Attempt at some speed

Out in the am again (only time it is feasible to run - too hot any later and I've cracked open my first holiday beer by 4.30pm each afternoon in any case).

Decided I needed to try some speed this morning.  Kept on delaying when I would actually try it.  Got to 7km on the Pinellas Trail, turned for home and decided to run back quicker.  Did 5kms under 4min km pace then almost expired with heat exhaustion.  

All up 14km in 4:14's.

Tuesday - Pinellas Trail

Why didn't I find this earlier?  A disused railway line turned into a bike/running trail that runs for 33miles from Tarpon Springs to St Petersburg.  I did 10km in 4:34's.  Slowly acclimatising.

Monday

27.3km in the hottest conditions I've run in.  It was just an exercise of body temperature control - running easy enough so as not to overheat but not so slow that I was out in the heat too long.

First water at 19km, dip in the ocean at 22km (felt like a bath - we're spoiled in Sydney) and dragged my ass home over last 3km.  4:43's.

More treadmill crap

Saturday:  14km odd on the treadmill averaging 4:12's.  Always run too fast on the treadmill.  Just get bored and keep on trying to up the pace.  Ends up as grey running.

Sunday:  Could only survive 12km this morning before dying of boredom.  4:14's.  This sort of running doesn't suit my achilles.

Me and my dream car:

Diagon Alley was awesome:

Me and my dream van:

Hogsmeade:

Thursday

13km in Tarpon Springs in the am feeling crap.  Legs stiff and sore, dehydrated in the 95F heat.  Need to drink more and roll out.

Farewell NYC

Last run and back into Central Park (just too handy).  

Did 2.5 loops in the scheduled 1hr 45mins.  In the first km I had a bloke run past while training a girl he was trying too hard to impress.  They gained 20m so being a competitive twat I didn't let them get further ahead and then ran past on the big hill at the Harlem end.  This meant I was running 4:12's, which was a bit silly.  It was very warm (20+C at 6am).  

Continued on for 24.4km getting more and more tired and dehydrated.  Need some good sleep as I'm still slightly jet-lagged.

Kids in hotel room:

Maggie top of the Rock:

Bogan Mags buying a hot dog on the streets of NY at 10pm:

Tuesday same but different

Another shocking night's sleep but, due to the power of social media, I had arranged to meet TB at the Apple Store on the corner of Central Park at 6am.  But wet overnight so more humid this morning.  Great chat to Terence while running 13.2km around the Park nice and easy.

Top of the Rock:

Independence Day

Woke up after a fitfull jet-lagged sleep and did 13.8km around Central Park on a beautiful (Northern Hemisphere) summer's day.  Meaning it was green, lush and cool but warming up.  God I miss home sometimes.

Gold Coast 10km - 21st in 31:35

Well, everything went to plan for once.  Arrived last night (being put up, very kindly, by Jeet and Birchy in a fantastic ocean view apartment in Main Beach), got some food and an early night's sleep.  

Had been feeling great in training over the past 2 weeks and woke up feeling good again.  Achilles has been no concern and all the rolling out has done wonders to how I feel in the early am.  Jogged to the start, got intimidated in the (very plush) elite area seeing Australia's two greatest distant runners milling about (Mona and Benita Willis).  Got to the start area and only mistake was not to jump onto the start line straightaway.  Found myself 4 rows back.  But told myself it was a good thing as I'd be able to accelerate into the race.

I didn't wear a watch.  I told myself I was in good form and would either be scared by the pace of the splits or would stress they weren't quick enough.  So ran on feel just trying to hold on to packs of runners for as long as possible.  Chadi was leading a big group early on so tagged on the back of that.  A smaller group started to pull ahead so tagged in to them until 5km.  Knew things were going well when, looking for the 4km mark, I suddenly saw the 5km mark.  That's a free km in the bank!  Clock said 15:32 as I passed but I was falling off the group of 5.  But, like Gold Coast resident Big Kev before me, I was excited.

