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Rocky's Running Diary - by edward

 

An U20 cross country and athletics runner, I took up club running two years ago for Randwick Botany Harriers, and train with Sean Williams' squad. Running plays a major part in my life; and this blog is a training diary in testament to that.

Current PBs:

800m - 2.12
1500m - 4.30
3k - 9.46
5k - 17.21
10k - 36.00
Queens Park 6k XC - 20.53
NSW AllSchools State XC 2005 U20s - 26th
National Cross Country 2006 U20s - 49th

Goals:

sub 2:10 800m (even sub 2:08)
4.25 1500m
sub 9.40 3k (even close to 9:30, idealy sub 9:30)
sub 17 min 5k (even 16.40)
sub 35:30 min 10k (even sub 35.00)
sub 80 min half

Rocky's Running Diary - September 2006

sunday 1st - sick (nothing)

September 30th 2006 23:49
i am so pissed off. every time i really need to do a run, and have a really exciting plan in my head, i get sick.
at least it's not that serious.

really wanted to post a good run today because of having to take the next two days off with hospital. had it all planned out in my head, wanted to go for a little longer to try my legs out, 1:45 or 1:50, nice 24 or 25kms. was really looking forward to going a little longer, and getting some more strength into my legs.

something had been a bit off the last couple of days, but seeing as ive got mon and tue off, i decided i needed to go today no matter what. was feeling a bit off colour yesterday night, but didnt think much of it, and was going this morning anyway.


woke up, and could hardly breathe i was so congested in the nose and throat. felt really groggy and heavy, but thought "it's just congestion, i can still go, ive got a couple of days to recover anyway. ill just test it out."

so off i go.

managed a km or two, but it was obvious i wasnt up to this, i wasnt feeling 'it' at all. started feeling really heavy, weak throughout, and started getting a scratchy throat. id given it a try, but i didnt think it was a good idea to go on, i wasnt going to get any benifit out of it, and if it made me sick for the rest of the week, id loose any form i have hiding behind the cold now, and not be able to train hard on the camp.

shit!

at least i got in a solid long run on wednesday which was almost as long as my usual sunday 1:30.

im hoping the next couple of days will let everything settle down, and then i can start afresh. although it might not happen like that, considering im hardly alowed to eat or drink enything. eggs bread and yogurt today; and water and apple juice only for monday and tueday. not exactly virus fighting material...
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World Cup on TV! - 11:00 am Sunday on SBS

September 30th 2006 03:55
The World Cup of Athletics is on TV (finally!) tomorrow (Sunday 1st) at 11:00am on SBS. One hour of quality athletics.
And hopefully we will see Mottram race Bekele in full.
I wonder who's gonna win...
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saturday 30th - queens park 6k

September 30th 2006 00:23
21:18 (6:44, 13:58 splits - 6:44, 7:14, 7:20 laps)

damn damn damn. went out so very hard.
felt really good in the first lap, powering along, but slowly started to die as i got to the hill at the end of the first lap and then after that it was gone, just couldnt keep it topgether. just wasnt feeling it.

wonder if im still feeling the effects of a late night and some drinks on wednesday night? i really didnt think i would but my crumbling in the second half of today might indicate i was feeling it. was talking to james and he recons if you're training hard at the same time, it can take extra long to recover from a big night. hmmm... well ive learnt my lesson in any case.

but the first lap also just killed me. if it had been 6:50 or 6:52 it wouldve been interesting, but that extra pace just took it out of me.

still, had a stab at the 20:40 goal time, and think ill get there next time i give it a go, in two weeks, after the camp next week.
and today is still my second best time ever, and i did manage to beat lara (who also said she wasnt running very well) by about 5 or 10 seconds even with my dying as the race went.

i think the couple of days of forced rest (monday and tuesday) due to the hospital operation will let everything settle down before the camp. hopefully.
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thursday 28th - 11x300m

September 28th 2006 11:22
had 9x300m with 30 secs recovery jog of 100m; then a one lap jog before 2x300m
50,54,52,53,54,53,54,54,54; 49,50

felt rotten throughout the warm up and session, and only slightly better on the warm down.
had a quite big night last night, and was out late, so that mustve taken its toll. although i didnt think id feel that bad, but i just couldnt handle the speed or the short recoveries.
feel exhausted, and really sore throat.
see how it goes tomorrow, nice and easy.
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wednesday 27th - 1:14

