Carcoar Marathon - preview

A whole 3 weeks on Sunday since my last marathon. I did finish the Melbourne with a pain/strain in a new spot on the left leg near the ankle in the muscle running down next to the shin bone. I rested until the following weekend. Ran Saturday with no issue, Sunday was fine with just 'something' near the end of the run.

Monday morning run did not last long and it was off to the physio later run the day. Not much could be done other than some rest and self massage as the spot of pain is only about 5cm in length and as wide you your little finger. So small but it has taken until the last few days for it to be almost gone. 

End result very little running in the last 3 weeks but maybe that is a good things as this could haven been the first sign of the body being pushed just a bit further that it could and should have been. Therefore I have just accepted the position and did what I could for the recovery but for a while it seemed to be not improving despite the rest and massage.

So last year at Carcoar I ran well. In fact much better than is expected or anticipated. This year I have run much better than for years but the injury has me concerned that by just moving over 42k it will come back. Not much I can do about that concern and at the moment I am not sure whether 'taking it easy' will have the possibility and not redoing the injury or was it just one of those things that happen and if fully recovered will more than likely not happen again. Who knows? Certainly me. If the marathon was a week later I would be more confident the marathon would not re injure it.

Last year 3.42 on a tough course. If I had no injury and had trained after the MM I would speculate that was at risk of being beaten. Now I don't think so. But will I have a go? I am not sure of my race plan at the moment and I may not have one even at the start. Just see how it goes and if there is the slightest twinge back off. That in fact might well be the race plan. 

Nice drive, nice weekend away. The Hydro Majestic hotel has had about 30 million dollars spent on restoration. We drive right by. Lunch on the way up and high tea on the way back.

Here:

http://www.hydromajestic.com.au/

Melbourne Marathon: 3.24.28 !!!!

It seems the more I run marathons the quicker I get BUT there is limit to most things and I think I have reached it. I am not sure I could go any quicker except maybe with a proper taper. But really I am very happy to have run this time and then 2 in 2 weeks under 3.25 is very much a bonus. AND about 20 seconds faster than last week.

I said in the race preview 3.22 but as I said I did not think that was going to happen but I was prepared to give this on a full out effort and see where I finished or more precisely the time I would run.  I was not aware there would be pacers at 10 minutes spaced times so I was surprised to be standing near a balloon with 3.20 on it at the start.

Despite the number of runners at the start it was orderly and most seemed to have placed themselves well as there were not many slow runners to weave around. Within a k and turning into the wide tree lined St Kilda road I was running at pace in space.

I was not running with anyone and so just settled into my pace that was hovering around 4.50 minute k's and that felt very comfortable reflected by easy breathing. Things just seemed to cruise along like that until about 27/28k when I felt I needed to increase the concentration and effort to maintain the pace. The Garmin then died for reasons unknown and from then on I had no idea of the pace I was running and just did it by feel.

I thought the 3.30 pacers might come by at any time but I did feel I was maintaining a good pace. I was passing runners easily but that is not guide as they could just be slowing more quickly than me. The weather was becoming warmer but I was not bothered by it. At 35k I was becoming fatigued but still felt I was maintaining good form and pace. Put me head down to suffer the next 5k to the 40k marker.

With a great deal of relief it came where I was expecting it and then just pinned the ears back and focused on a strong finish. Soon I was over the finish line and couldn't see any clock so I had no idea of my time but knew I had not been caught by the 3.30 pacers. I didn't know my time until I checked the results on line much later. 

Some Stats

The timing mats were at 10k & 18k and I have no idea where halfway was on the course. Best Garmin guess is 1.42.28/1.40.00 splits for an overall average pace of about 4.50. Bonus was age group win by about 25 minutes. I thought it was a soft time to win in. 

At the end of 10k I was overall in 1340th place and finished in 828th place. Significant is the strong finish by being 1186th at 30k and improved 358 places in the last 12k compared with the modest improvement just 154 places over the first 30k. 

I clearly have too much time on my hands but as it is the biggest marathon in Australia I looked at some figures. It appears for both genders there were just 76 runners over 65 or 1.18% of the field. My 828th finish put me in the top 12.89%. 

That was my 24th marathon of the year and the last flat road one. 6 have been under 3.30 and 2 under 3.25. This has been a year so far where I have run more marathons than ever before and my times in the quicker ones have been quicker than I have been in 4/5 years. 

Carcoar Marathon and beyond

Carcoar Marathon in a few weeks and last year I ran 3.42. It would be nice to finish the year off by running this one quicker than last year. I then I have about 5 weeks to do some serious training and otherwise generally get ready for the 240k monster that I Coast to Kozzi. I will need more than luck to finish this one for the second time and my guess is to be the oldest finisher. 2 crew organised and still looking for another. Both woman and both my GH buddies - how wonderful to have them with me on the epic journey that is C2K.

