Training this week:
Monday: 4k warm up with strides (5:12), 8 x 3 minutes intervals with 1 minute jog, a bit of self-improvisation by turning them to 800s, covered ~810m by GPS (normally overstates distance). Splits: 2:55/160, 3:04/166, 3:01/168, 3:04/169, 3:01/171, 3:05/174, 2:58/175, 2:59/177. Av for the interval was 3:01, surprisingly feeling fresh two days after 29k long run., 3k cool down (5:37), total 13k+ (av 4:37 pace excl breaks). Wondering how fast I would run Yasso 800 with 3 minutes steady jog instead of 1 minute slow jog?
Tuesday: 46 minutes easy including 1 set of drills & strides, warm and humid, lucky I tweaked Sean’s schedule as otherwise I would struggle to do the intervals today, total 9k+ (av 5:10)
Wednesday: 80 minutes at easy pace, but it wasn’t easy effort-wise, heat index 40+, took a couple of lengthy breaks to stay under shades, total 16k (av 5:04 excl breaks)
Thursday: 42 minutes easy on treadmill, 120 abs crunches, myrtle hip exercise, core work, one-legged squats, lunges, total 8k (av 5:15)
Friday: 4k warm up with strides (5:20), 6k sustained run in 23:48 (av 3:58 pace). Splits: 3:56, 4:01, 3:58, 4:00, 4:01, 3:52. Av HR was 165 bpm (high 172) which was better than the same workout a month ago at av 4:01 pace, 170 bpm (high 183), short jog, 10 minutes up and down 100m hill at steady effort, 3k down (5:10), total 15k+ (av 4:40)
Saturday: off
Sunday: 90 minutes long run with a bit of self improvisation, first 30mins easy pace (5:05), next 30mins moderate pace (4:40), last 30mins steady pace (4:28), total 19k (av 4:45)
Total 81k for the week
Week in Summary:
A decent week with a couple of solid workouts. Good 800s on Monday at around 5k pace, while Friday's 6k tempo run was 3 secs/km faster with 5bpm lower HR compared to the same session one month ago. Comparing the 6-week training blocks between Melbourne ½ (87 min) and Singapore ½, this time I am doing more mileage (15% more over 6 weeks total) and longer long runs (3 runs between 29-32k vs a single 29k for Melbourne). Hence, it looks like my endurance is better. For Melbourne, I did 2 race pace sessions, a 9k and 10k sustained runs averaging 4:05 pace, while this time my most specific run was 2x6k at 4:08 pace (on tired legs). All in all, I am not sure of my chance to get a PB next week and certainly the conditions (300% higher temperature than Melbourne on heat index basis) will make it a challenging task.
Will be interested to see the marathon results and whether the course records will be broken this year. The SCSM organizer has invited 8 sub 2:10 African male runners and 8 sub 2:30 female runners to battle for the glory. I’d say the Singapore Marathon has the deepest field of all marathons in Asia excluding Japan & Korea and is definitely stronger than any Australian marathons.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Too many modifications ?
There is good article on Kara Goucher about running by feel. It is interesting to note that Kara only knows what session to do (either intervals, tempo, easy runs) the night before and her coach, Alberto Salazar only told her the actual workout contents when she shows up on track in the morning. Even then, the session could be modified depending how she handles the beginning of the session or even during the warm up.
see here
http://running.competitor.com/2009/11/features/exclusive-kara-goucher-interview_6885
I have a confession that I frequently modify Coach's schedules to my liking. But rather than changing them depending on how I feel, I do them based on life' schedules and weather conditions. If I feel that I will be time pressed on day x, then I will swap a scheduled workout A with an impromptu easy short run. Also, if weather looks decent (cloudy or after a long rain), I would do a workout instead of a scheduled easy run.
For instance, Coach schedules the following for this week:
Mon ez, Tue Workout, Wed ez, Thu Workout. Fri ez, Sat Long
Instead, this is how I did the week:
Mon Workout, Tue ez, Wed Workout, Thu ez, Fri sort of Workout, Sat Long
All in all, only one session matched the original schedule, which is Saturday's long run. This happens almost every week, ranging from 1-2 tweaks to 6 tweaks just like this week.
I am pretty sure the program is designed for a reason. While sometimes I told Coach about the change, most of the time I didn't tell because I only can decide which session to do after seeing the day's schedule or weather.
This makes me a bad trainee. Is this good or bad??
Anyway, two weeks left before the SCSM Half. My 'modified from the original schedule' training this week:
Monday 3.5k ez/strides (5:05), 15-10-5 minutes intervals > HM pace with 4-3 minutes rest, av pace & HR: 3:59/169 for the 15, 3:58/174 for the 10, 3:49/175 for the 5, lost concentration in the middle segment but overall legs a bit tired from 32k long run two days earlier, 2.7k ez (5:30), total ~14k
Pace & HR data for the same 15-10-5 workout in the last 11 days. It seems the good result on 10 Nov was simply a function of temperature and not fitness.
5 Nov 3:59/168, 3:55/174, 3:49/176 (arvo, rain)
10 Nov 3:59/164, 3:53/169, 3:45/172 (morning, cool)
16 Nov 3:39/169, 3:58/174, 3:49/175 (arvo)
Tuesday 40 minutes easy on treadmill (5:20), 100 abs crunches, myrtle hip exercise, total 7k+
Wednesday 4k ez/strides (5:10), 2 x 6k at HM pace, First 6k in 24:44, av pace 4:08 pace, HR 165 bpm, splits 4:10, 4:12, 4:09, 4:05, 4:07. Second 6k in 24:37, av pac 4:06, HR 172, splits: 4:06, 4:06, 4:08, 4:13, 4:06, 3:58, I expected low 4s on average so a bit disappointed, thought of aborting at 4k mark in the 2nd segment but decided to be mentally disciplined and carried on, 3k ez with 4 short hill sprints (5:20), total 19k
Thursday 50mins easy in the driving rain (5:13), total 9k+
Friday 2.4k ez, 2.84k in 10:33, 3rd (av 3:44, 174 bpm), supposedly 3.2k but well short, a waste of time and effort, 2.4k ez, total 7k+
Saturday the schedule calls for 32k but short on time, planned to get up at 4.30 and start at 5, but only ran at 6am, home-tanglin rd-holland rd-sixth ave-dunearn rd-rifles range and back, first half at 5:05-4:50, second half <4:50, total 29k+ (av 4:53)
Sunday off
Total 87k for the week
see here
http://running.competitor.com/2009/11/features/exclusive-kara-goucher-interview_6885
I have a confession that I frequently modify Coach's schedules to my liking. But rather than changing them depending on how I feel, I do them based on life' schedules and weather conditions. If I feel that I will be time pressed on day x, then I will swap a scheduled workout A with an impromptu easy short run. Also, if weather looks decent (cloudy or after a long rain), I would do a workout instead of a scheduled easy run.
For instance, Coach schedules the following for this week:
Mon ez, Tue Workout, Wed ez, Thu Workout. Fri ez, Sat Long
Instead, this is how I did the week:
Mon Workout, Tue ez, Wed Workout, Thu ez, Fri sort of Workout, Sat Long
All in all, only one session matched the original schedule, which is Saturday's long run. This happens almost every week, ranging from 1-2 tweaks to 6 tweaks just like this week.
I am pretty sure the program is designed for a reason. While sometimes I told Coach about the change, most of the time I didn't tell because I only can decide which session to do after seeing the day's schedule or weather.
This makes me a bad trainee. Is this good or bad??
Anyway, two weeks left before the SCSM Half. My 'modified from the original schedule' training this week:
Monday 3.5k ez/strides (5:05), 15-10-5 minutes intervals > HM pace with 4-3 minutes rest, av pace & HR: 3:59/169 for the 15, 3:58/174 for the 10, 3:49/175 for the 5, lost concentration in the middle segment but overall legs a bit tired from 32k long run two days earlier, 2.7k ez (5:30), total ~14k
Pace & HR data for the same 15-10-5 workout in the last 11 days. It seems the good result on 10 Nov was simply a function of temperature and not fitness.
5 Nov 3:59/168, 3:55/174, 3:49/176 (arvo, rain)
10 Nov 3:59/164, 3:53/169, 3:45/172 (morning, cool)
16 Nov 3:39/169, 3:58/174, 3:49/175 (arvo)
Tuesday 40 minutes easy on treadmill (5:20), 100 abs crunches, myrtle hip exercise, total 7k+
Wednesday 4k ez/strides (5:10), 2 x 6k at HM pace, First 6k in 24:44, av pace 4:08 pace, HR 165 bpm, splits 4:10, 4:12, 4:09, 4:05, 4:07. Second 6k in 24:37, av pac 4:06, HR 172, splits: 4:06, 4:06, 4:08, 4:13, 4:06, 3:58, I expected low 4s on average so a bit disappointed, thought of aborting at 4k mark in the 2nd segment but decided to be mentally disciplined and carried on, 3k ez with 4 short hill sprints (5:20), total 19k
Thursday 50mins easy in the driving rain (5:13), total 9k+
Friday 2.4k ez, 2.84k in 10:33, 3rd (av 3:44, 174 bpm), supposedly 3.2k but well short, a waste of time and effort, 2.4k ez, total 7k+
Saturday the schedule calls for 32k but short on time, planned to get up at 4.30 and start at 5, but only ran at 6am, home-tanglin rd-holland rd-sixth ave-dunearn rd-rifles range and back, first half at 5:05-4:50, second half <4:50, total 29k+ (av 4:53)
Sunday off
Total 87k for the week
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Ok week
Attended a 3-day conference, hence running took a back seat this week. Most runs were short and easy since I had to fit them during the lunch time break. With the exception of one decent session and a long run, everything else was so-so.
Singapore now officially enters the monsoon/rainy season. I actually like the rainy season since the morning is normally very cool (24-25c), especially after an overnight’s rain.
Had a good 15-10-5 minutes session which have become my favorite of late. Did the workout in the morning, which led to faster pace and lower heart rate. Average pace were 3:59/164, 3:53/169, 3:45/172 versus a similar session done last week in the afternoon under rainy conditions with av paces of 4:00/168, 3:55/174, 3:49/176. Therefore, av HR during the intervals were 4bpm lower, but average paces were a couple of seconds faster, which is always a good sign. I think this is underpinned by the favorable weather conditions as well as the recently introduced moderate-paced long runs which gave that slightly extra endurance stimulus.
Three weeks to go to the SCSM 21k!
Anyway, training this week:
Monday: one hour easy including 5 long hill sprints, total 11k+ (av 5:00), 100 abs crunches, 2x15 lat pull, deltoid row, fly, rotary calf, leg curl, leg extension
Tuesday: 15mins warm up with strides, 15-10-5 minutes intervals with 4-3 mins walk/jog recovery, average pace: 3:59/164, 3:53/169, 3:45/172, 10mins cool down including 2x200m, total 12k+ (av 4:28 excl rests; pm 5k slow (av 5:40), Myrtle hip exercise
Wednesday: Felt crap after yesterday’s session, 50mins easy with stops here and there, total 9k+ (av 5:13)
Thursday: 4k up, 10 x ~200m hill, up in 55secs, down in 65sec down, 5x100m hill sprints, walk rec, 1 set of drills and strides (high skipping, high knees, butt kicks, carioca, bounding), 4k cool down, total 12k (av 5:03 excl breaks).
Friday: 35mins relaxed run on treadmill, 6k+ (av 5:25)
Saturday: Nice running on a great route (Rifles Range) in cool conditions (24c), first hour 5:00-4:50 pace, second hour 4:40 pace, finished up with 8 x 30secs on/90secs off and a couple ks cool down, total 32k (av 4:50 excl breaks)
Sunday: off
Total 89k for the week
Singapore now officially enters the monsoon/rainy season. I actually like the rainy season since the morning is normally very cool (24-25c), especially after an overnight’s rain.
Had a good 15-10-5 minutes session which have become my favorite of late. Did the workout in the morning, which led to faster pace and lower heart rate. Average pace were 3:59/164, 3:53/169, 3:45/172 versus a similar session done last week in the afternoon under rainy conditions with av paces of 4:00/168, 3:55/174, 3:49/176. Therefore, av HR during the intervals were 4bpm lower, but average paces were a couple of seconds faster, which is always a good sign. I think this is underpinned by the favorable weather conditions as well as the recently introduced moderate-paced long runs which gave that slightly extra endurance stimulus.
Three weeks to go to the SCSM 21k!
Anyway, training this week:
Monday: one hour easy including 5 long hill sprints, total 11k+ (av 5:00), 100 abs crunches, 2x15 lat pull, deltoid row, fly, rotary calf, leg curl, leg extension
Tuesday: 15mins warm up with strides, 15-10-5 minutes intervals with 4-3 mins walk/jog recovery, average pace: 3:59/164, 3:53/169, 3:45/172, 10mins cool down including 2x200m, total 12k+ (av 4:28 excl rests; pm 5k slow (av 5:40), Myrtle hip exercise
Wednesday: Felt crap after yesterday’s session, 50mins easy with stops here and there, total 9k+ (av 5:13)
Thursday: 4k up, 10 x ~200m hill, up in 55secs, down in 65sec down, 5x100m hill sprints, walk rec, 1 set of drills and strides (high skipping, high knees, butt kicks, carioca, bounding), 4k cool down, total 12k (av 5:03 excl breaks).
Friday: 35mins relaxed run on treadmill, 6k+ (av 5:25)
Saturday: Nice running on a great route (Rifles Range) in cool conditions (24c), first hour 5:00-4:50 pace, second hour 4:40 pace, finished up with 8 x 30secs on/90secs off and a couple ks cool down, total 32k (av 4:50 excl breaks)
Sunday: off
Total 89k for the week
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Self Improvisations
Good week. Probably the first time I came close to completing Sean’s written program since I engaged him to be my coach a couple of months ago.
I also made some self-improvisations to my training by introducing a few extra things here and there, such as barefoot strides, technique drills, and short hill sprints which are not in the Coach’s program. I think it’s a good time to introduce them now, and if I do them diligently, I might reap the benefits (e.g. better running economy) in time for 2010 GC marathon build-up.
Another new thing that I introduce is a fartlek-esque long run. Coach only prescribes me to do my long run at 4:50 pace, which can either be a flat 4:50 pace for the whole duration or a progression-style, something like 5:00 in the first half and 4:40 in the second half or a real progression from 5:00-4:15 pace. Due to Singapore conditions and the fact that I am a heavy sweater, it’s hard for me to do progression-type run over here. After 60-90 minutes or so, I would experience a huge sweat loss and hydration-deficit (I could drink more, but that would make the stomach sloshing with water). In light of this, what I did this week was to run the faster stuff in the first half while I am still fully-hydrated and the temperature is still cool. Maybe I should call it a reverse-progression run haha? As the main purpose of progression run is to teach the body running at faster pace while tired, I did a short fartlek at the back end in order to replicate the stress. For example, today I did 5k warm up, 12k solid at goal MP less 20secs, 3k easy, 5k of alternating 1min on/off, 4k cool down. Not so sure, whether this would have the same effect as a normal progression run, but I guess I’ll give it a try. Furthermore, this also makes the long run more interesting due to the pace variation.
Anyway, training this week:
Monday: 3k up, 7 x 800m hilly loop (splits 3:00, 3:01, 3:02, 3:04, 3:02, 3:05, 3:07 with 1:40 rest), the loop wasn't difficult, but I still struggled. Clockwise, 1min moderate slope, 2min gradual downhill (acts like recovery), anti-clockwise 2mins gradual rise (not challenging), 1mins steep downhill. Need to find a better loop with more ups and downs. 3k down with 6 x 20secs barefoot strides on grass, Myrtle hip exercise, total 12k+ (av 4:35 excl breaks)
Tuesday: 100 abs, 8k easy on treadmill to minimize leg pounding (5:12), 1k jog to grassy area, 1 set of drills and strides, 1k down, total 11k+ (av 5:10)
Wednesday: 1 hour easy moderate (15mins @ 5:10, 5:00, 4:50, 4:40), then 20mins easy, the original plan was to finish last 20mins at 4:20-4:30 but legs didn’t want to go. Super humid morning, 5 x 10secs hill sprints to hopefully oust the staleness for tomorrow’s session, total 16k+ (av 4:56)
Thursday: 3k up, 15-10-5 minutes intervals (av pace 4:00, 3:55, 3:49). Recovery 4mins and 3mins, had bowel problems and had to poo during the recovery. 3k down, total 13.6k (av 4:27 excl breaks). Did 10mins of light upper/lower weights. Sean schedules this workout for the next 2 weeks, so will be interested to see the progress.
Friday: 35mins relaxed run on treadmill, 100 abs, Myrtle hip exercise, lunges, total 6k+ (av 5:30)
Saturday: 5k easy (5:10), 12k solid undulating terrain(4:35), 3k easy (5:20), 5k of 1min HM pace/ez (av 4:35), 4k easy (5:10). Warm morning, dehydrated. Had to stop a few times, total 29k (av 4:50 excl breaks)
Sunday: off
Total 89k for the week
I also made some self-improvisations to my training by introducing a few extra things here and there, such as barefoot strides, technique drills, and short hill sprints which are not in the Coach’s program. I think it’s a good time to introduce them now, and if I do them diligently, I might reap the benefits (e.g. better running economy) in time for 2010 GC marathon build-up.
Another new thing that I introduce is a fartlek-esque long run. Coach only prescribes me to do my long run at 4:50 pace, which can either be a flat 4:50 pace for the whole duration or a progression-style, something like 5:00 in the first half and 4:40 in the second half or a real progression from 5:00-4:15 pace. Due to Singapore conditions and the fact that I am a heavy sweater, it’s hard for me to do progression-type run over here. After 60-90 minutes or so, I would experience a huge sweat loss and hydration-deficit (I could drink more, but that would make the stomach sloshing with water). In light of this, what I did this week was to run the faster stuff in the first half while I am still fully-hydrated and the temperature is still cool. Maybe I should call it a reverse-progression run haha? As the main purpose of progression run is to teach the body running at faster pace while tired, I did a short fartlek at the back end in order to replicate the stress. For example, today I did 5k warm up, 12k solid at goal MP less 20secs, 3k easy, 5k of alternating 1min on/off, 4k cool down. Not so sure, whether this would have the same effect as a normal progression run, but I guess I’ll give it a try. Furthermore, this also makes the long run more interesting due to the pace variation.
Anyway, training this week:
Monday: 3k up, 7 x 800m hilly loop (splits 3:00, 3:01, 3:02, 3:04, 3:02, 3:05, 3:07 with 1:40 rest), the loop wasn't difficult, but I still struggled. Clockwise, 1min moderate slope, 2min gradual downhill (acts like recovery), anti-clockwise 2mins gradual rise (not challenging), 1mins steep downhill. Need to find a better loop with more ups and downs. 3k down with 6 x 20secs barefoot strides on grass, Myrtle hip exercise, total 12k+ (av 4:35 excl breaks)
Tuesday: 100 abs, 8k easy on treadmill to minimize leg pounding (5:12), 1k jog to grassy area, 1 set of drills and strides, 1k down, total 11k+ (av 5:10)
Wednesday: 1 hour easy moderate (15mins @ 5:10, 5:00, 4:50, 4:40), then 20mins easy, the original plan was to finish last 20mins at 4:20-4:30 but legs didn’t want to go. Super humid morning, 5 x 10secs hill sprints to hopefully oust the staleness for tomorrow’s session, total 16k+ (av 4:56)
Thursday: 3k up, 15-10-5 minutes intervals (av pace 4:00, 3:55, 3:49). Recovery 4mins and 3mins, had bowel problems and had to poo during the recovery. 3k down, total 13.6k (av 4:27 excl breaks). Did 10mins of light upper/lower weights. Sean schedules this workout for the next 2 weeks, so will be interested to see the progress.
Friday: 35mins relaxed run on treadmill, 100 abs, Myrtle hip exercise, lunges, total 6k+ (av 5:30)
Saturday: 5k easy (5:10), 12k solid undulating terrain(4:35), 3k easy (5:20), 5k of 1min HM pace/ez (av 4:35), 4k easy (5:10). Warm morning, dehydrated. Had to stop a few times, total 29k (av 4:50 excl breaks)
Sunday: off
Total 89k for the week
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Season ain't over yet
Really envious of Clown & Epi who have finished their running seasons and are heading to Everest Base Camp.
My running season is not finished yet, with SCSM half marathon in 5 weeks time.
Did 280k in October – lowest monthly mileage in a while. This was a function of doing 3 races (3k, 21k, 10k) within a span of 20 days and the associated pre-race taper and post-race recovery. My monthly average between April and September was 350k+, hence this month was 70k short. I do feel that I have lost some ‘oomph’ from the drop in mileage (presumably endurance). Note that these races are my personal choices, and the coach just wrote the program around these events.
Hence, I am quite happy to see the training ramping up back to my usual 80-90k range over the next few weeks. The Coach’s plan is a bit different to the prep for Melbourne HM, emphasizing more on endurance this time around. Will be doing mostly 90ks a week and only taper in the last several days. Long runs have now been extended to 32k.
Another change from the last prep was shorter fast-sustained runs (tempos). Last time, I did a couple of 10k sustained run at HM pace – which took me around 40-41mins. In general, I think they were useful sessions and I was able to run at this pace during the race (unfortunately, the pace slowed in the second half, hence the reason for adding mileage and longer long runs) This time around, most speed workouts are 20-30mins in total duration and they will be in long intervals format with long breaks in between.
Therefore, some new tweaks in training (more mileage, short tempos). Let’s see what happens on Dec 6!
M: 18k easy (4:53)
T: 12k easy (5:00)
W: 2.5k wu, 6k sustained run @ 4:01 pace, 5x100m hills, 2k cd
T: 7k very easy (5:30) + core strength
F: 12k easy (5:00)
S: 5k easy (5:10), 21k moderate(4:40), total 26k
S: off
Total 86k for the week
My running season is not finished yet, with SCSM half marathon in 5 weeks time.
Did 280k in October – lowest monthly mileage in a while. This was a function of doing 3 races (3k, 21k, 10k) within a span of 20 days and the associated pre-race taper and post-race recovery. My monthly average between April and September was 350k+, hence this month was 70k short. I do feel that I have lost some ‘oomph’ from the drop in mileage (presumably endurance). Note that these races are my personal choices, and the coach just wrote the program around these events.
Hence, I am quite happy to see the training ramping up back to my usual 80-90k range over the next few weeks. The Coach’s plan is a bit different to the prep for Melbourne HM, emphasizing more on endurance this time around. Will be doing mostly 90ks a week and only taper in the last several days. Long runs have now been extended to 32k.
Another change from the last prep was shorter fast-sustained runs (tempos). Last time, I did a couple of 10k sustained run at HM pace – which took me around 40-41mins. In general, I think they were useful sessions and I was able to run at this pace during the race (unfortunately, the pace slowed in the second half, hence the reason for adding mileage and longer long runs) This time around, most speed workouts are 20-30mins in total duration and they will be in long intervals format with long breaks in between.
Therefore, some new tweaks in training (more mileage, short tempos). Let’s see what happens on Dec 6!
M: 18k easy (4:53)
T: 12k easy (5:00)
W: 2.5k wu, 6k sustained run @ 4:01 pace, 5x100m hills, 2k cd
T: 7k very easy (5:30) + core strength
F: 12k easy (5:00)
S: 5k easy (5:10), 21k moderate(4:40), total 26k
S: off
Total 86k for the week
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Need mental toughness
Just wasn't mentally switched on to run the Nike 10k yesterday. Hence, I bagged another DNF in my running CV.
Work has been busy & stressful for the whole week, so it zapped a lot of of my brain energy and focus. At the start of the race, I wasn't feeling that flashy anyway since this is my 3rd race in 20 days (after 3k and 21k). Again, to make sure I got good starting position among the 10,000 runners, I waited at the start line for a good 40 minutes and probably lost all of the warm up benefit. Ran pretty consistent splits for the first few ks and passed the 5k mark in 19:36. So I was still on track for a small PB. However, for some reasons, I then got switched off mentally, lost concentration, and went wayward. Before I knew it, I passed the next 2ks at 4:10 and 4:20 pace. At this juncture, I began to have side stitch and I realized around 41mins was the best I could hope for - which is slower than my 10k split during the half marathon a couple of weeks ago. Felt very de-motivated and I decided to quit at 7k, walked and cheered other runners. Maybe I just didn't care about the race enough.
I used to like 10k a lot, but now I think it is the hardest event for me to PB. For HM and marathon, you are more or less forgiven even if the pace slows down by 20secs for 1-2k since you have chance later on (later kms) to recoup. For 5k or below, the race is very short, you don't need to concentrate for a long time and you'll finish the race before your brain starts to play tricks. 10k for me is very tough, even after running had for 5k, you still have 50% of race distance to go. And once, your pace drifted downwards at km 6-8, mentally it's hard to tell yourself that you can recoup the time lost.
Six weeks to go before the SCSM Half Marathon. Let's hope this one won't turn out as another DNF.
Work has been busy & stressful for the whole week, so it zapped a lot of of my brain energy and focus. At the start of the race, I wasn't feeling that flashy anyway since this is my 3rd race in 20 days (after 3k and 21k). Again, to make sure I got good starting position among the 10,000 runners, I waited at the start line for a good 40 minutes and probably lost all of the warm up benefit. Ran pretty consistent splits for the first few ks and passed the 5k mark in 19:36. So I was still on track for a small PB. However, for some reasons, I then got switched off mentally, lost concentration, and went wayward. Before I knew it, I passed the next 2ks at 4:10 and 4:20 pace. At this juncture, I began to have side stitch and I realized around 41mins was the best I could hope for - which is slower than my 10k split during the half marathon a couple of weeks ago. Felt very de-motivated and I decided to quit at 7k, walked and cheered other runners. Maybe I just didn't care about the race enough.
I used to like 10k a lot, but now I think it is the hardest event for me to PB. For HM and marathon, you are more or less forgiven even if the pace slows down by 20secs for 1-2k since you have chance later on (later kms) to recoup. For 5k or below, the race is very short, you don't need to concentrate for a long time and you'll finish the race before your brain starts to play tricks. 10k for me is very tough, even after running had for 5k, you still have 50% of race distance to go. And once, your pace drifted downwards at km 6-8, mentally it's hard to tell yourself that you can recoup the time lost.
Six weeks to go before the SCSM Half Marathon. Let's hope this one won't turn out as another DNF.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Very light week
Most likely I won't be running Seoul next March. For my next marathon, I really wanna have a good attempt at sub-3, rather than training specificaly and aiming for something like 3:02-3:03. Since Seoul is 5 months away, I think sub 3 will be a big stretch. In addition, Seoul is gonna be really cold (it was <0 in 2007) around that time.
Quite keen to run Gold Coast again in July. Weather is typically pretty good, 10c and calm. Good organization with pacing group led by Mona or Pat Carroll. Also we can combine with a family trip again to my wife's place in Melbourne. Don't mind running Perth if the timing is right.
This leaves a good 8 months to train. Not sure what Sean has in mind to fill that period. It could be base building or even focusing on shorter distances to increase overall speed. Will have an in-depth discussion after Singapore Half Marathon on Dec 6.
Training wise, this week is very light with three rest days to recover from last week HM. 51k total, mostly easy runs.
Next week will run the Nike Human Race 10k. No expectation on finishing time as my training was geared towards last week's HM. Have not been doing intervals for a month, as training in recent weeks mainly consisted of HM pace and lots of easy running.
Oh ya, I am 38 years old today. Hopefully I will be wiser and faster!
Quite keen to run Gold Coast again in July. Weather is typically pretty good, 10c and calm. Good organization with pacing group led by Mona or Pat Carroll. Also we can combine with a family trip again to my wife's place in Melbourne. Don't mind running Perth if the timing is right.
This leaves a good 8 months to train. Not sure what Sean has in mind to fill that period. It could be base building or even focusing on shorter distances to increase overall speed. Will have an in-depth discussion after Singapore Half Marathon on Dec 6.
Training wise, this week is very light with three rest days to recover from last week HM. 51k total, mostly easy runs.
Next week will run the Nike Human Race 10k. No expectation on finishing time as my training was geared towards last week's HM. Have not been doing intervals for a month, as training in recent weeks mainly consisted of HM pace and lots of easy running.
Oh ya, I am 38 years old today. Hopefully I will be wiser and faster!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Under-performance (again)
Did the Melbourne Half Marathon 2009 today in 87:05.
A small PB - feeling slightly more disappointed than happy.
I failed to take advantage of a fine, calm Melbourne day (which is rare), a flat course, and a good field (164 runners finished ahead of moi)
Was hoping to run 85-86 - which I thought was doable given the conditions. Coach thinks that I had a good chance for 86:20 and asked me to go out at 4:05 pace. In the end, I averaged 4:05 according to Garmin. But as usual, Garmin always overshoot race distance, it measured 21.3 on a certified HM course. Actualy, the km markers were a bit disapointing for such a big run as some of them (especialy the so-called halfway point) were inaccurately placed. For future races, perhaps I should take into account GPS' typical 100-200m over-estimation (worth 20-40secs for my speed) into my pacing plan.
As mentioned previously, I pulled a hammy during last week's 3000m. Went to a physio (reputed to be the best sports physio in SG), but very disappointed with the visit. He used a deodorant roll-on to massage voltaren to my hammy which I could do by myself. He simply told me to rest and that was it. What a rip-off! Give me tennis ball and foam roller anytime!
On Friday, I did a 50mins run in Melbourne and the hammy was ok. Hence, I was in confident mood going into today's race. However, I aggravated the problem in a funny circumstance. With about 15mins before the start, I was still queueing at the port-a-loo. I (with a few other runners) decided to go to the Botanical Garden across the road from start point and ran hard up the hill to find a bush to pee. I pulled the hammy again during the uphill run and I knew that it wouldn't be an easy day.
In light of this, I ran very cautiously all the way to avoid the hammy blewing up. I didn't take any drink until the 13k mark because I didn't want to take a risk of stopping and resuming the run with pulled hamstring. In the second half, the hammy just got tighter and I also faded due to tiredness. Even in the last 1k, I didn't make any attempt to sprint pass people as I didn't want to risk sprinting on the slippery grass field inside MCG.
Average HR was 169 bpm - which I think is a bit on the low side. (my marathon HR from Gold Coast ws 165)
As expected, I had positive splits due to the tight hammy and fade. 5k splits: 20:10, 20:26, 20:36, 20:44 + 5:07, 10k splits 40:36, 41:20. Official Result: 87:05, Position 164, gender position 147, age group position 36
4:04/156, 3:59/166, 4:00/169, 4:03/167, 4:04/169, 4:06/168, 4:03/168, 4:05/169, 4:06/169, 4:06/168, 4:06/169, 4:05/169, 4:13/170, 4:06/171, 4:06/171, 4:10/171, 4:09/171, 4:03/171, 4:11/172, 4:11/175, 4:05/175, 1:02/179 (300m)
In the end, I managed a small PB for the Half Marathon. On the posive side, this is the first time in 3 years that I managed to get 2 PBs in one year.
Slightly disappointed as I felt that lack of self-belief is my weakness. I think I probably should have pushed the boundaries a bit today. McMillan predicts a 3:03:40 marathon based on today's timing, so I am still far from sub 3-hour shape.
Anyway, what's done is done.
Commiseration to Rob who pulled out at 12k due to injury. We had a few beers afterwards at the Young & Jacksons, and the yak pale ale was nice!
A small PB - feeling slightly more disappointed than happy.
I failed to take advantage of a fine, calm Melbourne day (which is rare), a flat course, and a good field (164 runners finished ahead of moi)
Was hoping to run 85-86 - which I thought was doable given the conditions. Coach thinks that I had a good chance for 86:20 and asked me to go out at 4:05 pace. In the end, I averaged 4:05 according to Garmin. But as usual, Garmin always overshoot race distance, it measured 21.3 on a certified HM course. Actualy, the km markers were a bit disapointing for such a big run as some of them (especialy the so-called halfway point) were inaccurately placed. For future races, perhaps I should take into account GPS' typical 100-200m over-estimation (worth 20-40secs for my speed) into my pacing plan.
As mentioned previously, I pulled a hammy during last week's 3000m. Went to a physio (reputed to be the best sports physio in SG), but very disappointed with the visit. He used a deodorant roll-on to massage voltaren to my hammy which I could do by myself. He simply told me to rest and that was it. What a rip-off! Give me tennis ball and foam roller anytime!
On Friday, I did a 50mins run in Melbourne and the hammy was ok. Hence, I was in confident mood going into today's race. However, I aggravated the problem in a funny circumstance. With about 15mins before the start, I was still queueing at the port-a-loo. I (with a few other runners) decided to go to the Botanical Garden across the road from start point and ran hard up the hill to find a bush to pee. I pulled the hammy again during the uphill run and I knew that it wouldn't be an easy day.
In light of this, I ran very cautiously all the way to avoid the hammy blewing up. I didn't take any drink until the 13k mark because I didn't want to take a risk of stopping and resuming the run with pulled hamstring. In the second half, the hammy just got tighter and I also faded due to tiredness. Even in the last 1k, I didn't make any attempt to sprint pass people as I didn't want to risk sprinting on the slippery grass field inside MCG.
Average HR was 169 bpm - which I think is a bit on the low side. (my marathon HR from Gold Coast ws 165)
As expected, I had positive splits due to the tight hammy and fade. 5k splits: 20:10, 20:26, 20:36, 20:44 + 5:07, 10k splits 40:36, 41:20. Official Result: 87:05, Position 164, gender position 147, age group position 36
4:04/156, 3:59/166, 4:00/169, 4:03/167, 4:04/169, 4:06/168, 4:03/168, 4:05/169, 4:06/169, 4:06/168, 4:06/169, 4:05/169, 4:13/170, 4:06/171, 4:06/171, 4:10/171, 4:09/171, 4:03/171, 4:11/172, 4:11/175, 4:05/175, 1:02/179 (300m)
In the end, I managed a small PB for the Half Marathon. On the posive side, this is the first time in 3 years that I managed to get 2 PBs in one year.
Slightly disappointed as I felt that lack of self-belief is my weakness. I think I probably should have pushed the boundaries a bit today. McMillan predicts a 3:03:40 marathon based on today's timing, so I am still far from sub 3-hour shape.
Anyway, what's done is done.
Commiseration to Rob who pulled out at 12k due to injury. We had a few beers afterwards at the Young & Jacksons, and the yak pale ale was nice!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Good one-two punches, now hamstrung !
Last week, I wrote that I was feeling like a boxer on the ropes. With the final bell about to ring (HM next week), I went out in a counter attacking mode and had a couple of punches (workouts):
1)10k at HM pace. I really don’t know what my HM pace is, so I decided to run at my usual tempo pace between 4:00-4:10 pace (last week did 9k averaging 4:06, so I think that range is reasonable.). Finished the run in 40:40, av 4:04 min/km. Splits: 4:02, 4:04, 4:03, 4:06, 4:04, 4:05, 4:04, 4:09, 4:07, 3:53. Average HR was 169 bpm with a high of 179.
Talking about race simulation, my 10k at HM pace as the last workout before the race is pale in comparison with Dathan Ritzehein. He is preparing for the World Half Champs next week and ran a 10 mile race pace run in training, unofficially breaking the American record. A 16k training run at 21k race pace, that’s what I call WOW.
http://www.oregonlive.com/trackandfield/index.ssf/2009/09/dathan_ritzenhein_runs_faster.html
2)3000m track race. This is my first ever 3000m race and my lack of experiences showed in terms of pacing. Splits: 40, 84, 86, 88, 90, 90, 90, 81 = 10:51. In terms of per km, the split was 3:31, 3:44, 3:36 (av HR 178, high 188), crossing the 2400m in 8:45 (Singaporeans are always interested in 2.4k timing 'cos it's a fitness test for national service!). Managed to win the race, finishing ahead of runners from India, Srilanka, Thailand, and Malaysia. The event is the annual Singapore Masters T&F Championship. Note that the race wasn’t very competitive. Firstly, there was no prize other than trophy. Secondly, Singaporeans are hard working and people in my age group are busy doing their mid-life crisis, couch potato, baby bonus, hard-cash professional lives. Thirdly, Singapore does not have a running heritage (current fastest marathoner is under 2:40).
Quite surprised to see the finish time (av 3:37 pace) since I never ran faster than 3:50 min/km during intervals. I believe I could have run even faster given 1) bad pacing; 2) uncompetitive race and I was running alone after the first lap; 3) the race was delayed for 1 hour and I had to do four warm ups in different times since I didn’t know when the race would start; 4) I pulled a hammy about midway; 5) my HR only peaked at 188 (I usually hit 190+ during intervals); and 6) no 3k pace work other than 100m strides.
McMillan puts me at 1:27:27 (4:09 pace) for the HM based on today’s 3k. Jack Daniels is more generous at VDOT of around 53.5. This projects 1:26:20 HM (4:06 pace). Another reference point is this week’s 10k run at 4:04 pace based on Garmin. My lingering concern is that my long run and easy runs paces which are very easy at 5:00-6:00 min/km. Any ideas?
The biggest concern is the pulled hamstring from today’s 3k race. It felt really bad when I finished the race. I don’t know how serious it is, probably until the time I wake up and run tomorrow. Let’s hope I have enough reserve to do one final punch next week.
Update: Just received feedback from Coach. He said I could have run 10secs faster (10:40s) in the 3000m if I started slower and ran consistent 85-86 laps. Also, he suggests to go out at 4:05 pace for the HM (86s), but warns not to run with injury.
1)10k at HM pace. I really don’t know what my HM pace is, so I decided to run at my usual tempo pace between 4:00-4:10 pace (last week did 9k averaging 4:06, so I think that range is reasonable.). Finished the run in 40:40, av 4:04 min/km. Splits: 4:02, 4:04, 4:03, 4:06, 4:04, 4:05, 4:04, 4:09, 4:07, 3:53. Average HR was 169 bpm with a high of 179.
Talking about race simulation, my 10k at HM pace as the last workout before the race is pale in comparison with Dathan Ritzehein. He is preparing for the World Half Champs next week and ran a 10 mile race pace run in training, unofficially breaking the American record. A 16k training run at 21k race pace, that’s what I call WOW.
http://www.oregonlive.com/trackandfield/index.ssf/2009/09/dathan_ritzenhein_runs_faster.html
2)3000m track race. This is my first ever 3000m race and my lack of experiences showed in terms of pacing. Splits: 40, 84, 86, 88, 90, 90, 90, 81 = 10:51. In terms of per km, the split was 3:31, 3:44, 3:36 (av HR 178, high 188), crossing the 2400m in 8:45 (Singaporeans are always interested in 2.4k timing 'cos it's a fitness test for national service!). Managed to win the race, finishing ahead of runners from India, Srilanka, Thailand, and Malaysia. The event is the annual Singapore Masters T&F Championship. Note that the race wasn’t very competitive. Firstly, there was no prize other than trophy. Secondly, Singaporeans are hard working and people in my age group are busy doing their mid-life crisis, couch potato, baby bonus, hard-cash professional lives. Thirdly, Singapore does not have a running heritage (current fastest marathoner is under 2:40).
Quite surprised to see the finish time (av 3:37 pace) since I never ran faster than 3:50 min/km during intervals. I believe I could have run even faster given 1) bad pacing; 2) uncompetitive race and I was running alone after the first lap; 3) the race was delayed for 1 hour and I had to do four warm ups in different times since I didn’t know when the race would start; 4) I pulled a hammy about midway; 5) my HR only peaked at 188 (I usually hit 190+ during intervals); and 6) no 3k pace work other than 100m strides.
McMillan puts me at 1:27:27 (4:09 pace) for the HM based on today’s 3k. Jack Daniels is more generous at VDOT of around 53.5. This projects 1:26:20 HM (4:06 pace). Another reference point is this week’s 10k run at 4:04 pace based on Garmin. My lingering concern is that my long run and easy runs paces which are very easy at 5:00-6:00 min/km. Any ideas?
The biggest concern is the pulled hamstring from today’s 3k race. It felt really bad when I finished the race. I don’t know how serious it is, probably until the time I wake up and run tomorrow. Let’s hope I have enough reserve to do one final punch next week.
Update: Just received feedback from Coach. He said I could have run 10secs faster (10:40s) in the 3000m if I started slower and ran consistent 85-86 laps. Also, he suggests to go out at 4:05 pace for the HM (86s), but warns not to run with injury.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
On the ropes
Ran 87k for the week, consisting of 17k of running at Threshold or faster and 70k of very 'easy' running.
And what I meant with easy is in fact, really really easy, something like 5:00-6:30 min/km on my easy days. Coach's guideliene for easy runs is 5:00-5:20 but for some reasons I can't go any faster these days. My legs are tired all the time. I felt like a boxer leaning on the ropes in a boxing match. Just holding on to survive (running at slow paces), with an occasional counter punch when feeling strong (1 good run per week).
Did 1 full workout and 2 little sessions:
1) 9k hard + 10x100 hill: Coach is really old-skool and basically only uses two pace terms, namely either hard or easy. With such opaqueness, I just ran the pace that I feel is appropriate for that distance. Did the 9k in 36:55, average 4:06 (according to GPS); Struggling with side stitch in the second half. All in all, not a bad effort considering I did a 29k long run the day before (36 hours rest)
2) Thursday's program calls for 15-15-8 hard, but only managed to complete 15mins @ 4:02 pace due to heavy rain. I asked Coach whether I could repeat the same session the day after, but he said no and was against me making up session. I had to beg him to give him a short make-good session. The next day, I did a little workout of 2x8mins hard (4mins rec). I covered 2.1k in each of 8mins, pace about 3:50 min/km.
For some reasons, I am struggling to run under 3:50 pace in the last couple of months. Lactic acid always rise very quickly everytime I want to run faster. Bear in mind that intervals in the program are never shorter than 5 minutes and recovery never longer than 90secs. I think my brain probably takes a conscious decision to prevent me running any faster since the intervals are long and recovery are short.
Next week, I will be running my virgin 3000m track for over 35s. Honestly, I think I would be lucky to run under 11:45 since my fastest interval pace is only 3:50 min/km. Coach doesn't schedule any 3k-paced work in his program. I can see myself to be flooded with lactic acid due to the absence of short, fast intervals. But I don't really care since it is just a part of training and marathon is really what I am training for.
Still struggling with sore hips (I think it is pirofirmis). Have been using foam roller and tennis ball to work the ass. Found Myrtil exercise on internet and I shall give it a try.
http://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?do=view&video_id=8190
And what I meant with easy is in fact, really really easy, something like 5:00-6:30 min/km on my easy days. Coach's guideliene for easy runs is 5:00-5:20 but for some reasons I can't go any faster these days. My legs are tired all the time. I felt like a boxer leaning on the ropes in a boxing match. Just holding on to survive (running at slow paces), with an occasional counter punch when feeling strong (1 good run per week).
Did 1 full workout and 2 little sessions:
1) 9k hard + 10x100 hill: Coach is really old-skool and basically only uses two pace terms, namely either hard or easy. With such opaqueness, I just ran the pace that I feel is appropriate for that distance. Did the 9k in 36:55, average 4:06 (according to GPS); Struggling with side stitch in the second half. All in all, not a bad effort considering I did a 29k long run the day before (36 hours rest)
2) Thursday's program calls for 15-15-8 hard, but only managed to complete 15mins @ 4:02 pace due to heavy rain. I asked Coach whether I could repeat the same session the day after, but he said no and was against me making up session. I had to beg him to give him a short make-good session. The next day, I did a little workout of 2x8mins hard (4mins rec). I covered 2.1k in each of 8mins, pace about 3:50 min/km.
For some reasons, I am struggling to run under 3:50 pace in the last couple of months. Lactic acid always rise very quickly everytime I want to run faster. Bear in mind that intervals in the program are never shorter than 5 minutes and recovery never longer than 90secs. I think my brain probably takes a conscious decision to prevent me running any faster since the intervals are long and recovery are short.
Next week, I will be running my virgin 3000m track for over 35s. Honestly, I think I would be lucky to run under 11:45 since my fastest interval pace is only 3:50 min/km. Coach doesn't schedule any 3k-paced work in his program. I can see myself to be flooded with lactic acid due to the absence of short, fast intervals. But I don't really care since it is just a part of training and marathon is really what I am training for.
Still struggling with sore hips (I think it is pirofirmis). Have been using foam roller and tennis ball to work the ass. Found Myrtil exercise on internet and I shall give it a try.
http://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?do=view&video_id=8190
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Short Recovery
Still struggling with sore hips, but fortunately the calf strain is improving a bit .
Did 92k for the week (vs coach target of 100k). This means that I continued the trend of never hitting the mileage target set by the coach ;=)
This week, I did 2 workouts:
1) 4 x 5mins, 1min rec. Ran a bit conservatively since I had a deep tissue treatment the previous day. Averaged 3:56 min/km on the 4x5, so it wasn’t very fast. Av HR for last 3 reps was 175, high of 185. Felt refreshed after a down week, still got plenty left in the tank.
2) 6 x 5mins, 1.15 rec. Went to CCAB track and aimed to cover 1300m in 5mins (23secs/100m or 92 per lap or 3:50 min/km). Splits: 5:00, 5:02, 4:59, 5:04, 5:02, 4:56, av HR for last 5 reps was 177, high of 190. Pace range was 3:47-3:53, could have been a hair faster here and there, since the track was crowded with school kids.
I think the second workout is akin to running a controlled 5-6k race in terms of effort. 6 x 1.3k with short recovery (75 secs), total 7.8k @ av 3:50 pace for 30 mins of hard running. Probably I am a good value for low 19 5ks (3:50 pace), but defintely don't think I can do 3:50 for 10 (38:20) even under race condition.
Talking about short recovery, there is an interesting video on Ryan Hall’s 10 x 800m session.
http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/235353-flotrack-2009-xc-season/200081-ryan-hall-workout-wednesday
The intervals were done on an out and back route at 2500m altitude. His splits were 5x 2:11-2:12 and 5x 2:16-2:17, so obviously there was an incline on the return leg. Recovery was 1 minute in between.
It seems that Ryan did his 800s at goal HM pace as he mentioned a target of 59mins for the HM. This is about 2:48 min per km or 2:15 per 800m. At sea level, 10x800 at HM pace is an easy session, but at altitude coupled with short recovery, it is a tough workout.
If this was a Yasso session, he would have run it at 2:04-5 per 800m or at 6-8k race pace (2:35 min/km). Recovery would be 1-1 ratio or 2 full minutes.
In summary,
Ryan: 10x800 at 21k pace with 1:2 rest-to-run ratio, in altitude, total 22mins of hard running (plus 9mins rec)
Sling: 6x1300 at 8k pace with 1:4 rest-to-run ratio, in tropical weather, total 30mins (plus 7mins rec)
Question: As a average joe, is my workout too hard or too easy?
In the past, I loosely followed Tinman and Jack Daniels’s guidelines on recovery. Equal rest time for 5k pace intervals (80-100% of rep time), 50% of rep time for 10k pace intervals , and 20% for Threshold intervals. But under Coach, the recovery has now been cut to around 1min.
Another thing that I notice is that I am now so much slower in my easy runs. When I was self coached, I do around 15% of 10k-21k paced running, 15-20% of marathon or moderate paced running and the remaining 65-70% was easy runs. Under Sean, I did 15% of 10k paced running, and the residual 85% is slow poke pace runs. And I really meant slow poke pace (5:30 min/km) since my legs are shot after two intervals per week.
In essence, the main changes from my previous training are:
1) More easy running (85-90% now vs. 70% before) and slower pace
2) Short recoveries for intervals (1min for 5mins of fast running vs. 2-4mins before)
3) Less weekly modulation. The program either has 2 intervals + long run for the week or 2 thresholds + long run for the week. When I was self-coached, I adopt a more varied approach to weekly training by doing 1 interval, 1 threshold, 1 long run for the week.
Question: Will these changes work for me and make me a better runner?
Life is an experiment of one, I guess :=)
Did 92k for the week (vs coach target of 100k). This means that I continued the trend of never hitting the mileage target set by the coach ;=)
This week, I did 2 workouts:
1) 4 x 5mins, 1min rec. Ran a bit conservatively since I had a deep tissue treatment the previous day. Averaged 3:56 min/km on the 4x5, so it wasn’t very fast. Av HR for last 3 reps was 175, high of 185. Felt refreshed after a down week, still got plenty left in the tank.
2) 6 x 5mins, 1.15 rec. Went to CCAB track and aimed to cover 1300m in 5mins (23secs/100m or 92 per lap or 3:50 min/km). Splits: 5:00, 5:02, 4:59, 5:04, 5:02, 4:56, av HR for last 5 reps was 177, high of 190. Pace range was 3:47-3:53, could have been a hair faster here and there, since the track was crowded with school kids.
I think the second workout is akin to running a controlled 5-6k race in terms of effort. 6 x 1.3k with short recovery (75 secs), total 7.8k @ av 3:50 pace for 30 mins of hard running. Probably I am a good value for low 19 5ks (3:50 pace), but defintely don't think I can do 3:50 for 10 (38:20) even under race condition.
Talking about short recovery, there is an interesting video on Ryan Hall’s 10 x 800m session.
http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/235353-flotrack-2009-xc-season/200081-ryan-hall-workout-wednesday
The intervals were done on an out and back route at 2500m altitude. His splits were 5x 2:11-2:12 and 5x 2:16-2:17, so obviously there was an incline on the return leg. Recovery was 1 minute in between.
It seems that Ryan did his 800s at goal HM pace as he mentioned a target of 59mins for the HM. This is about 2:48 min per km or 2:15 per 800m. At sea level, 10x800 at HM pace is an easy session, but at altitude coupled with short recovery, it is a tough workout.
If this was a Yasso session, he would have run it at 2:04-5 per 800m or at 6-8k race pace (2:35 min/km). Recovery would be 1-1 ratio or 2 full minutes.
In summary,
Ryan: 10x800 at 21k pace with 1:2 rest-to-run ratio, in altitude, total 22mins of hard running (plus 9mins rec)
Sling: 6x1300 at 8k pace with 1:4 rest-to-run ratio, in tropical weather, total 30mins (plus 7mins rec)
Question: As a average joe, is my workout too hard or too easy?
In the past, I loosely followed Tinman and Jack Daniels’s guidelines on recovery. Equal rest time for 5k pace intervals (80-100% of rep time), 50% of rep time for 10k pace intervals , and 20% for Threshold intervals. But under Coach, the recovery has now been cut to around 1min.
Another thing that I notice is that I am now so much slower in my easy runs. When I was self coached, I do around 15% of 10k-21k paced running, 15-20% of marathon or moderate paced running and the remaining 65-70% was easy runs. Under Sean, I did 15% of 10k paced running, and the residual 85% is slow poke pace runs. And I really meant slow poke pace (5:30 min/km) since my legs are shot after two intervals per week.
In essence, the main changes from my previous training are:
1) More easy running (85-90% now vs. 70% before) and slower pace
2) Short recoveries for intervals (1min for 5mins of fast running vs. 2-4mins before)
3) Less weekly modulation. The program either has 2 intervals + long run for the week or 2 thresholds + long run for the week. When I was self-coached, I adopt a more varied approach to weekly training by doing 1 interval, 1 threshold, 1 long run for the week.
Question: Will these changes work for me and make me a better runner?
Life is an experiment of one, I guess :=)
Monday, September 14, 2009
Calf/Hip issues
Crap week.
I have been feeling jaded lately and this week the legs simply went missing in action. Haven’t taken a proper rest since April, preparing for Gold Coast, then Army Half and then the new training regime under Sean. To compound the issue, I am struggling with calf strain and hip problems.
The muscles are very tender around the calves and make legs felt ‘dead and heavy’. I think this might be the reason why I ran poorly in the last couple of months or so. After running a flat marathon in GC, my calves were shot and afterwards running has never been the same again. I had some good training sessions but also some poor ones where running became a chore as the calf strain made the legs heavy and accelerated fatigue.
The hip pain is also back. I struggled with sore hips 2-3 years ago, but generally I managed to avoid it in the last 12 months or so. Not sure the reason why they are back.
Due to a combination of the above, I only did around 40k this week (lowest mileage in 4-5 months) by virtue of a weekend long run (25k) and a couple of 30-35 minutes runs. Took two rest days and did two cross-training days (elliptical + core) for the remainder of the week.
Let’s hope next week will be better.
I have been feeling jaded lately and this week the legs simply went missing in action. Haven’t taken a proper rest since April, preparing for Gold Coast, then Army Half and then the new training regime under Sean. To compound the issue, I am struggling with calf strain and hip problems.
The muscles are very tender around the calves and make legs felt ‘dead and heavy’. I think this might be the reason why I ran poorly in the last couple of months or so. After running a flat marathon in GC, my calves were shot and afterwards running has never been the same again. I had some good training sessions but also some poor ones where running became a chore as the calf strain made the legs heavy and accelerated fatigue.
The hip pain is also back. I struggled with sore hips 2-3 years ago, but generally I managed to avoid it in the last 12 months or so. Not sure the reason why they are back.
Due to a combination of the above, I only did around 40k this week (lowest mileage in 4-5 months) by virtue of a weekend long run (25k) and a couple of 30-35 minutes runs. Took two rest days and did two cross-training days (elliptical + core) for the remainder of the week.
Let’s hope next week will be better.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
HM in 5 weeks time
Here are my race plans ‘till the end of 2009:
Oct 4: 3000m track Veterans (over 35 yo)
Oct 11: St. George Melbourne – ½ Marathon
Oct 24: Nike Human race 10k (tentative)
Nov 8: New Balance RealRun road/trail 10/15k (tentative)
Dec 6: Standard Chartered Singapore – ½ Marathon
Mrs. Sling is homesick and wants to go over to Melbourne for a month. I will also take one week leave. Whilst we are there, we plan to get baby baptism for Sling Jr. Being a runner; I negotiated for the day of baptism to coincide with Melbourne marathon weekend.
When I tell Coach about my race plans, he penciled in a 10k in Melbourne, 21k in Singapore, and 42k in Seoul in March (tentative). Since the marathon is 7 months away, this looks like a nice progression.
However, I told Coach that I prefer to do the ½ in Melbourne. We have lots of 10ks here in Singapore, but only 2 HMs for the year. He told me the training plan that he prescribes (and which I have done I 2 weeks) is geared towards shorter races. He reckons by focusing on 2 speed sessions a week (2 intervals or 1 interval, 1 fartlek) will make the long runs much easier in the latter part of marathon training. Having seen Epi’s progression from Matilda Bay 10k, Darlington HM, and finally Perth C2S, I can see where the Coach is coming from.
Anyway, I’ve told Coach that I still prefer to go with the HM and accept the possibility of running mediocre times. Current training plan is very much focused on shorter distances, for example, this week I did two speed sessions: 4 x 5 minutes, 1min rest; and 20x 30secs on, 15secs off. I averaged 3:50 pace (1.3k per 5 minutes) for the 4 x 5mins, which is not too shabby considering the short rest (1-1.5 mins) and temperature. However, I didn't do well on 30/15 on/off fartlek as I covered only about 3.7k. This turned out to be 4:05 pace ( approx HM pace) as I struggled to get the rythym goin'. Very suprising, given I could do tempo runs at this pace for longer period and they feel more comfortable and easier to do.
When I negotiated for the change to the HM, he only made a couple of small alterations. This would be the first time for me doing HM with only a small amount of half-marathon pace or threshold training. I’ll write more on this next week.
PS: Rob, if time allows, I’ll wait for you at the finish line in MCG, hopefully well before the clock says 2:59:59 :)
Oct 4: 3000m track Veterans (over 35 yo)
Oct 11: St. George Melbourne – ½ Marathon
Oct 24: Nike Human race 10k (tentative)
Nov 8: New Balance RealRun road/trail 10/15k (tentative)
Dec 6: Standard Chartered Singapore – ½ Marathon
Mrs. Sling is homesick and wants to go over to Melbourne for a month. I will also take one week leave. Whilst we are there, we plan to get baby baptism for Sling Jr. Being a runner; I negotiated for the day of baptism to coincide with Melbourne marathon weekend.
When I tell Coach about my race plans, he penciled in a 10k in Melbourne, 21k in Singapore, and 42k in Seoul in March (tentative). Since the marathon is 7 months away, this looks like a nice progression.
However, I told Coach that I prefer to do the ½ in Melbourne. We have lots of 10ks here in Singapore, but only 2 HMs for the year. He told me the training plan that he prescribes (and which I have done I 2 weeks) is geared towards shorter races. He reckons by focusing on 2 speed sessions a week (2 intervals or 1 interval, 1 fartlek) will make the long runs much easier in the latter part of marathon training. Having seen Epi’s progression from Matilda Bay 10k, Darlington HM, and finally Perth C2S, I can see where the Coach is coming from.
Anyway, I’ve told Coach that I still prefer to go with the HM and accept the possibility of running mediocre times. Current training plan is very much focused on shorter distances, for example, this week I did two speed sessions: 4 x 5 minutes, 1min rest; and 20x 30secs on, 15secs off. I averaged 3:50 pace (1.3k per 5 minutes) for the 4 x 5mins, which is not too shabby considering the short rest (1-1.5 mins) and temperature. However, I didn't do well on 30/15 on/off fartlek as I covered only about 3.7k. This turned out to be 4:05 pace ( approx HM pace) as I struggled to get the rythym goin'. Very suprising, given I could do tempo runs at this pace for longer period and they feel more comfortable and easier to do.
When I negotiated for the change to the HM, he only made a couple of small alterations. This would be the first time for me doing HM with only a small amount of half-marathon pace or threshold training. I’ll write more on this next week.
PS: Rob, if time allows, I’ll wait for you at the finish line in MCG, hopefully well before the clock says 2:59:59 :)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
First week
A big congrats to Epi who ran 2.57 at Perth C2S today !
In the current edition of Run 4 Your Life (R4YL) magazine, there is an article on one of Coach Sean’s elite athlete (65mins 21k). The article also has 3 weeks training diary of this athlete and his training partner’s (13:25 5k, 62mins HM). What I found interesting is that both the elite squad and mere mortals under his coaching have largely similar training structures. The only differences are the elites run doubles and do 3 workouts + 2x 90-120mins runs per week. I told Coach that I can only run on either Sat or Sun as I need the day off to take care of the bub (otherwise Mrs Sling won’t be happy since she needs a break too). Hence, he prescribes 2 quality sessions a week and 2x 90-120min runs for me.
Some of the quality sessions are surprisingly similar. In the magazine, they did 8k + 10x100 hills, while Sean scheduled 6k + 10x100 for me this week. The difference is that they run the 8k in under 24 minutes, while I completed my measly 6k in 24+ minutes LOL.
For my first full week training under Sean, I give myself a score of 7 out of 10. I completed all the sessions, except had to cut short my weekend long run since I was feeling sluggish and tired. Mileage wise, I told him that a weekly mileage of 80 is a sustainable and manageable range for me However, he gave me some ‘bonus’: 87k this week, 93 next week, then 97 the following week!
