tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622264412299783272024-03-05T09:58:47.158-08:00The JangulatorUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-80701935687248405462014-11-29T14:59:00.001-08:002014-11-29T14:59:54.714-08:00Coburg Lake Classic 2014<p>Last Sunday I ran in my final race for the season, the 10km Coburg Lake Classic. Organised by the passionate people at the <a href="http://www.coburgharriers.org.au">Coburg Harriers Athletics Club</a>, this event attracts a small local field of runners. 5K run and walk options are also available.</p>
<p>Last year I managed to run the tough undulating course along the Merri Creek bike path in a time of 45:23. After my amazing run at <a href="http://www.thejangulator.com/2014/11/city2sea-2014-race-review.html">City2Sea</a> I was hoping to run sub 44 minutes. But it wasn't to be, with conditions once again getting the better of me.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="At the bottom of the Coburg Lake hill" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqKjpZyost5hSIwb8Hn2M-A9YR58j9iGYbbI4GUC96W_03rj6g-ZOjdvnXQcaqKWYpmuGOaq_R-oi42cdGedD79aJ3XjhoR9fKA14fbEhEHBWCTMmCpMy2JjintTVQm07TSBjHnqvUZU/s1600/coburg_lake_classic_2014.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the bottom of the Coburg Lake hill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>Things didn't start well. I arrived late at the Coburg Athletics track and by the time I registered and put my race number 26 on, the starting gun had fired. I literally had to run out of the club house and onto the track to catch the field!</p>
<p>My arch nemesis, the Sun was out and it was a warm and humid morning. Pretty much the sort of of conditions I struggle with the most. For the first 4km I stayed consistently under 4:20 k's and then I reached the bottom of the hill in Coburg Lake Park and got done by the short steep ascent. I basically cracked under the heat and humidity and had to take a walking break halfway up the hill, not long after that photo was taken of me. This was the first time ever I had cracked within the first 5km of a race!</p>
<p>From then on it just became a battle to the finish line. I slipped from 6th in the race to my finishing place of 8th as runners who had run the smarter and more consistent pace passed me.</p>
<p>The final few hundred metres were run on the athletics track where the race had started. Not quite the same as running a lap inside the MCG but pretty cool nonetheless.</p>
<p>I crossed the line in a disappointing time of 45:44. Slower than last year, making it the first time I had failed to improve on a previous year's time at an event. I guess that was bound to happen eventually but after the high from my City2Sea run, I didn't see it coming so soon.</p>
<p>I hung around for the trophy presentations with the top 3 male and females in each category getting a trophy. It was a talented field in the male 10km with the top 4 all cracking 40 minutes. The winner finished in 37:25!</p>
<p>Afterwards complimentary massages and biscuits awaited everyone in the club house. Another well run event by the club and special thanks to all the course volunteers who make it possible.</p>
<p>Thinking of running the 12km Coburg Harriers New Years Resolution Fun Run next on January 18th. Until then train hard and run strong!<p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-61031838676231515012014-11-18T03:21:00.002-08:002014-11-19T11:42:20.857-08:00City2Sea 2014 Race Review<p>Now this was a fun run! The distance was just right, the course was fast, scenic and enjoyable and the temperature was perfect. In the lead up my training had gone well and everything went right on the day. It showed with my result. Even though this year's course was a kilometre longer than last year's, I still managed to take more than a minute off last year's time!</p><a name='more'></a>
<h2>A very wet morning</h2>
<p>When I woke up Sunday morning to the sound of heavy rain I must admit I was worried. If it kept raining like this during the run it would mean water logged shoes and heavy wet clothes. Not exactly conducive to PB results!</p>
<p>The Bureau of Meteorology's weather radar showed a large swathe of blue covering Melbourne but the good news was that it looked like clearing at some point during the run. Until that happened, I wasn't keen on getting wet so I tried my hand at fashion design and turned a garbage bag into a makeshift rain jacket.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="At the start line" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_htt1Iwmt4XDucM_AIhllpldg_KTNMeKZujPU3YlCH6AC84IYReF_CQoAAKUbaJWn_PfTfCLJC9uOcVU-ElMfd2uB4Y959o7fWAKm59icUIIRgkyLd_ZjV6HBpNjNuvtgU6Vtc0N1XD0/s1600/start-line-red-wave-2.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the start line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>According to The Age, almost 12,000 people braved the conditions and ran compared to about 14,000 in 2013. No doubt the heavy morning rain played a part in the reduced numbers. I perform my best in cool, overcast conditions so I was happy to take a bit of rain over a warm, sunny morning.</p>
<h2>A new course</h2>
<p>After 3 years of been run as a 14km event, this year the organisers decided to change things up and make it 15km. Rather than starting at the Arts Centre, we would be starting in Yarra Park, better known as the MCG car park. The course would then take in the scenery of Flinders Street, Federation Square and the Arts Centre.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:500px;" alt="2014 City2Sea Course Map" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWOFt5R8vDtgIxGR3K3rsd9ZJtJAwcddTik6tjSt-aBWBYTnFccFomYSqRI9nj1EhPXzhOqr-ISREp2R-HOxIgfP5WIlqDeNHBluMBWbe7cjgSBrIHTfibvXxosITtePsBs-6XAV0lAc/s1600/large_course_map.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course map</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The other main difference was at the finish where we no longer had to run up and down a section of Beaconsfield Parade. This was my least favourite part of the old course. Something about having to run a kilometre past the finish line and back again really irritated me. But now we would come down Fitzroy Street and run directly into the finish at Catani Gardens.</p>
<h2>Red wave</h2>
<p>Due to my times at previous City2Sea events, I qualified for a start with the Red Wave, the first group of runners released after the elite preferred start group.</p>
<p>I got to the start line about 15 minutes early and huddled with everybody else under the dripping wet elm trees of Yarra Park. It was cool though not cold. The rain was beginning to ease but it was still heavy enough that I was very glad for my homemade garbage bag jacket.</p>
<p>There was the usual pre-race buzz and chatter amongst the field. Everyone was obviously hoping the rain would ease further but overriding sentiment was that these were perfect conditions for a PB.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Waiting in the rain" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpmwjYFwPheG0R_fiZq3UQ2oJm741Doa-P_uQF2KPJ-59j7N8duvFF0PGxkWMtsmSbNBJ7YFqj19miuIX7uoHjonSAfaM-mbgPUAlbwjMyexUXJ566by3LSc8jgYOuJZyb6hW5RRW5GU/s1600/waiting-in-the-rain.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting in the rain with my improvised jacket</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>To add to my look I was wearing one of the Westpac headbands that were handed out pre-race. Gotta support the sponsors! I figured it could be handy to keep my face dry but in truth it did go well with the whole garbage bag outfit.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="At the start line in Yarra Park" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIfRw0g3rf39MnnNm00TsTf3d92hJe6OOafhgHCwQap_svHUOW1SGHqfO05bccehCSwHT523Pb423P6CLk1q6Aq6KulBTOShLWNFC9aZi_SurzvRB-ezurbIV43Cqlw1lAtTc6kgDLyA/s1600/start-line-red-wave.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the start line in Yarra Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>DJ Havanna Brown pumped out the tunes and Jacinta Campbell got the waiting runners doing some warm up callisthenics. Much better than Harry Kewell's efforts at the start line last year!</p>
<h2>A Fast, Wet Start</h2>
<p>With the rain still falling, I think every runner was thankful when the organisers had us off and running at the scheduled time of 8:20. And what better way to start a run than running downhill! The first 500 metres were all downhill along Wellington Parade South ensuring a fast start that helped set the tone for the rest of my race.</p>
<p>With the rain still falling and the temperature cool, I kept the garbage bag on. I must have been quite a sight but I was in good company with other garbage bag clad runners. It didn't seem to be having too much of an impact on my performance though. I was pumping out low 4 minute kilometres and I even managed to take some photos along Flinders Street without losing too much time.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Running in the rain towards Flinders Street Station" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFxxCFrlam1zceXQVj2sJTuQS1QW_5Lq2ttJnIwufYEG9EvQyWpg0oxF6dBmIDgFqRRetubKdHb8PNJYvSi_nfj9cp9UrTCnSUvM7niD6aD9x1YpaGC-07krPXurE3MWha3JYfpbIZak/s1600/flinders-st-in-the-rain.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running in the rain towards Flinders Street Station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The road was obviously very wet and I did see a couple of runners slip but thankfully they managed to stay on their feet. There were puddles everywhere and I tried as best as possible to avoid landing in any big ones. My feet were already wet enough!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Passing Flinders Street Station" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlBkO5HC-CXt5R_VcO9M9s-LLZ6KyTNDOdPPPBzs-a1cxzxI9eXYxyPO0qdFjJjg_C6L0QdBFAKMnli1r4QIv6CeCptvlRV9TOlxDePH3jmlyO27GCtKkuzRQN54kQPkx_60KJ_GmO3k/s1600/passing-flinders-st-station.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passing Flinders Street Station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>After coming out from under the Arts Centre and onto Sturt Street the rain had stopped and I was starting to feel warm with the garbage bag still on. I waited until I could see a rubbish bin and then ripped off the bag superman style. Time to kick some arse!</p>
<h2>Maintaining the rage</h2>
<p>Somehow I managed to keep running sub 4:30 kilometres all the way up St Kilda Road. The half way point of the run was at the St Kilda junction and I passed it with barely 30 minutes gone on the clock. I was flying along and must admit I was surprised with the pace I was managing to maintain. In general I train on very undulating courses with lots of hills where I struggle to run anywhere near 4:30 pace so this was feeling easy in comparison.</p>
<p>But how long could I keep this up? The way I faded out in the <a href="http://www.thejangulator.com/2014/10/melbourne-marathon-race-review.html">Melbourne Marathon</a> after a fast first half was still fresh in my mind. But when I realised there was only 7.5km to go and I was feeling good any doubts were banished. This was a very different race to the <a href="http://www.thejangulator.com/2014/10/melbourne-marathon-race-review.html">Melbourne Marathon</a>. It was obviously a shorter, far easier course. The conditions were cooler and the Sun was absent. Plus, since the <a href="http://www.thejangulator.com/2014/10/melbourne-marathon-race-review.html">Melbourne Marathon</a>, I had put in a lot of long interval training sessions and those long undulating courses had obviously made my body a lot stronger. My legs were ready to be pushed hard. Today I was going to smash it!</p>
<h2>Entertainment</h2>
<p>There was entertainment all along the course, although this year it seemed a little sparse compared to previous years. Maybe because of the rain or the extra kilometre? My favourite was the lone guy with his guitar who was playing on Lakeside Drive. I'm not even sure the he was actually part of the official entertainment! Also kudos to the band of young boys along Albert Road Drive.</p>
<p>The mist tent was back again this year although understandably it was not very popular! It was funny watching the volunteers trying to encourage runners to run through. As usual the other volunteers at the drink stations and the sponsor groups like Nova and Westpac did a great job cheering the runners on. I do remember having a chuckle a few times after passing some of them and I took as many high fives as possible!</p>
<h2>Over the line</h2>
<p>The only real challenge came after reaching the northern most tip of Albert Park at the 11km mark and then turning south. We were running into a slight southerly headwind and I did back off my pace for a little bit to adjust. But with only a few kilometres to go until the finish, I eventually threw caution to the wind and went for it.</p>
<p>Exiting Albert Park and running down the Fitzroy Street hill towards the finish at Catani Gardens was an absolute thrill. I didn't have the pace I was hoping for but I pushed as hard as I could towards the finish line. Given the conditions, there was a reasonable crowd of supporters waiting to cheer on loved ones as they finished.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Running to the finish line" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSRX7g58yfh7dYyMCG50viTHp2JE92oO3ZSoBo5S32H6BlMixqRu3BFEY3quIycX58OvJfKcQlhyuFs-iktiIwGoPYRa8z4AJ0wqAJ5XImkfyZ8Z0WjWKm7EwnCguRjL1II_BuzQU9v0/s1600/running-to-the-finish-line.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running down the final straight to the finish line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Runners catching their breathe at the finish line" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHd3aY8mpgUguyBD9jdcFqfIQqShKLvhRNtE0E8WmfgudKOV3cm7qs0pNDUfjZq0j0U01mN49BPL36M7OJX_JMSXhqqgswzgoC9vgOIADNfsOVqoD_dZFqwyKftBb0vcxFS_PqDGSZILk/s1600/the-finish-line.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runners catching their breathe at the finish line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I looked at the clock at the finish and could see it was still in the 64th minute. That was an incredible run! I punched the air as I ran through, satisfied I had run a good race and given it everything.</p>
<p>It turned out I was the 284th finisher to cross the line putting me inside the top 5% of all runners! What's more I managed an official time of 1:03:35, more than a minute faster than last year, even with the extra kilometre we had to run!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="My official results" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0A52p9NYqDw3U2jYlXnQw_ksSwPl1lMqXTSKtKmTVOQdS9ndldHTJaZR8fxq1KR0_DL3JybvA44RmZ-xGm3nZrKAoBwaaw7OQBSdRcs-NGNpNwODZvfKd2M-SQLBdMHOSbQXVbJwuuA/s1600/results.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My official results</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>It was definitely the best run of my short running career so far. I don't think I could have run a better race and I was very happy with the consistency of my race splits. I'd kept a great pace through the whole run and I can honestly say that I didn't have much gas left in the tank when I crossed the line.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="My race splits" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43EqaztEg9OcN2IL5IXWXiEfMAJHbM7PVoxk_xviMApb95Fj6UNP2FKK7NAXeWsAsXZqWBH1Yy7_rK67z5woTx0d2XsCv10ELfJ9pnDO0m4r4eife64mwM119CKIPuSdl1DA9p-p7cbk/s1600/split-times.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My race splits</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>In all honesty, I owe my time to the conditions which were peach perfect for me. I only felt a slight wind around Albert Park and the temperature and humidity were just right. In contrast, tonight I went for a run in 30C heat and I blew up and had to have a walking break after 5km!</p>
<h2>Warm down</h2>
<p>Finishing so high up in the places meant that there was hardly anyone around in the post race village which was great. I quickly got my participants medal, which looks awesome by the way, and then went over to the Rebel Sports recovery tent where I used the foam rollers they had made available to massage and recover. A great idea that I hope to see at more fun runs in the future!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Warming down" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-ymxidK2dAcq4NhNAgMUX5ltiXJrfayyoQxFIIANDpzQFFE0DqI1sYJWq5966lpYTYacDevG24PcYkZJsYjxYwnZ6q5E2vG5pOhmhyrxQmH85lsev7N9BIEuA_8TdoSmaO1ylIGQ93o/s1600/warm-down.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warming down</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="My participants medal" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSYp76hF5VLT6kFSaQzt74mqr-CXSMpAnoh1HMwbouFTYnNR4eCA69aIXW4GanbS9xkBHDVrZAtjTyMKoKQLF8HjxfACX_Hv6ZVs93fIYEdxJtJq01JAVM2iON9LK-QqmYgYwBc96V6A/s1600/medal.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My participants medal. Love it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I caught up with my mate Mark (we ran the <a href="http://www.thejangulator.com/2014/10/melbourne-marathon-race-review.html">Melbourne Marathon</a> together) who had started in the Green Wave and finished with a sub 70 minute time and we grabbed a well earned post race recovery brunch.</p>
<p>I'm already looking forward to next year's installment of what has become my favourite running event. Hopefully everyone else had a great run and the organisers stick with the new and improved course. I'm obviously a massive fan of the changes! With another year of training under my belt I'm sure I can go even faster so watch out next year!</p>
<p>Btw, special thanks to my wife who got up early to drop me off and then drove to St Kilda to wait for me with a change of clothes. Early morning fun runs are a lot more difficult without such support!</p>
<p>My next race, and last one for the year, is the 10km Coburg Lake Classic this Sunday. Looking forward to seeing if I can run sub 44 minutes on a tough undulating course. Happy running everyone!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-76272682036906141112014-10-17T16:51:00.002-07:002014-10-17T17:51:46.150-07:00Melbourne Marathon Race Review<p>Last Sunday's Melbourne Marathon turned out to be a race of two halves. In the first half I was smashing it and on track to finish in sub 3:40. In the second half I saw a huge positive split as the Sun came out to play and I struggled to control my heart rate in the rising heat. It turned out to be the toughest event of my young running career.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:500px;" alt="2014 Melbourne Marathon race winner Dominic Ondoro" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQbf7bBsoFdB6fDYp_f5QKxjA-1X87ckdR7V3WILgrF7vmvvqq1vzBQYCidgvMuAS32cM1oWDIj3U6vdobT9e40EP6VXzSX3rLJZn2cZ-eDrqYkN7SqsgTldPDJaOk4B6Zc42nCujCvA/s1600/winner.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race winner Dominic Ondoro.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a>
<h2>A cool morning</h2>
<p>It was just 10.5°C at the start line in Batman Avenue at 7am. With hardly a whisper of wind, these were the perfect conditions to start a marathon. The city and the MCG looked glorious as the dawn Sun poked its head above the horizon and bathed the MCG in a golden light. If only it had stayed there for the next 4 hours!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:500px;" alt="The view out to the MCG" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2K_y7V9f49p5QKh9W2fy0B29hnpU7ugj4-yuBPHIhcGX2OgyxmsDi2wiNT3gubhFfws4dDC9NOWefBZUgtshRgwY9HAC8d-hdU5-qBQzOgtRcrRohLhfTm-LW8aV6DMsgUrTmmacIec/s1600/mcg_view.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view out to the MCG as I walked down Batman Avenue to the start line.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:500px;" alt="The race lead car" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8l1QKNXzvbxkOsX9pbty4TsLxVMMpZYlYCiOUWQK9lYa_aOSkMF1t1WuyjuuErhgHJzW3HFFflyZAw5U0t4DEKGsr2UR53KdYPaHf9mwS1u0iIZlqJhLgnaycEluz4zhLr7NqpjLfen4/s1600/lead_car.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The race lead car. Probably the only thing fast enough to stay in front of Dominic Ondoro for the entire race!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I arrived at the start line at 6:45 to meet my mate Mark. This was his first marathon and since we were both aiming for a sub 3:50 finish we decided we would start the run together and see if we could push each other over the line.</p>
<p>For me, it was my second marathon. In my first attempt last year I got a thigh strain and walked a large part of the course for a time of 4:55:54. With all the work I had put in this year, I was determined not to repeat that result.</p>
<p>Our race strategy was simple. Aim for a fast first half split knowing that we would slow down for the second half when the Sun and associated heat would be a factor. We decided we would try to run with the 3:40 pace group for as long as possible and go from there.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:300px;" alt="The 4:30 pace marker" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgVorvxjNTEv7Rl1nC2yEMq1A7M_tQecR3F8nTnN4Qa3VsAx-2KxpRHFoR2YD-9lMr3hLzRqVxud1YwpTvKJ8D4Vof5B2o9cdAU8VB_77y2Qs267R6Y2HXmiNTqlrvOU3E0myJNNltY8/s1600/pace_marker.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 4:30 pace marker getting ready before the race. I was hoping that we wouldn't be seeing this guy during the race!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The start line was the usual mix of pre-race energy and nervous anticipation. Everyone was pumped with dreams of a good run and a PB ahead. There was loads of conversation about the weather forecast and what impact it would have. It was another massive starting field this year with over 7000 runners testing themselves over the full marathon distance.</p>
<p>We squeezed our way into the huddled masses and waited for the start gun. Luckily having so many people around us kept us comfortably warm despite the cool air temperature.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:500px;" alt="Ready to run" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1T8c5tyWU5HaqzTx-9_2tgStytxEaHGCW8ASpcbjbo03zpY4KphbRyms5TYXZFJN2uq9KZhvalB0Fk1WoMVlTiIDhw_yhscexbsrM8oOlreRFfKrhealj1zKyqn9Nc60KKbU2ZNkqoEE/s1600/start.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over 7000 people attempted the marathon distance this year.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>A young girl did a fantastic job of blasting out the traditional pre-race national anthem and then came the countdown to start. The race gun fired and a loud cheer went out from all the runners. The pro speedsters up the front were off and running. One of these guys, Dominic Ondoro, went on to win the race for the second year in succession in an incredible time of 2:11:30!</p>
<p>A couple of minutes later it was our turn to pass under the massive start line. Our race was underway and it time to make amends for last year!</p>
<h2>A magnificent start in magnificent Melbourne</h2>
<p>I love the first few kilometres of the Melbourne Marathon. It's a picturesque run past some of the city's best features. From the start line we ran up Batman Avenue towards the city and were treated to an awesome view with the Southbank towers on the left, the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the right and the city straight ahead. Next we were running along Flinders Street with the famous domed facade of the station up ahead. It all looked gorgeous in the morning sunshine and it was a surreal sight seeing Flinders Street completely covered in runners. We must have looked like a colony of tiny little ants from above.</p>
<p>We then rounded Federation Square and crossed over Princes Bridge with its magnificent views over the Yarra River. We passed the Arts Centre on the right and soon enough we were beneath the shade of the boulevard's famous Elm and Plane trees. In terms of marathon starts it doesn't get much better than this!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:500px;" alt="Melbourne Marathon 2014 course map" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYWM068dpmLFhWDvqXJczWqudAWy5FITfxqsObL5LQbM0VMlj3wvdHnilHSWo29Sj_933xJEAxeBdv6OLgkMkbWMjQo6CEgTyuJmwsZTX2b3nTA8eKDaPgGVk35mnNSQgpx9QbEGV-zw/s1600/Melbourne-Marathon-Course-Map-2014.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course map. The red line is the marathon course.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>Congestion</h2>
<p>The congestion of runners in those first few kilometres ensured that the pace was really comfortable. It felt like a warm up. We were were running well below target pace and were keen to get around the slower runners. Passing them wasn't easy and required some nifty and careful footwork. Luckily Mark had the required technique down pat. I just had to follow his lead as he sliced through the runners ahead.</p>
<h2>Albert Park</h2>
<p>We flew through Albert Park. Well actually Mark flew through Albert Park and I just followed! When we started the race we were behind the 4:10 pace group but in Albert Park we managed to pass both 3:50 pace markers and were definitely passing a lot more runners than runners passing us. It was still pretty cool so I had only taken a couple of sips of water from the drink stations and cracked out my first gel just before exiting Albert Park at 13km in. Things were going very well and the body felt great. Could a sub 3:30 be on the cards?</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:500px;" alt="Runners travelling in three different directions in part of the Albert Park course" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl15BfQpIaVRkx5HTVpWCtWQ5MCItgIWr7f9KHLBPBv2CPCh_BQCf8hoOK6q0obWymSE6_Ly1F8EI7DK6a7bSYjGnc7RWuNIFp2c2JGpbfL64ZsLXZKUqz6t0AymPlq2m40oG88clgTp4/s1600/albert_park.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runners travelling in three different directions in part of the Albert Park course.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>Spartans</h2>
<p>I knew I was doing well because we were running fast but I could still have a conversation. There were a number of Spartans (runners who have completed at least 10 Melbourne Marathons) out on the course, identifiable by their distinct yellow singlets and I managed brief conversations with a few of them during the race. For one of them, this was his 37th Melbourne Marathon. That makes him a Spartan Legend, meaning he has completed all 36 previous Melbourne Marathons. Incredible! He looked pretty comfortable so I'm sure he managed to tick off 37 and keep his Legend status.</p>
<h2>The best crowds ever</h2>
<p>Coming back onto Fitzroy Street I was surprised by the number of spectators already lining the course. Most were there to cheer a friend or family member but they made sure that every runner got some encouragement. There were heaps of kids with signs cheering on their mum or dad and loads of people were handing out lollies to passing runners.</p>
<h2>Run like crazy</h2>
<p>We made it onto Beaconsfield Parade just as the leading female runners were passing Catani Gardens in the opposite direction. They were absolutely flying! We were moving along at a decent tick ourselves and soon enough our pace saw us catch the back 3:40 pace marker. I couldn't believe how well we were doing! It wasn't easy but I felt like I still had plenty of gas left in the tank.</p>
