DNF Training

Went out for an 19km run last night and for the second time ever did not finish it...first 8kms was nice and steady, then i met up with the Warriors who looked (and ran) a whole lot fresher than me...I ran another 5 and then came over all dizzy and nauseous.....walked back

Hard to figure out why...I ate what i thought would be enough, had my camelpak on and drank enough, slept ok but just couldnt keep going....there were LOTS of hills to contend with but that really isnt a reason because my pace was adjusted..you just know when its time to live to fight again..ended up clocking 15 very hilly kms and watched the Warriors stream in one by one..at least it didnt happen on the actual Half Marathon which is in two weeks.

Pub2Pub 13km Race Report

There's few runs set in a more beautiful landscape than Pub2Pub Dee Why to Newport Arms 13kms. This Sunday, me and mates Ron and Duncan stepped on to the sand of Dee Why for this great event, me and Duncan have done it three years in a row...

The race started using a pulse system, 300 runners at a time times about ten starts with a minute between them.....up the beach for 1km slogging it thru the sand and then accross Long Reef park down past Collaroy beach..

I had no plans for this one, just see how i go and was very pleased to be setting a consistent 5.2 pace right until the Warriewood Hills 6-7 kms into the race..here i am nice and solid checking my watch

Then I ran a steady series of hills, not thrashing myself like the last 2 races but just taking it slightly anaerobically and saving abit for the massive one coming up....

Here's Duncan, looking good...

..and Ron nice and steady..

At the bottom of the Newport Hill i had a brief stop at the traffic as we had to cross Pittwater Road....then abit of pain for 2kms uphill..then smash it down the home stretch, slightly downhill..

Tired, but still with abit in the tan for a 75minute finish (5.4min/km pace)

Onya Duncan!!!

Onya Ron!!!!

Then a nice cold beer..

01:15:33
HH : MM : SS
Overall :	1013
Gender :	733
Category :	176

Stuff

Tomorrow it's time for the Pub2Pub 13kms...starting on the beautiful Dee Why Beach and ending up at the Newport Arms Hotel....time for some gut-busting after alot of slow slogs.

There is no better run for scenic views and a fantastic way to celebrate at the end (beers at 9am!)

Last year I was faster than i am now thakns to heaps of tempo runs..Ive gradually moved to longer distances and hills in the bush so we'll see how it goes...theres a killer hill at the end as you can see from being knackered last year below..pretty sure my posture has improved though!!!!

After that its three weeks until Blackmores Half and then a pretty long stretch where there will be no formal races..

Still, I still have lots of plans

1. 32km Bush run to Crosslands with 2 friends

2. An appointment with some friends with a running coach to look at our style and biomechanics

3. Westleigh Warriors Relay

4. Continued Berowra Bush Runners

5. Increasing my regular base to 45kms per week

6. Some scenic running in New Zealand and Melbourne during work visits

Apart from that its a nice long wait until Canberra marathon training starts late November.....

Got my playlist ready....Roll Deep, MC Hammer, Public Enemy, 36CrazyFists, Van Halen

Five Running Essentials

Inspired by bloggy friends Im writing my top five running essentials, five things ive learned across the last 2 years, often the result of near-injuries, stress, joyful discoveries

1. The Easy Run

When I started every run was a tempo run, a one way ticket to emotional and physical exhaustion..now every other run is a relaxed affair, chatting with friends and letting the body stretch out and recover before thrashing it again

2. Posture

This one is major: if your injured its often because your posture isnt right, from overpronation to groin strain, ITB to foot problems...stay straight and relaxed, dont sit 'bum in the bucket' but lead with your core.

3. Trails

The thrill of the road can soon wear off as you run every route possible near where you live and your joints gradually wear down from constant battering...the bush lets all your muscles work and can be very uplifting, especially at sunrise!

4. Fuel

Learn to love carbs and dont feel bad....porridge, bagels, wholemeal muffins, stuff yourself in the morning and gradually eat less after that as the day progresses with meat and vegies at night....

5. Friends

Running alone is great but for me making friends along the way is part of the joy of the sport...plenty of room to compete and chat..youll meet people youd never other wise know and go on adventures together.

Five more tomorrow

One Tiny Change Effects the Whole System

Had a revelation on yesterdays run about my constant battle with niggles in my ankle and abductors and the fact that i am constantly stretching them out to the point of exhaustion.....its nothing extraordinary, proof that a very small change can make an enormous difference

....I discovered that the common solution to all these problems is simply a matter of tilting my hips in..when i do this my whole body comes into line and i feel like im running with it all.not just my thighs....my core drives me forward, head up, legs stretched out, overpronation stops

I read its like imagining your hips are a bowl of marbles and your not allowed to spill any...keep the legs under the hips at all times...dont do the 'butt in a bucket', etc.......

