crowded down here.
Wander over to the physio section where my mate Rob O'Donnell is running the show (Southern Suburbs Physiotherapy Centre). Because I am a client of theirs I get straight in. Woo! Hoo! No queue.
A quick rub down then back up into the sunshine to find my mate Roger.
Leaving the 'G I collect a Timex Ironman watch for my wife (with iPod control for only $50) and also my race kit which has the most pathetic souvenir towel in the history of crappy souvenirs. Who cares ... my finish time is my souvenir!

Days Later

Learning to walk again :-)
My cold, for which I have been on antibiotics, gets dramatically worse. No real surprise there.
I take an interest in the Boston Marathon for the first time. After all, I do have a qualifying time!

3h 18m 38s

2009-10-11T21:50:00.001+11:00

I have seen many people break down in tears at the end of athletic events and often wondered why. Today I found out. As I entered the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the final 300m of the marathon I could barely hold back the emotion. And once I crossed the line it all came out. These were not tears of joy - and certainly not of sadness - but of sheer relief. Eight months of absolute hard effort distilled into a single moment and it was too much.

The clock read 3h 18m 38s. When I started this marathon journey in February I would have laughed if someone had told me such a time would be possible. And this week when I was sick and on antibiotics (still am) I thought it had evaporated. Today I cannot imagine that it is reality. It will take time to sink in.

After all of the cr@p weather (read: chronic winds) we have had in Melbourne over the last few months it was an absolute joy to have relatively benign conditions today. No wind to talk about and reasonably cool for the most part. This was one out of the box.

First 10km - the warm up
By all accounts the first 10k of a marathon should be a bit of a stroll in the park. Time to look around, enjoy the atmosphere, say g'day to fellow competitors and generally get into the groove. For the most part I did this (even bumped into Jason for the first time!), but found pacing rather difficult as the organisers seemed to be having problems working out where to put the markers. That said, I was probably going a little quick. My target pace was 4.38m/k and I hoped to run the first half in around 4.35's so 10km in 4.32's probably wasn't the best idea in the world.

To Halfway
By 10k you are running on the Melbourne Grand Prix track which circumnavigates a local lake and is a regular road most of the time. It is pretty cool running here and even the swans come out to say hi. From here you pop out onto Fitzroy Street and down to Beach Rd where you'll spend the next 15km.

I have run up and down this stretch of road more times than I care to think about in the last 20-odd years so I know it fairly well. I think that familiarity may have bred contempt - or at the least complacency - as I went through the next 10km a minute quicker than the first 10; crossing halfway in 94.47min.

Now, to put this in perspective, my time at halfway was only a minute and a half slower than my super fast half marathon time in May. And I was running ahead of the 3:10hr pace leader. I think I knew then that I had stuffed this one up. Only a few km later I knew this was the case as I could feel myself slowing.

The Premiership Quarter
I knew that the third 10km of the race would be where I needed to work really hard. It is here that fatigue really starts to set in and you can see your time goals disappear at a rapid rate. The bulk of this section was down to Elwood and back - again, a road I know well. I also knew my family and friends would be at the far turn so I wanted to (hopefully) look strong when I passed them - mostly so they didn't think I was about to expire.

By about 24-25km I was having the odd wobble and definitely wasn't feeling 100%. I knew that my pace had slowed but it was still 4.36m/k so I was actually putting more time "in the bank" which was great and what I had hoped for. So whilst I had gone out a bit too quick, I ran this 10km right about where I would have hoped. It just felt slow!

Just after the 30km mark was where the hoardes of half marathon runners joined the course (they started an hour after we did). From there it turned to crap!

The Business End
Everyone knows that marathons don't really start till about 30-32km. I had looked forward to this fact as I really wanted to explore my own character in being able to run through what would occur to me at this point.

So at the point when I most needed to be able to run my own race, concentrate on my own pace and rhythm, I found myself dodging and weaving (literally) through thousands of people running another race. For the next five km I could barely find a distance marker and could not get to an aid station because they were so clogged. For a major marathon this was a disgrace.

There was some respite for 3km (36-39km) where our courses diverged and we marathoners were once again left to ourselves. Ahhh, the serenity. It was here that I had to stop a few times and beat my thighs and yell at myself to get going. I was now running slowly (5.15-5.20m/k for a few) and was doing it tough.

As I still harboured dreams of a sub-3.20 (and a Boston Qualifier Time) I knew I had to keep going. So I willed myself to continue. With about 4k's to go a spectator yelled out "you're a gladiator" to me and that fired me up, giving me a vision and some useful theme music to play in my head. No more stopping now, must run.

The last couple of k's are quite easy. A bit of downhill, you can see the stadium in the distance, you know you are home. Just run it strong to the finish I told myself - which I did.

The last few hundred metres is like a major Olympic Marathon as you come through the "tunnel" into the stadium and run a lap to the finish line. And the MCG is a modern-day colisseum befitting a race like this. It is just sensational!

I yelled with joy as I crossed the finish line in 3:18.38hrs. Sure, a couple of minutes slower than my target time, but who cares!!!! A massive PB for me by over 12mins (and that time was 12 years ago at age 29).

All my goals were achieved:

1. Finish
2. Run the whole way (I say I did this cause I stopped a few times, but did not walk!)
3. Run a PB (sub 3.30)
4. Beat my good mate Roger's best time (3.24)
5. Run a Boston Qualifier standard (3.20)

Aftermath
Like most marathoners, I'll need a bit of a break to recover physically from this one. I'll also need to find a new goal or two ... anyone know which way Boston is from here?

PS - I am now walking like this:

Intermediate Splits (some of the km markers were way off!)
1-10km 45.26min (5.03/10.40/-/-/22.59/-/31.48/36.30/41.10/45.26) -4.32m/k
11-20km 44.25min (50.06/54.28/-/62.28/66.55/71.28/76.02/80.35/85.13/89.51) -4.26m/k
21-30km 46.07min (94.19/(half 94.45)98.47/103.15/107.45/112.19/117.01/121.43/126.25/131.12/135.58) -4.36m/k
31-40km 51.30min (-/147.12/-/155.53/-/165.44/171.21/176.39/182.00/?187.28) -5.09m/k
41-42.2km 11.10min (192.56/-/198.38) -5.04m/k

Course Map
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3252368

Last Thoughts

2009-10-09T12:52:00.001+11:00

It is Friday morning and as I sit here I know that in less than 48 hours it should all be over. Done in the blink of an eye. And that's the thing with big events like this. You spend a very long time preparing for them, thinking about them and then - in no time at all - they are gone. So I thought I would take this time to reflect on the last 8 months and the amazing journey it has been.

How it Began
It all began in February with an email from a friend (thanks Kim!) inviting me for a run and asking if I'd be interested in running the marathon in October. I was dreadfully out of shape at that time, with not much running for a number of years, but decided to give it a go. My best time was only 3.30hrs and my last marathon was in 2002 (3.47hrs) and I always felt that I had never really run to anything like my potential, so this was just the excuse to give it another go.

I also set myself a two-year goal which was to run a faster marathon time than a good mate of mine (thanks Roger!) This would mean running better than 3.25hrs. I hoped that this year I might be able to run close to 3.30hrs - maybe even a PB - and then next year, with lots of miles under my belt, I could give 3.20hrs a shake.

So I began running again in mid-February with only a broad idea of how I should structure my program. I printed out a 'Runners World' plan and began to follow it. The part I did not like - have never liked - about these running plans is they all have you running 5-6 days per week. I knew that I'd be unlikely to sustain this level of consistency so looked around for an alternative.

Run Less Run Faster
In late March it happened, my epiphany as I called it when I discovered the Furman FIRST guys and their book "Run Less Run Faster." This was the breakthrough for me. Finally a program that I knew I could stick to. Three runs per week, no easy stuff, just high quality running. I immediately set myself to use this program for my Half Marathon (Sri Chinmoy at end of May) and marathon (Melbourne Marathon in October).

I found this program took some getting used to. The long run pace, in particular, I found to be quite quick. It was certainly no "easy long run" as I had typically experienced in the past. On the plus side, since I was coming off a reasonably low base, my fitness was constantly improving so I adapted quickly to the intensity of the sessions.

Half Marathon
Going into the Half Marathon I was confident that I could run the target pace (4.45m/k) I had set a couple of months earlier. In fact, I had found the tempo run pace (4.38m/k) so controlled that I optimistically decided to recalibrate my target time to run 4.39m/k (1.38hrs) for the distance. I figured I had improved heaps in the two months so why not give it a go!

Well, something amazing happened, and on race day I ran a 1.33hr time. To this day I am still not sure how I ran that fast, but it felt great. A wonderful race strategy executed to perfection. Of course this meant I had to totally rethink the marathon plan as this half mara time indicated I could run somewhere near 3.16hrs for the big one. Hmmm.

Marathon Program (Weeks 1-5)
The first part of the program would culminate in a 30km run at the end of July after which I would make the final decision on whether to commit to the marathon or not. And it was a close thing. The early track sessions were a disaster. I found the Furman target paces way too quick and was blowing up after a couple of reps. I eventually decided to run to how I felt (ie, as hard as I could go!) and these times matched what Greg McMillan indicated I should be doing so I once again felt like I was on target.

I was no sooner on track again when sickness struck. A diabolical case of sinusitis laid me low for a couple of weeks, causing me to miss a couple of sessions and cut a couple of long runs short - and run them horribly slow!

I went into the Sri Chinmoy 30km event not really expecting much but hoping for the best. And the best was what I got. This time in the form of 'Tiger Boy' from the Cool Running chat site. He drove the 5-min/km bus to perfection that day, motivating us all to a great result. On the back of this effort I entered the marathon.

Marathon Program (Weeks 6-13)
These are the long serious days of the program. This is where the big efforts are done and the big gains are made. I knew if I could get through this part then I'd be mostly there as there were four 32km runs in these 8 weeks. Over the course of these runs the improvement flowed: from 5.16m/k for the first 32k effort right down to 4.45m/k for the last one.

Thrown in another bout of sickness, my fastest City to Surf in six years, a couple of good track sessions and this segment had a bit of everything. Importantly though, I came through it in good form, injury free and in good health. Only the taper to follow!

Marathon Program (Weeks 14-16)
The final three weeks of the program is the taper period, time to freshen up and peak before the race. For me it also signalled the onset of more sickness. What started out as tightness in my chest has now developed into a nasty throat infection, runny nose and a dose of antibiotics. Not exactly what I was hoping for.

I've had some great runs in there too, including a good 21km over the last half of the marathon course a couple of weeks back. So here I am two days out from race day with nothing to do but rest.

Thanks!
Of course, I could not have reached this point without the support and inspiration of so many people. I have already mentioned Kim who inspired me to take on this quest; and my good friend Roger who has not only supplied a target time for me to beat, but has more importantly supported/sledged me along the way. Thanks mate! To my mate Andy, I promise to Go Hard or Go Home. What would Jens do, eh?

To my work colleagues, neighbours and friends who have heard me endlessly rabbit on about this race for more than six months. I appreciate your good humour in listening to me. Rest assured, it is almost at an end now.

To my fellow bloggers, you have each provided more inspiration, encouragement and laughs than you can imagine. Your stories of struggle, achievement, good times (and bad) have more than once made me wonder why I have bothered to publish my own drivel on the internet. (Even my wife doesn't bother to read my blog!) But I will think of each one of you at some time during the race and draw upon your efforts as motivation for my own. Thanks!

Always show in list

Finally, to my family: Fiona, Brooke and Keira. You remain the most important thing in the world to me and I would not be here without your love and support. Thank you. Brooke, I am sorry you won't be able to run the final 200m with me as you normally do in my races. Perhaps just as well. Might be a tad embarrassing to be outrun by a five year old proudly proclaiming to have "crushed her dad like a paper cup!"

I'll let you all know on Sunday how it went.
Paul :-)

Antibiotics

2009-10-08T20:22:00.000+11:00

Not the preferred title for a blog post three days before the marathon but one which actually pleases me as it means that I at least have a fighting chance of getting to the start line feeling ok.

After spending this week getting progressively worse I finally managed to see a doctor today. And the marathon gods smiled on me a little as this doc was himself a marathoner and knew what I was going through, what I am going to go through (!) and what I needed.

So I am on the drugs now and am happy about that. A day of rest at home tomorrow (I have a very understanding boss too); easy Saturday - then the big race.

This morning I went out for a 5km run which I did in 23.40min (4.44m/k). I felt very ragged, far from smooth and with no rhythm at all. Not the best final run I could have but not really of much concern as I just wanted to roll my legs over.

Now to Sunday!

Farewell to the Track

2009-10-06T22:32:00.000+11:00

In preparation for the marathon this weekend I have run down at the Moorabbin Athletics Track 22 times this year. More than 130km. Over 320 laps. Any way you look at it ... a lot! Mostly in the dark. Very often windy. Sometimes with unexpected canine company. Rarely with any other runners.

Tonight was my last session there (for a while at least) and it felt kinda strange. Like saying goodbye to a friend for a while. As it was, this 'friend' served up a bit of everything. Plenty of wind, the odd spot of drizzle, and a few fast laps. A reasonably good summation of our relationship this year!

The main set today was:
6 x 400m (1.28/1.31/1.27/1.28/1.26/1.24) (400m RI)

Did this whilst still battling my throat lurgies.

Happy with these times.

One more run then race.

Consistency and My 100 Runs

2009-10-04T19:32:00.002+11:00

One of the hallmarks of my return to running this year has been some proper consistency. Week after week I have recorded my three planned runs with only an occasional miss due to extreme illness. As more than one friend has pointed out - imagine if you had trained like this 20 years ago. Hmmm, I wonder.

Today I clocked up my 100th Run for the year with over 1200km covered. This year is now as big (by total km's) as the last five combined. (Says more about the last five than this one in all reality!) But no wonder the results have come.

