Monday September 7th to Sunday September 13th
The weather forecast on Sunday night predicted gale winds and rain for Monday morning so I decided then and there that it would be a good time to rest the sore body. I hadn't come out of the Sunday run that well anyway - with a sore lower back and left hip area. I returned to the chiropractor on Monday afternoon and had more treatment including some dry needling. I had nine needles in my hip and glute for a while. I also had some more manipulation and discovered a sore spot in my neck above the right shoulder.
Tuesday is an early start at work so I had to get out quickly for a short run. The weather was much improved but still cold. My body was feeling quite good so I stretched and hit the road. I started slowly - but not as slow as some have been recently. The first two kilometres were 5:18 followed by a 5:08. I was picking up speed and the next two were both in the 4:40s. On the fly home I hit 4:18 pace and held it for the final 2 km. The body was feeling great so I didn't feel the need to nurse it. My average pace over the 6 km run was 4:45, completing the run in 28:42.
On Wednesday I went on a 10km run into town, starting slowly but building. I was in the 4:40s in the third kilometre and ran the seventh in 4:33. The ninth was a 4:28 before I eased it off on the run home. My average pace was 4:45 and I ran for just under 48 minutes.
I took another day off on Thursday so that this would be a lightish week.
My Friday run was on the 13 km course. I took it easy in the warmup and was into the mid 4:40s in the third kilometre. I got down to 4:29 pace for the 5th kilometre and just worked at holding that pace. I was running pretty comfortably. I am hoping to run between 4:30 and 4:40 pace in the marathon. I stayed around the 4:30 mark for the next 6km and then put in a 4:16 in the twelfth. I eased on the run home and completed the 13.3 km run in just under 62 minutes, averaging 4:37 pace.
It was parkrun number 54 on Saturday morning and our first anniversary celebration. The theme was superheros and villains and I wore Matt's superman outfit. It was pretty hot to run in. I ran without a warm up so there was no serious running. I stayed around the 4 minute mark and completed the course in 20:14.
My long run on Sunday morning started at Shack Bay. I ran around the coast to Cape Paterson, around the town and out the back road to Harmers Haven. My pace was in the 4:50s for most of the run through Harmers and back into Wonthaggi. I ate my gel in Wonthaggi, about 15 km into the run and had my drink, that I planted earlier, as I left town on the way back to Cape. With the breeze behind me on the way into Cape I decided to pus and see if I could get near marathon pace. I ran 4:36 in the 20th, held it for the 21st, slowed up hill in the 22nd but got back to 4:29 in the 24th as I got into Cape. I slowed up on the big up hill around the coast and then just eased it back to Shack Bay. I covered 28 km in 2 hours and 15 minutes, averaging 4:49 pace. I had a quick dip in the bay before heading home. The achilles are a little sore and have ice on as I write. Generally I pulled up ok though. It was quite a warm morning and was great to get in a run in those conditions.
Monday 14th September to Sunday 20th September
I woke up quite stiff on Monday morning. My hip is sore and stiff so I used the roller on it before and after the run. I set out really slowly and it pretty much stayed that way. I did cover 8.3 km though - in just over 45 minutes. My average pace was 5:28. I'm back at the chiropractor this afternoon and then I will take some days off running and hopefully replace the runs with some cycles.
All went well at the chiropractor but I had decided that this week would be a light week so I didn't run on Tuesday or Wednesday. I dusted off the bike after work on Tuesday, cycled again on Wednesday before work - out to Cape Paterson and back - and then again with Heather after work on Wednesday.
I ran again on Thursday morning, a short 6km run. It was a cold morning and took forever to warm up. The third and fourth kilometres were in the low 4:50s and the last two in the low 4:40s. My average pace was 4:58 and I got back in just under 30 minutes. I never felt real comfortable while running. My left hip issue seems to have improved but I can still feel it when I run. My achilles are also quite stiff when I start running. They are fine when I stop so there is nothing major there - just wear and tear. The key is now to get the body feeling good in the next 4 weeks.
I was out on the road again before work on Friday. I stretched well but started stiffly. I was under 5 minute pace for the third kilometre and stayed there but it was a hard slog. Having days off isn't doing much. I really need to just get my body used to the daily grind and change it up with different distances. I ran 11.6 km at an average pace of 4:59.
I was the Run Director at parkrun on Saturday morning so I went for a longer run after processing the results. I ran from Inverloch, out to Eagles Nest. It is mostly uphill on the way there and, after warming up, I settled into just over 4:50 pace. I was down to around 4:40 pace on the way down with some faster kilometres on the big downhills. I picked up the pace back in Inverloch with the 14th kilometre a 4:31. My average pace for the 15.1 km run was 4:47 and I completed it in around 72 minutes. I went for a soak in the cold water after the run.
