Already reported about the daring 5000m on the track, I wrapped up the rest of the week feeling really tired.
I do not regret doing the race because first of all there were those consideration about the opportunity do do a decent time in decent weather (now the temperature has already risen to 23C and humid...) and also it was a good way to kick-out the "post marathon gloom"...
After the marathon, is quite easy to totally relax and slack out for several weeks (well deserved anyway). But because I have another marathon coming in April, I better get my things going asap, albeit with the necessary recovery time
So:
Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri; no running... felt really like sleeping was the best option
Wed: track meeting 5000m
Sat: 14km very easy... I was feeling very tired and with aches here and there. My HR was at least 10bpm or more higher than what it should be for that speed.. and I even had to stop a couple of times because I felt tired.
Right hamstring very tired...
Sun: same 15km... slightly better, still HR too high, I tried to run slowly. I really needed a crane to get up from bed...
Recap: legs are not too bad, but the right hamstring really needs some work. I also feel tired.
The real great news is that my infant son has begun to sleep through the night (at least until 5am..) so that is really a boost for the recovery !
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
something a bit insane....5000m track race
...errr... I did something a bit insane...
regardless of all what I read about the muscular damages after a marathon, damages which can take up to 3 weeks to repair...
it did go this way:
Monday and Tuesday I felt my legs really sore. I could go up and down the stairs, etc.. but not really in any idea of running (not even a light jog...).
I do not know what happened, but Wednesday morning I got up from bed and my legs were 90% ok, just a bit sore in some spot, etc...
Then I started to consider that I was already entered into the track meeting long ago, and it would have been a pity to lose it because the weather is still good (cool), while all the other meeting will be in much warmer weather...
it did also help that I have some business appointments in the late afternoon near the track meeting venue, so it was really "on the way home"...
So.. call it insanity, but I packed some running stuff in a bag and went to work...
By late afternoon, I felt very motivated to run and after work I headed to the Stadium...
I can not deny that some other runners did really big eyes when they saw me warming-up...
my legs were a bit sore and I had not idea if I would have been able to really push hard...
This said, I lined up with the other 20 starters and could not avoid to notice that I was MUCH older than anybody else, maybe double than the average age of the other runners...
the gun goes and I try to run around 3'15" for the first k...
The eventual winner and my teanmate Colin took off at higher speed, but I was in a small pack of 5 runners and we basically went along at 3'15" pace for the next 4k...
It is difficult to describe my feeling: in a sense, I felt like I was not suffering enough, especially compared with a monster effort of a marathon. The breath was quite comfortable, but I did not have the stride to go faster.
At 4000m I started to suffer, but it was a kind of subdued suffering....
At the last lap, we started to sprint and obviously I did not have huge legs...
I closed in 6th place, beating at the sprint a 17yo runner (!!) with a 16'23" clock which is anyway incredible considering the marathon.
(it is also a kind of PB for me.. because I never did a 5000m track race before... my 5K PB of 15'51" was on road)
It was quite funny that after the race, the most depressed was a guy who beat me at the spring by couple yards... he told me how he did prepare for 2 months specifically for this track meeting, doing intervals and intervals. And now he felt very depressed to just beat me by a little knowing that I did a marathon 3 days ago......
Well... now I will really take it easy for some time... but anyway it was great fun on the track !
regardless of all what I read about the muscular damages after a marathon, damages which can take up to 3 weeks to repair...
it did go this way:
Monday and Tuesday I felt my legs really sore. I could go up and down the stairs, etc.. but not really in any idea of running (not even a light jog...).
I do not know what happened, but Wednesday morning I got up from bed and my legs were 90% ok, just a bit sore in some spot, etc...
Then I started to consider that I was already entered into the track meeting long ago, and it would have been a pity to lose it because the weather is still good (cool), while all the other meeting will be in much warmer weather...
it did also help that I have some business appointments in the late afternoon near the track meeting venue, so it was really "on the way home"...
So.. call it insanity, but I packed some running stuff in a bag and went to work...
By late afternoon, I felt very motivated to run and after work I headed to the Stadium...
I can not deny that some other runners did really big eyes when they saw me warming-up...
my legs were a bit sore and I had not idea if I would have been able to really push hard...
This said, I lined up with the other 20 starters and could not avoid to notice that I was MUCH older than anybody else, maybe double than the average age of the other runners...
the gun goes and I try to run around 3'15" for the first k...
The eventual winner and my teanmate Colin took off at higher speed, but I was in a small pack of 5 runners and we basically went along at 3'15" pace for the next 4k...
