Sling Runner

Week 4 of 12

2012-01-21T10:41:00.001+08:00

Week 4 of 12, 55-70 miles modified program

Pfitz program: 21, 24, 8, 16 (5miles tempo), 8, 29 = 106 km
Actual: 15, 21, 9, 16 + 5, 7, 32 = 105 km

Four weeks have pased and I am beginning to feel some tiredness. Been struggling to wake up early in the morning, which caused me to shorten the 2 medium long runs on Mon & Tue (21, 24). Although at the end, I was able to catch up with the schedule by doing a double on Thu and adding a couple of ks on the weekend long run. Only one workout this week (a tempo), while the others are easy aerobic runs.

Next week is a recovery week, which comes at the right time for me. We are going away for the long weekend, so I'll only have about 5 running days next week. The program schedules 90-95 km next week, but I will be happy I can exceed 80k.

Mon 16-01-12
15 km easy moderate in 73mins (av 4.52)
Had very little sleep last night. A medium long run of 21km is scheduled, but I only had the time to do around 15 click. Ran the first 10k easy at 5.00-5.10 min/km (mostly on grass) including some pick-ups to wake up the legs. The ran the last 5k at around 4.30 pace for a total of 15k, which is 6km less than planned.

Tue 17-01-12
21 km medium long run in 103mins (av 4.55)
Had 24km in the program, but I didn't have a full 2-hour to run on a weekday. Ran 20mins segments @ 5.05, 5.00, 4.55, 4.50, and 4.45 min/km for a total of 21k at average pace of 4.55. Very tired.

Wed 18-01-12
9 km recovery run in 50mins (av 5.34)
Easy run around home and the river.

Thu 19-01-12
AM 16 km in 77mins with 35mins tempo (av 4.03)
Quite a warm, humid morning. Legs not too snappy from the recent increased mileage and training load. Happy to survive the tempo (albeit a short one) as my pace faded in the last 5-10mins due to tiredness. Av HR was 168 bpm with a high of 178 - a tad low, maybe because my legs couldn't run fast. Did 3k warm up and 4k cool down (very slow) for 16k total.

PM 25mins recovery run (av 5.23)
A short run to add some volume (make-up for Monday's shortfall), and hopefully flush the crap out of the system after thirs morning's tempo session.

Fri 20-01-12
7.4 km recovery run in 42mins (av 5.40)
Easy run around home and the river.

Sat 21-01-12
32 km in 155mins (av 4.50)
Ran from home, 2 loops of outer Botanic Gardens, Dempsey loop and a bit of riverside. Ran 30mins segments @ 5.15, 5.00, 4.45, 4.35, then 20mins of 4.25 min/km and last 15mins jogging. Would have liked to run the last 30mins at somewhere close to MP but legs, hammies, and glutes were burning. Running time excluded about 10mins of stoppages (toilet, drinks, stretching)

Total 105k in 8h45m (av 5.00)

Week 3 of 12

2012-01-14T23:04:00.001+08:00

Week 3 of 12, modified Pfitz 55-70 miles program

Pfitz program: 14, 22, 8, 19, 8, 27 (16k MP) = 99 km
Actual: 17, 22, 8, 10+6, 8, 27 (16k MP) = 98 km

A good week, as I pretty much met the scheduled mileage and wokout. Had a good 10mile MP run today, averaging 4.12 min/km - although it wasn't a continuous run as I had one brief break in the middle for a drink.Left ankle a bit sore afterwards, probably due to jarring. Might take it a bit easy for the next few days and run on grass.

A quarter of the program has gone (3 weeks out of 12) and still my chance of doing Seoul is 50-50. Probably will make a call in the next 3-4 weeks. By then, I would have a bout 6 weeks of solid training and a 12-13 mile MP session, which hopefully will become good reference points.

Next week's schedule (week 4) will become harder. In terms of structure, there will be a tempo run, 2 medium long runs - with distances rising to 21 and 24k, and 30k long run. The total mileage will hit 105 km, or about 5 miles lower than the expected peak (70 miles). The 2 medium long runs will also be a challenge in terms of getting up early and finding the time.

Mon 09-01-12
17 km medium long run with fartlek in 81mins (av 4.47)
Wanted a workout that is not too taxing so as not to be materially different to Pfitz's aerobic medium long run. Started with 5k easy, then went for a fartlek around Padang grass field. Did 2 sets of 5-4-3-2-1 mins with 2mins recovery between reps to make the session pretty much aerobically comfortable. The 'ON's were not fast - the 5-4-3 mins reps done at 4.00-4.15 min/km pace, while the 2 and 1 mins reps were at 3.55 and 3.45 pace respectively. Could really tell the difference of doing the workout on grass as the muscles and joints were less sore afterwards compared to doing in on concrete/bitumen.

Tue 10-01-12
22 km medium long run in 108mins (av 4.56)
Started the run at around 5am and did one loop of outer Botanic (Nasseem, Cluny), Dempsey loop and from/to home. Felt sleepy and sluggish for the first one hour or so. Ran the first 15k at 5.05 pace, then last 7k at 4.40-ish pace. Hamstring a bit tight.

Wed 11-01-12
8 km recovery run in 46mins (av 5.45)
Pace was slower than expected as my normal recovery pace is around 5.15-5.30. Had a sports massage in the afternoon.

Thu 12-01-12
A) 10 km easy in 50.40 (5.04); B) 6 km easy in 28.30 (4.45)
Supposed to be a 16-19 km medium long run, but was too knackered to wake up early. Split the session into a double - 10km easy in the morning, then 6 km at moderate pace, finishing with 4 * 20secs hill strides. Although, I am not hitting the scheduled session as a single, but I reckon I don't lose much in terms of training effect.

Fri 13-01-12
8 km recovery run in 44mins (av 5.32)
Easy run around home and the river.

Sat 14-01-12
27 km in 147mins with 16k MP tempo (av 4.12)
Second series of MP tempo - first was 8 miles done in tempo wave style a couple of weeks ago. Route was 2 loops of the Canal + 2 out & back Margaret/Dawson + 2 loops of the Canal. Ran the first 8k in 33.40 (av 4.13 min/km), then had very brief stop to take my water bottle and gel, and then completed the second 8k in 33.28 (av 4.11 min/km). Total tempo 16k in 67.08 with av pace of 4.12 min/km, av HR 165 bpm. I'd rate it as a hard controlled effort, not very hard, but I was working and was quite pleased when I finished. Did 5k wu and 6k wd for 27km for the day.

4.13/149, 4.12/157, 4.10/160, 4.14/160, 4.12/162, 4.13/164, 4.11/164, 4.14/166 = 33.40, av 160 bpm
< 60secs drink break
4.12/161, 4.13/168, 4.09/168, 4.10/169,4.14/170, 4.10/171, 4.11/173, 4.10/174 = 33.28, av 169 bpm

Total 98k (6 runs) in 8h8m (av 4.58)

Week 2 of 12

2012-01-08T15:23:00.002+08:00

Week 2 of 12, 55-70 miles program

Pfitz program: 19, 18, 8, 14 (4miles tempo), 8, 27 = 94 km
Actual: 9, 18, 7, 16 (30mins tempo), 8, 30 = 88 km

Missed one medium long run, therefore didn't hit the scheduled mileage. But I am okay with that as other sessions were accomplished. We had a bit of wind here throughout the week, and I really liked the cooling effect. Legs felt tired and tight, so it will be better to get a massage sooner than later.

Next week schedule (week 3) is similar to Week 1 with 2 medium long runs and MP long run in term sof structure. The differences are simply the increasing distance for the midweek long run (up to 22k) and MP run (10 miles at MP pace vs 8 miles in week 1) and overall mileage which rises to 99km per week (gulp)

Mon 02-01-12
9 km moderate with hill strides in 42mins (av 4.40)
The program calls for 19k, but only had the time to do half of that. Ran on the river path at moderate pace, finishing with 6 * 20secs hill strides

Tue 03-01-12
18 km medium long run in 86mins (av 4.49)
Ran in the afternoon (around 4pm) and found the weather wasn't too bad. I think I struggled more with humidity rather than heat. Ran the medium long run the Pfitz way, started at 5.00s, then 4.50s in the middle part, and about 4.35 pace in the last 5km.

Wed 04-01-12
7 km recovery run in 38mins (av 5.30)
A treadmill run in my condo's gym. Not sure about the machine's calibration, but my legs seem to enjoy the softer surface.

Thu 05-01-12
16 km in 75mins (av 4.44), including 30mins tempo (av 4.01)
Warmed up for 3km including some strides to The Canal. Pfitz 12 week plan schedules for 4 miles tempo, but I prefer to do a nice round number. I wasn't in tip top condition today, hence the effort was harder than anticipated. Ran pretty much at constant pace of 4.00 throughout. Tried to up the ante in the last k, but just didn’t have it. Av HR for the tempo was 168 bpm, with a high of 178. Warmed down for 5.5k including a bunch of strides.

Fri 06-01-12
8 km recovery run in 44mins (av 5.32)
Easy run around home and the river.

Sat 07-01-12
30 km long run in 2h27m (av 4.54)
Ran the first 15k at 5.00-5.10 pace, of which 12k was done on Padang grass field. Then ran the last 15k at 4.40 min/km pace along the Kallang basin path to the National Stadium and back. Felt tired.

Total 88k (6 runs) in 7h13m (av 4.56)

Week 1 of 12

2012-01-01T00:35:00.001+08:00

Week 1 of 12, 55-70 miles program
Pfitz program: 13, 18, 8, 18, 8, 24 (13 MP) = 89 km
Actual: 19, 8, 11, 17, 8, 26 (13 +/- MP) = 89 km

A good start to the program. Although, I didn't follow the program to the letter, but was able to balance trainign and life commitments. Didn't miss Pfitz trademark stuffs such as 2 medium long runs & a long run, and I managed to achieve the target mileage. Out of the 2 medium long runs scheduled, I only did one the Pfitz way (80-90% MP). For the other one, I incorporated some fartlek for variety. For the weekend long run, I modified the scheduled 13k @ MP to a 13k wave tempo (alternating 1ks at 4.00s and 4.30) to teach the body to get used to varying lactate levels (a straight MP tempo will be exposed to a constant lactate production).

Looking back at 2011, it was probably the most testing year for my running. No PBs, injuries, and a string of sub-par racing were the story of 2011. Surely for next year, the only way is up !

Happy New Year everyone!

Mon 26-12-11
19 km medium long run in 93mins (av 4.53)
Felt a bit rusty this morning and after 6k at easy effort, I wasn't feelin' better. Roads were empty on Boxing Day, so I just couldn’t resist doing a bit of quick stuff in order to rejuvenate myself :p Decided to sprinkle some fartlek with long recovery in order to make the workout aerobic - 4* 6mins with 3mins recovery in between. For the 6mins fartlek, I did it as follows: 3mins @ 4.05, 2mins @ 3.57, 1min @ 3.40-3.50 min/km. Warmed down for 5k to complete 19k of medium long run.

Tue 27-12-11
8 km recovery run in 43mins (av 5.27)
Easy run around home and the river.

Wed 28-12-11
11 km easy run in 54mins (av 4.54)
Didn't sleep well last night, hence I decided to defer the medium long run by a day. Ran in the quiet neighbourhood of One Tree Hill.

Thu 29-12-11
17 km medium long run in 85mins (av 4.59)
Ran from home to Padang and did around 8k on grass including 8*20secs strides. Picked it up to moderate pace (4.40) for the last 6k.

Fri 30-12-11
8 km recovery run in 43mins (av 5.22)
Easy run around home and the river.

Sat 31-12-11
26k long run in 2h04m, including 13k @ 4.15
Too lazy to drive to ECP, prefering to workout near home. Pfitz scheduled 13k @ MP, but I felt MP stuff is a bit too early to do at this juncture. Decided to do a wave tempo, alternating 1km at pace faster than MP and 1k slower than MP, in such a way that the total pace will average at MP. Ran out and back at Margaret Drive about 3 times and a bit. Splits (min per k, HR): 4.04/155, 428/161, 4.03/164, 4.24/162, 4.03/167, 4.26/165, 4.05/168, 4.43/163 (drink), 4.05/170, 4.29/169, 4.03/172, 4.29/171, 3.52/177. Total 13k in 55.15 (av 4.15 min/km) - av HR 166, high 180. Did 5k warm up and 8k cool down.

Total 89k (6 runs) in 7h23m (av 4.59)

New routine

2011-12-26T13:43:00.002+08:00

My last week before starting the Pfitz 12 weeks 55-70 miles program, that's 90-110 km per week in metric terms. And I am currently struggling to even do more than 70km per week !!

Still adapting to a new sleep/running/family routine.

Nowadays I gotta be home by 07.00 am to prepare myself for work and also to drop my son at school. Pfitz plan requires 1 workout, 2 medium long runs, and a long run, and this means that I have to get up earlier than usual on most days. For instance, in order to cover 18-24k medium long runs (which take 90-120nins), I need to get up before 04.30am so that I can start running by 05.00 am. Currently, I am having a hard time trying to cut on sleep and wake up early !!

The life adjustment was probably reflected in my training this week. Was feeling very sluggish during the tempo run on Monday .I also had a miserable long run on Christmas Eve as I experienced chest pain (right side, not left) and cramping. Don't think there is anythin' serious and should not stop me training for next week.

Mon 19-12-11
Off (unplanned). Heavy rain all day.

Tue 20-12-11
15 km (av 4.38) with 9k Tempo in 36.54 (4.06 min/km)
Because I missed yesterday's medium long run, my initial plan was to do close to 20k today. However, I woke up late, and only had the time for 60-75mins of training. For my tempo last week, I ran 7k @ 3.55, so I was aiming to do 8k at roughly the same pace. But I found it hard to get going today; weather was damn humid and my hip was sore; and I was struggling to hold low 4.00s pace. Av HR was 171 bpm today versus last week's 167 bpm, so that's 4bpm higher but the pace was 10secs slower !!! Extended the distance a bit to 9k in order to compensate for the slower-than-anticipated pace. The only plus point from today's session is that Pfitz tempo maxed out at 11k, and I have now done 9k tempo even before starting his 12 week program (albeit at slower pace).

Wed 21-12-11
8 km recovery run in 44mins (av 5.30)
Easy run around the 'hood

Thu 22-12-11
16 km medium long run in 75mins (av 4.44)
Woke up late again, so I only had about 75-80mins to run. In order to cover more ground within the limited window, I ran the first 15mins easy, then the next one hour at moderate pace (4.35 min/km). Felt relatively OK effort wise, so perhaps I should make running at 90% MP a staple for my midweek medium long runs.

Fri 23-12-11
6 km recovery run in 33mins (av 5.22)
Same story again (too lazy to get up!). Only had 30mins to run.

Sat 24-12-11
28k long run in 147mins (av 5.15)
Super duper humid this morning due to heavy showers overnight. Found it hard to breathe, and I got chest pain afterwards. As the pain on the right side, I googled that it was probably due to lung/respiratory issue (maybe the heavy air??). I also underestimated the humidity effect on sweating, as I got tightness/cramps after about an hour. Had to take a few stops along the way in order to stretch the legs.

Total 73k (5 runs) in 6h08m (av 5.03)

Stand-by Training (Week 1 of 14)

2011-12-17T22:16:00.002+08:00

I am keepin' one eye on Seoul Marathon on 18 March. I'd say the chance is around 50-50, because there are still too much uncertainties around life/family.work commitments at this juncture.
I have been training crap lately and also really struggling with motivation. For some reason, I only get excited when I am preparing for marathon. The training itself is a bitch, but I always enjoy the overall process, including creating both training plan and traveling/holiday plan that come with it!

Since my chance of doing Seoul is 50-50, I decided to focus more on aerobic stuff this time around. If I end up not going, I still get the benefit of aerobic development and use that as a foundation for another marathon later in the year (eg Gold Coast). I am considering to loosely follow the Pfitz plan (12 weeks, 55-70 miles) because it is a very aerobic-centric program (I've had his book for about 5 years, but I never actually follow his plan). With a standard structure of 1 workout, 2 medium long runs, and 1 long run per week, I hope I'll get pretty fit by the end of it.

With the above in mind, I will start working on 'STAND-BY TRAINING' in case I am running Seoul. If that doesn't happen, I don't think I have much to lose.

The key is that I really NEED A REASON to motivate me to train and get up every morning !! And for me, fortunately (or unfortunately) that reason is running an overseas marathon!!

Since there are 14 weeks left to Seoul, my plan is to spend the next couple of weeks to familiarise with the Pfitz structure (1 sess, 2 med long runs, 1 long run) before embarking on the 12-week plan (albeit very loosely).

Mon 12-12-11
12 km (av 4.30) with 7k Tempo in 27.30 (3.56 min/km)
Warmed up for 15mins to my Canal loop, then did 7k continuous tempo. Ran the first 5.5k at 3.58 min/km, before made a push in the last mile at 3.47 min/km. Quite surprised to find out that running 7k tempo slightly faster than my SCMS 10k race pace wasn't that hard (probably an affirmation that my 10k performance was crap !). Av HR was pretty low at 167bpm, helped by the cool weather. Pfitz plan schedules LT run between 4-8 miles, so doing a 7k today was a good intro to what will come.

Tue 13-12-11
15 km medium long run in 75mins (av 5.00)
Ran the first 11k easy in 56mins (5.06), including 8k on Padang grass field. Accidentally stepped on a pothole, which sent me flying for a few meters. I was wearing a skimpy split-race short and the fall caused bloody abrasion to my hip and thigh. Ran the last 4k on the way home at moderate effort (4.40 min/km).

Wed 13-12-11
Off (unplanned). Felt tired and struggled to wake up.

Thu 14-12-11
15.3 km medium long run in 71mins (av 4.42)
Only started running at 6.15am and had to go back before 7.30am, so I only had a window of 70mins. Pfitz' standard for medium long runs is between 11-15 miles (18-24 km), which probably needs 90-120mins for me to cover. Due to the shorter distance, I decided to add a zest of quality by doing the run in progressive fashion. Ran 2k segments at 5.30, 5.05, 4.40, 4.27, 4.15, finsihing at 4.05 min/km. Warmed down for 3k+ including 4* 30secs strides.

Fri 15-12-11
6.7 km recovery run in 36mins (av 5.23)
Easy run, doing 2.5 loops of Singapore River/Moh Sultan.

Sat 16-12-11
26k long run in 130mins (av 5.00)
Felt sluggish today, possibly from office christmas party. Very humid too. Felt like quitting the run at 16k, but the thought of a possible marathon spurred me on to last a futher 10k. Hopefully this 'ghost protocol' will continue to trick my mind for the months ahead.

Total 75k (5 runs) in 6h07m (av 4.54)

Nothin' to cheer about

2011-12-04T14:04:00.002+08:00

Week beginning Nov 14
M: 2 x 3 miles (4mins rec) - splits 19.15, 19.25 (av 4.02 min/km); Total 15k with warm up/down
T: 65mins easy (5.20)
W: 45mins easy (5.04), incl 5*20secs hill sprints
T: 5 x 1000m (2.5mins rec) - splits: 3.35, 3.39, 3.38, 3.40, 3.35 (av 3.37 min/km)
F: 35mins very easy (5.37)
S: 110mins easy-moderate (4.49)
S: off
Total 75k for the week

Week beginning Nov 21
M: 35mins easy (5.00), incl 5*15secs hill sprint
T: 5k run in 19.25 (3.53) - a test run at sub-39 10k pace
W: off (unplanned)
T: off (unplanned)
F: 3 x 2k (3mins rec) - splits 7.28, 7.38, 7.36 (av 3.47 min/km).. Totak 16k with warm up/down.
S: 40mins very easy (5.30)
S: 90mins easy (4.55)
Total 60k for the week

Week beginning Nov 28
M: off (unplanned)
T: 3.2k tempo in 13.15, 4*800m (3.00-3.05). Total 13k
W: off (unplanned)
T: 60mins easy (4.58)
F: 35mins easy (5.00), incl 5*1min on/off
S: off
S: SCMS 10k in 39.28

Another sub-par performance today. I thought I was capable of doing close to my PB of 38.20 in local conditions, but that wasn't the case. My interval paces in training were faster than when I did 38.20 (Melbourne) and 38.50 (Madrid), so I thought I had a chance.

Too lazy to download my watch and look at the splits. But it was not pretty. Was cruising at 3.50s pace for the first 5k, but in the second half the split blew up to around 4.00 pace. Just struggled physically and mentally in the second half period.

Physically, the glute was sore for the whole week and it was tight especially in the last 5k which didn't help. But guessing at the meltdown in the second half, I have a feeling that my endurance has decreased. My mileage is pretty low presently at around 60km per week. For me who has been doing 80-100km regularly during marathon training, doing 60km per week is a backward direction in terms of fitness progression. But that's life as I have to balance the demands of family, work, and personal passion.

Mentally, I also just wasn't that focused. Just didn't have the mental toughness to fight when the going gets tough. There is no self belief.

On the positive side, today's race marked my first sub-40 in Singapore. Previous 10k races were around 40-43 mins, either due to untapered marathon training, crowded race or inaccurate course. But given I am still about 2-3mins behind the standard of my local competitors (Seakins, Hong Leng) in the over 40 category, there is nothing much to cheer on. It just means that more, more, more, more and more hard work are required !!!

No SCMS

2011-11-13T08:56:00.004+08:00

Week beginning Oct 31
M: Off
T: Threshold 3*2mile @ 3.58 min/km, 2mins walk rest - splits 12.40, 12.38, 12.40 but I cheated for the last rep by taking a brief break after a mile; Total 15k with warm up and cool down
W: 65mins easy (5.25)
T: Intervals 7*600m, 200min jog with a friend. The plan was 8*600 @ 85s/lap but I got stuffed after 6th, skipped the 7th, and rejoined him for the 8th -splits 2.10, 2.10, 2.08, 2.11, 2.11, canned, 2.05; ended up averaging 87s/lap (~3.37 min/km).
F: 40mins very easy (5.40)
S: 90mins easy (5.00)
Total 60k for the week

Week beginning Nov 7
M:Threshold 4*2km @ 3.58, 90secs jog - splits 7.54, 7.56, 7.56, 7.56, then did 4*200m hill reps. Total 17k with warm up and cool down
T: 50mins easy (5.23)
W: 40mins easy (5.10) incl 6*15s hill sprint
T: Intervals 4*1600m, 4mins rec (400m jog + walking around)- splits 5.55, 5.55, 6.00,5.57 (av 3.43 min/km). Good session, hit 194 bpm during las rep !!
F: off
S: 100mins easy-moderate (4.48)
S: off
Total 65k for the week

Have decided that I won't be running SCMS 42k in 3 weeks time. Firstly, my training has not been up to scratch to run a marathon. A myriad of factors such as slow recovery post-Melbourne Marathon, hectic work, and family commitments all contribute to this. There are 8 weeks between Melbourne and SCMS, but during the 5 weeks, my longest run and highest weekly mileage were only 20k and 60ks respectively. There are only 3 weeks left to the race, which effectively killed any hope of an already mission impossible. To make things worse, my weight has gone up by 3kg due to little training after Melbourne marathon.

A second reason of not running is that the incentive just wasn't there. I have zero chance to PB over marathon distance given little training and weather conditions in Singapore. Since I 'only' ran Melbourne in 3.09, perhaps around 3.15 in Singapore is the best I could hope for. As a benchmark, last year's 3rd Master finished around low 3 hours, so 3.10-3.15 might be good enough for a top 10 placing in Masters Category, but with potentially only a couple hundred bucks in reward, the incentive is just not that there. (SCMS Masters category have a prize pool of $15k, with top 5 getting $5k-$1k, while between 6-10 gets a few hundreds).

As some of you have pointed out, maybe it's good for me to get away from the monotony of marathon training for a while. With no key races in the pipeline, perhaps it is a good time to work on speed and neuromuscular stuffs, and skip those long slow runs which can be draining in Singapore conditions. In light of this, I have started doing speedwork once a week with a friend (Ronnie) instead of doing intervals solo. He's a bit faster than me, so hopefully training with him will help me to improve my speed. Also, I hope doing track work on regular basis will help my marathon training later on.

With respect to the overall training, ideally I would like to do more mileage per week, but given life contraints, I am quite content running around 60ks per week for the next couple of months. The goal is simply to stay out of trouble (injury) and improve on my speed and neuromuscular strenght a bit. Haven't decided which marathon to do, but similar to previous years, the two regional options are SIM in March and GCM in July.

Recovering

2011-10-30T14:29:00.000+08:00

Week of 10-16 Oct
Sun: Melbourne Marathon
Tue: 10k easy (5.12)
Fri: 10k easy (5.12)
Sat: 15k easy (4.52)
Total 35k

Week 17-23 Oct
Mon: 7k easy (5.28)
Wed: 11k fartlek (4.33)
Fri: 12k moderate (4.48)
Sat: 18k easy (5.15)
Total 48k

Week 24-30 Oct
Mon: 10k incl 12*400 (85-90), 1min walking rest
Wed: 16k (4.42) including 45mins tempo fartlek @ 4.20
Thu: 7k easy (5.27)
Fri: 6k easy (5.30)
Sun: 21k long (4.52)
Total 60k

Nothing much to report. As usual, post-marathon recovery is a bit slow for me. Legs were still quite weak, especially when doing long runs and climbing up hills. In addition, weather has been gettting very warm lately which made running conditions difficult.

Felt some pain in the ankle after the marathon, but after a couple of weeks, it went okay. However, I began to experience some soreness in the glutes this week, hopefully nothing major.

Next race is Singapore Marathon 42k in about 5 weeks from now. I actually registered for this race before signing-up for Melbourne. The original plan was to run it as long training run, but I kinda regretted it now. Have been struggling during long runs in last couple fo weeks. Legs were still not on their best shape, while the weather has been killing me. Will decide in next couple of weeks whether I will still do it as a training run or just bandit the 10k event.

Melbourne Marathon

2011-10-09T19:52:00.003+08:00

3.09.16 (net)
Overall position 372

As mentioned in last week's blog, I felt that my training this time around was inferior compared to GC '09 and Seoul '10 which yielded 3.04 and 3.03 respectively. In light of this, I thought 3.05-3.10 would be a reasonable target for Melbourne. At the end, I just managed to sneak in under 3.10. But the process of getting that timing was a total fiasco - a positive split of almost 10mins hahaha...

Before the race, my thoughts were either to follow the 3.00 bus and then see what happens, or pace myself to a 'safe' target such as 3.05-3.06 with an even pace strategy. When the gun went off, I still couldn't make up my mind. The start was pretty congested and my first k split was around 4.40 min/km (since my finishing position was 372, presumably there were 500-600 odd runners jostling for position in the first k). To my surprise, I saw the 3-hour bus also splitted 4.40 in the first k due to the congestion. I then decided to lurk behind them, allowing a gap of around 100meters. The first 10k was relatively easy since the course is flatish-to-downhill. Also St Kilda Road and Albert Park F1 circuit was pretty protected from the wind. We consistently churned 4.05-4.15 pace due to the easiness of the course and also to make up the lost time in the first k.

First 10k split 42:15 (official)

Side note: I had k-by-k Garmin splits, but they were not meaningful. They were off by about 100m by the first 10k, then continued to grow linearly. At the finish line, my watch showed 42.6 k, about 400m difference which is still within 1% of accuracy. Interestingly, when I read up the cool running forum after the race, all 305/310 watches (also Timex) showed 42.6k, but one guy who had 610 recorded an exact 42.2k !!! Maybe time for an upgrade LOL

Was still feeling great when we left Albert Park, but then my leg developed a blister and I stopped for a few seconds in order to correct the positioning of the socks. As we entered St Kilda beach, the gap between me and the 3.00 bus had widened to around 200m. The wind started to blow strongly and I was running in a no mans land in between the 3.10 and 3.00 buses without any protection at all. I still tried to churn 4.15 per k pace, but I think running alone against the wind took a lot out of me.

Second 10k 42.52, reached halfway exactly 90 mins.

After the halfway mark, I continued to struggle running in a no mans land against the wind. My legs began to tighten and they got heavier by each step. Negative thoughts started to emerge and my pace began to drift. With a 90min first half and with the expected headwind, HM-ers and FM-ers merging in the last 10k and a series of hills in the last 7k, I realized that getting low 3.00s might be a stretch. For some reasons, my brain told me to play safe and ran at 4.30 pace because it could still get me around 3.05. The 3.00 bus began to disappear from my sight (interestingly, the bus had 30 runners at the start and at the finish, only 3 remained and went under 3)

Third 10k 45.06

So, a slow down from 4.15 pace to 4.30 pace, but wait, it actually got even worse !!! LOL 'The Wall' continued its strong hold on my mind/body and I slowed down massively from then on. From 32k mark until the finish we then had a merging between FMers and HMers which started an hour later. Actually I had no complaints because at that point I couldn't run fast and pass people anyway hahaha. But running with thousands of 2-hour HMers kinda put me in the same running motion as them and my pace slowed to around 4.40-5.00. The hills, although they were not steep, kinda added an extra 'thickness' to the Wall.

Fourth 10k 48.21

Just couldn't wait to get over and done with the race, but to put more salt into the wound, the last 400k was uphill too hahaha.

Last 2.2k 10.26

In retropective, I am quite pleased with the outcome because I think I have finally defeated my injury issues that plaqued me in the last couple of years. I think I could have reached a better result, say if I targeted 1.32-1.33 first half in lieu of 1.30. But going at 3.00 pace (even when I am not up to it) and then hitting the wall really gave a different experience. While it wasn't enjoyable, but shuffling the last 12k of the race at 5.00 pace after averaging 4.20 pace for the first 30k was really an eye opener for me. Putting one step in front of another when nothing left at stake was I must say, an 'epic' experience LOL.

I am not sure whether 'the wall' that hit me was due to glycogen depletion since I took a few gels and sipped sports drinks throughout the race. Also, I felt that I carbo-loaded reasonably well this time. I think it was mainly attributed to a couple of things:

Firstly, sub 3.00 pace was too hot to handle for me, so blowing up was, sadly, an expected outcome. Secondly, I think I trained too hard during taper - was doing 18k @ 4.14 pace about 2 weeks out, 23k with 11k at 4.10 pace seven days out, and then even 3 days before the race, I ran 13k at 4.30 min/km (couldn't help it running at 15c compared to my usual 30c) - this was essentially 1/3 of marathon distance at today's pace !! In retropesctive, the gamble to cram in workouts even during taper just didn't pay off. During race day, my legs were 'toast' and felt like lead after 25k.

Ewen actually spotted me at the finish line and he said that I looked comfortable and did not have that 'trashed look' a other runners. I felt fine after the race too. This sort of reaffirms that the wall wasn't a function of glycogen depletion, but more of muscular fatique, coupled with high energy cost of running (against headwind + went out maybe 5mins quicker than I was capable of TODAY)

All in all, I feel that the positives still outweigh the negatives. Finishing the race after almost 2 year battle with post-tib tendon injuries gives me some confidence that I can run better next time. As mentioned, my training wasn't as good and consistent as my previous marathons, so taking some risk by going out harder than what my form indicated, hitting the wall, but still finishing comfortably under BQ standard ain't that bad of a result, I reckon.

Thanks everyone for the support !

Just a few days to go...

2011-10-02T20:47:00.002+08:00

Mon (26 Sep):
OFF. core strength

Tue (27 Sep):
12k easy (5.32) @ river/padang
Surprisingly slow pace even after a full day off. Also, did some drills to prep for tomorrow's track work.

Wed (28 Sep)
2.6k warm up, strides (CCAB track)
6*800m (2.59, 2.58, 3.00, 2.58, 2.59, 2.55) = avg 2.58, av cadence 199
2mins jog in between
6*200m (40, 40, 39.4, 39.7, 39.3, 38.9) = avg 39.6, av cadence 200
2k cool down

Some speed work to freshen things up. Still bugged by cold and felt light headed during the intervals, so I was surprised to do 6 reps all under 3mins (3 miles of work at 5k pace). Ran the 200s controlled (39-40secs) and not all out to avoid risk of pulled muscles etc. It's interesting to see my cadences for the 800s & 200s are basically the same. Stride length during the 800s was 800m/ (200spm*3:00) = 1.33 meters, while on the 200s was 200m/ (200spm*(40/60secs))= 1.50 meters.

Thu (29 Sep)
40mins easy (5.10), Padang grass
Felt unwell. Headache and runny nose. Need to to see a doctor before it gets worse.

Fri (30 Sep)
40mins easy (5.32)
On antibiotics. Did some light drills in advance of tomorrow's workout.

Sat (1 Oct)
30mins warm up (5.30)
20mins tempo @ 4.15
15mins tempo @ 4.09
10mins tempo @ 4.03
5mins rec in between
30mins cool down (5.30)
Total 23k

Last workout for this training cycle. Still taking antibiotics, but in general, felt better. The 20mins and 15mins tempo included a moderate 200m long hill (Melbourne is undulanting between 35-42k). Actually planned to do 20-15-10-5, but decided to skip the 5mins effort since my HR was already above 180. With about a week to go, don't see the neccesity to push it.

Sun (2 Oct)
30mins recovery (5.22) , Padang grass

Total 68k for the week

Pheww...finally made it to the 1-week taper !!! The last 2 marathons have seen me injured 5 weeks and 3 weeks out, so I am very grateful to finally reach this stage.

Legs were generally okay, some soreness, but in general, the problematic post-tib tendon has been holding up so far. Hopefully can get the flu/cold under control in the few days.

Since I am only doing 1-week taper, plan for next week is have a 'drastic taper' by running only over every second day.

In last 9 weeks I have done 74, 80, 55, 95, 87, 114, 90, 85, and 68 km weeks, averaging around 80k per week. That's not too bad for my standard, but most of those kms were really easy, in the 5.00-5.30 min/km range. The slow training pace was attibuted to the post-injury rehab and the fact that I simply need to run slower nowadays between workouts. During that time, I probably had about 6-8 'good' workouts, the rest was mediocre.

Comparing to the GC 2009 and Seoul 2010, this training cycle produces the least mileage and slowest average training pace. But I am excited because I am given the opportunity to toe the start line after DNS/DNF in my last 2 marathons.

Weather for next Sunday looks warm at 23c - which is not much different from SG weather. Windy condition is also forecast, with headwind on the way back. Melbourne is Melbourne!

