tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29139983015562479312024-03-18T21:59:17.259-07:00Ronin is RunningTrue and candid stories of a weekend warrior running man on nothing but "chicken legs"...
Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-69564529997877456302017-11-21T01:14:00.001-08:002017-11-21T01:18:02.920-08:00Final swan song at Melbourne Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2017/03/memoirs-from-tokyo-marathon-2017.html" target="_blank">Tokyo Marathon</a> 2017 experience in February was fantastic, however the result for me was not ideal. Hitting the wall badly at 35km, it was the first marathon I have run where I was seriously at risk of running over 3 hours for the first time.<br />
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Since this time, I have deliberated whether I go back and run another marathon again. My routine for marathons has been loosely 2 per year since my first in 2013. Given that Tokyo was in February of this year, October was around the time for another should I be ready.<br />
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I started training in mid-July through building up my long runs from 26km. Interestingly, at 26km and 28km, I was finding this distance quite manageable and I was able to run at a relatively swift pace. So I began to build my distances up gradually over the next couple of months with an eye on up-coming events.<br />
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So the challenge was to choose which marathon to do. I had a few in mind:<br />
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1) Tauranga Marathon- brand new event in NZ's Bay of Plenty<br />
2) Auckland Marathon- have run this twice, and my PB of 2.49 was in 2015<br />
3) Melbourne Marathon- 40th anniversary event in Australia<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All suited up and ready for Melbourne Marathon 2017</td></tr>
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Tauranga would be risky given that it is a brand new event. I didn't want any teething problems to put my run at risk. Auckland would have been great as I know the course well. But as it turned out, I had a work trip to Melbourne come up at around the same time, so I decided to sort out my itinerary to make this one work.<br />
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I knew the course well as my morning runs whilst in Melbourne for work were along parts of the course which took in the sporting precinct, St Kilda Road, Albert Park (where the Formula 1 racing cars are situated), and St Kilda Beach. It was the closest thing to a 'home' marathon event, so I wouldn't have problems with jet lag or issues with finding appropriate food to eat.<br />
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The week prior we had a family holiday in Noosa Beach Queensland, so tapering was not a problem! I did make a point of avoiding alcohol and seafood during this time though (boring right!) to ensure I was in best shape come marathon day.<br />
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On the Friday morning, I said goodbye as my family flew home, and I flew down to Melbourne. The expo was a bit underwhelming as rather than having a big exhibition hall, the stalls were simply tents along the outdoor concourse around the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). Additionally, I had qualified for a preferred start behind the elite runners, however they did not allocate low numbers for these spots. Instead I was just allocated the next available number when I attended registration.<br />
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On race morning, after breakfast I headed out onto St Kilda Road to get the tram to the start line. The timetable said that the next tram was not for another 25 minutes and it was only about 6c at this time of morning, so I decided to jog the 3.5km to the race area. It was probably more than I wanted to do for a warm up, but it was better than getting cold.<br />
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After dropping my gear and a toilet stop, I made my way down to the start area. I had to bring a sheet of paper saying that I qualified for the preferred start. Once here, I started warming up, and I had the pleasure of meeting Rob De Castella, an Australian marathon legend and once the world record holder for the fastest marathon in the world.<br />
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Soon enough the elites were called into the chute and we were suddenly away for the 7am start.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the start line and ready</td></tr>
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I was determined to take this one easy and not go out too hard early to give myself every chance of running a steady race.<br />
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As it turned out, my legs felt a bit heavy and sluggish from the start, so I just tried to ease into the race and hoped that my pace would pick up as I warmed up. My early pace was 4:04-4:10/km, which was below the target of 4:00/km, but I figured it was worth trying a slower start to help me last the distance.<br />
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My good mate Garry had come down to support me at the marathon, and he happened to just pop out onto the road as I ran past the hotel at the 5km mark.<br />
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The course wound down St Kilda Road, then around into Albert Park, where we did a couple of laps. I began to feel a bit stronger and started to pick up the pace a little at around the 10km mark, so put in some strong splits.<br />
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We then exited from Albert Park, and made our way towards St Kilda Beach and then there were 2 X 5km out and back sections at the junction of Fitzroy St and St Kilda Esplanade. This was the idea spectator spot as we run past this area 3 times during the event.<br />
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From here it was pretty uneventful to the first turnaround at 15km as we saw the elites motor by the other way. I had ensured that I was well stocked with gels for energy and salt tablets to prevent cramping, and I concentrated on maintaining a good stride and fuelling at regular intervals.<br />
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I crossed the half way at 1:25, which was a minute slower than I normally do in marathons, so was definitely not pushing things too hard at this stage.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the hurt box at 25km</td></tr>
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I had gone past the junction again, and was heading south of St Kilda beach now to the turn around at 25km. I noticed that I was a little off pace, so tried to pick things up a little, and began running with another runner that I started chatting to.<br />
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Unfortunately by the time we hit the turn around he was dropping off the pace more than me, so I had to leave him behind. It was getting rather warm now that the sun was up, but at this point of the course there was a little shade for a few kms. My pacing was not really improving, so I had to really dig deep to keep moving along.<br />
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By the time I hit 30km, I knew that I had to lift my effort, and fortunately the road flattened out a bit. The downside was that this was also where the Half Marathon runners spilled out from Albert Park on their return. This created quite a lot of congestion on the course which was not a great running experience. It made it harder to get to drink stations, and also meant more dodging of slower runners.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to stay on race pace</td></tr>
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I turned up St Kilda Road, and though it was closed to traffic, the trams were still running up the middle of the road. This was a rather unique experience, running along whilst trams glided past. I pushed hard up to 35km which was where there was another turn around to head for a lap of the Domain, before a final few kms to the finish.<br />
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Despite being slightly downhill through the Domain, I was rather spent by now. Though not cramping, my legs were starting to tighten up and my stride had contracted, so it was the familiar part of the backend of the marathon where the pain became so intense and only will-power was seeing me through. I was starting to be passed by other runners, so just had to plod along and see out the rest of the race.<br />
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The last few kms were tough, but then I finally made it to the MCG stadium, and then it was one lap of the ground through to the finish. I crossed in 2:56, so not my fastest time, but it was a pleasing run all the same, and good improvement over my run at Tokyo back in February.<br />
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Upon reflection, I have decided that Melbourne marathon will be my 9th and last marathon. Over the last few years, I have tackled the beast, and despite 2 good runs of 2.49, all others have fallen short of expectations. I remembered all too well the pain and discomfort of this distance, and also the frustration of not being able to achieve my goal time despite all the hard work. Maybe it is middle age catching up with me, or my stubborn nature not to do more mileage in my training. Either way, I am happy that I can call myself a marathon runner and carry a record of 9th marathons, all run under 3:00 (even if Tokyo was only just...)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post marathon pic with Ciaran Faherty who finished 9th overall in 2.26</td></tr>
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It was fantastic having my mate Garry there to support me during the race. Marathons are never easy, but it is always great when you see a familiar face in the crowd to cheer you on at key points.<br />
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So I am pretty sure that will be my marathon swan song, with my focus now on getting better at the shorter distances of 5km, 10km and Half Marathons.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My good friend Garry who supported me during the marathon</td></tr>
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<br />Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-23815138909544875452017-10-03T01:15:00.000-07:002017-10-03T01:15:39.483-07:00Sydney Half Marathon as a Pacer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My wife finally decided it was time to have a go at a half marathon. Having run a number of 5km events and the occasional 10km run, the time was right to step up test herself at a bigger event. So we targeted a trip home to Sydney to run the SMH Half Marathon event.<br />
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As much as I wanted to race myself, this was a significant milestone for my wife and I had promised to be at her side as she pushed herself to run the longest distance she has ever run.<br />
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Training wise, she kept things pretty steady- 3-4 runs a week, including a longer Sunday run of 10-12km. Unfortunately the week I was away at the Tokyo Marathon, she was struck down with pneumonia which cost her 4 weeks of training.<br />
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Back out training in April, there was only 3 weeks left until taper. So I advised her to take it easy and not to worry about getting her distances up to the target out 16-18km. The quality of the training was more important. We arranged a test one Sunday for her to run 13.5km from the Harbour Bridge back home. She did this in style, so it was clear that she was going to be ready for the big day.<br />
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We flew into Sydney for the weekend to celebrate her mother's birthday and catch up with family. Then early on Sunday morning we got ourselves ready for the big race. It was an easy bus trip into town, then a 5 minute walk to Hyde Park where the start area was.<br />
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For once I didn't have to worry about my nerves before a race, but at the same time it was rather odd having to line up towards the back of the starting chute. Worse still, the race was started in waves, and we ended up having to wait about half an hour before our wave started.<br />
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Ultimately after what seemed like ages, we were finally away and it took quite a bit of self control to ensure that I didn't take off into the distance. The first couple of km's were crowded and required a lot of dodging and self preservation as other runners were either slower or faster than our pace. When we hit a bit of a downhill section, it was a bit more enjoyable. I was running ahead of my wife with the view that I could help pace her and shield her from any wind, but I was quickly told that she would rather that I ran alongside or slightly behind her! I had already promised her that I would definitely let her finish first!!<br />
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We wound our way down to Circular Quay, then across to The Rocks, and I for once really took in the scenery on the course. I also had some fun running on ahead, then turning around to take pictures of my wife running. I was also the designated drinks mule- getting water from the aid stations so that she could just continue on uninterrupted.<br />
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She was doing a fantastic job and running a very steady pace. On the uphill sections, I just tried to coach her to steady her breathing to slow her heart rate. As a course, there were many turns and climbs and dips over motorway bridges and down hills. I wouldn't call it the fastest course I had ever encountered.<br />
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Being in with the pack made for interesting atmosphere, with runners just enjoying the morning, and also a lot more time to take in the theatre and entertainment along the course. I also had some rather odd encounters, like when I grabbed 2 drinks from an aid station, and having a guy take one from me as if I was a race volunteer! Additionally, I have never stopped in a race to make a toilet stop, but on this occasion I was very much in need for a quick pit stop from around the 10km mark! Unable to find a toilet along the course, I waited until we reached the Botanical Gardens at around 18km to make a quick toilet stop. My wife found this rather hilarious, but it was actually great as I was able to sprint part of the course over 500m to catch back up to her when I was done.<br />
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So in actual fact, though I was the pacer, it was me that was high maintenance during this race!<br />
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With a final slight hill climb, we were on the home stretch to the finish. My wife had done it, and crossed for her first half marathon in just over 2 hours and 5 minutes!! An amazing achievement and a sensational effort to finish such a big challenge. Congratulations, I am so, so proud of you!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first ever half marathon run as a proud pacer for my wife...</td></tr>
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<br />Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-73176940440123510482017-03-07T01:26:00.003-08:002017-05-29T02:41:09.137-07:00Running the WMM Tokyo Marathon 2017<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokyo Marathon 2017 edition race bib and kit</td></tr>
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The Sydney Marathon 2016 was a good and bad news story... Firstly, I was elated to be able to go and finally run my 'home' city marathon event and run over the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge for the first time ever. However, I was also slightly disappointed that I had injured my knee 2 weeks prior, right when I was entering my taper, which put paid to running a fast time.<br />
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Whilst preparing for Sydney, I had also put my name in for the Tokyo Marathon ballot. I remember having missed out 2 years prior. Apparently it is the most over-subscribed of the 6 World Marathon Majors- with over 350,000 applicants for just 30,000 entries. Luckily for me, the Tokyo event had started a new category called 'semi-elite' which meant that I was able to qualify for the event, rather than hope for the luck of the draw.<br />
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Having run in Honolulu, Boston and Vienna marathons recently, I was excited about competing in an event closer to home, hoping that this would help in my overall performance. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, I have not quite run to my ability at overseas marathons, with the exception of the Gold Coast marathon in Australia in 2014.<br />
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I had spent 4 months building up for this event slowly, nursing my troublesome knee with regular physiotherapy appointments along the way. Though I was building a good endurance base, I was rather worried that I lacked speed in my training due to my injury which was restricting my flexibility when running. Some weekend long runs were good, and some were terrible as I slowly built up my distances from 17 miles through to 23 miles at the peak of my training. I had a brief issue with plantar fasciitis as well which was frustration.<br />
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The other concern I had was training in the heat of summer, but heading into Tokyo at the end of winter (where it can still be cold enough to snow). Most people say they prefer running in the cold- I must be the exception! I kept a daily vigil on the weather forecast in the weeks leading up to the event, and thankfully it turned out that it was going to be a relatively mild day for the marathon.<br />
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I had planned a quick trip over with 2 days to acclimatise, then leaving for home the day after race day, and travellling over alone. So this was definitely 'business'.<br />
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On the flight over from Auckland NZ, I was lucky enough to have a whole row of 3 seats to myself as the flight was far from full. Even better still, these were Air New Zealand's 'sky couch', which had leg rests that folded up to form a flat bed to lie on. I did not really make the most of this as I travelled during the day, so spent most of the time watching movies on the flight over. I managed 6 movies, which I was pretty pleased about!<br />
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Once at Tokyo, it was relatively straight forward to find my way to my accommodation, and despite a later bedtime, I found myself waking at 4am local time. So I headed out for a morning run in the dark streets of Tokyo to acclimatise. I found the streets to be relatively flat and smooth, which was good news for the marathon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spot your name on the runners list at Tokyo Marathon 2017</td></tr>
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After my run, I downed some strange pastries for breakfast and showered, then headed out sight-seeing. I firstly headed to Shinjuku, which is a popular expat shopping and dining district. Unfortunately nothing is open before 11am, so I moved on to Shibuya, which is where that famous 'scramble crossing' is located as featured in the moving 'Lost in Translation'. I enjoyed a hot chocolate in the Starbucks over-looking the intersection and a bit of exploring around, then headed across town to the Exhibition centre for the Expo and race registration.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo wall at race registration</td></tr>
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There was certainly a different vibe at Tokyo to other events I have run. Firstly, this marathon tends to have fewer international competitors relative to other events. The other interesting stat is that of all the entrants, around 75% are male. One thing that was not questionable though was that I did find all the officials and volunteers extremely helpful and navigating the registration was very straight forward.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Tokyo SkyTree tower</td></tr>
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I spent around 3 hours at the expo, and spent time browsing the stands and shopping for some merchandise. There was also a stage and some entertainment to keep everyone entertained.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuki Kawauchi look-alike at the Tokyo Marathon Expo</td></tr>
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It was about 3:30pm when I left the expo, and I was feeling pretty tired given that I was up since 4am. But I decided to push for one more trip- out to the SkyTree tower to see the city from above, and also some shopping for the family. I got back at about 6pm and I was starving! No such luck trying to find a local Italian restaurant though, so tonight I had to settle for a gourmet hamburger and some wedges.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlbDTY6CyM78n7wRxsujdUg7mEPO1vU_XzdmYlkCkEV5OjBn2appe45jRoLHmOF_Af2abnBrDavadu58QW00pdO3Vx_bNleNC6aQ0JAF8ZGjQc5dbPlSpWjKP8bJ9_Kqqg5cxK8v36Yz9/s1600/IMG_0386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlbDTY6CyM78n7wRxsujdUg7mEPO1vU_XzdmYlkCkEV5OjBn2appe45jRoLHmOF_Af2abnBrDavadu58QW00pdO3Vx_bNleNC6aQ0JAF8ZGjQc5dbPlSpWjKP8bJ9_Kqqg5cxK8v36Yz9/s640/IMG_0386.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My trusty racing shoes with the Tokyo Marathon timing chip attached</td></tr>
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On Saturday morning, I ran out to the Imperial Palace grounds which was near where the marathon finishes. I then headed back to Shinjuku to familiarise myself with the starting area for race morning. Having satisfied myself I knew where to go on race day, I then grabbed some lunch and headed back to my apartment to rest. I am studying for my MBA currently, so had some group work to do online in the afternoon as well- so this was a good excuse to get off my feet, and have an early night...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyf4bV8VK3cZ0AL6vzEQFGcG-BN5Vsv4hMrRP4sC80vMNc9XdlNPbAdhV-HMVrdIHxEJ_8nNS1SBhXzpufm-I5eVXlELYrgU5Rvou1biYU9A2tFJtyIeZSW0_9gOmu9ldsiN7KAGtKdFvd/s1600/IMG_0370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyf4bV8VK3cZ0AL6vzEQFGcG-BN5Vsv4hMrRP4sC80vMNc9XdlNPbAdhV-HMVrdIHxEJ_8nNS1SBhXzpufm-I5eVXlELYrgU5Rvou1biYU9A2tFJtyIeZSW0_9gOmu9ldsiN7KAGtKdFvd/s640/IMG_0370.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The MOG- Ministry of Government Buildings in Shinjuku Tokyo. This is where the <br />
Tokyo marathon event starts from</td></tr>
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After an early night, I work just before 6am to start preparing for the race. Breakfast was some granola muesli I found at the local convenience store after much scrounging around the day before. I also had some mini crossaints and orange juice. I had brought my preferred brand of energy drink with me from home as well. Then it was getting changed into my race gear and heading out for the train to the race precinct.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vXOZ7Yac7trmUiuKLx6JdVNY25RuX4cYOUGSk7LDzlF-GfDQ4QlSEoFGuAtcDDJRb_WQono6tIml4dDyaC9b3fmK3k4YEIDUCE14YbB6KcCQE_n_dSShinPg3ISeqD4bQwuxK91xa5x8/s1600/IMG_0392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vXOZ7Yac7trmUiuKLx6JdVNY25RuX4cYOUGSk7LDzlF-GfDQ4QlSEoFGuAtcDDJRb_WQono6tIml4dDyaC9b3fmK3k4YEIDUCE14YbB6KcCQE_n_dSShinPg3ISeqD4bQwuxK91xa5x8/s640/IMG_0392.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting to enter the Marathon precinct at Gate 2 of Tokyo Marathon</td></tr>
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I arrived at about 6:50am, and we had to wait as the grounds weren't open until 7am. When I finally entered, I headed for the toilets. The queues were not a problem at this stage, but I made the mistake of queuing for an Asian squat toilet, which was an awkward experience! I then noticed that the 'Western style toilets' were labelled and in a different block.<br />
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There wasn't a lot to do whilst waiting for the race start at 9:10am. I spent the time doing some strides and having some more food, before dropping my gear bag, then heading up to the race start area. Due to my qualification status, I was able to go right to the front of the chute, just behind where the elites started. This was great, as it meant I could get some good photos of the start area and also take in some of the pre-race formalities. I struck up a conversation with a fellow Australian runner whilst we were waiting for the start (and trying to stay warm).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHEnxOrV7x8wNK8Z-N0tVAXNnpaGSKI3rvTkA9VMhEZlP2gJ9mMdRJBCyS6mXTpyYg7aIR7ZPnEOUXzUA9W-YEc4IsZIsYNfOOrHimaHgWJW33xBIJVImqDmHlnv0IVOY-Iivx9nETHn6/s1600/Start+line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHEnxOrV7x8wNK8Z-N0tVAXNnpaGSKI3rvTkA9VMhEZlP2gJ9mMdRJBCyS6mXTpyYg7aIR7ZPnEOUXzUA9W-YEc4IsZIsYNfOOrHimaHgWJW33xBIJVImqDmHlnv0IVOY-Iivx9nETHn6/s640/Start+line.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All smiles at the starting chute to Tokyo Marathon 2017.</td></tr>
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Finally race time came and it was chaos as 36,000 runners started the 2017 Tokyo Marathon. Despite being at the front, there was a surge of over anxious runners scooting in every direction trying to get clear of the pack. I saw one excited runner streak past me and then trip and fall flat on his face on a medium strip just 15m from the start line! Imagine ruining your race before you've actually gotten started...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzcdbH-buyKxeFwIREZp80JzXEgXU6Ifd5pB2wVf1Nd86ooTBQZC-GDfZLkheTayCua9ks5hTVgd3eIIvBZBgVaRc32poVqdaD_gelDTqjlQ8mMoPjBAi1GYX7R5vUqrnq3VZG1viOu8d/s1600/IMG_0400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzcdbH-buyKxeFwIREZp80JzXEgXU6Ifd5pB2wVf1Nd86ooTBQZC-GDfZLkheTayCua9ks5hTVgd3eIIvBZBgVaRc32poVqdaD_gelDTqjlQ8mMoPjBAi1GYX7R5vUqrnq3VZG1viOu8d/s640/IMG_0400.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A brisk morning before the race meant that plastic ponchos and gloves were mandatory accessories</td></tr>
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The race terrain was amazingly flat across the entire course, with a slightly downhill start. My Garmin watch was telling me I was running 3:15/km at the start which I was a little sceptical about given that it has been malfunctioning lately, but it definitely felt like a faster than normal start. I kept reminding myself to take things easy and stay in control, particularly over the first half of the course.<br />
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The crowd support was quite amazing- not quite as boisterous as Boston, but still thousands of supporters and entertainers all along the course. The bulk of the Tokyo marathon course were main city roads, and took in some of the key districts of the city in a series of out and back sections. My observation was that this was not the most scenic of marathon courses, as it was decidedly urban with few visible landmarks from a runner's perspective. Having run in Vienna and Sydney in the past year, Tokyo paled in comparison in terms of its scenery.<br />
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The first 5km were very swift, covered in 19:04. As the course flattened out, my second 5km steadied to 19:43. By 10km, I was expecting that I would have settled into a comfortable pace, but if I was honest, I wasn't feeling all that settled at this point. Despite this, I crossed 20km in 1:18:45, which is very consistent with most of my previous marathons.<br />
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At the half way point, I was just a tick over 1:23, which was about 45 secs ahead of my pacing plan. I always start to get a bit of feedback once I reach half way as this is my favourite race distance, and anything beyond starts to fatigue me quite quickly. My mental check at this point was that I was beginning to tire- which was a concern as this was much sooner than I was hoping. When I have run a good marathon, I feel strong until around 33km. When fatigue comes on 12km earlier, it becomes a race of survival, rather than a race against the clock for a fast time.<br />
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I crossed 25km with a 20:23 split for the 5km, which was reasonable, and then 30km in 20:59. Still on track- just...<br />
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At this point, the course turned south for 5.5km to the final turn before heading home for the finish. I realised at the 30km point that the rest of the race was going to be an incredibly hard slog as I was starting to feel really sick. In addition, was starting to get passed by numerous other runners- the tell-tale sign that I was slowing down. I passed 35km in 22:07, which was still ok, but I would need to run the final 7km at 4 min/ km to achieve a PR. This was never going to happen, especially given that in the preceeding 5km, I was averaging 4:25/km pace and slowing down...<br />
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I turned around the final marker, and could feel my body start to break down and move slower still. From here it was essentially a completely flat and straight 7km to the finish. However my form began to deteriorate as still more runners started to pour past me as I went into limp home mode. I moved across to the extreme right side of the course so that I had some clear space to run, and also so that I didn't get distracted by all the runners overtaking me. I started to feel really light-headed, and could feel myself swaying as I lumbered along.<br />
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I am sure that there were a number of occasions when I didn't think I was going to be able to finish as I felt that I might pass out. I wasn't sure why I was feeling so bad- this was my 8th marathon, and I had certainly experienced fatigue previously. But today was not too warm or cold, and I had kept to a careful fuelling strategy of carbohydrates through gels and chews. In addition, I had consumed SaltStick electrolyte capsules as well to keep my salt levels up during the race. I decided that there was nothing else to do other than try to keep moving, slowly as my progress had become. Trying to do the sums in my head, I realised that my pacing was so bad now that I was unlikely to finish in under 3 hours. My 8th marathon, and it was going to be my slowest ever, and the first one that I did not manage a sub-3 hour finish...<br />
