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Friday, March 30, 2012

Bad dog!

Evanescence.
End of the working week - Phew. It's strange how the months go past so quickly, yet weeks sometimes seem to last an age.

Work has been hectic, with last minute jobs being thrown in that make it harder and harder to keep on schedule. I worked late tonight so I could clear something that's been hanging over my head and it feels good to have it done.

I was really tired today, but it was completely my own fault. We went to Evanescence last night and ended up having a super late one because we were so hyped after the show. It was worth it. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

This morning I woke up with a sharp pain in my lower back/butt region, which was obviously from my antics last night. I was a little worried but after a 1:45 session on the wind trainer it felt OK. Geeze I was sleepy on the bike! I knew I had a massive day of work so I launched myself into it head first, fueled by super-strong coffee. If I could have hooked up an intravenous drip to my coffee machine I would have done it.

I had a run scheduled for 5pm, but I was so close to getting the big job finished I just needed to keep going so it was done and out of my head. Unfortunately that means I missed my night session, which I feel shit about.

Did something a little crazy today - or, I should say, I almost did something a little crazy. Ironman Melbourne went on sale at 11am, and I found myself on the website, hitting 'Register' and waiting for my computer to try and beat the masses. Amazingly, I got through to the rego page. I put in all my details, sat looking at it for about 30 seconds, then shook my head and hit close. Found out later that it sold out in 4-and-a-half minutes, and now I'm thinking that may be the only time I'll get through to the registration page because these events are so huge now.

I would love the challenge of Ironman, but the training required to do it to the best of my ability scares me silly. It is all-consuming. I don't know if I could keep up that intensity and focus. It's something I'm thinking about more and more, despite my very, very limited triathlon experience and my lack of skill and strength on the bike.

This afternoon I went out to the back yard to clear my head and say 'hi' to Deek only to find my racing shoes, complete with SMC timing chip, chewed up. I don't know how he got them because I'm usually so careful not to leave them where he can get them. He'd obviously managed to get into the laundry somehow, because along with my shoes there was also clean laundry strewn across the grass. The chip is ruined, the shoes are salvageable. The dog is in trouble.

Monday, March 26, 2012

SMC 30k and still no decision

Oh what to do, what to do?

I said I would use Sunday's 30k SMC race to determine whether I would race the Canberra Marathon. If that were the case, then I should pull out of Canberra now - SMC went slightly better than I expected (in that I finished!) but it was certainly not up to the standard needed for a good marathon.

But I just can't do it yet. I can't bring myself to pull out of Canberra. I really love that race.

I finished the 30k in 2:07:43. That pace is a touch under a three-hour marathon. Given the time, I was lucky to get away with the win.

I lost about a minute at the 20k mark (yes, regular readers of my old blog would know why - I had to go to the loo AGAIN. Despite having gone FOUR times before the race). Still, that doesn't make the time much better,

There are a few reasons I haven't yet made a decision about Canberra:
  1. I love the race. 
  2. The second half of the 30k on Sunday actually felt better than the first half. My last few kilometres were between 3:55 and 4:03 minute/ks. It was early on that I felt really bad.
  3. I'm not at all sore today - I find this odd and I can't understand it. 
  4. I am entered and have paid for accommodation.
  5. I love the race.
Of course, there are lots more reasons for not going to Canberra - lack of training (especially long runs), the possibility that it would do a bit of damage to the body/immune system because I'm still recovering from Glandular Fever, the fact that every time I have a bad race I take a big mental beating and my confidence hits rock bottom...

I don't know what to do.

I was sick again on Saturday - in bed until 2pm with temperature, sore throat, blocked sinus. I'm told GF smashes your immunity so you're a lot more susceptible to colds and flus. On Sunday morning I used one of those Vicks nasal sprays to clear the sinuses and it worked - just made my nose run a a bit but I could deal with that. Today I feel remarkably good. No muscle soreness, no sickness - just a little tired. I rode the home trainer this morning before work and I'm about to head out the door for a run (and I'm not anticipating any problems).

So help. I need advice, guidance, direction or divine providence to step in. Deep down I know what would be best. There are no miracles in marathon racing - I've learned that the hard way. If the work hasn't been done, it's always going to be a hell of day at the office.

Dammit.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Weston Creek Half Marathon

I was undecided as to whether I'd do this race - I've still been feeling fatigued and very slow and I was close to throwing in the towel and not heading down the Canberra for the weekend. However, I took a last minute email containing reasonably priced accommodation as a sign to toughen up and get my butt down to the capital.

