Wednesday, November 26, 2008
MLR 19K
Out early with Steve Thurston, Durante and Eamo. Shattered again this morning so much so I struggled to keep with the boys on the wollarha hill. I even took a short-cut at the Oxford Street gates. All up 19k with the avg pace 4.34. No rest for the wicked as I am trying to build up my endurance..
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Slow train coming
With lots of different priorities I've decided to hold off running a marathon until I can put a good 16 weeks of training together. Realistically that means I won’t run another until late next year. In the meantime I will continue to train and at the moment I will focus on building my endurance.
Met up with the HuRT squad for a 45 min fartlek session (1 min fast, 30 sec slow). From the start I felt flat struggled to maintain the pace in the latter half of the session. I ran side by side with Richard High and probably should have backed off. The return leg was tough, got to 10km around 35.20, took a short cut back with Durante to avoid the Opera Hse loop. From 9k onwards I struggled and my avg pace for the fast and recovery reps kept getting slower and slower. I think the legs are a little tired after the weekend’s effort and I failed to give them sufficient rest on Monday. Richard High is going well and I expect him to go very well in the sixfoot. Congrats to Richard Palmer on his fantastic achievement in the Mark Webber challenge - First corporate team!
Met up with the HuRT squad for a 45 min fartlek session (1 min fast, 30 sec slow). From the start I felt flat struggled to maintain the pace in the latter half of the session. I ran side by side with Richard High and probably should have backed off. The return leg was tough, got to 10km around 35.20, took a short cut back with Durante to avoid the Opera Hse loop. From 9k onwards I struggled and my avg pace for the fast and recovery reps kept getting slower and slower. I think the legs are a little tired after the weekend’s effort and I failed to give them sufficient rest on Monday. Richard High is going well and I expect him to go very well in the sixfoot. Congrats to Richard Palmer on his fantastic achievement in the Mark Webber challenge - First corporate team!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Recovery Day
Caught up with the boys (Clarky, Tom, Muz, Serg, Steve, Mike, Andy) on a recovery run. Serg, Clarky and Steve split the group after 10 mins running close to sub 4 min/k. I ran with the boys all up 14k at 4.15m/k pace which is a tad too fast for a pure recovery run. For my V02 max based on Daniel's running formula, I should be running around 4.25-4.30 pace for my recovery runs. With 4.15m/k pace I am in no man's land. So I am not getting any real benefit. It's actually getting close to my Cruise tempo pace which is 3.58 (the pace I ran the 1/2 marathon on Sunday). Good to catch-up with the boys again. Need to convince Tom that he will take Truscott out.,...
Rambling on...
Fri: 8k easy domain
Sat: 2k run to the centennial, 6 short hill reps, 5 min rest, 5k tempo (in 17.34), 4k cool down.
Sun: 2k warm up, 1/2 marathon race Sri Chinmoy in Centennial Park in 83.40. The plan was to run at 4.20 and then increase the pace towards the end but went through the 1st km in 3.55, backed off a little and just maintained 4m/k for the majority the race. The garmin came in handy as the the terrain was pretty uneven and it was difficult to maintain an even pace. Chris Truscott joined me for a few km's, he's getting ready for the state 5k in Jan, he reckons he will crush Tom and is willing to bet a case of beer on it....
Sat: 2k run to the centennial, 6 short hill reps, 5 min rest, 5k tempo (in 17.34), 4k cool down.
Sun: 2k warm up, 1/2 marathon race Sri Chinmoy in Centennial Park in 83.40. The plan was to run at 4.20 and then increase the pace towards the end but went through the 1st km in 3.55, backed off a little and just maintained 4m/k for the majority the race. The garmin came in handy as the the terrain was pretty uneven and it was difficult to maintain an even pace. Chris Truscott joined me for a few km's, he's getting ready for the state 5k in Jan, he reckons he will crush Tom and is willing to bet a case of beer on it....
Thursday, November 20, 2008
400s by 10
Didn't get a chance to get out for a decent run on Wednesday so only managed to run into work in the morning and ran home late last night.
Pretty tired today so the plan was to take it easy but got through the first rep in 72 and more or less continued that for the remaining 9. Tom and Killer were in front and Steve Thurston was miles ahead averaging 64 seconds. Shattered after the session, I need to catch-up on sleep this weekend.
Pretty tired today so the plan was to take it easy but got through the first rep in 72 and more or less continued that for the remaining 9. Tom and Killer were in front and Steve Thurston was miles ahead averaging 64 seconds. Shattered after the session, I need to catch-up on sleep this weekend.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
HuRTS 4 x (3k)
Another decent crowd but it was noticeable that a few of the front runners were missing (Muz, Serg and Durante). Still and all, Charlie and Clarky went to the front for the first rep, I latched on to them and we ended up 80m short of the stone gates. Well they finished approx 10m ahead of me. Tom was taking it easy for the first few reps running with MC, Enda, Richard High, Killer and English Andy. I ran the second rep in 9.31. I ran comfortably hard for the 3rd rep as Killer, Clarky and Charlie pushed the pace from the start and got to the stone gates well within the 10 min marker. I was again 60-70m short with Tom right behind my back. I felt pretty tired on the way back for the last rep which took 9.55. The wind was pretty strong on the return leg. Happy with the session overall. Tom seems to think I want to include some extra awards for the HuRT squad's annual awards night. Not true...but I think we should have best overseas performance of the year as an outright category ;)
Monday, November 17, 2008
Recovery Monday
Easy 12k with boys. Left the domain and went out to Hickson road and I opted for the shorter route on the way back by heading up Macquarie Street. Big crowd for a Monday - Serg, Clarky, Steve, Durante, Conway, Ray (who disappeared before I had a chance to chat to him) and a few other guys I didn't even know.
On the road again...
Can't stay away from the road. Out for an easy 8k run on Sat and out again Sunday morning with Steve Thursten and Eamo for a nice long run. Eamo is looking strong for Kepler in NZ in Dec. He was out with Fats and Terence for an easy 35k run on Sat and backed up well on Sunday. We chatted about the important races next year and whether we should use a coach to help us...All up 28k in 2.02. Legs were tired for the last 2k but good to test the knee out. Need to drop my new coach an email ;)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Sayonara, Auf Wiedersehen, Arrivederci, Au Revoir, Adeus
You got to be honest with yourself in this sport. 19.03 was not the time I was looking for in JP Morgan. I actually thought I'd run close to 18.30. Fortunately I had Dave Clark and Michael Killacoat in the team to ensure we took out the men's team comp. I obviously had knee issues going into the race but I wasn't in the right head space from the start which by the way I nearly missed. I had to sprint 300m from the Kiosk to actually make the start. I continue to repeat the same mistakes, I am not sure why I took 2 Berocca before the start of the race as I've never taken them before any other race. Anyhow, my stomach was in knots from the start.
I'll quit the whinging, great runs by my Macquarie colleagues, it's really hard to believe how Dave Clark could compete in a half ironman on the Sunday (6th place as well) and run a sub 18 min in the JP Morgan. Run of the day goes to Tom, it gives us all hope to see him get better and better. He's put in the hard yards and deserves all the plaudits he received last night. Poor Durante...that's all I can say mate...Timmy was right...you looked pale before the race. Enda had a great run of 18.45 and his streak over me continues. Kate Coburn ran very well 3rd place overall for the girls. Well what about the winner...Steve Thurston! Super front running. It was great to tell people in the office that I run with the guy most days.
