what really matters in life...
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
best smoothie ever
just had to post this smoothie recipe as i've decided that it is the best, tastiest and most refreshing smoothie i have ever made.
berry aloe smoothie
ingredients
1 cup frozen mixed berries
2 apples
1 punnet fresh strawberries
2 oranges
1-2 scoops pea protein
1 cup rice milk
1 cup iced water
2 large fresh aloe vera leaves
directions
- remove outer green part of aloe vera leaf to extract gel.
- throw everything into the blender except for water and aloe vera and blend until smooth. throw in aloe and enough water to reach desired consistency and blend for a maximum of 10 seconds (read something about maintaining the nutritional/medicinal quality of the aloe vera with minimal blending).
- drink
** no photo of this delicious smoothie as i was too busy drinking it...
berry aloe smoothie
ingredients
1 cup frozen mixed berries
2 apples
1 punnet fresh strawberries
2 oranges
1-2 scoops pea protein
1 cup rice milk
1 cup iced water
2 large fresh aloe vera leaves
directions
- remove outer green part of aloe vera leaf to extract gel.
- throw everything into the blender except for water and aloe vera and blend until smooth. throw in aloe and enough water to reach desired consistency and blend for a maximum of 10 seconds (read something about maintaining the nutritional/medicinal quality of the aloe vera with minimal blending).
- drink
** no photo of this delicious smoothie as i was too busy drinking it...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
weekly update: 15-21 november
training week summary (15-17/11/2010):
mon AM: 15k easy run
- typical lake loop. achilles felt good which proved the session on the grass yesterday was a good idea.
PM: 21k mixed session (dr. van aaken style)
- have been re-reading van aaken's book and it made sense to me last night. so ran the following session 10k easy (sub 130HR), 2kMP (surprised to see HR figures 15-20 beats lower than marathon race effort for marathon pace PB), 3min jog, 10 x 350m with 50m walk, 2k tempo, 3k easy. felt great at end of session. heart rate never above 80%mhr.
tue AM: 16k easy (run/walk/jog/sprints)
- loop of the lake with some extensions to get around the learner drivers. threw in a couple of 30 second sprints on the return trip. felt tired but better after eating.
PM: 32k easy run (sub 140HR)
- used van aaken's guidelines to keep hr in the 130-150bpm range. backed off on the hills and cruised the rest. surprised to hit the 12.5k checkpoint 1 minute quicker than my usual long run effort. extended the turn around and ran back feeling great. finished the run wanting to go further. about an hour after stopping legs started aching and i had trouble sleeping.
wed AM: 13k easy
- unplanned loop through jamisontown to regentville and back via the river. started with a 5min walk to warmup the achilles which was feeling a little tight but ok after about 500m of running. didn't bother me for the rest of the run.
PM: 14k easy/steady
thu AM: i know i did something in the morning and at lunchtime but have forgotten. high volume training has eroded my memory even further.
fri AM: 10k easy + strides
PM: 35-40mins w/ tempo intervals
- headed to the grass oval to be kind to the legs. bored after 1600m (not sure why i thought it would be any different this time). workout heading into the sleep train-style repeats on short rest with the plan for anything of up to two hours worth. short rests became slightly longer and then much longer at the sighting of sean and mel standing on the side of the track. was ok chalking today's effort up to a recovery day.
sat: nothing yet
sun: something bigger than saturday?
weekly totals:
run km
mon AM: 15k easy run
- typical lake loop. achilles felt good which proved the session on the grass yesterday was a good idea.
PM: 21k mixed session (dr. van aaken style)
- have been re-reading van aaken's book and it made sense to me last night. so ran the following session 10k easy (sub 130HR), 2kMP (surprised to see HR figures 15-20 beats lower than marathon race effort for marathon pace PB), 3min jog, 10 x 350m with 50m walk, 2k tempo, 3k easy. felt great at end of session. heart rate never above 80%mhr.
tue AM: 16k easy (run/walk/jog/sprints)
- loop of the lake with some extensions to get around the learner drivers. threw in a couple of 30 second sprints on the return trip. felt tired but better after eating.
PM: 32k easy run (sub 140HR)
- used van aaken's guidelines to keep hr in the 130-150bpm range. backed off on the hills and cruised the rest. surprised to hit the 12.5k checkpoint 1 minute quicker than my usual long run effort. extended the turn around and ran back feeling great. finished the run wanting to go further. about an hour after stopping legs started aching and i had trouble sleeping.
wed AM: 13k easy
- unplanned loop through jamisontown to regentville and back via the river. started with a 5min walk to warmup the achilles which was feeling a little tight but ok after about 500m of running. didn't bother me for the rest of the run.
PM: 14k easy/steady
thu AM: i know i did something in the morning and at lunchtime but have forgotten. high volume training has eroded my memory even further.
fri AM: 10k easy + strides
PM: 35-40mins w/ tempo intervals
- headed to the grass oval to be kind to the legs. bored after 1600m (not sure why i thought it would be any different this time). workout heading into the sleep train-style repeats on short rest with the plan for anything of up to two hours worth. short rests became slightly longer and then much longer at the sighting of sean and mel standing on the side of the track. was ok chalking today's effort up to a recovery day.
sat: nothing yet
sun: something bigger than saturday?
weekly totals:
run km
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
weekly update: 8-14 november
training week (8-14/11/2010):
mon: rest day - cross-training
- felt like i bruised my heel yesterday during my arvo run and together with my tight achilles decided to try something different. so hit the gym and jumped on the elliptical thingy for 45mins. didn't feel very manly so set it to a hill workout program and upped the intensity close to max. was overtaken by the fit old lady next to me up the incline and was forced to set the intensity back to a more modest level - hid the panel with my towel in shame. note to self - pay some respect for activities other running. heel and achilles felt good with reduced impact so tested it out on the treddy and ran 15mins with the incline at 10-15%. cruised the speed with heartrate less than 70%mhr feeling good.
tue: 11k w/ tempo intervals (55min) // 17k easy (1:17:36) // 15k (1:06) steady
- after yesterday's rest day decided to try and squeeze in a bit more running. first run felt good so put in 8-10x500m threshold efforts with 500m steady just to break it up. second run was a bit longer than planned around work as i decided to explore more territory. third run was a couple of laps in and around centennial park (sydney) while waiting for the teenagers to attend their hordern pavillion concert. ran too hard but was excited to see all the runners out there. included a couple of surprisingly good hills. made it back to the car and consumed the best post-run food. dinner one - fruit salad and dinner two - biggest salad (spinach, cos, mushroom, caps, cuke and mango with balsamic vinegar) i've ever seen thanks to my wife. i was stuffed but two hours later i was dreaming of food and hoping the concert would soon finish.
wed: 14k easy run
- started out running around the river again but bored with the idea i headed for the heights. found some quiet back streets but wilted in the heat. this humidity is draining me. have to start carrying a water bottle...
thu: 15k easy run (1:12)
- strapped on the heartrate monitor to forced myself not to exceed my aerobic threshold. felt hotter than it should due to himidity. made sure i stopped at each watering spot, drank and drenched the hat. surprised at the splits considering the effort recorded on the polar. tried running slower but lost form. all splits within 1-2sec of each other. hoping for cooler conditions at c2k but planning for heat. added water spray bottle to equipment list. perhaps my 3yo can man the water blaster and have some fun shooting me as i run along.
- scout night tonight but thinking about heading out for a few hours from 10pm on to rack up a long run and build some confidence that i can go the distance.
fri: 2 x 15+k runs
sat: 40min easy run
- started out on the road but turned back with achilles pain. frustratingly drove down to the oval to see if running on the grass would be better. thankfully it was and i was able to run for an hour easy without pain or discomfort. at the hour mark boredom set in so ran the last hour as 400m steady (88-90sec)/45sec easy (~100m).
weekly total: ~140km run
sun: 2hr easy run w/ intervals
mon: rest day - cross-training
- felt like i bruised my heel yesterday during my arvo run and together with my tight achilles decided to try something different. so hit the gym and jumped on the elliptical thingy for 45mins. didn't feel very manly so set it to a hill workout program and upped the intensity close to max. was overtaken by the fit old lady next to me up the incline and was forced to set the intensity back to a more modest level - hid the panel with my towel in shame. note to self - pay some respect for activities other running. heel and achilles felt good with reduced impact so tested it out on the treddy and ran 15mins with the incline at 10-15%. cruised the speed with heartrate less than 70%mhr feeling good.
tue: 11k w/ tempo intervals (55min) // 17k easy (1:17:36) // 15k (1:06) steady
- after yesterday's rest day decided to try and squeeze in a bit more running. first run felt good so put in 8-10x500m threshold efforts with 500m steady just to break it up. second run was a bit longer than planned around work as i decided to explore more territory. third run was a couple of laps in and around centennial park (sydney) while waiting for the teenagers to attend their hordern pavillion concert. ran too hard but was excited to see all the runners out there. included a couple of surprisingly good hills. made it back to the car and consumed the best post-run food. dinner one - fruit salad and dinner two - biggest salad (spinach, cos, mushroom, caps, cuke and mango with balsamic vinegar) i've ever seen thanks to my wife. i was stuffed but two hours later i was dreaming of food and hoping the concert would soon finish.
wed: 14k easy run
- started out running around the river again but bored with the idea i headed for the heights. found some quiet back streets but wilted in the heat. this humidity is draining me. have to start carrying a water bottle...
thu: 15k easy run (1:12)
- strapped on the heartrate monitor to forced myself not to exceed my aerobic threshold. felt hotter than it should due to himidity. made sure i stopped at each watering spot, drank and drenched the hat. surprised at the splits considering the effort recorded on the polar. tried running slower but lost form. all splits within 1-2sec of each other. hoping for cooler conditions at c2k but planning for heat. added water spray bottle to equipment list. perhaps my 3yo can man the water blaster and have some fun shooting me as i run along.
