2 x 10km

Yes last weekend was the TMC a 38km trail run I was going to run, Yes I was on the mountain, but only taking pictures (see last weeks post).
Now weekends don't end on Saturdays and Sunday saw the running of a new race on the Cape Town running calendar, the Vlei 10km. My leg was holding out and I decided I would have enough time to run it and still pick my wife up from the Airport!!!

Yes Dawn's plane was landing at 08h00 and the race started at 07h00 so I had 40min to run and 20min to get there... It's all about timing!

I started the race with a friend of mine, Candice, and I set the pace at just under 4min/km knowing that I didn't have the legs to run any faster and running slower would get me in trouble with the wife!!!  Things went well till about 6km when we started to lose a bit of time. With 2km to go I kicked for home leaving Candice and some other guy who had been running with us.


I want to say I changed gear and the running of old was back... it wasn't!! I thought I would be able to put in 2 3:45s for the last 2km but I had to settle with 3:54. (3 weeks of almost no running will do that to you!)


I finished in 39:45, and without stopping I head for the car and the airport. I was on time, but Dawn and her 88year old Mom (she had taken her to England and Scotland for a holiday) took another 40min to to emerge with their luggage.


Role on this weekend and the Cape Town Marathon... A marathon was never on the cards, but I was up for another 10km, and with a week of running under the belt I set my sights on 38min. I didn't have the best of starts and only caught my wife, Dawn, 150m down the road, Mr Garmin was telling me I was running at 3:37/km and I was going to blow... lucky for me we turned and the pace settled. I found myself running with Jo-Jo a 40+ lady!!! I didn't get away from her till 5km and at this stage I could see the leaders heading back they had past 6km in about 17:30 and were flying...


I could now see one of my athletes ahead of me and I just focused on not losing him. Then at 8km he lost it and I started to close in and with 500m to go I had him. The clock was ticking and I was running flat out crossing the line in 37:59!!!

The race was won in 28:45 with the leading ladies finishing in 33:20, with the Marathon won by a Kenyan in 2h15:55 (a little slow in comparison to Berlin's 2h03:38!!!)

SOME PICTURES OF TMC

 Saturday saw the running of the Table Mountain Challenge, and yes I was planning on racing, but Mr. Spider had other ideas... So I popped onto the route and took a couple of pictures:

Leaders at 1st leg: Will, Allan, Killian, and Greg is hiding.

Ladies: Sue left and Anna right

Allan still in the mix

Will starting to feel it...

Bruce taking it easy

Ryan Sands

Working

And having fun...

Anna in the lead, Sue had taken a tumble

Anna running down the men!!!

Some-one running through the bush

Killian kicked butt...

WE HAVE STARTED

With my leg still all strapped up I went for a little run last Sunday. I wanted to know how my leg would hold up and since I had been back at work and was walking ok I had to get out... (Real reason: I was heading for a zero week and we can't have that, can we!!!!)

I ran up to VOB, about 2km from home and headed for the rugby fields. With the help of Mr Garmin I ran 5 x 200m: 56.4  46.8  46.2  42.8  40.4 (This in not on a track but a rugby field which is rougher than some trails I've run on. It was also my first run in 12 days, and I just wanted to try my legs at a faster pace.)


My legs were working I could head home and start planning my come back...

Day 1 Monday: easy run (this week only 6km) followed by 4 x 200m at 1km pace (this week it was 1km pace alright, the pace I run 1km intervals at...) 39.4  39.1  36.5  39.1.

Day 2 Tuesday: it was raining and I didn't want to get my leg wet. That said I did have 5 guys (OK one was a lady) doing the 400s

Day 3 Wednesday: nothing went right I didn't run.

Day 4 Thursday: Still not up to to much running, so I hit the track:
1km warmup 4:16,
then 4 x 200m 35.6, 37.2, 33.9, 35.9 (a little better tan Sunday attempt, grass a little slippery)
then 4 x 50m 8.3, 8.1, 7.8, 8.2 (I decided it was also my style that had gone to pot...)
I then joined the guys for 1000s, 4:03, 3:53, 3:53 (just controlled running)

I don't really know what the weekend hold, but I hope to be watching the race I was to run, and then Sunday I have to pick my lovely wife up from the airport.

Let the weekend start...

