Friday - 10km easy

Just an easy Friday run along the beachfront. Quite sore from yesterday's speed session, which is no surprise. I felt better towards the end of the run, and will no doubt recover well throughout today. 10km in 4:31's.

Thursday - HuRTS 4 x 800m (off 3'), 4 x 200m

Another deceptively brutal session, much like last week. Quantity-wise, it's not much. Quality-wise, it's intense. Although this time I was prepared for it. This really fast speed work is my weakest-link, so these sessions are absolutely gold for me - as I get annihilated! Jake and Jerome were there to keep me honest, however the former went too hard in the initial rep and hit to sit the next few out. Jake was consistent, and I fell consistently further behind on each of the 800m. I really started to struggle by the third one, and was simply in survival mode by the fourth. The times reflect it - 2:20, 2:23, 2:27, and 2:30. Then it was onto some 200m, which felt ridiculously short after the 800m. Nothing super quick here, averaging between 30-32 seconds. All up, a short but very intense session. I think I might need to look at doing more of these on a Saturday morning, especially on the weeks where we have Quarters or Mona on a Thursday (kind of illogical to do Parkrun less than 48 hours following these two Thursday sessions, as it is more or less the same session). A long 6km warm-up and 6km cool-down from and to Neutral Bay (via the Cahill Expressway, which I have Macca to thank for showing me that route).

Wednesday - 20km + strides

Up at 5am this morning for a very early start. Ran to North Head, briefly bumping into Erika along the way (I hope her calf has pulled up ok). I've been meaning to run this loop for ages, so it was good to get back out there and do it - although I couldn't see too much as it was pretty much pitch black. Back down to the lagoon and along the beachfront to get the 20km up. 4:22's. Finished with strides as usual.

Tuesday - HuRTS 20 minutes hills + tempo

Tested out the new Asics Gel Hyperspeed's today - I didn't realise how much I missed these! They were fantastic, super light and comfortable. Enough support without being too restrictive. Another new session for me today. Met the crew at the gates of St Mary's at 12:25pm. Not a huge group today, probably due to the Gold Coast this weekend. The first 20 minutes was simply running up and down a short hill just near The Domain. Kept the pace solid yet comfortable, knowing that a 5km tempo followed. All up was 5.17km worth of hills, with Quentin on my tail keeping me honest. A five minute break which included a walk back to the gates before starting the '5km' tempo (measured 4.78km on my watch, but this is well known). Quentin and I started in the final '3:30 pace' group (although arguably a few others should have joined us - namely Toby). I was really happy with this, as again it felt strong and controlled, without red-lining at all. The first kilometer was quicker due to being a net downhill, then the following were within a second of each other. 3:24's average, with Quentin and I working together and keeping the pace consistent. A great session, lots of variety. With a 5km warm-up and 5km cool-down, just under 21km all up. Only got a little bit of dirt on the inside of my right shoe, so not a disaster after all. Manflu seems to have gone as well, so an extra bonus.

Monday - 15km + strides

Finally feeling good again! Out and around Manly for my usual Monday run. 15km in 4:13's. Finished off with strides - even felt strong on these as well. I think that my manflu is cured!

Sunday - 20km easy

Met Justin and Ben at the pool, deciding to stick to 20km. Luckily the pace was nice and easy - just what I needed. We picked up Tim at Dee Why, just running to the fire station. Felt better on the way back, but kept the pace very nice and relaxed. 20km in 4:43's. Hopefully I will come good in the next day or two.

Saturday - 15km easy

I had half committed to at least showing up at the pool to warm-up to Curl Curl for Parkrun, but upon waking up I knew that I was wasting my time (plus, I don't want to pullout two weeks in a row). So put on the new shoes and just ran my usual Monday loop, really nice and easy. An amazing sunrise, for the first time in a long time I was back to basics and really just enjoyed being outdoors and running. And there was no doubt in my mind that I should have done Parkrun - I was just feeling flat, and intensity would have just pushed me over the edge. 15km in 4:35's.

