A Ton of Fun

I don't recall having hit the Ton in a week before. Actually I got to 108K due to the back to front week end. Yesterday running buddy, Tegwen, and I set out from her place at Chelmer and followed exactly the same route as last Saturday. I was hoping for an improvement in time but only managed to cut 4 minutes which brought us home in 2:50. A 5:00 min per K average. I was well and truly spent and took a few hours to feel sort of normal again.

This morning I went along to Park Road at 5:30 to meet the usual crowd that run from there. The program only called for 8K (what should have been Saturday's run) but I ended up doing 16K at a nice recovery pace. Hence the 108K for the week.

This week Susan's program has scheduled an easy week, so back down to about 60K for the week. Then over the next three we build to a 100K in the third and the following three weeks we taper to the big race.

Stuffed

I have to say that this morning was a bit of a struggle. After doing 20K yesterday in1:40 this morning's 13K including 4 x 1 min and 2 x 2 min hill reps was not easy. Anyone seeing me doing my 2 min hills would not think that I was digging deep. I think I was on the verge of rolling back down the hill on the last one.

Another back to front weekend this weekend. My running buddy, Tegwen, has committments on Sunday so again we will be doing the long run on Saturday. The program says 34 and we know a route that will give us exactly that thanks to my miscalcualtion last Saturday. Then a nice short run on Sunday and I will hit the 100K for the week.

75Ks to go & 36Years to celebrate

Well that is 25K completed out of the scheduled 100 for the week. Yesterday was 12K easy. I love that run. Today was 13K including 3 x 7 min Tempo with 3 min jog between. I managed to average 4:17 per K for the Tempo runs. I found the 3rd set very tough. The undulations don't help. After the last set I was struggling to jog. I averaged 4:58 for the full 13K.

Tomorrow is 20K. I'll have to get an early night tonight and set the alarm for an earlier start.

Today is Robyn and my wedding aniversary. We were marrried in 1971. So that is 36 years. Robyn said to me this morning "How about another 36?". She didn't have to ask.

A Slight Deviation

This morning I had a social outing with some friends. I did a 3 k run as part a team effort in the short Triathlon at Bribie Island. I also did a 4k easy run prior to the event to loosen up after having run 34K on Saturday.

Our team came 6th out of 8 teams in our category. However, even though I was a bit slow at 13:15 for the 3k, I was 1st in our category for the run and 3rd out of the 24 teams over all categories.

Yesterday the program called for 32K but due to a miscalculation on my part we ended up doing 34. This we did at an average pace of 5:05. The weather wasn't too bad but still quite humid. Though I kept the fluids and gels up I was still very thirsty when we finished.

I was surprised to be be able to run at all this morning. The fact that I could is, I feel sure, due to Susan's excellent training program (or I didn't work hard enough yesterday).

I finished the week, today, with a total of 95K. Next week......100K!!!!!

Life on the Run

After the long run on Sunday, I enjoyed the 12K easy on Monday. However, during the run I realised my right calf was very tight and would need some nursing. It was just at that point where you know the wrong move or sudden exertion could do some damage. On Tuesday, Susan's progam called for an Anaerobic Threshold session and I knew I would have to have a strategy to deal with this. The session called for 12k including 4 x4 min @ AT with 2 min slow jog recovery between.

I decided to take the long way down to the local sporting field and use the grass running track for the AT session then take the short way home. This worked out really well. the run down was a little over 5K. The AT session on the track wasn't really run at the required pace as I was still very conscious of the tight calf. Never-the-less after 5K on the track I ceratinly felt like I had a good workout. Then it was 2 K home.

This morning's 18K was done with the tight calf still to the forefront of my mind. I ended up averaging 5:10 K's which was exactly the same as the 18 k two weeks ago. So that wasn't too bad. I am pleased to say that after a good stretching session following this morning's run, the calf feels much better. Bring on the Tempo + Hills tomorrow........what am I saying!

A hard day at the Office

Susan's program called for 28K today so running buddy Tegwen and I decided to set out from Park Road at 5:00 AM and run a circuit we run once before in November last Year. This took us out along the hilly Western Freeway bike path (naughty us) to Seventeen Mile Rocks, out through Oxley, back along Oxley Road to Chelmer, through Indooroopilly, St Lucia to Toowong, along the river to Milton and Park Road.

Last time we did this 27.7K circuit it took us 2:25. Today we did it in 2:18. Something must be working.

That brings another solid week to a close with 85K under the belt. Tomorrow is 12K easy...I look forward to that.

Hanging in there

Well I don't know whetheror not I am doing Susan's program justice but I am sticking with it. the Easy week seems way behind me now with the K's for this week set to hit 85 after the 28 on Sunday. I found this week s Tempo run hard going and the fartleks a challenge, but always in the back of my mind I keep wondering if I am really working hard enough. At the end of the day the race result will tell. On the other hand I want to keep on enjoying running, so I don't want the training to kill that joy. I hope I have the balance right.

