Brought up the 1000km for the year this week, which is a nice little boost. Week started well with a couple of morning runs but then the tiredness caught up with me and ended up sleeping in on Wednesday and Thursday. This meant that I was forced to do my 20k run in the evening heat which wasn't nice and I struggled towards the end. Through in a speed session this week (tue pm). 3 x 2k building up, lap splits were 9:10, 8:10, 7:46. Not a real fast hit out but more than I usually do, was nice to clock a 7:46 on the last lap which felt good.
My through the night run on Friday didn't come off and I bailed @ 20k, luckily I have an understanding wife who came and picked me up :-) Decided to take Saturday off completely to recover somewhat, although I had to work. Went for a nanna nap at 6pm Sat night for 20 minutes and woke up at 8:30pm! So I got up, had a drink, said good night and went back to bed!
Up again at 3:30 Sunday for the postponed long run. Headed down to Mandurah along the rail trail and felt ordinary. Funny thing is that onceI arrived in Mandurah (32k) I started to feel good and decided to go for 50k rather than 40k. Made it back to the train station in 4:16, for what I estimated was 48k, then just another 3k home from the Rocko station to make it 50 with a bonus K if I needed it! Total time was 4:30 for 50k - not the quickest run but I was running strong toowards the end which is the main thing. Ended the week with 162k again.
Oh I almost forgot, after 50k Sun morning, we had the under 30 vs Over 30 Church T20 cricket game in the Arvo. I am the <30 captain so had to play and it was great fun. A couple of stumpings in the field then 30 with the bat. SHould have made more but took on the field 1 too many times and was run out - Doh! Ended up loosing again, dropped catches and misfields cost us and it was always going to be tough chasing 171 for victory in 20 overs. We we all out for 113, which although better than last year was still well below par - Considering Dave and Myself put on 50 for the first wicket. Next year
I am a 27yr old ultra runner from Rockingham WA, married to Kate and we have a son called Noah. I run because I have a passion for it and I find freedom in pushing the limits of my ability.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Feb Week #2
Back into training this week and happy to log another 160k+ week. Was fairly sore from the half for the first few days but struggled through. Starting to really suffer time wise, just too much on outside of running that makes fitting in sessions really tough. Have resolved myself to the need for changes next week to reduce the stress.
Wednesdays 2hr run was possibly the toughest training run I've EVER done. When I arrived home @ 5pm it was 40 degrees, I had something on at Church @ 7:15 so needed to leave ASAP to get the session in. First few k's were ok and I had a quick (3 seconds) cold shower at Waikiki Beach. After this point things got tough. Temp hadn't dropped much and the breeze was hot, I was still running at a good pace - maybe 12.5k/hr. Another shower at Warnbro Beach (10k) and another at Port Kennedy Beach (13.5k). Once I moved away from the beach things got worse, temp rose, I was dehydrated and soon lost all kick in my legs - I was in survival mode. During the last few minutes I was deliberately running through any sprinklers I found to provide some relief. In the end I made it, barely and resolved never to do it again.
A solid 30k on Saturday morning before going to work, was comfortably under 5min/k so happy with that. Sunday was a 40k with no real time goal at all, just wanted to log the k's. 1:48 at halfway and managed a 1:37 on the return leg and felt stronger the longer I went. Really happy that the last hour was faster than any others. Total k's for the week 162k and closing in on the 1000k for the year. Bring on next week.
Wednesdays 2hr run was possibly the toughest training run I've EVER done. When I arrived home @ 5pm it was 40 degrees, I had something on at Church @ 7:15 so needed to leave ASAP to get the session in. First few k's were ok and I had a quick (3 seconds) cold shower at Waikiki Beach. After this point things got tough. Temp hadn't dropped much and the breeze was hot, I was still running at a good pace - maybe 12.5k/hr. Another shower at Warnbro Beach (10k) and another at Port Kennedy Beach (13.5k). Once I moved away from the beach things got worse, temp rose, I was dehydrated and soon lost all kick in my legs - I was in survival mode. During the last few minutes I was deliberately running through any sprinklers I found to provide some relief. In the end I made it, barely and resolved never to do it again.
A solid 30k on Saturday morning before going to work, was comfortably under 5min/k so happy with that. Sunday was a 40k with no real time goal at all, just wanted to log the k's. 1:48 at halfway and managed a 1:37 on the return leg and felt stronger the longer I went. Really happy that the last hour was faster than any others. Total k's for the week 162k and closing in on the 1000k for the year. Bring on next week.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Feb week #1
AHHH a rest week. It was nice not having to drag myself out of bed every morning to go running and even nicer not having to go out for too long after work. Was feeling great on Tues so ended up doing 1 hr and then a good run Wed with 2hrs (24k). Basically still wanted to get good runs on Wed, Sat and Sun just cut down the k's in between.
