Blackmores Sydney Half Marathon - I'm back!

I wrote the first part of this post the day after the Blackmores Sydney Half Marathon. I had every intention of finishing it the next day but life, work and worries about the looming Melbourne Marathon got in the way. 

So, here it is now. The Blackmores Sydney Half Marathon race wrap up.

After a nightmare year, it is with enormous pleasure (and relief) that I can say I have finally run another PB.

I raced the Blackmores Sydney Half Marathon on 22 September - but kept it very low key because I was feeling pretty nervous about it. I knew this race would give me a good indication of what sort of condition I am in for Melbourne Marathon (three weeks after the half) and I was concerned that if the race didn't go well I'd blow any sort of confidence I had to smithereens.

Luckily, it was a good day.

I finished fourth woman in 81:28 - a PB by one minute and ten seconds. And it was a 'good' race. I felt in control the whole time, I settled down almost instantly and got myself into what felt like a pretty good rhythm. I hung off the back of the 80 minute pace group for a while - which wasn't an intended plan but once the race was underway and the group was there I thought it would be nice to keep them in sight. I lost them a bit every time I grabbed a drink but would catch up again until the rope snapped around the half way mark and I wasn't confident enough to try and chase them down - I was worrying about blowing up towards the end so I kept to my own pace.

To be honest, I couldn't tell if the course was easy or difficult. There were a few ups and downs and a fair bit of twisting and turning, especially in the second half, but I never got to a stage where I started to think, 'Shit, this is awful, I just want it to end.' I was in fifth place up until around 16k when I snuck into fourth. The position very honestly wasn't important to me - I just wanted to see if I could run a decent time and compare my form to where I was this time last year.

The worst thing about the race was probably the super-early race start - with the gun going off at 6:15am I was up to eat breakfast at 3:15am. My husband had gone out in the city the night before (while I stayed in at the Grace Hotel and went to sleep), so he was certainly a little worse for wear as we walked from the CBD, over the Harbour Bridge and to the start at Milsons Point. Actually, at one point he said, "It's just lucky I'm still drunk." Hmmmmm. I think he was half joking.

In all, it was a good race and it showed me I'm certainly much stronger and in decent form for Melbourne, which is now only four days away. From what I can figure out I think I will be close to hitting my goal time but it certainly won't be a given. I will have to really fight for it - and hope the conditions are absolutely perfect. I am hoping the extra strength I have gained through the months and months of exercises and rehab I've done to get over the high hamstring tendinopathy will mean I will be stronger through the second half of the marathon and maybe avoid slowing down as much as I did last year.

Big thanks to my coach, Sean Williams, whose program and advice has been invaluable in getting me back racing. Also thanks to the eternal pessimist (!) but best physio in the world, Brent Kirkbride, who was responsible for putting me back together when I was broken.

I'll post one more time over the next couple of days. Taper is in full swing right now and I am about to explode!

On the up!

I have been on 'blog hiatus' for a while. At first it was because I thought the injury was rearing its ugly head again and I didn't want to deal with it, then I got busy trying to get right into my training and I thought the blog could wait for a while.

At the time of my last post  I was having some niggles again which were worrying me. One day I did the hamstring bridge test, which is an indicator of the state of the tendons, and I felt a tiny bit of pain - a sure sign things weren't great. I was told by my physio that if there was ever pain I had to back it off and not run to let it settle down so, in my new-found obedience, I took two days off running. During that time I focused a lot on the stability/strength exercise that has my back laying on the fitball, my feet on the floor and my knees bent at 90 degrees - then lifting alternate feet whilst keeping my hips level. I swear, this is a magic exercise - it, above everything else, seems to bring things back into line. It feels like it's switching all the correct muscles on again and stabilising everything.

After getting through this brief bumpy patch, things have been going from strength to strength. I haven't been this happy (or this fatigued) in a long time and it's wonderful.

I did my first race on 13 July - the NSW Road Relay Champs. This was a good, low key way of getting back to racing. It was short (4k) and I asked to be one of the middle runners (I was second) so I just blended in and didn't really have to think about a starting gun or a finishing position.

I guess it was a solid result - officially my time was 14:43 (I recorded it a bit quicker - there was a timing problem and my chip didn't register, but we'll go with the official time). That pace isn't great - it's pretty much the same pace as I've run my 10k PB in, but it was a race and it was so great to get back to it. Our team (Hills Open Women) finished in sixth place and my time was the 11th fastest run in the Open women's division.

