6.03km Easy...

Nothing spectacular, a bit over 6km in a bit over 35 minutes. But at least I'm getting back into the routine.

Unfortunately, my next scheduled run should have been Friday morning, but I'm away on site Thursday / Friday and it tends to be an early start so I don't know whether it's worthwhile taking my gear up on the off chance I can go for a run before work.

Perhaps this could be a test of my commitment...

5.24km Easy...

It looks like being a long, hard road back to even the level of fitness I had last year. My legs felt a bit sore this morning after Friday's session and it was a challenge to finish the 5 and a bit km this morning.

I woke up at 5.30am, which is about 3 hours earlier than I've been getting out of bed over the last couple of weeks. So quite a challenge in itself! It was very comfortable weather - a good time of day to run.

I'm confident now that I'll quickly get back into the habit of running. My next session will be Wednesday, then Friday and perhaps a longer run on Sunday. Just ease myself back into it.

6.49km Slow... A New Beginning (Hope)...

This is not a 30 year old review of Star Wars, rather a statement of my intent to start the New Year with a new beginning, hopefully a long middle and a far distant end.

It was a very tough 6 and a bit km - evident of the fact I haven't run or done any real exercise in over 2 months. Shameful really.

I have a Half Marathon in May in mind, so a lot of hard work to be done between now and then.

I toyed with the idea of giving up alcohol for 6 months, using the Half Marathon as some kind of event to use as an incentive. This was following a couple of binges before Christmas.

So New Years Eve came around and I thought I better go out in style. I got stuck into a case of Becks. During the evening I was reminded that it's my 40th in March. So I started to have second thoughts about the resolution. The next morning I realised that I don't need to give up beer - I need to give up crap beer!

So that did it. Becks will return to be my drink of choice. It's not as though I drink a lot!

As for this mornings run... I feel as though I'm starting from scratch again. Lots and lots of Easy paced runs ahead of me I think.

Step 2...

Step 2 of my journey back into training. Again nothing special (7.27km in 42:23 at 5:49/km pace), but just trying to get back into the habit.

I have a plan to give me extra incentive! My in-laws are visiting relatives in San Francisco in the next few weeks, so I'm searching for a bargain price on the new Forerunner 305... I've seen it for $499.95 plus $17 shipping in Australia, but even on Amazon (which may not be the cheapest) it's only $370 plus $8 shipping. Hopefully I can offload my 201 too!

I'm interested to use the training programmes available on the 305.

Next run due on Friday...

One Month Later...

Something must have sparked me back into action, because I made a decision last night to get out for a run this morning - the first since my 'recovery run' after the 9km Bridge Run. Obviously I took a long time to recover!

Nothing special - 6.98km in 39:02 at 5:35/km pace.

I spent most of the time trying to dodge out of shadows into the early morning sunshine - a bit too cold otherwise.

Hopefully this'll be the start of a regular routine again!

Bridge Run & Recovery

Last Sunday was the Bridge Run. 9km over the Harbour Bridge, around Mrs Macquarie's Point and back to the Opera House. A good advert for the tourist sights of Sydney.

And a great day for running too.

There were many more people than I expected, so there was a fair bit of weaving in and out of slower runners and walkers. But that was OK - it was probably a useful way to slow us down a bit to make sure we finished without stopping!

I ran again with my City to Surf partner, and we had a guess at a target time of 50 minutes. There wasn't too much confidence that we'd meet that as we hadn't done anything since C2S.

We started out probably a bit quicker than I intended so by the time we got to about 5km at Mrs Mac's point it was a struggle back up the incline through 6 and 7km. I reckon if either one of us would have mentioned the idea of a '30 second' walk - we'd have both taken the chance and struggled to get started again! But thankfully we kept going.

The 8km marker seemed to take ages to appear but then it was all down hill to the Opera House and we put a bit of a sprint on to finish the last km in about 4 minutes for a total time on my watch of 47:48. So we were stoked about that.