Got the knee checked out and it's all good news, well there is no structural damage (ligaments and tendons are fine), just have Patella femoral Pain Syndrome which was caused by a direct blow to the knee (you really don't want to know how it happened). A bit of strength work in the quads will sort me out.
That's it for me now for while, it's been a great year of running. After a injury plagued 2007, I got the opportunity to run 2 big city marathons. I ran a 10k and C2S PB. Looking forward to 2009 already, I will be targeting PBs in the half and the marathon. Looks like I need to hit the Gold Coast to settle a score....
I'll quit the whinging, great runs by my Macquarie colleagues, it's really hard to believe how Dave Clark could compete in a half ironman on the Sunday (6th place as well) and run a sub 18 min in the JP Morgan. Run of the day goes to Tom, it gives us all hope to see him get better and better. He's put in the hard yards and deserves all the plaudits he received last night. Poor Durante...that's all I can say mate...Timmy was right...you looked pale before the race. Enda had a great run of 18.45 and his streak over me continues. Kate Coburn ran very well 3rd place overall for the girls. Well what about the winner...Steve Thurston! Super front running. It was great to tell people in the office that I run with the guy most days.
Got the knee checked out and it's all good news, well there is no structural damage (ligaments and tendons are fine), just have Patella femoral Pain Syndrome which was caused by a direct blow to the knee (you really don't want to know how it happened). A bit of strength work in the quads will sort me out.
That's it for me now for while, it's been a great year of running. After a injury plagued 2007, I got the opportunity to run 2 big city marathons. I ran a 10k and C2S PB. Looking forward to 2009 already, I will be targeting PBs in the half and the marathon. Looks like I need to hit the Gold Coast to settle a score....
Friday, November 7, 2008
Time for a few prayers..
Pulled up sore after a run on Thursday. I have some swelling at the back of my knee. The physio recommend I rest for 10 days. Not really an option with JP Morgan next week. Since the physio appointment the pain has radiated from the back of the knee to the hamstring. Not good...time for a few prayers.
I was suppose to run a 3k time trial with Durante, Serg and Muz. Durante went through 3km in 8.58 dropping both Serg and Muz..the kid is flying. He's looking good for JP. Best of luck to Steve T and Tom tomorrow in the state 3k.
I was suppose to run a 3k time trial with Durante, Serg and Muz. Durante went through 3km in 8.58 dropping both Serg and Muz..the kid is flying. He's looking good for JP. Best of luck to Steve T and Tom tomorrow in the state 3k.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
400s off 2 mins...
Out with Robbie, Killacoat, Chris Graham and Tom was a little late. I lead from the from the front for the first 5 reps with Killer just sitting on my shoulders. Robbie was a second or two back. On the 6th rep, Killer upped the tempo and Robbie followed him for a few reps but Killer was pretty comfortable running 66s and finished off with a 62. I'm so glad he's part of the Macquarie JP Morgan team. Can't believe Dave Clarke has decided to enter the Port Macquarie Half at the weekend...in saying that he will probably run very well at JP Morgan. Tom was a little out of sorts this morning, he really doesn't like running on his own.
72, 71, 71, 70, 71, 69, 70, 71, 70, 69
Went for a 30 min run at lunch with a good friend Bron, I spotted Terence running over the top of Enda in a gate to gate session. He's getting strong....
72, 71, 71, 70, 71, 69, 70, 71, 70, 69
Went for a 30 min run at lunch with a good friend Bron, I spotted Terence running over the top of Enda in a gate to gate session. He's getting strong....
Monday, November 3, 2008
Happy Mondays - yeah, yeah yeah
Had a lovely brunch on Sunday arvo and went to bed early on Sunday evening so felt well rest waking up Monday morning. Ran to work early and stopped off in the gym for some core work.
Out for a run with the boys at lunch (Serg, Tom, Durante, Enda, Steve, Muz & Aus)for a quick 14k run in 27c. Serg is struggling, his heart rate hit 175! So it was more like a tempo run for him...
Out for a run with the boys at lunch (Serg, Tom, Durante, Enda, Steve, Muz & Aus)for a quick 14k run in 27c. Serg is struggling, his heart rate hit 175! So it was more like a tempo run for him...
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Going long...
Out with Steve and Durante for a long run in Centennial. Durante still recovering from his cold ran for 80 mins, Steve ran for 90 mins and I continued on and ran just over 2 hours averaging 4.22 km/m. I was pretty tired at the start of the run but felt more comfortable as the run progressed. Will decide later in the week if it is worth racing the 3000m on the track next week so close to JP Morgan.
It will be interesting to see how Radcliffe goes in New York later today, i suspect Wami and Catherine the great will give her a run for her money. Kara Goucher might surprise a few in her debut. Tergat at 39 will find the going tough against the Morrocan Goumri.
It will be interesting to see how Radcliffe goes in New York later today, i suspect Wami and Catherine the great will give her a run for her money. Kara Goucher might surprise a few in her debut. Tergat at 39 will find the going tough against the Morrocan Goumri.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Running on empty.....
I had an interesting run in Lane Cove today, to be honest I had nothing in the legs from the start. After a week of decent speedwork, I expected to run a lot better. Ended up with something like 35.40. From the start the legs felt heavy and I couldn't get into a decent rhythm. Back to the drawing board as I need to pick up a bit of speed for JP Morgan. After today's effort, I don't think I have the physical or mental strength to contemplate running Dubai or Hobart.
Durante was sick so we didn't get a chance to witness the duel with Tom. Tom had also a below par performance with 33.4* odd. Steve Thurston also struggled running low 32s to finish in 3rd place. The only decent run from the HuRT squad came from Muz with a 33.02. Muz is looking very good for the JP Morgan race mid-Nov. Well done to Kate Coburn with her podium finish. Uncle Dave took out the striders series comfortably beating Chris Truscott. Not sure where Dave gets it from but he rarely has a poor race. Fair play to him!
Durante was sick so we didn't get a chance to witness the duel with Tom. Tom had also a below par performance with 33.4* odd. Steve Thurston also struggled running low 32s to finish in 3rd place. The only decent run from the HuRT squad came from Muz with a 33.02. Muz is looking very good for the JP Morgan race mid-Nov. Well done to Kate Coburn with her podium finish. Uncle Dave took out the striders series comfortably beating Chris Truscott. Not sure where Dave gets it from but he rarely has a poor race. Fair play to him!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The time is nigh...
Monday
Went to a core session in the morning with www.rejoovfitness.com.au Keeping the core strong for endurance runners is very important. I always neglect this as part of my training so it was great to go to Greta’s class a fellow strider I might add. Ran 4k to the class and 4k back home.
At lunch caught up the boys (Tom, Serg, Durante, Steve T and Muz) for a 10k in very hot conditions. I was probably 30C….but I think I felt a tad better than most of the boys who seemed to be breathing very heavily.
In the evening I got a massage and ran home. The legs felt like magic after the massage.
