Secret Blog for Killing Track and Parkrun PBs

Morning set from Steve of 2 x 500m to prepare for an 800m handicap on track Thursday evening. I ran down to the beach for 10 x 200m with short recovery to prepare for a short time trial on Thursday morning.

Morning run down to the beaches at dead low tide for a set of 2 x 1km Beach intervals with 30 seconds standing recovery. No break at finish of the 2nd interval, carried all the lactate up the 2km hill back home. Long warm down and beach swim, 20km for the day. Next sets Wednesday short Intervals, Thursday short Time Trial, Friday easy Fartlek. Low Tides are favourable this week, all sessions can be done on hard beach sand before noon. Steve ran at his patch in Canberra 4 x 200m strides, an easy set after nursing a niggle.

Low tide at 6am, a quick run down to the beaches with the dog. Weather cool, and still. I dropped the dog off back at home to complete my run. Next set long intervals.

Morning 20km run on all the beaches at low tide with the dog. It's end of the month, market day. We stopped there too and hit another beach before putting the legs up. It feels like I've pulled up well after Parkrun yesterday. This week I'll focus on long intervals and hills with short intervals later in the week. Parkrun on Saturday, I'll be back at my local event.

Cool and sunny at Parkrun Panboola Wetlands 1st in 16:52. Splits(500m):1:36,1:38,1:38,1:38,1:38,(dead turn 1:43),1:43,1:44,1:44,1:39. 8 seconds quicker than my last run on the course. My fastest Parkrun 5km since 16:46 in 2019. Celebration with a pie and coffee. I've run 16 something or quicker for 5km every year since my return to running in 2007. Not having a 16 something in 2022 until today was big motivation. Now I can focus fully on my next racing block in February to March 2023. Sunday long run and a swim at the beach. Monday back into base training again.

Morning mist for a 10km run through the rainforest with the dog. That's it for the day, after another solid week a chance to recover a little for Parkrun.

Sunny, warm morning run starting from the beach. 7km warm up followed by a 2km Time Trial. Splits(1km)3:20,2:57. A swim and snorkle at the beach behind the shark net followed by a jog warm down and another swim. Water temperature now 18 degrees. Tomorrow easy running and a few 100m strides. Saturday Parkrun.

I waited for low tide to get on some hard beach sand. 4km warm up including 3 x 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy, then straight into a 2km Hill time trial back home. Warm and sunny with a sea breeze, great for running. Next effort tomorrow, a Flat time trial.

Sunny and still windy after yesterday's weather that caused blackouts in many places. Morning run down to the beach and return including a set of 5 x 400m Beach intervals with 60 seconds jog recovery. An extended warm down, 20km for the day.

This week I'm aiming to set myself up for a quick Parkrun again with the same repeat sets from a fortnight ago. Monday 10 x 200m(slow start to 2:41/km), Tuesday 5 x 400m, Wednesday 2km Hill effort, Thursday 1000m-1500m time trial, Saturday Parkrun. Training volume will remain high with a low volume day on Friday. On the weekend I watched video from the World Masters Athletics Cross Country venue in Bathurst and probable venue in Sydney for the Australian Masters Athletics Cross Country event. I hadn't run there since the 1970s. Also watched the 2022 NCAA XC Championships. I firmed up somewhere to stay in Bathurst. I pulled out some spikes to wear in over coming weeks for track and cross country. In early January I'll commence a race preparation training block for the three multi-day events I have in February and March which will include both track (800m-10000m) and cross country (6000m to 10000m). This week 125km, my 7th big training week since retiring from work again a

Early morning 20km run down to the beach, deviation through golf course(too early for golfers), seals, swim at beach, run home, with the dog.

Weather sunny, warm, some wind, nice for running at Parkrun Batemans Bay, 2nd 17:25. Splits(500m):1:43,1:38,1:37,1:40,1:43,1:49,1:47,1:42,1:44,1:42. All except one split quicker than my last run at this Parkrun. My form continues to improve here. Having run three times at two other venues in the last fortnight in much quicker times I can now calculate the time difference. There is no grass and only 1 dead turn at the other venues. I'll alternate the venues and chase a faster time on the quickest course to better approximate a track tempo. At Tuggeranong Steve finished 2nd in 17:39, just one second slower than his course PB. Splits out and back 8:48,8:51. I would say his best form in the 5000m at this time of year that I've seen. Sunday long run.  da

Morning run down to the beach and back with Milli the Border Collie. She hasn't been allowed in the surf recently, ear infection. Today she was off the lead and loving it. 6.5km for both of us, I ran a second time at dead low tide, 10km for the day. I've been sitting on 130km+ for 5 weeks straight and feeling a little fatigued. Parkrun tomorrow. I'll make sure of more rest for next week and set myself for a good run on a fast course next Saturday. Registrations open for Australian Masters Athletics Championships 2023 in Sydney this evening. I'll be quick to enter.