Went down to Busso on Saturday morning for the 1/2 marathon. Thought it would be a good chance to run well being during a rest week and substituted the long run nicely. I wanted to go sub 1:30 again and was really looking forward to running with Mick and Michael. Started well and I wanted to stick with Mick as long as possible and then hold on in the later stages. Michael and another guy took off quick and a group of 5 runners formed the chase pack (myself included) 1st km in 3:48 and 2k in 7:34! I thought, "this is insane, I'm never gonna hold this pace!" but I decided to just roll the dice and hold on as long as possible. At 3k Myself and another guy dropped about 10 meters off the pack, but were still running strong. At the 5k turnaround I was about 20 meters off the pack and by 6k I was still feeling good but around 50mtrs behind. I decided to surge and try to get back on which I did at 7k then sat behind for a while. Kept thinking I would clip the guy in front so I ran out wide and suddenly found myself on Mick's shoulder. I decided to go to the front and do my bit and the next time I glance sideways I noticed I was alone. Going through the 10.5k turnaround I noticed I had a 20mtr lead. Ran strong over the next 5 and by the final turnaround had maybe 25mtrs on Mick so tried to surge again which went well for 3k then I started to have a few stomach issues and slower over the final 2k. I was running scared and managed to hold him off by about 40sec to come second and achieve a lifetime goal which was to break 4 min/km for a half (although it was 3:59/k I'll take it!). A little disappointed there were not prizes for 2nd/3rd considering there were about 100 spot prizes but I had an unexpected 4 min PB so I was happy.
Sunday's run went well with a nice 20k fairly comfortable to log 90k for the week. Looking forward to a good week this week although hopefully the scans on Wed ahow good news for my foot. No issues over the weekend so looks good, now we just wait and see.
Went down to Busso on Saturday morning for the 1/2 marathon. Thought it would be a good chance to run well being during a rest week and substituted the long run nicely. I wanted to go sub 1:30 again and was really looking forward to running with Mick and Michael. Started well and I wanted to stick with Mick as long as possible and then hold on in the later stages. Michael and another guy took off quick and a group of 5 runners formed the chase pack (myself included) 1st km in 3:48 and 2k in 7:34! I thought, "this is insane, I'm never gonna hold this pace!" but I decided to just roll the dice and hold on as long as possible. At 3k Myself and another guy dropped about 10 meters off the pack, but were still running strong. At the 5k turnaround I was about 20 meters off the pack and by 6k I was still feeling good but around 50mtrs behind. I decided to surge and try to get back on which I did at 7k then sat behind for a while. Kept thinking I would clip the guy in front so I ran out wide and suddenly found myself on Mick's shoulder. I decided to go to the front and do my bit and the next time I glance sideways I noticed I was alone. Going through the 10.5k turnaround I noticed I had a 20mtr lead. Ran strong over the next 5 and by the final turnaround had maybe 25mtrs on Mick so tried to surge again which went well for 3k then I started to have a few stomach issues and slower over the final 2k. I was running scared and managed to hold him off by about 40sec to come second and achieve a lifetime goal which was to break 4 min/km for a half (although it was 3:59/k I'll take it!). A little disappointed there were not prizes for 2nd/3rd considering there were about 100 spot prizes but I had an unexpected 4 min PB so I was happy.
Sunday's run went well with a nice 20k fairly comfortable to log 90k for the week. Looking forward to a good week this week although hopefully the scans on Wed ahow good news for my foot. No issues over the weekend so looks good, now we just wait and see.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Hit a snag
I've been carrying a slight foot problem since 6-Inch and it has finally got to the point where I need to check it out. Basically was getting quite sore around the foot/ankle area after 4hrs running. On wednesday it was sore after 1:30hrs and remained sore afterward. Ran yesterday and experienced some discomfort so I'm booked in for x-ray and ultra sound on Wed 11th. Hoping it's nothing too serious and just need a week or 2 to recover. Worst fear is a stress fracture which would mean 6-8 weeks, effectively ending my Commonwealth Championships bid this year as Coburg 24hr would be too close. I believe the Nationals are now in July so that might be an option if necessary.
Trying to keep my spirits high, just praying it's nothing serious. I'll still run the Busso half this weekend as I doubt I'll do any further damage and it's only mild discomfort. Been running with it for 7 weeks now so another few runs won't hurt.