Tuesday
Out with the HuRT squad for the Hickson Rd session (1.2k by 5 off 2 mins). Steve T took off from the start and I settled into the 2nd group with Tom, Muz and Dave Clarke. I kept with the boys for the 1st rep. I was a few secs back for the 2nd rep. I lost it a bit for the 3rd and 4th rep. I felt strong in the final rep and ran over the top of Dave Clarke but failed to catch Muz and Tom who finished a second or two ahead of me. Tom indicated on his blog yesterday that I was looking strong again. He’s not wrong ;)
Reps – 3.35, 3.33, 3.40, 3.40, 3.33
The showdown between Durante and Tom on Saturday should be very interesting. Back in early Feb I put a bet on with English Timmy Lindop that Durante (the Italian Aussie) would beat Tom this year in a 10k striders race. Most punters thought I was mad but the little Italian is getting stronger by the month. They avoided each other for most of the year but they can no longer play the Coe – Ovett game. anymore. They will race at the weekend and there will be one winner. Can’t wait for it now. Lots of battles this weekend. Chris Truscott will be keen to take out the Striders series but Uncle Dave won’t give him it to him on a plate that easily.
Lots of HuRT squad members racing this weekend. Steve T will come first but it will be interesting to see who places 2nd. Muz will push Durante/Tom all the way… !
Well done to Declan and Alan Kelly on super fast times in the Dublin Marathon. Likely to be the first of many marathons for both of them ;)
Went to a core session in the morning with www.rejoovfitness.com.au Keeping the core strong for endurance runners is very important. I always neglect this as part of my training so it was great to go to Greta’s class a fellow strider I might add. Ran 4k to the class and 4k back home.
At lunch caught up the boys (Tom, Serg, Durante, Steve T and Muz) for a 10k in very hot conditions. I was probably 30C….but I think I felt a tad better than most of the boys who seemed to be breathing very heavily.
In the evening I got a massage and ran home. The legs felt like magic after the massage.
Tuesday
Out with the HuRT squad for the Hickson Rd session (1.2k by 5 off 2 mins). Steve T took off from the start and I settled into the 2nd group with Tom, Muz and Dave Clarke. I kept with the boys for the 1st rep. I was a few secs back for the 2nd rep. I lost it a bit for the 3rd and 4th rep. I felt strong in the final rep and ran over the top of Dave Clarke but failed to catch Muz and Tom who finished a second or two ahead of me. Tom indicated on his blog yesterday that I was looking strong again. He’s not wrong ;)
Reps – 3.35, 3.33, 3.40, 3.40, 3.33
The showdown between Durante and Tom on Saturday should be very interesting. Back in early Feb I put a bet on with English Timmy Lindop that Durante (the Italian Aussie) would beat Tom this year in a 10k striders race. Most punters thought I was mad but the little Italian is getting stronger by the month. They avoided each other for most of the year but they can no longer play the Coe – Ovett game. anymore. They will race at the weekend and there will be one winner. Can’t wait for it now. Lots of battles this weekend. Chris Truscott will be keen to take out the Striders series but Uncle Dave won’t give him it to him on a plate that easily.
Lots of HuRT squad members racing this weekend. Steve T will come first but it will be interesting to see who places 2nd. Muz will push Durante/Tom all the way… !
Well done to Declan and Alan Kelly on super fast times in the Dublin Marathon. Likely to be the first of many marathons for both of them ;)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Getting back into the swing of it..
Fri:
Easy 8k run with Durante
Sat:
Met up with Durante at 4pm on Sat arvo for the 5k track race at ES Marks. Both of us were suffering a little after big nights out on Friday night. After a 15 min jog with Steve Thurston, we felt a lot better. It was pretty hot on the track about 24C and sunny, but once the gun went I just focus on getting into a decent rhythm. Steve took off like a rocket as he was keen to dip under 15 mins. I settled into a group in the back, went throu' 3k in 9.58 with Gary Howard. Happy to finish up with 16.34 and it seems like the residual tiredness from the marathon is leaving the legs. Durante ran well finishing up with 15.47 and Steve ran very well to win 14.32.
Sun:
Out with Steve and Durante for a 2 hour long run in centennial parklands. We chatted about the up and coming races...10k Lane Cove, 3k track race and the 5.6k JP Morgan race...should be an interesting 2-3 weeks.
Easy 8k run with Durante
Sat:
Met up with Durante at 4pm on Sat arvo for the 5k track race at ES Marks. Both of us were suffering a little after big nights out on Friday night. After a 15 min jog with Steve Thurston, we felt a lot better. It was pretty hot on the track about 24C and sunny, but once the gun went I just focus on getting into a decent rhythm. Steve took off like a rocket as he was keen to dip under 15 mins. I settled into a group in the back, went throu' 3k in 9.58 with Gary Howard. Happy to finish up with 16.34 and it seems like the residual tiredness from the marathon is leaving the legs. Durante ran well finishing up with 15.47 and Steve ran very well to win 14.32.
Sun:
Out with Steve and Durante for a 2 hour long run in centennial parklands. We chatted about the up and coming races...10k Lane Cove, 3k track race and the 5.6k JP Morgan race...should be an interesting 2-3 weeks.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
12 by 400
Out for the HuRT session of 12 by 400s off 2 mins. It makes sense to run them as quick as possible as you get a little more recovery. We were missing the front runners from the squad (Tom, Serg, Muz, Steve T and Durante), they were hitting the track after work. With meetings running from 5pm to 7pm, i knew I would never get out to the track so hooked with a relatively small squad (approx 10 including Terence, Chris Graham, Andy and Mike Conway) at lunch.
We hit rushcutters oval, I went to the front for each rep with Terence and Andy a few seconds back. I was averaging 71-72 and Terence was probably averaging 73-74. On the 11 rep, Terence pushed me and I ended up running 68. For the final rep, Terence went straight to the front. I couldn't stay with him. He ended up running 67 and I finished up with 69. It's great to see Terence with a speed in his legs, with his endurance he travelling very well at the moment. I could see it at the weekend and on the farklek session on Tues. You can see the swagger...himself and Durante are peaking...
Delighted to hear the news, Tucks had a baby girl Nia, watch out Paula...with Tuck's genes...Nia will be fast.
We hit rushcutters oval, I went to the front for each rep with Terence and Andy a few seconds back. I was averaging 71-72 and Terence was probably averaging 73-74. On the 11 rep, Terence pushed me and I ended up running 68. For the final rep, Terence went straight to the front. I couldn't stay with him. He ended up running 67 and I finished up with 69. It's great to see Terence with a speed in his legs, with his endurance he travelling very well at the moment. I could see it at the weekend and on the farklek session on Tues. You can see the swagger...himself and Durante are peaking...
Delighted to hear the news, Tucks had a baby girl Nia, watch out Paula...with Tuck's genes...Nia will be fast.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
15.6k easy
Easy 15.6k with Serg, Muz, Enda and Mike in wet and windy conditions. We covered the loop to centennial and back in approx 1hr 4 mins.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Speed Play
Mon:
8k easy
Tues:
(am) 8k easy
(pm) 45 min Farklek (1 min fast, 30 sec jog)
Out with the HuRT squad, Tom, Serg, Durante and Steve T went straight to the front. I settled in the second grp with Terence Bell and Richard High. After getting to the Opera Hse, I increased the pace and I was on my own for the remainder of the session. I kept picking people off on the way back apart from Terence. Went through 10k in 35.38 feeling comfortable. Paced it well but the wind was pretty strong from farm cove up to the stone gates. Steve T came by me near the pool in the domain and Tom and I finished up more or less together about 150m short of the stone gates. Tom is running very well but Durante is getting stronger and I expect him to take Tom out in Lane Cove.
