Post Canberra Recovery Over

I spent three days in Canberra after the 50k race. On the Monday, I felt I had pulled up well after the race. I walked over to the National Museum and spent three hours there on my feet before walking back to the hotel. They had a special exhibition celebrating 100 years of Rugby League in Australia. It could have very easily been called 100 years of Rugby League in Sydney as there was precious little of the history of the game in Queensland.

On Tuesday, I walked to the War Memorial Museum and spent the whole day there. I remember going there as a 15 year old on a family holiday. It occurred to me that it must have been a strange experience at the time for my father, as I didn't learn that he had been in active service in PNG in WW2 until I was in my mid-twenties. It must have been hard to visit such a place and not make mention of such a fact. By the time I walked back to the hotel, I had been on my feet for 8 hours and I felt more weary than they did on Sunday after the race.

On Wednesday, I kept a little closer to the hotel and visited the National Archives and then The Art Gallery where I took in the Turner to Monet Exhibition. Still a healthy six hours on my feet before jetting back home.

The plan now was easy runs for a least a week to recover and then in the 10 weeks leading up to Gold Coast to gradually get the body used to running at faster paces.

Thu 17th 6.5k 34:17 (5:16 HR 134) Easy
Fri 18th 11.0k 56:34 (5:08 HR 142) Easy
Sat 19th 15.3k 1:19:21 (5:11 HR 135) Easy but a very good time at that HR.
Sun 20th Rest

Week Total: 32.8k

Mon 21st 11.0k 55:03 (5:00 HR145)
Tue 22nd 15.3k 1:19:55 (5:13 HR 139)

I felt like had recovered and so Wednesday became the start day for the new phase of the program. Pure base building was now over.

Wed 23rd 11.0k 51:22 (4:40 HR 154). Even though my Avg Heart Rate was 154, which is about where I would like my Lactate Threshold to be, sadly the run showed I am not close to that just yet. I took quite an effort to keep up that 4:40 pace. I know I have to be cautious in introducing too much pace too quickly and I will be more cautious next week.

Thu 24th Rest. Yesterday has left the legs a little sore.

Fri 25th 14.5k 1:13:58 (5:06 HR 138). In order to get some cross reference with previous year's performances to where I am at the moment, I ran one of my courses from work along the river which I haven't done since December. Saw Peterhorse and the PCRG doing their speedwork under the Story Bridge. Before hand I thought 72 minutes would be good and anything under 74 minutes would be OK at a HR around 137. So to just scrap in with a couple of seconds to spare it was a little disappointing. What was more encouraging was that I had a negative split which is very rare when maintaining a steady Heart Rate on that course.

Sat 26th 25k 2:08:26 (5:08 HR 138). If I was disappointed with yesterday's run, today's was very satisfying. This is the best time I have run on this course as a long run. I did this run two weeks before GC last year in very similar time but at HR 144. With 10 weeks to go that is encouraging.

Sun 27th Rest

Week Total 76.8k

Canberra 50k 2008

My planned training run at Canberra turned out to be a good experience for me.

I woke at 4:55 am just five minutes before my alarm time. I had a small can of creamed rice and a cup of coffee and then showered. Another cup of coffee at 6:00. A peek out the window, showed it was a little cloudy. In what seemed no time I was ready to head to the start line, just five minutes walk from where I was staying. I stepped out the door and was meet with the glorious site of a perfect 180 degree arch of a rainbow. Isn't that supposed to mean the end of the rain? By the time I was lining up it had started to spit. At this point I was fully committed to my goal of doing the 50k.

I started slowly with a first K of 5:39 but settled down to a 5:25 pace after that. Just as my pace quickened, so did the rain. As we went past the first aid station a guy on a microphone was announcing to all "Thank you runners for bringing the rain". Generally on a run you tend to warm up, but the rain and what seemed as a drop in temperature was making me regret not wearing my gloves. My hands were starting to get very cold. By the time, I had come down the hill from Parliament House, my feet were starting to slosh around in the water inside my shoes. Thankfully, the Toasties where a source of warmth with their side line antics at this stage (and again at later stages). Well done amigos.



Worse by the time, I approached cow corner (10k), I had an inkling that a blister may have been developing under the ball of my left foot. I stopped and pulled my socks up, hoping that was all the problem was. Seems it did the trick as nothing further developed. Over the next half hour the rain ease and conditions became more pleasant. It started to dry out and my pace also increased a bit. Passed the Half Marathon Mark in 1:52:48 (5:21 @ HR 136). Things where going to plan at this stage. I try to stay under 135 HR for as long as I can on long training run.

I continued on and was a bit surprised to see my HR going up to around 145 until I realised that for some unknown reason I had started to speed up. Managed a few 5:06ks but was generally doing around 5:15. The Ks clicked by and I was really enjoying myself. The 32k mark came and went and I started to think the sooner or later the legs were going to get tired and I would have to start grinding it out. 35k and still feeling good. I am passing a lot of people now. 40k, can't believe the legs are feeling so good. A few people are now passing me as they power on to a good marathon finish but I resist the urge to go with them as there is still 10k to go. The atmosphere going up the finishing shute for the Marathon is very uplifting. I cross the mat in 3:43:27. A second Half of 1:50:39 (5:15 @ HR 152) a nice negative split.







Just under 8k to go and I am staggered at how comfortable I feel. Up to this point, I had been holding back but I just thought I'd run on feel from here on in. This part of the course on the cycle path is very scenic with the lake on one side and the lovely autumn leaves of the trees on the other. Managed my fastest K of the race for the 45th in 4:59. In next to no time I was back running up the finishing shute soaking up that atmosphere for a second time. I felt like I could go round again. The last 7.8k in 39:47 (5:06 @ HR 162) and a debut time for 50k of 4:23:14.



