30x400m / 20x200m / 2x1km, 4x500m

Monday

AM
Strength

PM
Rest. Right Hammy not right, lots of needles and a massage, should be right by Thursday.


Tuesday

AM
9km@4:36kms Five Dock Bay

+ Strength

PM
30x400m (1) Glover St Oval

76.0avg. Active recovery, hammy felt better every effort, almost a gliding effect repairing the tissue.

On holidays for the next 12 days, looking forward to some extra time for training.


Wednesday

AM
16km@4:53kms The Bay

PM
13km@4:56kms Faulconbridge Point

Year 4 of this Xmas Day arvo run with Hamish and Ben, most enjoyable run of the year despite the rain again.


Thursday

AM
10km@4:53kms The Bay

PM
20x200m (1min cycle) Curl Curl

35.0 avg

Just off the back of Jared each rep, the easy few days paid off. I will test the hammy with something fast tomorrow.


Friday

AM
10km@4:52kms Hen and Chicken Bay

+ Strength

PM
2x1km (7) 4x500m (5) The Bay

2x1km comfy 3:00, 3:00
4x500m cut down 87, 84, 81, 76

Hammy ok, couldn't quite stride out, but an effective session nonetheless.


Saturday

16km@4:48kms Hen and Chicken Bay


Sunday

AM
21km including 14km@4:10kms The Bay

Bloody windy

PM
10km@4:44kms Hen and Chicken Bay

+ Strength

152km week

10x100m / 20x200m / 6x60m Hills / 10x100m + 1x300m Hill / 400m-54.47

Monday

AM
Strength

PM
10x100m Glover St Oval


Tuesday

6x60m from 400m Starts + 20x200m ES Marks

10x200m (30) 33.9avg
4x200m (1) 30.1avg
2x200m (2) 28.8, 29.0
2x200m (3) 28.0, 28.5
2x200m (4) 27.2, 26.0

31.36avg

Had the lung function test today, the medication appears to make it worse, have a follow up with the Dr on Saturday.


Wednesday

6km@3:56kms Glover St Oval
+
6x60m Hills Glover St Garden (Flying starts) - fastest 9.90
+
10x100m Cooldown Strides


Thursday

6x100m Strides
4x Broken 100m - Crouch start Sprint 40m, float 30m, sprint 30m
300m Wharf Rd Hill - 49.3

Torture.


Friday

6km including 6x100m Observatory Hills


Saturday

AM
5x100m Strides

PM
400m-54.47 1st O/35 SOPAC 68.9kg

+9km easy

Glad to get that out of the way, my slowest since my first ever 54.7 on grass at Glenbrook Oval in 1990. Nursing a right hammy strain so had to granny shuffle, hardly surprising with all the cramming i've attempted this week off the back of a 160km week. Executed well considering it's been at least 7 years since my last time out of blocks. A bit embarrassing, but confident i will run 2sec faster next time.

On a positive, saw Dr Helen for my lung results yesterday, 161% off the charts capacity but drops to 117% after ventolin. Started new medication Intal yesterday with a little help from Dr JH. Hard to tell   but felt a bit better than i've been feeling.


Sunday

AM
24km@4:53s Centennial Park

103km week

600m, 6x200m / 2x(300m,200m,100m) Hills / 800m-2:14

Monday

AM
9km@4:28kms Five Dock Bay

PM
16km@4:50kms Perimeter Trail
+ 4x100m Strides

Tuesday

AM
9km@4:39kms Glover St Oval

PM
600m (5) 6x200m Strides (1:30) ES Marks

90.01


Wednesday

AM
9km@4:40kms Five Dock Bay

PM
20km@5:10kms Long Trail + Cowan Trail


Thursday

AM
7km@4:45kms Five Dock Bay

PM
2x(300m, 200m, 100m) (jog back/4min) Callan Park Hills

49.00, 32.30, 14.37
45.12, 30.22, 12.95


Friday

AM
9km@4:27kms Five Dock Bay

PM
6km@4:40kms Glover St Oval


Saturday

AM
5km@4:52kms Five Dock Bay

PM
800m-2:14 8th SOPAC

+ 9km easy

Couldn't breathe, had a lung function test booked in the morning with a view to prescribing an alternate option to Ventolin, but the machine failed so it's rescheduled for Tuesday.


