Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Mon 29th - Run 67 - Killer Loop no more

Up earlyish before work, toyed with the idea of going to Lillydale Lake, but ended up just running from home.

I was a little apprehensive as the loop from home is pretty tough even though it is only 7.75k, ever since moving to Chirnside this has been a course that has provided a love / hate relationship with. It has made me walk on a number of occasions, I have regularly avoided it and opted for different locations even if it meant a drive to get there.

So with only my 2nd run PM, I didn’t know if it was a good idea. So I didn’t pressure myself on the run, I went without a watch.

 

With the long downhill start I just rolled the legs over to get comfortable, the air was cool and there was a little drizzle. I was glad I opted for 2 layers and a long sleeve top.

The first serious uphill and I felt OK, just focussed on a steady claw to get up and over. I then used the down hill to relax and just enjoy the time on my legs. At the start of the 2nd and longest uphill section, I was not feeling particularly motivated, so I just tried to relax and keep things moving. This climb can be broken into 3 or 4 sections as I hit cross roads and intersections. The first part is a gentle rise, then the next section is a short, sharp steep incline. When I saw this bit, all my past struggles came into mind. But I quickly determined that I had to get past this, so I attacked this hill with purpose. Before long I was at the corner and past the tough section. This felt great, as I now feel comfortable that I’ll never have a mental hurdle with that bit again. The next section levels off and then there is another tough section which is immediately followed by one of the steepest sections on the loop. Given my win just gone, I simply found a nice cadence and cruised to the corner and then easily tackled the last steep bit, since I’d won the battle here previously it held no issues for me.

 

One thing I did realise, which totally makes sense and probably is a natural thought for everyone else…..but hills are hills are hills, it does not matter how slowly you try and run them, if you actually run them then the effort required to get up them is not much less than when you try and run them fast. You have to lift yourself up a hill every step, unlike flat running when you can just roll along and slower pace = less effort and energy. A hill will give you a work-out every time. My speed this year can be attributed to hills I’m sure, but perhaps I had not given them as much credit as deserved.  If you want more speed, get some hills into your week!!

 

Back to the loop, from here a long downhill and a final tough climb. On this one I was day dreaming and before I knew it I was half way up, I felt a bit cheeky so I did some high knee lifts and strides UP the hill!! From here home is less than 2km, so from the base of a steep downhill, I decided to stretch out a bit more and push the pace to home, probably less than 5min effort. But it felt nice to be moving quickly without much stress.

 

Back home, a short walk cool down, then inside and check on Jayden (already awake) before seeing the clock. I was pretty surprised to see that I had probably run the course in about 37-38 min without ever working really hard except for the sections noted. It used to take me that long or longer when I made the whole course hurt…..

 

So, the killer loop has been tamed. I now feel like running it flat out to see how long a fast circuit will take.

This course no longer plays mind games with me.

 

Sorry for the long post on a single simple training run, but I think you can ‘get’ the significance. Since it is much easier to just run from home….

Sunday, May 28, 2006

The grass is greener

We had a bit of a milestone at our place on Friday. Some may be aware of the project we had on our front yard, we demolished and then re-built the front retaining wall so that we could then fix the garden knowing that the leaning wall of Chirnside was fixed. This project started in late November, when it all seemed so easy to knock it down, clear a bit of dirt, then build it again and clear the mess…..

 

Don’t let anyone tell you that a DIY 15m wall is quick and easy, particularly when trying to work and have a life around it. It did save us a lot of $$, but took a fair bit longer than expected. Long story short, it was well after Christmas before the new wall was in place, then some time later before the mess as cleared up, then again some time before we got the top-soil and grass seed (not turf) down.

 

Friday, I mowed the lawn for the first time!! It would have happened earlier except that new grass, soft earth, rain and work didn’t get aligned until then…. Did you notice that I used the word LAWN. I tried to choose a seed that had the potential to look nice without being too much work. Of course, time will tell, but so far this grass is magnificent!! Apart from some weeds (to be attacked in coming weeks), we have a luxurious deep green fine leafed lawn, that has grown well in the cold/wet of recent weeks and so far in the well established spots has handled the traffic of boys games etc.

