Secret Blog for Killing Track and Parkrun PBs

Squeezed a session around some more iron study testing at the AIS today (both Minnie and I). Before the testing myself 2 x 1000m (308,305), 400m (72)...still the focus on some technique changes with today's efforts a little quicker to see if the form holds together under pressure. Post testing an 8km tempo in the bush with Bella who was very frisky in the cold temperature.

Another day with no runs until home time, no choice but a longish run or compromise the training. My choice for the second time this week was to run into the dark for 75 minutes or 17km. 124km in the last 7 days. Average120km+ last 5 weeks. One more big week and then a mini taper and race.

Of me: Early set. Same set as last 2 weeks, quicker again. 2000m (631), 1600m (5:13), 1200m (3:57)[first 4 efforts at 10km pace], 800m (2:30), 400m (69)...all with 200m recovery. Running technique much better. Form much better...not sure how much the form is due to iron jab or 5 weeks of consistent training and some great sessions. Of the others: I paced 5200m at exactly 4mins/km. Roget and Tori did what they could at that pace. Maria did 3 x 1000m. Janene on her own did similar to other weeks in the 4:10-4:15 range. Heidze did 1600m, 1200m, 800m, 400m and looking very comfortable in doing so. Kathy some strides. Helen this morning 4 x 7 minutes.

Well the number of our friends having entered City2Surf is mounting...enter while it's not too late. Reasons to do City2Surf: The view as you start the descent into Bondi...in fact the views along the course...magnificent The buzz...having run a few events around the world I can't recall one with a bigger buzz or ordinary people doing great things The hype...get yourself on the tv The organisation...everything is done great...toilets, bag drop, entry, race packages, transport, results...everything This year the event just happens to be on Minnie's birthday...we will be going out the night before in Sydney

Missed the long run due to the XC handicap,piled on one this afternoon. 75 minutes, twice the Aranda bush lap plus a little extra as far up Mt Painter as the kangaroo shooters would let me, about 17km...half of that with Bella.

A bit of fun in the sun in the semi-remote and hilly valley on the 'other' side of Stromlo. Also perfectly located for brunch at 'Scope' on the top of Stromlo..15 or so of us grazing on the breakfast menu. Both long and short courses among the toughest physically and technically on the calendar. No place to hide for those in our group with the courses favouring those who are strong, agile and mentally tough...qualities we all share. Did I mention we trained hill technique yesterday? Frylink 4km: Mostly down and uneven surface in the first 2km, mostly up on the return. Even the warm up and down had us working hard. sb Gold 93.9% ; kt Bronze 83.2% ; GT 75.4%& Heidze 77.8% not far back ; sk returning to running 66.5% Thomas 7.5km: A tough undulating course that shared the first and last 2km of the Frylink. mia 5th 86.2%; minnie 72.0%, michelle 76.0%, pete 53.9%, roget 66.8%, Janene 67.6% all very brave. Of me: Splits 2:59, 3:15 ; 3:58 ; 3:53 = 14:08 93.9% (surpri

Canberra winter here today. Tmoz the xc handicap at West Stromlo with the last 1.5km all up...today a chance to practice some hill technique. Managed 13km done this morning. A ploddle later with Bella will make 20km. Ten of us relaxed and chatted at Seasalt dining sitting comfortably near a sunny window for brunch. Somehow we made a bleak winter morning seem quite pleasant:-) Week 5 done now for me, another 120km in the legs. I am ready to race again mentally and physically. I expect good things tomorrow as a tester...the following four weekends I will have opportunities to race before I head off to France. If the health holds out I will only race 100% in the ACT XC Championships in the middle of June. Really enjoying my long interval sessions of a Tuesday at the moment and making some good progress there. I wouldn't want to screw that up by racing too much. The races will have to be used as tempo runs instead.

Two runs today including one at lunch...a cameo at BBQ Stakes in Woden to help Helen to a very near pb (curse a late start and biting wind) her fastest time there since 2007. On a better day and timing and with a minor technique change on hills a big pb is possible. Plenty of friends out there:-) 
Second run was with Bella in the bush. It was solo except Bella who was running with Minnie caught my scent and found me in quick order leaving Minnie alone in the bush (until we backtracked and found her). 18km for the day.