<p>Part way down to Port Melbourne I spotted Tristan Miller from <i>Run Like Crazy</i> fame. I had forgotten his name so just yelled out "run like crazy!" and gave him a thumbs up as he ran past in the opposite direction. He spotted me and returned the thumbs up. Awesome! It was his book that motivated me to try marathon running in the first place. He ended up finishing in a very fast 3:07:50.</p>
<h2>The long road to Elwood</h2>
<p>We rounded the turning point at Port Melbourne to cheers from a large group of spectators that were assembled there. In front of us was the long and completely exposed road to Elwood. Up until now we had some shade from the buildings opposite the beach. Unfortunately that shade didn't extend to the other side of the road so now we were completely exposed to the Sun which was definitely getting stronger.</p>
<p>We were cranking out sub 5 minute kilometres which is a lot faster than we were planning to run. I was still feeling pretty good but I was starting to wonder how long we could keep up this pace with the Sun starting to become a factor.</p>
<p>Passing Catani Gardens we were somehow still pumping out sub 5 minute kilometres. The leading 3:40 pace maker was now behind us. It was at this point that my troubles started.</p>
<h2>Stomach troubles</h2>
<p>My stomach started making those dreaded sounds that no runner wants to hear during a race. I had to slow down as a feeling of discomfort took hold.</p>
<p>Mark was still running well and was slowly pulling ahead of me. I knew I couldn't hold out until the end of the race and I didn't want to hold him up. Conveniently there was some public toilets at St Kilda beach. They were dirty and nasty but in the circumstances I was just glad they were there.</p>
<p>I lost quite a few minutes there and now I was running solo. I knew this would make the rest of the run harder. Also, the heat was becoming a massive factor. I had only been out of the Sun for a few minutes but somehow it felt a lot stronger now.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:500px;" alt="Temperatures during the marathon" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0BHszaJKd3SNYmBFsWGFb4seO9eirQD094XA-KHHmr3jhHodJYtlPPAxOpaTc8YQMZCEzCkjr10ugNZfr0EpiqDsYtM4hMHVneNtKn3Ns01WcP8kC-25WYiBrYpeZ7frozCQufLzYFk/s1600/temperatures_chart.png" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The temperatures climbed pretty quickly during the race.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>Survival mode</h2>
<p>I very quickly eliminated any thoughts of catching Mark and entered a new phase of race strategy that I like to call survival mode. Survival mode is all about getting back to a comfortable pace and getting your body over the line. Our exuberant pace for the first half was now looking like a very bad decision and I was really starting to suffer.</p>
<p>I was still surviving when I reached the southern most point of the race at Elwood. I felt a small psychological boost knowing that every step herein would take me closer to the finish line.</p>
<p>The crowds along Beach Road were tremendous but eventually even all their positive energy wasn't enough and I had to give in and take my first walking break. Walking breaks are just like 'breaking the seal'. Once you've had one the next one soon follows and that's just what happened.</p>
<p>The back 3:40 pacer came past and I managed to hold on for a few minutes before having to take another walking break. To make matters worse my stomach decided it wasn't done and I needed to take another toilet stop. The public toilets at St Kilda appeared with perfect timing. Another few minutes lost but thankfully that was my last toilet stop!</p>
<p>I passed a huge crowd of spectators at the bottom of Fitzroy Street and then somehow managed to climb up the hill towards the St Kilda junction. I was extremely glad for the drink station at the top. Whereas earlier in the race I was skipping drink stations, now I was taking on water at every opportunity. It had been more than 4km since the last drink station on Beaconsfield Parade and with my thirst getting the better of me I gulped down two cups of water and cooled down by pouring another over my head.</p>
<h2>St Kilda Road</h2>
<p>I psyched myself up and pushed on into St Kilda Road. I was looking forward to some respite from the Sun beneath the shade of the elm and plane trees but the race organisers had other things in store for us. The half marathon runners were directed through to the shaded lanes on the left while marathon runners had to endure more time in the Sun on the right hand lanes. It was brutal and it was along here that many runners clearly struggled.</p>
<p>I was taking walking breaks more frequently now but I wasn't the only one suffering. I saw one poor guy suddenly stop running and reach for his toes trying to stretch out what looked like the mother of all cramps. The Sun was having a good laugh at anyone who had overdone it earlier in the race or who had failed to stay hydrated.</p>
<h2>Sooking mode</h2>
<p>I was really struggling to keep my heart rate down and seemed to be constantly thirsty. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself at this stage. My feet were killing me and I was feeling some soreness from my right hip flexor. The wheels had well and truely fallen off and my pace had blown out well beyond 6 minute clicks as the length of my walking breaks increased. I was in what I like to call Sooking mode where you just want to get it over with but your pride won't let you throw in the towel. This is where the battle is all in the mind.</p>
<p>It felt like ages before I reached the next drinks station at the Domain Interchange. This was definitely the busiest and most chaotic with hardly any runners not stopping to take on water or hydralyte. The volunteers were struggling to hand out cups fast enough and plenty of runners were taking an extended break here. I gulped down another couple of cups and had my third and final energy gel. There was nearly 10km more to go and I had around 2:50:00 on the clock. I was still in with a chance of a sub 3:50:00 time but I had to keep moving.</p>
<p>I could imagine the parade of runners was quite a sight to the passengers on trams which were now going up and down St Kilda Road! I think some friends and family were using the trams to skip ahead of the runners to cheer them on again further down the line. Dedicated support crew!!</p>
<p>It was a huge relief when I reached the City Road underpass. I was tempted to stop here for a few minutes and cool off but that would have meant sacrificing any chance of a 3:50:00 finish so I soldiered on.</p>
<h2>The Tan</h2>
<p>At the 35k mark, the half marathon runners split off and headed back onto St Kilda Road for the final run home while we marathon runners had to face the long steady western climb of the Tan. For those not familiar with running in Melbourne, the Tan is Melbourne's most famous and most popular running track. Its a 3.8km track that surrounds the Royal Botanic Gardens, Government House and Sidney Myer Music Bowl and your Tan lap time is the yardstick by which runners are compared.</p>
<p>This is definitely where I lost most time in the race. My legs were feeling stiff, I was sore all over and the gradient on parts of the track felt impossible even though I had run plenty of laps here in the past. I was thirsty again and I was walking more than I was running. I finally reached the next drink station and took on another couple of cups of water. Then the final 3:50:00 pacer passed me. It was now or never. I had to stick with this group if I was to reach my goal time.</p>
<p>I latched onto the back and was surprised by how quickly they were running. I lasted about a kilometre along Birdwood Avenue before I had to stop. I watched the yellow marker flag disappear into the distance and with that I knew all hope of a 3:50:00 race was dashed.</p>
<p>I quickly did some calculations and reassessed my goals. I could still make sub 4 hours even with some walking time. I walked up the final, steep hill on Birdwood Avenue and made it onto Domain Road. I started running again, determined to not let the 4 hour pacer pass me.</p>
<h2>Domain Road danger</h2>
<p>I think most runners would agree that the section of the course on Domain Road was quite dangerous. Trams were running so only a narrow section of the road could be used by runners. Barriers were in place to stop runners going onto the tram tracks and the legs of these barriers were a major trip hazard. Incredibly there was still parked cars on the road and there were points where the curb jutted out at pedestrian crossings creating another trip hazard. Running on the footpath was not much safer thanks to the uneven pavement warped by tree roots. I don't remember it been like this last year so hopefully organisers fix it for next years race.</p>
<p>I safely navigated Domain Road but then I started having other problems. I had taken on a lot of water at the last few drink stations and now I had a stitch on my right hand side. I had to walk and massage it out. The day couldn't get much worse!</p>
<h2>Carnage</h2>
<p>On the bright side at least I was still moving. The last 3kms of the race were a scene of carnage (well at least in marathon terms!). Every few hundred metres I was seeing runners on the side of the road either being attended to by first aid or taking an extended rest break. It would be such a shame to come this far and not be able to cross the finish line!</p>
<p>The crowds really picked up in size and volume once I hit Federation Square and they were giving the runners a huge boost. It was an incredible feeling as I turned the corner onto Flinders Street with the yells of support and encouragement from every direction. I tried hard to keep running but eventually I needed another break. Passing runners tried to push me on but I just didn't have it in me.</p>
<p>Less than a kilometre from the finish I saw a runner who was slumped by the roadside and was being put on a drip by paramedics. This was one tough race but I was determined to be tougher.</p>
<h2>The finish</h2>
<p>I started running again down the Wellington Parade hill but was soon stopping again just past the final drink station. A spectator ran up to me and told me I was literally two corners from the finish. I thought he might have been making it up to try and get me going again. Then I saw he had a runners bib on. He had just finished the race. "It's a only a few hundred metres" he told me and then gave me a gentle push in the back.</p>
<p>That's all I needed. I started running again. The crowd was getting louder and thicker. I turned the penultimate corner and I was surprised by how many spectators there were. With that crowd there I think I could have run to the finish even if I was injured. Something automatic took over and the pain just disappeared. It was exhilarating!</p>
<p>I reached the final corner and to the left I could see the finish line. Above the din I heard some familiar voices. On the other side of the corner I spotted my wife, step son and Mark's wife calling me out. I forgot I had a race to finish and ran over to them to give them all high fives. This was definitely the highlight of my day!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:500px;" alt="Running in for a high five" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02RmNJ2ADBKI4icEYVfbq4jKp0I5ejadDoxOyAmO17jcWxYJHTkhvQ-v3yO_unbH00rryuVvQUPq5eLIRjxHCFtd7PyaaTuywF5H8iQzLu4TBpGoanWywB2oheyIAsZ6U28DnLXyuOl0/s1600/high-five-at-finish.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great action shot from my wife as I ran in for a high five!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>My body must have thought the race was over because when I took off again I felt a sudden and sharp cramp in my left leg. I was on my final legs now but there was no way I was walking to the finish so I sucked it up and ran through the pain, dragging myself across the line.</p>
<p>As soon as I stopped moving I started feeling light headed and a wave of nausea passed over me. I needed to sit down in some shade and I needed water.</p>
<p>The finish line could only be described as chaotic. It wasn't clear what I needed to do next or where I had to go. Or maybe it just seemed that way because I was in a bit of a daze.</p>
<p>I eventually got moving again and found my wife, got my participant's medal and then found water. I felt sorry for anyone who was still out on course because it was quite hot in the sun now.</p>
<h2>Post race reflections</h2>
<p>Looking around you could see that this marathon had hurt a lot of runners. There were loads of runners getting some sort of medical attention, mostly for dehydration and heat exhaustion I suspect. The attrition rate was high with 6415 out of the more than 7000 starters actually finishing the race.</p>
<p>But of course most people were happy and proud of their accomplishments in the conditions, Mark and myself included. It turned out Mark finished only a minute ahead of me! The heat had gotten the better of him on St Kilda Road and he lost a lot of time from the 30k point.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:500px;" alt="Proud finishers!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvkvuCrFxAc9Z-Ow1DwQxsBp7Tj7fw8kYdkYSxM32G817DIZtlig6Uf1cvOjHq6kvAIkbvpE7YaO38CoLwWE3TixkllwcYQCtTkW0mzHiIw4zrmV_Hl52wvs05sXLneHmAXjQ4vAe8iE/s1600/proud-finishers.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud finishers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:500px;" alt="My race result and split times" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJh55jpI3hM-izDcNMrWH3LXnjHOhjb9DsXadkAokQhEw5oaSaFP8ml4fSxutkqbhtFUF2u1X_ZdMJ87Kn4aUq7gPkF4eJcpbOwU3s9QWRLpaOVO7UmxOjKxWWfnZUV91czAadeZUM_7g/s1600/race-results.PNG" /></td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img style="width:500px;" alt="My race result and split times" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sem1DVpE79xo7GYaraQ9ZGvyihXd0XW3NLWl_rHUz0q0djuqsGjamH5F2we0VeDFT2ptytT15VDJ_s9-3fOEcygHp1N9ntkWVQelv858l2Z5HjSN4xpzRuDtvAWg5aJjw1oA2WmoElY/s1600/split-times.PNG" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My race result and split times.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>When I saw my split times later in the day I couldn't believe we were going at 4:43 clicks for the 10-18km section! It would have been good to see a half marathon split (not sure why we have an 18km split?). My pace for the last two kilometres tells a pretty sad story!</p>
<p>In retrospect a 4:43 pace between the 10 and 18 kilometre marks was way too fast but this gave us a lot of time in the bank when we struggled later on. I suspect I would have suffered in the Sun even if we ran a minute a kilometre slower. What I would do differently is hydrate better. We should have been stopping for water at every drink station from the very beginning. I would also carry my own water supply.<br />
<p>The other thing I needed to get right next time around is my pre-race diet. I should have had pasta the night before instead of breakfast cereal! That's the second year I've had stomach problems during the marathon and this time it cost me at least 5 minutes plus lost momentum during the race.</p>
<p>All in all I definitely enjoyed the 2014 version better than last year. The crowds were awesome, I didn't get injured, I cracked the 4 hour barrier and I got to run most of the distance with a friend. Despite struggling in the heat it was an amazing experience and I will certainly be back next year for my third attempt.</p>
<p>Until then I'm looking forward to the City 2 Sea next. Time for some interval training!!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-20833598468296789472014-10-05T03:52:00.000-07:002014-10-05T03:20:29.781-07:00Melbourne Marathon Race Preview<p>Well, well, well it certainly has been a while!!! Some of you may be asking where is The Jangulator? What has he been up to? Well I'm back and just in time for next Sunday. What is happening next Sunday? The <a href="http://www.melbournemarathon.com.au/">Melbourne Marathon</a> of course!</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<h2>Review</h2>
<p>My preparation for Sunday started 9 months ago, at the beginning of the year. I reviewed what went wrong in 2013. I had so many injuries because of incorrect running form and heal striking and ultimately was underdone and under-prepared for my 2013 marathon attempt. On the day, I got injured part through and had to walk (or hobble) across the finish line. It wasn't pretty and it certainly wasn't fun!</p>
<h2>Pre-season</h2>
<p>I resolved to fix those issues to give myself the best possible chance of running the full distance this year. I made my focus over January and February strengthening my core and fixing my running technique. I worked towards shortening my stride and landing on the balls of my feet rather than overextending and landing on my heals. It wasn't easy but Unna Goldsworthy from <a href="http://www.panaceamm.com">Panacea Movement Medicine</a> had given me the right training techniques and exercises to get this done. As I transitioned to my new form, I started noticing that my quads were getting less sore after running and now my glutes and calf muscles were doing most of the work.</p>
<h2>Injured again</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, I didn't put enough strength work into my calves before making the transition and eventually I was sidelined with a calf strain in my left leg. This was in late March, three weeks before Run for the Kids. I had to take two weeks off running and only got back into training the week of Run for the Kids. I decided not to run because my calf was still not 100% and I was worried I would injure it again running in race conditions.</p>
<p>I gave my entry to my brother who had not done any training since around the same time last year. In the week leading up to the run, he snuck in one training run of about 5km and then managed an admirable performance of 1:21 for the 15km course, and this without a single stop. Incredible! Imagine how good a runner he could be if he committed more training to the cause!</p>
<h2>....and injured again</h2>
<p>By the end of April I was back to full training and now had my sights set on the Run Melbourne. I continued to progress well throughout May and June and then I joined a football (soccer) team at work for the Corporate Games. After a few training sessions my right hip had become so stiff and sore that at one point it hurt to walk. My hips and legs were just not ready for the very different demands that kicking a football placed on them and I had developed a hip flexor injury. I didn't run for nearly 4 weeks from mid July so I missed out on Run Melbourne. Luckily, this time around I had not yet entered the event.</p>
<p>I got to know my physio, Stephen Harper (84a Edwardes Street, Reservoir), quite well during this time. Being a runner and an Iron Man, he could understand the anxiety that not being able to run was causing me and he resolved to have me pounding the pavement as quickly as possible. I was able to start running again from early August, but unfortunately my hip flexor problem hung around until early September. Fixing it involved a lot of strength and flexibility work and the discipline to stay away from the football pitch, which was not easy!</p>
<h2>My final long training run</h2>
<p>Luckily, since the hip flexor injury was banished, I've had no other ailments to contend with. I've stuck to a training plan which saw me add 2km every week to my Sunday long run, culminating with a 34km run a couple of Sunday's ago. This morning I completed my final long run before the marathon, smashing out 30km in a good time of 2:46.</p>
<h2>Ready to go!</h2>
<p>Unlike last year, this time I feel ready and confident that my legs and my body in general are up for the challenge of the marathon. Plus I won't be running alone. A good friend of mine who has discovered his distance running legs this year will be running with me. We're both aiming to finish somewhere in the 3:45 to 4:00 range so we figured we would run it together and push each other over the line. This should make a massive difference for both of us, especially in the middle part of the run where your mind starts to doubt and your body starts to burn.</p>
<h2>The rest of this week</h2>
<p>I'm planning on a 5km interval session on Tuesday (with one eye towards a fast time for the <a href="http://www.thecity2sea.com.au">City2Sea</a> in Novemeber) and a relaxed 5km run on Thursday evening which will be my last run before Sunday. I'll try and stay away from sick people (would it be too over the top if I wore a surgical mask in public!?) and will eat as much pasta as my stomach can handle on Thursday and Friday nights for the traditional carbo load.</p>
<p>Friday night is the A-League season opener between my beloved Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney. I contemplated missing this match for all of zero seconds. It promises to be a cracker. I have made sacrifices to attend though. It will be the first time in a long time that I'll be perfectly dry at a football match. I'm sure it will be a very different experience for me!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqaZWlGbCb_Tx0jCR0SENobH-dt63fPdKHroZ3D3MZm8MSNtyouVs2lGY7GokxWpi8DUnZUKc0oqaWsPQBzck2DS-NE8AQB9PAikxfdR5OFgOy8lh_qYTqRqLNfBfD_wBP1u7Mil-ON4/s1600/no-booze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqaZWlGbCb_Tx0jCR0SENobH-dt63fPdKHroZ3D3MZm8MSNtyouVs2lGY7GokxWpi8DUnZUKc0oqaWsPQBzck2DS-NE8AQB9PAikxfdR5OFgOy8lh_qYTqRqLNfBfD_wBP1u7Mil-ON4/s320/no-booze.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Saturday night will be all about getting a good nights sleep and staying away from any food which could potentially lead to the dreaded runner's trot on race day. And on that note....I'm off to enjoy a burrito with all the trimmings. See you at the marathon!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0RQ77AlNnrlBnz6hW4wtI1sqYnW6Z41syb3EQ3A3vQCPmzG2QntxTQlNRvreb3zSTXIKrjT_CY8HBeOWbiIPFRdniUoS3Om9kJu2XQXiV6Z-gHT4WAD-8ufNHKrGZlIGXT6yQBf9m1Q/s1600/no-souvlaki.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0RQ77AlNnrlBnz6hW4wtI1sqYnW6Z41syb3EQ3A3vQCPmzG2QntxTQlNRvreb3zSTXIKrjT_CY8HBeOWbiIPFRdniUoS3Om9kJu2XQXiV6Z-gHT4WAD-8ufNHKrGZlIGXT6yQBf9m1Q/s320/no-souvlaki.png" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-50854123491917301922013-11-22T19:16:00.000-08:002013-11-22T20:42:31.899-08:00City To Sea 2013 Race Review<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Ready to run" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFEvqTVGGQRyT5ygsPUXZ6BJudDLiSqDmUNY2amuqr92L-_6qe3nRWmryxKWXYSKiuUFqwQLi_AluGM9cgw-oV6Sv4e4Dj8TvP7DjtLqHAd46swqZi1FO28nLwt0VpjbiOJjLG6Y5dJA/s1600/city2sea2013_ready_to_run.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the start of the City2Sea.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Running has become such a big part of my life that its difficult to remember a time when I was not running and training for an event. Yet my first running event was only a year ago at the 2012 City2Sea. I've done more than 1000km of running since then and taken part in quite a few events but I'll fondly remember that gorgeous spring day last year when I donned a race bib for the very first time and surprised myself by completing the 14km course without stopping in a time of 1:09:27. So I had been looking forward to the 2013 installment to see how much I had improved.</p>
<p>A record field of close to 14,000 people ran this years event which is incredible considering that on the same day there were more than 12,000 participants at Run Geelong and the Shepparton Half Ironman was also being held. Just like last years event, my brother in law (catch his <a href="http://mickee2point0.wordpress.com">hilarious blog entry</a>) was also running the 14km and my wife drove us to the event and took most of the photos of the day.</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<h2>The Course</h2>
<p>The City2Sea course is my favourite out of the major Melbourne runs. It's a fast, flat course on wide open roads so it gives you every chance to record a super quick time. It's long enough that it's a challenge but short enough that its not particularly taxing.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="City2Sea 2013 14k course" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7E4UztkZTkos6DSXvvunSe8XyfyMnYkO9yUaXh3mIxmoLYL8ZkuU7vR71Y724FWU4NSeUKxAKRzoQeZmb993jInnIVr6Aw2oh97kzyK2fhnHJijP8vmYLtt6XIqEGsi9WIpDyWyKSIk/s1600/city2sea2013_racemap_14k.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 14k course.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The course actually takes in part of the Melbourne Marathon course. It starts in front of the National Gallery of Victoria, on the corner of Southbank Boulevard and St Kilda Road. The first section runs all the way up St Kilda Road to St Kilda Junction before turning onto Fitzroy Street. The second section is a lap of Albert Park and the final section takes runners back onto Fitzroy Street before heading up and down Beaconsfield Parade and finishing up right by the beach in Catani Gardens.</p>
<h2>Pre-Race</h2>
<p>We made it to the start line about 40 minutes before the 8am start. The weather had been terrible in the week leading up to Sunday but somehow Melbourne turned on a pearler for race day. The Sun was out, the sky was clear blue, it wasn't hot and the air was still quite fresh in the morning. It really made for great running conditions. We found a warm spot in the Sun and soaked in the atmosphere as participants started queuing up at the start line.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Keeping warm before the start" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuON_GyGqurUKeXdSjnzA06HBM9YJdj9E5VSl69i_A7Wnm5RM0bHZZFNMAxxA5d5IFL4CtL7R0TZgksZOwFwlSdGbqdsim-t0tTYdP469EyQB2ChyphenhyphenH89r5A03zvW-d7aBzo6AmzcOaaCE/s1600/city2sea2013_warmingup.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keeping warm in the Sun before the start.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>As usual there was the runners in weird and whacky costumes including this guy who decided to run in a mankini.....</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Running in a mankini" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9Xjj47_X2Sbq0SRkQBK_iyiIV8bqR93ks3yK-RoS0Hjl57XMZR6Q3ewjrlJ8aK7Ys1jL_zIb2gIO5fyc7ApSfx78lkGnuEiB96Ttio6xAPcoBaFLnJI_35c2IEFEzAVayWUwRqjQGdg/s1600/city2sea2013_mankini.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running in a mankini.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>......and the deserved winner of the best dressed award, Legoman. I think he knew how he would be feeling by the end of it and chose the appropriate facial expression.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Legoman at City2Sea" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPtsSw73ya7wKlIwwOlR5_1I6fAqk7ZCHoOF0F8qY5tEmVx9ilW8qxfjt4PjCwmhp8-aeE9NhKcBxVSA1J7asJT9YbiBEIxUtNInE9Jjke5OHU-OQKzi2NdYsn6Pv110KLebCODW0OTk/s1600/city2sea2013_legoman.JPG" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Legoman!</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>We even saw Sunrise weekend weather guy James Tobin who was interviewing a group of runners promoting Movember, which is the chief charity partner for City2Sea.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Sunrise weekend weather presenter James Tobin" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrYjLJOK_F19zO3ptedtF72kMuQXHJuSNMofqiLnnISahInmwKyzgRviUl1ZqkFxvS_HL_KegpT6AV12mRtjLuHr28EFEUYhPsMUsig7MZdX54mNEKZKqcHHtWQMCxU3VIcTDTgdVvyk/s1600/city2sea2013_james_tobin.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise weekend weather presenter James Tobin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>We met up with my friend Stephen who was looking to run about 4 minute kilometres. Needless to say I lost him right from the start!</p>
