The Kids Are Alright

Race Report - Kilcunda Run for the Kids, 21.1k

The kids are alright, monies raised from this race go to helping kids in need on the Bass Coast in Victoria. But this runner is not alright. Having started out on Saturday with a goal of getting close to my PB (Currently 1:39:51), I was bitterly disappointed to fall well short. It was bound to happen at some stage; things can't always be hunky dory, and I just have to deal with it as best I can.

This was going to be my first road race over the 21k distance, and a good indication of where I was at in relation to Melbourne. I was not expecting (nor chasing) a PB; partly because I knew I was in early training, and partly because I had an interrupted training programme for Two Bays, and now Rollercoaster. But I did expect to get close to 1:40, having run a 1:44 in a time trial (on my own) 3 weeks ago. the final time of 1:52 was, well, underwhelming to say the least!

Aerial view of rail bridge and trail. The start/finish line was adjacent to the car park, photo - top right.

It had all started out just fine. As a family we had decided to all go and run this event, Nicky doing the 10k (her first), Jordan doing the 3k, and myself running the 21.1k. Being a local race I felt we should support it as there are not too many races in South Gippsland. Being a low key event the information for it was occasionally lacking, or, in the start time department, completely incorrect. There were no listed start times on the web page or the entry website, and the only times I saw were in a copy of a R4YL running mag that listed all the races as starting at separate times. As we were eating breakfast on the morning, I decided to check one last time and was startled to find out that my race was listed as starting at 8, not 8:30 as I had previously read. Panic ensued as I swept everyone up and shepherded them out of the door. I hate being late and unprepared for races. (As it turned out, the race did in fact start at 8:30!)

The race started well. We had a narrow track to run on (the Kilcunda to Wonthaggi Rail Trail for the most part), and within a kilometre we had a narrow (read 1 metre wide) bridge that on the return trip had runners in both directions doing fairy steps and turning sideways! The first 4.5 k's were over an out-and-back section north of the start/finish line that included a few small hills. I felt good, was moving at what I thought was a reasonable pace, but was conscious of the heat and humidity. As I normally do in races these days I refrain from constantly checking my GPS watch and try and run on 'feel'. At one point I did have a quick peak and saw I was running around 4:35 pace, too quick I thought. Later, when I checked the GPS plot it revealed I had gone through the 5k mark in 22:50, too fast for me attempting a 1:40 half!

Rail bridge just outside of Kilcunda on the way to Wonthaggi.

At about the 8k mark I could sense that I was working hard to maintain pace so backed it off a bit. The heat (and the sun on the exposed trail) was a bit of an issue and I was concerned that I was starting to feel less than stellar. I also realised that I was starting to take a peek at the watch at regular intervals, a sure sign I was concerned about something. Soon after my right hamstring started to get that feeling of imminent cramp, and I knew my day was stuffed.

At this point I am always left with the question; DNF, or battle on and finish regardless. Seeing as I have a pretty testing 21k trail run in a fortnight the obvious decision would be to DNF, but as I was nearing the turnaround point I soldiered on thinking, unless I did suddenly cramp badly, I would benefit from the mental aspect. Brain can do some funny things mid race! This section of the trail was not particularly inspiring, in fact it rolled on relentlessly and as yet another runner passed me (and gave me words of encouragement; gee I must have looked like shit, but thanks all the same, it helped), I grew more and more despondent. Only the sight of the finish line from a kilometre out helped me to pick it up and bring it home.

Crossed the finish line, took the timing transponder off my ankle and tried not to hurl it at the volunteer (not his fault), went in search of liquid refreshment and waited for Nicky to catch up. She, at least, had a good run. Her first 10k, under an hour (her goal) and obviously a PB. Well done, at least one of us had a good day. I tried not to sound uncharitable, and I wasn't. My crap day should not undermine anyone else's day. Then she informed me that Jordan had run 2nd in his 3k run. Of course neither of us were there to witness this, my son never lets truth get in the way of a good story, but because he was happy, and had enjoyed himself, we decided that was fine by us.