Today's run was 16km at marathon pace (4.38m/k). I have not been able to overcome this minor chest infection and it was just plain annoying today. I feel like it is holding me back about 5% and no amount of magic potions seems to get rid of it. As long as it gets no worse I'll be happy.

Other than that and a minor left calf strain the run was good. Nice conditions, sunny with a light wind. And a small neg split. All is good.

Total run: 16km in 1:13.39 hrs (4.36m/k)
Lap 1 36.53 (-/4.35/4.34/4.35/4.32/4.36/4.41/4.45/-)
Lap 2 36.46 (-/4.41/4.37/4.34/4.32/4.31/4.33/4.38/-)

Saw the first weather forecast for next Sunday (race day) too:

Mostly sunny. Winds northeasterly averaging up to 25 km/h.

Min 7. Max 22.

Perfect!

A final tempo run

2009-10-01T22:32:00.000+10:00

These tempo runs have variously been fantastic, uplifting experiences or outright disasters during this prep. Today was the third time I had run this particular set: 10km with 5km in the middle at short tempo [aka hard] pace. The tally stood one great run and one disaster. I am feeling a little sore in the throat and tight in the chest right now, so what would the decider be??

In short - a winner! Not exactly sure how much of a winner as my watch ran out of recording memory (100-laps and I have none free!) But, as I glanced down each km I could see about four and a quarter minutes flashing by so it was aroud 21.15min for the fast 5km which was exactly where I wanted to be.

I am really counting down now. Only four more runs till THE BIG ONE. I am nervous as all heck. Every day I pass by the MCG going to/from work and I just stare at it. We have a big date, a rendevouz. I just hope we will be nice to each other.

The last big set

2009-09-29T22:32:00.000+10:00

There's a training adage that says you need about 10-14 days to feel the benefit of any training session. Which means that today is perhaps the last session that will add to my fitness level for the marathon From here on it is about maintaining the fitness I have accumulated. So with that in mind I tackled my second-to-last track session this evening.

The set itself was pretty straight forward. 5x 1km reps with 400m float as the rest interval. Conditions were ok, not too cold or windy, and I hoped to go around 3.59 average for each of the reps.

As usual, I took the first one a little easier and did a 4.01 (hmm, slower than I would have liked). But I built up each of the subsequent reps, doing 3.59, 3.58, 3.57 and finally a 3.52. That's what I like to see: getting faster on each one! And a great 3.57/8 average being a small improvement on the last time I did this session.

This was especially pleasing as I have a bit of a sore throat and my chest is still not 100%. Cannot shake this illness, but it is not holding me back dramatically. As long as it gets no worse I'll be happy.

Stocking up some karma

2009-09-27T18:19:00.003+10:00

After Friday's debacle of a run I was really worried. In fact, I think that mild paranoia is a personality trait of most marathoners - especially in the latter stages of training before the race. To my family, friends and work colleagues - I apologies in advance for the next two weeks!

I wanted to complete this run - 21km at marathon pace - over the last half of the Melbourne Marathon course. I know it reasonably well, but I wanted to get it ingrained in my head, hopefully make friends with it, and get some 'positive karma' that I could draw upon come race day.

I have split the marathon course into small pieces and today I would run four of them - the Elwood leg (8km), St Kilda Rd (5km), Shrine loop (5km) and MCG (3km).

To say conditions were ordinary is an understatement. The good lady wife dropped me off in St. Kilda where I think the whole suburb is in mourning after yesterday's loss in the AFL Grand Final. I could barely get out of the car it was so windy!

I received some good advice/words of wisdom from fellow blogger 'canute' who reminded me that the purpose of this next two weeks is to "sustain the muscle ‘memory’ of race pace, and your confidence, while allowing your muscles recover from the preceding months of hard work. This goal can be achieved with a relatively small amount of running at race pace." For me this took a little of the "must do" out of the run and made it more a "keeping the faith" run.

With no particular pacing strategy in mind and no real km markers memorised (just a few checkpoints) I set out just to run comfortably. I hoped that comfortably would equal fast when I checked out the stats back at home. Did I mention how windy it was????? At Elwood Beach the waves were crashing in way up the beach and foam covered the roadway at least 50m from shore. Nuts!!

I cruised back to St. Kilda and was pleasantly surprised to see I was running ahead of target pace. Up Fitzroy Street and left in St. Kilda Road. This is a lovely tree-lined boulevard and, thankfully, it offers reasonably good protection from the elements. I made my way down here to the Arts Centre where you turn left to do a loop around the gardens surrounding the Shrine. I had covered this 5km in just over 22min so was thinking either I am running well or my distances are all way out!

The next part of the course is the only "lumpy" bit and, to be perfectly honest, it is pretty flat. It is here that you also get your first glimpse of the MCG, albeit with still about 7km left to go. But it is inspiring. Unfortunately the water taps here on the famous 'Tan Track' are USELESS. Not a single one worked which was a bugger 'cause I had just swallowed a gel and was in desperate need of some water. Aargh!

After making your way around part of the Tan you make a u-turn to take you back to St. Kilda Rd where you head for home. On this corner, just by the shrine, there is a monument of a Digger (Aussie soldier) carrying his mate over his shoulders. Entitled 'Cobbers' it commemorates the WW1 Battle of Fromelle where 5500 Aussie soldiers died in just over 24-hours. It was great to pass this in training. On race day it will be inspiring. I went through this 5km section right on race pace at 4.38m/k.

From here it is only 3km to the finish and probably the easiest bit of the course. Down to Federation Square and turn right into Flinders Street. Along here then down the gentle hill to Jolimont; right turn into Brunton Avenue and only a km to the MCG which has loomed large in your vision for a few k's now. The MCG is a modern-day Colisseum, holding in excess of 100,000 people at major sporting events. I think there'll probably be oh, 100, there to see us marathoners, but I could imagine a much bigger crowd as I made my way down here this morning.

I felt strong and finished in great shape. The total journey of 21km in 96 mins at an average pace of 4.33 m/k. Just fantastic! Absolutely thrilled with this. I hope to travel as quickly and efficiently in a fortnight over these same roads!

SK-Elw-SK 8.05km 36.36min -4.32m/k
to VCA 5.02km 22.21min -4.27m/k (13.07km in 58.57min)
to Grant St 4.86km 22.33min -4.38m/k (17.93km in 81.30min)
to MCG/Punt Rd 3.16km 14.28min -4.34m/k (21.09km in 95.58min)

Map of Run:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3220424

Early Warning!!

2009-09-25T19:21:00.000+10:00

I have been right on the edge this week as I try to keep evil-spirits away before this race. I have had some minor chest congestion and a tickling throat along with some general lethargy at work; just not feeling right. I got through my track session on Wednesday ok. "Adequate" times but certainly not fast - I think I should have been 3-4sec quicker on each.

But today it became a real worry. I headed out this morning to do my 8km tempo run (4.22m/k pace) and was immediately in trouble. For the first km it was just working out the pain from this stupid "fascist foot" (aka plantar fasciitis) but I quickly realised it was worse than that. My breathing was laboured and my stride and footstrike choppy.

I picked it up for the second km, barely held on for number three and was going backwards by four. Needless to say by this stage I was 1.08min behind schedule and decided to call it quits, returning home by the 'short route' and feeling woeful.

At first I thought it was just low blood sugar but I did not pick up after breakfast and spent the rest of the day feeling a bit shaky - much like I do if I have a second cup of coffee in the morning! So right now I am a bit worried. I know I am suffering from something though I am not sure what. I just wish it would come full-on so I can deal with it and move on. Not much time to play with now.

I wonder how I'll go on Sunday with my planned 21km at marathon pace. Might be interesting!

Total run: 6.3km in 30.02min (4.45/4.32/4.37/4.42/4.43/5.10/-)

800's and Bart Yasso

2009-09-23T21:47:00.000+10:00

Back down to the track tonight for a set of 8x 800's. Was looking forward to this session but have been struggling with the beginning of a cold in my chest again (aargh!). Hopefully I can ward off the evil sickness-spirits without much impact.

It was a windy evening tonight, thankfully minus the rain we have seen a bit of here recently. I seem to be doing a reasonable job of dodging the worst of the weather at the moment. Thank god for training only three days per week!

Covered the reps in a 3.09min average with a 3-second spread so a fairly even paced effort:

8 x 800m (1.30 min. RI) in 3.08/3.07/3.09/3.09/3.09/3.09/3.10/3.10

Yasso 800's
There is a fairly well-known (read: marathon geeks have heard about it) article that appeared in Runner's World way back in 2001 about something they called "Yasso 800's" after the fellow who coined the theory, oddly enough called Bart Yasso.

The basic premise is that a runner who has put in requisite training for a marathon should be able to complete a set of 10x 800's in about the same time min:sec as they can do the marathon hrs:min. So running 800's in - like me - a 3:09 average suggests I can run a marathon in around 3:09 (others suggest up to 5-min slower than this time).

Of course, some people are better suited to running short intervals than long races, but on the whole, he found this applied from elite marathoners all the way down to (ahem) plodders.

It certainly is one more thing that gives me confidence that I can run to my 3:16 target.

32km Done ... Let the Taper Begin

2009-09-20T21:16:00.000+10:00

Today was my final 32km run before the marathon in three weeks time. The whole preparation has been building to this run - and I could see why. It was the single session I feared the most as it was long and quick (10sec/km faster than my fastest long run to date).

As always, my plan was to get a minute or two of time "in the bank" for the return journey - especially the last 6km up South Rd. Obviously this would be a bit harder today since the overall pace was already quicker. Conditions were good and wind was not a major factor (maybe our luck here in Melbourne is changing).

Felt good for the most part out to the turn at Middle Park, going through 16km in 74.44min, so by then I had 1.13min up my sleeve. I consolidated this for the next 5km, going through half marathon distance in about 98.40 and ultimately getting to the final 6km with a wonderful 2.22min to play with.

As it was, I ran strongly up South Rd (fastest time yet for this prep) and lost only 10 sec/km; finishing the 32k 1.19min ahead of schedule. Fan-bloody-tastic! It was no easy run at all, but it was controlled and run perfectly to plan. I have real confidence in running the marathon to a similar plan.

Only three weeks to go now. Let the taper begin!

Total run: 32km in 2:31.45hrs - 4.45m/k

1-6km 27.56min (4.40/9.21/13.55/18.33/23.16/27.56) - 4.39m/k
7-12km 28.10min (32.43/37.21/42.02/46.45/51.27/56.06) - 4.41m/k
13-16km 18.38min (60.47/65.19/69.57/74.44) - 4.39m/k
17-20km 18.39min (79.19/84.00/88.34/93.23) - 4.39m/k
21-26km 28.36min (98.06/102.52/107.38/112.25/117.12/121.59) - 4.46m/k
27-32km 29.46min (126.57/131.49/136.50/141.52/146.48/151.45) - 4.57m/k

"Nice one Centurion!"

2009-09-18T20:42:00.001+10:00

Headed out for my 13km run tonight knowing that this is my last big weekend before the taper. I'll cover 45km before Sunday night and if I can get through this in good shape then I'll be happy that all the really hard stuff is done.

Great conditions again tonight - I ran just on sunset. Nice temp and no real wind. This run should be a cruise. It was! A lazy 12.9k in 59.50min - bang on 4.38m/k over the rolling course around home.

Very pleased with that. "Nice one Centurion!"

I could have written this ....
One of the blogs I enjoy reading is Ana-Maria's "Running and Living." She has just posted a description of how she feels during the various phases of a marathon build up. Wow! It is like she is channelling my thoughts. This is exactly how I have gone. There must be something universal in there.

I feeeeeel good ..... I knew that I would

2009-09-16T20:28:00.002+10:00

(With apologies to James Brown.) But I am now starting to feel really confident. Had a great run tonight, a set of 10x 400m with 400m float in between. Thought I might run about 1.30min for each given last time I ran a 1.31 average. Conditions were great. I repeat. Conditions were great. Still pleasantly warm at sunset and only a breath of wind. Ahhh, heaven.

Ended up running a 1.27 average with splits of: 1.26/1.28/1.27/1.28/1.28/1.27/1.26/1.27/1.28/1.27.

Felt strong and relaxed the whole way and probably could have done more. This is a great improvement on the April times and is, for the first time in this program, a track session completed at the FIRST target times. Not that this matters much to me, but yippee!

Two more runs of this, monster week, then taper begins.

Physio thanks
Perhaps some thanks to my physio, Rob O'Donnell, at Southern Suburbs Physio. He gave me a tweak last night which I am sure just loosened things up a little. I am lucky because his business is running the massage at the Melbourne Marathon and as an existing patient I'll get special "back room" treatment. (I think this is good????)

Inspiration
Inspiration for runners comes from many places. I get a fair dose of mine from reading what other runners have to deal with and overcome as part of their journeys. One that has stuck with me is the blog of LBTEPA (I still have no flippin' idea what that means???). Read this post of her recent 35km training run for the same marathon I am doing next month. Tell me after that you do not feel (just a bit) inadequate. Inspiring!

The Last Half

2009-09-13T17:31:00.001+10:00

Many people say marathon running is all about the last half. Plenty of folks can start out strong, but it is those who "bring it home" who typically do best. Greg McMillan's ideas on the long run are all about training yourself to do just that - finish strong.

Today's run was one of those - the "fast finish" as he calls them. The others I have attempted have not been terribly successful. I have not really found it possible to lift the pace late in a long run. Holding it steady is about the best I can manage.

The goal today was 24k at 4.44m/k so I was planning to run a half marathon race (Sri Chinmoy at Burnley) with a few k warm-up to get me going. The plan was to run the half at target marathon pace (4.38m/k).

Things did not exactly to plan this morning and I got to the race venue later than expected. In fact, with only a couple of minutes to go to race start I was still trying to make final 'evacuations' in the loo. I just made it in time for the moment of silence and the official 'go' so no warm-up k's today.