The focus for me is JP Morgan in mid Nov, hopefully I've enough time to make it into the Macquarie Team. So lots of speed play until the race. After that I plan to have another crack at the marathon in Jan (Hobart or Dubai - haven't decided which one yet...
8k easy
Tues:
(am) 8k easy
(pm) 45 min Farklek (1 min fast, 30 sec jog)
Out with the HuRT squad, Tom, Serg, Durante and Steve T went straight to the front. I settled in the second grp with Terence Bell and Richard High. After getting to the Opera Hse, I increased the pace and I was on my own for the remainder of the session. I kept picking people off on the way back apart from Terence. Went through 10k in 35.38 feeling comfortable. Paced it well but the wind was pretty strong from farm cove up to the stone gates. Steve T came by me near the pool in the domain and Tom and I finished up more or less together about 150m short of the stone gates. Tom is running very well but Durante is getting stronger and I expect him to take Tom out in Lane Cove.
The focus for me is JP Morgan in mid Nov, hopefully I've enough time to make it into the Macquarie Team. So lots of speed play until the race. After that I plan to have another crack at the marathon in Jan (Hobart or Dubai - haven't decided which one yet...
Sunday, October 19, 2008
On the road again....
Back in Sydney after a nice long break away. Got out with the HuRT squad on Thurs for the Mona Fartlek session. Went out too hard and was approx 100m short of the stone gates. Found it very tough on the return leg but glad to get the a tough session under my belt. Easy 10k on Friday morning checking out the JP Morgan course.
Out for a long run today with Durante, Mike C, Steve Thurston, Keith, Terence, Chalks and Al. Nice hilly run around the eastern suburbs starting and finishing in N Bondi. Durante, Terence and Steve looked very strong today. Garmin battery was flat but the pace was around 4.30. All up 2 hours.
Out for a long run today with Durante, Mike C, Steve Thurston, Keith, Terence, Chalks and Al. Nice hilly run around the eastern suburbs starting and finishing in N Bondi. Durante, Terence and Steve looked very strong today. Garmin battery was flat but the pace was around 4.30. All up 2 hours.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Lake Garda
Since the run in Berlin I've spent the last week in Lake Garda Italy. It's a beautiful part of the world, quite close to Milan and situated at the foot of the alps. There are loads of little towns dispersed throughout the lake and with no accommodation booked Liv and I just moved up the lake from town to town. We started in the old town of Sirmione. The food and wine is fantastic and I've had one too many gelato ,)
Started running again on Thurs with an easy 30 min run. On Fri and Sat out for easy 45 min runs. Today was a bit of an action packed day. We arrived in Riva which is at the north tip of the lake, it's a lovely little lake town surrounded by mountains. It's a bikers paradise, every second store sells mountain bike gear. Liv and I went on a great little trek through the mountains. It was a beautiful day and I was amazed at the amount of bikers on the mountain. Late in the afternoon, I went out for a 10k run with my garmin. I ran the 1st 5km in 20.30 (4.06 pace) and the turnaround increased the pace to 3.43 (18.38). With the amount of eating and drinking – I need to keep up the running.
Kept an eye on the race results this weekend, I notice Steve Thurston from the HuRT squad won the Striders 10k in 31.45. Well done mate great running. Not surprised at all, in recent sessions he's been running from the front and leaving the rest of us behind. With his pedigree I won't be surprised when he breaks 30 mins early next year.
Congrats has to go to Tom for his super 5.6k run in New York at the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge. I knew Serg was struggling after his long break but a I actually thought Muz would get the better of Tom. Tom came home in 17.53, Muz in 18 and Serg in 18.10. Charlie Low was first home from the HuRT squad in a very impressive (also first Australian ahead of J Horne) 17.14. He definitely has the speed lets hope he goes well in the Hawai Ironman. JP Morgan in Nov in Sydney will be interesting, I suspect Serg will be looking to reverse the pecking ordering.
I know I shouldn’t but I’ve already being thinking about which marathon to tackle next…will keep you posted when I make a decision.
JP Results
Started running again on Thurs with an easy 30 min run. On Fri and Sat out for easy 45 min runs. Today was a bit of an action packed day. We arrived in Riva which is at the north tip of the lake, it's a lovely little lake town surrounded by mountains. It's a bikers paradise, every second store sells mountain bike gear. Liv and I went on a great little trek through the mountains. It was a beautiful day and I was amazed at the amount of bikers on the mountain. Late in the afternoon, I went out for a 10k run with my garmin. I ran the 1st 5km in 20.30 (4.06 pace) and the turnaround increased the pace to 3.43 (18.38). With the amount of eating and drinking – I need to keep up the running.
Kept an eye on the race results this weekend, I notice Steve Thurston from the HuRT squad won the Striders 10k in 31.45. Well done mate great running. Not surprised at all, in recent sessions he's been running from the front and leaving the rest of us behind. With his pedigree I won't be surprised when he breaks 30 mins early next year.
Congrats has to go to Tom for his super 5.6k run in New York at the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge. I knew Serg was struggling after his long break but a I actually thought Muz would get the better of Tom. Tom came home in 17.53, Muz in 18 and Serg in 18.10. Charlie Low was first home from the HuRT squad in a very impressive (also first Australian ahead of J Horne) 17.14. He definitely has the speed lets hope he goes well in the Hawai Ironman. JP Morgan in Nov in Sydney will be interesting, I suspect Serg will be looking to reverse the pecking ordering.
I know I shouldn’t but I’ve already being thinking about which marathon to tackle next…will keep you posted when I make a decision.
JP Results
Sunday, September 28, 2008
I expected something, something better than before, I expected something more...
The title is from a favorite band of mine - the national and it pretty much sums up how the Berlin marathon went for me today. Obviously the race didn't go as planned. My form leading into the race (CS2 and numerous 10ks) indicated that I was capable of 2.40. I even modified my training to incorporate longer runs, faster long run finishes, more tempo runs etc...so what went wrong!
Well I definitely got my nutrition wrong (I should of listened to Phil Dove). Just after half way I vomited and from 22k I had terrible stomach cramps so I ran/walked to the finish line. I initially thought I could get rid of the cramps but after 25k I knew I just couldn’t shake them.
At this stage every man and his dog started to pass me and i considered pulling out around 28k but given i've completed all the marathons that I've entered I struggled onto the finish line. And what a spectacular finish, with throngs of supporters cheering the runners to the finish line.
Won't go into the detail but I obviously have a problem with gels. I don't think the powerbar 45 mins before the start helped me either. After 2k I just didn't feel right. I possibly overloaded on carbs in the 3 days leading up to the race. I've taken endura optimiser and magnesium before but something upset the stomach. I didn't have any issues in Tokyo this yr but I do recall have issues in Auckland.
I also never felt comfortable during my 3 week taper, the easy runs felt a little harder than normal in saying that the intervals sessions felt easier. My last session (4 by 800s) on the Wed were run in 2.25 avg and it felt comfortable.
Anyhow, Tom texted me after the race and felt I deserved more than 2.54. True and this made me think of one of my favorite movies 'Unforgiven'. In the final scene, Will Munny (Eastwood) is about to blow Dagett's (Hackmans) head off. Dagett felt he didn't deserve to go out like this; he started to ramble on about being a good citizen etc. Munny retorted 'it's got nothing to do with deserving'. This holds true for the marathon. That is the beauty of the beast. You can prepare all you want but there are so many variables in play that can hinder your performance.
