Month - 48 k
YTD - 966.5
I have alot to say but I will keep it brief as I am one step above those who type with one finger and it becomes very tedious.
Anyway since my last post about GCM I completed the Kokoda Challenge down on the Gold Coast. Our goal as a group of 4 members walking the track together was to get sub 20 hours. 5000 m of hill climbs made the event very tough. A team member of ours had troubles during some training sessions with his knees and unfortunately this was the case on the day. After 13 k he was in pain with ITBFS but with extreme courage and strength he continued for another 83 k taking pain killers and anti inflammatory tablets. We had a physio in our support crew and a doctor at one of our checkpoints and they treated him as best they could. We didn't want to finish the event without all of us crossing the line and so we obviously had to lessen the pace and basically walk for the remaining 83 k. To his credit there was no complaining and he cracked jokes as he normally would. Not only that we were only 2 hours 19 minutes slower than our goal.
After the event I pulled up very well with a little soreness in the knees but no blisters or anything nasty. The team member that had the injury was on crutches for almost a week after the event and is only just walking now without pain. On a lighter note our support crew won the award of best support crew for the entire event and was awarded that accolade last night at the dinner and presentation night. Out of 300 teams that is a great honour, they certainly deserved it.
Two weeks later, which was in turn last weekend I headed up to Noosa for the 1/2 Marathon. Only ever running this once in 06 were I faded to 91.13 after looking good for a sub 90 I wanted revenge on the course. The course is very flat and it was a great day weather wise. I was fit and ready to break 90 minutes. To cut a long story short I ran the two lap course in 44.03 (10.55 k) and negative split the second lap in 43.25, finishing in a PB time of 1.27.28. 7 secs off my GC 1/2 time from 07. Very pleased with this.
This morning the BRRC had their 10 mile championship. My goal was to get under 68 minutes as I didn't know how I had recovered from last week. Another goal although I didn't want to focus on it was to see if I could get close to my 10 k PB along the way and then just battle the last 6.1 k home.
The course was 1.1k followed by 3 x 5k loops. I started quick but felt good and quickly established a top 5 position. Crossed the start/finish line for the 1.1 in 3.53. I felt comfortable so continued with this pace crossing the 6.1 k mark in a tad over 23 minutes. Pretty confident that I was going to break my 10 k PB now I remained at that pace thinking that if I blew up at least I would have a PB. I crossed the 10 k mark in 38.45 approx 40 secs off the previous mark.
Commencing the last lap I was pretty tired and the fella that I was running with got a gap on me. Still achieving sub 4 min pace I was amazed that I was doing so. The last few km were probably a tad over 4 minute pace but overall for the last 5 k lap was done in a little over 20 minutes, crossing the line in 63.10 for the 16.1k (Av 3.54 / k), 6th overall and 2nd in age group. I was tempted to continue so I could again do another 1/2 PB as I would have only needed to run 24.18 to equal my PB. I believe the worst result for the 1/2 if I continued would have been 85 minutes. That would of meant that I could have slowed to 4.25 pace. Oh well if I can keep this fitness then it will be achievable anytime.
Anyway that's all for now. I am running the Brisbane 1/2 in two weeks as a pace runner. Not sure what pace anywhere between 1.30 - 1.45.
Until then
Peace Out!
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Update!
Month - 60 k
YTD - 746.5 k
It's been nearly 2 months since I have updated this blog. Although I have been pretty slack with this my training has been progressing nicely. I have no injuries and am feeling relatively fit.
I will be travelling down to Mudgeeraba to compete in the Kokoda Challenge. A 96k walk through the Gold Coast hinterland finishing up at Nerang. I have been focusing on this with a bit of hill work and walking, but also concentrating on my running which can only help.
Our team of 4 is aiming at finishing in under 20 hrs, however due to leading different lifestyles and working different jobs we haven't had too many sessions as a complete group. Hopefully this Saturday everyone can make it for our last hit out where we will doing a night walk for a few hours. Around 30 km is on the cards.
As part of my training I decided to enter the GCM. I hadn't done any long runs just 2 x 1.5 h ones leading into the race. I thought doing this race would be ideal in seeing how my body react to fatigue and see if I could back up the following days to continue to prepare for the Kokoda event.
I didn't enter to race the marathon and thought that if I could stay with the 4 hr pace group that would be an ideal training session. My last attempt at a marathon didn't work out as planned due to a virus hitting me a few days before when I was actually racing for a time, so I have never done an official marathon before.
I set off aiming to run 5.41 pace for 4 hrs. To cut a long day out in the office short I managed to achieve my goal, running between 26 - 27.30 for each 5 k split until the last 5 k. I started to get some cramps, not sure why maybe the unfamiliar scenario I put my body in was the reason. I believe I kept the electrolytes up very well. I actually carried food, water, gels and powerade on my person during the whole race and also took on Edura and water at the the drink stations.
Due to the cramps my pace per k slowed alot as I had to walk on occasions. I never stopped however and the last 7.2 k was done in 45 mins so around 6.30 pace. I am a little disappointed that this happened as I would have probably broken 3.50 on debut with no training Per Se. I am happy that I did finish under my goal I had set out and as a bonus actually ran 3.55.09.
I pulled up a little sore on Monday, however as part of my job I have to do PT. The session on the morning was more running. I could have done something different as everyone knew I had just run the marathon but I decided to loosen the pegs up and do the short track session. 6 x 400 m intervals. I managed 1.20 - 1.25 per 400 m. My theory didn't work and I seized up as soon as I cooled down. The rest of this week has been light with 2 games of tennis for an hour or two.
I feel great now and I am looking forward to next weekend where I will be roaming the hills of the SE Qld area.
YTD - 746.5 k
It's been nearly 2 months since I have updated this blog. Although I have been pretty slack with this my training has been progressing nicely. I have no injuries and am feeling relatively fit.
I will be travelling down to Mudgeeraba to compete in the Kokoda Challenge. A 96k walk through the Gold Coast hinterland finishing up at Nerang. I have been focusing on this with a bit of hill work and walking, but also concentrating on my running which can only help.
Our team of 4 is aiming at finishing in under 20 hrs, however due to leading different lifestyles and working different jobs we haven't had too many sessions as a complete group. Hopefully this Saturday everyone can make it for our last hit out where we will doing a night walk for a few hours. Around 30 km is on the cards.
