Secret Blog for Killing Track and Parkrun PBs

45mm of rain overnight, continued into our session this morning at Stromlo although much lighter, some wind. Track saturated, puddles everywhere made things tough going, heavy shoes. Two sets. First with Steve 6 x 800m at 7am. Second with the girls at 8am 5 x 3 minutes, 1 minute recovery. Set 1: Warm up, 5 x 100m hill strides, 6 x 800m efforts, 200m recovery. Splits: 2:42,2:27,2:29,2:32,2:30,2:25.Steve 2:40s working down to 2:39, solid last two efforts. Given the conditions almost on par with last week although we had to work much harder. Set 2: Warm up, 5 x 100m hill strides, 5 x 3 minute efforts, 1 minute jog recovery, warm down. Helen quickest of the girls. All up 20km for the morning. Tomorrow a long run incorporating ACT Masters XC handicap 8km to finish (half marathon training).

A nice training race in perfect weather. My rough splits: 56,76,78,73. Steve was near identical for the first and last laps. I skipped away a little in the middle laps. Almost all of my middle distance races (and training) in the last couple of years have been run with the same plan. My 800m 1500m plan: Cautious start for first 50 seconds to reduce lactate build up, go to the front as soon as possible after that point or close gap (depends on pace of race), create a gap, maintain and defend gap with gradual pace build up if necessary, save something in hand for final lap and top of straight with 100m to go.

Cold and windy for two sets at Stromlo. First set with Steve at 630am, second with Helen at 800am. Identical sets. The set: Warm up, 5 x 100m efforts, 4 x 600m with 600m recovery, warm down. Splits: 1:55,1:49,1:45,1:43. Steve ran 1:59 in first effort working down to 1:47 in the final effort. Helen ran 2:40 in first effort working down to 2:30 in her final effort. That's my fastest set of this type for over a year. All I need is a couple of hard races in the next month to be ready for Australian Running Festival Half Marathon and Australian Masters Athletics Championships. Yesterday was a long hilly run of 90 minutes. On Thursday is ACT Masters 1500m Championships. On Sunday ACT Masters XC Handicap 8km at Stromlo.

Two sessions at Stromlo XC circuit this morning, first with Steve 630am, second with the girls at 8am, only 10 minutes between the near identical sets which were 5000m specific. Weather cool to warm, dew on grass, light winds. Set 1: Warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 6 x 800m efforts with 200m (1:30) recovery, warm down. Splits: 2:26,2:25,2:24,2:26,2:28,2:26. Steve started with 2:43 reducing to 2:39. It's easily my best set of this type. I had no idea until we finished, didn't look at splits during set. Set 2: Repeat of above with 4 x 800m efforts. KT was best of the girls running below 4:00/km on two efforts. All up 21km for the morning. Long recovery run tomorrow. We had coffee as usual post-set and walked to the house under construction with Gabe and Chris. Keith in Bemboka ran a 2000m effort in 6:55.

Thursday evening with ACT Masters Athletics track meet. Weather humid with thunderstorms and torrential rain at times. Steve and I were there. The set: Warm up, 4 x 100m (19,18,17,16), 4 x 200m (36,35,34,33), warm down, warm up, 4 x 100m easy strides, 3000m. Steve ran his 3000m as 300m intervals with 100m float after a few laps. I skipped that bit, ran as threshold and training shoes (sore calf in 2nd warm up). Warm down 2km after rain. Steve ran his 3000m in 10:29 (with me until he began 300m efforts. My splits: 3:19,3:24,3:16 plus 9 seconds (60 metres extra running in lane 2 lapping runners). Keith in Bemboka ran 5 x 200m with 200m recovery plus 2 x 600m with 200m recovery.

Repeat of the Saturday session, this time with Steve and much quicker. The set: Long warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 3 x 800m, warm down. Splits: 2:35,2:27,2:21. Cumulative 11 seconds quicker than Saturday. Final effort 7 seconds quicker. A decent set aiming towards a 1500m in 10 days.

Woke up fatigued from 10000m on track Thursday. Reduced the planned set to 3 x 800m fast efforts with long recovery. Weather warm and windy. Five of us there. The set: Warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 3 x 800m efforts with 800m jog back recovery, warm down. Splits: 3:15/km,3:05/km,3:02/km. Recovery run in the afternoon to make 24km for the day. In Melbourne around the Tan track Steve ran a lap as four efforts with short recover. Lap time 14:12, 34 seconds quicker than two days ago. Keith on undulating road ran 6,5:30,5,4:30,4,3:30,3,2:30,2,1:30,1 minute efforts with 3 minutes jog recovery.

Weather warm with some wind for ACT Masters Athletics 10000m Championship. Keith ran a 5:13 84.6%ast 1500m in an earlier race and Steve was in Melbourne running two laps of the Tan track, second lap as 4 x longish intervals with short recovery. I've long given up trying to run this race very hard with some competitors walking, spending much of my time running in lane two. As soon as lapping runners/walkers begins pace slows. I ended running 270 metres extra by the end of the race. I lapped the entire field a minimum of four times, one I lapped almost every lap. Splits: 3:19,3:20,3:24,3:29,3:31,3:28,3:31,3:32,3:33,3:24,51 seconds for final 270 metres. Almost identical time as same race this time last year. Next set on Saturday morning at Stromlo XC circuit with 6 x 800m, 200m recovery.

