I know there aren't too many treadmill fans reading this, but in one area you have to concede that treadmills have an enormous advantage: I speak of course of interval training. Even if you are blessed with a nearby running track (and I'm not) that you can freely access, you still have the problem of how to pace yourself. On the treadmill it's a snap - essentially set and forget. All reasonable treadmills have interval training programs as standard, so you can program into them the distance and speed, the number you wish to attempt and away you go. Mine even has a little LED display representing a 400m track with a progress indicator so you can graphically see how far around the track you are. Neat.
So it was that I stepped on to my treadie this morning ready to have a crack at my first really serious intervals session for the year. I'd set myself a target of 10 x 800m at my 10km PB pace (5:00/km) with a 400m jog recovery between each. My recent efforts suggested this should be very achievable, but even so I was a little nervous, as it's still quite a tough session.
I started with a 2km warm-up jog then launched into it. And yes, it wasn't exactly "easy", but I didn't really struggle at any stage either and completed the session (plus a 2km "warm-down" run) feeling totally brilliant but also feeling I could ramp it up some more yet.
And the endorphin hit - what a rush! I was babbling at people for hours afterwards!
Definitely doing more of these!
16km, 1h37m (10 x 800m @ 5:00/km with 400m recovery jogs + 2km warm up and 2km warm down).
A quick post before I disappear into the mountains for a couple of days...
A long slowie this morning with #1 son Chris ...
Took off in warm, sunny conditions intent on covering at least 24 kilometres - my last long slow one before the half mara race in two weeks time. One thing I've learned about mixing alcohol and distance running - the results are variable. I felt fine this morning despite a night on the turps yesterday, and got through the run pretty much OK, but then in the afternoon it all came crashing down on me and I actually felt drunk in the afternoon despite having consumed no alcohol for over 12 hours and running more than a half marathon in between. Learn this lesson kiddies: don't drink and run.
Anyway, a good long 'un today. Tough, hilly route, but in the bank. Now to sit back and think about what it means for the race.
OK I'll be without 'net access for a couple of days now, so I'll catch you all later on.
Just one other run to report of late, as life has rather been getting in the way of things. Never-the-less, a good intervals session to report, same as last time, and just as hard. 10 x 800m doesn't sound much, but most training plans expect you to work up to as much, and this has been my starting point. And it is a tough work out, but boy do I feel great afterwards!
Just eight days to race day now, and I'm looking forward to it. Fairly confident of going under 2 hours again, but whether or not I have a PB in me I'll leave until race day to find out. I'm not that bothered to be honest, but I'll give it a crack if I'm feeling good on the day.
16.37km 1h39 (10 x 800m @ 10km PB pace, plus 2km warm up and 2.37 km cool down).
Wow, how's this for a feel-good kind of run? Woke up sneezy and wheezy, but eventually climbed onto the treadmill for a modest 10km. Actually the first kilometre was pretty dire, but after that I began to feel OK and gradually cranked it bit by bit. I got to 5km in 28:33 and then began to really get into it, turning up the juice every half km or so until by the end I was really flying (last 500m @ 4:26/km pace!) I actually covered the last 4 km in way better than 10km PB pace and the second 5km was actually - somewhat unbelievably - a 5km PB for me (one set 8 years ago, at that!)
And talk about negative splits: 28:33 + 24:05!
I then had to tear off to a doctor's appointment where he gave me the good news that all was well with the MLCM bod and I needn't trouble him for another year or so.
Just one more gentle plod this week before the race on Sunday. Am now really looking forward to it. All the race predictors seem to suggest on my current form that a PB is possible. We'll see soon enough. It's not the fastest course out there, but given good conditions I should give it a fair crack.
Woo hoo - another good run to report. The last gentle 10km plod before race day, and another 4 a.m. effort. I took it easy and expected to come home in about 57 minutes. Actual time? 53:42! Man, this speed training is really paying off ... PB on Sunday? I should say so - feeling much more confident now.
Awake at 4 - have been dreaming about the race and now I lie awake contemplating race tactics when I really ought to be getting a few more minutes shut-eye. Oh well. Most race days are like that.
I get up at 4:45 for a race-morning breakfast of toast and honey plus a banana. Check everything, double-check then head out the door to catch the 5:45 to the city. It's a cool morning, but not too cold with a threat of rain but according to the weather radar it seems to be mainly staying off the coast, so here's hoping.
The Sydney Half Marathon is a biggish event through the main streets of the city of Sydney. About 14,000 people have entered this year, and it always attracts a strong elite list and a great many serious club runners. The train therefore starts to fill with runners, all of us wearing very little, while the regular commuters (who comprise about 25% of the passengers) with their heavy jackets, scarves and beanies eye us nervously. Some of them are clearly concerned we must all be from some asylum on day release. I concede it's an odd scene.
For the last few weeks on nearly all of my runs I've been passing those large street signs warning of road closures occuring today as the streets are shut for the running of the half. It's been a great pleasure seeing those, and each time I run past one i want to yell at the traffic "That's for me! They're closing the streets for me!" But of course I don't.
