Monday morning recovery - 15km easy + 5 x 100m strides

Felt better than usual this morning following the long run of the previous day. Heart rate monitor went into spasm today, so only got intermittent readings. I now trust myself effort-wise, so held a consistent and very comfortable pace. Ended up averaging 4:24 min/km pace. Finished off with some strides on the grass.

Sunday long run - 30km

Fueled to the brim and ready to rock n roll this morning. Not really, but after another awesome Ethiopian dinner last night, 30km didn't seem as daunting. Arguably ran it too fast, but didn't strain too much. Kept the heart rate within the designated 'aerobic' zone. Got the run done a second shy of 115 minutes, averaging 3:50 min/km pace. Again, hammered the final km home in 3:16. Beautiful conditions with not a cloud in the sky, 8 degrees Celcius and a very slight south westerly wind. Surf looking amazing as usual. I doubt there will be many more of these 'perfect running conditions' days this year, with spring just a few days away. Dreading the humidity of summer, but not the surf temperature.

Saturday session - 4 x 2km (slightly longer) on a 9:30 cycle (am) + 8km recovery (pm)

I love the Saturday session with the squad, and this is probably my favourite session on the four week cycle. Similar to last week, our traditional 1km loop was slightly compromised, making it further than 1000m. A good turnout today with Harry Summers and Matt Hudson setting the pace out front, and Ben St. Lawrence on the side lines post surgery. The key to this session is consistency (as I have found out the hard way) - you sort of need to go in with mindset of making it somewhat progressive. The fourth rep well and truly ensures that you cannot take each rep at goal 5km pace! (3 reps would even be pushing it). Quite wet and heavy underfoot today thanks to an overnight dew. Was happy with the reps today, most consistent I have been in this session with 6:29, 6:24, 6:24 and 6:28. Again, slightly over 2km (how far depends on who's GPS you want to believe), but effort wise it was spot on - and the gap between myself and Matt & Harry was no greater than usual. Joined the two of them along with Hamish & Damien for a cooldown, 17km all up.

8km easy this afternoon, 4:37 min/km pace averaging 120 beats per minute.

Friday recovery run - 10km easy

Felt better today than this time last Friday. Hopefully I am adapting to the increased mileage. 10km at 4:31 min/km pace, averaging 126 bpm. Another amazing morning, great surf looking even more spectacular with a nice offshore wind. Wish I wasn't so rubbish at surfing (and could last longer than 10 seconds in the ocean before becoming hypothermic)!

Thursday session - Deek's Quarters (am) + 8km recovery

Happy days, feeling better again this morning. Really have had to adjust to the extra mileage by ensuring I get enough kilojoules throughout the day. I well and truly made sure that this was the case last night via an abundance of couscous (couscous aux sept legume to be precise - homemade of course, and yes, there are plenty of left overs)! Got the session completed in 15:28, fastest since pre-Gold Coast, and only the third time ever under 15:30. Ran a solid 9.2km cooldown for 17km all up. Another easy 8km is planned between clients this afternoon.

8km recovery this afternoon in 37:19, 4:40 min/km pace.

Wednesday medium long run (20km) + 5 x 100m strides

It was actually warm and humid this morning. I was actually sweating in my t-shirt - that hasn't happened since about February, and it's still winter! 20km nice and controlled, averaging 129 beats per minute at 4:24 min/km pace. Reverted back to doing my strides on the grass today - a bit uneven but I seem to pull up better the next day compared to when I do them on the concrete.

Tuesday session - Mona Fartlek (am) + 8km recovery (pm)

Wasn't feeling it at all this morning! At least the forecast was wrong (once again). Went to bed last night bracing for torrential downpours and gale force winds, which luckily never eventuated. Although it was bloody windy up at North Head as per usual. Glad to get the session done and dusted, although do not have complete faith in the GPS today, as it read my warmup distance and cool down distances as less than usual, putting my somewhat lacklustre 6.05km for the session into doubt (thank god). I know for certain that I did not get as far as last week's effort, but was only slightly off - not 70m. Oh well! 17km all up. Will get out again this afternoon for an easy effort. Hopefully the wind will die down and rain will hold off!

8km easy this afternoon, averaging 119 bpm at 4:33 min/km pace.

