THE END OF 2013

WOW, can you believe another year is over and it's time to start planning 2014...

Now before we think about what lies ahead I had better have a little look back at 2013:

First lets just see what I've been doing since I last wrote, so that takes us back to Christmas. I was at work on Christmas eve and with it being a half day I decided to put my run in before work. Lots of eating to do with the family that evening and so much to do before then. So I was up at 05h00 and I was running hills. Yes a hill session of 10 x a 400m hill (95-100sec) I was planning on earning Christmas dinner with my Sister and all the family.

All dressed up

It wasn't that late when we rolled home, But Dawn and I had thought a lot about Christmas day and planned on going to the 11h00 service, giving us a little time in the morning.

I headed off at 7 up the mountain, Nursery Ravine, from home it's 8km to the top and 750m climb, just the way to burn off a couple of mince pies!!! Dawn just ran past a friends house to check that all was well (1 of 3 houses we were looking after) before heading home to wake up her friend (best friend from Scotland) who was staying with us. Then the 2 of them took the dogs to the beach for a walk!

Already hot at the top...

Christmas Dinner was at 18h30 with Dawn's family, and they were coming to us. I had Chicken and Lamb to cook on the fire...

With so much food consumed I met a couple of friends at Constantia Neck on the 26th and the 3 of us ran up to the Dams for a swim. (another 600m of climb)

Perfect for a swim!

Saturday saw us head out to Houw Hook Inn for a wedding:

Dawn's goddaughter!

We partied to midnight before heading to our room. Wait for it, at 06h30 I was up to join Bret for a little run on the mountains behind the Inn:

After 5km of climbing!

Bret crossing a mnt bike bridge

As if all of that wasn't enough I joined my from Eddie on Monday the 30th for 3 hours of trails:

No 100m record were run that day!

With the office still closed Dawn and I choose to put in a 2 hour cycle on the 31st, Then while dawn took the dogs for a walk I headed out for a run, don't worry I didn't head up the mountain, I headed to the track for 10 x fast slow 200's!

Now finally with the year behind us let's have a look at the magic numbers:

Garmin calls it: 4 560.31km run (I call it 4 555.2km)
Time: 370h59:10
Elevation gained: 112 844m
Day's run: 365
Races run: 47 (I also ran 4 x 5km TT that's another 20km!!!)

Distance: 991.8km should have run that other 10km

Best times for the year:

5km 17:23 didn't really race
10km 33:23
15km 51:51
21.1km 74:26
Marathon: 2h52:45 (to close to that half!)
I also did OK in a couple of trail races!!!

If you look at that I can't be unhappy...

2014, let it bring more of the same!!!

WINTER IS ON THE WAY

With the longest day now behind us, the days are getting short and short. Summer is a thing of the past and Winter is on the way...

Lucky for us here in Cape Town the weather should start to improve with the Summer wind starting to drop off. Isn't this just the best time of year? So many public holiday and half the world is on leave, in fact half the world is always on leave!!! Me on the other hand, I love being at the office over this time of the year, the roads are quiet and the phone almost never rings. So I find I can get a lot more work done and I even get the leave work early for time to time... Enough about work, I'm here to tell you about running!

Public holidays alway shout long run, long run on the mountain, and last Monday was no different. The I listen carefully to the call of the mountain and plan a route as to cover the ground I'm called too...

Vlakenberg was shouting my name, but the truth be told the route I started to think about would ahve killed me, it was up, down, up, along, up, down, up, down, and I would have being out for long over 3 hours. At this time of the year my body is pretty worn-out so I changed the plan to Up, Down out and back, up, down, with 2 hours being the mark. Then I put a call out to a couple of friends and while most had plans (there was another 10km race), one of my star lady runners joined me.

Making it look easy

It was her first time on the mountain and she made it look easy, if I take she up a couple more times she will become quite the trail runner!!!

One of the reasons I didn't run the race on the Monday, was there was another evening 10 on the Wednesday, and 3 10s in week would have just been too much. I was at the Waterfront for the midweek 10 and while I thought I could find myself running hard I wasn't going the aim at a time. While making my way to the startlineI saw a couple of the 40+ guys and with 3 guys who can kick my fat ass any day of the week, and a 4th whom I know would make me run harder than I wanted, I decided to pace a friend...

38:30 was his target, and with wind to think about I set the pace at 19:00 for the first 5 along us to slow in the 2nd half.
1km was easy and while we had start easy we passed the mark spot on and he was looking good, 2km and 3 and he was still there, but I could see he was starting to work a bit.
19:02 at 5km and he was still with me... 6km and while we had caught a couple more people he was not a happy camper!!! By 7km he was toast, but I was still hopefull...
Remember we had a little time in the bag for the 38:30, but now the time was slipping away... and while I know I could pick the pace up it wasn't about me, so I kept hanging back to help him keep going, then with 1km to go I felt him to come home in 39:00 while I fought a bit of wind at the end to finish in 38:40.

Good thing I'm so fat or the wind would have had me!

I was happy with my last km and my friend was happy with the 39:00 he had run...

The week again find me out and about, but this time round it was the slopes of Devils...

My team mate Eddie making it look easy...

It wasn't all sitting around and smiling at the view, some of it was hard work...

It was a long climb...

2hour 20 later and we had covered all of 22km (only 750m climb) and found ourselves back at the cars... 