I honestly don't know where today's run came from. My last two training long runs (36k) over the previous two weeks have been done at a slower pace than this and feeling very leg weary at the end. The only differences I can see where it is somewhat cooler, somewhat flatter and I ran after having breakfast and fuelled up during the run (seven gels in all).

One happy camper and my most Ks in a week ever 110.1k .

There was another aspect of the run which revolves around the music I had on my player. This is the third time I have worn my music player in a marathon. Each time I have loaded it up with songs from my Best of the Year compilations. This time it was 2002 Vol 1& 2 and 2003 Vol 1 & 2. So in the early parts of the race I was listening to the 2002 stuff. Now this bought back some fairly intense emotions in me.
In early 2002, I had not run for many years. I was very unfit. In April, I had a skin cancer removed from near my ankle and had a skin graft. Under doctor's orders I had to lie in bed with my foot up for three weeks. Knowing this before hand, I bought a batch of CDs to listen to. I used the occasion as a bit of an opportunity to catch up with a bit of main stream music that had passed me by. Some of those Cds such as The Bends by Radiohead, The Stone Roses, Essence by Lucinda Williams, became firm favourites of 2002 and it was pleasing to see how far I had come since those low days.
After that experience, I made a commitment to at least get fit. I bought a digital music player and commenced walking at lunch time. I did that for about six months before starting to slowly start running again. So those first albums, I placed on that player also remain dear to me and it was uplifting to hear them again especially given at this point in the race it was wet and cold. They include One Giant Leap, Sam Magwana Sings Dino Vangu and Stevie Wonder's Fulfillingness' First Finale.

Maybe it was the music that lifted me so high today.

Clayton's Taper

Mon 7th 6.5k 34:11 (5:15 HR 137)
Tue 8th 11.0k 56:01 (5:05 HR 141)
Wed 9th 15.3k 79:54 (5:13 HR 137)
Thu 10th 16.3k 82:17 (5:02 HR 141)
Fri 11th 11.0k 53:23 (4:51 HR 142)

Week so far 60.1k

Now on to Canberra tomorrow morning.

It has been strange reading all the taper madness and excitement that goes on before a big race . For me it has just been business as usual and a normal training week. I feel it has been my best week of training for quite a while. On Thursday, I added an extra 4.3k to my normal 11k course so that by today I would over 60k. This now means if I do the 50k in Canberra, it will be my biggest week ever, beating my previous highest of 105.1k in late December 2007.

Plan is to start out at 5:20 pace and see how long I can keep it up. My training long runs have been around 5:30 pace but my course is quite hilly and the runs are done without breakfast or fuel along the way. So I'm guessing 5:20 should be comfortable for quite a way. Not that I will push on to the 50k at any cost. If I feel that it will take too much out of me I will be more than happy to pull the pin at 42k. I want to get back into normal training as quickly as possible after this event.

The weather is looking like it will be good. Probably won't need the gloves but I am packing them just in case. (BB the gloves are woollen not cotton).

Hope to catch up with everybody over the weekend. And to all runners, may your performance reflect the training you have put in.

Closing in on Canberra

Training over the last two weeks.

Mon 24/3 6.5k 35:19 (5:26 HR 130) Recovery Run
Tue 25/3 15.3k 1:21:07 (5:18 HR 140
Wed 26/3 11.0k 56:11 (5:06 141)
Thu 27/3 15.3k 1:17:45 (5:04 HR 149)
Fri 28/3 Rest
Sat 29/3 36k 3:28:49 (5:48 R 135)
Sun Rest

Week 84.1k


Mon 31/3 11.0k 54:32 (4:57 HR 143)
Tue 01/4 15.3k 1:20:55 (5:17 HR 140)
Wed 02/4 11.0k 52:41 (4:47 HR 148)
Thu 03/4 15.3k 1:16:17 (4:59 HR 155)
Fri 04/4 11.0k 60:53 (5:32 HR 133) Very easy
Sat 05/4 Rest
Sun 06/4 36.0k 3:17:19 (5:29 HR 141)

Week 99.6k

At last I seem to be getting back to the times I was doing just over three weeks ago. My long run today (36k) was pleasing and over 11 minutes quicker than last week. It had been concerning me that my training was somewhat stalled and not showing progress. So one thing I have done this week is resume my dietary supplements which I stopped in January. This means a daily dose of a Multi-vitamin , Evening Primrose Oil, Omega-3, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Iron Tablets.

The last two Thursday's I have run in the late afternoon and I must say it confirms that I am not a morning runner. It is such a relief not to get up in the morning. On both theses runs I passed Ultra CoolRunner Rob Ware near the Ashgrove Golf course. Bay talked about an experience he had recently of being competitive with another runner whilst training. On the first Thursday, I saw him about 500m in front of me and I slowly caught up to him over a couple of Ks. As I got closer to him, I saw he had a CoolRunner cap on so I was eager to catch up to him and say hello. When I caught him, I introduced myself and asked the obvious question "How far you going?". He said two and a half and it took me a few seconds to realise he meant 2 and a half hours. He then added he liked to do that on Tuesday and Thursdays! I felt rather inadequate when I could only reply was that I was just doing 15k.

I am not planning any sort of taper for Canberra. My only decision at this point is whether to do the 42k in around 3:50 to 4 hours which would be a nice long training run, or go for a debut 50k at a slightly slower pace. I know doing the 42k and making a decision at the finish line whether to continue on for the 50k won't work, so need to make a commitment one way or the other before the start. One incentive to do the 50k is that if I complete all my planned training runs this week and do the 50k it will result in 109k which would be my biggest week ever. Still my focus is Gold Coast and I don't want to over do it just for the sake of weekly PB.