<p>With 15 minutes to go, the queue for the start of the first wave, which we were part of, had built up significantly and we decided to join in. My wife wasn't running and would meet us at the finish in St Kilda so she wished us luck and went off with the SLR camera to take some photos of the start. She got some good ones.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Seeded runners waiting to start the City2Sea" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5azRmvDNJ4u019vWSIbux_LzRDIW7IYO-9cYVWRuZHGi2hkMwaE1drVgCMbC5I2aT5H0fm2ltVDOOJtlwLiMgqznTx1w0zTl7ybRWOqqJ01Ai2nVq_9UOwBfTXof9hGXHxZACh6pEYM/s1600/city2sea2013_seeded_start.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeded runners waiting to start.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>We found a gap in the barriers towards the front of the first wave and snuck in. One of the keys to getting a good time at these major running events is starting as close to the front as possible and avoiding the slower runners at the back.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Red wave runners queuing for the City2Sea" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibuoGWcn9sIXR0-1VoOa_MroiYWTkYXH4RztoNjYf4wXggRGFCCRpjyRC8DQTmEPskqV7QekJlAocG2KEogclIgzD5LfPjNOpLfKU-SHZFp_3tYxer0Wy8JCFIzF2Dp0cG4o_Pmtr8yw/s1600/city2sea2013_red_wave_runners_queue.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red wave runners waiting to start, including Lego Man with his big yellow head in the middle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Unfortunately the race announcer was not as energetic as the guys who were shouting through the PA before the Melbourne Marathon but the crowd around us was pretty pumped up anyway. I spent the time taking photos of the crowd and got a fellow runner to take this photo. That's me in the middle with my mate Stephen on my left and my brother in law Mickee on the right.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="My running mates for City2Sea" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLWN-w7hRJYH7p-0yNOZfx7WUcmLngjB_Y9jElGsrYFJ1i4w33VPvuPSaJNyY7Wzn9jRkdFCvxTKpPDAS17CE9zcEAeS3IJKVHVZDFkp7XHh5uAyRMP1QtGcILHNLlqAN-rdizmmGSME/s1600/city2sea2013_with_the_boys.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My running mates for City2Sea.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="City2Sea 2013 red wave runners waiting to start" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIN206I4-hRAEF2r4PC1_AwB2veYUaBjWuML8dXXz_iJ4_Snnx6gNZn1CxvX-AZCxWSF-fsd-LU3QBPhY0Yic6xBvVnI9pbhHV_CckHajDaBZlJAs5GRI8MNOoqSG0RE35SYGNw78fCY/s1600/city2sea2013_red_wave_start.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first wave of runners eager to start.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Eventually the seeded and preferred start runners took off and a short time later it was our turn.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="The second wave of runners waiting to start the City2Sea" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMeaUr8gy1gmsZZgmjBHMEk7BAPmaYTbJvDNpUhrzoMhrr4Exs1hRJkH-df_00P0WhPkoSoBnf6DfcGUUx9DCHX1JYSYBV-GCmOhLpZBNT2yE9AtYuFxXZjD-UGGGgO75WCyeC3OADw0/s1600/city2sea2013_other_waves.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second wave of runners waiting to start.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="The second wave of runners off and running at the City2Sea" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejQPTiHAX-VQtDQekvmQdQ6ynIQ_Yk33sewCXC1vq7YRMyRcEIDb7fE59CpcCJDIw1IbwosIWNVcBuyAb7J4DnjTAgj993w7n5fhhXnmaC0u1AK8LAkecBMiFBn_HDCt05Zdb4Rfq8bc/s1600/city2sea2013_other_waves_start.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second wave of runners off and running.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>Race</h2>
<p>Straight away we separated and started running our own race. Being up the front meant there was loads of fast runners quickly zipping past us and I had to rein myself in to avoid getting sucked in and competing against the other runners. My race was a race against the clock only. I was determined to break 1:05:00 and that meant not going out too hard. I settled into a pace around 4:30 per kilometre which put me well on track to achieve my goal.</p>
<p>The course felt a lot less congested than what I remember from last year's event but last year I started in the middle of one of the slower waves. I wasn't being held up by too many runners in front of me and I didn't have to weave in and out of runners like I have had to do for some events.</p>
<p>At St Kilda Junction I needed to take what professional cyclists refer to as a nature break. I drank too much water in the morning to hydrate, probably something which was unnecessary for a 14k run. That added a good 30 seconds to my time.</p>
<p>The slowest part of the course for me was the lap around Albert Park. The shade provided by the magnificent elm and plane trees on St Kilda Road was not available around the lake and the Sun was determined to make its presence felt. I had to slow down because my heart rate was increasing as my body struggled to keep cool.</p>
<p>At least there were plenty of distractions around the Albert Park section of the course. There was a DJ playing some banging house tunes and as I ran past I gave him an appreciative fist pump. On pit lane was the very popular water mist tent where you could run through for a cool down. And at one of the drinks stations was the Movember crew yelling out support to all the runners and especially to those with a mo.</p>
<p>Probably the most difficult part of the course was a slight uphill section as you come out of Albert Park and back onto Fitzroy Street. There was a good crowd positioned here hoping to catch a glimpse of their friends and loved ones and cheering on the other runners. It was great to see so many young kids getting into it as well and I obliged as they held their hands held out eager to give the passing runners a high five.</p>
<p>I made it out of Albert Park and back onto Fitzroy Street feeling really good and ready to step up the pace for the final 4km. With Fitzroy Street mostly downhill I took full advantage and hammered down towards Beaconsfield Parade.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="City2Sea Fitzroy Street" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1xvRklZo0iCNPX2a7byoAt-ZFimOODPhbQxNRESoCXqYJ5Bc_0j35coUMGXPtoJWyvdHmlFo-k1fex301ZHMCudpSKJWl0IKF0ugOBBUZOJiw1v0wVksfYzPHWMYwqFrCjy41CiNuCc/s1600/city2sea2013_fitzroy_street.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runners coming down Fitzroy Street towards Beaconsfield Parade.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>My wife was meant to be somewhere on the course at Beaconsfield Parade so I kept an eye out for her. I was running with my phone in my hand so I could easily hear the <a href="http://www.runtastic.com">Runtastic</a> voice updates to keep track of pace and distance. Then suddenly it started ringing. It was my wife! I answered it and somehow managed to talk. "Where are you?", she asked. The runners around all looked at me and had a chuckle as I answered. I told her where I was on Beaconsfield Parade. Turned out I had already passed her so she had missed me.</p>
<p>I had started the race off relatively conservatively because I didn't want to burn out early. That meant I had plenty of gas left on Beaconsfield Parade and I started passing more runners than were passing me. In fact, if you look at my official race splits, I managed to pass 150 runners in the final 4.2km.</p>
<p>I had bad memories of Beaconsfield Parade from the Melbourne Marathon where I really ended up suffering due to a thigh strain. Thankfully, this time around we didn't have to run all the way to Port Melbourne and it didn't seem too long before I had reached the turning point with just under 2km to go.</p>
<p>I upped my pace again but 500m later I pulled back thinking I couldn't sustain it to the finish line. Mistake. I should have sprinted the last 1.5km and left nothing at the finish. Unfortunately I often don't run as aggressively as I'm capable of.</p>
<p>After that brief respite I sprinted the final kilometre. I felt amazing, like I was barely touching the ground. I left other runners in my wake as I turned into the final straight. The crowd here was thick and loud as they cheered runners home. It was worth at least 20 seconds of extra pace. I punched through the finish line feeling like I could have kept going. Lessons learned for next race!</p>
<p>I quickly stopped my <a href="http://www.runtastic.com">Runtastic</a> session with the time at 1:05:02 but I knew I had gone quicker than that because of the time it takes to unlock the phone and stop the session. I was happy that I had achieved my goal but there was some disappointment because I knew I could have gone quicker and a sub 1:04:00 time was probably achievable.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="City2Sea results" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAL9heMR7Dr7Q0AxM0aDjR-c6MEiUt7CkWSx8oQME-fvrvL-K7V50shZU-9Ma_W8LOUIIfIIwEls95XM0nVnOLhtKZ49g1Y4U9ildhhKgbp1WJ5m2Oazv7y9KcRZS7ZDNtc2ZnVtGrgw/s1600/city2sea2013_runtastic_splits.JPG" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My <a href="http://www.runtastic.com">Runtastic</a> splits.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>My official time ended up being 1:04:53. Fast enough to put me in the top 10% of runners overall!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="City2Sea results" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Whk5_gp3azlDwI-LdMXXJ_7EADy-pZCsu-N3GHMTpi5ME29SLSCNtDmanGCywkhBcFkik9ljwpzC_0KkyumOs_NMSK8GYRv7NPWxA8fEfRNBW8edEZwrs0nq9xY0gblrx1u0_n_mIk8/s1600/city2sea2013_result.JPG" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My official City2Sea result and timing splits.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I looked around me and there were many tired bodies at the finish.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="City2Sea results" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7QD_1a1ulwsyyM-bo6-dUagixP8AWMVXi_35ghOA-u-069ToaebT9OeBgJFVCuGdTEpAN6NP067XDa_E78H3Yc5oZO6OxN0FfRXyDoC7Sznf26uH33hZttc0uyX8s63IZkvHS5yLfi4/s1600/city2sea2013_finish_line.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tired runners after crossing the finish line.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>But it was a great place to finish a race with the view out to the beach. Next year I will definitely have to try getting at least my legs in the water after the run!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="City2Sea finish" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ywx7PIomU5kRHcVdgx-01DibHJNYk1yhJ6IWIkmlEA0atELXVMi48SSSeVoHvg3jzaMDaUxfoPLmW7KoA8P4P_-4zTKPDeM7s0QaZN3Vyj2ctPlxNrqxJkLGbQrrVBAeZnXzSODj7C0/s1600/city2sea2013_beach_view.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing right by the beach.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I grabbed a quick selfie at the finish (as you do). Probably not the best photo of me!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="City2Sea finish" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRAdDhsIAkWnDmcSgr9wLZU7rwWxjofw3uPAPRyLmsm9qKiHjfrhuoTq2cvHybcrdrxHX-gbTzhb76HbXbc1fshpF1o54-fS0jJKuFxih8X8wBKlZM2Hg_dFvxK7HvmOtYOgnfwIV2sA/s1600/city2sea2013_finish.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie at the finish.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="City2Sea finish" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDGKHjOcpCbqwCxdr6pRLOou0Xp-jNcJGwHaCzmSkU2t9TQ_VkJlKeeYRcJXIeDIif-gMPRz6w5Lo-ufA-77v5sgUHUKfSRs5R25V-Bfuze1D51GjYCWUTsdt3irRCG1oCBvWMg7tI4w/s1600/city2sea2013_happy_finisher.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A happy finisher!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>Post Race</h2>
<p>I managed to spot my wife as she was taking photos at the finish line. I refuelled with some Gatorade and then bumped into my friend Stephen. He had clocked in at an incredible 56:52 which put him 152nd out of the entire field. Amazing!</p>
<p>My brother in law was very happy with his run as well. He managed to crack his goal time of 80 minutes with 1:19:55.</p>
<p>And that's what these fun runs are about...enjoying the run and bettering yourself! Setting a goal and achieving it, whether that's to finish the race without stopping or to finish in a certain time.</p>
<p>Looking around at the other finishers at the end and you realise how happy running makes people. In Melbourne we are lucky to have so many big running events like the City2Sea. They bring the whole running community out, encourage new runners to give it a try and bring a smile to everyone involved. There were definitely over 13,000 happy runners in Catani Gardens last Sunday!</p>
<p>Unfortunately, that happiness was short lived for us! Due to our decision to drive, getting home was not fun. With all the road closures thanks to City2Sea, it took us 40 minutes to drive the short distance to St Kilda junction from where my wife parked just behind Fitzroy Street. Then Punt Rd was jam packed with people trying to get to an Aus Kick clinic at the MCG. It ended up taking us 1.5 hours to get home, only 12km north of the city. Next time we are definitely taking public transport. And public transport was free for City2Sea participants so it really is a no brainer!</p>
<p>All up it was another really enjoyable event. I especially enjoyed the last 4km where I really opened up the gas and surprised myself with the pace I had available. I'm a little bit disappointed that I didn't push myself harder because the conditions were absolutely perfect. When you take away the nature stop then I would think that I'm capable of running sub 1:04:00. With a year of training between now and next years event, I think a sub 1:01:00 performance would be a realistic goal as long as the conditions are right. Can't wait!!</p>The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-19640911642660128102013-11-08T23:07:00.000-08:002013-11-23T04:27:48.787-08:00Preventing Chafing While Running<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Vaseline" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5v6exoDEqpCkIIcXtr1J2MReKJko2jxCe6AbxS66UQfuV5qEnsH9v10utSXFpfTH7wTNiPF0eBE7NNPVFSOTi33PPPNDK6JPuuNHq3iaoX4hjLYvG6uFYAWfgW95ErYNDqaVG8dMETc/s1600/vaseline.jpg" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Chafing is a problem which afflicts many runners and the chafing can occur in a number of areas of the body. I first experienced chafing on a warm day when I went for a 5km run. I sweat heavily in warm weather and by the 4th kilometre my inner thighs were rubbing from all the sweat and that horrible burning feeling started. By the time I finished my run, my inner thighs had been rubbed raw and it took a few days to recover and be able to run again. I quickly did some research on prevention to make sure I never experienced that again. Turns out there's a few cheap and easy solutions.</p><a name='more'></a>
<h2>Vaseline</h2>
<p>Vaseline seems to be one of those miracle products that is capable of almost anything. Its most important use for runners is preventing chafing and it is my main choice for preventing chafing on my inner thighs. I rub about a fingerful on each inner thigh and this has done the job for me even when running up to 30km. Its also the cheapest option. You can buy a 100g tub for less than $5 which will last you about 1000km.</p>
<h2>Body Glide</h2>
<p>This excellent product has been designed specifically for preventing chafing. Its cleaner to use than Vaseline because its a roll on stick so no need to get your fingers dirty. Its main positives however are that it is water proof and it is safe to use with wetsuits. This makes it a favourite amongst triathletes, who not only use it for chafing on the inner thighs but also chafing around the neck and underarms caused by rubbing from the wetsuit during swimming. I use this instead of Vaseline when competing in triathlons but use Vaseline for normal running because its a lot cheaper. In Australia, Body Glide will set you back at least $20-$25 for 37g.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Vaseline" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aFlvBt1MHNc6qMODi1dMducKOhIKbUPdW-OCgSPQB-zNezFY6PIQRR2X0loEsuK6xtYkG0scXVA0kmSg1QSrfJ4UuNGXsXJK3SRchM23vJ5-fJ-U6uVDbMymlKJTi0GRdFUgLoSj4RU/s1600/bodyglide.jpg" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>Bleeding Nipples</h2>
<p>This is one for the guys. Once you start running more than 15km you might notice your nipples becoming sore. As you run, your top moves along your body and causes friction, particularly on your nipples and, if you run far enough, your nipples can eventually start bleeding. Ouch! Thankfully that's never happened to me, although I have felt my nipples become sore on my longer runs, so I dab a bit of Body Glide on them whenever running more than 15km. Vaseline also works but be wary that in warmer weather the Vaseline melts and can leave embarrassing marks on your clothes, almost like headlights!</p>
<h2>Other Chafing Hotspots</h2>
<p>If, like me, you wear a singlet made of technical material, you may notice chafing under your arms as your arms brush against the singlet material while running. This used to be a problem for me, but I have actually adjusted my arm swing so that contact no longer occurs. If this is a problem for you I suggest using Vaseline. Just put a bit on the part of your arm which brushes the singlet and then you'll be fine.</p>
<h2>Tights</h2>
<p>The chemical free solution to preventing chafing on your inner thighs is wearing tights. Tights will protect your thighs from skin on skin contact and from rubbing due to loose material from your shorts. Tights are a common choice amongst runners and have other benefits due to the muscle compression they provide.</p>
<p>So there you have it. If chafing is making you suffer that terrible burn between your legs you've got some easy solutions. Choose the option that works best for you and you can continue to run happy and run strong!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-36775925978831572662013-11-07T04:37:00.002-08:002013-11-08T17:20:59.531-08:00Calculating your Fitness Age and V02 Max<p>Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have managed to come up with a non exercise based test that can be used to work out your V02 max and your fitness age. They tested more than 4,600 healthy Norwegians between 20 and 90 and, based on the results, were able to put together this test. Its a great indicator of the health of your cardio vascular system and easily enables you to compare your health against the average for a healthy population.</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>You can try the test out <a href="http://www.ntnu.edu/cerg/vo2max">here</a>.</p>
<p>V02 max reflects the level of fitness of an individual. Technically it measures the maximum capacity of your body's ability to transport and use oxygen.</p>
<p>Your fitness age tells you which age group your fitness level is equivalent to. This is based on the average for each age group. You can see the averages <a href="http://www.ntnu.edu/cerg/fitness-numbers">here</a>.</p>
<p>So the higher your V02 max the better and the lower your fitness age the better.</p>
<p>I gave it a crack and was pleasantly surprised with the results. I did not expect to have the fitness age of a male less than 20 years old and my V02 max is quite high for my age. Goes to show how important exercise is for your cardio vascular health.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Fitness age and V02 max" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUouWw8n9LNa1sptUmOSssvCBzNkzOxPpInl7zbwx4BscQ7seukLQUsBMMah1gxVqA-CxQiRXmRvgqbiQsnF9IXWaCLh6B1gwd6HkZ6bns6d3p0QkPM3a8kGWfqqNYJY0Y18g0rkk0_Xc/s320/v02_fitness.PNG" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My fitness age and V02 max.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Give the test a go and keep on running, swimming and cycling!</p>The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-21288563072011237112013-10-22T04:33:00.000-07:002013-10-26T14:41:24.077-07:00Ride to Work Day 2013<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F-xNliStYJ4raIsmGoYzG0p9sgP8rTe1ubBX5ubVrIYj9bgWJXn7SNBL6UYfrn5x_B6eW1wGpSVjJg0CYT5rcG9hfiUGUBNKbeLC2n2diikWjADA4lGpKlME4XZwqFF6-rojKow67cQ/s1600/ride_to_work_day_city_sign.jpg">
<p>Last Wednesday was National Ride to Work Day. Organised by Bicycle Network, the idea is to encourage people who have never tried it before to give commuting to work by bike a go. The weather was perfect for a bike ride and judging by the huge number of cyclists riding, this year's Ride to Work Day was a huge success. I guess that's part of the appeal of ride to work day. Safety in numbers for those attempting it for the first time!</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>Then there's the community breakfasts which are a fantastic celebration of cycling to work and give an extra incentive for those trying to commute for the first time. Community breakfasts are held all across Melbourne and are organised by local community groups like councils, bicycle user groups, bicycle stores and sports groups.</p>
<p>This year I managed to make it to three community breakfasts!</p>
<p>The first was on my usual route to work at the corner of St Georges Road and Merri Parade in Northcote. For a number of years now Darebin City Council have organised a community breakfast at this location and this was the best one yet.</p>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-Xu03i322OFA6Jn-Zc5uC9KpaWthx_3PhQ5nq83H17KmXJLq_43X8gxSMjrIUcJrG18qcCq7EnmugT70eMOX6vn3yEtrXM4-Z2AFtq8rr-5tcyGT7l3zqpu4iUcgLO8842AdPDkir7c/s1600/ride_to_work_day_darebin_free_coffee.jpg">
<p>There was free danishes, croissants and coffee....</p>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOssg_RM-EYZVB1ZV4hu13tejBOnhkHl9Nq0QjUhxEa2I84O8j0uKcPScmyAoAadtif5WoyQRA_bScv_PKIUhLndb9hQ1E-kXVPaczliojQirT6mzc779ZamKBJkGF30JJtNyQsCbXNE/s1600/ride_to_work_day_darebin_free_coffee2.jpg">
<p>....free fruit...</p>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPLrWnz_QE3TZKYwcGpg8vummTxk113whwF_ocEu-9PuWcBG5hB8f5bA7SSxYbE1iY141Y5dk5_q1lBuvIqKPIqYWGxHk53H6_a3YJtDySIR2fdLakH0d7t7tdrlQvjz8__Z3UOeev-Y/s1600/ride_to_work_day_darebin_fruit.jpg" />
<p>....and free smoothies blended by pedal power!</p>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5YVdCtT0IEhlDh4VhY2qTH2ZZq7PZURID4_NKFfa87IphX7RAWK9QF1NSQ1ceAwlqm-wxNHpTbHg_kUumnzd1satV87rm_nu7nR3OLBdpArit_KOuNKq6eHoJqBNnwXYU9PmVg103rA/s1600/ride_to_work_day_darebin_bike_n_blend.jpg">
<p>There were also mechanics on hand from one of the local bicycle stores to perform a free bike safety inspection.</p>
<p>Plus the setting was amongst palm trees in a park. Hard to beat!</p>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhicqkkPfFrRgdqw80iMfNYN_vmxUO_qi6Uk_VafUbpMcoXqe0fXjV7po4UEB3_py_zRV1fSGxjzNpC2PyR4ZlWwcqJg56OohjGCiZzbBWqbOw_9sf9vg-uo1mw2JEn6YX7b-IcLyPZeY/s1600/ride_to_work_day_darebin.jpg">
<p>Next I took the Capital City Trail across to Nicholson Street in Brunswick where <a href="http://www.velocycles.com.au">Velo Cycles</a> were hosting a community breakfast. I was quite full from all the food I had in Northcote so I didn't try anything but this was another popular event.</p>
<p>I noticed a recently installed bike counter just outside the store. It keeps a daily and yearly count and its facing the traffic on Nicholson Street. It was just before 8am and already almost 700 cyclists had passed through. Amazing numbers! It really is a brilliant idea to advertise the popularity of cycling.</p>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXKJ3K39ou8FhyphenhyphenxM56olSKoXrl9KNAYMj3banyNQ3DcfFku1N4AsiCDtdbbWPIfA2mF-RbzAvikAGPDsrR5Ly0AzEQ0vrCVIM0aOMnJtDXlUA7-p1IIPeBMMmlyrRuW1n4wqRzZ5XrLM/s1600/ride_to_work_day_brunswick.jpg">
<p>Next I rode down the wide on road bike lane of Rathdowne Street and then onto the separated lane on Swanston Street to make it to the main CBD breakfast, held for the first time at City Square.</p>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxu9WD6Nw1hSY5N7DW3YF9HDcX8s7no2wABWVSAfCuBiT0AgNkg5Y_ToFbyvjkTNuksoHrNoLYuhm9Ea1Lm7arV9NE2SJO5C-GTA8AGHAQIaZsaB9O8HaAxEP9i0tkiea1sWi0pg6McWc/s1600/ride_to_work_day_city.jpg">
<p>As usual this was the most popular event although it felt like there was less cyclists than previous years when it was held in Federation Square. As the other community breakfasts have grown in popularity less riders have come to the CBD event.</p>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Kg6G8r_R-PWiQ3EsONkPe9PGJHEqsx4ty85RrwBpR_4CsJ-yhsV3ZHkJyaA7_2W95RDDCpHlVLk139sutF2xnEqzfmUS6iva7tE2pPe8hAqG_QiiQkWAJZZARDVMfk0f3rU7Ibaymf4/s1600/ride_to_work_day_city2.jpg">
<p>There was still enough cyclists attending that finding parking was a problem!</p>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iyfQITFP_JY8sdIIYZ9nDLq7ZP8Wtq__TbezgKScjcyIU55I8SLmKYC4j5MMKtodq5pAJywcaWCC2TtdrTvOXJAH0srOY5OtQPrY9aOYSGJsL3YUEr0UTQgj3q3D8tRnlFm8759Wx4E/s1600/ride_to_work_city_bikes.jpg">
<p>For breakfast there were fruit buns provided by Bakers Delight plus lots of bananas and yoghurt.</p>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCBNiIhmNaWY1sFDWRxbSMxI9qoUJyeNK2GGxjdsUdwseCM6n9urp5NkNBfIzSdWv63-_0NCbQWrpRWo_SQJ8J_uBZgUJMPHBGZ1EI1gw4ZBucwZj51vFMirrpElvn581FISzqKR_M9E/s1600/ride_to_work_day_city_bananas.jpg" />
<p>The Victoria Police tent where you can get your bike etched with an identifier number in case it gets stolen was as popular as ever.</p>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgek8sS6RCByQYUatnhio1KOn_KlDoj0iiWPBQC_mrIilzc8eoJFeZ9eDcjx-pwP2Aclj7cevQVpWcf5wDmvZ0spjfg2h9vLpli-u07F7wkBtkcsJV258ViTo6nfIIiGJPkR0_pUIoPoY0/s1600/ride_to_work_day_city_police.jpg">
<p>Melbourne City Council were giving away reflector bands and there were also prize giveaways. It was the usual festive atmosphere and there were a lot of happy cyclists about.</p>
<p>So that was my National Ride to Work Day experience. A great morning in Melbourne and, just like any other day really, it was a great day to ride to work!</p>The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-34029438336185977192013-10-20T03:40:00.001-07:002013-11-08T23:24:39.636-08:00Melbourne Marathon 2013 Race Review<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Waiting for the start gun" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzwxtvdoEr-zP1medku3D0DyFjcD5jJtEUaeK20ri76lMYfsYPzza0tfDu21MMUZlqG03mrXgaRJiYA6CeIcZLaP2H9_8fVT1vDqHbtOPFDyk_uPc2B8UhEVZXjIqm6FBJTiQ_xaH5Mk/s1600/melbourne_marathon_waiting_to_start2.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the start of the Melbourne Marathon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>On Sunday the 13th I ran in the Melbourne Marathon with about 8000 other runners and had one rollercoaster of a ride that ended on a massive high. Crossing the finish line on the hallowed turf of the MCG with my family watching in the stands was one of the greatest feelings of my life. It was a lot more emotional than what I expected it to be and I'm not ashamed to admit that I came close to shedding a tear as I stared into the stands and realised where I was and what I had achieved.</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>I was under no illusion that it would be difficult and boy was it difficult! I had to walk the majority of the last 16km after getting a thigh strain and a stiff left knee and when the rain came down it would have been easy to call it quits and jump onto a tram back home.</p>
