Melbourne Marathon

On Sunday, I completed the final of my 2009 goals: I completed the Melbourne Marathon in a time of 3:16:52 - new personal best by over 1 hour! What a beautiful day it was too. Perfect running conditions. Sunny but cool and no wind to speak of.

You can see the course and other stuff that my Garmin 405 tracked and especially interesting are my 1km splits.

And this is the official results data.

The first half split is 1:37:18 and the second half was 1:39:47 but that doesn't tell the real story. For me it was more like this:

First 10km: I tried to keep the pace around 4:40min/k to run a 3:20 race as per my race plan. The 10k split shown on the official results is actually 10.5km so I was very much on track.

Second 10km: I decided that maybe I should push it a bit harder being that it is a race and all. Started running around 4:30min/km which felt more natural for me. I started to realise that unfortunately I was going to need a toilet stop at some point.

Next 12km: After a much needed toilet stop, I ran faster to catch back up to where I was before. I kept going at a decent speed and thought I might try to catch the 3:10 group. I was feeling very good at this point and dreaming of 3:09 or better. I ran a string of 4:20-4:25min km splits.

Next 5km: I ran into the back of slow half-marathoners as the groups merged at about the 33km mark. Very annoying. I started to feel some cramp coming on as I dodged through people and hopped up and down the curb to get around them, even having to stop dead at one point. 3:10 goal gone.

Next 4km: The half-marathon group split away again but at about the same time, I started really struggling to keep the cramp in my calves at bay. Other marathoners were falling apart worse than me – lots of runners trying to stretch out cramps against trees and one poor distressed guy was sitting on the ground. It was a slow struggle through 37km-41km. I had not quite hit the wall – but it was close. More like a fence than a wall. Sub 3:15 goal slipping away.

Last 1.2km: Head down and plodding away, I was just happy to be finishing under 3:20 at this point. Some woman ran right across my path and clipped me, causing my calf to cramp right up. I hoppled along in pain until I could shake the cramp. I spotted the '500m to go' marker and saw that I was on the ramp on the way up to the MCG. Suddenly I knew I had made it. I waited until about 100m out from the finish line then sprinted past a couple more people, just for fun. A guy posed for the camera 1m from the line and got cramp doing so so I nipped past him and finished rather happy.

Well, that's it for this blog. Even though this blog was named in honour of my half-marathon goal, it has allowed me to record my efforts in pursuing all my 2009 running goals successfully (and my 2008 goals not so successfully) but now that the year is coming to an end and I've achieved the 90 minute half-marathon, a blog named 90 Minutes has no future. Thanks for reading about my journey so far.

My increase in energy

Someone recently asked me for some insights into my training and my vast improvements in PBs. I put it down to an increase of energy that I got from changing my diet in the last year. I stopped eating red meat and chicken and started eating plenty of veges and drinking 'supergreens'.

I didn't run very much in the past - just did the bare minimum to make the distance of the races but now I just feel like running all the time and I am enjoying it so much that I train a lot more.

That's it basically. I don't have much clue as to what training I should be doing but I get some ideas from reading magazines, books and Cool Running (of course!) and then I do what feels right each week (along with the long runs that hardly ever feel right lol). You can see my running log here.

My plan is to sit down after the Melbourne Marathon and create a better structured training plan for over summer so I can beat all my personals bests again next year!

Misson Accomplished!

Today I ran the half marathon in under 90 minutes! All the training has paid off and I have a new PB of 85:51!

More to come later - off to sleep now...

The Race

I work up on the morning of the race at 3.30am. The plan was to get up at 4am but once awake, I decided to get out there early. A clear day, it was still dark but was forecast for sun - not that I was expecting to be out in the sun too long given a 6.20am start.

After eating a Powerbar and getting ready, I had to wait for the train to Milson's Point as I was way too early! The pre-start was pretty easy going and we didn't even line up until about 15mins before the race - very different than the City2Surf start. I didn't get a great start, being stuck behind some slow runners but it cleared out after a couple of hundred metres and my quest to beat the 90 minute mark was under way.

I knew as I was going over the bridge that I was going out too hard but I decided just to keep going at under 4min/ks for as long as I could - which turned out to be about 7km...

I took an energy gel at about 9km and after the turn around point I just tried to stick as close to 4min/k as I could on the way back into the city. As the hills (inclines really but who's counting?) starting looming I found I was slowing down and ran a couple of 4:15s and even a 4:21 at one point. I could tell that by the 16km mark, I had lost the sub-84 goal that I secretly had and that I would be lucky to go sub-85. Then not soon after I realised I'm looking at 86+ unless I picked up the pace.

