April 5K Challenge.

SATURDAY 30/4/05, 6.15AM- 24.5K, WEEK TO DATE 116.5K

Got up after 5 hours sleep and shuffled the 6.5K to the start. It seemed to take forever- could barely crack 5.30min/km. After doing intervals yesterday and another run last night that was most underwhelming, I didn't think another sub 20 was likely.

Nevertheless, I lined up with the 20 minute group and stand-in Official Starter Fats sent us on our way. O Runner, MikeF, MPHaz, Redback and a couple of others led the group out and I settled in a few metres behind with Prof and Dave E. Weather was cool but sunny- about 15 degrees at the start.

Surprised to find that my form was suddenly good and I hit 1K in 3.50. Then 2K was a 3.54, the next two were about 4.00 flat. Felt aerobically good but had no top gear to speak of when I tried to pick it up in the last K. Split a 3.57 to finish in 19.43, equal to my PB and a complete surprise.

My previous 19.43 was set back in November when I was doing relatively low volume but lots of speedwork. However when I started this morning I'd already done over 100K for the week. Raw speed may be non existent but aerobically I'm in quite good shape. Given the quick cross country race I did a couple of weeks ago, and today's result, I'm feeling good about the Striders 10K next week.

Ran back to the start and enjoyed some fantastic pancakes courtesy of Bernie and Blue Dog. After standing around yakking for a hour or more, I ran back around the eastern side of the Bay with Queen Bee and then home for a total of 24.5K for the morning.

1K Intervals.

FRIDAY 29/4/05, 1PM- 11.5K, WEEK TO DATE 86K

Had a bit of a night out and drank too much and surfaced after 7 hours comatose to find I'd missed the 3 x 2K session I was going to do this morning, so at lunch (after drinking about seven bottles of water) I ran up to Dunbar Field for a 5 x 1K session (the thought of running 2K reps on a 400m track was a bit daunting) with the usual two minute, 200m walking recovery.

Felt pretty scratchy running to the track- 2.7K in 13.00 (4.49 pace). Then into it.

3.50
3.54
3.53
3.52
3.49

Form wise I felt pretty bad (but got a bit better as the session went on) and had no top gear. However, it's better numbers than the last time I did the same workout, which was three weeks ago with Vat (3.58, 3.56, 3.55, 3.53, 3.51) and, as on that occasion, today I finished without too much distress- ran back to work quicker than I ran there (12.51, 4.46 pace). So I think my aerobic shape is pretty reasonable.

Cloudy and about 26 degrees.

FRIDAY 29/4/05, 6PM- 6K, WEEK TO DATE 92K

Recovery run to Waterloo Park and back. Legs felt tight and I was all over the place. 6.1K in 30.44, 5.02 pace.

Don't think I'll cover myself in glory at the 5K Challenge tomorrow.

Recovery.

THURSDAY 28/4/05, 4PM- 6K, WEEK TO DATE 74.5K

Slept in, 7.5 hours sleep. Was just going to swim today, but couldn't find my goggles and swim gear so figured a short run on grass would do the trick.

Took a very late lunch again, then did work->other side of Macquarie Uni->return, running an the nature strip or the uni's grass fields all the way. Didn't feel that good or bad (in shoes). 24 C and sunny, 6.2K in 30.02, or 4.51 pace.

Wednesday Goes L O N G.

WEDNESDAY 27/4/05, 6.20AM- 28K (2.26.54- 5.15min/km)- WEEK TO DATE 58K

I got home at 11.30 last night with a few glasses of red in my system. Only had four hours sleep.

My alarm went off at 4.30 this morning and I lay there staring at the roof for a few minutes until the second alarm went off. Came into the office and was running by about 6.20. My work is 750m from the top gates of Lane Cove National Park so I ran to the park, did 2 laps of the Striders LC 10K course, with an extension across the weir and up the Bradfield St hill which adds a bit over 3K on each lap. Then ran back to the office. 28K total.

Felt most uninspired- was on sub 5 min/km down to the weir the first time but dropped off after that. Halfway was reached in 72 minutes, so I fell off by three minutes in the back 14K. Form-wise didn't feel that good either. But I stuck with it and ground my way through the session regardless. Could have done with some company though.

This was the first morning this year that it was cool enough for my breath to fog. About 15 C at the start, but humid enough at the end for the singlet to come off. Saw Spud as I was finishing the first lap and late saw Pete Truscott moving very fast.

