Easy Monday 14.8k

Met up with Mike Conway, Durante and Enda at 7.30am in Centennial. The boys were heading out for a 2 hr run and I told them I would stay with them for an hour or so. They opted for the 3.6k loops and the pace was slightly faster (4.38) than yesterdays.
Had a good chat with the boys and left them at the top of the Oxford street entrance and headed back home. All up 14.8km in 68 mins.
Picked up a good read at the weekend "The 50 Greatest Marathon Races of all time" - Will Cockerell. Clayton, Zátopek, Radcliffe, Deek, Benoit, Khannouchi etc are all covered. The races are ranked and but I think he has a slight bias towards the London marathon. In saying that I wasn't aware the Steve Monegetti finished 2nd in London twice and only by a few seconds in both races. Good to see Deek's win in the '82 Commonwealth games rank highly.

Long run 34.6km in 2.42

I opted to head back to centennial for my long run. The plan was to run from the house and then run 9 laps of the 3.6k loop in centennial. Left the house around 7.30am and it was already 20C and sunny. Legs felt good and checked my pace and I was running 4.40 pace on the way to the park. Slightly quick for me but continued at that pace as i started the first loop in centennial.
Ran 4 laps at 4.40 and then Chalks appeared (mentioned that i would like support the night before at a barbie) and started to run with me, it was great to have the additional support and ran slightly faster than 4.40 pace for the next 3 laps. Chalks took a break and I continued on at 4.40 pace but was beginning to struggle. My wife Liv and her two sisters (Ger and Gill) had finished their run and it was nice to get the support from the sidelines. The last 2 laps were 4.43, 4.46 pace. I was knackered at the end of the run but pleased with the pace as it was 25C when I finished up. Will run 10 laps next weekend, thoughts are that this will not only build endurance but also mental strength. Big Bear (Chris) continues his road to Tokyo and knocked out an impressive 33km run...go the Bear.

5km time trial

I was looking forward to this one as I was interested to see how my training would translate into racing. Left calf still tight when i got up and had a quick hot bath and a little self massage loosened it up a bit.
Picked up Ger in Newtown and went out to Drumoyne. Did a nice warm-up and opted for the 17 min group but failed to live up to the time expectations. After a quick first 1km (3.19) I failed to hold the pace and kept drifting and finished up with a disappointing 17.33.
The relos are on a bit of a role at the moment, Big Bear (Chris) is running some stellar times in the lead up to Tokyo with a 20.02 5km pb. Young Ger PB'd with a super 24.36 and Gillian is returning to form with a 24.45 5km pb. Methinks I need to start working a little harder. Roll on the long run tomorrow!

Movies galore and a little running

am - went for an easy 6km run with Chalks in the morning. Covered it in just under 30 mins. Went for a nice dip in the beach after the run.

pm - 5km easy in Moore park, 8 *100m sprints. The left calf is pretty tight, probably as a result of running the 400s barefoot.

On the movie front, watched the tail end of Neil Jordan's "An end of an affair" staring the brilliant Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore. Fiennes is fantastic as the jealous lover. On Friday, saw the excellent "Atonement". Most movies never do the book justice think "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" but this is an super adaptation of the Ian McEwan's novel with fab performances from Knightley and newcomer James McAvoy.

I really like 400s...

am - went out for an easy run with Jen and Niamh. I put in 4 min km but took the rest of the run very easy, all up 6km.

pm - went to Frost reserve (Kincumber) and did a bit of a warm-up. Got straight into an old favourite of mine (400s with 60 sec recovery). The reps went as follows (75, 74, 72, 73, 72, 72, 73, 72, 72, 70). The session felt a lot easier than last week. Obviously the longer recovery time helped. I think it's time to lace up my racing shoes again! All up 9km.

Killcare hills for just over 2 hours

Started off up in Killcare Heights and ran down to the beach and then back up the hill. The hill is pretty steep and goes on for 2.8k. I did the loop twice. Kept the pace pretty even and pushed the hills, all up just short of 26km. Big Bear (Chris) was afraid of the hills and opted for a relatively flat 21km. All the guys (Jen, Chalks, Sarah, Niamh, Gillo, Ger and Liv) went for a run along beach. Beautiful day for running...53 days left....having a fab time up in the central coast.

