Wednesday morning - 15km steady

Felt flat again this morning. Really struggled to get this one completed, even at the recommended slower pace that I have been told to run. Might be time for a blood test. Heart rate was still at a steady 37 beats per minute before getting out of bed, but unfortunately the legs feel inflamed.

Tuesday session - another failed attempt

Felt better this morning compared with last week. Ran up to North Head, started the Mona Fartlek, holding a pretty decent pace for the first 90/90. After this however, pace was still ok, just wasn't feeling it at all in my head. Pressed on until the end of the first 60 second effort and called it a day. I am still unsure whether or not this was the right call, but thought to err on the side of caution given my last week. Slowly jogged home via the trails around North Head for around about 50 minutes running all up. I plan for a repeat of yesterday's 15km steady (4:30 pace) tomorrow, then will have another attempt at Deek's session on Thursday. I am really hoping that today is the last of this lingering fatigue that definitely was not foreseen. Need to make a decision over the next few days regarding C2S - at this stage I can't see it happening.

Monday morning run - 15km steady with hill sprints

Got back into it this morning after numerous aborted attempts post-Gold Coast Half Marathon. Was advised by coach Sean Williams to back off the pace on my Monday and Wednesday runs. Took his suggestion and ran roughly 4:10's for the flat 15km this morning. Felt better and more comfortable running slightly slower than usual. Mixed it up a bit at the end by going to Queenscliff headland and running 4 hill repeats, 8 seconds all out with a walk down recovery. The rationale here is to activate a greater number of muscle fibres per contraction via the injection of some speed and specific strength work.

Saturday morning - differential diagnosis

Probably should've stayed in bed this morning. Instead, I went to Centennial Park, did a lap of the white fence as a warm up, then attempted the 6km TT. Got through the first km in 3:09, but just didn't have that drive to keep pushing. Decided to stop over the next 500m and walk over to chat to Sean. Could've kept going, albeit at around 3:20-25 pace, but considered the consequences as I am clearly suffering a bout of overtraining. Continuing at a sub-par pace would simply have prolonged the length of my subsequent rest period coming up. Sean suggested a blood test, possibly anaemia, or virus were thrown out as suggestions? I've had anaemia before (twice actually, it's not fun), and I know that it is NOT that this time around. I had a mild cold earlier in the week, but not enough to really knock me around to this degree. I am adament that it is simply a case of too much intensity with a moderately high mileage for too long, combined with two hard races - which has just tipped me over the edge slightly. This would be my fourth bout of OTS this year, so am confident with a few days R&R I will be back with vengeance.

Friday morning - DNF recovery run

I've overcome progressively worsening fatigue over the past week (see yesterday's run), and was in two minds whether to run this morning. Took my heart rate before getting out of bed (they say that if your normal resting heart rate is 10 bpm higher than normal, then you need a day of rest), but this was a normal 37 for me. Put the shoes on and strolled outside. 10 minutes into it I didn't feel any better, so turned around and walked home. I could have gone for the normal 10km, but really didn't see any value in it. I will take it easy for the rest of today, head out to Centennial Park tomorrow and see how I feel after warming up tomorrow. I have had way too much experience in these situations before that it doesn't scare the hell out of me like it did in the past.

Thursday session - Deek's Quarters

Pathetic - that's the one and only word that I will use to describe this morning's session. Even worse than Tuesday's ordinary effort. It was just like as if my subconscious mind would not let me run above a certain pace (Tim Noakes' Central Governor Theory of Fatigue perhaps)? Determined to finish the session, which I did - shouldn't have looked at my time. A PW of 15:51 summed up an ordinary run. Jogged back home for a 17km run all up. Feeling flat all over now. Easy tomorrow, before attempting a 6km TT on Saturday at Centennial Park.

Wednesday morning - Medium long run (20km)

4 laps of the Queenscliff to Shelly Beach and return loop on a balmy 11 degree morning with a nice but unusual north easterly wind. Felt flat during the first 5km, but ended up coming good at about 10km, finishing relatively strongly in approximately 1 hour 16 minutes. Highlight of a relatively boring run was seeing both Tom and Justin early on, hopefully the former is getting on top of his recent flu. At least my throat was better this morning, however it has now progressed to a blocked nose.

Tuesday session - Mona Fartlek

Sore throat, sore hamstrings, and a non-compliant body this morning. Thought about pulling the pin once again, but convinced myself to simply go through the motions. Went out there and completed the session. Really felt sluggish during the floats, and in fact felt that my pace was way off that getting to the 6km mark would be an achievement. Finished the session with 6.05km all up - definitely not my best, but glad I stuck it out this morning. First time completing the session in 3 weeks, so a slight shock to the system. Went through with my normal extended cool down, getting 17km into my legs for a solid, albeit slower than usual Tuesday morning run.