So far, I found the quality sessions are the most difficult aspect of the program. Sean’s prescription is to do 5-6mins reps at 5-10k pace, 6-15mins reps at 10k-15k pace, and 15-30mins at HM pace. However, I ran them about 5 secs/km slower than the above range. First reason is that I am not (yet??) fit enough to blend into his program, and secondly, I’ve been doing some of the runs during mid-day where it is terribly hot (I do midnight and morning feeds for the baby, hence unable to train in the morning). For instance, he scheduled 15-15-8 minutes on Thursday and according to the above, my paces should be around 4:00 or under for the 15s and low 3:50s for the 8. My average paces turned out to be 4:05 for the 15+15 and 3:53 for the 8 (I think I won’t be able to nail the 8 if the 15s were faster). Another workout that I did was the aforementioned 6k hard + 10 x 100 hills. I ran them at 4.04 pace during lunchtime (35c heat index) and felt drained afterwards. Did only 6 hill reps before giving up.
For easy days and long runs, my pace is also slower than what he suggests. His suggestion is about 5min pace for most runs but I generally do mine 10 secs slower. But easy days are supposed to be easy, right? The R4YL article shows that his elite athletes do their recovery runs around 5:00 min pace, so why I can’t run slower? LOL. Let’s just hope that Coach is still happy when he evaluates my training log!
In the current edition of Run 4 Your Life (R4YL) magazine, there is an article on one of Coach Sean’s elite athlete (65mins 21k). The article also has 3 weeks training diary of this athlete and his training partner’s (13:25 5k, 62mins HM). What I found interesting is that both the elite squad and mere mortals under his coaching have largely similar training structures. The only differences are the elites run doubles and do 3 workouts + 2x 90-120mins runs per week. I told Coach that I can only run on either Sat or Sun as I need the day off to take care of the bub (otherwise Mrs Sling won’t be happy since she needs a break too). Hence, he prescribes 2 quality sessions a week and 2x 90-120min runs for me.
Some of the quality sessions are surprisingly similar. In the magazine, they did 8k + 10x100 hills, while Sean scheduled 6k + 10x100 for me this week. The difference is that they run the 8k in under 24 minutes, while I completed my measly 6k in 24+ minutes LOL.
For my first full week training under Sean, I give myself a score of 7 out of 10. I completed all the sessions, except had to cut short my weekend long run since I was feeling sluggish and tired. Mileage wise, I told him that a weekly mileage of 80 is a sustainable and manageable range for me However, he gave me some ‘bonus’: 87k this week, 93 next week, then 97 the following week!
So far, I found the quality sessions are the most difficult aspect of the program. Sean’s prescription is to do 5-6mins reps at 5-10k pace, 6-15mins reps at 10k-15k pace, and 15-30mins at HM pace. However, I ran them about 5 secs/km slower than the above range. First reason is that I am not (yet??) fit enough to blend into his program, and secondly, I’ve been doing some of the runs during mid-day where it is terribly hot (I do midnight and morning feeds for the baby, hence unable to train in the morning). For instance, he scheduled 15-15-8 minutes on Thursday and according to the above, my paces should be around 4:00 or under for the 15s and low 3:50s for the 8. My average paces turned out to be 4:05 for the 15+15 and 3:53 for the 8 (I think I won’t be able to nail the 8 if the 15s were faster). Another workout that I did was the aforementioned 6k hard + 10 x 100 hills. I ran them at 4.04 pace during lunchtime (35c heat index) and felt drained afterwards. Did only 6 hill reps before giving up.
For easy days and long runs, my pace is also slower than what he suggests. His suggestion is about 5min pace for most runs but I generally do mine 10 secs slower. But easy days are supposed to be easy, right? The R4YL article shows that his elite athletes do their recovery runs around 5:00 min pace, so why I can’t run slower? LOL. Let’s just hope that Coach is still happy when he evaluates my training log!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Got myself a Coach
I decided to get a coaching service from Sean W.
I truly enjoyed the self-coaching journey and I am proud of my outcomes as a mere mortal and a late starter to the sport. The 46 minutes improvement from 3:50 to 3:04 over 5-6 years shows that I am a man of limited talent. I had leaps and bounds during this period, but in general, I worked pretty hard for a newbie.
The question is whether will my dedication alone be good enough to take me to sub-3?
Last week’s HM results helped to put the nail into the coffin. I realized that I still got to learn in terms of training and peaking at the right time. I would have thought marathon fitness will yield a good HM time, but on race day, I felt flat. A good coach probably can periodize the training more effectively and design the appropriate workouts.
With no marathon planned until March or July 2010, this gives me a window of opportunity to experiment with new things.
I considered a couple of coaches, locally-based Guy Ogden (sub 30 10k, 2:24 marathon in his youth) and Sean W. The advantage of the former is face-to-face coaching and the squad trains together a few times a week. However, Sean’s CV as a coach (Lara T (national 10k champ, 20 yo), Tim R (2nd Canberra marathon), Ben SL (29min 10k), Keith B (low 70s HM at 50 yo) was too good to pass.
I want to experiment new things on training and I am hungry for new insights, so why not learn from one of Australia’s leading coach? Hopefully the long distance relationship will work. If it doesn’t, I have nothing to lose because I would learn new things.
Anyway, here is an interesting story. I received the first month program from Sean and did my first session, which was 6 x 5mins hard with 1.15 jog. Okay, when I looked at it, 30 minutes of hard running with short recovery sounded like Threshold (cruise) intervals. After all, Jack Daniels said in his book that for every 5 minutes of T-pace running, you get 1 minute jog recovery. For VO2max stuff, recovery would be longer (half or slightly less than the rep duration). During the workout, I ran the 5min reps slightly faster than T-pace in order of impress the coach. I got stuffed after 5 x 5 and decided to quit.
I emailed Sean about the workout and to my surprise, he said that the reps should be done at 10k race pace or faster (5k pace for the last 1-2)!. Gee, I was stuffed already running them at T-pace and just couldn’t imagine running them any faster. I also ask Sean whether should there be any concession for running in Singapore, such as longer recovery between reps or a tad lower pace to reflect the weather conditions; his response was ‘I will leave you the targets I have set and we will see how you go over the next few weeks. Your ongoing feedback will help me answer this question after seeing how you go’. He also added that ‘Try all measures to complete all sessions as they are. Injury would be the only fair excuse to stop’.
I guess that is the difference between me and other runners. I tend to stay at my comfort zone, and have been doing my interval paces conservatively (mostly just under 4s). In addition, when the going gets tough, I tend to quit or abort my workouts and this often spills over to my racing (aka giving up easily). From the two statements above, I get a feeling that he wants to push me (hard).
If you look at Sean’s website, his training philosophy is ‘Our job is to take you beyond a point at which you think a challenging task is impossible to a point where you believe it is possible’.
Maybe this is what I need, a kick to the butt…
I truly enjoyed the self-coaching journey and I am proud of my outcomes as a mere mortal and a late starter to the sport. The 46 minutes improvement from 3:50 to 3:04 over 5-6 years shows that I am a man of limited talent. I had leaps and bounds during this period, but in general, I worked pretty hard for a newbie.
The question is whether will my dedication alone be good enough to take me to sub-3?
Last week’s HM results helped to put the nail into the coffin. I realized that I still got to learn in terms of training and peaking at the right time. I would have thought marathon fitness will yield a good HM time, but on race day, I felt flat. A good coach probably can periodize the training more effectively and design the appropriate workouts.
With no marathon planned until March or July 2010, this gives me a window of opportunity to experiment with new things.
I considered a couple of coaches, locally-based Guy Ogden (sub 30 10k, 2:24 marathon in his youth) and Sean W. The advantage of the former is face-to-face coaching and the squad trains together a few times a week. However, Sean’s CV as a coach (Lara T (national 10k champ, 20 yo), Tim R (2nd Canberra marathon), Ben SL (29min 10k), Keith B (low 70s HM at 50 yo) was too good to pass.
I want to experiment new things on training and I am hungry for new insights, so why not learn from one of Australia’s leading coach? Hopefully the long distance relationship will work. If it doesn’t, I have nothing to lose because I would learn new things.
Anyway, here is an interesting story. I received the first month program from Sean and did my first session, which was 6 x 5mins hard with 1.15 jog. Okay, when I looked at it, 30 minutes of hard running with short recovery sounded like Threshold (cruise) intervals. After all, Jack Daniels said in his book that for every 5 minutes of T-pace running, you get 1 minute jog recovery. For VO2max stuff, recovery would be longer (half or slightly less than the rep duration). During the workout, I ran the 5min reps slightly faster than T-pace in order of impress the coach. I got stuffed after 5 x 5 and decided to quit.
I emailed Sean about the workout and to my surprise, he said that the reps should be done at 10k race pace or faster (5k pace for the last 1-2)!. Gee, I was stuffed already running them at T-pace and just couldn’t imagine running them any faster. I also ask Sean whether should there be any concession for running in Singapore, such as longer recovery between reps or a tad lower pace to reflect the weather conditions; his response was ‘I will leave you the targets I have set and we will see how you go over the next few weeks. Your ongoing feedback will help me answer this question after seeing how you go’. He also added that ‘Try all measures to complete all sessions as they are. Injury would be the only fair excuse to stop’.
I guess that is the difference between me and other runners. I tend to stay at my comfort zone, and have been doing my interval paces conservatively (mostly just under 4s). In addition, when the going gets tough, I tend to quit or abort my workouts and this often spills over to my racing (aka giving up easily). From the two statements above, I get a feeling that he wants to push me (hard).
If you look at Sean’s website, his training philosophy is ‘Our job is to take you beyond a point at which you think a challenging task is impossible to a point where you believe it is possible’.
Maybe this is what I need, a kick to the butt…
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Army Half Marathon 2009
Not my day :( 1:30:48 (watch)
Two minutes slower than last year’s race which was done on a slower course. Only one minute faster than my first half split of Gold Coast Marathon :(
Failed to take advantage of cooler weather (5.30 am start), better route (last year had a muddy trail section), preferred start (by virtue of last year’s top 20 placing in the local runner category), accurate course (GPS measured 21.25) and marathon fitness (a two-edged sword).
Disappointed, but I have identified the reasons why:
1) I never fully recovered from Gold Coast Marathon 6 weeks ago. I ran pretty close to my best in GC, in other words’ it was a ‘giving it all’ effort or my peak. Using a banking analogy, I withdrew almost of all my cash from the account in one go (ie the effort at GCM) and currently I am just surviving on the leftover cash reserves.
As indicated in my previous posts, since the marathon, my legs felt heavy all the time. The generic rule of thumb is 1 day recovery for every mile raced, but since I started HM training right away after the marathon, I got burnt and simply trained on limited reserves
2) Aggressive pacing at the start. Since there was a 500m long steep hill at km 3, I decided to put some time in the bank by running the first couple of ks faster. While this was detrimental, the effect was not as big as Reason #1 (see splits)
3) Shorter sleeping hours. Having a baby really re-defines the baseline for sleeping hours. I’ve been going to bed around 1am each night after his night feed. Last night, I slept around 3 hours as I had to wake up at 4am to make the 5.30 start.
Now the race: My original plan was to go put at 4:05 pace (86mins) and tried to hang on as long as I could in order to give myself a shot at PB. However, after around 5k, it just went downhill from there. My legs felt ‘DEAD’ and simply had no strength to run fast. Personally, I don’t think the fast start was the culprit, it was simply tired legs from the long marathon training cycle. Ten days ago I ran 8k tempo at 4:06 pace and I felt fine. Av HR at that time was 166 and this morning it was 172bpm, so something was really wrong since today’s temperature was cooler due to early start.
From 5k, I decided to give up and revised my goal to sub-90 meaning that I had to average at my Gold Coast marathon pace for the last 10k. But even running at that pace, I was struggling big time. I really had no strength to run any faster that 4:20s except in the last 1k. I was basically done and started to walk at every drink station and didn’t care about the race anymore. I crossed the line in just under 91mins (only a minute faster than my first half split at GCM).
Splits (warning: ugly !!):
5k splits: 20:23 (4:05), 21:25 (4:17), 21:55 (4:23), 22:04 (4:25), last 1.2k 5mins
10k splits 41:48 (4:11), 44:00 (4:24) HUGE positive split
What’s done is done. I treat it as a training run. Looking forward to a break from training for a week or two (I still run but mostly jogging). This will also offer me some time to think about running plan for the remainder of 2009.
Training for the week:
M: 57mins easy incl 6x12secs hill (total 11k)
T: 50mins incl 3 x 1000m (av 3:53), 4 x 400m (av 1:25), (total 12k)
W: off
T: 47mins very easy (total 9k)
F: 35mins incl 3.2k Tempo (total 7.5k)
S: off
S: 2.5k warm up, Army Half in 90:48
Total 63k for the week
Two minutes slower than last year’s race which was done on a slower course. Only one minute faster than my first half split of Gold Coast Marathon :(
Failed to take advantage of cooler weather (5.30 am start), better route (last year had a muddy trail section), preferred start (by virtue of last year’s top 20 placing in the local runner category), accurate course (GPS measured 21.25) and marathon fitness (a two-edged sword).
Disappointed, but I have identified the reasons why:
1) I never fully recovered from Gold Coast Marathon 6 weeks ago. I ran pretty close to my best in GC, in other words’ it was a ‘giving it all’ effort or my peak. Using a banking analogy, I withdrew almost of all my cash from the account in one go (ie the effort at GCM) and currently I am just surviving on the leftover cash reserves.
As indicated in my previous posts, since the marathon, my legs felt heavy all the time. The generic rule of thumb is 1 day recovery for every mile raced, but since I started HM training right away after the marathon, I got burnt and simply trained on limited reserves
2) Aggressive pacing at the start. Since there was a 500m long steep hill at km 3, I decided to put some time in the bank by running the first couple of ks faster. While this was detrimental, the effect was not as big as Reason #1 (see splits)
3) Shorter sleeping hours. Having a baby really re-defines the baseline for sleeping hours. I’ve been going to bed around 1am each night after his night feed. Last night, I slept around 3 hours as I had to wake up at 4am to make the 5.30 start.
Now the race: My original plan was to go put at 4:05 pace (86mins) and tried to hang on as long as I could in order to give myself a shot at PB. However, after around 5k, it just went downhill from there. My legs felt ‘DEAD’ and simply had no strength to run fast. Personally, I don’t think the fast start was the culprit, it was simply tired legs from the long marathon training cycle. Ten days ago I ran 8k tempo at 4:06 pace and I felt fine. Av HR at that time was 166 and this morning it was 172bpm, so something was really wrong since today’s temperature was cooler due to early start.
From 5k, I decided to give up and revised my goal to sub-90 meaning that I had to average at my Gold Coast marathon pace for the last 10k. But even running at that pace, I was struggling big time. I really had no strength to run any faster that 4:20s except in the last 1k. I was basically done and started to walk at every drink station and didn’t care about the race anymore. I crossed the line in just under 91mins (only a minute faster than my first half split at GCM).
Splits (warning: ugly !!):
5k splits: 20:23 (4:05), 21:25 (4:17), 21:55 (4:23), 22:04 (4:25), last 1.2k 5mins
10k splits 41:48 (4:11), 44:00 (4:24) HUGE positive split
What’s done is done. I treat it as a training run. Looking forward to a break from training for a week or two (I still run but mostly jogging). This will also offer me some time to think about running plan for the remainder of 2009.
Training for the week:
M: 57mins easy incl 6x12secs hill (total 11k)
T: 50mins incl 3 x 1000m (av 3:53), 4 x 400m (av 1:25), (total 12k)
W: off
T: 47mins very easy (total 9k)
F: 35mins incl 3.2k Tempo (total 7.5k)
S: off
S: 2.5k warm up, Army Half in 90:48
Total 63k for the week
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Week 4 of 5 to AHM
Did 80k in 6.5 hours (av 4:50) during Week 4 of 5 to Army Half
Good week, but both body and legs are damn tired. Looking forward to a break from running after next weekends’ HM. Since the GC marathon, I ran 45, 80, 73, 83, 80 km weeks and next week (taper) probably will total 70k including the race.
This week I only had the time to do two morning runs (Friday & Sunday). The rest was during lunch time, either on treadmill or outdoor where it is normally blazing hot. Accordingly, I couldn’t afford to do high volume (due to time constraint, office lunch time) nor high intensity (due to the heat). This means that I really need to capitalize on the morning runs by doing solid workouts whenever I have a chance.
This week, I also experimented with fartlek-type work: a mixture of tempo/intervals on Tuesday, tempo/fartlek on Friday, and progression run with pick-ups on Sunday. So far, I enjoyed them and they are definitely more fun than the structured workouts (e.g. 6x1000, 8k tempo etc). It'a welcome chance and probably I will incorporate them more often in the months ahead.
Next week, I have a 3-day seminar at work which might limit my running. On a hindsight, this might be good since mind and body are tired anyway after along season. No PB expectation for the race. I would be happy with anything around 90mins and definitely looking forward to a well-earned rest after the race.
Mon (Easy):
AM: 6.5k Easy in 34mins (av 5:14), treadmill
PM: Massage
Squeezed in a short run in the gym before massage. Easy pace from 5:45 to 4:50 min/km, with last 1k at 8% incline. The massage hurt, especially around hammy and ITB.
Tue (Intervals + Tempo):
12k run in 55mins (av 4:35) including:
- 2 x 1000m at 10k effort – 3:51, 3:51
- 4k Tempo at MP, av 4:22 (vs plan of 6k at HMP)
- 2 x 1000m at 10k effort – 3:54, 3:50
Ran during lunch time at 36c heat index. Tried a new workout combining intervals and tempo. My original intent was to do the 1k intervals at 10k effort and the 6k tempo at HM effort, but I just didn’t have it out there. Struggled during the tempo and had to slow down to MP and this effort felt hard too. I just don’t know how on earth I could run 42k at this pace in Gold Coast last month.
Wed (Easy):
9.5k Recovery in 51mins (av 5:24), treadmill
Thu (Easy):
14k Easy in 70mins (av 5:02)
Another lunchtime run, 38c heat index with bad air quality from forest fire in Sumatra. Ran from office to Mt Fabre via Morse Rd and did the undulating loop 5 times. After that, things went sour as the heat got the better of me. Planned to do 90-100mins, but I decided to cut it short to 70mins. A runner died last weekend in Malaysia due to dehydration after completing a HM.
Fri (Tempo + Fartlek):
AM: 16k run in 72mins (av 4:28) including:
- 8k Tempo in 32:48 (4:06), av HR 166, high HR 175
- 15mins modified Mono-fartlek (3.6k, av 4:11)
First morning run of the week and the temperature certainly makes a lot of difference. HR was pretty low and in retrospective, should have extended the tempo to 10k to familiarize the body for next week’s HM. After 3mins break, did an abbreviated Mono-fartlek (2x90s, 2x60s, 3x30s, 4x15s). Only managed to do the float recovery (~4:30 min/km) for the first 3 fast segments and after that, I just couldn’t keep up and reverted to easy jog. Covered 3.6k in 15mins, av 4:11 as compared to 5k-ish in a standard 20mins fartlek on fresh legs.
PM: 1-hour XT (lunges, squats, abs)
Sat (Off):
Rest
Sun (Long Run):
22k run in 104mins (av 4:45)
Progression run, starting at easy pace, ending at around MP effort. 10mins @ 5:18, 5:05, 4:58, 4:54, 4:45, 4:40, 4:35, 4:30, 4:25 (total 90mins). Finished with 6 x 45secs pick-ups at around HM effort, 45secs jog and cool down. The first hour of the route was undulanting, the rest flat terrain. Tired.
Total 80k for the week
Good week, but both body and legs are damn tired. Looking forward to a break from running after next weekends’ HM. Since the GC marathon, I ran 45, 80, 73, 83, 80 km weeks and next week (taper) probably will total 70k including the race.
This week I only had the time to do two morning runs (Friday & Sunday). The rest was during lunch time, either on treadmill or outdoor where it is normally blazing hot. Accordingly, I couldn’t afford to do high volume (due to time constraint, office lunch time) nor high intensity (due to the heat). This means that I really need to capitalize on the morning runs by doing solid workouts whenever I have a chance.
This week, I also experimented with fartlek-type work: a mixture of tempo/intervals on Tuesday, tempo/fartlek on Friday, and progression run with pick-ups on Sunday. So far, I enjoyed them and they are definitely more fun than the structured workouts (e.g. 6x1000, 8k tempo etc). It'a welcome chance and probably I will incorporate them more often in the months ahead.
Next week, I have a 3-day seminar at work which might limit my running. On a hindsight, this might be good since mind and body are tired anyway after along season. No PB expectation for the race. I would be happy with anything around 90mins and definitely looking forward to a well-earned rest after the race.
Mon (Easy):
AM: 6.5k Easy in 34mins (av 5:14), treadmill
PM: Massage
Squeezed in a short run in the gym before massage. Easy pace from 5:45 to 4:50 min/km, with last 1k at 8% incline. The massage hurt, especially around hammy and ITB.
Tue (Intervals + Tempo):
12k run in 55mins (av 4:35) including:
- 2 x 1000m at 10k effort – 3:51, 3:51
- 4k Tempo at MP, av 4:22 (vs plan of 6k at HMP)
- 2 x 1000m at 10k effort – 3:54, 3:50
Ran during lunch time at 36c heat index. Tried a new workout combining intervals and tempo. My original intent was to do the 1k intervals at 10k effort and the 6k tempo at HM effort, but I just didn’t have it out there. Struggled during the tempo and had to slow down to MP and this effort felt hard too. I just don’t know how on earth I could run 42k at this pace in Gold Coast last month.
Wed (Easy):
9.5k Recovery in 51mins (av 5:24), treadmill
Thu (Easy):
14k Easy in 70mins (av 5:02)
Another lunchtime run, 38c heat index with bad air quality from forest fire in Sumatra. Ran from office to Mt Fabre via Morse Rd and did the undulating loop 5 times. After that, things went sour as the heat got the better of me. Planned to do 90-100mins, but I decided to cut it short to 70mins. A runner died last weekend in Malaysia due to dehydration after completing a HM.
Fri (Tempo + Fartlek):
AM: 16k run in 72mins (av 4:28) including:
- 8k Tempo in 32:48 (4:06), av HR 166, high HR 175
- 15mins modified Mono-fartlek (3.6k, av 4:11)
First morning run of the week and the temperature certainly makes a lot of difference. HR was pretty low and in retrospective, should have extended the tempo to 10k to familiarize the body for next week’s HM. After 3mins break, did an abbreviated Mono-fartlek (2x90s, 2x60s, 3x30s, 4x15s). Only managed to do the float recovery (~4:30 min/km) for the first 3 fast segments and after that, I just couldn’t keep up and reverted to easy jog. Covered 3.6k in 15mins, av 4:11 as compared to 5k-ish in a standard 20mins fartlek on fresh legs.
PM: 1-hour XT (lunges, squats, abs)
Sat (Off):
Rest
Sun (Long Run):
22k run in 104mins (av 4:45)
Progression run, starting at easy pace, ending at around MP effort. 10mins @ 5:18, 5:05, 4:58, 4:54, 4:45, 4:40, 4:35, 4:30, 4:25 (total 90mins). Finished with 6 x 45secs pick-ups at around HM effort, 45secs jog and cool down. The first hour of the route was undulanting, the rest flat terrain. Tired.
Total 80k for the week
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Week 3 of 5 (AHM)
Did 83k in 6 3/4 hours (av 4:50) during Week 3 of 5 to Army Half
Have been running a lot on treadmill this week in order to balance family, work, and running. Sleep time so far has been pretty decent (6-7 hours), however the baby’s feeding timetable changed my sleeping cycle slightly. A midnight feed plus another hour to play and help him to sleep means that I go to bed around 1am. Because I leave the house for work around 8-ish, this means that I have to forego some of morning runs. Evening run is not possible because we normally have dinner pretty early. I would say a good balance/compromise will comprise of 2-3 morning runs a week (quality sessions), and the rest will primarily be treadmill runs in the gym during lunch time (easy days).
I think that I am experiencing some post-marathon blues. My legs are tired all the time and my workouts haven’t been that great. I did a couple of workouts: Tuesday’s intervals went ok (hitting target paces), although the effort was more taxing than it should be. Saturday’s long threshold run (5k MP, 5k HMP, 5kMP, 5k HMP) was a dud. Actual paces were slower than planned and legs were pretty dead. I am not sure whether treadmill running has something to do with it. Due to the moving belt, doing slow, easy runs on treadmill still requires a high leg turnover (whereas a slow run outdoors requires less stride rate). I am guessing that the high leg turnover causes my body to work a bit harder on my easy days.
Two weeks to go to Army Half. Due to the post-marathon blues and fatique, the plan for next week is just to do some maintenance work (tempo runs and slow intervals) in order to prevent myself going into deeper hole. A PB seems unlikely, but I’ll try my best.
Mon (Recovery):
5.5k Recovery in 30mins (av 5:30)
Short on time, a short 30mins run on treadmill, 1% incline.
Tue (Easy):
13k Easy-Moderate in 66mins (av 5:05)
Lunchtime run in the gym since it was blazing hot outside. Started at 5:45 min/km, increasing the speed every couple of mins to 4:40 pace. Last 10mins was done at 5% incline to provide training variety.
Wed (Workout):
AM: 17k run in 74mins (av 4:20) consisting of:
- 2.7k easy warm up (av 5:22) with 1 stride
- 1.6k faster warm up at MP (av 4:19)
- 3 x 1600m at 10k effort (av 3:52) - 6:11, 6:10, 6:10
- 3 x 800m at 5k effort (av 3:42) - 2:58, 2:57, 2:58
- 3 x 400m at m1500-3k effort (av 3:25) - 1:24, 1:24, 1:19
- 4.3k cool down with 4 strides (av 4:50)
Ran from home to Queenstown track, doing a different warm up by including a mile at MP. At the track, I did ‘3-by-3’ workout at various interval paces. Splits were pretty much dead even (see above), could be 1-2 secs faster since I had to overlap a lot of walkers and slow runners. Recovery for all intervals was 1:40-2:00 standing rests. The standing rests (not counted in total time) artificially made the average pace for the total run faster (17k at 4:20). Too tough of a workout for my liking and a sore butt to boot.
PM: 25mins jogging (av 5:40)
A slow run on the treadmill to flush out the junks.
Thu (Easy):
8k Recovery in 42mins (av 5:20), treadmill
Yes, another treadmill run (fourth one in one week). I then joined a Yoga class for 30mins for stretching purposes.
Fri (Easy):
9k Moderate in 42mins (av 4:46)
Light progression run, 5mins at 5:10-5:00-4:50-4:40, then 10mins at 4:30 (below MP). Jogged to the hill and did 5 x 15secs hill sprints, walk down for recovery. Felt sluggish and tired, not a good sign for tomorrow’s long workout.
Sat (Workout):
26k Long Run in 2 hours (av 4:35) including long Threshold run
Stole this workout from Hamburglar who cut his marathon time from 3:18 to 3:02 in Westlink’s M7 Sydney marathon last week. A 20k threshold runs, alternating 5k MP, 5k HMP, 5k MP, 5k HMP. Legs were tired, hence I struggled big time in the second half. Splits: 5k in 22:23 (4:29), 5k in 20:35 (4:07 pace), 5k in 23:16 (4:39), and 5k split in two runs: 10:00 and 10:27 (av 4:06). The pace for third 5k blew out to 4:40 and I couldn’t complete the last 5k in one continuous run. Seriously need a massage first thing Monday.
Sun (Off):
Rest day, spending time with Sling Jr
Total 83k for the week
Have been running a lot on treadmill this week in order to balance family, work, and running. Sleep time so far has been pretty decent (6-7 hours), however the baby’s feeding timetable changed my sleeping cycle slightly. A midnight feed plus another hour to play and help him to sleep means that I go to bed around 1am. Because I leave the house for work around 8-ish, this means that I have to forego some of morning runs. Evening run is not possible because we normally have dinner pretty early. I would say a good balance/compromise will comprise of 2-3 morning runs a week (quality sessions), and the rest will primarily be treadmill runs in the gym during lunch time (easy days).
I think that I am experiencing some post-marathon blues. My legs are tired all the time and my workouts haven’t been that great. I did a couple of workouts: Tuesday’s intervals went ok (hitting target paces), although the effort was more taxing than it should be. Saturday’s long threshold run (5k MP, 5k HMP, 5kMP, 5k HMP) was a dud. Actual paces were slower than planned and legs were pretty dead. I am not sure whether treadmill running has something to do with it. Due to the moving belt, doing slow, easy runs on treadmill still requires a high leg turnover (whereas a slow run outdoors requires less stride rate). I am guessing that the high leg turnover causes my body to work a bit harder on my easy days.
Two weeks to go to Army Half. Due to the post-marathon blues and fatique, the plan for next week is just to do some maintenance work (tempo runs and slow intervals) in order to prevent myself going into deeper hole. A PB seems unlikely, but I’ll try my best.
Mon (Recovery):
5.5k Recovery in 30mins (av 5:30)
Short on time, a short 30mins run on treadmill, 1% incline.
Tue (Easy):
13k Easy-Moderate in 66mins (av 5:05)
Lunchtime run in the gym since it was blazing hot outside. Started at 5:45 min/km, increasing the speed every couple of mins to 4:40 pace. Last 10mins was done at 5% incline to provide training variety.
Wed (Workout):
AM: 17k run in 74mins (av 4:20) consisting of:
- 2.7k easy warm up (av 5:22) with 1 stride
- 1.6k faster warm up at MP (av 4:19)
- 3 x 1600m at 10k effort (av 3:52) - 6:11, 6:10, 6:10
- 3 x 800m at 5k effort (av 3:42) - 2:58, 2:57, 2:58
- 3 x 400m at m1500-3k effort (av 3:25) - 1:24, 1:24, 1:19
- 4.3k cool down with 4 strides (av 4:50)
Ran from home to Queenstown track, doing a different warm up by including a mile at MP. At the track, I did ‘3-by-3’ workout at various interval paces. Splits were pretty much dead even (see above), could be 1-2 secs faster since I had to overlap a lot of walkers and slow runners. Recovery for all intervals was 1:40-2:00 standing rests. The standing rests (not counted in total time) artificially made the average pace for the total run faster (17k at 4:20). Too tough of a workout for my liking and a sore butt to boot.
PM: 25mins jogging (av 5:40)
A slow run on the treadmill to flush out the junks.
Thu (Easy):
8k Recovery in 42mins (av 5:20), treadmill
Yes, another treadmill run (fourth one in one week). I then joined a Yoga class for 30mins for stretching purposes.
Fri (Easy):
9k Moderate in 42mins (av 4:46)
Light progression run, 5mins at 5:10-5:00-4:50-4:40, then 10mins at 4:30 (below MP). Jogged to the hill and did 5 x 15secs hill sprints, walk down for recovery. Felt sluggish and tired, not a good sign for tomorrow’s long workout.
Sat (Workout):
26k Long Run in 2 hours (av 4:35) including long Threshold run
Stole this workout from Hamburglar who cut his marathon time from 3:18 to 3:02 in Westlink’s M7 Sydney marathon last week. A 20k threshold runs, alternating 5k MP, 5k HMP, 5k MP, 5k HMP. Legs were tired, hence I struggled big time in the second half. Splits: 5k in 22:23 (4:29), 5k in 20:35 (4:07 pace), 5k in 23:16 (4:39), and 5k split in two runs: 10:00 and 10:27 (av 4:06). The pace for third 5k blew out to 4:40 and I couldn’t complete the last 5k in one continuous run. Seriously need a massage first thing Monday.
Sun (Off):
Rest day, spending time with Sling Jr
Total 83k for the week
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Week 2 of 5 (AHM)
Did 73k in 6 hours (av 4:55) during Week 2 of 5 to Army Half
Sling Jr has finally landed in Singapore! He is now four months and getting chubby :) It will be interesting how my training will pan out due to the need to balance family life, work, and running.
Training wise, it was an enforced down week in terms of both intensity and mileage. I was sick with cold, runny nose and sore throat for almost the whole week. As Sling Jr was due to arrive in the weekend, I had to tone down my training to make sure that I recovered in time. For example, I cut my interval volumes from the usual 8k to 6k, Threshold run from around 10k to 7k and so on. At the end, I was able to get a pretty reasonable outcome: 1) getting some ok training when sick and 2) back to 90% fit when the baby arrived.
Three weeks to go to Army Half. Hoping that I can up the ante for the next couple of weeks.
Mon (Recovery):
5k Recovery (av 5:40)
Sick with cold and runny nose. I think my immunity is very low after the marathon, and I made a mistake by rushing back to training too soon.
Tue (Intervals):
12k run in 56mins (av 4:42) including:
- 4 x 1000m (av 3:52) with 80seconds jog
- 4 x 500m (av 3:35) with 2 minute jog
- 4 x 200m with 200m jog
Still sick, hence ran an abbreviated volume of intervals. Splits for the 1k: 3:51, 3:52, 3:51, 3:52 (av 174 bpm). Splits for the 500m: 1:49, 1:50, 1:49, 1:41 (av 177 bpm, high of 189). Splits for the 200s: 37, 39, 39, 38.
Wed (Recovery):
7k Recovery (av 5:40)
Thu (Easy):
12k Easy in (av 5:08) including 5 x 12secs hill sprints
Felt sluggish. Sore throat and bad cough.
Fri (Off):
1-hour Strength Training (abs, lunges, squats)
Decided to take a rest day to enhance healing process.
Sat (Threshold):
18k run in 84mins (av 4:40) including 3 x 2400m at Threshold effort (av 4:01)
Rainy day, but the good thing is that I was almost back to normal health. 5k warm up to the track, then 3 x 2400m in 9:45, 9:35, 9:33 (av 174 bpm) with 2-3mins standing rests. Finished with 4x100m strides and 5k cool down.
Sun (Tempo):
19k run in 89mins (av 4:41) including 10k at MP effort (av 4:30)
3k warm up, then 10k at MP effort on undulanting terrain, averaging 4:30 min/km. Found 1km stretch of small, slightly hilly road and ran out and back 5 times. A good variation to my normal flat running routine. Finished with 8 x 45secs fast, 1m:15s jog during cool down.
Total 73k for the week
Sling Jr has finally landed in Singapore! He is now four months and getting chubby :) It will be interesting how my training will pan out due to the need to balance family life, work, and running.
Training wise, it was an enforced down week in terms of both intensity and mileage. I was sick with cold, runny nose and sore throat for almost the whole week. As Sling Jr was due to arrive in the weekend, I had to tone down my training to make sure that I recovered in time. For example, I cut my interval volumes from the usual 8k to 6k, Threshold run from around 10k to 7k and so on. At the end, I was able to get a pretty reasonable outcome: 1) getting some ok training when sick and 2) back to 90% fit when the baby arrived.
Three weeks to go to Army Half. Hoping that I can up the ante for the next couple of weeks.
Mon (Recovery):
5k Recovery (av 5:40)
Sick with cold and runny nose. I think my immunity is very low after the marathon, and I made a mistake by rushing back to training too soon.
Tue (Intervals):
12k run in 56mins (av 4:42) including:
- 4 x 1000m (av 3:52) with 80seconds jog
- 4 x 500m (av 3:35) with 2 minute jog
- 4 x 200m with 200m jog
Still sick, hence ran an abbreviated volume of intervals. Splits for the 1k: 3:51, 3:52, 3:51, 3:52 (av 174 bpm). Splits for the 500m: 1:49, 1:50, 1:49, 1:41 (av 177 bpm, high of 189). Splits for the 200s: 37, 39, 39, 38.
Wed (Recovery):
7k Recovery (av 5:40)
Thu (Easy):
12k Easy in (av 5:08) including 5 x 12secs hill sprints
Felt sluggish. Sore throat and bad cough.
Fri (Off):
1-hour Strength Training (abs, lunges, squats)
Decided to take a rest day to enhance healing process.
Sat (Threshold):
18k run in 84mins (av 4:40) including 3 x 2400m at Threshold effort (av 4:01)
Rainy day, but the good thing is that I was almost back to normal health. 5k warm up to the track, then 3 x 2400m in 9:45, 9:35, 9:33 (av 174 bpm) with 2-3mins standing rests. Finished with 4x100m strides and 5k cool down.
Sun (Tempo):
19k run in 89mins (av 4:41) including 10k at MP effort (av 4:30)
3k warm up, then 10k at MP effort on undulanting terrain, averaging 4:30 min/km. Found 1km stretch of small, slightly hilly road and ran out and back 5 times. A good variation to my normal flat running routine. Finished with 8 x 45secs fast, 1m:15s jog during cool down.
Total 73k for the week
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Week 1 of 5 to AHM
Did 80k in over 6.5 hours (av 4:59) during Week 1 of 5 to Army Half
I took a more cautious approach to training this time. A general rule of thumb for marathon recovery is 26 days (one day for each mile raced). Although, legs felt fresh but I am pretty sure there are some microscopic muscles damages inside. I just didn’t want to repeat the same accident last year where I embarked a full-on training straight away after the marathon and a couple days before the 10k race, I damaged my ankle ligament and was injured for 2 months. While it was a freak accident, but I think weak and stressed ankle joints, tendons & connective tissues post-marathon (further stressed by subsequent heavy training) were also responsible.
This week’s training has been fairly easy with the exception of Saturday’s workout. I did a 1-hour progression run on Tuesday, which wasn’t that hard in terms of effort spent. On Saturday, I did a big workout consisting 10k easy + 5 x 2k at HM ‘effort’ to simulate a second half of HM race. I emphasize the word ‘effort’ because I don’t know my goal HM pace is. McMillan calculator predicts a 1:27 based on GC timing, but the latter was done on good running weather. The average pace of the 2ks turned out to be 4:07 min/km, but I am not sure whether I could run at this pace for 21k straight.
Mon (Off):
AM: 40mins Elliptical
PM: 1-hour Pilates
Tue (Workout):
16k run in 75mins (av 4:42) including 60mins Progression Run
Progression run with pace change every 10mins at 5:15, 5:00, 4:45, 4:30, 4:15, and 4:00s, covering last 30mins at sub-3 MP and last 20mins at 87mins HM pace. Finished with Hill Sprints of varying length: 2 x 20secs, 2 x 15secs, 2 x 10secs.
Wed (Easy):
6.5k Recovery (av 5:29), treadmill
Thu (Easy):
17k Easy in (av 5:00), out at 5:00-5:10, back in 4:50-5:00
Fri (Easy):
AM: 10.5k Easy (av 5:03) incl 4 laps of sprint the straights, jog the curves
PM: 1-hour Strength Training (abs, lunges, squats)
Sat (Workout):
24k run in 116mins (av 4:50) consisting of:
- 10k Easy (5:12)
- 5 x 2k at HM effort (av 4:07)
- 3k cool down (5:34)
The aim is to get a feel of how the second half of HM will be like. Ran 10k easy from home to East Coast Park as a warm up, then did 5 x 2k at HM effort. Splits: 8:16/168, 8:14/172, 8:14/175, 8:14/176, 8:04/181. Recovery was 2:00 jog + 00:30 standing rest to drink & stretch, except for the last one whereby I took a 3:00 standing rest to ensure I ran a bit quicker. A hard workout, but not awfully tough. Legs still lacking zip. Happy to see that HR hitting 180s since I haven’t been at this range during marathon training.
Sun (Easy):
6k Recovery (av 5:35)
Total 80k for the week
I took a more cautious approach to training this time. A general rule of thumb for marathon recovery is 26 days (one day for each mile raced). Although, legs felt fresh but I am pretty sure there are some microscopic muscles damages inside. I just didn’t want to repeat the same accident last year where I embarked a full-on training straight away after the marathon and a couple days before the 10k race, I damaged my ankle ligament and was injured for 2 months. While it was a freak accident, but I think weak and stressed ankle joints, tendons & connective tissues post-marathon (further stressed by subsequent heavy training) were also responsible.
This week’s training has been fairly easy with the exception of Saturday’s workout. I did a 1-hour progression run on Tuesday, which wasn’t that hard in terms of effort spent. On Saturday, I did a big workout consisting 10k easy + 5 x 2k at HM ‘effort’ to simulate a second half of HM race. I emphasize the word ‘effort’ because I don’t know my goal HM pace is. McMillan calculator predicts a 1:27 based on GC timing, but the latter was done on good running weather. The average pace of the 2ks turned out to be 4:07 min/km, but I am not sure whether I could run at this pace for 21k straight.
Mon (Off):
AM: 40mins Elliptical
PM: 1-hour Pilates
Tue (Workout):
16k run in 75mins (av 4:42) including 60mins Progression Run
Progression run with pace change every 10mins at 5:15, 5:00, 4:45, 4:30, 4:15, and 4:00s, covering last 30mins at sub-3 MP and last 20mins at 87mins HM pace. Finished with Hill Sprints of varying length: 2 x 20secs, 2 x 15secs, 2 x 10secs.
Wed (Easy):
6.5k Recovery (av 5:29), treadmill
Thu (Easy):
17k Easy in (av 5:00), out at 5:00-5:10, back in 4:50-5:00
Fri (Easy):
AM: 10.5k Easy (av 5:03) incl 4 laps of sprint the straights, jog the curves
PM: 1-hour Strength Training (abs, lunges, squats)
Sat (Workout):
24k run in 116mins (av 4:50) consisting of:
- 10k Easy (5:12)
- 5 x 2k at HM effort (av 4:07)
- 3k cool down (5:34)
The aim is to get a feel of how the second half of HM will be like. Ran 10k easy from home to East Coast Park as a warm up, then did 5 x 2k at HM effort. Splits: 8:16/168, 8:14/172, 8:14/175, 8:14/176, 8:04/181. Recovery was 2:00 jog + 00:30 standing rest to drink & stretch, except for the last one whereby I took a 3:00 standing rest to ensure I ran a bit quicker. A hard workout, but not awfully tough. Legs still lacking zip. Happy to see that HR hitting 180s since I haven’t been at this range during marathon training.
Sun (Easy):
6k Recovery (av 5:35)
Total 80k for the week
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Post Mortem & Race Plans
Post race analysis and personal findings:
1) I found that the temperature differential (30c during training vs 10c during racing) will only allow me to sustain the projected MP for the whole 42k without bonking. Unlike other trained runners (e.g. by7), I still don’t have that ability to utilize the cooler racing temperature into running faster than projected MP. A heat chart by Tinman suggest that a change in temperature from 50F (Gold Coast temp 10c) to 90F (Singapore temp 30c) will cause a performance drop of 5%. Since I have been practicing MP at 4:20-4:25 min/km in Singapore, ‘theoretically’ the heat training in Singapore could enable me to do sub-3 (4:20 pace x 95% = 4:12 pace
2) My marathon HR in Gold Coast was 165bpm or 85% Max HR. My last max test was done 3 years ago and it was 195 bpm. I am not sure what my max is now but maybe it’s down by a couple of beats. Hadd training article and other lets run posts suggest that well-trained runners (with 190+ HR Max) can run marathon averaging 175bpm (87-88% Max). So my marathon HR is about 10bpm lower than those people.
The aforementioned points above may indicate a few things 1) Assuming if I was well-trained, I was too conservative during the race and didn’t realize the possibility that I could run a bit faster; or 2) I wasn’t very well-trained, hence I was unable to capitalize on the lower temperature and run at a higher HR; or 3) I am just one of those average joes.
Race Plans:
My next race is the Army Half Marathon in mid-August (did 1:28 last year). There are only 5 weeks of training left (including taper) to prepare for the race, hopefully I can match or slightly better last year’s timing.
No other races planned for the rest of the year. There are possibilities that I sprinkle a couple of short races here and there (e.g HM leg of Singapore Marathon in Dec or Freo HM in Sep if family allows). My wife and kiddo will return to Singapore at the end of the month, so training times will be slightly constrained and less flexible. My current aim is to do general type of base work consisting of moderate mileage, 2 day offs per week, in order to balance family life.
Have yet to decide on next marathon. What currently comes to mind includes Seoul International Marathon in March (flat course, sub-zero temperature in 2007), Gold Coast Marathon again in early July or perhaps Perth Marathon (not sure when).
Training this week:
M: off
T: off
W: 7.5k Recovery (5:28) in Melbourne
T: 12.5k Easy/Mod (4:48) with last 30mins moderate(4:40)
F: Arrived in SG, 6k Recovery (5:27) + massage
S: 5k Easy (5:00), 2 strides
S: 8k POSB Run for Kids race in 32:23 (4:03) + 6k wu/cd (5:40)
Total 45k
Despite just ran a marathon a week ago, I decided to do a low key 8k race. Initially planned to run this at about 4:05 pace to get HR data for next month’s Army HM, but got sucked in to a fast start. Felt good in the first half, but found no leg speed in the second half despite feeling as strong as an ox. HR was almost constant at 182 in the last 5k. Just couldn’t push harder. Finished 4th, about 50secs behind the 3rd runner and 3 minutes after the 1st runner. Splits: 3:53/167 (hill), 3:57/177, 4:00/180, 3:57/183, 4:04/182, 4:12/182 (hill), 4:07/181, 4:02/182, 10secs extra. I am not sure whether I can maintain this pace for 21k, so probably a 1:27-1:28 is an appropriate HM goal for me.
1) I found that the temperature differential (30c during training vs 10c during racing) will only allow me to sustain the projected MP for the whole 42k without bonking. Unlike other trained runners (e.g. by7), I still don’t have that ability to utilize the cooler racing temperature into running faster than projected MP. A heat chart by Tinman suggest that a change in temperature from 50F (Gold Coast temp 10c) to 90F (Singapore temp 30c) will cause a performance drop of 5%. Since I have been practicing MP at 4:20-4:25 min/km in Singapore, ‘theoretically’ the heat training in Singapore could enable me to do sub-3 (4:20 pace x 95% = 4:12 pace
2) My marathon HR in Gold Coast was 165bpm or 85% Max HR. My last max test was done 3 years ago and it was 195 bpm. I am not sure what my max is now but maybe it’s down by a couple of beats. Hadd training article and other lets run posts suggest that well-trained runners (with 190+ HR Max) can run marathon averaging 175bpm (87-88% Max). So my marathon HR is about 10bpm lower than those people.
The aforementioned points above may indicate a few things 1) Assuming if I was well-trained, I was too conservative during the race and didn’t realize the possibility that I could run a bit faster; or 2) I wasn’t very well-trained, hence I was unable to capitalize on the lower temperature and run at a higher HR; or 3) I am just one of those average joes.
Race Plans:
My next race is the Army Half Marathon in mid-August (did 1:28 last year). There are only 5 weeks of training left (including taper) to prepare for the race, hopefully I can match or slightly better last year’s timing.
No other races planned for the rest of the year. There are possibilities that I sprinkle a couple of short races here and there (e.g HM leg of Singapore Marathon in Dec or Freo HM in Sep if family allows). My wife and kiddo will return to Singapore at the end of the month, so training times will be slightly constrained and less flexible. My current aim is to do general type of base work consisting of moderate mileage, 2 day offs per week, in order to balance family life.
Have yet to decide on next marathon. What currently comes to mind includes Seoul International Marathon in March (flat course, sub-zero temperature in 2007), Gold Coast Marathon again in early July or perhaps Perth Marathon (not sure when).
Training this week:
M: off
T: off
W: 7.5k Recovery (5:28) in Melbourne
T: 12.5k Easy/Mod (4:48) with last 30mins moderate(4:40)
F: Arrived in SG, 6k Recovery (5:27) + massage
S: 5k Easy (5:00), 2 strides
S: 8k POSB Run for Kids race in 32:23 (4:03) + 6k wu/cd (5:40)
Total 45k
Despite just ran a marathon a week ago, I decided to do a low key 8k race. Initially planned to run this at about 4:05 pace to get HR data for next month’s Army HM, but got sucked in to a fast start. Felt good in the first half, but found no leg speed in the second half despite feeling as strong as an ox. HR was almost constant at 182 in the last 5k. Just couldn’t push harder. Finished 4th, about 50secs behind the 3rd runner and 3 minutes after the 1st runner. Splits: 3:53/167 (hill), 3:57/177, 4:00/180, 3:57/183, 4:04/182, 4:12/182 (hill), 4:07/181, 4:02/182, 10secs extra. I am not sure whether I can maintain this pace for 21k, so probably a 1:27-1:28 is an appropriate HM goal for me.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Gold Coast Marathon 2009
Net Time: 3:04:50
A PB by 7 minutes and beat BQ for my age group (35-40) by 11 minutes.
Firstly, training for the Week 12 of 12. As mentioned previosuly, I felt that I peaked at the right time judging how easy my workouts were in the last 2 weeks (signs of adaptations). I had to patiently control the pace and duration of the workouts (including a 5k race), just to make sure I didn't 'race' my training.
M: 5k Recovery (5:26)
T: 13.5k (av 4:45) including 50mins Progression of 10mins @ 5:20, 5:00, 4:40, 4:20, 4:08. Covered last 30mins at MP, last 20mins at sub-3 pace
W: jetlagged
T: 10.5k (av 4:45) including 3.5k MP + 6 strides
F: 7k Easy (5:02), 4 strides
S: 12mins jog (6:00 pace)
Total 38k pre-race
Now, the race report:
Arrived at GC airport around 4.30pm (would love to get there earlier but no choice since it was a mileage ticket). Took the shuttle bus and arrived at the hotel. Picked up the bib + chip from Max (thanks a bunch) and went to have a pasta dinner at Surfers Paradise. Tossed and turned at the bed and couldn't sleep until about 1am. Had a weird dream that I was running a marathon carrying a monile phone and at km 10, I received a call from work. Stopped and talked for a few minutes, feeling de-motivated to run and DNF'ed. I then woke up and the clock was showing 4:00 am. OK, it was just a dream and I hasn't started running yet !!
Continue to sleep until about 5:20am, took shower, ate breakfast and took the bus to the race location. Had a mini fiasco during the warm up. I wore a belt which carries race bib and gels and I lost 2 packs of gel during warm up ! Luckily, I brought a spare one and now had 3 pax for the race. Now, I had to re-think about my fueling strategy as I initially planned to take gels at 10, 17.5, 25, 30 and 35k. I decided to rely on sports drinks for the initial part and would take gels at km 17.5, 27.5 and 35k.
I also happened to make the right decision on race gear. Bought a cotton glove after dinner and decided to wear long sleeve top for the run. It was a chilly morning, sub 10 degree and a bit windy in some areas. The course itself was 'relatively' flat (it's not 99% flat as Perth). There were a few gentle undulations along the suburban area and a couple of bridges. Would say it's about 95% flat but some of the slopes could affect your legs, especially after running on a flat ground for a long time. I found that the road is very cambered.
I ran pretty much even split for the first 30k, passing the respective 10k splits in 43:29, 43:31, and 43:45. No stopping at all as I drank during the run. Km 30-40k was harder since I began to feel tired and as we passed Southport, there were a couple of bridges to overcome. During this period, I had to resort to a few seconds walk breaks at the drink stops just to give the legs some rests. My average pace began to slow down to around 4:30s but I continue to dig deep. During this hard patch, I thought about my 3-month old son and how he always smiles. This enpowered me to keep going for the last 2k depsite the heavy legs. I managed to minimize the damage, hanged on to the finish and passed the clock at just under 3:05
5k 21:37 10k: 21:43
15k 21:47 20k 21:45
First Half Marathon: 1:31:39
30k 43:44
35k 21:55 40k 22:27
last 2.2k: 9:49
Second Half Marathon: 1:33:11
Net Time: 3:04:50
Av HR: 165 bpm (high 177)
Overall placing: 194 put of 3711 (179 of 2561 male)
Age group placing: 44 of 495
1k splits: 4:20/149, 4:18/159, 4:19/162, 4:19/162, 4:21/161, 4:20/162, 4:24/161, 4:23/161, 4:20/162, 4:23/163, 4:19/164, 4:21/163, 4:23/163, 4:21/164, 4:19/165, 4:25/165, 4:20/165, 4:17/166, 4:22/165, 4:24/165, 4:19/166, 4:20/167, 4:22/166, 4:24/167, 4:18/167, 4:27/166, 4:21/167, 4:27/167, 4:22/167. 4:21/169, 4:22/168, 4:23/169, 4:26/167, 4:23/169, 4:27/170, 4:29/168, 4:24/171, 4:32/170, 4:29/170, 4:27/172, 4:37/172, 4:27/174, 48/178
http://results.au.eventdirector.net/View.asp?EventID=3392&Bib=M2521
A PB by 7 minutes and beat BQ for my age group (35-40) by 11 minutes.
Firstly, training for the Week 12 of 12. As mentioned previosuly, I felt that I peaked at the right time judging how easy my workouts were in the last 2 weeks (signs of adaptations). I had to patiently control the pace and duration of the workouts (including a 5k race), just to make sure I didn't 'race' my training.
M: 5k Recovery (5:26)
T: 13.5k (av 4:45) including 50mins Progression of 10mins @ 5:20, 5:00, 4:40, 4:20, 4:08. Covered last 30mins at MP, last 20mins at sub-3 pace
W: jetlagged
T: 10.5k (av 4:45) including 3.5k MP + 6 strides
F: 7k Easy (5:02), 4 strides
S: 12mins jog (6:00 pace)
Total 38k pre-race
Now, the race report:
Arrived at GC airport around 4.30pm (would love to get there earlier but no choice since it was a mileage ticket). Took the shuttle bus and arrived at the hotel. Picked up the bib + chip from Max (thanks a bunch) and went to have a pasta dinner at Surfers Paradise. Tossed and turned at the bed and couldn't sleep until about 1am. Had a weird dream that I was running a marathon carrying a monile phone and at km 10, I received a call from work. Stopped and talked for a few minutes, feeling de-motivated to run and DNF'ed. I then woke up and the clock was showing 4:00 am. OK, it was just a dream and I hasn't started running yet !!
Continue to sleep until about 5:20am, took shower, ate breakfast and took the bus to the race location. Had a mini fiasco during the warm up. I wore a belt which carries race bib and gels and I lost 2 packs of gel during warm up ! Luckily, I brought a spare one and now had 3 pax for the race. Now, I had to re-think about my fueling strategy as I initially planned to take gels at 10, 17.5, 25, 30 and 35k. I decided to rely on sports drinks for the initial part and would take gels at km 17.5, 27.5 and 35k.
I also happened to make the right decision on race gear. Bought a cotton glove after dinner and decided to wear long sleeve top for the run. It was a chilly morning, sub 10 degree and a bit windy in some areas. The course itself was 'relatively' flat (it's not 99% flat as Perth). There were a few gentle undulations along the suburban area and a couple of bridges. Would say it's about 95% flat but some of the slopes could affect your legs, especially after running on a flat ground for a long time. I found that the road is very cambered.
I ran pretty much even split for the first 30k, passing the respective 10k splits in 43:29, 43:31, and 43:45. No stopping at all as I drank during the run. Km 30-40k was harder since I began to feel tired and as we passed Southport, there were a couple of bridges to overcome. During this period, I had to resort to a few seconds walk breaks at the drink stops just to give the legs some rests. My average pace began to slow down to around 4:30s but I continue to dig deep. During this hard patch, I thought about my 3-month old son and how he always smiles. This enpowered me to keep going for the last 2k depsite the heavy legs. I managed to minimize the damage, hanged on to the finish and passed the clock at just under 3:05
5k 21:37 10k: 21:43
15k 21:47 20k 21:45
First Half Marathon: 1:31:39
30k 43:44
35k 21:55 40k 22:27
last 2.2k: 9:49
Second Half Marathon: 1:33:11
Net Time: 3:04:50
Av HR: 165 bpm (high 177)
Overall placing: 194 put of 3711 (179 of 2561 male)
Age group placing: 44 of 495
1k splits: 4:20/149, 4:18/159, 4:19/162, 4:19/162, 4:21/161, 4:20/162, 4:24/161, 4:23/161, 4:20/162, 4:23/163, 4:19/164, 4:21/163, 4:23/163, 4:21/164, 4:19/165, 4:25/165, 4:20/165, 4:17/166, 4:22/165, 4:24/165, 4:19/166, 4:20/167, 4:22/166, 4:24/167, 4:18/167, 4:27/166, 4:21/167, 4:27/167, 4:22/167. 4:21/169, 4:22/168, 4:23/169, 4:26/167, 4:23/169, 4:27/170, 4:29/168, 4:24/171, 4:32/170, 4:29/170, 4:27/172, 4:37/172, 4:27/174, 48/178
http://results.au.eventdirector.net/View.asp?EventID=3392&Bib=M2521
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Week 11 of 12
Did 70k in 5 and ¾ hours (av 4:55) during Week 11 of 12
I really enjoyed my first week taper. Singapore mornings have been cool (26c & cloudy) all this week and these made running much more palatable. In addition, I felt that all the runs were relatively easy effort-wise, which could mean two things: 1) my body has adapted to training and ready to peak, or 2) I didn’t train hard enough and my training intensity during taper were too easy.
Ran 6 days a week and only had Monday off. My taper plan was to maintain running frequency (to keep weight in check) with a 20-30% reduction in mileage, for instance long run was cut from 30 to 24k, recovery runs from 40mins to 30mins, as well as shortened duration for speed session. I did 3 workouts at varying intensities this week: 10k MP run 12 days out, 2 hour easy long run 10 days out, and a controlled 5k race at 10k pace effort 7 days out.
My plan for the race week is to do a short run on Monday, 12-13k on Tuesday including 5k of moderate pace running (sub MP to MP), fly to Melbourne Tuesday night, rest on Wednesday, 8-10k run including 3k MP on Thursday, 30mins jogging Friday, and 10-15mins jog once I arrive in GC on Saturday evening. Probably 35-40k in total for Mon-Sat.
All the best to Rob, Craig, TB, and Henry who are running Perth Marathon on Sunday as well as Max, Ewen and others who are doing GC. All the best to you all!
By the way, for anyone who cares, my bib is M2521.
Training this week:
Mon (Rest):
Off.
Tue (Tempo):
14k run in 65mins (av 4:38) including 10k @ 4:18 min/km
Jogged for 2k and then ran 10k tempo in 43mins flat (av 4:18) at a few seconds faster than MP. Av HR was 164 bpm with a high of 173. Hopefully today’s tempo will make the MP feel easier at least for the first half of the marathon next week. Broke-in a new pair of shoes for the marathon.
Wed (Easy):
6k Recovery (av 5:23), 3 strides
Thu (Long):
24k run in ~120mins (av 4:55)
Last long run 10 days out and decided to make it an easy one (previous 2 long runs were moderate paced and not fat-burning mode). After a couple of ks of warm up jog, ran ~90 minutes at 4:55-5:00 pace. Then picked up the pace to MP + 5%-8% (4:30-4:40) in the last 20minutes. Tried the Endura (GCM sports drink) for the first time.