Christmas Day...easy run

Went for a nice easy 10.6km run with Chalks and Big Bear. Enjoyed the run and pushed the hills. Nice easy pace of 4.36.
Happy Christmas to everyone, especially my family back in Ireland (my Ma, Da and my two younger brothers Derek and Christopher & my parents-in-law Ger and Liz)

10 * 3 mins with 1 min recovery

On Saturday, I noticed a nice long road leading into Bouddi national park and felt I could do my intervals there. The road was quite hilly so I knew it would be difficult to maintain a 3.35 pace. First reps was run at 3.40 pace, 2nd rep in 3.32. I maintained the 3.40 pace for the odd rep (due to a nasty hill) and 3.32 pace for the even rep. This is a tough session when you run this session on your own and incorporate the hills.

58 mins...

Easy run around Copacabana. No flat terrain around here so plenty of hills again...

Long run 2 hours

Went for a nice easy two hour run through Bouddi national park in the central coast with Big Bear. Same type of terrain as the 6 foot, lots of hills, steps and rocks to negotiate. Came out of the park and ran down to Killcare beach. Enjoyed the steep hill coming out of Killcare on the way back to MacMasters.

Easy Friday

Easy run in the Domain about 8km all up. Ran on my own as Tom was hungover, Kate was heading off to a xmas lunch and Durante was lazy.

Seko

The famous Japanese runner during the 80s (Boston winner twice and 4 time Fukuoka winner) was renowned for his drinking abilities. He would run hard in the morning and then down 8 or 9 beers in the evening. At the moment with all the xmas lunches I feel a bit like Seko. Looking forward to a few days off drinking after the xmas period.
Met up with Tom, Mike, Eoin and Mike Harrison for a 400s session. I ran 8 reps averaging 74 secs. I didn't get the normal 60 secs recovery because we started the reps every 2 minutes so this reduced my recovery to 45 secs. When I was strong last year, I would run the 400s in 72 secs so I am very happy with my progress. Mike was strong today averaging 72 secs for 10 reps. Sandrock's "Running with the Legends" is worth picking up for the Bio's on all the greats - Seko, Coe, Deek, Shorter etc...

"No country for old men"

Easy mid-week long run with Big Bear (Chris), met up in centennial park and ran at a nice easy pace (5.10). We chatted plenty, topics ranging from the tokyo marathon, the final entourage show, the talent in Chris's office, the cohen's brother new movie "no country for old men" and our planned xmas break in the central coast. Covered just over 17k. The legs were tired, tight calf, psoa tight....but generally fine. 60 days left....

Intervals - 3 mins by 10 with a 1 minute recovery

With the xmas lunches in full flow and with Tom sick we only had Mike Conway, Anthony, Enda, Tim C, Adam and Brad in attendance. Mike suggested we give everyone an opportunity to lead the reps from start to finish. Anthony was up first, I was up next, then Enda, Mike and Adam. Even with no garmin the reps were run at a very even pace. (approx 3.25 - 3.30 pace). I only ran 8 reps 2 weeks ago but felt great going into the final rep. Anthony suggested we push the rep from 500m from the end.
Adam lead from the front and we all kept right behind him, we were pushing it from the start as we went through the first 1 min marker a lot quicker than the previous reps. With 500m left, I surged a little and was closely followed by Mike, Anthony and Enda. Anthony pushed it and Enda and Mike followed. I eased off a little and then pushed again passing Mike and tucking in behind Anthony and Enda. We finished a good bit passed the bottle maker with Enda edging Anthony by a metre or so. I was just behind Anthony. I was pleased to see that I had a little bit of a kick at the end but we really should be running these at a controlled pace and not pushing the pace at the end.

Easy run

Easy 8km around the domain. Ran home from work which is approx 3.5k. Legs are feeling fine but psoas muscle is a little tight and need to work on releasing it. Happy with the last 2 weeks of 100k plus training. 9 weeks left...

