Secret Blog for Killing Track and Parkrun PBs

In Geelong for Cadel Evans and his last race, also a citizens ride and UCI race for women which were on today. In between events 90 minutes including 4 x 6 minute efforts with 30 seconds float recovery, around the same pace I ran in the 2nd half 5km on Thursday night. Great to see women in cycling supported so well and a great race unfolded with Rachael Neylon killing everyone with a well timed long range attack. Tmoz back for more to see Cadel race and a long run before. The wind played havoc today, numerous crashes all through the day. Some nice numbers from Steve and Stromlo Elf this morning, the usual set. Both showing some good form, Steve closer again to his very best. KT, Maria and Helen out there too.

Steve and Stromlo Elf at Stromlo early this morning. I could hear the wind all night (and day). It must have been worse out there with no tree cover. The set: 1000m, 2 minutes jog recovery, 600m, 500m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m with 30 seconds jog recovery...a lactate set. Steve managed 3:10/km and the Elf was up on her numbers too. Great running. 10000m: Cool, 16 degrees, wind 37kph in the home straight, gusting to 48kph. Wind gauge said -1.6 for the two sprint races immediately prior. Even though I knew the conditions for the 10000m wouldn't be great I put myself through the day long mental and physical process and treated it like any championship race. I was mostly interested how I would cope wearing spikes, how I felt in the early laps. I didn't think beyond that into the race. 74 second first lap, 3000m in 10 flat and I could already see my main competitors 200m behind on the other side of the track. There were four (Glenn, Martin, V and one other). I watched their races unf...

A bit too much sorrow to reflect on yesterday, I was more interested in celebration cheesecake, raspberry sorbet I made two months ago and champagne. Thankfully it was remembered in Europe the day after my birthday in Australian time...Just pictures from my travels there in 1990. All I feel when I think back is sadness and sorrow for such insane cruelty. Last two images: An evening spent a few hours away in a humble cottage, a humble meal. Today's banner headline from The Guardian.

Up in Sydney, drizzle with some head and tail wind along Iron Cove Bay. Rain Elf: 5.52km 4:16/km average. Intervals with 30 seconds recovery (4:07, 4:29, 4:11, 4:11, 4:14). Steve: Intervals with 30 seconds recovery (7:24, 7:26, 7:29). Total time=22:19 Of me: 13km this morning and well over 130km last 7 days in my fourth consecutive high volume week. ACT 10000m Championships on Thursday. The weather looks good at the 'mo'. I rarely taper for this and I haven't again. History says I am 30-50 seconds quicker over 10000m from late January until the AMA Championships in March/April. Some of it is weight (my formula 1.15 seconds per kilometre (10), per kg over race weight, currently 2kg over). Some of it is fatigue. This varies as I can run well not tapered, depending on the day. I am always fully tapered for AMA Championships and at race weight. Some of it is conditions, especially wind. 33:36-34:15 is my normal time range for late January. I ran 33:15 when I had someone to c...

This morning a very long run (for me) through the Arboretum and old pines all the way to the very new suburbs in Molonglo Valley and return. One Hour out, one hour back, 26km. The only reason was to shift some puppy fat. Brunch was at the National Museum of Australia for the second brunch in a row. Coffee and food from home. Bella tied to a shade sail post. Quiet yesterday, today all about horses, cracking whips and yodeling:-) By evening three pizzas in the wood-fired oven...that's my Australia Day, a nanny nap the highlight.

First cross country handicap for the year. Since I won my last race, transported back to group 49 giving KT (the closest) 10 groups head start. I didn't catch her nor 14 others although I tried hard. Due to the recent rain creating rivers in the trails a re-jigged 'rough as' course...best the organisers could do. My splits: 3:41 (up), 3:43 (rough grass), 3:28 (down)=10:53. My best on the old course which was much more runnable 10:30 way back in 2011. 3km warm up on course, 1km warm down, another 6km warm down with Bella at home...I had to give her a water fight to enable her to cope with the heat and distance. Her reward was a picnic by the lake. The menu: Licking the coffee lid, ratatouille from the garden, fromage and mango. That leaves me with another easy 55 minutes this afternoon when the sun loses it's sting. Until then it's the Tour Down Under on the box. Can Cadel make the podium or will Tom Dumoulin get some bonus seconds out on course? BMC will have to d...

