Twin Peaks

It wouldn't of been much better if I had married Miss Wang, my family name is Brown you know ;)

Anyway on to more serious matters.

Moving toward my goal of consistency and quality in training. I fully expect after doing my long run tomorrow morning to have done 112kms this week. This is something I'm happy with as it is another mileage record for me. Although I'm not doing this for the records,I am interested in how my body is dealing with these long weeks. I've, since starting running 4 years ago, never gone much above 70kms per week, for the most part running between 30 and 60kms per week.

It is a bit premature to make any bold conclusions but it seems like on the whole I can handle them. I just seem to need an adequate amount of sleep the night after a long/hard session and I'm alright the next day. I've been trying to include three sessions, 1 hour each, of weight and core exercises but those leave me feeling pretty weak, i.e needing a saucer of milk, so I have cut them back to two and will in fact stop them altogether before any future speed work sessions and race pace sessions. The only complaint I have is a small ticklish cough that was probably picked up as my immunity would have to have been a bit low after a month of hard training. The week after next I'll drop the kms and increase my weight sessions again and just keep trying to mix it up in a way that enables me to keep a high level of fitness, not breakdown and remain on the high mileage wagon, so to speak.

I have some more happy news to report, last Tuesday I did a 3KTT and finally cracked 11:00mins. I've not been able to get below 11:01 for about three years, for a few reasons. Firstly, I hate the feeling of legs screaming with pain and being out of breath (call me old fashion), and I also haven't been methodical and consistent enough in my training to warrant breaking this time. But now I think I know how to do it and I may be able to keep chipping away at this new time in the next two or so years. I say this with a little confidence as this new 3KTT time of 10:53 came on the day after I returned from a day off because of a cold. So I think it's something to be sneezed at ;)

One hundred and four and not sore

I have in the week just finished, done my longest mileage to date. Did over 100kms for the week, 104 to be exact. The "104 and not sore" title isn't really true but saying "104 and shafted" doesn't have such a good ring to it. Took yesterday off, my short recovery run, as I felt weak as a kitten and a bit fluey but today Tuesday morning I did a nice slow 21kms and have come good again. Anyway I'll just keep trying to click the kms over and back off when things seem to be getting a bit wobbly, like Lulu said I should. Here is the week that was. Another one done, ten to go.

Mon 19 35 MIN RR 5:19 to 5:38 per K
Tue 20 3KTT warm up warm down did 11:13
Wed 21 1HR 30 MIN 4:50 - 5:27 per K
Thu 22 50 MIN RR 5:19 to 538 per K
Fri 23 12K @ mara pace 4:15 per K
Sat 24 15K around 5:15 per K
Sun 25 29K 4:50 - 5:27 per K

Total 104kms

You all have a good week.

High mileage gamble

“You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya punk?”

First week on the quest for more mileage and so far so good.

Mon 11 35 MIN RR 5:19 to 5:38 per K
Tue 12 10K @ MARA PACE sub 4:15 per K
Wed 13 1HR 30 MIN 4:50 - 5:27 per K
Thu 14 50 MIN RR 5:19 to 538 per K
Fri 15 3KTT warm up warm down did 11:56
Sat 16 15K around 5:15 per K
Sun 17 26K 4:50 - 5:27 per K

Total 98kms

First week done in my countdown to Townsville marathon. Didn't quite hit 100kms but happy nonetheless as this is my most kms in one week ever.My legs are a little sore around the knees but I'm not feeling too beat up as I had an hour massage yesterday and that helped get a bit of tiredness out of the old pins.

Another good sign for this stage of my build up is that I've been able to lose a fair bit of weight. Been doing core exercises, weights and eating high protein small meals at regular intervals.The gut is starting to lose its layer of fat. I don't have six pack abs yet but with all this training and this eating regime I should be looking like our friend above come race day. Of course with a bit more skin ;)

Thanks to Ewen, Robert Song and Steve Lacey, I read and am taking your advice which I will adjust week by week according to how I'm holding up. You're all right as well, too much speed work maybe counter productive at this stage I'll just try for some sustained quality and to build my endurance.

Plan

May 2008

WEEK 11

Mon 11 35 MIN RR 5:19 to 5:38 per K
Tue 12 10K @ MARA PACE sub 4:30 per K
Wed 13 1HR 30 MIN 4:50 - 5:27 per K
Thu 14 3 X 3K sub 4mins per K 90sec rest between efforts
Fri 15 35 MIN RR 5:19 to 5:38 per K
Sat 16 1.5K X 4 6:30 per 1.5K 60sec rest between efforts
Sun 17 2HRS 30 MIN 4:50 - 5:27 per K

week total about 90kms

The above is the 1st week of an 11 week marathon plan that will take me to the Townsville Marathon. I want to basically repeat this plan for the first 4 weeks, in
the 5th week cut back on the speedwork and mileage a little just to give the body a little rest. For the last weeks until the taper go back to following the same basic pattern. The only things I think I will change are the speed at which I do my fast runs, I want to run them at the paces recommended for those capable of a sub 3 hour marathon and I want to increase the Tuesday marathon pace run slowly each week so as by 4 weeks out I'm running close to 30kms @ marathon pace.

So what do you think about this? I will be busy with work but I'm going to try very hard not to miss any planned sessions as I know that even a bad plan done with consistency is going to work better than a good plan done sporadically.

I've had professional advice about strength training and diet that I will implement as well because a couple of weeks ago I had a fitness test and was found lacking in many areas. This came as I bit of a shock as I'd considered myself a pretty healthy specimen. For example, I was told that my body fat % was 23. That is mainly on my love handles. Now that's not what it should be if I want to run sub 3 hour marathon.

Still it does give me some hope cause if I'm able to get all the numbers down or in place then it just may be possible to run some times that I can't even imagine yet.

Anyway, any advice on these topics by you would be much appreciated.

And I'd like to apologize for the last karaoke post. I know it was a bit of a disaster, but if I was going to butcher a song it's better to do it to that song than to a good one, don't you agree?

I think I love you!

Just mucking around with this karaoke program I found. Normal posts will resume shortly.