Well its a funny situation I find myself in.
The last 3 weeks have been great. I have really began to build some great momentum however I haven't done a race all year and running is simply taking up less and less of my attention as I have a stack of other issues going on in my life that are way more important. The good thing is that I have managed to do 100km 2 out of the last 3 weeks despite being busy with loads of other stuff.
Although it feels great to have hit the ton and to have finally knocked out my first 100km weeks for the year, I have been in this situation before and I know all too well that 100km per week is useless if you don't do it consistently so when I have done 100km per week for 10 weeks in a row, then I will start to get excited.
My weight is at 73kg which is still way too high.
The plan over the next few weeks will just be to maintain the consistency and possibly build slowly on my current mileage of 100km per week. Also I will be trying to do 2 speed sessions per week which I have done over the last 2 weeks.
Here is how the last 3 weeks have looked:
Week ending 29/4 - 100km
Week ending 22/4 - 70km (pullback week)
Week ending 15/4 - 100km
Monday, April 30, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Building momentum... again!
Well things seem to be going ok again but for how much longer? So often in the past I have got some forward momentum only to have it stalled for one reason or another. Right now I am getting very close to 100km per week. The weight is still at 74kg which is still way too high and my current goal race will be the Traralgon Half Marathon which is 8 weeks away.
Here is how the last 5 weeks have looked.
Week ending 4th March - 55km
Week ending 11th March - 65km
Week ending 18th March - 75km
Week ending 25th March - 85km
Week ending 1st April - 90km
So thats how it is right now. I have built the momentum back up but it is very important that I hold it together and hopefully settle at 100km per week. History will show that its much easier said than done!
On 25th March I was lucky enough to see the Melbourne Ironman. It was a great event and totally inspirational. There is no doubt I would love to have a go at this one day but for the moment I can't devote enough time to even think about it.
Here is how the last 5 weeks have looked.
Week ending 4th March - 55km
Week ending 11th March - 65km
Week ending 18th March - 75km
Week ending 25th March - 85km
Week ending 1st April - 90km
So thats how it is right now. I have built the momentum back up but it is very important that I hold it together and hopefully settle at 100km per week. History will show that its much easier said than done!
On 25th March I was lucky enough to see the Melbourne Ironman. It was a great event and totally inspirational. There is no doubt I would love to have a go at this one day but for the moment I can't devote enough time to even think about it.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Crazy from the heat!
It might be the name of a David Lee Roth record/book but thats exactly how I felt on the weekend that has just gone by. For the first time in many months, I didnt run at all on a Sunday. I just could not be bothered running in the horrible heat and humidity. This summer is turning out to be a real shocker and it is made so much worse when the heat will not go away overnight. I find it much harder to motivate myself getting up at 6am when it is still 24 degrees!
So added to all this is the fact that I was also sick recently and during the last 2 weeks I have done a combined total of about 65km! Here is how it has looked:
Week ending 19th Feb - Unwell most of the week, Did a total of about 40km
Week ending 26th Feb - Unwell at the begining of the week, then slowly eased back into some running before being horrified by the heat/humidity of the weekend. Did a total of 25km.
So thats the story right now folks. Not looking too good. Lets hope for some better weeks to follow. I might have to settle for a very mediocre Geelong half in 7 weeks!
So added to all this is the fact that I was also sick recently and during the last 2 weeks I have done a combined total of about 65km! Here is how it has looked:
Week ending 19th Feb - Unwell most of the week, Did a total of about 40km
Week ending 26th Feb - Unwell at the begining of the week, then slowly eased back into some running before being horrified by the heat/humidity of the weekend. Did a total of 25km.
So thats the story right now folks. Not looking too good. Lets hope for some better weeks to follow. I might have to settle for a very mediocre Geelong half in 7 weeks!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Running Memories
Well with not much happening right now, I thought I might upload a few pics from over the years.
2002 Melbourne Half Marathon. Here is a very large me finishing my first ever half!!!
In 2004 at perhaps my heaviest ever running weight. Finishing the 2004 Half. I was about 90kg in those days.
Running for Sandringham at Lardner Park in 2008
Representing the Magpies at Ballarat in 2011.
