Is Fred dead?

As predicted, whilst being the start of the taper, this last week was still "heavy" in my books. Total of 58.6ks.

After intervals at the start of the week, I even managed to do two MP sessions totalling 20ks on Thursday.

I then followed that up with a 25k tempo run (ie. 4:56/k) yesterday morning. The intention was to sharpen up the tempo to just under MP and I well and truly managed that. So, guess what, I'm really happy.

Well, if it wasn't for Fred, the Forerunner. Charged him full on Friday, but come Saturday am, he was not even blinking. Put him on the charger and after a while he woke up to say battery empty! Fortunately, I still have the old Fred 101 and he was ready to go with enough battery power (particularly as it was 4:45am and if I had to look for batteries, I would have woken up just about everyone in the house and not been very popular for the rest of the day).

So whilst I could not download the results and clearly the 101 is not as accurate as the 305, he did the trick.

Now the strange thing is that after charging the 305 all day and taking him off last night, he is fully charged today.

Beats me what happened. Maybe Fred just did not want to be woken up that early, was sick of my enthusiasm or whatever. But I will definitely take both with me to Canberra, just in case.

I also tried out the drinks and decided that I will go with that fashion statement of a FuelBelt (NOT!) after all.
I thought I could plonk a 330ml bottle into one of the pockets in a tri top (the idea being that Anna would hand me replacement bottles on the course), but it bounces around like bunny chased by a fox. I managed to stick it into one of the side pockets, which was not too great as imbalanced, but it got even worse as after 10ks I noticed that it had started to chafe my back.
I will see whether I can get better bottles for the belt as the ones that come with the FuelBelt are useless. At least I don't manage to drink out of them without looking like a three month old slobbering all over my front.
I also went to buy a couple of sachets of High 5 and whilst there is nothing disagreeable about it, I haven't quite figured out whether they will be serving the isotonic or the energy drink at Canberra.
In either case, my Endura/HJ mix covers me for both with the addition of a few gels. So I'll stick with that.

This week a few quick runs to keep the speed up and an easy 15 or 16k run on Saturday and that will be about it.

I won't do much week after next except for the 5k run on Saturday in which I'll just plod alongside Anna - she's not a speedster, so that will just loosen me up for the next morning.

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Yoho, here we go!

I am in a good mood, quite obviously!
Three weeks to Canberra and things seem to be clicking into place.
Looking at my mileage (what mileage?) I will be underdone, but at this stage I prefer that to having done too much and having risked burnout or worse, injury.
The last couple of weeks I average a mere 50ks a week and I know that is not much, but after battling with my head so often, I have now got over that hump and am very positive about it.

My base is solid (8 runs >30ks since the beginning of the year, peaking at 38ks) and the right knee is occasionally niggly, but no more than that on the run itself. A bit stiff during the day after a heavy run, but that is about it.

Yes, you guys will be specks in the distance (assuming I wear glasses), but that's ok. I am currently not setting the bar very high. If I manage to better my PB (3:38 - not much to work off, he, he), I'll be happy. If not, at least I will have a good base to work off for Perth.
And if I don't manage to break 3:30 there, I still have more than two months until Berlin.

I had a great 33.5k run on Saturday morning. I spent a little while on Friday working out the nutrition and it all worked out nicely on the run. All I need to do is transfer it onto the Canberra plan. I am fairly confident I can do a 5:10 average which should bring me home exactly on time.

I have spent more time on the Adistars and they are just wonderful. I have already ordered a second pair and will consign my other runners to gardening duties. Since I am a lousy gardener, I now have enough shoes to last me a lifetime.

So, now onto tapering.

I think I am going to give myself a comparatively heavy week this week, focussing on intervals and tempo with a short 20-25k run on Saturday.

Next week I plan on doing short but quick bursts and throw in some riding and possibly some swimming. An easy long run of less than 20k on the Saturday should then round it all off, apart from some Fartlek runs in the week before the marathon.
I think that should do it.

Lots of sleep, too.

Workwise, it also seems to fall into place. One trial next week and otherwise just small stuff.

Onya guys, we'll have a blast!

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Oh, boy!

