Monday, November 18, 2013

GOING FOR BROKE AND GETTING IT...

Since turning 40 I have been chasing my club colours. Now unlike other club I know VOB has set the standards high and you have to been in top shape if you wish to reach them. Over the course of this year I have ticked off the 10, 15, half marathon times, this was to be the day of the marathon...

One of the things you find yourself doing as a marathon runner is watching the weather as the day of your big race arrives, and to be honest it wasn't looking all that good!

And as Mr Weatherman had predicted the rain, well she did come, and on Friday night it was a little wet... I had climbed into bed listening to the rain beat down on the patio roof, and then at 01h00 Dawn was up to check if the garage was floading!!! It wasn't, but then I decided to get up and check the rain gauge...

FULL
It was full!!! 100mm has fall in just over 6 hours...

Back to bed and then up a couple of hours later, and the rain had taken a break together with the wind, the marathon was on and I found myself on the start line at 05h30...

The weather gods had Wreaked enough Havoc for the weekend, we were in for a great run, so unlike most of the marathons I run I put the hammer down from the gun. I was looking for anything around 3:48/km...

As that all important first km unfolded maybe I should have reassesed my goal!!! the running wasn't easy and I wasn't smooth, but I was going for it and maybe, just maybe, the body would loosen up and I would start feeling great.
5km 18:38, we were in a little group and moving along... I was sitting at the back, but I wasn't chomping at the bit wanting to run faster...
10km 37:27 (5km split 18:48) I was starting to have doubts, so I was hatching a plan... to get me to the end in one piece.
15km 56:58 (5km split 19:31) first hill on the day was crested, and while I was now running alone I was thinking of who I would make it to half way and beyond...
21.1km 81:24 (5km split to 20km 20:07) I had been caught and had tucked in behind this guy who was looking strong. Now on the out and back section to Somerset West we were heading into a breeze, so I let him do the work.
25km 1h37:19 (5km split 20:12) I was feeling better and with my plan now changed to 4:00/km things were looking up...
30km 1h57:21 (5km split 20:01) did I say looking up, I was now looking up to the heaven's for help, 12km is still a long way out! I had moved up into 2nd 40+ guy and had about 1 min lead over the next guy...
35km 2h21:25 (5km split 22:04) we had turned off the freeway, and I was looking for the finishing line and it was still a long way off... I lost my 2nd place, but I though that if I could just keep moving I could hold onto 3rd...

Now this is where I can tell you what has been happening: about 6-7 weeks ago I picked up an abdominal muscle strain, so for the last couple of months I have had almost no core stability / strength, I have not been able to do a single sit-up, (not that I do sit-ups) but to start with my stomach felt like I had done 1000 sit-ups the day before!!!

35km to the end, I was now catching the half marathon runners, but I still felt like the km had turned into miles as they weren't coming fast enough. It was an effort to lift my legs, but I was still in the money so I had to push on... I could see the 41km board when the next marathoner past me, DAM he was also a 40+, I picked up the pace...

No the body didn't respond, and after 5 strides I was out of the race... Then to rub salt in the wounds about 40 year old past me just before the field.
Trying to stay ahead of a half runner!
All that hurt...
Today 42.2km was a long way
I finally crossed the line in 2h52:45 having lost 7min in the last 12km...

I want for broke and I broke... You can't win them all!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

WILL NEW SHOES HELP

With Winelands only a couple of days away I am starting to think about the race, OK maybe I should be saying worry about the race!!!

So while I take a taper week I also look back and the buildup I've had, and ask the question?

DID I DO ENOUGH?