So.... where does that leave me and Melbourne Marathon? With the benefit of hindsight, I have looked back and identified the following;

• It was hot and humid. A quick check on weatherzone revealed that the humidity was hovering around 60% at the start and was 22 degrees. Within 20 minutes it had risen by 4 degrees. That wouldn't have helped, although it wasn't a 12 minute factor.
• I started too quickly. Once again I haven't learnt the lesson of Melbourne last year. This is the most disappointing, as it is a variable that I can control. At the 5k mark I was about 30 metres behind the woman who eventually came 2nd (in 1:35), that speaks volumes....
• I was feeling flat on the Wednesday before. I skipped a run in order to rest but the damage may already have been done. I might have been guilty of over-training, as I was keeping Rollercoaster in mind. Which brings me to the last item,
• 2 races in 2 weeks. This is not an issue in so much that I can cope with it. More so, which one was the 'A' race, and which one was the 'just run and finish' race? I am guilty of not having a clear and identifiable racing programme, which has at it's core a training programme that underpins it. Lesson learnt there!

Anyway, I may have a blinder of a run at Rollercoaster and chalk this one up as just a crap race, to be forgotten about. (Would be if I didn't record it in this blog!)

Thank you for reading. Until next time...

Subject to Change

Training so far....
So, I was supposed to run Warburton half the weekend of the 23rd. Didn't happen as (previously noted) I have run Two Bays Trail Race and am in the middle of training for Rollercoaster in late March. The change in training to longer runs with plenty of hills, meant that following my current training plan was almost impossible.

Such a pity to wake up on that Sunday morning, find a beautiful blue sky, cool temperatures, and little to no wind. Sigh..... To make up for the potential disappointment, I changed my 17k long run to incorporate a 21.1k time trial. It was as much to make up for a lost race, as to evaluate how the training plan stacked up.

A couple of things didn't go my way. Firstly I started later than I had hoped, and it was starting to get a bit warm towards the end. Secondly I suffered a cramp in my right hamstring on the return journey, something that has only really happened since I have started ramping up training for the marathon last year. Besides that, I had a fairly good run and was able to keep a consistent pace throughout.

The verdict? Plan works well for me. I will use in the lead up to Traralgon half in mid June.

Melbourne Marathon
Entries opened for the marathon on last Monday, fully 4 months before they have in previous years! Why? Maybe it is an attempt to get as many entrants as possible. I don't mind big numbers, just hope that the organisers cope with the large numbers that this race attracts.

One major change this year is that all races do not finish on the hallowed turf of the MCG, but on a path that comes of Brunton Avenue. To say this has been a little controversial is like saying that chocolate is a little addictive. Debate has raged in a few online forums about the pros and cons of such a move. Firstly it has been brought on the organisers by the MCC due to preparations for the Cricket World Cup in 2015. Clearly they don’t want us spotty runners trampling the newly laid turf, despite the best efforts of organisers. Initially I was disappointed, but soon realised there are bigger issues at stake for me as a runner.

Although having just found out that we won’t be finishing next to the statue of Shane Warne, I feel this could be a deal breaker!

Shane Warne: A man who should leave his spinning and texting fingers to science.

Rollercoaster

As mentioned above I am training for Rollercoaster, a 21.5k trail race in the Dandenong’s, east of Melbourne. Trail running is vastly different to road running, as I have found out racing at Two Bays and training on a couple of trails. Rather than hitting a pace and cadence, and holding it for the entire race, trail running requires constant changes of pace, cadence and alternately stresses the cardio system, then gives it a massive rest on the downhills.

Actually, I quite enjoy the change that trail running gives; although this race, with an elevation gain of nearly 1000 metres over the length of the course is challenging, to say the least! Trying to find training routes around my area that match this course has been difficult. To date I have located a run that gives me an elevation gain of 100m in 1.2km, a gradient of roughly 9%. Fine, you say, but the entire 21.5k race is nearly 10%. Help.....

And just as important is the downhill, there is plenty of seriously long and punishing descents to test the body. If I'm walking upright 2 days after, I haven’t really had a go!

3D view of Rollercoaster run showing the elevation and gradient.
The race starts and finishes at the top left (highest point).
(image courtesy of Veloviewer)

Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
That is a line from a song from one of my favourite bands of the eighties, The Smiths. From the pen of one Stephen Patrick Morrissey comes the following lines;

I was looking for a job, and then I found a job,
and heaven knows I'm miserable now....