September 28th 2006 05:55
1:14 for 17k (hilly)

a new run today, met Sean, Vlad, James, and Keith at all of 6:15 am (meaning a 5:30 wakeup to start running at 5:50) for a run to centennial, then back down to bronte, around to tamarrama, back up the hill to st caths, then back home. a couple of nice hills and road action, but felt good powering along.
although its bloody early, it was kinda fun. but felt wreaked for the rest of the day, and had to sleep in the arvo. but even though i cant make this run during uni term, its a nice change during holidays.
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tuesday 26th- 4x1200m (about 2:30 rest) and 3x120s

September 26th 2006 07:53
reps went 3:44, 3:53, 3:50, 3:48, 3x120
felt a little dodgy throughout, feel and tired at start, and felt like i was going to faint by the second last or last 1200. but it was good in the end.
originally meant to be 4x1600m, Sean changed the session to focus on some speed, and therefore wanted me to stick with knoxy and vlad who were doing 1600s.
his exact words were "its gonna hurt"; sounds good!
anyway tried that for the first rep, and died quickly throughout. dont think i ever even made it to knoxy, although i was just behind vlad most of the way. although it did make for a much faster rep than the others.
after that i just hung behind tiger and james, ahead of lara, and keith and belzy doing 1600s.
think i beat lara on every rep which is great, because shes always very fit and quick.
the sprints were good too, for the first time i really felt i was flying. for the first and last especially, felt the shorter strides work for me and i felt like i was floating, it was so relaxed and smooth.
hope im getting back to were i was 2 weeks ago where i felt i could run a pb every run.

and just out of interest, my 1500m pb is 4:30. thats a 1200m split of 3:36. so to do the times i did is a good indication of a faster 1500 to come. especially in the 3:44, i recon i could have kicked down faster than if id done 3:36 in a race, and finished in 4:35. which, for only a first rep after dying throughout it, is pretty cool.

so we'll see how it goes.
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monday 25th - 50 minutes/strength

September 25th 2006 07:51
about time i got back to a strenght session.
50 mins in about 5 min ks, so 10k.
feeling a bit shaky, slightly flu-like a weak in the arms, so was glas it was nice and relaxed, recovery-style. started feeling better as it went along.
strength was tough. need to do more.
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Haile at the Berlin Marathon

September 25th 2006 03:18
Haile Gebrselassie came oh so close to breaking the marathon world record on Sunday in Berlin. A fantastic run in windy, 20 degrees conditions saw Haile run through 35k still 20 seconds under Paul Tergat's world record (set in 2003 at Berlin, 2:04:55), but the final 7k took its toll as Haile just missed the world record by one minute, running 2:05:56. Haile ran almost the entire second half of the race by himself after his pacemakers dropped out early, and the Kenyan pace makers dropped off after around 25k.
Haile main competition was Sammy Korir, the second fastest marathoner ever. Korir ran one second behind Tergat in his world record run, after being the pacemaker for most of the race.
In Berlin, Korir was in the mix for the first third of the race, but pulled out at around 25k.

Read the details here at IAAF.
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sunday 24th - 1:20

September 24th 2006 07:48
1:20 for 18k.
(thought i had done 1:30 but miscalculated)
solid but controlled through to the end, good relaxed but fast run with claire at the end.
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23/9 1500m race and PB!

September 23rd 2006 08:56
1500m race today at homebush, pretty rocking.
thought i got in under 4:30, definitely saw 4:29 on the clock as i crossed, and didnt change to 4:30 immediately either; but apparently official results has me at 4:30.18.
bummer! still not under 4:30. although i recon that counts as a sub 4:30, mustve been something wrong, cos im not the only one who reported faster times than is officially given. i dont like it...

anyway splits went
49 secs - 300m
something... 71-72 second lap?
something... 72-73 second lap?
4:29/4:30 - 1500m (71-72 second lap?)
(i know it doesnt add up very well...)

cant remember the middle splits too well.

first lap (300m) was fast, very fast, and straining cos i wasnt relaxed and in the zone; plus was near the back and trying to keep up. so too quick.
then second lap felt easier, and went by very quickly, but times showed it was a slow down.
third lap was tough, hard, and think i mustve slowed a bit too.
but got this bit of energy back coming into 500m to go on the straight, thought sweet lets go, overtook OJ and tried to sprint the last lap. felt good through the finish.

think i need to work on the middle two laps, keeping up a better pace in the middle half; and a finishing kick in the last lap.
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22/09 about 5 mins then rolled ankle