Monday morning run - 15km easy + 5 x 100m strides

15km recovery run this morning, dodging the predicted rain. Felt better with each 5km lap, averaging 4:27 min/km pace. Kept the heart rate in check ensuring it did not leave the designated 'easy' zone, averaging 128 beats per minute. Finished off with some strides to keep the legs stimulated, ready for another hard hit out tomorrow.

Sunday long run - 30km

Up an hour earlier today, as the local fun run - the Pub2Pub, decided it wanted to race on my long run course! All good, as I got home an hour earlier (funny that)! Pretty miserable, with the biggest downpour coming about 2km into the run. No wind, so apart from a few puddles here and there, great conditions for a long run. Typical course from my place (North Steyne), south to Shelly Beach, then north for 15km up to Turrimetta headland, before turning around for the final 13km stretch back home. Felt great today (must have been the Jerk Grill from JamTown in Manly last night, which I strongly recommend for those who haven't been there), finishing a whole minute quicker than last week in 1 hour, 57 minutes and 3 seconds, averaging 3:54 min/km pace. The heart rate was mostly consistent, with a few brief periods of dropping to below 100 beats per minute, but generally tried to keep it in the aerobic zone at around 140 bpm, with a few spikes in the threshold zone above 154 bpm on the uphills and the last km, which I got out in 3:18. It will be interesting to see how I pull up later today and tomorrow, as last week was a struggle - but that was following a solid hills session the day before.

Saturday session - 6km TT at Moore Park (am) + 8km recovery (pm)

Not feeling the best today after going to a wedding yesterday. I don't drink alcohol, nor do I eat any processed sugar - so imagine how I felt waking up this morning after three helpings of wedding cake (fine dining is lovely, pity about the serving sizes) and two or three (potentially more, they keep refilling my glass) glasses of champagne. Warm up around the white fence felt average, as did a few strides. Sean has just tweaked the program in recent weeks, with the traditional 6km TT being upgraded to 8km. Wasn't in the head space for that many laps today! A slightly modified course due to construction work saw the traditional 1km Moore Park loop blowing out by nearly 50m, which definitely adds up lap after lap. Nonetheless, went out and was pleasantly surprised with the first two laps holding 3:12 min/km pace. Even more surprising was 3:10 min/km laps for 3 and 4. At this point, my mind is debating whether or not to stick with 6 or pursue 8. A sneaky high 3:08 for the 5th km led me to decide that 6km was going to be a PB, so went with this school of thought, punching out one last 3:08 to finish with a net average of 3:10 min/km pace. Watched on as most others went on for another 2 laps. Always question whether I should have done that, but given my history of not knowing when to stop, it is probably for the better. A lap of the white fence with Dean, Mitch and Moira - about 14km all up. Another 8km easy this afternoon is on the cards - as is a serious sugar and alcohol detox! A quick dip in the ocean now though - got to make the most of the forecast 27 degrees today before a week of wet weather predicted ahead!

Chaos out there this afternoon, with everyone coming out of the woodworks to enjoy this unusually warm weather. Ran straight into a lady with a dog who couldn't obviously read the 'keep to the left' signs every 2m, and a very aggressive dog owner who's dog decided to do a random sharp ninety degree turn to the right the moment I was running past. As to be expected, my leg swinging leg went straight into the poor dog's head - to which the owner went ballistic! Nevertheless, 8km very comfortable (effort-wise, not stress-wise), averaging a heart rate of 123 beat per minute, 4:35 min/km pace.

Friday easy run - 10km

10km on an absolutely stunning morning. Kept the heart rate below 130 bpm, averaging 4:37 min/km. 152km all up for the week.

Thursday session - Deek's Quarters (am) + 8km recovery (pm)

8 x 400m with 200m float recovery. Typical Thursday session, but have not had much luck with this run since pre-Gold Coast. Today was significantly faster than anything I have run since, getting around in a total time of 15:34. Whilst not a PB, I am over the moon that I can now see some progress following a few weeks of constant poor performances. 17km all up including warm-up and cool-down. Living the new watch, although still having some intermittent random readings with the heart rate, although nowhere near as frequently as last week when I first started wearing it. Nevertheless, it's really reinforced to me just how slow 'easy' and 'recovery' paces are actually meant to be! Aim to get out for another 8km recovery run later today after work. That will bring me up to a grand total of 142km since Saturday, with 11km still to come tomorrow. Biggest week of running since January in Jindabyne!

