Saturday, April 29, 2006
The dork!
I did a another pleasant 16-17km run with my Saturday running group this morning along Isaacs ridge. Although not renowned for famous last words, I made the mistake of saying the rain had more or less finished early into our run. Result: low cloud and fog rolled in bringing more rain with it. Outcome: we all finished the run soggy, cold, and wet and me looking like a dork!
Friday, April 28, 2006
Creative Running
I lived in Africa for three years and I recently came across an old South African edition of Runner's World when I was cleaning my study. There was a great article in it about the mental approach to running. While running to me is among my greatest joys, there is the odd time it becomes a chore. When it does I can draw strength from these pearls of wisdom:
- Train creatively
- Consider your running as a gift that you give to yourself. Make each bout of training and your races adventures that you look forward to.
- Be light and playful with your running. Be grateful for each run as opposed to being fretful when a run does not turn out as you had wanted it to.
- Always realise that your running is voluntary and therefore chosen, and if it is chosen it is what you wanted.
- When you look for fitness, or speed, or strength, or endurance, what you are really looking for is joy. The mistake you make is to not go for happiness first. If you did, all the rest would follow.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Is the cat a saint after all?
I had another lovely run this afternoon, which I enjoyed. Did 10k's from home into Tuggeranong and return for just on 50mins. I know runners can suffer from a case of the post-marathon blues. I can honestly say this doesn't seem to have happened to me this time. Perhaps I can thank the cat for this. My cat-induced back injury (see below) forced me off my feet, even though I was just raring to get back out running. This was in retrospect a good thing as it kept from getting over-motivated as a result of my post-marathon high. The fact that I am back on the road and injury free is enough now to make me feel good about my running. Not time for speed work yet, though. I will leave the hard-core stuff for another week or so.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
What happened to summer!
It was minus 4 degrees in Canberra this morning. What's happened to summer? It was a cold start and running could be tough in these conditions. Yet I had the most delightful run with my Saturday running group. We were all cold at the start and I couldn't stop shaking. I just wanted to start the run; anything to warm up. When we did get going it didn't take long for my blood-bourne central heating system to kick in, especially when putting in effort to handle the hills. And there was a lot of them on our 17km+ run around the ridge at Isaacs. It is mornings like this that make it so great to be alive - just to be running with friends, the intoxicating air, frost on the ground, fog patches here and there, and another cystal clear day emerging. My post-Canberra Marathon recovery continues. So far, so good.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
On the road again
Am staying with friends in Sydney at Tempe near the airport. Back is still a little sore and tight but I am back running. Went for nice run along the banks of the Cooks River To Dulwich Hill and return this morning for about 7-8 kms. Pulled up fine. Will try something a little longer tomorrow, perhaps to the airport and Botany Bay.
Monday, April 17, 2006
The Cat!
I couldn't have been happier with my post-Canberra marathon recovery - that is until Friday. The soreness had evaporated and I was injury free. But just as I was warming up for my first run after the race, I hurt my back chasing the family cat. Three days later I still have a sore back and can't run. Not a happy Tuggeranong Don! The cat and I need to have a serious discussion about the important things in life.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Hands-on-House Half Marathon, Pennsylvania, 1.10.05
Me running through a covered bridge during a half marathon in Lancaster county (just to the north of the city) Pennsylvania, USA.
It had been a life-long dream for me to race in America and I finally got the chance during our family holiday to the US last year. The Lancaster half-marathon was a good one to pick. It took place in rural Pennsylvania among corn fields and Amish farms about 15 minutes drive to the north of the city of Lancaster. Peter Weir's 1985 movie "Witness" was filmed not far from where the run took place and the movie will give you an idea of the area's topgraphy. A really beautiful part of the USA.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Canberra Marathon 2006 - my report
Absolutely sensational day and I really loved it out there. I came in with a 3.16.30, which is a couple of minutes outside of my debut PB three years ago but I couldn't be happier (today is only my second Marathon).
I had had a disrupted preparation with injuries over Christimas. Things started to come together a few weeks ago and today at the start I felt mentally and physically great. The cold start helped too, as did, as always, the wonderful volunteers and supporters. For a middle of the pack runner your cheers meant so much to me.
I continued to feel great throughout the run and had to continually hold myself back. I was aiming for 4.45 km splits for a 3.20 finish but found I kept running about 4.35-4.40 splits. The carbo loading worked a treat and I didn't deplete until I hit the 38km mark. The last 10k was the fastest part of the run for me and I still couldn't believe how great I felt and how quickly the kms passed by. If only I could repeat this feeling all the time. The best thing for me personally was to run an age group (45) qualifying time for the Boston Marathon, which I hope to run next year. I had clearly learnt the lessons from the mistakes I made in my one and only previous marathon in 2003. Yet I have still got so much to learn about this marathon stuff.
Congratulations to so many others who were there today. I loved catching up with everyone, from those in my ACT Vets club, my Saturday running group, to those from Sydney, and those from the Brisbane contingent that I met. You are all very special to me. The fraternity of runners is a wonderful thing!