What a weird two weeks it has been.
I felt so deflated last weekend I did not even feel like blogging.
Whilst I managed something like 68ks for the week, a record for quite some time, I had real trouble keeping it all together.
To make matters worse, this week the right knee played up so I just let everything go until Friday. By then I had got to the point where the head was ticking right again and I dashed up the DNA tower a few times just to get the week out of the system.
Yesterday I took stock and figured that maybe, despite the fact that I have about as many runners as Imelda had shoes, all of them were worn out - except for the Trance that keep giving me little blisters whenever I go beyond 30k.
So, I reviewed what the podiatrist said and went over to Bob and Jan and pulled apart their shelves. I tried about six pair in different combinations and Phil started to shake his head.
Anyway, I came away with a new pair of Adistar Control and they are just fantastic. Softest but most stable ride ever!
So I went for run with junior, in preparation for the Canberra Kids Marathon and started to feel together again.
Today, I got up early and went round Kings Park, a good 13ks aerobic run. The knee is "still there", but tonight it feels much better, ie. not the twinges I've been having all week.

On a positive note, I went skydiving on Wednesday and managed to have good control in freefall, plus had a super sweet landing, tippy-toe and all, without any guidance at all. Wow! That felt good. Unfortunately however, I am so busy at work now that I won't be able to go back up to York for a couple of weeks.

I have found the entry forms and faxed them off today.
I see that there are currently a mere 7 entries in the marathon from WA, including Epi and Clown. Funny then that the three of us should decide to run it quite independently of each other.

Ok, back to work and let's see what the next week brings.
It'll be stressful all week, but I do hope that we'll finish before the five days the matter is listed for.

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Mental as Anything

Similar to last week, the training this week had more to do with keeping my mind in check.
The start to the week was sluggish, ie I had so much going on in my head workwise that running was simply not a priority.
By Wednesday, this excruciating trial was over and with that the stress levels had dropped. From there on I managed to get some decent endurance/hill training done and intervals the next day.
Then a day's worth of rest and a whole blood donation.
On Friday I was really looking forward to a long run but it was really tough. What I forgot as I was slugging it out on Saturday morning was that I was missing a pint of blood, so no wonder I had to pump that little bit more. Anyway, I am now taking a break from apheresis and whole blood donations and will go back to that no later than after the Perth Marathon.
I did 38k at a pace of 5:43 with the heart rate just nudging level 2. That is actually considerably better than the figures for the 32k run four weeks ago.

I suppose I should be happy. And in reality I am. Although I will never be fast, the consistent tempo and interval training is now paying off. Whilst I may not crack 3:30 at Canberra, for Perth it should be possible.

Apart from a tweak now and then, the knee is as new.

Total distance this week was 67.5. Earlier in the year I thought I would get up to about 80ks a week, but I think I'll give this a miss and rather add a bit of time on the bike so as to take the strain off the joints.

Now, where did I leave these entry forms for Canberra?

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Going topsy-turvy

I went skydiving today and managed to nearly spin out when the JM let go. And in many other respects the week was topsy-turvy, too.
Had a strong start to the week with hill repeats on Reabold Hill on Monday, did some gymwork on Tuesday and got caught up with work too much to get out on Wednesday. Intervals on Thursday which were a bit all over the place as I had programmed the Forerunner incorrectly, d'oh.
Saturday long run turned out quite ok. 35k at 5:22/k. After 7ks I thought about giving it all away, my legs just wanted to curl up and go to sleep in a ditch. Good thing the brain told them to keep running.
The knees are doing just fine, the left one is perfect and the right one just gives me the occasional niggle.

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Waking up to petrichord

Isn't it just great, this smell of summer rain on the warm ground?

Just too sweet to get up and do a heavy interval session. Ok, I'm a wuss and reading Clown's blog I can say at least I'm not alone.

I had planned to have an easy week and it turned out to be even easier than anticipated. I needed a bit of a break both mentally and physically, so only a level 2 run with 2x Reabold Hill on Monday and a MP run of 22.54k yesterday morning, a total, wait for it: 35.55k. Now that's slack.

Having said that, I felt sluggish after the last three weeks but by yesterday I was very happy with the MP run yesterday at just over 5m/k. Nowhere near the young guns, but for now clearly a good point to be.

Although I did not run much, I did three sessions in the gym concentrating on core strength and just a bit of stability exercises for the knees.

