Taper update...

While training during the taper is largely going to plan everything in life else isn't flowing so smoothly.

For those few who read this thing I thought I had better check in for the last time before race day and log what I have been up to...before I forget more of the details.

Thankfully I'm on the back end of life's current dramas that affected my training and everything is starting to sort itself out. Hopefully for the better so that I can resume my dedication to training to achieve whatever goal I set myself next. At the moment I'm in two minds about what I want to do. Go long or get fast? Or can I do both at the same time? Perhaps someone reading this can help me out there.

Coming off last years running highs and expecting my training to climb up and stand on the back of those triumphs was a little naive of me. I should have focused on the moment instead of trying to relive my training glory. With lifes ever changing processes I should focus on the NOW!! I'm beginning to see this reality and I'm learning.

With all that said and done I'll get into my training, which thankfully (but a little late) has turned a corner and I can feel myself improving (getting fitter) almost every day. Much of the speed that I had built last year has come back into my legs and the big question that is now before me is whether or not I'll have the endurance to go with it on race day. OK enough rambling and time to get down with the numbers. Actually now that I have looked at it maybe I have done a little too much. Time will be my witness.

Training log:

Friday: 90 minute run w/ repeat miles @ marathon to tempo pace
A great run on a glorious day. Ran out to the Nepean Lakes and ran the mile repeats around the 5km path. The effort felt comfortable during the faster running with the first few repeats at around 3:50 pace, finishing up with the last two repeats averaging around low 3:40 pace. Great run.

Saturday: 16k w/ MP (effort) tempo
Bit vague on the details here but I'm thinking that I ran about 11k+ at marathon effort (168bpm) which worked out to be around 3:50 pace. Felt good.

Sunday: 8km w/ 5-6km @ MP
Again can't remember too many of the details but another good effort at around 3:50 pace. My average heart rate during faster running was around 158bpm (79%MHR) which previously was the effort I ran my easy runs at last year. Perhaps I'm fitter now.

Monday: 17km easy in 1:12
I ran the same run that I ran last week and while it felt easy I improved the time by six minutes. I wasn't wearing the GPS on this run, only a watch as I didn't want to get too hung up on the numbers and start pushing myself. Big surprise to see that I finished the run so much quicker. Feeling great.

Tuesday: 11.5km in 0:48 - Treadmill session
Spent the day with my son so booked him into childminding at the gym while I put in my last speed session. Nice and short and felt great. Ran two 1600s at tempo (around 6:00) and two 1200s in around 4:00 flat (5k effort). Couldn't believe how easy they felt. Four 30 second strides at max (treadmill) speed to complete the session. Bouncing of the walls now. Had to convince myself to get off and stop running.

Wednesday: 7+km w/ 3.2km at marathon effort (~29mins) + 30min soccer coaching (before rain)
Really had to check myself during this run and stop running faster. During the warmup and cooldown I almost felt like I was stumbling along at an easy effort but every time I looked at my watch I was hovering around marathon pace. During the faster running I stopped looking at the watch and ran by feel. Post run the watch revealed that I was gradually increasing the pace each km split from 3:50-3:46-3:42. It didn't feel like I was running that quickly.

Thursday: The hardest day of the week - the day of rest.
A 30 minute run wouldn't kill me though would it?

Friday: 20-30 minute run w/ fast finish
Last run before race and the start of the carb loading

Saturday: Race Day
Having only run the race once I expect that I will at least set a personal best (as I have already run the course faster on two separate occasions - once as a training run and the second time when I ran 12FT last year).

Diet:
Same carb loading protocol and pre-race routine as last time (see blog entry before Cities Marathon last July)

Next post: the race result...

the end of the week...

My effort to post an entry everyday failed quickly. Nearly through the first week of my two week taper and I'm starting to feel aerobically fresh. Of course my legs are still sore and I have some niggles and a small injury which concerns me. My achilles are particularly sore but I'm hoping with some reduced volume next week and less running in my flats they will heal up.
My small injury is not of major concern but I managed to hurt my upper hamstring/glute and shin when climbing (and falling) over a steel fence on Wednesday. Should be OK though.

Training update (from memory):

Wednesday: AM) 70 minutes w/ ~7k @ threshold 1x3k, 1k, 6x500m + 15 minutes hill running @ 12.5%
Felt stronger as the session progressed.