Based on the euphoria of that good run, we've set our goal on the SMH Half Marathon in May next year.

I started on the long road to that event this morning by having an Easy run of 7km, but I have to work on slowing down a bit as I finished in 37:44 which was about 30 seconds per km faster than I should be doing. Naughty, naughty.

Perhaps some new shoes will add to this new found enthusiasm... The warmer mornings help as well!

I am Crap...

I haven't done any running at all since City to Surf!

There were some excuses - like recovery from the run and the cold I had, but now I'm just out of the habit! Oh, and I guess there is the small matter of torential rain that Sydney has been experiencing lately.

I intend to do the 9km Bridge Run this Sunday, so that may remind me how I enjoy running.

Until next week...

City to Surf Wrap Up...

Having felt crap for the last couple of weeks and losing my voice in the last few days before the big day, I was pleased to finish the race at all.

But to finish in 1:23:41 (on my watch) was excellent - especially as I ran the whole way with a good mate of mine.

KM splits were:

1st km 6:21 0:06:21
2nd km 6:18 0:12:39
3rd km 6:18 0:18:57
4th km 6:06 0:25:03
5th km 5:41 0:30:44
6th km 6:09 0:36:52
7th km 6:35 0:43:28
8th km 5:54 0:49:22
9th km 5:25 0:54:47
10th km 6:17 1:01:04
11th km 6:05 1:07:10
12th km 5:27 1:12:36
13th km 5:21 1:17:57
14th km 5:44 1:23:41

It was a very hot day (by Sydney winter standards) so I had a big problem with staying hydrated. It was apparently a record field too so that made it difficult to get close to the drink stations. I ducked into my company tent for a bite to eat and some more fluids afterwards, but didn't hang around too long.

I didn't bother with the bus queue - preferring to walk back up Bondi Road to the train station.

Another good day. I really enjoy this event and will definitely be back next year - assuming no injuries etc.

Maybe I'll aim to beat my PB set in 1991 of 1:11:48!

Final Training Run, Now Rest...

As it turned out, Sunday's run will be the last training run I do before City to Surf.

I've been hit with a cold. And I've lost my voice. So I'll be dosing up on Cold & Flu tablets and throat lozenges for the next week. No running, just rest and recuperation.

Thankfully, Sunday was a good run. I planned on running for an hour at about 6:20 pace. A nice steady paced run. As it turned out, I felt stronger the further I ran. It must have been the freshly home baked apple and carrot muffin I stuffed down about half an hour before I headed out!

I think I needed to run at a decent pace to get my head straight for next week. It's fine training at 6:00 - 6:20 pace, but as I hope to run further and faster than any training run I've managed so far - that's where I needed a run like I finished.

So 10.93km in 1:00:16 at 5:30 pace. I felt strong even as I finished, but I'd promised to only run for an hour so I could get back and help with some chores. So I'd be confident to run at a similar pace for the full 14km next week. Perhaps the adrenaline may spur me onto something even faster!

Back to the Hill...

Another hill session this morning.

A 1 km warm up in 6:09, then seven repetitions again, this time 'ups' averaged 1:17, 'downs' averaged 2:14. So a bit quicker on the 'ups' today. A 1.59km run home in 8:17 at 5:13/km pace.

It's still very cold and a real struggle to get out of bed. I'll do a long run on Sunday, then ease down next week to rest the old body before City to Surf next Sunday.

I think I'll deserve a bit of a rest after that, so hopefully that'll give the weather some time to warm up!

More Hill Reps...

That was a real struggle to get out of bed this morning.

The alarm went off and my first thought was to reset it and go back to sleep, my second thought was guilt, my third thought was that whether I went out or not wouldn't make any difference to my City to Surf performance, my fourth thought was guilt (again), at which point I stopped thinking and got out of bed!

I headed to the same hill that I did last week. I was a bit slower this time but I did manage one more rep. I tried to concentrate on good breathing, falling up hill and being pulled up hill.

