12km Run

http://www.mapmyfitness.com/routes/view/26467794

Avg Pace: 5:49mins/km

Last run to finish off the year. And it sucked. Actually felt good for the first half and got progressively worse until the last 2km which were horrible and slow. Very hot and I felt like a was under-hydrated.

Used mapmyrun but that doesnt give me cool data like splits etc. But the gps seems easier to deal with. More or less the same I guess. Heart rate monitor has decided not to work.

Pre: banana
Post: Coconut water, WPC. Contrast bath/shower.

Wrapping up 2010

Well its been an eventful year. The biggest event for me is, of course, getting married to my beautiful wife, Jisun.

Training and fitness wise its been interesting, I finished my Crossfit journey I guess, which has advantages and disadvantages. I think I'm less fit than I was this time last year, I'm certainly not as strong as I was, but then I couldn't run 10k without pain either. I had to make a choice about focussing where I wanted to go, that plus distance and finances swayed me to choose running. I met some fantastic guys who I don't get to see much of now and I miss the group dynamic, but then I've gotten to run some pretty cool events which I didn't think I ever would. Things like the Sydney Half-Marathon, and the Glenbrook Trail 25km. I got to smash out a 10k in the pouring rain at Penrith Lakes and I got to ascend/descend one of the steepest, longest hills up at Woodford. I also did a bit of gymnastics in the latter part of the year which was fun - I still cant get that damn handstand though - but I'm a lot closer than I was 6 months ago.

Looking at 2011 I'm aiming to complete my first marathon - either Gold Coast or Sydney. At this stage Sydney looks most likely. I'm going to try and build up the km's over the next couple of months, nothing too intense, just building endurance capacity and trying to avoid injury. I need to be really consistent and need to focus on prevention/recovery. That includes nutrition as well which I've gone way off the mark with.

Looking back at the second half of 2010 (when I stopped Crossfitting) my km's were; July: 80km, August: 75km, September: 53km, October: 92km, November: 78km, December: 61km. Pretty minimal which I put down to some lingering soreness/injury. So the focus in early 2011 will be on base building; getting a solid aerobic endurance capacity, a few swims and a kettlebell strength wod once a week as well. Then I'll move into a bit more of a sprint/tempo/long focus up until the marathon. I've got at least three official trail runs planned up until April. Then the SMH Half Marathon in May, then the Sydney Marathon in September if all goes to plan.

First race since high school, Mirrambeena. Sri Minchoy 8km (37:50). May 2010

20kg Kettlebell Pyramid

One arm swing
Clean and Jerk
Overhead Squat

Pyramid style: 1 - 5

11:06

Got a kettlebell for xmas and went and had my first workout with it. Its been about six months or more since I picked up a KB and plan on using it to get a bit more strength and conditioning work in. Still working on technique for the cleans and snatches so I stop it crashing onto my forearm. Had thought I'd pyramid up to 10 but felt my form going and my energy too. Apparently five days of chocolate bingeing isn't optimal fueling. Finished with 5 x 10 push ups.

9km Easy

http://j.mp/giW6HJ

Run Time: 47:29
Stopped Time: 2:38
Distance: 8.77 km
Average: 5:25 /km
Fastest Pace: 4:24 /km
Climb: 37 meters
Calories: 630

Basically same run as Sunday, same idea - just getting exercise done, keeping the legs moving and the heart rate up.

6km Easy

http://j.mp/e6Bvt5

Started: 20/12/2010 17:27:41
Run Time: 32:05
Stopped Time: 2:50
Distance: 5.92 km
Average: 5:25 /km
Fastest Pace: 4:29 /km
Climb: 68 meters
Calories: 507

I'm not convinced of the accuracy of my $3 Runmeter App.. Not 100% sure if I stopped for nearly three minutes, which would mean my pace was significantly slower than what it says. When I put the route into mapmyrun its coming up at around 6.5km. Anyway - its not too far off so I'll go with it for now.

Ran in the Piranhas for the first time in a month or more, feels like my legs and feet have to work a lot more. My legs are still a bit heavy, I think the ART actually caused a bit of muscle damage, particularly in my calves. Agsin just ticking off a few km's this week.

9km Easy

http://j.mp/eIbR36

Started: 19/12/2010 16:58:23
Run Time: 50:04
Stopped Time: 7:00
Distance: 8.78 km
Average: 5:42 /km
Fastest Pace: 4:21 /km
Climb: 86 meters
Calories: 680

A very easy going jog to get the heart rate up and the legs turned over. Had a one and a half hour ART massage on friday night but still managed to feel a bit tight. Jesus... Went out past the famous Leichardt Oval which certainly does look like it would be a great place to watch a game.

As an aside Rebel at Pitt St now have this sub-section called "Performance Sport" that sells Vibrams, Newtons and Terra Plana amongst its footwear. The sales guy was even a Vibram wearer which I found pretty amazing. They must be picking up on the growing popularity amongst athletes to be heading in that direction. They also sell visors.. yeaaa

5km Run

http://j.mp/i5cCcj

Run Time: 26:20
Stopped Time: 1:09
Distance: 5.10 km
Average: 5:10 /km
Fastest Pace: 4:16 /km
Climb: 43 meters
Calories: 367

Really struggling with motivation, but after an internal struggle headed out for an easy run which turned into a bit of a tempo-ish run. This morning spent about 20mins 'ungluing' the legs, particularly around the knee/quad complex which seemed to help, just this damn hip. The avg pace is about 12 secs off tempo pace, but looking at the splits its about right for me. A bit less traffic and things and I might be able to push it down a little. Last km I dropped right off the pace and got caught at a few traffic crossings. Glad I got out and did something.