Rainy training

The Sunday before last was a wet reintroduction to marathon training and an enjoyable return to training after a ten day break for illness. Certainly running two hours early on Sunday morning made me feel right at home, all be it a lot warmer than a winter in England! That 25km was just the start of a great week of training and a boost to my dwindling motivation after being sick.

On Tuesday last week I smashed out a 4 mile tempo run in the rain and surprised myself at how good it felt. Although I haven't been doing my cross training recently (lazy) I have got back into hot yoga and managed three sessions last week between runs. Balancing training and enjoyment is my hardest challenge ;)

Thursday saw a very hard interval session come round. Andrew and me had to push hard to crack it. The first half was 2x1600m with a 90s rest between, which we hit target perfectly around 6:15 for each mile. The second half was a slightly different story and we were a little off the pace for the 800m. However it was a strong training session and I felt we were pushing the limits without much more to give.

I later found out that the marathon program, which was based on my 5pm PB, was meant for a 3h 16min marathon! Considering this PB was set at the end of the Gold Coast half I have no excuse not to reach that one day. It just won't be this year as I've set a realistic aim of 3:25,  which will be 11 minutes quicker than my Newcastle PB set in April.

With that in mind Andrew and I met up on Sunday morning for a 32km long run. Having run the previous week's 25km at an average of 5:20/km in the rain I thought an average of 5:10 would be achievable. The program said 5:03 was the target so I thought this would be a reasonable adjustment.

After running 3km from UTS we met up with Achilles chairman and legendary distance runner Ellis and ran our first 13km around a 5:00 per km pace. This felt challenging but we were still able to chat, so it was an enjoyable stretch of the legs past the Opera House and over the harbour bridge. On returning to the art gallery we still had 18km left to run to get back to the start so we headed out towards my "hood" in the Eastern Suburbs. Taking our run along Oxford Street at 830 in the morning is always interesting as late night revellers spill from the pubs and clubs, still partying from the night before. It makes you feel good that you are doing something healthy (relatively speaking) though and a gave us a push up the hill. As we ran past Centennial Park (CP) and through Bondi Junction we saw plenty of people heading to the colour run to get splattered with paint. At several points over the next 10km I thought I'd rather be doing that than running for three hours! As we came around CP we scoffed gels and took on a little water to get us through the last ten kilometres. That certainly helped, but our legs were feeling those last few kms and it was with a great relief (on my part at least) when we got back to UTS.

Our average was 5:13/km and I think we agreed that it may have been better if we hadn't smashed the first 14km quicker with Ellis. However these are the days to make our mistakes, mix things up and find what works and what doesn't. Come race day we will be ready to take on the distance.

I think there will be a fair few training days of rain coming up, which is fine by me. Next weekend is a faster 25km run, but I'll update you on my sessions before then.

Until next time,  happy training,

Tom :)

The do's and don'ts of running

I've been running marathons for ten years this year and have had my fair share of mistakes and successes. I've probably read all the do's and don'ts of running a thousand times and broken most of the rules along the way. It may be a mistake but it sure has been fun!

So I asked some friends what their do's and don'ts of running were recently to see if there were some new ones. I've compiled a ten point list, because this could go on forever. There are 5 do's and 5 don'ts. Feel free to add your own in the comments section.

Running do's

Whether you run 5k or 100 miles the points below are valid to all.

Do:
1) Get the right shoes.

Go to a shop that specialises in running. If they don't have a treadmill and cameras to video your gait (commonplace nowadays) then they should have runners with some training or an idea of what's going on.
This can save injury and heartache down the road (no pun intended) from blisters, alignment injuries and worse.

2) Progress gradually.

Nobody is superhuman. Even if your heart and lungs can progress rapidly there are areas that are slower to respond. These are the weak links that will break when you push too quickly.
Just follow a sensible program that includes cross training and rest days to ensure you give your body time to repair. Those rest days are where you'll get stronger, not the back to back sprint sessions.

3) Mix it up

Yes you should be focused on the thing that matters most to your goal, running. But running 6-7 days a week as a novice or even experienced runner can lead to overuse injuries and hold you back from reaching your potential on race day. I often find that runners smash themselves so much in training that when they reach their race their bodies and minds are too exhausted to function at 100%. By incorporating some cross training such as cycling, weight training, yoga or even climbing we can allow our bodies a form of rest, but still develop key strength in our core and develop our cardiovascular fitness. We also help to keep motivated to run and can save our energy for race day. Just try running 3-4 times a week and substituting two runs for something different. Your body and brain will thank you for it.

4) Try out new things in training

Whether it is a new running top or an energy gel, give your body a chance to test these things on your training runs. That way you can find what works for you as an individual in advance of race day, thus leaving you prepared and relaxed on the morning of your event. Listen to what other runners might be using, but don't be swayed until you've tried it a few times in training.

