Tapering

Friday

12km amble around Manly. 51:37. Took the day off work after a couple of late nights and deals closing. Felt fantastic after yesterday's day off. Spent most of the run thinking about Sunday's race and how to run it.

Thursday

Rest. Evening spent in the bar with the Thursday running crowd. Have vague recollections of some bet with Kanser about Striders race at North Head in September.

Squeezing it in

8km Manly route run early in the morning. Too busy at work and heading up to Brisbane this afternoon so had to run at 6.30am. Made it a quick one (30:00 exactly) with a very fast patch for the mile from Manly SLSC to Queenscliff SLSC (5:13). Slowed down after that.

Popular Pain

3km warm up + 6km Pain + 2 km warm down for 11km all up.

Really good crowd out today with Ray, Serg, Tim, Mike, Tucks, Phil Woods and Anthony. I was leading the first group so the reps were hard but the recoveries very easy. 1:56 for the long rep battling with Serg all the way around and 25:55 all up. Serg was strong all the way around. Ray took it easy, no doubt saving himself for the weekend. Good to see Tim back in the mix.

Fog on the Line

Intention was to run to work this morning. Woke up feeling knackered, so quickly changed plans for a lunchtime run. Started walking to work and realised how misty it was - a quick call to 131 500 confirmed suspicions that all ferry services were cancelled due to fog. Checked out the bus queues and they were a mile long. If ever there was an appropriate day to run in, it was today. Walked back home, got changed, ran to work. One of the crappiest runs of all time. Still very fatigued in the legs following last Thursday's session. Reached Spit Junction in a very plodding 28 mins and tried to up the pace to save myself further embarrasment. Reached work in 58:45. Not easy enough to be a recovery run but not quick enough to do any benefit.
At least it's done.

Sunday amble

Sunday

Very easy 18/19 km over lunchtime in about 80:30. North Steyne, North Head (stone arch turn off in 47:00) Fairlight Pool (63 mins) but cutting off Tania Park and turning back after going around Crescent St just off North Harbour Reserve. Kept it short not wanting to overstretch this week in the lead up to the SMH Half. Felt easy the whole way but still a bit of fatigue in the legs after the past 2 weeks' efforts.

Saturday

Rest.

Recovery run

Very easy 14km recovery run home from work. Legs pretty tired and sore after yesterday's massage and interval session.

32:30 at Toyota Garage and 61:15 all up.

Back to Hickson Road

Just for old times' sake. Thought it appropriate in having to run it 3 times next week for the SMH Half. 5 x 1.2km with 2 minute recoveries. Times went:

3:36; 3:32; 3:37; 3:33; 3:37

Easily the best session I've done on this route. Good crowd with Ray, Serg, Durante, Mike and Anthony (Serg's mate from work). Ran them all with Serg and would pull ahead only in the final 100m. On the final rep I felt gone (was about 15m down on Serg and Durante at the final speed hump) but put in a final burst to keep the times consistent.

Had a massage before which made the legs feel like jelly on the first rep. Warm up and down made for about 12km all up.

More of the same

14km run home from work with some marathon pace stretches over the bridge, along Military Road and along Sydney Road. Faster pace not as quick as yesterday but the jogging in-between must have been.

28:58 at Toyota Garage and 55:50 all up.

No Pain

14km run into work with the usual 3 marathon pace sessions. Tough up Parriwi Road (Spit Junction in 26:12?) meaning the second and third stretches were more of a struggle. Just tried to concentrate on relaxing and avoiding the lactic but easier said than done.

56:15 all up.

A bit clammy

Monday

Very easy 14km around Balls Head reserve loop with Richard P, Kanser, Ray, Mike and Kanser's mate. Struggled on the hills with a bit of the illness still in the legs but pleased to be up and running again.

Sunday

Rest. In bed. Succumbed to gastro bug the rest of the family had. Disappointed as it was a beautiful day and I was keen to back up with a long one after Saturday's race. Felt terrible though. On days like this I wonder how those people who don't miss a day's training in 30 years or whatever manage it.

Striders 10km North Head

2nd in 33:26.

Absolutely stoked with the run. 25 second PB. Only downside was missing out on a win by 3 seconds.

None of the top runners were there with the NSW 10km road champs on this afternoon and Dave Criniti out with an injury. Still, there was a large crowd of people I'm normally competitive with - Andrew Tuckey, Tim Ashby, Richard High, Ray, Guy Doulman etc. Set off pretty conservatively - Ray took the lead but it felt very comfortable. This was confirmed when he shouted at the time at the first km marker as 3:24. We immediately speeded up - Guy taking the lead. By 2km (6:42) I was in a group with Ray, Andrew and Tim just sitting behind them. The plan was to try and relax over the first big lap and really push the first half of the second lap. 3km went by in 10:02. I wasn't worried about Ray pushing on as I knew he was dropping out at 5km - just wanted to keep within striking distance of Andrew and Tim. Sure enough, Ray pushed on between 4 and 5km taking Andrew with him (we reached 5km in 16:45) . However, by the start/finish turn Tim and I had caught Andrew again. He immediately seemed to push on again up the slight rise heading away from the start line and I could feel Tim dropping off the pace. However, from the roundabout Andrew was just pulling ahead and despite the pre-race plan I couldn't stick with him.

Tim had caught me by the car park loop and together we started to make slow in-roads on Andrew. I hit 8km and tried to push on again but the dragging hill really hurt. At 9km, Tim came past very quickly (he said afterwards it was to try and break me and that I was looking spent!) but called out the time as he did (30:23). I realised I needed a 3:28 final km for the PB so just gave it everything I had. Caught Tim just past the roundabout (almost identical position to that when I overtook him at the last race at North Head in September '06) and started really sprinting. Felt I might have gone too early as there always seems to be one extra speed bump on the run in. At one point I thought I might even catch Andrew but he was too far ahead and held on for a 3 second win.