As part of my training I decided to enter the GCM. I hadn't done any long runs just 2 x 1.5 h ones leading into the race. I thought doing this race would be ideal in seeing how my body react to fatigue and see if I could back up the following days to continue to prepare for the Kokoda event.
I didn't enter to race the marathon and thought that if I could stay with the 4 hr pace group that would be an ideal training session. My last attempt at a marathon didn't work out as planned due to a virus hitting me a few days before when I was actually racing for a time, so I have never done an official marathon before.
I set off aiming to run 5.41 pace for 4 hrs. To cut a long day out in the office short I managed to achieve my goal, running between 26 - 27.30 for each 5 k split until the last 5 k. I started to get some cramps, not sure why maybe the unfamiliar scenario I put my body in was the reason. I believe I kept the electrolytes up very well. I actually carried food, water, gels and powerade on my person during the whole race and also took on Edura and water at the the drink stations.
Due to the cramps my pace per k slowed alot as I had to walk on occasions. I never stopped however and the last 7.2 k was done in 45 mins so around 6.30 pace. I am a little disappointed that this happened as I would have probably broken 3.50 on debut with no training Per Se. I am happy that I did finish under my goal I had set out and as a bonus actually ran 3.55.09.
I pulled up a little sore on Monday, however as part of my job I have to do PT. The session on the morning was more running. I could have done something different as everyone knew I had just run the marathon but I decided to loosen the pegs up and do the short track session. 6 x 400 m intervals. I managed 1.20 - 1.25 per 400 m. My theory didn't work and I seized up as soon as I cooled down. The rest of this week has been light with 2 games of tennis for an hour or two.
I feel great now and I am looking forward to next weekend where I will be roaming the hills of the SE Qld area.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Warwick Pentath 2009
Month - 122.5k
YTD- 586.5k
Another Warwick done and dusted and I must say that although this is my fave event and I shouldn't criticise, this year was alot better organised than previous years.
The week leading up to Warwick weekend was a little concerning, especially in regards to the weather. SE Qld got hammered with rain before it moved south to smash up NSW. I cant remember ever having significant rainfall during the event and due to the format of the weekend and the different terrain you are expected to run on it would be very interesting if it did rain.
Thankfully the worst of the weather moved on however we still experienced strong winds and passing showers that always seemed to show up before an event.
Race 1 - 1/2 Marathon 23 0700k May 09 - Not concentrating on this distance over the months leading up to it I was unsure where my short training regime would leave me. I am feeling great for events under 10 k as my longest run was 13 k. The last time I ran above 20 was for Ali's 1/2 marathon at the start of March where I jogged around in 1.45.
Anyway I wanted to go a little harder than that but still wanted to leave some in the tank for the remaining 4 races. I aimed for 1.35 anything below that and I would be happy. As it turned out I felt pretty good and was actually spot on 90 min pace for the first 7k, the next 7k a little slower passing 14 in around 61.30, then the wheels fell off and the weather turned bad with a strong head wind and cold rain. I ended up crossing the line in 1.33.43, about 4.15 slower than last year.
Race 2 - 4.6k Cross Country 23 1200k May 09 - Due to the rain the course had to change at last minute which made it a little concerning. Not knowing what to expect and how hard to go was something I am not used to at this event. I pulled up good after the 1/2 and felt pretty keen to get going. The course was pretty flat but run over grass and dirt tracks that were very soft under foot. One stretch was into the most vicious headwind and was probably the hardest part of the course. My aim was to be beat a friend on ours that has it all over me in the longer events but it is much closer in the shorter ones. I ended up finishing ahead on him clocking almost 30 secs faster than him with a time of 17.28.
Race 3 - 5k Road run 23 1500k May 09 - The final run of the day it is on a flat piece of road and is an out and back course. Last year was the first time for the new course and was a massive hit with the runners. It is fast....usually however as soon as I hopped out of the car I could see that the second half of the run was going to be directly into the strong wind. According to the BOM the wind at 3pm was 24km/hr which was the strongest for that time thus far during the month of May.
Being back in my comfort zone with a flat short race I again was hoping to achieve a victory over our friend who pipped me last year by 5 secs. The first k was run in 3.45 and was feeling pretty good. The 2k marker came up and was passed in 7.33. From then on it was hell and i forgot to look at the halfway split and 3 k split. Due to headwind I had my head down and was drafting off this poor bloke for the majority of the back half. I did try to get out in front and take a turn but as soon as I did I could remain beside him but didn't have the legs to pass.
About 400m to go the bloke I was drafting off took off and I couldn't hang on. 200m out I took a glance behind and couldn't see out friend so I eased up a little crossing the line in 19.15. This was only 7 secs slower than last year in perfect conditions. I believe that I could have cracked 19 mins for the course if the wind wasn't so strong.
Race 4 - Killarney Ascent 10k, 24 0715k May 09 - The event I wanted to achieve a PB if nothing else. I have never cracked 50 mins, with the last 2 years coming under 50.30, so this year had to be the one. I had done alot of hill work up to about 2 weeks ago when work commitments reduced the training alot, however i was still hopeful that the work I had done would be enough. Our friend beat me by over 3 mins last year so I didn't think I would be able to get another victory just yet.
The race started and the wind was strong for the first 3k until we turned for the the hill. Passing the first undulating 5k in 22.30 gave me hope that I would break 50 mins. Passing the 6k where the hill really hits hard I had to clock 5.30/k for the remainder to achieve it. I was a little disappointed that I really slowed up between the 7 to about the 8.5 mark, but still managed to get within 5 secs of getting another victory however the best thing was that I not only broke 50 mins but I managed to break 49 mins posting unofficially 48.40 or thereabouts.
Race 5 - 1500m Road race, 24 1130k May 09 - The last event of the 2 day race and after sitting around for a few hours I had stiffened up a little in the legs to the extent where i was going to run the event with Sammy. Being his first ever event and being only 3 years old that would be casual. I did however run the event my own pace and then doubled back to meet Cass and Sammy on the course.
I had figured out my time so far for the event and knew that I only needed 5.44 for the 1500m to break 3 h 05 in for the 42.2k event. I also felt pretty confident that I could get another victory over our friend making it 3 - 2 in my favour, although overall he would still beat me quite easily due to his 1/2 time. Much better than the 4 - 1 in his favour last year.