8km ridiculously slow this afternoon, 4:59 min/km pace. Easy and fun! Incredible sunset!

Wednesday medium long run - 20km + 5 x 100m strides

Another session listening to my heart rate proved once again that I had been previously running my 'non-session' runs far too fast. Kept it within the designated easy zone this morning, averaging 4:23 min/km pace - some 30 seconds per km slower than usual. Obviously this adds up, making the entire run 10 minutes slower than usual (something I need to consider now when setting my alarm the night before). Finished off once again with some strides at the end. Once again, felt better as the run progressed - always a positive sign.

Tuesday session - Mona Fartlek (am) + 8km recovery (pm)

Finally starting to make progress again. Felt good this morning warming up, and knew that I was going to be in for a half descent session. Realised that I had been making the mistake of going out far too hard on both my Tuesday and Thursday sessions - for example, it not unusual to complete the first effort at 2:45 min/km pace. No wonder I was dreading these sessions, they hurt like hell!!! Backed off to 3:00 min/km pace, and although still not easy, it made a world of difference to the rest of the session. The wind was up once again, rendering a PB out of the question. Nevertheless, I got out 6.10km for the session - so extremely satisfied. Best effort since pre-Gold Coast. Nice and steady cool down (this time my pace was secondary to my heart rate, meaning a 4:09 min/km as opposed to around 3:55). 17km all up, and planning another 8km recovery this afternoon.

On a not so good note, some dickhead stole my long sleeve top. I always warm-up to North Head with it on, take it off and place it on the ground next to the start line. I've been doing this all winter. It's a ghost town up there this time of day and year, so it never crossed my mind that someone would take it. To make matters worse, it was my nice (and expensive) 2XU top. Oh well, shit happens!

8km very easy this afternoon, averaging 4:47 min/km. 115 bpm = nice and easy!

15km easy + 5 x 100m strides

Finally sucked up the courage to actually run easier than normal. Set out with the heart rate monitor to ensure that I stayed within the 'easy' zone, in other words not exceeding 133 bpm. Averaged 4:21 min/km, which is substantially slower than a typical Monday morning for me. Kept the heart rate nice and low, averaging 128 bpm. Nice and controlled, easy and relaxed. Just what I needed following a solid weekend of running. Finished off with 5 repetitions of 100m strides on the grassy area adjacent to the beach. Was going to go barefoot but the ground was slightly soggy after the random downpour of rain late last night.

Sunday long run - 30km steady

First long run with the heart rate monitor and GPS. Definitely helped break up the boredom and monotony of the session. Normal route from my place, up to Shelly Beach, then 15km north to Turrimetta headland, before turning for the final 13km stretch home. Interestingly, my former run was about 300m shy of 30km, so had to turn down Malvern St to get the full 30km. Heart rate monitor was perfect today - averaging 143 bpm, with any rises into the threshold zone corresponding with the hills. Better still, it pretty much matched my perceived level of exertion the whole way. Finished in 1:58 on the dot, averaging 3:56 min/km. The last km was the fastest in 3:26. Beautiful day to be running, considering going for a quick swim in the ocean (probably won't - I'm soft)!

I reckon that excellent double helping of Ethiopian cuisine at A Taste Of Ethiopia in Moore Park's Entertainment Quarter last night definitely contributed towards feeling great this morning. Great turn out to with Michael, Lorrie, Brad, Nicola, Harry, Nikki and Barry. Highlight of the night was Barry asking the waitress for her phone number - to which she reacted by getting his number instead.

Saturday session - Mt. Steele hill repeats + 8km recovery run

Brand new session this morning with Sean Williams. Out across the road to Moore Park we were introduced to a rather intimidating hill called Mt. Steele. 20 repeats of 200m - about 80m of which was a flat run up. All on a 2 minute cycle. Made the session progressive, as I was venturing into the unknown. Got through it ok, but a very different pain to what I am usually accustomed to. Real strength based more than a strong cardiovascular stimulus, although the heart rate was high at the conclusion of each rep. Quick jog back down generally left me with a solid 15 seconds of rest prior to the next repeat. It's actually more of a psychological beating to convince yourself to complete a whole 20 repetitions, which is not a small number. I think I averaged anywhere between low to high 40's for each climb. Finally worked out after another malfunction with the heart rate monitor during the warm up (where I maxed out at 206 bpm!) that tightening the band an extra notch made all the difference. Analysing the heart rate data post session showed a beautiful display of spikes and plateaus throughout the session, and a rather flat consistent line in the cool-down. All up, just shy of 18km including a warm up and cool down. Might even try a double today with a very easy 8km this afternoon!