Yes, a strange and melancholy tune from a band often considered miserable sods. It leads me, though, into the topic of work. I have finally found a job working in Leongatha as a computer technician, and as such it has secured our stay in Victoria for another year and a half, at least. It was touch and go for a bit there, some very long and detailed discussions about me returning to Tasmania early, just to go back to the job that is currently held for me. As to the future beyond that, who knows, and given that this time last year we never expected that we would be living anywhere other than Tassie, no guarantees can be given.

And no, I'm not miserable, quite happy in fact! 
Caveat: it is a school and a Catholic one! Somehow I have slipped through the cracks :)

Until next time....

Running Up That Hill (part 2)

A quick recap of part 1;

I've just ascended Arthurs Seat, I'm feeling like I've run 5k (not 3), I have 25k's to go, and there are sunglasses perched on top of my head!

Having got the worst of the climb behind, it was now time to concentrate on working my way into the race. At this point the track starts to slowly descend on the back of Arthurs Seat, and the pace goes from a shuffle, to a good fast jog. There are lots of runners in front and behind. Twisting through the forest we looked like a demented conga line, or a fast moving queue for the toilets at a Polynesian wedding!

A quick inventory of the body (legs fine, breathing measured and heart rate still in the ‘sensible’ zone), I started to move along and think about the rest of the race. I was also wondering where my teammates were, and how they were all going

Along the single track we were moving well, with no issues apart from the occasional runner trying to squeeze their way past. I was content to just run at the pace of the people in front, it felt somewhat slower than I would be usually running at this point in a race, but I was fine with that. At about the 5k mark we left the single track and turned onto a steeply declining gravel road. After nearly coming a cropper on the loose surface I decided (along with most other runners) to chance running on the side in the newly slashed grass (twisted ankle from grass clumps, or busted face from loose gravel; devils choice really!)

Periodically along the path were little signs placed by the organisers saying things like ‘enjoy the view’ as we passed sections where we could see down to Sorrento. At this point I suddenly realised that I still had sunglasses perched on the top of my head; no worries, it was cloudy!

At the 7k mark we emerged from the bush tracks to a section along the roads which most other runners around me seemed to bitch about. Didn’t worry me, been a road runner for years. I just put my head down and got into a nice zone, knowing that very soon we would be back in the bush. 5k later we did finally head back into the bush, but not before we encountered the first of the two aid stations on Browns Road, and an unscheduled stop to brush shoes down to prevent the spread of phytophthora. The aid stations are legendary on the Two Bays race. Staffed by very (and I mean VERY) enthusiastic volunteers, they clap and cheer everybody as they pass through the station and call out your name. It is very uplifting, and many of us made a point of acknowledging their support on the way through.

Volunteers at Browns Road, this years winners in the battle of the aid stations!

The unscheduled stop at the brush down point occurred because there were too many runners arriving at the one time for the single brush! The previously mentioned fast moving toilet queue suddenly stopped, and many bemused runners stood around in an orderly line waiting to go through. I was not too fussed, it was good to stop and have a drink before heading off again. (Next year, organisers have advised that there will be multiple wash down stations here as runners behind me had to wait up to 15 minutes to clear this obstruction!)

Jonathan leading the train towards Browns Road. The keen eyed will spy a pair of orange runners following close behind Jonathan. Cheryl, drafting closely (experienced runner!)

The 12k mark was a point at which I had decided that if I was feeling fine to try and push the pace a little bit. From here to the 16k mark the elevation profile dipped like a cereal bowl, 16k being the lip on the other side at the same height. From the 16k mark it was downhill (as a trend) until the finish! Up the front for Wonder Winnies David was powering on in an effort to beat last year’s time, Ed, Jonathan and Cheryl were close enough together to throw a blanket over them, Josie was also close to them, Brian was trailing somewhere behind me and Sam and Michelle were close together bringing up the rear. By all reports we were all having good races, despite the lack of preparation by most of the team.

Kilometres 12 to 16 passed without any incident and I stopped briefly at the 16k marker to have a carbohydrate gel. Upon rejoining the race I caught up with a group of about 7 runners (all male), and we grouped together in a line and ran for about 2k’s. One by one runners would peel of the front and let the rest of us through, until there were only 3, then for the last 2k’s it was just one guy in front of me. It was during this section heading down to the Boneo Road aid station that I had the first of 2 ‘squeaky bum’ incidents! This section had a number of boardwalks, but some were very old. At one point, sick of running down the steps in a dainty manner that I am not usually accustomed to, I decided to leap ala superman down to the board below. A loud crack came from the board, and I had a sudden image of my foot smashing through it, breaking ankle, or shin, or dislocating a hip! The runner in front must have nearly shit himself, but asked if I was alright. Heart rate went through the roof and I made a pact with myself not to be so reckless for the rest of the race.

