Secret Blog for Killing Track and Parkrun PBs

Steve on Tuesday morning ran 17km at 4:30/km including a 5km Tempo. Splits: 3:58,3:59,3:54,3:49,3:50. Weather was cold 2 degrees with light winds. I didn't get out there until late afternoon and ran 17km including 2km with Milli the Border Collie. Tomorrow I'll run a hilly 6km XC at BBQ Stakes as a maximum threshold effort.

A dreary grey day, cold, no wind. I got out there late afternoon for a 19km run on forest trails. Similar tomorrow but wind increasing throughout the day. I'll get out there mid-morning for some strides and a short time trial.

Sunday morning trails run with Milli the Border Collie. Freezing overnight, icy puddles everywhere. It cleared to full sun mid-morning, no wind. I got out there after lunch for a set of 4 x 500m with 500m recovery. Splits: 1:31,1:27,1:25,1:21. Leg speed is back to where it was a couple of weeks ago. Now to commence short time trials again.

Saturday morning session at Stromlo XC circuits. Weather cloudy, cool, no wind. The set: Warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 5 x 500m efforts with 100m recovery, 2500m Tempo, warm down. An afternoon recovery run to make 17km for the day, 125km for the week.

Lunch time trails run of 23km. Weather cold, light winds. Keith ran 3 x 1000m with a dead turn at 300m (costs some seconds), all done on undulating dirt road, some cows too!. Splits: 3:58.3:54,3:48. Good progress for Keith. Next set Saturday morning, long XC intervals.

Thursday morning session for Steve of 4 x 3 minute efforts, 1 minute recovery. Splits: 3:35/km,3:31,3:36,3:37. It was a cold morning. 17km recovery run on trails for me at lunch. Weather had warmed up by then. Keith ran 5 x 300m hills with 100m jog recovery. Splits: 58,59,57,58,55 More running events cancelled overseas including New York and Berlin Marathons. Hard to see City2Surf going ahead here wth potentially 70000 runners.

Lunch time running on Wednesday. BBQ Stakes 6km community run on the hilly part XC loop resumed after a Covid-19. There were many happy runners out there. I ran with Milli the Border Collie on her inaugural run on the course. She turns two tomorrow and shares the same birth date (25th June) as the death of Bella the Border Collie one year earlier. The course had plenty of puddles and mud after two weekends of heavy rain. Immediately after BBQ I went to Stromlo XC circuits for a leg speed session of 5 x 500m, 500m recovery. Weather was sunny, cool and some wind. The course was soft and slippery in parts. The inside line is very slippery. It took a while to work out where the best running was. I was rusty as well having not done a 500m set for three weeks. I started slow, finally finding my feet in the last three efforts. Splits: 1:36,1:32,1:27,1:27,1:23. Splits from 3 weeks ago 7 efforts): 1:42,1:32,1:30,1:26,1:25,1:24,1:21. Not too far off the pace, around 4 seconds/km slower today. N...

Steve on Tuesday morning ran a 17km run including 5km Tempo run at 3:58/km reducing to 3:46/km. Tempo splits: 3:58,3:50,3:47,3:46.7,3:46.2 I ran in the afternoon 17km, a variation of the run yesterday with less single track, a faster pace. 130km this week. Tomorrow 500m efforts at Stromlo XC circuits.

Monday afternoon recovery run of 17km, mostly on trails and single track. Days are getting longer again :-) although the worst of the winter is still ahead. I expect to run two sessions this week, Wednesday and Friday, both leg speed 500m efforts. I'll aim to be in top form again in four weeks or less. Time is on my side, there is a lull in the virtual racing. Athletics in Canberra is expected to begin in July. I'll have my eye on the calendar to see what eventuates. 2020 Worldwide Virtual Masters Challenge will take place between 18th July and 2nd August.

Sunday morning group trail run of 18km at Goorooyarroo and Mulligans Flat. It's a very large electric fenced nature reserve that protects smaller marsupials from predators. It's one of my favourite places to run, we used to run here often. Despite the heavy overnight rain the wide sand and clay trails were in good shape. The run started slowly out to a farm shed relic, importantly with toilet. A few turned around at the shed. Jen and I ran further to make it an 18km out and back. With 7km to go I ran a 5km hilly tempo run at 3:35-4:10/km. The last 2km were all down hill. Next two days will be running commutes to work and back, 17km each day. Next set on Wednesday, some 500m efforts to get my leg speed turning over again.

