16-22 Feb

Finally getting rid of the last of the cold/flu I've had for a couple of weeks.  I was feeling pretty grim at the start of the week and missed my planned run on Tuesday, but managed a good interval session on Thursday and had a lovely 15km outdoor run today.

• Was pretty unrestrained when it came to food this week - had 3 or 4 occasions where I ate for the sake of it rather than because I was hungry.  Progress with weight loss is non-existent or even backwards.  Now behind schedule.  2/5.
• 4/5 for putting in the miles - ran 34.5km vs a plan of 41.
• 4/5 for making it to the start line - I skipped a run when I felt bad, but was a bit aggressive getting back to doing intervals.  I seem to have gotten away with it though.
• 4/5 for peaking for the race - stuck to my plan pretty well this week, although my long Sunday run was a bit too fast.

Overall 14/20


My intervals on Thursday ranged from 12.5kph to 13.5kph.  I'll try ramping up from 13kph this week and stop increasing the pace when it feels too much for me.


My first outdoor run of the year was nice: +2C, blue skies, sunshine.  Wind picked up a bit towards the end but I wasn't cold.  Nice to get a data point from an outdoor run to confirm my fitness is roughly where I thought it was.

9 - 15 February

Unwell this week, and also travelling.  Only did one 5km run.

• Drank too much while travelling.  Weight loss: 2/5.
• Only 1/5 for putting in the miles.
• 5/5 for making it to the start line - took things very easy while sick.
• 3/5 for peaking for the race - certainly didn't overdo it.

Overall 11/20.

2 - 8 Feb: First intervals of the year

Had fun on Thursday with my first intervals of the year - 4x400m.  I wasn't sure what speed to run them at so I built up from 12 to 12.7kph.  They all felt OK - next time around I'll start with 12.5 and build up from there.


Here's my assessment of the week's running:

• My weight has rebounded slightly after the norovirus, but that's no surprise.  72.5kg this morning, which is pretty much on track.  6 beers this week, moderate restraint w.r.t food, no missed runs.  4/5
• Almost perfect record with distance this week - 39km vs 40km planned.  5/5
• The niggle in my hip is improving, but I have a new one in my knee.  I don't think I'm aggravating it by continuing to run.  I felt rubbish at the end of Saturday's run and stopped slightly early.  4/5 for making it to the start line.
• I stuck to the plan for the week, took the first set of intervals easy even though I felt capable of more reps or more speed.  5/5 for peaking for the race.

Overall 18/20.


I'm travelling next week, so it's an easy week - Tue-Thu are rest days, I'll do a total of 32km and no intervals.

26 Jan - 1 Feb: Norovirus

I've been sick as a dog for most of the weekend, so I've missed two runs this week.  On the plus side, it's done wonders for my weight loss!  Hopefully I'll be back to regularly scheduled running tomorrow.

Here's my assessment of the week:

• Although I was down to under 72kg this morning it won't be permanent.  I've been relatively restrained in terms of food and only had 7 beers, and although I've missed 21km of running I also missed a few meals.  A moderate 3/5 for weight loss.
• I ran 14km vs my target of 35km, but only due to sickness rather than laziness.  So I won't beat myself up too much - let's say 3/5 for putting in the miles.
• I bought some new running shoes to try and ward off my hip pain, and rested when I got sick.  5/5 for making to the start line.
• Only 2 short easy runs, so 5/5 for peaking for the race.

Overall 16/20.

I have my first interval session scheduled for Thursday this week - 4x400.  I'll be building up to 10x400 the week before the race.  Hal Higdon recommends doing them at mile race pace - based on my current fitness that's about 14kph (sounds fast!).  McMillan recommends 5km pace, or about 13kph.  Costill suggests 13kph for aerobic-anaerobic intervals, or 12kph for aerobic intervals.  I think I'll try 12kph for the first 400m, see how that feels, and step it up if it feels OK.