Long run 30km 2.29

Ran from Surry Hills down to Mike's place in Bondi. Took it relatively at 5.03 pace and then met up with Mike, Durante and Terrance. Took it nice and easy up Bondi road and ventured into the soft grass of Queens park and then went around the outside loop of cenntenial. The pace (5.20) was pretty comfortable at this stage. We increased the pace (4.40) when we started a loop of the inside track and more or less maintained the pace back down to Bondi. In order to cover 2 hours we needed to run 2 loops or Ben Buckler. At this stage i was 2 hours 15 on my feet and i didn't appreciate the hills we had to tackle. Struggled towards the end and was pleased to finish unscathed after yesterday's ankle debacle. Terrance is planning on running the 6 foot track again and looks strong especially on the hills and will better his pb of 4.27. I was trying to convince Mike and Durante to run 6 foot as a training run. They were having none of it. In saying that they are keen to explore different variations of the long run which brings me to a book I picked up today "running tough" by Sandrock. Sandrock's book covers 75 workouts from running experts ranging from Shorter, Deek, Lydiard and Rodgers. Plenty of long run suggestions and i can pass on the tempos/intervals sessions to Mike and Tom for our Tues & Thurs sessions.

anke roll

Stayed in Friday evening and watched the fabulous "The Commitments" which based on a group of Dublin musician's who attempt to bring soul music to Dubliners. Dublin has changed a lot since '91 and I'm not sure North Dublin can be considered the "blacks of Europe". Well maybe they can..!
Got up early on Sat morning and planned tempo run. After a 20 min warm up, started the tempo run at 3.40 pace and went comfortably for 8 mins or so and then somehow slipped on a stone and rolled my ankle. I hobbled back home and applied ice for the rest of the day. Having rolled my ankle on several occasions, i realised in the evening it was only a minor sprain. I went out for an easy 3km to test the ankle and i was delighted that it was okay.

Easy Balls Head

Easy run with Tom and Ray across the bridge over to Balls head. 13km all up. Felt quite good. Looking forward to the long run at the weekend.

"And all the wine is all for me"

"And all the wine is all for me" from the album Alligator - The National, literally ran through my head as I hooked up with the crew for a fartlek (1 min on, 30 sec float jog for 45 mins) session at lunch. I had a barbie last night and a few friends came over (chalks - an ironman, Al Sheehen -who ran a 5 mins pb in Smithfield a few weeks back, Niamh - a C2S veteran and Sonja a spinning queen). It all went pear shaped when I decided to head back up to the bottle shop for another 4 bottles of wine, at that stage we'd drank 6 bottles.
I was slightly late meeting up with the guys and could only stay with them for 25 mins and decided to pull the plug near the art gallery in the domain. Durante who had stomach issue also pulled out. The boys at the front looked strong in particular Tom and Tucks. The 1 min interval pace was 3.30 so it's a tough session. Look forward to giving this session another go in the near future.
Felt guilty and went to the gym after work, did a little cross training and some weights and ab work. Ran home and the body felt a lot better. Highly recommend The National's Alligator and Boxer. Looking forward to seeing them in Jan.

MLR

Got up early and hit centennial park for easy MLR. Nice cool morning for running. Ran at 4.55 pace. Ran for 1hr 20 mins and covered just over 16km. The legs were tired from yesterday's effort especially the quads.
Booked flights to Japan with Jetstar last week. Got a great deal - a little under $700 return. Will spend one week in Japan. Looking forward to it now. Lots of gigs coming up in the next few months, Sufjan Stevens, The National, Arcade Fire and Bjork are in town in Jan and Interpol in Feb. Need to make a call between Arcade Fire and Bjork...tough decision..!

Intervals - 5 mins by 6 with 90 sec recovery

The session focuses on building your aerobic capacity which will assist with building your endurance. So it's good marathon training for me.
Large crew in attendance again today (Durante, Tom, Ray, Mike, Enda, Serg, Tucks, Charlie and a good few other guys that I just don't know). Started near the opera house and ran from 5 mins around via Mrs Macquarie Chair and just short of the the swimming pool. My pace was pretty even and i felt comfortable throughout. The reps went 3.32, 3.28, 3.28, 3.31, 3.27, 3.22. Most of my reps were run with side by side with Enda. The guys at the front looked comfortable in particular Mike and Serg. Tom, Ray, Tucks and Tim C even managed to do two more reps. All up 13km.