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My 40km split was 25:13, so I had slowed to over 5:00/ km, and yet there was worse to come! By now everyone around me was getting excited as it was just a 2km sprint to the finish line, but I felt like I was moving in reverse at this stage, and the thing that ails me about a long straight to the finish line is that it never appears to come soon enough... Even as my watch clicked over 41km, and I knew that the finish line was imminent, there was still more road to cover.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-M8I6i41BasOSmm_cVSyo3aHV4srOe3up2aV9P5xHSTiJBpf5X92nsr1y5dwc_Am_xmXpFlMRca-hYsGRvBdt_ITbv8TtxfhxqpxLZGx1gBMM65PG8wS-ZFNu19hlZeZvEQ72C4UMqbw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+10.24.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-M8I6i41BasOSmm_cVSyo3aHV4srOe3up2aV9P5xHSTiJBpf5X92nsr1y5dwc_Am_xmXpFlMRca-hYsGRvBdt_ITbv8TtxfhxqpxLZGx1gBMM65PG8wS-ZFNu19hlZeZvEQ72C4UMqbw/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+10.24.29+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pain of the sprint down the home straight @tokyomarathon2017</td></tr>
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I started to get delusional, as I passed what must have been the timing mat for 42km, but then I ran over 2 or 3 more (or so I thought). As it turns out, these were merely speed humps! Then finally the finish arch emerged and I could see the runners ahead of me stop running as they crossed. My turn could not come soon enough, and I pushed as hard as I could until I too crossed the line. I caught a glimpse of the race clock and realised that by some minor miracle, I was going to just beat the 3:00 mark- my official time was 2:59:46.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNCK2o4Od1dCY076zP-StJhKIBU4Wwli5SlbFkgfINr7ssQMBP7hRNcjqW14TI3O2YG_Xu4o1A9vh8eImrtMy58anUiCg6-YMsZD431GpaPZq7i_z9k64uiWUaA3h3HQm-iw-ahR0mRdM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-07+at+10.29.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNCK2o4Od1dCY076zP-StJhKIBU4Wwli5SlbFkgfINr7ssQMBP7hRNcjqW14TI3O2YG_Xu4o1A9vh8eImrtMy58anUiCg6-YMsZD431GpaPZq7i_z9k64uiWUaA3h3HQm-iw-ahR0mRdM/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-03-07+at+10.29.42+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5km Race splits showing how I hit the wall at 35km and beyond... </td></tr>
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My legs felt like they were going to collapse and didn't want to move another step, so I kind of fell into a clumsy tumble roll as I fell over the finish line. Some of the race officials came rushing up to me to check that I was ok. I didn't feel ok at all, but I reassured them that I was fine as I lay sprawn across the road. I was then asked to move clear to make way for other finishers, so I simply dragged myself to the side as best as I could and then lay there for another 5 mins to recover. I got out my phone and called my wife to tell her I was done, but my phone battery had gone dead.<br />
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No matter, I eventually gathered enough strength to pull myself up and collect the finisher booty- a water bottle, finishers towel, foil hood, banana, snacks, and finally the medal! It was then a slow waddle through the finish area to find the gear trucks and then my way out to get the train home.<br />
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I pulled on my tracksuit top to stay warm, then made my way down to the subway to get the train home. Fortunately it was only a few stops back, then about an 800m walk back to the apartment for a hot shower and some food and much needed sleep!<br />
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Having had a week to reflect on the event, I have labelled the Tokyo Marathon the successful failure. Whilst my slowest time for a marathon to date, it could have been even more disastrous if I had:<br />
a) Thrown in the towel and not finished<br />
b) Given in mentally, and slowed further to finish beyond the 3 hour mark<br />
c) Got really sick, not finished, and ended up in hospital<br />
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Culturally, it was a fantastic opportunity to see Tokyo and experience another WMM environment- perhaps my one and only opportunity at Tokyo Marathon, so I grabbed it and made the most of it.<br />
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In terms of what is next, I am not really sure...<br />
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I think I will give the marathon a bit of a break for the time being. My hunch is that I am not devoting quite enough time to training adequately to succeed at this distance. My last 2 marathons are testament to this as I have been training whilst injured, so not maximising my workout sessions.<br />
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Secondly, age is no longer on my side, so I need to be much more choosey as to what events I chase and target- whilst I still have speed, this will need to be shorter distances such as half marathons and 10km races.<br />
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But for the new few months at least, I will happily bask in the knowledge that I was given the opportunity and that I ran and completed the Tokyo Marathon in 2017...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJCjkfxpk5ypCinqj7TdG5kIlrXX9LVJYK5RY4WkpgNxYKsdDAtZZmsgbBZ4bK-66zYpeg8SO_n64TDtAQZ-THlr3LzEHZMUCrjyKD_jW_dWATBfNURp372QFS2YFi0R_lEFz2Ka4Q6co/s1600/IMG_0408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJCjkfxpk5ypCinqj7TdG5kIlrXX9LVJYK5RY4WkpgNxYKsdDAtZZmsgbBZ4bK-66zYpeg8SO_n64TDtAQZ-THlr3LzEHZMUCrjyKD_jW_dWATBfNURp372QFS2YFi0R_lEFz2Ka4Q6co/s640/IMG_0408.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Was never going to leave Tokyo without this precious piece of metal...</td></tr>
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<br />Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-35390259046779817442017-01-02T01:05:00.000-08:002017-01-02T01:05:08.986-08:00Back where it all began at Auckland Half Marathon 2016After running the Sydney Marathon in September with a tendonitis in my knee, my recovery has been very slow and painful.<br />
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I have had a series of physio sessions and also specialist appointments to try and treat the issue, but the recovery has been difficult, meaning that interval and tempo sessions have been impossible to do. I have been barely getting by with my easy 10km runs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGjaelFpzg1micAEZ0Vw7YjacTQF9j4Jag5pN1c_m_RgXOzcWBzk1i3V_LgT4YZFvvMNrI8a51dSeJFUWLIcdn0Drh23x0X1sbcKhVJPugdKdEzTr7Xzr1UKFE4iEg8cY2aSCceFAynQh/s1600/MRI+RIGHT+KNEE01+0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGjaelFpzg1micAEZ0Vw7YjacTQF9j4Jag5pN1c_m_RgXOzcWBzk1i3V_LgT4YZFvvMNrI8a51dSeJFUWLIcdn0Drh23x0X1sbcKhVJPugdKdEzTr7Xzr1UKFE4iEg8cY2aSCceFAynQh/s640/MRI+RIGHT+KNEE01+0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My MRI scan on my right knee. Apparently no cartilage damage, but some tendonitis and fraying where the<br />
hamstring attaches to the knee...</td></tr>
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I had my final race of the year booked in as the Auckland Half Marathon at the end of October, but did not hold out much hope of running a fast time given my setbacks. Most of my training has been limited to maintenance of fitness, rather than a proper training program.<br />
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Nevertheless, I did not want to miss the race, as everyone that is a keen runner always competes in this race, the biggest in the country. Last year it was the marathon, but this year I simply wanted to finish off the year with a good half marathon run.<br />
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I did not hold up much hope of a particularly good result, but was excited at the prospect of going out to race again on a course that I knew very well. Anything under 1:24 range was going to be a credible result given my fitness.<br />
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Once I found a park in the city, I had to run down to the ferry terminal and join a long queue waiting for the ferry across the harbour to Devonport. I was running late. It was 6:00am, and the race started at 6:50, so things were looking a little tight getting to the start. By the time I got onto the ferry, it was 6:15am, and it would take 15mins to get across to the other side. I then had less than 20 mins from when we docked to race around, drop off my gear, and get into the starting chute for the race. Not the ideal way to start a race, but at least no time to stand around getting cold or nervous!<br />
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Needless to say that I made it just in time and was able to say a few hellos to other fellow runners and club mates (most of which had the luxury of starting as elites at the front of the pack).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_5hwaWA6JGCWc8OHZCsKWu11Bci9TESZO2H0mmiu1bM46t4ccZGGI0XjlRg55zKTAIuCcLRfMW6Oo2cqUMel34OpbN1vkketL-74pb539QPSzqnf4x8qpCk2eNWBUdN1kFWWvLvyDfrA/s1600/DJI_0049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_5hwaWA6JGCWc8OHZCsKWu11Bci9TESZO2H0mmiu1bM46t4ccZGGI0XjlRg55zKTAIuCcLRfMW6Oo2cqUMel34OpbN1vkketL-74pb539QPSzqnf4x8qpCk2eNWBUdN1kFWWvLvyDfrA/s640/DJI_0049.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful start line at the Auckland Marathon at Devonport</td></tr>
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It was quite a relaxed start, in that there was no 10 min or 5 min countdown. They just let us know when there was 2 mins to go, and then dropped the tape and we were off! It's a familiar course for me, having raced it several times previously. A flat run down the waterfront, then a left turn up the hill. Not long had I turned the corner than I heard a friend who lived nearby call out to me in support.<br />
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It was then a case of jostling with fellow runners for the race line and trying to settle into an even pace. I found myself running alongside some of my (faster) clubmates and the lead elite women runners for the first few km's before they started to inch away. This course is known to be 'rolling' for the first 8km, so there are a lot of hills and dips which tends to spread the field out fairly quickly. Whilst warming into the race, I found it difficult to maintain an even pace with the varying terrain, but I tried to stick with my pack of 3-4 runners. This included one of my clubmates who I had run the national relay championships with recently. I was expecting him to be well ahead of me as his PB is about 3 mins faster than mine.<br />
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There were a lot of runners that were surging ahead of me in parts, but I knew that the hills were going to catch up with them at some point- usually by around the 6km mark. The great thing about the bigger running events is that every km is marked, and the drink stations are also reliably every 3-4km with a choice of electrolyte or water. I always ensure that I take a drink at each station, if not to wash down my energy gels, or just get a couple of sips of water. Where I can, I tend not to take the first one, especially when there is a bunch of runners. The thing to be careful of is if there have been a lot of runners before you and there are empty cups and puddles of spilt drink all over the road. Fortunately as I was in the top 30 or so runners at this stage, this wasn't too much of an issue.<br />
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By around 7-8km, the climbing levels out and it starts to become much more runner friendly with lovely downhills and turns to help you pick up speed. At the drink station I decided to put on a surge, and to my surprise I broke away from my pack of runners and headed down the road on my own...You then hit the bus station at around 10km, and then you're out onto the motorway. This is my favourite part when you can open up and just gun it down towards the Harbour Bridge.<br />
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Race day was just perfect weather, mild and clear, though a headwind was blowing as we were making our way down towards the bridge, so I was definitely ruling out a super fast time. My knee had been holding up ok at this point, so things were looking pretty good.<br />
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By 13km I had reached the climb up the bridge. This is much dreaded by many runners, but I really look forward to it as it is a smooth gradual climb. Today the wind made things a lot tougher than previously though and I was struggling to hold my pace on the climb, and my glutes were already starting to complain...<br />
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Towards the top of the climb I went past the 3rd placed elite female runner Katie Kemp and once I hit the top I knew that it was going to be a lot easier from here on in with the remainder of the course pretty much flat except for a short climb after the bridge descent.<br />
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After I came off the bridge, I downed a gel and dug into the next hill, though I was really starting to struggle on the climb. When I was half way up, I could hear footsteps approaching rapidly. As I rounded the top, two runners that I had pulled away from at the 8km mark had reigned me in and passed me. I then noticed that the 3rd place female runner had parked up in my slip stream too.<br />
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We were now at 17km, so 5km to go, and the rest of the race was a cat and mouse game of surges and tactical racing as we used each other's pace to close in on the finish line fast. We hit a long straight stretch for 1.5km before it turned into an area called the Wynyard Quarter which was a series of jinks and turns through to the finish. One spectator called out to me as ran by "The pressure's on buddy!!!" as I chased during a surge by Katie. Every time I pushed there was a response or I started to feel bad and faded again, so I tried to pace myself and bide my time until the last 500m.<br />
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Eventually the time came and as we approached the final turn before the race to the finish line, I straightened up and started to switch on the after burners. I did not bother to check whether I was being matched, I simply ran as hard and straight as I could to finish fast. It was a fantastic way to finish. I knew that my kids were watching and I had a few friends also cheering me on too. I could make out the race clock and I crossed in 1:18:37. For me, this was a fantastic time- not quite a PB, but it was only the 3rd time ever that I had run under 1:19, and an amazing result given my knee injury and limited preparation in my training.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHVq9G-uJvKx9mivUfDdMspcyCfziTdvQleMeYVoN1Dk5U_tdbYwi73eCwydsU6kZKCorPgzW_pgPAKT1QIJGj2s8xoC0sqBK2eHFj7dsXfWVWcrA_y0mvyVZ2zlVMn0umHq2o9_lJwvP/s1600/jules-ben.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHVq9G-uJvKx9mivUfDdMspcyCfziTdvQleMeYVoN1Dk5U_tdbYwi73eCwydsU6kZKCorPgzW_pgPAKT1QIJGj2s8xoC0sqBK2eHFj7dsXfWVWcrA_y0mvyVZ2zlVMn0umHq2o9_lJwvP/s640/jules-ben.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All smiles after a successful Auckland Half 2016</td></tr>
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All in all, a fantastic way to finish the year's racing. My challenge is to get the knee fixed so that I can really test my potential. Nothing like a summer break of training to look forward to!<br />
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<br />Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-14085462136101331802016-09-28T02:28:00.000-07:002017-03-07T01:41:07.100-08:00Running on one leg- Sydney Marathon 2016 Down Under<div>
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Since I started running marathons, I have struggled to get consistent results at the marathon distance, with a best marathon time of under 2:50, whilst my 'average' results in the 2:54-2:55 region. Whilst this may still sound good to many runners, for someone that takes their running very seriously, I know that I continue to underachieve at this distance.</div>
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When I try and calculate my predicted race times on the McMillan race calculator, I can pretty much get spot on race times for 5K, 10K, and Half marathons in line with my PB's. However for the marathon, I should be good enough to run 2:46, and yet my results have been 2:49-2:56 after 7 attempts.</div>
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I ran the <a href="http://johnwest.com.au/unlimitededition" target="_blank">Vienna marathon</a> in April 2016, and despite an ideal flat course and cool conditions and fitness, plus the success of having run a PB marathon in Auckland NZ just 6 months earlier, I came unstuck at around 28km, and had a long day getting home in 2:54.</div>
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My frustration at being unable to master the distance on this occasion was short lived however, when I made the decision to enter Sydney for September just a couple of weeks after Vienna. </div>
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Over the last 3 years, I have averaged 2 marathons a year, with the September Sydney marathon being my 7th marathon. This was a chance to finally run a major race in my home city after 6 years abroad. The allure of running over the Harbour Bridge, and through iconic landmarks across the city was very appealing. I used the occasion of my wife's birthday as justification for a trip back 'home' to see family and also to race the marathon. My wife also ran the 9km bridge run the same morning, so it was definitely a family affair...</div>
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So the advantage of running several marathons in short succession is familiarity, and hence I had no nerves about racing. My biggest issue was nursing a significant injury into the race. Most runners have a variety of niggles to manage before races, and this has certainly been the case for me. On this occasion, my problems surfaced just 2 weeks before the race. Soreness in the back of my knee was diagnosed by my physiotherapist as a torn meniscus. The good news being that it was unlikely to get any worse, and that I could still continue on to race. The bad news was that this was affecting my running form, and I started to get calf, hamstring and ankle soreness as a result.</div>
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On race morning, I taped up the ankle and knee and simply hoped for the best! Being a gold label race, but not the most prestigious event in Australia, the elite field was not quite as deep as other races. I was able to apply for a semi-elite position, meaning a low double digit race bib, rather than something into the 10,000's! In addition, this meant that I was able to warm up along the start area and get preferential start at the front of pack! It was quite a treat to be afforded this opportunity, and I only wish I was good enough to get it every time...</div>
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There was a good mixture of athletes from countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Japan, China in the elite start area, so it was a fantastic diverse field. When the gun fired, it was a surprisingly slow start to a race. The course ran north for about 500m, then turned onto the motorway which led onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge (or 'coat-hanger'). I have travelled across the bridge thousands of times since I was a young child, but I had never had the opportunity to run across it, and I was savouring this amazing opportunity, running in single file near the front of the marathon field. </div>
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The next odd thing was running through the toll booths at the end of the bridge, and not a single car on the bridge...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Racing Spiderman, and waving to my wife at the start of the Sydney Marathon 2016. Photo courtesy of Cate Ng</td></tr>
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After this the course wrapped around and under the bridge and into the east of the city toward Hyde Park in the city. There was quite an atmosphere in the city as we ran through. The Half marathon runners had already gone through an hour earlier, so the spectators were already warmed up! I am told that marathon races are apparently not allowed to have steps on the course. So in running along Hyde Park, there are a couple of flights of steps right through the centre which were covered over with a ramp made from scaffolding. My pack of runners only numbered around 8-10 runners, and the amount of bouncing and oscillation we felt as we ran over it was rather alarming. I was quite curious to see how it would hold up when the thousands of other runners attacked the ramp in greater numbers...</div>
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After exiting Hyde Park, we turned east along Oxford Street towards Moore Park where the football stadiums are, and then into Centennial Park. I had arranged for my coach to be there to cheer/ yell at me whilst I was doing the few laps around the parklands. Sure enough I bumped into him not 500m into the grounds. He was easy to spot in a yellow singlet, just like I was wearing. Without so much as a hello, his first words were simply to relax my form and concentrate on my stride. It was certainly encouraging and nice to see someone familiar out on the course.</div>
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As I made my way around the park, he had stationed himself so that he could give me advice along the way and simple goals- relax, maintain your form, chase down the guy ahead, open up your stride on the downhill... All very useful instructions to give you something else to focus on. Though I knew that once I turned out of the park to head back into the city I would be on my own again...<br />
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And pretty soon after I departed, I was crossing the half way point with a very handy 1.23 split, and I started to feel the all too familiar pains of cramp coming on in my glutes and one of my calfs. I have run enough of this distance to know that it is almost inevitable for me, but for this to come on so early in the race was a major disappointment. I backed off slightly so that the spasms were not so acute, and tried to manage as well as I could. There was a bit of downhill as the course wound its way toward Circular Quay at the harbour, so this eased the burden somewhat. However, from here every little climb or slope was a struggle and I knew that I was now systematically slowing down.<br />
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I crossed 25km, then we started heading west across to Pyrmont and Ultimo along the western distributor road and I was beginning to get passed by other runners as the cramp began to take further hold. In addition, the stress on my knee had started to present itself elsewhere through my hamstring and ankle, which were beginning to whinge and moan!<br />
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I cross the 30km timing mat on an uphill section and it was just on 2 hours, so at this stage, things were still on track- I had banked a minute from my faster start, but I knew that I was going to bleed time over the final 12km of the race.<br />
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The next 10km were tough and slow, and every time I look at my Garmin I was more depressed as my pace began to hit 4:30/km on some splits. The good news was that the course was relatively flat from this point, and we were about to head back around toward Circular Quay to finish at the Opera House. It was an interesting period of the race as this is where everyone hurts, but there was a lot of changes in position with the runners around me. A few passed me, and similarly, I rounded up a couple of others that were doing even worse than me...<br />
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As I hit Darling Harbour, there were some crowds gathered who were generous with their applause as we ran past. Then it was back up around The Rocks, and around to the Quay. I ran under the Harbour Bridge, and then I could finally see the Opera House on the other side (finish area), however, then I realised there was still 2.2km to go, and the course was to take the longest route around all the wharves and terminals...<br />
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By now I had simply had enough, and I was coughing and feeling defeated- even with just 1.5km to go. There were some other participants from other race distances that were wandering past, and this rather fiercesome looking man pointed at me and simply said "Finish it off!". Wow, what a kick up the backside that was, and I knew that I just had to dig deep a little longer and I would get home...<br />
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So as I finally made it round to the last turn, I could finally see the finishing arch, and I took off after it. My wife and her brothers were there to cheer me on and also to take a few photos snaps, which was a fantastic way to finish.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5VuwVHZyVimfcR8zNSOZJQsNQBStcxiZKvPrzQ7TPSoKj5hiNOvifVoiwEfUWPxDTXQdXZDi3vSYrmJIvIfQ6Pz1ehSSatN9O3VdU09L1Nv9B0tCar5oMeAgRuYz6EInxTtQTZgpN7qQ/s1600/14333025_10153740058750248_651607456109751555_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5VuwVHZyVimfcR8zNSOZJQsNQBStcxiZKvPrzQ7TPSoKj5hiNOvifVoiwEfUWPxDTXQdXZDi3vSYrmJIvIfQ6Pz1ehSSatN9O3VdU09L1Nv9B0tCar5oMeAgRuYz6EInxTtQTZgpN7qQ/s640/14333025_10153740058750248_651607456109751555_n.jpg" width="562" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Struggling over the final 50m to the finish line of Sydney Marathon 2016. Photo courtesy of Angus Macinnis.</td></tr>
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In my heart I knew that I was going to struggle to run fast for this one given the timing of my injury with the race date. The race had somehow snuck up on me and it was clear that I was underprepared for the rigour of a marathon with not quite enough long mileage done and struggling to finalise my preparation during taper with a knee injury.<br />
<br />
I had conservatively estimated a good result would be 2.55 and so it played out... Interestingly I was a lot more pleased with myself after this effort than for some of my other marathons. I knew that the odds were against me to even get to the start line in a satisfactory condition. A big thanks to my physio for helping me to at least get to that stage! Then the next challenge was to survive, despite the pain and discomfort, whilst trying to maintain a good pace.<br />
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Perhaps I knew beforehand that this race would still not be enough to satisfy my ambitions in racing marathons, hence I had entered the ballot for Tokyo Marathon in February 2017, and very pleasingly I received a place as a "semi-elite" runner.<br />
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Oops I'm doing it again....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDg4kzpMlNIlMnf6auev3pJt8Q682Uuw1NIWTgq9dwxdMm6VpJYGtXH2fyrt_bbHHjEOtRryvFrlIPpeAZWrqkz4vvSB0slNHZHFICHtLHMPEamJSAEunjywKaSKl_nNJYg3acFrx_TMe5/s1600/Cs14tlpWcAkVrM3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDg4kzpMlNIlMnf6auev3pJt8Q682Uuw1NIWTgq9dwxdMm6VpJYGtXH2fyrt_bbHHjEOtRryvFrlIPpeAZWrqkz4vvSB0slNHZHFICHtLHMPEamJSAEunjywKaSKl_nNJYg3acFrx_TMe5/s640/Cs14tlpWcAkVrM3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race bib, the finish (photo cred: Duncan Yoyos), and the medal.</td></tr>
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Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-90028224126745488052016-08-20T03:50:00.002-07:002016-08-20T03:50:34.182-07:00Here we go again...Being a relative novice marathon runner with just a handful of marathons completed, I have been reflecting on my running journey across 2016.<br />
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<br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />At the end of last year I was riding on a high having just set a personal best time in November 2015 at my second attempt at the <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2015/11/finally-marathon-pb-drought-is-broken.html" target="_blank">Auckland Marathon</a>. But the running bug had got in my ear yet again, and I had decided to once again combine a family holiday with a marathon event. This time it was going to be in Vienna... I was sure that with all the conditioning and training that I finally had the marathon puzzle worked out, and that this could translate to any race.<br />
<br />
Then came the <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2016/05/vienna-marathon-2016.html" target="_blank">Vienna Marathon</a> in mid-April, which I knew to be a fast and flat course. However a combination of naivity in terms of accounting for jet lag and acclimatisation for the cooler temperatures meant that once again my race fell apart at around 28km.<br />
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In the immediate aftermath I was quick to discount going to all this trouble ever again to prepare for another marathon, especially one overseas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCwoKeLga6oW593dMLKaNnCAE4-MS9ckClDEdrkYzBWwZSd-8SMM-zf195PCJrIARUm9wkRckDRN-1ERJIarFCNZacx9DjP9OqO2lOPEDWU6yutH-Ggv9gsxvHy6obFuaXMm12bc8zRqY/s1600/65_m-100714861-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1270_169064-606518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCwoKeLga6oW593dMLKaNnCAE4-MS9ckClDEdrkYzBWwZSd-8SMM-zf195PCJrIARUm9wkRckDRN-1ERJIarFCNZacx9DjP9OqO2lOPEDWU6yutH-Ggv9gsxvHy6obFuaXMm12bc8zRqY/s640/65_m-100714861-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1270_169064-606518.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thumbs up after finishing the Vienna Marathon 2016</td></tr>
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Then I returned back from overseas and experienced a very agreeable post race recovery, and suddenly I was dissatisfied again. Running (badly) in Vienna had undone the great work I had achieved at Auckland, and I just had to find a way to make amends.<br />
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Short of waiting around until Auckland marathon again at the end of the year, I decided to take the plunge and enter the Sydney marathon in my home city for September. And so a key milestone was set and the training schedule would need to be set.<br />
<br />
One thing that I haven't really reconciled in the past year is the appropriate balance of time associated with managing: training, work and also my part-time MBA study, along with family duties. To date I have just somehow managed to squeeze it all in, although not fantastically well. And so I am not training anywhere near as consistently as I could or should be.<br />
<br />
Whilst I have been running consistently each week, my Sunday long run build up has been haphazard and regularly interrupted due to other extra-curricular activities. This has been my single biggest issue in my training, though I have also had to deal with a dodgy ankle and Achilles niggles.<br />
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With 6 weeks until the marathon, I finally managed to start to shape my training and put together a decent week of volume. The following week I managed the following:<br />
<br />
Monday- 13km<br />
Tuesday- 12km<br />
Wednesday- 10 X 400m intervals (8km)<br />
Thursday- 10km<br />
Friday- 8km<br />
Saturday- 21km<br />
Sunday- 33km<br />
