tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69698006369744780402024-03-14T01:03:46.033+08:00Pound The Streets - Journey to Sub-20 5K!A Running Blog20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-38531554365586321082016-03-05T22:53:00.001+08:002016-03-05T22:53:47.846+08:00Parkrun - 22:18, weight the same at 77.2kgNo surprises here. Same old weight. Good first km at Parkrun, 4:03, but faded badly to 4:41 in the fourth km. Need to get the weight down and get up earlier on the Sat morning (was up at 7am which is pushing it).20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-4849711187910915292016-02-27T11:33:00.003+08:002016-02-27T11:33:48.842+08:00New PB at Parkrun - 22:13<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Managed 22:13 at this weeks parkrun, weight no change from last week, 77.2kg. It was really warm too, in the high 20s at 8am. Poor week of training. I've managed to improve each week over the last month of Parkruns which is pretty pleasing. Just need to slowly improve my training and sort my diet out.</span>20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-69859655541312757082016-02-21T09:29:00.000+08:002016-02-21T09:29:16.350+08:00Missed Parkrun - damn!But never mind, I went out for a "speed session" hehe, I kind of make it up as I go along. 3km warm up then I ran 1km in 4:15, followed by a walking recuperation for a good few minutes, 'cos that did take it out of me. Then another 500m-600m at 4:15 pace. Before heading home. Running the 4:15 showed me there was no way I could maintain that pace over 5km, although that is a goal I must aim for.<br />
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My weight on Sat morning (20/2/16) before breakfast was 77.2kg. This is a drop of 5.5kg (12lbs) since April last year. Goal is 72kg. Don't think I've been that light for 20 years!20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-56740258077482949292016-02-16T21:57:00.003+08:002016-02-16T22:01:42.108+08:002016 Goal - Sub 20 min 5k!Time to get serious! At my local 5k Parkrun I can do it in around 22:30. That's 4:30/km pace. To achieve sub 20 I need to get to a fraction under 4:00/km pace. It's gonna be tough, no doubt about it. My current pace already kills me, so I'm going to need to get in some serious training.<br />
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First goal this weekend will be to see if I can hit 4:25 pace, which would give me a race time of about 22:05. That would be a big PB for me. I will use my old Garmin 405 which has a Virtual Partner function - you set the pace you want to achieve and it tells you how far ahead/behind you are.<br />
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As well as training I need to lose some weight. I'm currently 78kg, which is down from 82kg last year. That's still too heavy though. According to <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/whats-your-ideal-weight-find-out" target="_blank">Runners World</a> if I lose 5lbs my 5k time could improve by 30 secs. Lots of assumptions in that article though. I would like to achieve 75kg which is a 6.6lb loss.<br />
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I'll try and do the same Parkrun most weeks to gauge my progress. I'll also post my weight to see if there is any correlation.<br />
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By the way I am 48 this year...yikes!20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-60458215267621829222013-08-03T19:34:00.000+08:002013-08-03T19:34:11.871+08:00218km in JulyHighest total all year, pretty pleased! <br />
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About 4 weeks till C2S marathon, no injuries in training so far. Feeling unsure about the 4hr target, a consistent 5:40 per k over 42.2k feels slightly out of my reach at the moment. Only one more long run of 32k scheduled next Sun, then taper. Looking forward to it :-)20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-86107217188237316452013-06-23T18:57:00.001+08:002013-06-23T18:57:27.809+08:00Decided to enter Perth C2S MarathonOne of those spur of the moment decisions, I have 62 days to train :-) Race is on Aug 25th.<br />
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This week was my first 40k+ training week of the year. Very pleased. Goal for the marathon is sub-4 hours. I have done marathons before, both in 2009, the Perth Marathon and the C2S. So I do know the C2S course and I know the second half is hilly. It's a tough nut to crack. My time in 2009 was 4:20, so I'm hoping for a 20 min PB this time round.<br />