Had a shower and was at my desk by about 9.15. I'd like to be running it at under 5min/km pace but it's hard to inspire yourself when running alone. The pace will improve.

WEDNESDAY 27/4/05, 4PM- 10.5K (49.51- 4.45min/km)- WEEK TO DATE 68.5K

Took my "lunch break" at 4pm to give my legs more recovery time, more time to eat, plus it actually fit in better with my work schedule. I did the usual route to Dunbar Field, did 5K barefoot on the grass track, and return. Form wise felt much better than this morning, and quite fresh once I'd warmed up. Sunny and about 23 C.

Good ending to a solid day (38.5K of running today). Got to work on consistently pacing that long one though, and bring it under 5min/km.

30/30s.

TUESDAY 26/4/05, 8AM- 8.5K, WEEK TO DATE 18.5K

The snooze button beat me today so I missed hills, so came right into work and ran from the office to Dunbar, did 30/30s (In reply to PaulC- this is a session where you alternate 30 seconds of sprinting with 30 seconds of jogging for 15 minutes), ran back. The run there was okay- 2.7K @ 4.44- the interval session itself was quite nasty, then I tried to be under 5min/km on the way back to the office. Managed to do so (4.56) but was utterly fucked at the end of it.

Very humid- 17 C and 76% humidity.

TUESDAY 26/4/05, 12.15PM, 11.5K (55.57- 4.52min/km)- WEEK TO DATE 30K

The usual office->LCNP 10K course-> office route. Quite hot for late April- 26 C- ran shirtless again and sweat was pouring off me and my shoes were squelching with sweat by the end. Felt like I was loping along quite well to the turnaround at the weir (25.30) then mentally switched off a bit and came off Scribbly in 39.58, so had dropped off somewhat. The heat bothered me too.

Felt reasonable running uphills for a change.

Start of a High Volume Week 2.

MONDAY 25/4/05, 11AM- 10K (51.13)

Public holiday. Did a commute on foot with backpack to a family function (Warrimoo- Winmalee), mostly uphill for the first 6K then downhill after that- 10.05K in 51.13 @ 5.06min/km.. Sunny and 23 degrees.

Had to work fairly hard- partly because I was hauling a pack, partly because of the hilly nature of the course, but yesterday's big comeback day definitely took a bit out of me. Had the foot taped up but no soreness.

Got a big week planed- should hit about 180K for the week.

Comeback- Middle Harbour STaR.

FRIDAY 22/4/05, 12.15PM

Swam 1250m in 34.49, 1K split 27.41. Still walking with a limp- some infection I think.

SUNDAY 24/4/05, 6.20AM, 29.5K- WEEK TO DATE 78K

Foot felt much better so taped it up and went to the Middle Harbour STaR. Didn't feel too good after my break- legs felt heavy and tight- so ran with Blue Dog, who was also a bit slow today. We went around in 2.40, average pace 5.27min/km- a bit on the slow side but pulled up well. Foot got a bit sore on the downhills in the last 8K or so but not too bad. Very hilly course, quite humid.

SUNDAY 24/4/05, 4PM, 11.5K- WEEKLY TOTAL 89.5K

Did work->LCNP 10K course->return in 57.09, so 4.58min/km. Foot okay.

Definitely not the week I wanted! But finished on a reasonable note.

Swim.

THURSDAY 21/4/05

Stupid foot is still sore enough that I limp rather than walk so at lunch I swam 1200m in the pool here. First K was 27.39, 1200m was done in 32.57. Laughably slow. I want to be running again, dammit.

Wednesday goes Long- Aborted.

WEDNESDAY 20/4/05, 6.15AM, 23K- WEEK TO DATE 48.5K

Only got 5 hours sleep. Need more sleep.

I set out to do 28K this morning (work-> LCNP-> weir-> Bradfield St hill-> return via Scribbly Hill-> top gates-> repeat) and felt rooted until I came back across the weir when I started to move better. However when I got back to the weir again on lap 2 the cut on my foot suddenlly became quite painful and I started limping, then stopped and walked back. 18.5K running @5min/km plus 5.5K walking.

Not having much luck lately with my key workouts! Bee stings, sleeping through alarms, cut feet.... I was going to run at lunch as well (aiming for a 39- 40K day) but i won't and I'll take tomorrow off too.