Preview Melbourne Marathon

Another week has rolled by and as another Sunday approaches there is once again another marathon to be run. This weekend the big daddy of them all with regard to entrants - approaching 8000 with no limit. The biggest in Australia by far. A bit different to the small but delightful country ones with 50/60. 

Melbourne marathon #12 and my second last one of the year. Only Carcoar to go. 

How did running go this week? Well good. I ran easy on Tuesday and Wednesday with some stretching in the mid of an easy Bay run. Quite relaxing and some warmish weather although it is variable at 5.30am each morning. 

I felt good on Thursday morning and thought I might just give a lap of the Bay a push. I have not done that for a few months and it was about March the last time I was under 30 but then again I have not tried during that time either. It was not comfortable for a 30.09 finish - dam I should have looked at my watch and squeezed a little bit more out of myself near the end. But no matter it was quicker than the 30.25 or so the week before and I had a quick marathon in my legs. 

Come Friday - just a slight chill in the air at 5.30am but still pleasant and ideal running weather. Slowly warmed up with the 750m run to the start of the Bay thinking should I or should I not have another lap. I couldn't resist and this time I was keeping an eye on the pace like and eagle eyeing a prey from high up in the sky. 

Pleasing to press the stop button for 29.50 and first time under 30 as a 65 year old being 4.19 pace for just a few steps under 7k. 

So where does that leave me for Sunday. A bit more speed that recently and a lot and and mean a lot of marathons run this year and lots of steady endurance running and all year injury free.

Can I go quicker than last week - yes I believe so.

Do I want to - absolutely

Do I think it is possible - yes 

Will I pacing for a 3.22 finish - yes 

Will it happen - unlikely but not through lack of effort.

The weather is predicted to be 28 by 10am and we start at 7am. I suspect the weather will result in a slow down.  If I miss will I be annoyed. No because I will have given it my best shot on the day. 

My daughter lives in Melbourne so We will spend time with her returning late Monday. As well as the marathon it is the start of the Melbourne Festival and we are fully booked with classical music, circuses and rock and roll music events during the weekend. 

Western Sydney Marathon : 3.24.49 !!!

What can I say about the time. First time under 3.25 since April 2009 which was my 100th marathon. This one marathon # 193. So just never say never. In my preview I had said I was running well and that I just needed the weather to be kind as regards temperature and wind.

It is a 6 lap course with the last 195m tacked onto the end. There was great cloud cover for the first 3 laps and running was reasonably pleasant. Then before you knew it the cloud cover was gone and the heat intensified quickly and there was a slight breeze but it was just circulating the hot air. The run then became an effort to maintain pace and focus.

After a while in the conditions you just want it over and pacing etc becomes less of a focus and just getting to the finish line becomes the objective and priority. At the time I felt the struggle to stay focused and on pace became much more difficult and in fact I didn't look at my watch much over the last 2/3 laps I just run.

At the time I thought I might just hold on for a sun 3.30 and then over the last 2/3k's I had a peek at my watch on elapsed time and tried to do some sums and thought maybe I would get under 3.30 but I was not sure by how much.

The 7k splits were interesting (in round figures) : 32/33/34/34/34/34.

So despite feeling the difficulty rising as the laps went by I was somehow able to hold my pace. I am almost as pleased with that compared to the time. Smile is still on my face.

I was out this morning just to get everything moving again to prepare for the Melbourne marathon on Sunday. No thoughts about time at the moment but might give the Bay a hot lap on Friday to try and give a sub 30.25 a push. Then I might speculate.

Thoughts Western Sydney Marathon

As is often the situation just before I marathon I give thought to what running I have done since my last marathon, and therefore and assessment of my fitness and recovery from my last marathon. Leading to a loosely conceived race plan for the day.  

No marathon last weekend so I am on the way to recovery from it and the 100 miler the week before. The first week after the marathon I did not run until the Thursday and then easy for a few days. I felt good and so ran my just under 14k loop as a TT on Tuesday. I have not run it seriously for 3 months or so as when I was running weekly marathons I run it but it was never pushed.

When I was not running weekly marathons in March to May I hovered around 66 minutes or just on 5 minute pace. The I banged out a 64.48 in early May and have not been within 4 minutes of that since. Tuesday 63.53 - the quickest ever. The Wednesday before meeting up with some friends I did a Bay run in 30.24 - not the sub 30 I ran in March but okay.

Conclusion: I am running as good as I have in training all year. 

Last year at this even with something just over 4 hours as I ran with a friend to the end. And the year before at 3.48 is no guide as that year I was not running the times that I am this year. Sydney 3.31 just 2 weeks ago. 

So .... decisions decisions ... not really. The course is flat flat flat so the only thought from the start will be pacing at a 3.29 or better finish. All that can happen is that the temperature or wind will work against that and it will happen. In this one I will not finish wondering if I could have gone quicker - that will happen out on the course.