the start of the week found me feeling a little wasted. with all this training it is to be expected but i'm always surprised how quickly it hits me. it's not always gradual where i can feel that i'm digging a little deeper into my well of fatigue each day but it usually smacks me in the face either during the first few minutes of a morning run or an hour or so into a longer run leaving me stranded and far from home. the long ones are probably good sessions which i can call on during race day for developing mental strength...
another week of training...
saturday: 28k - 2:14 - trail run
after logging 43k yesterday i expected to feeling tired but surprised myself with a good run up to the oaks gate and back. the return was in the dark at quicker than marathon pace fueled with adrenaline.
sunday: 21.22k - 1:38 - easy run
worked all day and stopped at nepean river for a couple of loops around the streets. planned on going longer but got bored with the run and decided to head back to the car and head home.
monday: am) 10k - - 0:41 - easy run
easy run to work with the pack loaded up.
pm) 13k - 1:03 - steady run
steady run home. felt good on the climb and finished with a nice easy 3k with monty the dog.
tuesday: nothing
i was tired when i woke and put off my morning run. with the morning off work and with the kids in tow i headed down to the plaza to do a little shopping and ended up there for about 5 hours. by the time the afternoon rolled around i was stuffed, my feet and legs were killing me and any thought of heading out for a run was forgotten.
wednesday: 14.4km - 1:06 - easy run
tried to add a little enjoyment to the run and headed up some side tracks and hills following the powerlines. nice little trails were found but they were too short. need to find an alternative lunch time run route.
thursday: triple run day
thought i would try something different and run three times today to gauge how quickly i can recover between sessions and experiment to see if any fitness benefits can be obtained from this method of training. i'll try and do some more next week.
am) 10k - 0:46 easy
lunch) 15k - 1:13 hill repeats/tempo
pm) 14.11k - 1:16 easy/steady on climb
total for day: 39.11k - 3:15
while the legs were tired going into the second run i headed down along the river and ran a couple of kilometres at tempo pace before reaching the bottom of the start of the sanctuary drive. ran eight repeats at a solid effort and felt comfortable which suggested i probably should have worked harder but i was thinking of running a few more repeats before heading back but the time got away from me and i needed to be at a meeting (which ended up being cancelled). cruised on the way back and felt good.
post-run food consumed: several bananas, 1.2kg of seeded grapes
i wasn't planning or expecting anything from the run home but just hoped that i wouldn't struggle. the run actually felt good and i managed to put in another strong effort on the climb up mitchells and through explorers estate. hunger was the only thing that was on my mind.
post-run food consumed: half a bag of dates, 1 thai drinking coconut, oranges and apples until satisfied.
friday: nothing yet
contemplating a rest day before a big weekend to freshen up and restore depleted glycogen but need to take the dog out when i get home so will probably head out for an hour or so. actually before posting this weekly update i have now decided to try doing some short sprints during my run and then i'll head back home and do some secret training in the garage. i'm definitely sick...
week total: probably end up around 140km
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
training mileage pb...
last week was full of challenges - getting sick, taking a few rest days and getting back into it to still come out at the end with a good week of running. but as i was looking at my training log during the weekend i added up the mileage and saw that i was on track to run my first training week (seven consecutive days) over 200 kilometres. i may have done it in the past but i can't remember as i am often sporadic in my record keeping. i'll claim this as my first...
none of my workouts are indicative of my form at the moment so my confidence going into north face is not high but i'm hoping that the steady training volume will give me the endurance to go the distance. another two or three weeks to build and a short taper to avoid feeling stale will hopefully leave me feeling strong and fresh on race day.
seven day summary:
7 days, 9 runs, 16:56 hours, 124.41 miles (200.22 kilometres), 5:04 average pace...
- no niggles, legs feel loose but tired with fatigue, lungs and sinus clearing... game on!
none of my workouts are indicative of my form at the moment so my confidence going into north face is not high but i'm hoping that the steady training volume will give me the endurance to go the distance. another two or three weeks to build and a short taper to avoid feeling stale will hopefully leave me feeling strong and fresh on race day.
seven day summary:
7 days, 9 runs, 16:56 hours, 124.41 miles (200.22 kilometres), 5:04 average pace...
