It's now been 6 weeks since Tarawera and I feel I've got back into the full swing of things. I took a good 3weeks off after Tarawera to get my mind and legs fresh again and feel it was the right thing to do. I've been back 3weeks now and with 3 weeks to TNF100 I'm hoping I'll be in good shape for that.
This week was pretty big. Got 100km running in by Fri and a total of 160km in for the week. The only issue I've had is my right foot which has a lovely bunion and a hammer toe has been giving me some pain on the ball of my foot.
On to this weekend which will be my last big weekend until TNF
Sat was a day of racing. First with the Trotters Charles Kay. Had a goal of sub 40min (this is a tough 10k with nice massive 1km hill thrown in there) I got 38:56 for that effort and came in at 4th place.
Second race in the Arvo with the cross country club held out at Matcham pony club. What was meant to be 6km was more like 6.5Km. Ran that in 24:24 and placed 6th.
Sunday was waking up at 4am to have a good solid run with the trotters on the GNW course starting at Congewoi and finishing at Cedar Brush rd. (33km)
I packed my running pack with all the gear I'll need for TNF and reckon I had about 5kg on my back. I just ran a nice steady pace running with Mick to the top of the communication tower (well Mick ran it and I walked) and Clarke. Mick and Clarke passed me on that hill but Mick stopped at the top to wait for Jess. I caught up to Clarke and we ran together for a little bit then he must've got bored with the pace and he took off. I was happy to just go my own pace and not kill myself.
Finished the run in 3hrs24min. Clarke the mad man finished in 3hrs01min and Darrell came in at 3hrs28min. All in all a good weekend of running but feeling pretty tired now!
About Me
- bear
- PB'S Six foot track - 4:09 March 08 3000m 9:50 - October 09 5000m 17:25 10k 36:03 - may 2009 1/2 marathon 79:56 marathon 2:54:56
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Post Lake Tarawera
Its 4 days now since I finished the race. We got home late last night and it felt good to be home again.
I've really struggled with that calf since the race and have been feeling pretty low about it. I planned on taking 3weeks off running after this race except for the odd run on the weekends so that actully helped as I'm no pressure to get back into it too early.
At first when I finished the race and up until Monday I was thinking I'd had a pretty crap run. I was thinking how I had blown up and I should've been at least 1hr quicker finishing, but the more I've thought about it the more I've thought it was actully a pretty good result. I was running comfortable for the first 20k and felt like I could've ran all day then a twinge out of nowhere in my left calf forced me to drop back the pace and with 30km or 40km of tree roots to run through my calf just got worse and worse. I was on the verge of doing a dnf at 60km but somehow I could not do it.
I'm not too sure what happened but my calf came good in stages after that. Managed to work my way up through the field again. So to go from running with the top end of the field to dropping back to around 30th then to work my way back to 7th I'm now thinking "that's pretty darn good!"
One of the great things I found with this race was all the people involved and all the runners that I was running with from the top group to the mid pack who passed me before I passed them again who came and congratulated me when I finished.
I guess the thing with ultra running not everything goes as planned and you need to be ready for some misfortunes. I can think about how I could've gone that 1hr quicker if that calf behaved and how I could've done this and I could've done that but I did the best I could under the circumstances I was in and I've got to be happy with that.
I was lucky I didn't have to dnf as alot of runners did. I was lucky to get a top 10 placing against some of the worlds best trail ultra runners, I was lucky to encounter some of the best trails to run on with an elite group of runners.
Yep I didn't have a crap race...I had an AWESOME race!
Next thing now is to get this calf good and get race fit for TNF100
I've really struggled with that calf since the race and have been feeling pretty low about it. I planned on taking 3weeks off running after this race except for the odd run on the weekends so that actully helped as I'm no pressure to get back into it too early.
At first when I finished the race and up until Monday I was thinking I'd had a pretty crap run. I was thinking how I had blown up and I should've been at least 1hr quicker finishing, but the more I've thought about it the more I've thought it was actully a pretty good result. I was running comfortable for the first 20k and felt like I could've ran all day then a twinge out of nowhere in my left calf forced me to drop back the pace and with 30km or 40km of tree roots to run through my calf just got worse and worse. I was on the verge of doing a dnf at 60km but somehow I could not do it.
I'm not too sure what happened but my calf came good in stages after that. Managed to work my way up through the field again. So to go from running with the top end of the field to dropping back to around 30th then to work my way back to 7th I'm now thinking "that's pretty darn good!"
One of the great things I found with this race was all the people involved and all the runners that I was running with from the top group to the mid pack who passed me before I passed them again who came and congratulated me when I finished.
I guess the thing with ultra running not everything goes as planned and you need to be ready for some misfortunes. I can think about how I could've gone that 1hr quicker if that calf behaved and how I could've done this and I could've done that but I did the best I could under the circumstances I was in and I've got to be happy with that.
I was lucky I didn't have to dnf as alot of runners did. I was lucky to get a top 10 placing against some of the worlds best trail ultra runners, I was lucky to encounter some of the best trails to run on with an elite group of runners.
Yep I didn't have a crap race...I had an AWESOME race!
Next thing now is to get this calf good and get race fit for TNF100
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Lake Tarawera Ultra 100km
What an amazing technical race this is. It has it all. Nice forestry trails, nasty gravel trails, a little bit of road, lots and lots of technical tree roots trails, river crossings, running along cliff edges, some nice hills, some nasty hills, fallen trees, awesome aid stations, awesome volunteers, a great lead up to the race with a funrun and the Western States movie. Even the finishing medals were outstanding!
My race started off just as planned. I had 2 goals I wanted to reach. Sub 10hrs and a top 10 placing I got one of those goals.
We got to the start just before 6am and with the race stating at 7am we had just over an hour to go. I found it pretty cold waiting. After a quick pre race briefing we were lined up ready to go. I set myself about 5 rows back and just eased into it passing quite alot of runners. After about 30 or 40min I found myself up with the leading 100km runners. I was quite surprised at how easy the pace was. It was at one of the aid stations at about 19km I stopped to get the crap out of my shoe. Going through the river sections I got some stones etc in there. It was also at this stage I noticed my left calf feeling rather sore. I slowed down a bit to let it settle but as the run went on it just got worse. It wasn't long before I was on the tree roots and I reckon there was around 40km of tree root trails to run through which made it interesting. There was alot more hills than I expected.
Not long before the 60k someone told me I was 27th. yukk! I've gone from about 6th or 7th down to high 20. By the time I made it to 60k I was in about 20th place. It was also here the first female came charging by!
I decided I better get my butt into gear.
Leaving the 60k we were on a gravel road then we started a climb. The more I climed the hills the more my calf would spasm up. I found I could keep it at bay with salt tablets. Alto of the race is a bit of a blur after the 60k but I remember we started to make our way down hill and all of a sudden my calf came good. So while it felt good I ran a pretty good pace. I manged to catch up to alot of the other runners that passed me in the tree roots. Going up the hills now I had no problem running and passed alot as most were walking them.
The main hill is this 5km loop thats starts just befor 80km It was here my calf got really sore again and on that loop one other guy I passed and the chick caught back up to me. I found this hill quite good as it gave me a chance to break the run up with some walking. Back at the aid station my calf came good again so I took advantage of it and ran a nice steady pace dropping Nicola (the female runner) and the other guy. I got to 90km checpoint and only stopped for about 30sec. I made it there in 9hrs33min. There were 2 more drink stops between there and the finish. I only stopped at the last one. They tell me only 3km to go. That was a long 3km too. All this time I had no idea how close the girl and guy was behind me but knew if they can't see me they have no idea how far in front I was.
Finally I could see the finish line!
I finished in 10rs23min36sec and 7th place. Beating that guy by 2min and the girl by 3min.
Not the time I wanted but the placing was good :-)
My race started off just as planned. I had 2 goals I wanted to reach. Sub 10hrs and a top 10 placing I got one of those goals.
We got to the start just before 6am and with the race stating at 7am we had just over an hour to go. I found it pretty cold waiting. After a quick pre race briefing we were lined up ready to go. I set myself about 5 rows back and just eased into it passing quite alot of runners. After about 30 or 40min I found myself up with the leading 100km runners. I was quite surprised at how easy the pace was. It was at one of the aid stations at about 19km I stopped to get the crap out of my shoe. Going through the river sections I got some stones etc in there. It was also at this stage I noticed my left calf feeling rather sore. I slowed down a bit to let it settle but as the run went on it just got worse. It wasn't long before I was on the tree roots and I reckon there was around 40km of tree root trails to run through which made it interesting. There was alot more hills than I expected.
Not long before the 60k someone told me I was 27th. yukk! I've gone from about 6th or 7th down to high 20. By the time I made it to 60k I was in about 20th place. It was also here the first female came charging by!
