Encouraging signs

Some encouraging signs on the running front this week as I started to feel a lot better which allowed me to run every day of the week.

Week in Summary 58.25km@4:42

Mon 7.5k@4:36
Tues 8.25k@4:50 Recovery Run
Wed 6k@4:33 incl hills of the Avenues
Thurs 6k@4:37
Fri 8.25k@4:32 incl 5k@4:20-Prob Tempo Pace for me at this stage??
Sat 6.25k@4:47 incl hills
Sun 16k@4:49 in Kings Park with Epi- 2 laps. Breathing was heavy today, although felt better in that regard the longer the run went. Some stretch breaks along the way as adductor/groin a bit sore. This will be the type of course that will become a regular in the leadup to Boston, hopefully next week I can do 3 laps.

All in all a very satisfactory week,felt pretty good after todays longer run and next week hope for some further progress, things are on track.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

Like a Lobster in the Sun

Went and saw the Doctor on Monday afternoon as a result of the stomach issues continuing and he believes I have Inflamed Intestines. I've been prescribed 2 different antibiotics and his analogy was that my energy levels are similar to what a lobster would feel after being frazzled in the sun and to take it very easy on the running side.

I'm due to go and get my repeats this afternoon so hopefully within the next week I'll start getting back to normal, at least I now know why I've been feeling as I have.

Onto the running side, I've run 27kms@4:53 on 4 runs ans am happy just getting out and plodding along when I feel up to it. I also made a trip to the Pod whilst the running isn't a priority and he is very happy with how things are going and how I'm landing although he is making a couple of adjustments to the orthotics which may assist with the adductor issue.

Congrats to all who did 6 inch today in pretty tough conditions.

This will more than likely be my last post before Christmas so wishing all and respective families a Merry Christmas.

The 2 P's

Patience and being Positive are 2 things that runners need and thats exactly what I'll be relying on as I gradually increase my running over the next few weeks. I've worked out that I need about a solid 13-15 weeks inclusive of taper to have a chance of a good marathon, which gives me 3 to 5 weeks to build my base.

Week in Summary 34k@4:53

Mon 10k@4:45
Tues 13k@4:53
Wed 8k@5:00
Sun 3k@5:00

Started the week strongly, however wasn't feeling well from Thurs to Sat, tummy still playing up and no energy so took some time off running.

The adductor/groin area was was quite sore this morning so decided to call it quits early on in the run, more precautionary than anything I hope and with it being 30 deg at 8am, I didn't need too many reasons :). Taking it easy for the rest of the day with some icing,compression and TENS machine and hopefully tomorrow I can go for an easy jog.

The foot is feeling a lot better and today I feel the best I have since I've got back from Nepal, so things are def on the up. Hopefully a couple of visits to the Physio will assist with the adductor and I'll be on my way.

If all goes to plan, next week I hope to do approx 50-60k with a long run of 15-20k.

Kudos to those esp Gunner that ran Busselton last week in very hot conditions.

Best of luck to Epi(if he is running) and TB in their 6 inch run next Sun, starting at 4.30 will mean they'll miss most of the heat. I may even pop down and do the 11k run and offer support, I'll see how the week goes and whether we have other committments before deciding.

Passed the 3000km mark for the year

Still battling the virus and stomach issues I've had since returning from Nepal so have kept the running to a minimum. My foot and groin are still both a bit tentative, so I expect progress for the next few weeks to be gradual as opposed to coming out all guns blazing as I get used to my life as a runner again. The plan is to use the exercise bike a fair bit in conjunction with easy and tempo runs to get in the number of hours required to keep my fitness levels reasonably high.


Running for the week 17.5km@4:45 3 runs

Highlight of the week was passing the 3000km mark for the year, 3rd year running.

Unfort there will be no 6 inch race for me this year as I'm just not up to it at this point, hopefully next year will be the year.

May pop down and do the City Beach Race next week as a tempo run, prob 4:30 pace at the moment.


Epi, been talking to a couple of guys who have done Mera Peak and they say it is awesome and well worth doing, I'm already looking forward to doing the next Himalayan Trek.

Great holiday

A couple of photos from the trip including the gang at Everest Base Camp including myself,Epi and his dad and one of me at Kala Patthar with Everest in the background.

Had a great holiday in Nepal with the highlights being the trip to Everest Base Camp 5364m and the trip to Kala Patthar 5545m. The trip to base camp was highlighted by it snowing and we spent about 1/2 an hour there having lunch and taking photos, Epi was crazy enough to take his shirt off with a couple of others, pity some girls didn't do the same. One thing that came to mind on the day was just how desolate the landscape was and how it looked like the moons surface.

The next day we travelled to Kala Patthar on a perfect day and the views were just phenomenal, no photos could ever do it justice, we had Everest 8850m,Lhotse 8516m,Nupste 7864m and Ama Dablam 6814m as part of the background and it was just amazing.

I felt very lucky to be given the opportunity to vist the Himalayas and would definitely look at doing again in the future. What amazed me was at how much peace the people are and also how hard they work, porters were carrying huge amounts of weight up the mountains with smiles on their faces. Also, watch out for the crazy traffic in Kathmandu.

Running 18.5kms 3 runs @4:50


Onto the running front, I ran for the first time in 6 weeks this week but unfortunately ended up with a virus and spent most of the week in bed. I've now decided to try and build up slowly with no speedwork or hillwork and will concentrate on getting time into my legs before moving onto the next phase. December will be a month of building up a solid base before the proper assault for Boston, btw Bostons entries are closed so I'm glad I got in reasonably early.

Best of luck to Sling for his Half in Singas and hope Biscuitmans ITB is on the improve.

Eagles should have picked Jetta in the draft, although Sheppard has good genes. Greatt to see Mitch Marsh batting well for WA, should be playing for Aust in the very near future.

Pumped

Off next week on our trip to Nepal, caught up with Epi, his dad and Jeff for a get together to go through things and make sure we're all prepared, everyone is very excited.

Haven't run since Melb and I haven't missed it to be honest, I think I'm so pumped about our trip that nothing else matters. I'm really enjoying the hiking and can potentially see some huge benefits to my running and may post Nepal include it in my training regime. The foot is still a bit sore and Epi had a quick look today but it is has been improving everyday,so happy with that.

Have done a number of hour plus walks in the boots and with backpack fully loaded culminating in a couple of decent weekend walks . Yesterday I did 5 * Mt Yokine Hill yesterday, the hill is about 700m long with a 50m increase in altitude with the steepest point being a 22 deg gradient near the top. Today I walked from Mount Street to the Kokoda Trail and then did 8* Kokoda in under 40 minutes and then walked back to Mount Strett and did 4 * Mount Street. Kokoda is a lot harder than both Mount Yokine and Mount St, Trace mentione it is harder than Jacobs Ladder as she did 1 with me before doing her standard 10 Jacobs Ladder.

I registered for Boston this week so hopefully will get accepted whilst I'm away and then that is the next big goal, although I may look at doing 6 inch in Dec if all goes well.

May not post again before we go, so if not, I hope all is well with others and the running continues to go well, hopefully Biscuitman can recover quickly from his ITB issues.

Taking it easy

No running this week as foot is still sore and won't run until I can walk pain free, at least the swelling has subsided significantly. Walked about 3kms in my boots for Nepal today and they felt good, this week will start walking a few hills with the pack just to get used to what lies ahead.

The only other exercise I've been doing this week is walking the dogs and using the Wii Active for upper body which I've enjoyed, the legs have certainly been thankful for the rest.

Enjoyed the rest of the time in Melb by having a couple of nice wins at the casino, eating really well(have put on 3kgs) and seeing Jersey Boys which was great, may see the show in the US when we're there.

Been having a bit of think about training strategy for Boston, I think I'll use an 18week program and may use a combo of Pfitzinger and Higdon in my approach, which will include more Intervals and Tempo Runs than I've done before. I will also try and do a lot more races than in previous Marathon attempts to build some confidence and reduce the nerves on the big day. Intend on registering for Boston this week and working out full itinerary, hoping to spend about a week in Atlanta as part of my taper.

Haven't seen the results for Rotto yet, but hoping Biscuitman had a great Marathon and Sugar another good 10k.

Pulled out at 12k

Only got time to quickly post but pulled out at 12k due to a foot injury that I felt on Friday for the first time. It came on fully at 10k and I continued for a couple of km but was getting progressively worse, was averaging 4:11's at the time (based on Garmin).

Km's Times 4:12,4:10,4:05,4:10,4:10,4:10,4:09,4:08,4:12,4:12,4:16,4:20

Inspirational speech beforehand by Deek and then we were away on a perfect running morning. Got into a good rhythm although adductor was annoying from the start but was manageable, the foot was causing more concern. The sub 3 hour pacer flew by me at 3km, not sure how they ended up going but he was doing approx 4:00's. Ended up running in a group which included a couple of Female state reps for Vic and NSW

Made the agonising decision to pull out after trying to run a couple of kms from 10-12k and hoping it would improve but instead was getting worse. A bit disappointed but know it's the right decision and have been limping quite badly since the race. Interestingly, both legs and feet have been quite swollen since arriving in Melb, maybe from extra carboloading :)

Great catching up with Sling for a couple of yak beers, congrats on the pb in the half. Also quickly caught up with TB, congrats on finishing your tenth Marathon, well done.

Maybe when the stars align and body is injury free the sub 3 may beckon,in the meantime I'll take at least a weeks rest and then may do some jogging before Nepal. Once back from there I may focus on some smaller races in the leadup to Boston.

