Looking for answers (is this normal? have I blown something?) I went to see Carmel Goodman at her rooms at Challenge. I got the best answer I could have expected, yes it is normal, and no you haven't. My bloodwork results were very good. This is straight overtraining. I will get back to where I was, I just have to be patient and be very conservative in what I'm doing.
I need to write this down, so when, in 6 months time I'm tempted to take on a whole season of racing HM's and 10k's, someone can say "go read that, and don't be so bloody stupid".
Right now, running is something I dread. Went out this morning, attempting to keep the effort as low as possible. HR 148. Pace 4:47. Felt really hard and at times like I was barely even moving forward. I feel like a novice. I can no longer run with the guys I used to run with. I used to run my easy Wednesdays with someone who was doing their tempo run. Don't think I could keep up now. 4 months ago I raced Gold Coast HM in 1:14:03. Now I can barely run 10k at any pace. This is worse than post-NY.
Yes I'm feeling sorry for myself. Break out the violins. What was my passion and joy is now strangling me. Wow, the turnaround is staggering...
On the plus side, I'm starting to really enjoy my cycling. There's no pressure, I don't really have any benchmarks as I have never cycled competitively, so I can go out and enjoy the freedom that gives me. Maybe I need to apply this to my running. No watch, no measurement, no pressure. I will still be struggling, but I don't have the stats slapping me in the face for the rest of the day.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Overtraining - a cautionary tale.
It's been a while since my last post, although the Strands site contains training diary these days.
It's been an interesting winter season with some big highs and a few lows. Highs were the win at the Elleker HM and the 1:14:03 Half Marathon at Gold Coast a few days after my 47th birthday.
The lows have come in the last few weeks, where my attempts to recapture that GC form have resulted in the biggest phase of overtraining sydnrome I have experienced in my relatively short running life. In retrospect, racing 4 HMs, and key 10k and 12k races in 4 months have been a bit much for me to handle.
The signs were there, I just didn't recognise them. The big clue was the 3x3km workout I did at McGillivray on September 6. If I look at the HR plot it's plain to see. In that session, the second and particularly the 3rd felt like hell on earth, but according to the HR (above), I was barely doing tempo effort. Compare this to the plot below for the 3x3 I did on 14 June (9:58/9:57/9:55) the difference is plain to see.
It's been an interesting winter season with some big highs and a few lows. Highs were the win at the Elleker HM and the 1:14:03 Half Marathon at Gold Coast a few days after my 47th birthday.
The lows have come in the last few weeks, where my attempts to recapture that GC form have resulted in the biggest phase of overtraining sydnrome I have experienced in my relatively short running life. In retrospect, racing 4 HMs, and key 10k and 12k races in 4 months have been a bit much for me to handle.
The signs were there, I just didn't recognise them. The big clue was the 3x3km workout I did at McGillivray on September 6. If I look at the HR plot it's plain to see. In that session, the second and particularly the 3rd felt like hell on earth, but according to the HR (above), I was barely doing tempo effort. Compare this to the plot below for the 3x3 I did on 14 June (9:58/9:57/9:55) the difference is plain to see.
I'd done a lot of fast k's in training in the leadup to that session and had, quite simply, fallen over the edge. Sore legs, lack of desire, etc. all the classic symptoms. The result at the Sydney HM on Sept 18 was an abysmal run where the last 5km felt like I was finishing a marathon. In my regular training I could roll out a 1:19 HM on a weekly basis without feeling it at all. I had a bacterial infection in my finger which didn't help, but the root cause is the overtraining. Since Sydney I've barely felt like running, and am just starting to get the urge back.
Deep down I knew this was happening, I didn't have the self discipline to pull back. I will listen to my body next time....
Sunday, April 10, 2011
ASICS Bridges 8th in 34:12
This was a big weekend - helped out all Saturday with loading the truck at the club, setup of the start/finish area, and filling all the water bins for delivery to the course on Sunday morning. I was a little worried Saturday because my legs felt really trashed when I got home. We also had to get to the start at 5:45 because Kim was the RD. Fortunately I felt OK in the warmup once I'd been going a little bit.
I warmed up early using advice from Simon Coates ; about 4.4km with some longish run-thru’s to hit that 10km intensity to get the body ready and then rest for the 20 minutes before the race. It really seemed to work. Usually I only start to warm up 20 minutes before, and much shorter. This gave me time to change into the flats, take a gel and relax a bit before the gun.
Felt really comfortable for the first couple of k’s running with the lead group. The wind really kicked up close the causeway, but that was just for a bit and then it was over and then a tailwind for the next 5 k or so. The lead group then picked it up, but I just kept my pace. Mr Stockwell overtook after about 4 km, but we were still doing 3:20’s, so he must have surged. I wasn’t going to just let him go, so picked up the effort to keep him in range ; I’ve raced him enough times to know that if I let him go it was all over.
Sure enough I started to reel him in and overtook again at about the 7.5k mark. I knew the bit from the narrows to the finish was going to be tough, and it was; my legs paid the price for Saturday’s setup when going up they just died. I knew Stephen was behind to really tried to suck it up, but could still only manage a 3:40 for that k. Martin Feichtinger was starting to struggle up ahead so I focussed on him, took a bit of shelter going through the last tunnel into the wall of wind and just went for it, managing to hang on for 8th place.