- scout night tonight but thinking about heading out for a few hours from 10pm on to rack up a long run and build some confidence that i can go the distance.
fri: 2 x 15+k runs
sat: 40min easy run
- started out on the road but turned back with achilles pain. frustratingly drove down to the oval to see if running on the grass would be better. thankfully it was and i was able to run for an hour easy without pain or discomfort. at the hour mark boredom set in so ran the last hour as 400m steady (88-90sec)/45sec easy (~100m).
weekly total: ~140km run
sun: 2hr easy run w/ intervals
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
weekly update: 1-7 november
can't believe it november already!
training week (1-7/11/2010):
mon: rest day
- decided to reward myself with a day off. actually foot was a little sore over the weekend so took today off to see if that helped.
tue: 12k easy (50min) // 13.7k (59min)
- ran the typical lunch route out to regentville and back. felt like i was crawling along but pace was quicker than i realised.
- planned on running three loops again but stopped after two due to foot bruising. felt ok but playing it safe this early in the week.
wed: 14k w/ workout // 2h30 trails easy
- got bored during the morning run and ended up running 9 x 400m moderate (90sec down to 80sec) finishing with 5 x 30sec on/off. felt good to break out a bit of pace.
- second run in the national park up to the helipad and back. legs felt like death!
thu: 15k steady run (1:06)
- solid run out for a loop of the lake.
fri: 16k easy run (1:12)
- around the streets of penrith on the way to pick up the car. felt easy and relaxed. resting up for a bigger one tomorrow. running only once a day feels like i'm tapering. better stop eating...
sat: 3hrs easy
- drove down to the m7 for some mindless bike path running. was planning on running for longer but path was cut north and south forcing me to turn around. running past the car for the second time i decided to call it a day. took it easy but still ran faster than i should have. splits were around 4:30-4:40 pace. felt like i was stumbling forcing myself to run slower. might play around with walk breaks to help slow down and go longer.
sun: 1h20 easy // 1hr easy
- got out for a solid run at lunch and then backed up with a couple of loops of the river on the way home. planned on going longer but helped a young couple break into their car. actually by the time i stopped the father had already broken his car window in an attempt to get in.
total: ~166km run
still haven't managed to put in an extra long run. need more weekend mileage!!!
training week (1-7/11/2010):
mon: rest day
- decided to reward myself with a day off. actually foot was a little sore over the weekend so took today off to see if that helped.
tue: 12k easy (50min) // 13.7k (59min)
- ran the typical lunch route out to regentville and back. felt like i was crawling along but pace was quicker than i realised.
- planned on running three loops again but stopped after two due to foot bruising. felt ok but playing it safe this early in the week.
wed: 14k w/ workout // 2h30 trails easy
- got bored during the morning run and ended up running 9 x 400m moderate (90sec down to 80sec) finishing with 5 x 30sec on/off. felt good to break out a bit of pace.
- second run in the national park up to the helipad and back. legs felt like death!
thu: 15k steady run (1:06)
- solid run out for a loop of the lake.
fri: 16k easy run (1:12)
- around the streets of penrith on the way to pick up the car. felt easy and relaxed. resting up for a bigger one tomorrow. running only once a day feels like i'm tapering. better stop eating...
sat: 3hrs easy
- drove down to the m7 for some mindless bike path running. was planning on running for longer but path was cut north and south forcing me to turn around. running past the car for the second time i decided to call it a day. took it easy but still ran faster than i should have. splits were around 4:30-4:40 pace. felt like i was stumbling forcing myself to run slower. might play around with walk breaks to help slow down and go longer.
sun: 1h20 easy // 1hr easy
- got out for a solid run at lunch and then backed up with a couple of loops of the river on the way home. planned on going longer but helped a young couple break into their car. actually by the time i stopped the father had already broken his car window in an attempt to get in.
total: ~166km run
still haven't managed to put in an extra long run. need more weekend mileage!!!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
weekly update: 25-31 october
i'm finding as the training progresses that i'm hard pressed to even remember back a day or two to what i've put out there on the roads. so in order to preserve the detail i'm committed to updating the log on a more (semi) regular basis...
training week (25-31/10/2010):
mon: 15km (1:08) steady run/21km (1:31) steady
- on what has become the norm i ran the first session at lunch. started out feeling the quad fatigue from yesterday afternoon's 40k'er but loosened up and felt good over the last 30mins. pushed a little hard and worried that i'd have a tough three loops of the two bridges loop three hours later. fueled up with 1.5 litres of freshly squeezed organic orange juice and a dozen fresh dates. race fuel test!
- on the second run i felt great and even managed to run the last 5 odd kms at under 4min pace. thought it would be a good idea to break out of the ultrarunning shuffle!
tue: 60min recovery run
- not surprising today's run was tough. got through a loop in 30mins and was heading back to work back convinced myself that i needed to HTFU and keep going. thankfully i did as the last 30 minutes was blissful.
** discovered that not all smoothies are good no matter how much fruit you add to them. not sure that adding avocado, beets and greens together in the one mix can be successful.
wed: 15km (1:06) steady/31km (2:15) easy
- went out at lunch for a loop of the lakes feeling good after yesterday's easy day. worked, ate and then 90 minutes later got out again. the storm provided some interest as i started thinking about what the safest place would be to get struck by lightening. might start carrying some food/drink with me as the runs get over two hours. discovered my new superpower - jedi vision. my awareness on the way home was out of this world.
thu: 11k (somewhat) easy // 20k w/ 12k moderate (0:49)
- actually made it out of bed after another night of sleeplessness. i would have thought with the increase volume there would be a direct correlation with an increased need to sleep but unfortunately my body hasn't got the message. on to the run... not much to report. felt good on the flats and small rises but quads didn't want to help out on the climb up from the railway. achilles a little tender to so better keep an eye on it.
- will get out at lunch and try and put in a good 20k.
fri: 17k (1:15) // 13.4k easy (2 x two bridges loop)
- went out at lunch for yet another 15k loop of the lake to discover that 3/4 of the way around the bridge was fenced off and i had to turn around and back track. don't think i fueled enough prior to the run as i could feel my edges beginning to tear. i was focusing on running at an easy effort trying to establish my mental strategy for race day thinking about what it will be like to run through the night and into the morning... but that all went to hell when i realised i had to run an extra couple of kms. discovered a large hole in my mental fabric. need to patch that up so i can continue to operate and adjust when things don't go according to plan.
- will head out after work for another triple loop before heading home giving me just over 100 miles for the last five days. feeling that my body is handling the mileage effort without stressing over it.
sat: 13k (1:01) easy run
- after a day of physical work run got ugly and decided to cut it short. planned on trying again tomorrow.
sun: 30k (2:23) easy
- another day spent on house renos left me with a sore back and dog tired but headed out to log some miles. finished up with a sore foot and in need of a rest day (tomorrow).
total: 200km run
training week (25-31/10/2010):
mon: 15km (1:08) steady run/21km (1:31) steady
- on what has become the norm i ran the first session at lunch. started out feeling the quad fatigue from yesterday afternoon's 40k'er but loosened up and felt good over the last 30mins. pushed a little hard and worried that i'd have a tough three loops of the two bridges loop three hours later. fueled up with 1.5 litres of freshly squeezed organic orange juice and a dozen fresh dates. race fuel test!
- on the second run i felt great and even managed to run the last 5 odd kms at under 4min pace. thought it would be a good idea to break out of the ultrarunning shuffle!
tue: 60min recovery run
- not surprising today's run was tough. got through a loop in 30mins and was heading back to work back convinced myself that i needed to HTFU and keep going. thankfully i did as the last 30 minutes was blissful.
** discovered that not all smoothies are good no matter how much fruit you add to them. not sure that adding avocado, beets and greens together in the one mix can be successful.
wed: 15km (1:06) steady/31km (2:15) easy
- went out at lunch for a loop of the lakes feeling good after yesterday's easy day. worked, ate and then 90 minutes later got out again. the storm provided some interest as i started thinking about what the safest place would be to get struck by lightening. might start carrying some food/drink with me as the runs get over two hours. discovered my new superpower - jedi vision. my awareness on the way home was out of this world.
thu: 11k (somewhat) easy // 20k w/ 12k moderate (0:49)
- actually made it out of bed after another night of sleeplessness. i would have thought with the increase volume there would be a direct correlation with an increased need to sleep but unfortunately my body hasn't got the message. on to the run... not much to report. felt good on the flats and small rises but quads didn't want to help out on the climb up from the railway. achilles a little tender to so better keep an eye on it.
- will get out at lunch and try and put in a good 20k.
fri: 17k (1:15) // 13.4k easy (2 x two bridges loop)
- went out at lunch for yet another 15k loop of the lake to discover that 3/4 of the way around the bridge was fenced off and i had to turn around and back track. don't think i fueled enough prior to the run as i could feel my edges beginning to tear. i was focusing on running at an easy effort trying to establish my mental strategy for race day thinking about what it will be like to run through the night and into the morning... but that all went to hell when i realised i had to run an extra couple of kms. discovered a large hole in my mental fabric. need to patch that up so i can continue to operate and adjust when things don't go according to plan.
