Train>Implement>Retrain>Re-Implement=Improve

September 28 will mark the second running of the Sri ChinmoyCanberra Trail Run, this year it’s 101km and I am toeing the line again for a shot at a pb and another 100km ultra.  I have been keeping this race in mind since returning to full training and I am again supported by Hammer Nutrition in my venture to the nations capital for the event. When I was plotting my return I marked in key build up events and three main “A” goal races for the end of the year.  Those being Canberra, Egdell Jog and Big CoastRun. From there I planned my training to suit these events, which has been a challenge considering they are quite diverse events indeed.

Fuelling the long run again.

I have been back into full swing for around 6 weeks and my load and mileage is back where I want it to be. Each week I can run longer, faster and more efficiently as I have been focusing on making sure everything is done right. I have also been super strict with my core and my new strength program, which has included some balance work and plyometric work. I have also been reading about various training methods including the use of HIT/Intervals (Seller & Tonnessen, 2009 & Finn, 2001), plyometric work (Ramirez-Campillo, et al. 2014) and training methods to enhance physiological methods (Midgley,  McNaughton1 and Jones, 2007) over the past few weeks and I have been gradually incorporating aspects of this reading into my own training program.

My focus has been on endurance and speed during this block of training. I am naturally going to go up and down hills because when I run at Lithgow I love getting onto the trails around Hassan’s and there is only one way and that is up! So I have been really focusing on short but intense interval sessions, longer sustained intensity runs and getting the fast twitch fibres activated. My long runs have been progressing weekly in both speed and distance and I have been lucky to be able to include a couple of longer races to help here too, my longest run for a while is planned for Sunday where I’m aiming for around 50km in 4hrs.

Trying to hold form late on
@ CPULTRA

Only time will tell if my training is going to pay off but I have been trying to milk every session for what’s its worth and each session will give me some sort of adaptation for my planned races. My coach Brendan has launched his UP Coaching business and we are continuing to work together but now I’m more in control of setting my weekly schedule and using Brendan as a mentor, someone who provides bigger picture feedback as opposed to the daily reports. I am very interested in coaching and I see this, as an opportunity to further improve my own knowledge through reading and experience and it’s perfect as I have Brendan there if I require extra help.

CP ULTRA 50km pairs, 1^st mixed pair home. Kel and I ventured down to Sydney for the newly managed Mountain Sports Centennial Park Ultra run. We planned to split the laps just off even and get our longest runs in “at race pace”. It turns out we both probably bit off 1 lap too many but we were able to hold onto 1^st mixed pair, not that anyone was really worrying about the race in the first place.  I really enjoyed the atmosphere at the event and ultimately I got a fair bit of feedback intrinsically about where I was at from this run. Next year I plan to return for a sub 8hr Aussie 100km qualifier.

Full results here

Glenbrook Podium

Glenbrook is an area of the mountain I have visited but never ran in other than at Knapsack Park. I entered the 25km option of the Running Wild Glenbrook Marathon race and was planning a fast, well-executed race based on the training I have completed of late.  My impressions of the course were mainly of smooth fire trail with some single track, a few climbs and just over the 25km or around 26km, well I was wrong.  It was a race of two, up the Red Hands Cave and then after to the finish. The first section was tough, plenty of stairs, loads of single track and a couple of solid climbs with the section to the finish once back onto the fire trail after the caves being much more runnable and flowing. I was at the front early on and settled into 2^nd for most of the race, exchanging running partners along the way always aware of the plan and conserving energy levels for a final assault on the quads into the finish. All went to plan and when I came out of the single track I felt really good and I was surprised with the trail in front of me, appearing far more runnable than first expected. So I picked up the cadence and ran to the turn point with purpose, rounding the corner it was all systems go into the finish, where I ended up picking up 1^st place with around a km to go. My race had been carried out in a manner I had planned and I feel as though I’m hitting form once again, just in time for the big races ahead.

Full results here

My confidence is coming back and I am setting my goals for the next few events ahead. I’m very much looking forward to these races and if I can plan according to my training and form I will walk away satisfied each time.

