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Just keep running…

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Friends often ask me how I manage to keep doing events, often vastly different events, close together, without much rest and without getting injured.

Well, given that I didn’t do any events this weekend (I know, shocking!) I thought this week was as good as any to share a few words of ‘wisdom’ that have helped me and hopefully will help others too!

DISCLAIMER: There may be a little overlap from my recent post “20 things I’ve learned about running” (link here)

  1. REST DAYS. In an average week I will have 2 days off from running, usually Monday and Wednesday. I know some people can run day after day after day (sometimes even twice a day) but that’s not me. I do usually go to the gym on my ‘rest’ days, but I don’t do cardio. Lately I have been doing some of my long runs on Saturdays instead of Sundays – this usually means doubling up, with the 5k parkrun in the morning and then a long run around lunchtime or in the afternoon, but what it also means is I get an extra rest day, and even better, 2 full rest days in a row! (Also, even if I go hard at parkrun, the fatigue from that doesn’t usually hit me until the next day. Kind of like I’m trying to trick my body into running again before it realises what it’s doing!)
  2. VARYING TERRAIN. At the moment I am doing all road runs because I am 2 weeks out from a marathon. As much as I would have loved to be out running at Mt Crawford this weekend, the chance of my falling over and sustaining some kind of injury is just too great. Even a grazed knee (my favourite trail injury) would slow me down and I just did not want to risk that. However, after the marathon is over I will be trying to get out on the trails at least once a week. I find trail running much easier on my joints and muscles and I am definitely feeling the effects at the moment of having done nothing but road running since UTA100 11 weeks ago.
  3. VARYING PACE. Not all my 5 runs in a week are at fast pace. On a typical week, I would do Tuesday at ‘easy’ pace, Thursday at ‘tempo’ pace, Friday speed training or hill running, Saturday parkrun (5k race pace usually!) and Sunday long run at an ‘easy’ pace.
  4. RECOVERY. After my long run, I get into my compression pants as soon as possible and leave them on until the next morning. That is easier said than done sometimes! Not to mention getting them back off again the next morning! You know that thing called DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) that all athletes would be familiar with? Well lately, the MS has not been all that D! In fact if I sit on the couch for a few hours on Sunday night, I am really struggling to get up! However, with the compression pants on, and downing a couple of paracetamol tablets before I go to bed, weirdly enough my legs feel pretty good on Monday morning! Even after a marathon! A good spicy curry also helps with recovery – I’m not sure if that’s science or just superstition. Either way, it works for me!
  5. MANAGING INJURIES. Sometimes with an injury, you CAN continue to run but it will only get worse over time. Sometimes, you can’t run at all (that’s when a lot of my friends have discovered cycling and swimming). Sometimes, you just have to manage it and rest won’t make it better. Fortunately for me, my chronic hamstring tendon issue fits into that last category, and I know that:
    1. Some days will be better than others, and there’s no point trying to flog yourself on a bad day. (Unless that happens to be a race day, of course!)
    2. Running uphill and running fast are the two things that seem to cause it to flare up. Therefore, while I am not going to stop doing either of those things, I need to try to mix things up. Hence the importance of varying pace and terrain. Weirdly speed training doesn’t seem to bother it! Maybe because we run on a grass surface?
    3. If I run, say, over 30km on road or track, regardless of pace, it is going to hurt at some point. I think it was actually the 100km track race in January that really did me in! (That is not to say I won’t do it again next year!)
  6. WARMING UP. I now ALWAYS warm up before a race of up to marathon distance. In some cases (in particular the middle distance track events) the warmup will be longer than the race itself. This year, for the first time, I warmed up for a marathon. I also happened to run a PB that day. Coincidence? Maybe, but I don’t think the first few kilometres would have been very comfortable had I not warmed up. Even for parkrun, unless I am taking it easy, I will always do at least a 1km, preferably 2km warmup. Ideally I will warm up until I can’t feel my hamstring niggle anymore. Then, when the starter says “GO!” I can hit the ground running.
  7. STEADY BUILDUP AND TAPER. For marathon training I follow a 16 week programme, varying it as needed to fit in other events. I make sure I increase the distance of my long runs steadily – ie I won’t go out and run 21km one week and then 40 the next – even though my body is now accustomed to running these sorts of distances. Each time I train for a marathon I’m kind of starting from scratch. I also make sure to taper properly. In previous years I have done a 4 week taper. Because of my unconventional leadup to Gold Coast, I did a 3 week taper which seemed to work fine. For Adelaide, with the 30km Henley to Henley race 3 weeks out, it is again a 3 week taper.
  8. PRIORITIES. This year, my #1 priority was to run a Boston qualifier at Gold Coast. I also wanted to run UTA100 which was 7 weeks before that. I realised that if I were to smash myself at UTA I would need a good few weeks recovery time, which I couldn’t afford. Therefore, I set myself a relatively modest goal of finishing under 20 hours (OK, I did say 16 but that was just a number I pulled out of the ether – anything under 20 hours was a bronze belt buckle and that was just fine by me) and a week later was able to manage a 30k training run. I have another interesting juxtaposition of events coming up in September. First, the 12k City-Bay Fun Run which I have run 3 times and PB’d every time – if I’m honest I am aiming for close to 50 minutes this year. Second, 1 week later is the Yurrebilla Trail 56km ultramarathon at which I am hoping to run in close to 6.5 hours. You see my issue!
  9. BEING ABLE TO SAY NO. I have realised that I do have to pick and choose what events and training runs I do. If I am focused on a goal (ie at the moment I am focused on the Adelaide Marathon) every run I do needs to contribute towards that goal. A 56km trail run 2 weeks out from what needs to be a fast marathon, as tempting as it sounds (and believe it or not, it was a tempting proposition to me!) is NOT what I needed to be doing. Instead, with a 25km run in my plan, I ran 15 laps of a local 1 mile block. SO much fun. NOT. I am so looking forward to being able to do long trail runs on the weekends instead of pounding the pavement!

