Thursday - 15km

Well, I was truly in survival mode today from the onset. Way too hot and humid today to do anything fast! Intensity wise it was normal, just didn’t have the pace. But as usual, just put my head down and ground it out. Up to North Head this morning, really feeling like my legs were concrete on the way up. Just made it through the construction workers at Volley Fest on the way up, they were literally blocking off the beachfront path as I was running through (unbelievable that they are still packing it all away)! That meant the usual detour on the way home. Got back in a slower than usual 55:40 (3:43’s). Nothing special by any means, just happy to get through it and survive what has been a very tough week in terms of weather!

Wednesday - 15km

The humidity is getting worse and worse. I really suffered from it this morning. I had to dig deep just to get out there this morning, having been in a very deep sleep when my alarm woke me up this morning. Another stunning morning, despite the stickiness in the air. Had to detour around the remains of Volley Fest - it looks like they are almost done (I’ll be surprised if they are still there tomorrow). Ran into and with Tom for a bit, great to see he is making a comeback after a year of Achilles issues. Sorry for not being very social! Wednesday means the flatter but more crowded Shelly-Fairlight loop. I backed the pace off a bit today, just wanting to get it done. Thinking I was running slower than usual, I readjusted my expectations for a high-55, low-56. This appeared more apparent as I had to a large detour onto the grass at Queenscliff to make way for the White Ribbon March! A huge turn out of people led by police on horses blocked the beachfront on my return between North Steyne and Queenscliff SLSC. They were followed by four policemen on cycles. So, after a bloody humid morning where I didn’t feel like getting out of bed, and then some cross country thrown in the middle, I was happy to get back home in 54:50 (3:39’s), pretty much identical times for the past three days. Faster than I thought, and as I keep saying, there is no need to be any faster than 54’s at this time of year - especially in that sort of humidity. Even made it back in time for a swim, although it looks like I saw the best part of the day. It’s raining now!

Tuesday - 15km

The conditions just keep getting tougher (to run in, that is, they are otherwise beautiful). Another stunning morning, but with the humidity reaching 99% according to the iPhone when my alarm went off, today was yet again another day of simply grinding through it. That I did. Up to North Head once again, dodging the packing up of the Volley Fest. To make matters worse, the council have decided to lay some new turf down immediately south of Volley Fest, meaning that you have to detour to the bike lane when running south bound before sharply turning left to get off the bike lane. Great timing by the council, although no real surprises there. The pace felt slowish today, so I was quite happy to get back in 54:48 (3:39’s). It really felt like mid 55’s, so that is a bonus. Back into the ocean now as I’m already saturated!

Monday - 15km

Testing conditions this morning coupled with heavy legs following yesterday’s run meant today was simply an exercise in survival. Very humid as well, adding further to the list of excuses. And another - I got caught out both ways with the deconstruction of the Volley Fest infrastructure, hopefully they take it down quicker than it took them to put it up! Monday means the Shelly-Fairlight loop, which was quite crowded today (a bit of people dodging going on at he B&B - I take back what I said last week)! But I pushed on and got through it (although I had to really convince myself to get out there this morning, and to not stop a few tempting times). Got back in 54:48 (3:39’s), which isn’t too bad given my state of fatigue and the humidity. Certainly more than I had anticipated, so all is good. No swim in the ocean today.

Sunday - 30km

That would have had to have been one of the toughest long runs I have ever done! Felt fine (at the start, at least), but I really suffered as the run progressed with the heat and humidity. So much so that I had to dig deep just to finish. I felt as if I had really just dropped the pace and switched to survival mode, simply just ticking the legs over to get home in the end. So I loved the irony of getting back to Harris Farm in 1:53:59 (3:48’s), the fastest time I have done for this long run. No wonder it was tough! The conditions simply exacerbated it! But the funny thing is that I actually did back it off to what felt like a plod over the last 10km or so. Oh well, I can’t complain about that, although I’ll probably pay for it next week (the forecast is looking similarly hot and humid, at least 15km of running in it is more manageable than 30km, some of which is out west in Cromer)! Other highlights included seeing quite a few B-Line buses (which officially launched today), along with even more 199’s (never heard of the 199). Most of the former looked pretty empty given it is a Sunday morning, but each had the first rows upstairs occupied. I wonder how long until that novelty wears off? One positive observation was that both Dee Why and Brookvale main’s were relatively empty rather than their usual congested selves (yes, congested even on a Sunday mornings). The first real test will be tomorrow. Time to jump into the ocean again, clearly not learning my lesson from yesterday!

