Monday May 2nd to Sunday May 8th
The weather was terrible on Sunday afternoon and the wind really came up. I had planned to run on Monday morning but was put off by the strong winds. I made the decision to sleep a little longer and rest the legs.
I did go to the interval session after work on Monday. I had freshened a bit, having not run in the morning. It was still very windy but a bit sheltered in the estate. I covered 9.4 km and ran eight main intervals and two of the short double up intervals. I started with a couple of easier intervals, getting to sub 4 minute pace briefly in the second. I hit low 3 minute pace in the third and peaked at 3:01. The fourth and fifth intervals were my fast ones. I peaked at 3:48 in the fourth, holding a good pace. In the fifth I peaked at 3:49 pace but it dropped away more quickly. I finished with three medium intervals, all very similar and peaking in the low 3:40s. I also fit in two of the shorter intervals - between the third & fourth and then the fourth & fifth. I ran up the hill both times at around 4 minute pace. It was a good session, running for just over 50 minutes.
I rested again on Tuesday morning. It was still windy but wouldn't have been too bad running out there. It was probably better to let the body recover though.
I as out there again on Wednesday morning. There wasn't much pace and I didn't get tpo sub 5 pace until the sixth kilometre. My pace stayed at around 5 minute pace for the rest of the run. I covered 9 km in 46 and a half minutes, averaging 5:08 pace.
I found a little more quality in my morning run on Thursday morning. I ran the streets of North Wonthaggi. The first 2 kilometres of warm up saw me sitting at more than 70 minutes over 5 minute pace. From there it picked up though with a couple of kilometres in the 4:50s. The fifth was a 4:43. I slowed in the sixth after turning for home but then ran the seventh and eighth at sub 4:40 pace. The ninth was a speedy 4:29. I was running quite comfortably too. I ran for 48 minutes and covered 9.7 km. I was able to get the average pace down to 4:56 pace. After finishing I rolled my knees. I have been getting a bit of knee soeness recently.
It was straight out to Inverloch for a Headlampers run with the Road Runners after work. We had 12 runners tonight and ran a couple of loops around town. The group pace was around 6 minute pace for most of the run. We spend most of the run chatting. The first loop was just over 5 km and a few stopped there. The smaller group ran out along the coast path and then turned in at Abbott street. We got to the top of A'beckett street and then ran around the two crescents. The run was 9.6 km run - a few runners went the little extra to get it to 10 km. I ran for just under 58 minutes. The average pace came down to 5:58 with a couple of faster kilometres near the end. The knees were a bit sore so I rolled them when I got home and then iced both of them. They were quite painful when iced, especially the left.
On Friday morning I set off on a short run to back up the night before. I did something that I've never done before. The previous night I had bought a Lukas Graham album and hadn't had a chance to listen to it so I strapped the ipod to my arm and listened to the album while running. It was hard work keeping the ear plug in my ear though. The slow was slowish but I was down to 5 minute pace by the third. I pretty much kept it at that pace for the rest of the run. I did run the sixth in 4:55 but balanced that with a 5:05 for the seventh. The run covered 7 km in 36:20 and I averaged 5:07 pace.
My body felt pretty good on Saturday morning and I ran a strong warm up. I pushed off at the start of parkrun, not going hard straight away - intending to build into it. I had a young boy (10 year old) on my tail all through the first kilometre and covered it in 3:52. From there he started to drop away and I was out on my own. My body was feeling strange and I was struggling to accelerate. The next three kilometres were each run in 3:56. Without being sore my body just felt constrained. At the last turn I got annoyed and just pushed real hard. I ran the final kilometre in 3:45 to get through my 83rd parkrun in 19:28. My knees felt good through the warm up, the run and the cool down. I had a good stretch at the end. Overall I ran 8.1 km in 24:42 and an average pace of 4:17.