Friday - 10km

This cold is bloody annoying! Felt really flat this morning, but forced myself out for an easy 10km around the beachfront. Wore a few layers. 4:28's, so the pace wasn't bad - it just felt terrible. I really want to do Parkrun tomorrow, but might have to substitute it for another easy run - trying to race 5km feeling how I feel right now will just make me more miserable. Better to try and get rid of it and start fresh again next week. Other than Striders, I haven't actually entered any other races until the City2Surf. I might need some consistent weeks of solid training to get a half decent result in August.

Thursday - HuRTS 10 x 400m (2:00 cycle), 4 x 150m

Very happy to be back out there training with the squad again - just a pity that I am right in the middle of suffering an annoying cold. On the bright side, today's session was probably the best of the lot considering how I felt. Not a bad turnout today. We actually got to run the session on the proper oval at Rushcutters Bay this time. 10 is a lot of reps, so although it is a shorter speed-based session, it's very easy to get carried away and blow up. So I just sat with Quentin for the first eight reps, after this I fell off slightly for the last two reps which wasn't surprising given how I felt. The first rep was the slowest at 73 seconds, with the rest being very consistent at 70-71, with the last two at 72 seconds. Then we finished off with some 150m sprints. I took these more as strides, simp,y keeping the controlled and just getting through them. All up, a good little session that hasn't completely killed me. 12km of warming-up and cooling-down for just over 17km all up. Now I've just got to rug up and keep up the Fisherman's Friends.

Wednesday - 20km + strides

Back into it this morning, feeling much better! Got out the new Mizuno Wave Hitogami's (I'd been delaying this until the weather cleared), and felt comfortable and great. I met Darren along the beachfront about 3km into the run. Did the usual Shelly to Fairlight loop and return. Got back to the lagoon just before Darren finished and ran the final 6km back to Shelly Beach and then home. So nice to see no clouds in the sky! 20km in 4:23's. Finished with my usual strides down Pine Lane. Speaking of new shoes, I just ordered another pair of Asics Gel Hyperspeeds last night to go with my two new pairs of Saucony Type A Racers. I'll need to get a new wardrobe!

Tuesday - 15km

No session this morning, just a steady 15km run around Manly, solo. Felt ok - nothing marvellous, but certainly not terrible. 4:15's. Bumped into Justin and had a quick chat at the end. Back into normal training again tomorrow.

Sunday - 20km

Not a bad turnout this morning. I met Paul and Darren at the pool at 6:15am, before picking up Richard, Hamish and Tim along the way. Took the Opal card as I had set out to complete only 20km, but managed to convince Darren and Richard to turn at the fire station. I felt fairly ordinary up until about the 8km mark, then I came good. In fact, we had to slow it down a few times on the way home. Darren had a 20 minute effort to complete at the 80 minute mark (3km from the end for me), so I just let him and Richard run ahead. A nice and comfortable 20km at 4:18's. The good news is that I had more in me, which is encouraging. I'll take a complete rest day tomorrow, then an easy 15km on Tuesday. The plan is to resume normal training on Wednesday.

Saturday - need a few easy days

To be honest, I have been feeling flat since Tuesday. Not only when running, but even my mood has not been the same. Early signs of overtraining again, but at least I now recognise them. And today was more of the same. I almost didn't get out of bed, but then thought I was being soft. Warmed up to Curl Curl for Parkrun, really unsure as to how I was going to get through it. Then I saw Andy had shown up, so that was going to be my saviour. However, once we got up and going, I really just wasn't feeling it. Stayed with Andy for the first two kilometers, then my mind completely shut down so I just jogged back to the finish line then home. Looking back, the last three weeks have been extremely solid, both with quality and quantity (and included a 10km race). In fact, three 130+km weeks! So fitness wise it's all coming together, I just need to learn to respect the recovery process to ensure that I absorb all the hard work I'm doing. So an enforced recovery week every three to four weeks is always the plan at the outset, but as usual, it's very easy to get caught up with the endorphins associated with running well, meaning that this can be too easy to ignore. So, the plan for the next few days is a shorter long run tomorrow (20km), a complete rest day on Monday, 15km easy on Tuesday (can't make HuRTS this Tuesday anyway, so that works out well), then back to my normal schedule from Wednesday onwards. And unlike previous times when this has happened, I know that I am going to come out midway through next week feeling much better for it!