<b>Total 105km</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapGAoqYATLOKrucv6dR2tjrfGUs_NUa4BHJVzx2EqMG9iT_mWxsk9yQI70esSrL6ehqDyosgugSnH8ZkywEJKUFiZiJSYgKsdwWyqxGA9WnxiyB_Zwn9saO_fMkdPIrNgsUuCRVjoWmqv/s1600/34_m-100714861-FT-1270_115784-606487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapGAoqYATLOKrucv6dR2tjrfGUs_NUa4BHJVzx2EqMG9iT_mWxsk9yQI70esSrL6ehqDyosgugSnH8ZkywEJKUFiZiJSYgKsdwWyqxGA9WnxiyB_Zwn9saO_fMkdPIrNgsUuCRVjoWmqv/s640/34_m-100714861-FT-1270_115784-606487.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A disappointing finishing time after 'blowing up' yet again at 28km at <br />the 2016 Vienna Marathon</td></tr>
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This has been my best running week in a very long time. I have recently also dropped the rest day on Fridays to help build my volume. Saturday sessions have also changed from a tempo/ time trial to a mid-long distance of 21km. My thinking being that this helps to train running whilst fatigued on the Sunday morning.<br />
<br />
With just 4 weeks to go until race day, I am looking to consolidate this program in readiness for the marathon.<br />
<br />
One thing that I have finally realised with marathon preparation is that speed is not that important. Indeed, I haven't really worked that hard with speed sessions this year, and yet I have managed a Half Marathon PB and also a 10km run of under 35 mins, all through being more patient in my pacing. Instead, my focus has to be on building endurance and better consistency in my race pacing. One of my great running friends Ciaran is now regularly running 55km long sessions to build his endurance. This is despite the fact that he only races marathon distances!<br />
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And so I will take this lead to get myself read for the marathon over the final few weeks. The aim is to make my body bullet proof for the distance, and to run as patiently as possible for 40 of 42 km, then to get a hurry on in the final 2.2km...<br />
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So I guess it is time to get back out there for the long run. See you in a few hours...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zvBP5MzZK9QbgkobewLZ1DEskNGQyMs7XX7rJhgH4Bqb_577luoFmbBOXtaapGTh8bEprm-Sjwq4lEHCrDfti1ZH_fl98MlDqAYorMmBvWQ9r7gn85SLJ307LKPfLfTszhIQoJCrOFmx/s1600/13310488_10154475031888268_8523662930460447246_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zvBP5MzZK9QbgkobewLZ1DEskNGQyMs7XX7rJhgH4Bqb_577luoFmbBOXtaapGTh8bEprm-Sjwq4lEHCrDfti1ZH_fl98MlDqAYorMmBvWQ9r7gn85SLJ307LKPfLfTszhIQoJCrOFmx/s640/13310488_10154475031888268_8523662930460447246_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fast and flat road racing suits me to a tea...</td></tr>
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Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-44405564337303830972016-06-06T02:54:00.003-07:002016-06-12T01:42:17.055-07:00Patience pays dividends <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/AVvXsEibSNnKSkKJYCu15eVackJWqBXsOHG70Wsk9fjqeC1a_-PCT46Umm511S-CWjwT2Z9jIYCKgIEyo012FFanRvAgZ1rtX4tVXiYJTG7BWdErvBS-E_kNkm5ht4lgZ2TddJ7El_fKWgH_4vOD/s1600/13310488_10154475031888268_8523662930460447246_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSNnKSkKJYCu15eVackJWqBXsOHG70Wsk9fjqeC1a_-PCT46Umm511S-CWjwT2Z9jIYCKgIEyo012FFanRvAgZ1rtX4tVXiYJTG7BWdErvBS-E_kNkm5ht4lgZ2TddJ7El_fKWgH_4vOD/s640/13310488_10154475031888268_8523662930460447246_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful flat and fast course down Marine Parade at Mount Maunganui</td></tr>
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My running career has now entered its 6th year and whilst I continue to enjoy running for health and also the competitive side of racing, I am starting to become resigned to the fact that I am close to peaking with my fastest race times. I'm a competitive runner, not an elite runner, but I do take my racing very seriously, at least relative to my expectations on what I am capable of achieving. So with my race times beginning to plateau, it's cause for some angst.<br />
<br />
Part of this is probably due to the onset of middle age, and part is due to the fact that I have changed very little with my training and weekly mileage over the past 3 years. I think that many people that know me and my running would be of the same view- without making some significant changes to my training program and 'commitment', I was not going to see any improvements in my times. Inherently I understand and accept this, but I do believe that there is still a few gains still to be had.<br />
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I have mentioned previously in other blogs that I am happy to get in 40-50 miles a week of running and not much more for a variety of balance and lifestyle reasons. It is enough to keep me challenged, satisfied, and competitive for what I generally want to achieve.<br />
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A contributing reason for this is that whilst I am not slashing huge chunks of time off my PB's for any race distances, I am also not on the wane either- not quite yet anyway. In fact, I have been very consistent with my race times over 10km and half marathons over the last 3 years. This has been almost to the point of not appearing to be able to improve any further. However, I have been given a glimmer of hope that there is still some margin there, with a 10km PB run in January of this year, and some consistent results in the months since.<br />
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Since my infatuation with running marathons over the past 2.5 years, I have raced fewer and fewer half marathon distances. I did run 2 decent halfs in 2015 at <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2015/08/run-auckland-race-6-milwater-half.html" target="_blank">Milwater</a> and also the <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2015/11/the-final-half-of-2015.html" target="_blank">ADRA Mission Bay</a> half. However, I have struggled to challenge my PB time which was set back in July 2013 at the Gold Coast Australia.<br />
<br />
It seemed that whilst I have strengthened my running stamina for marathon distances, and a bit of speed for the 10km, my half times have suffered somewhat and the Gold Coast Half of 2013 was going to be an even longer memory...<br />
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This weekend was the Queen's Birthday public holiday in New Zealand, so I took the opportunity to enjoy a long weekend with the family down at Mount Maunganui in the Bay of Plenty. It's a fantastic holiday spot and even in winter, it has a magical beachfront, and the unmissable sight of the mountain at the end of the beach. This weekend is also the time for the annual Mount Maunganui Half Marathon race. I have previously raced it 4 years ago and ran a personal best time back then, so it gave me great memories.<br />
<br />
Being able to return to this location to race was fantastic, and without any pressure on myself given that I have just completed the <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2016/05/vienna-marathon-2016.html" target="_blank">Vienna Marathon</a> and am currently running the Auckland Athletics cross country series and shorter 10km races, this provided me with a chance to test my fitness at what has traditionally been my favoured racing distance on a very flat course.<br />
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The Half marathon starts at the surf club and heads south down the beach front for 3.5km, then turns and heads all the way back, and then it's a 3.5km loop around the base of the Mount. This course is very fast and flat, though there is some rolling undulation around the base of the mountain track. It's a 2 lap course, so you get a good sense of how you're doing once you get through half way.<br />
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There's a stack of very talented local runners who call the 'Mount' home, so I realised that I was no chance of a podium, but having run the course before, I knew what to expect, and if I was able to get around the course economically, I was a chance of running a fast time. Over the past 2 years, all my half marathons have been consistently run just under 1:20. But my personal best is 1:18:26, so I have been 60-90 secs slower than this for some time, and have never really threatened to beat this time.<br />
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It was a chilly morning of 8c which meant gloves for me, and there was a slight head wind heading south down the beach for the first 3.5km. Nonetheless, the race leaders took off from the starting gun down the beachfront road, and I counted 9 runners ahead of me as I formed a 3rd pack of runners pacing at 3:40-3:45/km pace. For this early part of the race, I was happy to sit back behind my group and get a bit of shelter from the wind as I settled into my running rhythm.<br />
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We had not long past the 3km marker when we saw the leaders already heading back northwards towards the mount. However soon enough we turned and benefited from the wind giving us a little push from the back. After we past the drink station at about 5.5km, I skipped on a little and managed to easily drop the pack of 3 other runners that I was running with at the time. I did not bother to look back, but I lost the sound of their footsteps as I charged back up the waterfront. I counted that at this point I was in 7th position, so was moving pretty well.<br />
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As I passed the surf club, there was an enthusiastic group of cheerleaders from the Mount Joggers club cheering everyone on. From here the course wound around and onto the Mount base track, which was sand and gravel with little undulations on a narrow track that hugged the mountain on one side, and had fantastic views of the Tauranga harbour on the other side.<br />
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To my surprise I heard a runner approaching at this point and he swept past me on a slight climb. I let him go, but he did not surge off into the distance, so I managed to stick within 5m of him as we clamoured around the mountain. When we wound our way back to the surf club side of the mountain and went through the timing mat at the half way point, we got some great applause, cheers and recognition from the race MC. I was hot on the tail of the 'guy in the orange singlet' as we headed out onto our second lap down the beach.<br />
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During the race, I was careful to keep my glycogen levels up with some energy gels every 4-5km. It was time to refuel as I made my way down the road. I soon heard the familiar voice of my wife and kids cheering me on by the side of the road, so gave them a big smile and wave as I ran on by. My wife had adopted the German chant for cheering on runners from my Vienna marathon experience "Hop, hop hop", which translates to 'Go, go, go!"<br />
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A little further down the road, I pulled out alongside orange singlet guy and ran stride for stride with him down towards the turnaround. I always like and rue turnaround points on races as it gives you both a good gauge as to how close your chasers are, but it can also send you into a bit of a panic (will you be strong enough to hold them off for the rest of the race???). I was able to make out a few of the guys that were in the pack with me earlier in the race who were about 20-30 seconds behind. In any case, there was nothing that I could do to keep them at bay other than to dig in and keep turning over consistent splits for the remaining 6km of the race.<br />
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As we neared the drink station again, just like on the first lap, I found that I easily pulled away from orange singlet dude. In fact at this point, I was running some of the best splits of the entire race as the energy from the gels began to take effect. I had noticed that the orange singlet dude decided not to take water at the previous drink station and was likely paying for it now as I made a decisive break from him. I did not sight him for the rest of the race.<br />
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So I made my way past where my family was stationed again, and there was about 4.5km to go. It was at this point where I realised that I was a real chance of challenging my PB for the first time in 3 years. I kept up the pace as I wound around the road and onto the base track of the mountain again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfU7n1QdKuSsSU9NeutRs4wR75x6jpKLOZTBKCP7N7vDb4SlNU1co_-8vDuuGHSJE2WPBO7nlJniYV6OqtdzL6ljokr05fzlu-3M_EhCzVar-GG4IfGzg3FgmqiUdH1Mc1g3MKnaQsf-h/s1600/20160605_090332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfU7n1QdKuSsSU9NeutRs4wR75x6jpKLOZTBKCP7N7vDb4SlNU1co_-8vDuuGHSJE2WPBO7nlJniYV6OqtdzL6ljokr05fzlu-3M_EhCzVar-GG4IfGzg3FgmqiUdH1Mc1g3MKnaQsf-h/s640/20160605_090332.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Headed back to the Mount for the final 4km of the race</td></tr>
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All the time running on this second lap, I could see 3 runners up in front of me, no more than 150m ahead, each well spaced out. I thought that if I could keep up the pace, I was a chance of chasing a couple of these guys down. On the mountain track it was a bit more difficult the second time around as by now we were lapping some of the walkers and slower runners and trying to pass on the narrow path was challenging. It also meant that it was harder to keep sight of the runners in front of me.<br />
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For the next couple of km I was running alone, but when I got to the 19km point and my gps watch buzzed, I called out to myself out aloud "C'mon, let's go!". It was now or never if I was going to test that PB time, so I knuckled down and focused on my cadence and ensuring that I was pushing hard on every bit of the track. Just before the 20km mark, I spotted the runner up ahead of me and he was doing it tough... Not long after I was right up behind him, so I simply pulled out and glided past him on the inside. He did not respond to my challenge, so I centred myself on the track as I passed him and pinned my ears back as I kept pushing. I had moved up to 6th pace, and I could see another runner a further 30m up ahead so the cross hairs were set.<br />
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The problem for me was that I was fast running out of road to chase him down and whether he knew I was on his heels of not, he was holding his own pretty well. Every time I made up a bit of ground on a slight uphill section, I lost it again as he surged away again on the next downhill.<br />
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The last stretch of the race was a zig-zag section down a walking bridge, and as he rounded this we came face to face, and though he might have finally noticed my presence, it was too late to reign him in. I pushed hard but crossed about 10 secs in arrears.<br />
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But as I stopped my watch as I crossed the finisher's arch I looked down at my wrist and smiled like I have not done in 3 years! I had done it, a new PB in a half marathon race, and by the slimmest of margins too- just 4 seconds. The irony is that it is almost proportionate to the measly 12 second PB I achieved in the marathon just 6 months ago. Either way, I will take it and I gained so much satisfaction in clicking 'ACCEPT' to this being my new Half PB time on Garmin Connect.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming into the finish arch at the end of 21.1km of racing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPcwMuas1Jo7S4AEvanCa291-3IbSW72X8vjbN1pePLYbJyikKsoUfFcWbAUv0g4AVSV8qbO8mKnC3pETW3ml26pl63GGkURBbFv5u7d5FmWsrV9IozqMIsTT8bnK7nDTETzr5ldZsURM/s1600/20160605_091909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPcwMuas1Jo7S4AEvanCa291-3IbSW72X8vjbN1pePLYbJyikKsoUfFcWbAUv0g4AVSV8qbO8mKnC3pETW3ml26pl63GGkURBbFv5u7d5FmWsrV9IozqMIsTT8bnK7nDTETzr5ldZsURM/s640/20160605_091909.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking off the gloves, and taking in a sense of achievement in finally<br />
breaking a 3 year PB time for a half.</td></tr>
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The best thing of all was how great I felt throughout this race. Not once did I feel out of control or lost in focus. I knew exactly what I was doing and where I wanted to be the entire race. In fact, I even managed a negative split of around 20 seconds- something that I almost NEVER do when racing. As per the title of this blog, patience really does pay dividends in more ways than one...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBLD_Ozz_46JQsB9TavGRfBINmHzhcjDZUsRFB_C7jOnR2RZTxcUjfKs90r0mLqNszyz8DHe93VV0bNQA9UfIMX8-rpkNAni5nhO8xof5em3RKP1YnZQxNa2qlQnOKfUpdjVAxg_nwSoz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-06-06+at+9.32.05+pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBLD_Ozz_46JQsB9TavGRfBINmHzhcjDZUsRFB_C7jOnR2RZTxcUjfKs90r0mLqNszyz8DHe93VV0bNQA9UfIMX8-rpkNAni5nhO8xof5em3RKP1YnZQxNa2qlQnOKfUpdjVAxg_nwSoz/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-06-06+at+9.32.05+pm.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race leaderboard from Mount Maunganui Half 30th Anniversary race</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgje1IamkKxq36nygvtFDXT_Bvo78Cg5MUqgGq_8OMzyrr13ZCh_AsgLXKQ9AM5K2BmE8XDSvMuGkp9BjLalMoOt5rsP-Aer5Ir55eZYs5NbPJmvTL7IWu4bmQ0Iryc-UuwtIzrKzj2JZ/s1600/IMG_20160605_114432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgje1IamkKxq36nygvtFDXT_Bvo78Cg5MUqgGq_8OMzyrr13ZCh_AsgLXKQ9AM5K2BmE8XDSvMuGkp9BjLalMoOt5rsP-Aer5Ir55eZYs5NbPJmvTL7IWu4bmQ0Iryc-UuwtIzrKzj2JZ/s400/IMG_20160605_114432.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebration of a shiny new PB and finisher's medal!</td></tr>
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Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-34619625286401717702016-05-06T03:32:00.001-07:002016-05-06T03:32:45.565-07:00Vienna Marathon 2016<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/AVvXsEjkF738ZM7Xshgo07udtCMoc8BhvU_hDhqlzAsN481s9pST950oE0Y-F6S21vIiPAgnp4WnpPFcFI0OZ1gUHXcA5urXo_fbGOJM2nIFIQ31IgFreK474dSYGPtJ4GfPTxwwzTb38c979qk9/s1600/Start_VCM_FinisherPix_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkF738ZM7Xshgo07udtCMoc8BhvU_hDhqlzAsN481s9pST950oE0Y-F6S21vIiPAgnp4WnpPFcFI0OZ1gUHXcA5urXo_fbGOJM2nIFIQ31IgFreK474dSYGPtJ4GfPTxwwzTb38c979qk9/s320/Start_VCM_FinisherPix_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The amazing spectacle of the start of the Vienna City Marathon<br />
as runners make their way over this bridge to the north east of the city</td></tr>
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One thing I have realised as a runner over the past few years is that April is MARATHON MONTH for the northern hemisphere. Moving out of winter into the milder months, many big cities host their major marathon events at this time.<br />
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You have the likes of Boston, Paris, London, and in my case, Vienna all hosting major marathon events at this time. Being around Easter time, it is a fantastic time of year to go on holidays. And so it was for my family, deciding on a trip to Austria , Germany and the UK. I took the opportunity to take a look at what marathon events were scheduled at this time of year. The really big city events such as Paris and London don't really excite me as I loathe the idea of having to fit in around the sheer number of participants that enter these races. So the next tier of marathon events were the likes of Prague and Vienna. We had been to Vienna previously some 6 years ago, and absolutely loved it. Accordingly, I took advantage of this to enter the Vienna City Marathon and to run my 4th international marathon after Gold Coast Australia, Honolulu Hawaii, and Boston USA.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAH4XceRnEQaOCgr2tMIIyFzoV88ixF2J_4QWQViFlaFPUhFGpWIogJ_geVdVogtCSO4trhQwEIC6Bz8PJjBMt0y_Z2qltv2AMumWsPvgOAtAjn4OvtHG4J3GcmDgKpPkPXWMuSXWE5NVY/s1600/40715_WT_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAH4XceRnEQaOCgr2tMIIyFzoV88ixF2J_4QWQViFlaFPUhFGpWIogJ_geVdVogtCSO4trhQwEIC6Bz8PJjBMt0y_Z2qltv2AMumWsPvgOAtAjn4OvtHG4J3GcmDgKpPkPXWMuSXWE5NVY/s320/40715_WT_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you haven't been to Vienna, it is an amazingly beautiful city. Full of historic buildings which are all fastidiously maintained around incredibly manicured gardens and parks. To get around the city is a breeze with easy public transport, however the city is very flat and easy to get around on bicycle or on foot as well. Which makes the prospect of a marathon here all the more alluring...<br />
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So I entered this marathon on the back of a personal best time of 2:49 in the Auckland Marathon in November 2015, just 4 months ago. Having achieved a great result on what is a rolling first half course, I was hopeful of being able to improve on this time in Vienna through maintaining my fitness over Christmas and with some more training in the early months of the year.<br />
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In NZ, the mild weather at this time of year made training a breeze for me and I gradually built up my training to a level that I felt was ready to tackle a good marathon result.<br />
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Our trip from NZ to Vienna in Austria was a long 30 hour voyage which included stops in Melbourne Australia, Dubai in UAE, before landing in Vienna. I only allowed myself a day and a half on the ground in Vienna before the marathon on the Sunday, which was rather brief to adjust for jet lag, however I did not feel that I was experiencing any ill effects.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3qhbT6PNcB6Ief-fMlYo42FxMDCrW3AZ3yDsXyYCVDEC2tTcqPLe5iLpovaBmsmVDE6ZMGKKOknJvVbKUbJsYGa23H9Ds3Zk701KVAa9orp1IY4S9eVb3gW9v9ziF6MEhQqAvLwz5bGc/s1600/Secession_Hagen_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3qhbT6PNcB6Ief-fMlYo42FxMDCrW3AZ3yDsXyYCVDEC2tTcqPLe5iLpovaBmsmVDE6ZMGKKOknJvVbKUbJsYGa23H9Ds3Zk701KVAa9orp1IY4S9eVb3gW9v9ziF6MEhQqAvLwz5bGc/s320/Secession_Hagen_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Secession, is just a mile south of St Stephen's Cathedral <br />
in the centre of the city, and right where we were staying...</td></tr>
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Upon arrival in Vienna, we checked into our accommodation, then headed out to the registration expo. I always enjoy going to the expos at these races, though I did find that this event lacked the same scale of excitement that I have seen at other big events. I did manage to pick up a couple of event branded t-shirts and jackets though.<br />
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Saturday morning gave me an opportunity to go for an early run through the centre of the city and get a feel being on the ground. It was a fantastic feeling running through such a scenic city. Everywhere I turned there was amazing architecture and scenery. I managed a leisurely 7.5km of running, before turning back and then going sightseeing in the centre of the city and to the Schonbrunn Palace.<br />
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Saturday night dinner was of course a dinner of pasta. And in Vienna, it was very easy to find an Italian restaurant which gave me a choice of pasta, pizza and of course, schnitzel.<br />
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Given the jet lag, I was into bed at 8pm, which guaranteed a good night sleep given that the race start was a very civilised 9am on Sunday morning. It was fortunate too as my son woke at about 1:30am, and came in to our room. Unfortunately he didn't go back to bed... Regardless, I did manage to get enough rest before rising to prepare for the marathon.<br />
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The pre-race routine was straight forward, and getting the train to the start line was also very easy. So much so that I was rather early on a very brisk morning. I decided to stay huddled in the train station for as long as possible, rather than brave the cold weather outside whilst waiting for the start time to roll around.<br />
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Eventually it was time to start getting ready. So I found a 'Toi Toi' portable toilet, then went to look for the truck to put my gear bag in. Once that was done, I went into my starting chute area and started warming up- needing no encouragement given the cold. I noticed another runner who came prepared with a garbage bag to stay warm. We struck up a conversation and compared our planned goal times, then wished each other good luck.<br />
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Finally race time came around and we were off. The start of the race ran along a motorway over an amazing bridge into the main part of the city. It took a good 500m to find some decent room to settle into my running groove, but soon I was able to run freely. There was some good crowd support along the route as we started to make our way into the city.<br />
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Being a cold and dry morning the early part of the race was quite good, and I was excited to see my family waiting to cheer me on at the 11km mark of the race. I made a bee-line to give some high-fives to the kids as I made my way past.<br />
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<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/AVvXsEijYoR0T9YaiHQh844AC_wshleG4ELbXLe962LkABnpDTclFtQYY2NcVh-a2gtk8xSK6YxdVc_w6XwssNMSKDQ_zvIt5_QczlVurJ2HCxPdm9YbvffpeCErkKJoBYYa-IV1B_H7-IKlcTij/s1600/Vienna+11km.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijYoR0T9YaiHQh844AC_wshleG4ELbXLe962LkABnpDTclFtQYY2NcVh-a2gtk8xSK6YxdVc_w6XwssNMSKDQ_zvIt5_QczlVurJ2HCxPdm9YbvffpeCErkKJoBYYa-IV1B_H7-IKlcTij/s400/Vienna+11km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The highlight of the marathon, passing 11km and seeing my family<br />
waiting in support in the cold morning</td></tr>
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From here, the race turned south towards the Schonbrunn Palace, which we had visited just the day before. I wasn't able enjoy the sights quite as much on this occasion, though it's amazing what you can take in on a run, even if it is only fleeting...<br />
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For a fairly compact city, Vienna still manages to fit in some fantastic wide avenues and give a sense of space. Running the roads was an absolute delight as we passed such amazing architecture and criss-crossed over the river on a few occasions.<br />
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One unusual facet of this event was that the half marathon runners started at the same time as the marathon, which meant that the course was congested with runners from a different race- that is, until the 20km mark, when they peeled off to the finish line.<br />
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Once they were clear, the field of runners thinned out significantly, and it was a case of trying to take the tangents carefully and run the best race line for efficiency. I had a few runners that were working together at this point as we headed back north to cross the river again and double back over some of the course for the back half of the marathon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXX_IzO6Q_Yr4ROIZe6Bwl9SnYE6_uXyiBhMQeoW67LYiO5_ZcnlRfeQ_UmiWOTW_7Y5HvLSTySq8OIYOzYDmtMoJfUHXaa9MNLxN3CP-jczv92Dt_F4GVfuD_NMeLvhujSnNrpxDxvLJl/s1600/Running.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXX_IzO6Q_Yr4ROIZe6Bwl9SnYE6_uXyiBhMQeoW67LYiO5_ZcnlRfeQ_UmiWOTW_7Y5HvLSTySq8OIYOzYDmtMoJfUHXaa9MNLxN3CP-jczv92Dt_F4GVfuD_NMeLvhujSnNrpxDxvLJl/s640/Running.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toughing it out on the Vienna City Marathon course.</td></tr>
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Things were going pretty well, and I was taking my gels at regular intervals. At about 25km, there was a very flat and straight long section down an avenue to 30km, then return. Normally this is my bread and butter- fast and flat.<br />
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However I discovered at about 28km that I was starting to fall off the pace. My hydration was fine, and I was not feeling out of breath, however my quads had started to tighten up, which meant that my stride was beginning to shorten. Instead of running 4:00/km, I was slowing to 4:10-4:15 pace and worse... I thought that perhaps it was just a phase of the race, and just tried to keep pushing, hoping that I would relax and pick up the pace again.<br />
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I managed through to 35km, but then things became exponentially worse and it was merely a case of survival over the final 7km of the race. Whilst similar to some of the issues that I have faced in previous marathons, I felt that I was better prepared this time to tough it out. Though this didn't mean that it was going to be comfortable. Over the final few miles, there were a few rises to climb bridges over the river in the centre of the city, and many turns and changes of direction.<br />
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<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/AVvXsEhC2_QEZovkzZXzyleCDNNaMA3uJjS85JxWcM2xnf4v-9QSorHAbNeB2WQdTXf5DPahsh0rjBmdK1Bs9HM5401PQmYmkxzGIb_M_Zf1mAgV76uHS-VIMIc5XM9vA649xKB-cJHtuxKBF3zH/s1600/Race+mode.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2_QEZovkzZXzyleCDNNaMA3uJjS85JxWcM2xnf4v-9QSorHAbNeB2WQdTXf5DPahsh0rjBmdK1Bs9HM5401PQmYmkxzGIb_M_Zf1mAgV76uHS-VIMIc5XM9vA649xKB-cJHtuxKBF3zH/s640/Race+mode.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slightly colder conditions than I am used to, I wore a base layer to ward off the cold, <br />
a lesson learned from Boston Marathon in 2015 where I suffered hypothermia.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyYija_myV6DFKqcAWBMiaJlt7WBzuzsrMrRhdklVz8NIiAw96rm3dOT0bApWvo2rGC6Sn4e6kna8mi0vLLYUUdrPeG9E0MPKLx2Ne_P6w_qfWZ8w6DSfakRzw2827PVw-VMUXNSji8ch/s1600/Finish+Photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyYija_myV6DFKqcAWBMiaJlt7WBzuzsrMrRhdklVz8NIiAw96rm3dOT0bApWvo2rGC6Sn4e6kna8mi0vLLYUUdrPeG9E0MPKLx2Ne_P6w_qfWZ8w6DSfakRzw2827PVw-VMUXNSji8ch/s640/Finish+Photo.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always relieved to see the finish line...</td></tr>
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When I get to around 35km, then I start counting down backwards, rather than up. So it is 7km to go, 5km to go, and the last 2km, rather than 37km down, 40km done etc. I think this is very much a psychological thing for me to endure the final parts of the marathon, but it seems to work.<br />
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I crossed the 40km mark as I ran under one of the many blow up arches along the course and the crowd announcer called out my name and race number in German as I passed through. It was quite novel being introduced to the crowd in a foreign language! I raised my arm in acknowledgement to the crowd, but I was feeling decidedly ordinary at this point, even though I knew that I was almost at the finish line.<br />