It is difficult to describe my feeling: in a sense, I felt like I was not suffering enough, especially compared with a monster effort of a marathon. The breath was quite comfortable, but I did not have the stride to go faster.
At 4000m I started to suffer, but it was a kind of subdued suffering....
At the last lap, we started to sprint and obviously I did not have huge legs...
I closed in 6th place, beating at the sprint a 17yo runner (!!) with a 16'23" clock which is anyway incredible considering the marathon.
(it is also a kind of PB for me.. because I never did a 5000m track race before... my 5K PB of 15'51" was on road)
It was quite funny that after the race, the most depressed was a guy who beat me at the spring by couple yards... he told me how he did prepare for 2 months specifically for this track meeting, doing intervals and intervals. And now he felt very depressed to just beat me by a little knowing that I did a marathon 3 days ago......
Well... now I will really take it easy for some time... but anyway it was great fun on the track !
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
TV
just to close on the subject of the HK Marathon, I ended up on TV... with the cameramen who did really a good job of catching the moment when I slipped on the tarmac
(NOTE: the asphalt on that bridge is REALLY rough)
The direct link below starts actually from just few second ahead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM9hMRAznm4&feature=player_detailpage#t=685s
The frames are at 11'31" of the video (which is mainly on the duel for the win among the top athletes), so if you have more time and want to see the full video... see below
(NOTE: the asphalt on that bridge is REALLY rough)
The direct link below starts actually from just few second ahead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM9hMRAznm4&feature=player_detailpage#t=685s
The frames are at 11'31" of the video (which is mainly on the duel for the win among the top athletes), so if you have more time and want to see the full video... see below
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
a bit more technical…
passed the emotional moments...let's dig into the numbers...
(the very few readers of this blog know that I am data-maniac runner)
1) the tapering....
for the first time, I tried to take advantage of the "Training Load" function of the SportTracks3 SW.
Without bothering too much with my own personal data, you can see that the load went down a lot during the last week of January because of work commitment, so I tried to do a bit more in early February to recover, but obviously this involves the risk of getting too tired close to race day…
The greenish line (Training Stress Balance) was so still well below “0” very close to the marathon and I really had to take 3-4 days very easy to get a decent taper and reach race day with a TSB of +8.
I think that probably is better to avoid getting so close to a “A” race with tough workout and get more freshness to really have the best performance.
If someone is interested in knowing more about how to use the function, just pop me a message.
2) The carbo-loading:
my terror is always to end up in a part-a-john after 10k because of having eaten too much, and at the same time I still need to eat those 400-500grams extra of carbs to build up reserves for the race
(my friend Stefano knows very well the consequences of this: we ended up with 6 stops in the … while still finishing in 2h34’… he carbo-loaded using cereals…)
So, like I did for Fukuoka, I mainly took some cereal bars, but mostly resorted to carbohydrates in powder. I found a product with acceptable taste and so it was enough to sip all day long. I highly recommend
So my gut was still light and I did not feel too bloated at the start…
3) Race Splits
Difficult to say something on this. The first 10k are uphill, so the pace was fair. From 20 to 35 it is mainly downhill and also we really started to pick up the pace.
The split from 35 to 40 is great, considering the climb out of the tunnel and all the other flyovers, etc…Than I was really done for the day and just keeping the pace.
4) The HR
All the race was done following the indication of the Polar… I did on purpose hold back until the 20Km at the lower end of the MP zone… then it was time to start the race..
Note the spike in bpm around 1h00’…it was right after the fall… It was really an adrenaline boost..!! I had to calm down.. relax back and let the HR goes down again
5) The REAL race…
apart from the performance of a middle-age guy… there was a real race going on ahead of me
Here the article on the local newspaper
and lastly, the newspaper also find the goodwill to make an article about “the race in the race” for the local runners, where I am also interviewed !!
6) The reward:
for me, the greatest satisfaction is to being able to run in Fukuoka again.. with 2h39' I am sure to make their entry requirements. Now you know where I will spend my first Sunday of December !
(the very few readers of this blog know that I am data-maniac runner)
1) the tapering....
for the first time, I tried to take advantage of the "Training Load" function of the SportTracks3 SW.
Without bothering too much with my own personal data, you can see that the load went down a lot during the last week of January because of work commitment, so I tried to do a bit more in early February to recover, but obviously this involves the risk of getting too tired close to race day…
The greenish line (Training Stress Balance) was so still well below “0” very close to the marathon and I really had to take 3-4 days very easy to get a decent taper and reach race day with a TSB of +8.
I think that probably is better to avoid getting so close to a “A” race with tough workout and get more freshness to really have the best performance.
If someone is interested in knowing more about how to use the function, just pop me a message.
