STARTING TO GET FIT !!!

Back in January I ran a 30km race, Bay to Bay, this race was on the calendar as a long run for a marathon in February (I didn't run the marathon), but I had run the 30 to get fit. Now a couple of months on there was another 30 on the calandar...

Like any other clever runner I took the day off before the 30, No I didn't, a couple of the boys popped over to my house and I took them for a little run. (To loosen the legs!!) So from our little house in the suburbs the first 5km were flattish and on the road, then we reached my favourite 'little' hill PRICE Drive...

We took it easy as we climbed from 90m to 190m over the next 1.5km then things got interesting. When on my own I might run here for a couple of 'big' hill repeats, but today was a different story...

Vlakkenberg sits at the top of Price Drive, so on we went up the mountian another 325m climb. It wasn't all running as we neared the top (why didn't I have a camera with me). The path to this stage was well marked and easy to follow and since I've been to the top many times I know the way.
Once on the top it was a different story, within 50m the path was no more and with a 9:24km split up and then a 14:21km split as we started down the other side the going was slow. (The last time I was up there I gave up and went back the way I had come.) I had lost a would be path and William took over ducking under the bushes and yes finding the path on the other side...

Then it was easy as we hit a route we all know to take us down. The run was a little shorter than I had guessed so as we got home I took them round the block for a 4:00km to see if our legs still worked.



The weekend was far from over and Sunday morning was 30km time. I had planned on running with a friend at 3hr marathon pace, but I didn't see him. I started slow and as I past a couple of guys I thought about how I should run this race. After a couple of quick km I caught the leading ladies and thought here is a good place to sit...

That didn't last long as I saw 3 of my athletes about 300m ahead of my bus. Again I stretched my legs and by 7km I had caught them. I was really great running is n a race with 3 of my athletes. I 'sat' at the back of the bus and let them run the race as they had planned.

Then on a 'little rise' (12km) I felt the pace slow (4:19) up till then we had be knocking off sub 4's. I took the lead and to 13 we cranked out a 3:50. Now ahead of us was "The Big Mama" a climb of over 2km and 140m. I didn't let up I had seen a 40+ vet ahead and I'm a little compeditive...

Our bus fell to pieces and by the top I had dropped all of my boys, the coach must still show who is boss, (I only dropped Nelson just before the top). I didn't stay ahead of all of them, but I was running nicely down the hill. In the 'old' days I was able to fly down the hills, but not today. I held the new bus together setting the pace. At 22 we reached the next hill and it was time to take charge again... but this hill was not going to be easy, my legs had turned to lead and it was me hanging on the back on the bus. Nelson and Nicholas pulled me up the hill (2 of them). Then Nicholas stopped at a water table and with only 1 hill left I was chasing Nelson... with 4km of down hill to come I could no longer keep up and it was more a case of just running to the finish.

I held it together and finished in 25th place, 2nd 40+ in a time of 1h57:51 (my fastest time in 2 years). I was really pleased with this result and it looks like I might be starting to get fit!!!