As I got into the familiar surrounds of Hickson Road at around 18km, I made an effort to catch the three guys I could see in front of me. I had spent the last 4-5km running pretty much alone and I figured I was the tail end of the sub-85 hopefuls. I didn't have much left as we came into the finish stretch at the Opera House but managed a little 50m sprint to the line. My guntime turned out to be 85:59 so I'm glad I dug in at the end!

As I crossed the line, I was happy to finally put the sub-90 goal to rest. After the Melbourne Marathon, I will start work on some new goals. Sub-80, here I come!

The long run and the half

Since I last blogged excitedly about running the City2Surf in a pb, I have logged around 258km over five weeks including three long runs of 30km, 33km and 36km on three consecutive Sundays. The 33km run was the biggest struggle I had, mostly due to a lack of fuel before (breakfast) and during (I only had one gel) the run. I hit the wall at about 28km and my love of running disappeared somewhere between Darling Harbour and the Sydney Opera House. I think additional contributing factors were starting too fast (4:30 min/km) and starting too late in the morning as the sun heated up the city fairly quickly that day.

I prepared for the next week's 36km run with all of that in mind, and got up at 5am to eat breakfast and beat the sun. I almost never eat before running but since the pain of the previous week, I now plan to always eat before any 30km+ run. I also took along three gels (tried GU for the first time instead of Powerbar, which I like better now because they are not as thick) and my trusty 3L Camelbak, freshly cleaned with a newly purchased cleaning pack. At $50, it was a massive rip-off but at least the water tasted good for a change and the gross mold I discovered in the tube was gone. I kept to a steady 5 min/km as much as I could and had the best long run I've ever had! Glad I figured out what works and what doesn't before the Melbourne Marathon in three weeks.

My focus switched after the 36km to the Blackmore's Half Marathon here in Sydney on September 20th. I feel very confident of breaking the 90 minute mark and I am really aim for close to 85 mins now. My plan is to go out at 4 min/kms and hold on for as long as I can. I know I can do it over 14km (as done in City2Surf) and I'm hoping I will be able to keep it up during the 21.1km until I get close enough to smell the finish line.

The race starts at 6.20am so I will be up at 4am getting prepared and heading to catch the train to Milson's Point at 4.40am. I have a preferred start (bib number #612) so I think I will get a good clear run. The sub 90 minutes half marathon is what this blog has been all about since I started it over 18 months ago and the moment of truth is only two days away. I am injury-free and I already have my Brooks Racer ST4s out and ready to go. I can hardly wait!

A thought about PBs

A question of gun time or net time

I was thinking about whether I should be using my gun times or net times (using timing chips) to track my personal bests (PBs). I recently started to list my PBs as my gun times because I thought it was the 'correct' thing to do. After thinking a bit about it, I am going to switch back to my net times because that is the time I ran the course in. If I ever make a seeded start, maybe I'll reconsider! I guess it's a personal thing. If someone asks me for a qualifying time, I'll happily use gun time if required but from now on I'm going back to net time for my PBs. I look it as putting the 'personal' back into 'personal best'.

Therefore, sub-42mins for Sutho2Surf... woohoo!

New City2Surf PB

Update:

• Official net time is 55.28! Very happy :)
• 508th out of 62,644 finishers
  
• Photos at marathon-photos.com

Well, I changed my usual pre-race routine this year by placing my timing chip into my gear bag and throwing it into the truck. I ran down to the start line and queued up and noticed someone tying their chip on. Whoops!

I ran back to the truck, spent a couple of minutes in the back looking for my bag and then gave up and ran to Hyde Park Barracks to see if I could get another timing chip. Luckily, there was hardly anyone else as stupid as me there. They said it would be $20 for a replacement but as I had no money on me, thankfully they said they will charge me later and gave me a new bib and chip.

So with new bib and chip tied to my shoe, I ran back to the start. Because I had got down to Hyde Park so early to begin with, I still had an hour to wait for the gun even though I was not quite as close to the front as I wanted to be.

Once we got underway, I struggled to break out of the crowd and had a slow first km but it cleared as we went into the Kings Cross tunnel and it was plain sailing the rest of the way. I noticed even at the start that I was not quite in the zone as I was in the Sutho2Surf two weeks ago but felt comfortable enough running just under 4min/kms except up the hills.

The hills were tough, particularly the ones after Heartbreak, rather than the big one itself but I love the downhill finish and crossed the line with a big PB of 55.55 guntime on my watch. I was aiming for sub-55 but I am very happy with my time regardless as it was over 8 minutes better than my previous best.