Saturday morning group session at Stromlo XC circuits. Weather warm, sunny, some wind. 6 of us there for the set, 9 for post run coffee. The set: Warm up, 5 x 100m strides, 2000m[500m splits](1:45,1:41,1:45,1:48),1500m(1:40,1:45,1:40),1000m(1:34,1:48),500m 1:28, warm down. The girls averaged around 4:30/km. Sunday a long run. Next set on Wednesday, 500m XC intervals.

Friday lunch time 16km recovery run on bike path by the lake, my last of 5 recovery runs this week. Weather sunny, light winds, gorgeous again. It's all going bad for the next few days with strong winds and lots of rain. We'll be able to get the Saturday morning group session in before the weather hits. 123km this week. Tomorrow at Stromlo, long XC intervals.

Thursday morning session for Steve of 4 x 3 minute efforts with 1 minute recovery. Splits: 3:35/km,3:32,3:33,3:29 I ran similar to yesterday, at lunch 23km easy, mostly on forest trails. It was lovely out there, full sun, no wind. On Wednesday Helen, Maria and Kelley continued the posting of times for the Kowen Forest Trails Half Marathon (21.4km). Competitors have until Saturday to submit a time. Results are live with 85 time postings to date.

Lunch time 24km run on forest trails. Weather much improved on recent days, warm and no wind. DOMS has subsided as well after Sunday's trail run. I'm looking forward to resuming normal structured training from Saturday.

Steve on Tuesday morning put in a Tempo Run of 13km including a 4km stretch of 3:53-3:59/km. Keith ran 7 x 300m hills. Splits: 61,62,58,57,56,57,58. I got out there at lunch running an easy 14km on forest trails out of the wind. I'm still recovering from DOMS relating to the hilly half marathon last Sunday. I'll take the rest of the week easy. Next set on Saturday morning group session at Stromlo, long XC intervals.

After lunch a 12km recovery run on forest trails. Some delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in the upper thighs from he fast downhill running yesterday in the trails half marathon. I won't resume fast paced training until this fades away in coming days. Still maintaining 120km for the week.

Sunday morning long run from Wamboin in the Kowen Half Marathon Trail Run. It was not a race although times were self reported online. Many of my friends were there. We had brunch at a local bakery post-event. The course was brutally hilly, mostly on wide forest trails with some single track, 1km of bitumen to begin and end. It was on top of the great dividing range, altitude over 900m asl with stunning views in places. Any donations went to the Wamboin Rural Fire Brigade. After pre-run photos I started with my friends, slowly easing into the run. I had a banana and sports drink as pre-run nutrition, not enough to get me through such a tough course unless I measured my efforts. I must have done well as I had plenty of energy left at the finish, no sore legs.

Saturday morning group session at Stromlo XC circuits. Weather cool, no wind. Most of us running a very hilly trail half marathon on Sunday morning (not a race), we did a light 20 minute fartlek session. I especially took it easy, others worked harder. 50% runners and 50% munchers at brunch. Keith ran a 5km time trial in the morning in 19:07. It won't be long before Keith is running 18 something.

Friday lunch time run to work and back of 18km in full sun. Brief stop at work to sort an IT issue. My body has recovered from the 10km time trial last Sunday, the two x brisk 10km runs I did yesterday (23km all up) helped shake things out. I'm ready to resume to a normal program on Saturday morning with the regular group long interval session at Stromlo. 126km last 7 days.

Thursday morning at Stromlo to support Steve and Helen run their Open European Masters Athletics 10km Virtual Challenge time trials. Weather was perfect with fog, cool, no wind. Steve M50 ran 37:16, Helen W60 ran 46:03, both outstanding efforts. Their times closely reflected their also great 5km efforts done a couple of weeks ago. We all currently lead our respective ages. Things will change. I ran 23km for the morning while I supported them. I'll now continue on my recovery week. Next set on Saturday, group session at Stromlo with long XC intervals. 126km last 7 days. Keith ran a set of 6 x 300m efforts, starting at 66 seconds reducing to 55 seconds.

Lunch time recovery run of 17km from home to the forest and back. Weather cool, cloudy, no wind. Tomorrow morning Steve and Helen will run their time trials for the Open European Masters Athletics 10km Virtual Challenge. I will be there supporting both. They will start around 45 minutes apart. Course used will be loops of the 1km grass circuit at Stromlo. Weather looks OK. There is still almost 3 weeks to go for posting times. Over 100 entered to date and growing.