My plan is to simply determine the pace on the fly. Normally the first few kms can tell me whether the pace will be sustainable or too hot to handle. There are so many uncontrollable factors in the marathon anyway. Being able to start is already half a battle won.

Homestretch?

2011-09-25T18:16:00.002+08:00

Mon (19 Sep):
OFF. Massage

Tue (20 Sep):
15mins warm up
Varied Pace Tempo @ The Canal
10mins @ 4.05, 5mins @ 3.55, 10mins @ 4.03, 5mins @ 3.50
Total 30mins continuous tempo, av 4.00 min/km
15 mins easy jog
5 x 00:30 hill sprints, walk down recovery
Total 14k

Had difficulties sleeping last night (over-trained a bit???), therefore I only had about 1 hour to run this morning. Decided to do something that offers the most bang for the buck - which, for me, is a tempo run. Came across this workout from reading R4YL magazine whilst doing my morning toilet dump prior to the run. Overall, it was a good short & sweet session combining threshold running and some surges at 10k pace.

Wed (21 Sep)
11k easy-recovery (5.25)
Along Singapore river and a bit of Padang's muddy grass field.

Thu (22 Sep)
OFF. Cold/flu.

Fri (23 Sep)
2k warm up
18k Tempo run in 76:00 (continuous)
3k cool down
Total 23k
Splits:
4.09, 4.13, 4.13, 4.11, 4.13, 4.14, 4.14, 4.14, 4.27 (water fountain stop),
4.10, 4.14, 4.13, 4.14, 4.15, 4.16, 4.13, 4.16, 4.00

With couple of rest days this week (enforced by minor sickness), legs felt good and springy this morning. Drove to East Coast Park and did a long tempo on traffic-free bike path. With about 2 weeks left before the marathon, I was actually apprehensive about doing a long tempo. Firstly, I don't know my goal MP is - I haven't done a lot of sessions this cycle and in the most recent race, I recorded a PW for Army HM even on a short course. Secondly, I think I am walking a thin line between injury/overtraining and desire to cram in some quality sessions for the race in 2 weeks time. My immune system is surpressed (cold/flu) and I've had some sleeping difficulties lately.

Therefore, I just ran at a controlled HR at between 160-175 bpm. My cold weather marathon HR is normally around 165, but under Singapore conditions, I presume it would be 5-10 bpm higher. On the surface, the splits indicated that I might be aiming for sub-3 pace for the tempo, but honestly it was just coincidental that the average pace turned out to be that way. Tried to keep HR under 170 throughout the run but after an hour then it slowly began to rise. The plan was to do 20k but decided to play safe and end the run a couple of ks earlier. To test whether I still have some juice in the tank, I ran the last k at harder effort. Av HR for the 18k continous run was 166 bpm, which is similar to the HR recorded at Army HM, but today's pace was about 8 secs/km faster. Overall, the run didn't take a lot out me but it wasn't a walk in the park either.

Sat (24 Sep)
5k recovery run (5.40)

Sun (25 Sep)
33k long run @ ECP (av 4.51) @ ECP

Woke up late due to EPL last night and started running at 7am which is unusually late for me. Decided to do it at ECP, as hopefully the flat terrain will be easier on the body given there are only 2 weeks to go the D-day. Ran the first 15k at 5.00 pace, the second 15k at 4.40s, and the last 3k as cool down. Pretty hot day and I was punctured from 25k onwards. Also, had a 10mins toilet break during the run.

Total 86k for the week

A good week with 1 short tempo, 1 long tempo, and 1 long run. So thankful that I managed to finish another training week with my legs still in one piece and holding up well. I also battled cold/flu, so the reason for 2 rest days this week.

Need to tackle one more week of training left before I can confidently say that I will be toeing the start line in good health. That means a couple of more workouts on my plate for next week. My plan is to do intervals midweek, and then one final tempo workout in the weekend . I don't think a lot of benefits from next week's training can be realized in time for the race, so I need to make sure that I don't over-risk it and then fall on the very last hurdle.

Anxiety

2011-09-18T17:04:00.003+08:00

Mon (12 Sep):
30mins elliptical + 30mins treadmill run (av 5.45)

Tue (13 Sep):
8* (400m fast, 200m float) + 200m fast
91 (52), 88 (54), 89 (54), 89 (54)
90 (55), 90 (56), 90 (54), 88 (51), 38
Total 5000m continous in 19:50
Av pace - 400s @ 3.43 min/km, 200s @ 4.28 min/km
5mins recovery
800-600-400-200 cutdown (1min standing rest in between)
2.54, 2.11, 1.24, 0.36

Only reached the CCAB track about 6.30am, so I only had 1 hour to run before going to work. Did a short 2k warm up on grass, then straight into the Deek Quarters session, which I completed in 19.50 for the 5000m. A lot slower than the same session on the road in 19.35 a couple of weeks ago. But this is expected given I have residual fatique from a long run a couple of days ago, distance is more accurate than GPS, and today some spots on lane 1 was closed for some patching work so I had to swerve into outside lanes. Av HR for the 5000m was 170 bpm, which is about 89% Max HR (only reached a high of 182 today). Quite a low HR - but I think this is driven more by fatique and low glycogen (after doing 114k last week) rather than better fitness.

Did some maths on stride length. My cadence for the deek session was 194 strides per minute, which translated to 3850 footstrikes for the 5000m or an average length of only 1.30 meters !! I think Jack Daniels did a study showing that females' stride length were averaging 1.5m for marathon race distance :( Even on the 200m sprint today (212 strides per minute), my stride length is a paltry 1.60 meters !

PM: 35mins recovery (5.45), Sentosa broadwalk

Wed (14 Sep)
8k easy (5.23) around local neighbourhood, tired

Thu (15 Sep)
9k easy (av 5.13) @ Keppel Island
with 4 strides, drills

Fri (16 Sep)
Threshold fartlek (2400m 'cooked' in 5 ways)
1) straight tempo effort; time 9:55 (av 4.08)
2) varied pace (600m @ 3.50s, 300m float @ 4.40); time 9.54
3) progressive effort (increasing pace every 600m from 4.20 to 3.55), time 9.59
4) 1600m @ tempo effort, 800m at 5k effort; time 9.45
5) 2.4k worth of 30secs fast/slow fartlek; time 10.15
all with 2mins recovery (jogging/walking)
Total 12km of work in 49:50 (av 4.09 min/km)
Total 18k with warm up/down

Kind of bored doing tempo session at a constant effort on a 1200m road loop, so I decided to make it a fartlek style. Times were pretty consistent in all the 5 repetitions (9.55, 9.54, 9.59, 9.45, 10.15); eventhough they were all done in different format (last one was slower because of the equal jog recovery). HR were mostly in the 170 range, with a high of 183 in the fourth rep. Personally, I enjoyed this kind of session better than, for instance, running 6*1600m at tempo pace. Training alone really made pacing concentration a bit difficult. Also, I guess this kind of session could be beneficial because it involved some efforts beyond and above LT.

Sat (17 Sep)
OFF.

Sun (18 Sep)
32k long run (av 4.50) @ District 9

Hot and humid morning. Was crusing at 4.45 min/km pace for 2 hours, then it became a death march due to the heat. Slept little last night.

Total 90k for the week

Overall, an okay week with 2 workouts and one long run. Speed workout times were slower than previous cycles, but I am not complaining. I know that I am less fit than where I was in 2009 and 2010 where I ran 2 marathons in low 3s. However, I'd say my training at the moment was not materially different to my pace and mileage from my prep to JoongAn marathon in 2008 where I ran 3.11. So, let's see where my training will take me in the next couple of weeks.

Three weeks left meaning there are 2 training weeks and then one week of taper !! Currently, I feel (finger cross) that my legs are holding up. However, until that taper week arrives I think I will be in a continuous anxiety state that my history of marathon jinx will repeat itself and my post-tib tendon could flare up anytime. Really need to toe the marathon start line in a healthy state in order to recover my morale and bring me out of this depression! However, I am a guy who likes doing workouts and gets confidence and satisfaction from doing them. My plan is to do a couple more of 80-100k in the next two weeks (including 30k+ lon run and long workouts), so my body will be on the edge.

Fighting against the jinx

2011-09-11T14:55:00.001+08:00

Mon (5 Sep):
8k recovery run (av 5.35) @ Keppel Island

Tue (6 Sep):
12k easy run (av 5.16) @ Labrador
included 5* 15secs hill sprints

Wed (7 Sep)
15mins warm up, strides
Threshold workout @ The Canal
4km in 16:02 (av 4.01), 4mins rec
3km in 12:02 (av 4.01), 3mins rec
2km in 7:56 (av 3.58), 2mins rec
1km in 3:50 (av 3.50)
Total fast running, 10k in 39:50
15mins cool down
Total 16k

PM: 6k recovery (5.45), treadmill

Legs felt better and springier this morning compared to last Sunday's crap race. Took a more cautious approach (since I've been overestimating my fitness !) by doinbg longer and easier recoveries. This made the session much easier and I still had plenty left in the tank at the end. HRs were between 170-180 for the fast segments.

Thu (8 Sep)
18k easy (av 5.05) @ Padang
24 laps of Padang grass field, must be the most number of laps I have run! Things that I need to do to preserve my legs.

Fri (9 Sep)
7k recovery (av 5.40) @ Keppel Island, with drills

Sat (10 Sep)
14k easy (av 5.05) @ District 9

Had to abort the long run. Felt underfueled and sluggish.

Sun (11 Sep)
33k long run (av 5.10) @ District 9

Forgot to turn off my Garmin yesterday, so the battery was dead this morning! Arrghh !! Decided to to run anyway and would calculate the distance by google earth when I got home. I was planning to run for about 3 hours or 35k and made this as my last long run longer than 30k. My only feedback on the duration and pace was basically asking the current time to passer-by every now and then. Unfortunately, the last person had her watch 10mins faster and I ended up running 2h50m. Mapmyrun calculated the distance at 33k, so my average pace came to around 5.10 min/km. However, the total time includes drink stops and trafic lights, so presumably I was moving slightly quicker than that.

Total 114k for the week

An okay week, dominated by lots of easy aerobic mileage. Only did one workout, a threshold session on Wednesday. I decided to play safe this week because I think I am still traumatized by 18 months of bad luck and injury jinx. During the last 2 marathon cycles, I injured my post-tib about 4-5 weeks out before the marathon and ended up not doing both races.

Four weeks left to Melbourne, meaning there are only 3 more training weeks plus 1 week of taper. I know that I won't be in tip top shape, but if I can get through the remaining 4 weeks without injury and run the marathon (in whatever time it will be), that will good for my morale. I will be running the race not for the time, but to re-build my confidence that has been trashed by the spell of bad luck in the last 18 months.

:(

2011-09-04T21:09:00.002+08:00

Mon (29 Aug):
7k recovery run (av 5.30)
Heavy leg from yesterday's long run. Did half of the run on 250m grass field.

Tue (30 Aug):
15mins warm up, strides
Intervals @ CCAB track
1600m (6:07), 2mins jog, 1000m (3.47), 2mins jog, 400m (1.27), 3mins jog
1600m (6.14), 2mins jog, 1000m (3.48), 2mins jog, 400m (1.27), 5mins jog
5*200m (39, 41, 40, 41, 37), 200m jog
10mins cool down
Total 15k

Legs felt a bit heavy. I guessed I have yet to fully recover from the 33k outing 2 days ago. Legs just didn't have a lot of pop this morning. All the warm up, recovery between intervals, and cool down were done by circling the soccer field, hence today I ran a full 15k without putting my foot on asphalt. Cadences were 200 strides per minute for the 400-1600s intervals and around 210 for the 200s.

Wed (31 Aug)
7k recovery run (av 5.37)

Thu (1 Sep)
16k run with fartlek (av 5.05)

Sprinkled 5* 40secs hill sprints, 3* 400m hill repeats, 4* 20secs grass strides, and a couple of MP effort kms into today's run. Was suprised to see the average pace for the run was a wee slow at 5+ min/km given I did some fast running here and there. I guessed I am just slow.

Fri (2 Sep)
AM 6k recovery (av 5.40), treadmill
PM 6k easy on grass (av 5.10)

Sat (3 Sep)
OFF. But went out with family & friends for 12 hours, from breakfast to dinner, all over Singapore

Sun (4 Sep)
4.30am 2.5k warm up
5.15am SAFRA Half Marathon 90.14 (GPS distance 20.4)
7.30am 7k cool down jog
Total 30k (not continuous)

Total 87k for the week

My slowest Army HM timing ever!! (my times were never good anyway, but today was awful).

Even from the start, I knew that it's gonna be a tough day at the office. Felt sluggish, probably a combination of no taper and a long outing yesterday (driving around SG for gourmet hunting). Legs didn't have a lot of pop, felt stiff and were not fluid.

I also over-estimated my fitness level! I thought that even with normal training (no taper), I should be okay to complete a HM at around 4.15 min/km but sadly that proved to be a wishful thinking. Averaged around 4.15 pace for the first 10k, but found the pace too rough for today. I was basically done at that point! Decided to run at more comfortable effort for the remainder of the HM and ended up averaging 4.26 min/km. That's even slower than my actual marathon pace for my last 2 completed marathons in Gold Coast and Seoul :(

Only 5 weeks left to Melbourne and I think I might be struggling to run a decent time. The only good thing is that by not digging too deep today, I think I can resume workouts in about couple of days. Will see what happens in the next couple of weeks to decide a proper marathon time goal.

I also notice that my training nowadays has a trend akin to mood swings. One week great, the next week is full of crap. Don't know why but I am certainly not a man I was before.

Good week

2011-08-28T13:30:00.002+08:00

Mon (22 Aug):
9k easy, 4 strides (av 5.15)

Tue (23 Aug):
3k warm up, strides
Tempo Fartlek session
4000m @ 4.13, 3mins rec, 800m @ 3.54, 2mins rec
3200m @ 4.08, 3mins rec, 800m @ 3.57, 2mins rec
2400m @ 4.09, 3mins rec, 800m @ 3.58. 2mins rec
1600m @ 4.04, 3mins rec, 800m @ 3.56
(total quality segments 14.4k averaging 4.07 min/km)
2k cool down
Total 22k in 1.41 (av 4.36)

PM 35mins arc trainer

The plan was to run the long intervals at approx 4.00-4.05 pace and the 800s at 3.50-3.55 pace, but that proved to be a wishful thinking given where I am at! Ended up averaging 4.09 min/km for the long intervals and 3.57 min/km for the 800s. So that's about 5-10 secs/km slower than what I was expecting. One mistake that I did was that I took my drinks a bit too late at about 40mins into the fartlek which made me dehydrated. Cadences were around 190-195 strides per minute for the fast segments, slowing into 180 for the recovery segments.

Wed (24 Aug)
AM weights
PM 13k easy run (av 5.15), mostly on grass

Thu (25 Aug)
7k easy (5.15)

Fri (26 Aug)
3k warm up
Deek Quarters
continuous 8* (400m fast, 200m float) + 200m fast
82 (50), 88 (52), 87 (54), 89 (54), 88 (54), 89 (54), 89 (54), 88 (53), 42
Total 5k continuous in 19:33
3k down

A short, hard session! Averaged 3.40 pace (88seconds) for the 400s, and 4.30 pace (53seconds) for the float 200s. HR was a bit low, average was 173 bpm and only reached a high of 95% Max. Leg turnover was 200 and 190 strides per minute for the 400s and 200s respectively. Good cadence but still think my stride length is still short !!

Sat (27 Aug)
Off (planned). Decided to rest so that I am more energized to do long run tomorrow. Did 20mins core strength session.

Sun (28 Aug)
33k Long Run in 2h37m (av 4.46) consisting of
First 12k in 59mins (av 4.55); home-Canal-Margaret Dr-6th Ave-B Timah Rd
Last 21k in 1h38m (av 4.40) ; Rifle Range Rd out & back plus above

Good weather for a change, humid but at least cooler than normal. Felt pretty good until 26k, then got tired. Running time excluded 10mins of stoppages for traffic lights, buy drinks at 7/11 etc

Total 95k for the week

First time since the injury that I managed to put in a decent training week. Speed hasn't returned yet as evidenced by Tuesday and Friday workouts, but that's the way it is right now. Also, happy to finally do a 30k+ run. Next weekend I am running my first race since Perth DNF, which is the Army Half Marathon. I have only done a couple of workouts post-injury, so I am not too sure what kind of shape that I am in. Since there are only 6 weeks left to Melbourne and the fact that my training has been lousy in recent weeks, I might just train as normal this week and treat the race as a workout.

Short Week

2011-08-21T17:38:00.001+08:00

Mon: off (busy)

Tue: 4k warm up to F1 track, 5*1k intervals (av 3.47) with 1.45 rec, 4*200m (av 40sec), 4k cool down (with last 2k @ marathon effort)

Wed: 8k recovery (av 5.40)

Thu: 8k easy (av 5.28)

Fri: 24k long run (av 5.15)

Sat-Sun: off (travel)

Total 55k for the week

A hectic week, so running became a second priority. Tuesday session was my first interval in about 4 months, and I was pretty pleased with the splits. Friday was supposed to be a 30+k run, but bailed out after 2 hours. I started runnign way too late at 7am and the sun was already burning by then. Running in my area on weekdays is also not conducive due to peak hour traffic. Got shore throat afterwards due to car fumes,

Sling Jr came down with fever again, his school was actually shut for almost a week due to ill students. I will just play it by the ear next week in terms of running.

Feelin' Better

2011-08-13T20:49:00.003+08:00

Mon (8 Aug):
7.5k easy run @ treadmill (av 5.22) - started at 6.00 pace, ended at 4.50 pace

Tue (9Aug):
2k warm up, strides
14k Tempo run in 60mins (4.18)
3k cool down jog
Total 19k (av 4.38)

Today is public holiday and streets were empty, hence I decided to do a long tempo on the roads. The route started/ended at the doorstep of my condo and has some undulations here and there. Completed '1/3 marathon' (14k) in about an hour, excluding 2 very brief stops (less than 1min) at 9k for drinks and at 12k where I struggled to climb the slopes from Elber Rd to Oxley Rise due to fatique. Av pace was 4.18 m in/km but heart rates were on the high side - akin to Threshold effort, further evidenced by a high 186 bpm reached in the last k.

Wed (10 Aug)
7.5k recovery run @ Keppel Island (av 5.26) - light drills

Thu (11 Aug)
13k easy (5.02)
A couple of ks slow along the river, 10 easy laps of Padang grass field with 6 x 25secs strides, last 3k at moderate pace (4.37) back home .

Fri (12 Aug)
5k easy (5.45) @ treadmill in Mulia Hotel Jakarta

Sat (6 Aug)
28k long run in 2h12m (4.43)

Ran from/to home + 3 loops of Botanic loop which is roughly about 7k (Nassem Rd, Evans Rd, Bukit Timah Rd, Cluny, Holland Rd). Did a wave-style run by alternating easy effort and harder effort.

15mins @ 5.20, 15mins @ 4.15
10mins @ 5.05, 10mins @ 4.12
5mins @ 5.13, 5mins @ 4.03
15mins @ 5.12, 15mins @ 4.17
10mins @ 5.18, 10mins @ 4.16
5mins @ 5.13, 5mins @ 3.58
10mins ez

Total 80k for the week

Summary:
Overall, a much better week. It seems my aging body enjoys the new structure of 2 workouts a week. This means that I have 3-4 easy days between workouts for recovery and I think that's exactly what my body needs. I felt much fresher and more energized now. The extra recovery enabled me to make my hard days harder by putting more quality into the two sessions (long tempo + fartlek long run). Plan to do similar structure next week - probably a 90mins midweek session (intervals) and a 2hr+ weekend fartlek long run. Rest of the week will be short slow runs.

My strides rates during Tuesday's tempo was 192 strides per minute (Garmin footpod), Really needs to work on the stride length and midfoot striking (to avoid the braking action of heel strike) to get myself faster.
Only 8 weeks left....

Doldrum

2011-08-07T13:29:00.001+08:00

Mon (1 Aug):
AM 9k easy with strides (av 5.30)
PM 6k (av 5.05) incl 5 x (60secs + 20secs hill repeats)

Tue (2 Aug):
6k easy treadmill (av 5.44)

Wed (3 Aug)
9k (4.50) including 3k tempo @ 4.03

Thu (4 Aug)
12k easy (5.20)

Fri (5 Aug)
6k easy (5.20)

Sat (6 Aug)
26k long run (5.02)

Total 74k for the week

Felt very lethargic for the whole week. For some reasons, my body is rejecting anything faster than easy pace. Tried to do a LT session on Wednesday, but only lasted 3k since I found the effort was too rough for a 'tempo' (couldn't believe that I was runing 40min+ 10k for continuous tempo not long ago). Paces for my easy runs also slowed to mid 5.00s as the body refused to run faster. I am not enjoying my running much at the moment.

The tendon injury is still there and I could feel the aching but it's not painful nor causing me any grief. However, I could feel new niggles here and there, such as in the glutes, groin, and hamstring. It seems my body has 'aged' rapidly in the last year or so. However, unlike a fine red wine, my body is getting worse and weaker with age.

If my training doesn't improve in the next couple of weeks, most likely I will abandon my plan to run Melbourne marathon and maybe just do a 1/2 instead. It is just so scary that I just recovered from injury, and then realized there is only 9 weeks before a marathon !!!! I don't think I will be able to give sufficient time for my body to absorb and to benefit from training in such a short time frame.

In the meantime, I need to continue to keep my head down and tough it out. Let's hope I can shake out the doldrum and have a better luck next week.

July Update

2011-07-09T15:14:00.016+08:00

After taking two weeks off after Perth in order to rest the injured tendon, July was all about re-booting and getting back to fitness.

It's hard to say if my leg pain is completely gone, since my mileage is not that high at the moment and my workouts haven't really started. But so far, my legs hold up pretty well after each run. I always ice my leg after every run and have shifted some of the runs into a small grass cricket field. I haven't touched ibuprofen and voltaren for a month now.

In last four weeks, I have built my mileage gradually from 40k to 50k to 72k and 50k this week, while longest run was up to 2 hours (24k). Actually plan to do 28k this weekend, but unfortunately my son came down with fever and cold, hence also reason for low mileage this week.

10 weeks to go to Melbourne now. Not much time left!

Week 1 of July
Sun: 8k run (5.10)
Mon: 1 hour arc trainer
Tue: 8k run incl strides (5.00)
Wed: 1 hour arc trainer
Thu: AM 10k run (4.45), with 25mins @ 4.30; PM 40mins arc trainer
Fri: 1 hour arc trainer
Sat: 14k run (4:55)

Total 40k of running in 3h20m + 3h40m of arc trainer = 7 hours of aerobic exercise

Week 2 of July

Mon: 8k grass fartlek run (4.53) incl 10*1 min on/off + 20mins bike + 50mins arc trainer
Tue: 6k run (5.15)
Wed: 11k run (4.45) incl 4 x 4mins LT (~3.58), 90secs rec + 40mins arc trainer
Thu: 60mins arc trainer
Fri: 7k grass run (5.10), 10mins bike
Sat: 18k run (4:55)

Total 50k of running in 4h+ 3h of arc trainer = 7 hours of aerobic exercise

Week 3 of July

Mon: 10k grass fartlek run (4.56) incl 6*90 secs (~3.40s pace) with 2mins rec + 40mins arc trainer
Tue: 6.5k easy (5.24)
Wed: 12k run (4.52) incl 2*10mins LT on grass (4.05-4.10 pace), 2mins walk rec + 60mins arc trainer
Thu: 7.5k easy (5.26)
Fri: 12k treadmill (5.15)
Sat: off
Sun: 24k long run (4.58)

Total 72k of running in 6h5m+ 1h40m of arc trainer = 7h45m hours of aerobic exercise

Week 4 of July
Mon: 6k treadmill (5.45)

Tue: 8k grass with 6 strides (5.12) + 20mins bike
Wed: 15k fartlek (av 4.50) incl 3*6mins @ 4.00 (90secs jog), 3*1min @ 3.35 (60secs jog), 2*2min @ 3.50 (60secs jog)
Thu: off - travel to Jakarta
Fri: 7k with drills/strides (5.22)
Sat: 14k tempo (av 4.26) - Matt was sich so no long run
Sun: off
Total 50k of running in 4h10m + 20mins bike = 4h30m aeroboc exercise

DNF

2011-06-20T22:25:00.001+08:00

DNF at km 7.

I knew that I had a remote chance of finishing a marathon, but didn't expect to pull out so early :(

Tried to run early in the week, but leg was too painful. Decided to rest for the rest of the week and was also on anti-inflammatories diet, hoping that everything will come good on Sunday.

On Wednesday, about 30mins before our flight was supposed to take off, Qantas decided to halt all flights to Perth for 24 hours due to Chilean volcanic ash.

Qantas offered full refund for the tickets. I was very tempted to take the cash since the marathon was virtually a no hoper. Contemplated Gold Coast in 2 weeks time, but there was no guarantee that I'd recover in time, and more importantly, I haven't been training much for the last month so I wasn't gonna be in tip top shape anyway.

At the end, I decided to keep the ticket betting that everything will be alright on race day. Flew to Perth the next day.

On Friday, ran 9k in Perth at 4.45 pace (including a mile at MP) and legs seemed to hold up. Feeling a bit more optimistic, and hoping 2 more days on NSAID diet will reduce the inflmmation in the posterior tibialis tendon.

Meet the Perth gank for pasta dinner on Friday. It was a good boys night out, talking about running !

Sunday morning: did 1k warm up with B'man (who eventually ran 2.49) at 5+ pace and legs seemed okay. Lined up at the start with Epi (who finished in 3.00.30) and felt great for the first couple ks running at 4.12-4.15 pace.

Then I came undone in a flash. There was a steep downhill after Windan Bridge and the force sent shock waves to my legs - ankles, and posterior tibia as well as the anterior tibia. Legs were burning like hell. Hold on for another k but another steep downhill in East Perth put the nail into the coffin. Run, walk, run, walk for a while, before deciding to pull the plug at approx km 7.

If the pain happened say after 30k, probably I wouldn't mind grinding it out. But the shit happened so early and running another 35k or so it will not be an enjoyable (& rewarding) experience and akin to climbing K2.

Nevertheless, it was a good holiday. Been 4 years since the last time I was there. Visited all the restaurants we used to eat before, took my son for a walk in Kings Park, and managed to catch up with the Perth running crew.

So what's next?

The same injury (posterior tibialis tendon) has now caused me to pull out of two marathons (DNS Melbourne 2010 and DNF Perth 2011). Both of them were caused by over-worked muscles due to excessive heel striking (the tendon contracts eccentrically during heel strike)

The short term solution will be to rest before resuming normal training again. It took me about a month of total rest to recover last year. I managed to put in a good 4-5 months of training post-injury before breaking down again.

The long term solution is to alter my biomechanics into a midfoot striker. Not sure how easy this will be after running for 7 years and clocking about 25000 km LOL. May have to look at options such as barefoot running, Newton shoes, learning about proprioceptive cues (falling forward running style) etc

In addtion to to the above, I might also have to look at altering my training regime. It seems 2 speed workouts a week is too much for my aging and aching body. I trained well during Melbourne and Perth preps but all came un-done in the last 3-4 weeks before the race (maybe Pfitz regiment of one speed and more medium long runs are more palatable??). Another modification is running more on softer surface. Last month I bought a car, and this would make travelling to training venues much easier. Once I gotten over my injuury, I might look at doing my long runs in Macritcihie forest trail or doing my tempo on the gravel surface of Bedok Reservoir - all of which would reduce the pounding.

If things go well and I can quickly recover from this shit, Melbourne Marathon on 9-10-11 will be the next marathon. That's less than 4 months away, so not very long to go !!

Gonna hang up my running shoes and go cross-training crazy for the next couple of weeks !!

Week 12 of 13

2011-06-12T18:32:00.000+08:00

1 week left !!!

Monday:
35mins easy (5.08) - painful !!!

Tuesday:
60mins easy (5.23) - PAINFUL !!!!

Wednesday:
90mins XT (60mins arc trainer, 30mins stationary bike)

Thursday:
45mins XT (arc trainer)

Friday:
AM: 13k in 60mins (4.37)
including
15mins tempo @ 4.06 min/km
15mins fartlek, alternating 90secs @ 3.50s, 90secs float @ 4.40s

PM: 45mins XT (arc trainer)

Saturday:
OFF

Sunday:
21k long run in 100mins (4.46)
(11k @ 4.55, 3k @ 4.45, 3k @ 4.30, 3k @ 4.15, 1k cool down)

Total 55k of running + 3 hours of XT

Week in Summary:

Life is a roller coaster.....

Early in the week: The posterior tibialis was damn PAINFUL (yes, capital letters). For Monday and Tuesday easy runs, I had to walk, jog, stop, walk etc for the first 20mins of the run. Calf, shins, and ankles were burning. It's the same shit I experienced prior to last year Melbourne Marathon which I eventually pulled out. Told my wife and colleagues that I probably will DNS the marathon.

Middle of the week: Skipped running for two days, did XT, RICE, ibuprofen

End of the week: Pain level declined from 100% to 85%. Did a small workout on Friday, not very comfortable. On Sunday, did a dress rehearsal, by swallowing ibuprofen, wore calf sleeves and marathon shoes. Could notice a drop in fitness on the back of reduced training in last 2-3 weeks (let's call it a 4-weeks taper)

Okay, I think I will be a starter comes next Sunday. The chance didn't look good early in the week, but things started looking up by the weekend. Hopefully in the next 6 days or som, the pain level will reduce to < 80%. Currently, I am no good to run in consecutive days since the muscles and tendons are painful due to the jarring effect. So probably will run 3 times prior to the race to give myself the best possible chance to run.

Not sure about my marathon goal time now because I won't know how the legs going to feel during the first few steps of the race. This will be my first ever marathon start with the legs not 100% healthy. Anyhow, Perth is the place where I fell in love and got obsssed with running, so it's good to come back ! I just need to be daring and do my best to tough things out.

Week 11 of 13

2011-06-04T22:39:00.004+08:00

2 weeks left !!!

Monday:
OFF. XT: 10mins weights + 25mins stationary bike + 10mins climber + 15mins elliptical

Tuesday:
4k warm up, drills/strides
8 x 400m, 100m jog (Padang field)
85, 87, 86, 88, 88, 89, 90,88
4k cool down
Total 12k in 57+ (4.48)

Wednesday:
6k easy in 31 (av 5.10), Keppel Marina 1k loop

Thursday:
3k warm up with strides
10k continuous tempo in 40.57 (av 4.06)
3k cool down
Total 16k in 74+ (4.40)

Friday:
35mins recovery (5.45), treadmill

Saturday:
5k easy in 26.47 (5.22)
5k MP in 21.40 (4.20)
4k easy in 22:10 (5.32)
4k fartlek in 17.20 (4.20), alternating 500m @ 10k-HM, 200m jog
3k easy in 17.00 (5.40)
3k MP in 12.45 (4.15)
2k easy in 11.00 (5.30)
2k of 40secs strides, 80secs jog in 9.40 (5.50)
Total 28k in 2h18m (4.57), excluding a number of stoppages to rest the ankle from pounding

Sunday:
OFF.

Total 68k for the week

Week in Summary:

The good: This week's low mileage seems to have alleviated my dead legs problems as evidenced by a good tempo on Thursday and a fartlek long run on Saturday. So I reckon there is no issue with overtraining or low iron since my motivation is still there.

The bad: The dreaded tendon-ankle joint injury is back !!!

Similar to the last year's injury which put me on the sidelines for a couple of months, the posterior tendon has spreaded its web of pain to my shins and ankle. I would say the tendon and shin splints issues are currently 'manageable' as the pain is not that severe. Have been icing twice a day, eating panadol, and poisoning myself with voltaren gel.

The ankle is the numero uno problemo right NOW. It is painful and sore and it continuously being jarred from the road pounding. The ankle is also very weak and has very little strength to toe-off. However, it is not as bad as last year where I couldn't run at all. Perhaps the early mitigative measures such as icing, anti inflamatories, and training reduction all help to de-celerate the process before it becomes a bigger scale injury. I just need to make sure that I will nurse it for the next 2 weeks.

I am only able to secure physio appointment next Thursday. I will be leaving the following Wednesday, hence I doubt I'll get any quick fix within such a short time span. As desperate measures, I am currently experimenting with Phiten titatinum tape in order to hold the muscle and relieve pain (hopefully it's not a hoax like power balance).

Given the unexpected injury I would be happy if I can run under 3.10. However, I might go out at 3 hour pace since I don't think going out at 3.10 pace is that motivating. I am just hoping like last year's Seoul Marathon, I only fade by a few minutes to finish in low 3s.

HOPEFULLY my ankle and posterior tibialis can hold up for 42k :(
----------------------------------------

Clown/Epi/TB - I will arrive in Perth on Wednesday and return on Monday, staying at Medina on Barrack. Perhaps we can meet up for a pasta dinner on Friday and/or a beer or two after the marathon. Also, I don't mind running a bit around the river on Thursday or Friday :)

Week 10 of 13

2011-05-29T19:10:00.004+08:00

3 weeks left !!!

Monday:
9k+ easy in 50 (av 5.30), treadmill

Tuesday:
15k easy in 1h20m (av 5.20), Singapore River

Wanted to do a speed session, but body wasn't ready! Legs like lead and had no strength.

Wednesday:
9.5k easy in 50 (av 5.16), Keppel Marina 1k loop, included 6 strides

Thursday:
3k warm up with strides
Fartlek (padang cricket field)
3 x 800m @ 10k effort (90secs rec) + 1600m @ HM effort (90secs red)
3k cool down
Total 15k in 71 (4.44)

Did the workout on grass in order to reduce the stress on tibia. Tried to do a minimum of 4 sets. but stopped after 3. My legs were like lead and 10k and HM paces were slower by about 5-10secs per km!

Friday:
35mins recovery (5.42), treadmill

Saturday:
15k easy in 76+ (5.06)

An aborted long run. Super humid weather and my legs are still toast. Decided to cut my losses.