With 40km under my belt already for the week - and the plan for a light week - I decided to run around 10km to finish the week off. I drove out to Shack Bay and had a stretch at the top of the cliff, then started running in towards Cape Paterson on the coast road. I wasn't able to find much pace as my body is quite sore at the moment. I ran mostly around 4:50 pace. I ran into the top of Cape and then back to the coast before returning on the coast road. The ninth kilometre, run in 4:40, was my fastest and I completed the 10.3km run in just over 50 minutes, averaging 4:51 pace. I went for a soak in a cold rock pool after the run.
Monday 21st September to Sunday 27th September
After a nice warm weekend the change was coming in on Monday morning so I decided to go for a beach run before if hit us. I checked the tide and it was on the way out and approaching low tide so I drove to Williamsons. I set off towards the mouth of the Powlett first - into the wind - to test it's strength. It wasn't too bad but the run back was easier. I was running at an easy pace because I was on sand but with the wind behind me I was around 5 minute pace. I kept running on towards Cutlers and turned back about 7 and a half ks into the run. With the wind in my face I slowed to around 5:30 pace and just cruised back to the start. It was starting to cool down when I stopped so there was no soaking the body. My average pace was 5:18 for the 11 km beach run.
Heather was running for 45 minutes on Tuesday morning so I set out for a run at her pace. We ran along White Rd and out to the secondary college, looping through the grounds and returning from where we came. We were around 5:30 pace early but Heather quickened as we ran and the 4th kilometre was run in 5:13. We slowed on the turn. At just over 7km in Heather turned for home and I decided to extend my run. I continued to the end of Wentworth Rd and returned home on the gravel road. My pace quickened to better than 5 minute pace but it was hard work again. In all I ran 10.5 km in just over 55 minutes.
I spent Tuesday pulling down our old hothouse at home and doing a lot of burning off. It left my body feeling quite sore and tired - more so than usual. I set out on my 15 km course on Wednesday morning. My Garmin played up for the first 3 km and then was fine. My pace was very much up and down throughout the run. I decided to extend the run so as to avoid the busy town centre as I got to the hospital. I ran up Cameron St and around the shopping strip. It wasn't until the 14th kilometre that I found any rhythm, running a 4:43. I pretty much held that pace until about 200m from the end where I eased up on the home run. My average pace of 4:50 was a little disappointing for the 16.2km run. I ran for most of 79 minutes.
My marathon number arrived in the mail this week. There is now only 3 and a half weeks to go and it's starting to feel real now.
I put in a massive day of physical work around the block on Wednesday and really felt it on Thursday morning. This run was another very inconsistent run with my sore body really varying the pace of the run all the way. I ran a 4:42 for the 5th kilometre and then followed that with a 4:56. The 9th kilometre was a 4:40 and the next a 4:54. I pushed near the end to put in a 4:40 for the 11th and then eased the pace on the home hill. I ran 11.9 km in just under 59 minutes, averaging 4:55 pace. I followed the run up with a 25 km cycle to Cape Paterson and back.
Given that I had been really struggling this week I decided to change things around and go for an interval run on Friday morning. My lower back and legs were stiff before the run. I used Deep Heat on my back and stretched up. I didn't feel too bad when I started running. I reached the top of my warm-up hill in the first 8 minutes and then ran hard for 2 minutes. I didn't really feel like I had much pace but I did peak at 3:46 pace. I peaked at 3:48 in the second interval and had the same peak in my third interval. The fourth interval was on a down hill. I reached 3:42 pace and held it in the 3:40s for most of the 2 minutes. In the final interval I peaked at 3:41. The run was just on 12 km and averaged 3:39 pace in the 55 minute run. I pulled up well from the run and then followed up with another 21 km of cycling.
Inverloch parkrun on Saturday morning and I went on my (almost) 3 km warm up before parkrun. I got caught in a crowd of fast starters and went wide around them to take the early lead in the parkrun. I could hear Bill behind me - loud foot slaps - and sensed someone else on my shoulder as we settled. We ran the first kilometre in a fast 3:37. I kept pushing for the second but it was starting to hurt a bit towards the end of it. I ran the second in 3:40 with this new runner still right on my shoulder. I slowed a bit in the third and part way through it he took the lead and I started to lose touch with him. The third kilometre dropped back to a 3:48. From there it was a hard push in the fourth and I could hear Bill behind me. I was back to a 3:51 in the fourth and then just had to push hard all the way home. I finished with a 3:47 and my official parkrun time was an 18:47. The winner ran in 18:20 (where I hope to be around Christmas time) and Bill was close behind me in 18:53. Given how the body feels though it was great to be under 19 minutes. My thighs felt very heavy during the run.