I decided I better get my butt into gear.
Leaving the 60k we were on a gravel road then we started a climb. The more I climed the hills the more my calf would spasm up. I found I could keep it at bay with salt tablets. Alto of the race is a bit of a blur after the 60k but I remember we started to make our way down hill and all of a sudden my calf came good. So while it felt good I ran a pretty good pace. I manged to catch up to alot of the other runners that passed me in the tree roots. Going up the hills now I had no problem running and passed alot as most were walking them.
The main hill is this 5km loop thats starts just befor 80km It was here my calf got really sore again and on that loop one other guy I passed and the chick caught back up to me. I found this hill quite good as it gave me a chance to break the run up with some walking. Back at the aid station my calf came good again so I took advantage of it and ran a nice steady pace dropping Nicola (the female runner) and the other guy. I got to 90km checpoint and only stopped for about 30sec. I made it there in 9hrs33min. There were 2 more drink stops between there and the finish. I only stopped at the last one. They tell me only 3km to go. That was a long 3km too. All this time I had no idea how close the girl and guy was behind me but knew if they can't see me they have no idea how far in front I was.
Finally I could see the finish line!
I finished in 10rs23min36sec and 7th place. Beating that guy by 2min and the girl by 3min.
Not the time I wanted but the placing was good :-)
Friday, March 16, 2012
Lake Tarawera Ultra Eve
It's the day before the big race. I think I'm pretty ready. We flew into Auckland on Wed. Stayed out at Bucketty beach and got a nice 11.5k run in
Thurs morning got a easy 6k done in the morning then we made our way down to Rotorua. That evening we met up with a heap of other runners at the Redwood Forrest for a casual 7.5k run on some of the best trails I've ever run on. After the run they showed the Western States movie
Today being the eve of the race I just went for another easy 11k trail run through all these hot pools. Amazing running over here.
We went for a trip to the Pak and save supermarkets and WOW! what can't you buy at this place!
We also made it up the gondola and down the luge. A bit of pasta for lunch and getting my stuff together for tomorrow.
Sat in a running science seminar from Stuart Mills....(lesson - remain positive!)
Now all I have to do is try to get some sleep, wake up nice and early, relax and race 100k to the finish!
Thurs morning got a easy 6k done in the morning then we made our way down to Rotorua. That evening we met up with a heap of other runners at the Redwood Forrest for a casual 7.5k run on some of the best trails I've ever run on. After the run they showed the Western States movie
Today being the eve of the race I just went for another easy 11k trail run through all these hot pools. Amazing running over here.
We went for a trip to the Pak and save supermarkets and WOW! what can't you buy at this place!
We also made it up the gondola and down the luge. A bit of pasta for lunch and getting my stuff together for tomorrow.
Sat in a running science seminar from Stuart Mills....(lesson - remain positive!)
Now all I have to do is try to get some sleep, wake up nice and early, relax and race 100k to the finish!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Final week!
Starting to get fresh in the legs. We leave tomorrow morning and have to be on the train to Sydney at some stupid oçlock!
Since last blog I've only done a few runs.
Fri - rest
Sat - 16k around Lake Burley griffin in 1:15:08
Sun - 25K out and back on the bay to bay course in 1hr54min
Mon - Rest
Tues - 5k tempo run at 4min k pace witha 1k warmup and easy 6k to finish with in 53min46sec
Well so far so good. Had a massage today as well as some dry needling. Still having issues with my left hamstring but I'm sure it will work out on the day
Since last blog I've only done a few runs.
Fri - rest
Sat - 16k around Lake Burley griffin in 1:15:08
Sun - 25K out and back on the bay to bay course in 1hr54min
Mon - Rest
Tues - 5k tempo run at 4min k pace witha 1k warmup and easy 6k to finish with in 53min46sec
Well so far so good. Had a massage today as well as some dry needling. Still having issues with my left hamstring but I'm sure it will work out on the day
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Tues, Wed and Thurs and yes I'm tapering
Pretty relaxed week so far and backing the running right off. That weak hamstring that I felt was coming from my glute last week has backed off the hamstring but really tightened my left glute up! Not bothered about it as it's made me back off and just do some nice easy running. I'll stay off the hills and the speed until race day now.
Other than the glute I'm feeling quite fit and strong. Its come to my attention that I have just over 1 week until race day....yes ONE WEEK!!
So far this week
Mon - Rest
Tues am - easy 12k 59:12 Terrigal to Forries and back
pm - cycle class
Wed am - easy 11k 52:30 on the treadmill then a double cyle class
Thurs am - easy 12k 59:37 Booker Bay to Umina and back
Tomorrow I'm off to Canberra so I'll just chill out and work and see my girls but do no running
Other than the glute I'm feeling quite fit and strong. Its come to my attention that I have just over 1 week until race day....yes ONE WEEK!!
So far this week
Mon - Rest
Tues am - easy 12k 59:12 Terrigal to Forries and back
pm - cycle class
Wed am - easy 11k 52:30 on the treadmill then a double cyle class
Thurs am - easy 12k 59:37 Booker Bay to Umina and back
Tomorrow I'm off to Canberra so I'll just chill out and work and see my girls but do no running
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
It's taper time!
Well in the last week I've managed to keep getting some descent training in and it's come to the time of taper.
I don't normally taper too much for most events but since last Tuesday feb 28th my left hammy has been feeling weak and just "not right" Feels quite tight when I run but not in any one spot. I even think it may be coming from my left glute. Anyway like I said I've still managed some good training but have decided to back off and see if I can get the hamstring feeling fresh and strong again come race day.
Last week was
Tues am 10.6 intervals
Pm 10k run
Wed am - trail 14.8k
Thurs am - road 15.5k
Fri am - road 12k
pm - cycle class
Sat am - trotters erina bush run 12.4k
Sun am - Orchard run 31.3k
Total for the week around 106.5k
I don't normally taper too much for most events but since last Tuesday feb 28th my left hammy has been feeling weak and just "not right" Feels quite tight when I run but not in any one spot. I even think it may be coming from my left glute. Anyway like I said I've still managed some good training but have decided to back off and see if I can get the hamstring feeling fresh and strong again come race day.
Last week was
Tues am 10.6 intervals
Pm 10k run
Wed am - trail 14.8k
Thurs am - road 15.5k
Fri am - road 12k
pm - cycle class
Sat am - trotters erina bush run 12.4k
Sun am - Orchard run 31.3k
Total for the week around 106.5k
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
humidity!
Two runs in today. First was an fartlex/interval session. 10x3min hard 1min recovery. 10.4k in 45min.
Second run was bloody hot! Easy run that was tough! 10k down at Umina on the flat in 47min. Went from that to my massage
Second run was bloody hot! Easy run that was tough! 10k down at Umina on the flat in 47min. Went from that to my massage
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday in Bouddi!
Tough running is all I can say. Bouddi will definitely take it out of you. Very humid at the start (6:20am) Ran from home to Putty Beach then a lap of maitland bay loop then down to little beach, Macmasters beach to sth Kincumber the back home. 3hrs55min for only 35.5km. Like I said...very tough running.
This week
Mon easy 5k
Tues am - Intervals 12.2k
pm - Trails 14.3k
Wed am - 21k
pm 10k
Thurs - 22.1k
Fri am - 10.2k
pm - 12.1k
Sat 22.1k
Sun - 35.5k
TOTAL about 163km!
Now it's taper time!
This week
Mon easy 5k
Tues am - Intervals 12.2k
pm - Trails 14.3k
Wed am - 21k
pm 10k
Thurs - 22.1k
Fri am - 10.2k
pm - 12.1k
Sat 22.1k
Sun - 35.5k
TOTAL about 163km!
Now it's taper time!
Sat long warmup and a race = tired!
Up for trotters and with 3 weeks to go I decided to run into trotters 12.5k and then the the Charles Kay time trial. Legs were pretty heavy and tired for whats been a big week of running for me. Took 56min to tun there.
I wasn't at all botherd how I would go in the time trial since I've not done much speed work so I set off at what I thought was a hard pace. By 3k I knew this wasn't going to be fast.
I was actually feeling in the lungs ok just didn't have any spring in my legs. Got to Charles Kay hill and I reckon if a motorist saw me running so slow up that hill and the grimacing look on my face they would've thought I was one unfit guy!
Finally after 41:52 I crossed the finish
I wasn't at all botherd how I would go in the time trial since I've not done much speed work so I set off at what I thought was a hard pace. By 3k I knew this wasn't going to be fast.
I was actually feeling in the lungs ok just didn't have any spring in my legs. Got to Charles Kay hill and I reckon if a motorist saw me running so slow up that hill and the grimacing look on my face they would've thought I was one unfit guy!