Does anyone else have any words of wisdom that help them to keep on running?

 

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Race report – Henley to Henley

Henley to Henley is an interesting beast. Normally it is called ‘Hills to Henley’, a 30km point to point run which follows the course of the River Torrens from Athelstone down to the outlet at West Beach. It is a net downhill but undulating course, in a similar vein to the Greenbelt half marathon. This year, because of the O-Bahn works, it was not possible to do a continuous run along the river so the organisers opted to make it an out and back starting and finishing at the seafront.

Each year there are also shorter runs on offer. The distances vary from year to year, but this year there was a 15km and a 5km option, both starting a little later than the 30km but also out-and-backs following the same course (naturally with earlier turnarounds)

I had never done the 30k before. In 2013 I did the 15k which at that point was the furthest I’d ever run, and was stoked to finish in just under 1 hour 15. I remember it was a bit chilly at the start but the sun came out as the countdown to the start began!

In 2014 and 2015 I volunteered at this event – in 2014 as 5km turnaround marshal and in 2015 I was on a drink station.

This year I had opted to run the 30k as an ideal lead-up to the Adelaide Marathon in 3 weeks. The timing of the event is designed for that very purpose and I guessed most of the 30k entrants were intending to run Adelaide.

I’d never run a 30k race before. It is an awkward distance, somewhere between a half and a full marathon. Should I run at half marathon pace or full marathon pace? Or somewhere in between? 

I crunched the numbers. 5 minutes per km would be 2 hours 30. I can do a half at under 5 minute pace but not a full. Not yet. So I thought 2:30 was a bit ambitious. 3 hours would be 6 minutes per km – I knew I could go much faster than that. 2:45 would be 5:30 per km – again well within my capabilities. So I decided to aim for between 2:30 and 2:40. 

As I am thinking of wearing a small race vest for Adelaide, I decided to wear it for this event, to get used to the feeling. I had only 2 small bottles of Gatorade and some spare powder in case I needed to mix up some more. I also put a light rain jacket in there, and my energy supplement for later! I didn’t bother putting the bladder in there as I didn’t think I’d need to drink any water. I hadn’t touched any water until the 28k mark at Gold Coast and it had been quite warm there.

I’d followed my normal programme during the week but my legs felt really heavy, more so than usual – I guess that’s what a marathon, 6 hour ultra and 36k training run in consecutive weeks will do to you! I hadn’t run on Saturday and I’d had my favourite pre-race meal of pizza (a happy coincidence – I’d been to a friends house for dinner and that just happened to be what we were having!) along with a few glasses of my favourite sparkling red!

It was a cold morning. I went with my usual formula – running singlet, arm warmers, compression shorts and calf sleeves, and running skirt. The top I wore was the one I first wore at Yurrebilla and then Heysen, which is stained on the back due to the dye from my backpack running, and which therefore I only now wear under a backpack! I also had trackpants and a jacket over the top for the expected cold start! Oh, and gloves – they would be needed – and a hat to keep the rain out of my eyes.

I can only remember once before racing in the rain and that was at last year’s 6 hour. It was highly unlikely that we’d get out of this race without a little rain!

I got to the start in plenty of time to collect and attach my bib and have a quick bathroom stop. I then reluctantly took off my trackpants and got my sunnies out – not that I was expecting to need them but I thought it would be worth sticking them in my backpack just in case. As I took off my trackpants the sunnies blew off the top of my car and one of the lenses fell out – I got on my knees and looked under the car but couldn’t for the life of me see it! Oh well – it wasn’t going to be sunny anyway!

It was then time for a short warmup. It was really cold but not raining at this point. I ran down to the surf club and back to the car. As I headed back towards the car, the runners were starting to head to the start line. I’d forgotten that the start line was not the same as the finish line! So I had to leg it back to the car, dump my jacket, then go back to the start, arriving about 2 minutes before the start. It was actually perfect timing as I was warm as I could have been by the time we started.

I wore my gloves for the first 2km then took them off and carried them, waiting for an opportunity to dump them at a drink station (I couldn’t be bothered taking off my backpack to put them in!) As someone who always has cold hands, this is the best thing I could have done, as I didn’t have any issues for the rest of the race, whereas others complained of cold hands throughout. 

At the start I was going back and forth with a young guy, let’s call him Charlie (because, as I later found out, that is his name!) who was alternating between running and walking. Within the first 4km I think he passed me 4 times and I passed him 3 times while he was walking! At one point I heard him telling someone else that he was using a walk/run strategy. When he passed me the 4th time I wondered if I’d catch him again!

Not long after this I was following a guy who I eventually caught up with and ran with for a good few kilometres. He recognised me and introduced himself as Gary, who I hadn’t met before but knew through Strava. Turned out he was a very new runner – only running for 9 months and doing his first marathon next month at Adelaide! We had a good chat and I eventually left him at around 11km. By this time it had started raining and I think it pretty much continued for the rest of the race!

By now I was in very familiar territory – along part of the Torrens parkrun course and past the Convention Centre and Elder Park (a regular feature of some of my morning runs but also part of the Masters Games half marathon last year). It was around this point that I saw Nat, a regular running buddy who was also the one who taught me to ride a bike with cleats, and who was out for her long Sunday run! 

The turnaround point was just past the 15km mark. Not long before this I started to see the front runners coming through. There were a few familiar faces among them – Alex, Gordon and Gary (different Gary!)