With just over 10 km needed for an 80 km week I decided to just do a shorter run and save the longer run for Monday. I set off into town with the watch still set for 8:2 intervals. It was a slow 5:30 warm up kilometre at the start but at the top of the hill I was off for the first interval. Again my body felt heavy and it was hard work but I was able to peak at 4:01 pace for the first interval. I hit 3:58 pace in the second and 3:51 pace in the final pus of the third interval.The fourth interval peaked at 3:58 and then after a recovery of sorts I decided to push it home for the last bit. I ran the tenth kilometre in 4:39 and was able to average 4:47 pace for the 10.3 km run. I misjudged though and ended up falling short of the 80 km for the week, getting to 79.7 km.
Monday September 28th to Friday October 2nd
I planned to fit in a long run on Monday morning. With less than 3 weeks to go until the marathon it will probably be my last long run. The plan was to run easily for 6km, go hard - at marathon pace - i the middle and then cruise home for the last 6km. I started slowly and didn't get below 5 minute pace until the 4th kilometre. It was a steady progression early on and I ran the 6th kilometre in a very comfortable 4:49. There is a triangular segment called Pythagoras that goes into the back of Cape Paterson and back towards Wonthaggi. As I ran onto Wilson Rd at it's beginning I upped the pace. I ran the 7th and 8th kilometres at 4:30 pace but then slowed as I got to the hills. I kept my pace at quicker than 4:40 pace for the 9th, 11th and 13th kilometres but was just over in the 10th and 12th. When I got onto the bitumen of Cape Rd I was able to push a little harder. My 14th kilometre was 4:29 and that was followed by a 4:24 then a 4:33. I had just run 10 kilometres averaging under 4:40 pace and then it was time to ease up. After a slower 17th I was able to run comfortable home at around 4:50 pace. All up I ran 22km in just over 1 hour 45 minutes, averaging 4:47 pace. My body seemed to respond quite well. I have general soreness but I'm right in the middle of a big load.
After Mondays run it became apparent that I could get to the 300km mark again this month so I set off on the 13km course on Tuesday morning. I was a little stiff and sore but found myself running ok. I set my watch to do 4:1 intervals but was never really going to find a lot of pace so they ended up being change of pace intervals. Over the course of the run I completed 12 intervals with most intervals getting down to near the 4:20 pace peak and the stronger intervals getting closer to 4:10 for the peak. I covered 13.3 km in under 67 minutes, averaging 4:59 pace.
We drove to Eildon on Tuesday morning so I got up on Wednesday morning to have a run around the Eildon pondage. My legs were feeling heavy with the big load this week so the pace was not that great. I ran around the lower pondage and then up the dam wall (running anti clockwise). I ran pretty well up the steep rise without losing much speed at all. I picked up a lot of speed on the downhill, completing the 10.2 km run averaging 4:56 pace.
With September drawing to a close I had passed the 300 km mark for the eight time in the past ten months. My twelve month average is now on 3598 km, an average of 299.8 km per month.
I had a cycle and a light walk on Wednesday after the run and it freshened the legs a little. So I was able to find a little bit more pace on Thursdays run. I started running with Heather then had to stop for a toilet break so I spent the rest of the run trying to catch her. In the process I got some good sub 4 and a half minute pace into the run. I caught Heather as she stopped and had a slow kilometre but then set off to do some more, getting my distance up to 8 km with some more speed. I ran for 37 minutes, averaging 4:37 pace.
We drove back to Wonthaggi, getting home in the early afternoon and we decided to go for a second run with the headlamp runners. I ran with Tony, Kate, Rikki and Heather and got in a slow 10 km run, covering the distance in 55:27 (5:32 pace).
I pulled up with a sore spot on the inside of the left ankle after the late Thursday run. I iced it several times on Thursday night. It felt sore in the night but felt ok when I got up so I decided to test it with a short run. If all was well I planned to do a 4:1 change of pace interval run. The first interval was nine minutes in and all felt good with my pace getting to 3:55. I never really got going on the second interval before time was up but the third was a good one. I held my pace around the 4 minute mark for a good stretch. The fourth interval was the fastest with my pace hitting 3:47 and the last interval was also very solid with my pace just under 4 minutes and held for a while. The run covered 7.1 km and was completed in just over 34 minutes with the average pace at 3:52 - affected by the slow warm-up pace. I iced up my ankles and achilles after the run and all feels good. I have run every day for the past 16 days and have covered a touch under 200 km. The taper has started now though.
