Saturday - Parkrun

I’m loving my Saturday morning Parkrun’s, a massive change in mentality from just a few weeks ago. Quite a humid and windy morning, not the near-perfect conditions of last week. Looked around the start line to see if I had anyone to race against, and didn’t recognise anyone. The gun went and a guy who I see running around Manly most mornings (I later found out he is a triathlete named Chris) was off to a flying start, really pushing the pace. I wasn’t sure whether he would be able to sustain it or not, but I ensured he didn’t get too far in front. Nevertheless, the first kilometer was definitely a bit too quick (3:10 into a moderate headwind). I could hear someone on my tail, discovering it was Harlan (the quick young kid who beat me two weeks earlier). This was great news, as I knew he would be fast. So I sat with him as we wheeled Chris in over the next 500m. From the 2-3km mark it was a bit of cat and mouse between the three of us. I’d sit there in behind them, get frustrated as the pace felt slow, take a lead, watch the two of them sit on me, so I’d sit on them. At the three kilometer mark, Harlan and myself put in a bit of an effort to drop Chris. Then it was much of the same - cat and mouse until the bridge at 600m to go. The only chance I had to beat Harlan was gone by this stage, as I’m never going to get him over a sprint finish. And so it was, with about 300m to go he went for it leaving me in his wake. Got home second in 16:23/4 (3:17’s), fractionally slower than last week (but in much tougher conditions, and in what felt much easier intensity-wise thanks to a working pack). So still very happy with that. Chris came in third about 10-15 seconds behind. A brief chat with everyone before a long cool-down along the coast with Darren. 17km all up, not a bad way to start the second day of the long weekend!

Thursday - 15km

I got out even later today - I’ll have to be more disciplined again from next week! A relatively warm one this morning, the first time I’ve come home quite drenched in sweat this week. By Thursday these days it’s simply about survival, and today felt no different. Up to North Head this morning, with the GPS once again getting thrown off at Shelly Beach again (I wonder if there is some new construction equipment around one of the houses at Bower St that is interfering with the signal)? I was thinking a sub-56 would be a great outcome, but got back to North Steyne in 55:04 (3:40’s), way faster than anticipated (with the GPS under-reading by 150m). I’ll take that! A glorious day out there, looking forward to a sleep in tomorrow and a 97 hour weekend!

Wednesday - 15km

Another day of GPS under-reading, today it robbed me of 220m (43 seconds). I think that something is making it bounce when I turn around at Shelly Beach, as it seemed to happen at the exact same spot on Monday (although today wasn’t as bad). Anyway, it took me ages to get going this morning, a combination of a bit of an upset stomach and being quite drowsy (I could have kept sleeping for hours past my alarm this morning). Eventually got out for my usual Shelly-Fairlight loop, seeing Justin and Tom (not together) along the way. The council had roped off the entrance to the Art Gallery along West Esplanade, meaning another slight holdup and detour along the grass (both ways). Basically all the elements were against me this morning, except for the weather (for once), which was gold (not as cool as yesterday though). Got back to North Steyne SLSC in 54:34 (3:38’s), although continued to run the extra 220m that had disappeared off my GPS (again, my OCD ego wouldn’t let me have anything shy of ‘15’ on the Garmin). A very solid run, and quite glad it’s over now to be honest. One more to go before a four day weekend! Bring it on!

Tuesday - 15km

Autumn officially arrived this morning, with a beautiful crisp 15 degree sunrise accompaning me on my run. Felt okay this morning - nothing magic but then again nothing terrible. Up to North Head, and despite a council truck parking at the most narrow section of the footpath between Manly and Shelly Beach (I had to slow to a brief walk both times), it was a relatively uneventful run. Got back home just under 55 minutes (3:40’s), my fastest North Head run in a long time (I think my first sub-55 since early January), no doubt helped by the conditions. More of this is more than welcomed!

Monday - 15km

Typical Monday morning waking up feeling like I need much more sleep (despite a good night’s sleep). Took my longer than usual to get out there this morning, but once I was out I actually felt quite good for a Monday morning. Pity my GPS decided to underread from 4km onwards! Out to Shelly, Fairlight and return on an overcast, warm, quite humid day. Got back to North Steyne (15km) in 55:12 (3:41’s), but the OCD in me continued to run the extra 340m (yes, a whole 340m the Garmin underread it by - which is a hell of a lot more than usual) to make sure it said 15km on the watch. Technical issues aside, I’m happy with that for the start of the week. Looking forward to tomorrow’s forecast - hopefully it will then start to actually feel like Easter then!