Looking Ahead

Edgell Jog – September 7 – 7.5km, pb 27:52 5^th male is my best result at my local race. My goal is always a pb and then a strong run, but I am really keen to crack the podium and be first local home again this year. I have been able to focus on the event a little more in training and the 25min efforts in tempo, shorter more intense interval sessions and course familiarisation hasn’t been occurring by accident. I am focusing on the jog this year and aim to be ready to run come Father’s Day.

Tree Pose - area to improve

Canberra Sri Chinmoy – September 29 – 101km, pb 11:39 8^th male and my debut hundred in 2013. Hammer Nutrition again supports me in this event and I have been focusing my training for this one. My long runs are increasing in length and I plan on racing up to 30km but no further up until this event, the marathon at Mudgee really taxed me last year and I don’t want to have to recover for too long after my long runs. In the event I have to be able to run between the climbs and I am preparing accordingly with all sessions trying to get the body ready for race day.  I would love a 10hr time and a top 3 finish and I really believe I’m better prepared than last year, only time will tell.

SkyCamp 2015 is in October and I am going down as part of the UP Coaching team.  I am really looking forward to camp and will post a blog when all the information and logistics are sorted.  Rego opens for Buffalo 2015 on the 1st of September so I am super excited.


Photo Credits

Jo Brischetto and Alix Campbell.

Return to Routine

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.

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!

http://app.strava.com/activities/165188836

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.

http://app.strava.com/activities/168242591

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.

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.

To Cheat or Not to Cheat, That is the Question....

Competitive Sport – The Good and The Ugly

A recent event has led my thinking towards the notion of being a good sport, fair play and honesty while competing in races. With competition comes competitiveness and this combined with human nature lends itself towards at times the notion of doing what needs to be done to get a good result no matter what.  Personally I moved away from team sport due to over competitiveness that leads to bad sports, referee abuse, excuses covering up poor play and so on.  This was something that I not only did not like but something I did not want to be associated with, you know the saying “that team are cheats, that team is dirty”. Running to me was an answer for my need to be competitive but in a fair and honest manner, that was the norm but there have been some situations contrary to this.

I like running for fun, but I believe no matter what the race that there are certain expectations of myself as a runner,

-       Try and follow the course,

-       Don’t deliberately impede another runner,

-       If I get an unfair advantage for example covering less distance than the rest of the field due to a wrong turn, do not ever take another runners position, especially on the podium.

-       Be fair to everyone, say hello, allow people past and don’t make anyone feel put off or intimidated by the way I run particularly on narrow or technical trail where passing opportunities can be minimal.

I strongly feel that if these principles can’t be met then I need to give up, I’d be running for the wrong reasons. So when I see it happen it annoys me, it really does need to be addressed, discussed and thought about. By it, I mean people behaving poorly in and after races.  So examples of this, some have been directly involving me some not,

-       People entering an event with multiple distances available on staggered starting times, running stupid and then dropping into a lower distance event and claiming a win. Not fair when the events start at different times and the other runners aren’t aware of the new entrant and are racing those around them.  Tough it out in the race you entered or DNF.

-       Running the course and taking a wrong turn which leads to a shorter run than the rest of the field.  When you finish, claim the win as though you have run the whole course, that’s a victory I couldn’t claim, enjoy the guilt.

-       When there is an opportunity to take a short cut taking it.  If you are coming 17^th in a 100km race the pleasure of having a 100km run under your belt is the reward, this would be cheapened when your Garmin says 97.5km because you cut every corner you could. I was shocked to witness someone doing this in a race last year!

These are a few things I have noticed, other things like dropping rubbish on the trails, being rude when passing and whinging about getting lost because “it’s the race director’s fault” are others that can be added but are different questions of character.  If you can’t manage yourself on the trail, run roads!

 

There has been many examples of great competitive behaviour, so many times I have been called back onto trail by other competitors when taking a wrong turn, allowed to pass and so on.  This is why I continue to run and love trail running so much.

