Thursday - 4 x (90”, [60” jog], 60”, [30” jog], 30”) (off 2’)

A change up in my weekly plan, I’m experimenting with swapping my usual Thursday threshold for a speed session instead. I use feel that I’ve plateaued with the former, so a change in stimulus is needed. I had a feeling that my top end speed is lacking, hence the impetus behind today’s session. I last did this 3 years ago with Jamie, and the session is still deceptively brutal. Today, Ruth replaced Jamie. Overall, I think that I performed slightly better than anticipated, but the good sign is that there is plenty of improvement to come - which will hopefully carry over to the longer stuff. Distances for the 90, 60 and 30 seconds were 490 m, 320 m, 170 m, 490 m, 320 m, 160 m, 470 m, 310 m, 160 m, 480 m, 320 m and 170 m. Averaged 3:06’s, 3:08’s and 3:03’s for the 90, 60 and 30 second efforts respectively (all up, 3:06.5 min/km pace). Back in the day, each of these were sub-3’s (specifically, I averaged 2:54.7 min/km pace back in March 2016). So that’s the goal. I maxed the heart rate out at 184 bpm, a new record high. I’m absolutely spent now. Bumped into Jack during the cool-down for around 17 km all up.

Wednesday - 15km recovery + 6 x 10” hill sprints

Out for an easy 15 km with Ben and Darren along the usual Shelly Fairlight loop. A bit sore from the track yesterday, but felt more bouncy and springy than usual for a Wednesday morning. 4:44’s at 127 bpm. Finished off at Queenscliff Headland for some proper hill sprints.

Tuesday - 4 x 1 mile (off 90”), 5 x 200 m (off 1’)

Back to the track once again this morning for a solo session. I’ve been doing some soul searching, as despite training very consistently, I’m simply not responding and making any progress. So, I’ve decided to trial a period with a reduction in mileage (hence why there was no run yesterday). This method worked back in 2014 (the year that I initially had a breakthrough), so I’ve got nothing to loose by trying it again. I’ll simply replace the easy runs with some gym work. Anyway, today’s session was nothing special in terms of pace, but encouragingly I felt fine. Times were 5:18, 5:19, 5:24 and 5:28 (averaging 5:22’s, or 3:21 min/km pace). Finished off with some 200’s, all in 34 seconds. A good solid session. I suppose I shouldn’t be too impatient while I wait for some performance to come back (especially since I literally decided to drop the mileage at 4 am yesterday morning). Again, I actually feel good - I just don’t have that extra gear. Hopefully a few track sessions to mix it up a bit will help over the next month or two. A slow cool-down, finished off once back at home (to minimise the traffic) for just over 17 km all up.

Sunday - 30 km

The plan was to really back off the pace today, and simply focus on getting the distance done. I pulled up very sore in both calf muscles following yesterday’s track, so any OCD tendencies to push the pace were quickly eradicated. A strong southerly made the second half tougher than usual. Apart from that, conditions were quite pleasant. And most importantly, I erased any nightmares from last Sunday’s long run, and simply just enjoyed being out there today and not having to work too hard. Got back in 2:13:34 holding 4:27’s at 139 bpm. Way slower than usual, but probably the pace that I should really be running these long runs if I’m going to do three hard sessions each week.

Saturday - 16 x 400 m (off 45”)

My first track session in years, I forgot how torturous that place can be. Jack organised the session, so I just followed his lead. 16 laps of the track, each with 45 seconds rest in between. The plan was to simply follow Jack for as long as possible, which was fine for the first 4 reps, the next 4 he started finishing a second or two in front, and from then onwards I was in survival mode (as you can see with the splits - 73.7, 72.9, 73.8, 71.8, 71.7, 73.3, 73.3, 73.7, 74.2, 74.8, 75.8, 76.6, 78.7, 79.0, 79.6 and 78.5 - averaging 75.1, or 3:07.8 min/km pace). Just stoked to get through that. I don’t know whether it was the track or not, but that was the fastest I’ve run in a long time (despite blowing up, it shows how ordinary my form has been in recent years). A nice slow cook-down, followed by a short run at Manly upon returning for just over 17 km all up. Way too sore to even contemplate going to the gym today. Looking forward to trying a few more track sessions on a more regular basis moving forward.

Thursday - 10 km easy

Still not 100%, so I kept it at an easy 10 km this morning. Just ran along the beachfront, bumping into Darren early on so had some company for the rest of the run. Legs felt a bit heavy towards the end. 4:40’s at 124 bpm.