Perfect conditions today - clear skies, cool and not a breath of wind. Lots had great runs. Richard is getting back to fitness knocking another 40 seconds off last month's time to run 34:40. Durante knocked 2 minutes off his Homebush time to run 35:30. He'll be winning these races soon. Ray must have gone through 5km in under 16:40.

[Just looked back over Blog and compared last September's race at North Head when I ran 33:51. Apparently went through 3km in 9:50 and 5km in 16:36 that day which suggests much more sensible pacing today! Can put that down to Andrew - Mr Even Pace.]

Looking after a sick family

14km easy run to work. Lovely morning. 28:10 at Spit Junction and 59:41 all up.

Could do with some sleep

Very easy run home. 14km. 31:45 at Toyota Garage and 60:23 all up. Just switched off. Well, actually I was planning tactics for Saturday's race. Not sure why. Whenever I do race I just tend to feel terrible and try to fight the mental demons ("I can't keep this up.....I'm going to stop soon") all the way.

Good Pain

3.5km warm up, 6km Pain plus 1km warm down. 10km all up.

Big crowd today, including Richard H, Durante, Ray, Chris G, Serg and Andrew Tuckey. They all really pushed the reps hard - but probably with slightly more rest in between - the way it should be. Not bad all up time of 25:50 though. Fast over the 709m rep (1:56) chasing Durante who ran 1:54.

Andrew's running North Head which will make it interesting, particularly after his win in the Bathurst Half at the weekend.

That ends a big week - over 100km including two speed sessions and one race.

Easy Monday

Easy 14km around Balls Head with Kanser, Richard P, Ray and Mike Conway(?) who might be joining our Thursday group soon.

Long tired Sunday

28km over Spit Junction, North Head long route. Just churned the legs over after yesterday's race and a couple of bottles of decent red last night. Felt fine until the last 30 minutes when I really struggled. 2:06:22. Took a split over the North Head final 2km just to see what pace I take these long runs and clocked 8:35. That's on flattish road so the average pace will be slower.

Feeling knackered now. I'm off for a lie-down.

Here are a couple of photo's taken by Vat from yesterday's race. The first is in the glory moments at about 4km and the second in the home straight....

NSW Novice 10km

Fantastic event. Forgotten how much I enjoy cross-country - must be 14 years since I've done one. Especially nice fast one's with no hills.

5th in 33:21.

Ran a big loop (3km) warm up with Serg and Chris Truscott (meeting for the first time) then caught up with Superflake who had to be persuaded that we actually ran two big loops during the race and not one.

Set off with Ray and Keith and immediately found oursleves in a large group of 8 at the front. This continued for the whole of the first lap - I'd occasionally hit the front (was thinking Beaky would be proud!) but was surprised to be there given the quality of the runners I knew were there. This continued all the way through the first lap - Ray then hit the front at the start of the second and I dropped to about 6th. I realised at that stage that a few in that front group were pretty serious given they were just hovering behind whatever change of pace the leader decided to make whereas I was struggling as soon as the pace changed. Notwithstanding that, I managed to get in front and try to push the pace halfway through the second big lap. However, at the bridge on the second lap the front group of 5 plus Keith (hanging off the back) started to break away. I managed to keep in touch with Keith but the first 5 appeared gone. I was hurting at this stage - only really pushing on because I didn't want Keith to build up a gap. Towards the end of the first small loop Keith and I started to close on Adam Laughlin-Bowlby who had dropped off the leaders. Overtook him at the start of the the final small loop and from then on was trying just to hang on to 5th. Put in a big effort over the final KM as I could hear either Adam or Keith catching.

Loved the atmosphere - reminded me of North Eastern Cross Country league races as a teenager. Pleased with the result too. Keith finished 7th in 33:28 and Ray 8th in 33:43. Great to have Kirst and the kids there too - you can't underestimate the lift you get from your 4 and 5 year old kids telling you you're doing great.

It's busier at 6.15am

Easy 14km jog to work early in the morning. 28:40 at Spit Junction, 61:30 all up after meeting a Strider, Steve Urwin, in Neutral Bay and running the rest of the way with him. Turns out Allens is his biggest client so we had quite a bit to talk about.

Thursday Hills

Hills in the Domain. 3 x 5 x 185m hill. Jog downhill between each one and 1km jog between each set. About 33-34 seconds each.

Good crowd with Ray, Richard High, Bill, Serge and Durante showing up. Richard is getting stronger really pushing the final set. Intended to take it easy with Novice 10km at the weekend but as usual that was thrown out of the window with some competition about.

2km warm up and down for about 11km all up.

Anzac Day

Wednesday

12km in the late afternoon. North Head via North Steyne cutting out Shelley Beach and Fairfax track and back the same way. About 47 minutes. Brisk run with two fast patches - the final 2km of the Striders North Head route (6:32 - 3:22 for first km up the hill and 3:10 for the second) and the second from Manly SLC to North Steyne. Felt great. No doubt due to the number of days off recently.

Tuesday

Rest. Too busy at work with a last minute meeting over lunch.

Pounding the Western Plains

Monday
10km along the cycle paths of Dubbo with a couple of marathon pace stretches.

Sunday
Rest.

Saturday
Brisk 9km along the cycle paths of Dubbo.

Friday
4km running part of the way home.

Thursday variations

Met up earlier than usual with Richard P, Kanser, Durante, Chris and one of Durante's workmates for a 2 x 3km lactic threshold session around Mrs Macquaries Point. First rep was 2.85km (on the Garmin) and second 2.92km starting and finishing at the gates. 2 minute interval between the two (although it was closer to 3 mins).

Ran the first with Durante in 9:30. Second by myself chasing Chris in 9:37. Pleased that second was faster taking into account the extra distance. Felt pretty comfortable the whole way - bit of lactic at the end of the second rep trying to bring it home quickly.

1km warm up and down for 8km all up. Rushed back for a client lunch. I'll try to fit in a jog this evening to make up the kms.

