Halfway Gone

Sunday 15th June has a special significance for me. Firstly, it marked my first race during my marathon training programme, and secondly it marked exactly 1 year since I arrived in Victoria. Yep, 365 days ago, I rode my heavily laden motorbike out of the bowels of the Spirit of Tasmania ferry onto the dark, wet streets of Port Melbourne. It was a momentous occasion, highlighting the end of a frenetic month of packing and moving, and facing the uncertainty of a move that had (and still has) the element of high risk about it. So much has happened in that last year; settling in to a new community, races, meeting new friends (and racing them!) etc. So it was fitting that I found myself at the start line at Traralgon Half marathon surrounded by many people that I had met and become friends with during the last year.

Also, Traralgon is a 'local' race, well only an hour from where I live. Nicky and I got up at 5:30 for breakfast and a drive up in the dark and fog. Arriving in there at 7:00am with plenty of time to pick up our race bibs and to catch up with a few friends, it was good to be settled and confident before the race. As has been the case recently, it was not just me racing today, Nicky also running her second 10k event. She would see me off, then be gone herself 15 minutes later.

Bumped in to a number of runners that I have known through Facebook, but have never met. Was also a pleasant surprise to catch up with Paul Wright, a marathoner and ultra runner that I know from Tasmania. Several times he remarked on how fit I looked, clearly the last few months of hard work are paying off! Said good luck to Nicky and took off for a quick warm-up 15 minutes before the race started.

Funny moment before the start when the the guy on the PA, trying to whip up some pre-race enthusiasm, asks if anyone is from interstate (a few hands go up), then goes one better...
Announcer: "Anyone here from overseas?"
Man (directly behind me): "Germany."
Announcer: "Birmingham?"
Man (with extra Teutonic delivery): Germany!!!!
Maybe there is a German quarter in Birmingham, buggered if I know...
Must admit, the guy on the PA reminded me of those early morning FM announcers. You know the "I might not be on drugs, but by God I will give every indication that I am", type of manic delivery. When he handed over to the race director for the race brief/safety talk, he made him sound like a shy 14 year old reading bad poetry at a school awards night.

Finally after a bit more fluffing around and some milking of the sense of anticipation before the race (someone yelled out "get on with it", could have been me...), we got our 10 second countdown and off we went. I had deliberately seeded myself back in the field to avoid the white line fever, bull at a gate start that has dogged some of my recent road races. Needn't have bothered, 4:28 first k, 4:24 for the second! Thing is, I felt good, in control, the breathing was fine and I felt no need to throttle back thinking that by the 3 and 4 k's I would have settled down to my expected 4:40 pace. 3k @ 4:25, 4th @ 4:31.... Bloody hell, every time I looked up I saw the back of fellow Melbourne Marathoner Michael Dale, with his daughter Rebecca a bit of distance ahead. Knowing that Rebecca would be running significantly faster than me, I knew I had to slow down. Put my eyes down and stared at the road, whilst concentrating on holding back. Seemed to work until I lifted my eyes back up and found myself exactly where I was several minutes ago. Ah stuff it, just run at this pace and see where it gets me!

The 4k mark heralded a short rise to the Traralgon-Maffra Road and where most of us had to work to hold the pace. Turn left, then we had a 4.8k section along the Maffra road. This is where I finally slowed up and let the small pack in front of me get slightly ahead. Once they were 20+ metres away I was able to run at my own pace, the next 5 splits were all around the 4:40 pace, and I felt quite comfortable holding this. The turn-off saw us head on to a gravel road for the nearly 2k run to the turn around point. You wouldn't think that a gravel road would present too much difficulty to me having taking up trail running in recent times, but it was tough going trying to maintain my pace along here. A nasty camber, potholes and rocks poking up made it a bit more difficult that I would like for a road run! I wasn't the only one to find it hard along here. One final turn and 100 or so metres up the road was the turn around point for the half marathoners. The marathoners had started with us, so as we approached a Marshall would call out, "straight ahead", or "turn around". Really great to hear "turn around" as I approached!