Monday morning run - 15km steady

Hamstrings felt sore this morning. Took a good 5km lap to warm-up and settle into a comfortable rhythm. From then on the run felt good. 15km in under 57 minutes. Sunrise hidden by the clouds this morning!

Sunday morning long run - 30km

First long run of 30km in 4 weeks. I didn't miss it! Fairly cold this morning, but once again the bureau of meteorology's prediction of rain failed to eventuate - paving the way for clear skies and a nice sunrise. As always, no watch - preferring to run on feel. Got the 30km out in approximately 1 hour 58 minutes. Good to get some hills back into the program after essentially a two week absence. Timing couldn't be better three weeks out from the City2Surf. Great surf with an offshore wind took my mind off the monotonous task of running. Happy with a solid weekend of training! I think I well and truly burnt off that Neopolatin pizza from DeVita in Manly last night (proper, authentic Italian pizza - no pineapple in sight, which is the way it should be)!

Saturday session - 10km threshold run at Centennial Park

Back with the squad at Centennial Park for the first time in three weeks this morning. A threshold run was on the cards, and wasn't too sure how this would pan out. Undecided on whether to run 8km, 10km, or 12km - the latter the least likely on the back of the past few weeks. Held 3:19min/km pace right from the get go on what was a muddy at times 1km loop of Moore Park. Managed the hold the pace the entire distance, which I was very happy with - although each passing lap become progressively more intense. However, never to the point where I was absolutely going all out. Settled with 10km in the end, crossing in 33:13. Funny, only 1 second slower than what I raced a week ago! Felt much more comfortable though. Somewhat surprised with the pace today, as this is the best average pace I have ever managed to hold for an entire 10km threshold on the Moore Park loop. 18km session all up with a white fence lap both before and after. Will back up tomorrow for my first 30km long run since mid June! Bring it on!!!

Thursday run - 10km really easy

I felt like Alberto Contador this morning. I sympathise with him in his attempts to back up at this year's Le Tour after winning the Giro! Well, perhaps that Gold Coast Half Marathon and the Sydney Harbour 10km are not quite in the same league, but you get my jest. My planned session of Deek's Quarters was swiftly replaced with an easy 10km run instead. Glad I did, as that honestly felt like a struggle in itself. Tom was my saviour as I saw him running towards Shelly Beach when I was returning, so turned around and ran with him for about 5km. It was great to catch up and have a chat. Decided to take the full day off tomorrow, hopefully schedule a massage in, and return to the squad at Centennial Park on Saturday morning nice and fresh and ready to fire!

Wednesday run - 15km steady

This would usually be 20km, but coach Sean Williams recommended an hour instead. Got to listen to the coach, and glad I did as I am still feeling some fatigue on the back of the past two races. Nice and cold this morning. Pace was actually half descent, despite kind of holding back - just under 57 minutes for the 3 laps. Rest up today, and will attempt Deek's Quarters tomorrow - very much unsure how that will go down!

Tuesday morning run - aborted Mona Fartlek

Was in two minds this morning - do I listen to my body or my mind? I initially went with the latter, lining up to start my usual Tuesday morning Mona Fartlek session. Doubts started crawling in my mind at the start of the second 90 second effort, and it was at this point that these thoughts got the better of me. I stopped, jogged through the trails around North Head and slowly made my way back home. I feel soft and annoyed at myself for pulling the pin, but I really want to ensure that I finally get on top of my years of neglecting recovery! After two solid weekends of racing, I knew deep down that I shouldn't be attempting anything speed related until at the absolute earliest Thursday. Nevertheless, it was nice to see a different aspect of North Head, as I had shamefully never really explored its trails. Easy days ahead, may attempt Deek's Quarters on Thursday depending on how I pull up.

Monday morning run - 15km steady

Straight back into it this morning. Wet, cold and slightly windy - definitely not desirable conditions. Didn't feel too sore following yesterday, although I am still not sure how I will fare in tomorrow's session, as the speed seems to still be recovering following the Gold Coast Half. Got out three laps of my usual Queenscliff to Shelly Beach and return loop. Held roughly 18:30 minutes for each lap, but wasn't really pushing too deep. Quentin joined me for about 500m or so as we crossed paths towards the end of his run. He had a solid race yesterday! All up, 15km this morning in around about 56 minutes.