2) The carbo-loading:
my terror is always to end up in a part-a-john after 10k because of having eaten too much, and at the same time I still need to eat those 400-500grams extra of carbs to build up reserves for the race
(my friend Stefano knows very well the consequences of this: we ended up with 6 stops in the … while still finishing in 2h34’… he carbo-loaded using cereals…)
So, like I did for Fukuoka, I mainly took some cereal bars, but mostly resorted to carbohydrates in powder. I found a product with acceptable taste and so it was enough to sip all day long. I highly recommend
So my gut was still light and I did not feel too bloated at the start…
3) Race Splits
| Distance | Time | Split time | Split pace |
| 5 | 00:19:28 | 19:28 | 03:54 |
| 10 | 00:38:42 | 19:14 | 03:51 |
| 15 | 00:57:43 | 19:01 | 03:48 |
| 20 | 01:16:37 | 18:54 | 03:47 |
| 25 | 01:34:56 | 18:19 | 03:40 |
| 30 | 01:53:53 | 18:57 | 03:47 |
| 35 | 02:12:16 | 18:23 | 03:41 |
| 40 | 02:31:33 | 19:17 | 03:51 |
| 42,2 | 02:39:55 | 08:22 | 03:49 |
The split from 35 to 40 is great, considering the climb out of the tunnel and all the other flyovers, etc…Than I was really done for the day and just keeping the pace.
4) The HR
All the race was done following the indication of the Polar… I did on purpose hold back until the 20Km at the lower end of the MP zone… then it was time to start the race..
Note the spike in bpm around 1h00’…it was right after the fall… It was really an adrenaline boost..!! I had to calm down.. relax back and let the HR goes down again
5) The REAL race…
apart from the performance of a middle-age guy… there was a real race going on ahead of me
Here the article on the local newspaper
and lastly, the newspaper also find the goodwill to make an article about “the race in the race” for the local runners, where I am also interviewed !!6) The reward:
for me, the greatest satisfaction is to being able to run in Fukuoka again.. with 2h39' I am sure to make their entry requirements. Now you know where I will spend my first Sunday of December !
Monday, February 21, 2011
2h39’…and 1500USD
So I eventually did my debut in our local marathon….
It is difficult to decide where to start from, if from an aseptic narration of the race or from the deep emotions that every marathon leaves in a runner….
So I start from the 32K mark….
Until that moment, I had run the whole race shoulder to shoulder with Wioleta Kryza (a Polish Pro woman … after the race a google search revealed that in 2002 she was suspended for doping…). In few words she told me that she was quitting there because she was out of the money prizes.
I was alone with 10k to go and I could only see maybe 400m ahead 2 local runners who were directly competing for me for the “local runner special classification”.
I hit the split button ….2h01’19” into the race. Even with the mind fogged by the effort, I realized that I could arrive below 2h40’ , but at the price to clock a 38’ last 10K, with all the hills and the tunnel still ahead…
so go for it (sub 2h40’ and 3rd place) or just cruise to the finish and be content with 2h41’ and a 5th place?
I went….
I felt my body refusing the idea of pushing even harder, but my mind was really focused and little by little the 2 got read and blue spots ahead got bigger and bigger.
Once I reach the western tunnel, the red spot become just few steps ahead …. while climbing out of the tunnel (from –40 to +20 on sea level) I felt my legs like stones, but also the blue spot was nearer and nearer and I left it behind at the top of the climb…
Now I had only 4k left, and my right leg was setting tighter and tighter… every downhill was a real pain… I was not more able to extend the stride and just cruise down… every flyover felt like a mountain. My right hamstring was just a piece of wood and I was somehow surprised myself on how the Km splits were anyway still 3’4x
I stayed focused to my stride, just pushing my pain away. A last climb, the last Km banner and I hear Bill P. shouting “good job, Roberto, push, you can stay under 2h40’ ”…
Last turn, I see the finish line with the clock ticking away 2h39’30”…40”…45”…but is done…I crossed the line in 2h39”52”, around 15-20th overall but most important 3rd local runner….
It was all much beyond my expectations and a huge payback for all the sacrifices and early wake-ups…
The gratification was also “material” when I realized that I won 1500USD for the 3rd place in the special classification for local runners… the first time I ever win a cent running.