I now have to work out next week's program which is going to be tough especially since I'm going to be in Court all week and have my head full of jet engines, boat hull designs, fishtails, spins and emergency stops. And plenty of cavitation - in my head as well.
Taking a positive angle to it a bit of running won't go astray it seems.

Not sure whether I'll do Matilda Bay - just does not fit my program - unless the case finishes before Friday and I can do the long run on Friday and then... I think I'm getting ahead of myself.

First, I'll have a good night's sleep.

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I need an easy week

The last three weeks have been busy and interesting.

Running wise I managed to do three weeks of intensity training - just!
Today's long run was tough as my legs were dead. Didn't even feel my knees on the whole 33ks which I suppose is a good thing.
The truth is that yesterday's speed session together with a short night just did not allow me to recover. By now I should know that I need a day's rest before and after a long run.

As a result, this run was all about toughening it out mentally. The head was there, the heart was pumping but the legs went awol. So I found myself pushing myself with the heart rate being just barely going to 60%max, really strange. I think I hit 70% three times during the entire run.

Even if from the physical perspective that run was not quite right, certainly mentally the run was beneficial.
But I am really looking forward to an easy week.

I did have a bit of a rough spot (mentally) in the middle week, which explains a slightly lower mileage:
Week of 14 January: 65.28k - 6 hrs 22 mins
Week of 21 January: 56.88k - 5 hrs 46 mins
Week of 28 January: 65.05k - 6 hrs 41 mins

Pretty sad figures compared with the impressive stats of the young guns, Epi and Clown, but I am just happy that my knees are still attached.

Oh, did I mention that I have been distracted by yet another project (that's the Gemini in me) - getting my skydiving A licence. That means that I spend a fair amount of time out at York, predominantly sitting and waiting for the wind to die down... not very attractive running country out there :-((!

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Knees holding up

All in all a satisfying week, even though the left knee is still not quite ok.
I was glad that is was a recovery week as I don't think that any more than the 50ks I managed would have been any good.
I also managed to get rid of the excess Xmas weight and by the end of this week I expect, I'll be in normal range again.
So, three runs in total, three times at the gym, apheresis on Friday and to top it off 20th wedding anniversary on Tuesday with a most excellent present: aerobatic flight in an Extra 300L, the type of plane they fly at the Red Bull Airrace. That was awesome.
Back on earth, I'm now into the intensity stage of the training with four hard sessions which will no doubt be hard on the knees to start with.
Let's see!

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All set for Canberra

We finally got around to book the flights to Canberra and also the accommodation. We'll be staying at the Medina Apartments, a stone's throw away from the start. Since we're over there, we'll fly on to Sydney for a few days, being school holidays and all.
On the sporting front this has been a very difficult week. The left knee is still pretty buggered, although it's more the knock on it, rather than something structural inside. But to make matters worse the right one has started to play up as well.
I suppose the 4kgs I gained over Xmas have not helped, but the long run today was quite a challenge, especially towards the end. I played it safe by sticking to going round and round and round Kings Park, but I didn't take anything with me and hit the wall at 26ks.

Not to be discouraged, we looked at getting to and staying in Berlin at the end of September.

This week I'll just push it as far as the knees allow me and build up from there - and try to eat properly to lose some of the Xmas excess.