After the race i said 'never again' but as I write this I know I won't be content until I run 2.40. Lessons will be learnt and I plan to come back bigger, stronger and better than before.
Finally I would like to thank everyone for all the support in the days leading up to the race. Obviously, the HuRT Squad (Tom, Durante, Serg, MC, Tim, Terance, Enda, Eamo, Tucks, Steve T, Fats & Tim C). Fellow Sydney striders and coolrunners - Uncle Dave, Superflake and Amanda. Good friends Rich Palmer and Kate Coburn. Family support has been fantastic - Big Bear, Gillo and Gerso. Must mention Ger (father in law) and my younger bro Derek for coming and supporting me in Berlin. On the way back to the hotel Derek being totally honest commented 'i think i would of bet you today!' You gotta love him. Special thanks to my beautiful pregnant wife Livo who was watching the race from London. Can't wait now to meet up tomorrow for our 10 day break in Italy - promise no running talk.
Nearly forgot! (Jesus u swear i ran a pb the way I'm banging on) but you got praise the man himself 'Haile' for such a super run and world record. I was pretty close to him at the start, he was all smiles for the fans just before his assault at the world record.
See you on the road,
Kanser
Well I definitely got my nutrition wrong (I should of listened to Phil Dove). Just after half way I vomited and from 22k I had terrible stomach cramps so I ran/walked to the finish line. I initially thought I could get rid of the cramps but after 25k I knew I just couldn’t shake them.
At this stage every man and his dog started to pass me and i considered pulling out around 28k but given i've completed all the marathons that I've entered I struggled onto the finish line. And what a spectacular finish, with throngs of supporters cheering the runners to the finish line.
Won't go into the detail but I obviously have a problem with gels. I don't think the powerbar 45 mins before the start helped me either. After 2k I just didn't feel right. I possibly overloaded on carbs in the 3 days leading up to the race. I've taken endura optimiser and magnesium before but something upset the stomach. I didn't have any issues in Tokyo this yr but I do recall have issues in Auckland.
I also never felt comfortable during my 3 week taper, the easy runs felt a little harder than normal in saying that the intervals sessions felt easier. My last session (4 by 800s) on the Wed were run in 2.25 avg and it felt comfortable.
Anyhow, Tom texted me after the race and felt I deserved more than 2.54. True and this made me think of one of my favorite movies 'Unforgiven'. In the final scene, Will Munny (Eastwood) is about to blow Dagett's (Hackmans) head off. Dagett felt he didn't deserve to go out like this; he started to ramble on about being a good citizen etc. Munny retorted 'it's got nothing to do with deserving'. This holds true for the marathon. That is the beauty of the beast. You can prepare all you want but there are so many variables in play that can hinder your performance.
After the race i said 'never again' but as I write this I know I won't be content until I run 2.40. Lessons will be learnt and I plan to come back bigger, stronger and better than before.
Finally I would like to thank everyone for all the support in the days leading up to the race. Obviously, the HuRT Squad (Tom, Durante, Serg, MC, Tim, Terance, Enda, Eamo, Tucks, Steve T, Fats & Tim C). Fellow Sydney striders and coolrunners - Uncle Dave, Superflake and Amanda. Good friends Rich Palmer and Kate Coburn. Family support has been fantastic - Big Bear, Gillo and Gerso. Must mention Ger (father in law) and my younger bro Derek for coming and supporting me in Berlin. On the way back to the hotel Derek being totally honest commented 'i think i would of bet you today!' You gotta love him. Special thanks to my beautiful pregnant wife Livo who was watching the race from London. Can't wait now to meet up tomorrow for our 10 day break in Italy - promise no running talk.
Nearly forgot! (Jesus u swear i ran a pb the way I'm banging on) but you got praise the man himself 'Haile' for such a super run and world record. I was pretty close to him at the start, he was all smiles for the fans just before his assault at the world record.
See you on the road,
Kanser
Friday, September 26, 2008
Nearly there..
The glorious weather in Ireland has continued. Left Killarney via Tralee and got a ferry from Tarbert into Clare. From there we went to the majestic cliffs of Moher. We then drove via the Burren before settling in Salthill in Galway.
Went for a beautiful 8k run along the Salthill promenade and had a little difficulty maintaining 3.45 (marathon pace) for the last 2k of the run. Will put it down to a little bit of tiredness. On Wednesday out for another 8k run with 4 by 800 sandwiched in the middle of the session. With a 2 min recovery between each rep the session went very well. Apparently the Yasso 800s are a good indicator of marathon time...time will tell! I had a massage in the evening from a Polish lady, it's amazing the influx of Polish nationals in Ireland. Crazy when you think about it, I'd my breakfast served by a Polish, bought the paper off a Polish person and the barman who served me a pint of guinness was- Polish.
I've started to carbo load now and in the next few days will focus on getting my nutrition right so I can have a good crack running 2.40. The results of the marathon will be posted on the offical Berlin marathon site.
Went for a beautiful 8k run along the Salthill promenade and had a little difficulty maintaining 3.45 (marathon pace) for the last 2k of the run. Will put it down to a little bit of tiredness. On Wednesday out for another 8k run with 4 by 800 sandwiched in the middle of the session. With a 2 min recovery between each rep the session went very well. Apparently the Yasso 800s are a good indicator of marathon time...time will tell! I had a massage in the evening from a Polish lady, it's amazing the influx of Polish nationals in Ireland. Crazy when you think about it, I'd my breakfast served by a Polish, bought the paper off a Polish person and the barman who served me a pint of guinness was- Polish.
I've started to carbo load now and in the next few days will focus on getting my nutrition right so I can have a good crack running 2.40. The results of the marathon will be posted on the offical Berlin marathon site.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
From Guinness to Black Pudding
Well in the last week I've been eating and drinking for Ireland and Australia. I can't go an evening without some beautiful creamy pints of Guinness and in the morning I aways start off with a continental breakfast and end up with a full Irish breakfast - you got to love buffets.
After an awful Irish summer, the weather has been great and it's been great catching up with family and friends. I really forgot how beautiful Ireland is especially the countryside. It was a glorious day for Mossie's wedding and you couldn't ask for a more beautiful location - Glandore in West Cork. From the Rebel County we left for the Kingdom of County Kerry and explored the Dingle Peninsula. It was great to watch the All Ireland final in a pub in Kerry. Kerry were going for 3 in row and got beaten by Tyrone in a very exciting game. Kerry supporters are very unforgiving and there was a famous incident a few years back when the Kerry manager told a reporter 'Kerry supporters are the worst kind of f*** supporters and you can print that'. Apparently he was giving a compliment of sorts...well they called for his head but hung on for another year to bring another All Ireland to the Kingdom.
I did manage to get a few runs in, early on saturday I went for run along Clonakilty Bay(Michael Collins hometown, the man who brought the British Empire to it's knees during the War of Independence in 1921 - a hero of mine). This morning I went for a run in Killarney National Park along the lake. Quite an awe inspiring run as I ran into a herd of red deer. Will head up along the West Coast for a few more days and then head back to Dublin and then onto Berlin.