I can give myself a 10/10 marks because I really executed a perfect marathon strategy… not to sounds overconfident, but It was right from the books…
The course of HK marathon can be divided into 3 main sections…
the first half is a lot of hills, going from sea level to the top of the StoneCutter Bridge at over 100m altitude.. it might sound ridiculous, but climbing 100m in 4k, with strong sea winds is really tough…
My idea was to start VERY easy and keep my HR in the low 160s until the mid race. After 4-5k in the long climb my pack disintegrated and I was left with the mentioned Wioleta…
We exchanged pacing duties until the 15k turn-around point, and then I realized that somehow I was 5th of the local runners and not really far from the 4th/5th place… it was still a long way to go , but I was feeling strong
That sentiment did not last long… at the U-turn, on TsingMa bridge, I felt my feet losing grip and soon after I was on the ground with blood coming out from the right leg and my hands…
nothing terrible, but it was a huge discharge of adrenalin !! I could not finish my marathon for a stupid tumble…
My HR rate soared to 175-180bpm and I had to control my breathing, resume running and wait for the next water stop to sponge my bleedings..
The race was not compromised, I got back gradually to my “pacemaker” and we reached the half marathon mark in 1h20’50”.
Perfect to plans and it was time now to take advantage of the gradual descent down till the 37k…
I was happy that my HR was still low and we started to clock several 3’30” and 3’40” Kms… until she dropped off…
My HR was by then already around 175 (87%HRmax), but it was like I expected…
then.. the last part.. the last 5k are really brutal: you are under the underwater tunnel…40m below sea level and you have to go out.. with a climb which seem endless….then is all a succession of overpasses, flyovers, ups/downs until your legs can not take it anymore…
I run many marathons, but Hong Kong is really the toughest of the “city marathon” in the worlds…
Exhibit : IAAF race report (which made it as quote of the day in letsrun.com..)
END PART 1...tomorrow something more
It is difficult to decide where to start from, if from an aseptic narration of the race or from the deep emotions that every marathon leaves in a runner….
So I start from the 32K mark….
Until that moment, I had run the whole race shoulder to shoulder with Wioleta Kryza (a Polish Pro woman … after the race a google search revealed that in 2002 she was suspended for doping…). In few words she told me that she was quitting there because she was out of the money prizes.
I was alone with 10k to go and I could only see maybe 400m ahead 2 local runners who were directly competing for me for the “local runner special classification”.
I hit the split button ….2h01’19” into the race. Even with the mind fogged by the effort, I realized that I could arrive below 2h40’ , but at the price to clock a 38’ last 10K, with all the hills and the tunnel still ahead…so go for it (sub 2h40’ and 3rd place) or just cruise to the finish and be content with 2h41’ and a 5th place?
I went….
I felt my body refusing the idea of pushing even harder, but my mind was really focused and little by little the 2 got read and blue spots ahead got bigger and bigger.
Once I reach the western tunnel, the red spot become just few steps ahead …. while climbing out of the tunnel (from –40 to +20 on sea level) I felt my legs like stones, but also the blue spot was nearer and nearer and I left it behind at the top of the climb…
Now I had only 4k left, and my right leg was setting tighter and tighter… every downhill was a real pain… I was not more able to extend the stride and just cruise down… every flyover felt like a mountain. My right hamstring was just a piece of wood and I was somehow surprised myself on how the Km splits were anyway still 3’4xI stayed focused to my stride, just pushing my pain away. A last climb, the last Km banner and I hear Bill P. shouting “good job, Roberto, push, you can stay under 2h40’ ”…
Last turn, I see the finish line with the clock ticking away 2h39’30”…40”…45”…but is done…I crossed the line in 2h39”52”, around 15-20th overall but most important 3rd local runner….
It was all much beyond my expectations and a huge payback for all the sacrifices and early wake-ups…
The gratification was also “material” when I realized that I won 1500USD for the 3rd place in the special classification for local runners… the first time I ever win a cent running.
I can give myself a 10/10 marks because I really executed a perfect marathon strategy… not to sounds overconfident, but It was right from the books…
The course of HK marathon can be divided into 3 main sections…
the first half is a lot of hills, going from sea level to the top of the StoneCutter Bridge at over 100m altitude.. it might sound ridiculous, but climbing 100m in 4k, with strong sea winds is really tough…
My idea was to start VERY easy and keep my HR in the low 160s until the mid race. After 4-5k in the long climb my pack disintegrated and I was left with the mentioned Wioleta…
We exchanged pacing duties until the 15k turn-around point, and then I realized that somehow I was 5th of the local runners and not really far from the 4th/5th place… it was still a long way to go , but I was feeling strong
That sentiment did not last long… at the U-turn, on TsingMa bridge, I felt my feet losing grip and soon after I was on the ground with blood coming out from the right leg and my hands…
nothing terrible, but it was a huge discharge of adrenalin !! I could not finish my marathon for a stupid tumble…
My HR rate soared to 175-180bpm and I had to control my breathing, resume running and wait for the next water stop to sponge my bleedings..