- will head out after work for another triple loop before heading home giving me just over 100 miles for the last five days. feeling that my body is handling the mileage effort without stressing over it.
sat: 13k (1:01) easy run
- after a day of physical work run got ugly and decided to cut it short. planned on trying again tomorrow.
sun: 30k (2:23) easy
- another day spent on house renos left me with a sore back and dog tired but headed out to log some miles. finished up with a sore foot and in need of a rest day (tomorrow).
total: 200km run
Monday, October 25, 2010
i'm losing my mind...
another solid week. nothing really stands out as far as training is concerned but big smiley stamp for consistancy and volume.
training week (18-24/10/2010):
mon: 10km recovery run/20km steady
tue: 12k easy/20k moderate
wed: 15k easy/20k moderate (1:28)
thu: 23k moderate (1:47)
fri: 14k easy/21k steady (1:33)
sat: rest day
sun: 40km run (3:08)
total: run 195km
** (more than I added up in my head. must be tired)
finally sorted out most of the crew. last time i went away with these guys (non-runners but good mates) on a fishing weekend it involved a trip to the cooma emergency room. all i can say about that is what happens on camp, stays in camp... there are only so many things you'll do for a mate!
plenty more to organise including accommodation and race nutrition/hydration strategy.
training week (18-24/10/2010):
mon: 10km recovery run/20km steady
tue: 12k easy/20k moderate
wed: 15k easy/20k moderate (1:28)
thu: 23k moderate (1:47)
fri: 14k easy/21k steady (1:33)
sat: rest day
sun: 40km run (3:08)
total: run 195km
** (more than I added up in my head. must be tired)
finally sorted out most of the crew. last time i went away with these guys (non-runners but good mates) on a fishing weekend it involved a trip to the cooma emergency room. all i can say about that is what happens on camp, stays in camp... there are only so many things you'll do for a mate!
plenty more to organise including accommodation and race nutrition/hydration strategy.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
my name's on the list
'ith nervous anticipation i went on the computer last saturday to check whether my name was on the confirmed entrants list for this years C2K. i was not expecting the list to be published but the page update confirmed my entry has been excepted. blind terror followed...
for those that don't know C2K or rather Coast to Kosciuszko is a 246km ultra marathon race from the beach in Eden to the highest point of Australia the summit of Mount Kosciuszko. i feel tired just contemplating that thought.
training/fitness update:
for the last few months - OK probably since TNF100 in May i've been plodding along, regurgitating my usual training week of around 100km monday-friday with another run or two over the weekend dependent upon my motivation and desire to get out of bed for a typical weekly mileage somewhere in the 110-140km range. i've also been commuting to work and back a few times a week on the bike and on average squeezed in a spin class or two just for the variety and which also provides a way of working hard when the body is feeling a little ragged after a few too many runs. i've also been on an adventure with sleep train for some added variety.
increasing mileage
since i put in my appllication for C2K i have been slowly creeping up the mileage but nothing serious as i had low expectations for actually being accepted this year - but you never can be too sure can you?
over the last 8-9 days my daily average has crept up from around the usual 20km/day closer to 30km/day and i'm excited to report that i've already felt an increase in fitness. i'm hoping when i go beyond 200km/week i have the same sort of experience i had before TNF in 2008.
i'm not going crazy with the long runs or weekly mileage just aiming to be consistent and include a couple of runs around the 30-40km distance, a few in the 20-30km range and the remainder recovery runs in the 10-20km.
this weekend i'll get out for something a little longer - but how long is too long? 50-60km or perhaps i need to go out and work on something a little longer. what about back-to-back long runs? nothing planned or set in stone and no schedule to work off. no quality sessions planned either but i'll make sure to include some short sprints or fartlek when i'm feeling good to help with the leg turnover.
training week (12-17/10/2010):
mon: 1 ride; 12km recovery run
tue: 1 ride; 2 runs totalling 30km (10k easy/20k moderate)
wed: 2 runs totalling 30+km(12+k easy/18k moderate run)
thu: 2 runs totalling 27km (10k easy/17k moderate)
fri: 18k easy
sat: 25k run (2:00)
sun: 32km run (2:30)
total: run ~174km - 10 runs; 2 rides
for those that don't know C2K or rather Coast to Kosciuszko is a 246km ultra marathon race from the beach in Eden to the highest point of Australia the summit of Mount Kosciuszko. i feel tired just contemplating that thought.
training/fitness update:
for the last few months - OK probably since TNF100 in May i've been plodding along, regurgitating my usual training week of around 100km monday-friday with another run or two over the weekend dependent upon my motivation and desire to get out of bed for a typical weekly mileage somewhere in the 110-140km range. i've also been commuting to work and back a few times a week on the bike and on average squeezed in a spin class or two just for the variety and which also provides a way of working hard when the body is feeling a little ragged after a few too many runs. i've also been on an adventure with sleep train for some added variety.
increasing mileage
since i put in my appllication for C2K i have been slowly creeping up the mileage but nothing serious as i had low expectations for actually being accepted this year - but you never can be too sure can you?
over the last 8-9 days my daily average has crept up from around the usual 20km/day closer to 30km/day and i'm excited to report that i've already felt an increase in fitness. i'm hoping when i go beyond 200km/week i have the same sort of experience i had before TNF in 2008.
i'm not going crazy with the long runs or weekly mileage just aiming to be consistent and include a couple of runs around the 30-40km distance, a few in the 20-30km range and the remainder recovery runs in the 10-20km.
this weekend i'll get out for something a little longer - but how long is too long? 50-60km or perhaps i need to go out and work on something a little longer. what about back-to-back long runs? nothing planned or set in stone and no schedule to work off. no quality sessions planned either but i'll make sure to include some short sprints or fartlek when i'm feeling good to help with the leg turnover.
training week (12-17/10/2010):
mon: 1 ride; 12km recovery run
tue: 1 ride; 2 runs totalling 30km (10k easy/20k moderate)
wed: 2 runs totalling 30+km(12+k easy/18k moderate run)
thu: 2 runs totalling 27km (10k easy/17k moderate)
fri: 18k easy
sat: 25k run (2:00)
sun: 32km run (2:30)
total: run ~174km - 10 runs; 2 rides
Monday, September 20, 2010
Three Peaks Photo Journal
Brain is still trying to sort out the images of that fateful day. Until then here are some photos to enjoy...
Thursday, September 16, 2010
How to get in trouble
This is how I'm feeling right NOW! (picture taken by 3yo)
Having friends that are phenomenal athletes who are also highly motivated and thrive on looking for adventure are great motivational aids to have in your life to help get out for an early morning run before work or the ocassional weekend foray into the local national park but on ocassion I receive a text message which leads to something a little more.
In this case the key player in this scenario is SLEEP TRAIN and goes something like this...
ST: Record attempt scheduled for next Saturday 18 September. I can only promise pain not completion, safety or victory, YOU IN? 17 hours is current record.
ME: I'll check my wife's schedule to check whether she has any clients due to give birth and get back to you. Shit I'd better ramp up the training. Long run tmrw then!
ME: Do we have a plan to break 17 hours? Is there info on the web? Any reports, maps, etc?
ME: What gear do we need?
ST: Sub 17 is the SOLE PURPOSE. Gear as per TNF100 minus a few things, but you will need your own map and know how to use a compass.
ME: So should I practice running up and down insanely steep hills with no idea of where I'm heading while randomly screaming your name?
ME: Or cursing your name!?!
ME (must have been a more positive mood): Sounds like fun. Luckily I had already started secret training to have a go at (removed information to protect the insane)
ME: Think I'm all clear for the 18th. Have you found any other suckers? Oops I meant participants?
ME: some random BS text about all the training I've put in to get ready for this operation. Thinking about upcoming training will hopefully have a placebo effect on my cardiovascular fitness and hill-climbing strength and turn me into a mountain goat.
ST: How you feeling for next Sat?
ME: Feeling sick just thinking about it!
ST: Yep it will be one tough day.
Discovered on morning run that there were no other takers for this challenge. It appears no one is talking to ST after the last BMMC weekend away. Fear grows!
ME: Have the day in the calendar but feel far from ready. YOU READY? Might have broken a bone in my foot kicking one of the kids toys. Test run on Monday.
ST: Make sure you have a map and compass, plus a basic survival kit. This time next week we may hold the record.
ME: Or I'll be in hospital. What maps do I need?
ST: Responds with maps needed. Asks about training.
ME: Will do. Nothing for me (my wife) was away.
ST: Are you ready for the toughest part of your life tomorrow? Lets meet at 345am at my place for 430am start...
ME: I was trying to think up ways out of it but now keen. My love of the Australian bush has been aided by the infected tick bites I scored from the weekend.
Sitting here with only 12 hours away from go time this is the sort of internal dialogue that is playing along in my mind.
MIND: You know you can do this. You've gone long before and been described as an endurance beast.
BODY: WHAT THE F*CK WOULD YOU KNOW? I do all the work out there on the trails when you just want to give up, go home, crawl into the fetal position and suck your thumb. Your legs and cardiovascular fitness are not ready for such an undertaking. We've also gotten fat since last time you put us through big training weeks before the TNF100. We told you to stop eating now that your done. Why don't you listen to all the stomach aches, bloating and post-carb feeding energy crashes that we have signalled your way.
MIND: But I thought when I was tired I needed more food and caffeine to top up my energy stores to get me through the day.
BODY: YOU THOUGHT WHAT? You stupid f*ck! You actually need to eat less and sleep more. STOP trying to overstimulate your adrenals and get some friggin rest.
MIND: If only you ran more and left me to do the work we'd have less problems. Now stop talking and get ready to go tomorrow. Besides I've loaded the pack up with lots of fruit, dates, dried figs, apricots, baked sweet potato and some other healthy snacks. We should be able to get all the water we need from the four water crossings that are along the way.
BODY: WHAT THE F*CK BRO. I WANT INSTANT CALORIES. YOU KNOW CHOCOLATE, ENERGY GELS AND BARS, LOLLIES, COKE, SPORTS DRINK. WE'RE TALKING SURVIVAL OUT THERE YOU F*CKING HIPPY!
MIND: OK settle, I'll pack some chocolate and an energy bar or two just in case.
BODY: Thanks!!
Time to rest...