Splits 3:19 / 13:29 / 16:50 / 20:09 / 23:32 / 27:00 / 30:40 / 34:11
Ran with the Saucony Grid A4’s which were fantastic. Really stoked, last week’s relay leg really helped me tough this out mentally. Congrats to Biscuitman, on a huge PB, as well as PBs for Liam F, Mark L, David P, Jon P and BK ( big PB after 40 miler last week!)
4km PB, 5km PB (by 1 second) and 8k PB along the way.
Attached HR plot is one I’ll be proud of for a while. A triumph of mind over body!
I warmed up early using advice from Simon Coates ; about 4.4km with some longish run-thru’s to hit that 10km intensity to get the body ready and then rest for the 20 minutes before the race. It really seemed to work. Usually I only start to warm up 20 minutes before, and much shorter. This gave me time to change into the flats, take a gel and relax a bit before the gun.
Felt really comfortable for the first couple of k’s running with the lead group. The wind really kicked up close the causeway, but that was just for a bit and then it was over and then a tailwind for the next 5 k or so. The lead group then picked it up, but I just kept my pace. Mr Stockwell overtook after about 4 km, but we were still doing 3:20’s, so he must have surged. I wasn’t going to just let him go, so picked up the effort to keep him in range ; I’ve raced him enough times to know that if I let him go it was all over.
Sure enough I started to reel him in and overtook again at about the 7.5k mark. I knew the bit from the narrows to the finish was going to be tough, and it was; my legs paid the price for Saturday’s setup when going up they just died. I knew Stephen was behind to really tried to suck it up, but could still only manage a 3:40 for that k. Martin Feichtinger was starting to struggle up ahead so I focussed on him, took a bit of shelter going through the last tunnel into the wall of wind and just went for it, managing to hang on for 8th place.
Splits 3:19 / 13:29 / 16:50 / 20:09 / 23:32 / 27:00 / 30:40 / 34:11
Ran with the Saucony Grid A4’s which were fantastic. Really stoked, last week’s relay leg really helped me tough this out mentally. Congrats to Biscuitman, on a huge PB, as well as PBs for Liam F, Mark L, David P, Jon P and BK ( big PB after 40 miler last week!)
4km PB, 5km PB (by 1 second) and 8k PB along the way.
Attached HR plot is one I’ll be proud of for a while. A triumph of mind over body!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Mt Helena 40 Miler Relay
Although very secondary to the main event, the relay at the Mount Helena 40 miler is always fun. I managed to assemble a 'dream team' of pretty strong runners with the goal of breaking the 4 hour barrier for the 40 mile course. It was going to be a tough ask because conditions were not favourable for this fairly hilly course.
We were led off by Mark Lee who ran a cracking 50:33 for 13.9km and blistering 18.3km second leg run by Liam in 1:07:50. I took the soggy sweatband baton (eeeuuuw!) and headed of down the hill. I knew coming back up was going to be tough so I tried to put a bit of time in the bank. It was really starting to warm up (high 20's in the shade) by 9:30 on the dry dusty and exposed trail, and the easterly was starting to bear it’s teeth. Hit the turnaround in 23:28 (3:27 pace) and then headed back up the hill. My quads started protesting quite early in the piece – it’s a real slog back up the hill into the wind and I really had to suck it up for the team, average HR 182 for the second half. Fortunately I had some solo runners to pick off to provide me with some distraction. Handed off to Scott at 49:16, who then ran a great final leg in merciless conditions (low 30's) to stop the clock in what I believe is a course record…
A special mention has to be made of Chris O'Neill who won the solo run in a remarkable 4:36 odd, smashing the course record by over 10 minutes. Averaging 4:17 pace for that course in those conditions over 40 miles is an astonishing run. Geoff Reynolds also pulled one out of the bag to complete the course in under 5 hours, another remarkable effort. Eulalia van Blommestein was the first woman home. The conditions took it's toll on the field and there was some attrition, the greatest courage on the day shown by Jane Elton who had been battling a virus all week gutsed it out for over 7 hours to claim her finishers medal.
We were led off by Mark Lee who ran a cracking 50:33 for 13.9km and blistering 18.3km second leg run by Liam in 1:07:50. I took the soggy sweatband baton (eeeuuuw!) and headed of down the hill. I knew coming back up was going to be tough so I tried to put a bit of time in the bank. It was really starting to warm up (high 20's in the shade) by 9:30 on the dry dusty and exposed trail, and the easterly was starting to bear it’s teeth. Hit the turnaround in 23:28 (3:27 pace) and then headed back up the hill. My quads started protesting quite early in the piece – it’s a real slog back up the hill into the wind and I really had to suck it up for the team, average HR 182 for the second half. Fortunately I had some solo runners to pick off to provide me with some distraction. Handed off to Scott at 49:16, who then ran a great final leg in merciless conditions (low 30's) to stop the clock in what I believe is a course record…
A special mention has to be made of Chris O'Neill who won the solo run in a remarkable 4:36 odd, smashing the course record by over 10 minutes. Averaging 4:17 pace for that course in those conditions over 40 miles is an astonishing run. Geoff Reynolds also pulled one out of the bag to complete the course in under 5 hours, another remarkable effort. Eulalia van Blommestein was the first woman home. The conditions took it's toll on the field and there was some attrition, the greatest courage on the day shown by Jane Elton who had been battling a virus all week gutsed it out for over 7 hours to claim her finishers medal.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Denmark Long Run
The weather down here's been great and I've felt so good in my running that it's been hard to hold back. Last week I did a bunch of runs out and back on the inlet trail, all leading to the 29km long run on the weekend which is one of the most enjoyable and epic runs I've ever done.
