Planned run 90 minutes

Date: 28 Feb 2010
Time: 01:30:19 min
Distance: 18.74 km

http://connect.garmin.com/splits/25680273

I entered a Half Marathon race this morning (Sunday) at the last minute, just for the fun of it. The race was another one organised by the Brisbane Road Runners.

My aim was to get my scheduled 90 minute run in and see how I felt for the rest of the race. I intended to run slow and steady and I felt like I was, but I ended up running pretty fast for the first 16km's or so. I completely ran out of steam at 18km's. I have felt ill again for the last few days, this is getting a bit annoying. I felt really sick at 18km's distance, legs were cramping too, and I very nearly threw up for the first time in a run. I mean seriously nauseous.

It may just be me running too fast for this stage of the training, or I really am ill. OR I am just being affected by the heat. Maybe all three? I actually pulled out of the race at 90 minutes and walked back.

The pace I did:

5km 5:05
10km 46:20
15km 1:10:38
16.17 1:16:20
18km 1:25:56

I actually stopped and walked for the next 4 minutes, as that was where I felt really ill. I was thinking at the time that I am in this for the long haul, and decided that it was enough. There is no point damaging myself this early in the training.

Anyway what was important is I managed a good pace for that period.

I entered a race on the same course ( 10 mile run ) 2 weeks ago. In that run I managed 16.17 kms in 1:17:34. Today I managed a similar distance in approximately 1:16:20, so that at least is tangible improvement. I think that is mostly from sensible pace and a slightly cooler morning today than it was two weeks ago.

Comparing the 10 mile run and this one, I did the first 10kms at an almost identical pace today. The next 2 kms I did 30 seconds quicker, and at the 14km mark more than 1 minute quicker. Final comparison, I did 15km today more than one minute quicker than I did in the 10 mile race. Comparing heart rates for the 10 mile race and today's run, I averaged 158 today, and 155 two weeks ago. It does seem that my heart rate was elevated in general comparing the first 10km distance. So I may well be under a bit of extra stress due to feeling ill.

Yet more statistics:

- This week is the highest distance I have done since August last year, 42.82km
- This month is the highest distance I have done since July last year, at 144.29km

This week I am doing two speed sessions, one 40 minute run and a 1 hour 45 minute run, lower overall distance for next week.

6x2min with 1 minute standing recovery

Date: 26 Feb 2010
Time: 18:00 min
Distance: 3.61 km

http://connect.garmin.com/splits/25561801

Pretty good speed run - managed a pace similar to the 6x1 minute session I did exactly a week ago. I maintained a good pace until the very last one when my legs just didn't have anything left.

I felt ever so slightly flat today. Looking forward to my long run on Sunday. I plan to go out slow and just ease into the run, making sure I get the full 90 minutes in.

Planned run 40 minutes

Date: 24 Feb 2010
Time: 42:37 min
Distance: 9.07 km

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25433913

Another good honest 40 minute run, did slightly longer to count as a warm up. Heart rate was quite low, and I deliberately went at a slow pace. I let the hills work me again. My legs, particularly calves, and muscles around the ankles were quite sore during the run. That could be as a result of the hard gym session I did a day ago, or it could be related to the new shoes I am using. I need to give them time to wear in a little, as well as myself to get used to them. They feel like they force me on to my toes a little bit. That is not a bad thing at all.

I managed today to do an identical pace to the previous run, 4:56 min/km. I went about 1/2 km further and the heart rate was slightly lower at 147 bpm compared to yesterdays run where it was 148bpm. Hardly anything in it, at least I am consistent. I antisipate that this will be the pace that I will do the Marathon at.

Planned run 40 minutes

Date: 23 Feb 2010
Time: 41:41 min
Distance: 8.43 km

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25363633


Good honest 40 min run this AM. I set off with the goal to run steady and not exert myself too much. I let the hills do me in instead of too fast a pace like I have been doing recently. This is how I am supposed to be training. The theory being that I build up mileage and endurance using longer runs, and do specific speed runs each week to build on the endurance.

I did a hard gym session the night before, worked legs for strength. That induced a fair bit of fatigue for today's run, so I did feel a bit sore during the run. Aerobically I was quite ok, just muscles felt the burn a little.

Also I used a new pair of shoes, Brooks Glycerin 8. They seem quite bouncy in comparison to the old Brooks Infinity shoes I have used since Feb 2009. The old ones have done 864.70 km - at least that is the distance recorded since June 2009 - I have done much more than that, 4 months worth in the build up. More likely these old shoes have done over 1000kms !!! Pretty much spot on to get a new pair I think..

Also, looking at the month report of totals since July 2009, it looks like this month will be highest mileage since August 2009. This month I am already at 110kms. Two more runs to do, I anticipate that will be about 8.5km plus another 3 for the speed run on Friday. These longer runs each Sunday really make a difference.