Sunday:
18k easy in 93 (5:10)

A re-dux long run, but legs still felt shitty. Felt lethargic, no strength at all and calf tendon was sore. Another stop loss

Total 88k for the week

Week in Summary:

A crap week. I only managed to do one workout and no long run! Legs were like lead and body felt knackered. Everytime I go out for the run, the shin bones were burning like hell. I had my tendon massaged and it was ok for a week, but it flared up again during the weekend. I think the cumulative pounding and fatique over this training cycle has trashed my muscles, connective tissues, and joints. The 'deal legs' feeling resulted in me doing lots of easy 5+ min pace this week.

My body was lethargic all week and seems to reject fast running at all. I eat meat regularly so I don't think my iron was lacking. Presumably doing ferritin test is too late at this stage with only 3 weeks to go. I think I simply get saturated with months and months of hot weather training. Frequent heatwaves and high humidity have taken their toll on my body. I am not recovering well on day to day basis.
I am contemplating to take a few rest days this week in order to let the body and legs recover. It's frustrating that I can't do hard sharpening workouts in a very critical period. And now there are only 3 weeks left !!!

To optimize whatever time left before the race, my plan is to do a down time this week, then training hard next week, and finally a very drastic taper during race week. Hopefully my training in the last 3 months are sufficient to allow me to still run a decent time. But first thing first, I need to find my legs and back !!!!!

Week 9 of 13 Marathon Training

2011-05-22T15:01:00.003+08:00

Monday:
15mins warm up with strides
Fartlek
4 x 2mins at 5k effort with 1.20 rec
4 x 30 secs hard with 1.00 rec
3 x 4mins at HM effort with 1.20 rec
2 x 30secs hard with 1.00 rec
2.00 jogging between sets
5mins cool down
Total 13k in 61mins (av 4.43)

Ran during lunch time, 32c with a heat index of 40c. This workout is an easier version of the infamous Portsea fartlek (3x3mins @ 3k, 4x30secs, 3x5mins @ 5k). I was totally saturated at the end, socks and shoes were soaked with sweat.

Tuesday:
20510 metres medium-long run in 1h42m (av 5.00)

In memory of Sammy Wanjiru (PB 2.05.10)

Wednesday:
OFF. Flew to HK

Thursday:
2.4k warm up with strides
16k Tempo run in 67 (av 4.11 min/km), Bowen Road 4k route
1.6k cool down
Total 20k in 88 (4.25)

Splits:
4.06, 4.11, 4.09, 4.09 = 16.35
4.25, 4.03, 3.58, 4.26 = 16.52
4.14, 4.18, 4.09, 4.15 = 16.56
4.20, 4.13, 4.06, 3.56 = 16.25

What a difference in weather can make! HK temperature is still considered warm at 24c, but probably this is my inner threshold - where anything above this I will simply get fried. Did 2 return trips of Bowen Road (4k running path) without any drinks nor stopping. Some of the splits were slightly off, due to trees.
along the route

A couple of weeks ago, I did 8k at 4.14 pace in Singapore with an average HR of 165bpm. So I am reasonably pleased running 16k at 4.11 pace with an average HR of 162bpm. That's twice the distance, slightly faster pace but at a lower HR!

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to do a long tempo such as 24k at MP since I had to return to the hotel for a breakfast meeting. I landed in HK very late and checked-in at the hotel around midnight, so I couldn't wake up early enough. In that sense, I lost an opportunity to do a long, race specific workout there at a much palatable temperature.

Friday:
12.4k easy in 62 (5.00), Bowen Road HK

A nice relaxing run with an average HR of 140s. Post-run recovery also seems to be quicker with the lower temperature.

Saturday:
25k Passion Run in 1.52.30 (av 4.30)
5k slow cool down
Total 30k

5k Splits:
21.37 - 22.56 - 22.55 - 22.55 - 22.07 (watch time, excluded 1min forced stop at traffic light)

My plan was to average around 4.20-4.25 pace for the 25k (5-10secs slower than goal MP) as a race simulation. However, I got to attend a birthday party early arvo and I arrived at the race venue very, very late. Just in time to start in Wave 3 or about 20mins later after Wave 1 was flagged off. This meant that I probably had about 5000 runners and walkers starting ahead of me.

Since Wave 2 started about 10mins ahead of Wave 3, I had a pretty clear route for the first couple of ks averaging around 4.15 pace, but from km 4-20, it was virtually running into a great human wall of Singapore. Had to zig-zag and ran mostly on the beach sand and grass to overtake prople, especially in the ECP sections. I probably averaged around 4.35-4.40 pace during this 15km stretch. In the last 5k the crowd got more scattered, and I was able to run with greater freedom. I wouldn't be surprised if I passed around 4000-5000 runners from the start to finish.

At the end, I averaged around 4.30 pace or around 94% of goal MP. Looking back, it wasn't that bad of an outing to run 25k at 3h10m marathon pace, facing a human wall and 30c temperature (37 heat index). I never struggled during the run and was able to converse normally with other runners. HR wasn't also that bad, averaging 164 bpm or 85% MHR (my typical marathon HR in cold temp was around 163-167).

Sunday:
OFF

Week in Summary:

96k for the week in 5 runs. Was initialy contemplating whether to do my long tempo (marathon simulation) in HK or during Saturday's 25k race. At the end, it turned out to be half-and-half. Due to time constraint, I only managed to do 16k (non-stop) tempo in HK at a pace somewhere between MP and HMP. During Saturday race, I ended up running at 4.30 pace, but given the crowd issues and racing un-tapered - doing 60% of marathon distance at 95% goal MP without workoing too hard is perhaps not too shabby.

Overall, a decent week with 1 fartlek, 1 medium long run, 1 long tempo, and 1 hard long run. Adding Thursday (16k) and Saturday (25k) sessions, my quality kms were 41k in 3 hours - that's about 3h05 marathon right there.

The bad news is that I began to notice symptoms of posterior tibialis issues (in the same leg) like last year which caused me to miss Melbourne Marathon. I've taken anti-inflamatories (both Voltren pills and gel) as well as icing and treatment on the TENS machine. With 4 weeks to go, I am not gonna take any unneccesary risk and will only do workouts when I am ready. Finger crossed that it won't develop into anything serious!

Week 8 of 13 Marathon Training

2011-05-15T15:09:00.002+08:00

Monday:
5k up including drills + strides
3 x 3k Intervals, alternating between HMP and MP
per k splits:
1st: 4.03, 4.12, 4.05 = 12.20, 3mins rec
2nd: 4.03, 4.11, 4.04 = 12.18, 3mins rec
3rd: 4.05, 4.11, 3.59 = 12.15 (stopped 30secs between each k as HR was too high for this effort)
Total 9k in 36.53, av pace 4.06
2k down (10.50)
Total 16k in 73mins

Suffered from food poisoning and gastric. Did a couple of intervals to toilet during the night and lack of sleep caused me to feel lethargic today. No sun, but the morning was very humid and super stuffy. Did the first couple sets at comfortably hard effort but struggled in the last set due to rising temperature and tiredness. HR spiked from av 170 (88% Max) in the first set, to 178 (93%) in the second set, to 180s (93%+ ) in the 3rd - which is way too high for a threshold session. Decided to stop for 30secs after every k in the last set to bring HR down a bit, but still reached 96% Max at the end.

Felt very shagged afterwards and even for the whole day. It's just so depressing that I ran at about HM pace but my HR was close to the Max. Resting HR continued to be 15bpm higher for the rest of the day.

Tuesday:
8k recovery in 45 (5:37), treadmill.

Wednesday:
AM: 19k medium long run in 94 (4.57)

Hot and stuffy weather. First hour at 80% MP, next 30mins at 90% MP. Still suffering from gastric issues.

PM: 5k recovery in 29 (5.47), treadmill

Thursday:
15mins warm up with strides
Fartlek
4 x 2.5 mins at 10k effort with 1.15 rec
10mins at HM effort
4 x 1min at 5k effort with 1min rec
2.5mins jog between sets
2k cool down
Total 13k in 61 (4.42)

Took easier recovery between reps in order not to over-stress the abdomen since I am still suffering from gastric issues. Averaged 3.50 pace flat for all of the 2.5mins reps and 4.04 pace for the 10mins sustained run. The 1min paces were slightly all over the place due to GPS hiccups (3.39, 3.35, 3.50, 3.43). There was a boat show at Keppel Marina meaning some sections were closed, so I ran the reps back and forth on a 700m long road.

Friday:
7k recovery in 40 (5.40), treadmill

Saturday:
35k long run in 3hrs (5.10) - 2x Botanic + Dempsey loop
5k splits:
27.20 (5.28 min/km), 26.43 (5.21), 25.48 (5.10), 25.14 (5.03), 24.13 (4.51), 23.24 (4.41), 25.20 (5.04)

Since I always struggle with long runs, I decided to run much easily today in order to make the distance. Started at 70% MP (5.30 pace) for the first 5k, then upping the pace every 5k blocks until 90% MP (4.40 pace). Finished the last 5k with a bunch of 30secs strides and easy cool down. Weather wasn't too bad this morning with little sun. Happy to complete 35k LSD albeit with some stoppages and very slow pace. I plan a max of 3 hours to be my longest training run in this cycle, so I might as well get it out of the way.

Sunday
Off. Core session

Total 103k for the week

Week in Summary:

Good news is that Sling Jr has recovered from his sickness and should be back at his pre-school next week.. However, I came down with gastric irritation this week. It was particularly painful on Monday during my tempo session as the combination of hard breathing and stress on abdomen increases the acid reflux.

Local weather continues to be unforgiving with record temperatures recorded. Mornings were always hot, stuffy and humid. The difficulty with training for a Western summer (Aussie winter) marathons is that May-Aug are typically the hottest times of the year. It's also the forest fire season, so the air will be choc-a-block with haze.

Overall, pretty happy with the training week. 1 tempo, 1 medium long run, 1 fartlek, one long run, and first time running over 100k per week this year. Next Saturday I have a 25k race - which I am hoping to run at MP pace as race simulation. However, the race will be held at 4pm in the afternoon so it might be too warm for my liking. Judging from the snaking queues during the race pack collection, the race looks like will be a super duper crowded one. Furthermore, the route will be on narrow bike paths at East Coast Park.
If my meetings are confirmed, I might be in Hong Kong this Thu-Fri. Mulling over whether I should just do my race simulation there (6 x Bowen Road). Temperature will be around 25c versus Singapore afternoon's 's 33c (feels like 39c), so the conditions will be slightly better.

Oh ya, we have booked our tickets to Perth. Less than 5 weeks to go now...

Week 7 of 13 Marathon Training

2011-05-08T14:46:00.001+08:00

Monday:
4k up including drills + strides
Fartlek, alternating 800m @ 110% MP and 400m @ 90% MP
splits:
3.04 (1.52 float), 3.04 (1.51), 3.07 (1.52), 3.06 (1.52), 3.06 (1.52), 3.41 (1000m to make total 7k)
Total 7k in 28.28 (av 4.04) - 800s at 3.50-3.53 pace (except last one at 3.41), float 400s at 3.40 pace
5k down
Total 16k 8n 78mins

Stayed at hospital ward Sunday night as Sling Jr had chest infection and very high fever. Didn't sleep much as we regularly monitored his condition and sponged him to cool down the body temperature. After a night in the ward, we went home on Monday afternoon. Didn't have the motivation to do a long session, decided to do a varied pace fartlek instead.

Tuesday:
AM: blood test, flu jab
PM: 8k recovery in 45 (5.37), treadmill

Wednesday:
7k moderate in 32+ (4.38) - tight on time, only had 30mins to run

Thursday:
10k progression in 45 (3k @ 4.55, 3k @ 4.35, 3k @ 4.15, 1k @ 4:00)
1k down. Total 11k in 50 (4.34)

Friday:
Off. Busy at work

Saturday:
8k easy in 40 (5.00), Singapore river

Sunday:
Off. Doctor's appointment

Total 50k for the week

Week in Summary:

This week Sling Jr is sick with chest infection and high fever, so running took a backseat. Temperature was 38-41 for most days, so I helped my wife to take care of him and be on standby in case we had to go to ER. Also had to make a couple of trips to the doctor and laboratory. By the end of the week, he is not as feverish), but still coughing badly.

Perhaps a low mileage week is not too bad for me, given my legs were like lead in last couple of weeks and the quality of my workout also deteriorated. Six weeks to go, meaning there are only FOUR weeks left for training (2 weeks taper) !!

Not much time left :(

Despite the under-preparation, doing Perth (that's next month !!) is still on the cards because I need a race result in order to register for Boston 2012. My fall marathon is likely to be Osaka or Seoul, but they are a few weeks past the mid-Oct registration for Boston, so I need to find a race sometime between now and Oct. One good thing is that my BQ 2012 is now 3.20, but given the revised registration structure, I probably need a 3.10 and under so I can register on day 3.

Week 6 of 13 Marathon Training

2011-05-01T13:53:00.002+08:00

Monday:
AM - 8k recovery in 45 (5.37), Mulia Hotel treadmill
PM - flew back to Singapore

Tuesday:
PM - 10k easy in 51+ (5.10), office-Labrador-office. Busy all day, ran at 5pm, short recovery time before tomorrow's AM workout.

Wednesday:
AM
5k up including drills + strides
8k MP tempo in 33.54 (av 4.14), 5mins walk break
3 x (3mins ON, 1min OFF, 2mins ON, 1min OFF, 1min ON, 1min OFF)
2k down
Total session 21k in 1h38m

PM
4.5k recovery in 25+ (5.42); Sentosa boardwalk

Total 25.5k for the day (35.5k inside 24 hours)

Humid morning and heavy legs. Did the 8k tempo on Margaret Drive out and back twice plus a bit. After the tempo, went to my usual Canal loop and did the fartlek for quicker-than-MP stuff on tired legs. Did the 3mins ONs at approx 4.05-4.10 pace, 2mins at 3.55-4.00 and 1mins at 3.45-3.50 pace. Very tired at the end! Coupled with a 10k about 12 hours before and 5k warm up, the workout felt really like a second half of a marathon!

Talking about HR, my HR during the 8k tempo was av 165bpm. Actually it rose from 161 bpm at the end of KM1 to 175 bpm at the end of KM8, so that's from 83% to 91% Max HR within a space of 30 minutes and I was running at constant pace !!!!!! Pretty sure this was attributed to the humid weather, increased body's core temperature and intense sweating. 91% Max HR is way too high in terms of MP effort. I guess I am of those guys whose running deteriorates exponentially in the heat compared to other local runners.

Thursday:
AM - 11k easy treadmill in 60 (5.27); started from 6.00 ended at 5.00
PM - 15mins gym work

Friday:
AM - 7k easy in 36 (5.08) with 4 strides; Keppel Marina 1k loop

Saturday:
10k easy in 53+ (5.20), home to East Coast Park
4 x 2k at HM pace, 1k ez in between
11.5k easy in 60 (5.12), East Coast to home
Total 32.5k in 2h41m (4.58)

Tired legs. Planned to do 6 x 2k, but struggled to finish 4 reps. Had to work super hard in order to keep the 2k reps under 4.10 pace (aim was around 4.00). Aerobically I was ok, but my legs were damn heavy. Decided to shut shop after the 4th rep, and jogged easily home. Both hammies and butts were very tight, had to stop and stretch a few times during the run. Looking at my log, I only realized that I had run 113km in the last 7 days (Sunday-Saturday), that's probably the highest mileage since Gold Coast 2009.

Sunday:
Deep tissue massage (needed it badly)

Total 94k for the week

Week in Summary:

A so-so week. The intent was to do 2 big sessions - which I accomplished, but quality wise, I probably rated them 6 out of 10. Woke up late on Wednesday, hence only had time to run 21k for the session. The 8k MP tempo was more difficult than anticipated as indicated by the high HR and I had to work hard to complete the subsequent fartlek. I found the Sunday session to be harder than expected as well - rolling 4.10 pace felt like a sprinting effort !! Legs were like lead for the remainder of the long run.

6 weeks gone and now there are only 7 weeks left to the race. I think I am doing okay mileage wise given life constraints; 92, 88, 98, 88, 90, 94 = average 92k (thinking about it, my weekly mileages were probably too constant, that is no recovery week). During that period, I probably had half-a-dozen solid workouts, so that's about one workout per week right there, which is not too shabby in the grand scheme of things. However, I am still strugling in terms of long runs - only did a couple of 30ks that were pretty continuous effort. The rest involved too many breaks for drinks stops, stretching etc due to warm weather and aching legs.

I am about 80% decided to do the Perth marathon now. Journey times are shorter and fares are cheaper compared to Gold Coast. I am not sure I have improved enough to do a sub-3, so I don't think the extra couple of weeks for Gold Coast will make a huge difference.

Week 5 of 13 Marathon Training

2011-04-25T12:22:00.000+08:00

Monday:
11.5k easy in 60 (5.16) with 6 strides, Keppel Marina 1k loop

Tuesday:
AM: 15k easy-moderate in 73 (4.52), home-Dempsey Loop-home
PM: calf strain, 30mins TENS machine

Wednesday:
AM: 7.5k easy treadmill in 41+ (5.32), foam roller
PM: calf strain, 30mins TENS machine

Thursday:
1.8k up, JP Morgan Corp Challenge 5.6k race in 21:14 (av 3.48) - ranked 19; splits 3.39, 3.46, 3.47, 3.45, 3.53 (crawford st hill), 2.20 (last 600m+) - good race, 6secs PB compared to last year, 2.6k down. Total 10k

Friday:
27k long run in 2h15m (5:00) - woke up late and only left home around 6.30am. Melted under the strong sun, rested 5mins every 30mins for drink stops; drank 2 litres but still dehydrated. Legs like lead, only 12 hours rest since last evening race; in other words about 37k in a day

Saturday:
off, core exercises

Sunday:
3k up, 1k worth of drills/strides, 2 x (4 x 6mins Tempo, 2mins float). Effort wise, tempo at 105% MP while float at 95% MP. First set paces: 4.05 (4.28 float), 4.05 (4.29), 4.04 (4.32), 4.04, 3mins rest then second set: 4.04 (4.30), 4.04 (4.27), 4.08 (4.48), 3.58 - total 14.5k worth of work in 60mins (av 4.09 pace) - 0.5k cool down. Total 19k

Total 90k for the week

Week in Summary:
A decent week with 1 good race, 1 solid session, but a so-so long run. Ran the race controlled, and only let it rip in the last 300m. Very humid conditions, but the organization was top notch (full road closure, deep field) resulting in great racing atmoshpere. My colleague, Chris ran about 30scs faster than last year to win the race in 17.56 with a sprint finish. He was virtually toast at the end and was unable to socialize for a while. I wondered why I am never able to give 100% effort in races, for some reason my brain always told me to refrain myself everytime I am touching the red line.

Again, I am struggling during a long run this week. Took too many stoppages in order to complete the run. Probably doing a LSD 12 hours after a hard race didn't help either. Sunday session was good and the first marathon specific session in this cycle. Accumulated about 1 hour running at faster than goal MP.

Experienced some calf strain issues, so I've been using home remedy tools in order to fight it (tens machine, foam roller, the stick, compression sleeves). Learn the lesson last year, where I continued training hard and the strained calf caused me to alter my running strides, resulting in a prolonged ankle and tendon injury.

With 8 weeks to go, (most likely Perth) it's time to get the ball rolling. I plan to work more on marathon specific workouts, by doing 2 big sessions a week. These big sessions include long threshold session midweek (25-30k) and a weekend long run sprinkled with goal pace running (30-35k). Rest of the week will be short runs in order to keep myself recovered to tackle the two big sessions.

Congrats to Rob for a big PB in Boston running 2.48 (that's 4.00 pace for 42.2k !!). Also, well done to Epi (muscle cramps after running 2.50 pace for first 30k) and Ronnie.

Week 4 of 13/15 Marathon Training

2011-04-18T10:25:00.004+08:00

Monday:
AM -- 2.5k up, drills + 1k worth of strides/jog; Combo fartlek 2x5mins + 10mins of 15-90 secs hard + 10mins tempo; woke up too late at 6am, decided to do unstructured fartlek because I was tight on time - 1k down. Total 13k
splits:
- 2 x 5mins @ 3.45-3.49 min/km with 2mins jog in-between on grass (Padang)
- 1/2 Mona - 1x90, 2x60, 2x30, 2x15 with equal jog recovery (not float), also on grass, 2mins jog
- 10mins tempo @ 4.01 min/km, running along Singapore River concrete path back home
Total fartlek 8.5k in 36mins (av 4.14) including recovery jogs

PM -- 5k recovery treadmill (5.46), 10mins gym work

Tuesday:
10k easy in 54 (5.23), Keppel Marina 1k loop

Wednesday:
18k long run in 91 (5.04) - first 12k around 5.10 pace undulating route (Nassem Hill, Dalvey Estate, Nassem Rd), last 6k moderate at 4.48

Thursday:
AM -- 10k easy in 53+ (5.21), treadmill
PM -- core session

Friday:
8.5k fartlek in 40 (4.45) including 4*3mins ON, 90secs OFF, Keppel Marina

Saturday
6.5k easy in 34 (5.15), Singapore River

Sunday
3k warm up, Run350 10K race in 40.21 (10.15k by Garmin, passed 10k in 39.56) - ranked 24, 4k cool down. Total 17k

Total 88k for the week

Week in Summary:

A so-so week, ended with another shitty race performance. Was in two minds as to taper for the race or just trained through it. At the end, I decided to do normal training and only tapered in last couple of days by virtue of skipping Saturday's long run. Was hoping to run somewhere between 38-39mins but I was really woeful today. The morning was super duper warm with 80% humidity. There was also no cloud cover (UV index of 12), hence I was melting under the sun. I usually train before sunrise (5 or 6am) and reach home by 7.30. Today the race started at 7.30 - which is way too warm for my liking.

The route information was a bit misleading. On paper, it looked like a fast course but unfortunately, the race organizer didn't close the road/traffic, so we all ended up running mostly on pedestrian walk. For strange reasons, the F1 track was not even used by the race organizer, and the route included a loop around the F1 car park, an underground carpark tunnel, and also a staircase in KM2 climbing into the Helix Bridge.

My splits for the first 5k were 3.51, 3.56 (staircase), 3.58, 3.56 (tunnel), 3.57 = 19.37, so at this point, I knew the race was gone. I was sweating intensely - my eyes were red due to the sweat and my shoes made annoying squeaking sound. When I saw the Kallang river, I felt like jumping into it in order to cool myself. I felt I had enough and I then decided to 'tempo' the remaining 5k, so that I could recover quickly and continue normal training next week. The next 5k splits were 4.07, 4.08, 4.03, 4.06, 3.54 = 39.56 by Garmin + 27secs for the extra 150m. Therefore, a positive split of 19.37 (hard effort) + 20.19 (tempo effort)

Av HR was 171 or around 88% Max, which is my normal tempo HR. Only reached a peak of 184 bpm during the race (vs 195 bpm Max)

Despite the crappy performance, I have to continue thinking positively. I always suck at racing and always rely more on the quality of my workouts. My training has been good over the last 4 months - mileages were 92, 88, 98, and 88 so about 90+ kmpw on average, so pretty consistent. For what it's worth, I ran a 41+ min 10k in Passion Run 2009 and a couple of months later ran 3.04 in Gold Coast.

I just saw the 'once in a lifetime' weather forecast for Boston marathon. With a 30 km/h tail wind all the way from start to finish, I am waiting to see the results - 2.4x for Rob and Craig and 2.5x for Ronnie :)

Week 3 of 13/15 Marathon Training

2011-04-10T17:45:00.002+08:00

Monday:
12k easy in 63 (5.15) including 6 barefoot strides, Keppel Marina 1k loop

Tuesday:
AM -- 2.5k up, drills + 1k worth of strides/jog; 12 x 400m with 40secs jog in Padang cricket field, 3mins rest, then into 3.2k tempo, felt good on this one- 2k+ cool down back home. Total 15k

Splits:
86.6, 87.2, 88.0, 87.4, 88.7, 86.3
88.8, 87.8, 87.7, 90.4, 89.3, 82.6
= 17.30 for a total 4.8k worth of work (average 3.40 pace), 3mins rest
3.2k tempo in 12.48 (4.00 pace, 171 bpm)

PM -- 5k recovery treadmill (5.46), 10mins core work

Wednesday:
10+k recovery in 55 (5.27) including 4 barefoot strides, Keppel Marina 1k loop

Thursday:
3k up, drills + 1k worth of strides/jog; 3 x 3k varied pace Tempo with 3min jog rec at the Canal loop; tried to hit multiple threshold paces at somewhere between MP and HMP, HMP, and between 10k-HMP; overall a comfortably hard effort - 2k down including 3 strides. Total 16k

splits
12.06 (4.08, 4.01, 3.57), av HR 162 (154, 159, 164)
12.01 (4.06, 4.00, 3.55), av HR 169 (165, 170, 173)
11.59 (4.08, 4.01, 3.50), av HR 174 (169, 174, 178)
total 9k worth of work in 36.11 (av 4.01 min/km)

Friday:
AM -- 7.7k recovery treadmill in 43 (5.36)
PM -- 10mins gym work

Saturday
22k + 10k, total 32k in 2:40 (5.00) - a tale of two halves - cruised the first 22k in 1.45 (4.45 pace) but then ran into stomach problem (gel ??). Couldn't find a bush to poo (Holland Rd) and had to run, stop, run, stop every couple of mins to settle the stomach and prevent the shit from coming out. Finally found a loo after 6k in Botanic Garden then jogged 4k home. So not really one long continuous run.

Sunday
OFF, core exercises

Total 98k for the week

Week in Summary:

A mixed week, with two good workouts but a SHITTY long run (literally). The good thing is that my body seems to have adapted to the recent increase in mileage and I felt I've shaken off the fatique. Mornings were much cooler (around 26-27c) nowadays and finally we got SOME WIND, which aided body cooling. This 'change in weather' helped greatly in my workouts. In fact, I found the efforts for both the interval and the tempo runs were less taxing compared to previous sessions.

This week I did my interval session on grass field (Padang cricket field) and my legs seem to enjoy the cushiony surface. From now on, I will try to do my intervals in order to save my legs from pounding, since the rest of my runs are either on asphalt or concrete. One issue is whether I am running the 'correct' distance/pace as one loop of the cricket field is only 500m as measured by Garmin (GPS is infamous for overestimating lap distance on athletic tracks). But I hope since the field is rectangular, the GPS still gives reasonable measurement as the turns are less sharp. For my session, I lapped my 400m at about 405-408m (so about 1-2% extra) to compensate for the possible error. For longer, slower reps, I can extend the loop by 300m extra by running in the rough, un-manicured grass block next to the cricket field.

Next Sunday, I will be doing my first race in 2011, a road 10k, and four days later on Easter Thursday, a 5.6k mile race. Both races are paid by my company, so I save a few bucks in entry fees and didn't have to queue to collect race packs !! Race entries in SG are so expensive nowadays and $50 is a norm even for short distance. My racing plan for this year is just to participate in those that are paid by company, which thankfully include some of the big races domestically. I only plan to pay for addtional races once I hit 40 in six months time. It's just not fair for a 39.5 years old guy to compete against guys in their 20s anymore ;)
All the best to Rob, Craig, and Ronnie who are running Boston next week. Hope you all got your PBs !

Week 2 of 13/15 Marathon Training

2011-04-03T10:20:00.001+08:00

Monday:
AM -- 3.5k up, drills + 1k worth of strides/jog; 6 x 800m + 6 x 200m Intervals at the Canal loop - splits: 800s 2.58, 3.01, 2.59, 3.00, 3.01, 3.00 off 90secs walk; 200s 41, 41, 41, 42, 41, 40off 40secs walk; HAD AN OFF DAY - super duper humid and damp, was sweating intensely even during warm up and drills. Tired legs from 30k long run a couple of days ago; had to walk between intervals - 2.5k down. Total 13k

PM -- Travel to Jakarta

Tuesday:
AM -- 10k recovery in 55 (5.30), hotel treadmill - started at 6 min/km, ended at 5 min/km
PM -- Travel to SG, flight delayed by 4 hours, arrived home at 2am in the morning !!!!!

Wednesday:
AM -- 10+k easy in 53 (5.10) including 6 strides, Keppel Marina 1k loop
PM -- 10mins core work

Thursday:
AM -- 3k up, drills + 1k worth of strides/jog; 10k continuous tempo in 42.00 (4.12 pace) at the Canal loop; rest then 5 x 20secs hill - Another sub-par session - had planned for 15k at 4.10-4.15 but got very dehydrated and was a bit in discomfort due to sore hips - 3k down. Total 18k

Friday:
AM -- 6+k recovery in 35+ (5.42)
PM -- 10mins gym work

Saturday
AM -- 30k long run in 2.27 (4.55), home- 3 x 7k outer botanic garden loop (naseem, dalvey, cluny, holland) - back home, did 1-3mins pick-ups every 5mins, sore hips and inner tibia

Sunday
OFF, deep tissue massage

Total 88k for the week

Week in Summary:

It seems the recent increase in training and milage has taken its toll on me. In fact, March mileage at 340k was the highest in 6 months and my miles from last October to February were 90, 230, 260, 210, 160. Therefore, my km-age in March increased by around 120% compared to the previous month LOL. Legs were tight and heavy throughtout the week. I also began to feel some discomfort around the glutes and inner tibia in the left leg. Finger cross that this is just a function of tiredness, instead of something more serious.

Had two sub-par sessions this week. On Monday, I had planned to do 8x800, but only finished 6 reps. 3.45 pace felt damn hard and I had to walk for recovery instead of active rests. In the past, I was able to nail these Yasso sessions comfortably even with 200m jog in about 90secs. Conditions certainly didin't help as weather was insanely hot and humid these days. On Thursday, I also cut short the distance of my tempo run due to tiredness in the leg and soreness in the glute. The long run was not too bad, although it was slower than last week. Anyways, at least, I got another 30k in the bag.

My son is starting his playgroup school and the class starts early. This means that I have to re-adjust my sleeping cycle so that I can wake up around 5am in order to train. Plan for next week is to do a similar mileage, and hopefully I can get rid of the glute and leg issues !

Week 1 of 13/15 Marathon Training

2011-03-26T18:03:00.003+08:00

Monday:

AM -- 3k up, drills + 1k worth of strides/jog; 6 x 1k Intervals at the Canal loop - splits: 3.51, 3.52, 3.51, 3.53, 3.46, 3.40 - total 6k of work averaging 3.49 pace; first 4 reps at 10k pace off 90secs jog, last 2 reps at harder effort off 90s walk; highest HR 182 bpm - 2k down. Total 13k in 62

PM -- 5k recovery in 30 (5.47), 5mins gym work

Tuesday:
AM -- 10k easy in 53+ (5.21), Keppel Marina 1k loop, very cooling after the rain and the run felt effortless
PM -- 10mins core work

Wednesday:
AM -- 3.5k up, , drills + 1k worth of strides/jog; 10k continuos Tempo run in 40.40 - av pace 4:04 min/km (last k at 3.54); av HR 172 or around 90% Max; circled my usual 1.3k Canal loop about 7x - jog a bit then 4 x 100m hill sprints, walk rec then 3k down. Total 18k in 82+

PM -- 1 hour yoga stretch class

Thursday:
AM -- 10k easy in 54 (5.23), Keppel Marina 1k loop
PM -- 2 reps of James Boag beer with calamari for recovery at pub watching WC cricket

Friday:
AM -- 6k recovery in 34+ (5.42)
PM -- 10mins gym work

Saturday
AM -- 30k long run in 2.26 (4.52), home-holland rd-ulu pandan rd-clementi rd - upper bukit timah rd and back, did 1-3mins pick-ups every 5mins

Sunday -- OFF

Total 92k for the week

Week in Summary:

A good week with a couple of good workouts and a 30k long run. After medicore training in recent weeks, this is the first time that I am able to pull together some decent sessions. This week's mileage is also the highest in 6 months, so it's been a while !

Made a couple of tweaks. Initally, I was trying to replicate my training for last year's Seoul Marathon (3.03) under Coach SW by doing interval, tempo, medium long run, and long run, so that's 4 sessions in a 6-day running week. However, work is a bit more stressful this year and coupled with ageing legs, the structure is not that doable at this moment. Therefore, I made a little tweak by incoporating the tempo run inside a medium long run (currently still 18k, but this will increase to 21+ over coming weeks). The nice thing about this is that it gives me 3 easy days within a 6 day cycle to tackle the two workouts and the weekend long run. I also found having 2 easy days before a long run helps a lot!

Another tweak that I made is inserting some pick-ups in the long run. I often struggle during long runs, both physically and mentally (maybe because I train solo). One day I came across Charlie Speeding (london marathon champ) training log and saw that he often did long run with 1, 2, 4 mins fast pick-up every 5mins of steady running. So this morning, after a couple ks warm up, I ran 5mins ez, 1min pick-up, 5mins ez, 2mins pick-up, 5mins ez, 3mins pick up and repeat. At this juncture, my pick-ups were more like medium effort (around 4.30 min/km pace) instead of fast effort to keep them aerobic. But they were sometimes challenging especially when the pick-up portion happened at the hill ! The good thing is that I am not so bored doing my long run anymore !

Plan for next week is to do around the same number of ks. I will travel overseas for work for 2D1N, but I don't think it will disrupt my training.

Didn't run much

2011-03-20T16:29:00.001+08:00

Monday -- 3k warm up, drills + 1k worth of strides/jog; 4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1 fartlek at the Canal loop - paces 4mins reps at 3.50 min/km with 90secs jog; 3mins reps at 3.45 with 90secs jog; 2mins reps at 3.40 with 1min jog; 1min reps at 3.37 and 3.27 (last one) with 1min jog - total 20mins of fast running averaging 3.45 pace, - 2k cool down. Total 13.2k in 62mins (av 4.42)

Tuesday -- ran with colleague in Bintan golf course, no watch, probably 8k in 45mins (av 5.40)

Wednesday -- Bintan, 6k in 30mins (av 5.00) - hang-over from last night

Thursday -- OFF, at work until 9pm :(

Friday -- 3k warm up, drills + 1k worth of strides/jog; 6k tempo in 24.06 (av 4.01 pace), av HR 171 bpm; 3k cool down including 3 x 200m strides - wanted to do 8k tempo, felt shitty so stopped at 6k. Total 13k in 60mins (av 4:42)

Saturday -- 27k easy long run in 2:17 (av 5.05), didn't sleep much last night, struggled physically and mentally, time excluded 10mins of stoppages

Sunday -- OFF; Sling Jr's 2nd birthday

Week in Summary:

67k for the week versus a plan of 90k. Unfortunately, this week was interrupted with company trip to Bintan and lots of work-related stuff. Seriously, I reckon offsite team conference equals opportunity to get pissed at company expense ! Had a hangover and only managed to do a couple of short runs (30-40mins) over there. Missed my medium long run on Thursday, got stuck in meetings until 9pm.