My participation in the Rogaine this weekend seems a bit unlikely right now if I can't handle 90 minutes of road running.

Start of another High Volume Week.

MONDAY 18/4/05, 6.30PM- 6K

Slept in (needed it!- about 7 hours) and had lunch meetings. Got out for a run after work.Had a sore on the arch of one foot which I;d exacerbated by picking at it, so it was bloody sore during the run, which meant I only did 6K instead of the 10Kish I wanted to do. Ran from work to Waterloo Park and back, 6.1Kin 29.33 at 4.48min/km pace. Felt like I was moving mechanically well but my foot was bloody sore with each strike, especially downhills. Unseasonably hot day for mid April- 29 C at 6pm.

TUESDAY 19/4/05, 12.15PM- 11.5K (53.44, 4.40min/km), WEEK TO DATE 17.5K

Skipped hills because my foot was so painful on downhills. Slept in (7 hours sleep), taped it up and ran work- LCNP 10K course in reverse- work. Felt tired on the way out, then hit the weir in 24.40 and realised I was moving well. Came off Scribbly in 38.30 and finished well. Solid work. 24 C.

TUESDAY 19/4/05, 6.30PM- 8K, WEEK TO DATE 25.5K

Same as last night, but out to the end of Crimea Rd. Quite hilly, including one hill near halfway I do twice which is steep enough your heels don't touch the ground. 8.2K in 40.30 @ 4.56min/km. Stomach was churning- possibly the stale muffin I ate as part of breakfast.

CC Race and improvised Longish Run.

SATURDAY 16/4/05, 3PM, 10K (8K race and 2K warmup)- WEEK TO DATE 55.5K

Got about 5 hours sleep- a little better than recent efforts.To Richard Murden Reserve (the "Dog Loop" of the Bay Run) for an 8K West Metropolitan Cross Country race- basically two and a half "figures of eight" on grass with a little bike path added in. Did a warm up with Vat beforehand and then we were off. Managed to keep Vat in sight all the way and caught Rod Lovel at around the 5K mark.

Our GPSs measured the course as about 7.8K and that's probably right- I ran 31.49 @ 4.05min/km- don't think I'm in shape to go sub 32 for 8K, especially on grass. I felt pretty happy with the way I held form- positive split the race by about 9 seconds.

SUNDAY 17/4/05, 9AM, 21.5K (1.45.34- 4.55min/km)- WEEKLY TOTAL 77K

Another night out. Slept through my alarm and missed the STaR so after surfacing off a bit over four hours sleep I went up to the office and ran my 21.5K course in LCNP. A week and a half ago I ran this in 102 minutes @ 4.45, today I felt tired (not bad formwise, just no oomph) and was about 90 seconds off the pace on both loops to finish 3 minutes slower. At the end I was so tired my eyes were rolling back in my head.

Hot morning, ran shirtless. Got about an hour's sleep later in the afternoon.

400s- Mayor of Hiroshima.

FRIDAY 15/4/05, 12.15PM, 7.5K- WEEK TO DATE 45.5K

Been out the last two nights with a few glasses of wine involved. As a result I surfaced today with only six hours of sleep total for the last two nights.

Went up to Dunbar at lunch with the intention of doing the 8 x 400 session that got cut short on Wednesday, but feeling pretty damn tired. Ran the 2.7K to the start in 4.51min/km (13.07) and then turned on a very impressive turn of speed by my standards followed by a "Mayor of Hiroshima" style blowup:

82
81
80
80
79
90
92

Then a painful jog back to work (had to work very hard to not walk) in 13.42- 5.04min/km.

Those first five 400s (and the four I ran on Wednesday) seem to say I have good legspeed at the moment but just tired- I don't think it's the Canberra 50K so much of itself as just poor quality recovery in the last couple of days. I'm going out each of the next three nights as well which is probably not ideal- just got to be disciplined and make apologies early, and get lots of powernaps during the day I suppose.

Recovery.

THURSDAY 14/4/05. 12.15PM, 10.5K (50.07)- WEEK TO DATE 38K

Not a good sign when I was at my desk at 8.30am feeling stuffed after a very interrupted night's sleep (about three hours) and a few glasses of wine over dinner. However, I got out in 26 C conditions under sunny skies to run to Dunbar, do the usual 5K barefoot on the grass, and back. Felt decidedly crap on the way to the track and not very smashing after that, but still got around at 4.49min/km.