Sunday

AM
24km@4:39kms Centennial Park

PM
9km@4:08kms The Bay

163km week, bit frustrating to taper and not get a result, on the positive, i'm bloody fresh. Will try a 400m next Saturday, suffocating for 400m will be much more pleasant than suffocating for 800m.

4x200m Hills, 10x1min efforts / 300m Hill, 1km hard, 20x200m / Curl Curl Parkrun + 6x200m / 4x500m Hills

Monday

AM
8km-4:58km Five Dock Bay

PM
16km-4:24km Centennial Park


Tuesday

AM
7km-4:53km Timbrell Park

PM
4x200m Progressive Hills Callan Park (2:30 walk back)

33.4, 31.4, 29.9, 28.5

10min rest

10x1min efforts (1) Glover St Oval


Wednesday

AM
7km-5:08km Five Dock Bay

PM
16km-4:07km 36 laps of Glover St Oval


Thursday

AM
9km-4:40km Five Dock Bay

PM
300m Hill (10) 1km (10) 20x200m (30) Callan Park/Glover St Oval

300m Hill - 41.68

1km - 2:39

20x200m - 31.7 avg


Friday

AM
16km-4:26km The Bay

+ Strength

PM
9km-4:18km Barnwell Park


Saturday

AM
5km-17:23 (3:29kms)  Curl Curl Parkrun

+ 6x200m jog back

PM
Strength


Sunday

AM
9km-4:12kms Five Dock Bay

PM
4x500m Wharf Rd Hills (8min walk back)

1:40, 1:40, 1:40, 1:29.45

163km week

2km + 6x200m / 4km + 4x300m Hills / 6x300m Hills / 16km Tempo

Monday

AM
5km-24:18 (4:52kms) Five Dock Bay

PM
12x100m SOPAC


Tuesday

2km-6:41 (7) 6x200m (200m jog)-30.0 avg ES Marks


Wednesday

AM
9km-4:43km Barnwell Park

PM
16km-4:19km Drummoyne Oval


Thursday

AM
9km-4:28kms The Bay

PM
4km effort + 4x300m Cutdown Hills (jog back) The Bay/Callan Park

14:24 (3:36kms)
55, 51, 50, 47

Left the watch running from start to finish, total 17.85km, seems i've been underestimating the incidental running we do each session, not that it matters.


Friday

AM
9km-4:27kms Drummoyne Oval

+ Strength

PM
16km-4:34kms Drummoyne Oval


Saturday

AM
6x300m Hills (walk back) Callan Park

44.0 avg

PM
9km-4:50kms Barnwell Park


Sunday

AM
16km-61:05 (3:49kms) The Bay

PM
Strength +
13km-4:39kms Everywhere

165km week including 6ish km at 800m effort.

300m, 200m, 3x2km / 90, 75, 60, 45, 30, 15 / 2x3km Fartlek + 8x150m

Monday

AM
Strength


Tuesday

PM
300m (7) 200m (7) 3x2km (4) ES Marks

300m-39.65
200m-26.80
3x2km-6:52, 6:52, 6:52


Wednesday

AM
Strength

PM
7km-31:05 (4:27kms) Centennial Park


Thursday

AM
7km-33:18 (4:46kms) The Bay

PM
90sec (7) 75sec (6) 60sec (5) 45sec (4) 30sec (3) 15sec Drummoyne Oval

90 - 2:46km pace
75 - 2:38
60 - 2:34
45 - 2:30
30 - 2:24
15 - 2:20

Way too slow, should all be sub 2:30s. Legs stiff and sore from lifting too heavy yesterday, stupid.