14.6k

Went for what was suppose to be an easy run with Tom, Serg, Enda and Mike. Serg mapped the route prior to the run. We ran through the domain, up to King's cross down to Rushcutters up Ocean street in Edgecliff and one lap around centennial and then back the same route. Serg led from the front and we started out easy but once we hit centennial we increased the pace right back into the city. All up 14.6km at 4.30 pace. I was tired at the end and glad to finish up. The funny thing is Serg thinks we should be running these faster...not so sure about that!

Recovery Run

I was planning on taking a day off but Chris "Big" Bear came over to the house and convinced me to head out for a nice easy run. Ran for approx 5.5km and then ran 5*100 strides at the end. Legs were tired at the start but felt much better after the strides.

Long run 31k

Hooked up with Mike, Durante, Terance and Craig for a long run around the Eastern Surburbs. I ran on my own from Surry Hills to Bondi Beach to meet up with the lads and then ran for another 2 hours via Vaucluse, Watsons Bay, Rose Bay and Bronte. We picked up the pace from Rose Bay for the last 40 mins. Legs were tired at the end and I was glad to finish off with a nice cool dip in Bondi. 10 weeks left....

Easy Balls Head

Easy 12.5km with Kate and Ray. Still it took approx 65 mins and the legs were feeling it at the end. The last week has been tough. I've a massage scheduled for this evening so hopefully that will help.

400s

Met up with the running crew to run 400s (Ray, Serg, Mike Conway, Enda, Eamon, Eoin, Andy, Durante & Tucks). Last year when I was travelling well this was my favourite session and I usually banged out 8*400 in 72 sec with a 60 sec standing recovery. Sometime I reduced my recovery to 45 secs. The guys were planning 10, I was planning eight. I started out well and by the 6th rep I was pretty tired. After the 8 rep my heart rate was still quite elevated hovering around the 160 mark so I decided to pull the plug. The reps went like 72, 73, 72, 73, 73, 74, 73, 75. Happy with the effort and as i get fitter i should be able to manage 10*400 in 72. The guys at the front Serg, Mike, Tucks and Durante were looking very good. Durante managed to bang out a 64 last rep. Very impressive! Fats was there at the end, he did very well in Keppler at the weekend with another podium finish.

2 runs in 1 day

Failed to get out of bed early this morning, when Tom sent an email out I decided to hook with the guys and we met at Hyde park and went for a nice easy run with Durante, Tom and Richard High. We went via Surry Hills and into Centennial park and ventured via Paddo back into the city. All up 12.8km in 58mins (so 3.4o pace). All up the run was approx 14.8km as i had to run back to Bond street.
After work i decided to go out for an nice easy run. Took the same route from work back into Centennial and took in a few loops of the park in. All up 16km in around 1.21 mins (a little over 5k pace). Legs were pretty tired at the end but was happy to get a MLR in. 30km or so for the day..!

8 by 3 mins with a 1 min recovery

Hooked up with Tom's running group for the first time in months. Tom and the guys (Ray, Mike Conway, Durante, Tucks, Anthony, Charlie Low and lots of other guys that i didn't know).
The guys were planning on running 10, before the start I'd mentioned to Durante that I felt i could handle about 8 and that's how it panned out.
I was planning on running 3.50 pace but when the session kicked off got into the nice rhythm and held steady at the back of the pack and ran 8 reps averaging 3.35 pace.
The reps went 3.35, 3.35, 3.32, 3.36, 3.35, 3.36, 3.32, 3.35.
Pleased not to go lactic and felt relatively comfortable throughout. Probably could of handled 10 but decided not too risk it with a MLR scheduled tomorrow morning.