Early Monday morning set at Stromlo. Cool to warm, dew on grass, balloons in the sky. The set: Warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 6 x 800m with 200m jog recovery, warm down. Splits: 2:43,2:41,2:37,2:38,2:37,2:35. Goal pace was 2:40 or better. Splits cumulative equal to 10 days ago. Training shoes today and heavy legs from a solid weekend. Just easy running and strides until Thursday's 10000m on track.

With most of the gang on the coast this long weekend I decided to head down too for a change of scenery. Friday: 14km tempo out and back on beach. Splits: 30,24 minutes (tailwind on return) Saturday: Parkrun 5km 17:33 1st. Set new course age standard record. Course flat with 4 dead turns, four times over wet slippery granite section (drizzling). PM same 14km as previous day. Splits: 30,32 minutes (recovery run). Sunday 80 minute tempo run on mix of grass, beach and concrete path. Negative split on second half, was running with Millie the dog. Monday I'll aim for 6 x 800m set I missed on Saturday if I feel well. 10000m on track Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday easier with strides or going through motions. No taper.

:On Saturday morning Steve ran 6 x 800m efforts with 200m recovery at Stromlo. Splits: 2:46,2:48,2:44,2:44,2:43,2:41. Cumulative 3 seconds better than last week. Keith in Bega Parkrun ran 18:55 1st place. Splits: 3:40,3:44,3:49,3:49,3:51. On Sunday he ran an easy 14km. Helen ran Parkrun Coombs. Most of our gang were on the coast for the long weekend.

Weather warm, windy, low humidity for final race of Pennington 3000m, 1500m, 800m handicap series. I gave Kathy and Helen almost a couple of laps head start and had reeled them in with 600m to go. Kathy had her best run of the season. Thursday morning at Stromlo Steve ran 2 x 1500m and 2 x 600m efforts. Keith in Bemboka ran 800m,1000m,600m on undulating road. Splits: 3:27/km,3:33/km,3:35/km I have 10000m on track next Thursday. This Saturday I'll run a Parkrun 5km in preparation.

Early Tuesday morning set at Stromlo with Steve. Weather cool, humid, thunderstorms yesterday evening. Aim of the set was to start steady, increase the pace on each effort to <3:00/km. The set: Warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 4 x 600m efforts, 400m recovery (2 minutes), warm down. Splits: 1:55,1:53,1:48,1:47. Steve was equal of just behind. Similar to last week. My 1500m speed is back, not ready for 800m yet. Thursday night on track is a 3000m handicap in the Pennington series at 6pm. An hour later is our 800m Championship. I am hoping to run both. Like last week I'll get some running with strides done on Thursday morning. Keith in Bega ran 6 laps of track as 200m on,200m off then 4 x 400m with 200m recovery. Splits:39,39,40,41,38,37,86,85,86,89. It was windy.

Very warm Monday morning with no wind at Stromlo for a set with Helen. The set: Warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 3 x 1000m efforts, warm down. Splits for Helen 4:30s-4:40s. Splits for me: 3:41,3:28,3:21 (wearing training shoes). All up 14km for the morning. An easy jog in the afternoon to loosen up. Next set on Tuesday morning.

ACT Masters Athletics championships season begins this Thursday and rolls on until 11th April. I'll get a chance to run through all the events I may enter for the Australian Masters Athletics Championship in Melbourne from 26th-29th April. Schedule is: 3000m handicap & 800m 7th March ; 10000m 14th March ; 1500m 28th March ; 8000m XC 31st March (non-championship) ; 5000m 11th April ; Australian Running Festival Half Marathon 14th April (for Australian Masters Athletics Half Marathon Championship on 26th May in Canberra). I'll be training through all these events with 1-2 easy days prior to each race. I'll schedule harder weeks when there is no suitable racing on track nights (Thursdays 21st March and 4th April). Today was a long recovery run of 80 minutes on bush trails. Recovery was from a birthday party on Saturday night.

Saturday morning sets at Stromlo XC circuit. First set with Steve and Jen. Second set with Helen,KT,Emma,Mia,Kathy. Just 20 minutes between sets. Set 1: Added 200m to our 600m set, increased number of repetitions to 6, reduced recovery from 400m to 200m. We started the set cautiously and built into it. 2500m warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 6 x 800m, 200m recovery (1:30ish),2500m warm down. Splits: 2:45,2:42,2:38,2:37,2:36,2:33. Approx 16:38 5000m pace for me, 17:30 pace for Steve. Jen some steady threshold running. 22km all up for the morning. 132km last 7 days. Long recovery run on Sunday morning. Set 2: Same warm up and warm down. 5 x 3 minute efforts with 1 minute recovery. I ran with Emma and KT, average pace around 4:17/km on undulating 2500m circuit. Last two sets for Keith were Thursday 2 x 1200m and Friday 5km of tempo running. Last night we were enlightened.