 

This is a feel-good achievement since we really did have to basically start the front yard all over again, and we know it will add to the value of our home.

All we need to do now is plant the gardens and (hopefully) watch them grow.

 

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Clarkeys Home Improvement Adventure…..will it be the windows / doors getting replaced, or will the paint brush come out first??

Friday, May 26, 2006

1st run PM, run 66 for the year

After a couple of aborted attempts on Wed & Thurs I finally got my first Post Marathon run completed.

I met up with Stu Mac & Laurie in the city for the normal Friday trundle.

 

The fog at home should have been an indicator, but the radio weather confirmed it 5 degrees….and I didn’t layer up at all.

My first 4 steps were ominous, a sharp pain right in the top of my left knee. Fortunately this quickly passed and before long the nervous “how are the legs” thoughts were gone and it was great to be running again.

 

The 1.5k jog to the meeting point was great, and since I was early I had the chance to stretch and loosen up a little more. Not long afterwards Stu & Laurie were there. The Tan was the chosen destination. The cool morning didn’t really affect me, except that the back of my hands got very sore – perhaps gloves are an option. The 3 of us are a good fit for an easy morning run, since we can all find plenty to keep us occupied which I like as the k’s melt away when there’s plenty of eager discussion.

 

Before long we were at the bottom of Anderson St, cruised up like it wasn’t there and I knew the legs were in good shape. The back half I don’t remember which is good. The only time I gave the legs a thought was just as we were coming back up Swanston St, and then once I was on my own again, the legs felt tired. I remember thinking there is no way I could do a 10k race today. Which is curious given I had just covered approx 11k for the run…..see they do melt away when you are distracted.

 

Now, I’m a little tender in the calves and hamstrings, but nothing unusual. It is probably just an indication that my first run back should have been an easy 5-6k but I wouldn’t trade my group runs for that.  So I am now confident that I am back in the swing, no soreness of the ITB or the shin which threatened to surface after the race.

This is one happy runner right now.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Great Ocean Road 2006 report

Here is my race report. If you frequent the Ausrun forum then it is just cut and paste from there, nothing new….

 

It was an excellent weekend away and now a few days later my legs almost feel normal. But that feeling will be tested when I eventually go for a run…..

 

The report:

GOR 2007 - get in the diary now, make a plan and be there in 2007!!

Before starting, make sure you have time available....sorry

Overall this was a very well organised run in a magnificent part of Victoria.
A few improvements could be made, but all along there was very little that could be faulted. The events on Saturday appeared well organised, and got the full event treatment, not a 'the other events' half measure.

We arrived on Friday night after trudging through Melbourne and then Geelong traffic. We did a re-con of the course from Lorne to Apollo Bay in the dark and the wet. This did little for the confidence, the rolling hills seemed a lot less rolling and a whole lot more up and down. We found our accommodation and settled in for the night. We got the standard concrete mattress that seems to be the preferred choice of motels. This was a bit ominous as I really struggle with hard beds

Saturday morning the fam allowed me some time to 'sleep in', but perhaps I should have spent less time in bed as I ended up with a tight and stiff lower back. Hoping that this would ease during the day. I thought I would spend some time hanging around the races during the day, but my non-running family decided we should go sightseeing. We headed out to Cape Otway lighthouse in magical conditions, bright sun and no wind. Fingers crossed Sunday would be the same.... My light run turned into chasing boys up and down the grass hills, and a stair session up the lighthouse. Back to Apollo Bay in time to get my timing chip and see the tail of the 14k race and Monas presentation for WINNING the 14k in 42min the afternoon before running 45k. Dinner was fish & chips, I mean pasta. Then I slept on the sofa because the mattress was a bit softer.