Very easy 8km along the promenade this afternoon in 38:12, holding 4:46 min/km pace.

Friday recovery run - 10km

Running is a cheap sport, relatively speaking. Expenditures include shoes (in my case, probably about one new pair every few years), entry fees (thanks Fairfax - I love donating my hard earned to a big newspaper company), and once every blue moon (in my case, twice now) a fancy new gadget. Tested out the brand new Garmin Forerunner 225 this morning. I got it primarily due to the optical sensors heart rate monitor (I have always hated wearing a strap around my chest - hence the appeal), more in an attempt to ensure that my easy days are in fact 'easy' enough. While the distance and cadence seemed accurate, unfortunately the same could not be said for the heart rate. Averaging 146 bpm (which seems fair), the range it fluctuated through in the final 4km was absolute 'B.S.' One minute I was 98 bpm and getting informed that I was in the 'warm-up' zone, the next minute I was maxing out at 192 bpm. This was despite no change in pace nor perceived effort! The marvels of modern technology. I will try it again tomorrow, perhaps with the strap tighter again (although it is currently tight enough to cut of my circulation!). Nevertheless, 10km in 43:02, averaging 4:18 min/km (which is slow for me) - but the key to the run was that I now feel much better then before I started, the essence of a recovery run. Looking forward to a brand new session at Centennial Park tomorrow morning - 20 x 200m hill reps on a 2:00 cycle. The lucky hill is Mt Steele in Moore Park. Bring it on!!!

Thursday sessio. - Deek's Quarters

A quick look at the overall time today reveals a PW (personal worst). But a quick peek at the conditions this morning would suggest that anything else would have been a miracle. Despite beautiful clear skies, a strong consistent westerly hammered the open and exposed North Head loop that I train on. They always say that you never ever gain back in a tailwind what you loose in a headwind. All up, a slow 15:55 was all I could manage this morning. Even the 9.2km cool down back home was a few seconds per km slower than usual. Admittedly, I didn't feel great this morning (a rough night sleep in light of all the other things going on in my life at the moment), but not so bad to explain these paces without the effect of the wind. Will debut the new Garmin Forerunner 225 tomorrow- will be an eye opener I think regarding how much easier I will likely have to run on my easy/steady runs.

Wednesday morning run - 20km steady

It took a good 5km or so to get into the rhythm this morning. Actually, I was surprised to feel slightly above average, as I was absolutely wrecked all day yesterday following the Mona Fartlek session! Got through each 5km lap in around 19 minutes, so around 76 minutes all up. Another beautiful morning, although a strong north-westerly wind made things tough each lap heading towards Queenscliff SLSC. Debating whether to go and purchase a new GPS? I hate heart rate monitors due to the constrictive feeling the strap imposes around my chest. To solve this, Garmin has just realised the new Forerunner 225 which uses optical technology to measure your heart rate via your wrist. I am currently running with an old school Forerunner 410, a 2010 model built back in the days before Garmin Connect or any of that fancy new stuff! Tempting!

Tuesday session - Mona Fartlek

Slowly getting better (key word - 'slowly'). Felt like a zombie this morning as the alarm went off. Wasn't sore, just took longer than usual to realise that I was awake and a functioning human on the earth today! Probably went out a bit (only slightly) more conservatively this morning, getting 3.06km out for the first 10 minutes. Pulled out two more strong one minute efforts, but was essentially spent at the commencement of the 30 second efforts. Better than last week though. Ended up finishing on 6.05km. Again, no PB by any means, but it's still progress - and the key at the moment is consistency. I have been doing this long enough now to realise that you go through phases that are somewhat stagnant, then literally the next day it feels like you are on drugs! Let's hope the latter transpires early October! That school of thinking certainly worked for the Gold Coast - flat for about 6 weeks, then literally a fortnight out things went amazing! Beautiful morning (is it spring?), enjoyed an easy 8km cool down back home along the Manly beach front. Life is tough!