IS IT TIME

For the last couple of years I've been running and racing on the mountain:

Running with friends

Racing

 I love my mountain and I will always run on it, in fact I will run on any trail I can find...
Now the other day a friend of mine shared on Facebook OK it was more of a question:

Why do we run? Well there were a lot of responses, and it got me thinking...
Why do I run?

Now there are 100+ answers to that question, but I will start with "Walking is too slow" Yes I have a need for speed and back at school I ran track 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, Steeple Chase. I ran it all.

I don't run to loss weight, I don't run to keep fit, those are by products of a need for speed. I want to be fast, and I want to win... I don't like lining up at a race and just jogging, when I know I should be up there fighting for a podium!

Now for the last number of years I've been running a lot of trail races, and every time I lined up I thought I could win... (sometimes I was lucky). I think it is time for a change... One of my athletes run track, masters track, and I think it is time to join him and head for the tartan!

No not that TARTAN

That is better.. 

Now I haven't run for 12 days and tomorrow I'll put on my 5-fingers and see if my leg is ready for a little jog around the block.

Wish me luck...

MY PLAN IN BROKEN!!!

So it was Monday and I was ready to start training, but Monday is an easy day and an easy 10 in the forest. followed by 5mins on the stairs at the club house. This was day one and I could put a tick in the training box.

Now late last week Dawn had noticed I had a couple of "flea" bites on my leg, they didn't go away...

Flea bite wasn't a flea bite...

Tuesday my foot was a little swollen, but I made it through work... Not just any day at work, but I was in training and come lunch I took the stairs (3 x to the 15th floor). 

Now I know we had a session on the cards for that evening, but the weather was bad, both windy and wet, so I switched the session to Wednesday and we headed for the forest. Top Gate, 15km, forest out and road back. My swollen foot was working well and we came back at 4min/km (it is down hill). 

Wednesday morning my foot was still swollen and I ended up not running that evening. I called my sister-in-law (she's a doctor) and she said I needed drugs!!!!!

Thursday was very hard for me... Dawn called a Doctor and got me an appointment to see him. Why is that hard? I haven't been to a doctor in about 15 years and 15 years before that...

What my leg looked like!!!

All rapped up

All I can now say is:  I had better be running soon or the wine will run out. (Good thing I was able to buy 2 cases on the weekend)

My leg is still sore, but it's a whole lot better...

WEEK ONE

So with this being week one I was mend to start the big stuff and get out there and notch up the miles... Well things didn't start off very well as you know I'm sick!!!

Monday I still went up to the club, and after sending the guys off on a recovery run I sat down and drank a couple of beers...

Tuesday I still wasn't running, and again I popped up to the club to ensure the lazy guys were training properly!!! On the program tonight was 2km reps... I didn't hang around the club, but set off home stopping at my parents house to see how my Mom was doing... She fell in the river on the weekend and broke her foot!!!

Wednesday I thought I should put on my running shoes again and jog 5km. We (my wife and I) had plans later, so I didn't go up to the club, but went with Dawn to VOB to run the 5km TT. I didn't run with Dawn I tried to run hard, I did run hard... it was hard but not very fast (by my standards) I was only about to manage half marathon pace, and I was finished.

Thursday I took the boys for a trail run in the forest. I think I'm getting better.

After taking Friday off I was up for an easy race!!! So Saturday we drove out to Atlantis for a 15km race. I didn't want to race it was really part of a longish run... I started off with 4.5km warm up and was feeling good at the start. Then things started to look good, only Shaun was there, I had a good shot at 2nd place. I went out at an "easy" (it is a little down hill) 3:35 3:34 3:34 3:34 3:33. At this stage I was running with another 40+ but he was always going and that 2nd place was mine... In fact he even fell off the pace a bit before we slowed on the flat through 6 and 7 3:44 3:44 very light wind from behind 3:39.

Then from nowhere we were caught from behind!!! Yes he was 40+... Gavin told me to go, so I upped my pace to keep my place. 3:34 3:28... but that was all I had. I had planned on staying with him till we turned for the climb to the finish. He had dropped me before I could drop him. I didn't have my hill climbing strength back! I was now running in no-mans land so I just kept going 3:46 (only half hill) 3:53 3:53 3:53 and the flat km into the wind and finish 3:49. Mr. Garmin only added another 3sec after 15km to take my to the finish in 55:22.

I didn't stand around waiting for Dawn I ran back for her and was about to get in another 3km giving me 22.5km for the morning.

