When Bad Is Good

My right hammy has been hovering between ok, niggly, and a little sore for 8 or 9 months. But its never really been bad enough to interrupt my training, just annoying at times.

Following Friday's speed session it wasn't great. Then after 10k on Saturday it was even unhappier. That made me happy. Because it meant when I saw the physio later in the morning it was possibly the worst its been and when he put me through a few tests I could accurately describe the pain.

He quickly diagnosed it as hamstring tendinopathy and gave me a series of strengthening exercises and a stretch to do. I can keep running but for the next two weeks there'll be no interval work, no hills and no long runs. Lucky for me his interpretation of long runs is anything over 15k :-)

Repeat Repeats

Thursday at PCRG was 4 x 1k reps (60 sec SR) plus 1 min out and 1 min back (no rec). The legs still weren't feeling fresh so I ran them at maybe 80-90% effort hoping for around 4:20s, but with an aim of being consistent.

Times for the 1ks were - 4:07, 4:12, 4:12, 4:08.
Times for the 60 second recoveries were around 50 seconds.
Time for the 1 min out was 1 min :-)
Time for the 1 min back was 1:04.

*****

Today at PCRG was 4 x 1k reps (60 sec SR) plus 1 min out and 1 min back (no rec). The legs still weren't feeling fresh so I ran them at maybe 80-90% effort hoping for around 4:20s, but with an aim of being consistent.

Times for the 1ks were - 4:15, 4:16, 4:17, 4:12.
Times for the 60 second recoveries were around 50 seconds.
Time for the 1 min out was 1 min :-)
Time for the 1 min back was 1:06.

*****

Watching Watches

Its Like Riding A Bike

Tuesday at PCRG was 1kms and 500s. Still wary of recovering properly from Canberra I opted to do a steady run with a smaller group. We were back just before the main lot did their final 1k rep so Mat and I joined it that. It sort of felt good to put the foot on the gas again.

*****

Being a public holiday today we took the opportunity for a slightly different mid-weeker and so met at St Lucia Golf Club for a run out to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and back. The place was named after the real Lone Pine, so a fitting destination. I took the shortcut back which made it a very pleasant though hilly 14k.

*****

This arvo I took the deadly treadly out for a spin, first time since about 2002 I reckon. I'd lent it to Lizzle for a couple of years and she returned it recently looking like it was straight from the shop - clean, serviced, new tyres etc.

A scary 10k. Scary for anyone who was within metres of me, especially if a corner was involved. I thought I'd forget how to change gears. I didn't forget how to change them, but I did forget when and why and still haven't really figured it out.

Might have to take some lessons I think. Or find somebody else who wants to borrow it for a while.

The Contest

On Friday I went back to PCRG and once again took it easy, though this time skipped the 5 minute rest mid session. Like Thursday getting the legs moving seemed to help.

Only five of us turned up for the usual Saturday run, and all of us had done Canberra the weekend before. No prizes for guessing what 99% of the conversation was about :-) Did about 11k but it didn't feel quite as easy as the previous day.

Most of the rest of the weekend I spent volunteering at the Brisbane Marathon Festival. My role compared to others such as Clairie was minor, not sure how she does it. It totally wiped me out, I was way more knackered than after running Canberra the previous weekend. Last night I didn't even have the energy to hit the button on the remote control so had to watch Big Brother.

Today is Day 1 of a healthy eating challenge thing we are having in our little section here at work - no chocolcate, lollies, cakes, biscuits, greasy food, softdrinks, potato chips. Basically no junk ... during working hours. Not as easy as it sounds when you do 12 hour shifts, that's a loooong time to go without chocolate. We all threw in $5 and whoever survives the longest gets the cash. Doubt if I'll win, but at least I won't come last. One of the guys had a Big Mac for morning tea.

Happy Snaps From Sunday

Went along to PCRG this morning basically just to turn the legs over. And to see the gang :-)

Jogged the warmup and kept the easy pace going for a few laps of 'the square' in The Gardens with Mat while the rest of the group were doing some gut busting 30/30s. We stopped to chat to chief photographer Clairie for a while before heading back out for a few more rounds.

The quads are still a little bit tight but felt better for the workout.

Below are a couple of pics from Sunday courtesy of Gnomey - thanks mate!