Fri (Easy):
9k Easy-Moderate (av 4:55) + 6 x 15sec hill sprints
Sat (Easy):
5k Recovery (av 5:32)
Sun (Race):
11.5k run consisting of:
- 600m warm up
- 5.24k Brooks Republic Run in 20:28 (av 3:55, 5k in 19:36)
- 5.7k cool down
My plan was to treat the race as my last speed workout and to run it at 10k pace. Didn't sleep well the night before and arrived late at the race location. Only had the time to deposit bag and go to the toilet. Did only 600m warm up to the start line and went off. Very controlled effort from the start and once I hit the target pace, I just locked it in and stayed there. In fact, my shoe lace got undone after 2k, but too lazy to stop and tie it. Just ran steady, without any huffing and puffing and no attempt to kick.Splits: 3:55, 3:54, 3:57, 3:56, 3:53 (passed 5k in 19:36), and 51secs for the last 235m. Average HR was 171 bpm with a high of 183 bpm versus my actual Max HR of 193bpm, hence it seems that I still have a lot of in the tank. In sum, I pretty much got all I wanted from the run: a good leg speed workout without having to dig deep into my energy reserves (straining) and came out without any muscle soreness. A quick look at McMillan calculator, it says that an all-out 19:36 5k is equivalent to 3:11 marathon, so hopefully my marathon shape is under that.
I really enjoyed my first week taper. Singapore mornings have been cool (26c & cloudy) all this week and these made running much more palatable. In addition, I felt that all the runs were relatively easy effort-wise, which could mean two things: 1) my body has adapted to training and ready to peak, or 2) I didn’t train hard enough and my training intensity during taper were too easy.
Ran 6 days a week and only had Monday off. My taper plan was to maintain running frequency (to keep weight in check) with a 20-30% reduction in mileage, for instance long run was cut from 30 to 24k, recovery runs from 40mins to 30mins, as well as shortened duration for speed session. I did 3 workouts at varying intensities this week: 10k MP run 12 days out, 2 hour easy long run 10 days out, and a controlled 5k race at 10k pace effort 7 days out.
My plan for the race week is to do a short run on Monday, 12-13k on Tuesday including 5k of moderate pace running (sub MP to MP), fly to Melbourne Tuesday night, rest on Wednesday, 8-10k run including 3k MP on Thursday, 30mins jogging Friday, and 10-15mins jog once I arrive in GC on Saturday evening. Probably 35-40k in total for Mon-Sat.
All the best to Rob, Craig, TB, and Henry who are running Perth Marathon on Sunday as well as Max, Ewen and others who are doing GC. All the best to you all!
By the way, for anyone who cares, my bib is M2521.
Training this week:
Mon (Rest):
Off.
Tue (Tempo):
14k run in 65mins (av 4:38) including 10k @ 4:18 min/km
Jogged for 2k and then ran 10k tempo in 43mins flat (av 4:18) at a few seconds faster than MP. Av HR was 164 bpm with a high of 173. Hopefully today’s tempo will make the MP feel easier at least for the first half of the marathon next week. Broke-in a new pair of shoes for the marathon.
Wed (Easy):
6k Recovery (av 5:23), 3 strides
Thu (Long):
24k run in ~120mins (av 4:55)
Last long run 10 days out and decided to make it an easy one (previous 2 long runs were moderate paced and not fat-burning mode). After a couple of ks of warm up jog, ran ~90 minutes at 4:55-5:00 pace. Then picked up the pace to MP + 5%-8% (4:30-4:40) in the last 20minutes. Tried the Endura (GCM sports drink) for the first time.
Fri (Easy):
9k Easy-Moderate (av 4:55) + 6 x 15sec hill sprints
Sat (Easy):
5k Recovery (av 5:32)
Sun (Race):
11.5k run consisting of:
- 600m warm up
- 5.24k Brooks Republic Run in 20:28 (av 3:55, 5k in 19:36)
- 5.7k cool down
My plan was to treat the race as my last speed workout and to run it at 10k pace. Didn't sleep well the night before and arrived late at the race location. Only had the time to deposit bag and go to the toilet. Did only 600m warm up to the start line and went off. Very controlled effort from the start and once I hit the target pace, I just locked it in and stayed there. In fact, my shoe lace got undone after 2k, but too lazy to stop and tie it. Just ran steady, without any huffing and puffing and no attempt to kick.Splits: 3:55, 3:54, 3:57, 3:56, 3:53 (passed 5k in 19:36), and 51secs for the last 235m. Average HR was 171 bpm with a high of 183 bpm versus my actual Max HR of 193bpm, hence it seems that I still have a lot of in the tank. In sum, I pretty much got all I wanted from the run: a good leg speed workout without having to dig deep into my energy reserves (straining) and came out without any muscle soreness. A quick look at McMillan calculator, it says that an all-out 19:36 5k is equivalent to 3:11 marathon, so hopefully my marathon shape is under that.
Todays' race was won by a Kenyan Thomas Kiprotichs and the second place was Clinton Mackevicius, a former Australia's nation 1500m runner in late 1990s (~3:45 timing)
Total 70k for the week (1060k in last 11 weeks)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Week 10 of 12
Did 92k in 7.5 hours (av 4:55) during Week 10 of 12
Starting my taper now with 2 weeks to go. Really looking forward to longer sleep time from now on since I have been getting up at 4 or 5am on my workout days to avoid the heat. My plan for the taper is 70k next week then 40k during race week (pre-marathon).
One dilemma I have is that I have a 5k race next Sunday (registered and paid long time ago). I am not sure what kind of effort should I put in for the 5k since the marathon is only 7 days later. On one hand, 5k is a short race and recovery should be quick. Read that lots of old-school elites used to run 5k/10k a week before marathon as part of peaking, leg turnover workout and to dissipate some nerves (race practice) before the big day. On the flip side, I don’t want to jeopardize the marathon which of course is more important (and costly) race.
Most training programs typically schedule 18-21k long runs on Sunday to remind the body and maintain adaptations of long runs done over many weeks. I think this shouldn’t be a big issue since I can play around with the structure, such as doing 20k on Thurs/Fri, run the 5k on Sunday, and then do an easy 15k on Monday.
What do you guys think? Should I run the 5k race at:
a) Race effort (probably sub/low 19 for the 5k)
b) VO2max workout: 3 x 1600m at 5k pace, 400m jog
c) Controlled effort: 10k pace (probably under 20 for the 5k)
d) Semi-controlled effort: 4k at 10k pace, last 1.5k hard/all out
(actual distance seems to be about 5.5k according to mapmyrun)
Training this week:
Mon (Intervals):
16k run in 72mins (av 4:32) consisting of
- Warm up + strides
- 3 x 1600 @ Threshold in 6:20, 6:20, 6:20 (av 3:58 min/km)
- 3 x 800 @ 5k pace in 3:01, 3:00, 2:59 (av 3:45 min/km)
- 3 x 400 @ 2k-3k pace in 65, 64, 61 (av 3:28 min/km)
- Cool down
Ran in the evening to give extra few hours of recovery. The SMU track was full of school kids; hence some of the splits were couple of seconds slower due to the traffic. Recovery was 90secs walk after each rep and 3mins after each set. Compared to the same workout a month ago, the 1600s were a couple of seconds per k slower while the pace for 800s/400s was similar. Pretty happy with the effort considering I did a 36k long run two days earlier.
Tue (Easy):
AM: 30mins elliptical + 30mins stretching
PM: 5k Recovery (av 5:40)
Wed (Easy):
11k Easy (av 5:10), 4 strides
Thu (MP tempo):
20k run in 93mns (av 4:39) incl 14k @ 4:24 min/km
One final engine test at goal MP with 17 days to go before the D-day. Covered 1/3 of marathon distance in 61:32 (av 4:24) without stopping on flat terrain. Average HR was 161, max 177. I did an exactly similar test run before Seoul Marathon last year in 61:47, av HR 162, max 170. Hence, today’s run was 1sec/km faster with 1bpm lower average HR, albeit higher HR at the end. Also did 4 x 25secs hill during warm down.
Fri (Off):
Off, 30mins pilates
Sat (Long Run):
27.5k in 2h:12 (av 4:47 min/km)
Started with 3k slow warm up (5:18), then ran 16k at MP + 10% (4:40-4:45) to get sufficiently tired. After arriving at the track, did 4 x 1000m intervals at HM pace (4:07, 4:06, 4:07, 4:03), jogging 200m. Despite the intervals being only at HM pace, I found the change in gear to be pretty hard, but maybe that’s because after 90 minutes of moderate-paced running. Finished the run with 4 x 100m strides and slow cool down jog.
Sun (Easy):
6.5k Recovery (av 5:30), gravel/sand surface
Total 92k for the week, 990k in the last 10 weeks (av 14k per day)
Starting my taper now with 2 weeks to go. Really looking forward to longer sleep time from now on since I have been getting up at 4 or 5am on my workout days to avoid the heat. My plan for the taper is 70k next week then 40k during race week (pre-marathon).
One dilemma I have is that I have a 5k race next Sunday (registered and paid long time ago). I am not sure what kind of effort should I put in for the 5k since the marathon is only 7 days later. On one hand, 5k is a short race and recovery should be quick. Read that lots of old-school elites used to run 5k/10k a week before marathon as part of peaking, leg turnover workout and to dissipate some nerves (race practice) before the big day. On the flip side, I don’t want to jeopardize the marathon which of course is more important (and costly) race.
Most training programs typically schedule 18-21k long runs on Sunday to remind the body and maintain adaptations of long runs done over many weeks. I think this shouldn’t be a big issue since I can play around with the structure, such as doing 20k on Thurs/Fri, run the 5k on Sunday, and then do an easy 15k on Monday.
What do you guys think? Should I run the 5k race at:
a) Race effort (probably sub/low 19 for the 5k)
b) VO2max workout: 3 x 1600m at 5k pace, 400m jog
c) Controlled effort: 10k pace (probably under 20 for the 5k)
d) Semi-controlled effort: 4k at 10k pace, last 1.5k hard/all out
(actual distance seems to be about 5.5k according to mapmyrun)
Training this week:
Mon (Intervals):
16k run in 72mins (av 4:32) consisting of
- Warm up + strides
- 3 x 1600 @ Threshold in 6:20, 6:20, 6:20 (av 3:58 min/km)
- 3 x 800 @ 5k pace in 3:01, 3:00, 2:59 (av 3:45 min/km)
- 3 x 400 @ 2k-3k pace in 65, 64, 61 (av 3:28 min/km)
- Cool down
Ran in the evening to give extra few hours of recovery. The SMU track was full of school kids; hence some of the splits were couple of seconds slower due to the traffic. Recovery was 90secs walk after each rep and 3mins after each set. Compared to the same workout a month ago, the 1600s were a couple of seconds per k slower while the pace for 800s/400s was similar. Pretty happy with the effort considering I did a 36k long run two days earlier.
Tue (Easy):
AM: 30mins elliptical + 30mins stretching
PM: 5k Recovery (av 5:40)
Wed (Easy):
11k Easy (av 5:10), 4 strides
Thu (MP tempo):
20k run in 93mns (av 4:39) incl 14k @ 4:24 min/km
One final engine test at goal MP with 17 days to go before the D-day. Covered 1/3 of marathon distance in 61:32 (av 4:24) without stopping on flat terrain. Average HR was 161, max 177. I did an exactly similar test run before Seoul Marathon last year in 61:47, av HR 162, max 170. Hence, today’s run was 1sec/km faster with 1bpm lower average HR, albeit higher HR at the end. Also did 4 x 25secs hill during warm down.
Fri (Off):
Off, 30mins pilates
Sat (Long Run):
27.5k in 2h:12 (av 4:47 min/km)
Started with 3k slow warm up (5:18), then ran 16k at MP + 10% (4:40-4:45) to get sufficiently tired. After arriving at the track, did 4 x 1000m intervals at HM pace (4:07, 4:06, 4:07, 4:03), jogging 200m. Despite the intervals being only at HM pace, I found the change in gear to be pretty hard, but maybe that’s because after 90 minutes of moderate-paced running. Finished the run with 4 x 100m strides and slow cool down jog.
Sun (Easy):
6.5k Recovery (av 5:30), gravel/sand surface
Total 92k for the week, 990k in the last 10 weeks (av 14k per day)
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Week 9 of 12
Did 110k in just over 9 hours (av 5:01 min/km) during Week 9 of 12
Was initially hoping for a hard training week, but it wasn’t meant to be. Mileage was good, but not the intensity nor quality. Had a massage early on Monday and the muscles were sore for the next 3 days. Consequently, I only managed to one so-so speed workout (normally I do two a week) and a weekend long run. In total, I had 5 slow/easy days this week.
Three weeks to go to GCM. Frankly, I am not sure whether I am in a better shape compared to my last marathon in Seoul. My average training paces are slower this year and I did less ‘long fast workouts’. Last year, I felt fresh and was able to do more intense quality workouts. While for the current training cycle; I’ve been hampered by groin problems and hot weather (one of the warmest on record). On a positive note, this year’s longer prep (4 weeks longer) is probably worth an extra 350-400 km in mileage (hopefully this will help!).
The plan for next week is to up the intensity since it will be virtually the last hard training week before I enter a 2-week taper. Plan to do 2 speed workouts (focusing on MP) during mid-week and 25-28km long run in the weekend.
Mon (Easy):
AM: 6k Recovery (av 5:30)
PM: Massage
Tue (Easy):
AM: 8k Recovery (av 5:36)
PM: 8k Easy (av 5:10), 4 strides
Too sore to do any workout after a painful massage yesterday.
Wed (Threshold):
AM: 19k (av 4:42) with 52mins worth of HM pace/MP work
PM: 5.5k Recovery (av 5:32)
Similar style to last week’s workout, alternating intervals at HM pace with recovery at MP. 3 sets of 1k HMP, 1k MP, 1k HMP, 1k MP with 2mins rest in between on the F1 track. Splits for the 4k sets: 17:12 (163 bpm), 17:12 (168 bpm), and 16:55 (170 bpm). Average pace was 4:08 for the HM segments, 4:25 for the recovery, and 4:17 min/km for the 12k total. I wanted to do another set but I was too stuffed from the warm weather.
Thu (Easy):
11k Recovery (av 5:19)
Fri (Easy):
AM: 9.5k Easy (av 4:58), 8 strides
PM: 20mins gym work
Sat (Long Run):
36k in 2h:50 (av 4:42 min/km)
Ran with Max again at East Coast Park. We started pretty early at 5:30am and didn’t see the mercury until near the end of the run - which was good for a change. After 3k warm up, ran 27k at 4:40 min/km or 3h:18m marathon pace (excluding a few brief drink breaks). After Max left, I planned to do 5k at goal MP to wrap up the long run. However, I was too tired by then, and only had energy to do 2 x 2k at goal MP (4:20 min/km) with a slow 1k jog in between. Including today’s run, total mileage for the last 7 days (Saturday to Sunday) was 130k.
Sun (Easy):
AM: 7k Recovery (av 5:26), 4 easy strides
PM: Yoga
Total 110k for the week
Was initially hoping for a hard training week, but it wasn’t meant to be. Mileage was good, but not the intensity nor quality. Had a massage early on Monday and the muscles were sore for the next 3 days. Consequently, I only managed to one so-so speed workout (normally I do two a week) and a weekend long run. In total, I had 5 slow/easy days this week.
Three weeks to go to GCM. Frankly, I am not sure whether I am in a better shape compared to my last marathon in Seoul. My average training paces are slower this year and I did less ‘long fast workouts’. Last year, I felt fresh and was able to do more intense quality workouts. While for the current training cycle; I’ve been hampered by groin problems and hot weather (one of the warmest on record). On a positive note, this year’s longer prep (4 weeks longer) is probably worth an extra 350-400 km in mileage (hopefully this will help!).
The plan for next week is to up the intensity since it will be virtually the last hard training week before I enter a 2-week taper. Plan to do 2 speed workouts (focusing on MP) during mid-week and 25-28km long run in the weekend.
Mon (Easy):
AM: 6k Recovery (av 5:30)
PM: Massage
Tue (Easy):
AM: 8k Recovery (av 5:36)
PM: 8k Easy (av 5:10), 4 strides
Too sore to do any workout after a painful massage yesterday.
Wed (Threshold):
AM: 19k (av 4:42) with 52mins worth of HM pace/MP work
PM: 5.5k Recovery (av 5:32)
Similar style to last week’s workout, alternating intervals at HM pace with recovery at MP. 3 sets of 1k HMP, 1k MP, 1k HMP, 1k MP with 2mins rest in between on the F1 track. Splits for the 4k sets: 17:12 (163 bpm), 17:12 (168 bpm), and 16:55 (170 bpm). Average pace was 4:08 for the HM segments, 4:25 for the recovery, and 4:17 min/km for the 12k total. I wanted to do another set but I was too stuffed from the warm weather.
Thu (Easy):
11k Recovery (av 5:19)
Fri (Easy):
AM: 9.5k Easy (av 4:58), 8 strides
PM: 20mins gym work
Sat (Long Run):
36k in 2h:50 (av 4:42 min/km)
Ran with Max again at East Coast Park. We started pretty early at 5:30am and didn’t see the mercury until near the end of the run - which was good for a change. After 3k warm up, ran 27k at 4:40 min/km or 3h:18m marathon pace (excluding a few brief drink breaks). After Max left, I planned to do 5k at goal MP to wrap up the long run. However, I was too tired by then, and only had energy to do 2 x 2k at goal MP (4:20 min/km) with a slow 1k jog in between. Including today’s run, total mileage for the last 7 days (Saturday to Sunday) was 130k.
Sun (Easy):
AM: 7k Recovery (av 5:26), 4 easy strides
PM: Yoga
Total 110k for the week
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Week 8 of 12
Did 99k in around 8 hours (av 4:58) during Week 8 of 12
Re: marathon decision….
It is gonna be Gold Coast. After discussion with my wife, doing a marathon in the East Coast is a better idea since I can make a combined trip to visit the family in Melbourne. Had a few things to take care (baby passport, shipment etc) before my wife and baby will head to Singapore in early August.
Apologies to the guys in Perth for not being able to run Perth Marathon this year. I’ve discussed with my wife about doing Perth Marathon next year (need to re-qualify for Boston if I want to run it in 2011) or perhaps even one of the WAMC’s weekend events. I hope that speedsters Epi and Clown will be kind enough to pace me to a 10k/21k PB since the road race culture and organization and in Singapore is really bad.
Anyway, training has been lackluster this week. I was unable to get the results I had hoped from the workouts (e.g. less tempo distance, slow pace of easy/long runs etc). One reason could be that I am just tired. During my last marathon prep, I did 8 weeks of training and I felt good the whole way. In contrast, the current training cycle is 12 weeks long and I passed the 8 weeks mark today. I’ve been feeling tired and sluggish (also running with sore groin/quads) since the last few weeks. Singapore weather during April-May also has been much hotter and humid (which is very draining) compared to the Sep-Oct period.
Below is the comparison between the two marathon preps. Two things that strike me are that a) I am doing less number of and much shorter LSDs; and b) training paces for the two preps are almost exactly the same, for instance tempos (4:00-4:10), intervals (3:50s), MP (4:20-4:30), and Easy (5:00-5:30). In other words, there is no increase in training intensity (in fact, the Seould prep was actually more 'dense' if we count the number of both easy and quality long runs completed during the short training cycle). The only difference is that I will have 4 weeks of extra training this time around and I wonder whether this will yield a different (better) results?
Seoul prep (followed by 2 weeks taper):
Mileage (6 weeks): 94, 91, 105, 98, 115, 105 = av 101 km
Long Runs (Easy): 32, 35, 35, 27, 30
Long Runs (Quality): 27 (21 @ MP), 32 (28 @ MP), 31 (21 @ MP)
GCM prep (another 2 week training + 2 weeks taper):
Mileage (8 weeks): 88, 90, 121, 97, 112, 93, 88, 99 = av 98 km
Long Runs (Easy): 25, 27, 24, 31
Long Runs (Quality): 30 (15 @ MP), 33 (24 @ MP), 35 (26 @ MP)
Training this week:
Mon:
OFF
Tue (Intervals):
15k av 4:50 with 6 x 1k @ 10k pace
Back in SG and I felt the difference in effort right away. Last week, Melbourne was 14c and the wind chill made it to around 11c (apparent temperature). This afternoon, Singapore was 32c with a heat index of 35c. This basically means that I am training in a place which is 3x hotter than in an ideal (lab-like) conditions. Ran 4k for warm up to the F1 track, 6 x 1k @ 10k pace (av 3:54) with 90secs walk, 5k cool down including strides and short hill sprints.
Wed (Easy):
AM: 10k Easy (av 5:17), on treadmill
PM: Weights/Core
Thu (Threshold):
AM: 7k Easy (av 5:06)
PM: 16k (av 4:45) with 6 miles Threshold (alternate miles of HMP & MP)
Due to limited running space in Singapore, sometimes I have to be creative in finding places to run. Tried a Threshold workout, alternating 1600m on the track at HM pace with 1600m recovery 1600m at MP on a short stretch of road. Splits: 6:36/7:05, 6:36/7:01, 6:37/6:52 (av pace 4:15 for 9.6k, 4:07 on the HM and 4:23 on the recovery) with 1min rest between sets. Also did 4 x 30secs hill during the cool down. Might do another variation of this workout next time.
Fri (Easy):
AM: 7k Recovery (5:27)
PM: Pilates
Sat (Aborted Long Run):
17k including 14k av 4:37
Ran with a friend (Max) in East Coast Park who has a 3h:15m marathon target. The plan is to do 3k warm up, followed by 24k of goal pace (4:37 min/km). Felt sluggish and my heart rate was hovering at 170-175 which was very high for the effort. Could be either due to dehydration or insufficient recovery from previous workouts. Didn’t want to take any chance of over-straining and decided to cut short the run.
Sun (Long Run):
27k Easy
Ran around Tanglin and Bukit Timah area which has a mildly undulating terrain. Ran the first half at 5:00-5:15 and the second half at 4:50-5:00. Had a few breaks in the middle to rehydrate. Tired legs, definitely in need of a massage.
Total 99k for the week
Re: marathon decision….
It is gonna be Gold Coast. After discussion with my wife, doing a marathon in the East Coast is a better idea since I can make a combined trip to visit the family in Melbourne. Had a few things to take care (baby passport, shipment etc) before my wife and baby will head to Singapore in early August.
Apologies to the guys in Perth for not being able to run Perth Marathon this year. I’ve discussed with my wife about doing Perth Marathon next year (need to re-qualify for Boston if I want to run it in 2011) or perhaps even one of the WAMC’s weekend events. I hope that speedsters Epi and Clown will be kind enough to pace me to a 10k/21k PB since the road race culture and organization and in Singapore is really bad.
Anyway, training has been lackluster this week. I was unable to get the results I had hoped from the workouts (e.g. less tempo distance, slow pace of easy/long runs etc). One reason could be that I am just tired. During my last marathon prep, I did 8 weeks of training and I felt good the whole way. In contrast, the current training cycle is 12 weeks long and I passed the 8 weeks mark today. I’ve been feeling tired and sluggish (also running with sore groin/quads) since the last few weeks. Singapore weather during April-May also has been much hotter and humid (which is very draining) compared to the Sep-Oct period.
Below is the comparison between the two marathon preps. Two things that strike me are that a) I am doing less number of and much shorter LSDs; and b) training paces for the two preps are almost exactly the same, for instance tempos (4:00-4:10), intervals (3:50s), MP (4:20-4:30), and Easy (5:00-5:30). In other words, there is no increase in training intensity (in fact, the Seould prep was actually more 'dense' if we count the number of both easy and quality long runs completed during the short training cycle). The only difference is that I will have 4 weeks of extra training this time around and I wonder whether this will yield a different (better) results?
Seoul prep (followed by 2 weeks taper):
Mileage (6 weeks): 94, 91, 105, 98, 115, 105 = av 101 km
Long Runs (Easy): 32, 35, 35, 27, 30
Long Runs (Quality): 27 (21 @ MP), 32 (28 @ MP), 31 (21 @ MP)
GCM prep (another 2 week training + 2 weeks taper):
Mileage (8 weeks): 88, 90, 121, 97, 112, 93, 88, 99 = av 98 km
Long Runs (Easy): 25, 27, 24, 31
Long Runs (Quality): 30 (15 @ MP), 33 (24 @ MP), 35 (26 @ MP)
Training this week:
Mon:
OFF
Tue (Intervals):
15k av 4:50 with 6 x 1k @ 10k pace
Back in SG and I felt the difference in effort right away. Last week, Melbourne was 14c and the wind chill made it to around 11c (apparent temperature). This afternoon, Singapore was 32c with a heat index of 35c. This basically means that I am training in a place which is 3x hotter than in an ideal (lab-like) conditions. Ran 4k for warm up to the F1 track, 6 x 1k @ 10k pace (av 3:54) with 90secs walk, 5k cool down including strides and short hill sprints.
Wed (Easy):
AM: 10k Easy (av 5:17), on treadmill
PM: Weights/Core
Thu (Threshold):
AM: 7k Easy (av 5:06)
PM: 16k (av 4:45) with 6 miles Threshold (alternate miles of HMP & MP)
Due to limited running space in Singapore, sometimes I have to be creative in finding places to run. Tried a Threshold workout, alternating 1600m on the track at HM pace with 1600m recovery 1600m at MP on a short stretch of road. Splits: 6:36/7:05, 6:36/7:01, 6:37/6:52 (av pace 4:15 for 9.6k, 4:07 on the HM and 4:23 on the recovery) with 1min rest between sets. Also did 4 x 30secs hill during the cool down. Might do another variation of this workout next time.
Fri (Easy):
AM: 7k Recovery (5:27)
PM: Pilates
Sat (Aborted Long Run):
17k including 14k av 4:37
Ran with a friend (Max) in East Coast Park who has a 3h:15m marathon target. The plan is to do 3k warm up, followed by 24k of goal pace (4:37 min/km). Felt sluggish and my heart rate was hovering at 170-175 which was very high for the effort. Could be either due to dehydration or insufficient recovery from previous workouts. Didn’t want to take any chance of over-straining and decided to cut short the run.
Sun (Long Run):
27k Easy
Ran around Tanglin and Bukit Timah area which has a mildly undulating terrain. Ran the first half at 5:00-5:15 and the second half at 4:50-5:00. Had a few breaks in the middle to rehydrate. Tired legs, definitely in need of a massage.
Total 99k for the week
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Week 7 of 12
Did 88k in just over 7 hours (av 5:00) during Week 7 of 12
A recovery week. Only had one workout but a decent one.
Felt jaded early in the week due to fatigue. Wanted to do a 10k MP run on Wednesday but could last a measly 5k since the effort felt like a race. I got very frustrated with the frequent inability to complete workouts.
Flew to Melbourne to see my 2-month old son (he is very, very cute). Since this week is a recovery week, I decided to take a couple of days off to freshen up. My objective is to practice a race week routine by having a taper, carbo loading, before doing a 26.2k ‘marathon simulation’ run on Saturday.
Came Saturday, the temperature was windy, but cool at 13-14c with 70% humidity. I wore a 220gram racing shoes and started my run. The course was from home to Collingwood and back on the Koonung and Yarra trails. The route had a combination of flats, undulations and a couple ks of dirt road.
Started with 5k warm up at 4:44 pace and it felt so easy (in Singapore, my aerobic runs are about 30-60secs slower than this and I had to work my butt off!). I completed the 26.2k simulation run in 1h:56m, averaging 4:26 min/km. Felt strong the whole way and still had a lot left in the tank with only a minor tightness in the legs near the end. Rest time were very brief (total stopagges were less than 10mins, excluded from running time) compared to Singapore, where I virtually had to rest 5mins after running every 30mins in order to re-hydrate (I am a heavy sweater, hence lose lots of body fluid). Quads were beat up from the undulations afterwards. All up, with warm up and cool down, the total run was 35k in 2:40 (av 4:35 min/km). Thank God for the Aussie weather!
Overall, I am pretty happy with the simulation run (~2 hours of MP running), although the pace is a bit slower than anticipated (was hoping for low 4:20s). Average HR was 160s or 82% Max. Hopefully the next 3 weeks of training will help me to increase the ability to hold MP from 26.2k to 26.2 miles !
Mon: 100mins Easy (av 5:17)
Tue: 40mins Recovery (av 5:28)
Wed: 95mins Easy (av 5:08), aborted MP run
Thu: off
Fri: off
Sat: 160mins Long Run (av 4:35), with 26.2k @ MP
Sun: 43mins Recovery on grass/trail (av 5:28)
Total 88k for the week
A recovery week. Only had one workout but a decent one.
Felt jaded early in the week due to fatigue. Wanted to do a 10k MP run on Wednesday but could last a measly 5k since the effort felt like a race. I got very frustrated with the frequent inability to complete workouts.
Flew to Melbourne to see my 2-month old son (he is very, very cute). Since this week is a recovery week, I decided to take a couple of days off to freshen up. My objective is to practice a race week routine by having a taper, carbo loading, before doing a 26.2k ‘marathon simulation’ run on Saturday.
Came Saturday, the temperature was windy, but cool at 13-14c with 70% humidity. I wore a 220gram racing shoes and started my run. The course was from home to Collingwood and back on the Koonung and Yarra trails. The route had a combination of flats, undulations and a couple ks of dirt road.
Started with 5k warm up at 4:44 pace and it felt so easy (in Singapore, my aerobic runs are about 30-60secs slower than this and I had to work my butt off!). I completed the 26.2k simulation run in 1h:56m, averaging 4:26 min/km. Felt strong the whole way and still had a lot left in the tank with only a minor tightness in the legs near the end. Rest time were very brief (total stopagges were less than 10mins, excluded from running time) compared to Singapore, where I virtually had to rest 5mins after running every 30mins in order to re-hydrate (I am a heavy sweater, hence lose lots of body fluid). Quads were beat up from the undulations afterwards. All up, with warm up and cool down, the total run was 35k in 2:40 (av 4:35 min/km). Thank God for the Aussie weather!
Overall, I am pretty happy with the simulation run (~2 hours of MP running), although the pace is a bit slower than anticipated (was hoping for low 4:20s). Average HR was 160s or 82% Max. Hopefully the next 3 weeks of training will help me to increase the ability to hold MP from 26.2k to 26.2 miles !
Mon: 100mins Easy (av 5:17)
Tue: 40mins Recovery (av 5:28)
Wed: 95mins Easy (av 5:08), aborted MP run
Thu: off
Fri: off
Sat: 160mins Long Run (av 4:35), with 26.2k @ MP
Sun: 43mins Recovery on grass/trail (av 5:28)
Total 88k for the week
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Week 6 of 12
Did 93k in 8 hours (av 5:05) during Week 6 of 12.
The recent increase in training load has finally caught up with me (600k in last 6 weeks vs 2 months of sporadic training during paternity break plus 2 months lay-off due to injury). Began to experience niggles and strains, around the knee and groin/quad area. The latter was particularly very sore around the area of lower groin, quads, and below the waist. Does anyone what kind of strain is this? I’ve gone for a massage, but since the pain is in the groin area and my masseur was a lady, there were a few awkward moments.
Due to Sunday’s race, there was no long run. Had a medium long run on Wednesday (25k), other runs were slow and easy. The race itself didn’t go that well. My plan was to average 4:00 pace for the 10.4k, but ended up averaging around 4:06 due to ‘human wall’ of slow runners who started the 15k wave earlier.
Will be flying to Melbourne on Wednesday to visit my son for a week. Probably a good opportunity to take a down week, before the final stretch of training (3 weeks of hard training, 2 weeks taper). Also, will discuss with Mrs. Sling about the next trip (which will determine whether I am running GCM or Perth).
Mon (Rest):
OFF
Tue (Easy):
AM: 60mins Easy with 6x100m strides (av 5:12)
PM: 25mins Recovery on treadmill (av 5:28)
(Total 16k for the day)
Wed (Workout):
AM: 25.6k Hosaka workout (av 4:58)
The June’s edition of Running Times has an article called ‘Day After Day’ about Yoshihisa Hosaka (WR marathon for 60-65 yo in 2h:36m). His training as follows:
AM: 2.5k up, 5x1k from 4:00 to 3:20 pace, 2.5k down (10k)
PM: 12k (5:00-6:00), 5x1k downhill from 3:40 to 3:20, jog up for rec (22k)
Essentially, Hosaka does this workout everyday, all year around, aka 32k per day in doubles (no long runs). He said intervals are the way to go for old runners since long runs are very taxing on the body. When asked about the lack of variety, he said that marathon is all about running at constant effort, therefore a runner needs to train to manage that constant.
Based on Hosaka’s MP (3:40 pace), my interpretation is he starts his morning intervals at MP+20sec, dropping the pace by 10secs each one to MP–20sec (4:00, 3:50, 3:40, 3:30, 3:20). For the PM session, he begins at MP, and then cuts it down by 5secs to end at MP–20secs (3:40 down to 3:20).
This week, I tried the Hosaka workout but instead of running doubles, I combined the two sessions into one as a variation of medium-long run. Did 3k ez, 5x1k (4:40, 4:30, 4:20, 4:10, 4:00), 10k ez (5:30 min/km), 4x1k on flat ground (4:15, 4:10, 4:05, 4:00), 3k ez. Recovery was about 1min standing. Total distance was 25k +, since I skipped one rep and didn’t do 1k recovery jogs due to time constraint.
Thu (Easy):
AM: 40mins Recovery (av 5:31)
PM: Massage
Very sore groin and it affected my running form. The massage was painful since that area is softer than other parts of the leg.
Fri (Workout):
AM: 55mins Fartlek (av 4:48)
PM: 25mins Recovery (av 5:50)
(total 16k for the day)
Did a light workout to test the legs. 15mins easy, 20mins Moderate (4:40), ½ Mona fartlek (90, 2x60, 2x30, 2x15, jog rec), 10mins easy. Effort was harder than it should be.
Sat (Easy):
PM: 40mins Easy (5:17)
Slept in and missed the morning run. Ran at 7pm in the evening.
Sun (Race):
3.3k warm up
10.4k Saucony Passion Run 42:36 (av 4:06)
6k cool down
(total 19.7k for the day)
Due to traffic jam, the cab dropped me 4k from the start line. Ran to start line and just made it in time. No time to do strides and do active stretching. My plan was to average 4:00 pace for the run and I was on pace for the first 2.5k. After that, I encountered ‘human wall’ of slow 15k runners who started 10mins earlier than the 10.4k runners. My pace then slowed for the next 6km since there was no enough room to pass. My pace blew up to 4:13, 4:11, 4:18, 4:15, 4:19, and that’s after pushing/elbowing runners and ran on the grass/beach sand beside the pavement. I was glad to finally reach the turnaround point, and ran home the final couple of ks under 4:00 pace. Should have skipped the race. Probably a long run in place of today’s race would have more training benefit.
Total 93k for the week
The recent increase in training load has finally caught up with me (600k in last 6 weeks vs 2 months of sporadic training during paternity break plus 2 months lay-off due to injury). Began to experience niggles and strains, around the knee and groin/quad area. The latter was particularly very sore around the area of lower groin, quads, and below the waist. Does anyone what kind of strain is this? I’ve gone for a massage, but since the pain is in the groin area and my masseur was a lady, there were a few awkward moments.
Due to Sunday’s race, there was no long run. Had a medium long run on Wednesday (25k), other runs were slow and easy. The race itself didn’t go that well. My plan was to average 4:00 pace for the 10.4k, but ended up averaging around 4:06 due to ‘human wall’ of slow runners who started the 15k wave earlier.
Will be flying to Melbourne on Wednesday to visit my son for a week. Probably a good opportunity to take a down week, before the final stretch of training (3 weeks of hard training, 2 weeks taper). Also, will discuss with Mrs. Sling about the next trip (which will determine whether I am running GCM or Perth).
Mon (Rest):
OFF
Tue (Easy):
AM: 60mins Easy with 6x100m strides (av 5:12)
PM: 25mins Recovery on treadmill (av 5:28)
(Total 16k for the day)
Wed (Workout):
AM: 25.6k Hosaka workout (av 4:58)
The June’s edition of Running Times has an article called ‘Day After Day’ about Yoshihisa Hosaka (WR marathon for 60-65 yo in 2h:36m). His training as follows:
AM: 2.5k up, 5x1k from 4:00 to 3:20 pace, 2.5k down (10k)
PM: 12k (5:00-6:00), 5x1k downhill from 3:40 to 3:20, jog up for rec (22k)
Essentially, Hosaka does this workout everyday, all year around, aka 32k per day in doubles (no long runs). He said intervals are the way to go for old runners since long runs are very taxing on the body. When asked about the lack of variety, he said that marathon is all about running at constant effort, therefore a runner needs to train to manage that constant.
Based on Hosaka’s MP (3:40 pace), my interpretation is he starts his morning intervals at MP+20sec, dropping the pace by 10secs each one to MP–20sec (4:00, 3:50, 3:40, 3:30, 3:20). For the PM session, he begins at MP, and then cuts it down by 5secs to end at MP–20secs (3:40 down to 3:20).
This week, I tried the Hosaka workout but instead of running doubles, I combined the two sessions into one as a variation of medium-long run. Did 3k ez, 5x1k (4:40, 4:30, 4:20, 4:10, 4:00), 10k ez (5:30 min/km), 4x1k on flat ground (4:15, 4:10, 4:05, 4:00), 3k ez. Recovery was about 1min standing. Total distance was 25k +, since I skipped one rep and didn’t do 1k recovery jogs due to time constraint.
Thu (Easy):
AM: 40mins Recovery (av 5:31)
PM: Massage
Very sore groin and it affected my running form. The massage was painful since that area is softer than other parts of the leg.
Fri (Workout):
AM: 55mins Fartlek (av 4:48)
PM: 25mins Recovery (av 5:50)
(total 16k for the day)
Did a light workout to test the legs. 15mins easy, 20mins Moderate (4:40), ½ Mona fartlek (90, 2x60, 2x30, 2x15, jog rec), 10mins easy. Effort was harder than it should be.
Sat (Easy):
PM: 40mins Easy (5:17)
Slept in and missed the morning run. Ran at 7pm in the evening.
Sun (Race):
3.3k warm up
10.4k Saucony Passion Run 42:36 (av 4:06)
6k cool down
(total 19.7k for the day)
Due to traffic jam, the cab dropped me 4k from the start line. Ran to start line and just made it in time. No time to do strides and do active stretching. My plan was to average 4:00 pace for the run and I was on pace for the first 2.5k. After that, I encountered ‘human wall’ of slow 15k runners who started 10mins earlier than the 10.4k runners. My pace then slowed for the next 6km since there was no enough room to pass. My pace blew up to 4:13, 4:11, 4:18, 4:15, 4:19, and that’s after pushing/elbowing runners and ran on the grass/beach sand beside the pavement. I was glad to finally reach the turnaround point, and ran home the final couple of ks under 4:00 pace. Should have skipped the race. Probably a long run in place of today’s race would have more training benefit.
Total 93k for the week
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Week 5 of 12
Did 112k in over 9 hours (av 4:57) during Week 5 of 12.
Had a couple of good sessions: track workout on Tuesday and long run on Sunday. Between these two workouts, I was struggling, probably due to slower-than-expected recovery (sign of getting old!!) and soreness in the legs. Luckily, a few easy days and a deep-tissue massage brought me back to life.
I have entered a 10.4k race next Sunday (wanted to do the 15k but it was full). I just don’t understand why the organizers can’t make the turnaround a bit shorter in order to round it up to a proper 10k. No taper and will not care about the timing, other than a hard solid effort to practice ‘mental toughness’ (I think I bailed out in some workouts too easily). Might do a longish warm up and cool down to make it a medium long run.
I will make a decision re: GCM or Perth in a couple of weeks time (early June).
Mon (Easy):
AM: 40mins Easy (5:08)
PM: 30mins Easy on grass with 4 strides (5:18)
(Total 14k for the day)
Tue (Workout):
AM: 84mins (av 4:32) including Intervals (see below)
PM: 25mins Recovery on grass (5:50)
(Total 23k for the day)
27mins wu to the SMU track and did drills & strides. Then ran ‘3-by-3 intervals’ which consists of 3 x 1600 @ 10k pace + 3 x 800 @ 5k pace + 3 x 400 @ 1500-3k pace with 90secs walking between reps and 3:00 walking between sets. Splits were 6:14, 6:18, 6:17 (av 3:56 min/km), 3:02, 3:02, 3:02 (av 3:48), and 1:23, 1:26, 1:20 (av 3:28). Av HR data are worthless since walking recovery reverted HR to low numbers, which in turn lead to low av HR for the reps. Max HR were 177 for the 1600s, 182 for the 800s, and 184 for the 400s. Cool down was a 25mins slow jog. If I were to prepare for a 10k, probably the recovery has to be modified to brisk jogs.
Wed (Easy):
AM: 45mins Easy on treadmill (5:22)
PM: Indian dinner feast
(Total 8k + 2 beer for the day)
Thu (Workout):
AM: 35mins Easy on treadmill (5:12)
PM: 50mins (av 4:42) including 2 x 2-mile Tempo
(Total 18k for the day)
Inner thigh and outer fibula on the right leg were sore and slightly painful. Planned to do 3 x 2miles at around 4:10 pace, but bailed out after two. Also felt really sluggish, probably have yet to recover from Tuesday’s hard session.
Fri (Easy)
AM: 35mins Easy (5:33) - painful quads and fibula
PM: Abs
Sat (Easy):
AM: 45mins Easy with 3 strides (5:15)
PM: Massage
Sun (Long Run):
33.5k Long Run with MP (av 4:42)
I sucked at previous attempts of MP runs, hence decided to run at a different place. Took a cab to East Coast Park at 5:30am and started the run at 6am. The plan was to do time-based ladder with each one a couple of seconds faster (I am guessing my MP is around 4:20-4:30). Started with 17mins warm up, then 30mins @ 4:27 (162 bpm), refuel + 5mins jog, 25mins @ 4:24 (167), refuel + 5mins jog, 20mins @ 4:22 (171), refuel + 5mins jog, 15mins @ 4:19 (170), refuel + 5mins jog, 10mins @ 4:16 (173), refuel + 5mins jog, and finally 5mins @ 4:09 (178). Refuel stop was 2mins and recovery jog was a slow-mo at 6:00 pace. Weighted average HR is 168 (or Max – 25) for the tempo segments. Next time, I will try to shorten the re-fuel break and make the jog a bit faster.
Total 112k for the week
Had a couple of good sessions: track workout on Tuesday and long run on Sunday. Between these two workouts, I was struggling, probably due to slower-than-expected recovery (sign of getting old!!) and soreness in the legs. Luckily, a few easy days and a deep-tissue massage brought me back to life.
I have entered a 10.4k race next Sunday (wanted to do the 15k but it was full). I just don’t understand why the organizers can’t make the turnaround a bit shorter in order to round it up to a proper 10k. No taper and will not care about the timing, other than a hard solid effort to practice ‘mental toughness’ (I think I bailed out in some workouts too easily). Might do a longish warm up and cool down to make it a medium long run.
I will make a decision re: GCM or Perth in a couple of weeks time (early June).
Mon (Easy):
AM: 40mins Easy (5:08)
PM: 30mins Easy on grass with 4 strides (5:18)
(Total 14k for the day)
Tue (Workout):
AM: 84mins (av 4:32) including Intervals (see below)
PM: 25mins Recovery on grass (5:50)
(Total 23k for the day)
27mins wu to the SMU track and did drills & strides. Then ran ‘3-by-3 intervals’ which consists of 3 x 1600 @ 10k pace + 3 x 800 @ 5k pace + 3 x 400 @ 1500-3k pace with 90secs walking between reps and 3:00 walking between sets. Splits were 6:14, 6:18, 6:17 (av 3:56 min/km), 3:02, 3:02, 3:02 (av 3:48), and 1:23, 1:26, 1:20 (av 3:28). Av HR data are worthless since walking recovery reverted HR to low numbers, which in turn lead to low av HR for the reps. Max HR were 177 for the 1600s, 182 for the 800s, and 184 for the 400s. Cool down was a 25mins slow jog. If I were to prepare for a 10k, probably the recovery has to be modified to brisk jogs.
Wed (Easy):
AM: 45mins Easy on treadmill (5:22)
PM: Indian dinner feast
(Total 8k + 2 beer for the day)
Thu (Workout):
AM: 35mins Easy on treadmill (5:12)
PM: 50mins (av 4:42) including 2 x 2-mile Tempo
(Total 18k for the day)
Inner thigh and outer fibula on the right leg were sore and slightly painful. Planned to do 3 x 2miles at around 4:10 pace, but bailed out after two. Also felt really sluggish, probably have yet to recover from Tuesday’s hard session.
Fri (Easy)
AM: 35mins Easy (5:33) - painful quads and fibula
PM: Abs
Sat (Easy):
AM: 45mins Easy with 3 strides (5:15)
PM: Massage
Sun (Long Run):
33.5k Long Run with MP (av 4:42)
I sucked at previous attempts of MP runs, hence decided to run at a different place. Took a cab to East Coast Park at 5:30am and started the run at 6am. The plan was to do time-based ladder with each one a couple of seconds faster (I am guessing my MP is around 4:20-4:30). Started with 17mins warm up, then 30mins @ 4:27 (162 bpm), refuel + 5mins jog, 25mins @ 4:24 (167), refuel + 5mins jog, 20mins @ 4:22 (171), refuel + 5mins jog, 15mins @ 4:19 (170), refuel + 5mins jog, 10mins @ 4:16 (173), refuel + 5mins jog, and finally 5mins @ 4:09 (178). Refuel stop was 2mins and recovery jog was a slow-mo at 6:00 pace. Weighted average HR is 168 (or Max – 25) for the tempo segments. Next time, I will try to shorten the re-fuel break and make the jog a bit faster.
Total 112k for the week
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Week 4 of 12
Did 97k in about 8 hours (av 4:56) during Week 4 of 12.
I scaled back training this week in order to let the body rest a bit and adapt after running 120k last week. Took one day off, had a massage, and only did 2 doubles days. Had the time to run more doubles, but decided against it and substituted them with non-running exercises instead (core, yoga, abs). Plan to bump the mileage again next week.
As mentioned last week, I planned to do a ‘spec test’ of 2 x 10k MP this week. However, the result wasn’t as good as I had hoped. Did the first 10k segment averaging 4:21 min/km and 164bpm (a high of 172, so it was pretty evenly paced effort). After 5mins break to refuel, I started the second segment and went through the 5k averaging 4:23 – a tad slower but HR was still stable at 165. My legs were heavy and I was thirsty at this point, and when I saw a vending machine, I decided to stop. The post-rain weather was cooling at 26c but awfully humid, so I lost a lot of body fluid. I wanted get a canned drink but the machine was broken. I then tried to resume the run; however I have lost the rhythm and motivation to continue.
Hence, it turned out to be a so-so workout. Unable to finish, but happy to see the HR pretty stable at 165 (30bpm < Max) for at least 1/3 of marathon distance. I feel that my body is currently not very efficient to run at MP effort. Having said that, with more favourable weather conditions (such as in Australia), probably I could do 20k at MP today without a break. With taper and fresh legs, perhaps it will add another 5k. Hence, I am still short by about 17k in terms of ‘ability to sustain MP for the marathon’. There are 8 weeks to go (6 weeks training + 2 weeks taper), hence I am hoping that all future training will improve my MP extend-ability by around 3k each week.
Mon (Rest):
OFF, massage
Tue (Threshold):
AM: 8 x 1k @ tempo effort, 4 x 200m
PM: 28mins Recovery (5:40)
Did 8x1k at threshold effort in lieu of continuous tempo. Thought that I could accumulate more volume doing it this way since a straight 20+ minutes will feel like a race effort in these conditions. Recovery was 1 minute walking. Splits: 4:02/158, 4:02/159, 4:01/162, 4:03/164, 3:57/167, 4:00/169, 3:55/171, 4:01/172. Felt good throughout, no straining, and I was tempted to make it 10 intervals, but didn't want to risk it.
Wed (Easy):
AM: 46mins Easy on treadmill (5:09)
PM: 37mins Easy on grass with 6 x 15sec strides (5:16)
Thu (Easy):
AM: 1h:35m Easy (4:59), around 150 bpm
PM: 1-hour Yoga
Tested a place that is often referred as Singapore’s best kept secrets for running – the old Bukit Brown (Brown Hill) Chinese cemetery. There is a 2.4k loop of walking path inside, nicely path with some undulations. Very green with lots of trees and more importantly, traffic free. Wow, this is just like a running trail found in national parks in Australia, except you will pass old tombstones and burials, most of them within a couple of meters from the walking path. However, I must admit that running alone and seeing these tombstones on a misty morning is a bit creepy.
Fri (Easy)
AM: 35mins Easy (5:00) with 4 x 10secs hill sprints
PM: Abs
Sat (Long Run with MP):
30k Long Run in 2h:22m (av 4:45) including abbreviated MP session
Consists of 2k warm up, 10+5 km at goal MP (4:23 pace), 13k cool down.
Sun (Recovery):
AM: Yoga
PM: 35mins Recovery on grass (5:15)
Total 97k for the week
I scaled back training this week in order to let the body rest a bit and adapt after running 120k last week. Took one day off, had a massage, and only did 2 doubles days. Had the time to run more doubles, but decided against it and substituted them with non-running exercises instead (core, yoga, abs). Plan to bump the mileage again next week.
As mentioned last week, I planned to do a ‘spec test’ of 2 x 10k MP this week. However, the result wasn’t as good as I had hoped. Did the first 10k segment averaging 4:21 min/km and 164bpm (a high of 172, so it was pretty evenly paced effort). After 5mins break to refuel, I started the second segment and went through the 5k averaging 4:23 – a tad slower but HR was still stable at 165. My legs were heavy and I was thirsty at this point, and when I saw a vending machine, I decided to stop. The post-rain weather was cooling at 26c but awfully humid, so I lost a lot of body fluid. I wanted get a canned drink but the machine was broken. I then tried to resume the run; however I have lost the rhythm and motivation to continue.
Hence, it turned out to be a so-so workout. Unable to finish, but happy to see the HR pretty stable at 165 (30bpm < Max) for at least 1/3 of marathon distance. I feel that my body is currently not very efficient to run at MP effort. Having said that, with more favourable weather conditions (such as in Australia), probably I could do 20k at MP today without a break. With taper and fresh legs, perhaps it will add another 5k. Hence, I am still short by about 17k in terms of ‘ability to sustain MP for the marathon’. There are 8 weeks to go (6 weeks training + 2 weeks taper), hence I am hoping that all future training will improve my MP extend-ability by around 3k each week.
Mon (Rest):
OFF, massage
Tue (Threshold):
AM: 8 x 1k @ tempo effort, 4 x 200m
PM: 28mins Recovery (5:40)
Did 8x1k at threshold effort in lieu of continuous tempo. Thought that I could accumulate more volume doing it this way since a straight 20+ minutes will feel like a race effort in these conditions. Recovery was 1 minute walking. Splits: 4:02/158, 4:02/159, 4:01/162, 4:03/164, 3:57/167, 4:00/169, 3:55/171, 4:01/172. Felt good throughout, no straining, and I was tempted to make it 10 intervals, but didn't want to risk it.
Wed (Easy):
AM: 46mins Easy on treadmill (5:09)
PM: 37mins Easy on grass with 6 x 15sec strides (5:16)
Thu (Easy):
AM: 1h:35m Easy (4:59), around 150 bpm
PM: 1-hour Yoga
Tested a place that is often referred as Singapore’s best kept secrets for running – the old Bukit Brown (Brown Hill) Chinese cemetery. There is a 2.4k loop of walking path inside, nicely path with some undulations. Very green with lots of trees and more importantly, traffic free. Wow, this is just like a running trail found in national parks in Australia, except you will pass old tombstones and burials, most of them within a couple of meters from the walking path. However, I must admit that running alone and seeing these tombstones on a misty morning is a bit creepy.
Fri (Easy)
AM: 35mins Easy (5:00) with 4 x 10secs hill sprints
PM: Abs
Sat (Long Run with MP):
30k Long Run in 2h:22m (av 4:45) including abbreviated MP session
Consists of 2k warm up, 10+5 km at goal MP (4:23 pace), 13k cool down.
Sun (Recovery):
AM: Yoga
PM: 35mins Recovery on grass (5:15)
Total 97k for the week
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Week 3 of 4
Did 121k in about 10 hours (av 5:01) during Week 3 of 12.
Happy with the mileage progression (88, 90 in the last two weeks). Totaled 375k in last 30 days, which is a decent increase after running only 60k in Dec, 160k in Jan, and 250k in both Feb and Mar.
I don’t expect mileage in subsequent weeks to increase significantly from this level (I did 3 doubles which artificially boosted the total). My aim for the rest of the training cycle is to keep the mileage around this level (plus or minus), and start increasing the pace (especially long runs, aerobic runs) and start to introduce long MP-type runs.
With respect to MP, currently I found that I can’t run at 4:20-4:25 pace for some reasons (last week only managed to do 4:35s during a 16k run). If conditions are right, I might do a ‘spec test’ next week, such as 2 x 10k at MP in order to evaluate my fitness level and identify things that I need to work on.
Mon (Easy):
AM: 35mins Easy Run with 4x100 strides (4:57)
PM: 35mins Easy on treadmill (5:27), last 5mins @ 4% incline
Tue (Intervals):
AM: 2k wu, 10 x 800 with 90secs walk, 2k down
PM: 30mins Recovery (5:40) on treadmill + light weights
Fed up of doing long intervals unsuccessfully, I did shorter intervals this week consisting of 10 x 800 on a bike path which is marked every 100m. In order to ensure that my HR will return to normal levels (<140), I took 90secs walking break in between (if I do jogging, my HR would be in 150 range and made the subsequent intervals harder). The plan was to do the 800s in 3:04 (3:50 min/km), but only managed to hit one. The remainder was done in 3:02 (5 reps), 3:00 (3 reps), and 2:52 for the last one. Note that this is not a Yasso workout.
Wed (Easy Long):
AM: 2h:06m Easy on undulanting terrain (5:15)
PM: Pilates
Replacement GPS was scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so I used MapMyRun to create a running route. Ran at easy pace the whole way and pretty much uninterrupted except for short drink stops and traffic lights. Consumed 0.5l sports drinks, 0.5l water, and 2 salt tablets.
Thu (Easy):
AM: 40mins Light Fartlek (4:57) on treadmill
PM: 35mins Recovery (5:38, 70% Max HR) – new Garmin
Felt a bit bored running on treadmill, so sprinkled in 5 x 90secs bursts at HM pace (4:10), with 90secs recovery at moderate pace (4:45). Replacement Garmin arrived in the arvo and tested the HR monitor with a slow run.
Fri (Easy):
AM: 52mins Easy (5:04, 75% Max HR) with 4 x 12secs hill sprints
PM: Yoga
Sat (Aborted Long MP):
48mins Run (4:48) with 30mins @ old MP
The plan was to do 4 x 5k at MP, but 5 minutes into the run, it began to rain hard. Still attempted to do MP but the effort felt so hard. Due to the heavy downpour, socks & shoes were soaked in water and felt heavy. Decided to finish the MP run after 30mins and go home. Although the rain stopped afterwards, I didn’t feel like running and risk catching a cold. Felt a bit light-headed in the afternoon and took a couple of panadols.
Sun (Long):
31k Long Run in 2h:30m on undulating terrain (4:53)
Woke up at 5 but it was pouring hard. Slept again and ran at 7. Post-rain weather was cool, 26c, 90% humidity, but the good thing it was cloudy and windy. Since I did a bit of MP run yesterday, I decided to defer the long MP run until next week. I used Pete Pfitzinger’s guide for long runs, starting at MP+20%, ending at MP +10%. Therefore, I did 30mins sections @ 5:00-5:05, 4:55-5:00, 4:50-4:55, 4:45-4:50, 4:40-4:45 min/km. Consumed gels at km 17 and 24, 250ml sports drinks, 2 salt tablets, and lots of water. Felt good except in the last 30mins where I had to stop a couple of times.
Given the Singapore conditions, I am pretty happy to keep my long runs at around 28-30k level. At the end of the month, I’ll be flying to Melbourne to visit my wife and son for a week (passport application). During that time, I might do 35-36k run taking advantage of the weather.
Total 121k for the week
Happy with the mileage progression (88, 90 in the last two weeks). Totaled 375k in last 30 days, which is a decent increase after running only 60k in Dec, 160k in Jan, and 250k in both Feb and Mar.
I don’t expect mileage in subsequent weeks to increase significantly from this level (I did 3 doubles which artificially boosted the total). My aim for the rest of the training cycle is to keep the mileage around this level (plus or minus), and start increasing the pace (especially long runs, aerobic runs) and start to introduce long MP-type runs.
With respect to MP, currently I found that I can’t run at 4:20-4:25 pace for some reasons (last week only managed to do 4:35s during a 16k run). If conditions are right, I might do a ‘spec test’ next week, such as 2 x 10k at MP in order to evaluate my fitness level and identify things that I need to work on.
Mon (Easy):
AM: 35mins Easy Run with 4x100 strides (4:57)
PM: 35mins Easy on treadmill (5:27), last 5mins @ 4% incline
Tue (Intervals):
AM: 2k wu, 10 x 800 with 90secs walk, 2k down
PM: 30mins Recovery (5:40) on treadmill + light weights
Fed up of doing long intervals unsuccessfully, I did shorter intervals this week consisting of 10 x 800 on a bike path which is marked every 100m. In order to ensure that my HR will return to normal levels (<140), I took 90secs walking break in between (if I do jogging, my HR would be in 150 range and made the subsequent intervals harder). The plan was to do the 800s in 3:04 (3:50 min/km), but only managed to hit one. The remainder was done in 3:02 (5 reps), 3:00 (3 reps), and 2:52 for the last one. Note that this is not a Yasso workout.
Wed (Easy Long):
AM: 2h:06m Easy on undulanting terrain (5:15)
PM: Pilates
Replacement GPS was scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so I used MapMyRun to create a running route. Ran at easy pace the whole way and pretty much uninterrupted except for short drink stops and traffic lights. Consumed 0.5l sports drinks, 0.5l water, and 2 salt tablets.
Thu (Easy):
AM: 40mins Light Fartlek (4:57) on treadmill
PM: 35mins Recovery (5:38, 70% Max HR) – new Garmin
Felt a bit bored running on treadmill, so sprinkled in 5 x 90secs bursts at HM pace (4:10), with 90secs recovery at moderate pace (4:45). Replacement Garmin arrived in the arvo and tested the HR monitor with a slow run.
Fri (Easy):
AM: 52mins Easy (5:04, 75% Max HR) with 4 x 12secs hill sprints
PM: Yoga
Sat (Aborted Long MP):
48mins Run (4:48) with 30mins @ old MP
The plan was to do 4 x 5k at MP, but 5 minutes into the run, it began to rain hard. Still attempted to do MP but the effort felt so hard. Due to the heavy downpour, socks & shoes were soaked in water and felt heavy. Decided to finish the MP run after 30mins and go home. Although the rain stopped afterwards, I didn’t feel like running and risk catching a cold. Felt a bit light-headed in the afternoon and took a couple of panadols.
