…..follows the Great Train Race
I pulled up pretty well from the Great Train Race as I would have expected given the distances I’ve been running. I could feel a little tightness in both quads which is something that doesn’t usually happen. I suspect that this was because of the big hill.
I also have a sore right heel which I think has come from a problem with my new work shoes. It mainly hurts when the foot is cold and doesnt impact my running but it was a bit sore after getting off the train after an hour long ride on the train back to Belgrave.
I plan to have two days off running to rest and recover, then to run on Wednesday and Friday mornings. I will have a fast 10km next Sunday, most likely in the Mothers Day Run. Lets hope it all goaes well.
The next VMA race is a 10km track race. I have struggled in recent 10km races by going too fast too early. Given that this run is around a 400m track I want to go into the race with a race plan. If I start at 3:40 pace I usually burn out so I have calculated that I need to run each lap in around 95 seconds to be running at just under 4 minute pace. If I check my pace each 400m, as opposed to each km, I should be able to control my pace much better and, hopefully, hold the pace for much longer.
Training Runs – 7th til 12th MayI took the Monday and Tuesday off. I could feel it in my quads on the Monday – surprising given the running I’ve done recently. I believe that it must have been the hill running.
On Wednesday I got up early and went for an 8km town run. After a slowish start – I could feel it slightly in the quads and the calves – I got my speed down to the 4:20s and was running well. Half way through I gave it a hard push on a segment and got in 700m at 3:50 pace. I eased up after that to recover then finished with some nice sub 4:20 pace.
Friday morning I got up in the cold and set off in the dark. I was running another 8km town run. The Garmin wouldn’t locate so I set off anyway and ran 900m before it got going. When it did I was running in the 4:30s and feeling pretty good.My third recorded kilometer was 4:14 and I pretty much settled at that speed. In the last kilometer I picked it up a little more and finished with a 4:07. Not a bad hitout. I’ve had 6 non running days in the past two weeks now so the body is starting to feel fresh again.
It was raining steadily when I got up on Saturday morning but, with a busy day ahead, I had no choice but to run in it. I had hoped to run 13km with intervals but changed my plans due to the rain and ut in a steady 10km run. My pace was up after warming up, then drooped away slightly then I picked it up again at the end. I finished the 10km in 44:14 – so was pretty happy with another sub 45.
My right heel has been troubling me during the day but not when I run. I need to keep a check that it doesn’t affect my walking too much during the day as I now have a slightly sore spot just above the right achilles. Other than that all is pretty good at the moment. The run today was hard work with my shoes getting heavier with every step.
The 2014 Mothers Day Classic was run on Sunday morning, with a 10km run in Wonthaggi. I ran over to the course to warm up. My lower right calf was feeling a little stiff so I made sure that I did a lot of stretching to warm it up. The run was partly cross country and a lot trail running on gravel paths. There wasn’t a lot of competition in the field so the pace never got really high. Early in the run, through the Wonthaggi wetlands, there was another runner just sitting in behind me. I ran the first kilometer at 4:08 pace – that included walking across a low bridge – and he stayed there. As we hit the first concrete path I upped the pace with a surge at 3:40 to 3:50 pace to pull away. I ended up running the second kilometer at an average of 3:55 pace and established a good lead. On the rail trail I then settled in at low 4 minute pace with my slowest kilometer the 6th which was 4:11. We then had to cross the main road and Iwas held up for traffic. After crossing the road there were heaps of walkers and my lead was good so I slowed to sub 4:20 pace. The run was just shy of 10km so I ran the extra at the end to get up to full distance and finished the 10km in 41:54 – my best time over 10km since mid March. It was a pretty good hitout without spending too many petrol tickets.
Monday morning was my final training run – a short sharp 6km run. The sharp bit eluded me. When I got out there it was very foggy and cold and I struggled to get my pace up. After a slow first kilometer on the dirt road I got up to 4:30 pace and just under. I found myself working really hard to get that pace. About 3 and a half kilometers in I changed to a more relaxed running style with slightly longer strides. I then started to find a little more pace and got going in the 5th kilometer, averaging 4:12. I kept that pace into the sixth kilometer then, when I hit the dirt road again, slowed the pace to a solid jog to bring it home for the last 500m.
My body is feeling great. I had a nice run yesterday for confidence and was able to pick up speed to drop someone off which felt good. The race tomorrow night has four 45-49 years runners, two of whom run at around 38 minutes. I am the third ranked runner so I will have to have a great run to be in the medals. In all there are seven sub 40 minute runners, with the fastest at 35 minutes so the pace should be on. I am in the fast heat with all runners at 45 minutes or less. I’m looking forward to te competition and to see how I go on the track. Bring it on.
VMA – 10,000m Track Championships – Tuesday May 13th at Collingwood Athletic Track
I got to the track nice and early. I was in the A-final which was being run second so I had plenty of time to warm up while the B-final was running. I ran down along the Merri Creek for the warm ups and put in a few nice bursts of pace. My heel was generally feeling ok and my legs felt good. I got in plenty of stretching.
My game plan was to run 1 min 35 sec laps for at least the first 4000m. That would see me complete the first 4km in 15:50. I tried not to go too hard on the first lap but it was a quality field and I went with the pace for some of it. I completed the first lap in 1:27 and tried to ease it back just a little. Second lap was 1:34, then 1:36, a couple of 1:37s and a 1:35 and I settled around that pace to finish the first 4000m in 15:53. I would have been still (just) under 4 minute pace through the 5km mark but then I started to drop back into the 1:40s.
My 15th and 16th laps were both 1:44 – the slow point of the night – and I remained in the 1:40s until the 3rd last lap. Dureing the race I had overtaken a few of the other runners who went out harder but at this point a couple of them got me back. I was also being lapped by the really fast runners from about the point where my pace dropped back and I did lose my bearings a little. I lost track of my lap count at one point.
Near the end of the race I thought I was closer to finishing than I actually was and I started picking up the pace. I got to a point where I was running really well in my final laps. I ran the 3rd last lap in 1:36 and started to catch those just ahead of me. I dropped back to 1:40 for the penultimate lap and then really got up some nice pace for the final lap. At this point I was catching other runners – some ahead of me and others who I was just starting to lap and my thought was that I needed to pass as many as possible to be sure. I ran down the last of those ahead of me in the home straight – he ended up being in a different age group – and finished the final lap in 1:35 (sub 4 minute pace) to record a new 10km PB of 41:03.
I won the bronze medal for the 45-49 age group with the top two runners being in the 38 minutes and pretty close together. In the end I dropped about a minute in the second half of the race but I did give it all that I had. It is probably more mental than physical – the fatigue in the middle of a race. My body pulled up very well – with my heel quite stiff when I cooled down. I was most disappointed with the 4 seconds that I dropped on the second last lap. If I had held my pace then I would have broken 41 minutes. But there is always next time. I’m not sure that I really like track running as it is a real mental challenge of concentration but it was a great experience.
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