I had originally planned to run the Mothers Day run (5 km) in Wonthaggi but it was a bit late and we had a big day planned. I did go out for a run when I got up though and headed into North Wonthaggi to try and create some strava art. I was trying to write the word "MuM" for Mothers Day. It sort of worked but not really that well. After the warm up kilometre I was running at 5 minute pace or better. I ran the course that I had in my head and it was a bit longer than the 8km I had anticipated. I pushed back from the Hicksborough store and ran home at around 4:40 pace. I ran for 49 minutes, hitting 10 km in the driveway. I averaged 4:54 pace but the word art didn't come out as nicely as I had in my head.
We went to the city after the run, picked up our Wings for Life kit and checked into the hotel. Then we met Matt at Southern Cross and had Mothers Day lunch before heading to the footy. After he footy we had some more food and then headed to the Wings for Life hub.
It was a big wait for the 9pm (Melbourne) start. The plan was for Matt and I to run together. We ran past Matt Briggs and Rick Whitehouse (twice - the 2nd after a toilet stop). The Wings for Life World Run has a chase car set out and pick up runners with a mobile finish line. The run starts at the Toorak Road on ramp to the Monash freeway and runs along the Monash towards Warragul. We needed to run at 5:20 pace to fit in a half marathon.
There were 3500 runners and, although we were near the start, there seemed like thousands in front of us when we started. It was hard running in such a confined group and it didn't disperse very quickly. We ran the first in 5:09 and then the second in 4:53. We passed the 21km pacer around this point and Matt took out the 2km marker almost hitting the ground in the process. We settled out pace after this and took a toilet break at the first drinks station at the 7km mark. We walked to have a drink at the 11 km drink station and I took a red bull. It never left me for the entire race and I was burping all the rest of the way. It appears to have worked though. Where our pace was in the 5:20s before that drink station it then went to 5:11 for the 12th, 5:01 for the 13th and 4:58 for the 14th. We walked through the 15.2 km station and I had two waters there. From there it was up and over the Eastlink overpass and we were making pretty good pace and running quite comfortably. I did have some soreness in the left achilles but I was running well. On the down side of the overpass we hit some really nice sub 5 minute pace and ran really well into the 20 km station. We stopped there for a drink and a toilet break and then just cruised past the half marathon mark and then down and under Stud Road. At that point we stopped our watches and just kept walking. Soon after that heaps of runners started sprinting past us and then the chase car ended our run. Officially we ran 21.7km. We had stopped our watches at 21.5 km and a time of 1:51:15. We managed to get an average pace of 5:10 but we did stop our watches at the toilet breaks. The 21 km pacer joined us soon after the chase car got us.
It was a bit of a wait for a bus to get back to Hawthorn but the run is a great concept and for an excellent cause - finding a cure for spinal chord injury.
Monday May 9th to Sunday May 15th
After the late night run and 30 km yesterday I was a bit stiff throughout today - the drive home didn't really help things either. Before going to interval training I rubbed in a whole heap of deep heat - into my back, my knees and my achilles. It was a stiff slow start and I just run laps of the course for the first 4 kilometres. At that stage my average pace would have been in the 5:40s but after 4 km I was well warmed up and feeling good so I dropped in some intervals. I hit 3:35 pace on my first interval and held my pace there for the duration. I was faster on the second, momentarily peaking at 3:13 pace. I went a bit easier on the third holding my pace at 3:51. On my final interval I was racing Rikki. I held some great pace at around 3:12 pace. I then finished with a couple of faster kilometres at around 4:40 which, given my earlier stiffness, I was pretty happy with. I extended the run to get to 9 km, running for 49 minutes. I'll now rest tomorrow with some colder weather due.
The Tuesday rest turned into a two day rest as the weather was terrible on both mornings - strong wind and rain.
It was still raining on Thursday morning but the wind had eased a little. I needed a run so I set out with a very rusty body. The pace was very easy until the seventh kilometre when I got down to just over 5 minute pace. I followed up with a 4:51 in the eighth to cover the nine kilometres in 47 and a half minutes. I averaged 4:15 pace for the run with the last three kilometres balancing out the first three.