I took off pretty quickly but felt great, smooth and was just passing people all the way up to the turn around. I had the top female in my sights and by the halfway mark I had passed her. At that stage I looked at the watch and discovered that I didn't start it which was a shame. The run back down to the finish is slightly downhill and having no wind that was hindering us made it a fast finish. I crossed the line about 10 secs in front of our friend however I missed the the massive clock when I passed the finish line. At a guess probably under 5.05.
I wasn't even exhausted and was a little disappointed that I didn't go harder and go under 5 mins which I haven't done at Warwick since my first year. Anyway I had enough steam to jog back up to meet Cass and Sam for the remainder of his run.
When I reached them he was being piggy backed by Cass and wasn't interested in running. He then got keen to begin running about 200m before the finish until he neared the finish chute where everyone was cheering him which seemed to scare him and he began to cry while he was walking. Funny, so all in all not the best experience for him but a good story to tell when he is older. For your info he crossed in a tad over 15 mins :-)
Overall my result was unconfirmed around 3.04.xx about a minute slower than last year. Considering my 1/2 was 4 minutes slower than last year I am very pleased with being so close to my overall PB.
To wrap up I have achieved all 5 races for now 5 years in a row and was given a shirt for my achievement. Not sure where I will be next year, so at this stage this could be my last Pentath for a while.
If you got through all that, without necking yourself then I congratulate you.
That's all
Peace Out!
YTD- 586.5k
Another Warwick done and dusted and I must say that although this is my fave event and I shouldn't criticise, this year was alot better organised than previous years.
The week leading up to Warwick weekend was a little concerning, especially in regards to the weather. SE Qld got hammered with rain before it moved south to smash up NSW. I cant remember ever having significant rainfall during the event and due to the format of the weekend and the different terrain you are expected to run on it would be very interesting if it did rain.
Thankfully the worst of the weather moved on however we still experienced strong winds and passing showers that always seemed to show up before an event.
Race 1 - 1/2 Marathon 23 0700k May 09 - Not concentrating on this distance over the months leading up to it I was unsure where my short training regime would leave me. I am feeling great for events under 10 k as my longest run was 13 k. The last time I ran above 20 was for Ali's 1/2 marathon at the start of March where I jogged around in 1.45.
Anyway I wanted to go a little harder than that but still wanted to leave some in the tank for the remaining 4 races. I aimed for 1.35 anything below that and I would be happy. As it turned out I felt pretty good and was actually spot on 90 min pace for the first 7k, the next 7k a little slower passing 14 in around 61.30, then the wheels fell off and the weather turned bad with a strong head wind and cold rain. I ended up crossing the line in 1.33.43, about 4.15 slower than last year.
Race 2 - 4.6k Cross Country 23 1200k May 09 - Due to the rain the course had to change at last minute which made it a little concerning. Not knowing what to expect and how hard to go was something I am not used to at this event. I pulled up good after the 1/2 and felt pretty keen to get going. The course was pretty flat but run over grass and dirt tracks that were very soft under foot. One stretch was into the most vicious headwind and was probably the hardest part of the course. My aim was to be beat a friend on ours that has it all over me in the longer events but it is much closer in the shorter ones. I ended up finishing ahead on him clocking almost 30 secs faster than him with a time of 17.28.
Race 3 - 5k Road run 23 1500k May 09 - The final run of the day it is on a flat piece of road and is an out and back course. Last year was the first time for the new course and was a massive hit with the runners. It is fast....usually however as soon as I hopped out of the car I could see that the second half of the run was going to be directly into the strong wind. According to the BOM the wind at 3pm was 24km/hr which was the strongest for that time thus far during the month of May.
Being back in my comfort zone with a flat short race I again was hoping to achieve a victory over our friend who pipped me last year by 5 secs. The first k was run in 3.45 and was feeling pretty good. The 2k marker came up and was passed in 7.33. From then on it was hell and i forgot to look at the halfway split and 3 k split. Due to headwind I had my head down and was drafting off this poor bloke for the majority of the back half. I did try to get out in front and take a turn but as soon as I did I could remain beside him but didn't have the legs to pass.
About 400m to go the bloke I was drafting off took off and I couldn't hang on. 200m out I took a glance behind and couldn't see out friend so I eased up a little crossing the line in 19.15. This was only 7 secs slower than last year in perfect conditions. I believe that I could have cracked 19 mins for the course if the wind wasn't so strong.
Race 4 - Killarney Ascent 10k, 24 0715k May 09 - The event I wanted to achieve a PB if nothing else. I have never cracked 50 mins, with the last 2 years coming under 50.30, so this year had to be the one. I had done alot of hill work up to about 2 weeks ago when work commitments reduced the training alot, however i was still hopeful that the work I had done would be enough. Our friend beat me by over 3 mins last year so I didn't think I would be able to get another victory just yet.
The race started and the wind was strong for the first 3k until we turned for the the hill. Passing the first undulating 5k in 22.30 gave me hope that I would break 50 mins. Passing the 6k where the hill really hits hard I had to clock 5.30/k for the remainder to achieve it. I was a little disappointed that I really slowed up between the 7 to about the 8.5 mark, but still managed to get within 5 secs of getting another victory however the best thing was that I not only broke 50 mins but I managed to break 49 mins posting unofficially 48.40 or thereabouts.
Race 5 - 1500m Road race, 24 1130k May 09 - The last event of the 2 day race and after sitting around for a few hours I had stiffened up a little in the legs to the extent where i was going to run the event with Sammy. Being his first ever event and being only 3 years old that would be casual. I did however run the event my own pace and then doubled back to meet Cass and Sammy on the course.
I had figured out my time so far for the event and knew that I only needed 5.44 for the 1500m to break 3 h 05 in for the 42.2k event. I also felt pretty confident that I could get another victory over our friend making it 3 - 2 in my favour, although overall he would still beat me quite easily due to his 1/2 time. Much better than the 4 - 1 in his favour last year.