Carbo Loading:Time to pig out

The following diet is suitable for a 70kg athlete aiming to carbohydrate load:


Breakfast:3 cups of low-fibre breakfast cereal with 11/2 cups of reduced fat milk
1 medium banana
250ml orange juice

Snack toasted muffin with honey
500ml sports drink

Lunch 2 sandwiches (4 slices of bread) with filling as desired
200g tub of low-fat fruit yoghurt
375ml can of soft drink

Snack banana smoothie made with low-fat milk, banana and honey
cereal bar

Dinner 1 cup of pasta sauce with 2 cups of cooked pasta
3 slices of garlic bread
2 glasses of cordial

Late Snack toasted muffin and jam
500ml sports drink
This sample plan provides ~ 14,800 kJ, 630 g carbohydrate, 125 g protein and 60 g fat.

Full details of article found here http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/competition_and_training2/carbohydrate_loading



Forecast for Sunday
Mostly sunny. Winds north to northeasterly averaging up to 25 km/h tending northerly 25 to 35 km/h during the morning.

Adductor Strain

What would Marathon week be without a bit of drama to put you on the edge?

Went to the physio today who confirmed that I've strained my adductor again, although I don't think it's as bad as last time. An hour later after opening of the hips,massage and use of the machine, it feels quite a bit better. There was also a bit of work done to strip down the peroneals as they were also quite tender.

I'll go for an easy 8k tomorrow and hopefully on Thurs before flying, can run a few at MP. In the meantime I have a massage booked in for tomorrow, plenty of rest and the TENS Machine will get a bit of a workout.

Hopefully won't impact on performance too much and has confirmed that I'll be wearing the short skins which will assist due to the compression component.



Weather for Melb is looking ok, 9 and 22 now with winds up to 40km. Hopefully very still on the way out and then we can run with the wind on the way back, I can hardly wait to finish in the mighty stadium.

Found an interesting article posted on Coolrunning re Carbo Loading, will post it tomorrow.

Mixed Bag

This week was limited to just over 51k of running due to virus and niggles in particular the adductor and peroneus which have flared up. My main concen at present is the adductor which is quite sore, however with limited running next week and some massage and work with the TENS hopefully all will be right to go for next Sunday. Good news is that it is better to happen this week than next and I'm well rested.

Week in Summary 51.2k@4:35 Cycling 1 hour

Tues 13k@4:22 incl 8*100m strides.Felt comfortable but had the peroneus and adductor become sore on 2nd last 100m stride. Also came down ill that night

Wed Sick

Thurs am Acupunture on butt and peroneus, still felt flat.

pm 8.55k@4:47 Easy run, still not feeling too well, took a couple of stops and had a chuck.

Fri pm 1 hour easy cycling 28k

Sat am 8.5k@4:25 Still a bit under the weather, was sick again whilst running but feeling a lot more energised.

Sun am 21.2k@4:43 Treated as a dress rehearsal for next week. Got up at 4 and has some brekkie, went back to sleep for a while and up and runnning at 7am on a fantastic morning. Ran with some powerade and snakes and just cruised along from home, Maylands Loop and then back home. Stopped a couple of times for some quick stretching on the adductor and took it very easy on the slight inclines on the course.

Looking forward to running next week, not sure where I'm placed at the moment as I felt a lot more confident going into Perth. Distance travelled in the 9 weeks leading up to Perth was a bit more and the pace about 10 seconds per km quicker than this leadup.

Anyway plan is to go out in around 1.28-1.29 and hopefully not blow up too much, looking forward to finishing at the "G" and hopefuly another PB. Weather at this stage is looking promising Min 7 and Max 22.

Hopefully will catch up with both Sling and TB whilst over in Melb, good luck guys.

2 weeks to go

Reasonable week with highlight being the running on AK (New Perry Lakes Stadium) on Tues with Epi,Bisciutitman and TB. Had some acupunture Thurs on the back and butt and deep tissue massage Fri.

Week in Summary 84k@4:38

Tues am 8.6k@4:40

Tues pm 11.7k all up including Warmup 3.4k@4:28, Cooldown 4.1k@4:44
Intervals of 5*600m in 2.08's ie @3:32pace with 90 sec recoveries 4*300m@4:41.


Met up with TB,Epi and Biscuitman to run on the new track and it was absolutely sensational to run on. The aim of my session was to do 5*600 at 5k pace, ran them a bit quicker and was happy with effort for the session, could have done more more but was disciplined in sticking to the program for this one. Some very impressive running by Biscuitman and Epi saw them do their Yasso 800's in approx 2:40, looks good for Rotto Biscuitman and for Epi to do big PB at Freo 10k if he decides to do. TB did a mixture of running and looks on track to do a decent PB for Melb.

Wed 8.4k@4:46

Thurs 12.4k incl 9.2k@4:28 including some quicker bursts of 200m @5k pace
3.2k@4:41 cooldown

Fri 5k@4:44

Sat 10k@4:39 Quick run before the footy, congrats to Geelong on a great win.

Sun pm 28k@4:45 Last long run, normally do a 30k run 3 weeks out but couldn't be bothered doing another 2k as I'd already reached home. Quite sore in the usual areas but other than that pretty happy with a well controlled and relaxed run.

Also managed to do some Nepal shopping before the run, really looking forward to this trip, just want to get Melb done and then the excitement of this trip will really sink in.

Will prob head down to AK Thurs arvo to do 3*1600m intervals, if anyone is interested in joining me, just call out.

Freo Half Marathon-Good Dress Rehearsal

Went into todays half not knowing what to expect as I'd hurt my sciatic nerve last Sunday and had been having electric sort of pains running down my leg all week. A physio session and deep tissue massage helped a bit but was very cautious on trying to predict a time before the race.

Anyway was absolutely stoked to run 1:26 flat with some assistance from Craig who kindly paced me,much appreciated. Other than a 20 second stop from a quick coughing fit at half way, must have been the body rebelling about doing a 2 lap course :) and some discomfort from the leg, I couldn't be happier. Practiced drinking on the run as well as walking through a couple of drink station, think this will be the strategy for Melb.

The pace was quite quick from the start and we ran through 10k by Garmin in 39:19, 2nd 10k 41:16. The wind did pick up a bit in the second half and I felt a bit for the slower runners who were copping it a bit more later in the run when I was doing my cooldown.

5k splits-19:36,19:43,20:35,20:41 all up 21.3k.


Week in Summary 69k@4:24

Wed 8.05k@4:23

Thurs 10k@4:37

Fri 12k@4:28 Progression run 4k@4:45,4k@4:30,2k@4:15,2k@4:00

Sat 8.6k@4:39

Sun 30.65k incl warmup 4k@4:30,21.3k@4:02,5.35k@4:53

Great seeing a few of the guys out there and all seemed to be pretty happy with their times, well done to Gunner who looked like he was crusing, thanks TB for handing out the drinks.


Next week I have a physio session Tues and then deep tissue massage Fri,so hopefully we can see some more improvement, hopefully can run around 80km as the taper officially begins.


Congrats to the mighty Bulldogs on a win in the WAFL GF, capped off a great day. Commiserations to Biscuitman re Western Bulldogs, can't see the Saints beating the Cats who were awesome last night.


Signing out a very happy Clown

Tough week

Been a bit of a tough week both from the work front and also the running with me reinjuring the extensor on my right leg that ultimately caused the missing of the Canberra Marathon earlier in the year. Luckily I noticed the signs earlier on this time and hopefully by easing back on the load and speed will be of great assistance.

Week in Summary Running :92k@4:39 7h9 min Cycling 1h10 min.

Tues pm Physio session and then 9k@4:34. Injured my leg here when running 1 Yasso 800m at Yokine Reserve this time. I've decided this place is a curse for me as for some reason I always struggle no matter what I'm doing there and it is now on the banned list.

Wed pm 10k@4:48


Thurs pm 14.5k@4:39 Had a bit of a shocker at work and this reminded me why I love running so much, what a great stress release it is. Conditions were not pleasant but I seemed to thrive out there

Fri am 8k@4:33 pm Cycling

Sat pm 14.5k@4:34

Sun am 36k@4:42 Quite an enjoyable morning for running with hardly any rain or wind to speak of, yay. Ran from Matilda Bay and included the Maylands Loop again which I really enjoy running. Extensor was quite uncomfortable for the first 25k and then the usual suspects the piriformis and hamstings came into play and they were sore. Took a few stretch breaks along the way to try and free up the legs and very happy when I finished. Actually walked the last 1.5k to the car instead of making it a 37.5k run. Happy that the pace was pretty even throughout and finished feeling very fresh apart from the aching legs, so a positive sign there.


Have a physio session Tues and Deep tissue massage Friday so will def get a lot of work done on the problem areas. This week is supposed to be an easy week in the leadup to Freo Half but if the legs feel ok, tempted to do the Yasso session I missed, will prob run about 50kms leading up to Sunday.

Will be interested to see how Freo Half goes next Sunday, will def test the drinking from cups and may also reintroduce the stretching at some of the stations as I'll definitely be employing this tactic at Melb. Have three soft targets as I'm really not sure where I'm placed sub 1.26 very happy, sub 1:27 happy, sub 1.28 a pass, anything more than 1.28 and I'll be as happy as I was seeing Collingwood win last night.


On a side note Boston plans are nearly finalised for next year, Nepal is less than 2 months away and Melb is now only 4 weeks away, I think I better start to panic.

Spring in the step

This time last week was feeling very flat and struggling a bit, I ended up taking two days off of running Mon and Tues due to bad headaches continuing. Wed I woke up feeling great and really refreshed and the rest of the week continued in the same way.

Week in Summary 95.1k @4:34

Wed am 11.3k@4:46 Easy

pm 16.45km incl Yasso 800's 8*800m in 2:55 with 2:55 Recovery Jog between (550m) and warmup of 3.2km and cooldown of 3km. Was hoping to do 10* by unfortunately the lights at the oval I was running on never came on and so I had to settle for the 8 as I could barely see at the end. A much more successful foray than when I last ran with Epi back in January. Was very happy at the end of the session and confident that next time I can do 10* at same pace or quicker.