Saturday - Manly to Spit & return

Up and out for my usual Saturday morning Manly to Spit run on an absolutely stunning morning, although a tad too warm and humid to be considered ‘world record conditions.’ Nevertheless, I felt good - unusual for a Saturday morning. I had some more power and spring in my stride, allowing me to push the pace fractionally more than usual without any increase in perceived effort. It surprisingly wasn’t too crowded out there, with a few more geckos making guest appearances along the way. No stray walkers or high tides to contend with today either, making it a dream run. Got back home in 84:54 (4:14’s), only the second time under 85 minutes. Very happy with that, especially as I didn’t push the pace any harder in the final few kilometers (which I generally have a habit of doing). Perhaps time to jump into the ocean - it’s almost December after all, so I’m running out of excuses! Update: that was a stupid idea - the water is freezing!

Thursday - 15km

I was always going to suffer to some degree this morning following in from yesterday’s run. And from that perspective, I didn’t disappoint. Although it wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. An absolutely stunning morning, not a cloud in the sky, barely a breath of air, warm but quite humid. So it wasn’t surprising to see the beachfront packed with people (& dogs). I must say that the B&B crowd have really improved recently with regards to leaving a path for the walkers and runners - someone must have given them the ultimatum! Up to North Head today, my preferred route despite the hill climbs. Just tried to keep the pace controlled and below the red line at all times. Felt strong-ish (in relative terms). Got back home in 54:48 (3:39’s), the Garmin only cutting me 5 seconds short this morning. Quite happy with that time considering yesterday’s run. As I always say, I don’t need to be running any faster than 54 minutes for any of these runs at the moment.

Wednesday - 15km

I felt amazing today, first time I’ve felt this good in about a month! Not that I’ve been feeling bad, but today I just felt strong and almost invincible! The only thing I can think of that differed yesterday was that I woke up not long after I had fallen asleep and grabbed some more food as I was still slightly hungry. Out for the usual Shelly-Fairlight loop on what was a quite humid, overcast and busy morning along the beachfront. Didn’t see anyone I knew (which is rare), but did have some really weird guy try to race me early on - there is a way to do this that is in good humour, but this guy was just a weirdo. Glad to get rid of him. I think it’s time for a Garmin reset, as it is progressively under-reading more and more each day - by 18 seconds (90m) today. Nevertheless, I actually ran my fastest ever time this morning, crossing the official North Steyne finish line in 53:24 (3:34’s), beating my previous time by one second (which was miles ahead of my next fastest time). So I’ve now got two outliers. Although today’s run felt much easier than the previous record run, which is even better. Better still, I wasn’t going for a time either, especially by not putting down the hammer in the final 3-4km. I’m half tempted to reintroduce some speed work shortly, but nothing too serious. Probably strides and hill sprints, just to improve that top end speed while maintaining my current aerobic endurance base which is coming along perfectly. But in saying that, I have no planned races, so no rush.

Tuesday - 15km

Feeling slightly better this morning, although I didn’t realise this until I started running (could have easily kept sleeping for another few hours when the alarm went off). The North Head loop today, which I think I prefer despite being tougher and slower. My Garmin really lagged today, cutting me 80m (17 seconds) short, which is a new record (not a good record to have though). Quite a good morning for it, a moderate southeasterly meant the way up was harder - although as usual, you never really notice the tailwind when returning. Kept the pace strong, firm and consistent - didn’t kill my self in the process. Got back home in a swift 54:25 (3:38’s) [despite the Garmin saying 54:42 in 3:39’s]. The perfect pace - not too quick, but by no means too easy!

Monday - 15km

It took a lot more effort than usual to force myself out of bed and into a run this morning. But, as always, I’m very glad I did. I was feeling pretty exhausted, so I just told myself to simply get through it, not worrying in the slightest about the pace. Just the usual Shelly-Fairlight loop this morning, running into Macca a few times as I crossed Manly LSC. The Garmin was only slightly off this morning, adding only four seconds onto my time today. Didn’t feel fast at all, but surprisingly not horrible either. Ran into an ever increasing southeasterly wind throughout the run, which did a nice job of reducing the humidity but did not help the stopwatch. Even got a sprinkling of rain the 11km mark! Finished in a surprisingly quick-ish time of 54:28 (3:38’s). Definitely wasn’t expecting that considering that I felt like a zombie.

Sunday - 30km

A beautiful day out there for everything except probably running. By no means was it horrible for running, it was either running into a light to moderate headwind or humid. Already a warm 20 degrees after the clouds last night trapped all the warmth in, today was simply about getting out there and getting it done (as Sunday’s should always be). I think I lucked it the last two Sunday’s with great conditions, leading me into a false sense of security that I should now be able to average under 3:50’s for my long run. This is probably true, but not coming into summer. I even heard the cicadas for the first time today, which means Santa is not too far away. Just the usual lap of the lake solo this morning. I actually felt fine apart from my rant about the humidity. Kept it controlled at all times, which is the plan these days. Got back to Harris Farm in a slightly slower 1:55:29 (3:51’s). Got it done, which is the main thing.

Saturday - Manly to Spit & return

I actually felt half decent this morning for a Saturday! Went about my usual Manly to Spit and return. My Garmin actually behaved itself today, giving me an accurate reading of 20.08km. First time in a few weeks! Mostly overcast with a moderate breeze, but nothing too challenging. Got caught out ever so slightly on the return home at the high tide mark, having to traverse a few more rocks than usual. Other than that, nothing else of significance to report. People were very friendly today, always making room and even starting conversation here and there! Kept the pace firm but controlled at all times. Got home in 85:33 (4:16’s), only marginally slower than last week (thanks once again to the tide), so very happy with that. As I said last week, anytime under 86 is well and truly fast enough at this stage. I got a very light sprinkling only in the final kilometer, although I could see what looked like South Head getting a drenching on the way home. Time to eat some freshly baked granola once again!

Thursday - 15km

Im overdue for a slightly slower run, so today didn’t disappoint in that regard. The good news is was that the pace and intensity felt easier than yesterday (even though today was slower). The North Head loop this morning, with a strong northeasterly wind (wasn’t a fan on the return leg) which kept the heat away along the beachfront on an otherwise warm and humid morning outside of the wind. I got caught out on the way out by the Volley Fest organisers who decided to block off the promenade earlier than usual. I discovered this at the last minute, having to significantly detour this time, adding a small chunk of time to my overall run. I was prepared on the way home. Once again, my Garmin cut me short by about 50m (i.e. I had to run 50m past my usual finish line to get the 15km), finishing in 55:19 (3:41’s). To be honest, I’m just glad to get it done this morning, as I was feeling it a bit after yesterday’s quicker run. Looking forward to a rest day tomorrow!

Wednesday - 15km

I slept like a log last night, not moving once! Got up and as soon as I started running, I was feeling terrible. So much so, I even contemplated stopping just before the 3km mark. But I thought better of it, knowing how miserable I would be for the rest of the day. So I simply just stuck it out. The pace felt slow, but I felt I was working much harder than I should have been. This is the worst feeling - working hard but going slow! Stuck to the usual Shelly-Fairlight loop this morning, and thankfully I did, as the very small number of inclines I felt! I ran into Justin multiple times throughout, looks like he was out there for a while as well, which is great to see. Just the single detour past the Volley Fest today. I was extremely surprised to get back to North Steyne in 53:56 (3:36’s), only the third time I’ve ever run a sub-54 (and the previous two times I was really aiming to do that). I honestly thought I’d be in the mid-56’s today! Looks like I’m a terrible judge of pace! The Garmin was once again up to its usual tricks, ripping me off by 8 seconds again today. Even Strava jumped on board with the Garmin yesterday, adding on even more time! They’re out to get me!

Tuesday - 15km

Quite the opposite to yesterday, I didn’t feel as strong (still felt pretty good though), and felt as if I was running at a slower pace. I was wrong with the latter! Out for the North Head loop this morning, figuring out today that I only have to detour past the Volley Fest set-up after 7am, meaning that I only have to detour once (not twice as I did yesterday). Quite a good morning for it, not too hot, a slight bit of cloud cover and a very light easterly wind. Not much humidity (for November anyway), but as always I manage to come home dripping wet? The Garmin was once again cutting me short, this time by 8 seconds - finishing in a solid 54:45 (3:39’s). I was certain that I would have been mid to high 55’s this morning, so that was a nice surprise. As I said last week, holding just under 55’s (3:39’s) if absolutely gold! Even more so on the North Head loop!

Monday - 15km

I felt strong but slightly tired from yesterday’s slightly faster than usual long run. I just kept the pace controlled and firm the whole way. Saw Ben early on. I had to detour around the Volley Fest construction twice (which looks like something I’ll be doing over the next week), which added on an extra bit of time and distance. A beautiful morning to be out, running the usual Shelly to Fairlight loop. It was one of those days where I actually thought I might have finished in a slightly quicker time than I ended up with, finishing in 54:47 (3:39’s). Still, not too bad at all. Felt great which is the main thing!

Sunday - 30km

Just the usual Sunday long run around the lake this morning. Saw Tom early on, I think he was planning to meet Justin at the pool for a local long run at 7am. Other than that, pretty unadventurous. A lovely day with a nice northeasterly sea breeze keeping the temperature down on the way up to Narrabeen. Felt pretty good, although I could feel some of last night’s Egyptian food sitting in my stomach for most of the run. Luckily it stayed in there! Got back home in 1:54:03 (3:48’s) feeling relatively comfortable. A whole three seconds faster than last week! It’s always nice to get the long run over and done with for another week!

Saturday - Manly to Spit & return

Just the usual Saturday morning trail run. Almost perfect conditions today, although a touch humid (randomly) in a few spots - notably just past the Art Gallery and Clontarf just before the Spit Bridge. No issues with traffic (cars or pedestrians) or tides today. Other than two geckos sunbathing on the trail, there was nothing else of significance to report. I felt my typical ‘average’ self for a Saturday morning. I kept the pace firm, but always in control, never red-lining. Very happy to get home in 85:18 (anything under 86 is more than fast enough, conditions pending). The GPS decided to rob me of 200-300m, coming in at 19.96km. The OCD in myself is annoyed that Strava rounds down! I’ll get over it though!

Thursday - 15km

If I felt great yesterday, then today I felt like magic! The polar opposite to Tuesday, which I’m certainly not complaining about. Admittedly the conditions were perfect - 13 degrees with a very light westerly wind, no humidity at all! But the power and spring in my stride which deserted me on Tuesday was back in abundance today. The biggest challenge was controlling my desire to race the run this morning (which I’m getting much better at doing). Up to North Head this morning, seeing Ben along the way, then Justin on the way home. The Garmin was being tight this morning, robbing me of extra time by underreading the distance. I was aware of this from the 5km mark onwards, with the 1km beeps sounding further past their usual landmarks. Nevertheless, I got home in 54:34 (3:38’s), feeling strong but composed! I need this feeling everyday!

Wednesday - 15km

That was more like it this morning, confirming my thoughts that yesterday was a one off. Nevertheless, I had a few obstacles to battle this morning. I nearly got hit on two separate occasions at two separate pedestrian crossings (yes, at pedestrian crossings). The first was at the very start crossing the road at North Steyne. A tradesman saw me and speed up hopingnto avoid stopping - underestimating the speed I was running. In the end he had to slam on the brakes, skidded a bit, a yelled expletives at me. Because of course, I’m clearly at fault? The second was between 5-6km at Manly LSC going onto Ashburner St. This one was trivial in comparison, a lady simply not paying attention driving quite slowly. The difference was that she wound down her window and was extremely apologetic. The other obstacle was the wind! A strong southeasterly wind made for some tough running, although I would have to say that it was not as tough as Monday’s northeasterly. It certainly made the notorious Manly to Queenscliff on the way home much more pleasurable than Monday - the trade off was the final 600m from Queenscliff to North Steyne SLSC straight into the wind. So, with my adventures this morning, I got back in a very respectable 54:47 (3:38’s). I’ve figured that if I can hold around (or fractionally under) 3:40’s most mornings, then I’m more than happy. Absolutely no need to be pushing beyond that at this stage.

Tuesday - 15km

I felt flat this morning, the first time in quite a while. It wasn’t awful by any means, I just had absolutely no spring in my step, something that I’ve consistently felt over the past month or two. So I simply ran on feel, increasing the cadence a little bit to compensate for a reduction in power. The North Head loop this morning, and finally some sunshine. Nothing marvellous in terms of time/Pace, finishing in 55:29 (3:42’s). I’m pretty sure that today is a one-off.

Monday - 15km

I got absolutely smashed today with that wind. A howling easterly wind ensured any speed I had wouldn’t be expressed in terms of holding a solid average pace. But it could have been much worse. I woke up during a thunderstorm - lightning and pouring rain. Had to psyche myself into it, although I felt good so that wasn’t as hard as I thought it would have been. By the time I had procrastinated enough, the rain had eased substantially to a very light (barely there) drizzle. Apart from the wind, the best thing about these conditions is that you avoid the crowds. So I essentially had the whole beachfront to myself. Running to Shelly Beach and then back from Manly to Queenscliff (from 12 to 14km) were absolutely brutal though. I was running at least 20 seconds per kilometer slower during these parts. I only counted eight B&B swimmers going out at Manly LSC, with ten others walking to Shelly to swim. So even they weren’t crazy enough to battle the weather. I’d pretty much managed to stay (mostly) dry, then at the 11km mark a massive wave hit the rocks on the way to Shelly and drenched me and few others. Other than the conditions, I actually felt really good - so the time doesn’t reflect the pace I ran. Finished in 55:22 (3:41’s) feeling strong. Looking forward to some dry weather which is forecast from tomorrow onwards.

Sunday - 30km

Almost perfect conditions for a long run today! While a look outside would cause debate among most people, running in the rain in cooler (less humid) conditions is more than ideal - apart from some massive puddles here and there. I woke up feeling really good this morning, despite a massive party upstairs keeping me up well past 1:00am. I did make my best ever veggie burger last night for dinner, so perhaps that had something to do with it as well? Just the usual lap of the lake solo this morning. Other than the rain, nothing too interesting to report. The pace felt easier than the last couple of Sunday’s, so thought I would have run somewhat slower. I was wrong, finishing in 1:54:06 (3:48’s), a good minute quicker than my best for the 30km loop. I honestly don’t care what time I run, but it’s just an interesting observation that I was able to run easier but faster. Not that that is a bad thing of course!

Saturday - Manly to Spit & return

I finally got caught out today with the high tide. I’ve some how managed to avoid this over the last few months of my weekly Manly to Spit run. Not only was it high tide, but it was a massive high tide (1.82m). So I had to wade through a bit of water on the way out at Forty Baskets, then had to contend with others on the way back, and this was after detouring on the poorly kept and rarely used high tide detour trail. So there was a good 45-60 seconds down the drain, not to mention soaked shoes and socks (which is never fun). Massive first world problem though! Stuck to my guns once again today, pushing the pace to a comfortably hard level, but never beyond. There were quite a few people out today, and as usual, the runners were always courteous (not so much the walkers though, but, to be fair, it wasn’t intentional on their behalf. They were just not really paying attention). A little bit of rain for the final 5km, but other than that (and the strong wind), it wasn’t as bad as predicted. Got home in 86:23 (4:18’s), so not too bad at all considering the high tide detour and backing off the intensity somewhat compared to the past few weeks. All is good!

Thursday - 15km

Almost a carbon copy of yesterday, so very happy once again. Back to the North Head loop this morning, the goal was to simply run at a comfortablely firm pace, steering well clear of the red line. I achieved that, and felt pretty strong the entire run. My mantra of ‘relax’ and ‘not too hard’ paying off along the way. Got home in a very respectable 54:44 (3:38’s), so less than a minute off my all time best for that loop, except that it was much much easier in the process. It’s great to reflect back to just a few weeks ago when I was pushing hard to get under 55. Now I can do it easily, which is a great sign! A beautiful morning out there, although there was some humidity creeping back in.

Wednesday - 15km

Really happy with my run this morning. Feeling much better again, and was extremely tempted to really go out and push the pace. I resisted the urge and ran very comfortably instead. It was the Shelly-Fairlight loop on this cool and very windy morning. Quite crowded given the conditions, I got caught up a few times along the way with people not really looking where they were going. I got over it though. I ran into Justin over the last kilometer, I think he was in the early stages of his run. The pace felt firm but easily manageable. So I was very surprised to finish in 54:20 (3:37’s). Given how much I felt I held back, I’m really happy with that - probably even more impressed with that than last week’s effort, as I really pushed it during that one. Good luck to everyone racing JPMorgan this evening!