Sydney Marathon Diaries

The big day is just 10 weeks away, and the training sessions are ramping up. This week, the rain threw a wrench in the plans, splitting my long run into a double and forcing lots of treadmill kilometres.

I mentioned my shoe rotation in a previous diary entry, and I'm excited to share a couple of new additions:

Nike Alphafly 3 Blueprint Edition: This is my new race day shoe, replacing my Saucony Endorphin Pro 3. Sadly, the upper on the Saucony blew out, so it's now retired.

Asics Superblast 2: This will be my go-to for long runs and tempo workouts, replacing the On Cloudeclipse, which has clocked 750 km (466 miles) and is due for retirement.

LeBent Mid Weight Glove Liner: With temperatures dropping and most of my runs happening in the evening or early morning, these gloves have become essential.

Sneaker culture is creeping into the running world, making it stressful to get new releases. I had to wake up in the middle of the night for the midnight release of the Superblast 2 and sign up for every notification for the Blueprint edition. With the running boom, supply can't keep up with demand. I write a newsletter on running culture, including upcoming footwear releases, and both of these shoes have been featured in past emails. (Alphafly 3 / Superblast 2)

Lets jump into the weekly breakdown

Weekly Breakdown

Sunday: Double Run

Session 1

• 12.2 km (7.58 miles) @ 5:45 min/km (9:15 min/mile)

• Avg HR: 152 BPM

Session 2

• 3.2 km (2 miles) @ 5:45 min/km (9:15 min/mile)

• 2 sets of (3.2 km (2 miles) @ 4:25 min/km (7:07 min/mile) w/ 2 min rest)

• 3.2 km (2 miles) @ 5:45 min/km (9:15 min/mile)

• Total 13.01 km (8.08 miles)

• Avg HR: 156 BPM

A forced double day due to unbearable rain during the long run. It didn’t meet the purpose of running threshold on fatigued legs, but I ensured to get the prescribed miles in.

Monday: Treadmill Run

• 5.3 km (3.3 miles) @ 5:43 min/km (9:12 min/mile)

• Avg HR: 139 BPM

Tuesday: Treadmill Run

• 5.3 km (3.3 miles) @ 5:43 min/km (9:12 min/mile)

• Avg HR: 140 BPM

Wednesday: Treadmill Run

• 5.3 km (3.3 miles) @ 5:43 min/km (9:12 min/mile)

• Avg HR: 146 BPM

Thursday: Track Run

• 9.6 km (6 miles) @ 5:40 min/km (9:08 min/mile)

• 3 x (1 km (0.62 miles) @ 4:10 min/km (6:42 min/mile) w/ 500 m (0.31 miles) @ 5:42 min/km (9:10 min/mile))

• 4 x (300 m (0.19 miles) @ 3:50 min/km (6:11 min/mile) w/ 300 m (0.19 miles) @ 5:55 min/km (9:31 min/mile))

• 3.2 km (2 miles) @ 5:48 min/km (9:20 min/mile)

• Total 20.03 km (12.45 miles)

Biggest midweek long run to date, and it's about to ramp up for peak weeks. Despite the length, I enjoy track sessions and the camaraderie with other runners. A 9.6 km (6 mile) warm-up around the track was brutal, especially the solo portions, but picking up the pace gave me a nice confidence boost. I forgot my HR strap, so no HR data here.

Friday: Easy Run

• 5.3 km (3.3 miles) @ 5:39 min/km (9:06 min/mile)

• Avg HR: 144 BPM

Gave the new gloves a new test run and they look like a winner. Light but warm while not being sweaty.

Saturday: Treadmill Run

• 5.3 km (3.3 miles) @ 5:43 min/km (9:12 min/mile)

• Avg HR 137 BPM

I like to get out and run outside on Saturdays but

Total Weekly Volume: 71.74 km (44.58 miles)

Another great week of training with 10 more weeks till the big dance. Looking forward to the new shoes to show up and test them out. See you next week!