The race was not compromised, I got back gradually to my “pacemaker” and we reached the half marathon mark in 1h20’50”.
Perfect to plans and it was time now to take advantage of the gradual descent down till the 37k…
I was happy that my HR was still low and we started to clock several 3’30” and 3’40” Kms… until she dropped off…
My HR was by then already around 175 (87%HRmax), but it was like I expected…
then.. the last part.. the last 5k are really brutal: you are under the underwater tunnel…40m below sea level and you have to go out.. with a climb which seem endless….then is all a succession of overpasses, flyovers, ups/downs until your legs can not take it anymore…
I run many marathons, but Hong Kong is really the toughest of the “city marathon” in the worlds…
Exhibit : IAAF race report (which made it as quote of the day in letsrun.com..)
END PART 1...tomorrow something more
Friday, February 18, 2011
Forecasting potential race performance with Polar Running Index
Polar is for me a very mysterious company... they "invented" the HR monitors, their units are packed of very useful functions... but then they do not make any effort to explain how to use in practice the functions made available...
The most mysterious of all is the Polar Running Index, about which I already wrote a couple of times (see HERE and HERE)
Now I try to use the Index as "forward looking tool" to forecast my incoming marathon time....
I own the Polar Rs800 since December 2006 and the trend of the P.R.I. is
Because I wanted to see better how to use Garmin and because the Polar food pod was broken for a while, I miss several data in the most recent period...
Anyway it seems that the past figures give a good idea of how my performance could be.
78-80 : around 2h42' (but that day in Boston the weather was tragic...)
80-82: below 2h40'
85: more around 2h35'
obviously these are my personal data and other people might have different curves.
Also the Index does not keep into consideration the specific training you could have for a specific distance (5000m o Marathon) but only a general indication of aerobic fitness
So I can bet on myself for Sunday that the time probably it can be something around/above 2h40', but then need to be factored by the hilly course and weather conditions (humid...).
I would be very happy to go below 2h42', qualify for Fukuoka and save somehow my legs for the spring marathon
Ok, now all is said and let's see what happens on Sunday
The most mysterious of all is the Polar Running Index, about which I already wrote a couple of times (see HERE and HERE)
Now I try to use the Index as "forward looking tool" to forecast my incoming marathon time....
I own the Polar Rs800 since December 2006 and the trend of the P.R.I. is
Because I wanted to see better how to use Garmin and because the Polar food pod was broken for a while, I miss several data in the most recent period...
Anyway it seems that the past figures give a good idea of how my performance could be.
78-80 : around 2h42' (but that day in Boston the weather was tragic...)
80-82: below 2h40'
85: more around 2h35'
obviously these are my personal data and other people might have different curves.
Also the Index does not keep into consideration the specific training you could have for a specific distance (5000m o Marathon) but only a general indication of aerobic fitness
So I can bet on myself for Sunday that the time probably it can be something around/above 2h40', but then need to be factored by the hilly course and weather conditions (humid...).
I would be very happy to go below 2h42', qualify for Fukuoka and save somehow my legs for the spring marathon
Ok, now all is said and let's see what happens on Sunday
Thursday, February 17, 2011
HK Marathon course in video
This is a nice one...
A guy put a camera on a car and did all the course of the HK Marathon.
It is impressing from 4'45" onward to appreciate the gradient of the big Stonecutters bridge... is really steep and long.
If you want to jump directly to the beginning of the bridge, click below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxef8EgrxkM&feature=player_detailpage#t=287s
Other sections of the course are in part 2 and 3 of the video
A guy put a camera on a car and did all the course of the HK Marathon.
It is impressing from 4'45" onward to appreciate the gradient of the big Stonecutters bridge... is really steep and long.
If you want to jump directly to the beginning of the bridge, click below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxef8EgrxkM&feature=player_detailpage#t=287s
Other sections of the course are in part 2 and 3 of the video
A nice book about general training
During the holidays, I had the time to read (by the way, my first Ebook..) a very interesting book about functional training.
It is all about strength and power training for different body segments, focusing on the kind of exercises which are really functional for the sport.
The reading is really a eye-opener about which are the useful exercises to do for general conditioning, especially if you usually hit the weight or machines in a gym.
So, for example, the book explains clearly why doing "leg curls" on the weight machine is a waste of time because the hamstring is not working in concentric effort in any sport, but always in eccentric way to stabilize the hip.
Many of the concept are more targeting "sprint running" sports (like Sprints in T&F and Team Sports), but obviously what is good for running fast is good also for running slower..