Just approaching Boneo Road aid station.

Made it into Boneo Road aid station okay, but needed to refuel the body as I could feel some fatigue creeping in. Grabbed the first cup of liquid I saw, only to down it in one go and realise it was Coke Cola! So much for the non-added sugar diet! It did the trick; didn’t need any gels for the rest of the race. Boneo Road is at about the 22k mark; just on 6k’s left to run and most of it downhill. Another quick inventory of the body; breathing okay, legs fatigued but in good shape, and sunglasses still perched on top of my head! Feeling refreshed, I started running again as soon as I could. 3 runners passed me within the first kilometre of the aid station, but no more would for the rest of the race! Very soon I was being followed closely by another runner, and the second near miss happened. This time it was the other runner who stood on a tree root as we were pacing fairly quickly on a downhill section. To keep his balance and not fall over, he swung his arm out in a large loop that resulted in me feeling the air swish past as he did. If he’d collected the back of my neck, I reckon the two of us would have gone down in a screaming heap. He survived, and we continued on.

By now I was aware that I was picking up lots of runners and passing them. I wasn’t going any faster than earlier, in fact I had dropped my pace back by about 10 seconds a kilometre as my quads were now feeling a bit tender. The main reason seemed to be that a lot of people had gone out too hard, too early and were now paying the price. Whether it was the climb up Arthurs, or just too fast to the 12 or 16k marks, I don’t know. But it gave me even greater confidence that I was running well, and I used each successive runner as a means to drive myself harder for the finish line.

Before we got there though, there was one final injustice. A set of steps just after a gully crossing that was the final nail into the coffin of our shattered legs. I stopped and walked, but it was too much for the guy following me. He could barely lift his leg to walk each step. I got to the top and set off for the final 2k’s to the finish line.

The Team: Bushrangers Bay section and nearing the end.

By now I could hear the surf crashing on the rocks of the shoreline we were following, and I could hear the PA system at the finish line. Over a sandy section, down a small gravel road and we rounded a bend to climb (really?) a section of the Cape Schanck lighthouse car park to the finish line. I was exhausted, but really happy with my effort. I had finished in 2:47, under my projected time of 2:50, but missing the ultimate time of 2:43. I wasn’t the least bit worried, finishing this race in the manner I did, made up for the disappointment that I felt at the Melbourne Marathon last year.

I crossed the line, shook hands with the Race Director and scored a spot prize for having pimped my board shorts with team name, pithy sayings etc., then went in search of the teammates who had finished in front of me to swap race stories and get photos. And the sunglasses were still on top of my head! (Sun came out later that morning...)

Brian, Cheryl, David, Jonathan, Ed, Michelle, Sam and myself posing triumphantly in front of the Two Bays car.

Lachlan (non team member), Jonathan, David, Ed, Cheryl and Josie after finishing.

The general feeling was that we had all had great races, had worked out where to cut time for next year’s race, and were planning already for running Rollercoaster, a 21k race with an even more insane elevation profile!

We waited for all our team to arrive before heading back to the resort to shower, eat, drink, and swap war stories! 

One for each member of the team? A well earned haul...

Footnote: Passing the first aid tent I couldn't help but have a quick look inside. It resembled a scene from a war movie; bodies busted up in all manner of places. Suddenly realised how dangerous it would have been to trip and fall on the track.

For the record: All the finishing times for team Wonder Winnies.

Postscript: And in a photo finish, Team Wonder Winnies took out first place in the Mixed 28k teams event by the narrowest of margins. 49 seconds separated our best 4 runners from the team in second place (the first 4 must include at least one of either gender). This time included the time it took us to cross the line! Next year we are all wearing board shorts and Hawaiian shirts to get a preferred start position.