Finally after 41:52 I crossed the finish
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursday nice moderate run!
Up early to get a good descent run in. Left in the dark around 5:40am. Felt great in the legs and just kept an easy pace at the start then slightly picked it up as the run went on.
Ran from home at Bensville to Davidstown and back going via Dunlop hill and back on the bike path
Did roll my ankle about 17min in the run and developed a friction blister at 44min. That caused my left Peroneal to be sore all day
In the end I ran 22.2km in 1hr45min
Ran from home at Bensville to Davidstown and back going via Dunlop hill and back on the bike path
Did roll my ankle about 17min in the run and developed a friction blister at 44min. That caused my left Peroneal to be sore all day
In the end I ran 22.2km in 1hr45min
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Back on track
It's been a while since I've ranted away on this thing. I guess when I have time away from running I lose the motivation to write about my training. Kind of depressing knowing that I'm forced to rest. In saying that it also gives me a chance to get more swimming & cycling done.
It's been almost 7weeks since Narrabeen and I guess I started running again 3 weeks ago. In that time I've been nursing a sore right foot. Getting better each week but it's still there. Hasn't stopped me from logging in some big km just slowing me down.
From week 2 in Feb I got 122km in and last week 146km. 47km of that was on the Brisbane water bash course last Sunday.
Knowing that I can still do the big km's gives me hope for a good run in 3&half weeks time when we travel to NZ for The Tarawera 100k
So far this week
Mon easy 5k
Tues am - intervals 3min hard 2min easy x 10 12.2km all up
pm - easy trail run from Erina Fair to Bensville 14.3k in 1hr10min
And today
AM - easy to moderate trail run around Bouddi and kincumber - 21km in 1hr57min
PM - a nice easy 10k
I must say that after todays effort my foot feels the best it's felt in ages. The one thing I've learnt though is today could be feeling great...tomorrow it could feel like crap.
Lets hope tomorrow it's feeling great!
It's been almost 7weeks since Narrabeen and I guess I started running again 3 weeks ago. In that time I've been nursing a sore right foot. Getting better each week but it's still there. Hasn't stopped me from logging in some big km just slowing me down.
From week 2 in Feb I got 122km in and last week 146km. 47km of that was on the Brisbane water bash course last Sunday.
Knowing that I can still do the big km's gives me hope for a good run in 3&half weeks time when we travel to NZ for The Tarawera 100k
So far this week
Mon easy 5k
Tues am - intervals 3min hard 2min easy x 10 12.2km all up
pm - easy trail run from Erina Fair to Bensville 14.3k in 1hr10min
And today
AM - easy to moderate trail run around Bouddi and kincumber - 21km in 1hr57min
PM - a nice easy 10k
I must say that after todays effort my foot feels the best it's felt in ages. The one thing I've learnt though is today could be feeling great...tomorrow it could feel like crap.
Lets hope tomorrow it's feeling great!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sun long ride
Again a ride was in order today. Set out from Bensville to Budgewoi then down to WoyWoy.
92.5k in 3hrs22min. Pretty slow but it was really windy. Also just didn't fel like killing myself out there
92.5k in 3hrs22min. Pretty slow but it was really windy. Also just didn't fel like killing myself out there
Sat and 2 weeks since Narrabeen
Well after my attempt at running last week that sore foot I got right at the end of my 10k run has still been sore. Too sore to run on. I seem to have inflammed my peroneal tendon. Pain on the lateral arch of my foot with push off. Managed a couple of spin classes this week and went for a nice ride (55k) from Bensville to Magenta then back to Terrigal.
Foot was heaps better after the ride but got sore as the day went on
Foot was heaps better after the ride but got sore as the day went on
Friday, January 20, 2012
How I started running
One of the most common & frustrating things I see in the exercise world is people wanting to lose weight, whining & complaining that they aren’t happy with their body. I see this everyday. Every now & then I find someone who decides enough is enough & they do something about it.
I was one of those people
I decided to get what really bothers me out of my head & down on paper.
I believe, no in fact I know that if we want something bad enough we will get it. If it’s important enough we will do what needs to be done to get what we want.
We all need GOALS! Without goals we have no idea where we are going or what we want. If you decide to get married what do you do? Do you say I’m going to get married one day then expect it to happen? Do you need to get more specific? Maybe you might need to work out how it’s going to happen. I mean if you say your going to get married I think you need a partner. It’s a bit hard to get married on your own! You may have to set a date. What about a location? Food? Music? & then once you work out all the details you then need to sit down & work out who’s attending. After all this you then need to make an investment or hope mum or dad will pay for it. Either way you will find the money & the time to make that wedding happen. It will become a priority in your life. You want it bad & you will get it!
Lets look at another subject. Let’s say work. Why are you working? Is it to pay for the things you want out of life? Did you wake up one day & hey presto you had a job? Or did you have to put effort & planning in to getting that job. Maybe you had to work out what you wanted to do. You might had to spend time getting educated to get the skills required to do that job. Do you wake up in the morning & think to yourself if you should go to work or do you just get up & go. Most people have a system where they go in to auto pilot & get ready for work without to much thought. They have done it consistent enough so it’s a habit.
Another subject. Lets look at that holiday or short trip away. If you have a holiday planned for let’s say the Gold Coast. You book the airfare, you book the accommodation, you plan it all in advance. You know when you are leaving & when you are returning. If you catch a plane you even know what time your going. You make it a goal & a priority in your life to go on that holiday. Let’s say you wake up the morning you are leaving with a bit of a cold or you feel under the weather. Maybe even a bit sick. Do you cancel that holiday? NOT ON OR LIFE! You set a goal up & you will achieve it.
Now why is it then that we say I want to lose weight & expect it too happen? If you can find a job, find the time & money for a holiday or even plan a wedding why can’t you lose weight? It’s not rocket science. You MUST COMMIT! You have to be CONSISTANT. You need specific goals & a deadline. If you really want to lose that weight you can do it. If you haven’t then you don’t want to. Now I do believe that some people do have medical conditions that really do stop them from loosing weight, but most of us don’t have that problem. Our desire just isn’t strong enough.
If we spent less time making excuses for & more time committing you would reach your goal.
When was the last time you changed your mind about doing your exercise because you were tired? Have you ever cancelled you personal training session because of something else? Guess what? That something else is more important to you than loosing that weight. If you want to lose weight, get fit or tone up then you need to be making it the number 2 priority in your life. What’s number 1? It’s family. Number 2 is health & wellbeing & number 3 is work.
Here is a little story about the old me who found out about goals & was sick of being MR AVERAGE.
I use to be 100kg before I started running. I use to hover around 80kg then not long after my second daughter was born (she was 3 month premature & a lot of time was spent in hospital) I put it all on. I did manage to get some off over the following year & was around 88kg to 93kg. Then one day I had to get into a suit & the bloody pants were so tight I thought I had on the wrong pants. It was then I said bugger this I’m going to lose the weight. It MUST come off. I’m in my early 20’s & getting obese! It must have been that night I took Sharnie our Bull Mastiff for a run/walk. We went for around 20min & I was stuffed. Could hardly breathe. I used my asthma puffer almost 6 times! Now I could have gave up quite easily but thought to myself this has to get easier. I started taking Sharnie for a daily run/walk. 30min was the most I could handle. I was waking up sore & stiff but noticed I was feeling better as the day went on. This went on for about 2 weeks & after all of this I hadn’t lost much weight. Maybe ½ kilo. I thought I need to address what I’m eating. Now I was eating CRAP! And a lot of it. Loved my butter. Loved my chocolate. Loved my biscuits. Loved my coke. I was eating pies, sausage rolls, ice-cream. I was drinking fullcream milk. I’d have almost 2lt of that a day. Cheese…..yummmm. Loved my takeaway. I use to work as a storeman & I can remember many a times having morning break at 8:30am & having hot chips! Anyway the fact is I had to change what I was eating. I could do all the exercise in the world but if I wanted to reach my goal I had to change my eating habits.
I decided to go cold turkey. I gave up drinking anything but water. Water was all I drank. Now let me tell you it was a massive shock to the body! I gave up the butter, the ice cream, the chocolate. I started & having stirfrys for dinner & taking leftovers for lunch. My morning break was now fruit & yoghurt. As soon as I changed my eating habits I lost 20kg between February & April. It was a new me!
Now my goal at the time was to run around Lake Ginninderra non stop. This is a 7km loop around one of the lakes in Canberra. I can even remember the month when all this started. It was mid January and the year was 1999. It took me about 3 weeks to reach that goal. Now do you think I ran once or twice a week? NO. I ran 5 x a week rain, hail or shine. I was committed to reaching what I had set out to achieve & nothing was going to stop me! I just figured I’d lose the weight on the way
I ran 5 x a week & ate healthy. That’s all I did. In this time I was getting fitter & less stressed. I did this with a job working from 6am to 3pm and at the time I had 3 daughters & was married. When did I run? When did I fit this in? I dedicated 4pm & 5pm to my running.