Sunday - 30km

With another hot Sunday forecast, I decided to once again get up and out slightly earlier. I could definitely feel yesterday’s Parkrun in my legs (to be expected), but it wasn’t too bad. As usual, I just ran on feel. Around the lake today, solo - although I did see Emma, then ran past Justin and Hamish (who did the same run but left earlier) on the way home. Got back in a touch under two hours (4:00’s), fast enough for a solid workout but not hard enough to make me pay later in the week. Time for a swim now!

Saturday - Parkrun

Another attempt at the Curl Curl Parkrun this morning. Conditions were slightly better than last week, although still relative humid. A great turnout today with Mike, Jerome, Jody and Eoin turning up - making for some great competition. And that is the way it stayed for the majority of the race. I took the lead from the start with the chasing pack breathing down my neck. I could progressively hear less and less breathing behind me, a sign that there were less and less of them. Just after the grass courts (about 2.5km) I decided to see who was there to discover Mike and Jody. So I let Mike do some work and sat off him for a bit. Then we had a sort of cat and mouse for the remainder of the run, dropping Jody not long after (although to his credit he never gave up and wasn’t too far behind at all). Got to the final straight (600m to go) and that’s when my legs started ‘rigging’ (that sensation when your brain tells your leg muscles to contract but your leg muscles ignore it). So I waved the white flag and went to survival mode, doing my best to stay with Mike to the finish line. He got me by one or two seconds (we’ll have to wait until the official results come out later today), but we were both stoked with our times - I finished with 16:21/2/3? (Forgot to stop my watch at the end, so again I’ll have to wait until later today). Nevertheless, it’s an improvement on last week using what was arguably a tougher race strategy today (I was the ‘pacer’ today, whereas last week I simply shadowed Andy and Harlan, which is always easier). So I’m definitely back on track - I know that when I can crack 16 minutes then I’ll be back to where I was at the end of 2015, which was at my fastest. A nice easy long cool-down along the coast for 17km all up.

Thursday - 15km

I thought that the wind was tough yesterday - today it was at another level again! Up to North Head this morning, and like yesterday, I was feeling quite good (a significant improvement compared with the past few Thursday’s where I have really struggled), so already I was happy with the way things were going. The time obviously was going to be irrelevant today, so again like yesterday, I just simply ran at my normal intensity. The toughest parts were heading south along the beachfront, running up Darley Rd (uphill AND a headwind is a horrible combination), and then Fairfax Loop. Coming back was great, but as always, you loose more in the headwind than what you gain in the tailwind. With that said, a 56:12 (3:44’s) was not a bad effort at all in that wind. Rest day tomorrow before perhaps another go at Parkrun on Saturday.

Wednesday - 15km

No rain, but massive southeasterly winds out there this morning. The bonus is that it kept the crowds away. I felt pretty good today, especially the first kilometer with a massive tailwind behind me pushing me past Queenscliff SLSC to the lagoon. Then I paid the price - straight into a soul-shattering headwind along the one mile stretch between Queenscliff and Manly LSC. Not much I could do except grit my teeth and push through it, completely ignoring what my pace may be. The wind was patchy throughout the rest of the run, coming in peaks and troughs along the harbour foreshore. The (almost) final mile back to Queenscliff was fantastic, but the whole time I was bracing myself for that final 800m back home. And it was worse than I had anticipated! Again, I just out my head down and went for it. Got home in a surprisingly quick (conditions considered) time of 55:18 (3:41’s), significantly quicker than the the high 56/low 57’s that I was anticipating! So very happy with that, and just as happy to avoid any rain (despite the phone saying 100% chance of rain)!

Tuesday - 15km

I felt quite good this morning, so up to North Head I went. According to the phone, the humidity was lower than usual - although I’m not too sure about that. Nevertheless, it was still quite warm with a moderately strong southwesterly wind. Not perfect conditions by any means, but a hell of a lot better than what is forecast for the next two mornings! My GPS underread the run this morning by 110m, finishing in the quite good time (conditions pending) of 55:43 (3:43’s). I’m happy enough with that, and it certainly felt easier than yesterday’s run. Bracing myself for the next two days of hell (heavy rain and strong winds)!