Saturday October 3rd - My 50th parkrun
With 49 parkruns from across the country under my belt I went out to Inverloch to run my 50th on Saturday morning. It was my 41st parkrun at Inverloch and I have also run at Canning River and Rockingham in WA, Torrens in SA, Berwick and Traralgon in Vic and at Darwin. I ran my usual warm up and made my way to the start. It was a warm morning and I decided that it wouldn't be my fastest run. I stuck with Bill for the first 2 km, running them at 3:46 pace. The warmth and the workload started to kick in at that point and as Bill broke away I lost my urge to push, running my third in 4:04 then dropping back to about 4:11 pace for the final 2 km. My parkrun time was 20:04 and all up, including the warmup, I ran 7.9 km in 34:27. I pulled up ok but I have now completed 18 runs in the past 17 days without a break. I've dropped back the distances but next week will start to take days off. Pretty happy with the 50th parkrun though and every one of them has been a top 10 finish.
Sunday October 4th to Saturday October 10th
I drove out to Shack Bay for the Sunday morning run and ran around the coast towards Cape Paterson. I started slowly but then started pushing the pace in the second kilometre. I ran the third in 4:38 and was running at 4:30 pace in the fourth - all into the breeze but much of it down hill. I slowed to 4:40 pace for the push back up the hill - after the turn. After Yancowinna I pushed hard back to Shack Bay for the final 2 km. The seventh kilometre was run a 4:10 pace but the I slowed on the Twin Reefs hill to run the eighth in 4:22. I ran 8.2 km in 38:21, averaging 4:38. I followed up with a 25 km cycle in the early afternoon.
With work starting again on Monday I put in one more run to start the week before having a rest. Monday's run was my 19th straight day of running. I that time I have completed 216 km in 20 runs. My body was soft and injured at the start of the workload and now it has hardened up and the injuries are behind me. My lower calves are stiff when cool but that is due to the sheer volume of running recently. I just went out for a short sharp run to start the week and got into it pretty quickly. After warming up I ran the second kilometre in 4:48. I ran a 4:31 for the third, followed up with a 4:35 then put the foot down to finish with a 4:21 and a 4:29.I averaged 4:40 pace for the 6 km run that was completed in right on 38 minutes. Its great to find some good speed at the end of a big set of workload.
Now there is less than 2 weeks to the marathon. I have started my taper by reducing the length of my runs. Now I will start to take some days off to really freshen up the body. Not too sure if I've left enough time to freshen up but I don't want to soften up as well.
No run at all on Tuesday - and it was such a perfect morning but I did get a little extra sleep.
I was back out running on Wednesday morning and I headed over to the golf course for an easy run on softer ground. I was pretty stiff and stayed well above 5 minute pace for most of the run. I did manage to get a little quicker with every kilometre and was running right on 5 minute pace by the 7th and 8th kilometres. The golf course section was great with mother and juvenile kangaroos everywhere. The juveniles are all out of the pouch by now. On the run home I was able to pick up the pace and ran the 9th in 4:53. It took me just over 48 minutes to cover the 9.3 km, averaging 5:12 pace.
Another sleep in (accidental) on Thursday as I was planning to run with a local group after work on Thursday. So Heather and I drove out to Inverloch and met up with a satellite group from Inverloch parkrun and we went on an easy group run around Inverloch. The weather was ideal and the inlet a picture so it was a very nice run. Our pace was generally in the high 5's and low 6's for the entire run. We covered 10km around the town and had young Caelin with us preparing to run 10 km at Melbourne Marathon. He put on a little bit of pace at the end of the run after we had completed the 10 km. We ran 10.5 km in 62 minutes with the average pace just under 6 minutes.
Friday was another day off running.
The plan for parkrun on Saturday was to not go out too hard but to get in some reasonable pace. I cut my warmup a bit short than usual but I did get to the point where my calf muscles felt good. When I got back the Nuna Tri squad was there so there would be some good competition. At the start Mack ran away quickly and I settled into third spot behind Mack and another Nuna runner. My first kilometre was run in 3:45 and, by that time, I had lost touch with the two in front already. My pace dropped back to 3:54 for the next two and then even further, to 4 mins, for the fourth. I pushed on the run home and finished with a 3:52 to run the parkrun in 19:29. After the run I went down to the beach and stripped to my speedos to have a soak up to my waist in the ocean. My hips and lower back had been tight. They tightened up a lot more after the soak though and both hips had a lot of muscle soreness for the rest of the day and overnight. Heather and I had a gentle cycle before lunch and I had another soak - in the rockpool at Cape Paterson - later in the afternoon.
