20km run with Jarrod and Martin

I seem to have  picked up a mild flu, and have had a sore throat and sore head since Friday.  See what happens when you stop running?

Jarrod, Martin and I met up at 7am at the red shed on the Hampton foreshore and ran an easy 20kms to Mentone and back along the walking tracks.  Even though we we going quite slowly I felt quite sluggish the whole way, probably suffering from the effects of the flu.  I am not too worried as I am sure the flu will have passed by the time we line up at Fed Square on Saturday morning.

Jarrod also had his own struggles as he has been dealing with a calf muscle injury - painful, but hopefully not a show stopper.  He got through the run fine, and thankfully managed not to to exacerbate the injury. 

Martin was the pick of the bunch and at the end of the run he looked like he could have done the same 20km course 5 more times .... which in distance terms is pretty much what we will have to do on Day 21.

19km run in to work with Martin

Less than 2 weeks to go, and we are now into the taper period.  It feels good to be winding down and giving our legs a chance to recover from the intense pounding they have received of late. 

Apart from a short 5km jog on Monday, my only planned run this working week was an easy mid-lenght run.  To this end, Martin and I ran 19kms in to work (Hampton to CBD).  We both felt fine at the relatively modest pace, and the miles passed quickly.   Eveything seems to be on track.

52km run with Jarrod

Inspired by Martin's 40km effort in the heat yesterday, Jarrod and I decided that we were duty bound to do something similar.  I picked Jarrod up from his house shortly after 4am and we drove to Albert Park.  From there we headed off on yet another long run, figuring that about 50kms would do the trick.

We enjoyed the cool pre-dawn conditions as we ran up to Federation Square, and from there followed the route that we plan to take on Day 1 of the big run.  This takes us through the Docklands, Yarraville and Brooklyn Federation cycle trail.  The trail, although traffic free, passes by some very smelly and ugly industrial site.  We sucked it in and soldiered on until we got to the intersection with Leakes Road, our Garmins showing almost 26km.  We stopped there for a brief stretch before turning around to retrace our steps.

On the way back we started feeling slightly ragged.  I thought this was due to lack of water, but Jarrod felt it had somethng to due with our gait and suggested an unusual remedy - going faster.  We upped the pace slightly and strangely enough this seemed to help! 

Back in Yarravile with about 32kms on the Garmin we approached a Hungry Jacks.  Once again Jarrod had an inspired idea:  "Let's have breakfast!".  So, ignoring the curious gazes of the other customers, Jarrod order a bacon and egg muffin and I ordered a stack of flapjacks with syrup.  These went down a treat, and thankfully we were able to get moving again immediately after polishing them off.  After a sluggish kilometer or two we both started feeling great and ran strongly all the way back to the car.  Our average pace for the full distance (excluding stops) was slightly over 5 mins per km, and we both felt like we could have gone a fair way further without undue suffering, so all in all a great run and another good confidence builder.

35km in Melbourne

AM: Ran in to work - Hampton to CBD (17.5km) - at 4.40 pace. 

PM: Ran back home in a new pair of Nike Lunar Elites, this time at 4.20 pace.  The shoes felt great but I think I may have run faster than was strictly necessary as my legs were fairly tired by the time I got home. 

I must remember that leg speed is not a major priority for this run!

9km around The Tan

It had been a long time since I last ran around The Tan, Melbourne's iconic running circuit around the Botanical Gardens, so I decided to have a run there after work.  It was great to see so many people out and about on the 3.8km loop enjoying the good weather. 

After a warm up jog I did two laps of Tan, the first in a shade over 14 minutes and the second in a leisurely 16 minutes.  I was pleased to feel quite fresh so soon after Sunday's 70km run.

5km recovery run, and a realisation that we are on track

Apart from moderate tiredness in the legs on Monday I seemed to be none the worse for the wear following Sunday's 70km run with Martin and Jarrod.  On Tuesday I went on a short recovery run along the  bayside walking paths with my two sons.  I was very pleased to discover that there was no sign of fatigue or injury , and I even had a spring in the step!

On reflection I think Sunday's run was a very important confidence builder for all of us.  We run 70 kilometers at an average pace of 5.15 per km (sub 8 hour Comrades Marathon pace) without having tapered at all, and it seems we have each recovered quite quickly.  I think we can take that as a really good sign that our preparation has hit the mark.  I am beginning to look forward to the run!

The Big One - 70km training run with Jarrod and Martin

Jarrod, Martin and I headed off from Safety Beach at 5.30am on what would be our longest training run, knowing that this would be the clearest indicator yet of how we are likely to fare on the run itself.   

We had all racked up some solid mileage over the previous few days (in my case 62km in the past 4 days), which we knew would provide an extra layer of fatigue as we ran through the morning. 