(by the way, my maximum sprint speed is lower of Bekele's speed on 5000m/10000m... so the concept of sprint is very relative...)
Anyway a very good reading and good to follow the book's indication if you are setting up a self-made functional conditioning strength program
It is all about strength and power training for different body segments, focusing on the kind of exercises which are really functional for the sport.
The reading is really a eye-opener about which are the useful exercises to do for general conditioning, especially if you usually hit the weight or machines in a gym.
So, for example, the book explains clearly why doing "leg curls" on the weight machine is a waste of time because the hamstring is not working in concentric effort in any sport, but always in eccentric way to stabilize the hip.
Many of the concept are more targeting "sprint running" sports (like Sprints in T&F and Team Sports), but obviously what is good for running fast is good also for running slower..
(by the way, my maximum sprint speed is lower of Bekele's speed on 5000m/10000m... so the concept of sprint is very relative...)
Anyway a very good reading and good to follow the book's indication if you are setting up a self-made functional conditioning strength program
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Week 6
Somehow a very solid week of training....
MON: 16km last run in Australia... it was really windy so on the way back after 8k it was no more "easy" effort
TUE: in Hong Kong. in the evening, I showed up at the track of the Sport Institute for a workout with the "national team".
The new national team coach did a very smart move to set-up bi-weekly training session for his team and to also allow "qualified guests" to join into the workout.
It makes a lot of sense because otherwise there would be only 3-4 people training at each session and also the foreigners in HK are really a big push and motivation for improvement to local runners...
So at the session, there were some of the best local runners and also few foreigners (including me...).
That said, the session was schedule for a 30' tempo run...
for me, 3 days after an half marathon, it was a bit hard, but I decided to stick to the HR monitor and let the effort guide the pace.
It was very pleasant because, rather than running alone, it was a good pack all along the effort and I clocked 3'30"/k pace very steady, closing in 8800m for 30'. HR was right on spot into the 170s as it should be for me for a tempo run.
Note: I would never been able to do 30' tempo run on a track alone... group power...
WED: no running
THU: easy 14.5k
FRI: same as yesterday..
SAT: 16k with 5-6 hill sprints
SUN: kind of last long run/marathon rehearsal. Maybe is not really a good training concept to do a Marathon Pace long run only one week before a real marathon, but I wanted to see how my target pace felt like and also to test all the "materials".
By the way, it was a perfect day for running fast, with 12C, slight wind and rain.
So I was really happy also to test running with leg warmers to use in case of real cold...
4k easy, the 3x a undulating circuit of 7k, 3k cool down
On the first lap I felt really good and I went a bit faster than I wanted... maybe around 3'55"/k average.
Then 2 laps at MP effort and I was glad to see that I clocked 3'45" /3'48" pace.
After 14km of MP I was still in my planned HR zone even after a hard week of training...
Let's see on race day, but running at 3'50" might be possible.
total: 27km @3'58" average pace (including w/u and c/d)
Total weekly: 100k sharp... not bad.
Now time to taper down for the Marathon
MON: 16km last run in Australia... it was really windy so on the way back after 8k it was no more "easy" effort
TUE: in Hong Kong. in the evening, I showed up at the track of the Sport Institute for a workout with the "national team".
The new national team coach did a very smart move to set-up bi-weekly training session for his team and to also allow "qualified guests" to join into the workout.
It makes a lot of sense because otherwise there would be only 3-4 people training at each session and also the foreigners in HK are really a big push and motivation for improvement to local runners...
So at the session, there were some of the best local runners and also few foreigners (including me...).
That said, the session was schedule for a 30' tempo run...
for me, 3 days after an half marathon, it was a bit hard, but I decided to stick to the HR monitor and let the effort guide the pace.
It was very pleasant because, rather than running alone, it was a good pack all along the effort and I clocked 3'30"/k pace very steady, closing in 8800m for 30'. HR was right on spot into the 170s as it should be for me for a tempo run.
Note: I would never been able to do 30' tempo run on a track alone... group power...
WED: no running
THU: easy 14.5k
FRI: same as yesterday..
SAT: 16k with 5-6 hill sprints
SUN: kind of last long run/marathon rehearsal. Maybe is not really a good training concept to do a Marathon Pace long run only one week before a real marathon, but I wanted to see how my target pace felt like and also to test all the "materials".
By the way, it was a perfect day for running fast, with 12C, slight wind and rain.
So I was really happy also to test running with leg warmers to use in case of real cold...
4k easy, the 3x a undulating circuit of 7k, 3k cool down
On the first lap I felt really good and I went a bit faster than I wanted... maybe around 3'55"/k average.