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Crashing into 2008

Being the Christmas week and away with the in-laws for the whole week I did not really expect to be able to stick to my program. Nevertheless, on Christmas Eve morning I set out from Eagle Bay to Bunker Bay up to the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. Partly on tracks, partly over rocks, lots of beachsand and then back on the road. That was quite disappointing and rather long. Instead of just doing 45' I ended up doing just over double that. I didn't mind as I had thought about cutting the weekend long run into two in any event. On Wednesday I found myself a nice long hill and did that 6 times, annoying a couple of dogs (and presumably their owners as well) in the process.
For Friday I planned on driving up to the lighthouse and taking the Cape to Cape track to Yallingup and back, a total of 28ks.
That worked out nicely, notwithstanding the track changing considerably already in the first five ks, I found a nice rhythm. I remember thinking about doing the whole thing and getting some others to join me (yes, you guys!) - a total of 135ks, maybe broken up into 2 or 3 days to start with. Approaching five ks I saw this limestone outcrop and ledge and thought to myself to keep to the left as it looked as if it could break off and - WHACK, BANG, I tripped and crashed headfirst into various limestone rock ending up with hitting my nose. Boy, it hurt! Blood was everywhere, dripping down my nose, on my hands, running down the shins from both knees, not a pretty sight. I think I would have been a good black knight impersonation, limping backwards and forwards trying to figure out what to do next. After a while I gathered all my bits, cap, glasses, bag etc and although the last thing I felt like running, thought it was best to just keep moving. I wasn't going to let this hold me up and pushed further South, although very slowly.
At the Three Bear beach I came across a few surfers and they gave me a odd looks, I must have looked pretty bad. Anyway, by then my left knee had swollen up and was quite painful, so I decided not to push it and turned back.
Back at our place I spent a good hour cleaning myself up. Apart from the bruising, scratches all over, the left knee was worst off as by then it was so swollen I couldn't bend it. Also, there was a cut in it that wouldn't stop bleeding. (Oh, yes, and my nose looked as if I had been in a decent bar fight!) Good grief I thought, Canberra over and out.
Well, I haven't been on a run yet, except for a few minutes on the treadmill today, but all is not lost. Still a bit swollen, but by tomorrow morning, I'll be hitting the road again.
This is the second last week of base training and next week is an easy week in the period, so I'll push the hard stuff towards the end of this week to give the knee some time to recover, without losing the benefit of the easy training next week.
Then it's into intensity.
Apart from the lead up, 2008 promises to be the most interesting year yet. Canberra in April (although the bookings are not done yet and accommodation for five people comes at a premium!), the Perth in July and Rottnest in October.
In addition though, we are looking at visiting son #1 in Germany in the second part of his exchange year, so around September, which would tie in nicely with school holidays and the Berlin Marathon! Possibly a bit close to Rotto, but who says that I have to set PBs anywhere. Berlin is a gorgeous city, I certainly wouldn't mind going back there, so for now that is something I am seriously looking at.
The aim is to go below 3:30, either in Canberra or Perth and the rest is just for fun.
In between, a few club races (as Epi says, have to be careful not to mess up the training regime with them, but then again, who says they have to be all out efforts) and the C2S where I'd like to go below 52:30.

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Am I getting old?

So I was all ready to launch into the next phase of base training and first I twisted my back and also ended up with some weird muscle spasm in my right leg. That put an end to running on Monday and Tuesday.
And my favourite knee started to play up on Wednesday as well, but by that stage I had enough.

Since then I have been back into it although at bit sluggis at times. At least the Mount Street intervals did not go as well as the week before.

At least today I managed a good 28k long run. Got a bit tough on the last 4ks, but otherwise I managed a nice pace at below 70% at all times.
Tomorrow it's off to the south for a few days - I'm sure I'll find a few nice places to run (if I'm up to it between the bottles of wines...)

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First proper long run

It was indeed a rest week, as I'm now busting to get properly back into it again. That is what periodisation is all about. Another four weeks of base training and then intensity.
This week I managed to split up the runs easily over three days with a 25k long run yesterday. My better half crewed me on the bike, which is always very nice as it gives us some "us" time (away from the nagging kids....). We were very tempted to sit down at Choux in Swanbourne for a coffee and a nice little pastry but we were "good" and just got croissants for breakfast after.
Fortunately I had a trial vacated this week which means that the Xmas lead up will be much easier and I'll be able to take the time for training without too much rushing and I won't have to think about work constantly when on the runs.
Knee is still holding up marvelously, even after 25k. Worst thing were a couple of blisters, but that's the Brooks Trance, they are just not a perfect fit over distances 20k+. I'll have to remember that.

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Week four - still going strong

Apart from the occasional niggle the knee is holding up very nicely. I actually applied to join a knee study at UWA to track the long-term development of arthritis in the knee after a meniscectomy. Although I fitted all criteria, they would not take me as I had the same op 20 years ago - bummer - would have been interesting to see how it all develops - especially with a free MRI etc thrown in every 2 years.
Well, I'm happy as it is and I'll soon enough notice if it goes downhill again.
Because of the trip to Adelaide with son #1 on the weekend, I did the long run on Wednesday morning. Then on Sunday a 60 minute run around the Torrens, very enjoyable, albeit feeling a bit sluggish. Nevertheless, at an average pace of 5:13 the heart rate was just under 60%. Not bad at all.
Total ks this week: just over 53.
On Friday I did 6 reps of Mount Street and finally managed to break that 1:30 barrier. The fact that it was lunchtime and the temperature in the high 20's made that just that little more impressive.
This week is a "rest" week, so I'll take it easy, but overall the training is working out just as planned.