Sun (Long):
31k Long Run in 2h:30m on undulating terrain (4:53)
Woke up at 5 but it was pouring hard. Slept again and ran at 7. Post-rain weather was cool, 26c, 90% humidity, but the good thing it was cloudy and windy. Since I did a bit of MP run yesterday, I decided to defer the long MP run until next week. I used Pete Pfitzinger’s guide for long runs, starting at MP+20%, ending at MP +10%. Therefore, I did 30mins sections @ 5:00-5:05, 4:55-5:00, 4:50-4:55, 4:45-4:50, 4:40-4:45 min/km. Consumed gels at km 17 and 24, 250ml sports drinks, 2 salt tablets, and lots of water. Felt good except in the last 30mins where I had to stop a couple of times.
Given the Singapore conditions, I am pretty happy to keep my long runs at around 28-30k level. At the end of the month, I’ll be flying to Melbourne to visit my wife and son for a week (passport application). During that time, I might do 35-36k run taking advantage of the weather.
Total 121k for the week
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Week 2 of 12
Did 90k av 5:00 during Week 2 of 12.
Singapore weather has been really hot and humid this week (perhaps end of moonson??). Although, I’ve been whining about this a lot of times, but lately it has been really horrendous. As a result, both of my workouts this week: intervals & long run with tempo - were negatively affected. I had to take lots of lengthy standing breaks in order to complete the sessions and the effort were harder that they were supposed to be (note that the rest times were not reflected in my running times).
My trusty 3-year old Garmin 305 died on Thursday. Have been waiting to get the new waterproof Garmin 310xt, but it will only come out mid-year. In light of this, I’ve ordered a new unit of Garmin 305 from Amazon as temporary measure. The watch will only arrive early next week.
Two weeks have elapsed and I must conclude that my training has been very mediocre. The aerobic fillers (40mins daily runs) are still too short for marathon training. In addition, I still need lots of breaks/stoppages in order to complete the long workouts such as interval/tempo and long runs. Only 10 weeks left to go now and I really have to up the ante. One positive is that I am now back to 90kmpw zone again (actually touched 100k on rolling 7 days basis). One negative is that I am still troubled by the conditions. I just don’t know how to train my brain and body to handle the conditions. Perhaps I should do more doubles !!
Mon (Easy):
45mins Easy Run (5:00)
Ran a new route with a few gentle hills for variation. Did 5 x 12secs hill sprints.
Tue (Intervals):
AM:
3.8k warm up
3.2k at MP effort (4:21)
1600, 1600, 4 x 400, 1600
6.6k cool down incl 8 x 100 strides
Total workout 20k in 91mins (av 4:35)
It was cloudy, thundery and was about to rain when I did the track session, so the humidity was really high (28c, 90%).The plan was to do 4 x 1600 at 10k pace. Did the first two in 6:14 and 6:16 (av 3:55 pace) with 2mins recovery and was completely stuffed. Decided to salvage the session by replacing it with 4 x 400m averaging 1:25 (3:32) with 1mins rest. This seemed to put some snaps into the legs and I did another 1600m again in 6:11 (3:52). Did the cool down in the rain.
PM:
27mins Recovery Run (5:30) on treadmill
Wed (Easy):
AM: 48mins Easy on treadmill (5:20)
PM: Pilates (one hour)
Thu (Easy):
40mins Easy on treadmill (5:23)
GPS died today, replaced the outdoor session with a treadmill run (can’t run without it). Planned to do a second run in the evening but other commitments got in the way.
Fri (Easy)
60mins Easy on treadmill (5:08)
Another run on treadmill. Gradually progressing from 5:40 min/km to around MP.
Sat (Long with tempo):
27-28k Long Run in 135mins (~5:00)
No GPS so ran an approximated distance with some track work included. Conditions were very tough again, 28c and 90% humidity when I left the house at 6am. An easy 40mins run to the SMU track, followed by 5mins rest, 2 x 15mins Tempo (av 4:09 pace) at the track with 5mins rest. Was cooked after the tempo and rested for another 10mins. Met a friend (Yuji) who was doing 800 intervals and joined for 2 with split of 3:05, 3:15. Decided to stop after the slow split and took another lengthy rest before running 11k back home. The running time excluded around 30mins of rest time, recovering from the extreme humidity.
Sun (rest):
OFF.
Total 90k for the week
Singapore weather has been really hot and humid this week (perhaps end of moonson??). Although, I’ve been whining about this a lot of times, but lately it has been really horrendous. As a result, both of my workouts this week: intervals & long run with tempo - were negatively affected. I had to take lots of lengthy standing breaks in order to complete the sessions and the effort were harder that they were supposed to be (note that the rest times were not reflected in my running times).
My trusty 3-year old Garmin 305 died on Thursday. Have been waiting to get the new waterproof Garmin 310xt, but it will only come out mid-year. In light of this, I’ve ordered a new unit of Garmin 305 from Amazon as temporary measure. The watch will only arrive early next week.
Two weeks have elapsed and I must conclude that my training has been very mediocre. The aerobic fillers (40mins daily runs) are still too short for marathon training. In addition, I still need lots of breaks/stoppages in order to complete the long workouts such as interval/tempo and long runs. Only 10 weeks left to go now and I really have to up the ante. One positive is that I am now back to 90kmpw zone again (actually touched 100k on rolling 7 days basis). One negative is that I am still troubled by the conditions. I just don’t know how to train my brain and body to handle the conditions. Perhaps I should do more doubles !!
Mon (Easy):
45mins Easy Run (5:00)
Ran a new route with a few gentle hills for variation. Did 5 x 12secs hill sprints.
Tue (Intervals):
AM:
3.8k warm up
3.2k at MP effort (4:21)
1600, 1600, 4 x 400, 1600
6.6k cool down incl 8 x 100 strides
Total workout 20k in 91mins (av 4:35)
It was cloudy, thundery and was about to rain when I did the track session, so the humidity was really high (28c, 90%).The plan was to do 4 x 1600 at 10k pace. Did the first two in 6:14 and 6:16 (av 3:55 pace) with 2mins recovery and was completely stuffed. Decided to salvage the session by replacing it with 4 x 400m averaging 1:25 (3:32) with 1mins rest. This seemed to put some snaps into the legs and I did another 1600m again in 6:11 (3:52). Did the cool down in the rain.
PM:
27mins Recovery Run (5:30) on treadmill
Wed (Easy):
AM: 48mins Easy on treadmill (5:20)
PM: Pilates (one hour)
Thu (Easy):
40mins Easy on treadmill (5:23)
GPS died today, replaced the outdoor session with a treadmill run (can’t run without it). Planned to do a second run in the evening but other commitments got in the way.
Fri (Easy)
60mins Easy on treadmill (5:08)
Another run on treadmill. Gradually progressing from 5:40 min/km to around MP.
Sat (Long with tempo):
27-28k Long Run in 135mins (~5:00)
No GPS so ran an approximated distance with some track work included. Conditions were very tough again, 28c and 90% humidity when I left the house at 6am. An easy 40mins run to the SMU track, followed by 5mins rest, 2 x 15mins Tempo (av 4:09 pace) at the track with 5mins rest. Was cooked after the tempo and rested for another 10mins. Met a friend (Yuji) who was doing 800 intervals and joined for 2 with split of 3:05, 3:15. Decided to stop after the slow split and took another lengthy rest before running 11k back home. The running time excluded around 30mins of rest time, recovering from the extreme humidity.
Sun (rest):
OFF.
Total 90k for the week
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Week 1 of 12
Did 88k @ av 4:55 during Week 1 of 12.
Happy with the mileage and the running frequency, given I just came back from a month of ‘holiday’ running and was nursing a damaged ankle early in the year.
However, Singapore’s hot weather capped my long run to 25k this week. I should have started the long run at 4 or 5am in order to avoid the heat. I also had a sub-par race in the 5.6k JP Morgan Corporate Challenge (distance turned out to be 6k), My average pace for the race was akin to my tempo pace and this was very disappointing, although I didn’t taper nor warmed up sufficiently. This adds up to a list of mediocre races in 2009 which included high19s 5k and 41mins 10k
Will decided which marathon race to do (Gold coast or Perth) in 6 weeks time. By then, I will have a better sense of my marathon fitness and also my travel plan. If work schedule allows, I’ll do GCM and visit my family in Melbourne at the same time. If work is busy, I will just make a quick weekend trip to Perth and registered for the race on the day itself.
Mon (Easy):
6k Easy in 31mins (5:10)
Ran at 10.30pm right after a 7-hour flight from Melbourne
Tue (Threshold):
AM:
2k warm up
3 x 7:00 at Threshold with 90secs recovery (3:57 pace)
4 x 200m Repetitions in 38, 40, 40, 39
2k cool down
Total workout 11k in 49mins (av 4:28)
Had to hold back to stop running faster. Ran the intervals by time instead of distance for a change. Accumulated around 21mins of Threshold effort, which I thought was about right given I had a race on Thursday.
PM:
25mins Recovery (5:32) on treadmill + stretching
Wed (Easy):
AM: 12k Easy in 59mins (4:55)
Last two days were ok in terms of weather, but this morning was back to Singapore standard with almost 100% relative humidity. Socks were soaked while shoes made squeaking sound due to the sweat. Shoe laces kept slipping also since it was very wet.
PM: Weights (upper body) + abs
Thu (Race):
1.5k warm up (40mins before start)
6k JP Morgan Corporate Challenge 2009 (23:38)
4.5k cool down
Really disappointed! Although, I didn’t taper for this but running 6k in a race environment averaging 3:57 min/km was really a sub-par performance. I’ve done numerous 5-6k tempo at this pace in Singapore, but only managed to do the race at the same pace! This year’s race has a new route starting at Esplanade and ending at F1 pitstop and as usual were attended by 10,000 runners/walkers. Did a short jog to the start line and just stood there for the next 40mins. Racing in Singapore is like this: all the runners, fast or slow would like to stand in the front and the start line is already full of people even half an hour before the gun.
The first k had 200m downhill and my split was 3:41. Passed km 2 & 3 in about 3:51 (one marker was long, another one short) including a hill. Km 4 has a long hill which slowed me to 4:07. Km 5 split was 4:13 and I just didn’t know why this was slow. Last km was 3:53. Note that the advertised race distance was 5.6k – which is a standard distance for all JP Morgan races all around the world, but the new route was 6k long as evidenced by distances recorded by Garmin/Polars and the winning times that are 2mins slower than last year. Thinking about it, my sub-par timing was probably due to the fact that I’ve lost the ‘guts’ to run hard (hurting) in races.
Fri (Recovery):
6.5k Recovery in 35mins (5:27)
Planned to run at an empty grass plot (to avoid pounding) but it was muddy and infested with mosquitos, so ran on pavement again. Sigh – Singapore is all concrete!
Sat (Long):
25k Long Run in 121mins (4:52)
Don’t think I am fit enough to do MP-type runs, hence the plan was to run parts of the long run at Steady effort (MP + 5-10%). Left the house too late at 6:30am and it was already warm and humid (90%). After 3k warm up (5:15), ran 16k at 4:30-4:40 pace with a couple of stops at km 8 and km 12. I slowed down in the latter part due to the rising heat and it was still not yet 8am! Was really drained and did a 6k ‘death march’ cool down under the strong sun, in order to make a total of 2 hours. Due to the weather, today’s run was much tougher than last week’s 31k long run @ 4:48 pace in Oz.
Sun (Easy):
11k Easy in 58mins (5:13)
Jogged 2k to Padang and ran around 500m diameter cricket field for about 6k, then jogged back. It’s so hard to find soft running terrain in Singapore! Also, did 4 x 15secs strides on grass.
Total 88k for the week
Happy with the mileage and the running frequency, given I just came back from a month of ‘holiday’ running and was nursing a damaged ankle early in the year.
However, Singapore’s hot weather capped my long run to 25k this week. I should have started the long run at 4 or 5am in order to avoid the heat. I also had a sub-par race in the 5.6k JP Morgan Corporate Challenge (distance turned out to be 6k), My average pace for the race was akin to my tempo pace and this was very disappointing, although I didn’t taper nor warmed up sufficiently. This adds up to a list of mediocre races in 2009 which included high19s 5k and 41mins 10k
Will decided which marathon race to do (Gold coast or Perth) in 6 weeks time. By then, I will have a better sense of my marathon fitness and also my travel plan. If work schedule allows, I’ll do GCM and visit my family in Melbourne at the same time. If work is busy, I will just make a quick weekend trip to Perth and registered for the race on the day itself.
Mon (Easy):
6k Easy in 31mins (5:10)
Ran at 10.30pm right after a 7-hour flight from Melbourne
Tue (Threshold):
AM:
2k warm up
3 x 7:00 at Threshold with 90secs recovery (3:57 pace)
4 x 200m Repetitions in 38, 40, 40, 39
2k cool down
Total workout 11k in 49mins (av 4:28)
Had to hold back to stop running faster. Ran the intervals by time instead of distance for a change. Accumulated around 21mins of Threshold effort, which I thought was about right given I had a race on Thursday.
PM:
25mins Recovery (5:32) on treadmill + stretching
Wed (Easy):
AM: 12k Easy in 59mins (4:55)
Last two days were ok in terms of weather, but this morning was back to Singapore standard with almost 100% relative humidity. Socks were soaked while shoes made squeaking sound due to the sweat. Shoe laces kept slipping also since it was very wet.
PM: Weights (upper body) + abs
Thu (Race):
1.5k warm up (40mins before start)
6k JP Morgan Corporate Challenge 2009 (23:38)
4.5k cool down
Really disappointed! Although, I didn’t taper for this but running 6k in a race environment averaging 3:57 min/km was really a sub-par performance. I’ve done numerous 5-6k tempo at this pace in Singapore, but only managed to do the race at the same pace! This year’s race has a new route starting at Esplanade and ending at F1 pitstop and as usual were attended by 10,000 runners/walkers. Did a short jog to the start line and just stood there for the next 40mins. Racing in Singapore is like this: all the runners, fast or slow would like to stand in the front and the start line is already full of people even half an hour before the gun.
The first k had 200m downhill and my split was 3:41. Passed km 2 & 3 in about 3:51 (one marker was long, another one short) including a hill. Km 4 has a long hill which slowed me to 4:07. Km 5 split was 4:13 and I just didn’t know why this was slow. Last km was 3:53. Note that the advertised race distance was 5.6k – which is a standard distance for all JP Morgan races all around the world, but the new route was 6k long as evidenced by distances recorded by Garmin/Polars and the winning times that are 2mins slower than last year. Thinking about it, my sub-par timing was probably due to the fact that I’ve lost the ‘guts’ to run hard (hurting) in races.
Fri (Recovery):
6.5k Recovery in 35mins (5:27)
Planned to run at an empty grass plot (to avoid pounding) but it was muddy and infested with mosquitos, so ran on pavement again. Sigh – Singapore is all concrete!
Sat (Long):
25k Long Run in 121mins (4:52)
Don’t think I am fit enough to do MP-type runs, hence the plan was to run parts of the long run at Steady effort (MP + 5-10%). Left the house too late at 6:30am and it was already warm and humid (90%). After 3k warm up (5:15), ran 16k at 4:30-4:40 pace with a couple of stops at km 8 and km 12. I slowed down in the latter part due to the rising heat and it was still not yet 8am! Was really drained and did a 6k ‘death march’ cool down under the strong sun, in order to make a total of 2 hours. Due to the weather, today’s run was much tougher than last week’s 31k long run @ 4:48 pace in Oz.
Sun (Easy):
11k Easy in 58mins (5:13)
Jogged 2k to Padang and ran around 500m diameter cricket field for about 6k, then jogged back. It’s so hard to find soft running terrain in Singapore! Also, did 4 x 15secs strides on grass.
Total 88k for the week
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Skeleton
Did a total 213k over the last 30 days in Melbourne, running 2-3 times a week. Will be flying back to Singapore next week. Wife and baby will stay in Melbourne until around July.
From next week, there are 12 weeks of full-throtle training until the marathon. With this in mind, this week I structure my training as skeletons for the actual marathon training. Basically it consists of core workouts without daily aerobic fillers (easy runs). Once I start the marathon training proper, then the rest days will be filled by aerobic runs since mileage is an important component for marathon.
Despite the cool climate, I haven't had the opportunity to do any tough & challenging workouts. Only slept around 4 hours on average, so my body wasn't really primed to handle a lot of training stress. So far, the sessions have been pretty mild in terms of intensity - just enough to maintain fitness. One good thing is that I have built my long runs to around 30k (today did 31k long run av 4:48 pace), which hopefully will bode well for the next 12 weeks of training. Will be interesting to see how my long run pace will start to decrease once I am back in Singapore.
My plan is to spend 2-3 weeks to get used to running 7 days a week again and build mileage to around 80-100k. Then I will focus on marathon specific sessions for the next 7-8 weeks before finally a 2-week taper.
Also, good luck to Epi who will be gunning for sub-3 in Canberra next Sunday.
Anyway, this week's training 'skeleton' as follows:
04/04: 19k Medium Long Run @ 4:50 av pace
06/04: 5k Tempo on grass @ 4:03 pace, 4 x 500m (1:52, 53, 53, 47), 10 x 10secs hill sprints
08/04: 13k Rolling Hills @ 4:30 av pace
10/04: 31k Long Run @ 4:48 pace
Total 76k for the week (in 4 runs)
From next week, there are 12 weeks of full-throtle training until the marathon. With this in mind, this week I structure my training as skeletons for the actual marathon training. Basically it consists of core workouts without daily aerobic fillers (easy runs). Once I start the marathon training proper, then the rest days will be filled by aerobic runs since mileage is an important component for marathon.
Despite the cool climate, I haven't had the opportunity to do any tough & challenging workouts. Only slept around 4 hours on average, so my body wasn't really primed to handle a lot of training stress. So far, the sessions have been pretty mild in terms of intensity - just enough to maintain fitness. One good thing is that I have built my long runs to around 30k (today did 31k long run av 4:48 pace), which hopefully will bode well for the next 12 weeks of training. Will be interesting to see how my long run pace will start to decrease once I am back in Singapore.
My plan is to spend 2-3 weeks to get used to running 7 days a week again and build mileage to around 80-100k. Then I will focus on marathon specific sessions for the next 7-8 weeks before finally a 2-week taper.
Also, good luck to Epi who will be gunning for sub-3 in Canberra next Sunday.
Anyway, this week's training 'skeleton' as follows:
04/04: 19k Medium Long Run @ 4:50 av pace
06/04: 5k Tempo on grass @ 4:03 pace, 4 x 500m (1:52, 53, 53, 47), 10 x 10secs hill sprints
08/04: 13k Rolling Hills @ 4:30 av pace
10/04: 31k Long Run @ 4:48 pace
Total 76k for the week (in 4 runs)
Monday, March 30, 2009
Race Status
Currently I am about 50:50 of doing a July marathon. 50% chance of not running one because I like to see how my training evolves first before registering. There are 13 weeks left before the marathon and most likely I'll make decision with 6-8 weeks to go before D-day.
Out of 50% chance of running, the choice betwen Perth and Gold Coast is probably around 50%-50%. I just realized I have some frequent flyer mileage which will be expiring soon and it's good enough for return flights to either Brisbane or Perth.
This week marks my first running week as a father. Have yet to fully adapt to irregular sleeping patterns. I am presently running once every 2-3 days. Would love to run more but that's the compromise that I agreed with my wife. Baby is doing well and he is a handsome young fella.
Will stay in Melbourne until mid-April then heads back to Singapore. Wife and baby will remain in Melbourne for a couple more months, hence I have the time & flexibility to prepare for the marathon (11 weeks to train).
Buoyed by Melbourne weather, my long run paces are about 10secs faster than Singapore, although the pace for speed sessions remains the same (only did one so far). Got an okay from my wife to register for a 14k race (Run for the Kids), but unfortunately they closed the registration two days early since they hit the maximum crowd limit.
Wed, 18 Mar: 26k @ 4:45. Good run, but tired at the end, never ran this far in 4 months
19-24 Mar: 6 days off (baby + hospital stays)
Wed, 25 Mar: 21k @ 5:00. Felt sluggish due to lack of sleep and fitness loss (only 2 runs in last 2 weeks)
Fri, 27 Mar: 11k @ 4:35. Fartlek session, 4k @ 3:55, 3 x 230m very steep hill (walk down)
Mon, 30 Mar: 27k @ 4:50. Long run on Koonung Trail, Yarra Trail, & Capital City Trail to Yarra Bend Park and back.
Out of 50% chance of running, the choice betwen Perth and Gold Coast is probably around 50%-50%. I just realized I have some frequent flyer mileage which will be expiring soon and it's good enough for return flights to either Brisbane or Perth.
This week marks my first running week as a father. Have yet to fully adapt to irregular sleeping patterns. I am presently running once every 2-3 days. Would love to run more but that's the compromise that I agreed with my wife. Baby is doing well and he is a handsome young fella.
Will stay in Melbourne until mid-April then heads back to Singapore. Wife and baby will remain in Melbourne for a couple more months, hence I have the time & flexibility to prepare for the marathon (11 weeks to train).
Buoyed by Melbourne weather, my long run paces are about 10secs faster than Singapore, although the pace for speed sessions remains the same (only did one so far). Got an okay from my wife to register for a 14k race (Run for the Kids), but unfortunately they closed the registration two days early since they hit the maximum crowd limit.
Wed, 18 Mar: 26k @ 4:45. Good run, but tired at the end, never ran this far in 4 months
19-24 Mar: 6 days off (baby + hospital stays)
Wed, 25 Mar: 21k @ 5:00. Felt sluggish due to lack of sleep and fitness loss (only 2 runs in last 2 weeks)
Fri, 27 Mar: 11k @ 4:35. Fartlek session, 4k @ 3:55, 3 x 230m very steep hill (walk down)
Mon, 30 Mar: 27k @ 4:50. Long run on Koonung Trail, Yarra Trail, & Capital City Trail to Yarra Bend Park and back.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sling Jr
Baby Sling was born on Friday, March 20 evening in Melbourne. Weight 3.2kg, length 47cm and healthy.
Labour was quick. Checked in at hospital lunch time and my wife delivered at around 6 pm. I cut the baby's cord.
Got discharged from the hospital yesterday and now back at home coping with parenthood.
Only ran two times in the last 13 days. Spent the rest accompaying my wife's last few days before delivery, 5 days stay in the hospital post-labour, and now taking care of the baby.
Labour was quick. Checked in at hospital lunch time and my wife delivered at around 6 pm. I cut the baby's cord.
Got discharged from the hospital yesterday and now back at home coping with parenthood.
Only ran two times in the last 13 days. Spent the rest accompaying my wife's last few days before delivery, 5 days stay in the hospital post-labour, and now taking care of the baby.
Monday, March 16, 2009
In Melbourne
In Melbourne for the next 40 days on paternity leave...
I expect to run around 3 times a week as a way to manage family time. Wife is on her 37/38th week, so the baby could on his way out any day now.
I only plan to post my blog once every 3 runs, so this could be once every 7 to 10 days.
Tues, 11 Mar:
Felt a bit jaded from the recent bump in training load (from about 0km due to injury to 300k total in last 30 days). Did 3k warm up along Singapore River to the F1 track and did 4 x 1k (3:51, 3:51, 3:51, 3:41) with 2mins recovery jog. Didn't want to do more since the effort was harder than usual. Jogged slowly back home. Total 11.4k in 57mins.
Thurs, 13 Mar:
Cool and cloudy day for Singapore standard and this helped me to do my longest run since late November. After 3k slow warm up, did 2 x 8k between 4:35-4:40 pace, then 5k cool down. Happy with the effort although it was only done at around 3h:15m marathon pace. Anyway, it's a decent start in my goal to increase my long run pace to around 4:40-4:50 levels. All up, 24k in 115mins (av 4:48 pace). Flew to Melbourne on a red eye.
Mon, 16 Mar:
First run in Melbourne after 3 days off. Temp was 15c, 60% humidity, 30km/h gusty wind which made the apparent temperature around 13c. I expected a good quality run today and but it wasn't meant to be. All muscles were very stiff, perhaps it was the effect of cool weather or maybe from the three days break without running. Breathing wasn't that great either. Did 2k downhill warm up from in-laws house to Koonung trail and this made my quads a bit sore. Then ran 12k at MP (~4:25) but had to stop a few times to stretch the legs and rest, so it was more like a fartlek style run. Finished with a few strides. All up, 18.4k in 85mins (av 4:38) which excluded stoppages. Hopefully, the next run will be much be better.
Total 54k in 3 runs (4 off days in one week).
I expect to run around 3 times a week as a way to manage family time. Wife is on her 37/38th week, so the baby could on his way out any day now.
I only plan to post my blog once every 3 runs, so this could be once every 7 to 10 days.
Tues, 11 Mar:
Felt a bit jaded from the recent bump in training load (from about 0km due to injury to 300k total in last 30 days). Did 3k warm up along Singapore River to the F1 track and did 4 x 1k (3:51, 3:51, 3:51, 3:41) with 2mins recovery jog. Didn't want to do more since the effort was harder than usual. Jogged slowly back home. Total 11.4k in 57mins.
Thurs, 13 Mar:
Cool and cloudy day for Singapore standard and this helped me to do my longest run since late November. After 3k slow warm up, did 2 x 8k between 4:35-4:40 pace, then 5k cool down. Happy with the effort although it was only done at around 3h:15m marathon pace. Anyway, it's a decent start in my goal to increase my long run pace to around 4:40-4:50 levels. All up, 24k in 115mins (av 4:48 pace). Flew to Melbourne on a red eye.
Mon, 16 Mar:
First run in Melbourne after 3 days off. Temp was 15c, 60% humidity, 30km/h gusty wind which made the apparent temperature around 13c. I expected a good quality run today and but it wasn't meant to be. All muscles were very stiff, perhaps it was the effect of cool weather or maybe from the three days break without running. Breathing wasn't that great either. Did 2k downhill warm up from in-laws house to Koonung trail and this made my quads a bit sore. Then ran 12k at MP (~4:25) but had to stop a few times to stretch the legs and rest, so it was more like a fartlek style run. Finished with a few strides. All up, 18.4k in 85mins (av 4:38) which excluded stoppages. Hopefully, the next run will be much be better.
Total 54k in 3 runs (4 off days in one week).
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Struggling with long run
An okay week, but I bombed again badly at the long run. Could only last 90mins before had to take walk breaks. Both my mental and physical endurance were just not there yet to do long runs.
This is my last full week in Singapore before heading to Melbourne next Thursday. I am really hoping the Melbourne weather will help me to start building up the long runs.
It's an exciting time for us with the baby. My wife is on here 36-37 weeks. The doc thinks there is a possibility that he might arrive early.
My current expectation is to run 3 times/week for those 5 weeks I am in Melbourne. Mileage wise, probably around 40-50k a week, which is lower to what I am currently doing right now. However, I''ll focus on 'bang-for-the-bucks' workouts such as long tempos and hard long runs. Personally, I'd like to get comfortable with running long runs at around 4:40-4:50 pace. My long run pace has stayed at 5:00-5:20 pace for the last 3 years due to a combination of no PBs (I don't earn anything that warrants a faster pace in training) and moving to hot & humid Singapore which slowed down the paces.
After 5 weeks of low quantity, high quantity training in Melbourne, there will be 11 weeks before either Perth or Gold Coast marathon. I hope that I could replicate the success of last year's Seoul Marathon preparation which was based on 8 weeks of training.
Mon (Easy Day):
60mins Easy (5:12)
No soreness from yesterday's race. Should have checked the watch battery and ran the race hard :)
Tue (Workout Day):
15mins wu, 8x400 (av 84), 4 x 200 (av 39), 15mins cd
Did the reps on bike path with splits: 83, 83, 86, 84, 85, 84, 84, 79 with 60-90 recovery in between. The first 4 was jog recovery but got stuffed afterwards and did standing rest. The splits for 200s were 39, 40, 40, 38.
Wed (Easy Day):
50mins Easy (5:16)
Thu (Easy Day):
45mins Easy/Moderate (4:56)
In Jakarta for work. Ran on hotel treadmill, started at 10km/h, increasing the pace by 0.1 km/h every minute.
Fri (Easy Day):
32mins Easy (5:12)
Also on treadmill. Flew back to Singapore late evening.
Sat (Workout Day):
40mins Fartlek (av 4:33) incl Mono Fartlek
Kept the float pace for the 90s and 60s segments at around MP (4:20s), however, they slowed to briks jog during the 30s and 15s segments. Covered around 5k so average pace was 4:00 min/km. Overall, it's a good & different workout, could feel the HR working hard during the 30/15s sections.
Sun (Easy Day):
90mins Easy (5:00)
Another failed attempt at the long run. Planned 2hrs but was walking after 90mins. Felt like sleeping in and only started running at 7.30 which was too late to my liking. The weather was terribly warm and humid by then. After the walk breaks, I decided there was no point in continuing further and cut my losses.
Total 73k for the week.
This is my last full week in Singapore before heading to Melbourne next Thursday. I am really hoping the Melbourne weather will help me to start building up the long runs.
It's an exciting time for us with the baby. My wife is on here 36-37 weeks. The doc thinks there is a possibility that he might arrive early.
My current expectation is to run 3 times/week for those 5 weeks I am in Melbourne. Mileage wise, probably around 40-50k a week, which is lower to what I am currently doing right now. However, I''ll focus on 'bang-for-the-bucks' workouts such as long tempos and hard long runs. Personally, I'd like to get comfortable with running long runs at around 4:40-4:50 pace. My long run pace has stayed at 5:00-5:20 pace for the last 3 years due to a combination of no PBs (I don't earn anything that warrants a faster pace in training) and moving to hot & humid Singapore which slowed down the paces.
After 5 weeks of low quantity, high quantity training in Melbourne, there will be 11 weeks before either Perth or Gold Coast marathon. I hope that I could replicate the success of last year's Seoul Marathon preparation which was based on 8 weeks of training.
Mon (Easy Day):
60mins Easy (5:12)
No soreness from yesterday's race. Should have checked the watch battery and ran the race hard :)
Tue (Workout Day):
15mins wu, 8x400 (av 84), 4 x 200 (av 39), 15mins cd
Did the reps on bike path with splits: 83, 83, 86, 84, 85, 84, 84, 79 with 60-90 recovery in between. The first 4 was jog recovery but got stuffed afterwards and did standing rest. The splits for 200s were 39, 40, 40, 38.
Wed (Easy Day):
50mins Easy (5:16)
Thu (Easy Day):
45mins Easy/Moderate (4:56)
In Jakarta for work. Ran on hotel treadmill, started at 10km/h, increasing the pace by 0.1 km/h every minute.
Fri (Easy Day):
32mins Easy (5:12)
Also on treadmill. Flew back to Singapore late evening.
Sat (Workout Day):
40mins Fartlek (av 4:33) incl Mono Fartlek
Kept the float pace for the 90s and 60s segments at around MP (4:20s), however, they slowed to briks jog during the 30s and 15s segments. Covered around 5k so average pace was 4:00 min/km. Overall, it's a good & different workout, could feel the HR working hard during the 30/15s sections.
Sun (Easy Day):
90mins Easy (5:00)
Another failed attempt at the long run. Planned 2hrs but was walking after 90mins. Felt like sleeping in and only started running at 7.30 which was too late to my liking. The weather was terribly warm and humid by then. After the walk breaks, I decided there was no point in continuing further and cut my losses.
Total 73k for the week.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Ran without a watch
Forgot to charge my Garmin 305, so I ran the Active Newton 10k race today without a watch.
Since I am 100% dependent (perhaps over-reliant) on my Garmin for pacing guidance in races & training, I was simply pace blind this morning. My aim was simply to run at a solid effort the whole way and not going to care about the timing. But gee, 'running by feel' in a race is really tough!
Finished in 40:30. Didn't struggle too much and I was never in the red zone. Probably could have been a bit faster if I had a watch and was able to time myself during the run. I am not sure about the actual distance, but talking to some of my friends who owned GPS or footpod, the distance ranged from 9.8-10.1k. Temperature was 26c with 95% humidity.
Overall, I am not disappointed with today's effort. Timing wise, it's a bit slow to my liking. But since it's still early in the season and the fact that I am still not 100% in tip-top shape (only six weeks of training since injury), I have no complaints.
Chatted with people from SGRunners forum, hence didn't bother to do cool down after the race. Anyway, my legs felt pretty good and didn't feel tight in the muscles at all. It was a very organized race and the course was probably 90% flat. Will try to come back to this race again next year, hopefully with a watch!
Mon (Recovery Day):
am: Yoga
pm: 30mins Easy on treadmill (5:28 pace)
Tuesday (Workout Day):
20mins wu, 3x1000m/2 mins jog (av 3:53 pace), 3x500m/500m jog (av 3:40 pace), 20mins cd
Ran on F1 track again. Splits for the 1000m were 3:53, 3:52, 3:52 and for the 500m were 1:49, 1:50, 1:49. Very humid morning at 25c, 97% humidity.
Wednesday (Recovery Day):
35mins Recovery (5:40 pace)
Felt unwell. Slight fever.
Thursday (Off):
Sick. I think the recent increase in training load finally caught up with me. Did 80k in last 7 days, including 3 speed workouts. Probably too soon for me.
Friday (Moderate Day):
50mins Fartlek (av 4:49 pace)
Decided to test the body and legs with a moderate intensitity workout. Did 20mins MP (4:21 pace), 4 x 15secs hill sprints, and 400m in 82 secs. Not feeling too great.
Saturday (Easy Day):
30mins Easy (5:23 pace)
Sunday (race):
am: 800m warm up (arrived a bit late), Active Newton 10k in 40:30, no cool down (chat with SGrunners)
pm: 35mins Recovery Run (5:45 pace)
Total 60k for the week
Monthly mileages:
Dec: 60k
Jan: 160k
Feb: 270k
Since I am 100% dependent (perhaps over-reliant) on my Garmin for pacing guidance in races & training, I was simply pace blind this morning. My aim was simply to run at a solid effort the whole way and not going to care about the timing. But gee, 'running by feel' in a race is really tough!
Finished in 40:30. Didn't struggle too much and I was never in the red zone. Probably could have been a bit faster if I had a watch and was able to time myself during the run. I am not sure about the actual distance, but talking to some of my friends who owned GPS or footpod, the distance ranged from 9.8-10.1k. Temperature was 26c with 95% humidity.
Overall, I am not disappointed with today's effort. Timing wise, it's a bit slow to my liking. But since it's still early in the season and the fact that I am still not 100% in tip-top shape (only six weeks of training since injury), I have no complaints.
Chatted with people from SGRunners forum, hence didn't bother to do cool down after the race. Anyway, my legs felt pretty good and didn't feel tight in the muscles at all. It was a very organized race and the course was probably 90% flat. Will try to come back to this race again next year, hopefully with a watch!
Mon (Recovery Day):
am: Yoga
pm: 30mins Easy on treadmill (5:28 pace)
Tuesday (Workout Day):
20mins wu, 3x1000m/2 mins jog (av 3:53 pace), 3x500m/500m jog (av 3:40 pace), 20mins cd
Ran on F1 track again. Splits for the 1000m were 3:53, 3:52, 3:52 and for the 500m were 1:49, 1:50, 1:49. Very humid morning at 25c, 97% humidity.
Wednesday (Recovery Day):
35mins Recovery (5:40 pace)
Felt unwell. Slight fever.
Thursday (Off):
Sick. I think the recent increase in training load finally caught up with me. Did 80k in last 7 days, including 3 speed workouts. Probably too soon for me.
Friday (Moderate Day):
50mins Fartlek (av 4:49 pace)
Decided to test the body and legs with a moderate intensitity workout. Did 20mins MP (4:21 pace), 4 x 15secs hill sprints, and 400m in 82 secs. Not feeling too great.
Saturday (Easy Day):
30mins Easy (5:23 pace)
Sunday (race):
am: 800m warm up (arrived a bit late), Active Newton 10k in 40:30, no cool down (chat with SGrunners)
pm: 35mins Recovery Run (5:45 pace)
Total 60k for the week
Monthly mileages:
Dec: 60k
Jan: 160k
Feb: 270k
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Getting There
First of all, congrats to Epi who smoked his 10k PB by a huge 1 minute to low 38s. This showed how consistency is the most important succes factor in running. He did high mileage all spring/summer to prepare for Canberra Marathon, and prior to the 10k - has run 7 weeks straight without a day off.
From my end, I felt that I am slowly returing to full fitness. After being sidelined for 6 weeks (3 weeks of zero running, then 3 weeks of running through the pain), I've gradually built up my training over the last 5 weeks to around 75k this week. My speed is coming back, judging from the interval and tempo workouts. However, I am still behind in terms of long endurance runs as both the mind and body are still not used to it. All in all, I took me 1.5 months lose it and another 1.5 months to get back to around 80% of my old fitness level. Probably I still need a good one month before I am finally able to put in consistent, quality training week-in week-out. Ankle is occasionally still sore, especially after hard workouts.
Next Sunday, I will be running the Active Newton 10k race. I do not have a high expectation for this race given I am about 80% fit. The course has some undulations and just like other road races in Singapore, it's very crowded and the distance is normally inaccurate.
Mon: Rest Day
60mins Yoga
Paid the price of doing two races within 12 hours. Quads and ankle were very sore.
Tue: Easy Day
AM: 30mins Easy (5:39 pace)
PM: 30mins Easy (5:34 pace), light weights, foam roller
The damn DOMS won't go away!
Wed: Moderate Day
AM: 10mins wu, 25mins MP (4:23 pace), 5 x 15sec hill, 10mins cd
PM: 25mins elliptical, sauna
Planned to do intervals, but still felt the effect of DOMS. Decided to do a little workout instead (short MP running), good pace but not overly hard to have any negative effect on tomorrow's workout.
Thu: Workout Day
AM: 20mins wu, 6 x 1000m with 2mins rest (av 3:50), on F1 track, 20mins
PM: 30mins elliptical, light weights, sauna
My call to delay the intervals until today had paid-off. Been struggling with intervals in the last two weeks, so today's session was a surprise. Perhaps the F1 track had something to do with it! Splits: 3:53, 3:50, 3:55, 3:50, 3:55, 3:42 (last 200m kick). Felt good the whole way, although ankle was sore from the jarring afterwards. Temp was 25c, 90% humidity.
Fri: Easy Day
40mins Easy (5:22 pace)
Sat: Workout Day
15mins wu, 2 x 15mins Tempo (av 4:06), 4 x 15secs hill, 15mins cd
Happy with the effort, was crusing the whole way without working extremely hard. Temp was 26c, 90% humidity.
Sun: Easy Day
80mins Easy (5:12 pace)
Total 75k for the week + 55mins elliptical
From my end, I felt that I am slowly returing to full fitness. After being sidelined for 6 weeks (3 weeks of zero running, then 3 weeks of running through the pain), I've gradually built up my training over the last 5 weeks to around 75k this week. My speed is coming back, judging from the interval and tempo workouts. However, I am still behind in terms of long endurance runs as both the mind and body are still not used to it. All in all, I took me 1.5 months lose it and another 1.5 months to get back to around 80% of my old fitness level. Probably I still need a good one month before I am finally able to put in consistent, quality training week-in week-out. Ankle is occasionally still sore, especially after hard workouts.
Next Sunday, I will be running the Active Newton 10k race. I do not have a high expectation for this race given I am about 80% fit. The course has some undulations and just like other road races in Singapore, it's very crowded and the distance is normally inaccurate.
Mon: Rest Day
60mins Yoga
Paid the price of doing two races within 12 hours. Quads and ankle were very sore.
Tue: Easy Day
AM: 30mins Easy (5:39 pace)
PM: 30mins Easy (5:34 pace), light weights, foam roller
The damn DOMS won't go away!
Wed: Moderate Day
AM: 10mins wu, 25mins MP (4:23 pace), 5 x 15sec hill, 10mins cd
PM: 25mins elliptical, sauna
Planned to do intervals, but still felt the effect of DOMS. Decided to do a little workout instead (short MP running), good pace but not overly hard to have any negative effect on tomorrow's workout.
Thu: Workout Day
AM: 20mins wu, 6 x 1000m with 2mins rest (av 3:50), on F1 track, 20mins
PM: 30mins elliptical, light weights, sauna
My call to delay the intervals until today had paid-off. Been struggling with intervals in the last two weeks, so today's session was a surprise. Perhaps the F1 track had something to do with it! Splits: 3:53, 3:50, 3:55, 3:50, 3:55, 3:42 (last 200m kick). Felt good the whole way, although ankle was sore from the jarring afterwards. Temp was 25c, 90% humidity.
Fri: Easy Day
40mins Easy (5:22 pace)
Sat: Workout Day
15mins wu, 2 x 15mins Tempo (av 4:06), 4 x 15secs hill, 15mins cd
Happy with the effort, was crusing the whole way without working extremely hard. Temp was 26c, 90% humidity.
Sun: Easy Day
80mins Easy (5:12 pace)
Total 75k for the week + 55mins elliptical
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Double Up on Valentines Day
Did two races within 12 hours.
The first race was Wings XC on Saturday 4pm. Despite its title, it was nothing like a XC race. The first 3k was on concrete and the last 1k+ on gravel track. The only thing that resembled a XC was a steep hill after km 2, other than that the terrain was flat. The organizer said the total distance was 4.5k (vs the advertised 5k) but according to my Garmin it was closer to 4.4k. The race was among the most competitive in SG, attended by school and university runners. Hence, basically I was competing against guys half my age !! The winning time was under 13:53 by a 20 yo national triathlete who has PBs of 16mins 5k and 1:17 HM.
I did a poorly executed race. Despite just coming back from a long lay-off, I couldn’t resist the temptation to go out with the boys and passed the first k in 3:30-ish. As mentioned previously, I am currently having troubles sustaining pace under 4:00 min/km in training either due to lack of endurance/strength or poor lactate buffering ability. So it wasn’t a big surprise that I paid the price and slowed down badly to 4:00+ pace for the remainder of the race (ouch !!!) At the hill, I was virtually crawling due to lack of strength and was simply holding on until the end to finish in 17:13. I think if I have started the first k conservatively at around 3:50, I might have a chance to dip below 17mins. The only positive gotten out of this race was a ‘pain threshold training’ since I was huffing and puffing with a high heart rate for the last mile or so. I guess I never learned!!
12 hours later, I was at the start line for a race aptly called Bedok Valentine Run. Judging from the name, the race didn't look like it would be very competitive. The distance was 2 laps around Bedok Reservoir (8.6k) on gravel track. My plan was to run this as a tempo run aka no faster than HM pace. Started in the 5th position and was cruising at sub 4:10 pace for the first couple of ks before the muscle impact from yesterday’s race and the 95% humidity took their toll. I slowed down to around 4:15 for the next 5k. However, I managed to gradually cut the deficit with the 3rd place runner from 400m at km 4 to around 100m at km 7. I upped the ante (despite really struggling with speed at the moment) and passed him with just over 1k to go. Ran the last mile in 6:40 and finished in the 3rd place in 36:13 (4:13 av pace). The winning time was 33mins, so I was 20secs per km slower. Overall, it was a good tempo-effort run, despite the average pace only turned out to be equivalent to Clown and Epi’s projected marathon (42k) race pace !!!
Picked up a 3rd place trophy and in the lucky draw….get this !!! I won an Apple i-phone worth $1000+ :) My bet to double up on Valentines day Races had paid-off !!
Mon: Easy Day
AM: 40mins Yoga
PM: 30mins Easy on treadmill (5:43 pace)
Tue: Workout Day
2.5k warm up
3 x 800m (av 3:50 pace) with 2mins jogging (3:04, 3:05, 3:02)
4 x 400m (av 3:30 pace) with 2mins walking (84, 83, 85, 84)
2.5k cool down
A mini hard workout before this weekend’s race. Felt terrible in the 800s like last week. It seems that I am okay negotiating a tempo run at 4:00-ish pace, but always struggle every time I go below 4:00 pace. My speed endurance sucks.
PM: 30mins elliptical in the gym for recovery
Wed: Easy Day
45mins Easy (5:23 pace)
Thu: Easy Day
50mins Easy (5:10 pace)
Included a bit of running at old MP and 4x10secs hill sprints (two of them with a fast young European runner whom I met at the hill)
Fri: Easy Day
38mins Easy (5:10 pace) with 4 x 100m strides
Saturday: Race (28c, 73% humidity, 31c heat index)
1k warm up (arrived late)
4.4k Wings XC in 17:13 (3:55 pace), 51/91 Mens Open
4.4k cool down
http://www.wings.org.sg/wacxcountry09-individuals.pdf
Sunday: Race (25c, 95% humidity):
2k warm up
8.6k Bedok Valentine Run in 36:13 (4:13 pace), gravel track, 3rd place
4.3k cool down (with Aerosolcan & Trailblazer from SGrunners)
Total 66k for the week.
The first race was Wings XC on Saturday 4pm. Despite its title, it was nothing like a XC race. The first 3k was on concrete and the last 1k+ on gravel track. The only thing that resembled a XC was a steep hill after km 2, other than that the terrain was flat. The organizer said the total distance was 4.5k (vs the advertised 5k) but according to my Garmin it was closer to 4.4k. The race was among the most competitive in SG, attended by school and university runners. Hence, basically I was competing against guys half my age !! The winning time was under 13:53 by a 20 yo national triathlete who has PBs of 16mins 5k and 1:17 HM.
I did a poorly executed race. Despite just coming back from a long lay-off, I couldn’t resist the temptation to go out with the boys and passed the first k in 3:30-ish. As mentioned previously, I am currently having troubles sustaining pace under 4:00 min/km in training either due to lack of endurance/strength or poor lactate buffering ability. So it wasn’t a big surprise that I paid the price and slowed down badly to 4:00+ pace for the remainder of the race (ouch !!!) At the hill, I was virtually crawling due to lack of strength and was simply holding on until the end to finish in 17:13. I think if I have started the first k conservatively at around 3:50, I might have a chance to dip below 17mins. The only positive gotten out of this race was a ‘pain threshold training’ since I was huffing and puffing with a high heart rate for the last mile or so. I guess I never learned!!
12 hours later, I was at the start line for a race aptly called Bedok Valentine Run. Judging from the name, the race didn't look like it would be very competitive. The distance was 2 laps around Bedok Reservoir (8.6k) on gravel track. My plan was to run this as a tempo run aka no faster than HM pace. Started in the 5th position and was cruising at sub 4:10 pace for the first couple of ks before the muscle impact from yesterday’s race and the 95% humidity took their toll. I slowed down to around 4:15 for the next 5k. However, I managed to gradually cut the deficit with the 3rd place runner from 400m at km 4 to around 100m at km 7. I upped the ante (despite really struggling with speed at the moment) and passed him with just over 1k to go. Ran the last mile in 6:40 and finished in the 3rd place in 36:13 (4:13 av pace). The winning time was 33mins, so I was 20secs per km slower. Overall, it was a good tempo-effort run, despite the average pace only turned out to be equivalent to Clown and Epi’s projected marathon (42k) race pace !!!
Picked up a 3rd place trophy and in the lucky draw….get this !!! I won an Apple i-phone worth $1000+ :) My bet to double up on Valentines day Races had paid-off !!
Mon: Easy Day
AM: 40mins Yoga
PM: 30mins Easy on treadmill (5:43 pace)
Tue: Workout Day
2.5k warm up
3 x 800m (av 3:50 pace) with 2mins jogging (3:04, 3:05, 3:02)
4 x 400m (av 3:30 pace) with 2mins walking (84, 83, 85, 84)
2.5k cool down
A mini hard workout before this weekend’s race. Felt terrible in the 800s like last week. It seems that I am okay negotiating a tempo run at 4:00-ish pace, but always struggle every time I go below 4:00 pace. My speed endurance sucks.
PM: 30mins elliptical in the gym for recovery
Wed: Easy Day
45mins Easy (5:23 pace)
Thu: Easy Day
50mins Easy (5:10 pace)
Included a bit of running at old MP and 4x10secs hill sprints (two of them with a fast young European runner whom I met at the hill)
Fri: Easy Day
38mins Easy (5:10 pace) with 4 x 100m strides
Saturday: Race (28c, 73% humidity, 31c heat index)
1k warm up (arrived late)
4.4k Wings XC in 17:13 (3:55 pace), 51/91 Mens Open
4.4k cool down
http://www.wings.org.sg/wacxcountry09-individuals.pdf
Sunday: Race (25c, 95% humidity):
2k warm up
8.6k Bedok Valentine Run in 36:13 (4:13 pace), gravel track, 3rd place
4.3k cool down (with Aerosolcan & Trailblazer from SGrunners)
Total 66k for the week.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Hi-Lo
A week of highs and lows, both physically and emotionally. One day I felt good, one day I got injured and so on. Money can’t buy this kind of thing, only running can…..
I decided to enter a 5k cross-country race next week. In fact, I ‘greedily’ will do 2 races on back-to-back days (5k Saturday 4:30pm, 8.6k Sunday 7am). This might not be the smartest move since I am just in my third week returning after a lengthy injury. But timing is a secondary issue for me right now.
Mon: Easy Day
AM: 1-hour Yoga
Today’s class was core-focused, lots of squats, planks etc
PM: 25mins jogging (6:07 pace)
Wanted to run on grass to avoid pounding, but I didn’t see a root and rolled my bad ankle again! Unfortunately, the impact wasn’t hard since I ran really slowly or perhaps I had a higher pain threshold from the last ankle injury :p
Tue: Workout Day
2k warm up
6 x 800m (av 3:53 pace) with 2mins passive recovery
2k cool down
Wanted to do intervals in order to gauge my fitness for next week’s 5k. Did the session on 800m road stretch. Splits (3:06, 3:05, 3:10, 3:05, 3:10, 3:00) were all over the place due to a slight headwind on the way out. It is emotionally depressing that pre-injury, I was able to do 5x1600 with 2mins active recovery but now after 6x800 with passive recovery, I was very wasted :( I think I am hard pressed to do a sub-20 min 5k now which is used to be my tempo pace. Flew to Jakarta for work in arvo.
Wed: Easy Day
AM: 20mins elliptical + a couple sets of weights in Ritz Carlton
It seems that running intervals yesterday with 5kg additional body weight wasn’t a good idea. Ankle was really sore from the pounding :( No mood to run, decided to XT
PM: 20mins Easy (5:15 pace)
Flew back to Singapore in the evening. Did a shake out at 10pm.
Thu: Easy Day
45mins Easy (5:10 pace)
Calf and hammies were really tight. It seems the muscles were overworked becoz I went from 0km to 40-60km in the last 3 weeks.
Fri: Aborted Workout Day
5k warm up to the track
2 x 1k in 3:50, 3:55 + 3x200m in 43-44
Walked in despair for cool down and took a bus home.
The plan was to do intervals as my last hard workout before the race. Felt good during the warm up, but the session turned out to be a disaster. Ran the first k on target pace, but slowed down badly in the second. I was struggling both aerobically and muscularly at this point. Decided to abort and run a few 200s in order to salvage something from the session. However, my 200s were in the 43-44secs range (normally sub-40) and this was even with 200m walk for recovery! I decided to have enough after 3x 200s. Tried to jog home, but the body seemed to be paralyzed and running at 8 min/km pace was frekingly difficult:( I walked 2k to the bus stop and took a ride home.
PM: 1-hour massage
Looked back at my old logs and found the problem was typically muscular-oriented. Managed to get a last-minute appointment and had a painful one hour session.
Saturday: Workout Day
2k warm up
8k Tempo (av 4:12)
4 x 200s (38-40)
2k cool down
30mins stretching/foam roller
I was thinking this is it! If I couldn’t get a decent workout then I should cancel my plan to race. Did an Ovett tempo (3 miles HMP, 1 mile MP, 1 mile 10kp) with splits 19:58 (4:09) + 7:02 (4:24) + 6:35 (4:07) = 33:35. Just didn’t have any strength to run the last mile at 10k pace. 3 months ago I did the same session with splits 19:48 + 6:57 + 6:16 = 33:00, hence today’s last mile cost me 20secs. I attribute this to the fitness loss and a drop in lactate buffering capacity. Despite this, I am happy to be able to squeeze in a decent workout considering that I was unable to run yesterday :)
Sunday:
90mins ez (5:05 pace)
Warm and humid day. The body just is not used to long runs anymore.
Total 64k for the week.
I decided to enter a 5k cross-country race next week. In fact, I ‘greedily’ will do 2 races on back-to-back days (5k Saturday 4:30pm, 8.6k Sunday 7am). This might not be the smartest move since I am just in my third week returning after a lengthy injury. But timing is a secondary issue for me right now.
Mon: Easy Day
AM: 1-hour Yoga
Today’s class was core-focused, lots of squats, planks etc
PM: 25mins jogging (6:07 pace)
Wanted to run on grass to avoid pounding, but I didn’t see a root and rolled my bad ankle again! Unfortunately, the impact wasn’t hard since I ran really slowly or perhaps I had a higher pain threshold from the last ankle injury :p
Tue: Workout Day
2k warm up
6 x 800m (av 3:53 pace) with 2mins passive recovery
2k cool down
Wanted to do intervals in order to gauge my fitness for next week’s 5k. Did the session on 800m road stretch. Splits (3:06, 3:05, 3:10, 3:05, 3:10, 3:00) were all over the place due to a slight headwind on the way out. It is emotionally depressing that pre-injury, I was able to do 5x1600 with 2mins active recovery but now after 6x800 with passive recovery, I was very wasted :( I think I am hard pressed to do a sub-20 min 5k now which is used to be my tempo pace. Flew to Jakarta for work in arvo.
Wed: Easy Day
AM: 20mins elliptical + a couple sets of weights in Ritz Carlton
It seems that running intervals yesterday with 5kg additional body weight wasn’t a good idea. Ankle was really sore from the pounding :( No mood to run, decided to XT
PM: 20mins Easy (5:15 pace)
Flew back to Singapore in the evening. Did a shake out at 10pm.
Thu: Easy Day
45mins Easy (5:10 pace)
Calf and hammies were really tight. It seems the muscles were overworked becoz I went from 0km to 40-60km in the last 3 weeks.
Fri: Aborted Workout Day
5k warm up to the track
2 x 1k in 3:50, 3:55 + 3x200m in 43-44
Walked in despair for cool down and took a bus home.
The plan was to do intervals as my last hard workout before the race. Felt good during the warm up, but the session turned out to be a disaster. Ran the first k on target pace, but slowed down badly in the second. I was struggling both aerobically and muscularly at this point. Decided to abort and run a few 200s in order to salvage something from the session. However, my 200s were in the 43-44secs range (normally sub-40) and this was even with 200m walk for recovery! I decided to have enough after 3x 200s. Tried to jog home, but the body seemed to be paralyzed and running at 8 min/km pace was frekingly difficult:( I walked 2k to the bus stop and took a ride home.
PM: 1-hour massage
Looked back at my old logs and found the problem was typically muscular-oriented. Managed to get a last-minute appointment and had a painful one hour session.
Saturday: Workout Day
2k warm up
8k Tempo (av 4:12)
4 x 200s (38-40)
2k cool down
30mins stretching/foam roller
I was thinking this is it! If I couldn’t get a decent workout then I should cancel my plan to race. Did an Ovett tempo (3 miles HMP, 1 mile MP, 1 mile 10kp) with splits 19:58 (4:09) + 7:02 (4:24) + 6:35 (4:07) = 33:35. Just didn’t have any strength to run the last mile at 10k pace. 3 months ago I did the same session with splits 19:48 + 6:57 + 6:16 = 33:00, hence today’s last mile cost me 20secs. I attribute this to the fitness loss and a drop in lactate buffering capacity. Despite this, I am happy to be able to squeeze in a decent workout considering that I was unable to run yesterday :)
Sunday:
90mins ez (5:05 pace)
Warm and humid day. The body just is not used to long runs anymore.
Total 64k for the week.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Whip me into shape
January is over! 160k mileage for the month after 60k in December. If we add up the two, the total is 220k for last two months. This pales in comparison with my mileage prior to the injury of around 360k per month (Sep-Nov).
Ankle is improving and gaining strength, but a lenghty period of absence has created lots of new problems.
1) Weight gain
I gained about 5k in weight over the last 2 months. I am 170cm and my normal weight was 67kg (still heavy for a runner) which put me at 23.2 BMI. Due to a combination of little running during the lay-off, festive seasons, and pregnant wife who needs to eat frequently, my weight has ballooned by 5kg, implying a BMI of 25.3, and this is categorized as 'Overweight' .
No wonder that I am struggling at the moment. Increased weight leads to increased cost of running. I also feel that my knees take a bit of battering due to the added bulk.
2) Contamination to other body parts
I found that when you run with some kind of injury, your other body parts will be affected too! My injured ankle is still not 100% healed, and for some reaon, my brain tells me not to do 'push-off' using the injured leg. Hence, my good, healthy left leg has to carry the other leg. This imbalance leads to sore and niggles around quads and glutes for the left leg.
Another concern right now is my archiles. After two months of limited running, it doesn't seem to be used to the jarring and pounding anymore. Perhaps the archiles is forced to work more to compensate for the weak ankle.This morning I did 2 x 4k at steady state pace and planned to do a few quick 200s for leg speed afterwards. After the first 200s, I felt a weird feeling in the archiles and I couldn't run the 200 at my normal pace (today was 44secs vs 38-40 secs normally). I decided to do just one in order to avoid any risks.
Another funny thing is that even my elbow is sore, especally during tempo runs when fast arm swing is required. Talk about muscle memory hey ??
3) Loss of fitness
Lastly, after a period of length inactivity, fitness level really eroded rapidly. On Tuesday, I had to break my temp run in 10 minute chunks as I couldn't do a straight 20 minute classic tempo. On Friday, I tried to do intervals, but only lasted 800m since the pace felt like an alien to my body.
On another note, this week marked my baby's 31 weeks since conceivement (9 weeks to go before fatherhood !). My wife has left for Australia and I will be joining her in mid March. Until then, I have about 6 weeks with lots of time/flexibility to build up my training and whip my fat ass back into shape !!
M: off
T: 2 x 3.2k Tempo 4:10 pace, 4 x 200 Reps av 39-40
W: 35mins Easy 5:33 on treadmill
T: 45mins Easy 5:00 incl 4 x 10secs hill sprints
F: 30mins Easy 5:07 (tried intervals but felt crap)
S: off
S: am 70mins including 2 x 4k @ 4:20 pace, pm 40mins Easy 5:12
Total 57km for the week
Ankle is improving and gaining strength, but a lenghty period of absence has created lots of new problems.
1) Weight gain
I gained about 5k in weight over the last 2 months. I am 170cm and my normal weight was 67kg (still heavy for a runner) which put me at 23.2 BMI. Due to a combination of little running during the lay-off, festive seasons, and pregnant wife who needs to eat frequently, my weight has ballooned by 5kg, implying a BMI of 25.3, and this is categorized as 'Overweight' .
No wonder that I am struggling at the moment. Increased weight leads to increased cost of running. I also feel that my knees take a bit of battering due to the added bulk.
2) Contamination to other body parts
I found that when you run with some kind of injury, your other body parts will be affected too! My injured ankle is still not 100% healed, and for some reaon, my brain tells me not to do 'push-off' using the injured leg. Hence, my good, healthy left leg has to carry the other leg. This imbalance leads to sore and niggles around quads and glutes for the left leg.