  • Enough for a sub 3, Yes.
  • Enough for a sub 2h50, Yes (brave statement...)
  • Enough for a sub 2h40... This is the question I am asking myself, it's not going to be easy, and I need the running gods on my side...
What does the log book say?
  • This week is easy enough, Good... rest so important.
  • I'll eat enough, food and a bit of this to help build back any muscles I have used...
A little protien
  • Training, is one ever happy? 
  • Sessions, yes I did them, fast enough? would have liked them quicker.
  • Distance in the week? Good, but a couple of morning runs would have been nice...
  • Long runs? This is what scares me, I feel I haven't do enough since my marathon in September!
  • SHOES...
OLD KSO 5 FINGERS
  •  With over a 1000 miles (yes miles) on them maybe not a good choice.
NB MT00
  •  Another shoe with over 1000 miles, they have seen better days.
TREK PRO 5 FINGERS
  •  Only 777km logged in these and I did run my last marathon in them, this could work!
NB MT10
  •  Yes they are a trail shoe, but with 788km logged I now use them more on the road, feel like slippers on the foot.
INOV-8
  • Ran this race in them last year,  only 767km logged, another possibility.
NB MINIMUS 10V2
  •  Ran in them yesterday 7km (only run in them), feel good for a Marathon!
So will new shoes help me reach my goal?

Thursday, November 7, 2013

SNAKES and MARSHALS

It was another hard week of training with my sights set of a marathon in a couple of weeks, while the boys are looking to wind down the year as exams set in, and then before you know it they will be on holiday lossing all the fitnes and speed we have worked on this year...

I had other things on my plate on Monday, so I was unable to join the guys for a last session on 200's, so with my marathon in mind I headed to a hill near where I live and start a little 10 x 500m hill session!!!

Tuesday easy 10km I turned into 14 with 4km on the track, with hte last 2 run a little quiter than marathon pace.

Wednesday had me running 5km warmup before a 10km tempo run at the local race. Well with the rain falling and me on the motobike I didn't get the warmup in and started very cold... In fact my feet didn't want to bend and the ankles were stiff! The top lady of the day sped past me as the gun went and I watched her Olympic body disappear up the road and there was nothing I could do about it...

After lossing time in the first 2km my old body warmed up and I started to hit the splits I was looking for!!! I past 5km in 17:41, and through the rain (yes it was raining, almost) I could see I was catching a couple of guys and hidden in the middle of them was Tannith... I would like to be telling you how I picked up the pace and started to run them down, but I think it was them who were slowing as I closed the gap.

7.5km and she was mine... In passing her she dropped the guy she was running with and set chase, but with the turns and damp on the road, she couldn't hold on as I chased down a 40+ guy. I would catch him on the straight and then he would cut through the flower beds and pavement to put 20m out on me!!! With 500m to go I caught him again, but having run 50+m longer than him in the last 1km I didn't have the energy to out kick him...

Thursday was still wet so we left the stairs to the tourists and hit the road for an easy 15km.

I had planned an easy 10 for Saturday, but Eddie had time off from Daddy duty, so I mixed things up and joined me at R/Mem for a little forest and mountain run... Eddie doesn't get on these trails much, so I took him on a run that he would never forget...

Loop round here and single track across there, then it was Woodcutters and through to Kirstenbosch... Then up what I call Leo's Ladder, well the 2nd half of it... THEN

Can you see him?
He was in the middle of the path and I so nearly stood on him... He was over a meter long and thicker than my wrist!!!

Good thing he left the path...
Only the 3rd big snake I've seen in the 1000's of km I've run on the mountain. Eddie was happy to let me lead the rest of the way...

That said, from the Block house we took the gravel road for the most part and then he almost stood on..

Not so scary!
With 20km and almost 2 hours done it was time for the car and an engine to get me home...

Sunday saw the 12th running of Landmarks half and for some reason I have run them all Sunday I was again on the start-line. With my marathon in 2 weeks and a long run already in the legs I was just aiming at running this at marathon pace...

The first couple of km were hard going, but I had 30sec in the bag before the little hill up to Rhodes Mem. I didn't see the 10km board, but Ms 310 told me that I was now 50 sec behind pace, but the 2nd half was mostly down hill and it didn't take me long to be back on track. I was happy the way I was running and at the 19km board I looked at the time 1h12:02, about 8 min for those last 2.1km should be easy, up the road, turn left and left again... wait why is Mr Marshal sending us straight?
  • Me: Has the route changed
  • Marshal: Yes, straight on...
  • Next Marshal: follow the brick road around the busses...
  • Me: (200m later) *%^$# where to now, we can't finish now #$%&# 
  • Me: finished 20.3km in 77:03, not a happy camper...
I've recorded the run in my recoreds as a 79:59 half and put a note with the problems... it's not the first time and it won't be the last time...