WHAT'S UP

Let me tell you what is up:

The Mast is up... yes it's up on top of the mountain, so why not have a run to the top!!! Yes this weekend last, was the race to the mast, a simple 10.3km race to the mast, one way, one hill, MAN against MACHINE. Trevor has this idea that the runners and mountain bikers should race...

Well we race against the clock at different times, us runners setting off at 07h00 and the first of the riders setting off at 08h30. The riders are set off in batches till the last batch is set off around 09h30. Now that batch is made up of runners who also want to ride!!! (I've done this a couple of times, and it's not easy...) Some of you might think that a race of 10.3km with 830m climb is hard, well it's not hard, it's just slow and no-one minds if you walk...

For some reason I've always enjoyed hills so a race like this always sees me lining up on the front row... In years gone by I've been first to the top, and in a way I wish I could have raced this back in the '90s to know what I could have done. But those days are gone and as the gun set us off I didn't take the lead I let the kids go. (OK there wasn't a gun, Trevor just said: 3... 2... 1... GO!)

Hands on your watches.

I was about 10th as we reach the 1st km. Yes I was running hard, and my time of 4:01 was fast... let's put it this way we climbed 78m in that 1st km (that's 255 feet in the old language). I felt OK and decided to run my own race letting the others go. I was hoping for another sub 50min run like last year, I didn't think I had a 48 or 47 in me... I caught Ben and we ran together taking out 2 guys and set our sights on the next guy...
Km 5 was the easiest as we only climbed 16m (52 feet), but then we headed out of the forest and hit the tar road to take us to the top...

Now my head started to play games with me and I let Ben go between 6-7, before the real climb... I bet I could have had him if I had put in a little work on that km, but I let him go and I lost most of the 20sec I was to loss to him!!! So what is a really climb? well Mr. Garmin calls the next 3km steep... 3km 329m climb (or does 1 079 feet sound better?)

I turned the last corner and caught a Kid who was walking, knowing it was almost over I kicked leaving him behind and looked for the next guy. I didn't catch him, and I'm sure the kid would have come with me if he could see the finish, or know it was there!!!

One of the biker heading to the finish...

See the mist is was cold, windy and wet (mist wet, not rain) up there and no view, I'll have to run up another day for a view... I waited for my wife's friend Jana and the 2 of us run down together...

On the way down.

Here's a picture of a friends son riding up:

Yes his bike only has one wheel!!!!

OK the fastest Guy, Bernard (46:17) me 7th (1st 40+) 49:38, 1st lady 57:43, fastest Bike: 42:09, fastest Unicycle 68:23.

RUNNING SOMEWHERE

The start of a new week, while Cape Town runners still have Oceans fresh in their minds and the US looks to Boston... Europe has just had Rotterdam and Paris, and the UK has London next week, Marathons a plenty if you ask me!!! Maybe later in the year I'll run one, who knows! but till then the mountain is my playground...

Most of my runs, like most of your runs are from point A around and well back to point A, and after a relatively easy week role on the weekend. I had started to plan a nice run on the mountain when one of Dawn's friends said why don't we pop over for 'tea' (I don't drink tea, but being an Eleven-O-Clock engagement we'll call it tea, I took beer). So i changed my running route and planned on meeting Dawn on the road...

The quickest way to Fishhoek is along the Main Road, but it's flat and well ROAD, so I took the road to Tokai Forest. (Didn't have enough time to take the Green Belts up to my mountain and run across, that would have been awesome.) Next time, so to Tokai I headed:

Yes I'm heading up the gravel roads and to the left.

and up, the Mast is to the right and next week I race to the top, but today I turned left and headed into Silvermine West.

After a little road in the reserve I turned onto the River Trail and headed down to Ou Kaapse Weg and over into Silvermine East...

The path behind me

That's me looking fresh!!!

I was meant to call Dawn before I was to head down, but as I rounded the mountain I lost cell phone reception so I had to yake more pictures and run on...

Love that section of the mountain.

I stopped again later:

Kalk Bay

I call Dawn and told her she could leave home and pick me up on Boy's Drive...