Canberra Marathon/50k

What a day! Briefly (well, not really briefly) it all went something like this ....

Ran the first few kms with Clairie, which was an absolute hoot. We just laughed and chatted to people etc etc while hanging with the 3:30 pace group. Then she sped up a little as she had lots more socialising to do before pulling the pin at Cowbell Corner as planned.

I hung with the pack for maybe 6 or 7k a while and then slowed down a little - it was nice to have a bit more room. From then on it was just a matter of keeping the legs moving for another 40 odd kms. I think I hit the half mara mark around 1:46 or 1:47.

I really had fun out there. I can't recall ever enjoying an marathon or ultra so much. There were only two low moments. First when I spotted JD who'd been attacked by the cramp bear :-( I caught up soon after and stopped very briefly for a chat. It made me so sad after all the hard work he'd put in. But it also made me realise they could get me too and so I was meticulous at all aid stations afterwards making sure I took in enough electorites. Then a little later I saw Rith struggling with a dodgey foot problem. He'd also busted a gut training for this one. I can see both of them well and truly seeking revenge at the Gold Coast.

The support from spectators this year was without a doubt the best ever not just for a Canberra marathon but any race I can recall - at different spots along the way there was the CR cheersquad (Jen, Lulu and others ... I'd name you all but I'd forget somebody for sure), Aki and Ewen, Gnomey, Kit & Razor, Bernie G, Wildthing. Loads more! My training buddies Lizzle and Robbie - they were everywhere!

Clairie was just fantastic - the girl has enough energy for two people ;-) She had all these different signs including one that said something like "stay focused". Those words stuck in my head for the rest of the race.

Then there was Katy. It really was worth being out there running just to see her. What a gem.

I hit the marathon mark in just over 3:36 according to the results. Funny, it wasn't tough at all running on to do the 50k. I did however pull up and check to see how a few people went. To see CJ and my PCRG training mate Kelly there and find out they'd both nailed a sub 3:30 gave me such a boost mentally. And I knew my other PCRG-er Celeste finished a minute or so in front of me after a fantastic race. Go the girls!!!

50 metres up the road I lost a little bit of time with a shoelace malfunction on both sides, wierd how they'd hung in there solidly until then.

The next few kms weren't too bad but at about 45k the legs became rather heavy and things got tough. The headwind wasn't exactly pleasant, but at least it became a tailwind after the turnaround.

It was something being out there with the other 50k-ers, especially Blue Dog, and Flakey, and Queen Bee, and Spagetti Legs, and Mr WT, and Bandana, Kato, and RB, and Aunty K and Dazza, and and and .... Its hard to describe the feeling. Each and every one commented or hand slapped or acknowledged the other in some way, whether we knew eachother or not. It was like we were all in our own special little club.

And we got to see Clairie again and Katy another two times :-)

I hit the 49k mark and saw from my watch I could walk and still go under 4:30. But why walk now when I hadn't walked before that (other than through a few drink stations). Coming up the home stretch before the final turn to the finish I spotted a very happy Gronk and his buddy on their way to becoming marathoners - yay!

Now it was finally time to switch off the music and soak up the atmosphere. Running up that stretch to the end is truly amazing. All the cheering etc, you'd think you were in an Olympic Games Marathon .... and winning it! And what a buzz to have coach Pat and his partner Susan there on the finish line.

My official time was 4:26.43. My goal was to run between 4:20 and 4:30. Best of all I didn't hit the wall, or cramp, or resort to walking, or any of those nightmarish things that make you say "never again". I'm a very happy chappy :-))))

Congrats to all who ran. There were some fantastic results. Well done all my fellow bloggers - Brissos Mat (woohoo!!!!), Toasty & Eddie, Canberrans CJ, Strewth & Speedgeoff, Sydneysiders Eagle, Superflake, Go Girl, Gronk, Horrie & Uncle Dave, Port's Portrunner. Once again I hope I haven't forgotten to mention anyone.

And also congrats to all my buddies at PCRG, and CoolRrunning, and the Brisbane Running Buddies, and BRRC, and Intraining. Have I forgotten any of my clubs? ;-)

Thanks to all for the support and advice in the last few months.

A great day, a great weekend. Can't wait to do it all again next year. I'll be lining up for the ultra for sure ....

