Sunday - Two hours

I did it! I actually managed to run for two continuous hours without any real dramas! I didn’t really want to tell anyone that I’d planned this in fear I’d be told off. But I knew that the fitness I’d maintained through the deep water running would see me through this. So I set out and headed towards Narrabeen, turning around at the 60 minute mark - which saw me reach the bus stop opposite Oceans Restaurant at North Narrabeen. The heart and lungs (the engine) were more than fine (as was the mind), it’s simply the muscles and tendons (the chassis) that is lagging (again, absolutely expected after 8 weeks of non weight-bearing training). The two hours bought me just shy of North Steyne SLSC, so a very slight positive split (very happy with that) with 25.37 km in 4:44’s at 143 bpm. Not concerned about the pace so much at the moment (although it is significantly quicker than the mid 5’s of last week), it will come down by simply running more. On that note, I made the decision yesterday that I’m done with the deep water running now - so the plan is to build some mileage over the next 2-4 week before I start to add in some intensity once again. Looking forward to it!

Saturday - 8 x 5 minutes (off 1 minute), 10 x 45 seconds (off 15 seconds) (deep water running) + 30 minute run

I felt amazingly good this morning, so made the most of it. After resisting the temptation to ditch the deep water running althogether and just run, I forced myself to stick to my original plan by forcing myself into the water. Part of it was probably driven by the dread I feel prior to this massive session. But a glorious morning and slightly warmer water temperatures ensured that I made the correct decision. As usual, I got through each of the five minute efforts by focusing on each one in isolation, counting to 300. Then the focus shifted towards the short but horrible 45 second efforts with the world’s briefest recovery of 15 seconds. These are torture at the best of times, let alone after 8 x 5 minute efforts. Got out, put my shoes on and decided to push the pace a bit more today, kind of ignoring the heart rate in an attempt to regain that feel of running strong once again. And it worked! I felt like a runner once again (after feeling like a plodder for the past week). Managed to get an extra kilometer in over 30 minutes, finishing with 6.66km at 4:31’s. Still a way to go, but a substantial improvement since last week. Looking forward to staying dry tomorrow by running only.

Thursday - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (off 1 minute) (deep water running) + 30 minutes easy run

A very welcome return to what felt like spring this morning! A balmy 12 degrees (even the water felt slightly warmer) and not a breath of wind, I was treated to ‘world record conditions’ out in Manly Cove this morning. It was a bit disheartening initially having gone from running for 90 minutes yesterday back into the water this morning, but the reasoning is to simply maintain some intensity while I ease my way back onto the land. Other than a bit a soreness post-yesterday, I was otherwise pretty good. Got through the pyramid set unscathed, feeling good. Followed it up with another 30 minute easy run. Had to really back off the pace towards the end to keep the heart rate low - it certainly felt easy and slow. Rest day tomorrow before starting all over again on Saturday.

Wednesday - 90 minutes easy

I went against conventional wisdom today and got out there for a very easy 90 minute run (yes, on the land). The deal I made with myself was that I could go for the full 90 minutes so long as I keep my heart rate in the 120’s. Despite the my ego getting bruised by running at such a slow pace that was required to keep the heart rate down, it was fantastic. The initial plan was to just do laps of the beachfront (as its dead flat), I detoured along the harbour for a few small hills along the early part of the MSW. A bit of muscle soreness/fatigue started to set in around the hour mark (totally expected), but managed to keep the heart rate down and finish the entire 90 minutes. A very small but important victory on the long road back to recovery. 16.64 km in 5:24’s at 128 bpm.

Tuesday - 2 sets of 6 x 2:30 minutes (off 30”) (2 mins between sets) (deep water running) + 30 minutes easy run

The water temperature continues to drop, luckily I was saved by the warmer than usual outside temperature thanks to the cloud cover. I feel really good today, which was reflected in the quality of the session - then confirmed by looking at my heart rate monitor data post-session. As I said last week, today’s session feels relatively short (it’s not at all) after slogging through Saturday’s and more recently Monday’s efforts. Put the shoes on post deep water run for another easy 30 minute jog around Manly. Felt better today, kept the heart rate slightly lower (still higher than usual, not surprising given that I’ve just done a hard workout in the water, and I’m running in a wetsuit) and the overall pace was slightly faster. Really looking forward to trying a run fresh tomorrow morning to see how it goes.

Monday - 3 sets of 9 x 90 seconds (off 30”) (2 mins between sets) (deep water running) + 30 minutes easy run

The equal biggest deep water running session I’ve done. All up, 27 x 90 second efforts! That’s right, 27! Slightly intimidating, pacing was absolutely key (as so often is the case lately in these deep water running sessions given their progressive nature). Got through it, in the end just focusing solely on one rep at a time without even thinking of the following rep. Looking at the heart rate post-session, I’d have to say that that was the best session I’ve had in the water over the last 8 weeks! Outside air temperature was warm, but water was cold! Didn’t take long to warm-up though. Then the fun part - instead of swimming 15 lengths, I put the shoes on and ran very slow and easy for 30 minutes. I really had to put the brakes on massively as the heart rate was higher than usual given I’d just done a massive deep water running session. I got over the slowness of the pace after a few minutes and simply focused on enjoying the serenity and the fact that I can run pain free. The plus side of running instead of swimming post deep water run is that I’m not frozen by the time I get home. All up, a great way to start the week - but not enough time to digest all the sport from overnight! Two World Cup matches (a bit of a shock result in the former game), a Formula 1 race in Austria (couldn’t resist not looking up the result) and a MotoGP in The Netherlands (I don’t know the result yet, and am very much looking forward to watching it).

Sunday - 2 hours (deep water running)

Thank god I got through that! That was the coldest deep water run I’ve had yet, my feet going numb towards the end. That coupled with the fact that I just wanted to be on the land running meant that the two hours were a real drag. Got through it in the end, cycling back home shivering then having the longest hot shower I can remember. I’d planned to go for a 20 minute run (on the land) straight afterwards, but I might postpone that to later on today when I’ve finally warmed up. On a positive note, I managed 10 minutes yesterday afternoon feeling great! Exciting times ahead!