No wind, warm, very high humidity at 6:30am. Just me early. Set 1: 1500m warm up, 4 x 100m, 2000m 6:37,1500m 4:58,1200m 3:55, 800m 2:32,400m 70, 2500m warm down. Set 2 (8am Kathy, Roget, Alison, Myself): 2000m warm up, 4 x 100m, 600m, 500m, 400m, 300m 200m, 100m long recovery walk. 2000m warm down. Usually I pace this set almost as a warm down. Today with the shorter set the slowest I ran was 3:20/km and then much quicker with 200m 35sec and 100m 16sec to finish off. The reason? Alison (daughter of Kathy) has been doing strength work and changed running technique is super quick. That's what you get with good genetics and a bit of hard work. Meanwhile in Sydney Beach Elf ran 20:50 for first female, Steve ran strongly for 18:23. Keith in Bemboka is looking after his puffy knee so won't race 10000m next Thursday. Of me: Another great set, as good as a fortnight ago, not as good as last week. I was fatigued from three consecutive high mileage weeks this morning. I really had to...

Despite a couple of setbacks I'm still on track for what I set out to do this season and beyond. That's largely due to the in-built recharge training block we all do from mid-December to late January. I've had five big training weeks of seven averaging well over 120km/week. It's approaching the consistent training I had mid-year leading up to my good races (Gold Coast Half Marathon, Canberra Times Fun Run, Goulburn Fun Run, City2Sea). My recent training sets at Stromlo are as good as I've ever done. I still need 3-4 weeks of consistent training 120km+, largely to get down to racing weight and add some strength endurance. Working back from Australian Masters Athletics Championships in April our club have four out of five weeks where a 3000m/5000m is scheduled for 7:50pm, two of those combined with Athletics ACT. That's what we will all be working towards, keeping the volume high, doing all the sessions, staying niggle free and one final taper around 10-14 days ...

Up early this morning Steve 18:07 for 5km in Centennial Park with 3 minutes hard and 30 seconds float. Beach Elf 6,5,4,3,2,1 minutes hard with 30 seconds float. 5.6km covered and 4:09/km average during the efforts. I wish I was up early but had to look after my foot this morning. It was fine by the afternoon but very hot and sunny. My set at Stromlo 6,5,4,2 minutes hard with 30 seconds float recovery. The hill addition is now functional on the 2.5km circuit. I did the warm up and two hard laps on it for 8km total at Stromlo, another 10km when it cooled down around 730pm. I ran very hard first 2.5km loop, the heat got the better of me in the final kilometre. Yesterday I got caught in torrential rain and thunderstorms on Black Mountain. 30mm was dumped in just over 30 minutes and most of it hit my head. Everything was river-like, not surprising my foot was slightly sore as I never knew where the ground actually was...all good now. Next session early at Stromlo on Saturday, the usual s...

Our roving ambassadors Steve and Beach Elf back in Sydney, this time south of the Coathanger. The weather not so good for beaching. Both did sessions with short 30 second intervals as Keith and I did yesterday. Steve on top, Elf on bottom of image...see if that makes sense!! Great places to run in Sydney?

Conditions: Cool for summer, wind -35kph in home straight. Keith and I both on the same plan for 3000m, Four and a bit laps hard, 100m float recovery in 30 seconds, three laps hard. Keith started very quick, was on my butt until 1200m then dropped away slightly. As planned I took 100m float in 30 seconds at 1700m, 1200m to finish. I looked at Keith with two laps remaining, wished he might run in the 10:20s although he miscounted the laps and took two breaks, lost 20 seconds to my 10 seconds. Kathy just back from the coast an hour before, ran 13 mins+. Of me: 130km+ last 7 days, plan to run 10000m as punishment next Thursday just before the Cadel Farewell in Geelong if the sciatica and weather is OK. 10:09 today, a cruise in training flats, net 9:59. I felt ordinary but worked as hard as I needed to. I need a few more weeks of punishment, plan not to rest up until March although I need to run a decent 800m in a few weeks...will see how that pans out.