I had my energy supplement just before 15km and started the long run back, following the same route as the way out. On the way out I enjoyed the downhills without allowing myself to think about the inevitable uphills they would become on the way back. And although the uphills (such as they were) were a bit brutal, I could take comfort in the knowledge that they would be nice downhills on the way back! (I don’t have my hill legs back since UTA100 – got a bit of work to do there!)

There was a girl in front of me who had been not far in front of me for some time. As I wasn’t stopping at the drink stations and she was, I would make up a bit of ground and then she’d pull away again. I think, from looking at the photos and the results, that her name was Sam. I eventually passed her at around 18km. By now we were back on the parkrun course and after what seemed like no time at all I saw the 19km sign. Up until then my Garmin had been a few hundred metres behind the actual distance, but at the 19k sign I was somehow ahead! I guessed that maybe the strong wind had moved the sign – no way had I done 1km since the 18km mark! 20km came and my Garmin was back to being behind.

I wasn’t looking at my watch except to see my average pace. At the turnaround I was sitting on about 5:09 pace. I wanted to do a negative split. I was pleased to see my pace increasing ever so slightly.

Between 22 and 23km we passed the 15km turnaround and started to see a lot more runners. I had overtaken a few of the 30km runners between the 30km turnaround and the 15km turnaround, and it’s amazing how much of a boost that gives you! I managed to overtake a few of the 15k runners too. Also, up until I started to see the 15k runners I hadn’t seen anyone in a while, to the point that I wondered at times if I was on the right path!

Not long after this I caught up with Charlie. He had been doing a 9 min/1 min run/walk since the start and it was working well for him. Like I had with Gary, Charlie and I had a great chat and that really helped to distract the mind and legs from the running, and the rain and icy wind! Charlie is also doing the Adelaide Marathon and is a relatively new runner like me, having been running for only about 3 years. He was telling me all about the Melbourne Marathon – he recommended doing the half rather than the full, and still finish on the MCG! That sounded pretty good to me!

A bit further down the track we reached the 5km turnaround and we knew the end was in sight – less than 2.5km to go! I told him to feel free to take off if he wanted to – he said no, he didn’t want to, it was a bit early for that! He had stopped walking by the time I caught up with him, opting to run the rest of the way.

We went under the bridge and back onto the coastal path – part of the West Beach parkrun course and SO close to the finish! I saw photographer Tracie who I had seen a few times along the way and tried to do some funny poses – I did SO want to try a jump shot but was worried about falling over on the slippery path!

With just a few hundred metres to go it was time to pick up the pace (and I advised Charlie of this too!) 

With the finish line in sight, we increased the pace and as it turned out, crossed the finish line together in an official time of 2:34:50. I think that’s just about as good as I could have hoped for! My average pace overall was 5:06 so I had achieved my negative split!

Not long after we finished, Gary came over – he had finished only a few minutes behind me and was very happy with his run! (This was new Gary. The other Gary, who I caught up with later, had done a phenomenal 2:15!)

The presentations and lucky prize draw were cancelled due to the bad weather, so after grabbing an apple at the finish line I changed out of my wet singlet and cranked up the car heater for the drive home!

Despite the pretty gnarly weather it was yet another fantastic SARRC event. I am hugely thankful for all the volunteers who were out there in the same conditions as us runners, but not able to keep warm by running! Thanks so much guys and girls! You’re all awesome!

It was very satisfying to complete my first 30km race and finish strong – although my legs are well overdue for a break I am confident they will get me through the Adelaide Marathon and then I will treat them to some nice trails! I promise, legs! 3 more weeks…

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Winter = soup time!

A good hearty soup is one of my absolute favourite winter meals. Easy to make, versatile, and freezes well. For a busy person, it ticks all the boxes!

I have experimented with soup to some extent – I have a recipe that was given to me by a work colleague (I believe it was a Donna Hay recipe) for a spiced pumpkin soup. I’ve tried it with different veggies, and different curry pastes, and tried adding chickpeas as a thickener and for extra protein, and I’ve always been happy with the results.

The inspiration for today’s recipe is two-fold. Firstly, I saw a recipe in a magazine at work today for a carrot and cumin soup as part of a soup fast. The soup fast didn’t interest me in the slightest but that recipe looked pretty good. It contained cumin seeds, and that got me thinking.

I have cumin seeds at home. I also have black mustard seeds, nigella seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds. The five of those together, in equal quantities, make a flavour sensation called panch phoron, or Bengali five spice. I first encountered this blend in a recipe from one of my absolute favourite vegan recipe sites, One Green Planet (link to the recipe below)

Cauliflower With Purple Sweet Potatoes – Ranga Alu Diye Phulkopi [Vegan]

I couldn’t find panch phoron in the Indian grocery store so I bought the five spices and mixed them myself. The seeds are used whole, so literally all you have to do is put equal amounts of each seed in a container and mix them together!


That curry itself is another of my favourites and a winter staple. You know those recipes you make so often you don’t need to look at the recipe? This is one of those recipes. Seriously, you should try it. DO IT! 

Anyway, the seed (pun intended) was planted and this recipe began to take shape!

Panch phoron in a soup! GENIUS!

I went to the local fruit and veg shop for inspiration. I was thinking of carrot but then I saw sweet potato. I can’t go past sweet potato! Plus, the aforementioned curry is made with sweet potato, so I know that spice/veg combination works. So sweet potato it was!

First, heat up a bit of oil in a large pot over medium heat (I used rice bran, but I think coconut oil would work really well too). Then add 2 teaspoons of panch phoron and wait for the magic to happen!

Once the seeds start popping, add one chopped onion and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until soft.