- no niggles, legs feel loose but tired with fatigue, lungs and sinus clearing... game on!
Monday, April 13, 2009
fighting illness...
with the lungs heavily congested i gave in to sickness and decided to not run for a couple of days. i was excited about logging some big miles over the easter long weekend but in the end it would have been a struggle which wouldn't have been good for me physically or mentally.
saturday & sunday: - sick - no running
monday: 4:20 - course recon
another early start (4am). parked at explorers tree and ran the long loop (scenic drive) around to echo point and down the giant stairs on to federal pass. followed federal pass pass the scenic railway and through the landslide and on to the climb up the golden stairs. struggled to find the energy to get up the stairs and i was bummed. starting thinking that running long while sick is not the best idea. finally got up the top onto narrowneck and after a short food and drink stop got going again. i ran most of the climbs except for the steeper sections and went ok out to tarros ladder. at this stage i contemplated whether to continue on to dunphys or head back via the road (glenraphael?) and take the return journey along scenic drive back to the start. with time being the deciding factor i headed back along the road. i enjoyed the run back and was happy that i made the right decision. need to get over this chest infection and find my strength again.
tuesday: 1:10 - easy run - waterside/whitewater loop
felt tough during the middle 40 minutes but i used it to work on my mental strength and finished the run moving strongly. starting to feel better but legs are tender from yesterday's run - all those stairs.
wednesday: 1:10 - easy run w/ hills
it was hot and i didn't feel so good. definitely didn't hydrate sufficiently in the lead up and i paid the price. struggled through and ran the climbs which was a little encouraging. enough said about the run though.
thursday: am) 1:08 + 0:43 - easy runs
sleep: 4 hrs
shoes: nike pegasus (first run) and asics racing flats (second run)
met up with the bmcc crew for a run around streets, trails and hills of blaxland. didn't start out feeling too good but by the end i felt like i had blown out some of the junk. talk of big mileage runner anton k has motivated me to start putting in some higher mileage to see how my body will respond. just need to get over this illness.
after a short stop at home to feed the kids, share a coffee with my wife and grab my pack i headed out for the run to work. i expected worse but was surprised how good my legs felt. thankfully there were no uphills to test the lungs. the test will come on my return home run this afternoon.
pm) 0:55 - steady run
shoes: asics speedstars(?)
food (after): bananas, grapes, dates and about 2 litres of water
great run home. was totally surprised that my legs felt good and i could run the uphills solid. good tempo effort up mitchells pass and really pushed it up through explorers. a good day of training.
friday: am) 27 km - 2:15 - easy run
sleep: 4.5hrs shoes: nike pegasus
food (before): black coffee, 1/2 banana
food (after): 2 bowls cornflakes w/ banana & honey, 3 boiled eggs + more coffee
i had arranged to meet up with scurry down at the river for a run so decided rather than drive down i would run and add an extra hour. after yesterday arvo's effort i was feeling a little tired and my pace reflected it but i managed to keep on running. still coughing and spluttering on the phlegm that has invaded my lungs and sinuses but felt good going up mitchells and through the estate. not fast but didn't fade. tried to work on my mental strength during this run thinking about runners/adventurers and their great feats such as running across continents, setting speed records over long trails and climbing to the top of the world. really worked and helped to keep pushing through the fatigue. something i'll keep working on in the weeks to come.
pm) 1:10 - recovery run
shoes: asics speedstars
food (2h before): berry yoghurt, banana, loads of water
food (after): nut, seed and dried fruit mix + about 1kg seeded grapes
planned loop out to whitewater stadium via waterside estate. this run is becoming the standard lunch loop.
total: 151 km (94 miles) of running
a surprisingly high volume week considering that i am fighting illness and took two days off over the weekend. starting to feel stronger again as i recover. hope it continues...