Trying to keep my spirits high, just praying it's nothing serious. I'll still run the Busso half this weekend as I doubt I'll do any further damage and it's only mild discomfort. Been running with it for 7 weeks now so another few runs won't hurt.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Weekly Washup
Another solid week with 160k logged. This week I planned to increase my Wednesday and Sunday runs. Wednesday is now a solid 2hr session and I felt pretty good this week although struggled a little at first but still managed 26k in 2:01.32. Was really tired the following arvo for my trail run and recorded a PW of 53:46 for the 10k loop, not too concerned as I felt really average and just completing it was a challenge.
Long Run was back with Dave this week and we wanted to christen the new Perth-Bunbury Hwy so after running to the Fwy we headed south along the still dirt hwy with the plan of getting to Pinjarra road, running back into Mandurah and getting a train home. At 5:30 the road workers started to come out and as we weren't meant to be on the hwy we decided it was time to get off before we got caught. We made a slight detour and ended up running back to Dave's house for 42k, then another 8k to make it up to 50k. Total time (including stops) was 4:48 and it felt really easy, after the rest week I really need to up the long runs to 60k to get the most out of them.
Sunday was real tough as I had attacked a blister on Sat night and it was insanely sore Sunday - had trouble even walking. At the trail I decided to just walk and let the dog run around and after a few painful attempts at running, I managed to get going and completed the 18k necessary to finish with 160k for the week.
The body has been struggling over the last few weeks and I have been constantly tired all year from the training/work commitments. As a result it's definitely time for a rest week, to freshen up and get rid of a few niggles. Will just run when I want to this week, hopefully still get 2hrs on Wed but we'll see. Busso 1/2 on this weekend so heading down for that and hoping for a solid sub 1:30 (maybe even a pb). With over 630k in January I'm too concerned about keeping up the k's this week. Just relax, recover and get back into it next week for a 4 week block until Coburg 6hr.
Long Run was back with Dave this week and we wanted to christen the new Perth-Bunbury Hwy so after running to the Fwy we headed south along the still dirt hwy with the plan of getting to Pinjarra road, running back into Mandurah and getting a train home. At 5:30 the road workers started to come out and as we weren't meant to be on the hwy we decided it was time to get off before we got caught. We made a slight detour and ended up running back to Dave's house for 42k, then another 8k to make it up to 50k. Total time (including stops) was 4:48 and it felt really easy, after the rest week I really need to up the long runs to 60k to get the most out of them.
Sunday was real tough as I had attacked a blister on Sat night and it was insanely sore Sunday - had trouble even walking. At the trail I decided to just walk and let the dog run around and after a few painful attempts at running, I managed to get going and completed the 18k necessary to finish with 160k for the week.
The body has been struggling over the last few weeks and I have been constantly tired all year from the training/work commitments. As a result it's definitely time for a rest week, to freshen up and get rid of a few niggles. Will just run when I want to this week, hopefully still get 2hrs on Wed but we'll see. Busso 1/2 on this weekend so heading down for that and hoping for a solid sub 1:30 (maybe even a pb). With over 630k in January I'm too concerned about keeping up the k's this week. Just relax, recover and get back into it next week for a 4 week block until Coburg 6hr.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Weekly Washup
Another solid week and the build up continues with 151k logged this week. I've been running significantly faster in training than previous high mileage training blocks and I am really starting to notice the difference. The focus this week was a 50k run with Mick on Sat, I really wanted to get an idea of where I was at and see whether I could stay with him at a good pace. As a result I just took it easier on tuesday and Wednesday, clocking 49:00 and 1:34 respectively for my 10k trail and 20k road courses. This helped me feel a lot fresher throughout the week whereas last week was a tired slog.
Saturdays 50k started with a sleep in! I know how great is that the 6am start was good although the potential for a hot finish was there. Met at WAMC rooms and started along the river following the marathon course. At Canning Hwy went round the penisula run and then back to Canning Hwy, then followed the Marathon course again around past raffles. We were both running well and after about 20k ran into Lyn Barnard, ironically just after me saying that she burnt me off at Rotto 2 years ago. The 3 of us continued to run well and after a few k lyn called it quits and the pace picked up again.
Went through 36k in 2:44 and then 42k in 3:21 (Actually my second quickest marathon!). A guy from Sydney jumped on our tail for about a k and then went back to his hotel room and we continued on. It was starting to get warm and after dropping my pack off at the car at the 46k mark we went out for a final 4k out and back. with 2.2k to go we needed to run 10 minutes for a sub 4hr, I wasn't really interested in pushing and was content to just run comfortably all the way. Finished in 4:00.33 for what is now an unofficial PB, and ironically 1 sec quicker than six inch. I was stocked with the run as although I had a few flat spots, I was never really struggling with the pace and in the end felt comfortable. The following day was an easy 15k of rolling hills which felt fine after the first few k. Overall a very satisfying week and I am now aiming for 70k+ at the 6hr race.
