Adventure race!

We did the AROC adventure race in Shellharbour yesterday. Classic version, not novice. Tim sent us the wrong way for 15 mins running up a bike track, a quarter of the checkpoints had been stolen by the public, I got such bad cramp at one point that I toppled of my bike and my bike chain broke with over 10km of riding to do so we took turns at running. We were out there for 5 hours. It was awesome.

Sydney Running Festival Half Marathon 2010

I woke up at 4am to get ready for the 6.20am start of the Sydney Running Festival Half Marathon at Milson's Point. Walking to Town Hall Station, I only saw one other runner but by the time the train arrived at 5.14am, there were a large number of us on our way over the bridge to the start line in the dark. Once I got down to the start area under the Sydney Harbour Bridge on the north side, I queued briefly to get an espresso, and then go through my pre-race routine which mostly consists of hanging around listening to the Dropkick Murphys on my iPod Shuffle,  doing a little warm-up jog and doing some stretches.

As the sun came up, the weather was nice and cool with some cloud cover - perfect for running! I joined the crowd in the A group start and found the 100min pacer team nearby. Given that 100mins was my target I thought I'd run with them for most of the race. As the gun went, I completely forgot about the pacer group and pushed forward into the crowd. Once through the early squeeze, I set off at around 4:30 min/km pace and just ran alone. My lack of training over longer distances was always in the back of my mind (the most I had done was 14km) as I went through the first 10km and so I held back the pace a little but I knew the 100min bus was a resonable distance behind and the 90min bus a long way ahead so I settled into running my own race with a rather varying pace as usual. According to my Garmin 405, I went through 10km in 43:34 (full Garmin details of my race here).

I expected to feel the fatigue in my legs at around the 15km mark but after a moment of tiredness and self-doubt at around 12km, I realised I was feeling good through the second half of the course. I was consuming energy gels every 7km and I'm sure this kept me on target for my revised on-the-run goal of 95mins. Just before we came on to Sussex St/Hickson St, at around the 17km mark, I started to push the pace a little and realised I still had plenty left in my legs. My left hammy started to ache a bit as it has been known to do but all other previous injuries were causing me no concern. Not wanting to leave anything on the race course, I kept the pace closer to 4:15min/km and got that 'in-the-zone' feeling. I got to Circular Quay and about 750m out from the Sydney Opera House finish line before my energy started to flag a little and from there it was just a case of trying to give it everything I had left.

I finished the half marathon in about 94:30, which was about 10 mins off my PB from last year but as I struggled with many injuries throughout this year, I'm rather chuffed with that time. I enjoyed the route but to be honest, I prefered the City West Link part of the course that was skipped this year as I enjoy having a long stretch of road to run straight on instead of turning so many hairpins.

I walked home from the Opera House and ate a lot of food through out the rest of the day, and drank a lot of water. I felt like I ran a good race and that I have put my injuries behind me now. I look forward to the rest of the year of maintaining my base and having a crack at my 10km PB and then onwards to the sub 3 hour marathon next year!

City2Surf and Beyond

It was before I got to the start line of the City2Surf here in Sydney that I decided not to run a marathon this year. The plethora of injuries I developed in the early part of the year have forced me to put my sub 3 hour marathon goal on hold until next year. With that in mind, I approached the City2Surf knowing I was way off my best and aimed for around 60mins. The run was much tougher than I had remembered and I struggled mightily up Heartbreak Hill, coming in with a net time of 60:30 for the 14km distance. Considering my injury-hampered training this year, I was relatively happy with that. Garmin race details >>

My next race is the Sydney Running Festival half marathon in three days time which I will be realistically aiming for 100mins as I simply have not trained for the distance so will be really slogging it out. The one PB I will have a shot at later in the year is the 10km Run4Fun race in Olympic Park. Last year I set my 10km best of 39:30 and that was with a fair amount of fatigue following the Melbourne Marathon so with a couple of months still up my sleeve and with my body no longer troubled by injury, I will be aiming to break 39mins for that.

Sutherland2Surf 2010

I love this race! This was my fourth or fifth time running it. I finished at about 45:30, which is a bit slower than my PB of under 42 mins which I did last year but given the injury layoff I had until June, it was better than I expected. It was great conditions for running: Cool, cloudy and no rain. Gives me a little more hope for a reasonable City2Surf in two weeks time where I'll be aiming for a little under 60 mins.

It's great to be running again anyway!

My official net time was 45:26 at an average of 4:07 per km. My full Garmin race details here.

Successful fourth run back from injury

Another good hit out yesterday left me feeling more confident about running a sub 3 hour marathon in Melbourne later this year. I probably won't run again until Saturday (or at least try not to) so I can give my legs a little more recovery time before adding more distance. I'll aim to do some gym work during the week instead. My short-term goal is to be at race fitness and pace for the Sutherland2Surf 11km on July 25th so no need to push the distance yet. If I can finish that race around the 45min mark I'll be very happy.