Sunday October 11th to Saturday October 17th - the final week!
I started the week feeling very stiff and sore. My hips had sore spots that were quite deep, the right worse than the left. I went out to Shack Bay and stretched thoroughly. It was a very rusty start but a run that I felt I badly needed to run out the soreness. I was planning to run 12 km into Cape and around town then back.. At 5:14 my start was quicker than expected and the stiffness was melting away nicely. I was below 5 minute pace in the third kilometre and then at 4:40 pace as I started my circuit of Cape. I slowed across the top of the town and then pushed hard down Marine Parade and along Surf Beach Road, peaking at 4:14 pace in my 8th kilometre. I eased up as I climbed the hill along the coast road out of Cape and then picked up speed towards the end. It was a good solid run covering 12 km in 57:34, averaging 4:48 pace. I then went down to Shack Bay and had another soak up to the waist in a great rock pool out there. It worked wonders and my hips have been good all afternoon. Heather and I then loaded the bikes on the car and drove to Tarwin Lower where we had another gentle 20 km cycle to Venus Bay and back.
It was dark when I got up on Monday morning but quite light as I got my run started. Today was all about just getting in a good solid run and getting some more work into my hips. It took 3 kilometres to warm up properly but there was nothing that was terribly slow. I was already averaging under 5 minute pace after the first 3 km. I ran the fourth in 4:27 and stayed around the 4:30 mark until the 8 km mark where I eased the last few hundred metres. The seventh kilometre was the fastest, run in 4:23. I covered 8.2 km at an average pace of 4:41. I started the diet build today eating some bacon, oat and date cookies at morning tea and a tub of yoghurt for afternoon tea. Dinner tonight is some steak and a whole lot of low GI vegetables.
No running on Tuesday and the body is really starting to feel good now. Dinner tonight was lasagne. There was another serving left over which I will have for lunch on Saturday - my last big loading of carbs.
I went out for a short sharp run on Wednesday morning. My body felt pretty good and I started well with the first two kilometres at 5:06. I picked up speed and was running in the low 4:40s in the fourth and fifth kilometres. Then I dropped down to 4:30 pace on the way back home. In the eighth kilometre I ran at 4:20 pace and then I eased home for the last few hundred metres. It was a nice run with a bit of pace and I ran it comfortably. I covered 8.4 km in just under 40 minutes, averaging 4:44 pace. I pulled up well from the run. Dinner tonight was fried rice loaded up with a whole lot of low GI foods. It was accompanied by roasted chicken.
Thursday was a hot day with the temperature into the 30s. After work Heather and I met up with Tony, Ricki, Ryan and Caelan for a light trot on the rail trail. We ran at slower then 6 minute pace for most of the outbound run. On the way back the pace quickened a little. In the last 1 and a half I put the foot down a little and covered the sixth at race pace, just over 4:30 pace. We ran for over 38 minutes. I covered 6.6 km at an average pace of 5:46 - but that was brought down a lot in the final section.
No running on Friday. I had heaps of energy this morning and my body is feeling great. I am a little heavier than usual after the loading. Tonight for dinner I am having baked potatoes and the left over fried rice, followed by a stack of pancakes and fruit salad for desert.
Saturday morning started with some pancakes and yoghurt and then it was off to parkrun. The plan this week was to try and pace at 21 minutes (4:10) pace and get a couple of other runners to PBs. Nathan and Georgia were running with me and stayed with me for te first half. They dropped off towards the end. Georgia got a new PB and Nathan ran his fastest time since his recent travels so that was a success. As for me I got in a good hitout without spending too much energy. My legs felt great after the run - just willing me to do some more. My parkrun splits were; 4:03, 4:11, 4:09, 4:06, 4:15 with an ease up towards the end. Including the warmup I ran 7.4 km in 33:18 with my overall average pace being 4:29. My official parkrun time was 20:52. I will have a shower soon and then my final loading of carbs - another helping of Lasagne - before we head off to Melbourne and a look at the MM Festival expo. Tea tonight will be at 14 Bridge in Richmond. An early night and then it's on!
I go into the marathon knowing that I have the prep. Since deciding to run the marathon while sitting in the MCG 2 years ago (after having run the 10km) I have run 592 times and covered a total of 6130 km. My longest run has been a 3 hour run where I covered right on 36 km. I have run past the 30 km mark on 6 occasions (all in 2015) and I have run further than 25 km on 13 occasions. Cannot wait until tomorrow!