The most positive things was that there was no pain during the run, no pain after (even though I had to drive a fair way home and sitting in a car never helps) and the next day I did my 31k long run without any issues.

Two weeks after the road relays I did my first half marathon since being injured (last November). Again, I did it in a really low key way - as part of a two-person relay in the Westlink M7 Marathon. My coach, Sean Williams, put the race in my program as a training run, so there was no taper which I was a little concerned about - I didn't want to run really slowly because I was both out of shape and tired!

The day before the race I realised how out of practice I am at preparing for a race. I couldn't remember the little things I do and even getting my clothes organised became an issue that I was overthinking. I thought I'd carry a gel in case I needed it but then discovered all my gels were past their used-by dates because it's been so long since I've used them. I found one that had only gone out about a month ago and figured it would still be OK. (I didn't end up using it so I don't know if it was. Most of them were probably fine but I didn't want to risk stomach problems from a dodgy one).

M7 Marathon Relay.

I paired up with another local runner, Jim Perrett, and he was fine with me running the second leg which meant I didn't have to deal with starting gun nerves. Jim got us of to a great start, running 79 minutes. I started my leg too fast (yep, as usual) and the first nine kilometres felt really clunky and uncomfortable (but no hamstring issues). Thankfully by 10k the running started to feel fluid again and I was loving it.

With 4k to go I was passed by a runner in another mixed team - Tim Molesworth. Not only is Tim fast, he's also one of those runners who puts it all on the line and doesn't stop until he detonates so, even though I tried to hang on to him for a while, he wasn't going to let our team have the win. Jim and I finished up second in the mixed pairs division and my half marathon time was 83:35.

I was satisfied with my time, given that I very honestly had NO IDEA what how fast or slow I would run. It's actually only 58 seconds slower than the PB I ran when I got second in the state champs last September (although I've never been happy with my half mara PB - it's soft).

Since then my tendon has behaved itself perfectly. I'm getting through all my sessions with hardly any variations (a couple of times I've had to swap things to different days to fit in with other commitments) and I'm working hard enough to have that wonderful fatigued feeling, but not so fatigued that I can't get through my training. I've had a bit of a flu-type thing for the past few days but other than that all is good.

Things are on the up. I'm so, so grateful.

High Hamstring Tendinopathy - uh-oh

Yep. It's back.

I was all set to go out of the year on a high - I was feeling great and I really felt I was on track for some good performances in 2013.

But once again the gods intervened. "No, no," they said. "We must throw a spanner in the works."

So they did. A big, ugly spanner that hit me on the backside. High hamstring tendinopathy - a real pain in the butt.

I had this condition a few years ago and I went through some really rough times. All up, it lasted about nine months - although I admit to trying to train and race (badly) through it (when I could run that is). It was misdiagnosed and therefore mistreated for a long time. I tried so many different things and nothing helped. Even when I had some power back in my legs I still suffered from pain in the butt - long car rides had me in tears a few times because there was nothing I could do to relieve it.

I've had an inkling something wasn't quite right for a few weeks - the first time I noticed it was after the weekend of 10-11 November. On the Saturday I rode for three hours then ran a little off the bike, testing how things were for Canberra 70.3. The next day I ran 30k, which felt fine. On the Monday both hamstrings felt tight, but I thought that was a result of the weekend's training. Ran OK that day and did an interval session on Tuesday - a few were off pace by one or two seconds but generally it was alright. I couldn't seem to loosen up all week but I put it down to the weekend as well as the fact I was working crazy long hours and sitting at my computer until past midnight, which is never good.

The next weekend (18 Nov) I was planning on doing a cruisy half marathon - not pushing it. Went round in 1:25 (and seconds) to get the win and although I didn't feel like I was pushing it hard my hamstrings were burning. Hmmm. I was starting to worry a bit. Had a massage on Sunday afternoon to try and loosen things up.

My main goal for November was the Central Coast Half Marathon on 25 November. I was looking to run this in about 1:21:30 and hoping to run pretty even splits. Very early on, I knew I was in for a tough race. There was no power in my legs at all - it feels like you're a car that has just skipped from first gear to fifth gear and no matter how much you try and accelerate there's just nothing there.

