M7 marathon: 3.29.31

3rd sub 3.30 in 4 weeks of 4 marathons in 4 weeks.

I struggled through the whole race. I never felt comfortable from the start and it stayed that way to the finish. I wavered between feeling uncomfortable to very uncomfortable. I started off just behind the 3.30 pacer who I know well and expected that he could keep and even pace so I was happy to be behind him but I did keep a check on my pace.

I started off with a pace that would get me to a 3.30 finish and just kept working hard to maintain the pace. 

Through halfway in 1.43.30 and just perfect time.

The plan was to stay with the pacer until about 30k and then assess where I was at and what I could do. The 3.30 group seemed to slow significantly on the way up a hill at about 31k and it was then that I decided I needed to be in front of the group and run my own pace and set my own rhythm.

I was then in clear space and on my own. Set my rhythm and headed for home. I was never confident on the way back that I would be under 3.30 and with k markers I was doing some maths every couple of k's and it seemed I was hanging in but it was close. It would just take a slow k on one of the hills and I knew I would not be able to get it back.

At 40k I had just over 11 minutes to make it. Clearly made it with a a second half of 1.46.01 moving from 62nd at halfway to 31st at the finish. As I have said before I am not sure where this form has come from but I will take it. The M7 course has not changed since it's start 7 years ago and this is my second quickest except for the first.

An easy weeks before a marathon next weekend on Saturday and Sunday. I will very much ease of the pace but still with the aim for both to be under 4.00 but that might be difficult on the Sunday.

M7 Marathon: pre race thoughts

This will be marathon 185 and the 15th of the year. It doesn't seem like 15 they have gone so quickly. I have another 10 planned to make 25 for the year and my biggest ever. My most in a year was 18 in 2013. Nice when you have a long streak of injury free training and running.

Last year this marathon was my quickest for the year with 3.33.04 and I have been running slightly better recently than I did at this time last year. As a comparison last year I ran:

•  GC in 3.41 and this year 3.26 (15 minutes)
•  Macleay 3.38 and this year 3.31 (7 minutes)
• Hunter Valley 3.45 and this year 3.35 (10 minutes)

I am not usually concerned about numbers, times etc but I just thought today I would. It seems by the comparisons I am running consistently quicker and hope that will repeat on Sunday. I usually have a good idea of my fitness level and despite this being the 4th marathon in 4 weeks the issue is not fitness but whether fatigue will be a factor in the last 12 ks. That might be a factor if I am too quick up to 30k. So already I am getting my head space into be very patient and being on about 3.26/3.28 pace at half way, hold that until 30k and then see what is in reserve to hopefully at worst maintain my pace to the end.

There is nothing I can do in the next few days to change the outcome. I am where I am at and it will all come down to pacing on the day. 

The end time has nothing to do with luck. It will all be about me running my own race, being focused on that and ignoring what is going on around me and what others are doing. I should do that in all the races but lest be honest sometimes we just run and are very much influenced by what is happening around us in a race. That can be a good thing or bad. At the Gold Coast once the race settled down you are often surrounded by other running at your pace although they come and go but you are very much shoulder to shoulder for a long time.

M7 starts off like that but quickly you can be alone or with a group the breaks up at a water stop and never reforms. I know I am a bit of a rhythm runner and this course despite some rolling hills is okay for me. 

The following weekend a double in Brisbane like last year. Only wish is that they are both under 4 hours. Anyway that is something think about when this one is over. 

Hunter Valley Winery Marathon: 3.35.xx

Well I did't start at 3.35 pace. I was a bit quicker but it finished up being a 3.35 marathon more by luck than precise execution. 

It was a perfect morning for running. The temperature was around 10/11 degrees at the start and compared to other years that was warm. The marathon is 2 loops and often the wind comes up a bit in the second lap and that combined with THE HILL and the other long inclines always presents a challenge on the second lap to maintain the first lap pace.