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20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-76883204706982698562013-06-20T22:19:00.001+08:002013-06-20T22:19:45.366+08:00Trying to get to 40km per weekI think my running is finally coming together. If I can get to 40km a week I think I will be good enough to attempt some 10k races, maybe the Joondalup 10k in August. If I can do 4 x 5km in the week (5k lunchtime runs) then that leaves 20km to do split across Sat and Sun. Pretty much the only way I can do the Sat/Sun runs is first thing in the morning, which is hard in the winter when it is still dark at 6:30am.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9A0V6VLBjJsWLN3vJNE2Zwv6ntm3DwpLqey9QBIAz5xyl-rYu4sGcNzVenoZwOTubW063nmK1kpH4DN9oykmWEgvpn-oYUGkxoN5OMjoaOR0rUPl1F71FWNOUr5xo7gkhZvwg5IRbe4/s1600/30daychart.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9A0V6VLBjJsWLN3vJNE2Zwv6ntm3DwpLqey9QBIAz5xyl-rYu4sGcNzVenoZwOTubW063nmK1kpH4DN9oykmWEgvpn-oYUGkxoN5OMjoaOR0rUPl1F71FWNOUr5xo7gkhZvwg5IRbe4/s320/30daychart.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The chart above shows my 30 day totals. Lots of peaks and troughs, if I get to 40k a week it should steady at the 160km line.<br />
<br />20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-31440011928297927622013-01-17T21:05:00.000+08:002013-01-17T21:05:03.350+08:00Good start to the year9 runs so far this year, with the last 4 on successive days. No injuries. Hoping to get up to 40km a week soon.20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-79373311299477901812012-07-22T18:38:00.000+08:002012-07-22T18:38:30.162+08:00Asics Run for Gold 10kmI've done this race twice before, around the beautiful Swan river in Perth.<br />
Started off well enough, 1km at 5min/k pace and then around 4:45 for the next 6k. I felt great but unfortunately I felt a dull throb in my right calf. I knew it wouldn't be getting better and sure enough, it turned into a regular pain at around the 8k mark. I managed to keep going but it was painful and I finished in 48:06, my worst time for this event.<br />
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I need to improve my endurance, so my long runs will be increasing each week. Only hitting 12k at the minute, which is no good if I want to race 10k.20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-54227304733496443302012-07-18T19:36:00.001+08:002012-07-18T19:36:29.712+08:00Long time, no updateI'm still alive!
Very little running over the past year due to life problems *sigh* but all good now. Have a couple of months of training behind me and looking forward to the Asics Run For Gold 10k this Sunday.20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-68130896792295244622010-09-05T10:03:00.001+08:002010-09-05T10:03:37.964+08:00Can still achieve sub 5 min/km in training, just :-)<p>Over 10k, but it’s bloody hard work! Actually didn’t help by not warming up…first km took 5:55 which meant I had to do a lot of 4:55 ish to get the average down. Pleased that I could do the last km at 4:20 pace and finished the last 200m at 4:06, which is a sprint for me! </p> <p>As an aside, I will be attempting to improve general fitness as well, so have decided to follow the <a href="http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/power90.do">Power 90</a> workout. This is by a bloke called Tony Horton who is slightly more bearable than the usual American dvd trainers. Usual claims of body transformation in 90 days which I take with a grain of salt. If that works out I can try the <a href="http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/best_sellers/p90x.do?tnt=P90X_SHAKE_B2&code=P90XDOTCOM">P90X</a> program, where the X stands for XTREME!!! because obviously, that’s what I am ;-p Hehe we’ll see!</p> 20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-36836166669489277372010-07-25T20:40:00.001+08:002010-07-25T20:40:20.944+08:00Run for Gold 10k – 45:30<p>One of  my favourite WAMC races, this 10k crosses 2 bridges, Graham Farmer and the Causeway. It also passes my new work office just off Canning Highway. Conditions were excellent and I knew I could push quite hard as I felt good, just had a banana for brekky. I was hoping for a PB but the headwind along the river after 8km did for me. I was pleased that I sustained an average 4:30 pace including a fast 4:17 finish which saw me reel in a bloke from about 200m in front of me! I like finishing fast but maybe I need to use some of that pace earlier on?