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.