Next, throw in about 1kg of peeled, chopped sweet potato and 1 litre of veg stock. Stir well, cover and cook for around 30 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until sweet potato is nice and soft.


Remove from the heat and blend until smooth. I used a stick blender which is the easiest and if you make a lot of soup I highly recommend getting one! A normal blender would work too, although a bit more fiddly and messy.

You will find the soup is quite thick at this point. Next, throw in a can of coconut milk (I used light but I presume full fat would also work!) and stir well!


And there you have it! I served mine with fresh coriander (because I can’t go past fresh coriander!) and some toast.

SPICY SWEET POTATO SOUP

INGREDIENTS (5-6 serves)

– 1 Tbsp rice bran or coconut oil

– 2 tsp panch phoron (see above for details)

– 1 onion, chopped

– 1kg sweet potato, peeled and chopped

– 1 litre vegetable stock

– 1 can light coconut milk 

INSTRUCTIONS 

1) Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add panch phoron and heat until it starts popping.

2) Add onion and cook 1-2 minutes until soft.

3) Add sweet potato and stock, cover and cook over medium heat for around 30 minutes until sweet potato is soft.

4) Remove from heat and blend until smooth.

5) Stir in coconut milk and serve! 

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Mid year review!


Yes, yes, I know. We’re a bit past the middle of the year. But I’ve had a busy couple of weeks with events and I haven’t done my tax return yet, so it’s close enough!

I had a bit of a look at my ‘2016 goals’ blog post this week. I thought it would be as good a time as any to review what I had hoped to achieve this year, and see how I’m tracking! If you want to see the original post, you can read it here:
https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/12/27/looking-ahead-to-2016/

Interestingly, I had said my No. 1 goal was to complete UTA100. Maybe that was a chronological No. 1, because I’m pretty sure my No. 1 goal was to qualify for Boston 2017! Anyway, I’m happy to say I did get through UTA and am now the proud owner of a bronze belt buckle. And the author of possibly the longest blog post in history!
Next on the list was a BQ, or Boston Qualifier. Another tick!
The 100k track championships was also on the list. I hoped to go sub 10 hours. In hindsight that was extremely ambitious (although it’s good to set the bar high!) but I did get through it well under cutoff and was fortunate enough to be the first female in this event – while my time was a little slower than I’d hoped, first place was certainly well beyond what I would have expected! 
Redemption at Clare was on my mind at the start of the year, after a poor showing last year. Despite a poorly timed hard hill session 3 days prior, I managed to pull out a Clare PB and well and truly erase the memories of 2015.
So what’s left? A sub 50 minute City-Bay and a sub 20 minute 5k – both of which seem reasonably achievable but at the moment seem so far away. I’m sure the speed training I’m doing now will help! 
A triathlon. Now I’ve qualified for Boston, the money I had been putting towards a bike (kind of a necessity for a tri) is now going towards my Boston trip fund. So, while I am still determined to get a bike and complete a tri in the near future, it’s not really a priority right now!
Nutrition – I think I have that pretty much sorted. After a period last year where I became borderline obsessive about what I was putting into my body, I realised that I was at the top of a very slippery slope and said NO MORE! I train, therefore I eat. Sometimes a lot! Sometimes not the most nutritious food but that’s the joy of distance running. Eating ALL OF THE FOOD! 

The daily planking is going well! I’d forgotten I’d put that in my blog but so far I haven’t missed a day this year! All it means is getting up 5 minutes earlier – big deal!

New goals!

1) Run Adelaide Marathon as close to 3:40 as possible and get Beck a Boston qualifier too!
2) Yurrebilla 56k sub 7 hours at a minimum – hopefully closer to 6:30.

3) Heysen 105k under 14 hours.

4) Complete all SA parkruns by the end of the year. At the time of writing there are 10 parkruns in SA (with another to be launched at the end of this month) and I have done 7. With new events popping up all over the place, that is easier said than done! This past weekend I went to the launch of SA’s 10th parkrun in Renmark, a Riverland town I had never had the pleasure of visiting before, and despite a chilly subzero start, I really enjoyed it and wished I’d had more time to spend in the region. Also there was a guy by the name of Brendan who seems to spend every second weekend on the road visiting different parkruns. He is expecting to have done 100 different parkruns by the end of this year! Extraordinary!

Along with my City-Bay and 5k time goals, that should keep me out of trouble for the rest of the year!!

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Race report – Adelaide 6/12/24 hour