The weather was not like anything we've had for a while in Melbourne. At 9pm last night it was still 29 deg's and by race time it had cooled to about 18 deg's. Couple this with some bursts of rain and it was rather more humid than we normally get. But, at least the wind had subsided!!!!

As for the race itself, I think I am happy, at least with the end result. But I totally stuffed up my pacing. I thought I was taking it easy at the start, but ran the first couple of k's way faster than target pace. And died! For the next 8k's all I tried to do was get my pace back under control so that I could at least finish. It was really that bad. I went through 10km in 46.51min with a string of 4.40+ k's.

At 10km, with everything back in control I decided to give it a bit of a go and pick up the pace. After all, it was supposed to be a 'fast finish' run and I had comprehensively managed to do the 'slow start.'

And, miraculously, I did get faster, putting together a group of 4.30+ k's for the next couple of laps. It was great to pass people again who had disappeared off into the distance earlier in the morning. I ran to 20km in 92.49min, with the second 10km in 45.58min, so a big neg split for those.

I ran strong to the finish, notwithstanding my 5 year-old daughter Brooke joining me for the last 100m and, in her words, once again "crushing me like a paper cup!"

Total time for the event was 1:37.41hrs so - bizarrely - 4 seconds under target time for the day. Hmmm, not sure how I managed that. It looks like a well executed fast finish run, but trust me, it wasn't!

Part of my cheer squad (Keira) after the race

Race Splits
1km 4.17min (4.17)
2-6km 23.33min (4.24/4.43/4.46/4.52/4.48) Full Lap 1 - 4.42m/k
7-11km 23.32min (4.48/4.42/4.43/4.48/4.31) Lap 2 - 4.42m/k
12-16km 22.51min (4.32/4.33/4.39/4.42/4.25) Lap 3 - 4.34m/k
17-21km 22.55min (4.29/4.35/4.45/4.46/4.20) Lap 4 - 4.35m/k

Gale Warning (who is Gale anyway?)

2009-09-11T22:56:00.000+10:00

It seems like every time I check the weather forecast before a run in the last few months it looks something like this one. "Gale warning" and "damaging winds" have become synonymous with Melbourne recently. It is driving me nuts! Whatever happened to pleasant days which are "calm" or with a "light breeze" I wonder.

In any case, it was this forecast which I heralded my second run this week, a 16km trip at target marathon pace. I did the same workout only two weeks ago and it didn't feel particularly easy then. What a difference a fortnight makes. It felt much better tonight (despite the wind).

Today I covered the two-lap course in 1:13.54hrs at 4.37m/k (a second below target pace). The two laps were in 37.00min and 36.54min so a negative split too without really trying to do so. Wow! And this pace felt much cruisier than last time. This is what it is supposed to feel like. I'm pretty pleased with this one.

Who was it that said "I love it when a plan comes together." Mine certainly is!

Four minute mile

2009-09-09T21:01:00.000+10:00

Sounds good, doesn't it. And fast. I did one. Well, my version of one.

Tonight's track session was 3x 1600m with 400m easy in between. I felt good, conditions were as good as I've had for a while, the session was short. Everything was there for a fast set.

Covered the first one in 6.36mins which is what I ran them in back in April. I had expected to go closer to 6.30 but don't run the first one flat out so was happy with this. Pushed a bit more for the second one which I did in 6.26 (pleased with this) then ran the last quicker again in 6.23 (stoked with this)!!

So where do I get the four minute mile from. Simple. 1600m is the metric equivalent of the mile and 6.23min for this distance is a tick under four minutes per kilometre. A mile at four minute pace!

A Confession and An Ark

2009-09-08T22:18:00.000+10:00

A Confession
I've been going around doing athletic events for many years now, more than 22. And - apart from feeling old when I write that sentence - I have a confession to make. It is this: I have built up my running this year waaaay to quick.

Why is that a big deal? Well, I am now, more than ever, aware of the need for my body to recover and recuperate. In earlier years I'd build up to a marathon with 8 weeks of (sporadic) training. I know I shouldn't have done it then. I know I can't do it now.

So I got onto this Furman FIRST program which I really love. Trouble is, I probably should have built up my running gradually for a year or so before starting the program earlier this year.

When January rolled around this year and I was doing an occasional triathlon I could barely run the 5km leg such has been my lack of running. Let's look back at the last six years of running for me:

2004: 27 runs (356km)
2005: 19 runs (110km)
2006: 25 runs (259km)
2007: 26 runs (343km)
2008: 28 runs (190km)
2009: 88 runs (1051km) ... and still plenty more to come!

Hmm, yes, I see the problem now. More running this year than in the last four combined. Actually, it is more running in the last six months than those last four years. And by the time Christmas rolls around it will be more than five years crammed into one.

Life in the fast lane! Is it any surprise I suffer the odd injury or two? Just don't tell my physio (hi Rob!)

An Ark
I decided to skip my run tonight and do it tomorrow instead. It has been bucketing down here all evening. I am going out into my garage to build an Ark instead. It might come in useful.

How to Have Fun on Father's Day!

2009-09-06T17:21:00.000+10:00

In the olden days the marathon programs I followed all built up steadily over a long period of time reaching a crescendo exactly three weeks out from race day with the almighty thirty-two kilometre run. This time round I decided to get on board with the blokes at Furman and their FIRST Marathon Program. It is based on a different view of the world: Run less. Run harder. Run long (more often).

With this 16-week program I have run 32k in weeks 6, 9 and 11 (today). Week 4 should also have been 32k but I shortened it due to sickness (to 25k) and I have one more to come in week 13. That's a 32k run once every three weeks on average. Either they are on to a piece of training wizadry that no-one else has considered or they've run out of ideas for other distances to run!

In any case, it certainly means lots of long training days like today. It certainly means that I am not worried about the first 32k of the marathon. These long runs are starting to feel a bit easier now and I am gradually getting a bit quicker each time. More importantly, whereas the last 6k was originally a big struggle, I now find that it is hard, but I can run at a strong, controlled pace. This is very motivating.

Conditions today were fairly typical with a northerly wind blowing (not as strong as some weeks but still there) and overcast with temp in mid-teens. Pretty perfect for running I guess. The only thing different today was my nutrition. Normally I'd take a couple of gels on these runs but I had run out so I had a PowerBar instead which I nibbled along the way. I prefer the gel whilst running as they are easier to ingest, but the bar gave me a small boost often.

I also took my heart rate monitor out today to gauge my effort levels. This was good news too. It was typically in the range 146-150 with the final 6k surge up South Rd to home at around 154. Overall average was 150bpm which compares to something in the mid-160's which I expect to see come race day.

Finished the run in 2:27.45hrs (4.56min/km) which was 39-sec ahead of target time. Excellent! I am also getting quite adept at running slightly faster early on to get a minute or so "in the bank" for the harder bit at the back end. I plan to utilise the same strategy on race day so it is good to practice it.

1-6km 28.35min (4.47/9.34/14.18/18.58/23.48/28.35)
7-12km 29.41min (33.35/38.30/43.27/48.30/53.26/58.16)
13-16km 19.44min (63.17/68.08/73.02/78.00)
17-20km 19.36min (82.57/87.51/92.35/97.36)
21-26km 29.34min (102.32/107.24/112.24/117.29/122.19/127.10)
27-32km 30.35min (132.21/137.22/142.28/147.24/152.20/157.45)

Good. Sort of. I think?

2009-09-02T22:51:00.000+10:00

I am not sure how I went tonight. I was there, of course, it was me who actually ran around-and-around that track again. But I am not really certain about whether I ran well or not. Which is odd (on many levels) since normally I'd be quite definite on this.

After a great week last week and some solid rest from my last long run on Sunday I felt as good going into this track session as I have all preparation. I don't think I can blame the wind, even though it was blowing in the opposite direction to how it normally does. I am not sure why, but that put me off; it felt all ass-about.

I just didn't have it. Bugger, since I was looking forward to this session which was reps of 1k-2k-1k-1k with 400m float in between. I really thought I'd knock out some solid sub-4's for the km reps with maybe an 8.10 for the 2k. Not even close. Not awful times. Just not very good.

~~Now is not the time to mention the secret injury which has been~~ ....

Total run: 10.4km in 54.31min

w/up to track and 200m strides (11.48)
1km hard (4.00), 400m easy
2km hard (8.27), 400m easy
1km hard (4.03), 400m easy
1km hard (4.01)
c/down to home (12.21)

Picking up the pace

2009-08-30T21:55:00.000+10:00

Only a 24km run today. It's all relative I guess. Not so long ago 24k would have been an 'OMG this is a freaking long way run,' but not now. And lest I think things are actually getting easier, those wacky guys a Furman (whose program I am following) decree that this run would ratchet up the pace to make up for the shorter distance. Lots of fun!

The last couple of weeks I have found the first km or so a bit hard. Not pace hard, but just getting my body into the groove and my head in the right place. Both times I have wondered if I'd be able to finish the planned run. Not sure why.

These runs are basically in four parts: down to the beach, along the beach foreshore and back, then run back up to home. And, given terrain and wind have not varied at all, it is essentially an easy warm-up down to the beach, hard slog into the wind, easier run back with the wind and hard slog uphill to home. I think the time splits below show that out.

Today, if it was at all possible, the wind was probably stronger than it has ever been???? Certainly it had more "west" in it and less "north." In any case, it was unpleasant on the run from Brighton up to Elwood. I pray that we get a relatively calm day for the race. This wind just sucks big time.

I certainly picked it up for the first 6k of the second half of the run, covering this in 4.42m/k which is quite good. Obviously the mother of all winds was behind me so it probably isn't that great. What I was pleased with, though, was the time up South Road. I traditionally struggle along here. Today, somehow, it was a quick-paced struggle - despite walking for a few seconds when it just got a bit hard.

Overall, very pleased with this run. The training plan says to run it in 1:56 and the watch says I did 1:55.44 so right on target. Another woo hoo! And a great end to the running week.

Total run: 24km in 1:55.44hrs (4.49m/k)

1-6km 28.32min (4.45/9.30/14.09/18.56/23.46/28.32) 4.45m/k
7-12km 29.22min (33.20/38.04/42.52/47.51/52.44/57.54) 4.53m/k
13-18km 28.15min (62.32/67.10/71.56/76.37/81.22/86.09) 4.42m/k
19-24km 29.35min (91.02/95.59/100.54/106.01/110.49/115.44) 4.55m/k

Only three more big weeks now!

When is Marathon Pace not Marathon Pace?

2009-08-28T22:23:00.000+10:00

Tonight's run was a 10-miler (16km) at marathon pace (4.38min/km) which means it should be comfortable, not overly hard. After all, in six weeks I am supposed to run 42km at this pace. OMG!

Now it was only a few months ago during my half marathon training that this same speed was my mid-tempo pace. And apart from that one very fast race I'm not sure that much has really changed. Which means that the 16km tonight felt like a fair workout and anything but a cruise about town.

I ran my regular North Road loop doing two laps to give me 16km. They were fairly even, run in 37.27min and 37.39min. There was also the now obligatory wind blowing which kept it a bit more interesting than I'd like, but what can you do!

Overall a pleasing effort. A few seconds behind target pace, but still ok. I am confident that come marathon day, this same pace will feel a whole lot easier.

At Last ... Improvement!

2009-08-26T21:21:00.002+10:00

It has taken until week ten of this program for me to replicate or improve upon any of my track session times from the half marathon program earlier this year. But tonight I finally did it! It feels so good to see some times that are faster than I have ever gone.

Tonight's set was 3x (2x 1200m) with 2min rest between intervals and 4min rest between each of the three sets. I last ran this set on 8 April (another Wednesday night) with times generally around 4.56min for each rep.

Tonight I did the now customary "first rep steady, not too fast, don't blow up before you've even started" routine. This seems to be working. Perhaps more accurately, now that I have ditched the Furman target times which were sooo fast for me that I was exploding after the first rep, I am better able to pace my efforts.

This time the reps were completed in: 4.56/4.52 - 4.53/4.52 - 4.53/4.46

What I am looking for is a comfortable first rep, even in the middle, and fastest last rep if possible. Realistically, tonight's times tell me I could probably have pushed to around 4.50min for each of the reps.

But who cares!!!! This is fast for me, faster than last time, right in the McMillan time ranges (4.44-4.59) and felt great.

Yippee!

Bits 'n' Pieces

2009-08-23T20:48:00.004+10:00

Good Reading
Saw an interesting article today on Active.com:
Getting Past the Wall on Race Day by Gale Bernhardt.
This site actually has lots of great info ... but then, you probably already knew that.

Blog Probs
Also, thanks (and apologies) to those who have pointed out that Blogger's wonderful security word feature for posting replies has been troublesome! I have removed it (it was on by default) so you should be able to post a reply now ... I hope.

Birthdays
Had a fun diversion from training yesterday as we celebrated my eldest daughter Brooke's fifth birthday with a party at our local traffic school. It starts with the instructor giving the assembled throng of kids a walkthrough of the course whilst explaining the road rules. It ends with the same mass of kids riding in every direction on both sides of the road in something resembling a highway on the sub-continent. Amazingly, no crashes and no road rage.

Tonight we went out to celebrate both my wife and Brooke's birthday (Brooke is the day after mum) at an Indian restaurant. It was Brooke's choice so we could indulge in her favourite "orange chicken."

As you can see from the pic here, little Keira enjoyed it immensely!

32 redux

2009-08-23T15:23:00.003+10:00

Today was the second 32km run of this program (with two more to come). The last one was way back on 2 August with a slower target pace (which I did not make). So I was not really sure about whether I'd make the pace today or not - which was 4.57m/k.

I decided my best chance was to go out at a reasonable pace and get some time "in the bank." I also knew that with this awful wind (again!!!) I was going to need to run conservatively for the first half. Hmm, time in the bank AND conservative pace. Not sure how to resolve that one.

