I’m here, I haven’t forgotten, I just got swamped with work and Christmas commitments.

Tarawera Miler training Week 5! Shit this is going fast!

I, however, am not.

Training
This week was an epic week of training.

I honestly can’t believe I managed it. It was both physically and mentally exhausting with 5 runs, 4 of which were over 90 minutes each, all which had to be completed on a ‘loop’ style course due to being ‘on call’ at work and needing to be within 10-15 minutes of my car at all times.

I’m not going to lie, it was pretty hard work and I chewed through quite a few podcasts and audio books. I just kept thinking that it was all good mental training for Tarawera and the loneliness and repetition of running 162.2km.

Totals: 80.8km, 9 hrs 32 min, 1169 m of elevation

STOKED! That’s 20 km more than my average week, 2 hrs more than my average week and a shitload more elevation for my usual flat-lander self.

From my SquadRun training plan I completed the P1 & P2 back to back long runs on Saturday and Sunday, one on the road as a ‘rhythm’ style run to focus on running form and one on the trails to include elevation and learn to navigate the trails on tired legs.

After last week’s encounter with the snake I was keen to keep to wider trails and avoid the single tracks if I wasn’t running behind someone. I ran 20km on the 5km loop of the Saddle Back Track but despite my best efforts I did run into a significant brown snake. It wasn’t on the path, just off to the right in the dip at the back of the saddle near the 5 way intersection. I stopped dead in my tracks and ran a few metres back up the path I came. I didn’t even think to pause my Garmin or get my phone out. It seemed just as scared of me as I was of it so it scampered off into the bush towards the Northern Loop.

The P3 was a speed session which I completed in the gym. The session included a 10 min warm up and cool down which two repeats of 3x 200 m and 3x 400 m intervals. I did the 200m at level 14 and 400m at level 16. That level is super fast for me so I was really happy to get it done and finish off with some light resistance training including squats, lunges and step ups with 2x 4kg dumb bells. I know that doesn’t sound light a lot but I’m still easing into weight training and anything too heavy disables me for the rest of the week of running training.

Doing my speed work on a treadmill is really working for me. I know it’s not as effective as being out on a track but I think doing it on a treadmill is better than not doing it at all. I’m also hoping it will help me to learn to better pace myself at speed so that I can do better managing that out on the road. I’m terrible at going out too fast for the first few intervals and not being able to finish the work out.

The P4 and P5 runs were 20km rhythm run and 90 minute trail run. I foolishly did these back to back as well on Wednesday and Thursday giving me the double effect of the back to backs for the week.

Nutrition
I clearly need to clean up my diet and stop snacking on crap. I did a lot better with my snacks this week but incorporated more unfavourable meals. Keeping my water intake in check is a bit part I think.