Couldn't Help Myself

I just couldn't help myself. I just had to give myself a test. After my long slow run on Sunday and my interupted training I thought I would put some effort into my 12K circuit this morning as a bit of a test run. I have been pleased to read how well others Canberra Marathoners have been running recently, but after my bout of sickness, was feeling a bit edgyabout my own fitness. However, this morning I was able to complete the undulating 12K in 54 mins at an average pace of 4:30. Now I am feeling less edgy.

A bit of trivia....how is this for coincidence. In the 2005 Canberra Marathon my bib number was 187 and I finished in 187th place. This year my bib number is again 187.

Last Long Run

After a week of ups and downs, 33K will have to do for my last long run before Canberra. I t was supposed to be 34 with the last 30 minutes at a steady pace. I had a relapse of the virus I have been battling for a couple of weeks so what was to be the toughest week of the training program with a 100 top quality K's ended up 77 not quite top quality K's. I have still put in more work for this marathon than any other and am hoping the three week tapering program will serve to hone what work I have done to date.

Though I wasn't able to, or I thought it unwise to, stick to Susan's prescribed run this morning, I did enjoy the run and the very comfortable pace we ran. We averaged 5:20 per k to bring us home in 2:54. The humidity was pretty high and lots of water had to be consumed.

I am looking forward to the taper program over the next three weeks and am getting excited about running my 8th marathon, my 3rd in Canberra. Now comes the time when I start visualising my run, especially the part where I cross the line for a PB.

Midweek 20K

Oh boy, I think my run on Sunday finally caught up with me. Yesterday I was supposed to do 5 x 4Min tempo runs but just couldn't get my legs to respond. I opted to just rum my 12K undulating circuit and allow my pace to improve as I warmed up. I ws surprised to finish with an average pace of 4:44.

Today I set out at 4:10 AM to run 20K and was rather dismayed to find that I was feeling well below parr. I just couldn't get going. I even got lost this morning. I headed into new territory, in the dark, and some thoughtful individual had changed a street sign and I end up in the the back streets somewhere. I eventually wound my way to familiar territory. I still couldn't get moving though. I did make 20K but at an average pace of 5:18.

A Boost

This morning's run was really good. 30K in 2:23, average pace 4:46. The humidity was much less than last week and running was much less exhausting. I had a 4:09 for the 27th K and then 4:13, 4:14 and 4:23 to finish to finish off.

The run was a real boost after my enforced easy week. Hopefully I can stick with the program this week and make it to the total of 100K which includes a 34K next Sunday. The last big effort before the Marathon.

Feeling Desperate

I have hardly run at all this last week. 12K on Monday and 12K on Thursday. I ended up taking Friday off work..a very rare thing for me...to see if I could hit this bug for six. I am feeling much better today. I am getting desperate to get out and feeling anxious about the setback to my training program.

I had a call from my running buddy, Tegwen, this morning to find out wheter I wanted to start earlier than the planned 5:00AM for the 30K tomorrow. Due to the forecast high temperatures we decided a 4:45 AM would be good. We are just doing 15 out and back along the river. That should take us from Park Road to about 1K along Kingsford Smith Drive past the Breakfast Creek bridge. This is all flat, something we opted for after last week's 24 hills.

A Set Back

I have caught a cold and am feeling a bit miserable. I haven't run for 2 days :-( . Never mind, the rest has done my right knee a world of good. I will probably go out for an easy run tomorrow.

I have started using Google Reader to keep up with my blog reading. It is a really great system. It indicates who has new posts, then I just click on the post Title and it takes me to the Blog so I can leave a comment. I guess this is old news to you guys but I think it is terrific. I tried Bloglines but never had much success...not that I really persevered. Now I have no trouble keeping up with the Blogs. Thank you Mr. Google.

A Wee bit Hot

I thought I was going to die yesterday. We set out from Park Road at 4:50 AM and 15 minutes into the run I was dripping sweat. What shocker. I think it was the hottest and most humid morning of the entire summer. Had we known it was going to be so awful I don't think we would have chosen to go the Western Freeway - Oxley - StLucia route. We counted 24 hills. Though I was supposed to do 34K we arrived back in 32 and there was no way I was going to keep on going for another 2K. I was totally stuffed. My Garmin said I averaged 5:09. I was having real trouble trying to imagine doing 42.2 @ 4:40 pace. It seems totally inconceivable.

The 12k recovery this morning was run at 5:40 pace. I coped with that OK.

Confused

I am confused about how all the training works and what improvement I should be expecting to see. I have been sticking to Susan Hobson's program like chewing gum under a shoe. I am pleased with how I feel and with my recovery after long sessions....but my times don't differ much from similar distances for the same period last year. I have to admit that, even though I work hard, I am not absolutely busting my gut. Though I must say that after hitting the final second in a hill session I can barley take another step. I guess that is almost gut busting.

I have a 34K'er again tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how I go.

Now the Easy Week is Over

During the easy week I felt terrible and didn't feel like I was recovering at all. It hasn't helped that the high humidity has returned with a vengence. My 20K on Sunday ended up being 22K because of some scare in the City Botanical Gardens. It was a very slow run and I felt disappointed because before the run I had visions of doing some spectacular time.

Yesterday my 12K easy was again slow....1:03:57. That's OK, it was ment to be slow. Last week I was dreading getting back into the intensive training again. So this morning I was really surprised to have felt so good after my run. Today's program called for 12K including 4 x 4 min at Anaerobic Threshold with a 2 min slow jog between. My 4 x4's averaged about 4:15 and I finished the 12K in 57:45. Maybe I recovered better than I thought.

I couldn't get up in the morning

I allowed myself some flexibility this week, since it is an easy week. I haven't been sleeping too well and this morning wasn't feeling the best when the alarm woke me so I thought I would swap tomorrow's rest day with today's 10K with fartleks. I was glad I thought of it really. I want to make the most of this week as the next three will be very intensive.

Hey! the marathon is next month. Yahoo!