Secret Blog for Killing Track and Parkrun PBs

Very hot all day at 35 degrees, windy as well. It wasn't great weather for running. I ran 10km in the morning just in case things were bad. Steve and I did the set together. The set: Warm up on bush tracks, 5 x 100m (last 2 efforts 14.7,14.2), 200m 32.0, 5 x 300m (52,52,52,52,48) with 100m walk/jog recovery in 60 seconds, warm down on bush tracks and an hour later when the sun was disappearing. 22km for the day. Cumulative for the 5 x 300m efforts was 4:18 which is good but not super quick. We'll have to do faster efforts with longer recovery before we try the set again (in better weather). Tomorrow a long run of 90 minutes in the morning. Track on Thursday a 1500m race. We should just get under 4:40 if it's not too windy and hot. Keith in Bemboka ran 6 x 3 minute efforts in the morning with 90 seconds recovery. Distances covered were 816m, 836m, 800m and 700m, unknown for 2 of the efforts. The course is undulating dirt road. Another step forward for Keith. Once again E...

Tomorrow is the last day of January. I am newly into a new age group M55-59. For 2 consecutive months I've averaged 120+km/week+ for the month. I've average 110km/week+ every month for 25 consecutive months. In 2012, the last time I entered a new age group M50-54, I only had 2 months in 2012 where I averaged more than 110km/week for the month, in May and July (non-competitive, winter). I made the effort to chase competition and timed results and was rewarded...2013 was an ordinary year off more volume and less intense sessions. It's a cycle. It's planned to be so. There's a ZING first time into a new age group, the work has been done, the body is good despite the age, others have fallen by the wayside. Life is short. Direct Preparatory Period 1 Late January to 23 February 2017 Aims to develop: Aerobic endurance, race pace, specific speed, power. Special focus on speeds for 800m-3000m and kick down, lactate tolerance. Training Goal: Aim to fit in no more than 3-...

Hot day ahead, set done before sunrise in the morning. Just Steve and myself. Today marks a change of gears, incorporate some lactate intervals into the program, longer intervals at first. We do this standard set often at this part of the periodisation program and for no longer than six weeks. Recovery is 60 seconds between efforts. The set: 2500m warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 600m 1:50, 500m 1:33, 400m 71, 300m 53, 200m 31, 2000m warm down. Splits were similar to sets done in 2015 and 2016. We will improve on these splits in the next couple of weeks. Circuit we use is gently undulating. Recovery run scheduled for early evening when the sun has lost it's bite. It will still be hot. Track race this week (Thursday) will be 1500m.

This morning at Balyang Park Run (Geelong) 17:01, 1st, Splits: 8:33, 8:28. Six small hills out and back. Out up with the river (slight rise) opposite coming home. Felt really good despite 140km in the legs last 7 days. Minnie 27 minutes. Bella found a friend to mind her. Bowral Park Run Steve 18:01 (3:23, 3:36, 3:36, 3:34, 3:47) 300m of grass to finish off. Jane 24 mins. Keith in Bega or Merimbula 19:54, cruised around on his comeback run.

I've almost finished my first of three big weeks before I taper for a 10000m club race. The weeks will be 140km+ and comprise of session days (racing or sessions) and long run days (16-21km), alternating between the two. This morning was my 4th long run this week, 18km all up and my quickest this week. Next hard day will most likely be a Park Run 5km in Geelong. That means tomorrow was another long run 0f 19km. Keith did a session this morning of 400s. He will also do a Park Run on Saturday, as will Steve. This morning after the long run a road trip from Canberra to Bright via the Beechworth Bakery. Tomorrow it's on to Melbourne and a hideaway near Geelong and on the course of the Cadel Evans cycling festival weekend.

My last track meet as M50 and in the middle of 140km+ week made it a training session. Weather warm and very humid, some wind in the first 3000m. 3000m: Set beeping watch on 20 seconds per 100m (10000m pace), ran as best I could even paced 10:02. Steve 10:13?, Kathy 13:30? 800m: Sat in 2nd behind Colin at 5000m pace (19s/100m)for 600m, last 200m in 33 seconds. 3000m: Cruised around in 11:05 (Splits 3:50, 3:40, 3:35). All up 18km for the day. Our W80 girls broke 4 x 100m Australian record by 9 seconds. Keith in Bega 100m 18,200m 39.1,400m 81,600m 2:00,400m 83,200m 39.6,100m 16.1. It was too hot to do a longer set. Geelong via Bright for a few days to watch some cycling, the Cadel Evans Festival.