Currently my training doesn't resemble marathon training at all! Weekly mileage so fare are 64, 80, 67 kms with long runs between 20-27k and medium long runs of 12-14k. Moreover, speed/tempo sessions are about 20-25mins long, certainly on the low side of things. Counting down. there are 13 weeks to go to Perth (or 15 weeks to GC). Hopefully there are enough time to put in a good block of marathon training, assuming I can find the balance between work and running!

Easing into things

2011-03-12T11:21:00.002+08:00

Monday -- 5k warm up, drills + 1k worth of strides/jog; 5 x 1k intervals at approx 10k pace at the Canal loop, splits 3.50, 3.51, 3.50, 3.50, 3.49 (av 3:50) with 70 secs jog rest - HR for reps 2-5 average 178bpm with highest 187 in final rep; felt pretty controled the whole way, legs fresh after 2 off days - 2k cool down. Total 13k in 60+ (av 4.36)

Tuesday -- 8k easy in 42+ (av 5:18) treadmill

Wednesday -- 12k easy in 60+ (av 5.03) incl. 8 x 15-20secs hill sprints - lunch time run from office to Labrador and back, hot and muggy

Thursday --- 5k warm up, drills + 1k worth of strides/jog; 4 x 1.6k intervals at tempo pace at the Canal loop, splits: 6.28 (4.03 pace), 6.25 (4.01), 6.23 (3.59), 6.13 (3.53) - average pace 3.59 with 90secs jog rest - av HR for reps 2-4 177 bpm with highest 182 in final rep; legs a bit tired from yesterday, picked it up in last rep, damn humid - 3k cool down. Total 16k in 77+ (av 4.50)

Friday -- 6k recovery in 35 (av 5.45) treadmill

Saturday -- 25k long run in 121mins (av 4.50) - consisted of 18k easy in 90+ (5.02) on undulanting route, then 15mins at 4:23 pace, 2mins rest, 15mins at 4.12 pace (downhill) - cool morning for a change

Sunday -- OFF

Total 80k for the week

Week in Summary:

Still easing back into marathon training. Had a hard time re-familiarizing myself to get up early in the morning again, hence a couple of runs early in the week were on the short side. The two workouts this week were decent, but not too solid. I am upping the mileage by 20% this week (64 to 80), so trying to limit the hard stuff a bit. Happy to be able to squeeze in a dash of quality in 2 non-workout days - hill sprints during 1hr Wed run and 30mins near MP at the back end of Sat long run.

Next Mon-Wed I will be off to Bintan Island for team off-site conference, looking forward to run in a different route and take my office mates to go for some jogging while over there. Plan for next week is to do 80-90k and increase my long run to around 28k. Doin' everything one step at a time at the moment :)

Reset

2011-03-04T11:23:00.000+08:00

Back from holidays and straight into the dreaded marathon cycle again !

I am currently keeping both Perth and Gold Coast options open. Although, Perth is presently looking more attractive due to 30% cheaper airfare (for a family of 3, the difference is pretty sizeable), 50% shorter travel time (cutting out driving time from Brisbane), and the benefit of doing local races as tune-ups (e.g. can choose between 25k race 5 weeks out or 21k race 4 weeks out versus 6-7 weeks out if opting for GC). Gold Coast, of course, offers better racing atmoshphere and (normally) calmer weather conditions, but in marathon, you'll never know.

Both races will open registrations in April, so I have a good one month to ponder and gauge my fitness.

For fall marathon, I've entered the ballot for Osaka Marathon on 30/10 and the result should be out in April. Will either do this or Melbourne (9/10) as a present (or self-torture !!) for my 40th birthday.

Training wise, I am re-familarizing myself with mileage and running frequency. I only averaged around 40-50k a week in the last 3 months since coming back from injury, so this week is all about taking little steps back into marathon training. Currently my workouts (Mon and Thu) are only 50mins long, my plan is to increase the length of these sessions gradually to around 60-75mins. Same thing goes for my medium long run and long runs which are only 70mins and 100mins long respectively. I am hoping to increase them gradually over the coming weeks.

Travelling to Jakarta in the weekend meaning only 5 days of running and doing a long run on weekdays before going to work. Therefore I am quite ok with the relatively low mileage and a slow start to the marathon cycle this week.

Mon: 55mins (av 4.35) incl. 6k Tempo in 24.18 - progressing from MP to 10k (km splits 4.17, 4.10, 4.05, 4.00, 3.55, 3.51)
Tue: 70mins easy (av 4.58), weights/core
Wed: 40mins recovery (av 5.30), abs/squats/med balls
Thu: 50mins (av 4:50) incl. strides workouts on grass - 6x300 + 6x100
Fri: 20k long easy run in 99mins (av 4.56)
Sat: off
Sun: off
Total 64k for the week

Suffice

2011-02-24T18:49:00.001+08:00

Had a great holiday for almost one month ! Visited most of Italy, and places in Morocco, Spain, Portugal, and Canary Island.

Running wise, I think I did enough to minimize significant fitness erosion.Only ran once in the first week, but then managed to run a bit more in the second and third week when we were on a cruise ship. Ran on treadmills whilst at sea, and ran on land when the ship docked. Since we went on sightseeing during the docking, I mostly ran around the port and waterfront area before the ship sailed again. To keep some fitness going, I did a couple of long runs (20k, 26k) in those 4 weeks and ran a speedier session once every week.

After 27 days of holiday, I began to get sick of eating pastas and drinking wine and chiantis. Going back to Singapore this Friday !

Week of 31 Jan:
6 days on NO RUN
4 Feb Parc Sempione Milan, 3k up, 7k tempo av 4:07 min/km, 2k down. Total 12k in 55mins (av 4:35)
Total 12k for the week

Week of 7 Feb:
7 Feb MSC Splendida cruise ship jogging track, 8k in 40mins (av 5:00)
8 Feb ship's treadmill, 16k in 82mins (av 5.08)
10 Feb ship's treadmill 12k in 61mins (av 5.08)
12 Feb Madeira Island, Portugal, Mona fartlek (5.08k), total 7k in 30mins (av 4:15)
13 Feb ship's treadmill, 7k in 40mins (av 5:40)
2 days of NO RUN
Total 50k for the week

Week of 14 Feb
14 Feb Costa del Sol Malaga, Spain 5k ez + 3*1500m in 6.00, 5.50, 5.30. Total 10k (av 4:24)
15 Feb ship's treadmill 8k in 42mins (av 5:20)
16 Feb Chivitavecchia, Italy, 20k brisk long run in 87mins (av 4:22)
18 Feb Villa Borghese, Rome, 6k in 30mins (av 5:00)
20 Feb Sorrento, Bay of Naples, 11k in 50mins (av 4:36), last 3k at MP mostly uphill
2 days of NO RUN
Total 55k for the week

Week of 21 Feb
23 Feb Villa Borghese, Rome, 26k long run in 2h03m (av 4.45), undulanting
24 Feb Route > Pincio Hill, Piazza del Popolo, Via de corso, Piaza Venezia, Il Vittoriano, Roman Forum, Colleseum, Imperial Fiori, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, total 10k (av 5.05)
27 Feb Singapore ??km
Total ??k for the week

Away

2011-01-29T18:28:00.001+08:00

Have been spending 12-16 hours each day in the office to ensure my work is completed before I disappear on holiday for a month. Only ran 22k in the last six days.

Didn't manage to do the 5000m TT because I know the time would be shitty anyway. My training in the last month was crap due to a combination of flu virus and stresssful time at the office.

Talking about flu, it seems almost everyone got the flu. Last week, there were 20k cases reported in government clinics. That number is outside private clinics, hospital, and GPs.

No regrets of doing the 5k training eventhough, nothing good came out of it at the end. My alternative was to do base training to get ready for marathon training block starting in March. But since I was ill with flu for 3 weeks and was super duper busy at work, I doubt I could do a lot of miles. Running 40-50k a week with some intensities is certainly better than running the same mileage at easy pace.

My hope for the next 1 month or so is to run at least 2-3 times a week. This could include running around the walking track on a cruise ship and of course, running on land. The good thing is that we'll be spending most of our time in Italy, which should have a lot of nice parks to run, for instance, our hotel in Rome is just a couple of blocks from Villa Borgesse. Not sure I will be keen to run in a place like Casablanca where it looks like to be polluted and crowded.

Hopefully, my fitness will not be eroded a lot in the next few weeks and I could ramp up my training smoothly when I return in March. The marathon is not far away, around 3-4 months by the time I get back and I really don't wanna start marathon training from ZERO fitness.

Real World

2011-01-18T16:06:00.002+08:00

Training hasn't gone well lately…in fact only ran a massive total of 10k in the past 5 days

I still haven't been able to completely shake out the fever and cough virus even after 3 weeks. Normally I would recover pretty quick if I took antibiotics, but for some reasons, this one seemed to take longer to go away.

Unfortunately, I spreaded the virus to my son. And he had a high fever of 40c for a couple of days. Standby-ed at home last weekend at home in case we had to take him to the hospital. The good thing, his condition has improved this week.

Work was super busy and stressful too. Meetings took place late into the nights and even on weekends. Had no time nor desire to run after a long day.

In terms of 5k training, I'd score myself between a C and a D, no denying that. My original intention was to follow Magill schedule, but ended up only doing 4 out of 6 scheduled intervals (5*3mins, 4*4mins, 5*4mins, 5*1k) and a only 1 out of 5 hill repeats sessions. Furthermore, his program is actually based on high-mileage (he runs 140-160k to train for 5k). At my level, I was aspiring to do a mortal level of 70k per week but only averaged around 50k in the last 2 months.

I still plan to do the 5000m track TT next week, but do not expect a good timing. Just doing it to keep some motivation up.

Talkng about motivation, for some reasons I only got excited and motivated if I am training for a marathon. For the last couple of months, I wasn't excited at all. I preferred to sleep in and feel lazy to wake up in wee hours to pound the miles.

It was nice catching up with Rob last weekend. We ran 21k at 4.30 pace which was a brisk pace for me, but definitely an easy pace for him, even with one hour sleep! Three months to go to Boston and he's already cranking 140km weeks, 4:00 min/km marathon at Boston is surely on the cards.

Hopefully, after the European holiday in Feb, I can confirm a marathon race/date and start to feel excited again !!!

2010 Review & 2011 Goals

2011-01-07T11:47:00.001+08:00

2010 Review:

PBs:
3000m: 10.46 (5secs PB from 2009) - solo track TT
5000m: 18.33 (15secs PB from 2007) - solo track TT
10 KM: 38.20 (60secs PB from 2006) - solo TT by Garmin
Marathon: 3:03:49 (61secs PB from 2009) - Seoul Marathon

Mileage: 3618 (vs 3649 in 2009)
Weight: 68-70 kg, 15% body fat

In general, a pretty decent year with 4 PBs. I call it decent because although the improvements were small ranging from 5secs in 3k to 1min in marathon, but it has been a long time since I got more than 2 PBs in a single running year (last time was 2006). The fact that my PBs range from 3k-42k shows that I can improve in all distances even when I am about to enter 40.

HM distance continued to be the worst performing distance. Did 3 HMs in 2010 (91, 89, 93), all in Singapore. For 3k-5k distances, I am fine racing in hot weather, but anything further than 10k, my dehydration rate is just too fast and furious to handle. I didn't fell like spending $$$ specifically to travel overseas in order to run the HM.

Favourite race:
Seoul Marathon was the highlight. Freezing condition, but with a very deep field (3.03 ranked me in the top 900). It was an impromptu decision to run the marathon and I only had 8 weeks to prepare. Decided to take a risk by gunning for sub-3 but got undone in the 2nd half (89-94 splits). Running a marathon the day after my son's first birthday made it even more special.

The Madrid 10k race was a close second favourite race. It was a unique race for football fans, running from Real Madrid stadium and ending at Athletico Madrid's. I just returned from 1.5 months injury layoff and managed to run 38.50. This further confirmed that I am a crap hot weather racer because I could run 30secs off 10k PB even after a long lay-off. None of the local races stood out, except the Army Half which I reckon is the best orgranized race locally.

Lesson of 2010:
I had a great training block between April and August to prepare for Melbourne Marathon in October, but the injury struck in September. Went to several physios and sports doctors and they all said it was due to overworked calf muscles whiich resulted in poor landing form and tendon damage around the ankle and tibia. The stupid thing is that I didn't want to rest and still continued training/racing albeit at lower volume because I thought the pain will go away in 4 weeks (with training reduction). At the end of the day, the pain never went away and I became a spectator on race day.

One of the frustrating thing is that none of the local physios and sports doctor locally suggested me to visit podiatrists. In Melbourne, I decided to visit one and he gave me an off-the-shelf insole (with added padding) .Two weeks later, I managed to run again relatively pain free.

Main lesson is to deal with injuries quickly, decisively and occasionally gotta think out of the box. I’ve worked damn too hard to not take any small injury seriously. One or two weeks off is far better than being the fittest guy on the sideline.

For 2011, I am planning to invest more in recovery tools, such as deep tissue massages (every 2 weeks during marathon training). I've also bought a tens machine and the stick to use at home.

2011 Goals:
5000m: sub 18 (not training specifically)
10k: sub 38 (not training specifically)
Marathon: sub-3 (ultimate)

Weight: 62-65 kg (<10% body fat)
Mileage: whatever it adds up to

Marathon races:
Perth/Gold Coast marathon in June/July
Oct marathon to celebrate 40 YEARS OLD
Singapore marathon in Dec

The ultimate goal is still sub-3 and I'll have a couple of shots this year (first time doing marathon more than one in a single year). Once we come back from European holiday in Feb, I will decide which mid-year marathon to do. The decision will depend on how bad my fitness will deteriorate after a month-long holiday. Perth gives me 15 weeks of prep (inlcuding taper), while Gold Coast gives a ouple of weeks extra training.

Then, I plan to do a marathon in Oct to celebrate the graduation of becoming an old man. Melbourne, Beijing (China) or Chuncheon (Korea) could be an option, but Melbourne currently looks the most viable again.. I don't wanna travel to US/Europe (Chicago, Amsterdam) since I need to save some money for a possible Boston 2012. Singapore marathon in December has no goal time and I simply want to compare how I fare against other veteran runners locally.

C score for TT

2011-01-01T09:45:00.000+08:00

Mon: 3.5k wu, 5k hard tempo in 19:15 (av 3:51), 6x200 (37-38) + 1 x 400 (80), 2k cool down, Total 13k
Tue: off
Wed: 40mins easy (av 5:22), treadmill
Thu: 3000m solo Time Trial in 10:47 (av 3:35.66), Total 11k, pm 30mins jogging
Fri: 30mins recovery (av 5:33), fever
Sat: 17.3k long run in 84mins (av 4:52)
Sun: off
Total 60k for the week

Did 3000m TT solo on Thursday in 10.46 at CCAB track…slightly under expectation

I set 3 time goals, namely an 1) A score of 10.30 (3.30 min/km) but hard to do given lack of 1500-3000m pace training (I did a bit on Monday for first time); 2) B score of sub 10:40 (~3:33 pace) which is achievable, and 3) C score of 10:45 (3:35 pace) which is the required 5k pace for sub 18.

At the end, my pace averaged out to be just a touch over 3.35 min/km, so a C score. Not sure I can run another 2000m at this pace in order to make 18 flat.

A couple of reasons/excuses:

1) Had a slight fever and took cold tablets the night before. Early in the week we went for a quick getaway in Sentosa Island, off 300m from the mainland (can you call that an 'overseas' holiday?). Had great time dining, swimming, visiting Universal Studios. However, the aircon at the Hard Rock Hotel was too strong and I came down with a fever and runny nose.

2) I think my 5k hard tempo on Monday was too hard. This was done at 3:50 pace or current 10k pace. And I followed this with a bunch of quick reps (200s in 37s). Probably 3 days was not sufficient to recover from this session for Thursday's TT.

3) I didn't execute the TT well, especially the middle miles where my 400m splits blew up to 88secs. I wasn't struggling but legs just wasn't primed to move fast and I was saving a bit of reserves for a kick in the last 200m. Unfortunately, my kick turned out to be lame at the end and I felt I still had a bit more in the tank. Splits: 84.06, 86.58, 87.20, 88.45, 88.15, 88.65, 86.30, last 200 in 37.57 (I started from 400m marker and not 200m marker). Probably should have ran to the barn from 400m out and not last 200m.

So what's next?

Plugging this time to Mcmillan, it predicts 18.47 5k (ouch). This is slower than my 18.33 PB done solo on the same track in the middle of this year (more mileage, less intervals). And if plug 18 flat 5k, the equivalent 3000m timing is 10.20. No way I can do this timing over 3k!!

On the positive side, I improved my PB by 5secs from 10.51 - which was done last year during a track race. So, bettering my 3000m time in a solo effort and when not 100% healthy probably ain't that bad. This PB (on the second last day of the year) means that I scored 4 PBs in 2010 yay

In sum, sub-18 goal looks a bridge too far right now. Basically, I need to run at today's 3k TT pace for another 2000m !!! There might be some possible improvements, from 3 more weeks of training until end-Jan, earlier kick (changing the start from 400 marker to 200, psychologically to allow kicking from the 'bell'), tapering (no hard workout 3 days prior), and maybe a kilo or two less weight (from better diet). At this juncture, somewhere under 18.10-18.20 looks more realistic, especially in a solo TT condition.

Might ease the training next week in order to shake out the fever and runny nose. Clown will be in town and I don't wanna take him for a long run at plodding pace.

Happy New Year everyone !!

Merry X Mas

2010-12-26T09:32:00.000+08:00

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 !!!

Too heavy

2010-12-18T23:39:00.002+08:00

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 :(

86 ??

2010-12-12T00:25:00.002+08:00

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?

Boo

2010-12-06T17:15:00.002+08:00

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)

Retiro Park

2010-11-30T13:54:00.001+08:00

Have been slacking since returning from Madrid. It seems the 10k race took a lot out of me. My mileage nowadays is around 40k per week, and when you run 25% of it at 10k race pace, recovery was always an issue. Also, after running 3x in 5-10c temperature and in a beautiful park (see photos below), it's hard to motivate myself to pound the pavement in 30c + 90% rh condition :p

I will be running a HM this weekend, and my longest run in the last 3 weeks is 12k !!!

Anyway, some pictures from running in Retiro Park Madrid, a former retreat park for the royal family

Entrance to the Park, Madrid's answer to Central Park

Beautiful statues and landscaped gardens

Water fountains

A lake inside the park

Gravel surface + some hills, perfect for running

Madrid 10K

2010-11-23T16:22:00.006+08:00

Had a good trip to Madrid :)

Met the world's costliest soccer player, Ronaldo and got jerseys for me and Sling Jr autographed. Also watched Real Madrid trashed Bilbao 5-1 among 80,000 fans in Santiago Bernabeu stadium and did some sightseeing.

The least enjoyable thing is the customary Spanish 2-3 hour big lunch (four types of appetizers, main, dessert, copious amount of vino) and due to the group activities, we can't do siesta !

Running wise, had a reasonably good 10k race in 38:51 - more or less in line with what I expected

The Madrid Derby 10k was my first race post-injury and I only had 10 days to prepare for the race (previous 2 weeks was low key jogging, while the previous month was almost zero running). Did 4 workouts within that period, consisting of 10*400, 2x10mins tempo, 6*1k, and Mona fartlek. Based on these sessions, I'd rate myself about 40-41 minute 10k in local conditions.

Madrid morning temperature is about 6-8c which I think is worth at least 1 minute. The course is Boston-esque with downhill in early parts, some hills between 6-8k and a downhill last 2k. The course dropped over 100m for the 10k (10m per k average). But given the strategic placement of the hills (after legs got beat up with the downhills), I'd say it is worth around 1 minute on net basis. Overall, I set myself a target between 38-39 minutes.

Km 1 - out and back, up 500m and down 500m. crowded start --- 3:52 (163 bpm)
Km 2 - all downhill, running at 5k PB pace --- 3:42 (173)
Km 3 - still downhill, still feeling good --- 3:47 (176)
Km 4 - lactate flooding, never did more than 3k of continuous fast running in last 2 months --- 3:58 (177)
Km 5 - legs became hamburger from the downhill --- 4:00 (177)
Km 6 - upslope after a while, walked 10secs or so to catch breath --- 3:59 (177)
Km 7 - one good long hill --- 4:08 (178)
Km 8 - uphill then steep downhill --- 4:00 (175)
Km 9 - all downhill, running harder --- 3:42 (174)
Km 10 - a slight rise to the finish at Vicente Clarderon --- 3:43 (179)

Total 38:51 (5k splits 19:20/19:31) versus target 38-39

Did not go sub 38 or low 38 because
1) no downhill training, legs became hamburger and climbing hills in the 2nd half was a struggle (Boston-esque)
2) lack of training leads to inefficient biomechanics - couldn't get the legs turning over quick enough on the downhill
3) fitness loss - not used to running at this intensity post-rehab
4) maybe a bit of altitude impact (~750m), only ran 2 x 30mins in Madrid due to jetlag and activities
5) A couple of extra kgs from long Spanish lunches and dinners
6) bad mddle miles (km 4-7), pace slowed to 4:00s, HR 'stuck' at 177s

All things considered, I am relatively pleased with finishing about 30secs slower than my 10k PB despite very limited training. Course, weather, and the field were great on the day. We ran on wide road most of the way, passing the city centre and some of Madrid's landmarks (Puerta de Sol, Neptufe fountain, Bernabeu stadium etc). Pretty sure I'd break my PB on this course and temperature if I was fully fit :)

Some pictures from the run:

Race between Real madrid and Athletico Madrid supporters, A 10k race starting from Real's Bernabeu stadium and finishing at Athletico's Vicente Calderon

Carnival atmosphere between rival clubs supporters

Start point, different gantry for each supporters

Go !!

Full road closure, wide lanes

Passing some sights, such as fountains

Just Can't Resist

2010-11-13T22:09:00.001+08:00

Will be heading to Madrid next week - a prize from the fantasy football competition that I won in July. Will have a training session with Ronaldo, the world's most expensive soccer player and watch a La Liga game between Madrid and Bilbao. It's nice to win a an all-expense paid trip, although I am not looking forward to spend 16 hours flying there :p

Running wise, I have been sticking rigidly to the 'Road to Nowhere' training plan. Doing 30 minutes jog almost every day as part of my comeback trail from injury. My legs also seem to enjoy the natural healing process and the injury began to improve gradually. It's a different feeling running without any goals/races in the foreseeable future (actually I have a HM on 5 Dec but I don't really care about the result). No pressure to run hard, I don't have to think about workouts yada yada yada. Just put on the ipod, shoes, then run and watch the world go by.

Until….

One day I was browsing the internet for running places in Madrid and accidentally found a race calendar (oops !!). There is a 10k race during that weekend called 'el derbi de las aficiones - corre por tu equipo', translated as The Derby of Affection - Run for Your Team. Madrid has two soccer teams - Real and Atletico and there is intense rivalry between them (similar to AFL's West Coast vs Freo or Adelaide vs Port Adelaide) and the race is themed around that. Participants will get a shirt upon registration, either in Real or Atletico's colors and then race with their supported team shirts. The run will start from Real's home stadium - Santiago Bernabeu and finish at Atletico's stadium - Vicente Calderon.

Temperature in late November is around 10c, the course also has a net drop in elevation….Should be a great race to attempt a PB. The problem is right now I AM NOT FIT :(

But what the heck! I've never raced in Europe before and it will be a great experience :)

Therefore, I've upped the ante this week in order to get me half-fit for the race. Not sure it is the wisest thing to do given I just came back from injury.. My sessions this week indicated I lost a lot of fitness from 2 months month layoff. On Tuesday, I ran 10mins tempo at 4:10 pace and found it freaking hard (when I was fit, I used to run 40-50mins tempo week-in week-out). While on Thursday, I did 6x1k reps with 2mins walking breaks and I was dying (usually I could do them off 60-90secs jog)

Anyways, my 2-week training to get myself half-fit for the Madrid 10k race:

Week 1 (this week)
Mon: 7k recovery (5:40)
Tue: 13k run (av 4:50), incl 2 x 10mins tempo @ 4:10 min/km + 10x 30secs on/off
Wed: 7k recovery (5:40)
Thu: 11.5k run (4:50) incl 6 x 1k @ 3:50s with 2mins walking recovery
Fri: 6.5k recovery (5:30)
Sat: 21k run (5:00), first hour easy, last 40mins moderate at 4:40s
Sun: off

Total 66k for the week

Week 2 (taper)
Mon: easy run
Tue: fartlek
Wed: easy run, fly to Madrid via London on red eye
Thu: Jetlagged
Fri: easy run
Sat: easy run
Sun: 10k race

I think I should be ok running at 800m altitude, but interestingly, the chart below shows that running performance is negated even at moderate altitude. Time to exhaustion decreases by 20% with an increase in altitude from 300m to 800. So assuming I am in low 40s shape right now and coming from 0m altitude (sea-level), then maybe I should expect a 50minute 10k LOL

The Road to Nowhere

2010-10-31T14:07:00.002+08:00

Mon: 7k easy run (5:02 min/km) incl. 4 x 80m strides, 2 x 50m skip, 2 x 50m butt kicks
Tue: 40mins elliptical + weights
Wed: 9k easy run (5:08 min/km) incl. 5 x 30secs fast
Thu: 8k easy run (5:10 min/km), 80 abs crunches + weights
Fri: off (hangover from last night office dinner)
Sat: 40mins elliptical + weights (rainy day)
Sun: 16k moderate (4:46 min/km) incl. 5k slow tempo (4:23) + 8 x 100m strides
Total 40k for the week

Still familiarizing with the use of orthotics. Ankle and the extensor tendon are improving to the stage that I could now dorsiflex without any issues and even do one-legged skipping drills. However, the left leg still felt shin splinty and often got inflamed after the runs. My left stride which was shorter than the right one when I was injured has also gained more stride length recently. The pod suggested me to wear the orthotics in combination with stabilty shoes, but interestingly I found that my leg feels better if I use the orthotics with neutral shoes. Sunday's run of 75 minutes was the longest run in about a month - the sad thing it was also the hardest :( Legs were a bit inflamed afterwards.

While my legs are still not 100% healed yet, but I don’t think they will stop me from running. The issue is how to stop me from ramping up too soon :p

Anyways, during the down time, I've had some thinking about my plans for the next few months. My next key race is a June/July marathon, which is 8 months away. However, there are a couple of things to navigate in the short-to-mediun term, namely 1) a HM in early December which I registered long time ago and is part of the gigantic annual Singapore Marathon festival (60,000 runners); and 2) we will be holidaying in Europe for about a month in Feb 2011. This probably will result in very little running since the bulk of time will be spent in a Mediterannean cruise ship and also traveling between cities in Italy.

For the Dec HM, I don't have any specific time goal. Anything between 90-100 mins would be great. This year's route is special because we'll start the run at Sentosa Island and include one round inside Universal Studio theme park. As this event is about 5 weeks away, my plan is to build up to 70k in the next 3 weeks. I think below 70kmpw, I will find it hard to reduce my weight. Since this race holds no importance, my training will be likely all easy miles with light workouts (like this week's) sprinkled in. My aim is simply to get back to consistent running without re-igniting the injury.

After the HM, I have two months before the long break in February. My thoughts is to do 5k training during this period to attain a different stimulus and build leg speed. I will probably try to follow Pete Magill's 5k training plan for over 40 since the program sounds less aggressive than others. At the end of January or early Feb, I plan to insert a 5k time trial on athletics track in order to make me motivated despite the inexistence of goal races or whatsoever.

So, here's the 'road to nowhere' training plan:

November: 4 weeks of easy training with light workouts (target ~70k)
5 Dec SCMS 21k
December- January: 8 weeks of 5k training
End Jan/early Feb: 5k track time trial
February: 1 month off (Europe)
March: start marathon training for Perth/Gold Coast

Different Settings

2010-10-24T09:15:00.002+08:00

Only ran two times, 6k and 9k. And the 9k felt like 30k with the current biomechanics and fitness that I am in.. Started to use orthotics, but it still gave me some shin splits. In the next coming week, I will try to use the orthotics with other shoes in order to evaluate which one fits best. In general, the ankle (and extensor tendon) is back 80%. However, the anterior and posteriro tibialis are still giving me griefs.

Since I don't have much to write, I am putting up some photos on different training environments between Singapore and Australia.

The comparison is meant for fun only :)

a) Two minutes jog away from my in-laws' house, there is a large, smooth grassy field. The soft surface is perfect for doing recovery run!

b) Two minutes away from my apartment in Singapore, all I can find is this concrete jungle.

a) In Australia, you can run to your office in CBD on traffic free running path. For instance, this Yarra trail in Melbourne is approx 30k long connecting the city with the eastern suburbs.

b) In Singapore, this traffic-free concrete running path to the CBD is unfortunately, only 3km long

a) In Australia, all running paths and parks have water fountains placed every couple of kms

b) In Singapore, to staisfy runners' thirst, every couple of kms, you can find the following:

39 and down

2010-10-18T19:27:00.000+08:00

Turned 39 today...

Have been low on motivation lately. Only ran two times in the last 14 days. Normally I am very pumped up everytime we visit Melbourne - taking advantage of the conditions and traffic-free running path by doing long fast workouts at paces faster than Singapore training efforts. But this time, there was no motivation nor the urge.

Didn't feel like wanting to run at all. I am just mentally tired of running with shitty form in order to compensate my ankle and shin problems. Didn't stay in a hotel, so no gym equipment to cross train with. The only cross train I did was playing hide and seek and chasing around Sling Jr :)

Also, the weather after 10-10-10 became Melbourne-esque. Storm, hail, gusty wind and rains every single day. Didn't bother to put on my shoes and go outside.

I am even too lazy to run on my birthday :p

With very low mileage in the last 2 months due to injury and almost no exercise in last 2 weeks, my fitness level surely have gone down by several notch. I need my mojo back.

Ground Zero

2010-10-12T21:07:00.004+08:00

The 10-10-10-10 became a big 0.

So far, my leg pain was concentrated on the anle and lateral shin, but all of a sudden my posterior shin was hurting too. Tried to run on Wednesday before flying and then on Friday in Melbourne, but no good. I struggled even to hold marathon pace for 3 minutes.

Didn't feel like jogging a race. If this was a Boston, NY or Berlin which is something I won't do in life very often and costs a bomb, I might get a cortizone shot or something like that to numb the pain. I go to Melbourne twice a year and stay at the in-laws, so the only cost is frequent flyer points for the flight.

Went to MCG and watched people finishing the race from the grandstand. It hurt not being able to run.

Was estatic to see Rob getting a massive 6mins PB to finish in 2.53. Bloody awesome. 10 minutes improvement from 3.03 to 2.53 within 6 months is mighty impressive. Couldn't imagine that 5 years ago, we were doing 42-45 minutes 10k races together!

Another impressive thing was how discipline Rob was. He wasn't tempted to drink even during his own 40th birthday and then with me on Friday at the Young and Jacksons. Although he drank lots after the marathon ;)

Good to catch up with TB after the race too.

Also went to visit a sports medical centre over here. Did some research on the web and called to get appointment with some of the country top Track & Field physios. Unfortunately, the top dogs are in Delhi for the Commonweatlh Games and they are fully booked for the next couple of months anyway. As a result, all I get was the left-overs !

Anyways, the rehab continues. Will take a sabbatical leave from running for a while.

A photo taken from the wall of the physio centre...

From 10-10-10 to 0-0-0

2010-10-06T11:13:00.001+08:00

Things are going from bad to worse. Haven't run for a few days now :(

Ankle is still very weak and doens't have much strength to toe off. I also strain my back due to overcompensation of running gait and maybe incorrect posture when doing cross training. Tried to run, but only lasted a couple of minutes. All body parts are extremely tight and I can't run with my natural movement.

At this moment, it's only 30% chance I will make it to the start.

Will try to see a sports physio when I am there. I notice some of these physios have experiences with the Australian natonal track and field team and AFL clubs. Hopefully they can fix my problem for good.

Hard Times

2010-10-03T10:28:00.002+08:00

Mon: XT - 40mins bike, easy
Tue: XT - 30mins elliptical + 30mins bike (several 30secs surges)
Wed: Run - 1k at 3:50, 2mins rec, 5k tempo 20:50 (av 4:04), 2mins rec, 1k at 3:50, 4x200m in 40secs, total 14k;
XT - 35mins bike easy
Thu: Run - 6k slow, very painful; XT: 1 hour elliptical, easy
Fri: XT - 45mins elliptical, easy
Sat: Run - 4.5k trail race in 18:36 (av 4:04), XT : 40mins bike easy
Sun: Run - 18k easy in 92mins (av 5:05);
Total 43km of running + 5 hours XT

Did about 3.5 hours or running this week and almost 5 hours in cross training. I find XT to be a bit of chore, not utterly enjoyable. Perhaps it will take time to be comfortable with thse kind of activities, but when you are injured, do I have any choice? Still experiencing sore arse from biking and to kill boredom, I normally bring a novel or two to read. Currently doing all the cross training at easy pace (maybe equivalent slow jog effort?), but for ellipticals - I tried to average about 160-180 strides per minute. At this juncture, I cam capping most of my XT at 40 minutes, felt like going crazy if I go longer than this. Not sure how much fitness benefits these XT sessions will bring (~40 mins XT = 20mins running ??), but at least they do burn some calories and minimize weight gain.

Since I can only run a few times a week, I decided to make my running days short but with some quality included. On Wednesday, did 1k, 5k, 1k, at threshold effort and it felt hard. I think I am of those guys who lose fitness rapidly if I don't run much for an extended period of time (1 month now and counting). Also, due to inability for my left ankle to push-off, I simply had to work significantly harder to run at the same pre-injury effort.