5) Run with others

I've found a certain enjoyment in running with others recently. It mixes it up and can provide you with an insight into new run routes and challenges. There is something in sharing the pain of a tough interval session with a friend, you certainly can't give in until it's completed! Don't get too social though if you have an event to train for though, you will find you'll run a lot slower if you are constantly chatting through those long runs.

Don't

1) Run when you are ill

It sounds obvious, but we have all gone for a run or a bike ride when we've had the start of a cold. "I'll just flush it out with a blast of the legs." No you won't. Your body is already fighting illness and now you are just stressing it even more by exercising. Let it take it's course and find the positive in working on areas that you are weak or inconsistent with. Namely core training, stretching and foam rolling ;) If you are constantly getting colds then maybe you need to look at the big picture. How hard are you pushing in work, training or another area of your life? Are you eating a balanced diet to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to repair and grow? We can't push, push, push no matter how amazing we think we are.

2) Wear crotch-less running pants

That got your attention didn't it! Wearing the right gear for your chosen activity is key. Don't get me wrong I am not a believer that the latest big name sports brand gear will make any of us faster. We may look great, but you need substance underneath that gear to run well. However running in an old pair of cargo shorts or baggy t-shirt may not be the answer either. By wearing something that is loose, comfortable and doesn't chafe in the sensitive areas you can avoid missing out on runs. Let me tell you I've had some bad chafing before and it puts you off running quicker than a broken leg. Avoid unnecessary pain and interruption to training, try out your gear on short runs first before using it on longer adventures.

3) Try anything new on race day

I know I have already said "Do try out new things in training", but I think this needs to be said too. The amount of times I have broken this rule and (luckily) got away with it is unreal. But it could go a lot worse. Imagine that you turn up to your first half marathon race. In your race expo goody bag you get some nice freebies. There's a muesli bar, some energy gels and a hat. On the morning of your race you decide to have your free muesli bar instead of your normal race breakfast, it just seems easier at 5am. You feel buzzing at the start of the race and fly off the start line, along the way you chow down on one of the free gels you got the day before. It is really sunny today, but luckily you have your new hat on to shade your eyes. Half an hour later you start to feel a bit sluggish and have a sort of gut cramp, you also feel a headache even though you are well hydrated. 

Now from here it only goes downhill and you end up doing a Paula Radcliffe at the side of the road (Google it if you don't understand), you have to stop and walk because you feel terrible and the hat was tight enough to give you a headache. The rest of the race is a disaster.

We've all done it and it may seem innocuous at the time, but try it out in training, not on race day. Stick to what you have practiced week in, week out and you will be great on the day.

4) Be ignorant

This is a personal rant that I know a lot of other runners have at some stage in their lives. When you are training or racing acknowledge other runners that you pass. It is the smallest thing, but makes the biggest difference. If someone looks like they are struggling then they probably are. We may be running our own race, but that doesn't stop us considering others and say "you alright mate/sheila?" in your best faux Steve Irwin Aussie accent. If nothing else they will smile and appreciate the concern before lumbering on like a sloth on ecstasy. It could also help those out that actually need medical attention during a race. Just saying.

5) Do a Bolt at the start line

Depending on the distance of your race I am fairly certain that running like the World famous Jamaican athlete will not help you. In a marathon it is a recipe for disaster. In a 5km race it could mean giving too much too soon when you should be saving it for the final kilometre. Either way try to stay at the back of your pace group and don't be tempted to overtake everyone in the first kilometre/mile. By doing this you can follow all the people that do shoot off like a sprinter and revel in the enjoyment of cruising past them easily within the last stages of the race. It is the must so satisfying thing in a marathon let me tell you!

Righty-O! I best be off, but feel free to add more do's and don'ts in the comments below. It's a pretty long list.

Happy running!

Tom :)

Rest and improve

It seems that after 10 days off from running I have not lost fitness despite feeling like a large blob. Strangely a few friends have said that I look like I have lost weight, so I decided to weigh myself and see if they were right. Surprisingly I have actually lost 1.5 kg despite eating at least this amount of chocolate every other day. Sadly I expect this is more to do with some kind of muscle atrophy than any helpful fat loss. Not that I am concerned about losing weight. But it would be helpful for running a marathon if I weighed 80 kilos rather than 85.

I have been thinking about my first run back for a number of days now. Originally I thought I would start out with an easy ten kilometre trot just to help bring my lungs back into the game. However as the days went by and I did a cycle, a gym session and two yoga sessions I started to up the ante. Yesterday I was meant to do that easy ten km but instead I did yoga and thoroughly enjoyed not having to run! So with work out of the way this afternoon I fuelled myself to take on this week's speed session, not exactly "easing back in".

Essentially I have 8 weeks of training left until Melbourne marathon and feel like I've gone backwards with my training. So today was a real test to see how I was doing. The intervals were 6x400 metres with 90 seconds rest between each. After that there was a 2.5 minute recovery interval and then the same 6x400m again. The target time for each interval was 1:28 (just under 6 minute mile pace).

