Time to get serious now I think

I have been in no mans land for the last few years it seems to me. I have not made any real progress in personal best times for 2 years. I have good reasons for this of course, my heel injury has been a massive hindrance.

I have pretty much proven to myself that I possess some decent speed and so long as the distance is short I can use it. I know male runners of my age that are regular sub 90 minute half marathon runners that cannot run at 3 min/km pace. I can run 2min40 pace, and I frequently do 3min/km in some short fast reps. 3min/km pace certainly is nowhere near my max effort  - I actually don't know my outright fastest pace the Garmin watch can measure, but I would not be surprised if I could reach 2:35min/km or maybe faster.  Yet my best HM race is still 1hr35, 6 to 7 MINUTES slower than a bloke I know that cannot go anywhere near as fast I over shorter distances. He does 18:45 or so for 5kms too, way faster than me..

This is not about comparing myself to others in absolute terms of performance, its a matter of my personal desire to reach my own potential, understanding what that potential might be, and devising a method to train effectively. Its not that I want to beat other people, I want to to explore how fast I am able to go over the marathon distance. I want the opportunity to have real hard go at it, at least once.

So, looking at things and applying some logic, the possible reasons for my lack of performance over the longer distances:

- I am perhaps built for sprints rather than distance
- I have not trained effectively to reach my optimum as far as aerobic capacity is concerned
- I am genetically predisposed to not improve much aerobically given a proper training work load and base buildup.

I think its true that I am built for speed, and its fairly natural ability. Its nothing truly remarkable though, in high school for example I was always second or third over 100 and 200's rather than winning all the time !! Give me something longer than 200m and I would be really fast though, and over 400's I was pretty quick. I never actually trained then, so of course put a real athlete on the track and I'd be beaten.

As far as being genetically limited in my ability to gain benefit from training, I have done a decent training cycle back in 2010 when I did my first marathon, and my fitness improved markedly. So I think I have a predisposition to train and improve, what I put is translated to real improvement. The limits of the training and the rate of improvements I have not found. Injuries have got in the way.

After all the experimentation and the outcome of my various training approaches - frequent shorter distances, faster running etc, I am now convinced of these facts - I have yet to reach my true potential, and have never trained to an optimal level of aerobic condition - I possess a lot of natural speed (although not in any way is it remarkable or earth shattering)  - I do tend to improve given volume training over several months.

I need to do this proper tireless running phase I have read about to get myself up to the performance level I want.

Its now time to get serious about this, no more buggerising about. My injuries are the best condition for YEARS. I managed to get to equal best 5km fitness and not be injured byt the training. And that was done with little to no traditional base fitness. So I have decided to begin a true, traditional high volume 'base aerobic fitness training' phase.

For me the training is going to be a radical change compared to what I am used to. Its going to be extremely tough, running 7 days a week, with several days doing a short recovery run in the AM followed by a volume steady state run in the PM. I will take days off when I feel I need it, but I will have a schedule to follow that has me running every day. I want to do this for 3 months, over the full summer season, so that at the beginning of January 2014 I am in hopefully the best aerobic condition I have ever been in.

The actual schedule I will devise soon enough.  One other factor needs to be addressed too.  I am going dry again, no alcohol at all for 3 months. And when I hit the ground again in Jan 2014, I hopefully will have another plan to follow, with the target race of Gold Coast Marathon 2014, July, and be dry for another 6 months. Like I said, no more buggerising about. 

10km easy in midday heat 30 degrees celsius

I did an easy 10km today, quite hot conditions. I stopped regularly for water. At the beginning I felt really tired, proper running volume tired. Kept the pace easy. Did the last 2kms slightly quicker at about 4:40 pace and finished with 5:01min/km average.

This run I felt MUCH better over the whole distance than last weeks run. I felt really tired initially but my body seems to have reacted and fired up, and I felt quite good toward the end. I felt as if I could have done another 2km at 4:40 with ease.

It feels a little like I might be reaching a peak now - rather than where I wanted to  last week leading up to the race I did. I have been doing this running and training thing for a while now, and I think I know the signs when things are coming good. Particularly signs like being hammered yet still cruising nicely at easy pace. Its a definite change I can feel in aerobic fitness.

So, my 5km race Saturday was a pretty decent training run :) I am recovering this week, I want to do a super easy 6kms tomorrow, and another 10km easy Thursday. Then a full day off running Friday, and a ParkRun Saturday.  I should be able to do a decent one there if all goes well and the signs I am feeling have been correctly interpreted :) Just need to recover adequately and find the motivation to really haammer myself again over 5kms.

I also will do a long run Sunday again, hopefully 17kms, building on the 15kms I did last week.

Yet again, I state that I want to go under 20mins for 5kms repeatedly. It should become a mundane, and consistent thing.  Seriously this goal should be done and dusted ages ago, for want of aerobic fitness, and consistent training that has held me back. So incredibly frustrating. Bloody injuries, I would not wish it on anyone.

Statistics summary - since I have reached 'best 5km paace'

I have reached my equal best fitness level for 5km races as of Saturday, 21 September 2013. Last year I hit about the same fitness level on 8 September 2012.