</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pTo2UTtiPIQ/TEwwrYXq9sI/AAAAAAAACe0/EvZv0I_kVhI/s1600-h/Capture%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Capture" border="0" alt="Capture" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pTo2UTtiPIQ/TEwwsjPNwYI/AAAAAAAACe4/es-KcGwpvEs/Capture_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="384" height="215" /></a> </p> <p>I couldn’t beat last week’s PB, but am still pleased with the 45:30, my fastest on this course.</p> <p>I love stats, so here’s my progress over 3 years at this race:</p> <table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="456"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="77"> <p align="center"><strong>Year</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="83"> <p align="center"><strong>Time</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="85"> <p align="center"><strong>Place</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="114"> <p align="center"><strong>Place in Age Group (M40)</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="95"> <p align="center"><strong>Total Competitors</strong></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="77"> <p align="center">2008</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="83"> <p align="center">49:44</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="85"> <p align="center">151</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="114"> <p align="center">18</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="95"> <p align="center">325</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="77"> <p align="center">2009</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="83"> <p align="center">46:39</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="85"> <p align="center">116</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="114"> <p align="center">19</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="95"> <p align="center">338</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="77"> <p align="center">2010</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="85"> <p align="center">45:30</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="89"> <p align="center">97</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="124"> <p align="center">11</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="118"> <p align="center">341</p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>So not a bad progression, interesting that a 3 min improvement in 2009 still saw me slip a place in the age group!</p> 20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-81421021969091793542010-07-22T20:35:00.001+08:002010-07-22T20:35:04.744+08:0010k Joondalup WAMC Road Race – New PB!<p>Beat my 10k PB by nearly 2 mins to go sub 45 for the first time, at around 44:48 according to the trusty Garmin. I was really pleased with this race as I started out strongly after a proper warm-up, doing the first k in 4:33. My slowest split was at 8k where I slipped to 4:40 but 9km and 10km were done at 4:15 and 4:10, my 2 fastest kms! So I was happy that I had plenty of reserve to steam home. The conditions were lovely and cool which helped a lot. Also, I played swapsies with another guy who really pushed me the whole way, but I pulled away from him in the last km, which was very satisfying :-)</p> <p>I did no real training for this, running only once in the previous 10 or so days. A case of less is more?</p> <p>Oh yeah, I did most of the running on my forefoot (pose running) which I think accounted for the speed. Unfortunately my calves took a hammering and I could barely walk for the next 2 days with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)!</p> <p>As usual Roberto Busi won the race in 30 mins or something ridiculous, and is this years State Champion.