<h2>THE COURSE</h2>
<p>The course took roughly the same path it has taken since 2007 when it first finished at the MCG. Starting just outside Rod Laver Arena on Batman Avenue, it included a lap of Albert Park Lake, almost 15km up and down the bay between Port Melbourne and Brighton, and, of course, St Kilda Road. The course passed famous Melbourne landmarks like Federation Square, Flinders Street station, the Arts Centre and the Shrine of Remembrance.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxOB_19TVLZkezX5NvdpCXo66j6Oc79qLueJO3GzB2u5vHO1wgbvXd50OW0dXBgrO-xTeM6BX9va9iNqCuZhc93gVts0aTkZtPAJY6skcUc5TQMBfE6yVxdZxx8doQJy5eOhFhxJmDm8/s1600/melbourne_marathon_course_map_2013.png"><img border="0" alt="Melbourne Marathon 2013 Course Map" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mODxVp_CP3f9hr9gShEpmEMTrzudRMk8AJENdpQuc-oBEnR8UVPzdhaH5z_q314R0TOOQ0ybCRDtthYyrVl2TbUdjCrv_6RsKZaxpbwIcd7Cs54-DeR5GdcTpoZrykU5oMbXRvsTSK8/s1600/melbourne_marathon_course_map_2013.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The course map for the 2013 Melbourne Marathon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>PRE-RACE</h2>
<p>Any large running event in Melbourne means an early start and with a large part of central and inner Melbourne shutdown for the marathon, a 7am start was a given. For me that meant a 5.15am wake up.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="My race day kit for the Melbourne Marathon" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkmb_4TerhrCVxYCEv6cS2npQfaf7BQ_G1QOp5iZNb7Au7OwFTV83LLdJJ1Qxtfo60VRoJ9NhphgOyfwy5tGH1L3mmF9q8pVls2qS5a02pfKk05_TNsLgQGAY3DjlLAxfHUmhSgts8Is/s1600/melbourne_marathon_race_kit.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My race day kit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I had my kit ready to go so after a quick breakfast, dunny and shower I was out the door by 6am. It was warm enough that I didn't bring any extra clothing to keep me warm before the race started. The forecast was for showers later in the day and a top of 17C, but the skies certainly looked good in the morning. With the cooler weather and light winds, it looked like perfect race conditions.</p>
<p>There's no public transport available that early on a Sunday, so it was a good thing that parking was free at Yarra Park right by the MCG. From there it was less than a 10 minute walk to the start line in Batman Avenue. All you had to do was follow the crowds crossing the footbridge to Batman Avenue.</p>
<p>Just down the road from the start line, I saw two of the 4:30 pacemakers helping a fellow pacemaker get ready. They would be easy to spot with the little Aussie flag and the bright race bib with target time on it. For some reason this particular pacemaker had a camera crew photographing while she was getting ready.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="One of the pacemakers getting ready" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdH2Mam9igjK4sxqa75feW5_fb8PMaYkm2klEyvvhicELq97oRjStML4L_ltOQudJHtIZ8YH0N9xUH_VhifN8kXw9WyMyopzzoaFjJ1o3e0zqNZ4NstmEwaqhOZEUnmHSvq6Po700J5B0/s1600/melbourne_marathon_pace_markers_getting_ready.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the pacemakers getting ready prerace, with her own camera crew!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I walked past the timing car which would drive in front of the lead runner to show the race clock. I've done a few races now and I'd never seen a timing car before. This was a serious event!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="The Melbourne Marathon timing car" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLlkhXbDAKOfGKdVl1cfMe3InJTn38qIFZFQzsLBugxAWL9nmWNuGGbafEj-BvaAwIsJf89azGfe6YmrUrRlArRGsVZYhM-FDJ4L4qzMN-7mdR438kCNyVfNJVvIIRuaBPeSKIz2L30I/s1600/melbourne_marathon_timing_car.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Melbourne Marathon race timing car.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>With about 10 minutes to go I was at the start line. There was a huge queue of runners waiting for the start and I had to walk a couple of hundred metres before I could find an opening in the barrier fencing them in. That put me past this marker indicating where to start from for 4:30 runners.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Starting waves" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLvm6wGOTlFw2s8QLR6fgCLfU2rI_ta9RsMDsztxmSkmakjoEWJcyqJFmHotJkvrk6QsVi5HwjlvxvLwF52Nljg0_GIcLSHlbYvxJgWb6ZHWGqROWCcDKZPVbs1YiEOLW9_9OPZvgFWs/s1600/melbourne_marathon_starting_waves.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I ended up starting well back from this sign.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The race announcers were a little bit too pumped up for 7am on a Sunday morning but they did an amazing job of geeing up the field. "You WILL achieve your goal this morning. You will achieve your goal!"</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Ready to go" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTJ9VmYWW4pbG9MYR_NazX2iXheLASIrsUqFGdi6hhS1h8hpWtFoIaKcWVRTrP6JcBOS67rGQc6A65_UVks-ZISy8YL0DDmI8uuQBcGKox_VhbKoibO4wNuY0al5aVZRkHvAD1FzB0OM/s1600/melbourne_marathon_waiting_to_start.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a lot of runners in front of me at the start!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>This year was a record field for the marathon with over 8000 people signing up and a record number finishing. Endurance running has certainly been getting more and more popular in recent years!</p>
<p>Looking around me at the other runners I was really surprised to see so many people who were either overweight or who were not particularly athletic looking. Most of those people would end up finishing the marathon. Just goes to show that anyone can do it with the right amount of training!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Approaching the start line" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WoIwdeDBcUUhj9vwK8vRcxpee6Lamuo6UyPfO-2eK2BGGYdVqWs-rl7WXiH9VBGa5yMOn73bzKiNc_bCgdYf7NxtKs5dqXsrH2iLnqJlJjqGeYz17iV_5JBI-HjrH9Xa_DXW4L0IJDs/s1600/melbourne_marathon_start_line1.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching the start line.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>For a spot of added inspiration, Advance Australia Fair was played. Then the announcer did a 10 second countdown for the start before the starting pistol was fired. We were off. Well, actually the people at the front were off...I had to wait at least a few more minutes before my section of the field passed the start line.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Almost there" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWM-UWQz_I8hhF5gLOC43FiaZB-46hd6mtqDC16j6zQBYIsnJrzXJKumdWqX2dmYttPAywij659Y26DCI_5ksBpt3OjS3H_PSBd9gbjdNbpmGLxJFpf9AuwvVPl6Ku7y9Mwi_kDyD-b3o/s1600/melbourne_marathon_start_line2.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="About to start" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybO_3zpOV9SaqwM0LD_4YHlBdLFNKkN2_pjzmsg-3kPudDKisn-a3EGGlb9D6PjJHQYwaA6HmGBk0vW-QmPPoPoSMUsG4Q2ksXemhHxdxVjG_o3KibJQQUuEfT31ZRRvOBYEglwQTMTg/s1600/melbourne_marathon_start_line3.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About to start.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>THE RACE</h2>
<p>My goal for this event was to finish and to enjoy myself as much as possible. I was hopeful of going sub 4 hours but I knew there was a very good chance that I wouldn't last the distance thanks to my lack of conditioning.</p>
<p>The enjoyment kicked in from the race start. The energy of the other runners was awesome, the conditions were fantastic and the volunteers were absolutely amazing. Plus my body felt really good.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Heading up Batman Avenue towards the city" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFqLTNG0Vz3JxyNb4qpiEgmxoJ0JGeE4Y49ZFLMn4fTIu5B5it9w-h_pvoqavyK8qTNtBYsOqbYAgH-lu5jL0VQePxL1nd-QgICqBQxNyhtcAG48i6_jRZGDVltKbqdQroAQgZ3XDRYM/s1600/melbourne_marathon_batman_avenue_1.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading up Batman Avenue towards the city.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Heading up Batman Avenue towards the city" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcveGjHdzV2CetOLid0IBdZV8RsKjoIx_5Pvqa_TmOs8LS8qiAWsuVCGNySMD7fEZ1d5cvR7cXPTusI_QquDTnlZSsoAttpSqaBq8nLceTJfu1eGHu43kOWBb_EW6xMOHEYSbWVM7Ojvg/s1600/melbourne_marathon_batman_avenue2.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sea of runners takes over Batman Avenue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Looking out across to Southbank from Batman Avenue" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZok1PQg45OLAbol_8a8nwvkxoHhURHqZ9EPZ8dPlMmuFUJlasrZxAjhltxXBqczvrQUb9Do1xxDkK3iLifO6GyUdcN6qxP_DqfJyuMpNk666B0LLaE3H5KxR_usF3QahorktLZmRX48/s1600/melbourne_marathon_batman_avenue3.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out across to Federation Square from Batman Avenue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I was using <a href="http://www.runtastic.com">Runtastic</a> to track my run on my phone and I also planned to use my phone to take as many photos as I could during the run. I went a little photo crazy at the beginning, which is probably why my phone's battery went flat just a couple of kilometres from the finish. But now I can share all these photos with you!</p>
<p>Running down Flinders Street towards the famous station was pretty amazing. You get a remarkable appreciation for how wide some of Melbourne's streets are when you're running on them and they're completely closed to traffic!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Running down Flinders Street towards the iconic Flinders Street Station" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNBkd6RXx3EhZjrPJrIbjny9H4CnrWjQQs7PBZDl9HQ5rslyO2kFhVWwDuotBNXQf16rLjrNYCDekQqqMCKBiS6HlrWFLUBdG7GkOJasePrYkYs_U_LeWbAqGi4_E1b2q0h0RG1STdZE/s1600/melbourne_marathon_flinders_street.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running down Flinders Street towards the iconic Flinders Street Station.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Turning into Swanston Street in front of Flinders Street Station" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUo-ajg-kQmjQY85NulgwMW7qJZEBRTir-uQT8Yj3zS9rdFJ6KnVI459vW79gm9i2gjyc4w01tSROzxGgo7n4c2MFzC7UOjnxgbBn_vab0WmptfoCVCaFHEGWXkaPZzE1hI_Am6GwvjM/s1600/melbourne_marathon_swanston_street.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turning into Swanston Street in front of Flinders Street Station.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Just before the station I spotted one guy who was running barefoot. I wonder what his feet would have looked like at the finish!</p>
<p>We turned onto Swanston Street and headed past the Arts Centre, continuing down St Kilda Road. I think all of St Kilda Road was closed at this point. As you can see from this photo, at the beginning, the runners were spread the whole way across the whole road.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Running in front of the Arts Centre" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5leUXXhkevF2vZtoQSduceudvjlrAjQ7x8GFgLWkWjG9n1EhINXuLklBRDnzs00T0Yf4S2PxOF-vvWlYkT64Op68nJyilAbHfYP8UmmBAtujIBzimsNc3tryuzd1em7jmbf5CF1JUEQ/s1600/melbourne_marathon_arts_centre.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running in front of the Arts Centre.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>In terms of the number of drinks stations, this was definitely one of the better events I've run in. The organisers had stations roughly every 4km on the course and there were plenty of porta loos as well. That didn't stop loads of guys ducking off into the gardens at the front of the St Kilda Road office blocks to relieve themselves!</p>
<p>Besides the constant sound of running feet, one of the stranger sounds you get at these big running events occurs at the drink stations as plastic cups are unceremoniously dumped to the ground and crushed underfoot by the runners that follow. It really is an odd sound and leaves a bloody big mess!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="The drinks stations were a messy place to be" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-R3m5L5OxPNmBK5q6HsAZD_0G3RfOem6rUuALK5gy0H94e7LCRJovtgK4i9pCnAR_p1x1FsfM5zx9eeQQm5-8LwZtl4F4omEewESg69ygribVvDEbANv0YJmfJl1B3rwsB9_w_Ut2BA/s1600/melbourne_marathon_lakeside_drive_albert_park.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The drinks stations were a messy place to be.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>There was the usual assortment of people wearing strange and wonderful costumes while running, including this pair of superheroes. I hope they made it to the finish before the rain came!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="There was loads of superheroes on the course" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCgZxlLVj2HYA93V_IjRZNokBUIW4H7GnM5GXK51csvGDd0SeGlc0-_Cvt8Ix0agmGmKKwLwkA_GU0XcJn3o2zqd1H8RZo9RX44-TS_yD5jSEIW6BgbTnMp1QaKWbeYFbLE3xb2D6sbE/s1600/melbourne_marathon_superheros.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was loads of superheroes on the course.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The run along Albert Park Lake was magnificent. The Sun was breaking through and the setting was picture perfect.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Runners snake their way down Lakeside Drive" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9TNxaXjQfCt8s6MGUe5ij9ZYAOEyaERGs5V2h3ulJmgQD_1A10YdT4g7pJoOsMGKzIuqfc9jHDzvjDbLPGwdG7PZiI176PXgbu3R-M_luHMTq0fY_sRNI7ZDyevS6HTnaZ4w7poduD0/s1600/melbourne_marathon_lakeside_drive_albert_park2.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runners snake their way down Lakeside Drive, Albert Park.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Along Lakeside Drive I came across this guy who was running in thongs, the flip flop variety! I had a brief chat with him and he was actually running in thongs for the second successive year! You would think that doing it once was enough! I watched his running action and he was actually maintaining good running form but I had to wince at the thought of the constant rubbing of the toe strap between his toes. Crazy!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Running in thongs" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHN8yELVgVUkSzs9C_fmUlZhcBiPUrXUyvyccFjkJwufewkVPne1_VGQdO6nugXtScbGyFHfOGLuaIx8lwE631jg54IuQh0IOSSXPWYr0pt0xvU5IVkm9O52eDa7o1VY3UI8naO-H8J8/s1600/melbourne_marathon_running_in_thongs.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running a marathon in thongs, because running one in shoes isn't hard enough!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I had my first energy gel at the drink station at the bottom end of Albert Park Lake, about 8km into the run. I was on a four gel strategy, spread roughly 9km apart. That's what I normally use in training. Because I wasn't concerned about time, I stopped at the station, grabbed a water and took my time tucking into the gel.</p>
<p>I was keeping my gels in the pouch I normally keep my phone in. With all the photos I was taking, I decided to just hold my phone in my hand in case some random photo opportunity came up.</p>
<p>At the 10km point I was still feeling pretty good. I was starting to entertain thoughts of actually finishing this marathon. Even with all the stoppages early on to take photos I was making good pace.</p>
<p>Just outside MSAC, I came across Frank Biviano, one of the legends of the Melbourne Marathon, a Spartan who has completed all 35 previous Melbourne Marathons. Anyone who has completed more than 10 Melbourne Marathons can join the Spartans club and they are allocated their own number which they then must wear at every subsequent Melbourne Marathon.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="One the Spartan Legends who has run all 35 Melbourne Marathons" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxTq7OBnyJY7FPFbcGrRQ0sWU4exgCAdf9sGrrgimEX9AeDB-UamthNdahfXTLPu5P-HGZrjsl8bXyuLPFFG8b8xMIi4Iz7bInQSYH1InYXR7SUo3hOfAYw7DU9UADR53d_MiVrh5ZDQ/s1600/melbourne_marathon_spartan_all35.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One the Spartan Legends who has run all 35 Melbourne Marathons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>There are 10 'Legends' who have completed every Melbourne Marathon ever run. They were wearing a singlet like Frank's on race day. They are treated like royalty within the Melbourne running fraternity and there were people constantly coming up to Frank to have a chat and even to get a photo taken with him.</p>
<p>It was absolutely inspiring! After meeting Frank I was determined to finish this thing.</p>
<p>The course continued north running between pit lane of the Grand Prix circuit and the lake. Then we had to do a little double take along the main straight before leaving Albert Park the way we had come in, via Lakeside Drive.</p>
<p>With the help of gravity, I quickly made it down Fitzroy Street to Beaconsfield Parade. The next 15km of the course were all on Beaconsfield Parade/Marine Parade.</p>
<p>I passed one of the 4 hour pacemakers shortly after that. The pacemakers are very popular runners! They always have a group of runners sticking to them and some of the groups were quite loud and social. I found the pace a little slow running with the 4 hour marker and so quickly pushed on ahead.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="The 4 hour pacemaker" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_soWSHHarGbxkRYp3CcMr5BY7dIWAoTBhnHLnbHyMp5ciglGBElIDkhxK4gkVvj_2ZL6OP_OLAB6CK266m8ibSs4A2xDQthzS8gr_5Iq-jxaabR22TaS_KCTeeT0nyqa9VWacUh96iOY/s1600/melbourne_marathon_4hr_marker.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 4 hour pacemaker.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The first turning point on Beaconsfield Parade was at Port Melbourne right near Station Pier. Fifty years ago, this was where most European migrants, including my parents, first set foot in Melbourne after the long journey by boat from Europe. These days the area is full of apartments and travellers coming off the ferry from Tasmania.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="The turnaround point near Station Pier in Port Melbourne" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5gJooz9dH0fpEd2PO2k5DRjzUahHrPkqSaw5NrzCQgmfnqxPWNgtSPtFA0ZHpp7V3tTCWasnA2sPC74hlweyqpkN_5e7trJf2CRvKS6m9nTOx8YQahGL2pSUAQ5OKsH1ZjQtzvkFCBU/s1600/melbourne_marathon_port_melbourne_turning_point.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The turnaround point near Station Pier in Port Melbourne with one of the Tasmanian ferries in the background.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Another energy gel and quick break for water beckoned. As usual it was pretty chaotic at the drink station!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="The Beaconsfield Parade drinks station" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6aDwzJHfoQn2txaV_7gYeOD2XKyKt8TduIAEKYUnaW2w6C8nvMCVhQrKlMmMXhnqeCtbAhxPiqdhMVzi_KhETkSSMK4CFS9pRhaip8nUznFCjJRRgqYsP7mKdcBJhlyymQYeKKsOU-s/s1600/melbourne_marathon_beaconsfield_parade_drink_station.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Beaconsfield Parade drinks station.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The 20km mark soon arrived and not long after that I was past the halfway point. Unfortunately though, I was starting to struggle.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="The 20km mark on Beaconsfield Parade" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Lymjk0lYZQmg4Oryvwp2CxWKN3h9q0iciDkRCb6-C95u4AtT6V6PqcurMuW5hXsolW-ViVQxLw-EXJUKLntNMpHt1s-QYBtfgu3rO8ZvZgO2UE6m8Xs6zH94dvy5WdPDqtlZvQcI6pA/s1600/melbourne_marathon_beaconsfield_parade_20k.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 20km mark on Beaconsfield Parade.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>It was at about the 15km mark that I first noticed some pain in the area of my left hip flexor. It started off quite bearable and I stopped a few times to try and stretch it out. By the 20km mark the pain had spread to my upper thigh and it was affecting my running technique. My theory is that to avoid using the hip flexor, I had started straightening out my left leg which then caused me to heel strike and which affected my ITB.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Running down Marine Parade in St Kilda" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8PPDHzXkv3JIWLKBaCzNm3dYzCpS4y0Gx_AL8u8lCi_JttxtdXnMJ7pVVbPc35IJINdXTUgPMy9a02jw7dN-gi5eKPx16sol7Pz-Ivs8U3rywy20R831dDFumuX3AAhyJ-vLpA4AT6I/s1600/melbourne_marathon_stkilda.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running down Marine Parade in St Kilda.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>After taking a toilet break at around 23km my ITB had become so inflammed that it was causing pain on the outside of my left knee. My race went downhill from here.</p>
<p>Even with all the stops for photos and chats with other runners, it had taken me just 2 hours and 2 minutes to complete the first 22km of the marathon. If I managed to continue at that pace, it would have put me under 4 hours at the finish. Instead, it would take almost 3 hours to complete the remaining 18km.</p>
<p>For the next 5km I would run 200m and then walk 200m. It was a real struggle. I started seeing runners pass me that I had previously passed. It was particularly disheartening when I saw the 4 hour marker pass me.</p>
<p>Up until then, if I saw someone who was walking or struggling, I would pat them on the back and offer them some encouraging words. Now I was the one who needed that encouragement and thankfully the spectators and the awesome event volunteers tried to give it to me. "Cmon mate you can do it. Keep going!"</p>
<p>I was hoping that my ITB would somehow loosen up and eventually I could start running again but instead with every attempt at running it got more and more painful.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Running through Barkly Street intersection in Elwood" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROCbshgpJNllZyzXIG08P7oTCohBlkgvBnMWEm3Oddu4ef7GIbO_MYWs2XAYigRgMBWpyBWohWgrZym6uJ3bCkSRWfwv_qVvCx3ZV8F-kuf4_RgYCVd0TpoumYBmtV2a4-oX1aApjc7E/s1600/melbourne_marathon_elwood.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running through Barkly Street intersection in Elwood.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>At around 30km, with the climb up Fitzroy Street looming, I gave up on running and decided to just walk the remainder of the course. It was too painful to run and I was worried about causing serious damage if I kept trying.</p>
<p>However I was determined to walk as fast as I could and avoid going over 5 hours. I kept doing the calculations in my head and I was sure I could make it to the MCG in time. I needed to be walking at around 8 minutes per kilometre and I would be ok. That became my new focus.</p>
<p>As I was passed by more and more runners and as I slipped further back in finishing time you could clearly see a change in the types of runners I was surrounded by. At 22km when I was still on track for sub 4 hours, the runners around me were all fairly lean and very fit looking. By the time I made it back onto St Kilda Road, the field looked a lot more overweight and generally older. But all these people were still running, albeit slowly, while I was now walking. Most of them would beat me to the finish line.</p>
<p>On St Kilda Road, with the clouds looking dark and ominous, it also became clear that I would have other problems.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="At the beginning of St Kilda Road with impending rain approaching" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzu5Zc-uap3LkvDSdR4NAlt1NoO4LosjG-WJ4Iap0VykGLDBLJWI81SzORr7rfQkcyMxAcCt-6gO2YG6woflSUyHmIk-Tf9JiBJYfp4axex31rQrCQxrSAzLzfqFeLz3alI0vGxCTP-M/s1600/melbourne_marathon_stkilda_rd.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the beginning of St Kilda Road with impending rain approaching.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The clouds had been steadily getting darker from about the time I had made it onto Beaconsfield Parade. Now the heavens opened up and within a few minutes it was raining quite heavily. I tried to stick to the line of the road that would maximise shelter from the trees but it didn't make too much difference. Before too long I was drenched.</p>
<p>The temperature had dropped as well so it really was becoming quite uncomfortable. The trams were now running up and down St Kilda Road and there was certainly the temptation to pack it in and hop on a tram back to the city. To avoid thinking about that option I just stared straight ahead and kept doing the calculations in my head.</p>
<p>The volunteers manning the drink stations did an incredible job of keeping the runners going in these trying circumstances. Even with the rain coming down, they were still working. They kept on handing out drinks and yelling out encouragement to the passing runners.</p>
<p>Slowly but surely I kept knocking off the kilometres. I reached the Arts Centre and followed the course under St Kilda Road on City Road. We had to complete the long steady climbing section of the Tan Track which passes the Shrine of Remembrance. Luckily the rain had given way to drizzle by the time I passed the Shrine but my legs were really struggling to even walk up this section of the course. The last few hundred metres before coming onto Domain Road were particularly steep and difficult.</p>
<p>From there we had to go back onto St Kilda Road and past Federation Square onto Flinders Street. There was less than two kilometres to go and then my phone's battery died. Luckily the <a href="http://www.runtastic.com">Runtastic</a> session up until that point was saved but it meant I couldn't take any photos as I entered the MCG.</p>
<p>In my excitement to get to the MCG I tried to run but my legs were too sore. I decided to save them for the lap inside the ground.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="The spectators waiting at the finish inside the MCG" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1jsEj214mRBOJLqmI6_AFnehq8jthI56oBWTKsxSo0iCY6iZEMZPRNypKHjksXruQHBjGblp-o0iCkHYWBHMLmBcz1bXOf6b7bs3taqNnH4ZZtSmEEMuI8MKCMbDt72OXJKvEJh1u24/s1600/melbourne_marathon_crowds_wait_at_finish.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The spectators waiting at the finish inside the MCG.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I was genuinely surprised by the emotion that going into the MCG brought out in me. You enter via a ramp from Brunton Avenue and the first thing you do is stare out into those enormous stands and then it starts to hit you. The realisation that I was about to finish my first marathon sunk in and I honestly had to fight back the tears. It had been such a long and difficult day and I had put in so much training in the lead up. I was tired, cold and wet and my legs ached. It all made for an emotionally draining day.</p>
<p>I summoned as much strength as I could and started running. I forgot about the pain in my knee and thigh and soaked in the atmosphere around me. Here I was running inside the MCG to finish my first ever marathon. It was an incredible feeling and it was such a high that it made the previous 5 hours more than worth it.</p>