Identical session to last week for me. The set: 2000m (6:35), 1600m (5:17), 1200m (3:57), 800m (2:30), 400m (70) with 200m recovery. The conditions not nearly as good as last week (windy) but the times quicker. These sessions training a little slower, trying to make some running technique changes. After only two sessions noticing the difference, starting each interval slower and building into the set with skill instead of fatigue After that a tempo run with Janene in the bush, Tori late. Saw Kathy as well (recovering well). Yesterday Maria and Helen the usual Tuesday session 3 x 1km in 4 mins. Heidze also on the mend from a lergy. Jodie the half marathon on Sunday. Minnie recovered well from her half...did 3 hours shopping as a warm down:-) On track tonight Deek and some indigenous athletes.

From Aranda over the hill to the cork oak plantation, through, up and around the arboretum, return home the easy way. For me & bella all up 100mins, slightly less or more? for Pete, Maria, Emma, Charlie and Helen. Up in Sydney: Kelley 95, Mick 102 & Minnie 109 in the half marathon.

A nippy -5 this morning, with the sun out more than bearable by 8am, even more so for brunch at Rocksalt. A few still ill or sore today. Half marathons in both Sydney and Canberra, a 5km today...the numbers small. The set: 4 x 850m, undulating one direction, substantial hill the other. Doing the set: Tori, Mia, sb, bella, Jodie, GT, Emma with Pete out on the bush tracks. Of me: All the 850m efforts took 3:03. Worked the hill hard enough to control lactate, then let the legs run on the undulating sections. Iron study: Had my first ferrinject IV yesterday, another in 3 weeks. Next week another haemoglobin mass test. Completed week 4 maintaining 120km weekly average. The Tuesday (2000,1600,1200, 800, 400) session a standout so far. Aerobics and strength feeling much better than at nationals. Still have to wait a few weeks to race. Will have the ACTVAC XC handicap next Sunday as a tester. Weight: Managed to stay away from the chocolate box this week...dropped 1.5kg:-) 1kg above race

Three times up the mountain today in an 80+ minute run...the first hour with Bella. Left it until after work and very fortunate the weather calm and cool not cold. Two days of a work 'love in' has left me short of time this week.

A long session for me in two parts today. Before the others arrived my own set. With yesterday the treadmill test, today a chance for some longer intervals a little slower, but with intent. As I promised to myself last week, this week another long interval session added. I will be racing again in a few weeks. Having put on almost 3kg since nationals time to take control of the eating again and get within 1-2kg or race weight for the winter. Set 1: 2000m (6:38), 1600m (5:18), 1200m (3:58), 800m (2:30), 400m (69). The first 12 laps controlling lactate @ 10km pace (3:20/km), kick down over the last 3 laps. 200m jog between efforts. Set 2: Pacing the others (Jodie,Mia,Julia,Helen): 5 x 1000m all in 3:57...Garry doing spurts, Tori a ploddle. A few sick this week...it is cold. Total for the day 19km

At the AIS this afternoon to continue the iron study...Minnie and myself a VO2Max test. The test: 4 x 4 minute intervals with 1 minute recovery. 5 minute recovery. 4 minutes progressive to 10km pace then hill incline increasing by 0.5 degrees until maximum is reached. Of me: 4 x 4 minute intervals at 15kph, 16kph, 17kph, 18kph. Progressive starting at 14kph, increasing speed by 0.5kph until 18kph is reached at 4 minutes, the hill begins, for me reaching 2 degrees and 6:30 running until I was done. The video showing the last 40 seconds of the test. Rough scores: Minnie 52-53, SB 67-68 The long version

Cold and windy down by the lake today with plenty of pink, happy people, all out there enjoying themselves. Of me: Caught up with friends, on minding bag duties, with a dog attached to my waist no chance of a lonely morning. My amusement came when Bella discovered if she lay on her back and did a wiggle she would slide quickly down a steep grassy slope...with me still attached to her:-)

Changed the loop this week to make the effort tougher with more climb. Instead of one hill this week a series of three climbs in 1000m with an altitude gain of approx 80m. The groups in several parts. Kathy solo walk/jog, a chest infection. Pete jogging alone. Minnie, Bella, Heidze (head cold) and Janene on the mountain 15km slow run. The rest of us Tori, Kirsten, Mia, Keith, Helen, Roget, Mick, Jodie, sb 4 x 1000m, 700m jog recovery. 10km all up. Of me: 4:08, 4:08, 4:10, 4:08...very tough set, harder than 5km race pace, everyone thankful that was over. Two more weeks of that set followed by some undulating instead of hilly intervals. The strength should have come back to us all by then. This afternoon another 10km with Bella. Post training brunch at Tilleys, cosy inside, cosy outside only with gloves and a beanie. Bella very happy with three slices of bread and hollandaise sauce.