On Saturday, along with 3 other work colleagues, I participated in Frost The Trail corporate challenge. Ran the race cautiously since the trail surface was uneven and finished the 4.5k cross country course in 18:36 (4.08 pace). Shitty time, but given this is an inter-corporate event and not a competitive race, I managed to finish 3rd fastest runner even with a bad leg. Our team ended up finsihing 2nd and we won $250 shoe voucher for each person.

After a reduced workload for the last month or so, I feel the AT tendon and lateral shins have been improving but I am probably still several weeks from full recovery. The problem is that due to over-compensation and muscle imbalance, I've been experiencing hip issues and sore lower back. Running through injury is definitely a vicious cycle.

Will arrive in Melbourne on Thursday and stay there for holiday until the following Sunday. My goal for the HM is simply to finish the race in one piece. Best of luck to Rob for his 2.50-2.55 goal and also Jon's PB attempt. See you guys next Sunday. Also, good luck to my legs :p

Photo from yesterday's Fros the Trail. If you notice, I was racing with an ankle brace (left leg)

No miracle

2010-09-26T19:14:00.003+08:00

Mon: 4k, 3k, 2k, 1k at HM pace in 16:08, 12:03, 8:00, 3:50 with 4, 3, 2 mins walk rec. Total 16k in 72mins (av 4:30) - last chance to test the leg

Tues: 30mins elliptical + weights
Wed: 40mins easy - no watch (maybe around 5:00-5:30 pace)
Thu: OFF
Fri: 30mins run (av 5:38 min/km), painful + 30mins elliptical
Sat: 19k easy in 97mins (av 5:10 min/km)
Sun: 10mins run. painful + 40mins very easy stationary bike
Total about 50k of running

Miracle didn't happen, so unsurprisingly, I have opted to downgrade to Half Marathon last Wednesday. Earlier in the week, I still harboured a little hope of doing the full mary and did another test in form of repeats at HM pace. While I nailed the workout and the leg pain was in general, tolerable, my heart rate data shows that I had to work significantly harder (or maybe from lost fitness due to lack of training). As the injury is the anterior tibialis area (the muscle that lifts the leg up), my foot just didn't have any strength to push off hard My running gait was also altered, and I could feel the knees had to absorb more shock than usual. As it currently stands, there is no way the leg structure can last the full marathon distance, especially at sub-3 pace attempt. Another thought was just to run the marathon at a moderate pace, say to finish in 3h:15m - for another Boston qualifier (to make it 4 times in a row). But all things considered, doing the HM is probably the best option and will give me a quicker recovery and healing time.

Even for the HM, I am not confident I can run at a decent time. As mentioned above, I just can't push off hard due to the damaged ankle extensor tendon. Consequently, my stride lengths are also getting shorter (turnover still in 170s but shorter). This means I have to work much harder in order to run at the same pace. Anyhow, we are going there primarily for holiday and to relax.

So, there is no 4x10 for me (marathon stats at 7am). This means I will have to wait for another 100 years to finish a marathon at 10 on 10-10-10, oh boy :)

Although, this is disappointing, I am actually already looking forward to train for the next marathon. We have travel plans in Dec and Feb (3 weeks holiday in Europe), so there is no chance to run marathon in the first quarter of 2011. This means that I will also miss out on my favourite marathon, Seoul International in March. Therefore, it seems my best chance to run a marathon is Gold Coast Marathon in July 2011 (would love to run Perth, but unless if I can upgrade myself from a marginal sub-3 to a 2.55 shape runner, then Perth will be a lonely tough race especially in the last 10k). With this in mind, my priority for the rest of this year is to get over the injury and do easy-to-moderate training for fitness maintenance. I also hope all the hard marathon training from the last 3-4 months will not go down the drain! Starting in March 2011, I will start to train proper for GCM - this will give me a 4 months training window for the next sub-3 assault.

This training cycle has taught me some lessons. From now on, I have to focus much, much more on muscle recovery, such as religious stretching, foam rolling, icing, massaging etc. As I am nearing 40, my muscles have a lot of their elasticity and strength. Also, my training environment isvery unforgiving. My area (district 9) is a concrete jungle and the softest surface is asphalt and mostly cambered. I have to run 5k on concrete in order to run at a small grassy soccer field or 10k in order to run on the trail (I hate to commute in order to run). Also, the weather conditions cause the body to lose fluid and minerals rapidly (I am a heavy sweater), resulting in more frequent muscle cramping and tightening.

Another (funny) change that I will make is to limit myself to 2-3 pairs of shoes. I am currently rotating 6 pairs - all different brands and types and I had a f***ing hard time to determine which shoes that were partially responsible for the injury ! Because I rarely got injured (but when shit happens, it is nornally 1-2 months on the sideline), I became a shoe-aholic as my past experience shows that my foot is flexible enough to run with any shoes.

Anyway, the plan for next week is to combine cross training and a bit of running. I would say that my injury probably only improved by 10% since it first occured 3 weeks ago. This is driven by the fact I am still forcing myself to perform various 'running examinations' before giving in. This 'it aint over, until it's over' kind of thing was a gamble and at the end, luck decided not to part on my side. Now that the decision to pull out of the marathon is finally confirmed last Wednesday, I have virtually escaped from the 'ponderland' and can afford to forget running and focus on recovery. One thing that I need to figure out is how not to get sore arse from sitting on stationary bike !

My injury description is below and it says recovery may take a long time.
http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/8183750/tibialis-anterior-tendonitis-tibialis-anterior-t.htm

21 days to go - slipping away

2010-09-19T20:57:00.003+08:00

Mon: OFF
Tues: 45mins (av 5:30 min/km)
Wed: 60mins (av pace 5:15 min/km) - pain, pain, pain
Thu: OFF
Fri: 40mins (av 5:38 min/km)
Sat: 28k easy (av 5:05 min/km) - glute pain, over-compensate
Sun: OFF
Total 55k for the week

Not happy with how things are going at the moment - both physically and psychologically.

Went to see a sports doc early this week and after spending a couple of hours of various tests (treadmill video analysis, x-ray for stress fracture etc), he confirmed my & Epi's suspicion that the problem was anterior tibialis extensor tendonitis (left leg). As mentioned in my blog a month ago, I was having tight calf issues which affected some of my workouts, but did not cause any pain so I just ran through it. As a guy who is so damn lazy to stretch and prefer to rely on sports massage once every 1-2 weeks, I had one period where I trained hard for a full month without massage/stretching. The tight calf caused muscle imbalance and altered my biomechanics. Instead of the heel/mid-foot landing flat on the ground, the tight calf caused it to land half-tilted. As I unconsciously ran this way and continued to train hard, the tibia and extensor tendon got damaged and the pain goes all the way from ankle joint to the lateral shin since the tendon is inter-connected. The doc thinks probably it will take a few weeks of reduced running to fully heal and I might have to look at orthotics or alter my running gait to prevent it happening again.

After incorporating anti-inflammatories, massage, and ankle strengthening exercises this week, the pain seems to improve slightly by the end of the week. I decided to give myself an 'exam' in the form of long run. If I can last something around 32k, then I' rate myself a good chance to make it to the starting line. At the end, I stopped the run at 28k which included breaks every 5k to give the leg some relief. Although, the anterior tibialis and extensor tendon issues were tolerable, but my right glute got very sore since it had to over-compensate my troubled left leg. I decided to stop due to tiredness (very warm morning) and the painful glutes.

Psychologically, I feel like Alice in a wreck land. With 5 weeks to go, I was all systems go and my body was ready to tackle 3 weeks of high mileage and sharpening workouts, followed by a 2 weeks taper. The injury changes everything and now I am looking at a premature 5 weeks taper. It is just so damn frustrating to look at my training log this week and being unable to do any runs faster than 5:00 pace. To make things worse, my last long run further than 30k was done 7 weeks ago, so unless things improve dramatically and somehow I can magically do 30k+ run in the next week or so, I would go to the start lime without any long runs in the last 2 months or so.

What's next? I just found out that although 10k and HM slots are full, but those who entered the marathon during the early bird/normal registration period can still downgrade. However, it seems there are conflicting deadline dates. In the Melbourne Marathon newsletter, it says that the last day to change event is 22 Sep (this Wednesday). On the flip side, the website says that changes are still allowed even until the race week. Will call the organizer to confirm.

Downgrading to the HM is an attractive option since 1) it allows me to manage and nurse the injury, 2) even with low mileage, I think I still have a chance to run a decent time, 3) no requirement to taper until the last few days (possibly means 2.5 weeks of hard training); and 4) easy to recover and I can still train/race until year end.

On the flip side, marathon is truly something special and sub-3 is like a sub-4 mile for a guy like me who picked up running in his 30s. Prior to the injury, I'd say my training was much better than my previous prep for Gold Coast and Seoul which yielded 3.04 and 3.03 respectively. So, sub-3 was certainly a chance, especially if the weather conditions, pacing, and fueling on the day are perfect. But now, I feel that chance is slipping away. I expect my finishing time to be volatile. On a good day, I possibly still can run 3.15 and under. On a bad day or in a situation where my legs can't hold up, I might be looking at 3.30-4.00 hour marathon. At this juncture, I am in no mood to do a marathon for sight-seeing unless if it is held in the Himalayas or Santorini.

In ideal world, I would like to delay my decision as late as possible, say until the race week in order to allow myself a chance to run the marathon. If they confirm the deadline is this Wednesday, more likely than not, I will downgrade to half mary barring any miracles. There is no marathon race planned until Gold Coast 2011 - which is 9 months away.

It is just amazing what marathon training can do for you. With 5 weeks to go, I was strong as bull, then bang !! - shit happened. I then virtually lost 2 weeks worth of training time. And now there are only 3 weeks left and the worse thing is that I might not train much at all :(

28 days left - what to do?

2010-09-12T23:09:00.005+08:00

Monday (easy):
45mins easy treadmill (av 5:18 min/km)

Ran at 4% incline to reduce landing shock.

Tuesday (semi long-run):
17.5k in 1h:26m (av pace 4:55)

Trying to run close to 90mins in order to decide whether I should do the HM this weekend or not. First 20mins was terrible with the legs aching real bad. After an hour of easy running, decided to test the water a bit by running the last 4k at tempo pace, averaging 4:12 pace (just above marathon pace). Not good, but not bad either. Foot was painful for the rest of the day, especially the front ankle and the lateral shin.

Wednesday (easy):
AM: Ultrasound & shock wave treatment
PM: 35mins easy treadmill (av 5:32 min/km)

Thursday (rest):
OFF. Deep tissue massage

Friday (easy):
55mins easy (av pace 5:05 min/km)

Saturday (rest):
OFF

Sunday (race):
2.5k warmup
Safra Army Half Marathon in 89:35 (av 4:14 min/km)
Overall #122, Mens closed # 41
3k cool down
Total 26k for the day

Was in two minds whether I should race or not given the leg injury. At the end, I decided to give it a go because I needed a 'proof of life' that my legs could tolerate sustained running at MP or faster. Started with a low expectation that if my legs went, I just shut my system down and jog to the finish point. Used my planned marathon shoe - Nike Lunar racer and popped paracetamol at the start as insurance. Started too fast due to pent-up energy resulting from the reduced mileage, including a couple of kms at 3:50s. Passed 5k in 20.15 (4:03 pace) including one 500m long hill. Began to feel the burn, I cautiously eased back into the MP territory, running the next 5k in 21:04 (4:13 pace) - cumulatively 10k in 41:19 (av 4:08 pace). Began to feel dehydrated after 10k since it was hot and humid (30c heat index at 6am) and walked at the drink station to get a drink. The split for km 11-15 was 21.43 (4:18 pace), slower than MP due to the drink stop but cumulatively I passed 15k in 63:00 mins, av 4:12 pace so still right on target. Leg tendon began to get sore and ache after this point and I simply decided to switch on the cruise control, passing km 16-20 in 22.14 (4:27 pace). I picked up the pace slightly in the last 1.1k to around 4:00 to finish in 89.35 (just under MP).

At the end, I was reasonable pleased with the result, despite all the similar story with all my HMs in Singapore. My pace always went progressively slower - on track for the 1st half before slowing down in the 2nd half. I think I am okay with running 5k-10k in Singapore, but anything beyond this (north of 40mins), my performance deteriorates sharply due to the heat and humidity effects . The only positve thing that comes out of the race is that I was able to run 21k at goal MP even with a bad leg.

Summary:

70k for the week with only one workout (HM race). After some mileage reduction, physio session (ultra sound, shock wave) and massage, the legs began to feel better - at least to the point that I was able to start a race. But unfortunately, the race put me back in the square one again. Was limping all day after the race. Thinking to see a sports doctor this week to get a verdict. Heard from a friend who is being treated by a sports doc that the the only solution from injured tendon is prolonged rest.

This leaves me in a very deep shit, especially with only 4 weeks left before the marathon. The original plan pre-injury was to race hard during today's HM and train hard in the next 2 weeks before tapering. But the injury changes everything and the sub-3 dream is now becoming more remote.

Downgrading my marathon slot to HM or 10k is impossible now since both events are full. So it's either the marathon or DNS.

One thought I have to do minimal running this week in order to nurse the injury. Then I will do a reverse taper and train hard in the next 2 weeks before embarking on a 1 week taper. Don't know whether the concept of 'reverse taper' will be too risky or not.

Another tought is to mix rest/XT with running. I was thinking maybe to run just 3 times a week but all 'hard' - primarily one long run and one tempo. The other days are either total rest or non-weight bearing XT (elliptical, stationary bike). Based on my experience this week, it seems the ankle, tendon and shin splint is at their most painful after the run and the following couple of days (for example, I was able to start the race today after resting 2 out of the 3 days pre-race).

What do you guys think?

Injured ! :( :(

2010-09-05T18:21:00.001+08:00

Monday (easy):
AM: 45mins easy (av 5:08 min/km)
including 4 x 15secs barefoot strides on grass

Tuesday (threshold + hills):
3k warm up
3 x 3k HM pace, 3mins jog in between
12:15, 12:15, 12:21 - av 4:06 min/km (av HR 165)
10mins jog
4 x 40secs hill reps, walk/jog down
4 x 15secs hill reps, walk down
10mins cool down
Total 18k in 1h:27m (av pace 4:50)

The plan was to run 4 x 3k at 4:00-4:05 pace but only did 3 due to discomfort in the left ankle. Yesterday's rub mainly focused on the usual supects such as hammy, calves, glutes, quads, and ITB so the problem was undetected.. I completed the first and second reps at the slow end of my target pace but then in the third rep, the discomfort got worse and I slowed down to around 4.07 pace. Decided to skip the 4th rep and to salvage the lost quality, I did a few short hill reps (definitely not be the wisest thing to do!)
PM: 30mins slow jog treadmill (av 5:45 min/km)

Wednesday (easy):
50mins easy tradmill (av 5:26 min/km)
10mins light weights

Ankle got worse and the pain has spreaded to the lateral shin.

Thursday (threshold + reps):
20mins warm up
8k Tempo in 32:16 (av 4:02 min/km)
5 mins rest
4 x 400m in 82secs, 1min walk recovery
20mins cool down
Total 17k in 78mins (av pace 4:35)

Ankle was painful when I started and had to resort running at 6:00+ pace for the warm up. I wanted to do a continuous tempo and decided to play by the ear. If I can only last 3k, then be it! Surprisingly legs felt prety good and I completed 8k at 4:02 min/km. It was hard but not a ball-busting workout. After drink break, did 4 x 400m at 2400m pace on a marked bike path to get some running faster than HMP/MP. Unfortunately, this aggravated the foot problem and had to run very slowly for the cool down. Iced the ankle and shin and put some voltaren afterwards.

Friday (easy):
38mins easy treadmill (av pace 5:30 min/km)

Saturday (long):
24k long run in 2h:02m (av 5:02 min/km)

The plan was to do a 3 hour at easy effort, but stopped at 2 hours due to foot problems. Went through the first 90mins pretty okay, but the pain got siginificantly worse from there. The pain also has spreaded to the shin and knees. Run, stop, run, stop, run, stop for a few times before deciding to have had enough and catch a bus home.

Sunday (rest):
OFF

Summary:

A crap week affected by foot injury. 90k for the week with 2 tempo sessions and a cancelled long run.. Went to the pyhsio on Saturday and he diagnosed two issues 1) damaged tendon in the ankle joint (anterior side); and 2) lateral shin splint. He didn't think that there was any stress fracture at all. Most likely the problem was due to over worked muscles. I hope it's not something serious like compartment syndrome, although Satuday's long run experience sounds like early signs of CS (after stopping, the pain dissipated but then re-appeared again).

A huge setback for me with only 5 weeks left to go to the marathon. It has been a good long streak running without any significant niggles and injuries, but suddenly shit happens. The last time I visited a physio was 18 months ago for a damaged ankle ligament on the right leg (this time is left leg) and it put me out of action for 3 months. The difference is this time I am walking without pain, so there is every chance that I can make the start line.

Will do a wait and see approach for next week. The physio's suggeston is very predictable - which is to rest fully. I might do elliptical in the gym or if things improve, I will just run through the pain and see what happens. My objective going forward is simple - to go to the marathon start line in a healthy state in 1 month time.

6 weeks 2 go

2010-08-29T09:35:00.002+08:00

Monday (threshold):
3k warm up with strides
11k In/Out Tempo Run in 45:33
av 4:09 min/km, av HR 170, high HR 184
2k cool down
Total session 16k in 72mins (av 4:31)

"In and Out" tempo run by alternating 1km at 10k pace - 3:50 min/km and floating recovery at 4:30 min/km. Splits (HR in bpm): 3:50 (158), 4:29 (158), 3:51 (166), 4:30 (163), 3:50 (170), 4:29 (165), 3:50 (172), 4:31 (170), 3:50 (175), 4:35 (171), 3:48 (179) = 11k in 45:33 (av 4:09). Legs were a bit heavy and it was a warm morning. The float recovery made me work my butt off ! Heart rates were in the 160-170s range even during the supposedly recovery section. A good change of pace workout, accumulating 6km of work at 10k pace and 5k recovery at moderate pace.

Tuesday (easy):
40mins easy treadmill (av pace 5:26)

Wednesday (long run):
25k easy-moderate in 2hrs (av 4:50 min/km)

Felt sluggish this morning. Was hoping to do some fast pick-ups at the end, but the body was simply too tired. 30mins at 5:05, 4:55, 4:45, 4:35 min/km (between 80% MP and 90% MP). At the end, I was pleased to insert a 2 hour long run on a weekday. Fly to Jakarta in the afternoon.

Thursday (fartlek):
1 hour easy run with light fartlek (av pace 4:56 min/km)
included 8 x 2mins at HM pace, 1 min jog

Ran on treadmill. To kill boredom, decided to sprinkle in 2 mins surges at HM pace, with 1mins slow jog in between.

Friday (easy):
45mins easy (av pace 5:10 min/km)
included 7 x 15-20secs strides, barefoot

Saturday (long tempo):
2k warm up
21k tempo at MP effort in 90:15 (av 4:18)
Av HR 162, high 171
7.5k cool down
Total 30.5k in 2h:20m (av 4:36 min/km)

Dead legs! My plan was to run 26k at MP effort but ended up only doing 21k. I was fine aerobically as indicated by low HR but my leg was trashed. After 13k, my calves began to tighten and the legs became heavy. My knees and ankles were aching too probably due to the jarring on the downhills. The route was undulanting again hence the reasons for uneven splits: 4:14, 4:15, 4:24, 4:16, 4:15, 4:15, 4:19, 4:24, 4:15, 4:18, 4:26, 4:14, 4:09, 3:58, 4:21, 4:33, 4:22, 4:20, 4:22, 4:15, 4:17 As you can see, I was unable to run anywhere close to my goal MP due to the tired legs hence decided to close shop at 21k. Had 3 brief drink stops during the tempo. . Did 7k cool down on fried legs to total 30k and it felt harder than the tempo session itself.

Sunday (rest):
OFF

Summary:
100k for the week with 1 speed session and two long runs. The sum of quality kms were 31k at 4:10 min/km average. Began to feel the legs burning after 6 weeks of consistent training. Last 6 weeks mileage were: 89, 105, 109, 90, 90, 100 - average 97k which is high for a runner like me who only runs about 5-6x a week. I haven't got a massage in 3 weeks, which probably explain the reason why my legs are tight. The shorter than planned MP tempo run was a bummer given I was fine aerobically and I was able to run 24k at 4:16 pace a couple of weeks ago. Anyway, at least I got some goal pace running practice this week.

Two weeks left before Army HM. Have to get a racing flat soon so that I can use it in the HM and then in the marathon. My current stock unfortunately consists of lightweight trainers such as Nike Lunar Swift, Mizuno Precision, Lunar Elite etc which are a tad too heavy for racing. Currently thinking to get either Nuke Lunar Racer or Saucony Fastwitch for the marathon.

6 weeks to go now. The plan is to do workouts at HM pace next week, then slight taper and race the HM in the following week. After that I have two more weeks left for training hard before 2 weeks taper.

Happy to get thru the week

2010-08-21T21:43:00.006+08:00

Monday (easy):
30mins easy treadmill (av pace 5:30)

Tuesday (semi long run):
20k easy-moderate in 95mins (av pace 4:48)

Did the run at easy-to-moderate pace (slower than MP). First 30mins easy at 80% MP (5:05 min/km), next 30mins at 85% MP (4:50 min/km), next 30mins at 90% MP (4:38 min/km). I pulled a calf muscle from Sunday's run and the twinge got worsened today.

Wednesday (easy):
50mins easy treadmill (av 5:15 min/km)

Thursday (intervals):
10mins warm up, 3 strides
8*800 Yasso intervals, 2mins recovery
15mins cool down
Total 14k in (av 4:44 min/km)

On antibiotics due to throat infection and cough. My variation of Yasso with 2mins recovery instead of full recovery, but only did 8 reps. Done on the road and pressed the split button when Garmin showed 803-808 meters. Splits: 2.59.21, 2.57.02, 2.57.27, 2.58375, 2.59.12, 3.00.05, 2.59.47, 2.55.91 = average 2.58 per 800m. Total work 6.4k in 23:47 for an average pace of 3:43 min/km. This is not my best Yasso ever as a) recovery between reps was done very slowly at 6.20 min/km pace, and b) I was capable to do 8*800 with 75secs jog at similar pace a couple months ago. Actually not sure whether doing intervals with a sore throat was good idea either as more polluted air was sucked in.

Friday (easy):
38mins easy treadmill (av pace 5:32 min/km)

Saturday (long):
33k long run progressive in 2h:32m (av 4:37)
5k splits = 25:20, 24:25, 23:28, 22:45, 21:46, 21:15, 12:30 (last 3k)

Nice cooling weather with slight drizzle. The plan was to start easy for the first 5k, increase the pace every 5k and then finish around MP. Did the first 5k at 5:04 min/km, next 5k 4:52 min/km, next 5k 4:42min/km, next 5k at 4:34 min/km, next 5k at 4:22 min/km, next 5k 4:15 min/km, then last 3k at 4:05 pace. The pace for the last 3k was a bit overstated since I had to stop at 3 big intersections, hence it was more like 3 x 800m with break waiting to cross the road. Last 18k averaged 4:21 min/km or 3h:05m marathon pace. Was working hard but never really struggled. Total breaks were 10mins total (excluded from the timing), for drinks and stopping at various traffic lights.

Sunday (rest):
OFF

Summary:

90k for the week with 1 workout and 1 long run. Basically happy to get a 'Pass' score and complete a reasonable training week given all the circumstances - a) super duper busy at work; b) calf strain issues; and 3) throat infection/cough. Only managed to do 14k of this week's milage at race pace or faster, a significant step down from last week's 40k. On the flip side, the pace for my 2 long runs this week were faster than my customarily slog at 5:00 pace.

I looked back at my logs and compare the mileage I have done for this cycle and for my last marathon in Seoul (see chart below). I used the last 6 months data since most marathon programs are about 20 weeks long. Over 4 months period prior to the final 8 weeks, I ran a total 1340km (av 70 per week) during Seoul prep compared to 1507km (av 79) for Melbourne, which is 12% more. The week-by-week mileage fluctuates due to different races and down time done during the two cycles. But if you believe that recent mileage have more weight than the old ones, then over the last 10 weeks prior to the final 8 weeks, my mileage for Melbourne prep averages 87km as compared to Seoul's 67km, so I am running 30% more. Average pace for this period is virtually the same at around 4.55 min/km. So if intensity is roughly the same, overall mileage is higher and assuming I'll average 90k in the 8-weeks marathon specific phase, I think I might have a chance to PB.

Seven weeks left to go :(

Good (training) and Bad (race) - Redux

2010-08-15T14:18:00.001+08:00

Monday (long tempo):
2k warm up
24k long tempo run at MP in 1h:42m (av 4:16min/km)
3k cool down
Total 29k in 2h:09m (av 4:28 min/km)

A combination of empty streets due to public holiday (National Day) and cool weather (25c, 80% humidity) made it a perfect timing to do a long tempo run. Decided to run at MP 'effort', instead of sticking to a fixed pace for the whole duration of the run. I started with an open mind that even 4:30min/km is still considered as an MP effort The route is mostly flat but had a few undulations here and there, hence the reasons for uneven pace. Splits were: 4:19, 4:13, 4:17, 4:17, 4:15, 4:14, 4:17, 4:24, 4:16, 4:21, 4:09, 4:18, 4:27, 4:21, 4:15, 4:18, 4:13, 4:14, 4:14, 4:14, 4:18, 4:15, 4:11, 4:00. I was very surprised that how a conservative mindset helps me to finish strong. About half of the splits were sub or at 4:15 min/km (20ks under 4:20), with 4:27 being the slowest. Pretty much a continuous run, except for a couple of 60secs break at km 10 and 17 for gel and drinks (time excluded). Covered 57% of marathon distance at (almost) goal pace, but don't know whether I can handle another 18k. Will try another one nearer to the D-day to further hone-in goal MP.

Tuesday (rest):
OFF. Travel to Jakarta for work.

Wednesday (easy):
10k easy (av 5:10 min/km)
including 4 x 15secs uphill sprints

Felt crap. I think Monday's long MP run which was preceeded by 35k on Saturday took a lot out of me.

Thursday (semi-long run):
21k in 1h:40m (av 4:44 min/km)
consisting of 1 hour easy + light fartlek + cool down

Cool but super humid weather. Ran 12k easy in about 60mins (5:00 pace), followed by a light fartlek: 3 x (2mins @ 4:25, 4:05, 3:55) with 2mins rec, then 3k cool down. Covered 4.6k during the 19mins of fartlek work (av 4:07 pace). A nice, little way to add some quality into the medium long run without taxing the body too much.

Friday (easy):
10k easy (av pace 5:15 min/km)
including 5 strides

Saturday (rest):
OFF.

Sunday (race/tempo):
3.6k warm up
12.5k Waterfront Scramble, 51:15 (av 4:05 min/km)
3.8k cool down
Total 20k in 93mins (av 4:40)

Was hoping to use the race as Army Half Marathon dress rehearsal with a target pace of 4:00 (84-85mins half), but even after the down week, legs were still not fresh. Forgot to autolap Garmin so no km splits. But from memory, my pace average 4:00 for the first 5k, then 4:02 for the 10k, then had side stitch which slowed me down in the last 3k. I wasn't tired but the legs just didn't want to move fast. Based on this result, even a sub-87min local HM is mighty hard. Ran on my own for almost the whole race since the top guys (including Kenyan couple) were so far in front of me and there was nobody running ay my pace. Finished ahead of Trudy Fawcett (2.55 marathon and represented Great Britain in World Triathlon Champs) who was on comeback trail after injury. She adviced me to improve my biomechanics since my gait is not quick & light off the ground. She could hear the sound of my footstrikes even from half a mile away :(

Summary:
90k for the week (down week) in 5 runs with 1 good workout and 1 crap race. After increasing mileage to 105-109km in last 2 weeks, I decided to make this week as a recovery week. Mileage was less, but the intensity was higher - hmm..wondering whether is this a real recovery week ????

The obvious highlight is 24k tempo at 4:16 pace (with only 2x1min drink breaks). I think to have a chance for sub-3, I need to run at 4:13 pace or faster in the first half (89mins), so 4.16 for 24k without taper and the fact I wasn't wasted at the end of the run, means I still have a shot (maybe small) at it. Sunday's race turned out to be another disappointment, which further re-affirmed the fact that I am better at training. But if I think from a workout perspective, it was a decent tempo workout and I should be ready to roll again in the next couple of days. One positive thing is that 41k of my fastest miles (45%) this week averaged 4:12 min/km - which is the most I've done in this cycle.

8 weeks to go. My plan from this point is to train hard in the next 3 weeks, then run the Army Half Marathon, followed by another 2 weeks of hard training, then finally 2 weeks of taper.

2 months left :(

2010-08-08T13:11:00.002+08:00

Monday (intervals):
5k warm up to CCAB track (av 5:08)
5 x 1000m at 5-10k pace, 200m jog
4 laps of 100m fast, 100m slow
5k cool down (av 5:30)
Total 17.4k in 1h:24m (av 4:50 min/km)

My initial plan was to do 1000m repeats at 10k pace (3:50) which is akin to threshold session, but went too fast for the first 2 sets. Therefore, I just made it a threshold-cum-vo2max workout by doing 5 sets at a pace between 5k pace (3:42) and 10k pace (3:50). Splits were: 3.41.8, 3.45.2, 3.46.3, 3.44.2, 3.42.5 - average 3.44 min/km, with 200m jog recovery done in average of 75secs (1 to 3 rest-to-work ratio). Total work for 5k was 18:40. Finished the run with 4 laps of spint the straights, jog the curves. Did most of the 100m in a blazing pace 18secs, which sadly is slower than 42k pace for the Africans :) Overall, a good little session without pushing too hard (only hit 176 bpm as highest HR)

Tuesday (easy):
1 hour easy (av 5:22 min/km)
100 abs bench

Wednesday (threshold):
9k easy warm up (av 5:15)
5 x 6mins HM pace (4:05), 2 mins brisk recovery (4:40) - total 9.6k in 40mins, av HR 169
3k cool down including 4 uphill sprints
Total 21.5k in 1h:43m (av 4:48 min/km)
PM: 5k jog on treadmill (av 5:45)

So far in this cycle, I have been relatively comfortable with doing tempo run at HM pace (4:00s) for around 30-45 minutes. Decided to vary the stress, by running 9km first before embarking on the tempo session. And the long warm up really made a huge difference! Was planning to do around 50mins of tempo work, but my legs were fried and I decided to close shop at 40 minutes. was dehydrated too, only brought one water bottle. The paces were around 4.03-4:06 for the fast segments and 4:40 for the recovery, for a total of 9.6k (av 4:10). Hit 184 bpm - higher than Monday's intervals (176). After some walking, did 15mins cool down including 4 x 20secs uphill sprints (walk recovery).

Lost 3k of body weight (after factoring 600ml of fluid consumed during the run) for 100mins worth of running. This puts my sweat rate at 2.1 litres per hour, so during today's run I lost fluids equivalent to 10 cans of coke. No wonder my training/racing times suck with so much fluid lost and inability to replace it. A good reason to avoid running a local marathon, at least for a heavy sweater like me !

Thursday (easy):
1 hour easy (av 5:22 min/km)
including 4 barefoot strides on grass

Friday (easy):
40mins easy treadmill (av pace 5:25 min/km)
10mins medicine ball exercises

Saturday (long):
35k long run in 2h:52h (av 4:55min/km)

Another long run in the bag. Pace was in cruisy mode, first hour 5:05, second hour 4:55, and last 50mins or so at 4:45 min/km. Stopped for about 10mins total for drinks, which wasn't included in the time (I only logged moving time and not elapsed time). Although, I mentioned previosly that long run is my least favourite session, today was actually a pretty enjotable outing. I think the 37k run a couple of weeks ago taught my brain that long run is something that is repeatable.

Sunday (rest):
OFF. Core exercises

Summary:
109k for the week with 2 workouts and a long run. Not much quality this week compared to last week. My average pace this week is 109k @ 5:05 min/km, while last week was 105k @ 4:50, so about 15secs per k slower for 100ks - which is a huge difference in terms of fitness benefits. Anyway, that's history now. For next week, I will travel to Jakarta for work again and have a tune-up race in the weekend, so mileage will be probably down by 20-30k.

I measured my weight a couple of times this week. A bit disappointing that my weight remains pretty similar at 66-67kg, although, I feel like I am getting leaner. Living in Singapore where the cuisine is a fusion of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Western, it' is so difficult to escape from liberal use of oil, curry, pork lard, ghee, sauces etc for day-to-day diet. I think I will hide my scale in the store room for a foreseeable future.

Congrats to Clown who smashed his HM PB ftom 86 to 82. You are on fire!

No dates for the Spain football trip yet, but they said it will still be in October. I have registered for the marathon before the early bird closed last week. My registration number is 3465 and I believe it has now reached 4400+ (capped at 4500 runners based on info from the MM website).

Two months to go and I am still not so ready!

10 to 10-10-10

2010-07-31T21:29:00.003+08:00

Monday (threshold):
3.5k warm up
12mins ON, 2mins OFF, 3mins ON, 2mins OFF
9mins ON, 2mins OFF, 3mins ON, 2mins OFF
6mins ON, 2mins OFF, 3mins ON, 2mins OFF
3mins ON, 90secs OFF, 3mins ON, 90secs OFF
3mins ON
3k cool down
Total 20.5k in 93mins (av 4:33 min/km)

A varied pace Threshold session, alternating long intervals (12-9-6-3 minutes) at MP-10 secs/km and short intervals (3 minutes) at MP-20 secs/km, interspersed with 2mins jog in between. Always enjoyed this kind of session. Cumulatively, they added up to 30mins at 4:05 pace and 15mins at 3:55 pace for a total 45mins worth of Threshold work - an average of 4:00 min/km. If recovery jogs are included, the workout covered 14.1k in 60mins or an average pace of 4:15 (av HR 164, high HR 175). Very pleased with today's run considering that I did a 37k long run two days earlier.

Tuesday (easy):
60mins recovery treadmill (av 5:30 min/km)
Core work: planks, 1 set of Bataan & Myrtle

Experimenting with a longer recovery run (1 hour) instead of the normal 30-40mins. Otherwise, I will never see my mileage above 90k !!

