Training Log Archive: markg

Jim Sawkins Classic at Wild Deer Sands. Fun course that made good use of the mining areas in a long middle distance style. It had some longer legs but there wasn't much route choice. The course started with butterfly loops with the 1st control as pivot. I managed to stay on Marty's tail to here and he was on Craney's. Marty and I had the same forking and we did the butterflies at a pretty hectic pace with Marty in the lead the whole way. He was looking pretty solid through here, reckon I would have been a fair bit slower and more hesitant by myself. As we came into the pivot the final time we could see Craney only 10s ahead and Marty seemed to go up a gear and I started dropping off the back. Last saw the two of them leaving #9 and did the rest of the course on my own, except for a couple of controls in the mining which coincided with shorter courses. I had a good run for most of it, had quite a few hesitations and was slow on the hills but reasonably solid, even managed to avoid the parallel error on #19 and get a cracking split win :) By #28 I'd dropped 6 min behind the lead group but I completely screwed #29, first losing confidence and contact down the gully, then not paying enough attention to map and descriptions to get the control the first two times I was in the circle. Lost 5:30-6 here. Funnily enough this was the same control that Craney pulled a sneaky trick on Marty and got away. Ran hard and aggressively from here to the finish; took 1:20 off Marty now that he was running by himself. Not the overall run I wanted but some good signs including fitness which is obviously improving as I'm now down to 1 min/km behind Craney :D

MetrO sprint race at Bruce CIT. Fun course looping around the buildings a lot. Was nice and smooth but didn't push super hard. Only lost time with some confusion about the potentially impassable hedge. Finished 1:08 behind Marty; he took half of that off me in just three of the more open legs.

Tom and Ewan were having a good day - even had some fastest splits :) - until their 4th last control which took them 27 min!

To and from gym via an indirect route because I felt like running more.

Isometrics 4 x 40s @ 30kg

Standing with the bar again because the leg press machine was taken. Interesting as a comparison of the weight I've been doing on the other. 30kg single leg plus bodyweight is probably still slightly heavier than 55kg on the machine.

Warmup through Botanic Gardens, then hill bounding, then to the gym. Bit of lateral Achilles pain - I think it's the pain caused by tight calves. Bounding felt good. Interestingly when in the 2nd and 3rd reps I switched from a big arm swing, which I though was helping me be powerful and drive hard off the ground, to my new arm swing and finished several metres higher up the hill!

Hill bounding 3 x 20 double steps

Short session due to time constraints.

Squats 4 x 5 @ 60kg
Chinups 3 x 5
Deadlift 4 x 5 @ 50kg
Pushups 3 x 12
Low row 3 x 8 @ 33kg

Forgot what I had been doing and accidentally reduced the squat weight. I'm ready to increase the deadlift weight too.

To the gym and back with some strides on the way back trying to get a feel for this new running cue at different paces. Feels different but good.

Isotonics 3 x 8 @ 15 kg

Easy NMA loop practising foot lifting cue, which I blame for running this a little faster than I should have. Gym afterwards.

Isometrics 4 x 40s @ 55kg

Bent side leg raises 3 x 2:30
Side plank 3 x 40s
Bird dog 3 x 30s
McGill crunches 3 x 5 with 3s pause
Plus back work.

Easy loop with hills on Stromlo with hill bounding. Was trying out my new running cue but was having trouble getting the rhythm right.

Hill bounding 3 x 20 double strides

Family ride around Wright and Coombs. A bit chilly. Ewan did well.