We had a headlampers run in Wonthaggi after work on Thursday. We ran a couple of loops and I really mixed up my pace running between groups and some back sections. I covereg 10.6 km in just over the hour. My average pace for the run as 5:40 per kilometre. It was a good run to stretch out the legs.
I was back out there again on Friday morning. I started slowly but I was down near 5 minute pace in the second kilometre. I ran the fourth kilometre in 4:39 and held the run at around 4:40 pace for the rest of the run. I had some real good rhythm going right through the run. I ran exactly 10 km at an average of 4:51 pace.
I ran my 40th parkrun at Inverloch on Saturday morning. I was running a little later than usual so truncated my warm up. I got back to base at under 3 km but ran up to the start for briefing and got in 3 km. It was one of the more interesting parkruns. I had hoped to get down near the 19 minutes but never had great expectations following a half marathon. I wanted to just build into the run and see how it went. Bill Barry led us out and put a little gap on me early on. As I got going I pushed to try and close the gap. I got to him just before the hill to Rainbow park and pushed past up the hill. I ran the first kilometre in 3:42 and led Bill on the way back. I ran the second in 3:45 but slowed slightly in the third, running a 3:50. With Bill still right on my tail I pushed hard out to the final turn and covered the fourth in 3:47. The second time up the hill had just opened up a small gap but Bill was right there on the last turn. I pushed hard all the way back, with my heart rate going into the 180s. It was pushing 185 as I ran hard to the line. I covered the fifth in 3:42 to get the parkrun finished in 18:47. After getting my token scanned I set back out - my heart rate was still in the 130s - and found my daughter Emma on the course. I turned and ran back with her. All up I ran 9.7 km in 43:18. My average pace was 4:26 for the warm up, parkrun and cool down combined.
On Sunday morning I met up with Rikki, Sharni, Lily and Brett at the Guide Park for a run. Rikki was keen to get in a half marathon but, given I had run one the week before, I wanted a bit less so we set off on some loops. The pace was just over 5:30 early but Lily started to struggle so we slowed a little and cut the first loop short. We sloed to around 6 minute pace up Cameron street but got back into the 5:40s at the top. I ran 15.7 km in just under 90 minutes. Rikki, Sharni and Brett continued and covered 22 km.
Monday May 16th to Sunday May 22nd
I was up early to get the week off to a flying start on Monday morning. I set off on a run into town, starting steadily but upping the pace more and more as my body warmed up. I ran the third and fourth each in 4:53 then ran in the mid 4:30s for the next three. I ran the eighth in 4:16 and then eased up on the run home to average 4:49 pace for the 8.7 km run.
It was back out there after work for the weekly Road Runners interval session. We had eleven runners turn up and I ran sections with quite a few of them. It is great to be able to run a hard interval and then cruise around having a chat while I recover. These group runs are very enjoyable. I ran the first couple of intervals with a young boy - Toby - but he got away from me with his fast "cool down" laps. I hit 3:16 pace in the second interval. My third peaked at 2:46 and my fourth 2:40 and was held under 2:50 for most of it. My fifth interval peaked at 2:47 and then I started to wind it down. The sixth and seventh intervals had peaks of 3:25 and 3:24 respectively. From there I mixed up the pace a little and ran through to get in a 10.3 km run. I averaged 5:22 pace running for under 56 minutes.
I took the day off on Tuesday. I would have liked to get in another before the rest but the wind was pretty discouraging.
On Wednesday morning I set off for a run out to the secondary college and back. I had an idea it would be over 8 km but wasn't really sure of the distance. After warming up I ran the third in 4:55 pace. It was a bit of a push today bu I persevered. Generally I am injury free but I do get a soreness in the right knee just when running (the left was too a week or so ago but seems good now). My left achilles can be sore at times - again while running - and there is a sensation along my left calf at times. I'm not hindered and feel great when I stop running. My early morning back stiffness is diminishing. I get to do my core stretches most mornings now and that is helping things. I was under 4:50 pace for the fourth through seventh kilometres and ran the eighth in a nice 4:38. As usual I eased up the home hill but I managed to average 4:57 pace for the 8.6 km run.