Ahhh! the burdens we bear.

Cranking up again

After the nice easy week it is time to crank up the training again. I clocked up 60 K's last week finishing with 21 in 1:39 on Sunday.

Up until today Susan's program has called for an easy 8 on Monday but from today that has increased to 12. Tomorrow is an 11 K including Tempo..2 x 7 min with 3 min jog between. The tempo to be run at 10 seconds less than my 10K race pace. Susan says that the tempo is to be "hard work". I hope I can do it justice. I estimate my Tempo run will have to be run at about 4:22 pace. I better set my Garmin pacer to keep me honest.

Easy Week

Susan has given us an easy week this week. Monday - rest, Tueasday - 10 klm easy - I did this in 59:19, Wednesday - 12 klm - 58:18 for me, Thursday - 10 klm including fartleks - 48:28 for me. Tomorrow is rest, Saturday - 5 klm and Sunday 20 klm. Total 57 k for the week.

The lull before the storm. Next week is 85 k, then 94 k and the week beginning 19th Feb will be 100k. Phew! I am exhausted just thinking about it.

Ah! That's Better

After my shocker long run last week...31K in 2:48... I am pleased to report that today I felt much better and manged 34K in 2:50. That's an average of 5 Min K's. It was hard work. My running buddy, Tegwen, and I left Park Road at 4:45AM and heade along the river to the Goodwill Bridge. As Susan Hobson's program asks for the long runs to include some hills we decided that to go out and back along the river would not meet that requirement. We therefore decided to cross the bridge and head for Dutton Park, Fairfield, Yeronga, Tennyson, Chelmer, Indooroopilly, then to the University where we did a loop to ensure we would make up the 34K's. We then headed over the new bridge to Dutton Park and back to Southbank, over the Goodwill Bridge again and along the river to Park Road. There are a few hills in that little lot I can tell you.

It was a good feeling to have completed the run and put in the effort to tackle the hills. So that is 86K's for the week and another week that I have stuck to Susan's program.

My Marathon PB is 3:18:40..Sydney 2004. If I can better that in Canberra I willbe happy.

Glad I am not Fast

After 10K steady followed by 6 x 100m strides on Tuesday, 18K on Wednesday - I think my longest ever midweek run - the program today called for 10K including 10 x 1 min hills with jog down recovery. Why am I am glad I am not fast? If I was I would have to run further than the 220m I managed in 1 minute. I stuck with the 220m but by the 10th it was taking a tad longer than 1 minute. After the warm up and the hills I had done just over 6K's. My last 4K's were not exactly fast.

Have a great Australia Day holiday. A rest day for me. Saturday will be 8k and the big one on Sunday..34K.

Doing it Tough

Once again I stuck to the Susan Hobson training program and finished the week with a total of 83K's. the tough part was my long run yesterday morning (Sunday). Right from the start I felt like I was really working and couldn't help wondering how I was going to feel at the end of the 30K's. It humidity was very high and I am afraid that is not, for me, conducive to any sort of reasonable performance. I never doubted for a moment that I would complete the run. Once you are out there you really don't have a lot of choice.

The run ended up being 31K and took me 2Hrs 48mins. So after my previous Sunday's pace being 4:56 for 26K it was a bit disappointing to have to work hard for a pace of 5:25 for 31K.

My 8k recovery run this morning was painfully slow and I couldn't help wondering how my 10K at "steady" pace will be tomorrow. Hopefully I can complete it in a faster time than the 46 min it took me for the 8 this morning.

A Change of Category

Today is my last day in the 50-54 Age Category. Tomorrow I turn 55 and still have no prospect of winning my age category races. From what I have seen the competition intensifies as you get older.

Never-the-less I still, after having been running for only a little over 5 years, harbour a belief that there lurks within me the ability to pull another PB out of the hat. I will be extatic if I can do that in Canberra.

For the first time, while training on my own, I actually managed to stick at, and complete a set of fartleks. (2 x 60 sec, 4 x 30 sec, 2 x 60 sec, 4 x 30 sec, 2 x 60sec while doing a 10K ru over rolling hillls) .

Pleased with Myself

Well I have managed to stick with the marathon training program for one whole week. Amazing! I have run every one of the 76K's in the prescribed manner. Today's long run was 26K's. I started out nice and easy..15 minutes at 5:30 pace, then uped the pace to 5:00 per K, and finished the last 15minutes at 4:30 pace. There were a few variations throughout but overall I managed an average pace of 4:56 per K. The humidity was extremely high but there was cloud cover, so conditions weren't too bad.

My total K's for the previous week was 60 and the most I had done for some time. To jump up 16K in a week I thought might be a big ask, but I am glad to have achieved it and still feel pretty good. The week's training has given me a much needed mental boost.

This week will see a total of 82K, including a 30K run next Sunday. It is a long time since I put in that sort of effort and am looking forward to the challenge.

