First time at this course, heavy rain meant the creeks were in flood , but it stopped in time for the event. The rain also washed away most of the flour markers. Its a long downhill first and I certainly felt stiff to the creek. But on the uphill I felt I was going pretty well.
Along the bitumen I lost sight of the leaders and could not see the turn off. So I slowed down and checked with the runner behind me called Nick. After a short delay, we found the turn off, and headed back into the bush. After another 2k we came to the "Pump house" turnoff, and could not see any arrows. Nick thought we should go straight up the hill, so up we went. After a k or so I noticed that there were no other footprints...mmmm....wrong way!
We turned around, and after a 4 or 5min delay we were back at the pump house. It turned out that after the event, we weren't alone. A lot of others got lost. the remainder of the run was quite pleasant. I was psyching myself up for the hill but in fact the crest came much faster than I expected. All up time 71mins.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Oh my god this is a hard sport
I didn't run Wed/Thu/Fri due to work and social commitments. The main social commitments was my 20th wedding anniversary!!! Wow, that a long time. Thank you Michele. Celebrated by going to Honor's HSC briefing at her school. No, no, we went out the night after the anniversary to dinner and saw Grand Torino at the Greater Union Gold Star. That is a great movie, Clint Eastwood draws together so many elements of the decline of the USA, and says it with such tight dialogue. The ending was a little corny and convenient, but it is fiction after all. His character reminded me so much of my recently deceased uncle Noel.
But back to running, which is the cause for the title. I felt like I had risen from the dead when I got up at 5am this morning. I had gone to bed at 7pm, never having felt more exhausted. I knew that I had to get out for the long run, but it would be a job of work. I headed up along the coast to Dover heights about 17 km away, and very hilly. The first five k's I was just a dead man jogging, then bit by bit I started to come good. When I got to Coogee a girl started following me and started gaining, so I put in an extra sprint through the Waverly graveyard but still she was gaining. Just past Bronte she overtook me, thanks I thought just the incentive I need, and I hung onto her heels. She started slowing down at one point, so I said "Don't slow down now!" and she picked it up again. Finally she turned off at South Bondi, I think we both appreciated the push we gave each other.
So I carried on up to Dover heights with a new burst of energy. At the shop on top of the hill I bought a banana and orange juice. The proprietor insisted on giving me a croissant, no charge. It went straight down.
The return trip was back along the coast to Tamarama then I went up the stairs to the Telstra tower at Waverly. These were the stairs that I had almost passed out on two weeks ago. A large group of Can-Too runners were making their way up the hill, which I am please to record I was able to run without difficulty despite the 25k in my legs.
At Waverly I went down Carrington Rd through the back of Coogee and up the hill to Higgs St and onto Malabar road at the graveyard. Then down Torrinton along Maroubra and up Broome st , then finally up Howe st and home. Plenty of hills and only the one stop at Dover heights.
All up time 3hr 20mins. Felt absolutely buggered afterwards. The last 10k from Carrington Rd hill I just kept thinking, "this is so hard", "boy am I hurting", and "death can't come soon enough" but I made it. It was the dread of those 6ft Track hills that kept me going.
But back to running, which is the cause for the title. I felt like I had risen from the dead when I got up at 5am this morning. I had gone to bed at 7pm, never having felt more exhausted. I knew that I had to get out for the long run, but it would be a job of work. I headed up along the coast to Dover heights about 17 km away, and very hilly. The first five k's I was just a dead man jogging, then bit by bit I started to come good. When I got to Coogee a girl started following me and started gaining, so I put in an extra sprint through the Waverly graveyard but still she was gaining. Just past Bronte she overtook me, thanks I thought just the incentive I need, and I hung onto her heels. She started slowing down at one point, so I said "Don't slow down now!" and she picked it up again. Finally she turned off at South Bondi, I think we both appreciated the push we gave each other.
So I carried on up to Dover heights with a new burst of energy. At the shop on top of the hill I bought a banana and orange juice. The proprietor insisted on giving me a croissant, no charge. It went straight down.
The return trip was back along the coast to Tamarama then I went up the stairs to the Telstra tower at Waverly. These were the stairs that I had almost passed out on two weeks ago. A large group of Can-Too runners were making their way up the hill, which I am please to record I was able to run without difficulty despite the 25k in my legs.
At Waverly I went down Carrington Rd through the back of Coogee and up the hill to Higgs St and onto Malabar road at the graveyard. Then down Torrinton along Maroubra and up Broome st , then finally up Howe st and home. Plenty of hills and only the one stop at Dover heights.
All up time 3hr 20mins. Felt absolutely buggered afterwards. The last 10k from Carrington Rd hill I just kept thinking, "this is so hard", "boy am I hurting", and "death can't come soon enough" but I made it. It was the dread of those 6ft Track hills that kept me going.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Hot then cold
Sat 7/2/08
Striders 10k I just didn't have a lot of puff, or possibly enthusiasm, and ran only 40.07. Pretty poor effort but not a disaster. Heidi on the other hand beat me for the first time with a 1.5 minute PB to record 39m28s to be third female. Wow, that is a 5 1/2 minute improvement in six months! Afterwards I went to work with Honor, install a sonar blank on a ship at GI, and then went out in the company's new boat. Exhausting day. It was stinking hot. 40+
Next day I intending to get to the Hornsby Hurricane star but I just couldn't get out of bed early enough. When I realised I wasn't going to make it I stopped at the Lane Cove course which was on the way and ran two laps and bit extra. All up 25k. It was really hot, and as it turned out this was the day of the Victorian bushfire disaster.Over 1800 homes destroyed and 190+ dead. That puts running into perspective.