Thurs pm 10.55km@4:48 Easy

Fri am 7.33km@4:38

pm Tempo run of 11.27km@4:07 on slightly undulating course with cooldown and warmup 18km all up.

Sat am 10.37@4:53 Recovery/Easy

Sun pm 21.1km @4:24 Progression run on slightly undulating course, pace. 1st 7k@4:36,2nd7k@4:25,3rd 7k@4:13. Didn't have time to do Long run so instead decided to get in some quality running and did a Progression run with some at MP pace, felt great at the end and did my last km in 3.45 and felt great.

Very happy with how the week turned out, although I did deviate from my plan. Next week I'm planning on running everyday and will do another Yasso session as long as weather permits and will ensure I get a long run in on Sunday. Plans are still to run Freo Half in a fortnights time with a mini taper and practice the drinking on the run, would be very happy with a sub 1.26.

6 weeks to go

First of all a big congrats to Epi on doing sub 3 at City to Surf Marathon, fantastic effort. Looks as though Biscuitman and Sugar also did very well in their 12k runs, well done.


Week in Summary 108.5km@4:42

Feeling very tired at the moment and have felt flat for a couple of days. Unfort didn't run City to Surf Half this morning as I wasn't feeling well after getting to sleep at 1 and waking at 4 with a shocking headache, took some tablets and went back to sleep.

Overall I'll rate the week as maybe a pass, I got the kms in that I wanted to albeit, artificially with a lot of stops in my Sun pm run. Also did my Intervals, however didn't manage to get in the no of Marathon km's that was required.


Tues 10km@5:09 Recovery

Wed am 8.05km@4:58 Recovery

pm 5.5km warmup @4:52

Intervals 5*1200@3:48 on the oval ie 4:35's with 2:20-2:30 Recoveries (450m jog@5:20).

First Intervals session for months and other than sore right calf pulled up pretty well. About 5-10 secs slower than I need to get these to, but not a bad effort. Not sure how quick I should do the Recoveries but seemed to get onto the next one well, so must be about right.

pm 4.75km@5:07 Cooldown

Thurs pm 21.5k@4:50 Medium Long run

Fri 10k incl 6k@4:25

Sat 9k@4:43

Sun am 10.2km @4:16 pace including 4k@3:55 from Scarborough to see Epi finish his Marathon, big break before heading back to Scarborough.

pm 21.3km including 12k@MP with big breaks in cooldown.

I have to trust my training and stay positive, even though I'm doing a lot more easy type runs and recovery runs . My month of Aug at 434kms is my second highest ever behind May at 465km, although about 10 secs slower,

Unfort the Ipod died this afternoon before my run, so will have to buy another one as I've been relying on running with my music lately. Will prob take a rest day again tomorrow to recharge the batteries and hopefully be back on track to put in around the same no of kms again next week but with a long run on Sat instead of Sun.

7 weeks to go

Another good week of running, didn't quite hit my target of 110k due to not feeling well Friday, however overall very happy as all other targets met.

Week in Summary 103.5k@4:40

Mon Upperbody, Legs and Core Workout.

Tues 15k@4:28 Varied workout which is one that I've ignored for a while but one that I really enjoy.
incl 1.8k warmup
8k@4:22 ran first 200m of each km at approx 3:48 pace and then 4.30 pace or therabouts for the remainder 800m of each km.
3k@4:15
2.2k cooldown .

Wed 22k@4:49 Medium Long Run but for some reason really struggled.

Thurs 8k@5:07 Recovery run
Upperbody and Core

Sat am 16.6k incl 3.2k warmup
10k@4:06 tempo
3.4k cooldown
pm 9.2k@4:51 Easy

Sun 32.5k@4:39 incl running with Craig for last few km of Marathon course.

Will def runC2S Half next with Henry on no taper, just going to go and enjoy the run, practice the drinking strategy and take in some of the sights,may get stuck behind some and then power away at the finish :). I think a PW is more likely rather than a PB but not really too fussed. May even run the last few km with Epi if we hang around and can get on the Marathon course


Best of luck to everyone in their respective races, hope Epi can crack the sub 3 and TB can do a good Marathon. Also to Biscuitman and Sugar if he decides to do the 12k, they should blitz the course.

Next weeks plan calls for 108k running with some Intervals of 5*1200m@5k pace with 2.5 minutes jog in between, will be interesting to see how it goes as I haven't run at that pace in a long time.

No discussion re footy or cricket, all I'll say on the sporting front is go the Bolt.

Good dress rehearsal for Melbourne

Running in the rain and wind this week was a good test for running in Melbourne and I really enjoyed it, most evenings I was a lone figure out there.

Week in Summary 122km@4:44

Mon 20km@4:47
Legs and Stomach Strengthening

Tues 16.1k@4:37 3:15 Marathon Pace run and felt great
Upperbody and Stomach Exercises

Wed 16.3k@4:29 Buoyed by yesterdays run I decided to run a few km's at MP. Felt a slight twinge in the adductor, so used a recovery run of 2km in the middle so as not to push too hard.
1.8k warmup@4:40
8k@4:16 MP
2K@4:56 Recovery
2k@$:15 MP
2.5K@4:58 Cooldown

Thurs Physio session
8.05k@4:52
Legs and Stomach

Fri 19.06k incl 14.06k(1/3 Mrathon) at 4:26 Perth Marathon pace
5k@4:56 Cooldown
Deep tissue masage

Sat 8.5k@4:48 Second run in 2140's, found them a lot better than last time.

Sun 34k@4:55 Long run on my own on a humid morning,humidity ranged from 83 to 95% on the duration of the run with a little rain. Ran from home today and did a different route that included the Maylands Loop which I very much enjoyed. Still strugging with the adductor on the hilly parts but it is def on the improve which is promising. Ran well within myself and at the exact pace that I'd set out to do, so very happy with run.

Next weeks plan is to run around 110km as I move into the Lactate Threshold and Endurance Phase of the Program. I'll also continue with the strengthening exercises as I believe they are making a big difference and also have a physio session booked for Thurs

Still undecided re City to Surf, will make a decision by this time next week as to the plan. I'm still leaning towards a very slow half, taking it very easy on the hills and then run back to Perth to make it into a long run with no taper to occur at all.

Next proper race will be Freo Half in Sept and will try and give that a decent crack.

Great to see Danny Green have knock out his opponent in the 5th round, will we ever get to see a rematch with Mundine? I think it is becoming more and more unlikely unless Mundine is prepared to put on some weight and move up in divisions.

Loved watching the athletics last night and seeing the Bolt and his training partner Bailey cruise and joke in their race. I'm hoping all the big guns will make the final and then see Bolt blow them way in a 9.50 something.

The plodmaster

Pretty happy with how I ran all week, although unfort missed doing my long run today as I've been in bed most of the day, feeling a bit off colour. I'm hoping to make up for the loss of km's by doing an extra medium long run this week.

The emphasis at present is very much on the endurance phase of the program and making most of my runs fairly easy efforts. The adductor/groin area is still a bit dodgey, however may be a blessing in disguise as it ensures I don't try and run too fast.

Week in Summary 71k@4:45

Mon Leg Strengthening and stretching

Tues 14.5k@$:45
Upperbody,stomach strengthening and stretching

Wed 15.5k@4:43

Thurs 20k@4:48
Legs

Fri 8k@4:57 Recovery run. Tried 2140's, not sure I like them as much as the 2130's, shins a bit sore afterwards.

Sat 13k@4:36
Upperbody and Stomach

Still unsure as what my plans are re City to Surf. Will keep on plugging away on my program and believe I'm about 4-6 weeks away from being back in Pre Perth form, hopefully I can peak at the right time.

Watched the last bit of Sydney City to Surf and was very happy to see Michael Shelley win. Epi and I saw him win Canberra 10k last year and he seems to be going from strength to strength.

Great win by the Eagles and then the Dockers today, the two WA teams are really shaping the way the 8 will pan out.

Also, great to see the Aussies on the brink of levelling the Ashes. I was cursing after the first ball of the test when Billy gave Strauss not out when plumb in front and I thought here we go again. Great to see Clark back and bowling well, Johnson finding some form and seeing North get another century. Kudos to Watson for his 3rd 50 on the trot, certainly doing better than I thought he would. Lets hope Hussey can get out of his slump shortly.

Playing it Safe

Pulled out of the half marathon at the halfway mark of a 2 lap course after feeling a twinge again in the groin/adductor area, more precautionary than anything, more on run shortly.

Week in Summary 87.1k@4:38

Mon 7k@4:51

Tues 14k@4:23 incl 10k@MP

Wed 18.6k@4:50

Thurs 5k@4:54

Fri 13.4k@4:36

Sat 8k@4:41

Sun 21.1k@4:30 Started the Masters Half on a different course than I was expecting with the course being a 2 lap course. We commenced from Burswood through to Causeway, along the bridge and then back under, past the WACA to East Perth and then down to Barwon Park in Maylands and then back to Windan Bridge, under the bridge and then back to Burswood.

Felt comfortable running through 7k @4:09 and thought a couple of minute pb was on the way, however a slight uphill section and maybe pushing it a bit caused a twinge, so I backed right off and ran through 10.55k in 44:45 or thereabouts. Was unsure as to whether to do the second lap, so played it safe and decided to run purely on the flat and so ran to the Narrows and back at my new long run pace of approx 4:45 km and just enjoy the fantastic morning.

Positives from the run is that I got in some more MP running and a bit of practice out of drinking on the run out of the cups and I ended up doing the 21.1k in under 1h35.