Limped home with a sore left achilles and a smile.

10 weeks until marathon: 28km training run

I completed a 28km training run on Sunday afternoon in a time of 2:18.56. There are still 10 weeks until the Melbourne Marathon so I think I'm making good progress. The first 18km were relatively comfortable and my pace was around 4.40mins/k for the most part but my hamstrings started to burn during the final 10km and the last 5km was a struggle, with the pace slowing to around 5.30mins/k towards the end. I probably went out a little fast considering the number of hills I was facing.

The first 16km was going from Kings Cross out over the City2Surf course and up Heartbreak Hill, turning at the 8km mark and then the next 9km I went down to Farm Cove and around the Sydney Opera House and back. I would have run further towards Circular Quay but it was getting dark and the Botanical Gardens gates were about to close and I didn't want to get shut out! I had to run another 3km once I got back near home so I headed towards Paddington for 1.5km or so and then headed for home. It has got quite cold by this time so a nice bath helped me warm up again!

Next Sunday is the City2Surf (14km) which I am looking forward to. I'm pretty confident of clocking under 58 mins but I am really aiming for 55 mins. After that, the long runs will get even longer!

Personal Best in Sutherland2Surf

Perfect running conditions today and all my training to-date paid off as I beat my previous Sutherland2Surf personal best by over 7 minutes, finishing in 42.03! My goal was sub-45 so I am very happy with my run.

I felt good from the start and my legs felt strong the whole way. I went out fast, covering the first 3km in under 11 mins and the 5km in 18.08. I decided to just keep up the pace as long as I could and while I slowed through the second half, by the time I reached 10km in 38 mins I knew I had smashed my goal!

I set PBs at each split of 3k, 5k, 8k and 10k so I'm looking forward challenging my own times in the City2Surf in two weeks.

Official times have not come out yet but based on last year's results 42mins could see me sneak into the top 100... I'll have to wait and see :)

Official results:
42.02 (41.54 net) puts me 108th (100th male) out of 3931 finishers!

Sutherland2Surf coming up...

Since I last wrote about a month ago, I have covered 208km and completed a series of long runs of 18km, 20km, 22km & 25km. This Sunday is the Sutherland2Surf 11km race so I will be having a week off the long run. My target time for the 11km is sub-45mins, which would be a personal best of over 4mins from last year but achievable given the amount of running I have been doing. I will probably go for a 3-4km job on Saturday to loosen up. I'm really looking forward to getting into a race start again after missing the half-marathon recently. Exciting!

Entered the Melbourne Marathon 2009

After running the Auckland Marathon twice (2004, 2005), I have finally signed up for my third marathon - this one in Melbourne. Also today, I signed up for the Sutherland2Surf and the Sydney Blackmores Half Marathon (where I plan to run my first official sub 90 minute half marathon. Can't wait! Let the long runs begin...

14km in 60 minutes

I had the day off from work this Friday so I went for a run at around 11am. I wasn't sure how far or fast I would go so I just started running. I made up the route as I went, heading up William St and past Hyde Park and then down towards Darling Harbour. From there I followed my normal lunchtime route around Walsh Bays wharfs and through Circular Quay, around the Sydney Opera House and Farm Cove. From there I went up to King's Cross.

I realise that at around the 7km mark I was at a decent speed so I kicked on to see if I could go under 40 minutes for the 10km - I had a bit of ground to make up so didn't quite make it but managed a 40.23 - easily my best over 10km so far.

I slowed down for a while to catch my breath and then decided to go for 14km under an hour. From the 10km point, that was always on the cards and I came in at 59.20. I guess I better set a harder goal for the City2Surf...

3km Personal Best

I finally ran the 3km under 11mins, going 10.57 at lunchtime today. Technically, my Garmin said 10.45 through 3km but I am counting the time from my usual starting point to the 3km point so the Garmin looks to have lost the plot a little on the last km (it was accurate through the 2km marker). It doesn't matter because either way I achieved my sub-11min 3km goal for the year to go with my sub-20min 5km. Happy :)

Week Total - May 18-24: 23km

City2Surf entries opened today and I signed up first thing in the morning. After being out sick for a week and a half and missing the Sydney Half Marathon, I've got back to running. I went for four short runs this week of 4k, 6k, 6k and 7k.

I'll start building up the weekend run again in training for the marathon later in the year and also for the City2Surf in August. My pace aim for the C2S is 4.15mins/km so to get me under 60 mins. Also, I'll be aiming for a 45 mins Sutherland 2 Surf (11km). All a bit ambitious but that’s the idea of goals.