I ran again on Thursday morning with a bright sun rise in the east. It was windy again with the wind from the north so I didn't want to leave myself too much into the wind on the way home. I ran some of the streets around North Wonthaggi, getting out to Delmarni court and running on the extensions to Nelson and Griffiths streets. I came back past the Hicksborough store and then ran the laneway near the golf course. I hadn't planned it but decided to go hard on the back lane segment - Osborne Avenue Climb - and surprised myself by beating my own course record on it. I had been running quite well and had been under 5 minute pace for the second kilometre. The segment kilometre was a 4:22 - my fastest and most of the rest around the 4:40s. I ran back through the rec reserve. All up I ran 9.3 km in right on 45 minutes with my average pace 4:48 per kilometre.
The red sun rise turned into a wet afternoon and the Thursday Roadrunners run was run in the remnant rainfall. It didn't rain the whole time but it was very wet. I mixed up my pace a bit with some back and forth running and some extra loops. My slowest kilometre was a 6:26 with the group and my fastest a 4:56 with variations. We looped back to the start after 5 km and a couple dropped off. The rest of the run was all with the remaining group and turned into a slog. We averaged in the low 5:40s for this section. At the end my calves were burning with the extra weight from the wet shoes. Overall my average pace was 5:41 for the 10.8 km run. We ran for over 68 minutes.
I took Friday morning off for a planned rest day.
Week two of my three week push at Inverloch parkrun on Saturday morning. I felt pretty good when I got up. I ate yoghurt for breakfast and drove out to Inverloch. My warmup was right on 3 km when I got back to the stump. I was wearing my new blue, white and pink running shoes that had arrived from England during the week. I had just removed the packing paper from inside the shoes just before I put them on. My warm up finished with a 4:35 and that surprised me but left me feeling that I might be on. We had a visitor there who had run the Boston marathon in sub 3 hours just a month earlier so I knew I'd have a quality runner out front. I was off to a good start and, when it all settled, was in second position ith a 20m gap to first. I built up through the first kilometre and ran it in 3:38. He turned about 30m ahead but after I turned I started greeting other runners and, in retrospect that cost me some time. The gap grew over the second kilometre which I ran in 3:49. Not happy with that drop off I pushed harder and found that I was running quite smoothly. The third was a 3:46 and the gap was remaining steady. I followed up with a 3:44 back out to the last turn and then, knowing I was on a good time, pushed really hard for the last. My heart rate continued to rise, hitting the 180s and peaked at 184. I didn't see the time for the last kilometre when I stopped the watch and was later very pleasantly surprised to see that I ran a 3:37. My official parkrun time was 18:38, my fastest time since February when I had Shem pushing me. All up I covered 8.3 km with my average pace at 4:06 per kilometre - yes that includes the warm up!. I ran for 34 minutes. I followed up with my first cycle this month later in the morning.
It was a late night on Saturday night with a trip to the night footy in Melbourne but I was up for my Sunday run. I was alone this week so decided to take on a couple of segments. On Friday it had been the school cross country but teachers weren't running. One of the faster boys run and uploaded to Strava beating my X-Country course segment from 2014 and also another segment from the wetlands to the school gate. That was the first one I set off to beat. I started in the Guide Park and ran around and through the wetlands to get some warm up running in before I had to go fast. I started the segment just before finishing the second kilometre. I scorched the 800m segment, averaging 3:25 pace and never getting slower than 3:39 - even up the golf course hill. My third kilometre was run in 3:51, even with the cool down at the end. After recovery I found myself running comfortably at around 4:40 pace. The next segment was a much longer one over 2.4 km on the rail trail between Lower Powlett road and South Dudley road. I pushed well all the way through it but it is hard work running on gravel and there is a slight incline. I averaged 3:45 pace over the segment, covering in in 9:05. It was my fastest effort by quite a bit but I only managed to move up into 4th place. My heartrate peaked at 175 at the end of the segment. After slowing I continued along to the end of the rail trail and looped back around the top of the Bilson street school. I had a pretty impressive 4:29 average pace for the 11.3 km run. Again I followed up with a 20 km cycle.