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After struggling along the final couple of hundred metres along the red carpet to the finish line, I collapsed into a heap on the ground to rest after the finishing arch. One of the race marshals urged me to 'move along', but I protested that I was too tired and cramping in my legs. So he went over and grabbed me a bottle of water. After catching my breath and a few sips of water, I struggled back to my feet and continued to on to collect my race medal and a well earned glass of beer!<br />
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<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/AVvXsEhhQsNkZDZA3ERb4ffsaDdGH_j73F-XmFAYl3-mwW_Ono21w6vbLZ2l7lK5RucoF1rH3P-zpYmJ3LAbCTAxL6fRBpgu171A7ZCclb4ayW-wTlbsm-yEjoYvx0AmMBvczSbyviDChU5PRTwf/s1600/Medal+Moment.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQsNkZDZA3ERb4ffsaDdGH_j73F-XmFAYl3-mwW_Ono21w6vbLZ2l7lK5RucoF1rH3P-zpYmJ3LAbCTAxL6fRBpgu171A7ZCclb4ayW-wTlbsm-yEjoYvx0AmMBvczSbyviDChU5PRTwf/s640/Medal+Moment.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally an opportunity to savour the success of finishing the marathon</td></tr>
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The finish area was outside a fantastic building called the 'Burgtheatre' and there were people everywhere! I took some time to find my gear bag from the trucks, and then I started to experience a series of extended cramping in my quads which meant that I was literally stranded in a standing position on the side of the street for several minutes on end!<br />
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When these finally subsided, I managed to find my way back to a train station and to go back to my accommodation. It was time to relax and celebrate another marathon run and done! A shower, nap and then out for some dinner in the city of Vienna.<br />
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Whilst disappointed that I was unable to replicate the time from my most recent marathon last November, it was a fantastic feeling being able to participate in a marathon at such an amazing location. In frustration at my tough finish and below par time, I vowed that at this point, I would park my international marathon racing ambitions for the time being. Though I do not recommend anyone makes any decisions about their running intentions in the heat of the moment immediately after a marathon. Within a week I had changed my tune as I had by then travelled to Brighton in the UK to watch my sister run her very first marathon. She did fantastically and thoroughly deserved her finisher medal after the race after re-inspiring me to run and race.<br />
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I've been back home for a couple of weeks now and my recovery has been fantastic with no injury niggles. I ran a 10km race last weekend and managed to finish first in a reasonable time of just over 36 minutes on a 4 lap hilly course.<br />
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And then suddenly I realised, I have the marathon itch again...<br />
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<br />Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-34718660311086384532016-02-25T02:20:00.000-08:002016-02-25T02:20:16.656-08:0050 miles a week to Vienna Marathon 2016On the looming anniversary of running Boston 2015 I needed to have another goal race to prepare for. Having struggled somewhat to match my personal expectations with my two forays into big international marathons, I have been slightly low key with my preparations and expectations for my next marathon.<br />
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<a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2015/04/the-boston-experience.html" target="_blank">Boston</a> was just amazing on so many levels, but I did not handle the weather conditions properly and hence ran a very tough race. <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2014/12/running-in-paradise-2014-honolulu.html" target="_blank">Honolulu </a>was part of a Christmas vacation with the family, and regrettably I got some of the timing for sightseeing (climbing Diamond Head the day before the race) messed up with the race day and it meant that I fatigued at the critical juncture in the race which put paid to a fast time.<br />
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So in 2016, I have entered the Vienna marathon in April. This will be again as part of a family holiday which will also double as a pre-celebration for my 40th birthday. I have not been putting too much pressure on myself with my training and preparation for this event. I learnt during the <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2015/11/finally-marathon-pb-drought-is-broken.html" target="_blank">Auckland Marathon</a> in November that more is not always more in terms of building strength for running marathon. I had only decided 6 weeks before that event to actually enter, as such I had limited preparation in terms of my longer runs. Even so, I did what I could and ensured that the quality of the longer runs was there, and that I had fuelled adequately to run them well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ob2fwlBifGFGZcFiJmlzcSGZzAGgI42W6DLtyBRLw2tHphF2EDtAVkldFooJAt9f_fZDI5905EqAyyLImEuIqWB-gNljobecZuc1yuB3TTqUxVh1yBUfiObI8XW6iPjrk3TAU1yfBhvn/s1600/Start_VCM_FinisherPix_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ob2fwlBifGFGZcFiJmlzcSGZzAGgI42W6DLtyBRLw2tHphF2EDtAVkldFooJAt9f_fZDI5905EqAyyLImEuIqWB-gNljobecZuc1yuB3TTqUxVh1yBUfiObI8XW6iPjrk3TAU1yfBhvn/s640/Start_VCM_FinisherPix_500.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of the Vienna Marathon www.vienna-marathon.com</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
What transpired in the race was a surprise to myself- a PB time which I managed with a very even pace on a course which is very undulating for the first half. This being a surprise given that I have never seen this as a fast course, nor one where I would be strong enough to nail a consistently fast pace.<br />
<br />
So going to Vienna will be interesting as this course is generally flat with lots of out and back sections, and it will be in cooler conditions, being the spring in Austria. This should make for a fast course and fast times!<br />
<br />
I've made the conscious decision not to do any additional mileage in my training than I did for Auckland. This means no more than about 50 miles a week. For most serious marathoners, this is barely half the mileage that should be done to ensure a good time.<br />
<br />
It's 6 weeks to go, and I will just keep plodding away with my program which consists of the following:<br />
<br />
Monday- 45 min (6 miles/ 10km) recovery run<br />
Tuesday 30 mins 10 X 400m or 5 X 1km Intervals (7km)<br />
Wednesday 45 mins (6 miles/ 10km easy)<br />
Thursday 45 mins (6.5 miles/ 10.5km steady pace)<br />
Friday Rest day<br />
Saturday 35-40 min Tempo (5-6 miles/ 9km @4:00 pace)<br />
Sunday Long Run (building up from 29 miles/ 31km to peak at 24 miles/ 38km<br />
<br />
Being my 6th marathon, I am very comfortable with this as my preparation, and I have been able to keep injury at bay, plus maintain a balance with my training and family time, work and also part time study. Somehow everything seems to fit in almost perfectly at the moment, so I am happy to stay busy and do just enough in terms of my run training.<br />
<br />
I am expecting to run a time in the range of 2:47-2:52, depending on how things play out for me on the day. My wife says that I tend to be almost robotic in predicting my finish times, so let's hope that I am able to keep my streak going...<br />
<br />
<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/AVvXsEiJwm2zNcLCUWmAq2LefZACPvD-faAflcP_lAcPeQDwTDvCwMZkJDEJdYnlyRMlXrIRdHkCjH5C987oeLagq7opgni659EQVPD1TdQkoMVC4N58ZJW7EybmKoS8H06oaYx8TrwNGt7WQeF_/s1600/Secession_Hagen_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwm2zNcLCUWmAq2LefZACPvD-faAflcP_lAcPeQDwTDvCwMZkJDEJdYnlyRMlXrIRdHkCjH5C987oeLagq7opgni659EQVPD1TdQkoMVC4N58ZJW7EybmKoS8H06oaYx8TrwNGt7WQeF_/s640/Secession_Hagen_500.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoping for a fine day at Vienna Marathon www.vienna-marathon.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm looking forward to a fantastic fast and scenic race route and a brilliant way to kick start a European holiday with the family.<br />
<br />
The week after, I will be in Brighton UK cheering on my sister who will be running her first ever marathon.<br />
<br />
If you're running a spring marathon, all the best to you with your preparation, and remember to savour the experience and remember that the journey to get there is just as important...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-88798005742189223992015-12-22T01:37:00.000-08:002015-12-22T01:37:16.999-08:00Reflecting on another year of running <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can you believe that the end of 2015 has come around? Wow, what a swift year it has been for all things in my life. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't believe how fast this year has flown by, so I took an opportunity to look back at </span><a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2014/12/taking-stock-of-running-in-2014.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">s<span id="goog_1178859054"></span>ome of the goals I had set for the year to measure my progress<span id="goog_1178859055"></span>.</a><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xEH_-idxhL5DQ5GRpvc9KSjo06OnEof3GdkU_JR_oI-Z9NXEUTGU8_Mxpgh8GpqsmiRDumZEa8K6KI97nzlAxW2N-ksbUKF7lCy90OgdMDKIKK0kOYKmmVsv3GaMcPq_np09C-2t_bAk/s1600/FullSizeRender_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xEH_-idxhL5DQ5GRpvc9KSjo06OnEof3GdkU_JR_oI-Z9NXEUTGU8_Mxpgh8GpqsmiRDumZEa8K6KI97nzlAxW2N-ksbUKF7lCy90OgdMDKIKK0kOYKmmVsv3GaMcPq_np09C-2t_bAk/s640/FullSizeRender_2.jpg" width="414" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sydney Harbour 10K Race- July 2015</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
To recap, I had set myself the following challenges for the year:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goals for 2015</span></strong><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">1) Boston Marathon (chasing a new PB)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">2) Chasing a new Half Marathon PB (races still to be decided)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">3) Do some racing on track over 3000m and 5000m to focus on building improved speed</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">4) Maybe a trail Half marathon race somewhere...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">5) Some new races in new places</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">1) So I ran <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2015/04/the-boston-experience.html" target="_blank">Boston,</a> and it was an absolutely amazing experience., however I seemed to continue my hex from the Honolulu Marathon and struggled in the unfamiliar conditions of racing in a different country with limited opportunity to acclimatise. So not only did I not come anywhere near to achieving a PB, I struggled to actually finish the race. The last 10km were an absolute blur... But in hindsight, getting to Boston alone was a fantastic opportunity, and I certainly lapped up the experience of what was the most complete race event experience I have ever encountered.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">2) In terms of Half Marathon racing, I actually only ran 3 races at this distance this year, which is probably the fewest I have run since my first ever year of running in 2011. This was not deliberate, however a few things changed my plans through the year. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">- Firstly, I had prioritised the Boston marathon preparation for the first part of the year in terms of training, so I did not race a lot before the April race date. In New Zealand, there are an abundance of Half marathon running events between March and August.This year, I only ran 2 during this period. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">- Secondly I started studying for an MBA in May, so for the last 6 months, I have had to be very disciplined with managing my time around work, family, running and study. It hasn't meant that I have not been able to run (I'd certainly go mad...), but there have been fewer opportunities for weekends away to compete in regional events due to study commitments.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">- Finally, post-Boston, I was in a bit of a lull with my running performance. I was back to running pretty quickly without any trouble, however I struggled to get back my speed for almost 3 months. Hence I had little incentive to test myself in a big way with half marathon events during this time. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">I did however manage a good half run at Milwater Half in mid-July, and I finished off the year with a strong run at ADRA Mission Bay at the end of November. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<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/AVvXsEgb5uedGVMBYg-qyYtOdKhE3pxQfcU93CDA8LdEAfhrkTUGiDi9nwNX3eSOoYJ5TiIYpML_dnt5v0MDWL2l5o9neoWLLsfMBEEwhvh0E6fa4DIz1prNDpeEO-3mEW1fW4lp5HIHXQ-h_Luq/s1600/IMG_3362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5uedGVMBYg-qyYtOdKhE3pxQfcU93CDA8LdEAfhrkTUGiDi9nwNX3eSOoYJ5TiIYpML_dnt5v0MDWL2l5o9neoWLLsfMBEEwhvh0E6fa4DIz1prNDpeEO-3mEW1fW4lp5HIHXQ-h_Luq/s640/IMG_3362.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milwater Half Marathon July 2015</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">3) Track racing..... well... I did have a go at a <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2015/01/getting-onto-track.html" target="_blank">3000m race </a>in January, which seemed to go ok for a first effort. Unfortunately I did not race another one of these again, as it was almost the end of the season. There were some 5000m races I could have tried, though the thought of 12.5 laps seems very monotonous to me! I really like the idea of racing more on track, but the timing of the races does not fit as easily into my schedule.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">4) Trail Half Marathon- check! The <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2015/03/rotorua-off-road-half-marathon-recap.html" target="_blank">Rotorua Half Trail Marathon</a> in March was a great event and location to run my first trail event. It was actually a nice mix of part road, and trail which helped me find it rewarding enough to stay interested and motivated to chase a decent time. I finished in 6th place and managed an age group podium, so was pleased with that result. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrBwnBqEoep3EhR_Uuqs1iLTUQ9O5GrX1b23kWPOalQ2TcONaZ7lXNxSxG7O-sQiidMbi8p-yZ7yw3WJvs4Yff_V0yF7XRSXqNLqoebBYESvFkgDhn_Vg58fyZ1Pd_oncMaIICUAJwggP/s1600/IMG_0078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrBwnBqEoep3EhR_Uuqs1iLTUQ9O5GrX1b23kWPOalQ2TcONaZ7lXNxSxG7O-sQiidMbi8p-yZ7yw3WJvs4Yff_V0yF7XRSXqNLqoebBYESvFkgDhn_Vg58fyZ1Pd_oncMaIICUAJwggP/s640/IMG_0078.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Auckland Marathon 2015 was a very pleasing surprise to PB by just 12 seconds</td></tr>
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<br />
<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/AVvXsEhHlhHC72mN-oEXNL00WpdmrEUMlSbmAgYtt0otegFwK6O8wMTC-_6eQvzctBuZRR588pgFwdWIz7OxpxLNNR9gq_RZCxt9Kwew0GdvcBxVyKMGqYJ4XB5icwkK-G9u4H_tIQonKcjzMVNP/s1600/IMG_0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlhHC72mN-oEXNL00WpdmrEUMlSbmAgYtt0otegFwK6O8wMTC-_6eQvzctBuZRR588pgFwdWIz7OxpxLNNR9gq_RZCxt9Kwew0GdvcBxVyKMGqYJ4XB5icwkK-G9u4H_tIQonKcjzMVNP/s640/IMG_0083.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running past the bottom of my street at the 33km mark of the Auckland Marathon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">5) New races and locations- The best one for me was the <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2015/10/debut-of-devonport-classic-25km.html" target="_blank">Devonport Classic</a> 25km race in September. I had raced this previously as the 15km race, however this year the event added a longer 25km course through the scenic lower north shore of Auckland. It was a fantastic day, and capped by my children also running in the kids dash event and my son and I getting podium results!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><b><u>B<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">est Achievements</span></u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;">1) A hard earned 10km PB through perseverance in training and racing. This also resulted in some great placings and times in the Athletics NZ road championships.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;">2) A first place at the Devonport Classic 25km race</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;">3) An unexpected Marathon PB at Auckland Marathon, after only deciding to run the full marathon 6 weeks out from the race day. I hadn't really gotten much faster in 2015, but the consistency of my training, and lack of injuries had helped to make me really strong- enough to shave my marathon PB by a mere 12 seconds. Either way, I'll take it!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;"><b><u>Goals for 2016</u></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;">So onto setting goals for next year...</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;">Well it's fair to say that given that I have committed myself to be studying as well as working for the next 2 years, it will be much more difficult to find the time to really push in my training, my running goals may need to be a little more modest in the year ahead...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;">Even so, without having some goals to chase, my running training would be rather pointless right? So here goes with some challenges for the new year...</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;">1) Run Vienna Marathon in April in 2:48-2:52 time range. Potential for a PB, but would be happy to run a steady time whilst taking the opportunity to enjoy some sights of Europe on a family holiday</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;">2) Sub 35 min 10km race- I unofficially did this in the Auckland road champs (at least my GPS told me the course was slightly long). If I am able to get myself in the same condition as I did in the middle third of 2015, this could be a real possibility.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;">3) Am I capable of a sub- 17 minute 5km time?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;">So that's a wrap for 2015 running. Nothing ground-breaking in terms of performance, but certainly some positives in terms of gradual improvement over 10km and marathon times. Next year I move up an age group too, so that will bring a new dimension to my running competition (i.e. it will actually be harder to get age group podiums based on my results).</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;">I hope that you all have a great Christmas and New Year break and enjoy your running break, and also your return to running in the new year. Set yourself some big lofty goals to chase, and work hard at training- I'm sure then that you will see good improvements in your results. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-32944825219523343992015-11-30T01:15:00.000-08:002015-11-30T13:20:47.192-08:00The final half of 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlk4AzFBM4B_rFRrMFSsE3ElHJnw1mJWwcKspn9zzXEN3NTAHDjn9Y_58RvAlPLt74sGEaxAsyYXK3oF3Bf1VVOXEkz_xrwyCujB73L7OK4X6EGVDsiGdel-_DGZcPxhol5VT1qwQBMrW/s1600/ADRA-CharityRun-MakingHeroes-WebBanner-V2-980x520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlk4AzFBM4B_rFRrMFSsE3ElHJnw1mJWwcKspn9zzXEN3NTAHDjn9Y_58RvAlPLt74sGEaxAsyYXK3oF3Bf1VVOXEkz_xrwyCujB73L7OK4X6EGVDsiGdel-_DGZcPxhol5VT1qwQBMrW/s640/ADRA-CharityRun-MakingHeroes-WebBanner-V2-980x520.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The ADRA Mission Bay half marathon is a race that takes place at the beginning of December, literally on my door step.<br />
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I have competed in this event 2 times previously, and have managed to place 3rd both times. This year, I am hoping to run my best half time in 2 years of under 79 minutes.<br />
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Based on my results for 10km, I should be capable of running this time, however my best so far was in July with a 79:20 time. I know this route very well as it is along the roads that I train my all the time, though the course is run on footpaths, not closed roads, and there are hilly parts which does sap energy from you for later in the race.<br />
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Just 4 weeks after the Auckland Marathon, this would be my last race for 2015, and I was hopeful that I had recovered well enough to put in a good run. I had recalled that one of my goals for 2015 was to better my half marathon PB. As it turned out, I have raced just 3 half marathons in the year, with more focus on 10km races and marathon preparations. Nonetheless, my training has been solid and I have been injury free this year, so I was due to put in a good run.<br />
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My good friend Ciaran had also entered, and after his amazing break out year, including a 5th place at Auckland marathon recently, I knew that his presence meant that I'd be chasing the back of his head all race!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFKPOCSa97_Q_F5Yt3kAo1kAUSaNvTVgYqUw5VqHKcWeW-HYHynGBWn1fMOuuO_17hU0ozLNlkNXC6kI3VEs7OjCESH9sI8tJuUonEdqgUliLvzerKoKxa9q9Tc61Cn9lUFJSqJqJYtD8/s1600/10365785_867924099898695_2468857430368357577_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFKPOCSa97_Q_F5Yt3kAo1kAUSaNvTVgYqUw5VqHKcWeW-HYHynGBWn1fMOuuO_17hU0ozLNlkNXC6kI3VEs7OjCESH9sI8tJuUonEdqgUliLvzerKoKxa9q9Tc61Cn9lUFJSqJqJYtD8/s640/10365785_867924099898695_2468857430368357577_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flash back to a previous race running against my friend Ciaran (right) and also Claire (centre)</td></tr>
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It was a smaller field of runners this year, with around 200 this year, but there were few formalities before the gun fired. My Garmin is normally super fast to sync for satellites, but for some reason today, it was playing up a little. Hence I just had to hit start and hope that the watch GPS caught up! I jumped out of the blocks and led the field around the fountain near the start line, then back along the waterfront towards St Heliers. The lead biker had surged out well in front of the runners in the distance, so that was my target to chase.<br />
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After just 1.5km, I heard the inevitable sound of fast footsteps behind me, and sure enough it was Ciaran ambling up alongside me. He said a quick hello, checked how I was doing, then shot off ahead. After 2km, there was a climb up a steep street, and but the time I reached the base of the street, Ciaran had already scaled the crest!<br />
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So for me, the challenge was simply to run a steady race and ensure that I kept any other challengers at bay to hold out second place. Being a local, this race is fantastic, as I know every point of the race fantastically well given that I train on much of it each week. The course went around a loop road at the top of the hill, then turned downhill towards a park, where we had to run a loop around the inside, then climb out around the outskirts of the park and head back towards Mission Bay. These first 6km alone take a lot of energy out of you, so it's important to be prepared.<br />
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Heading back in from St Heliers, there is a nice downhill stretch, before hitting the flat waterfront again, for the route back along to Mission Bay. The race is run on the footpaths, so it's a bit narrow and you have to dodge the occasional pedestrian along the way.<br />
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The volunteers at the drink stations were dressed up in superhero costumes, and very enthusiastic, so that added to the fun of the day. There were plenty of Superman, Ironman, Captain American and Spiderman outfits.<br />
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By the time I went past the race HQ, this was around 10km, and a spectator told me that Ciaran already had a 2 min lead on me. I grinned, knowing that there was no chance of closing this gap on him. Instead, it would likely simply double by the time the full race was won!<br />
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The next 5km was heading west along the waterfront bays towards the city, and despite a little headwind, was rather uneventful. I was just trying hard to stay on pace as best as I could, given that I had no runners to pace me. The runner in 3rd place was a good 500m back from me, so was good to keep me honest, but not really a threat at this stage.<br />
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As I was getting closer to the turn around point at 15.5km, I was wondering when I would see Ciaran coming the other way. Then without any delay, I saw the lead bike coming back my way, and Ciaran chasing it hard. When we crossed, I estimated that he had already a 3 minute gap on me, so it was definitely curtains in terms of any freak chance that I might be able to chase him down. I yelled some encouragement as we crossed, and then charged up the incline as I went in search of the turn around point.<br />
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When I rounded the turn, it was my turn to work hard and build a sizeable buffer to third place, so as to dishearten the runner about any chance of running me down. I pushed hard up the hill and had managed to run almost 500m before we crossed, so I knew I had about a 3:30 gap and was going to get home in second safely.<br />
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Coming back in toward the finish over the last 5km was an enjoyable experience. The route is very flat, if not a slight downhill, so you are running faster along this point. In addition, you start to cross paths with all the other runners heading out to the final turning point. With this, there was lots of encouragement and high-fives from these runners who were doing fantastically well themselves.<br />
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Normally it is at this point in half marathons where I really start to struggle, though having done quite a few marathons now, I have become much stronger and I was able to maintain the pace, then speed up for the last 2km to the finish. I pushed as hard as I could to the finish, and checking my watch, a sub 1:19 time was not going to happen today (though every time I run this course, it measures about 200-300m long), but I came in just under 1:20- a very pleasing result.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPGpcjavFNx-vz3T3X102tKd8y319sOFeQDG-G_X-7TkETonylgUYtQZsh2lfKsy_yN4p5_R9w8_cinaSiwA354eccPaq2TKhKqHbkGYHApy6adrvCQUZnRpuiRWxrv_I1_W6rTZvB4wR/s1600/IMG_0278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPGpcjavFNx-vz3T3X102tKd8y319sOFeQDG-G_X-7TkETonylgUYtQZsh2lfKsy_yN4p5_R9w8_cinaSiwA354eccPaq2TKhKqHbkGYHApy6adrvCQUZnRpuiRWxrv_I1_W6rTZvB4wR/s640/IMG_0278.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whilst the course was slightly long for a half marathon, this was a <br />
quick run by my standards. Not a PB, but getting closer...</td></tr>
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There was a decent crowd at the finish as the 5km race was about to start. I saw Ciaran already done with his legs up and calculating that he had smashed me by 4.5 minutes!!! A fantastic run given that he had just run a massive marathon PB 4 weeks earlier of 2:30, and was still able to come out an run a fantastic 1:15 time in a half. Getting my times down towards 1.15 would be an absolute dream but requires a lot more work and improvement in my times, though I think that I can certainly challenge for a new PB in the near future.<br />
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So, it was all up a fantastic day, beautiful mild weather and clear, and a great result too. Our friend Claire also ran fantastically for 2nd in the women's (just being passed in the final 1km after having done a 160km bike race the day before). Regrettably we did miss our moment of glory though at the prizegiving as we though it started at 11am, and were half an hour late!! For second, I received a medallion, and a $200 voucher at a sports store, so was very pleased with that return for the race entry... Time for some shopping!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4ZaEgYu2OyM4vZVXbfItwBgkqecyflDAGoV_aCCORiq02xjTBBqEdEFvGTf7_PPJW29qLmd2FCzm_QdMsQGaWjnH05-c2Kw8ojIhJpnFBgs3aV4TodK9EZeE8BUwCOaFDrvL6QAmZCsV/s1600/IMG_0281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4ZaEgYu2OyM4vZVXbfItwBgkqecyflDAGoV_aCCORiq02xjTBBqEdEFvGTf7_PPJW29qLmd2FCzm_QdMsQGaWjnH05-c2Kw8ojIhJpnFBgs3aV4TodK9EZeE8BUwCOaFDrvL6QAmZCsV/s640/IMG_0281.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My race mementos from ADRA Mission Bay including a second place medallion and a $200 voucher to Shoe Clinic</td></tr>
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<br />Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-20560760182879446332015-11-14T02:12:00.003-08:002015-11-14T02:19:28.813-08:00Finally, the marathon PB drought is broken...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZlOGeQhso15Bst3IdZH7SGws_LI26R_-4lDPcLDLhvYMlgltaAsy5oGeYljuzU8X2Uyb6cU8GpvohSRVCA3VqekCSm6y7LGspnUidrWv6ukIfgcW_xqQnkrrcXwJ_v1SSrD0JdRa_wLr/s1600/IMG_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZlOGeQhso15Bst3IdZH7SGws_LI26R_-4lDPcLDLhvYMlgltaAsy5oGeYljuzU8X2Uyb6cU8GpvohSRVCA3VqekCSm6y7LGspnUidrWv6ukIfgcW_xqQnkrrcXwJ_v1SSrD0JdRa_wLr/s640/IMG_0069.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running city marathons normally means very early starts</td></tr>
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Up until November 2015, I had only ever run 4 marathons. Each was is a different country- New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii (I know it's really a part of the US), and Boston in USA.<br />
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I read somewhere that most people peak with their best marathon time at around their 6th marathon, and it is difficult to continue to improve beyond that. I'm not completely convinced that is true, as I believe hard work and doing the proper preparation can yield continued improvement in results over time. However, I am certainly never going to be a marathon 'centurian' like some of my more esteemed marathon running colleagues...<br />
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Having said that, I choose to run in marathons very selectively and spend at least 4-6 months in building up to them to give myself the best chance of running well. Having exotic destinations to travel to makes them even more worthwhile!<br />