I was starting to like running so I thought I might try & go in a race. I had no idea how I would go & was terrified that I might come last. But hey….running was keeping the weight off & I had reached my goal of running around the lake & I knew if I didn’t pick an event I would stop. I was getting board. I got on the internet & found out about the Canberra half marathon in May. It was 1 lap around Lake burley griffin. 21.1km!!!!! I thought if I could run 7km I could run 14km. If I can run 14km I could do 21km. So I set out for a long run of 14km around Lake Ginninderra 2 times. I have never felt so bloody exhausted in all my life! I did do it but bloody hell it was tough! I had about 4 weeks to get ready for this thing. I entered so now I was COMMITED! If I didn’t do this thing I was going to lose my $25 I invested & damn if I was going to let that happen!
One Saturday morning after I had finished work I parked my car at Lake Burley Griffin. I took a water bottle with me & off I went. I ran slow just wanting to get around the lake non stop. I knew if I could do it I could finish the race. Now if you think 14km is hard you should try 21km!
Over the next couple of weeks I ran that thing EVERY SATURDAY. I made it my Saturday goal. Nothing was going to get in the way. If I had to I would run at 5am. (never had to but I would’ve) I knew if I didn’t I wouldn’t complete the race.
Sunday 16th may 1999 was the race date & I remember heading off & plodding around the course. I finished running non stop in 1hr 37min & 44 seconds. I was placed 133rd overall. There must have been 400 or 500 people in it. Was I happy? Heck yeah! I completed my first ever race! I was weighing around 72kg & was feeling on top of the world! Much different than 5 months earlier when I couldn’t run for 30min without walking & was about 25kg heavier! The problem with all of this I found a new passion. I hated running but loved the results it gave me. And finishing a race was the best feeling in the world.
It’s now May 2007. It’s 8yrs ago I ran that race. It’s 8yrs ago I lost that weight. As I write this I’m about to race the Canberra half again. This will be my 6th Canberra half. A lot has changed since I set that goal 8yrs ago. I’ve been on quite a journey. It was a year later I completed my first marathon. That’s another story for another time but let me tell you that (at the time was the most painful thing I had ever done!) the marathon changed my life. I completed that marathon in 3hrs 40min 2sec. I couldn’t walk without limping for a week & it took 3 weeks before I could run again!
8 yrs on I have completed 9 marathons. The quickest in 2hr 56min. I have completed around 30 half marathons & 1 ultra marathon. I’m training for my 10th marathon in July & I’m completing another Canberra Half this weekend. I have gone from 1hr 37min 44sec for my first half marathon to my current best of 1hr 20min 19sec which was last year (2006) I kept setting goals & reaching them. There is no way I would’ve got where I have without setting goals & I’m not finished either! This year (2007) I’m going to break 80min for the half marathon & run under 2hrs 55min for the Gold Coast Marathon. I have a goal in place with a deadline. I WILL DO IT! I also have a goal to do 35min for 10km.
Over the next 5yrs I have more goals set. I’m going to run under 2hrs 45min for the marathon. I’m going to run 75min for the half marathon & I’m going to run 34min for 10km. I know I will do it. I have a system in place (that’s called not giving up!) & I trust it. It will work & I will get there!
After that? Who knows? I will tackle that when I get there!
I’m not this super human. I find running hard like anybody else. I just love the results that come form it all. All I have done is set goals, made it a priority in my life & done what needs to be done to succeed.
You can apply the same principles that I have with my running to your goals. But you must make it a priority in your life. If you don’t then don’t expect to lose that weight. Don’t expect to get rid of that back pain. Don’t expect to get fitter or tone up. One thing you can expect is to be worse off than you are right now.
Don’t blame things for stopping you from getting what you want. We all have tough times in our lives. Bloody hell I’ve had plenty! But through all the good & all the bad I’ve never let it stop me from reaching my goals.
You can do it to!
I hope this short true story of my early running days helps you get motivated enough to reach your goals.
Darren McClellan
Since I wrote this which was 5 yrs ago I've now completed over 18 marathons fastest being 2hr54min, 9 or 10 ultras, over 40 1/2 marathons fastest being 79min and 100's of fun runs
I was one of those people
I decided to get what really bothers me out of my head & down on paper.
I believe, no in fact I know that if we want something bad enough we will get it. If it’s important enough we will do what needs to be done to get what we want.
We all need GOALS! Without goals we have no idea where we are going or what we want. If you decide to get married what do you do? Do you say I’m going to get married one day then expect it to happen? Do you need to get more specific? Maybe you might need to work out how it’s going to happen. I mean if you say your going to get married I think you need a partner. It’s a bit hard to get married on your own! You may have to set a date. What about a location? Food? Music? & then once you work out all the details you then need to sit down & work out who’s attending. After all this you then need to make an investment or hope mum or dad will pay for it. Either way you will find the money & the time to make that wedding happen. It will become a priority in your life. You want it bad & you will get it!
Lets look at another subject. Let’s say work. Why are you working? Is it to pay for the things you want out of life? Did you wake up one day & hey presto you had a job? Or did you have to put effort & planning in to getting that job. Maybe you had to work out what you wanted to do. You might had to spend time getting educated to get the skills required to do that job. Do you wake up in the morning & think to yourself if you should go to work or do you just get up & go. Most people have a system where they go in to auto pilot & get ready for work without to much thought. They have done it consistent enough so it’s a habit.
Another subject. Lets look at that holiday or short trip away. If you have a holiday planned for let’s say the Gold Coast. You book the airfare, you book the accommodation, you plan it all in advance. You know when you are leaving & when you are returning. If you catch a plane you even know what time your going. You make it a goal & a priority in your life to go on that holiday. Let’s say you wake up the morning you are leaving with a bit of a cold or you feel under the weather. Maybe even a bit sick. Do you cancel that holiday? NOT ON OR LIFE! You set a goal up & you will achieve it.
Now why is it then that we say I want to lose weight & expect it too happen? If you can find a job, find the time & money for a holiday or even plan a wedding why can’t you lose weight? It’s not rocket science. You MUST COMMIT! You have to be CONSISTANT. You need specific goals & a deadline. If you really want to lose that weight you can do it. If you haven’t then you don’t want to. Now I do believe that some people do have medical conditions that really do stop them from loosing weight, but most of us don’t have that problem. Our desire just isn’t strong enough.
If we spent less time making excuses for & more time committing you would reach your goal.
When was the last time you changed your mind about doing your exercise because you were tired? Have you ever cancelled you personal training session because of something else? Guess what? That something else is more important to you than loosing that weight. If you want to lose weight, get fit or tone up then you need to be making it the number 2 priority in your life. What’s number 1? It’s family. Number 2 is health & wellbeing & number 3 is work.
Here is a little story about the old me who found out about goals & was sick of being MR AVERAGE.
I use to be 100kg before I started running. I use to hover around 80kg then not long after my second daughter was born (she was 3 month premature & a lot of time was spent in hospital) I put it all on. I did manage to get some off over the following year & was around 88kg to 93kg. Then one day I had to get into a suit & the bloody pants were so tight I thought I had on the wrong pants. It was then I said bugger this I’m going to lose the weight. It MUST come off. I’m in my early 20’s & getting obese! It must have been that night I took Sharnie our Bull Mastiff for a run/walk. We went for around 20min & I was stuffed. Could hardly breathe. I used my asthma puffer almost 6 times! Now I could have gave up quite easily but thought to myself this has to get easier. I started taking Sharnie for a daily run/walk. 30min was the most I could handle. I was waking up sore & stiff but noticed I was feeling better as the day went on. This went on for about 2 weeks & after all of this I hadn’t lost much weight. Maybe ½ kilo. I thought I need to address what I’m eating. Now I was eating CRAP! And a lot of it. Loved my butter. Loved my chocolate. Loved my biscuits. Loved my coke. I was eating pies, sausage rolls, ice-cream. I was drinking fullcream milk. I’d have almost 2lt of that a day. Cheese…..yummmm. Loved my takeaway. I use to work as a storeman & I can remember many a times having morning break at 8:30am & having hot chips! Anyway the fact is I had to change what I was eating. I could do all the exercise in the world but if I wanted to reach my goal I had to change my eating habits.
I decided to go cold turkey. I gave up drinking anything but water. Water was all I drank. Now let me tell you it was a massive shock to the body! I gave up the butter, the ice cream, the chocolate. I started & having stirfrys for dinner & taking leftovers for lunch. My morning break was now fruit & yoghurt. As soon as I changed my eating habits I lost 20kg between February & April. It was a new me!