Best thing about this race is the strength and depth of field.  As soon as I dropped off I had runners catching and coming past me.  John Dutton came past at 5km and I got a km out of him. So I just jumped on the back of each one to drag me through just one more km (as I told myself).  Massive shout from Coach Gary at 8km which was a great lift and I was closing in on John again.  

The long straight before the final finish tunnel seemed to last forever (but at least not as bad as last year's marathon and I probably covered it in half the time), then I turn and hear the announcer saying something like "Jacob Cocks in 30:40" - does that mean he's sat down eating a b&e roll or has he just finished?!  I turn the corner and see 31:10 on the clock.  Fuck yeah!!  Sprint for the line and do some mad fist pumps and crazy arms aloft.  I think my fellow competitors are a bit bemused.  But I don't care.

So stoked.  Biggest jump in my PB ever. Thanks so much to Coach Gary.  And thanks so much to Birchy and Jeet for the hospitality and brekkie.  A perfect start to my holidays.

Good luck to everyone tomorrow in the Full and Half.  It's perfect up here.

Friday jog

25mins early doors along the beach with a few strides.

Thursday

Started the day by meeting Eljay and Elle for coffee to talk racing tactics for the weekend.  Eljay very kindly said that I was impressively erect.  She claimed to be talking about my running style but I'm not so sure.

At lunch joined the squad at Rushcutters but did 5min tempo followed by 4 x 30s before jogging back with Timmy.

Taper Wed

Very easy 7km bumping into Andy at the Opera House and finishing with a few hills.

Getting pumped about Saturday morning now..

ES Marks Runcrew

4km warm up in the inside of the track with Matt, Keith, Keith's brother Gerald, Hamish, Biggsy and Neil.  Then 3 x broken 1 miles as per 3 weeks ago - that is 1km hard, 300m jog, 300m hard with 4mins between each set.

Wore the flats this time with the achilles feeling stronger every day.  

Times went:

2:55, 51

2:52, 51

2:51, 52

Very happy and felt great.  As Gary pointed out, reps 2 and 3 are at a pace faster than my 1500m PB.

3km warm down for 12km all up.

Monday morning

1. Really enjoying the Manly Dam runs at the moment and hills.

2. Achilles feels better than ever.

So did another run up past Manly Vale Public School and back down the creek this am before adding the 4 x 80m hills up Suwarrow.  Felt great this morning.

Sunday

Too knackered to get out with the boys at 6am after having to stay up to pick up Bec.  Got out later and did another circular Manly Dam route, this time tackling the Northern Beaches longest hill - Warringah Rd up to Beacon Hill.  Quite tired at the end of 20km. 

Saturday hills

Missed Parkrun so ran hard up a hill instead.  Allambie Hill.  Then back around the dam for 13.5km all up.  Nice route.

Hurts Rushcutters

Over to Rushcutters but no Timmy cones.  And to be honest we were lost without them.  Come back Timmy, all is forgiven.  Some makeshift shirts were laid which moved after the first rep.  But anyway, session was 8 x 400m off 2:30, 3 min jog then 8 x 200m off 1:30.

Trailed Barts for the first four 400's then kicked into action and started pushing him a bit.  All were 65/66 on the watch but 67/68 pace in truth.  Then on the 200's I called for a different volunteer to pace each rep which made it interesting and distracted from getting through the set.  Averaged 30's on those (prob 31's in truth.

5km warm down for 13km all up.

Morning MLR

16km around Manly with Lewis and the Cap'n.  Sore after last night.  4:36's.

(Missed Monday)

Can't fail to put this down as it continues quite a good running streak....

14km with Enda, Timmy, Hoey and Co around the wharves to Barangaroo.

RunCrew Tuesday

AM:  7.5km around and about to the ferry wharf in 4:38's.

PM:  4.5km warm up.  2km TT in 5:56 pacing off Hamish and Keith.  Followed by 10 x 300m in 49, 50, 49, 48, 49, 49, 48, 48, 48, 48 (rolling 2mins).  Felt great tonight in the flats.  3km warm down.

Good to see Enda, Christian, LJ and Greta supporting Eloise in what looked like a monster session.