A Morning Kind Of Person

It amuses me to hear myself say I'm a morning kind of person, because I don't think there is much truth in it. Who doesn't like not setting an alarm and waking when you do? I think it is more a habit kind of thing, getting up in the mornings to train. A habit that helps build discipline in training. So despite SWMBO pleas to sleep in for the sake of those who cant and have to get up to go to work, I find the best way to maintain consistent training is to keep with the 6.00am sessions as per a normal work week. It keeps you in the groove and prevents the desire to just put it off another hour.

This all said it is post morning session that I find the best rewards come forth. The intrinsic reward of being out on the trails as the sun is rising and the pleasure in eating post session are the best parts of my day in most occasions.

So the first week into build the second wrung, moving from bits and pieces back into consistent accumulative overload training, was all about the AM sessions. For the first week the load was about making sure the discipline was in place to be out of bed at 5.30am and onto the session by 6.00am. The afternoon sessions will build next week.

Largely a task achieved, though the 5.30am was a bit shaky on a couple of occasions. Due to the dominant gene over the recessive that is wake up when the alarm starts rather than when your body decides it has heard the alarm for long enough.

Monday 3rd January
AM joined with 13 other keen runners of BMMC and PIS allegiance for 2-3 laps of the Knapsack lap course. The constant question prerun being "are we heading down the stairs to Knapsack Bridge?". Now how many friends do you think I would have if I set a 4.5km lapped 12hr race and made people negotiate the escarpment each time for the 12hrs? Maybe Mister G but I think I must be much friendlier than the upper mts chapter. First 2 laps were done at around 35 minute pace with about 9 runners taking a third lap in 26mins. If a runner can hit 30 mins a lap for 12hrs here on race day I will be suitably impressed. Over all felt great given my digestive acceleration of the previous week.

Tuesday 4th January
AM with the standard BMMC Sleep Train circuit from the round house. It seems this run gets more high end every time I turn up. Sleep Train, Sprinter, Heart n Soul (come White Rabbit), Paul Robertson (what kind of a name is that must put some cognition into this one), Fat Kiwi, Sam Appleton and I. think this is the first time BMMC has had a current Australian U/23 Triathlon Champion run with us. As expected solid pace up front early to the end. I hit the hill out of Sun Valley harder than normal then eased back to watch the masses lead off into the distance over the last few km for a 1hr 1min lap.

Wednesday 5th January
AM to the 'woods' by 6.20am, the first signs of the body refusing to accept the auditory signals sent from the small grey box by the bed. 100/50 session today with 500m warm up, 5*100 on the 2min cycle, 50 b'stroke, 5*50 on the 1min cycle, 50 b'stroke, 5*25m with 25m b'stroke recovery continuous, 500m kick and 100m medley w/down. All up 2.2km with the intervals hitting around 1.45 to 1.50 for the 100's and the 50's coming in around 50sec. Fairly happy for first real swim in a month.

Thursday 6th January
AM and it should have been the standard Thursday BMMC basic hill circuit from the Mansion on Marshal. Unfortunately the decision not to match the going to bed times with the return to getting up for training times had me wake to the sounds of the 6.00am news not the initial beginnings of the alarm 30mins earlier. A brief appearance in boxers to the crowd assembled instructing them that rules are rules and I will meet them on course sent them on their way. A quick superman esck change and it was off heading straight down Mitchell's to cut them at the junction onto the city rail access trail. Some confusion as to linking and my self doubt in terms of instructions issued had me heading up the hill chasing runners that were behind me. Voices from behind at the top preluding the arrival of Sleep Train, Paul R, Heart n Soul then Dr Phil. Dr Phil's brother in law left to the agitated cougars infuriated by Cougar Baits absents for holidays. Personally around 52mins having cut out the Knapsack section of the normal run.

Friday 7th January
AM to the woods to find a broken pool. Thoughts of early coffee soon erased as Sleep Train suggested a trip to the Brook instead. 50m without a tumble turn felt like forever after 6mths in 25. Locked in 500 warm up 1000m pull bouy tt (19.02) 500m kick and 100m w/down. total 2.1km. Never got that coffee.

Then spent the rest of the morning leading the mothers club on a walked lap, baby's in tow of the Knapsack lap course as a recie for their baby sitters club attempt at the 3hr teams. Up till now I would have scoffed at suggestions leaches exist in Knapsack Reserve. Post walk coffee and I managed to meet another father, Martin the 3.05 Canadian marathoner. Looks like he will be at Kedumba next week for the half so very keen to see how he goes on this course.

Saturday 8th January
AM the first of the big runs leading into 6ft 2011 (assuming the wait list is progressing). With the last long run ending in a week of misery there was some trepidation leading into this one the first running of The 6ft Simulator since last years 6ft. Glenbrook to Woodford to Faulco providing 25km of muscular endurance followed by 9km of tempo running back down to Faulco. A deliberate easing into it was the aim and I soon let Sleep train, Terry, James & Dr Phil go as I settled into a conversation with Gareth (another 3.05 marathoner, I got to do something about my soft PB). Pleasantly surprised to find a regroup at the Picnic Area, then again at the heli pad. The early conservative pace meaning I felt good through the long haul to the Heli pad and through the hills to Woodford.

The Prince bounded towards us through these climbs and returned with us through the hills to Woodford then guided us on trail to Linden. Helping avoid the side of the Highway. Tempo was the plan but in reality this was never going to be the case on the first running of the Simulator. So found a nice rhythm and ignored the pace back down to Faulco:

• 3:20:39 all up with splits of
• 43:52 to the picnic area
• 36:12 (1:20) picnic area to heli pad
• 1:08:38 (2:28) heli pad to Woodford
• 51:56 (3:20) Woodford down to Faulco

A starting point to build off over the next 2 months. PM saw a recovery swim at the woods. 1.5km of bits and pieces as I made up on the go. Very pleased to have done this and will repeat when ever possible.