Planned run 90 minutes

Date: 21 Feb 2010
Time: 73:27 min
Distance: 15.56 km

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25170205

I was supposed to do a 90 minute run this morning, but a couple of stupid things caused me to pull up short. I took off far to fast and I also started the run far too late in the morning. So I got a bit dehydrated as a result.

I resolve to do the long slow runs _long and slow_ from now on. If it is cool perhaps I might pick up the pace a bit. Also I really need to start off in the morning much earlier than I did this morning. I started my run at 7AM, and I need to start at least 1 hour earlier in this summer season anyway.

I managed to do quite a fast pace early on, and as I ran I did realise it was pretty hot. So I decided to stop quite a few times to get water into me. I suspect that because I was going fast it was near impossible to get enough water into me.

I did the sensible thing, pulled up early at 15km and went into the wading pool to cool off. I soaked for about 20 minutes. When I got home, I weighed 65.9. The night before I was 79kg, which means I lost close to 2.1 kg in sweat. I felt dizzy and a bit unwell, so I grabbed as much water as I could stomach, had a cold shower and went to bed. Got up at about 11AM. Not a particularly good start to the day!!

Christine and I went shopping today and got a new pair of shows each. I got a pair of 'Brooks Glycerin 8'. They seem pretty good, shall see how they go on my next run, Tuesday.

Planned run 6x1min speed with 45 sec recovery

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25013718


This is the first time since since 3 March 2009 that I have done this type of run and I blogged it :

http://mike-k-halfmarathon.blogspot.com/2009/03/planned-run-6x1-minute-speed-with-45.html

I did not state how it felt then, so I must have been feeling ok for it. This time last year I also blogged the first run of this type I did on Feb 20 2009:

http://mike-k-halfmarathon.blogspot.com/2009/02/planned-run-6-x-1-minute-speed-with-45.html

This time last year, I certainly felt this type of run. I apparently nearly exploded. This year, I felt really strong and did a really good, consistent pace:


3:29 min/km
3:18 min/km
3:25 min/km
3:18 min/km
3:26 min/km
3:32 min/km

Average speed 3:24. This is definitely a good sign. I have a longer run again this Sunday, 90 minutes.

Planned run 40 minutes

Date: 17 Feb 2010
Time: 40:03 min
Distance: 8.53 km

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/24862343

Pretty good run this AM, on a flatter course (No hills to slow me down). I did a run yesterday, and also did some gym work last night too:

- Leg curls
- Leg presses
- 25 minutes on the Cross Trainer, 'Round the World' level 25

Considering the gym work and the run yesterday, today's run was pretty fast. It is amazing what a difference a flat course makes. The hilly courses are definitely a good thing to do to build strength.

In this run I stopped twice for water - in one of those stops I stretched aswell. So my heart rate had two rest periods to recover, and the average heart rate was way down today. I am better off stopping for water often as the weather here is dangerously hot and humid. I might start carrying the water belt now.

The left knee has been really good these last few days. I think the icing has been having a good effect, and the leg strength work also seems to make a big difference. I also had an ice bath the morning of the 10 mile race I did on Sunday, and that must have helped a lot too. I will try to have an ice bath or a dip in a pool after every long run as that seems really beneficial.

I do feel I am suddenly making progress, and my potential speed has improved a bit lately. I just feel a bit stronger and seem to be able to hold a faster average speed with a lower heart rate. I have a speed session Friday, and I look forward to hitting that hard to see if I am faster now.

Planned run 40 minutes

Date: 16 Feb 2010
Time: 40:45 min
Distance: 8.02 km


http://connect.garmin.com/activity/24791205


I went quite slowly for thus run. I am still slightly sore from the 10 mile race on Sunday, and it was incredibly hot and humid this morning. Even at 6AM it was oppressive.

I definitely was affected by the heat and the work I did Sunday, so it is a good reason to go slow and preserve my body. My heart rate average was quite low too, at 147. Compared to a more pacey training run I usually average around 155 or so. So that is a good sign that I can take it easy and have pretty easy heart rate too.

I will continue with analysis of diet too, and try to work out the calorie intake. This is just so I can have an idea of how I may alter my diet to help ensure the right number of carbohydrates are being consumed.

Food Intake

SO, I am going to look at Monday 15 Feb 2010 and the amount of food and the calories I get.

Here is what I ate today:

- One Up and Go drink - 203 Calories
- 100g Weetbix with full cream milk - 351
- 3 bananas - 399
- 3 pieces of bread 300 calories
- 1 Peach - 43
- 50g mixed nuts - 100
- Salad including carrot, lettuce, Tomato 100
- One TV dinner 220 calories
- Juice drink, 200


That adds up to only about 1916 calories. I am pretty sure that is not enough for a full on training day!!