Anyway, felt good going out, even into the strong wind along the beach. The sun was out, lots of people - including some obvious marathon training groups - so perhaps it just felt better all round. Made the turn at Middle Park in 78.41min so I had to run 79.43min for the return leg to make pace.

This focus on making pace today is a little odd given that with my track runs I have decided to ditch the target pace calcs. Maybe the long run paces just seem more important??

For the first 10km of the return leg I was making up about 5sec/km and feeling good. Rounding the turn at South Rd and I reached the 26km mark with still 1.15min up my sleeve. Though I felt much better than last time round I knew that this last 6km is mostly uphill, traditionally slow, and will be where fatigue kicks in. So it was no certainty I'd be right.

I held it together (just) to 31km and had 5.24min to run the last km. This is a hard last km and I was a few seconds slower to finish just 6 seconds off the target time. Actually, this is probably pretty remarkable in any case, to run that close to a target time over that long a distance.

I was (still am) tired, legs fatigued, but no injuries and felt pretty strong. Very happy with a great end to the week.

1-6km 28.54min (4.51/9.38/14.25/19.08/24.05/28.54)
7-12km 29.44min (33.46/38.43/43.38/48.45/53.43/58.38)
13-16km 20.03min (63.40/68.39/73.34/78.41)
17-20km 19.36min (83.39/88.34/93.20/98.17)
21-26km 29.10min (103.14/108.02/112.53/117.50/122.46/127.27)
27-32km 31.03min (132.33/137.35/142.41/146.34/147.57/153.02/158.30)

This also finished off my biggest week to date, with the 3 runs covering 53.99km in 4:24:43hrs.

Running can be fun!

2009-08-22T20:48:00.002+10:00

Completed my second session of the week last night, a 10km tempo set and - surprise, surprise - it felt good again! I had almost forgotten what it was like to run without sickness or injury, but it was niiiice.

It was another windy night - as the whole week has been in Melbourne - so conditions were not at their best, but it did not really bother me. I've noticed that, too. When you feel good then climatic conditions don't seem to be nearly as big an influence as when you are not on such good form.

The main part of this set was the 7km at mid-tempo pace (target 4.22m/k). I have not been pacing my tempo runs very well recently so consciously took this one out at a steady pace, with the intent to finish strongly, not in a heap like some other efforts.

Ran just under 4.30 pace for the first 5km then hard on the easier section towards South Rd with a 4.18 and 4.20 to finish the 7km in 30.58min (4.25m/k).

I am really pleased with this. Pretty close to target pace, certainly reasonably fast, and much better than all recent efforts.

Ahhh, maybe I can run well after all!

Back on (the) Track

2009-08-19T21:06:00.000+10:00

Gosh, it seems like ages since I ran on the track (actually, it is three weeks) and I was looking forward to tonight's session. I have certainly found the sessions this time round to be a lot harder than before and my times have generally not been as good. Not sure why: sickness, cold weather, night running, windy conditions? In any case, it just hasn't been what it was four months ago.

So today I decided to ignore target times and just run according to how I felt. Or, put another way, just run each interval as hard as I think I can. This felt somewhat liberating and I actually enjoyed myself here for the first time in a long time.

The session is the same as one I did back on 1 April so I had a clear point of comparison. This consisted of:

w/up to track 2km
1600m hard (7.00), 400m easy
3200m hard (13.53), 800m easy
2x 800m hard (3.13/3.16), 400m easy
c/down to home 2km
Total: 12km in 59.26min

Apart from the first 1600m which, in retrospect, was a little slow, the others repeats all felt about right and were within a few seconds of my April times. And, overall, door-to-door, the session was about seven and a half minutes quicker than in April so I definitely ran the easy bits much quicker too. Not that this is an objective in itself, but it means I was not getting as much rest between intervals. I am happy about this!

I think I might run like this more often.

Sandy Point Half Marathon

2009-08-16T13:27:00.004+10:00

I live and run near the beach so I am used to the fact that there is nearly always a wind to contend with down there. But this morning was bordering on ridiculous. Today we had to deal with a 50kph (gusting to 60kph) northerly wind during a two-lap out and back course from Sandringham to Brighton.

In order to get the k's up for the day I ran down to the venue at Sandringham. Nice and easy, 7km at 5.25m/k pace. There was only 15min to race start when I arrived so I quickly got my race number and free 2XU compression socks and went to the start line.

A side-bar here on these compression socks. I have been wearing some Skins socks to bed regularly. I find they make an enormous difference to my recovery, especially when I have sore calves as I had this week. But I hadn't worn them in an event. Now these 2XU ones are soooooo sexy (not!). More like something Zorba the Greek threw out. But since there were so many people wearing them today I decided to give them a go. (They probably helped too!)

My plan for the race was to run steady 5m/k pace for the first half then a "fast finish" (straight from the Greg McMillan handbook) at 4.38m/k. I ended up running 51.26min (4.53 m/k) to half way so was pleased with that, then put in a burst for a couple of km back into that bl**dy headwind. I managed to pass quite a few people but paid for the effort as I was soon tucked in behnd a couple of other guys biding my time till the final turn.

At that point I decided to go for it. It went something like this:
Brain to Legs: ok, run faster now, you have a tailwind and there's only 5km to go.
Legs to Brain: you don't run much, do you?
Brain to Legs: I COMMAND THEE to run quicker.
Legs to Brain: ok, you're pi$$ing me off now, I am going to run SLOWER.

So, rather than knock out a fast finish, I actually ran slower for the second half, a 52.10min (4.56m/k). This gave me an overall time of 1:43.36hrs (4.55m/k) and a total run for the day of 28.13km in 2:21.43hrs (5.02m/k).

This is a general improvement on most of my times, but I had wished for more - not much - just 5 sec/km. But considering the awful wind, a sore throat that returned after only three days of feeling good, and some still sore calves I should be pleased. And am!

When does this training get easier?

2009-08-14T21:08:00.000+10:00

At some stage in most running programs your body seems to catch up - or perhaps just give in - and the pace of the sessions gets easier. Half way into this program and that point doesn't seem like it is ever going to come.

After an easy session on Wednesday night I still am not fully recovered from the City to Surf. My calves - especially the left one - are still really tender.

The session tonight was one that I have done before, about a month ago, and back then had a great run. So I was feeling optimistic about having another good run here. I even managed to squeeze it in before nightfall so was looking forward to running in daylight too.

After the 3km warm-up it was into the hard 5km at short-tempo pace (4.13m/k). I went through the first km in 4.16min so was right on where I needed to be. Unfortunately it kind of went downhill from there with subsequent k's in 4.24/28/32 and 30. Just plain harder than it should have been. A 5km time of 22.10mins being a whole 53sec slower than last time.

I am getting a bit over all this target pace stuff. Whereas for the half marathon program it seemed to be right-on for me, this time round it seems way too fast. I have my suspicions as to why:

1. During the half program I was still coming from a low fitness base so was still on the way up.
2. The target pace this time is based on a blindingly great run in the half marathon which was the "peak" of my fitness, with taper, racing flats, etc. That is, this pace was about as good as it gets and is not maintainable ... it's a peak!
3. Recovery from the longer runs in the marathon program is slower meaning the track session (especially) is much harder.

Anyway, I'll persevere. Even if my runs are slower than target pace that's ok, it just means I'll probably be in great shape to run a 3.20 or 3.25 marathon instead of a 3.16. No problem there!!

City to Surf

2009-08-10T23:28:00.004+10:00

For me there is never any question what I'll be doing on the second Sunday in August. It is running in the City to Surf fun run in Sydney. I have been doing so for 22-years now, since 1988, and even though this year I am following a strict training regimen for the marathon, this race was always going to replace whatever training run I had planned for that day.

In this case a hard, hilly 14km race replaced a 21km run.

After the week (fortnight) I have had I was not sure what to expect. I am still not over this infection and, to make matters worse, on Thursday night I suffered two massive cramps in my left calf DURING MY SLEEP which left me very sore for the last few days. How pathetic is that, I am now suffering injuries even while I am resting at night!

I decided that, because of this, I would not run with any particular time in mind which is highly unusual for me as I have a finely honed series of target splits for any given finish time on this course.

The day began very cool due to no cloud cover which meant that it would warm up to a nice temperature (probably around 10-15 deg's) by the time the race started at 9am. I managed to get a good spot not far from the front and was able to run within about 30-seconds of the gun.

You can see from the graph below that this course is not flat which means that you need to take the first 6km at a steady pace, with plenty in reserve for Heartbreak Hill which starts at 6km. If you can get to the top of that in good shape then you are well placed to run strongly to the finish.

I have learned this lesson (the hard way) several times in my years here but with rising age has come not only wisdom but the sense to actually follow it and for the last couple of years I have run really well paced races.

One thing I find a lot is that I actually race well. I am reasonably adept at maximising whatever training I have done and turning that into a performance on race day. My half marathon at Williamstown was a great example of that. It means that - as I am finding in this training block - I may have trouble meeting target times for intervals etc that my race times say I should be able to do.

There may be other factors here too (wearing race shoes, the atmosphere of an event, etc) but whatever it is I generally race better than my training might indicate.

In the end that was probably the case here too. I ran 61.35mins which I am really happy with. I had great strength at the end of the race (which you'd expect) and probably could not have gone much harder. This is my best time since 2003 (60.53) and fifth best ever (fastest is 56.56). If I could lose 8kg and get down to the race weight of those halcyon days I am sure I could give even my PB a decent shake.

The fact I am finding it hard to walk today is probably no surprise!

Being sick is OFFICIALLY giving me the s$%#s

2009-08-06T21:37:00.000+10:00

Ok, ye marathon gods, what in the heck have I done to upset you all??? Why do you seem so hell bent on keeping me from even getting to the start line of this race? Did I trod on a fairy or something? I am not sure, maybe you just have the WRONG PAUL WILSON ... there are, after all, so many of us. Whatever it is, can you just bug off and leave me alone.

There, got that off my chest. Which is just as well, since this week my wonderful sore throat decided occupation of my neck was not enough and it wanted lungs too. So here I am, it's hard to swallow, difficult to breathe and I am trying to run a marathon program. It just ain't happening.

I gave the track session of this, week seven, the flick on Tuesday in an attempt to get better. But it has not worked. So rather than miss a second session I have set off tonight to do my tempo set.

This was always going to be difficult as it is blowing a gale outside but I was optimistic of maintaining somewhere near the 4.31m/k pace dictated for the 10km main set. Well, what a joke that turned out to be. I ran 47.56min (target 45.10) and felt like crap. The last three km's were each over 5min's which is just disastrous.

Still, I did it. I am just not sure if that is the right thing or not?

This Sunday is City to Surf. Hmmm.

32 today ... 32 today ...

2009-08-02T20:23:00.001+10:00

No, it's not my birthday, and - unfortunately - I am several years the wrong side of 32 (crikey, where did they all go???). Rather, 32 is the number of k's I ran today.

After how I have felt this week (and still feel) I was not altogether sure that I'd do this run; but I headed out the door leaving my mobile phone at home ensuring I'd have no option but to run all the way home.

The course I ran was a familiar one from home down South Rd to the beach then along the path through Brighton, Elwood and St. Kilda to the u-turn at Middle Park (16km). Today I was blessed with running into a mongrel North-Westerly headwind all the way up the beach which was no fun. It also had the effect of sapping my strength for the return leg when I needed it.

The target pace for today was 5.06 min/km and as is obvious from the splits I ran on target for the first half into the wind (great stuff!) and picked it up early on the way back, maintaining a 30-40sec buffer to target all the way till I began the journey up South Road. (This rolling uphill stretch is fast becoming my nemesis on long runs.)

Unfortunately I "ran" 6.04min/km's along here and so finished about 5min behind target time. The reality of this is that it is still much faster than I have previously run these kind of training runs. Plus, I have run 32k with 10 training weeks still to come (incl. another 3x32k runs) so I should only get better.

I had a Power Gel at 13km (yummy Chocolate) and again at 24.5km (god-awful coffee latte or something). I am sure these made a difference as I certainly did not suffer from hunger knock. My legs held out generally well, especially pleased with right hamstring which was no real issue at all.

Overall, very happy with this result (even if the last 5k was a bit ordinary!)

Splits
1-6km 29.53min (4.58/9.51/14.44/-/24.50/29.53)
7-12km 31.08min (34.57/40.07/45.24/50.40/55.51/61.01)
13-16km 20.37min (66.20/71.24/76.29/81.38)
17-20km 19.50min (86.34/91.28/96.20/101.28)
21-26km 30.39min (106.29/111.31/116.41/121.51/126.59/132.07)
27-32km 36.24min (137.52/143.38/149.46/155.59/161.47/168.31)

Still running ... still sick

2009-07-31T23:10:00.000+10:00

Well, still not feeling the best. My throat is sore and glands are up, but I went for my run anyway! This one was a tempo run of 8km at a target pace of 4.22 min/km. Did my normal course up to North Rd.

Probably went out a bit hard for the first couple of k's but it felt easy ... until I was coming through to 4-5k by which time it was not feeling so easy! I thought I ran strong through 6-8k but actually lost a fair bit of time there too, ultimately finishing in 35.39min.

Shouldn't be too disappointed, though, as this is about a minute faster than my previous times over this course (and oh, I am sick too).

One step up, one step back

2009-07-30T21:51:00.000+10:00

After a great run on Sunday it was back to sickness (I cannot believe this is happening ... again!) and a lousy run on Wednesday night.

The track session was supposed to be 2x 1200m (4.45min) and 4x 800m (3.05min) with 2-min RI between. Now I don't know if it was the tight hammys, difficulty breathing from this new throat infection, the little bit of wind or just a case of "you're a wuss" but I could not get going at all.

