Did someone say Runcation?

Bec is turning 40 and we couldn’t think of any better way to celebrate than a trip to hopefully run the fastest half marathon of our lives…so far.

The Gold Coast is not only an incredible holiday destination but host to Australia’s leading Marathon. In addition to it’s prime location The Gold Coast Airport Marathon is known as one of the fastest courses going round so it was a logical choice for us to attempt the sub90 half for 2017.

The Goal?

Last year we both achieved sub20 for 5km and then later Sub 42 for 10km so it was only a matter of time before the thirst for that golden sub90 21.2km would come a knockin. So it’s with determination that we’re committing to a 12 week training guide where we plan to work hard to reach our goal.

The plan?

Why this one?

There are certain elements of our fitness routine we’re not prepared to sacrifice and we found this Medibank plan online that has it all, speed work, long runs and our favourite all rounder… strength training.

This will be the first time we’ve followed a training plan together so we’re so excited about sharing all our experiences, following the same routines and being able to bounce ideas throughout the 12 weeks.

What It Means

Tempo – Continuous run starting easy with a build-up of speed to ‘medium pace’ (our 10k pace) in the middle and finishing easy

Long run – we love our long runs – easy, conversational pace – except when we are negative splitting – those ones will ramp up towards the end

Pace run – practice running at our goal pace to achieve our PB – this is 4:16 min per km for us (insert sharp inhale here!)

Test run – a measure of current fitness – so we can get a feel for how we are progressing in the training.  We’ll either do a local race or tough it out solo

Speed sessions – medium pace sessions are at our 10k pace, and fast is our 5k pace, with a walk or jog between each rep

Fuel Right

We’ll be following a clean eating plan to ensure we’re properly fuelled for maximum performance focused on a healthy intake of carbs, protein and fats.

Each week we’ll share recipes and food ideas on our facebook page along with daily routines.

Drink. Sweat. Sleep. Repeat.

The key to keeping our joints and body hydrated will be sufficient daily h2o. we’ll continue to drink 3 litres a day.

We’ll also be the sleep nazis and ensure a full 8hrs is maintained each night. There is no doubt when this slips everything else falls apart and we personally find this to have huge effect on our performance.

We are so excited to get started on Monday 10 April ………. hopefully we’ll see you at #GCAM17

Week 6

Woah – where did that time go?

Training is in full swing now.  After 5 weeks of getting used to early, dark mornings and dealing with DOMS from strength training, we are definitely starting to feel the difference our training so far is making.

What we’ve noticed…

Strength work really pays off – seriously!

We figured our legs and cardio are getting plenty to go on with from running, so we’ve focused intensely on glutes, core and upper body.  And so far, we’re feeling pretty fab. Apart from the aesthetic bonuses, those weak spots are getting all the attention and this is assisting with power in our stride, improved biomechanics and the all-important keeping injury at bay.

We’re going faster, easier…

With plenty of hill sprints, long negative split runs and regular tempo runs, the first part of the program has done its job of making the efforts feel progressively easier.  Don’t get us wrong, it is still hard work to crank out a speed session, but to finish thinking “I could have done a couple more”, rather than “I’m going to die now” means it’s working.  And from a scientific point of view, lower heart rate for same speedwork is a great measure.

What next?

The next phase ramps up into 800m and mile repeats, longer tempos (oh god no!) and longer long runs.  More miles, more challenges, but more gains to be made.  We’re pretty sure this phase will bring about some pretty impressive improvements in fitness, as we push towards that magic 90 minute mark….