12.5km recovery run

Nice easy run to balls head with a bigger crew than normal, so left bond street with Eamon, Eoin, Enda, Mike Conway, Serg, Durante and Anthony. We met Ray on the bridge. Serg pushed the pace a little, it was pretty warm and i kept at the back of the pack to keep Durante company who was struggling a little with the heat. :)
Great running by Kate Coburn at the central coast who ran 90.20 and Richard Palmer running 79 odd after the Mark Webber challenge.

82.50 for 21km - 28km all up

Beautiful day up in the Central coast. Planning on running 84 mins and went out at 4 m/k pace. It was pretty comfortable for the first 5km. Passed a lot of people who went out pretty hard in the first 5km, most notably superflake at 4km. Then worked my way through 6 or 7 runners until i got to 8km. Drew level to a pack of 4 runners and ran with them until 10km and then increased the pace slightly (3.54 as per garmin), one of the runners kept with me until about 13km. I was feeling pretty good and hovering at about 3.55 pace. I passed about 4 or 5 runners until the 15k marker. Still feeling pretty good until 18k and then the legs started to seize up. I was glad to see the finish line. Very tried at the finish line. It's a pity i couldn't finish stronger but there was nothing in the legs at the end. Garmin measured the course slightly shorter at 20.9km. Happy with the effort 11 wks out from Tokyo....serious training starts now! Finished off a great day with a picnic out in Strictland House with the extended family. Brought them home for a barbie in the house and then cleared them all out in a game poker:)

easy 10km with Strides

10KM easy at 5k pace followed by 5 by 100m striders, so all up 10.65km. Nice and easy before i venture up to the central coast.

10.5km easy to Ball head

Balls Head again with Kate, Springer and Ray. Nice easy running with plenty of talking. Took it nice and easy with the central coast half on Sunday. Talked through my training strategy with Ray for the lead up to Tokyo. Will use the half as a long tempo run Ryan Hall style.

MLR - 12.5km

12.5km to Balls head and back on my own. Took it nice and easy, i've plenty to think about at work these days and a 60 mins run was a perfect tonic to clear the head.....! The plan is to increase this run by 10 mins every week until Tokyo so it looks like i will be doing this run early in the morning or late in the evening from now on. Xmas party tonight...should be fun;)

Lactate Threshold

Got out of work late and went straight to the domain. After 2km warm up got into the session. Plan was 3km by 2 (with a standing recovery of 2 mins) and 1km at the end. Planning on 3.50 pace, first rep was comfortable and covered it in 11.17 (3.45 pace), second rep was covered in 11.04 (3.41 pace). The final km was covered in 3.30 pace. Tired at the end and this was evident in a very slow cool down. Looking forward to a longer tempo session up in the central coast on Sunday.
Contemplating joining Sean Williams squad after the half at the weekend. With Rich Palmer now living in Newcastle I need some company for my speed sessions. BTW, well done to Rich last week in the Mark Webber challenge in Tassie. It will be interesting to see if he has recovered for the half at the weekend.

Plyometrics and an easy 8km

Up early and got some stretching and strength work in. Combo of squats, lunges and core work. Went out to the park and spent 20 mins going through some plyometric drills.
Worked late again today, ran home from work and then went across to the park and ran another 4km. Finished with some strides 100m by 5. 8km all up.
Got in the door and highlights of the Sydney marathon 2007 was on Fox sports. Great to see Ray and Tom in the half marathon and Tuckey in full marathon. Looking forward to tackling the Sydney marathon course next year.

Another run on Monday

After banging out 29km in the morning, I decided you go for another run in the afernoon. I had a 70 min window in my diary and decided to go out for a run with Tom, Ray, Springer, Mike Conway and Dave Dreverman. Ran out to Balls head with the guys and needed to turn back earlier as I had a meeting at 1.30. Felt surprisingly good after the effort in the morning.

From Tassie to Centennial Park

Easy 10km in Orford Tasmania (Sat 24th Nov)

Flew into Hobart on Friday evening and drove 75km to the beautiful costal hamlet of Orford. We were down in Orford with Liv's parents and my brother in law (Chris) and two sister in laws (Ger and Gill).
Up early and went for a nice easy 10km with Chris. There was a nice big hill on the way back to house and i pushed the hill at the end. I'm beginning to like hills again. The way i see it they are good for building strength in the lower legs and also improves lactate tolerance. The girls also got out for a run and when we all got back to the house we had a nice big breakfast.

