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.
29 January 2011
18 January 2011
Real World
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 !!!
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 !!!
07 January 2011
2010 Review & 2011 Goals
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.
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.
01 January 2011
C score for TT
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 !!
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 !!
26 December 2010
Merry X Mas
Mon: 3k wu, 2 x 10 mins threshold interval (3:55 min/km), with 3mins jog, 5mins rest, 6 x 25secs hill with walk recovery, 3k cd, Total 12.5k
Tue: 8k easy (av 5:10)
Wed: 3k wu, 5 x 1100m with 3mins rec (CCAB track); splits 3.59.2, 4.00.2, 4.00.2, 4.02.7, 3.58.6 (av 3.38.5 min/km), 5k cd, Total 14.7k
Thu: 40mins recovery (av 5:46), treadmill
Fri: 20k long run in 97mins (av 4:52)
Sat: off
Sun: off (couldn't wake up early)
Total 62k for the week
After two weeks of crappy training where I only managed to do only one workout, this week I did two: tempo and intervals. Unlike other programs, Magill does not put a lot of focus on tempos - in fact, only a couple 2 x 10mins and 2 x15mins. Did the former early in the week and upgraded my tempo pace from 4:00s to 3:55 since the length was short, before finishing with 8 x 25 secs hill. I am now in the 3rdweek of the plan and my intervals have progressed from 5x3, 4x4, and now 5x4 all with 3mins rec. Did this week session on the track aiming to complete each 1100m under 4:00. Got stuffed in the fourth one and had to take walk recovery to do the 5th one. Average pace for all five were 3:38min/km (approx 18:10 pace) with HR hitting 187 bpm.It was bloody tough, but it's good to push myself a bit. Had 3 more Magill specials to go: 4 x 5, 5x5, and 12-16 x 400. Out of these three, the 5x5 looks like a badass session - that is equivalent to 5 x1400-1500m at 5k effort/pace.
Next week, we will have a short holiday in Sentosa for a couple of nights, hence no runs early in the week (it's road to nowhere training anyway, right?). My original plan was to do a 3000m track time trial on Friday, but now I am having a second thoughts. Not sure whether it is better if I just do a nornal training then do the time trial when Rob comes to town the following week. Anyway, he is 36min 10ker and 2.53 marathoner, so my 3k or 5k pace should feel like a tempo run to him ;) LOL
Merry belated Chirstmas everyone !!!
Tue: 8k easy (av 5:10)
Wed: 3k wu, 5 x 1100m with 3mins rec (CCAB track); splits 3.59.2, 4.00.2, 4.00.2, 4.02.7, 3.58.6 (av 3.38.5 min/km), 5k cd, Total 14.7k
Thu: 40mins recovery (av 5:46), treadmill
Fri: 20k long run in 97mins (av 4:52)
Sat: off
Sun: off (couldn't wake up early)
Total 62k for the week
After two weeks of crappy training where I only managed to do only one workout, this week I did two: tempo and intervals. Unlike other programs, Magill does not put a lot of focus on tempos - in fact, only a couple 2 x 10mins and 2 x15mins. Did the former early in the week and upgraded my tempo pace from 4:00s to 3:55 since the length was short, before finishing with 8 x 25 secs hill. I am now in the 3rdweek of the plan and my intervals have progressed from 5x3, 4x4, and now 5x4 all with 3mins rec. Did this week session on the track aiming to complete each 1100m under 4:00. Got stuffed in the fourth one and had to take walk recovery to do the 5th one. Average pace for all five were 3:38min/km (approx 18:10 pace) with HR hitting 187 bpm.It was bloody tough, but it's good to push myself a bit. Had 3 more Magill specials to go: 4 x 5, 5x5, and 12-16 x 400. Out of these three, the 5x5 looks like a badass session - that is equivalent to 5 x1400-1500m at 5k effort/pace.
Next week, we will have a short holiday in Sentosa for a couple of nights, hence no runs early in the week (it's road to nowhere training anyway, right?). My original plan was to do a 3000m track time trial on Friday, but now I am having a second thoughts. Not sure whether it is better if I just do a nornal training then do the time trial when Rob comes to town the following week. Anyway, he is 36min 10ker and 2.53 marathoner, so my 3k or 5k pace should feel like a tempo run to him ;) LOL
Merry belated Chirstmas everyone !!!
18 December 2010
Too heavy
I stepped on the weight scale today after an absence of 3 months and it showed:
71 kg !!!!!!!!!!
That's too heavy for a 169cm guy. I was around 65-66 kg whilst training for Melbourne Marathon just 3 months ago. A combination of 1.5 months of injury layoff, 1.5 months of sporadic training (~30-50k a week), and festive seasons dinners have ballooned my weight by 6 kg :(
That's probably also the reason why I began to get niggles and soreness again. Joints such as ankles and knees were sore, especially after interval session. My racing time got slowed and I struggle regularl during intervals/tempos.