Another concern right now is my archiles. After two months of limited running, it doesn't seem to be used to the jarring and pounding anymore. Perhaps the archiles is forced to work more to compensate for the weak ankle.This morning I did 2 x 4k at steady state pace and planned to do a few quick 200s for leg speed afterwards. After the first 200s, I felt a weird feeling in the archiles and I couldn't run the 200 at my normal pace (today was 44secs vs 38-40 secs normally). I decided to do just one in order to avoid any risks.
Another funny thing is that even my elbow is sore, especally during tempo runs when fast arm swing is required. Talk about muscle memory hey ??
3) Loss of fitness
Lastly, after a period of length inactivity, fitness level really eroded rapidly. On Tuesday, I had to break my temp run in 10 minute chunks as I couldn't do a straight 20 minute classic tempo. On Friday, I tried to do intervals, but only lasted 800m since the pace felt like an alien to my body.
On another note, this week marked my baby's 31 weeks since conceivement (9 weeks to go before fatherhood !). My wife has left for Australia and I will be joining her in mid March. Until then, I have about 6 weeks with lots of time/flexibility to build up my training and whip my fat ass back into shape !!
M: off
T: 2 x 3.2k Tempo 4:10 pace, 4 x 200 Reps av 39-40
W: 35mins Easy 5:33 on treadmill
T: 45mins Easy 5:00 incl 4 x 10secs hill sprints
F: 30mins Easy 5:07 (tried intervals but felt crap)
S: off
S: am 70mins including 2 x 4k @ 4:20 pace, pm 40mins Easy 5:12
Total 57km for the week
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Can't stand the withdrawal syndrome
I really can't take the withdrawal syndrome anymore....
Seven weeks and counting, my ankle is still about 70-80% good. Decided to ditch the physio. Decided to train on dodgy ankle like normal training but at reduced mileage.
My observations after this week's training is as follows:
1) My 'quality pace' has dropped by 15secs per km. Prior to the injury, I ran my short tempo at 4:00 pace and short reps (400s) at <3:30.>
2) My running form sucks big time. Today I did a 60mins run (longest in 2 months) and had to stop a few times to rest and stretch. Quads were hurting, hips got really tight, and I over-pronated than usual. It seems that due to the long lay-off, I have missed the feeling of 'how to run'.
And, of course, ankle still hurts especialy after interval and long run.
M - 60mins Yoga, 30mins easy 5:21
T - 40mins including 5k tempo 4:14
W - 40mins easy 5:30
T - 8 x 400m av 1:29-1:30 (ankle hurts)
F - 60mins spinning class
S - 30mins easy 5:20
S - 60mins 'long run' 5:10
Total 48k for the week
Seven weeks and counting, my ankle is still about 70-80% good. Decided to ditch the physio. Decided to train on dodgy ankle like normal training but at reduced mileage.
My observations after this week's training is as follows:
1) My 'quality pace' has dropped by 15secs per km. Prior to the injury, I ran my short tempo at 4:00 pace and short reps (400s) at <3:30.>
2) My running form sucks big time. Today I did a 60mins run (longest in 2 months) and had to stop a few times to rest and stretch. Quads were hurting, hips got really tight, and I over-pronated than usual. It seems that due to the long lay-off, I have missed the feeling of 'how to run'.
And, of course, ankle still hurts especialy after interval and long run.
M - 60mins Yoga, 30mins easy 5:21
T - 40mins including 5k tempo 4:14
W - 40mins easy 5:30
T - 8 x 400m av 1:29-1:30 (ankle hurts)
F - 60mins spinning class
S - 30mins easy 5:20
S - 60mins 'long run' 5:10
Total 48k for the week
Monday, January 19, 2009
Life as a Jogger
Not much running last week due to uncontrollable factors, both at home and work.
A measly total mileage of 97k in the last 6 weeks (16k av per week) since I sprained my ankle. It's really demoralizing mentally given I averaged around 90-100k weekly prior to the injury.
8-14 Dec: 0
15-21 Dec: 9
22-28 Dec: 0
29 Dec - 4 Jan: 27
5-11 Jan: 36
12-18 Jan: 25
I've cancelled a couple of races in Jan & Feb because of the slow recovery process and loss of fitness. It's so frustrating when something that you value a lot is taken out of you.
On a happier note, I received a cheque for 2nd placing at the treadmill endurance challenge. This brings my total winning for 2008 to $350 in cash + $400 in product vouchers.
As I started the year with a very low base, I just hope the only way for the rest of the year is up !
A measly total mileage of 97k in the last 6 weeks (16k av per week) since I sprained my ankle. It's really demoralizing mentally given I averaged around 90-100k weekly prior to the injury.
8-14 Dec: 0
15-21 Dec: 9
22-28 Dec: 0
29 Dec - 4 Jan: 27
5-11 Jan: 36
12-18 Jan: 25
I've cancelled a couple of races in Jan & Feb because of the slow recovery process and loss of fitness. It's so frustrating when something that you value a lot is taken out of you.
On a happier note, I received a cheque for 2nd placing at the treadmill endurance challenge. This brings my total winning for 2008 to $350 in cash + $400 in product vouchers.
As I started the year with a very low base, I just hope the only way for the rest of the year is up !
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Still struggling
Still struggling, both physically and aerobically.....
In the physical front, ankle is probably around 70%. It's okay for short slow runs, but still not ready for uptempo stuff. Did a 3k fartlek on Friday in the track, and the ankle was so painful that I had to walk for a cool down. Muscularly, I'm beginning to have some aching on the glutes and quads of the good (left) leg because it still has to carry the other leg.
On the aerobic side, I've built my runs to around 10k (longest run in 5 weeks) and the effort felt like a hard half marathon race. At the current rate of ankle recovery, probably I am still 3 weeks away before I can ramp up my long runs and mileage to around 90 minutes and 50k+ weekly respectively. After that, another 3-4 weeks to get back to my fitness level pre-setback.
Hence, in total I will lose around 12 weeks of training (quarter of a year) from the ankle sprain. Damn!
M: Yoga
T: 6k av 5:40 on treadmill
W: 9k av 5:28 on treadmill
T: off
F: 2k wu + 3k of 00:30 on/off in 13:12 av 4:24 (very painful ankle afterwards)
S: 6k av 5:06
S: 10k av 4:56 (effort felt like a half marathon race)
Total 36k for the week
In the physical front, ankle is probably around 70%. It's okay for short slow runs, but still not ready for uptempo stuff. Did a 3k fartlek on Friday in the track, and the ankle was so painful that I had to walk for a cool down. Muscularly, I'm beginning to have some aching on the glutes and quads of the good (left) leg because it still has to carry the other leg.
On the aerobic side, I've built my runs to around 10k (longest run in 5 weeks) and the effort felt like a hard half marathon race. At the current rate of ankle recovery, probably I am still 3 weeks away before I can ramp up my long runs and mileage to around 90 minutes and 50k+ weekly respectively. After that, another 3-4 weeks to get back to my fitness level pre-setback.
Hence, in total I will lose around 12 weeks of training (quarter of a year) from the ankle sprain. Damn!
M: Yoga
T: 6k av 5:40 on treadmill
W: 9k av 5:28 on treadmill
T: off
F: 2k wu + 3k of 00:30 on/off in 13:12 av 4:24 (very painful ankle afterwards)
S: 6k av 5:06
S: 10k av 4:56 (effort felt like a half marathon race)
Total 36k for the week
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Learning to Run (again)
2008 Highlights:
Nothing much really, except for a marathon PB in Seoul. I'm still on the barren patch, continuing last year's trend of producing a measly rate of one PB a year (4k at Matilda Bay in Feb 07, ahead of Clown by a few secs).
My running year started at a very low, pariah-like level. I had troubles in adjusting to the conditions in Singapore and I didn't enjoy training at all (espcially long runs). The lowlights included a HM in 1:45 and a 10k in 49mins - how low can you go ?? My training began to pick up after the mid-year, especially after I began to slow down my Threshold pace from Jack Daniels' 60-minutes pace (Lactate Threshold) to a less painful, 90-minutes pace (aka HM pace) and my Intervals pace from 5k pace to 10k pace. In effect, the intensity was slower but the tempo/interval distances were longer. I felt less 'fried' and began to fall in love with running again, culminating in a 1:28 HM in August. Transitioning to marathon training was effortless as all I needed was to add long runs and longer warm up &
cool down to my Threshold/Interval sessions. Despite having only 8 weeks training, I managed to drop my marathon time from 3:17 to 3:11 - which is a BQ.
However, everything ended in square one when I sprained my ankle 2 days before the major 10k race and last race for the year. Had to spend the last month of the year in the sidelines. In terms of fitness level, I virtually ended back where I started from at the beginning of the year :(
First week of 2009:
The good news: I resumed running this week....
The bad news: I felt like passing out after each run. Even jogging pace felt like a hard race effort. After four weeks off, running is akin to a slow, death march. After a couple of ks at jogging pace, I already huffed and puffed, aerobically exhausted and wanted to quit. Ankle is still sore and swollen after each run, but the feel of not being able to run is even worse.
It is just so unfair that we (trained runners) lose aerobic conditioning so rapidly after a short period of inactivity. Even with a common injury like mine (sprained ankle), I was out for 4 weeks. I reckon it will take me another 2 weeks to be able to run on daily basis and more importantly, pain-free. After that, I probably need another 4-6 weeks to get back to my previous fitness and mileage levels. All in all, a simple ankle sprain will set me back for 10-12 weeks :(
Anyway, I felt like a beginner again this week. After one month off, my running form has became awkward while my endurance sucks.
M: off
T: 3 x 10mins jog @ 6:40 min/km, 3mins break in between (treadmill)
W: 4k jog in 25mins (6:10 av) on treadmill
T: off
F: 5k jog in 28mins (5:42 av) on treadmill + 30mins spinning
S: 7k 'easy' run @ 5:24 outdoor (felt like a marathon effort-wise)
S: 6k @ 5:30 including 'speed test' of 6 x 00:20 strides on grass
Total 27 km for the week (all against doctor's orders)
Nothing much really, except for a marathon PB in Seoul. I'm still on the barren patch, continuing last year's trend of producing a measly rate of one PB a year (4k at Matilda Bay in Feb 07, ahead of Clown by a few secs).
My running year started at a very low, pariah-like level. I had troubles in adjusting to the conditions in Singapore and I didn't enjoy training at all (espcially long runs). The lowlights included a HM in 1:45 and a 10k in 49mins - how low can you go ?? My training began to pick up after the mid-year, especially after I began to slow down my Threshold pace from Jack Daniels' 60-minutes pace (Lactate Threshold) to a less painful, 90-minutes pace (aka HM pace) and my Intervals pace from 5k pace to 10k pace. In effect, the intensity was slower but the tempo/interval distances were longer. I felt less 'fried' and began to fall in love with running again, culminating in a 1:28 HM in August. Transitioning to marathon training was effortless as all I needed was to add long runs and longer warm up &
cool down to my Threshold/Interval sessions. Despite having only 8 weeks training, I managed to drop my marathon time from 3:17 to 3:11 - which is a BQ.However, everything ended in square one when I sprained my ankle 2 days before the major 10k race and last race for the year. Had to spend the last month of the year in the sidelines. In terms of fitness level, I virtually ended back where I started from at the beginning of the year :(
First week of 2009:
The good news: I resumed running this week....
The bad news: I felt like passing out after each run. Even jogging pace felt like a hard race effort. After four weeks off, running is akin to a slow, death march. After a couple of ks at jogging pace, I already huffed and puffed, aerobically exhausted and wanted to quit. Ankle is still sore and swollen after each run, but the feel of not being able to run is even worse.
It is just so unfair that we (trained runners) lose aerobic conditioning so rapidly after a short period of inactivity. Even with a common injury like mine (sprained ankle), I was out for 4 weeks. I reckon it will take me another 2 weeks to be able to run on daily basis and more importantly, pain-free. After that, I probably need another 4-6 weeks to get back to my previous fitness and mileage levels. All in all, a simple ankle sprain will set me back for 10-12 weeks :(
Anyway, I felt like a beginner again this week. After one month off, my running form has became awkward while my endurance sucks.
M: off
T: 3 x 10mins jog @ 6:40 min/km, 3mins break in between (treadmill)
W: 4k jog in 25mins (6:10 av) on treadmill
T: off
F: 5k jog in 28mins (5:42 av) on treadmill + 30mins spinning
S: 7k 'easy' run @ 5:24 outdoor (felt like a marathon effort-wise)
S: 6k @ 5:30 including 'speed test' of 6 x 00:20 strides on grass
Total 27 km for the week (all against doctor's orders)
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Derailed
A frustrating 3 weeks.....
Had high hopes that my ankle sprain would improve rapidly, but the ligaments are still damaged/painful after almost 3 weeks. Spraining an ankle 2 days before a peak 10k race hurts, but the prospect of not being able to run for 2 months is even more painful.
Had high hopes that my ankle sprain would improve rapidly, but the ligaments are still damaged/painful after almost 3 weeks. Spraining an ankle 2 days before a peak 10k race hurts, but the prospect of not being able to run for 2 months is even more painful.
Latest view from physio is that I might be out for another month from now, which will make it about 6-8 weeks off. She reckoned the soft tissues are still weak for running.
Two weeks ago (8-14 Dec), I went to see a GP and had an x-ray confirming no stress fracture or dislocation. The doctor said with RICE treatment, I should be able to jog within a week. This gave me a high hope that I could resume training quickly. I did no exercise whatsoever, but it turned out that I was still limping after a week.
M: off
T: off
W: off
T: off
S: 30 minutes
S: off
Last week (15-21 Dec), I went to see the GP again and asked for a referral letter for physiotherapy treatment (I need that letter, otherwise my insurance will not accept claims). She said to wait for another week as the swelling and blue/violet lines (from bruising) in my ankle has started to subside. I can't take any chance of losing my fitness materially and I duly began cross training. However, I found that they don't really push my heart rate up as much as running.
M: off
T: 20 minutes jog (virtually on one leg)
W: 30 minutes Arc Trainer
T: 30 minutes Arc Trainer
F: 30 minutes Arc Trainer + 60 minutes Spinning class
S: off
S: 30 minutes jog (still painful)
This week (22-28 Dec), I finally convinced her that I really need a physio treatment. I told her that I am a runner and I can't stand being a sedentary person and just stood there watching my fitness that I have built for years to be eroded away (I found going up the stairs tougher now). While there were no guarantees that the treatment will help, but I gotta take my chances. Had ultrasound, massages, and ankle strengthening exercises.
M: 60 minutes Arc Trainer
T: 35 minutes Arc Trainer + physio
W: physio
T: X-mas big buffet
Not a Christmas gift that I am looking for !
With this in mind, I might have to re-think about my plan for 2009. I was initially hoping to focus on 5-10k races for the first 3 months. But given the longer-than-expected rehabilitation, I really have to start from scratch again (short, slow runs, low mileage). Even after resuming training, I think it is still to risky to do any speed work with the weak ankles. Looks like I have to forget about doing any races for the next couple of months and instead just do base building.
Have a happy and safe holidays everyone !
Sunday, December 14, 2008
2009 Plan (first half)
0 km this week. Had an x-ray on the ankle and the doctor confirmed that it wasn't a stressy. Nevertheless, after a week of inactivity, the pain has lessened during walking, but it's still a bit painful when I get ouf of the bed in the morning or when going down the stairs.
On the positive note, I think I should be able to start jogging in the next week or so.
Due to the temporary paralysis, I have some time to think about my plans for next year. I have penciled in Gold Coast Marathon (GCM) in July as my target race for the first half of 2009. The reasons are as follows:
a) My wife is expected to give birth in early April, hence running will be limited between mid-March and mid-April. This means that Seoul in March or Canberra marathon in April is not an option. Perth marathon usually falls on the same date as GCM, so it is still a possibility. However, Perth doesn't provide a big-race atmosphere like GCM, which is sometimes helpful for the morale, especially in the latter stages on the race.
b) Given the projected 'down time' between mid-March and mid-April due to the reasons above, GCM (or Perth) provides an advantage in terms of timing. Even after the down time, I still have a good 10 weeks to prepare for the race.
c) July also fits the family schedule perfectly. Our son will be three months old by then, so it's the right time to pick up the baby and mom and take them to Singapore.
Goal time wise, I'd like to target around 3:05 - which represents 10 secs/km pace improvement from my last marathon in November. A challenging, but not unattainable target.
My plan of attack is as follows:
1) Jan-Feb
I will focus on 5k-10k training for the first two months of the year, culminating in a 10k race in March. I plan to follow Brad Hudson 10k plan level #2 from the book "Run Faster". However, I won't treat these races are important races, given they are typically inaccurate in terms of distance anyway. I won't taper for these races, a PB will be a bonus but I won't kill myself if I don't do well.
16 Jan: SGRunners 3-person relay race (2 x 3.5km)
1 Feb: Macritchie 5k cross country
14 Feb: track meet
1 Mar: Newton Active 10k
2) Mar - April
I plan to loosely follow 20-week Brad Hudson marathon plan, mixing Plan #2 and #3. The key word is 'loosely' since I will have a down time for a month as mentioned above and I like to vary and mix workouts from other sources as well. I might not be able to run a lot during the baby delivery period, but since I will be in Melbourne, I hope I will be able to squeeze in a couple of 'big workouts' taking advantage of the winter climate.
3) May- July
After the down time, I will return to Singapore and re-join the marathon plan with 10-11 weeks to go. Based on the current schedule, I might do a couple of longer distance races between 10k to 20k as tune-up races for the marathon.
3 May: Macritchie 20k cross country
mid-Jun: PassionRun 10k or 15k race (no date yet)
5 Jul: Gold Coast Marathon
Note that this is the first time that I am planning my peak race about 6 months in advance. While I can solely do marathon training for 6 months, but my concern is that I might get burn out from the distance training. I hope that by concentrating on 5k-10k races for the first couple of month, followed by 2 months of light marathon training (including down time), and finally 10-11 weeks to do marathon-specific training, I won't overtrain but still sufficiently be prepared for the race.
On the positive note, I think I should be able to start jogging in the next week or so.
Due to the temporary paralysis, I have some time to think about my plans for next year. I have penciled in Gold Coast Marathon (GCM) in July as my target race for the first half of 2009. The reasons are as follows:
a) My wife is expected to give birth in early April, hence running will be limited between mid-March and mid-April. This means that Seoul in March or Canberra marathon in April is not an option. Perth marathon usually falls on the same date as GCM, so it is still a possibility. However, Perth doesn't provide a big-race atmosphere like GCM, which is sometimes helpful for the morale, especially in the latter stages on the race.
b) Given the projected 'down time' between mid-March and mid-April due to the reasons above, GCM (or Perth) provides an advantage in terms of timing. Even after the down time, I still have a good 10 weeks to prepare for the race.
c) July also fits the family schedule perfectly. Our son will be three months old by then, so it's the right time to pick up the baby and mom and take them to Singapore.
Goal time wise, I'd like to target around 3:05 - which represents 10 secs/km pace improvement from my last marathon in November. A challenging, but not unattainable target.
My plan of attack is as follows:
1) Jan-Feb
I will focus on 5k-10k training for the first two months of the year, culminating in a 10k race in March. I plan to follow Brad Hudson 10k plan level #2 from the book "Run Faster". However, I won't treat these races are important races, given they are typically inaccurate in terms of distance anyway. I won't taper for these races, a PB will be a bonus but I won't kill myself if I don't do well.
16 Jan: SGRunners 3-person relay race (2 x 3.5km)
1 Feb: Macritchie 5k cross country
14 Feb: track meet
1 Mar: Newton Active 10k
2) Mar - April
I plan to loosely follow 20-week Brad Hudson marathon plan, mixing Plan #2 and #3. The key word is 'loosely' since I will have a down time for a month as mentioned above and I like to vary and mix workouts from other sources as well. I might not be able to run a lot during the baby delivery period, but since I will be in Melbourne, I hope I will be able to squeeze in a couple of 'big workouts' taking advantage of the winter climate.
3) May- July
After the down time, I will return to Singapore and re-join the marathon plan with 10-11 weeks to go. Based on the current schedule, I might do a couple of longer distance races between 10k to 20k as tune-up races for the marathon.
3 May: Macritchie 20k cross country
mid-Jun: PassionRun 10k or 15k race (no date yet)
5 Jul: Gold Coast Marathon
Note that this is the first time that I am planning my peak race about 6 months in advance. While I can solely do marathon training for 6 months, but my concern is that I might get burn out from the distance training. I hope that by concentrating on 5k-10k races for the first couple of month, followed by 2 months of light marathon training (including down time), and finally 10-11 weeks to do marathon-specific training, I won't overtrain but still sufficiently be prepared for the race.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
1k
Only lasted 1k this morning, and walked back.
Despite the spained ankle, I decided to give it a go anyway. Walking was fine and I could do the alphabet movement with the foot, so that gave me some hope. Jogging at 5:00-ish pace was okay and I arrived at the start point with a 45 minutes to go. Took a couple of advil (ibuprofen) thinking that the pain would stay away.
Weather was very cool & breezy for Singapore standard, so very conducive for fast time. Unfortunately, my right ankle didn't co-operate and after 200m downhill start, I knew that I was gone. I virtually was limping and my running form was awkward because I could only run with one leg. I I tried to hang in for a while and passed the 1k marker in 3:55. But I knew that I couldn't run for another 9k with one fit ankle.
Not a great way to finish the season. Hopefully, I won't be sidelined for too long.
Guys, any tips for sprained ankle? Should I go to a doctor and will it self-heal? The pain is right at the 'ball' in the ankle area.
Despite the spained ankle, I decided to give it a go anyway. Walking was fine and I could do the alphabet movement with the foot, so that gave me some hope. Jogging at 5:00-ish pace was okay and I arrived at the start point with a 45 minutes to go. Took a couple of advil (ibuprofen) thinking that the pain would stay away.
Weather was very cool & breezy for Singapore standard, so very conducive for fast time. Unfortunately, my right ankle didn't co-operate and after 200m downhill start, I knew that I was gone. I virtually was limping and my running form was awkward because I could only run with one leg. I I tried to hang in for a while and passed the 1k marker in 3:55. But I knew that I couldn't run for another 9k with one fit ankle.
Not a great way to finish the season. Hopefully, I won't be sidelined for too long.
Guys, any tips for sprained ankle? Should I go to a doctor and will it self-heal? The pain is right at the 'ball' in the ankle area.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Sprained Ankle :(
Damn ! Only a couple of days before the 10K, I sprained my ankle. :(
Near my home, there is a big constuction (7 towers apartment complex) work going on, so there are lots of cracked pavement, sand, building materials etc. On Friday, I slipped and landed awkwardly. Foolishly, I ignored the problem and continued the run (10k), even doing 400m at race pace and 6 x 100m strides.
When I arrived at the office, I began to feel the pain badly and I was hobbling all day. At home, I iced the ankle right away and applied some voltaren. I also elevated my lower leg and put an ankle band during the sleep.
This morning, the problem still persisted. I decided to go for a short run to test the ankle. For the first 5 minutes, the pain was excruciating and virtually I was limping. After around 10 minutes, it began to go away gradually. I did a couple of 15 secs strides at the end and I could feel the pain again (greater push-off and landing shock at fast speed).
So I am not really sure whether I can run tomorrow (i can definitely jog to finish). I will continue the RICE treatment whole day today and lets pray !
Near my home, there is a big constuction (7 towers apartment complex) work going on, so there are lots of cracked pavement, sand, building materials etc. On Friday, I slipped and landed awkwardly. Foolishly, I ignored the problem and continued the run (10k), even doing 400m at race pace and 6 x 100m strides.
When I arrived at the office, I began to feel the pain badly and I was hobbling all day. At home, I iced the ankle right away and applied some voltaren. I also elevated my lower leg and put an ankle band during the sleep.
This morning, the problem still persisted. I decided to go for a short run to test the ankle. For the first 5 minutes, the pain was excruciating and virtually I was limping. After around 10 minutes, it began to go away gradually. I did a couple of 15 secs strides at the end and I could feel the pain again (greater push-off and landing shock at fast speed).
So I am not really sure whether I can run tomorrow (i can definitely jog to finish). I will continue the RICE treatment whole day today and lets pray !
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Week 3 of 4 (10k SCSM)
Seven days to go to the SCSM 10k! I am not confident in getting a PB :( I think a 10k race four weeks after a marathon doesn’t provide you with sufficient window of training opportunities. You need to rest one week after marathon at the very least, do 2 weeks training, then taper in the 4th week. I feel that I need an additional 2-3 weeks to do more 10k specific training. So far, I’ve done a couple sessions (7*1000, 5*1600), and I wish I could have a couple more to have more confidence in tackling the race.
Monday, 24/11: - OFF
No run today, visited hospitals and maternity shops. Been in Melbourne for 3 days but gained weight due to fatty food indulgence. Ran only once in three days, legs are fresh.
Tuesday, 25/11: AM – 10k Tempo (40:40), total 20k
I really wanted to take advantage of Melbourne temperature by doing a 10k tempo run at LT pace. Due to the heat & humidity in Singapore, I typically break the tempo down into cruise intervals to make it more manageable. Warmed up for 5k from in-laws’ house to the end of Koonung Bike Trail. The initial pace was comfortable due to the conditions (15c, 60% humidity); however, I struggled a bit during km 2-5 facing a slight headwind. I felt much stronger on the return leg and helped by the tailwind, I was flying without trying. I averaged 4:04 min/km for out and back, totaling 40:40 for 10k with av HR of 169 bpm (87% max). I wasn’t very tired at the end and I felt I could hold this pace for 10miles or might be even for a HM (if I race in Australia, that is). My goal for the 10k in 12 days time is sub-39 meaning that I need to run 10secs per km faster than today’s tempo. Whilst this might be achievable in Australia, but it is gonna be a major stretch in Singapore given the conditions. Did 5k cool down including 5 x 12 secs hill sprints.
Wednesday, 26/11: PM – 7k Recovery (av 5:22 pace)
Flew back from Melbourne and arrived in Singapore at 10pm. After 7+ hours on the plane, legs were very stiff. Decided to do a shakeout run at 11pm to loosen up.
Thursday, 27/11: PM – ‘impromptu’ Intervals (3*1200m @ 3:40 + 3*400), total 13.5k
I intended to do 6-8k worth of 10k pace intervals as the last race-specific workout for the 10k in 10 days time, however, it turned out to be a short, impromptu session because I had problems in finding spaces to run ! First, I went to the track but they had a soccer game and the crowd was standing on the lanes. No luck! Then, I found an empty car park and duly started my interval. However, 900m into my first interval, a guard called me and said that I shouldn’t run there. Damn! Running intervals on pavement is not an option since there are crossings and traffic lights virtually every 100m or so. Finally, I found a 700m stretch of road which had cars passing now and then. By that time, I already lost a good 30mins and it was getting dark.
Due to time constraint, I decided to do the intervals at 5k pace (in fact, slightly faster). Did 3 x 1200m in 4:22, 4:24, 4:26 with 3mins recovery jog (av 3:40 min/km). Geez, I was really fried even after only 3 intervals. After a few minutes rest, did 3 x 400m in 81-82 with standing rest to allow HR to drop to 140. These short reps were hard too! This really didn’t bode well for my confidence for next week’s race. Temperature was 30c with 70% humidity.
Friday, 28/11: AM – 7k Recovery (av 5:22)
A relaxing run on my usual route (Alexandra Park Connector). 26c, 85% humidity.
Saturday, 29/11: PM – 25.6k Long Run (av 4:22), AIBI 8-hour Treadmill Team Challenge
Teamed up with Roadrunner3, Acidburn, and Niwas from SGRunners message board to do this relay event (everyone runs 2 hours on treadmill and the distances were totaled). The organization was messy and our run was delayed by a couple of hours. The treadmills were located outside a shopping mall and it was bloody humid. To make things worse, we were asked to wear thick cotton tees and the air-fans were switched off because the power ports were not sufficient. In fact, we experienced a couple of power trips and had to re-start the run again! Anyway, I covered 25.6k in two hours (av 4:42 pace) on 0% incline treadmill. About more than half was done at my marathon pace (4:30 min/km). As a team, we covered around 90k.
Sunday, 30/11: PM - 7k Recovery Run (av 5:43)
A slow shake out run. Had skin chaffing in the groin area from yesterday's treadmill run. Ouchh!
Total 80k for the week, 322k for the month.
Photos from yesterday (me, far left)
Monday, 24/11: - OFF
No run today, visited hospitals and maternity shops. Been in Melbourne for 3 days but gained weight due to fatty food indulgence. Ran only once in three days, legs are fresh.
Tuesday, 25/11: AM – 10k Tempo (40:40), total 20k
I really wanted to take advantage of Melbourne temperature by doing a 10k tempo run at LT pace. Due to the heat & humidity in Singapore, I typically break the tempo down into cruise intervals to make it more manageable. Warmed up for 5k from in-laws’ house to the end of Koonung Bike Trail. The initial pace was comfortable due to the conditions (15c, 60% humidity); however, I struggled a bit during km 2-5 facing a slight headwind. I felt much stronger on the return leg and helped by the tailwind, I was flying without trying. I averaged 4:04 min/km for out and back, totaling 40:40 for 10k with av HR of 169 bpm (87% max). I wasn’t very tired at the end and I felt I could hold this pace for 10miles or might be even for a HM (if I race in Australia, that is). My goal for the 10k in 12 days time is sub-39 meaning that I need to run 10secs per km faster than today’s tempo. Whilst this might be achievable in Australia, but it is gonna be a major stretch in Singapore given the conditions. Did 5k cool down including 5 x 12 secs hill sprints.
Wednesday, 26/11: PM – 7k Recovery (av 5:22 pace)
Flew back from Melbourne and arrived in Singapore at 10pm. After 7+ hours on the plane, legs were very stiff. Decided to do a shakeout run at 11pm to loosen up.
Thursday, 27/11: PM – ‘impromptu’ Intervals (3*1200m @ 3:40 + 3*400), total 13.5k
I intended to do 6-8k worth of 10k pace intervals as the last race-specific workout for the 10k in 10 days time, however, it turned out to be a short, impromptu session because I had problems in finding spaces to run ! First, I went to the track but they had a soccer game and the crowd was standing on the lanes. No luck! Then, I found an empty car park and duly started my interval. However, 900m into my first interval, a guard called me and said that I shouldn’t run there. Damn! Running intervals on pavement is not an option since there are crossings and traffic lights virtually every 100m or so. Finally, I found a 700m stretch of road which had cars passing now and then. By that time, I already lost a good 30mins and it was getting dark.
Due to time constraint, I decided to do the intervals at 5k pace (in fact, slightly faster). Did 3 x 1200m in 4:22, 4:24, 4:26 with 3mins recovery jog (av 3:40 min/km). Geez, I was really fried even after only 3 intervals. After a few minutes rest, did 3 x 400m in 81-82 with standing rest to allow HR to drop to 140. These short reps were hard too! This really didn’t bode well for my confidence for next week’s race. Temperature was 30c with 70% humidity.
Friday, 28/11: AM – 7k Recovery (av 5:22)
A relaxing run on my usual route (Alexandra Park Connector). 26c, 85% humidity.
Saturday, 29/11: PM – 25.6k Long Run (av 4:22), AIBI 8-hour Treadmill Team Challenge
Teamed up with Roadrunner3, Acidburn, and Niwas from SGRunners message board to do this relay event (everyone runs 2 hours on treadmill and the distances were totaled). The organization was messy and our run was delayed by a couple of hours. The treadmills were located outside a shopping mall and it was bloody humid. To make things worse, we were asked to wear thick cotton tees and the air-fans were switched off because the power ports were not sufficient. In fact, we experienced a couple of power trips and had to re-start the run again! Anyway, I covered 25.6k in two hours (av 4:42 pace) on 0% incline treadmill. About more than half was done at my marathon pace (4:30 min/km). As a team, we covered around 90k.
Sunday, 30/11: PM - 7k Recovery Run (av 5:43)
A slow shake out run. Had skin chaffing in the groin area from yesterday's treadmill run. Ouchh!
Total 80k for the week, 322k for the month.
Photos from yesterday (me, far left)
Two hours on treadmill in mentally demanding, and the condition was hot too !!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Week 2 of 4 (10k SCSM)
I am in Melbourne between Saturday and Wednesday to see the doctor and hospitals for the baby. Plan to run on alternate days, hence mileage will be lower this week and next week.
Too bad I can’t stay until the weekend to run/watch the Great Australian Race where Mottram and Gebrelassie will be racing the 15K. Ran the race route today with my brother in law and his friend who are running next Sunday. We started at Albert Park, towards the city, one lap of the Tan and back at slow relaxing pace. Nice flat route.
On the local news front, Luke Kibet, the 2007 World Champs marathon winner has confirmed that he will be running Singapore Marathon this year. This is great news for Singapore. He is probably the highest profile runner (2:08 PB) ever to race here. Beijing Olympic womens marathon winner Dita-Tomescu also ran a couple of Singapore marathons but that was before she became famous.
On the training front, I did 70k with 2 main workouts:
1) Intervals: 4 x 1000m @ 5k effort, 400m jog (aborted)
The plan was to do 5x1000m with one lap jog for recovery, but could only complete four reps. I thought that I could comfortably do1000m reps at my old 5k PB pace (53 VDOT) with around 2:30 jog, but I was dead wrong. The effort felt hard and I was straining, hence I decided to call it quits. Splits were: 3:44, 3:43, 3:45, and 3:42. I think I was over ambitious and the recovery time was on the short side for a runner at my level.
This just shows that how my running friends in Perth are in top form at the moment. Both Clown ad Epi ran a couple of 1600s at 3:30 ish pace with 3mins rest and the time for 1600m of alternating 100m fast, 100m jog was also faster than my 10k pace intervals (they did it on grass too!!). You guys need to teach me how to run fast !!
2) Intervals: 5 x 1600m @ 10k effort, 400m jog
Ran 5k warm up to the SMU track including 4 x 30secs strides (a couple were downhill ones for leg turnover). Felt lousy at the start and did the first one in 6:13. The next one was even slower in 6:18 and was actually close to my tempo pace. I realized that my running form wasn’t great and decided to run with a higher ankle lift. This seemed to make a difference and I was able to complete the next 3 reps in 6:09, 6:10, and 6:05 (last 150m kick). Average pace for all 5 was 3:52 min/km, av HR 173 with a high of 184 bpm. Felt toast at the end but happy to be able to squeeze in 8k worth of race pace intermittent running a couple of weeks before the 10K. Now I wish if only I could run 10k continuosly at that pace !!
Mon: 8k Recovery (av 5:15)
Tue: 2k wu, 4x 1000m (av 3:44) with 400m jogs, 2k cd
Wed: 12k Easy (av 5:11)
Thu: 6k Recovery (av 5:28)
Fri: 5k wu, 5 x 1600m (av 3:52) with 400 jogs, 5k cd
Sat: Fly to Melbourne
Sun: 15k Easy (av 5:30)
Total 70k for the week
Too bad I can’t stay until the weekend to run/watch the Great Australian Race where Mottram and Gebrelassie will be racing the 15K. Ran the race route today with my brother in law and his friend who are running next Sunday. We started at Albert Park, towards the city, one lap of the Tan and back at slow relaxing pace. Nice flat route.
On the local news front, Luke Kibet, the 2007 World Champs marathon winner has confirmed that he will be running Singapore Marathon this year. This is great news for Singapore. He is probably the highest profile runner (2:08 PB) ever to race here. Beijing Olympic womens marathon winner Dita-Tomescu also ran a couple of Singapore marathons but that was before she became famous.
On the training front, I did 70k with 2 main workouts:
1) Intervals: 4 x 1000m @ 5k effort, 400m jog (aborted)
The plan was to do 5x1000m with one lap jog for recovery, but could only complete four reps. I thought that I could comfortably do1000m reps at my old 5k PB pace (53 VDOT) with around 2:30 jog, but I was dead wrong. The effort felt hard and I was straining, hence I decided to call it quits. Splits were: 3:44, 3:43, 3:45, and 3:42. I think I was over ambitious and the recovery time was on the short side for a runner at my level.
This just shows that how my running friends in Perth are in top form at the moment. Both Clown ad Epi ran a couple of 1600s at 3:30 ish pace with 3mins rest and the time for 1600m of alternating 100m fast, 100m jog was also faster than my 10k pace intervals (they did it on grass too!!). You guys need to teach me how to run fast !!
2) Intervals: 5 x 1600m @ 10k effort, 400m jog
Ran 5k warm up to the SMU track including 4 x 30secs strides (a couple were downhill ones for leg turnover). Felt lousy at the start and did the first one in 6:13. The next one was even slower in 6:18 and was actually close to my tempo pace. I realized that my running form wasn’t great and decided to run with a higher ankle lift. This seemed to make a difference and I was able to complete the next 3 reps in 6:09, 6:10, and 6:05 (last 150m kick). Average pace for all 5 was 3:52 min/km, av HR 173 with a high of 184 bpm. Felt toast at the end but happy to be able to squeeze in 8k worth of race pace intermittent running a couple of weeks before the 10K. Now I wish if only I could run 10k continuosly at that pace !!
Mon: 8k Recovery (av 5:15)
Tue: 2k wu, 4x 1000m (av 3:44) with 400m jogs, 2k cd
Wed: 12k Easy (av 5:11)
Thu: 6k Recovery (av 5:28)
Fri: 5k wu, 5 x 1600m (av 3:52) with 400 jogs, 5k cd
Sat: Fly to Melbourne
Sun: 15k Easy (av 5:30)
Total 70k for the week
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Week 1 of 4 (10k SCSM)
Did a bit of research about marathon recovery and it seems the consensus is 1-2 months to allow full recovery (typically 1 day recovery for 1 mile raced). Read a few horror stories how people crashed and burned when they race or run hard too soon after an all-out marathon. Since the body takes time to heal the microscopic muscle damages, races/intervals will get in the way of recovery.
Luckily for me, I was able to do a decent week (110k last 8 days) after just one recovery week. Perhaps I was one of those runners who didn’t go to the ‘bottom of the well’ to finish the race. To put it in another word, I didn’t run the marathon as hard as I could. Oh well :) Now lets just hope there won’t be any problems for the next few weeks (3 weeks to go to the 10k)
This week I did 90k with 2 workouts:
1) Intervals: 7 x 1000m @ 10k effort, 200m jog in between
Warmed up for 5k from home to the SMU track, including 2 x 20secs downhill strides. As usual, couldn’t get the pace feel correctly and ran the 1st in 3:46. I then did the next three in 3:51 (av HR 172-176) with 200m jogs in between. A runner called me right after I finished the 4th, and we walked 200m and chatted. He turned out to be a Melbournian who is in town for a few days. He was complaining about the 95% humidity and how his 1k split times were 10secs slower and he needed a standing rest instead of 90secs jog he normally does in Melbourne. The guy was training for the Australian Masters Championships (37mins goal time in 45-50 age group) in Geelong. I asked whether he is a CR, but he wasn’t.
Back to the intervals, the 200m walk break was a welcome relief and I was in the zone for the next 3 reps. Splits were 3:52, 3:51 and 3:45, av HR 174-182 with a high of 188. Average split for the 7k was 3:50 min/km. I am pretty sure that I can't race at this pace for 10k since my track speed is typically 3-5secs per km faster than on the road.
2) Ovett Tempo (3miles HMP, 1 mile MP, 1 mile 10k pace)
Tried this tempo run for variety. Did the HM pace segment in 19:48 (4:07 pace/162 bpm), the MP segment in 6:57 (4:21/168) and the last mile at 10k effort in 6:16 (3:52/). All up, 8k in 33mins flat (av 4:08/166) with a high HR of 180. I think this is a solid workout for Half Marathon since you are likely to find your speed oscillating between MP, HMP, and 10k pace. I found this workout on the internet, but not sure whether Steve Ovett actually did it given his focus was on middle distance. After a few minutes rest, I did 4 x 300m reps on a marked bike path with 150m walk breaks in between. All 300s were done under 1 minute (splits 59, 59, 58, 56).
Mon: 8k Easy on treadmill (av 5:17) + abs
Tue: 5k wu, 7x 1000m(3:45-3:52) with 200m jogs, 5k cd
Wed: am 5k Slow (5:30), pm 5k Slow (5:42) + weights
Thu: 11k Easy (av 5:06) with 5 x 10secs hill + 2 strides
Fri: 2.5k wu, 8k Tempo (av 4:08), 4 x 300m, 2k cd
Sat: 6.7k Slow (av 5:38)
Sun: 22k Easy Long Run (av 5:01), last 15mins moderate at 4:40s
Total 90k for the week, 3263k for the year
PS: I also passed 10,000 miles since I started running/logging my mileage in 2004.
Luckily for me, I was able to do a decent week (110k last 8 days) after just one recovery week. Perhaps I was one of those runners who didn’t go to the ‘bottom of the well’ to finish the race. To put it in another word, I didn’t run the marathon as hard as I could. Oh well :) Now lets just hope there won’t be any problems for the next few weeks (3 weeks to go to the 10k)
This week I did 90k with 2 workouts:
1) Intervals: 7 x 1000m @ 10k effort, 200m jog in between
Warmed up for 5k from home to the SMU track, including 2 x 20secs downhill strides. As usual, couldn’t get the pace feel correctly and ran the 1st in 3:46. I then did the next three in 3:51 (av HR 172-176) with 200m jogs in between. A runner called me right after I finished the 4th, and we walked 200m and chatted. He turned out to be a Melbournian who is in town for a few days. He was complaining about the 95% humidity and how his 1k split times were 10secs slower and he needed a standing rest instead of 90secs jog he normally does in Melbourne. The guy was training for the Australian Masters Championships (37mins goal time in 45-50 age group) in Geelong. I asked whether he is a CR, but he wasn’t.
Back to the intervals, the 200m walk break was a welcome relief and I was in the zone for the next 3 reps. Splits were 3:52, 3:51 and 3:45, av HR 174-182 with a high of 188. Average split for the 7k was 3:50 min/km. I am pretty sure that I can't race at this pace for 10k since my track speed is typically 3-5secs per km faster than on the road.
2) Ovett Tempo (3miles HMP, 1 mile MP, 1 mile 10k pace)
Tried this tempo run for variety. Did the HM pace segment in 19:48 (4:07 pace/162 bpm), the MP segment in 6:57 (4:21/168) and the last mile at 10k effort in 6:16 (3:52/). All up, 8k in 33mins flat (av 4:08/166) with a high HR of 180. I think this is a solid workout for Half Marathon since you are likely to find your speed oscillating between MP, HMP, and 10k pace. I found this workout on the internet, but not sure whether Steve Ovett actually did it given his focus was on middle distance. After a few minutes rest, I did 4 x 300m reps on a marked bike path with 150m walk breaks in between. All 300s were done under 1 minute (splits 59, 59, 58, 56).
Mon: 8k Easy on treadmill (av 5:17) + abs
Tue: 5k wu, 7x 1000m(3:45-3:52) with 200m jogs, 5k cd
Wed: am 5k Slow (5:30), pm 5k Slow (5:42) + weights
Thu: 11k Easy (av 5:06) with 5 x 10secs hill + 2 strides
Fri: 2.5k wu, 8k Tempo (av 4:08), 4 x 300m, 2k cd
Sat: 6.7k Slow (av 5:38)
Sun: 22k Easy Long Run (av 5:01), last 15mins moderate at 4:40s
Total 90k for the week, 3263k for the year
PS: I also passed 10,000 miles since I started running/logging my mileage in 2004.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Post Mortem & What's Next
Lots of runners below the hill....
Struggling at km 40 (marathon is a bitch) .....
Last few metres inside the 1988 Olympic Stadium.....
Races in Singapore are very scarce. For the next 3 months, there are only (hear this) one official race and a couple of small, club races. The official race is the Singapore Marathon, which is the biggest running event locally with 40,000 participants. I've registered for one of the side dish event, namely the 10K. Counting down from today, I only have four weeks to prepare for the race.
I downloaded the HR data from last week's marathon: HR was hovering between 160-165 for the first half, then 165-170 for the second half. My Max HR is probably about 193-195 bpm (no test in the last 2 years). Using 165 as an average, this implies roughly 85% Max HR. It seems that I didn't race according to my physiological capacity and could actually give a bit more.
Anyway, after a barren spell of 2 years without PB, last week's race really boosted my morale. I felt that I could run a much faster marathon. My wife plans to give birth in Melbourne and she plans to stay there from January. Since I will continue to work here, then virtually I have more time to train. The problem is that I might not have a lot of chance to do a marathon.
There is Hong Kong Marathon in February and timewise it fits fairly well because it allows 3 months for training and still a good 6 weeks before the baby is born. However, the course is slightly hilly, especially in the last 7k coming out of the sub-sea tunnel then facing 3 steep ramps in a row. I'd say the chance for a PB is probably small. Then there is Dong A Seoul Marathon (flat course) in mid March, however this is only a couple of weeks before the baby, so my wife might get very sensitive about it and she probably needs a lot of support. Finally, there is Canberra Marathon which is two weeks after the baby is born. Again, I don't know whether this will be a sensitive issue and I might get some sleepless nights too. Although, I love running very much, but family is definitely the number one priority.
Training is pretty much in recovery mode this week. I tried to avoid runing as much as possible for 5 days to provide a mental break. Started running again during the weekend and did a tempo run today.
Mon: OFF
Tue: OFF
Tue: OFF
Wed: Cross training (40mins elliptical + weights)
Thu: 5k Easy with 4 strides (av 5:12)
Fri: Cross training (10mins rowing, 10mins spinning, 10mins elliptical) + core
Sat: AM 9k Easy (av 4:58), PM 5k Easy with 5 x 12secs hill (av 5:06)
Sun: 5k wu, 5k Tempo (av 4:05 pace), 3 x 200m, 5k cd (total 16k av 4:46)
Total 35k for the week, 3172k for the year
Sunday, November 2, 2008
JoongAng Seoul Marathon 2008
3:11:31 (chip time)...
Overall, a slightly sub-par performance given:
1) All running calculators (VDOT, Mcmillan, 2 x HM + 10mins etc) predict 3:05-3:07 based on my last HM race in hot, humid Singapore.
2) The cool weather in Seoul (10-15c) should make that target easily achievable or even faster.
But today, I under performed because of :
1) I got beat up by the undulations. While there were no heartbreaker hills, but my legs were not just accustomed to the terrain. I trained exclusively on pancake flat terrain in Singapore.
2) Legs were heavy despite 2 weeks taper. Don't know why, could be due to stiff muscles from the cold temp or perhaps I did too much walking-cum-shopping in Seoul with my wife.
3) Erratic pacing, a combination of fast start, undulations, and Garmin inaccuracy (maybe time for an upgrade to 405 ??)
4) Carbo loading wasn't very optimal. Had burger, fries, BBQ chic, ice creams, & lots of donuts the day before the race.
5) Last reason, plain and simple, my general aerobic training pace (5:00-5:30) is simply too slow to warrant a low 3-hours marathon and the fact that I often make rest stops during my long runs contributed to the inability to run continuosly for a long time.
Nonetheless and on a positive side, after a dry patch of 2 years without a PB, I finally managed to PB by 6mins and also beat BQ by 4mins :) Hence, about 80% happy.
Official split times:
10k 43:56 (av pace 4:24)
Half 1:34:30 (av pace 4:29)
30k: 2:14:16 (av pace 4:29)
40k: 3:01:17 (av pace 4:32)
Full 3:11:31
As you can see, my pace got slower towards the end. The last 8k was a torture with my pace slowing to around 4:40-5:00 min/km. I positive splited by 1.5 mins - 1:34:30 vs 1:37:01
Now, the race report:
This week, I did about 40k before the race, including a 6k MP run on Wednesday. We took the Wednesday midnight flight to Seoul, arriving on Thursday morning. Friday was raining, so I ran in the gym for 30mins, followed by 10mins run outside. Saturday was an easy 25mins jog from the hotel to the start point and back. We stayed at the Intercontinenal, a bit pricey but it is only 1.5k jog to the start. On race day, I woke up at 5am and had a bagel and cereal bar then went back to sleep until 6-ish. Jogged/walked to the stadium at 7-ish, about 40mins before the start, Met David, Anthony and Max from Singapore running forum at the start. Did a bit of stretching and went to the toilet. Before I knew it, it was 7:40 and all the runners were marching to the start point.
The gun went off at 8am and the cool temperature made the running really easy. Also, we had a long downhill in km 2-3 which made the pace faster than planned. For some reasons, my legs felt a bit heavy. Could be due to the stiff muscles from the cool temp (warm up was done 40mins before the start) or simply I walked too much in the last couple of days. It took me about one hour before I felt that my muscles got warmed up. The course itself was a bit on the dull side in terms of scenery.
As predicted in last week's post, the undulations proved to my undoing given my habit to exclusively train on flat terrain back home. While the hills are not steep (long & gradual), but I still got beat up (from the downhills too). It also made even pacing difficult. To make things worse, my Garmin was really erratic today. In short, after a faster-than expected start, I hit the 10k mark averaging 4:24 pace, 21k averaging 4:29 and 30k averaging 4:29. As you will see the split times below, my split was really all over the place.
After 30+km, I simply got beat up and my stride got shorter and shorter. I felt that I was still okay aerobically, but my legs were heavy. My pace then snailed to 4:40-5:00 after 35k. It seemed that my slow training paces and habit to make a lot of stoppages during my long runs in Singapore led to my downfall. From km 35, it was virtually a damage control. My aim was keep my pace below 5:00 because I knew that even with a 5:00-5:10 pace for the last 7k, I would still got a PB and BQ. We ran back towards the city and I crossed the 40k mark in 3:01, so I still got a shot to get under 3:10. However, my legs just didn't want to run fast no matter I tried. The last 200-300m was done on the track inside the 1988 Olympic Stadium.
Had no complaints. I knew where the mistakes were done (see above). Also, I simply was unprepared for the undulations today.
Overall, a slightly sub-par performance given:
1) All running calculators (VDOT, Mcmillan, 2 x HM + 10mins etc) predict 3:05-3:07 based on my last HM race in hot, humid Singapore.
2) The cool weather in Seoul (10-15c) should make that target easily achievable or even faster.
But today, I under performed because of :
1) I got beat up by the undulations. While there were no heartbreaker hills, but my legs were not just accustomed to the terrain. I trained exclusively on pancake flat terrain in Singapore.
2) Legs were heavy despite 2 weeks taper. Don't know why, could be due to stiff muscles from the cold temp or perhaps I did too much walking-cum-shopping in Seoul with my wife.
3) Erratic pacing, a combination of fast start, undulations, and Garmin inaccuracy (maybe time for an upgrade to 405 ??)
4) Carbo loading wasn't very optimal. Had burger, fries, BBQ chic, ice creams, & lots of donuts the day before the race.
5) Last reason, plain and simple, my general aerobic training pace (5:00-5:30) is simply too slow to warrant a low 3-hours marathon and the fact that I often make rest stops during my long runs contributed to the inability to run continuosly for a long time.
Nonetheless and on a positive side, after a dry patch of 2 years without a PB, I finally managed to PB by 6mins and also beat BQ by 4mins :) Hence, about 80% happy.
Official split times:
10k 43:56 (av pace 4:24)
Half 1:34:30 (av pace 4:29)
30k: 2:14:16 (av pace 4:29)
40k: 3:01:17 (av pace 4:32)
Full 3:11:31
As you can see, my pace got slower towards the end. The last 8k was a torture with my pace slowing to around 4:40-5:00 min/km. I positive splited by 1.5 mins - 1:34:30 vs 1:37:01
Now, the race report:
This week, I did about 40k before the race, including a 6k MP run on Wednesday. We took the Wednesday midnight flight to Seoul, arriving on Thursday morning. Friday was raining, so I ran in the gym for 30mins, followed by 10mins run outside. Saturday was an easy 25mins jog from the hotel to the start point and back. We stayed at the Intercontinenal, a bit pricey but it is only 1.5k jog to the start. On race day, I woke up at 5am and had a bagel and cereal bar then went back to sleep until 6-ish. Jogged/walked to the stadium at 7-ish, about 40mins before the start, Met David, Anthony and Max from Singapore running forum at the start. Did a bit of stretching and went to the toilet. Before I knew it, it was 7:40 and all the runners were marching to the start point.
The gun went off at 8am and the cool temperature made the running really easy. Also, we had a long downhill in km 2-3 which made the pace faster than planned. For some reasons, my legs felt a bit heavy. Could be due to the stiff muscles from the cool temp (warm up was done 40mins before the start) or simply I walked too much in the last couple of days. It took me about one hour before I felt that my muscles got warmed up. The course itself was a bit on the dull side in terms of scenery.
As predicted in last week's post, the undulations proved to my undoing given my habit to exclusively train on flat terrain back home. While the hills are not steep (long & gradual), but I still got beat up (from the downhills too). It also made even pacing difficult. To make things worse, my Garmin was really erratic today. In short, after a faster-than expected start, I hit the 10k mark averaging 4:24 pace, 21k averaging 4:29 and 30k averaging 4:29. As you will see the split times below, my split was really all over the place.
After 30+km, I simply got beat up and my stride got shorter and shorter. I felt that I was still okay aerobically, but my legs were heavy. My pace then snailed to 4:40-5:00 after 35k. It seemed that my slow training paces and habit to make a lot of stoppages during my long runs in Singapore led to my downfall. From km 35, it was virtually a damage control. My aim was keep my pace below 5:00 because I knew that even with a 5:00-5:10 pace for the last 7k, I would still got a PB and BQ. We ran back towards the city and I crossed the 40k mark in 3:01, so I still got a shot to get under 3:10. However, my legs just didn't want to run fast no matter I tried. The last 200-300m was done on the track inside the 1988 Olympic Stadium.
Had no complaints. I knew where the mistakes were done (see above). Also, I simply was unprepared for the undulations today.
Although, my hotel is chosen purposely so that I could jog for a mile to the start point (warm up). The walk back to the hotel after the marathon was a torture !!
Km splits (not accurate splits since there was a 30secs difference between my watch and chip time)
km 1: 4:22
km 2: 4:15
km 3: 4:18
km 4: 4:27
km 5-6: 8:59
km 7: 4:33
km 8: 4:27
km 9: 4:39 (marker was off)
km 10: 4:10 (see above)
km 11: 5:09 (drink, hill)
km 12: 4:06 (downhill)
km 13: 4:28
km 14: 4:30
km 15: 4:21
km 16: 4:43 (drink)
km 17-18: 8:58
km 19: 4:27
km 20-21: 9:18 (drink)
km 22: 4:16
km 23: 4:41
km 24: 4:28
km 25: 4:13
km 26: 4:27 (drink)
km 27: 4:29
km 28: 4:30
km 29: 4:20
km 30: 4:59 (drink)
km 31: 4:39
km 32: 4:39
km 33: 4:17
km 34: 4:38
km 35: 4:47 (started to feel it)
km 36: 4:53 (ouch)
km 37: 4:48 (ouch)
km 38: 5:00 (ouch, ouch, hills)
km 39: 4:25
km 40: 4:43
km 41: 4:42
km 42.2: 5:32
Km splits (not accurate splits since there was a 30secs difference between my watch and chip time)
km 1: 4:22
km 2: 4:15
km 3: 4:18
km 4: 4:27
km 5-6: 8:59
km 7: 4:33
km 8: 4:27
km 9: 4:39 (marker was off)
km 10: 4:10 (see above)
km 11: 5:09 (drink, hill)
km 12: 4:06 (downhill)
km 13: 4:28
km 14: 4:30
km 15: 4:21
km 16: 4:43 (drink)
km 17-18: 8:58
km 19: 4:27
km 20-21: 9:18 (drink)
km 22: 4:16
km 23: 4:41
km 24: 4:28
km 25: 4:13
km 26: 4:27 (drink)
km 27: 4:29
km 28: 4:30
km 29: 4:20
km 30: 4:59 (drink)
km 31: 4:39
km 32: 4:39
km 33: 4:17
km 34: 4:38
km 35: 4:47 (started to feel it)
km 36: 4:53 (ouch)
km 37: 4:48 (ouch)
km 38: 5:00 (ouch, ouch, hills)
km 39: 4:25
km 40: 4:43
km 41: 4:42
km 42.2: 5:32
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Week 7 of 8 (Seoul)
Did 73k for taper, taking 2 rest days. The main runs were 18k (3 x 3k Threshold), 15k (7 MP + 5 HMP) and 23k long run. Despite the lighter workload, legs were still pretty tired.
Just realized that the Joongang Seoul marathon course is a bit undulating with 5-6 hills over 30-40m in elevation (start is 14m > sea level). My concern is that I’ve been doing all my runs exclusively on pancake flat terrain and track. As a last minute mitigation, I did a couple of runs on undulating route this week to get some familiarity into the legs. However, after my Sunday's hilly long run, my right butt got a bit sore. Hopefully the deep tissue massage on Wednesday will fix the problem.
Just realized that the Joongang Seoul marathon course is a bit undulating with 5-6 hills over 30-40m in elevation (start is 14m > sea level). My concern is that I’ve been doing all my runs exclusively on pancake flat terrain and track. As a last minute mitigation, I did a couple of runs on undulating route this week to get some familiarity into the legs. However, after my Sunday's hilly long run, my right butt got a bit sore. Hopefully the deep tissue massage on Wednesday will fix the problem.
I just went to check the weather in Seoul. Using today as example, the temperature is around 11-12c with humidity ranging from 60% at 8am to 40% at 11am. The 7-day forecast suggests the temperature to be the same (min 7, max 13c). In Singapore, the lowest temperature is about 24c (or 26c by the time I start my runs) with humidity around 70-90%, which makes the apparent temperature even higher. Tinman heat calculator suggests there is a 3% differential in performance levels between 80F/27c and 53F/12c. This translates to around 8secs/km difference.
Despite this, my plan is not to run MP much faster than what I have done in training due to a couple of reasons. First, I am still inexperienced in terms of marathons (3 marathons + 2 DNFs). Secondly, my preparation is pretty short (8 weeks), although it is a fairly solid block. And lastly, my long runs timing in Singapore hid the fact that I did a lot of stoppages/rest time during the runs. I simply can't run continuously for a long time due to traffic conditions and the need to re-hydrate. All the long run times that you see in my log do not include rest times. I don't really know whether I can run at solid pace for 3 hours plus continuously. I am just simply hoping the cooler weather will help me to delay the 'fading'.
Plan to do 30-40k next week pre-race. We'll fly to Seoul on Wednesday midnight and arriving Thursday morning. This will give me a chance to squeeze in a couple of short runs on Friday & Saturday. After living in the tropics for one year, the temperature in South Korea should feel like Artic-esque to me. Bring it on!
Mon:
OFF.