Also did a couple of days of resistance training focusing on upper body,lower body and core with plenty of stretching included.

Have a couple of physio sessions booked for Mon and Thurs which is perfect and have spent a bit of time with the TENS Machine on today, so hopefully things are under control and another decent week should eventuate. I was planning on doing some intervals this week but I'll put that on hold for a couple of weeks and just concentrate on keeping the km's up.


Registered for Melb Marathon on Friday so pretty happy with that , my main dilemna at present now is what to do with City to Surf and whether doing the hills is a good idea as I'm a little gunshy at present, lets see how the next couple of weeks pan out.

The English weather is driving me crazy re the cricket as is Rudi's umpiring and the stupid Aussie selectors. I still think Clark should have come in for Hauritz and dumping Hughes was a disgrace, although I'm glad that North kept his place. Jeez the English bowled well, hopefully Hilfenhaus can get the ball to swing in a similar manner.

Damn Essendon, they always screw us over and tanked so the Eagles won today, now no Priority Pick :(

Happy Camper

Had a better week than expected and was very happy with medium long run today. Still avoiding hills and speedwork and having to stretch a bit during my runs but adductor is recovering nicely. Have another physio session booked for Wednesday so hopefully we can do a bit more work on the back and adductor and then can start focusing on Piriformis and Core.

Week in Summary Run 75.5k@4:39
Bike 30 minutes
Cardio work total 6h 22min

Mon 8.5k@4:48

Tues 30 min bike
Upperbody work

Wed 10k@4:37

Thurs 13k@4:40

Fri 10k@4:44

Sat 9k@4:37
Upperbody work

Sun 25k@4:35 Medium Long run with Craig on a cool morning, although I didn't notice the cold as much as I thought I would. Fairly even pace throughout and took a few stretch breaks and walked up the hills. Was my longest and quickest run since Perth so was very happy when I finished, things looking good. Craig impressively ran over 30k and looked as though he was cruising.

Also doing quite a bit of stretching each day and really focusing on problem areas.


Watched proably the worst football game I have ever seen yesterday, I hope the teams were tanking as I honestly believe some WAFL reserve teams could beat that rubbish. A couple of postives from the Eagles was at least our two best players didn't play and Houlihan had a good game. TB, You can gloat but not a game you should be proud of.

Have changed my mind on Sydney and am instead looking at doing Melbourne Marathon on Oct 11 . This gives me 3 more weeks and 11 weeks today until the race, so hopefully I can get a similar number of kms in my legs in the last 10 weeks as I did leading into Perth. Hopefully Sling and TB can give me a quick rundown on hills etc on the course, have a course desc but doesn't show gradient that I can see. Looking forward to finishing on the "G".

This week I'm hoping to increase my km's to around 80-85km and will do Half Marathon at Burswood Park on Sunday at 8am, not expecting anything special, as slowly build and will be happy with anything under 1.35.

Comeon Aussies, lets win that 3rd Test.

Commenced Running

Decided to give running a go yesterday as I got a bit sick of riding the exercise bike and am quite happy with progress, although still a bit tender. Have a couple more physio sessions booked tomorrow and Wednesday so hopefully progress continues.

Cardio Work 4h20min

Mon 40 mins Bike
Wed 40 mins Bike
Thurs 60 mins Bike
Fri 60 Mins Bike
Sat 6k run @5:00
Sun 7k run @4:50

Been doing some upper body work, core strengthening exercises and lots of new stretching exercises.

Hopefully next week can do betweeen 50-70k of running as I slowly build up, all at 4:40 pace or slower and all on the flat.

On the sporting front, great time of the year with the Ashes, footy and cycling being on, lots of channel switching occurring.

Hopefully the Aussies can pull their fingers out in the Second Test, history is against them though so batting well against the new ball is imperative. Would be nice to see Hughes in full flight and then the others dig in.

The footy is not pleasant to watch at present, can the Eagles finally beat the Dockers next week?, I have my doubts but hopefully we can as I'm sick of losing to them. Also don't think the Saints will win the Premiership,have a feeling it may be the year of the Dog, would be nice to see the Bullies win.

Would love to see Lance win the Tour again, what an impressive result that would be. Been a strange week on the tour with not a lot happening in the movements at the top of the leaderboard in general lassificationbut I have a feeling its about to heat up in a big way. Comeon Lance.

Still no running :(

Went to physio again today and was advised that I can't run until at least Monday, which is my next visit, hopefully will be given better news then. If I'm not given the all clear then she'll send me to a sports med doctor to do ultrasound etc.

A lot of work today was on my lower back which she said is a mess, I think she mentioned L1 and L5 and could be a big reason for the issues with groin and piriformis. I've been given a number of exercises and will be diligent in ensuring I do these to fix any issues that I have.

In the meantime, more time on the exercise bike,maybe I can pretend I'm racing Lance Armstrong.

Bring on the next test match, hopefully we can win that one. I still think Punter made a big mistake bowling Hauritz and North at the end, Hilfenhaus should have been given a go as he would have made them play every ball.

Sydney still very much on the radar

Groin is improving quickly, so I'm hoping that the physio will give me the all clear Wed to start running again as opposed to initial diagnosis of 2 weeks rest.

Exercise for the week


Tues Bike 30 mins
Wed 4.25k run@5:15, 12:30 bike
Thurs Bike 45mins
Fri Bike 50 mins
Sat Bike 30 mins
Sun Bike 1h15 mins

Still working towards doing Sydney Marathon and banking on the fact that I tend to do my 2nd marathon for the year faster than the first. Sydney is a lot hillier than Perth so will end up going back to the tried and tested West Perth to City Beach course including Bold Park in the following weeks.

I've had a bit of thought about my training for Sydney and am looking at changing a few things
1) Make recovery runs a lot slower
2) Medium long runs at MP.
3) Some speedwork, once every couple of weeks.
4) More hillwork.
5) Couple of half Marathons to get into the groove of racing,drinking on the run from cups etc

I believe these are things I need to target in order to make Sydney a successful Marathon.


Planned races are WA Masters 1/2 Marathon on 2 Aug on flat course
City to Surf 1/2 on 30 Aug on hilly course

No running for a couple of weeks

Went to physio, prognosis was groin strain and not to run for a couple of weeks. I'm relying on my supernatural recuperative powers to be out there sooner :), next visit is on Wed and there will then be some focus on groin as well as lower back.

Thanks Sugar and Biscuitman on your comments, maybe a blessing in disguise to stop me from rushing back too quickly.

In the meantime, more cycling and light stretching, I'm hoping to be back to 100km per week by 2nd week of August.

Physio booked in

Off to the physio tomorrow and pretty sure I have an adductor strain from Sundays marathon as the pain is not isolated to the one spot and radiates down the leg. Tried running yesterday and it was not enjoyable at all, not sure how I ran 28k with it on Sunday, must have been the adrenaline and the focus.

Been icing,using the tens machine, so I'm doing everything right to get it sorted. Very frustrating as I'm hanging out to run but at least I can get on the exercise bike.

Week so far

Tues Bike 30 mins
Wed 4.25k run@5:15, 12:30 bike
Thurs Bike 45mins

Perth Marathon 2009

3:07:20

Didn't quite live up to expectations on another glorious Perth morning.

Unfortunately tweaked my groin at the 14k mark, came from nowhere, old injury and then soldiered on over the last 28.2k to finish in 3.07.20. Everytime I tried to speed up, the pain intensified quite a bit and so much of the second half was run in disappointing 4:40km's as I tried to ensure a pb and Boston Qualifier. What it does do is reinforce how cherished a sub 3 would be.

Positives from the race was that I did 2 pb's 1:29:20 in the half(I know that's pathetic) but haven't raced it properly for over 2 years and a pb in the Marathon. Was also happy that I gutsed it out and finished my 6th Marathon and finished feeling pretty fresh. Also qualified for Boston next year so will def look at doing

Quick Race Report

Half 1:29:20
2nd Half 1:38:00


Ran with Epi up to 14k, 10k was hit in 42:00 straight and was feeling great, 20k was hit in 85:00, had to slow down and the half in 89:20. From there the rest of the race was a lot slower, although I still managed to reel in a few runners over the last few km's.

My one and only gripe today is of the drink stations, I know they're are volunteers but I put my drinks at every station bar the first 2 and was only given 2, which was realy frustrating. The rest I had to search for and at the 34k station, the 2nd female passed me and ended up beating me by a few seconds, maybe I need to rethink my drink strategy. Please don't take me the wrong way, I am thankful to the WAMC for a great event.

Congrats to Epi and Sling who both did pb's and 3.04's at Perth and Gold Coast respectively and to Homo for doing a 3.31. Nice meeting Gunner who did a 3.09 and TB finished with a 4.41 after streaking the field over the first couple of hundred metres. Well done to the Biscuit boys who finsihed 3rd in relay in 2.53 and to the CSG team who came in in 4.53.

I'm a bit sore at present but other that feeling great, having tomorrow off as a leave day so will just veg out a bit and then start some easy running prob on Wed.

So where does that leave me re Marathons? At this rate I'll need to do another 3 before doing sub 3. I've already spoken to Trace this arvo about doing Sydney in September and she is all for it and if that's the case will do the C2S Half as a buildup. Now just need to convice Epi to do the same.

Trip to the physio will be booked and hopefully can get some exercises to do to fix a couple of the problem areas which will boost my chances of another pb. I'm sure some pilates and core strengthening will be on the agenda. Should be able to start jogging again within a couple of days but will take it nice and slow for awhile.

Thanks to everyone who have been supportive in the comments on my blog.

Onwards and Upwards from here and I'm going to stay positive as these things happen for a reason and will be sweeter when the goals are finally achieved.

