Training Diary

Three weeks out from Gold Coast. The week was anchored by Sunday's 38km — controlled at 4:03, nothing heroic, just the work. Friday was the session that mattered: 60 minutes at marathon feel, clocking 3:25/km. That's quicker than race effort, which is a good sign. Tuesday was a morning quality block followed by an evening shakeout. Wednesday's 20km kept the load honest in between. 147km. Big week.

In Perth midweek — ran the city on Thursday morning. Sunday was the headline: 40km with 67 minutes at marathon feel, four 10-minute reps at marathon effort off 5-minute jogs, then 20 minutes to close. Structured, purposeful, and a little brutal by the end. Friday had a quality session in the legs before that, which made Sunday honest. 111km across six days.

Race week. Volume dropped, sharpness stayed. Tuesday's 1km, 8×400m, 1km kept the legs honest without digging a hole. Everything else was easy — deliberate, not lazy. Sunday: Launceston Half Marathon. 1:10:46. New PB. 3:20/km average. The preparation paid off and then some. Wrapped the day with a warm-down to make 29.8km total.

The biggest week on record. 154km, 1,405m elevation, seven days straight. Tuesday's morning session built off a quality block, then an afternoon shakeout. Thursday was another double. Friday was the session — 4×3km progressive, building to half marathon pace by the final rep. By Sunday, 38km at 3:58/km felt controlled, which after everything that came before it, says a lot. A week that will have paid forward for months.

Race week. Kept it simple midweek — easy running, some sharpness on Tuesday. Saturday pulled back, just 6km to stay fresh. Sunday: Sydney 10km. 32:54. New PB by 59 seconds. 3:17/km average. Composed, not desperate. Finished the morning with a warm-down for 20.2km total. Good sign for what's coming.

Monday off, then six straight. Tuesday was pure speed — 15×300m off minimal rest, short and sharp. Wednesday easy. Thursday and Saturday both doubles. Friday was the standout session: 4×3km alternating between marathon and half marathon pace, the kind of workout that earns something. Sunday closed the week at 32km — an honest long run. 123km, 1,084m, one rest day. Building.

Most elevation in a single week: 1,425m across six days. Tuesday and Wednesday were genuinely hilly — slow paces and steep gradients, the kind of running that earns its metres. Thursday to Saturday settled into a rhythm. Sunday delivered: 38km at 4:03/km, controlled from start to finish. That long run on tired legs and tired quads is exactly the work that compounds over a marathon block.

Race week at Western Sydney Airport — the Runway Half Marathon, literally run on a runway. Tuesday's 7×1km alternating half and 10km pace was a proper sharpener. Wednesday a double to keep volume up. Thursday through Saturday stepped back. Sunday: Runway Half Marathon. The course measured slightly short but the effort was honest. 32km total including warm-up and cool-down. A different kind of race day.

Seven days, 122.7km. Monday opened big at 20km. Tuesday added a 10×300m quality session — lot of volume on back-to-back days. Wednesday and Thursday were recovery. Friday was the week's best: 6km at 3:16/km, then straight into 2km at 3:08/km. Fast, clean, controlled. Sunday was 31km, slower on the back end of a loaded week. 1,064m elevation. The work is stacking.

Big Monday to kick off Easter week — Sri Chinmoy XC Half Marathon in 1:17:14, then continued out to 32km total. Cross country adds a different kind of fatigue. Tuesday easy. Wednesday off. Thursday easy. Friday's 60-minute quality session felt good despite the loaded week — kept it under 4:00/km average. Saturday was another 21km to close the week strong. A race followed by five more days of consistent running. 106.7km.

Monday off, then two quality sessions in the same week — the right kind of problem. Tuesday's pyramid session on the track: 1600–800–800–400–400–400–400–800–800–1600. Comprehensive. Friday went straight for pace: 6km at 3:18/km, into 2km at 3:16/km, then 4×400m. Fast enough to mean something, controlled enough to recover from. Wednesday and Thursday easy in between, Saturday long, Sunday easy. 92.2km.

First week with baby Arlo at home, and still 105km. Monday opened big. Tuesday off. Wednesday's 95-minute session built in 6×1km alternating marathon and half marathon pace — quality in the middle of a normal training week, not a race week taper. Thursday and Friday easy. Saturday short. Sunday: Run2Cure Half Marathon at 3:33/km average, 26.3km with warm-up and cool-down. A race used as a training stimulus, not a peak.

Arlo arrived on Wednesday 18 March. Everything stopped — and rightly so. Two days off and back at it on Friday, because that's how it goes. Tuesday was St Patrick's Day, ran it in the new Superblast 3s for the first time. Sunday's 32km long run was the week's anchor, and a reminder that the training doesn't wait. Five days, 79km. The most important week in a long time for a reason that has nothing to do with running.

Seven days, every day. A complete, consistent week. Tuesday's hill session — 2km at marathon feel, then 6×800m working the undulating terrain at 10km and 5km effort. Friday's "Vision" session delivered: 2×3km in 10:04 and 9:55, followed by 8×500m. Clean splits, sharp legs. Sunday pulled back to recovery pace intentionally. 101km on seven consecutive days, 855m elevation. The kind of week you build on.

Sunday was one for the logbook. "One Hundred and Eighty" — 43km in just under three hours. Structure: half marathon in under 90 minutes, jog to 30km, three 3km reps at 3:50/km pace, jog out to round off three hours. A session that tests planning as much as fitness. The rest of the week built to it: Tuesday's 8×1km ("slower than usual, not a great sleep"), Wednesday double, Saturday's shakeout with strides. 130.9km, 1,025m. A week named after the session that finished it.