Monday May 23rd to Sunday May 29th
The rain poured down over night into Monday morning but it had cleared by dawn for my early run. I took it pretty easy early in the run and put in a long warm up. I hit just over 5 minute pace in the fourth kilometre and was sub 5 minutes in only the sixth and seventh. I ran dor almost 42 minutes and covered just on 8 km. At an average of 5:12 it was a pretty easy run on the wet ground.
It rained again a lot on Monday morning and early afternoon but cleared just in time for the after work interval session. At just before 5pm it pelted down as I drove home but I checked out the radar when I got home and it looked like it was clearing so got changed and went to find another ten runners also braving the conditions. As it turned out we got through without rain and then it pelted down again at 6:45 as I got home. I was in a social mood and spent a lot of the run just chatting with other runners. Three kilometres in I decided to have a crack at a few intervals but never really went flat chat. We were running into a stiff breeze on the interval too. I peaked at 3:36 pace in the first interval and 3:27 on the next effort a lap later. At a peak of 3:55 the third was pretty leisurely but then I had another go and put in a 3:24 peak and then on the fifth and final interval hit a 3:20 peak. I ran back to the Plaza carpark clocking up 9.1 km after running for just over 49 minutes.
I had planned to run on Tuesday morning and have Wednesday off but the weather was just too cold and wet on Tuesday so I went back to sleep.
The weather was brighter on Wednesday morning - but still cold with winter hitting early. I set out on a fartlek run as I wanted to get some speed in before Saturday. After one warm up kilometre I was straight into it with my first interval after I turned into Wentworth road. That one peaked at 3:47 pace and ended up being my second fastest section. I followed up with three more sub four minute intervals as I ran into town and then I set out to run up the Bilson street rise. I ran an interval towards the top and peaked at 4:01 pace and then turned into Broome crescent to run over the top of town. There are great views up there and the eastern sky was starting to pink up nicely. I put in a couple of subdued down hill intervals as I returned to the shopping centre. I pushed for a section of the run into North Wonthaggi and then pushed for a final interval which peaked at 3:44 pace. My average pace was down to 4:47 for the 9.7 km run. I finished with a superb pink pre-sunrise on my right as I ran home.
I woke on Thursday morning and it was perfectly silent outside - no wind or rain. Or so I thought. As I stretched I started to hear it - the light drizzly rain. So I put on the rain jacket and set off on my run. I had been going to run an interval session but forgot to set up the watch so decided on a tempo run. I ran a 2 km warm up because I was coming back after a day off. I ran the third in 4:44 and then just gradually increased the pace. I ran the fifth in 4:33 and ran the eighth in 4:27. The tenth was a 4:22 and then I finished with a 4:28. It was a great hitout, covering 11 km and running at an average of 4:44 pace. Pretty good given the extensive warm up. I was saturated at the end but the rain jacket works well.
The rain just increased through the morning and was quite strong around lunchtime. In the afternoon then it started clearing. After a late meeting I went straight to the Plaza car park to meet up with other Road Runners. We got eleven runners again braving the potential conditions. As we set off a big cloud came over and we got a little cold rain. I ran back and put on the rain jacket. That meant I got a reasonably fast start, running the first in 5:13 before settling into the 6 minute kilometre pace of the group. I ran back a few times to get some more pace as we completed a 5 km loop around town. A couple of runners stopped after the first loop but nine of us ran on as we ran up the Cameron street hill. As we got near the end I took the lead and upped the pace a little. We ran, what was my tenth, in 5:51 and then I pushed it home to finish with a 4:53 to complete an easy paced 11 km run. We ran for 65 minutes. After the initial rain we got through dry with the starts showing through at one point. Again, after we got home, it started raining with another heavy shower.