It's all over red rover

Well at least the training is. Done 25km for the week including 5km on Wed at MP and an easy run of 8km today @ 4:33. Now it's time to sit back and relax, have a massage this afternoon and then a catchup pasta dinner tonight with Craig and Henry.

Been very relaxed this week, although Trace reckons I don't suffer too badly from taper craziness.Full on carbo loading from now on, bring on Sunday.

My Bib No is 487, sounds as though there is a pretty good turnout which is great news.

A bit of rambling

Pretty happy with effort this week as part of the taper with all days other than today having portions of running at MP or quicker. Had a bit of a scare on Wed when I felt pain in the area which caused me to miss Canberra, plenty of work with the tens machine, icing and tiger balm have kept it under control.

Week in Summary 60.2k@4:23

Tues 10.1k incl 1k@4:28 warmup,7.1k@4:13,2k@4:38 cooldown

Wed 8k incl 1k@4:23,6k@4:00,1k@4:16

Thus 8k incl 1k@4:33,5k@4:16,2k@4:35

Fri 10k incl 1k@4:27,9k@4:09

Sat 8.1k incl 6.11k@4:16,2k@4:23

Sun 16k@4:46 Easy run with Craig and Henry along part of the Marathon course.

Great to see Nic Natanui's last quarter for the Eagles, unbelievable and nice to get another win on the board.


On a separate note, one of the guys that I used to work at when we were named Power Business Systems is now worth 100m, unbelievable, I knew he'd done well but that's insane. Even when Trace and I win Lotto next week, 90m, we'll still be behind :).

Best of luck to Widi doing Gold Coast, should see another pb on the cards and to Sugar and Biscuiman in their relay team, hopefully you can't catch Epi and I though. Lets hope that Epi, Homo,TB and I can all do pb's at Perth next week as well.

Plan for next week is to run 3 days for a total of 20-25k and then run a good Marathon on Sunday.

2 weeks to go

Wasn't feeling quite right this week, headaches and dodgey tummy plagued a number of my runs, all seemed a lot harder than they should have been. Only ran 5 days this week, combination of not wanting to run too much in my old orthotics and didn't want to overdo it due to the above.

Week in Summary 71.36k@4:23

Tues 8k@4:32

Wed 10k@4:29 Second run in old orthotics, legs were feeling sore all over, incl shins which I haven't had problems with for a couple of months. No more running in old orthotics!.

Fri 9k inc 1k@4:16 MP Warmup ,5k@4:00,3k@4:34 cooldown. Had a chuck after the 5k @4:00.

Sat 13k incl 1.83k@4:32 warmup, 8k@3:56, 3.2k@4:31 cooldown. Was meant to be a tempo run but seemed harder, once again had a chuck.


Sun am 18k@4:26, caught up with Craig and ran 12k together and watched part of the Perth half, good to see Henry and Jon out there doing well. Wasn't feeling the greatest so instead of doing my normal ritual of 30k run, 2 weeks out, split the 30k into 2 runs

1pm run 13.33k@4:30. 1 hour run, to make up for this mornings dismal effort.

Also congrats to Trace for getting up to running 7km straight now, my estimates are they are at approx 6:45 pace. She'll be ready to run for an hour straight soon and then 10km.


Anyway, I survived the week and can be thankful that I was able to run most days, unlike Epi who had a scare re swine flu, hopefully he gets the all clear early next week.

Next week will be approx 60k with longest run of 15k or thereabouts next Sun at easy pace. Rest of the week will hopefully be quite quick with a lot at MP or quicker.

Have I gone mad?

This week the focus was on getting some km's into the legs after a lower week last week. I'm just hoping that today's running (44km in total)doesn't take me over the edge, I'm feeling pretty good at present other than the calves being a bit sore.


Week in Summary - 135k@4:28-Record week.

Year to Date Total -1759km's at 4:36

Last 7 weeks 710km@4:31

Mon 20k@4:30 Including a few hills. Struggled a bit today and took a few breaks on the way.

Tues 20.25k@4:41 Lots of hills, very up and down course and very happy with run.

Wed 11k@4:34

Thurs 12k@4:26 Includede a couple of km's at MP.

Fri 14k including 10k@4:13, 4k@4:34 cooldown. Quick deep tissue massage in my lunch break which helped my calves no end

Sat 13.75k@4:23

Sun am 35k@4:24 Caught up with Craig at 6.45 after he had already done 8k on another stunning morning, min temp was 3 degrees but it didn't feel that cold. Proceeded to then run at 3h5min Marathon pace for nearly all of the run. Quick stretch break at 19k and 28k, piriformis quite tight. Left Craig at 30.5k and ran back to the car. Felt really good throughout the run with only the tightness being an issue. Craig ran an impressive 39k and even included a couple of km's at 4.05's, no wonder I'm the underdog.

pm 9k@4:34 Easy run in the arvo and passed the 7.2k at 32:40 meaning that I'd done a Marathon for the day in 3:07:10, pb of 2 minutes :).

Did some quick patchup work on my orthotics this afternoon but they really need some refurbishment, so looks as though a visit to the pod is in order. Hopefully, I can get them back within a day or so, so may take a rest day early on in the week,will wait and see as I know I'll be tempted to tempt fate and run with my old orthotics in.


Next week will hopefully do around 80km's as the taper commences with some quicker stuff thrown in.

On another note, looks as though I'm off to Everest in Nov which is something I've wanted to do since I was about 6, with Craig,his dad and maybe one other so something to look forward to along with seeing Nic Natanui step up for the Eagles.

4 weeks to go

Had a lower km week as a result of only running 6 days this week, broke a run of 37 consecutive days and no long run. Seems to be the lower km week that I always seem to have to have, this week has been for a variety of reasons, so may be a good omen. Week coming up I hope to make amends by putting in some decent km's including 2 long runs.


Week in Summary 65.5km@4:20

Mon 8.05k@4:29

Tues 8.45k@4:21 including last 4k@MP

Wed no run due to work commitments and weather

Thurs 12.67k incl 2.86km@4:26 warmup,5k@4:00,4.81k@4:26 cooldown

Fri 12k@4:24

Sat 9k@4:20 incl first 5k@MP


Sun Turned up to do Lake Monger 10k and missed the start, time got away from me as I went for 3k warmup, saw Craig on the way and quick loo stop.

Decided to at least do some quicker running so set out at approx 10k pace(believe I can go pretty close to sub 38 at the moment) and did 3.33k@3:45 pace and was feeling quite comfortable. Stopped there as I was becoming increasingly frustrated at paths being blocked by runners 4 wide and pedestrians not keeping to their side of the path, I can just imagine how Sling feels.

Total 15.33k incl Warmup 3k@4:20,10K pace-3.33k@3:45, 9k@4:26.

So where does this leave me in my Marathon prep? I've done 4 30k runs in the last 6 weeks and hope to do another 3 before taper. My km's and pace have been significantly better than previous Marathon attempts. The one area I've fallen down on though is lack of medium long runs, although these have never been a major part of any other campaigns. I still think a PB should be on the cards, can I push that sub 3 hour, in 4 weeks we will know.

Record Month

Did a record no of km's for a Calendar Month with 465kms@4:31 average pace for the month of May. Have also now passed last years ytd total to end of May, so pretty happy with how things are going at present.

Week in Summary 90.15kms@4:26

Was plagued with some back and neck problems this week which resulted in some shocking headaches and no long run on Sunday. My deep tissue massage ended up concentrating nearly fully on back and neck as opposed to my legs. My massage lady has suggested some acupuncture be done, so I'll keep that in mind, if anyone can suggest a good acupunturist, if there is such a word, can you please let me know.

The focus this week was getting in some MP km's or faster and the pleasing thing was I did 4 days totalling about 43km at MP or faster, although I was hoping Sundays run was going to consist of about 20-25km at that pace. As a result of only being able to run late on Sunday afternoon and with bad lighting,only 14km was achieved at that pace, but seemed pretty easy.

Mon 10.55k@4:46

Tues 15.05k incl 2.05k@4:35 warmup, 10k@4:12, cooldown 3k@4:43

Wed 13.63k incl 1k warmup@4:40, 9k@4:13, 3.63k@4:47

Thurs 6.82k@4:41 Only ran late in the day, to try and free myself up a bit . Had shocking headaches most of the day and worked from home.

Fri 10k@4:16

Sat 15k@4:30

Sun 19.08k@4:20 incl 5k@4:32 warmup and 14.08k@4:15 Woke up Sunday with sore back and headaches, took some tablets and went back to bed. Felt better as the day went on and went for a run late arvo, MP achieved for the last hour.

Now I'm in a quandry, do I do Lake Monger 10k and go for a pb or do I get that larger run in at MP next Sunday?. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Drop in Intensity

Head cold and slight thigh strain earlier in the week made me back off on the intensity this week as I aimed to keep the weekly kms reasonably high. The weather Thurs-Sat was not conducive to running particularly quick as was quite windy, showery and surfaces nice and slippery, running was very even throughout the week. Very happy with efforts.

Week in Summary 106.5k@4:36

Mon 9k@4:46 Easy run

Tues 12.1k@4:36 Easy run

Wed 13k@4:41 Easy run

Thurs 7.15k@4:28 Was still working at 3am, so pm run done with laps around the oval with 5k@MP

Fri 14.25k@4:31 Laps around the oval with 6K@MP

Sat 14.5k@4:33 Must remember body glide for the nipples, forgot and it poured down, ouch.

Sun 36.5k@4:35 Long run with Craig. Pretty even running throughout with very quick stretch break at 19k and 30k marks. Piriformis was sore from early on today and ITB bit sore from 28-30k, patt strap put on and instantly solved. Left Craig at 31k mark and thought I may struggle mentally, but a different route and some music made the last 5.5k fly by and felt great in those last few k's and at the finish. Was tempted to push onto 40k but as the car was there decided to stop.