A typical 40 minute run I use up 660 calories. 16km/10miles - 1332. A HM - 1750.

This reveals I am not eating enough carbs. On the day of the 16km/10mi run, after the run itself, I ate a dozen oysters a piece of fish and a large amount of fried chips.. I estimate that was :

- 900 from the chips and fat therein
- 450 from the fish
- 100 from the Oysters

So I appear to have replenished the loss after the 10mi run at least. I seriously need to get more carbs in to me.

Planned run 60 minutes - Did a '10 Mile' race instead

Date: 14 Feb 2010
Time: 1:17:34 min
Distance: 16.17 km


http://connect.garmin.com/activity/24630560


Did a 10 mile race instead of the planned 60 minute run I had scheduled. The race was good, I went a little too fast at the beginning and had no legs left after aboute the first 30 minutes. So I struggled for the rest of the race. I managed a pretty decent average of 4:48.

I think I need to look carefully at my diet now too. I have eliminated alcohol until the marathon, and now I am trying to cut down significantly on caffeine. I am also going to watch the calorie intake to see if I am getting enough.

Planned run 30 minutes

Date: 12 Feb 2010
Time: 30:02 min
Distance: 6.47 km

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/24494343


I did another hard gym session last night. This time I concentrated on leg curls and leg presses, pushing myself much harder than previously. I then did 20 minutes on the cross trainer, 'World' setting and level 25. It is quite a good machine I think, definitely works you pretty hard but avoids stressing joints.

The run itself was really good considering the work I did the night before. I pushed a bit harder on the hills, and managed a better average speed. I backed off in the last 1 to 2 kms. I certainly felt stronger today for sure.

The knee problem seems mostly under control. I am still worried what is going to happen when I stack on the mileage I need to do to build up for the full marathon. I am hoping the gym leg work will help in that regard.

I am going to run a BRR (Brisbane Road Runners) 16km race on Sunday morning, I feel I am up for it, and may even do a pretty good time.

Left knee injury

So, this left knee injury is the strangest little problem. I have almost for certain identified what it may be - Hamstring Tendinitis. Left knee, at the back, where the tendons meet the leg below knee, inner side. The pain also creeps up slightly higher..

I managed to find a blog from some bloke that does ultra-marathons, 100mile runs. He managed to win one in fact. He does full marathons in sub 3hrs which is pretty darned good. He mentioned in the blog a week where he had symptoms similar to mine, and he treated it with ice, ice baths etc. He did not drop his mileage at all.

So I have been doing similar. The difference is quite remarkable. I treat it with ice pack, wrapped in a tea towel. I have a rubber/neoprene sock thing designed for a knee, made of similar material to a wet suite. I wrap the ice pack around the knee and slide the sock over it to hold in place. 20 minutes or so, then remove it and leave the sock on knee. I sleep with the support on the knee as well.

I have also been hitting the gym machines really hard. I have been doing leg curls to build up the hamstrings and nearby muscles. Even though it hurts slightly in the area where the injury is when I do these curls, my knee is completely loosened up after, and feels perfectly good. Even the day after it feels much better.

I suspect this problem is something similar to shin splints. In that condition, muscle and tendon build up causes tissue and nerve distress, and inflammation/pain. Simply because of the exercise, and the muscle/tendon build up, everything gets squeezed. Over time the body adapts and somehow repairs the problem, and you end up pain free, and stronger.

So I think perhaps what is happening in my knee/hamstring is similar. Muscle buildup, and repeated strain from running motion causes pain and inflamation. Hopefully things will settle down over time. Meanwhile I just need to keep on top of the inflamation and pain, icing, and resting when I have to, and keep the knee supported when I sleep so it is not aggravated.

Planned run 30 minutes

Date: 10 Feb 2010
Time: 30:07 min
Distance: 6.43 km

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/24359849

I had to miss a run Tuesday night because of the dreaded sore left knee. A pattern has emerged, where it flares up after a hard week. I need to keep a careful eye on the problem. I rested it, iced it and wore a pressure knee sock thing to bed.

That all seems to have allowed it to recover quite rapidly. I will try to have a cold bath after every run from now on, at the least after the Sunday long run. I will also ice the knee every day, morning and night, as well as wear the pressure sock to bed.

I get the feeling that the problem is related somehow to the way I sleep, as I recall being woken in the night regularly with the same knee in the same general area. So wearing the pressure sock seems to support the knee and help recovery.

It was a great relief to be able to run freely today. I did a hard gym session last night instead of running. I did 15 min on the cross trainer, using a hill resistance pattern called 'The World' at the highest level it has, #25. My heart rate got to about 148 or so at peaks. I then did 5000 metres on the rowing machine in just under 24 minutes. Then I did leg strength work, presses and curls, plus a heap of sit ups.