Wednesday (semi-long run):
21k semi-long run in 1h:40m (av 4:48 min/km)

Beautiful and cool post-rain weather, with no UV at all. Ran the usual route of Chatsworth, Nassem, Cluny Park, Dempsey, and River Valley. After 4k easy miles to loosen the leg, then ran the next 17k between 4:30-4:45 min/km. Felt easy effort-wise due to the cooler weather. Could have run more miles but unfortunately, I had to go to work. I would say around 4:40s would be my normal long run pace if I still live in Aussie.

Thursday (progression):
10mins warm up
30mins progression run (av 4:10)
20 mins cool down including 6 strides
Total 13k in 59mins (av pace 4:33 min/km)

After warm up, did 10mins progressive at 4:20s-4:10s-4:00smin/km, covering 7.2k in 30mins (av 4:10 pace). A bit hard of a workout than I initially expected. Finished the run with 6 x 20secs strides.

Friday (easy):
40mins recovery on treadmill (av pace 5:32 min/km)
10mins upper body weights + sit-ups

Saturday (long):
32k long run in 2h:33h (av 4:47min/km)
consisting of 60mins easy (5:12), 2 x 5k MP, 45mins moderate (4:40)

Tired going into the run with 110k from the last 7 days in the legs. However, I decided to test the water a bit by aiming a marathon simulation run of 1 hour easy + 4 x 5k MP. My thought is that if I could ace this workout un-tapered, then sub-3 is a real possibility. However, that proved to be a wishful thinking. After 1 hour easy from home to ECP, I then did the first 5k at 4:18 pace and the second at 4:20 pace, so about 3-5 secs off pace but perhaps equivalent in effort considering the weather factor. I was completely wiped out after the second and decided to save the effort for another day. Humidiy was really high too and I was soaked. Finished the run with 45mins at moderate effort (4:40 pace) to total 32k for the day.

Sunday (rest):
OFF.
Summary:
105k for the week with 2 workouts, a semi-long run and a long run. An increase of almost 20% in mileage from last week and 30% higher than my average kms in last couple of months. Including last Saturday's long run, my rolling last 8 days mileage amounted to 142k (almost 18k per day). Overall, I handled the increase in mileage reasonably well. Slightly disappointed with today's planned marathon simulation run. If only I could complete the session with those kms in the legs, my confidence to do sub-3 in 10 weeks time would have sky-rocketed. Anyway, things do not always go you way. Or maybe I wasn't good enough on the day.

The plan for next week (week minus 10) is to do similar level of mileage (90-100k depending on life schedules), again focusing mainly on threshold sessions. I then plan to take a down week in week minus 9 to super compensate and do a tune-up race.

10 weeks left to 10/10/10 !!!

Better Week

2010-07-24T11:10:00.001+08:00

Monday (OFF):
Thai Food workout
3 x great food, with 4 hours recovery in between :)

Tuesday (Tempo):
2k warm up
25-20-15-10-5 minutes at MP, 5mins jog/rest in between
Total 23.2k in 102mins (av 4:24 min/km)

Last day of holiday in Phuket. Decided to do a long workout since I don't have a luxury of running on quite streets near my place in Singapore. Split times were 25+ mins at 4:15 pace, 20+ mins at 4:13 pace, 15+ mins at 4:13 pace, 10+ mins at 4:10 pace, and 5+mins at 4:03 pace. All up, 19k worth of MP work (non-continuous) in 80mins, av 4:13 min/km. A good workout to familiarize the body with MP, but the truth is I only covered about 40% of marathon distance !!! Fly back to SG in the arvo.

Wednesday (easy):
45mins recovery on treadmill (av 5:25 min/km)
60 v-ups with med ball

Thursday (fartlek):
15mins warm up
Mona fartlek
Covered 5k in 20:00 (av 4:00)
25 mins cool down
Total 12+k in 60mins (av pace 4:48 min/km)

Still not able to master Mona fartlek. Went a bit too fast in the early parts, both for the fast and float part. Unable to keep the floats during the 30s and 15s, died, and had to jog instead.

Friday (easy):
43mins recovery on treadmill (av pace 5:28 min/km)
15mins upper/lower body weights

Saturday (long):
37k long run in 3h:02h (av 4:56min/km)

Hallelujah! A long run at last. Cooler than normal weather this morning, some light cooling breeze, a bit of drizzle here and there and no sun. Was happy to run 32k, but continued on since the weather was unbelievable kind (25c, 90% humidity). First hour averaging 5:15 min/km, second hour averaging 4:50 min/km, and last hour averaging 4:40 min/km. Didn't feel as wiped out as normal long runs due to the conditions.

Sunday (rest):
OFF. Core exercises

Summary:

89k for the week in 5 runs. A decent week for my standard with 2 workouts and a long run (finally !!). Since long run is my least favourite workout, I was very pleased with today's 37k run. One pin bowled, so hopefully another one or two 35k+ long runs in the remaining 10 weeks should suffice. For the rest of long runs, I am happy to keep them at the more manageable 26-30k range. In terms of quality, I did 24 km this week at a pace faster than MP. If I combine last Sunday's tempo run, my quality miles in the last seven days were 36k at an average of 4:10 min/km (out of total mileage of 106 km)

Another positive thing going forward is that my work schedule looks pretty good for the next couple of weeks, so hopefully I can capitalize on this by doing some decent sessions.

Training to date (7 weeks)
Intervals/Vo2Max: 16x300, 8x800, 5x1000, 12x400, 5k TT (18.33), Mona fartlek= 6 sessions average 5k
Tempos: 9k change of pace, 10k in intervals form, 4.4k trail race, 12k continous = 4 sessions average 9k
Long runs: 27, 31, 29k (with 2x20mins at HMP), 28k (with 90min at MP) , 37k = 6 sessions at average 30k
Semi-long runs: 24k, 24k, 23k (with 80mins MP) = 3 sessions average 24k
Mileage: 81, 89, 88, 57, 89, 77, 89 = average 81k per week

Octopus

2010-07-19T09:00:00.003+08:00

By now, you would probably know about the infamous, Paul The Octopus with oracle-like psychic ability to predict the outcome of soccer match. During the course of the World Cup, he predicted 8 out of 8 correct outcomes including the final, a 100% record or 1 in 256 chance !!

On a more humane front (literally), I managed to combine my psychic and analytical skills to win my company's Fantasy Football competition. The game entailed 'managers' to pick a team, select team formation, change/transfer players within certain budget and rules etc. Points were awarded when the players in the team scored goals, made assists, or in case of defenders, when they did not concede goals. During the course of the World Cup, I accumulated the highest points among 400 other 'football managers' from all around the globe.

For all my troubles, I won an all expense paid trip to Madrid, Spain to meet Cristiano Ronaldo in-person and watch his team, Real Madrid play in a Spanish League match. An entity of the company that I work for happens to be the sponsor of Ronaldo, the world's most expensive player (he was bought for US$132m from his previous club). So the trip probably involves some backstage access to mingle with the bloke. While I am not a fan of Ronaldo, but a free trip to Spain is too rude to pass and is a nice reward for all the sleepless nights watchng the World Cup (which sadly affected my training/racing too) and analyzing match statistics. Anyway, his autographed jersey is selling for $1k+ on internet, so if I can get him to sign a few.... haha

One issue is the trip probably will happen in October. If the chosen match falls on the 8-10 October weekend, then effectively I'll say bye-bye to Melbourne Marathon. If it is held one week earlier, I think I still can do Melbourne albeit jet lag problems from traveling between Asia-Europe-Asia-Australia. If the game is in the latter part of October, then no worries. Will get more clarity on the date in the next couple of weeks.

Anyway, 12 weeks left to Melbourne

Monday (easy):
40mins recovery on treadmill (av 5:43 min/km)
10mins upper body weights
60 v-ups

Severe DOMS and tight lower leg muscles from yesterday's race (12 up slopes and 12 down slopes, albeit mild). What annoys me is that I ran a hard effort, suffered shot calves, hammies, and quads and could only run the HM at my MP. I think 21k at MP should be a semi-hard effort and not almost a full-effort like yesterday :(

Tuesday (easy):
50mins easy (av 5:25 min/km)

Wednesday (long):
24k medium long run in 2 hours (av 5:00 min/km)

Decided to skip workouts and do an aerobic run. Legs are still affected by DOMS and I really need an endurance boost at the moment. Ran the first hour at 5:10 pace, second hour at 4:50 pace.

Thursday (fartlek):
15mins warm up
2mins 4:20s, 2mins 4:00s, 1min 3:50s, 1min jog, repeat for 6k
15mins cool down, 4 strides
Total 12+k in 56mins (av pace 4:38 min/km)

Busy day work and got stomach issues all day. Did a light fartlek at varying pace (MP, HMP,10k pace) for a bit of quality since I haven't done any workouts all week.

Friday (easy):
40mins recovery on treadmill (av pace 5:27)
60 v-ups, 60 squats, core exercises

Saturday (off):
Travel to Phuket, Thailand for holiday.

Sunday (tempo):
4k warm up
12k Tempo in 50:00 (av 4:10 min/km)
1k cool down
Total session 17k in 75mins (av 4:28 min/km)

Hard to motivate myself to wake up early during a holiday for a long run. Ran on quite road around the Phuket Laguna area. The morning weather is better than Singapore for a run - perhaps 1-2c lower temp, still humid but at least the sea breeze helped.

Summary:
77k for the week. Suffered DOMS and tightness early in the week, hence only did one workout. Missed the long run again, which made it just one long run over 30k in 6 weeks. Not good for marathon training! After today I only have 12 weeks left before Melbourne.

What keeps me sane is that my last marathon prep in Seoul was only 8-9 weeks long and I still managed to run 3.03s. But what made it worked well was that I had an uninterrupted training block without any traveling and office work was much quieter then due to festive season and Chinese new year.

Hopefully, things will enable me to train consistently in the next few weeks. It is unlikely that I could top more than 90k for weekly mileage, so I am hoping my training will have a lot of quality elements in it. Fitness wise, I am still far away from sub-3, so if I can get close to 3.00 and BQ again, then I'd call it a successful training. The marathon is also possibly at risk due to the Madrid trip, so we shall see.

Good and bad

2010-07-11T12:01:00.002+08:00

13 weeks left to Melbourne....

Monday (time trial):
5k warm up to CCAB track
5000m solo Time Trial in 18:33 (PB)
Lap splits: 87.2, 89.6, 88.9, 89.8, 89.7, 90.0, 91.2
90.9, 90.2, 90.5, 89.9, 87.4, 38.3
Av pace: 3:43 min/km, av HR 177 bpm
6k slow cool down
Total session 16k

After 3 days of not running, I decided to have a crack at my old 5k PB (18.45) from 2006. Based on my recent interval workouts, I thought 18.20 (3:40 pace or 88 per lap) would be a doable target. My plan was to cruise the first half at my old PB pace (90 per lap), then running to the barn in the second half. Unfortunately, 3 days of inactivity made me feel a bit flat (lower blood volume ?). Plus running round and round the track with nobody to chase and nothing at stake also made it a real challenge. With a target of 88 per lap, I only managed to do 2 laps <88 (first and last), with the rest at around 90.

It was a mixed feeling. Always happy to get a PB (12 secs) during training. But on the flip side, I knew that I could run faster than this. I couldn't get out of the 'locked' pace (90 secs per lap) during the middle miles, pushed the pace too late and I felt still have lots left in the tank. Since it wasn't too draining, I might do another TT instead of workouts in the near future. Anyways, Mcmillan equates today's run to 85.45 HM and 3.00.50 marathon.

Tuesday (rest):
OFF. Travel to Jakarta for work

Wednesday (easy):
60mins easy treadmill in Jakarta (av 5.02 min/km)

Thursday (medium run):
75mins moderate workout (av 4:42 min/km)
4k up, 7k MP tempo in 30mins (av 4:17), 4k down

Friday (easy):
60mins easy treadmill (av pace 5:05)

Saturday (rest):
OFF

Sunday (race):
2k warm up
Timex Tri-Run 21.4+ km in 91:02 (3rd Men Open, 5th overall)
Av pace: 4:15 min/km
5k splits: 20:23, 20:58, 21:28, 22:05, 1.4k+ in 6:07
4.6k cool down
Total 28k

Only slept for 3 hours, watched the World Cup 3rd place play-off till 4am and couldn't sleep after that. Tried to take a nap during the cab ride to the race venue, but the driver kept on talking. The route was ridiculous, 3.5k stretch of road and we ran out and back 6 times. In total, there were 12 rises (2 rises in each 3.5k course) and 5 hair-pin turns. The road was cambered too which caused some discomfort in the hips and sole of my foot. Tried to run at around 4.05 min/km and only lasted for about 7k. Then the wheels came off and it was simply a matter survival after that. After one hour, the 10k runners started their race and the 3.5k route became very messy. Passed the 21k in 89:06, so theoretically a sub-90 HM.

Totally disappointed with the race. Maybe the lack of sleep or Monday's 5k TT affected the outcome, but I really gave a hard effort today (close to 90% Max HR). Don't think I can do back-to-back 90mins HM, at least in Singapore conditions. Even after taking 2 salt tablets and 2 gels, I cramped badly during the cool down and also when collecting the prize. A bit embarassed that I laid down in the podium with calf cramps for everyone to see after collecting a Timex watch prize. The only positive thing is that everyone seems to be 2-5 mins slower today.

Summary:
89k for the week with 2 rest days. One good TT (PB) and one shitty race. Five weeks down and only 13 weeks left to the race. This week marks the conclusion of Phase 1 training where speed is the focus (4 weeks) and the beginning of Phase 2 training (5-6 weeks) where the emphasis will move to HM/threshold training. I think today's race showed that I really lacked raw endurance (evidenced by my pace's downward spirals). So far, my long runs were 27, 31, 24, 29, and 28k, so only 1 run above 30k. Other runs were mostly between 30mins to 1 hour. For the 5 weeks, my mileage averaged only around 80k (50 miles), which seems low for a sub-3 wannabe.

Gotta work much harder from now on!

Short Week

2010-07-01T12:49:00.001+08:00

Week 4 of 18 to Melbourne

An early blog since will be traveling to Indonesia for my brother's wedding, hence no running Fri-Sun.

Monday (easy):
40mins easy (av 5:05 min/km)

Tuesday (intervals):
15mins warm up to Labrador Park
12 x 400m (100m recovery)
Splits: 84.5 (29.9), 85.1 (30.9), 89.0 (29.8), 83.1 (31.3), 87.4 (31.6), 86.4 (34.2),
87.2 (34.9), 87.1 (32.1), 86.2 (34.3), 89.3 (34.5), 87.4 (31.9), 87.6 (34.2), then 200m in 42.0 to round up
20mins cool down
Total session 13.2k in 60:12 (av 4:40 min/km)

Ran on the flat road/path of Labrador Park. To reflect potential GPS over-measurement, I pressed the Garmin button at 405m (1% extra) for all the splits. Av time for the 400s were 86.70, with a total 5k worth of work in 18:03 (3:37 min/km). Including recovery jogs, the workout totalled 6.2k in 24:33 (av 3:57 min/km). Felt the legs and hearts burning in the last half as evidenced by longer time to cover the 100m jog.

Wednesday (easy):
40mins easy treadmill (av 5.25 min/km)

Thursday (long & threshold):
3k warm up
5k continuous tempo in 20:00 (av 4:00 min/km), at the Canal
10k easy (av 5:05)
4 x 1200m, 1min rest, at CCAB track
Splits: 4:45, 4:47, 4:46, 4:42 (av 3:58 min/km)
6k cool down
Total 29k in 2h:17m (av 4:45)

Because I will have total rest for the next 3 days, I decided to do a harder long run. The session is called Jack Daniel's spiced TLT sandwich, but I am not talking about Turkey-Lettuce-Tomato here. The TLT stands for tempo-long-tempo, and the original version has 10 miles long run sandwiched between 20minutes T-pace runs. I moderated it by reducing the easy filler run to 10k and doing the second tempo in 1200m batches. The latter was tough because I had 90minutes of running beforehand, hence I was pleased to complete the session. Had marathon-like cramps in the calves during cool down, decided to stop after 29k total.

Friday (rest):
OFF. In Jakarta

Saturday (rest):
OFF. Brother's wedding

Sunday (rest):
OFF

Summary:
57.7k for the week with only 4 days of running. Despite the short week and lower mileage, the nice thing is that I still managed to do one good interval session and one long run. All things considered, I probably do not miss a lot. I realize that time flies really fast. I have passed 4 weeks out of 16 training weeks (+ 2 weeks taper), so about 75% of training time left. Happy with how the intervals and tempos are going, but the long runs are still on the short side (averaging 27k). Hopefully I can do at least half-a-dozen 30k+ runs in the next 10-12 weeks.

Next Sunday, I will be running the Timex 21k race. Ideally, I'd like to race a 5k/10k since I am currently in the Muscle/Speed Training phase. Moreover, I haven't done HM-specific training such as hard long runs or progression runs,which are actually in the next phase. However the beauty of doing the HM right now is that I can easily total 28-30k for the day with warm up/cool down. This means that I won't have to miss out on a long run. Timing wise, I will be happy with anything under 90 since my long runs are still too few at this stage.

Training to date (4 weeks)
Intervals: 16x300, 8x800, 5x1000, 12x400
Tempos: 9k continuous, 10k in batches, 4.4k trail race
Long runs: 27, 31, 24, 29k (with 40mins tempo)
Mileage: 81, 89, 88, 57 = average 79kper week

Dog Day

2010-06-27T11:14:00.004+08:00

Week 3 of 18 to Melbourne

Monday (intervals):
4k warm up to F1 track
5 x 1k at 5k pace, 2mins recovery
Splits: 3:38, 3:39, 3:40, 3:39, 3:39
4k cool down
Total session (w/u + c/d) 14k in 66.20 (av 4:45 min/k)

Woke up late and instead of doing the session at CCAB track which takes 5k going there and then return, I decided to go to the F1 track which is only 3k away. Unfortunately, the beer tent from last weekend's Singapore Beer Festival was still there and it chopped the 1k traffic-free road stretch by half ! Consequently, I had to do the intervals out and back on a 500m route. My plan was to do the 1ks at 3:40 pace and managed to do all of them spot-on although, the u-turns might over-state the distance a bit. Irregardless of the GPS accurancy, I felt that it was certainly a 5k-paced effort since my HR hit 186 in the last rep (my max probably 190??). Did a slow 5k in the arvo.

Tuesday (easy):

45mins easy (av 5:18 min/km)

10mins upper body weights

Wednesday (aborted session):

12k easy-moderate (av 4:40 min/km)

The plan was to do 10k MP (4:15 min/km), but had stomach issues and quit after 5k+. Honestly, I don't think 23mins worth of MP running (at 3-hour pace) has any fitness benefits at all. It was really a washed-out session.

Thursday (long):

24k long run in 2hours (av 5:00)

It just showed how disruptive a race can be to the training plan. Due to weekend's race, I have to do a longer run on a working day, which of course, comes with time constraints, resulting in shorter distance covered.

Friday (fartlek):
3k ez, 3k fartlek, 4k ez

Total 10k in 49:40 (av 4:58)

A light turnover session, 3 sets of 300m, 200j, 200m, 100j, 100m, 100j.

Saturday (rest):

Off. Core exercises

Sunday (race):

4.5k warm up

4.4k Cross Country Race in 17:28 (av 3:58min/km)

5.8k cool down

If it wasn't for a good cause to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, I wouldn't bother to muck up my training plan and do this run. Didn't sleep well and woke up feeling lethargic. My HR went to the roof during the warm up and I was actually expecting a dog day. The race itself was a social fun run, involving mostly weekend warriors and families. After 100m, it was obvious that I had a good chance for placing. There were three of us in the front pack as we entered the forest. I happily sat back in 3rd place, running at 4:10 pace (just above my marathon pace) for the first 2.5k of forest trails. After that, we switched into the pavements and I made a move by passing the two. They never responded and I continued running the last 2k of mild undulating route at around 3.45-3:50 pace to finish first. At the end, I was 30secs ahead of the 2nd placed runner and still felt relatively fresh.

Won a Hewlett-Packard top-of-the-range laptop ($3k ??), David Gan salon voucher, NTUC grocery vouchers, and a 1-night stay at The Fairmont. Really didn't deserve this. Thank you.

Summary:

88k for the week, with one good workout (interval) and a less than 100% effort race. This week certainly doesn't look like a marathon training at all. Other than Monday's intervals, everything else was too moderate (5k MP run, 3k of fartlek, 4k of XC race at tempo pace). Basically I mucked up my marathon training and gave up a planned 30k+ weekend long run in return of 5 minutes of fame. Considering that I have been doing 9-10k tempo run at 4:00 pace in recent weeks, the pace at today's race was pretty lame. I entered the race with the intent to support the animals but was fortunate that there was no competition. I would probably be ranked in the top 20 in most 'serious' races locally, but today, I broke the tape first in a non-competitive race.

Does this make me a fun run whore?

Lame training?

2010-06-20T14:46:00.001+08:00

Congrats to Clown who graduated with 2:59:05 in Perth Marathon today. Way to go, man!

So out of the three amigos (Clown & Epi), that leaves me alone still learning at school and yet to pass the exam !

Week 2 of 18 to Melbourne

Monday (threshold):
3k warm up
Mottram Tempo
15 mins, 15mins, 10mins at different HR, 2mins jog in between
1st set: 5mins each @ 4:09 - 4:03 - 3:58 min/k = 15mins
2nd set: 5mins each @ 4:10 - 4:03 - 3:57 min/k = 15mins
3rd set: 3mins each @ 4:11(spent 15 secs to tie laces) - 4:03 - 3:55 min/k plus 1min hard = 10mins
40mins of work covering 9.9k (av pace 4:03)
2k cool down
Total session (w/u + c/d) 16k in 71:35 (av 4:29 min/k)

Buster Tempo is 3x15mins with 1min jog in between, where the first 5mins was run at 165 bpm, next one at 170, and the last one at 175. The correct way would be, of course, to do the session at certain % of Max HR since everyone has different threshold HR, but the good thing is that they coincide with my HR for MP (160-165 bpm), HM pace (165-170), and my 15k pace (175). In essence, the varied HRs touch the lactate threshold point and also slightly above and below it. Recovery was lengthened to 2mins in between the 15mins, which is probably more suitable for my level. By the end of 2nd set, I got dehydrated and to play it safe, I shortened the last set to 10mins.

My aggregate 'pace vs HR' was 4:10 min/km @ 165, 4:03 @ 167, and 3:57 @ 173 - all fall between 10k pace and MP. Overall, it was a good 'change of pace' threshold session, with me almost covering 10k in 40mins including the time to tie up shoe laces but excluding recovery jogs.

Tuesday (easy):
47mins easy (av 5:15min/km)
60 v-ups with med ball

Wednesday (interval):
4k warm up, CCAB track
8 x 800m, with 200m recovery
Splits: 2.56.81, 2.59.25, 2.57.33, 2.58.07, 2.57.02, 2.57.89, 2.58.85, 2.55.28 = average 2.57.50
Recovery jogs, averaging in 1.15
6k cool down
Total session (w/u + c/d) 18k in 85:40 (av 4:45 min/km)

Tweaked the Yasso 800 to be a VO2max workout by shortening the recovery to ~40% rest-to-work ratio (versus 100% rest/work ratio in a standard Yasso). The weather was super humid/muggy and legs were a bit heavy during warm up. Felt the burn in last couple reps, and I don't think I could do more unless if I take longer recovery (or maybe I am not fit enough??). Average times for the 800s were 2.57.50 (3:42 min/km pace) for 6400m of 5k-paced work. The results show Yasso's poor predicitive value for the marathon. My longest run so far is 27km and there is no way I could run 2.57.xx marathon right now even if my life depends on it. Anyways, one good thing to know is that if I don't have the speed to run these under 3 minutes, then I can forget about trying for a sub-3 marathon lol

Thursday (easy):
40mins easy treadmill (av 5:35 min/km)
20mins weights (lower & upper body)

Friday (easy):
40mins easy treadmill (av 5:15 min/km)
including 6 strides
60 v-ups with med ball

Saturday (long):
31k long run in 2h:35m (av 5:00 min/km)

The plan was to do 32k, but I was just too knackered. Another super-humid morning, shoes were 'flooded' with sweat (yuk). Time excluded 10mins worth of drink stops

Sunday (off):
Rest, core exercises

Summary:
89k for the week, with two good workouts (Yasso intervals + Buster tempo) and a so-so 2.30 hour+ long run. I found that I made some gains in terms of workouts (both tempos & intervals), but still struggled with my long run pace. Hopefully, the pace will pick-up as weeks and months go by. Another thing that I notice is 80-85% of my mileage is easy-paced running and when I say easy, it is really like 5:00-5:40 min/k !!. The other 15% varies between 3:40-4:00 pace. Hence, there is a huge gap in pace between my hard and easy sessions.

With 80%+ of mileage at super-easy pace, do you think that my training is too lame?

Training to date:
Week 1: 81k total - 6% VO2max, 11% Threshold, 83% Easy
Week 2: 89k total - 7% Vo2max, 11% Threshold, 82% Eas

Appetizers in a 4-course Menu

2010-06-13T00:31:00.007+08:00

Route 1 of 18 to Melbourne

Monday (threshold):
3k warm up
7 x The Canal loop (approx 1.22k)
Alternating between 10k pace and recovery at 95% MP
Splits per loop: 4:40, 5:24, 4:40, 5:20, 4:43, 5:19, 4:40 with 400+ meters hard in 92secs to round up to 9km
Av fast stuff: 3:49 min/km
Av recovery: 4:22 min/km
2k cool down
Total session (w/u + c/d) 14k in 61:30 (av 4:24 min/km)

This is a mini version of Salazar session where he alternated a fast mile at 4.30 pace and a recovery mile at 5.20 pace for 7 miles (10k pace with recovery at 30secs/km slower). To cater for a slow guy like me, I chopped the distance to ~1.2k which is actually the distance my normal running loop called 'The Canal'. It also fits nicely with my training paces, as my fast splits of 4.40 and slow splits of 5.20 to cover the loop are pretty close to Salazar's splits (4.30 and 5.20). The only difference is that I was doing 1.2k, while he covered 1.6k :p An enjoyable workout with almost 5k worth of 10k paced running and a total of 9k continuous (inlcuding recovery) averaging 4.03 min/km.

Tuesday (easy):
40mins easy treadmill (av 5:22min/km)
15 mins upper body weights

Wednesday (speed):
5k warm up to CCAB track
16 x 300 - with 200 recovery in the same time it took to run the 300s
First set:
ON 300s = 62.3, 62.6, 63.2, 62.0, 64.8, 62.2, 63.6, 62.0, average 62.8
OFF 200s = 59.5, 62.5, 61.9, 60.0, 60.5, 60.9, 63.8, average 61.3
Second set (after 2mins break):
ON 300s = 62.3, 62.5, 64.4, 62.0, 66.0, 63.6, 64.0, 59.3, average 63.2
OFF 200s = 60.9, 61.6, 65.3, 63.1, 62.2, 63.5, 67.3, average 63.4
5k cool down
Total session (w/u + c/d) 18k in 84:40 (av 4:42 min/km)

Ryan Hall occasionally twits his workouts and he did this session a couple of weeks ago (his goal is Chicago Marathon - same date as Melbourne marathon). My aim was to run the 300s at 3k pace (about 3.30 min/km) which is 63secs, meaning the 200s recovery would be run in 63secs as well (5.15 min/km). Doing 300s repeats seemed easy on paper, but it certainly wasn't! As you can see, my splits in the second set were slower than in the first set. The fun thing about this session is that instead of just hitting the splits for the fast segments as per normal intervals, I had to hit the target splits for the recovery as well (same time it took me to run the 300s). It's amazing that my average splits hit a bingo at 63.0 for the 300s and 62.4 for the 200s. In total, I accumulated 4.8k worth of 3k-paced running in 16:48 (3:30 min/km pace) and total track work (including recovery) of 7.6k in 31:21 (av 4:07 min/km)

Thursday (easy):
40mins easy treadmill (av 5:30 min/km)
60 v-ups with med ball
10mins lower body weights

Friday (easy):
36mins easy (av 5:05 min/km)
including 6 x 00:15 hill sprints
80 abs crunches

Saturday (long):
27k long run in 2h:15m (av 5:00 min/km)

As usual, I always found long run to be the most difficult session, especially in the early phase of marathon training. 5:00 is supposedly an easy pace for me but certainly it wasn't! Rested couple of mins every 1/2 hour to rehydrate. Route was home-Nathan-Tanglin-Nassem-Dalvey-Coronation-Sixth-Holland-Dempsey-Chatsworth-home. Some undulations, but nothing major.

Sunday (off):
Rest, core exercises

Summary:
81k for the week, with two good workouts (speed, threshold) and a so-so 2 hour+ long run. All in all, a fairly decent start to my marathon prep. For Melbourne, I am following the Italian marathon periodization where the training phases consists of 4-course menu. It start with 5k/10k training as starters, followed by HM/Threshold training as the salad, then MP training as entrees,and finally taper as the dessert. This is also the periodization plan that Ryan Hall will use to prepare for his American record assault in Chicago. For me, I plan to dedicate 4 weeks (whole of June) to do all these ball-busting workouts, then 6 weeks to do threshold and longer intervals stuffs (until mid Aug), then 6 weeks doing tons of MP stuffs (until end Sep), and finally 2 weeks taper.

To close, below is a good note from Ryan Hall's coach on his periodization plan (unfortunately, the weblink is gone).

Marathoning 101
May 25, 2010
by Terrence Mahon
We have 20 weeks to go to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Time to draw up the blueprints and set the stage for Ryan’s training going forward. We are now switching gears from how he trained for Boston, which consisted of a lot of workouts on undulating terrain, and will now be altered to prepare for a flat, lightning fast course. In order to get Ryan ready to go for his best time we will need to increase his leg turnover and overall speed. The plan is to segment out his training into 3 different phases. Phase 1 will focus on getting him back to his best 5k/10k fitness. This will be a six-week plan that brings in shorter intervals at close to 4:00 mile pace with plenty of rest in between. The volume will be low, but the intensity will be very high. Quality is a must in this phase so we will keep the mileage down from his typical 120-140mile weeks to insure that his legs are fresh and bouncy. Phase 2 will then take that speed and start to add in some longer training. Since this will take place over the summer and the hot weather will not be ideal for a lot of long training we will frame this program out more towards the half marathon distance. The intensity will be a little less than the 5k/10k phase, but will still have plenty of fast intervals. It is just that now they will be a little longer and with a little less rest.

Finally in Phase 3, over the last 8-10 weeks we will get into the specific work necessary to conquer the marathon. The overall goal is to bring the track speed of a 13:00 track runner to the roads of Chicago. Carrying that kind of speed into a great half marathon training block will then allow Ryan to bring in his incredible aerobic fitness to carry him to the final marathon distance. It is now about fine tuning the engine so that we can get in some higher rpm’s and increase his horsepower. Ryan will look to run Chicago at an average speed of 4:44-4:48 per mile. If he can do this then he will be the fastest American to ever run the marathon. This will also set him up to chase down his first World Marathon Majors victory. It starts with a dream, then a belief and finally a plan. Here we go!

Oz trip + 10k PB

2010-06-05T12:50:00.002+08:00

Firstly, congrats to Rob who smoked his PB from 39:00 to 36:45 within 2 years !!!
What a breakthrough, mate! To think I used to race/compete with you in Perth was a humbling experience

Went to Melbourne for a short family visit this week. Really enjoyed the cool, crisp, non-polluted air of wintery Melbourne. What a nice change from the wok-on-fire heat of Singapore !!

Only did 3 runs (but were all studs) :

Friday 28/05 (12c): 17k in 80mins (av 4:27min/km) including 4k in 15:25 (av 3:51), 5mins rest, then 3k in 11:15 (av 3:45)

Felt great. Did 7k worth of work at 3:45-3:51 min/km. Considering my 4-year 10k PB pace is only 3:56 pace, surely it's there for the taking !!

Sunday 30/05 (15c, windy): 30k in 2h:14m (av 4:27 min/km) including 25k non-stop tempo in 1h:48m (4:19 pace)

Purposely ran at the same pace as last week's Passion Run 25k in order to compare HR at different temperatures. I found that my heart needs to beat 737 times to cover each k at 4:20 pace in Singapore, while in Melbourne, the number is only 704 per km/. This means my heart need to work 5% harder when running for 2 hours in Singapore at approx MP.

Monday 01/06 (10c): 10k Time Trial in 38:20 (a PB by 1 minute)

Inspired by Rob's breakthrough race, I simply couldn't resist to do a TT on a cool, calm conditions.
First 5k: 3:39, 3:49, 3:45, 3:48, 3:48 = 18:49
Second 5k: 3:49, 3:50, 3:57, 3:57, 3:53 = 19:26
Total = 38:15

I added 5 secs extra since race distance is normally a hair longer than what GPS measured in order to round up to 38:20 (a flat 3.50 is also easier for setting interval paces)

Course was on bike path, mostly flat with some mild undulations. First 2k was a net rise of 20m, next 5k was a net decline of 40m, last 3k was a net rise of 20m. Hence, the reason for a big positive split (+27 secs) in the 2nd half, especially in the last 3k. Total net elevation gain/loss = approx 0.

Because I did a 30k long run (25k of which just above MP) two days before the TT, I think I have the right to claim that the 10k timing is probably legitimate and a good indicator of my true shape :)

All in all, there are a couple of positives:

1) The 10k timing is now equivalent on 2.59.54 marathon (barely !!!) according to McMillan. First time ever that I run a timing that calculators would indicate to correlate with sub-3

2) The popular Pfitzinger marathon plan schedules a 23k MP run about 6 weeks out before marathon. While last Sunday's 25k run at 4:19 pace is 5secs slower than my goal MP (4:14), but being able to do it without much difficulty and the fact that I still haven't' started my 18-week training seems to be an encouraging sign.

I also discover a couple of interesting things:

1) My recovery profile is much faster in Oz. It's amazing that I could do a 30km long run (averaging ~10 secs/k slower than MP), and 48 hours later, ran a 10k PB. If I do this in Singapore, I would be useless for days. My guess is that my muscles and heart have to work a lot harder in Singapore and there are lots of minerals disappeared with the sweat loss, which resulted in slower recovery.