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My first marathon was a home event in Auckland NZ in November 2013, and whilst I had certain expectations in terms of my time, of course it's hard to really gauge how you will perform in your first ever event at this distance. I did have a goal range though- 1) Finish under 3 hours, 2) Run somewhere between 2:50-2:52 if I have a really good day. Predictably, I got through half way on track in 1:24, and then faded badly for the second half, running a 1:30 split, to finish at 2:54- not a bad first up marathon, but I still felt that I underachieved somewhat against my potential and my goals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRBpVWghaJ2ZzZcWn5V3xNI38IkBce-dujHgkwu0eZXTGH7apXFclxQs__6XqowxGBf6f1HaOqSm642ruFQQ_b7oUkrGemQbtNUYUKsS8iHpsZ-_j6n_3f2ME6RI5JNvOsQFmj_YPisCxi/s1600/IMG_0065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRBpVWghaJ2ZzZcWn5V3xNI38IkBce-dujHgkwu0eZXTGH7apXFclxQs__6XqowxGBf6f1HaOqSm642ruFQQ_b7oUkrGemQbtNUYUKsS8iHpsZ-_j6n_3f2ME6RI5JNvOsQFmj_YPisCxi/s640/IMG_0065.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being up this early is never a normal way to start the day...</td></tr>
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Fast forward to July 2014, and I was ready for my second tilt at the marathon, and this time it was on the Gold Coast in Australia, a course renowned for being very fast and flat, and though in Australia's winter, here it is always perfect weather and still warm. By this time I had sorted out some of the issues I had in my first marathon around fuelling and hydration, and was confident of running a better race. And so it proved to be, with a very consistent race, with half splits of 1:24 and 1:25, to finish with a fantastic improvement to 2:49:37.<br />
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At Christmas time in 2014, my family and I decided to go to Hawaii for our holidays, and I took the opportunity to enter the Honolulu marathon event given it was on at the same time. What a fantastic location for a marathon race! I was primed and ready for a fantastic race, now having completed 2 marathons rather successfully, and knowing how to manage the mental challenge... But of course, the unfamiliar elements of being overseas and some novice mistakes with preparation and gear meant that it was a <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2014/12/running-in-paradise-2014-honolulu.html" target="_blank">hard day at the office</a>...<br />
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I decided in hindsight that Honolulu was more of an opportunistic race though, and my main goal was Boston in April 2015, which I had qualified for and had decided to go across and race for the first time ever. Being in the southern hemisphere, I had the whole summer and great weather to train and prepare for this race, and I was in great shape, having run some fantastic half marathon races, and even some track in the months leading up to April 2015. I had no injuries, and having experienced 3 prior marathons, I thought that I knew exactly what to expect in this big event.<br />
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The lead up was fantastic, with so much atmosphere in Boston in the days prior to the race and everyone was walking around with the signature Boston blue and yellow jackets! For April, the weather was also pretty good too... <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2015/04/the-boston-experience.html" target="_blank">until race day</a>!<br />
<br />
Being bitterly cold that day, I had not prepared enough with my clothing to deal with the weather, and I really struggled in the back half of the race, even to finish. Again, I ran the first half of the race in 1:24, so was right on track through to that point, but was soon overcome by the weather elements which led to hypothermia and I also suffered from dizziness from low sodium levels. And let's not even talk about my experience with the Newton hills!!<br />
<br />
Coming back from Boston, the next 3 months were frustrating for me running-wise. I really struggled with my training to recover from Boston, and then to see progress in my running. It was not until July that things started to improve with some good 10km times and also a strong <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2015/08/run-auckland-race-6-milwater-half.html" target="_blank">half marathon race</a>.<br />
<br />
I took advantage of my return to form to really knuckle down and run some strong 10km races in particular, which saw some very satisfying results come September. It was at this point that I finally made the decision to tackle another marathon- again the Auckland Marathon in November. Interestingly this only gave me 6 weeks to prepare for the event.<br />
<br />
However, I was confident that I had about a 75% base to build off and just needed to log at least 4 long runs of 35km or more to be ready for the start line. I entered the <a href="http://ronin-is-running.blogspot.co.nz/2015/10/debut-of-devonport-classic-25km.html" target="_blank">Devonport Classic 25km race</a> in September as a warm up event, and found that I was strong on the hills and was able to run a consistent enough pace to replicate in the marathon.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, this time I actually looked forward to the long runs in my training and was able to sustain these at a good pace and with fast recovery afterwards too, so I was feeling much more relaxed in the build up to race day. I had set myself a goal time of 2:50-2:52, but was secretly hoping to run under 2:50. This would be a challenge as it would be a 5 min course PB for me, and I would have to match the pace I had set on the Gold Coast, which was a fast and completely flat course.<br />
<br />
My taper had been very good, and I actually slightly over-reached in a couple of sessions in the last week as I was feeling strong... The day before I sent a message to my coach to tell him that I was running (I had gone very quiet since my Boston failure...), so that it gave me a sense of accountability on race day.<br />
<br />
On the morning of the race, it was actually the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final as well, and the famous NZ All Blacks were playing in the final against my Australian Wallabies... The race organisers set up a giant screen near the start line so that runners could follow the match in the lead up to their races. I got to watch some of the first half, but it wasn't going very well for my team, and the parochial NZ crowd made it all the worse for me, so I decided to refocus on my final preparations for the race.<br />
<br />
It was still dark, but it was rather mild, so I was not going to have any trouble with cold weather. I had managed to get my toilet breaks in, and rechecked all my fuel and then got ready in the starting chute. Here I met up with some familiar faces and we made small talk as we waited for the race start.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLX5pC4ArYjKkwyI3fjaVGzERFHnx7ql523pxdbpY2Gx2zVOEpbpqfI7NZiJCkEUVf2J1LSElTaZlXRPibpJluJ1bOI0BUYjQnhyYR0e18eq_0H4Akzv84BdvLDJIHatS5nQ2MBSVnB8FU/s1600/IMG_0067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLX5pC4ArYjKkwyI3fjaVGzERFHnx7ql523pxdbpY2Gx2zVOEpbpqfI7NZiJCkEUVf2J1LSElTaZlXRPibpJluJ1bOI0BUYjQnhyYR0e18eq_0H4Akzv84BdvLDJIHatS5nQ2MBSVnB8FU/s640/IMG_0067.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The starting chute for the Auckland Marathon 2015. Most runners were slightly distracted<br />
as the Rugby World Cup final was being shown live on a giant screen nearby...</td></tr>
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<br />
There were the usual character costumes too, with some brave runners donning fancy dress gear to attract attention or generate awareness for the causes that they were raising money for. This guy was dressed up as a guide dog to help encourage support for the Blind Foundation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfW-ITOLY6bamfsQbWFAcS7WdD_SG6tD6N9ZwAh2RuPegG1W6M52YEuit02xc1JqheovezHPn4ilqcPO8CK3XFIKeCDNbN5QZV2ldvh6fpgHXrhXbCuWGQGqSFOd8efQJxrnwbIt1-ITA/s1600/IMG_0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfW-ITOLY6bamfsQbWFAcS7WdD_SG6tD6N9ZwAh2RuPegG1W6M52YEuit02xc1JqheovezHPn4ilqcPO8CK3XFIKeCDNbN5QZV2ldvh6fpgHXrhXbCuWGQGqSFOd8efQJxrnwbIt1-ITA/s640/IMG_0070.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It would prove to be a very warm marathon for this pup!</td></tr>
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The marshalling and start of the marathon was one of the fastest and quickest on memory. It was simply, a 2 minute warning and then the hooter, and everyone was away. There was no national anthem or rev-up from a former champion, simply an on-time start at 6am, and everyone was off! It was a smaller field this year, just 1,500 runners due to the distractions of the Rugby (yes New Zealanders REALLY do love their rugby that much...).<br />
<br />
Having run this event a few times now, both as a marathon and half marathon runner, I knew the start of the course well. It was comforting to know that I didn't have to try and hit a snappy pace from the gun as I was not racing a half! So I simply started away and tried to get into my 3:55-4:00/km pace tempo as quickly as possible. Over the first 300-500m, like everyone around me, I was a little keen and was pushing a little fast, so I tried to back off a bit, but it was difficult given that everyone else around was pushing hard given we were all fresh. Either way, I reminded myself that I was running my own race, not trying to beat anyone around me.<br />
<br />
The first 5 miles/ 8km of the race is very rolling, with lots of dips and climbs, so if you push too hard you will burn a lot of energy in that first 20% of the race. This takes you north from Devonport, which is on the northern part of the harbour up to Takapuna, where you then turn onto the motorway, to head south and over the Harbour Bridge into the city. I always find this first 8km the most interesting part of the race as over the first 2km, I find I get passed by quite a few eager runners, but by 8km, many of them have already run out of steam, and start to drift back. Once I am onto the motorway, I have my tempo well set in, and I try to just focus on cruising along, saving my energy for the climb over the Harbour Bridge which comes at about 8 miles/ 13km.<br />
<br />
In all my previous marathons, I have tended to cruise through the first 21km, and it was the back half that was the most difficult. Today, I started to feel some fatigue at the start of the bridge climb. This was a major alarm bell for me as I felt that my preparation had been spot on- not over-doing anything and having plenty of rest in my taper too. It's always a worry when you start to have problems so early on in a marathon, and with around 3/4 of the race still to go, I was becoming quite agitated. It was not helped by the fact that it was quite a windy morning, so head winds made conditions on the climb that bit more difficult. I was running behind another guy down the motorway, but on the climb up the bridge, he very smartly tucked in behind me to get a wind break as we scaled the rise.<br />
<br />
I could feel that I was struggling and my pace was slowing due to the incline and the wind, but there was nothing I could do other than push on until I got to the top. Though this is a climb, it is a gradual ascent, and once you reach the mid-point of the bridge, it flattens out immediately, then you get to descend down the other side. So in many respects, it's very forgiving! Coming down the other side, my pace naturally quickened and I quickly downed a gel to get some carbohydrates into my body before I suffered a flat spot. <br />
<br />
Coming off the bridge, there's another brief climb, before the road loops around and then down under the bridge to join the motorway route into the city. This is the most crucial part of the half marathon race, as it is where you need to pick up the pace for the last last 3 miles/ 5km to the finish line. Similarly for the marathon, it's a good time to try and get yourself back on track, having lost some time with the bridge climb. For the first 2km of this section, it's safe to actually push a little faster than goal pace, as the downhill curving road and dead-flat section is very rewarding for courageous runners.<br />
<br />
Myself, and my current pacer Martin (who I later met properly after the race) got to work and shot down the road onto the flat of the motorway, and then we managed to reel in 2 other runners ahead of us, before passing them as we went through the half way point of the marathon in the middle of the city.<br />
<br />
The course, then heads east along the waterfront towards St Heliers for 10km, before turning round and coming back into the city to finish at Victoria Park. This part of the course, I know incredibly well as I train along this regularly. It's very flat, except for 2 rises for over-bridges, and it winds around the bays of the Auckland harbour's eastern fringe. There are beautiful water views, which is great, as since it is still only around 7:30am on a Sunday morning, there are no crowds to speak of whatsoever!!!<br />
<br />
Though this part of the course is flat, it is also rather uneventful, and you really need to concentrate to ensure that you stay on pace to ensure a good race time. It is easy to let your mind wander and lose track of your pacing, especially when taking on the little rises for the bridges. Running smart is also important, as the road begins to bend in and out around the bays along the waterfront, so concentrating on the tangents is very important.<br />
<br />
I remember 2 years ago, it was along here that I hit the wall, at just 24km into the marathon, and the rest of the event was miserable for me. I was determined that I was not going to fall flat this time around though, and worked hard to maintain my form and stay strong.<br />
<br />
My immediate focus, was on getting to Mission Bay at 29km which is where I live, and my family would be there waiting to cheer me on. And sure enough, they were cheering passionately as I approached. I decided to mount the footpath to give my son a high five as I ran on by!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuil7qPHDkq6VKjE5Lx6_P-42EMtVbzrgc09NCUMObRHGWyMorxSsKV7uTlT9EX_XiuB7j6bru-tT99WZ_WbzrvfYOo_vu6Eg5SuP4kk1RtkWQQ4xwv7WOLlB3En5k7gjhmZ8bmNJ8ExFv/s1600/IMG_0082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuil7qPHDkq6VKjE5Lx6_P-42EMtVbzrgc09NCUMObRHGWyMorxSsKV7uTlT9EX_XiuB7j6bru-tT99WZ_WbzrvfYOo_vu6Eg5SuP4kk1RtkWQQ4xwv7WOLlB3En5k7gjhmZ8bmNJ8ExFv/s640/IMG_0082.JPG" width="352" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reaching the 29km mark which was literally at the bottom of <br />
my street! My family was there to give high fives and support.</td></tr>
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It was another 2.5km to the turn around point at St Heliers. I always find this really interesting, as when you start to head back into the city, you can see how close other runners are behind you. Two years ago, one of my friends Daniel had run me down at this point, then proceeded to overtake me and finish over 2 minutes ahead of me. Today was almost a carbon copy of that same moment, where I saw him approaching soon after I made the turn around. I was determined however that this time I would stay strong and keep him at bay!<br />
<br />
When I approached Mission Bay again, I would get one last chance to be cheered by my family before I had to knuckle down for the last 8km of the marathon. This picture below was taken at this point, and I had realised that this was the best I have ever felt at 34km in a marathon. I also knew at this point that I was not feeling likely to cramp for the first time ever (courtesy of taking regular magnesium supplements over the past month). It was here that I came to the realisation that I may be getting tired, but I was still running very strong, and I had a fast finish in me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging tough at the 34km mark, heading back into the city for the finish.</td></tr>
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Running back into the city at this point had a number of obstacles to overcome- the 2 rises over bridges; some head winds to navigate; a mental battle to keep going even though you are becoming progressively more exhausted; and holding out for the never appearing finish line... The bridges I could handle, the winds I could do nothing about, however the last 2 elements I always find the hardest to battle.<br />
<br />
Even as I reached the final mile of the race, I still rued that there was distance to still be run. I got some nice encouragement from some members of my athletics club who were manning the final drinks station, and some slower runners who were still coming the other way. Then I began to gain on 2 runners ahead of me, so I set the cross-hairs on catching them as I surged towards the last 1km of the race. As I went past the two guys, one again shouted encouragement, as I gave it one final push for the last km of the race, and finally I turned into the open and the last 500m straight towards the finish line.<br />
<br />
I gave it everything as I fought my way along the road, and for once I had a clear run in, with no one in sight ahead of me on the marathon finishers lane. To my delight, the race announcer was a good friend of mine, Cameron Harper, who also commentates for IronMan. He realised it was me coming in to finish, so gave me a nice mention as I wobbled my way towards the finish line. I crossed in 2:49:23, which was incredibly a 12 second PB for my marathon! I certainly did not expect to better my Gold Coast time on this course. And after the poor runs I had in Honolulu and Boston, I was ecstatic to finally break my marathon PB duck!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new buddy Martin, who I ran with from around 10km through to 25km of the marathon</td></tr>
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I'm registered for Vienna marathon 2016, so hopefully that will be another great run after some hard work and smart training over the next 5 months!<br />
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Follow me on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Ronin688">https://twitter.com/Ronin688</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishers Medal, and 2nd in my age group for the Athletics NZ Marathon Championships</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can perhaps just make me out in the picture from the start of<br />
the marathon (4th from the right next to the guy in blue singlet)</td></tr>
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Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-87791368422735027302015-10-13T02:40:00.004-07:002015-10-13T02:40:26.915-07:00Debut of the Devonport Classic 25kmAfter competing in this event in 2012, it was time to make a return to this fantastic location north of the Auckland harbour bridge in 2015, with the addition of a new 25km event being the key enticement as I ramp up my marathon preparations.<br />
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<a href="http://devonportclassic.co.nz/">http://devonportclassic.co.nz/</a><br />
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The evening before there was wild winds and torrential rain, and even at 5am, it hadn't abated, so I was not particularly enthusiastic to get out of bed at 6am, expecting a very wet morning racing. I had to drive into the city, and then get the ferry across the harbour to the start line in Devonport. To my delight, the weather began to clear up, and the rain actually stopped.<br />
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A very well organised race, I had already received my race bib in the post, so it was simply a case of doing my warm up pre-race, familiarising myself with the race precinct and the start area, then getting ready for the start of the race.<br />
<br />
I said a quick hello to Rob Docherty, the race director before hand, and learned that he would be on the lead bike for the first 2km of the race. I had competed in the race 3 years previously, but that was the 15km race, and for 2015, the race headquarters had completely moved to a different spot, so was a little worried about getting lost (I have a tendancy to get lost whenever given the chance)!<br />
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On the ferry trip over, I spied a couple of runners that looked like they would be rivals to watch during the race, as I vaguely recognised them from previous events. In addition, there's that mutual glance that you give each other when sizing up the competition... I figured that this would become clear soon enough when the racing started, so I just got on with my pre-race preparations.<br />
<br />
For this race, I had chosen my favourite long distance racers- Mizuno Wave Ronin 5 race flats (hence my self proclaimed nickname- Ronin). This was a new pair I had bought through an Ebay store as the model has long been discontinued. My last identical pair had seen the end of its days shortly after Boston Marathon 2015.<br />
<br />
So race time came around, and off we went out of the starting arch in a mad dash, and then a hard right along the waterfront and through a car park, then onto a gravel path. My friend Rob the race director took off on his mountain bike as the lead bike, but he seemed a little out of practice as he was struggling to stay ahead of me during the first kilometre! <br />
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As we approached the naval headquarters, it was another right turn up a dead end street to the first dreaded obstacle- stairs... That was the end of Rob's duties as he mentioned that there would be another biker at the top on the adjoining street. So I reluctantly ascended the stairs to the top and then linked up with the replacement lead bike as I took off down the next street.<br />
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This year's 25km was a brand new event and hence the route was also new. The first 5km and the last 10km directly matched the 15km race, however they had to tack on the 10km in the middle, and as I quickly learned, this was a rather convoluted course of twists and turns and little out and back sections down steep side streets and across pedestrian bridges and walkways. It was fantastically scenic, but also confusing, save for the fantastic marshals posted on every corner to direct us along. Thankfully, I simply had to follow the lead bike as by now I had built about a 200m lead on the chase pack of runners. <br />
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Things were going pretty well for the first 5-6km. At every out and back section, I was carefully trying to measure the gap to the chasers, and it seemed that I was gradually building a larger buffer the longer the race went on. I was also careful to keep my "game face" on when we crossed so as not to give anything away, even when I was struggle back up an incline that I had just run down.<br />
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One of my friends Claire was also racing this event, and she was certainly giving the guys a run for their money, as she was positioned in 5th overall even at this early stage of the race. Interestingly, she too had a very competitive streak to her, and we glanced each other a couple of times, but were primarily concerned with our own performances today.<br />
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Eventually the race turned out of the suburban streets and started to get to some interesting scenery as the course continued to hug the coastline on the northern part of the harbour. From here there were stunning views across the harbour back towards the city on what was now a stunning Sunday morning with clear blue skies and sun! The race made its way along some gravel walking paths and across some amazing footbridges over waterways. There were only the occasional spectators which really were simply out on their morning walks, but a few shouted out some encouragement and cheer as I ran by.<br />
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I went across a timing mat at 11km, and then across a boardwalk out to a turn around point. Coming back, I had travelled almost a kilometre before the chasing pack finally came towards me. So I knew that I had at least a 3 minute lead at this stage. I soon passed the same timing mat to mark the half way point. From here, it was a few more residential blocks and up over another steep hill where I managed to somehow pass the lead bike to the top, before a welcome descent to join up with the runners who were still coming through on the 15km race that started 30 minutes after my race.<br />
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The lead biker then said it was the same course as everyone else for the final 10km and sent me on my way with his best wishes. Normally I am a big critic of events when the different distances 'collide' together like this as it creates congestion and confusion. However, I felt that I could at least use this to my advantage to 'disguise' myself to any chasers trying to run me down from the 25km event, by hiding within the pack of runners around me (there's nothing more demoralising that losing sight of the guy in front that you are chasing. It's even more difficult when you've got a whole bunch of runners from a completely different race in your way!).<br />
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So there was still 10km to go, and still a lot of work to do as the course descended back towards Devonport town, but then wound back up around the base of Mt Victoria, and then onto some rolling hills through an area called Narrowneck, before heading down towards North Head.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicXUeF90ESznNEWnfNu8xP_MGcWd7iHt_YxOfJ0GnK8-3ug7Df_PXaCe1WlgF29kbVRn4Oa9SyoykXzNthKYBW10kxUpAanPJg1x627BHdyfhocCOm282R8LSRXVYEX4y_4ee5pjnzJax/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-10-13+at+10.08.50+pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicXUeF90ESznNEWnfNu8xP_MGcWd7iHt_YxOfJ0GnK8-3ug7Df_PXaCe1WlgF29kbVRn4Oa9SyoykXzNthKYBW10kxUpAanPJg1x627BHdyfhocCOm282R8LSRXVYEX4y_4ee5pjnzJax/s640/Screen+Shot+2015-10-13+at+10.08.50+pm.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The course map for 25km Devonport Classic on Auckland's North Shore</td></tr>
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I was still going strong at 20km, but as I approached North Head I was again faced with another hill in the street leading up the mountain. I could feel my quads starting to cramp, and I knew that I had to get up the hill and then up and over the North Head mountain before I could relax somewhat and coast home. So this section was a bit of a struggle as my muscles started to shut down, knowing there was still some work to be done. So I tried to dig deep and keep moving until I scaled the top. Then it was across the summit with again some spectacular views across the harbour, before a nice down hill section back towards the shoreline.<br />
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From here it was 2km flat dash along the waterfront back to the race precinct. However, when I reached this area, there was one last 500m out and back dash along to the end of the wharf before finally re-entering the park to the finish line.<br />
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To my delight, my family was there to cheer me along as I finished. Because of the staggered start and numerous runners finishing the 15km and 10km races, it was not clear that I had finished (and WON) the 25km race!!! No matter, it was fantastically satisfying to get this one done, my first 21km+ distance in about 2 months, and a tough one at that. My pace was not fantastic at 3:56 min/km, however I put this down mostly to the hilly terrain across the course (that's my excuse anyway)!!!<br />
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What an event. And prize giving was great too. They gave away around 10 Tom Tom GPS watches, and about a dozen Mizuno shoe vouchers. plus some shopping vouchers exclusively for the kids. If you're ever in Auckland in September, definitely get along to this event!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My race results and timing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dash to the finish line to win the Devonport Classic 25km race in 2015</td></tr>
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So it was a fantastic day, and for my trouble, I was presented with a beautiful glass trophy, a Champion's t-shirt and a $250 Mizuno shoe voucher (courtesy of the very pleased event sponsor who noticed my Mizuno branded shoes and jumper)!<br />
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To top it off, my kids ran the 2km kids race, and my 6 year old son managed to place 2nd for his age division, so a fantastic morning of running all round!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prize giving post-race at Devonport Classic</td></tr>
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Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-52688644106674912302015-10-07T01:26:00.001-07:002015-10-07T01:26:24.343-07:0010km Road ChampionshipsI'm not particularly competitive with the very top runners in the local Athletics club meets over winter. This is especially so in relation to the Cross-country season. I decided to participate this year to get a bit of a taste for something a little different and new. It's difficult though when you are racing in such elite company to feel good about your performances when you finish so far behind the top runners.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road racing is my favourite of all running events</td></tr>
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When it comes to road racing though, this is my favourite type of racing, and I am always keen to take part. The Auckland 10km Road Championships were held in a new location called Bruce Pullman Park this year, which was a good 35 mins drive south of the city. As it turned out, this location is fantastic and ideal for this type of running. It was a 5 lap course which was mostly fast and flat, which definitely meant that a PB was on the cards!<br />
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In my races, sometimes the masters men run with the senior men, and other times they do not. This occasion, we were separate, which was great as it allowed me to be at the front of the pack in the racing. I wasn't quite sure who the fastest runners were in the group, but I new they would present themselves in the first 2km of the race. And so it proved to be straight from the gun. One of my club mates Simon surged straight to the front, as I slipped in behind him as we took off down the first straight and around the first corner. <br />
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It was interesting as watching from behind, he had a rather ungainly style and a stocky powerful upper body build. As I soon found out though, I was going to struggle to stay with him as we made our way around the course. I was running strongly though, and as I checked my watch, I was definitely moving faster than I thought I was capable. with my first split at 3:22 mins/km. The question was whether I was going to be able to sustain this pace...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were plenty of Auckland City Athletics team mates running<br />at the Auckland Road Championships</td></tr>
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The course wound its way around the perimeter of the park, and then back along a straight to go around the start area again to complete the first lap. When the lead runner Simon crossed the timing mat, I was around 8 seconds behind. I had a pack of 3 runners about 30m behind but I was still feeling pretty good.<br />
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The second lap saw me start to drift further behind the race leader, and the ground announcer said as much as we rounded the finish arch. Though as I moved across to my third lap, I began to drift off the pace and by the time we approached the lap counter, I had been passed by 4 runners (3 of which were from my Auckland club).<br />