The bee sting on my arm now consists of a bright red section of skin about the size of a playing card and painful to touch; the muscles in my forearm are noticeably stiff.

Aborted 400s.

WEDNESDAY 13/4/05, 12.15PM, 7.5K- WEEK TO DATE 27.5K

Slept in- about 7 hours sleep.

At lunch I jogged up to Dunbar to do the old favourite, 8 x 400 with 60 seconds rest. Felt a little stiff but not bad. Banged out the first 4 reps thus...

83
82
81
80

and I was thinking "Jesus, I'm either going to die horribly or I'm going to do a great workout!" The last time I did this a couple of weeks ago I was quite a bit slower- 84, 86, 83, 84, 84, 84, 83, 84 so doing better by comparison today.

Then 250m into rep 5 a bee landed on my left forearm and stung me! I yelled in pain, slapped the bee off, scraped out the stinger and walked back to the start. Got 150m into rep 5 (take two) before I stopped- the pain was pretty bad and I'd lost my focus. Jogged back to work.

Pain's subsided to an ache but it's swollen up and my left elbow, wrist and fingers are noticeably stiff.

Bugger. Could have been a great workout there.

Recovery.

MONDAY 11/4/05, 6AM- 8.5K

Did 45 minutes through the Canberra suburbs and on bridle trails in the Ainslie Nature Reserve with Clairie. Felt tired. Cool, wet day.

TUESDAY 12/4/05, 12.15PM, 11.5K (57.03)- WEEK TO DATE 20K

Today's system check: 11.5K in LCNP at 4.58 pace. Felt good once I warmed up- no uphill fatigue or elevated heartrates, only the occasional minor ache. Couldn't have asked for anything better. Got to the turnaround in 26.50, can't remember what I came off Scribbly in.

Cool but humid day (rained earlier) so ran shirtless. 8 hours sleep.

Canberra 50K Weekend.

SATURDAY 9/4/05, 4PM- 12K (2K warmup and 10K race)- WEEK TO DATE 101.5K

Did the pre-marathon 10K in hot conditions in 46.59, pacing Clairie to a PB. Felt like I was moving quite well after the drive from Sydney. Pacing wa sa bit uneven.

SUNDAY 10/4/05, 7AM- 50K (4.30)- WEEKLY TOTAL 151.5K

12 C at the start, rising to 27 C by the finish.

For my first road marathon in three years I more or less did just what I set out to do. I wanted to run 4.30 for the 50K with a split of about 3.50 for the 'thon en route- the idea being a long training run at steady pace which wasn't run at serious race pace- I wanted to run it easy enough that I could back up in a day or two and resume normal training.

Ran with Spud for about the first 38K, and along the way our bus included Truckie, Tim and one or two others. The nature of the course meant we saw those ahead of and behind us several times, so I employed the "reverse psychology" form of words of encouragements to my fellow CRs and Striders. Good fun, that aspect.

Aroud 38K, after we came back across Lake Burley Griffin for the last time, I saw that the 4.30 50K was in the bag and my legs were complaining and stride was tightening as a result of recent lack of long road runs, so, bearing in mind that I wanted to run this thing easy, I backed off a little and let Spud go on ahead. I crossed the marathon line in 3.43, then slowly jogged the last 7.8K to cross the 50K finish line in exactly 4.30. Probably did the 'thon a few minutes too fast, but nothing too serious I think.

I found the second loop across the lake was a mental drag- very monotonous- so it might well be three more years before I run another road marathon.

Felt fairly wanky after the finish reclining in the Striders marquee, but I used Tesso's shower and after that felt much better. Spent a few hours in the bar at the Rydges but had to leave early.

TOTAL FOR THE WEEK- 151.5K

Felt this was pretty good. Next week i'll cut back to 90K or so with a bit more speedwork- then the week after that bump the volume up again.

1K Reps.

FRIDAY 8/4/05, 6AM- 10K- WEEK TO DATE 82K

Down to Timbrell after 5 hours sleep to run with Vat. 17 C and 96% humidity- there was a bank of low cloud hovering over Sydney that didn't know if it wanted to be fog or not.

2K warmup then into it. 5 x 1K with 200m recoveries in 2 minutes.

3.58
3.56
3.55
3.53
3.51

then 2K warmdown at 5min/km.