Yesterday's run was overall slightly faster than the previous one. I was on a good pace for the first three kms but slowed through the second half. Garmin details here

Nothing hurt!

Third run back from injury. Nothing hurt while running and picking up a bit more speed now too. Right knee a little stiff going up stairs an hour after run. Looking forward to my next run now :)

Run statistics and map >>

Second run and calf is good

I repeated the Domain/Kings Cross 6km route this evening, wearing my 2XU compression socks and my calf felt fine again the whole time! Very encouraging. My knee felt pretty good too but still does not feel 100%. The only issues were my left hammy and once I had finished, my right achilles was a slightly noticeable but nothing major like it was before the month off running. Overall, a good run but I may get some acupuncture on the left hamstring and do some heel drops for the achilles.

Details of run >>

First run after a month off

I attempted my first run back after a month off with a sore knee and calf. It felt good but I was breathing pretty hard towards the end when trying to maintain my speed up the hill from Garden Island to Potts Point. The calf didn't hurt at all and the knee caused no problems, just a lingering feeling that it is still not perfect.

Finish

Sat, 29 May 2010 12:26 PM Eastern Time - NSW (Australia)

By john.daley

Activity Type: Uncategorized Running Street Running Track Running Trail Running Treadmill Running Cycling Cyclocross Downhill Biking Indoor Cycling Mountain Biking Recumbent Cycling Road Cycling Track Cycling Fitness Equipment Elliptical Indoor Cardio Indoor Rowing Stair Climbing Strength Training Hiking Swimming Lap Swimming Open Water Swimming Walking Casual Walking Speed Walking Transition Swim to Bike Transition Bike to Run Transition Run to Bike Transition Motorcycling Other Backcountry Skiing/Snowboarding Boating Cross Country Skiing Driving Flying Horseback Riding Inline Skating Mountaineering Paddling Resort Skiing/Snowboarding Rowing Sailing Skate Skiing Skating Snowmobiling Snowshoeing Whitewater Kayaking/Rafting Wind/Kite Surfing

Event Type: Geocaching Fitness Recreation Race Special Event Training Transportation Touring Uncategorized

First run back after a month of with a sore knee and calf. Felt pretty good but breathing hard.

View Garmin details >>

Running on ice

Sadly, two weeks out from my first preferred start in a race, I have finally realised my calf strain is going to put my running on ice. It seems to be the peroneal muscles in my right leg causing the trouble and during a struggle through a 6km run today, I knew it was time to rest and rebuild. The decision was made for me really.

With very limited preparation due to injuries, this upcoming race (SMH Half Marathon) was never going to be my fastest so it is not the end of the world to miss it and now I just hope I can get back to running in time to nail the City2Surf. My main goal this year is still the Melbourne Marathon in October so plenty of time to get right before then. Time to get on the stationary bike and into the pool to build some kind of fitness.

Baby steps

I went out for my first run in a couple of weeks. My right knee was a little stiff but not painful and my left hamstring was tight (for no reason I know of!) but other than that it was pretty good. Just 5km mind you - baby steps...

Garmin details of run >>

More rest for the wicked

My run may have been enjoyable last week but I followed that up with some hills sprints the next day (I know, I know...) and suffered through the achilles pain for the next three days where I couldn't even walk in the morning and was having to resort to the Achilles Shuffle.

I have now had another whole week off running and will continue to rest over Easter. Some time next week, I'll try another short run and if I am still in pain, I'll be taking a month off and will probably miss the SMH Half Marathon (again). Not something I want to do obviously but I need to get my legs back to 100% so I can crack that 3 hr marathon.

Time off for bad behaviour

After ten days of not running, I have been out in the fresh air for a nice easy 5km jog. And I loved it! For any running that is not yet aware of the torture of injury breaks, I can testify that it is an emotional rollercoaster of hope and self-doubt. One morning you might feel that the rest is doing you good and it's all part of the greater plan - later that night you might feel like packing it all in and getting a jump on the old codgers by swapping running for lawn bowls.

The run began with trepidation and finished with high hopes for the future. I concentrated on keeping my legs loose and running with an easy relaxed style, checking in with myself all the time as to the evenness of my gait and the balance of running off both legs. My right knee felt stiff but it did not affect my running style. Most importantly, I had no screams from my Achilles or my right calf/shin. In the end I finished happy. Garmin details of run >>

The key for my recovery now is to remember that I am in fact recovering! My two part plan is:

1. Start again slowly and limit myself to three short runs a week for a couple of weeks and then add more distance and a fourth short run until I feel strong again when I will add a fifth and eventually sixth run.