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Training 5/9 - 11/9
i have written numerous blog posts in my head (even a manuscript or two) while out running but haven't actually felt like posting anything. i often get asked where my training update blog posts or race reports are but i'm better off reading through my sent messages on my phone to friends to find out what i've been up to lately. last night however after some messaging (SMS'ing, texting or whatever you call it) with Sean G i thought i might as well start focusing my training towards a goal (will settle on one soon and declare it in an upcoming post) and try and document my progress - well if sean's doing it again i may as well make a (re)start. at least i'll be able to reflect back upon my training and wonder where it all went wrong (or right?).
sun (5/9): pm- 20k run (~1:30), 15min easy cycling, 3 sets of leg presses - got bored with run. leg press weight was pathetic when i think back to my weightlifting days when i could almost bench twice that weight. i also weigh about the same now as i did then - WTF?
mon (6/9): am- 60min run w/ workout ? - 20min threshold, 2 x 800 + 8 x 30/30s - can't actually remember the details but i think it went something like that.
pm- 9k easy run in 41:05 - nothing remarkable about this run. hammies a little tight (from weights).
tue (7/9): am- 16k run (1:12:07) moderate - headed out about 30mins before usual 6am meetup with the BMMC to get in some extra distance. gave myself a flogging trying to catch them on the knapsack stairs 40 minutes later only to realise that i had mixed my tuesday run up with the thursday BMMC run. descended the stairs and maxed out going up mitchells pass to home. on my knees crawling through explorers estate hoping no runner would run past thinking i was an unfit newbie.
noon: 12k run (48:02) hard - wow what a rebound. ran solid thinking i was running conservatively but at the turn around (25mins) i decided to hit the gas running back in 23mins.
wed (8/9): noon- 38:33 struggle-fest - don't know what i was thinking when i headed out at lightning speed (ok more appropriately relatively fast pace). crashed at the 10min mark and survived the loop back to work.
pm: workout 10 x 400m on 2mins (session goal 80sec on/40sec off)
warmup: 1200m in 5:17 - felt ordinary so decided to just get into it. when tired, run fast!
session: 10x400m on 2min
1 - 79" (40" rest)
2 - 80 (40)
3 - 79 (41)
4 - 79 (40)
5 - 78 (40)
6 - 79 (40)
7 - 78 (40)
8 - 77 (41) - put the music on
9 - 79 (41)
10 - 79
cooldown: 14mins on the road
- parked at the oval on the way home with thoughts of either doing a session or running on the trails. felt lethargic and tired during the warmup so decided to just run some fast 400s and get it done. while i didn't have time to run an hour of quarter repeats (ala sleep train workout) i decided to run them at a hard-moderate effort and keep the recoveries to half the time of the repeat until i ran 10 or slowed down. mission accomplished made the 10 repeats under goal time and happy to finish feeling like i could keep rolling them out at that effort but i was starting to get tired. felt better during the cooldown than the warmup and was on a high all night.
thu (9/9): noon- 1h10 easy run - looped through the hills of leonay. had an ordinary patch just after 40mins which lasted a few minutes but then felt great over the rest of the run.
fri (10/0): noon- 11k easy (~48min) - planned to make it out for 60mins but felt tired and called it quits as the loop passed close to work. put it down to a serious lack of sleep.
pm- 30min easy run w/ 4x400m hard - planned easy run on the grass on the way home but decided whether a good thing or not to run some hard 400s. struggled against the wind but still managed to run them a little quicker than the other day. knocked them out in 78, 77, 74, 72sec. nice easy cooldown around the streets and i started feeling quite fresh. headed home with a need for food (or fruit smoothie)...
sat (11/9): recovery day - don't think anything will be logged while my wife is out of town.
total:
sun (5/9): pm- 20k run (~1:30), 15min easy cycling, 3 sets of leg presses - got bored with run. leg press weight was pathetic when i think back to my weightlifting days when i could almost bench twice that weight. i also weigh about the same now as i did then - WTF?
mon (6/9): am- 60min run w/ workout ? - 20min threshold, 2 x 800 + 8 x 30/30s - can't actually remember the details but i think it went something like that.
pm- 9k easy run in 41:05 - nothing remarkable about this run. hammies a little tight (from weights).
tue (7/9): am- 16k run (1:12:07) moderate - headed out about 30mins before usual 6am meetup with the BMMC to get in some extra distance. gave myself a flogging trying to catch them on the knapsack stairs 40 minutes later only to realise that i had mixed my tuesday run up with the thursday BMMC run. descended the stairs and maxed out going up mitchells pass to home. on my knees crawling through explorers estate hoping no runner would run past thinking i was an unfit newbie.
noon: 12k run (48:02) hard - wow what a rebound. ran solid thinking i was running conservatively but at the turn around (25mins) i decided to hit the gas running back in 23mins.
wed (8/9): noon- 38:33 struggle-fest - don't know what i was thinking when i headed out at lightning speed (ok more appropriately relatively fast pace). crashed at the 10min mark and survived the loop back to work.
pm: workout 10 x 400m on 2mins (session goal 80sec on/40sec off)
warmup: 1200m in 5:17 - felt ordinary so decided to just get into it. when tired, run fast!
session: 10x400m on 2min
1 - 79" (40" rest)
2 - 80 (40)
3 - 79 (41)
4 - 79 (40)
5 - 78 (40)
6 - 79 (40)
7 - 78 (40)
8 - 77 (41) - put the music on
9 - 79 (41)
10 - 79
cooldown: 14mins on the road
- parked at the oval on the way home with thoughts of either doing a session or running on the trails. felt lethargic and tired during the warmup so decided to just run some fast 400s and get it done. while i didn't have time to run an hour of quarter repeats (ala sleep train workout) i decided to run them at a hard-moderate effort and keep the recoveries to half the time of the repeat until i ran 10 or slowed down. mission accomplished made the 10 repeats under goal time and happy to finish feeling like i could keep rolling them out at that effort but i was starting to get tired. felt better during the cooldown than the warmup and was on a high all night.
thu (9/9): noon- 1h10 easy run - looped through the hills of leonay. had an ordinary patch just after 40mins which lasted a few minutes but then felt great over the rest of the run.
fri (10/0): noon- 11k easy (~48min) - planned to make it out for 60mins but felt tired and called it quits as the loop passed close to work. put it down to a serious lack of sleep.
pm- 30min easy run w/ 4x400m hard - planned easy run on the grass on the way home but decided whether a good thing or not to run some hard 400s. struggled against the wind but still managed to run them a little quicker than the other day. knocked them out in 78, 77, 74, 72sec. nice easy cooldown around the streets and i started feeling quite fresh. headed home with a need for food (or fruit smoothie)...
sat (11/9): recovery day - don't think anything will be logged while my wife is out of town.
total:
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Early mornings with the BMMC
typical tuesday morning run for the BMMC. the only unusual thing on this run was that i actually made it out of bed to join sleep, scam and vstar.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
sinus infection
two days out from North Face (actually 1 day 15 hours according to my desktop countdown widget) and i'm struggling to fight the infection that has invaded my sinus passages. as i generally don't prescribe to western medicine i look towards my nutrition (source: Healing With Whole Foods: Oriental Traditions and Modern Nutrition) and other alternative treatments. it has helped me get over various ailments in the last week or so including food poisoning, head cold, flu but this sinus infection seems to be a little more persistent. well at the least the lungs are almost cleared but damn you nasal passages...
i'm hoping that i will experience something similar to the zatopec phenomenon with my enforced taper rest during the last two weeks. i've never missed this many days of training leading up to a big event and all i can say is that i haven't been this rested since my two week break between the Cities Marathon and 12FT in 2008. maybe this test could change what i have previously thought i needed to do during the taper phase (or re-confirm my previously conceived views).
on a search of the web i found the following useful information... (i'm focusing on the mucusless food and ACV thing).
HOME REMEDIES TO CURE SINUS INFECTIONS:
#1. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is our #1 favorite remedy for stopping sinus infections. We wish more people knew about this amazing home remedy for sinus infections. The idea is to take apple cider vinegar before the sinus infection occurs, which for most people is at the start of allergies, colds, flu, etc.
CURING DIFFICULT or STUBBORN SINUS INFECTIONS
If antibiotics and/or the below home remedies are not curing your sinus infection, you need to take a look at your diet and eliminate all the mucous forming/thickening foods or drinks. Milk, citrus, spicy foods, wheat, cheese, etc. are usually the culprits. Try eliminating them from your diet for a few days.
Then try all of the following:
* Wild Oil of Oregano, a very powerful anti-bacterial herb (capsules are best)... Take 2 capsules every 3- 4 hours. This is a very safe herb.
* Potassium supplements -- dries up mucous.
* Drink apple cider vinegar throughout the day in large glasses of water (ACV thins mucous). See below for more information about ACV.
Run a hot shower run onto your face (forehead and nose) and then clear all the mucous from sinuses. Do this several times a day.
You should see improvement within a day or two. Please let us know how it goes!
HOME REMEDIES TO CURE SINUS INFECTIONS:
#1. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is our #1 favorite remedy for stopping sinus infections. We wish more people knew about this amazing home remedy for sinus infections. The idea is to take apple cider vinegar before the sinus infection occurs, which for most people is at the start of allergies, colds, flu, etc.
We have found that when apple cider vinegar is taken either as a daily tonic or at the first sign of an allergy or cold (i.e., sinus headache, stuffy nose, watery eyes), one can completely stop the histamine response or allergic reaction. If you happen to have one of the brands of ice cream mentioned above, you should also take a large dose of apple cider vinegar the moment you get home.
There are a couple ways you can drink apple cider vinegar. One way is to put 1/8 to 1/4 cup ACV in 16 oz of water and sip it throughout the day. The other method is to gulp the mixture at once. Depends on your preference, really! Sometimes you just have to take this dosage once to stop the allergy and sometimes you need to take it up to three times a day. If taken at the onset of symptoms, allergies will usually disappear between 1 -3 hours after taking the first dose of Apple Cider Vinegar. If you've been experiencing allergies for a day or more, your symptoms will disappear after about 24 hours. If they don't, make sure you continue to take water/vinegar mixture for several days!
14 Readers have found success by taking a heavy dose* of ACV the moment they feel a sinus infection coming on. (* Note: dose = 2 TBLSP diluted (or straight) in spring water up to 3x a day)
Please remember -- the key to success is to use apple cider vinegar before a sinus infection appears (i.e. during the first stages of a flu or allergy attack).
i'm hoping that i will experience something similar to the zatopec phenomenon with my enforced taper rest during the last two weeks. i've never missed this many days of training leading up to a big event and all i can say is that i haven't been this rested since my two week break between the Cities Marathon and 12FT in 2008. maybe this test could change what i have previously thought i needed to do during the taper phase (or re-confirm my previously conceived views).
on a search of the web i found the following useful information... (i'm focusing on the mucusless food and ACV thing).