<p>A matted path had been laid out for the runners to follow so as not to ruin the grass and as I came to the section of stands where the spectators were watching for friends and family to finish I started looking out for my family. Suddenly I could hear my name been called out. It was my wife! I spotted her in the stands, jumping up and down and waving her hands with my stepson in the stands. I waved back and jumped up and down a few times in joy. I wanted to run over but I had noticed that the race clock was close to 5 hours already. I needed to finish first and then I would come back.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Giving the thumbs up to my family at the finish inside the MCG" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_XchHOEHg8TJoaWbALJ_IFJ2nT2uFFrukGdrU9Z0dFscXnlvPUplcytn4wYBCFbJk5agazkM3B_gfWz2Ii42FN0eug_LI1S_7O3Nrr3H9WC5y15Hw0j2y-dd3Tf98yQiyvOEDo7g-bs/s1600/melbournee_marathon_thumbs_up_inside_mcg.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giving the thumbs up to my family at the finish inside the MCG.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Running to the finish inside the MCG" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VZXp6NvmdS4whSlJm4Fk2lutANmUOOkMCrToIKyKya2DwH1C_MPmirL27WVk3E98jNXp8Rncq-kI6pjJ8vn84eSI3q75jxUHWxuGFmAsSM3vmF009bzFQGQn0VoF-y6GpxHWPsczAyo/s1600/melbourne_marathon_inside_the_mcg.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running to the finish inside the MCG.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>So I kept running and when I finally made it over the line I punched the air in triumph. I had done it! I congratulated the nearest few finishers to me. We were all marathoners!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="The finish line at the MCG" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbwuQVLSkcmaxhxzdSzeIJEtsIED15qXWF9J1SSNXBJFZyultyK5X9UHk2llwnS6ziZxNpV-6AYhovTYJNibkCcV6lNZhuIBIrSofbbF-OlnubN2fOqJpMSdVUqn8QjctKgCDvVE8kX4/s1600/melbourne_marathon_finish_line.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finish line at the MCG.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I followed the other finishers down a ramp below the stands. My legs were now so stiff that it was a real effort to be able to walk down. I saw one girl who had to walk assisted because her legs had stiffened up too much.</p>
<p>I was given a finishers medal and then went straight off to get some water and bananas. Now I wanted to find my family. I went to go back out the ramp I had just come down and now my knees were so stiff that I had to walk sideways in order to get up.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Outside the MCG after the Melbourne Marathon" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2v1C_u4DBBnnnggEce9iCY6N13hHUIrQWAQZIf95irqPm-oN0L92eZKA8RkLHCrSOaX6nTscPeS1nEvQCzHxDNQNavSS5Xe3PWtZ3jT6KU9xrh4ouwSQeSOoR7K2pzmUQs5SUhhv5JE/s1600/melbourne_marathon_outside_mcg.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Don and I outside the MCG.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>My wife and stepson were waiting outside where I got this photo in front of the Don Bradman statue.</p>
<p>I did some stretches but my legs were really stiffening up and my knee was killing. My original plan was to go to the pub but that changed to going back home and icing up my legs. Getting in the car, my legs cramped several times and when I got home I noticed I had four black toe nails and a few big blisters.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="The Don and I outside the MCG" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYWvBZurH2UAJ1ufj2LIYLntf2K1liPyeIhPk4Ti6FySAv0urIKfnsxJw6E6Z7WZ5ayq7Uwcg96NIfU-LlSto3wc24tg8Go0PSI5mRqzLRlOjEI1Y2wUuHmWwmZD6-zj9aBzHKaHzx1c/s1600/melbourne_marathon_outside_the_mcg.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the MCG after the Melbourne Marathon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Leaving the MCG with my marathon finishers medal" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBboWdJaVHCi-zbgg1F-hmfwzSTjTbc_3rzGsxtknGqJNld0m5YHxhW9jM3uCpCcKel5zqPZGdhnEGme7Y4X1CxPSeVa_fzhcPhH5yEbVQKqbKhhtb_sqgNsAG00N8ZybBPBqDHsiBcQ/s1600/melbourne_marathon_the_jangulator.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving the MCG with my marathon finishers medal. I am a marathoner!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>It took most of the following week to recover. In fact today was the first time I went running since. I did squeeze in a couple of bike rides, including Ride to Work day but I think my legs are much the better for the rest from running.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="My finishers medal and race number" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHx2xckWb7H4ozto5PXtO64atjZ0lBEXDYnPjCZPuZgsJ5BccVCOXzrKjlRVFlCLOMQk0PxoHql6RWdkTZxzEPq7fccIBFLFjg3ZsuZpYUV0tEyvijIrRpWeGp2Vfmh8JG3e9aW1UlOIQ/s1600/melbourne_marathon_finishers_medal.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My finishers medal and race number.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>My official time turned out to be 4:55:54. I was more than happy with that. It certainly means that it will be easy to improve on my time next year. Next year you say? Yes. Definitely I will be back next year. Despite the pain I really enjoyed the Melbourne Marathon. It was such a brilliant day and I loved feeling the energy and enthusiasm of my fellow runners and of the spectators and volunteers. Plus the feeling of finishing it is such an incredible high that I want to experience that again.</p>
<p>So I will be back again next year and I will make sure I'm strong enough and conditioned enough to run the whole thing. Haha I know it's a year away now but I will smash 3:40:00! That's my next aim! Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed my story and see you at the next race.</p>
The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-9541191630009878822013-10-11T23:42:00.000-07:002013-10-26T14:34:09.484-07:00Preparing for the Melbourne Marathon<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="My Melbourne Marathon Race Kit" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8wtuIoNM6p6HT1o1eetHqdFfxk97vOWTiDcuXzblPc2TSHcF8b1HkGzVqOAYyigHVxhPk35jj_5eZ9lVaFpp0OeybR2n2EvjfVB5C98iF7Jd2FbWhnAf8VNhILeP_rkjxex7s87umEk/s1600/MelbourneMarathonRaceKit.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Melbourne Marathon race kit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Am I ready for the Melbourne Marathon tomorrow? To be honest, not really. I've had an injury interrupted preparation and I've given up on the hope that I will be able to set a time anywhere near my potential. I am under no illusion that tomorrow I will have to suffer in my bid to run into the MCG and complete my first ever marathon. At times my legs will probably implore me to stop and give up but I will push on. This will be the culmination of 6 months worth of training for me and nothing will stop me from crossing the finish line in front of my family and becoming a marathon runner. I can picture that moment of elation in my head now and I'll use that vision to spur me on and keep me going tomorrow.</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>My first aim tomorrow will be to finish the marathon, joining that special club of people who can say they have conquered the marathon. Factoring in some potential walking time, I would like to finish within 4.5 hours and to enjoy myself as much as possible while doing it. Now that I'm not gunning for a fast time the pressure is off somewhat and hopefully that will help me relax and soak in the atmosphere of my first marathon. I'll be using <a href="http://www.runtastic.com">Runtastic</a> on my Android phone for tracking my run, and I'll make sure I get my phone out to take some photos when I get a chance.</p>
<p>My biggest concern is my lack of conditioning. I have only once run more than 30km in training which is definitely not ideal and so I expect to be walking at some point tomorrow although I will do my best to avoid it. The battle I will need to win will be in my mind, especially once the inevitable soreness sets into legs full of lactic acid. This is when I will rely heavily on the other runners around me to keep me going and of course on the vision of the end goal, me crossing the finish line at the MCG!</p>
<p>I've just checked the weather forecast and it doesn't look like today's wind will be abating for the marathon. Fortunately it's a westerly wind so we'll be running perpendicular to it for the majority of the course. The overnight low will be 12C and the expected maximum is a cool 17C, perfect race temperature! Hopefully the predicted scattered showers stay away and the chance hail and thunderstorms don't eventuate!</p>
<h2>This Weeks Training</h2>
<p>In order to have my legs as rested as possible for tomorrow, I completed my last training run on Monday. I managed 10km around Fawkner Park during my lunch break. On Wednesday I booked myself in for a remedial massage with <a href="http://www.bodywhisperer.com.au/">The Body Whisperer</a> in St Georges Road, Thornbury. I've never paid for a massage in Australia previously but a running mate from work recommended these guys and suggested I get a remedial massage to soften up those sore areas in my legs. I paid around $50 (with private health rebate) for a 45min session which was extremely painful but well worth it. The masseuse expertly worked her elbows into my quad, glute and calf muscles and after a few days my legs feel great. I'm all for trying anything that will help me on race day!</p>
<h2>Carb Loading</h2>
<p>The rest of the week has been devoted to the most important and fun part of training in the final few days before a marathon. Carb loading! I've eaten pasta for lunch and dinner for the past couple of days and will have another bowl of pasta tonight. Plus I've been eating heaps of bananas which are rich in carbs and potassium. The idea of course is to load up the glycogen stores in the body's muscles so that tomorrow I will have plenty of energy to burn.</p>
<h2>Hydration</h2>
<p>I've also been drinking plenty of water over the last couple of days and have added in some electrolytes with Dektro sports drink today. It's not going to be a hot day tomorrow but I'm still a heavy sweater so this is a vital part of my preparation.</p>
<h2>Race Gear</h2>
<p>This is my race day kit. I'll pack five energy gels and take them every 9km with sips of water and sports drink in between. Hopefully that will meet my energy requirements and will get me over the line. I'll wear a singlet even with the predicted cool weather because I tend to overheat. I've got my pouch belt for carrying a couple of the gels and my phone which I will be using to track my run and give me voice feedback with <a href="http://www.runtastic.com">Runtastic</a>. I'll wear a visor to keep the Sun (if any) and potential rain off my face and I can also use it to keep a couple of the gels. That's my kit sorted!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Torqgel Energy gels" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Rre6M9GfQOEw3L2GMdUxFXZv5XfAp-ctygEKgHfxGbFVeuWqRy4rvcDjulJUz0gayUOq_11uF2y6aEAKr5WEhjj57nvAqscvO61_I71k6NxYGv_L9Qs69bn0w6LEfPSfhJBhu8JWs5Q/s1600/TorqEnergyGels.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Torqgel Energy gels I'll be using tomorrow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>Tonight</h2>
<p>After dinner I'll watch Melbourne Victory hopefully smash the Heart in the Melbourne derby and then retire to bed for a very early night.</p>
<h2>Race Morning</h2>
<p>The marathon begins at 7am tomorrow so I'll be up at 5am having my pre-race breakfast. I'll have the same thing I eat whenever I go out for a long run, two weetbix with milk and a banana. I'll also drink a bottle of Dektro before 6am and then no more food or drink before the start. Hopefully the pre-race nerves will kick in and help me empty my bowels before leaving home because there would be nothing worse than having to hit the porta loos mid race.</p>
<p>I'll apply Vaseline in all the right places for race comfort and put some talcum powder on my feet in order to help keep them dry and hopefully blister free.</p>
<p>With no public transport at 6am on a Sunday morning (how can this be in a city the size of Melbourne!) I'll be driving and parking near the Fitzroy gardens. Then it will just be a matter of following the trail of runners to the start line. If it's cold, I'll wear a throw away old t-shirt to keep me warm before the start.</p>
<h2>Race Plans</h2>
<p>Then the run itself. I'll start off at a comfortable pace and see how I feel. I'm not gunning for a certain pace or time so I'm happy to take it easy and nurse my body through the course if need be. If I'm feeling good then I might push harder as the race goes on. It will all come down to how I'm feeling. I will definitely leave something in reserve for the final run through the MCG. My family will be waiting there so I want to make them proud. There will be no walking into the MCG!</p>
<h2>Tracking the Race</h2>
<p>One really cool thing about this event is that you can track the realtime progress of runners using <a href="http://www.mapandrun.com">mapandrun.com</a>. All you have to do is enter in their bib number and you'll be able to see where they are on the course. Really neat for spectators who want to position themselves to catch a glimpse of family or friends!</p>
<h2>After the Race</h2>
<p>Sure its not the recommended recovery option but I'll be at a pub, most likely in Swan Street, having a beer and parma and sharing the tale of my first marathon with family and whoever else wants to listen! Then it will be off home to ice my battered legs.</p>
<p>To all those running tomorrow, happy racing. I hope you hit your goals and have a fun event!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-30986001620776008842013-10-07T04:38:00.000-07:002013-10-26T14:33:01.169-07:00Week in Review 6th October 2013<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Street art in North Fitzroy" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58aA2ClBgJ7D4m3-BahZOntZTV-95_YddKgCNHRpedjiwujSFrnk2rwsZUVShXORY-LtKSLFiC-LRig8iWfFtngRazcMSq3uTwqA1D4odRTBrlBMp4lSNDuMrj2Klk7_fiDH3MTi_JWY/s1600/street_art_fitzroy3_small.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Open your mind! I saw some very cool street art while running through Fitzroy this week.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>It's taper time! The Melbourne Marathon is this Sunday and I've cut back on my training significantly in order to rest my legs for race day. This is definitely my favourite part of training for any event. The hard work is done and now its just a matter of keeping injury free with a couple of light easy runs and carbo loading. I've even got a remedial massage scheduled in for this Wednesday. I love taper time!</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>Last week started with a 23km run to work on Monday morning. Not my usual start to the week but I had to make up for my missed scheduled Sunday long run after a post AFL Grand Final hangover. I must have still been suffering the effects of that hangover because I never got into my groove. With the last week before the start of daylight savings, I left home just after 6am with the Sun already up. I was planning on running 28km on a route that would take me along Merri Creek and then through North Fitzroy, Parkville, Flemington, along Moonee Ponds Creek before coming through Docklands and Southbank.</p>
<p>I stuck to the plan up until North Fitzroy when my upper left leg started feeling pretty sore in the ITB area. I decided to cut my run short and run directly to work rather than going through the big loop around Flemington and Docklands. It was a real struggle and at one point I was running a few hundred metres and then walking a hundred metres. Not a great start to the week really but I got there in the end.</p>
<p>The one positive was I got to run/walk through some pretty cool back streets in North Fitzroy and Fitzroy. I saw heaps of amazing street art and took the camera out for some photos. I will have to do more running through the inner north!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Street art in North Fitzroy" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0t2iuh6i8ZYgLt5mjjT_f__uEEVt8S-KSD6YqXjevGM4DFGETAf6A5RgmBa4NE4XbhNXsfJlhaviO2CMAzU3bzYYIouBkRIhJbrSkF-BQUzmOHF3QWR1diik-QSYD32JXsePBDwQKQU/s1600/climate_guardians_small.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street art in North Fitzroy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Street art in North Fitzroy" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJ81TtNdRoe-PXUo5azREuEct4S3PwZyvyu6AlafzQoyWjsD9ZRHbKzpvd5Vfty0yUfMNZdKVVQJg-JF-Sm7l3lESrQKO6tdobuqVmum2rqDoZfYiDlXEtMvCwg07rSKr4D1Q_16SIGY/s1600/street_art_fitzroy_small.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modern day Picasso in Fitzroy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Street art in North Fitzroy" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkFTTKqBZYxX3VVEszn7cARBV68iv6s6t1edCvQDc8KX4GnEEowP8HtjnTed2gt88fZDx5obFL-p9NseC2SsKmAjG9qtGhjpJvTbsrUdcje82mSEEAs5JePTdBGLACLKp0oYSj0vGk4o/s1600/street_art_fitzroy2_small.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scary street art in Fitzroy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>On Thursday it was time for round 4 of the Corporate Challenge series. I really struggled and after making it up Anderson Street hill and then getting fairly wet in a short downpour I actually stopped running and was tempted to pack the lap in and run back to the office. After thinking about it for half a minute I decided to keep going and finish off the lap. I managed to finish off reasonably strongly and clocked in at 16:08, my slowest lap for the season.</p>
<p>So all up not a great week of training. I'll be honest and say I am a little worried about how I will go this Sunday. I've had so many issues which have prevented me from running more than 30km in a single training run and I feel a little underdone. But I'm no quitter and I know my determination will help push me over the line. I have no doubt it's not going to be easy though. Look out for my race report next week to see how I get on!</p>The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-42212978872892792612013-09-28T18:35:00.000-07:002013-10-14T03:28:35.529-07:00Week in Review 29th September 2013<p>I'm probably in very good company when I say this, but I had way too many beers while watching the AFL Grand Final yesterday. So this morning, instead of going for my usual long Sunday run, I'm writing this post while nursing a hangover. Needless to say, I regret the copious amounts of alcohol consumed and the drunken dancing that followed but I can justify it all by saying I had a bloody good time.</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>I probably could still go for a run but it would not be any fun at all. Instead I've taken the sensible approach and will run into work tomorrow morning. I'm fairly dehydrated and I skipped dinner last night so I'll use today to rehydrate and refuel.</p>
<p>The rest of my week went really well. I started off with a suffer fest of a long run last Sunday. For the first time I tried a new route which took in Merri Creek and Darebin Creek in one massive 31km loop of the northern suburbs. It was actually a really nice running course and there were only a few small sections where I was running on road. However, with the Sun out on a day of clear blue sky, and with a challenging, undulating course, I really struggled after about the 25km mark and spent a large part of the remaining 6km walking.</p>
<p>One of the problems I had was a lack of water fountains along the course. After refilling my 700mL water bottle at a fountain in Darebin Parklands, there were no further drinking fountains along the course so I had to make sure I rationed my water for the last 11km. It would be great for all recreational users if Darebin council put in drinking fountains along Merri and Darebin Creeks.</p>
<p>I finished in just over 3 hours, making it my longest run both in terms of duration and distance. The effort took its tole on my feet, with a few blisters and one black toenail. I can only imagine what running the full marathon will do to them!</p>
<p>I was sore for the next few days after that. I squeezed in a strength training session with a focus on my core on Tuesday and didn't run again until Wednesday morning when I ran into work. I took a fairly direct course with a slight detour through Carlton and the CBD for a total distance of about 16.5km. It was a reasonably warm morning but I enjoyed the run which took me about 85 minutes.</p>
<p>On Friday I did about an hour of strength training, concentrating on my legs. I also got a nice surprise in the mail. My Melbourne Marathon race pack arrived! I'll be number 3327. Interestingly, the timing device is attached to the back of the race number, rather than being something you tie to your shoe laces. It's only two weeks away to race day now. Can't wait to run into the MCG and cross that finish line!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Melbourne Marathon race number" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibu7HFDB-R_uE4RLK-XsJDx5gZOOqLg0nLUo-8rNIlvhyphenhyphen7EC4PazmbqcY4BpPvz-OGgZVAbCSvz2l-8TITa6GckF5sr8ydt_0HRTP3AgOUZ25l0QLinMLe_0LLESIhLHnn4BXz1OkSiTc/s1600/MelbourneMarathonRaceNumber.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Melbourne Marathon race kit has arrived!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-69415710731139692132013-09-21T00:56:00.000-07:002013-10-14T03:29:02.670-07:00Training Week in Review 21st September 2013<p>Spring is well and truely in the air now in Melbourne. We're in the penultimate round of the AFL finals series, the spring racing carnival is about to begin and the Melbourne Marathon is only a few weeks away. By now most runners would be beginning or about to begin their taper but I'm still increasing my long distance runs due to my injury interrupted lead up.</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>My week didn't start all that well with my long run last Sunday. I left home at about 10am by which time the Sun was bearing down on me strongly in the warm spring air. My target was 26km along the Merri Creek trail but by 16km I was already starting to struggle. I was on a two gel strategy and was carrying 600mL of Dektro sports drink so I was covered in terms of nutrition. However my body was not used to the warmth with the temperature reaching the low 20's and I was struggling to stay cool and to keep my heart rate down.</p>
<p>I ended up having to stop a number of times just to cool down. In the end it took me just under 2.5 hours to complete 25km, a very lethargic performance by my standards! On the bright side, I at least completed the distance injury free and without too much soreness.</p>
<p>Another problem I encountered on the Sunday was the brightness of the sunlight as it reflected off the pavement and houses. I use a Nike running visor to keep the Sun and sweat off my face but it doesn't protect my eyes from indirect sunlight. I think my next purchase is going to be some sunnies!</p>
<p>Monday was a well earned rest day and then Tuesday I headed to the park during my lunch hour at work to do some core and leg strengthening exercises. I also performed some training drills like butt kicks, knee high sprints and carioca to help continue my form change from an over striding heal striker to a mid foot striker.</p>
<p>Wednesday was another rest day and then Thursday it was time for round 3 of the Corporate Challenge Cup which meant a time trial of the Tan with some workmates. After a solid few weeks back in training and a mild overcast day, I was confident that I could pull out a PB. The start line is always at the digital timing clock by the pillars of wisdom on the Alexandre Avenue end of the track from where we run the track clockwise for a full lap of about 3.8km.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4owQqPNmjO7MgtZlYOG3qOWx6TXlAWoeMcaP_RMykv65i0IqgJKR0mnz6pw310Jbnrl6u8tpvtgeYEcqWTlwgqFB9gv9kqrUE-d1LpJXNeM4Xi73M-RuIhXkVMI19xQ7XaO4ThfXKXFA/s1600/TanLap_20130919_large.jpg"><img border="0" alt="Coburg Harriers Half Marathon 2013 Run Map" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPs53XAM4cE-iFT1hUfiibXX2rxdk-BiskQOrbwwFZEcxNiLccagRXX-mZ1OdSy7UKluQzCVlPBxxD2DwCItV7sSIy2f48NydaeVInYox6QLkbGqsjaeQFhKiPp7Cf2gMPiAhT4MBUYk/s1600/TanLap_20130919_small.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Tan time trial as tracked by <a href="http://www.runtastic.com">Runtastic Pro</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>We warm up with a 1.5km run from our office to the start line. Normally my strategy on the run is to not go out too hard and then turn on the speed from about the half way point as I run downhill past the Shrine of Remembrance. On Thursday I decided to go out hard and then try to keep my pace as high as possible for the duration of the lap. My time splits below show just how hard I went out and obviously I couldn't keep it up for too long. It was the first time I have ever managed a sub 4 minute time split!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Coburg Harriers Half Marathon 2013 Run Map" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvM5hsg9dAaX8BptXBnvPcUzNt_zjLd56HyivHne7M_Zgttgu7AbWv2x6AA_t2v2munDI9msTSD2Ssju7gjb_livQI5OfKEuwKhn7NBOSP6cwP2xb81EPjPUypZgiSg8QkqH_tMvCL1o/s1600/TanLap_20130919_splits.JPG" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Tan time trial splits as tracked by <a href="http://www.runtastic.com">Runtastic Pro</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>By halfway my body was screaming for me to stop but I somehow managed to shut those thoughts out and pushed on for a new PB of 15:41, a good 15 seconds faster than my previous best. It seemed it was a great day for PB's with most of my running mates also setting a new PB mark, putting us in a good position to win the most improved team competition.</p>
<p>With four more rounds left, I'm aiming to go sub 15:30 at some point during the season. With all the marathon training and my continual form improvement, that should definitely be possible.</p>
<p>I finished off the week with another strength training session today focusing on my core and upper body. Tomorrow I'm aiming to run out 30km. Fingers crossed my legs can take the strain!</p>
<p>Happy running!</p>The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-73276996167924635552013-09-13T21:52:00.001-07:002013-10-14T03:27:19.361-07:00Training Week in Review 14th September<p>Running is a past time that should be enjoyed and this week was the first time in a while that I really enjoyed my running. Everything seems to be finally coming back on track for my Melbourne Marathon training and my body feels really good.</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>My week started off in the office of my miracle worker physiotherapist Unna, from <a href="http://www.panaceamm.com/">Panacea Movement Medicine</a> in Carlton. Unna got me onto the treadmill again and she could see a big improvement in my running form from only ten days earlier. All the core and leg strengthening exercises and training drills had done their job. The overstriding and heal striking were both almost gone and my body was strong and upright. Gone was the collapsing that I was experiencing previously. Unna showed me the video analysis and I looked like a much better runner.</p>
<p>This is where a major breakthrough came. Unna mentioned that during the running cycle, the foot which is in flight (moving forward) should pass the other leg in a much higher position than what she was seeing from me. This action brings the knee up which allows you to get more power from the hip and means your leg is bent at the knee rather than straight. When I started visualizing this as I ran, everything seemed to click and I could instantly see what I was doing wrong before. I'd gone from barely lifting my feet off the ground and having very straight legs to getting plenty of flight and driving forward with a bent knee and more forward thrust.</p>