Tuesday:
52mins Easy (av 5:11) + abs work
Treadmill, 0-2% inclines
Wednesday (11 days left):
4k warm up + strides
3k @ 30k pace effort (undulating route)
3k @ 1-hour pace (track)
3k @ 1-hour pace (track)
Splits: 13:00 (av 4:20), 12:02 (av 4:01), 11:56 (av 3:59)
Heart rates 159, 170, 173 bpm, jog/rest 3mins in between
5k cool down
Total running 18.3k in 1h:24m (av 4:38)
A super-humid morning. Found the effort on the first 3k to be manageable, but legs felt a bit heavy after that. I was rarely in the groove during the LT intervals but finished without a lot of strain. HR reached 186bpm during the last one.
Thursday:
36mins Very Easy (av 5:36) on treadmill + weights
Friday (9 days left):
15mins warm up
30mins @ MP effort, av 4:24 (undulating route)
5mins jog/rest
20mins @ HM pace effort, av 4:12 (flat route)
Total running 15.2k in 1h:09m (av 4:37)
The plan was to do a practice run of 2 x 7k MP. Did the first on rolling terrain, averaging 4:30 on the way out (mainly uphill), but the return leg (downhill) pushed the pace down. Went out a bit fast in the second interval (~HM pace) and decided to just lock-in the pace and ran on a flat terrain.
Saturday:
OFF.
Sunday (7 days left):
23.3k Long Run in 1h:56m (av 5:00)
Ran on undulating terrain around Tanglin area. Consumed just water & salt tablets. Got tired in the second hour. Right hip was a bit sore from the hills.
Total 73.3k for the week, 680k for the last 7 weeks.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Week 6 of 8
105km in 6 days, 4 main workouts.
Mon (20 days left):
3k warm up
4k Moderate Tempo (av 4:15)
3 x 1600m with 3mins jog/rest
splits: 6:00, 6:07, 6:06 (av 3:48)
7k cool down
Total workout 18k in 1h:25m (av 4:45)
This is Tinman’s peaking workout for HM, which I used for the Army Half. Ran the short tempo at just under HM effort around the outer loop of Botanical Garden (slightly undulating). After arriving at the SMU track, the plan was to do 3x1600m at 10k effort (~3:55 min/km), but ended up averaging 3:48. Felt good that I even had to hold back in the last 100 meters to keep the splits down.
Tuesday:
34mins Very Easy on t-mill, abs work
Wednesday (18 days left):
27k Easy Long Run in 2h:15m (av 5:00)
The plan was to do 2x10k MP as my last hard workout on Thursday, but due to work schedule, had to move it to Wednesday. This proved to be a wishful thinking because I haven’t recovered from the speed session 36 hours earlier and the 3x7k MP run 4 days ago. After 4k at MP, I decided that my legs were not fresh enough to do this workout. Instead, I converted the session into a long run which probably wasn’t a bad substitute. Weather was warm, so I had a number of stoppages along the way.
Thursday:
Massage, 30mins jogging
Friday (16 days left):
2.5k warm up
14k at MP effort (av 4:25)
2.7k cool down, 3 x 100m fast strides
Total workout 19.2k in 1h:29m (av 4:38)
A make-up session for Wednesday’s failed MP workout. Ran 1/3 of marathon distance without any drink stop in 61:45 (av 4:25). Av HR was 162 bpm, with a high of 165-170 after 12k. For comparison purposes, previous similar-type runs yielded av HR of 166-169 bpm (during 12 & 18k runs) from 3 months ago.
Saturday:
OFF. My 37th birthday (getting old…)
Sunday (14 days left):
2.5k warm up
26k Moderate Long Run (av 4:44)
1.5k cool down, 4 x 30secs light strides
Total workout 30k in 2h:23m (av 4:47)
Mon (20 days left):
3k warm up
4k Moderate Tempo (av 4:15)
3 x 1600m with 3mins jog/rest
splits: 6:00, 6:07, 6:06 (av 3:48)
7k cool down
Total workout 18k in 1h:25m (av 4:45)
This is Tinman’s peaking workout for HM, which I used for the Army Half. Ran the short tempo at just under HM effort around the outer loop of Botanical Garden (slightly undulating). After arriving at the SMU track, the plan was to do 3x1600m at 10k effort (~3:55 min/km), but ended up averaging 3:48. Felt good that I even had to hold back in the last 100 meters to keep the splits down.
Tuesday:
34mins Very Easy on t-mill, abs work
Wednesday (18 days left):
27k Easy Long Run in 2h:15m (av 5:00)
The plan was to do 2x10k MP as my last hard workout on Thursday, but due to work schedule, had to move it to Wednesday. This proved to be a wishful thinking because I haven’t recovered from the speed session 36 hours earlier and the 3x7k MP run 4 days ago. After 4k at MP, I decided that my legs were not fresh enough to do this workout. Instead, I converted the session into a long run which probably wasn’t a bad substitute. Weather was warm, so I had a number of stoppages along the way.
Thursday:
Massage, 30mins jogging
Friday (16 days left):
2.5k warm up
14k at MP effort (av 4:25)
2.7k cool down, 3 x 100m fast strides
Total workout 19.2k in 1h:29m (av 4:38)
A make-up session for Wednesday’s failed MP workout. Ran 1/3 of marathon distance without any drink stop in 61:45 (av 4:25). Av HR was 162 bpm, with a high of 165-170 after 12k. For comparison purposes, previous similar-type runs yielded av HR of 166-169 bpm (during 12 & 18k runs) from 3 months ago.
Saturday:
OFF. My 37th birthday (getting old…)
Sunday (14 days left):
2.5k warm up
26k Moderate Long Run (av 4:44)
1.5k cool down, 4 x 30secs light strides
Total workout 30k in 2h:23m (av 4:47)
Followed Brad Hudson's Marathon Plan level 2 schedule to do the last long run at MP + 20-30secs per mile. Took two Accelerage gels and 1.1 litre of water.
Summary of 6 weeks of marathon training:
Mileage: 94, 91, 105, 98, 115, 105 = av 101 kmpw (high-low-high method to reduce tiredness & burnout)
Long Runs (Easy): 32, 35, 35, 27, 30
Long Runs (Quality): 27 incl 21 MP intervals, 32 incl 28 MP intervals, 31 incl 21 MP intervals
Tempo/Intervals: 6 sessions, around 20-40mins of sub-MP running
For taper, the plan is to do 70-80k next week then 40-50k before marathon. No races in the last 2 months, with the last one back on 24 Aug, a 1:28 HM. Might do a 3200m race on Friday.
Do you think that I have done enough in 6 weeks?
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Week 5 of 8
21 days to go....115km in 6 days, 3 main workouts:
1) 3 hours Long Run at Easy pace
Did the long run on race day minus 26, which might have been a tad too early because most running programs suggest the last and longest LSD to be done about 2.5-3 weeks out. Started the run at 4:30 am and ran it at a constant pace throughout. Heart rate was steady at 140-150 bpm before increasing to about 160bpm in the last 40mins due to tiredness and rising temperature. Consumed 2 gels, 600ml sports drink, 1 litre water, and 2 salt tablets. This is my second 3-hour long run so hopefully my body & brain will get a feel of how to run for an extended period of time.
2) 8 x 400m at VO2Max
Did a little dose of speed workout since I haven’t ran any races nor done any session faster than threshold pace in the last 2-3 months or so. Did the first 7 reps between 83-84 secs, then ran the last one hard in 74secs. Not really sure if this session is useful for marathon since the interval distance is very short and the pace is about 1mins per km faster than MP, but perhaps it’s good for variety and speed maintenance purposes.
3) 8k ez + 3 x 7k @ MP
Stole this workout from a one of the top HK-based runner called by7, who did 10k ez + 3x7k MP during his marathon prep for Fukuoka. He will be running Seoul Marathon as well as aiming for a kick ass 2:3x something. Unlike my previous MP long runs where I just warmed up for a couple of ks and then went straight to MP, this workout provided a different challenge with a longer warm up and the MP segment was done between km 8-30. Splits were 31:27/158 bpm, 31:22/162, and 31:10/168, totaling to 21k in 94mins (av 4:29 min/km, 163 bpm). Recovery time was 7mins consisting of 4mins jog + 3mins rest. Took gels before each MP segment and consumed 1.3 litre of liquids. The last 7k was tough given the mileage in the legs and I stopped briefly in the middle to get a drink.
Anyway, I have done 4 long runs (35k, 32k incl MP, 35k, 31k incl MP) in the last 2 weeks. For these long runs, I woke up at 4am and started the session at 4:30. One thing that I wouldn't miss about marathon training is having to get up so damn early ! Really looking forward to a longer sleep time during the taper.
Mon (Easy):
am: 20mins Very easy (av 5:40)
pm: 40mins Easy (av 5:24)
Tue (Long):
35.4k Long Run in 3 hours (av 5:07)
Wed (Easy):
45mins Easy (av 5:16)
Started at 6:00, worked down to 4:50. Treadmill 1% incline, last k at 5%.
Thu (Speed, Easy):
am:
Warm-up, drills, strides
8 x 400m at VO2Max with 1:40 jog (straight path)
Splits: 84, 84, 83, 84, 84, 83, 84, 74 (last one hard)
Cool down
pm: 72mins Easy (av 5:10)
Joined the CBD running group. Knees were a bit sore due to the recent mileage increases and lots of running on concrete surface.
Fri (Recovery):
30mins Very Easy (av 5:40)
Sat (Marathon Pace):
8k warm up
3 x 7k at Marathon Pace (av 4:29)
Splits: 31:27, 31:22, 31:10 with 4mins jog, 3mins rest
Total 31k in 2:27 (av 4:45)
Sun (Rest):
OFF (going to Jakarta for a couple of days)
Total 115k for the week, 2878k for the year
1) 3 hours Long Run at Easy pace
Did the long run on race day minus 26, which might have been a tad too early because most running programs suggest the last and longest LSD to be done about 2.5-3 weeks out. Started the run at 4:30 am and ran it at a constant pace throughout. Heart rate was steady at 140-150 bpm before increasing to about 160bpm in the last 40mins due to tiredness and rising temperature. Consumed 2 gels, 600ml sports drink, 1 litre water, and 2 salt tablets. This is my second 3-hour long run so hopefully my body & brain will get a feel of how to run for an extended period of time.
2) 8 x 400m at VO2Max
Did a little dose of speed workout since I haven’t ran any races nor done any session faster than threshold pace in the last 2-3 months or so. Did the first 7 reps between 83-84 secs, then ran the last one hard in 74secs. Not really sure if this session is useful for marathon since the interval distance is very short and the pace is about 1mins per km faster than MP, but perhaps it’s good for variety and speed maintenance purposes.
3) 8k ez + 3 x 7k @ MP
Stole this workout from a one of the top HK-based runner called by7, who did 10k ez + 3x7k MP during his marathon prep for Fukuoka. He will be running Seoul Marathon as well as aiming for a kick ass 2:3x something. Unlike my previous MP long runs where I just warmed up for a couple of ks and then went straight to MP, this workout provided a different challenge with a longer warm up and the MP segment was done between km 8-30. Splits were 31:27/158 bpm, 31:22/162, and 31:10/168, totaling to 21k in 94mins (av 4:29 min/km, 163 bpm). Recovery time was 7mins consisting of 4mins jog + 3mins rest. Took gels before each MP segment and consumed 1.3 litre of liquids. The last 7k was tough given the mileage in the legs and I stopped briefly in the middle to get a drink.
Anyway, I have done 4 long runs (35k, 32k incl MP, 35k, 31k incl MP) in the last 2 weeks. For these long runs, I woke up at 4am and started the session at 4:30. One thing that I wouldn't miss about marathon training is having to get up so damn early ! Really looking forward to a longer sleep time during the taper.
Mon (Easy):
am: 20mins Very easy (av 5:40)
pm: 40mins Easy (av 5:24)
Tue (Long):
35.4k Long Run in 3 hours (av 5:07)
Wed (Easy):
45mins Easy (av 5:16)
Started at 6:00, worked down to 4:50. Treadmill 1% incline, last k at 5%.
Thu (Speed, Easy):
am:
Warm-up, drills, strides
8 x 400m at VO2Max with 1:40 jog (straight path)
Splits: 84, 84, 83, 84, 84, 83, 84, 74 (last one hard)
Cool down
pm: 72mins Easy (av 5:10)
Joined the CBD running group. Knees were a bit sore due to the recent mileage increases and lots of running on concrete surface.
Fri (Recovery):
30mins Very Easy (av 5:40)
Sat (Marathon Pace):
8k warm up
3 x 7k at Marathon Pace (av 4:29)
Splits: 31:27, 31:22, 31:10 with 4mins jog, 3mins rest
Total 31k in 2:27 (av 4:45)
Sun (Rest):
OFF (going to Jakarta for a couple of days)
Total 115k for the week, 2878k for the year
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Week 4 of 8 (Seoul)
Two quality workouts (one good and one so-so), while the rest of the week is filled with short easy runs.
1) 32k Long Run incl 7k-6k-5k-4k-3k-2k-1k ladder at MP
Borrowed this workout from Ronaldo da Costa, a former WR holder who reportedly did 6-5-4-3-2-1km ladder during marathon prep. To make sure I can complete the workout, I sandwiched 3mins rest/jog breaks between the intervals in order to take gel & rehydrate. I have a high metabolic rate, so I prepared 3 gels, 600m sports drinks, and 1.5lt of water. I read that Ritz took gels very 5k for his 24miles long run av 5:05 min/mile before Beijing. So if Ritz does it, perhaps I should make sure I am well loaded too (ghaha)
For a change, it was a cool morning in Singapore (24c?) due to the rain overnight. Ran both 7k and 6k intervals well under MP and the effort felt naturally comfortable. Legs were fresh after 3 easy days and the weather was cool and cloudy. Recovery time was about 3mins of jogging and/or standing rest to re-fuel. The latter intervals got harder & harder and my pace got slower by a few secs per km but still under MP. Fortunately for me, the interval distance got shorter and shorter, hence the pain flew very quickly (yay!). Overall, I accumulated 28k or 2 hours worth of MP running. With warm up & recovery jogs, the total run was 32k in 2:24 (av 4:31 min/km), excluding stoppages. After the workout, I was tired but not entirely spent because I was well fueled and helped by the favourable weather.
2) 23k incl. 4 x 10mins at HM pace (threshold)
The plan was to do Tinman’s style big workout of 1hr ez + 6 miles of HM pace running. However, my body had not recovered fully from Wednesday’s session. The morning was terribly humid too. The 305 showed funny HR reading of 200 bpm+, perhaps the strap was very wet as it was soaked in sweat. Decided to cut the warm up at 5k, then did 2 x 2400m in 9:56 & 9:55 with 400m jog. Took a longer break to re-fuel and go to the toilet. Did the last two in 9:47 and 9:41, hence I accumulated about 40mins of running at Threshold effort. Finished with ~7k cool down incl 5 x 12-15secs hill sprints (total 23k). In retrospective, I should perhaps defer the workout by another day to allow more recovery, so I could do a longer quality session.
Two more training weeks to go now……wish I could have a few more weeks to train duh!
Mon (Easy):
50mins Moderate (av 4:46)
Ran some sections of the Singapore F1 circuit where the race was held last night. It was an awesome feeling running in the middle of the track with high fences and grandstands around me.
Tue (Easy):
40mins Easy (av 5:15)
Treadmill with 0-1.5% inclines. Conserving energy for tomorrow’s big workout.
Wed (Marathon Pace):
10mins warm up
7km at MP, av 4:22, 162 bpm
3mins rest/jog
6km at MP, av 4:24, 166bpm
3mins rest/jog
5km at MP, av 4:26, 169 bpm
3mins rest/jog
4km at MP, av 4:25, 170 bpm
3mins rest/jog
3km at MP, av 4:26, 172 bpm
3mins rest/jog
2km at MP, av 4:27, 172 bpm
3mins rest/jog
1km at HM pace, av 4:16, 174 bpm
All up, 32k in 2h:24m (av 4:31 min/km)
Thu (Rest):
OFF. 30mins deep tissue massage.
Fri (Easy)
45mins Easy (av 5:25, 140 bpm)
A crap run due to high humidity, bad stomach, sluggishness, and stiff muscles from yesterday’s massage. Cut the run short.
Sat (Threshold):
5k warm up
4 x 2400m @ HM pace in 9:56, 55, 47, 41
7k cool down in 5 x 12-15secs hill sprints
All up, 23k in 1h:51m (av 4:51)
Sun (Easy):
78mins Easy (av 5:14, 145 bpm)
Ran on parts of FI circuit again and along the Singapore River.
Total 98k for the week, 2763k for the year
1) 32k Long Run incl 7k-6k-5k-4k-3k-2k-1k ladder at MP
Borrowed this workout from Ronaldo da Costa, a former WR holder who reportedly did 6-5-4-3-2-1km ladder during marathon prep. To make sure I can complete the workout, I sandwiched 3mins rest/jog breaks between the intervals in order to take gel & rehydrate. I have a high metabolic rate, so I prepared 3 gels, 600m sports drinks, and 1.5lt of water. I read that Ritz took gels very 5k for his 24miles long run av 5:05 min/mile before Beijing. So if Ritz does it, perhaps I should make sure I am well loaded too (ghaha)
For a change, it was a cool morning in Singapore (24c?) due to the rain overnight. Ran both 7k and 6k intervals well under MP and the effort felt naturally comfortable. Legs were fresh after 3 easy days and the weather was cool and cloudy. Recovery time was about 3mins of jogging and/or standing rest to re-fuel. The latter intervals got harder & harder and my pace got slower by a few secs per km but still under MP. Fortunately for me, the interval distance got shorter and shorter, hence the pain flew very quickly (yay!). Overall, I accumulated 28k or 2 hours worth of MP running. With warm up & recovery jogs, the total run was 32k in 2:24 (av 4:31 min/km), excluding stoppages. After the workout, I was tired but not entirely spent because I was well fueled and helped by the favourable weather.
2) 23k incl. 4 x 10mins at HM pace (threshold)
The plan was to do Tinman’s style big workout of 1hr ez + 6 miles of HM pace running. However, my body had not recovered fully from Wednesday’s session. The morning was terribly humid too. The 305 showed funny HR reading of 200 bpm+, perhaps the strap was very wet as it was soaked in sweat. Decided to cut the warm up at 5k, then did 2 x 2400m in 9:56 & 9:55 with 400m jog. Took a longer break to re-fuel and go to the toilet. Did the last two in 9:47 and 9:41, hence I accumulated about 40mins of running at Threshold effort. Finished with ~7k cool down incl 5 x 12-15secs hill sprints (total 23k). In retrospective, I should perhaps defer the workout by another day to allow more recovery, so I could do a longer quality session.
Two more training weeks to go now……wish I could have a few more weeks to train duh!
Mon (Easy):
50mins Moderate (av 4:46)
Ran some sections of the Singapore F1 circuit where the race was held last night. It was an awesome feeling running in the middle of the track with high fences and grandstands around me.
Tue (Easy):
40mins Easy (av 5:15)
Treadmill with 0-1.5% inclines. Conserving energy for tomorrow’s big workout.
Wed (Marathon Pace):
10mins warm up
7km at MP, av 4:22, 162 bpm
3mins rest/jog
6km at MP, av 4:24, 166bpm
3mins rest/jog
5km at MP, av 4:26, 169 bpm
3mins rest/jog
4km at MP, av 4:25, 170 bpm
3mins rest/jog
3km at MP, av 4:26, 172 bpm
3mins rest/jog
2km at MP, av 4:27, 172 bpm
3mins rest/jog
1km at HM pace, av 4:16, 174 bpm
All up, 32k in 2h:24m (av 4:31 min/km)
Thu (Rest):
OFF. 30mins deep tissue massage.
Fri (Easy)
45mins Easy (av 5:25, 140 bpm)
A crap run due to high humidity, bad stomach, sluggishness, and stiff muscles from yesterday’s massage. Cut the run short.
Sat (Threshold):
5k warm up
4 x 2400m @ HM pace in 9:56, 55, 47, 41
7k cool down in 5 x 12-15secs hill sprints
All up, 23k in 1h:51m (av 4:51)
Sun (Easy):
78mins Easy (av 5:14, 145 bpm)
Ran on parts of FI circuit again and along the Singapore River.
Total 98k for the week, 2763k for the year
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Week 3 of 8
Today I realized a couple of things about my marathon prep:
Although I managed the last three weeks well (94, 91, 105 km) without any issues, injuries, or the feeling burnout(not yet?), but I sincerely felt that I didn't have a lot of challenging workouts (only one of two so far). Other sessions were mild to moderate. This is attributed to Hudson's principal of linear periodisation which is similar to the Australian (Deek, Mona, Bideau et al) system. Basically there is no separaton of phases (e.g. base training) and everyone trains at various paces all year around. Hence, Hudson designs the program in such a way that all the hard workouts are spread over 20 weeks. But since I joined the program only for the last 8 weeks, there is some disconnect here.
Secondly, I found that my endurance is my shortcoming. Saturday's 35k long run was tough for me. Although, it was done at easy pace but I was struggling after 2 hours. Had to stop every 10mins or so in the last hour to drink and rest. Is this a signal that a marathon is too soon?
There are only five weeks to go to Seoul, meaning only three weeks of hard training left to go. It's now really the time to step up and start upping the ante.
In light of the above, I am thinking to ditch the Hudson plan temporarily for the next couple of weeks (talk about loyalty after three weeks of following his plan haha). He typically schedules 2 moderate hard workouts and a long run each week and this cycle goes for months. However, I feel Jack Daniels & Tinman’s principles of two ‘big’ workouts per week are more marathon specific, especially during the sharpening period. The big workouts entail long runs with lots of qualities, while other runs during the week are purely 'fillers'. I will probably re-join Hudson training plan again in the last 2 weeks to make sure I taper correctly.
Mon (Recovery):
42mins Very Easy (av 5:37) + abs work
Needs a slow day after yesterday’s MP practice workout. Treadmill with 0.5% incline.
Tue (Easy):
18.3k Easy in 90mins (av 4:56)
Ran the first 70mins at varying aerobic effort between 135-155 bpm, finishing with 4 x 400m to train leg turnover.
Wed (Easy):
45mins Easy (av 5:16) + light weights
Three easy days in a row, should be ready for a quality session tomorrow. Treadmill 1% incline.
Thu (Fartlek):
8k Easy (av 5:12) incl strides
5k Tempo @ HM pace in 20:28 (av 4:06)
5mins rest
2 x 1200m @ 10k pace (av 3:53)
Splits: 4:41, 4:40 with 400m jog in between
5k Easy (av 5:12)
All up, 21k in 1h:41m (av 4:50)
An ineffective, unstructured workout. Planned to do 4x2k or 3x3k at HM pace, but ended up doing 5k continuous. Was tired by the end of the tempo and didn’t feel like doing more long intervals. Decided to do 1200s at quicker pace afterwards but the body couldn’t do more than two. In retrospective, I should have followed the original plan so I can spend more time at Threshold.
Fri (Recovery):
36mins Very Easy (av 5:37) + core/stretching
Conserving energy for tomorrow’s long run. Treadmill 0.5% incline.
Sat (Long):
35k Long Run in 3hours (av 5:09)
Long run is definitely not my forte. Ran from home to Priece Rd and spent an hour running up & down on an undulanting terrain. Took gel after 90mins and decided I’ve had enough of the hills. Ran on flat terrain in the second half. Found the last hour to be very tough as I felt the effect of glycogen depletion and tired legs. Including today's long run, I totaled 124k in last seven days (Sun-Sat) The three hours exclude stoppages time to re-fuel & re-hydrate.
Sun (Easy):
39mins Easy (av 4:56)
Felt much netter than yesterday. Included 5 x 10-15secs hill sprints
Total 105k for the week, 2665k for the year.
Although I managed the last three weeks well (94, 91, 105 km) without any issues, injuries, or the feeling burnout(not yet?), but I sincerely felt that I didn't have a lot of challenging workouts (only one of two so far). Other sessions were mild to moderate. This is attributed to Hudson's principal of linear periodisation which is similar to the Australian (Deek, Mona, Bideau et al) system. Basically there is no separaton of phases (e.g. base training) and everyone trains at various paces all year around. Hence, Hudson designs the program in such a way that all the hard workouts are spread over 20 weeks. But since I joined the program only for the last 8 weeks, there is some disconnect here.
Secondly, I found that my endurance is my shortcoming. Saturday's 35k long run was tough for me. Although, it was done at easy pace but I was struggling after 2 hours. Had to stop every 10mins or so in the last hour to drink and rest. Is this a signal that a marathon is too soon?
There are only five weeks to go to Seoul, meaning only three weeks of hard training left to go. It's now really the time to step up and start upping the ante.
In light of the above, I am thinking to ditch the Hudson plan temporarily for the next couple of weeks (talk about loyalty after three weeks of following his plan haha). He typically schedules 2 moderate hard workouts and a long run each week and this cycle goes for months. However, I feel Jack Daniels & Tinman’s principles of two ‘big’ workouts per week are more marathon specific, especially during the sharpening period. The big workouts entail long runs with lots of qualities, while other runs during the week are purely 'fillers'. I will probably re-join Hudson training plan again in the last 2 weeks to make sure I taper correctly.
Mon (Recovery):
42mins Very Easy (av 5:37) + abs work
Needs a slow day after yesterday’s MP practice workout. Treadmill with 0.5% incline.
Tue (Easy):
18.3k Easy in 90mins (av 4:56)
Ran the first 70mins at varying aerobic effort between 135-155 bpm, finishing with 4 x 400m to train leg turnover.
Wed (Easy):
45mins Easy (av 5:16) + light weights
Three easy days in a row, should be ready for a quality session tomorrow. Treadmill 1% incline.
Thu (Fartlek):
8k Easy (av 5:12) incl strides
5k Tempo @ HM pace in 20:28 (av 4:06)
5mins rest
2 x 1200m @ 10k pace (av 3:53)
Splits: 4:41, 4:40 with 400m jog in between
5k Easy (av 5:12)
All up, 21k in 1h:41m (av 4:50)
An ineffective, unstructured workout. Planned to do 4x2k or 3x3k at HM pace, but ended up doing 5k continuous. Was tired by the end of the tempo and didn’t feel like doing more long intervals. Decided to do 1200s at quicker pace afterwards but the body couldn’t do more than two. In retrospective, I should have followed the original plan so I can spend more time at Threshold.
Fri (Recovery):
36mins Very Easy (av 5:37) + core/stretching
Conserving energy for tomorrow’s long run. Treadmill 0.5% incline.
Sat (Long):
35k Long Run in 3hours (av 5:09)
Long run is definitely not my forte. Ran from home to Priece Rd and spent an hour running up & down on an undulanting terrain. Took gel after 90mins and decided I’ve had enough of the hills. Ran on flat terrain in the second half. Found the last hour to be very tough as I felt the effect of glycogen depletion and tired legs. Including today's long run, I totaled 124k in last seven days (Sun-Sat) The three hours exclude stoppages time to re-fuel & re-hydrate.
Sun (Easy):
39mins Easy (av 4:56)
Felt much netter than yesterday. Included 5 x 10-15secs hill sprints
Total 105k for the week, 2665k for the year.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Week 2 of 8
This week's training is pretty much in-line with the Hudson plan. A total of 91k in 6 runs, with some shuffling here and there. He schedules two quality workouts, a threshold fartlek on Monday (which wasn't that hard) and 21k Marathon Pace Spec Test on Sunday.
All week, I've been pretty anxious about the 21k @ MP. Firstly, Hudson's plan is 20 weeks long and a 'spec test' after 14 weeks of marathon training is very timely. However, I jumped in only for the last 8 weeks of his program, meaning that I missed a solid chunk of aerobic support training. I also had 2 weeks of holiday (little running) and only started the training last week, culminating in my first 30k+ long run in 12 months, hence, I was really damn nervous. Secondly, given Singapore weather conditions, I had my doubts whether I could run almost continously in a non-race environment (solo) with limited hydration.
I decided to do the run in East Coast Park (near the airport, S$20 cab return) because it has a long flat, stretch of road of about 12k without any traffic. This is a rarity in a small country like Singapore. My plan was to run out and back for 21k with a brief stop in the middle. Because I wasn't sure whether it will have a vending machine at 10.5k mark, I decided to carry 500m bottle in my hand. Was very anxious during the warm up: even when running at 5:30 pace, my Garmin showed a HR of 140-150 bpm (normally around 5:00). The morning was humid as usual bit I thought it was warmer too.
I started at about 4:30 pace, but I wasn't feeling that flash initially, as the body probably took time to adjust to the pace and conditions. After around 5k, my body finally clicked into gear and the effort felt fairly okay. I reached the 10.5k mark (according to GPS) in 46:34, averaging 4:26 pace and 167 HR. Rested for just over 2mins to take gel, salt tablet, and 500m water and then started again. The second segment was harder and I felt like stopping after 2k. I continued to push along and tried hard to counter the negative thoughts. For some reason, the next 6k just flew like a breeze before I went into another bad patch with couple of ks to go. Legs were heavy and I really felt like stopping for a rest and drink. I continued to hold on and finshed the return leg in 46:40, averaging 4:27 pace. Average HR for this section was 169 bpm but reached mid 180s as I ran hard in the last 300m. The total for 21k was 1:33:15 (av 4:27 min/km) excluding 2mins rest.
Overall, I had a mixed feeling about the run. On one hand, I felt happy to complete the solo run with minimal stoppage and hydration (I am a heavy sweater). Given that I only joined the pgoram with 8 weeks to go and hence, missing a lot of solid endurance training, perhaps the result wasn't too bad. On the flip side, I felt that I didn't have a lot in the tank at the end. One thing for sure, I won’t be able to run at this pace for 42k in tropical country like Singapore!
As an aside, I bought a 2XU compression socks, which looks like a granny stocking. Since Seoul is pretty cold (5-15c) for someone who lives here, I am thinking to wear a Skin short and a long sock. I tried the sock during the MP run this morning but couldn’t feel any positve effects at all. Due to the length, it made the lower part of the body warmer too (extra sweat). At S$50, it is damn expensive for a sock !!!
Mon (Threshold Fartlek):
4.5k warm up incl dynamic stretching & strides
8 x 800m ON, 400m OFF (av time for the 800s = 3:11 or at approx One-Hour pace)
2.6k cool down
All up, 16.3 in 78mins (av 4:50)
Hudson plan calls for 3miles ez, 8 x 3mins @ HM pace + 2mins ez, 3miles ez, but decided to change it to 800s + 200s as they are close enough in terms of timing. Ran on the track clockwise for a change. The 800ms were done in 3:11, 13, 13, 12, 13, 11, 11, 07 - averaging just under 4:00 min/km pace or One Hour pace. Was ambitious in the recovery initially with low 2:00s but slowed to around 2:20 in the latter part. The total ON/OFF was 9.2k in 41:08 (av 4:28 min/km). Got no time to do a long cool down as I had to return to work.
Tue (Easy):
17.2k Easy in 85mins (av 5:00, 145 bpm)
Ran according to HRM on flat route. First 30mins < 140 bpm averaging 5:17, next 30mins <145 bpm averaging 5:00, and last 25mins at 150 bpm averaging 4:40. Felt so-so during the easy portion, but felt great when running at 4:40s. Wished I could have more time today.
Wed (Recovery):
6.5k Very Easy (av 5:30)
Treadmill 0-1.5% incline, also did 70 sit-ups
Thu (Easy):
14k Easy in 71mins (av 5:06)
Treadmill 0-2% incline. Started at 6:00 pace, worked down to 4:45.
Fri (Easy):
9.6k in 48mins (av 5:00) with 8 x 10secs hill
Circled a route with a 400m hill four times plus the hill sprints. Felt sluggish, perhaps the recent step up in mileage in last 1.5 weeks began to take its effect.
Sat (Rest):
OFF.
Sun (Marathon Pace Run):
3.2k Very Easy (av 5:30)
2 x 10.5k @ 4:27 min/km with 2mins standing rest
Splits: 46:34, 46:40, an HR 168 bpm (total 93:15 for 21k)
3.2k Very Easy (av 5:30)
All up, 27.4k in 2:08 (av 4:41)
Total 91k for the week, 2560k for the year
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Week 1 of 8 (Seoul)
I've decided to follow Brad Hudson's training plan from the "Run Faster" book for Seoul. I don't normallly follow training plans per se because I believe workout structure & training efforts should be dependent on how I feel on the day. However, I am currently on borrowed times for two reasons. One, I have only 8 weeks (incl taper) to train, and two, I don't have any confidence in designing my own training plan for a 42k race (had a habit to over-train).
I like Brad's program (coach of Dathan Ritzhein who finished #10 in Beijing ahead of Ryan Hall ) due to several factors. Firstly, his principal is based on non-linear periodization. Basically, he suggests one to train at multiple paces consistently all year around with only a tweak in the final 4-6 weeks before a peak race to focus on specific race-pace endurance. For instance, for a 5k race, he recommends one to do 10k training (10k pace intervals, threshold) for aerobic support before focusing on 5k race-pace workouts in the last 4-6 weeks. For a HM race, the optimal aerobic support is of course, HM training (threshold, long runs). For a marathon race, he reckons the optimal aerobic support is also HM training. Why? By doing HM training, marathon pace will feel 'comfortable' because HM is a more challenging event aerobically. (Lets see and find out, haha) The good thing is my training for the last couple of months have been centered on HM training (race on 24 Aug), so I think there is something in common there.
Secondly, his level 2 plan seems to match for a runner of my standard. Brad has 3 plans: #1 for beginner, #2 for intermediate, and #3 for competitive runners. Level 2 plan encompasses 6 days of running (one rest day) and typical mileage of around 90kmpw. This training regime fits my life nicely. Thirdly, he schedules one interval type session (HM to 10k pace), one moderate session (MP run or progression), and a weekend long run in a typical training week. Again, there is some commonality with my training when I was preparing for the HM, except for the lack of long runs (duh !!)
However, there are a couple of main challenges. One, Brad's marathon plan is a 20 week program and I simply jump-in for the last 8 weeks. While I won't have any problems doing the intervals & tempo sessions in his plan, but I am severely short of long runs and aerobic mileage. My average mileage year to date is just under 70k, while the typical mileage in his plan is about 80-90k. Secondly, he schedules a series of tough long runs starting this week: 32k ez, 27k with 21 MP, 35k ez, 32k with 24k at MP+5sec, 37k ez, and 30k at MP+10-20secs. They might prove to be the archiles heel for me, who only did a handful of 20k+ runs this year.
Anyway, below is this week's training. Had no problem with the sudden increase in mileage. Made one tweak by replacing a 19k run with 5x1k intervals, as well as the normal shuffling here and there to fit my schedule. Reason for doing the intervals is to get back to fitness quickly after 2 weeks holiday.
Mon (Easy):
10k Easy in 50mins
Av pace 5:00 min/km
Ran the Leonie Hill Rd loop eight times. Haven't done any running on hills for ages, legs a bit tired.
Tue (Intervals):
2.4k Easy to the track with strides
5 x 1000m @ 8-10k pace with 90secs recovery
Average 3:51 min/km, 177 bpm (splits 3mins: 47, 51, 52, 52, 49)
2.6k Easy with strides
Total workout 11k in 52 mins (av pace 4:40 min/km)
Stretching/core + leg swings
Back to real world: lunch time run with apparent temp of 33c. Struggled after the 3rd interval. Av HR for intervals #2-5 was 177 bpm - higher than similar workouts a month ago at 172 bpm. Perhaps due to some fitness erosion from little running during the holiday.
Wed (Recovery):
9k Very Easy (av 5:25)
Treadmill with 0-2% inclines
Abs work (sit ups, torso rotation, back extension)
Thu (Threshold):
5.3k Easy to the track (av 5:14)
3 x 2400m @ HM pace with 3mins recovery
Average 4:05 min/km, 172 bpm (splits 9mins: 46, 48, 43)
5.7k Very Easy incl 4 x 10secs hill sprints
Total workout 19k in 92mins (av pace 4:52 min/km)
Ran at 6am: cool but awfully humid. The program had 3 x 10mins, but 2.4k at my pace is close enough (6 laps at track). The 2nd interval was tough, but managed to get back into the groove for the 3rd. I did a similar workout 7 weeks ago, averaging 4:01 & 174 bpm but with a shorter warm up, so looks like my fitness deteriorated a tad.
Friday (Recovery):
7k Very Easy (av 5:38)
0.5% incline treadmill
Gym work: pulldowns, deltoid, torso rotation, back extension, core exercises
Saturday (Long):
32k Easy in 2h:43mins (av 5:06)
Incl. 126mins on undulanting terrain (av 5:13), 10mins @ HMP, 18mins ez, 8mins @ MP
First 30k+ run in almost one year and it was difficult. Started at 5:45am to avoid the heat but it was humid. The first 2 hours was over undulating terrain and my legs were trashed by the hills. Ran the second hour in pouring rain too! To avoid getting bored, I spiced thing a little by doing 2400m on the track at HM pace in 9:57 (av 4:10). Then jogged home, running the last 8mins at MP effort. I think the av pace for today's run is a bit on the slow side, but given the terrain and the fact that it is my first long run in a long time, perhaps it wasn't too bad.
Sunday (Recovery):
6k Very easy (av 5:28)
Total 94k for the week, 2469k for the year
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Holiday
Was on holiday for 12 days in Japan, hence training was very limited. Went to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Hiroshima.
On one hand, I felt the holiday is a major disruption to my training. I have a decent patch over the last couple of months and it feels diappointing to break that momentum. Furthermore, after this holiday, I will only have 8 weeks left to prepare for the marathon. On the flip side, since there were no peak races this year, I've been training pretty much week in week out for the whole year. Hence a short break was perhaps good for the mind and body.
Overall, I did a total 90k for the last 2 weeks - which is not exactly marathon training. I felt the holiday eroded my endurance slightly - judging from the workouts that I had in Japan. Out of the 4 runs during the holiday, I only had one solid workout: 3 x 5k @ sub MP on the narrow streets of Kyoto. The two runs in Tokyo were so-so. I wanted to run in Imperial Palace which had a 5k unintterupted loop but I had troubles finding the place by foot from the hotel. I ended up runnning around the local streets under a myriad of skyscrapers and overhead bridges and railway tracks (GPS was out of whack). I also found Japan summer was only slightly cooler than Singapore but was humid throughout.
8 weeks of training left to the marathon... I wish I can buy more time.
25/8: 35mins recovery
26/8: 45mins easy
27/8: 24k in 2 hours
28/8: off (fly to Japan)
29/8: off
30/8: off
31/8: off
1/9: 8k in 37mins (av 4:40) incl 2 x 1600m in 5:42, 6:00 w/ 3mins jog (Kyoto)
2/9: 18k in 82mins (av 4:33) incl 3 x 5k @ 4:20-4:25 pace w/ 2mins rec (Kyoto)
3/9: off
4/9: off
5/9: Approx 11k easy in 54mins (GPS went beserk in Tokyo due to skyscrapers)
6/9: Approx 15k in 74mins incl 5k tempo @ ~ HM pace (GPS went beserk again)
7/9: off (fly back to SG)
On one hand, I felt the holiday is a major disruption to my training. I have a decent patch over the last couple of months and it feels diappointing to break that momentum. Furthermore, after this holiday, I will only have 8 weeks left to prepare for the marathon. On the flip side, since there were no peak races this year, I've been training pretty much week in week out for the whole year. Hence a short break was perhaps good for the mind and body.
Overall, I did a total 90k for the last 2 weeks - which is not exactly marathon training. I felt the holiday eroded my endurance slightly - judging from the workouts that I had in Japan. Out of the 4 runs during the holiday, I only had one solid workout: 3 x 5k @ sub MP on the narrow streets of Kyoto. The two runs in Tokyo were so-so. I wanted to run in Imperial Palace which had a 5k unintterupted loop but I had troubles finding the place by foot from the hotel. I ended up runnning around the local streets under a myriad of skyscrapers and overhead bridges and railway tracks (GPS was out of whack). I also found Japan summer was only slightly cooler than Singapore but was humid throughout.
8 weeks of training left to the marathon... I wish I can buy more time.
25/8: 35mins recovery
26/8: 45mins easy
27/8: 24k in 2 hours
28/8: off (fly to Japan)
29/8: off
30/8: off
31/8: off
1/9: 8k in 37mins (av 4:40) incl 2 x 1600m in 5:42, 6:00 w/ 3mins jog (Kyoto)
2/9: 18k in 82mins (av 4:33) incl 3 x 5k @ 4:20-4:25 pace w/ 2mins rec (Kyoto)
3/9: off
4/9: off
5/9: Approx 11k easy in 54mins (GPS went beserk in Tokyo due to skyscrapers)
6/9: Approx 15k in 74mins incl 5k tempo @ ~ HM pace (GPS went beserk again)
7/9: off (fly back to SG)
Sunday, August 24, 2008
SAFRA Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon 2008
1:28:33...
Not a PB (about 1 minute slower), but given the temperature differential between Singapore (24-26c, 90% relative humidity) and Western Australian winter (5-10c, <70% humidity), I think the result was comparable or might be better than my running times in Perth.
My confidence was low this morning as I only slept around 2 hours. Watched Liverpool vs M'borrough until around 12, but couldn't sleep until about 2am+. I guess I got excited too much by the race! Woke up at 4:30am, drank a cup of coffee and ate a slice of bread. Left home around 5:15am and jogged 2km to the start point.
Given the crowd size (70,000+ runners doing 21k, 10k, 6k), I went to the start line 30 minutes before the start time. By then probably there were already close to 1000 runners in front of me. Felt like being trapped in a can of sardines but that's the way Singapore races are. Everybody (either fast or slow) always wants to start in front.
At 6:30 the gun went off and I went out at sub 4:10 pace for the first 2k. At km 3, there was a 300-400m bridge and my pace slowed down to 4:25. Passed the 5k marker at 20:44 (av 4:09) and still felt comfortable. After around 7k, my Garmin and the actual distance markers started to show discrepancy. We then went towards the East Coast Park and passed the turnaround point (chip checkpoint) at 9.5k.
Passed the 10k (according to Garmin) in 41:23 (second 5k in 20:39) so still sub 4:10 pace. At this point, my Garmin was 400m ahead of the distance marker and I passed the 10k road marker in 43:00. We now ran on pavement for the next couple of ks before going to the unpaved section of the race route. My pace started to slow down due to the uneven, sandy like surface which was also a bit tilted (the surface wasn't that horizontal). I also began to struggle due to dehydration. Passed the 15k in 62:14 (third 5k in 20:51). The unpaved section seemed to be endless and finally managed to get a drink and took gel at km 16.
We then went back to the paved road at km 16 and my Garmin was still off by 400m to the distance marker. I was suffering for the next 3-4 km and km 15-20 took me 21:16 (4:15 pace). I passed the km 20 marker in 1:23:10 and fortunately, the distance discrepancy was now narrowing to around 200m. Ran km 20-21 in 3:51 and passed the 21.1k mark according to Garmin at 1:27:50. Crossed the finish mat in 1:28:35 with Garmin showed 21.3k. Since I was zig-zaging throughout the run then the total distance should be accurate at 21.1k.
Av HR for the race was 175 bpm of 90% Max HR. Reached a high of 193 bpm while sprinting to the finish.
Thanks for everyone for the advices and good luck messages. Plugging the HM time to McMillan calculator put me in a 3:07 shape for the full marathon. The upside is that Seoul weather is cool at 7-15c, so should be conducive for running. The downside is that we will be on holiday for 12 days and upon returning, I will only have 8 weeks (incl taper) to train.
Splits (according to GPS):
1k - 4:05/155
2k - 4:08/166
3k - 4: 25/169 (300m hill)
4k - 4:02/171
5k - 4:04/168
6k - 4:05/171
7k - 4:12/172 (gel, drink)
8k - 4:05/173
9k - 4:10/175
10k - 4:07/175 (5k split 20:39)
11k - 4:14/175
12k - 4:14/176 (drink)
13k - 4:06/178
14k - 4:07/180
15k - 4:10/180 (5k split 20:51)
16k - 4:19/179 (gel, drink)
17k - 4:16/181
18k - 4:13/182
19k - 4:17/182 (drink)
20k - 4:11/184 (5k split 21:16)
21k - 3:51/188
0.3k - 1:05/191 (according to GPS)
Training this week:
Mon (treadmill):
55mins Easy Run (av 5:17)
2 x 30 torso rotation, 2 x 40 leg swings
Tue:
Off. 30mins massage.
Tried a new masseur. He is from Traditional Chinese Medicine background and used point pressure techniques (different to the rubbing technique in normal sports massages)
Wed (pavement):
13.3k in 62mins (av 4:43 min.km)
Incl. 6k Moderate Pace Tempo @ 4:22 then 3 x 30secs strides
Felt sluggish for some reason and the Tempo run was harder than it should be. The av HR for the tempo run was 167 bpm compared to 169 for a 18k run (3 times the distance) at the same pace two weeks ago. Could be either due to muscle stifness from yesterday's massage or the 89% relative humidity. I hope this is just a temporary and one-off issue.
Thu (treadmill):
45mins Recovery Run (av 5:27)
80 sit-ups
Left knee cap was sore, after yesterday's run on hard pavement.
Friday (road):
45mins Easy Run (about 4:57) incl 4 strides
Garmin showed me running at 4:48 pace, but don't think I ran that fast this morning. Also, half of the run was on a hilly course and it was 90% humidity. Left knee cap sore.
Saturday (pavement):
30mins Easy Run (av 5:16)
5mins stretching
Sunday (road):
2.3k warm up
SAFRA Army Half Marathon in 1:28:33 (av 4:12 pace, 175 bpm) . 13th in Mens Closed (local) category.
2k cool down
http://www.safra.sg/UserFiles/File/SSBR%20&%20AHM%2008%20Results/21km_Men's_Closed_2008.pdf
Not a PB (about 1 minute slower), but given the temperature differential between Singapore (24-26c, 90% relative humidity) and Western Australian winter (5-10c, <70% humidity), I think the result was comparable or might be better than my running times in Perth.
My confidence was low this morning as I only slept around 2 hours. Watched Liverpool vs M'borrough until around 12, but couldn't sleep until about 2am+. I guess I got excited too much by the race! Woke up at 4:30am, drank a cup of coffee and ate a slice of bread. Left home around 5:15am and jogged 2km to the start point.
Given the crowd size (70,000+ runners doing 21k, 10k, 6k), I went to the start line 30 minutes before the start time. By then probably there were already close to 1000 runners in front of me. Felt like being trapped in a can of sardines but that's the way Singapore races are. Everybody (either fast or slow) always wants to start in front.
At 6:30 the gun went off and I went out at sub 4:10 pace for the first 2k. At km 3, there was a 300-400m bridge and my pace slowed down to 4:25. Passed the 5k marker at 20:44 (av 4:09) and still felt comfortable. After around 7k, my Garmin and the actual distance markers started to show discrepancy. We then went towards the East Coast Park and passed the turnaround point (chip checkpoint) at 9.5k.
Passed the 10k (according to Garmin) in 41:23 (second 5k in 20:39) so still sub 4:10 pace. At this point, my Garmin was 400m ahead of the distance marker and I passed the 10k road marker in 43:00. We now ran on pavement for the next couple of ks before going to the unpaved section of the race route. My pace started to slow down due to the uneven, sandy like surface which was also a bit tilted (the surface wasn't that horizontal). I also began to struggle due to dehydration. Passed the 15k in 62:14 (third 5k in 20:51). The unpaved section seemed to be endless and finally managed to get a drink and took gel at km 16.
We then went back to the paved road at km 16 and my Garmin was still off by 400m to the distance marker. I was suffering for the next 3-4 km and km 15-20 took me 21:16 (4:15 pace). I passed the km 20 marker in 1:23:10 and fortunately, the distance discrepancy was now narrowing to around 200m. Ran km 20-21 in 3:51 and passed the 21.1k mark according to Garmin at 1:27:50. Crossed the finish mat in 1:28:35 with Garmin showed 21.3k. Since I was zig-zaging throughout the run then the total distance should be accurate at 21.1k.
Av HR for the race was 175 bpm of 90% Max HR. Reached a high of 193 bpm while sprinting to the finish.
Thanks for everyone for the advices and good luck messages. Plugging the HM time to McMillan calculator put me in a 3:07 shape for the full marathon. The upside is that Seoul weather is cool at 7-15c, so should be conducive for running. The downside is that we will be on holiday for 12 days and upon returning, I will only have 8 weeks (incl taper) to train.
Splits (according to GPS):
1k - 4:05/155
2k - 4:08/166
3k - 4: 25/169 (300m hill)
4k - 4:02/171
5k - 4:04/168
6k - 4:05/171
7k - 4:12/172 (gel, drink)
8k - 4:05/173
9k - 4:10/175
10k - 4:07/175 (5k split 20:39)
11k - 4:14/175
12k - 4:14/176 (drink)
13k - 4:06/178
14k - 4:07/180
15k - 4:10/180 (5k split 20:51)
16k - 4:19/179 (gel, drink)
17k - 4:16/181
18k - 4:13/182
19k - 4:17/182 (drink)
20k - 4:11/184 (5k split 21:16)
21k - 3:51/188
0.3k - 1:05/191 (according to GPS)
Training this week:
Mon (treadmill):
55mins Easy Run (av 5:17)
2 x 30 torso rotation, 2 x 40 leg swings
Tue:
Off. 30mins massage.
Tried a new masseur. He is from Traditional Chinese Medicine background and used point pressure techniques (different to the rubbing technique in normal sports massages)
Wed (pavement):
13.3k in 62mins (av 4:43 min.km)
Incl. 6k Moderate Pace Tempo @ 4:22 then 3 x 30secs strides
Felt sluggish for some reason and the Tempo run was harder than it should be. The av HR for the tempo run was 167 bpm compared to 169 for a 18k run (3 times the distance) at the same pace two weeks ago. Could be either due to muscle stifness from yesterday's massage or the 89% relative humidity. I hope this is just a temporary and one-off issue.
Thu (treadmill):
45mins Recovery Run (av 5:27)
80 sit-ups
Left knee cap was sore, after yesterday's run on hard pavement.
Friday (road):
45mins Easy Run (about 4:57) incl 4 strides
Garmin showed me running at 4:48 pace, but don't think I ran that fast this morning. Also, half of the run was on a hilly course and it was 90% humidity. Left knee cap sore.
Saturday (pavement):
30mins Easy Run (av 5:16)
5mins stretching
Sunday (road):
2.3k warm up
SAFRA Army Half Marathon in 1:28:33 (av 4:12 pace, 175 bpm) . 13th in Mens Closed (local) category.
2k cool down
http://www.safra.sg/UserFiles/File/SSBR%20&%20AHM%2008%20Results/21km_Men's_Closed_2008.pdf
Total 72.4k for the week, 2284k for the year
Saturday, August 16, 2008
One week to AHM
One week to go before the Army Half. This week I did two quality sessions:
1) Tempo/Intervals Mixed Workout: 5k moderate tempo @ 4:20 min/km + 3 x 1600m @ 3:55
2) Long Run/Tempo Mixed Workout: 12k easy + 2 x 3200m @ 4:08 min/km + 7k easy
Next Sunday is the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon 2008, which is the second largest race in Singapore with over 20,000+ runners (gulp). I assume that the race will be crowded with runners at all levels (fast and slow) wanting to start at the front area, so there will be a BIG BOTTLENECK (ggrrrrr…..)
For a change, I am trying to closely follow Tinman's HM peaking program. The plan is only for the last two weeks and a couple of people have gotten success with it (including Moby from CR Oz). It puts emphasis on volume maintenance rather than intensity. In fact, normal mileage is maintained until the last three days before the event. The plan is below in miles:
Week minus 1 ==> T: 8 ez; W: 2ez + 3 tempo + 3 x 1600m CV + 2 ez; T: 8 slow; F: 8 ez, S: 10 ez + 4 MP; S: 5 slow
Race week ==> M: 8 slow; T: 3ez + 4 tempo + 2 ez; W: 5 slow; T: 7 ez; F: 4 ez; S: race
What I did differently from the plan was less warm up/cool down for Tues due to heat, shorter recovery runs Thurs & Sun, and a longer/harder long run on Saturday (HM reps instead of MP continuous).
I don't know what to expect for next Sunday's HM. Back in 2006 in Perth, I did two half marathons between 1:27-1:29 under a different training regime. My current tempo and intervals are faster & longer than back then, but my long runs now are only about 22k due to the tough running conditions (versus weekly 30ks previously). Moreover, my mileage for the first 8 months of the year is about 400km lower than 2006. Hence, endurance seems to be my weak link. On the flip side, I did a HM last December here in 92+mins, but training is heaps better and I am better acllimatized this time around. All in all, anything near 90mins is a decent outcome for me, I think….
Can anyone give me an idea on what pace should I run for the HM?
Mon (treadmill):
36mins Recovery Run (av 5:38)
15mins upper-body weights
Tue (treadmill):
1 hour Easy Run (av 5:05)
5mins stretching/core, 60 leg swings
First 20mins av 5:24, second 20mins av 5:04, last 20mins av 4:50
Wed (road/track):
10mins warm up
5k Moderate Tempo @ 4:20
5mins walk to the track
3 x 1600m CV Intervals, av 3:55 min/km, av 176 bpm, high 187
Splits: 6:14, 6:17, 6:15 with 400m jog (2:30)
Cool down (total workout 14k in 63mins, av 4:30 min/km)
Cloudy but bloody humid! To make things worse, legs were still tired from Sunday's 18k tempo run. The effort for moderate tempo run felt harder that it was supposed to be. After 5 mins walk, did 3 x 1600m CV intervals and I was toast after the second interval. Just didn't have a lot of power in the legs, Decided to hang tough and completed the 3rd interval amid some difficulty.
Thu (treadmill):
30mins Recovery Run (av 5:40)
80 sit-ups
Friday (treadmill):
1 hour Easy Run (av 5:10)
Felt good. First 30mins av 5:27, last 30mins av 4:55
Saturday (pavement/road/track):
1 hour Easy Run (av 4:59/145 bpm)
2 x 3200m Cruise Intervals av 4:08 (13:13/168, 13:09/177)
35mins Easy Run (av 5:00/160)
Total workout 26.2k in 2:05 (av 4:47 min/km)
Ran 12k from home to Dempsey Hill to Cluny Park Rd to MoE track, did the cruise intervals on the track, 10mins rest to rehydrate, then 7k easy back home. The aim of doing the intervals after one hour run is to get a feel how the last 1/3 of the HM is like. Felt pretty buggered during the second interval.
Sunday (pavement):
35mins Recovery Run (av 5:22)
94% relative humidity !!!!
Total 83k for the week, 2211k for the year
1) Tempo/Intervals Mixed Workout: 5k moderate tempo @ 4:20 min/km + 3 x 1600m @ 3:55
2) Long Run/Tempo Mixed Workout: 12k easy + 2 x 3200m @ 4:08 min/km + 7k easy
Next Sunday is the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon 2008, which is the second largest race in Singapore with over 20,000+ runners (gulp). I assume that the race will be crowded with runners at all levels (fast and slow) wanting to start at the front area, so there will be a BIG BOTTLENECK (ggrrrrr…..)
For a change, I am trying to closely follow Tinman's HM peaking program. The plan is only for the last two weeks and a couple of people have gotten success with it (including Moby from CR Oz). It puts emphasis on volume maintenance rather than intensity. In fact, normal mileage is maintained until the last three days before the event. The plan is below in miles:
Week minus 1 ==> T: 8 ez; W: 2ez + 3 tempo + 3 x 1600m CV + 2 ez; T: 8 slow; F: 8 ez, S: 10 ez + 4 MP; S: 5 slow
Race week ==> M: 8 slow; T: 3ez + 4 tempo + 2 ez; W: 5 slow; T: 7 ez; F: 4 ez; S: race
What I did differently from the plan was less warm up/cool down for Tues due to heat, shorter recovery runs Thurs & Sun, and a longer/harder long run on Saturday (HM reps instead of MP continuous).
I don't know what to expect for next Sunday's HM. Back in 2006 in Perth, I did two half marathons between 1:27-1:29 under a different training regime. My current tempo and intervals are faster & longer than back then, but my long runs now are only about 22k due to the tough running conditions (versus weekly 30ks previously). Moreover, my mileage for the first 8 months of the year is about 400km lower than 2006. Hence, endurance seems to be my weak link. On the flip side, I did a HM last December here in 92+mins, but training is heaps better and I am better acllimatized this time around. All in all, anything near 90mins is a decent outcome for me, I think….
Can anyone give me an idea on what pace should I run for the HM?
Mon (treadmill):
36mins Recovery Run (av 5:38)
15mins upper-body weights
Tue (treadmill):
1 hour Easy Run (av 5:05)
5mins stretching/core, 60 leg swings
First 20mins av 5:24, second 20mins av 5:04, last 20mins av 4:50
Wed (road/track):
10mins warm up
5k Moderate Tempo @ 4:20
5mins walk to the track
3 x 1600m CV Intervals, av 3:55 min/km, av 176 bpm, high 187
Splits: 6:14, 6:17, 6:15 with 400m jog (2:30)
Cool down (total workout 14k in 63mins, av 4:30 min/km)
Cloudy but bloody humid! To make things worse, legs were still tired from Sunday's 18k tempo run. The effort for moderate tempo run felt harder that it was supposed to be. After 5 mins walk, did 3 x 1600m CV intervals and I was toast after the second interval. Just didn't have a lot of power in the legs, Decided to hang tough and completed the 3rd interval amid some difficulty.
Thu (treadmill):
30mins Recovery Run (av 5:40)
80 sit-ups
Friday (treadmill):
1 hour Easy Run (av 5:10)
Felt good. First 30mins av 5:27, last 30mins av 4:55
Saturday (pavement/road/track):
1 hour Easy Run (av 4:59/145 bpm)
2 x 3200m Cruise Intervals av 4:08 (13:13/168, 13:09/177)
35mins Easy Run (av 5:00/160)
Total workout 26.2k in 2:05 (av 4:47 min/km)
Ran 12k from home to Dempsey Hill to Cluny Park Rd to MoE track, did the cruise intervals on the track, 10mins rest to rehydrate, then 7k easy back home. The aim of doing the intervals after one hour run is to get a feel how the last 1/3 of the HM is like. Felt pretty buggered during the second interval.
Sunday (pavement):
35mins Recovery Run (av 5:22)
94% relative humidity !!!!
Total 83k for the week, 2211k for the year
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Pearl Izumi Run Series 2
A good week with three quality workouts:
1) 5 x 1k intervals @ 8k pace, av 3:51 min/km with 200m jog in 1:20 for recovery
2) 2 x 5k Tempo Intervals @ HM pace, av 4:10 min/km
3) 18k Tempo Run, av 4:25 min/km, av 169 bpm (Pearl Izumi Series 2)
Had a good run today at the Pearl Izumi Pure Run Series 2 in Kallang. Planned to run it at 4:30 min/km (or 3:10 marathon pace), but felt good from the start. Started at around 4:20-ish pace and the pace was pretty much locked-in from there to finish, despite 2 sets of staircases and 2-3 walking breaks at the drink stations. Never felt laboured with the exception of slight tightness in the hip. The distance turned out to be 18-ish km compared to the 20k advertised. Finished in 1:19:48 in in 8th place (I think), so a good training run for the HM in 2 weeks time and Seoul marathon in Nov.
