How to start this post? Always the question I ask. This post
is a reflection of the 2012/2013 season, or a wrap up of my first year of
blogging.
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| An epic way to wake up - getting out to run this trail! |
This is what I found:
12 months ago I started writing as thisfish and I set myself
some goals that I hoped to achieve:
·
To finish in the top 10% of each of the races I
entered.
·
To hopefully place in the top 10 of a race.
·
To work towards bringing my 5k time down to
break the 20 minute barrier.
·
To work towards bringing my 10k time down to
break the 40 minute barrier and
·
Run a sub 1:30 – 90 minute ½ marathon.
So, how successful was I in meeting my goals?
In the races I entered this year, I was successful in
achieving a top 10% finish in all of them except for three. In the 2013 Two
Bays run I finished 180th, a massive effort in my first real trail
run. In April I entered the Geelong Half Marathon after a week of illness and
finished in the top 50% and a month later I took 8 minutes off my 2011 Puffing
Billy ‘The Great Train Race’ time and finished in the top 13%.
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| It looks like thisfish is flying... |
Was I able to obtain a top 10 finish? Yes,in the Marysville 10km
race in November I finished 5th, my first taste of success.
Throughout the Rapid Ascent Salomon series I went from strength to strength and
managed two top 20 finishes, one that saw me place 9th in my
division and another that placed me 12th. To then finish the series
in 7th place overall was an
amazing feeling, and I’m already thinking about how I can push for a top 5, if
not a podium placing in next year’s series. I was a little behind the leaders
who ran some incredible times, but with a little luck and the right
determination I might just be able to take that next step.
Did I break the 20 minute barrier over 5kms? Yes, in training
I have achieved that three times, but it’s only official on my phone (and
mapmyrun account) and on the Garmin watch. Perhaps I might have to find a nice local
5km event and see what I can do on the right day.
Breaking the 40 minute 10km? No not yet but I can feel it
happening soon.
One thing I will take away this year is learning to run
faster through my initial experimentation with breathing techniques and timing,
and then taking it to another level with my Pose coaching experience with
Sally.
I can now say that I do know how to run fast. In my weekly
training I can regularly hit 3:25-3:35 minute/km during my interval sessions. Yes,
it takes considerable effort and focus on technique to get to that speed, but I
can do it in a fairly relaxed and comfortable form with just a little in
reserve, rather than the all-out exertion it required in the past. What I am
now learning to do and training my body to do is to push these out to 1.1k,
then 1.2 k to build my endurance with less recovery running or rest in between,
with the ideal outcome stretching these out to a 5k streak. I also love my
regular track work sessions.
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| Time to follow this advice! |
My goals for 2014 are to again finish in the top 10% of each
of my races, and I’m going to really push the desire to look for a few genuine
top 10 finishes in the trail racing scene, hopefully finding a podium finish
somewhere along the line. I’ve re-entered the Two Bays 28km run in January and will
rerun the Salomon Series in 2014, as well as looking to enter the Rollercoaster
run and a few of the Trails+ 10k events.
I've also put in my application for 'Team inov-8'
I've also put in my application for 'Team inov-8'
So, thanks for reading over the past year and I’m really
looking forward to seeing what next year brings and hearing about how all of
you guys are going as well.
Would you mind sharing your goals with our running community? Comment here on the Thisfishcanrun Facebook thread.
Cheers and happy goal meeting for 2013/14!
Lachie
| Be like thisfish and get your gear from Wiggle! Yes, it supports this blog :) |
Hey Lachie, I have enjoyed reading your blog since about June. I am a fellow Inov-8 fan-boy, with the F-Lite 240s being my favourite shoes.
ReplyDeleteMy progression throughout this year has been similar to yours but with a twist, where you have concentrated on trail running, I have been training for the Melbourne marathon.
My goals for this year have been:
Run Puffing Billy (ran in 1:04, after breaking a toe 4 weeks prior)
Run a sub 20 minute 5k (achieved 3 or 4 times, like you none of them have been in official races)
Run a sub 40 minute 10k (achieved a few weeks ago during a 14k tempo session)
Run a sub 1:30 half marathon (achieved at Run Melbourne)
Run injury free (maintained so far)
Run a sub 3:15 marathon (this is on target and I am gunning for a sub 3 hour marathon time)
My goals for next year are to expand into trail running more, I am debating whether I should take on the Two Bays and which I should take on the 28k or the 56k. Additionally I want to crank the 5k time under 19 minutes, 10k under 38 minutes and the half marathon under 85 minutes.
I have started following you on Facebook, looking forward to reading about your running for the next year and hope you hit all your goals!
Cheers
James
Hey Jamie, great to hear from you. You have set some cracking times there! It looks like I am working towards where you are at the moment, especially that fantastic half and full marathon time that you have.
DeleteI'm also now aiming to break 19 for the 5k, I hit 19:08 in training last week :) Your goal times there are very achievable and will be very rewarding.
Looking at your locations, I'd love to one day catch up for a run - be it in the hills training for Two Bays or even seeing you at the start line - I'd have to work incredibly hard to keep up with you - just what I need sometimes :)
All the best for Two Bays and beyond!
Lachie
Thanks Lachie
DeleteMelbourne Marathon didn't go quite as planned, I ended up running 3:19:54, after hitting the wall about 25k in. I did at least come away with a PB over the half marathon distance of 1:27:27, so it wasn't a total disappointment.
A 19:08 is seriously quick, I am thinking of running a 5k fun run in Bendigo in 3 weeks, I will see if I can get under 19 minutes there.
Catching up sometime for a run would be great, I have been itching to hit some trials for a month or so, but training had hampered getting out there.
Cheers
James
Hey James, did you get up to Bendigo for that fun run? Well done on the half PB as well! Super effort. Only 11 weeks until Two Bays and I'm starting to get just a little bit excited about it all. Good luck with the rest of your training.
DeleteHey Lachie, I managed to go up to Bendigo for the fun run, 5.25k course, finished 16th in 20:58. I was cooked by the 3k mark as I was sick with pharyngitis at the time. So it was annoying that I could have had a top 10 finish if I wasn't sick. Next up is City2Sea in a week's time. I was hoping to run under 55 minutes but I think that under an hour is more realistic given my current fitness.
ReplyDeleteA great effort James. 5.25 in 20:58 is great, especially when you went in under the weather. Keep working on that top 10, it is beckoning. The City2Sea sounds like it is going to be huge. Hopefully you'll be able to get the body right for the day. Enjoy the run, fingers crossed the weather (the literal) works out to be ok. Cheers and happy training,
ReplyDeleteLachie
City2Sea is complete. I finished in 57:35 which is almost a 9 minute improvement on last year's result. I also managed to race a negative split which I have never done. So all in all I am pretty happy even if I know that fully fit I could have knocked another minute or so off that time.
ReplyDelete