This was going to be a test of my current fitness - to see just how much glandular fever (and lack of training caused by it) has taken a toll. I'll be honest with you, I was fearing complete disaster. My training runs have been so slow (lovely Greta Garmin confirms just how slow - there's no escaping it) and I felt there was a very real chance that I would run very, very badly.

In the end I decided to drive down and roll with the punches. The drive's an easy one and I like Canberra at this time of year anyway so I could go to some of my favourite old haunts and it wouldn't be a complete loss.

I worked late on Friday night trying to finish an article and woke up on Saturday morning feeling tired and yuck. Bummer. Mooched around home for a bit then decided to head out for a run. Did 8.82km at an average pace of 4:46 min/km. Yes, that's right. 4:46 min/km. Uh-oh.

Got to Canberra about 5pm and went straight to my hotel before walking to the Canberra Centre to pick up a few supplies for the evening. I'd started reading The Hunger Games the night before and I figured this was an opportunity to relax and finish it (I did - it's... interesting. Actually, I was surprised at how gripping it was. I didn't want to put it down and I'm now planning on buying the second and third book in the series. I also found it to be a very ominous comment on reality television).

But I digress.

The race was scheduled to start at 7.30am, so I set the alarm for 4:45am. Slept OK.

Alarm. Up. Breakfast. Shower. Dress.

Wait.

Decide not to wear Greta because I didn't want her beeping at me to remind me just how slowly I was going. Strapped on the blue Target cheapie instead (Note to self: I must get around to finding a new watch to race in). 

Leave.

The morning was quite chilly and it was still dark when I arrived at the race start.

Headed out for a jog to warm up and was happy to feel alright about being there. I needed to do this because I wanted a true indication of where things were at. This was going to help me decide if I was going to race the Canberra Marathon next month so, even if it all went to hell, at least it would be serving some sort of purpose.

The race began without fuss or fanfare. One second I was standing there examining other people's shoes, the next second someone shouted 'Go!' and we were off. Low key - I liked it.

First kilometre - 3:44 minutes. Surprised. First female.
Second kilometre - 3:50 minutes. Surprised again. First female.
Third kilometre - Noisy breathing started. Oh dear. First female.
I lost track of my kilometre splits after that, but I was running sub-4-minute ks. I was also feeling like shit. At the seven kilometre mark I felt so bad that I took my gel - I couldn't think of anything else to do so I thought I may as well give it a shot. Nothing.

By this stage I had a shadow - another female running right on my back. 'Hello there honey. I'm feeling crap - how about you?'

By 10k I had definitely slowed and we went through in just under 40 minutes. I got a second wind after the turnaround point (maybe because I knew it was half over) and felt a little better, but it didn't last long. Dammit.

By about 12/13k my shadow had made a few struggle noises, so I decided to give it one shot to try and break the band between us. I didn't increase my cadence but increased my stride to try and get enough distance between us that she'd give up the chase. I got ahead a little bit, but it wasn't enough and with six kilometres to go she passed me.

By this stage I had a piano on my back and there was no chase left in the legs. Dammit again.

I would hate to see how slow my last two kilometres were - the pace was definitely off by then. I finished in second place in 1:25:07.

So what does this mean for my Canberra Marathon plans? Well, lets just say that Sunday's race was a mirror of the first half of the Melbourne Marathon last year. The trouble being that in Melbourne I continued on to run a 2:54:54, whereas on Sunday I was in no shape to run another 21k.

I am going to give it one more week and see how things go at next weekend's SMC race. I am not feeling overly positive, but I love the Canberra Marathon and I don't want to pull out unless I feel I have given myself every opportunity to prove myself ready. My bib arrived last week and I have a name not a number, which gives me a bit of a buzz. However, no amount of 'buzz' is going to help if the body's not ready to race.

Let's see.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Glandular Fever-ville - Population: Me.

Yep, that's right. Glandular Fever.

I have been wiped out. I am over the worst of it now and luckily it wasn't a severe case, but I am still so, so tired. Running exhausts me which obviously means my training for the Canberra Marathon in April is completely off track.

I am so disappointed. I don't want to go into Canberra under-prepared and the long runs have not been done, which will inevitably lead to a melt down in the latter stages of the race. I've avoided writing about it on my blog because I was kinda hoping it would quietly pack itself up and disappear. 'No, no!' say the blood tests (I've had two lots of tests now, the first back in February) - GF is in your system. Deal with it. 

From the many people I've spoken to, this fatigue can last for a long time and I'm really worried about it. I'm conscious that pushing too much will probably set me back, so I'm trying hard to find a balance at the moment - training that doesn't tire me out too much but still allows me to feel I have achieved something. 

Bugger.