shogun runs

Pleasant Distractions

2011-07-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

Fern on tummy

Training has been a little haphazard since the birth of Fern but I've been more than happy to skip a morning session or two to enjoy her smiles of which there are plenty. She is a bit of a Daddy's girl and enjoys a nice cuddle. No complaints from me.

On to the training update - I've been running almost every day again and have enjoyed a couple of great sessions. Of note - ran a great 28km long run where I averaged close to 4min/k pace for most of the run, a couple of good interval sessions including mile repeats all under 6mins and 400s averaging quicker than 71 seconds. It seems the higher intensity sessions also take less out of my legs than the longer endurance runs.

As I've also signed up for a triathlon or two I've also started swimming and biking. Unfortunately they haven't been going too well as I'm finding that I need to spend considerably more time doing those activities to improve than I do with running. Swimming was starting to improve but then kids and wife all got sick I ended up missing three weeks. Going back to the pool this week felt like I was starting all over again. The biking is going OK but I've been putting in too much intensity and not enough endurance work. While I'm slowly getting fitter on the bike the biggest return has been the fitness/strength crossover to my running.

Discovery --- less running + biking = better running

Looking forward to August to put in some serious training hours as my wife's work schedule becomes a little less busy and chaotic.

Listening to my two boys talking in the back of the car over the weekend before going to the movies with their 16 year old sister.

Boy7 - "I bet we eat lots of crap when we go to the movies"
Boy4 - "I don't want to eat crap, I want to eat lollies."

Had us all laughing...

perspective

2010-11-24T16:25:00.000-08:00

what really matters in life...

best smoothie ever

2010-11-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

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...

weekly update: 15-21 november

2010-11-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

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

weekly update: 8-14 november

2010-11-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

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

weekly update: 1-7 november

2010-11-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

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!!!

weekly update: 25-31 october

2010-10-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

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

i'm losing my mind...

2010-10-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

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.

my name's on the list

2010-10-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

'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

Three Peaks Photo Journal

2010-09-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

Brain is still trying to sort out the images of that fateful day. Until then here are some photos to enjoy...

How to get in trouble

2010-09-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

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...

Training 5/9 - 11/9

2010-09-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

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:

Early mornings with the BMMC

2010-08-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

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.

sinus infection

2010-05-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

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).

three weeks out

2010-04-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

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...

memory fog...

2010-04-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

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...

settling into a pattern...

2010-04-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

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!

no schedule...

2010-04-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

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...

no title...

2010-03-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

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

lunch run challenge

2010-03-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

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...?

2010-03-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

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).

no ego thursday

2010-03-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

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

no glenmore park boy was harmed...

2010-03-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

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.

tuesday triple

2010-03-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

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

monday easy

2010-03-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

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)

things don't always go as planned...

2010-03-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

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.

underdone

2010-03-07T14:56:00.000-08:00

i haven't put in the work necessary to perform this weekend but i'm still hoping to have a good time. the north face was always the focus and i guess now is a good time to start preparing for it. does that mean i should forgo the taper and train through this weekends race or not? reduced training loads always mess with my sanity...

running with no watch or gadgets has really made keeping track of my running a somewhat meaningless task but i'll try and put something down from what i can last remember... which isn't a lot!

thursday: workout? - think it was a tempo effort - maybe 6k steady + 5k tempo + 6x200m fast // probably a second run in the morning or afternoon?
friday: slept in again (or did i?) - 2 x 10k runs - 1 easy, 1 tempo
saturday: planned to get out for a longer run but slept in again - 30mins easy at lunch
sunday: thought about running long but tired from the day before - ran workout 4x1km (~3:35/k), 4x500m (~1:40), 4x300m (in 50 something) - didn't feel hard but not really into it

while i haven't been keeping a training log i have been consistent with running between 20-35km per day during the week and except for the weekends not going as planned as i have been busy either working or with children's activities i'm still logging over 100km each week - probably closer to 150km without a long run which i'll start focusing on after six foot...

hopefully i'll have something more exciting to post from race week...

almost a training week...

2010-03-02T12:58:00.000-08:00

thought i had better post something here before people think that i've stopped running...

took a while to get over some health/fitness issues i experienced after bogong but things seem to be much better now and the training is starting to resemble something that looks like i might be training for something again. still struggling to run longer than 2 hours without wanting to quit but it's more of a mental issue than a physical issue thankfully. i'm enjoying getting out again but i've been battling boredom while out on my longer runs. better sort this out quickly so that i can put in the necessary miles for north face. the plan is for more than last year.

ok enough rambling...

training:

i've stopped wearing a watch or keeping track of my runs over the last 2 months but i'm sure that during the week i have been logging between 20-30km on most days. just out running with no structured quality... an hour here an hour there... mostly twice a day except on the weekends.

had a good run at lunch yesterday covering about 12km in around 51mins and while driving home with thoughts of heading out for another run (i was planning a hill session) i saw scambullant running loops around the local grass track and decided to give that a go. turned up past the high school and by the time i reached the oval scam was leaving so it looked like a solo effort was in order. first time on the track for as long as i remember and i wasn't expecting much. the legs were also a little tired from the lunch run which was only 4 hours prior but i was happily surprised with the outcome...

the unplanned session ended up being 4x800m (2'), 4x400m (1'), 4x200m (1' walk back to start)

4x800m
800m - 2:47
800m - 2:44
800m - 2:42
800m - 2:41

4x400m
400m - 1:21
400m - 1:12
400m - 1:16
400m - 1:17

4x200m
200m - 0:31
200m - 0:30
200m - 0:30
200m - 0:31

just compared this workout with a similar effort in september 2009 two weeks before world masters - surprising

4 x 800m - 2:51, 2:51, 2:49, 2:49
5 x 400m - 1:24, 1:22, 1:22, 1:21, 1:19
4 x 200m - :35.6, :34.6, :32.7, :32.1

felt better and better as the session went on. i have a real love/hate relationship with the track but i know i should get out there and do it if i hope to improve. i'll call this week one of my quest for speed and build up to a larger volume of workload. perhaps i should be tapering for 6ft sometime in the next week or so... racing always gets in the way!!!

training for the next event

2010-02-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

with the next event looming ever closer i'll be happy just to finish rather than compete (with myself and against the previous set goals). getting my body back together has been a longer and slower journey than i hoped. with each day of promise, a couple of days of darkness bookend any twinkle of hope and as the weeks have progressed fast finishing thoughts have been replaced with the desire just to make it through the day's training with more than just a getting it done attitude.

i need something else to re-establish my desire to keep on running...

yesterday's glimmer of hope.

1:20 run - 12k in 54mins, 5 x 40sec hard (~3:00 pace) w/ 1:20 easy, 15mins progressive climb from 6-13% (about 17-18km in total)

in desperate need of a long run though...

6FT training

2010-01-24T19:24:00.000-08:00

training for six foot has commenced and i'm already too tired to update my blog on a more regular basis...

short summary: manage two good workouts last week but fell short of desired volume as an introduction to step-ups and lunges left my upper hamstrings and glutes particularly sore from friday till sunday. a sure sign that there is a definite weakness and need for these strengthening sessions. ended up cutting a workout over the weekend and shortened my long run to 2 hours with a finish in the creek.

hopefully this week i'll reach the volume that my body and mind will be happy with...

countdown to bogong...

2010-01-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

last few weeks have been consistent (except last week but i’ll get to that shortly). the typical weekly routine has looked like the following (optimum week shown but generally only 90% compliance with not all runs completed)…

monday: 2 easy runs (1 road with strides, 1 trail)
tuesday: hill session (up & down for about 7-8km worth); easy run (pm)
wednesday: longer run of about 1h40 to 2 hours on the trail if possible (pm); easy run (am)
thursday: long intervals (30mins total). easy run (am or pm)
friday: recovery run
saturday: tempo/hill session; easy run
sunday: long run 2-4.5 hours easy

total weekly volume at a guess would be in the 135-180km range.

now on to last week (post-christmas)…

on boxing day (well technically it was the following day as i didn’t start the run until 12:30am) i drove up to wentworth falls to run a couple of laps of the BMMC hosted 12hr kedumba mountain run. after catching up with mister g just after starting out i discovered that only luis was on the trail so i pushed it with what vision i had (it was foggy at the top) making it to the bottom in 34 minutes which felt relatively easy but pushing it on the way back up to catch luis (just over 50 minutes) i twisted my ankle a little. it didn’t hurt at the time but over the next few days it began to worry me to the point that i had to shorten the furber steps run (wednesday) after the second climb. i also skipped to quality sessions on thursday and saturday to be on the safe side.

easy runs on thursday and friday left me feeling incredibly tired, sore and fatigued and i was worrying that the drive down to victoria wasn't worth the expense but after a good weekend of running (4.5 hours of training) things have begun to look up again.

my fitness and condition is not where i hoped it would be when i started my build for bogong a couple of months ago but at least it should give me a good platform to train for some early 2010 races.

now just have to get through this taper without doing something stupid...

a month to go...

2009-12-09T21:33:00.000-08:00

so far i've managed to get in all sessions scheduled for the week and it feels like my fitness is taking over where the fatigue has left off...

the week:

monday: am) the usual 10k run to work in around 43mins.
pm) 10k run home in the heat while considering death. Took it easy going up the hills to save myself for the hill session in the morrow.

tuesday: pm) hill session: ran 10 repeats which included 250m (gradient avg 10%) of climbing and finished up the session running 6x200m in around 36" to remove some of the tightness which was heavy in my quads.

wednesday: pm) 1h55min run touring the penrith lowlands. legs felt surprisingly good which caused me to go out a little fast which caused me some problems 90mins in. forced my legs to work a little harder over the last 5km running 200m fast every 2mins on the way back.

thursday: am) finally made it to a bmmc training run and completed the standard 10k loop which includes for me the most unpleasant of climbs on tired legs. need to do it more often and start toughening up.

pm) 1h05 run with 31mins of intervals (covering about 8+km). felt like i had a good workout.

the next 3 days...

friday: short recovery run

saturday: am) 10km tempo run

sunday: am) the big run - last and first a month out from bogong. will make sure that i'm stocked up with all the goodies that i'm likely to consume on race day.

christmas came early

2009-12-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

these arrived in the mail this week. can't wait to try them out on some local trails this weekend... hopefully i'll find the spirit of anton. maybe i'll even grow the beard back....

Stress and Soreness...

2009-11-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

last weeks training didn’t go to schedule. due to my attendance at a two day conference in sydney followed up with a day’s training i sacrificed the easier runs which make up a large part of my training and also allow my legs to recover between the quality sessions. i did however manage to get in most of quality sessions as planned but at the expense that all sessions were tackled during the late afternoon heat.

the heat and quality of the week has added to a lot of stress and by the end of the weekend after two 10km runs on saturday sandwiching my first weight session (squats and lunges) followed up on sunday afternoon with a 2+ hour excursion with (the) sleep train, dr phil and the welsh exchange student into the grose valley which included a short dip in the river has left me very sore and tired. the climb both up and down was made even more challenging due my poor footwear selection. the climb out completely fried my calves as i was trying to find some traction on the loose leaves with my toes and the two steps up one slide back added to my quad fatigue. arriving at the top was a welcomed relief as i was able to start running again but halfway back to the car my quads tightened up further and i could feel the tell-tale signs of cramping coming on. to avoid the unpleasantness of cramping i backed off and enjoyed the fading light as i soaked in my first foray out to faulconbridge point. think i might make this route a regular part of my training…

looking back…

monday: a quick loop of the river on the way back from sydney @ 4:08 /km pace

tuesday: am hilly loop 11 repeats in the alloted time

wednesday: lunch 8.5km steady run, pm 85min trail run up to the oaks gate and back down the singletrack. hot day which ended in the creek.

thursday: pm 95min run with intervals (about 20min worth) followed up with 30+ minutes of climbing (10-15% grade) @ 75% maxhr. again the heat killed me and i had to cut short the hard running.

friday: 35min easy

saturday: am 10km steady, lunch – weights (legs), pm 10k easy

sunday: pm 2h run out to faulconbridge point and down into the grose valley for a swim.

chillin out at barrington

2009-11-16T14:15:00.000-08:00

spent last weekend at Barrington Tops just chillin out with my wife...

friday walked with my wife for an hour up the steep driveway (10%+ grade) and back for an hour. after a marathon sleep my wife and i went for a 20km/4.5 hour walk in the national park which left us both feeling quite fatigued. sunday morning was our last bit of peace before picking up the kids and the photo above shows how i spent some of it. lying on the grass with my legs up looking at the sky... took the dog out for a run when i got home to show him some love...

back to the hill...

17/11/09 tuesday (total 24 km)

short hills (am)

a 5.30am start saw me heading down to glenbrook for some hill work. it was quite warm and humid and the session felt tougher than expected but happy to complete the 3km of climbing finishing faster as the session progressed. run at lunch still to come...

recovery run (pm): 8.55 km (42:14) - 4:56 pace

felt a little stiff and sore through the first two kilometres but loosened up and wanted to run quicker. i didn't give in though and kept the effort controlled.

18/11/09 wednesday (total 19.5 km)

steady run: 19.5 km (1:30) - 4:38 pace

during the start of the run my legs were feeling quite sore from yesterday's hill workout which made me happy that i pushed myself hard enough yesterday. unfortunately my legs didn't get any better or worse and with the heat it made for a tough run.