At a steady 5.10- 5.15 per km, our pace was fairly relaxed by normal standards, but somewhat faster than we intend to go on the run itself.   On the way out to Point Nepean we had a moderate headwind to contend with, but the cool weather and overcast conditions meant that heat was not an issue.  We got the the 35km mark at Point Nepean in good shape and took a few moments to enjoy the great views and take a few photos. 

With the wind at our backs the first part of the return leg through Porsea and Sorrento felt quite easy and we were all in high spirits.  After 50km the going got tougher.  It started to rain quite heavily and we had to concentrate hard to dodge large puddles and to avoid getting entangled with the oncoming traffic.   We all started to feel the effects of the constant pounding on our legs and it became increasingly challenging to get ourselves going again after our pit stops.    By 65kms our pace had slowed to about 5.25 per km, but we all seemed to be coping fairly well.   

Needless to say we were mighty relieved when our Garmin GPS watches ticked over to 70kms (as well impressed by the accuracy of these devices given that we had returned to within a few meters of our starting point). 

As we cooled down and stretched our aching legs we felt pleased to have survived a 70km run run without injury, blisters or walking.  At the same time the true magnitude of the the forthcoming challenge started to dawn on us ....  would we be able to run 50kms further than we had just done, and then get up the very next morning and run another 100kms?  One way or the other we will know the answer in three weeks time!

17km run in Melbourne

Perhaps a litle foolishly I decided to do a run in the midday heat as a warm up for tomorow's 70km run.  I drove to Rickett's Point with my younger son Alex, ran home to Hampton with him, then turned around and ran back to the car.  Although the temperature was probably only in the mid 20s I felt quite hot and bothered.  I certainly hope we have mild weather on the weekend of the big run.  If we have conditions even half as bad as those on Black Saturday it will be a miracle if we get through the run.

Looking forward to tomorrow's run, albeit with a little trepidation.

13km run in Melbourne

Easy 13km run along beach paths from Hampton to Black Rock and back.  Legs a bit stiff after the long flight from South Africa.

Hilly 32km training run in Johannesburg

32km run in Johannesburg.  Average exactly 5 mins per km.  Fairly tough due to significant hills and and Johannesburg's altitude (1,650m above sea level).

30km race + 10k walk in Cape Town

Ran a popular 30km race in Cape Town.  Extremely hilly - the course runs along the Ocean Road from Camps Bay to Hout Bay and back.  My finishing time was exactly 2.04, i.e. just over 4 mins per km pace.

Immediately after the race I did a brisk 10km walk to the the top of Chapman's Peak.

Short recovery run in Johannesburg

Only 4kms today

42km training run in Johannesburg

Ran 42.2kms along a hilly 4km  loop course in Johannesburg South Africa.  Hard work due to the hills and altitude (1650m).  I also elected not to take any gels en route, and had only two drinks of water along the way.

20km training run Johannesburg

20k run on a hilly course.  Quite hot.

12km training run in Johannesburg

Ran 12km in Johannesburg to loosen up the legs after the long flight from Melbourne.  Really felt the altidude difference (1650m).

42km run in Melbourne

42.2km run with Jarrod.  Early start.  Hampton - Brighton - Mordialloc - Brighton - Hampton.  Felt good all the way. 

19km run in Melbourne

Easy 19km run with Jarrod and Martin.  Planning to run 42km tomorrow morning.

29km in Melbourne

21k run in the monrning + 8km in the evening

42km run in Melbourne + Summary of Lead Up

Jarrod, Martin and I ran 42kms this morning, taking the usual route from Hampton to Mordialloc and back (with a short loop out to Brighton at the start and the finish). 

We maintained 5.05 pace for first 28kms, then upped the pace to 4.30 per km for the last third of the run.  I felt good the whole way, and Martin looked pretty relaxed.  Jarrod struggled towards the end, which is not surprising given that he has done very little running since the marysville Marathon.  But knowing Jarrod he will come back with a vengance and be running us into the ground within a week or two!

This morning's run was the culmination of our first serious training week in preparation for the Black Saturday Run.  My total distance this week was 119km, compared to my usual weekly average of about 65km.

Although my training mileage this year has been fairly modest, I think I will benefit from having completed four full marathons since January (Hobart 2.59, Shepparton 2.51, Melbourne 2.49 and Marysville 3.12) as well as one 50km ultramarathon(Canberra 3.44). 

Having said that the prospect of running 220kms over a single weekend is truly daunting , and I have no idea how the body will cope with the training or the run itself.  Martin is by far the most "qualified" of the three of us, having run both the 7 day Sahara ultra (MDS) and the 100km Gold Coast ultra.  He is the only one who knows how it feels to go really, really long.  If Jarrod and I can leverage his experience and hang on his coat tails we may just have a chance of getting through this in one piece.