RHR 37!!! and 10 to 10-10-10

Sunday;
AM;
Ran hilly 9km in 43min 23 @ 4min 51 per Km. HR 168 at end.
To Chooks and back 2 laps...
Terrain is a bit varied with some trail/soft sand sections and a lot of bitumen and grassy sections. Mostly a good course, but the terrain variations, crossing one major road, and the 3 small but steep hills make this a lot tougher than a standard flat course on an oval or a track or a road, although a lot of this course is on road so some of it is fast, but a bit hard to get into a good rhytm all the way so a bit of a stop/start surge-ish course...which does suit my kind of pace changes...The hills and soft sandy trail bits makes me work a bit harder...Pretty happy with this run, not really an easy run, attacked too much for that, but too hard to run this as a proper time, trial so somewhere between a tempo run and a time trial in run purpose/style...Needed a good hitout to get into right mental state for my 3 year olds birthday party today, and to clear the cobwebs after the busy week...This certainly did that, and its clear I have hit another level of running in the last 2-3 weeks, even though Ive only run about 2 or 3 times...

Started out hard at about 4.25per K pace, slowed a bit on the return lap to about 4.36 per K, then the 3rd lap I lost the plot a lot, slipping out to a plodding 5.20 per K or something like that, although its not that long ago that I would have considered that a decent pace...but I have stepped up in the last week or two...last lap was back on track at about 4.38 per K...
2.25km splits; 9.59/10.47/11.42/10.55...

So I am ready to go and tomorrow the 10 week attack starts in earnest. 2nd August hopefully the dawn of my best 10 week block of training since the early 1990's...when I was racewalking at Nationals...

Recorded my lowest resting heart rate (RHR) of all time this week on Friday morning of 37 beats per minute!!! Oh for a race! Guess I will just have to try and hang on for the Perth Half next weekend, maybe a trip to Masters for a short fast hitout might be good too. The 37 is a sensational stat. Its 3 beats lower than I have ever recorded before, its my first ever sub 40 RHR since I started recording them in 1995, and if I remember correctly its the resting heart rate Mona said he started at when he first started training seriously. With 10 weeks to go until Melbourne Marathon on 10/10/10 its a big mental boost to my morale. Reinforces to me that maybe just maybe 10/10/10 is going to be my big PB day...Weight was also down this week around the 77-78kg mark, my lowest since 2008 when I ran 3.55 in the Perth Marathon and missed my PB by 8 seconds off minimal training. I know to make it happen from here I just need to hit my key sessions, continue with my lifestyle improvements and keep holding together the juggling act which is my family and 2 jobs mix. It won't be easy, but I am optimistic that the tough times of June are behind us, and things are picking up. Ive made some roster adjustments at work so I can get a better work/life balance and do more metering which will help supplement my limited training time. It seems my return to metering in recent weeks/plus lifestyle improvements/watching my weight/eating a little less/better is already paying off bigtime, with;
1. the RHR of 37 this week...which = more efficient heart/lungs= faster times with less effort.
2. the 22.06 5000m seasons best (SB) (only 17 seconds off my admittedly very soft track PB of 21.49)..confirmation I am progressing, despite the pathetic muck up of the Perth Marathon...again...
3. the weight dipping under 78kg for first time since mid/late 2008= better BMI=better power to weight ratio = faster times with less effort.
Admittedly the weight drop to 77.2kg was partly due to me not eating much that day after being too tired from juggling metering with a tooth extraction and losing a lot of blood. Spent an hour spitting out blood every 5 minutes after my tooth extraction while walking fast around the streets metering to finish off a round before the end of the day.

Its been a hardish week as per usual, but I have been attacking my metering, and between that and my other job, and Jacobs 3rd birthday party this weekend, its been a chaotic week again. But good to make some progress on my dental issues which I have been putting off for months, rather than have a situation to deal with a few weeks out from Melbourne. A PRE-emptive strike George Bush style or PRE style if you like. Which I do. which reminds me;goodbye lemons........
Running? well none of that in the first 6 days this week, but did get out this morning for a run...

10 weeks to go til 10/10/10. The next 10 weeks is hopefully the time to get serious and to get my key sessions done, get better at my juggling, so I can;
1. repay the debts (which have built up thanks partly to the terrible economic situation we are stuck with at the moment partly due to the government failing to govern),
2. end the waste (in my lifestyle...eating too much fatty junk food, not sleeping enough, working too many hours and straddling two jobs too much etc etc etc),
3. stop the boats (of doom in my mind, and in the injuries and environmental and socio-economic and other obstacles to racing well),
and
4. stand up for real action in improving my times, eventually smashing my PB's and maybe just maybe hitting my targets of sub 18 5k, sub 38 10k, sub 90 Half and sub 3 marathon in the next few years...
oh and elect the coalition too on Aug 21...
thats my action contract with myself. ...