Into work

14km run into work. Marathon pace stretches up Parriwi Road (always a killer), along Military Road (managed to reach Neutral Bay this time) and across the Harbour Bridge. Probably not taken as quickly as last time as I felt pretty solid throughout. Beautiful Sydney morning - crystal clear, cool and no wind.

27:25 at Spit Junction and 56:53 all up.

Pain

The usual 3.5km jog, 6km Pain then 1km warmdown for 10km all up.

I led Pain today as Scott had gone AWOL which I think was a relief for everyone. Still, he's obviously got me used to taking it out quick as we still recorded 25:37 all up so not slow. Just over 2min (I think) on the long rep - didn't get an individual split as I was timing the whole thing. Ran the long rep by myself.

Not the usual crowd but Serge and Andrew Tuckey (new Strider who ran 33:3x at Lane Cove in Feb) were there. Had a good chat with them after. Andrew's running at North Head and is keen on Novice too.

Balls Head Loop

15km around Balls Head. Longer start and finish than normal due to meeting up with Richard P, Kanser and Kanser's mate, Anthony. Nice easy run chatting all the way. 1:08:22.

Long Long Sunday

Added some today after missing yesterday's run. Basically ran the normal long Sunday run in reverse but instead of turning off at Tania Park, continued all the way to Spit Bridge then back home. About 28-29km in 2:06:10. Beautiful day for running, cool (about 20C), fresh and not a breath of wind. Took it very easily (and really enjoyable as a result) but still pretty tired over the last 30 minutes.

4min PB!

13km Balls Head Reserve loop as a tempo run. Attacked it right from the start, putting particular effort into the hills. 23:10 at Balls Head and 49:35 all up - 4 minutes faster than I've done it before although I've previously never really pushed all the way through. Pleased in that I wasn't afraid of the distance - just ran hard expecting to ease up if it got too difficult.

14km including 1km jog to and from start/finish

Back to Hickson Road

The usual 5x1.2km reps with 2 minute rests although the rests were quite generous.

Just the select crowd of Ray, Kanser, Richard Palmer and myself today. Times went:

3:42, 3:42, 3:37, 3:40, 3:41

Pretty consistent but I was struggling after a heavy night on the beers with Steve last night. Wasn't spent after the session but felt lethargic from the second rep onwards. No-one to chase in the first two reps which is why they were slower.

I think we've agreed to look into longer reps for future sessions.

Jog there and back the long way for 11km all up.

Mixing it up

13km Balls Head Reserve loop at lunchtime in glorious weather. Took it very easy but with two "marathon pace" stretches - one from the top of the hill past The Commodore until the bubbler at Balls Head (6:34), the other on the waterside stretch past Luna Park (3:10).

Pain

3km jog plus Pain plus 1km warmdown. 10km all up. Pain in 24:45. Long rep in 2:00.

Felt pretty tired after yesterday's long run. Still pushed the reps with no-one in support over the long one. Tough going for a 2:00 split. Ran the fatigue out by the end (strange the body's ability to do this). Good to catch up with Richard, Ray, Chris and Serge who (once again) is on the injury comeback trail.

Snakes while I Train

Long Manly route: 23km in 1:37:44. 46:45 at the Stone Arch and 1:02:30 at Fairlight Pool. Very heavy legged in the second half. Met the usual Manly crowd whilst out - Dave Robinson at North Head looking good and the chap who always runs intervals near Shelley Beach.

Highlight of the run was a near brush with a snake on the path to Shelley Beach (strange given all the bush I run through on this course). Saw this dog sniffing something strange on the path and I ran between it and the snake - must have missed it by about a foot. It was rearing up and curling it's body - obviously in a defensive pose for the dog. Certainly raised my pulse for a while.

Easter Sunday

Very easy 8km Manly Route late afternoon. 32:29.

Striders 10km Domain

5th in 34:11.

Very cool and wet with a blustery southerly wind. Very narrow start for a Striders race so a mad dash in the first 100m before hitting the first dragging hill up to the State Library. Set off in a group with Tim Ashby and some tall chap who was proving very useful into the wind. Tim pushed on at between 1-2km and once again I failed to go with him, sitting back more conservatively. On the second lap I heard the familiar voice of someone chatting and then heard Sparkie shout some words of encouragement which confirmed that Ray was with our group. He came past on a storming run - for a while I thought he'd be stopping at the 5km mark but he just kept on piling on the pressure. At the end of the second lap I realised from the clock that a sub-34 was going to be a push so just concentrated on trying to reel Ray in. He was still looking strong at 8km but then slowly started coming back towards me. Caught him at 9km and finished quite strongly.

I've got a real problem with 10km races at the moment. Don't seem to have the confidence to attack them all the way through. Felt tired during the race but not knackered at the end - I obviously had the fitness to up the tempo (in catching Ray) when I had something to chase but without that incentive I think I'm just too lazy. Felt as though I gave last Saturday's 5km time trial a far more honest effort when I had a simple plan of just sticking to Uncle Dave for as long as possible. Not sure how to address this.

2km warm up and down for 14km all up.

Hill Reps

Hill Reps with Ray and Peter. We've decided to start alternating Hickson Road reps with hill reps for a bit of variety. 15 x 200m up the grassy hill in the Domain. Steep first section then flatter second sectyion which I'd try to stride out on. Did 10, then a rest, then another 5. Ray did 18, Pete 13. About 35 seconds each. Didn't go flat out as I was trying to keep something in reserve for Satrurday morning. Also still had a bit of red wine in the legs from last night.

Jog there and jog around Domain afterwards for 10km all up.

Early bird

Heading down to Melbourne to talk today so the only way to fit the run in was to get out early.Set off at 6:15am expecting a slow slog but felt surprisingly sprightly. Mixed it up with a few fast sections - particularly along Manly beach. Had a huge stitch at the end of that section (reminiscent of the final km of last years SMH Half) so jogged back home from Queenscliff. 8km in 30:54.

No Pain, so punishment

Talking at lunch so 14km run to work today. Decided to make it into a proper session by incorporating 3 "marathon pace" sections, one up Parriwi Road, one along Military Road and one across the Bridge. Was pretty tired on the run but forced myself to do it.