Mission complete! I got through the 42.195 km quite well. The last 5 km were hard, especially the climb in the Tan. That was where the winner made his move and he has my complete respect given how hard that section is. I started well running the first kilometre in 4:35 and then stayed around 4:30 pace for the first 9 km. I was running very comfortably with my heart rate around the 150 mark consistently. I slowed a little for some of the run along the bottom of Albert Park Lake but I hit 4:16 pace in the 15th kilometre - down Fitzroy Street. I ran north/west along Beach road at a comfortable 4:35 pace but slowed with the breeze in my face after we turned to go the other way. I took a toilet break along Beach Rd, losing about 30 seconds, and then I struggled to get my pace back into the breeze. I picked up speed a little after the Elwood turn but found it difficult going back up Fitzroy Street and then realy struggled for pace with the crowded road after the slower half marathon runners merged with us at Albert Park Lake. I had been well ahead of the 3:20 pacer but was surprised when the group caught me on St Kilda Road at the 32 km mark. That woke me up and I was able to pick up speed again, running the 33rd in 4:41, followed by a 4:38, a 4:39 and a 4:41. But then we were into the Botanic Gardens and the hill there was where I started to find the going a bit tough, going over 5 minute pace for the first time. As I went over the hill I pushed again. While I was in no great pain my legs just didn't have the power to keep pushing. I ran at 5 minute pace for a couple of kilometres but then slowed to 5:14 pace up St Kilda Road and along Flinders Street. The sight of the MCG was not even enough to give me a boost and ran along Brunton Avenue at that pace too. As I entered the MCG the sun broke through and the massive crowd just pulled me along. My pace was back into the 4's and even down in the low 4's along the home straight.
I got across the line in 3:21:31, averaging 4:46 pace. I got through the run with no blisters or any other types of broken skin. I had my legs massaged after the run and then met up with Heather and Matt in the stands. My legs are very stiff and my left knee a bit sore but generally I'm good. The psychological battle in the latter stages of a marathon is incredible.
I pulled up with a sore spot on the inside of the left ankle after the late Thursday run. I iced it several times on Thursday night. It felt sore in the night but felt ok when I got up so I decided to test it with a short run. If all was well I planned to do a 4:1 change of pace interval run. The first interval was nine minutes in and all felt good with my pace getting to 3:55. I never really got going on the second interval before time was up but the third was a good one. I held my pace around the 4 minute mark for a good stretch. The fourth interval was the fastest with my pace hitting 3:47 and the last interval was also very solid with my pace just under 4 minutes and held for a while. The run covered 7.1 km and was completed in just over 34 minutes with the average pace at 3:52 - affected by the slow warm-up pace. I iced up my ankles and achilles after the run and all feels good. I have run every day for the past 16 days and have covered a touch under 200 km. The taper has started now though.
Saturday October 3rd - My 50th parkrun
With 49 parkruns from across the country under my belt I went out to Inverloch to run my 50th on Saturday morning. It was my 41st parkrun at Inverloch and I have also run at Canning River and Rockingham in WA, Torrens in SA, Berwick and Traralgon in Vic and at Darwin. I ran my usual warm up and made my way to the start. It was a warm morning and I decided that it wouldn't be my fastest run. I stuck with Bill for the first 2 km, running them at 3:46 pace. The warmth and the workload started to kick in at that point and as Bill broke away I lost my urge to push, running my third in 4:04 then dropping back to about 4:11 pace for the final 2 km. My parkrun time was 20:04 and all up, including the warmup, I ran 7.9 km in 34:27. I pulled up ok but I have now completed 18 runs in the past 17 days without a break. I've dropped back the distances but next week will start to take days off. Pretty happy with the 50th parkrun though and every one of them has been a top 10 finish.
Sunday October 4th to Saturday October 10th
I drove out to Shack Bay for the Sunday morning run and ran around the coast towards Cape Paterson. I started slowly but then started pushing the pace in the second kilometre. I ran the third in 4:38 and was running at 4:30 pace in the fourth - all into the breeze but much of it down hill. I slowed to 4:40 pace for the push back up the hill - after the turn. After Yancowinna I pushed hard back to Shack Bay for the final 2 km. The seventh kilometre was run a 4:10 pace but the I slowed on the Twin Reefs hill to run the eighth in 4:22. I ran 8.2 km in 38:21, averaging 4:38. I followed up with a 25 km cycle in the early afternoon.