Running Up That Hill

Rehabbing after a calf injury several years ago, I spent a lot of time reading running magazines in an effort to maintain my enthusiasm to get back to full fitness. I had a lot of time off (15+ months), so I read a lot of race reports. One in particular caught my eye; a trail race across Mornington Peninsula starting with a climb over Arthurs Seat that had 28 and 56k options. My first thought was, “That’s a little bit insane, bonkers even”! Roll forward to the present, and I have just completed the 28k option, and looking forward to going back next year! Life is strange...

I should have been nervy, anxious, even bricking it (my usual pre-race emotions), but no. On the back of 6 weeks preparation I was clearly underdone and had zero expectations other than finishing in one piece. Realistically though, I was looking for a sub 2:50 finish (roughly the average time for 28k runners from last year), and I was running with a team. That changed the dynamic somewhat!

On the urging of my (soon to become) team-mates (see Under Pressure) I had signed up and we were adding other speedy runners to our team.
Team Name: Winnies Wonders (mixed 28k)
Team members: Sam Winnie, David Grech, Cheryl Martin, Ed Sixsmith, Jonathan Coles, Michelle Acorn, Brian Devlin, Josie Salahoras, and me.

We had looked at last year’s winning time and worked out that an average time per runner was around 2 hours 43. Doable, we all thought. At that point it moved from a ‘just for fun’ participation event, to a ‘let’s go for it’ race! Runners’ competitive juices kick in, again!

5 of us convened at the RACV resort at Cape Schanck on the Saturday afternoon, having all picked up our race bibs at Dromana and resisting the urge to stare up at the climb over Arthurs Seat. As always happens pre-race, the nerves start to kick-in, so we decided to explore the pool and adjoining games room. The pool was out of action, a code brown event was the explanation... The doctor in our group didn't need to explain it to us. But.... the games room was stocked with air hockey, pool table and table tennis table; and it was all free. We were like kids in a lolly shop, or drinkers who have fallen asleep under a pool table only to find themselves locked in the pub! Active taper consisted of some very competitive games of air hockey, some people sharking us at pool, and a non-stop game of table tennis. It helped take the mind off the following day’s race.

Back at the villa, bottles of wine were lined up and food stored or displayed all in preparation for the after race party/wind down. 

As part of my revision of my race at Melbourne last year, I had decided to change my pre-race meal from the usual super sized pasta (hangover from the big is beautiful days of triathlon training), to a more sedate fish, salad & steamed vegetable meal. Pan fried salmon cutlet, cous cous salad, and steamed asparagus may well sound like a Jamie Oliver meal, but it went down a treat. I will do that again.

After a bit of discussion mainly race tactics and concerns about the initial hill climb, we drifted off to bed. As per usual I don’t sleep well before a race. So it was a real treat to doze for hours, only to fall into a deep sleep about half an hour before the alarm went off; at 4:45 am!

Breakfast, last minute adjustments to race kit, toilet stops etc. were completed, then it was a short drive to the finish line to leave the car. Great meeting friends and fellow runners before we boarded the bus for the 20 minute drive to the start line at Dromana. We arrived with about 25 minutes to go to the start and my folly of not using the toilets at Cape Schanck was cruelly exposed. First time I've seen the queue for the men’s toilets longer and slower than the women’s!

Brian, Ed, Cheryl, myself, David and Jonathan before the start. Surprisingly calm before a major race.

Not much chance of a warm-up, so I had to be content with some stretching and some light leg swings before packing into the start line with all the other hopefuls. There was a lot of pre-race nervous chatter, so I didn't hear the announcement that the race was about to start. So, taking the phone out of it's tight pocket was, in hindsight, a tad foolish. Took the photo of the assembled runners at the start, started to put the phone back in when the race started! HELP!!! Ever tried to not panic (whilst actually slightly panicking) trying to get a phone back into an undersized pocket? Just like those movies where the hunted are trying to get a key turned in a lock to open a door before the axe murderer gets them! It was tense, it was close, but I got it just as the runners in front of me started to move! Phew! Thankfully remembered to start the GPS watch as well. Nothing like being prepared, is there!

The photo that ensured my heart rate was nicely elevated at the start.

Ed, Cheryl, Jonathan and I started together, quickly splitting into two groups (Ed and Chez, Jonathan and me) leading up the road towards the start of the track over Arthurs Seat. It was already a reasonable climb up to the track and after a brief period Jonathan joined the other two. Brian, I presumed, was close behind me, but I had no idea where Michelle and Sam where. I was content to keep my own pace in the early stages, plenty of distance left to trash myself. Walked a couple of sections early on, even on the road, as at times it appeared to be just as fast to walk as to run!

