Monday 30 September 2013

Update

 So I have been sick the past week and only started running again on Saturday. Just did an easy 6.5km just to get back into it. The time for it was 27:52 so no worries there. Then yesterday struggled out of bed at 7 in the morning after a party the night before to go up to Ferny creek with the running club. There was a huge group of us yesterday Me, Haftu, Chris, Corey, Luke, Julian, Nick and Jasper. Pretty good run, I felt pretty tired, but the huge hill didn't seem as bad as before so that is a bonus. 9.5km in about 54 minutes.

Thursday 26 September 2013

Being Sick

Been sick the last 3 days, really frustrating as I want to train hard for some upcoming races. Hopefully I'll be able to run tomorrow.

Monday 23 September 2013

Sick 1kers

Today I had running club, but I was still feeling under the weather. Did 2.5k warm up then did the 1k's. Started off with a slow one before picking up the pace. Reps in these times respectively: 3:21, 3:09, 3:07, 3:06. Felt pretty awful, looking forward to getting better and training harder.

10km race

Today had the big 10k. Been really looking forward to this for a while. Woke up and had a really bad sore throat. I decided to do the race anyway, but I had too high expectations. After a solid warm up I went to the start line and the gun went off. Started really nicely just the way I wanted. Went through the first km in 3:35 a bit faster than the plan. I felt really good then, but then the cold kicked in at about 3.5km and I started to slow. I went through 5km in 19 minutes. I was started to hurt at around 6km , but I kept pushing through. Ended up with a time of 39:11. I was very disappointed when I finished as I was hoping for a faster time. The cold I think took it's toll. At least now I have a bench mark to work up from. I think I will sign up for the Melbourne Marathon 10km and try to beat that time then.

Friday 20 September 2013

Couple of Rest Days

Just a couple of rest days before a big 10km race tomorrow. Still feeling a bit sick so hopefully that goes away over night...

3km reps

Yesterday wasn't feeling great, had a bit of a sore throat and a headache. Got some mates and we did some 3kms reps. It was me Matt, Bryan and Tim running. We started with a 2.5km warm up and then did the reps. We did the first one easy, the second one hard and the last one medium. The easy one was in 12:25, the hard one was on 10:25 and the medium one was in 11:44. Felt pretty bad during it but it was fun running with mates. 11.5km in all.

Thursday 19 September 2013

Shermy Fartlek

Yesterday did a Shermy Fartlek session named after our coach who invented it. It goes 30s, 45s, 60s, 90s, 2 mins and 3 mins with a 1 minute recovery jog between each rep. 3 minutes walk then repeat. It was only me, Nick and Chris training tonight as Cheyne (Coach) wasn't coming down and the weather was awful. Started with 2.5km warm up, then some drills before getting into the session. We ran in a line to try and take a bit of wind off those who were in the back. We took it in turns to each lead a rep. Felt pretty crappy to be honest, but it was alright. I led the first 1 minute and the first set and I settled in after that. Led the 3km also and that was good. On the last rep for the last set, Nick surged very quick and I couldn't keep with him. I stuck with Chris and managed to overtake him in the last 50m. Pretty happy, about 10.7km in all.

Wednesday 18 September 2013

3km Out and Back

Yesterday did a 3k out and back. The day before, running club had been cancelled because of the appalling weather so I ran on Tuesday instead of Monday. The 3km out and back starts with an easy 3km which I did in 12:15, before going on to a harder 3km. Because I had a 3km race the other day I wanted to try and get my time up. In the race, I think I went out too fast so I broke earlier. Today I went out a bit slower and kept the pace for longer and I managed to run a 9:55, so I am pretty happy, since that was on a training run also. I think I have to run my races a bit more tactically if I want to get a good time.

Sunday 15 September 2013

Ferny Creek

Today went up to Ferny Creek to run some trails with the club. It was me, Haftu, Chris and Jasper running. 2 minutes in to the run Jasper fell twisted his ankle, and decided not to run. He headed back to the car while we continued. It is quite difficult running on trails as you always have to pay attention to the track. You can't settle into a rythm because the trail is always changing from rocky to muddy then to hills. It is good training though. We did the same route as last time so that included a huge hill. That was killer. Really tough. We were all together up the hill until about 50m to go when Haftu surged ahead. We rested a bit before continuing with the run and we finished it no worries. Really enjoyed it, a nice easy pace, did 11km in 60 minutes.