I took off pretty quickly but felt great, smooth and was just passing people all the way up to the turn around. I had the top female in my sights and by the halfway mark I had passed her. At that stage I looked at the watch and discovered that I didn't start it which was a shame. The run back down to the finish is slightly downhill and having no wind that was hindering us made it a fast finish. I crossed the line about 10 secs in front of our friend however I missed the the massive clock when I passed the finish line. At a guess probably under 5.05.
I wasn't even exhausted and was a little disappointed that I didn't go harder and go under 5 mins which I haven't done at Warwick since my first year. Anyway I had enough steam to jog back up to meet Cass and Sam for the remainder of his run.
When I reached them he was being piggy backed by Cass and wasn't interested in running. He then got keen to begin running about 200m before the finish until he neared the finish chute where everyone was cheering him which seemed to scare him and he began to cry while he was walking. Funny, so all in all not the best experience for him but a good story to tell when he is older. For your info he crossed in a tad over 15 mins :-)
Overall my result was unconfirmed around 3.04.xx about a minute slower than last year. Considering my 1/2 was 4 minutes slower than last year I am very pleased with being so close to my overall PB.
To wrap up I have achieved all 5 races for now 5 years in a row and was given a shirt for my achievement. Not sure where I will be next year, so at this stage this could be my last Pentath for a while.
If you got through all that, without necking yourself then I congratulate you.
That's all
Peace Out!
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Team Challenge
Month - 26k
YTD - 489.5k
Before I get into what I did today here is a quick run down on what has been happening since my last post.
18 Apr - 10k road run 43 mins
20 Apr - 6k interval work
22 Apr - Mt Coot-tha loop - achieved 16.35 from slaughterhouse falls car park to the picnic area after the towers. Much faster than what I have done before.
24 Apr - 10k, 7k hard then a walk run with my wife and son
27 Apr - 8k XC
28 Apr - 7.2k, Ran around the 1.2k track built specifically for our fitness testing. Having no breaks I wanted to achieve a faster time ever 2 lap or 2.4k. My splits were as follows 10.23(4.18/k), 10.07 (4.12/k), 9.45 (4.03/k) total time 30.15 for 7.2k.
29 Apr - 8.5k run walk around trails of Upper Kedron (Camp Mountain) this has been a regular training ground for me lately.
Total Apr 133k
Ok today was an organised walk run session through the trails again of Cam Mountain and surrounding areas. It is an awesome area with clean fire trails and big hills. The plan was to run and walk as our team for the Kokoda Challenge got together for the first time. We have been training individually but due to work etc it is not always possible to get everyone in location at the same time.
The first 90 mins was completed with very little walking and rest breaks. The remainder although we never really halted the entire time we walked alot more but that's what we are required to do for the event. It was a good time out in the bush and over the past 2 months I have come to really enjoy running on dirt rather than the concrete. I have found that my legs are much happier for it and I don't have any niggles to talk about.
One of our team mates has a slight issue with his knee but he managed to continue and credit to him for not stopping or whinging about it. It was a gutsy effort, just hope he hasn't made it worse. In total we achieved 26k in a tad over 3 hours which is a good time considering the terrain and us walking.
I am very happy with the way I have pulled up afterwards aswell, it doesn't even feel like I actually done anything today, the legs are not stiff or fatigued, must have been the over sized ice bath commonly referred to as a swimming pool at our team mates place that helped the legs.
That's all for now.
20 Days till Warwick.
YTD - 489.5k
Before I get into what I did today here is a quick run down on what has been happening since my last post.
18 Apr - 10k road run 43 mins
20 Apr - 6k interval work
22 Apr - Mt Coot-tha loop - achieved 16.35 from slaughterhouse falls car park to the picnic area after the towers. Much faster than what I have done before.
24 Apr - 10k, 7k hard then a walk run with my wife and son
27 Apr - 8k XC
28 Apr - 7.2k, Ran around the 1.2k track built specifically for our fitness testing. Having no breaks I wanted to achieve a faster time ever 2 lap or 2.4k. My splits were as follows 10.23(4.18/k), 10.07 (4.12/k), 9.45 (4.03/k) total time 30.15 for 7.2k.
29 Apr - 8.5k run walk around trails of Upper Kedron (Camp Mountain) this has been a regular training ground for me lately.
Total Apr 133k
Ok today was an organised walk run session through the trails again of Cam Mountain and surrounding areas. It is an awesome area with clean fire trails and big hills. The plan was to run and walk as our team for the Kokoda Challenge got together for the first time. We have been training individually but due to work etc it is not always possible to get everyone in location at the same time.
The first 90 mins was completed with very little walking and rest breaks. The remainder although we never really halted the entire time we walked alot more but that's what we are required to do for the event. It was a good time out in the bush and over the past 2 months I have come to really enjoy running on dirt rather than the concrete. I have found that my legs are much happier for it and I don't have any niggles to talk about.
One of our team mates has a slight issue with his knee but he managed to continue and credit to him for not stopping or whinging about it. It was a gutsy effort, just hope he hasn't made it worse. In total we achieved 26k in a tad over 3 hours which is a good time considering the terrain and us walking.
I am very happy with the way I have pulled up afterwards aswell, it doesn't even feel like I actually done anything today, the legs are not stiff or fatigued, must have been the over sized ice bath commonly referred to as a swimming pool at our team mates place that helped the legs.
That's all for now.
20 Days till Warwick.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Eye of the Tiger!
Month - 73 k
YTD - 403.5 k
All has been going well in the last fortnight and although I have trained only 8 times this month I have clocked over 70 k which is pretty good for me.
I have been doing heaps of hill work which is for my one and only aim at Warwick this year. I have not been concentrating on the 1/2 and I am not caring what my overall result will be, the only thing I want to get out of this race is breaking the voodoo I have on the 10k Killarney Ascent. This race has beaten me every GOD DAMN year and I have never cracked 50 mins. For a person who has run under 40 mins for 10k numerous times I feel I have a slack time in regards to this event. Yeah it might climb a little, but the remaining 5 or so k is undulating :-) I'm sure I can make up time on the 'easy' parts of the course.
I have also incuded some run / walk sessions in my training, purely to expose myself to the same feeling I will have in July competing in the Kokoda Challenge down at the GC Hinterland. This event should be very interesting to say the least and I have some full on walking sessions ahead on me in the coming months.