All races have 1^st through to last, we all compete for various reasons and enjoy finishing high up the ladder no matter the event.  From fun runs to sky runs, races organised by local running groups to international bodies with prizes from cash to gear, people will turn up trying to do their best.  Most will be honest and in trail events it is rare that I see something to the contrary but I have seen it.  These people ruin it for others, they are the types who would use PEDS, refill their drink more than once at Subway, not turn in money they found and get in a shout and leave before their round…but seriously it is not needed and next time I witness it I will be speaking up.  Because the race director’s trust the competitors on the trails and when this trust is abused it ruins it for all.

So I will leave it at that, lets talk about this issue and when we are on the trails lets be competitive but not overly so, because we don’t want to be that sport… Look at what drugs has done to cycling, seriously!

Bouncing Back

Bouncing Back

So with my current situation regarding running I have been able to refocus, refresh and redirect my energy towards my running for the back half of the year.  Gone are the macro and micro cycles, peaking and periodisation. I have simplified my approach to getting key sessions done and doing more quality k’s leading into my events and speeding things up to improve the top end.  This program is scheduled to start in full by the end of June with this month being about building time on feet, increasing my typical training load and schedule as well as strengthening my legs.

I have been doing 5+hrs of core and strength working weekly and this will progress in difficulty as the months go by, and then gradually decreasing the time to around 2-3hrs a week once I am able to run more.  I have been riding a lot, well a lot for me anyway!  9hrs last week and 7 the week before, I am trying to replicate hard days and easy days and keep my normal load time wise. As my running increases my riding will decrease but I have been lucky to be able to get some solid rides in without being run over (its been close!)  Running has been introduced in the week just gone and will become more intense as I progress with the injury, the pain has now dampened down and there appears to be no negatives from the introduction of running.

Kel and my new kicks for the back half of the year
thanks to Pace Athletic

I am working in 3 rehab phases with my return to running;

Phase 1 – Day on day off.  All on grass track at an easy pace running within my stride.  Max distance 5km for 7 x 5km runs in the fortnight.  Progress if no pain is present.

Phase 2 – Day on day on day off.  Road/Track then Trail/Track at an easy pace but increasing the stride.  Distance between 5 – 7.5km with 5 runs in total in the week.  Incorporate some hills.  Progress if no pain present.

Phase 3 – Return to normal schedule.  Begin at 50km and increase by 15km a week.  Run 6 days a week and complete normal sessions increasing distance/intensity as week’s progress.  Aim to be at full load by week 4. Progress if no pain is present.

This schedule should have me complete a 100km week by the second week in July. From there I will be back into full training and hopefully free of injury. I want to get my body right and am being very careful to ensure I come back ready and strong.  My back half of the year will now aim towards some targeted events with my prep starting for 2015 in November.

My races for the next while will be;

Glow Worm Tunnel: 6km Bolt and Mystery Mountain Challenge, 14 June.

Mt Arthur Challange: 9km, 13 July.

STS Middle Harbor: Long Course, 20 July.

Mountain Sports Centennial Park Ultra: 50/100km relay option, 4 August.

Running Wild Glenbrook: 25/35km, 24 August.

Edgell Jog: 7.5km, 7 September.  “A” Goal Race

Kel rocking her "lairy duds"
@ STS Kamay.

Canberra Centenary Trail Race: 101km, 29 September.  “A” Goal Race

STS Kamay Big Coast Run: 35km, 19 October.  “A” Goal Race

Carcoar Cup: 60km Ultra, 2 November. “B” Goal Race

Obviously Glow Worm will be a race to how I feel and a bit of fun, but if it is feeling good I will be racing and pushing it along.  The next few weeks are going to be tough, sitting out is something I have never liked doing but it is something that has to happen.  I love the atmosphere at Newnes for the Glow Worm weekend, it was my first trail event where I fell in love with the sport and I am looking forward to being a part of it again.  The next few weeks also marks a return to serious racing for Kel, she has been training well and should put up some races in the coming months.  I can’t wait to watch her at STS and seeing how her year progresses towards her goals that are set down for later in the year.