Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Back on track
After Sunday's brilliant long run, Monday saw an easy 8km in 36 minutes. Tuesday I headed to Narabeen track to do some intervals, and upped my 800m intervals from last week to 1200m, to try and get a bit more time in my VO2 range. The tartan surface made for some good rythym, and I rolled the first five out on target - 3:58/3:56/3:56/3:57/3:57 and in an effort to shake my 'soft' tag, ran the last 1200m in 3:42 - with the last 400m strong, and the last 200 flat out (31 seconds).. Really happy with my form, and all-in-all the workout felt very comfortable - almost threshold intensity at times. I will add another lap next week, and attempt 6x1600m, once again avoiding the urge to increase the pace. Today (Wednesday) I did 10km with 6km strong - maybe a bit too strong - three successive 3:48kms in the middle. However, HR stayed below 160, so defintely under threshold. Feeling a bit tired, so I will substitute tomorrows threshold session with an easy 12km.
On the double decathlon front, I hooked up with a coach willing to coach a novice like myself, and have my first session next Monday afternoon. Will have to invest in some equipment shortly - not sure how I am going to fit a javelin in the Alfa. Plan to make Monday afternoons a permanent gig at Narabeen, mixing throws with intervals.
I also contacted David Purdon, the Australian double-decathlon record holder, who confirmed that the 2006 world champs are definitely in Bendigo - late October next year. However, there is no scheduled competitions in Australia prior to that, so I will either have to stage my own, travel overseas or go into the World Champs as my first ever event (which I would prefer not to do). On the plus side, this frees me up to do the State and National Veterans champs in April next year, where I will enter as many events as I can to simulate the double (actually, I will probably not do this at nartionals, and rather target a couple of good performances, hopefully the 800 and 1500m).
Strider 10km at Homebush this Saturday - promised some people I would try and run a sub-35 with them, but if they are not keen, then I will probably target a more aggressive pace. The ease with which I am handling 3;20/km hopefully points to something closer to 34 minutes. However, times are not important at this stage, so I am more than happy to pace the 35 minute bus. Skipping tomorrows threshold session should allow me to freshen up a bit - I am finding myself more tired that usual, which is not surprising.
28/09/2005 11:30 am
Workout Type: Endurance - Medium Endurance
Course: Church Point
Distance: 10
Time: 41:10
Speed: 4:07 min/km
Average HR: 151
Comments: 10km with 6km strong - felt a bit tired from yesterday, but quite comfortable - still coming to terms with running 3:48/km with a HR under 160.
Target Pace: Steady (4:20 min/km )
27/09/2005 4:30 pm
Workout Type: Speed - Pace Intervals
Course: Narabeen
Distance: 13.2
Time: 64:00
Speed: 4:51 min/km
Average HR:
Comments: Felt a bit sluggish at the start, but got into a groove as the workout progressed - felt very quick in the warm up. Strung together a good series of intervals - with a very strong last interval. Wound up the last interval, with 31 seconds for last 200m. Very comfortable almost too easy - not tired at the end of the each interval. Not sure where to from here - longer intervals or faster pace?
Target Pace: VO2 (3:23 min/km )
26/09/2005 12:00 pm
Workout Type: Endurance - Short Endurance
Course: Church Point
Distance: 8
Time: 36:10
Speed: 4:31 min/km
Average HR: 140
Comments: Easy recovery run - felt fine
Target Pace: Easy (4:37 min/km )
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Has it been 12 days?
I will do a RunDiary.net drag and drop special to catch up, with some highlights being:
Sunday 25th - A 26km hilly run @ 4:15/km - a completely new pace for me for a long run. Consecutive 5km splits of 21:31/21:26/21:23/21:24/20:53 and a 3:49 last km. A really encouraging bit of feedback on my fitness - running sub 4:10/kms with my HR at 145 is unknown for me. Despite the pace and the hills, finished feeling pretty fresh - could have gone much further.
Thursday 22nd - Despite tanking on Wednesday and pushing this run back a day to fit in a rest day, I managed to put together 13 consecutive sub-4 minute kms whilst feeling comfortable. A great run.
Monday 19th - My first proper interval session - 400m track and spikes! Was aiming to do 8x800m in 2:40, but despite holding back, still averaged 2:35, feeling very comfortable. A hugely encouraging run - I am debating whether to increase my pace, but will probably up my rep distance instead to make this workout harder - 6x1200 scheduled this week.