I had a quick look at the Sydney marathon results and noticed the front runners had a difficult 2nd half. Obviously the weather was factor as I thought Chris Truscott was in better shape than 2.38. In saying that Darren Moyle (5th) and Greg Graves (6th) both ran 2.37 but both slowed up in the 2nd half as did strider veteran's Cam Arnold and Steve Jackson. Maybe the guys went out a little quick as Jo Blake and Chris Graham ran an even split. They say even splits are the way to go...really need to start focusing on Berlin again.
Gerso ran the half and as usual ran a 5 min pb (1.47) beating Big Bear who was 10 sec slower in the Dublin half (tougher course and hot conditions and the bear was suffering from jetlag). Dec Kelly who ran 1.44 in Dublin half is looking good for a 3.45 finish in Dublin at the end of October. The buffet is still open better get down there for my daily feed of black pudding ;)
After an awful Irish summer, the weather has been great and it's been great catching up with family and friends. I really forgot how beautiful Ireland is especially the countryside. It was a glorious day for Mossie's wedding and you couldn't ask for a more beautiful location - Glandore in West Cork. From the Rebel County we left for the Kingdom of County Kerry and explored the Dingle Peninsula. It was great to watch the All Ireland final in a pub in Kerry. Kerry were going for 3 in row and got beaten by Tyrone in a very exciting game. Kerry supporters are very unforgiving and there was a famous incident a few years back when the Kerry manager told a reporter 'Kerry supporters are the worst kind of f*** supporters and you can print that'. Apparently he was giving a compliment of sorts...well they called for his head but hung on for another year to bring another All Ireland to the Kingdom.
I did manage to get a few runs in, early on saturday I went for run along Clonakilty Bay(Michael Collins hometown, the man who brought the British Empire to it's knees during the War of Independence in 1921 - a hero of mine). This morning I went for a run in Killarney National Park along the lake. Quite an awe inspiring run as I ran into a herd of red deer. Will head up along the West Coast for a few more days and then head back to Dublin and then onto Berlin.
I had a quick look at the Sydney marathon results and noticed the front runners had a difficult 2nd half. Obviously the weather was factor as I thought Chris Truscott was in better shape than 2.38. In saying that Darren Moyle (5th) and Greg Graves (6th) both ran 2.37 but both slowed up in the 2nd half as did strider veteran's Cam Arnold and Steve Jackson. Maybe the guys went out a little quick as Jo Blake and Chris Graham ran an even split. They say even splits are the way to go...really need to start focusing on Berlin again.
Gerso ran the half and as usual ran a 5 min pb (1.47) beating Big Bear who was 10 sec slower in the Dublin half (tougher course and hot conditions and the bear was suffering from jetlag). Dec Kelly who ran 1.44 in Dublin half is looking good for a 3.45 finish in Dublin at the end of October. The buffet is still open better get down there for my daily feed of black pudding ;)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Back in the Emerald Isle
Joined up with the HuRT Squad on Tuesday for a fartlek session. 1 min on 30 sec float. With the 800 session in the morning i was planning on running 25 mins hard with the squad, I joined up with the boys 8 mins into the session. Steve Thurston, Serg, Tom, Muz and a new guy Ryan were out in front. Stuck with the boys at the front and felt pretty comfortable. Steve and I got away from the front group along Hickson Road and I stayed with Steve until my 25 mins was up. Steve is really showing his form at the moment I hope Tom or one of the boys drag him out to the next Striders 10k race.
On Tues evening, I met up with some of the HuRT Squad (Tom, Enda, Terence, Chalks -soon to join the group, Charlie, Durante) for a few beers in the bavarian beer cafe). Of course we had more than a couple of beers and I really struggled to get up for work on Wednesday. Not sure who to blame but it always seems to be myself Tom and Durante propping up the bar at the end of the night.
I must be getting use to the long haul flight as it wasn't too bad. Went out for a 45min easy jog around my hometown this morning. Apparently the weather has been terrible recently but it was beautiful and sunny this morning.
Will take it easy from now until Berlin. Just a mix of easy 40-50 min sessions with the odd marathon pace thrown in.
I will head down to Glandore in Cork for Mossie's wedding on Saturday and then travel around Ireland for 5 days before heading off to the race.
On Tues evening, I met up with some of the HuRT Squad (Tom, Enda, Terence, Chalks -soon to join the group, Charlie, Durante) for a few beers in the bavarian beer cafe). Of course we had more than a couple of beers and I really struggled to get up for work on Wednesday. Not sure who to blame but it always seems to be myself Tom and Durante propping up the bar at the end of the night.
I must be getting use to the long haul flight as it wasn't too bad. Went out for a 45min easy jog around my hometown this morning. Apparently the weather has been terrible recently but it was beautiful and sunny this morning.
Will take it easy from now until Berlin. Just a mix of easy 40-50 min sessions with the odd marathon pace thrown in.
I will head down to Glandore in Cork for Mossie's wedding on Saturday and then travel around Ireland for 5 days before heading off to the race.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The spring is back....
Out for an easy 8k at lunch on Monday, it was pretty hot. Definitely noticing the change in the weather. I had a massage after work and the legs felt a lot better after it.
Out this morning for what was suppose to be an 800 session this morning. The first rep was covered in 2.25 and I am not too sure how quick the other 7 reps went. Well my garmin battery went so I had no clue to be honest but they felt fast. Good to get the mojo back as I was getting worried.
Out this morning for what was suppose to be an 800 session this morning. The first rep was covered in 2.25 and I am not too sure how quick the other 7 reps went. Well my garmin battery went so I had no clue to be honest but they felt fast. Good to get the mojo back as I was getting worried.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
That 'flat' feeling
Fri: Ran into work and at lunch went out for an easy 40 min with Gerso. Lower stomach muscle is very tight and given me a little grief. I will go for a massage on Monday and hopefully release it.
Sat: Out at around 11am and was surprised by the temps, it was around 26C. I ran from Surry Hills down to rushcutters and then ran the rest of the city to surf course. I pushed it on the hills and was surprised as the legs were feeling a little heavy. I was glad to get to beach for a quick dip. The water was freezing only 15c. Ended up going over to John Hill's shop and buying some High Five gels with caffeine as my current stock of leppin gels are out of date.
Sun: Out for a long run with Mike. Ran to centennial and we kept the pace at 4.33 for 20 odd kms. The plan was to push the last 5k at MP (3.45 k/m). I'd taken two gels (one at 8k and another at 16k) and 3km into MP pace run I got a stomach cramp. I couldn't run through it. Mike continued on and ran the last 5k in 18 mins which will give him plenty of confidence for the half next week. To be honest I never felt great on the run. I've been feeling quite lethargic of late which is a surprise as I'm in the middle of the taper.
Obviously I won't take high five gels and will revert back to leppins thanks to Enda who has some spare stock. The high five gels are made up of simple carbs which give you an instant lift and the leppin gels are made up of complex carbs with a slow release of energy. I'd no issue with the leppin gels in Tokyo so i will use them for Berlin.
Will cut back the kms again this week and hopefully get a spring back in my step.
Great to hear Terence Bell win the 100km Glasshouse run up in Queensland. Very impressive given he didn't train for the event. He just decided mid-week to head up and give it a crack.
Sat: Out at around 11am and was surprised by the temps, it was around 26C. I ran from Surry Hills down to rushcutters and then ran the rest of the city to surf course. I pushed it on the hills and was surprised as the legs were feeling a little heavy. I was glad to get to beach for a quick dip. The water was freezing only 15c. Ended up going over to John Hill's shop and buying some High Five gels with caffeine as my current stock of leppin gels are out of date.