Covered the 1200's in 4.55 and 5.04 which was not great, then the first two 800's in 3.19 and 3.25 at which point I just went home. When you know you can complete a set of 800's in 3.05 pace then this is just getting ridiculous.

Unfortunately I have had a lot of really poor sessions this time round and I am rarely getting into the groove that I had back in April and May. I've lost my run-mojo.

Hope it comes back soon.

Marathon Entry is Go!

2009-07-26T17:33:00.001+10:00

I have never run a negative split for a run as long as this one, so am doubly pleased with a great effort over 30km at Sri Chinmoy in Parkville today. After around 1k I hooked onto the "5-min bus" being driven by 'Tiger Boy' from the Cool Running chat site. This guy is amazing. He managed to herd a group around six laps of this course keeping us all bang on target time (as you can see from the splits below).

For me it got hard on the fourth lap by which time my right hammy was giving me grief and I thought I might call it quits at 20km. (I suspect the true problem may be further up in the gluteals somewhere??) But, with Tiger Boy's cajoling and coaching I actually found it easier just to sit in with the team; the last 10k actually going by quite quickly.

So, with this run under my belt, I have entered the marathon and have been allocated the number 2012. Now the real work begins!

Sri Chinmoy, Parkville, 30km. (Each 5k is one lap)
1-5km 25.13min (5.10/10.02/14.51/20.08/25.13)
6-10km 24.39min (30.15/35.08/39.58/44.49/49.52)
11-15km 25.01min (54.26/59.47/64.37/69.45/74.53)
16-20km 24.51min (79.55/84.52/89.41/94.44/99.44)
21-25km 24.58min (104.47/109.45/114.40/119.47/124.42)
26-30km 24.54min (129.41/134.38/139.30/144.37/149.36)

A good one at last!

2009-07-25T15:17:00.001+10:00

I didn't exactly see it coming, but I have at last posted a good result for a run. The session last night was 5km at short tempo pace (4.13m/k) after a 3km warm-up with a 1.5k cool-down afterwards. I ran my normal North Road loop which I have found difficult to run fast on as it is a (gentle) rolling course with lots of side streets to upset the rhythm.

After the warm-up I covered the main 5km in 21.17min (4.14/4.16/4.16/4.15/4.16) which I was really happy with. This is the fastest 5km I have run for a very long time and considering my current selection of ailments I am very pleased with it.

Total run 9.5km in 45.13mins.

3 more miles

2009-07-21T20:23:00.000+10:00

Today I had the rare chance to run a track session in the daylight as I took the day off (spent the morning on kinder duty with Brooke). My legs - quads mostly - still felt a bit sore from the Sunday run and I guess I'd only rate myself as about 80% but I ran anyway.

This session was straightforward, 3x 1600m intervals with 1min rest in between. My target time was anything under 6.30min having previously run a similar session in 6.36 pace. Today the bogey would be a strong wind (once again) and perhaps the fact that since the Tour de France started and I have been eating biscuits while watching it each night I have put on 2kg!

In short, these intervals were run in 6.42 min (bad) then a pair of 6.59's (worse). I decided to complete the session as I am getting the feeling that if I back off every time I am not making target pace then I may not be doing much running at all!

Total run of 8.8km in 44.45mins.

End of an ordinary week

2009-07-19T19:30:00.027+10:00

I ended up missing my second run session this week too. I was still too sick to even contemplate running, missed a day of work, and ended up on antibiotics for the sinus infection. All in all, not a happy camper.

Throw in a visit to the physio and even a new pair of runners was barely enough to lift the spirits. I really thought about tossing it all in for the marathon this year. But I guess you have those moments occasionally - and probably will on race day too - so best to find a way to deal with them and move on.

Which I did.

Today I headed out for what originally was planned as a 32km run. But after everything that has happened (or not) in the last week I decided to run a shorter course of 25km over a loop down to the beach and back home via Cheltenham. It is a fairly undulating course so I ignored my watch for the day.

Which was just as well as I really suffered once again. The new runners were great (some New Balance 859's) and my calf did not have any of the pain of last week (phew, and thanks Rob the physio). But my right hammy was just really tight and I could not stride out after about 15 or km's.

My pace began at 5 min/km for the first half a dozen, slowing to 5.12 min/km for the next 12km through Black Rock and Beaumaris. The final 7km up Charman Road and to home were woeful. At around 5.50 min/km these were the slowest I have run in a long time. It was not overly warm (though thte sun was out) but there was a pretty ordinary headwind along that section. Even so, the time was due to me ... not the conditions.

Total run (and weekly total) of 24.97km in 2:13.20hrs at 5.20 min/km.

Hmmm, well, at least I finished.

Oh no, why me!

2009-07-15T23:27:00.000+10:00

Missed my first training session tonight. And, strangely enough, not due to any of the ailments mentioned in previous posts (though it could have been). No, instead I have managed to get sick again. This week I have been suffering from - I believe - sinusitis (diagnosis from my wife and several work colleagues).

The bridge of my nose feels like it has been hit with a baseball bat. I feel awful. I am sick of being sick. I cannot believe the run of illness I have had recently. It is driving me completely nuts.

So I have decided to miss one session. Who knows, it may even help my achilles mend too (I am seeing the physio tomorrow night about that one).

Are the wheel nuts coming loose?

2009-07-12T23:32:00.005+10:00

Today was another big step up in the run distance, this time to 27km. Which of itself is no big problem, I am actually enjoying the long runs, even if the weather is not the best at this time of year. What is bothering me is the growing number of physical niggles, some of which are now giving me real cuase for concern.

Today's run was similar to last week, a run from home down South Rd to the beach then following the bike path down to St Kilda and return. I was not even sure that I'd be able to do this run today as this pain through my hip into my glute has gotten worse over the last couple of days. It bothered me a little at the start and I suspect my running style altered a little to accomodate this.

The wind today was a fairly consistent north-wester so into my face outbound and assisting on the way back. The run felt good down South Rd then a bit harder into the wind where I first started to notice the right achilles in a bit of pain. Completed the outbound 13.56km leg in 67.20min. It was good to pick up the tailwind and I covered the distance up to 21km still comfortably on target pace 5.02 m/k vs 5.06 m/k. Unlike last week I was not having any hunger-knock so was happy about that but the achilles was not having fun.

The final 6k up South Rd was not pleasant. I covered this at 5.42 m/k pace and my achilles was very very painful. The last km took 6.26mins which means I was on target pace right up to that point. I have iced it tonight but I am very concerned about it and will need some physio treatment on it (and my hip) this week.

And tonight little Keira casually pointed out that I really do need to go and see about my right shin. For a couple of months now it has felt tender to touch and I have feared some kind of bone problem. It has certainly got no better with time and when Keira leaned on it tonight I nearly jumped through the roof in pain. Must get that seen to this week too.

Weekly total: 3 runs for 46.49 km in 3:59.57 hrs

Distance Summary [red] and Future Plan [blue]

First Signs

2009-07-10T21:00:00.019+10:00

Tonight I had the first signs of something that worried me. Ok, maybe not the first signs, but definitely the first time I have paid any attention to them. Strangely enough, I had only visited Rob O'Donnell (my physio) on Thursday night at which time I did not really get any of these things tended to. They just didn't seem so important.

My lower back on the right side has felt for about a week as though it is out of alignment, but it has now started to give me real pain through the lower back and gluteal. It is such that even when walking my gait is not normal. Of course, when running it has a bigger effect.

On the run tonight it was giving me a bit of grief. This was the same run I did last week (1.5k w/up, 8k main set at tempo pace and 1.5k c/down) only this time the tempo pace was 4.31m/k (vs 4.38 last week). I never really felt comfortable at all on this run. Could not get into a rhythm, back felt bad and generally a crappy run.

Did the main set in 36.33min (4.34m/k) so not far off target but not a comfortable run and the pace for these tempo sets is only getting quicker in later weeks. I am starting to wonder if these target paces are not just a bit too much for me?

Descending set ... wheeeeeeeee!

2009-07-07T23:01:00.000+10:00

I've never done a set like this before. A simple track session: 1200m, 100m, 800m, 600m, 400m and 200m with a 200m float in between. The pace for each interval should be fast!

Hmm, sounds easy, but the devil is always in the application. I had some specific interval times for each distance but chucked these out and just ran 'flat out' as there was no real rhythm to be found in this set.

I covered the intervals in: 1200 (4.49), 1000 (3.56), 800 (3.08), 600 (2.20), 400 (1.27), 200 (0.40).

The longer intervals were slower than I would have liked and the shorter ones a bit faster than needed. Hard to pace them and found the 200m recovery barely enough, especially for the longer reps.

Overall a good run (in the dark at night again!) of 8.2km in 45.54mins.

Hunger knock is not fun!

2009-07-05T22:21:00.000+10:00

I am not sure whether I like Greg McMillan (McMillan Running) or not. Which is odd since I have decided to "follow his teachings" as it were for my long runs. And Mr McMillan is no fun-freak. In fact, I think his methods are designed to introduce you to new levels of pain and misery during your training. Which is pretty neat, since chances are that race day will bring more of the same so at least you'll be used to it. Which is his theory ... or at least that's how I explain it.

He has two basic tenets which I am overlaying on the general distance/pacing from my Furman program. The first of these is on your "regular" long runs you should not consume any carb's (gels, sports drink, etc). The idea is to deplete your energy stores (about 90+ minutes) then get used to running beyond this when you are tired. This is what I did today. His other principle is the "fast finish" long run which I'll introduce later in the program.

So today was a 24km run at target pace of 5.06min/km. I ran down South Rd to the beach then along the path to Point Ormond and return. At this pace it felt pretty easy from the outset (as it should) and I cruised the outbound leg in 58.49min (4.55m/km pace).

On the return it was a little harder, first into a bit of a headwind then on the rise up South Rd to home. Of course, as expected, the final half hour was very hard. Not only did my right calf begin to get very sore, but I suffered big time hunger knock. I tried just to focus on every kilometre at a time, but by the last one I was nearly tripping over my shadow. The return journey was in 61.22min (5.08m/km pace).

Overall it was a very good result. I covered the journey in a few seconds over two hours at 5.01m/km pace. Perfect! Had some food, iced my calf and watched the Tour de France. All is good now!

Weekly total: 3 runs for 42.09 km in 3:33.07 hrs

Running while sick

2009-07-03T22:53:00.001+10:00

I think it is ok to run while I feel like I do. What do they say: if you have a cold with symptoms above the neck it is ok to run, but if symptoms are below the neck just rest. But what if you have a sore throat (?) ... isn't that in the middle of your neck? Aargh, I am confused, but my reckoning is if I am well enough to go to work then I am well enough to run. So run I did.

Today was an 11km run consisting of 8km at marathon pace (4.38 - still getting used to that concept!) with a 1.5km warm-up and cool-down. I covered the 8km in 6sec under target pace so bang-on once again. It felt a little harder than it did a month ago (no surprise I guess given how I feel) and my quads are a little sore tonight, but nothing major.

Am looking forward to the 24km run on Sunday and bike ride tomorrow morning.

I am also keeping a video diary for this marathon campaign and have uploaded my entry for tonight to YouTube. Not sure if I'll keep doing that, but for now ...

These niggles are driving me nuts!

2009-07-01T22:59:00.000+10:00

Hmm, not sure what happened, but after my good run on Sunday I woke up on Monday morning with a really sore right achilles tendon. So sore that I could hardly walk for most of Monday. So sore that I had my first visions of (said very quietly) not being able to run.

I iced it on Monday and Tuesday nights, chose to defer my first run for the week a day till Wednesday, and hoped for the best. Thankfully, come Wednesday night and my track session, it did not bother me. But I iced it tonight for good measure and probably will do for a while as a precaution.

As if to rub salt into my wounds, I woke on Tuesday morning with a really sore throat which only got worse today. I must have trod on a fairy or something since it feels like I've been suffering one minor malady or other almost consistently for a month or so now. I'll need to get on top of this in quick order.

Which brings me to the run tonight. A simple session at the track of 4x 800m in 3.05min with 2min rest between each. My previous 800's had been run in 3.12 and with my ailments I expected to run somewhere around 3.10 so I was pleased to knock out the repeats in 3.05/3.08/3.04/3.05. I am sure with a good throat, less wind and in daylight I could go a few seconds faster so pretty pleased with that.

Run Melbourne Half Marathon

2009-06-28T22:58:00.002+10:00

Today was the first long run of the campaign and after a mixed week I was looking forward to just getting out and going for a good hit out. The target pace was 4.57min/km so I was not expecting that to be particularly problematic, being some 10 minutes slower than my race a month ago.

Conditions today were very cold (5 deg.C), certainly more than I would have liked, especially as I rode for 40 odd minutes to get to the start.

I took the pace very sedately and just tried to enjoy the atmosphere of an event that takes in two laps around some of Melbourne's major landmarks: Federation Square, Botanic Gardens/Shrine, Rod Laver Arena and the MCG.

My time for the first 10km was 48.29min and I felt pretty good. The second lap began well, I tested the legs at one point and they responded pretty well. By about 14km, though, I found they were tightening up a bit and I lost my zip. I was never really struggling, but as I was well on schedule I decided not to try to push the pace at all. The second 10km I covered in 49.17min and I crossed the line in 1:43.19hrs.

The distance was covered at 4.54min/km pace so a few seconds under target. No niggles or residual pain after the race, calves ok, only some minor chafing under my crutch from some new Skins tights that perhaps rode a little low.

Weekly total: 3 runs for 37.55 km in 3:05.54 hrs

And PS: Happy Birthday to me!

Much better!

2009-06-27T19:29:00.000+10:00

Last night's second run for the week was much better. Phew!

The plan was a 9km run with 3km hard in the middle at 4.15min/km pace and easy bits on each side. Simple, really. I did the hard bit at 4.17min/km so essentially right on target. Felt strong, calves in good shape.

Total 9.25km in 45.23mins.

