Week 4&5 - Back from running around Australia!

The last two weeks have been fantastic!

My partner, Kate, and I took two weeks off work to travel around Australia. In a short time frame we squeezed in a visit to The Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles, a quarter final match at The Australian Open, a wine tour at Margaret River, a ride around Rottnest Island, a visit to the Fremantle Jail, a run through the city of Perth, Mt Cootha Brisbane and Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast. We managed to avoid all natural disasters, catch up with friends, and explore areas we haven't seen before and relax on the beach before heading home and back to work.

My runs this fortnight included a 30min run in Busselton (Home of the Busselton Ironman Triathlon http://ironmanwesternaustralia.com/), a 50min run along the Swan River in Perth, and three 20min recovery runs: one in Brisbane, one along Mooloolaba beach on the Sunshine coast and the final run when I returned home on Saturday in Canberra.

Busselton was dead flat and great preparation for the Gold Coast Marathon. From what I have been told the Gold Coast marathon is flat so running 30mins along the roads of Busselton was good experience for the Gold Coast Marathon. I was surprisingly tired after the run which has prompted me to include more flat long runs in my training as the marathon approaches. (It is no good training for hills if the marathon is flat, you can use hills to build your strength and power but in the end you need to spend some time running on flat terrain)

Swan River reminded me of my days training in Brisbane running along the Brisbane River. I ran early in the morning as it was going to be a scorcher! (Western Australia as you may be aware has not had any significant rain for over 8 years. They are still in drought and are currently experiencing a really bad bush fire season. Crazy when you think about all the flooding that the East coast has and is experiencing this summer.) Conditions were humid due to the sprinkle of rain overnight, but running along the river was well worth it. Plenty of people out and about enjoying the amazing sights Perth has to offer.

Nothing beats running along the beach and running along Mooloolaba was just brilliant. Similar to running along the river but with that amazing cool ocean breeze and the sound of waves crashing on the shore. Again very flat terrain similar to what I expect the Gold Coast Marathon to be like.

The only downside to the holiday is the head cold that I caught on the last flight home. Fingers crossed it will be gone by the time my next run comes around, if not I may have to skip it to allow full recovery. (Lesson learnt - recovery reduces prolonged injury)

This coming week I am back into endurance building by extending my run times. Although my head is a bit clouded at the moment I believe the runs will be: a 30min run/walk, a 40min run/walk and a 50min/run walk. I'll let you know how I go next week :-)

If you need any info on the Gold Coast marathon the website is http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au/

Some of my most enjoyable runs have been over the last two weeks. I would love to hear about your favorite running track or the most enjoyable run you have had. Post a comment below if you have a great run to share.

Catch you next week and I hope you training is on track for the Gold Coast Marathon!

Cheers,
Simon.

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