With work starting again on Monday I put in one more run to start the week before having a rest. Monday's run was my 19th straight day of running. I that time I have completed 216 km in 20 runs. My body was soft and injured at the start of the workload and now it has hardened up and the injuries are behind me. My lower calves are stiff when cool but that is due to the sheer volume of running recently. I just went out for a short sharp run to start the week and got into it pretty quickly. After warming up I ran the second kilometre in 4:48. I ran a 4:31 for the third, followed up with a 4:35 then put the foot down to finish with a 4:21 and a 4:29.I averaged 4:40 pace for the 6 km run that was completed in right on 38 minutes. Its great to find some good speed at the end of a big set of workload.
Now there is less than 2 weeks to the marathon. I have started my taper by reducing the length of my runs. Now I will start to take some days off to really freshen up the body. Not too sure if I've left enough time to freshen up but I don't want to soften up as well.
No run at all on Tuesday - and it was such a perfect morning but I did get a little extra sleep.
I was back out running on Wednesday morning and I headed over to the golf course for an easy run on softer ground. I was pretty stiff and stayed well above 5 minute pace for most of the run. I did manage to get a little quicker with every kilometre and was running right on 5 minute pace by the 7th and 8th kilometres. The golf course section was great with mother and juvenile kangaroos everywhere. The juveniles are all out of the pouch by now. On the run home I was able to pick up the pace and ran the 9th in 4:53. It took me just over 48 minutes to cover the 9.3 km, averaging 5:12 pace.
Another sleep in (accidental) on Thursday as I was planning to run with a local group after work on Thursday. So Heather and I drove out to Inverloch and met up with a satellite group from Inverloch parkrun and we went on an easy group run around Inverloch. The weather was ideal and the inlet a picture so it was a very nice run. Our pace was generally in the high 5's and low 6's for the entire run. We covered 10km around the town and had young Caelin with us preparing to run 10 km at Melbourne Marathon. He put on a little bit of pace at the end of the run after we had completed the 10 km. We ran 10.5 km in 62 minutes with the average pace just under 6 minutes.
Friday was another day off running.
The plan for parkrun on Saturday was to not go out too hard but to get in some reasonable pace. I cut my warmup a bit short than usual but I did get to the point where my calf muscles felt good. When I got back the Nuna Tri squad was there so there would be some good competition. At the start Mack ran away quickly and I settled into third spot behind Mack and another Nuna runner. My first kilometre was run in 3:45 and, by that time, I had lost touch with the two in front already. My pace dropped back to 3:54 for the next two and then even further, to 4 mins, for the fourth. I pushed on the run home and finished with a 3:52 to run the parkrun in 19:29. After the run I went down to the beach and stripped to my speedos to have a soak up to my waist in the ocean. My hips and lower back had been tight. They tightened up a lot more after the soak though and both hips had a lot of muscle soreness for the rest of the day and overnight. Heather and I had a gentle cycle before lunch and I had another soak - in the rockpool at Cape Paterson - later in the afternoon.
Sunday October 11th to Saturday October 17th - the final week!
I started the week feeling very stiff and sore. My hips had sore spots that were quite deep, the right worse than the left. I went out to Shack Bay and stretched thoroughly. It was a very rusty start but a run that I felt I badly needed to run out the soreness. I was planning to run 12 km into Cape and around town then back.. At 5:14 my start was quicker than expected and the stiffness was melting away nicely. I was below 5 minute pace in the third kilometre and then at 4:40 pace as I started my circuit of Cape. I slowed across the top of the town and then pushed hard down Marine Parade and along Surf Beach Road, peaking at 4:14 pace in my 8th kilometre. I eased up as I climbed the hill along the coast road out of Cape and then picked up speed towards the end. It was a good solid run covering 12 km in 57:34, averaging 4:48 pace. I then went down to Shack Bay and had another soak up to the waist in a great rock pool out there. It worked wonders and my hips have been good all afternoon. Heather and I then loaded the bikes on the car and drove to Tarwin Lower where we had another gentle 20 km cycle to Venus Bay and back.
It was dark when I got up on Monday morning but quite light as I got my run started. Today was all about just getting in a good solid run and getting some more work into my hips. It took 3 kilometres to warm up properly but there was nothing that was terribly slow. I was already averaging under 5 minute pace after the first 3 km. I ran the fourth in 4:27 and stayed around the 4:30 mark until the 8 km mark where I eased the last few hundred metres. The seventh kilometre was the fastest, run in 4:23. I covered 8.2 km at an average pace of 4:41. I started the diet build today eating some bacon, oat and date cookies at morning tea and a tub of yoghurt for afternoon tea. Dinner tonight is some steak and a whole lot of low GI vegetables.
No running on Tuesday and the body is really starting to feel good now. Dinner tonight was lasagne. There was another serving left over which I will have for lunch on Saturday - my last big loading of carbs.
