Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Training over Christmas
I managed to get through the Christmas period with only one run falling by the wayside. I was planning to do my long run Christmas Eve, but work and family commitments meant getting out the door was not going to happen (without my Christmas stocking ending up on the street).
Saturday 25th December, 7.30 am
16km general endurance - 1:07:05. Ave HR 147
A cool Christmas day. Plenty of babysitters at home and a long session of washing up the previous night allowed for a longer run this morning (presents were posponed till Louis got up from his morning nap). Eased the first half downhill and then worked a bit coming back home. Felt strong, but day off previous day was probably the main reason.
Sunday 26th December, 7.30 am
10km recovery - 43:23. Ave HR 135
Felt really easy, HR down in the 120s on flats and downhills.
Total mileage for week - 74km
Monday 27th December, 7.30am
5km race, 12km total
Flat accurate 5km race around 'the Bay'. Felt sluggish in the first km, but went through in 3:08, so can't complain about speed. Dropped back to 3:20's for the next 2 kms, which was my target pace, but lost my pace in the fourth km (3:35), and didn't push enough at the finish (last km in 3:25). 16:51 total time, which can't complain about, given that the entire race was an aerobic effort, but know I could have gone 16:30 with a bit more mental toughness. I won't be doing anything to address my 5km performance, but will be interested to see what the increased mileage does to my performance next time out. Did a 2km warmup before hand and a 5km cool down.
Tuesday 28th December
8.00am - 10km recovery, 43.59. Ave HR 137
2.30pm - 6km recovery, 25.39. Ave HR 139
My first twice a day for over a year (the Pfitzinger program has a couple of twice a dayers in it, mostly on recovery days). Both runs felt easy, although on the second run I felt a bit stiff.
Saturday 25th December, 7.30 am
16km general endurance - 1:07:05. Ave HR 147
A cool Christmas day. Plenty of babysitters at home and a long session of washing up the previous night allowed for a longer run this morning (presents were posponed till Louis got up from his morning nap). Eased the first half downhill and then worked a bit coming back home. Felt strong, but day off previous day was probably the main reason.
Sunday 26th December, 7.30 am
10km recovery - 43:23. Ave HR 135
Felt really easy, HR down in the 120s on flats and downhills.
Total mileage for week - 74km
Monday 27th December, 7.30am
5km race, 12km total
Flat accurate 5km race around 'the Bay'. Felt sluggish in the first km, but went through in 3:08, so can't complain about speed. Dropped back to 3:20's for the next 2 kms, which was my target pace, but lost my pace in the fourth km (3:35), and didn't push enough at the finish (last km in 3:25). 16:51 total time, which can't complain about, given that the entire race was an aerobic effort, but know I could have gone 16:30 with a bit more mental toughness. I won't be doing anything to address my 5km performance, but will be interested to see what the increased mileage does to my performance next time out. Did a 2km warmup before hand and a 5km cool down.
Tuesday 28th December
8.00am - 10km recovery, 43.59. Ave HR 137
2.30pm - 6km recovery, 25.39. Ave HR 139
My first twice a day for over a year (the Pfitzinger program has a couple of twice a dayers in it, mostly on recovery days). Both runs felt easy, although on the second run I felt a bit stiff.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Getting to here...
You don't get up one day and decide to undertake a marathon training program that starts at 100km/week and peaks at 140km, so I thought I'd give a bit of background on how my running has gotten to this point.
Quick bio:
Took up running when I was 19 - started running with a colleauge at lunch times, and had to get very good, very quickly to keep up. First 10km race Jan 1990 - 40:30.
Did some track running in 1991 while I was living in Melbourne (2:05 800m, 4:34 1500m), then got a bit serious when I move backed to Sydney in 1992. Ran a 10km PB of 37:45 in March, then went to 34:58 in May, then 32:59 in July. Discovered my training (going out and running 10km quickly every day) didn't give me much longevity that season, and was quickly back to 36:00 for 10km. Also ran a 16:08 5000m during this time (and a City to Surf I would rather forget).
In 1993, I got more involved in track running, and got my PBs down to 1:58 for 800m and 4:08 for 1500m. In 1995, I get really serious about track, and ran 50.5 for 400m and 1:54.9 for 800m. Became disillusioned at the end of the season, and didn't run much in winter.