Sunday 9th January
AM Cycle the block in an up the windies direction with Animal and Fat Kiwi. Dr Phil joining in for the early stages before turning to get back for work. wet but pleasant for the 60km loop with the legs feeling pretty good, though a little fatigued when it came time to climb Hawkesburry hill. About 2hrs 15mins but didn't have the clock on. Really enjoyed getting out on the green machine, a very tidy frame still at 20 yrs of age.

So a solid 1st week hitting every planned session for the first week in. Over all a bit tired as to be expected but nothing that should be holding me back in terms of injury's etc. Now to the first full week, the first week of no excuses for 2011.

And a song for Genevieve:

Pete Murray - So Beautiful
Uploaded by crayon123069. - See the latest featured music videos.

Transition 2010 to 2011

The only point in looking backwards is to clarify where your going forwards to. Or to save production costs for all those TV shows that do a year in review type program. So with this in mind a quick look at 2010, but only so I can help direct myself for 2011.

A tops year really for me in general terms. Started with a shaky start having a DNF at Hotham from Bogong in excessive temperatures and lacking directional capabilities required to join the 'normal population. Even this can be put aside though, as a number of people have calculated 9 months latter the best part of my year hit the pool at Nepean Hospital. But more on that latter. Perhaps my mind was just not focused on running the toughest course I have attempted to date.

Things sat in the good range for the rest of the next 6 months with a pleasing but not great six foot track debut and a very satisfying North Face. Again set up as my first attempt at this kind of solo run. I remind myself that the purpose of 2010 had always been to get a feel for these longer runs knowing "building endurance is to be endured". The catch phrase for 2010 and beyond I suspect.

June was, as it has become accustomed, time to show the poncey private sector that CHS Rugby is far superior to their player poaching over glorified systems. It also provided a month of distraction following what had been the biggest volume of running I have taken on in my life. A 3-1 record for my team leaving a bitter taste to a generally successful program again. A 4-0 outcome sits there waiting for to ease my public education aligned heart.

Late winter, early spring was about just rocking up and having a run to be social. Surprisingly it also produced my best two runs for the year at Glenbrook from Woodford and Bilpin from Wilson. Recording PB's at both courses of over 10 minutes. It seems the volume of the early year combined with a month of bits and pieces paid dividends.

September to the end of the year was dominated by the expansion of the family. A cheeky marathon run at Sydney, with no where near enough kilometers in the legs, enabling Sponge Bob Square pants (and a chick to top it off) to smash me. A PB again but at 3:36 still well below the place I want to be at. Then out she came.

Genevieve Anne Berriman, 1.11am 17th October. For the rest of the year who cares about my times (I guess I did but it is an easy card to pull before a race). The 'Mear Cat' is with us, a gorgeous girl with a desire to always know whats going on and who is that sitting over there. "Shes advanced you know".

4 Weeks latter Nepean Tri where a ridiculous PB again given an absolute lack of training and sleep accumulated for the month preceding. Then on to Canberra Half Ironman where in all reality the quad explosion should have come at a race long ago.

Overall too much fun had back into some real events after a decade and a half of pretending. But more importantly the first stepping stone towards future goals and progression in both standard of performance and distances raced at. Starting with 2011, the year of the next rung.

A basic plan, events to begin with. Maintaining the philosophy I do this for recreation and not to take over my life I am out of North face 2011 with a wedding in Fiji knocking a block of training out early in the year. So some new targets needed. The first big one being the, I believe, inaugural 6ft-Husky Double. At this point there are 3 of us wait listed for 6ft and entered Husskisan Long Course. With 2010 as the model I have confidence the wait list will go so the made afternoon car poo from Jenolan Cave to Husskisan is on on.

Earlier will be back to solid training, with a potential trip to Canberra to visit my nieces (and their Dad/Mum) and to have a run at Stromo lightning Strike for training. Latter is not yet confirmed but 12ft track is jumping up and down at me, a real crack at a marathon and  block of training building to Ironman length event (though I have talked about this since yr 12 in 1992).

So with the 6ft-Hussky double the immediate focus a plan has been hatched and accountability through the blog diary is the corner stone. As the best training in 2010 clearly coincided with this process. A run heavy program is nutted out and the next 3 months will look like this:

Mondays
AM, Recovery Run min 30 mins but should be longer
PM, Swim - Pyramid sets

Tuesdays
AM, Run BMMC Sleep Train Circuit
PM, Run track session with the Spilling Squad

Wednesdays
AM, Swim - 100's/50's sets
PM, Cycle mini LSD

Thursdays
AM, Run BMMC Standard Hill Circuit
PM, Cycle

Fridays
AM, Swim - Open water or pool time trial
PM, Cycle - Mt Bike

Saturdays
AM, Run LSD BMMC Saturday 6ft Sessions
Pm, Run (optional) recovery max 30mins

Sundays
AM, Cycle LSD with hills
PM, Swim - 300's sets

So Beer Betters there is the plan from this silver stubbie contestant. Take it or leave it. Just have the knowledge that whilst I ran my 1st 10km as an 8 yr old in 1982 last year was my debut season in my own eyes to being back at it. 2011, the year of the next rung is amongst us.

Now to avoid wrestling evil prawns for the remainder and a song for Genevieve (ignoring the introductory ref to cigarettes please):