I was planning a tempo session but decided against it as I felt Friday's run back form Balls Head was a like a tempo session for me. Just a nice easy stroll for Tom (even with a hangover).


Rest Day (Sun 25th Nov)

Well I was suppose to get long run in. Chris and I planned the route. We got up a 6.20am and drove 16km to Wielangta state forest. Not a soul in sight as we drove along a very rocky road. We parked the car and got out to have a look at the track. We ran for about 5 mins and then realised the track was far too difficult to run through. Got back into the car and went back to house. Disappointed we couldn't get the run in as I firmly believe the long run is the most important run in the training week. On the plus side, Tasmania has blown me away with its' sheer beauty.

29km (Mon 26th Nov)

After only 5 hours sleep, I got up at 5am and got on the road to get my long run in. Took it nice a easy until i got to Centennial park. The park was more or less empty and the temps were conducive to running. It felt a little weird running out there for the first hour. It was great to have the company of Radiohead's - In Rainbows, which added to eerie atmosphere. After 6am, there were a lot more runners pounding the pavement like me.

I got into a nice rhythm and started to bang out 4.38m/km. I ran 7 loops at a very consistent pace. Took it easy for 2km back home. To be honest, I surprised how easy it was out there today. 12 weeks left to Tokyo. Not sure how i'll go. At this stage the plan is to continue my pb streak in the marathon. Every marathon i've ran to date i've ran a pb. So anything under 2.46 and I'll be happy. On Friday, Tom felt Tokyo was too early for me. We'll see....

Balls head again

Ran with Tom to Balls head, well most of the way. We had a few beers the night before well Tom had a lot more than me at a catch-up with a few running mates. Tom struggled up the hills but was fine on the way back. We pushed the pace on the way back. Didn't have my garmin but i think we were running close to 4km/m. Heading to Tassie for the weekend, will get a tempo run in on Saturday and long one in on Sunday. Looking forward to nice soft trails...

Balls head on my own

Easy run to balls head on my own at lunch. 12km of easy running. Tried towards the end, looking forward to some sleep. Work has been very busy lately.

Speed session

Ran home from work (approx 3km), then went out and ran 8 by 400s with a 60sec standing recovery. There was a bit of a breeze. Ran the 400s in avg 77 sec against the breeze and 73 with the breeze. Very happy with the effort. Looking forward to completing this session over the next 6 weeks. Hopefully the speed with transfer to races...!

Easy run

Pretty busy at work at the moment, so got out for an easy run after work. Ran around the domain and back and pushed any little hill on route. All up 8km.

Balls Head with a bit of speed

Went to balls head and back with Mike, Tom, Serg (UBS runner) and met Ray on the harbour bridge. Planned an easy run but realised we needed to push it because I had a meeting at 1.30. It was pretty hot and i pushed it on the way back. All up 12km and ran it much quicker than normal. Ended up running back from the bridge on my own as the guys took it easy.

Disappointed with the time but happy with the effort

Went out to the Smithfield 10km with Chris (aka Big Bear), Al, Liv and Ger. I forgot how hot it gets out in Smithfield compared to the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney. With no sea breeze the industrial jungle gets very hot. Went through 5km in 19.15 and finished up with 38.40. Not what i wanted but the 34km in the last two days took it out of me and the legs felt very heavy after 3km. Great pb by Chris. He's looking very strong with 13 weeks to go to Tokyo. Pleased with the weeks effort, looking forward to some quality speed workouts in the next few weeks.

Long Run 22km

Switched my long run from Sunday to Saturday with the 10km race on Sunday out in Smithfield. Had a few wines the night before and didn't venture out until after 8. 2km's easy to the park and got straight into 3.6km loops around centennial. I was pleased with effort for the 5 loops, I average 4.28 pace for each loop ran them all pretty even with the help of the garmin. The last one was tough. 2km very easy back to Surry Hills. Noticed my avg heart rate increased for each loop, starting out a 143, 149, 153,159, 165. The weather was pretty warm as well 28c. Got an ice bath when i got home and had a massage in the afternoon. Looking forward to Smithfield tomorrow. Will be happy with anything around 37.XX.