Another 100km week planned with greater emphasis on MP , maybe a tempo or interval run thrown in as well.

Week 1 of Lactate Threshold and Endurance Phase

Another fantastic week for running in Perth, weather has been just stunning, although next week rain is forecast for 5 of the 7 days.

Week in Summary 108k@4:27

Mon 8.06k@4:27

Tues pm 18.2k Medium long run which included first 12k@4:26 and last 6.2k@4:34. Stopped for quick drink at 12k and decided to slow things down a bit, mindful that I had some tempo running and MP running for later in the week.

Wed am 6.5k@4:51 Recovery run

Thurs 15.3k Tempo run which included 2.8k@4:31 warmup, 9k@4:00 Tempo and 3.5k@4:42 cooldown. Did stop a couple of times during tempo for about 10 seconds or so as the mind wandered prob due to me doing the same route 3 times, pretty happy with effort

Fri am 6.5k@4:41 Recovery run

Fri pm 10k with some at MP or quicker 1.8k@4:31 warmup, 6k@4:12, 2.2k@4:31 cooldown. Also had a 1/2 hour deep tissue massage during my lunch break.

Sat 11k@4:31

Sun Long run on a perfect morning with Craig 32.5k@4:26, who ran really well especially considering his ankle. Extremely happy with run, both of us seemed to be cruising. Never had a bad patch and legs felt great, 5k done at MP or quicker between 22k and 27k. Stop at 19k due to forced toilet break. Would be very happy if Perth can put on a morning like that for 5 July.


Very happy with progress, the last 3 weeks of 30k long runs at controlled efforts after big weeks for me have been very pleasing. Hoping to get in another 2 decent weeks before end of May before easy week leading up to Lake Monger 10k. One of the Sunday runs to get up to 36km and the other to have 15-20km at MP.

Solid week

Another solid week of running this week with most boxes being ticked, although still need to somehow get a medium long run in during the middle of the week. A couple of earlier starts at work this week made this not possible.

Week in Summary 101.1k@4:34

Mon am 8.05k@4:37

Tues am 8.05k@4:46
pm Tempo run including 1.82k@4:42 warmup, 8k tempo@3:59, 2.5k@4:48 cooldown. Pretty happy with pace and felt great afterwards, need to push these up to about 12k over the next few weeks.

Wed am 10.12k@4:44

Thurs am 8k including 6k@4:16MP

Fri am 13.6k@4:30

Sat am 10.55k@4:35

Sun am 30.4k@4:37 Long run from home to UWA and back, would have liked to have done more but with Mothers Day and footy commitments had to cut it short. Intentionally made it a bit slower this week and very happy with how I pulled up, legs feel great, piriformis a lot better than last week, so things looking promising.


Next week will be fairly similar but would like to extend long run and get a medium long run in if possible.

Loving this time of the year

What a great time of the year to be in Perth, weather been fantastic and with temps ranging in max from 27-30, how can you go wrong? Mornings starting to get slightly cooler but still ideal for running.

Week in Summary 104k@4:36

Ran doubles a couple of days. Need to get more motivated and get up at 5am if I'm to do medium long runs through the week, running these at night not an option at present.

Tues am 11k@4:41
pm 12.15k@4:56 Went down to Perry Lakes for a change of scenery and then proceeded to do an hour run at very easy pace.

Wed am 10.15k@4:55

Thurs am 11.27k@4:36

Fri am 11k@4:32 included 200-250m at quicker than MP at start of each km from km 2 to mix it up a bit.
pm 8.07k@4:15 MP average including middle 4k@4:04

Sat am 10.34k@4:32

Sun am 30k@4:29 Long run with Craig, pretty even running throughout with slowest km for the run being 4:37. Felt good throughout and legs felt great other than the Piriformis which tightened up and was quite sore from 24k onward but good to simulate latter stages of Marathon. Was tempted to go for a pm run but instead took the dogs on long walk with Trace.

Hoping for another 100km week this week.

Much better week

Achieved my goal of this week of running every day and have started loving running in the mornings again. The right leg pain has gone and the ribs have improved a lot, so things are looking good.

One thing I need to work on though is pace, every session I went quicker than what I was planning, happy though to get in a few MP km's which is a big focus for me leading into Perth.

Week In Summary 72.28k@4:28

Mon pm 7k@4:25
Tues am 8k@4:21 incl last 3k @MP
Wed am 13.15k@4:33 1 hour run
Thurs am 10k@4:43 Recovery run
Fri am 12k incl first 10k@4:20 with last 6k@4:13, slightly quicker than MP. 2K cooldown.
Sat am 8.06k@4:24
Sun am 14.07k@4:22, 1/3 Marathon done at 3.05 pace. Normally would have done a longer run today but because of other commitments, got out for a quick run.

Will look at trying to do 2 runs of 25k+ this week to make up for lack of long run this week, so a big week should be on the cards.

Pretty cruisy week

Ran 4 times for the week and been taking it pretty easy. Ribs still quite sore as is the right leg from the fall last week.

Week in Summary 28k with longest run of 10.5km today. I probably should have run 128km after all the chocolate I've been eating.

Aim for this week is to try and run every day and slowly buildup the mileage, hoping to be back to peak mileage of 110km within 3 to 4 weeks.

Made the decision this week on my interstate marathon and the winner is Sydney to be done on 20 Sept, which means Perth City to Surf marathon is unlikely, will either do the half as part of a long run or the 12km dash to the beach. This gives me enough time after Perth to give me a decent crack at my 2nd marathon for the year.

Cracked rib/ribs

Went to the doctor today who diagnosed me with having cracked either a rib or a couple of ribs. Been prescribed some panadeine forte and advised that it could take 4-6 weeks to heal properly and that I should probably cycle as opposed to run.

Then I spoke with Epi who advised that I couldn't do any more damage by running but to take it easy, so decided to go for a very quick pm run. Result: painful but not too bad, so will take it easy with no intervals or tempo runs at this stage. Right knee still quite sore but nothing a bit of ice won't fix.

Will be happy with a 50-60km week this week, thanks Epi for the advice.

Had a fall

Running Thurs night, fell over just before getting home, my left ribs/chest and right knee copped the brunt of it and am still sore today. Trace wanted me to go to the Doctor Sat but held off hoping for some improvement on the weekend, however will go Tues if the pain persists as getting up,sneezing and coughing has been very painful.

The thing that is annoying was that I ran a couple of hundred metres more than I was planning on doing and fell within a couple of hundred metres from home, doh. It would have been pretty funny to have seen though, seeing me trip and then being sprawled across the island on Beaufort Street.

Week in Summary 32.5km

Tues pm Intervals Whistle Type Session 15 sec hard,15 sec slow,15 sec hard,15 sec slow,30 sec hard,30 sec slow,1 minute hard. All up 3 minutes running with 2 min break *5.
All sessions ran around the 860m mark and finished in the top 4 with the first guy way out in front. Found the session pretty easy and comfortably could have done another 1 or 2.

Good to see TB come along and give them a go, I'm sure he'll start attending them on a more regular basis.

Wed am 9.5km@4:41 Recovery

Thurs pm 12.5km@4:20

Hoping for a speedy recovery as not an ideal start to my training plan for Perth and would like to get a couple of decent weeks in before end of April.

All the very best to Epi for his sub 3 attempt at Canberra, should be a shoe in and to Sugar,Sas and Biscuitman in their attempts at Boston, all should well and truly meet their goals.

Good weekend

Happy with effort put in on the weekend after a pretty easy week. Also, great win by the Eagles.

Week in Summary 74.2k@4:30

Tues pm Interval Session- 10.1km all up, including 10*400m(although course was a bit shorter with 75 sec recoveries. Averaged equivalent to 78 sec for 400m so pretty happy with effort.

Wed am Easy run 11.2k@4:45
pm Upper body weights and stomach exercises

Thurs pm 9k@4:35

Sat am 13.5k@4:28 Incl some hills, ran last 4k@MP

Sun am Long run 30.5k@4:30 Incl 24k run with Craig, had a longish break at the 5k mark of the Bridges as we watched the runners doing the bridges. Ran a few k at MP or quicker coming back along Kwinana Freeway as well as just slower than MP for 4k on my own to start off with. Lower legs felt great, hammies sore as a result of piriformis around the 24k mark, which some quick stretching fixed. Very happy with run, 6th 30k + run for the year.


All the work being done on the lower legs has started to pay off, along with my switch to the Supernovas and ASICS 2130's, so things are looking good. Now just a matter of becoming more disciplined in the mornings and run then as I start week 1 of my training program. I am looking at following the Advanced Marathoning plan for 70 miles or less with a bit of tweaking.

Building up

Spent the week working in Kalgoorlie and enjoyed running with one of my work colleagues most days. Legs feeling really good, although normal piriformis pain in long run.


Week in Summary 73.3k@4:34

Mon pm 10.25k@4:35 5 laps of course around hotel.

Tues pm Intervals 10.55k including 3k@4:33 warmup, 3.5k@4:57 cooldown.
9*300m with 150m recovery jogs, no rest. All up 4.05k@3:49. Run at Oval on quite thick grass which made running a little difficult,happy with effort in warm conditions. 300's run in 1min, 150's all in approx 40 sec. Very impressed with effort from Boyd who managed 8 of the 300's with his rest after rep 5. He really enjoyed the session and may start coming down to Perry Lakes Intervals.

Wed pm 6.55k@4:34 30 minute run after work.
Upper Body session with resistance bands and push ups.

Thurs pm 10k@4:29 Ran with Boyd and included a couple of Marathon pace km's with last km run at 4:00.

Sat pm 4.63k@4:19 20 minute run.