Mon (track):
10mins warm up + strides
5 x 1000m Intervals @ ~8k pace (av 3:51)
Splits: 3:51, 3:51, 3:53, 3:52, 3:49 with 200m jog (~1:20)
2 x 200m Repetitions (40, 41) with 200m jog
8mins cool down (total workout 10k in 45mins, av 4:30 min/km)
Felt unenergized and the morning was super humid. The plan was for 6-7 x 1000m at ~3:55 pace but ran faster in all of them (akin to approx race 8k pace). Consequently, started to feel the legs burning after the 3rd interval and could only complete 5 sets. Afterwards, did 2x200m compared to my usual 4x200m of Reps post-intervals due to tiredness.
Tue (treadmill):
40mins Recovery Run (av 5:30)
10mins upper-body weights
Wed (bitumen):
10mins warm up
2 x 5k Tempo @ HM pace with 1k jog in between
1st: 20:40 (av 4:08 min/km, av HR 169 bpm)
2nd: 21:00 (av 4:12 min/km, av HR 178, high 187)
Cool down (total workout 14.4k in 65mins, av 4:33 min/km)
Ran during lunch time, 30c, 80% rel humidty, apparent temp 35c. Found a 800m of (light traffic) stretch of road and ran back & forth. The aim was 2x5k under 4:10 pace. Legs were a bit heavy and the body is yet to fully recover from Monday's intervals. Ran the first 5k in 20:40 with av HR 169 bpm - same HR as my 5k tempo run in 20:00 a couple of weeks ago. So definitely I wasn't in a good form today. The second 5k was an uphill struggle from the start and my pace faded after 3k. Continued running at slower pace before picking up the pace at the end to finish right at 21:00. Av HR for the second 5k was 178 bpm.
Thu (treadmill):
45mins Recovery Run (av 5:30)
5mins abs exercises
Friday (treadmill):
62mins Easy Run (av 5:05)
Felt average. Initially used Hill level 3 but decided to downgrade to level 2 to make it easy effort.
Saturday (pavement):
35mins Easy Run (av 5:12)
Av HR 140 bpm, did 6 strides
Sunday (pavement/road):
10 mins warm up
18.2k Pearl Izumi Run Series 2 in 1:19:48 (av 4:24 min/km), 8th place
10mins cool down
Total 81k for the week, 2128k for the year
1) 5 x 1k intervals @ 8k pace, av 3:51 min/km with 200m jog in 1:20 for recovery
2) 2 x 5k Tempo Intervals @ HM pace, av 4:10 min/km
3) 18k Tempo Run, av 4:25 min/km, av 169 bpm (Pearl Izumi Series 2)
Had a good run today at the Pearl Izumi Pure Run Series 2 in Kallang. Planned to run it at 4:30 min/km (or 3:10 marathon pace), but felt good from the start. Started at around 4:20-ish pace and the pace was pretty much locked-in from there to finish, despite 2 sets of staircases and 2-3 walking breaks at the drink stations. Never felt laboured with the exception of slight tightness in the hip. The distance turned out to be 18-ish km compared to the 20k advertised. Finished in 1:19:48 in in 8th place (I think), so a good training run for the HM in 2 weeks time and Seoul marathon in Nov.
Mon (track):
10mins warm up + strides
5 x 1000m Intervals @ ~8k pace (av 3:51)
Splits: 3:51, 3:51, 3:53, 3:52, 3:49 with 200m jog (~1:20)
2 x 200m Repetitions (40, 41) with 200m jog
8mins cool down (total workout 10k in 45mins, av 4:30 min/km)
Felt unenergized and the morning was super humid. The plan was for 6-7 x 1000m at ~3:55 pace but ran faster in all of them (akin to approx race 8k pace). Consequently, started to feel the legs burning after the 3rd interval and could only complete 5 sets. Afterwards, did 2x200m compared to my usual 4x200m of Reps post-intervals due to tiredness.
Tue (treadmill):
40mins Recovery Run (av 5:30)
10mins upper-body weights
Wed (bitumen):
10mins warm up
2 x 5k Tempo @ HM pace with 1k jog in between
1st: 20:40 (av 4:08 min/km, av HR 169 bpm)
2nd: 21:00 (av 4:12 min/km, av HR 178, high 187)
Cool down (total workout 14.4k in 65mins, av 4:33 min/km)
Ran during lunch time, 30c, 80% rel humidty, apparent temp 35c. Found a 800m of (light traffic) stretch of road and ran back & forth. The aim was 2x5k under 4:10 pace. Legs were a bit heavy and the body is yet to fully recover from Monday's intervals. Ran the first 5k in 20:40 with av HR 169 bpm - same HR as my 5k tempo run in 20:00 a couple of weeks ago. So definitely I wasn't in a good form today. The second 5k was an uphill struggle from the start and my pace faded after 3k. Continued running at slower pace before picking up the pace at the end to finish right at 21:00. Av HR for the second 5k was 178 bpm.
Thu (treadmill):
45mins Recovery Run (av 5:30)
5mins abs exercises
Friday (treadmill):
62mins Easy Run (av 5:05)
Felt average. Initially used Hill level 3 but decided to downgrade to level 2 to make it easy effort.
Saturday (pavement):
35mins Easy Run (av 5:12)
Av HR 140 bpm, did 6 strides
Sunday (pavement/road):
10 mins warm up
18.2k Pearl Izumi Run Series 2 in 1:19:48 (av 4:24 min/km), 8th place
10mins cool down
Total 81k for the week, 2128k for the year
Sunday, August 3, 2008
So-so week
So-so week. Couldn't run as much as I wanted to, with two off days :(
Did a good tempo run at HM pace on Thursday then a medium long run with Rob who is in town. It was nice to catch up with hime again. His improvement was indeed impressive.
Ran over 330km for the month of July and just above 2000ks year to date.
Was planning to do a 8.4k race this morning in Botanic Gardens, but couldn't make it. There is a 20k race (Pearl Izumi series 2) next Sunday which I plan to run as marathon pace training run.
Mon (treadmill):
30mins Recovery Run (av 5:38)
Busy day. No time to run.
Tue (treadmill):
93mins Easy Run (av 5:11)
First 9k in a slow 49mins (av 5:25), second 9k in 44mins (av 4:55)
Wed (treadmill):
35mins Easy Run (av 5:20)
Another busy day. Three treadmill days in a row.
Thu (pavement):
10mins warm up
8k Tempo in 33:17 (av 4:10 min/km), HR 169
4 x ~80m hills (00:17)
Cool down (total workout 13.2k in 60mins, av 4:33 min/km)
Hot afternoon even at 5pm. Started at 4:20 pace but the pace got naturally faster. Was tempted to run 10k (~41-42 mins) but stopped after seeing the HR climbing above 180 after 30mins. Still, av HR of 169 and a high of 182 bpm are lower than the same 8k tempo run 6 weeks ago (33:08) when I was averaging 176 bpm.
Friday:
Off. Felt a bit unwell from yesterdays tempo run in hot temperature.
Saturday (pavement):
107mins Long Easy Run (av 4:55)
Ran with Rob who is in town for the weekend. Started at sightseeing pace for the first 3k along the river to Singapore flyer. Then ran to Fort Canning and Botanical Garden at a decent clip (~4:50ish pace).
Sunday:
Off.
Total 65k for the week, 2047k for the year
Did a good tempo run at HM pace on Thursday then a medium long run with Rob who is in town. It was nice to catch up with hime again. His improvement was indeed impressive.
Ran over 330km for the month of July and just above 2000ks year to date.
Was planning to do a 8.4k race this morning in Botanic Gardens, but couldn't make it. There is a 20k race (Pearl Izumi series 2) next Sunday which I plan to run as marathon pace training run.
Mon (treadmill):
30mins Recovery Run (av 5:38)
Busy day. No time to run.
Tue (treadmill):
93mins Easy Run (av 5:11)
First 9k in a slow 49mins (av 5:25), second 9k in 44mins (av 4:55)
Wed (treadmill):
35mins Easy Run (av 5:20)
Another busy day. Three treadmill days in a row.
Thu (pavement):
10mins warm up
8k Tempo in 33:17 (av 4:10 min/km), HR 169
4 x ~80m hills (00:17)
Cool down (total workout 13.2k in 60mins, av 4:33 min/km)
Hot afternoon even at 5pm. Started at 4:20 pace but the pace got naturally faster. Was tempted to run 10k (~41-42 mins) but stopped after seeing the HR climbing above 180 after 30mins. Still, av HR of 169 and a high of 182 bpm are lower than the same 8k tempo run 6 weeks ago (33:08) when I was averaging 176 bpm.
Friday:
Off. Felt a bit unwell from yesterdays tempo run in hot temperature.
Saturday (pavement):
107mins Long Easy Run (av 4:55)
Ran with Rob who is in town for the weekend. Started at sightseeing pace for the first 3k along the river to Singapore flyer. Then ran to Fort Canning and Botanical Garden at a decent clip (~4:50ish pace).
Sunday:
Off.
Total 65k for the week, 2047k for the year
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Mizuno Wave Run 2008
Had a scare early in the week. My left ITB was hurting like hell and I was unable to run. Even walking was really painful, especially going down the stairs. Fortunately, my massage therapist was available and I could arrange a one-hour session on Wednesday. The massage was really a torture and I had to take Panadol for a couple of days to get rid of the pain.
In essence, I was lucky to be at the starting line at today's Mizuno Wave Run 2008. There were around 5,000 runners in total starting at Temasek Polytechnic stadium. Before the start, the race organizer mentioned that the course is about 10.3k. Therefore, not an accurate 10k race but at least they are being frank upfront and it showed that they have actually measured the course. Temperature was good for Singapore standards, probably 25c. However, I really wasn't expecting a good timing today due to the big crowd and since 4km of the course is on gravel, sandy surface. Given my ITB problem earlier, anything near my Lactate Threshold pace for 10k is good enough.
Started near the front and passed the first k in 3:56 among hundreds of runners. The next 2km were on a very narrow running pavement which can only fit 2 runners at max. My pace slowed down to 4:05 & 4:10 as I found it difficult to pass people. Then we started to enter the Bedok Reservoir which is on gravel, sandy surface. Km 4-7 passed by effortlessly in 4:01, 3:56, 4:01, 4:05. Heart Rate were hovering at mid 170s which is typical for LT-type run. Felt a bit tired during km 8-9 as I began to feel the effect of humidity and the pace slowed down to around 4:07. I picked up the pace slightly in km 10 (3:58) as we ran back to the stadium. Passed the 10k mark (according to Garmin) in 40:30. Ran the last 0.3k in 50++ secs but got outsprinted by a 17min 5k runner near the end.
Finish time was 41:21, averaging 4:01-4:02 min/km for 10.3k, which is right at my usual LT pace. Average HR was 174 bpm or 89% Max HR - again consistent with LT HR. High HR was 187 bpm (in the last 300m) versus my Max of 195 bpm, so I wasn't pushing it at all. In short, I wasn't labouring and the effort felt comfortably hard. Given the relatively cool weather this morning, perhaps there was a chance for me to get under 40 for the 10k. Still, it is a bit frustrating to see that I am training hard just in order to be able match my Australian PBs.
Anyway, I felt happy given I was unable to run early in the week. I will try to crack my 10k PB in December (a side event of the Standard Chartered Marathon) where the course should be quite accurate.
Mon (track):
10 mins warm up
5k Threshold Tempo Run in 19:55 (av 3:59 min/km)
3 x 400m Repetitions in 83, 85, 84, one lap jog for recovery
10mins cool down (total workout 12k)
Light rain, so it was cool (25c) for Singapore. The plan was to do 4 x 1600m at Threshold due to a weekend race. But I felt good so I decided to turn it as a continuous run. HR ranged from 140 at the start to 179 bpm at the end, averaging 159 or 82% max - the lowest ever . Three months ago, I did the same run averaging 176 bpm (90% max). Similar tempo runs a year ago in Australia showed average HR of around between 165-175 bpm.
Thinking about it, I might have been glycogen-depleted, resulting in lower HR (did a long run on Sunday). Hence, the HR comparison is not that perfect.
Tue (treadmill):
40mins Recovery Run (av 5:34)
Regretted doing the 400s after the tempo yesterday. ITB was painful and sore for the whole day.
Wed (treadmill):
Off. Sports massage for 1 hour
Cannot run, even walking was uncomfortable. Called for an emergency massage and had a painful one hour session. Took pain killers.
Thu (pavement):
15mins warm up
30mins at marathon pace (av 4:29 min/km), HR 163
15 mins cool down incl 6 strides on grass
Legs were stiff and rusty from the massage. Decided to test the legs by doing a short MP run. Conditions were hot, av HR higher is than Monday's faster LT tempo.
Friday (treadmill):
45mins Easy Run (av 5:14)
10 mins weights
Saturday (pavement):
35mins Easy Run (av 5:11) incl 4 strides on grass
Sunday:
2.2k warm up + strides
Mizuno Wave Run 10.3k in 41:21 (30th Mens Open category)
6k cool down
Total 66k for the week, 1982k for the year
In essence, I was lucky to be at the starting line at today's Mizuno Wave Run 2008. There were around 5,000 runners in total starting at Temasek Polytechnic stadium. Before the start, the race organizer mentioned that the course is about 10.3k. Therefore, not an accurate 10k race but at least they are being frank upfront and it showed that they have actually measured the course. Temperature was good for Singapore standards, probably 25c. However, I really wasn't expecting a good timing today due to the big crowd and since 4km of the course is on gravel, sandy surface. Given my ITB problem earlier, anything near my Lactate Threshold pace for 10k is good enough.
Started near the front and passed the first k in 3:56 among hundreds of runners. The next 2km were on a very narrow running pavement which can only fit 2 runners at max. My pace slowed down to 4:05 & 4:10 as I found it difficult to pass people. Then we started to enter the Bedok Reservoir which is on gravel, sandy surface. Km 4-7 passed by effortlessly in 4:01, 3:56, 4:01, 4:05. Heart Rate were hovering at mid 170s which is typical for LT-type run. Felt a bit tired during km 8-9 as I began to feel the effect of humidity and the pace slowed down to around 4:07. I picked up the pace slightly in km 10 (3:58) as we ran back to the stadium. Passed the 10k mark (according to Garmin) in 40:30. Ran the last 0.3k in 50++ secs but got outsprinted by a 17min 5k runner near the end.
Finish time was 41:21, averaging 4:01-4:02 min/km for 10.3k, which is right at my usual LT pace. Average HR was 174 bpm or 89% Max HR - again consistent with LT HR. High HR was 187 bpm (in the last 300m) versus my Max of 195 bpm, so I wasn't pushing it at all. In short, I wasn't labouring and the effort felt comfortably hard. Given the relatively cool weather this morning, perhaps there was a chance for me to get under 40 for the 10k. Still, it is a bit frustrating to see that I am training hard just in order to be able match my Australian PBs.
Anyway, I felt happy given I was unable to run early in the week. I will try to crack my 10k PB in December (a side event of the Standard Chartered Marathon) where the course should be quite accurate.
Mon (track):
10 mins warm up
5k Threshold Tempo Run in 19:55 (av 3:59 min/km)
3 x 400m Repetitions in 83, 85, 84, one lap jog for recovery
10mins cool down (total workout 12k)
Light rain, so it was cool (25c) for Singapore. The plan was to do 4 x 1600m at Threshold due to a weekend race. But I felt good so I decided to turn it as a continuous run. HR ranged from 140 at the start to 179 bpm at the end, averaging 159 or 82% max - the lowest ever . Three months ago, I did the same run averaging 176 bpm (90% max). Similar tempo runs a year ago in Australia showed average HR of around between 165-175 bpm.
Thinking about it, I might have been glycogen-depleted, resulting in lower HR (did a long run on Sunday). Hence, the HR comparison is not that perfect.
Tue (treadmill):
40mins Recovery Run (av 5:34)
Regretted doing the 400s after the tempo yesterday. ITB was painful and sore for the whole day.
Wed (treadmill):
Off. Sports massage for 1 hour
Cannot run, even walking was uncomfortable. Called for an emergency massage and had a painful one hour session. Took pain killers.
Thu (pavement):
15mins warm up
30mins at marathon pace (av 4:29 min/km), HR 163
15 mins cool down incl 6 strides on grass
Legs were stiff and rusty from the massage. Decided to test the legs by doing a short MP run. Conditions were hot, av HR higher is than Monday's faster LT tempo.
Friday (treadmill):
45mins Easy Run (av 5:14)
10 mins weights
Saturday (pavement):
35mins Easy Run (av 5:11) incl 4 strides on grass
Sunday:
2.2k warm up + strides
Mizuno Wave Run 10.3k in 41:21 (30th Mens Open category)
6k cool down
Total 66k for the week, 1982k for the year
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Entered
Received an email from the JoongAng Seoul Marathon organizer:
Dear Sir,
I confirm that your registration and payment has been completed. We'll keep you updated about this marathon by email.
Best regards
JoongAng Seoul Marathon
So, the entry form is in. I have also successfully persuaded my wife to move forward the holiday date. We are now going end-August and coming back early September, giving me 7.5 weeks of training block (including taper) after the holiday.
The tough task is now how to properly train for the marathon. The good thing is that I am training for the Army Half Marathon on 24 Aug, so hopefully there is a natural training progression. Really gotta start ramping up those long runs !!
Anyway, training was good this week. Unlike other weeks, where I had to cancel or shorten my sessions due to weather/work/family etc, I was able to do all my targeted workouts. I've also shifted the time for quality workouts (interval, tempo) to the late afternoon after work (5pm). The weather is still hot but the humidity is lesser.
My next races are:
Mizuno Wave Run 10k next Sunday
Charity Run (tentative). Clown will be in town, looking forward to run with him again
Pearl Izumi 20k on 10 Aug (my plan is to run it at marathon pace)
Army Half Marathon on 24 Aug
Mon (treadmill):
40 mins Recovery Run (av 5:39 min/km)
15mins weights
Tue (pavement):
1.6k warm up
12k Tempo Run @ 4:20 min/km (av HR 166, 85% Max)
1.4k cool down (total 15k)
Cloudy and windy, which was a nice change. HR was steady between 160-170bpm throughout the run and was only in the 170s after 10k. Av HR for the 12k was 166, which is lower than 170 during a 8k run at the same pace 2 months ago. Interestingly, the HR was similar to the tempo runs in Australia where it was only 15c! But wait a minute, Singapore weather is never cooler than 25c. So either I have made improvement (despite no PB to show) or the HR monitor was wrong !!
Wed (treadmill):
45mins Recovery Run (av 5:32)
Abs crunches
Thu (track):
10mins warm up incl strides
6 x 800m intervals @ 5k pace with ~2:30 jog (400m)
89, 90 = 2:59
89, 89 = 2:58
89, 89 = 2:58
89, 89 = 2:58
89, 89 = 2:58
88, 86 = 2:54
Average: 3:42 min/km, av HR 171, high 185
3 laps of sprint straights, jog curves, then 6mins cool down
Was targetting 2:56 (3:40 min/km) but legs were a bit tired. Anyway, was happy to complete all six under 3:00. Recovery time between the intervals was right for me, I think.
Friday (treadmill):
36mins Recovery Run (av 5:38)
10 mins weights
Saturday (road/pavement):
2h:05m Long Run (av 5:07)
At last, a long run !! Longest run in 3 months - which showed how pathetic I am. The time did not include 4 drink stops and traffic lights.
Sunday:
36mins Easy Run (av 5:20)
Total 80k for the week, 1916k for the year
Dear Sir,
I confirm that your registration and payment has been completed. We'll keep you updated about this marathon by email.
Best regards
JoongAng Seoul Marathon
So, the entry form is in. I have also successfully persuaded my wife to move forward the holiday date. We are now going end-August and coming back early September, giving me 7.5 weeks of training block (including taper) after the holiday.
The tough task is now how to properly train for the marathon. The good thing is that I am training for the Army Half Marathon on 24 Aug, so hopefully there is a natural training progression. Really gotta start ramping up those long runs !!
Anyway, training was good this week. Unlike other weeks, where I had to cancel or shorten my sessions due to weather/work/family etc, I was able to do all my targeted workouts. I've also shifted the time for quality workouts (interval, tempo) to the late afternoon after work (5pm). The weather is still hot but the humidity is lesser.
My next races are:
Mizuno Wave Run 10k next Sunday
Charity Run (tentative). Clown will be in town, looking forward to run with him again
Pearl Izumi 20k on 10 Aug (my plan is to run it at marathon pace)
Army Half Marathon on 24 Aug
Mon (treadmill):
40 mins Recovery Run (av 5:39 min/km)
15mins weights
Tue (pavement):
1.6k warm up
12k Tempo Run @ 4:20 min/km (av HR 166, 85% Max)
1.4k cool down (total 15k)
Cloudy and windy, which was a nice change. HR was steady between 160-170bpm throughout the run and was only in the 170s after 10k. Av HR for the 12k was 166, which is lower than 170 during a 8k run at the same pace 2 months ago. Interestingly, the HR was similar to the tempo runs in Australia where it was only 15c! But wait a minute, Singapore weather is never cooler than 25c. So either I have made improvement (despite no PB to show) or the HR monitor was wrong !!
Wed (treadmill):
45mins Recovery Run (av 5:32)
Abs crunches
Thu (track):
10mins warm up incl strides
6 x 800m intervals @ 5k pace with ~2:30 jog (400m)
89, 90 = 2:59
89, 89 = 2:58
89, 89 = 2:58
89, 89 = 2:58
89, 89 = 2:58
88, 86 = 2:54
Average: 3:42 min/km, av HR 171, high 185
3 laps of sprint straights, jog curves, then 6mins cool down
Was targetting 2:56 (3:40 min/km) but legs were a bit tired. Anyway, was happy to complete all six under 3:00. Recovery time between the intervals was right for me, I think.
Friday (treadmill):
36mins Recovery Run (av 5:38)
10 mins weights
Saturday (road/pavement):
2h:05m Long Run (av 5:07)
At last, a long run !! Longest run in 3 months - which showed how pathetic I am. The time did not include 4 drink stops and traffic lights.
Sunday:
36mins Easy Run (av 5:20)
Total 80k for the week, 1916k for the year
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Toying with marathon idea (again)
Inspired by the success of fellow bloggers --- Clown, by7, Epi, Trailblazer etc in their marathons, I've been thinking (again) to do a marathon later this year. There are a couple of regional marathons around November/December, such as in Bangkok and Singapore but gee, the weather in these places are hot and therefore, unconducive for marathon running. Given the strong Aussie dollars, Sydney & Melbourne marathons are too pricey to my liking.
That leaves me with the Far East where the weather is cool (autumn). There are Beijing & Shanghai marathons but the air quality is terrible. The only one that appeals to me is JoongAng Seoul Marathon on 2 November. Morning temperature is around 7c - which is 75% cooler than Singapore. It is a large marathon with over 20,000 runners. The route is a bit undulanting, especially in the first 30k but flat in the last 12k, finishing at the Olympic stadium.
The catch is that registration closes on 15 July, so I must decide really quickly. Personally, I think I am still far from marathon shape given I always struggle running more than 1h:30m-1h:40m in the heat of Singapore. Another complication is that we will be going on holiday between 12-22 September (hard to do running), which leaves me only with a training block of 5.5 weeks before the marathon.
My thinking is just to register for the race anyway (US$50) and decide around late August before deciding to book airfares, hotel etc. If I am not up to it, I'll just forfeit the entry fee.
Training wise, I did 80k this week - highest in 3 months. Longest runs were 1h:30m. Gotta start increasing the duration pretty soon, I think !
Mon (treadmill):
30 mins Easy Fartlek (av 4:46 min/km)
incl 8 x 1min HMP on, 1min MP off
Only had 1/2 hour to run, so decided to do something a little brisk but not hard.
Tue (track):
12mins warm up incl strides
7 x 1000m Intervals @ 10-12k pace with 200m recovery
3:51/155 bpm
3:55/167
3:55/171
3:54/174
3:55/175
3:55/178
3:52/179
Average = 3:54 min/km, av HR 174, high HR 184
5 x 200m Repetitions in 40, 42, 41, 42, 42 (200m jog)
13mins cool down (total 15k)
Felt good in the first four, jogging 1:20 as recovery. Last 3 intervals were harder, took 1:20 jog plus ~30secs drink/towel stop as recovery. Ran the 200s clockwise.
Wed (treadmill):
45mins Recovery Run (av 5:38)
15mins weights
Thu (treadmill):
1h:30m Easy-to-Moderate Run (av 5:09)
Weather wasn't cooperating, so ran indoor. Started at 6:00 pace ending at 4:45 pace. First 30mins av 5:30, next 30mins av 5:07, last 30mins av 4:52
Friday (treadmill):
37mins Easy Run (av 5:20)
Saturday (concrete):
36mins Easy Run incl. short sprints (av 5:13)
Incl 3 x 10sec hill sprints + 3 x 10sec grass sprint
Slept at 3am last night. Felt sluggish.
Sunday (track/road):
2.5k warm up incl strides
3 x 2400m Lactate Threshold Intervals with 400m jog + drink
94, 95, 97, 96, 98, 97 = 9:37 (HR 165-168)
95, 97, 97, 98, 97, 96 = 9:38 (HR 171-174)
96, 97, 97, 98, 96, 95 = 9:39 (HR 176-184)
Average = 4:01 min/km, av HR 174 bpm, high 184
4 x 200m Repetitions in 44, 44, 42, 41 (200m jog)
6.7k cool down (total 19k)
Legs felt a bit heavy from the start. Last interval was tough because the sun was in full force. The 200ms in 44secs were the slowest that I've done in a while due to tiredness.
Total 80k for the week, 1836k for the year (av 65 kmpw)
That leaves me with the Far East where the weather is cool (autumn). There are Beijing & Shanghai marathons but the air quality is terrible. The only one that appeals to me is JoongAng Seoul Marathon on 2 November. Morning temperature is around 7c - which is 75% cooler than Singapore. It is a large marathon with over 20,000 runners. The route is a bit undulanting, especially in the first 30k but flat in the last 12k, finishing at the Olympic stadium.
The catch is that registration closes on 15 July, so I must decide really quickly. Personally, I think I am still far from marathon shape given I always struggle running more than 1h:30m-1h:40m in the heat of Singapore. Another complication is that we will be going on holiday between 12-22 September (hard to do running), which leaves me only with a training block of 5.5 weeks before the marathon.
My thinking is just to register for the race anyway (US$50) and decide around late August before deciding to book airfares, hotel etc. If I am not up to it, I'll just forfeit the entry fee.
Training wise, I did 80k this week - highest in 3 months. Longest runs were 1h:30m. Gotta start increasing the duration pretty soon, I think !
Mon (treadmill):
30 mins Easy Fartlek (av 4:46 min/km)
incl 8 x 1min HMP on, 1min MP off
Only had 1/2 hour to run, so decided to do something a little brisk but not hard.
Tue (track):
12mins warm up incl strides
7 x 1000m Intervals @ 10-12k pace with 200m recovery
3:51/155 bpm
3:55/167
3:55/171
3:54/174
3:55/175
3:55/178
3:52/179
Average = 3:54 min/km, av HR 174, high HR 184
5 x 200m Repetitions in 40, 42, 41, 42, 42 (200m jog)
13mins cool down (total 15k)
Felt good in the first four, jogging 1:20 as recovery. Last 3 intervals were harder, took 1:20 jog plus ~30secs drink/towel stop as recovery. Ran the 200s clockwise.
Wed (treadmill):
45mins Recovery Run (av 5:38)
15mins weights
Thu (treadmill):
1h:30m Easy-to-Moderate Run (av 5:09)
Weather wasn't cooperating, so ran indoor. Started at 6:00 pace ending at 4:45 pace. First 30mins av 5:30, next 30mins av 5:07, last 30mins av 4:52
Friday (treadmill):
37mins Easy Run (av 5:20)
Saturday (concrete):
36mins Easy Run incl. short sprints (av 5:13)
Incl 3 x 10sec hill sprints + 3 x 10sec grass sprint
Slept at 3am last night. Felt sluggish.
Sunday (track/road):
2.5k warm up incl strides
3 x 2400m Lactate Threshold Intervals with 400m jog + drink
94, 95, 97, 96, 98, 97 = 9:37 (HR 165-168)
95, 97, 97, 98, 97, 96 = 9:38 (HR 171-174)
96, 97, 97, 98, 96, 95 = 9:39 (HR 176-184)
Average = 4:01 min/km, av HR 174 bpm, high 184
4 x 200m Repetitions in 44, 44, 42, 41 (200m jog)
6.7k cool down (total 19k)
Legs felt a bit heavy from the start. Last interval was tough because the sun was in full force. The 200ms in 44secs were the slowest that I've done in a while due to tiredness.
Total 80k for the week, 1836k for the year (av 65 kmpw)
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Nothing much week
First off, congrats to my fellow bloggers who ran Perth & Gold Coast Marathons this morning !
As for me, nothing really exciting this week. Pretty much all easy running with a couple of 90mins easy runs. I was planning to do more mileage for endurance, but couldn't do so due to other life factors (wife was unwell, busy at work, heat etc).
Hopefully, next week will be a better week !
Mon - 45mins Light
Tue - 90mins Easy
Wed - 41mins Easy
Thu - AM 2 x 1k CV intervals then DNF due to heat, PM 30mins incl 25mins at HM pace
Fri - 35mins Light
Sat - off
Sun - 87mins Easy (HR 154 bpm)
Total 69k for the week, 1756k for the year
As for me, nothing really exciting this week. Pretty much all easy running with a couple of 90mins easy runs. I was planning to do more mileage for endurance, but couldn't do so due to other life factors (wife was unwell, busy at work, heat etc).
Hopefully, next week will be a better week !
Mon - 45mins Light
Tue - 90mins Easy
Wed - 41mins Easy
Thu - AM 2 x 1k CV intervals then DNF due to heat, PM 30mins incl 25mins at HM pace
Fri - 35mins Light
Sat - off
Sun - 87mins Easy (HR 154 bpm)
Total 69k for the week, 1756k for the year
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Pearl Izumi Run Series 1: 12k in Bedok
The plan was to run the 12k race at 4:10 pace, as a race simulation for a HM in 8 weeks time. I felt this is doable given that I did 8k tempo run at 4:09 pace on the track two weeks ago and it wasn't a big struggle.
Didn't taper but had to take Friday off due to work commitments (55k total before the race). Given the consistently poor organizations and inaccurate distances for races in Singapore, I followed Ewen's advice not to taper and forget about peaking. There are probably only 1-2 IAAF certified road races here, so will try to peak for those ones (and track races which are definitely accurate).
The course turned out to be very, very DIFFICULT with more than 30 twists & turns, 4 overhead bridges (stairs) and running through the lobbies of several apartments. I felt that I lost around 2 minutes due to the 'slow' course.
Didn't taper but had to take Friday off due to work commitments (55k total before the race). Given the consistently poor organizations and inaccurate distances for races in Singapore, I followed Ewen's advice not to taper and forget about peaking. There are probably only 1-2 IAAF certified road races here, so will try to peak for those ones (and track races which are definitely accurate).
The course turned out to be very, very DIFFICULT with more than 30 twists & turns, 4 overhead bridges (stairs) and running through the lobbies of several apartments. I felt that I lost around 2 minutes due to the 'slow' course.
For readers outside Singapore, here is an example of public apartment (HDBs) where parts of the race course was ran today. The lobby of these apartment blocks are open space in order for people to meet, chat, and play mahjong..
The splits were very VOLATILE, with some splits varied by more than one minute due to the stairs. I am not good in stairs climbing so I walked on all of them and I had to hold the hand rails whilst going down.
Splits:
3:48/168 (got sucked in with the lead pack)
3:58/174
4:02/176 (pace was okay since we ran on straight paths)
4:12/177
4:13/177
4:20/179 (the course started its twists & turns)
5:16/176 (60 secs lost due to stairs up the overhead bridge & drink stop)
4:28/177 (twists & turns)
4:41/176 (drink stop)
4:18/183 (getting warm as indicated by HR spike)
4:51/183 (30-40 lost due to stairs up the bridge)
1:21/189 (last 400m)
Total distance was 11.4k according to Garmin, but I am not too sure how the GPS measured the stairs climbing up the overhead bridges. Finished in the Top 9 out of 200 runners in 49:35 (av 4:19 pace), which wasn't too bad given I probably gave about 90% effort. With a fast course and slower early pace, most likely I could complete the run about 1.5-2 minutes faster comfortably.
So, what's next? My next two races are a 10k in 4 weeks time (questionable distance, gravel surface) and a HM in 8 weeks time (big race, so distance could be accurate). I plan to increase my mileage over the next few weeks and make myself comfortable to run at HR 170-180 for a longer period of time.
My training this week:
Monday:
AM (track)
10 mins warm up incl strides
5 x 1000m at 8k pace Intervals (av 3:50 min/km) with 2:00 recovery
Splits:
3:47 (av 163 bpm)
3:49 (166)
3:52 (168)
3:51 (172)
3:49 (175)
6 mins cool down
The plan was to do 6-7x1000m at 3:55 min/km to train LT, but went too fast in all of them. Last week mileage was low (fresh legs), so found it tough to control the pace (it was akin more like 8k pace). Recovery was perhaps a bit short and was struggling in the last rep.
PM (treadmill)
26 mins jogging (5:39)
Tuesday (treadmill):
50 mins Recovery Run (5:23)
Wednesday (pavement):
10 mins warm up
7k in 32 mins at around marathon pace (4:32)
3 x 00:30 hill repeats, walk/jog return
6 mins cool down
Felt sluggish due to humidity and stiffness. It seems I was slow to recover from Monday's intervals. Haven't run at 4:30 pace for a long time so probably the body needs to adjust.
Thursday (treadmill):
72 mins Easy Run (av 5:09)
Friday:
Off
No run, team building day with work colleagues
Saturday (pavement):
36 mins Easy (av 5:18) with strides
Garmin had flat battery, so pace was approximated.
Sunday (pavement):
2k warm up with strides
12k Pearl Izumi Run Series 1 in Bedok Town park
3k cool down
Total 71.4km for the week, 1687 km for the year
Sunday, June 22, 2008
No Run
Arrghhhh...
Woke up at 6am this morning and got quickly changed into my running gear that I had prepared the night before. Seconds after I stepped out of the house door, guess what....a torrential rain started coupled with thunders.
Waited at home and continually checked the weather website until 7am (race started at 8). Finally decided not to go.
I am not afraid to run in the rain. The issue was how I would get to the starting point. The race location in Punggol is far (for the local standard) from where I live. I don't have a car so I cannot drive to the race and wait in the car until the race starts. Train station is 15mins walk from my place, but it rained cat and dogs outside. Also, the race dosn't have any bag deposit so I can't bring spare clothing, umbrella/poncho, bags etc.
It is very frustrating given that I've tried to peak for this race. Did a hard race pace workout 10 days ago, a tempo run 7 days ago, a light interval session 5 days ago and the rest of the week were short, easy runs to peak.
This is an evidence that how races can be disruptive to training. If I don't do the race, probably I could do a quality session or a long run on Friday or Saturday. At the end, I ended up with a measly 45k for the week without doing any quality workout at all.
All in all, 2 months of quality training for 5k/10k and there were no results to show. The 10k two weeks ago had the distance wrong and today no 5k due to rain. Bugger.
There is no more 5K for this year. There are a couple of 10ks in the next few months but hopefully the course will be fast and distance will be accurate.
Woke up at 6am this morning and got quickly changed into my running gear that I had prepared the night before. Seconds after I stepped out of the house door, guess what....a torrential rain started coupled with thunders.
Waited at home and continually checked the weather website until 7am (race started at 8). Finally decided not to go.
I am not afraid to run in the rain. The issue was how I would get to the starting point. The race location in Punggol is far (for the local standard) from where I live. I don't have a car so I cannot drive to the race and wait in the car until the race starts. Train station is 15mins walk from my place, but it rained cat and dogs outside. Also, the race dosn't have any bag deposit so I can't bring spare clothing, umbrella/poncho, bags etc.
It is very frustrating given that I've tried to peak for this race. Did a hard race pace workout 10 days ago, a tempo run 7 days ago, a light interval session 5 days ago and the rest of the week were short, easy runs to peak.
This is an evidence that how races can be disruptive to training. If I don't do the race, probably I could do a quality session or a long run on Friday or Saturday. At the end, I ended up with a measly 45k for the week without doing any quality workout at all.
All in all, 2 months of quality training for 5k/10k and there were no results to show. The 10k two weeks ago had the distance wrong and today no 5k due to rain. Bugger.
There is no more 5K for this year. There are a couple of 10ks in the next few months but hopefully the course will be fast and distance will be accurate.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Business As Usual
Pretty much business as usual. Wanted to run more, but can't do it due to work & home commitments. A 5k race next Sunday then a 12k race the following week. Will run the 5k hard, the 12k race will be treated as a tempo run to prepare for August 24th Half-Marathon.
My training this week:
Monday:
30 mins Easy Run (av 5:26 min/km)
Tired. Last week's long hours at work seemed to drain me physically & mentally.
Tuesday:
Off - no time to run.
Wednesday:
3k warm up to the track (incl 3 strides)
5 x 1000m VO2Max (av 3:41 min/km), high HR 192
Splits (per lap):
86, 88, 43 = 3:37 (av 174 bpm)
89, 89, 44 = 3:42 (178)
90, 89, 43 = 3:42 (180)
89, 90,43 = 3:42 (183)
89, 90, 42 = 3:41 (183)
Recovery were 400m slow jogs and 30secs drink stop for around 3:00 total
2.4k cool down (total workout 12k)
10 mins stretching/core
70 abs crunch + 2 sets weights for torso and hip
Had enforced 3 days off in the last 7 days due to work. For me, this resulted in fresh legs but loss in endurance. Ran the first 1000m too fast due to fresh legs and had to 'fight hard' after that. Wanted to quit ater the 4th interval but after extending the rest to 4mins, managed to complete the last one successfully.
Thursday:
35 mins Recovery Run (av 5:35)
20 mins weights
Friday:
57 mins Easy (av 5:00) with 10 mins @ MP
Hot day, should have stayed indoors. Headache for the whole day.
Saturday:
42 mins Easy (av 5:05) with 6 x 00:10 hills
Sunday:
10mins warm up on the track, incl 3 strides
8k sub-LT Tempo Run in 33:08 (av 4:09 min/km)
Splits (per 1600m):
6:36/165, 6:38/170, 6:42/175, 6:38/180, 6:34/186
Av HR 176 bpm, High HR 191
28 mins cool down incl 3 light strides
Total workout 15.5k in 72 mins (av 4:38)
A good workout but found the last 1600m tough as evidenced by high HR (186 bpm average). Cloudy morning but humid.
Total 59km for the week, 1571 km for the year
My training this week:
Monday:
30 mins Easy Run (av 5:26 min/km)
Tired. Last week's long hours at work seemed to drain me physically & mentally.
Tuesday:
Off - no time to run.
Wednesday:
3k warm up to the track (incl 3 strides)
5 x 1000m VO2Max (av 3:41 min/km), high HR 192
Splits (per lap):
86, 88, 43 = 3:37 (av 174 bpm)
89, 89, 44 = 3:42 (178)
90, 89, 43 = 3:42 (180)
89, 90,43 = 3:42 (183)
89, 90, 42 = 3:41 (183)
Recovery were 400m slow jogs and 30secs drink stop for around 3:00 total
2.4k cool down (total workout 12k)
10 mins stretching/core
70 abs crunch + 2 sets weights for torso and hip
Had enforced 3 days off in the last 7 days due to work. For me, this resulted in fresh legs but loss in endurance. Ran the first 1000m too fast due to fresh legs and had to 'fight hard' after that. Wanted to quit ater the 4th interval but after extending the rest to 4mins, managed to complete the last one successfully.
Thursday:
35 mins Recovery Run (av 5:35)
20 mins weights
Friday:
57 mins Easy (av 5:00) with 10 mins @ MP
Hot day, should have stayed indoors. Headache for the whole day.
Saturday:
42 mins Easy (av 5:05) with 6 x 00:10 hills
Sunday:
10mins warm up on the track, incl 3 strides
8k sub-LT Tempo Run in 33:08 (av 4:09 min/km)
Splits (per 1600m):
6:36/165, 6:38/170, 6:42/175, 6:38/180, 6:34/186
Av HR 176 bpm, High HR 191
28 mins cool down incl 3 light strides
Total workout 15.5k in 72 mins (av 4:38)
A good workout but found the last 1600m tough as evidenced by high HR (186 bpm average). Cloudy morning but humid.
Total 59km for the week, 1571 km for the year
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Gotta try again
A crap week with a crap race.
Was super busy for the whole week as we were preparing to submit a tender by Monday. Was in HK for the weekend and arrived back Sunday midnight. Then travelled to Jakarta for 3 days for work and didn't sleep much. Worked for 15 hours non-stop on both Friday and Saturday and didn't go to the bed until 2am the day of the race. Woke up at 6am and went to the race location. Did 3k warm up. Weather was good for Singapore standard.
My aim was to go through the first 5k in 19:40 in order to have any chance of going under 39:20. After a few ks, the body seemed to be in sleep mode and unwilling to run. Just wasn't feeling it today.
The markers were longer than 1km. When I passed the km 4 marker, my Garmin was already showing 4.4k. Passed the 5k mark according to my Garmin in 19:52 so I was already behind schedule. Then the distance markers get even worse. Passed the km 6 marker, when my Garmin showed km 7. So the course was already off by 1k.
Since the race is definitely longer than 10k and I wasn't really feeling it, I decided to cut my losses after km 7 and jog easily to the finish.
Total distance was 11.5k according to my Garmin. All the runners who used either 405, 305, 205 and Polar reported 11.5k for the route.
Gotta try again…..a 5k in 2 weeks time (hopefully the distance will be accurate)
This week's training:
Mon: 40 mins Fartlek (av pace 4:30 min/km)
Tue: off - travel to Jakarta for work
Wed: 60 mins Easy (av 5:11)
Thu: 33 mins Easy (av 5:08)
Fri: 39 mins Easy (av 4:53)
Sat: off - work all day
Sun: Saucony Passion Run: 3k warm up, 6k in 24mins + 5.5k easy to the finish
Total 50k for the week, 1512k for the year
Was super busy for the whole week as we were preparing to submit a tender by Monday. Was in HK for the weekend and arrived back Sunday midnight. Then travelled to Jakarta for 3 days for work and didn't sleep much. Worked for 15 hours non-stop on both Friday and Saturday and didn't go to the bed until 2am the day of the race. Woke up at 6am and went to the race location. Did 3k warm up. Weather was good for Singapore standard.
My aim was to go through the first 5k in 19:40 in order to have any chance of going under 39:20. After a few ks, the body seemed to be in sleep mode and unwilling to run. Just wasn't feeling it today.
The markers were longer than 1km. When I passed the km 4 marker, my Garmin was already showing 4.4k. Passed the 5k mark according to my Garmin in 19:52 so I was already behind schedule. Then the distance markers get even worse. Passed the km 6 marker, when my Garmin showed km 7. So the course was already off by 1k.
Since the race is definitely longer than 10k and I wasn't really feeling it, I decided to cut my losses after km 7 and jog easily to the finish.
Total distance was 11.5k according to my Garmin. All the runners who used either 405, 305, 205 and Polar reported 11.5k for the route.
Gotta try again…..a 5k in 2 weeks time (hopefully the distance will be accurate)
This week's training:
Mon: 40 mins Fartlek (av pace 4:30 min/km)
Tue: off - travel to Jakarta for work
Wed: 60 mins Easy (av 5:11)
Thu: 33 mins Easy (av 5:08)
Fri: 39 mins Easy (av 4:53)
Sat: off - work all day
Sun: Saucony Passion Run: 3k warm up, 6k in 24mins + 5.5k easy to the finish
Total 50k for the week, 1512k for the year
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Last hitout
A pretty good week. Despite heavy workload at the office, still managed two good quality workouts. There was no soreness from Sunday's 5.5k race - which is good.
On Tuesday, I ran a 30mins moderate pace tempo + hill sprints. On Thursday, I did one last Big Workout before a 10k race next Sunday: 2 x2.4k @ LT, 2 x 1.2k @ 10k, 2 x 0.6k @ 5k on a wet track.
I don't know what to expect for next week's 10k. I feel that I'm pretty fit due to a diet of tempo and CV intervals over the last 6 weeks. On the other hand, things can also go wrong due to:
- Hot weather on race day
- The 10k starts after 3 waves of 15k runners. The race is on bike path, so expect congestion
- Will be working in Jakarta, difficult to find time to run & normally eat too much buffet.
Tuesday:
AM (pavement)
10 mins warm up
30 mins Medium Pace Tempo (av 4:22 min/km), av HR 163 bpm
7 mins jog to the hill
4 x ~75m hill sprints in 00:15 (Wishart Rd)
6 mins cool down
5 mins stretching/core
Total workout 11.8k in 55:15 (av 4:41)
Comment: No soreness from Sunday's race. Av HR was 163 bpm with a high of 171 which is lower than 170 bpm with a high of 183 during a 35 mins tempo run at same pace last month. Albeit a shorter run by 5mins, it looks like my fitness has improved.
PM (treadmill):
27 mins Recovery (av 5:32 min/km)
Comment: Decided to double because I missed Sunday's long run.
Wednesday (treadmill):
35 mins Recovery (av 5:34 min/km)
10 mins weights + 60 abs crunch
Thursday (track):
9 mins warm up incl 2 short strides (in the rain)
2 x 2400m @ LT pace with 400m jog
Splits: 9:46 and 9:38 (av 4:03 min/km)
2 x 1200m @ 10k pace with 400m jog
Splits: 4:38 and 4:40 (av 3:53 min/km)
2 x 600m at 5k pace with 400m jog
Splits: 2:11 and 2:14, av pace 3:41 min/km
8 mins cool down
10 mins stretching/core
Total workout 13.7k in 62 mins (av 4:31)
Good last workout before a 10k next Sunday. It was raining for the first 15 mins but then stopped. Garmin had a flat battery today so wore a Timex watch. Since it only has a stopwatch mode and doesn't have lap times, I had to count the splits manually. Felt pretty good for most intervals, although the 600s were too short to be challenging.
Friday:
Off
80 abs crunch , 20 push-ups, 60 lat pulls
Total 64k for the week, 308k for May, year-to-date 1462k
On Tuesday, I ran a 30mins moderate pace tempo + hill sprints. On Thursday, I did one last Big Workout before a 10k race next Sunday: 2 x2.4k @ LT, 2 x 1.2k @ 10k, 2 x 0.6k @ 5k on a wet track.
I don't know what to expect for next week's 10k. I feel that I'm pretty fit due to a diet of tempo and CV intervals over the last 6 weeks. On the other hand, things can also go wrong due to:
- Hot weather on race day
- The 10k starts after 3 waves of 15k runners. The race is on bike path, so expect congestion
- Will be working in Jakarta, difficult to find time to run & normally eat too much buffet.
Anyway, my training for this week:
Monday (treadmill):
35 mins Recovery (av 5:35 min/km)
Tuesday:
AM (pavement)
10 mins warm up
30 mins Medium Pace Tempo (av 4:22 min/km), av HR 163 bpm
7 mins jog to the hill
4 x ~75m hill sprints in 00:15 (Wishart Rd)
6 mins cool down
5 mins stretching/core
Total workout 11.8k in 55:15 (av 4:41)
Comment: No soreness from Sunday's race. Av HR was 163 bpm with a high of 171 which is lower than 170 bpm with a high of 183 during a 35 mins tempo run at same pace last month. Albeit a shorter run by 5mins, it looks like my fitness has improved.
PM (treadmill):
27 mins Recovery (av 5:32 min/km)
Comment: Decided to double because I missed Sunday's long run.
Wednesday (treadmill):
35 mins Recovery (av 5:34 min/km)
10 mins weights + 60 abs crunch
Thursday (track):
9 mins warm up incl 2 short strides (in the rain)
2 x 2400m @ LT pace with 400m jog
Splits: 9:46 and 9:38 (av 4:03 min/km)
2 x 1200m @ 10k pace with 400m jog
Splits: 4:38 and 4:40 (av 3:53 min/km)
2 x 600m at 5k pace with 400m jog
Splits: 2:11 and 2:14, av pace 3:41 min/km
8 mins cool down
10 mins stretching/core
Total workout 13.7k in 62 mins (av 4:31)
Good last workout before a 10k next Sunday. It was raining for the first 15 mins but then stopped. Garmin had a flat battery today so wore a Timex watch. Since it only has a stopwatch mode and doesn't have lap times, I had to count the splits manually. Felt pretty good for most intervals, although the 600s were too short to be challenging.
Friday:
Off
Saturday (pavement):
70 mins Easy (av 5:12 min/km)Sunday (treadmill):
40 mins Easy (av 5:18 min/km)80 abs crunch , 20 push-ups, 60 lat pulls
Total 64k for the week, 308k for May, year-to-date 1462k
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Clarke Quay 20 Run
Entered a small, low key race this morning, with the start point located about 1.5k from home. The event is called Clarke Quay 20, organized by Singaore Polytechnics School as part of the Singapore River Raft Race held in the weekend.
No taper, ran 62k total between Monday-Saturday and had no off days in the last three weeks. My aim was simply to get a feel of running at around 10k pace for a reasonable distance before a 10k race in 2 weeks time.
The run was supposed to start at 8:15, but was delayed until about 9am due to poor organisation. By that time, the sun was already out in full force. The route started at Clarke Quay MRT towards Fullerton Hotel, cross Coleman Bridge and back to Clarke Quay MRT via Read Bridge which included steep stairs. Two laps plus a final home stretch to UOB Building. There were only 25 runners in the male category, all college students, mostly less than half my age. The top 3 wins cash.
Started with the lead pack and after around 1k, there were only four of us. At the 2k mark, the top 2 broke away and left us about 50m behind. Was running neck by neck with the 3rd runner, and he was a total dickhead. He had no sportmanship and tried to block me all the time. When I ran on the right side and tried to pass him, he moved to the right, when I tried to pass from the left, he moved to the left and blocked me. He was struggling and dying, and I guess the only way he could get 3rd place is simply to stop and block peole from passing.
At km 3, I decided to have enough and bumped him at the shoulder and yelled 'Ran straight!'. He was dying and a minute later decided to walk as he had no hope of finishing 3rd. From then on, I ran alone with the the top 2 around 200-300m in front. My HR went to around 188 bpm at the 4k mark and I then decided to relax the pace a bit since 3rd place was safe.
Finished 3rd place, 1 min after the winner and 3mins before the 4th runner. Won $100 cheque (US$75)
Splits: 3:34/168, 3:49/176, 3:50/182, 3:50/187, 3:58/188 and 1:52 for the last 470m. Total distance was 5.47k including 2 sets of stairs.
Anyway, my training for this week:
Monday (road):
92 mins Long Run (av pace 5:01, av HR 150 bpm)
Didn't enjoy the run. It seems that my recent venture into speed training makes fat buring harder. Also mentally, track running is more motivating due to the need to concentrate to hit certain times. Last 3k at around Marathon Pace
Tuesday (treadmill):
35 mins Easy (av pace 5:19)
40 abs crunch
Wednesday (grass):
13 mins warm up incl 3 strides
2 x 15 mins Tempo (av 4:08) with 4 mins recovery
4 x 150m Repetitions in 00:30
12 mins cool down
Av HR was 162 bpm for the first tempo segment and 171 bpm for the second one. Really happy with the run as HR was relatively stable and didn't go through the roof.
Thursday (treadmill):
40 mins Recovery run (av 5:34)
5 mins stretching/core + 50 abs crunch
Friday (road):
50 mins Easy (av 5:02)
incl. 8 x (100m strides, 100 m jog) + 4 x 00:15 hill sprints
5 mins stretching/core
Saturday (concrete):
33 mins Recovery run (av 5:27)
Sunday (concrete):
3.6k warm up in segments (race kept gettng delayed)
~5.5k race in 20:56 (av 3:50) incl steps
1.2k slow cool down
3rd place overall, av HR 181, high HR 191. Won $100.
Total 72.3k for the week, 1398k for the year
No taper, ran 62k total between Monday-Saturday and had no off days in the last three weeks. My aim was simply to get a feel of running at around 10k pace for a reasonable distance before a 10k race in 2 weeks time.
The run was supposed to start at 8:15, but was delayed until about 9am due to poor organisation. By that time, the sun was already out in full force. The route started at Clarke Quay MRT towards Fullerton Hotel, cross Coleman Bridge and back to Clarke Quay MRT via Read Bridge which included steep stairs. Two laps plus a final home stretch to UOB Building. There were only 25 runners in the male category, all college students, mostly less than half my age. The top 3 wins cash.
Started with the lead pack and after around 1k, there were only four of us. At the 2k mark, the top 2 broke away and left us about 50m behind. Was running neck by neck with the 3rd runner, and he was a total dickhead. He had no sportmanship and tried to block me all the time. When I ran on the right side and tried to pass him, he moved to the right, when I tried to pass from the left, he moved to the left and blocked me. He was struggling and dying, and I guess the only way he could get 3rd place is simply to stop and block peole from passing.
At km 3, I decided to have enough and bumped him at the shoulder and yelled 'Ran straight!'. He was dying and a minute later decided to walk as he had no hope of finishing 3rd. From then on, I ran alone with the the top 2 around 200-300m in front. My HR went to around 188 bpm at the 4k mark and I then decided to relax the pace a bit since 3rd place was safe.
Finished 3rd place, 1 min after the winner and 3mins before the 4th runner. Won $100 cheque (US$75)
Splits: 3:34/168, 3:49/176, 3:50/182, 3:50/187, 3:58/188 and 1:52 for the last 470m. Total distance was 5.47k including 2 sets of stairs.
Anyway, my training for this week:
Monday (road):
92 mins Long Run (av pace 5:01, av HR 150 bpm)
Didn't enjoy the run. It seems that my recent venture into speed training makes fat buring harder. Also mentally, track running is more motivating due to the need to concentrate to hit certain times. Last 3k at around Marathon Pace
Tuesday (treadmill):
35 mins Easy (av pace 5:19)
40 abs crunch
Wednesday (grass):
13 mins warm up incl 3 strides
2 x 15 mins Tempo (av 4:08) with 4 mins recovery
4 x 150m Repetitions in 00:30
12 mins cool down
Av HR was 162 bpm for the first tempo segment and 171 bpm for the second one. Really happy with the run as HR was relatively stable and didn't go through the roof.
Thursday (treadmill):
40 mins Recovery run (av 5:34)
5 mins stretching/core + 50 abs crunch
Friday (road):
50 mins Easy (av 5:02)
incl. 8 x (100m strides, 100 m jog) + 4 x 00:15 hill sprints
5 mins stretching/core
Saturday (concrete):
33 mins Recovery run (av 5:27)
Sunday (concrete):
3.6k warm up in segments (race kept gettng delayed)
~5.5k race in 20:56 (av 3:50) incl steps
1.2k slow cool down
3rd place overall, av HR 181, high HR 191. Won $100.
Total 72.3k for the week, 1398k for the year
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Good but Tiring Week
My preference is to do a very hard day followed by 2 very easy days like last week, but work commitments dictated my training week. Due to a couple of early morning meetings, I had to juggle my running and ended up doing 3 quality sessions in 5 days.
Did a short VO2 Max session on Tuesday, a moderate pace tempo run on Thursday, and then 4 x 1600m at 10k pace on Saturday. The latter session was especially tough (for my standard) and I was relieved to finish it. Unlike previous speed sessions where I could do the intervals progressively with the last ones being the fastest, my last interval on Saturday ended up the slowest and I had to work hard to keep it within the timing range.
Looks like my endurance has suffered a bit from the recent venture into speed training. My last long run (20k) was 2 weeks ago and since then, my easy runs were only around 30-50 mins. This Monday is a public holiday in Singapore so I guess it’s a good time to do a long run.
Next races are a 10k in three weeks time and a 5k a couple of weeks after that.
My training this week:
Monday (treadmill):
32 mins Easy (av pace 5:18)
50 abs crunch
Tuesday (bike path):
AM:
10 mins warm up incl 2 strides
8 x 400m at 3k-5k pace with equal time recovery
Splits: 1:26, 1:25, 1:26, 1:26, 1:21, 1:24, 1:26, 1:15 (av pace 3:30, last one 3:08)
10mins cool down
The plan was to do a VO2Max workout, e.g. 12 x 400m at 5k pace in 88 secs per 400m (or 3:40 min/km). But it turned out that I ran the intervals much faster than I wanted to, especially for the 5th and 6th intervals. Was tired after the 7th, so decided to close shop by running the 8th interval very hard.
PM:
15 mins upper body weights
20 mins easy jogging on treadmill (5:43)
15 mins stretching/core
Wednesday (treadmill):
50 mins Recovery run (5:28)
50 abs crunch
Thursday (track):
10 mins warm up
8k Medium Tempo Run in 34:23 (av pace 4:18)
10 mins cool down
5 mins stretching
Total 12k in 55 mins
Felt too lazy to run on the road due to traffic and heat (5.30 pm), so went to the track instead and ran clockwise. Felt really good. Splits per 1600m: 6:51, 6:56, 6:55, 6:55, 6:46.
Friday (treadmill):
27 mins Recovery run (5:37) - busy day
Saturday (track):
15 mins warm up incl 3 strides
4 x 1600m at 10k pace with 400m jog (av pace 3:55 for intervals)
10min rest (too tired to run or do strides)
30 mins cool down inc drink stop
Total 16k in 77 mins
Splits:
1:33, 1:33, 1:33, 1:35 = 6:14 (av 169 bpm),
1:33. 1:34, 1:36, 1:33 = 6:16 (av 173 bpm),
1:34, 1:35, 1:34, 1:33 = 6:16 (av 179 bpm),
1:34, 1:37, 1:35, 1:33 = 6:19 (av 181 bpm)
Around 5 hours sleep but decided to run anyway since the sky was partly cloudy. Last week, I was churning out 1000m intervals at 3:50 pace comfortably but today I found the session was much tougher. 4 x 1600m at 3:55 pace turned out to be twice as hard and I was relieved to finish the session in one piece. Had to really work hard in the last interval to keep within the target timing. Was totally spent afterwards and even too tired to do any strides.
Sunday (concrete/grass):
40 mins Recovery run (av 5:35, av HR 141 bpm)
Total 67.3k, 1326k for the year
Did a short VO2 Max session on Tuesday, a moderate pace tempo run on Thursday, and then 4 x 1600m at 10k pace on Saturday. The latter session was especially tough (for my standard) and I was relieved to finish it. Unlike previous speed sessions where I could do the intervals progressively with the last ones being the fastest, my last interval on Saturday ended up the slowest and I had to work hard to keep it within the timing range.
Looks like my endurance has suffered a bit from the recent venture into speed training. My last long run (20k) was 2 weeks ago and since then, my easy runs were only around 30-50 mins. This Monday is a public holiday in Singapore so I guess it’s a good time to do a long run.