Back at the AIS lab today for some more tests. Absolutely happy to take part and grow a sense of community in athletics in Canberra. We are very lucky here. Our masters athletes are great, we co-exist with both elite woman and men squads on the track, we watch our next crop of juniors rip up the track as well. We inspire each other from age 10 to 90. We are lucky. Squeezed in a 65 minute run at lunch with BBQ stakes folk running past me and Marty Dent on the west basin loop, a late afternoon ploddle post-jabbing that turned into a tempo run with a beautiful sunset moment. Week 3: 120km+...a hard long and hilly interval session tmoz, easier on Sunday, VO2max test on Monday...Minnie up before me.

The AIS are conducting an iron study, the focus on oral vs intravenous iron supplements in iron deficient athletes. A few from our group have volunteered to participate in the study. I had a blood test last week, received the results today. The good news is my ferritin (42.2 of a normal range 30-300) is deficient enough to participate in the study. Other levels haemoglobin 15.1 of 14-18 and haemocrit 43.3 of 41-53. Both in the normal range. Next week two tests including a VO2max and my first injection (not in the oral group) on Friday. Training: Tomorrow concludes week 3, my 3rd 120km+ week. Everything going well with all the right sessions in place. Will add an additional long interval session for the next 3 weeks 120km+, then have an easy week before the Pennington 12km XC and ACT XC Championships in early/mid-June.

So nice to have a day off drudgery today, in the sun. Spent much of the day not running, some nice power hills and a late ploddle with the dog. Some of the day tending to the cabernet sauvignon grape vine that may never produce wine, most of the day listening and digitising old music...remembered Grant McLennan. Behind my back is a curtain In my eyes there is love Two sides to this story The great divide makes it tough There are those that despise me Lead me round on a ring But I've always been a target Too Much Of One Thing This is a statement from Amanda Brown, a former Go-Between and former partner of Grant McLennan "I would like to say some true things about Grant. As a musician and songwriter, he was articulate, thoughtful, emotional and poetic. His songs are distinguished by beautiful, yearning melodies and lyrics which were literate and free from cliche. The esteem in which he was held by people like R.E.M. and Franz Ferdinand reflect the high calibre of hi

On track tonight Heidze, Garry, Janene, Tori, Keith and SB with Minnie and Bella in the bush. A cool evening again. It's going to be a long winter. The session: 3 x 1000m, about 1:20 recovery between efforts. Tori & Janene separate but 4:10-4:15 for both, Janene holding back for the last effort which didn't happen. Garry pacing us on various parts of the course. Keith, Heidze and myself as pacer 3:37, 3:40, 3:38. Of me: As well as pacing duties above another 3 x 1000m earlier 3:07, 3:08, 3:07 with 1 minute recovery.

By the time Athens 2004 came around Hicham El Guerrouj had established a style of his own in winning races. Usually with the help of a pace maker his trademark was generally two laps or so at his own tempo (quicker than most could handle) followed by a kickdown from 600-800m, last two laps in around 53 seconds each. Splits for the Athens 1500m: 60, 61, 53, last 800m in splits of 55 and 51.9 http://www.mariusbakken.com/training-corner/maroccan-training-el-guerrouj.html To isolate specific sessions El Guerrouj undertook in order to achieve his trademark kickdown would be to take a slant or angle unfair to the overall picture. I have posted a link above to Marius Bakken's original post instead. For our group, we regularly do 6,5,4,3,2,1 minutes on in all but the first 3 months of the cycle off track. This leads on to a session on track as El Guerrouj does, a progressive stepdown from 1600m to 200m. We leave it until the pre-competition blocks to do progressive stepdowns. For