Rode for an hour and a half this morning, had a great time, looking forward to the Half Marathon tomorrow (actually just a 21km training run masquerading as a race!)

1 of 48

2009-06-24T22:51:00.000+10:00

Is it customary to write excuses at the start of a posting or at the end???? Ok, maybe at the end.

The Facts
What should have been a 3x1600m in ~ 6.35min set at the track this morning turned into 2x1600m in 6.47 and 7.09 then a sorry, tail between my legs, jog home. I could barely have had a worse beginning to my 'official' marathon training program. I had no zip, no nothing, just felt extremely flat and could not run at all.

The Excuse (at least I hope this is why I ran so poorly!)

On Monday I came down with a stomach complaint (an old undiagnosed recurring one that I've had for 20 years or so). It was so bad I had to be off work yesterday, did not feel good at all. This morning it felt ok (???) and I could not put off the run any longer so I went out anyway. And whilst it did not bother me specificlly during the run I suspect it contributed to the sub-standard effort.

I should be right in a day or two and hope the run on Friday is much better!

Will run for food

2009-06-21T18:52:00.000+10:00

This morning, my last run before starting THE PROGRAM, I decided to do something a little bit different. With the endorsement of my tribe I ran from home down to the Ricketts Point Cafe (where they serve fantastic oats and pancakes!) and was met for breakfast.

Certainly the best post-run feast I have had all year and worth the 15+km to get there.

Covered the trip in just over 1:10hrs at 4.52min/km pace. Felt good, but not strong.

Weekly total: 3 runs for 27.17 km in 2:10.39 hrs

Need for Speed

2009-06-18T23:59:00.008+10:00

Tonight I needed to see if I still had any leg speed. It feels like forever since I ran at anything more than a plod and before I launch into the next big 16-week training block I wanted to feel quick again.

So, onthe same 6.3km course I have covered a lot recently I set out with no particular pace in mind, but just to go a bit quicker than I have.

I was pleased to work my pace up to 4.37min/km, only a second faster than my "old" tempo pace and now my designated marathon pace.

Say that again, this is my marathon pace. Hmm, I definitely have a ways to go before this feels comfortable enough to tackle for 42.2. I guess that is what the next 50 or so training sessions are about. We'll see.

Anyway, felt good tonight.

Getting used to these easy runs

2009-06-17T13:47:00.000+10:00

Went for another easy run last night. Same course as for both runs last week. Covered the 6.3km in 30.40min.Conditions were rather good for a winter night. Not too cold, no wind, no rain. It was all rather enjoyable. Seems a shame to have to start flogging myself again from next week! Legs all good now.

Easy week

2009-06-15T20:31:00.002+10:00

I know its my "off season" (aka three weeks rest after the half and before the marathon program) but I still feel bad that I missed my long run yesterday. I was enjoying my sleep too much to get out and go during my allotted time before family duties kicked in.

In any case, my legs (especially calves) feel absolutely great. No soreness whatsoever when I massage them, which has not been the case for a few months now, so really pleased with that!

Plan on three runs this week and final tweaking of the marathon program which I am really happy with. I will post it separately but it is 90% Furman with a twist of McMillan for good measure.

Roll on!

That's Better

2009-06-12T20:47:00.000+10:00

Same run tonight as on Wednesday. Cold again, but no rain. Went a touch harder and felt much better for it. Maybe my technique is a little bit different when I run quicker hence my calves felt ok? In any case, they were much better than a couple of days ago.

Covered the 6.3km in 30.49mins and looking forward to a longer run on the weekend.

Still sore, worrying me now.

2009-06-10T23:40:00.002+10:00

Went for another run tonight. Had put it off for a day as the weather here in Melbourne has been shizen-housen recently. But could not defer any more so went out in the cold and rain tonight. Actually not that bad. Fun even?

Except for my calves.

Even though they feel great day-to-day, when I start to run they really give me a reminder that they are still recovering. Cruised just over 6km tonight at 5min/km pace, felt pretty easy aerobically, but gosh the calves hurt.

Not sure the best way to address this one. I guess stretching and massage would be good starters. Am getting increasingly nervous as my 16-week marathon program is only a week away now.

Fat Ass Melbourne Marathon

2009-06-08T08:10:00.001+10:00

Yesterday, for my long run, I took part in a section of a "Fat Ass" re-enactment of the old Melbourne Marathon course (Frankston to Melbourne). This had been put together through some folks off the Cool Running web site. I took the train down to Mordialloc to join the crew there.

What a hoot! The pace was very easy (which suited me) and we enjoyed chewing the fat whilst we covered the k's. Mrs Wombat was in charge of refuelling and did a wonderful job along the way (maybe I should have had some).

I ran with the guys all the way up to South Road (15km) before continuing up to home (21km). About half way up South Road I was really starting to fade from lack of energy and was glad to get back and have some big sandwiches for lunch (thanks Fiona!).

Total run time was 2:11.40hrs so the longest time on my feet for this whole campaign.

Weekly total: 2 runs for 26.38km in 2:39.43hrs

Ouch, still hurts!

2009-06-06T23:43:00.000+10:00

Went for my first run since the half last night. An easy 5km at a very relaxed pace.

Gosh, my calves still hurt. They are not happy campers at all.

Wore my Skins socks to give the calves some relief last night and today. I think it has made a difference, they feel much better this evening.

Planning to run part of a "Fat Ass" Melbourne Marathon tomorrow. I'll do about 15-20km from Mordialloc. Hope the legs will feel good.

Sri Chinmoy Half Marathon - Williamstown

2009-05-31T12:42:00.007+10:00

Google Map of course

Well, what an amazing race. In short, I could not have imagined running so well. Against a target pace of 1:38.07 (which I thought was ambitious) I have run a 1:33.20. Unbelievable!

Lead Up
My training for the last three months has been more consistent than ever. For 14 weeks I have averaged 33km with no fewer than three runs per week. This may not seem like much, but it means that I have run more to the end of May than for each of the last 5 years in total!

I think the biggest thing was getting onto the Furman FIRST program. This has given me highly specific sessions and target paces and, more importantly, a distance and frequency regime that my body could handle.

Ailments
With all this additional training it is not unexpected that my 40+ year old body should have a share of niggles. Early on it was sore calves. Really sore at first then after a month or so dissipating to being tender to the touch. Thankfully it has not bothered me too much.

Of more concern has been the plantar fasciitis (self-diagnosed) which I first thought was a sore heel. This still bothers me - like most people first thing in the morning is worst (which is no good for morning run sessions and races) - but it has not been a great hindrance to my running. I think I'll need to get more on top of it for the marathon training program.

Finally, in race week, I managed to get a cold. It has not been too bad but I have been sneezing and spluttering which is not good when you are trying to focus on a big race. Thankfully too it did not seem to bother me much during the race.

Race Day
It was pretty cool down at Williamstown this morning. Probably ideal for running though an extra couple of degrees would not have gone astray. There was no sun, a small breath of wind and a mighty big fog!

My intent was to go out steady for 15km (till the turn at West Gate Bridge) then go harder if possible for the last 6km. I even wore a wrist band with my target splits on it (at 4.39/km pace).

The first km went by in 4.26 which had me a bit worried. It felt very easy but was substantially faster than plan. When the next couple of km ran 4.19 and 4.27 I was still concerned, but my heart rate was very steady and around 165 so I thought I'd just go with it and see what happened.

For the first 4.5km or so you are running with folks doing a 10km race so it is not till they turn off that you truly know who is running the half. It was also at that time that the fog was at its thickest so you couldn't really see much anyway! Especially if you are wearing glasses like myself and they get completed fogged over!

At around 7km I hooked in behind a bloke doing my pace. I figured the segment up to West Gate would be into whatever breeze there was so it was better to spend this part tucked in out of the way. (This was good till just after the 13km mark when he dropped down the pace.)

I went through 10km in 44.15 (4.26/8.45/13.12/-/22.02/26.27/30.50/35.19/39.43/44.15) which was nearly 45sec faster than my previous Sri Chinmoy 10km in March at Richmond. Felt great, heart rate still steady at 165 or so, and was confident for the next 10km.

By 14km I was running on my own as the course zig-zags along the bike path towards the bridge. After making the turn I let the pace ramp up a little covering the next 4km in 17.28 (4.22 pace). By this stage I had picked up my own "passenger" and had made the turn back up to the finish line.

The second 10km was in 44.24 (48.45/53.17/57.45/1.02.20/1.06.44/1.11.06/1.15.32/1.19.52/1.24.12/1.28.39) so no real pace differential to the first ten.

I cruised into the track and around to the finish line, hardly believing my eyes at the time on the clock. 1:33.20. An all-time half marathon PB and nearly five minutes ahead of plan. It felt great with my form remaining good all the way around. I could not be more pleased.

Bring on October and the big one!!

Heart Rate graph: dead flat course (lower line) and dead flat HR (upper line)

Last one!

2009-05-28T21:31:00.003+10:00

Well, this morning's run was the last one before the first big race day on Sunday. An easy 5km jaunt around the block. Unfortunately, my crook heel (bl**dy PF) played up and the first 1km was an absolute hobble. As usual, after it warmed up a bit, I was basically ok.

Travelled around in 26.23mins which was too quick for this easy run, but still pretty damn easy. Just race day to come now. Woo! Hoo!

Not this week, please .....

2009-05-26T22:32:00.002+10:00

I must say I find it hard to believe that I would choose this week to get a cold. I am on all the tablets, water, vegetables and other stuff I can think of to make it go away. So far it has not got any worse in two days so I suppose that is something.

And to make things worse my back has gone out. I think I've pinched something about half way down which causes a pain on my right side. Not too bad when I run but mighty unpleasant almost all the time.

Aargh!!

In between all that I went for my last track session tonight. Relatively easy with 6x 400m in 1.34 with 400m RI. Did the repeats in 1.39 (must have been asleep)/1.29/1.30/1.31/1.30/1.26. Pretty happy with that. Didn't feel too stressful.

Only an easy 5km on Thursday, rest and get rid of these ailments before Sunday.

Last long run

2009-05-24T13:36:00.003+10:00

Started to come down with something last night; coughing a bit and tight in upper chest. I hope it will pass. I have worked too hard to have a good half spoiled by a cold.

Today was my last long run before the Half Marathon next week. Only 13km at 4.57min/km so pretty easy.

Didn't feel great. My neck is a bit out so I have restricted movement to the left. Took the run easy and did 12.9km in 1:03.11hrs (4.54min/km) so the time was spot on. Amazing how even when I feel ordinary I can still dial-in the sub-5min pace these days. I think this will be important once the marathon training starts.

Just a set of 400s on Tuesday then an easy 5km run before the race next Sunday. I can't wait!

Weekly total: 3 runs for 33.70km in 2:49:25hrs.

Distance Summary [red] and Future Plan [blue]

Massage and 5km

2009-05-22T21:43:00.004+10:00

Had a massage yesterday, first one in ages. It hurt! I knew it would. I think it hurts even more today. I knew that would too. Wore my Skins socks to try to help the recovery too.

My right heel is still sore (plantar fasciitis?) so I will need to do some active work on that else I am not sure that it will hold up over the next few months of hard training.

Today's session was 3.5km warm-up then 5km@4.29min/km and 1.5km cool-down. I decided to do this session down at the track as I'd be better able to monitor and control my pace.

In short it felt pretty good. I ran 22.05min with splits of 4.18/4.29/4.28/4.28/4.22. At no stage did it feel super hard, just controlled. Definitely not easy, but I felt like I had more in me if I needed. This is my fastest 5km in a long while so I am happy with that too.

Overcoming apprehension

2009-05-20T10:42:00.003+10:00

I was pretty nervous, strangely enough, going into this session last night as the only other time I had done 1km repeats I had failed miserably to make the time target. Albeit, on that morning there had been horrible wind and rain to contend with. Nonetheless I was not certain that I could make the grade for 5x 1km in 4.01min.

Conditions were really good this time for an evening run. Not too cold and hardly a breath of wind. As always, though, it is pitch black down at the track which makes for fairly soul-less running and, I am convinced, slower times. At the very least I find it makes pacing harder as I cannot effectively monitor my splits as I complete each segment.

My plan for this session was to run each interval at 800m pace and try to hold it for the 200m extra! Given that I was completing 800’s in around 3.12 (which equates to a 4min/km) this seemed like a logical plan.

I ran the first rep in a controlled pace at 3.58 which was surprising to say the least. The second I tried to run in the same way and did 3.54 which was shocking, I knew I had got carried away. The third rep I deliberately ran slower (too slow), doing 4.02. The final two reps I just ran (!) and did 3.56 and 3.59. So the times were a bit all over the shop which is not ideal, but they averaged 3.58 which was pretty pleasing.

I’d love to know how quick I could go if I was not carrying this 10kg of extra weight.

Session total: 10.8km in 57.35min

Getting Faster

2009-05-17T09:44:00.002+10:00

Changed my long run to Saturday this week (so I could ride on Sunday morning). The plan was to run 20km at 4.57 min/km pace. The loop I did took me from home down to Southland, Sandringham beach along to Brighton then back up through to Bentleigh and home.

I enjoyed this loop course as you never cover the same ground twice, plus it is gently undulating so you get to mix up the effort a little.

My splits were: 5km 23.28, 10km 47.49 (24.21), 14.63km 1:10.21 (22.32), 19.66km 1:35.10 (24.49). Very pleased with those times, after a faster first 5k then settled in to a pace that was basically maintained the whole way through to the finish.

This would equate to around 1:42 hr half marathon pace and I know in the race I can go much quicker so I am sure a 1:38 or faster is possible.

More of the same and why does my heel hurt?

2009-05-14T22:26:00.002+10:00

Another 8km sojourn around the suburb here this evening. This 8km at mid-tempo pace (4.38min/km) has appeared very regularly on the run program - typically once per fortnight. So I know the pace - and course - fairly well.