Tough run as a result.

26:27 at Spit after running up Parriwi about a minute quicker than normal, cut short the Military Road section at the bathroom and tap shop just past Fanuli as I was flogging a dead horse by then, but picked up well across the bridge.

55:40 all up (which is close to the PB for the course). Very tired at end.

Tough Day

Bed at 3am Sunday night after working all day on a signing, up at 6am to feed Charlie before catching a flight to Brisbane, talk at lunch, flight back, work until 8pm then decided to run home before stopping at Spit Junction pretty exhausted. 30:48 for 8km.

Manly Sunday

23km long Sunday run route. Lovely conditions, sunny but cool with a little bit of wind. Enjoyable run without pushing it. 45:40 at Stone Arch, 61 minutes at Fairlight Pool and 1:34:36 all up (albeit legging it from the Condamine crossroads back home in 4:01 in order to get under 1:36!).

For any family reading, here are a couple of photos taken on a nice walk yesterday afternoon...

CoolRunning 5km Challenge

Not the best of preparations for this. Eventually set off in the car with Dad at 6.40pm and realised that if I wanted to jog 3km to start with I'd need to put the foot down. Got to the Harbour Bridge and for some reason ended up in the tunnel lane and realised on exit that I was on the wrong side of the city. Frantically tried to find the entry to the cross city tunnel, only to end up on it heading the wrong way! Eventually found somewhere to do an illegal "U"ey and turned up in Five Dock with about 5 minutes to go. Found somewhere to jump out the car and give Dad the keys and started jogging (running) to the start line. Passed runners who were getting faster and faster going the other way (including Kanser and Flake) and eventually turned up at the start line with 30 seconds to spare.

Heart rate was racing by this stage - not the warm up I intended but it seemed to work. Set off with Uncle Dave and Ray and just tucked in behind Dave for the first 3km. Felt great at this stage - even pushing the pace at one point. The 3km split was 9:28. However, from the sharp turn beside the motorway he started just to drift away as the lactic started to build up. Really struggled at this stage, crept passed Richard and the chap he set off with and then Superflake just under the bridge. Felt a little better in the last 0.5km and was really pleased with a 16:06. 12 second PB. There was quite a bit of headwind on the way around but the conditions were otherwise great - about 17c.

Uncle Dave must have run around 15:50. Richard ran around 17:30, Ray must have been just over 16:30 as Richard said he held him off. Good to see Flake set a PB - his sub3 at Canberra is a cert. Also good to see Kanser getting back into things again.

Easing up (without any choice)

Very easy 8km around the city - through Hyde Park, past 3 Wise Monkeys and through Darling Harbour and Hickson Road. 32:25. Lovely run in the evening, not pushing it and shaking off all the worries of work before dinner with Dad and Kirst.

24 little hours..

Wednesday

What a difference a rest day makes. 14km run to work. Felt sore around both achilles to start with but gradually eased my way into the run. And then it was fantastic. Beautiful day - a little warmer than the weekend but crystal clear. Just bounded along without any effort, thinking about the time trial on Saturday and how attractive Parriwi Road is. 27:40 at Spit Junction then 57:28 all up. Pushed it a bit over the harbour bridge as usual.

Was thinking after the run how it's incredible that you can know so accurately the speed that you are travelling at. When I was at Spit Junction, I was thinking that if I maintained the same pace I'd probably reach work in around 57:20. To be only 8 seconds out over 14km is pretty amazing. You'd never be able to predict that sort of accuracy if you were driving to work....

Tuesday

Rest. Too busy at work. Schmoozing people at lunchtime whilst looking longingly out of the windows at everyone running Pain....

Fitting it in

14km run to work. Extremely tired after yesterday's run - it was a real slog the whole way. 29 minutes at Spit Junction and 61:03 all up (first time over the hour). Felt marginally better over the Harbour Bridge but this is all comparative.

Long Sunday

Long Sunday route - 23km. Amazing what a difference the cooler temperatures makes. Headed out at around 2pm when the temperature was about 18c. Felt pretty lively right from the start and was pushing it without thinking about it. Reached the Stone Arch in 44:55, Fairlight Pool in exactly an hour and all up in 1:33:28 for a new course PB. Didn't really let up once I'd seen my time at the Stone Arch.

G-Mapped the route - it reckons only 21.7km but I think you must lose quite a bit on a run that length due to G-Map not taking into account variation in distances due to elevation. That's what I'm trying to persuade myself at least.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=799907

Enjoying it again...

Headed out at around 4pm in between dropping off and picking Bec up from a party. Still just under 30c, but with low humidity not half as bad as it could have been. Didn't want to push myself so ran a new course - basically the 8km Manly route in reverse but adding the loop via the Campbell Parade playpark.

Still quite quick, but never a struggle and felt very easy at the end. About 10km I reckon in 39:38. Will use this course again as it's really nice.

Here's a G-Map Pedometer for the route. Not very accurate in the first half cutting a few corners but I zoomed in for the second half to plot more accurately. Reckon it's about 9.8km.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=797368.

Back in the fold

Rested Wednesday and Thursday due to too much work and too little sleep.

Ran into work this morning. Still suffering from fatigue but a beautiful morning for running, not too warm, fresh and no breeze. 28 minutes at Spit and 58:28 all up. Had a much shortened stride than normal because of the tiredness. Feel great for having forced myself to do it now though. And now to work....

Pain

3km warm up jog + 6km Pain + 1km warm down. 10km all up.

Pushed Pain hard today. 24:11 all up but a 1:56 on the 709m rep chasing down a new bloke called Steve Thurston (you'll no doubt be pleased to hear I caught him). Struggled over the last 2 reps. Durante, Ray and David Clark all showed up, Durante and Ray running well but Dave struggling.

Was going to rest, but then...