All in all my training is going really well, although I have thrown in a couple of extra recovery days as a precaution when I am tired or niggley. Unfortunately, in the past when I have felt like this, the wheels have tended to fall off shortly afterwards, hence the caution with recovery days. My next goal is to break 35 minutes for 10km at Homebush on Saturday, something I am quietly confident of doing. A few weeks break from racing to attend to personal commitments, and then onto the track in earnest.
13/09/2005 1:15 pm
Workout Type: Endurance - Short Endurance
Course: Eastern Way
Distance: 9
Time: 42:11
Speed: 4:41 min/km
Average HR: 145
Comments: Easy recovery run - felt really comfortable, with no soreness from Sunday -
Target Pace: Easy (4:37 min/km )
14/09/2005 1:00 pm
Workout Type: Endurance - Medium Endurance
Course: Mt Colah
Distance: 16
Time: 1:08:37
Speed: 4:17 min/km
Average HR: 161
Comments:
Target Pace: Steady (4:20 min/km )
15/09/2005 1:15 pm
Workout Type: Strength - Tempo Intervals
Course: Loretto
Distance: 15
Time: 1:03:37
Speed: 4:14 min/km
Average HR: 158
Comments: Given the strong headwind, this was a good session, with the third rep only straying by 3 sec a km, and the first averaging 3:40. Strong, but a little flat from yesterday's strong run.
Target Pace: Anaerobic Threshold (3:45/km )
16/09/2005 8:45 am
Workout Type: Endurance - Short Endurance
Course: Church Point
Distance: 8
Time: 38:07
Speed: 4:46 min/km
Average HR: 142
Comments: Easy recovery run - felt great.
Target Pace: Easy (4:37 min/km )
18/09/2005
Workout Type: Endurance - Medium Endurance
Course: Pennant Hills Loop+
Distance: 16.16
Time: 1:13:53
Speed: 4:34 min/km
Average HR: 138
Comments: First 12km loop easy, then kicked down a bit over the second shorter loop. Felt fantastic - really easy and the HR really low for such a hilly course.
Target Pace: Easy (4:37 min/km )
19/09/2005 2:30 pm
Workout Type: Speed - Pace Intervals
Course: Pennant Hills Park
Distance: 13
Time: 60:24
Speed: 4:39 min/km
Average HR: 144
Comments: Felt brilliant - running realy within myself, and very comfortably. Walk recoveries helped - will move to jog next time, but still a very encouraging session.
Target Pace: VO2 (3:23 min/km )
20/09/2005 10:30 am
Workout Type: Endurance - Short Endurance
Course: Church Point
Distance: 8
Time: 35:38
Speed: 4:27 min/km
Average HR:
Comments: Easy recovery run - felt fine
Target Pace: Easy (4:37 min/km )
22/09/2005 6:30 am
Workout Type: Endurance - Medium Endurance
Course: Church Point
Distance: 16
Time: 1:04:07
Speed: 4:00 min/km
Average HR:
Comments: 16 with middle 13km at a strong, steady pace. Felt fantastic, with each km under 4:00 pace. A really good run, challenging but controlled and well within myself.
Target Pace: Steady (4:20 min/km )
24/09/2005 7:15 am
Workout Type: Endurance - Short Endurance
Course: Epping Rd
Distance: 7
Time: 33:07
Speed: 4:44 min/km
Average HR: 149
Comments: Easy recovery run - no issues
Target Pace: Steady (4:20 min/km )
25/09/2005 2:15 pm
Workout Type: Endurance - Long Endurance
Course: Epping Rd
Distance: 26
Time: 1:50:39
Speed: 4:15 min/km
Average HR: 149
Comments: A really strong run - 4:15/km over 26 hilly kms is a new level of long running for me.
Target Pace: Steady (4:20 min/km )
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
A week and a Half
A week of tapering also saw some tapering (or total abandonment) of my blogging. So a brief recap of the week. leading up to the half.
Monday I did a set of 6 x 600s in 2 minutes, with a 300m jog recovery. Short and sharp, and pretty comfortable. Tuesday was an easy 14km in 62:48, but come Wednesday morning my legs were feeling the effects of the 38km I'd done since the 10km race on Saturday, and followng some sensible advice from the CoolRunning fraternity, I had a day off. Easy 8km on Thursday, no running Friday and an easy Saturday seemed like an ideal taper, yet for some reason my legs felt wrecked on Saturday morning, and when I jogged to the station at 5:30am on Sunday, I felt like crap. It was looking like a tough race, but when I feel like this, it usually turns out OK.