I ran three events of the Puffing Billy Great Train Race in the 1990s. 1990, 1991, 1999 which basically encapsulated my Melbourne decade of living. That means I haven't run the event in this decade or last...very scary. The course approx 13.5km, very hilly, some dirt?, basically down in the last kilometres. I talked to Mick last evening (a Geelong supporter by religion). Like me he lives in Canberra and fond memories of Melbourne and running. He and Kelley did the event last year and in the recent past. I asked him of what has changed since 1999?... Back in the 90s there were two trains, male and female. Idea was race the trains and at the end some prize. Sometimes the train drivers got carried away and went too fast too early. Somewhere in the distance there was the sound of steam and chuffing echoing through the ferns. As in Paris-Roubaix the cycling, trains have right-of-way over athletes. In 1990 we had to wait briefly. Anyone who has done would want to do again. My results:...

Sunny, wind 25kph, grass recently cut, firm on the line where it was cut in winter (half a metre in), soft elsewhere. KT, Maria (injured) and Tori were there as well. Only one set: Steve, Beach Elf and myself, the usual. Me: 2000m 6:35, 1500m 4:53, 1200m 3:55, 800m 2:32, 400m 66.8. Exactly equal to my best set ever, done on 23 August 2014. Steve pushed me hard on the last two efforts. We had to fight into the wind first 400m of the 800m, 400m mostly a tailwind. Steve: 2000m 6:57, 1500m 5:05, 1200m 4:05, 800m 2:32, 400m 66.1. Looked pretty good out there today, way stronger than me on the last two efforts. Cumulative 26 seconds up on last week. Steve did his PB set a week after mine on August 30 2014. The surface was much faster then after all the frost and not a blade of green grass. Beach Elf: 2000m 8:07, 1500m 5:56, 1200m 4:48, 800m 3:04, 400m 84. Was up on all her efforts again this week (42 seconds better cumulative), worked very hard. Keith has had a knee niggle. Today 2km war...

I conducted an experiment on my sciatica problem during runs this week. All my long runs through the Arboretum and back (75 minutes) started with a jog and manipulation, neural stretching, deep tissue massage of individual key trigger points in my left leg at approx 5 minute intervals into the run and roughly in the same order. All of the manipulations etc relieved the pain around my achilles and elsewhere. Deep tissue massage on many of the muscles in my hamstring group (last) provided relief for the duration of all the runs to the end. On Wednesday before track I spent an hour or so mostly working on the hamstring group and followed it up over the last couple of days. Most if not all the pain has gone away. Maybe just a tingle remains. Going back now to where this trouble first revealed itself...after the 10000m at Australian Masters Athletics Championships, March 2014. Result 1st 33:28 in windy conditions. I was a breath away from pulling out of the 5000m two days later as I couldn...

This morning Steve, Fitness Elf and myself at Stromlo early. Still, sunny, the track about as slow as it gets...lush, soft and long grass. The set: 6,5,4,3,2,1 minute intervals with 30 seconds float recovery, pace start slow on first effort, maximum threshold to finish. Distance covered (in 23:30, including recovery floats): Fitness Elf 5.45km (4:18/km) ; Steve 6.15km ; Me 6.35km. 2000m Splits (including recovery): Steve 7:30, 7:40, 7:43 ; Me 7:14, 7:30, 7:24 (through 5000m 18:10) Last evening the ACT Mile Championships. Very windy. Emma 5:50, Helen 6:33. Both ran virtually solo. As races were separate men and women I was unable to pace the girls and didn't run myself in the men's race. Of me: Lots of stretching at track last evening seems to have the sciatica back under control. Hamstring (left) seems to be where the most trouble is. No pain today during the session, wore training flats, not spikes to be safe.

Sunny, lush grass, windy. I was not ready for a session, accumulated some work in the legs, tried to help others. Steve: The set 600m, 500m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m with 100m float recovery on 2.5km circuit x 2 = 5000m for 18:12 net around 16:40 Helen and Kathy: The set 600m, 500m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m with 100m float recovery on 2.5km circuit x 1 = 2500m for 10:49 net around 20:20 5000m pace, Kathy around 150 metres back. All three were great and signs of good things to come. Meanwhile Festive Elf continues her progress, a whopping 10 seconds/km quicker than the last set of 1km intervals. Of me: Still maintaining 120km+ per week. The sciatica is OK after a 20 minute warm up with some neural stretching. I haven't used any ibuprofen or such since City2Surf else I dig a bigger hole. No play racing tmoz I expect. Will try to help Kathy and Helen over a Mile on track.

This afternoon a bush picnic hosted by Helen and John...Bella loved the water. Meanwhile Keith in Bemboka ran 6 x 3 minute intervals. Another great session from Keith.