Saturday 14 September 2013

3km Race

Today had a 3km race at a Private school practice meet where all the private schools in the area have a track and field competition on most Saturdays during track season. I don't go to a private school, but I was invited along by my running coach who coaches running at one of the schools. I was running in an open 3km race and Haftu, who I train with, was also in it. We started off quick going through the first km in 3:05. It was me and 3 other runners at the front and after 1500m they dropped me. It was gradual they slowly crept away from me and it was incredible frustrating. They finished the race about 150m ahead of me. I ran it in 10:03 a PB for me, but I was expecting more of myself. I was hoping for about 9:45. I have another 3km in a few weeks so I will try and get under 10 minutes then.

Friday 13 September 2013

Taper Sesh

Yesterday just did a taper session as I have a race on Saturday. Did a 1km, a 600m and a 300m. I was running by myself which wasn't as good but it was alright. Started with a 2.5km warm up then walked to the 1k started. Felt good, but not super quick. Got a time of 2:59. After a long recovery was the 600. Did that in 1:36. After another long recovery was the 300. I decided I would focus on technique on this one and I did. Did it in 46s. Then did a 2.5km cool down. 6.9km in all. Tomorrow I am racing in a 3km on track and a 1500m. Looking forward to it.

Thursday 12 September 2013

Kenyan Fartlek Again

Yesterday went to running club again, the weather was almost perfect for running aside from a bit of wind. After a 2.5km warm up and some drills, we started the session. I was training with Chris, Haftu, Duggie and Jasper, so quite a small group. Started with 2 minutes hard then 2 minutes easy and we did that 4 times. I led the second one and it felt good. No niggles from the 24/7. After the third one Jasper dropped out I think he had an injury, but I don't know for certain. We completed the fourth one and then had a 4 minute break before starting 1's. We did 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy 6 times. I led the first and 4th one, but by then it was only Haftu , Chris and I running so each of us led 2 reps. Finished the session no worries and I really enjoyed it. First proper training after the 24/7 and it felt good. About 9.8km in all including warm up and cool down.

Tuesday 10 September 2013

5k Easy

Today did an easy 5km. Just a run after the last 2 days of resting after the 24/7. It felt really strange running on concrete after so many kilometres on grass. Did it in 23:41, calves were a bit sore, but it was expected. I'll go to running club tomorrow.

Saturday 7 September 2013

24/7

Yesterday was the start of the 24/7.(Read previous post for explanation).We got to the school oval at 7:30 to collect our registration packet and to start setting up our tents. The registration pack included: Electronic bib tags to record our laps, Dinner cards and breakfast cards that we had to hand in we had those meals. We set up our tents then waited for the speeches before the actual race. A representative from the chosen charity explained what the money we raised would be used for. Then the coordinators of the challenge told the starting runners to line up at the start and then they were off. The clock started, and it was very fast. Harry went out quick to avoid the wave of slower runners behind him that would block our way. The track was a 550metre loop so our team would be over taking people all the time. We were going fast at the start, but we all feeling good. There was one problem though and that was that the score board wasn't working and it was giving teams laps when they hadn't done them. Because of our pace and the fact that nobody was overtaking us it was obvious that we were first, but the scoreboard said we were ninth. We slowed down a bit not wanting to use lots of our energy if it was going to be wasted. Each of us had 4 half an hour breaks during the race and one 3 hour sleeping time during the night according to my schedule. The race started at 10am and by 5pm we were ok. Some of us went to get dinner and food while the other kept running. The scoreboard still wasn't fixed although the technicians were working on it. At 9pm 2 people had their sleeping break and I had a half hour break. I was starting to hurt. My knee was starting to click and my calves felt like someone was slowly pulling them apart. I kept going. In the dark at 11 at night. You are just running and you are hoping its going to end soon. You have no hope as the clock says you are only just past halfway and everything hurts. They whole 300m is just a wave of pain until you hand the baton to the next person and you collapse in a chair. By 1 in the morning you are hurting even more. I couldn't bend my knee well and but I was pushing through. My calves were awful and the tendon behind my knee was killer. The scoreboard however was fixed, but we missed out on some of our laps because the recording system had broken as well. To make matters worse the team behind us was slowly gaining. We continued and found ourselves 10 laps ahead of the second place team and it was staying at that interval. At 3 in the morning it was my 3 hour sleep time and I collapsed in one of our tents. Before I knew it I was asleep and was woken  up at 6 in the morning to start running again. I shuffled along when the baton was handed to me trying not to let anyone pass me. The sun was starting to come up now and this gave us more energy. We extended our lead to 12 then 15 laps. I was still struggling  however and I just wanted it to end. When there was only 3 hours left I tried to push on. I did, picking up my pace a bit more every time it was my go to run. With an hour left we were going alright. We had a 20 lap lead and wanted to extend it. I was absolutely spent, I was struggling through. It wasn't like I was gasping for air. I felt like I was just breathing normally but my legs were wrecked. The pain was awful. When it finished I was so happy. We listened to some after speeches and we had to go up on stage because we won. The scoreboard only counted the last 15 hours of the challenge and it missed the start when we were really moving. I reckon I ran about 45km in all. Next year I'm going to do it, but walk it instead of running. I think I will be sore for about 4 days after this.

