WHAT DOES A CHAMP EAT?

Have you ever lined up at the front of a race with all those skinny Africans who disappear off into the distance as the gun goes off?

Have you ever wondered what makes them so fast?

Have you ever wondered what they eat?

Well I'm a skinny (and I want to be skinnier) African, and if you look at the way I ran in the 2Oceans Trail run (I was lucky in the field that turned up on the day) I fall into the category...

So let me tell you about what I eat:

I made Fire...

Throw some meat on the coals...

When nicly cooked I bring it inside...

Dawn has also been slaving away in the kitchen...


Look at that AVO and FETTA...

Then we sit down with a bottle or 2 of red Wine...

But now it's lunch and left over PIZZA time...

WILLIAM, KATE, KYLIE AND A MOUNTAIN GOAT

Easter weekend in Cape Town is Two Oceans time and South Africa's running fraternity heads for the Mother City.

With 11 medals behind me I've run enough ultras (56km) and the half holds no excitement for me, so with the introduction of a trail race I would find myself racing once again...

BUT FIRST THE EXPO

With registration behind me it was race day on Friday...

After last weeks race where I put my body on the line, I went for a more conservative approach remembering how last years race went, I wasn't going to fight to win the race in the 1st couple of easy km's...

Now instead of writing a long hill for hill, Single track, Fynbos style report, I thought I would tell my story with pictures...

The front page...

The sports page...

and a few pictures from the race...

photo by Chris Hitchcock

photo by Chris Hitchcock

They didn't get one of me here...

My friend Leo wrote a blog about his run / the race so maybe you should pop over to his page: LEO and have a read...

OLD GOAT AND THE MOUNTAIN

Yes, I run a lot of races, but I don't race very often. It is easy for me at line up at a race and just run. I can even run a good time, place as a 40+, I sometimes see the competition ahead of me and set about running them down. (my competitive nature) For a road race I'll do the maths and set out at the pace needed for the time I believe I can run. On the trail I start off within myself and set about running people down.

I don't have the confidence to set out 'balls to the wall' and see what the body can do... In a bygone era I would 'attack' a 10km race and be hurting by 3km, hoping that the body would respond to what I was trying to put it through.

With that said I will tell you I was nervous about this mornings race, as much as I had told my athletes (those whom had asked) that I just wanted to run a better time than last year, I knew differently! I was feeling the pressure of being "the Mountain Goat" and wanting to live up to my reputation of been a good hill runner.

The race in question is the Mast Challenge, simply put 10.3km half gravel and half tar with 760m climb...

From the gun (Trevor's count down) I took the lead and tried to break the field, and that I did... By 1km only Nicholas and Ian were with me. By 2km Nic had dropped off the pace and I was now plotting on how to break Ian. At 3.5km the race flattens for a bit and Ian had no plans on been dropped and pulled ahead of me. In fact I was so slow I was also caught from behind by a guy from the New Balance club. I feel sorry for this guy as I don't think he had any idea as to what lay ahead...

The gravel turned to tar at 5.5km and I was alone in 2nd place. I could still see Ian up ahead and in my mind I thought I could catch him, but as the road got steeper my legs got heavier and I couldn't chase anymore. Up till then the wind wasn't really a factor, but all that changed the higher we got. Then my race for glory started to fall to pieces and with 2.5km to go Darren caught and past me. In the wind and I couldn't even tuck in and stay with him.

I didn't lie down and die, I fought on, with only the clock to race I turned the last corner and powered up the last 300m to the end. (Why didn't I have this power earlier.) 49:58, at least I had beaten the clock.

Mr. Garmin was so kind as to take my splits:

I was a minute faster than last year, so I was happy with my run even if I did wish I had beaten the others. Dawn, my wife, was racing this for the first time, so I ran down to meet her and run in with her. She just wanted to make it to the end, and was happy with her time of 76:15.

I'll look for picture later in the week and post them (that's if you want to see them.)

THE MILL OR THE MOUNTAIN

On Thursday a friend of mine suggested that I give the HI-TEC INFINITY CHALLENGE a go, so I signed up for the 2km treadmill ran. I didn't sign up because I'm a great 2km runner, or because I love running on the treadmill, no I wanted to win an entry to race the Otter Trail...

2km isn't really running (when you are training for a marathon) so I ran 11.5km in the morning and then at lunch time Dawn and I climbed into the car and headed out to Century City. In search of Calan Walk's Cape Union Mart. Oh my hat I don't do people or shopping centers. Never mind we got there in one piece and I was ready to hope on the machine and set a time. The fastest time was set by one of my athletes, Will, he had run 6:58. Now that is ok for 2km but not really that fast, so I decided that the top spot was mine!!!
Ian keyed in my detail and hit the go button. No warmup and the clock start with the machine on 0km/h. I turned it up to 18km/h and the speed climbed.
I couldn't leave it at 18km/h as I was scared I would fall of the back.
The treadmill was set on a simple little program and every couple of 100m it would climb 1%. By the time it hit 7% at about 1.4km I was shattered (still running at about 16km/h). Unlike real hills when you reach the top you start going down hill, no here the gradient just dropped to 4%, 3%, 2% and 1%.

My throat was burning as the treadmill leveled out, and I had nothing left for a "sprint" to the finish:

I hung in there and finished with a time of 7:16 to place me 4th for the day, which I think isn't to bad for an old man who last ran on a treadmill 10 years ago.

Now role on Sunday and I had planned to meet Bruce (from team HI-TEC, who I am to pair up with for African-X next month) and Jayde. Bruce is from up country and hasn't run much on Vlakkenberg, so I had planned a little run for us.
Looks simple enough till I show you the profile...

1100m climb over 25.5km.

We took the run easy and even stopped for a swim in the dam:

Bruce

Jayde

And then a picture of Bruce and I...

I should really have taken pictures rould the over side of that mountain showing the climb and the sea in the background. It was a perfect day with hardly a breath of wind and the temp up close to 30!!!

After 2h52min we were back at the cars and ready for the rest of the day.

In closing I just want to say 3 hours on the mountain was easier than 7min on the treadmill.

IN THE DARK OF THE MORNING

In my quest to become a lean mean running machine I have been getting up at 05h00 for the easy morning run. Back in the '90s I met a group of friends and we would run +_8km 4 mornings a week. Back then it was easy and even if I had been out 'clubbing' till 03h00 I would be up at 05h00 to join them for my morning run before work.

Now the years have past I'm older, married and living in a different neighbourhood, so things are very different. Now, only on the odd mornings will find me running around the dark streets of my neighbourhood. (I should have run through summer as I would have been running in the light.)

This morning was such a morning: I was up early and out in the dark running off last nights dinner, Hawaiian Chicken. The mornings are perfect at the moment, nice and dark and not yet the 'cold' and wet of a Cape Town winter. The first half of my morning run route took me up past Wynberg Park. I spend most of the first 4.5km climbing, but then it's down hill all the way home. A little run like that just sets me right for the day, and I still have the energy to climb the stairs when I get to the office.

Maybe I'll run again Friday morning.

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!!!