</p> 20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-80437906151883388302010-04-29T20:28:00.008+08:002010-04-29T21:02:24.926+08:00Forefoot strike, big toes and piano progressI'm experimenting with a new running style, were you land on your forefoot instead of your heel. I think it's called "pose" running. There is lots on the net about it, supposedly it is more natural. However as I discovered it can really bugger your calves as it puts a lot of strain on them. The first time I tried it I hobbled for 4 days! Although I land on the fore foot my heel touches down briefly very quickly afterwards. This brief touchdown gives the calves a split second of relief. If you don't do that (i.e. heel never touches ground) you will very quickly tire the calves.<br /><br />It's odd to do because you have to consciously think about it. But eventually it does become second nature. I find I can now alternate between heel striking and forefoot striking as required, to give my calves a break.<br /><br />I've found that forefoot striking encourages a more efficient running motion and therefore is speedier. When I switch back to heel striking I feel "clumpier" although it is more relaxing. I reckon my times have improved using the technique, probably taking off 15 secs per km over 10k compared to a few months ago.<br /><br />As an aside, does anyone else find that their big toe wears a hole in the top of their trainers?! I've had 3 pairs of Asics and each pair has the same hole where my big toes have rubbed right through the material on the top. They do fit me perfectly though. Weird.<br /><br />Finally, I've been learning piano for about 6 months and I can now play stuff that doesn't sound like a retarded gorilla. I've spent a few weeks trying to learn Mozart's Minuet in F which Wolfie wrote when he was 6. And <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpy9Fw3C-No">here's anothere 6 year old playing it on Youtube</a>. Gah!<br /><br />Here's a gratuitous pic of my piano (it's a digital one). It's even got dinky pedals so I can pretend I'm a real Liberace.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEnuOT0GRQ4s3712xIM5Jn1vMEG8QLT4aDkZV4BeiUaG6oSZyu-y4_FaO2888PGQFbOesHuBwIWcseV67CiWjb-qTiCub2kg_kdCYY9hX7rD2w2-aJehULSUy63rXs5Z_J7TAuA7EzJU/s1600/IMGP0098.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEnuOT0GRQ4s3712xIM5Jn1vMEG8QLT4aDkZV4BeiUaG6oSZyu-y4_FaO2888PGQFbOesHuBwIWcseV67CiWjb-qTiCub2kg_kdCYY9hX7rD2w2-aJehULSUy63rXs5Z_J7TAuA7EzJU/s400/IMGP0098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465542846600468098" border="0" /></a>20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-62196639584180659622010-04-11T20:46:00.002+08:002010-04-12T20:22:28.127+08:00Synergy Gallipoli 8km – 36:42<p>A beautiful morning. Dragged the whole family down for a 9am start at Kings Park. There were 2 new dinos in the park which the kids noticed straight away. I was feeling good and quietly confident I could beat last year’s time and go sub 38mins. Said to hi to Lou, who was doing the 4k.</p> <p>Once again a very moving bugle call of the Last Post, as we stood in silence at the start line with the gentle breeze rustling the trees that were planted in memorial of those who died in the armed forces. Always brings a lump to the throat, especially as the poem is read by John Gilmour, a well known local runner and veteran.</p> <p>As we set off I was determined to take it easy, instead of blowing up like last year. The first 1.5k is a rather brutal uphill. I managed 5:10 for the first 1km and I knew then that I was on the right track (5:22 last year). The next 1.5 is a fast downhill in which I managed to get my first ever sub 4min km - 3:59 :-)</p> <p>I think my 4km split was around 18:20 which is as fast as I’ve ever run. The second lap uphill was brutal and I shamefully stopped to walk for about 20 secs. I hate doing this and I need to work on my motivation. As Lance Armstrong says “Pain is temporary”. I need to push on through these moments. But God my legs were shot. At the turnaround I sped up again downhill but this time could only manage around 4:07. </p> <p>I love the run down to the finish line, you can see everyone in the distance. I powered down as fast as possible and could hardly believe the time on my Garmin – 36:42. This was an improvement over last year of 1:20. I was pretty pleased and know I can do even better if I didn’t stop halfway!</p> <p>I brought my new camera and took some photos of the winners. The mens 8k was won by Roberto Busi and Tina Major took out the womens 8k.