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For the next 2 laps, I sat with them ahead of me- only about 20m, so close enough to chase, but also far enough that I would have to really need to work to reel them in.<br />
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I decided to sit and wait until the last 200m of the race to see how I was positioned before deciding on whether to chase. As we went around the back of the course for the last time, I started to pick up the pace, though it was getting difficult to close the gap as the women's race had also started by this stage and we were starting to become inter-mingled. As I surged though, the group ahead also did the same and 2 of them pulled away strongly. I pushed hard as the other 2 were within reach. There was a straight of about 150m, then we had to do a hairpin turn before the sprint to the finish. Along the straight, I managed to reel in one runner, but was still chasing the next, and ultimately I finished just behind to be 5th overall in the masters race.<br />
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Not a bad effort overall, and more pleasing was the time of 35:58 for 10km, so a strong result- my best in 6 months.<br />
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In addition, it was 2 weeks until the National Road Championships and my effort qualified me to represent Auckland in my age group.<br />
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Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-9384378064222216292015-08-11T03:52:00.000-07:002015-08-12T04:32:12.548-07:00Run Auckland Race 6- Milwater Half Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFCbo3NcDeFTJ303_lmGWTAqZ_4hcFhWfrfEZfTFEyiF-FkAwzFXAdi3nOkONvraorSU5LGa4UUSAk84lcQC9vNXVLtYuiHxQdt5Ozvk-3SUGkSqzLbd32QLvv2bAczVkQTaIuXOKlmos/s640/blogger-image--652915033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFCbo3NcDeFTJ303_lmGWTAqZ_4hcFhWfrfEZfTFEyiF-FkAwzFXAdi3nOkONvraorSU5LGa4UUSAk84lcQC9vNXVLtYuiHxQdt5Ozvk-3SUGkSqzLbd32QLvv2bAczVkQTaIuXOKlmos/s640/blogger-image--652915033.jpg"></a></div>So I've been looking forward to racing this course for some time. I missed out last year as I was away running at the Gold Coast Marathon. It's the last event in the Run Auckland series, and has a half marathon race as an option as opposed to the standard 10K races.<br>
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This year, my calendar was clear and I was looking forward to running a strong half marathon race after some indifferent form over this distance to date in 2015. Whilst I haven't been doing any specific training to target the half marathon, (my training has been more maintenance), I was in good shape and looking forward to seeing whether I could build on the good run last weekend in the Sydney Harbour 10K with a strong showing at this race.<br>
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It was a scenic 2 lap course around an estuary to the north of Auckland. All paved and a good mix of some slight climbs and some rolling hills. As usual, my rivals were Brad and Chris, the latter of whom had recently won the Wellington Marathon, so in top form. I knew that I was not going to trouble either of them as my best times were a few minutes slower than both, but it's always to good to play with the mind games and nerves before a race!<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start line adjacent to my arch nemesis' Brad and Chris to my right (both top guys and fantastic runners!)</td></tr>
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Race day was a wet and cold morning, and I was not that excited about racing in these conditions. There were many parallels to the miserable conditions from Boston in April! Having learnt my lesson from my hypothermia experienced at Boston, I wore a base layer under my race shirt to manage the cold a little better, but did not bring the gloves. I was shivering and wet, and it was still a good half hour before the start of the race. I did some warming up in the rain, and as my body temperature improved, I slowly started to feel better. It was pouring rain though and with everyone huddled under the event marquees and tents, no one was keen on doing the pre-race warm up led by the local gym!<br>
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Soon enough the gun sounded and we raced out of the car park and along the start of the route. There were a couple of out and back sections in the first couple of km which served as a good test to see how strong you were against the other runners. You also had the opportunity to see where everyone was positioned over the early part of the race. The course then went around a large block, and started to climb up over a rise and then wind it's way around the Orewra estuary that the suburb is built around. This was a fantastic scenic and well paved path, which made running very manageable despite the windy and wet conditions.<br>
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After the first few kms, I was positioned in 6th position. There were a few guys that jumped out early with a strong start. I was unsure whether they were serious contenders or not, but they were part of a second pack behind the front-runners Brad and Chris. Over this early part of the race, I sat back and tracked the guy in front of me, happy to sit back and be patient.<br>
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The course was mostly lightly undulating, so there were a few slight climbs, then nice downhill slopes as well.I was hoping to manage a steady pace in the 3:45/km region and see where things fell out as the race went on. After about 6km, I found that I was able to reel in a couple of the guys in front, which was encouraging. Quite simply, it looked as though they went out too hard and blew up early. As I went past them, I noticed the guy behind me was also surging, so I half expected him to pass me soon after, but he did not push ahead, and over the next couple of km's he dropped off a little.<br>
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By 8km, we had a few more rises and a few bridges, and it was then that I was able to pass the guy in 3rd place. He too was fading fast, so I was confident that I was looking much stronger than my competition. After this section though, there was some unsealed trail and a more decent climb to the edge of the estuary. I had not completely lost my tail, so I tried to tackle this section as honestly as possible.<br>
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Eventually I found my way out and back onto the main road which took us back to the race HQ area for the start of the second lap. I hadn't completely lost sight of the leaders, but they were a good minute or so ahead. As I passed through the end of the first lap, there was some generous applause from the spectators and other racers about to start the 10km race (good news to have made it through before the stampede!).<br>
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The second lap was rather uneventful, and more of a time trial for me. My pursuers fell further behind, and I did see new faces tailing me, but as it turned out, these were the front runners from the 10km race. Knowing what to expect the second time around, I cruised through the back half of the course without incident, taking time to put on my best poses for the photographers!<br>
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As I came in towards the finish for the last km of the race, I pushed a bit harder, noticing that I was going to record a handy time. The run in to the finish was a little challenging though, as we had to go across the reserve which was completely flooded, so this made for a damp and sloshy dash, before crossing back into the carpark for the run to the finish. I tried to turn on the after burners for the final 200m dash, and in my excitement I did not quite negotiate a crowd barrier and clipped it with my left leg which I knew was going to produce an impressive bump later.<br>
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I crossed in 3rd place with a time of 79:20, which was fantastic! My best time since November 2014, and my fastest time for a half in NZ (not quite a PB). Chris and Brad had finished almost 3 mins earlier so had already had time to put their feet up, but I wandered over for a chat and congratulated them. Chris had managed a PB of just under 76 mins, so a fabulous run in the second half of the race where he broke away from Brad, and ran a negative split.<br>
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After a drink of water, someone pointed out to me that my leg was bleeding! I looked down to see that I had cut open the back of my leg in my collision with the barrier in the finishing straight. Well I definitely need to be a little more careful in future trying to cut the tangent at the finish!<br>
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So. a pleasing result and now back to training. Not quite sure what race will be next, but I am keen to build to something bigger at the back end of the year now that my form is gradually returning...<br>
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<br>Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-37731150914477681952015-08-03T03:57:00.001-07:002015-08-03T03:57:11.196-07:00The magical spectacle of the Sydney Harbour 10KWell I finally made it back to race a home event back in Sydney!! Heading back for the weekend to visit family, this gave me a unique opportunity to race a home town event for the first time (as I only started running just over 4 years ago since I have been in New Zealand).<br />
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The Sydney Harbour 10K is a fairly new event, having only been established a few years ago, but it takes in all the best sights of the harbour city. Starting at The Rocks, it winds around under the Harbour Bridge and down into Darling Harbour and across the Pyrmont Bridge, before returning back and taking in breathtaking sights of the Opera House as you finish at Circular Quay. I know this part of the city so well, but I have not ever had the opportunity to run and of it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stunning Sydney Opera House on a sunny day- not quite on this race morning...</td></tr>
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The start was 7:30am for the 10km, with my wife doing the 5km race which started at 7am. As it was early July, it was the heart of winter, and it certainly was cool in the morning. We had caught the bus into town and then walked 5 minutes to the race precinct at Circular Quay. Even over this short period, I had started shivering from the cold temperature and wind of the early morning. It was only about 8 degrees celcius, so definitely a fresh start.<br />
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Whilst not a blue riband race, this event had around 4,000 starters for the 10km race. It is a fast and flat course and managed to attract some of the top distance runners in the country including Michael Shelley who won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Marathon, and also silver medalist at the Beijing 2008 Olympic marathon. Needless to say that he lived up to his top billing in winning the event in just under 29 mins.<br />
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For me, I was keen to test myself on an accurate (?) course and see whether I could match my PB of a sub-36 min race time. My form this year has been indifferent in races since Boston Marathon in April.<br />
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Whilst injury free and training well, I have not had much in the way of speed since April, which has been a cause of much frustration for me. My last 2 10km races have been 37:35 and 36:40, so not at my best possible times of the past. The question I was trying to answer was whether my fitness was up to scratch, or was it a case of my pace being on the decline. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was hoping to run a steady 3:35/km pace along this waterfront course</td></tr>
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As the race kicked off, I shot out at my customary fast first km pace, but soon paid for it with a slower 2km split. I was hoping to run at around 3:35 pace to land around 35:45 pace. I was certainly not going to place superbly high in this race given the calibre of some of the runners, but was hoping for a top 50 placing. So I was definitely within the larger pack for the first few kms of the race.<br />
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After the first few kms though, I did struggle to maintain my pace, and though a flat course, there were some turns and changes underfoot as we went into Darling Harbour, where we ran across wooden boards along the inner harbour walkways, which conspired to make the going a little tougher. As a result, at around 4km, I lost a few places to some runners that had settled into their race pace and were managing the mid section of their run a bit better than me.<br />
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In addition, there had been a little bit of rain overnight, and parts of the course were wet which made grip a bit difficult for me with my racing flats. In any case, I soldiered on as the course wound its way past the Sydney aquarium and down to Cockle Bay and around Tumbalong Park. As I approached, I could see the leaders already heading back from this out and back section.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great course to run along, but due to the early morning start, there was a lack <br />of atmosphere due to few spectators in the city at 7:30am on a Sunday!</td></tr>
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Next the course wound its way around towards the Maritime Museum and then over the Pyrmont Bridge. This was the hardest part of the course as there was a slight climb onto the pedestrian bridge, whilst I was trying to keep a steady pace, but knew that I was slowing up.<br />
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I could see some of my fellow runners were also finding the going tough as well. Once I got onto the flat of the Pyrmont Bridge, I did manage to start to pick up the pace again and broke away from the 2 other runners in my pack. I knew from here that there was only around 3.5km to go, so it was time to knuckle down for the final 3rd of the race.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sprint to the finish line...</td></tr>
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<br />As I came off the bridge, it was back onto Sussex Street to head north around to Hickson Road and The Rocks. But just as I thought things were going to get easier, I was hit with some headwinds which made things very difficult and hence in km's 7 and 8, I ran my slowest splits of 3:44 and 3:47 respectively.<div>
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Eventually the course turned back around as I reached the southern end of the Harbour Bridge for the hairpin turn. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My race splits- it was clear that I suffered the most over km's 7-8, <br />but managed to finish strong over the last 2km</td></tr>
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The good news was that as much as I was hurting, from here I managed to pick up my pace and run very strongly through to the finish for the last 2km. However this was not before being passed by another male runner wearing a girl's school tunic/ skirt running for some charity! </div>
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Whilst it felt like a never ending long section, it was amazingly scenic as the Opera House came into view and the course wound its way along the harbour front through to the finish line. </div>
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I pushed through to the finish line and crossed in 36:08- my best 10km result this year. It was short of my PB by 20 secs, though I had the frustration of my GPS telling me it had calculated a 10.1km course (the 100m would have certainly been the difference). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Sydney Opera House in the background in the final <br />stages of the 10km course<br /><br /></td></tr>
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Regardless, it had been a highly successful run and very enjoyable too! I managed to survive the cold conditions too, which I was relieved about. Mostly, I was re-energised that my speed was returning and I was getting back to my old self.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race bling from Sydney 10K</td></tr>
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Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-68670592767721389232015-07-09T03:28:00.002-07:002015-07-09T03:28:47.769-07:00The Dangers of running indoorsAnyone that has done enough running will have had their fair share of injuries. Some of these are directly due to running through overworking joints, hamstrings etc. Others can be sprains from tripping, fall etc.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running has become a daily part of my life- outdoors and indoors...</td></tr>
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I have had a mixture of both in my 4.5 years of running, though generally I have been fortunate to remain relatively healthy despite running 6 days out of 7 each week.<br />
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However, it came as quite a surprise that my latest injury was from running indoors- at least partly running...<br />
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Over the past few months I have started doing most of my running in the mornings before going to work. As such, the evenings allow me more time to get through housework, helping the kids with homework, and helping with dinner.<br />
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Last Wednesday night, I was home with my son after work and getting dinner ready whilst my wife and daughter were out at a music lesson. They were due home at around 6:15pm, so I got the dinner ready, and went down to the garage to check whether they had returned home yet.<br />
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As it was an uncomfortably cold night, my socks were not keeping my feet warm enough. So I popped on my winter slippers which did the trick!<br />
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I opened the door to the garage to check on the girls, but they had not returned yet. So I turned and raced back up the stairs to the kitchen. However due to my slippers, I missed the bottom step and fell "up" the stairs. As the stairwell was a narrow corridor, and turned 90 degrees, I fell and bumped my head against the wall.<br />
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Normally this would simply warrant a bump on the head and some frustrated expletives... However this really hurt my head as I had fallen quite unexpectedly. I reached for my head and then noticed that there was blood on my fingers. I then realised that I had hit my head on the edge of the skirting and had split my head open.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hopefully no permanent bald patch once this has full healed...</td></tr>
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This warranted a trip to the medical centre and some patching up with the amazing 'super glue' they now use to re-join the split scalp, rather than stitches.<br />
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For the next week, I had to endure some curious glances at my hairline as I had what resembled bird droppings stuck in my scalp!<br />
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The good news was that I didn't miss any racing that coming weekend- a cross country race and then a 10km race on the Sunday!<br />
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Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-82239825442381174412015-07-03T04:05:00.002-07:002015-07-12T15:21:38.580-07:00Return to Western Springs- Run Auckland 10km Race 5After my recovery from Boston Marathon, I have been competing in a series of cross country races and have also returned to racing a 10km series called Run Auckland. However, in the 2 months since Boston, whilst my fitness has recovered and I am injury free, I have not been able to replicate my best form and times in racing these shorter distances.<br />
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The first sign was at the Huntly Half in May where, despite the issue of many of us being led off course for 2km, I was unable to run a strong race to match my best form over the last 6 months. An adjusted time of 1:22-1:23 for a half is a good 2-3 mins slower than I have been achieving over the past year and a half.<br />
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In recent 10km races, I have been running high 36 min and 37 min times, which again is about a minute slower than my best in the past 12 months.<br />
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Last Sunday, I raced at Western Springs, a race which I won last year, running at 3:33 pace on a fantastic fast, flat course. I was hoping of being able to replicate some of that form again, but knowing that my speed has not completely returned of late.<br />
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In my training over the past 4 weeks, I have returned to running faster intervals in an effort to address my speed issues. My favourite intervals are 5 X 1km or 6 X 800m sessions, but over the past 2 weeks, I have picked up to 12 X 400m in an effort to bump up the top speed. I haven't quite had enough time to get this just right, but my splits are starting to head in the right direction.<br />
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On race morning, I noticed a few more rivals turned up than usual. Brad and Chris were there as usual, but 2 others had also signed up. Sam- who I have raced against previously, and a competitive triathlete called Ben. Hence I knew it was going to be much more competitive than last year to get onto a podium finish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39dquRAKdqlyhze1q0XegcHVH22MRoWQSd5PSuBWKnyDcWgluSyW7IPW_cCGChfnW56cgbsZ8RondV__DWkgf6XuSSMzL0WzsV_GM7kYTC5Q2vZ2w9BodVcg8GU41X69jUyCkni8ukA0G/s1600/11137186_10153435942594747_7952319435181072127_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39dquRAKdqlyhze1q0XegcHVH22MRoWQSd5PSuBWKnyDcWgluSyW7IPW_cCGChfnW56cgbsZ8RondV__DWkgf6XuSSMzL0WzsV_GM7kYTC5Q2vZ2w9BodVcg8GU41X69jUyCkni8ukA0G/s640/11137186_10153435942594747_7952319435181072127_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start line at Run Auckland 10km at Western Springs, adjacent to some of my racing rivals</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As the gun went off, I shot out from the start chute, determined to make a fast start and try and set an efficient pace to maintain. Within the first 200m though, Brad had slipped past me to the front and began his usual race leading pace.<br />
<br />
The circuit for the Western Springs course was around the local speedway track, then across into the scenic paths that wrapped around the waterways of Western Springs. I was able briefly passed by the triathlete guy Ben, but pushed past him 1.5km into the course out of frustration as his stocky frame and racing line was hindering my pacing on the narrow paths.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWN50ZAhDCoNa1zlLqJn_eGcPFoq2wbpa_n-awW4gx4ban1poRAcIttOOGOx47TsNxQtXEd-q9CiXR7tvBEWElaUBkz6ixD59khFWPnVtjS_y72HlBlNAwpUxiUnD6Z1bk4VWvrRKgdMO/s1600/10426261_10153435942759747_1641478102314261017_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWN50ZAhDCoNa1zlLqJn_eGcPFoq2wbpa_n-awW4gx4ban1poRAcIttOOGOx47TsNxQtXEd-q9CiXR7tvBEWElaUBkz6ixD59khFWPnVtjS_y72HlBlNAwpUxiUnD6Z1bk4VWvrRKgdMO/s640/10426261_10153435942759747_1641478102314261017_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of the race with all of the top 5 finishers in view </td></tr>
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<br />
When we popped back out from the Western Springs loop, we cut across to go around the perimeter of a playing field, before going across a carpark, and looping back through the start chute. The race was 3 laps of 3.33km, and I was hoping of averaging just under 12 mins per lap to achieve sub-36 min race.<br />
<br />
The first lap went well and I was right on pace as the race commentator called me over the line. Brad was already 50m ahead into the distance, so I was not likely to being able to run him down. As we went around the speedway again, I needed to get some gels out of my pocket and was struggling to hold my pace. As such, 2 runners went past me- Sam and Ben. I was not holding my pace well, and hence I let them go for the time being while I tried to steady my speed.<br />
<br />
It's always a strange phenomenon when racing. There is always a dark part of the race where you don't think that you are able to maintain the rage and things hurt so much that you just want to find an excuse to stop. As I got half way through the second lap, this was exactly how I was feeling. Everything was hurting, I was struggling with my breathing, and my pace had dropped off. I had lost 2 places, and it was only a matter of time before I dropped a couple more. I knew that Chris (who has won the last 2 races of this series) was lurking not far behind me in 5th place, and whilst he said that he was going to 'take it easy' as he was tapering for a marathon, I knew better than to think that he would let me coast home ahead of him.<br />
<br />
The good news was that with this course, there are a couple of fast downhills and straight sections that give you some relief, and once I got to these sections where there was a change in elevation, I started to feel better. The grass section around the playing fields was a bit harder going though, however I was managing to hold my ground and just keep Chris at bay.<br />
<br />
As I rounded through the start chute area to complete my 2nd lap, I was feeling much more confident that I was able to hold strong and finish the race. My pace quickened as I was now able to calculate how much fuel I had left to expend for the final lap of the race.<br />
<br />
Looking up ahead, I could still see Sam about 50m ahead of me, so I still held out some hope of being able to close the gap over the final part of the course, especially if Sam began to tire. By now, I was starting to lap some of the other runners who were still on their 2nd lap, so this required some swerving in and around runners. Chris was still hanging on just 15-20m behind, but I knew that all I could do was keep pushing and hope that I had enough pace to hold him back.<br />
<br />
I managed to navigate my way back out of the walkways and around to the playing fields where I tried to clap on more pace as this was the last 1.5km of the race. Again, I was in the hurt box now as I tried to close out the race. I could see Sam ahead, but I was unable to get close enough to challenge him for 3rd place. So I just concentrated on holding steady momentum for the rest of the race.<br />
<br />
Once I rounded the playing fields, there was a brief track section to negotiate, then it wound back around to the carpark for the final 250m dash to the finish line. I had moved to within 30m of Sam, but then he kicked and I knew that I would not be able now to close the gap. My concern now was whether Chris was going to come after me. I was too worried to look back, and instead, took off onto the grass to round some back markers, then steadied for the run to the finish.<br />
<br />
I rounded the gate to the car park, dashed down to the end, rounded the partition, then did the final 50m sprint back along to the finish line to cross in 35:38. A pleasing time, though my GPS recorded a distance of 9.75km, so a pace of 3:40/km.<br />
<br />
All in all, a good result and enough to give me some confidence ahead of the Sydney Harbour 10K race on the 12th July. This race will be on a very flat and straight course, so will definitely be faster still.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3d6y-KBAxn0KhT2nk2oekB0LapT0HCVowbLWf2qrA2yksjlcoS0H_4obW7tYnRJZkIFDBBFQ7sSZ1szfgScsrPVj9YtCkiKADlQz7G2ujrSQVnNn2h6pVt4NGa9Mq3WQnc2M3_wrZgXmq/s1600/11667373_10153435966019747_8221380274397554895_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3d6y-KBAxn0KhT2nk2oekB0LapT0HCVowbLWf2qrA2yksjlcoS0H_4obW7tYnRJZkIFDBBFQ7sSZ1szfgScsrPVj9YtCkiKADlQz7G2ujrSQVnNn2h6pVt4NGa9Mq3WQnc2M3_wrZgXmq/s640/11667373_10153435966019747_8221380274397554895_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the finish line after an unusual finishing 'straight' which consisted of a U-turn to finish </td></tr>
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<br />Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-84157104002684449492015-06-07T04:37:00.003-07:002015-08-28T16:39:23.680-07:00Huntly Half Marathon Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPYbgQGOGx6uq2UbgGSeqSUJTBQCtpL4OZCGtHq-fY2o7XXwEmBEeFIGTLEd_fH_4c5G6d36UY5UTCQRo_v_zdAplFPbrvHTzhn-jh6h0w4vYZXYaBxpX0cB_2nd3vD1NDDeCREmFmPkf/s640/blogger-image--894883308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPYbgQGOGx6uq2UbgGSeqSUJTBQCtpL4OZCGtHq-fY2o7XXwEmBEeFIGTLEd_fH_4c5G6d36UY5UTCQRo_v_zdAplFPbrvHTzhn-jh6h0w4vYZXYaBxpX0cB_2nd3vD1NDDeCREmFmPkf/s640/blogger-image--894883308.jpg"></a></div><br><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/AVvXsEjUsSYPgShpG_06GzbRvPqXOb9ShY9nhyphenhyphen-m3Xb8-RBfrhk4r8pPDVFc1F5fyZNvtVdtiGIv-LPPnLyd0QfJHiTy06Z8rhsUYDCdEoCBeynO1WA9OX5vgaYKFpJLFK-uo8Pdc-D99cQcG0fK/s1600/10704000_915097165186240_4591184702680294392_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUsSYPgShpG_06GzbRvPqXOb9ShY9nhyphenhyphen-m3Xb8-RBfrhk4r8pPDVFc1F5fyZNvtVdtiGIv-LPPnLyd0QfJHiTy06Z8rhsUYDCdEoCBeynO1WA9OX5vgaYKFpJLFK-uo8Pdc-D99cQcG0fK/s640/10704000_915097165186240_4591184702680294392_n.jpg" width="426"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Huntly Half also featured the Auckland Half Marathon Championships in 2015,<br>
so registered athletes had to wear their club colours</td></tr>
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May is definitely in the heart half marathon season for me. Having only run 1 other half so far this year, I was keen to get back out there for my favourite distance and see where my form is currently at.<br>
<br>
I have raced very selectively so far this year, with the Boston marathon being the key focus. Hence, following my recover from Boston, I have been keen to try my hand at my more typical race distances of 10km and Half Marathon.<br>
<br>
I haven't raced a fantastic Half result since Auckland Half in November 2014. There have been a variety of reasons for this: training for Honolulu and Boston marathons; recovery; and other races. Injury has not been a major concern for me in my training, though I did have some unexpected issues during the Boston marathon race, where my left calf failed on me. Interestingly, I suffered no long term issues following my recovery period afterwards.<br>
<br>
And hence, I decided to tackle the Huntly Half Marathon which doubled as the Auckland Half Marathon championships in 2015. My good friend Ben had raced this in 2014 and ran a PB, so I had some high hopes of running a good time. The only races that I had run since Boston were a 7km cross country race and a 10km race, so I felt that I had allowed enough time for recovery from the marathon.<br>