Sydney Harbour 10km

Not the result I was looking for! Stubborn or stupid? Probably a mixture of both. Most of those who raced last Sunday were smart enough not to attempt backing up again a week later. Neil, Hoey, Tom, Alex, Macca, amongst many others were wise. Barts and I, however, rolled the dice and probably are both regretting it now. The funny thing was that I actually didn't feel too bad warming up and when the gun went off. My race plan was simply to stay with Barts, given that he was the low-32 minute runner! Got into a back consisting of Quentin, two others and Madeline Heiner - with Michael Shelley, Ben St Lawrence, Vlad, and another guy all out in front. The first few km's were nothing special, holding around 3:16min/km pace. We were exposed to quite a strong headwind upon turning under the Harbour Bridge, which certainly didn't help. At about the 3km mark, Madeline decided the pace was too slow, so made a break. This was make or break for me, so I decided to go with her. Held on and broke from the others. However, I realised that this was a mistake at around the 6km mark, as I started to really drop the pace. I was in no-man's land. I had a very lonely run down Hickson St into a massive headwind, where Quentin and another two guys came past. Quentin told me to hang on, but I had nothing. A dispirited final few km's before crossing the line in my second fastest 10km time ever - 33:12. Very mixed emotions regarding the outcome. On one hand, backing up from the Gold Coast Half Marathon a week earlier was never going to be easy, so all in all, I can't be too disappointed. Furthermore, it is my second fastest time ever for 10km. However, my first 10km of last weekend's race was only 3 seconds slower than today's race. Again, given my half marathon time of 70:18, I really should be able to get at least a very low 32 minute 10km in the bag - and really should consider a sub-32 in the very near future. Unfortunately today was not the day. Oh well, running is full of ups and downs, and after experiencing the highest of highs last weekend, I will take on the new motivation and push myself to new limits! Next up will be City2Surf in 4 weeks (and maybe a Striders race), followed by the Blackmore's Half before the big one - Melbourne Half Marathon where I will aim for 19 seconds faster than last weekend!

Friday morning run - 15km steady

Probably ran this a little too fast this morning. After holding back all week (admittedly, the first few days is realistically all I could have managed anyway), it was nice to finally hit some moderate distance this morning. Headed out for my normal laps of Queenscliff to Shelly Beach and return, totally 3 laps for 15km. Like always, I didn't wear my watch, so ran on feel. Got back in just under 54 minutes - which is way too quick for a recovery run! Oh well, it didn't feel too hard at all. Got a massage planned for today, and a rest day scheduled for tomorrow. I have no idea how I will pull up for Sunday, but certainly this morning's run helps with the confidence somewhat.

Thursday session - Half Mona Fartlek

First hit of speed work since Sunday, albeit half the normal quantity. Felt pretty good this morning, which was nice. Each day has felt progressively easier, reinforcing the significance of taking my recovery more seriously. The format for today's session was the traditional Mona Fartlek session, but cut in half. That equated to 1 x 90 seconds hard, 90 seconds float, 2 x 60 seconds hard, 60 seconds float, 2 x 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds float, 2 x 15 seconds hard, 15 seconds float. 10 minutes of fartlek all up, but trying to run roughly the same pace as I would for the complete session (in other words, hold back a bit). Got this down to the line, with 3.07km run averaging 3.15min/km. Admittedly, I felt like I wasn't giving it everything at all, especially from about the halfway mark onwards - I took the floats slightly slower than normal. Glad to have done the run, which will sharpen myself up for Sunday's race. A very easy run back home of about 4km, totalling approximately 10km all up. This will be by far my smallest week of mileage in a long, long time.

Wednesday morning - home sweet home

Another easy 30 minutes this morning. Returned home from the Gold Coast last night to some colder and wet conditions. The rain held off this morning, and after a slight sleep in I got out there and pounded the pavement for a lap and a half. Feeling better each day, but still some lingering fatigue. Will attempt some short speed tomorrow before backing it off again in the lead up to Sunday.

Tuesday morning - still in recovery mode

The Gold Coast turned on another stunning winters morning once again. A balmy 12 degrees Celcius with a slight offshore wind. 30 minutes easy today, so headed north from Broadbeach for 15 minutes, getting comfortably past Surfer's Paradise before returning home for the back half. Felt much better today, although still far from 100%. Looking forward to heading down to Byron Bay and enjoying my last day up here on the Gold Coast before returning back to reality tomorrow!

Monday morning recovery

The last missing piece of my newly reformed training methods is the 'recovery.' It's a term that I have stubbornly neglected all throughout my athletic life, and in hindsight, has definitely been my biggest downfall. In an attempt to address this issue, I contacted my coach Sean Williams after the race yesterday to get his advise regarding recovery for the following week - especially with regards to backing up for the Sydnet Harbour 10km next Sunday. It goes without saying that the following week's worth of training is going to look fundamentally different to my previous posts.