Now my goal at the time was to run around Lake Ginninderra non stop. This is a 7km loop around one of the lakes in Canberra. I can even remember the month when all this started. It was mid January and the year was 1999. It took me about 3 weeks to reach that goal. Now do you think I ran once or twice a week? NO. I ran 5 x a week rain, hail or shine. I was committed to reaching what I had set out to achieve & nothing was going to stop me! I just figured I’d lose the weight on the way
I ran 5 x a week & ate healthy. That’s all I did. In this time I was getting fitter & less stressed. I did this with a job working from 6am to 3pm and at the time I had 3 daughters & was married. When did I run? When did I fit this in? I dedicated 4pm & 5pm to my running.
I was starting to like running so I thought I might try & go in a race. I had no idea how I would go & was terrified that I might come last. But hey….running was keeping the weight off & I had reached my goal of running around the lake & I knew if I didn’t pick an event I would stop. I was getting board. I got on the internet & found out about the Canberra half marathon in May. It was 1 lap around Lake burley griffin. 21.1km!!!!! I thought if I could run 7km I could run 14km. If I can run 14km I could do 21km. So I set out for a long run of 14km around Lake Ginninderra 2 times. I have never felt so bloody exhausted in all my life! I did do it but bloody hell it was tough! I had about 4 weeks to get ready for this thing. I entered so now I was COMMITED! If I didn’t do this thing I was going to lose my $25 I invested & damn if I was going to let that happen!
One Saturday morning after I had finished work I parked my car at Lake Burley Griffin. I took a water bottle with me & off I went. I ran slow just wanting to get around the lake non stop. I knew if I could do it I could finish the race. Now if you think 14km is hard you should try 21km!
Over the next couple of weeks I ran that thing EVERY SATURDAY. I made it my Saturday goal. Nothing was going to get in the way. If I had to I would run at 5am. (never had to but I would’ve) I knew if I didn’t I wouldn’t complete the race.
Sunday 16th may 1999 was the race date & I remember heading off & plodding around the course. I finished running non stop in 1hr 37min & 44 seconds. I was placed 133rd overall. There must have been 400 or 500 people in it. Was I happy? Heck yeah! I completed my first ever race! I was weighing around 72kg & was feeling on top of the world! Much different than 5 months earlier when I couldn’t run for 30min without walking & was about 25kg heavier! The problem with all of this I found a new passion. I hated running but loved the results it gave me. And finishing a race was the best feeling in the world.
It’s now May 2007. It’s 8yrs ago I ran that race. It’s 8yrs ago I lost that weight. As I write this I’m about to race the Canberra half again. This will be my 6th Canberra half. A lot has changed since I set that goal 8yrs ago. I’ve been on quite a journey. It was a year later I completed my first marathon. That’s another story for another time but let me tell you that (at the time was the most painful thing I had ever done!) the marathon changed my life. I completed that marathon in 3hrs 40min 2sec. I couldn’t walk without limping for a week & it took 3 weeks before I could run again!
8 yrs on I have completed 9 marathons. The quickest in 2hr 56min. I have completed around 30 half marathons & 1 ultra marathon. I’m training for my 10th marathon in July & I’m completing another Canberra Half this weekend. I have gone from 1hr 37min 44sec for my first half marathon to my current best of 1hr 20min 19sec which was last year (2006) I kept setting goals & reaching them. There is no way I would’ve got where I have without setting goals & I’m not finished either! This year (2007) I’m going to break 80min for the half marathon & run under 2hrs 55min for the Gold Coast Marathon. I have a goal in place with a deadline. I WILL DO IT! I also have a goal to do 35min for 10km.
Over the next 5yrs I have more goals set. I’m going to run under 2hrs 45min for the marathon. I’m going to run 75min for the half marathon & I’m going to run 34min for 10km. I know I will do it. I have a system in place (that’s called not giving up!) & I trust it. It will work & I will get there!
After that? Who knows? I will tackle that when I get there!
I’m not this super human. I find running hard like anybody else. I just love the results that come form it all. All I have done is set goals, made it a priority in my life & done what needs to be done to succeed.
You can apply the same principles that I have with my running to your goals. But you must make it a priority in your life. If you don’t then don’t expect to lose that weight. Don’t expect to get rid of that back pain. Don’t expect to get fitter or tone up. One thing you can expect is to be worse off than you are right now.
Don’t blame things for stopping you from getting what you want. We all have tough times in our lives. Bloody hell I’ve had plenty! But through all the good & all the bad I’ve never let it stop me from reaching my goals.
You can do it to!
I hope this short true story of my early running days helps you get motivated enough to reach your goals.
Darren McClellan
Since I wrote this which was 5 yrs ago I've now completed over 18 marathons fastest being 2hr54min, 9 or 10 ultras, over 40 1/2 marathons fastest being 79min and 100's of fun runs
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Post Narrabeen
Well its been about a week since Narrabeen. In that week up to Thurs I've done no running. I pulled up quite sore on both knees. Feels like MCL damage but has improved quite a bit everyday.
Friday was my first run back and did a 6k on the treadmill in about 34min. Right knee was good but left knee was sligtly sore
Sat (today) was my next run. Again done on the treadmill but this time 10k in 55min. Knees wern't too bad. In fact it was the right foot which became sore right at the end of the run.
Next run I'll attempt is on Tues. Tomorrow is a well deserved Sunday rest!
Friday was my first run back and did a 6k on the treadmill in about 34min. Right knee was good but left knee was sligtly sore
Sat (today) was my next run. Again done on the treadmill but this time 10k in 55min. Knees wern't too bad. In fact it was the right foot which became sore right at the end of the run.
Next run I'll attempt is on Tues. Tomorrow is a well deserved Sunday rest!
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Narrabeen Allnighter 12hrs! 130.051km!
Wow! What a tough event this one is!
My day started by tossing and turning Fri night/Sat morning and really didn't get alot of sleep. That seems to happen alot before an ultra race. Spent Sat just trying to do nothing. Lying on the couch etc.
Mum came and picked us up about 2pm and by the time we squeezed everything in the car we were off.
First stop was to some chicken at this shop down at Narrabeen then to the supermarket to get some supplies then it was off to the race area to set up camp.
The weather was coolish waiting around but good for running.
7:30 we gather around for a bit of a race briefing then 8pm we line up ready to go.
Within about 1min Jo Blake takes the lead with me not too far behind. By the turnaround I think he slowed down to run with me then we kinda shared the lead for the first 20k. It felt really comfy and was happy to just keep that pace. We did go through the first 10k quite fast in 44:39.
It was about 20k and I noticed Jo slipping behind but wasnt sure if he would pick the pace up later
My girls Tiff & Skyla were there all night helping and really chearing me on.
I went through quite alot of bad patches all night and after about 40k I had my first toilet stop and a nasty vomit!
It was also around that time my right knee started to give me quite alot of grief but I could run with it. It was mainly all the ditches and at the turn arounds where it was the most painful. As the night went on all I wanted was icy cold water and ice. I pretty much just ran the whole way wetting my body with the water bags, chewing on ice.
The last hour was just hell and my body was starting to shut down. 42min to go and Í was just short of 7k to reach 130km. Going around the last lap I'd done 129.3k and had about 3min to get to 130k. Thinking I wouldn't do it I just kept shuffling along then all of a sudden I thought stuff it.....when will I get this chance again and knew I would hate myself if I fell 100m short so I just ran that last lap as hard as I could!
The hooter sounded and I just collapsed on the ground!
10k splits were
10k - 44:39
20k - 1:30:45
30k - 2:17:47
40k - 3:07:02
50k - 4:02:09
60k - 5:04:29
70k - 6:01:42
80k - 6:57:58
90k - 7:56:32
100k - 8:55:56
110k - 9:54:35
120k - 10:58:12
130.051 - 12:00:00!
My day started by tossing and turning Fri night/Sat morning and really didn't get alot of sleep. That seems to happen alot before an ultra race. Spent Sat just trying to do nothing. Lying on the couch etc.
Mum came and picked us up about 2pm and by the time we squeezed everything in the car we were off.
First stop was to some chicken at this shop down at Narrabeen then to the supermarket to get some supplies then it was off to the race area to set up camp.
The weather was coolish waiting around but good for running.
7:30 we gather around for a bit of a race briefing then 8pm we line up ready to go.
Within about 1min Jo Blake takes the lead with me not too far behind. By the turnaround I think he slowed down to run with me then we kinda shared the lead for the first 20k. It felt really comfy and was happy to just keep that pace. We did go through the first 10k quite fast in 44:39.