Friday

Rest


Saturday

2x3ish km Fartlek, 8x150m (jog back) Nolan Reserve

3:46kms

+ Strength


Sunday

24km-1:47.01 (4:28kms) Centennial Park


76km, productive rest week. 1100m faster than 800m pace, a good 300m and strength gains.

4x150m, 300m, 200m, 6x1km / 3km + 2x1500m Fartlek / 5km Parkrun + 10x1min

Monday

AM
7km-33:05 (4:44kms) The Bay

PM
16km-68:30 (4:17kms) The Bay


Tuesday

AM
7km-33:05 (4:44kms) The Bay

Déjà vu

PM
4x150m (walk back), 300m (4) 200m (5) 6x1km (6min cycle) ES Marks

4x150m-20.1avg
300m-40.55
200m-27.20
6x1km-3:17 avg, comfy, got quicker each rep as I recovered from the sprints.


Wednesday

AM
8km-39:33 (4:57kms) Five Dock Bay

+ Strength

PM
17km-1:18.45 (4:38kms) Centennial Park

Crazy bike action


Thursday

AM
7km-33:48 (4:50kms) The Bay

PM
3km (5) 2x1500m Fartlek - 30 hard/30 float  (2) The Bay

9:56, 5:11, 5:13


Friday

AM
Strength

PM
10km-42:47 (4:17kms) The Bay


Saturday

AM
5km-17:51 (10) 10x1min (1) Curl Curl

PM
16km-85:20 (5:20kms) Woronora Pipeline

Hilly and I loved it, hungry for more hills.


Sunday

AM
24.2km-1:54.54 (4:45kms) Centennial Park

PM
6km-27:57 (4:40kms) Barnwell Park

161km week, 3 solid sessions, 1100m faster than 800m pace.

1x400m, 4x2km / 7km Tempo / 4x150m, 1x300m / 5km Parkrun + 4x Broken 5min

Monday

AM
8km-37:56 (4:45kms) Five Dock Bay

PM
16km-71:24 (4:28kms) Drummoyne Oval


Tuesday

AM
8km-38:14 (4:47kms) Five Dock Bay

PM
400m (15) 4x2km (3) Drummoyne Oval

400m-56.48
4x2km-6:48, 6:47, 6:46, 6:44

+ Strength

Not too bad, time for something fast on the track next Tuesday to see how I'm travelling.

My mate's horse won The Cup, he's a massive sports fan who really gets it....the more you bet the more you win ca-ching $$$$$$$ yeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! :-)

Wednesday

AM
8km-39:34 (4:57kms) Five Dock Bay

PM
16km-77:20 (4:50kms) Gladesville


Thursday

AM
8km-38:15 (4:47kms) The Bay

PM
7km-25:20 (3:37kms) The Bay

45sec quicker than my previous two attempts, which is a big improvement but still awful. Thursday sessions during heavy training reveal true fitness, starting to handle the work.


Friday

AM
Strength

PM
4x150m (4) 10min rest 300m Drummoyne Oval

4x150m-fastest 20.07
300m-39.90


Saturday

AM
5km-17:36 (3:31kms) + 4x Broken 5min Curl Curl

4x Broken 5minutes (1min hard, 1min ezy, 1min hard, 1min ezy, 1min hard) (3)

A bit sore from the heavy strength and particularly the fast 300m yesterday so went out much slower with the intention of coming home fast. 2km-6:55 12sec slower than the previous 2 attempts and despite attempting to pick it up I ran the final 3km identical to the last 2 attempts.

PM
10km-48:50 (4:53kms) Five Dock Bay


Sunday

AM
24km-1:54.40 (4:47kms) Centennial Park

+ Strength

PM
7km-33:06 (4:44kms) Five Dock Bay

163km week, 4 speed sessions, 1300m at faster than 800m pace. Might get fit if i keep this up.