We runners all get off at Town Hall station and emerge onto the streets to discover it has been raining and dark clouds loom menacingly away to the south. But for the moment it looks clear and fine. We make our way to Hyde Park where I remove my outer layer and stow it in the pocket of my CamelBak. I've decided to bring the hydration pack with me this year for several reasons, but mainly because last year I had to wait in the freezing cold for over half an hour to get my gear from the baggage area after the race and wanted to avoid doing so again. It also means I can avoid the crush of the water stations and carry a bit of extra gear with me.
This year to try and minimse the congestion on the course we've all been seeded to different pens according to our qualifying times (if we have them) or to our estimated finishing time (for us rank amateurs). I'm in the second group (red) which start 5 minutes after the elites and lead group (blue). The starting line is outside St. Mary's Cathedral and the start is a little ... chaotic. The annoying MC who keeps unsuccessfully trying to get us to whoop it up a little then also unsuccessfully attempts to get 14,000 people to all move back 3 metres as the front runners have been pushed over the start line. "I can wait here all day if necessary" he chides and gets an avalanche of jumpers and assorted daggy top layers thrown at him. But we do not move.
Eventually some better-abled people near the front manage to get the blue group all back behind the line and we set off just a few minutes late.
My target time for the race is 1:55 and my plan to achieve that is to try and run each kilometre between 5:20 and 5:30. Despite the congestion (perhaps the seeding did do its job after all) the first few kilometres each pass in a little under 5:15 so I'm well on target and travelling comfortably. The course has been changed slightly this year to further ease the congestion, and whilst it is still very crowded (and remains so for the entire distance) at least we have none of the bottlenecks of last year which forced me to a stop on two occasions.
I pass 5km in 26:10 and am well on target and feeling good. Around the 6km mark we enter the first loop area and see the front runners streaming past us, some scanning for people they know, some of them looking at us pityingly, but most just concentrating on their own race. We're entering the Pyrmont area, and I know we have several twisting, hilly kilometres ahead of us before we find ourselves where they are now. Despite the twists and turns of Pyrmont, the next 5km pass in much the same time - 26:17 and I reach 10km in 52:30 - probably faster than I should be going but I'm happy at least with my consistency.
From here on though my pacing starts to get a little wobbly. I slow down on the uphill sections and take the downhills too fast. I'm buoyed for a while as we pass the slower runners still making their way into Pyrmont, many of them struggling, but a decent number of young, fit looking people that help me realise I ain't doing so bad, really. However I soon start feeling the fatigue, but I still get through the third 5km in under 27 minutes, so I'm confident I can beat my PB, but my target time is looking a little shaky. Time to dig in and just tough it out.
By the 17km mark we've returned to where we started - Hyde Park. But that's where the torment begins. You run directly past the last turn, where a steady stream of runners are about to sprint the last 100 metres to the finish, which is clearly visible, yet we poor buggers still have 4km to run - down the southern side of the Botanical Gardens and back again. It's not pleasant, despite being a very pretty part of the course. Here though, as we approach 19km, something a little remarkable happens: from behind I hear this frail but insistent voice half-yelling "Coming through! Excuse me, thank you! Coming through!", and passing me on my right is a four-foot nothing elderly waif of a woman running gamely past what for the most part is a group of young, fit, healthy runners who are doing OK thank you. Still, here's this elderly elf boldly overtaking the lot of us. I'm greatly impressed and pick up my pace enough to stride with her a while and ask "Excuse me, but exactly how young are you, if you don't mind me asking?" "I'm in my 71st year" she happily replies. "Well you're an inspiration - that's fantastic running!" I say, to which she modestly replies "Well thank you, but I'm finding it a bit of a challenge." Challenge my foot - she zooms off and I see no more of her. Astonishing lady!
Back to the business of finishing off this race. For the last couple of kilometres a woman from the "IGC Finance Half Marathon Team" and I have been pacing each other - I get her on the hills and she overtakes me again on the flat. Another woman from the "Gingerbread Running Club" has spotted this and joined in. It has helped, but now with just a kilometre to go both women join forces and take off for a sprint to the finish. I just can't go with them. The end is in sight though, and I can't go any faster so I don't look at my watch, but I know it's going to be close. I have my PB, I'm sure of that, but my target time? Well, we'll see.
Finally we're back at Hyde Park. We run down the park for about 200 metres, turn back on ourselves, down to the end and make the final turn - sparing a thought for the poor buggers streaming past to do their loop of the Gardens.
I sort-of-sprint as best I can the last few metres, cross two finish lines (which one is the real one - I don't know) not stopping my watch until I cross the second one. I was fifteen seconds under my target! 1h54:45 - got to be happy with that.
Well yes and no. Happy to finish under my target time, but a little disappointed how hard it was. It was - it must be said - very hard work indeed. But still, there it is. I have my medal and a PB. Job done.