2) My training paces are faster in Oz. The above 3 runs done in Melbourne within a span of 5 days have an average pace of 4.24 pace (coincidentally, this is what speedsters like Clown and Epi are averaging for their training). While heat training is often perceived as a poor mans' altitude training, I still think training in cool, dry places still yields a better training results. In my opinion, doing consistent/regular long runs at 4:30-4.40 pace in cool weather is way much better than doing long runs at 5:00 pace in the heat.

Wondering what kind of times I would be seeing if I live/train in Oz? hahaha.

Alrighty, no time for daydreaming. Gotta suck it up! Marathon training starts next week !!!

A Training Sketch

2010-05-30T13:01:00.002+08:00

With about 19 weeks to go, I think it's now or never to come up with a sketch of my marathon plan !

When I was training for Seoul earlier this year, my typical week was as follows:

Mon: Intervals
Tue: Easy
Wed: Medium Long Run
Thu: Intervals
Fri: Easy
Sat: Long Run
Sun: off

The structure remains the same throughout the preparation period. The workouts were very interval based, ranging from short fast ones like 30s on/15s off or 60s on/30s off, to long intervals such as 6 x 5mins, and to even longer ones such as 15-10-5 mins done at slightly above tempo-ish pace. Similar to Aussie training which is based on 'repeated cycle', the workouts form month M would be repeated to month M+1, M+2 and so on. The notable difference is perhaps coach had 6-8 different workouts every month, while Deek/Mona were doing the same 2 workouts week in week out. Long runs were all easy aerobic, time on your feet thing.

Frankly, I am a bloke who loves doing tempo runs more than intervals. As mentioned last week, I train on my own and I find it extremely tough 'chasing ghosts' during my intervals. I also think having four key sessions consisting of 2 intervals and 2 long runs every week is a bit too much when my age is nearing 40 and especially, whilst training in the heat and humidity of Singapore. I am also one who likes to sprinkle some bursts of faster running into my long runs as compared to doing a single pace long run.

Increasing mileage and the number of running sessions per week are not an option for me.

Based on the above, I'd like to schedule a plan that suits my strength and at the same time, involves more variety. Since I like to incorporate interval, tempo/threshold running, and long run with MP into my plans, I don't think I can do all of them in one single week on sustainable, long term basis. With this in mind, I am going to give a two-week training cycle a try.

Here is a rough sketch:

Mon: Intervals (800-1600m reps)
Tue: Easy
Wed: Medium Long Run (aerobic)
Thu: Easy
Fri: Easy
Sat: Long Run with MP
Sun: off

Mon: Fartlek or short stuff (200-400s)
Tue: Easy
Wed: Medium Long Runs with Threshold running or progression runs
Thu: Easy
Fri: Easy
Sat: Long Run (aerobic)
Sun: off

I feel that this sketch fits my needs: 2 workouts, one long run plus 3 easy days and one rest day. It's essentially a mixed basket of workouts with one longer interval session to train aerobic capacity/vo2max, one interval session of shorter stuff like 200-400s or fartlek for lactate/neuromuscular training, one threshold session as part of medium long run, one MP session as part of long run, and two aerobic, fat burning long runs. Hence, they pretty much touch all aspects of physiological zones, albeit spread over a 14-day cycle.

The structure is also designed in such a way to lessen the risk of injury and over training:. For instance in Week 1, the (hard) interval session will be followed by an easy mid-week long run, to allow sufficient recovery in an endeavour to put in a faster, MP-esque long run in the weekend. In Week 2, the short reps/fartleks is placed early in the week (after hard long run) since they are not overly too taxing. This will be followed a threshold session mid-week and after two fast sessions, I will end the week with an easy long run.

I am also hoping the 'big workouts' such as MP long run and mid-week medium long run with threshold running embedded will better prepare me to meet the demands of marathon, since they are virtually race-pace simulation in disguise

However, there is a big difference between a training plan that I like and a training plan that works ! And I am pretty sure there will be choppy waters and slipperly slope along the way.

Any views/opinions guys?

Goin' Solo Redux

2010-05-23T09:00:00.004+08:00

Thanks guys for your comments last week - I am sold..

Rob - yes, I forgot that I might have a guaranteed pacer in you (assuming you don't break 3 before M)
TB & Ewen - thanks for the tips re: course description
Speedygeoff - you hit the nail on the head. I am an excessive sweater and never run well in the heat, so my performance is probably 'amplified' (if I can use that word) with the much colder weather - which in this case, is in favour of M.

Glad that one issue is now sorted.

I have decided to suspend coaching for now - at least for this cycle, but I might resume again if things do not work. I have certainly improved under the coach's guidance. Althouth, my marathon PB only came down by 1 minute, but 89/94 marathon split is definitely an improvement from GCM's 92/93.

As I have mentioned previously, the training system is based on an old-skool Aussie system with 2 intervals a week (I checked with somebody who trains under Pat Carrol and the structure is exactly similar, so presumably that's the Aussie way). However, I found it really difficult to do fast intervals since I am training on my own. It is so tough to push myself in order to run fast without any pulling forces. Coach has a squad (of all levels) training together a couple of times a week and all of his runners certainly thrive under this environment on the back of the group camaraderie. I've been struggling in 'upgrading' my interval paces required for the sub-3 without the help of any 'rabbits'.

I also feel that 2 intervals a week shred my legs as evidenced by the long recovery from marathon. Furthermore, since I have gone through one marathon training cycle under Coach, probably I can repeat the program again if I want to go back to the old program. I wish all the best to Coach and congratulate him on his achievement especially with this guy.

So, what is the game plan now? I am thinking to combine bits and pieces from various sources - maybe a few workouts from Coach, a few sessions from running books or internet (Pfitz, Daniels, Bakken, Mcmillan etc), and some which will be self-invented. I really love tempo runs and fartlek, hence I will surely include these babies! lI think it's gonna be fun to write your own training plan and hopefully I can come up with something half-decent!!

Finally, in case you guys wondering about my training journals. I've been doing okay lately but not great. Lots of therapeutic easy runs and with only 1 speed session a week. Did Passion Run 25k race in 1:49 - an average of 4:23 pace which included walking breaks at 8 drink stations in order to hydrate proper. The pace is slower than my current MP (4:20min/km) but not too shabby given I don't particularly race well in the heat. I also managed to sneak into 10th and got $75 shoe voucher.

I plan to start posting about training in a couple of weeks time, which is 18 weeks out from Melbourne and that's when my training starts proper.

The goal is now to finish running before the clock turning 10 on 10/10/10. Hahaha...interesting lottery numbers :p

S or M ?

2010-05-16T09:54:00.002+08:00

I am not talking about t-shirt size here ;-)

Lately I've been following the cool running thread on Sydney Marathon with great interest, in particular with respect to the new course.

Somebody posted a map-my-run on the new course and if you click the elevation profile, it doesn't look that hilly anymore. As a matter of fact, after km 30 where people normally tend to slow down, the course goes downhill.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/australia/sydney/277127295354266055

Therefore, it seems that if a runner can navigate the first 30k and still have some in the tank, then sustaining goal pace in the last 10-12k is a real strong possibility due to the net descend.

Pros and Cons for Melbourne:
+ Three weeks later than Sydney equates to longer prep time
+ My in-laws has a house there = easier on the budget
+ HM race four weeks out; a useful test to predict marathon fitness and goal time
- Weather too unpredictable (although last year was great)

It seems the Melbourne course is flat with some rises at the end, but I haven't seen the course profile personally. Maybe TB who has done it in the last couple of years can chip in?

But if the weather sucks on the day, there is a risk that 4 months of good training will become a waste...

Pros and Cons for Sydney:
+ More reliable and pleasant weather conditions
+ Haven't done Sydney before and running the Harbour Bridge and finishing at Opera House will be special
- No tune-up races before the marathon
- I am not that great in hills (I always aim for flat marathons, hence past training always on the flat)

Currently still leaning towards Melbourne, but the new Sydney course is definitely very tempting.

Will not make decision until July/Aug, but any inputs will be appreciated. Thanks!

Another blow

2010-05-10T11:15:00.002+08:00

So after navigating a lengthy bouts of poor training, flu virus and sluggishness, I was hoping that things would be on the improve this week. Unfortunately, I was hit by another one...

The week started with a medicore interval session. Did a few 800s and only managed to do them in 3:05-3:10. Considering that during marathon training, I did 8x800m in 3:00 average with 60sec recovery, I should find the 800s in 3:05-3:10 to be easy but they were not. My 200s were also slow at around 44secs (3:40 pace), compared to my usual 40-42secs. I am not a speedster type but these are disappointing even according to my standards. I had a 5.6k race planned on Thursday so things were not looking good!

On Thursday, I participated in the 5.6k JP Morgan Challenge together with my work colleagues and 11,000 other runners from Singapore corporate world. Completed the race in 21:20 or about 19:00 5k pace. Considering my 5k PB was 18:45 and the fact that I am not training well at the moment, the results were not too shabby on the surface. However, after some reflections, I think I should have blasted my 5k PB easily considering that it was done 4 years ago and all my training paces are much faster now than back then. During this 4 year window, I have also slashed my marathon PB by 15 minutes but my 5k times remained the same even after doing a lot of interval training under SW. Hmm, even when my training sucks at the moment, I know that I should have been capable of better timing.

And now, the blow....On Friday, I was watching telly and was munching on this Asian snack (cuttlefish jerky) and sipped a glass of wine. As the jerky was probably processed using a lot of acidic stuff/chemicals and combined with the sourness of merlot, I had this acid flux in my body. For the whole weekend, I was suffering from frequent severe heartburn. Had difficulty in sleeping as lying down made it worse. Took me the whole 2 days to shake out the damn thing and even now, I still had the burnt here and there albeit at low levels.

I think I need to see a witch to remove me from the bad jinx and to un-needle the voodoo doll !!!

Above: Start area of JP Morgan Race in Singapore CBD

Below: That's me at the start, a guy in BP green tee & pink racer :)

The Lost Mojo

2010-05-01T19:49:00.001+08:00

I think I am officially having a depression...

It has been six weeks after the marathon, but I still can't shake out the tiredness and mental fatique. I am sure that everyone dips after a marathon race, but I've dipped to an extremely low level and wondered if I can be the same runner I was.

The common rule of thumb for recovery is 1 rest day for every mile raced. It has been 40 days and I am still not running well. Nowadays I found it 'hard' to run longer than 1 hour. I got tired easily and my legs felt dead and burning. Psychologically, I also seem to lose a lot of competitive juice or the 'mojo' to train.

In the last few weeks, I probably had about 3-4 long runs that ended-up as walk-run sessions. Speed workouts also turned into disasters. On Friday, I planned to run my favourite workout of 5x5mins session but I only could finish 1 rep. SW has designed an easy program post marathon, however for some reasons I am just not the same runner I was.

Some possible reasons:
- I ran my heart out in Seoul and probably I was pressing my upper stress limit (e.g a 87min HM runner running 89/94 marathon splits). The effort predisposed me to recovery problems, both mentally and physically
- fatiqued musculosketal system, leading to heavy legs syndrome
- post-marathon depression and mood swings. It has been documented that choline, a neurotransmitter precursor, is depleted with marathon-like efforts.
- low iron levels
- hormonal imbalance

Wondering what should I do to get out of this pariah situation? People said 1-2 months after a marathon can lead to the best shape of your lives on the back of marathon fitness (e.g Ritz which broke 5k AR, 60min HM after London). Unfortunately, it didn't happen to me and wondered whether it will. The worst thing is that the recent slew of failed/aborted workouts lead to more and more heightened frustrations.

I am depressed, frustrated and slow :(

Not a good week

2010-04-25T11:04:00.001+08:00

Not a good week.

Caught a flu virus mid-week and felt unwell. Was knackered on Friday, took 1/2 day MC and anti-biotic. Felt better by Saturday arvo.

Unfortunately the week didn't end there as I had a race to do on Sunday. I registered for this 13k trail race long time ago because I thought this would be a good workout for Gold Coast Marathon in July. As you all know, Gold Coast is off from my calendar this year and instead I did Seoul Marathon a month ago. Hence I was left with a race that I didn't really need to do. I tried to sell my slot in the local running forum at a steeply discounted price but nobody wanted it.

So, after two days of bed rests, I decided to do the race as a training run. Just took it easy all the way, walked the hill, chatted with a friend and finished in 67mins (av 5:10) pace. A pretty expensive outing for a training run !

Next week looks like a busy one at work with a possible business trip. Looking back, I reckoned that I was extremely lucky that I had about 2 months of uninterrupted training for Seoul. No sickness, no business trips, and work load was very light following the festive seasons (both year-end and Chinese new year in Feb) - all of which enabled me to train consistently. At my current shape, I think I would count myself lucky to run a 4:00 marathon !

If you guys follow this blog for the purpose to see me training, please look away now and check back 3 months before marathon date :p

Training this week:

Mon: 16k including 45mins @ 4:10
Tues: 40mins easy (av pace 5:26)
Wed: 40mins including 4x1min hills, 6x20sec hills (av 5:00)
Thu: 18k easy (av 4:57)
Fri: sick :(
Sat: sick :(
Sun: 16k incl F1 Nature Run 13k trail race in 1h07m (av 5:10 pace)

Total 66k for the week

Shout outs

2010-04-20T10:38:00.001+08:00

A couple of quick shout-outs:

Congrats to Rob for the 3h.02m in Boston. What a great place to break your PB. Let's rock the 3-hour barrier together in Melbourne !!
And to Epi who finished in 3h01 coming out of knee surgey barely couple of months ago !

To SW - whose stable won the Australian national title for 5000m Men, as well as silver in 5000m Women

Also to Ronnie who got a big PB and BQ'ed in Nagano Marathon, Japan.

As for me, nothing much to shout about. Had a mediocre training week: 6 x 1k at 3:50 and 6k tempo on undulanting road at 4:10 - which were decent, but had a miserable long run. The muscles seem to lose their elasticity and stiffened a lot during long runs.

One month gone since Seoul and I think I am about 70-75% back. Hopefully things will pick up a notch this week.

Still toast

2010-04-10T18:17:00.004+08:00

All the best to Craig and Rob who will be running Boston Marathon next week !

Rob - I think you have an excellent shot at sub-3 in Boston given how well you have trained over the last couple of months. Craig - hopefully your injury will come good by race day.

Here is a Ryan Hall video on the Boston course for some motivation :)

see here

The Seoul result means that I have qualified for Boston 2011, however I don't think we'll go there in the next few years. Not sure Sling Jr will enjoy the 20 hr flight! Furthermore, sub-3 is much higher on my scale of fixation a the moment. I think it's more fun to run Boston as a holiday marathon, enjoying the course and atmosphere.

On the training front, I seem to lose some juice this week. My legs feel dead and burning although I've ran quite little since the marathon 3 weeks ago.

Tuesday run turned out to be walk-run affair since it was a hot & stuffy day. Just had no desire to run. On Thursday I did 4 x 5mins at threshold pace and it was bloody hard. My av pace was 4:00-4:03 min/km, with 2min rec in between and HR in 170-183 range. In contrast, during the marathon prep, I did 6 x 5mins averaging 3:50s with only 1min jog, and HR was only around 170 and didn't climb above 180 at all. Thus, my threshold session this week was 10secs per km slower, with twice the length of rest time, but HR was 10 bpm higher!

Maybe this is a sign that I am still not 100% recovered from the marathon effort. To make things worse, I had an uncomfortable niggle in the ankle too. Possibly due to the jarring effect from wearing racing flats during the marathon.

Interestingly. I always have bad jinx after marathons. After running Joong-an Marathon in 2008, I jumped straight into training with a view of running a fast 10k the following month, but a week before the race I damaged my ankle ligament and was then out out action for 2 months. In 2009 after running Gold Coast, I jumped straight into hard training with a view to run a HM 1.5 months later. At the end, I completed the Army HM but only averaged at my marathon pace due to tired legs.

Let's hope the post-marathon curse will go away !

S: 40 mins (av 4:45) including 15 x 30secs on/off
M: 30 mins easy (av 5:30)
T: 60 mins run/walk (av pace 6:00+)
W: 35 mins easy (av 5:12)
T: 50 mins including 4 x 5mins @ 4:00, 2mins rec
F: off
S: 98 mins easy (av 4:55)

Slackin'

2010-04-03T10:18:00.007+08:00

Initially was keeping one eye on Perth Marathon on 20/06. But after doing some maths: 4 weeks to recover/re-build from Seoul, then another 6-7 weeks of training, I think the improvement from training is likely to be minimal due to the short, half-baked marathon prep again. Anyway, I've done too many 8 weeks marathon preps in my life!

Gold Coast in July is not an option due to my bro's wedding. So, that leaves Melbourne on 10/10/10 as the most viable option, six months way from now. Review from last year wasn't that great though, with lots of sub-3 and low 3 marathoners bumping in a great wall of HM/10k runners, so let's hope the organizer can fix that.

Plan to do some short races in the next 1-2 months. Hopefully, the racing and training will keep me to stay motivated. An October marathon is such a long way to go.

Anyway, running has been really minimal since the marathon. Took one week off after the race and started doing 30-40mins runs during the second week. SW seems to take marathon recovery seriously and honestly, I was a tad worried that I won't be able to leverage on the marathon fitness due to the lengthy period of inactivity.

It is surprising that although, I didn't feel wasted after the marathon, I found it hard to get going running in Singapore again. Legs were stiff and it was simply not fun to be drenched in sweat again. On Good Friday, I did 1hr+ run and it felt like I was doing a marathon.

Probably it's wise to take a longer post-race recovery this time since the marathon is still gonna be 6 months away. Past experience seemed to agree with this. Following last year's Gold Coast marathon, I did a 8k race just a few days later then jumped straight into 5 weeks of hard training to get ready for the Army HM. At the race, I could only run the HM at my GC's marathon pace !!

That's all folks - really nothing much to blog about this week. To close, here are a couple of photos from Seoul marathon:

This looks like a scene taken from 3000m race. But it's actually the last 300m of the marathon inside 1988 Olympic Stadium.

Starting marathon temperature was 0c. I hardly sweat at all - the wet marks on the front of the shirt was due to drinking water spill.

2010 Seoul International Marathon

2010-03-26T15:17:00.005+08:00

A belated race report. Just came back from a week long holiday in Seoul and the picturesque Jeju Island celebrating Sling Jr's 1st birthday.

3:03:49…..

My first attempt at sub-3 and honestly I wasn't good enough on the day. Started a tad too fast and got punctured after km 30.

My reaction is mixed…a little bit disappointed, but at the same time felt reasonably pleased too (if you know what I mean). I'd say in the scale of happiness, I would rate it a 7.

Here we go:

We landed in Seoul on Wednesday and it was snowing !!! It was freezing and wet coupled with blustery wind. What a welcome! On the next day, I went out for a 40min run and it was still freezing even with gloves and beanie. My body was shaking and I could hardly get the words out of my mouth when I ordered a coffee after the run. During the run, I also bumped into 3 Kenyan runners as our hotel (Westin) was just across the road from the elite athletes' hotel (Seoul Plaza). I ran behind them and was surprised to see that their 'shake out' run was very, very slow. I was jogging at 5:00 pace and had to intentionally slow down in order not to pass them. It is just too rude to pass runners who can run marathons 1 hour faster than you !!!

I then started my carbo load. Didn't run on Friday as we went for sightseeing to the snow capped Mt Seorak. Had 7k run on Saturday morning and slept early.

Come Sunday, it was around 0c at the start. I was grouped in the 'A' corral for runners with faster timing than 3h:20m. We started about 5 minutes behind the elites. As Seoul is an IAAF Gold Label race (same level as Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, NY etc), the race attracted a deep elite field. In the Mens, it included a 2:05 runner and about 10 sub-2:10 athletes. In the Womens, it included a Chinese lady who got 3rd placed in the Olympics and a few African and European runners. The conditions were a tad too cold to my liking and my body was shaking.

I started with the sub-3 pacemakers and the pace was fast from the start. Despite the fast start, I found the effort to be very easy due to the temperature differential between Seoul and Singapore. We passed the 10k mark in 41:47 (about 4:10-11 pace) and the pacemakers continued running at 4:10 pace. I decided to let them go and ran on my own. I carried four gels but dropped one packet at km15 (not sure whether it made a difference to the end result given I ran out of steam then). I passed the HM mark in 89:07 with the pace group was nowhere to be seen (probably they passed halfway in 87-88 minutes). I was still feeling good at this point and continue to chug along.

Due to the large crowd (23,000 runners), I missed the initial km markers and decided to split every 5km where they have the official markers (chip recording)

5k - 20:56
10k - 20:51 (41:47)
15k - 21:29
20k - 21:14 (42:43)
Halfway: 89:07

In the second half, we went towards the south east and encountered pretty strong headwind. As runners began to thin out, I couldn't get sufficient shielding from the elements as we ran on very open, wide roads. My pace slowed slightly but I was still on sub-3 pace at km 30 (2h:07m).

25k - 21:29
30k - 21:38 (43:07)

Afterwards, the wheels began to come off. My legs seemed to run out of gas and the windy conditions made it even tougher. I just couldn't move my legs fast and my strides got shorter and shorter. My pace slowed to 4:30 pace between km 30-35 and passed km 35 in 2h:30m. At this point, I was about 1m:40s behind the sub-3 pace and realized that it wasn't gonna happen today. It now become a test of perseverance. I was tired, low on fuel, 1m:40s behind my goal pace and it was still over 7k to go.

We climbed a bridge over the wide Han River towards the Jamsil area and my pace continued to deteriorate to around 4:40. I passed km 40 in 2:53:40, about 3mins + behind the 2h:50m required for sub 3. I picked up the pace slightly as we went into the 1992 Olympics Stadium and finished in 3:03:49 - a 1 minute PB from last year's GCM.

35k - 22:45
40k - 23:18 (46:03)
2.2k - 10:09
Second half: 94:42

Surprisingly, the first thing that crossed my mind when I passed the finishing mat is when will be my next marathon? I just can't hardly wait...

Anyway, there were negatives and positives from the race and both serve as valuable lessons for my next marathon, such as

- I started too fast (especially the first 10k). Perhaps holding back a bit would give me a better results.
- Maybe I am still 'too marginal' to attempt a sub-3. My coach suggested me to run at 3:01 pace and picked it up in the 2nd half if I had the chance to go for gold. Perhaps if I follow the coach's order, I can finish in 3:01 or 3:02. But I don't know whether that's what I really want
- I think I need to lower my HM time to around 85 (from 87 currently), otherwise there is not much room for error (must rely on perfect pacing, calm conditions etc)
- I feel that I need to consider doing more marathon than 1 per year as it is currently (2006 DNF, 2007 DNF, one marathon each in 2008, 2009, and 2010). I reckon I can better navigate the situation after km 30 if I have more marathoning experience.
+ Happy with the PB considering that this race was unplanned and I only decided to run 8 weeks ago after taking almost the whole of December off. Not a bad return for such as short prep.
+ Despite still stuck with the same 10k and 21k PBs (39 & 87) in the last 3 years, I managed to lower my marathon time by 15mins from 3.18 to 3.11 to 3:05 and now to 3.03
+ Hitting the wall at km 30 officially makes me a classic sub-3 wannabe. However, I have seen some people crashed and burned and ran 10-15 minutes slower in the second half. Because I was able to keep the damage to about 5mins positive split (despite the fast start and windy conditions), I think I am not too far away from sub-3.
+ Another good sign is that I didn't feel wasted at all after the run. In previous years, I could hardly walk for days after the marathon, but this time I felt good even right after finishing the run.

After the race, I managed to get my shirt signed by Lee Bong Ju, the 2001 Boston marathon champ and 1996 Olympic silver medalist. Hopefully, the autograph wouldn't wear away after the wash!

Now, the dilemma is whether I should do another marathon in 2-3 months time or should I just train for 4-6 months to prepare for Melbourne in October. Once you flirt, you just don't wanna stop!!!

The Flirt

2010-03-14T17:50:00.003+08:00

Six days to go to Seoul…

Okie, last week was supposed to be a taper week. But due to the postponed long run from the previous weekend, I did a cumulative 88k+ over the last seven days. This is the first time I ever go to marathon race week with that kind of mileage. The planned time trial turned out to be a dud but it doesn't matter anymore now. The hard work was already done over the last couple of months and I have to trust my training.

Have been looking at my logs for Seoul and last year's prep for Gold Coast. Some stats below:

Mileage (excluding race week):
GC: 1060 in 11 weeks of prep, average 96
Seoul: 867 in 10 weeks, average 86
** GC prep had 200 more kms in the legs. Last year ran 7 days a week, this year only 6 days.
** Average training pace (all runs) about 5:00 during GC prep, this year average is 4:50-4:55

Long Runs:
GC: 9, average 30k
Seoul: 9, average 31k
** One different thing this year is less stoppages during my long runs. For example, carrying fuel belt resulting in 5mins stop during a 3-hour LSD. Last year took 2mins break every half an hour to drink.
** LSD paces are now about 5secs/km faster, but GC prep had more quality long runs at MP.

Medium Long Runs:
GC: 7, average 21k
Seoul: 9, average 20k
** This year more medium long runs, done on undulanting terrain. Also often ran last part of the long run at moderate pace (halfway between MP and easy, say around 4:45 for me)

MP long runs (part of long runs above):
GC: 3 times, between 15-26k, done in intervals form e.g. 6-5-4-3-2-1k or 30-25-20-15-10-5 mins @ MP
Seoul: 2 times, more continuous and in fast finish format e.g. 10k ez + 2x10k MP or 16k ez + 10k MP
** Less total MP work time but longer per session (10k per interval), the sessions are also done at the end of long runs (vs fresh legs)
** This year I ran the two MP sessions at 4:16-17 (hypothetical goal) versus 4:20s for GC

Intervals:
Both GC & Seoul prep had 7 interval sessions, covering 7k of fast work each session
** For GC, I used 1k or 1600 reps due to the mentality that longer intervals are better for marathon. Did them at 3:50s (around 10k pace), recovery 200-400m or standing rests
** Under SW, intervals vary between 5mins to as short as 30 secs. For 5mins stuff, I ran them at 3:50s, for 30-60secs at 3:30-40 pace
** Recovery is a short 1 minute for 3-5mins intervals, e.g. I ran a Yasso workout 8 x 800m in 3:00 each (3:45 pace) with 1min jog, or 5x5mins @ 3:50s pace, 1min jog

Tempos (both LT and MP):
GC: 8 sessions, average 36 mins of work each (included a couple of 40-60 mins tempo at MP)
Seoul: 8 sessions, average 32mins of work each (no MP tempo, all threshold stuff)
** Almost same format for LT sessions, either 3 x 10mins or continuous 20-25mins. But this year's pace is a few secs per km faster
** Longest continous tempo for GC 14k @ 4:24 (161 bpm HR), while for Seoul 15k @ 4:08 (169 bpm HR)

Race temperature and Results:
GC: 3:04:50, around 10c, calm, sunny
Seoul: ????, forecast 0c to 7c
** Temperature will be a challenge. Haven't raced in sub-0 or low 0 temperature since living in Perth. But anything is still better than running in Singapore (28c, 90% humidity)

Overall, I feel that I am in a better shape than last year's prep for Gold Coast, but is it enough for sub-3?. My best HM time is 87, doing 89 HM back to back sounds like a high risk proposition

But should I take the risk and test the water a bit? Should I flirt?

Anyway, training ths week

Mon (long):
28.6k long run in 135mins (av pace 4:46)
First 16k easy, then 10k @ 4:16 pace, 2k easy
Postponed run from the weekend

Tue (easy):
23mins on treadmill (av pace 5:45) + core

Wed (easy):
16k easy with strides in 80mins (av pace 5:03)

Thu (time trial):
6k in 23:18 (av 3:53)
Splits: 3:50, 3:50, 3;50, 3:52, 3:57, 4:00
3.5k wu, 3.5k cd
Total 13k
The plan was 8k TT, but legs were like lead. Felt sluggish, haven't recovered from 28k three days ago and 16k run 18 hours earlier
Decided to pull the plug after 6k, didn't want to go to the bottom of the well

Fri (rest):
Off.

Sat (threshold):
15mins @ 4:02, 4mins rec, 10mins @ 3:57, 3mins rec, 5mins @3:49
Total fast stuff 7.56k in 30:00 (av pace 3:58), including rec jogs 8.9k in 37:00 (av pace 4:10)
3k wu, 3k cd
Total 15k

Sun (easy):
12k easy in 60mins (av pace 5:02)

Total 88.6k for the week (second last week before the race)

Ta-ta-taper

2010-03-08T14:25:00.003+08:00

A slightly belated post since I didn't run over the weekend. Did a final long run this morning (Monday).

Just couldn't believe it's ONLY 13 days to go. I felt that I just started my marathon training a couple of weeks ago !

The strange thing is that I don't feel like racing, but I want to keep on training forever because the training is much more enjoyable than what I ever had in previous years. I think I only missed 2-3 runs over the last couple of months.

Also, I am more consistent with mileage ranging from 84-100k, while in the past my mileage tended to swing wildly from one week to another due to tiredness/overtraining. Actually, if that 84k week (due to overseas trip) is taken out, my mileage has an even narrower range at 94-100k. It is believed that Deek & Mona did almost the same training/mileage week in and week out during their careers, so I guess consistency is what Aussie training system is all about.

Whilst on the topic of Aussie system, the taper is again different to what I have done in the past. Previously, I followed the modern taper where no fast work (intervals, races) is done during taper. The belief is that you will be teaching your body to burn carbs faster when doing fast stuff. But if you do marathon-paced work close to the race, your body will be more familiar with the marathon fuel metabolism and you will never touch 5k-10 pace during the race itself anyway.

My taper this week will include 3 x 10-15 minutes intervals and another 8k time trial. The belief behind the Aussie system is to prepare the body/mind for race-like situations and to make the marathon pace feel easy.

Anyway, training ths week

Mon (easy):
7k easy (av pace 5:16)

Tue (time trial):
4k warm up to F1 track
8k solo time trial in 30:50
Splits: 3:47, 3:49, 3;49, 3:49, 3:51, 3:55, 3:54, 3:56 (last k into headwind)
4k cool down
Total 16k
Not happy with last 3k (lost 15secs), legs seemed to run out of steam (32k long run 3 days before)
McMillan calculator equates this effort to 38:50 10k and 3h:02m marathon.

Wed (long):
20k in 100mins (av pace 5:00).
Legs like lead, took it easy as I probably need some fat-burning fix anyway.
XT: planks, bridges, abs crunches

Thu (easy):
34mins recovery on treadmill (av pace 5:43)
XT: light weights, squats, lunges

Fri (fartlek):
75mins aerobic fartlek (av pace 4:35)
Total 16k
Too hot & hazy outside, so ran indoors. SW plan is short fartlek @ 5k pace, but difficult to do on treadmill. Decided to do more longish fartlek between 4:40-4:00 pace.

Sat (off):
No run

Sun (off):
No run

Mon (long):
28.6k long run in 135mins (av pace 4:45)
10k @ 5:00, 6k @ 4:45, 10k @ 4:16, 2k+ cool down
Running at sub-3 pace even for only 10k was damn hard, even after 2 days off
Don't think it is a sustainable pace for me

Total 94k for the week (6 running days + 2 off days). Last 7 weeks average 95k

Wishin' there are more time

2010-02-27T17:45:00.007+08:00

Week 6 of 9 to Seoul…. Only 3 weeks to go :(

Thanks guys for the comments last week re: LSD vs MP run. As you know, my biggest weakness as a runner is the mental factor (lack of self-conviction). Therefore, I just couldn't stand not doing a long MP run before a marathon. At least one training session before a race….

So this morning, I left home at 5am and jogged 10k to East Coast Park where they have a traffic-free flat bikepath. After the 10k warm up, I ran 2x10k (Fort Rd toilet to country club) with 3mins standing rest in between. Did the first one in 42:47 and found it relatively comfortable (av HR 163). The second one was completed 5 secs slower in 42:52, but I had to work a bit harder (av HR 169). Anyway, average pace was 4:17 min/km with a total work time of 85:40 for 20k.

Also took a chance to wear my marathon racing shoes and practice fueling by alternating gels & sports drinks every 5k during the 20k tempo run (Seoul water stations are 5k apart).

Disclaimer: I am not saying I will be aiming to run 4:15 pace for Seoul although I do MP tempo run at around that pace. With only 9 weeks of prep time and a HM time of 87, doing back-to-back 90mins HM is probably still out of reach.

This week was also one of the faster training week. Adding up all the quality miles: 8k of interval work & strides (3:50-ish pace) on Monday, 8k @ 4:24 embedded in mid-week 23k long run, 6k tempo @ 4:00 pace on Thursday, and 20k MP tempo today, I accumulated 42k of 'work miles' in 2h:56m or marathon distance at 4:12 min/km. That's 42% of this week's mileage with the remaining miles at easy paces. Since my easy pace is around 5:00-6:00 min/km, my overall average training pace is still slow.

On the surface, it seems that I have reaped the benefits of the last 5 weeks training. Maybe that's why a 'proper' marathon training is typically 12-20 weeks since it takes sometime for the body to absorb the workouts and harvest the fruits of training (training effect lag). The bad news is that I only have another week for sharpening since my prep is like 5 weeks foundation + 2 weeks sharpening + 2 weeks taper.

If only I can have 12 weeks of prep time, I could do something like 5 weeks foundation + 5 weeks sharpening + 2 weeks taper. I reckon that extra 3 weeks of sharpening/specific work might be worth 1-2 minutes of marathon time (coming from extra 3 long runs, extra 3 midweek long runs, 6 additonal tempo/speed sessions).

If only….

Anyway, what's done is done. Training this week:

Mon (intervals):
20mins warm up
6 x 5mins, 1min jog
Av pace for the 5mins: 3:52, 53, 56, 53, 54, 48
Covered 7.74k during 30 minutes of work (av pace 3:54)
Including recovery jogs, covered 8.6k in 35+mins (av pace 4:05)
30mins cool down with 2x40secs + 4 x 20secs barefoot on grass
Total 18k
Done 48 hours after 36k long run.