We funnelled into the track for the climb over Arthurs and it was great seeing the mass of runners ahead and behind me, colourful and vibrant, still many of us chatting with others, but slowly getting on with the job.

The climb up Arthurs is THE serious climb of the 28k race. Just when you think it’s getting steep enough, it gets even steeper. Between the 1.2 and 3.0k marks I walked the majority; it was faster than jogging, compared to the few who persisted up these sections.

Quick Instagram piccie on the way up! Totally cool, so long as you don't go arse over tit taking it...

Met a couple of fellow runners, one who said hello and then ran on ahead, the other who ran/walked with me near to the top of the climb, before he too ran on ahead. I was happy for them to go as I was content to conserve energy and run a conservative pace early on. I thought I would never see them again until the end (certainly Ed, Cheryl and Jonathan had disappeared from sight, “good luck chaps!”), but I would see one!

I finally crested the top of the hill at the 3.2k mark in about 24 minutes, pleased with the effort, and also pleased that I hadn't overcooked myself. Now, for me, the race proper started!

Continued next blog....

Under Pressure

It used to start with a phone call, or a subtle remark in a conversation. "Come and do the (insert insane running activity here) with me and (insert other insane runners here) in March". You'd politely decline, but privately think that it might just be the sort of race you'd like to enter. Others would join in the whispering campaign, phone calls, chance 'meetings' in streets with fellow runners etc. would subtly build the pressure until you decide, "Ah, what the heck!" and enter the race.

In today's social media savvy world the avalanche starts at full speed. Posts and comments on Facebook, stripped of any subtlety, flood your inbox, or worse still, flood someone else's inbox with your name tagged in every comment! Such is how I now find myself signed up to the Two Bays 28k trail run for January 12, 2013. Some say you have to be hard to be a trail runner, but basically I'm just weak as piss when it comes to peer pressure!

Two Bays pirate sticker.

So.... now I find myself re-assessing the training plan. Those nice comfortable 12k runs as a build-up to my half are now to be replaced with either trail runs (none close by me) or longer long runs to build distance into the legs; and quickly. How on earth did I go from a steady 12 week half marathon plan to a 6 week 28k trails plan?

Which brings me to the topic of competition, friendly or otherwise. A club I ran with in Tasmania ran all the club races as handicap events, the idea being that if the handicappers got their stuff right we all ran over the finish line at the same time. Of course that never happened. Apart from the usual issues of lack of effort, sickness, injury or not having trained for the terrain, handicapping can never take into consideration the human bodies capacity to pull out all stops to beat a fellow runner (friend or foe!). Many a time a runner find themselves focusing on just finishing, only to hear the footsteps of a fast finishing back marker. This would initiate one final effort, one final sprint, one cruel strain on heart and lungs! Followed by a collapse over the line with barely enough breath to tell anyone that you'll never do that again. And I would.... do it again, that is! I just can't help myself sometimes.

Competition is good, so long as it's healthy. And as runners we need to understand that even though we say we don't race, most of us given the chance will compete at some stage or another (race you for the last Tim Tam etc.). Take the Two Bays race. The initial agreement was to run as a team. All of us in some sort of fancy dress (board shorts for the blokes, sarongs for the girls seems to be de rigueur), taking some time to allow for the slower runners whilst taking pictures along the way. that was until one of the organisers posted the winning mixed team time from this years race. A quick calculation presented us with average times that were within our grasp. Not easy times mind you, but with any whiff of possibility does hope reside! Now it's got a little serious. Team members agonising over lack of trail experience, lack of mileage or just lack of confidence. Mind you some members have decided that being Christmas, the after race party piss up requires far more attention to detail. You know who you are....

I have no qualms about the distance, although looking at the profile I can say that some 'strategic' walking will be in order early on. That is if I want to finish looking strong.

And having spent a bit of time last blog talking about training plans and sticking to them, I can say that my current half marathon plan is in a state of disarray. The actual run I am supposed to do on the 12th is a 12k build-up.... yeah right!

A view to run 28k's for? Should be worth it.

Making Plans for Nigel

Marathon training plans. Type that into a Google search and see how many hits are returned. 26 700 000 as of 02/12/2013! Amazingly a search for ‘Stupid cat facts’ produces only 2 730 000 results. And what do we take from that? Dunno...