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_pTo2UTtiPIQ/S8HHXgP2lPI/AAAAAAAACII/bpKWGf37-I4/s1600-h/IMGP0026%20%28Small%29%20%282%29%5B7%5D.jpg"><img style="border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMGP0026 (Small) (2)" alt="IMGP0026 (Small) (2)" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pTo2UTtiPIQ/S8HHYmET8KI/AAAAAAAACIM/9eSKFi4AELY/IMGP0026%20%28Small%29%20%282%29_thumb%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" width="576" height="484" /></a></p>20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-23558830244022168962010-03-29T21:18:00.002+08:002010-03-29T21:29:59.690+08:00Bridges 10k - 46:41This was my 3rd Bridges in a row. It's a 10k run around the Swan River in Perth crossing 2 bridges, the Narrows and the Causeway. This year it was run in the opposite direction, so we hit the Causeway first. I actually preferred it as it meant we had spread out a bit by the time the bottleneck of the bridge was hit.<br /><br />It was a beautiful morning and I drove in after having just a coffee and banana for breakfast at about 6:15am. The race kicked off at 8am and I was in the B group. There is self seeding and B is meant for people who can run sub 45 so I was pushing my luck. Anyway I did the first km very quickly in 4:26, a pace which I could not equal for the rest of the race. Probably should have held back slightly. At least all my kms were under 5 pace, the worst being the 8km in 4:50. I really felt I gave it my all in the final km so I was quite pleased to come in at 46:41, just 2 secs off my 10k PB, considering I had only done one training run in the previous 2 weeks due to a shin injury (not running related).<br /><br />My next goals are to drop 4kg, buy a pair of DS Racers, and get in more kms in time for the Challenge 10k at the end of May.20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-18972192922892164852010-03-21T16:43:00.002+08:002010-03-21T18:48:13.517+08:00Darlington HM 14/3/10Distance: 21.1km<br />Time: 1:51-ish<br /><br />Well, this was just<span style="font-style: italic;"> hard</span>!<br />Up at 4:45am, drove 50k to Darlington and paid my $15 inc breakfast. It was very warm and just for fun the organisers changed the start of the course to include 2 rather nasty short but sharp hills. These were a bit of a suprise. My splits were something like 57/54 so not as good as some people who recorded much better second half times. I hadn't done much distance training so I can't complain too much. Was completely exhausted at the end and so was grateful for the fruit and muffins provided by WAMC.20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-64166484228494406562009-10-03T11:45:00.002+08:002009-10-03T11:50:10.532+08:00Injury Over?Well after a disastrous post-Marathon September in which I only managed 9km all month, due to a foot injury, it seems to have finally healed. Halle-bloody-lujah.<br /><br />I hate not running for so long. I ate badly and felt awful. I was pleased to note however that when I finally got out again yesterday I hadn't lost too much fitness. It appears you can take a few weeks off running without too many issues. I guess I was afraid I would drop back to the level of unfitness I was at before I started running 2 years ago, but thankfully that's not the case.<br /><br />So in a fit of optimism I have registered for the 10K Fremantle Fun Run on Sunday. This will be the 3rd year in a row I have done this race, and I'm hoping to beat last years time by going under 47 mins.20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-48825712134142213212009-09-10T20:16:00.002+08:002009-09-10T20:17:37.507+08:00Injured. Bah!Been painful under the heel since the mara 2 weeks ago. Taking it easy. Will probably miss the Freo half. Really annoying. Sigh.20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-49378834610720564752009-08-30T21:35:00.004+08:002009-08-30T21:49:40.903+08:00City 2 Surf Marathon 4:20, new PB!<span style="font-weight: bold;">C2S Marathon, 42.2km, 4hr 20</span><br /><br />Beat my first marathon time by 5 mins, which is good 'cos this one was way hillier. I paced it almost perfectly as you can see from this Garmin output:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8LIM1RHH2IHdlS-y7XIYcfUy4SMVCy1xeCZNodPbgkCob6cwNUqnboKUIP4Nxymm2VGfQhlgcXSa3qcENYkm6npq-iD2H2OSPsdRNjQLA-AtBzAvut2HKd8d06UlOfbgX89wiDyYoe0/s1600-h/garmin1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8LIM1RHH2IHdlS-y7XIYcfUy4SMVCy1xeCZNodPbgkCob6cwNUqnboKUIP4Nxymm2VGfQhlgcXSa3qcENYkm6npq-iD2H2OSPsdRNjQLA-AtBzAvut2HKd8d06UlOfbgX89wiDyYoe0/s400/garmin1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375750578953686834" border="0" /></a><br />The spikes are where I walked through the drink stations and a toilet stop. Average pace was about 6:08 mins/km which I maintained to the end. In fact, the last km was my quickest at 5:38 mins!