Thursday 5 September 2013

24/7 Explanation

Rest day today as I have a huge race tomorrow. This is not a normal race. It is a 24 hour relay style race. Teams are made up of 7 members, who take it in turns to run for 24 hours. It is to raise money for a charity. This year the charity is State Schools Relief, who provide aid for those who can't afford to go to school. This event is run by our school and about 900 kids are participating this year. This is how it works. Students will run around the oval with a baton. Each lap is about 550 metres long.  Each team member has a microchip on their number bib and as the student crosses the lap start and finish line the machine records a lap. Only one student is running at a time. They can run for however long they like, but it is recommended to have a plan and not just wing it.

This year, we have gathered the fittest year 10's in the school and we are going to try and win. The winning team is the team with the most laps recorded. Our team is called A.S.A.D.A Approved.( Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency) We did this last year and managed to pull and incredible second place, but this year we are going for gold. Our team is made up of these members: Me. Harry Amner- A Sprinter who can run 100m in just over 11 seconds. Also a very solid 400 and 800m runner. Matt Mahoney (Mahone)- An extraordinary cyclist for our age, who often rides 70k a pop on the weekends. Willem van Denderen (Vandend)- A huge sports fanatic, who follows and plays most sports. Jonno Krieger- An athlete who recently trained for the state cross country, pulled a ripper 17:30 for 5km, loads of natural ability. Tim Dobson (Dobbo)- An exceptional hockey player (last year in this event, Tim pulled us through the night with his non-stop effort). Karl Wegman- A want to be Air Force officer and the best cadet you can find. He often does huge hikes with weighted backpacks and army equipment. Nic Chapman (Chappo)- Our team manager and PR representative. He unfortunately isn't able to do the challenge with us this year due to sporting commitments.

Our team has a very organised 24 hour schedule thanks to Matt and our plan is to run half lap increments as we have learned through experience that this is the most effective way to tackle the challenge. Really looking forward to it weather it looking to be ok. I have plenty of food and clothes as it is going to get pretty cold. Should be incredible.

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Race + Kenyan Fartlek

Yesterday had the next round from the school athletics. I was running the 1500m. Alright day for running, good temperature, but very windy. The race started and I led. I have almost no experience in this race so I didn't know what to do. Just kept running at the same pace with a tall kid from another school and one of my mates behind me. Went through the first 400 in 73 seconds. Continued at the same paces until 800 where I considered kicking but decided not to. I am not a very good sprinter at all so I should've kicked at 800. I continued like this feeling great. Went through the 1km mark in 3:17 and just kept the same pace. At about 250m to go. The tall guy behind me just went. I tried to continue with him, but I can't sprint. He beat me by about 20m. I ended up running a 4:42. I had recovered in 2 minutes while the leader continued breathing hard for another 2 minutes after. I made poor decisions and therefore lost the race. After a talk with Cheyne (running coach) I now know what to do.

About 5 hours after the race I had training. We weren't doing a hard session as most of us were racing tomorrow. Just 2 minutes fast, 2 minutes slow 4 times. Then 1 minute fast , 1 minute slow 4 times. Felt really good, despite having raced. Did the session no worries and about 9.3km in all.   

Monday 2 September 2013

400's

Today went to running club and after a 2.5km warm up we got down to business. Perfect weather for running, no wind and not too cold. We did the 400's in sets of 3. I was running with Haftu, Dean and Duggie. For the first set we had a 1 minute recovery between each, but the reps were to be slower. The times for the first set were 76s, 72s, 74s. The 400's also were not on the track. They were on a gravel path which is a 1200 metre loop. The loop also has a hill in it so the first rep of all the 3 sets was always the slowest. After the first set we had 3 minute break and I was feeling pretty good. I have done quite a lot of 400's in the past so the lactic didn't hit me as hard as the others. For the second set we had a 2 minute rest in between each one, but the reps had to be a bit faster. The times were 72s, 68s, and 70s. We then had another 3 minute break before starting the next set. For this set we had a 3 minute break in between each one but the reps had to be faster still. The times were 72s, 66s, and 64s. Really good session, feeling a bit sore in the calves, about 7.3km in all.

Sunday 1 September 2013

Easy 12km

Today did an easy 12km with dad. Hot and windy, so not the best conditions. Still a nice run though. Dad stopped at 9k to drive the car home that he left at a party. I finished the last 3km off. Picked up the pace a bit, but not much. Ended up with a time of 53:51(4:48's). 59km for the week.