Saturdays 50k started with a sleep in! I know how great is that the 6am start was good although the potential for a hot finish was there. Met at WAMC rooms and started along the river following the marathon course. At Canning Hwy went round the penisula run and then back to Canning Hwy, then followed the Marathon course again around past raffles. We were both running well and after about 20k ran into Lyn Barnard, ironically just after me saying that she burnt me off at Rotto 2 years ago. The 3 of us continued to run well and after a few k lyn called it quits and the pace picked up again.
Went through 36k in 2:44 and then 42k in 3:21 (Actually my second quickest marathon!). A guy from Sydney jumped on our tail for about a k and then went back to his hotel room and we continued on. It was starting to get warm and after dropping my pack off at the car at the 46k mark we went out for a final 4k out and back. with 2.2k to go we needed to run 10 minutes for a sub 4hr, I wasn't really interested in pushing and was content to just run comfortably all the way. Finished in 4:00.33 for what is now an unofficial PB, and ironically 1 sec quicker than six inch. I was stocked with the run as although I had a few flat spots, I was never really struggling with the pace and in the end felt comfortable. The following day was an easy 15k of rolling hills which felt fine after the first few k. Overall a very satisfying week and I am now aiming for 70k+ at the 6hr race.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Weekly Washup
Another solid training week in which I logged 140k with some really good quality sessions. 3 Double days this week and Tuesday saw a Huge 4 min PB on my 10k Kwinana trail run (with over 400mtrs climbing), which I ran in 46:46. Backed up the next day with a new 20k course PB of 1:29.26, which was my first time under 1:30 for over a year. Felt pretty tired on Thursday but got through. Rest on Friday for a HUGE weekend.
Managed only 2hrs sleep on Friday Night and up at 1:15am to get ready for the long run. Dave arrived at 2:40 and we left soon after. Needed to get to Byford in 3hrs to meet the other group for a trail run so that equation was 34k in 3hrs. Started well knocking off 12k in the first hour and continued for another 30min or so until I started to get tired. The usual problem of the cumulative toll of the high weekly k's leaving little speed in the legs by Saturday. Still ran ok, getting to Byford in 3hrs (30k) and then was picked up. Within the first 3k of the trail run I realized this was not going to happen, so I piked and ran into Armadale, which was closer that I thought so continued on to Kelmscott then caught the train home for a 50k total. Wen Snorkling to recover, slept for 10min, then got ready to head to Mandurah for my sister in law's wedding. Had a great night with an awesome Buffet BBQ, good free drinks and some great dancing. Left the reception about 1am and got back to our hotel room at 1:15 (24hrs after getting up). Still had some adrenaline going so flicked on the telly to see the Sydney Marathon telecast from 2008 - SCORE!!! Although I already knew who won, still watched it until about 2am when the body finally decided to call it quits, 25hrs after getting up. Woke up at 8:30 and had to get up as we needed to check out by 10, then the day got going again. Felt surprisingly good during the arvo 16k run and was happy to get to bed at 9:30. A good solid 140k week.
Managed only 2hrs sleep on Friday Night and up at 1:15am to get ready for the long run. Dave arrived at 2:40 and we left soon after. Needed to get to Byford in 3hrs to meet the other group for a trail run so that equation was 34k in 3hrs. Started well knocking off 12k in the first hour and continued for another 30min or so until I started to get tired. The usual problem of the cumulative toll of the high weekly k's leaving little speed in the legs by Saturday. Still ran ok, getting to Byford in 3hrs (30k) and then was picked up. Within the first 3k of the trail run I realized this was not going to happen, so I piked and ran into Armadale, which was closer that I thought so continued on to Kelmscott then caught the train home for a 50k total. Wen Snorkling to recover, slept for 10min, then got ready to head to Mandurah for my sister in law's wedding. Had a great night with an awesome Buffet BBQ, good free drinks and some great dancing. Left the reception about 1am and got back to our hotel room at 1:15 (24hrs after getting up). Still had some adrenaline going so flicked on the telly to see the Sydney Marathon telecast from 2008 - SCORE!!! Although I already knew who won, still watched it until about 2am when the body finally decided to call it quits, 25hrs after getting up. Woke up at 8:30 and had to get up as we needed to check out by 10, then the day got going again. Felt surprisingly good during the arvo 16k run and was happy to get to bed at 9:30. A good solid 140k week.
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