A fairly detailed description of my race is on CoolRunning so I won't reiterate too much. Main facts from the race:
- 79.40 finishing time - slower than i was hoping for, but looking at other results, very pleasing
- had a great race, with a strong second half that pretty much saw me evenly split the race (37:40 and 38:00 for the two 10km splits)
- had a great duel with Cam Arnold over the last 3.1 km, and managed a very strong finish, with the last km in 3:05 (it was mostly downhill) - good feedback on how I am running mentally
- 27th place (give or take) - my highest placing in a big race like this
As this race was primarily a test of my base fitness, I was very happy to run so strongly. Without being arrogant, I ran within myself, and had plenty left at the finish (even if it didn't feel like it at times). This is not to say that I cruised the race - I couldn't have run much faster - but rather, I was still running in a lower gear, and there is pleny of potential to build on this base (although I won't be doing another half till next winter). I will talk about my training philosophy for the next three months in my next post, but to achieve this result on low miles and virtually no fast work, was encouraging to say the least.
An interesting thing I noticed. I was struggling after about 6km (which was run in 21:48 - 3:34/km), and the City-West link during a downpour is not the most uplifting of places. At the turn-around I had dropped back to over 3:45/km and wasn't feeling too flash. Then as I passed runners coming in the other direction, and starting getting encouragement (the CoolRunning singlet being fairly prominent), I subconciously lifted, and got myself back into the race. Never underestimate the value of a cheer if you are tempted to give one - I am deeply indebted to everyone who did.
After the race, I spent a couple of hours cheering the marathon folk in on the Cahill Expressway, which was both a brilliant ad for CoolRunning, and quite an emotional experience on its own - to see people raise a smile after 41kms, or offer their thanks for the encouragement (some Japanese people stopped to shake everyone' hand) more than compensated for standing on tired legs in the sun. Big kudos to the Owl, who started this tradition at the SMH Half, although she places the credit with Aunty Karin at Canberra. Nonetheless, a great tradition that is being replicated at races around the country.
With the Half out of the way, it has signalled the end of my unfortunately brief base-building, and marked the transition into faster racing, and a proper focus on the Double Decathlon.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Knot the greatest race
After playing it coy for the last few races, I decided to set a big public goal of sub 35-minutes for the Strider's 10km on Saturday, with the aim of running fairly even 3:30/km splits. Felt great over the first km, and despite deliberately holding myself back, went through in 3:23. The second km was also sub 3:30, and I was feeling comfortable. At about 3km, however, irony decided to strike. I had been listening to Pat Carrol's interview with Steve Monegetti on the way to the race, and his advice for race day was to control the things you could control. One of these things would be doing your shoelaces up properly, but for the first time I can recall, my lace came undone. Cursing to myself (acutally I think it was a bit louder than that), I stopped to do it up, but a combination of cold hands and a desire to get back on the pace saw me do a single knot. Managed to get back on 3:30 pace, although probably a bit sooner than was prudent. Sure enough, just before 5km, the shoelace went again, and a longer delay (involving a double knot) ensued. Sub-35 was officially out the window, and the focus was on salvaging the race.
Felt pretty demotivated from 5-7km (not least because a rampaging Marty Harris shot past me at the turn-around), but wasn't running flat-out, and was pacing nicely off Cameron Arnold. When he went after a runner in front, I went with him, and at that point started to feel strong again. Went past a few people between 8 and 9km and then picked up the pace to sub 3:20 for the last km, crossing the line in 35:39. From conservative estimates, I would have lost at least 40 seconds tying my laces (I will ALWAYS do double knots from now on) so theoretically I ran 10km in less the 35 minutes!
Despite the turn of events, I got a lot of positive encouragement out of the race - mainly to be back running at that pace so easily, and off so little training (this didn't hit home until I did a monthly summary recently, and noticed I'd only done 50km a month in May and June, meaning July and August have been my only real training months). Once again the temptation to change my training to chase short-term improvements is great (particularly with a certain Mr Harris setting the pace), but as I slowly start to introduce more VO2 max work into my training, these improvements should come anyway. A while back I said that I wanted to run 10km under 35 minutes purely on strength training, and I pretty much accomplished that on Saturday, so I am very happy with the way things are going. I am feeling really motivated about my running right now, and will be now focusing on two things:
a) sticking to the program - not chopping and changing runs, and certainly not MISSING any through poor time planning
b) focusing on the supplemental activities - stretching, strength work, diet, rest, warm-up and cool-down. The current program is working well, so my main risk is getting injured and I will try and do everything I can to avoid that.