It was about 20k and I noticed Jo slipping behind but wasnt sure if he would pick the pace up later
My girls Tiff & Skyla were there all night helping and really chearing me on.
I went through quite alot of bad patches all night and after about 40k I had my first toilet stop and a nasty vomit!
It was also around that time my right knee started to give me quite alot of grief but I could run with it. It was mainly all the ditches and at the turn arounds where it was the most painful. As the night went on all I wanted was icy cold water and ice. I pretty much just ran the whole way wetting my body with the water bags, chewing on ice.
The last hour was just hell and my body was starting to shut down. 42min to go and Í was just short of 7k to reach 130km. Going around the last lap I'd done 129.3k and had about 3min to get to 130k. Thinking I wouldn't do it I just kept shuffling along then all of a sudden I thought stuff it.....when will I get this chance again and knew I would hate myself if I fell 100m short so I just ran that last lap as hard as I could!
The hooter sounded and I just collapsed on the ground!
10k splits were
10k - 44:39
20k - 1:30:45
30k - 2:17:47
40k - 3:07:02
50k - 4:02:09
60k - 5:04:29
70k - 6:01:42
80k - 6:57:58
90k - 7:56:32
100k - 8:55:56
110k - 9:54:35
120k - 10:58:12
130.051 - 12:00:00!
Friday, January 06, 2012
Friday......almost there!
Just a pretty relaxed day today. Wake up about 7:30ish and headed out the door for a comfy 6k.
Legs felt great
Legs felt great
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Thursday...only 2 days to go
A nice and easy 10.7k on a nice flat road. Right butt still quite tight but I'm pretty certain I'll be able to run on it for 12hrs
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Wed and much better!
First thing I thought about when I woke up was how my piriformis would be when I walked on it. Happy to say it felt ok. It was tight and I could definitely feel the difference between the sore right one and the good left one.
I had a massage booked in this morning down at Umina so I drove down to Booker Bay and ran easy 27min out and got a bit past Ocean beach then turned around and ran back in 26min. 10.6k in 53:30
I was quite happy with how my piriformis felt
I had a massage booked in this morning down at Umina so I drove down to Booker Bay and ran easy 27min out and got a bit past Ocean beach then turned around and ran back in 26min. 10.6k in 53:30
I was quite happy with how my piriformis felt
Tuesday post around the bay
Just went for run around the streets of Bensville. A little under 4k in 19min.
A few hills and a little bit of trail. I found my right piriformis really tight and sore.
Got a bit worried. Straight away I stretched and iced it then got the tens machine on it later followed by having Denise massage it to help release it.
A few hills and a little bit of trail. I found my right piriformis really tight and sore.
Got a bit worried. Straight away I stretched and iced it then got the tens machine on it later followed by having Denise massage it to help release it.
Monday, January 02, 2012
Around the Bay
4am and the alarm goes off......a yawn and a stretch and I somehow drag my body out of bed. Actually quite surprised how good my legs feel after yesterdays effort.
After some toast and coffee and a shower we make our way to Gosford. Got there about 4:50 so it's only 10min later and we are ready to run.
After a moments silence for the passing of Leon yesterday we are off
Straight away Mick takes off like a man on a mission followed by Ian, myself and Mark.It's only about 2min of running and it was going to be Mick, Mark & Ian running happily at about 4min/km pace. I was happy to just settle back and run on how I felt. I didn't want to push it if I felt too sore or stuffed. By the Avoca dve intersection I could see the 3 of them go through in about 12:40 I went through about 40sec later in about 13:20.
That was the last I saw of Mick and Mark but could still spot Ian in the distance.
First drink stop (5.5k) in 23:40 and 20sec or so I thought I better move on.
The hills start just after this and 2 of them are a decent one.
Again I spotted Ian about 2min ahead. I got to the second drink stop 10km in 43min then it was a very dew/wet/foggy frost reserve to run across.
Back on Empire Bay drive just past the Kincumber tennis courts and one of the last main hills to get up. I could see Ian making his way up in the distance.
Next thing I know I see Graeme Ridley on his own at the 3rd drink stop (14.7k) just past the Bensville turn off. 1hr3min I've been going now. A lollie and a coke and I head off again.
And again in the far distance I see Ian head down to Empire Bay. He's creeping away from me now. Get to the 4th drink stop (18K)in 1hr19min and Mike Gero is there with some more drink, lollies etc.
Get moving again and still feel pretty good. The run to the 5th drink stop (22k) at Booker Bay/Blacwall was one of the best part of this run. I alawys enjoy that section. Get to the 5th drink stop in 1hr40min
The toughest part of the run now begins. Pretty much just flat concrete for the rest of the way. I get to WoyWoy at the start of the bay to bay course in 1hr55min (26km)and set a goal of going sub 2:50. About 1km ahead I again catch a glimpse of Ian and that's the last time I see him until the finish
6th drink stop (28.5km)and no idea what my time was at this one and I'm now getting tired and aches are kicking in. Not wanting to stop long so I don't turn into rigor mortis I head off after some more coke and water and some cordial stuff.
7th and final drink stop (32km)and reach it in 2hrs24min and think now only 5km to go!
The rest of the run went pretty smooth and just kept a nice pace to the end.
Finished the 37k in 2hrs47min
Mark did 2:28, Mick 2:31 and Ian in 2:42
Now I need to freshen up for Narrabeen on Sat
After some toast and coffee and a shower we make our way to Gosford. Got there about 4:50 so it's only 10min later and we are ready to run.
After a moments silence for the passing of Leon yesterday we are off
Straight away Mick takes off like a man on a mission followed by Ian, myself and Mark.It's only about 2min of running and it was going to be Mick, Mark & Ian running happily at about 4min/km pace. I was happy to just settle back and run on how I felt. I didn't want to push it if I felt too sore or stuffed. By the Avoca dve intersection I could see the 3 of them go through in about 12:40 I went through about 40sec later in about 13:20.
That was the last I saw of Mick and Mark but could still spot Ian in the distance.
First drink stop (5.5k) in 23:40 and 20sec or so I thought I better move on.
The hills start just after this and 2 of them are a decent one.
Again I spotted Ian about 2min ahead. I got to the second drink stop 10km in 43min then it was a very dew/wet/foggy frost reserve to run across.
Back on Empire Bay drive just past the Kincumber tennis courts and one of the last main hills to get up. I could see Ian making his way up in the distance.
Next thing I know I see Graeme Ridley on his own at the 3rd drink stop (14.7k) just past the Bensville turn off. 1hr3min I've been going now. A lollie and a coke and I head off again.
And again in the far distance I see Ian head down to Empire Bay. He's creeping away from me now. Get to the 4th drink stop (18K)in 1hr19min and Mike Gero is there with some more drink, lollies etc.
Get moving again and still feel pretty good. The run to the 5th drink stop (22k) at Booker Bay/Blacwall was one of the best part of this run. I alawys enjoy that section. Get to the 5th drink stop in 1hr40min
The toughest part of the run now begins. Pretty much just flat concrete for the rest of the way. I get to WoyWoy at the start of the bay to bay course in 1hr55min (26km)and set a goal of going sub 2:50. About 1km ahead I again catch a glimpse of Ian and that's the last time I see him until the finish
6th drink stop (28.5km)and no idea what my time was at this one and I'm now getting tired and aches are kicking in. Not wanting to stop long so I don't turn into rigor mortis I head off after some more coke and water and some cordial stuff.
7th and final drink stop (32km)and reach it in 2hrs24min and think now only 5km to go!
The rest of the run went pretty smooth and just kept a nice pace to the end.
Finished the 37k in 2hrs47min
Mark did 2:28, Mick 2:31 and Ian in 2:42
Now I need to freshen up for Narrabeen on Sat
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Beyond the black stump 2012!!!
The run today.....distance is in miles
Well its the first day of the year and what a cracking start its been!
Beyond the black stump was on the cards today. This was the 2nd time I've run this. I did it last yr not really knowing how tough that hill is. This year I knew what I was in for but it was just as bloody tough!
Went pretty comfy for most of the run but was feeling it after the ruined castle coming back up that hill. Even managed to fall and do a stunning barrel roll then get up and get on with the running again. The run down to the ferry is a great relief and to time it so I get there just as the ferry is arriving was even better!
I was with about 5 or 6 runners n the start of that hill/mtn but decided I wanted to just take my time so I let them all passed and happily walked up to the top. I remember last year feeling like throwing up but all good this year. In saying that the legs were stuffed and I don't think I could've went much quicker.
On the road to the finish and for some reason now I had dead legs so I just plodded to the end
32k done in 3hr24min. 8min faster than last year
Got to the ferry in 49min (we had to wait a while)
Top of the road hill in 1hr20min (I think)
Ruined castle in 1hr42min
Back to the ferry in about 1hr28min
Top of the mtn in jst over 3hrs
And back in 3hr24min
Well its the first day of the year and what a cracking start its been!