On a different note I have been given 3 ptions of where I will be heading for work come the end of the year. I have been living in Brisbane for 5 years this Xmas and the Defence Force would like to relocate me. The options I have are Townsville, Darwin or Wagga Wagga. I have told them I would like to go back to Townsville, we lived there for 5 Years before Brisbane and enjoyed it, I just hope that they make the decision that I want them too. I will find out in the next few months were my feat for the next 2-3 years lies. Fingers crossed it is Townsville, there is still a great running scene up there and it is still close enough to venture down to the Southern events quite easily.
Thats all for now, until next time
Peace Out!
YTD - 403.5 k
All has been going well in the last fortnight and although I have trained only 8 times this month I have clocked over 70 k which is pretty good for me.
I have been doing heaps of hill work which is for my one and only aim at Warwick this year. I have not been concentrating on the 1/2 and I am not caring what my overall result will be, the only thing I want to get out of this race is breaking the voodoo I have on the 10k Killarney Ascent. This race has beaten me every GOD DAMN year and I have never cracked 50 mins. For a person who has run under 40 mins for 10k numerous times I feel I have a slack time in regards to this event. Yeah it might climb a little, but the remaining 5 or so k is undulating :-) I'm sure I can make up time on the 'easy' parts of the course.
I have also incuded some run / walk sessions in my training, purely to expose myself to the same feeling I will have in July competing in the Kokoda Challenge down at the GC Hinterland. This event should be very interesting to say the least and I have some full on walking sessions ahead on me in the coming months.
On a different note I have been given 3 ptions of where I will be heading for work come the end of the year. I have been living in Brisbane for 5 years this Xmas and the Defence Force would like to relocate me. The options I have are Townsville, Darwin or Wagga Wagga. I have told them I would like to go back to Townsville, we lived there for 5 Years before Brisbane and enjoyed it, I just hope that they make the decision that I want them too. I will find out in the next few months were my feat for the next 2-3 years lies. Fingers crossed it is Townsville, there is still a great running scene up there and it is still close enough to venture down to the Southern events quite easily.
Thats all for now, until next time
Peace Out!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Fantastic Fortnight
Month - 136.5
YTD - 314.5
I have no niggles and feel great as soon as I begin my sessions. I think it is due to the amount of cross training I am doing and the more frequent shorter runs.
I haven't posted since the 11 Mar, however i am not going to go into detail and bore anyone who reads this. This is just to log what I have done for the month before I forget.
12th - Triathlon 40 mins of swimming, 8k cycle, 2.4k run, 8k cycle, 2.4k run.
13th - Southbank run a few laps of the Goodwill - Victoria Bridge run via the botanic gardens each lap. What I thought was 9.6 ended up being 11.5 k.
15th - RPM spin class 45 mins
16th - Interval Training about 3k worth with 1k jog warmup and cooldown.
18th - 8k walk run session through the hills of the barracks.
22nd - Rpm Spin Class 45 mins - This time wore a HR monitor 155 Av 176 Max. Tough!
23rd - 8k Cross country - Slow group run.
24th - 8k walk run session through the hills of the barracks again.
25th - 8k Hill and cross country session.
26th - Triathlon - Session aimed at transitions. 200m swim, 4k ride, 1.6k run x 2. 80% effort 18.40 and 20.15 for the two Tri's
27th - Relay CCT at work, just crazy games and core strength activities. Involved small amount of running inc sprints - 2k in total.
28th - Pump Class at the Gym, haven't done one of these for a few years and I think I will be paying for this tomorrow. My arms are destroyed.
Stay tuned for the next installment - A Wonderful Week!
YTD - 314.5
I have no niggles and feel great as soon as I begin my sessions. I think it is due to the amount of cross training I am doing and the more frequent shorter runs.
I haven't posted since the 11 Mar, however i am not going to go into detail and bore anyone who reads this. This is just to log what I have done for the month before I forget.
12th - Triathlon 40 mins of swimming, 8k cycle, 2.4k run, 8k cycle, 2.4k run.
13th - Southbank run a few laps of the Goodwill - Victoria Bridge run via the botanic gardens each lap. What I thought was 9.6 ended up being 11.5 k.
15th - RPM spin class 45 mins
16th - Interval Training about 3k worth with 1k jog warmup and cooldown.
18th - 8k walk run session through the hills of the barracks.
22nd - Rpm Spin Class 45 mins - This time wore a HR monitor 155 Av 176 Max. Tough!
23rd - 8k Cross country - Slow group run.
24th - 8k walk run session through the hills of the barracks again.
25th - 8k Hill and cross country session.
26th - Triathlon - Session aimed at transitions. 200m swim, 4k ride, 1.6k run x 2. 80% effort 18.40 and 20.15 for the two Tri's
27th - Relay CCT at work, just crazy games and core strength activities. Involved small amount of running inc sprints - 2k in total.
28th - Pump Class at the Gym, haven't done one of these for a few years and I think I will be paying for this tomorrow. My arms are destroyed.
Stay tuned for the next installment - A Wonderful Week!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Thank the Lord!
Month - 78 k
YTD - 256 k
My foot crisis have been averted when I went hardcore on the NSAID's which included wrapping my foot in Gladwrap after the application of Diflam Gel.
It seemed to work wonders, I could hardly walk on Saturday and by Monday I was running the cross country track at work without an issue. During the day I could feel a slight pain but it hasn't caused any stoppage to training.
I also managed another 8.5 k run this morning which included a slow jog to the track at work a solid 5k session in around 22 mins and another slow jog back to work. Pretty humid this morning and at times was feeling a little lethagic but managed to get through it in one piece.
Triathlon training is programmed for tomorrow however due to Cyclone Hamish the weather is pretty ordinary so I might give it a miss. I have been invited to play squash so i might do that instead. Something different that is also a good test of the fitness.
Friday we have a PT session at Southbank. I have been asked to co-ordinate the run in the morning. Not many of them are keen runners so I have kept the track simple to minimise people getting lost however long enough to get a workout and if they are keen they can run 2 lap on the course with myself and a few others. The track begins from the Pool continues up to the Goodwill Bridge over the bridge into the gardens. They will complete a lap of the gardens and get back on the path following it to Victoria Bridge. Cross the bridge and return to the Pool. According to Map my Run around 4.6 k.
It should be a good run, this is followed by 2 hrs of work then knocking for a lunch at the leagues club for the rest of the day. We do it tough in the ADF.