Friday - 10km

I was fast asleep when my alarm woke me up at the late time of 6:30am this morning. Got out for a solo lap and a bit of the beachfront. Pulled up better this Friday compared to last Friday, perhaps I'm getting fitter or it could be the fact that I ran on the grass yesterday. 10km in 4:24's.

Thursday - HuRTS Pyramid session (1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 laps)

A massive warm-up today. Met Scotty at the Opera House at 12pm before stopping at the Art Gallery and meeting the rest of the squad at 12:25pm. Then it was about a one mile jog to Rushcutters Bay Park for the session, meaning that my warm-up was just over 8km long! The actual oval itself was closed, so we ended up doing the session on a slightly longer (about 440m) loop that Tom made up consisting of some shirts and a council sign. The session itself sounded much easier than it actually was - the key was to pace the first half properly, which I think I did. So, the first half of the session actually felt relatively easy. I did most of the work for the first 5 reps, with Andy on my tail and pushing the final 100m of each rep. Then Jerome powered the final two reps home, at which stage I was so thankful that I had held back for the first few reps. A tough session, but really enjoyable at the same time. I took the direct route back home on the cooldown, meaning that it was only 6km (shorter than I anticipated). So leaving the car at Neutral Bay for the Thursday Rushcutters Bay sessions is still the way forward - I'll just run straight to the Art Gallery on the warm-up in the future instead of detouring around the Opera House and Mrs. Macquarie's Chair (admittedly, not the worst place in the world that I could be running)! 21.5km all up.

Wednesday - 20km + strides

I met Justin and Ben at North Steyne SLSC at 6am for my least favourite run of the week. And it was raining! Took the first few kilometers really easy, as I was sore from yesterday's 1km reps. But as usual, around the 8km mark I started to warm-up and feel half decent. We did the Shelly-Fairlight loop, before heading back towards Ben's in Balgowlah via a lap of the golf course. Back home from Ben's solo for the final 3.5km for 20km all up in 4:30's. Did my strides up and down Malvern Ave (too much truck activity in Pine Lane).

Tuesday - HuRTS 8 x 1km (off 2 minutes)

I forgot how tough 1km reps were! Met at Barangaroo, with a heap of people turning up right at the last second (and after as well). The odd reps were into a nasty headwind, but generally didn't notice the tailwind on the evens (as is always the case). There was a small group of us out in front consisting of myself, Crossy, Travis and Toby. I drafted Crosby for the odds, but both him and Travis stopped after five reps (I found this out after the fifth rep). This kind of left me solo for the remaining three (bar Simon running a very fast final rep). Times were very consistent, except for number 7 which was a bit of a blow out - 3:12, 3:09, 3:10, 3:06, 3:10, 3:08, 3:18 and 3:08 - averaging just under 3:10, so not too ad at all. Eight is a hell of a lot of reps, so it actually feels like you spend a great deal of the session holding back. A nice cooldown along the wharves with Barts (who did a great impersonation of Dave Criniti), Scotty and Toby (the former two doing a different session as they prepare for the Launceston 10 on Sunday). Just under 19km all up.

Monday - 15km + strides

I knew right away that it was a public holiday today, as I felt amazing for a Monday! The one Monday where I don't care how exhausted I am, I manage to feel fantastic! Although I think that last night's seafood paella probably had something to do with it? Just the usual 15km Monday loop, solo. Although I did see Ben, NR we ran together for a kilometer - although he was taking it much easier as he had a solid weekend of running. A beautiful morning with some cool looking fog! 15km in 4:11's (although I think that it was slightly slower than that, the Garmin seemed a bit generous today). Finished with strides. Now to watch the Canadian Grand Prix and paint my apartment!

Sunday - 30km

Quite a good turn out today, with Paul, Ben, Darren, Toby, Richard and Tim all out at some point or another. We all ran together to the up until the fire station, before Ben did some marathon pace training and picked the pace up to 4:00 min/km. I was happy to have none of it, so hung back with Darren while the others paced Ben. The trail reopened today, so we were able to run the traditional lap of the lake. Quite unbelievable how long the trail was closed for considering how little work was actually done! 30km in 4:24's. Just over 130km again this week, so going strong!