<br /><br />Overall an improvement on my last marathon 8 weeks ago where I faded badly after 35km. One thing I changed this time round was to take a solid Powerbar and some snakes with me. I was pretty hungry by 32k and the Powerbar was just the ticket. I ate the snakes throughout the race, had some leftover at the end. There was plenty of water and powerade on the course so no liquid issues.<br /><br />The day itself was fun, met up with loads of CoolRunners, the course was great and very scenic taking in the Swan River, Kings Park and round Challenge Stadium. It was fun joining up with the 12k runners at the halfway point, although by the time I got there most had disappeared and it was only the walkers left.<br /><br />The only downside was getting home after the event which took an age on bus, train and foot.<br /><br />Next stop is 6min kms the whole way, but not till next year :-)20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-15683842471069392092009-08-28T18:20:00.002+08:002009-08-28T18:31:09.001+08:00C2S Marathon in 2 DaysSo, here I am again, 8 weeks after my last marathon, ready for another one. Well, not really <span style="font-style: italic;">ready</span>...you know what I mean. This one is hilly...but should be a great route around the Swan River and Kings Park.20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-91742710125229015642009-07-26T21:51:00.001+08:002009-07-26T21:51:20.957+08:00Run for Gold 10k – New PB!<p><strong>10km – 46:39</strong></p> <p>Today the weather was perfect, nice and cool and I knew I had the chance to break my sub-47 bogeyman. The previous day I ran 18k and felt strong (I was actually meant to do 26k for marathon training but didn’t feel up to it). I had a nice warm-up for 15 mins which I think made all the difference. As we set off at 8am I made sure to have a decent first km, as I normally start out way to slow. I was pleased to do it in 4:52 and from then on I knew all I had to do was keep the pace slightly faster. After that my 1k splits varied between 4:25 and 4:43, with the fastest being my last km. It’s always good to have something in reserve for that last km, I felt I paced the race pretty much perfectly. Last year I did this in 49:40 so a big 3 minute improvement.</p> <p>My right leg is feeling a bit sore around the knee so a day of rest tomorrow.</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="r4g" border="0" alt="r4g" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_pTo2UTtiPIQ/SmxfV03impI/AAAAAAAABCQ/6D4x_v8Iugc/r4g%5B11%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="514" height="376" /></p> 20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-54120491699397571052009-07-20T14:19:00.001+08:002009-07-20T14:19:59.370+08:00C2S Marathon – 6 Weeks to go<p>I pulled up pretty well from the Perth Marathon two weeks ago. I took 4 days off running then I hit the road again, training for the next Marathon on 30th August. This is the inaugural City to Surf marathon and I’m very excited about it as it promises to be something special. However it is much more hilly than Perth…so my rather lame 4:25 may not be bettered, but I certainly will be having a go.</p> <p>Last week I did 43km and this week I’ve started off with a 19k long run. Met Knoddie half way who mentioned the Northern Suburbs Running Group had a 7am start at the Botanic Golf Club. I should make the effort next week to join them.</p> <p>I’m basically following <a href="http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/multiple/Multiplemara.htm">Hal Higdon’s 8-week between marathons plan</a>. All going well so far!</p> 20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-45079977966113746892009-07-05T22:58:00.002+08:002009-07-05T23:03:35.852+08:00Perth Marathon 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG13uRAeKWp8A01zPoSaFpvtOlOvJ6EJCg-lHpMqN7wbBMWXJyCkWZqFHK9XBzbW0Az6GYyUEJg4XoEn8oHwVChcdHQXWMZ-qNhgG81KiYVDFnpTWZqikdXWQJPQYM7EA4AAZpoROjQNg/s1600-h/P1170920.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG13uRAeKWp8A01zPoSaFpvtOlOvJ6EJCg-lHpMqN7wbBMWXJyCkWZqFHK9XBzbW0Az6GYyUEJg4XoEn8oHwVChcdHQXWMZ-qNhgG81KiYVDFnpTWZqikdXWQJPQYM7EA4AAZpoROjQNg/s400/P1170920.