26 December 2010

Merry X Mas

Mon: 3k wu, 2 x 10 mins threshold interval (3:55 min/km), with 3mins jog, 5mins rest, 6 x 25secs hill with walk recovery, 3k cd, Total 12.5k

Tue: 8k easy (av 5:10)
Wed: 3k wu, 5 x 1100m with 3mins rec (CCAB track); splits 3.59.2, 4.00.2, 4.00.2, 4.02.7, 3.58.6 (av 3.38.5 min/km), 5k cd, Total 14.7k
Thu: 40mins recovery (av 5:46), treadmill
Fri: 20k long run in 97mins (av 4:52)
Sat: off
Sun: off (couldn't wake up early)
Total 62k for the week

After two weeks of crappy training where I only managed to do only one workout, this week I did two: tempo and intervals. Unlike other programs, Magill does not put a lot of focus on tempos - in fact, only a couple 2 x 10mins and 2 x15mins. Did the former early in the week and upgraded my tempo pace from 4:00s to 3:55 since the length was short, before finishing with 8 x 25 secs hill. I am now in the 3rdweek of the plan and my intervals have progressed from 5x3, 4x4, and now 5x4 all with 3mins rec. Did this week session on the track aiming to complete each 1100m under 4:00. Got stuffed in the fourth one and had to take walk recovery to do the 5th one. Average pace for all five were 3:38min/km (approx 18:10 pace) with HR hitting 187 bpm.It was bloody tough, but it's good to push myself a bit. Had 3 more Magill specials to go: 4 x 5, 5x5, and 12-16 x 400. Out of these three, the 5x5 looks like a badass session - that is equivalent to 5 x1400-1500m at 5k effort/pace.

Next week, we will have a short holiday in Sentosa for a couple of nights, hence no runs early in the week (it's road to nowhere training anyway, right?). My original plan was to do a 3000m track time trial on Friday, but now I am having a second thoughts. Not sure whether it is better if I just do a nornal training then do the time trial when Rob comes to town the following week. Anyway, he is 36min 10ker and 2.53 marathoner, so my 3k or 5k pace should feel like a tempo run to him ;) LOL

Merry belated Chirstmas everyone !!!

18 December 2010

Too heavy

I stepped on the weight scale today after an absence of 3 months and it showed:

71 kg !!!!!!!!!!

That's too heavy for a 169cm guy. I was around 65-66 kg whilst training for Melbourne Marathon just 3 months ago. A combination of 1.5 months of injury layoff, 1.5 months of sporadic training (~30-50k a week), and festive seasons dinners have ballooned my weight by 6 kg :(

That's probably also the reason why I began to get niggles and soreness again. Joints such as ankles and knees were sore, especially after interval session. My racing time got slowed and I struggle regularl during intervals/tempos.

Anyway, training this week

Mon: 8k easy in 41:05 (av 5:08), treadmill
Tue: 11k watchless tempo in ~50:00 (av 4:33)
Wed: 8k easy in 40:20 (av 5:10), incl 4 x 15s barefoot strides
Thu: 12k in , incl. 4 x 4:00 intervals, av pace for the fast segments 3:37, 3:36, 3:45 (???), 3:35 min/km
Fri: 8k easy in 43:20 (av 5:25), treadmill
Sat: 18k easy long run in 91:30 (av 5:05)
Sun: rest
Total 65k for the week

A so-so week in terms of training. Was supposed to do intervals on Tuesday but GPS battery was flat, hence I decided to run at strong effort on a measured loop. Forgot to run the hill reps this week, The 4 x 4mins intervals with 3mins jog on Tuesday were difficult effort wise. Three of them were in the 3.35-3.37 min/km range, but for one of the rep, my pace was about 10secs per km off due to a lack of concentration and fatique. Covered on average 1.1k for the 4mins, so essentially it was a 4x 1.1k workout.

With about 5 more training weeks to go before my 5k TT (our holiday is now 1 week earlier than scheduled), it seems that sub 3.36 min/km for 5k is a bit of pipeline dream for me right now. Next week calls for 5 x 4mins (~1.1k), 3mins jog and hopefully I will have better idea whether sub-18 is doable or whether it will be a bridge too far.