Sunday morning I slept in a bit and only had time for 17.5km before Church. So I might have 40km for the weekend, but I haven't been on the mountain to get the long hours in. And Yes they are needed my next 2 races are going to take me 4-5 hours!!!

Monday we start again...

JMC EXTREME

Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge was run on Sunday 21 August 2011 and I should have stayed in bed... I didn't so here I am to tell you about the race.

From the day I heard about this race I was in... words like Mountain, Extreme, 30km and Challenge had court my eye. (and there was money up for grabs, which was reachable.)

Things were going well in training and after last weeks CCC result I know my running was were I wanted it. Role on Sunday... Then come Monday (T minus 6 days and counting) I was told I had to be at Head Office on Friday, so I was flying up to Pretoria on Thursday! Problem? Yes, No, Maybe... I took the week really easy till Thursday and then it was time off. This was good. But it looks like I caught something on the plane or just from traveling...

I tried to fight it with Vitamin C, but it was a losing battle. Yes Cape Town is in the middle of winter, but the sun has been out most days and boy it's been great. But great winter weather can only last so long!!! and it turned over night!!! The clouds had rolled in and the heavens had opened.

Now I woke up feeling even worse than I had done going to bed feeling, so I just rolled over and went back to bed. (Like I would tell any of my athletes.) Wrong, I was up at 05h00 and out the door at 05h30 on my way to Jonkershoek.

An extreme race in extreme weather, I had to be there. After my kit was checked I got ready to run... (Compulsory Equipment... yes compulsory equipment, stuff like a first-aid kit fleece and a rain jacket)

At the start it was perfect running weather, for a road race: light drizzle and very little wind, but we weren't running on the road, we were heading up the mountain!

The race started slowly and I took the pace, for about 500m till Allan decided it was time to race. I went with the front guys and soon 4 of us had a nice lead. We were still on the gravel road and the climb was easy. I was hoping that I wasn't really sick and I would be able to run... I lasted 10min and then had to wish them well as they kept the pace. I stopped running hard and settled into a light jog. I was still in 4th as we left the 'road' and hit the single track up the first bit of the mountain.

I was caught shortly after that first climb, and I neatly stepped aside and let him pass, but it was flattish so I could jog again... Letting him do the work I just followed. I didn't have any energy so 'jogging' along behind him was just what was needed. Now it was a little wet on this stretch so I had removed my glasses and on every rough turn I lost a couple of seconds as I had to let him go so I could see the blur ahead (I mean path). At about 7km the real race started... in the next 2km we would climb 450m into the grips of winter!!! Jayde caught us on the climb and went past, so I decided to go with him for a bit. I figured I could climb with him. On the zig-zags as we climbed I could see the likes of Andrew Hagen and Martin Kleynhans chasing...

I don't know what had happened, but we caught Will (he should have been up front fighting for a win) I now felt I was on a training run as I had 2 of my athletes with me... But this was no training run, it was a fight against the mountain and the elements. I was loving it, the path was a river and my feet were cold. Yes cold, I would have it a guess that it was about 5 degrees up there, and then wind chill... or in some peoples case wind freeze!!!!

I'm going to have to pop up there for a training run in better weather as I would love to see what it is like up there. The death zone was taking it's toll, the guy who had been running with me from 3km had dissapeared and then Jayde stopped to put on his rain proof jacket. OK he stopped just in front of me and shouted for help, Jayde, I sorry I didn't stop, but I really didn't know you were about to die from hypothermia and i was having fun splashing in the water. Lucky for him Martin was not far behind to help him put on his jacket as his hands weren't working!!!

I went through the top check point with no problems, but I didn't really have any energy to bounce down the mountain. I mean we dropped 178m in that km I took it easy letting a number of guys go by. We were still on a single track with 13km to go. We dropped another 100m in the next km before the path got a little flatter. I was jogging the easy bits but when it came to river crossings I took it easy, really easy.

With about 9 to go the path opened up and I wanted to start running properly again, but I wasn't well and slow would have to do... 9km is a long way when running slowly and with 2km to go I stopped for a energy bar chocolate. I was hungry and down on energy, 3h30 is a long time for me to be out on a run.

I finished in 20th place which is a little off what I would normally run. But I'm pleased I ran and didn't stay in bed, it was an awesome day to be on the mountain a real test of trail running skills.