Race day, up at 5.10, on the bus to Lorne by 6.00. Slow bus trip to Lorne in the dark. The trip broken up by nervous discussion. Then daylight breaking as we arrived in Lorne. A magnificent clear and still sunrise!! Couldn't be better. With about 45min to race start, I got ready to race, bag in luggage van, then off for a light trot, couldn't help but go down to the beach - awesome. We were all amused by a 'show pony' doing high activity warm-ups - bounding, hopping, stair jumps, and sprint throughs. All dressed in lycra tights, fitted shirt & denim shorts…I'm tipping he either didn't run or didn't last long....Just before the start I met a couple of coolrunners, but I did not find Shuffleupagus. I was surprised to find out that there was only 390 entrants for the race, I guess I should have checked to see that there was only 330 last year, so I was unsure how much company I'd have out there, it could be a lonely race.

On the start line ready for an 8am start. Count down 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2....3,2,1...must be the country…. GUN. As planned, a very easy start, the crowd seemed to be moving along pretty well, and soon enough everyone was finding their room. I hoped that I would be able to find a 'buddy' and soon enough I did. With plenty of chatter the first few k's just melted away, with no km markers (of use -more later) I was just running on feel and rhythm. The hills that seemed a bit large on Friday night turned out to be a bit toothless during the run. I lost my company at about an hour 20min since he had to make a toilet stop.

Did I mention that at this point I was still ahead of Steve Monaghetti!! See I was taking it easy!!

Another runner who was just getting back on the road jumped in on my heels and I recruited another 'buddy'. He was a veteran of about 30 marathons so I was pleased for the company of a wise head. We passed the Kennet River start line for the 23k event. I lapped my watch at 1hr39min. Given this was the 22km marker it meant that 900m previously I had set a half marathon pb of a couple of minutes.

Regarding the markers, this started out as confusing then quickly became laughable at best. We noticed the first marker after about 32min, it said 35km. We knew we had not run 10km for it to be to the end, and greatly questioned whether we had run 7.2km for it to be to 42.2k, so we pretty much gave up on markers after than. Then later in the race when it would have been really nice to know where I was or how quick I was moving, there was not a marker to be seen from 15k to go. Only a marshal calling out that he was on the 38k gave me any idea.

Back to the run....I knew that just after halfway the 2 toughest climbs were there. The first one was a nice warm-up, the 2nd was tough, then the 3rd (which was supposed to be not too bad) really took its toll. By this stage, my original buddy had caught up and kept going on. My 2nd buddy was trading places with me back and forth. Once past the hills I was still feeling strong. But from here on in, we were on the South West side, and the wind was in our face. The perfect conditions were beginning to play against us. A head wind and rain. Even the down-hills into the wind were not just a cruise. On the flatter stages I caught a group who we had been trailing for over 15km, I was going to just tail them, but felt good so I went by. Then the rain and wind kicked in. No idea where I was and I was not looking at the watch. But my quads just above the knees started to object. This took the edge off and I was not able to hold the same pace. So the mixture of the weather and legs slowed me and one by one the now broken group began to pass me. This was frustrating since up to this point almost no-one had come by us, not even Monas.

Running solo now, energy was OK, but I was conscious of not getting to the point where I could not run, so I didn't put too much pressure on the legs this far from home. My determination not to walk had to submit so I took a walk break to try and re-set. I also tried mixing up my stride patterns to ensure the cramp did not ever take hold. I knew that Marty was on the road somewhere ahead, and it was awesome when somewhere near 38k he came riding in from the other direction. With a bottle of Coke!! At the marshal calling 38k I was at 2hr52min. 4.2k to the full marathon distance and I was determined to get to that point. I managed to cover that in 21-22min and arrived a very happy boy at 42.195km in 3hr13min (and change).

Given the state of my quads and now my right calf, I was thankful of my previous determination that the last 2.8km was a 'wait and see'. With Marty by my side, he probably witnessed the slowest 2.8km that anyone will see me trudge / walk / run / wobble....it took me 20min and I lost perhaps 6-8 places. But it didn't matter, I was there to run a marathon and complete an ultra. I did the marathon quicker than I ever imagined, and I was going to finish the ultra running (sort of). Taking it easy meant that I avoided cramps of any kind and I was able to pick up the pace a little for the last few hundred metres.