Later, when I looked at my training times, I realise this wasn't such a bad effort. To reduce a half mara PB by two and half minutes requires some effort, and I was perhaps a little carried away by some of my 10km times. Trying to maintain a 10km race pace for a whole half mara is quite an undertaking, and that is essentially what I was hoping I could do.
No, I'm happy with that. Now to concentrate on other things. Like a marathon. And like another shot at the Point To Pinnacle in November (and yes, I'm committed. Leave is approved and flights are booked.)
And that means - lots of kilometres and lots of hills.
Sigh.
I do love this sport, don't I? At least that's what I tell myself.
Which reminds me of an incident at the 16km point. We're running along the expressway above Circular Quay. The sun has come out and the views over the harbour and toward the Sydney Harbour Bridge are splendid. A marshall at the 16km mark has a loud hailer and says "Good work everyone! From here it's downhill and just look at the weather - what could you possibly be wanting to do other than be here running this race on a day like this?" To which at least a dozen of us simultaneously yelled back at him "Sleeping!"
The bit about it being downhill from that point was a lie, too.
Good run ...just rewards indeed. Thanks for the report so soon after the race.
Please explain to me how you can run 21k in a race with so many unpredictable factors (not to mention 14 000 people in front of you and behind you) and hit your chosen target time almost bang on!. I just can't get my head around it.
And that 71 year old lady is indeed an inspiration to us all. Seeing these super-veterans enjoying their racing is something which always encourages me to think of running as a long term goal...
Thanks Sweder/BB - I guess, BB, that an element of luck is always involved in these crowded events, but by running well in the early part of the race (I averaged around 5:15 for the first 13km) I knew if I blew up for a couple of kilometres (which I did), I'd still be close to the mark.
I have to say as well that I think the amended course and the seeding arrangement helped heaps over last year. Although it was a crowded course from start to finish, it really didn't take long for everyone to sort themselves out, and for the most part I was running with similarly-paced runners.
There was definitely a slice of luck though - because of all the tunnels and bridges and general big city canyoning, the GPS was pretty soon out by about 300 metres, and the lack of kilometre markers (I only saw a handful, and none before 10km), my watch was a rough guide only.
Great work MLCM, congratulations on a very sound PB and a great race overall. Interesting to hear your reflections on expectations and slight disappointment, despite achieving a generous PB. It is a really good result, and part of your current upward curve. Maybe next time you attempt a regular HM like this, you'll have a full mara and another P2P under your belt, and will be gunning for 1:50. Keep it up.
Incidentally, do you think the camelbak was a good decision? I can't help thinking that carrying a couple of extra kgs can't be all that helpful. How much of a scrum were the water stations?
(21-05-2012, 07:28 AM)marathondan Wrote: Incidentally, do you think the camelbak was a good decision? I can't help thinking that carrying a couple of extra kgs can't be all that helpful. How much of a scrum were the water stations?
Thanks Dan - the jury's out on that one a bit, although I'm tending to think the advantages (not having to fight the mob at the water stations and getting water/fuel whenever you want it) "outweighs" the extra couple of kilos (sorry).
But maybe not ... I'll think about it some more before the next race.
(21-05-2012, 07:10 PM)anlu247 Wrote: Congratulations on your new PB, MLCM!
Muchas gracias, Antonio.
This morning I was up again at 3:45 a.m. for an ultra-early slog along the Pacific Highway. The only way I can do these runs is to leap out of bed, into my running gear and out the door before my body has a chance to say "What the hell...?" Today though, it was doubly hard to get moving. The fact of the matter is that I was still quite sore from Sunday's race and dog-tired with it, but I hit the streets anyhow and took it nice and slow, out of complete necessity it must be said.
Actually, by the second or third kilometre I was finding it rather pleasant, just jogging along and enjoying the cool night air. Certainly my legs seemed rather less unhappy to be moving than they were standing still, so I ploughed on. By the turn-around point however it was starting to get a bit tough, but by then of course there was no option but to get back home again. And so I did.
And now of course I'm glad I made the effort. The legs are tired, certainly, but also feel less tight for this morning's plod. Whether or not I recover sufficiently for Thursday's speed session remains to be seen.
I'm thinking of abandoning my water belt for my next organised marathon. I certainly didn't need it in Brighton, where all manner of refreshment was thrust in my face on the way round. It's a comfort to carry fluid but undoubtedly it adds to my burden (plus the damn belt rubbed my back raw).
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
(22-05-2012, 09:38 AM)Sweder Wrote: I'm thinking of abandoning my water belt for my next organised marathon. I certainly didn't need it in Brighton, where all manner of refreshment was thrust in my face on the way round. It's a comfort to carry fluid but undoubtedly it adds to my burden (plus the damn belt rubbed my back raw).
Never used one, myself. (Although my stick of rock did have a bottle holder.) So long as there's a water station every half hour or so, you're generally OK I think - unless it's a really hot day.
May I Have This Dance?
![[Image: elevation.jpg]](http://www.sandarac.com.au/misc/elevation.jpg)
(sorry).