Marathon Man

So two days after the Wagga Wagga trail marathon, I'm raring to go for this weekend's Mudgee marathon. The only thing stopping me is the diagnosis from a trip to the physio yesterday. I have a slight strain in one of my ligaments on my left knee. Which has been around for a while in fact. It's not overly painful or indeed that bad, but it's making me reconsider trying to do another marathon this weekend. Additionally I have a strain on the soleus muscle in my left leg too. Once again, this has been around for a little while too.

So I'm left with a few decisions. I'm going to go for a run this evening, nothing too harsh or long, but just to see how I feel, and then take a call on it me thinks. I really want to get back-to-back marathons in the bag, and plus this one is a road marathon so shouldn't be too bad, but there are some vicious hills I hear! However I know I'll have to go slower than Sunday, and I'm wondering if that will annoy me at all? Plus, I don't want to do any additional damage as I have the Glasshouse 100km lined up for September also. I signed up for this earlier in the week, and can't wait, although I wont be saying that after the race I'm sure. This will be my first ultra and I'm kind of throwing myself in at the deep end a little, but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Two and a half marathon... yikes! I need to get properly prepared for this one, really sort out my food and drinks - it should be a great experience!

Wagga Wagga trail marathon

So my first venture into trail marathon running. Even though Hunter Valley was mainly off road, this was a different kettle of fish, with some serious trails, gravel tracks, boulders at the finish, a tunnel o run through (well crouch and run through) and even some sand thrown in for good measure. At the dinner the night before, someone told me that it was a pretty flat course - thanks for that!

The first 10kms were nice and easy, along the banks of the river, and a few stiles thrown in for good measure too. However at kilometre 10, that all started to change as we slowly climbed uphill, through a golf course, and onto the serious trails and tracks in the forest. You know you're high when you're running past the town's radio mast! The first half was pretty good, but once again, like Hunter I went out way too quick, and my calf also pinged at around 17kms, which when you're doing a 42km race, does not make the race all that pleasant.

In a sense, this was a good character building race. I was very worried about my calf, and at one point I thought I'd be lucky to just get around, but it didn't seem to get any worse. It was just uncomfortable on the hills, so to that end, from 25kms onwards walked up the bigger hills. This was more out of necessity than out of love for my calf. I'd spent myself somewhat on the first half of the race, and the realty is that I'd only be going slightly quicker if I ran, but expend much more energy if I ran.

So at 25kms, the wheels well and truly came off, and for 10 very long kms, I was not happy at all. I also overdid it on the whole sodium front. Looking back I can see why. I had about a litre of water with Nuun tablets in first thing in the morning, which gets the sodium in the system. However I also had 4 salt tablets during the race, and this combined with the Nuun meant that I got stomach cramps around about the time the calf went. So with the calf trouble and the stomach cramps I really wasn't a happy boy at all. It's also when your mind plays tricks on you and tells you that your body doesn't like it. However this is where the heart rate monitor really comes into it's own. I kept a very consistent 150-160bpm all the way through, and even at the end, the last 7kms actually felt very comfortable all things considered with the above.

So I rocked in at 3hrs 37 mins, which I was fairly happy with, given the course and the issues I had. This was was a good learning curve, and it's these types of races I need to tell me what I like and how I cope with shit when it's thrown at you. It was also great to meet up with some other runners, Anth and Ray - although I'll blame Anth for the stupidly fast first half-marathon! Only joking, I just need to not run as fast for the first half next time.

So next week, and possibly Mudgee. I'm going to see how the calf holds up and make a call on it on Wednesday I think. Plus my left knee is quite tender. This has been an ongoing thing from Hunter Valley and its a little concerning. It's not overly painful, but it's just there, so a trip to the physio might be in order me thinks. Onwards and upwards!

More of the usual with a side order of shin splints

So the usual 10km route last night. Although reading the blog of another marathon runner last night, his work rate astounds me! 26k and 28k respectively on a school night! How the hell can you fit that into the day. I guess you make time for that kind of thing really if you want to! But considering I'm running an ultra in March, it makes me think I should be upping my game somewhat! Anyway, I will stick to my plan!

So last night was in all truth a frigging nightmare of a run as the shin splints were terrible. With 3-4 days to go before a marathon, it really worries me, but I know they tend to come and go quite quickly with no rhyme or reason. As I mentioned before I think a lot of it has to do with the cold weather, and at the moment I really want it to warm-up. It's funny that when I speed up, the shins start to hurt less, but there's no way I can keep that kind of pace going for 42kms. So ironically, even though I felt like I was going backwards at some points, I ran the route in 47 minutes, 2 minutes quicker than last night when I felt like I was bouncing along. There is no reason really...

So tonight I'm not running, going to rest the shins, even though I feel I could go out. And think I'll do a casual 10kms on Friday night ahead of the race on Sunday. The plan is to go steady I think, as I want myself to be in shape for a run in Mudgee the following weekend. So cold ice and lots of stretching is order of the day this evening!

The usual...