Years ago when I started running there was no plan, well not for me! I just used to get out the door and run, the only plan would be a route; no times, pace or real objective to the session. Of course it was simplicity itself, and no thought was required. As runners gain experience they actually make goals and want to go faster (or further) as a result, that is when a plan comes in handy and some actual science is applied. Hmmm, runners always find a way to over complicate things.

After the marathon, one of the things I looked back at was my training plan. I used one of the Garmin plans; they can be downloaded straight to my GPS watch as a full schedule of runs. I missed 10 out of 90 training sessions in the 4 month plan, which isn't too bad, and felt that I coped with the plan pretty well. That might have told me something? Not sure. But one thing I have decided is that it was top heavy on interval work (short, fast sessions), at the expense of tempo runs (longer fast, but slower than an interval session). Whilst this might sound good for speed work (get some pace and turn it into a PB etc.), I reckoned it worked against me. Mainly as I need to work on running a consistent pace throughout a race. I'm a bugger for speeding up, slowing down, surging etc.! Another thing I think I needed was to apply some pace in my long runs under 25k’s. All long runs on this plan were at conversational pace, which is a low heart rate zone and not one that really gave me a taste of racing over that distance.

So, the hunt was on to find another plan. Criteria; free, some pace in the long runs, and some feedback on expected race time given the training times recorded. The myAsics plans looked the best fit. As noted before, I intend to do some half marathons in the lead up to Melbourne again, so it seemed like a good way to try them out. The initial goal time for the race (Warburton on 23^rd Feb.) was 1:43:17. This was based on the supplied marathon finish time of 3:54, a time that was probably a bit dodgy. Well, two weeks into plan and it already wants to adjust it to 1:37:20! 

Was a bit nervous accepting this! Biting off more than I can chew?

If that holds I am looking at a 2 ½ minute PB, unexpected if it happens. The assumption is that the course I run is flat and fast for a PB. A quick look at the profile for Warburton reveals a nice steady climb from the 8k mark to the 11k turnaround point. And February can be hot, even at 7:00am, so a PB may be the last thing on my mind.

Proposed route of Warburton half marathon. What goes up, must come down; hopefully intact....

So far the plan has been good in showing consistent improvement. It is slightly top heavy in tempo work (absolutely no interval work), but if I get bored I will change a few sessions. Summer and the Christmas/New Year period will be the test of faith with a training plan! Check back in January....

I'll Rise

It is 10:56 on October 13^th, 2013 and I am running into the MCG, it is raining (although I wasn't aware at the time), and I am in a great deal of pain. In fact I was almost beyond pain at this point. This was not how I envisaged finishing my first marathon. Not quite sure what I had thought it was going to be; a PB (given it was my first it was, well.... a given), running the race you had actually planned for, or just being able to get that all important race finish photo without anyone else crowding you out. As it was I finished in the middle of a sea of other runners, 5 minutes under the 4:00 hour mark and 15 minutes outside of my goal time. None of this really mattered, I was just so relieved to stop running and start recovering.

Between finishing and finding my wife (some 45 minutes later) was just a blur. I bumped into a few people, all of us with a story to tell, some triumphant, others not quite so. But my overwhelming urge was to just get away from the whole MCG precinct. I don’t know why really, I should have been happy. Finishing a marathon should be celebrated as an achievement, not all of us get to fulfil that dream.

5 weeks after and I am still recovering from the race. I cannot run with any pace without my heart rate going into the ‘red’ zone, my confidence is down and I am still scratching my head somewhat as to what actually happened. The next 45 weeks begins a journey to... What? Redemption? Revenge? I'm not sure it is any of those, but I do want to go back and have another go. This time, armed with an experience under my belt, I feel that I will be better prepared. God, I hope so.....

So, over the next 45 weeks, this blog will chart the progress, the ups and downs and everything else in between. But it won’t be all about running. Although that is the central theme that will run through most of it, it will mirror how much of an impact running has had (and will continue to have) on my life. Hopefully it will be entertaining, sometimes revealing, but most of all it’s a journey. And they are often more enjoyable than the destination.

Oh, and in keeping with my love of music, each blog heading will be a song title. The trick is to pick the artist it belongs to.