Training Log Archive: fletch

Event: Foot-O Mt Observation
 

For a variety of reasons, training hasn't quite gone to plan for the last few weeks and in particular, I have missed some long runs and some race paced runs (often at the same time!). So today I knew I had to get out for one or both, as I was starting to doubt whether it was worth doing the marathon.

I decided on just a long one as I thought this would be easier mentally, and given the rapidly disappearing weeks, I thought I'd better go do one of those over 30km efforts that just about everyone throws in during marathon prep. Had serious doubts that I'd make it through this, as my calves have been a little tight and sore since Wednesday.

Started out very gently, determined not to look at my watch until I got to Sorrento. Didn't take long for the calves to start aching a bit, but they never got worse, so just kept plugging away. Knee was pretty good throughout.

Felt fine at Sorrento (10.2km), but had a bit of a flat patch from about 13-18km, with legs a little achey. Started to wonder a it just what I had gotten myself into, despite still feeling really comfortable aerobically. Had a gel at 16km turnaround, conveniently located at the Mullaloo Surf Club, so I could put the wrapper straight in a bin instead of gunking up my waist pack.

Things improved again as I got through 20km and had to consciously hold myself back to stop the pace getting silly in the last 10km as I got in a really good rhythm and was enjoying things a lot more again. Had been trying to ignore the watch, just using the beep every km to tick the distance off. Was pretty surprised to find out I was about 7 minutes quicker on the return than I had been on the way out.

Marathon doesn't seem so unachievable and daunting now.

C • Nice! 30

Morning trundle through Lighthouse park and into the dunes behind Clayton's beach. Headed into a couple of dead ends trying to get out of the big sandbowl, but found a way out eventually.

Had a run around with Shane, who had forgotten his torch, but he seemed to cope just fine without it. When we hit the top of the map 25 minutes in and didn't turn back straight away, we were always going to be late, but dropping 4 on the way in meant that it wasn;t that bad - only 3 minutes-ish over time. Could have made it pretty close if I'd gone flat out for the second half, but it was meant to be a comfortable pace today, so that's how it stayed.

4 x (10:2) tempo session, with the efforts on the sand tracks north of Hester.
felt OK during, but nose went haywire afterwards and feel pretty rubbish now.

First training run for a while without the heel raises in. Will see how I pull up.

C • Yabaroo trail? 4

Just a cruisy morning trundle along the coast from work. Felt OK during, but knee was sore all day afterwards. Then I got home, put an icepack on it for 15 minutes and it felt heaps better straight away. Wish it wasn't such a rush to stretch/ice/nurofen/generally be sensible when I run before work. But there's no way in the world I'm getting up 15 minutes earlier!