I went out for a short sharp run on Wednesday morning. My body felt pretty good and I started well with the first two kilometres at 5:06. I picked up speed and was running in the low 4:40s in the fourth and fifth kilometres. Then I dropped down to 4:30 pace on the way back home. In the eighth kilometre I ran at 4:20 pace and then I eased home for the last few hundred metres. It was a nice run with a bit of pace and I ran it comfortably. I covered 8.4 km in just under 40 minutes, averaging 4:44 pace. I pulled up well from the run. Dinner tonight was fried rice loaded up with a whole lot of low GI foods. It was accompanied by roasted chicken.
2 years of preparation for MM '15
Thursday was a hot day with the temperature into the 30s. After work Heather and I met up with Tony, Ricki, Ryan and Caelan for a light trot on the rail trail. We ran at slower then 6 minute pace for most of the outbound run. On the way back the pace quickened a little. In the last 1 and a half I put the foot down a little and covered the sixth at race pace, just over 4:30 pace. We ran for over 38 minutes. I covered 6.6 km at an average pace of 5:46 - but that was brought down a lot in the final section.
Headlampers on the rail trail
No running on Friday. I had heaps of energy this morning and my body is feeling great. I am a little heavier than usual after the loading. Tonight for dinner I am having baked potatoes and the left over fried rice, followed by a stack of pancakes and fruit salad for desert.
Saturday morning started with some pancakes and yoghurt and then it was off to parkrun. The plan this week was to try and pace at 21 minutes (4:10) pace and get a couple of other runners to PBs. Nathan and Georgia were running with me and stayed with me for te first half. They dropped off towards the end. Georgia got a new PB and Nathan ran his fastest time since his recent travels so that was a success. As for me I got in a good hitout without spending too much energy. My legs felt great after the run - just willing me to do some more. My parkrun splits were; 4:03, 4:11, 4:09, 4:06, 4:15 with an ease up towards the end. Including the warmup I ran 7.4 km in 33:18 with my overall average pace being 4:29. My official parkrun time was 20:52. I will have a shower soon and then my final loading of carbs - another helping of Lasagne - before we head off to Melbourne and a look at the MM Festival expo. Tea tonight will be at 14 Bridge in Richmond. An early night and then it's on!
I go into the marathon knowing that I have the prep. Since deciding to run the marathon while sitting in the MCG 2 years ago (after having run the 10km) I have run 592 times and covered a total of 6130 km. My longest run has been a 3 hour run where I covered right on 36 km. I have run past the 30 km mark on 6 occasions (all in 2015) and I have run further than 25 km on 13 occasions. Cannot wait until tomorrow!
Mission complete! I got through the 42.195 km quite well. The last 5 km were hard, especially the climb in the Tan. That was where the winner made his move and he has my complete respect given how hard that section is. I started well running the first kilometre in 4:35 and then stayed around 4:30 pace for the first 9 km. I was running very comfortably with my heart rate around the 150 mark consistently. I slowed a little for some of the run along the bottom of Albert Park Lake but I hit 4:16 pace in the 15th kilometre - down Fitzroy Street. I ran north/west along Beach road at a comfortable 4:35 pace but slowed with the breeze in my face after we turned to go the other way. I took a toilet break along Beach Rd, losing about 30 seconds, and then I struggled to get my pace back into the breeze. I picked up speed a little after the Elwood turn but found it difficult going back up Fitzroy Street and then realy struggled for pace with the crowded road after the slower half marathon runners merged with us at Albert Park Lake. I had been well ahead of the 3:20 pacer but was surprised when the group caught me on St Kilda Road at the 32 km mark. That woke me up and I was able to pick up speed again, running the 33rd in 4:41, followed by a 4:38, a 4:39 and a 4:41. But then we were into the Botanic Gardens and the hill there was where I started to find the going a bit tough, going over 5 minute pace for the first time. As I went over the hill I pushed again. While I was in no great pain my legs just didn't have the power to keep pushing. I ran at 5 minute pace for a couple of kilometres but then slowed to 5:14 pace up St Kilda Road and along Flinders Street. The sight of the MCG was not even enough to give me a boost and ran along Brunton Avenue at that pace too. As I entered the MCG the sun broke through and the massive crowd just pulled me along. My pace was back into the 4's and even down in the low 4's along the home straight.
I got across the line in 3:21:31, averaging 4:46 pace. I got through the run with no blisters or any other types of broken skin. I had my legs massaged after the run and then met up with Heather and Matt in the stands. My legs are very stiff and my left knee a bit sore but generally I'm good. The psychological battle in the latter stages of a marathon is incredible.