50 is the new 42.2!

Only One Thing Left To Do

Its with much sadness I write this. The father of a good friend of many of the Brissie running community passed away on Wednesday evening after a battle with cancer. Many of us here had the pleasure of meeting him and spending time with him just five or six weeks ago when he visited Brisbane to see his son.

My 50k will be dedicated to him and the wonderful family and friends he has left behind.

*****

Yesterday at PCRG was the final hit-out before Canberra. While the rest of the troops suffered with some long intervals and hills the six of us there who are doing the marathon/ultra just did 15 minutes of 30/30s.

Once again the Awesome Foursome (Mat, Kelly, Celeste & I) stuck together, with the Dynamic Duo (Wayne & Damien) flying out of sight before too long. It seemed to be the perfect session to round out our campaign. All that's left to do now is run the jolly thing.

Two more (non) sleeps :-)

Good luck to my fellow competitors. It sure won't seem the same without Robert Song though. And thanks to all who've sent good wishes my way.

Gulp!

Race Pace Run ( ... well almost)

Well done JD, Robert Song and CJ who figured out the Broderick Crawford Day thing (see 'Tidbits').

Yesterday was 10/4 :-)


*****


For the Canberra 50k 5:10s will bring me home just under 4h20m, I think that's a reasonable goal. As tempted as I am to go for 5 min kms all the way I think it might be a bit ambitious.

This morning Clairie and I wanted to run 8k - a 2k warmup, 4k at my Canberra pace, and a 2k warmdown. However the splits were something like this -

2k - 5:27, 5:08
4k - 5:01, 4:56, 4:57, 5:02
2k - 4:59, 5:07

Rather than my bad pacing I'm blaming the weather, this cool change makes running so much easier. I could have sworn we were doing that last km at 5:30 pace or slower!

Broderick Crawford Day

Today at PCRG it was a session in the Gardens where we had to run around a square, sprinting two sides and jogging the other two. For we folk doing Canberra Pat suggested we still participate but not go full bore.

Fellow marathoners Mat, Celeste, Kelly and I hung out together for the duration - hope we all have as much fun on Sunday as we did today. We tried desperately to feature in the photos Clairie was taking but must've been running too fast ;-) Maybe Thursday we can get a pic of 'The Awesome Foursome'.

This morning made me realise the importance of attending the PCRG during this final week of the taper, not so much for the running but more for the support and good luck wishes etc from the rest of the group. I came away feeling so confident about doing a good time .... and having a good time.


PS Gold star to the first person to guess the meaning of today's blog title :-)

Monday Music - 9th April 2007

The Magnetic Fields - Luckiest Guy On The Lower East Side

I spent a fair bit of time yesterday selecting songs for my Canberra playlist and ended up with 136 songs spanning 7.9 hours. I hope I don't get to listen to all of them :-)

Better cull it rather than tempt fate I think.

This song will definitely make the cut. Its my favourite
Magnetic Fields song. This isn't the 'official' music vid, but it sure is cute.

6 Drops Of Essence Of Terror, 5 Drops Of Sinister Sauce

SATURDAY

After racing Friday I thought best to make Saturday recovery run day and do a longer one Sunday. Met up with the gang at 5.30am and after going to Sydney St ferry via the Story Bridge left them all and ran back along the floating walkway and on to South Bank.

All up around 11k. Not far, but I used it to start practicing with my Canberra race day special potion - Berry Fierce Gatorade powder mixed to directions with a scoop of Ultra Muscleze and a good pinch of organic sea salt harvested from the salt fields of Brittany, France ...



Yikes, hope they wash it first.


*****


SUNDAY

A later start (6am) and change of venue (The Regatta) for those who wanted a run toay. Conditions were perfect, gotta love running this time of year. We headed out via UQ and over the Go-Between's Bridge, via West End, then back over the Victoria Bridge, around 16k or so.

I wanted to practice with my drink again and was hoping to run my next weekends pace but was a bit too fast overall. The first half was around 5:10s, and the second half around 4:50s, finishing the loop in 1h19m.