Then 2 laps at MP effort and I was glad to see that I clocked 3'45" /3'48" pace.
After 14km of MP I was still in my planned HR zone even after a hard week of training...
Let's see on race day, but running at 3'50" might be possible.
total: 27km @3'58" average pace (including w/u and c/d)
Total weekly: 100k sharp... not bad.
Now time to taper down for the Marathon
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wk5 - Australian Week report
Being on holidays did magic for my running...
I totaled 123Km in a week which is probably very near my life-time record...
To keep faith to my habits, I was always running at 5.30 or 6.00am, but not having to drive for hours or work until late makes a huge difference on recovery...
So the 123km come out without too much effort...
Basically all the run were on the seaside cycling track in Busselton... after a week I was familiar with every crack of the road, but I can not complain about running in such a nice view...
I had with me only a pairs of Asics Kayano and honestly after 8 days I was totally fed-up to run in these kind of protective shoes. The stride lose lose elasticity and also my calves muscles got shorter...
My definite preference is for light trainers... I am not into barefoot running, but definitely the best choice is to use the lightest and least cushioned shoe you can tolerate
Mon: 15km easy to get used to the place
Tue: I really wanted to make a last long run before the HK marathon, so I went for 33km @ steady 4'10"... like an idiot I did not carry any water, so after the sun come out, I was really craving for fluids.. but somehow I managed to do the all run without anything.
Wed: recovery run 12km
Thu: even if I was by then knowing that I would have run an Half Marathon, I did not want to lose the chance to work on my weak point which is gait and stride length... so after 30' easy, I added 8x1' @ 3'20" pace to work on leg turnover, etc. Total: 16km
Fri: 12km easy
Sat: half marathon (note: praise to the organizer for setting up this nice race. But I must honestly say that races in HK are "more" in terms of service to the runner... (baggage storage, prizes, etc) . Total 25km including w/u
Sun: 10k relaxed... (well... it was incredibly windy, so It was fairly hard even to run slowly...)
now is time to taper down for the HK marathon...
I totaled 123Km in a week which is probably very near my life-time record...
To keep faith to my habits, I was always running at 5.30 or 6.00am, but not having to drive for hours or work until late makes a huge difference on recovery...
So the 123km come out without too much effort...
Basically all the run were on the seaside cycling track in Busselton... after a week I was familiar with every crack of the road, but I can not complain about running in such a nice view...
I had with me only a pairs of Asics Kayano and honestly after 8 days I was totally fed-up to run in these kind of protective shoes. The stride lose lose elasticity and also my calves muscles got shorter...
My definite preference is for light trainers... I am not into barefoot running, but definitely the best choice is to use the lightest and least cushioned shoe you can tolerate
Mon: 15km easy to get used to the place
Tue: I really wanted to make a last long run before the HK marathon, so I went for 33km @ steady 4'10"... like an idiot I did not carry any water, so after the sun come out, I was really craving for fluids.. but somehow I managed to do the all run without anything.
Wed: recovery run 12km
Thu: even if I was by then knowing that I would have run an Half Marathon, I did not want to lose the chance to work on my weak point which is gait and stride length... so after 30' easy, I added 8x1' @ 3'20" pace to work on leg turnover, etc. Total: 16km
Fri: 12km easy
Sat: half marathon (note: praise to the organizer for setting up this nice race. But I must honestly say that races in HK are "more" in terms of service to the runner... (baggage storage, prizes, etc) . Total 25km including w/u
Sun: 10k relaxed... (well... it was incredibly windy, so It was fairly hard even to run slowly...)
now is time to taper down for the HK marathon...
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Busselton Half Marathon report...
Where is Busselton ??? a lovely seaside town in West Australia. The town is famous in the Triathlon world for being the location of the West Australia IronMan...so almost everybody in town goes around with some kind of Ironman memorabilia....
It also boast the longest wooden jetty of the southern hemisphere (1.9km...)
What the heck was I doing there ?? Well, during the CNY holidays, we went there for a family beach vacation and the usual round of country parks, etc.... (at least my kids would understand what a cow looks like...).
Basically it was totally unplanned and one day going around town we noticed a banner advertising a half marathon for the saturday.... so, why not ??
This said, I was a bit hesitant to make a Half only 2 weeks away from the Hong Kong Marathon... but I resolved to take the race at reasonable effort and do not leave everything ...also having only a pair of Asics Kayanos was a good mental brake to avoid going "too fast"...