Sun: Out for a long run with Mike. Ran to centennial and we kept the pace at 4.33 for 20 odd kms. The plan was to push the last 5k at MP (3.45 k/m). I'd taken two gels (one at 8k and another at 16k) and 3km into MP pace run I got a stomach cramp. I couldn't run through it. Mike continued on and ran the last 5k in 18 mins which will give him plenty of confidence for the half next week. To be honest I never felt great on the run. I've been feeling quite lethargic of late which is a surprise as I'm in the middle of the taper.
Obviously I won't take high five gels and will revert back to leppins thanks to Enda who has some spare stock. The high five gels are made up of simple carbs which give you an instant lift and the leppin gels are made up of complex carbs with a slow release of energy. I'd no issue with the leppin gels in Tokyo so i will use them for Berlin.
Will cut back the kms again this week and hopefully get a spring back in my step.
Great to hear Terence Bell win the 100km Glasshouse run up in Queensland. Very impressive given he didn't train for the event. He just decided mid-week to head up and give it a crack.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Which runners to wear...
Mon: Cross training day that included some cardio (bike work & the ecliptr) and some lights weights and core work
Tues: Ran into work and at lunch met up with the HuRT Squad for a session of 5 mins by 6. Legs were a little tired from the weekend efforts but I ran with the front group who that included Charlie, Muz, Serg, Durante and fast improving Steve Thurston. The pace of each rep was relatively consistent (about 3.18 k/m). The last one was slightly faster in 3.11 k/m. Running another 2 reps was an option as I was feeling pretty strong but I need to stick to my taper plan.
After work met up with Gerso for a 9k easy around the domain.
Wed: Forced rest day - too busy to get out!
Thurs: The plan was for 800s but the council were resurfacing the oval at 6.45am. Changed the session to 400s in and around rushcutters. I ran 10 reps avg'ing 72 off 60 secs. I felt a little flat and was surprised given I had a day off on Wednesday.
At the moment I am struggling to make a decision of which runners to wear in Berlin. I am having difficulty in securing Nike Zoom Elite in Australia so it's looking increasing likely that I will wear Nike Peagaus TC (light weight version of peagaus) OR Adizero Breeze. I need to test the breeze tomorrow. In saying that Big Bear is in the US and will get Nike Zoom marathoner and Saucony Sinister. Decisions, Decisions...I'm sure I'll make the right one.
Tues: Ran into work and at lunch met up with the HuRT Squad for a session of 5 mins by 6. Legs were a little tired from the weekend efforts but I ran with the front group who that included Charlie, Muz, Serg, Durante and fast improving Steve Thurston. The pace of each rep was relatively consistent (about 3.18 k/m). The last one was slightly faster in 3.11 k/m. Running another 2 reps was an option as I was feeling pretty strong but I need to stick to my taper plan.
After work met up with Gerso for a 9k easy around the domain.
Wed: Forced rest day - too busy to get out!
Thurs: The plan was for 800s but the council were resurfacing the oval at 6.45am. Changed the session to 400s in and around rushcutters. I ran 10 reps avg'ing 72 off 60 secs. I felt a little flat and was surprised given I had a day off on Wednesday.
At the moment I am struggling to make a decision of which runners to wear in Berlin. I am having difficulty in securing Nike Zoom Elite in Australia so it's looking increasing likely that I will wear Nike Peagaus TC (light weight version of peagaus) OR Adizero Breeze. I need to test the breeze tomorrow. In saying that Big Bear is in the US and will get Nike Zoom marathoner and Saucony Sinister. Decisions, Decisions...I'm sure I'll make the right one.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows
Sat 10k race North Head
I could think of plenty of Dylan quotes that could describe the weather on Saturday morning. The change in the weather was definitely extreme and with the 10k race in North Head there was no Shelter from the Storm.
The officials banged on about how bad the weather was and nobody should expect a PB, this basically let everyone off the hook. Uncle Dave asked me if I was planning on running it hard 'i'll give a crack but i'm pretty tired at the moment' Kanser now had two excuses tired legs and the severe weather.
Took off with the lead group and ducked in behind Charlie, I hit the 1k marker in 3.30 and didn't like pace so I had two options. Run it hard for 5k and then back track help Gerso for the last 5k OR be really selfish and just run it as marathon pace run. Opted for the latter, dropped off the pace from around 1.5k and stuck at around 3.43 avg pace until the last km and ran it hard to dip under 37 mins. I had a good look around and it was pretty obvious that the majority took the advice from the official and took the race relatively easy. Difficult to tell with Uncle Dave but I'm pretty sure he was put in the effort. There was talk at the start of forgetting about PBs but there is always one exception to the rule. Young Gerso (who's been working hard on her 3k's and 800s) banged out another consecutive pb. Tom commented afterwards that her pb in Lane Cove was obviously soft but no matter what race or how bad the conditions are Gerso runs a pb. Gerso first race was back in North Head in Sept 2007 and she ran it in 54.32, she now running 45.43 and I expected her to dip under 45 mins. Big Bear was back in action, he was suppose to pace Gerso but he's obviously been feeding on too much salmon. He struggled home a few seconds behind Gerso. Looking at the published results the majority ran about 60-90 secs slower...
Sun Long Run
None of the boys were keen to come out and run 36k with me but I got a call from Terence who was up for the challenge. I told him I wanted to run 28k at 4.30 pace and the last 8k just under 4 mins pace. Terence who is not blessed with natural speed but has the ability to run strong for long periods of time. He demonstrated his endurance capacity running 3.53 for the sixfoot and 2.47 in the Gold Coast.
I ran 2k to Centennial at 4.30 pace and continued on with Terence running the relatively flat 8k loops I tend to use for tempo sessions. I didn't feel tired when i woke up this morning so the 3hr afternoon nap on Saturday definitely helped. After 3.5 loops (28k), we upped the tempo and brought the pace down to 4m/k. The change in the pace was pretty comfortable and after 4k the pace was at 3.57, we then cut throu' the centre of the pack to finish off with 4 1k reps. The pace dropped to 3.55 and after 2.5 reps Terence fell off the pace slightly. My garmin battery died and I pushed the last 2 reps pretty hard (don't know the pace probably around 3.45). I ended up running home from centennial to bring the morning total to 40k in approx 2.55.
Good to get the last long run out of the way, pretty impressed with Terence's effort he was only 30 secs back at the end. He's looking to run some ultra's in the near future and I don't think he will have any difficult with stepping up. With 3 weeks left, I now enter the taper phase so I will gradually reduce volume but keep the intensity. I also need to get my nutrition right for the big day. In every marathon so far I tend to stop for a wee and lose 40-60 secs in the process - it's not happening in Berlin. People keep asking me how fast I'll run in Berlin. The answer my friend is blowing in the wind ;)
I could think of plenty of Dylan quotes that could describe the weather on Saturday morning. The change in the weather was definitely extreme and with the 10k race in North Head there was no Shelter from the Storm.
The officials banged on about how bad the weather was and nobody should expect a PB, this basically let everyone off the hook. Uncle Dave asked me if I was planning on running it hard 'i'll give a crack but i'm pretty tired at the moment' Kanser now had two excuses tired legs and the severe weather.