The route went from town up Mt Shadforth - a 200m hill in the first 20 minutes - then followed a rollercoaster along the spine of Mt Shadforth. The weather was glorious - 15 degrees and sunny. To my left I could see Wilson's inlet and the Southern ocean past the misty valleys around Mt Hallowell and to my right were the farmlands, vineyards and forests out to Mt Lindsay in the distance. 
After a while there came a sharp descent to Mcleod Rd, the western segment of one of Denmark's 'tourist drives'. From there, a sharp 140m climb over 2 km to Osborne Rd where I had a water bottle. I had cycled this before, and it's a tough climb. After some water and a Gu I headed east again back to town on the farm roads ; saw a few farmers out tending their lands, but no traffic at all. It was starting to warm up but I was still feeling good through the peaks and troughs of the road, and soon enough I came to the last sharp ascent (70m over 800m) back up to Mt Shadforth before the descent, Darlington HM style, back into town. My legs definitely knew they'd been for a run - over 600m of ascent - but it was fantastic.Sunday, March 20, 2011
WAMC Neil Hawkins 10k ; 3rd in 34:39; 100km week
Great run. Didn't feel overly good in the warmup, and was going to tempo it today, but found I was keeping with Liam and Dean Menzies so went with it to see how it went. Mark Lee had scooted off at the start. 17:13 for 5km and 3:27's for the next two, I though a sub-35 might be on here. The last 3 has significant hill in it, and the next was 3:37, so I knuckled down and managed a 3:24 and then a 3:27 to finish. Those last two were tough through the bushland. Liam put in a bit of a gap at the start of the hill, but I then managed to hold it, and he finished maybe 8 seconds ahead; not surprisingly though he said he had been feeling a bit flat. Thrilled with this after a hilly 27km yesterday, but I felt pretty good yesterday too ; this has without doubt been one of my best weeks in a very long time. I also did 4:33 for the 1500 at the masters on Wednesday, a nice VO2Max hitout!
They had my time as 34:33 which would be a PB, but I got 39 on my watch, so I don't think I can claim it. It does throw up a moral dilemma though. I often get 'charged' extra seconds in races, does this make up for those ? I don't think so.
Consensus amongst Garmin users seemed to be that the course was 120m long, but it always seems to be - the consensus that is...
Bumped into Simon Elliot beforehand - hope he had a good one, the first race for quite a while, one to set the baseline; sort of where I was a few weeks ago.
Edit: Just realised that last week was the first 100km week since mid October....
They had my time as 34:33 which would be a PB, but I got 39 on my watch, so I don't think I can claim it. It does throw up a moral dilemma though. I often get 'charged' extra seconds in races, does this make up for those ? I don't think so.
Consensus amongst Garmin users seemed to be that the course was 120m long, but it always seems to be - the consensus that is...
Bumped into Simon Elliot beforehand - hope he had a good one, the first race for quite a while, one to set the baseline; sort of where I was a few weeks ago.
Edit: Just realised that last week was the first 100km week since mid October....
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Darlington HM - 1:18:19
It was lovely and cool this morning, although we could have done without the easterly pushing up that hill.
I felt great at the start and held with the pack easily up the hill, but the push around the school in the new loop sorted me out. And the front boys pulled ahead a bit. I then caught up with Mr Stockwell and I was feeling pretty comfortable so kept with him for a while up the hill. At about 9km he went up a gear and that was that. I was trying to run on effort, and maybe backed off a bit too much, but I suspect it was just lack of stamina.
Time Split Time Split Pace
5k 18:57 18:57 3:47
10k 38:26 19:29 3:53
11k 42:06 3:40 3:40
18k 1:07:24 25:18 3:36
HM 1:18:19 10:56 3:31
I really felt my lack of tempo conditioning, and didn't feel comfortable after that point. It was a struggle to maintain the effort. It's not a whinge, it's actually good to know that those tempo runs are good for something :-)
Props to Gerry Hill for winning, Liam (PB), Scott (PB), Stephen (for crushing me once again), Ryan(PB), Kev (PB), Biscuitman (PB), Epi (PB) and Makkas for some great running today. PB central....
I felt great at the start and held with the pack easily up the hill, but the push around the school in the new loop sorted me out. And the front boys pulled ahead a bit. I then caught up with Mr Stockwell and I was feeling pretty comfortable so kept with him for a while up the hill. At about 9km he went up a gear and that was that. I was trying to run on effort, and maybe backed off a bit too much, but I suspect it was just lack of stamina.
Time Split Time Split Pace
5k 18:57 18:57 3:47
10k 38:26 19:29 3:53
11k 42:06 3:40 3:40
18k 1:07:24 25:18 3:36
HM 1:18:19 10:56 3:31
I really felt my lack of tempo conditioning, and didn't feel comfortable after that point. It was a struggle to maintain the effort. It's not a whinge, it's actually good to know that those tempo runs are good for something :-)
Props to Gerry Hill for winning, Liam (PB), Scott (PB), Stephen (for crushing me once again), Ryan(PB), Kev (PB), Biscuitman (PB), Epi (PB) and Makkas for some great running today. PB central....
