Go Hard

My run training was hampered by a knee injury. That didn't stop me from getting out onto some good trails.

I restarted my training over a month ago with the intention of racing this race fast. Obviously having to deal with an injury and the required reduced running has meant less than an ideal build up. As a result my intentions changed to forming a race plan specific to my injury rehabilitation. It also became an opportunity to try something different in my racing. The Coburg Lake Classic 10km , is usually a simple 2 x 5km out-and-back lap affair, with a moderate hill that results in 4 climbs (2 on each side) on a concrete bike path. Recent heavy rain saw the Merri Creek overflow and flood some of the course, so an alternative was in order for the day. The result was 4x2.5km looped laps, over a very undulating circuit the only flat section was the athletics track itself. Also adding into the mix was a section of wet, muddy soft grass that amounted to maybe 500m out of the 10km. Otherwise it was a mix of bike path, concrete path, a slippery bridge and road. As it worked out, the 10km race...

No point sticking with a plan if it isn't going to work. I'm now at the end of my second week  of training. Continuing on from the first week, it certainly hasn't gone anything like I originally planned. My left patella tendon is more than a weak point. It is an injury. I'll cover the details later, but the short version is I have patella femoral syndrome. I've had it before, and it is a symptom of other, more ongoing issues. So it will take a while to correct. So here is what the last training week looked like. Day 1:  Run : Hill repeats: 14x40sec, walk/jog back (70-100sec) Day 2:  Run : Easy 1hr approx 9km. Slow, but feeling almost comfortable. L) knee sore later in day Day 3: Rehabilitation : cycle & run too painful for knee Day 4: Strength : Session Deadlift, Bench 3+ Day 5:  Run : Easy 1hr, approx 10km, knee felt ok Day 6:  Strength : Session Squat, Press, 1+ Aerobic conditioning run: 60min, mainly flat, taped knee, main focus on co...