Anyway, training this week
Mon: 8k easy in 41:05 (av 5:08), treadmill
Tue: 11k watchless tempo in ~50:00 (av 4:33)
Wed: 8k easy in 40:20 (av 5:10), incl 4 x 15s barefoot strides
Thu: 12k in , incl. 4 x 4:00 intervals, av pace for the fast segments 3:37, 3:36, 3:45 (???), 3:35 min/km
Fri: 8k easy in 43:20 (av 5:25), treadmill
Sat: 18k easy long run in 91:30 (av 5:05)
Sun: rest
Total 65k for the week
A so-so week in terms of training. Was supposed to do intervals on Tuesday but GPS battery was flat, hence I decided to run at strong effort on a measured loop. Forgot to run the hill reps this week, The 4 x 4mins intervals with 3mins jog on Tuesday were difficult effort wise. Three of them were in the 3.35-3.37 min/km range, but for one of the rep, my pace was about 10secs per km off due to a lack of concentration and fatique. Covered on average 1.1k for the 4mins, so essentially it was a 4x 1.1k workout.
With about 5 more training weeks to go before my 5k TT (our holiday is now 1 week earlier than scheduled), it seems that sub 3.36 min/km for 5k is a bit of pipeline dream for me right now. Next week calls for 5 x 4mins (~1.1k), 3mins jog and hopefully I will have better idea whether sub-18 is doable or whether it will be a bridge too far.
One thing for sure, I can't run fast with this weight, duh :(
71 kg !!!!!!!!!!
That's too heavy for a 169cm guy. I was around 65-66 kg whilst training for Melbourne Marathon just 3 months ago. A combination of 1.5 months of injury layoff, 1.5 months of sporadic training (~30-50k a week), and festive seasons dinners have ballooned my weight by 6 kg :(
That's probably also the reason why I began to get niggles and soreness again. Joints such as ankles and knees were sore, especially after interval session. My racing time got slowed and I struggle regularl during intervals/tempos.
Anyway, training this week
Mon: 8k easy in 41:05 (av 5:08), treadmill
Tue: 11k watchless tempo in ~50:00 (av 4:33)
Wed: 8k easy in 40:20 (av 5:10), incl 4 x 15s barefoot strides
Thu: 12k in , incl. 4 x 4:00 intervals, av pace for the fast segments 3:37, 3:36, 3:45 (???), 3:35 min/km
Fri: 8k easy in 43:20 (av 5:25), treadmill
Sat: 18k easy long run in 91:30 (av 5:05)
Sun: rest
Total 65k for the week
A so-so week in terms of training. Was supposed to do intervals on Tuesday but GPS battery was flat, hence I decided to run at strong effort on a measured loop. Forgot to run the hill reps this week, The 4 x 4mins intervals with 3mins jog on Tuesday were difficult effort wise. Three of them were in the 3.35-3.37 min/km range, but for one of the rep, my pace was about 10secs per km off due to a lack of concentration and fatique. Covered on average 1.1k for the 4mins, so essentially it was a 4x 1.1k workout.
With about 5 more training weeks to go before my 5k TT (our holiday is now 1 week earlier than scheduled), it seems that sub 3.36 min/km for 5k is a bit of pipeline dream for me right now. Next week calls for 5 x 4mins (~1.1k), 3mins jog and hopefully I will have better idea whether sub-18 is doable or whether it will be a bridge too far.
One thing for sure, I can't run fast with this weight, duh :(
12 December 2010
86 ??
Two months of 'road to nowhere' training before taking 1 month off for holiday in February.
For this couple of months, I will be doing 5k training based on Pete Magill's plan as written in Running Times (Magill is the oldest American to break 15:00 at age 47). The beauty about the plan is that it is very simple (one interval, one hill, long run) and has a week-by-week progression in terms of structure (e.g. 5 x 3mins interval, next week 4 x 4mins, following week 5x 4mins etc).
The only little tweaks that I make are 1) the original plan alternates hill session and drills, but I decided to skip the drills since I don't have anyone to monitor/correct my techniques. I normally do simple drills such as buttkicks, high knees, leg swings uring warm up prior to intervals anyway; and 2) I insert a 3000m TT in order to gauge my 5k goal pace
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=19258
Currently, I have earmarked end January to do the 5000m time trial at CCAB track. Road races in Singapore are infamous for its inaccurate distance. There could be a track and field meet in middle of January, but the schedule is usually not released until two weeks prior.
In terms of goal, my minimum target is to better my PB of 18.33. This was done in the middle of marathon training back in May this year. Did the TT solo and actually targeted 88 per lap (3.40 min/km) but ended up running 1sec per lap slower than the target. I will be happy if I can get 18.20 or below in January, but I'll keep 86 per lap (sub-18) in the back of my mind (just in case) !!
Anyway, training this week
Mon: off
Tue: 9k easy (av 5:15)
Wed: 5 x 3mins (av 3:40 min/km), 3mins jog, total 14k (av 5:00)
Thu: 7k easy (av 5:25), in Jakarta
Fri: 9k easy (av 5:20), in Jakarta
Sat: 16k long run (av 4:55) including 6 x 200m hills
Sun: off
Total 55k for the week
Wednesday was my first 5k effort session and it felt damn hard. Paces for the 3mins segments at 3.40, 3.36, 3.42, 3.40, 3.40 min/km with 3mins slow jog in between. So on average, about 88secs per lap pace with equal recovery. Since I am not that fit right now, I trully hope the pace and effort required will come down in the next few weeks. (For comparison, I did 5 x 1k between 3.38-3.40 with only 2mins jog prior to my 5k PB). Due to work travel, I did the hill repeats session as part of my weekend long run (couldn't find a hill that take 1min to climb). Overall, I think it's not a bad week since I was training very sporadically in the last 1 month or so.