This was a great part of the race as all runners got to see each other as some headed out, and others headed back. Saw Michael heading back, about a minute in front by my calculations. Really good to have a few shout outs from friends along here. Now on the return leg on the gravel and I was really struggling along here. I was a bit worried that I had really overcooked it, but when I turned left onto the Maffra road again, and the return of the bitumen, I felt my speed pick up and some fluency return to my stride. A k and a half up the road was the last aid station/water stop. I ran through having only had water at the 5 and 10.5k marks, and no carbohydrate gels at all. This was a deliberate ploy, I want to run Melbourne without any reliance on sports drinks, gels etc., feeling that my training prior to the event, and the food in the days before, will carry me through. It was good to test it today.

Approaching the 15k mark, friend Regan Welburn came past me at quite a good clip. He'd followed me to the turnaround and was now disappearing into the distance. It was along this stretch of road that I realised that I was having to dig deep to keep moving at a good pace. I didn't realise at the time, but my speed was slipping considerably. Not long later and I noticed a number of runners passing me, a sure sign that I had started too fast and was now paying the price. At the 17k mark we had a small climb to the intersection where we turned off the Maffra road. It resulted in my slowest split time of the day, and a real workout for my cardiovascular system! I was bloody glad to turn and head back downhill to the flat 4k's to the finish.

By now I am really feeling the fatigue in the legs and watching as a potential half marathon PB slowly disappears into history. I was bloody annoyed with myself for failing to follow my race plan, but for the time being had to just grit the teeth and get home. By now we had met up with the walkers in the 10k event. Although they were supposed to be giving us plenty of room, not many did. A number of us had to run around groups of walkers. It might have been more obvious if I'd ploughed straight through them, but even approaching the end of a tough race, I felt it wise not to act like a complete idiot!

The final corner and the run beside the tennis courts appeared. By now I can hear the guy on the PA yelling out runners names as they cross the line, probably the same Berserk Warrior on the PA from the start! One final runner passes me and we turn to head back into the Tennis Centre and the finish line. I can honestly say that was the worse shape I have finished a race since the marathon last year! I was rooted, to use a technical running term, and the final run up to the finishing shute was more on memory than anything else. The final inglorious action came when the volunteer tried to drape the medal over my neck and only managed to get it caught up on my ears! Now I know they stick out a bit, but that just made it so obvious. The poor girl was desperately trying to right a wrong and not get her hands anywhere near my ears. Eventually sorted, I thanked her, grabbed a bottle of water and got the hell out of the finish area before I threw up, I felt that ill.

So good to finish. Felt in worse shape at the end of this race, than I did at any other race this year.
(Photo credit: Nicole Walsh)

It was only a minute later, as I am hunched over, trying to recover, that Nicky bounds over, all cock a hoop over her run.She had run a PB and more importantly, run the entire race. I was absolutely thrilled for her, even if I didn't look very gracious just at that point in time! Each time she runs a race, she improves by a significant amount. I am more than a little impressed by her ability to apply herself to training and racing. Pretty soon I had recovered enough to walk around and catch up with some other people. First up to Regan who smashed his half PB by a massive 12 minutes, a massive effort, and he was very proud. A number of people had stellar performances, the weather and conditions helped enormously.

Caught up with Michael Dale, who had pretty much an identical race to me. Too hard at the start, then struggling to hang on during the return journey. We both had a bit of a laugh with each other over our stupidity, considering our relative experiences as runners. Never too old to learn (or make mistakes!). His daughter Rebecca, had run a sizzling 1:32, a wonderful performance.

Rebecca Dale, Ashley Bennett, me, Michael Dale, and Danny Burgess; all having finished the half marathon.
Yes we could smile now.... (Photo credit: Nicole Walsh)

So what did I take away from today. Firstly, despite the disappointment at missing a PB, I was satisfied that I had given it a good crack. Once again early pacing was the key. In fact I ran the first 5k in 22:08 (what I would consider as an average 5k race time), and the first 10k in 45:32 (pretty close to what I would expect to run a 10k race). So I have pace in my legs, even if the endurance needs some work. But the way I held on when it got seriously tough in the last 6k's gave me confidence that I am stronger and tougher.

Next race is potentially 30k trail race at You Yangs. The week after is Run Melbourne, where I will be pacing a couple of friends to (hopefully) some PB's. I will definitely have to make sure that I am running well there to cope with the demands of assisting others. A great challenge that I am really looking forward to.