I have a couple of days of work as the Office closes so any guesses as to where I plan to get my running done?

Have a great Chrismas, more from me in the New Year.

I LOVE RACES

With this Wednesday evening's 10km race being just down the road Dawn and I headed out to Race!!! Dawn loves this race as back in '98 she ran 38:35 her PB, while I haven't run any really fast times here it's alway nice to run hard at the end of the year...

It wasn't a big field as we gathered in the grounds of Pollsmoor Prison maybe 400+. Before we started the field honored the Late President Mr Nelson Madela with a moment silence and the National Anthem!

Then the gun set us off I got into my running, the first 200m was into the wind and I went with the lead group so as not to have to fight the wind, we then turned right and right again... Tanith (Yes Tanith Maxwell who ran the marathon for SA at the 2012 Olympics!) was tucked in behind me, Lenka and Nelson were just ahead, with Rich and Byron a couple of m behind... (was hoping to get a couple of the boys to run a good time)
3:20, fast yes, but it is an easy km as I had warmed up properly...
3:27 Lenka and Nelson still 5m ahead, I think Rich was still close behind, through the joggers path and on to km 3
3:22, I don't think we running to fast, the next couple of km have a climb out of the cycle track and a couple of turns
3:37, we now on Firgrove and it's a long pull up, only Tanith is still with me, we took Nelson and Lenka on the cycle track and they fell of the pace...
3:35 5km 17:24, past the school and still climbing, I take the turn... I'm a little naughty and find myself slowing a touch to let Tanith stay with me. (I don't feel I could catch Nichoals and the 2nd 40+ about 50m ahead and didn't want to run alone!)
3:40, dam need to start working again...
3:32, 500m left till the turn I can feel some-one chasing us. We turn and I tell Tanith if she wants it she needs to use the down hill to make up a bit of time.
3:33, It's VOB's Warren Jeppi, and Lenka isn't far off... 6:50 needed to break 35... I go for it, my pace doesn't really change, They feed us onto the grass just before the turn back into the prison... I find myself closing the gap on the 40+ guy... a left turn in the prison send us up (can't call it a hill, but at the top I catch the 40+ guy, I've dropped Warren and Tanith, and Lenka didn't have the legs to race on.
3:31 it's now 2 old men running together, I think he got a bit of a fright seeing the 40's on my vest. We are now running into the wind, and I am tucked in behind him... I can beat him if I can get to the grass finish, 400m to go and I find myself lossing touch. Why is my head week, where is the fight. We hit the grass, 200m to go... I'm catching again, but the grass isn't really a trail and I've left to much to catch him...
3:27 finish 3rd 40+ man in 12th place with a time of 35:10

Another 10km race under the belt number 212!!!!

A TIME TO REMEMBER

Over the years I have been lucky enough to have had many memorable runs, but most of them have been races:

• I can remember running in the inter schools during my last year, the first race of the day was the 3000m and the 3 schools packed the stands, it felt like I was running in an Olympic final, with 1 lap to go there were 4 of us still together, all 3 schools still in it... But with 300m to go I kick and come down the home straight alone... An hour later I lined up for the 1500m again I kicked with 300 to go and was able to drop the other guys!
• I can remember running the Voet in the same year as Josia Thugwane set the record (1995), I finished 11th with a time of 2h38, good enough to win the race on many occasions.
• Knysna 1996 will also stay with me forever, as I ran an almost perfect race leading from the gun and winning in would would be my 2nd fastest marathon... 2h33
• There are other 10, 15 and 21.1km races that I remember well, but not today...
• it's not often that a non race stands out as a memorable run, but if you run with me I can tell you stories about running in the hail and pull ice out of my hair! I can tell you about running on the mountain as the Cape was in the grip of the storm. Or about swimming in the dams on the mountain in the middle of a long run, but those or all stories for another day...  

• In the mid 90's I had a group of friends and we met 4 times a week at 05h30 for an easy morning run before work... It was a dark chilly morning on 8th of May 1996 like so many other mornings before, I climbed into my car and set off on the 3km drive to Monica's place... I remember the windows of the car were misted up and visibility wasn't great! (the drive isn't really long enough to really clear the windscreen.) Like most mornings at that time I was still half asleep and then there ahead of me I saw a group of guys walking in the middle of the street... I slowed and had to cross the road, I remember thinking: I hope they aren't up to no good, then as I was past I saw a cop car following them from some distance! Again I only thought it was good to know our boys in blue were keeping the suburbs safe while the rest of the world was asleep...

•  A few minutes later I was parked and we set off for our run, Chris, Monica, Noo, Nicky, Velda... Up the road and then... There ahead of us were this group of guys, still walking slowly and taking up half the road! Dressed in heavy dark coats I wondered if the police were still around, then Chris (ever alert, and friendly) greeted them, the way he greeted everyone we past: Good Morning Mr President!!! 

• OMG it was the President, Nelson Mandela was out for a morning walk... 

•  Over the next couple of month we would see him a number of times, and Bobby who wasn't with us that first morning, never missed a run there after...

This morning at 05h00 when I got up for my morning run I check Facebook while getting ready and the news of his passing was the only thing out there...

As I set off alone this morning down the quiet deserted streets I took the time to remember the life of this man who has change this country for the better...

R.I.P. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

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!

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?

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...