12km lunchtime run with Beaky. Very steady recovery run in about 52:30. Talking pace all the way. Woke up very tired after a disrupted night's sleep and a heavy weekend and so passed on the run to work. Pleased to have got out at luncthime though as I feel a lot better for it now.

Manly Sunday

Long Manly Sunday run route. 23km in 1:37:28, at the stone arch in 47:15. Nice and cool conditions, felt comfortable the whole way.

Saturday in the rain

Left it until the humidity broke and the heavens opened to go for today's run. Felt good at the start so turned it into a tempo run over my 8km Manly route. Felt strong throughout although was pushing at a pace that was never entirely comfortable. 29:04 which I think is a course PB.

Couple of photos from last weekend added for any family reading.....

Friday warm down

14km run home from work. 30:35 at the Toyota Garage and 57:29 all up. Hot and humid, struggled on the hills again. Toyed with the idea of Beaky's "marathon pace" fast spells but after about 20 metres of that over the harbour bridge dismissed it as a ridiculous notion and decided to treat the run as a recovery run.

Hickson Road

Back to Hickson Road - 5 x 1.17km (now measured on G-Map Pedometer) with 2 minute rest. Good crowd today with a first appearance of Kanser getting back into training after injury, Richards (High and Palmer), Chris, Ray, Durante, Bill and David(?). Times went:

3:46; 3:37; 3:33; 3:37; 3:37

First was slow as running by myself. Durante then showed up and pushed the next three, with Ray returning to form with a good session pushing the last one in running a 3:36. Pleased with the session as after the first I was willing to write it off as a post-6ft hangover session. Glad to be able to hang on for the final two after a very quick third.

10km all up.

Attached are a couple of photos from 6ft - Cox's River and the end. Shame I look like such a mincer in the river, as soon as I saw the photographer I tried the masculine pose but it was obviously too late.

Wednesday to work

14km run to work. 27:15 at Spit Junction and 57:19 all up. Started out feeling quite fresh which explains the quicker than normal time. Settled into a pattern of struggling on the hills (6ft ankle weights being attached) and feeling sprightly on the flat and downhills. Beautiful morning for running - cool, sunny and no wind.

My mind was wandering most of the way trying to decide on goals for the rest of the season. I reckon they are:

1. City to Surf
2. Lowering my 10km PB - probably North Head in May or September.
3. SMH Half
4. Lowering my 5km Road PB - hopefully end of this month.

JPMorgan in November is a little too far away at this point but that will become the priority after City to Surf.

Pain

3km jog + 6km Pain + 1km jog = 10km.

Didn't push it at Pain today - hung off the back of group 1 (led by Scott again in 24 minutes) with Ray and Tim Cradock chatting about 6ft and Tim's race plans. Good to see him back in full training in earnest again. Legs felt pretty good - a little stiff beforehand but much looser for having done the session.

Ran the long rep in 2:00 feeling pretty strong and with a bit of a headwind. Everything seems so short compared to Saturday...

Six Foot Track

I was still queueing for the toilets when the first wave gun fired, so had a very nervous 5 minutes before our wave was to go. Just managed in time, joining the rear of the second wave as I didn't want to be involved in any mad rush down the steep first section. I thought this was the most dangerous section of the course - large loose stones, lots of people around so your visibility is very short and most people shooting off too quick. Was pleased to get to the stairs where we had to stop for short while before gently making my way down. Dennis Wylie had stopped half way down, suffering from what he described as "arse cramps". Their weren't as many steps as I had imagined, and soon found myself in fantastic running country.

Took it very easy to Cox's, deliberately slowing myself down. Had two toilet stops in the first hour which is ridiculous given I would never normally do so on an hour run, but may have something to do with all the liquids I was taking on at each aid station. As I got to Megalong Road I started to stretch it out a bit but got caught in traffic on the technical section in the 2-3kms before Coxs which slowed me down again. Waded through Cox's river which was fun but not so getting the shoes sandy on the other side doubling their weight. Passed over the mats in 1:22 and started the hills in earnest. Ran most of them up to Mini Mini - walking (but with a lengthy stride) only the very steep sections. Went past Uncle Dave and Blue Dog on this section and was surprised at how quickly Mini Mini came up. Then headed up to Pluvi where I was walking a little bit more and again was surprised at how quickly it cam around. Took on a load of fluids and snakes at the top and felt great to be running on a flattish section starting Black Range.

The start of Black Range was probably my most encouraging section as I was starting to overtake first wave runners who appeared to have slowed down considerably. I worked out that if I averaged 5:00/km until the finish I'd be around 4 hours so just tried to keep the legs rolling over and churn out the kms. This worked until about the 31-32km mark where I was increasingly looking out for guidance as to how far there was to go. There were fewer people on the track here to so I wasn't overtaking so many. By 35km I was starting to struggle. Caught a chap I worked out was called John Hill (organises the High 5 products?) by the shouts he was getting but from here any slight incline was getting harder and harder to negotiate. I was desperately waiting for Caves Road, knowing that was around 37km and I'd only have 8km to go. The two hills before Caves Road did it for me - walked them slowly and really struggled to get any pace in the legs after that. John Hill (appropriately enough) was overtaking me on the uphills and I'd catch him again on the flat/downhills. Crossed Caves Road and briefly the spirits lifted but, to be honest, from then on I was just hanging on - walking even only slight inclines. Realised that you can make up huge amounts of time if you can finish this race strongly.

The sounds of the announcers voice at about the 43km was just fantastic. Pushed down the steep section to Jenolan Caves where others were starting to cramp up (overtook John Hills for the last time here) and gave it one final burst leading into the finish line. Felt a bit emotional at this point (obviously the feminine side comes out in times of extreme fatigue) and could barely manage a word to Kirst, Dad and the kids. But was surprised and pretty pleased with the time (4:12:35).

Amazing run by Fats. I hope he never beats me by 50 minutes in a race again. Great run by MPH too - I was half expecting to catch him along Black Range but he put time on me over that section. Chris also ran really well (4:04) given the interruptions in his training in the last 6 weeks. If anyone deserves to go sub-4 it's him.