This past weekend I followed up my Gold Coast marathon in the only way I know how – with a 6 hour trot around a 2.2km loop…
I did this event for the first time last year and if you’re interested you can read about it here: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/47/
Just in case you don’t want to read that, here is a brief synopsis of what the event is all about.
There are 3 events – 6, 12 and 24 hours. The idea is to cover as much distance as possible in the allocated time.
During the week, I ran on Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday was a bit rough but by Thursday the legs were feeling pretty good!
The race being on a Saturday rather than the usual race day of Sunday, I opted to do my shopping at the Central Market on Friday night rather than Saturday. As I often do when I go to the market on a Friday night, I had dinner at the food court – an AWESOME vegan place called Pure Vegetarian. Plenty of carbs in there – noodles and pumpkin, along with some eggplant and chickpeas. 
I was in bed reasonably early – I set my alarm for 4:15am so I could get to the start line at the Uni Loop super early – the plan being to get a spot as close to the start line as possible. I hadn’t organised a table or a spot in a tent, and I didn’t have any crew (not many 6 hour runners use crew) so my car was going to be my base camp. That way, if it rained (and the forecast for the morning was clear, but we all know the Bureau can get it wrong!) all my stuff would stay dry, and I’d have a place to sit undercover if needed!
Gear-wise, I would be better prepared than last year. For a start, GLOVES! It had been pretty chilly in the mornings and Saturday would be no exception. I went for ‘layer upon layer’.
The bottom half was the favourite Skins/lulu skirt combination and calf sleeves and socks rather than compression socks (I had a very iffy toenail from Gold Coast, which my awesome running friend and podiatrist Nat had very kindly patched up for me, and I thought the extra pressure from compression socks would be a bad idea) – I’d opted for black socks rather than white as I was fully expecting blood by the end of 6 hours! I’d also gone with trail shoes rather than roadies as the trail shoes are a bit bigger and therefore would give me more toe room.
On the top I started with a long sleeved running top, vest, arm warmers and a zip up long sleeved top. Also a buff to keep my ears warm. On top of all that I had a hoodie and track pants. And, of course, gloves!
Food-wise I went pretty simple. 2 white bread sandwiches. A new flavour combination – peanut butter and chocolate spread – like a Snickers! I also packed some nut bars, almonds and Lifesavers. Hydration would be Gatorade – I had a 500ml handheld bottle and also a big cooler bottle with 1.5 litres.
On Saturday I was up, breakfasted, dressed and out the door around 4:50. At the last minute I had thrown a singlet in my bag along with a T-shirt. I’d run all of last year’s event in long sleeves but it had been a cold, wet, miserable day. This time, the morning promised to be chilly but there was no rain forecast until the evening. 

I got to the start location about 5:05 and got a prime parking spot, just near the food tent. The race started at 6am and I’d already collected my bibs and timing chip (I totally just wrote ‘chiming tip!’) so I had plenty of time to get myself organised. I was seriously considering running the first few laps in my trackpants and hoodie! I had all the gear I might need, located in the front seat of my car. My bag of sandwiches was open, and my singlet conveniently located on the seat so I could quickly grab it if needed. I also had my iPod and headphones on the seat, in case I needed them later. I hadn’t used them last year simply because it had been raining and I didn’t want to get water in them! I was pretty confident I could get through 6 hours without music but it didn’t hurt to have it there just in case.
Unlike last year, I was there in plenty of time for a pre-race portaloo stop (pre-race is ALWAYS the best time to use a portaloo – they get increasingly unpleasant as the day goes on!) and then all I had to do was wait for the briefing and the 6am start!
And we were away!
We started in the dark – I reckon it was probably about an hour before the sun came out.
Within the first lap I was passed by fellow 6 hour runners Sarah (a well known ultra and trail runner and a great competitor – her partner Robbie was also there, awaiting the start of the 24 hour) and Samantha who I didn’t know but who also looked to be a big threat. Plus another girl called Tia who I didn’t know, from the 12 hour event which started at the same time. 
Last year I went in expecting nothing and was surprised to finish 2nd. This year I was hopeful of another podium finish but in the first lap I thought that was unlikely so I focused on my other goal of a 6 hour PB. I couldn’t remember exactly what distance I’d done last year but it was 60-point-something. So I’d aim for 61 just to be sure. I thought I’d count laps rather than rely on the distance my watch showed. 28 laps would do it.
After a couple of laps I took off my first layer, the zip-up top, and grabbed a sandwich from my car. I’d opted to lock my car – I had contemplated leaving it unlocked, but given that I’d worn gloves, my hands were functional enough to operate a key!
One hour in, I’d completed nearly 5 laps or 11km. It was a good start but that was with no walk breaks – walk breaks would be needed throughout the 6 hours, if only to get some food in. Eating real food as opposed to gels, you do need to walk in order to eat. I didn’t go in with a ‘walk/run’ strategy as I hadn’t needed it last year. I would run as much as I could and ideally only walk if I was eating. If I was doing 12 or 24 hours I would certainly be adopting a walk/run right from the start.
There was a computer screen with live results just past the start/finish line but I didn’t end up stopping to look at it at all – I didn’t want to lose momentum or get psyched out by seeing what other people were doing. As long as I kept count of my laps I didn’t need any more information.
Among the runners were many familiar faces and some new ones. A lot of people had come from interstate which goes to show what a highly regarded event this is!
In the 12 hour was Wayne, back again after being the event ambassador last year. He was on fire – I lost count of the number of times he lapped me! There was Luke, well known for running in sandals! I asked him if he had cold feet – he said no, and he still had all his toenails! Might be something in that… 
Rebecca I had met during the track 100k earlier in the year. She was aiming for 100k in the 12 hours after having finished second and missing out on the 100 last year. This was a training run for her. I asked, what is a 100k run a training run FOR? Oh, just a 100 miler next weekend! Also in the 12 hour was Matt, who along with Race Director Ben was the brains behind the trial 6/12 hour trail loop run I’d done a month or so back. He was also training a young guy called Tyler, only 15 years old, who is a real up-and-comer and was doing the 6 hour. Other familiar faces in the 12 were Toby, whose partner Bridget was doing the 6, Kath, who had done the 24 before but never the 12, and Anna, who I’d met last year at the same event. Early on I met Emma who was going for 100km and who had run last year through the night with Lee, the eventual winner.
The 6 hour had 60 listed starters, the most popular of the 3 distances on offer. Not surprising really – 6 hours is really doable and a good chance to do a first marathon or 50k.
I knew a lot of the 6 hour runners but a few need to be mentioned – Debbie and Karen got the ‘best dressed’ award for their matching tutus and Debbie was even wearing a blue wig for the whole 6 hours! Carolyn, who I didn’t actually meet until after the 6 hours was over, had only been running for a few months! Remarkable! The always quiet and reserved Michelle was there, modelling the new Yurrebilla T-shirt, along with her daughter Emma. The usual suspects from last year included Chris and Shannon who I would see frequently throughout the morning!
It wasn’t long before the gloves came off. Soon the buff was replaced by hat and sunnies as the sun actually made an appearance! Heading east in the back half of the loop, I was very grateful for the sunnies, as the sun was a bit blinding! Bit of a contrast from last year!
9:00 marked the halfway point and the first turnaround (turnarounds happen every 3 hours to break up the monotony!). I reached 14 laps right on 9:00 – I was halfway to my goal and right on track. 9:00 also marked the time when my friend Leanne arrived with the pre-arranged coffee (my coffee deliverer from last year, James, had abandoned me this year to go on a trail run!) which once again was MASSIVELY appreciated! I walked with Leanne as I drank my coffee and then she was off to have brekky with James and the rest of the trail running crew.
Amazingly, at some point in the morning, I actually decided it was too warm for the long sleeves! I was very glad I’d thrown the singlet in – the next time I passed my base camp (aka my car) I did a quick wardrobe change, leaving the arm warmers on just in case it got cooler again. It was a bit of a procedure which started probably 500m from the car – first I removed my Garmin, being careful not to accidentally stop it, then my arm warmers, and I had my key in my hand, ready. I got to the car and quickly changed the long sleeved top for the singlet, grabbed a sandwich and kept moving. Over the next few hundred metres I put my arm warmers back on and then my watch. In the process I realised my watch had stopped – disaster! I quickly started it again and checked my watch on my other wrist which displayed the time. It seems the watch had only been stopped for a minute or less – crisis averted!