With my family watching and given my elation at the result I wanted to carry one or both my boys across the line. Zac was resting in the pram so I grabbed Jayden, who was very excited until the crowd cheered approval, and he became a bit scared at all the noise and strange faces, so he got a bit upset and buried his face into my shoulder. But I'll have a great finishing photo with my boy.

42.195km in 3h14m49s. 45km in 3h33m29s - truly awesome

What happened that I would change for next time??
To be honest I am not sure. My fitness was good, I never felt that I had nothing left. My legs did not last the distance in great shape. Was it the hills? Was it the early pace? Was it the prolonged effort into a headwind and rain? I do not know, I did not feel that I was pushing the pace at any point. I don't even think I will try and break it down too much. BTW - If there were markers I doubt I would have run much less than 3hr20min, so perhaps a blessing in disguise, despite the less than glorious end section.

Oh, I should explain that Monas was running 5min k's with some buddies from Ballarat. He passed me somewhere after 30odd k's......


Plan to be there next year. But be prepared for a challenging course. With potentially no markers. Very few spectators. Magical scenery. Friendly crowd. Memorable event.

 

Official results have me placed 44th for the marathon distance, 40th male. For the 45k I was shuffled back to 51st but that’s OK, it was better to take it easy and run to the line rather than push it and perhaps crawl…

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

It's been a while.....

My last post was just after the Run 4 the Kids in April, so apologies to anyone who has been checking in to see if there is any new material.

 

The last 5 weeks have been pretty busy and this week is shaping as one of the most nervy weeks ever.

In the week after R4K, I joined a group for a long run, I ran for 2 hrs and then joined them for what was supposed to be 90mins, but it turned into almost 2hr30min. So I was on my feet for over 4hr30min, and the 2nd half was in some very hilly and tricky terrain. A rough estimate indicated that my distance on the day was somewhere between, 40-42km. I pulled up in pretty good shape after this run and so mentally I felt I was almost ready to tackle a marathon.

 

Then after my cousins wedding I got hit with a flu and that turned into a sniffle I could not shake. On April 29 I ran for 2hr58min and covered 34km, this was to be my last 3hr run and my final checkpoint before entering the Great Ocean Road Marathon. I felt great during the run and also good afterwards with no significant niggle or soreness. I entered on the 3rd May. 18 days before the event.

 

On May 7th (my late Mums birthday), I ran my 3rd attempt at the Great Train Race against Puffing Billy. A little uncertain about what to expect on the day, the cold had not completely left me and I’d missed a couple of runs. It was an atrocious day with heavy rain and cold. But during the race I felt pretty good and did not notice much effect from my cold/flu. I ran a 4min pb, but the train also went quicker on the day, so it beat me by 90 sec. At 56m20s I was happy enough, but annoyed that I lost 35s waiting for the train to pass me at one crossing….  After the race I had some soreness and stiffness in my calves and hamstrings, so a little concerned. But a steady 2hr run last Saturday has taken that away and now the legs feel mostly good. Except the calves objected a little on a steep hill near home, but there is nothing that steep in the run on Sunday.

 

This week I have been doing short sharp runs, just to keep the legs ticking over and the nerves at bay. I originally thought I would just plod these runs, but I have found using a bit of steady pace more beneficial, it gets the nerves out, and I think it will help me feel like the pace on Sunday will be very cruisy so mentally a winning position to be in.

 

We travel down to Apollo Bay on Friday arvo and I think this will be good so I can get comfortable in the motel etc and not be arriving in town less than 12 hours before the race. All the family is coming down which is excellent, and my cousin and her family is staying with us.

 

4 sleeps. Then 45km of what will hopefully be a memorable event for the right reasons.

 

Update on # of training runs for the year: 64 (5 ahead) despite a couple of quiet weeks recently.