7.76km Easy...

I ran the longer loop this morning which has a 1km flat warm-up before 2.5km of uphill. Thankfully what goes up - in this case does come down.

So 7.76km in 40:02 at 5:09/km pace.

A total of 112.9km for June (I doubt very much I'll run tomorrow). Still not quite up to the level I was hoping for, which is more like 140km - but the cold and rain are proving to much of a battle!

Hopefully about 130km planned for July - which includes the 11km Sutherland to Surf on 22nd and the 7km Bay Run on 29th.

7.06km 5 x 400m...

I've struggled to get out so far this week... too cold and too wet. But I took the advantage of a later start at work this morning. At least I got to run in a bit of daylight!

So I thought I'd better put in a Hard session. 8 x 400m seemed like a good idea.

So after a 1.1km warm-up I launched into the first rep.

However, the desperate need to find a toilet (which ended up being back at home) cut short the session. So I only completed 5 reps at an average of 1:30 / 400m with about a 3:00 jog recovery in between. A bit of a sprint home(!) to round off 7.06km in total.

I should be able to get another session in tomorrow morning, but I better be prepared!!!

17.11km LSD...

Just about perfect running weather yesterday. Cool and just a hint of rain in the air.

Down to the river again and out to a circuit of Morrisons Bay Park then back through to Meadowbank and home. 17.11km in 1:29:52 at 5:15/km. I was sure my Imaginary Friend told me it was 1:30+? A bit too fast for an LSD but I just wanted to keep up the pace in the last few km.

I made a bit more of an effort to rehydrate, but maybe I'm still not doing enough. Again I got a headache in the evening and feel a bit sluggish this morning. I wonder if there's some other reason???

9.19km Medium...

The same old story... it was meant to be an Easy paced run, but I pushed the pace on a bit to test my stamina.

It's been too cold or wet in the mornings lately to get my usual sessions in, so I had the chance to run after work yesterday. I was conscious of not getting as much mileage into my legs as I'd hoped so the usual 7km route stretched into 9km.

So 9.19km in 48:31 at 5:16/km pace was very satisfying, particularly as there's a bit of a drag uphill between 6 and 7km - which I was able to keep the pace up on.

But again, running in the dark is not my preference!

I should try to get another run in either tonight or tomorrow morning before a Long run on Sunday.

16.18km LSD...

It felt like a big mental battle was won on Sunday's run. Usually I'm fighting with my mind to keep going to finish the target I set myself, but this week I easily finished the intended session and a bit more too!

I'd planned 15km in about 1:30 - that would have been 6:00/km. I actually achieved 16.18km in 1:32:38 at 5:43/km - and felt good afterwards.

I wish I could find a magic answer now to the question of nutrition and hydration. I always think that I run out of fuel on these longer runs, but running in the mornings only gives me so much time to have breakfast and let that settle.

And then there's re-hydration... I started to feel another headache coming on later in the day. I'd made sure I got a Powerade in me and some more water (perhaps not enough) but I really didn't feel that great yesterday evening and I still feel a bit of after effect now.

Perhaps I'll do some reading on that subject later...

Did I mention I'm planning on doing:

• Sutherland to Surf (11km) on 22nd July
• Bayrun (7km) on 29th July
• City to Surf (14km) on 12th August
• Sydney Half Marathon (21.1km) on 23rd September

Hopefully my body holds up. There'll be at least 2 PBs in there (I've never run a 7km or 11km event before)!

8.55km 8 x 400m...

This was a new session for me, and I've got a perfect stretch which is fairly flat, dead straight and far enough from home for a warm-up / cool-down.

My Training Pace Calculator identified 8 x 400m at 3:58/km (1:35/400m) with 3 to 4 minute recovery jogs between reps. I had a 1km warm up at 6:00/km then the 8 reps were achieved in 1:31, 1:30, 1:32, 1:30, 1:33, 1:36, 1:35, 1:28 so an average of 3:49/km (1:31/400m).

So very happy with that!

It's strange how my mind works... I mentioned the mental image of turning a bicycle pedal over imagining my foot like a hand to get power through the full rotation. Well the mental image that formed in my head to get through this mornings reps was of some kind of mythical beast who's clawed feet were reaching forward to rip up the tarmac and throwing it out the back! Bizarre!!!

I expect to feel some after effects from that session, but I don't have anything planned until Sunday.

7.65km Easy...

I reckon that was the coldest day of the year so far. Even at 8.30 I saw it was 6 deg C, so at 7am - when I headed out for the run it was probably a degree or two colder.

Consequently, it took a while to get to a comfortable pace. Ended up with 7.65km in 41:07 at 5:22/km pace.

I could see where the heavy rains and flood water had flattened the vegetation along the creek. I hope nobody was walking around there when all that was going off!

I'll see if I can get out tomorrow and Friday too. That'll make today an extra session this week due to not having to head to work as early as usual.

7.17km Tempo...

It was tough getting out of bed this morning. Cold. Thinking about resting my ankle. But I did force myself to get up and out.

Another session where I intended about 7km Easy, but ended up with 7.17km in 34:53 at 4:51/km pace - so that was more like a Tempo run.

I choose the street route - just because there are street lights... I didn't want to run into more debris on the creek route left over from the weekend storms.

I felt good and strong through the middle section, where I picked up the pace but then struggled a bit to keep going for the final km uphill.

Very pleased to have got in another decent run.

15.13km LSD...

There was a fair bit of disruption and destruction along the route of Sunday's long run. I ran down to the river and along to Putney. Plenty of trees down from the storms, a few of which had brought down power lines. Lots of debris on the roads and standing water all over the place.

I hadn't been out since Tuesday - it was just to wet! So I wanted to make sure I got a decent run in.

I was joined on the run by some fella who was running from Chatswood to Parramatta then back to Homebush. Very impressive. I certainly couldn't keep up all that way. I stuck with him from Meadowbank to Rydalmere before turning back at about 12km and heading home.

So 15.13km in 1:29:51 at 5:56/km pace.

I'm still getting the soreness in my left ankle - I think it's bruising where my achilles joins my heel bone. The orthotic is helping by taking the strain off my achilles, but it does feel sore after I've sat for too long. Must make sure I try to stretch it a bit when I am sitting (most of the day at work).

9.21km Easy...

I missed a run on Sunday. Just too busy with kids birthday parties!

But I did get out this morning for 9.21km in 49:05 at 5:19/km pace. A bit more of a testing route with the first half basically uphill and the second half basically downhill.

Temperature was about 9 deg C, so my gloves as well as the rest of my winter gear did a good job of keeping me comfortable. I'm not a big fan of running in the dark though!

My left heel soreness has returned so I guess I'll have to go back to the orthotic heel support...

7.89km Easy...

Another cold morning, but after I'd warmed up, it felt really good to run with very few people around, hardly any cars and the air feeling clean and crisp!

Since my 5km Time Trial has allowed me to readjust my training times, I feel like I'm running with much more purpose. Knowing that the science tells me that Easy runs should be at 5:43/km and with my Imaginary Friend helping me to keep (roughly) to that pace gives me the confidence that each session is doing me good.

So 7.89km in 43:16 at 5:29 ended up a little faster than it should have been, but still felt very comfortable.

I got thinking about the mechanics of how my legs move and that reminded me of when I was doing a lot of cycling back in the UK... visualising my feet turning the pedals like hands would - not just pushing and pulling but forcing the rotation all the way around.

Anything to pass the time...