Early morning run on a beach to the north for a change of scenery. 2km warm up, 2km Run back at 3:15/km. Tide still going out, full sun, warm, glorious day. Extended warm down, 20km for the day. Tomorrow just 10km. Saturday Parkrun. Steve ran a repeat of the 3000m he ran last week except this race wasn't a handicap. Solid pre-Xmas form. Splits: 3:21,3:30,3:26

Early morning 20km run down to the beaches and back including a set of leg speed intervals 10 x 200m with 20 seconds standing recovery. A slow start at 4:05/km working down to 2:49/km. Splits(min/km): 4:05,3:13,3:10,3:07,2:55,2:54,2:50,2:50,2:49,2:49. Next hard effort a Time Trial.

Steve this morning ran 4 x 500m efforts at his patch. I ran down to the beaches at low tide. On return back up the 2km hill I ran a fartlek session, intervals around 60 seconds with short recovery.

Salt spray morning run down to the beach and back at low tide. on return back up the hill 3 x 500m hill efforts with 15 seconds jog recovery. Extended warm down, 20km for the day, 135km for the week. Good news this morning, another Australian Masters Half Marathon win for me. The event was postal with assorted races conducted thoughout Australia in 2022 in self nominated events when entering. My race in April 2022 a painful experience coming a few days after Australian Masters Track and Cross Country Championships where I tore my hamstring (during the XC). I ran a much faster Half Marathon a month later when recovered from injury. I ran fastest time of all competitors in all ages with my injured time.  

My long Sunday run of 20km was paused by thunderstorms passing through. On resumption a big loop of town and estuary looking at a festival of assorted traditional boats showing off on the water, tooting at anyone they saw, especially when passing under a bridge. For two days the cafe at the marina has been overflowing. Today marks the end of week 31 of this base training build up with 135km run last 7 days. It's also 6 weeks since I retired from work again and have been able to maximise the training opportunities and absorb the hard work with more rest. Running results in the last fortnight show I'm at a similar fitness level to when we were in Covid lockdown. This coming week more leg speed intervals, time trials, hills and a return to Parkrun Batemans Bay on Saturday. I'm not done with the Parkrun at Panboola Wetlands yet...not until I break 17 minutes convincingly.

This afternoon I registered for the World Masters Athletics Cross Country Championships (Short Course, 6km) to be held in Bathurst, February 2023. It's one event of three multi-day competitions I'll take part in during February and March next year. Life seems to be speeding up. Entries for the Australian Masters Athletics Championships 2023 (track and cross country) open later this week. This afternoon a run down to the beach with the dog. I had to leave her home this morning as I went to Parkrun. She also got a mini road trip to a different beach so she can bark at waves properly. After that another run for me, 8km recovery run making 23km for the day and what will be another 130km+ running week.

Cool, cloudy and humid at Parkrun Panboola Wetlands, 1st in 17:00. Splits:1:39,1:39,1:37,1:39,1:39,(deadturn)1:45,1:45,1:46,1:44,1:38. 14 seconds better than last week and fastest 5km in a while, a recent PB. I lost 10 seconds in the final 2km today compared to last week, not getting back up to speed after the dead turn until the final 500m. Still some room for improvement. A light session for Steve of 4 x 200m sub-32 seconds after racing 3000m on Thursday.

Two short easy run of 5km down to the beach and back as I rest up for Parkrun. Same volume as last week of 130km, reduced down from 140km earlier this week. There may be some rain coming later, hopefully clearing off by morning.

Morning run from home on a hilly loop of 7km to start the day. After breakfast a 2km Time Trial 3:11/km(plus warm up) near my swimming beach followed by a swim and dive to refresh behind the safety of a shark net. Lovely weather for diving, clear water. In the afternoon a recovery run, 17km for the day. Next effort on Saturday at Parkrun. I'll be looking for a recent Parkrun PB. Steve ran a 3000m track this evening, 1st in 10:16. Among Steve's best start to a track season at all distances. .