Note for next year - if trying to beat 4 hours, take it a little quicker to Cox's (1:15 I reckon), about the same up the hills and try and finish strong. This may require training runs of more than 30km rather than stepping into the unknown shortly after Pluvi.

Run home the hard way

Plan was to run home but spoke to Beaky in the afternoon and planned a session he described as "2kms at marathon pace, jog, another 2kms at marathon pace, jog, then 1km at marathon pace". All sounded fine until I realised his marathon pace is my 10km pace.

Took my usual route with added bits. Mostly stayed with him on the fast spells but was getting lactic build up towards the end of each. He peeled off at Parriwi Road and from then I could take it easy.

Great taper for 6ft! 14km in total.

Pain

4km jog then 6km Pain then 1km warmdown: 11km.

We let Scott and one other go ahead for Pain and ran it ourselves more sensibly. Didn't get a split for the long rep (Ray said approx 1:59 for him so about 1:57/8 for me) or for the whole thing. Certainly felt easier towards the end without pushing all the way at Scott's usual pace. Durante was strong over the last 4 reps having eased off on the long one.

Sunday from home

23km North Head and Balgowlah Heights route. Ran in the midday sun on a very hot (31C) and humid day. Legs were rolling over fine to start with so just went with the flow which meant too fast. Hit the stone arch in 46:45 and realised I'd taken it too quickly, from then on I really struggled, plodding along at the pace I intend to run 6ft track in next week.

Stopped at every bubbler but was still parched. Reached reef beach and decided to go in for a swim which was fantastic. Haven't felt so relieved. Picked up a bit after that and finished in 1:39:16. Pretty respectable in the heat but am knackered now and need a sleep.

Striders 10km Homebush

9th place in 34:31. Not sure why the time was so slow - no wind but it was very humid. My vest and shorts were drenched in sweat at the end. Disappointed with the time but not so much with the position - everyone seemed to struggle.

Had originally planned to set off at 34 minute pace with Keith Bateman. Didn't want to push it too much to start with after struggling at 3km at Lane Cove last time out but in retrospect I think I took it too easy early on. Tim Ashby had about 20 seconds on me by 3km. Ran most of the first 5km with Guy Doulman. Ray (who was only doing 5km) came past at about 4km chatting as usual - I tried to mutter some reply but was not making any sense in between gasping for breaths.

Time at 5km was 17:03 so tried to push it from there. Gradually reeled in Damian Tancred by the top of the hill between 6 and 7km and then Jake Shaw(?) going around the circular gravel path between 8 and 9km. Could see that I was catching Tim but ran out of time in the end.

2km warm up and warm down - 14km in total.

Recovery jog

Very easy 8km to Darling Point and back. 35:08.

Hickson Road

Big crowd there today - Ray, Phil Woods, Richard High, Pete Walker, Michael Durante, Christian Ellis, Bill and Dave Le Banh. Very consistent session (the usual 5x1.2km with 2 minute gap) went:

3:40; 3:34; 3:39; 3:37; 3:39

Richard pushed the first which is why it was quicker than normal. Chasing down Ray on the next three and then Phil Woods on the last. Easily the quickest aggregate time as first time all have been 3:40 or under. (Actually, just checked this point and I did a couple in November all 3:40 or under (one with aggregate time quicker too) when I was peaking for JPM. So won't expect anything special on Saturday morning.)

Jog there and back made 10km all up.

Struggled in

14km run into work. Beautiful morning but really struggled on the hills following yesterday's session and not helped by carrying a backpack with my workshoes in. Felt fine on the flat and downhills, dreaming of easy races and smashing PBs. Then I'd hit a little hill.

27:53 at Spit Junction and 59:00 all up so slow second half even though felt more comfortable in that section.

Pain plus some

Decided to bulk up Pain in the Domain by jogging 6km beforehand. Bumped into Ray and ran with him for most of it, chatting about races etc. Scot led Group 1 at the usual breakneck pace. Could feel the extra 6km in my legs most of the way around but was pleased to still manage 1:57 on the long rep - reeling in Durante but a good 3 seconds behind Dave.

27 minutes jog plus 24:40 for Pain plus 1km jog = 13km.

Recovering

Rest. Too tired and sore throat.

Weekend summary

Sunday

30km Mosman Reversed STaR. Lovely run in cool conditions. Steady all the way - about 2 hours 32 mins.

Saturday

8km in about 33:30. Ran to Ken and Emmas for a party taking in a route along the Manly-Spit walk.

Friday filler

14km run to work. Started out very sore and tired after yesterday's intervals but gradually worked my way into it finishing quite quickly across the bridge.

28:10 at Spit Junction, 58:34 all up.

Hickson Road

Hot and humid with a slight breeze (which always seemed to be against us) for the reps today. The usual 5 x 1.2km with a strict 2 minute interval (often 1:45 by my watch). Only Ray Wareham, Phil Dove and Phil Woods there today. The reps went:

3:44; 3:37; 3:35; 3:39; 3:37

A little more consistent than last week with no blowout on the 4th rep.

10km all up.

Nothing much

Regulation run home. 14km, 30:25 at the Toyota Garage and 57:51 all up. Slight headwind, felt comfortable, glad to be recovering from the bug.

Strange Pain

Very different Pain as the QM2 was in town, the moonlight cinema was being taken down and the Domain was packed. As a result, we improvised with a longer course - the long rep being from the path near the Opera House gate to the glass pyramid. Felt rotten to start with, tried to sprint the rep from Lady Macquarie's chair but gradually got into it during and then after the long rep. Finished the last two reps feeling quite strong which was encouraging.

8km in total.

Woe is me

Rest. Feeling lethargic and listless, and with a strange aversion to milk. As a result, haven't had a coffee all day. Which is only adding to my problems. Cheered myself up briefly by booking accommodation in Blackheath over 6ft Track weekend, so I've fully committed myself now. How hard can it be?

