Friday - Indian Summer (rent a canoe)

6.8k 35:05. HR Avg 137 Max 148 Avg Pace 5:09
Course: Work to New Farm Park and Back.
Start Time: 5:25 pm Temp 23C.
Session Type: Easy Run

Still taking it nice and easy. Leg is giving me no problems when running at this pace. Would have thought the weather would be getting cooler though. At 23C and 72% humidity I was still really sweaty by the end of even this slow run. Finished off with 20 minutes of stretching and strengthening exercises in the gym.

Work treadmill

6.5k 35:42. HR Avg 137 Max 147
Course: Treadmill.
Start Time: 6:05 pm
Session Type: Kind of easy.

I jumped on the treadmill at work tonight. Set the slope to 4.5 and set off slowly. I was prepared to just sit at around HR 130 which is what I did last night on the road. It took about five minutes to get to 130 but the HR just slowly and steadily increased, so by 30 minutes it was 147. I then put the slope down to 1.0 and my HR dropped to 138 in a matter of minutes. For the final few minutes, I upped the speed to get back up to HR 145 again. I guess the slope makes a big difference. As you maybe able to tell I don't have much experience of treadmill running. In fact I'm sure that tonight is the longest I have ever run on one.

I remember many many years ago being in Bunbury WA for work and the weather was foul, so I went to the hotel gym to do a treadmill session. This was the first time I had ever ran on one. Back then 4m/k pace was a easy run for me, so I quickly got the machine up to that pace. After about 20 seconds I felt in mortal danger. I was so fearful that one wrong placement of my foot and I would be catapulted backwards. So I made an attempt to get to the controls to slow the machine down but I just couldn't run that quickly with a nice stride and put my hand out in front of me in the right position to get the control without feeling I was going to crash. I finally got the courage and co-ordination to do it and I quickly slowed down and then stopped. Shaken my session was over in less than two minutes and I had to go and lie down to recover.

On the Road Again

6.5k 36:11. HR Avg 132 Max 143 Avg Pace 5:34
Course: Gap Cycle Path.
Start Time: 5:10 pm Temp 24C.
Session Type: Easy Run

At last a session that I would call a run. A very easy run but a run none the less.

Thanks for all the kind comments and concern shown after I pulled out of Canberra. That weekend was tough. I am at complete ease about pulling out of the race. It just would not have been possible for me to have run even a couple of K on that day. But I certainly have a few regrets about not going down there just to be part of the atmosphere.

But that is behind me. My rehab has consisted of stretching, isometric strengthening exercises,walking, sessions on the gym bike and then the treadmill. On Monday I manage 25 minutes on the treadmill at 7m/K without any after effects, so I thought it was safe to try a real run tonight.

Started out really slow, and picked the pace up as I went (I thought at least). When I got home and downloaded from my watch I was surprised that the out half had been quicker than the back half. I am still very wary of the leg but there was no acute twinges at all. Hopefully I will pull up OK. I will take it easy for another couple of weeks and reassess my race goals then. Am mindful that 25% of hamstring injuries reoccur within a month.

Doh!

Last night I went out for my last training run before Canberra. As last week was such a light week I thought my normal run into the city would be OK at around MP.
The run was going well. I got to half way on just over 33 minutes. I was going easily and feeling good. Then between the end of the floating walk way and the Sydney Street ferry, I felt a a twinge in my left hamstring. I thought that's not good. The next step it was more than just a twinge. The next step I thought maybe I should stop. Then the next step I knew I have to stop and I did and that folks was the end of my marathon campaign. I did some stretches. Maybe it was just a cramp. I started off again but after only a few paces, I knew it was gone. Damn. damn. Damn.

It was a long long 35 minute walk back to work. In that time, I mulled over how this could have happened. There was no warning. I wasn't putting in an extra effort. Why now?? By the end I had pretty much reconciled my disappointment and accepted my fate.

Maybe it would be better in the morning. Well it is now Thursday and it is no better and I can definitely feel the injured muscle in my hamstring.