Tuesday - 17 km easy

I’ve really struggled with soreness over the past two weeks, and today I finally succumbed to it. I haven’t had an easy week since September (23 weeks ago), so I knew deep down I was well overdue for one - it’s just that I’m too stubborn to admit it. I knew all day yesterday that it was going to take a miracle for me to run the planned 1 mile reps this morning, and I was right. Within the first few hundred meters of the warm-up the decision was made. Knowing that Jodie had said he’d meet me at Manly LSC at 5:45 am, I wanted to make sure I found him to tell him that I was pulling the pin. When I found him, he was happy to come for an easy run, so I had some company which was great. We just ran along the beachfront for a bit, before going towards the harbour, where we bumped into Darren. It turns out that Darren decided this morning to join us for the session, but hadn’t told anyone, so when he turned up to find no one there, he did the same as Jodi and I. All up I still got out 17 km, about 7 too many as my legs are absolutely crushed now. I hate having to pull the pin on a session, and I often question myself for the rest of the day - however, today there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I did the right thing. Rather than feeling guilty, I feel relieved. I might take a full day off tomorrow, run an easy 10-15 km on Thursday, followed by my normal rest day on Friday. Will try and get a massage in between now and Saturday as well. So all in all, a well overdue recovery week.

Monday - 15km recovery + strides

An easy solo run out along the usual Shelly-Fairlight loop. I felt slightly better than expected given how shot to pieces I’ve been over the past week (especially yesterday). 4:37’s at 123 bpm. Finished with some strides.

Sunday - 30 km

I was really running on empty this morning, so the plan was to simply get the distance out. I really backed it off, which felt nice for about the first 10 km or so. After this, my legs turned to lead and the last two-thirds were a real struggle. The heart rate was nice and low, but the legs were screaming. I just had tough it out and get to the end. Ran past the Manly Crew while they were having a drink at Dee Why Beach towards the end. I was tempted to stop, but with only 5 km to go, I was concerned about having to stop then start again. Got back home in 2:07:22 holding 4:15’s at 137 bpm. Not as slow as I thought I was going to be (I was thinking close to 4:30’s). I’ll really do absolutely nothing for the rest of today, and run tomorrow’s recovery super easy. A few tweaks to my gym program will hopefully sort myself out, I’ve just got to get the balancing act right, which inevitably involves a bit of trial and error - hopefully that’s it for the latter.

Saturday - parkrun

I decided to give parkrun a go today, given my planned session was not too dissimilar to a 5k effort. I met Tim outside North Steyne SLSC for an easy warm-up to Curl Curl. It's no secret that I'm really struggling at the moment, so my expectations were very low (i.e. I was thinking that I'd be on for around 17:30). It was a great turnout in terms of quality runners, which is always a good sign (I just wish that I was in better form so that I could have made more of it). Ended up crossing the line in fifth in 16:51 (3:22's) at 166 bpm. Given the current context, I'll take that. Jack was solid, winning in a sub 16, and Tim was great finishing about 15 seconds in front of me. A nice and easy cool-down along the beachfront for 17 km all up. I'm a bit lost with want to do moving forward, as I don't think I'm able to sustain my current running program combined with the gym work. A lot of soul searching is needed over the weekend.

Thursday - 16 km with middle 20’ at threshold

I was purely in survival mode this morning, my legs absolutely smashed from the gym on Tuesday. I’ve finally accepted that I’m going to take a temporary hit in running speed while I increase my strength over the next few weeks, so I’m okay with this now. The twenty minute effort was only 5.75 km holding 3:29’s at 170 bpm. Once again, the heart rate was smack bang on target, so that’s all that I’ve really got to go on at the moment. Stroller through the remainder for 16 km all up. Can not wait for a rest day tomorrow!

Wednesday - 20km recovery + strides

I met Ben and Tim for some company for today’s medium long run, with Darren also making an appearance in the middle of it. Kind of an unconventional sequence of routes today, but still stuck along the normal Shelly-Fairlight loop, making a second appearance to Fairlight. 4:40’s at 124 bpm, finishing with some strides. Felt sore but strong.

Tuesday - Mona fartlek

I got through it, it wasn’t anything special, but at least I did it. Again, I’m somewhat expecting a slight dip in performance over the next few weeks as I return to lifting heavy weights once again (short term pain for long term gain), so viewed from that perspective today wasn’t too bad at all. I was thankful for Ruth showing up, the extra company always makes a difference when it would otherwise be so much easier to stay in bed. Finished with 5.83 km holding 3:26’s at 168 bpm. That last metric is the most indicative, showing that I really did push the session and gave it my best. A nice slow cool-down chatting to Ruth for just over 17 km all up.

Monday - 15km recovery + strides

An absolutely stunning morning out there today with a big drop in humidity an a hint of autumn in the air. I felt half decent considering a big weekend of training and celebrating. Had a few minutes of company with Erika early on, but other than that I was solo for the usual Shelly-Fairlight loop. 4:38’s at 124 bpm, finishing with some strides.