Periodisation is an old concept. Many athletes use it to some extent in preparing for a big race or series of races. Since 2009 I've (along with my friends) used 7 sequential training blocks similar to those used by Moroccan distance runners in a yearly cycle culminating with the Australian Masters Athletics Championships. I translated the information on Moroccan distance running as best I could without alteration. They are posted elswhere in this blog in detail. The first two training blocks last six months. They are characterised by building a base with high volume (120km per week on average for me), long intervals at or below maximum threshold and hills for strength and later power. No more than 3-4 hard sessions are done each week. After six weeks of the first block we are in great shape again, ready to race anything from 5km to a half-marathon. There are very few races in these blocks. There are two competition periods in the cycle, one usually before Christmas, 

Mulligans Flat the host again for a longish run out among the kangaroos and antechinus. Mia,Pete,Charlie,Roget,Bob,Minnie,sb,Heidze,Helen,Emma all soaking up what sun there was to be had, all at their own pace and distance and fluid conversation. 13.5km for me, most others longer (16km), some less. This afternoon a date with Bella in the creek...21km for the day. Brunch at Sirens again. Lucky to find a spot indoors.

Three years ago I received a request on FLICKR to use this image in a publication. I denied the use but grew curious about the image. What was it they were looking at? The image features placegetters 2-4 with 700m to go in the Australian Masters Athletics W40-44 1500m Championships. A portrait of concern, poise and frailty I imagined. My next thought was 'what would it take to flip those results'. I began my search. W40 1500 Meter Run 1 Hecker, Kate W40 VIC 5:07.13 4:50.52 80.02% 2 Keane, Niamh W44 WA 5:08.72 4:39.21 83.26% 3 Brown, Petrina W40 QLD 5:16.50 4:59.38 77.65% 4 Forestier, Katie W43 ACT 5:22.17 4:54.82 78.85% 5 Coombe, Amanda W41 TAS 5:32.90 5:11.67 74.59% 6 Wright, Leah W42 SA 5:38.92 5:13.78 74.09% 7 Walker, Amanda W41 ACT 5:43.69 5:21.77 72.25% 8 Brown, Suzanne W43 NSW 6:04.79 5:33.82 69.64% Benchmark A decade before, almost equidistant between when I'd stopped being a serious runner and beginning my comeback as a Masters athlete, I was following a No

Minus 2 this morning, a long warm up to start with. Then a third and final week on the same 4 x 1.1km hilly circuit. Different hilly circuit next week at same venue. Tougher and with double the climb although a similar distance. On gravel in the bush today: Janene, Mia, Helen, Roget, Kathy, Bella, Kirsten, Emma, Tori, Garry, GT, sb, Pete, Kate on bike early. Most covered the circuit from mid-4s to low 5s, and getting quicker each effort. Of me: Similar times to last week...slower early, faster later. 3:55, 3:48, 3:45, 3:43. Had Bella to chase on the last two efforts. No High noon 3000m tmoz, long run instead...today the session tougher than 3000m race pace. Post training brunch at Seasalt Dining...just for Roget...Minnie and John joining us there as well.

Over the mountain again twice, first time in the frost, second in the sun. Week 2: 120km+ again. The legs accustomed to the increased workload now, have regained some mass. This morning 5 minutes quicker than what I was running last week, even with a back pack full of clothes. Contemplating a 3000m track tempo on Sunday surrounded by a warm up and long warm down to make a long run out of it. Only if the weather is nice.

Short of time this afternoon, only a 4km tempo run @ 10km pace or an even paced 13:14. 14km for the day.

Saw it was going to rain today, so glad I started and finished the working day with a run over Black Mountain. No way I would have run for 91 mins had I arrived home in this weather. Started looking to 2013 for a possible combination of Tour de France, training camp in Sestriere and World Masters Games in Torino from July to early August. In pictures it would look like this. Tour de France 2013 starts in Corsica, then moves to Nice for a Team Time Trial on day 4, not far from Monaco. After the tour a week or so in Sestriere Italy, an hour or so from Torino, 2000m asl. A typical evening in Torino.

Cool and relatively still today. 4 x 1000m with 1 minute recovery Of me: 3:15, 3:07, 3:06, 3:06 early then pacing Heidze during the session proper. Session proper: 4 x 1000m with 1:30 recovery Heidze: 3:38,3:38,3:38,3:38 -- Helen and Mia: 3:57,4:00,4:00,3:57 -- Julia: 4:30s Janene: low 4s -- Tori: Low 4s Garry: Brought lots of shoes for the girls