Go Hard

If there is one thing the town of Ballarat does a lot, it is be cold . This year was no exception. The good news is tradition continued and the wet stuff didn't fall from the sky during the race. Icy wind was really the only weather issue to contend with. Not too bad for racing. With popularity increasing the field was up to 47. This included some extra quality up front including the current record holder. Some new blood and some regular rivals. Should be fun. Last week's cross country confirmed my weak points in racing. In particular that was my top end specific endurance. Anything above the so-called anaerobic threshold I struggled to hold for any reasonable time frame. The intensity level of the half marathon should suit me better than a 10km. Of course, if I went out too hard or surged, that was going to be costly. In almost every year at this race I have gone out pretty hard. This time I hoped to change that. Lake Wendouree hosts the 6km Steve Moneghetti Track . A ve...

The Victorian Police and Emergency Services Games is back on. As has become my usual I've entered both the 10km cross country and the Half Marathon. These events are a week apart. First up was the cross country. My expectations weren't as high this year. I haven't been able to get in the type of training that has helped me achieve some pretty good results in previous years. I still didn't want to miss it. Some good rivalries has developed over time, and I might be lucky and pull out a break through performance. The course is two laps that are each billed as 5km, but being the same as previous years the consensus is its long. My GPS gave my 10.7km for the full race, but I will accept its about 500-600m long. Not an issue being cross country, but it helps knowing this when comparing times. I like the setup. Starting with an uphill grassed section, then some downhill, with a couple of turn going from grass, to dirt road and finally onto a paved bike track. The ground t...

Going since 2007 this blog was as an outlet for my thoughts on training and racing. Putting them down in written form has been a great tool for gaining clarity and finding a direct route from idea to reality. It's amazing how something can seem like a brilliant idea when just bouncing around inside your own scone, but it takes writing it out to properly see the challenges to making it happen. Putting my thoughts in writing also gives me a break from constantly thinking about them. It frees me up to focus on other topics knowing I can come back when needed. A great bonus is that it spares my wife from being used as a sounding board for my running thoughts. That's a win-win right there. As a little added benefit I hope those reading have been able to gain some knowledge or ideas to help with their pursuits, or even just found a bit of enjoyment. As with anything that goes for a long time there has been changes. There's been an ebb and flow in the blog. Just looki...