Susan Hobson

I have decided that my trainng fo Canberra needs to be more structured tahn my training for previous marathons so i took a look at the programs avilable on at: http://www.canberramarathon.com.au/index.php?pageid=123. I have opted for the Susan Hobson Sub 3:30 Program. Susan explains the progam well and it looks like one I should be able to adhere to.

This morning I did a 10K steady run followed by 6x100m strides. "Steady" means: runnning just within your comfort zone but running the first 15 minutes at easy pace to warm up. I amanaged an average of 4:40 per for the run.

I wasn't sure how I would go with the strides after running 10k. After measuring out 100 metres I thought well here goes. I was amazed! I felt so light and fast. It was an incredible sensation. I really enjoyed the remaining five sets. It was good to feel so good, mentally at least, after a training session. It seems a while since I felt like that.

Nice quiet Saturday

I am enjoying a nice quiet Saturday at home and looking forward, as always, to my Sunday run. Though there is a 10K run at West End with the Brisbane Road Runners, I am opting out and heading to Park Road for a longer run with some running buddies. The long runs are crucial training for the Canberra Marathon in April.

I haven't been running a lot at West End because I am having real trouble running the 5K loop. It never used to bother me but since the club has reversed the direction of the run I just don't seem to like it. I guess that sounds crazy. Also, Sunday is the only day I can do my long runs and need to stick to my program. This doesn't always fit in with the Road Runners program.

I still love to go to West End to catch up with the wonderful people there and will try to take advantage of suitable races there because of the great benefit derived from running in races.

Time has flown

Gosh where has the time gone. Christmas and New Year seem a distant memory. I hope everyone had a great time and that the New Year has lots of exciting things in store for you.

I have been doing some running and had the pleasure of having a run with Tuggeranong Don last week. Don was up from Canberra visiting family for Christmas. After he well and truly trounced me in the 10K race at West End on Christmas Eve we decided to meet up for a run on Wednesday morning.

We met at Park Road and headed for the Uni of Qld so that we could run over the new bridge accross the Brisbane River. It's good to have an alternative crossing to add some variety to our runs. It was a trip down memory lane for Don as he studied at UQ and, as a child, used to live at Highgate Hill, one of the areas we ran through as we headed for South Bank on our way back to Park Road.

It was terrific to catch up with Don again and look forward to seeing him in Canberra again in April.

Yesterday I had the rare pleasure of running in the rain. We need the rain so much.

Cool Running

I can't believe this weather. The mornings have been so cool and running conditions ideal.

On Sunday morning we ran 18K from Park Road. We headed to the University of Qld with the intention of running over the new bridge accross the Brisbane River. However, when we got there we were disappointed to find that the bridge was closed until the official opening ceremony later in the morning.

On Tuesday I ran my 12K circuit from home. I would have been happy to get in just under the hour and was amazed to do it in 55Mins. The coolness of the early morning was a big help.

This morning, not feeling particularly energetic, I settled for a 7K run and, once again, was very pleased with my time.....33:43.. better than I actully felt I was running.

Sunday Long Run

While many of my friends were doing it tough at Kurrawa, my running buddy, Tegwen, and I thought we would do some character building. We set out from Park Road at 5:00 AM and headed out to Mt Coot-tha via Milton Road. We did 2 laps of the mount and headed back via Sylvan Road. 27K's all up but it did take us 2 Hrs 30 Mins.

We run the mountain anticlockwise which gives you the longest continuous uphill section. On our second lap we were running along on the LH side and quickly gaining on a couple of men who were running/walking on the RH side. as we approached them a cyclist came flying down the road into the sun and knocked one of the men, who were doing a very slow jog at that point. The cyclist, a man in his sixties, came of his bike. He did some damage to his knee, a deep cut and a knee cap that didn't look like it was in the right place anymore. He also had a bad cut on his arm. The runner, who fortunately saw the cyclist coming and managed to begin a dive for safety, had some skin off his leg but was able to keep going. A couple of the cyclists buddies come along soon after the mishap and called an ambulance. We went on our way after ensuring that all that could be done was being done and our assistance was not required.

Now you know why we were running on the LH side. It is much easier to avoid traffic that is coming up the road from behind.

I wasn't feeling too good yesterday, don't know why, but the effects were very evident in my run this morning. By the time we got back to Park Road I was absolutely stuffed. I couldn't have run another step. As for character, it was ousing out of us.

2 Loops

This morning I did 2 loops of my 7K circuit. I set out at 4:30. It was cloudy and cool. I left a bottle of water on my letter box and set off, feeling good. I was back for my drink of water in 34:53. After a few gulps of water I was ready for the 2nd loop. It took me a hundred meters or so to get back into a rhythm and feel comfortable again.

I was able to maintain a steady pace and was even able to keep my uphill climb home down to 5:00 min K. My split for the second loop was 33:29.

Hopefully I will do more and more of the double loops as my Canberra campaign progresses.