I got a few sarcastic grumblings from my running buddies who accused me of setting a mean pace all the way ... Celeste and Andrew, I know you were joking and loved every minute of it ;-)

Still, I couldn't resist hitting them with my favourite Glenda motivational quote "toughen up!" :-)

Good Friday Easter Egg 10k

THURSDAY

On the pgm at PCRG it was a steady run followed by the no-watch 1k thing. For the steady run bit there was a little pack of us with Clairie at the helm for most of the way setting a good pace (around 5:15s I'd say).

At the start of the no-watch 1k I sidled up beside Mat to find out what time he'd nominated - it was 4:20. Me too! So we stuck together and managed to cross the line just 3 seconds too late. Close :-)


*****


FRIDAY

For the Easter Egg 10k I'd set myself a goal of 45 mins. Being just 9 days before Canberra I thought that would be a good hard hit out without going totally nutso. The course was a double out and back, and from the first turnaround at 2 1/2k I passed a stack of people, but don't recall being passed by anyone aside from one guy ... and he was pushing a kid in a stroller!

Got to halfway in 22:17 and heading out for the second loop tried to count how many girls were in front of me. It was around 14 or so, I wanted to hang on and try to finish in the top 15. I managed to get one of them at 8k. PCRG-er Keith caught up to me with about 200m to go and like all good training partners do we hit the straps together! I got past one more girl before crossing the line in 44:46 or thereabouts.

Very happy with that time, though it wasn't quite as 'easy' as I hoped it would be.

Not 100% sure if I did in fact manage a top 15 finish in the race, results will be out during the week. However, I know my team-mate Annie and I did make the top 15 in the egg tossing comp ... and this year I wasn't the one who got splatted :-)

PCRG - 3k TT

I wasn't expecting anything too flash at yesterday's TT. I thought Sunday's 28k might still be in the legs and I didn't want to go totally flat strap and risk injury so close to Canberra. At our post run brekky on Saturday Andrew K and I made a bit of a pact to go for 12:15, but I thought that might be a big ask and settled on a goal of sub 12:30.

I hit the halfway mark in 6:10 and was lagging behind the usual suspects including Andrew, they were just out of reach. Approaching the 500m mark the legs were really starting to feel the effects of Sunday. But I was nearing Clairie's marshaling post and knowing she'd be there cheering really upped my motivation and drive.

I started to bridge the gap and eventually caught Andrew. There was a bit of the old cat and mouse going on all the way to the finish, it was great as we really pushed eachother home fast. The last hundred metres were a real gut buster.

We both crossed the line in 12:16. His previous best was 12:50 so what a fantastic result for him. And I was rapt, especially with that nice little negative split.

Might have to start making more pacts :-)

Just a couple of seconds from the line, sucking in the big ones

Clairie and I on the warmdown

BRRC 7k-35k Self Select

Saturday

As I was doing my long run at BRRC on Sunday, Saturday was just an easy day, so just did the short green bridge loop (13k). The company was great, there was lots of chatting and everybody was in cruisey moods not worrying about pace, waiting for eachother at water stops, etc. All just seemed to be happy to be out there.

That's how it should be all the time :-)


*****


Sunday

Yesterday at BRRC it was 7k-35k Self Select. That means we ran the 7k loop and you could do anywhere between 1 and 5 of them, with no need to decide beforehand. To do my A goal of sub 4h20m for the 50k in Canberra I need to run 5:10s so wanted to run around 26k at that pace. That would mean pulling up stumps 2k from the end of my 4th lap and jogging or walking to the finish.

As it turned out I went on to run the whole 28k, I was just feeling so strong. With each lap my km splits were getting faster, seemingly without exerting any more effort. I do admit to pushing it hard in the last few hundred metres, only because I didn't want to get lapped by Ron Peters who was storming home to win the 35k. With a last km of 4:36 I managed to 'beat' him .... but only just :-)

My approx av km times -
1st lap - 5:08.5
2nd lap - 5:05.5
3rd lap - 5:00
4th lap - 4:48
Total time - 2h20m32s which averages out to 5:01s for the 28k.

Plugging that time into a race time predictor it gives me a sub 4h20m for 50k. Which is a little reassuring considering I didn't race the 28k flat out. At the 21k mark I even took time out to give Mat, who was on duty as waterboy, a pinch and a punch for the first of the month :-)

So all going well I should be able to do it, or at least go under 4 1/2 hrs. Just have to get the nutrition right. And stay in one piece.