Next races are a 10k in three weeks time and a 5k a couple of weeks after that.
My training this week:
Monday (treadmill):
32 mins Easy (av pace 5:18)
50 abs crunch
Tuesday (bike path):
AM:
10 mins warm up incl 2 strides
8 x 400m at 3k-5k pace with equal time recovery
Splits: 1:26, 1:25, 1:26, 1:26, 1:21, 1:24, 1:26, 1:15 (av pace 3:30, last one 3:08)
10mins cool down
The plan was to do a VO2Max workout, e.g. 12 x 400m at 5k pace in 88 secs per 400m (or 3:40 min/km). But it turned out that I ran the intervals much faster than I wanted to, especially for the 5th and 6th intervals. Was tired after the 7th, so decided to close shop by running the 8th interval very hard.
PM:
15 mins upper body weights
20 mins easy jogging on treadmill (5:43)
15 mins stretching/core
Wednesday (treadmill):
50 mins Recovery run (5:28)
50 abs crunch
Thursday (track):
10 mins warm up
8k Medium Tempo Run in 34:23 (av pace 4:18)
10 mins cool down
5 mins stretching
Total 12k in 55 mins
Felt too lazy to run on the road due to traffic and heat (5.30 pm), so went to the track instead and ran clockwise. Felt really good. Splits per 1600m: 6:51, 6:56, 6:55, 6:55, 6:46.
Friday (treadmill):
27 mins Recovery run (5:37) - busy day
Saturday (track):
15 mins warm up incl 3 strides
4 x 1600m at 10k pace with 400m jog (av pace 3:55 for intervals)
10min rest (too tired to run or do strides)
30 mins cool down inc drink stop
Total 16k in 77 mins
Splits:
1:33, 1:33, 1:33, 1:35 = 6:14 (av 169 bpm),
1:33. 1:34, 1:36, 1:33 = 6:16 (av 173 bpm),
1:34, 1:35, 1:34, 1:33 = 6:16 (av 179 bpm),
1:34, 1:37, 1:35, 1:33 = 6:19 (av 181 bpm)
Around 5 hours sleep but decided to run anyway since the sky was partly cloudy. Last week, I was churning out 1000m intervals at 3:50 pace comfortably but today I found the session was much tougher. 4 x 1600m at 3:55 pace turned out to be twice as hard and I was relieved to finish the session in one piece. Had to really work hard in the last interval to keep within the target timing. Was totally spent afterwards and even too tired to do any strides.
Sunday (concrete/grass):
40 mins Recovery run (av 5:35, av HR 141 bpm)
Total 67.3k, 1326k for the year
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Lovin' it
I think I am responding well to the switch to 5k-10k training, judging from a couple of track sessions this week.
The intervals are getting easier to do and I fell that I am getting stronger.
I also made a little tweak to my training after looking at Sean Wade’s training log (top US masters runner). Basically, after a hard day, I’ll take two easy days before I tackle another hard day. It seems to make a big difference as I now feel fresher on my hard days.
Did two quality workouts this week, 5 x 1000m at 10k pace mid-week and a 10k race simulation (6k tempo + 4 x 1k at 10k pace) in the weekend.
I begin to wonder whether all the crap running between January to March was attributed to the marathon training. Too much emphasis on long run and mileage done in an unconducive running environment like Singapore seem to break my body down as well as drain my physical and mental reserves. I always struggled running longer than 1 hour in Singapore as the combination of heat, humidity, and loss of fluid took a lot out of me.
Monday:
44 mins Easy (av pace 5:14)
Course: treadmill, random with various inclines ranging between 0-4%
Tuesday:
40 mins Easy (av 5:03)
Course: road incl 2 Mt Fabre climbs (between 1500-1600m each, raising 70-80m)
50 abs crunch + core
Ran during lunch time and it was blazing hot.
Wednesday (track):
10 mins warm up incl 2 strides
5 x 1000m CV intervals (av 3:52) with 200m jog
3:52 (93, 94, 45)
3:53 (94, 93, 46)
3:52 (93, 93, 46)
3:52 (93, 93, 46)
3:49 (93, 93, 43)
4 x 00:15 strides on rough grass
10 mins cool down
5 mins stretching
A good session, happy with the effort and strength despite quite minimal recovery period relative to my previous speed workouts in Singapore.
Thursday:
36 mins recovery (av 5:33)
Course: treadmill, random with inclines 0-2%
80 abs crunch + core
Friday:
40 mins Easy (av 5:15), incl 5 x 60-70m hill sprints (~15 secs)
Course: Concrete, undulanting
Felt sluggish, with sore throat from the traffic pollution
Saturday (track):
10 mins warm up
6k sub-LT Tempo Run in 24:32 (av 4:05)
Splits: 96, 97, 98, 99, 99, 98, 98, 98, 98, 98, 98, 98, 98, 98, 96
Av HR 169, with a high 177 bpm
800m jog + rest (gel, drink)
4 x 1000m CV intervals (av 3:51, av HR 171)
3:50 (90, 94, 46), av HR 167
3:53 (94, 94, 45), av HR 171
3:53 (93, 95, 45), av HR 170
3:47 (92, 94, 41), av HR 172
All with 100m walk, 100m jog for recovery
3 laps of sprint the straights (100m), jog the curves (100m)
5.7k cool down incl 5 x 00:10 hill sprints
Total 20k in 1:31:50 (av 3:36)
Beautiful weather, 26c cloudy and windy (like Perth in spring). A great race simulation ! The av HR during the 6k tempo was 169 bpm with a high of 177 compared to a 5k tempo at the same pace in April with av 176 and a high 189 bpm. So a 10bpm improvement at the same pace, although the weather condition is much cooler today. The great thing is that it didn’t go above 180 bpm as I probably ran it below threshold. CV workouts after the tempo were tough but the pace was comparable to the Wednesday straight intervals session.
Sunday:
37 mins Recovery (av 5:33)
Course: concrete with some on grass.
Total 68 km before tomorrow’s run, year-to-date 1258 km
The intervals are getting easier to do and I fell that I am getting stronger.
I also made a little tweak to my training after looking at Sean Wade’s training log (top US masters runner). Basically, after a hard day, I’ll take two easy days before I tackle another hard day. It seems to make a big difference as I now feel fresher on my hard days.
Did two quality workouts this week, 5 x 1000m at 10k pace mid-week and a 10k race simulation (6k tempo + 4 x 1k at 10k pace) in the weekend.
I begin to wonder whether all the crap running between January to March was attributed to the marathon training. Too much emphasis on long run and mileage done in an unconducive running environment like Singapore seem to break my body down as well as drain my physical and mental reserves. I always struggled running longer than 1 hour in Singapore as the combination of heat, humidity, and loss of fluid took a lot out of me.
Monday:
44 mins Easy (av pace 5:14)
Course: treadmill, random with various inclines ranging between 0-4%
Tuesday:
40 mins Easy (av 5:03)
Course: road incl 2 Mt Fabre climbs (between 1500-1600m each, raising 70-80m)
50 abs crunch + core
Ran during lunch time and it was blazing hot.
Wednesday (track):
10 mins warm up incl 2 strides
5 x 1000m CV intervals (av 3:52) with 200m jog
3:52 (93, 94, 45)
3:53 (94, 93, 46)
3:52 (93, 93, 46)
3:52 (93, 93, 46)
3:49 (93, 93, 43)
4 x 00:15 strides on rough grass
10 mins cool down
5 mins stretching
A good session, happy with the effort and strength despite quite minimal recovery period relative to my previous speed workouts in Singapore.
Thursday:
36 mins recovery (av 5:33)
Course: treadmill, random with inclines 0-2%
80 abs crunch + core
Friday:
40 mins Easy (av 5:15), incl 5 x 60-70m hill sprints (~15 secs)
Course: Concrete, undulanting
Felt sluggish, with sore throat from the traffic pollution
Saturday (track):
10 mins warm up
6k sub-LT Tempo Run in 24:32 (av 4:05)
Splits: 96, 97, 98, 99, 99, 98, 98, 98, 98, 98, 98, 98, 98, 98, 96
Av HR 169, with a high 177 bpm
800m jog + rest (gel, drink)
4 x 1000m CV intervals (av 3:51, av HR 171)
3:50 (90, 94, 46), av HR 167
3:53 (94, 94, 45), av HR 171
3:53 (93, 95, 45), av HR 170
3:47 (92, 94, 41), av HR 172
All with 100m walk, 100m jog for recovery
3 laps of sprint the straights (100m), jog the curves (100m)
5.7k cool down incl 5 x 00:10 hill sprints
Total 20k in 1:31:50 (av 3:36)
Beautiful weather, 26c cloudy and windy (like Perth in spring). A great race simulation ! The av HR during the 6k tempo was 169 bpm with a high of 177 compared to a 5k tempo at the same pace in April with av 176 and a high 189 bpm. So a 10bpm improvement at the same pace, although the weather condition is much cooler today. The great thing is that it didn’t go above 180 bpm as I probably ran it below threshold. CV workouts after the tempo were tough but the pace was comparable to the Wednesday straight intervals session.
Sunday:
37 mins Recovery (av 5:33)
Course: concrete with some on grass.
Total 68 km before tomorrow’s run, year-to-date 1258 km
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Good signs
A good week with two speed workouts and a medium long run.
The highlight of the week was Thursday workout on a very cool, low humidity day for Singapore standard. Did a 5k LT tempo run on the track in 19:46 at av HR of 174 bpm and high HR of 187. This is much better than my last tempo run in 20:20 three weeks ago with av HR 176 and high HR 189 bpm. So about 2bpm lower but at faster pace (~34 secs faster), underpinned by cool weather and perhaps some fitness gain. In fact, the av HR from Thursday was almost comparable to the HR data from my tempo runs in Perth.
After the tempo run, I did 4 x 200m and for the first time did a couple in 36 secs (i.e. 3:00 min/km). Seems that my recent diet of hill reps and 200m reps which I did at the end of tempo/interval sessions have improved my basic speed. Now if I can only continue running at that pace for another 42k !! lol
Anyway, this week training is as follows:
Monday:
AM: 20 mins jogging on grass (av pace 5:57)
PM: 30 mins recovery on treadmill (av 5:30)
Tuesday:
AM: Hill Workout
15 mins warm up
3 x ~840m at Fort Canning Hill . Splits: 3:19, 3:22, 3:21, jog return in 5:00
5 x 170m hill (00:38, 38, 39, 38, 38), walk/jog rcovery
10 mins cool down
Tried something different as an alternative to track running. Ran from the bottom to the Fort gate - which is around 840m. The first 100m is flat, next 100m uphill (3-4% grade), next 200m flat/downhill, next 200m steep uphill (5-6% grade), last 200m gentle uphill (1-2%). Not sure whether the physiological stimulus is enough since only 10 mins of hard running were accumulated during the 3x800 but hopefully there is some neuro-muscular strength to gain. A good cardio/strength workout, will try to do 4 intervals next time.
PM: ~40 mins jogging with work colleagues to Labrador Park (av pace 5:49)
Wednesday:
AM: 10 mins shakeout on grass - too hot
PM: 38 mins recovery on treadmill (av 5:26) + stretching
Thursday:
AM: LT/Speed Workout (track)
2k warm up incl strides
5k LT Tempo Run in 19:46 (av pace 3:57), av HR 174, highest 187 bpm
800m jog + rest
4 x 200m reps with 200m jog. Splits: 00:38, 36, 39, 36
800m jog + rest
800m fast in 2:56
4k cool down, total 15k in 70 mins
Very nice weather for running, cool and surprsingly low humidity. Splits for the tempo run (per 400m): 1:34/145, 1:37/166, 1:36/168, 1:36/170, 1:36/172, 1:35/174, 1:36/176, 1:36/178, 1:35/180, 1:36/181, 1:35/183, 1:35/183, 00:39/186. The tempo pace was actually steady at 4:00 min/km, but a strong final kick in last 200m (savings 10 secs) skewed the total time a bit. First time doing 200s in 36 secs.
PM: Pilates class + weights
Friday:
35 mins recovery on treadmill (av 5:40) + stretching
Saturday:
AM: 80 mins easy on bike path (av pace 4:56) - sluggish
PM: 30mins easy on pavement (av pace 5:03) - humid
Total 78k for the week, 1190k for the year
The highlight of the week was Thursday workout on a very cool, low humidity day for Singapore standard. Did a 5k LT tempo run on the track in 19:46 at av HR of 174 bpm and high HR of 187. This is much better than my last tempo run in 20:20 three weeks ago with av HR 176 and high HR 189 bpm. So about 2bpm lower but at faster pace (~34 secs faster), underpinned by cool weather and perhaps some fitness gain. In fact, the av HR from Thursday was almost comparable to the HR data from my tempo runs in Perth.
After the tempo run, I did 4 x 200m and for the first time did a couple in 36 secs (i.e. 3:00 min/km). Seems that my recent diet of hill reps and 200m reps which I did at the end of tempo/interval sessions have improved my basic speed. Now if I can only continue running at that pace for another 42k !! lol
Anyway, this week training is as follows:
Monday:
AM: 20 mins jogging on grass (av pace 5:57)
PM: 30 mins recovery on treadmill (av 5:30)
Tuesday:
AM: Hill Workout
15 mins warm up
3 x ~840m at Fort Canning Hill . Splits: 3:19, 3:22, 3:21, jog return in 5:00
5 x 170m hill (00:38, 38, 39, 38, 38), walk/jog rcovery
10 mins cool down
Tried something different as an alternative to track running. Ran from the bottom to the Fort gate - which is around 840m. The first 100m is flat, next 100m uphill (3-4% grade), next 200m flat/downhill, next 200m steep uphill (5-6% grade), last 200m gentle uphill (1-2%). Not sure whether the physiological stimulus is enough since only 10 mins of hard running were accumulated during the 3x800 but hopefully there is some neuro-muscular strength to gain. A good cardio/strength workout, will try to do 4 intervals next time.
PM: ~40 mins jogging with work colleagues to Labrador Park (av pace 5:49)
Wednesday:
AM: 10 mins shakeout on grass - too hot
PM: 38 mins recovery on treadmill (av 5:26) + stretching
Thursday:
AM: LT/Speed Workout (track)
2k warm up incl strides
5k LT Tempo Run in 19:46 (av pace 3:57), av HR 174, highest 187 bpm
800m jog + rest
4 x 200m reps with 200m jog. Splits: 00:38, 36, 39, 36
800m jog + rest
800m fast in 2:56
4k cool down, total 15k in 70 mins
Very nice weather for running, cool and surprsingly low humidity. Splits for the tempo run (per 400m): 1:34/145, 1:37/166, 1:36/168, 1:36/170, 1:36/172, 1:35/174, 1:36/176, 1:36/178, 1:35/180, 1:36/181, 1:35/183, 1:35/183, 00:39/186. The tempo pace was actually steady at 4:00 min/km, but a strong final kick in last 200m (savings 10 secs) skewed the total time a bit. First time doing 200s in 36 secs.
PM: Pilates class + weights
Friday:
35 mins recovery on treadmill (av 5:40) + stretching
Saturday:
AM: 80 mins easy on bike path (av pace 4:56) - sluggish
PM: 30mins easy on pavement (av pace 5:03) - humid
Total 78k for the week, 1190k for the year
Sunday, April 27, 2008
JP Morgan Corporate Challenge 2008
An okay for week with two quality sessions: a 5.4k road race (JP Morgan Corp Challenge) and a long run in the weekend.
The JP Morgan Corporate Challenge was advertised as 5.6k but the distance turned out to be a bit short according to my Garmin and other runners who wore Polar footpod. The race was a charity event and attracted around 12,000 office people who ran, jogged, and walked the course in the CBD.
After 2.7k warm up, I went to the start line at 5:30 and it was packed already. Managed to bump some people and stood about 5 meters away from the start. Was squeezed in the waiting pack for a long 30mins. Weather was overcast and good. At 6:00 pm the race started. Km 1 was very crowded with runners, both fast and slow zoomed like there was no tomorrow. I had to zig zag left and right to pass people (split 3:51). Km 2 was still crowded and I wasn't feeling that comfortable at this point, perhaps the body was still adjusting to the pace (split 3:52). The turnaround was at 2.4k, the lane now became clear. Felt much better encouraged by office colleagues who saw me running as we ran past Singapore Flyer (split 3:51). Km 4 was uneventful as we ran back towards Padang (split 3:52). I had a side stitch in the next km and had to slow down a bit to get the breathing right in order to get rid of the stitch. Also lost a couple of seconds as I overan the Espalanade turn (split 3:56). Passed the 5k mark in 19:24 and I tried to save my energy in order to kick in the last 200m. But after a couple hundred meters I alrady saw the finish banner, so the course was slower than I thought. Saw the clock 20:4xx and sprinted to finish in 20:54.
In general, I was reasonably happy with the run given the fitness shape that I am in. I think I could have run it a bit faster.
The rest of the week were all easy, short runs except a 20k long run with a 8k tempo in the middle on Sunday.
Monday (concrete) :
35 mins Easy (av 5:24) incl 6 x 00:25 strides on grass
Tuesday (treadmill) :
40 mins Easy (av 5:19)
Wednesday (road race):
2.7k warm up
5.4k race in 20:54
4.0k cool down
Thursday:
AM: 20 mins Recovery (av 6:13) on grass
PM: 30 mins Elliptical
Friday (concrete/treadmill):
AM: 40 mins Easy (av 5:20, av HR 143 bpm)
PM: 20 mins Easy of hills on treadmill, 1.5-7.0% grade (av 5:18)
Saturday (concrete):
45 mins Easy (av 5:10, av HR 145)
Sunday (bike path):
20k Long Run in ~1h:38m (av 4:56) incl 8k tempo @ 4:22 min/km (av HR 170)
Total 70k for the week, 245k for the month, 1113k for the year
The JP Morgan Corporate Challenge was advertised as 5.6k but the distance turned out to be a bit short according to my Garmin and other runners who wore Polar footpod. The race was a charity event and attracted around 12,000 office people who ran, jogged, and walked the course in the CBD.
After 2.7k warm up, I went to the start line at 5:30 and it was packed already. Managed to bump some people and stood about 5 meters away from the start. Was squeezed in the waiting pack for a long 30mins. Weather was overcast and good. At 6:00 pm the race started. Km 1 was very crowded with runners, both fast and slow zoomed like there was no tomorrow. I had to zig zag left and right to pass people (split 3:51). Km 2 was still crowded and I wasn't feeling that comfortable at this point, perhaps the body was still adjusting to the pace (split 3:52). The turnaround was at 2.4k, the lane now became clear. Felt much better encouraged by office colleagues who saw me running as we ran past Singapore Flyer (split 3:51). Km 4 was uneventful as we ran back towards Padang (split 3:52). I had a side stitch in the next km and had to slow down a bit to get the breathing right in order to get rid of the stitch. Also lost a couple of seconds as I overan the Espalanade turn (split 3:56). Passed the 5k mark in 19:24 and I tried to save my energy in order to kick in the last 200m. But after a couple hundred meters I alrady saw the finish banner, so the course was slower than I thought. Saw the clock 20:4xx and sprinted to finish in 20:54.
In general, I was reasonably happy with the run given the fitness shape that I am in. I think I could have run it a bit faster.
The rest of the week were all easy, short runs except a 20k long run with a 8k tempo in the middle on Sunday.
Monday (concrete) :
35 mins Easy (av 5:24) incl 6 x 00:25 strides on grass
Tuesday (treadmill) :
40 mins Easy (av 5:19)
Wednesday (road race):
2.7k warm up
5.4k race in 20:54
4.0k cool down
Thursday:
AM: 20 mins Recovery (av 6:13) on grass
PM: 30 mins Elliptical
Friday (concrete/treadmill):
AM: 40 mins Easy (av 5:20, av HR 143 bpm)
PM: 20 mins Easy of hills on treadmill, 1.5-7.0% grade (av 5:18)
Saturday (concrete):
45 mins Easy (av 5:10, av HR 145)
Sunday (bike path):
20k Long Run in ~1h:38m (av 4:56) incl 8k tempo @ 4:22 min/km (av HR 170)
Total 70k for the week, 245k for the month, 1113k for the year
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Chickened out of the marathon
First off, congrats to my running buddies in Perth, Rob & Craig who both went sub 3:15 in Canberra marathon.
Since I decided to ‘kill’ my marathon dream (Gold Coast in early July) and to focus on short distance (5k-10k), things have got a bit easier - at least in mental sense. There is no more pressure to do 2-3 hours long run in the weekend, no more pressure to do a 90 minute run in mid-week etc. When I am tired and or in no mood for running, I could just do a 30 minute run without feeling guilty. My mind feels more refreshed and relaxed, knowing that I am free from the burden associated with high-mileage, marathon training.
Yes, you can call me a chicken…
But I am really struggling to train for marathon in Singapore despte having been here for 6 months...at least, at this point in time. However, I wouldn’t discount the possibility of training for one in the second half of the year.
Due to the shift in focus, my racing plans for the next few months are:
23 Apr: JP Morgan Corporate Challenge 5.6k (confirmed)
18 May: SAA All Newcomers Meet 5000m track (considering)
8 Jun: Saucony Passion Run 10k (registered)
15 Jun: Mt Faber Run – uphill (considering)
22 Jun: Punggol Central 5k (registered)
6 Jul: Milk Run 8.4k (considering)
Below is my training for the week:
Monday (concrete):
35mins recovery (av pace 5:31, av HR 145) - humid
Tuesday (track):
15mins warm up incl 2 strides
3 x 1000m at 10k pace with 200m jog + drink stop (av pace 3:53, av HR 172, Max 182)
Splits per 400m: 1:33, 1:34, 0:46 = 3:53, 1:33, 1:34, 00:46 = 3:53, 1:32, 1:34, 00:47 = 3:53
8 x 200m with 200m walk/jog recovery. Splits: 41, 42, 41, 42, 41, 41, 41, 39 secs
6mins cool down
The plan was to do 4-5 x 1k but felt stuffed after the 3rd interval. Decided to do 200s in order to salvage something from the session.
Wednesday (treadmill):
25mins recovery (av 5:38) in Mulia Hotel, Jakarta
Thursday (treadmill/road):
AM: 30mins easy (av 5:15) in Jakarta
PM: 20mins easy (av 5:11) in Singapore
Friday (track/hills):
10mins warm up
2.4k tempo in 9:49 (av 4:05, HR 171) – aborted due to heat/humidity
4 x 13om hills in 27, 25, 26, 26 secs
The plan was to do 5-6k at Stamina Pace (~4:10 pace) but the heat/humidity (9:30am) took a lot out of me and I decided to quit the tempo. Was too wasted even to do cool down.
Saturday (road):
26k Long Run in 2:10 (av 5:00) incl. 8k tempo @ 4:23 pace (av HR 171, Max 185)
Sunday (concrete):
AM: 30mins easy (av 5:23, av HR 138)
PM: 42mins easy (av 5:25, av HR 150) - humid
Total 75.1 k for the week, Year to date mileage 1042.6k (av 65k per week)
Since I decided to ‘kill’ my marathon dream (Gold Coast in early July) and to focus on short distance (5k-10k), things have got a bit easier - at least in mental sense. There is no more pressure to do 2-3 hours long run in the weekend, no more pressure to do a 90 minute run in mid-week etc. When I am tired and or in no mood for running, I could just do a 30 minute run without feeling guilty. My mind feels more refreshed and relaxed, knowing that I am free from the burden associated with high-mileage, marathon training.
Yes, you can call me a chicken…
But I am really struggling to train for marathon in Singapore despte having been here for 6 months...at least, at this point in time. However, I wouldn’t discount the possibility of training for one in the second half of the year.
Due to the shift in focus, my racing plans for the next few months are:
23 Apr: JP Morgan Corporate Challenge 5.6k (confirmed)
18 May: SAA All Newcomers Meet 5000m track (considering)
8 Jun: Saucony Passion Run 10k (registered)
15 Jun: Mt Faber Run – uphill (considering)
22 Jun: Punggol Central 5k (registered)
6 Jul: Milk Run 8.4k (considering)
Below is my training for the week:
Monday (concrete):
35mins recovery (av pace 5:31, av HR 145) - humid
Tuesday (track):
15mins warm up incl 2 strides
3 x 1000m at 10k pace with 200m jog + drink stop (av pace 3:53, av HR 172, Max 182)
Splits per 400m: 1:33, 1:34, 0:46 = 3:53, 1:33, 1:34, 00:46 = 3:53, 1:32, 1:34, 00:47 = 3:53
8 x 200m with 200m walk/jog recovery. Splits: 41, 42, 41, 42, 41, 41, 41, 39 secs
6mins cool down
The plan was to do 4-5 x 1k but felt stuffed after the 3rd interval. Decided to do 200s in order to salvage something from the session.
Wednesday (treadmill):
25mins recovery (av 5:38) in Mulia Hotel, Jakarta
Thursday (treadmill/road):
AM: 30mins easy (av 5:15) in Jakarta
PM: 20mins easy (av 5:11) in Singapore
Friday (track/hills):
10mins warm up
2.4k tempo in 9:49 (av 4:05, HR 171) – aborted due to heat/humidity
4 x 13om hills in 27, 25, 26, 26 secs
The plan was to do 5-6k at Stamina Pace (~4:10 pace) but the heat/humidity (9:30am) took a lot out of me and I decided to quit the tempo. Was too wasted even to do cool down.
Saturday (road):
26k Long Run in 2:10 (av 5:00) incl. 8k tempo @ 4:23 pace (av HR 171, Max 185)
Sunday (concrete):
AM: 30mins easy (av 5:23, av HR 138)
PM: 42mins easy (av 5:25, av HR 150) - humid
Total 75.1 k for the week, Year to date mileage 1042.6k (av 65k per week)
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Three signals emerging from my training this week:
1) The Good
Despite my continuing difficulties to adapt to Singapore running conditions, it was a nice surprise to see my tempo effort on Friday. I ran during lunch time, but it was overcast and humidity was low which bode well. Ran the 5k tempo on the track in 20:20 (4:08). The effort was fairly comfortable and I only began to fight after 10 laps. Whilst the pace was much slower than my old tempos in Australia, but it showed that I still have a good muscle memory. Comparison as follows:
11 Apr: 20:20 (4:04), av HR 176, Max HR 189 (Sing 27c)
13 Oct: 20:04 (4:01) , av HR 174, Max HR 186 (Perth 22c)
5 Sep: 19:56 (3:59), av HR 177, Max HR 184 (Perth 15c)
2) The Bad
The long run on Sunday was bad. Had difficulties sleeping on Friday and Saturday, but I don't think they are the only problems. My endurance is my archiles heel right now. Planned to do 26k but felt tired already after 12k. The humidity and tight glutes didn't help either, so I decided to cut the long run short at 17k.
3) The Ugly
After three physio visits, my shin splint has improved a lot. However, my glutes are still hurting and they don't seem to go away. The left glute is especially bothering, probably worsen by running on the track (anti clock wise). Most likely I have to accept that the glute problems will be around for the foreseeable future.
All of the above things seem to suggetst that probably I should focus on 5k-10k distances for now. How I can I do marathons and do those long training runs if the Bad (low endurance) and the Ugly (persistent glute pain) won't go away?
Monday (treadmill):
AM:
10 mins warm up
20 mins of 30 secs on, 30 secs off (on @ 16 km/h, off @ 10 km/h)
5 mins cool down
PM: Physio treatment
Tuesday (treadmill):
8k easy in 40:50 (av 5:07) with last 10mins at moderate pace
Wednesday (track):
10 mins warm up incl 2 strides
2000m at 10k pace in 7:41 (1:31, 1:32, 1:32, 1:33, 1:33 per 400m)
3 x 800m at 5k pace in 3:00 (1:29, 1:31), 3:04 (1:32, 1:32), 3:00 (1:31, 1:29)
2 x 400m at 5k pace in 1:29 and 1:24
All intervals were sandwiched with 1mins standing rest + 400m jog
7 mins cool down
I actually planned to do 5 x 1000m or 6 x 800m but the first interval was comfortable so I ended up running 2000m. In retrospective, this was too long and the rest period was too short, which made me struggle in the subsequent intervals. After three 800s, I was drained and decided to stop at 400m. Had a short rest and did the last 400m faster to close.
Thursday:
OFF - busy at work
Friday (track):
AM:
10 mins warm up incl 2 strides
5k Tempo in 20:20 (av 4:04, av HR 176, Max 189)
Lap splits: 1:37, 1:38, 1:39, 1:39, 1:39, 1:39, 1:38, 1:39, 1:38, 1:38, 1:39, 1:38, 00:40
Jog to the bottom of Mt Fabre
1.5km run up Mt Fabre in 7:37 (av 5:04, av HR 171, Max 189)
2.4k cool down
PM: Physio treatment
Saturday (concrete):
AM: 30 mins recovery (av 5:45, av HR 147, Max 160) - a crap run
PM: 18 mins recovery (av 5:58) - can't believe I ran this slow
Sunday (gravel):
17.2k easy in 1:29 (av 5:12, av HR 151, Max 177) - aborted long run
Total 62.2km for the week
Year-to-date mileage 967.5 km
1) The Good
Despite my continuing difficulties to adapt to Singapore running conditions, it was a nice surprise to see my tempo effort on Friday. I ran during lunch time, but it was overcast and humidity was low which bode well. Ran the 5k tempo on the track in 20:20 (4:08). The effort was fairly comfortable and I only began to fight after 10 laps. Whilst the pace was much slower than my old tempos in Australia, but it showed that I still have a good muscle memory. Comparison as follows:
11 Apr: 20:20 (4:04), av HR 176, Max HR 189 (Sing 27c)
13 Oct: 20:04 (4:01) , av HR 174, Max HR 186 (Perth 22c)
5 Sep: 19:56 (3:59), av HR 177, Max HR 184 (Perth 15c)
2) The Bad
The long run on Sunday was bad. Had difficulties sleeping on Friday and Saturday, but I don't think they are the only problems. My endurance is my archiles heel right now. Planned to do 26k but felt tired already after 12k. The humidity and tight glutes didn't help either, so I decided to cut the long run short at 17k.
3) The Ugly
After three physio visits, my shin splint has improved a lot. However, my glutes are still hurting and they don't seem to go away. The left glute is especially bothering, probably worsen by running on the track (anti clock wise). Most likely I have to accept that the glute problems will be around for the foreseeable future.
All of the above things seem to suggetst that probably I should focus on 5k-10k distances for now. How I can I do marathons and do those long training runs if the Bad (low endurance) and the Ugly (persistent glute pain) won't go away?
Monday (treadmill):
AM:
10 mins warm up
20 mins of 30 secs on, 30 secs off (on @ 16 km/h, off @ 10 km/h)
5 mins cool down
PM: Physio treatment
Tuesday (treadmill):
8k easy in 40:50 (av 5:07) with last 10mins at moderate pace
Wednesday (track):
10 mins warm up incl 2 strides
2000m at 10k pace in 7:41 (1:31, 1:32, 1:32, 1:33, 1:33 per 400m)
3 x 800m at 5k pace in 3:00 (1:29, 1:31), 3:04 (1:32, 1:32), 3:00 (1:31, 1:29)
2 x 400m at 5k pace in 1:29 and 1:24
All intervals were sandwiched with 1mins standing rest + 400m jog
7 mins cool down
I actually planned to do 5 x 1000m or 6 x 800m but the first interval was comfortable so I ended up running 2000m. In retrospective, this was too long and the rest period was too short, which made me struggle in the subsequent intervals. After three 800s, I was drained and decided to stop at 400m. Had a short rest and did the last 400m faster to close.
Thursday:
OFF - busy at work
Friday (track):
AM:
10 mins warm up incl 2 strides
5k Tempo in 20:20 (av 4:04, av HR 176, Max 189)
Lap splits: 1:37, 1:38, 1:39, 1:39, 1:39, 1:39, 1:38, 1:39, 1:38, 1:38, 1:39, 1:38, 00:40
Jog to the bottom of Mt Fabre
1.5km run up Mt Fabre in 7:37 (av 5:04, av HR 171, Max 189)
2.4k cool down
PM: Physio treatment
Saturday (concrete):
AM: 30 mins recovery (av 5:45, av HR 147, Max 160) - a crap run
PM: 18 mins recovery (av 5:58) - can't believe I ran this slow
Sunday (gravel):
17.2k easy in 1:29 (av 5:12, av HR 151, Max 177) - aborted long run
Total 62.2km for the week
Year-to-date mileage 967.5 km
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Cripple
Not a good week. I've been struggling with glutes discomfort and shin splint in recent weeks so I decided to rest a bit and have physio treatment. In addtion, I've lost some running motivation since the KL fiasco. Running in Singapore is so hard, my running performances went backwards. Just felt like I am losing the plot.
My 'training' for this week:
Mon 31/03: Deep Tissue Massage
Tue 1/04: 50mins easy (av pace 5:28) with work colleagues (incl Mt Faber climb)
Wed 2/04: 30mins easy (av 5:20) on treadmill
Thu 3/04: Aborted track session, could only do 4 laps tempo @ 4:02 pace before retiring due to shin discomfort and heat/humidity
Fri 4/04: Physio
Sat 5/04: rest
Sun 6/04: AM 50mins easy (av 5:28) on concrete, PM 40mins easy (av 5:08) + gym work
Total 38k for the week, Year-to-date mileage 905k (av 65k per week)
Have scheduled a couple more physio sessions next week. Will try to do at least one quality workout since I have a 5.6k race in 2 weeks time (JP Morgan Corporate Challenge).
My 'training' for this week:
Mon 31/03: Deep Tissue Massage
Tue 1/04: 50mins easy (av pace 5:28) with work colleagues (incl Mt Faber climb)
Wed 2/04: 30mins easy (av 5:20) on treadmill
Thu 3/04: Aborted track session, could only do 4 laps tempo @ 4:02 pace before retiring due to shin discomfort and heat/humidity
Fri 4/04: Physio
Sat 5/04: rest
Sun 6/04: AM 50mins easy (av 5:28) on concrete, PM 40mins easy (av 5:08) + gym work
Total 38k for the week, Year-to-date mileage 905k (av 65k per week)
Have scheduled a couple more physio sessions next week. Will try to do at least one quality workout since I have a 5.6k race in 2 weeks time (JP Morgan Corporate Challenge).
Monday, March 31, 2008
Kuala Lumpur Half -
In short, my Personal Worst time for HM distance since 2004 (the first year I took up running).
I've been struggling with sore hips for the last couple of weeks. While I could do easy run with no problem, but running long at a solid pace puts a lot of strain on the hip. I arranged for a deep tissue massage on Wednesday, but the guy was sick at the last minute and he could only do Friday which was too late since I flew to KL that day. That sort of put an end to my hope of getting a last resort.
Struggled big time even after only the first couple of ks and it spiralled downwards from there. The route itself wasn’t nice as we ran mostly on the shoulder of highways – which was heavily cambered/tilted. After running up and down the highway ramps, I passed the 10k in 44 minutes. While this is still ok for a 1:32-1:35 finishing time but my sore hips restricted me to sustain the pace for the rest of the race. From then on, it was an uphill struggle as my pace slowed down due to the tightness in the hip. I made decision to run easily and took walk breaks for the next 12k (total distance was 22k + by my Garmin) to finish in 1:44.
Couldn't sit comfortably for the whole day due to the sore hips, but luckily we took the plane home.
Just came back from a one-hour massage session. And boy, it was excruciating!
This fiasco has put a serious dent in my hopes to do a marathon this year. Inability to do long runs due to persistent hip problems and heat/humidity has pushed my running times backwards by a couple of years. Perhaps I should have a re-think and just focus on short-term distances for a while.
I've been struggling with sore hips for the last couple of weeks. While I could do easy run with no problem, but running long at a solid pace puts a lot of strain on the hip. I arranged for a deep tissue massage on Wednesday, but the guy was sick at the last minute and he could only do Friday which was too late since I flew to KL that day. That sort of put an end to my hope of getting a last resort.
Struggled big time even after only the first couple of ks and it spiralled downwards from there. The route itself wasn’t nice as we ran mostly on the shoulder of highways – which was heavily cambered/tilted. After running up and down the highway ramps, I passed the 10k in 44 minutes. While this is still ok for a 1:32-1:35 finishing time but my sore hips restricted me to sustain the pace for the rest of the race. From then on, it was an uphill struggle as my pace slowed down due to the tightness in the hip. I made decision to run easily and took walk breaks for the next 12k (total distance was 22k + by my Garmin) to finish in 1:44.
Couldn't sit comfortably for the whole day due to the sore hips, but luckily we took the plane home.
Just came back from a one-hour massage session. And boy, it was excruciating!
This fiasco has put a serious dent in my hopes to do a marathon this year. Inability to do long runs due to persistent hip problems and heat/humidity has pushed my running times backwards by a couple of years. Perhaps I should have a re-think and just focus on short-term distances for a while.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Week 13 General Training: Half-cooked
After two full days to recuperate, I finally was able to get rid of the flu bug and the sluggishness. Due to two weeks of 'lost training', my strategy was simply to get back in shape ASAP. While I understand this week's training sessions probably will only have minimal impact for this Sunday's race, but I just wanna make sure that my body will be familiar with the demands of running a Half Marathon (e.g. running ~90 mins in duration at a good pace).
On Monday I did a 19k run including a few ks of race pace on the treadmill - which was not a biggie despite using a 1% grade. On Tuesday I ran a threshold type work on a short 400m marked bike path. I am hoping that the training balance will be okay, not too little to have negligible effect, and not too much to cause any negative effect for Sunday's race in KL.
In essence, I felt that my endurance sucks big time due to lack of long runs. I will still keep a sub-90 goal in sight, but realistically I will be happy with anything under 1:35 given my poor fitness level. Also, I've been hearing information that the KL Half Marathon route was not a traditional 21.1k but closer to 22k. Hence, the above timing goal might be out of whack.
On a good note, despite a couple of low weeks due to flu & tiredness, my March mileage will likely to reach around 300k - the most since August 2007 when I did 350k that month.
Sunday 23/03 (treadmill):
8k easy in 42 mins (av pace 5:21)
Monday 24/03 (treadmill):
6.5k warm up in 34 mins (av 5:15, 148 bpm)
3 x 2000m @ 4:17 (170-173 bpm) with 500m recovery
4 x 2 mins @ 4:00 with equal time recovery
1.5k cool down
Total workout: 19k in 91 mins (av pace 4:50)
Tuesday 25/03 (treadmill):
AM: 2k jog + 20:00 weight training (upper & lower body)
PM: 6k easy in 31 mins (av pace 5:15)
Wednesday 26/03 (road):
2k warm up incl. 2 short strides
10 x 400m @ 10k-16k pace on 400m marked path, ~30secs recovery to turn around
Splits: 1:33, 1:36, 1:35, 1:36, 1:34, 1:34, 1:35, 1:34, 1:33, 1:35 (av apce 3:57, HR 173, high HR 183 bpm)
4 x 200m in 00:41, 43, 42, 42 with 1 min rest
1k cool down
Total workout: 9.4k in 44 mins (av pace 4:42)
Thursday 27/03 (treadmill)
10 mins weight training (upper body)
6.6k easy in 35 mins (av pace 5:21)
Friday 28/03 (road)
9k easy in 45 mins incl 5 x 8 secs hill sprints (av pace 5:04, 153 bpm)
Travel to KL
Saturday 29/03:
Probably 3-4k jog in the hotel's treadmill
On Monday I did a 19k run including a few ks of race pace on the treadmill - which was not a biggie despite using a 1% grade. On Tuesday I ran a threshold type work on a short 400m marked bike path. I am hoping that the training balance will be okay, not too little to have negligible effect, and not too much to cause any negative effect for Sunday's race in KL.
In essence, I felt that my endurance sucks big time due to lack of long runs. I will still keep a sub-90 goal in sight, but realistically I will be happy with anything under 1:35 given my poor fitness level. Also, I've been hearing information that the KL Half Marathon route was not a traditional 21.1k but closer to 22k. Hence, the above timing goal might be out of whack.
On a good note, despite a couple of low weeks due to flu & tiredness, my March mileage will likely to reach around 300k - the most since August 2007 when I did 350k that month.
Sunday 23/03 (treadmill):
8k easy in 42 mins (av pace 5:21)
Monday 24/03 (treadmill):
6.5k warm up in 34 mins (av 5:15, 148 bpm)
3 x 2000m @ 4:17 (170-173 bpm) with 500m recovery
4 x 2 mins @ 4:00 with equal time recovery
1.5k cool down
Total workout: 19k in 91 mins (av pace 4:50)
Tuesday 25/03 (treadmill):
AM: 2k jog + 20:00 weight training (upper & lower body)
PM: 6k easy in 31 mins (av pace 5:15)
Wednesday 26/03 (road):
2k warm up incl. 2 short strides
10 x 400m @ 10k-16k pace on 400m marked path, ~30secs recovery to turn around
Splits: 1:33, 1:36, 1:35, 1:36, 1:34, 1:34, 1:35, 1:34, 1:33, 1:35 (av apce 3:57, HR 173, high HR 183 bpm)
4 x 200m in 00:41, 43, 42, 42 with 1 min rest
1k cool down
Total workout: 9.4k in 44 mins (av pace 4:42)
Thursday 27/03 (treadmill)
10 mins weight training (upper body)
6.6k easy in 35 mins (av pace 5:21)
Friday 28/03 (road)
9k easy in 45 mins incl 5 x 8 secs hill sprints (av pace 5:04, 153 bpm)
Travel to KL
Saturday 29/03:
Probably 3-4k jog in the hotel's treadmill
Total for the week 64k, month-to-date 275k, Year-to-date 838k
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Week 11-12 General Training: Miserable
Sore hips + flu bug = Double trouble !!
These two weeks have been a bitch for me. Caught flu and it still didn’t want to go away even after a week. Also, my old nemesis: sore hips have been bugging me lately, resulting in missed long runs and speed/tempo sessions.
My original target for next week KL Half was sub-90 (vs. my current ‘tropics’ PB of 1:32). With only 2-3 runs above 20k in the last 8 weeks, essentially I am well short in endurance.
The deadly twin pairing of the flu and tight muscles also made me un-energized and led me to tire easily. I found in the last few runs that I don’t have any strength to climb hills or run at a solid pace. In fact, the last few runs have been terrible and I could only last for 30 minutes or so. I plan to have a complete rest for the next 2-3 days and hopefully the flu will disappear and the energy levels will return.
In light of the above, I will be happy if I can run the HM under 1:35 – a time which I easily got three years ago. This is what you call a backward progress!!
My training in the last couple of weeks:
Mon, 10/03: Felt tired from yesterday’s long run. Did a 30 minutes turtle slow run from apartment to Esplanade in the morning. Av pace was 5:54 and HR was around 140. In the evening, did a recovery run for 40 minutes along Alexanda Park Connector. Av pace 5:34 and HR 141 bpm.
Tues, 11/03: Getting ready for tomorrow’s Wings 4.3k Cross Country Race. Did a 40+ minutes easy run on a 1-km loop with 2 small hills in the middle, including 4 x 125m uphill and 4 x 70m downhill strides. Av pace was 5:09 for the run. Felt strong and if it wasn’t for the race tomorrow, I would have done a long run today !
Wed, 12/03: Was roaring to race today, but it virtually rained non-stop since the morning. Was undecided whether to go to the race or not for the whole day. At the end, I decided not to go since it wasn’t fun to run a XC race in a wet weather. Went to the gym instead, and did an easy 65minutes run at 5:10 pace.
Thu, 13/03: In order to make up for the disappointment of not racing yesterday, did a speed session on Alexandra Park Connector whether there is a marked 400m path. The plan was to do 8 -10 x 400m at 5k pace, but only did 7 total. Recovery between intervals was around 1:00 which was probably too short for me. Split was 1:32/157, 1:28/164, 1:30/166, 1:29/167, 1:28/168, 1:29/170, 1:28/170. In the evening, did a 20:00 light jog on the treadmill.
Fri, 14/03: I found out that the XC race was actually postponed to today due to wet weather on Wednesday. Bummer! How could I race today after the interval session yesterday. Ended up doing an easy run on treadmill for 50 minutes at 5:10 pace/147 bpm. Later that night, I found that the times were quite slow and I actually had a chance to finish in the top 10. Bummer !
Sat, 15/03: Woke up with a minor flu symptom. The plan was to do a long run of around 24-27k with 4-5 x 1600m intervals at HM pace (4:15). Wasn't feeling good with legs and hips being stiff. After doing 45 minutes easy, I started running the 1600m and found the effort harder that it should be. About 400m into the second interval, I decided to quit and then run home. Perhaps it’s better to close shop and do the real long run tomorrow. Ended up doing 16k in 82 minutes or 5:10 pace.
Sun, 16/03: Take two, Planned to make up for yesterday’s failed long run, however I failed again ! Only lasted for a mere 1k. The whole body was weak and my legs had no strength. Try again tomorrow.
Mon, 17/03: Take 3. Felt okay for the first half an hour so due to the rest day. The plan was to do 6-8k tempo run at HM pace (4:15) but I couldn’t handle the pace after 3k. I did a couple of sub-90 HM back in 2006, but I am struggling to run at that pace now. Damn ! Another failed long run and ended up running 75 minutes.
Tue, 18/03: No run. Busy at work and no motivation to run after three crap days in a row.
Wed, 19/03: Went to the gym and did a 50 minutes easy run on the treadmill at 5:20 pace. Felt better.
Thu, 20/03: With 10 dys to go to the KL half, woke up early and planned to do a 90 minute run. But it rained heavily and had to resort to treadmill running. Was sweating a lot more than usual even after 5 minutes of running and the body generally felt weak. After 35 minutes, I decided to end the misery. Enough is enough.
Total mileage for the month: 215k
Total mileage for the year: 778k
These two weeks have been a bitch for me. Caught flu and it still didn’t want to go away even after a week. Also, my old nemesis: sore hips have been bugging me lately, resulting in missed long runs and speed/tempo sessions.
My original target for next week KL Half was sub-90 (vs. my current ‘tropics’ PB of 1:32). With only 2-3 runs above 20k in the last 8 weeks, essentially I am well short in endurance.
The deadly twin pairing of the flu and tight muscles also made me un-energized and led me to tire easily. I found in the last few runs that I don’t have any strength to climb hills or run at a solid pace. In fact, the last few runs have been terrible and I could only last for 30 minutes or so. I plan to have a complete rest for the next 2-3 days and hopefully the flu will disappear and the energy levels will return.
In light of the above, I will be happy if I can run the HM under 1:35 – a time which I easily got three years ago. This is what you call a backward progress!!
My training in the last couple of weeks:
Mon, 10/03: Felt tired from yesterday’s long run. Did a 30 minutes turtle slow run from apartment to Esplanade in the morning. Av pace was 5:54 and HR was around 140. In the evening, did a recovery run for 40 minutes along Alexanda Park Connector. Av pace 5:34 and HR 141 bpm.
Tues, 11/03: Getting ready for tomorrow’s Wings 4.3k Cross Country Race. Did a 40+ minutes easy run on a 1-km loop with 2 small hills in the middle, including 4 x 125m uphill and 4 x 70m downhill strides. Av pace was 5:09 for the run. Felt strong and if it wasn’t for the race tomorrow, I would have done a long run today !
Wed, 12/03: Was roaring to race today, but it virtually rained non-stop since the morning. Was undecided whether to go to the race or not for the whole day. At the end, I decided not to go since it wasn’t fun to run a XC race in a wet weather. Went to the gym instead, and did an easy 65minutes run at 5:10 pace.
Thu, 13/03: In order to make up for the disappointment of not racing yesterday, did a speed session on Alexandra Park Connector whether there is a marked 400m path. The plan was to do 8 -10 x 400m at 5k pace, but only did 7 total. Recovery between intervals was around 1:00 which was probably too short for me. Split was 1:32/157, 1:28/164, 1:30/166, 1:29/167, 1:28/168, 1:29/170, 1:28/170. In the evening, did a 20:00 light jog on the treadmill.
Fri, 14/03: I found out that the XC race was actually postponed to today due to wet weather on Wednesday. Bummer! How could I race today after the interval session yesterday. Ended up doing an easy run on treadmill for 50 minutes at 5:10 pace/147 bpm. Later that night, I found that the times were quite slow and I actually had a chance to finish in the top 10. Bummer !
Sat, 15/03: Woke up with a minor flu symptom. The plan was to do a long run of around 24-27k with 4-5 x 1600m intervals at HM pace (4:15). Wasn't feeling good with legs and hips being stiff. After doing 45 minutes easy, I started running the 1600m and found the effort harder that it should be. About 400m into the second interval, I decided to quit and then run home. Perhaps it’s better to close shop and do the real long run tomorrow. Ended up doing 16k in 82 minutes or 5:10 pace.
Sun, 16/03: Take two, Planned to make up for yesterday’s failed long run, however I failed again ! Only lasted for a mere 1k. The whole body was weak and my legs had no strength. Try again tomorrow.
Mon, 17/03: Take 3. Felt okay for the first half an hour so due to the rest day. The plan was to do 6-8k tempo run at HM pace (4:15) but I couldn’t handle the pace after 3k. I did a couple of sub-90 HM back in 2006, but I am struggling to run at that pace now. Damn ! Another failed long run and ended up running 75 minutes.
Tue, 18/03: No run. Busy at work and no motivation to run after three crap days in a row.
Wed, 19/03: Went to the gym and did a 50 minutes easy run on the treadmill at 5:20 pace. Felt better.
Thu, 20/03: With 10 dys to go to the KL half, woke up early and planned to do a 90 minute run. But it rained heavily and had to resort to treadmill running. Was sweating a lot more than usual even after 5 minutes of running and the body generally felt weak. After 35 minutes, I decided to end the misery. Enough is enough.
Total mileage for the month: 215k
Total mileage for the year: 778k
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Week 10 General Training - Finally, some quality
A quality week for my (usually low !!) standard. Given Kuala Lumpur Half Marathon is less than 4 weeks away, I decided to up the ante. Basically, these coupe of weeks are make or break time for me.
Managed to do 3 quality workouts for the week. A short tempo run on the treadmill on Tuesday – which I found to be wasn’t ‘that hard’. This is probably due to either incorrect calibration or just because of ‘conveyor belt-assisted’. Nevertheless, my HR was in the 170s during the tempo, hence I still worked fairly hard. On Thursday, I did 5 x 1000m CV intervals on grass with lengthy recovery, and finished the session with a few fast 150m. This is the most number of intervals that I ever done in Singapore since normally I was already stuffed after 3 x 1k or 4 x 1k. Pretty damn pathetic, isn’t it?
On Sunday, I went to the East Coast Park, the mecca for outdoor activities (running, roller blading, cycling) in Singapore. Did a 28k long run in 2:16 with around 15k of marathon-pace segments (8k, 5k, 2k) included. Was ‘fried’ at the end as I’ve never run this long for over 4 months !! Total mileage for the week was 84k.
Below is this week training. Oh ya, I’ve changed the name of the training cycle from Base Training to General Training since it is probably more appropriate.
Monday:
35:00 recovery run @ 5:42, av HR 140bpm (treadmill)
Tuesday:
Tempo: 6k in 25:00 @ 4:10, av HR 169 bpm
Intervals: 2 x 1k @ 4:00 with 2:00 jog, av HR 172bpm
Strides: 4 x 00:30 with 1:30 jog
Total Workout: 13k in 60:00 @ av pace 4:33 (1.5% treadmill)
Wednesday:
AM Yoga
PM 25:00 jogging @ 5:46 (treadmill)
Thursday:
Intervals: 5 x 1000m 'cut down' @ ~10k pace with 2:00 rest/jogs. Splits: 3:58, 3:57, 3:55, 3:53, 3:50. Av pace 3:55, av HR 171bpm
Reps: 4 x 150m in ~00:30 with 1:00 standing recovery
Total Workout: 11.6k in 55:00 @ av pace 4:45 (grass)
Friday:
40:00 recovery run @ 5:43, av HR 149 bpm (road)
Saturday:
~60:00 easy run @ 5:03 (gravel)
Sunday:
20:00 easy, 8k @ 4:30, 20:00 easy, 5k @ 4:30, 20:00 easy, 2k @ 4:30, 15:00 easy
Av HR for the faster segments were 170 bpm
Total Workout: 28k in 2:16 @ av pace 4:53
Total mileage 84 km for the week @ av pace 5:01 min/km
Year-to-date mileage 676 km @ av pace 5:08 (av 67.6 km per week)
Managed to do 3 quality workouts for the week. A short tempo run on the treadmill on Tuesday – which I found to be wasn’t ‘that hard’. This is probably due to either incorrect calibration or just because of ‘conveyor belt-assisted’. Nevertheless, my HR was in the 170s during the tempo, hence I still worked fairly hard. On Thursday, I did 5 x 1000m CV intervals on grass with lengthy recovery, and finished the session with a few fast 150m. This is the most number of intervals that I ever done in Singapore since normally I was already stuffed after 3 x 1k or 4 x 1k. Pretty damn pathetic, isn’t it?
On Sunday, I went to the East Coast Park, the mecca for outdoor activities (running, roller blading, cycling) in Singapore. Did a 28k long run in 2:16 with around 15k of marathon-pace segments (8k, 5k, 2k) included. Was ‘fried’ at the end as I’ve never run this long for over 4 months !! Total mileage for the week was 84k.
Below is this week training. Oh ya, I’ve changed the name of the training cycle from Base Training to General Training since it is probably more appropriate.
Monday:
35:00 recovery run @ 5:42, av HR 140bpm (treadmill)
Tuesday:
Tempo: 6k in 25:00 @ 4:10, av HR 169 bpm
Intervals: 2 x 1k @ 4:00 with 2:00 jog, av HR 172bpm
Strides: 4 x 00:30 with 1:30 jog
Total Workout: 13k in 60:00 @ av pace 4:33 (1.5% treadmill)
Wednesday:
AM Yoga
PM 25:00 jogging @ 5:46 (treadmill)
Thursday:
Intervals: 5 x 1000m 'cut down' @ ~10k pace with 2:00 rest/jogs. Splits: 3:58, 3:57, 3:55, 3:53, 3:50. Av pace 3:55, av HR 171bpm
Reps: 4 x 150m in ~00:30 with 1:00 standing recovery
Total Workout: 11.6k in 55:00 @ av pace 4:45 (grass)
Friday:
40:00 recovery run @ 5:43, av HR 149 bpm (road)
Saturday:
~60:00 easy run @ 5:03 (gravel)
Sunday:
20:00 easy, 8k @ 4:30, 20:00 easy, 5k @ 4:30, 20:00 easy, 2k @ 4:30, 15:00 easy
Av HR for the faster segments were 170 bpm
Total Workout: 28k in 2:16 @ av pace 4:53
Total mileage 84 km for the week @ av pace 5:01 min/km
Year-to-date mileage 676 km @ av pace 5:08 (av 67.6 km per week)
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Week 9 Base Training - February in Review
I had a business trip to Jakarta early in the week which limited my running. Also, I've been feeling a bit unenergized lately, hence a mini-break was probably appropriate. Since this week mileage was low, I squeezed in a short VO2 Max session on Saturday of 3 x 1000m. Probably could do 1-2 more intervals but was short on time as we had an appointment. Sunday long run was good with the help of an overcast weather.
For the month of February, I ran a total of 275km vs 288k in January. Year to date, my mileage was distributed as follows: 73% of slow-to-easy effort running, 12% long run (anything longer than 90minutes), 5% at steady-to-marathon pace, 6% at Half Marathon-to-LT effort, and 4% at CV-to-VO2 Max pace. The primary concern is still the lack of long runs. In Febraury, I only managed to do 2 x 21k continuous runs and one 26k run but with lots of stoppages. I MUST do better next month!
My training this week was as follows:
Mon: off (work in Jakarta)
Tue: 35:00 easy @ 5:24
Wed: 35:00 easy @ 5:30/146 bpm
Thu: 40:00 easy/moderate @ 4:52/156 bpm
Fri: am 25:00 easy @ 5:28/133 bpm, pm 25:00 easy @ 5:08
Sat: 3 x 1000m VO2Max intervals @ 3:42-3:45, av 176 bpm (on grass)
Sun: 21k easy @ 5:00/155 bpm
Total 60.0k for the week @ av 5:05 min/km
Year to date 592.0km @ av 5:09 min/km (av 65.8k per week)
For the month of February, I ran a total of 275km vs 288k in January. Year to date, my mileage was distributed as follows: 73% of slow-to-easy effort running, 12% long run (anything longer than 90minutes), 5% at steady-to-marathon pace, 6% at Half Marathon-to-LT effort, and 4% at CV-to-VO2 Max pace. The primary concern is still the lack of long runs. In Febraury, I only managed to do 2 x 21k continuous runs and one 26k run but with lots of stoppages. I MUST do better next month!
My training this week was as follows:
Mon: off (work in Jakarta)
Tue: 35:00 easy @ 5:24
Wed: 35:00 easy @ 5:30/146 bpm
Thu: 40:00 easy/moderate @ 4:52/156 bpm
Fri: am 25:00 easy @ 5:28/133 bpm, pm 25:00 easy @ 5:08
Sat: 3 x 1000m VO2Max intervals @ 3:42-3:45, av 176 bpm (on grass)
Sun: 21k easy @ 5:00/155 bpm
Total 60.0k for the week @ av 5:05 min/km
Year to date 592.0km @ av 5:09 min/km (av 65.8k per week)
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Week 8 Base Training - Feeling Lousy
Felt really lousy for the whole week, both physically and mentally. Began to feel the effect of cumulative fatique from the recent increase in training. Also, work has been very busy and stressful.
It seems that I've paid the price for the lack of 'training specificity'. I've been running too much on the treadmill lately (including Monday to Friday this week) and this morning I planned to do a much needed long run (2 hours +) in the Botanic Gardens. And I really learned something valuable today. Since running on the treadmill uses slightly different muscles than running on the road, my hips muscles and joints got very sore when I ran on bitumen/concrete pavement. In addition, the humidity impact from running in an air-conditioned gym is very different to the real world and I was already soaked in sweat not long after I started . After around 40 minutes of running, I began to feel very unmotivated and stopped for 10 minutes to rest. Was seriously considering to walk or catch a bus home. However, the humidity improved to a more tolerable level, I managed to run back home.
The lack of long run puts a serious dent into my preparation for the KL Half Marathon on 30 March. In January, I only managed to do a single 24k run and this month, I was only able to do a single 26k sightseeing run with friends (lots of rest stops). Although, the HM is still a good 5 weeks away, but I really need to up the ante in the next three weeks. My aim is to do sub 90 (I've done it twice in Australia but never in Asia) but given my lack on long run, this goal looks a bit of a stretch.
Anyway, here is my daily training from last week. Lousy, right?
Monday:
40:00 jogging @ 5:42 (grade 2%)
Tuesday:
AM: 30:00 easy @ 5:22 (grade 3%)
PM: 30:00 easy @ 5:07)(grade 2%)
Wednesday: