James - that sounds like a rough time all-around, sorry to hear about that.

Me - Still holding back on the mileage but it feels like things are slowly getting back to normal.  Saturday's track session felt like a big improvement on the mid-week workout.  HR still tracking a bit high but it was nice to feel like the speed is coming back, albeit slowly.  This week I'll probably try and build the mileage up a bit more again.  Having said that my daughter has kindly brought me home a cold from daycare which led to me chopping my run short today, hopefully the usual day off running tomorrow should have me on top of it.

I've decided I'll run the Athletics Auckland 3000m champs on 14 November.  Never run a 3000m, not taking it too seriously, really just trying to get a bit of speed in the legs ahead of the half in late November - and likely some more track races over summer if we manage to keep Covid at the border here.

Weekly for period: From: 26/10/2020 To 01/11/2020

Total distance: 59.30km

Mark I bet it was tough not been able to participate in the Auckland marathon events. Maybe for the best if you have a cold !

Steve nice job cracking 80kms. I will see you next week.

Tauranga City to Surf 

I ran the 11km event which used to be a 12km. They introduced a half marathon which started 1 hour earlier.

This was my first ever race in 2010. I finished in 56 minutes that year and couldn't believe how people could run sub 4 min km. I then became obsessed with running and a year later ran it in 44 mins. I ran it once more in 2013 in 42 mins and came 11th but the field was bigger and deeper back then.

Anyway I signed up to this a couple of weeks ago as a gap filler to keep me motivated.

The course is a point to point course starting over at the Tauranga marina and running over the Harbour Bridge and around Mount Maunganui base track and finishing on the beach.

I was confident of holding 3.50/km for the road 8kms until the base track and then just doing the best I could round the hilly gravel track.

I was pretty nervous leading up to the start. It was a 10am start and quite windy and warm around 21c or 70 F.

I'm not good in the heat. All my training is run early when its much cooler and today I suffered.

I couldn't spot any notable speedsters at the start. There was around 300 runners but lots of other events around the country had an impact on numbers today.

Anyway off we went and I settled into about 10th through the first km in 3.46. Some of the others in front of me I knew wouldn't last at that pace so I kept to my own plan.

We are joined by the half marathoners at this point.

Up and over the Harbour Bridge and I was already hot and sweaty and my mouth was dry. I knew today was not going to be easy if I felt like this in km 2 ! Split 3.56

After coming off the bridge there was a new bit to me where we went over some grass and alongside a marina and then back to the main road. This added on about 200m. The course ended up been 11.2kms....JMAC 

Km 3 goes past a stinky fertilizer works. That with the sun blazing down on me was not pleasant. Split 3.51

Kms 4, 5, and 6 are a straight run down Totara St. I grab some water and chuck it over my head. I'm passing alot of half runners. I'm not sure what place I'm in, maybe 6th or so. I do reel in 2 more 11k guys down here although my pace is dropping, 3.59, 4.00, 4.02.

Km7 is the last of the road and I hit a 4.01 split here. I'm struggling with motivation now as I know its a slow time and only top 3 get prizes.

Km8 is on the boardwalk which winds its way down Pilot Bay. We all cut the corners which means grass then boardwalk etc. Its real windy here 20 knots westerly straight off the water and into us. The time suffers accordingly with a 4.14 split.

Kms 9, 10, and 11 are onto the gravel track around the Mount. It really sucks with continuous ups and downs and I'm really knackered. Towards the end I'm aware of a guy catching me so I dig in as best I can just incase I am in 3rd.

We come off the Mount track and have about 300m on soft sand over the finish line.

My wife and friend meet me and I take a moment to recover.

Final time is

45.35 and 5th/376

Overall I'm a bit disappointed and been brought back down to earth on my fitness.

Steve - 80K is a great week, don't be too humble! I found that my fitness got great once I could start averaging 80+ for 12 weeks. If you can get that done, you will see amazing gains. You dont need much more. Also thanks for the Nathan Jones update, we all needed that 

Ha.  I won't be averaging 80km a week just yet with a race in 3 weeks.  Maybe in a month or 2 with extreme Christchurch summer training.  Most of it will be easy/marathon pace which is comfortable in the heat.  It's only speed that destroys me in the heat

Mark - I bet you’re gonna love that 3000. It’s a super fun race!

Steve - congrats on the weekly record. You’re piling on excellent training.

Piwi - well done. 21c is horrendous weather for racing and 10am start is just silly.

me - My week below. I've embarrassingly quit on the 5k time trial today because my mental math told me I needed a 3:33 last k for a sub 18 and a 3:35 for a PR. I immediately regretted but then I couldn't re-start the clock, could I?

1st km 3:37, not too bad, but certainly shouldn't have sped up so much the 2nd km to 3:29. My heart rate shot up to last 100m of 5k territory for the entire 3km to 4km stretch which might have pushed the demons to trick me into quitting.

I'll need a redemption race in a couple of months and hopefully a stronger mind by then. I used to be fierce...

Weekly for period: From: 26/10/2020 To 01/11/2020

Total distance: 41.01km

Flavio you just need some race atmosphere. Its so tough to time trial at 5k pace. Forget this it means nothing. You are still tough 

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Its reassuring to hear you guys confirm that warm races suck.

I guess I look at the top guys splits and they didn't crash but then they may have adjusted slower already or are just beasts 

piwi - That is a great time and pace in those conditions.  And that track around the mount would not be easy to negotiate at speed on tired legs.  If anything, I would take that result as proof that you are very fit.  You'll smash the Park Run next week with that behind you.  A couple of cool changes this week means it should be nice and cool at 8am on Saturday.

flavio - Very tough to punish yourself for another km when the target is gone and it's not even a race.  However, this result does require a Gaga photo.

Yeah it was nice to go for a jog at 5.30am today in 13c 

My legs feel fine. I guess I never got to run fast enough to fatigue them.

Steve Im hoping that Christchurch is nice and cool 

If my 10k is hot at the end of this month I might do an early morning 10k time trial before the year is out. Dead flat smoothe asphalt on a cool early morning 

I'm seeing alot of triathletes doing well in run events. Their running mileage is often quite low but they bike and swim alot. It must really keep them fit.