Anyway that's all for now
Happy Training!
YTD - 256 k
My foot crisis have been averted when I went hardcore on the NSAID's which included wrapping my foot in Gladwrap after the application of Diflam Gel.
It seemed to work wonders, I could hardly walk on Saturday and by Monday I was running the cross country track at work without an issue. During the day I could feel a slight pain but it hasn't caused any stoppage to training.
I also managed another 8.5 k run this morning which included a slow jog to the track at work a solid 5k session in around 22 mins and another slow jog back to work. Pretty humid this morning and at times was feeling a little lethagic but managed to get through it in one piece.
Triathlon training is programmed for tomorrow however due to Cyclone Hamish the weather is pretty ordinary so I might give it a miss. I have been invited to play squash so i might do that instead. Something different that is also a good test of the fitness.
Friday we have a PT session at Southbank. I have been asked to co-ordinate the run in the morning. Not many of them are keen runners so I have kept the track simple to minimise people getting lost however long enough to get a workout and if they are keen they can run 2 lap on the course with myself and a few others. The track begins from the Pool continues up to the Goodwill Bridge over the bridge into the gardens. They will complete a lap of the gardens and get back on the path following it to Victoria Bridge. Cross the bridge and return to the Pool. According to Map my Run around 4.6 k.
It should be a good run, this is followed by 2 hrs of work then knocking for a lunch at the leagues club for the rest of the day. We do it tough in the ADF.
Anyway that's all for now
Happy Training!
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Another quick update
Month - 61k
YTD - 239k
Pretty big week just gone
Sunday 1 Mar - BRRC Half Marathon Champs - Training run, I sat on 4.30 Pace before taking a pitstop at 16.1 k. I then waited for a friend and then headed off for the last 5k at a fairly leisurely pace finished around 1.45.
Tuesday - 10 x 500 m intervals with 500 m jog recovery between each. Hard session, maintained 1.55 or below on all reps.
Thursday - Tri Training at work - 40 mins of swimming, 2 x 4k loops on bike , 2.4k run, 2 x 4k loops on bike and another 2.4k run. Very hot started at 1pm around 1.30 worth of work.
Friday - Worst PT session ever followed by a casual 4 k jog to make the PT session worth something.
Saturday 7 Mar - Ali's unofficial half marathon. Again treated as a training run wanted below 1.45 and managed that in 1.44.32. My foot pulled up a bit lame afterwards though, the same injury I have had many times before. Usually stops training for a week or so, not happy!
So in conclusion my biggest week for some time - Total 61 k
YTD - 239k
Pretty big week just gone
Sunday 1 Mar - BRRC Half Marathon Champs - Training run, I sat on 4.30 Pace before taking a pitstop at 16.1 k. I then waited for a friend and then headed off for the last 5k at a fairly leisurely pace finished around 1.45.
Tuesday - 10 x 500 m intervals with 500 m jog recovery between each. Hard session, maintained 1.55 or below on all reps.
Thursday - Tri Training at work - 40 mins of swimming, 2 x 4k loops on bike , 2.4k run, 2 x 4k loops on bike and another 2.4k run. Very hot started at 1pm around 1.30 worth of work.
Friday - Worst PT session ever followed by a casual 4 k jog to make the PT session worth something.
Saturday 7 Mar - Ali's unofficial half marathon. Again treated as a training run wanted below 1.45 and managed that in 1.44.32. My foot pulled up a bit lame afterwards though, the same injury I have had many times before. Usually stops training for a week or so, not happy!
So in conclusion my biggest week for some time - Total 61 k
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Quickie!
Month - 102k
YTD - 178k
Just a post to add to the tally before I forget
Combo of shorts runs and interval training. Not includng some hill walks and cycling during this period.
YTD - 178k
Just a post to add to the tally before I forget
Combo of shorts runs and interval training. Not includng some hill walks and cycling during this period.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Testing the body
Month - 62 k
YTD - 138 k
Well I decided to see where I am at and actually how tough this 96 k Kokoda Challenge event will be in July by entering the Caboolture Dusk till Dawn.
I didn't want to enter a time event such as the 6 or 12 h so I decided to do the 50 k solo. On no training I knew that this was a big test and the goal was to get as far as possible with walk and rest breaks along the way. It was all about how my body will react to this type of distance and how it actually felt when it was fatigued beyond uncharted territory which is about 3 hrs.
Anyway, considering I didn't train and have run one run beyond 20k since August last year I was very pleased that I ran about 25 k without too much pain. I actually clocked about 5.10 - 5.20per km for this phase of the run. Beyond this became a struggle and I opted for a walk run combination with a variety of rest breaks allowing my wife that was counting the laps for me to get a feed and go to the toilet, while I looked after Sam.
Can I class this as an Ultra even though I didn't formally finish the run?
At 11.22pm I had enough my legs were tired I was hungry and I thought this was a good test for the body without getting any injuries. Although I am a little diappointed that I didn't do the whole 50k I still completed 12 k further than I ever have and 3 k further than a marathon. Stopping at 90 laps (45 k) in about 5.22 with a huge amount of rest periods and walking episodes is a slow time but that wasn't what thsi was about and I feel proud that I have achieved this. It is however very daunting that I will have to do double that amount over hilly country however I won't be running 5 min k pace to begin with either which should help things alot.
YTD - 138 k
Well I decided to see where I am at and actually how tough this 96 k Kokoda Challenge event will be in July by entering the Caboolture Dusk till Dawn.
I didn't want to enter a time event such as the 6 or 12 h so I decided to do the 50 k solo. On no training I knew that this was a big test and the goal was to get as far as possible with walk and rest breaks along the way. It was all about how my body will react to this type of distance and how it actually felt when it was fatigued beyond uncharted territory which is about 3 hrs.
Anyway, considering I didn't train and have run one run beyond 20k since August last year I was very pleased that I ran about 25 k without too much pain. I actually clocked about 5.10 - 5.20per km for this phase of the run. Beyond this became a struggle and I opted for a walk run combination with a variety of rest breaks allowing my wife that was counting the laps for me to get a feed and go to the toilet, while I looked after Sam.
Can I class this as an Ultra even though I didn't formally finish the run?