Last year, to get to that peak fitness level and do a 20:00 5km race, I did a total of 973.70 kms, and average pace for those was 10.6km/hr. Not that the pace is completely meaningful.

This year, I did 779kms to get to a fitness level to do 20:17 for the Twilight Bay 5km race. BUT Garmin watch says I did 5.08km's whereas the ParkRun last year was 4.97km's. The average pace is much higher this year too.

Effectively the race on Saturday was average 4:00min/km exactly, and that is marginally better than last years parkRun, and is the best average pace for a 5km race I have done since I beegan recording the races.


This years monthly tally :

Sep 2013              134.54 12.2
Aug 2013              172.04 12.4
Jul 2013              183.50 12.3
Jun 2013              129.35 11.5
May 2013      80.02 11.5
Apr 2013              69.02 11.6
Mar 2013              26.44 11.9

Last year:

Sep 2012              48.04 12.6

Aug 2012             124.15 12.5

Jul 2012             211.95 11.9

Jun 2012            197.44 11.7

May 2012    199.23 10.9

Apr 2012            136.79 10.7

Mar 2012            11.65 10.7

Feb 2012            7.63 4.6

Jan 2012            36.82 4.0

So, I have done about 200km less mileage than last year, but August and September this year have been better than last year.

Last years totals illustrate what I think I know about base fitness quite well. I managed three decent months of mileage 180kms+ in May, June and July. I backed off in August and September because I was hurting again, heels,  and in September after the Bridge to Brisbane I had hurt my right hip.  BUT the base fitness seems to have remained for the rest of August and September, good enough for me to have done the 20:00 ParkRun on September 8. Base fitness is something that - if built on consistent monthly mileage, takes  while to lose

This year I should end up having strung together three months in a row, not quite all 180km/month but close. And it means I should theoretically have my peak due AFTER the end of September.

I should have some faster 5km races ahead if my theory of 'three months consistency means a aerobic capacity improvement'  hold true. It seems to be right in past years so it is something to look forward to for the rest of the year.

1hr20 easy Sunday, 22 September 2013

Ran super easy, kept pace down and breathing was good. Legs were _sore_  though, as was chest, diaphragm, and my back muscles !!

I certainly tested myself on the 5km race, the evidence was clear on this 15km run. I remember in the 3rd and 4th km in the race on Saturday, I was beginning to feel it, just gassing out. I seem to have no problem on fresh legs to smash out a faster pace, my legs would carry me easily beyond 5km distance at 3:40 pace. The issue is ALWAYS getting enough air into me to carry that pace more than a couple of km's.

I recall in the 3rd and 4th km of the 5km race, being confronted with the fact that my lungs could not get enough air. It was a case of backing off a bit and and surviving. I was trying to make every breath count, really breathing deeply, and I think it was a help to do that.  That really deep forceful breathing left me with sore muscles in the chest.

Anything that is slightly sore means the body should adapt a little and be able to handle it better next time. ie I should be faster as a result ;)

So the run yesterday, I started off really slow, and as I warmed up picked the pace up slightly. Ended up 15kms, at 5:20 pace, and 1hr 20 minutes total. I am sore and tired today. But its a good sore and a good tired, the sort of thing I recover from, and improve fitness!!!

Plan is for steady mileage week in week out for the rest of the year with a speed session or two every two weeks. The ParkRuns will be good enough for speed work generally.

Twilight Bay 5km race 21 September 2013

This appears to be the best 5kms race I have done so far. Finished 20.17 across the line. My Garmin watch reads 5:08km's and I did exactly 5kms in 19:59. There is that damned number again!!!

My previous best 5km was exactly 20:00 the ParkRun just over one year ago. But it reads a bit shorter than today's race. Based on average pace today's race is the first time I managed exactly 4:00min/km .

The 1km splits for today:

4:43
3:53
4:04
4:10
4:11

The last 80 metres ( according to my Garmin watch  as extra over the 5km distance ) I did exactly 3:30 pace.
Anyhow, I reckon this is proof enough that I am officially at my equal best fitness for 5km races. My goal now is to build on this fitness level, improve my base fitness for the rest of the year, and and hit the road to begin marathon training again next year at a decent fitness level.

I know that I have a faster 5km time in me, its a matter of building on the base fitness I have now.

SUper easy 5km with gym running

Did a super easy 5kms this morning, just turning the legs over a little. Felt quite good.I need to learn to do this pace for my longer runs.

5km race tomorrow, about 34 hours to recover. I will be pretty good I think. Don't know if I can go fast. We shall see :)

5km easy followed by 10x30 fast 19 September 2013

Did what I said I'd do, 5km easy. ended up 4:39 pace average, pretty good. Last 1km done in 4:26.

Did the 10x30 speed session too, standing rest 30 seconds between. It was much tougher to do that usual, I guess because of the heat. I felt it. Also not quite feeling up health wise, a lingering cough and just lethargic.

Still I did them fairly fast. Again this sort of run really seems to invigorate me, I feel great after, pleasantly tired, and hungry. Ate a good big salad and some rice rolls, lots of water too.

I expect to be quite full of beans Saturday as a result of this run.