Monday morning run - 15km steady

Received a warning this morning from the Polar H7 informing me that I was pushing into parasympathetic overdrive, based on a sudden spike in my HRV since yesterday. And for the first time, the readings correlated with how I felt - flat! This wasn't unexpected however, following a solid weekend of training, capping it off with a solid 30km run yesterday. Again, just went out this morning and ran on feel. Got through the 15km in around 58 minutes, slightly slower than normal - but ran to feel. Bumped into Quentin on the way, he was out for an easy run following his sensational effort yesterday in the 'Run Out Load' (formerly known as the City2Surf - nice one Fairfax), getting across the line somewhere in the 46's (again, I wouldn't know - as Fairfax like to make you buy the Tuesday paper to get the results, despite the fact that they have access to live timing like every other event these days). And don't even get me started on their (false) claims that they raise money for charity!

Sunday morning long run - 30km

No City2Surf for me this year. To compensate, 30km long run! Good to get another decent long run in the bag. Felt good again this morning, finishing in around 1 hour 57 minutes. The pace felt comfortably moderate, never really under any significant strain. Another beautiful morning, but as usual, I felt that the wind direction changed again at the turn around mark, meaning a head wind for the entire duration. Now time to build back up to some consistent (and smart) training!

Saturday session - 8km threshold at Centennial Park

Finally getting my pace and passion for running back again! Up to 12km threshold was on the cards this morning, although that distance was never the intention. I was aiming for either 8 or 10km, depending on both how I felt and the pace. Went out and felt average, holding 3:20 min/km for the first 2km or so. Settled into a rhythm, and actually felt amazing at around the 5km mark. A quick look at the watch revealed an average of 3:18 min/km pace. Was tossing up whether to go 8 or 10 at this point. At the start of the eighth lap, despite still feeling good, I was starting to push slightly beyond threshold pace, as indicated by my breathing. Decided to finish off strong, completing 8km in an average pace of 3:17 min/km pace. Arguably could have held that pace for another 2km, but would have definitely been beyond threshold pace. I now know to train smarter, not harder (finally, after all these years)! Ran another lap to cold down with Brad (great to see him back running again despite his 'stress fracture') and Damo, before Damo and I went a lap around the White fence. All up, 17km and feeling strong. Borderline call in the end pulling out of this year's C2S, as today was the first session since pre-Gold Coast that I have felt myself again. Nevertheless, I need to look at the bigger picture, and therefore decided to aim for consistent training in the lead up to Melbourne.

Friday recovery - 10km easy

Very happy to complete my first proper week back at training! Sore this morning, as to be expected. Got out for two easy laps of my usual route. Saw Justin three times, the first two of which he was going hard! I was slightly concerned as I naturally assumed that he would be racing the C2S on Sunday. Upon seeing him the third time, we both quickly informed on another that neither of us will be racing. We must be the only two runners in Sydney not going!

Thursday morning session - Deek's Quarters

Again, just happy to get this session done and dusted. By no means was it close to PB pace, but signs are nonetheless encouraging, in that similar to Tuesday it's clear that the speed is still there, it's just the speed endurance and the ability to back up for each 400m repeat following minimal recovery that I am currently struggling with. It's very much different to the fatigue that I had been experiencing for the past 4 weeks, which thank god appears to be improving. 15:49 was the total time today. Upon breaking it out and comparing it to my best time of 15:21 in late June, the differences in average 400m pace was 78 vs. 76 seconds, with the 200m floats at 41 vs. 40 seconds. It's amazing how much closer it looks when analysing it that way! Ran home for 17km all up.

Interestingly, my HRV was at it's lowest this morning since I started recording it a week ago, measuring a 76. The app itself claimed I my sympathetic nervous system was overactive today, and suggested an easier day of training. Haha, I actually felt great this morning, just simply not race fit!

Wednesday morning run - 20km steady

Back to the traditional Wednesday morning medium long run. 4 laps of the usual Queenscliff to Shelly Beach and return loop. Pretty boring, but got it done. Each lap just under 19 minutes, but felt fine and not strenuous. Just under 76 minutes all up. Pretty cold out there, the digital thermometer at Manly LSC reading 1 degree Celcius!