I had Monday and Tue off with work commitments and then had two good runs on Wed and Thu nights. I ran the 14 km from home to Lapa and then up to Maroubra beach, up Broome st and home. Ran quite hard. On Fri morning could only manage early morning drills for half an hour.
Sat 14/2/08
It poured rain on Friday and Saturday morning so I gave the Roseville Ripsnorter a miss and ran the reverse Clovelly Canter again. Fortunately this time I had a bit more energy and was able to run the whole thing with only drink breaks including the Tamarama steps!!!! All up exactly three hours for 33k or so. (I had a few scenic long cuts around Waverly cemetery)
On Sunday It once again poured rain and I had a big sleep in till about 10am. I don't remember the last time I did that! Later I went out for a moderate 6k run.
Monday I was up early and ran 12k loop to the Cathedral. I had a 10k run in the evening in beautiful conditions. Big cumulus clouds and very still.
Tues I ran 8 intervals around Lap with Heidi and about 4k of warmup. She goes to the Masters games on Wed to compete in the 8k cross country. She should go well.
Striders 10k I just didn't have a lot of puff, or possibly enthusiasm, and ran only 40.07. Pretty poor effort but not a disaster. Heidi on the other hand beat me for the first time with a 1.5 minute PB to record 39m28s to be third female. Wow, that is a 5 1/2 minute improvement in six months! Afterwards I went to work with Honor, install a sonar blank on a ship at GI, and then went out in the company's new boat. Exhausting day. It was stinking hot. 40+
Next day I intending to get to the Hornsby Hurricane star but I just couldn't get out of bed early enough. When I realised I wasn't going to make it I stopped at the Lane Cove course which was on the way and ran two laps and bit extra. All up 25k. It was really hot, and as it turned out this was the day of the Victorian bushfire disaster.Over 1800 homes destroyed and 190+ dead. That puts running into perspective.
I had Monday and Tue off with work commitments and then had two good runs on Wed and Thu nights. I ran the 14 km from home to Lapa and then up to Maroubra beach, up Broome st and home. Ran quite hard. On Fri morning could only manage early morning drills for half an hour.
Sat 14/2/08
It poured rain on Friday and Saturday morning so I gave the Roseville Ripsnorter a miss and ran the reverse Clovelly Canter again. Fortunately this time I had a bit more energy and was able to run the whole thing with only drink breaks including the Tamarama steps!!!! All up exactly three hours for 33k or so. (I had a few scenic long cuts around Waverly cemetery)
On Sunday It once again poured rain and I had a big sleep in till about 10am. I don't remember the last time I did that! Later I went out for a moderate 6k run.
Monday I was up early and ran 12k loop to the Cathedral. I had a 10k run in the evening in beautiful conditions. Big cumulus clouds and very still.
Tues I ran 8 intervals around Lap with Heidi and about 4k of warmup. She goes to the Masters games on Wed to compete in the 8k cross country. She should go well.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Then work got in the way...
After the three really positive 30k days, I was sidelined by work and couldn't get out for another run till Sat morning. I ran the reverse Clovelly Canter again with Ken W and his girlfriend Milly. They are training for the full iron man at Port Macquarie.
Milly is an impressive woman, her schedule is crazy but organised. I asked her my usual small talk question "what would you like on your tombstone?" and she gave the best answer I have ever heard , she said "Kick it to me!"
The run was at a slow pace to the half way mark at Malabar when I suddenly felt ill had to make an urgent visit to the bushes!!! I got going again, and caught them at Maroubra.
Ken and I then picked up the pace and ran at 4.2k/min to Bronte where Ken turned off, and I continued on up the Tamarama steps. Half way up I felt giddy and exhausted and just had to sit down. I was done. Made it back to the car at a slow jog, all up 30.7k in 2h 50min.
No runs till Tuesday morning when I had my first run with Heidi for the year. We ran 10 rolling intervals of Laperouse loop. Very humid and tiring but both of us seemed strong. See how we go at Striders Lane Cove on Saturday.
Milly is an impressive woman, her schedule is crazy but organised. I asked her my usual small talk question "what would you like on your tombstone?" and she gave the best answer I have ever heard , she said "Kick it to me!"
The run was at a slow pace to the half way mark at Malabar when I suddenly felt ill had to make an urgent visit to the bushes!!! I got going again, and caught them at Maroubra.
Ken and I then picked up the pace and ran at 4.2k/min to Bronte where Ken turned off, and I continued on up the Tamarama steps. Half way up I felt giddy and exhausted and just had to sit down. I was done. Made it back to the car at a slow jog, all up 30.7k in 2h 50min.
No runs till Tuesday morning when I had my first run with Heidi for the year. We ran 10 rolling intervals of Laperouse loop. Very humid and tiring but both of us seemed strong. See how we go at Striders Lane Cove on Saturday.
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