Beyond the black stump was on the cards today. This was the 2nd time I've run this. I did it last yr not really knowing how tough that hill is. This year I knew what I was in for but it was just as bloody tough!
Went pretty comfy for most of the run but was feeling it after the ruined castle coming back up that hill. Even managed to fall and do a stunning barrel roll then get up and get on with the running again. The run down to the ferry is a great relief and to time it so I get there just as the ferry is arriving was even better!
I was with about 5 or 6 runners n the start of that hill/mtn but decided I wanted to just take my time so I let them all passed and happily walked up to the top. I remember last year feeling like throwing up but all good this year. In saying that the legs were stuffed and I don't think I could've went much quicker.
On the road to the finish and for some reason now I had dead legs so I just plodded to the end
32k done in 3hr24min. 8min faster than last year
Got to the ferry in 49min (we had to wait a while)
Top of the road hill in 1hr20min (I think)
Ruined castle in 1hr42min
Back to the ferry in about 1hr28min
Top of the mtn in jst over 3hrs
And back in 3hr24min
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Orchard run
I got out here around 7:15am and not a car in sight. I felt pretty buggered before I even got running. I think the 12 beers last night didn't help!
Went what I thought was a steady pace but by the time I got up the top of the hill I had sweat dripping off me. Got to the roundabout in 35min and the intersection in 53min. I almost turned around here but thought bugger it i"ll keep moving forward. Got to the green sign in 1hr3min and the road in 1hr23min
The run back was really tough! I found the downhills hard and it was pretty bloody hot too!
I had to stop about 3 times in total just to regather myself
The car at the end was a much welcome sight!
Ran it in 2hrs41min all up
Went what I thought was a steady pace but by the time I got up the top of the hill I had sweat dripping off me. Got to the roundabout in 35min and the intersection in 53min. I almost turned around here but thought bugger it i"ll keep moving forward. Got to the green sign in 1hr3min and the road in 1hr23min
The run back was really tough! I found the downhills hard and it was pretty bloody hot too!
I had to stop about 3 times in total just to regather myself
The car at the end was a much welcome sight!
Ran it in 2hrs41min all up
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Thurs to Sat
Well I seem to be back into the swing of things. The legs are feeling good again
Managed to run 10k on Thurs in a little over 48min
Fri I did another 10k but this time a slow 55min
And Sat I ran with the trotters. We ran the round dve. About 12k n 55min
So all going good so far
Managed to run 10k on Thurs in a little over 48min
Fri I did another 10k but this time a slow 55min
And Sat I ran with the trotters. We ran the round dve. About 12k n 55min
So all going good so far
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Post GNW
Well after 3 days I think I'm coming back to normal. The last few days have been tough to say the least! My legs have been so tired and been feeling like they just need a massive stretch! My feet have been puffed up and have massive cankles!
After the race we (Denise and I)made our way to Nelsons Bay for a bit of a break
All Ive done is eat, drink beer and chill out by the pool. Oh we did go on a dolphin cruise and play a bit of pool :)
Today being Wed we got back home. Swelling in the feet has gone down and I managed a 1k swim then did 5k on a treadmill in a little over 25min. Legs were pretty good but did feel tired
Lets see how I go tomorrow
After the race we (Denise and I)made our way to Nelsons Bay for a bit of a break
All Ive done is eat, drink beer and chill out by the pool. Oh we did go on a dolphin cruise and play a bit of pool :)
Today being Wed we got back home. Swelling in the feet has gone down and I managed a 1k swim then did 5k on a treadmill in a little over 25min. Legs were pretty good but did feel tired
Lets see how I go tomorrow
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
GNW 100mile (107.9miles).....a long long race!
What a weekend and what a race! So much goes into an event like this and that's what make it such a big part of your life.
I guess it all starts on Friday. For me it was an easy 8k run. I've always found going for a bit of a run the day before a race helps and hey......if i can't run the day after doing a slow 8k then I'm not ready to tackle 175k!
We stayed up at my Mums place as she lives about 15min from the start line.
The Friday night was a get together of about 70 people for dinner. That was great catching up with some people i haven't seem in a while
Tried to get an early night but knowing i have to do this race in the morning made sleeping something that just wasn't going to happen. I think i got about 1hr sleep. 3am comes and its time to get up.
First thing i need is breakfast. Just a couple pieces of toast. I don't want to eat too much as the last thing i need to worry about out in the bush running is stomach cramps and needing to find a toilet.
Next was make sure I've got all my gear ready and packing all the food.
We got to the start just after 4:30am. After checking and weighing in i went back to the car to shut my eyes. The lack of sleep was also sinking in. 5:30am we all gather around and listen to Dave to hear the briefing before we all make our way to the start line all looking fresh and excited! How things look different at the end!
Now i decided just to run my own race and not worry about how fast everybody else will go at the start. I think i had about 12 runners in front of me for the first 6km of road then it was on the trail and i had another runner past me there. He had a green band on (green band for 100miles and orange band for 100km) I just watched him run those early hills thinking I'll catch him soon enough.
Getting to Freemans drive and crossing the road in about 1hr26min I'm thinking I've maybe gone too fast but I'm feeling good so i just stick with my pace. I catch up to the guy who past me just after crossing the road and also Shona (she was in the 100km) I'm watching still running the hills and asked if they have been on this course before. They both tell me they haven't so i told them they might just want to walk some of these hills.
After running with Shona for a while she decided to take off while i kept my steady pace. Next thing i know I'm in the rain forest slowly making my way through. The guy who was running all those early hills caught up to me here but 10 min later he dropped off.
After 3hrs26min I make it to the first checkpoint.
Denise was awesome. She had all the food out all ready for me. She tells me I'm in 8th place. A few min later I'm gone again.
About 20min later i catch up to Shona again but she soon dropped off. The rest of the way to checkpoint 2 I'm all on my own. I got through that section in about 2hrs20min. I get my weight checked here and I've lost just over 1kg. Still in 8th place i head off again.
It wasn't long and i pass another 100mile runner then a 100km runner. Next thing I'm starting those hills again. I'm quite surprised how good i feel going up them. Crossing watagans creek i pass Dave waugh then make my way up the next big hill. Got to the top of that still feeling good but was glad to be up there. Checkpoint 3 came soon after and I'm now in 6th place.
I found the climb out of the basin a bit tough but after running 85km i think that's normal!
The rest of this section us pretty easy going and before i know it I'm on the road section 10KM away from Yarramalong. It was here i pass another victim of running hard too early and i then plod along making my way to checkpoint 4 (103km) 3km to go I catch up to levi and we ran in there together.
I get my weight checked again but this time i put on 200grams. About 7min later I'm off again but notice water leaking from my pack. I turn back and luckly i had 2 water bladders so Denise changed that for me and I'm off again.
Not long into it and levi and his pacer catch up to me. I let them pass and walk run the bumble hill section. 15min later i catch up to them again. We run together for quite a while but they slowly dropped off and next thing i know I'm on my own again getting to Somserby for checkpoint 5. The climb to Somserby was tough but still felt great at the checkpoint. I change my shoes here and leave in 4th spot.
Next section wasn't too bad until about 1km from checkpoint 6. That's when i went through my first real bad patch. I get there and for the first time i have trouble eating and drinking. I tell Denise its getting tough. Levi came in about 4min after me
I leave the checkpoint still in 4th but knew Levi would catch me.
I manage to run until the suspension bridge then he caught me.
The rest of the race was the most challenging thing I've ever done.
I went through stages of bring able to shuffle to almost dry reaching. I could no longer stomach anymore food and had trouble keeping water down. Then the next thing i felt on top of the world like nothing could stop me.
Soon enough though i really started to chafe from having the pack on for so long that i couldn't run. My legs were coming good but was reduced to power walking. About 3km to and i found if i just shuffle without letting the pack bounce too much i could kinda run to the finish.
I got to the lookout just before Patonga had a look behind me and couldn't see a runner in sight. I knew now i was going to get 5th spot and I WAS GOING TO MAKE IT!
The last section leading to the beach was just sensational. Running on the beach to the finish line was just priceless. I reached the finish pole collapsed on my kness kissed that pole got that medal around my head and felt on top of the world!
I finished in 24hrs28min in 5th place
A true ultra experience!
I guess it all starts on Friday. For me it was an easy 8k run. I've always found going for a bit of a run the day before a race helps and hey......if i can't run the day after doing a slow 8k then I'm not ready to tackle 175k!
We stayed up at my Mums place as she lives about 15min from the start line.
