Running on Cloud 9
Posted under: Cloud 9’s the euphoric state of absolute happiness. The last three weeks of training have really felt like this. At the end of February I knew I was in good shape, maybe the best shape i’ve ever been in. But, I knew I needed to step up and find another gear; aiming to run larger miles and faster and more disciplined workouts.
Over the last three weeks I’ve really ticked all boxes. I completed my first 40km training run, in just over 3 hours feeling pretty comfy, I’ve completed a set of solid 5 x 1 mile reps and completed a 16km tempo at marathon race pace. I’ve also boosted my kms per week to just over 160kms and I’m still including a full Friday off to recover.
I’m planning on racing the Christchurch City 2 Surf over the next few days, with the obvious aim of winning the title, but i’d still be happy just to have a solid race and find some form after all the running I currently have in my legs.
Lets hope hope the wheels don’t fall off…
February Running Report
Month two (February) of marathon training is done! In short, the last month has been exceptional, I’ve been able to increase my miles, better my workouts and mentally feel stronger and more confident.
So, how’s the training looking? Well, I’m still very much focusing on my aerobic endurance, and top-level aerobic capacity in the phase of my program. This has obviously meant the lengthening of my workouts, and focusing on hitting speed targets in my workouts.
Typically, without giving too much away, this is how my weeks have looked:
Monday
80 -90Min easy
Tuesday
Workout – either long tempo, or long reps
Wednesday
90min easy
Thursday
2hours
Friday
Day off
Saturday
Workout either long tempo, or long reps
Sunday
2 hours
Approximately 130 – 145km per week with two workouts and two long runs.
In March, the game plan is simple. I have to slowly increase my KMs, to around 150-160km. This will result in the inclusion of doubles on my workout days i.e. Tuesdays and Saturdays. My Coach, Don Greig, has also recommended running 40km easy at some stage, and I’ll also race the Christchurch City 2 Surf later in the Month.
If I were to suggest a theme for February it would have been “Foundation.” February has set a great benchmark of solid miles, and good workouts. In fact, I’d suggest I’m in the strongest shape I’ve ever been, I’m just lacking the top end speed as of yet.
March’s theme will be “building”. It will really be the benchmark month of long miles and long tempos. Simply, what I decided to do over the next 4 weeks, will directly result in how I’ll be able to handle running 3:25s for 42Kms!!!
HOLIDAY 2012
Here’s the latest of my video creations; a quick 4min reflection of my summer break. Travelling from Christchurch though the Lewis Pass to Golden Bay, up to Whararaki beach then back over to Nelson. Then down the East Coast of the south island, thorough Kaikoura to Christchurch. Enjoy the roads, the scenery, the ocean and New Zealand.
The idea:
How many times have you taken hundreds of holiday photos, all to just leave them in a folder on your hard drive…? What I’m getting at, is so often people take amazing photos and don’t do anything creative with them. My inspiration then, was to film parts of my holiday, and to see if i could put together a fun little film. A film that I can watch over and over, share with friends, and generally get a good buzz from.
Let me know what you think..
