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155k for the week, 6 short of a 100 mile week, never not going to run the final few k’s needed. Ran 8k for a big 38k day but more importantly a second 100 mile week. Of course this was shared with the Strava community. How did runners survive without Strava ? As I said before if it ain’t on Stava did it happen? The old tree falling in a forest type statement.
What did we do before GPS watches and the internet? How could we share our running exploits with the world? Write a letter or ten to keep everybody informed of your training highlights? Like the good old days of going out for a meal and not taking photos of the tukka and sharing with the world.
These days there are two types of runners , those who Strava and those who run for the love of running, with no watch or GPS devices and no Internet connection. I’m a Strava-addict and admit it. Probably explains my four Garmin watches!! Last time I ran with no GPS watch I hated it, a sad affair really but that’s the way it is.
Remember Strava is life, the rest is details. Is my watch charged….?
This long run was probably too fast but normally it’s all about time on feet. Getting your body use to the extra time needed to run and race a marathon. It can be an enjoyable experience if you’re after time and distance rather than pace. Today, thanks to Dean, it was all three. Nice when you finish but the last 10k is challenging. Overall though you know it’s doing you some good and it’s all about paying your dues now rather than on the big day.
Carine Park run, where I run normally, has a downhill start and this encourages speed and normally too much. I always go out way too fast (rookie error) and then ‘pay the piper’ later. Normally I can limit damage if the legs are fresh but today I ran my quickest first kilometre (3:05min/k) and knew the piper was calling for payback.. I managed to work hard for the last k and finished in 16:43; only 3 seconds outside my PB set a few weeks ago. Very happy with that and it was time for a coffee and muffin to celebrate at the best cafe in Perth , Yelo in Trigg.
http://www.yelocornerstore.com.au
Right , was a nutrition piece. Not sure advocating coffee and muffins is the right thing on a running blog but as long as you put in the hard yards I’m a big believer in the odd treat.
Ran through Elizabeth Quay which is relatively new to Perth, less than a year old. Nice bridge to run over and great views of the city. Will see if I can manage another run after work.
I run a lot and have for many years. This has resulted in improvement in all distances but a lot has to do with just improvement over time, over distance. i.e. keep running and building on your foundation fitness and you’ll keep improving…. until…you reach a tipping point where either age beats you or your training stagnates and your times stop improving. This happened to me in 2014 after a stella 2013 where everything went right.
I decided in 2015 to talk to Raf Baugh, the owner of The Running Centre (TRC) in Perth and he gave me a program, my first training program and coach, at 48 ! It was a shock to the system but I feel his work laid the foundation for the great year I’m having in 2016. Raf is infectious and in his eyes age really is just a number. He opened my eyes to all sorts of different terms and running pace, tempo, threshold, VO2max, recovery; etc. Before I was just running, no real goal, just running. This new approach has set me up for another tilt at the sub 2:40 dream. Thanks Raf, you really are a legend.
So the reason behind the post, if you feel you have plateaued go jog down to your local running shop and ask about a coach or group runs. It’ll be the best thing you ever did, period.
Even had had a bit of rain to keep me cool. Jon took a short cut to get this photo. 
Big effort to get out of bed but went with the theory I’ve never regretted going for a run. Rewarded with a wonderful sunrise over Star Swamp. Outstanding run and feel ready for a 16k tempo pace double bridges at noon. Bring it…
I understand the professional athletes run twice a day but in-between they would do very little. The Kenyans would just sleep in-between runs or eat. Unfortunately not sure the boss would take too kindly to me having a power nap after my lunch time exploits. The curse of the part time runner. When you have Kings Park and Star Swamp to play in though it ain’t really that bad and Perth’s temperature is purpose built for running.
The odd power nap wouldn’t go a miss though, someone pass me a pillow.
Recognize the signs and take action otherwise golden rule number 3 will be broken, don’t get injured. Signs may include restlessness, sleepless nights or interrupted sleep and generally not feeling that great. Your runs will feel laboured and you’ll certainly notice a drop in performance and a rise in your average heart rate.
As for distance being the key to performance I am very much in the Matt Fitzgerald camp of 80% easy pace and 20% speed work; but with a good dose of distance. Compare this to the experts at FIRST who are very much “less is more” advocating three pace sessions and two cardio a week. In the end it’s what works for you. If you are susceptible to injury with high distance go for quality over quantity.