I had a nice little warm up jog down to Centennial Park which left me with a double stitch, great start! Once into the park I set off like a dog after a squirrel and knew I was back. The first interval came in at 1:25, nice! Once I had seen that on the watch I knew that I'd be able to do the lot as I wasn't pushing to the max or feeling like my lungs might explode (as with Monday's cycle!) I won't bore you with all the details, but after that I ran at least 1:28 for the other 400s if not quicker and finished with a smile and a swagger as I cruised back home.

Tomorrow I'm going to do a shortened version of this week's tempo run before I run 18 miles on Saturday after my shift at Apple. I definitely feel that being ill has given me back my motivation to train and focused my mind on what I need to do over the next 8 weeks. If I was to give any advice I would tell you to rest up and ease off when you are sick. There's a reason you are ill and by kicking back you will surprise yourself when you get back to full training. Besides as a runner there are always other areas to focus on, like core training, flexibility and strength work, which are forever being left out.

Until the weekend,

Happy training!

T :)

Karma yoga

Last week I started doing Karma yogi work at my yoga studio. I basically do cleaning and any odd jobs for 45 minutes each time and in exchange I get an hour yoga class. I started doing this as I wasn't getting to yoga because of work and was shelling out $30 each week for membership. Now I'm working twice a week at the studio and getting in 2 yoga sessions. Evidently I value my time more than I do money!

Today I did my second yoga class this week and really enjoyed it. I am starting back with running tomorrow, so it has been great to do something different beforehand and just enjoy training rather than feel I have to do it. The benefits of yoga are clear to me as I work on the tight areas of my hips in class. This helps balance out my running and ensure I don't get any knee or back issues from the mileage I'm going to undertake.

As my week officially begins tomorrow I am off running early in the morning before I do 2 hours of concreting and then a days work at Apple. This will be my tactic for training going forward as I am definitely too lazy to run after work in the evenings! As I still have a cough after ten days I'm going to try a 10k just to ease back into it.

I'll let you know how I go.

Tom :)

Day One - back to training

So the struggle has begun. Catherine and I went to the gym this morning to clear the cobwebs out of our lungs. I hadn't trained in a week, so I was expecting it to be a bit hard on the breathing, boy was I in for a surprise. It wasn't a little hard to breathe, it was painfully hard. The kind of burning pain you experience when you do sprint training in rugby or football or during PE at school when you were a kid. Or when you are recovering from illness and haven't done anything in a week, lazy!

Our workout began with a ten minute warm up on the spin bike, followed by ten minutes of fairly straight forward intervals. Now these intervals weren't Tour de France speed intervals, but more post man pedaling up a steep hill intervals and I was dying. My chest was burning and I felt like I was breathing through a straw (I wasn't), but I guess I had to start somewhere. The annoying thing through this session was that Catherine was uber sprightly and keen, having been ill and weak the day before. I guess I shouldn't expect anything less from the human Duracell bunny, she loves to train!

After the "casual" warm-up and intervals on the bike we decided to do a little strength training. Not wanting to strain Catherine too much I suggested we keep things simple and do three rounds of four exercises. The round went like this:

1. 45 secs of squat and press
2. 45 secs of pull-ups
3. 45 secs of push-ups
4. 45 secs of bent over row

After each round the time was reduced by 15 seconds, again this was to accommodate Catherine who had been sick the day before (I'm all heart).

The results of above workout were as follows:

1. I became more out of breath than a fat man chasing an ice cream van
2. After the second exercise of the second round I thought I was going to barf and had to rush off to the toilet
3. On returning to the gym (where Catherine was continuing said training) I had to sit down and have a "breather"
4. I stopped my training at this point, before someone died.

So my thanks go out to Catherine for thoroughly destroying me on my first session back. I hope that my cobwebs have been thoroughly blown away. After this training session I can confidently say that the "little one" is no longer sick and has some sort of super human powers. Dammit.

Tom :)

Getting back into it

It's been awhile, but in my absence from writing my running blog it has been a busy old time. Having run a PB of 1:31 at Gold Coast my goal of a sub-3:30 marathon at Melbourne in October looked ever more likely. However the last two weeks have seen training take a back seat to work and illness.

I finished a 7 day work week last Monday and felt relieved and grateful for a couple of days off. Of course as soon as I relaxed I got ill. The worry from work had obviously got me a little more stressed than I thought and as soon as I told myself not to worry and relax I began coughing. Now a week later having not trained at all, eaten a lot of sweet treats and missed out on City to Surf I am ready to get back to it. I just have to shift this cough out with a little trot tomorrow!

Catherine ran a PB at Gold Coast marathon too with a time of 3:51. I think she did really well considering how hot it was that morning. She is now ill too (obviously) and is just wanting to get back to running. She has no immediate plans for another race, but I think she will do well to focus on speed in shorter distance races and help her marathon times next year. If I hate being off ill it is ten times worse for Catherine. A day off training is hell for her!

I should probably get myself entered for Melbourne and I'll layout my training plan for each week on a blog update soon. That way I can keep myself accountable.

Until then,

Happy training.

Tom :)