At Stromlo this morning with Steve, Weather cool with no wind, sunny after it came up. The set: 2500m warm up (faster than normal), 5 x 100m strides, 4 x 600m (1:49, 1:51, 1:46, 1:47), 3000m warm down. Steve and I took turns in leading, finished together every effort. My splits better than immediately after the asthma attack but not as quick as I had been running the weeks before. My lungs still haven't gone completely clear and I'm in the middle of a 140km+ week which often drops the form for a period until I adjust. Next week there will be some different sessions as we shift gear. I'm planning on some 200m strides this afternoon. It will be hot. Masters Track is on Wednesday. It will be hot during the day but cool off late in the afternoon and be windy. I'll run something, maybe a 3000m. Splits from strides at track this afternoon: 5*100m (20,17,16,14.9,14.43) 5*200m (32.3,31.6,31.2,30.68,30.56). Warmed down with 6km jog.

At Stromlo on the grass circuit. Weather cool, some wind, sunny. Only Steve and myself today. The set: 2500m warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 2000m 6:46, 1500m 5:00, 1200m 4:02, 600m 1:47, 300m 53, 300m 47, 3000m warm down. Steve a little behind on the first 3 efforts (10km paced), a second or so better on the last 3 efforts (kick down). An easy recovery run this afternoon. Tomorrow a long run early in the morning. Next set on Monday 4 x 600m XC intervals at 1500m pace. I'll be starting my final push towards a 10000m race in late February on Monday. It will be two or three very big weeks (around 150km/week) followed by a 10 day taper, then into a racing block that will last until late March. Sessions will begin to change in a weeks time. More lactate sessions and some sessions on track. Keith in Bemboka this morning 12km including 5 x 100m strides and 5km tempo in 21:01

A welcome return to the track for the first time in 2017. The weather warm and windy but in all directions. I was there at 4:20pm straight after work. Lots of stretching, long warm up, 5 x 100m strides (last 2 in 14 seconds), 200m in 30 seconds, warm down, warm up, 8 x 100m strides. 3000m: Used as rhythm finder, start very slow, into groove, rough splits: 3:45, 3:40, 3:40 = 11:05 Warm down, warm up, 8 x 60-90m strides, tired. Minnie a season best. 1500m: Steve and Rowan both there. Windy in home straight. Steve did 98% of work, I just followed heels. Super kick by Rowan, only 2 seconds between all of us. Nice way to start 2017 on track. Rowan and Steve 4:43, Me 4:45. Warm down with Steve. Next set on Saturday on grass. 2000m, 1500m, 1200m, 600m, 300m, 300m

I've covered the 1984 Canberra Marathon before which doubled as the Olympic trial. It was unprecedented in the depth of a marathon held in Australia almost entirely to to Deek being the best marathon runner and world record holder. Many locals ran their long Sunday run with Deek in the old Stromlo forest hills. The period 1984-1987 was a golden period in Canberra. ACT Masters records still exist in the distance events. It was normal for many of these Masters athletes to be clocking up 160km+ weeks regularly. AIS was at it's peak for distance scholarships. Across all the middle and long distance races scholarship holders and visitors were racing. 1984 Olympic in LA were coming up, as was the World Cup event held in Canberra in 1985. More on that later. Of me: I settled into a training routine of 140km or 10 hour per week soon after arriving in Canberra. I joined North Canberra Athletics Club which gave me access to a training group run on a Wednesday of 16-20km at around 3:40-4...

Keith in Bemboka 4 x 4 minute efforts (distances covered 1050m, 1100m, 1000m, 830m) on undulating gravel road. He began and finished session with usual jog plus 5 x 120m in 22-24 seconds. Today Keith a track session of 5 x 100m (19-20), 5 x 400m (86, 84, 83, 82, 84) with 200m jog recovery, all on grass with 3km warm up and warm down. The heatwave is over for a few days. It's been difficult to get all the running in and dangerous if done in the afternoon. I've had to wait until 7pm some evenings to complete the running for the day. I'll still manage 120km this week but it's not been high quality or enough longer runs. This evening track resumes for ACT Masters. I'll do a long warm up including some 200m-300m strides at 1500m pace. 1500m is scheduled for 7pm and it will most likely be windy. Steve is running as well so we should be able to help each other. See how that goes. We will be a little rusty.