I had a 1km warm-up in 6:39, then seven 'ups' averaged 1:26, 'downs' averaged 2:11. A 1.82km run home in 10:54 at about 6:00/km to finish off.

No problems with the left hamstring... yet.

Disappointing...

Yep, disappointing that I haven't been out for a run since Friday. With City to Surf less than 2 weeks away, I really need to take every opportunity.

I do have a bit of a niggle in my left hamstring. I'm not sure if that's something to do with the hill reps on Friday or whether it was some innocuous event over the weekend (nothing too strenuous but plenty of bending and stretching whilst stripping paint off a screen door).

I didn't think it would prevent me going out this morning, but the temperature did! I just reset the alarm and went back to sleep.

Maybe I need to try lunchtime runs while the weather is still so cold...

Hill Reps...

I had a bit more time yesterday morning as I had a later start in the City. So I thought I'd make an effort to try some hill reps.

I identified a long hill which increases in gradient closer to the top. It turned out it was about 250m. My results were: 1km warm-up in 6:14, then 6 reps of 1:22 uphill with 2:00 walk downhill, and then 2.04km in 11:28 to finish. Total of 5.74 km in 37:45.

I can certainly feel some sore muscles today, which I don't normally experience - so that must be good, right?

I need to do a few more of these sessions in the next 2 weeks to prepare as much as I can for City to Surf.

Running in the Rain...

It wasn't too cold this morning, but shortly after I set out - it started to rain. Not too heavy, but it still took some effort not to turn back and head home. So an achievement that I did finish the intended run.

Which was : 7.25km in 40:32 at 5:35/km pace.

I still find it difficult to stick to the 6:00/km pace as prescribed by my training plan for an Easy run. Surely it should be as easy as... just slow down, but it feels bio-mechanically odd to run so slow.

Maybe with a bit of consistent training over the spring months I can improve my fitness and speed so that an Easy run pace will be 5:30/km. That'd put my Half Marathon target time back to what I did in 1994 - sub 1:40!

Anyway, what I was also pleased about was that I kept the pace up on the final stretch up a long hill. Not quite Heartbreak Hill proportions, but every bit of training helps.

My number came through for City to Surf today... 19023.

1 Year On...

I just checked my Blog from 19th July 2005.

Coincidentally, I ran the same route this morning as I did on that day a year ago.

Last year I used Google Earth to estimate 7.32km in 38:00 so that's 5:11/km pace. This year my Imaginary Friend reported 7.10km in 37:03 at 5:13/km pace.

So the only significant difference that the year has made is that now I have my Imaginary Friend!

I'd planned to run this years' City to Surf with two friends from Singapore. So rather than enter into Group A based on my sub 100 minute finish last year, I entered into Group B so that we could run together.

I should have known better. They just advised me that work commitments will prevent them coming over. So I've given up my Group A opportunity for nothing!

It probably won't make too much difference. Starting from Group B last year gave me a good chance to run from the gun at my own pace. It was just at drink stations that it got a bit congested. Perhaps an advanced start may have eased that situation slightly.

Oh well, I should be able to beat 100 minutes again this year (despite my disrupted training) so I'll look forward to joining Group A next year.

4 Weeks to Go...

I've got a couple more runs in since I last blogged.

On Friday I did an Easy paced 6.36km in 35:54 at 5:38/km. That's even a bit faster than my prescribed pace of 6:00/km. But it felt easy enough!

Then I went for a longer run on Sunday, finishing 10.42km in 1 hour at 5:45/km pace. Again, it's a bit faster than I need to go but I just kept to a comfortable pace.

The weather has been a bit warmer in the mornings - probably due to the overnight cloud cover. Thankfully it hasn't been too wet as a result either.

It's about time I got a few of those different sessions in (hills / speed etc) to make the most of these last few weeks.

