ACTVAC Half Marathon

I drove to Canberra on Saturday, stayed overnight at the "Waldorf Apartments" (NOT as in the 'Waldorf'' New York!), but a very convenient 10 minute walk to the start in Commonwealth Park. On Sunday morning, for the first time, at 8:00a.m. I ran the ACTVAC Half Marathon, 2008. This time I didn't have to smash my way out of the apartment like Arnie, although I was considering a dramatic exit like that to get off to a good start!

The course followed the cycle path around Lake Burley Griffin. To my surprise, in some sections it was far more hilly than I'd expected : long steep hills, short steep hills & long inclines that (dare I say it?) younger runners around me were walking. I didn't walk at all because I'd made up my mind that if I train on hills, as I do, I wouldn't walk them in the race. That way, I got ahead of a few stragglers. As far as difficulty goes, I found it a harder course than Bankstown, The Hidden Half, which I've run for several years but which I didn't run on the previous Sunday...I thought it better to try to do well at one half marathon rather than do two not so well!

The day couldn't have been better : no wind or snow. Calm & plenty of sunshine ...a perfect Spring day on which to run such a beautiful course through the forests that encircle the lake. Volunteers were everywhere. Water sachets great! A big thank you to all volunteers especially the ones who manned the 4 road crossings along the course & made sure no one was in danger of being run down by cars. Those red flags worked better than any traffic lights could have done!

OK...the run! How did I go? I ran "goof" ....as Ewen & I say it! Not as fast as the recent very flat Gold Coast Half Marathon (2 hours 27 minutes) & I didn't expect to. This one....2 hours 36 minutes. Exactly the same time as Bankstown Half last year! Yesterday's time gave me 1st place in W75 age category. Yes, I did have some competition! Second place getter's time was 2 hours 52 minute. The previous W75 ACTVAC Record for the Half Marathon set in 2003 stood at 170:47 but, as of yesterday the Record now stands at 156:47!

Very special thank you to Ewen for continuing to program my training & to keep encouraging me to do better. Not that he has any choice...I've told him, on 'goof' legal advice, that there is no expiry date to our contract!

Blackmore's Half, September 21.
Melbourne Half, October 12.

Two Weeks Later.........

.....on the trails for the first run since Gold Coast half marathon.

This morning's 12km felt quite good in spite of a filthy wind & fear of falling branches and trees. I've decided against running the C2S this year. Instead I'll spend more time preparing for some half marathons that lie ahead : Bankstown the Hidden Half (I think); Blackmores & Melbourne halves (definitely) & perhaps a few shorter runs...we'll see!

Thank you for all kind comments about my 'speedy' time at the Gold Coast & concern for my silly infected foot! The hilarious debacle with locking myself in the apartment prior to the start makes me believe that the little guy at the right is trying to tell me something!

Gold Coast Half Marathon, 2008.

The first of the disasters began just after my arrival on Thursday when I attempted to open the lock on my luggage..... but what good is a coded lock if the code won't unlock? And so began my career as a safe cracker! With a serrated knife from the kitchen I sawed & I sawed & I huffed & I puffed till I broke the lock down! First problem solved!

Then followed two days of walking on the beach, meeting with other Cool Runners for coffee, dinners etc.. & watching excellent & rather violent DVDs at night with Ewen : "The Secret Window", "No Country for Old Men", "Rendition" & "American Gangster", while eating pizzas with good red wines!

Sunday, all ready dressed & about to leave for the race at 5:30a.m. (allowing 45 minutes to walk to the start) a second disaster! Hurricane "Norma" struck by way of a huge blast of wind through the bedroom & slammed & jammed the door shut...lock, stock & barrel! I was locked in the front section of the apartment with no phone & no tools, except for a biro!

After pushing & whacking the handle with no good results, I was fast coming to the conclusion that I wouldn't make it to the start, let alone the finish unless I screamed from the balcony or jumped five floors hoping to land feet first in the swimming pool, or tied sheets together & lowered myself, James Bond style, down the side...but two sheets just wasn't going to do it.

However, after one more mighty thump on the handle, the whole thing, - handle, springs, washers & all - flew off. But, horror of horrors, the lock was still sitting in place, pretty & smug! My only tool was the biro with which I started poking through the hole in the door where the handle had once been. The minutes were clicking away & so were my luckylegs - it was now 5:45a.m. - the biro was shattering into a thousand fragments & still no luck...the lock wouldn't budge.

By this stage I was beginning to think this might be my last resting place! What a ludicrous way to pass on! After a hasty prayer to Saint Bic, the patron saint of biros, I thrust & I parried with the last piece of biro & the lock miraculously slid back! Relief like I've never felt before! Out the door, into the elevator (which for some reason didn't get stuck), & ran pell-mell for thirty minutes to the start, climbing over a side railing so as to get "up front" & not be at the back of the thousands of other runners already lined up & waiting.