It is a departure from what I have always done but, for the second week in a row, I took Friday off. It is a departure because I have been making the parkrun my feature run for this three week period and this week will have a crack at getting down near my PB. In the past I have always run the day before a serious run but last week I did feel quite fresh at parkrun.
So it is Saturday morning and I'm set to give it a go. It has been almost 16 months since a PB (18:18) and over 13 months since I was close to it (18:20). The conditions aren't great with wind gusts straight from the Antarctic and coastal showers and it is cold. I had a late night watching the footy last night but I slept well. I ate toast and yoghurt for breakfast and headed out to Inverloch. My warmup was good but I got damp half way round when it rained. The third kilometre of the warm up was a comfortable 4:24 (partly down hill). It was freezing at the start and a shower was coming across but the wind was behind us. I got off to a good start and built into the first kilometre. Bill was hot on my tain pushing me all the way. He tried to pull level but I used it to get some real pace. We ran the first in 3:30. I pushed out of the first turn and was working to hard to greet people coming the other way today. My heart rate was in the 170s (although I didn't look at it at all while running as I want no distractions today). Into the wind I maintained my pace and ran a 3:41. I turned again and just kept pushing myself for more effort. The legs were working well and the run was smooth. I was breathing well - two steps in and a deep out - and the third was run in 3:40. I was ahead of the pace!. It started to get hard on the way back to the last turn. My body just wanted me to pull back but I was ruling with my head and heart today. My heart rate hit 180 and was still slowly rising. I lost 5 seconds in the fourth, running it in 3:45. I had a gap on Bill at the last turn and just pushed with everything I had. My legs were still working well. I pushed and pushed all the way back to the finish. I ran the last in 3:43. It was a relief to stop and my chest was heaving. I had completed the run in 18:19. I had missed my PB by a mere second - how many places on the run could I have picked up a second or two? The feelings are mixed. The three week plan got me so close but not quite to the PB but my body felt great and I feel that I can build on the speed even more. If I had run like that on a warm air and dry day I would easily make up some time. So I finish with the conclusion that there are still more Inverloch parkrun PBs in these old legs.
On Sunday morning I woke feeling a little stiff. I went out for a slowish run with Heather and Jason from the Guide Park. It took 2 kilometres to warm up and by then Heather was dragging us along at about 5:10 pace. Heather dropped off at 10 km and Jason and I kept going. By this stage the pace had slowed and my heart rate was staying at around 135 bpm. We pushed a course back to the Guide Park, by which time I had run 17 km. My average pace for the run was 5:26 pace and I ran for just over 92 minutes. I followed up with a 20 km cycle later in the morning.
Monday May 30th to Saturday June 4th
I woke up stiff again on Monday morning and couldn't manage my core exercises. My back is ok all night but as soon as I get up the cold gets into it and it stiffens. I rubbed heat into it and stretched for my Monday morning run. The Gramin went wacky in the first kilometre and the first km clicked over early at 5:24. I had to delete the first 900m as it gave me ridiculously high speed. I got to 5 minute pace in the third kilometre and was starting to warm into the run. I ran the fourth and fifth in 4:53 each and then really started to get going. The sixth was a 4:42 and then I got up to 4:33 pace for the eighth. I ended the run with some 4:30 pace, feeling quite strong. All up I ran 10.1 km in 49 minutes and averaged 4:52 pace.
We went out to the Road Runners interval session after work. I took a lot of it quite easily but put in a few faster intervals. I ran the first interval at about 3.5 km in and peaked at 3:33 pace. The next lap around I put the foot down and peaked that interval at 2:52 pace. I jogged through the next interval chatting and then ran hard in the next lap, peaking at 2:54 pace in my third interval. My fourth interval was the fastest, peaking at 2:42 pace on the next lap. I followed that up with my final interval which peaked at 2:54 pace. I managed to keep good pace through most of the intervals. I covered 11 km in the session, running for 58 minutes.