Monday - 15km

Very tough conditions this morning, the leftover of yesterday’s heatwave. Added to that was the fatigue of the weekend’s runs, and it was a matter of just grinding through it today. Out along the Shelly-Fairlight loop this morning, getting some respite from the heat and humidity out along the harbourside. Made it back home in a surprisingly decent time of 55:19 (3:41’s), much faster than I has thought (was thinking in 56’s somewhere). Even managed to get a quick swim in after. I think that will be it for the heat this summer/autumn.

Sunday - 30km

I managed to get out much earlier today, both because of the forecast and a special one year old decided to celebrate his birthday this morning. Anyway, it was a good choice, as I think I mostly avoided the heat. It wasn’t cold by any means, but it certainly wasn’t bad either. 21 degrees when I left home, 22 when I got back. I could definitely feel yesterday’s Parkrun in my legs, so I just ran accordingly. Got back from a lap of the lake in a surprising sub-1:59, a fair bit quicker than it felt. I won’t complain about that. Time to jump into the ocean - it may be my last time until next spring!

Saturday - Parkrun

I finally hardened up this morning and did Parkrun. An easy jog to Curl Curl on a very humid morning, but I was actually feeling quite good. I was happy to see Andy turn up before the start, meaning I’d have someone to chase. As soon as the fun went, it was myself, Andy and another young (very fast) one who were breaking away from everyone else. My plan was to sit in behind them and just try to hang on as long as I could. Things started getting tough just after the 1km mark, and I felt myself dropping off. But then the young guy gapped Andy and before I knew it, I was right back on Andy’s tail. I sat there and regrouped until the 3km mark, where by this time I was ready to go again. So just before Harbord Rd, I surged and managed to drop Andy. Less than 2km to go, I told myself that I could really put down the hammer. And to my surprise, I started catching the young guy in front of me. I had no idea what pace I was running, but I was feeling good. I managed to catch him inside the final kilometer. Not really knowing what to do, I neither made a break or got dropped - I simply ran with him (in hindsight, I should have kept going when I caught him). Then with 200m to go, he took off and out three seconds into me at the finish line. Nevertheless, I was extremely happy to finish in 16:28 (3:18’s), much quicker than I had anticipated - especially in those conditions. Andy cam home in third about 20-30 seconds after. I got to catch up with a few others including Darren, Macca, and Matty at the end which was nice. Then a long cooldown along the beachfronts of Curl Curl, Freshwater and Manly. Absolutely drenched now!

Thursday - 15km

I already knew yesterday that I was going to struggle this morning given the level of perceived effort during my Wednesday run. So no surprises when I eventually got out there this morning and started running. I simply just adjusted he pace to run at the speed that my body would allow, without overstraining. And in that regard, it felt easier than yesterday. But it was definitely slower. My goal then became to firstly try to run faster than last Thursday (which I was confident of doing), and secondly to sneak under 57 minutes. I managed the latter, getting to North Head and back in 56:51 (3:47’s). Definitely nowhere near my fastest, but it’s an improvement on my disaster of a week last week - which I’ll take as a sign of encouragement. All-in-all, I managed four great runs and two very average runs this week, so in hindsight that’s actually quite good. Looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. Not too sure about Parkrun on Saturday given how I felt this morning - might be best to play it safe and just run another lap of North Head like last Saturday, which I actually really enjoyed!

Wednesday - 15km

I felt like I was in survival mode from the start this morning. My alarm woke me up from a very deep sleep (which is rare these days), so wasn’t really feeling up for it this morning, I got out there, of course, almost pulling the pin at the 2km mark. Knowing how annoyed I’d be for the rest of the day for doing so, I soldiered on. Admittedly, despite a somewhat coolish 19 degrees, the 95% humidity was a real killer. Out to Fairlight via Shelly and back today, dodging a few stray dogs and pedestrians today. I was thinking I’d finish well into the 56’s today, so was quite happy to get home in 55:32 (3:42’s). Intensity-wise it felt harder than usual, but I’m just glad to get through that one this morning. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger!

Tuesday - 15km

Im definitely feeling better by the day, although the conditions today weren’t always going to show it. A miserable morning with patchy bits a drizzle throughout, along with a moderately strong southeasterly sea breeze were far removed from world record conditions. Did I mention it was slightly humid when sheltered from the wind? Enough excuses, I felt good and kept the pace honest without smashing myself - the intensity that I should run each morning. Up to North Head and back this morning, finishing in 55:42 (3:42’s), quite a good time considering the conditions. Best of all, it felt good!