I had had a disrupted preparation with injuries over Christimas. Things started to come together a few weeks ago and today at the start I felt mentally and physically great. The cold start helped too, as did, as always, the wonderful volunteers and supporters. For a middle of the pack runner your cheers meant so much to me.
I continued to feel great throughout the run and had to continually hold myself back. I was aiming for 4.45 km splits for a 3.20 finish but found I kept running about 4.35-4.40 splits. The carbo loading worked a treat and I didn't deplete until I hit the 38km mark. The last 10k was the fastest part of the run for me and I still couldn't believe how great I felt and how quickly the kms passed by. If only I could repeat this feeling all the time. The best thing for me personally was to run an age group (45) qualifying time for the Boston Marathon, which I hope to run next year. I had clearly learnt the lessons from the mistakes I made in my one and only previous marathon in 2003. Yet I have still got so much to learn about this marathon stuff.
Congratulations to so many others who were there today. I loved catching up with everyone, from those in my ACT Vets club, my Saturday running group, to those from Sydney, and those from the Brisbane contingent that I met. You are all very special to me. The fraternity of runners is a wonderful thing!
Canberra Marathon 2006 - some thoughts
I posted earlier but am still on my post-marathon high and the inspiring, wonderful stories of other cool runners have prompted me to share some more thoughts. I've got a lovely chardonnay in front of me, Chicago's "Please don't go" is playing on iTunes...I've got to get something off my chest....and here it goes...
It struck me reading all the stories that there was a lot of special things happening out on the road. Each of us faced our own challenges and demons; each of us had to stare down the nightmares and phobias that confront us humans as we seek to challenge .....what?....nothing less than our own limitations.
From the magnificance of Lucky Legs to Crabby's (Anne) tears; from Horrie's generosity to Clairie's fantastic debut, to Tesso's great sense and restraint to pull out when it must have been so tempting to go just a little bit further. Then there was Colin McLeod with his 3.04 at the age of 70+ and Trevor Jacobs at 54 with his incredible 2.47 (how do they do it!). There are just so many stories here, everyone of them worthy additions to the running Hall of Fame.
And to top it all there were all those magnificant supporters, so postive and encouraging that you just wanted to wrap your arms around them - most of them you had never met and were never likely to. Yet, on the day, they were our best friends. Courage, guts, glory, pain, fear, fatigue, passion, sorrow, excellence, disappointment, euphoria - all made an appearance. I think only Shakespeare could have invented better drama.
But were was the media? Where was Sixty Minutes, always so keen on its human interest story full of overwrought pathos? Where was the great novelist or poet to put down in print the emotions, the tensions, the soaring spirit so evident on the day? The Canberra Times to its credit did have some coverage of the event in its Monday edition. But why are the papers and electronic media so full of absolute twaddle concerning the mind numbing trivia of some footballer here, a footballer there, and so on.
We can all be so proud of what we did on Sunday. Isn't it bloody time the rest of the world noticed? Why weren't they there at Telopea Park on a beautiful autumn morning in April to see the best of humanity on show; to see ordinary people - you and I - do extroadinary things?
Thank God that we at least have Coolrunning.com.au to listen to us.
It struck me reading all the stories that there was a lot of special things happening out on the road. Each of us faced our own challenges and demons; each of us had to stare down the nightmares and phobias that confront us humans as we seek to challenge .....what?....nothing less than our own limitations.
From the magnificance of Lucky Legs to Crabby's (Anne) tears; from Horrie's generosity to Clairie's fantastic debut, to Tesso's great sense and restraint to pull out when it must have been so tempting to go just a little bit further. Then there was Colin McLeod with his 3.04 at the age of 70+ and Trevor Jacobs at 54 with his incredible 2.47 (how do they do it!). There are just so many stories here, everyone of them worthy additions to the running Hall of Fame.
And to top it all there were all those magnificant supporters, so postive and encouraging that you just wanted to wrap your arms around them - most of them you had never met and were never likely to. Yet, on the day, they were our best friends. Courage, guts, glory, pain, fear, fatigue, passion, sorrow, excellence, disappointment, euphoria - all made an appearance. I think only Shakespeare could have invented better drama.
But were was the media? Where was Sixty Minutes, always so keen on its human interest story full of overwrought pathos? Where was the great novelist or poet to put down in print the emotions, the tensions, the soaring spirit so evident on the day? The Canberra Times to its credit did have some coverage of the event in its Monday edition. But why are the papers and electronic media so full of absolute twaddle concerning the mind numbing trivia of some footballer here, a footballer there, and so on.
We can all be so proud of what we did on Sunday. Isn't it bloody time the rest of the world noticed? Why weren't they there at Telopea Park on a beautiful autumn morning in April to see the best of humanity on show; to see ordinary people - you and I - do extroadinary things?
Thank God that we at least have Coolrunning.com.au to listen to us.
Hands-on-House Half Marathon, Lancaster Pennslyvania 1 October 2005
Phew....glad that's over! That's me finishing the Hands-on-House half marathon in the USA in October 2005. I had a very disrupted preparation, which resulted in a very slow time. I still had a ball though - great course, great atmosphere and how many calls of "Good job, guy"' did I hear?
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