The below training diary was published in Australian Athlete Issue 1, June 2018. Below is that diary. For more like it visit Australian Athlete.
By Stewart McSweyn
Below is an outline of my week of training leading into the Commonwealth Games. It outlines my training during this tapering period, with comments from the two race days.
Monday, 2 April (6 days until 5,000m final):
- Two easy runs
- AM: 50 minutes, PM: 30 minutes.
Tuesday, 3 April (5 days until 5,000m final):
- Last workout in Melbourne
- Track session was 8 x 1km reps with 5th and 7th rep quicker of 1-minute walk/jog recovery between reps.
Wednesday, 4 April (4 days until 5,000m final):
- Travel day to Gold Coast
- Shake out jog in the PM: 45 minutes.
Thursday, 5 April (3 days until 5,000m final):
- AM: 30-minute jog, PM: 35-minute jog.
Friday, 6 April (2 days until 5,000m final):
- Last workout before the 5,000m final on Sunday
- 2km at tempo pace and 6 by 200m in 30 seconds.
Saturday, 7 April (1 day until 5,000m final):
- Very easy 30-minute run.
Sunday, 8 April: Race Day 5,000m Final
Result 5th 13.58.
To put it simply, the 5,000m was a crazy race. The tempo was slow early – 6.05 through the first 2km, with multiple surges happening every lap. Overall, the last 5 laps of the race were electric; with the winner closing the final mile in 3:57. I was able to close well (4:03 last mile), but lost contact with the medals in the last two laps.
Overall, I was pleased with my result and although it would have been nice to finish with a medal, I feel as though I raced the best I could have, recognising the challenging conditions.
Post-race involved multiple ice baths, a massage and a 15-minute warm down to try and recover the body and legs for Friday nights 10,000m final.
Monday, 9 April (4 days until 10,000m final):
- Two easy 30-minute recovery runs.
Tuesday, 10 April (3 days until 10,000m final):
- AM: 60-minute jog.
Wednesday, 11 April (2 days until 10,000m final):
- Last workout before 10,000m final
- 3,200m tempo with 4 by 200m in 30 seconds.
Thursday, 12 April (1 day until 10,000m final):
- Easy 30-minute run.
Friday, 13 April: Race Day 10,000m Final
- Result: 11th 28.58
The quality of this field was phenomenal, with 7 runners going under 28 minutes. Sadly, I didn’t achieve the result I was after, especially after feeling comfortable on the back of the leaders through most of the first half of the race. There were many positive learning experiences I can take from this race and use it to review areas that I need to improve on for future races.
Overall, the Commonwealth Games experience was phenomenal. The support the Australian athletes received both within the stadium and out in the community was absolutely incredible. For me, being able to compete in a home major championship with so many of my friends and family in the crowd supporting me was something that I feel extremely privileged to have been able to do. The Games were a real learning experience for me, and I am hoping to utilise what I have learnt to improve my training and competition strategies over the next period of my career.