So back on the grind... God I make it sound interesting don't I? :) A very chilled 10kms in 49 mins, with some hill strides thrown in for measure. A little worryingly was the fact that my shins really started to hurt last night. I do think that it's simple down to cold weather, I never got this in the summer. So after the 10kms, I did a couple of hill sprints on the hill I live on, which is a rather nasty 200m climb, and about a 1:11 gradient, so a good workout. So I did 4 of those, and then called it a night. I'll keep on with a fairly normal training programme during this week, 6 miles a night, and then marathon on Sunday. Not quite sure how to take this one. I really want to do back-to-back marathons, and do another one next Sunday. In theory I should take this one fairly slow and do it in around 3:45mins pace, but knowing me I won't. So I'll probably bust a gut, and then see how I feel, but really want to try and do 2 on the trot!

City to Surf weekend

So this week was back on the full training programme, but only 35 miles this week, with the marathon next Sunday. Saturday was going to be a longer 15-16 miler, but I felt quite rough on Saturday morning, so in the end, did 10 miles, which is about right to be honest given that the City to Surf was the following day and then marathon. For the first 4-5 miles of that run I felt awful and considered just doing 6 miles on the Saturday, but I soldiered on, and actually started to feel a lot better post 6 miles, coming home in a very conservative 1hr 20 mins for 10 miles. The good thing however is that I didnt feel like I had run 10 miles, and the legs felt good. It was just the chest that was giving me issues. What concerned me was that even though I thought I was going slow, my heart rate was up at 155-160 for the whole time, and that was a worry.

So a 6:30am start on Sunday morning and it was down to the City to join 75,000 other nutters for the annual City to Surf race. The course was actually a lot hillier than I expected. There is one area called Heartbreak hill which is a 2km hill that winds and turns and you think you're nearly done when you come to one corner and then it just goes on. However it was the hills at the start of the race that caught me out more, and getting caught out needing to go for a jimmy whizz after 1km too! Anyways, the plan was to take the first 10kms pretty slowly to be honest, but not as slow as I actually did them. I was planning on hitting 10kms in 45 mins, but actually got there in 48 mins! Shit I was going slow, so I put the afterburners on for the last 4 kms, and knocked them off in 16 mins, to come home in 64 mins, so OK. Nothing to set the world alight, but given I had a cold that week, and I was wearing my backpack too, 64 mins was OK on a course like that. Next week, Wagga Wagga marathon... back to the distances I like :)

Casual 10km

So after deciding during the day not to run last night and ease myself back into the pattern follwoing my illness, I went out and ran. But it was good. A very casual 10kms in 48 minutes which I was fairly happy with. I didn't push it hard at all, but with the cold and chestyness, I was breathing a little heavy towards the end, but by no means uncomfortable. I must say though I was feeling slightly weary, but that's only because of the illness I'm sure.

Rest night tonight me thinks, or maybe a short 4 miler, then going to do a longer run on Friday night, around 13-15 miles nice and easy before next weekend's trail marathon. This will be my first proper trail marathon, so again not sure what to expect from it. I thought Hunter Valley would be slow as it was mainly off-road, but look what happened there! Anyway, I'll keep any expectations at bay and just run the race. I found that I was so relaxed ahead of Hunter Valley that I really didn't worry about times and splits. As a result I did go out a little too hard and paid slightly on the way back, but I think that had more to do with the lack of longer distance runs done in the 3 months between Canberra and Hunter Valley. Anyway's City to Surf this weekend - I'll use this as a speed session. First 5 kms fairly relaxed, and then 8kms of afterburners and lungbusting throwing-up-ness me thinks. I hate this shorter ones... I'm so not a sprinter :)

The Bay Run

So after what was a fairly chilled week following the marathon, with just a nice 4 miler on Thursday morning, following a few days of rest. Today was a break from the norm of long distance running, and a 7km lung buster called The Bay Run. This is one lap of a bay as you might imagine, and is here I do quite a lot of my running as it's a beautiful part of Sydney.

So another early Sunday morning start, and I wasnt quite sure how I was going to fair in this little sprint a week after the marathon. The stretch goal was under 28 mins, but I always knew that would be a tall order to achieve, so thought that anything under 30 mins would be respectable. The start was hilarious as loads of people got themselves to the front, who quite clearly had very little running ability. This was proven as when the start gun went off, they sprinted to the first 400 metres of so, before rapidly slowing down (some almost to a standstill)... it really was funny. I too though thought I started off quite quickly, but found myself smack in 4 minutes for the first kilometer. It was at aorund 2kms that I felt my calf twinge a little, and I thought that if it started to get any worse then I'd definately stop and pull out. However it held up fine for the rest of the race. At 4kms, I was still on track at 4 minute kilometres, but my legs started to burn a little and I knew that it would be extremely tough keeping this pace going for another 3kms. I also decided that for the sake of my calf, I didnt want to push it too hard for the sake of gaining an extra minute here or there, so fell into what I thought was a slower and more comfortable pace, although the heart rate as still up at 180, and was around 170-180 for the entire race.

By 6kms the legs were truely burning and the effects of the marathon were still in them, but I pushed on and with 500 metres to go, put the after burners on and overtook a few people, coming home in 28mins and 51secs, coming in 70th out of 1,215. Not quite the stretch goal time, but still pretty pleased that I came in under 29 minutes, and I was fairly happy with that given that I'd run a marathon only a week previously.

This week, I'm back to normal training again, but quite a few marathons coming up in the next 2 months. next is Wagga Wagga trail marathon, followed by Fraser Island trail marathon, then the Glasshouse 100km (hmmmm, still not sure about this!). Then the sydney amrathon, and then finally the Melbourne marathon, where I'm going to try and run a sub 3hr 25min. Yikes!