Around this time the 24 hour runners started assembling for the 10am start. There were a few veterans, notably Barry and Karen. There was Marc, having a second crack at it after having to pull out due to injury last year. There were also a LOT of first timers! Rula was ably supported by Hoa and Bev. Tania, Katie and Laura were all also doing 24 hours for the first time.
I had my energy supplement not long after the 24 hour runners started. Not surprisingly, I passed a lot of them on the first few laps – they had a LONG way to go – while being regularly lapped by the likes of Wayne and Tia.
My pace was sitting comfortably around 5:46. 6:00 pace would put me at 60km, so even factoring in the inaccuracy of the GPS, I was well on track for a PB.
I reached the 5 hour mark. One hour to go! According to my watch I was on just under 51km which was on target. I was around the other side of the Uni Loop from the start/finish area. I set myself a goal – 5 laps, or 11km, in the last hour. That was ambitious (average pace 5 min 27 per kilometre) but achievable, and kept me focused for the last hour.
As per last year, my pace increased significantly over the last 5km or so. I managed to pull out a 5:13 right near the end! With about 15 minutes to go. I passed the start/finish line. Each runner was given a personalised sandbag with a flag sticking out of it. My average lap time was 12:44 (although I didn’t know that at the time) and I was confident I could get around one more time before time ran out. The sandbag was awkward to carry so I didn’t want to pick it up until I was sure it was my last lap.
I made it around in plenty of time, grabbed my sandbag on the run, and pushed it to the finish. I was looking at my watch – I knew I was about a minute out, and not long after that, there was the siren to signify the end of the 6 hours! I dropped my sandbag and made my way back to the start. Some smart person pointed out that we could walk straight across the grass rather than all the way back around! This was when I met Carolyn who had just completed a marathon after only a few months of running! My legs were so stiff after I stopped running, it was incredible!
After a slice of vegan pizza I quickly went back to the car to get some warm clothes on, take off my shoes and put my comfy sandals on (SUCH a relief!) and await the presentation. I was told I’d done 28 full laps, plus the part lap which was yet to be measured. So it was definitely a PB, I was stoked with that!
The medals were presented to the females by distance covered (lowest to highest) and then to the males in the same order. As names and distances were read out, I thought, I could be a chance here! I hadn’t looked at the computer screen because I hadn’t really contemplated a placing, but once 4th place had been announced and I hadn’t heard my name, I knew I was on the podium! 3rd place went to Sarah on 57.668km and then 2nd was Samantha on 58.155. Next, I was blown away to be announced as the first female on 62.199km and rewarded with a sweet trophy and bottle of Fox Creek Vixen (sparkling red, my favourite!). There was also a perpetual trophy which would have both the male and female winners names engraved on it. The male winner, Paul, had done an amazing 74.274km! I was 5th overall out of the 6 hour entrants (out of 58 starters, 34 females). Needless to say, I was pleased!
After treating myself to a vegan pasty and donut from the nearby Bakery On O’Connell, I went home for a shower and to get my compression tights on – ahhhhh! 
As I got organised to head back down to the Uni Loop for the end of the 12 hour, I got a missed call from Race Director Ben. I quickly called him back and he told me there had been a mixup with the results. Immediately I knew what he was going to say. In the event briefing it was stated that 12 hour runners were eligible for placing in the 6 hour event. Tia from the 12 hour had lapped me 3 times so of course she had covered more distance in the 6 hours! I had seen that in the briefing but assumed I must have read it wrong, it didn’t really seem fair! I was relegated to 2nd, still a podium finish, and Ben said I could keep my wine. I told him (possibly a bit tongue-in-cheek!) “I’ll bring back the trophy but you were never getting that wine back!”