saturday & sunday: - sick - no running
monday: 4:20 - course recon
another early start (4am). parked at explorers tree and ran the long loop (scenic drive) around to echo point and down the giant stairs on to federal pass. followed federal pass pass the scenic railway and through the landslide and on to the climb up the golden stairs. struggled to find the energy to get up the stairs and i was bummed. starting thinking that running long while sick is not the best idea. finally got up the top onto narrowneck and after a short food and drink stop got going again. i ran most of the climbs except for the steeper sections and went ok out to tarros ladder. at this stage i contemplated whether to continue on to dunphys or head back via the road (glenraphael?) and take the return journey along scenic drive back to the start. with time being the deciding factor i headed back along the road. i enjoyed the run back and was happy that i made the right decision. need to get over this chest infection and find my strength again.
tuesday: 1:10 - easy run - waterside/whitewater loop
felt tough during the middle 40 minutes but i used it to work on my mental strength and finished the run moving strongly. starting to feel better but legs are tender from yesterday's run - all those stairs.
wednesday: 1:10 - easy run w/ hills
it was hot and i didn't feel so good. definitely didn't hydrate sufficiently in the lead up and i paid the price. struggled through and ran the climbs which was a little encouraging. enough said about the run though.
thursday: am) 1:08 + 0:43 - easy runs
sleep: 4 hrs
shoes: nike pegasus (first run) and asics racing flats (second run)
met up with the bmcc crew for a run around streets, trails and hills of blaxland. didn't start out feeling too good but by the end i felt like i had blown out some of the junk. talk of big mileage runner anton k has motivated me to start putting in some higher mileage to see how my body will respond. just need to get over this illness.
after a short stop at home to feed the kids, share a coffee with my wife and grab my pack i headed out for the run to work. i expected worse but was surprised how good my legs felt. thankfully there were no uphills to test the lungs. the test will come on my return home run this afternoon.
pm) 0:55 - steady run
shoes: asics speedstars(?)
food (after): bananas, grapes, dates and about 2 litres of water
great run home. was totally surprised that my legs felt good and i could run the uphills solid. good tempo effort up mitchells pass and really pushed it up through explorers. a good day of training.
friday: am) 27 km - 2:15 - easy run
sleep: 4.5hrs shoes: nike pegasus
food (before): black coffee, 1/2 banana
food (after): 2 bowls cornflakes w/ banana & honey, 3 boiled eggs + more coffee
i had arranged to meet up with scurry down at the river for a run so decided rather than drive down i would run and add an extra hour. after yesterday arvo's effort i was feeling a little tired and my pace reflected it but i managed to keep on running. still coughing and spluttering on the phlegm that has invaded my lungs and sinuses but felt good going up mitchells and through the estate. not fast but didn't fade. tried to work on my mental strength during this run thinking about runners/adventurers and their great feats such as running across continents, setting speed records over long trails and climbing to the top of the world. really worked and helped to keep pushing through the fatigue. something i'll keep working on in the weeks to come.
pm) 1:10 - recovery run
shoes: asics speedstars
food (2h before): berry yoghurt, banana, loads of water
food (after): nut, seed and dried fruit mix + about 1kg seeded grapes
planned loop out to whitewater stadium via waterside estate. this run is becoming the standard lunch loop.
total: 151 km (94 miles) of running
a surprisingly high volume week considering that i am fighting illness and took two days off over the weekend. starting to feel stronger again as i recover. hope it continues...