<br>
Another mate of mine, Ciaran was also going down to race, so we decided to car pool down. It was a terrible wet day in Auckland that morning, but Huntly was 100km south and the weather seemed to fine up as we drove down the motorway that morning. Hence I was looking forward to some good racing conditions. Upon arrival though, we started to see the wind pick up and also some intermittent rain as race time dawned. I used to have a fantastic streak of always managing to avoid wet and windy conditions during my races, but since Honolulu in December 2014, I have been decidedly jinxed with my races! And so it was at Huntly, where the conditions changed constantly from sunny, to windy, to rain, then back again. Overall though, it was windy and chilly, with some significant head winds on the back end of the course.<br>
<br>
Race time came, and we all assembled in the starting chute. This is always one of my favourite parts of races as you get to reacquaint yourself with some rivals and friends that you haven't seen in some time, compare goals, results and race shoes! Then finally wish each other good luck, and then getting down to business!<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQdMuYxy75ojYrNrhmMhK9TjA4jaLBIzjy4zM6Ixy7PS923wXzB5KEPD6ur29uBu3wLH6cH9jPZD-H4tx-3nFrYDnnQSP6PnxVE0BN9nia4y_DfMQbPdVXuZG2q4oI6BS2kzvQHZdW3yx/s1600/huntlyhalf2015_041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQdMuYxy75ojYrNrhmMhK9TjA4jaLBIzjy4zM6Ixy7PS923wXzB5KEPD6ur29uBu3wLH6cH9jPZD-H4tx-3nFrYDnnQSP6PnxVE0BN9nia4y_DfMQbPdVXuZG2q4oI6BS2kzvQHZdW3yx/s640/huntlyhalf2015_041.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend Ciaran in the yellow singlet. Myself hidden behind the runners at the front!</td></tr>
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The first 6km of the race was a lap around the domain area, then headed down the road and crossed the Waikato river over a series of bridges. There was a circuit across a rugby field and some blocks, before turning back over a bridge, then down onto the river banks, before winding back up and over the river. Whilst I started ok, I soon realised that there were a few more rises and climbs than I was expecting in the race, and it was clear that my current race fitness was not going to be able to sustain the goal pace I was hoping for. I decided to play it safe and take it easy for the first 7-8km of the race, and wait for the straighter and flatter sections to try and pick up time.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_sxA-Hr7rUmOmailltmZsSAJPJz8bLksYcGeoTs-81oicthbhrwe8NoYlqW67N3QzWO0R7mLknmZCAoBEF2SWOLVIW-5vlxiwiC2BfdSnfQSAHObU3Z0FcDf3KZFyLVhP8DfVVhzokBDQ/s1600/huntlyhalf2015_081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_sxA-Hr7rUmOmailltmZsSAJPJz8bLksYcGeoTs-81oicthbhrwe8NoYlqW67N3QzWO0R7mLknmZCAoBEF2SWOLVIW-5vlxiwiC2BfdSnfQSAHObU3Z0FcDf3KZFyLVhP8DfVVhzokBDQ/s640/huntlyhalf2015_081.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing back over the Waikato River</td></tr>
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<br>
Once we crossed back over the river, the course wound around the bottom of Lake Hakanoa, and then basically circumnavigated it, with some out and back sections. I was positioned around the top 10-12 runners at this stage, and after a nice downhill section at the 6-7km mark, the course started to climb. I downed a gel and got stuck into the hill climb, and was pleased that I was managing to stay strong and pass a couple of competitors who had gone out too hard. I pushed up to the top of the hill which had traffic cones along the road, then the course seemed to turn left up a gravel track.<br>
<br>
It was here that things got very odd... As I started to push up the track, I was suddenly overwhelmed with a whole lot of the runners in front of me, coming straight back at me looking confused. It became apparent that they had taken a wrong turn and were now back tracking. They all yelled out that we were going the wrong way and had to go back. The problem was that no one knew which way to go! There was another option to keep going back up the road we were along, but someone said that was a dead end and were supposed to be going around the lake by now. Many expletives were shouted, before the whole group started heading back down the hill to find the correct turn off.<br>
<br>
You could image the scene- complete anarchy as all the runners behind us were starting to come colliding with many of the lead runners heading back the other way. Confusion reigned as mixed messages were passed on in both directions, but the majority of runners realising that they had to turn around and back track as they had run off course.<br>
<br>
As it transpired, most of us had run over a kilometre past the turn off as the marshall was not present at the turning point. The first 3 runners had broken free from the pack, but they were lead by the lead cyclist and had made the correct turn. Everyone else, led by my friend Ciaran, had missed the turn as there was no marshal to tell us to turn.<br>
<br>
Eventually, we found the turn, but had lost mountains of time being lost and losing focus whilst looking for the correct route whilst navigating around all the other runners in our paths. By the time I passed the 10km check point, I had actually run over 12km!! I'm sure there can be nothing more disheartening in a race than knowing so early on that your goal time has been dashed due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond your control. Trying to refocus and get back on track took some time, and I had a few slower km splits as I contemplated what I would be able to salvage from this race.<br>
<br>
The course was also hiller than I was expecting, and as I crested yet another hill, I went past another runner who commented that he had lost motivation to race any more, given the circumstances. I could completely relate with him, but I trundled on and tried to get back on pace as the course flattened out.<br>
<br>
From here, there was an out and back section along a long road. This part of the course was well marshalled in contrast, and it was no problem knowing where to go! Regrettably, this is where the weather started to become bad again with some rain and cross winds, then finally strong head winds when we turned at the end of the road.<br>
<br>
I tried to just hang in there and maintain a steady pace. There was another out and back section that followed, but at least the road was flatter, and we had past 16km, so there was only 5km to go. At this stage, I was running in a group with 2 others and making up the tail here. I worked to close the gap to the other 2 runners as we rounded the top of the lake, but the wind was again proving to be a challenge. I dug in and tried to hang tough until I could get in behind the wind through the course contours.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
By 18km (20km in reality), things got better, and I started to pick up. There was a couple more hills, and I pushed up these to pass both the other 2 runners in front of me. The guy ahead was a fellow runner from my club, so I yelled out some encouragement as I went past him, and then started to accelerate on a slight downhill slope as the final 2.5km closed in.<br>
<br>
From here the course continued in a nice straight route and then a little dog-leg before turning back into the domain for the run to the finish. The finish arch had disappeared though as due to the high winds, the race organisers had to pull it down. Hence it was down a 500m stretch, then a left turn onto the domain to the finish.<br>
<br>
My time was 1:31, which included my 2.2km additional running. I finished in 15th place and I think an adjusted time would have been somewhere around 1:22, which was some 2+ minutes slower than I had planned. Not a fantastic run, but of course, things did not go to plan today! I did finish 3rd in my age group for the championship, so that not everything was lost.<br>
<br>
As I crossed, I saw my friend Ciaran, who despite the setbacks, had run a great race for 4th place.<br>
<br>
In reflection, it was a good workout, but not a fantastic racing experience! I will have to look for yet another race to push for my goal times in the half marathon.<br>
<br>
For now though, my next few races are a couple of cross country events and then a big 10km race in Sydney in July!<br>
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<br>Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-82087953057696431152015-05-22T03:52:00.001-07:002015-05-22T03:55:03.499-07:00Back racing- Run Auckland 10km Race 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eCOE-PWzfBmWL_B_rRe7jvmFRHHw_gSkPCQUsTkAbANvtsxqqE1UEcBMU6JyGmQpQ-swV7lVRQWlzVNx3M4pprKhjoKXv3ev5zmM0iK496bxQI8Gap4NMoBZtihi3AMeI0NMn8SfDgJP/s1600/11150425_10153320918399747_309882997044855122_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eCOE-PWzfBmWL_B_rRe7jvmFRHHw_gSkPCQUsTkAbANvtsxqqE1UEcBMU6JyGmQpQ-swV7lVRQWlzVNx3M4pprKhjoKXv3ev5zmM0iK496bxQI8Gap4NMoBZtihi3AMeI0NMn8SfDgJP/s640/11150425_10153320918399747_309882997044855122_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Racing through one of the laps at Run Auckland Sir Barry Curtis Round 3</td></tr>
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After my return from the Boston Marathon, it was time to start scoping the local races again and get into some shorter distance racing.<br />
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The Run Auckland series was at race 3 at one of my favourite course at a place called Barry Curtis Park in Botany. It's a purpose built park with a mixture of paved paths, dirt track, and some green hills. It is a permanent home to a Saturday Parkrun course as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbRBHlnVT0hD9qajtH0ki9N2rvoVReJbeaJA2YVwVwXmSJlluVQtS1GTXUvs9bqz0XUcRwVG4tACX79wfFeiCCC7MeoLW5gnbFPwrSnOJDkOBTHrvRUWLwiZeJVmSq35z4aqLX-P933X2/s640/blogger-image-744281495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbRBHlnVT0hD9qajtH0ki9N2rvoVReJbeaJA2YVwVwXmSJlluVQtS1GTXUvs9bqz0XUcRwVG4tACX79wfFeiCCC7MeoLW5gnbFPwrSnOJDkOBTHrvRUWLwiZeJVmSq35z4aqLX-P933X2/s640/blogger-image-744281495.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My two rivals for Run Auckland- Chris in the green, and Brad in the blue singlet</td></tr>
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I knew that having just run a cross country race the day before, I wasn't going to be at my racing peak, but still keen to put in a good showing. I arrived to provide some encouragement to a friend who was running his first 5km race. Then I set off on a warm up lap and some striders to prepare for the 8:45am start.<br />
<br />
I then bumped into some of my rivals for the race. The ever present Brad and Chris who are regular runners, and also regularly ahead of me! I also had a chance to speak to Dion the race director and discuss the new 3 lap course versus the previous 4 lap route. <br />
<br />
Soon enough we were in the starting chute and ready to race! The gun went and off Brad went to lead us all out on the first lap. As usual the first km was fast at 3:26 for me, and just as quickly, my pace dropped off as I settled into my running rhythm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9-46mO6GhzolOD2REKRybZluPlikc9S0otHbS2GXdkRY-jHWxC870qtuilgH8dXsjqa6pt8Nx0BlmxTCw6FXuM7os8hNXK5bE-DobSJ-pfA4PLdlRsDJFuH4NrtoImnH7X6yZ6t-Oflc/s1600/11039298_10153320916614747_7260219413794390864_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9-46mO6GhzolOD2REKRybZluPlikc9S0otHbS2GXdkRY-jHWxC870qtuilgH8dXsjqa6pt8Nx0BlmxTCw6FXuM7os8hNXK5bE-DobSJ-pfA4PLdlRsDJFuH4NrtoImnH7X6yZ6t-Oflc/s640/11039298_10153320916614747_7260219413794390864_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start chute for Run Auckland Race 3</td></tr>
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I was back in 3rd place, but not too far off 2nd. By 2km I went past the guy ahead of me, however shortly after he took back the ascendance along with Chris who sauntered on by both of us.<br />
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The new course meant a little more twisting and turning as the course went out on a loop, then turned back onto itself, before winding back out to the start chute again. As I neared the completion of the first lap, Brad had crossed already in first, with Chris not far behind in pursuit. I was a good 25 seconds behind on the tails of Anthony who was in third place.<br />
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Going into the second lap, it was here where the mid race fatigue started to set in, and my next couple of km splits were into the low 3:50's, which meant that I was losing time. Winding around to the back end of the second lap, I had managed to close right up behind Anthony in 3rd place. And as he crossed the sensors, I was barely 2 seconds behind.<br />
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<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/AVvXsEg9gVqNF5dBuFeNjvZzU2_qicedSWj6bF8IToo24c-qU4shJjKdOw46wbY76wVcWtkfnMoXiu5bSnoMzwrSKhFvrbyypfBxsB5Kht5jfgZXpOMP-WUjGxFXbzOO_8wX7EPCnqk5CHtEM8cl/s1600/11110972_10153320927849747_7549621305114277899_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gVqNF5dBuFeNjvZzU2_qicedSWj6bF8IToo24c-qU4shJjKdOw46wbY76wVcWtkfnMoXiu5bSnoMzwrSKhFvrbyypfBxsB5Kht5jfgZXpOMP-WUjGxFXbzOO_8wX7EPCnqk5CHtEM8cl/s640/11110972_10153320927849747_7549621305114277899_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The winding course was scenic and a good mix of surfaces</td></tr>
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By this stage, Chris had managed to move past Brad into first place as they shot around for the final lap. It was going to be interesting to see who would close this one out. I had my money on Chris based on how he had paced his race. Brad is a bit like me- likes to start fast, but can't quite maintain the rage for the whole race.<br />
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As I was sidled up behind Anthony, I could see by his body language that he was almost spent. I had come up almost alongside, and he did not respond with a kick to try and break away. From here, I decided that rather than race for time, I was going to ensure that I could race to a podium finish. If I tried to push ahead now, I was at risk of losing this opportunity should I tire at the end and not be able to respond to a final kick from Anthony.<br />
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Instead, for the next 3km I was going to be patient and conserve my energy, riding in his slip stream, keeping him honest. I would then wait as late as possible in the race, possibly to the last 100m if I had to, before making my move. A concerted furious sprint to the finish where I would not be our paced for 3rd place.<br />
<br />
And so I sat there just off Anthony's shoulder, making my presence felt with my heavy footsteps and breathing right into his back. But I was saving energy and running very comfortably in his shadow. By the time we got around to the last 1km of the course, the pace picked up, but as it was slightly uphill, Anthony struggled to get away and I stuck to him like glue.<br />
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We looped around the final quarter of the course, then it was a slight downhill section before a hairpin turn and crossing a couple of footbridges in a slight incline up towards the finish. I sat and waited and waited. I really wanted to break away, though Anthony was not showing any signs of a significant change in pace, so I decided I would wait until the hairpin turn.<br />
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As we rounded the turn, I immediately snapped into a wild sprint that took him by surprise. We were starting to lap some back markers now which was actually a blessing in disguise as it meant that the footbridges were even harder to pass. I managed to squeeze past on the edge of the bridge, then absolutely gunned it hard up hill, not looking back. I felt great and had plenty of fuel. There was no sign of Anthony responding, so I knew that I was safe as I wound up to the finish chute and squeezed past some back markers to cross the timing mat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xRTMqzL05OKGCWUEa0tZkYcmtOjTVGvCszzJvvzQnSEFvAPNGtwXLSrvDZ1sjDHwFNFEa-okXK6lZI9F6n7WYt8zE7pmnzDK5IiNqbEn3ERWW-f7NhXUAMOERr8xzP4H34vk-AfxO6o6/s1600/11149271_10153320920899747_6182396432498970108_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xRTMqzL05OKGCWUEa0tZkYcmtOjTVGvCszzJvvzQnSEFvAPNGtwXLSrvDZ1sjDHwFNFEa-okXK6lZI9F6n7WYt8zE7pmnzDK5IiNqbEn3ERWW-f7NhXUAMOERr8xzP4H34vk-AfxO6o6/s640/11149271_10153320920899747_6182396432498970108_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the course scenery at Sir Barry Curtis Park</td></tr>
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The time was 37.35, which was about a minute and a half off my best time this year, but not too bad considering I had run the cross country race the afternoon before. As my second race back since Boston Marathon, it was a good workout and preparation for the winter running season.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpG_q5BcIgRwM-t8YX6ruKXaGVk2j0Rj7YP1EcigsszOsliqhy38U3Ijs0OnmPU8-7xYxweQEbNjeNsN_TyQBxkNWZYJgCtVn7GE_MF8bMmGZ5wT2bIo-s6ybOdgM-iKy7hD8lQv4M1ul/s640/blogger-image--633002568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpG_q5BcIgRwM-t8YX6ruKXaGVk2j0Rj7YP1EcigsszOsliqhy38U3Ijs0OnmPU8-7xYxweQEbNjeNsN_TyQBxkNWZYJgCtVn7GE_MF8bMmGZ5wT2bIo-s6ybOdgM-iKy7hD8lQv4M1ul/s640/blogger-image--633002568.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race km splits. 5-7 were slow...</td></tr>
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I went home satisfied and with renewed enthusiasm for my running. I'm keen to rebuild my speed for the shorter races- 10km and Half Marathons which I will be competing in over the coming months. Next up is the Huntly Half which is the Auckland Championships. Stay tuned for my race report...<br />
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Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/Ronin688<br />
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Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-33980902062178330052015-05-18T00:43:00.003-07:002015-05-18T00:43:45.883-07:00Tackling My first Cross Country<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/AVvXsEi6FSYhosBe2snfa6tulLgqKrbpJyH9pmxdz-D1Qvz7Q7qknmPf7cpuF5iecc9fYrXu-NbH9fRjt5sNtvJMqdGuoIy4G6SAd4Up0QL3LF0Xs_xaOcsqEeuN2XbubZP_bolBR1Y54rJnTYXR/s640/blogger-image--1121603395.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6FSYhosBe2snfa6tulLgqKrbpJyH9pmxdz-D1Qvz7Q7qknmPf7cpuF5iecc9fYrXu-NbH9fRjt5sNtvJMqdGuoIy4G6SAd4Up0QL3LF0Xs_xaOcsqEeuN2XbubZP_bolBR1Y54rJnTYXR/s640/blogger-image--1121603395.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the cross country course around the athletics track at Pakuranga Auckland</td></tr>
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For serious athletes, running in winter is all about cross country, or so that is what my coach would have me believe!<br />
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In 2015, I have made a vow to try different races and just enjoy some new experiences so that I continue to enjoy my running and racing. To date, I have run my first 3000m track race; run a first trail half marathon; and experienced the Boston Marathon experience. In addition, to be more involved with my athletics club, I decided to join the winter cross country series.<br />
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The first race was last Saturday, and it was a 7km course. As my first race since Boston, and just 3 weeks after the marathon, I wasn't sure how my body was going to hold up. This was especially given that I had some injury troubles during the marathon and some issues in my recovery for the first couple of weeks.<br />
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In any case, I managed my first proper interval session last Tuesday which was encouraging. I decided it was definitely worthwhile seeing how I would go. Cross Country will never be my forte as I am definitely more naturally a road racer in running flats, but I was still excited to see what this type of racing was like. First thing that was apparent was my shoes- not quite the right shoes for off road whilst others have spikes!!!<br />
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The course was a 2km loop, and hence 3.5 laps. In terms of terrain, it wasn't too bad, not too hilly, but enough changes in gradient to give me a workout and make it feel tougher than a simple road race. Whilst not a big field, I knew that I was going to be towards the back against these seasoned runners who seem to happily skim across the grass and dirt course. The first km was still pretty fast by my standards, but then it turned slightly uphill, which gave me a reality check! Next it looped around the top of the hill surrounding an athletic track, before following the perimeter of a nearby field back to the start.<br />
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I had hoped to complete the distance in under 28 minutes, not putting too much pressure on myself, and just take in the experience. After just the first 1.5km of the race, I found the going tough, and though there weren't really hills, all the little rises really tested my fitness. In addition, I really, really HATE mud and puddles, so trying to avoid these was another focus which was not conducive to running an efficient race!<br />
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The lead guys had kicked off well ahead and I was fighting my little battles with those around me. A 7km run is my daily minimum routine and is a cinch! But trying to do it at pace on a cross country course was a different thing. I also felt rather unfit, which was odd given that I had just run a marathon only 3 weeks earlier and have kept the training going since. I tried to settle into a steady pace and maintain my cadence and steady the breathing.<br />
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I battled my way around another couple of laps and received some encouragement from the family as I went by. Finally I got to the last half lap of the course and was able to prepare myself to finish fast. I was well off the pace for the leaders, so it was simply a matter of running for my own pride. First focus was to fend off any further challenges from behind, and then as I neared the finish line, I saw a fellow club mate ahead who I had been chasing for most of the race. I could see that he wasn't finishing with speed, so I clapped it on and went past with the last 100m to go.<br />
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My finish time was 27:45, which was within my expectations, but in no way fast. However, it was good to get my first winter race in, and use this to help build a base for the races to come!<br />
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<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/AVvXsEg6_vsV7Fz3jEFWrBuaBjbbryUs8A9QWg4M2BNtbSyGJETHN8IBG-RJUWWyIfaxvMt2twD3z8brjD36V2fs-mD-ksjnae8ddqxCgYbZiq3nHTlo2Bb6kVflgsHt_3xphOSQetW7xblLOZlH/s640/blogger-image--525428888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_vsV7Fz3jEFWrBuaBjbbryUs8A9QWg4M2BNtbSyGJETHN8IBG-RJUWWyIfaxvMt2twD3z8brjD36V2fs-mD-ksjnae8ddqxCgYbZiq3nHTlo2Bb6kVflgsHt_3xphOSQetW7xblLOZlH/s640/blogger-image--525428888.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All smiles after completing my first 7km cross country race</td></tr>
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I also had a 10km race the next morning to tackle, so I was pleased for the workout. Next it was my wife's turn to have a run in the 5km race, and the kids did the 1km race later that afternoon. All round, it was a good afternoon and an enjoyable event!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GmcV_CjjKGOflsCnD6FRxwh9iHzkZi9s8azONr7O3VS3Wu5SgEpVUfFQF52fLQc5KhtHw7ZVyfM4sw8HcMl3ixXpa7erWzcZRECF12pce4sG4qiGvKkGyO_t3nkBw-e16uOJQWwYzARf/s640/blogger-image-1622973958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GmcV_CjjKGOflsCnD6FRxwh9iHzkZi9s8azONr7O3VS3Wu5SgEpVUfFQF52fLQc5KhtHw7ZVyfM4sw8HcMl3ixXpa7erWzcZRECF12pce4sG4qiGvKkGyO_t3nkBw-e16uOJQWwYzARf/s640/blogger-image-1622973958.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My buddy Strava looking after the stopwatch!</td></tr>
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Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-17784363113344910622015-04-30T04:17:00.000-07:002015-05-02T04:17:13.100-07:00The Boston Marathon 2015 Experience<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/AVvXsEjf1JWYLk4BT_SCkDTtUGvMBEHbP24AwiP0dKqsPGYBjlv-JpvVe8_zIcAgYkw9AgcocFZmn3xKEwGk_uzJ6MybqDI4osm7TiisEcZLG3-GQ3zH7nJ1IuO6hu4luTwmG_h9ChyphenhyphentM0HpjTbr/s640/blogger-image--935718182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1JWYLk4BT_SCkDTtUGvMBEHbP24AwiP0dKqsPGYBjlv-JpvVe8_zIcAgYkw9AgcocFZmn3xKEwGk_uzJ6MybqDI4osm7TiisEcZLG3-GQ3zH7nJ1IuO6hu4luTwmG_h9ChyphenhyphentM0HpjTbr/s640/blogger-image--935718182.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Boston Marathon finisher's medal </td></tr>
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So I finally made it to Boston for the 2015 Marathon.<br />
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It has been such an amazing build up over the past 8 months to this day. Like most other Boston marathoners, this event has consumed my life over the last year with training, preparation and envisaging what the day would bring.<br />
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I flew into Boston on the Friday evening, and after an early morning shake out run, I immediately set out on the Saturday morning down to Boston Common to see the finish area and also get a sense for the atmosphere with the 5K race on that morning. I was getting goose bumps just being there, and spent some time just soaking it all in. I then walked back toward the Convention centre to attend the expo and get my race number. Wow, what a busy place!!<br />
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<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/AVvXsEhJ33rs3lxJexj7_FUPi-vZOkVaAh4LFkgqxEhsZPzsdT3sVhELAIBqLFwxIwARzAADmNQTwOYRAUFlFUmAW3Nx28twVeZbnYUidGqh0aLngd5Ls7IgR5AzCm9RsXqrbD7Hr_IV7d-snw0a/s640/blogger-image-753702498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ33rs3lxJexj7_FUPi-vZOkVaAh4LFkgqxEhsZPzsdT3sVhELAIBqLFwxIwARzAADmNQTwOYRAUFlFUmAW3Nx28twVeZbnYUidGqh0aLngd5Ls7IgR5AzCm9RsXqrbD7Hr_IV7d-snw0a/s640/blogger-image-753702498.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out Boston Common on Saturday morning during the 5K event</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KzqiPC97krDS8XqXvMjMkSpF_DdZz70TEaqeV6isIo1_qbxi2r7VpLT385bJr-peZ5_-dok0wcUhyIm-kgauyKw37lLOGxjsvE9Z1NVgJNXZR5I1nmTdoeoXL4_Cm1QU8ZaBIRzDr2C4/s640/blogger-image-1192308389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KzqiPC97krDS8XqXvMjMkSpF_DdZz70TEaqeV6isIo1_qbxi2r7VpLT385bJr-peZ5_-dok0wcUhyIm-kgauyKw37lLOGxjsvE9Z1NVgJNXZR5I1nmTdoeoXL4_Cm1QU8ZaBIRzDr2C4/s640/blogger-image-1192308389.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking forward to crossing this famous finish line before 1pm on Monday 20th April 2015!</td></tr>
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I remember the expo for the Honolulu Marathon last December, which was a pretty big deal too, though the Boston event too things to a completely new level! Just the sheer scale of the operation was amazing. The race registrations were on level 3, and they had hundreds of volunteers on hand to direct participants to where they had to go. We also received some product goodies in the packs and an event t-shirt as well. Many people were keen to try this on to ensure that the size was appropriate for them.<br />
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Then heading back down to level 2, the expo was well and truly underway! There were exhibitors for almost everything you could think about for running! I managed to spend over 2 hours wandering around buying some new running gear and also the mandatory official event gear as well. I was almost tempted to purchase some other 'nice to have' things too, but I managed to keep myself in check! A highlight was ultra running legend Scott Jurek attending on the Clif Bar stand. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0d22BZ6c7EIHvgqtf84iGfBHDODh4h6VlyYnWwCu48m6ZKqBGN2tdzsgsQ3q7lXDuDONX8oPHd8VpVWNqrpYvA_Rek3mTJ99FHXwGZ9gh-ssZzErIMxpVVC4V08uu37jUguzSzC2ugbrY/s640/blogger-image--864698784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0d22BZ6c7EIHvgqtf84iGfBHDODh4h6VlyYnWwCu48m6ZKqBGN2tdzsgsQ3q7lXDuDONX8oPHd8VpVWNqrpYvA_Rek3mTJ99FHXwGZ9gh-ssZzErIMxpVVC4V08uu37jUguzSzC2ugbrY/s640/blogger-image--864698784.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott Jurek was very busy at the Boston Marathon Expo <br />
signing books at the Clif Bar stand</td></tr>
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For the rest of the day, I tried to take things easy and to find a pasta restaurant for dinner.<br />
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Sunday morning was another light 5km run, then I went for a visit to Harvard Square for some sight seeing in the morning. I then headed back to the expo to pick up some gloves and a poncho as the weather forecast for race day was looking really cold, wet and windy...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7EnFy5H5vrEeNPe81pRiu1IkTO73xBzxQ0CyP0NN6oSjR_5Wc79627wf160aaLeE3v6PZNNjd_BbbwAQhOxDuFxlnAjD6zb09-i-GNyVAGKrcYAXaUxqEUF0w0lqT68-oVgtIMnZm4Cf/s640/blogger-image--2104721276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7EnFy5H5vrEeNPe81pRiu1IkTO73xBzxQ0CyP0NN6oSjR_5Wc79627wf160aaLeE3v6PZNNjd_BbbwAQhOxDuFxlnAjD6zb09-i-GNyVAGKrcYAXaUxqEUF0w0lqT68-oVgtIMnZm4Cf/s640/blogger-image--2104721276.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The weather forecast did not improve on race day.<br />
Whilst 9c does not sound bad, the wind and rain made<br />
for miserable race conditions... </td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
In the evening, the pre-race carb dinner was held in the city hall. The Mayor of Boston said a few words and some former champions also attended. I organised to meet up with Guy, an Aussie friend on Twitter who was also racing. The food was only ok, and there wasn't a lot of it really, so after a quick feed, I called in for an early night and hopefully a long sleep.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mayor of Boston welcomes runners at the Boston Marathon <br />
Pre-race Pasta Dinner Party</td></tr>
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<br />
Finally Monday morning came around and I was an early rise for me to get in breakfast and then the train down to Boston Common to get the bus to the start line in Hopkinton. The weather forecast was spot on- it was simply freezing in the morning. I had brought a hoody along to keep warm, and those gloves I bought came in really handy too!<br />
<br />
The security was quite extraordinary, and appropriately so, ensuring that no one was carrying more than absolutely required to the event. We were loaded onto yellow school buses, which then set off for Hopkinton along the freeway. It was an hour long ride to get out there, and it was not any warmer once we arrived!</div>
<div>
<br />
There were 2 huge marquees set up to provide some shelter for runners before their start time. Along with this, there was some warm drinks and food also available. The race photographers were having a hard time getting pictures of runners as no one was really feeling much like striking a pose with the way the weather was!<br />