So I made my way back to the Uni Loop, trophy in hand to return to Ben, to see the end of the 12 hour. I was expecting to see Tia fly by multiple times but surprisingly didn’t see her at all.
Just after the finish, and before the presentations, Channel 7 news were doing a live weather cross. Ben had got Michelle to organise some people to be ‘pretend runners’ to run small loops past Tim, the weather guy. I was one of the ‘pretend runners’ – most of them were volunteers and supporters – I think Michelle and I were the only ones who had participated in the actual event! Luckily I keep ’emergency running kit’ in my car so I threw on my old running shoes and shorts over my compression tights and socks. A few people said they saw us on the news – pretty cool! (By the 4th ‘lap’ the Channel 7 guy said that was enough. My legs said the same thing!)
The presentations for the 12 hour followed soon after. I was surprised to find out that Tia had finished second (no disrespect to the actual winner) – then found out she had pulled out after 100k in less than 9 hours and wasn’t there for the presentation! D’oh, I should have kept the trophy! (Just kidding!) The winner was Rebecca who had done 104km and was a very deserving winner! Third was Emma who had just missed out on cracking the 100km milestone. In the men’s 12 hour Wayne was a clear winner and Toby was 3rd, amusingly taking home the ‘3rd female’ trophy!
I stopped off at a nearby convenience store to buy a couple of loaves of bread after they had run out at the food tent, and was tempted to order myself an Indian takeaway but decided to have homemade curry from my freezer. Curry, wine, chocolate was my recovery meal!
Sunday morning I went to see the finish of the 24 hour. The eventual winner, Nicole, was looking strong and still running which was remarkable (most people were walking by now). Barry was in second place overall (first male) and on track for a PB. It was great to see such amazing performances – Nicole ended up breaking the course record and Barry got his PB. They were both worthy winners! Most of the 24 hour runners  were looking a little worse for wear at the presentation!
In preparation for this event I re-read last year’s blog. I am very happy with how my run went and I managed to avoid making the same mistakes as last year. I said last year that I would like to do the 24 hour ‘one day’. Without Gold Coast the week before, next year could have been the year for it. But now, unfinished business and all, I am determined to give the 6 hour another crack. If I can come into it fresh, unlike the last 2 years, I’m confident I can get another PB, and who knows, maybe I might even go one better than this year!
I was talking to Sarah and Robbie on Sunday morning (Robbie had pulled the pin due to injury but not before completing 100k for the first time – remarkable given that for a lot of it he was wearing what looked a lot like full scuba gear!)  and Sarah had said she had struggled with the loop concept -she has the endurance but feels she is much better suited to trails. Which got me thinking. I love road running, trail and even track. But maybe loops are my ‘thing’! I’ve done 2 6 hour races now and finished second both times, and got first female in a 100k loop race. Weirdly enough, I seem to enjoy the monotony! 

Well done to everyone who participated this year and ESPECIALLY to all the volunteers and of course Ben for making it all happen! See you again next year!

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Race report – 2016 Gold Coast Marathon


So – the race I’ve been working towards all year (except for a few little ‘side projects’ like UTA100 and the Australian Masters Athletics Championships) has finally happened!
Let’s backtrack a little, shall we, with a bit of a run-down (pun intended) of the lead-up to the race.
My training in the last week was very low-key. Before flying out on Thursday I had a good solid tempo run on Tuesday morning. Normally Thursday is tempo day but beside the fact I was flying out that morning, it was WAY too close to race day to be pushing too hard. Thursday’s seem to work well for me to do tempo runs – far enough away from the previous long run for the fatigue and soreness to be gone, and far enough from the following long run to give me a few good days’ recovery. 
On Tuesday I needed a km or so to warm up – I was still feeling the effects of Sunday’s runs/race and the hamstring was a bit niggly. No cause for alarm! I didn’t set a goal pace but in the end I ran slightly faster than I planned to run on Sunday.
My usual routine involves Body Pump classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings. Monday’s class fell by the wayside because I had been out late the night before, seeing one of Australia’s best live bands The Living End and trying to avoid getting my feet stomped on in the ‘moshpit’ (broken toes would probably not make for a good marathon experience!) and then I thought to myself, what do I possibly have to gain by doing a Pump class 4 days out from a marathon? Surely a sleep-in would be a better option? For once, sleep won out!
Packing was a quick and easy affair. I’d done enough interstate races by now (this was my 6th race outside of South Australia, including one overseas marathon) to have the ‘packing list’ down to a fine art. 
My race kit was nothing new – my pink SARRC top (representing the club with which I’d done most of my training runs) and black or black and white lulu skirt (I hadn’t decided which yet so I took both). I’d gone with my relatively new 2XU compression socks (remembering I’d need to do some pre-taping to prevent toe blisters) and also my rainbow arm warmers, in case of a cool morning (I hadn’t needed them last year but it was looking like being a bit cooler this time around). I’d also opted to go for my handheld bottle again, with Gatorade, so I wouldn’t need to stop. As a backup I would also take a ziplock bag with more powder in it, in case I ran out mid-race and needed to mix up some more. As needed I would also drink water from the drink stations – in previous years the cups had been paper, with which it is a lot easier to execute the ‘drink on the run’ technique than it is with plastic cups.
I was staying with a group of runners from the Adelaide Harriers, another Adelaide running club, noted for its fast runners! I had met quite a few of them through parkrun – those red singlets almost always feature in the top 3! I had toyed with the idea of joining their team for the marathon but their colours are red and white, and, well, frankly, that would have forced me to re-think my entire outfit! Plus red is not my colour! So I was welcome to stay with them but on race day I would be rocking the SARRC pink!
I had originally booked a 2 bedroom apartment in Surfers Paradise but left it too late to find people to share with. After putting the call out on Facebook, Julie, one of the main organisers of the Harriers team, had put me in contact with Sinead, who was looking for someone to share a Broadbeach apartment with her and her mum Gerry. It would save me considerable money which I could then spend at the expo which was easy walking distance from the apartment. Win-win!