Is 86 a realistic goal for end-Jan? What do you guys think?
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
In terms of goal, my minimum target is to better my PB of 18.33. This was done in the middle of marathon training back in May this year. Did the TT solo and actually targeted 88 per lap (3.40 min/km) but ended up running 1sec per lap slower than the target. I will be happy if I can get 18.20 or below in January, but I'll keep 86 per lap (sub-18) in the back of my mind (just in case) !!
Anyway, training this week
Mon: off
Tue: 9k easy (av 5:15)
Wed: 5 x 3mins (av 3:40 min/km), 3mins jog, total 14k (av 5:00)
Thu: 7k easy (av 5:25), in Jakarta
Fri: 9k easy (av 5:20), in Jakarta
Sat: 16k long run (av 4:55) including 6 x 200m hills
Sun: off
Total 55k for the week
Wednesday was my first 5k effort session and it felt damn hard. Paces for the 3mins segments at 3.40, 3.36, 3.42, 3.40, 3.40 min/km with 3mins slow jog in between. So on average, about 88secs per lap pace with equal recovery. Since I am not that fit right now, I trully hope the pace and effort required will come down in the next few weeks. (For comparison, I did 5 x 1k between 3.38-3.40 with only 2mins jog prior to my 5k PB). Due to work travel, I did the hill repeats session as part of my weekend long run (couldn't find a hill that take 1min to climb). Overall, I think it's not a bad week since I was training very sporadically in the last 1 month or so.
Is 86 a realistic goal for end-Jan? What do you guys think?
06 December 2010
Boo
Did Standard Chartered 1/2 Marathon yesterday in 93:09
Slowest HM race timing since 2005 and even a personal worst in Singapore LOL
After running almost 0 km in October and only easing back into running in November, perhaps that's the true result.
I AM NOT FIT.
Felt good for the first 8k running in Sentosa Island, averaging 4:09 min/km despite the 'undulations' . (there were only probably 2 real slopes/hills, the rest was going and up and down car parks and tunnels). After 8k, we ran a full 1km inside an underground car park that belongs to the casino. The place was claustophobic with limited air circulation and full of exhaust fumes from tourist buses and gamblers' cars trying to find parking spaces. Struggled to breathe and my pace dropped to 5:20 min/km during that stretch.
Never recovered from that ordeal and once we leave the island, there were more ups and downs this time on an elevated highway (I am crap on hills). With longest run of 12k in last 3 weeks, I simply didn't have the stamina to conquer the hills and complete the distance at my desired pace. Tempted to DNF, but decided to carry on in order to maintain my position in my company's runners league. Ran the remainder of the course at 4:20-4:40 min/km. Finished 6 minutes slower compared to the same race last year, albeit a different route.
Anyway, this is my last HM participation because I will enter the same event next year in the full marathon . It will be my first ever hot weather marathon and as a master !!
Note: the marathon was won by Kenyans in 2:14 and 2:35 (the winning women also won the Delhi Commonweath Games marathon in October)
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)
30 November 2010
Retiro Park
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
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
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| Entrance to the Park, Madrid's answer to Central Park |
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| Beautiful statues and landscaped gardens |
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| Water fountains |
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| A lake inside the park |
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| Gravel surface + some hills, perfect for running |
23 November 2010
Madrid 10K
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:
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:
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| Race between Real madrid and Athletico Madrid supporters, A 10k race starting from Real's Bernabeu stadium and finishing at Athletico's Vicente Calderon |
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| Carnival atmosphere between rival clubs supporters |
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| Start point, different gantry for each supporters |
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| Go !! |
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| Full road closure, wide lanes |
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| Passing some sights, such as fountains |
13 November 2010
Just Can't Resist
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
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
31 October 2010
The Road to Nowhere
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
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
24 October 2010
Different Settings
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) In Singapore, to staisfy runners' thirst, every couple of kms, you can find the following:
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:
18 October 2010
39 and down
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.
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.
12 October 2010
Ground Zero
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...
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...
06 October 2010
From 10-10-10 to 0-0-0
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.
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.
03 October 2010
Hard Times
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)
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)
26 September 2010
No miracle
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
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
19 September 2010
21 days to go - slipping away
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 :(
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 :(
12 September 2010
28 days left - what to do?
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?
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?
05 September 2010
Injured ! :( :(
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.
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.
29 August 2010
6 weeks 2 go
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.
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.
21 August 2010
Happy to get thru the week
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 :(
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 :(
15 August 2010
Good (training) and Bad (race) - Redux
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.
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.
08 August 2010
2 months left :(
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!
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!
31 July 2010
10 to 10-10-10
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 !!!
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 !!!
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