Tried a comeback for 1996, but sprained my ankle after my first session (playing basketball!). Got back into things by just going out and jogging each day. Was soon up to doing 30km runs with the Sydney Striders, and giving the 6:20am group a run for their money. Ran my debut half marathon in Jaunary 1997, running 1:15:45, a PB that remains to this day (but will fall in the next few months!). Was targetting Canberra marathon in 97, but sprained my ankle again two weeks before hand.
From 1997-2001, my running was very sporadic, sometimes going months without training, and often getting injured when I did, trying to make up for lost time. In 2002, I put my head down, and set my sights on the World Masters Games in Melbourne. Once again tried to do too much, too quickly off a miniscule base, and basically couldn't train in the month beforehand. Ended up missing the final (9th fastest qualifier for the 400m and 800m final). But missing these races meant I was refreshed for the 400m hurdles, which I won in a very modest 61 seconds (although I spent about 2 seconds on the blocks to make sure I didn't false start a second time!).
Since then I have trained pretty consistently, missing only one period (Dec 2003-Jan 2004) with injury. 2003 was a pretty good year, with bests of about 16:54 for 5km, 35:20 for 10km and 1:17:20 for the half - ironically all these were set on tough, hilly courses! I also ran my third City to Surf in a PB of 53:20.
This was also the year of my marathon debut, where I was targetting 2:50. Went through halfway in 1:24, feeling good, but at 22km, my calves started cramping, and I was forced to do the next 20km on perserverance alone. Ended up running 3:10:00, which some folk would dream about, but for me it was a very disappointing day (one of only two races I have cried at the end of!). Didn't make any real mistakes, apart from probably doing too big a long run 3 weeks beforehand (38km). Strengthening my calves will be a focus this year, as I have had problems in a couple of other races since then.
Well, my quick bio wasn't that quick, so I will leave this past year for another entry. Quick summary of the last two days running:
Wednesday 22nd December, 6:30pm
16km easy - 1:13:41 (4:36/km) ave HR 143
Had a late lunch (although stuck to the lemon squashes) and had to pull up at about 20 minutes to let my stomach settle (one reason I will stay away from ultras). Took it easy the next few kms, but recovered OK, and managed to complete the session. The schedule said 19km, which I could have done, but I will work towards this over the next couple of weeks.
Thursday 23rd December, 8:30am
10km recovery - 44:31 (4:27/km) ave HR 143
A much more telling recovery run than Mondays, as I had something to recover from. Felt the hills a bit more, and consciously eased back. Planning a long run tomorrow (27km) in lieu of Boxing Day (17km) and the CoolRunning 5km challenge on Monday.
Quick bio:
Took up running when I was 19 - started running with a colleauge at lunch times, and had to get very good, very quickly to keep up. First 10km race Jan 1990 - 40:30.
Did some track running in 1991 while I was living in Melbourne (2:05 800m, 4:34 1500m), then got a bit serious when I move backed to Sydney in 1992. Ran a 10km PB of 37:45 in March, then went to 34:58 in May, then 32:59 in July. Discovered my training (going out and running 10km quickly every day) didn't give me much longevity that season, and was quickly back to 36:00 for 10km. Also ran a 16:08 5000m during this time (and a City to Surf I would rather forget).
In 1993, I got more involved in track running, and got my PBs down to 1:58 for 800m and 4:08 for 1500m. In 1995, I get really serious about track, and ran 50.5 for 400m and 1:54.9 for 800m. Became disillusioned at the end of the season, and didn't run much in winter.
Tried a comeback for 1996, but sprained my ankle after my first session (playing basketball!). Got back into things by just going out and jogging each day. Was soon up to doing 30km runs with the Sydney Striders, and giving the 6:20am group a run for their money. Ran my debut half marathon in Jaunary 1997, running 1:15:45, a PB that remains to this day (but will fall in the next few months!). Was targetting Canberra marathon in 97, but sprained my ankle again two weeks before hand.