Saturday - Parkrun

Today was always going to be all about effort, with less emphasis on time given the conditions. Although the rain did manage to hold off the entire run, there were more than a few puddles around. Not to mention a gale force southerly which was essentially only hanging around the coast. Met Paul and Ben at the pool for a verybslow and easy warm-up. Not a bad turnout this morning with Macca, Hamish and Tom all showing up. Ben went out very hard, as usual - but I honestly found it tougher to stay with him today compared to two weeks ago. By the end of the first kilometer there were four of us - myself, Ben, Tom and another guy. I just stayed with the pack for the next kilometer before making my move at the start of the third. Managed to break free and simply just tried to keep it together for the final 3km. Got across the finish line in 16:50 exactly. A strong finish by Tom to get Ben, with the other guy fading quite a bit to finish fourth. Not over the moon with the time, but given everyone else was slower than usual today, perhaps it wasn't so bad. That chicane around the netball courts adds on 6 seconds (well, that's what I tell myself anyway). A very easy cooldown with Ben and Paul back home along the beachfront - which was probably not a wise idea today as it was straight into a massive southerly wind. First full week of three speed sessions in six weeks, and I've pulled up well! So very encouraging!

Friday - 10km easy

Out solo for a nice and easy run along the beachfront. Thought that I had dodged the rain - I thought wrong. It came just before 4km, and really picked up at about 7km. All good though. Took it really easy at the start, feeling quite sore from yesterday. But really loosened up as the run progressed, finishing quite strong. 10km in 4:26's.

Thursday - HuRTS Mona Fartlek

I thought that we had managed to find a rain-free window, but literally as we were about to start it lieterally poured down hard! Not as big a turnout as Tuesday, but still some fast guys there, including Barts, Scotty, CT, Toby, Anthony, Bruce and Mike. We started at the Overseas Passenger Terminal and headed to Barangaroo and return (plus a bit more at the end). I just tried to hand onto Barts and Scott as long as possible, which I managed up until the fourth one minute effort (the 13th of 20 minutes). Actually, running with them meant that I paced the session so much better than usual. The floats felt easy for the first half, but then it suddenly hit me on the aforementioned 13th minute. From there it was survival mode - I was solo and just going through the motions. In the end, finished with 5.95km averaging 3:22's. Although I can't compare this to previous Mona's, I am nonetheless happy with this. Very close to the elusive 6km mark (although there is a discrepancy between Garmin and Strava, with the latter saying I went over the 6km mark, but we all know how dubious Strava can be at times). About 100m off Scotty and Barts, so all in all quite a good effort. An easy jog to the Opera House with the two them before crossing the bridge back to the car. Just under 16km all up. Short, but a bloody tough session. The good news is that right now is the longest possible time between successive Mona Fartlek's (my most dreaded session)!

Wednesday - 20km + strides

We timed it (almost) perfectly this morning, only getting a brief downpour about 2km in. Left home at 6am, ran into Ben at Queenscliff, picked up Darren on the way back from Shelly Beach, and Pete joined us at Manly LSC. Did the usual Fairlight loop, which was bloody windy! Back to Shelly, then the lagoon, before one more lap of the beachfront. Felt yesterday's session in my legs, but pulled up much better than last Wednesday morning. Actually, the pace was slightly faster than anticipated. 20km in 4:29's. Finished with strides.

Tuesday - HuRTS 4 x 10 minutes (off 2 minutes)

Not quite as big a turnout today as last Tuesday, but still solid nonetheless. Bumped into Jonathan at Kirribilli, so had some company on the warm-up over to the Opera House. No Barts, Quentin, Tom, Scotty or Hoey, but Andy and Toby (as well as Jonathan) were all there to keep the pace honest. The odds (1st and 3rd) reps were really tough, running up towards St. Mary's Cathedral - making the evens psychologically (2nd and 4th) reps much more pleasant (well, the first 5 minutes of downhill anyway). I jut tried to stay and work with Andy, which I did until the final 4 minutes of the fourth rep where he dropped me. 2.86, 2.98, 2.86 and 2.95km for all efforts (average 3:26min/km pace), so quite solid all up. Another bloody long session, which will no doubt do some good. Ran back to Neutral Bay with Jonathan (where a freak downpour came halfway across the Harbour Bridge). About 22km all up including the warm-up and cool-down. Best decision ever to join these guys - I'm getting my running mojo back! Bring on Thursday!