Sunday - 30 km

I’m just glad I survived that one this morning. Great conditions with a big drop in humidity, a lovely southwesterly wind and not a cloud in the sky. Four hours sleep and a sugar equivalent of a hang-over saw me just grind away praying for the finish. I was joined by old primary school mate Tim, but it wasn’t a terribly social run as the pace didn’t stay within the talking zone for too long. He’d just returned from a fortnight of snowboarding in Japan, so to just get through the run was a massive effort on his behalf. I got back in a half respectable time of 2:01:28 holding 4:03’s at 145 bpm - quite a bit faster than I had planned. I think that I just wanted to get it done, hence why I ran it slightly faster. Happy to get through the week, my first in which included three gym sessions. All in all, the sessions were slower than usual (as expected), but the encouraging thing was that Saturday was better than Thursday, which was better than Tuesday. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes me to adapt to the strength work while maintaining the running sessions.

Saturday - 10 x 400 m hills (quick jog recovery)

I was stoked to have a last minute starter with Jack messaging me at 6am to say he would be joining me. It makes the world of difference having some support for a brutal session like this (the one session that I absolutely dread (along with Mona fartlek). My legs felt strong but tired (the effects of the new gym program). So the pressure that I usually put on myself to run a good time is off for the next few weeks while I adapt to the strength work. So in that regard, today wasn't too bad, finishing in 31:32 averaging 170 bpm. A bloody tough session, as always. Jack was extremely strong on the uphills, but opted to be more conservative on the downhills. A solid effort considering that he only got home from the pub at 1 am this morning. A steady cool-down via the harbour and beachfront for just over 17 km all up.

Thursday - 16 km with middle 20’ at threshold

I was quite apprehensive going into this morning's session given my first gym session on Tuesday in a good solid 14 years. I met Darren up at North Head for a 6:15 am start (Tom was a no show). I felt strong, but sore. As usual, I let the heart rate monitor guide the effort. Considering the circumstances, it was slightly better than I had anticipated, getting out 5.84 km holding 3:26's at 170 bpm. Obviously not my quickest, but given the humidity and soreness in my legs, I am more than satisfied with that. Finished the remainder of the run to end up with 16 km all up. A solid session by Darren as well, especially so early on on his road back to recovery.

Wednesday - 20km recovery + strides

It was fantastic to have some company this morning. I met Ben, Justin, Erika and Darren at the lagoon for an easy medium long run. I felt very lethargic when I headed out, but started feeling fine by about the 6 km mark, as evidenced by my willingness to talk a lot more. Stuck to the usual Shelly-Fairlight loop before Ben and I did another beachfront lap to get the 20 km in. 4:41’s at 120 bpm, followed by some strides.

Tuesday - 8 x 1 km (off 1')

I was slightly apprehensive about doing a session this morning given that I'd raced on Saturday, but I still went out there and thought I'd give it a go and see how I felt. Worst case scenario I'd back it off a bit. I actually felt pretty good during he warm-up, so I think that I made the right decision. I was joined by Ruth (who also raced on Saturday) for some 1 km reps. A moderately strong southerly further reinforced that it wasn't going to be a PB session - the even reps straight into it were quite a bit slower. Reps were 3:11, 3:24, 3:16, 3:26, 3:20, 3:29, 3:22 and 3:29. Nothing special by any means, but given the conditions it wasn't too bad. The heart rate maxed out at 181 bpm, so the effort was certainly there - which is the best gauge on days like today. We were finished before sunrise, so got to enjoy a nice and easy cool-down along the beachfront just as it was rising. Just over 17 km all up.

Monday - 15km recovery + strides

Out for my usual easy Monday morning run, bumping into Burkey for the final 3 km which made an otherwise lonely run more interesting. He even hung around for some strides at the end. 4:40’s at 121 bpm.

Sunday - 30 km

Out for an easy solo long run, being extremely careful not to push the pace at all following yesterday’s race. A beautiful morning with some sea mist (along with the usual humidity). Held the heart rate about 10 bpm lower than usual, which seemed fine. Despite the pace being easier than usual, it’s still 30 km, so it’s no walk in the park. Got home in 2:06:34 holding 4:13’s at 141 bpm. Jumped straight into the ocean for a nice cool-down.

Saturday - Sun Run

My first proper race since August 2017, so I really didn’t put too much pressure on myself. The main goal was to simply get through it, which I failed to do at my two attempts at racing 10 km in 2018. I met CT, Birchy, Erika, Elle and Tom outside Bike Addiction for a slow and easy warm-up to the startline. The plan was to not go out too hard, something that is much easier said than done. But I stayed true to my word this time. About 300 m into the race someone knocked my house key out of my hand. I had to make a split decision as to what was more important - my time, or being able to get into my place post-race? The latter won, and I’m now very glad that I made that choice. From then on CT got about 10 seconds in front of me, and that’s pretty much where he stayed until the end. Crossed the line in what I believe was 12th (unofficial) in 35:07. Nothing special, but then again I’m not overly disappointed either. It was nice just to simply see the finish line of a 10 km race once again, and hopefully excise some demons. Great runs by Elle (she finished 3rd in the women’s), Erika, Tom and CT. A very slow cool-down with the crew before catching up with my sister, nephew and mum for a coffee at Pure Wholefoods. I’ve got three months to hit peak shape for the Sydney 10 in May - hopefully that’s enough time.