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Week 3 - Shins splints? What shin splints?

A solid week with a tempo run on Monday, 13ks overdistance on Wednesday, gym on Tuesday and Wednesday, hills on Friday (nearly broke that elusive 1:30 mark at Mount Street, yeah!) and: ouch, what is that on Friday? Shin splints? Oh, no!
Anyway, despite having to be on my feet all day examining, with plenty of ice in the evening, a couple Voltaren and a good wrap overnight, it had all disappeared on Saturday morning.
I was not game to do the long run then though, so rest and today I went out for 100 mins, expecting that I might have to stop and waddle home.
No such thing, did the entire 100 mins at 5:17 at 66% HR, including Reabold Hill. That was very good. So I'm very happy, especially since otherwise the week quite crappy in various respects.
Next week is hopefully better with work not being as demanding.
Friday it's off to Adelaide for the weekend for #1's UMAT interview, so let's see what that city has to offer runwise.

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One week down, 22 to go

Busy week ahead & just a quick note here.
The first week was exactly as it was supposed to be, pretty much according to plan.
I even managed to stick to my aim of doing the Deepwater Point 15k today & just do it as a long run. I thought I should be able to stay under 70% and do 5:30 per k.
So the plan was to do it in 1:22:30 and lo & behold I got back in 1:22:10. Perfect.
40ks for the week and two solid strength sessions.
The test is going to be this week when I'll have to concentrate on the job. But going for a run will help me keeping a clear head.
Fingers crossed!

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Day one, week one

A few short runs in the bag, plenty of time in the pool (but still a lousy swimmer) and 23 weeks to Canberra. So now the work starts in earnest.
Doing 25ks per week is not a lot, however, the knee needed a bit of build up. The physio also prepared a new program for the gym and that has done wonders to make the knee more stable.
The next eight weeks will be base building by which time I should get to about 50 - 60ks with the longest run about 25ks.
Then eight weeks of intensity training reaching about 70ks in February with the longest run about 35ks.
All I need now is the WAMC program to figure out which races I can use as tempo runs. Certainly the Darlington Half looks like a good opportunity to test the waters.
Now I just have to keep the motivation going!
Tomorrow morning, strength training at the gym.

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Lazarus rises! Oh, yeah!

More than four weeks have passed since the op and I am quite happy with the progress.
The word from the orthopod was not to run for four weeks, so now I'm allowed to go out again. Not that I had been sooo good, I have gone out a couple of times after the three week mark, including the 5k fun run on Rottnest.
Except for the inordinate time to finally end up on the op table on the day and then to wait for the spinal block to go away, the experience was excellent. I watched the whole thing on the monitor and got the running commentary on what was going on and as a special bonus got to take away pictures and a videotape of the surgery.
Yes, it was a bit frustrating to see the people who had opted for a GA to walk out within a couple of hours of coming out of the OT, but getting my toes to wiggle again was an experience by itself.
After that I had some time off, but the only thing I really did not do is put my feet up. I joined a gym and worked out religiously with as little stress on the knee as possible. It has certainly been worth it.
So now I'm planning to put a program together that will see me doing the Canberra Marathon next year.
Last week I did 30ks all up. Knee was just a tad tight, but that was it.
Then 14ks on Monday and that was a bit much so since then it's just been the gym. But there is no rush.
I also want to learn swimming properly and have started with the Total Immersion program. Quite tough, but I think it'll be worth it.

Lazarus rises?