4x Broken 8min / 20x200m + 1x400m / 5km Parkrun + 2x Broken 5min

Monday

27km-2:08.14 (4:45kms) The Bay


Tuesday

AM
9km-46:20 (5:09kms) Five Dock Bay

PM
4x Broken 8min (3) Drummoyne Oval

3min hard, 1min jog, 2min hard, 1min jog, 1min hard - avg 3:29kms


Wednesday

AM
9km-46:18 (5:09kms) Five Dock Bay

PM
12km-58:00 (4:50kms) Centennial Park


Thursday

AM
20km-89:52 (4:30kms) The Bay

PM
20x200m (30sec) then 5min rest, 1x400m Drummoyne Oval

200m-35.0avg
400m-58.51


Friday

AM
Strength

PM
12km-49:56 (4:40kms) Drummoyne Oval

28 laps with Frontier Psychiatrist on repeat.


Saturday

AM
5km-17:24 (3:29kms) + 2x Broken 5min (3) Curl Curl Parkrun

2x Broken 5min (1min hard, 1min easy, 1min hard) avg 370m for the 6 efforts - 64.8 pace

PM
10km-45:34 (4:34kms) Five Dock Bay


Sunday

21km-1:45.00 (5:00kms) Northern Beaches

Smoke was awful, had to cut the run short.

162km week

6x300m / 1x1500m / Run Sydney 10km

Monday

12km-58:00 (4:50kms) Centennial Park


Tuesday

6x300m (3) SOPAC

45.2, 45.2, 45.2, 45.2, 45.2, 41.5


Wednesday

9km-42:00 (4:40kms) Centennial Park


Thursday

1500m-4:22 The Bay

Not bad in shit conditions, very windy.


Friday

Rest


Saturday

6km-29:30 (4:55kms) Five Dock Bay


Sunday

Run Sydney 21st 10km-36:22 (3:38kms)

Disappointed to run that slow but realistically about what I should've expected based on training times.

Novelty cheque courtesy of Ben St.

70km week, I enjoyed the rest, on to the next block.

10x400m, 4x200m / 7km Tempo / 5km Parkrun / 8x200m

Monday

AM
9km-40:35 (4:31kms) Campbell Park

PM
16km-72:00 (4:30kms) Nolan Reserve

Fish out of water on the Northern Beaches but wanted to check out a potential training venue for squad members. Nolan's is a training mecca, a 1500m grass loop with a 650m add on over a small wooden bridge to Passmore Oval, wish I had something like this near me.


Tuesday

AM
7km-35:20 (5:03kms) Five Dock Bay

PM
10x400m (2min cycle), 10min rest, 4x200m (3) Drummoyne Oval

400m-70.7avg
200m-31.1, 29.9, 29.1, 27.9

400s were slower than I expected especially as the ground is in beautiful condition with a domestic one day match scheduled for Thursday.


Wednesday

AM
9km-42:00 (4:40kms) Five Dock Bay

+ Strength

PM
17km-68:13 (4:02kms) Centennial Park

Found myself running with a group I had no business messing with, a few 3:43s in there. Doesn't matter, it was stupid but it was fun.


Thursday

AM
8km-39:52 (4:59kms) The Bay

PM
7km Tempo - 26:06 (3:44kms) The Bay

37 degrees, blowing a gale and struggled with smoke inhalation, I've been vomiting black ash since. Shouldn't sook about it, family and friends in the mountains have actual problems. My sister inlaw's backyard was on fire, but they got the kids and animals out, now we're just waiting to hear about the house. The inlaws have just been evacuated from lower down the mountains.


Friday

Strength


Saturday

AM
5km - 2nd 17:24 (3:29kms) Curl Curl Parkrun

Worth the trip north to check out another training option. Watched Tom disappear off in the distance smashing the course record. Felt pretty good all things considered, would like to be running these tempos in 3:20kms with the same effort by Xmas.