Friday, March 11, 2011
3000m Coker Park - 9:44
After re-naming this blog 'Track Time' about 2 months ago, I finally actually got to a track race....
After a reasonable warmup and a bit of standing around, I toed the line again in a 3000m at the Masters Thursday night track met at Coker Park. Very nervy, it's a little scary, knowing what you're in for.
Very happy with the way it went, I managed consistent splits in the cool windy conditions (standard for Coker in March) and came out 9 seconds adrift of my PB.
Splits: 3:16.1 / 3:15.8 / 3:12.7
Definitely something to work with and I'm really happy with that result, and particularly the way I ran it. No competition at all - unfortunately the Masters events are usually Time Trials rather than races...
After a reasonable warmup and a bit of standing around, I toed the line again in a 3000m at the Masters Thursday night track met at Coker Park. Very nervy, it's a little scary, knowing what you're in for.
Very happy with the way it went, I managed consistent splits in the cool windy conditions (standard for Coker in March) and came out 9 seconds adrift of my PB.
Splits: 3:16.1 / 3:15.8 / 3:12.7
Definitely something to work with and I'm really happy with that result, and particularly the way I ran it. No competition at all - unfortunately the Masters events are usually Time Trials rather than races...
Monday, March 7, 2011
Back in the game
It's been a while ; 4 months!! Last night I finally felt ready to step out in a race again to test the water. My recovery feels like it has taken for ever, and Perth's hottest summer (both in terms of daytime and overnight temperatures) on record certainly hasn't helped.
I have a few new training buddies who have helped tremendously with confidence and helping me get through tough runs. So thanks to Steve, Mark, Simon, David and Liam. Thanks also to those who have had to put up with my bleating..
Last weekends Monaghetti camp was fantastic and another thing that has given me a good kick in the backside.
I ran the Swan 5km Twilight run expecting nothing but hoping to get under 17:30. I've been going to intervals for about 5 weeks now and feel like I have started to lose the rust and my legs are going well again. I lost the front pack within 800m and was running solo for the rest - they never really got out of sight though, and I could hardly believe it when I crossed the line with the clock on 17:03. A big confidence boost...
Onwards... a 3000m TT at Coker Park this Thursday will give me a second look at my physical state, and I won't have done a very hilly 27km the day before this one.
Darlington HM on Sunday, not expecting anything, but secretly ( oops ) hoping around 1:20. Lots of hills on a very challenging course.. most of my training buddies are doing it so I'll go along and see what happens.
I have a few new training buddies who have helped tremendously with confidence and helping me get through tough runs. So thanks to Steve, Mark, Simon, David and Liam. Thanks also to those who have had to put up with my bleating..
Last weekends Monaghetti camp was fantastic and another thing that has given me a good kick in the backside.
I ran the Swan 5km Twilight run expecting nothing but hoping to get under 17:30. I've been going to intervals for about 5 weeks now and feel like I have started to lose the rust and my legs are going well again. I lost the front pack within 800m and was running solo for the rest - they never really got out of sight though, and I could hardly believe it when I crossed the line with the clock on 17:03. A big confidence boost...
Onwards... a 3000m TT at Coker Park this Thursday will give me a second look at my physical state, and I won't have done a very hilly 27km the day before this one.
Darlington HM on Sunday, not expecting anything, but secretly ( oops ) hoping around 1:20. Lots of hills on a very challenging course.. most of my training buddies are doing it so I'll go along and see what happens.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Four weeks on...
.. and I'm still struggling. I'm not doing any intervals or hard running and am still waiting for my body to give me the green light. I'm taking a day off every 2 or three days in the hopes that my endocrine system will repair itself enough to enjoy my running again. All of my runs are aerobic (although some are not as aerobic as I'd like them to be!) between 4:25 and 4:50 pace, but the HR is still very high. I have had one good one where I felt almost normal but that has slipped again.
I guess other people get hammered in other ways, I seem to get nailed in the endocrine department. My legs feel great - since the DOMS subsided 3 or 4 days after the marathon I haven't had any leg pain whatsoever - this is part of the problem. They want to go, but my body doesn't.
Anyhow, I ordered my photos last week so in the next week or so I should be able to put up a gallery of the best ones, including some fantastic shots of the marathon and NYC sights.
I guess other people get hammered in other ways, I seem to get nailed in the endocrine department. My legs feel great - since the DOMS subsided 3 or 4 days after the marathon I haven't had any leg pain whatsoever - this is part of the problem. They want to go, but my body doesn't.
Anyhow, I ordered my photos last week so in the next week or so I should be able to put up a gallery of the best ones, including some fantastic shots of the marathon and NYC sights.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Paying the piper
Since New York I've run four times, each run getting progressively worse... two runs in Virginia and two since getting back in Perth on Sunday. I suspect the absolute awfulness of the two in Perth are mainly due to a head full of allergies and an upswing of abient temperature of about 20 degrees. Hopefully things will improve soon.
Post analysis of my training for NYC reveals a few things:
1. my longest long runs weren't long enough. If I'm training for a 2:45 marathon, I need to make sure at least some long runs are that long. Maybe I need to alternate the MP finish with pure LSD runs. My problem in the marathon came from a simple lack of endurance and leg muscle toughness.