Sunday, April 5, 2009
night trail run
finding some available running time is sometimes difficult with a large family and work obligations. so in order to get the back-to-back long runs in this weekend i went out and did my first night trail run. so after working all day on some house renovations at my parents house i stayed home long enough to enjoy some time with the family, cook dinner and bath the little ones before driving up to leura. i parked the car at 8:00pm at the fairmont resort and planned on running from the start to CP1 up to CP4 and back down sublime ridge to CP5 and on to the finish. well that was the plan...
i found the trails and made it to CP1 (up Golden Stairs) up to CP4 and back down Stairs and on to the federal pass again but i couldn't locate the trail onto sublime. ended up running back to leura cascades and ran to echo point on a track i can't remember the name of. came out onto the road (cliff drive) and decided that with over 3:30 of running the road might be the quicker option back to the car. i felt amazingly strong on the climb up from leura cascades and ran it hard with the aim of depleting my energy reserves but at the top i still felt good. at the top i found i park i remembered running through and jumped back on the track and ran past gordon falls and golf links lookout and back onto gladstone road. with 15 minutes left before midnight i dropped my bag off at the car and ran a hard loop through the streets of leura. was very quiet out. what a run!
the week so far...
saturday: 32 km - 2:40 - long
ran up to springwood and back. felt stiff at start but loosened up. pain in groin midway through run was distressing. stretched and soak in hot bath after run helped.
sunday: 30+km - 4:05 - 1200m climbing - course recon (night trail run)
ran from start to CP1 to CP4 down stairs and back with exporational side trips to lookouts, deadends and unknown trails... energy-wise probably the best run i've had in some time. legs felt strong running all stairs except for the steep slippery metal ones. very quiet on track with the exception of the numerous waterfalls.
monday: 16 km - 1:08 (4:15/km) - recovery run
planned recovery run but 45 minutes into the run completely bonked. last 20 minutes was all about survival but did managed to pick up the pace. good depletion session training my body and mind to run hard when tired. post run recovery strategy - one litre of water followed up with two kg of bananas 20 minutes later and feeling better...
tuesday: 16.5 km - 1:10 (4:15/km)
the problem of gaining fitness is knowing when to back off and allow your body to recover and absorb the training. in regards of getting in some recovery today's run was a dismal failure. i spotted previous 100k team mate gpb and thought it would be nice to catch up with him so i quickly parked the car and chased after him. it took 3k to finally catch him which splits of under 4min pace and the result was that i was a little toasted but feeling good. we ran together catching up and holding 4:15 pace until we parted ways. of course i should have backed off here but didn't and for the next few kilometres i turned it up a little more. finally reached the car and had a little stretch and food before driving home. struggled through the rest of the night and had to force any food into me - stomach wasn't happy.
wednesday: 7 km - 0:35 - recovery
with less than 4 hours sleep i canned any thoughts of running long this morning and thought an hour should do it. but facing an hour of running my body revolted and decided that it had had enough. so i listened and headed home. good call!
thursday: sick!!! - about 1:00 - easy running
went to bed sick and woke up feeling worse. will head out at lunch but will (bolded and underline to emphasise the importance to me of taking it easy) take it very easy. need to feel better to go into the long weekend with all guns blazing, firing on all cyclinders,... yeah you get the idea!
*** i remembered what was written above in bold and took it easy - and felt ok after about 10 minutes of running.
friday: still sick - 2:30 - kedumba hill climb
it was supposed to be hill repeats but...
i woke at 4:30am to get myself up to Wentworth Falls to begin a long session of hill repeats at kedumba. felt like crap but feeling highly motivated. beautiful morning with the full moon casting enough light to be able to run with at times but under the canopy i used the headlamp to illuminate the track. i've run out here twice before but i still questioned whether or not i was supposed to take the trail to the right about 5km down. i kept heading straight and after a few kilometres i realised my mistake. oh well. i headed down for an hour passing through clearings at the bottom and with the light of the full moon the view of the surrounding cliffs and mountains were breath taking. i felt one with my surroundings.
turning around and heading back up the hill it became quickly appararent that running with a bronchial infection was not the best thing to do when the oxygen demand of running uphill is called upon. with a steep 3km climb at the bottom and a further 9km of climbing beyond i struggled big time. by the time i reached the car i decided that any further attempts at running down and back were not on. i need to get better.
summary: about 150 kilometres of running
- two good long runs back to back last weekend, followed by two good days of marathon paced threshold and a little high climb to end the week. sickness has ended plans for a big weekend of training over the long weekend.