One thing for sure, I can't run fast with this weight, duh  :(

12 December 2010

86 ??

Two months of 'road to nowhere' training before taking 1 month off for holiday in February.

For this couple of months, I will be doing 5k training based on Pete Magill's plan as written in Running Times (Magill is the oldest American to break 15:00 at age 47). The beauty about the plan is that it is very simple (one interval, one hill, long run) and has a week-by-week progression in terms of structure (e.g. 5 x 3mins interval, next week 4 x 4mins, following week 5x 4mins etc).

The only little tweaks that I make are 1) the original plan alternates hill session and drills, but I decided to skip the drills since I don't have anyone to monitor/correct my techniques. I normally do simple drills such as buttkicks, high knees, leg swings uring warm up prior to intervals anyway; and 2) I insert a 3000m TT in order to gauge my 5k goal pace

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=19258
Currently, I have earmarked end January to do the 5000m time trial at CCAB track. Road races in Singapore are infamous for its inaccurate distance. There could be a track and field meet in middle of January, but the schedule is usually not released until two weeks prior.

In terms of goal, my minimum target is to better my PB of 18.33. This was done in the middle of marathon training back in May this year. Did the TT solo and actually targeted 88 per lap (3.40 min/km) but ended up running 1sec per lap slower than the target. I will be happy if I can get 18.20 or below in January, but I'll keep 86 per lap (sub-18) in the back of my mind (just in case) !!

Anyway, training this week

Mon: off
Tue: 9k easy (av 5:15)
Wed: 5 x 3mins (av 3:40 min/km), 3mins jog, total 14k (av 5:00)
Thu: 7k easy (av 5:25), in Jakarta
Fri: 9k easy (av 5:20), in Jakarta
Sat: 16k long run (av 4:55) including 6 x 200m hills
Sun: off
Total 55k for the week

Wednesday was my first 5k effort session and it felt damn hard. Paces for the 3mins segments at 3.40, 3.36, 3.42, 3.40, 3.40 min/km with 3mins slow jog in between. So on average, about 88secs per lap pace with equal recovery. Since I am not that fit right now, I trully hope the pace and effort required will come down in the next few weeks. (For comparison, I did 5 x 1k between 3.38-3.40 with only 2mins jog prior to my 5k PB). Due to work travel, I did the hill repeats session as part of my weekend long run (couldn't find a hill that take 1min to climb). Overall, I think it's not a bad week since I was training very sporadically in the last 1 month or so.

Is 86 a realistic goal for end-Jan? What do you guys think?

06 December 2010

Boo

Did Standard Chartered 1/2 Marathon yesterday in 93:09
Slowest HM race timing since 2005 and even a personal worst in Singapore LOL

After running almost 0 km in October and only easing back into running in November, perhaps that's the true result.

I AM NOT FIT.

Felt good for the first 8k running in Sentosa Island, averaging 4:09 min/km despite the 'undulations' . (there were only probably 2 real slopes/hills, the rest was going and up and down car parks and tunnels). After 8k, we ran a full 1km inside an underground car park that belongs to the casino. The place was claustophobic with limited air circulation and full of exhaust fumes from tourist buses and gamblers' cars trying to find parking spaces. Struggled to breathe and my pace dropped to 5:20 min/km during that stretch.

Never recovered from that ordeal and once we leave the island, there were more ups and downs this time on an elevated highway (I am crap on hills). With longest run of 12k in last 3 weeks, I simply didn't have the stamina to conquer the hills and complete the distance at my desired pace. Tempted to DNF, but decided to carry on in order to maintain my position in my company's runners league. Ran the remainder of the course at 4:20-4:40 min/km. Finished 6 minutes slower compared to the same race last year, albeit a different route.

Anyway, this is my last HM participation because I will enter the same event next year in the full marathon . It will be my first ever hot weather marathon and as a master !!

Note: the marathon was won by Kenyans in 2:14 and 2:35 (the winning women also won the Delhi Commonweath Games marathon in October)