19/11/09 thursday

workout: 1min hard/30sec float

ran a tough session in the heat (41 degrees) but surprised myself running the hard segments at 3:30 down to 3:20 pace with the floats starting out at 4:20 pace but slipping to 4:40 pace over the final three repeats. legs felt amazing after...

20/11/09 friday

steady run: 7.2 km (29:45) - 4:08 pace + 5 x strides

i'm not sure if this was supposed to be a recovery session or not but it felt short (time) and my legs felt happier running at a slightly faster pace on the grass this morning. finished with my lower back feeling a little sore...

The weekly report...

2009-11-09T15:56:00.000-08:00

with some upcoming ultras i've decided that i need to get back onto more trails and start focusing on hitting as many hills as i can in order to regain some of the strength i have lost over the last few years. i've decided to start focusing on ultra and trail races next year and for this i've decided that it's going to take plenty of work on the trails and up and down hills.

i think my focus will be to run the hills till i'm drop dead tired and then run some more until the body adapts to all this vertical gain that i throw at it.

my biggest weak leading into North Face this year was a 17 hour/200km week and my plan is to hit that a few months out and build on it - a 20 hour week sounds about right. not sure how i'm going to do that with a 40 hour work week and my desire to spend as much time with my wife and kids as i can but i'll work something out. thankfully they are very supportive but it'll be an interesting period of time management juggling. what usually goes first is sleep and i seem to be able to cope with that loss better than most.

ok enough of the blab and on to what was last week...

2/11/09 - 90min trail run workout: 4 x 6min hard (3min easy)

1h30' run in the National Park starting at the rangers station and heading up the oaks fire trail put in some quality with 4 x 6min efforts at around half marathon effort. Tough work but felt strong on the climb in and out. Hot day!

3/11/09 - easy trail run

a very hot day and when i got out after work it was a nice 38C. parked the car in Glenbrook and headed up onto the knapsack trails where i met up with fellow BMMC runner scam bullant. tough run and felt like i was breathing with a mask on in front of the oven.

4/11/09 - SANDWICH DAY (3 runs - 10k easy run (am), hill session totalling 14k (lunch), 10k steady home (pm))

i'm thinking that 3 run session days might become a big part of my training. it will essentially invoves the 10k run commute to and from work with a hard lunchtime workout sandwiched in the middle. today it involved 6 x The Sanctuary (Drive) hill repeats (12-15% slope) which were tough. the climb home up mitchells pass though was not as tough as expected and i was stoked to make it home feeling so strong. that feeling ended quickly when i took monty (the dog) for 3km of walking and jogging through the neighbourhood. i was done...

5/11/09 - hilly run

back into the hills during lunch and for the first 10 minutes things weren't looking good. my body was feeling a little ragged but what felt like 5min pace was actually 4:30 pace when i looked at the watch and by the time i reached the start of the trail up to lapstone station i was feeling good to go again. the climb was tough but i down shifted into low gear and motored up and by the time i reached glenbrook and headed back down the old highway onto mitchells pass i was feeling ready to roll through 15 minutes of tempo on my way back to work. the wheels fell off about 10 minutes out and i backed off to make sure that the legs are not too shattered for tomorrow morning's long journey to work.

6/11/09 - flat easy run

got in another run which included some vertical gain but mainly flat to give the legs a little break. the legs were feeling the previous runs as they barked at me to take it slow for the first few kilometres and i listened. after loosening up though they felt good and the pace easily settled into something a little slower than marathon pace...

7/11/09 - easy run

managed to slip in an easy run...

8/11/09 - long easy run (trails)

the day almost flew on by with kid's swimming lessons and house work but managed to slip out just before lunch for some trail love...

managed 2h13' of trail time for about 28km which included running some aid for a lady who had slipped on some wet rocks. her family were with her but she wasn't moving or making any noise which was quite scary. ran to get help so that they could assess her condition. i felt completely wiped out mentally and physically after that ordeal and struggled for the final 10km.

with aching legs i quickly showered and jumped in the car for a BMMC barbie at MrGs. recovery nutrition was enjoyed which included a lentil burger and roasted veggies all washed down with carbon-neutral beer (first beer in months... thinking back the last beer consumed was with Blue Dog on a post-morning NF recon run).

the numbers: running 135km, 10:43 total time, avg pace 4:45/km

week two - running and diet thoughts...

2009-10-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

the title suggests that i am currently training towards some goal. not sure what that is yet....

thought i would also post a few random days of food consumption here and there for those that have asked about it. i've started eating more cooked food than usual but as the days get warmer i'll probably move closer to eating at least 60% of my daily food consumption in fresh fruit. i've noticed more and more vegan ultra-endurance athletes popping up or perhaps i am just becoming more aware...

my eating is largely based on eastern nutritional philosophy and healing my body through plant-based nutrition and is influenced by books such as healing with whole foods, the china study, nutrition and athletic performance, and i'm waiting for brendan brazier's thrive book to arrive.

TRAINING

monday: 14.53 km (1:04) - 4:25 pace // yoga session - core & back
a steady run out to the lakes. the last 5k was challenging with the wind blowing in my face but finished strongly running the last kilometres in 3:36. finished up the day with a yoga session with my wife before bed. a great way to unwind...

tuesday: hills - 12 loops (560m) - total time 1:18 (14.5 km)
a tough session with short recovery. averaged the same as last time i did this workout but this week i added two repeats and shortened the recovery by 30 seconds.

splits - 2:08, 2:05, 2:02, 2:03, 2:00, 2:04, 2:05, 2:07, 2:08, 2:08, 2:03 - average 2:04.9 (3:43 / km)

food highlights:-
immediately post-run: beet, apple, orange, romaine smoothie
breakfast: oats w/ almond milk, raisins
snack: fresh dates
lunch: lentil & tomato dhal w/ brown rice
dinner: quinoa pudding (actually ended up more like a yummy dessert than a dinner - cooked with fried banana, coconut oil, milk & meat, raisins and carrot)

wednesday: 10 km (0:45) - 4:30/km
easy run to work. legs felt a little tired from yesterday but happy to get there and enjoy last nights leftovers.

pm run: 18 km (1:26) - hilly run
ran home and made sure i included all the hills i could including the sanctuary drive in leonay, mitchells pass and hare street glenbrook. felt spent when i crawled through the gate. loving it!!

thursday: 16.1 km (1:10) - 4:26/km easy run
went out with no plans for the run and ended up running around the river and up mitchells pass before looping back to work running the last 15 minutes around threshold. pushed the climb from emu plains up mitchells and felt good.

food:-
breakfast: large bowl of rockmelon, blueberries, raisins, almonds
snack: dates, almonds (pre-run)
post-run: 2l of water, fresh dates, pumpkin seeds (high in iron), almonds
lunch (late): lentil & tomato dhal w/ brown rice, green tea
dinner: black bean chilli w/ grilled veggies & avocado

friday: 12 km (0:56) - run workout
at home with the kids today so booked them into the gym and jumped on the treadmill. got bored within five minutes so upped the pace every 500m starting at 4:40 pace and ending at 3:40 pace for the last kilometre. added to the fun setting the incline to 12.5% were i held the pace with my heartrate settling on 83% of max till it was time to grab the kids (18 minutes total climbing ~400m over 3.7km). rounded out the session with some 200m repeats at maximum warp speed. still had some energy left in the tank which was disappointing. need to think of a harder strategy to crush myself next time.

saturday & sunday: family time...
wife out of town...

summary:
mileage was not as high as i would like but overall not bad considering my wife has been away for four days. managed to put in two solid workouts and a couple of strong runs which made me feel like my fitness is improving.

the workouts need to be made harder and with more volume if i'm going to continue to build fitness but built over time and not rushed to avoid burnout, overtraining or worse, injury. of course that means i need to give consideration to my easy days both before and after my sessions to allow my body to recuperate and take on the full benefits of the workout. easy days are my weakness. i know that i should include them in my weekly schedule but i always feel weak and stale the day following... perhaps a change of scenery and more time spent on the trails will help relax the effort.

can't wait for next week...

overcoming sickness...

2009-10-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

not much happening on the running front lately due to sickness but thankfully i've finally recovered from my experience with chicken pox... not something i would want to get again.

after taking a week off and missing most of the world masters training is finally getting becoming a regular thing again... this time away from running allowed me some to sit back and reflect upon what running means to me and what i would like to get out of it. now i'm feeling highly motivated to build my training up to another level.

the plan is to take the next couple of months and work on building base endurance and focus on some of the strength issues that i have been concerned about over the last 12 months.

now on to the training. i'm feeling good right now and even though my races didn't go as planned at the world masters the training i did before hand gave me the confidence that if i wasn't brought down with the pox i would have reached my goal times. no time for thinking about it now...

training summary - a solid start with week one being all about getting healthy and getting back in the running groove...

-- week one --

sunday (oct 18) - 9.02 km, 40:18, 4:28 pace
sunday marked a return to running after taking a few days off and my legs were aware of it. felt loose but fatigued towards the end as my lungs rebelled with infection...

monday: 12.61 km, 58:36, 4:39 pace

tuesday: 11 km, 1:00 -- 20 minutes of hill repeats
ran down to glenbrook in the afternoon and spent 20 minutes running around the hills. very tired...

wednesday: 13 km, 1:00
easy out and back from work

thursday: 14.59 km, 1:06, 4:33 pace (lunch) // 11.24 km, 57:26, 5:07 pace
first double run today. ran around the river at lunch and then backed up with a run home due to a flat battery. the run home was tough up mitchells pass.

friday: rest day

saturday: 8.4 km, 36:35, 4:21 pace // 13.35 km, 1:00, 4:31 pace
the am run was mostly at tempo pace and the evening run was out to finch look out and took in a few trails up at warrimoo. beautiful day...

sunday: 17.66 km, 1:20, 4:32 pace
interesting run out to mulgoa. i had planned for my wife to pick me up after about an hour so with that in mind i went out harder than normal and made it through what felt like 80 minutes at 60 minute pace on the hillls. 30 minutes later when my wife found me i was a mess. still enjoy these challenges but need to be more prepared and carry some money or nutrition.

-- week two --

the plan is for more volume, more runs plus some yoga and strength sessions thrown in before my wife leaves for a four day weekend with the girls in tasmania...

thursday short and fast...

2009-10-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

stepping out of the office i was again greeted with the cold wind which has been hanging around for the last few days. i was hoping for a windless lunchbreak to run my final short fast session before the 10k race this sunday but it wasn't happening. still had to make the most of it though...

the wind was chilly but i managed to get through a 5 km warmup in 22:10 feeling ready to get into it. i had planned on running 4-5 sets of 600m at 3-5k pace + 300m at 1500m pace with a 1 minute recovery between each. i managed to get through the first two sets feeling ok but i started suffering some bad stomach cramping issues which added some pain to the session. to ease the pain i modified the session and ended up running 4 x 300m repeats alternating 5k pace and 1500m pace with 45 seconds recovery between each. i was happy to finish this workout and hold the paces i was trying to hit. stomach sorted itself out on the cooldown back to work. it at least probably helped me control the pace without pushing harder than was necessary.

workout: 2 x (600m (3k pace)-300m (1500m pace)) (1' recovery), 4 x 300m (45" recovery) alt. 3k pace/1500m pace

warmup: 4 km (22:10)

2 x (600m-300m)
600m - 2:02 - 3:23/km (49)
300m - 56.2 - 3:07/km (70)
600m - 2:02 - 3:23/km (56)
300m - 57.3 - 3:11/km (1:57)

4 x 300m
300m - 1:02 - 3:26/km (47)
300m - 54.8 - 3:02/km (44)
300m - 1:01 - 3:23/km (47)
300m - 54.5 - 3:01/km

cooldown: 2 km (10:00)

wednesday windy speed session

2009-10-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

wednesday:

i went out with the intentions of running a session of quarters but the wind had other ideas. i felt nice and relaxed heading over to the grass track and after running my strides i was ready to go. i wasn't feeling fired up but i thought i would be able to work for it today.

after the first repeat i knew it was going to be tough. on the second repeat the sprinklers came on. and by the third i was thinking one more and i'm going back to work. i think i'll try and have another go at it tomorrow.

run: 3.2k easy, 4x100m strides, 4x400m (1min recovery), 3k easy
warmup: 3.2k - 4:50/km pace

4x100m - 114m-21sec-(3:05/km), 115m-19sec-(2:46/km), 108m-19sec-(3:02/km), 114m-16sec-(2:28/km) - it's easy to see which way the wind was blowing.

4x400m
1) 1:16 (419m) (3:02/km)
2) 1:19 (422m) (3:10/km)
3) 1:17 (401m) (3:12/km)
4) 1:13 (405m) (3:02/km)

2.5k cooldown w/ 500m @ 3:40/km

tuesday easy

2009-10-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

i was greeted with perfect weather at the start of my run which made for a pleasant loop around the river during my lunch break. just an easy cruise to allow my legs to absorb the work i have been putting into them ready for another blitz on them tomorrow.

run stats:

easy run 59:29 (13 km)
avg pace: 4:34/km

splits: 4:48-4:37-4:46-4:27-4:34-4:37-4:29-4:38-4:29-4:36-4:27-4:31-4:20

monday speed workout

2009-10-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

i was planning on just heading out around home for a 60-70 minute run but as it was still raining i decided to run a workout instead. my legs were feeling quite fresh from yesterday's run and i've been enjoying them lately.

after a good 15 minute warmup i got stuck into the workout. the plan was to run 2 x 800m (1' rest), 2 x 400m on 2', 6 x 200m on 1' and then finish up with 1km at 10k effort. having run faster than normal during yesterday's long run i was fully expecting to be struggling throughout this session today due to the shorter rest intervals that i had planned. after the first 800m repeat i settled into a good pace and i knew i was going to have a good workout. i was consistent throughout the workout hitting all my target paces and when it came to run the 1km to finish up i was surprised how effortless it felt running at 3:38 pace. hopefully a sign of good things to come. i have been continuously amazed at the moment with how good my legs are feeling post-run and how quickly i feel like i'm recoverying from session to session.

workout stats:

3.2k warmup (5:00 down to 3:50 pace)
workout: 2 x 800m (60" rest), 2 x 400m (40" rest), 6 x 200 (30" rest), 2-3' jog, 1k @ 10k effort
800 - 2:39
800 - 2:39 (started slow, finished fast)
400 - 1:19
400 - 1:18
200 - 0:38
200 - 37
200 - 37
200 - 37
200 - 38
200 - 35
2-3 minute jog (until HR below 110)
1000 - 3:38

10 minute cooldown

sunday longish...

2009-10-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

sunday:

i'd only scheduled myself to a 90 minute run today and with the rain falling on and off i ended up getting out for my run a little later than planned. on my drive down to the flatlands it looked like i had a window of opportunity weather-wise before the skies reopened and began dumping again.

the run started out rather unexcitably but after about 50 minutes running around 4:30 pace i decided to pick it and began running 10 minutes at 4:00 pace, followed with a 1 minute walk (trying to maintain some element of running form) and then straight back into 10 minutes at 4:00 pace (typical barry mcgee strategy). i kept this up for two 10 minute segments and then shortened them to down to five minutes with 1 minute walk. i felt great at the end running the last 5 minutes at quicker than 3:50 pace. sometimes you need to mix it up a little to make the run a little more interesting. i ended up thoroughly enjoying the run, feeling loose and relaxed running at a slightly faster than normal pace.

run stats:

3 loops of the river: 19.5 km in 1:27:30
avg pace - 4:29/km
avg HR - 148

enjoying training...

2009-10-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

i'm really getting into my workouts at the moment. today's workout capped off a great week of training. the speed workouts aren't leaving me as beat up as i have been expecting. my focus on optimal nutrition may have something to do with that. energy high, workouts good, recovery fast and i still dropped 2kg in bodyweight. we also have been invited out tonight to eat. hoping there will be something on the menu that i will eat so i don't appeal anti-social.

ok on to the training...

friday:
on getting up i decided to go out early for an easy run taking in a few of the hills up to warrimoo and back. felt good and relaxed.

run: 8.2k easy (39:50)

saturday:
went down to the flatlands for another workout. plan was a little flexible but i managed to get out of the session what i wanted. workout details were 3 x 1200m at tempo effort, 2 x 800m faster, 6 x 300m faster again. recovery was 2 minutes between the 1200s and 800s and 100m between the 300s.

workout: 3 x 1200m (1-2'), 2 X 800m (2'), 6 x 300m (100m)

warmup: 2.4km 11:57, 129HRav
1200m - 4:32, 164hr, 3:47/km (1:18 jog)
1200m - 4:36, 172hr, 3:50/km (1:58)
1200m - 4:34, 176hr, 3:48/km (3:15)
800m - 2:48, 177hr, 3:30/km (2:00)
800m - 2:46, 179hr, 3:27/km (2:58)
300m - 58.9, 166hr, 3:16/km (0:52)
300m - 58.3, 171hr, 3:14/km (0:56)
300m - 58.0, 174hr, 3:13/km (0:57)
300m - 57.0, 175hr, 3:10/km (0:52)
300m - 55.2, 174hr, 3:04/km (1:03)
300m - 55.0, 175hr, 3:03/km
cooldown: 1km 6:09

i must have worked myself hard during this session because by the time i reached the car i was having trouble putting the key into the ignition. i grabbed some bananas on the way home to make myself a big green banana smoothie (bananas, broccoli and lsa). two hours later and i'm feeling great and psyched to get out for another run. easy run tonight and a long trail run tomorrow morning.

good luck sleep train

2009-09-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

monday:

i've forgotten whether i got out in the morning before work for a run. maybe i did and if so i'm thinking it might have been for about 15-16km from home up to warrimoo and back down the highway to glenbrook and then home via the lagoon.

i do remember getting out at lunch though for an easy workout consisting of 1 x 3000m (3:59), 1 x 2000m (3:50), 1 x 1000m (3:43) with 1000m steady (4:40) between. i kept the pace moderate to make sure that i got the workout in as planned. over the last few weeks i've gone out with the intentions of smashing myself and discovered my limits in fitness. i thought getting in some consistent workouts would help build my fitness and confidence.

tuesday:

a sunny, windless morning greeted the bmmc crew (many runners with names i'm not sure of - animal, fat kiwi, scam, sleep, etc) as we met up for the weekly tuesday morning loop departing from sleep trains house (check out the loop here). i'd been meaning to catch up and run this loop for some time but hadn't. this morning though was our last opportunity to run with sleep and wish him well before he embarked on his trip to austria to run in the world long distance mountain champs. he looked ready to go and knowing what he has been doing in training i expect him to bring home the win.

the run started out at an easy pace but i could feel the previous days tempo run in my legs and by the time we reached the first of the solid climbs i was troubled with my lack of energy and power in my legs. thankfully running with a bunch of triathlon/multisport athletes has it's advantages as i discovered that every climb was followed up with a brief stop to stretch and take care of whatever else needs to be taken care of. after a couple of extra stops the run was definitely feeling very social.

between my morning run and lunch i decided that i needed to try something new in my training and instead of going with the hard/easy, long/short daily option i have decided to try laying down some quality every day and see where that takes my fitness. so with that in mind and a small window of time at lunch i headed out to run a workout. i ended up going with 4 x 800m (200m recovery), 5 x 400m (200m rec), 4x200m. i wasn't planning on killing myself in this session and made the decision early to hold back on the pace enough to be able to get through this workout feeling good. mission accomplished....

workout:
warmup - 3.2km (15mins)
4 x 800m - 2:51, 2:51, 2:49, 2:49
5 x 400m - 1:24, 1:22, 1:22, 1:21, 1:19
4 x 200m - :35.6, :34.6, :32.7, :32.1
recovery 200m (50m walk/150m jog)

a solid session and i was excited to finally feel some bounce in my stride. i was on a high right through to bed time...

wednesday:
i woke up feeling good this morning which was a little surprising considering yesterday's workout. i was waiting for my legs to feel it on my run to work but they felt nice and relaxed.

i decided to make this a three run day with a run at lunch where i managed to get out and run 15 minutes easy, 10 minutes at marathon pace and finished up with 6 x 300m fast with 30 seconds recovery jog on the end. felt smashed but loaded up on the fruit and water intake in preparation for the run home (up mitchells pass) on a few short hours away.

sitting in the changeroom at work thinking about the run to come i was unsure how i was going to feel making the 5km climb from emu plains to home. i need not have worried. ran the first 5km at what felt an easy pace still making the start of the climb in 21 minutes. at the start of the climb i made a deal with myself that i wouldn't walk until i reached the bridge (top of the climb) where i was free to walk if i needed. twelve minutes later i was at the top and surprised how good i was feeling. no need for a break and finished with a solid 2km up to home.

wednesday training:
am - 10km in 0:44
noon - 15' easy (4:40), 10' steady (4:00-4:10), 6 x 300m (60" down to 56") with 30" jog
pm - 10km in 0:46 (climb from emu to bridge in 12'30")

thursday:
got out early for another session. thought for sure that the 30+km of running yesterday would make it difficult to get through the workout but ended up having a great workout. pre-planned to run the session around 10km pace and not try and push it much faster. session was 2 x (5min-4min-3min) with 2min steady (about 4:40/km) between. another session nailed for the week and finally starting to feel like i'm making some progress.

workout: 2 x (5min-4min-3min) with 2min steady

warmup: 3.2km in 15mins
5min - 1310m (3:49)
4min - 1048m (3:49)
3min - 800m (3:45)

5min - 1322m (3:47)
4min - 1076m (3:43)
3min - 820m (3:40)

cooldown - 5-10mins

now that my garmin has died and gone to technology heaven i thought i had better start posting my training here more often before i forget all that i have done...

last week's training (or was it the week before?) - actually it was the week before. i've lost last weeks training to the recesses of my mind. i think i might have had a good week totalling about 130-140km.

monday: pm - 15.5k easy (1:10) hilly run up singletrack to mitchells pass finishing with 5 x 150m strides on the flat. great day for a run. planned to head out after work but didn't.

tuesday: am - 14.3k with hill workout (1:20) solid hill session running 26x100-110m. ran moderately for the first 20 repeats running them in around 28sec and then pushed it running the remainder in around 20-21secs. finished feeling great!

wednesday: pm - 10k easy (0:45) easy out and back run around the river.

thursday: pm - intervals 9k (0:42). shortened interval session due to the heat (33 celsius and windy). Ran 1x2k and 2x500m averaging around 3:30/km pace.

friday: am - 6k easy (0:30) with 6x200m fast. legs felt tired at the start but loosened up during the strides.

saturday: busy day and missed my planned run. turned out to be a mistake before trying to run hard the following day as me legs felt completely dead - which is normal following a no exercise day.

sunday: 40k of running including two races a half marathon race and a 9k'er. drove into sydney with my wife to take part in the sydney running festival. the plan was that i would run the half marathon and then find my way back to the starting area to run the 9k race with my wife. as i was only planning on running the race as a substitute for a long run my goal was to complete the half running at marathon pace and for most of the run that's what happened. went through the first 10k right in 4:15/k pace sitting on around 80% maxHR but then things got tough over the next 7k. Pace dropped to around 4:30/k and my legs started aching - not good. after getting back into the city things improved and i managed to finish up running the last few kilometres at around 3:50/k and i was excited that it felt easy. with 10 minutes of running and another 10 minutes commuting on the train i made it back over the bridge for the start of the 9k race. thankfully i found my wife near the front of the runners and waited just past the start and timing mats for the race to start before jumping in. had the most enjoyable run pushing my wife along to a great finishing time. an hour of walking back to the car to complete the morning... does it get any better?

up and back...

2009-09-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

monday:

after arriving at work this morning to discover that i had left my security pass and shower key at home i decided that i would run home and pick it up during my lunch break. i'm happy i did as i had great run up mitchells pass getting home in around 40 minutes averaging quicker than 5:00/km pace. going hard on the way back to work knocked off 10 minutes on the return.

run details: 70mins steady (40mins out/ 30mins back)

planned second run around the river for 40 minutes to get in some recovery ready for tomorrows workout...

sunday long...

2009-09-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

got up early to beat the heat and headed out about 6am. ran up the back roads to springwood and by the turn around i knew i was in trouble. yesterdays workout had caught up with me and the return was a mental effort to keep going when everything was screaming for me to stop and walk, rest or lie down...

stubbornness prevailed and i made it home in just over two hours... after a good feed and rehydration felt good for the rest of the day.

run: 2 hour long run (~24-25km)

unfinished time trial...

2009-09-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

saturday:

i had planned on running a 10k time trial today but i left it late in the day and it had warmed up nicely by the time i managed to get out. thinking back to the start of last year i ran my first sub 40 minute 10k during a similar run. again a few months later i ran another time trial over the distance and ran 38:50 and then two or three weeks later i ran a time trial in 38:05. i guessed it was a good session to help bring on my fitness so it seemed like a good idea but...

things started out as planned and i ran the first two kilometres at the pace (roughly 3:40-3:50 pace) i was hoping for but then i lost focus somewhere and it was quickly all over. it was a good outcome as it gave me insight into where my fitness currently is. just as i thought - i need to work on my aerobic fitness. the modified session became a good workout though to save the day.

run details:

3.2k warmup with 4x100m strides

workout:
1 x 2000m, 200m recovery
1 x 1200m, 200m
1 x 800m, 200m
1 x 600m, 200m
8 x 300m @ a pace quicker than i can race any distance at, 200m recovery
1k cooldown

back from nz...

2009-09-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

as it appears people come to this site from time to time to check out what’s going on in the life of shogun so for those who have nothing better to do i thought i had better start blogging on a more regular schedule. i know i’ve said it before but here goes…

as i no longer keep a training log or diary i thought i had better put something down before my runs have faded off into some dark part of my brain which can no longer be accessed. damn university years and herbal plant experimentation…

ok time for the update

flew over to the south island of new zealand on the 21st august, hired a campervan and proceeded to drive around with the troop checking it out. waking up on the first morning to be greeted with snow capped mountains in the distance was exciting for all – especially the little ones as they had never seen snow. managed to run around 8-12km on most days at whatever pace my legs could handle considering the terrain (and hills). definitely ran up a hill or two while there…

running highlights included:-

- evening run around the lake at wanaka
- a sunset, early evening run along the lake at queenstown
- hill session on the steep streets around queenstown (the following morning)
- stroll along the kepler track with the family – kids and wife all broke into various runs and it brought out smiles in all
- hilly run around dunedin including hard up 3 mile hill
- baldwin street - the “steepest street in the world” ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_street)

the view looking down from the top

reading up and following eastern nutritional healing practices i've been think about following a monk lifestyle experiment and subsist on brown rice and mung beans for a time and see how it works out. perhaps i'll be taken to a higher spiritual plane. long miles on the trails and hills of the blue mountains, living and eating minimal sounds like a great way to achieve inner peace and reach my zen state.

i've also managed to get back into the training now that i'm home and it started off nicely to a well organised (thanks to the bmmc crew and most notably scam) night run on home trails - the oaks fire trail no less. 25k of undulating trail with supurb bmmc folk and cr flatlanders. to say that i struggled would be an understatement but you have to start somewhere. i was disappointed with how much fitness i have lost over the last few weeks and with a pain on the inside of my ankle which i could only feel on the climbs i was happy to reach the ranger station signaling the end - of course i still had to get back to the car at glenbrook station. great runs by b+ and prince d (who also started out with the 23k option from wentie falls).

i felt a little stiff and sore over the weekend after the run but managed to get out on sunday night for a good hour or so.

training summary:-

friday:
26km oaks fire trail night run - 2:06?

saturday:
shopping, gardening and unpacking - long day...

sunday:
1 hour run up to warimoo and back with diversions.

monday:
missed planned run due to daughter needing to be picked up with school so i'll call my training - a 20minute fartlek session with dog in the backyard. he's been missed...

tuesday:
met up with simon down the river and put in a solid session - 15min hard, 10min hard, 5min with whatever i had left (which was little). backed up with a run at lunch.

wednesday:
50minutes around the river and into the hills - tired. went to bed with sore legs and a belly full of good food (green smoothie).

thursday:
legs felt good when i woke and was happy for another meet up with simon for a solid 1min fast, 30sec jog session around the river which left me feeling great. backed up again at lunch with a long climb up mitchells and to the bridge over knapsack. kept it nice and chilled...

friday:
repeated yesterday's lunch run up to the bridge and back. on the return threw in some short speed variations (fancy name for faster running from power pole to power pole). will finish up the day with another easy run down to the bottom of a local hill for about 10 uphill sprints to finish my legs and the week off.
totals: 2 quality sessions, 1 long run, 3 doubles and about 130-135km of running

almost back to normal

2009-08-11T16:49:00.001-07:00

best recovery aid... the green smoothie.

i've been starting each day this week with a green smoothie and i can not believe the buzz i get from drinking down the green... this mornings mix was a bag full of organic broccoli stalks and leaves (leftover from the kids dinners), a handful of wild greens, 3 apples, a thumb of ginger, a lime, turmeric, cayenne pepper and 2 glasses of water. can feel the life energy flooding my body...

took in a lot of fruit yesterday - bananas, dates, oranges, pears. feeling refueled and ready to go.

today legs are feeling (almost) back to normal again. of course normal involves a little weariness and the odd muscle ache carried over from the previous day's activities. looking forward to heading out with a mate who ran sub 50 minutes at city to surf on the weekend. i think it's time to try and get fast for a while. the longer events will be waiting for me later in the year. getting faster can only help though...right?

keep on green!!!

recovery

2009-08-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

i didn't plan for this week to be a recovery week but after making the decision to run 50km on the trails on saturday my quads are particularly smashed. luckily i didn't go the whole way and complete the 90km so hopefully i won't miss too much of training. steep descents though are unkind to the legs...

i took sunday off from running and just concentrated on eating plenty of good high nutrient foods to help speed up recovery - mainly green veggies, fruits, some whole grains and a little protein.

waking up on monday morning to day two and the dreaded delayed onset muscle soreness (doms), it was time to get active again. with this need i headed out at lunch, walking and stretching for the first 10 minutes and then jogged around the park for 20-30 minutes. legs felt sore but my running felt smooth and not as slow as i expected.

tuesday and another run for 45 minutes (about 9-10k) following the advice that i gathered from listening to barry mcgee's interview on imtalk and ran for 10 minutes at a steady pace and then walked for 1 minute - repeating this throughout the session. i did find it hard to get back into a run after the walk but it got easier to do the longer i went. i don't plan on using this protocol for anything shorter than a marathon but i might consider training with it for the longer distances. today i just used it to ease the strain on the legs until i'm fully recovered.

hopefully tomorrow the legs will feel almost back to normal...

good hurt

2009-08-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

yesterday i could hardly walk after three hard back-to-back days but today i'm feeling good. actually better than good. i had to stop myself during my recovery run today from doing something crazy which i'm known for doing. with my first higher intensity week almost behind me i'm looking forward to the next 10 week training block with a couple of races along the way. just need to get the volume back up to a respectable level. probably hit around 110km this week. a good start...

heading over to New Zealand in two weeks and i'm contemplating jumping in and running a 100km ultra race down near dunedin. probably decide next week. i'm not ultrafit but i'm good at bluffing my way through it fueled on nothing but gels and hornet juice.

on the diet front things have been going well this week and when i weighed myself yesterday and this morning my weight is down about 2kg from the weekend. the plan is to drop 7kg over the next 10 weeks. hunger will be my friend.

Hard Training

2009-08-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

Couple of hard days training over the last few days have left my legs feeling trashed today (Thursday).

With the head cold/sinus infection slowly getting better I decided early in the week to start focusing on putting in some harder efforts and try concentrating on developing some speed.

After a weekend of training neglect and over consumption it was time to get back on track...

Monday started the running week and it felt way too hard. My sinuses were completely backed up and a quick death would have been welcomed - 12k (56mins).

Tuesday saw some intervals run around the lake. Struggled with breathing but managed to get through 2000-1000-1600-800-300-3x200m with 400m jog between. Pace started just below 4min/k and gradually worked down to sub 3min/k pace for the 200s. Felt harder due to sickness...

Wednesday was planning on running another hard session of repeats for some back-to-back efforts but after spending lunch with the wife headed out for 90 min run around the river. Ran solidly and covered about 20.5km in the 90 minutes. Legs felt smashed and coaching the 5 year old soccer team later almost put the nail in the coffin. Need to think about post-run recovery and dial it in.

Thursday got up early and headed out. Felt like an old man during the start of the warmup (4k/20mins) but gradually worked my way into it and loosened up. Another workout but less structured. Planned on running a pyramid session of 5-4-3-2-1-1-2-3-4-5mins with half rest but by the time I made it through to the 1 minute interval I was feeling toasted and finished with 10 x 1min fast/1min easy. Legs and feet (blisters) completely cactus.

If I can manage to drag myself out again today I'll put in another run. Perhaps a spin class in the morning will help ease the pain...

monday: 12k in 0:56 loop of the northern burbs

tuesday: 14k in 1:06 including 1x2000-1000-1600-800-300-3x200 w 400m jog

wednesday: 20.5k steady in 1:30

thursday: 14k in 1:05 including 40min fartlek (5'-4'-3'-2'-10x1' w 1/2 to equal jog)

27 July to 2 August

2009-08-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

what started as a head cold early in the week quickly turned into a full blown sinus infection by the weekend. the frustrating part though is that my legs were just starting to feel good and strong and i was contemplating having a good run at 12ft. not fast but still in the sub-11 hour range.

this week i took advantage of the local gym offer - $2 per day for 14 days and attended three RPM classes for the first time in over a year. I struggled through the first class but by the end of the week I was looking forward to the double class challenge on friday evening.

monday: am) 1h15 easy pm) 1h15 steady - total for the day was 33km
from memory i had two good runs and started was looking to be a promising week of training. i was still all fired up from watching Sleep Train at the Cities Marathon.

tuesday: am) RPM class + 10min steady run // noon) 1h20 steady run
first RPM class in over 12 months and it felt good to work hard.

wednesday: am) RPM class
left early from work as I was starting to feel sick.

thursday: noon) 1h run
still sick but headed out for a run anyway. It may have been longer but my memory is not so good.

friday: am) 1h run with intervals // pm) double RPM class
even though I was still feeling like crap in the head my legs were feeling good. Ran 9km in sets of 2min hard (1min easy), 1min hard (30sec easy), 30sec hard (30sec easy). Felt strong throughout the session. thought I would struggle through the RPM class that evening but I was surprised how good i felt when the second class started. managed to push myself to the point where i almost passed out and fell off the bike. great stuff.

saturday and sunday: and that was ALL...
woke up late in the morning to the surprise that my legs were feeling great. unfortunately sleeping in and with soccer coaching responsibilities meant that i had missed my run for the day. after soccer we headed up to newcastle for my mother-in-laws graduation.

sunday we were still in newcastle and i was feeling sicker than ever. another no run day to end the week.

No marathon but maybe 12FT...

2009-07-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

decided that I would rather get back into training and not have to spend any time on recovery between the marathon and 12ft (if i do it). last year i raced the marathon and it was only about two or three days before 12ft that i felt that my legs were showing any signs that they were recovering. i'm not training for the ultra stuff at the moment and just enjoying getting back into some consistency... currently reading about percy cerutty's training ideas and life philosophy.

monday: noon: 13.2km (0:58 - 4:27/km) w 5km Tempo (3:50-3:55 pace)
headed out to jamo for the session. felt comfortable but couldn't seem to want to push myself any harder.

pm: 11.63km (57:50 - 4:59)
ran home from work. pushed the climb up mitchells pass at about threshold intensity. felt good and wasted when i got home.

tuesday: am: 10km (42:17)
left the car at work yesterday which forced me to run to work today. legs weren't happy about that but after a couple of kilometres they forgave me and dragged me through...

pm: 9.4km (43:37) - Reps 6 x 400m (78, 73, 75, 76, 80, 79) w 60-90sec recovery
i didn't know what i was planning when i headed out for this one but after a 2km warmup decided that i would throw some shorter faster stuff in. didn't run all out but strangely ran the faster reps on the incline...

wednesday:
intentions were good this morning and i almost making it to the gym to attend a 6am spin class but made a mistake setting the alarm. jumped out got dressed, grabbed the keys and looked at the clock...

pm: 11.7km (0:52) - easy run
got out for an easy run at lunch. took it easy and legs felt great at the end of the run.

thursday: pm: 6km (0:28) - easy
met up with ryan for what was likely going to be a steady run up into the hills but unfortunately 6km into the run ryan pulled up with a dodgy hamstring. walked it back and chatted about running, triathlon and duathlon which was the highlight.

friday: am: 40' RPM class + 1.6km run (steady) in 6:00
i actually set the alarm for the right time and made it to my first class in over a year. enjoyed the burn and was surprised that my legs weren't jelly. jumped on the treadmill for a quick mile progression before heading home to get ready for work.

pm: 14km (1:00) w 6km tempo (23:09 :: 3:52/km)
got out for a loop of the lakes w some tempo work. splits were 3:49, 3:52, 3:53, 3:55, 3:49, 3:51 - consistent.

An experiment in overloading...

2009-07-12T22:38:00.000-07:00

Back to running to work and back to get the much needed volume back...

Big week planned - more volume + intensity = my experiment in overloading. What will happen?

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mon- am) 10km :: 0:44 :: Easy run
The run to work felt far from easy this morning. Lower back and hips still very sore and tight. The pack didn't help...

pm) 19.2km :: 1:32 :: Steady run w/ surges
I was worried how the afternoon run was going to go down as my legs and back were sore all day. About 1km into the run everything fell into place and I started feeling good. Put in a few surges around the river before putting in a strong climb up Mitchell's Pass at threshold intensity. Legs ached all night.

———————————————————-

Tue- 14km :: 1:00 :: Easy
An easy run that I've already forgotton about. Can't remember if I ran at home or at work.

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Wed- am) 90minute run :: BMMC loop + side trip down via Lapstone Station
Met up with Simon at the East Blaxland shops and we headed off for a nice slow run. Heading down Mitchells Pass the light wasn't good enough to hit the trails so we headed to the bottom, cut across to Lapstone and headed off down the single track to the river. On the way back up Mitchells Pass we hit the trails for the steep climbs up towards Old Bathurst. Fast finish tempo to arrive back home.

pm) ~14km :: 1:00 :: Intervals
Hit the road after work for some faster running. Was aiming to run around threshold effort and achieved that. Ran 2 x 2k (~3:40-3:50 pace), 1 x 1km (3:32 pace), 3 x 500m (~3:10-3:20 pace) w/ 2min recovery between. Felt good.

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Thu- pm) 19km :: 1:30 :: Easy + Reps
Ran 1 hour easy (75%HRmax - 13.1km) to deplete the reserves and then ran 4 x 400m @ 3:20, 4 x 300m @ 3:10, 4 x 200m @ 3:00 pace. Waited until the heartrate dropped to below 100bpm before commencing the next rep. Took less than 60 seconds to recover during the 400s and crept out to about 90 seconds during the end of the session. Felt good.

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Fri- 13km :: 1:00 :: Easy
Legs were tired so decided to take it a little easier today. Ran out to the lakes and put in 2.5km of marathon effort fartlek and headed back to work. Strong headwind and finished in the need of food...

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Sat- pm) 11km :: 0:55 :: Easy
Legs felt dead at the start. At the 1km mark I almost walked. At the 1.5k mark I almost turned right and cut the run to 3k. At the 3k mark I almost called it an out'n'back 6k'er and turned around. But I kept on going and by the time I'd gone under the underpass signalling the return leg I felt amazingly better.

———————————————————-

Sun- REST DAY
Not a planned rest day but the event of getting our 2 year old into his new bed took nearly all day to buy a new mattress and bedding. But the look on his face made it all worthwhile. Legs felt great...

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Running total: ~123kms for the week

A better week...

Marathon in doubt...

2009-07-06T23:04:00.000-07:00

Not sure whether to run Cities or not. Maybe concentrate the training on other long events...

Thankfully the motivation is starting to be found and hopefully I can string together some good training weeks.

———————————————————-

mon- 26.3km :: 2:04 (2 runs)
am) 13.01km :: 1:06:41 Ez pace (5:08/km)
Hovering around 0 degrees C and I struggled from the get go. Legs sore from yesterday's thrashing.

pm) 13.3km :: 58:09 Ez (4:23/km)
Things felt better at lunch. Rolled through with about 4km at Marathon Pace.

———————————————————-

Tue- 10.25km :: 45:25 Ez pace
Out for an easy run hoping that the legs will feel better for tomorrow's quality session. Calves are feeling tight.

———————————————————-

Wed-

———————————————————-

Thu- 16km :: 1:19 :: Hills
Hill repeats around Leonay. Two big loops of Sanctuary Dr/Cliffbrook followed up with 6 x 30sec hill sprints. Legs toasted.

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Fri- 10.6km :: 0:52 :: Intervals
A good interval session. Not much planned starting out but ran 2 x 1200m (~4min), 1 x 800+m (~3min), 3 x 600m (~2:00), 1 x 1min fast (about 330m) w/ descending recovery starting at 2:30.

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Sat- 13.83km :: 1:01 :: Tempo
Third hard day in a row and my legs definitely felt it. Planned on running a hard 10k but after 3km running around 3:50 pace my legs rebelled and I was happy to fall back to marathon effort. Finished the 10km in around 41 minutes. Shouldn't have expected much considering the previous day's efforts.

———————————————————-

Sun- 19.0km :: 1:30 :: Longish
Sad to call this my long run but by the time I eventually got out for this run I was more looking forward to the day being over. Hips and lower back felt tight and sore. After the run took Monty (the dog) out for a little walk. He wanted to run but I didn't...

———————————————————-

Total running: ~96kms for the week

Slowly picking the volume back up. Added in some quality which felt good. Need to get out of my comfort zone and start pushing myself harder from time to time...

Another week...

2009-07-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

Started out the week with good intentions but slept in again. I have to stop making this a habit.

Monday: 16km (1:08) - 4:17 pace
I was attending a course at Blacktown so on the way home called into the M7 ops centre and ran and out and back along the marathon course. Started out way too quick (sub 3:50 pace) and paid the price. Finished strong but tired.

Tuesday: Nothing
Not enough time...

Wednesday: 10km (47:23) - 4:44 pace
Ran around Penrith. After an easy warmup ran 1.8k hard (3:44 pace), some 150m striders on the grass and ran back to work running 300m hard, 100m easy. Achilles and ankles are a little sore.

Thursday: am) 8.4km (37:45) - 4:30 pace
Finally got out for an early run and felt better than I expected to. Ran up to Warrimoo station and return. Nice and easy, feeling smoother.

pm) 10.6km (40:37)
Planned on going out easy but ended up running moderately hard as my legs felt good and just plain wanted to run a bit faster today. Knocked 3 minutes off my usual run from waterside park back to work.

Friday: lunch) 6km (25:35) - 4:17 pace

pm) 10.5km (44:18) - 4:13 pace
Ran a fartlek session around the river as 2 x 1km (3:48, 3:40) w/ 1km steady (4:04), 1k easy (~4:25), 600m (3:49 pace), 300m easy, 300m hard (3:39), 300m easy, 300hard (3:37), 1.8k cooldown (~4:20 pace).

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 10k Time Trial - 38:49

I don't know what I was thinking when I went out and decided to do this. Of course I went out too hard and paid the price through the second half. Ran the first 3k at around 3:45 pace and then the next 2k were both under 3:30 pace and that was how I came undone. The second 5k included two short walk breaks and a 2 minute+ positive split. Yay for pacing control!!!

Blogging = Running

2009-06-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that a lack of blogging correlates strongly with a lack of running. Getting back into the habit of posting my training will hopefully result in me well... actually training more. With some big adventures looming in the not too distant future I had better tighten the belt, lace up the racing flats and get back out there. So here it goes...

Monday: 68 minutes (15.5km) - 4:28 pace
Got out for a cruise around Nepean River and the hills around Leonay. Nice run.

Food: green smoothie (apples + greens), 1kg grapes, 4 apples, 3 bananas, 1 orange, almonds, carrots w/ almond butter, sweet rice (brown rice, spices, raisins)

Tuesday: 64 minutes (12.6km) - 5:07 pace
Met up with Sean for a loop around the local streets of Penrith, Emu Plains and Leonay. Went up and down some hills and finished with a fast km (3:26) along the last stretch back to the car. Felt lethargic at the start but felt better and better as the run went on.

Food: oatmeal w/ raisins, coconut, flax seed, berries, 1 banana, 1kg grapes, 4 oranges, 6 dates, 50g walnuts, large salad.

Wednesday: 40 minutes (~9km)
Squeezed in a run before having to attend an all day training session on diversity. Legs felt tired.

Thursday: probably nothing :: 90 minute walk with family
With my wife's work farewell scheduled for last night I am expecting a serious lack of ability to run today. Drank more last night than I have in about seven years. Added together with more time spent driving around than sleeping and just getting through work today is going to be a challenge.

Funny that no one recognised me straight away last night as I have lost quite a lot of weight since I worked with them (about 20-30kg) about 8 years ago. I also no longer smoke and aside from last night I don't normally drink except on rare ocassions. Last night was one of those ocassions.

The only thing I could stomach this morning was oranges... cool and sweet!

Friday: 79 minutes (17.4km) - 4:34 pace
A good run around the river and up again into the hills of Leonay. Checked out a few of the side streets. Nice and steady run. Was actually warm out there today.

Food: green smoothie (oranges, banana, greens); grapes & almonds; apples & dahl; apples & almonds; large salad.

Saturday: 29:40 (7.1km) - 4:12 pace
Steady run around the streets. Took the first km easy and ran the next 5km at under 4min pace before a 1k cooldown on the hills.

Sunday: 1:09:53 (14.85km) - 4:42 pace
Planned to go out for a long run but felt completely crappy. Gave myself an hour of running to see if things would come good but they got progressively worse. Headed up to Sean's for a post-W2G gathering but still felt ordinary and headed home.

Not the best week of training but not the worst either. Hope next week is better.

The North Face 100

2009-05-18T05:07:00.000-07:00

(photo downloaded from Brettsrun)

On Saturday I had the much anticipated pleasure of lining up at The North Face 100 with 333 other runners. This challenging course takes in some of the most beautiful trails and views within the Blue Mountains World Heritage Park and surrounds. As I was to find I think it also included every set of stairs in the area.

In the minutes before the event starting I caught up with a few friends and familiar faces that I have come to know over the last couple of years and I was looking forward to possibly running with one or two throughout the race.

Just after 7:00am at the conclusion of the race briefing we moved up to the start area and I found myself a few back from the front just behind Dean Karnazes. I thought that was pretty cool and I hoped that I may get a picture running with DK to share with the family.

The race started out at a solid pace at the front and I immediately felt flat and lethargic but I was hoping that would pass quickly. We were led around the golf course and I slotted in comfortably a few steps behind DK.

Following the group we hit the climb out of the Resort and I started to move a bit more freely but I couldn’t believe how weak my legs felt. Tackling the first of the steps I was beginning to entertain thoughts that this was indeed not going to be my day and I was going to have to prepare myself for a long day out. I did however notice that I was moving a lot quicker on the flats and descents on the way to CP1 than the other runners around me. I believed that was my saving grace and I started to push the pace a little harder through those sections. Losing a little time to walking the steep climbs was where I would allow myself to get a little recovery and prepare myself to pick it up at the next opportunity.

While I have never really imagined quitting during an event I did contemplate it and I started running through a list of plausible excuses that I had been subconsciously working on over the previous weeks during a couple of bouts of sickness one after the other and other personal events which disrupted my planned long runs and high volume weekends (maybe a blessing in hindsight). But of course letting myself down would not be as bad as how I would feel facing my wife and children knowing that I didn’t gut it out and make it through this challenge before me.

So much stuff happens inside your head during long events when much of your time is spent alone and this day was no exception. I started formulating plans and playing games to get me through to the end but the one thing that stuck with me was my need to keep up with my nutrition and hydration strategy which I formulated a few days prior based around what had worked for me at 12FT the previous year and the simple strategy Sleep Train employed in his stunning victory at Six Foot a few months earlier.

The climb up the Golden Stairs to CP1 was grueling and I was happy to put an end to it and get up there alive. I downed a few cups of sports drink, grabbed a handful of jelly lollies and headed off. I was surrounded by only a few runners and I thought it was likely that I was sitting in around 20^th position (the results later had me in 14^th). I climbed the first steep section while slowly eating the lollies hoping that the energy would somehow make it into my legs. It didn’t but I felt neither good or bad and I was happy to just keep slogging away while I could see that I was reeling in a couple of runners up ahead on the track.

I was happy to maintain the effort and I was starting to think that I might just get through to the end. Waiting for Jo Blake to get off the ladder at Tarros I started climbing down a little carelessly and my foot slipped on the rung sending my shin smashing into the steel. I almost screamed out with pain but strangely it felt good and the adrenaline was exactly what I needed to kick me into gear. Stepping off the ladder and calling “all clear” I took off and found myself in the zone running quickly along the singletrack. I moved past Jo shortly after and before CP2 I had caught and passed at least another five runners.

The trail down to Dunphys proved a little frightening as the Mizuno race flats that I picked up on Mother’s Day gave little traction on the steep descent. Note to self: I need to find a good light racing trail shoe with a mildly aggressive tread.

Enough can be said for having the support of people you know out on the course cheering you on and when I came into Dunphys to see Sleep Train and Scam Bullant (both members of the Blue Mts Marathon Clinic) I was stoked to hear that I was in tenth place and that the few runners just ahead were close and not looking as fresh as I was looking. A quick refill and couple of pieces of banana and I was off.

I chatted with Prince Donges heading out of CP2 on our way to Ironpot finding out that he was another local Blue Mountains runner before moving ahead at the start of the long steep climb up the ridge. At the top I caught up to another runner and I followed him through to the turn around. On the return I was able to pick it up and run quite quickly through this technical section and following my new race plan I fanged it on the way down to the creek. At the creek and for the remainder of the course through the private property I hit another low point but quickly emerged from that at the start of the long climb up the road. I walked nearly all of this section except for the areas where it flattened out a little on the curves and as I crested the hill my legs started feeling nice and springy and I was able to turn over my legs without what felt like any appreciable effort. I reined in another two runners heading down Megalong Road getting high fives from Long Arms and Sleep Train heading into CP3 at which stage ST told me I was in 5^th or 6^th position. I still couldn’t believe it.

A quick stop and a mandatory gear check and I was on my way. Running out of the checkpoint full of smiles, energy and on a high... that was until I rounded the corner and out of site where all of a sudden I hit an unexpected slump. I couldn’t believe it. I took in a big drink and started running and within a few minutes the feeling passed and I was happy to start running on familiar track (the Six Foot). After two successful attempts running the 12 Foot Track I was happy to find that my legs were good at this stage. That was until I jumped off the ladder crossing the fence to find that the instant my foot hit the ground my left quad seized into the worst cramp I have ever experienced. No warning beforehand either and I didn’t know what to do as my leg was locked and I wasn’t sure how to stretch it out. I started massaging it and I took two S-Caps in a hope that the cramp would pass and about five minutes later I was able to start walking again and then running.

By the time I hit the stairs both my quads were cramping up but I was able to use my arms on my quads to limit the strain and keep the cramps at bay. As always the climb up Nellies is tough and turning right on the track at the top I expected to be able to start running again with some relief that it was behind me but I was mistaken. Probably the least enjoyable section of the race for me and emerging onto the asphalt on the outskirts of Katoomba I have never been so happy.

I felt good again knowing that I was only moments away from CP4 and I would make first contact with my support crew Scurry. Running into the checkpoint to see Mister G and his partner Mel also lifted my spirits as they were obviously stoked on my performance. I was currently in fifth place and I was told there were a couple of runners not long ahead so with the help of Scurry and Mister G I ate some more banana and my bladder refilled, downed some coke and gatorade and the aid station volunteer handed me a couple of gels which I was relying on to get me through to the final checkpoint.

I sprung out of the checkpoint feeling absolutely magic – my legs felt springy and I felt like I was just starting out on what was promising to be a great run. I found myself picking it up even more when about a kilometre down the track I realised when I went to grab some scheduled fuel that I had left the gels on the table. Shit... no fuel except for the diluted 1.5 litres of sports drink and the few snakes I had in a plastic bag contained inside my pack. I did have two sports bars (mandatory gear) but I couldn’t bring myself to eat them. With 23 kilometres, at least 2 ½ hours and some significant climbing in front of me I was concerned how it would play out but I wasn’t about to back off while I was still feeling good.

I got down the giant stairs uneventfully and was excited to be running along sublime point as I couldn’t find this track during earlier course recon. I was powering along on the flats and downhill sections and I quickly caught and passed the fourth place runner. It started to toughen up through here as my energy levels starting falling and I started playing a game in my head trying to work out when the next marker would be. I kept hoping it would say 80km thinking that I had passed the 75km marker without noticing but when I came to the next marker to find that it read 75km I was shattered... but only for a brief moment. I shook the feeling aside and set myself the task of getting to Jamison Creek and the start of the climb up Kedumba which I was sadistically looking forward to all day. I slowly reeled in third place runner Clarke and after a brief chat I told him that I would try and start running where I could and said my goodbyes and good lucks. He hung with me nearly the whole climb up till I got to the park gate and I managed to put a bit more effort into it knowing that the hospital was only a few short kilometres away. Spurred on with dehydration and a need to get some fuel in I managed to put a couple of minutes on Clarke heading into the final checkpoint.

It was great to see Scurry there along with the Sleep and Scam (they must have logged some kilometres in the car out there on Saturday) and after a quick refuel (water bottles only) and some more banana I headed off for what I thought would be a relatively easy 11km to the finish. I had already called my wife heading up Kedumba to let her know that I was running well and would probably finish a little over an hour (OK I was a little wrong) and she was already excited as she had been watching the live results and saw that I was running in fifth place at the last checkpoint. She was even more excited when I told her that I had passed two runners over the last 10km to move into third.

I was feeling great heading up along Tableland Road and down Hordern onto the trails but with the fading light my pace slowed. I pulled out the headlamp I had borrowed from Mister G to find that the batteries which I thought were new weren’t and quickly either the light faded or my eyes blurred (I wasn’t sure at the time which). With a few minutes between myself and fourth place behind me I decided to take it as easy as possible while still moving as quickly as needed to avoid rolling my ankle or worse through this section.

The last five kilometres dragged on and when I finally came up out of Lillians Bridge and started circumnavigating the golf course I realised I was almost there. Or so it seemed. The trail around the golf course went on and on and finally when I got to the point when I felt like I was running away from the finish it finally turned and started heading uphill. Seeing the glowing sticks were indeed a relief and I was thankful that a volunteer pointed my in the right direction to the finish line.

Sharing the finish with my wife and kids there was one of the happiest moments of my life. It was also great to have a few friends which made the finish feel like it had been put on just for me. A cherished moment!

Watching the other runners come in shortly behind and sharing their race experience with as they got warm and enjoyed some drink and food also made the event more special than any other event I have participated in.

Congratulations to the phenomenal performances of the ever humble Andrew Lee and Tim Cochrane – you guys are legends. I also want to take my hat off to and give my congratulations to Clark McClymont and Doug Grubert two of the nicest people I have met during an event of this magnitude.

(photo downloaded from Brettsrun)

Congratulations to everyone who endured at The North Face 100. I hope to see you all next year!

north face complete...

2009-05-17T17:15:00.000-07:00

(photo shamelessly stolen from Scam Bullant)

100km -- 11:39:22 -- 3rd place

for those that have already asked me about putting together a race report it will be soon. i'm still taking it in and i have a lot to say about the run which will take a little time to digest and put together. but i promise i will have it out soon.

pain and moderation

2009-05-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

"pain is a relatively objective, physical phenomenon; suffering is our psychological resistance to what happens. events may create physical pain, but they do not in themselves create suffering. resistance creates suffering. stress happens when your mind resists what is...the only problem in your life is your mind's resistance to life as it unfolds."

"moderation? it's mediocrity, fear, and confusion in disguise. it's the devil's dilemma. it's neither doing nor not doing. it's the wobbling compromise that makes no one happy. moderation is for the bland, the apologetic, for the fence-sitters of the world afraid to take a stand. it's for those afraid to laugh or cry, for those afraid to live or die. moderation...is lukewarm tea, the devil's own brew."

- dan millman (way of the peaceful warrior)

almost there...

2009-05-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

the taper is almost complete - only one more day to go until race time. not really sure how to feel about this race. i was excited when i first thought about training for and running the north face 100. but over the last few weeks my motivation and desire have waned. this is a pattern i repeat often and an area where i need to work on before my next event.

i thought i had better post what i have done this week before i forget. shit already forgotten most of the details with other stuff going on in life i've overlooked my need to keep track of my runs and workouts. can't remember anything from the week before shame on me...

training summary:

saturday: 30 minute run with dog

i was planning on going out for a long run but after soccer i needed to go and buy a new washing machine.

sunday: mother's day classic 8k

ran 8km with my wife and had a great time. even better was seeing my 7 year old daughter run every step of the 4kms with a big smile on her face. a nice big breakfast in manly followed. again i planned on getting in a longer run later that afternoon but it didn't happen.

monday: 75 mins around the nepean lakes regatta centre

felt good this morning and was running well in my new shoes which i picked up in manly yesterday.

tuesday: 75 mins around lakes w/ shortened interval session (2x1200m)

felt ok. ran a couple of intervals around 3:25-3:30 pace. cut session short when i started feeling a hot spot developing on the ball of my foot.

wednesday: 45 mins around nepean river / soccer coaching (pm)

felt like a slug. nothing - no energy, no power, but was moving along ok.

thursday: 60 min yoga session / no run today

woke up early with my wife and we did a power yoga session before the kids got up. struggled at the start with how much flexibility and balance i have lost due to all the running i have done of late. will embark on the big goal of developing my strength, flexibility and balance through consistent yoga practice starting next week.

friday: 20 min easy run

got out before work for an easy out and back. ankles are a little stiff from yoga yesterday. added a couple of surges on the way back trying to loosen up my hips. feeling ok but not great.

will add a few more carbs into the diet today but won't go overboard. as long as i keep taking in nutrition during the race tomorrow everything will be alright.

places i've run...

2009-05-04T18:47:00.001-07:00

here are a some photos of the places i have run over the last few weeks...

the long lunch run (18-19km) - nepean river-lapstone station-glenbrook-raaf base-knapsack gully-mitchells pass-nepean river

single track cutting

another shot of the cutting

nice trail heading out to lookout

taking the track down to the bridge

the bridge

kedumba pass hill repeats - 7.5km down/7.5km up

sweet climb...

(will see you again soon after about 80km into the North Face 100)

humm...

2009-05-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

humm food: real food that creates an unmistakable feeling of health and well-being, often accompanied by an inexplicable and irresistible urge to, well, hum.

that was what i read on the back of the larabar (pecan pie) i just ate and it made me feel good. i even hummed...

unfortunately the only thing that made me hum today was the lara bar as my run was rather ordinary. another sick child, a late night hospital visit and a lack of sleep over a couple of nights has left me feeling a little buggered. but things are hopefully turning around...

training:

on the training front things went down hill last week (so to speak) but i did manage to put in three quality workouts starting with a double descent-ascent of kedumba pass last saturday (25th april) that left me feeling awesome and wanting more. monday and tuesday was the typical run to work and back for about 25k a day of running. thursday i met simon for a little hare street hill workout where i tried running the ups and downs hard. friday was another hard hill run where i ran from the river up to glenbrook via the trails and back down through knapsack gully stairs and down mitchells pass finishing with 3k of tempo along the river back to work for about 90 mins total.

returning home on friday afternoon i encountered a sick child and with a night spent dealing with hallucinations and fevers very little sleep was had and thoughts of an early morning wake up were replaced with the desire to catch as much sleep as we could. i thought taking two days off while not planned would be ok as i planned on getting up early today (monday) and running my last long run. well sitting in the hospital at katoomba last night and getting home and into bed with only two hours remaining before the alarm was scheduled to go off well..... perhaps i should have used it for training to run the final stages of the race when i am feeling tired and sleepy...

wasted...

2009-04-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

the start of the week found me feeling a little wasted. with all this training it is to be expected but i'm always surprised how quickly it hits me. it's not always gradual where i can feel that i'm digging a little deeper into my well of fatigue each day but it usually smacks me in the face either during the first few minutes of a morning run or an hour or so into a longer run leaving me stranded and far from home. the long ones are probably good sessions which i can call on during race day for developing mental strength...

another week of training...

saturday: 28k - 2:14 - trail run

after logging 43k yesterday i expected to feeling tired but surprised myself with a good run up to the oaks gate and back. the return was in the dark at quicker than marathon pace fueled with adrenaline.

sunday: 21.22k - 1:38 - easy run

worked all day and stopped at nepean river for a couple of loops around the streets. planned on going longer but got bored with the run and decided to head back to the car and head home.

monday: am) 10k - - 0:41 - easy run

easy run to work with the pack loaded up.

pm) 13k - 1:03 - steady run

steady run home. felt good on the climb and finished with a nice easy 3k with monty the dog.

tuesday: nothing

i was tired when i woke and put off my morning run. with the morning off work and with the kids in tow i headed down to the plaza to do a little shopping and ended up there for about 5 hours. by the time the afternoon rolled around i was stuffed, my feet and legs were killing me and any thought of heading out for a run was forgotten.

wednesday: 14.4km - 1:06 - easy run

tried to add a little enjoyment to the run and headed up some side tracks and hills following the powerlines. nice little trails were found but they were too short. need to find an alternative lunch time run route.

thursday: triple run day

thought i would try something different and run three times today to gauge how quickly i can recover between sessions and experiment to see if any fitness benefits can be obtained from this method of training. i'll try and do some more next week.

am) 10k - 0:46 easy
lunch) 15k - 1:13 hill repeats/tempo
pm) 14.11k - 1:16 easy/steady on climb
total for day: 39.11k - 3:15

while the legs were tired going into the second run i headed down along the river and ran a couple of kilometres at tempo pace before reaching the bottom of the start of the sanctuary drive. ran eight repeats at a solid effort and felt comfortable which suggested i probably should have worked harder but i was thinking of running a few more repeats before heading back but the time got away from me and i needed to be at a meeting (which ended up being cancelled). cruised on the way back and felt good.

post-run food consumed: several bananas, 1.2kg of seeded grapes

i wasn't planning or expecting anything from the run home but just hoped that i wouldn't struggle. the run actually felt good and i managed to put in another strong effort on the climb up mitchells and through explorers estate. hunger was the only thing that was on my mind.

post-run food consumed: half a bag of dates, 1 thai drinking coconut, oranges and apples until satisfied.

friday: nothing yet

contemplating a rest day before a big weekend to freshen up and restore depleted glycogen but need to take the dog out when i get home so will probably head out for an hour or so. actually before posting this weekly update i have now decided to try doing some short sprints during my run and then i'll head back home and do some secret training in the garage. i'm definitely sick...

week total: probably end up around 140km

training mileage pb...

2009-04-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

last week was full of challenges - getting sick, taking a few rest days and getting back into it to still come out at the end with a good week of running. but as i was looking at my training log during the weekend i added up the mileage and saw that i was on track to run my first training week (seven consecutive days) over 200 kilometres. i may have done it in the past but i can't remember as i am often sporadic in my record keeping. i'll claim this as my first...

none of my workouts are indicative of my form at the moment so my confidence going into north face is not high but i'm hoping that the steady training volume will give me the endurance to go the distance. another two or three weeks to build and a short taper to avoid feeling stale will hopefully leave me feeling strong and fresh on race day.

seven day summary:

7 days, 9 runs, 16:56 hours, 124.41 miles (200.22 kilometres), 5:04 average pace...

- no niggles, legs feel loose but tired with fatigue, lungs and sinus clearing... game on!

fighting illness...

2009-04-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

with the lungs heavily congested i gave in to sickness and decided to not run for a couple of days. i was excited about logging some big miles over the easter long weekend but in the end it would have been a struggle which wouldn't have been good for me physically or mentally.

saturday & sunday: - sick - no running

monday: 4:20 - course recon

another early start (4am). parked at explorers tree and ran the long loop (scenic drive) around to echo point and down the giant stairs on to federal pass. followed federal pass pass the scenic railway and through the landslide and on to the climb up the golden stairs. struggled to find the energy to get up the stairs and i was bummed. starting thinking that running long while sick is not the best idea. finally got up the top onto narrowneck and after a short food and drink stop got going again. i ran most of the climbs except for the steeper sections and went ok out to tarros ladder. at this stage i contemplated whether to continue on to dunphys or head back via the road (glenraphael?) and take the return journey along scenic drive back to the start. with time being the deciding factor i headed back along the road. i enjoyed the run back and was happy that i made the right decision. need to get over this chest infection and find my strength again.

tuesday: 1:10 - easy run - waterside/whitewater loop

felt tough during the middle 40 minutes but i used it to work on my mental strength and finished the run moving strongly. starting to feel better but legs are tender from yesterday's run - all those stairs.

wednesday: 1:10 - easy run w/ hills

it was hot and i didn't feel so good. definitely didn't hydrate sufficiently in the lead up and i paid the price. struggled through and ran the climbs which was a little encouraging. enough said about the run though.

thursday: am) 1:08 + 0:43 - easy runs
sleep: 4 hrs
shoes: nike pegasus (first run) and asics racing flats (second run)

met up with the bmcc crew for a run around streets, trails and hills of blaxland. didn't start out feeling too good but by the end i felt like i had blown out some of the junk. talk of big mileage runner anton k has motivated me to start putting in some higher mileage to see how my body will respond. just need to get over this illness.

after a short stop at home to feed the kids, share a coffee with my wife and grab my pack i headed out for the run to work. i expected worse but was surprised how good my legs felt. thankfully there were no uphills to test the lungs. the test will come on my return home run this afternoon.