My best over the last 6 years has been 3.40 and I set out challenge that by running freely in the first lap and see what I could do on the second. It was not a race plan of even splits a I wanted to try something different although I knew that would result in fade more than usual. I was hoping I would no be an embarrassing fade with a walk/stumble/death march a the end.

Short story - 3.35 finish with about 1.45/1.50 splits. At 35k I had 34 minutes to get home for a sub 3.30. It was always going to be a struggle with the long incline just after 35k and lasting ?2k. No excuse but then I ran into the back of the 10k runners/walkers and I was slow down/speed up pass/weave some more run of the track to pass more - you get the idea. I am very much a rhythm runner and this over the last 4k was not what I can handle well.

No complaints - that is what happens an I suspect I was not going go under 3.30 anyway.

I have to say I am more than pleased to run what in all the circumstances is good time and much better than I have generally been running for the last few years. Then M7 Marathon next Sunday which is a relatively quick course but I am not sure how I will hold up with the 4th in 4 weeks.

Hunter Valley Winery Marathon : pre race thoughts

At this time of the year it is a case of ... another Sunday and another marathon.

 

This Sunday it is located in the Hunter Valley about 90 minutes drive from Sydney and in the fabulous wine area. This year for the first time my wife will be travelling with me and again for the first time I will overnight in the area. So a drive up on Saturday morning and a visit to some wineries and lunch during the day. There is a boutique cheese make in the area and we will fit a visit into that as well.

 

Sunday the marathon and then maybe another winery visit before returning home. I do not drink any more but I have no issue in visiting wineries and my wife sampling some wines. That part of my life is well behind me and being around wine etc is not an issue.

 

This week I have trained well running Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with Friday off,

 

The marathon. It will be my 6th at the Hunter and my best is 3.40 in 2010 and my slowest 3.52. So I have a small range of finishing times. How I would like to run a PB for this course. Crash and burn is a possibility but that race plan will be 3.35 starting pace and see how I hold on.

 

 

Dolls Point Marathon: 3.28.48

Well I started off as planned with the aim of a sub 3.30 finish and then see how long I held on for. Obviously I held on to the finish. 

I rarely looked at my Garmin as I wanted to run to feel. When I did check I was averaging about 4.55 per k pace. That felt comfortable but at the very top end of that. So as the race went on it was a matter of how long I could sustain the pace and whether last weeks run and a solid week of training would cause a quick slow down because of fatigue.

A strong head wind come up on the last lap and there was a 5k battle with that before the turnaround and the hope it would be a tailwind on the run home. For me it felt like a tailwind or perhaps it was just the lack of the headwind.

I amazed to be under 3.30 again. What ever is happening I intend to squeeze as much out of this form fro as long as I can. So I will continue with some hard training sessions but training smart - that is maximum benefit for the minimum effort. 

Another one next weekend at the Hunter Valley. It is a tough course with some long inclines that take away the leg speed on the flats and downhills. Ah well, take each course as it comes.

Dolls Point Marathon: thoughts

I am having a quiet day at home with my daughter and her partner who are up from Melbourne for the weekend. Out for a late breakfast for his birthday.

That does not prepare me as usual for a Sunday marathon as I travel and stay away from home for most. I need  to focus a bit more than I have today. I am undecided whether tomorrow it will be a lazy run just under 4 hours or will I push down to a 3.3x. I have a couple of more important marathons ink the next 2 weeks and want to be as fresh for them as I can be taking into account I am running 4 marathons in 4 weeks.

At the moment I am inclined to start off at the quicker finish and see for how long I can hold on.

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Tuesday: Recovery run

I should feel smashed but I feel very good. No stiffness or aches etc but i know the muscles are damaged. So it could be passive recovery by doing nothing or active by easy running to do not much more than circulate the blood and maybe flush the muscles.

So out before sunrise for a gentle run around the Bay and so relaxing stretching in one of my favourite spots around the Bay. Such a pleasant and calming way to start the day. 

Hectic day today. Appearing in Court for a client and then off to teach for the the rest of the week. 