Monday - 15km

Great conditions when I started this morning, you could feel Easter in the air. Unfortunately I stuffed around a bit at home prior to leaving, so as soon as the sun came out (which it did from the second kilometer onwards), it did start to heat up quite quickly. Should’ve left half an hour earlier! Oh well. I felt reasonably good today, especially for a Monday morning. Not too sore from yesterday’s long run, but not as fresh (obviously) as I felt on Saturday morning. All-in-all, and most importantly, I am feeling much better that I have over the past few weeks. It was th Shelly-Fairlight Loop this morning, and it as quit crowded both with humans and dogs. The pace actually felt faster than what it was, finishing in 55:18 (3:41’s). Nothing amazing, but nothing terrible either - I guess you could say that I am satisfied with that.

Sunday - 30km

That was the best long run I’ve had this year! The conditions were almost perfect, and I felt quite good - a winning combination. Stuck to the lap of the lake (still a bit cautious, hence why I avoided the coastal route), keeping the pace controlled and steady. I actually got to the Wakehurst Parkway and was able to slightly increase the pace, something I haven’t been able to do for a long time during a long run. Got back to Harris Farm (or slightly past it, as the GPS underread a bit this morning) in 1:57:34 (3:55’s). Really happy with that, especially as I actually had a bit left in the tank. Let’s hope that whatever I suffered from over the past week or two is well and truly gone!

Saturday - 15km

Back to basics today, I really had to stay away from anything competitive and get my confidence back. After a week of feeling progressively worse, my fears of relapsing into a state of fatigue were sharp in my mind. So rather than doing a ParkRun, a tempo session, or a Manly2Spit run, I decided to re-run my Thursday run up to North Head. From the first few steps I knew that I was in a better place than Thursday, and from there I simply kept the pace solid but held back ever so slightly. While running, my thoughts were that I was running just over 56 to 56:30 pace. So it was a nice surprise to get back home in 55:15 (3:41’s), quite a good time under normal circumstances - let alone on a day where I was rebuilding. I’m happy, but even more relieved, after that. The temptation to add in a few efforts at the end (i.e. some 400’s, a short tempo, or even 15 secs on/15 secs off) was (and still is) certainly there, but I don’t need to risk it having (what feels like) just escaped a major setback. I’ll now do my usual long run tomorrow and then back into a normal week again next week (perhaps with ParkRun if all goes to plan). Two days since I eliminated the oats and I’m feeling better again? Cause or placebo?

Thursday - 15km

I felt absolutely terrible this morning, so much so that I almost didn’t run. And then when I started running, it was a constant battle to convince myself not to stop. This week has been very challenging to say the least, I’ve felt off every day, and today was the absolute worse. The only thing that I’ve changed over the last six months (the six months in which I have felt fantastic for) is adding oats back into my breakfast since last Sunday? So I’ll go back to my normal oat-free granola from today onwards and see if that helps. I also just remembered that I have a written out script for a blood test, so I might head down to Manly this morning and take it just to double check that everything is ok. When I say I feel terrible, it’s not just the running that is harder - I’ve been having GIT pains and headaches at work this week, not severe but definitely noticeable. So it could be the oats, or it could be that I’m lacking in something? Anyway, I’m actually glad that I managed to complete the run this morning, albeit slower than usual. Ran up to North Head on a beautiful morning, a slight southerly to keep me whinging along the beachfront. Got back home in a slower than usual (as expected) 57:51 (3:51’s), which ironically was faster than I had anticipated. Rest day tomorrow! I was initially planning to do ParkRun on Saturday, but given how I’m feeling at the moment, I might just stick to a weekday 15km run around Manly instead. That way I can run at the exact pace that my body lets me without feeling any added pressure.

Wednesday - 15km

Much the same as yesterday, although a bit warmer. A strong southeasterly slowed the pace down a fair bit once again, particularly noticeable on the Queenscliff to Shelly stretch, and then once again heading south from East to West Esplanade along the harbour. Ad to that a serious amount of detouring I had to do! I had the usual bike path detour on the first passing of the Surfing Festival (yes, they are still packing it away), but on the way home they had actually blocked off the bike bath as well! They placed a small bit of taping in the gutter as a means for pedestrians to walk by! I ended up just running on the road. And then just before turning at Queenscliff SLSC, a council truck had blocked off the path - meaning another two detours! I’m full of excuses today (wind, detours, feeling fairly ordinary), so getting back in 55:38 (3:42’s) was actually not too bad at all. Certainly quicker than I had anticipated, as in my mind it felt slower than Monday and Tuesday. I’ll take that on a day like today. Also just glad to get through it this morning!