 I wanted to pull out, but I doggedly pushed on, seeing my kilometre splits getting slower and slower. Yes, it was hot and humid, but that certainly doesn't explain the time - 1:25:39 - SLOWER than the previous week and I felt I worked a lot harder to get it. Certainly nowhere near the target time. I managed to finish in third place but I was so disappointed with the race and I knew the injury had returned. I remembered the lack of power feeling only too well.

My coach recommended a physio - Brent Kirkbride at Sydney Sports Medicine Centre - and I immediately made an appointment,  crossing my fingers he'd have me on my way quickly.

My appointment was this afternoon and it was far from uplifting. High hamstring tendinopathy is relatively rare, complicated to treat and everyone's body reacts differently to the treatment so making a prognosis is difficult. There is no quick fix. For some people there is no fix.

Brent was thorough and honest and I left feeling that I was going to get the best treatment possible - whether or not that's going to make a difference remains to be seen. I've also got an appointment with a doctor in a month so we can look at PRP (platelet rich plasma) injections if the other treatment hasn't had any effect by then.

No running. No running until my body starts to work properly again and there's no pain in certain areas. At least three weeks to start with. Merry Christmas.

Tonight, when I got home from the appointment, I was upset. The tears flowed. I had been so, so happy with how the year had ended up - everything had come together in the best way possible. And then, KA-BOOM, it blew up.

I know this sounds overly dramatic and I know in the overall scheme of the world it doesn't rate as a problem at all. But for me, in my little world, it is a big thing. I desperately want to hit some good times in 2013 and that's only going to happen if I can train properly. I made the really tough decision to withdraw from Ironman next year so I could continue to build on the progress I've made since August, and now I'm afraid all that progress is going to go down the drain and I'll be back to square one.

Forgive this post - the emotion is still a bit raw. There's no point feeling sorry for myself - nothing's achieved by that - so after giving myself tonight to be down in the dumps, tomorrow begins mission "lets-do-everything-possible-to-fix-this".

Shit.
Shit shit shit shit shit.
Why can't these injuries go to people who don't want to run, huh?

Hard work = results. Who knew?!

In my last post (the one about the horribly disappointing M7 Marathon) I mentioned that I had sent an email that would hopefully set me on the path to some achieving some good results. That was six weeks ago now and yes, I think it's safe to say things have been going well.

The email I referred to in that post was to Sean Williams, highly respected coach and owner of SWEAT .  I asked him if he'd help me prepare for Melbourne as best I could and, thankfully, he said yes. The next day my first program arrived and I committed myself to doing everything as well as I could - no quitting halfway through a session if I wasn't hitting certain times or paces, no missing a session because I was too busy.

The program, quite honestly, scared me. I saw speed work and paces that I didn't think I could ever achieve. So I simply didn't look too far ahead - I just started by looking at the sessions I had to do on any given day and I did them.

I've surprised myself at how well I've stuck to the programs. Even more surprising, is the sudden development of fast twitch muscles. After the first couple of weeks I was despairing of ever being able to run fast - I even told Sean he would have to readjust his paces for the upcoming sessions - then all of a sudden I could do it.

With Belinda Martin, winner of the NSW half champs. 

The work is already starting to pay off. I came second in the NSW Half Marathon Championships (Westies Joggers Hidden Half on 2 September) and ran a PB of 82:37. Given that this is a tough and hilly course I was really, really pleased. I felt strong and in control the whole time and looking back on it I should have trusted myself a bit more and pushed harder. A few days before the race Mizuno sent me some new racing flats - the Ronin - and after trying them out on a couple of runs and loving how fast they felt, I decided to see how they'd hold up over 21k. In short, they were brilliant. They felt magic. Part of me would like to test them over a marathon too, but I think I might need a bit more support for the full 42. 

Yesterday I ran a local 3k fun run (the Leonay Loop) and won it in 10:06. A milestone in my life - my first ever 3k race! Did a 33.6k run today and felt pretty good the whole way. I've been a little worried by the reappearance of some symptoms I had when I was diagnosed with Glandular Fever earlier in the year, so I'm going to the doc this week just to get things checked out.

Melbourne is getting closer and I am desperately hoping everything comes together for it. Having said that, if I go to Melbourne and I don't run a great time at least I will know that (for the first time) I have gone into a marathon totally prepared. I can't ask anything more of myself than that.

NSW Half Marathon Champs at Lake Gillawarna

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.