I ran like this for 10kms last night and it was astounding...rock solid...no niggles...fresh abductors....very little horizontal movement, just cruising down the road...hard to believe its taken me 2 years so work this one out but i think my core just hasnt been strong enough to manage it...I thank kettle bells for it...hallelujah!

Take it easy

Now that Jabulani is over it's time to start thinking about the next few months..I have 2 races on the calendar...pub2pub (13kms) in 2-3 weeks, and Blackmoore's half in a five weeks....

I need to make sure I do a proper rest over the next seven days if Im am to get rolling for these..my legs feel pretty worn out still and so I plan to do all my scheduled runs but only at a very easy pace..Ill even avoid the Bushrunners this Sunday if they are still not right to make sure

Next four Thursdays after that will involve a long run 0f between 17-20kms, plus one killer bush run and 2 recovery runs per week.....Ill try and run the long ones at the pace i need to do a 1:55 Half marathon, one minute better than my last one..

Hopefully i have learned my lesson since Canberra marathon where i went straight back into training right afterwards, smashing out fast runs after two-three days off..ridiculous

Feeling Good!

Feeling good after Jabulani...after some pretty terrible soreness in the avo after the run and some serious streching I woke up the next day feeling remarkably fresh, except for a slight pain in the right knee which is subsiding....

I recently discovered that the elevation was around 2198ft, quite alot more than we are used to...our normal runs probably top 500 or so but nothing compared to the whopping 3-4000ft of the six foot track..


If this is my goal it means that the eventual training required for a run like that will be pretty massive..I know at 5kms-to-go on Jabulani my legs were pretty wooden and heavy so there is clearly alot more work to do if thats ever going to be possible..

I plan a very easy run tonite around the nice bouncy oval where my daughter will be soccer training...then another Wedneaday and Friday before Sundays Berowra Bush Run...

Jabulani Challenge 25Kms Race Report

Today marked an auspicious occasion in my running journey, and that of my buddies Michele and Gabby..our first ever organised trail run...Jabulani Challenge.

We had a pretty interesting time people-watching before the start..there were the usual very fit, elite runners who looked incredible, then another group of very fit 'plonkers', donning full body skins, Badwater scarves and gators, eating Gu before they even set off and trying to look tough..gee whiz....abit much for a 25km run.

Had a chat with a lovely bloke who i am sure came in the front pack, he was wearing some pretty cool foam cushioned shoes, high heel sneakers, which he swore by..by the look of him when he set they had bloody turbos in them

We were greeted at the start with some lovely steep hill.....a feature of the landscape that would return many many times over the next 25kms...another one below, taken right after I watered the trees.

By around 8kms we made some new friends, Caroline and Ron (he actually reads my blog...now i have 2 readers) who stuck with us until around the 19km mark.....thats one of the great things about trail running, its chilled and friendly and we are not all just chasing the clock like road runs

Here's proof i was there..

The descent into Bobbin Head was beautiful (and steep)

It's lovely when you catch sight of the water below.

From there we hit Checkpoint 1 for abit of Staminade and lollies before the most idyllic part of the run, along the river on a technical trail....good on Caroline for setting a great pace along this 3-4km stretch..

Some of it was very technical.....a few 45k'ers past us here like gazelles

Then we turned away from the river and up a hill that was ridiculously steep, marked by small rocks piled on top of each other...energy sapping...thank God for Checkpoint 2 at the top...mmmmm....Coke! Lollies!!!

Then we were at about 17kms....we looped back a while until we hit the track we came out on...

No photos of this because i was well and truly knackered....dead legs plus one steep hill after another, finished off at 25kms by an absolute monster..

Got to take my hat off to the organisers who ran a faultless race..excellent markings, great cause, nice tshirts at the end and a friendly relaxed atmosphere..

Our legs were smashed but we were happy..

Jabulani Map

Wow, the route for this weekends Jabulani Challenge 26km trail run is pretty bloody complicated..they say it's signposted but that we should also carry a map with us...after getting lost in the bush on holidays a few months ago Im not keen on doing it again so I have mapped their directions on to the satellite version of Mapmyrun to work out the course in my head...

Back is all good and groin...feeling a slight pain in my thigh due to taper madness but enjoyed snickers and thick shake today to make up for it........ran 7kms this am and will run an easy 5 on Friday...one more visit to the gym then all ready...