2. Easy runs a fraction too quick.
3. Some MP runs too long. Maybe limiting to 21.1km would have been a good idea.
4. Tempo runs were mostly good, but I should have kept to the McMillan paces. I need to get over the temptation to beat the workout, especially when I'm feeling good. I think my training plateued a bit - the performance in Freo HM is an indicator of that.
5. Overall I think I got the volume right ; at no point did I feel absolute fatigue and the step ups were handled quite easily. The balance in different workouts was good as well. Recovery runs worked well too, instead of taking days off.
Post analysis of my training for NYC reveals a few things:
1. my longest long runs weren't long enough. If I'm training for a 2:45 marathon, I need to make sure at least some long runs are that long. Maybe I need to alternate the MP finish with pure LSD runs. My problem in the marathon came from a simple lack of endurance and leg muscle toughness.
2. Easy runs a fraction too quick.
3. Some MP runs too long. Maybe limiting to 21.1km would have been a good idea.
4. Tempo runs were mostly good, but I should have kept to the McMillan paces. I need to get over the temptation to beat the workout, especially when I'm feeling good. I think my training plateued a bit - the performance in Freo HM is an indicator of that.
5. Overall I think I got the volume right ; at no point did I feel absolute fatigue and the step ups were handled quite easily. The balance in different workouts was good as well. Recovery runs worked well too, instead of taking days off.
Monday, November 8, 2010
New York Marathon 360th in 2:50:13 (23rd M45-49)
What a day. I missed my target by a minute and a half, but I'm still thrilled with the result - a 9 minute PB. This is a very well organised race, given the logistical challenge of getting 45,000 people to the start on Staten Island. The start is in 3 waves waves, sub-divided into three separate starts, blue, green and orange.Woke at 4:30 and forced down a large bowl of porridge and honey. Got the bag together and headed from our 71st Street apartment at 5:30am we took the the 1 subway to 14th, then the 2 to Chambers St, transferred via shuttle (weekend railworks!) to the Staten Island Ferry, got the ferry to Staten Island and then bus transfer to the start; arriving at 7:45. Kim & co. with Travelling fit got a luxury coach to the start. Hmmmpph!
Lessons learned from Boston were applied here. Do not get cold! Took many layers and changed into my race shoes just before handing my bag to the UPS trucks. Went to get a coffee, munched on a bagel and headed into the corral when they opened at 8:20. There was a line of loos in the corral, so it was good to hang out there and relax. No loo stress here...
Corrals closed at 8:55 and after a 20 minute wait we headed down to the start. Getting excited now! The elites were introduced - Haile getting the biggest cheer. Everyone started hurling their discardable gear off to the side, but disappointingly some dropped their gear at their feet including water bottles, which was a bit of a hazard.
This is not a flat course. Most of it is either long slight climbs or descents, and four of the five bridges present a significant challenge. There were bands everywhere and the crowd noise in sections was fantastic. All the time 'Go David!' or 'Go Aussie'. I felt really good. And inspired. My favourite was 'Yo David, you in Harlem now...' and 'Oh yeah, big David's got it going on...' :-) I was trying to go on heart rate, but that was pretty high, so went to just going on feel and breathing. I think the HR was elevated just because of adrenaline...
Hit a first patch of suffering at the halfway. I was steeling myself for the Queensboro bridge, but before you get there there's another (think Narrows x 2) - the Pulaski. Up and over and then down around and up the Queensboro. That's a bastard of a bridge (Narrows x 5). The worst thing about these is that there's no crowd support - it's quiet and all you have is the sound of your own suffering. I was buoyed by the fact that I was still steadily overtaking people, as I did the whole way. Actually the worst part was the steep descent off the bridge - which is where Haile's knee blew, I can understand why. My left ankle had started feeling sore at 10 miles and turning corners was painful, so the steep decent and sharp left hurt a lot. However, we were now in Manhattan and the crowd noise went to a new level.
Then was the 4 mile haul up 1st avenue. Again loooong ups and downs. Now I was starting to have to dig. I was still picking up places and hanging onto others who were doing the same. My feet were starting to get sore, but happily the left ankle had settled down. I was having good spots and bad spots, but the encouraging thing was I was still having good spots ! By now I was doing gatorade and water when I could.The climb over the bridge into the Bronx was hard but psychologically once you're in the Bronx your're about to turn south for home. It was fairly quiet in the Bronx and after a few twists and turns you're on the bridge back to Manhattan and crowds. I had a good patch again for a couple of miles here, and really started to reel in places. At 35km I was still on track for my 4:00 pace target but then came the long climb to Central park and my legs just lost their bounce. Pushed and dug up the hill, and then we were into the Park. 2 miles to go. I can do this. Really tried to push down the hill and then we turned into Central Park south. 1 Mile to go. Come on!
As you turn in Columbus circle seems a loong way away. The crowd is screeaming - almost as load as your body..... turn north 800m to go, 400 - 1 lap come on, 300, 200 ... finish!
Elation, emotion, mind snap, body snap, recover , medal photo....