<p>The next area of focus was my arm swing. At times I feel very robotic in my arm movements when running. In particular my left arm is quite stiff and swings a lot less than my right arm. After a couple of tests Unna could see that I had a lack of flexibility on the left side of my torso. This meant some new exercises, mainly with the roller to try and loosen up my side. This would also help my breathing with the increased flexibility allowing me to take in deeper breaths in and out.</p>
<p>On the Sunday I went out and put it all to practice. The result was extremely positive. I ran my stock training route along Merri Creek for a total of 20km. It was the first time in weeks that I managed more than 10km in a single session and I felt reasonably good afterwards with very little soreness. I focused on short strides, lifting my knees and landing under my body and it all seemed to fall into place.</p>
<p>The next day I had surprisingly little soreness after such a long run and my ITB was behaving itself. I continued my strength and flexibility training and then on Thursday morning I ran 16km into work. For the first 5km I had some soreness on the front of my left lower leg but once I'd loosened up I got into a nice rhythm and it was a pleasant commute into work!</p>
<p>Today I hit the running track and knocked out a fartlek session with a 1.5km warm up and 6 laps of the track where I sprint at 100% effort for 100m on every lap. I felt fast and powerful and it was a really enjoyable short training session.</p>
<p>So after a week of success I've gone back to my training plan and modified it with the aim of getting enough kilometres under my belt to knock out a marathon effort. You can see my new training plan <a href="http://www.thejangulator.com/p/training-program.html">here</a>. Tomorrow I'm stepping up to 25km and Thursday will be week 3 of the Spring Corporate Cup will give me another chance at a PB around the Tan. Another fun week of running ahead!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-8938857689109743102013-09-06T14:08:00.000-07:002013-09-13T19:44:19.533-07:00Training Week in Review 7th Sep 2013<p>After my disastrous showing at the <a href="http://www.thejangulator.com/2013/09/coburg-half-marathon-race-review.html">Coburg Half Marathon</a> on the 25th Aug, I've made my focus getting my body and running technique right. Last Tuesday I went in and saw Unna at <a href="http://www.panaceamm.com">Panacea Movement Medicine</a> for some professional advice. I had previously seen Unna a couple of times back in June and probably should have continued seeing her in a bid to further improve my form. However I thought I was ok after a good showing at <a href="http://www.thejangulator.com/2013/07/run-melbourne-2013.html">Run Melbourne</a> and after my training continued to progress well.</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>In hindsight this was a mistake and now it's put my bid to run the Melbourne Marathon in jeopardy. Unna got me on the treadmill and saw that I was continuing to over stride and was not using my hips enough. My upper body rotation had improved significantly since I had last seen her and I had improved the range of motion in my hips but there was still loads of work to be done.</p>
<p>She recommended a variety of exercises to strengthen my core and hips and some training drills to help me tackle the overstriding and heel striking. So for the last week and a bit I've been doing lunges, side steps, side planks, spine curls and a whole variety of other strengthening exercises as well as drills like single leg butt kicks, single leg high knee and carioca.</p>
<p>Unna emphasised ensuring that I give my body enough rest in between training sessions to recover so I've cut the number of days I cycle to and from work to twice a week. I've also made the decision not to run anymore than 8km in a single session until I've weeded my problems out.</p>
<p>After just a week and a bit I have noticed a massive difference in my running. I feel much stronger and I'm definitely hitting the ground with softer feet and with more of a bent knee whereas previously my leg was almost completely straight. I haven't done any video analysis to confirm it, but I also feel that my landing leg is collapsing less in my stride and that I'm landing more under my body rather than way out in front of my body.</p>
<p>On Thursday I ran week 2 of the Spring Corporate Challenge Cup which is a single lap time trial of the The Tan. I felt great and noticed that my action was a lot less violent on the downhill sections. I felt much more in control and there was noticeably less stress on my legs and knees. I ended up running a 16:04, just 6 seconds shy of a PB. Despite the persistent drizzle, the conditions were perfect for running and the rest of my running team mates all posted either PB's or a time that was faster than week 1 which should put us in good stead for the most improved team category which is the title we took out for the Autumn season just passed.</p>
<p>So progress seems to be on track. I've got another session with Unna today so it will be interesting to see whether I actually have improved and what work remains to be done. I'm hopeful that as of this week I can return to some real distance running. There's not much time left now for the Melbourne Marathon!</p>The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-42893117194199398612013-09-01T00:13:00.002-07:002013-09-01T00:34:45.097-07:00Coburg Half Marathon Race Review<p>I had penciled the Coburg Half Marathon into my race calendar a while ago and had originally intended to use it as a training run leading up to the Melbourne Marathon. However, after the congestion that I encountered at <a href="http://www.thejangulator.com/2013/07/run-melbourne-2013.html">Run Melbourne</a>, I started seeing this race as a chance to smash out a new PB in the half category. Organised by the Coburg Harriers Athletic Club and run along the Merri Creek trail, this was an event that would draw no more than a hundred people and so offered a chance to tear up the track without fear of being impeded by slower runners ahead. Alas it was not to be so, and various issues which I had been experiencing in the weeks leading up to last Sunday, reared their ugly head on race day and meant that I recorded my first ever DNF, a very deflating experience.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Coburg Harriers Entry Sign" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQH7R7pETs188CD_fed7HRhM_88SDEIMRiuKz5N15H6EPSKhSPCSKkHDVuuWE-BC1pFhBFpRhRiP2SvP3TQI2FricycOlMCkLUmqnm8EjGeoDf3mT2fOiW7GHWoMgWeSFlSdHnUmO_Hco/s1600/CoburgHalfMarathon2013_sign.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back to the Coburg Harriers for the Coburg Half Marathon. Unfortunately it wasn't to be a happy return!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a name='more'></a>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Coburg Harriers Half Marathon 2013 start" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsWDnVcJj1oLJPgPZGu6EAw-tIs7gQEL3PZUbKf2Gvb-GI0IJ4xdL0BWoVJaYijuCnx0VsjKMkpaznz7EfBMAtgTEb4dnWHabkR4c4_QC0kRm8SZY-ZL3Q40jgz2Y3M1qGI2gzBfHYdM/s1600/CoburgHalfMarathon2013_startline2.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the start line for the Coburg Half Marathon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>So what happened? Let me start by explaining my pre race ailments. A couple of weeks before I had pulled up sore in my attempt at my longest training run to date. About 16km into a 32km run, after coming down a sharp hill, my right knee stiffened up to the point where I decided to stop to avoid possible injury. It was my ITB flaring up again. You see I am an overstrider which means I generally land on my heal and in front of my body. This puts enormous stress on the knee joint and the muscles that support it. On flat tracks I'm usually ok, but on rolling tracks my legs really struggle. When coming down hill, the stress on my knees is amplified because I run downhill in a very uncontrolled and, from the point of view of my legs, in a very violent manner. Its not a pretty sight!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Running in the Coburg Harriers Half Marathon" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yuph45z6yonhay-ZK9M9yrq5qaYpypp_vZ0sZSDmRHA809KC7Eo-zY21LxbXeqt_PhBZ5dOFLbqXW9nlTR_w5sBrBUAE3CFeb9EdFZn4wrXPsdG9qTO_GHLl8QznCeSqoAqB7CNqd7c/s1600/CoburgHalfMarathon2013_downhill.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can clearly see my overstride and heal strike as I run downhill.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>This action was also causing soreness in my left quads and I could see that it would be extremely difficult to complete a marathon with this action. My running mate from work volunteered to video me so we could see my form in action and sure enough we could see the extreme overstriding and heal striking at work. It was as if I was bounding from one leg to another and you could also see my landing leg collapsing under my body through the gait cycle. It was time for a change in running form.</p>
<p>At this time I probably should have gone back to my friend Unna at <a href="http://www.panaceamm.com/">Panacea Movement Medicine</a> (see my article <a href="http://www.thejangulator.com/2013/08/why-all-runners-should-see-exercise.html">Why Runners Should See an Exercise Physiologist</a>) right away and seeked the professional advice that I've recommended to other runners but instead I tried to remedy things myself using research on the internet. Evidently, this didn't quite work out and now I'm further behind where I wanted to be in terms of my running schedule.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4SdD95sdCh75680W9s3zL39K6X97db5veWS02xynk36V9xpKOGnosHE0AcI891EBWiU2KMVcdG25N-3Lwt_VWaAi5XUvOd7vpKAmMbZf7lRPKWaFWSiRl9MuuLxOMtCTS1i_56XfBAg/s1600/CoburgHalfMarathon2013_Runtastic.JPG"><img border="0" alt="Coburg Harriers Half Marathon 2013 Run Map" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ul8HsaPZUk6peVVzdOeCpu_FBFgcSIRpC6XdncLkq6JAqaUtWKOLh_omt-V6c3JG24h_J6Azp1hKD9GY4FU9EWwTpAuliPTTcLcp49IAevNsr_Z_zqV-PG7tBzxweKOPPFOHX9yd1Ww/s1600/CoburgHalfMarathon2013_Runtastic_small.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My run as tracked by <a href="http://www.runtastic.com">Runtastic Pro</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I had started focusing on shortening my stride and increasing my cadence. This has the affect of causing your feet to land under the body and reduces overstriding. It worked for the first few kilometres of the Coburg Half Marathon, however as my legs and hips tired, I started reverting back to overstriding. At around the 10km mark, halfway through the course and on track for a PB, I came down the hill from the top of Coburg Lake Park. My heals were hitting the ground hard in front of me and soon after reaching the bottom of the hill my legs were feeling so sore in so many places that I decided to stop and avoid the possibility of injury. My calves were burning, my left quad was really sore and my right knee was starting to seize up again. My legs just could not take the violent assault that my bad running style had thrown at them.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Running in the Coburg Harriers Half Marathon" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIW7ckFbopEJj1L6sr7cgoUBbgceRYDT1x5Fzc_OGAdQCKaeuLvKo_GQv8sjTD_O-u7DH_Q19i9udv_kZkJ5s-HuQ14HY84Enhj0puwF-Q0lA92yjbf_38-22kHr9jCAE_mTftLJDKzk/s1600/CoburgHalfMarathon2013_goingstrong.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought I was running strong but you can see my legs collapsing under my body here. This was just before I had to stop.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Luckily the course is 2 laps and at the 10km mark I was only a short walk back to the finish at the Coburg Harriers club house. I trudged the few hundred metres back as people who had previously passed now passed me.</p>
<p>I was really bummed. I had never previously failed to finish a run, let along stop in a run. I made it across the finish line with an unused energy gel in my hands in a time of 51:06 which was still good enough to finish 7th in the 10.5km race. The half marathon turned out to be quite competitive in the male category. The winner did it in 1:21:29 and 19 out of 36 runners completed the course in under 1:40:00.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Coburg Harriers Half Marathon 2013 trophies" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGJ5z9z9gfU56a_HhdZVqr9CVc6w3GqvWzyUmQcprbtncEwMDXXAD976W-z6zGcD6TIWJpYUq-Ie3aXtBpV2GLE8GbPl1hLFGSGbkl0phQMzDQdJrqtDCFKCx8TujxuEqOhy4b0x_zmk/s1600/CoburgHalfMarathon2013_trophies.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trophies which went out to the place getters.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Afterwards I got myself home, applied some ice and started the recovery process. I paid a visit to Unna at <a href="http://www.panaceamm.com/">Panacea Movement Medicine</a> during the week and she gave me a whole set of new exercises to further strengthen my core and legs. The next few weeks will be critical. I'm still holding out hope that I will be able to run the Marathon but it will all depend on whether I can get my form right and avoid injury. No one said it would be easy, but the journey continues!</p>The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-18936176149345731882013-08-22T04:56:00.003-07:002013-08-24T14:33:59.116-07:00Why Runners Should See an Exercise Physiologist<p>I recently managed to finish my first half marathon in a time of 1:39.28. A fantastic effort considering that 8 weeks prior to the event I was struggling with an injury that was causing sharp pain in my right knee and I thought my chances of being able to complete the full distance were shot. It turned out I had Iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome, commonly known as runner's knee. Thankfully I went and saw my friend Unna Goldsworthy, an Exercise Physiologist at <a href="http://www.panaceamm.com/">Panacea Movement Medicine</a> in Carlton, and within a couple of weeks of following her recommendations the injury was history!</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>So how did Unna get me back on track for my first half marathon and why would I recommend that every serious endurance runner go to see an Exercise Physiologist? The key is the holistic approach that Exercise Physiologists use to assess each individual.</p>
<p>Previously I had seen a Physiotherapist for a couple of other injuries. He always focused on the injury rather than the root cause physiological issues which were at play. It seemed I was going from one injury to another every couple of months.</p>
<p>It actually turned out that all these injuries were related! Unna's approach was to not only examine the ITB but to look for broader issues by performing a more holistic physiological examination. She observed my running technique and put me through a series of tests to look for the problem which caused the injury in the first place.</p>
<p>What she found was a lack of flexibility in my left hip and a lack of strength in my glutes was causing ITB syndrome in my right leg! My right leg was been overworked during the run cycle to compensate for the deficiency in my left. Because my glutes were not particularly strong they would tire quickly and start causing stress on my ITB.</p>
<p>During a run, it was at about the 12km mark that the pain in my knee would start and quickly become unbearable. It was a stiffening sharp pain and was happening because the ITB had become inflammed to the point that it was rubbing against the femur at the knee joint.</p>
<p>This is actually a common condition amongst runners. Fortunately the fix is pretty straightforward and just requires stretching and strengthening exercises for the core and legs which Unna gave me plenty of. She also introduced me to the foam roller and spiky massage ball, invaluable aids for the serious endurance athlete! Within two weeks I was comfortably running in excess of 12km with no pain and went on to have a successful debut half marathon at Run Melbourne.</p>
<p>So I would recommend anyone experiencing a running related injury or wanting to improve their running technique to go and see an Exercise Physiologist. The good people at <a href="http://www.panaceamm.com/">Panacea Movement Medicine</a> come highly recommended so give them a go!</p>The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-85026061738918941242013-08-15T05:59:00.000-07:002013-08-15T06:01:37.428-07:00Asics Kayano 19 Shoe Review<p>It was love at first sight when I laid eyes on my Asics Kayano 19's. The 19th incarnation of one of Asics' flagship running shoes would have to be the sexiest structured running shoes on the market! Without even having tried them on I knew that these were my new running shoes. Luckily they fit even better than they looked!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Top view of the Asics Kayano 19" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrjN-jEnJw4m2milKpnkLw8-HF3kZ0_xoV21UFzu-BhXAYaZiYd3O0l1ZQl_sxpiLynsrkCeISrZWELeZEx8nrEwWqW_ZhIL60X2MuI0T_j_WOL7ptaPhupdUCBkvMi7XE7RBoP9hizY/s1600/asics_kayano_19_top.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a great looking shoe!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a name='more'></a>
<p>My shoes are a white upper with orange and blue sole and blue Asics tiger trademark overlay. Asics have an extraordinary variety of colours and designs available for the Kayano 19's but mine is certainly my favourite. How cool do they look! The only drawback is the white upper gets dirty easily so I avoid running in these shoes in very wet conditions.</p>
<p>I was recommended the Asics Kayano's by the good people at Active Feet in Prahran. Initially they put me in a pair of the new Brooks Adrenaline's however I found them too structured which led to anterior shin stress. Thankfully Active Feet have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee and I was able to swap the bulky Adrenaline's for the much lighter and better looking Kayano's.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Rear view of Asics Kayano 19" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2rs3GnvGnay_bCoTZrs1Kbh1rQIubRm_5r6SWWqBeKe38V9mlM0AtEMeJKSMUX8ohtum20m24SbWM0AYK4Zcmyh5laMqgq8Y9cn3k2nTpvUtCxV3aOTj36AZElzv0mj3m-dsdWl0hck/s1600/asics_kayano_19_back.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A clean pair of heals showing the Asics IGS badge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The Kayano 19 is a structured running shoe built using Asics' Impact Guidance System (IGS) design philosophy which, according to Asics, aims to "encourage the foot to perform in a more natural manner". It has moderate pronation control and its ample heal cushioning makes it a good match for a heal striker like me. I've now done more than 480km in these shoes and they still provide excellent cushioning in the heel thanks to Asics' GEL technology. Support is provided by the Dynamic Duomax medial post and the remainder of the sole is made up of Asics SoLyte foam material which helps keep the shoe extremely light.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="Asics Kayano 19's sole" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECUtM5OBYq_unQKvyuVCNogohcOeRXyShA_Lcx-ceJMVMB4JwSXXT4uf2AYFW7Zv0_Ppn9-BEduSH2nSKd_baPC6zXhCgq6weat3dVBNTrqGIrSf3keqkfl-5pVHI56X5FUOPr_DNzqg/s1600/asics_kayano_19_sole.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clean fresh sole of a new pair of Asics Kayano 19's.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The tread on the heel is composed of AHAR+(Asics High Abrasion Resistant) material and is remarkably resilient. Even after 480km it has shown very little wear. On the other hand, the forefoot tread is made of a much softer compound and has exhibited significantly more wear with some of the grooves in the tread almost disappearing completely.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" alt="The sole of my Asics Kayano 19's after more than 480km" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RBsg9CEXLRiE2iO1X6QYhIEUdfVFxtTprIMMt6RUMvAHzDeYRaLG77bTaNI0KAjwBtX9hX-meYNRJLcUIhCvKfT1lFkolHGFcNX572Y_vWxH84uWdynEXujkRw-gNH4SCV_N2kvfkro/s1600/asics_kayano_19_sole_450k.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wear on the sole of my Asics Kayano 19's after more than 480km.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The shoe upper is of very high quality and very well designed and constructed. It utilises a breathable mesh and provides a firm and extremely comfortable fit. The Asics tiger trademark overlay is particularly impressive, providing support and adding to the great look of the shoe.</p>
<p>All this makes for a fantastic running shoe which I would happily recommend to anyone that needs cushioning with moderate pronation control. They have certainly handled my volume of running extremely well and I will be buying another pair very soon. Luckily there's plenty of colour options to choose from!</p>
The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-8208840497935716972013-07-27T19:22:00.001-07:002013-07-27T19:40:50.242-07:00Training for the Melbourne Marathon (3 month Marathon Training Plan)<p>The <a href="http://www.melbournemarathon.com.au">Melbourne Marathon</a> is now less than 3 months away on Sunday October 13th. I've just finished the Run Melbourne half marathon and can run the half marathon distance fairly comfortably in under 1:45.00. This is my plan for getting to the next level of distance and hopefully will allow me to crack a very aggressive race time of 3:15.00.</p><a name='more'></a>
<h2>Program</h2>
<table class="TJTable">
<thead class="TJTableHeaderRow">
<tr><th class="TJTableCell"></th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Mon</th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Tue</th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Wed</th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Thu</th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Fri</th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Sat</th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Sun</th></tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="TJTableRow">
<td class="TJTableCell">Week 1<br/>22nd July</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Rest</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Interval/Hill<br/>45 mins</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Long<br/>Run 22km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Rest day</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Rest day</td>
</tr>
<tr class="TJTableRowAlt">
<td class="TJTableCell">Week 2<br/>29th July</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Interval/Hill<br/>50 mins</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Rest</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Fast Long Run<br/>16km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Swim 750m</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Long Run<br/>28km</td>
</tr>
<tr class="TJTableRow">
<td class="TJTableCell">Week 3<br/>5th Aug</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Interval/Hill<br/>50 mins</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Fast Long Run<br/>18km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Swim and<br/>Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Long run<br/>32km</td>
</tr>
<tr class="TJTableRowAlt">
<td class="TJTableCell">Week 4<br/>12th Aug</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Interval/Hill<br/>50 mins</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Fast Long Run<br/>20km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Swim and<br/>Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Long run<br/>36km</td>
</tr>
<tr class="TJTableRow">
<td class="TJTableCell">Week 5<br/>19th Aug</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Interval/Hill<br/>50 mins</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Long Run<br/>30km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Swim and<br/>Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Coburg Half<br/>Marathon<br/>21.3km</td>
</tr>
<tr class="TJTableRowAlt">
<td class="TJTableCell">Week 6<br/>26th Aug</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Interval/Hill<br/>55 mins</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Fast Long<br/>Run 24km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Swim and<br/>Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Long Run<br/>40km</td>
</tr>
<tr class="TJTableRow">
<td class="TJTableCell">Week 7<br/>2nd Sep</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Interval/Hill<br/>60 mins</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Fast Long<br/>Run 24km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Swim and<br/>Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Long Run<br/>44km</td>
</tr>
<tr class="TJTableRowAlt">
<td class="TJTableCell">Week 8<br/>9th Sep</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Interval/Hill<br/>60 mins</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Fast Long<br/>Run 24km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Swim and<br/>Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Long Run<br/>44km</td>
</tr>
<tr class="TJTableRow">
<td class="TJTableCell">Week 9<br/>16th Sep</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Interval/Hill<br/>60 mins</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Fast Long<br/>Run 24km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Swim and<br/>Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Long run<br/>44km</td>
</tr>
<tr class="TJTableRowAlt">
<td class="TJTableCell">Week 10<br/>23rd Sep</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Interval/Hill<br/>55 mins</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Fast Long<br/>Run 20km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Swim and<br/>Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Long run<br/>38km</td>
</tr>
<tr class="TJTableRow">
<td class="TJTableCell">Week 11<br/>30th Sep</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Interval/Hill<br/>45 mins</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Fast Long<br/>Run 15km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Swim and<br/>Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Long run<br/>32km</td>
</tr>
<tr class="TJTableRowAlt">
<td class="TJTableCell">Week 12<br/>7th Oct</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Recovery<br/>Run 5km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Slow<br/>Run 8km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Rest</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Slow<br/>Run 8km</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Rest</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td>
<td class="TJTableCell">Melb<br/>Marathon!</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br/>
<h2>Long Run</h2>
<p>This is the meat of my training and on any given week in my schedule, this run will compose about 50% of my running volume. The long run will get the distance in my legs required in order to complete the marathon. I'll progress from the half marathon distance to 44km before tapering. My goal is a time of sub 3:15.00 which will require an average pace of about 4.30 per kilometre on race day. During my long run I will run 20-30 seconds behind target race pace and will push to race pace from the 5km to go mark before backing off again for the final kilometre.</p>