As much as I would have liked to have been part of the whole atmosphere of Canberra, it makes no sense money wise to make the trip. So I have cancelled the reservation at the Rydges , cancelled the flights (for which I get a credit) and will be cooling my heels and hammie in Brisbane. I also said after trying to do GC last year when injured that I would not do that again and I am sticking to my experience from then.

In a strange way, it has made me feel more determined to nail a marathon in the next couple of years. But I won't do that running an early autumn race like Canberra whilst training in Brisbane. Must be a winter or spring.

But then the next minute, I am thinking why am I doing this and why don't I just run for fun?

As you can tell I am pretty up and down at the moment but I am getting there.

All the best to those who have made it to the start line. That is an achievement of its own. I wil be thinking about you on the day.

Behind Every Good Man

It is often the way that men who are successful are backed up by a woman who maintains balance and stability in their life.

Moday - The Bigger Picture

9.5k 53:58. HR Avg 143 Max 151 Avg Pace 4:54
Course: Gap Cycle Path.
Start Time: 5:05 pm Temp 20C.
Session Type: Easy Run

I still can't seem to shake off this cold completely. Yesterday I would have only rated myself at 90% and today I am back up to 95%. So tonight I just wanted to take it easy which I managed to do.

Since I picked up the cold, I have stopped focusing so much on Canberra and started looking more at the big picture. The cooler weather has also made me realise had hard it is training over summer for a marathon and that in truth I will be in a much better position to run a faster time at the Gold Coast in 13 weeks than I will in Canberra next week.

Still, hopefully I can shake this cold completely this week, and on Sunday put in a top effort based on the training I have done so far.

Saturday - Easter hop

15.3k 73:39. HR Avg 150 Max 163 Avg Pace 4:48
Course: Ashgrove Cycle Path.
Start Time: 5:25 pm Temp 20C.
Session Type: 82%MxHR Run

My run last night, didn't seem to have a negative effect on my recovery but I would still only rate myself at 95% healthy. Because I have done so little running last week, I thought I could do a 15k run tonight without much risk of comprimising the taper. I must say the weather has changed in the last week and it was noticeably cooler tonight and made for very pleasent running conditions.

The run was a decent hit out over an undulating route and I was pleased with the average pace of 4:48. Out in 36:38 (144) and back in 37:06 (156).

Friday - easy run??

6.5k 28:59. HR Avg 154 Max 170 Avg Pace 4:27
Course: Gap Cycle Path.
Start Time: 4:50 pm Temp 21C.
Session Type: Easy Run ??

I felt confident enough today to go out for a run. I would have rated myself 95% over the cold I picked up on Monday but I just wanted to do a short easy run to test the waters.

How wrong did I get it? It turned out to be way too quick. I guess my legs were just itching to go, having not run since Sunday.

Laying Low

I woke up Monday morning with a sore throat and a bit of a temperature. It would have been some sort of miracle if I hadn't picked it up from the rest of the family.

Tuesday I wasn't any worse and today I am feeling a bit better.

Hopefully all gone tomorrow and I can get back into the serious business of winding down.
Actually, if you had to pick a time to get sick now is the perfect week.

Sunday - race practice

21.0k 1:36:56. HR Avg 153 Max 173 Avg Pace 4:37
Course: BRRC 21k.
Start Time: 6:00 am Temp 18C.
Session Type: MP Run

The plan for this morning's BRRC's event was to do three 7k laps at 4:40 and see whether I could sustain that pace comfortably and give me a guide as to a possible Marathon pace.

It was the coolest Sunday morning for ages which was a plus. The run went really well and I managed to run at around 4:37 pace the whole way and only averaged HR 150.
The three laps were :

32:19 (HR141)
32:37 (151)
32:00 (154).

It has certainly got me thinking that 4:40 pace may be close to the mark for Canberra. Factoring in some fade in the last 10k, that makes a sub 3:20 the target.

Now I only have to keep the gremlins at bay. Looks like Delta is going down with the cold now, which only leaves My Wife and me who haven't succumbed at this stage.

Managed 284K for March despite having three days off for Womeadelaide.
Year to Date up to 993K.