HOME REMEDIES TO CURE SINUS INFECTIONS:
#1. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is our #1 favorite remedy for stopping sinus infections. We wish more people knew about this amazing home remedy for sinus infections. The idea is to take apple cider vinegar before the sinus infection occurs, which for most people is at the start of allergies, colds, flu, etc.
CURING DIFFICULT or STUBBORN SINUS INFECTIONS
If antibiotics and/or the below home remedies are not curing your sinus infection, you need to take a look at your diet and eliminate all the mucous forming/thickening foods or drinks. Milk, citrus, spicy foods, wheat, cheese, etc. are usually the culprits. Try eliminating them from your diet for a few days.
Then try all of the following:
* Wild Oil of Oregano, a very powerful anti-bacterial herb (capsules are best)... Take 2 capsules every 3- 4 hours. This is a very safe herb.
* Potassium supplements -- dries up mucous.
* Drink apple cider vinegar throughout the day in large glasses of water (ACV thins mucous). See below for more information about ACV.
Run a hot shower run onto your face (forehead and nose) and then clear all the mucous from sinuses. Do this several times a day.
You should see improvement within a day or two. Please let us know how it goes!
HOME REMEDIES TO CURE SINUS INFECTIONS:
#1. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is our #1 favorite remedy for stopping sinus infections. We wish more people knew about this amazing home remedy for sinus infections. The idea is to take apple cider vinegar before the sinus infection occurs, which for most people is at the start of allergies, colds, flu, etc.
We have found that when apple cider vinegar is taken either as a daily tonic or at the first sign of an allergy or cold (i.e., sinus headache, stuffy nose, watery eyes), one can completely stop the histamine response or allergic reaction. If you happen to have one of the brands of ice cream mentioned above, you should also take a large dose of apple cider vinegar the moment you get home.
There are a couple ways you can drink apple cider vinegar. One way is to put 1/8 to 1/4 cup ACV in 16 oz of water and sip it throughout the day. The other method is to gulp the mixture at once. Depends on your preference, really! Sometimes you just have to take this dosage once to stop the allergy and sometimes you need to take it up to three times a day. If taken at the onset of symptoms, allergies will usually disappear between 1 -3 hours after taking the first dose of Apple Cider Vinegar. If you've been experiencing allergies for a day or more, your symptoms will disappear after about 24 hours. If they don't, make sure you continue to take water/vinegar mixture for several days!
14 Readers have found success by taking a heavy dose* of ACV the moment they feel a sinus infection coming on. (* Note: dose = 2 TBLSP diluted (or straight) in spring water up to 3x a day)
Please remember -- the key to success is to use apple cider vinegar before a sinus infection appears (i.e. during the first stages of a flu or allergy attack).
Thursday, April 29, 2010
three weeks out
three weeks out from north face and it seemed like it was time to record something of the training highs and lows of the last few weeks as hopefully things come together over the next two. training has been a little haphazard this time around without a schedule or focus which i have enjoyed and while there appears to be a lack of quality sessions, hills and lengthy long runs in the memory bank (my high tech log book) i've finally rediscovered my passion for running.
i can't believe that i've been pushing myself out the door with a distinct lack of enthusiasm for these many months but driving myself towards lofty goals and the expectations of others took me over the edge. thankfully i'm now loving it at the moment and i plan on remaining in that state of being. the only thing that could get in my way to halt my enthusiasm and passion is racing and after north face i'm not sure if i'll bother to focus on another event and rather concentrate on finding some other goals (non-race) which i can work through in training. perhaps a long journey attempt or exploring new trails or maybe even an attempt at reaching a new weekly mileage personal best. these are the sort of things that excite me about being able to test my endurance, strength and fitness not just at the physical level but also across both mental and spiritual barriers. focus on increasing our awareness while out there on the roads and trails and we will discover so much more...
on to the weekly summary:
sun: 2h20 run - long angle gully-valley heights-winmalee-springwood-home
- ended up being rather ugly as i struggled over the final 5k.
pm: yoga
mon: 4h hike - leura to katoomba
- went up the mountains after lunch and enjoyed time with the family. kids can have so much energy and i started wishing that i could run the stairs like my six year old. i think he might be part mountain goat. their passion and enthusiasm was contagious and rewarded with a hot chocolate...
pm: yoga
tue am: 1h28 (21k) easy run - whitewater loop + river loop
- felt tired at the start and didn't expect a good run but felt good after about 5mins. ran into fred and chatted for a little before we departed ways. picked up the pace and ran strong around the river.
pm: 52' (13k) steady run - river loop + reverse loop to bridge and back via side streets
- pushed the pace but felt didn't feel laboured. timed the middle 3k at 3:50 pace and was running comfortably within myself. days like this are rare indeed but exciting when the occur. need to identify the ingredients which result in runs like these.
pm (late): yoga
wed: 1h15 (16k) hills + reps
- planned to run a hill session but wasn't into it. Ran 3 x 500m hills and then progressed into sets of 200m with decreasing recovery starting at 90sec and working down to 15sec between reps. 200s run in around 37-38sec. enjoyed this session.
thu: 1h05'57" (15.7k) - whitewater loop
- felt a little lethargic from yesterday's effort which added to the surprise when i got back to work a couple of minutes faster than normal.
fri: plan 1h30 with intervals or tempo - yet to decide
sat: relay for life
tomorrow's plan is to work all day and then take over the night and run/walk from 10pm to 10am
here's to making training fun again. ok maybe sub 10 at 12ft this year...
i can't believe that i've been pushing myself out the door with a distinct lack of enthusiasm for these many months but driving myself towards lofty goals and the expectations of others took me over the edge. thankfully i'm now loving it at the moment and i plan on remaining in that state of being. the only thing that could get in my way to halt my enthusiasm and passion is racing and after north face i'm not sure if i'll bother to focus on another event and rather concentrate on finding some other goals (non-race) which i can work through in training. perhaps a long journey attempt or exploring new trails or maybe even an attempt at reaching a new weekly mileage personal best. these are the sort of things that excite me about being able to test my endurance, strength and fitness not just at the physical level but also across both mental and spiritual barriers. focus on increasing our awareness while out there on the roads and trails and we will discover so much more...
on to the weekly summary:
sun: 2h20 run - long angle gully-valley heights-winmalee-springwood-home
- ended up being rather ugly as i struggled over the final 5k.
pm: yoga
mon: 4h hike - leura to katoomba
- went up the mountains after lunch and enjoyed time with the family. kids can have so much energy and i started wishing that i could run the stairs like my six year old. i think he might be part mountain goat. their passion and enthusiasm was contagious and rewarded with a hot chocolate...
pm: yoga
tue am: 1h28 (21k) easy run - whitewater loop + river loop
- felt tired at the start and didn't expect a good run but felt good after about 5mins. ran into fred and chatted for a little before we departed ways. picked up the pace and ran strong around the river.
pm: 52' (13k) steady run - river loop + reverse loop to bridge and back via side streets
- pushed the pace but felt didn't feel laboured. timed the middle 3k at 3:50 pace and was running comfortably within myself. days like this are rare indeed but exciting when the occur. need to identify the ingredients which result in runs like these.
pm (late): yoga
wed: 1h15 (16k) hills + reps
- planned to run a hill session but wasn't into it. Ran 3 x 500m hills and then progressed into sets of 200m with decreasing recovery starting at 90sec and working down to 15sec between reps. 200s run in around 37-38sec. enjoyed this session.
thu: 1h05'57" (15.7k) - whitewater loop
- felt a little lethargic from yesterday's effort which added to the surprise when i got back to work a couple of minutes faster than normal.
fri: plan 1h30 with intervals or tempo - yet to decide
sat: relay for life
tomorrow's plan is to work all day and then take over the night and run/walk from 10pm to 10am
here's to making training fun again. ok maybe sub 10 at 12ft this year...
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
memory fog...
last week, this week?? can't remember where i'm at. thinking back to last week i can't remember what i did and the watch doesn't help as it only stores 5 or 6 runs in the memory. before everything fades here's what i can remember. so much for my commitment to keeping a training log this year...
training:
prior to friday (16 april): about 100km of running over 4 days
friday: rest day but concluded with a power yoga session (10pm)
saturday: 46km trail run (~5h30) – hellgate loop. great day but was emotionally crippled during the first half of the run and battled to find the energy or desire to run. finished feeling strong over the second half which provided a glimmer of hope.
sunday: recovery day spent cleaning house (not mine). concluded with a yoga session (11pm)
monday: 6am) 11k road run (49′36″) – underpass loop
4pm) track session: 28×400m w/ 45″ rest – 3k wu/4k wd – total 17k (1h21′). great session averaging 84sec/400 which was about 6-8 seconds better than last time i did this session. started out running 88-90sec and finished up the last 20min running 80-82sec. never felt like i was pushing too hard, breathing was easy and accumulating little lactic acid. even enjoyed listening to an audio book rather than needing something a little heavier to pull me through. a confidence builder…
tuesday: 16km hilly run (1h10') - ran from work and headed up into the hills. felt tired but still managed to find my climbing legs and make it back to work a minute quicker than last time i ran the loop. planned on running a second run later but stuff happens...
wednesday: 10k easy run - easy run to work felt not so easy. haven't slept well since news of death. funeral today...
training:
prior to friday (16 april): about 100km of running over 4 days
friday: rest day but concluded with a power yoga session (10pm)
saturday: 46km trail run (~5h30) – hellgate loop. great day but was emotionally crippled during the first half of the run and battled to find the energy or desire to run. finished feeling strong over the second half which provided a glimmer of hope.
sunday: recovery day spent cleaning house (not mine). concluded with a yoga session (11pm)
monday: 6am) 11k road run (49′36″) – underpass loop
4pm) track session: 28×400m w/ 45″ rest – 3k wu/4k wd – total 17k (1h21′). great session averaging 84sec/400 which was about 6-8 seconds better than last time i did this session. started out running 88-90sec and finished up the last 20min running 80-82sec. never felt like i was pushing too hard, breathing was easy and accumulating little lactic acid. even enjoyed listening to an audio book rather than needing something a little heavier to pull me through. a confidence builder…
tuesday: 16km hilly run (1h10') - ran from work and headed up into the hills. felt tired but still managed to find my climbing legs and make it back to work a minute quicker than last time i ran the loop. planned on running a second run later but stuff happens...
wednesday: 10k easy run - easy run to work felt not so easy. haven't slept well since news of death. funeral today...