Took advantage of the Father's Day lie-in card to avoid the Sunday morning rain. Headed out at just before 6:00pm, and knowing I had to be back to do a the 7:00 bath, did an easy 14km in 68:39.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
5km challenge - twice
Saturday 27th August
I had Decided earlier in the week to use the Challenge as a threshold session, and a few people were hoping to pace off me, so there was no changing my mind (which was unlikely anyway after an ordinary night's sleep). Blue Dog and Lone Wolf were both looking to break 18:40, so I decided to try and give them a slight buffer, but ran as closely to even pace as I could. Funnily enough, there were a few comments at the start about how easy the pace was (as boof and co disappeared into the distance).
First km was a little quick in 3:37, but Blue Dog was sticking right on my heals. Second km was 3:38 and as a tribute to the technological marvel that is Garmin, the third km was also 3:38. The cement overpasses near 4km upset the Garmin a bit, which had us down for a 3:31 fourth km (more like 3:36). Blue Dog was still there, and some quick maths said a 3:30 last km would get us under 18 miuntes. Alas, as I picked up the pace a bit, the Doggie start to drop off, and despite dropping back and picking it up a few times, there was to be no sub-18 today. A silly sprint by me at the end saw a finishing time of 18:09.
I was aboslutely stoked by this - firstly because Blue Dog pulled a massive 21 second PB, but also because the pace felt so comfortable - apart from the last 200m, I wasn't really breathing heavily at all - compared to my 18:03 last month where I struggled from about 2km onwards.
Whether I can hold this pace for the full 21km I am not sure, but it was a great boost for my confidence leading into the Sydney Half. The even pacing was also encouraging.
Unfortunately, I had committed to doing the return leg at a similar speed, so after five minutes of chatting (making this a very unsocial run), I headed back. km splits of 3:39, 3:44, 3:39, 3:37 and 3:34 (plus 11 seconds for Garmin rounding) saw a return 5km in 18:27. This one was tougher, with the last km a bit of a push, but still comfortably in my threshold level. I am hoping that the last 200m of the first one - around 36 seconds - was what did the damage, as I would like to be feeling better at the mid-way point of the half than I did at the end of todays run.
Put off running on Sunday morning, and back-burning made a long run Sunday night unwise, so a big fat zero for Sunday.
Monday 29th August
Headed off to Loretto planning 5 x 900 in 3:00 with 300m jog recovery. Did a proper warm-up and rolled through the first one in 2:57, before a seas of lacrosse sticks appeared on the horizon, and the school had the hide to want to use its sporting ovals for sport. Thought about changing the sessino to some speed work, and did 200m intervals to that effect, but it just didn't feel right, so I headed back to my street (about 650m with a nice uphill gradient) and did four intervals of that. Popped them out in 2:26/2:26/2:28 and 2:27 which was close to my best, yet felt comfortable and controlled (well controlled anyway, there is a sharp rise about 200m from the finish that certain increase lactate production). Recovery runs were not a shuffle, so I was really glad to recover a session I could have easily abandoned.
Tuesday 30th August
Work deadlines meant time was tight, so I slipped out for an easy 7.5 km run, at about 4:30/km. felt comfortable on the flat surface.
Wednesday 31st August
Saturday had obviously gotten to my head, as once again dealing with time pressures I tired to compact my workout, and aimed to do an 8km tempo run 3:45/km, However, the slight gradient at Loretto, coupled with the grass surface meant that I was pushing to hold 3:45/km, before even thinking about 3:38. Did 5km in 18:46 - 1 second over target pace, but felt that pushing further would take me beyond threshold running, so pulled up stumps. 2km eaither side, for a total of 9km in 38:46. Not the greatest session ever (particularly as there was a young girl using the oval that was matching me stride for stride, and looked very comfortable), but solid and I stuck it out.
I'm planning the Striders 10km on Saturday, and have decided that it is time to test myself, so I am planning to go out at 3:30/km for as long as I can, and make a valiant effort at getting back under 35 mintues (for the first time since 1996!). I don't think this will be the month, as I have done very little VO2 work, but I have done enough racing within myself, and it's time to test what I am capable of. It will also be a good hitout for the Sydney Half the following week, and should give me a good idea of what time I can expect in the longer race.
