Reality Check

My long run today was good and bad - bad in that I blew up at 25km and walked home, good in that it brought me back to reality.

Three 70km weeks does not make a marathon prep. Clearly.

Don't get me wrong, I still intend to do sixinch, but I need to be honest with myself. I had images in my head of rolling along at 5:30minkms, struggling a bit in the last10k, but finishing under 4and a half hours for the 45km.

I really need to be much more cautious - so I can finish and enjoy the run. A plan from the start, of run 5 walk 1, walk up hills, is more realistic. I just need to impose this upon myself somehow

Today was a fine example of mylack of self control (on a couple of levels). Drank too much at a Sat night party - didn't make a morning run. So I ran in the afternoon - 24degrees, 60% humidity. Ran 25km in 5:01min/k then crashed as prevoiusly mentioned. Mentally I kept saying to myself - I'll slow down by 20sec/k after I finish this km - said this from 12k til 25k! By this point I was overheated, cramped in the hammies and couldn't even manage a walk/jog back home.

Anyway, I'm only going to do a 2 week taper as theres not really much to taper down from! Another 70-80k week, try to fit in a SLOW long run next weekend between the Christmas parties, then cut back.

On the plus side I resumed morning runs this week, and did one tempo run.

Preparation week 3

Another reasonable week - 3x10k Mon - Wed
16k Friday
24k Sunday

70km total.

Nothing exciting to report. Nice weather for 24k with Rob this morning. Took me a while to get going but felt OK once I did. We ran 5:08s average so fairly pedestrian but about right for me currently.

Onwards!

Preparation Week2

Another satisfying week - over 70km

Tue,Wed,Thurs total 35km of steady runs 4:45 average. Still groin pain if I try to push the pace

Saturday morning 26k run over last part of the SixInch Trail course - near Dwelligup. Plans of running the earlier section from North Dandalup were canned when we arrived to find the track closed by CALM due to controlled burning.

Nonetheless it was a very enjoyable run. First 20k we took very easy. Last 6k I was running with Colin - an ultra runner of some repute, and pushed it back to 5min/k average, pleasing on trail with hydration pack.

This morning a 10k with Potsy - averaged 445s which was faster than I wanted but you cant hold the man back!

The challenge will be increasing the mileage again this week, esp with 37 degrees tomorrow - need to drag myself out of bed early!

SixInch prep Week 1 of 7

So I may as well formalise a plan to run the Six Inch Track off road race in December - 45km on the Munda Biddi cycletrail from Dandalup to Dwellingup.

Week One was a success - 52km running. Nothing fancy - 4x10k and 1x12k, 2 of the 10k's at 4:45 pace, the other 2 at 4:30 pace. The 12k today at 4:50 pace - had intended a bit longer but heat, commitments and mild viral symptoms made me stop early.

Feeling better than last week - most pains settling. Any attemtps to run faster than about 4:20 pace or uphill caused my left groin to complain - so it was flat and steady.

Interestingly - since my groin strain I have lost a patch of hair on my left anterolateral thigh - obviously have irritated a nerve (?meralgia paraesthetica)

So 6 more weeks to go. Will try to increase total by 10-15km a week up to 90 or so by week 4 or 5 then taper weeks 6 and 7. Imperfect preparation but I'm aiming to finish, not run a great time.