The Friday night was a get together of about 70 people for dinner. That was great catching up with some people i haven't seem in a while
Tried to get an early night but knowing i have to do this race in the morning made sleeping something that just wasn't going to happen. I think i got about 1hr sleep. 3am comes and its time to get up.
First thing i need is breakfast. Just a couple pieces of toast. I don't want to eat too much as the last thing i need to worry about out in the bush running is stomach cramps and needing to find a toilet.
Next was make sure I've got all my gear ready and packing all the food.
We got to the start just after 4:30am. After checking and weighing in i went back to the car to shut my eyes. The lack of sleep was also sinking in. 5:30am we all gather around and listen to Dave to hear the briefing before we all make our way to the start line all looking fresh and excited! How things look different at the end!
Now i decided just to run my own race and not worry about how fast everybody else will go at the start. I think i had about 12 runners in front of me for the first 6km of road then it was on the trail and i had another runner past me there. He had a green band on (green band for 100miles and orange band for 100km) I just watched him run those early hills thinking I'll catch him soon enough.
Getting to Freemans drive and crossing the road in about 1hr26min I'm thinking I've maybe gone too fast but I'm feeling good so i just stick with my pace. I catch up to the guy who past me just after crossing the road and also Shona (she was in the 100km) I'm watching still running the hills and asked if they have been on this course before. They both tell me they haven't so i told them they might just want to walk some of these hills.
After running with Shona for a while she decided to take off while i kept my steady pace. Next thing i know I'm in the rain forest slowly making my way through. The guy who was running all those early hills caught up to me here but 10 min later he dropped off.
After 3hrs26min I make it to the first checkpoint.
Denise was awesome. She had all the food out all ready for me. She tells me I'm in 8th place. A few min later I'm gone again.
About 20min later i catch up to Shona again but she soon dropped off. The rest of the way to checkpoint 2 I'm all on my own. I got through that section in about 2hrs20min. I get my weight checked here and I've lost just over 1kg. Still in 8th place i head off again.
It wasn't long and i pass another 100mile runner then a 100km runner. Next thing I'm starting those hills again. I'm quite surprised how good i feel going up them. Crossing watagans creek i pass Dave waugh then make my way up the next big hill. Got to the top of that still feeling good but was glad to be up there. Checkpoint 3 came soon after and I'm now in 6th place.
I found the climb out of the basin a bit tough but after running 85km i think that's normal!
The rest of this section us pretty easy going and before i know it I'm on the road section 10KM away from Yarramalong. It was here i pass another victim of running hard too early and i then plod along making my way to checkpoint 4 (103km) 3km to go I catch up to levi and we ran in there together.
I get my weight checked again but this time i put on 200grams. About 7min later I'm off again but notice water leaking from my pack. I turn back and luckly i had 2 water bladders so Denise changed that for me and I'm off again.
Not long into it and levi and his pacer catch up to me. I let them pass and walk run the bumble hill section. 15min later i catch up to them again. We run together for quite a while but they slowly dropped off and next thing i know I'm on my own again getting to Somserby for checkpoint 5. The climb to Somserby was tough but still felt great at the checkpoint. I change my shoes here and leave in 4th spot.
Next section wasn't too bad until about 1km from checkpoint 6. That's when i went through my first real bad patch. I get there and for the first time i have trouble eating and drinking. I tell Denise its getting tough. Levi came in about 4min after me
I leave the checkpoint still in 4th but knew Levi would catch me.
I manage to run until the suspension bridge then he caught me.
The rest of the race was the most challenging thing I've ever done.
I went through stages of bring able to shuffle to almost dry reaching. I could no longer stomach anymore food and had trouble keeping water down. Then the next thing i felt on top of the world like nothing could stop me.
Soon enough though i really started to chafe from having the pack on for so long that i couldn't run. My legs were coming good but was reduced to power walking. About 3km to and i found if i just shuffle without letting the pack bounce too much i could kinda run to the finish.
I got to the lookout just before Patonga had a look behind me and couldn't see a runner in sight. I knew now i was going to get 5th spot and I WAS GOING TO MAKE IT!
The last section leading to the beach was just sensational. Running on the beach to the finish line was just priceless. I reached the finish pole collapsed on my kness kissed that pole got that medal around my head and felt on top of the world!
I finished in 24hrs28min in 5th place
A true ultra experience!
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Tuesday - 4 days to go!
Went out for a lunch time run. Around 34deg. Quite hot and humid. Its spose to be cooler this weekend but it was only going to be 30deg today. 4deg hotter so really who knows what it will be come Sat.
Ran 10k doing 4x5min at a moderate pace with a 5min recovery. Total for the 10k was 42:52
Left achillies slightly tight but other than that I felt great. The heat didn't bother me too much but I could feel it
I then made my way to the gym and got in the steamroom.
I'll take it easy now until Sat
175km. I can do this thing!
Ran 10k doing 4x5min at a moderate pace with a 5min recovery. Total for the 10k was 42:52
Left achillies slightly tight but other than that I felt great. The heat didn't bother me too much but I could feel it
I then made my way to the gym and got in the steamroom.
I'll take it easy now until Sat
175km. I can do this thing!
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Somersby to Girrakool
Had Sharon pick me up and we met Gary & Suzy at Girrakool around 6am. We then got in Suzy's car and made our way to Somersby shop. Sunny warm morning for this run. Steady pace most of the way. The first part of the trail Sharon took the lead. I rolled my ankle not far into the run. Just kept running and it came good.
It wasn't long and I was now leading to the end followed by Sharon then Suzy then Gary.
Got to mooney creek in around 1hr10min and to Mooney Bridge in 1hr47min.
Finished in 2hr26min
I was really happy with how everything felt
I guess around 22 or 23km in total
It wasn't long and I was now leading to the end followed by Sharon then Suzy then Gary.
Got to mooney creek in around 1hr10min and to Mooney Bridge in 1hr47min.
Finished in 2hr26min
I was really happy with how everything felt
I guess around 22 or 23km in total
Saturday, November 05, 2011
Trotter...Crommety hill
Felt good again this morning. Started off steady and just picked up the pace once we got to Wambie shops. Ran pretty hard up the hill but Mick came screaming past me! Ian was just behind me at the top. I wanted to push hard down the hill to see if I had any tight spots that I need to focus on for next week. Only my left hammy was tight but still felt ok. Ran back along the road making it 14.6k done in 1hr2min (4:15/km)
Very happy
Very happy
Friday, November 04, 2011
Friday easy day
Went for an easy 10k from Terrigal to Wamberal and back. I was really happy with how my legs felt. Felt like I had a spring in my legs. I guess It took just over 45min.
Later I met Denise in the gym so I thought I'd do a bit of hill walking on the treadmill. Walked 3km building up to 7km/hr and slowly going to a 15deg incline. That was pretty tough! Then ran easy for 1km. Got in the steamroom for a bit after that
Later I met Denise in the gym so I thought I'd do a bit of hill walking on the treadmill. Walked 3km building up to 7km/hr and slowly going to a 15deg incline. That was pretty tough! Then ran easy for 1km. Got in the steamroom for a bit after that
Thurs Rumbalara run
Raining when I got running. Just ran about 13 or 14k doing the rumbalara course. Felt pretty good with no real niggles
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Wednesday....10days to go
Ran a comfy 12k from Trrigal to Forries and back. Legs felt good. I thought they would be stuffed
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Melbourne cup day
Felt tired when I woke up. Went for a slow 10k to start the morning. Then I went to the gym for the steamroom
Later I did 3k race night at Mingara. Quite a big turn out. Warmed up with Baz and Clarke doing Hansens. The race was pretty quick (for my standards at the moment) Still very much lacking speed but I'm getting back there. Just can't hold a fast pace for too long. I guess on 7weeks back running and only been doing speed work for 3 or 4 weeks does that to you.
Went through 1km in 3:20, 2km in 6:55 and 3km in 10:27.
I really struggled on the last 1.2km. Just managed to hold Jess off
Finished with a 2km warmdown
13km done tonight
23km all up today
Later I did 3k race night at Mingara. Quite a big turn out. Warmed up with Baz and Clarke doing Hansens. The race was pretty quick (for my standards at the moment) Still very much lacking speed but I'm getting back there. Just can't hold a fast pace for too long. I guess on 7weeks back running and only been doing speed work for 3 or 4 weeks does that to you.
Went through 1km in 3:20, 2km in 6:55 and 3km in 10:27.
I really struggled on the last 1.2km. Just managed to hold Jess off
Finished with a 2km warmdown
13km done tonight
23km all up today
31st Oct...Mondays swim
No running for me today. Just a nice 3k swim down at WoyWoy pool. Took about 56min. Stopped every 5-10 laps to break it up a bit
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