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| Holidays = beaches, boardwalks & recovery dips! |
So since I have been laid up with injury my main aim is to be able to
return to running without pain or discomfort and maximum enjoyment. This meant rehabbing properly in good time,
no rushing at all, injuries need to be addressed properly, even the “niggles”
we run with because that’s just what you do. My opinion is every injury should
be treated properly because if my leg is killing then where will the fun or
enjoyment be? Seriously, no matter who you are or what you do, just sort it and
do it properly.
The last 4 weeks have been very productive on a number of levels;
- I have returned to normal
training, achieving the usual planned sessions set out in my program.
-
I have been running injury free
and loving it.
-
My fitness, both aerobic and
anaerobic is getting back to where I want it to be.
- I have raced and met my goals and expectations.
Some areas that are still improving and need continued work;
-
Long aerobic condition, the answer - to bank some long runs.
-
Lactic Tolerance, answer - tempo
runs, yay!
- Strength, answer, resistance
training with plyo, core and dynamic work.
- Establishing a routine, answer - stop sooking out of the early morning
runs and toughen up.
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| Mt Arthur Challenge Wellington - A great day on new trails |
Over the school holidays I was able to begin training as per normal
schedule, which was great. My load is still slightly lower at around 90-100km
weeks but over this time I have had some really productive sessions giving me
both fitness and confidence. I had a ball running the beach up to Valla and
back to Nambucca and the warmer weather coupled with beautiful scenery was
amazing. I was able to get onto the sand and see how the Big Coast Run at STS
Kamay in Sept will be on the legs, specifically calves!
I have also ran at Wellington in the
Mt Arthur Challenge Wedge Tail
9km race. I managed at pretty solid performance and was crowned King of the
Mountain, covering the distance and elevation in 39:30.
It was a great new event and the
organisation, course and race was first class, I aim to be back next year for
sure. I think the single track section that ran up and down Mt Arthur in
particular, is close to my favorite bit of trail, a seriously tough climb and
fast but technical descent. If your keen for a trip West then this is a great
event!
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| Off and racing @ STS Manly Dam 10km |
I returned with STS to Manly Dam for the July race, competing in the
10k medium course on the familiar trails that loop the dam. The race was to be
a good measuring point, I have run the trails there a lot and raced guys like
Charlie Brooks and Jake Stollery before so it would be a good indicator for me.
I ran well, particularly on the climbs, especially the longer ones, and was
able to run a pb with a fast finish after a fairly conservative start. It was
good to catch up with Brendan Davies, Jo Brischetto, Andy Lee and on his STS
debut Andrew Tuckey, as well as the DBA crew and the rest of the STS group. Kel
also ran but with some questions still over her health she wasn’t able to push
it, we hopefully will get some answers soon. From this we can move to make
things right again and get her feeling good and firing again.
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| Beach running with Charley |
So with the tough part of rehab behind me it’s time to tuck into
some solid training building up towards full volume again. I just want to run
well and consistently - dedicated training is the only solution to do so. I
have a few events coming up,
Mountain Sports Centennial Park 50km Pairs with
Kel,
Running Wild Glenbrook 25km, Edgell Jog,
STS Duffey’s Forrest, Canberra
101km Trail Run and STS Big Coast Run Kamay.
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Off and racing at Mt Arthur Challenge
|
That should round off a pretty good year that had its tougher times
with injury but its good times with some fun and successful
runs/races/adventures. With the big races of 2015 on the horizon, I am already
planning the training. Buffalo Stampede version 2 will be huge and hopefully a
trip to Skycamp will help with my needed prep. I plan on approaching 2015
different, with the focus being Buffalo Stampede 75km (top 10) and The North
Face 100 (finishing). You learn from your experiences, both good and bad, well
your meant to anyway.