Next was the stagger up to pick up the bag. Trucks started at 70,000, my number was 4693! My calves were seizing I was shivering and shaking. I thought, I don't know if I can make it ; slowly we all staggered up, consuming the contents of the excellent food bag given at the finish ; gatorade, apple (what else in NYC ), protein bar, pretzels etc. Finally got there (what's one more mile when you've run 26.2 ?!) and was able to change into dry clothes and started to feel more human - bag pickup was quick because I was only the third person from my corral to finish. Than came the walk back to the apartment - including a nice chat with a cop about the race as I waited for a pedestrian light. New Yorkers love their event and really take an interest. What a treat...
Very happy with how it went. 3 min positive split, the legs just didn't have it when push came to shove. The time for analysis is later, the time to reflect on my most enjoyable marathon experience to date is now.
Splits:
| 5 km | 10 km | 15 km | 20 km | 13.1 mi | 25 km | 30 km | 35 km | 40 km |
| 0:20:02 | 00:39:32 | 00:59:16 | 01:19:05 | 01:23:30 | 01:39:27 | 01:59:16 | 02:20:01 | 02:41:00 |
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Philadelphia ; 3 days to go
Well, it's getting close now. We arrived in the State last Wednesday to work for a week before heading up to NYC. Flew into JFK after an 8 hour layover in Tokyo. A good way to go - 10hrs to Narita, 8 hour layover, 13 hour to JFK. Legs felt OK at the end helped by the layover and wearing skins. Couldn't help the cankles though, but they disappeared after a day or so.
Did 15 minutes on the sweatbox of a gym at the Hilton JFK on Wednesday evening just to get some blood flowing again. Followed that up with another 30 minutes the next morning. I was wringing out the shorts after that one! We got a cab to Penn Station, NY to get the Amtrak down to Philadelphia where we're working for a week. Had a nice brekky at Zaro's - a large coffee, 2 cinn/raisin bagels and a cranberry muffin, with another two bagels to go. Got down to Philly and into the Sheraton Center City hotel room by 11am.
Spent the afternoon in the office and then hit Kelly Drive for my evening MP hour (map). It was very warm and I felt great with no significant after-effect from the plane trip. Melbourne has the Tan, Perth has the Bridges, Philly has Kelly Drive. The place was swarming with runners of all shapes paces and sizes. Great to see!
Some kind soul has marked the path at quarter mile intervals as well, a handy pace guide. Over here, one has to think of pace per mile, not per k. No-one understands '4-minute k's, I guess just as we don't understand '6:20 miles'. Adding to the oddness, most marathons (including NYC) put timing mats every 5 kms, but have mile markers...
Friday I did a 30 min recovery up to the Schuykill row houses and back.
On Saturday Kim and I had a date with the local running group the Philly runners, meeting at the Rocky statue at the base of the Art Museum steps. Unfortunately I couldn't get anyone at my pace, so it was another solo run ; out in ~4:10's and back at MP. 20k for the last 'long' run and I felt great! Conditions had turned though, it was only 9 degrees. We also had to dodge regatta watchers as we ran past the Schukill row houses, including a classic 'guy carrying oars turning around' incident. I went up the river to Wissahickon reserve and up in that park for a bit before turning back. The leaves are turning here and it was gorgeous. Afterwards we headed for the coffee shop for refreshments... route here.
I woke really early Sunday so just did my 30min recovery on the treadmill - a much better gym than the Hilton at JFK. Sunrise is at 7:30 am here and it was pretty cold to I plumped for the easy option. Monday half hour easy (4:07) at 6:30am, Tuesday 25 min recovery at 6:30am again and Tuesday evening 45 minutes at MP after work - the last significant run before Sunday. Another 30 minutes Wednesday morning @ 4:05. Kelley Dr is a very scenic place to run, but it's a PITA to get to with all the road crossings in the first mile. Probably do another recovery Thursday am, nothing Friday, and a 20 minute loosener on Saturday (or not!).
Feeling great - no aches and pains, low HRs, the best I've felt in a taper, hopefully a good sign for the weekend.
Forecast is looking good, if a bit windy, for Sunday - it's going to be sunny 8° with a min of 2° with 16/32kph NNW winds. Forecast - Course
Did 15 minutes on the sweatbox of a gym at the Hilton JFK on Wednesday evening just to get some blood flowing again. Followed that up with another 30 minutes the next morning. I was wringing out the shorts after that one! We got a cab to Penn Station, NY to get the Amtrak down to Philadelphia where we're working for a week. Had a nice brekky at Zaro's - a large coffee, 2 cinn/raisin bagels and a cranberry muffin, with another two bagels to go. Got down to Philly and into the Sheraton Center City hotel room by 11am.
Spent the afternoon in the office and then hit Kelly Drive for my evening MP hour (map). It was very warm and I felt great with no significant after-effect from the plane trip. Melbourne has the Tan, Perth has the Bridges, Philly has Kelly Drive. The place was swarming with runners of all shapes paces and sizes. Great to see!Some kind soul has marked the path at quarter mile intervals as well, a handy pace guide. Over here, one has to think of pace per mile, not per k. No-one understands '4-minute k's, I guess just as we don't understand '6:20 miles'. Adding to the oddness, most marathons (including NYC) put timing mats every 5 kms, but have mile markers...
Friday I did a 30 min recovery up to the Schuykill row houses and back.