Mystery bug

Sunday

11km run around North Manly, Harbord, Brookvale, Curl Curl and Queenscliff - about 48 minutes. Planned not to run a long one due to JJ's party the night before. Good job, as once again, felt listless and struggled the whole way. Started to feel under the weather following the run - slight chill and dodgy stomach.

Pretty disappointing 3 days.

Saturday

Manly 8km route - 31:34. Felt a struggle the whole way. Started to feel a little ill following the run.

Friday

Rest. Hangover.

Hickson Road

Reps with Ray Wareham, Tim Cradock, Phil Dove, Dicky Palmer and Sean. Usual format, although the rests are getting shorter due to staging staggered starts after the first rep. They went:

3:44; 3:36; 3:36; 3:45; 3:34

Funny session. The reason for the discrepancy is having someone to run with or chase. First rep I was on my own. 4th rep everyone took off after only about 1:20 rest. I was so tired I insisted on my (almost) 2 minute recovery and was too far back to make any headway into catching anyone. Ran the last one with Phil until half way then pushed on which is why it was so quick.

10km all up.

So where are all my cards?

Easy 14km run into work. Very stiff and sore to begin with, so took it very easy - deliberately slowing down through Balgowlah and along Military Road. 27:45 at Spit Junction and 58:20 all up.

Pain

Pain in the Domain. 24:09 all up (it's getting ridiculous) and 1:57 for the long rep. Felt full of running again throughout. Really pushed the long rep in trying to stay with Dave (who again ran 1:55) and still felt strong. Pleasing session.

Short warm down afterwards for 7km all up.

Wild Monday

14km run home from work. Full of running to start with when I couldn't help but go quickly - 29:30 at Toyota Garage. Slowed down in the second half particularly on the hills when the backpack with shoes in started to weigh me down. 56:05 all up. Great weather - cool, plenty of rain and a mostly following wind.

For any family members that have dropped in by accident, here's a photo of the birthday boy. He's lost out to his siblings in recent posts.

Usual Sunday

North Head/Balgowlah Sunday route. About 24 km in 1:38:10. Felt easy to start with and was running quite quickly - 46:40 at the Stone Arch. Slowed down in the second half but felt comfortable at the end - probably the result of longer Sunday runs over the past 2 weeks.

Mentally tough

Punished myself for missing yesterday's interval session with intervals by myself around Farm Cove; 5x900m with 2 minutes recovery. They went:

2:45; 2:50; 2:49; 2:48; 2;47

Paid the price for the first one being so quick by struggling from then on to match it. Southerly wind made the 2nd and 4th reps harder.

10km all up.

Thwarted!

Enforced rest. Planned on the Hickson Road reps but delayed conference call put paid to those and too much work to fit a run in. Grrr. Will now have to fit intervals in tomorrow by myself.....

Yawnsville

14km in about 59 minutes. First 10km with Beaky over the bridge to the Greenwood and around via Luna Park and finishing with a loop around the Opera House and Domain. Nice and easy at talking pace.

Pain

Led by Scot again and fast again - 24:55.
Felt heavy legged all the way still suffering from the weekend. 1:59 for the long rep - pleased in that I was catching Dave in the final 100m so the strength is there but still about 4 seconds behind him.
7km all up.

Recovery run

Easy 10km with Beaky at lunchtime in approximately 43 minutes. To Darling Point and back but adding avoiding the steps on the way out and adding distance in the park at Rushcutters Bay. Started a little sore from the weekend's exertions but finished feeling much better.

Dee Why Dash

30km over the Dee Why Dash. About 2:26 in total not stopping the watch for any water stops. Felt a bit more tired to start with than last week as a result of yesterday's race. Gradually got into it and was feeling very comfortable when Ray turned off at 20km. Jaap, Jonathan, Fats and myself then picked up the pace with Fats pushing on from Queenscliff. Very tired at the end as a result of the faster pace over the final 10km.

Thought I'd post a picture of Charlie to show how big he's becoming....

Sydney Striders - Lane Cove 10km

34:06

Slightly disappointed not to dip under 34 as it was all set up for me. But pleased to be quicker than November and not too bad considering it's been a heavy week.

Set off with Tim Ashby and Fats and ran with them both for the first 3km. Then had my usual tough patch between 3 and 5km where Tim pulled ahead by about 15 seconds. Fats had dropped back, but Andrew Tuckey came past at 4km and started to close on Tim. From the hill before the turn around I had been caught by Jared Poppett who ran I ran with until about 8km - both of us taking the turn to lead in equal part. He then dropped me on the final hill and pushed on to dip under 34.

Great crowd (355 finishers). Did a warm down with Richard Mullaney who took the first 5km easy then pushed the second.

14km all up for a 89km week.

Return to Hickson Road

Another session of Hickson Road reps - 5x1.2km with 2 minute rest. Really good crowd today - Ray Wareham, Chris Graham, the 3 Richards (High, Palmer and Mullaney), Dave Le Banh and his mate Sean. My intention wasn't to push it too hard with Saturday morning's race in the back of my mind. That was the intention. Times went:

3:36; 3:34; 3:35; 3:39; 3:54.

The reason for them being so quick was Richard Mullaney's new found form. He pushed them all. I just kept in front for the first four but was tiring on the fourth so decided just to run through the final rep. Will be very interesting to see how Richard High and Richard Mullaney run on Saturday. Richard High seemed to be keeping something in reserve.

Landmark day for Bec

Bec's first day at school. She seemed to handle it much better than her parents - leading the charge and telling us where to go. Will put a couple of photo's of her in her uniform when I get home.

14km run into work. Run at about 11am due to seeing Bec off to school. Felt much more relaxed and supple maybe as a result of the later start. It reflected in the times - 26:57 at Spit Junction and 57:32 all up. Very easy run though not puffing at any stage.