Sun am 31.2k@4:41 Long run with Craig. Very happy with first long run in a number of weeks, first 16km run in 4:32, slowed down to 4:50's for the last few km due to running in the wind and feeling tight in the hip and piriformis. Great catching up with Craig who is running extremely well and looks set for Canberra. Aerobically felt great and lower legs were great, very encouraging signs.

Next week will push up the km's a bit and hope to do WAMC Intervals Tuesday with a tempo session thrown in Friday and long run Sunday

Watch out Arnie

Included some weights in my program this week, so am all pumped up and thinking of going in some body building comps.

Now being serious, was extremely happy with my running this week and believe that things have turned the corner, not only from the leg soreness but also the mental side, although I'm sure they go hand in hand. The km's weren't high but the quality of a couple of the runs was very pleasing.

Week in Summary 50.7k@4:28

Mon am 5k@4:40 Easy type run
pm upper body weights and abs

Tues am 10k@4:37 Canberra 2008 Pace
pm leg weights and boxing

Thurs pm 14.07k@4:22 incl 2k warmup@4:28,8k mp@4:15,4.07k cooldown @4:35
Very happy with this session that included a quicker pace warmup and then marathon pace on a undulating course. Found the pace a lot easier than I was expecting and was pretty chuffed at the end of the session that included a quicker pace cooldown as well.

Fri am 11.3k@4:39 Easy type run

Sun am 10.33k@4:07 incl 3k warmup @4:15, 5k@3:49 and 2.33k@4:37
Ran in my 2130's I bought yesterday which felt great. Just felt in the zone today and so decided to push myself a bit on this one. Ran the first 3k@marathon pace and then with no break ran my quickest ever training run of 5k in 19.05 on a slightly undulating course, finished up with 2.33k cooldown. Could of pushed the 5k a bit quicker but once again very happy.

Congrats to Epi on a huge HM PB, looks good for Canberra.

It seems as though all the work on the leg is starting to pay off as well as wearing the long skins after running, and the bonus is I haven't lost any speed at all. Much happier running in the Supernova's and 2130's so far, so will stick with these and my old control's for shorter runs. Hoping to add a long run into my program on Sunday of this week as I start to increase the km's.

Massive week

After pulling out of Canberra, I now have an airline voucher credit to use before the end of the year, so may do the Sydney or Melb Marathons later in the year, depends on what happens re Perth City to Surf Marathon and whether I do or not.

Week in Summary 15.55k@4:35

Had a nasty cold early in the week that stopped me from considering running which was a blessing as I may have been tempted to go for a run even though I was supposed to rest(I'm not a good patient). Still lingering at the moment but def on the improve.

Sat 10.55k @4:34 Ran in my Adidas Supernova Sequences and ran a lot quicker than I planned, was very happy with how the legs felt, still a bit of pain in the achilles and shin but certainly a lot better. Have decided not to run in the cursed pair of Adistar Control which I think caused the injury to start off with.

Sun 5k@4:35 Quick run on the grass whilst Trace ran around Yokine Reserve. Legs felt pretty good again,interestingly the left leg is more sore than the right, which was the one causing me most grief before, mixed the pace up a bit incl some at MP and quicker.


Aiming to run a bit more this week, I know it's hard to believe that I could and may even be tempted to do Darlington Half if things go well, probably wishful thinking. If I do run it,will treat it as a long run and aim to do around 1.40, so certainly not trying to race.

Out of Canberra

Pulled out of Canberra after going to the Podiatrist yesterday and being advised to ease right back. I have some issues with my Extensor Digitorum Longus(hopefully spelt right) which is inflamed and very tight and the use of acupuncture produced a number of very decent spasms, also got some nice ones out of the calves.

The end result is that it is causing my feet to slap,especially the right one and the gait analysis on treadmill was awful. This then puts a lot of extra strain on the achilles and shins as a result of the gait change to accommodate. Will continue to go along to get needling once or twice a week and been given some exercises to do to assist.

I've been very lucky over the last couple of years with injuries, so this is a minor setback . I can now for the next few weeks, either rest completely or go out when I want and just take it easy and get back to enjoying running. Maybe I'll even take up Henry on his offer to go swimming and get some video analysis of the stroke, that is if they can do that after swimming about 2 metres :).

Looking forward to reading the guys blogs leading up to and including their respective Marathons and seeing some significant pb's, especially from Epi. My focus will now turn to Perth which is great as Trace will now be there to see me do sub 3.

Visit to the Podiatrist

Been in a fair bit of pain this week as the injury flared up again, seems to start getting better around the 5-6k mark but its tough getting to that point. Still been taking the Nurofen and applying Volatern a number of times each day and I know this needs to stop pretty soon as I've been taking for a number of weeks. Also know rest is best but Canberra isn't far away,still thinking positive.

Anyway booked in for a quick visit to the Podiatrist who taped up the feet and advised that the orthotics were shot, so he's quickly getting them fixed. Got another session booked Friday where he can have a good look at everything and do some massaging before my long Cliff Young shuffle on Saturday.

Progress Continues

Just as a batsman, sometimes struggles towards the ton, the same applied to me this week with a battle in the 70's,80's and 90's. Great thing is the legs were pretty good for the week.

Week in Summary 102.22k@4:44

Mon am Recovery run 8k@5:00

Tues am Easy run in leadup to Intervals 7k@4:50

Tues pm Intervals 8.7k all up incl warmup of 2.1k@4:45,cooldown of 3k@5:00
Fairly easy session of only 3.6k in total, which was fantastic as I didn't want to push it to hard with leg, leg was quite sore early on but improved the further the session went on. Ran comfortably within myself and the session comprised 3.6k@3:20.

Can't remember exactly the recoveries but didn't take the 30 sec recovery between the 200's.
800m 168 sec
400 79 sec
400 75 sec
600 122 sec
600 122 sec
400 79 sec
200 36 sec
200 38 sec

Wed pm Easy 8.1k@4:56

Thurs No run, migraine in the arvo from back and shoulder.

Fri am :Massage that did wonders to the back,shoulder and legs.

11am Tempo Style run 12k@4:14 incl 2k warmup @4:24, 4k@3:58,1k@4:45,2k@3:54 and then cooldown of 3k@4:32. Pretty happy with run, although I know the need to increase the length of the harder efforts, pretty quick warmup and cooldown.

3pm run 9k@4:41 Bit quicker than planned considering the break but felt pretty good.

Sat 7am run : 7.3k@5:00 Struggled a bit with this one, came down from the high of yesterdays run and legs a bit sore.

6pm run : 7.4k@4:53 Felt a lot better than this mornings run and ran in the rain, which got a bit heavy at times, very enjoyable run.


Sun 7am run :27.6k@4:49 Humid morning with temps ranging from 24-27.5 deg with humidity bewteen 54 and 65. Ran around the river with Craig but just really struggled the whole way, the breathing felt out of whack but the legs felt good. Craig took off and did some impressive bursts at Marathon pace and then we met back at the cars where we grabbed another drink and then ran the last 3k together. Stopped and took about a 200m walk break at the 21k mark and was very happy when finished, need to take some TUP pills (Toughen Up Princess).

4 pm run 6.65k@4:53 Hot afternoon with temp ranging at 32 deg with humidity at 45.Wanted to get in some extra km's as a result of this mornings run and felt better than I did this morning. Ran with the skins ice top on and cap, still sweated like a pig but happy with how I'm feeling.

So overall pretty happy with the week as there have been a lot of positives but still probably a couple of weeks away from getting back to pre injury form. The next couple of weeks focus is turning the double runs per day into one longer run, I think this will do me the world of good from an endurance perspective. There will also be Intervals on Tuesdays and some running done at Marathon Pace.

Going well so far

Aim for this week was to get in some decent km's and being careful not to push it too hard, so no intervals or tempo runs.

Week in Summary 91.2k@4:46

Mon pm- 8.4km@4:52 Easy run around my normal route through Inglewood and along Alexander Drive etc. Shin was great, a little soreness in the achilles from the long ride yesterday. Enjoyed getting out for a run.

Tues pm-12.6km@4:47 Normal route but included lap of Yokine Reserve as well as a bit of an additional run through Inglewood. Bit quicker than yesterday, a little soreness in the shin up to about 5k but running on the grass through the reserve certainly helped and finished feeling fine.

Wed pm 9k@4:40 Normal route but added another 600m, achilles a bit sore but shin going well. Once again a bit quicker as pace is slowly building.

Thurs am 8.5k@4:49 Got up and went for a morning run and remembered how good it was to run first thing, light breeze made things very enjoyable. Best the legs have felt so far which is great.

Thurs pm 6.5k@4:36 Was planning to go further but struggled and so decided to call it quits early, Heart Rate was going nuts. Ran at approx 3:15 Marathon pace.

Fri Rest day as I was unwell.

Sat am 11k@4:48 Quite a warm morning with temp getting up to about 31 deg during my run. Legs quite sore for the first 5-6k but some stretching and walking helped and I continued on the way, happy with finish.

Sun am 35.2k@4:45 Long run. First long run in 4 weeks. Started from home and met up with Craig at around the 10k mark at South Perth, averaging 4:45 pace. We then ran from where I came from and went past Burswood, Windan Bridge through East Perth and then along the Swan to the Swan Brewery,left Craig at this stage and headed back, the pace had been slightly increased and was at 21.3k at 4:43.

Struggled a bit from 25k on my way back and took a couple of walk and stretch breaks, finished well but was stuffed at the end. Very happy to get this run out of the way as I went into it with a bit of trepidation, legs were still sore but held up pretty well. Looking back at last year this was more than 4 minutes quicker than our 35k run on the same day, although I have a sneaky suspicion that this may have included parts of Bold Park and Hale Road.