Monday, April 12, 2010
settling into a pattern...
two high-intensity, high-volume weeks and i was feeling very tired at the start of last week. i decided at the start of the week that i would throw out the schedule and run an easy week to absorb the fitness gains, rest, restore and get ready to build again. still managed to hit 155km (97 miles) for the week. thought about going out and running 5 more kilometres to hit that magical figure of 100 miles but decided that numbers are irrelevant and put the feet up to enjoy the rest of the weekend.
training over the last few days has been great and without a schedule i haven't been stressed when runs planned the day before are missed or altered due to other life events. i have noticed though that i have fallen into a either of two patterns of easy day-intervals-tempo-long run repeat or easy runs-hard run-long run repeat. on days when i have been thinking of dropping a run i've subconsciously headed to the local grass track and run some repeats. last sunday was such a day and when i eventually got out i put in a good long warmup of about 7-8k before hitting the grass track for what turned out to be some 800s. feeling tired i didn't want to go out and cruch myself but just wanted to loosen up my legs and hips and feel good running a little faster than normal. ran them all at what felt like tempo effort and then put in a hard 400 before heading home for the evening. finished up with another good run...
the runs...
fri pm: long 2h06 (29k) blaxland east-glenbrook-np-euroka (via singletrack)-bennetts-oaks-home - smashing run, felt strong running threshold effort all the way from euroka to the oaks then maintained a strong effort all the way home. passed james and andy lee on their runs...
sat pm: 1h03 (14k) warrimoo-highway-glenbrook pool-lagoon-home felt crappy and so decided to cut the run short heading down attunga for a short loop back home. felt ok about 5mins later so hit the highway down to the pool and back home via the lagoon.
sun am: driving duties for the NSW mountain running champs
pm: 1h11 (16k) 5x800m + 1x400m intervals 7-8k warmup and then 800s with short rest of 1-2mins in 2:52,51,47,46,42 then 400m in low 70s. 15min cooldown home.
mon pm: 2h22 (~31km) rangers gate-oaks-helipad+10min-return after a tough climb out of the wier felt great and easy up to the oaks gate (in 39-40') and kept going up past the helipad feeling strong on all the climbs. thought about going all the way to woodford but it was starting to get dark. smashed it on the way back running quicker than marathon pace. thought i would pay for it but climbed strong to the top. awesome run but sore after... (need to work on my core strength)
tue noon: 1h11 (15+km) nepean river-lapstone station (via trail)-knapsack-mitchells-emu plains started out feeling sore (back) and stiff and thought the hills would sort me out but climbed well and ran steady from the knapsack bridge back to work. consumed a record number of apples in one go!
training over the last few days has been great and without a schedule i haven't been stressed when runs planned the day before are missed or altered due to other life events. i have noticed though that i have fallen into a either of two patterns of easy day-intervals-tempo-long run repeat or easy runs-hard run-long run repeat. on days when i have been thinking of dropping a run i've subconsciously headed to the local grass track and run some repeats. last sunday was such a day and when i eventually got out i put in a good long warmup of about 7-8k before hitting the grass track for what turned out to be some 800s. feeling tired i didn't want to go out and cruch myself but just wanted to loosen up my legs and hips and feel good running a little faster than normal. ran them all at what felt like tempo effort and then put in a hard 400 before heading home for the evening. finished up with another good run...
the runs...
fri pm: long 2h06 (29k) blaxland east-glenbrook-np-euroka (via singletrack)-bennetts-oaks-home - smashing run, felt strong running threshold effort all the way from euroka to the oaks then maintained a strong effort all the way home. passed james and andy lee on their runs...
sat pm: 1h03 (14k) warrimoo-highway-glenbrook pool-lagoon-home felt crappy and so decided to cut the run short heading down attunga for a short loop back home. felt ok about 5mins later so hit the highway down to the pool and back home via the lagoon.
sun am: driving duties for the NSW mountain running champs
pm: 1h11 (16k) 5x800m + 1x400m intervals 7-8k warmup and then 800s with short rest of 1-2mins in 2:52,51,47,46,42 then 400m in low 70s. 15min cooldown home.
mon pm: 2h22 (~31km) rangers gate-oaks-helipad+10min-return after a tough climb out of the wier felt great and easy up to the oaks gate (in 39-40') and kept going up past the helipad feeling strong on all the climbs. thought about going all the way to woodford but it was starting to get dark. smashed it on the way back running quicker than marathon pace. thought i would pay for it but climbed strong to the top. awesome run but sore after... (need to work on my core strength)
tue noon: 1h11 (15+km) nepean river-lapstone station (via trail)-knapsack-mitchells-emu plains started out feeling sore (back) and stiff and thought the hills would sort me out but climbed well and ran steady from the knapsack bridge back to work. consumed a record number of apples in one go!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
no schedule...
just typing the title for this post is liberating...
i've decided to forgo the schedule and start running for the enjoyment of it. i'm still trying to get fitter and improve my performances over the long trails but i think i can do that by focusing on the everyday rather than looking forwards up to my next race date and planning backwards. peak fitness will be whatever i arrive with on the day...
i want to start blogging again on a more regular basis but i would rather focus on my daily thoughts, experiences and life lessons that i'm confronted with while putting one foot in front of the other. i think i'll even try running with a camera and try and capture some of what i experience on my everydays and expose my journey through this environment...
as always i leave everything to the last minute (including my fitness) but on monday i finally got around to ordering a new race pack. i was going to go with the go lite vo24 like the one i borrowed from mister g last year and what i hailed as the "best running pack ever" but when i finally went online and ordered one i decided to go with the inov8 15 race elite. maybe it was the colour which pursuaded me... black! ok and it was cheap also - i'd rather throw my money elsewhere and contribute to a worthy cause like health, cancer, obesity, poverty, etc.
i have been attracted to the colour black (or lack of colour?)... perhaps without colour i'll be able to fly under the radar and have a good race in may. i'm not focused on position, just time... an hour faster would give me some peace and satisfaction. i felt like an imposter on the podium last year but was consolidated with the thought that i could have run faster on the day if all went well - slow start, missed nutrition, flat torch batteries etc.
yesterday during a hilly loop run with some of the spectacular bmmc crew (scam, the looking good and training hard vstar, james) i started feeling a little pep on the climbs which has left me feeling inspired to keep up the volume. i was worried after last monday's effort (which included a long run at close to 3hr marathon pace) that i'd pushed myself too hard but with a few easy days of running i'm definitely feeling better. maybe i've achieved supercompensation... (but not superheroe status)
i'm sitting here (at work) looking forward to two or three long days of training on some local trails. weather's looking cooperative also...
my new training schedule... train hard when fresh and then recover hard!
almost time for yoga...
run summary (dumped from brain memory bank):
thu - 2 runs (intervals + easy hour run)
fri - 1 run (11k loop hard, 2-3min faster than previous best time)
sat - intervals (2000-1600-1200-2x800-2x400) started out at 86"/400 and finished up at 78"/400 followed up with some 100m hill sprints before heading home
sun - 25km run (58min out/48min back) felt great
mon - 2h40min run hard - kept waiting for the wheels to fall off but didn't. made i can walk deals with myself but pushed on past...
tue - 50min run w/ 6x20sec strides - sore to start out but loosened up
wed - short run + spin on bike - very tired // 16km run (70min) // short run w/ strides, light strecthing + strength (full & single leg squats)
thu - 11k w/ tempo (46min) // 50min hilly loop run w/ bmmc
- i'm thinking threshold is the best area to focus the training on to get fit quickly. could be wrong...
i've decided to forgo the schedule and start running for the enjoyment of it. i'm still trying to get fitter and improve my performances over the long trails but i think i can do that by focusing on the everyday rather than looking forwards up to my next race date and planning backwards. peak fitness will be whatever i arrive with on the day...
i want to start blogging again on a more regular basis but i would rather focus on my daily thoughts, experiences and life lessons that i'm confronted with while putting one foot in front of the other. i think i'll even try running with a camera and try and capture some of what i experience on my everydays and expose my journey through this environment...
as always i leave everything to the last minute (including my fitness) but on monday i finally got around to ordering a new race pack. i was going to go with the go lite vo24 like the one i borrowed from mister g last year and what i hailed as the "best running pack ever" but when i finally went online and ordered one i decided to go with the inov8 15 race elite. maybe it was the colour which pursuaded me... black! ok and it was cheap also - i'd rather throw my money elsewhere and contribute to a worthy cause like health, cancer, obesity, poverty, etc.
i have been attracted to the colour black (or lack of colour?)... perhaps without colour i'll be able to fly under the radar and have a good race in may. i'm not focused on position, just time... an hour faster would give me some peace and satisfaction. i felt like an imposter on the podium last year but was consolidated with the thought that i could have run faster on the day if all went well - slow start, missed nutrition, flat torch batteries etc.
yesterday during a hilly loop run with some of the spectacular bmmc crew (scam, the looking good and training hard vstar, james) i started feeling a little pep on the climbs which has left me feeling inspired to keep up the volume. i was worried after last monday's effort (which included a long run at close to 3hr marathon pace) that i'd pushed myself too hard but with a few easy days of running i'm definitely feeling better. maybe i've achieved supercompensation... (but not superheroe status)
i'm sitting here (at work) looking forward to two or three long days of training on some local trails. weather's looking cooperative also...
my new training schedule... train hard when fresh and then recover hard!
almost time for yoga...
