Spicks & Specks

Not too much to report this time, in between races and starting to ramp up training for Melbourne Marathon. Only a cool 6 months away....
So, just a few random thoughts and observations to tide me over until the next major post.

Holiday Running

Always a tricky one where one partner is a runner, and the other one clearly isn't. Even harder when holidays are usually in the camper trailer, no 5 star resort for this tight-arse bastard! Trying to extricate body out of sleeping bag, get changed into running gear, find GPS watch in the dark etc etc, without waking up the other persons in your tent, is one of life's little pleasures. Then do the run, coming back sweaty, red-faced, and staring avariciously at any food on offer, doesn't go down well. Thankfully my partner (the lovely Nicky) has within the last 18 months taken up running. So now, we both pack shoes, clothes and GPS watch, and arrange to either run at separate times, or start together knowing that I will run longer to get back to camp at roughly the same time. All we do is tell #1 son that we will be gone when he surfaces in the morning. Which is fine, until he forgets....

Non Trainers

We all know that person. Rarely (or doesn't) train, turns up to a race, and records a superb time. Makes us all sick (well those of us who have to train!). Me? I'm a grafter; set a plan, work prodigiously towards my goal and hope that all planets are aligned on race day. Had a friend (past tense intended!) who on a 3 week easy prep could turn up and easily trot out a 1:36 half marathon. Bastard! No giving up chocolate, booze, recreational drugs, and sex, he would happily do this year after year. I once asked him what would happen if he trained seriously. Answer: bored witless. 

Which brings me to son. 2 years ago he announced that he wanted to run in the junior races at my club in Launceston. Distances were 1.5 to 2k, and handicapped, giving all kids a chance of a win, and the prizes that went with it. He did really well, eventually winning a race with a superb surge at the finish. Having fulfilled his goal he then lost interest; a couple of less than satisfactory 5k parkruns later he stopped altogether. Roll forward a year, having not trained at all during that period, and he was persuaded to run at Berwick Springs parkrun one Saturday in early April. I was marshalling, and being a 2 loop course, I received a complaint twice as he passed me (Son: "You didn't tell me it was TWO loops!", Dad: "You clearly didn't listen to the race briefing!"). Get home, check results and I see he has done a 25:44. Pretty good I thought, possibly close to a PB, but seeing as it was his first run there it just listed him as a first timer. Upon checking his parkrun history I find he has smashed his PB by over a minute. And wasn't he a smug prat....

Trail Running

When I moved to Victoria in June 2013, I had in mind to try and get to a few trail runs. Something different, off road is completely different racing to the bitumen stuff. First attempt was to run in August on a 21k long course race at the back of Mt. Dandenong. Friday night before I got sick, and suffered only my 2nd DNS in 20+ years of racing. As noted before, I have since run Two Bays (28k) and Roller Coaster (21.5k) runs, 2 of the most wonderfully organised events, road or trail, that you can ever do. I have just recently signed up for another in mid May called the Macedon 30, reputed to be the toughest 30k event around. Suffice to say I am now hooked! Where does this leave my marathon preparation? At some point I need to start racing on the road again to gauge my pace, but training and running trails has certainly strengthened and toughened me up. And as a way of creating interest in running, if you have grown a bit blasé about pounding the pavement, give it a try.

First pair of Trail shoes. Salomon S-Lab XT6, and very nice indeed.

Up and Coming Races

Busy couple of weekends coming up. Sunday May 4th is Puffing Billy. For the uninitiated, a 13k run in The Dandenongs, Victoria with the object to beat a steam train that is racing against you. There are two trains, fast and not so fast! To beat the fast I would need to run around 55 minutes, quite probably out of the question. But the second gets in a bit after the hour mark, and that is definitely achievable for me. The course itself has an undulating elevation profile, the last 3k's distinctly downhill to the finish. And this year an extra section has been added due to some track damage after recent rain. It will make for some interesting racing!
The Sunday afterwards, May 11th, will be the 'A-List' race for me, Macedon 30. Course profile is slightly intimidating, to say the least. But I think I have found my niche on the trails. And am confident of that statement after running a 21k trail (790 metre elevation gain) with Dandenong Trail Runners on Friday 25th April, only to back up at Albert parkrun the following day and still run a respectable time! No way could I have done that even a year ago.

Until next time....