May go for a recovery run this afternoon, will just wait and see.

Next weeks plan is to increase the km's and hopefully do Intervals, a reasonable tempo run and some marathon pace kms with Craig in long run On Sunday.

On the bike

My leg unfortunately worsened since my last blog and so my training has been done done on the Exercise Bike since Tuesday. With a bit of luck my cardio is still on track and will still allow a decent attempt at Canberra. I was hoping to try and duplicate where possible my running with appropriate training on the bike, so a big week on the bike occurred.

I removed my entry from earlier in the week and replaced with this one, thanks Sugar and Epi re comments, bonus of the time spent on the bike is that I've lost some weight nearly a kg in a week.

Week in Summary Run 9k Bike 265.3k Exercise Time 9h34min


Mon pm Run 6k@5:00 along the streets
Tues pm Run 3k@4:55 at Yokine Reserve, leg very sore and so called it quits.
Bike 20.5k in 45 min
Wed pm Bike 43.5 k in 90 min
Thurs pm Bike 46k in 90 min
Fri pm Tempo style Bike Ride 40km total incl 7.5k warmup, 25k tempo in 43 min, 7.5k cooldown.
Sat pm 30k Recovery ride in 64min
Sun pm 85k300m in 165 min. Long style bike ride, would have gone for longer but had other committments.


Congrats to Epi on a huge pb in the 10k this morning, really well deserved and puts you in a great place re doing sub 3 at Canberra. I still have high hopes of doing the same, so the next few weeks are crucial.

If all goes to plan this week will start running early in the week and will take it easy re pace with tempo and intervals to be done on the bike, would love to be able to do long run on Sunday.

Recovery going well

As per my last entry, rested until Thursday and then did small runs on the flat for the rest of the week whilst trying to keep up a reasonable pace. Shin is still sore but everyday it is improving,so really happy.

Week in Summary 35k@4:41

Thursday pm 8k@5:00 It was great to be running again.

Fri am 11k@4:40

Sat pm 8k@4:38

Sun pm 8k@4:28 including 2.4k@ marathon pace or quicker, just to get a feel of marathon pace. Temp was 33 degrees and ran in my skins ice top, makes things so much cooler, def a worthwhile investment.

Next week I hope to increase the km's significantly with the aim for the following week to be up around the 100km mark. At this stage I'm likely to forego Matilda Bay run but if I do decide to run it, will not race it but treat it as a tempo to marathon pace run.

Physio Visit

After being a bit down in the dumps re my leg and not running, went and saw the physio today.

His Diagnosis was that it was Compartment Syndrome in both legs but much worse in the right and was very glad that I came in to get some treatment. Hopefully be jogging by Thurs, so all good news, treatment as per last blog but also to use the tens machine.

Injury results in lighter week

Unfortunately injured my right shin on Thurs, different than the shin pain I've been experiencing recently . The normal pain is on the inside of the shin, however this is more so on the front of the shin as well as the tendons near the knee have a constant dull pain.

Whilst running the pain is constant throughout the run and also hurts whilst walking, as well as whilst lying down. Normal shin pain subsides when warmed up and doesn't hurt at any other time.

So for the next few days there will be rest, ice and anti inflammatories and hopefully this will do the trick. When resuming running will take it easy with no speedwork or tempo running planned for the coming week.

Week in Summary 66k@4:48

2 Key sessions for the week
1) Yasso 800's with Craig 6* with all done in 3 minutes with 3 min recoveries(averaging 580m). Session seemed quite tough, however did a bit of research on these sessions and found that most found reps 4-6 the toughest and then got a second wind. Warmup of 4.8k and cooldown of 3.5k, made the session 16k in total.

2) Hill Session of 15k @5:00, rolling hills, unfort hurt the leg on this session.

Record month for Jan, first time ever of over 400 km for the Calendar month-416km. Hopefully this record won't last long and will be broken in March leading up to Canberra in April.

Much better week

Really happy with this week after being sick on Monday with tummy bug. The only thing I need to work on at the present is the mental side(similar to this time last year) where I stop for a few seconds due to the monotony of doing the same course over and over again. Fri was a classic example, maybe ipod needs a reappearance or change of scenery for these type runs.

Week in Summary 100k@4:42

4 key workouts

1)Tues Interval Sessions-Including 800m*2(2:44,2:43)-2 min recoveries,400m*4(1:17's)90 sec recoveries,200m*6(36 and 37s)-30 sec recoveries-12k all up including warmup and cooldown. Session was a hell of a lot easier than last weeks sessions, not sure how good it was for the Marathon though. Epi once again very impressive with some great 400's in particular. Need to be careful with these sessions as temptation is to go a lot quicker than normal VDOT of around 55.

2)Thurs Tempo-Marathon pace of 8k@4:12, including warmup and cooldown-13k. This was around Yokine Reserve and was happy with pace, felt great afterwards. This is one run I need to try and replicate time and time again but increasing the distance.

3)Fri Medium Long run of 19.5k@4:41, including 4 laps of Yokine Reserve, got a bit bored but was quicker than expected. Good to do a medium long run, need to do more of these.

4) Sun Long Run of 32.5k@4:50 with Craig. Felt good throughout the run and very fresh, maybe a result of doing Sat run in the morning as opposed to the normal pm run. Good to do the Bold Park Hills again and Hale Road, still not using any snakes or gels as yet.

Other runs were Recovery Runs

Wed 10k@4:55
Sat 12.5k@4:48.

Hopefully next week will be of similar structure, although will do a Mon run and longer Intervals on Tues with Epi.

Bit of a struggle

Struggled a bit with not getting into a proper routine, maybe from being on holidays and so my runs were done at all different times. Kept on putting off my running and was coming up with excuses not to run but managed to get there in the end.

Week in Summary 95k@4:48

Tues am Run at 11am 8k@4:51
pm Intervals at 5.30 pm 4*1600m in 5.55-5.58 with 3 min break. Warmup and Cooldown had session at 13km. Ran with Craig but couldn't keep up, he is running exceptionally well, pace was even throughout the 1600m and found first 800m of each as hard as second 800m. Pleased with effort as aim was to do all in under 6min ie 3:45 pace.

Wed 6pm run 10.25k@4:55 Recovery run

Thurs 10am run 11.3k@4:46
Fri 7pm run 11.5k@4:40
Sat 7pm run 8.3k@4:49
Sun 7 am run 32.65k@5:00 Run with Craig, both decided from start to take it a lot easier than normal as both of us seemed to be a bit tired and it was quite humid. Good to run larger portion of Bold Park and then Hale Road so some decent hills encountered. Felt the right hip on downhill on Hale Road for a bit, slowed running last 5k of my own but very happy to get this run done and no issues with Piriformis.

13 weeks to go to Canberra, have a fair bit of work to do but feel in better shape than last year at the same time. Need to start getting some medium long runs in and some tempo runs.

Mixing up the pace a bit

Had an absolute ball whilst on holiday including two big night which resulted in 4am and 3 am finishes but still managed to run every day and enjoyed running in Hong Kong and Macau.

Week in Summary 106.7km @4:43

Managed my pace a bit better this week which included some running at Canberra 08 pace, Perth 08 pace and intended Canberra 09 pace.

Mon am 14.1km @4:38 Run on Kowloon Island Hong Kong, fantastic views of Hong Kong City which is very impressive. Got very busy at around 8am as all the tourists came out to look at Star Ave.

Tues am 12.6k@4:45 Progression run with pace increased every 15 minutes.

Wed am 13.3k including 2.5k and 2k warmup and cooldown, 8.8k@4:15. Haven't done a lot of running at proposed Marathon pace so used this session to start to become accustomed to pace and was happy with effort.

Thurs am 11.1k@4:47 Recovery run after 3am finish the night before. Managed to sweat out the alcohol from crazy night.

Fri pm 8k@4:28 Returned to Perth from Hong Kong and ran in 30 deg heat.

Sat am 11k@4:45 Easy type run, ran a bit quicker than intended, right hip a bit sore so opted out of 6k run pm.

Sun am 30.65k@4:43 Long run with Craig from City Beach to Hillarys and back and then small loop of City Beach, different course but quite enjoyable. Quite an undulating course with plenty of activity going on along the footpaths, temp ranged from around 21 degrees to 28 degrees. Longest run in approx 5 weeks and very happy with effort, aerobically felt fine, although hammies very sore in last 4 km in both legs from tight piriformis, hip was great. Craig managed to put in a very impressive effort over last couple of km striving for MP, think he may have gone a bit quicker, he is in great form and I may have a bit of catch up to do.

Sun pm 6k@5:15. Recovery run in 34 deg on undulating course. Good from a mental perspective as nearly pulled the pin from being so sore at the 100m mark and didn't notice the heat.

Hopefully this week will be similar km's but will do some interval work and maybe a mix of tempo and MP in another. Have another week off work but will work towards getting up early to get used to the discipline that will be required in coming weeks. Will also continue to be dilligent with my stretching and working on the tightness of piriformis.

Greetings from Hong Kong

Arrived from Hong Kong yesterday after spending a couple of days in Macau and having an absolute ball, off to get a deep tissue massage shortly, will be interesting to see how much better than ones given in Perth.

On the running front, did 73k this week @ 4:45 with the lower mileage being a result of getting smashed on vodkas and long island teas on Sat night and so no long run occurred, in fact did really well to get through 9k late Sun arvo.

Won't go through all the running as pressed for time but highlights included.

19.5k run in Macau and running up the hills,and run in Perth of 14k run done incl 5.5k at MP on hilly course, that was tough.

This week should see a big ramp up in mileage, hopefully well over the 100k mark as we start to get into the serious training with focus turning to making sure the 30k runs start up again and will start doing some longer intervals possibly as early as week starting 12/1.