Monday, December 24, 2007

Coolrunning Christmas

i'm starting to understand what my running life entails...

run an ultra.
do bugger all for the next week.
2 weeks of 60km/wk just turning the legs over with ongoing physio/pilates/massage.
1 week rest.
next ultra.

feel even stronger in the 'core' now and next time i will be allowed in the sacred pilates 'room'.
no more ultrasound for me!
as has become usual got my monthly/2nd monthly left itb needeles on monday.
whenever the massage dude tells me things are extra tight i just book in and get them done.
the biomechanical stuff is going well and i am now allowed to run ;)
even he found it funny i was running ultras then seeing him and practicing how to walk.
guess the difference is i'm learning how to run/walk properly!
doing drills focussing on actually using that right hip flexor of mine.

monday: needles
tuesday: 7km flat 32.10 and xtraining (golf)
wednesday: work then cr drinks
thursday: pilates, massage and 14km flat 69.30
friday: nothing
saturday: nothing
sunday: 22km cootha run with RCRs
(backed up today for another flat 14km)

i always aim to start an ultra at least 90% fit and 90% healthy.
the niggles are settling and plan to continue this theme at bogong in 2 weeks.
(did need some heavy duty antacid after 'nurofening' myself tho!)
feeling 'at peace' with this race now.
no nerves.
leaf on the wind and all that shit!

thanks for the reminder about the fatass on friday tess.
for some reason i had it marked down for thursday.
and now i'm all discombobulated!!!!!!!!

merry xmas to all cr's and bloggers!
hope your running year has been all youve hoped.
if not theres always 2008!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Never chase...

an australian mountain running rep up a long hill.
went to the north-west edge of brisbane forest park today out past mt glorious to run with a few trail and mountain runners.

1st mistake was chasing bruce cook up the first hill (bruce did a 100km track in 7.36 in the 90s and still pretty damn slick).
2nd mistake was (when i couldnt catch him) try and keep up with hubertien who was 3rd lady at 6 foot this year and is an australian mountain running rep.
mustve been a male pride thing happening ;)
anyway we all waited for each other at a few points so at least i had time to recover somewhat.
3rd an final mistake was planting the left foot at the base of a small log and when not being able to lift it slamming the right foot into the same log (what the?).
to avoid the inevitable forward tumble i ended up on my toes with the calfs on full power which then both cramped at the same time ..... ouch.

had to take it easy on the downs as my right knee/meniscus is playing up again.
it was problematic before kepler but settled well before the run and i am hoping the same will happen.
however it is a bit sore post run and i had already been resting up most of the week so it will be a nervous week or 2 for me.

2.5hr coot-tha run on monday, bike on wednesday then nothing else all week.
3 weeks til gobong!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Learning to Walk


photo from last weekends kepler finish

tim, spud and whippet at c2k

rather ironic that i spent 8 hours running in the mountains last weekend.
and on monday i was at the physio learning how to walk.
no i'm not injured again it's just all part of my core strength/biomech re-training stuff.
the physio had a big chuckle when i couldn't figure out which arm went with which leg and made some comment to the effect of how gumby long distance runners are.
guess he's allowed to say that!

have to say i think things are improving.
feel some tiredness in the tummy muscles after runs/walks now (so much be 'triggering') and ended up at the golf driving range the other night (at a work xmas party!) and noticed quite a strength difference.
made TOH feel the tum yesterday and she agrees i now have myself a 2-pack (not the american rap singer).
yeah she's probably being polite :)

big week with a rental place/IP we bought settling on monday so a bit of phoning to do and some chores early in the week.

monday: massage and physio
tuesday: very gentle stat bike 30mins
wednesday: 60min stat bike easy
thursday: nothing
friday: 14km flat 73.30
saturday: 1hr bushwalk with dogs seven hills (had to carry the little one most of the way so it counts as training!)
sunday: overland track training at coot-tha with full pack 1.5hrs

did some more gear shopping sunday: just a few nicknacks - liquid soap, spare platypus water container etc... but gee it adds up!! well maybe i got some clothes too and those gaitors were noice....

bogong-hotham in 4 weeks
hardrock applications close 6-7 weeks
overland track in 7 weeks

very proud of the team on the weekend.
tim, whippet and spud all completed the 'ultra slam': western states, glasshouse and gnw 100 milers and coast to kosci 250km.
amazing!

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Return to Kepler

Kepler Challenge 1.12.07 Te Anau NZ 60km 7.58 158th/400

this race sucks.
it costs a lot (in entry and travel).
te anau is a damn hard place to get to.
the 3 hour time difference screws me up (due to the race start being 3am brissie time).
and most of all crowded races piss me off big-time and its a field of 400.

despite this its one of my favorites.
i wont say my fav but pretty close to it.
when you look across at the south fiord and the distant mountains you could get struck by lightning and still die a happy man...



its really 2 races in one...
the first 28km is a flat/warm up bit (5.6km) then a 1200m climb (tree line at 900m) with approx a 10km 'mountain section' before numerous steps and switchbacks take you back down in a quad smashing hurry.
the last 32km is a slog along winding, slightly tree-rooted ups/downs to the finish.
i guess the first part appeals to the 'adventurer/trail runner' in me and the later the ultra-runner.

highlites
* pre-race gear check: showed the lady my featherlite montane jacket. she said very loudly, with several people in the queue behind 'gee thats small, i've never seen one that small! that's amazingly tiny!!'.
never had a woman tell me that and feel so proud.
* managing to stick with my splits.
which for future reference were 1.48 (luxmore hut), 3.10 (hanging valley), 4.00 (iris burn), 6.03 (motarau hut), 6.47 (bridge), 7.58 finish.
this was an hour better than last year which sounds like a lot but i did waste a lot of time with the camera!
had to do the last 9.5km in 73 mins to finish sub8 and really had to grit the teeth hard. did a similar thing last year with my 74 min last section for a 8.59 finish.
timing is everything!!
sounds easy to churn out 7.5min kms but every hill seems so damn steep at the end and the quads hurt right from the first decent from luxmore saddle at 17km!
* managing to run about half the big uphill.
well thats my story anyway and i'm sticking to it - noone can say otherwise!
passed maybe 50 people on the way up.
needless to say thats kinda easy when youre gravitationally gifted.
but it still feels gooooooooooood and i always do it with a smile on my face and breathing softly even if it kills on the inside :)
* the japanese dude who stopped to take a picture then bolted past me on the next downhill (on narrow/unsteady singletrack).
i dont think he understood what 'fcking tool' meant as he did this another 3 times.
he did however have a rather entertaining habit of running downhill with his hands (wearing white gloves!!) waving in the air.
the locals had a big chuckle.
* almost losing it with 12km to go.
knew i had to make a right turn at a bridge and did so but ran into someone else a short time later who said he hadnt seen anyone for 10mins. bugger!!
was going up a steep hill at the time and got a case of the 'stopsies' before gathering myself again after checking with the person i crossed the bridge with (20secs behind).
i pictured myself as a leaf in the wind and for some stupid reason it actually worked :)
* out of 400 people in the race meeting a CR next to me in the gear check line-up at luxmore hut
* catching up again with fats, amjan, darlo and bryan. nice to meet mph.
* those views!!

thanks for the comments fellow knobheads.
and tesso the last time i offered to show a politician my 6 pack the police were involved.

next big thing is bogong.
maybe fats fatass inbetween.
my quads hurt.