<br />
After about an hour and a half and 3 trips to the toilet, the call finally came for my wave to start walking the 0.8 miles to the start area. There were volunteers with bags at the ready to collect discarded clothing, but most of us were not keen to take our gear off until just before the race started. As we arrived at the start area, the Elite Women's race kicked off and the excitement started to build.<br />
<br />
Finally it came time for our start, and the National Anthem was sung and finally the starting gun went. Being a downhill start, it was interesting that most were not making the most of the easy free speed on the downhill, instead being very cautious.<br />
<br />
This was unlike any other race I have ever competed in. Given that it is a qualification race, all the runners around you are just as capable, if not faster than you. Hence, I found it very difficult to settle into a steady running pace and also to 'lose' some runners around me and have some racing space. The narrow country roads did not help matters either, as it meant everyone remained bunched up along the course.<br />
<br />
What I did notice was the spectacular support from the spectators, right from the start of the race. This did no fade much at all along the 42km route of the course. It was simply amazing how enthusiastic and positive everyone was in cheering on the runners.<br />
<br />
The first few km's were pretty uneventful, though I did have to do a bit of dodging around to try and get some clean air for running on pace. It was a very cold morning and a very unhelpful headwind sprung up which made the conditions even tougher for everyone. I just tried to settle into a rhythm and remember to keep my fuelling strategy on track. Given the wind, I was also on the lookout for someone to trail behind as a wind break. <br />
<br />
Then about 7km into the race, I started to feel an uncomfortable pain in my left calf. It was a piercing pain at first, but as I started to put more stress on it, particularly on the uphill sections, it just got worse, as if it was about to tear off, or burst... I had to suddenly stop and try and massage the calf to ease the pain. Needless to say, I instantly fell off the pace as I had to slow down considerably to account for this injury. I was really stuck at this moment, as I was thinking that there was no way that I was going to be able to continue racing at the pace I was going with this injury, and based on how I was feeling, I was not even sure as to whether I would be able to finish the race. With little other choice, I just kept the pace slower and comfortable and continued moving, whilst runner after runner began to pass me over the next 2km.<br />
<br />
After a bit of time, I felt that the pain was subsiding, and I was able to run more naturally again, so I started to pick things up again, and to my relief, I was back in the race again. I started to get back onto pace again and refocus on my race goal. By the midway point, I crossed just after 1:24, which was slower than I had planned, but still gave me a shot at my goal time.<br />
<br />
Soon after this, the course went past 'Scream Tunnel' where female students from Wellesley College are renowned for their raucous cheering and offers of random kisses to runners. I had heard a little about this from friends who have run Boston previously. I was not prepared for the amount of noise to expect!! The screaming was deafening, and the attention certainly brought a smile to the face of many runners... I decided to give out some high fives to the supporters, and ended up with my right arm extended for about half a kilometre. Wow, what an experience, and it was made even more apparent as soon as I ran past this area to a much quieter spot as we passed by.<br />
<br />
I ran onto 25km by 1:40, which was still looking good, and 30km by 2:01, so a little slower but not by too much.<br />
<br />
From here, we started to get some more rolling hills and variation in the course, which started to slow things up a bit. It was then that I started to notice that my performance was beginning to deteriorate. It wasn't immediately noticeable, but I realised that I was now struggling to stay on pace as others began to pull away from me and my stride began to shorten and weaken. The Newton hills were not helping the cause either, but it was clear to me that something was not quite right.<br />
<br />
I continued to consume my gels and energy shots in a regular manner, but it did not make any difference to my performance. Next thing I knew, a friend I had made on the bus ride over was tapping me on the shoulder as he ran past me to check how I was going. I told him that my calf had been playing up and I was struggling to hold pace. He then said "You know what's coming now don't you?", which meant only one thing- Heartbreak Hill...<br />
<br />
I nodded to Chris as he took off at the pace I wish I still had in me, as I slowly ground my way up the long slow final climb. Things had really started to turn for the worst by now as I began to feel really light headed and dizzy as I ran, almost feeling like I was about to faint. I tried to take in more Gatorade at the drink stations, but nothing seemed to help energise me, and the drinks felt colder than ice as they touched my lips. As I crested the top of the hill, I still did not feel like I could turn on more speed as dozens of other runners continued to stream past me like ants hunting their next meal.<br />
<br />
The screaming support of the crowd became a blur as I trudged along the course willing the next distance markers to reveal themselves. The drink stations became a hazardous area to navigate as all the discarded drink cups littered the narrow road that we ran on. If I didn't have enough to worry about trying to limp my way to the finish line, I now had to also carefully navigate trash along the road...<br />
<br />
The 5km split to 35K had taken me 22 mins, and to 40K this had drawn out to 23 mins, so in that 10km alone, I had lost 5 mins against my goal time. Like everyone who knows marathons says- the race starts in the last 10km...<br />
<br />
Finally I got sight of the famous CITGO sign in the distance that is situated outside Fenway Park. This is just over a mile from the finish line. Regrettably, I still could not muster anything more from myself knowing that I was just a couple of km from the finish line. So I kept plodding along until I made it to the final dog leg onto Boylston Street, then I saw it- the FINISH line in the distance...<br />
<br />
This was a spectacle that I had dreamed of- absolutely thousands of supporters packed into the final 500m of the Boston Marathon race, cheering like crazy, and the famous finish line so close now. This was certainly a glorious moment to cherish as I dragged my broken body along the final lengths of the course to cross the finish line in 2:56. Of the 4 marathons I have ever done since the end of 2013, it was the slowest, with my times in descending order being 2:49; 2:54; 2:55; 2:56.<br />
<br />
But the sense of achievement and having been able to run the best and most storied marathon in the world clearly outweighed time comparisons with other races as I collected my medal and posed for a few photos. For a few moments I forgot about all the pain and struggle I had just gone through over the last 3 hours, and took it all in.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally about to crack a smile post race after earning this medal</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
Then as I limped along towards Boston Common, I suddenly realised how cold and unwell I was feeling. I had been given a heat blanket but it did not help to warm me up, and I was now shivering uncontrollably and my legs were starting to cramp up. I asked a volunteer to help take me back to the medical tent. I collapsed into a wheelchair and was pushed back to the medical area where I was attended to by medical staff to try and warm me back up. Doctors were also concerned about my light headedness, and wanted to take some blood samples to check my sodium levels. Unfortunately they were unable to get a needle into my icy veins, so decided it best to allow me to warm up first, then have something to eat. After about 45 mins, I finally felt warm enough to function normally again, and was able to get up to leave.<br />
<br />
So I was able to make it along back to the gear check area in Boston Common and to change into some warmer clothes. I also had a couple of things to eat, and then was able to give my wife a call to tell her about my amazing adventure.<br />
<br />
So, as they say, I was able to tick off Boston from my bucket list, having created so many memories about being at the world's most famous marathon in 2015! One day I will be back to tackle the hills again, hopefully all the wiser, but for now, I will rest up and remember my amazing 1st time at the Boston Marathon.<br />
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Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-87591112401371268632015-04-10T04:36:00.001-07:002015-04-10T04:38:52.112-07:00Beginning the Boston Marathon Taper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
It's just 1 week to go until Boston Marathon 2015.<br />
<br />
I'm definitely well into my taper now. Last weekend was Easter break, and I spent a great few days with the family on Great Barrier Island. This is a rather remote island in the outer reaches of Auckland Harbour in New Zealand. There is no mains electricity or street lights, so most places run off their own generators. In addition, the entire island has only 800 permanent residents, so it is very much simple living!<br />
<br />
We took a fantastic scenic flight over the city and the islands in the morning to Great Barrier Island. The plane only seats 10 people, including the pilot, and every bag is carefully weighed to ensure the carriage is not overweight. Coming into Great Barrier was quite amazing, and we landed on a grass runway, then walked off the plane into a tiny terminal.<br />
<br />
Once we got our luggage, it was a short 2 minute walk to the car rental place to get our circa 1990's Suzuki Vitara soft top 4WD. From here, it was a 10km drive to Tryphena which is in the harbour to the south of the island. Friday night was fairly uneventful, and after a dinner at the local Irish pub, we called it a night.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
The next morning, I was up early for my 11km tempo run. I decided to do a 5.5km out and back course from the hotel to the ferry wharf. This consisted of some windy roads and numerous hill climbs through the neighbourhood along the waterfront, and crossing some little road bridges. It was mostly up and down and difficult to try and run at a even swift pace. I managed to run at 4:19 min/km which I was happy with.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some hill/ mountain climbing will help in my final preparation for Boston</td></tr>
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Sunday morning was my last chance to get in a long run before taper. I wanted to get in at least 25km. I decided I would run the 10km back towards the airport, and then push on a little more, before doubling back. Daylight saving had just ended, so it was nice and bright in the morning, and I was out and about at 6:30am. It was a steep and long 3km uphill climb out of Tryphena, followed by a nice 3km descent down the other side to a beautiful beach area called Medlands Beach. As I came down the mountain, I noticed a beautiful fog over the grazing land at the bottom. As I reached this area, it felt much cooler as the warmth of the sun had not yet penetrated these pockets between the mountains. I had the whole road to myself which was fantastic. As I motored along the road, I somehow managed to startle a young calf grazing in the adjacent paddock. It seemed his mother was keeping a close watch, and gave me an evil stare as I trotted past.<br />
<br />
From here it was mostly flat along for another 4km to Claris, which is where the airport is. I went past the main shops of the town, and to the end, then around the corner to begin a hill climb over another mountain. Eventually I reached 15km, so turned around and headed back. Running along the flat was straight forward until I reached 24km for the 3km climb back up and over the big mountain. This was going to be a real test, but certainly something that I was looking forward to.<br />
<br />
The climb was long and windy, and every time you think it was going to level out, it turned away again for further climb! Eventually I made it to the top, and thankfully, started to turn back downhill. I was thinking that this would be good training for the net downhill of the Boston course, though my glutes were completely trashed from all the climbing, so it was more a gentle descent for the final 3km back to the hotel. I managed to get in a good 30km run, with almost 600m of climb, so was pleased with this Easter Sunday effort.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't wait to start racing at Boston...</td></tr>
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<br />
On Monday, I repeated my 11km run along to the wharf and back. It was pretty slow, given the effort I had put in on the Sunday 30km, but at the wharf I was being shadowed by some aggressive and territorial seagulls, so ended up running some of this faster than I expected.<br />
<br />
So this was a fantastic weekend training session as I finalise my training before beginning my taper.<br />
<br />
Tuesday was an easy 7km, Wednesday 10.5km at 4:19/km pace, then an easy 7km again on Thursday morning. Over this time, I developed some tightness and a strain in my left calf, which was some cause for concern. So I took it easier on my last run and booked in for a sports massage for Friday.<br />
<br />
The massage was long overdue as I do not have these that often, so the ITB's needed a lot of work to loosen up. It certainly helped though, and should set me up for my final week.<br />
<br />
Just a tempo run Saturday, 13km on Sunday and every 2nd day in the last week left before Marathon Monday!!! This time next week I'll be on the plane... Can't wait.<br />
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<br />Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-85976104139857196822015-03-30T03:06:00.000-07:002015-03-30T03:06:32.111-07:00Run Auckland 10km series Race 1It's that time of year now, Autumn heading into Winter, when the racing season starts to ramp up.<br />
<br />
I'm 3 weeks out from the Boston marathon, so I was in 2 minds around a suitable final tune up race ahead of the big one. I had registered for the 10km Run Auckland Series in the middle of last year, but one of my favourite races (Whenuapai Half) was on the same day as race one.<br />
<br />
Realistically, it made more sense to run the half and get a good longish distance race workout in as I have 1 more hard week to go before my taper. I had every intention of doing so, until Saturday morning. I had a 30 min tempo run planned, but it really found it hard going. I was stiff and sore, and couldn't really open up my stride to get on pace, and this was the day after a rest day...<br />
<br />
I decided that the best course of action was to stay with the 10km race, and perhaps see how I felt afterwards for some additional easy km's. I was feeling really lethargic on Saturday, despite an uneventful day. I tried to eat as much carbohydrate as possible to try and boost my system ahead of the race morning, and then had a good night sleep.<br />
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Sunday morning came and though it was warm, it was a wet and wild morning. Not my favourite conditions for running! The good news was that I did not have too early a start for the race, so was able to get breakfast in and take my time getting ready for the race.<br />
<br />
I drove down to the race area, and familiarised myself with the start area, then went out on a warm up lap of the course (it's a 2.6km loop) just before the preceding 5km race started. The rain was initially very light, started to come down a lot harder, so all the people looked out for whatever shelter they could find. I took refuge in the NZ chiropractic stand, so had a bit of a chat to the guy there and promised to come back after my race for a proper consultation.<br />
<br />
The 5km race was run and won, and it was coming around to the start of the 10km race. I decided enough was enough and everyone was going to get extremely wet whether they wanted to or not, so started to do some stretches and warming up in the wet.<br />
<br />
I bumped into Brad, a good running friend of mine who has recently come back from injury. Even not a his peak, he is that little bit better than me, so I instantly installed Brad as the race favourite. Then we saw another guy Chris who is a very noted runner, and another that I would have to keep an eye on during the race...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huddled together in the wet at the start of the Run Auckland 10km Race 1. Photo Credit: Run Auckland</td></tr>
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Eventually we were called into the starting chute for the race. There were puddles everywhere as this park was essentially a gravel path around the grounds, and there was nowhere for the water to go. The hooter went and we were away into the mud and slush. I shot out first after the lead cyclist for the first 50m before Brad and another guy eventually surged past me into the lead. Brad was looking strong, and so I was content to maintain a steady pace and bide my time. The other guy I was not so sure about. He was much more solidly built, so I fancied that over the course I would have a chance of running him down. Indeed after about 500m I went past him briefly before he regained 2nd place from me soon after. So it was going to be a little bit of cat and mouse...<br />
<br />
I mentioned in a previous blog that the Hawaii Marathon in December 2014 was the first ever race that I have had to do in the rain. Well, this was the second!! It was absolutely bucketing down... The rain was actually the least of our worries, as it was what was happening to the surface of the track that was the problem. As a gravel track, there were simply puddles everywhere. It was impossible to avoid. If you tried to dodge a puddle by running on the grass, you just ended up having your shoes sink into what felt like a damp squishy sponge.<br />
<br />
Towards the back end of the course, it simply became a swimming pool. There was no escaping the water, and I estimated the depth of the water was up to my ankles. My shoes were completely submerged as I ran through a stretch that resembled a duck pond.<br />
<br />
Eventually I stopped being concerned with the rain and mud, and just tried to concentrate on running strongly. This was until I reached into my back pocket for an energy gel, as I realised how much dirt and grit had travelled up my back! It was a messy affair trying to get to my nutrition without having to eat the dirt and mud that surrounded it!<br />
<br />
The course circled around and ran over a few footbridges, then we went back through the start/ finish chute with the clock telling me my first 2.5km lap split of 9:11.<br />
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I rounded the first lap in 3rd place, but some 30 seconds behind the leaders, and then had to prepare myself to go through all the same conditions over again 3 more times! A quick sip of water at the drink station and I tried to soldier on. I could still see the first 2 ahead of me, but they were at least 100m ahead.<br />
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I was too far behind them, but also not so sure of how far my chasers in 4th and 5th place were. When I crossed the first bridge and turned to the left, I looked back to get a sense for the gap. It was a good 100m or so back, hence I was still comfortably in 3rd place.<br />
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I worked my way around the course yet again, reaching for some energy jellies at the same point as previously, and hustled across for lap 2 in 9:25, so a 14 second slower 2nd lap. The good news was that I hadn't lost any ground to the guy in 2nd place, so I was still in the hunt.<br />
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Lap 3 was pretty steady, but I started to realise as I went through for the final lap that I was gaining on 2nd place. It was getting difficult to make up the ground quickly though as by this stage, we were well and truly passing some of the slower runners and walkers. As a result it was a case of dodging other competitors as we made our way around the track. This seemed to break up my momentum slightly, but I was definitely making inroads.<br />
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The down side was that I wasn't feeling like I had another gear in me. Last year I raced 3 of these events which each had a super close finish due to me racing on the shoulder of the race leader. Today, first place was a foregone conclusion with Brad well out in front. It was a case of whether I could make the race for second more interesting. I decided to bide my time a little longer and see whether the gap was closing faster as we neared the final 800m.<br />
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By now, it became evident to the hunted that I was in pursuit as he continuously looked over his shoulder to inspect the gap and then worked harder to maintain his advantage. Every time I picked up the pace a bit, it seemed that it was neutralised and I was unable to close any closer.<br />
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<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;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFLM2xDzTaLvLApwwi-OYVMlNxswPqMGCopM7YrPcPwcLz4VozUard-08cBHc2HwA0_m0HQQXMsNDoDLUn65EYGzDdop90omOdvDqc4dn3M1vWtovYHLqXC3aDh5zesDzpnpyDjK5gzWa/s1600/IMG_3031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFLM2xDzTaLvLApwwi-OYVMlNxswPqMGCopM7YrPcPwcLz4VozUard-08cBHc2HwA0_m0HQQXMsNDoDLUn65EYGzDdop90omOdvDqc4dn3M1vWtovYHLqXC3aDh5zesDzpnpyDjK5gzWa/s1600/IMG_3031.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running on the grass offered little respite from the mud and puddles, but was necessary to overtake as I went through the <br />3rd and 4th laps of the race. Photo credit: Run Auckland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As a result, I crossed in 3rd place 10 seconds behind. I had made up 8 seconds in lap 3, but the differential was maintained on the last lap.<br />
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Brad had won, finishing in 36:52 (the course was slightly long, measuring 10.25km), with second place in 37:18, and me in third in 37:28.<br />
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Upon finishing, suddenly the rain didn't matter anymore and I enjoyed basking in the afterglow of a race well run! I even managed to be interviewed by the event MC who I knew from previous events!<br />
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So this served as my final tune up race before the Boston Marathon, and it was an enjoyable morning in trying conditions. I have 1 more hard week of training to go before my taper 2 weeks out from race day. Looking forward to it all!!!<br />
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<br />Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2913998301556247931.post-17826948979883619432015-03-12T03:49:00.000-07:002015-03-12T03:58:19.688-07:00Rotorua Off-Road Half Marathon Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>It's racing season again, and I was looking forward to my first half marathon hit out of the year. With Boston just 6 weeks away, it was opportune to have a bit of a hit out with a half marathon race to help me tune up for the big one.<br>
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The Rotorua Off-Road Half Marathon is a race that I have looked at a few times of the past few years, but never got around to entering. Partly this was due to timing clashes with other events I had on the calendar, and also my fear that running an off-road event would not suit me, given that I prefer flat and fast road sections. The course was 2 laps of the Redwood forest in Rotorua, which is actually predominantly a mountain bike track. It's beautifully scenic which changing terrain, beautiful trees, and plenty of climbs, dips and switch-backs to keep you interested.<br>
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Given that my primary focus is all about the Boston marathon, I decided that I could go into this event without too much expectation, and just enjoy the day. I entered myself, and also made it a bit of a family affair with the kids entered into the kids dash events, and my wife in the 5km race.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxfemqCOKd2PKRaF9bm6FPOMM1XnDXIDFOaJ9zyn8Lm60eAE8QkmL9o14eroPdQYNPWFsLF4muBSoDR1W9aaE0PuMmZtIFTsYjf7kZJmEW8ziq1-n1k64gdKmmwTmLCcx2bg-epEX-o4M/s640/blogger-image-1738615149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxfemqCOKd2PKRaF9bm6FPOMM1XnDXIDFOaJ9zyn8Lm60eAE8QkmL9o14eroPdQYNPWFsLF4muBSoDR1W9aaE0PuMmZtIFTsYjf7kZJmEW8ziq1-n1k64gdKmmwTmLCcx2bg-epEX-o4M/s640/blogger-image-1738615149.jpg"></a></div></div><br>
The event HQ was rather impressive with a very well organised registration tent area, a fantastic goodie bag for all entrants with lots of snacks and a massive 1L bottle of electrolyte drink. In addition, it was well staffed, and there was an MC who gave regular updates to ensure everyone was aware of what the order of the day was. A minor nuisance was the little mosquitoes that were flying around everywhere biting at my legs, and leaving their itchy legacy days later.<br>
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This event was a bit unusual in that the kids events ran first. A good opportunity for me to get a warm up in and to experience some of the course beforehand. So I ran the kids 1km and the 2km straight after that! The kids did really well on the trail course and seemed to enjoy themselves, which was great to see. Then my wife headed out on the 5km race, and I had 15 mins until the Half Marathon started at 10am.<br>
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I bumped into a friend on the start line and we compared our expected finish times as I tried to work out who the fast runners were. Soon enough the gun went off and we launched down a 2km road stretch heading into the Redwood forest.<br>
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One guy bolted straight into the lead and it was clear that he was going to be untouchable with the pace that he was going at. Then a group of 5 inched past me, and another 4 soon after. So I was sitting in 10th place, and the pace for the first km was already in the 3:30 region... This was too fast for me, so I had to sit back and bide my time.<br>
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As we reached the edge of the Redwood forest, things began to bunch up a little and I was surprised one of the runners in front of me pull over to the side for a 'pit-stop'! So early in the race, and unprepared- it was the last I saw of him, and I was promoted to 9th place. As we headed into the forest, initially the sealed road became a metal and gravel road trail with some climbing, then it started to narrow as we ascended into the tracks.<br>
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I managed to pass another guy soon after as the hills started to take their toll. I then found a good steady pace running alongside a woman runner who was looking very strong, so I sat back to go along for the ride.<br>
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Once we cleared one section of forest, we hit a road again, then went across into the next section which began some more climbing and the best part of the course. This was a very technical section with lots of turns and rises and dips, but it was also the most scenic, and the slower climbs were soon rewarded with lovely rolling and twisty downhill sections. During this section though, at about 6km, the woman in front started to struggle on a longer uphill climb, I decided to push into the lead here and do some of the work on the climb. But she was unable to hold the pace and started to drop off quite dramatically. I negotiated the climb, and then it was a downhill again and some flat section, so I was able to pick up the pace somewhat. So I had moved into 7th pace, and further up ahead, I could see a group of 4 runners in the distance.<br>
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Another slight climb out of this section of forest, then again a flat road section connecting to the next section of forest that would bring us back around to the race precinct and completion of the first lap. This section was much less hilly, but was quite rolling and I was beginning to tire along this section, so tried to focus on running form and maintaining my pace. I could see one runner up ahead of me, so I focused on trying to close the gap- he had started to drop off from his group, so was perhaps struggling more so than me.<br>
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Soon enough, I popped out of the forest and went through the race precinct and half way in 40 mins. A friend of mine had come down to watch some of the racing, and shouted some encouragement as I ran by. We peeled off to the left to head back out onto the second lap, and I went straight past the guy to move into 6th place. I shouted out "Same again, let's go" as I went past, but he was fading fast, and did not pick up his pace.<br>
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The second lap was pretty uneventful in that I did not encounter any other runners this time other than continuously seeing a group of 3 runners some 200m up the road which I could not seem to bridge... I was pretty tired at the end of the first lap, but I managed to settle into a good pace for the second half and get through that without dropping too much time, just a minute slower. I started to close in on one, but he managed to hold his ground to the finish.<br>
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As I came through to the finish line, I put on a good sprint to finish in 1:21:38 in 6th place. Not a fantastic result for me, but satisfactory all the same. I was good enough for 3rd in my age group, so pleased to have achieved something from the day. I was very pleased to have been awarded a medal and a sports bag at the presentation ceremony.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaE82PJXedFZ-rRlNmGaWiIv3RzmJc0ewv9xYZpIp2O0zVBy7WwtfbFXh_Y4AN02hUHxODYaI-qtOgZDf8_BkER67XVK4JcXzKeoxAJufg65Cn5urg3PS8ZiH3bkQKyRB5WEz8MrNUlTF/s640/blogger-image--441836820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaE82PJXedFZ-rRlNmGaWiIv3RzmJc0ewv9xYZpIp2O0zVBy7WwtfbFXh_Y4AN02hUHxODYaI-qtOgZDf8_BkER67XVK4JcXzKeoxAJufg65Cn5urg3PS8ZiH3bkQKyRB5WEz8MrNUlTF/s640/blogger-image--441836820.jpg"></a></div><br>
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So, I was very please to have broken up the monotony of the Sunday long runs with a good race event to build my conditioning. Another bonus was that I won a minor spot prize of a cap and sports drink bottle.<br>
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Back to the final weeks of training, and bring on Boston...<br>
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<br></div></div>Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17114460374456758070noreply@blogger.com0