September 22nd 2006 08:53
only managed about 5 mins until i rolled my ankle on this dodgy piece of old rusty metal just poking out of the ground in the park. same colour as the dirt/sand so no hope of seeing it. shiiiiiiit. not too bad, although ankle thobbing a bit and sore, so decided to call it a day and went back to ice and bandage it immediately instead.
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21/09 8x400m, around 50 secs recovery; plus 3x120s

September 21st 2006 13:48
1:12, 1:12, 1:15, 1:13, 1:17, 1:18, 1:17, 1:16, 3x120s

had to do the 400s around the lake, so a bit dodgy underfoot and hard to get around people. plus sparkie says it mightve been 15 or so metres long. but keiths got it at about 400. so yeah.
only one sharp turn, its much worse running in a straight line! i never realised how much better track was. so yeah bad course, slow.
but was struggling after the first couple. felt straining again, not that good flowing. felt hard to breathe, and the recovery made it hard. started feeling a bit sick again after the first couple and was a bit wary, but now it seems ok. i think i got away with it. but what with the taper for the bridge run, and the last 2 days off, i think ive lost quite a bit. will come back soon, but need a couple of good weeks to get back the spark.
Sean doesnt recon its the right time to start some track (1500m on sat) and hes probably right. two weeks ago i wouldve disagreed, i felt i could run a PB every time i ran; but now it doesnt feel as good, feels much harder, so i think some more training is better. so queens park it is on saturday.
but it means theres no track for like four weeks! only leaves 5 weeks before i go away then.

and 120s were good at the end, good fun, i think ill enjoy that once i get confidence back that im not actually sick. i expect they'll be after every tues and thurs session.

and Seans said its time to up it from 4k warm up/warm downs to 5ks. niiiice. that makes like 11ks including strides before we even get into a session. but it will help build up the mileage and get me used to doing more. i still remember when 1.5k was the norm and 2 or 3ks was heaps. then it was 4k that was massive. its a good way to gradually introduce it.

and its good to be doing the senior guys sessions now, feels like ive moved up a level. half of todays reps were just us while the kids had more recovery in the reps for sharp track training. its pretty cool, means im now experienced and tough and can handle anything! marathon here i come!
although funnily enough i had a dream about marathon running yesterday. i coudl really see doing that. plus would love to do an ultra eventually. 100k sounds like a good round number. would be such a good adventure and experience...
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19 20/09 sickness, days off

September 20th 2006 00:52
had to take tuesday and wednesday off because was feeling pretty sick, physically weak and sore, with a sore throat and irritation in the oesophageus.started feelingbetter wednesday arvo, and now thursday feel ok, physically fine, but still with an irritation in the throat and oesophageus, and a congestion in the nose/behind the nose mouth. also when eating feels like having drunk too much chlorine - that weird feeling in the throat.
anyway screw it im training again today. i dont think its serious, and ill just keep an eye out for how the throat thing goes. if it is a sickness then itl get worse and at least ill know what im dealing with. but hopefully should be fine!
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Mottram Wins World Cup!

September 18th 2006 08:12
Thought this needs its own post. Mottram has defended his World Cup 3000m crown in an Australian record, and most importantly, defeated World Record Holder and all-around champion Kenenisa Bekele! Read about it here (IAAF) or here (SMH) or just scroll down to check out the photos.



Photos from IAAF and Getty Images
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18/9 25 mins easy

September 18th 2006 05:19
had 50 mins down but only managed 25 mins. was wreaked after yesterday, really tired, but most worrying was this heavy feeling in my body and sore throat. wonder if im coming down with something or just tired from the 6 am wake up yesterday morning. in any case, better to err on the side of caution.
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17/09 Sydney Bridge Run

September 17th 2006 05:07
hmmm....
33.30 for 8.9k pretty disappointing
couldnt get to the front of the start so ended up about 40m back, and had to weave through 1000s people in the first 2 ks. ended up overtaking around 1000 people to end up 30th or 40th, but couldnt find anyone to run with, just kept overtaking people. i was looking to find the top packs, but never reached them. i even overtook 20 people in the final 1k downhill straight. in other words, the self seeding clearly didnt work.
still, nice fun run, but definitely not a successful race. wouldve been nice to go with tiger who got 31.59.
anyone interested in other peoples more detailed feedback on shortcomings of the event should go here - a coolrunning thread.
still, pretty good fun in the end, and it did feel good to go past so many people.
plus, not sure about the k markers. apparently my k splits went 4:00, 3:45, 3:30, 4:15, 3:30 for 5k in 18:55. then not to sure, 7k in around 27 mins? im pretty sure somethings not right there...
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16/09 easy 23 mins

September 16th 2006 12:10
easy 23 mins around olympic park before GPS champs. and thats a whole other story.
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14/9 6x400 (45 secs); controlled