pm) 0:55 - steady run
shoes: asics speedstars(?)
food (after): bananas, grapes, dates and about 2 litres of water

great run home. was totally surprised that my legs felt good and i could run the uphills solid. good tempo effort up mitchells pass and really pushed it up through explorers. a good day of training.

friday: am) 27 km - 2:15 - easy run
sleep: 4.5hrs shoes: nike pegasus
food (before): black coffee, 1/2 banana
food (after): 2 bowls cornflakes w/ banana & honey, 3 boiled eggs + more coffee

i had arranged to meet up with scurry down at the river for a run so decided rather than drive down i would run and add an extra hour. after yesterday arvo's effort i was feeling a little tired and my pace reflected it but i managed to keep on running. still coughing and spluttering on the phlegm that has invaded my lungs and sinuses but felt good going up mitchells and through the estate. not fast but didn't fade. tried to work on my mental strength during this run thinking about runners/adventurers and their great feats such as running across continents, setting speed records over long trails and climbing to the top of the world. really worked and helped to keep pushing through the fatigue. something i'll keep working on in the weeks to come.

pm) 1:10 - recovery run
shoes: asics speedstars
food (2h before): berry yoghurt, banana, loads of water
food (after): nut, seed and dried fruit mix + about 1kg seeded grapes

planned loop out to whitewater stadium via waterside estate. this run is becoming the standard lunch loop.

total: 151 km (94 miles) of running

a surprisingly high volume week considering that i am fighting illness and took two days off over the weekend. starting to feel stronger again as i recover. hope it continues...

night trail run

2009-04-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

finding some available running time is sometimes difficult with a large family and work obligations. so in order to get the back-to-back long runs in this weekend i went out and did my first night trail run. so after working all day on some house renovations at my parents house i stayed home long enough to enjoy some time with the family, cook dinner and bath the little ones before driving up to leura. i parked the car at 8:00pm at the fairmont resort and planned on running from the start to CP1 up to CP4 and back down sublime ridge to CP5 and on to the finish. well that was the plan...

i found the trails and made it to CP1 (up Golden Stairs) up to CP4 and back down Stairs and on to the federal pass again but i couldn't locate the trail onto sublime. ended up running back to leura cascades and ran to echo point on a track i can't remember the name of. came out onto the road (cliff drive) and decided that with over 3:30 of running the road might be the quicker option back to the car. i felt amazingly strong on the climb up from leura cascades and ran it hard with the aim of depleting my energy reserves but at the top i still felt good. at the top i found i park i remembered running through and jumped back on the track and ran past gordon falls and golf links lookout and back onto gladstone road. with 15 minutes left before midnight i dropped my bag off at the car and ran a hard loop through the streets of leura. was very quiet out. what a run!

the week so far...

saturday: 32 km - 2:40 - long
ran up to springwood and back. felt stiff at start but loosened up. pain in groin midway through run was distressing. stretched and soak in hot bath after run helped.

sunday: 30+km - 4:05 - 1200m climbing - course recon (night trail run)
ran from start to CP1 to CP4 down stairs and back with exporational side trips to lookouts, deadends and unknown trails... energy-wise probably the best run i've had in some time. legs felt strong running all stairs except for the steep slippery metal ones. very quiet on track with the exception of the numerous waterfalls.

monday: 16 km - 1:08 (4:15/km) - recovery run
planned recovery run but 45 minutes into the run completely bonked. last 20 minutes was all about survival but did managed to pick up the pace. good depletion session training my body and mind to run hard when tired. post run recovery strategy - one litre of water followed up with two kg of bananas 20 minutes later and feeling better...

tuesday: 16.5 km - 1:10 (4:15/km)
the problem of gaining fitness is knowing when to back off and allow your body to recover and absorb the training. in regards of getting in some recovery today's run was a dismal failure. i spotted previous 100k team mate gpb and thought it would be nice to catch up with him so i quickly parked the car and chased after him. it took 3k to finally catch him which splits of under 4min pace and the result was that i was a little toasted but feeling good. we ran together catching up and holding 4:15 pace until we parted ways. of course i should have backed off here but didn't and for the next few kilometres i turned it up a little more. finally reached the car and had a little stretch and food before driving home. struggled through the rest of the night and had to force any food into me - stomach wasn't happy.

wednesday: 7 km - 0:35 - recovery
with less than 4 hours sleep i canned any thoughts of running long this morning and thought an hour should do it. but facing an hour of running my body revolted and decided that it had had enough. so i listened and headed home. good call!

thursday: sick!!! - about 1:00 - easy running
went to bed sick and woke up feeling worse. will head out at lunch but will (bolded and underline to emphasise the importance to me of taking it easy) take it very easy. need to feel better to go into the long weekend with all guns blazing, firing on all cyclinders,... yeah you get the idea!

*** i remembered what was written above in bold and took it easy - and felt ok after about 10 minutes of running.

friday: still sick - 2:30 - kedumba hill climb
it was supposed to be hill repeats but...
i woke at 4:30am to get myself up to Wentworth Falls to begin a long session of hill repeats at kedumba. felt like crap but feeling highly motivated. beautiful morning with the full moon casting enough light to be able to run with at times but under the canopy i used the headlamp to illuminate the track. i've run out here twice before but i still questioned whether or not i was supposed to take the trail to the right about 5km down. i kept heading straight and after a few kilometres i realised my mistake. oh well. i headed down for an hour passing through clearings at the bottom and with the light of the full moon the view of the surrounding cliffs and mountains were breath taking. i felt one with my surroundings.

turning around and heading back up the hill it became quickly appararent that running with a bronchial infection was not the best thing to do when the oxygen demand of running uphill is called upon. with a steep 3km climb at the bottom and a further 9km of climbing beyond i struggled big time. by the time i reached the car i decided that any further attempts at running down and back were not on. i need to get better.

summary: about 150 kilometres of running

- two good long runs back to back last weekend, followed by two good days of marathon paced threshold and a little high climb to end the week. sickness has ended plans for a big weekend of training over the long weekend.

anton inspired...

2009-03-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

i re-read an article about anton krupicka last night and am feeling inspired to run as many miles as time allows for this week... at least 200 kilometres. should be doable.

i am also hoping to get out on the course once or twice this week with the plan to cover at least 75% of the course over two runs. maybe i can round up one or two other runners to provide for some camaraderie but it will be unlikely as most don't appreciate the early morning wake ups. but i will need to be on the trails by 4am to allow me to get to work.

before i forget - so far this week...

saturday: 15 km - 1:12 - knapsack stairs loop
shoes: nike pegasus sleep: about 3 hours broken

ended up being a long day before heading out for a run. turned the alarm off to try and get a bit more sleep before heading out for soccer. after soccer drove over to tahmoor and worked on house renovations for about 6 hours before heading home. my wife jacki convinced me that a run would be good. i was feeling a little upset in the tummy and lethargic but headed out anyway. pushed it a little trying to beat the failing light and ended up running the loop six minutes quicker than last week. felt good immediately after run.

sunday: 32.5 km - 2:38 - oaks fire trail (woodford to glenbrook plus home)
shoes: nike pegasus pre-run fodder: sticky thai black rice and waffles

spent the day with the family up the mountains (katoomba and leura). went to the cafe where my step-son and his girlfriend work and had a good lunch. on the way home jacki dropped me off at woodford so that i could get a run in. carried a headlamp, mobile phone and a water bottle the nathan pack to see me through. running from the drop off point to the woodford station and i felt like i was breathing much harder than the effort required and i was concerned that it was going to be a long night in the bush. i needed to have not worried as i took it easy and ran well down the trail and up to the rangers station at glenbrook. on the hills i felt strong on the ups and on the downs i concentrated on trying to minimise the impact on my quads to avoid smashing myself up. gate to gate in under two hours.

monday: 15.2 km - 1:13 - hilly trail run

after work parked the car at the rangers hut (glenbrook) and headed off for a loop through the bush. an old favourite - oaks-bennetts ridge fire trail-euroka. ran easy on the flats but pushed the hills.

tuesday: 10 km - 0:43 - short tempo

squeezed in a run with about 4 kilometres of running sub 4min/km pace. with all the long runs and hilly trail work of late i didn't think i would be able to get my legs turning over faster than the easy pace i have settled into. i even threw in a couple of surges over the final 3k around 3:30-3:40 pace and my legs started loosening up. hill work still to come this afternoon. long run tomorrow.

second run: 15 km - 1:17 - penrith to blaxland

with the rain falling i left work with the intentions of running up home via knapsack stairs. felt good heading up mitchells pass and headed down to the gully and started up the stairs to find that a tree had fallen down across the track. back tracked and headed up the stairs on the other side heading towards glenbrook. had a great run along the single track in the rain with streams falling from the cutting and along the track. got soaked and had fun.

wednesday: ~ 8 km - 0:36 - running in the rain

resting hr: 38 :: shoes: nike pegasus

monty the dog needed a run and with all the rain it seemed i was the only volunteer. but boy did it bucket down. only a short one today as we had some house guests.

thursday: 20 km - 1:25 - tempo (10 km out in 45 mins/ 10 km back in sub 40)

shoes: asics flats :: feeling: lethargic

wow what a run. i started out in the pouring rain and i was thinking "what an idiot" but i had no thoughts of bagging the run. not today it had to be done. running down along the path which parallels the river and i felt like a big kid. no one else was out so i had some fun jumping puddles and running through torrents of water as it flowed into the nepean river. i don't remember ever being so wet.

i was struggling to find any rhythm so decided to take it to the hills running a couple of loops up and down the back streets of leonay. fourty minutes into the run the rain stopped and i started feeling a little tired so i started running back to work. five minutes later and i was running quicker than i have in months and it felt effortless. perhaps all this aerobic running has some merit. a good day...

motivation

2009-03-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

generally after a race and the accompanying runner’s high has worn off i usually find myself in a post race funk. feeling drained and unmotivated often leads me into a state of depression. to avoid this i need to run. running lifts my spirits, relaxes me and makes me a happier person to be around - it's my drug of choice and i need it. so does my family.

after a race however i usually find that while the mind is more than willing and i want to run i am unable to create the physical willpower needed to actually lace up my shoes and head out the door. with experience though i know that once i get back out there and start running i will feel better after a few days.

this time around though my motivation is fueled with failure. my dream of having a good run at six foot didn't eventuate and it has ignited my running juices. the upcoming adventures of my running friends have also inspired me to think about my own new challenges.

i have to be careful though as i have a tendency to take on and do too much although as steve prefontaine would say “to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift”. well i think it’s time for me to give it my best. what does this mean? for me it starts with a commitment to get out of bed early. no more snooze button and earlier nights to bed.

getting out of bed early requires discipline, commitment and a goal (i.e. race, adventure, challenge goal). i’m trying to get into a habit of getting up at 4:30am everyday so that i can get my training in each day. if i fail to get up and put the run off saying to myself that i will run at lunch or after work i know that i end up cutting the run shorter or missing it altogether due to competing commitments.

so this week signals the start of the 4:30am wake up call.

it's been a good week to start. here's the last 7 days...

saturday: 15 km - 1:15 - stairs
shoes: asics hyperspeed 3 sleep: 5 hrs

headed out for the run about an hour or two after soccer. a long warmup before hitting the stairs at knapsack. just ran up it once today at a hard intensity but will add another climb each week. reached the top with only a single walk break (~10 seconds). looped around both lookouts before heading home via the lagoon.

sunday: 18 km - 1:30 - easy
shoes: nike pegasus sleep: 4.5 hrs

managed to get out for two easy runs today. second run at night with my wife up to warrimoo and back along the hwy via the underpass was a much missed experience. felt tired towards the end.

monday: ~ 29 km - 2:30 - easy
shoes: nike pegasus sleep: 5 hrs

spent some time thinking about my running goals for the next few months which helped when setting the alarm for a 4:30am wake up. first run was a 75 minute run around the darkened streets of home - up to warrimoo, down the highway to glenbrook and return past the lagoon. a good 16 km loop. second run was in the heat around work out and back into one of the new developments. struggled through the middle section of the run as i started succumbing to heat exposure and dehydration. took it easy for about 10 minutes and surprisingly felt great over the final stretch finishing at a slightly faster than tempo effort.

tuesday: 12 km - 1:00 - hillwork
shoes: nike pegasus

every second tuesday i'm at home with my two year old so i manage to squeeze in a run on the treadmill in the gym while he's in the creche. i find the treadmill incredibly boring which leads me to playing with the speed and incline. today was no different. warmed up for about 25 minutes and then set the incline to 10%, the speed at 10kph and grinded out for about 20 minutes (at 85% effort). recovered for 5 minutes with the treadmill set at 15% and power-walked. setting the incline back down to 1% it felt like i was running downhill. finished up with 200m repeats at max speed (20kph). the iPod was cranked with some heavy tunes...

ended up being a great session and one i'll definitely be keeping in the schedule. think i will continue to add time each week to build up to about 60 minutes of climbing. legs are getting stronger...

wednesday: 10.6 km - 0:50 - easy
shoes: nike pegasus sleep: 5 hrs

easy run up to warrimoo and back. legs felt good.

thursday: 25 km - 2:00 - easy
shoes: nike pegasus pack: nathon hpl020 (i think)

didn't feel like running when i got up but felt better after an easy run to work. the run home was much tougher as the heat and humidity built up before an impending storm. ran along the river and up the to glenbrook via the trail to lapstone station and up the back roads to home. looked for all the hills and felt strong. sub 4 min/km pace over the final 600 metres left my legs feeling very shaky. cooled down in a cold bath to help with recovery. kids were very helpful and found it amusing to poor cold water over daddy - i was less amused.

friday: 30.5 km - 2:30 - long
shoes: nike pegasus sleep: 5 hrs

woke up at 4:30am and with a moments hesitation pulled myself out of bed and into my running clothes. woke up with a coffee and headed out. felt super comfortable running up to winmallee shops and a little further before turning around and heading home. it was very humid and my hydration was less than optimal. i should have been carrying a water bottle as i couldn't find a tap in the dark. a lesson learned!

totals: running - 140.1 km

Six Foot Track 2009

2009-03-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

Here's the report....

