Run Mileage Clicking Over

I'm still in base training phase, or as Daniels calls it - Foundation and Injury Prevention Training. In regards to running, this means lots of mileage all done at an easy pace. I don't really plan training, I just try to run every day and let how I feel influence the distance. It is usually obvious by the 3km mark if I'm feeling good or not and this determines how far I run (anywhere between 6 and 15km). Of course if I wake up sore - I have a rest day.

This strategy worked well at the start of the pre-season and my weekly run mileages were 44, 54 & 57km before things went off track when I suffered quad soreness from the Long and Hilly Run in the Dandenongs. My legs came good just in time for the Puffing Billy Fun Run, but I needed an easy week to recover from this race.

With the interruptions now behind me, my run training is now back on track and this week I clocked up a career high 64km of running. This mileage came so easy I took Sunday as a rest day even though I didn't feel sore. There was temptation to push my mileage over 70km, but I decided anything over 60km was great and even though I was still feeling good, having a rest day would provide extra insurance against injury (not time to get greedy).

For some athletes 60km in a week would not sound much, but I can remember not long ago when I could not do consecutive 30km run weeks. So I'm extremely happy with how things are going. The only problem has been an arm injury (incurred in non-triathlon related activities). As a result I missed Friday's swim and Saturday's mountain bike session at Lysterfield Park. Hopefully I'll be OK to swim again on Tuesday.

With Elaine having entered her first Half Ironman (Challenge Melbourne in Feb), she now has far more incentive than usual to get back on the bike. This was very much in evidence on Saturday morning when she ventured out and rode 2 laps of the Challenge Melbourne bike course (race will be 3x30km laps). The course is 10kms away so the total riding distance was 80km - her longest ride in 3.5 years.