Tuesday session - Mona Fartlek

The speed is still there, I just need the endurance now! I set myself no expectations today with regards to distance accumulated for the session, I just simply needed to get it done and build from here. And up until the start of the 30 second efforts, I was holding good pace. I got out 3.08km for the first 10 minutes, so not all is lost. But upon turning around underneath the stone hedge for the start of the 30 second efforts, I was spent. Running into a headwind didn't do my dying cause much help either. Finished slowly with 6.03km all up. Definitely not my greatest, but happy nonetheless to be back after a patchy few weeks, and looking forward to building from here. The big aim for me now will be the Melbourne Half Marathon on my birthday in October. The C2S for 2015 is looking unlikely - I am not in peak condition, and do not want to be set back with further lingering fatigue and forgoing another few weeks of quality training. Ran home for 17km all up.

Monday morning run - 15km steady

It must of been the 1/2 a pound of Jerk Pork I ate at Jonkanoo last night (along with all the sides)! It felt bloody easy this morning, and I could have kept going for much longer. Didn't wear a watch, but got home in around about 56 minutes (again, too fast but effort wise felt great). Another beautiful morning to be out there pounding the pavement. I am still in awe of my mate Dave for eating a full pound of Jerk Pork - the man is a machine! I guess that is what it takes to be a Australian champion in surf boat rowing!

Sunday Long(ish) Run - 24km

It was going to be 24km regardless of whether I race next weekend or not. If I do, then 24km is the furthest I would run long 7 days out. If I don't race, 24km was going to be sufficient based on my patchy four week block of training. Staying at South Curl Curl this weekend, so headed north to North Narrabeen, turning around back to my place at Pine St, then back to South Curly. I think it was just shy of 1 hour 33 minutes, probably slightly faster than needed to be. Quite a warm morning for this time of year, with a predicted top of 26 degrees today!!!

Started to experiment with heart rate variability as a measure of my readiness to train each morning, as a prophylactic measure to prevent overreaching progressing to overtraining. This involves strapping on a Polar H7 Heart Rate Monitor prior to getting out of bed each morning. I sync it via Bluetooth to an app called HRV Elite, and simply lay there for 2.5 minutes whilst it records a number of stats - the most important of these being the difference in time intervals between each successive heart beat. In essence, the greater the difference, the better. Sounds illogical, but what this suggests is that there is a relative equilibrium between both the sympathetic nervous system (your fight or flight engine) vs. your parasympathetic nervous system (your rest & digest engine). Everyone is different, so comparing my score to someone else's is pretty fruitless. The key is to monitor your HRV over a period of time to determine a baseline to which you can detect significant deviations as markers and warning signs of progressing towards overtraining. So far I have recorded this metric each morning since Thursday with the following numbers - 75, 83, 82, 81. This morning's score was quite good considering I returned to training yesterday, so was anticipating something quite lower. Tomorrow will be interesting!

Saturday morning session - 2km repeats at Centennial Park

Back running again this morning after two days of complete rest and a blood test (no results yet). Massive dinner last night providing plenty of fuel to get through the run today (thanks mum)! The session was up to 4 x 2km reps on a 9:30 minute cycle - an extra 30 seconds than normal in light of the City2Surf next Sunday. Definitely ran the first rep too fast, the result of being well rested and not looking at my pace for the first 500m or so. 2:57 min/km pace it read at this point, confirming that I was far too close to Matt Hudson than I should be. Backed off slightly, but not enough - finishing in 6:11. Started feeling the effects of the first rep halfway through the second, finishing in 6:17. Third and final rep was more or less run just above threshold pace in 6:32 - following Sean's advise to hold back a bit. In all honesty though, I was spent at this point and decide to call it a day. Did a fourth rep with Barry as a cool down, followed by another easy lap of the white fence with Matt & Hamish. All up, satisfied with the run - by no means a perfect session but certainly more encouraging than anything I have done over the past fortnight. Looking back to when I last did this session (a week before the SMH Half in May), my times were 6:21, 6:13, 6:14, and 6:21 - all on a slightly shorter course (got consistent 1.98km back then compared to 2.01km today - Sean has made inroads on this over the last month). So all in all, just lacking that top end endurance - which is no surprise given my training this past week (or lack thereof). Will get out a steady 24km tomorrow before making a call midweek on whether to race next Sunday.