At Stromlo early, weather cool with no wind. Just Steve and myself The set: 2500m warm up (I slept in, no warm up), 5 x 100m strides, 4 x 600m (1:50, 1:48, 1:46, 1:45), 3000m warm down. Steve was doing all the pacing, averaged under 1:48 over the set. Again that's his best set of this type this prep. I was 1:57 on the first effort, then able to keep up. Of me: Two slow runs yesterday with a few strides thrown in, 18km in total and only 100km for the week. This morning a little cautious after the thunderstorm linked asthma attack on Saturday morning. I still have some gunk in my lungs, breathing not quite normal yet, legs are very good. Track racing resumes on Thursday. I plan to run a 1500m as a first effort. Yesterday Keith in Bemboka ran 15km on his longer run, another step forward on his recovery.

Keith in Bemboka 4 x 110m strides 24 seconds, 4 x 4 minute efforts with 2 minutes jog recovery. 13km all up today, another step forward for Keith. Steve at Park Run 5km in 18:12. Splits: 3:26, 3:35, 3:40, 3:46, 3:36 with last 400m in 74 seconds. Solid. A couple of fail days for me. Missed a session on Friday due to sore knee and late thunderstorm, only 20 minutes done in morning. Park Run this morning I had an asthma attack (I am not asthmatic) due to fungal inhalation from either previous evening thunderstorm or residual in the morning after. I warmed up well prior to Park Run, ran 5 x 100m hill strides and suffered attack in first 200m of run, continued for 1500m before stopping twice and coasting home in 19:30ish. Very scary, I wasn't well for hours after. Pulse was normal, breathing was very difficult. I confined myself indoors until symptoms subsided in the afternoon. In the late afternoon I hung out at the lake with friends and dogs. I'll test things out tomorrow morni...

I'm not sure why I spent the most of 1984 in Canberra where I live now but I'm sure it had much to do with 'Deek'. On the other side of the world Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and others had been doing their thing. Virtually everything about running had an influence on me but there's no way my 22 year old head could rationalise any of it. When I arrived in Canberra I was poor, had just quit my first occupation and owned a place of my own on the outskirts of town. I fueled on pasta and mushroom soup. My source is the Canberra Times newspaper archives. I'll explore why where I live now is a special place. I might explore what could have been and it's not about me. January to March 1984.

Early this morning at Stromlo. Weather perfect for running, cool at 13 degrees, no wind, partly cloudy. Just Steve and myself. The set: 2500m warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 5 x 3 minute efforts on undulating 2500m loop with 30 seconds jog/stretch recovery leaving 200m in 34 seconds to finish 5000m. 2500m warm down. Pace was quick for both of us. We covered the same distance as last week in the same conditions. It's been very hot here and will continue to be like that for a week or more. I'm still managing 120km each week. It's very draining on the body. This morning was a welcome relief in the cool air. Next effort will be on Saturday, a jaunt out to a local Parkrun 5km event. I should be able to get some strides on track done either this afternoon or on Friday. Keith in Bega one of his comeback sets on grass track: 3km warm up, 5 x 100m strides (20-21), 5 x 400m with 200m jog recovery (85, 86, 83, 87, 84), 2.5km warm down.

At Stromlo early, despite that very warm to hot, humid, no wind. We've had a run of hot days and more to come. I'm now getting all of my running done before 9am. This morning with Steve at 6am, Helen at 7.15am. Basically the same set. Set 1: 2500m warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 4 x 600m (1:49, 1:47, 1:45, 1:44), 3000m warm down. Steve was pushing me until the last effort, still averaged 1:48 over the set. That's his best set of this type this prep. Set 2: 2500m warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 3 x 600m (all in 2:20s), 3000m warm down. Helen had a rib cartilage injury, quite painful for her but did no further damage. Next set on Thursday morning with 5 x 3 minute efforts, 30 seconds jog/stretch recovery. I'm sitting on 120km last 7 days and will be until the hot spell goes away.

Very early this morning, just Steve and myself. Minnie at Parkrun, others on coast. Weather still, cool to warm and the sun came up, very good for running. The set: Aim to deconstruct last 6km of a 10000m race with kick down. First 3 efforts at 10km pace, last 3 efforts as kick down. 2500m warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 2000m 6:41, 1500m 4:54, 1200m 3:56, 600m 1:45, 300m 52, 300m 48. Steve a little behind on the 10km pace, equal on the kick down. 2000m warm down followed by a late run a few hundred kilometres away (on an overnight date with Bella). We were both quick today on the kick down, pushing each other all the way. Keith in Bemboka continues his comeback after injury with 3 x 5 minute intervals and long run now at 13km.