velocity victories week 1

Sunday 18/5/08; AMish (1015start);
Ran 29km in 2hr 52min 36. HR-144 (5min 57 per km)
LSD (long slow distance) session, but about as high in intensity as one can go before it starts to become more of an LFD (Long Fast Distance) session.
On my TOLP (tour of local parks) course...4x6.75km + 2km hull park course.
6.75km splits; 37min 04 /43min 51 /39min 30 /40min 30
last 2km 11min 41

Nice solid long run...stopped twice for drinks breaks, and a few other times to get pebbles,bits of grass out of my shoes...Original plan was to do 27km, but once I got out there was feeling good, and decided to add another 2km onto it. Left knee aching a bit, from all the bitumen, and some concrete (but also lots of grassy sections in the parks), but overall no major problems.

Saturday 17/5/08; AM; 200 Abdominal Crunches.
Ran 1000m/500m/2x300m. (rests;3min/5min/3min)
Times; 3min 49.81/1min 53.97/59.75/61.25
Heart rates at end of rep; 177/174/177/177
Noranda Track midday, My wife Kathryn jogged for 6minutes, then ran a 400m.
Jacob who is now well past 9 months, went to sleep again on his second visit to the track in the pram.
I was thinking of doing a few more 300m reps, but some bloke turned up and let two large dogs run free all over the track, (illegal, but very common problem at ovals) so I decided rather than confrontation or try and do reps and fight off dogs from me, and potentially my wife and baby, I'd call it a day and go home instead.

Overall some good speedwork, with heart rates a bit lower than has been the norm for me in recent years, so maybe I am hitting a slightly higher level of fitness this week. Resting heart rate of 47 on one day this week supports that hypothesis, and my weight was 74.6kg this morning.

I think that short reps session combined with the 4000m last night should ramp things up for me a little fitnesswise too, and maybe , just maybe, we can put in a good 4 weeks between now and about the 15th June (Perth Half Marathon), which to me is the most crucial time in putting good training on the board for the Perth Marathon on July 6th. I have enough aerobic base in the bank already, and can easily maintain that, its the speed and fitness gains that will get me well into 3 hour territory if all goes well on the day I think.

Particularly happy with the 3.49 1km today as its been awhile (last time was 2nd March 2006!) since I have done a sub 3.50. That was one reason why I did the 1km rep first because I wanted to hit it while I was fully fresh. Hit 200m in 37 seconds, and then went through 400m in 1.25, 600m in about 2.14, 800m in 3.06, so 200m splits of 37/48/49/52/43, which is pretty decent...I felt comfortable, I think I could have got close to 3.40-3.45, if I had gone after it a bit more at the end.

Injury report;Kathryn had a bad day with her right knee flaring up laterally, while for me my left knee was a little tight posteriorly...So a nice short reps session. I think in the end Kathryn gained something today also...,if so a successful day at the track for us both.

Friday 16/5/08; PM; Ran 4000m timetrial in 17minutes 44.62seconds at Belmont track straight after just over 6 hours meter reading work, while waiting for the work traffic to clear a bit.
1km splits; 4.10/4.32/4.36/4.26. (Average speed; 4min 26 per km)

Heart rate was 186 at the end, thanks partly to a reasonably solid finish, but reckon I could have got it into the 190's or higher if I had gone hard to the line, I think that was a mistake, should have have finished off hard so will bring it home with a bit more intensity in the last 100m next time I do a timetrial, probably worth about 3 seconds... So probably was hitting high 170's heart rates most of the way. 400m splits (a little approximate as I am not sure I remembered the 2400m,2800m, and 3600m splits correctly); 1.34/1.39/1.50/1.46 1.53/1.51/1.53/1.50 1.49/1.39...

It was pretty close to pitch dark by about 1km, but I used the light on my watch, and the grass track at Gerry Archer was well marked with fairly new white marking, so didn't have any trouble seeing what I needed to.
Pretty satisfied with that timetrial as a marker for where I am at. Hopefully I can do it again in 4-5 weeks time and be greatly improved on the 17min 44 effort.

Thursday 15/5/08; AM; Cycled 20minutes on exercise bike very slowly Heart rate only made it to 90... Also did 150 Ab Crunches. An attempt to wake up, and start the day off a bit differently before work...Not a total failure, but not very awe inspiring either.
Probably worth something. Especially good to get the ab crunches done as I have not done them for a few weeks.


WEEK 9 (12/05/08-18/05/08);


Volume; 230min + 30hrs MR work. Sessions; 4 +MR

Best RHR; 47 bpm
Sleep; 46hrs (6.57hrs per night) *28


OD/LSD; 29km long run 18/5


Races/Time trials/LFD; 4000m 17.44 16/5

Reps sessions;1km/500m/300m/300m 3.49!/1.53/59/61 17/5


5-point strategy measures;
1-long run/ride etc done?-yes achieved.

2-2x reps/race/timetrial sessions done?-yes achieved just...
3-Abs done?-yes achieved x2

4-cycling done-yes achieved.

5-swim done?-no failed



Comments;...A half-decent week. Got long run done, had an ok 4000m time trial, and hit a 3.49 1k plus a few other short reps. Did not get the higher intensity stuff over 10-20k done that I planned, but overall, I think I made some progress this week, plus got a better heart rate, weight is still good, and feels like there is light at the end of the tunnel on all fronts. The next 5 weeks is crucial with the Perth Marathon only 8 weeks away now. Its do or die, now or never time in these next 5 weeks. I have probably one of the best aerobic base foundations I have had in the last 4-5 years, and, the short stuff has shown some good signs here and there. Seem to be adjusting better to the demands on my life, and am hopeful of some good training weeks in the next few weeks. Its still really despeerate stations a bit, but God willing a few blessings come my way, and some progress should start to be made...Feel like I have climbed up from the cliff face, and have taken my first step on the plateau in the right direction, so hopefully by next week, it will be 2 or 3 steps...

Looking back over my hard copy training book tonight, I get the impression I am hitting a good improvement curve this year, if I can keep the momentum ticking over.
Have sensed this several times this year (like my 46km on 24th March, and my 47min 10k at Matilda Bay in February for examples...), although it is very hard to predict a marathon effort, there are some signs I am ready to go deep into 3 hour territory this year, something I have not done since 2004, so I am quietly confident 2008 could be my best year ever so far with marathons, if I can keep progressing...