I did the run this morning just about 12 hours after the gym work, so it is a good sign that my legs were fresh enough. I definitely did not get the usual DOMS ( Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) that I have been getting from recent gym sessions. So I am getting stronger and recover quicker. I did feel the fatigue but not the soreness.

Planned run 80 minutes

Date: 7 Feb 2010
Time: 80:06 min
Distance: 16.16 km


http://connect.garmin.com/splits/24098068


This was an especially difficult run for me this morning. I think an accumulation of hard work this past week plus feeling slightly under the weather was the cause. I did a pretty fast pace for my standards early on, with the first 4km all under 4:40min/km pace. Probably a little too fast for a longer run, but I am aiming for a race pace around 4:35 for longer races in general, so I should try to aim for that in training too.

It was very hot and humid this morning, and I stopped three times for water, stopping the timer on the watch each time. So I probably benefited from those rest periods.
After the run I was seriously tired, and sick so I slept on the couch for a while. Writing this 4 hours later, I am still feeling quite bad.

I hope I am not coming down with something.

Planned run 40 minutes

Date: 5 Feb 2010
Time: 40:10 min
Distance: 8.12 km

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/23961859


After the hard runs I have done this week - The long Sunday run, hard gym work Monday, run Tuesday, hills Wednesday - I was quite sore today for this run.

I took off reasonably fresh, and headed for a route that includes a few hills. The first 3 km were fine because it is flat for 2k's and has a very small hill in the third. But the rest has a few bigger hills. The condition I am in lead to me being hit really hard by the hills, so I struggled to hold a good pace.

Quads and calves are really sore. Aerobically I felt ok, but I was pushing hard on the muscles.

Next week is an easier one, shorter runs and no hills - a recovery week, and I may need it.

Planned run 10 x 300m hills

http://connect.garmin.com/splits/23911039

I used this hill a couple of weeks ago and failed to do the full 10 repetitions. And I only had to walk recover. This run, I had to jog the recovery.

I was also still sore from the Sunday 1hour 10min run, the gym work I did on Monday night, and the run I did on Tuesday morning. So this session was really hard!! I managed to do the first five or or so running, but then did 4 where I had to walk the last 10 metres of the peak of the hill. I then did the last rep running fully. Comparing the previous hill session I went a whole lot slower in this one. I did take it easy speed wise, but the already sore legs made it much harder despite the slower pace.

All I can say is that it really pushed me physically, more so than I have ever done in a training session of this type. I write this the next day, and am pretty sore. I have a run tomorrow morning, a 40 min - I will try to keep the pace up for that run. I have a 1 hour 20 run Sunday and then next week is a easy recovery week. I think I will need it.

Planned run 40 minutes

Date: 2 Feb 2010
Time: 40:09 min
Distance: 8.52 km

http://connect.garmin.com/player/23765402

Did this run in the AM Tuesday, after doing some strength work at the gym the night before. I did the following:

- Sit ups 4x15
- Leg presses in inclined 'squat' machine. Individual leg, 10 reps, increasing weight on each rep. Ended up at weight '11' so ten sets.
- 10 minutes on the cross trainer machine, managed to get heart rate up to 143.


I am a little sore from the inclined squat machine, and so had a pretty hard run today. Still managed a pretty good pace.

I need to do some more racing at some stage though I am not sure when I will get the chance. I am sticking to my training schedule and there are no short distances that co-incide with races on the calendar.

I have 10x300m hills tomorrow morning, with a jogging recovery. That will be hard as I will use the same hill as I did last time. And in that one I tanked at the 8th rep with a walking recovery!! I will try to do the full reps !!

Planned run 70 minutes

Date: 31 Jan 2010
Time: 69:08 min
Distance: 13.96 km


http://connect.garmin.com/activity/23597470

Good slow run Sunday afternoon/evening. Pace was faster early on, and I used a route with a lot more hills than I have recently been doing. That resulted in slowing me down a little. My pace drops off markedly when I hit the inclines and that is something I need to work on.

I will incorporate this route as often as possible from now on as I need to use hills in longer runs.

It also began to pour with rain with big winds blowing the rain sideways in the last 25 minutes or so of this run. That had a couple of effects, one was cooling me down. That was quite pleasant, as it was very hot and steamy. It also distracted me from pain that you generally have in a longer run. Finally it also filled my shoes with water, making them three times as heavy. All that resulted in me feeling very fresh, like I could go on for another hour or so. But the heavy shoes had an impact, making muscles around ankles feel it a bit so I was glad the run was nearly over.

I was also concerned about blistering, as I have heard that wet shoes can cause them. But I pulled up with no more blistering than I would have in a long dry run. That is another thing I seem to have been very fortunate about, I have yet to suffer badly from blistering. I must have lucked out on my choice of shoes.

Overall an interesting run and pretty good pace overall considering the circumstances. I have a gym session tonight were I will work on core strength and cross train a little.