Knocked out the 8km in 36.36min which is reasonably similar to other efforts over this course. Maybe felt a bit easier than some so definitely improving.

Made me wonder, though, how would I go keeping up this pace for 21.1km? Guess I'll find out in a week or so.

Why does my heel hurt?
Ok, I probably know the real answer to this. It might have something to do with running more in three months than I have for each of the last few years? Sure, but why does my heel hurt so much???? Strangely enough, it doesn't bother me too much when running. Mostly only when I am barefoot. Running shoes give good cushioning so it is not much of an issue after 5 minutes or so. Anyway ....

Makybe Diva

2009-05-12T20:47:00.002+10:00

This morning's track session felt a little Melbourne Cup-ish. Quite simple too. Run 2x 3200m in 13.52min with a 400m RI.

It was pretty cool this morning but ok for running. My calves are still tender but don't seem to bother me once they are warmed up.

Went out a tad hard for the first interval but brought it home ok to record a 13.48min. Ran the second one very conservatively, right on target pace for 2km then picked it up the last 800m to do 13.47min. Felt reasonably strong with that one.

These times equate to a 21.40min or so 5km which I am sure I could do.

Run for Mum

2009-05-10T20:07:00.004+10:00

My Sunday run this week was squeezed in between all the obligatory (and enjoyable) Mother's Day activities. In fact, "mum" (my wife Fiona) and our two girls were part of the run as they walked and rode by the beach while I ran up and down before meeting them at the park.

The course was one I had run before, from Sandringham to Point Ormond and back except this time I started in the middle (!) at North Road.

I covered the 16km in 1:18.22hrs which is spot on my training pace for this distance which I have run three times now, all in 1:18 and change. So pretty pleased about that.

Ran a strong last km in the fading light, but my legs felt a bit wobbly for the last few km and at times I thought they would give way. I think I need to have done a couple more long runs in this preparation but have covered >20km only once up till now.

Weekly total: 3 runs for 37.00km in 3:05.54hrs.

Distance Summary [red] and Future Plan [blue]

The above chart shows my weekly progress since starting this odyssey. The last six weeks or so since I started the Furman program have all been in the 30-40km range which contrasts to the marathon program where they are 50-60km weeks. Something to look forward to!

Repeat session ... woo hoo!

2009-05-08T22:05:00.004+10:00

Tonight's tempo session was a repeat of the very first session I did when I started this program so I was keen to see how it compared. Thankfully, as you'd hope, I fared much better this time around.

The session was 2x (1.5km easy, 3.5km tempo) with 1km cool-down.

Whereas in late March I did not make the target times for the harder reps, this time around I was under target pace (16.13min) both times with 16.02min and 15.59min. Felt strong and in control for both of these, no problems at all.

Which has really got me to wondering just what pace I should be setting for the Half Marathon in a few weeks time. As each week passes I feel more and more confident that I can run not just sub-1;40 for the half, but well below 1:40.

I think I may end up running to heart rate and just see what that brings me.

Skins

2009-05-08T22:01:00.002+10:00

Bought some Skins today. Have had some of their shorts for quite a while now and have invested in some tights and socks. I plan to run in the tights on colder days and wear the socks as a recovery aid since my calves have been hurting so much.

Gave the socks a go during my run this evening.

Recovery run

2009-05-06T23:53:00.003+10:00

The program I am following says you can replace your track session the week after a race with an easy run. Which is just as well since I am not sure how I'd have coped today with a set up 2km repeats.

Even after allowing the extra day for recovery, my quads are still tender from the downhills at Puffing Billy, so I did an easy 10km down South Rd and back. Same course as a couple of weeks ago (24-April) and similar time (53.46min).

Even managed a small neg split (unintentional!). Out 27.03 Back 26.43.

Hopefully right to go for the normal tempo session on Friday night.

Puffing Billy - Great Train Race

2009-05-03T19:08:00.003+10:00

My eldest daughter Brooke and I before the start.

What a marvellous day for a run. This would have to be the perfect conditions: cool and sunny! Which is quite different from some of the rubbish I have been running in recently.

Started out near the front of the field and planned to take it steady for the first 1.5km (all downhill) gradually picking it up through to the 5km mark and the Menzies Creek hill. From there just take it hard to the finish. Not sure if that is what I did though?

The first 500m was pretty easy as it was so crowded but still covered the first km in 4.02min with HR pretty low. From the Trestle Bridge at around 1.5km there is an uphill to Selby for about 1.5km. I worked this bit a little too hard with HR right on 170bpm and needed to relax and take the downhill from 3-5km nice and steady (HR 164) just to get things under control before the big climb up to Menzies Creek. Went through the first crossing without even hearing the train and covered 5km in 22.20min.

At this point I began to think that if I ran controlled I (might) be able to beat the train to crossing #2. With my HR right on the redline (168-170) I made it through with still no sign of the train. Around the corner, through the aid station, crest the hill and take the treacherous out-of-control downhill and get by crossing #3 with no train in sight. Obviously it is having a very bad day and I am having a good one.

Recovered a bit from 8-9km and then struggled through then next km up to Emerald. It was at this time that I first heard the sound of the train whistle and I thought my run was up. Made it through the (final) crossing#4 with no train near me and knew if I could hold it together I'd be a monty to beat it.

Struggled up the hill just through Emerald township - almost felt like walking here - but continued on and ran steady down the first part of the offroad trail to the finish. Saw three people on this streatch needing medical assistance and was able to push hard through the final 500m to the end. I finished in 1:00.39hrs, my best time since 2002 so really happy with that. (The train had a shocker and did 1:06.44!)

My heart rate average was 167 and my pace average 4.35 min/km.

Altitude chart with km markers - no flat bits here!

A great end to the week!

Weekly total: 3 runs for 33.12km in 2:43:09hrs.
April total: 14 runs for 169.18km in 14:21:52hrs.

It's f..f..f..f..freezing!

2009-04-30T09:25:00.002+10:00

The newspaper headline says it all: "Melbourne records coldest April morning for 56 years." When I left the house it was 2.5 deg.C. and by the time I finished it had reached a (balmy) 3 deg.C!

No wonder I found it almost impossible to get going this morning. The legs had no zip at all, I could not get my breathing pattern steady. I was all over the shop! This was as bad as I have felt on a run in a while.

Did the 8km loop near home with a target time of 37.04min. On previous efforts I have run comfortably to 30 sec. faster than this time. Today I did 37.06min so arguably the best result (ie, closest to target) but felt miserable. Glad to finish and glad to finish in this time when I felt so awful.

I hope it is a bit warmer on Sunday. I have 72-hours clear to prepare for the race.

A man, a track, cold rain and a dog

2009-04-29T09:13:00.004+10:00

Decided to head down to the track last night (Tuesday) instead of this morning for the set of 10x 400's. Looked as though it might be a bit warmer, which it possibly was, but when it rained on me for the last few reps it definitely wasn't any fun.

The plan called for 10x 400m in 1.34 with 400m float in between. I completed these in 1.31/31/32/32/31/32/28/32/30/28. The first six all within a 1-sec spread then the dog came to visit (the first 1.28 lap) and then the rain came!

My right hammy was a little sore towards the last few laps so concentrated on maintaining a high leg-turnover with shorter strides.

It remains hard to get excited about running in the cold dark rain around a track by yourself at night ... but I am excited to see what results I can achieve by doing so!

Will complete my second run for the week on Thursday giving me an extra day to recover before the Puffing Billy Train Race on Sunday.

A cold and windy day

2009-04-26T20:39:00.002+10:00

It was mostly the weather that made me disinclined to look forward to this run. My last 16km had been along the beach from Sandy to Elwood and back on a lovely Autumn day. I had hoped to repeat this course but with temperature at 11 deg. C. and wind at 50kph I decided against the run along the beach.

Instead ran two laps of the 8km course by home. Luckily it did not rain on me but it was decidedly unpleasant. Covered the distance in 1:18.24 with laps of 38.43 and 39.41. Felt ok, but cold.

I wonder how I'll go next week at Puffing Billy. Hopefully the conditions will be a little better!

Weekly total: 3 runs for 35.80km in 3:04.03hrs.

There must be some kind of mistake???

2009-04-24T20:35:00.000+10:00

An easy run for 10km? Not sure about this one. It is the only such run in the whole program save for the last short hit out before race day. Seems like a mistake. But I'll take it!

Headed down along South Rd for this out and back course on Friday night. Very hard leaving the house. It was reasonably cool and the run was all that stood between me and dinner.

Ran an even split (26.54/27.01) in 53.55min, just 5 sec/km under pace.

Eaaaasy.

Miles at the track

2009-04-22T10:53:00.002+10:00

Some days a session just looks easy. Today was one of those. A simple set of 3x 1600m repeats in 6.39 with a 400m RI in between. Thankfully conditions were back to ‘normal’ this week (after last weeks torrential rain and wind) and so I was confident of a good outcome here.

I completed the three intervals in 6.36, 6.36 and 6.37 so all slightly under schedule and a very small spread of times. (How do people run sub-4 min/miles???) This is just about perfect! Total session of 9.8km in 51.44min.

My calves are still sore or maybe tired is a better description and my right heel also remains sore although once I warmed up it did not bother me. After the session my right hamstring also felt a little tight so I’ll need to do some stretching tonight.

Longest run yet!

2009-04-19T22:54:00.002+10:00

Completed my longest run of the whole campaign so far, knocking over 23.1km today in 1:54.26 hrs. Felt good for about 15km then my legs started to get a bit wobbly!

Great running conditions along the beach with a gentle tailwind along there. Felt a bit harder on the slight uphills with a bit of wind in the face on the way home.

Amazed to go just under 5min/km for the journey and held pace really well.

Calves feel tired more than sore this evening.

Weekly total: 3 runs for 41.84km in 3:29.04hrs.

Melburn Roobaix

2009-04-19T10:20:00.004+10:00

I've been looking forward to this ride for a whole year now and it did not disappoint. This is the fourth running of the event (very) loosely modelled on the great Paris-Roubaix in northern France. Actually, about the only thing in common is the use of bikes and the odd cobblestone.

The Melburn-Roobaix is more a treasure hunt on wheels with each person given a map and list of checkpoints when you register on the morning. So the first activity is to plot all the checkpoints on the map and roughly work out how you'll navigate between them.

And to ensure the 350+ folks don't all leave as one amorphous mob through the city they are split into six groups with each group having a different checkpoint one before converging at check number two.

As you can see from the map, it is a rather circuitous route and since you are navigating your own way between checkpoints often without knowking exactly where you are, it is possible that you are not necessarily taking the shortest distance.

It is a really fun atmosphere. It is not a race (though many try go go as fast as possible) and there are all kinds of people on all kinds of bikes. Of course the single-speed bike is very popular here, but so are regular race bikes, mountain bikes and even dragsters and womens ride-to-the-shop bikes. I am amazed that some of these people got around!

The course this year took us through North Melbourne/Kensington before heading back over towards Carlton and Brunswick. The checkpoints were on some gnarly gravel tracks and the tops of beastly cobbled climbs - more Tour of Flanders than Paris-Roubaix.

All up I covered about 30km in just under to hours.

I've also posted pics from the ride on Flickr.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/ride/australia/melbourne/430124009907739177"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;2009 Melburn Roobaix&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-ride/australia/melbourne"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in Melbourne, Australia&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Friday on my mind ...

2009-04-17T21:54:00.001+10:00

Another great run this evening. Am really enjoying these 8km tempo runs. Good distance, good course around home and I am feeling strong and running well.

Covered the distance in 36.35min today which is 29sec below target pace (not sure if that is good or not). Ran a steady pace with splits of: 4.34/4.34/4.40/4.36/4.33/4.24/4.31/4.43.

Calves still a bit sore which is worrying me a little as they do not seem to be recovering from one session to the next.

Am looking forward to the long run on Sunday (22.5km).

Did I mention how windy it was ...

2009-04-16T14:34:00.002+10:00

It has taken me a day to be able to recall this session without needing therapy. My goodness, yesterday’s run was abominable. Or should I say that the weather made it so.

I awoke at 6am to go to the track for some 1k and 2k repeats. The trees were already bent over double from the strong wind and it took all my will power to actually get out of the house. My legs still weren’t feeling particularly zippy so this one was going to be a stretch.

The main reps were: 1km, 2km, 1km, 1km with 400m easy in between. The target time for 1km was 4.01 and 2km was 8.24.

The wind was blustery but manageable for the first 1km which I did in 4.03. For the second and third reps it was blowing an absolute gale (apparently 60-80kph) so half of each lap felt like running up and down on the spot. The times there were slow: 8.37 and 4.28 but felt very hard. For the final km it just got plain ridiculous as pelting rain came down with the wind still howling. That was about as miserable a km as I have ever run and I was pleased (?) to get it done in 4.27. So I did not make time in any of the reps but feel as though I got a good workout anyway … and some mental toughness to boot. The total run was 10.4km in 55.43min.

The footnote to the story is that when I returned home and got into the shower our power went out leaving me to enjoy (!) more COLD water. I was not a happy camper.

Hot Chocolate 15K

2009-04-14T11:49:00.006+10:00

Hot Chocolate 15K, originally uploaded by haronovich.

Sounds like a perfect race to think about at Easter time!

Sunday, 12 April 2009

2009-04-12T23:11:00.003+10:00

Was looking forward to the long run today. Beautiful day for a run along the beach - sunshine and lots of people enjoying Easter Sunday.

Ran 16km from Sandringham to Elwood and back. Basically followed the marathon course except ran along the bike path.

Felt ok on way out (39.40) with slight tailwind and picked it up on the way back (39.12) to record a small neg split. Legs felt devoid of energy on this one. No zip, a bit lethargic. Thought the pace would feel easier than it did.

Feel like I need a small rest, or some massage on my quads and calves.