I keep seeing the entry form at home for the Half Marathon. I should probably give that a go again this year. But I just don't think I've got enough training in to improve on my time from last year. Maybe I'm missing the point...?

One Week On...

Now that the World Cup is completely over, I can get my life back to normal and start running consistently again.

It was a week since my last run - so plenty of time for my body to rest, ha ha! I set out on my usual 6+km route with no particular strategy in mind - apart from just to get round. Thankfully I was successful at that and managed a fairly quick time (for me) - although I was completely knackered afterwards. 6.28km in 33:02 at 5:15/km pace.

I need to continue for the next 4 weeks and 5 days, for that is all that's left until City to Surf (gulp)! Perhaps some good quality hill sessions as well as some long weekend runs would be in order.

I think given the disruption this year to my training, I should be happy with a time under 80 minutes.

Back to Reality...

The fantasy was obviously thinking that England had any chance of winning the World Cup!

What a disappointment. Even the matches they won / drew weren't exactly high class opposition.

So now that's all over, I can get back to running.

I got out this morning with no great ambition, bearing in mind it was almost 3 weeks since I'd last run.

I thought 6km would be OK. But what I didn't anticipate was how quickly last nights dinner would have worked its way through my system... at the most inconvenient location... public toilets were locked, so I had to make use of another council facility - an isolated spot in the council offices car park. That'll teach them!

So I only made about 5km. And now I'm aching a bit. It could be the shock to the unused muscles or it could be more seriously due to the drizzly rain giving me a chill. Nothing too serious I hope!

It's less than 6 weeks to go until City to Surf, so I better make a final push and get in some quality sessions if I have any chance of a successful finish.

Missed Opportunities...

You could think that the title refers to England's performance so far in the World Cup. Lot's of missed opportunities, but thankfully 2 wins from 2 matches. The game against Sweden should be the biggest test and a good performance should set them up for the knock-out phase.

But actually the title refers to a run that I did last Friday but missed noting here, as well as lots of days in between where I just missed running.

Last Friday's effort was 7.4km in 39:50 at a fairly quick pace of 5:23/km.

Then there's been a week of disrupted sleep due to trying to catch the World Cup games and some very cold mornings which didn't help either.

However, this morning I was out running at 4am! I had an early night last night so that I could wake up at 2am to watch England v Trinidad & Tobago. After the match, I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep to make it worthwhile bearing in mind I'd need to be up at 6.30 to go to work. So I went for a run.

It's amazing how little life there is on the streets at that time in the morning. I'm not just talking about local streets around where I live. I'm talking about being able to run down the middle of a major road heading to and from the City which is usually chock-a-block with vehicles.

Another first - this morning I knew that I wasn't tight for time, so I headed out on a 10km route, which I finished (10.41km) in 1:02:46 at 6:02/km pace.

Even though I was wearing a hat - my ears were painfully cold. I'm looking forward to the days warming up...

Hopefully I can get a run in whenever I get a chance. Perhaps another 4am start on Monday morning after the Brazil v Australia game!

Tempo Run...

I took note of my Training Programme for the first time in a long time this morning. I saw a Tempo run described. 4 x 1.5km at 5:00/km with 2 minute recovery jogs in between.

Well I almost made it! I actually completed three repeats instead of four. I think I was making too fast a pace. I tried to keep an eye on where my Imaginary Friend was, but I don't think I was very consistent.

So 6.32km completed in 32:36 was good enough for a first try. My legs do feel as if they've worked harder than usual. So that should be a good thing.

I'll try and vary these 'harder' mid-week runs in future and hopefully my stamina and fitness will improve. I also have "Max O2", "Speed" and "Yasso" on the list.

I just looked back on where I was this time last year. Clearly I had no clue what I was doing! The distances I was estimating were a bit optimistic - now that I've got my Imaginary Friend to give his expert opinion. So hopefully, if I can keep going with the current plan, I should be on course to beat last year's City to Surf time.