                                             Such a nice spot to stretch and greet the day

Gold Coast Marathon: 3.26.43

Very pleased that the plan came off and I got under 3.30 as I was planning and hoping for.

Sunday morning on the Gold Coast presented perfect running conditions. I last ran a sub 3.30 marathon 5 years ago and whilst I had not quite given up the possibility of running one again it did for years consider that it was never going to happen.

Lets look back at some recent history:

2009     Canberra          3.17

2009     Gold Coast       3.25

2010     Canberra          3.25

2014     Gold Coast      3.26

All my marathons have been over 3.30 with the best being 3.31 at Macleay Rivera few weeks ago.

All week I was getting myself mentally ready for the pain I knew would happen when I started out at a pace that I have not started at often in the resent past and I know it would not get any easier as the marathon went on.

With my illness I now have a very strict eating plan that does not on the face of it appear to be of any help to an endurance athlete but I believe it assisting my health and so the wise and careful selection of the food I now eat takes priority over feeding to run.

A slight negative split and all 5k splits 24.xx.

 

First half 1.44 @ 4.56 per k pace

Second half 1.42 @ 4.51 pace

 

So a long sustained push for home from halfway.

 

For those interested in the finer details:

 

http://tiktok.biz/goldcoastmarathon/2014/m04987

I thought my eating plan would cause my downfall over the second half but no I just felt stronger as the race progressed. Just 2 GU's during the run and off course fluids at the drink stations.

 

This was my first year on the +65 age group and with the winner last year running about 3.23 I thought when I finished it might get a top three. No only 5th with the Japanese winner running 2.52 WTF !!!!!. then a 3.13 and that looks more like it and then 2 at 3.25 and me. Next 3.40. 

 

My next BIG focus marathon will be Melbourne in October and maybe a better place in the age group in that one and maybe I have to find a 34 minute improvement between now and then.

 

Recovery, training and taper all in a week to be ready for the marathon in Sydney next week.

Gold Coast Marathon thoughts ….

Not long until I run my 16th Gold Coast Marathon. How fast have the years gone ? I still remember the first one in 1998 and was only my 8th marathon ever, I was 48 and ran it in 3.16.

I cannot 16 years later run a 3.16 but I will have my eye on maybe 3.32 meaning I have added a minute to my time each year. Maybe just under 3.30 and the first time for that in a long time. I have had a few weeks off running a Sunday marathon so as regards me I am about as fresh as I will be for one until then Melbourne Marathon in October.

Read that to mean that between now and then I have a marathon planned for all the weekends except a few where none are being held or I am at GH. 

The training in the last few weeks has been steady but the usual speed I have at this time of the week before a marathon that I ma rested for is not there. Nothing I can do about that but a sub 3.30 marathon is not just speed but overall pacing and what endurance/stamina you have to hold a solid pace over the last 12k. I managed to do that a few weeks ago with a near even paced 3.31 and that was on a flat course similar to GC.

Hopefully I have maintained my fitness and less so speed but the endurance/stamina aspect although being overall slower will clearly be an issue. Any way crash and burn or success I will start of with a 3.29 finish in mind and run at that pace and will as always just have to see what happens on the day. 

The thought I have at the moment is that I am rested and some marathons you just have to give it you a all both physically and mentally. At the moment I am working on the mental preparation.

Enough of the memories except ….

C2K being kindly treated at 200k by Roger (a member of Jane Trumper's crew). As Jane and her crew caught me they notices I had  some  extreme  lower back pain so they stopped. Well the crew stopped Jane continues and they gas me what road side help they could. Embodies the spirit of runners in ultra's in general and in particular this race which is unique in Australia because how you and the other runners are crews. A treasured moment and memory.

Nobody looks good at midnight on the top of Mt Kozzi after 42 hours or so of running or at least relentlessly moving forward. I think I remember being there. One way to hallucinate without drugs. 

My crew the year I finished. All woman and all CR's. In events like this it is the quality of the crewing and the dedication of the crew to their runner makes it possible for the whole team to get a finish and bag a hat and pin the next day at breakfast.