Took off with the lead group and ducked in behind Charlie, I hit the 1k marker in 3.30 and didn't like pace so I had two options. Run it hard for 5k and then back track help Gerso for the last 5k OR be really selfish and just run it as marathon pace run. Opted for the latter, dropped off the pace from around 1.5k and stuck at around 3.43 avg pace until the last km and ran it hard to dip under 37 mins. I had a good look around and it was pretty obvious that the majority took the advice from the official and took the race relatively easy. Difficult to tell with Uncle Dave but I'm pretty sure he was put in the effort. There was talk at the start of forgetting about PBs but there is always one exception to the rule. Young Gerso (who's been working hard on her 3k's and 800s) banged out another consecutive pb. Tom commented afterwards that her pb in Lane Cove was obviously soft but no matter what race or how bad the conditions are Gerso runs a pb. Gerso first race was back in North Head in Sept 2007 and she ran it in 54.32, she now running 45.43 and I expected her to dip under 45 mins. Big Bear was back in action, he was suppose to pace Gerso but he's obviously been feeding on too much salmon. He struggled home a few seconds behind Gerso. Looking at the published results the majority ran about 60-90 secs slower...
Sun Long Run
None of the boys were keen to come out and run 36k with me but I got a call from Terence who was up for the challenge. I told him I wanted to run 28k at 4.30 pace and the last 8k just under 4 mins pace. Terence who is not blessed with natural speed but has the ability to run strong for long periods of time. He demonstrated his endurance capacity running 3.53 for the sixfoot and 2.47 in the Gold Coast.
I ran 2k to Centennial at 4.30 pace and continued on with Terence running the relatively flat 8k loops I tend to use for tempo sessions. I didn't feel tired when i woke up this morning so the 3hr afternoon nap on Saturday definitely helped. After 3.5 loops (28k), we upped the tempo and brought the pace down to 4m/k. The change in the pace was pretty comfortable and after 4k the pace was at 3.57, we then cut throu' the centre of the pack to finish off with 4 1k reps. The pace dropped to 3.55 and after 2.5 reps Terence fell off the pace slightly. My garmin battery died and I pushed the last 2 reps pretty hard (don't know the pace probably around 3.45). I ended up running home from centennial to bring the morning total to 40k in approx 2.55.
Good to get the last long run out of the way, pretty impressed with Terence's effort he was only 30 secs back at the end. He's looking to run some ultra's in the near future and I don't think he will have any difficult with stepping up. With 3 weeks left, I now enter the taper phase so I will gradually reduce volume but keep the intensity. I also need to get my nutrition right for the big day. In every marathon so far I tend to stop for a wee and lose 40-60 secs in the process - it's not happening in Berlin. People keep asking me how fast I'll run in Berlin. The answer my friend is blowing in the wind ;)
Friday, September 5, 2008
Easy Friday
Beautiful soft day for running. Out with Tom for an easy 40 mins run in and around the domain. Tom's back, he'll probably turn up and crush everyone tomorrow ;)
Thursday, September 4, 2008
I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now
Mon: 10k recovery run. I was pretty tired and the calves were very tight after the race on Sunday.
Tues: Out with the HuRT Squad for 3 mins reps with 1 min standing recovery, I could only manage 10 as I needed to get back to work. The first 2 reps I ran on my own at 3.18 pace and I didn’t get a chance to recover for the 3rd rep so I just ran with Muz in 3.20. The rest of the reps were run a little quicker ranging from 3.08 – 3.12 pace. I was probably a few metres ahead of Muz for most of the reps but he looked to be running them very easy. I expect him to run very well in North Head on Sat (close to 33 min or maybe he will dip under it). Clarkey and Killacoat were running very strongly in front of me. Killacoat went out hard for each rep but Clarkey caught him on each rep.
PM: Out with Gerso for a 3k rep session. With an eye on Saturday’s race, Gerso opted for 2 reps and ran then at the first at 4.28 and the second one at 4.30 pace. Gerso is also hitting North Head and I’ve no doubt she will run another pb. All up 10k.
Wed: After missing out on a decent long run, I got out early on Wednesday, after a 9k warm-up (Rich Palmer joined me for most of it) the plan was for a 16k at marathon pace (3.50 pace for the 1st loop and 3.45 for the second loop). I wasn’t looking forward to the run as my legs felt very heavy during the warm-up. Tim Lindop joined myself and Rich for the 16k run. We seemed to be running into a headwind for most of the session. Rich wasn’t feeling great and dropped out at 5k. Tim took a break and joined again at 8k for 2k and at 13k for the last 3k effort. Great to have Tim there for the last 3k. Happy to keep the planned pace on very tired legs. All up 27k.
In the evening, headed out for a good few beers with Tom, Rich P and Phil Dove. Plenty of running talk and according to Phil I need to sort my nutrition big time for Berlin. Phil is heading back to London but I’m sure I’ll see him on the road again.
Thurs:
Out early with Gerso, Gillo & Big Bear (who is back running and looking bigger than ever). Gerso opted for 6 by 400s with the Bear and I decided to sprint the straights and jog the bends (8 laps in total). It was a relatively easy session and it finished up quite early which gave me plenty of time to get back to the gym and get some strength work in.
One more long run (36k) left before the taper. I will push the last 8k so I might get some of the boys out to help me..
Tues: Out with the HuRT Squad for 3 mins reps with 1 min standing recovery, I could only manage 10 as I needed to get back to work. The first 2 reps I ran on my own at 3.18 pace and I didn’t get a chance to recover for the 3rd rep so I just ran with Muz in 3.20. The rest of the reps were run a little quicker ranging from 3.08 – 3.12 pace. I was probably a few metres ahead of Muz for most of the reps but he looked to be running them very easy. I expect him to run very well in North Head on Sat (close to 33 min or maybe he will dip under it). Clarkey and Killacoat were running very strongly in front of me. Killacoat went out hard for each rep but Clarkey caught him on each rep.
PM: Out with Gerso for a 3k rep session. With an eye on Saturday’s race, Gerso opted for 2 reps and ran then at the first at 4.28 and the second one at 4.30 pace. Gerso is also hitting North Head and I’ve no doubt she will run another pb. All up 10k.
Wed: After missing out on a decent long run, I got out early on Wednesday, after a 9k warm-up (Rich Palmer joined me for most of it) the plan was for a 16k at marathon pace (3.50 pace for the 1st loop and 3.45 for the second loop). I wasn’t looking forward to the run as my legs felt very heavy during the warm-up. Tim Lindop joined myself and Rich for the 16k run. We seemed to be running into a headwind for most of the session. Rich wasn’t feeling great and dropped out at 5k. Tim took a break and joined again at 8k for 2k and at 13k for the last 3k effort. Great to have Tim there for the last 3k. Happy to keep the planned pace on very tired legs. All up 27k.
In the evening, headed out for a good few beers with Tom, Rich P and Phil Dove. Plenty of running talk and according to Phil I need to sort my nutrition big time for Berlin. Phil is heading back to London but I’m sure I’ll see him on the road again.
Thurs:
Out early with Gerso, Gillo & Big Bear (who is back running and looking bigger than ever). Gerso opted for 6 by 400s with the Bear and I decided to sprint the straights and jog the bends (8 laps in total). It was a relatively easy session and it finished up quite early which gave me plenty of time to get back to the gym and get some strength work in.
One more long run (36k) left before the taper. I will push the last 8k so I might get some of the boys out to help me..
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