This is a cutback week on my marathon training schedule – GOD THAT SOUNDS WEIRD – so my distance was light. I also had a Spudds session on Wednesday and did two core workouts (pushups, situps, and squats) during the week.

Jan. 9: 5.47km
Jan. 11: 5.04km
Jan 14: 5.86km
Total this week: 16.37km (10.2mi)
Total in 2011: 38.19km (23.8mi)

To meet my goal of running 1000km in 2011, I should be at 42.3km. So I’m a couple km’s behind, but I’ve got a 14.5km run planned for Sunday so I’ll more than make it up. 🙂

I can’t believe I’m starting over again at the beginning!

Jan 3: 11.75km
Jan 5: 5.83km
Jan 7: 4.24km

Total this week: 21.82km (13.6mi)
Total in 2011: 21.82km (13.6mi)

I need to average 21km per week to meet my goal of running 1100km in 2011, so I hit that target pretty much exactly. I have a feeling that my weekly totals are going to ebb and flow a little more this year thanks to the marathon training. Galloway’s plan has me always following a long run with 1-2 weeks of cutback. I’m sure it will all average out in the end…

I have gone insane. I blame JayDub and AirForceTed. I am seriously considering training for and running the 2011 Macleay River Marathon on June 12th. It’s not far from where Ma and Pa Snook live. Ma Snook has actually been trying to get us up there for years now. (They do other distances besides the full marathon.) It’s a small marathon, and it’s meant to be relatively flat. The other big advantage is – as far as I can tell – there’s no time cut-off. That’s what’s keeping me from doing one in Sydney. Every marathon I can find here cuts you off at 5:30, and I’m guessing I’ll probably be closer to 6:00. If the Macleay lets you finish no matter what… we may have found my big race for the year!

I’ve already had a look at Galloway’s novice plan. (HELL YEAH I’ll be run/walking this thing.) It’s 30 weeks long, but conveniently I’m pretty much already up to the week 8 workouts. I think I’ve got a pretty good base built up if I can stay injury-free.

AM I REALLY DOING THIS? Can I do it? Maybe this is just residual New Year’s Resolution craziness.

I am extremely happy to report that this morning I crossed the 1000km threshold for the year. Hooray! Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way.

Dec. 25: 6.44km
Dec. 27: 8.65km
Dec. 29: 6.88km
Dec. 31: 5.04km
Total this week: 27.01km (16.88mi)
Total in 2010: 1002.41km (626.5mi)

I knew today that I needed 2.63km to hit the 1000, so the Snook came along to the park and stationed himself near that point. He shot some video as I crossed the imaginary line.

Well, this is it, folks. One week left to go and we are coming right down to the wire. I ran three times this week, including a stint on the treadmill at Spudds on Wednesday. The legs are holding up okay. I’ve been doing 3:1 run/walk every single time and slathering on Nurofen gel. That seems to help.

Dec. 19: 10.12km
Dec. 21: 8.29km
Dec. 22: 5.00km
Total this week: 23.41km (14.6mi)
Total in 2010: 975.4km (609.6mi)

Today the Snook and I went for a Christmas run together and knocked off another 6.44km. That means to meet my goal of running 1000km in 2010, I still need to do 18.16km in the next 6 days. Totally achievable! I AM GOING TO DO THIS.

My legs still feel like they’re on the verge of giving out, so I took things very easy this week. Spudds was on holiday so I skipped my usual two sessions there. I only did two runs and I kept things real slow (even doing run/walk on one of them).

Nov. 14: 6.04km
Nov. 16: 6.84km
Total this week: 12.88km (8.05mi)
Total in 2010: 951.99km (595mi)

So that’s just under 50km (31mi) to go… in two weeks. Uh-oh.

Only three weeks to go, and suddenly everything is harder. My right foot is hurting again (after being great for weeks). My left shin is niggling me a bit. My right quad (just above the knee) feels sore and possibly even a little swollen. I’ve just got to hold it together for a few more weeks.

I cut back my distance a little bit in a failed attempt to rest. My long run on Sunday was a 3:1 run/walk around Blackwattle Bay with the Snook. Monday I had a session at Spudds. On Wednesday I doubled up with a short run in the morning before work (the foot was hurting) and then Spudds again at lunchtime. I ended with a walk/run home from work and around Newtown on Friday.