I woke really early Sunday so just did my 30min recovery on the treadmill - a much better gym than the Hilton at JFK. Sunrise is at 7:30 am here and it was pretty cold to I plumped for the easy option. Monday half hour easy (4:07) at 6:30am, Tuesday 25 min recovery at 6:30am again and Tuesday evening 45 minutes at MP after work - the last significant run before Sunday. Another 30 minutes Wednesday morning @ 4:05. Kelley Dr is a very scenic place to run, but it's a PITA to get to with all the road crossings in the first mile. Probably do another recovery Thursday am, nothing Friday, and a 20 minute loosener on Saturday (or not!).
Feeling great - no aches and pains, low HRs, the best I've felt in a taper, hopefully a good sign for the weekend.
Forecast is looking good, if a bit windy, for Sunday - it's going to be sunny 8° with a min of 2° with 16/32kph NNW winds. Forecast - Course
Monday, October 25, 2010
Rottnest 10km : 3rd in 35:13
Cracking run in the Rotto 10km funrun. Pretty warm by the 10:30 start but the 32/38kp/h wind kept things cool. Busi as usual lead from start to finish. Simon Coates surged at 1.5km to catch the lead 5km group, but I maintained the gap from that point. The wind never quite went away and was fairly extreme on the hill leading out of Geordie bay. Tough finish up the hill into the settlement, and squeezing down the path past the 5k runners and then trying not to go A over T on the sharp right hander onto the gravel through the finish...
.I felt very good after the 27km run the day before, but needed a reasonable warmup to help my legs feel less like two sacks of potatoes from standing around and supporting the marathing for the preceding 4 hours.
Splits: 3:22/3:27/3:39/3:27/3:31/3:36/3:24/3:41/3:37/3:26
A few recovery runs now and then we fly to the US. Long Range forecast for the marathon is perfect. Not a good sign :-)
Mostly Sunny
Hi 57° RealFeel® 53° Day
S at 7 mph
Gusts: 23 mph
Monday, October 18, 2010
NYC number #4694 Blue Wave 1 Corral #4 start 9:40am
Got my rego information today along with the race handbook. No going back now...
I'm in the last big week before taper starts which I'm quite looking forward to. 25km on Saturday and I'll race the 10k at Rotto as well. Next week I'll take 25% of the normal runs, and start to hone everything except recoveries around MP. We fly to the US on Tuesday 26th.
On reflection my training has gone very well, perhaps running some of the easy runs a bit hard. Time will tell if doing the long runs at similar to easy pace was wise ; most of them have started slow and finished around MP. The weekly mileage build and race mix has been gradual, where now I feel if I'm not clocking 120km I'm being slack.
One thing the recent warm weather has taught me - my last few Thursday evening runs in direct sun, temperature in the mid 20s, strong easterly wind and RH 10-20% I have experienced what I now recognise as quite severe symptoms of dehydration and lost 2.5-3.5 kg (starting @ around 70kg) of fluid. I'm starting to suspect a large part of my Boston disaster was severe dehydration (coupled with injury and a bad carbo-load) . I’ve never drunk much on my training runs (mostly because I don’t like stopping) , but as a result I am drinking a lot more and will pay attention to this on marathon day.
Only one scare with a soleus tweak which forced me to take a day off and miss an intervals session and a recovery run, but it resolved the problem.
I'm in the last big week before taper starts which I'm quite looking forward to. 25km on Saturday and I'll race the 10k at Rotto as well. Next week I'll take 25% of the normal runs, and start to hone everything except recoveries around MP. We fly to the US on Tuesday 26th.
On reflection my training has gone very well, perhaps running some of the easy runs a bit hard. Time will tell if doing the long runs at similar to easy pace was wise ; most of them have started slow and finished around MP. The weekly mileage build and race mix has been gradual, where now I feel if I'm not clocking 120km I'm being slack.
One thing the recent warm weather has taught me - my last few Thursday evening runs in direct sun, temperature in the mid 20s, strong easterly wind and RH 10-20% I have experienced what I now recognise as quite severe symptoms of dehydration and lost 2.5-3.5 kg (starting @ around 70kg) of fluid. I'm starting to suspect a large part of my Boston disaster was severe dehydration (coupled with injury and a bad carbo-load) . I’ve never drunk much on my training runs (mostly because I don’t like stopping) , but as a result I am drinking a lot more and will pay attention to this on marathon day.
Only one scare with a soleus tweak which forced me to take a day off and miss an intervals session and a recovery run, but it resolved the problem.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Fremantle HM 8th in 1:17:15
Not a bad result. Weather conditions were perfect today. Inside the body, not so much. I had nagging nausea the whole run ; I made the best of it and tried to keep to my tempo pace, but I had to run solo from about 2.5k ; Stephen Stockwell was ahead, the guy behind me way behind. There were moments when I felt OK and pushed the pace up a bit, but then it got nasty so I dropped off again. Running solo I had nothing to take my mind of things ; the crowd support was great though and I enjoyed coming through the finish area to go around again. Benefits of having a big field – big crowd! All things considered I was pretty happy to run 8th behind Busi, Mackay, Dymnicki, Hill, Stockwell, Johnson and Courtney. The women’s field was disappointing ; no big guns - winner was about 1:27, 5th was 1:37!
In a weak moment I thought about petitioning the WAMC to allow me to compete in the M40-44 age group instead ; as long as Steve Stockwell is running this well, I'm no chance! First M40 was 1:24:00 ... :-)
The bonus of being limited through reasons other than cardio/leg tiredness has been that I've been pretty fresh for the last two easy runs so I can hit my intervals hard tonight and do a decent session Thursday as well. It would be nice to shake this nausea bug that's been kicking around for a bit too long now...
