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...