Running and feeling good

I went for my first run since I had a bug or virus or whatever it was. Just 4km to start with to make sure I was feeling alright. It went well and I'll go for another on Friday morning of about 6-7km. I saw this as a good time to finally remove the hard orthotics from my running shoes. I've had them for several years and I don't think I need them any longer. No pain from my tendon or shins or anything recently. It is a good chance for me to slowly run in my Brooks Adrenlines without orthotics while I build up distance after being sick.

Bad News

I caught a bug of some sort on the weekend and ended up blacking out and being attended to by an ambulance. I asked the doctor if I could still run the half-marathon on Sunday. Sadly, the answer was "No."

Very disappointed about that. I'll have to have a couple of weeks off training and then start training again for a sub-60 City2Surf. Then there is the Blackmores Running Festival in September to go for the sub-90 half and the Melbourne Marathon in October...

18km and 3 Weeks To Go

I ran 18km this morning in 85.27 mins. It was a pretty good run out to past Vaulcluse and back - I felt good the whole way and kept hydrated with the camelbak. Took a couple of gels too. I'm looking forward to the Sydney Half Marathon in three weeks - I'm feeling well prepared, despite the achilles issue early which has come pretty good now - I'm still doing the stretches.

I'm certain I will go under my PB of around 96mins but it will be a hard slog to do under 90mins this time. No problem though; it's early days. There's always the Melbourne half in October.

Oh, and forgot to mention that I set a new PB in training for the 10km - 42.31 mins

SHM: One Month To Go

With about one month to go to the Sydney Half Marathon (May 17), I completed a 16km training run on Sunday, following the City2Surf route up to just past the top of Heartbreak Hill and then turned and ran back. My km splits were pretty good, hovering around 4.30min/km for much of the run but with so many hills, I slowed going up them. The first km I got stuck at lights waiting to cross the road.

My Achilles tendon issue has been a lot better since I have been doing the eccentric calf stretches my Physio (Sydney Physiotherapy) gave me and it didn't really play up during the run. Also, I had been getting some pinched nerves in the ankle as well but the stretches I think are help that too and all was fine on the run.

I took my 3L Camelbak for the run and drank around 2L water during the run so stayed hydrated. I was pretty pleased with the run overall and will stretch it out to 18km next week with some 6-10km runs during the week.

Training for the SHM

The first week of fourteen weeks training for the Sydney Half Marathon is upon us! This will be my first earnest attempt to run it in under 90 minutes. Today I ran 6 intervals of 1min with 45sec standing rest after a warm up jog. Felt pretty good.

Last night, I played hockey for the first time in probably ten months - I think my fitness was good but my skills were lacking somewhat! Two more preseason games next week so I'll hopefully improve and see how hockey fits in with running this year.

10km & 3km

To set a time to beat, I went out over the last two days to run a fast 3km and 10km. The 10km was in 30+ degree heat and though I was through 5km in sub-22mins, I ended the run in 44.42m - so still a long way to go to go sub-40mins.

My 3km run I managed 11.19 and I feel that I should be able to go sub-11 relatively soon. The last km got me as I only did it in 3.54 where as the first two kms were around 3.42 each.

19.52

Today at lunch time, I ran 5km in 19.52, finally going under 20mins! It was bloody hot today in Sydney too - around 32 degrees while I was running. So I've completed the first check point on my way to sub-90m half marathon by doing the sub-20m 5km. Next check point will be 10 km in sub-40mins. :)

2009: New 6km PB & King of the Mountain

It's a new year and while I've still got a sore Achilles, I've already smashed my 6km personal best by running 24.32 at lunch today. My previous best was 25.29. Basically, I just went out fast from the start to see how long I could go at sub 4.10 min/k pace but managed to run around 4 min/k for 4 of the six kms. I got through the 5km in 20.06 and so slowed up a little once I was sure I would go under 25 mins. So I still haven't run 5km in under 20mins but will go out next week to see if I can achieve that for the first time.

Given that these are training times, I'm certain in a race I can go well under 20mins. I feel like I have set a new benchmark for myself today.

Probably for the first time, I kept up running over Christmas and even finally competed in the Pauanui King of the Mountain run up Mt Pauanui and back to the surf club. My time was about 63 mins so next year I'll aim for sub-55.

So it's been a great start to my running year and I think I will be able to nail the sub-90 half marathon this year (and sub-60 City-to-Surf too).