An Insight

Being stuck inside on a stormy Sunday evening, I thought I'd finish my easy week of 120km with a map to give everyone at home the chance to see where we do some of our running. I'll endeavour to post maps of the long run and a few of the workouts as the weeks go on. 


This week it's the Wednesday 1hr30 run. Click on the map for a larger view.

We start at the residence of Jeff Hunt, and make our way around the border of Queens Park, before tacking onto the white railing at Centennial Park. After going around the lake, we head out of the park, and up ANZAC pde, before eventually looping around and making the crossing of death over to the Moore Park side, where we loop around to the SCG. We finally get back to Centennial Park, where we run around the outskirts back to Queens Park, up the hill, and then an extra lap for good measure.


Its taken a few weeks to get used to more volume and less speed on Wednesdays, however when running with a 2:11 guy you tend to clip along at a fair pace anyway. Finishing my Sunday 30k runs and watch Jeff head off for another half hour, moving around at 3m20km pace leaves me wondering just how fit I need to get some times. As a very wise Wombat often told me, patience is paramount. 

Another Step in the Right Direction

So it has occurred to me that I'm not so good with this blogging thing. Not that I don't enjoy writing, more-so that I only write when I'm sitting down with some clear thinking space, which in the last month, has been few and far between. In fact, as I write this first blog in a month, I'm looking over a new package that I've just received in the post, courtesy of The Running Centre. I love getting mail!

 I've just started working my new job. 30 hours per week. 8-3.30pm. Monday to Friday. Day off Wednesday. Which is perfect for running. I get up at 6am on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and put away an easy 8km run. The rest of the runs all take care of themselves in the afternoon. I've also started riding to work on Monday/Thursday and Friday. Not that a 10km return ride will have any benefit on my fitness. More-so to do with the wonderful toy Gemma bought me for an early birthday present!

In terms of running, things have been going from strength to strength. I've put together a month of 130-140km weeks, bar one week of sickness. The workouts have been great, and I've stepped up from 1h45m on Sunday to 2hrs, and 75mins to 90mins on Wednesdays. Steadily, I'm getting stronger. 


But the racing has also been going well. Two weekends ago we had the NSW road relays, 4 x 4km legs. Our team won by 1min50sec, and my second leg of 11min39sec felt really comfortable. Last week, the NSW short course XC. For those in WA, short course over here is actually 7.5km. Nothing like the fun 4km around the top of Perry Lakes reserve.


This race I was pitted against training partners Jeff Hunt and James Nipperess, plus a new and improved Brad Woods, Bradley Croker and James Kaan. Not wanting Kaan and Woods to be around at the finish, I picked the pace up between 3km and 7km, and by that stage, it was Nipperess, Hunt and myself fighting it out. The positions would end up that way, with a 6 second gap from Nipper to Hunt and another 8 seconds back to me. I was pretty happy, my first individual medal at a NSW champs.

Picture thanks to Gemma Lockley

                                                


So from here, its only 4 weeks to National XC. All that needs to happen is more of the same, and I think I will be in good stead to post a competitive race. Fingers crossed.