From 1997-2001, my running was very sporadic, sometimes going months without training, and often getting injured when I did, trying to make up for lost time. In 2002, I put my head down, and set my sights on the World Masters Games in Melbourne. Once again tried to do too much, too quickly off a miniscule base, and basically couldn't train in the month beforehand. Ended up missing the final (9th fastest qualifier for the 400m and 800m final). But missing these races meant I was refreshed for the 400m hurdles, which I won in a very modest 61 seconds (although I spent about 2 seconds on the blocks to make sure I didn't false start a second time!).
Since then I have trained pretty consistently, missing only one period (Dec 2003-Jan 2004) with injury. 2003 was a pretty good year, with bests of about 16:54 for 5km, 35:20 for 10km and 1:17:20 for the half - ironically all these were set on tough, hilly courses! I also ran my third City to Surf in a PB of 53:20.
This was also the year of my marathon debut, where I was targetting 2:50. Went through halfway in 1:24, feeling good, but at 22km, my calves started cramping, and I was forced to do the next 20km on perserverance alone. Ended up running 3:10:00, which some folk would dream about, but for me it was a very disappointing day (one of only two races I have cried at the end of!). Didn't make any real mistakes, apart from probably doing too big a long run 3 weeks beforehand (38km). Strengthening my calves will be a focus this year, as I have had problems in a couple of other races since then.
Well, my quick bio wasn't that quick, so I will leave this past year for another entry. Quick summary of the last two days running:
Wednesday 22nd December, 6:30pm
16km easy - 1:13:41 (4:36/km) ave HR 143
Had a late lunch (although stuck to the lemon squashes) and had to pull up at about 20 minutes to let my stomach settle (one reason I will stay away from ultras). Took it easy the next few kms, but recovered OK, and managed to complete the session. The schedule said 19km, which I could have done, but I will work towards this over the next couple of weeks.
Thursday 23rd December, 8:30am
10km recovery - 44:31 (4:27/km) ave HR 143
A much more telling recovery run than Mondays, as I had something to recover from. Felt the hills a bit more, and consciously eased back. Planning a long run tomorrow (27km) in lieu of Boxing Day (17km) and the CoolRunning 5km challenge on Monday.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Sparkie's first post
Well , despite being a technology person, when it comes to stuff like blogs (and mobile phones) I am definitely a 'late adopter'. However, as others on Coolrunning.com.au are proudly baring their souls, I've decided to join the mob - and let's face it, runners have never been cool.
This blog will basically cover my training for April's Canberra marathon. My aim is to run sub 2:40. I will be following the Pete Pfitzinger training program from "Advanced Marathoning" and doing the 12 week plan for 70+ miles. As Canberra is 16 weeks away, I will be doing to first week a few times, which is probably necessary, as Christmas may make a couple of long runs hard to come by. Training officially started on Monday (20th December) as follows:
Monday 20th December - 12:00pm
10km recovery (not that I was recovering from much) - 42.57. Ave HR 139
I wish all runs felt this good. Some stiffness in my right heel from a silly interval session last week.
Tuesday 21st December - 7:30am
12km general endurace - 51:38. Ave HR 146
Worked harder towards the end, but this was mainly due to hills. Had scheduled some 100m strides, but will hold off these until the heel is fully healed (pardon the pun).
I will add some background in the next few days (I am new to this whole blogging thing), to give an idea of my background and training to date.
This blog will basically cover my training for April's Canberra marathon. My aim is to run sub 2:40. I will be following the Pete Pfitzinger training program from "Advanced Marathoning" and doing the 12 week plan for 70+ miles. As Canberra is 16 weeks away, I will be doing to first week a few times, which is probably necessary, as Christmas may make a couple of long runs hard to come by. Training officially started on Monday (20th December) as follows:
Monday 20th December - 12:00pm
10km recovery (not that I was recovering from much) - 42.57. Ave HR 139
I wish all runs felt this good. Some stiffness in my right heel from a silly interval session last week.
Tuesday 21st December - 7:30am
12km general endurace - 51:38. Ave HR 146
Worked harder towards the end, but this was mainly due to hills. Had scheduled some 100m strides, but will hold off these until the heel is fully healed (pardon the pun).
I will add some background in the next few days (I am new to this whole blogging thing), to give an idea of my background and training to date.