Today I had a lousy run, but then, at least I had one.
In fact, I nearly went up to Kings Park for 8am to sign up for the 15k Pancake run, but then decided against it.
Instead, I left home at seven, passed by the start of the run (they were just setting up, so only a few runs) and got home having done only 6.5k.
On the other hand, at least I am running.
The orthopod did say that I could do no more damage and whether or not to have the op really was up to me entirely and how I felt about running with the knee as it is.
So, even though I was terribly underdone, I thought I might just head out for the City to Surf. I had done all of 2x 6.5k runs in the last two months, so yes, I certainly was not up to doing a quick time.
When I picked up the race number I was a bit embarrassed to say yes when the lady at the counter asked me whether I was still going to run in Group B, meaning I was aiming at doing a time of at least 58mins.
I said yes and I can say quite happily that I met the challenge. Although a few times I was very close to veering to the left and going home I just made it in 57:59! Actually I'm quite chuffed.
The following week I did a 12k run round Kings Park and then decided to do the Perth HM.
Again, completely underdone (boy, did my calves hurt afterwards) I headed out and managed to do it in 1:47.30. Admittedly, having Wife and little one cheering me on (and me scoring a kiss) at the half way mark did help.
So, overall, being 5.5 mins and 11 mins slower than last year at C2S and Perth HM respectively was not too bad.
This week, I did close to 13k on Wednesday and got on the bike into work on Friday and the knee is doing ok. Hurts, but it hasn't fallen off.
So having a bit of trouble this morning is not really a great drama.
Given how much work I've got on, I am actually looking forward to 27/9. At least I can tell everyone that I am just not going to be around.
Tomorrow I'll do the "bike thing" again and then we'll see what I feel like.
I'll also be looking to sign up for a rehab program at a gym Wifey has found so that I am adequately prepared pre-op for post-op.

The Verdict

Not much point trying to rehash the year so far as it has been pretty much c..p.

By June I was was doing long runs up to 32ks, so that was not all too bad, considering that I opted out of doing the Perth Marathon as we were going to fly overseas that very day. But by then I was getting a sharp pain on the inside of the right leg, just below the knee.

I did not want to really believe it but should have known that my old army injury was having a comeback.

So after a few visits to the doctors and an MRI I got the good word from the orthopod today: gnashed medial meniscus.

Unfortunately I'm a tad busy until late September, but had planned on taking October off anyway.

So 27/9 is it & after that I hope I'll be (slowly) on my feet again.

Until then, I'll ride the bike and should do some swimming. I have done a bit of running (as in very, very little), since the orthopod thought that I did not "need" the op and it was very much a matter of choice and how much pain I felt and wanted to put up with.

So notwithstanding the fact that I have had no training of substance in the last three months, I picked up the C2S race number today and might head out tomorrow. The BoM says there will be showers and possibly a thunderstorm (& also NW winds, oh dear!) but that will not sway me.
I'll see how the knee feels in the morning and decide then.

2007 Goals

Long time since the last post, I'll just briefly summarise:

The preparation for the planned 6-inch track 45k race was going ok - not perfect as I had real trouble for a while to get up early in the morning. 

However, my better half started joining me on the Saturday long runs on her bike and that was good fun! Who would have thought that she would ever get up early on a day when she was not on a schedule.

The accommodation was booked and all planned when I had to go back to Switzerland at the beginning of December as my godfather was very ill. Fortunately I managed to get there just before he passed away and we were able to spend a couple of days together.

I then ran in the Silvesterlauf, a 8.6k race through the middle of Zürich, very pitturesque, if a bit crammed. How I managed to focus during that race I have no idea as otherwise the whole time over there was quite draining. 

After dealing with the aftermath, I just got back for Xmas (the kids were happy), but I slept for the first three days back almost non-stop.

Apart from one run up the Üetliberg outside of Zürich I didn't run all month. 

By the end of the year I had at least mentally recovered, put on about 5kgs and ready to plan. Took me another week to work it all out, but then, hey, who's rushing?!

The year started well though as I started it with a run around Kings Park at 5:30 in the morning!

So the plan this year is to do the Bunbury, Perth and Rottnest Marathons, with a focus on doing Perth in 3:30 and Rottnest just to enjoy myself. Bunbury is not a must, especially as it is a mere six weeks before Perth and I may turn it into training run only.
I will also do the Perth Half (but not Freo as we will be in Melbourne then to see the Dalai Lama), Darlington Half, City to Surf and a few club races.
The 6-inch is a definite date (unless I decide to go skiing instead).

Training started for real last week and I have been keeping up with it. I also try to ride my bike to work to get some additional overdistance work done without the strain on the joints.

Eventually, I'll start swimming again - but first I'll need to figure out how to go about learning it properly - I am just so hopeless, it's embarrassing.