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.

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.

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. 

Rediscovering Greta (my Garmin Forerunner 405)

Years ago I got swept up in the runners' obsession that is Garmin. Almost everyone had one - they downloaded their cool looking graphs after every run and analysed this or that. They argued with race directors over the distance of races ("My Garmin says it was X, and my Garmin never lies). They set them to beep every kilometre during a marathon, causing me to endlessly ask: "Are we on pace? What pace are we doing? Are we too slow? Do we have time in the bank?" 

So I bit the bullet, forked over my hard earned cash and ordered one. A lovely little green Forerunner 405 which I nicknamed Greta. 

Greta and I weren't really friends from the start. She stressed me out. I didn't want to know what pace I was doing every single step of a training run - yet I couldn't stop looking. She was much bulkier than my usual Timex Ironman watch, which annoyed me. She didn't play nicely with my Mac either, and I had no end of trouble trying to get her to send her info across. 

In the end, I simply gave up using her. Put her back in her box and left her to her own devices at the back of the cupboard. 

Now, however, I have been forced to take Greta out of retirement and, I am pleased to say, her time in isolation seems to have done wonders for her. 

The only reason Greta was given a reprieve was because my watches died. For more than six years I had a Timex Ironman watch which was fabulous. It kept going and going and going, and the only reason I went in search of another one was because it was starting to look a bit old. 

I bought another Timex Ironman - a great looking one with flowers on the face. What a disaster! The first time I wore it in the rain the display stopped working. When it dried out it was fine, but from then any time it was raining or humid the display would fog up then disappear. This was certainly not appreciated during the Canberra Marathon, where I ended up running more than half the race without knowing what the time was. 

The faithful older model was returned to service - especially in the pool because who knew what would happen if the rain-sensitive model went for a swim. Then, disaster! Both watches stopped working completely within five days of one another. Apart from being inconvenient, this saddened me a bit - these watches had helped me through some spectacular races. The old faithful had been with me the very first time I broke three hours in a marathon, and the (crappy) new one had been my companion on the journey (isn't that a song from Catholic school?) to 2:54:54 in Melbourne last year after my heartbreaking disaster in Sydney.

What to do, what to do? There was no way I was going to buy another Timex because, judging from all the reviews online, the water problem was common. I needed to find a different brand - and fast, because I had the Summer Run just days away. 

To buy myself some time to research, I went to Target and bought a $16 digital watch. It did the job, but I wasn't sure how long it would last. (Turns out this cheapie is a machine. It's not sold as water resistant, but I decided to give it a bash and it handled 2.6k of swimming without a glitch!!).

I researched (yes I am a bit OC like that). Casio? Nike? Soleus? I couldn't find anything that was a/ the right size and b/ did what I wanted. I liked a Speedo watch, but I couldn't find  anywhere to buy it in Australia, and I wanted to be able to return it if it broke, so overseas online was a no-no. Hence, out came Greta. 

Maybe I have changed and I'm not so worried about my pace anymore. Maybe Greta has grown up and decided to become more Mac-friendly. Maybe I was sick of not knowing what distance I was running. 

Maybe I have become a running geek. Because I really like Greta now. 

Yes, she's still bulky and that annoys me. I definitely won't race with her, but it really is good to have some accurate statistics on my training runs. Part of me looks forward to plugging in the ANT stick and uploading the latest run. I've even worn the heart rate monitor a couple of times, just because I could. 

So I am still on the lookout for the ultimate running (and swimming) watch. But I'm pleased to say Greta and I are now firm friends, and as long as she continues to behave herself, she won't be going back in the cupboard again...

Until I upgrade, of course.

A win: Summer Run @ Port Stephens

First place, Summer Run.

The Summer Run, held on Saturday 11 February, was an excuse to get away to Shoal Bay - a place that's been a favourite of mine since I was young. My cousins lived there for years and we visited often enough for the place to feel comfortable and familiar - it's kind of like that worn old t-shirt that you've owned for years that you always pull out when you want to feel relaxed and at peace with yourself. 