Finishing the 2011 GOR Half with a new PB. Sorry folks, your garmin is actually right. The course is short. No PB is genuine on this course.
With Coburg legend Ken Carter on the day he was awarded life membership. I managed to convince the club's committee that he deserved it.
Sri Chinmony Princes Park 30km 2009. I was about 66kg around this time.
Sri Chinmoy Como Landing Half Marathon 2009. My first sub 90!!!!
Sri Chinmoy Maribyrnong 8km October 2009. My first ever victory in a fun run!!!
2009 Melbourne Marathon. Theres me leading a pack.
Post-race 2009 MM, chating with Peter Parks.
A soft age-group win at the Wyndham Rotary fun run in 2011. I got a nice trophy!
2002 Melbourne Half Marathon. Here is a very large me finishing my first ever half!!!
In 2004 at perhaps my heaviest ever running weight. Finishing the 2004 Half. I was about 90kg in those days.
Running for Sandringham at Lardner Park in 2008
Representing the Magpies at Ballarat in 2011.
Finishing the 2011 GOR Half with a new PB. Sorry folks, your garmin is actually right. The course is short. No PB is genuine on this course.
With Coburg legend Ken Carter on the day he was awarded life membership. I managed to convince the club's committee that he deserved it.
Sri Chinmony Princes Park 30km 2009. I was about 66kg around this time.
Sri Chinmoy Como Landing Half Marathon 2009. My first sub 90!!!!
Sri Chinmoy Maribyrnong 8km October 2009. My first ever victory in a fun run!!!
2009 Melbourne Marathon. Theres me leading a pack.
Post-race 2009 MM, chating with Peter Parks.
A soft age-group win at the Wyndham Rotary fun run in 2011. I got a nice trophy!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
A bit all over the place!
Well... 3 weeks gone and 3 very different weeks have been experienced!! Overall I would say things are heading in the right direction and you could say there has been some progress but it has not been quite as balanced as I would have liked.
Yesterday I did my longest run for the year which was 28km and my weight is currently sitting on 73kg. There are 9 weeks until the Geelong Half which is my focus and I believe I still have enough time to get myself in shape for a PB.
So here is how the last 3 weeks have looked.
Week 1 (ending 29/1) - pull back week - 70kms
Week 2 (ending 5/2) - 95kms - biggest week for a very long time
Week 3 (ending 12/2) - Sick, missed 3 days of running. Finished with a total of 60kms for the week.
So there you have it, hasnt been the text book way of building up the kms. I have also still only been doing one speed session per week but that will now change to 2 sessions and there may also be the odd race coming up. My main focus over the next few weeks will be trying to crack the ton and eventually staying on 100km per week which is much easier said than done.
Yesterday I did my longest run for the year which was 28km and my weight is currently sitting on 73kg. There are 9 weeks until the Geelong Half which is my focus and I believe I still have enough time to get myself in shape for a PB.
So here is how the last 3 weeks have looked.
Week 1 (ending 29/1) - pull back week - 70kms
Week 2 (ending 5/2) - 95kms - biggest week for a very long time
Week 3 (ending 12/2) - Sick, missed 3 days of running. Finished with a total of 60kms for the week.
So there you have it, hasnt been the text book way of building up the kms. I have also still only been doing one speed session per week but that will now change to 2 sessions and there may also be the odd race coming up. My main focus over the next few weeks will be trying to crack the ton and eventually staying on 100km per week which is much easier said than done.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Building the 'Telephone Book'
Well things are continuing to build. The kms are going up, the kgs are coming down so its all looking great for April 15th which is when I will tackle my next goal race which is of course the Geelong Half Marathon.
The week that has just ended saw me hit a total of 90km which is the most I have done for about six months. My weight has also come down to 74kg and although there is still a long way to go, it is good to see it coming down rather than heading north as it was doing around xmas time.
Recently a well-respected coach told me a theory that building a training base is like making a telephone book. Each session is another page. If you try to rip one page in half, it tears easily. The more pages you have, the more difficult it is to tear. If you try to rip an entire phone book in half, it is almost impossible. So with this theory we are trying to make ourselves as strong as a phone book. Easier said than done but thats the idea.