PM

Strength +

10km-46:06 (4:37kms) Drummoyne Oval

Family still surrounded by fire, keeping vigil on rogue embers, wind has picked up again this afternoon. Aunt's house is one of the last standing on her street and Akira's godmother's family home also one of a few saved on her street, bloody lucky. Heard an RFS volunteer on the radio, between his regular job and the fire he hasn't stopped working since Thursday morning. Now that's a real marathon effort, Blue Mountains folk are as tough as they come.

Sergio Rosato is the Principal of St Thomas Aquinas my niece and nephew's school, a great leader.


Sunday

AM
24km-1:51.10 (4:38kms) Dee Why - Narrabeen

+ Strength

PM
8x200m (3) Drummoyne Oval

Avg 29.75, fastest 27.80

162km week, getting fit.

40min Fartlek / 600m TT / 6km Tempo / 20min fartlek

Monday

AM
16km-66:35 (4:10kms) The Bay

Including 40min fartlek - 3x3min, 3x2min, 10x1min efforts/1min floats

PM
10km-44:06 (4:25kms) The Bay


Tuesday

Rest


Wednesday

6km-27:00 (4:30kms) Centennial Park

+ 8x100m hills - fastest 14.55, i think that's my fastest ever. I was unsuccessfully racing a few cyclists up the hill, super talented runners who've been spending alot of time on their bikes lately.


Thursday

600m TT - 89.30 ES Marks

37 degrees, bloody windy and a 2m wide walkway across the track at the 300m mark to hurdle. The worse the conditions the greater the training effect, if it doesn't kill you.


Friday

6km Tempo - 20:42 (3:27kms) The Bay


Saturday

22km-1:42.20 (4:39kms) The Bay


Sunday

16km-64:30 (4:02kms) Five Dock Bay

including 20min fartlek (70sec hard/50sec float) @ 3:47kms. I suck at fartlek, 3:50s is generally a good indicator of fitness for me, sub 3:40s seems to be pb ready. Felt pretty good, might be getting fit.

#210 marathon for the squad today, JB 2:41.42 at Melbourne, a gutsy performance from him as usual and we would've gladly taken that 10 weeks ago. 5:30ish conversion from the recent half, a good bad day, Fats wise words on depletion turned out to be prophetic, smart bloke that one. Hard to convince an athlete who races with ambition to celebrate the effort rather than the result. Perspective can be lost by coach and athlete, but he should be as proud of that performance as I am, if you can't celebrate giving it everything then it wasn't worth doing in the first place.

99km week

10x600m / 4x600m / 6km Tempo / 20x200m

Monday

AM
9km-40:01 (4:27kms) Campbell Park

PM
16km-72:40 (4:33kms) Centennial Park

+ 4x100m Hills


Tuesday

AM
9km-39:54 (4:26kms) Campbell Park

PM
10x600m (1) Campbell Park

1:56.0 avg


Wednesday

AM
9km-41:40 (4:38kms) The Bay

PM
16km-75:58 (4:45kms) Centennial Park

+ 4x100m Hills


Thursday

AM
9KM-42:34 (4:44kms) The Bay

PM
4x600m (3) Campbell Park

1:46, 1:44, 1:41, 1:40


Friday

AM
Strength

Much needed rest day, long weekend ahead and i'm planning to slaughter myself, only 13 weeks til rrrrrrrace day.

I like this from Ryan Hall on the Kenyans

My last thought about Kenya and what makes the runners here so special is their incredible self-belief. I have never met a group of runners so confident in their abilities, even if they are unproven. For example, you cannot tell the difference between a 2:04 marathon runner and a 2:20 marathon runner in Kenya; they exude the same confidence and self-belief. It seems that everyone here believes they are just one day, or one race, away from hitting it big, and with confidence like that, perhaps they are. They certainly aren't afraid to take a risk and put it all out on the line, whether in a race or in training.

