This week I received an email from Melbourne Marathon reminding me that we aren’t too far away from the big event. 4 weeks from now and the event will be done and dusted. Hopefully at that point I can say that I am now a marathon runner. Until then all I can offer is another brief wrap up of this weeks training.
Monday 8th September – As usual just a quick run on the treadmill (1.8km @ 8:00) as a warm up for yoga. I remember when I decided to train for my first fun run I would think the treadmill was awesome for knocking out some distance, now I find the treadmill as a chance to get in some faster paced runs, in semi-controlled conditions.
Tuesday 9th September – The first day of the week where my alarm goes off during the darkness, for a 5:30am wake up I am flat out on the spin bike by 6:00am. This mornings class seemed a little easier, maybe I’m just getting accustomed to the tempo of this mix. (23.6km @ 57:01, Avg 84rpm / 181 watts)
Wednesday 10th September – First morning run for the week. The morning was mild enough at my 6:10am set off time I was able to get out on the roads in a t-shirt, no need for the long sleeve for the first time in many weeks. Feels good to be out enjoying the warmth. (16.01km @ 1:10.50) Wednesday evening and back on the yoga mat.
Thursday 11th September – Spin class for the second time this week. I wore my Garmin Forerunner 620 with heart rate monitor today to compare my average and peak BPM with my run from the previous day. Surprisingly the run had a higher average and peak. (23.0km @ 55:19, Avg 85rpm / 186 watts)
Friday 12th September – Early morning run with the intentions of an easy session. Left home and decided not to check my pace and just see how things panned out. Well I got home, checked my time and realised I had set a few records on my run. Somehow I had ran a reasonable pace and been able to set some personal records on a couple of my usual segments (14.02km @ 1:00.49)
Saturday 13th September – Well after a series of late nights/early mornings my body decided enough and my first sleep in for quite a while happened. No early morning run today, just a whole heap of chores around the house I have been putting off. Lawns mowed, garden tendered, cars washed and a few other odds and ends sorted… should buy me a few more weeks/months from doing them again hopefully.
Sunday 14th September – Race day – 21.1km (Half Marathon) with the Geelong Cross Country Club along the Barwon River. First official run over the distance, usually I run the distance solo as training, so was looking for a sub 90 minute run. From the gun I was happy with my pace, and was running comfortably at a time I was sure would see my record tumble. Unfortunately around the 14km mark I could feel my left calf tightening up. As I continued on I decided the bigger picture is the Melbourne Marathon, and to prevent any chance of serious injury I slowed my pace and saw out the race. Overall I was happy with the final time, but still feel like it was a lost opportunity to set a decent time. The good thing is there is always a chance to get out for another half marathon and set the time I wanted. (21.18km @ 1:32.20 )
And so wraps up the another week of training, less kilometers than the previous week, but I am feeling I have the distance in the legs. Next weekend is the final club race, so it looks like I’ll be getting those Sunday mornings back. In saying that I don’t know who I’m kidding, I’m sure I’ll either be out on the roads either running or on the bike, alternatively I may go back to my cross training classes as I need to work on the upper body muscle I’ve lost in my cardio heavy workouts…
Overall distance – 46.6km spin class , 53km running