run summary (dumped from brain memory bank):
thu - 2 runs (intervals + easy hour run)
fri - 1 run (11k loop hard, 2-3min faster than previous best time)
sat - intervals (2000-1600-1200-2x800-2x400) started out at 86"/400 and finished up at 78"/400 followed up with some 100m hill sprints before heading home
sun - 25km run (58min out/48min back) felt great
mon - 2h40min run hard - kept waiting for the wheels to fall off but didn't. made i can walk deals with myself but pushed on past...
tue - 50min run w/ 6x20sec strides - sore to start out but loosened up
wed - short run + spin on bike - very tired // 16km run (70min) // short run w/ strides, light strecthing + strength (full & single leg squats)
thu - 11k w/ tempo (46min) // 50min hilly loop run w/ bmmc
- i'm thinking threshold is the best area to focus the training on to get fit quickly. could be wrong...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
no title...
rain and a short week have placed the challenge on hold. i did forgot that this week was to conclude with the easter long weekend. perhaps i should be more aware. i also forgot about the easter parade the children are involved in at school - should be fun with one going as an avatar and the other going as satan.
with the challenge on hold i will be just focusing on building the mileage and hitting as many trails and hills as possible. i have tried adding some intensity over the last few weeks but during my run today i could feel that i need to focus less on speed and go back to focusing on aerobic development. looking back over my training log to see blank pages staring back at me i sometimes wish that i would become a little less zen and a bit more obsessive compulsive. i seem to remember some big weeks in the lead up to last years race and less time spent focusing on quality.
with all the rain i decided to cancel the trip into the city and instead go for a run. so glad that i did as i had one of my best runs for the year. i parked the car in glenbrook and hit the trails around knapsack popping out for a down and back of mitchells pass where i felt great and managed to show a mountain biker the fastest way up the mountain. stopped for a quick chat before we both went our seperate ways on the trails - i went the fastest way up and he hit the flatter trails. finished up with six repeats of hare street where i focused on bounding up rather than straight out speed.
post run plums have never tasted so sweet...
hoping to get out on the north face course over the long weekend and maybe some kedumba repeats.
monday training:
lunch) 57min easy (13k) - extended river loop
pm) 74min incl. 45min easy trails, mitchells pass down/up (7min), trails, 6 x hare street, cooldown jog
with the challenge on hold i will be just focusing on building the mileage and hitting as many trails and hills as possible. i have tried adding some intensity over the last few weeks but during my run today i could feel that i need to focus less on speed and go back to focusing on aerobic development. looking back over my training log to see blank pages staring back at me i sometimes wish that i would become a little less zen and a bit more obsessive compulsive. i seem to remember some big weeks in the lead up to last years race and less time spent focusing on quality.
with all the rain i decided to cancel the trip into the city and instead go for a run. so glad that i did as i had one of my best runs for the year. i parked the car in glenbrook and hit the trails around knapsack popping out for a down and back of mitchells pass where i felt great and managed to show a mountain biker the fastest way up the mountain. stopped for a quick chat before we both went our seperate ways on the trails - i went the fastest way up and he hit the flatter trails. finished up with six repeats of hare street where i focused on bounding up rather than straight out speed.
post run plums have never tasted so sweet...
hoping to get out on the north face course over the long weekend and maybe some kedumba repeats.
monday training:
lunch) 57min easy (13k) - extended river loop
pm) 74min incl. 45min easy trails, mitchells pass down/up (7min), trails, 6 x hare street, cooldown jog
Thursday, March 25, 2010
lunch run challenge
next week i'm going to try and wake up each day early enough to get my key session completed but for a second daily run i am going to try and run the same route every day during my lunch break. here is the route...
(view of the nepean river looking south west)
if i'm feeling good and want a little extra i can make my way all the way into glenbrook and cut through to mitchells pass via knapsack - a little longer but adds in some nice lower mountain fire trials that always elevate my mood...
friday...?
taking an easy day yesterday seems to have somehow sapped all of my energy. what it did do though was leave my legs feeling great. i was under the assumption that with plenty of good, fresh food going into my body and an easy/short day on my legs the energy to go long and/or harder today would be there when called upon. seems to be a misconception and this is definitely starting to become the pattern - an easy rest day leaving me feeling tired and lifeless the following day when a quality session is planned. does anyone have any thoughts on replacing the short easy days with long easy endurance days for recovery? might be worth exploring...
today's training:
am) sleep
pm) 40-odd mins easy run (jog?)
late pm) quality run session if energy levels return (if not will substitute with a spin on the bike).
today's training:
am) sleep
pm) 40-odd mins easy run (jog?)
late pm) quality run session if energy levels return (if not will substitute with a spin on the bike).
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
no ego thursday
the ego cried out for mileage but i took the smarter option and went for the recovery day option. first up hit the bike for 35mins and felt nice and relaxed spinning the legs over. the urge to run was strong but i listened to my head rather than my body. also had to be at work early...
over the next few hours before lunch my legs were screaming at me "can we please go out and run a little longer than what you have in mind for us - how about 90 minutes?" but when the time came around i was strong of will and stopped with a single loop of the river and completed the run feeling great and wanting to run more.
hopefully the recovery day will help me put out a good long effort tomorrow. if not i'll just go with my typical moderate to hard everyday approach, zero structure plan.
today's training:
am) 35min easy bike
pm) 40min easy run (9k) - loop around river w/ side street extension
over the next few hours before lunch my legs were screaming at me "can we please go out and run a little longer than what you have in mind for us - how about 90 minutes?" but when the time came around i was strong of will and stopped with a single loop of the river and completed the run feeling great and wanting to run more.
hopefully the recovery day will help me put out a good long effort tomorrow. if not i'll just go with my typical moderate to hard everyday approach, zero structure plan.
today's training:
am) 35min easy bike
pm) 40min easy run (9k) - loop around river w/ side street extension
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
no glenmore park boy was harmed...
no glenmore park boy was harmed in the making of this morning's run. while every intention was there i adhered to the BMMC code of conduct and ensured that no foot was placed into the forbidden territory. i skirted the boundaries looking for my prey before heading back to the more familiar river loop.
quads felt a little tight on the return leg so decided to act like a triathlete so stopped and stretched - felt that this display showed weakness so moved on at a faster pace. happily fueled up my glycogen depleted legs while adding this run to the log.
run details:
am) 56.30' steady (13k) - work - river loop + extension into regentville
pm) 1h13' trail run - oaks fire trail
- legs felt fatigued and felt like i was pushing it just to get up the hills and maintain an easy pace but when i hit the turn around i noticed that i was running close to my personal best for this run - 38mins up/35mins back. almost cracked it after and couldn't eat anything solid for a few hours. the brain was screaming out for something fizzy and loaded with sugar but i knew better and made myself a green smoothie (apples, oranges, rice milk, coconut oil, hemp seed protein, flax and a couple of handfuls of spinach). recovery from day to day has been amazing so i'll make sure i keep up with the nutrition and not slack off.
better schedule an easy day tomorrow and not race the fitness which will only lead to overtraining... been there before. hoping for a couple of big days back to back starting friday morning.
quads felt a little tight on the return leg so decided to act like a triathlete so stopped and stretched - felt that this display showed weakness so moved on at a faster pace. happily fueled up my glycogen depleted legs while adding this run to the log.
run details:
am) 56.30' steady (13k) - work - river loop + extension into regentville
pm) 1h13' trail run - oaks fire trail
- legs felt fatigued and felt like i was pushing it just to get up the hills and maintain an easy pace but when i hit the turn around i noticed that i was running close to my personal best for this run - 38mins up/35mins back. almost cracked it after and couldn't eat anything solid for a few hours. the brain was screaming out for something fizzy and loaded with sugar but i knew better and made myself a green smoothie (apples, oranges, rice milk, coconut oil, hemp seed protein, flax and a couple of handfuls of spinach). recovery from day to day has been amazing so i'll make sure i keep up with the nutrition and not slack off.
better schedule an easy day tomorrow and not race the fitness which will only lead to overtraining... been there before. hoping for a couple of big days back to back starting friday morning.
tuesday triple
felt good to abandon the car again for the run into work and back. perhaps the greatest way to get in some good training while reducing my ecological footprint and vehicle running costs.
i planned on running some hills on the way in but left late after making sure my daughter got to school in time for dancing. to make up for it i headed over to leonay at lunch and ran up cliffbrook drive until my congested lungs decided they had had enough. gave in and finished the run back to work with a 1min fast/1min slow fartlek session along the river.
the third run for the day i'm planning on running hard until the legs give out and i find my way over to meet the family at kickboxing.
high on life....
run details:
am) 42min easy (10km) - with loaded pack
noon) 62min w/ 4 x 250m hills + 15min of fartlek (~12-13km)
pm) 30min run w/ 20min hard - felt surprisingly good and strong
i planned on running some hills on the way in but left late after making sure my daughter got to school in time for dancing. to make up for it i headed over to leonay at lunch and ran up cliffbrook drive until my congested lungs decided they had had enough. gave in and finished the run back to work with a 1min fast/1min slow fartlek session along the river.
the third run for the day i'm planning on running hard until the legs give out and i find my way over to meet the family at kickboxing.
high on life....
run details:
am) 42min easy (10km) - with loaded pack
noon) 62min w/ 4 x 250m hills + 15min of fartlek (~12-13km)
pm) 30min run w/ 20min hard - felt surprisingly good and strong
Monday, March 22, 2010
monday easy
after yesterday's long run i was expecting to feel it in my legs this morning but when i headed out the door my legs felt pretty darn good. ran the basic underpass loop waiting for the sun to cast it's glow upon the land.
second run at lunch was a little tougher but i cruised around taking in all the sights - penrith stp, rugby park, baseball fields, new developments, river walk, rowing club and back to work. completed the run with some fast strides to loosen up the hips. mellow tunes on the ipod.
details:
am) 51min easy (~11km) - underpass loop
pm) 46min easy (~10km) w/ 6x20" fast/40" jog - avg 151HR (max 164)
second run at lunch was a little tougher but i cruised around taking in all the sights - penrith stp, rugby park, baseball fields, new developments, river walk, rowing club and back to work. completed the run with some fast strides to loosen up the hips. mellow tunes on the ipod.