Nothing great ever happens without taking a risk.

Saturday

AM
6km-21:12 (3:32kms) Centennial Park

15sec per km quicker than 3 weeks ago, funny that, training makes you run faster.

PM
20x200m (30sec) Queen Elizabeth Park

32.5avg, happy with that.

I watched Braveheart for the thousandth time last night, 'every man dies, not every man really lives'. As I was plowing through the freshly sand covered turf I was trying to visualise the abhorrent Longshanks or being tortured on a rack but all I could really think about was how much sand was accumulating in my spikes.


Sunday

AM
24km-1:52.00 (4:40kms) Centennial Park

146km week

2km, 10x300m, 4x150m / 3km effort, 2x1500m Fartlek / 4x2km / Euphoria

Monday

AM
9km-43:45 (4:52kms) Campbell Park

15 laps x 600m

PM
16km-77:00 (4:49kms) Centennial Park

+ 4x100m Hills

Then straight to the World's Best Dentist for root canal, ate a steak for dinner, she's a frigging star.


Tuesday

AM
9km-43:00 (4:47kms) Campbell Park

PM
ES Marks

2km effort - 6:28,

10min rest

10x300m (1) - 51.0avg

10min rest

4x150m (3) - fastest 18.60

Triathlete runs a 4:15 beer mile errr 800m, oh dear poor buggers can't measure anything right. I recognise about half of my Jamison High Class of '91 school mates in that video in the red and white representing PIS. Still training and playing hard, great to see. :-)


Wednesday

AM
9km-40:30 (4:30kms) Campbell Park

+ Strength

PM
14km-65:16 (4:40kms) Centennial Park


Thursday

AM
9km-45:15 (5:02kms) Hen and Chicken Bay

+ Strength

PM
3km effort (5) 2x1500m Fartlek 30 hard/30 float (2)

10:21, 5:27, 5:11 - WINDY!


Friday

AM
9km-42:00 (4:40kms) The Bay

+ Strength

PM
6km-28:42 (4:47kms) Darling Harbour

+ 30xladders, 150x plyo contacts


Saturday

AM
4x2km (3) The Bay

6:56 avg

PM
7km-33:48 (4:50kms) Hen and Chicken Bay


Sunday

AM
24km-1:51.58 (4:40kms) Centennial Park

PM
Strength +

7km-29:31 (4:13kms) Campbell Park

I swore I'd never talk about the squad again in this blog but literally can't help myself...

Went out for my arvo run as Berlin Marathon started, was like a cat on a hot tin roof in anticipation of Steve racing Tiger squad's 209th marathon. I've been coaching since I was 14, hockey, cricket and now running. Every match/race as a coach is nerve wracking, you put your heart and soul into it just as the athlete does. But the marathon is the worst of the lot as it's a long time before the athlete gets another chance if something goes awry. This was even worse than usual, 9/10 races I have a very good idea how the athlete will perform, this time I really didn't know and Steve had flown to the other side of the world. 3 weeks ago he ran a half marathon in 89:49 and somehow between the 2 of us decided to have a crack at sub 3 regardless, woah!

Off I went on my 'easy' run, before I knew it i'd hit 5km @ 4:13kms, I didn't even realise but somehow in my own wannabe marathoner way I was running with him. For the next 2km I was euphoric, imagine having so much faith in an athlete that you ask him to run his current half time twice and somehow he has so much faith in the program that he commits to do it. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry but finally, runners high and wow does it feel good.

Sadly this was the real world and wasn't a fairy tale. Unfortunately he missed 3:03.29 but gave it a massive crack. After falling behind at half way fought back to be back on track at 35km but it took it's toll. Nobody symbolises our squad and what we represent more than Steve, ageless, hard working and never afraid of ambitious goals.

162km, great week :-)