Nov. 5: 10.37km
Nov. 8: 5.46km
Nov. 10: 7.15km
Total this week: 22.98km (14.3mi)
Total in 2010: 939.11km (586.9mi)

Three weeks left, and just over 60km to go…

This week my energy and strength finally bounced back a little bit. On Sunday I decided to challenge myself on my long run by taking the bus to Iron Cove. I then ran the 7km Bay Run followed by 5km back up Victoria Road to home. I did 3:1 run/walk the whole way. Tuesday was pouring rain all day, so I put my run off til the evening when it finally let up. It was still really humid and the first couple km’s were wearing a heavy backpack, so my speed wasn’t great. Wednesday I had a KILLER workout at Spudds that left me sore for two days after. (Felt awesome though.) Today I ran speed intervals up and down Wilson Street before work. Considering how crazy the weather’s been and how busy this time of year is, I’m really happy to be getting in the workouts.

Nov. 28: 12.69km
Nov. 30: 6.16km
Dec. 3: 6.05km
Total this week: 24.9km (15.5mi)
Total in 2010: 916.13km (572.5mi)

Only four weeks left in my goal to run 1000km in 2010! I have crossed the 900km mark and I’m still on track. I’ve got 4 weeks to do 84km, which means 21km a week. LET’S DO THIS.

The year is winding down! Only five weeks to go. After last week’s fantastic workouts, this week I felt pretty tired and run-down. (It doesn’t help that our cat is sick and he’s been keeping us up at night.) I managed to meet my distance goal but I didn’t feel very swift doing it. I only had one session at Spudds. It was just a worn out kind of week.

Nov. 21: 11.61km
Nov. 23: 5.01km
Nov. 25: 7.25km
Total this week: 23.87km (14.9mi)
Total in 2010: 891.23km (557mi)

I’m 90% of the way to my goal of running 1000km in 2010! I just have to hold it together for a few more weeks…

Another week’s distance goal met! This was actually a really great week for me in terms of training. I managed three runs and two sessions at Spudds, and I even got double-hundreds on the rower! Today’s run was windy but not too cold, and I felt pretty comfortable throughout. I tried out my new SKINS A400 3/4-length tights, which felt nice. (More on those in a minute.) All in all, a great week!

Nov. 14: 10.23km
Nov. 17: 6.07km
Nov. 19: 6.55km
Total this week: 22.85km (14.3mi)
Total in 2010: 867.36km (542.1mi)

Only 132.6km left to meet my goal of running 1000km in 2010! I just need to keep hitting 22km/wk and I’ll get there.

SKINS preliminary review: I’d previously bought myself a pair of SKINS shorts at the Melbourne 2008 Running Festival Expo (where I ran the half-marathon). I still wear them occasionally, but they’re not my favourite running gear. I think this is because I got them too small. I’m tall and I’m right between the L and XL sizes, and in the shorts I got the L. With the new tights, I requested the XL. I like them MUCH BETTER. They still compress (I mean, that’s the point) but they’re not so uncomfortably tight that they leave marks on my skin. I’ve got a couple other pairs of cheap Kmart 3/4-length running tights, so that’s my other basis for comparison here. Unlike those, the SKINS tights don’t have any sticky rubber around the calves to keep them from riding up. I was worried about that at first, but it wasn’t a problem. The calf area actually feels tighter than the rest, and I think that’s probably intentional. They stayed in place throughout the run. I was also worried about the waistband, as on the SKINS shorts I found they wanted to roll downwards over my tummy. Again, this wasn’t a problem with the tights. (That may be more about getting the wrong size in the shorts.) The only negative was the feeling that they were a bit low in the crotch. It took me a few minutes at the start of the run of hitching them up to get them in a comfortable position. (Note: I also have this problem with pantyhose, so it may be more of a personal issue with wearing tights than anything else.)

Okay, so how about performance? Did the magic pants make me run faster? Not really. They didn’t hinder me, but I don’t think they gave me any super boost either. They were just comfy pants. I’ll need a few more trials before I can ascertain whether they provide any real benefit over my cheaper Kmart version.