So here is how my last 2 weeks have looked
Week ending 15th January - Pull back week. Only 60kms
Week ending 22nd January - Inreased the kms to 90kms after feeling much better from the previous lighter week.
I have also started to do 2 runs on a Sunday. There is the long run on Sunday morning, then there is the lovely gentle shorter run at sunset. The Sunday night run is my favourite run of the week even though it is not always suitable due to sometimes having commitments at that time.
So thats how the last 2 weeks have looked. For the next few weeks the focus will still be on making small increases to the weekly mileage but also ensuring that I do some quality training as this has been lacking lately. Also getting the weight towards my goal of <70kg will continuing to be worked on.
The week that has just ended saw me hit a total of 90km which is the most I have done for about six months. My weight has also come down to 74kg and although there is still a long way to go, it is good to see it coming down rather than heading north as it was doing around xmas time.
Recently a well-respected coach told me a theory that building a training base is like making a telephone book. Each session is another page. If you try to rip one page in half, it tears easily. The more pages you have, the more difficult it is to tear. If you try to rip an entire phone book in half, it is almost impossible. So with this theory we are trying to make ourselves as strong as a phone book. Easier said than done but thats the idea.
So here is how my last 2 weeks have looked
Week ending 15th January - Pull back week. Only 60kms
Week ending 22nd January - Inreased the kms to 90kms after feeling much better from the previous lighter week.
I have also started to do 2 runs on a Sunday. There is the long run on Sunday morning, then there is the lovely gentle shorter run at sunset. The Sunday night run is my favourite run of the week even though it is not always suitable due to sometimes having commitments at that time.
So thats how the last 2 weeks have looked. For the next few weeks the focus will still be on making small increases to the weekly mileage but also ensuring that I do some quality training as this has been lacking lately. Also getting the weight towards my goal of <70kg will continuing to be worked on.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The new year is here!!!
Well I must say I am glad to see the back of 2011 for several reasons, both running related and non-running related. 2011 was just not an enjoyable year for me.
Looking to 2012, I am currently pumping out 80km per week and that figure is about to increase. I was very pleased with myself when I ran between 11-14km every day during our recent hot weather here in Melbourne. It was tough but I still managed to get out there. Over the next few weeks I need to focus on getting back to doing some quality sessions on Tuesday nights (and also on Thursdays eventually) and also watching my diet as the weight is still at 76kg which is 10kg over my ideal running weight.
Later this month I will do a few track races and there are some fun runs that I will be considering around late Feburay/early March. The Geelong Half Marathon in April is also on the agenda.
After April there is the AV winter season although I will only run races selectively this year as I am hoping to run a marathon around June/July so that will be my focus. There are also some other fun runs and club races that I hope to participate in so it could be a fairly busy schedule.
For the moment the plan is to get to 100km per week which I hope to do sometime in Febuary. Once I get to that level, I then hope to hold it all year round which I believe will result in PB's over all distances.
So happy 2012 everybody and I hope your new years goals come to fruition just as I am hoping mine do.
For something entertaining, here is a video that I have been watching lately about Steve Prefonaine:
Looking to 2012, I am currently pumping out 80km per week and that figure is about to increase. I was very pleased with myself when I ran between 11-14km every day during our recent hot weather here in Melbourne. It was tough but I still managed to get out there. Over the next few weeks I need to focus on getting back to doing some quality sessions on Tuesday nights (and also on Thursdays eventually) and also watching my diet as the weight is still at 76kg which is 10kg over my ideal running weight.
Later this month I will do a few track races and there are some fun runs that I will be considering around late Feburay/early March. The Geelong Half Marathon in April is also on the agenda.
After April there is the AV winter season although I will only run races selectively this year as I am hoping to run a marathon around June/July so that will be my focus. There are also some other fun runs and club races that I hope to participate in so it could be a fairly busy schedule.
For the moment the plan is to get to 100km per week which I hope to do sometime in Febuary. Once I get to that level, I then hope to hold it all year round which I believe will result in PB's over all distances.
So happy 2012 everybody and I hope your new years goals come to fruition just as I am hoping mine do.
For something entertaining, here is a video that I have been watching lately about Steve Prefonaine:
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