Six weeks ago I did this workout in 3.50, 3.50, 3.49, 3.49, 3.49 so I've lost speed, but I finished the set today in (relatively) little distress at all and could have done more reps, as opposed to my usual pyrotechnic displays of mouth-foaming and retching- so I think aerobically I'm in quite good nick and just missing top-end speed.

FRIDAY 8/4/05, 6.15PM- 7.5K (36.47)- WEEK TO DATE 89.5K

After work I ran to Dunbar, 2K barefoot on the grass, and back. Didn't feel good enough or enthusiastic enough to do more, plus I couldn't see the damn track in the dark! Calves a bit tired. 4.58min/km. But, I'd rather work the crap out my system from this morning's session tonight than tomorrow afternoon.

Recovery.

THURSDAY 7/4/05, 12.15PM, 11.5K (55.49)- WEEK TO DATE 72K

Really solid sleep- over 8 hours. Sticky, 21 C and 75% humidity so shirts off again. After yesterday's solid workout this was just to keep the legs ticking over and burn calories and I'll do some 1K reps tomorrow morning.

Did the usual work->LCNP 10K course->work course in 55.49, so 4.51min/km. Felt I was moving well, a little sore in the calves that quickly went away and not quite as strong on the uphills as I'd like. But overall not too bad, and a reasonable pace for "recovery". Hit the weir turnaround in 25.55 and came off Scribbly in 40 flat.

Solid Longish Run.

WEDNESDAY 6/4/05, 7.15AM- 21.5K (1.42.19- 4.45min/km)- WEEK TO DATE 60.5K

16 C and 80% humidity when I arrived at the office to do a solid-paced longish one before work. I was a little later starting than I anticipated. I ran to the LCNP gates on Lane Cove Road, did two laps of the Striders 10K course, then back to the office for a total of 21.5K in 102 minutes, which compares nicely to the 99 minute Half I did on pretty much the same course in October (okay, that was a bit of a soft time). Legs felt a bit tired for the first few km (quads and calves) but once I warmed up it was okay, although the humidity was sufficient for me to take my singlet off and in the last few km my groin was tightening up.

Solid work without stuffing myself too much. Didn't record my splits (stupid!) but from memory I got to the weir the first time in 25.00, came off Scribbly in 39.05, top gate in 51.15, weir second time in 75.55, bottom of Scribbly second time 89.xx. Prettye ventful- just after I started some bloke running in Lowes gear sat on my shoulder for the first couple of km, and after that I saw Boof on his bike, O Runner doing an easy trot (sporting a shaved head by the look of it), and down near the weir on both loops some sort of photo shoot involving two dudes in running gear and a girl. Not sure what was going on there.

Pretty pleased with this session- I can only get quicker at it and will try to do it regularly, hopefully with an earlier start.

Long Hills.

TUESDAY 5/4/05, 6.15AM- 18K- WEEK SO FAR 28.5K

Went up to Hornsby to do some long hills on the Quarry Fire Trail. Warmed up by running the 2K from the station through drizzle and 15 C temperatures. Galston Gorge was full of mist- quite a sight. Got 6 hours sleep and felt quite a bit better than yesterday, which is logical I suppose.

I ran from the Stewart Ave trailhead to the bottom then up the other side to the top of the main climb on the west side, then back to the top of the main hill on the east side. The western hill is long, but has quite a few flattish bits, so I then did 3 reps from the top of the eastern hill to the bottom and back up- a 2.2K roundtrip with 140m of gain and descent. Averaged 15-16 minutes for each of these. Then ran back to the station.

Wasn't pushing it- just wanted to run it all and get the legs working a bit.

Next time round (probably two Tuesdays from now) I'll make an effort to arrive a bit earlier and should be able to fit in 6 reps of the eastern hill on the Quarry Track.

TUESDAY 5/4/05, 12.45PM- 10.5K- WEEK SO FAR 39K

17 C and humid. Ran from the office to Dunbar, 5K barefoot and back @ 4.50min/km. Calves were a bit sore after the morning's exertions but they got better once they warmed up. Wasn't anywhere near as much of a grind as yesterday was.

Recovery.

MONDAY 4/4/05, 12.30PM- 10.5K (50.07)

Work- Dunbar- 5K barefoot- return in 50.07, so 4.49 min/km. Felt tired and a bit achy in the legs. In contrast to yesterday's heat, today was 17 C with a cold southerly and drizzle. Came back to work and ate a lot.