i found the trails and made it to CP1 (up Golden Stairs) up to CP4 and back down Stairs and on to the federal pass again but i couldn't locate the trail onto sublime. ended up running back to leura cascades and ran to echo point on a track i can't remember the name of. came out onto the road (cliff drive) and decided that with over 3:30 of running the road might be the quicker option back to the car. i felt amazingly strong on the climb up from leura cascades and ran it hard with the aim of depleting my energy reserves but at the top i still felt good. at the top i found i park i remembered running through and jumped back on the track and ran past gordon falls and golf links lookout and back onto gladstone road. with 15 minutes left before midnight i dropped my bag off at the car and ran a hard loop through the streets of leura. was very quiet out. what a run!
the week so far...
saturday: 32 km - 2:40 - long
ran up to springwood and back. felt stiff at start but loosened up. pain in groin midway through run was distressing. stretched and soak in hot bath after run helped.
sunday: 30+km - 4:05 - 1200m climbing - course recon (night trail run)
ran from start to CP1 to CP4 down stairs and back with exporational side trips to lookouts, deadends and unknown trails... energy-wise probably the best run i've had in some time. legs felt strong running all stairs except for the steep slippery metal ones. very quiet on track with the exception of the numerous waterfalls.
monday: 16 km - 1:08 (4:15/km) - recovery run
planned recovery run but 45 minutes into the run completely bonked. last 20 minutes was all about survival but did managed to pick up the pace. good depletion session training my body and mind to run hard when tired. post run recovery strategy - one litre of water followed up with two kg of bananas 20 minutes later and feeling better...
tuesday: 16.5 km - 1:10 (4:15/km)
the problem of gaining fitness is knowing when to back off and allow your body to recover and absorb the training. in regards of getting in some recovery today's run was a dismal failure. i spotted previous 100k team mate gpb and thought it would be nice to catch up with him so i quickly parked the car and chased after him. it took 3k to finally catch him which splits of under 4min pace and the result was that i was a little toasted but feeling good. we ran together catching up and holding 4:15 pace until we parted ways. of course i should have backed off here but didn't and for the next few kilometres i turned it up a little more. finally reached the car and had a little stretch and food before driving home. struggled through the rest of the night and had to force any food into me - stomach wasn't happy.
wednesday: 7 km - 0:35 - recovery
with less than 4 hours sleep i canned any thoughts of running long this morning and thought an hour should do it. but facing an hour of running my body revolted and decided that it had had enough. so i listened and headed home. good call!
thursday: sick!!! - about 1:00 - easy running
went to bed sick and woke up feeling worse. will head out at lunch but will (bolded and underline to emphasise the importance to me of taking it easy) take it very easy. need to feel better to go into the long weekend with all guns blazing, firing on all cyclinders,... yeah you get the idea!
*** i remembered what was written above in bold and took it easy - and felt ok after about 10 minutes of running.
friday: still sick - 2:30 - kedumba hill climb
it was supposed to be hill repeats but...
i woke at 4:30am to get myself up to Wentworth Falls to begin a long session of hill repeats at kedumba. felt like crap but feeling highly motivated. beautiful morning with the full moon casting enough light to be able to run with at times but under the canopy i used the headlamp to illuminate the track. i've run out here twice before but i still questioned whether or not i was supposed to take the trail to the right about 5km down. i kept heading straight and after a few kilometres i realised my mistake. oh well. i headed down for an hour passing through clearings at the bottom and with the light of the full moon the view of the surrounding cliffs and mountains were breath taking. i felt one with my surroundings.
turning around and heading back up the hill it became quickly appararent that running with a bronchial infection was not the best thing to do when the oxygen demand of running uphill is called upon. with a steep 3km climb at the bottom and a further 9km of climbing beyond i struggled big time. by the time i reached the car i decided that any further attempts at running down and back were not on. i need to get better.
summary: about 150 kilometres of running
- two good long runs back to back last weekend, followed by two good days of marathon paced threshold and a little high climb to end the week. sickness has ended plans for a big weekend of training over the long weekend.
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