Tue (easy)
10k easy (av pace 5:08)
XT 10mins: planks, myrtle hip, squats, lunges

Wed (long):
23k easy-moderate in 1h:51m (av pace 4:50)

Thu (threshold):
15mins warm up
6k in 24:00 (av pace 4:00)
13 mins cool down
Total 11.5k

Fri (easy):
30mins easy treadmill (av pace 5:45)
XT: 10mins upper body weights

Sat (long):
10k warm up (5:20 pace) to ECP
2 x 10k @ 4:17 average, 3mins standing rest
2k cool down
Total 32k in 2h:29m (av pace 4:40)
Including today's run, last 8 days total mileage 136k

Sun (rest):
OFF. Rest day.

Total 100k for the week (last 6 weeks av 96k)

Old skool Aussie

2010-02-20T18:24:00.008+08:00

Week 5 of 9 (one month to go…gulp!)

Last week, Ewen left an interesting comment on my blog:
"I'd stick to the 2 speed/2 easy long - esp if that's on the SW plan. When the marathon comes around, the speed and endurance meet with a MP race. "

In general, SW plan follows the old school Australian training system along the same line of past Aussie greats such as Deek, Mona, Wardlaw etc. The similarities lie in terms of structure and long run paces.

Typical week under SW for me includes 2 speed sessions on Tues & Thur, a medium long run on Wed (20k+), and long run on Sat (30k+). Other days are easy. I personally request one day off every week which is Sun.

Deek's training, for instance, was as follows
mon: 10km and 16km
tues: 10km and 10km in 38mins followed by 12 laps alternating straights and corners hard easy
wed: 10km and 29km
thurs: 10km and 8 x 400m off 200m floats
fri: 10km and 18kmsat: 19-21 km and 10km
sun: 33-36 kms in 2 hrs 15 to 2 hr 40 and 8km

Hence, Deek's structure included 2 speed days, mid-week medium long run and Sunday long runs.The rest were easy days.

Based on info on public domain, Mona's typical Sunday run was 35k in 150mins. That's 4:20 pace, or 1+ min/km slower than their MP. Deek's typical Sunday run was 33-36k in 135-160mins. This is about 4:10-4:25 pace , hence also about 1min slower than his MP.

The new breed of Aussie marathoners such as Jeff Hunt, wrote in his blog that he does his 38k long run in 150mins or 4:00 pace. This is about 50secs slower than his marathon pace (2:11).

It seems that all of these Aussies do easy-paced long runs at around 50-70 secs slower than MP. There are no so-called 'long runs at race pace (MP).

Maybe some of the Perth-ites could pose this question to Mona during the training camp :)

On the contrary, African and modern US runners incorporate MP running in their regime. Geb & Wanjiru are known to run 30k at competition speed. US marathoners such as Ryan Hall and Brett Gotcher (coached by Mcmillan) run 15 mile tempo runs at MP

For a runner of my (slow) standard, SW schedules long runs at 5:00 pace. I once asked him whether should I do MP long run. His answer was that I could run at MP for the last 30mins but I need to run the early part of the long run slower so that the av pace is still 5:00. For instance, if the schedule calls for 30k in 2h:30m (5:00 pace). I could run the last clip at MP, but have to run the first couple hours slower, so that the total duration is still 2h:30m.

I guess "time on your feet" for raw endurance is an important component of Aussie system.

Up to this point, I haven't done any long MP runs. For past marathons, I usually did a couple of long MP sessions and they worked well for me. Last week I tried to do 20k at 4:20 pace, but found it tough and ended up averaging close to 4:30.

Curious to get your views on:
1) whether MP runs are key to your marathon performance? How many sessions did you do during the marathon prep and how long per session?
2) Next week, I have a 32k schedule and this would be my last chance to do long MP runs (after that, the weekend long runs will taper off). Should I do the MP stuff next week or stick to the suggested pace of 5:00?

Anyway, training this week was affected by the trip to Jakarta and lingering ITB problems. Ran 15% lower mileage to finish at 84km for the week. Only did one session and one long run instead of normal 2 sessions and 2 long runs, so about half the load. The workouts were:

1) 15k continuous tempo in 61:50 (av 4:08 pace). This is supposed to be a TT but due to ITB issue, I decided to run it at current HM pace. I hope this should make running the first 20-25k in cool-weather Seoul to be relatively comfortable.

2) 36k long run in 3hours (5:00 pace) done 2 days after the 15k tempo, hence I had yet to fully recover from that workout. ITB was aching badly, therefore I was glad to complete the run. I also only stopped for 5mins in total (toilet, drinks refill) during the 3 hours, so it was almost continuous.

Tired

2010-02-13T23:33:00.003+08:00

Week 4 of 9 to Seoul (halfway there)

Good to hear Clown & TB are thinking to run MM on an auspicious date of 10/10/10 !! Hope to make my 9th marathon start there (maybe I should run another one after Seoul to make MM the 10th) . How cool is that? 10th marathon on 10/10/10. It's also a week before my 39th birthday, a nice present!

But first things first. Managed to 'survive' the first 4 weeks of training. Another 3 weeks of hard training to go before 2 weeks taper.

I think my training has gone pretty well until today. I planned to do 20k non-stop tempo at 4:20 pace during a 30k long run. However, I found the pace to be too hot to handle and I ended up averaging 4:27. I also had to make a couple of lengthy breaks to stretch ITB/glutes and to rest.

It seems four weeks of 90k+ of 'rushed training' from scratch (without sufficient base mileage beforehand) have finally caught up with me. Old niggles around ITB and glutes are coming back, upper body parts such as necks, back are very tight and legs are like jello.

SW doesn't actually schedule any MP runs. Since I thrived on long MP runs in the past, I made the decision to do MP runs today and it backfired. Doing 2 speed session and 2 easy long runs in a week are probably just the right dosage for me. If I want to do MP long runs, perhaps I should to think about dropping one of the speed session to keep the legs fresher.

Will be going to Jakarta to vist family for Lunar New Year. My plan is to do short slow runs until Thursday when I return to Singapore. This means I will miss half a week of training but hopefully I will feel fresher by then.

Anyway, training this week:

Mon (threshold):
3.5k warm up (5:30)
15' fast, 4' jog, 10' fast, 3' jog, 10' fast
Covered 8.9k during fast reps, averaging 3:56min/km
Including recovery jogs, covered 10.2k in 42'00" (av pace 4:08)
2.3k cool down (5:30)
Total session 16k
Challenging workout, done 48 hours after 36k long run.

Tue (easy):
33mins easy treadmill (av pace 5:35)
Tight on time. Busy at work

Wed (long):
22k easy-moderate in 1h48m (av pace 4:56)
First half 5:15 pace (felt crap), second half 4:40s (strangely felt better)

Thu (fartlek):
4k warm up (5:00)
30 x 30secs on, 15secs off
First 15 reps av 3:35, last 15 reps av 3:45 (total 15mins of work at 3:40 av)
HR never got lower than 180 (90-95% max HR) in last 15 reps
Including recovery jogs, the workout covered 5.6k in 22'30" (av pace 4:02)
3k cool down (5:35)
Total session 12k+

Fri (easy):
42mins easy treadmill (av pace 5:35)
Light weights in the gym

Sat (long):
30k long run in 2h:21m (av pace 4:42)
The plan was to run 20k at 4:20 pace, ended up 4:27 pace (had to stop a few times to stretch ITB, glutes)
Tired legs. Including today's run, ran 130k in last 8 days

Sun (off):
Rest day

Total 94k (392k in last 4 weeks from scratch, av 98kpw)

No GCM this year

2010-02-06T19:24:00.005+08:00

Week 3 of 9 to Seoul (gulp)

Will not be running Gold Coast this year as my brother's wedding is on the same weekend !

Hmm…so what's next then after Seoul? Melbourne in October looks attractive. Mostly flat course with some rises here and there. Good crowd and I am familiar with half of the route. October is also 6 to 7 months after Seoul which gives me ample of time to train for sub-3. However, the downside is the weather unpredictabilty, especially the wind (unlike Gold Coast which virtually guarantees calm, cool conditions almost everytime)

Perth City to Surf in late August provides me with 5 months to train, but sadly I am a dud at hills. Currently not interested in marathons elsewhere in the region.

If I run a decent time in Seoul, say under 3:10, I might be tempted to run WAMC Perth marathon in June. Traning wise, it is exactly 3 months after Seoul, which in theory should give me some post-marathon recovery time and a couple of months to continue building the foundations towards sub-3 goal. However, I hate the wind and pavement running. We shall see.

But of course, if I can miracoulously run a sub-3 in Seoul, I don't need to worry about these things anymore *lol*. It's a mission impossible as I don't have 10k/21k speed for sub-3 marathon. How I wish Captain Kirk can put a human transporter somewhere along the marathon course to timewarp me to the finish line !

Anyway, training this week:

Mon (interval):
4k warm up (5:22)
5 x 5 minutes, 1 minute jog in between
Pace per lap: 3:52, 3:53, 3:54, 3:54, 3:53, 3:45, accumulated 7.7k at average 3:52 min/km (with short breaks)
Including recovery jogs, the workout covered 8.6k in 35mins (av pace 4:03)
3k cool down with 2x200m fast (5:12)
Total session 16k

Tue (easy):
11.5k easy in 60mins, including 6 barefoot strides (av pace 5:15)
XT: lunges, squats, heel raises

Wed (long):
23k easy-moderate in 1h55m (av pace 4:55)
Based on pre/post run weights and drink consumed, my calculated sweat rate is 1.5 litre per hour !!

Thu (fartlek):
4.5k warm up (5:05)
12 x 60secs on, 30secs off
Averaged 3:30-3:40 min/km for the 1-minute ons
Including recovery jogs, the workout covered 4.4k (av pace 4:00)
3k cool down (5:30)
Total session 12k

Fri (off):
Rest day

Sat (long):
36k long run (22k @ 5:00 pace, 14k @ 4:48)
Excluding stops (drink, toilet), total running time 2h:56m (av pace 4:55)
Including stops (8mins total), total running time 3h:05m (av pace 5:08)

Sun (off):
Rest day

Total 99k in 5 runs

Week in summary:
Only ran 5 times this week as my father is in town. Nonetheless, a solid week with 2 workouts and 2 long runs. Monday's workout was great (at least for my standard), with almost 8k at 3:52 pace (translates to sub 31 8k or 38:40 10k pace). When I started with SW, I was whining about the short 1min recovery but now I feel it's not so bad. Did a 36k long run in the weekend, and surprisingly I found little problems in completing the distance. Consumed 1 litre water, 500ml sports drinks, and 1 gel for the whole 3 hours and felt good throughout the run. However, my ITB hurts afterwards, hopefully this goes away soon.

Last 3 weeks mileage have been 100, 99, and 99km. During the old times, I used to do 10-15mins shakeout run as a second run so that the total mileage rounds up to a nice number like 100k. Nowadays, I don't really care, even if I total 99.8k for the week. Makes me wonder if sub-3 marathon might be over-rated because it is just a nice, round number. Is there a difference in ability between runners who finish in 2:59:xx and 3:00:xx? I guess not. Perhaps if I never get sub-3 in my lifetime, then I should be as happy if I finish at 3:01 or 3:02 *lol*

Benchmarking

2010-01-30T17:36:00.010+08:00

Week 2 of 9 to Seoul (ouch...)

Thanks for everyone's vote of confidence that I could complete an impromptu marathon with just 2 months of training. Sounds like around 3:10 was a popular prediction.

Well. I've been looking it at my past running log and found some interesting stuff (see chart below)

The 1st bar shows my monthly mileage for Joong-an marathon in Nov 08. The prep was quite similar to current situation. We were in Japan for holiday and rarely ran for 2 weeks. Then I embarked on 8 weeks of marathon training. Av mileage for that 8 weeks block was 384k per month. If we include another month before that (including holiday period), the 3 month average was 355k. This yielded 3:11 marathon.

The 2nd bar depicts mileage for Gold Coast in Jul 09. I was in off-season mode for 1 month (baby), then had 12 weeks of marathon training. Av mileage for the last 2 months prior to the race was 415k per month, for 3 months it was 388k. This yielded 3:04

The 3rd and 4th bars show mileage from two popular programs, Hal Higdon and Pfitzinger. Av mileage are 300 and 400ks respectively for 2 & 3 months before race week

The 5th bar shows the projected mileage leading to Seoul 2010 (mid Dec-mid Mar period).This assumes 90k average for Week 3-6 and 70k average for week 7-8. This produces a monthly average of 330 for 3 months and 360 for last 2 months prior to the race.

My observations:
- Based on Joong-an and GCM data, it seems higher mileage & longer prep correlate positively with marathon times (at least for me). There is pretty strong evidence that 3 months averaging 400k+ helped me to attain faster marathon timing in GC.
- My mileage are concentrated in the last few weeks before the race as depicted by more mileage done in last 2 months versus last 3 months.
- Higdon and Pfitz plan show consistent volumes for last 3 and 2 months. This raises another question whether I work too much in the last few weeks (tried to cram in everything as race day got closer)
- To say that my mileage is higher than Higdon's advance plan is misleading, since Higdon's plan runs for 4 months. My training plan is only 2 months.

- Will run Seoul with lower mileage compared to previous 2 marys & Pfitz plan
- It looks that there is nil chance to get a PB ! lol

So, that's a bit of analysis based on mileage. It's more difficult to compare intensities since all the workouts in each cycle are different. If we use average weekly training pace as a proxy for intensity, presently the data show that I am still averaging a the same training pace. In fact, my average pace still hovers about 5:00 pace and it hasn’t changed in four years!

Anyway, training this week:

Mon (threshold):
4k warm up/strides (av pace 5:25)
10 mins, 4mins jog, 10mins, 3mins jog, 5mins
Ran the fast part at 3:50-3:55 min/km, slow part av 4:45 min/km
Covered 7.9k in 32mins with 4 miles worth of 10k-paced running
3k cool down (av pace 5:30)
Total session 15k in 1h:10m (av pace 4:44)

Tue (easy):
11.7k easy in 60mins, including 5 barefoot strides (av pace 5:10)
XT: lunges, hip exercises

Wed (long):
20k easy-moderate in 100mins (av pace 5:00)
XT: 15mins upper body weights

Thu (hills):
6k worth of hills plus wu + cd
Average only 5:00 pace (up & down), but HR never got below 160 due to quick jog down and then up again

Fri (easy):
40mins easy on treadmill (av pace 5:37)
XT: 80 abs on bench (no weights)

Sat (long):
32.4k long run in 2h:37m (av pace 4:52)
10k easy @ 5:23, 140 bpm, 16k @ 4:30, 160 bpm, 6k easy with pick-ups. Testing the legs since I don't know what my MP is

Sun (off):
Rest day

Total 99k for the week in 8h:14m (av pace 5:00)

Week in summary:
Another 'ramping-up' week, with midweek and weekend long runs being extended to 20k and 32k respectively. Paces for these two runs are still on the slow side as my body is still adjusting to 100k weeks. Had one good threshold workout, but a dud again when doing hills. Next week will be another 'ramping-up' week with long run further stretched to 3 hours.

Holy Cow...I will be running a marathon in 8 weeks time

2010-01-23T15:18:00.012+08:00

Last week, it was:

23 weeks to go to the Marathon..

Now, it BECOMES

8 weeks to go to the Marathon (yup, eight weeks)

There is a suprising, but very exciting development.

For my son's 1st birthday, the family (us, in-laws) decided to celebrate in style by going to South Korea. Coincidentally during that period, there is Seoul International Marathon!

I would have entered 10k/21km, but they don't have one (it's a single event). After some thinking, it will be too rude to pass the opportunity to run one of Asia's biggest marathon (30,000 marathon runners). So why not?

Now, the big question mark is how do I get my self ready to run 42k in 8 WEEKS TIME ???? *gulp*

I have been in off-season mode in last 1.5 months, longest 'long' runs of only 15-20k with a view that I have a full 6 months to do marathon training.

Will I crash and burn? Can I finish the race in one piece? Will I hit the dreaded wall?

Top 4 reasons why I should feel pessimistic:
a. 8 weeks essentially means 6 training weeks (plus 2 weeks taper)
b. Been in off-season mode, only ran 2-3x per week in Dec.
c. Feb-Mar is a busy time at work. Tough to find the time to train
d. As I am essentially doing a 'crash training'. The increase in mileage and intensity over that 6 weeks might yield over-training risk

Top 4 reasons why I should feel more upbeat:
a. I run much better in the cold climate. However, average temp in Seoul in March is between -2 and 8c (max, noon). This is below a perfect running temperature of 10c (such as Gold Coast). An unknown factor.
b. Seoul course is flat-ish, slight downhill in the beginning, but there is 6k of gradual rise (km 30-36) of 15 meters in elevation. Hmm…looks like a miniature version of Boston marathon which has a rise between km 26-36, climbing 51 meters. Overall net elevation loss of Seoul is 12 meters versus Boston's 137 meters.
c. My mid-week and long run have reached 18k and 30k
d. SW actually thinks I won't be doing too badly :)

All things considered, I could think of three scenarios:

1. Most likely scenario: hit the wall or overtraining, finish in 3h:30
2. Less likely scenario: <3h:15m, qualify Boston marathon for three years in a row
3. Most unlikely scenario: running under 3.10

Place your bets please….

Anyway, I always want to run Seoul so might as well enjoy the route for fun (albeit insufficient training).

Importantly, what a great way to celebrate my son's 1st birthday by running a marathon !
----------------------------------

Training this week:

Mon:
LT/Vo2 test

Tue (intervals):
5k warm up (av pace 5:20)
8 x 800m, 1min slow jog
Splits: 3:02, 3:01, 3:01, 3:02, 3:01, 2:59, 3:00, 2:55 = average 3:00 (3:45 min/km)
4.6k cool down (av pace 5:27)
Total session 16k in 1h15m (av pace 4:45)

Wed (long):
18k easy (av pace 5:06)
Took it easy, av HR 143

Thu (easy):
35mins treadmill (av pace 5:40)
2 sets of weights, 100 abs

Fri (threshold):
15mins warm up (av pace 5:25)
6k threshold run in 23:41 (av 3:57min/km)
Splits: 4:00, 3:58, 3:59, 3:57, 3:57, 3:48. Av HR 167
Rest, then up and down 100m hills, 10 times
3.6k cool down
Total session 15k in 1h:10m (av pace 4:42)

Sat (long):
30k long run in 2h:33m (av pace 5:05)
Tired legs from yesterday. Ran 10k from home to MR, 1 loop of trail, ran 10k back. Always hard to run 30k again after 2 months hiatus. Had a few stops nead the end.

Sun (rest):
OFF. No run.

Total 100k for the week in 8h:17m (av pace 5:00)

Week in summary: I broke the '10% mileage rule' by jumping from 70k last week to 100k this week (50% increase), hopefully The Runners World magazine gods will not punish me for this. Overall, a good week with 2 solid speed workouts and two longish runs. Paces for the long runs are still slow right now as I have been absent from marathon/mileage training for over 6 months.

lab rat

2010-01-18T19:57:00.010+08:00

Participated in a research.

1) vo2 test

Protocol: speed 8.5 km/h constant, 3mins @ 0% grade, increased by 2.5% every 2mins
Duration: 20mins, ending at 20% grade
Vo2max 59
HR 190
Peak lactate 10.1

Experienced premature fatique as hills are not my strength. I've seen HR of 195 bpm during races & intervals, so could go longer under competitive situation, hence potentially higher Vo2. On the other hand, some say that protocol is not that accurate as in reality, runners don't run at that grade a lot hence Vo2 might be grossly elevated. A better test would be to run on flat grade (or track), with increasing speed and ending at the top speed that corresponds to your highest oxygen uptake.

For what it's worth, this calculator predicts 35mins 10k, 80 HM, and 2h45m marathon potential for me.

Pretty much in-line with what I expected. NOT MUCH GENETIC TALENT, even after logging 20,000km in the last 6 years.

Sub-3 would be the upper limit of running achievement since many runners generally never reach their VO2max potential.

2) LT

Protocol: grade 1%, 4mins run, 2mins rest for reading, speed increased by 0.7 km/h every interval

The protocol was for less fit types, with starting speed of 8.7 km/h. Lactate still hovered above resting levels for 30 minutes into the run. Fortunately, during the last stage, I at least reached 4 mmol which is often referred as LT (although range could be 2.5-6.5).

Paces/HR/lactate profile to come.

3) Vo2max (same day as above)

Done after LT test with 10mins rest
Protocol: 1 minute at 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 km/h at 1% grade (total 6 minutes). Then staying a 15km/h, grade increased to 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%

Achieved the same Vo2max as above, hence consistent results - although, I had some residual fatique from the LT test. HR only reached 190, decided to stop as I just couldn't run at 4:00 min/km with 10% grade.

Interestingly, the test was done at 23 BMI. Dropping a couple of kgs will increase it by 2 points.

The work begins

2010-01-10T09:08:00.001+08:00

Training for the week ending 10/01 (Week 1 of 26 to GCM)

Mon: 6k easy (5:00), 5 strides barefoot on grass, 1.2k cool down. Total 8.2k in 41:05 (5:01), 40 forward lunge walk, 20 backward, 80 abs on bench, glutes exercise

Tue: 3k warm up (5:20), drills + 4 strides, 15 x 00:60 on, 00:30 off - paces according to GPS for the 'ON' were 3mins 30, 29, 32, 40, 31, 38, 32, 35, 38, 46, 39, 33, 42, 49 (small climb), 30 min/km - average @ 3:37 or about 3k pace, recovery were 5:00-6:00 pace - total fartlek 22:00 incl recovery covering 5.43k (av 4:03 min/km), HR av 175 hi 186, 3k cool down (5:32). Total 12.33k in 59:10 (4:48)

Comment: Felt ok. Probably that's my max speed at the moment, nevertheless accumulated about 15mins worth of current 3k PB pace. Just realized the program had 12x 1min…so I over did-it..oops

Wed: 45mins easy progressing from 6:00 to 5:00 min/km, next 30mins at 4:50, 5 strides. Total 16k in 81:00 (5:04), HR av 147
Comment: Legs a bit tired, probably takes time to be familiar with running everyday again.

Thu: 3.5k wu (5:40), 15x100m hill, quick jog back, between 58-62secs per cycle, av pace 5:05, 2.5k cd (5:30). Total 9k in 49:00 (5:27)
Comment: schedule called for 30x100m, but I was spent after 15. Not fit enough yet. Hips and kness sore due to the downhill.

Fri: 5.5k treadmill (5:40), relaxed and easy. 2x12 reps on weight machines (lat, fly, deltoid row, lower back, quads, calf, glutes), 60 abs on bench, 20mins yoga stretch

Sat: Long run progression, 20mins @ 5:00, 4:50, 4:40, 4:25 min/km, 10mins @ 4:18, strides. Total 20k in 93:30 (4:40)

Comment: Tried to make up for Thursday's session, so ran a faster long run today. Did the same distance & route as last week but carried a bottle of water this time. No breaks but drank the water on a run. Av HR was 155 bpm versus last week 157 bpm but av pace is 10secs/km faster today. Hence, hydration (500ml water for a 90min run) will certainly help running performance and mitigate heat build-up in Singapore conditions.

Sun: off

Total 71k in 5:54 (av 5:00)

Mileage breakdown:
Aerobic & Recovery: 90%
Stamina & Strength: 4%
Speed & Races: 6%

Summary:
Overall, not a good start for the new year. Did one workout and failed to complete another. The fartlek was great but the hill was a dud (I think I had half of Singapore finished ahead of me in the hills). Av training pace at 5:00 is also slower than the 4:50s in recent weeks. However, I am not complaning since this is still early in the training cycle and there are still 25 weeks left before GC. Mileage and long runs will get progressively higher and longer from this point.

Had a blood test done before Christmas. Haematology data (wbc 4.0, rbc 4.87, hgb 14.5, plt 215) suggest that I should be ready to tackle training. However, my cholestrol is on the elevated side (238, hdl 77,ldl 147), hence I need to be a bit more selective on what I eat!

Off-season

2010-01-03T15:45:00.003+08:00

Some stats to start with:

Ran 3650k total for the year of 2009 (av 10k/d). Also passed 20,000k of lifetime mileage since I started running six years ago at age 33.

The stats above just showed how little natural talent I have :(

This week marks the end of my off-season training. For the whole of December, my training load is only about 60% of normal, with lots of rest days. My body and legs are still not entirely fresh and springy, but my fitness hasn’t eroded much either, so I guess they balanced out.

Training this week:

Mon – 2k ez, 15k Tempo in 60:00 (av 4:00 min/km) in HK under cool conditions (see previous blog post). I reckoned I could carry on at this pace for a half-marathon distance (85 mins pace). But thenI would feel less guilty to claim a PB in a training run for 15k rather than a common distance such as 21k. Anyways, this timing is faster than of all my currents PBs, therefore, I will use to set my training paces. Makes me wonder if I continued to stay in Australia, how much faster I could get since I can run at this pace presumably on regular basis?

Tue – off

Wed – 35mins easy run on treadmill (av 5:20)

Thu – off

Fri – 20k long run in 97:00 (av 4:50), aerobic progression 20mins at 5:10, 5:00, 4:50, 4:40, and last 17mins at 4:32 pace. In line with my earlier blog about ‘secret weapons for 2010’, I did the long run without breaks and at moderate paces (instead of easy) to optimize calorie burning. The continuous nature of the run plausibly resulted in de-hydration, heat buildup, and cardiac drift as evidenced by the jump in HR from 140 bpm to 180 bpm at the end (note that 180 is higher than my tempo HR!). Will run without any breaks/water for runs up to around 90mins.

Sat – off

Sun – 4k ez, 10k at medium effort on a cross country course in 45mins+ (av 170 bpm). Decided to piggyback on MR25 club runs since it was my first time doing the route; even then I had to wait for some runners to ask for direction. Overall, a good outing at pretty solid pace although, I found the trail too rocky for my liking.

Total 59k for the week.

Will resume SW’s on-line coaching next week. Let the hard work begins !!

15k solo tempo run in HK

2009-12-22T10:31:00.009+08:00

In line with the festive holiday season, my running is virtually also on 'holiday' mood.

After averaging 300+ ks for the last 9 months or so, I only managed to do around 200k month-to-date due to a combination of family visits, holiday and work. After the SCSM half, I averaged out running every second day or so.

Week of 7-13 Dec: 5 off days, 2 runs, total 26k
Week of 14-20 Dec: 2 off days, 5 runs, total 65k
Week of 21-27 Dec: 3 off days, 4 short runs, total 35k

Had a good Christmas break in Hong Kong with wife and son: doing lots of shopping, eating good food, and visiting Disneyland. Had a major scare as Sling Jr vomited a few times one night and we had to rush him to the hospital. The doc said it was probably gastritis. Thankfully, he seemed to be recovering quickly and is on the mend.

Had a good run whilst in Disneyland. Weather was cool at sub-10c with some wind chill here and there. Ran along 1.8k stretch of road between Lake Inspiration and Disneyland Hotel for 4 return trips. The cool conditions at about 1/3 of usual Singapore temperature made running so damn easy and effortless. My original intent was to do 10k tempo run at 4:00 pace. I duly passed the 5k in 19:58 and 10k at 40:08 and still felt strong. Consequently, I decided to continue the run, picked up the ante, and passed the 15k mark in 59:50 and covered 15.06k in 1 hour flat.

An unofficial PB since my last 15k race in 2005 was around 61:40s. My 15k splits from Melbourne HM was 61:12 and Singapore HM was 61:16.

The route was flat and in a straight line (no corners, no turns), hence I think the GPS distance should be pretty close to accurate. I also ran another 60 meters extra just to make sure some compensation of the u-turns :p Hmm...can I claim this as a PB?

I felt that I could continue at this pace for another few ks since I still had some gas in the tank. The good thing about running in cool temperature is that I sweated less and do not have to re-hydrate. Even for allowing sole slow down to around 4:10-4:15 for the next 6k, I think I could end up doing a 86 minute half-marathon that day if I continued. Or even could be 85-ish if I didn't run solo (aka race conditions).

Putting the 60-minute 15k in Jack Daniels chart suggests that I am in 54 VDOT shape: 38:40 10k, 1h:25m HM, and 2h:59m marathon. While McMillan predicts 38:40 10k, 1h:26m HM, and 3:01:42 marathon. Whilst the actual results will depend on the training and the runner itself, at least, these prediction calculators will give me some pace guidelines to shoot for.

On the negative side, the tempo run results re-affirm my view that I am a crap hot weather racer. I really admire local runners like Ronnie, Vivian, Tatz, Steven etc who can run 80-85m HMs in hot weather countries like Singapore and Cambodia. Due to my excessive sweating, both my heart and working muscles simply have to work hard to compete with the skin for blood under warm conditions. Also due to my insanely high sweat loss, I can never be able to keep up with the optimal hydration needs without doing a lot of stops at water stations.

Tune-up races 2010

2009-12-20T10:18:00.008+08:00

Doing my own training this month due to a myriad of things such as post 1/2 marathon recovery, family visits, and Christmas holiday. Will resume SW’s coaching in January to prepare for GCM.

Will be off to Hong Kong with wife + son next week yay :)

Below is my indicative race plan for 2010. Have not registered any of these yet, but these are what I have in mind:

14 March: North East Run 16k
A new race, hence I don't know much about the race route and organization qualities. Anyway, it's a good distance to race since it is virtually a lactate threshold test. One bummer is that the race venue is far from my place (1 hour train ride) and I need to go there twice to pick up the race bib and then for the run itself :(

11 April: 2XU Compression Run 12k
Also, a new race and it will be held in Sentosa Island. Most likely 2 loops of the island with some undulations.

22 May: Saucony Passion Run 25k
I've done the 10k for this event in 2008 & 2009 and hated it due 'human wall' formed by slower 15k runners who started earlier and general public who used the running path.

This year, they replaced the 15k with 25k. My initial thought would be to do the 25k at goal marathon pace or slightly faster. One bummer is that the race will start at 4pm which is still a bit warm for my liking.

4 July --- Gold Coast Marathon
Most likely will take a long holiday in the land of Oz late June to early July since I need to extend my permanent residency. Hopefully the family can join me to Gold Coast.

Other races:
I might also do the JP Morgan Corporate 5.6k run around April if my company sponsors its staff this year again. Currently not tempted to run Adidas Sundown 21k since I am now getting slower to recover from races (the 25k race is a week before)

That's basically all. No common race distances such as 5k, 10k, or 21k leading up to the marathon. If my marathon fitness indicates that I have a shot at sub-3 in GC, I could toe the start line with the slowest 10k and 21k PB among all runners in the sub-3 pacing bus. Can a wet dream become a reality? :)

Secret Weapons for 2010

2009-12-13T16:20:00.012+08:00

A slack week :) only did two runs (10k ez @ 5:10 & 16k ez @ 4:48)

Due to little training, I have some time to think about next year plans. No prize for guessing the goal lol. But I am really excited about next year as it will be my first ever attempting a sub-3 (of course subject to actual fitness level closer to the race day).

Presently, I haven't done anything to deserve a sub 3. My recent half-marathon (87 mins) only indicate around 3:03 marathon potential, so in that sense I haven't really earned the right to try sub-3. While there are still 6+ months plus to train, I doubt that I will be able to run 85 half which is typically used as a benchmark for sub-3 readiness. It took me 3 years to lower my half PB by 1 minute, hence to cut 2-3mins within the next 5-6 months seems to be a stretch target.

My only hope for an upside is that it will come from doing the right workouts during the marathon prep. In general, I am a better trainer than a racer. So doing the right workouts (long runs, long goal MP run etc), hitting targetted paces/effort, and training consistently will be key, and let's just hope everything will come together on race day and who knows I might be lucky :p

Anyway, I've identified 5 areas that can to help me to achieve my goal. They are not genetic-driven, so regardless of my limited talent, achieving these should contribute to running faster:

1) Lower weight

At 168cm and 68kg, my BMI is 24 which is a bit high. Earlier this week, I went to the gym and they measured my body fat percentage at 14% (not sure if accurate). Using an accepted rule of thumb that every extra pound of non-productive body weight (body fat) decreases running performance by around 1%, if I can reduce my (fat) weight by 3kg, in theory it can improve my peformance by around 5%.

This can come from better dietary regime, such as targeting low GI food and less fatty food items.

2) Upping the pace of easy runs and long runs

In the last few weeks, my average training pace (average of all sessions) is 4:50s, mainly due to doing long runs at moderate pace (around 4:40-4:50). If my average weekly training pace was 5:00 during GC prep could get me 3:04+, presumably a slightly faster average pace should get me somewhere close to 3 hour. I don't think this is not that hard to attain.

In addition, running at moderate pace also will lead to more fat burning. I read in a book that at low intensity (walking) of 25% VO2max, you burn 85% fat, 15% carb. At 65% VO2max, you burn 60% fat, 40% carb while at 85% VO2max (tempo pace) the mix is 30% fat, 70% carb. While these are percentages of fuel mix, but the key to reduce body fat is to actually lose the fat itself as TOTAL FAT CALORIES. At 25% VO2max, the fat burnt is only 0.8 kcal/kg/min (you burn 0.8 calories of fat per 1 kg of body weight every minute). But at 65% VO2max, you will actually burn fat at a rate of 1.2 kcal/kg/min. At 85% VO2max, the fat burnt is reduced again to 0.8 since the fat component is lower at 30%. Hence, upping the pace of aerobic runs to moderate level should assist in losing a couple of excess fat kgs.

3) Minimizing stoppages during runs

Last week Epi advised me to run continuously without a break in order to develop mental toughness and improve pace concentration. Some things that I can start to adopt in the next marathon prep include a) bringing fuel belt during long runs (avoid going to 7/11 to get drinks which could take 5 minutes); b) let the watch run while drinking or resting to give me incentive to ensure the break will be a quick one; and c) jogging during intervals breaks (even at 8-9 min/km) rather than standing breaks. I think a jog say at 130-140 bpm before starting the next interval should yield better fitness than starting the next one at HR of 100 bpm with standing break.

Anyway, these are just my random thoughts on a few scopes for upside improvement which are independent of my limited talent. Anyone has other ideas?

Quote of the week:
"you can run a good half marathon off of marathon training, but you can’t run a good marathon off of half marathon training" - Renato Canova