Tuesday morning run to work and back on bike path by the lake. A dreary morning with no sun or wind, everything grey and cold. I spent the afternoon working from home as I will for the remainder of the week. Treating this week as recovery. On Thursday I expect to be pacing Steve in the Open European Masters Athletics 10km Virtual Challenge. From his 5km form result should be around 37 minutes.

Monday morning recovery run at the Arboretum of 18km. Weather a frosty minus 2, otherwise a beautiful day after the fog lifted, full sun, no wind, cool. I'll treat the next week as recovery with no planned sessions, just long or work commute runs and some 500m strides to keep the leg speed ticking over. Still maintaining a consistent 120km/week.

Sunday afternoon 10km Time Trial at Stromlo XC circuits in 33:57.9. 5km Splits: 16:55,17:03. It was my fastest 10km since the Sutherland2Surf Fun Run 10km split in July 2018. I aborted the time trial earlier in the morning after 4km due to freezing conditions of minus 2. After waiting until 4pm I got out there again with a temperature of 10 degrees and light winds. Almost perfect. All up 18km for the day, 120km for the week.

Saturday morning group session at Stromlo XC circuits. Frosty again minus 4.8 degrees warming to a gorgeous day with no wind and not a cloud to be seen. All the girls ran either a 15km hilly XC trails time trial or a lazy 17km on Friday morning. Some were on a mission to run another 42km this weekend. Most tired, we had a reduced set of 3 x 1000m with 1000m recovery at reduced pace. Set was around 10km including 5 x 100m strides. My splits: 3:25,3:16,3:32. The frost was still slippery on the first effort, then good. I was cruising around after yesterday's fast set of 500s. A run after brunch with Milli the Border Collie maintained 120km for the week. I'm going to attempt to get a 10km time trial done over the next few days. It will mean finding the sweet spot between too cold, no wind and warm but windy... which is around 800am-900am. Earlier on Saturday morning Steve ran 6,5,4,3,3 minute efforts. Splits: 3:47,3:37,3:35,3:27,3:32/km. Over the last 5 sessions of this type Steve...

Afternoon session of 17km at Stromlo XC circuits. Weather in the morning was minus 5 degrees. I had to wait until it warmed up, by that time it was windy. That's how it is in winter. Included was the set: 7 x 500m efforts with 500m jog recovery. Splits: 1:42,1:32,1:30,1:26,1:25,1:24,1:21. Final effort was my fastest on record. Next set the usual Saturday morning group training at Stromlo with long XC intervals. It will be a freezing morning again. We start the set proper around 9am, should have warmed up a tad by then.

Thursday morning Steve ran 4 x 3 minute efforts with 1 minute recovery. It was freezing. Splits: 3:44/km,3:34,3:35,3:25 Keith ran 5 x 300m efforts with 100m recovery, testing different shoes. Splits: 58.8 Hoka,58.3 Nike, 57.8 Nike on left foot, Right foot Hoka 57.34 I ran 17km on bike path from home in the afternoon. Full sun, cool. light winds. Great for running.

Lunch time run of 17km starting at Stromlo XC circuit and finishing on forest trails out of the wind, in the sun. I did the warm up for a time trial including 4 x 100m strides and a 500m stride in 1:29 before bailing out as the wind was picking up. I enjoyed my run, it was lovely with the sun on my face, out of the wind. I didn't see a single person.

Tuesday morning 14km tempo run for Steve. Weather cold and frosty below zero. Steve warmed into the run at just over 5:00/km, working down to a 4km section averaging 3:40s/km, continued to the end at a solid 4:00+/km. A day at the office and recovery for me. Cold start down the hill to work, returning in the afternoon when it was much warmer, 17km all up to maintain 120km for the week.

Monday morning 7km single track run in the forest with Milli the Border Collie. Weather was against continuing the running, I waited until mid-afternoon until there was a brief break in between passing cold fronts (strong winds, drizzle). Afternoon set: Warm up, 4 x 500m efforts with 500m recovery, warm down. Splits: 1:29,1:24,1:23,1:22. Another PB set and final effort also my fastest on record. I'm in really good 1500m shape. I'll look to run a 1500m time trial in coming days when the weather improves. Next set on Wednesday morning, I may get that 1500m time trial done.