Thursday: Noon) 75 minutes steady ~17km
Great run out to the Whitewater stadium and back. Took it out at a relaxed pace and gradually picked it up on the way back. Starting to feel my fitness coming on.

Friday (planned): Noon) 90-100 mins w/ 5 x 1600m @ HMP w/ 400m steady


Diet:

Decided not to carb deplete for this event after feeling like absolute crap during my runs on Monday and Tuesday. With the addition of some carbs (fruits) I have started feeling much better and my runs have continued to improve. Thinking about targeting a race in May which I would like to peak for instead.

The diet has been very simple and something along the lines of:
Breakfast: handfuls of nuts and seeds, and a little dried fruit (apple, dates, raisins) + black coffee
Snacks: Fruit - Bananas, etc
Lunch: salad with more nuts and seeds + green tea
Dinner: some protein with more salad and veggies

I'm trying to watch how much I eat as my training volume tails off as I get closer to the event.

tuesday 3 march

Training:

noon) 46 min easy w/ surges (about 10k)

While I planned on running 3 x 3k at lunch it ended up not fitting into my schedule. I had forgotten about a mandatory work function that I have to attend over the next two days which will make finding the time to train somewhat difficult. During my second run this afternoon I'll give the session a go if I'm feeling up to it.

Diet:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs (3) w/ spinach in olive oil
Snack: carrots (2), walnuts & sunflower seeds
Post-run: small yoghurt, peaches (2), banana - note: kept carbs to 1g/kg of bodyweight (~70g)
Lunch: sardines, carrots, cherry tomatoes
Dinner: Meat w/ steamed veggies

sunday to monday 1-2 March

Training:

Sunday - Long run 36km in 2:40 - Blaxland to Hawkesbury Heights LO out 'n' back

Felt terrible during the start of the run and I wasn't thinking that I was going to make it through but about 10 minutes in everything fell into place and the running got easy. I started feeling good and the pace picked up. Hit the turn around right on 1:20 and came back in the same time. Groin started feeling a little niggly at the turn around but was no trouble after. Have to keep an eye on it. Smoothie and ice bath helped with the recovery.

Monday - 1 hour easy w/ 4.5km @ marathon pace + 6 x The Sanctuary Drive Hills

Legs felt loose and relaxed but my left Achilles was a little sore before warming up. Parked the car at the River Road carpark. Ran easy for about 5 minutes then decided to pick it up to marathon pace running along the eastern river bank. Crossed over the river, headed for the hills and then ran six fast repeats up the notorious road (rise between 12 and 15 percent). Legs felt good during the repeats (averaging 3:30-3:40 pace) and the cardio was worked before heading back along the river for the cooldown.

Diet:

Breakfast: oats cooked in rice milk w/ 3 eggs and maple syrup (last carb meal)
Snack: peaches, walnuts
Lunch: sardines w/ chilies, avocado, cherry tomatoes, carrots + 4 fish oil capsules (immediately post-run)
Snack: carrots, walnuts
Dinner: porterhouse steak w/ fried peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes

Taper time again...

Yesterday's long run signaled the start of the taper period leading into my next race. A hilly off-road 45km ultramarathon. Usually not my happiest time as it usually brings around a lot of self-doubt and worries that I haven't done enough or perhaps I have done too much or.... well you get the idea!

My plan is to follow what worked for before the Cities Marathon in July last year but with a few tweaks here and there with my training. I'm going into this event a little under-trained compared to last time so I'm going to try and hold a little more volume in the first week before a big reduction in race week volume trying to freshen up.

Training plan:

sun - 36k in 2:40 (1:20 out/1:20 back) - already run
mon - 1h easy + 6 x short fast hills
tue - 20' warmup + 3-4 x 3k MP-LT + 1 x 2k fast (am) // 1h easy (pm)
wed - 45' easy (am) // 16k w/ 8k @ MP (noon)
thu - 90' easy (am)
fri - 13k w/ 10k MP
sat - 1h easy + 12k MP or 5 x 2k LT
sun - 90' easy
mon - 45' easy (am) // 1h w/ 4 x 1200m @ LT + 6 x 100m hill sprints (noon)
tue - 8k w/ 5k MP
wed - 6k w/ 3k MP
thu - REST
fri - 20-30' easy w/ last 2.5' fast/ 30" flat out (before carb load)
sat - RACE

Taper Diet:

- 9 days carb depletion
- 2 days start adding carbohydrates while reducing protein and fats
- 1 day carb load (10-12g carbohydrates per kg of bodyweight)

During the carb depletion phase I'll eliminate all carbohydrates except for a small amount in the post-exercise window following longer and hard workouts to allow for some glycogen replacement to provide for some recovery between sessions.