Having run 328 km for the month I decided to make Tuesday my day off and get a good start to the new month on Wednesday. As it turned out Tuesday morning was freezing (almost) and, at 4 degrees, the coldest morning since last August.
On Tuesday night I took a look back at my running for the past three years. Three years ago Heather and I were travelling around Australia and were in Alice Springs. I was running around 3 times per week and getting around 25 km per week. I was running distances from 3 to 8 km. Since June 1st, 2013 - in the past 3 years - I have run 898 times and covered 8950.2 km. That is 708 hours of running at an average speed of 12.6 km/h. At that stage I was still running with the knee strap under the right knee cap. The last record of the knee strap was my very first parkrun, which was at Canning River in Perth, on August 3rd 2013. There was a time when I couldn't run with out it and then I just built up the kilometres slowly on the trip and just didn't need it any longer.
(My first parkrun is shown below - complete with knee strapping)
In May 2013 my running was just kicking off. I had been getting into it since late in 2012 but it was the opportunity to run and explore while travelling that allowed me to build into it and stay injury free. May 2013 started in northern NSW and my first run was a 5.3 km run in Byron Bay on May 6th. Runs were split with cycles on other days and rest days in between. I ran a 10 km run in Noosa on May 9th and then my first sub 50 minute 10 km in a place called Scarness on May 14th, covering the distance in 49:17. As we worked up to Townsville and then inland I was running a lot of runs around the 6km mark in the humid conditions. I ran in Mt Isa and at the Barkly Roadhouse and then finished the month in Alice Springs. In May 2013 I ran on 15 occasions and covered 96 km.
Back in June 2016 and I started the new month with an 8:2 interval run. After the warm up kilometre I ws straight into it with the first interval - along Wentworth road - peaking at 3:51 pace. I ran an easier interval near the McKenzie & Graham streets intersection and then started my third interval early on the top of Cape Paterson road and onto the eastern rail trail. I peaked at 3:59 pace there and then managed a peak of 3:47 on the next interval as ran past the North school. The final interval was off schedule and I peaked at 3:45 pace down the hill to Oates road. It was a good run with the average pace at 4:50 as I covered 10.2 km in just over 49 minutes.
There was a thick fog as I hit Oates road on Thursday morning. The back stiffened after running so the core exercises were out, replaced by basic stretching. I took it easy for the first couple of kilometres and then started to build into the run as I warmed up. I ran with gloves on as the air was terribly cold - around 4 degrees. I ran the third and fourth at 4:56 pace and then jumped to below 4:40 pace for the next two. The seventh was a 4:13 and I followed up with a 4:19 (more up hill). Then I decided to give it a real push and I ran the ninth in 3:56. I eased it back up the hill for the last 6 km but it was a seriously good hit out. Even with the extended warm up I was able to average 4:44 pace. It was a 9.6 km run, completed in 45 and a half minutes.
The Wonthaggi Road Runners singlets had arrived on Wednesday and I started giving them out at our Headlampers run on Thursday night. The Headlampers run was cruisy but we covered 10 km and had eleven runners brave the cool evening air. I ran for over an hour and only covered 10.5 km. These are the runs where my knees - mostly right - hurt the most but getting to run with the group and chat all along the way is very enjoyable.
I was out again on Friday morning. I hadn't done a three-peat for a few weeks with a lot of Tuesdays off lately and the past two Fridays off to prepare for fast parkruns. It was a very slow start and I didn't get under 5 minute pace until the fifth kilometre. From there I pretty much maintained the pace at just under 5 minute pace with the exception of the eighth - near the North school - where I ran a 4:35. The legs were feeling a bit weary during the run though and I was only able to average 5:06 pace in running 9 km in 46 minutes. I had to run a few laps of the roundabout at home to get up to 9km.