September 14th 2006 11:53
controlled with bridge run on sunday. felt strained, but the last one was good.
1.17, 1.15, 1.14, 1.14, 1.13, 1.07
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13/9 wednesday 1 hour

September 13th 2006 07:40
54.30 for around 11.7km

felt pretty sore and heavy, and a little off colour.
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3k, 1k, 1k

September 12th 2006 13:45
9.48 (a 9 sec PB!), 3.20, 3.22.
rest was 4 mins, then 45 secs.

fantastic run again. had a bit of caffine at 12, not sure if that helped, but it made my stomach churn like on thurs (had about 250mg 2-3 hours before the run on thurs). but a PB! sweet. and felt like i could go faster, pulled away from lara and tiger with 3 or 4 laps to go and ran mostly by my self at the end, trying to keep the pace up. felt really relaxed and flowing and fast. feel sure i can break 9.40 on tartan right now, with a touch quicker per lap through first half (prob be due to the tartan instead of grass) and then more effort in second half if someone to run with, and a bigger lift with 800, then 400, to go. sounds good.

but died in the 1ks, as is to be expected. no biggie.
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50 minutes monday

September 11th 2006 08:34
52 minutes at between 4.40 and 5 min/km pace. felt better than yesterday, but hit the wall after about 30 mins and my legs becane really heavy and tired/sore again.

perhaps a little too long a run for the nike frees without wearing them in. comfortable for the first bit, but then started to really feel the impact and lack of cushioning, and felt myself falling inwards in the arch without my orthotics. will keep them for shorter runs for the moment, and to change it up.
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Sunday long run - 1:22

September 9th 2006 23:50
1:22 for approx 18.5km (run to mckay, the hour with the squad with all the loop backs, and and extra lake).

I was wrecked after the last couple of days. Could not pick it up and flow smoothly at all, my legs were dying a painful death. Very bad in my feet (arch) and up the sides of the shins, and front of ankle. But towards the end, quads as well. But that's to be expected; just happy to roll along. Expected to be sore after yesterday. Will just take it easy tomorrow.
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Queens Park 6k

September 9th 2006 03:37
20.53 PB! (laps: 6.50, 7.04, 6.59)

Keith was kind enough to pace me around on his way to a blistering 8k, so I stuck on him all the time. Went thru 2k kinda fast, but knowing I always slow in the second 2k, I wanted it that quick. Well, maybe not that quick, cos I payed the toll later; I had almost no kick, and couldn't really wind it up. But Keith was fantastic, urging me on all the time, taking the outside line so I could take the inside at the corners, and jumping ahead where it was windy so I could sit behind him. Cheers!

And another good point is I'm almost close to Jenny Dallaway's time of 20.50 (Sutho to Surf winner, you'll hear about her later, no doubt), which means I might be able to run a 10k with her, and she's damn fast. Like sub 35. So that's definitely promising.
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35 minutes tempo run

September 7th 2006 03:30
36.29 for 10k (PB!)

A tempo run means a group of, this time, 7 of us worked like a shuttle run, each person taking one lap, working at a pre determined pace for a certain amount of time.

Very windy! The plan was 92 second laps but we actually stayed around 88-90 secs, with a couple of 86 or 87 thrown in by Sparkie. Picked it up at the end, went thru 8k in around 29.40. Felt really strong, and was itching to pick it up and stride out up until 2k to go, when we finally did.
So PB! And only a windy training run, although with perfect pacing help. I love the tempo runs like this.
Sean recons target the state 10000m on track in late oct, 2 weeks after the training camp. Feel like I could go 87 a lap at the moment, so maybe then could be 86 or so, and shoot down into the 35s? Sweet.
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Intro!

September 7th 2006 02:46
Hi! My name's Edward (Ed, please); but I'm known at training as Rocky. Hence the title of this blog.

I'm a runner with Randwick Botany Harriers in Sydney, and train with Sean Williams' squad which is full of fantastic people. I'm an Under 20 runner this year, but next year will be moving into U23s/Opens.

This blog will basically be a training diary, recording the results from that day's session. Hopefully the thought of someone actually reading this might keep me honest in training, so to speak. If you're a regular reader, whether you know me or not, you can follow my running adventures on Rocky's Running Diary, which, by the way, will be affectionately known as RRD or The Diary. At least it's shorter to type.

And finally, please feel free to leave comments, even if it looks like a training diary, I'd love to hear whether someone's reading!

"Run, run as fast as you can."

Ed / Rocky
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