Shift in Focus.

After Glasshouse last year I set myself the target of running a sub 3 marathon at Gold Coast in July 2005. Partly this was because almost everyone else I run with has done one, partly because I figured the extra speed and strength I would gain would be valuable in making myself competitive in the longer ultras.

As a result I spent the first three months of 2005 doing a lot of speedwork and running about half the volume I used to in order to improve my 10K. To run sub 3 for 42.2K requires 38 or better for 10K, so the reality was I needed to be under 40, or at least doing 40 flat, by March to give myself a show.

Dipping under 42 in early February wasn't a bad sign, but when I went backwards at the SMC two weeks later when my workouts indicated a sub 41 was possible was not a good sign. Subsequent races haven't been much better. I have now run out of time to make it by Gold Coast, and cannot attempt to do it at Sydney as the Sydney Marathon is the same day as Glasshouse.

As a result I will not be attempting a sub 3 marathon for the foreseeable future and will not be at Gold Coast in July. Now the focus is back on high mileage and gearing up for the big ultras coming in the second half of the year. Hence my spike in total volume last week. I'll still be doing speedwork and short races to keep sharp, but my main priority is elsewhere.

Solid Weekend.

FRIDAY 1/4/05, 6.30PM- 6K (32.46)- WEEK TO DATE 66.5K

Was feeling a bit wanky and had the Striders 10K the next day, so after work I got out of the office and trotted along Talavera Rd to Waterloo Parka nd back. Started off pretty slowly but picked it up on the way back (having warmed up) to average 5.22min/km.

SATURDAY 2/4/05, 7AM- 11K (1K warmup plus 10K race in 42.50)- WEEK TO DATE 76.5K

Starting to detect a trend. This is the second consecutive time I've run an ultra, then two 10Ks in the weeks afterwards and found the first one was the quickest. At the SMC 10K the week after Six Foot Track I clocked 42.21, but this time did 42.50. I'd had a fairly solid week before this race, so no real surprise....

Perhaps when I say "the second week of recovery is the worst" it actually has a ring of truth to it.....

I got caught in the crowd at the start and found myself veering onto grass and off kerbsides to try to escape the crush. Went through the first kilometre in something really slow, like 4.40. I never got a rhythm going- I can see why this course is the slowest of the Striders 10Ks (I'd not raced this variant of the Domain before).

Lane Cove might have more total up and down, but it's in the form of a few long hills, whereas this one is full of little ups and downs and it's hard to get any rhythm going. I only felt able to stretch out in the last 300m or so!

I ran shoulder to shoulder with Spud from about 2K to 7K before he opened up a few seconds gap on me which remained constant to the end. In 2005 races Spud and I are 2-all- I was ahead at the LCNP 10K and 6FT, he was ahead at the Equaliser and today. I saw Horrie a couple of times but could hear him quite a bit as his GPS beeped somewhere behind me- I actually commeted to Spud at one point about the "Timex runner" that was shadowing us.

After the race, breakfast at Boy Charlton was the order of the day.....

SUNDAY 3/4/05, 6.20AM- 33K- WEEK TO DATE 109.5K

Ran the Mosman STaR, my first for a while. I've lost a fair bit of strength in the last few weeks, which is something the STaRs will show up, especially the hilly ones. I am not very strong on hills at all right now. It was a warm day- high 20s by the finish. The official distance of this course is 31K but I gained a couple of "bonus Ks" via creative navigation, in around 2.50 or so. Started with the 6.20 group and held it with Fats and a couple of others till Mosman, when I got dropped climbing out of the cove there.

SUNDAY 3/4/05, 4.45PM- 12K- TOTAL FOR THE WEEK 121.5K

I went up to Hornsby, ran from the Station to the trailhead of the Quarry Track, and ran two reps of the Stewart Ave trailhead (roundtrips took 22 and 23 minutes) and back to give myself renewed familairity with the trail, as I'll be here on a fairly regular basis during the year. Still hot- almost 30 degrees- most unseasonable for this time of year.

Not surprisingly my legs felt pretty tired and a bit achy at first but once I warmed up they weren't too bad.

Biggest week this year. Feeling a bit creaky and the lack of sharpness is noticed. I'll get used to it in a few weeks.