Mr Garmin mapped my route

It was only 25km but I was out for over 2 hours and what for it... as I dropped of the mountain onto the Road my Sister and Brother-in-law were driving past, so they stopped to chat. If I haddn't bumped into them I might have got to 2h30...

Go Boston, the ladies are at 5km in 18:50...

CAN'T WIN THEM ALL

EASTER WEEKEND here in Cape Town is 2Oceans weekend, and if you run this is the weekend to be in town!!

From a 56meter nappy dash to a 56km road race, all are included... with a half marathon and 2 trail ran, no-one is left wanting!!! Over the years I have run the ultra 56km race 11 times, and now with a trail race in the mix I have run it 2 times, Friday would be my 3rd leaving Saturday open to follow the other races.

Having won the race last year I wanted a good showing this year as well, I didn't think I had a chance of a 2nd win, but I wanted a showing...

Went to expo...

Lots of stuf to see

Also got to look at the favorite in my race... to many!!!

Friday morning I lined up in wave 1 and set off as if the race was mine!!! I darted to the front and set the pace round the first bend and up the hill, I wasn't going to sit in the pack and wait for some-one else to make the running. I wanted to see if these guys from Jo'burg and Durban could run, yes they are 10-15 years younger than me and have sub 30min 10km to their names, would they survive 2 hours on my mountain...

Yes they could at 3km Lucky hopped up a hill and a couple of the others followed, was I lazy, was unfit, was the world against me, I don't know... I thought I was running well, but Mr. Garmin doesn't lie and looking back at last years splits I could have gone with them!!! (maybe for a couple of km) I climb the hill at 5km and caught Nic, I also should have run down Andre, but the body didn't want to move as well as last year. (we climbed about 450m to 10km). Nic did catch me on the top before we dropped down to the block house (135m drop in 400m), and at the stage I gave up racing the kids and watch my step so I would stay in front in the 40+.

COMING IN ON THE FIELD

I was 6th over in the line in 2h01:57 over 5min slower than last year, but did manage to win the 40+...

We had great weather for our race, but the clouds were moving in and the road runners on the Saturday had a lot of rain to contend with...

I still logged 7km of running for the day, and all of it was down in a full rain suit with umbrella!!! but that is another story...

TAPER TIME

5 weeks of training done and dusted, so a week of taper lies ahead... and then we race!!!

The truth be told I don't like racing anymore, it's just too hard and I don't have it: That going hard from the gun, the pushing till the lungs burn so you can stay in the mix till the next turn... when it might be your chance to turn the screws and see if you can drop the competition!

Don't get me wrong I love running races and I love running hard, but racing, NO. The Road is easy, the logbook never lies, so before you line up on the start line you just read the last couple of weeks of your training and that should tell you what you are capable of doing...

So what does this last week of mine look like?
Monday: easy 10km no surprise here I had just run a hardish 30km the day before...
Tuesday: 6 x 1km reps ave sub 3:20, last one a fast 3:02 (slightly down hill) legs starting to work!
Wednesday: easy 14.5km
Thursday: it was raining, so I stayed off the track and took to the road, and after 2km easy did 10km tempo in 38:01.
Friday: easy 5.5km round the block.
Saturday: 11.5km, 51:34 should have swapped Friday and Saturday around...
Sunday: Race, trail race at the end of the Epic Cycle race... (we got the see the winner come in after our race)

Short race report, went out hard... but the running was easy under foot and at 2km Bernard and Riaan took off... Johnny tried to follow, but Ben and I caught him on the first hill... couldn't shake them on the short singles track and then on a flat jeep track at about 7.5km Ben went for it taking Johnny... I backed off a bit (very little) and at 12km as I took a sharp turn up a steep hill I thought I would see them, but they were gone, I had been lazy!!! I trotted home for a 5th place... but crossed the line in 3rd!!!!! Ben and Johnny had taken a wrong turn, and I bagged the last podium. I think they had turned down at 12km....

I'll take it and the wine I won...

This coming week should be easy and maybe my legs will get a bit of go in them and I will be ready to race come Friday...