Somewhere within the first 5km I felt a blister forming on the ball of my left foot. I ignored it, pushed it aside - as I did some runners even slower than I towards the finish! - & ran as fast as my lucky legs would go, even passing others, almost 'running out of sight'! I was trying so hard during the last 5km & badly wanting to stop or slowdown, but I pushed all thought of that aside too, desperately wanting to go under 2.5 hours......and I did!

Back at the apartment I was dismayed to see a huge blood blister covering the entire forefoot. I wasn't all that concerned, though it certainly was painful, but not enough to prevent me turning up for the "after party" which was fantastic meeting so many new & "old" Cool Runners.

I arrived home in Mittagong two days later by which time the foot had become infected & I was feeling far from well. Wednesday night I was shipped off to hospital & treated for five days for septicaemia & a 'touch' of pneumonia.

All the above, apart from the blister bit, may explain why I ran my fastest half marathon in the past three years, going under 2.5 hours & finishing in 2:27:02.

Sri Chinmoy Mirrambeena 16km

It took less than an hour to drive from Mittagong to Mirrambeena Reserve; registered & ran 2km & a few strides as a warm-up & then the 'fun' began!

The run was planned as a fairly 'easy' run in preparation for the GC half rather than at all out race effort. First 8km loop...... 55:30 minutes. Very cool conditions, excellent for running & a super beautiful course. 52:59 for the second 8km loop.

As did many others today, I missed a turn off from the main pathway, cutting the course short by about 1km. However, there were 4 other CRs up ahead of me who had also missed the same turn so we decided to double back to include the missed section & that gave us 16km on our Garmins thereby running the correct distance. Not one of us considered finishing until all Garmins clicked on 16km!

Apart from that drama, it was a great run & I enjoyed it immensely.

Time : 1:48:33

Against the Wind....

.....I was almost in tears today!

At Chev track a cold & furious wind blew across, up, down & around the entire field, and so it was with might & main, tooth & nail & like a bull at a gate I managed 12 laps (5km) 'upper aerobic' with heart rate at 130 (84%).


BAH!

The Very Last Rose of Summer....

....rose (Mr Lincoln), is the last & biggest rose I've ever picked from the garden. It was the size of a dinner plate & suvived for 2 weeks in a vase before it gave up the ghost!

As for running....

Entry forms now in for:-

Sri Chinmoy 16km, June 22; Gold Coast Half Marathon, July 6; Blackmore's Half, September 21; Melbourne Half Marathon, October 12.

Yet to enter for:-

City-to-Surf; 4 or 5 events in the Sri Chinmoy Races, Sydney.

.....and I have a new computer! Black, grey & chrome computer & keyboard; 19" flat screen & it can do everything but tapdance!! Love it!

S.M.H. Half Marathon

I had a great run on Sunday, not fast of course, but I enjoyed every single minute of it, especially getting to hurtle down Hunter Street soon after the start and, for the first time I had no struggle with running up the hills...just kept on hopping along in what unexpectedly turned out to be a brilliant morning for running.

This would be the only race I can remember in a long while where I felt totally relaxed & strong & confident that I was going to run a good race and enjoy it at the same time....and so I did & not at all like an 'ancient'!

I simply loved the whole event & felt full of energy & enthusiasm & really ready to draw on anything & everything (& everybody if necessary!) to finish knowing I had run my best.

In fact, I felt so good during the first 10km that, when I found I was running a faster pace than planned, I slowed down for fear of a nightmare in the second loop. Looking back now, I think I could have kept up the pace & finished faster than I did....who knows? I'll just have to wait & see 'how the wind blows' at the Gold Coast. It's a hard call to make knowing whether to run faster when you feel you can or hold back for later in the race. I think I'll 'let it all out' at the GC!

Gun Time 2:33:25; Net Time 2:32:28. About 30 seconds better than last year's SMH Half & 5 minutes faster than the Central Coast Half in December.

A final certainty.....I must have had a goof coach somewhere in my lifetime!

I'm Leaving......

for Sydney now......but not on a jet plane!

Things Change!

....and just as well that they do. After last Friday's miserable effort, I went to Chev track today ready to shoot or die!

As it turned out I didn't have to do either because I reckon I did a really, really good session!

After 1.5km warm-up & a couple of drills:

6 x 150m ....fast, but with good form in case Ewen's spies were lurking nearby! Recovery walk back to the start after each one.

Then the "piece de resistance"** that I so messed up last Friday: 4 - 5km 'upper aerobic' & this time I worked the old heart rate up to where it should be i.e. 132 (86%). I stopped at 4km because I didn't want to run a bad 5th kilometre! Next session I'll make it 5k just to see what my 5km time is.

1km laps were 6:10; 6:13; 6:19; 6:07 giving an average pace of 6:10 & that's pretty good for an "ancient"!!

**I don't know how to put the French accents on!

Disaster on Track.....

.....nothing would have helped today!

Meaningful? Yes, but I don't know what!

Unexpected? You bet!

Exciting? Not!