2. Stretch my calves and do my heel drops every day - ideally twice a day. Also, I will throw in some Qigong to help open up my hips. I hope to add a yoga session into my stretching & fitness routine this year too, the idea being to strengthen my body to allow me to increase my running training.

My next race is the SMH Half Marathon in mid-May and I think I'll be right back up to speed around then.

Resting injuries

I have finally given into the concept of taking time off running when I feel continuous pain. I haven't run for five days now and I am going to take the next week off too so that my calf might actually heal instead of get worse and it will do my Achilles tendons good too. I am not able to run at all comfortably at the moment and I feel like I am limping and altering my gait to compensate, which will just lead to futher injury.

It has taken a couple of months of pain and mental anguish to make the decision to rest for a prolonged time but I realised that if I want to still be running at all in 10 years time that I need to be more sensible now.

I will still stretch my muscles and tendons and then start slowly running again in a week or so. Once I get back on my feet I will re-assess my goals and targets but I am still confident of breaking the 3 hour barrier in the marathon at some point this year.

10km at Lunch

I ran a 10km in just under 45 minutes at lunch today around Walsh Bay and the Sydney Opera House. Ordinarily I wouldn't be that excited about the pace but considering all the injuries I've been dealing with, it was a good effort. I felt like I had plenty left in the tank and was only limited by the hamstring/calf pain in my right leg the whole run.

Garmin details of run >>


Injury update

My Achilles tendons feel like they are starting to respond to the stretches I've been doing each morning and the supposed neuroma isn't affect my running any more. I'm continuing to put Voltaren on my foot four times a day - it may be helping but I think the stretching and strenghening might be helping it also. I'm going to get a massage on my hamstrings and calves from the local Chinese place after work to hopefully work out the twinge and tightness.

Getting ready for SMH Half Marathon

After been diagnosed with a neuroma in my left foot and with continuing pain in my Achilles tendons, a niggle in my right knee and a twinge in my right hamstring & calf (not to mention tired legs in general), I took of week off running just to clear my head a bit and give my body a rest.

I have now gone back to using the orthotics that were made up for me a few years ago to help with over-pronation. This should help with the Achilles issues and hopefully also the neuroma. The sports doc has also added a metatarsal dome to help with the neuroma. I am also using anti-inflammatory gel directly on my foot to help reduce inflammation. Most importantly, I have committed myself to doing calf stretches and heel drops every day for three months which I hope will lead to resolution of all my injury issues. I am also taking a break from the SWEAT training group while I get my injuries under control.

Meanwhile, I signed up for the SMH Half Marathon today (bib #101) and scraped in to the preferred start off the back of my 2009 City2Surf time of 55:25. This will be my first time ever as a preferred starter in any race so I'm pretty excited about it!

I've started training again after my week off by doing a few slow 6km runs and will try not to over do it for the next couple of weeks but then ramp it up a bit and aim for a sub 84 minute time in the half. Hopefully later in the year I will get a good shot at a sub 80 too, either in the Blackmores or Melbourne half.

Let the training (and stretching) begin...

Note: I just checked the qualifying times for Boston and it looks like as I'll be 35 by the time of the race, I only need 3:15 to qualify.

Double or Nothing

After achieving my goal of running a sub 90 minute half marathon last year and setting new personal bests in all of my races, my new quest is to break the 3 hour mark for a marathon and qualify for the Boston Marathon along the way.  The current Boston qualifying mark for my age is 3:10:59 and my current pb is 3:16:52 as run at Melbourne in 2009.

I have joined a training group called SWEAT that runs in Centennial Park on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Along with doing my own runs on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday, I will be running six days a week most weeks. SWEAT coach Sean Williams creates my running plan for each month and I record my runs using my Garmin 405 watch which automatically logs my running on Garmin Connect.

My target marathons this year are the Gold Coast Marathon and the Sydney Running Festival marathon.

Injuries

I am starting the year with a couple of injuries that I need to resolve quickly so I can keep up with the training. I have a suspected neuroma causing pain and other odd sensations in the fourth toe of my left foot which I have had an ultrasound and x-ray on and am going back to the sports doctor today to get the verdict and treatment plan.

I also have ongoing tendonsis in both achilles which I discovered get a lot better when I keep up my calf stretches and eccentric heel drops. A commitment to these simple exercises twice a day should help a great deal. If I can overcome these issues shortly and stick to a healthy diet for the most part, I am confident of making the sub 3 goal.

Goals for 2010 

Sutherland2Surf (11km) - 40mins (pb 41:54)
City2Surf (14km) - 50mins (pb 55:28)
Half-Marathon - 80mins (pb 85:51)
Marathon - 3hrs (pb 3:16:52)