Reaching the beautiful seafront starting point I was deeply impressed by how much the "Ironman" culture was pervasive in that region... it seemed that 2 out of 3 were multiple Ironman veterans, sporting souvenir shirts from any kind of Ironman race around the globe...
So... I was only a modest road runner who can barely swim...
The course is a 2 loops back and forth on the seashore, so it is basically 4 times of the same 5km stretch...
it was really windy, with serious headwind on half of the course (heheh... tailwind on the other half...).
To get good data for my assault to the marathon, I run in full "data crazy" asset: Garmin, HR strap and foot pod.
The target was to run around 3'40" which seemed a reasonable pace for such a windy day. Also I wanted to keep the HR as close as possible to 170bpm in first half race, to leave space for climbing up to 177-180 only on a later stage. In this way, it was a fairly reasonable effort, but not a real "half marathon" full out (where I should start at 175bpm and later see the HR drift to 180-180bpm or even more...).
5bpm can make a huge difference in terms of effort and I am surprised by how many people wear a HR monitor without really taking profit of the information...
Anyway, right after the start, it was quick to realize that there were 2 runners much faster than the others and they soon disappeared on the horizon. I was quite comfortable in the 2nd pack and it was good to see that my HR was just around 170bpm as I wished (85% of my max).
As you can see, I kept a very steady effort (and 3'40" pace) until 16km, where the last headwind section required me to work harder to keep the pace.
Progressively our pack was losing pieces and we were left in 2 with 5km to go to dispute the 3rd place.
I was a bit hesitant to push too early, so I really put down the hammer only at the 20km mark with a 3'20" Km split and dropped the other guy....
So, final result: 3rd overall, 1st Master in a 1h17'46" which was right on spot of my targeted pace.
Results are HERE
If you do not have it yet, it is a real must to install the "weather plugin" on SportTrack 3....
You can get an exact picture of the weather conditions during the workout... for example during the race:
The temperature was not bad, but a constant wind at 26kmh made for a tougher than expected race....
So, if you happen to be in West Australia the first week-end of february (next edition is scheduled for 4th february 2012), do not miss this nice race www.busseltonhalf.com.au
It also boast the longest wooden jetty of the southern hemisphere (1.9km...)
Basically it was totally unplanned and one day going around town we noticed a banner advertising a half marathon for the saturday.... so, why not ??
This said, I was a bit hesitant to make a Half only 2 weeks away from the Hong Kong Marathon... but I resolved to take the race at reasonable effort and do not leave everything ...also having only a pair of Asics Kayanos was a good mental brake to avoid going "too fast"...
Reaching the beautiful seafront starting point I was deeply impressed by how much the "Ironman" culture was pervasive in that region... it seemed that 2 out of 3 were multiple Ironman veterans, sporting souvenir shirts from any kind of Ironman race around the globe...
So... I was only a modest road runner who can barely swim...
The course is a 2 loops back and forth on the seashore, so it is basically 4 times of the same 5km stretch...
it was really windy, with serious headwind on half of the course (heheh... tailwind on the other half...).
To get good data for my assault to the marathon, I run in full "data crazy" asset: Garmin, HR strap and foot pod.
The target was to run around 3'40" which seemed a reasonable pace for such a windy day. Also I wanted to keep the HR as close as possible to 170bpm in first half race, to leave space for climbing up to 177-180 only on a later stage. In this way, it was a fairly reasonable effort, but not a real "half marathon" full out (where I should start at 175bpm and later see the HR drift to 180-180bpm or even more...).
5bpm can make a huge difference in terms of effort and I am surprised by how many people wear a HR monitor without really taking profit of the information...
Anyway, right after the start, it was quick to realize that there were 2 runners much faster than the others and they soon disappeared on the horizon. I was quite comfortable in the 2nd pack and it was good to see that my HR was just around 170bpm as I wished (85% of my max).
As you can see, I kept a very steady effort (and 3'40" pace) until 16km, where the last headwind section required me to work harder to keep the pace.
Progressively our pack was losing pieces and we were left in 2 with 5km to go to dispute the 3rd place.
I was a bit hesitant to push too early, so I really put down the hammer only at the 20km mark with a 3'20" Km split and dropped the other guy....
So, final result: 3rd overall, 1st Master in a 1h17'46" which was right on spot of my targeted pace.
Results are HERE
If you do not have it yet, it is a real must to install the "weather plugin" on SportTrack 3....
You can get an exact picture of the weather conditions during the workout... for example during the race:
The temperature was not bad, but a constant wind at 26kmh made for a tougher than expected race....
So, if you happen to be in West Australia the first week-end of february (next edition is scheduled for 4th february 2012), do not miss this nice race www.busseltonhalf.com.au
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