In a weak moment I thought about petitioning the WAMC to allow me to compete in the M40-44 age group instead ; as long as Steve Stockwell is running this well, I'm no chance! First M40 was 1:24:00 ... :-)
The bonus of being limited through reasons other than cardio/leg tiredness has been that I've been pretty fresh for the last two easy runs so I can hit my intervals hard tonight and do a decent session Thursday as well. It would be nice to shake this nausea bug that's been kicking around for a bit too long now...
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monster Month
September: 612km @4:10 pace Avg HR 151 beats/km 629.
Big month. I feel like I have recovered well from the big weeks132/134/143/155km - this last week has been a cut-back of sorts (110km scheduled) knocking 12 minutes off my hour runs, taking intensity off Tuesday intervals, and a bit off the Thursday evening run. No long run this week, racing Fremantle Half on Sunday. It will be a good test of where I'm at.
38 days to go...
Big month. I feel like I have recovered well from the big weeks132/134/143/155km - this last week has been a cut-back of sorts (110km scheduled) knocking 12 minutes off my hour runs, taking intensity off Tuesday intervals, and a bit off the Thursday evening run. No long run this week, racing Fremantle Half on Sunday. It will be a good test of where I'm at.
38 days to go...
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Fremantle 10k 7th in 35:07
Fremantle ‘Fun’ run on a very breezy day ; I had a good race, not maximal effort but not a lot off. I felt better as it went on ; to be honest I found the wind worse last year, it was more of a cross-wind on the groin and you only really felt it in the kilometre down to the railway crossing, but then you get a tailwind home.
Course map here.
Pre-race meal of soaked-overnight oats and honey was a big improvement, and I didn’t have the coffee either, just green tea; I felt a lot better at the start. Also did a Gu rather than the Torq Gel/Powerbar. Average HR was 176 – two beats lower than C2S but 5 sec/k quicker; it is a flat course though. Pretty happy with the way I’m feeling and the way it went. Stockwell again was 30-40 metres in front pretty much from the start, but I couldn’t close. Good turnout – Busi, Bailie, Ingraham, Hill etc.
Splits: 3:29/3:31/3:31/3:36/3:29/3:28/3:33/3:33/3:37/3:19 = 35:07 (too bad about #4 and #9 !)
Interestingly, kms 4 and 9 were the ones where the wind was most into us ; looks like a mental lapse though - I slowed down, but the heart rate dropped as well, so the slowing wasn't because of external factors, it was mental. Tut tut!
On the back of two 135km weeks I'm happy with the way things are going. I'll add a second run (recovery)after the long run to my week, and try to peak out at about 150km before the taper. Freo HM in three weeks so I'll rejig a bit for that, but overall I feel in great shape, its a matter of tuning for the best performance on Nov 7. I'll organise an iron test for next week to keep an eye on it. I was feeling very fatigued on some runs last week, but feel pretty good now.
Course map here.
Pre-race meal of soaked-overnight oats and honey was a big improvement, and I didn’t have the coffee either, just green tea; I felt a lot better at the start. Also did a Gu rather than the Torq Gel/Powerbar. Average HR was 176 – two beats lower than C2S but 5 sec/k quicker; it is a flat course though. Pretty happy with the way I’m feeling and the way it went. Stockwell again was 30-40 metres in front pretty much from the start, but I couldn’t close. Good turnout – Busi, Bailie, Ingraham, Hill etc.
Splits: 3:29/3:31/3:31/3:36/3:29/3:28/3:33/3:33/3:37/3:19 = 35:07 (too bad about #4 and #9 !)
Interestingly, kms 4 and 9 were the ones where the wind was most into us ; looks like a mental lapse though - I slowed down, but the heart rate dropped as well, so the slowing wasn't because of external factors, it was mental. Tut tut!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
City to Surf 12k in 43:06 27th overall, 1st in 40-49 Age Group
Funny how life catches up with you. I just had no zip in my legs at all today, it was just plain unpleasant hard work today. At no point did I feel good. My HR hit 185 just before the top of Malcolm St hill and I wanted to stop from that point onward. Average HR was about 180 – hard to tell it dropped out a bit, but I was in the red zone for all but the first 2 minutes. I may have gone too hard at first, and after 7k all I wanted to do was give it away.
4k 13:35 (3:24)
7k 24:31 (3:38)
9k 31:37 (3:33)
10k 35:45 (4:08)
11k 39:44 (4:01)
12k 43:08 (3:23)
Some k markers were dubious so the above splits are not really worth much.I can’t complain, I’ve had a lot of good races this year, I’m bound to have a bad one sooner or later. It’s still 26 seconds faster than last year…. and another thing I can say is that I wasn’t overtaken by anyone except Mark Lee who pipped me on the line. Turns out I won my age group too :-)
A highlight for me, I did enjoy being amongst the leading women ; Melinda Vernon (winner of 2009 Sydney C2S) was just ahead and I had Tara Palm breathing down my neck at the bottom of Oceanic. I was alongside Lisa Weightman up Malcolm St hill, clearly she was just taking it easy. Then she put the hammer down and disappeared from view. Amazing athlete.
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