Footnote: When I was packing up in Tasmania last year, I had a quick look at the Victorian Racing Calendar, and spied the Traralgon Marathon and half. Thinking it was as close to a local race for Leongatha as I would get, I kept a mental note to look at doing it. I also worked out that I would arrive in Victoria the morning it was on, and wondered if I could ride up there and maybe do the 10, before heading on to South Gippsland. When I mentioned this to Nicky a couple of weeks ago, it was met with a withering stare. Pretty much glad I made the right decision there... On such small decisions do successful partnerships succeed (or fail)!

Until next time...

Hold on to your Friends

Friday

Any runner will tell you that you have to take the good with the bad. It's maxim that translates to any sporting activity where the physical ability of the body is required for the task. At age 50, I am well aware of the frailties of the human body, especially mine.

So, it is with some concern that I sit here at week 1 of a 20 week training plan for Melbourne Marathon, with ice strapped to my right calf. It is a sensation that I am all to familiar with, having suffered the exact same injury to the left calf in 2008. That time I was out of running for nearly 14 months. (I needn't have been, but a series of miss diagnoses, incorrect advice, and too much caution from me spread a 4 to 6 week injury out to 14+ months.)

So, short term, no running at all. Medium to long-term, trip to physiotherapist on Monday will determine the extent of the injury. My self-diagnosis is grade 2 tear at the Achilles/Soleus transition. A sod of a place to treat. I know; as I've said before, I've been there. So now I have a race against time, and initial expectations of potential times for Melbourne will have to be re-assessed. 

How did it happen? Doing one-legged uneven weight arm swings for core strength, and to correct my arm swing, which is across the body rather than front-to-back. Over-balanced, and rather than just putting my other foot down, I tried to maintain balance and ended up twisting on my lower leg. Never felt anything 'go', just woke up on Friday morning with a sore spot that got worse as the day progressed.

But as bad as that news is for me personally, it pales into insignificance the rest of my week. Bad news piled on bad news, culminating in a friend of 20+ years telling me she has breast cancer. 2 operations, and with chemotherapy to come, her struggles are potentially life-threatening. Makes my week seem insignificant. Such an insidious and indiscriminate disease is cancer.

So at the end of a particularly shitty week I was in a mood that ranged from foul to downright morose. Normally I am pretty well up all the time (occasional bouts of running self-doubt notwithstanding), so it was from this normal high that I crashed to a low that I am not familiar with. Not being able to run only compounded the sense of despair; running is therapy, therapy clears my head, with head cleared I can confront most of what life throws my way. I struggled to contain my bleak mode from my wife and son, not wanting to burden them with what was mostly very personal stuff.

Saturday

Dinner with friends, the best tonic after a crappy week.
Note how the restaurant has cleared out!
 We stayed a bit late.

Mood hadn't lifted much in the morning and I was faced with a decision. A dinner had been organised with a group of trail running friends who I have met since moving to Victoria. They are great company; positive, friendly and good to be around. But such was my mood, I didn't want to go and be in a bad mood all night. Nicky urged me to go, said it would do me good. Probably wanted me out of the house, such a ray of sunshine that I was!

Thankfully another friend also weighed in, wanting me to go as well. I am very grateful to both as it was a great night! So easy to just blend in, have many different conversations with everyone and forget about troubles beyond the walls of the restaurant. I feel very fortunate to have fallen in with such a great crowd of people, just made me realise how much I enjoy my time with them.

Monday

Work got off to a far better start, even if it was just the fact that it wasn't last week! Trip to physio revealed that the injury wasn't as bad as first feared. As much to do with my aggressive application of ice, strapping, massage, and Nurofen to reduce the swelling. What had, at the time, seemed like a potential month or two on the sidelines, had now turned into a week to 10 days. I was one very relieved runner. It would have been a very shitty way to have ended my return to Melbourne.

Epilogue

So now it is Wednesday night and things seemed to have settled down again. Sorry about the personal blog this time. Needed to not just deal with the highs, the lows are also part of a runners lot to deal with. The fact that it coincided with a number of personal issues just compounded it. The good thing to come out of Saturday night was that a number of us are going to compete in relay teams at the Surf Coast Century run in September. Even better than racing trail races?, doing it as part of a team!

Postscript

Thursday: trip to the physio. brings good news, I can run tomorrow.

Until next time...