With the Traralgon run on Sunday I had decided to take the Saturday off - my first Saturday rest day in a long while. We had the heater set to come on before we got up in the morning for the first time and when I got up the room was above 20 degrees. My back didn't stiffen - as it had every other morning this week. I got to do my core stretching properly for the first time in a while. Some mornings I had been able to get some done but on Friday I hadn't been able to do any at all. I put in a bit extra and got a good bit of work into the core. I volunteered at parkrun, timing with a stopwatch, and had a great chat to a lot of the runners. I gave out a few more of the Road Runners singlets.
Sunday June 5th - GOLD1242 Traralgon 10 km
There is nothing more satisfying than having a long term plan - working to it and making all the pieces fall into place - then achieving something that you have never done before.
The whole family was running at Traralgon in the 10 km on Sunday - Myself, Heather, Matt, Emma and her partner Brett. We left Wonthaggi at 7am and drove across the Strezleckis, getting to Traralgon at about 8:20.
My warm up was just under 4 km, running along the Traralgon Creek. After Saturday's rain it was flowing quickly but the rain had held off until then on Sunday. I was ready to roll as my warm up pace was immediately at 5 minutes and under. I changed the pace towards the end and stretched well. My body is in a real good place at the moment and I was fresh from having Saturday off.
It started to rain during the briefing and the east sky looked threatening. There were some good runners at the start line including Traralgon's Kim Harold and a young runner Michael Tripodi. I ran with Michael at the Churchill parkrun opening and he ran away from me up the hill. Matt was there too but he has not been training and he had no idea of what he could do.
We started quickly but I was comfortable so I went with it. We ran around the oval and out onto the creek footpath. Matt had opened a gap but I was more than happy with the 3:35 in the first kilometre. Michael pulled up beside me and we pushed each other along for a bit. We crossed the bridge over the creek and put the second behind us in 3:41. I was pulling Matt in quickly and just kept pushing after passing him. The gap widened quickly. Michael then pulled away from me as I completed the third in 3:45. We left the town limits and passed the drink station and the fourth was a bit slower at 3:53. Not wanting to drop under 4 minute pace I really pushed hard but it was real hard work in the fifth. It was very slightly up hill and into the rain and light breeze. I kept it under 4 and registered a 3:57. I had just run the first half in 18:51.
After turning the difference was amazing (hard to explain as no real gradient shows and it was a very calm day). My face heated up and the running became much smoother. I saw Matt (the gap was quite wide now) then Brett, then Heather and finally Emma on the way back. The sixth was much quicker at 3:50. As I entered the town limits again it was starting to become a push but I had Michael about 100m ahead and was working to keep the elastic from stretching. My heart rate was at 176 as I completed the seventh in 3:55. I pushed back into town and at the tennis centre took the opportunity to peak behind. I was convinced that Matt would be closing in but there was nobody in sight behind me so I just gritted my teeth and tried to close the gap to Michael. I ran the eighth in 3:54 and just willed my body on the hold the pace in the ninth. I ran under the bridge and completed the ninth in 3:53. The push up the hill under the bridge had really slowed my so it needed a lot of will to get back up to speed. My body was pleading for me to stop. Less than one to go and the oval was in sight. I ran in for the outside lap and noticed that Michael had snapped the elastic and was powering away (he ran down the runner ahead who had been over 100m in front of him!). I was just pushing with everything that I had. My heart rat hit 180. I was determined not to drop under 4 minute pace as I wanted ten consecutive sub 4s. I hit the finish line and the tenth registered at an amazing 3:42. The second five kilometres had been a creditable 19:15 and I had just set a new PB of 38:06 (official time).
I have only ever run one faster 10 km than that, and that was back in 1989 in the Northcote Fun Run (36:37). In the same year I ran 8 km at De Castella in 28:36 but those runs were with 22 year old legs. This was a special run and achievement. I have worked very hard for months now and those intervals are paying off. I set myself for today and managed to peak on the day. But the big event is yet to come and now I re-set myself for the Sydney City to Surf in two months time.