Friday, 10 April 2009

2009-04-10T19:14:00.003+10:00

Hmm, not sure how I managed to complete this session as I did. Something is definitely changing. Not sure if it's between my ears or down in my legs???

Today's session called for 10km at mid-tempo pace (4.38min/km). The course I chose was down South Rd, anything but flat, with a rolling downhill for the outbound leg and generally uphill on the return.

I have only run about 5min/km on this course so was not sure how I'd go. Decided to take it easy for the first km then run steady to 5km, trying to 'bank' a few seconds for the way back which would definitely be harder. No real chance of a negative split here.

Felt like I was running too hard on the way out, but just in control, and made 5km in 22.40 (30 seconds under target pace) so knew I could run about 12 sec/km slower on the return to be on target.

Somehow, remarkably, I ran 23.02 for the return (8 sec under target) so overall was 38 seconds under time on a very hard course. Was absolutely stoked (and stuffed)!

Am looking forward to a more gentle paced run on Sunday.

Wednesday, 8 April 2009

2009-04-08T21:45:00.000+10:00

I don't really like running around in the dark. But I suspect I am going to do rather a lot of it over the next six months. There's not much going on down at the Moorabbin Aths Track at night, save for a single light that illuminates a glorious section of 30m on the home straight, the sound of dogs barking at the obedience school on the (well lit) footy oval next door and the thud of fist on punching bag at the hall over the road.

The first session this week was back there for some 1200m repeats. Three sets of 2x 1200m on a target pace of 4.53min with 2min RI between intervals and 4min RI between sets.

I was still tired from the race on Sunday and so had deferred the session for a day to get some extra recovery but I still found this one pretty hard. I don't think that running in darkness not being able to see my watch helped the morale either.

I completed the session (Woo! Hoo!) in rep times of: 5.00/4.54-4.56/4.56-4.57/4.58. So a little slower than target but reasonably consistent.

Happy to get home, showered and fed after this one!

Week 8 Redux (30 Mar-5 Apr)

2009-04-05T18:05:00.004+10:00

What a great week. So different to week 7 where I felt a little dismayed that perhaps the program was too hard for my level of fitness. This week I completed both key sessions in the nominated times and had a great race today at Run for the Kids.

I am looking forward to the next 8 weeks in the lead up to the Sri Chinmoy Half Marathon which is my target event. I am feeling pretty confident that I'll run a good time there.

Week 8 total: 3 runs for 34.42 km in 2:52:51 hrs.
March total: 15 runs for 127.27 km in 11:05:32 hrs.
April total: 3 runs for 34.42 km in 2:52:51 hrs.
Campaign total: 24 runs for 204.44 km in 17:36.20 hrs.

Sunday, 5 April 2009

2009-04-05T17:47:00.006+10:00

Run for the Kids

Substituted the Run for the Kids 14.1km race today for the planned 21km training run. And glad I did too. Whilst I am not following the half marathon plan religiously at the moment I am going to throw in a couple of races in lieu of training.

Today's plan was to run the first 10km nice and steady and hard for the last 4km. And run to plan I did, with the first 10km which includes the tunnel and Bolte Bridge being covered at a HR of 157bpm (45.40min) and the final 4km at 168bpm.

My 'gun time' was 66.38min (adjusted to 64.55min allowing for getting to the start line). Conditions were reasonably cool, ideal for running. I am pretty stoked with this run and time. Felt so good the whole way through!

Friday, 3 April 2009

2009-04-03T23:00:00.002+11:00

Tempo run this evening. A steady 8km looping up to North Rd and down to South Rd. A bit hard to pace right as it is a bit up and down. Ran really well and had plenty in reserve for a strong last km which I did in 4.23 (against a target pace of 4.38). Finished the 8km in 36.46min vs target of 37.04min so pretty happy with that!

Not sure how the legs will hold up for the Run for the Kids on Sunday, but am treating it as another long run session, planning to run easy for 10km then hard to the finish.

Fear and Loathing

2009-04-01T19:06:00.003+11:00

It's not often - actually, never that I can remember - that I would fear a run workout. But after the first two sessions on this new program I had that feeling last night. On both those occasions I have struggled through the sessions, neither quite achieving the time standard set. I was filled with doubt about whether I would be able to complete this program as planned.

So it was with some apprehension that I ran down to the Moorabbin Track this morning on my warm up for what looked a pretty hard set.

w/up to track 2km
1600m hard (target 6.39 vs actual 6.47), 400m easy
3200m hard (target 13.52 vs actual 13.49), 800m easy
2x 800m hard (target 3.12 vs actuals 3.13/3.12), 400m easy
c/down to home 2km
Total: 12km

I was ecstatic! Apart from the 1600m where I found pacing difficult as it was dark and I could not read my watch it went perfectly. The reps were hard but running on the track allowed me to dial-in the pace exactly right.

I feel confident now that this program is spot on for me ... if I can just run to the target pace as indicated.

Spent the rest of the day walking around Melbourne's International Flower and Garden Show so legs are a bit sore this evening.

Week 7 Redux (23-29 Mar)

2009-03-29T20:09:00.003+11:00

This was by far the hardest week yet. Not so much the Tuesday run which was pretty gentle, but the Friday and Sunday runs (on the new program) were pretty tough.

That said, the program says they will be pretty tough so I am not sure that I should be surprised!

Week 7 total: 3 runs for 32.32 km in 2:43.51 hrs.
March total: 15 runs for 127.27 km in 11:05:32 hrs.
Campaign total: 21 runs for 170.02 km in 14:43.29 hrs.

Sunday, 29 March 2009

2009-03-29T20:01:00.003+11:00

Crikey, that was a hard run today! I knew this program wouldn't be easy, but I didn't realise I'd find it so hard from the start.

Somewhere along the course today I realised that this program says Run #3 each week is a long run. It does not say it is an EASY long run. I suppose starting the program at week eight doesn't help either.

In any case today was a 13km run at HMP (Half Marathon Pace) +12 sec/km. The course I did is mostly downhill for the first half and, consequently, the second half is gradually uphill ... just when you don't need it!

But, managed to run 63.54min against a target of 63.42min so essentially right there. But it was no gentle Sunday morning stroll.

Run Less Run Faster

2009-03-27T21:02:00.008+11:00

Had a major epiphany through this week. Bought a book called "Run Less Run Faster" which accompanies the Furman FIRST style of training. Basically this involves 3 Key Runs per week plus 2 cross-training sessions. Their web site is at http://www.furman.edu/first/

Anyway, this appeals to me and is in line with my own experience as a runner which says there is no way I am likely to keep up a program where I run 5 or 6 days per week with mega-miles. I need to have three highly targeted sessions with some cycling thrown in on off-days to keep me going.

So I have decided to follow this program which is for 16-weeks. So for Melbourne Marathon on 11-October that equates to starting on Monday 22-June. I have a Half-Marathon (Sri Chinmoy at Williamstown) on 31-May which I will use as my race by which to set my training paces and will try to complete the last 10-weeks of the half marathon program to take me to that race.

Phew!

So today was my first "Furman" session which I have based on my 10km time from a couple of weeks ago (44.58min).

This is hard!!! I had to complete 2x 1.5km easy (5.28min/km) and 3.5km tempo (4.38min/km) with a cool-down so a total session of 11km. I found pacing pretty hard to set and ended up running a little faster on the easy bits (7.47 and 7.56) and a little slower on the tempo sets (16.21 and 16.48). The second tempo set was surprising as I thought I had run faster than the first one.

Anyway, a great session. Calves held out well though legs a little sore now that I sit down for an hour or two.

Let's see how I cope with the long run on Sunday!

Tuesday, 24 March 2009

2009-03-24T23:24:00.004+11:00

Easy run tonight. An 8.3km loop near home at an easy pace (5.24 min/km). Felt good. But what do you do if your training guide says easy pace should be around 5.32 min/km??? Get a new training guide? Hard to see how I could run any slower.

Still having some niggles with my calves. The right one especially gives a twinge every now and then, even when I am just walking around.

Don't Quit

2009-03-22T16:15:00.002+11:00

046 - Feb 15 - Don't Quit, originally uploaded by ladybugrock.

Pretty much essential advice for the would-be marathon runner.

Week 6 Redux (16-22 Mar)

2009-03-22T15:04:00.002+11:00

Six weeks already!

The runs this week were all easy, though Thursday was meant to be a tempo run but I read the program wrong! My calves have continued to be really sore since the races last week, only coming good on Saturday.

They are a little sore again after the long run today. Must do some more stretching.

My motivation remains high and if I can manage the soreness a little better then I'll be able to ramp up the distance over the next month.

Runs this week were the North Road loop of 6.3km twice, on Tuesday in 35.00 mins and Thursday in 34.03 mins. Both of these were run easy. Today was the long run.

Week 6 total: 2 runs for 24.14 km in 2:14.55 hrs.
March total: 12 runs for 94.95 km in 8:21.41 hrs.
Campaign total: 18 runs for 137.70 km in 11:59.38 hrs.

Sunday, 22 March 2009

2009-03-22T11:30:00.001+11:00

Easy run this morning around the Tan Track with Kim. Did three laps.

It was warm at 9am when we started (about 25 deg's) and we got slower each lap when previously we have got faster. Wore HR monitor for the first time during these runs, wanted to make sure it was around 145-150 bpm average.

Laps were 20.58 (HRAv 143) then 21.35 (148) and 23.19 (144) for a total of 11.54km in 1:05.52hrs (HRAv 145).

I rode to and from the Tan (in a slight headwind both ways); so a good training morning. Calves a little sore again.

Week 5 Redux (9-15 Mar)

2009-03-15T18:03:00.005+11:00

Another three runs this week. Took it easy with no run on Monday or Tuesday as I had a race on Wednesday night and my legs were a little sore from the running in week 4.

Arrived home on Wednesday afternoon then rode into town for the Super Sunset Series finale at the Tan Track. This race was two laps with an extra hike around near the music bowl to bring it to around 4km per lap.

There was a brief thunderstorm just after the start so conditions were a little humid. I covered the 8.14km in 39.30mins with laps in 18.14mins and 21.16mins (the second lap incl. a 2.20min toilet stop!) Even so, I had went out too hard again so did not run as fast as I could have.

My calves were really sore after this race and so my Friday run of 6km to home from the New Balance shop in Highett was at an easy pace.

The third run for the week was another race, this one the Sri Chinmoy event at the Yarra Boulevard. This is a flat, fast course with laps of 5km. I did the 10km event and was determined to run a conservative first half and bring it home strong. I wore the HR monitor to try to help with this.

My target time was under 45mins so I was thrilled with a 44.58min. My laps were in 22.49mins (run steadily at HRAv 156) and a strong second lap in 22.09mins (HRAv 166) including a 4.10min last km. This is my fastest 10km time for many years!

Sri Chinmoy Yarra Boulevard
Find more Runs in Burnley, Australia

Week 5 total: 3 runs for 24.14 km in 1:55.10 hrs.
March total: 9 runs for 70.81 km in 6:06.46 hrs.
Campaign total: 15 runs for 113.56 km in 9:44.43 hrs.

Week 4 Redux (2-8 Mar)

2009-03-08T17:33:00.006+11:00

Spent this week in Queensland so running was my only exercise and escape! But gosh it was warm and humid. Found the humidity hardest to deal with.

Did five runs for the week so that was fantastic. Have not run that often in a week for very long time if ever. Only short runs, but runs nonetheless.

The route I did most often was on the paths around the place where we were staying at Ashmore Palms. This loop, 5.63km in length, was basically a big square, with almost nothing flat! It was mostly up and down and was not easy.

Ashmore Palms Loop map

I ran this first up on Tuesday in 29.30min but had to walk a little due to the humidity and hills which just wore me down. Felt pretty hard that run.

Ran it on Friday and Saturday in 28.37mins and 27.56mins respectively. Much better those times as I got used to the course and conditions.

My long run on Sunday was this same course but with two laps of the block, totalling 10.02km in 55.53mins. I ran this with the HR monitor on and ran very steadily at a HRAv of 145.

On Wednesday I ran along the shore from Main Beach where Fiona and the kids were playing at a park down through to the end of Surfers Paradise. This was 8.22km which I covered in 44.10mins (20.21/23.49). The return leg was very hard and I had to walk often.

Had a laugh though when I bumped into my "mates" Mark 'Jacko' Jackson and his would-be political sidekick Warrick Capper and they said g'day!

Beach Run map

Week 4 total: 5 runs for 35.13 km in 3:06.06 hrs.
March total: 6 runs for 46.67 km in 4:11.36 hrs.
Campaign total: 12 runs for 89.42 km in 7:49.33 hrs.

Week 3 Redux (23 Feb-1 Mar)

2009-03-01T17:07:00.000+11:00

Three runs this week so increasing the frequency for the first time.

The first of these was the Super Sunset Series at Princes Park on Wednesday night. Had to buy some new shorts as I forgot mine at home. Ran the 8.14km in 37.00mins so a good overall time but paced the race all wrong. Tried to run steady for the first lap but got carried away and went too hard. Was struggling by 3km and just had to make do from there to the end. Did the laps in 18.16 and 18.44.

Course Map

The second run was an easy 5km on the loop near home in 25.47min on Friday night.

Finished off the week with another three laps of the Tan Track on Sunday with Kim. We covered the 11.54km in 1:05.30hrs with laps in 22.20/21.53/21.17. Felt good!

Week 3 total: 3 runs for 24.68 km in 2:08.17 hrs.
February total: 6 runs for 42.75 km in 3:37.57 hrs.
March total: 1 run for 11.54 km in 1:05.30 hrs.
Campaign total: 7 runs for 54.29 km in 4:43.27 hrs.

Starting Out

2009-02-22T20:59:00.001+11:00

gtrounson@hotmail.com-2, originally uploaded by garytrounson.

This is what it is all about ... being a part of this great Melbourne event.