At 11.22pm I had enough my legs were tired I was hungry and I thought this was a good test for the body without getting any injuries. Although I am a little diappointed that I didn't do the whole 50k I still completed 12 k further than I ever have and 3 k further than a marathon. Stopping at 90 laps (45 k) in about 5.22 with a huge amount of rest periods and walking episodes is a slow time but that wasn't what thsi was about and I feel proud that I have achieved this. It is however very daunting that I will have to do double that amount over hilly country however I won't be running 5 min k pace to begin with either which should help things alot.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Weekly Update
Week - 17 k
YTD - 93 k
I had started experiencing some shin soreness just with the slight increase in training I have been doing over the past few weeks. So my training has been slowed a little just to ensure that it doesn't turn into anything serious.
I have a few commitments this year that other people are reliant on so I can't and won't be stupid like in the past few years.
Anyway apart from the occasional run around the block and a cross country session my story of the week was attending BRRC for the bring a friend week. I didn't bring a friend nor did I plan to race the events on offer. I did however run the 10 k event in which I did at a 'safe' pace.
I ran the first lap of 5 k at a solid effort then taming it down for the second lap. About 20.45 for the first 5 k then crossed the line in 43.38, so 10 sec per k slower than my usual 'in form' half marathon pace. The weather was humid which would have slowed me down considerably if I had choosen to race the event.
I will be concentrating on swimming and biking alot more seeing I want to make the start line for the GC Half Ironman this year. I now have extra drive now with some friends of mine completing the Hell of the West Tri on the weekend. One of them made this event their debut with an awesome 4 th placing in their Category. Certainly proud of their achievements and cant want to achieve a massive feat like that myself.
Anyway that's all until next time.......
YTD - 93 k
I had started experiencing some shin soreness just with the slight increase in training I have been doing over the past few weeks. So my training has been slowed a little just to ensure that it doesn't turn into anything serious.
I have a few commitments this year that other people are reliant on so I can't and won't be stupid like in the past few years.
Anyway apart from the occasional run around the block and a cross country session my story of the week was attending BRRC for the bring a friend week. I didn't bring a friend nor did I plan to race the events on offer. I did however run the 10 k event in which I did at a 'safe' pace.
I ran the first lap of 5 k at a solid effort then taming it down for the second lap. About 20.45 for the first 5 k then crossed the line in 43.38, so 10 sec per k slower than my usual 'in form' half marathon pace. The weather was humid which would have slowed me down considerably if I had choosen to race the event.
I will be concentrating on swimming and biking alot more seeing I want to make the start line for the GC Half Ironman this year. I now have extra drive now with some friends of mine completing the Hell of the West Tri on the weekend. One of them made this event their debut with an awesome 4 th placing in their Category. Certainly proud of their achievements and cant want to achieve a massive feat like that myself.
Anyway that's all until next time.......
Monday, January 26, 2009
Hot Hot Hot!
Month - 68k
YTD - 68k
Not my running of course, just the weather very hot and humid making the training pretty tough
Keeping this real short, Saturday headed out to the running buddies and completed 21k with Robbie and Lee. My first run that has gone above double figures since the C2S in Aug. Happy that I got through it. Felt a little sick in the stomach and had to visit the loo twice along the way but besides that travelled pretty well. Completed it in 1.52.
4.3k today around the bike track near home. Felt relaxed and the legs were quite good considering the long run on Saturday. Completed it in 17.15 - 8.40 then 8.35 for the two laps.
Back to work tomorrow :-)
YTD - 68k
Not my running of course, just the weather very hot and humid making the training pretty tough
Keeping this real short, Saturday headed out to the running buddies and completed 21k with Robbie and Lee. My first run that has gone above double figures since the C2S in Aug. Happy that I got through it. Felt a little sick in the stomach and had to visit the loo twice along the way but besides that travelled pretty well. Completed it in 1.52.
4.3k today around the bike track near home. Felt relaxed and the legs were quite good considering the long run on Saturday. Completed it in 17.15 - 8.40 then 8.35 for the two laps.
Back to work tomorrow :-)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Slowly but surely
Month - 38 k
YTD - 38 k
I am getting back into the swing of things and have plans to see the week out with a longish run on Saturday in the city.
Anyway keeping this post short I went away for a few days last week and while I was there I managed to complete 2 runs of around 7 k each. An out and back course that proved to be quite difficult due to the proximity to the water and with no trees for shade or shelter from the wind I was buggered by the end of it. I managed to improve my time for the second run by a minute from 30.32 to 29.27.
This morning I decided to head into town and partcipate in a PCRG session. I haven't done speedwork for a quite a long time and while I struggled to maintain my pace due to lack of k's in the legs I managed to remain at the pointy end for 1/2 the session before running out of steam. I am not sure of the distance we covered so I will count it as around 5k for the morning.
This afternoon I headed out for a cruisy run with Sammy in his pram just to get the legs turning over again as they were becoming a little stiff from the earlier session. 2 laps of the local bike track that is marked out in 100m intervals totalling 2.1k per lap. The first lap was 10.13 with the second 9.39, so a pretty comfortable pace.
YTD - 38 k
I am getting back into the swing of things and have plans to see the week out with a longish run on Saturday in the city.
Anyway keeping this post short I went away for a few days last week and while I was there I managed to complete 2 runs of around 7 k each. An out and back course that proved to be quite difficult due to the proximity to the water and with no trees for shade or shelter from the wind I was buggered by the end of it. I managed to improve my time for the second run by a minute from 30.32 to 29.27.
This morning I decided to head into town and partcipate in a PCRG session. I haven't done speedwork for a quite a long time and while I struggled to maintain my pace due to lack of k's in the legs I managed to remain at the pointy end for 1/2 the session before running out of steam. I am not sure of the distance we covered so I will count it as around 5k for the morning.
This afternoon I headed out for a cruisy run with Sammy in his pram just to get the legs turning over again as they were becoming a little stiff from the earlier session. 2 laps of the local bike track that is marked out in 100m intervals totalling 2.1k per lap. The first lap was 10.13 with the second 9.39, so a pretty comfortable pace.
Monday, January 12, 2009
First Post 0f 09
Month - 15 k
YTD - 15 k
4 months since my last post and to be honest I wouldn't have a clue what went on with my training. I did run but not too often and certainly didn't keep a record of what I did or have been doing.