Pain in the Domain

Rocked up to Pain still feeling the effects of the last 2 days running so wasn't expecting too much. Also pretty hot and I only had my thick t-shirt to wear (plus shorts, socks and shoes of course). Pushed all the reps as usual and was very pleased with a 1:58 for the long rep. I was chasing MBL Dave all the way - felt strongest over the final 100 metres. He ran a 1:55 so is obviously in very good form. I suggested he come to Lane Cove on Saturday for the 10km race.

Particularly pleased with the 1:58 as the total time was a very quick 25:10 - 30 seconds quicker than ever before.

Backing up

Monday

14km run home from work. Felt great stretching the legs after yesterday's slower run. Was dreaming about breaking PB's, sprint finishes to races and stepping up a level - then looked at my watch and realised the time was very average. Felt easy though, breathing easily at the end.

30:30 at Toyota Garage and 58:32 all up.

Middle Harbour Picnic

Perfect day for running - clear, sunny and cool. Ran 30kms (furthest ever) with the Striders Star starting and finishing at Roseville Chase. Fantastic run taken at a nice easy pace. About 2:20 all up.

Australia Day

Saturday

Rest.

Friday

Very easy jog to Long Reef in 34:42.

The dreaded Hickson Road

Usual reps of 5 x 1.2km with 2 minute rest. Richard P, Peter W and Darren Q turned up but were only doing 3 and taking them easy with races over the next few days. So I was on my own for the first and final 2 reps. Which was apparent from my times:

3:47; 3:35; 3:39; 3:40; 3:43.

Very pleased with the second and third reps where I was chasing down the other 3 lads and the third in particular which Darren pushed me on.

10km in total.

There's always something....

...to make things uncomfortable. 14km run into work. Very easy pace. Cool conditions, no wind and slight drizzle would have made for a very pleasant run but I picked too much nail off my big toe last night and the rest of the nail seems now to be in-growing. From Spit Juntion onwards, any downhill section was very painful.

28:06 at Spit Junction, 59:17 all up. I may be struggling in my speed sessions but keeping a steady pace in these longer runs is becoming much easier.

Pain in the Domain

Big crowd today to help push things along in hot conditions. Keith Bateman turned up, along with Durante and Dave from MBL. Led out far too quickly again, but that didn't slow down the reps. Pushed all of the initial ones, and just failed to catch Dave on the Farm Cove rep for a 1:59. 25:42 all up - second fastest ever in hot conditions. Struggled over the final two reps.

7km all up including the warm down.

Warm but breezy

Head out at lunchtime for the Balls Head loop as the weather looked so nice out of the window this morning. Felt quite light on my feet which was encouraging after the long run yesterday. 26:35 at the water stop at Balls Head and 56:57 all up for the 14km. Trying to take these longer runs easier at the moment so save my energy for the fast sessions.

Longer stuff again

Sunday

Long North Head route. Quite warm but lovely conditions really. Took it very easy to start with (although I didn't necessarily intend to). 48 minutes at the stone arch. Was embarassed by the slow time so picked it up in the second half. Felt strong right through to the end so was pleased with that. 23km in 1:38:41.

Saturday

Rest. Rebecca's b'day party. Was knackered.

Sunny, warm, bit of breeze

Easy 8km to Darling Point and back with Pete to see if we could see the flipped Maserati on Bilyard Ave. No such luck, not even any pools of shattered glass. They tidy up after themselves thoroughly in those parts.

Very gentle run feeling a little tired after yesterday's session. Brings up 70km for the week which is a good return to training.

Hickson Road

5x1.2km reps along Hickson Road with strict 2 min rests.

Not much good to say about this session other than:

(a) I did it.
(b) I'm not injured.
(c) They didn't get slower.

3:48, 3:44, 3:45, 3:46, 3:43.

That is, about 7 seconds slower per rep than at my peak in November. Which suggests I'm about a minute down on my 10km times. Must have been some wind on the return reps given the times but didn't feel much out there.

In fairness, I took the first couple easily worrying about whether I would hold up for the whole session, and it was only me and Chris out there, with me chasing Chris after giving him approx. 15 seconds per rep so most were by myself. Dave and Darren Quarrel joined in the last rep - Darren seems keen to join us next week. Where hopefully I'll be quicker.

10km all up with jog there and back.

Titles are becoming tedious

14km run into work. No watch so no time but took it very easy and felt comfortable all the way as a result. About 25C with little wind.

Back to Pain

Pain in the Domain plus warmdown. About 7km. 26:04 all up but no individual split on the Farm Cove rep. Led out far too quickly such that there was little difference between the reps and the jogs in between. Met Serge for the first time who is coming back from injury and pushed the reps up until the Farm Cove rep.

First session I've felt good in for a long time so very pleasing. Don't think the Farm Cove rep was under 2 mins as the final few reps felt too comfortable.

Back to work

Sunday

Short North Head route (16km) ran in the mid-afternoon heat. Too hot, too jet-lagged and too-unfit to be comfortable. Really struggled from half-way onwards but pleased to have finished my longest run in over 3 weeks.

Monday

Darling Point standard route (8km) run at 4pm. Still struggling with the stiff achilles' despite plenty of stretching. Fairly uneventful run. Not too fast, not too slow but not too comfortable.

Back home

Wednesday

5 miles on the treadmill in Miami. 29:27. Can't run on a treadmill without pushing it.

Friday

Arrived home at around noon and ran a very easy 5km late afternoon.

Saturday

Manly route, late afternoon. No watch (still broken from Cartegena) but fairly brisk with a following wind most of the way.

Just in case anyone reads this, here are a few photos from Colombia....

Letter from Cartagena

Have spent our time equally between Geoff´s hotel in Cartagena old town and his beach house 40km up the road. On the running front, I´ve managed a 30 minute run each morning other than 3 days off. It´s very hot (30 degrees by the time I head out at 7.30am) but most of the running has been on the beach so no hills. Nothing too slow but just trying not to lose too much fitness before returning to proper training next week.

The holiday has been fantastic. Colombia has renewed my interest in travelling. The people are fascinating. Looking forward to the bullfight tomorrow for which we managed to grab some tickets....