Tuesday - 15km

I got absolutely smashed in that wind this morning! I wasn’t feeling amazing by any means today, so to add in a strong southerly to an already hilly North Head loop was just cruel! Looking at my one kilometer splits, you can clearly tell when I was running straight into the headwind, especially with an over four minute second kilometer (a good 20-25 seconds slower than usual). Things weren’t much better up at North Head, with the wind really strong at the southern end near Fairfax Loop. Not much you can do about that, other than simply put your head down and grind away at the same intensity as usual (which is exactly what I ended up doing, knowing that it was going to be a slow time). And right I was, getting home in just under 57 minutes (3:47’s), the slowest (but also the windiest) North Head loop I’ve done in a long long time. At least I know it is not a lack of fitness, as I showed last week that I’ve still got something left in my legs. Looking forward to some more normal conditions soon!

Monday - 15km

Nothing special this morning, which is not too unusual for a Monday morning. Admittedly the conditions were far from ideal, a warm-ish 22 degrees when I woke up, humid overcast skies, and a fairly moderate southerly wind. Couple that with th deconstruction of the Surfing Festival and I had all the ingredients for a slower run. Nevertheless, I actually felt quite strong, and if anything, I backed off the intensity ever so slightly. Out along the Shelly-Fairlight loop this morning, the weather keeping it quieter than usual. Got home in 56 flat (3:43’s), about exactly how I felt this morning.

Sunday - 30km

My timing was horrible today, managing a northerly headwind all the way up to Narrabeen, then turning around at much the same time as the wind to head back home straight into a southerly wind. To make matters worse, it was very humid once again (I’m drenched right now). Admittedly I didn’t feel amazing by any shot this morning, but I might put that down to the conditions. I decided to run a lap of the lake again this week, forgoing the tougher hilly coastal route. It was the right call in the end. Nevertheless, I got back in a half respectable time of 2:00:25 (4:01’s), just over a minute faster than last week. I’m really looking forward to more days like last Wednesday! Can’t be too long now!

Saturday - no luck at Striders

I had a bit of a disaster this morning which started with locking myself out of home! As soon as I’d closed the door I realised that I was holding the key to my laundry, not the apartment! There was not much I could do, so I simply jogged up to North Head for the Striders race. I really wasn’t feeling it at all this morning, but thought I’d be fine once we got going. Quite a good turnout, I was really looking forward to having a hit out with the likes of Tom and Neil. The gun went and I was feeling more than fine. In fact, the first two kilometers were absolutely no dramas whatsoever - the Pace felt extremely comfortable, my breathing was relaxed, and I was enjoying it. Then within a split second, around the 3km mark, my legs were burning. I’ve heard that when you are struggling in a race, sometimes you can overcome it by speeding up. So I put a bit of an effort in to catch Neil who had gapped us slightly,  it this didn’t work. I knew at this stage I was gone, so contemplated whether it was worthwhile to just hang in there for a time or to call it quits. In the end, I decided the latter, as I’d completely lost any motivation and I was just fast jogging at this stage. Stopped when I saw Ben at the drink station, gave him my bib, then ran to my sister’s place at Brookvale to begin my search for a spare key (which ended up sorted after a while). Not sure what to make of today? I think that I have just run so much at 3:35-40 pace that I am aerobically fit, but anything below 3:20-3:15 I simply cannot handle at all. I’m not sure if I am missing racing enough to do the speedwork required to run a fast 10km at the moment. I’ve got a lot going on outside of running at the moment with my PhD (which I’m coming up to the final 18 months of, and really want to hit some big goals with that over the next year), so perhaps going back to simply what I’ve done for the past 6 months is the answer - and most importantly, enjoying the running as I have been without the added pressure of trying to hit certain paces and times for races. Nevertheless, I did enjoy seeing everyone out there this morning!

Thursday - 15km

Much tougher conditions this morning with a strong southerly wind, a warmer 22 degrees and some more humidity. Nevertheless, I pulled up really well from yesterday’s run, feeling strong and bouncy once again. Made the most of the conditions on my way up to North Head, telling myself that things were only going to get easier on the way home with a tailwind and a net downhill. Got home in 55:40 (3:43’s), quite a good time with that wind. Tried out my brand new pair of Mizuno Wave Hitogami 4’s this morning, and I was impressed. I’ve got a tiny niggle in my left calf, so decided not to risk any further damage by forgoing the sprints this week. Nevertheless, I feel that I’m back on track once again!