Hot day - Balls Head

12km easy run to Balls head with Tom, Springer, Eammonn, Kate and Ant. It was pretty warm out there. Ant struggled with the heat and hills. A lot faster than last week, we averaged 4.50km/m. Avg HR 142. Felt a lot stronger especially on the hills.

27C warm and humid

AM: Got up early and went to the gym and did some core work and stretch/strength work. The fast guys last night got me motivated, really want to put the extra work to get back to same level as before the injury. Patience and consistency is the key now.



Easy run to balls head on my own at lunchtime. Felt fine and pushed the hills. HR was slightly higher than normal. 11km all up as i took the quick route back.

JP Morgan 5.6km Sydney

Warm evening in Sydney. Race was delayed because of the traffic. I was aiming for around 20 mins and felt if i sneaked under 18 mins for the first 5km i would hold on for 20 mins. Ended up going throu' 5km in 18.07 and hung on for 20.22. Happy with the progress. The course is quite hilly so I am definitely heading in the right direction. Great running by Tom31, Richard Palmer, Dave Deverman and Springer.

easy again!

Easy 7km around the domain. I was thinking of running 400s intervals but decided against it. The legs were heavy and decided to plod at 5km/m. Hoping the legs feel better tomorrow for the JP Morgan 5.6km race.

easy 7km

Beautiful sunny day in Sydney, easy run around the domain with Ray, Springer and Mike. Looking forward to the JP Morgan 5.6km race on Wednesday. Not sure what to expect after been out for so long. Still I will give it a good go as the ankle is feeling a lot better. Back in 2005, I ran the race in 19.20 but I'll be happy with anytime around 20 mins.

Long Run

Up early and on the road just before 7am. Took it easy for the 2km to centennial park. Ran with Chris for the first loop (just over 5km/m). Then ran 5 more loops averaging 4.40km/m. Ankle stiff at the start but was fine after a few kms. Quads were a little tight probably had something to do with the lunges on Thurs evening. Took the 2km easy on the way back home. All up just over 26km. Avg HR 146. Did drink any carbs on the run just water. Drank plenty of fluids after the run and even managed a protein shake. Ice bath for 10 mins. Felt tried but good to run just over 2 hrs.

Week commencing 5/11

Monday - easy run to Balls head 11.5km
Tuesday - 8*400s avg 78 sec with a 1 min standing recovery 10km all up
Wednesday - 11.5km to balls head
Thursday - easy 8km
Friday - 11.5 easy run to balls head with Springer, Tom31, Kate and Dave (mate of springer)
Sat - 6km easy, then 3km tempo avg 3.48km/m (2 min rest) then 2km tempo avg 3.46km/m. Avg Hr for the tempo 162

Easy run

Easy run to Balls Head. All up 11km. Avg km/m = 5km/m. Ankle stiff initially, after a few km's the ankle warmed up and the ankle felt fine.

Long run 23km

Met up with Chris and ran 23km averaging 5m/k. Started out slowly, after 20 mins mins kept increasing the pace until i was running close to 4.40km/m. Avg HR 146

10km Lane Cove

Went to the striders race with Liv my sis-in-law Ger. Not sure what to expect but my legs were heavy from the easy run the previous day. Decided to try and stay ahead of the 40 min pacer. Finished 40 mins on the button. Great runs by Tom31 and Uncle Dave. Liv and Ger were very happy with the 54 mins on the hilly course. Ended up going for a nice big breaky in Potts Point with Gill and Chris (sis and brother in law).

12km easy to Balls Head

11.6km easy to Balls head with Springer and Tom31. Plenty of hills which is good for building lower leg strength. Avg Hr 137.

Domain with some Hills

9.3km easy with some hills mixed in the domain. Avg each hill in 51 sec, recovery was 1.20 coming back down the hill. Avg HR 131.