BRRC 10k Champ

Mon
Rest
Tue
60 minute walk. My legs still feeling thrashed after the Half on Sunday.
Wed
6.8k 36:53 (HR 138 5:25) Easy recovery run.
Thu
9.5k 49:23 (HR 152 5:11)

Fri

9.5k 58:42 (HR 124 6:10) Ran with J & C. Easy run up until madness broke out in the last 400m when a mad sprint to the end broke out. Can't blame it on testosterone fuelled male competitiveness as it was Christine who made the first move!

Sat

Rest

Sun

BRRC 10k Champ 48:38 (HR 169 4:51) 3rd in M55-59 Age Group.

It took me a long time this week to recover from the Half Marathon from last Sunday. It wasn't till Friday that I felt like I was running without sore legs. 

 Today I thought I could go sub 50 and set out at that pace. After one K, I felt I could up the pace a little and settled into a 4:55 rhythm and went through the first lap in 24:42. Still feeling quite comfortable, I stepped it up to 4:45 pace and started reeling a few runners in. I was suprised that I caught and passed Clairie at around the 7.5 Ks. In the last couple of Ks it started to get tough but with lots of huff and puff I managed not to drop the pace. 

I shouldn't have been suprised when Clairie whizzed past me with about 400m to go. I would have loved to have accepted the challenge for a battle to the line but I was red-lining myself. That will have to wait till another day in the hopefully not to near future. 

Twilight Half Marathon

Mon
rest
Tues
14.5k 82:25 (HR 141 Pace 5:41)
Wed
Rest
Thu
9.5k 47:09 (HR 166 Pace 4:57) - Averaged under 5:00 pace but it took a lot out of me.
Fri
6.8k 36:07 (HR 149 Pace 5:18) -
Sat
Rest
Sun
21.1k 1:54:40 (HR 170 Pace 5:26)

After being able to knock out a run with a pace under 5k on Thursday and being able to comfortably run at 2 hour Half Marathon Pace for 14.5k on Tuesday, I was confident I could go sub 2 hour for the Half on Sunday. But how far under was the question. Well the answer was 1:54:40 and I am very happy with that time.

It even felt like a proper race. Contained myself early and didn't go out too fast, settled into a nice rhythm at around 5:20 pace which I held up until the 16k mark. I then had to dig in, concentrate more on style and start working harder to maintain that pace. The combination of the humidity and the climb up and over the Green Bridge at 18k sapped all my spare reserves and it was a real struggle to just do 5:45 pace to the finish line. Totally knackered afterwards.

If I can stay healthy, the next few months should be one of those golden periods when every time you step up to the start line you improve on your last race. Although I don't know how long I will be able to maintain an improvement rate of 14 minute in a Half time in three weeks.

I am looking forward now to going from a back of the pack racer to a middle of the pack racer.

Rethinking the rethinking.

Mon
6.8k 34:44 (HR 156 Pace 5:06)
This was supposed to be an easy recovery run but somehow it turned into a much faster run.

Tue
14.5k 1:33:22 (HR 136 Pace 6:26)
A nice easy run.

Wed
Rest

Thu
9.5k 48:30 (HR 160 Pace 5:06)
Unlike Monday, it was the intention to push a bit harder on this one.

Fri
12k 1:18:45 (HR 125 Pace 6:33)
Again another nice easy run.

Sat
Rest

Sun
20k 1:57:59 (HR 146 Pace 5:54)
The weather was much cooler this week compared to last but still a big improvement from last week.

Week Total 62.8k

A very satisfying week of training. I am at last starting to be able to run some reasonable distances and stay around the 70 - 75% Max Hr Zone. As well Thursday's effort run shows steady improvement at that level of effort.

I am back to thinking that sub 2 for the Twilight Half may be a possibility.

Clairie I am jealous in the extreme that you will be going to the World Cup Semi-finals and Final. It will take a miracle for Australia to go that far. My only tip would be not to forget your earplugs. The dreaded vuvuzelas will be out in force.
Try this if you want to get an idea.

Rethinking

After the Half last Sunday I haven't pushed it too hard this week.
Monday:
Much needed rest day.

Tuesday:
9.5k HR 145 Pace 5:44. In the pouring rain. Lovely.

Wednesday:
No run. Went to the Australia v Indonesia Asian Cup Qualifier. The 1-0 win by the Socceroos sealed qualification for Qatar 2011.

Thursday:
13k 72:34 HR 152 Pace 5:34. Really pleased with this effort.

Friday:
Legs still a bit sore from last night so 30 minutes on the Gym Bike.

Saturday:
Rest. One of those days when my legs are really swollen. A lot of lying down.

Sunday:
15.2k 96:32 HR 146 Pace 6:21. Really humid this morning. Was thinking I'd maybe go 20k but the creek was still running high after all the rain and was well over the crossing, so turned around. This still is a big effort for me.

I have been contemplating my speculating on going sub 2 hours for the Twilight Half in two weeks time. An 8 and a half minute improvement in three weeks seems a bit optimistic when you break it down to a 25 seconds a Kilometer improvement for 21k. No need to put pressure on myself at this stage as I really should only be contemplating building my endurance base for the next three months.

Also I really need to get the feeling back into my feet and for the periodic swelling of my ankles and legs to go away before I can really do anything serious.