Today was simply 20 minutes easy. In all honesty, that is all my body could really handle. Still up here on the Gold Coast, I was treated to another magical morning. Ran easily down south from Kurrawa for 10 minutes and returning. Didn't sleep at all last night, must have been the endorphins from yesterday race.

Gold Coast Half Marathon

Definitely not 'gentleman's hours' getting up this morning at 4am! Grabbed a quick homemade coffee, headed out for the light rail and made my way to the start line in the darkness of the night. Got up to Southport at around 5am, and jogged around nervously for about 20 minutes. Did some intermittent strides throughout the remaining 40 minutes. Unfortunately I missed out on the seeded start group due to some admin errors (I did have the qualifying time), so wanted to make sure I could start at the very front of the preferred group. In the end, the only disadvantage was that I wasn't able to do some last minute strides, having had to line up from 5:50am onwards.

The gun went off at 6:00am on the dot. Didn't realise that Barts was racing, so quickly got onto his and Alex Roger's shoulders, and really just bludged off the two of them for the first 2-3km. Looking around, we had a massive group - including 3 or 4 leading females, and we're holding a steady 3:18-19 min/km pace. Barts made a slight comment in jest along the lines of 'don't be scared to do some work.' Not long after, up and coming Canberra runner Kenn Gibson did a lot of the peacemaking, bringing us through the 10km mark in my second fastest time ever over that distance - 33:15. I took turns with him in the lead of the pack until about 12km, when he started to hurt. At this stage, no one was particularly keen to work up front, so myself and Neil Pearson took the initiative to out in some hard yards, trying to ensure that the pace didn't die too much. This was perhaps a bit of a mistake, as I essentially led the group all the way up to around 18.5km. Eloise started surging after this, as I really began to feel the hydrogen ions accumulating in the legs - something that did not happen during the SMH. I panicked slightly, but then remembered to relax, think about my form, ensure that I didn't begin to over stride, and to maintain a fast turn over. This helped immensely, and it wasn't until the final km that Eloise and another guy started to gap me. A few hundred metres later and Barts came past. I sat on him until about 250m to go. I was absolutely gone. My form completely fell apart. Didn't bother me too much, as at this stage I could see the time - and it was going to be gold. Alex came past me in the final 50m - would have loved to have stayed ahead but he was fresher! Nevertheless, crossed the line in 70:18, so was absolutely over the moon! Got under the 70:30 that coach Sean Williams ambitiously set for me. I wasn't sure whether it was attainable, but proved that wrong today. Looking back at my splits, my second 10km from 10 to 20km was my third fastest ever! Didn't really drop the pace at all, so great run all round.

Fantastic to see both Michael Ho and Tom Highnam run past at the 28km mark of their marathons. Huge PB by Hoey with a mind-blowing 2:30:15, and a great effort by Tom with a PB of 2:33 in some tougher warm conditions than we faced in the early hours of this morning.

Now time to celebrate, reflect, and recharge for the Sydney Harbour 10km next Sunday morning. Will consult coach Sean Williams regarding training this week, as I might have to make some tweaks to both recover and taper once again. Sub-70 half marathon for Melbourne might be the next aim!

Friday run - 10km easy

Early start this morning - running in darkness the whole way. 10km very easy along the beachfront. Home for breakfast and off to the airport. No more runs until race day!

Thursday session - Half Deek's quarters (aka Deek's eighth's)

Happy days yesterday when my massage therapist called me up injured. This called for a treatment swap. I looked after his ankle while he got me ready for the Gold Coast Half Marathon this Sunday. It's always tough running the next day, and today was no exception. Except that this time it wasn't a sluggish feeling as if you have been run over by a truck numerous times, it was more as if my central nervous system had slightly forgotten how to execute the movement pattern of running. Not to worry, as today only called for some fun speed work, which was simply 8x200m hard with a 100m float. Didn't go all out, holding back but feeling in control. Averaged 3:14 min/km all up, but could have gone much faster if I had to. Ran straight back home for an approximately 10km easy run all up.

Wednesday morning run - 15km steady

One lap less than usual today. 15km steady at just under 4:00 min/km pace. The first lap felt ordinary, but came good after about 6-7km - could definitely feel the legs after yesterday's hard session. Saw Tom - looking relaxed and comfortable - at the start of my final lap, and essentially felt fine from then onwards. Nothing too exciting or special than that, just the dreaded taper period.