We had a third traveller with us on this trip - Deek, our 18 month old rottweiler. We've never taken him anywhere with us before, and we're certainly not one of those couples who treat their dog like a child, but we know he likes to swim and because we were staying in a friend's holiday house we thought we may as well take him on a road trip. I have to admit, it was pretty funny. 

Road trip.

The run was just under 13k (it varied depending on who you spoke to), keeping with my new found commitment to running some shorter races this year. It wasn't an easy one. Sand, grass, gravel, concrete, dirt, stairs... it was all there. The sand was undoubtedly the worst part. I felt as though I may as well have been walking. It was a relief to leave the beach and start running on solid ground - I could almost hear the Astro Boy rocket noise as I began to pick up the pace! Apart from the sand it was a really enjoyable race, with beautiful views the whole way. It was run in conjunction with an adventure race, which incorporated a swim, mountain bike, kayak and run. If the bike had been on-road and not mountain I would have entered, but me on a mountain bike will only end in disaster. 


I finished first woman, and third person overall, so it was a good day. After the race hubby and I did a 40 minute run together so I could add on a few more kilometres and I felt pretty good, which made me think I should have pushed harder while racing.


Later in the day the sun was out in full force, so we kicked around at the beach for a while before going to the presentation at Shoal Bay Resort. The food looked good, so we decided to go back there for dinner - a great decision. Nice food at fabulous prices, and just 300m from where we were staying. It was a really great night. I love spending time with my man. 


Most of the next day was spent at the beach, where I tried to work out how we could afford to buy a holiday place up there. The sums haven't added up yet, but I'm still working on it!

Yeah! New Mizuno stuff!

Elixir 7

Nirvana (top) and Elixir (bottom) and CLOTHES!

Yeah baby! New stuff from Mizuno!

How cool is the new Elixir? I love shoes that look a bit different from everything else that's around.

Now I'm all set to try some of this out at the Summer Run in Port Stephens this weekend... just gotta decide what colour to wear. I'm thinking yellow, just because I've never had yellow stuff before.

Thanks to Mizuno for the support.

Knapsack three-hour race - First place

Race briefing.

Every year I use Australia Day to mark the start of my preparations for the Canberra Marathon.

Now in its second year, the Australia Day Knapsack three/six-hour race is perfect for this. It's hosted by Running Wild, a new trail running association that's doing a great job of staging off-road races in the Blue Mountains.

This particular race is based on a popular style of mountain bike race. Basically, we run around and around a five kilometre course for three (or six) hours, completing as many laps as we can in the given time. You could choose to enter solo or as a team (where you complete the race in a relay).

Poor old shoes!

The course was challenging, with one particular climbing bit that I dreaded every single lap and some downhills that I had to take with a bit of caution so I didn't fall on my face (I am un-co). Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, with two toilet stops, one vomit, one fall and a wrong turn (or, to be exact, I missed a turn because I wasn't concentrating and began following some random runner that wasn't actually in the race!). It was also REALLY muddy thanks to the non-stop rain we've had recently. Loads of deep puddles and bogs that got worse as the morning wore on. My poor shoes are trashed.

The climbing section I dreaded.

For me, the day was less about running fast and more about getting some kilometres back in the legs. I ended up completing seven laps which put me in first place (out of both guys and girls) in the three hour race.  I was really lucky to finish before the rain started. It pelted down.

So very different from last year, when temperature hit 42 degrees C and everybody melted!

I was filthy afterwards, and no matter how hard I scrubbed my feet I couldn't get all the mud out from around my toenails. It's like it's engrained itself in there.

Thanks to Ben Berriman, the Race Director, and the Running Wild crew for a great morning (and for the Zooper Doopers and Coke!). It actually didn't feel like I was running for three hours, so I must have been enjoying it. My prizes included a great embroidered RW bag and towel, socks, a drink bottle, a buff and a few other bits and pieces.