A suggestion from Ewen found me on the track at Chevalier all ready to run 6 to 7km 'upper aerobic' with heart rate 80-85% & after that 5 to 8 X 120m sprints. You'd think I'd know by now, but anyhow I'd asked for tips for the last 2 weeks before SMH Half Marathon, Sunday week.

Try as I might, I couldn't get a heart rate reading anywhere near that high, averaging only 62%! I stopped in disgust at 5.5km & moved on to the sprints. Thankfully, this was a better session though I hope there were no "spies" nearby checking my 'technique'!

Worse was yet to come!

After downloading this rubbish to Motion Based, the Garmin "died" & no wonder! Not a single expression on its face, not even a farewell smile! However, one more e-mail & I was re-directed to a thread on the CR message board where the answer lay....press Mode & Lap simultaneously and behold, the 305 started to breathe again & is now well enough to be taken off life-support altogether!

Who would have thought it!

Unexpected & Exciting.....

...from the top of Range Road, just before an unexpected & almighty storm broke, looking towards Sydney in the far distance.

Exciting, because I can't remember feeling so good when running as I have this week & on today's 2 hour run, finishing just as the rain fell.

Also Exciting because I have flights & accommodation booked for the Gold Coast Half Marathon!

The Colours of Autumn.

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......taken on cross country course at Chev. before track session.

Meaningful, unexpected (not really), and exciting!

Anzac Day, 25th April, 2008

During & Post-Canberra Marathon.....

When anything meaningful, unexpected or exciting happens, I'll post it here.

Today I resumed running after a full week's rest & felt terrific....better than I would have been feeling when this photo was taken by J.White (ACT)!

That's meaningful, unexpected & exciting!!

Canberra Marathon, 2008.

....I'm very pleased to be able to say I did NOT look like this at any stage of Sunday's marathon....or so I hope, because I have decided that this is to be my last marathon.

Very briefly then....

I was pleased with the run, the weather, the cheer squad (bless 'em all!), other runners and even pleased with my time - 5:34:06....not my fastest but not my slowest either. In fact, my time was just 5 minutes slower than the last time I ran Canberra marathon 2 years ago, so I count that as mild deterioration only! I know I would not have been anywhere near as comfortable as I was (in the early stages), nor would I have run even close to a time from 2 years back, had it not been for the day-to-day coaching over many months from Ewen. Thank you, Master W!

As he did 2 years ago when I ran the 50km, Ewen kept popping up at various stages along the cycle path, making sure I didn't go off into the bush - or the lake - & pushed me towards the end to overtake a few runners up ahead..... a rare thrill for me these days, but I DID IT!

I will post here, for the future, only after I've taken part in a run. Day-to-day running will be simple & unadorned...and probably just plain boring to read!

Thank you so very much for your encouraging comments in the lead-up towards Canberra marathon....23 weeks in all. I appreciated them more than you would know.

So, for now...... "Good Night & Good Luck"!

"Yesterday"

Seems like only yesterday that training for Canberra Marathon 2008 began! In fact though, it's 23 weeks that has come to an end today : the weekly e-mails from Ewen with training prgrams; the daily e-mails reporting back; the return e-mails telling me if I'd "stuffed up" or 'did goof'; text messages & phone calls galore.....all coming to an end today.

But what a great time (for me anyhow!) it's been. All the work taken out of wondering how to train - and conversely, all the work that it involved for Ewen writing programs to suit someone of more 'mature' years! Not an easy task I imagine & I didn't realize just how little I knew about how to run & train appropriately!

So.....on Sunday the race is run & then c'en est fait!

Rest....

No running for me today...I gave my dogs a long run through the paddocks instead..

Getting Closer & Closer All the Time!

Back to Bowral cycle paths for today's session.

Program : 7km

4k easy warm-up + 3km @ 7:25 pace. Optional few extra kms afterwards as warm-down.

Don't look at Garmin at all during 3km!

I stuffed up, of course! Afraid to find out later I'd run slower than 7:25 pace, I ran all the faster!

4km warm-up in 30:56. Pace = 7:50

3km in 21:31. Pace 7:08....that's the 'stuff up'! Laps 7:10; 7:06; 7:12. AHR = 112 (75%).

2km warm-down included some strides & a few drills.

I should have done strides before starting. I felt more 'awake' & energetic after doing them than I did during the entire earlier session!

Today's distance = 9km

Getting Closer and Closer....!!!!.

Program : 4km 'easy' running. Some drills & strides.

Ran 4km & walked 1km back to the car. Forgot all about the drills & strides!

Feeling fine! : no niggles, legs good, allergy gone, well rested & refreshed by reading (& dozing!) & walking the doggies in the afternoons.

Distance today = 5km.

Getting Closer....Canberra Marathon!

Program : 4km 'easy'. Last 1km run at 7:25 pace.

And that's all I did, running on the grass in Ironmines Oval. Cool, cloudy & looking like storms on the way.

4k 'easy' in 32 minutes
Last km in 7:25 exactly!

Distance for today = 4km