<h2>Interval/Hill Training</h2>
<p>Up until now I have been running separate interval and hill training sessions but in order to fit an extra long run to my schedule I've decided to combine these sessions. I work on St Kilda Road and my office backs onto Fawkner Park which provides the ideal track for this type of training. Most of the park is completely flat and ideal for interval training but there is a hill of about 300m in length rising up to Toorak Road. My session involves doing laps of Fawkner Park which include this hill in each lap.</p>
<p>I start the session with a 10 minute warm up at a pace of 5.10 min/km. I then run at my maximum heart rate for 1 minute followed by running at race pace (4.30 min/km) for 1 minute before dropping back to 5.10 min/km for the next 3 minutes to allow my heart rate to recover. I'll repeat that 5 minute sequence for the duration of my session and finish with a 5 minute cool down. If I find that my heart rate is not recovering in the 3 minute rest period then I just increase the rest period. If I'm on the hill during an interval then my aim will be running the hill to as close to race pace as possible.</p>
<p>The aim of this session is primarily to increase my speed by increasing my anaerobic fitness. This is handy for the last couple of kilometres of a race when you want to really push it home and need to put your heart rate into the red to do so. It will also improve my ability to push up hills.</p>
<h2>Fast Long Run</h2>
<p>I've added an extra long run to my training week which will be of a higher tempo than my main long run. The aim here will be running consistently close to race pace and adding distance. In order to fit these runs in around my regular working and family life without too much complaint from the wife, I'm planning to run to work once a week.</p>
<h2>Recovery Run</h2>
<p>The long runs will cause a build up of lactic acid in the legs and its important to reduce this build up in order to aid muscle recovery. Stretching and applying ice or cold water within an hour of the run are vital. The next day, going on a short, slow recovery run will get blood flowing into the muscles and will help clean out the lactic acid.</p>
<h2>Cycling</h2>
<p>Being a fair weather cyclist, I cycle to work and back (around 18km each way) every day as long as it's not raining. For this time of year in Melbourne, that's usually 2-3 days a week, which gives me about 70-110km a week. I ride up the famous Anderson St hill on my way to work which gets my heart rate pretty much maxed out on my single speed bike. It's a good workout and a great way to start the day. Plus it's free training time because I have to get to work somehow and it turns out that cycling is at least 10 minutes faster than the alternatives so I save time too!</p>
<h2>Swimming</h2>
<p>I'll continue to do one swim session a week. It's triathlon off season but swimming is a great exercise for toning the entire body and increasing aerobic fitness. It's zero impact so my knees and feet appreciate the break from hitting the pavement and it does wonders for the shoulders and back. I swim about 750m in a single session.</p>
<h2>Strength Training</h2>
<p>As a runner, cyclist or triathlete strength work is still important. In particular, having a strong core improves your posture and is important for general fitness and well being. Exercises like sit ups, pull ups, push ups and dips are the key here. I'm lucky enough to have a local park which has free outdoor gym equipment and do a quick 20min core strength workout focusing on my back, abdominals and upper body. You could do the same with some playground equipment like monkey bars.</p>
<p>However some of the most important strength exercises for a long distance runner will focus on the legs. Strengthening leg muscles such as the glutes, ham strings, quads and calves will help you stay injury free as you increase running volume and can also help improve running form.</p>
<h2>Taper</h2>
<p>The last 3 weeks before race day I will be tapering my training. Tapering is reducing the training workload prior to an event in order to ensure your muscles get a chance to recover after a long period of steady training. This will help maximise your performance on race day. If you don't taper, it will be far more difficult to run at levels beyond your normal long run pace. Tapering also gives your body a chance to build up the key glycogen stores which provide an important source of energy for endurance events.</p>
<p>So that's my training schedule in the lead up to the <a href="http://www.melbournemarathon.com.au">Melbourne Marathon</a>. I'm confident it will get me to my goal of completing my first marathon in under 3:15.00. We'll see come October 13th!</p>
The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-80876867615916444962013-07-25T18:51:00.001-07:002013-07-25T18:51:09.828-07:00Run Melbourne 2013<p>Sunday morning at 7am was too cold and too dark to be doing anything let alone going for a run. Yet there I was, lined up with 6500 other hardy Melbournians, waiting for the start of the Run Melbourne half marathon with the temperature at 6°C. Fortunately the forecast showers had not materialised and the sky was completely clear giving us perfect conditions for a run.</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>Run Melbourne is a must do event on the Melbourne running calendar and is certainly one of the biggest events participation wise. The organisers also offer a 10km and a 5km option but with one eye on preparing for the Melbourne Marathon in October, the half marathon was the only option for me.</p>
<p>This would actually be my first crack at the half marathon distance in race conditions. I had been looking forward to this test for a while and had done some serious training in the lead up. My aim was a time of sub 1:41.00.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJ8i82sInkAu7U1gCVUf0thvmtV0HJT2OkQFyTLSVQBSlGhhU1cqV5uoDnuhZvCKMbduLztW8cJmXXCv7qeP8gsb22AsAqHlZ7GTVLo94xYtbf99bfn4RSgtQfnj7b_VNuxyW4v8qL0E/s1600/WaitingForTheStart1RunMelbourne.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runners huddled and waiting for the start.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The race started in front of the Arts Centre just before Princes Bridge. I got there a little later than I had planned after doing a 1.5km warm up jog from where I parked my car near the Domain Interchange. Already there was a huge queue of people corralled behind the start line. I was hoping to get into the wave for those attempting to run sub 1:45 but ended up well back from there.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsa1ozqm-K5pFz8gGJfocQ5HzGvnxkuURIxXRv-hAZE6P8D8xedHgHhMVKkf8LdRIQ1taj_S2CGPCYykf4g06wF75_4f_TUIcUO8ILsoOWRZZHaVd5c4HnLB34MWEdkSja-EkNuFbLHM/s1600/WaitingForTheStart2RunMelbourne.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a view from the start line!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Luckily everyone was fairly tightly huddled together and this helped keep everyone warm. Even so, I was glad I had decided to wear an extra t-shirt on top of my running top. I'm a pretty heavy sweater, so I was conscious of not overdressing but did not want to be uncomfortably cold before the run got started. Plenty of other runners had brought old jumpers or jackets to wear while waiting and then discarded them before the start. This is a fairly common strategy and the organisers collect the thrown away clothing for charity.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnI_gPUzK7n8uODKJYL7dhe6psAxR2Sn5MdDnWk3B2Kd0GjLEyLylFdttVv1EsS9FbRT7Ar1xr96R0qaUs5yYxnLIT5z6HJqENMdkmAO00NQbf163a-sJJr0Hwj3XE5adGiYGZYWXdyU/s1600/MarvelSuperHeroRunMelbourne.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How do super heroes manage to run a half marathon in those outfits!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>This year there was a super hero theme and there were plenty of runners dressed up as their favourite super heroes including this guy. How they managed to run a whole half marathon in such an outfit I'm not too sure. I wonder if they trained in the outfit before the event!</p>
<p>The PA announcer did a fantastic job of keeping everyone's spirits up while we waited. Eventually we got going with the elite competitors starting off first. By the time I made it to the start line, the earlier runners had already completed the small loop around Flinders Street and through Southbank.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOegMSMvZwOsNhOF-ksQZn9GMgumiR_sQbrGuTXh_1_Q2vqjTowjJi5Ovsj2JzwfMNqKt9KHPsxdpA8vxkII123NI7G6VU-VNnaqA00cBuWW3L4A87V-PSk6oN4J9VsFlOz80cTaI2sb4/s1600/WaitingForTheStart4RunMelbourne.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arts Centre in a sea of runners.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Finally, about 10 minutes after the elites had gone, my wave was through and I was running. By now, the Sun had risen over the eastern horizon and illuminated the city. Its amazing how beautiful everything looks in the soft light of dawn!</p>
<p>The course started off down Princes Bridge and turned left into Flinders Street. It became immediately apparent that if I was going to have any hope of clocking the time I wanted, I would have to do some nifty overtaking with many slower runners in front of me. The field was pretty tightly packed so this wasn't easy and I had to be very careful not to run into anyone.</p>
<p>At Queensbridge we turned left and then headed through Southbank. There were plenty of people having breakfast in the cafes watching the endless stream of runners go by. With all the street furniture in place in Southbank, trying to overtake other runners was a bit like running through an obstacle course.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5zsvfS-quPjnCAyfEAcLHrChHAWp7x16zWegkGW0w7aSYgoHNchv6iWoSfP92jY3SQfgsf70K5gpwGttRUjJjJuMD-yk9wq33zH6CI7BbXuZFQ4XzP9KjCk1twKrbxcdq1YFBLLyl_g/s1600/OnTheCourseRunMelbourne.JPG" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In full flight on the course.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>After passing under Princess Bridge we looped back onto St Kilda Road and headed south. Getting onto the wide open road of our most famous boulevard was a huge relief and made the job of overtaking much less fraught with danger. I started pushing hard to get back on track.</p>
<p>The PA announcer was still doing his thing but was now set up near the corner of Linlithgow Avenue and St Kilda Road. He was talking non stop, pumping up the runners as they passed by and calling out runners by name thanks to the fact that every runner's name was printed on their race bib. As I approached I pointed at my name and got a mention and a high five.</p>
<p>The monumental Shrine of Remembrance soon came into view as we ran alongside the familiar surrounds of The Tan running track. From here we went onto Domain Rd and then back onto St Kilda Road for a small section in front of Melbourne Grammar before eventually looping back onto Domain Rd.</p>
<p>I was finally warmed up enough that I could take off the extra t-shirt. My initial plan was to throw it away but I ended up wrapping it around my hand so I could use it after the finish to keep warm.</p>
<p>Next came Anderson St hill. It normally strikes fear into the heart of Melbourne runners, but luckily we would be tackling it going down rather than up. I accepted the free gift from gravity with joy! Going on the outside of the field, I leaned forward and overtook as many of the runners in front of me as I could. I was feeling pretty good by now and just wanted some clear space in front of me so I could really open the gas.</p>
<p>Unfortunately the clear space never came. Despite all the runners I had already overtaken there was still many, many more in front of me and most of them seemed to be going slower than me. I kept getting held up by slower runners blocking my path. I think I would have traveled at least one kilometre in side ways motion as I tried weaving in and out of other runners!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEunnCoAcHVXZOn1b5SHzCiFMUBGruAYn4qluyBAI-u2ii1pIpZfRzUpdunKOBC2IhaJbMt-qafUmOUoGskQVwjRwvFZES-kJ4zSLKID48Q3zo5oaxQ9msnVt18e7Bz4z4wDRpksfhqvk/s1600/RunMelbourne2013_RuntasticMapLarge.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcLoRpUG548wx9rYI-JpW4CNtCXCoqRFoN2Qdb61PrxWXmpPdjfsGJaplhfV_MTKHRI8UMET64dv4GczyvtQjG83ircTnOoufvPmsM5xkVYbDhn-LBx9tWpykhqhwpAKWabIinE5oORI/s1600/RunMelbourne2013_RuntasticMapSmall.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The course map thanks to Runtastic Pro which I used on my Android phone.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I was on a two gel strategy and tucked into my first gel heading toward the drink station on Alexandre Ave at the 8km mark. I quickly washed it down with a gulp of energy drink and pushed on.</p>
<p>From Alexandre Avenue we turned left onto Morell Bridge to cross the Yarra and then left again to run along the bike path that hugs the north bank of the Yarra. This part of the course was the most frustrating. The bike path was only a couple of metres wide and left no room for overtaking so I was constantly held up while waiting for a chance to pass slower runners.</p>
<p>Eventually I made it onto the open expanses of Batman Avenue and crossed the halfway point of the run. After crossing the pedestrian bridge between the tennis precinct and the MCG the course headed over to Flinders Street and into the city.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ei6a7s6XUz2qtoV8e8R6jTnnw1bphuQCdOunU2LP0a4q71bjkbSY-cvjx6fy5zjUMOWgO0rpcD3i0moF8B4CX7hEDcoDs_AMhOUILa7ksHj3Oox9bcBMCfA0XvcWDpy-3DfbOcbF64E/s1600/RunningRunMelbourne.JPG" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running strong.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>This part of the course was by far my favourite. Running on a city road which is normally full of traffic was so cool and the spectators lining the course cheering us on made it extra special. I started to rise to the occasion and upped my speed a notch. As I passed Federation Square and Flinders Station I made sure I soaked in the atmosphere and my surroundings. It was the one point in the race where I wish I could have stopped and taken some photos of the event. But I had a PB to set!</p>
<p>After crossing Princess Bridge the course basically repeated around The Tan. I had my second gel at the Domain Road drink station about 17km into the run. Once again I used gravity to my advantage and pushed hard down the Anderson Street hill. From about the 18km mark I was still feeling great so I opened up the gas and just went for it. For the last few kilometres I was pulling sub 4.30 kilometres.</p>
<p>I finally crossed the line at the finish in Birrarung Mar in what turned out to be an amazing official time of 1:39.28. I couldn't believe how quickly I had run, especially considering how congested and slow the course had felt at times.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVN54oL-9DRTfJqCtO8CNW1QARkF6UfUtvT01imiFEsPauxWR_hndorgbZHyqV0x7_I5tqN7dxozQIiQ68qSOplx3tVtI1kszICXKedyfhmZS-HlpjxKfRoh1NbrjpKM6uzXhWbXiKEbI/s1600/AtTheFinishRunMelbourne.JPG" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the finish line in 1:39.28.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>This was probably the first event where I had come home strong right through to the finish line. Amazingly I felt like I could have kept going which left me thinking that I should have made my final push home at least a kilometre earlier than I did. At least there's loads of potential for improvement for my next half marathon in August!</p>
<p>The passage out of the finish was very well organised. We got a bottle of water, Dextro energy bars and an Age branded bag with the Sunday Age inside. There was loads of tents set up alongside Federation Square, including a Dextro tent where I grabbed some energy gels. It was a beautiful sunny morning so rather than going straight back to my car I walked around soaking in the atmosphere of the race village.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzI-z5ukqNp8e5QRT6jC7QckaB0tKfUkglHwijY-yopeWteiF7bB-MDuvZA97_u_j0CsDnyJlChwYmt7NaKa_5GleBD-5hyKd-IH-7cgo_AJa5qq378wJhgy9Q4XqqYjrsrRoTLXJGGIs/s1600/RaceVillageRunMelbourne.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tents along the race village near Federation Square.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>On reflection, Run Melbourne turned out to be a fun event although the often narrow course and the large number of runners made it a fairly slow course. The volunteers were fantastic and enthusiastically cheered on the runners and the organisers did a fantastic job with drink stations and music nicely spaced throughout the course. However I think they need to tinker with the course to eliminate sections on narrow paths. All in all it probably wasn't as enjoyable , or as scenic as Run for the Kids but its definitely a run worth doing as you don't get too events of this scale in Melbourne. You'll see me back again next year, hopefully running an improved course!</p>The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-11503571104869483902013-06-09T18:57:00.000-07:002013-06-10T03:34:19.124-07:00Finding the Right Running Shoe with Active Feet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<p>Back in March this year I decided it was time for a new pair of runners to replace my well aged Asics Gel 1100's. I had done quite a bit of research into how to pick the right runners for my feet and worked out that it wasn't actually that easy. There are so many running shoe brands out there, each making a range of shoes which suite different feet. But perhaps the most difficult bit is working out what type of feet you have and what type of shoe is right for your feet. I decided I would enroll the help of experts in my quest. My triathlon mate, Adam, recommended I look at <a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a>, a chain of shoe stores which have podiatrically trained shop assistants. I gave them a go and after a bit of a journey I'm very happy with the shoe I am now running in.</p><a name='more'></a>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/puBio5hgkM4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a> experience.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Every runner's feet and biomechanics are unique. When running long distances, any weaknesses in these biomechanics are exposed and can lead to issues which limit performance or cause injury. Having the correct running shoes can help correct biomechanical issues such as pronation of the feet by providing the support and cushioning that your feet require. This will reduce your risk of injury and will make you a better runner. Buying the wrong shoes can actually have the opposite effect by exacerbating any biomechanical issues.</p>
<p>As an endurance runner, this makes your running shoes the single most important piece of equipment you will buy. So it's worth spending a little bit of extra time, money and effort in finding the right shoe. That's why I decided to try <a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a> rather than going into a general sporting goods store.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a> have stores in Prahran, Heathmont, Camberwell and Sandringham. They stock running shoes, walking shoes, trailing running shoes, football boots, tennis and netball shoes from a range of brands including Asics, New Balance, Brooks, Nike and Saucony. But the most important thing that <a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a> offer is a free podiatric analysis in order to prescribe the correct shoe for your feet and activity.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHdQWDrSo56LapCfCE71PODH1_-XY0aKJGxRTvWvlRWrkahW5eUiGBtetgOefBV7TiLXCNhg9a3umPnwH3Nceo_WLXlGItGR_fvSSgT-YcXpu6BBo5nMmvRSeu1SmyfOe9jYko17iV10/s1600/Inside+ActiveFeet+Prahran_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the shoe range at <a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a> Prahran.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The assistant's at <a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a> are all either qualified podiatrists or are senior students currently training to become podiatrists. So they know feet! You don't need to make a booking and the assessment is absolutely free with no obligation to buy the shoes they recommend. The shoes are generally a little on the expensive side compared to other running shoe stores generally, so you pay a premium for the service they provide but I do think it's worth it as they will put you in a shoe that's right for your foot. You could easily walk away after the assessment and buy the recommended shoes for much cheaper online but if everyone did that then stores like <a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a> would not exist and the Melbourne running community would be much the poorer. It's definitely worth supporting businesses that go the extra mile and provide a service worth paying for!</p>
<p>I tried out their store in Prahran. They start the assessment off by asking questions around how many kilometres you currently run a week, how many kilometres a week you intend to run in the future, the type of events you intend to run, the surfaces you run on, any running related injuries you are suffering or have suffered from and of course your budget. My budget was up to $220 which meant the majority of the shoes they offer were an option.</p>
<p>I would suggest you bring your current pair of runners in and wear comfortable clothes that you can run in. They can tell a lot about your foot by examining the wear on the sole of your old runners. I brought in my old Asics and the assistant got me to run with them on the treadmill. They have a camera just behind the treadmill so you can see the back of your legs as you're running and she quickly pointed out that I was an overpronator. This means that my foot strikes the ground on the outside of my heel and then rolls inward more than a normal pronator. My foot then pushes off with the inside of my forefoot using mainly my big toe and 2nd toe. That explained the wear marks on the inside of the forefoot of my Asics.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Gt_R8bt425fF74QSxSEWMAfHwNdjtP0GV7tjvItmR8WSLI_oQ643BBB91G7Y73iI15E4_0clwaEk2P2pSVhUlE_NuT2yEHJQB3GaY-sHMuGQGtbZzMvJGIyzL_KTID7CPAcFlitiTnk/s1600/ActiveFeet+Prahran+treadmills_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The treadmills at <a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a> Prahran.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Overpronators require stability control shoes that reduce pronation. The assistant pulled out some shoes that fit the bill and got me to run on the treadmill with each pair. One of them felt ok when I put them on but were terrible on the treadmill. The <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/Adrenaline-GTS-13/110129,default,pd.html">Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13</a> were the last pair I tried. I got onto t treadmill and the assistant pointed out how much more stable my pronation was. I went for a run around the block and I couldn't believe how different they felt to my old Asics. It was like running on cushions and I was sold! I bought them for $190 which included a 20% discount because I was running the Run for the Kids.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1jJ1uUIpVbnUFnFHu065JfM9zpblDMYtvl9BaSz8F3BRYt7JZjt9-IN1qJriIlkEJ0d_eeIi2NrODL4vOA_1E2RT7aprWO_tVwhUQISczUT1Uyp0GymjvUBAQF5D3Qhoaf2x_fR1nxM/s1600/Brooks+Adrenaline+GTS+13_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13 initially recommended by <a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>For the next few weeks I tried wearing them in with some slow runs of about 4-5km. However I noticed that once I started increasing my pace that I would get anterior shin splints in my left leg. I switched back to my Asics and did the same run at the same pace and there was no problem. However with the Adrenaline's I would start feeling anterior shin pain every time I stepped up the pace. I made up my mind that the new shoes were the problem.</p>
<p>Luckily <a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a> back up their advice with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. They will exchange the shoes during this period regardless of wear. I went back to Prahran and went through the issues I was having. They put me back on the treadmill with the Adrenaline's and pointed out that they looked like they were doing the right job for me. However they suspected that maybe the Adrenaline's were too much of a departure from what my feet had become used to with the Asics Gel 1100's. So they brought out a pair of <a href="http://www.asics.com.au/footwear/running-shoes/gel-kayano--19-m">Asics Kayano 19's</a>. They offered less support than the Adrenaline's and so were closer to what I had with the 1100's. They felt great on the treadmill and on the pavement. These would be my new shoe.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FgX3wt7KML2o4m4hR5pkd5Ks5MgE5s8Et8HKH4Cz8Kf1jSP3aVvW7S8kVACNp_3ktrjXOZCWEbp_KMM3gJ7XWrA_qsxEUubCSyL0QG-pUsd26mmGPVvrchX4urRlz00ddHJG0g8YmYs/s1600/IMAG1068_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love my <a href="http://www.asics.com.au/footwear/running-shoes/gel-kayano--19-m">Asics Kayano 19's</a>. Thanks <a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>They got it spot on with the Kayano's. I did suffer some slight anterior shin soreness during the wearing in period but it was nothing compared to what the Adrenaline's were causing. I've now run over 100km in the Kayano's and I can honestly say they are the best shoes I've ever run in.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a> were really sympathetic to my situation and the staff genuinely wanted me to be happy with my shoes. This is why you pay the premium for their shoes and in my case it was well worth it. The Kayano's were more expensive than the Adrenaline's so I had to pay the difference of $20 but there was no other charge involved.</p>
<p>So they might not have got my shoes right straight away but my experience with <a href="http://www.activefeet.com.au">Active Feet</a> has been an extremely positive one. I would recommend them to any runner who is not sure which shoes they should be buying. They genuinely want to put you in the best shoe for your feet and their staff have the expert podiatric knowledge to enable them to do this. All this is backed up by their 30 day satisfaction guarantee which gives you great piece of mind.</p>
<p>So if you're unsure whether you under or over pronate or whether you need a lot of support or more cushioning, give them a go at least once and get into a pair of shoes that will be the right fit for your feet. Happy running!</p>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-31256216983979662292013-06-08T02:00:00.000-07:002013-06-08T02:01:59.107-07:00Training for Run Melbourne - From 10K to 22K in 7 weeks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<p>Now that the <a href="http://www.thejangulator.com/2013/06/king-queen-of-north-2013.html">King and Queen of the North</a> is out of the way it's time to start training towards my next event, <a href="http://www.runmelbourne.com.au">Run Melbourne</a> on the 21st July. This will be my first event at the half marathon distance so my primary aim is to complete the distance without having to walk at any point. My secondary aim will be finishing in a time of less than 1:41:00, giving me an average pace of 4.45min/km. This is how I plan to do it!</p><a name='more'></a>