details:
am) 51min easy (~11km) - underpass loop
pm) 46min easy (~10km) w/ 6x20" fast/40" jog - avg 151HR (max 164)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
things don't always go as planned...
when you plan out a season you expect to have to have a few good performances. ok maybe one or two don’t go as planned but looking back over the last 12 months it’s hard to see the successes amongst the failures. the north face 100 was probably the last good effort and while i was happy with the way that turned out i felt like i was lucky on that day. to sum that day up – for the first two hours felt lethargic and weak with thoughts about dropping out, started feeling stronger for about the next six hours or so and enjoyed chasing down runners before blowing my nutrition and running home on fumes but happy that i felt great at the end. looking back though i definitely feel like i could knock off considerable time on that course – probably over the first and final sections.
after that effort i lost my mojo again. thoughts of going after a marathon pr at the cities marathon ended as soon as i tried to put in a long run and found that mentally i couldn’t motivate myself to run longer than 90 minutes at a time. a few weeks out with the training not going as planned i decided to pass on the marathon and start thinking ahead towards 12ft. having a good run there in 2008(?) i thought that perhaps i could get myself in shape to break 10 hours but even with this goal the training log clearly showed a lack of long runs and volume and when the day came around i decided that i would just go out and run based on how i was feeling. i ran pretty well to pluvi and was on track for a good 6ft but at the top i faced another mental battle and self-doubt persuaded me to turn around and head back down the hill. i ran back down pluvi and sat on the side of the trail until the next runner passed which was sean and i decided that i would run with him back up to the top (and maybe all the way). at the top sean was having some issues so he told me to go on. i ran for about 15mins and then felt the need to call my wife to see how my son (and the team for which i was coach) was going in his/their last soccer game for the season. of course getting a mobile phone signal also meant that i needed to run back about a kilometre. after the phone call i decided to push it to catch up with the runners who had passed me by now. after catching them and running with them for a bit i then decided to fang it down to the caves and then reassess my desire to turn around or seek a lift. i hit the caves in just under the 5 hour mark. with a refreshment in hand i started walking back up the steep climb and 2/3 of the way up i decided to sit on a rock enjoy the sunshine and cheer on the runners as they passed on their way down. my day was finished. the joy of being out on the trails with other runners ended any negativity that i was feeling about the day.
well that turned out to be a longer summary than was meant...
following 2009/2010 race disasters included:
2009 world masters – felt like i was in shape to run around 36:30 for the 10km, splitting the first 5km in 18:05 feeling good but halfway through the second lap my hips and back started seizing up and the pace dropped off. still ran a pr but immediately after the race i started feeling sick and during the opening ceremony i was feeling like i was going to pass out. running the cross country race a few days later confirmed that i was suffering from the chicken pox. apparently as i was to discover getting the chicken pox as an adult is not pleasant. i was left very tired and broken down which lingered for months.
next up was bogong to hotham...
bogong to hotham 2010 - two months preceeding the race training went well and with a plan designed by sean i was feeling as fit as ever and confident that i would have a good race. during training some signs that i hadn’t fully recovered from the pox were evident mainly during long climbs were i felt weak and breathless but they weren’t an every day thing and i thought with a good taper and nutrition plan i would shed the fatigue and start feeling strong again. my confidence carried me to the bottom of the first climb but as the gradient increased i immediately knew that my day was not going to go as planned. at least i had a good holiday with the family.
and then six foot…
six foot 2010 - after bogong i realised something was seriously wrong with my body. a few discussions and talk of being deficient in various minerals etc including iron were tossed around. armed with some basic knowledge i tried to address these various deficiencies using nutrition and within a few weeks i started feeling better.
training for six foot started well with a few sessions run with sleep train but after a few weeks i was again feeling tired which put an end to thoughts of racing well. i even found that i was so tired leading up to the race that i was no longer getting in my morning runs shifting them instead to my lunch break which led to a reduction in time to train and volume. i also started out trying to run long on the trails but barely one attempt was successful in breaking the two hour duration. that run about six weeks out was the breakpoint in which i decided to just run the event and hopefully use it as a catalyst to start my training for my bigger goal – the north face 2010.
i won’t bore anyone with a recount of six foot but i was happy that i could have an easy day out there not pushing too hard, enjoy the hospitality of the rfs and other runners, battle the cramps and finish in 4:20.
the best outcome of the day though was that i think my motivation has finally been reignited. my plan is to also make myself accountable through this blog by recording all of my training (except the secret stuff probably of which there will be very little). it will also help to be able to go back over the log and find out what works and what doesn’t for future events.
training: week 1 (post-six foot)
sunday: most of the day spent on my feet shopping, fixing bikes and riding in the back yard. legs a little tight and sore.
monday: day two and the legs were not happy but felt ok during a 25min run around the streets. did a rpm class in the afternoon and really pushed it hard (should have backed off the intensity but didn’t). hardly got the heart rate or breathing up but sweated buckets.
tuesday: legs still very sore but took them out for a 40min run. felt loose and definitely ran faster than i should have.
wednesday: 50min run around the river.
thursday: strong 55min (12k) run while waiting for scouts to finish. great night out.
friday: spin class and 30min run at lunch
saturday: worked all day but managed to hit the trails of knapsack on the way home before finishing up at glenbrook oval for some 400s in 78-80seconds with a 1min recovery.
sunday: success!! – 2hr run on the m7 from the car park to the marathon turnaround point for a distance of around 28km.
after that effort i lost my mojo again. thoughts of going after a marathon pr at the cities marathon ended as soon as i tried to put in a long run and found that mentally i couldn’t motivate myself to run longer than 90 minutes at a time. a few weeks out with the training not going as planned i decided to pass on the marathon and start thinking ahead towards 12ft. having a good run there in 2008(?) i thought that perhaps i could get myself in shape to break 10 hours but even with this goal the training log clearly showed a lack of long runs and volume and when the day came around i decided that i would just go out and run based on how i was feeling. i ran pretty well to pluvi and was on track for a good 6ft but at the top i faced another mental battle and self-doubt persuaded me to turn around and head back down the hill. i ran back down pluvi and sat on the side of the trail until the next runner passed which was sean and i decided that i would run with him back up to the top (and maybe all the way). at the top sean was having some issues so he told me to go on. i ran for about 15mins and then felt the need to call my wife to see how my son (and the team for which i was coach) was going in his/their last soccer game for the season. of course getting a mobile phone signal also meant that i needed to run back about a kilometre. after the phone call i decided to push it to catch up with the runners who had passed me by now. after catching them and running with them for a bit i then decided to fang it down to the caves and then reassess my desire to turn around or seek a lift. i hit the caves in just under the 5 hour mark. with a refreshment in hand i started walking back up the steep climb and 2/3 of the way up i decided to sit on a rock enjoy the sunshine and cheer on the runners as they passed on their way down. my day was finished. the joy of being out on the trails with other runners ended any negativity that i was feeling about the day.
well that turned out to be a longer summary than was meant...
following 2009/2010 race disasters included:
2009 world masters – felt like i was in shape to run around 36:30 for the 10km, splitting the first 5km in 18:05 feeling good but halfway through the second lap my hips and back started seizing up and the pace dropped off. still ran a pr but immediately after the race i started feeling sick and during the opening ceremony i was feeling like i was going to pass out. running the cross country race a few days later confirmed that i was suffering from the chicken pox. apparently as i was to discover getting the chicken pox as an adult is not pleasant. i was left very tired and broken down which lingered for months.
next up was bogong to hotham...
bogong to hotham 2010 - two months preceeding the race training went well and with a plan designed by sean i was feeling as fit as ever and confident that i would have a good race. during training some signs that i hadn’t fully recovered from the pox were evident mainly during long climbs were i felt weak and breathless but they weren’t an every day thing and i thought with a good taper and nutrition plan i would shed the fatigue and start feeling strong again. my confidence carried me to the bottom of the first climb but as the gradient increased i immediately knew that my day was not going to go as planned. at least i had a good holiday with the family.
and then six foot…
six foot 2010 - after bogong i realised something was seriously wrong with my body. a few discussions and talk of being deficient in various minerals etc including iron were tossed around. armed with some basic knowledge i tried to address these various deficiencies using nutrition and within a few weeks i started feeling better.
training for six foot started well with a few sessions run with sleep train but after a few weeks i was again feeling tired which put an end to thoughts of racing well. i even found that i was so tired leading up to the race that i was no longer getting in my morning runs shifting them instead to my lunch break which led to a reduction in time to train and volume. i also started out trying to run long on the trails but barely one attempt was successful in breaking the two hour duration. that run about six weeks out was the breakpoint in which i decided to just run the event and hopefully use it as a catalyst to start my training for my bigger goal – the north face 2010.
i won’t bore anyone with a recount of six foot but i was happy that i could have an easy day out there not pushing too hard, enjoy the hospitality of the rfs and other runners, battle the cramps and finish in 4:20.
the best outcome of the day though was that i think my motivation has finally been reignited. my plan is to also make myself accountable through this blog by recording all of my training (except the secret stuff probably of which there will be very little). it will also help to be able to go back over the log and find out what works and what doesn’t for future events.
training: week 1 (post-six foot)
sunday: most of the day spent on my feet shopping, fixing bikes and riding in the back yard. legs a little tight and sore.
monday: day two and the legs were not happy but felt ok during a 25min run around the streets. did a rpm class in the afternoon and really pushed it hard (should have backed off the intensity but didn’t). hardly got the heart rate or breathing up but sweated buckets.
tuesday: legs still very sore but took them out for a 40min run. felt loose and definitely ran faster than i should have.
wednesday: 50min run around the river.
thursday: strong 55min (12k) run while waiting for scouts to finish. great night out.
friday: spin class and 30min run at lunch
saturday: worked all day but managed to hit the trails of knapsack on the way home before finishing up at glenbrook oval for some 400s in 78-80seconds with a 1min recovery.
sunday: success!! – 2hr run on the m7 from the car park to the marathon turnaround point for a distance of around 28km.
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