Monday - 15km + strides

A solo run around Manly this morning, feeling better than I thought I would (once again). Just stuck to the usual Queenscliff, Shelly, Fairlight, Shelly, Queenscliff loop. Bumped into Matty for the final kilometer, so that was the extent of the company today. Beautiful morning once again (of course, it's a Monday). 15km in 4:21's. Finished with strides.

Sunday - 30km

That wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. I felt half decent from the start, getting the first kilometer out in 4:25 on the way to the pool to meet Ben and Darren (I was thinking it would be closer to 5 min/km). We did the normal loop in reverse (when I say 'normal,' I am still referring to the eastern trail along the lake as the council are still repairing the western side). We somehow managed to loose Darren at the fire station (we stopped for water but he kept going). The final 10km was a bit of a struggle, and things went quite (except for Ben who had just taken a caffeine loaded gel). But managed to tick the legs over to get to the 30km mare just before Harris Farm. 4:22's. Quite a big week with 133km! Looking forward to doing it all again next week, especially with the Tuesday and Thursday HuRTS sessions.

Saturday - Sydney Striders 10km, North Head

Well, that is exactly what I was hoping for! Got up nice and early, did a very slow and easy 5km warm-up to North Head. Saw Andy, and so my goal was to try and stay with him as long as I could (as I know he paces very well, and is currently faster than me). Quite thin in terms of competition at the front end of the field, with no Barts, Tom, Quentin, Scotty, Hoey or Robin. Dave Criniti went off like a rocket (and kept going at that pace for the entire race). Tom Middleton, who is in great form at the moment, was in no-man's land in second, before our little pack consisting of Neil, Andy, myself and Anthony Martin (although I think Anthony was just off the back, but did a great job to stay there as long as he did). The pace felt very controlled for the first few kilometers. Neil put the hammer down at the first hill coming back, at about the three kilometer mark, dropping Andy and I in the process. He continued to gap us over the next kilometer or two. At about the six kilometer mark, Andy confirmed what I had been thinking - we were catching Neil. Andy picked the pace up, dragging me along. I coasted (not by choice) as we approached Neil, and Andy kept going. I stayed right behind Neil until the 8km mark, and feeling good, I really put the hammer down. Neil was gone, and Andy was starting to appear closer. Got to the 9.5km turn around, and then the dreaded final 500m uphill was torture. Any hopes of catching Andy were dashed, as I entered survival mode. Crossed the line in 4th in 34:22/23? So for where I am at the moment, this is a great result! Waited around for some others, got cold, watched the presentations before shuffling home over another 5km. All in all, some really solid progress, and definitely more to come! Planning for a nice and easy long run tomorrow, as I will no doubt pull up sore.

Friday - 10km easy

Turned down an offer from Ben for a sleep in instead. It might have been a good choice, as my alarm woke me from a deep sleep at 6:50am. Freezing once again, but absolutely beautiful out there. Just stuck to my usual 10km worth of laps along the beachfront. 4:21's.

Thursday (slight) taper - 6 x 400m (off 1'), 2 x 200m (off 30")

I couldn't make HuRTS today, so had originally planned to do the set session of Quarters solo. But I've decided to race at the Sydney Striders 10km race at North Head on Saturday, so Quarters two days out was not a wise idea. So did some 400m and 200m reps instead, running them hard but always in control. 400's were all between 72-74, 200's were both 36 seconds. I haven't done anything that short and sharp for a very long time, and it just highlights how much top end speed I've lost (which is good, as it means that I've got an area to really work on and improve). 5km warm-up and 5km cool-down for just over 13km all up. Although I'm not expecting anything near PB territory on Saturday, hopefully this session will help me more than Quarters would have. Besides, I'm still quite sore from Tuesday!