“Every accomplisment starts with the decision to try”

Resting HR (average): 54

Injury status: Left calf pain 2/10

It was a week where very little training took place! I don’t even have an excuse…ok maybe the cricket! I’ve been up in the middle of the night watching the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa which hasn’t helped my sleep patterns!

Last week we went out on a Thursday night and I find it very difficult to get back into my routine once it is disrupted. That said, it’s been laziness and sleepingin that has resulted in very little training taking place. I’ve had plenty of work to do on our Promotional Products business instead.

Next week I’ve got to start training again. You lose fitness far too easily, and as Mr Miyagi said “Much work to be done, tournament just around the corner!” With only 35 weeks to go, it’s time to start moving forward again and rediscovering what running is…

“Failure will never overtake me
if my determination to succeed is strong enough”
Og Mandino

“Faith is seeing light with your heart
when all your eyes see is darkness”

Resting HR (average): 55

Injury status: Left calf pain 4/10

Neural stretching (knee to nose. averages in cm):
Baseline 24.5; Afterwards 21.5

A week that can only be described as intensely frustrating.

It started off promising with a tough 10km hill session. After a 4km warm-up, I did a series of 4 sprints over the goodwill bridge, followed by another 2km jog, and then 4 sprints up Cordelia St.

On Tuesday it was a gentle 18km, and later that day I started to feel my left calf getting sore. The same pain that kept me out of Comrades Marathon 2008. It wasn’t bad but enough to remind me it is still there and ready to surface.

I had felt my lower and middle back the previous week, not being helped by some crappy chairs when down on the Gold Coast. Whenever my back isn’t happy, my calf gets affected.

After some intense work on my back and leg I managed 6km on Thursday but it still wasn’t feeling right. Friday morning’s long run got postponed, and I decided to take some time off over the weekend and see if I can get my leg right again.

It’s extremely disappointing as the one thing that has seemed to help it has been my neural stretching. At the moment I am more flexible than I’ve ever been, so it doesn’t make sense to be sore. All I can do is work hard to get it right, and pray!

Let’s hope next week is more positive!

“Great hopes make everything great possible”
Bejamin Franklin

“Courage is the discovery that you may not win,
and trying when you know you can lose”
Tom Krause

Resting HR (average): 57

Injury status: Left calf 4/10

This was a disrupted training week, but an important week mentally. A chance to refresh the mind and body as I got the chance to follow the Springboks once more.

The Boks were based down on the Gold Coast, at Surfers Paradise, so there was a bit of travelling. Because we had guests on Monday night, Tuesday was a right off too!

Wednesday I once again had a short run with Adnaan, and we talked once again about how to prepare for the Comrades marathon.

Although there wasn’t a lot of training this week, spending time around the Springboks, watching them train, seeing fantastic role models and seeing them win the Tri-nations gives me plenty of inspiration, motivation and encouragement to go for my Comrades Marathon dream.

Next week it’s back into the hard grind and another tough training week…

“Try not to become a man of success, but a man of value”
Albert Einstein

“You can’t build a reputation
on what you are going to do”
Henry Ford

Resting HR (average): 56

Injury status: Slight Left calf tightness, Neck tension

Neural stretching (knee to nose. averages in cm):
Baseline 25; Afterwards 22

Sanjay running along the Brisbane River

An interesting training week, with a slight diversion from my usual schedule. Monday I ran 12km.

Tuesday I got to train with Adnaan Mohammed, a rugby journalist from Cape Town, in Brisbane to cover the Springboks test match. Adnaan has run the last 9 Comrades consecutively, so it was nice to run with an experienced ultramarathoner and get some tips. The pace was very slow as Adnaan hadn’t run for a couple of weeks, but at least it made talking easier!

9 Times Comrades marathon veteran Adnaan running along the Brisbane river

Wednesday I did the total trainer, and Thursday I went out with Adnaan again after the Springbok press conference. We did 7km, but finished with a couple of hill sprints. Adnaan advised me to do more of them, to build up my speed.

Friday I woke up late and couldn’t be bothered running, but Rheanna kicked me out of bed. I was finally on the road just before 5am, and had an aim of running a minimum of 30km.

I felt quite good, unusual for a long run, and started at a decent pace. I hate starting late so I figured I could just run 24km, in a worse case scenario. I slowed down after about 6km, but from then on it was a reasonably consistent pace. I felt good until about 30km, when my feet started to get slightly sore, and my legs started to stiffen up. My pace actually improved slightly so I must have been in good shape, although I could feel that my heart rate was increasing, indicating it was about my limit.

I was happy to have done 36km, in 3 hours 13. About 5:20 per km, 20s per km faster than my previous long run 2 weeks ago. I was probably inspired by spending the week around the Springboks, and seeing how hard they have been training.

Saturday I had a sore neck, and just did a light cycle, whilse Sunday I didn’t trainafter a late night at the rugby, and my neck being quite sore. An up and down week, the aim is keep the weeks consistent and the fitness is gradually returning.

“Excuses are for losers. So we have no excuses”
Springbok Captain, John Smit

“Success seems to be largely a matter of
hanging on after others have let go”
William Feather

AUGUST 2009

Resting HR (average): 58
Resting HR range: 52-65

Average weekly mileage: 48km
Average training load: 126

Running time:km range: 4:43 – 5:41

Weight: 71.9kg
Fat %: 21.4%

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“There are no victories at bargain prices”
Former US President, Dwight Eisenhower