4 June 2023

73.3 kilometers; all training sessions hit; feeling strong! Reckon I’m in the swing of things now.

One progression run - cruising in zone 2 for 25-odd minutes, then getting ‘progressively’ (see what they did there) quicker till you’re finishing close to a sprint for the next 15. Feels great digging for that extra pace while your legs and lungs are burning. Then back to hill sprints for the second tough run, this time going 6 x 1 mins. Any locals will know the Lilyfield Rd climb that comes off the Bay Run, there’s a little laneway next to that called Perry Lane which is great for these - starts off with a moderate climb and then ends up quite steep toward the end just when everything is hurting. Once again, I love these sessions. 6 minutes of pain and you’re feeling great the rest of the day!

Mixed things up this week and had a crack at the longy on Saturday morning. 2 and a half hours. I went out along the City 2 Surf course, swapped Heartbreak Hill for a detour into Watsons Bay (and up the no-less heartbreaking Old South Head Road, then along the coast south to Coogee. Was meeting a mate for a coffee in Bronte, got my beaches confused, and ran way past it. Rookie error. There’s not much else to say about that coastal run that hasn’t already been said. It’s goddamn beautiful. Great for getting some cheeky elevation in. I saw a massive pack of dolphins. Endorphins were off the scale. We’re exceptionally lucky to live where we do.

I’ve done variations of this training program a few times before - one when trying to get my sub-90 half (success!) and another time for UTA100 in 2022 (which had to be delayed due to flood damage on the course). It’s been interesting to compare how I’ve gone on the weekly ‘tough’ runs now vs over the last few years. I’m finding it a little hard to grapple with, but I’m generally the same or perhaps a little worse off. Is age finally creeping up on me? Is the accumulative lack of sleep from being a parent now taking its toll? I’m not particularly competitive but something stings a little from the prospect of plateauing. I try not to focus on it - I do this for the adventure - but can’t help feeling a little sad when I notice.

In sartorial news, I dropped a few bucks on some new gear this week. One pair of shorts were literally falling apart so needed replacing, and it was time to grab a new long sleeve top for the harsh Sydney winter (spoiler: it’s not). Also time to grab some new runners (start running, they said; it won’t cost you anything, they said; oh, but you’ll need to buy new runners every three months, they didn’t say). For me that means trawling the web to find the best deals on last year’s Kayanos. Can lead to some interesting shoe decisions; my favourites being the ‘Good Fortune’ editions and my now new ‘Clown Vomit’ ones To make some room for the new arrivals, I also finally got around to donating the entire shelves worth of race shirts that I’d accumulated since I got here. Hopefully someone can put them to good use, and I’ve made a mental note to not take any more when I finish races. Race towels on the other hand… can’t get enough of them!