Pretty much the same taper program as last time which I felt worked and I hope will give me a similar result in two weeks time.

I'll try and post a daily account of my training, diet and thoughts leading up to race day as I did in the past.

Rest day?

After running about 400 miles in the last month and finishing up another hard running workout yesterday I am contemplating taking a day off. Off as in no running whatsoever. It is a hard thing to do as a running obsessed individual. Even knowing that taking a day off to allow my body to rest and repair itself will undoubtedly help me run faster and/or harder in the long term I struggle with the thought of not having a run today. Perhaps I'll just go out for an easy 45 minutes tonight after work.

Diet:

After reading the Paleo Diet for Athletes I have made a few changes but nothing too drastic. Just a few compromises in the primal diet to ensure that I restore my glycogen levels and aid recovery between sessions.

Today's diet:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, mushrooms + black coffee
Snack: carrots, sunflower seeds
Lunch: garden salad w/ chicken
Snack: apple + green tea
Dinner: fish and veggies

Stats:

Weight: 167 lb - weighed myself for the first time in months
Legs: 4/10 - Achilles tight and sore
Sleep: 6hr - poor

Training update:

Last four weeks have averaged 90-110 miles per week with 2-3 quality sessions per week. Struggled for a few weeks with the higher mileage but have started feeling better during the last two weeks. The diet has helped with the recovery but I still need to focus on some other areas of recovery including hydration, ice baths, compression clothing, stretching etc.

A down week?

Last week was another hot week of training. Every day saw temperatures exceeding 35C. It made training much tougher...

DIET

I've gone back to eating a more primal diet with the inclusion of protein and fat at every meal and it has made an immediate improvement to my ability to recover between sessions. During the transition period while adjusting to the changes in my diet I'm finding my endurance and energy are lagging behind. Previous experience ensures me that it will only last a week or two before I see an improvement in my running.

Recent additions to diet: eggs, nuts (almonds and walnuts), lean and not-so-lean meat.

I've finally read the Paleo Diet for Athletes which I purchased over Christmas and will modify my primal diet to ensure that my glycogen levels are replenished between workouts to ensure a fast recovery. I do believe that working out in a semi-depleted glycogen state over a period of time can have significant performance gains in the short and long term but I will have to go over my old training and diet notes to work things out.

TRAINING

Another good mileage week but after a few bigger weeks it feels like a recovery week.

Monday:
AM) 6 mi Easy run - to work
Felt a bit during the morning's run to work.

PM) 7 mi Moderate run - work to home
Any run that starts out when the temp is hovering around 40C is always going to be hard. Throw in a 2 mile climb towards the end and you can see where things can go wrong. Actually legs felt stronger on climb.

Tuesday:
Three runs today -
AM) 8.8 miles - Easy run
Ran to work but took a longer route.

Noon) 5 miles w/ strides

PM) 7 miles
Another tough run home as it was hot again.

Wednesday:
N) 5 miles - Easy run
Planned an easy run during my lunch break with the ambitions of running a longer 13 mile run after work with some friends but ended up bailing out because of the heat.

Thursday:
AM) 6.2 mile Easy run

PM) 12 miles w/ intervals (7 x 4min w/ 2-3min easy)
Hit the trails with a friend. Ran the first four intervals running uphill before turning around and running the last three downhill back to the start. Felt stronger and averaged a good pace.

Friday:
AM) 4.4 mile Recovery run
Just an easy run around the shortest home loop.

Saturday:
AM) 22 mile Long run (2:50)
Started out running easy for the first hour before adding in some sections at marathon pace. After two hours of running the heat and humidity finally kicked in which hurt making the climb back home.

Sunday:
AM) 7 mile Fartlek run
Felt good on this run and decided to try and run with a little more intensity and see if I could add some life back into my legs. Felt good to be running fast again.

Total running: 90.4 miles