After a slow start to begin training this time around I had a few good weeks logging over 160km with a few good runs with fellow lower Blue Mountains locals Sleep Train, Scurry and Mister G in the National Park and around the streets and hills of home. But in hindsight maybe a little too late as I missed out on some invaluable long runs.

While the training was starting to come together and my fitness was improving, life's obstacles got in the way three weeks out and training ground to a virtual halt. I even contemplated not running which reflected my emotional, physical and mental status. However, the ever positive and enthusiastic Sleep Train helped psyche me up and suggested that I should have a crack at a sub 4 hour finish and which I was quietly confident a month out that I had it in me. His suggestions of a diet fueled with watching DVDs of Gallipoli and 300 would help ignite my primal fires and I took his suggestion on board. But 6FT is hard to predict.

After a very sleepless night when my two year old decided that party time started at 1am the alarm sounded a few short hours later, rudely awakening me and it seemed I had only just closed my eyes. After getting up without waking anyone I made my way into the kitchen to consume my first coffee and a big bowl of oatmeal cooked in rice milk and a banana. Continuing to follow my previously successful pre-race routine an hour later I drank a 600mL gatorade and took two S-caps (still two hours to race start). Everything continued according to plan with the scheduled toilet deposit and mellow time with my wife before leaving to pick up Simon.

On all my runs over the last week I felt full of energy and had to hold back and not run beyond my fitness but not today. I felt flat, heavy and lethargic - not a good sign. And not what I was expecting. After a short warmup jog to loosen up and shake off the staleness I headed over to the start to see the Wave 1 runners head off (and also try and get into a good position at the start line myself as I knew it was going to be a chaotic race for a good position heading down the stairs.

Getting into position at the front the gun fired and I took off with the other runners but was surprised how quickly some of them went past on their way down. I was being a little cautious after slipping here at 12FT last year (painful memory). I got caught behind a couple of slow descenders but when the tracked made it possible they graciously moved over to allow me to pass. At the bottom of the stairs when the track opened up I decided to push the pace and see if I could make up some time on my way to the river. I was surprised when I quickly started catching and passing some of the wave 1 starters. I thought perhaps that I was going a little fast but I didn't feel like I was pushing beyond my limit.

I reached Megalong around 37:30 and at this stage I was a little concerned that my stomach was feeling very full. I took my first GU somewhere here with some water. I had a great run as always along the single track to the river which I reached in 1:12. About 1:30 into the run I grabbed a Hi-5 Gel and consumed it with 2 cups of water but immediately I regretted it when I almost gagged. The rest of the climb was with a sloshing stomach which didn't appear to be taking in liquids or nutrition. I tried eating some banana and watermelon at one of the aid stations which didn't go down well either. I was continuing to alternate between drinking sports drink and water from station to station but when my hands starting swelling I knew that I was getting into trouble. I reached Pluvi in around 2:26 (about 6 minutes behind plan) and didn't have much in me to pick it up along Black Range.

Upon reaching Deviation in around 3:15 from memory I noticed that I was starting to feeling good, my stomach had cleared and my energy levels had picked up. I had a great run through to the road running all but the steepest hill, hitting the road right on 3:30. Having run 12FT a couple of times I knew that I could easily run home in about 35 minutes and I was happy with the thought that I'll finish in around 4:05.

I'm always amazed at the clarity one has when sailing through the air. As careful as I was trying to be due largely to my tired state I didn't manage to lift me feet quite as high as needed. I clipped the top board on a flight of stairs and in slow motion flight reminiscent of the photographic sequences of a matrix fight scene I sailed through the air and rotated onto my side to take the impact of the fall squarely on my hip and shoulder. I lay on the ground stunned and winded but knew immediately that I had to get up and move before I stiffened up with post-run stiffness (rigor mortis). Argh! Within a few 100 metres I knew I was struggling. I could run but I had thrown my back out and the pain would build up to a point that I was forced to either walk or stretch out a little before I could run again. I had gone from feeling good to feeling very down about the race and found that I no longer cared about my finishing time as my goal of running in the 3:55-4:05 range had slipped away.

I continued on in this state of mind working through the pain and trying to run as much as I could as I just wanted to get it over and done with. Catching up with a Wave 1 starter he asked if we would make it under his goal time of 4:30 and I realised that if I picked it up now and ran to the finish that I could run under 4:20. That became my goal and as painful as it was over the final descent I made it and immediately I felt content. Finished in 4:19:36.

My contentment immediately changed to excitement and jubilation as I heard from Blue Dog that my sometime training partner had not only won the race but in the process set a new course record of 3:15. A time that could stand for many years. Unless Ben decides that he would like to raise the bar again.

On my way into Caves House I ran into Andrew Lee who I knew was a local as I had passed him on the streets around home and after introducing myself and asking how he had gone discovered that he had run in second place. Way to go Warrimoo!!!!!

Now I'm inspired to get myself back into peak shape. My wife would say it's about time that I start thinking like this again. She has to live with me.

Training log: 9-15 Feb

2009-02-16T16:34:00.000-08:00

I have to keep updating this blog on a more regular basis before I forget what I have done for the week. Here goes....

monday:
am) easy run - 8k
pm) long run - 30k in 2:27

tuesday:
am) easy run - 8k

wednesday:
n) easy run w/ strides - 10k
pm) easy run - 19k in 1:29

thursday:
am) easy run - 7k

friday:
n) intervals - 18k w/ 3 x 3k LT/MP
Good run averaging around 3:55 pace with the last km in 3:19 pace. Felt good.

saturday:
am) recovery run - 6k

sunday:
am) moderate run - 20k in 1:23

summary: 124km running - a good recovery week!

Training log: 2-8 Feb

2009-02-09T12:53:00.001-08:00

Another week, four more weeks of training time to go.

monday:
am) easy run - 9k

pm) easy run - 11k
Well not so easy running up Mitchell's Pass in the heat. Legs felt good.

tuesday:
am) easy 14k

noon) easy 8k

pm) easy 11k

wednesday:
noon) easy 8k
Lunch run out and back. Hot!

thursday:
am) 10k easy
Easy run around home in the morning before work.

pm) 17k w/ intervals (7 x 4' w/ 2-3' easy)
Solid run with Sleep Train in the National Park. Ran the first 4 repeats uphill averaging about 3:40-3:50 pace and on the turn around I averaged 3:20-3:30. Waited for the change to come to drop the temperature down from the high 30C's but no such luck. Started feeling cold and shaky during the last 10-20mins which wasn't good.

friday:
am) easy 7k (0:35)

saturday:
am) long run 35k (2:50)
Ran down to Penrith and ran out to the Lakes before a lap of the river and back home. Ran a few kms at marathon pace but found it hard with the humidity and heat as it continued to build up through the run.

sunday:
am) fartlek 11k
Tired of running slow today so fought for a slightly faster pace around tempo effort.

total: 141km running

Training log: 26 Jan - 1 Feb

2009-01-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

Another week closer to 6FT and my fitness is far from where I would like it to be this close to the event.

I was flicking through my training log from last year and I saw that I had already had a couple of good long runs including Beyond the Black Stump run and the 43km Australia Day Fatathon. Yesterday while running a short run in the National Park while everyone went off and ran 30-43km I was thankful that I was only going short. I am feeling negative about my running. While I'm motivated to train I'm just not fired up to run. It's just not coming as easily as it has in the past. Enough already, stop wasting your time worrying about fitness and running times and go and get training!!!!

monday:
am) Easy run - 20km (1:40)
I thought there were runners in drag - that was until I realised what looked like a dress was actually an Australian Flag draped around a runner.

When the alarm went off early to get up, I slept in. I had planned to head out for a long run in the bush before meeting my fellow CR brethren at the gates of the National Park for what is becoming a classic run but I decided to sleep in and get up at a more civilised hour. I wasn't feeling all that well when I did finally get up and I was hoping that I would feel a little better by the time I drove down to Glenbrook. It was great to see all the other CR's and after a rendition of the anthem I ran easy up to the gate and then headed back down the singletrack to wish everyone a good day before heading back to the car. Still not feeling strong on the hills.

Maybe I should give my legs some rest and allow them to recover and build some strength before hitting the hills again. What I know in training and from experience I often fail to put into practice until something as sinister as an injury forces me to start running some easy recovery runs or dare I say it - take a day off. What do you do on a day off? Maybe I should dust off the bike and start riding again.

tuesday:
am) Easy run - 25.2km (2:02)
Finally a change in the weather. Woke up to the sound of rain and headed out for an easy run up to Winmallee and back. Wore the heartrate monitor to make sure that I kept it all in my easy, aerobic zone. Finished feeling fatigued but knowing that I have could have kept going which was exactly how I wanted to feel after this run.

pm) Easy run - 12k
Easy run home.

wednesday:
am) Easy run to work - 10k (0:42)
Felt a little tired at the start of the run but starting running strongly over the last 5km.

pm) Easy run home - 10k (0:54)
Felt good running from Emu Plains up Mitchells Pass. Cruised the final 2k home to try and cool down. Ended up in a cold bath.

thursday:
am) easy run - 5k (0:22)

pm) workout - 17k (~1:40)
Hard session with the Sleep Train in the National Park. It was about 34-35C when we started out and by the time I had ended the final set I was about ready to keel over. Great run and one I need to repeat weekly. Legs had that nice 'I've been worked' ache after which is something I haven't experienced for some time.

friday:
am) easy run - 9k (0:47) + 10k (0:44) - Glenbrook oval + run to work
Met Simon for an early run. Cruised through a 2km warmup, ran a couple of 100m strides, ran some 400s starting out at 75sec and finishing up with a final 400m in 66sec (haven't run that quickly for about 3 years), cooled down with some more strides and some drills (butt kicks, high knees, skipping etc). After a short stopover at home to pick up my work clothes and have a large drink I ran the 10k to work. Felt suprisingly good but legs were heavy with fatigue.

pm) easy run - 10k (0:54) - work to home
There was nothing easy about this run. It was hot and the climb up Mitchells left me feeling rather fried.

saturday:
am) Easy 6k
I planned to do more but ran out of time before I needed to head out for the day.

sunday:
am) Long 31k (2:30) - National Park run
Ran from home into the National Park via Glenbrook up to the Oaks gate and back down to Euroka via Bennetts Ridge Fire Trail. Felt ordinary in the first hour, good for the second and then bonked on the climb up from the weir. The last 30 minutes was a struggle. Passed Whippet Gal on her way into the park.

summary:
Running total: 165km

week whatever...

2009-01-22T17:08:00.000-08:00

Is it 8 weeks to go? Not paying attention....where have I been?

Now what have I been up to? Now let me think.... what day is it?

OK here we go...

Sunday:
Long run with the Sleep Train.
Watching ST take to those hills and over the last 9km was a sight to behold. I need to train more!

Monday:
Easy run around the river

Tueday:
AM) Longer run to work w/ some short hill reps
PM) death run in the heat but felt OK up the climb. Enjoyed the a/c comfort at the top of the climb. Thanks Sean!

Wednesday:
Easy run with strides.

Thursday:
AM) Trail run - Glenbrook shops-Mt Portal Lookout return.
PM) Easy run w/ short speed variations

Friday:
AM) Track session w/ long cool down. Better than last week with 2-3 sec improvement over 400m.
PM) Hard crazy session in the heat (OK haven't gone out yet but I'm feeling it)

What's planned for the upcoming long weekend.

Saturday:
AM) Easy run
PM) Mt Portal repeats

Sunday:
AM) Recovery day - run 1hr

Summary: about 161km of running

9 weeks to go...

2009-01-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

Trying to get back into it this week. I've told people in the past that it takes me about 9 weeks to get myself into running shape. Hope I'm right this time.

It has been a hard week of running due to the high temperatures that we have been experiencing. Two days over 40 degrees Celsius and another in the high 30s have made some of the sessions much harder than they would have been otherwise.

I have had a couple of good sessions this week as I have caught up and run with some running buddies. The first of the week was a great hill session with Sean on Tuesday where we went to our secret training spot and proceeded to grind our way through 30 minutes of up and down. I was happy that I was running times close to what I did last time we were here and I even managed to finish up with two extra climbs. Awesome!!

This morning (Friday) I caught up with Simon for an early start. We headed down to the local track and knocked a couple of 400m repeats. Again not as fast as last time I was there but a good start all round.

This weekend I am planning on heading out with the Sleep Train in the National Park and I am really looking forward to it. The run planned is one of the coolest runs that I do when I am training for an event. It involves lots of steady climbing and I have been told that we will cover at around 37km. However by the time we get to the end of the planned run I'll still be over 10km away from my car. The Sleep Train is in good form so I may not be in the best of shape to go the extra distance but we'll see... maybe he'll take it easy on me!