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354991687263651138" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">42.2km - 4hr 25mins</span><br /><br />Well, as a marathon virgin I didn't really know what to expect, and I turned up with my hopelessly optimistic pace band of 3:58 (ha!).<br />It was a glorious Perth morning as we set off and I settled in a comfortable pace of about 5:50min/km. My plan was to do a negative split of 2:01/1:59 to get me a sub-4. Oh how naive I feel now!<br /><br />Almost immediately I needed a toilet break <img src="http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align: middle;" emoid=":rolleyes:" alt="rolleyes.gif" border="0" /><br />Passed the Coolrunning cheer squad at Raffles, thanks guys it really made a difference. Caught up with TB777 who seemed to be struggling, good on you for finishing regardless. It was great seeing all the speedy guys run back the other way and I applauded as many as i could.<br /><br />I felt really good for the first 21k, passing it in about 2:06. But already I was 5 mins behind schedule. No worries I thought, I'll just go a bit faster now! Bad idea. Damn you Garmin Virtual Partner for taunting me so, that pixelated dude was now 800m ahead of me.<br /><br />I caught up with Mjail who was going great guns at that point, I'm so sorry the wheels came off but you did slug it out to the end, which is a huge achievement in itself.<br /><br />Running along the river was beautiful, I was enjoying myself as I passed Raffles and got another lift from the gals and a jelly sweet from Lou! But now, my plan was starting to fall apart. Hitting the freeway at 30k I realised I was slowing down and there was nothing I could do about it. I tried to sustain 6min/k but it was becoming a slog. The field had really thinned out and it was starting to feel like a solo training run. I felt a little better passing Como at around 35k. But soon after I had to walk as I simply could not even shuffle. I didn't feel too bad about this as I assumed I would recuperate and be able to run again. However, the last 6km was pure torture and consisted of walking interspersed with shuffling along at about 7:30min/km.<br /><br />Orlando passed me at about 40km and compared to me looked positively flying! I could see the WAMC clubhouse in the distance and really had to force myself along. It was also getting quite warm by now. With about 800m to go I started to run again as I wanted a good finish photo! By this time I was almost delirious (as in nauseous) and was blurting out all sorts of rubbish to random people <img src="http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/style_emoticons/default/blush.gif" style="vertical-align: middle;" emoid=":blush:" alt="blush.gif" border="0" /><br /><br />Once again the indomitable cheer squad were at the end for a final Go Coolrunner as I took off my hat and smiled at the camera whilst trying not to throw up! I crossed the line at about 4:25, so I missed all my targets but I wasn't concerned at all. 2 years ago I couldn't run 500m, so I ain't complaining.<br /><br />Afterwards I had plenty of food and drink courtesy of WAMC. It was great. I even had a champagne toast thanks to Pelagie (by the way congrats on winning your age group!).<br /><br />Well done on everyone involved, competitors, spectators, marshalls and caterers. It really was a very special day that will live with me forever.<br /><br />Now...who's up for the C2S marathon? <img src="http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/style_emoticons/default/crazy.gif" style="vertical-align: middle;" emoid=":crazy:" alt="crazy.gif" border="0" /><br /><br />P.S. Mcmillan calculator had me down for 3:45! Basically I didn't train enough, but lessons definitely learned.20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969800636974478040.post-82811295788373097452009-07-04T21:03:00.003+08:002009-07-04T21:07:54.646+08:00Tomorrow is Marathon D-Day...I'm gonna aim for 4:10 with a hard goal of sub-4. I've printed the pace bands for my wrist with a 3:58 goal. We'll see what happens. I hope there's pancakes at the end like last year (I only did the relay then).<br /><br />Let's hope I get a good night's sleep!20thCenturyBoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655740283440927081noreply@blogger.com0