Winter Solstice Week

A good week with some tough running

I was pondering what have been the most ideal running conditions in the Blue Mtns in 2009 so far? was it 43 degree afternoons in late January, or was it dark long runs up a muddy fire trail in pouring rain in February? Alternatively, has it been last Saturdays and Thursdays runs in temperatures ranging from -1 to Zero degrees in the early pristine Blue Mtns mornings with 4 thermal layers on?

Well, my vote is that it’s still the rain for me, don’t know why, but with heat you can always drink more and use it as a conditioning advantage, and the cold – well, you get to wear expensive technical thermal jackets and leotards.

But the rain, the rain, man, the rain.....it is the best test of resolve... don’t get me wrong I love it nonetheless, but it tests you the most, it just keeps coming, so it’s my favourite element to train in (or against).

A hard 10 x 1 milers on a bleak Mtns night at Tom Hunter Park last Thursday – absolutely pushed body to its limit just to finish - most miles b/w 5m20s & 5min 30secs, last one blew out to 5min 41secs- but felt unbreakable at the end though almost completely numb from the sleet!

Followed up by a Saturday assault of Glen-to-Wood-Spring (36k hills) in 15 layers of those technical thermals: 38 mins to Oaks, 1hr 5m to helipad, 1hr 54mins to Woodford, 2hr 30mins to Springwood for new PB!! (must of been the two large Pizza Hut pizzas devoured the night before), previous PB of 2hrs 31m was set in February 2009 on a nice Sunday afternoon (35 degrees) so happy to break it in the cold all layered up.

Lactate threshold testing at Homebush with the Professor from Sydney Uni last night, legs stop getting faster at precisely 66 second per 400s. Thumb feels like a pin cushion today.

20k in Nat Park with the young guns on Sunday, then an easy 10k hills that arvo. Run: 140k, swim 4.2k. Still haven’t located the bike.