Anyway what has been going on, well Oct through to Dec I was on a course that didn't really give me much time to plan any sort of training or in fact enable me to have much of a life. I did what I could when I got the chance which maintained an average level of fitness but nothing to talk about.
When I returned I had about 3 weeks of work left prior to starting my Xmas holidays. Work was busier than ever but I always made time to get some sort of training under the belt before startng the mundane stuff.
During this month I also looked around at getting my bike repaired, the gears have been playing up for a while so I enquired about replacing them. After I was told $800+ I decided that I would
look at the cost of a new machine. After a long deliberation I bought the same bike I already have just 10 years newer, a 09 Avanti Giro. The reason for this purchase is that one of my goals ths year is to compete in some triathlons. I have done a few smaller ones organised by my work over the years but have decided to take the plunge and actually compete in an event with the public.....scary.
I was considering Noosa but the hype of that event has made it quite expensive to enter and although it will be a tough event I have no issue in riding or running 40 and 10 k respectively. The swim is my downfall and for Noosa it is 1500m....Daunting however in true Shane fashion I have set my sights on something that is probably unrealistic but the component that I most uncomfortable with the swim is only 1900m, 400m extra. You may have guessed it but my goal next year is to complete a Half Ironman Triathlon, sounds alot more prestigious hey! I am pretty sure it will be the GC as it usually runs in October giving me plenty of time to train and or chicken out. It will also be what I think be my last few months in SE Qld aswell as I will probably be moving at the years end due to my work, which is the added incentive on making the startline whilst I am near the event.
Continuing on, after begining my Xmas leave on the 19 Dec, I spent Xmas at home with my family before leaving little Sammy with my mum and setting Sail on the Pacific Dawn cruise ship from Sydney with my wife for 12 nights in the South Pacific. Great time, plenty of food, drinks, relaxing and snorkling and not much else. I managed to squeeze in one 5 k run on the treadmill whilst we were travelling between islands which is tricky at times due to the rocking of the boat and one session whilst we were anchored of another 5k which was alot easier.
I returned home last thursday 3 kg heavier and went for my first run on Saturday of 4.5 k in 19 mins and another 5.5 k in about 23 mins on Sunday. I am still managing to maintain close to 4 min pace over these distances but not too comfortably but hey its a start.
I have a few things is the pipeline this year different to any other year in regards to some events. The triathlon I have already spoke about but I am also a member of a 4 person team competing in the Kokoda Challenge event in the GC hinterland. 96km walk through the hills and trails of the area replicating as close as possible the Kokoda Track in PNG. A charity event were every member of the team walks the entire distance, so that will be a tough one. The only other event I plan on like every year is Warwick, hopefully I am around to again compete in this event, this year will be my 5th consective one that I would have completed all 5 races, so I will be entering the hall of fame :-)
Anyway that's all for now I have another 2 weeks off work but have a few things this week that will prohibit me training with the running groups I never see anymore and have probably disowned me :-( but I will endeavour to make a few sessions leading up to the Australia Day long weekend before heading back to work on the 27 Jan.
Peace out
YTD - 15 k
4 months since my last post and to be honest I wouldn't have a clue what went on with my training. I did run but not too often and certainly didn't keep a record of what I did or have been doing.
Anyway what has been going on, well Oct through to Dec I was on a course that didn't really give me much time to plan any sort of training or in fact enable me to have much of a life. I did what I could when I got the chance which maintained an average level of fitness but nothing to talk about.
When I returned I had about 3 weeks of work left prior to starting my Xmas holidays. Work was busier than ever but I always made time to get some sort of training under the belt before startng the mundane stuff.
During this month I also looked around at getting my bike repaired, the gears have been playing up for a while so I enquired about replacing them. After I was told $800+ I decided that I would
look at the cost of a new machine. After a long deliberation I bought the same bike I already have just 10 years newer, a 09 Avanti Giro. The reason for this purchase is that one of my goals ths year is to compete in some triathlons. I have done a few smaller ones organised by my work over the years but have decided to take the plunge and actually compete in an event with the public.....scary.
I was considering Noosa but the hype of that event has made it quite expensive to enter and although it will be a tough event I have no issue in riding or running 40 and 10 k respectively. The swim is my downfall and for Noosa it is 1500m....Daunting however in true Shane fashion I have set my sights on something that is probably unrealistic but the component that I most uncomfortable with the swim is only 1900m, 400m extra. You may have guessed it but my goal next year is to complete a Half Ironman Triathlon, sounds alot more prestigious hey! I am pretty sure it will be the GC as it usually runs in October giving me plenty of time to train and or chicken out. It will also be what I think be my last few months in SE Qld aswell as I will probably be moving at the years end due to my work, which is the added incentive on making the startline whilst I am near the event.
Continuing on, after begining my Xmas leave on the 19 Dec, I spent Xmas at home with my family before leaving little Sammy with my mum and setting Sail on the Pacific Dawn cruise ship from Sydney with my wife for 12 nights in the South Pacific. Great time, plenty of food, drinks, relaxing and snorkling and not much else. I managed to squeeze in one 5 k run on the treadmill whilst we were travelling between islands which is tricky at times due to the rocking of the boat and one session whilst we were anchored of another 5k which was alot easier.
I returned home last thursday 3 kg heavier and went for my first run on Saturday of 4.5 k in 19 mins and another 5.5 k in about 23 mins on Sunday. I am still managing to maintain close to 4 min pace over these distances but not too comfortably but hey its a start.
I have a few things is the pipeline this year different to any other year in regards to some events. The triathlon I have already spoke about but I am also a member of a 4 person team competing in the Kokoda Challenge event in the GC hinterland. 96km walk through the hills and trails of the area replicating as close as possible the Kokoda Track in PNG. A charity event were every member of the team walks the entire distance, so that will be a tough one. The only other event I plan on like every year is Warwick, hopefully I am around to again compete in this event, this year will be my 5th consective one that I would have completed all 5 races, so I will be entering the hall of fame :-)
Anyway that's all for now I have another 2 weeks off work but have a few things this week that will prohibit me training with the running groups I never see anymore and have probably disowned me :-( but I will endeavour to make a few sessions leading up to the Australia Day long weekend before heading back to work on the 27 Jan.
Peace out
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