Tuesday - 8 x 1 km (off 1’)

A solid turnout on an extremely humid morning with Tim, Jody, Fiona and Ben joining myself for some 1 km reps. I was feeling pretty ordinary in the warm-up, and not too sure whether I would’ve gone through with the session if no one else had shown up. I’m glad they did, as I had a really good session (far better than anticipated). Jody ran the reps with one minute rest with me (the others ran them off a 5 minute cycle). Reps were 3:11, 3:14, 3:15, 3:16, 3:17, 3:20, 3:20 and 3:19 (averaging 3:16.5). A big session PB, having not previously gone under a 3:20 average, so very happy with that - even more so given the humidity. A nice and easy cool-down to Shelly Beach and back bumping into Justin for just over 17 km all up.

Monday - 15km recovery + strides

I felt pretty ordinary this morning, but I must say that I’m now glad that I went out there and got it done. I bumped into Erika very early on, so had some company for a few minutes, before catching Sam at the 5 km mark, meaning that I had some good company until the end. Really felt much better from about the 9 km mark onwards. Finished with 4:42’s at 120 bpm, followed by some strides.

Sunday - 30 km

A nice drop in temperature was counteracted by a very strong southerly (31 km/hr to be exact), making the second half of the run horrible. Other than that, I felt quite good. Out to Shelly Beach and then out to Turrimetta Headland and back along the hilly coastal route. The GPS was really under-reading this morning, finishing about 150 m past the usual mark in 2:00:28 holding 4:01’s at 148 bpm. I’d say it was more like two hours flat at bang on four minute kilometres. Doesn’t matter, a good run to get in during tough conditions can only make you stronger.

Saturday - 5 x 1200 m (off 3’)

A solo speed session on a very warm morning, the one saving grace was that the humidity was slightly lower than usual. Starting outside Manly LSC, I ran the reps up and down the beachfront in the bike lane. A moderate northeasterly made the odd reps tougher, and given that I completed an odd number of reps, this slowed the average pace down a bit. Doesn’t matter, as it’s still good training nonetheless. Splits were 3:51, 3:54, 3:59, 3:55 and 4:04 - that final one bringing the average rep pace down a bit. Nothing spectacular, but hard to read too much into the times given the conditions (which were beautiful, just bloody hot). I did manage to max the heart rate out at 181 bpm, a new PB for me. A slow cool-down bumping into Justin for a bit, finishing with just over 17 km all up.

Thursday - 16 km with middle 20’ at threshold

A great turnout this morning with Tim x 2, Erika, Sam, Ben, and Macca showing up for the largest threshold session yet. Very sticky conditions which simple deteriorated as we went. The twenty minute effort was simply run on feel and heart rate, finishing with 5.89 km holding 3:24’s at 168 bpm. Not my fastest, but solid enough in those conditions. Ran the remaining lap and a half to finish with 16 km all up. Everyone was absolutely drenched at the end.

Wednesday - 20km recovery + strides

A solo medium long run on a very hot and humid morning. I kept the pace very easy and relaxed as I ran along the usual Shelly-Fairlight loop and back to Shelly Beach once again. 4:40’s at 124 bpm, finishing with some strides.

Tuesday - Quarters

I was joined by Paul and Tim (a good old friend from primary school) on a hot, steamy and extremely humid New Years morning. After bypassing a few drunks on the warm-up up to North Head, we got going not long after 6:30 am. This session is brutal, and today was no different. The one advantage is that it’s the shortest session on the program, so in that respect we minimised the duration of time working out in those conditions. I was actually quite happy to get across the line in 16:01 holding 3:20’s at 166 bpm (maxing out at 179). A full seven seconds quicker than last time, and in much harsher conditions. Tim and Paul both ran well, although the former had some stomach issues towards the end. A very long and slow cool-down for another lap of North Head before a lap of the beachfront where we were joined by a Bondi triathlete named Brendon. A great way to start the new year, so glad I’m a runner and not hung over like a lot of people today. Time for a swim.