<h2>Program</h2>
<table class="TJTable">
<thead class="TJTableHeaderRow">
<tr><th class="TJTableCell"></th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Sun</th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Mon</th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Tue</th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Wed</th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Thu</th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Fri</th><th class="TJTableCell" width="55px">Sat</th></tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="TJTableRow"><td class="TJTableCell">Week 1<br/>9th June</td><td class="TJTableCell">Long Run<br/>10km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Rest</td><td class="TJTableCell">Interval<br/>45 mins</td><td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td><td class="TJTableCell">Hill<br/>5km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Swim</td><td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td></tr>
<tr class="TJTableRowAlt"><td class="TJTableCell">Week 2<br/>16th June</td><td class="TJTableCell">Long run<br/>12km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Rest</td><td class="TJTableCell">Interval<br/>45 mins</td><td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td><td class="TJTableCell">Hill<br/>5km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Swim</td><td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td></tr>
<tr class="TJTableRow"><td class="TJTableCell">Week 3<br/>23rd June</td><td class="TJTableCell">Long Run<br/>16km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Rest</td><td class="TJTableCell">Interval<br/>45 mins</td><td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td><td class="TJTableCell">Hill<br/>6km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Swim</td><td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td></tr>
<tr class="TJTableRowAlt"><td class="TJTableCell">Week 4<br/>30th June</td><td class="TJTableCell">Long Run<br/>20km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Rest</td><td class="TJTableCell">Interval<br/>45 mins</td><td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td><td class="TJTableCell">Hill<br/>8km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Swim</td><td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td></tr>
<tr class="TJTableRow"><td class="TJTableCell">Week 5<br/>7th July</td><td class="TJTableCell">Long Run<br/>22km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Rest</td><td class="TJTableCell">Interval<br/>45 mins</td><td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td><td class="TJTableCell">Hill<br/>10km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Swim</td><td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td></tr>
<tr class="TJTableRowAlt"><td class="TJTableCell">Week 6<br/>14th July</td><td class="TJTableCell">Long Run<br/>20km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Rest</td><td class="TJTableCell">Slow Run<br/>6km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Strength<br/>Training</td><td class="TJTableCell">Slow Run<br/>6km</td><td class="TJTableCell">Swim</td><td class="TJTableCell">Rest</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br/>
<h2>Distance Run</h2>
<p>Right now I'm treating ITB (Iliotibial band) syndrome in my right leg so I'm limited to running up to 10km per session for the next 2 weeks. Once that's sorted I'll go from 10km to a maximum of 22km before I taper for the last 2 weeks before Run Melbourne. I'll be doing these runs at a pace range of 5.15 to 5.25 minutes per kilometre. The main aim here is to get my legs used to the distance and to build my aerobic fitness.</p>
<h2>Interval Training</h2>
<p>During the week I run one interval session and one hill session. For the interval session I warm up for 10 minutes at a steady pace of 5.30 min/km. I then run at my maximum heart rate for 1 minute followed by running at race pace for 1 minute before dropping back to 5.30 min/km for the next 3 minutes to allow my heart rate to recover. I'll repeat that 5 minute sequence four times for a total of 25 minutes before doing a 5 minute cool down. If I find that my heart rate is not recovering in the 3 minute rest period then I just increase the rest period. The aim is to increase my speed by increasing my anaerobic fitness. This is handy for the last couple of kilometres of a race when you want to really push it home and need to put your heart rate into the red to do so.</p>
<h2>Hill Training</h2>
<p>Hill training serves two purposes. It gets your legs used to running up and down hills, which you'll encounter in various degrees on any serious run, and the hill climbs push you into the anaerobic zone which will again help increase your race speed. I run a particular undulating course which contains hills of various lengths and degrees of difficulty. I start off with a 1 km warm up and run at a comfortable pace. For the first few weeks I'll run about 5km but I'll steadily increase this to 8km before tapering.</p>
<h2>Cycling</h2>
<p>Being a fair weather cyclist, I cycle to work and back (around 18km each way) every day as long as it's not raining. For this time of year in Melbourne, that's usually 2-3 days a week, which gives me about 70-110km a week. I ride up the famous Anderson St hill on my way to work which gets my heart rate pretty much maxed out on my single speed bike. It's a good workout and a great way to start the day. Plus it's free training time because I have to get to work somehow and it turns out that cycling is at least 10 minutes faster than the alternatives so I save time too!</p>
<p>Whether or not I cycle to work does not affect my running schedule. Quite often, I'll cycle home and change into my running gear and do my speed or hill training. That should put me in good stead for my next triathlon season!</p>
<h2>Swimming</h2>
<p>I'll continue to do one swim session a week. It's triathlon off season but swimming is a great exercise for toning the entire body and increasing aerobic fitness. It's zero impact so my knees and feet appreciate the break from hitting the pavement and it does wonders for the shoulders and back. I swim about 1km in a single session.</p>
<h2>Strength Training</h2>
<p>As a runner, cyclist or triathlete strength work is still important. In particular, having a strong core improves your posture and is important for general fitness and well being. Exercises like sit ups, pull ups, push ups and dips are the key here. I'm lucky enough to have a local park which has free outdoor gym equipment and do a quick 20min core strength workout focusing on my back, abdominals and upper body. You could do the same with some playground equipment like monkey bars.</p>
<p>I also perform some basic strength exercises and stretches for my legs. This will help avoid some of the common running injuries such as ITB syndrome which I'm suffering now because I haven't been stretching my glutes!</p>
<h2>Taper</h2>
<p>The last 2 weeks before Run Melbourne I will be tapering my training. Tapering is reducing the training workload prior to an event in order to ensure that muscle glycogen levels are allowed to build up for race day. If you train too hard in the week leading to an event, you won't give your muscles a chance to build up the key glycogen stores which provide an important source of energy for endurance events.</p>
<p>So that's my training schedule in the lead up to <a href="http://www.runmelbourne.com.au">Run Melbourne</a>. I'm confident it will get to my goal of completing my first half marathon and get me a great time of under 1:41:00. We'll see come July 21st!</p>
</div>
The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-27397448929711865932013-06-02T05:24:00.000-07:002013-06-02T05:25:21.747-07:00King & Queen of the North 2013<p>The King & Queen of the North, held last Sunday, was a fun run I had been looking forward to for a long time and it did not disappoint. It had been more than two months since my previous event at the <a href="http://www.thejangulator.com/2013/03/run-for-kids.html">Run for the Kids</a> in March so I was really eager to get out and see how much improvement the last two months of training had given me. <a name='more'></a>
My aim for the race was an average pace of 4.40 per km which would put me on a total time of about 56 minutes. This was also the first fun run I was doing with my youngest brother. We've been training together since the summer so my secondary goal was to pip him to the post and ensure bragging rights.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWq_ndV4re0NHdfv5UrwxXhC_OdihdriOzTYRpJ6VPZuqqzNkt00i3s8BB6424bREjQZTs-ovADZKUza4Ife6gKrIK2Q4taMc5QZR5LyAAM_b2kGoOGEYX2WQVQkI6fw0I70ax13H9qKY/s1600/KingAndQueenOfTheNorth2013_Trophies.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trophies up for grab for the King and Queen of the North.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The run was organised by the <a href="http://www.coburgharriers.org.au">Coburg Harriers Athletics Club</a> and it started and finished at their Coburg base, the Harold Stevens Athletic Track. The Harriers were formed in 1896 and are a club with a proud history and tradition. They can count 21 international representatives over the years and 8 Olympic representatives including the 1500m gold medalist at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Herb Elliot, and multiple silver medalist Raelene Boyle.</p>
<p>The current club house was built in 1971 but inside it's walls are adorned with pennants and trophies as testament to the club's history. They different versions of the club uniform from over the years starting with the original 1896 version to the present day version.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrW7HsXDUb3_u490ZAam1tP6O0J-NZk16iiQM3i8vBJv3Ad5WdEKiC8mpGZPhyzTQAXci5B0WmbBUX79o3qFs-MjXb-ytifg5ltIZ-a5X89h9_kal-UlzHlbz-lgSKMYx1yImRnIQIyE/s1600/CoburgHarriersClubHouse_TeamUniforms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrW7HsXDUb3_u490ZAam1tP6O0J-NZk16iiQM3i8vBJv3Ad5WdEKiC8mpGZPhyzTQAXci5B0WmbBUX79o3qFs-MjXb-ytifg5ltIZ-a5X89h9_kal-UlzHlbz-lgSKMYx1yImRnIQIyE/s1600/CoburgHarriersClubHouse_TeamUniforms.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the old Harriers uniforms on display in their Coburg clubhouse.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>We arrived, with my wife for support (and to take some great photos!), at the Harriers club house about 15 minutes before the scheduled start and picked up our race numbers. I signed us up online back in March and I must have been the first entrant because I was given number 1 and my brother got number 2. What a privilege to wear number 1 in a race!</p>
<p>The race had a very different feel to it compared to any event I'd competed in before. The field was tiny at about 50 strong and lots of the runners knew each with a large percentage probably affiliated with the Harriers. There was no sponsors' tents, the race numbers were hand written with Texta on white paper, the race timing was not automatic and there was no free sports drink at the finish. However there was tea, coffee and biscuits and a team of physiotherapy students waiting to massage tired legs at no charge. There was a real community feel to the event which I really enjoyed and which will definitely bring me back again.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtarz5JbXzXtiVSsPZLfo1yVjqx-0OJQfMtQJln4spo919lEvmsyP_YeYDwArZ5i8ovVHxz2O-TzrKl5UhK3nwIsz4ALt4UdrqiOi2F4ppvfMvYud7-neBEQCVY6pcAEanxuCPoZEertI/s1600/CoburgHarriersClubHouse_PreRace.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Competitors assembled in the Harriers clubhouse before the run to hear the course details.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>At 9am everyone went out on the athletics track for the race start. A mate of mine from work, Stephen, was also running the 12km so I knew quite a bit of the field! It was a mild overcast morning and it wasn't raining so we had ideal race conditions.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYMCeBKUS038sGH7v0XB3l5Fs4pQ9YtD_xOpQJBexhGc4LzgitOIeXK0p2aY0LcR2YBEZPOjZre3Pkuw6u8ZDdWkLn_ze1pIrLLChamiIEn6FbK3Bsy80-ytOutdfrQ5dpaWJdPB5Urs/s1600/KingAndQueenOfTheNorth2013_WaitingForRaceStart.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the race to start on the athletics track.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>We took off along the athletics track and then cut across to the Merri Creek trail heading south towards Bell St. The trail is a typical recreational paved bike path so its not particularly wide. I spent the first few hundred metres overtaking some of the slower runners in front of me, careful to avoid running into cyclists coming down the trail in the opposite direction. After a kilometre the field had spread out considerably and you could run at your own pace unhindered.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghRNYWhPcK5-WoreFE1sq-aTJV7q03YL7KhoeShaMW3nGQ58aQK_fd_wE2B9P-ZjlNHE5B4OR9qv8K3e4Py2pjZvDM9SKk_-3lr09s3Z-PVI1fjvUepomD8wvDKAuKLxeYvbcg8g8_Kc/s1600/KingAndQueenOfTheNorth2013_RaceStart.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And we're off!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>My brother and I use the Merri Creek trail as our main training ground so we were very familiar with the course and knew where we could kick in the gas with ease and where we would have to be more conservative. Even though the trail hugs the creek, its actually quite a rolling course with some short and sharp climbs and descents making it a tough test.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FIPQD8VRwSwIQJXWZtF3qHNul6W6TK0q-0jT1usY6bQFDAbwE27kHZCQDZIPlmHjg4popXYvu08Tu8QwAsRfMc5a1XDHTVXI_X2BmEiqJqcM03P3nW3AnpNgbBUosJjNb8JtuWNf6c0/s1600/KingAndQueenOfTheNorthCourseMap_2013.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The course map as recorded by Runtastic Pro.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>There were volunteers at each turning point to guide the runners with the first turning point coming almost 2km into the race at the Harding Street Bridge. From here we headed back the way we came, north back towards the start. After passing Murray Road the course turned west towards Coburg Lake and then north along Golf Rd. This section was the bit that I found toughest. It was basically 500m of climbing from the trail up to the end of Golf Rd before turning east onto another section of trail towards Edgars Creek. At Edgars Creek the course turned back again and thankfully from the top of Golf Rd all the way back down to Merri Creek it was free speed going downhill. Then we headed back onto the athletics track to complete one lap of the course.</p>
<p>Entering the track would have been a great feeling for the 6km runners but for me and the rest of the 12km runners it just meant we were half way there and now we had to do the whole thing all over again. There was a volunteer with cups of water just after the turning point, but unfortunately no sports drink. I did get a cheer from the spectators as I came through the track, with the loudest cheer coming from my wife. Plus being number 1 I think I got special attention. My brother was only about 10m behind me at this point but was beginning to struggle with a bit of stomach cramp.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9N8SEvQAnxpQsnIOyoLbqx9ZjEi1NarENkvH88dS2p4luB3kBLzSrvK88hdspPaPxt6bKVQZuPvZNdxcFKuJ29kycIwRFH3ApvrcGq1XCJ_6k-GSzcQp0gwsi55ClIOHqiYorN2LcVQ/s1600/KingAndQueenOfTheNorth2013_LapOneDone.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back onto the track to complete the first lap of the course.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66-gTsfAiLlMurIamMdCqKrSDrVKgXuKMYXW0oJGJ5n96Xk-2v3JMiLHuKJ6NEOhPlns3TrvM__NKpQumYPjn0B_v-ez9yPxAUWKP90nKOD7GZ14pkIySK-PaVLyZseP2udnEBTuIB0w/s1600/KingAndQueenOfTheNorth2013_DrinksStation.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The smallest drinks station I've ever seen! 6km to go.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>This was my first race where I had to do multiple laps of a course and psychologically it was difficult knowing that I had to do the whole course all over again. In this race, I would be covering every part of the course four times!</p>
<p>A large number of runners must have been doing the 6km course because there was less runners about on the second lap. I knew there was a number of guys in front of me but I was reasonably certain that I was close to the top 5 and that helped me maintain my pace even when I started feeling sore part way through the 2nd lap. For the last 2km I didn't have much left in the tank but came home as fast as my knackered legs could carry me.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovtC51DAPI7bfXlbcqdVQcncQZb9tw3Ay3IPqoDUmZJFgDm2Xczbw9vLFwWluuuSC5fEnscCisf1AC-0zesuxVNFUe8MjfP_NLDCSAwJb2rvAJHstokBR_xdsFkEjl0HrBaM7lbfMTuM/s1600/KingAndQueenOfTheNorth2013_TheHomeStraight.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The home straight!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>This time coming onto the athletics track was a huge relief. I got another cheer as I came through the finish in an amazing time of 55:50. That put me under the 4:40 average pace I was targeting and gave me my fastest average pace for an event so far.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyemB28cq5ofkNTjHtruWyiLrOTKcuKWkB4X9Un_eNOy5zKfjDDeSb8clvfx9UO9QpvcumT8jwAEiD00rbPUvllau2EXmSLhR1c_h90iIdVGtQJmDetqH1RyAjj9WXUX6xldman8ouw44/s1600/KingAndQueenOfTheNorth2013_RunningHome.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming in strong to some great support.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGUrNeCps-mwoHhKDhiKt8YJ_h73iOWbdJ51klWC-tqov_awbW5ml4bUMEkLVXCXMn7vq9PJ8xuQvYAGiZWf3KzQ99FMGLgAZksLHDtfDnm960uAbFZF_4jC0woSlxmJ-CVnFt1IVWxc/s1600/KingAndQueenOfTheNorth2013_AtTheFinish.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Across the line in 55:50 and a new PB.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>I placed 4th which was a real surprise! The winner came through at an incredible 42.32 and my mate Stephen finished 2nd by more than 6 minutes. My brother crossed the line a few minutes behind me at 58:14 in 8th place. I had bragging rights but that was an incredible result considering this was his first fun run!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNswX8VtskoGLSG_pXsyFyl7kRK-An4e_ycP9FpBiw-cWQRJYv190t_kn1XUB4inMENW-onvrmm0b6aDw-GZDAqjahpSKpMz7PCAfGX9A8x0HGomcxINdo2UnHP0Lhh2iJ078azO8P98/s1600/KingAndQueenOfTheNorth2013_Massage.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My quads get a well earned massage from one of the physio students who were on hand after the race.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Afterwards my quads got a well earned massage in the club house and we hung around for some biscuits and water while the stragglers from the 12km event trickled through. Finally there was an awards ceremony and the top 3 for each category got a trophy. The King and Queen of the north were crowned! Again, something you don't see in the major running events!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYLDCzELFvOG0XanbTM2hsrcqcil-tVIOJMV3DLkOFP08VooIW-768OwFGFX7222SnrWHTxA5f8Lpyg6lbhX_2Fm491EANovBBLvaYur_vRP8ubYc_Ey7klCEDufMlIOfkV36KSfyHdU/s1600/KingAndQueenOfTheNorth2013_ThePlaceGetters.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 12km place getters. From left to right, Geoff Wheeler (53.05), Stephen Moore (48.56) and the King of the North, Dion Finocchiaro (42.32)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>So all up, King & Queen of the North was a fantastic event and the $18 entry made it the best value fun run for the year. The Harriers are a great club and gave the event a real honest grassroots community feel. I will definitely be back again next year to try and sneak into the top 3 and can't wait for the <a href="http://www.coburgharriers.org.au/joomla1/content/view/57/">Coburg Half Marathon</a> in August.</p>
<p>If you want to see more of the photos my wife took from the event, visit <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thejangulator/sets/72157633709034043/">The Jangulator on Flickr</a>.</p>
The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-8047906386108181872013-05-17T05:05:00.002-07:002013-05-18T00:33:20.767-07:00Garmin Forerunner 910XT Super Deal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<p>In the market for a new GPS watch? I just came across an unbelievable deal on the <b>Garmin Forerunner 910XT</b> from the folks at <a href="http://www.clevertraining.com">www.clevertraining.com</a>. They're offering the world's premier GPS multi sport watch for $299 without a heart rate monitor or $337 with. <a name='more'></a>That's the cheapest I've ever seen the 910XT and represents a discount of over $100 from the RRP! In Australia you would be lucky to get the 310XT at that price. Click <a href="http://www.clevertraining.com/p-8082-garmin-forerunner-910xt.aspx?aid=120018820000002718&ref=shareasale&CAID=2eae74a2-2cde-4d7a-a719-7a916cf75c60&cainstance=509ea258">here</a> to see the deal.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr class="tr-caption-container"><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.clevertraining.com/p-8082-garmin-forerunner-910xt.aspx?aid=120018820000002718&ref=shareasale&CAID=2eae74a2-2cde-4d7a-a719-7a916cf75c60&cainstance=509ea258"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwfX7aWOzpVCPEbTJT9pNRIhsVgNSbBui_jsTCzoSahc0zX1JudvN2P2RhLR-Vm4HJRg0xMPoZZ28tSYOybkh1S7-YsR810WmkBd4v7pdhUoa5uyajZLCg3xqcUsJhCP0wot5dhLlYhQ/s320/GarminFR910XT.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The advertisement for the Garmin Forerunner 910XT at <a href="http://www.clevertraining.com">www.clevertraining.com</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>The 910XT has the reputation as the best GPS watch option for triathletes. Check out this amazingly thorough <a href="http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/10/garmin-forerunner-910xt-in-depth-review.html">product review</a> from <a href="http://www.dcrainmaker.com">www.dcrainmaker.com</a> to see why. It makes you realise what a bargain it is for $299!</p>
</div>The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562226441229978327.post-12504082018494865312013-05-04T02:09:00.000-07:002013-05-04T16:37:30.103-07:00Safely Commuting by Bike at Night<p>Too often recently I've been seeing (bad choice of words) invisible ninja cyclists cruising past me in the dark during Melbourne's evening peak. If performing covert operations on bike paths and roads is their objective then they are certainly successful. But if, like me, their aim is to get to their destination safely then they are seriously testing their luck.</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>Last night, I nearly ran into one of these rogue cyclists when they appeared out of nowhere along an unlit section of bike path. They had no lights, no reflective gear and were wearing dark clothing. A very bad combination! I didn't see them coming towards me until they were less than 5m away and luckily I just managed to avoid them at the last moment. Not only was this guy a danger to his fellow cyclists but also a danger to himself. If fellow cyclists struggle to see you, imagine how difficult it would be for cars!</p>
<p>The key to riding safely at night is to be seen and to always assume that other road users have not seen you. Riding defensively is also very important. As a cyclist you are the most vulnerable road user and so you need to take extra care compared to other road users. Here are my tips for riding safely at night.</p>
<ul>
<li><b>Use lights and reflectors: </b>The most important accessories on your bike are your lights. Always have a front head light, rear light and tail reflector. Not only will these make you easier to see but they are legally required and you risk getting a fine from the police without them. Its worth paying a bit more for good quality lights with high visibility.</li>
<li><b>Set your lights to flash: </b>Human eyes are sensitive to movement so a cyclist with flashing lights is much easier to see than one with steady lights. Flashing lights also identify you as a cyclist to other road users and they will take extra care as they approach you. If you need a steady headlight to illuminate the path in front of you in dark areas, its probably worth having two lights with one set to flash. Be careful to point the steady light downwards so that you don't blind fellow riders traveling in the opposite direction.</li>
<li><b>Wear reflective gear: </b>I've got reflective straps on my backpack and also tied onto the front and back forks of my bike. I've also got reflective panels on my pedals. When a car's lights shine on me, they'll see me from a reasonable distance away.</li>
<li><b>Wear bright clothing: </b>It's much easier to see someone in a bright yellow top than a black one.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2No6U58WErLc0Dwm50K7NSAWCRDEoeZdi7ay2L7GPa8-vRiALmfT0mvkKTM4pv24aPCwqnO7CHsLD4yYUhpI_edd5dQRt2bve7cjhRBpifrTw_TnTrBcQXqgSs8nukCqvXNQTkV04r4/s320/harrier_rear_view_night.jpg" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My bike is all ready for night time riding.<br/>Front lights, rear lights, pedal reflectors and reflectors on<br/>the front and rear of the bike are clearly visible.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>General cycling safety tips</p>
<ul>
<li><b>Wear a hemet: </b>Not only is this legally required in every state of Australia but helmets also do a damn good job of protecting your head if you get knocked off your bike. I've come off my bike a few times over the years and have almost always bumped my head. Even a slight bump can give you a nasty headache or worse so its worth putting up with helmet hair to protect your head.</li>
<li><b>Slow down: </b> The darker it is, the less visibility you have of hazards on the path in front of you. Riding slower gives you a better chance to avoid broken branches, broken glass and other debris. Not to mention other hazards such as cars and pedestrians!</li>
<li><b>Indicate your turns: </b>Whenever you're turning left or right make sure you indicate. I'm also in the habit of doing a head check to see if there's a cyclist about to pass me. I have been the victim of an accident where I ran into a cyclist who turned right without indicating or doing a head check while I was trying to overtake them.</li>
<li><b>Get a bell and use it: </b>One lesson I learned from that accident is to use my bell when overtaking other cyclists or pedestrians. I do this all the time now. I do get some looks, especially from pedestrians, but it helps make sure that the person I am passing is aware I'm there.</li>
<li><b>Follow the road rules: </b>Follow the road rules and ride in a predictable and safe manner. Don't weave in and out of traffic or change direction suddenly.</li>
<li><b>Don't listen to music while riding: </b>It's important that you can hear whats going on around you in order to be able to avoid hazards. This includes other cyclists ringing their bell and cars around you.</li>
<li><b>Avoid busy roads: </b>This is not always possible because there may not be a viable alternative path but where there is use it!</li>
</ul>
<p>Remember, be seen and stay safe. I hope that helps all you ninjas who want to come out of the shadows!</p>The Jangulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046303867740768197noreply@blogger.com