I re-read my race report from the 2014 Gold Coast Marathon, just to refresh my memory of the race itself and see if there were any mistakes I made (relating to the race) that I needed to avoid this time around! If you’re interested in reading it, you can find it here: 

https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/race-report-gold-coast-marathon/

I arrived in Coolangatta on Thursday morning, met by my friend Vanessa and had a nice relaxing day catching up with her and her family, and spent the night at her place. It was nice to have a day free of running and run chat!
Friday morning Vanessa dropped me off at the Meriton at Broadbeach where I met my flatmates for the next 3 days, Sinead and Gerry. They were about to head off for a bike ride and I went for a short 8km trot along the coast to Surfers Paradise and back, just to make sure everything still worked (fortunately, it did!) followed by a little walk on the beach and paddle in the sea (when in Rome, and all that!)
After my run I did a quick shop before grabbing some lunch and heading to the expo/bib collection. I’d allowed myself plenty of time to get through the expo but it didn’t seem as big as last year, and there really wasn’t a whole lot that I needed, so I got out of there relatively unscathed having purchased 2 tops and some gel flasks and spent the grand total of $25! I then went for a wander back down to Surfers to check out Cavill Mall (I still think Rundle Mall in my hometown of Adelaide is the best pedestrianised shopping street that I’ve been to) and bought a couple more things from an outlet shop. All in all, I was pretty happy with the restraint I showed!
Friday night was a ‘carb-loading’ dinner at an Italian place in Surfers (I’d contacted them prior to ensure they could provide a vegan option for me) with the rest of the Harriers crew – a good chance to meet those I hadn’t met before and catch up with some familiar faces! 
After dinner I made my way to the Arts Centre to see fellow marathoner Mickey D headline the comedy show there. I caught up with him briefly after the gig, he was going to run the first half in 2 hours and aim for a huge negative split which would put him around the 3:45 mark. He said if he did pass me, he would be absolutely flooring it!

Saturday morning I had planned to get up at 5:15 for a 5:45 rendezvous in the lobby to go and watch the start of the 10k race. Due to bad planning I had neglected to put my alarm clock onto Queensland time. I quickly realised when I got up that it was actually 5:45 and I had missed the boat. I threw some clothes on and legged it downstairs, almost getting on the tram the others were on, and thanking my lucky stars that this happened on Saturday and NOT Sunday! I didn’t actually catch up with the group until after all the Harriers athletes had finished but I did get to see Sarah right near the finish line – a regular first female at parkrun! She had done a PB along with Adrian who I had seen fly past, finishing 14th in just over 30 minutes!
After a coffee I headed back to the apartment for breakfast and a shower before meeting Annie (who was up from Adelaide to see her daughter run her first marathon) for a little retail therapy at Harbour Town. I didn’t spend much money (I was mistakenly informed that there was a lululemon outlet there, which undoubtedly contributed to the lower-than-expected spending!) but notably the table number we were given when we ordered our lunch was 42 – I was sure that HAD to be an omen!
On return to the apartment I got all my gear ready and organised to meet up with school friend Christy, now living in Brisbane and doing her first marathon, for a pizza dinner! Sinead and Gerry had gone out for their pre-race meal and I put my feet up and watched the election coverage – fun times!
We went to a local place, Sage, for dinner. Christy and I both had the mushroom pizza, hers with cheese and mine without. I told her it was my tradition and maybe it would become hers too! I also had a cider which is part of the tradition.

After returning to the apartment I watched a bit more riveting election coverage and with no result likely I hit the hay.
I got up about 4:45 – I have this raceday prep down to a fine art. I had brought my cereal with me but unfortunately there wasn’t a big enough bowl in the apartment so I had to use a baking dish! I got dressed, checked I had everything I needed (energy drink, Gatorade, drop bag, nearly forgot the sunnies!) and headed out at 5:40 to get the tram to Southport. It was a bit cool so I had decided to go with my arm warmers as well as a hoodie I would leave at the start line. One extra addition was a temporary tattoo given to me by Gary, who had run Boston this year. It would be some inspiration for me, to remember what this was all about. I put it on my right wrist – I wouldn’t see it under the arm warmers but I would know it was there.
Christy got on the tram at Surfers and when we arrived I walked with her to her running club’s tent which was on the main road just before runners turned the corner into the finishing line. After a quick selfie we wished each other all the best and I headed back to finish getting ready. 
First I left my bag at the baggage drop, then went for a quick warmup of about 1km. It was hard to find a place to warm up – I did see a lot of people running laps around the pool at the aquatic centre – so I just did laps around the carpark which was conveniently located next to a set of portaloos! While waiting in line I saw one of the pacers (fortunately not mine) pop his balloon while closing the door! Around half an hour before the start I downed my energy drink and then availed myself of the free sunscreen and it was time to go to the start line!
I found the 3 hours 40 zone and positioned myself there. I was wearing a personalised pace band with the goal time of 3:39:59. It had splits of 1km, 5km and then every 5km to 40km. Previously I had used pace bands I had made myself which had every single kilometre split, but that was when I used to try to gradually increase the pace. This time, the plan was to run even splits – I would stay with the pacer until 30k and if I felt good at that point I would go on ahead.
I saw a familiar face – Chris, who was running his 7th marathon in 7 days as part of the Bravehearts 777 -remarkable! 2 in 6 weeks is hard enough! He was going to try to stick with the 4:45 pacers so he started well behind me.
Robert de Castella gave a stirring motivational speech (goosebumps!) followed by the national anthem and we were away! It took a little while to cross the line and I started my watch as I crossed the timing mat. It was on!
There were 2 3:40 pacers, both sporting white balloons. One of them would run 3:40 gun time and the other would be going for 3:40 net time (ie a bit slower, as it takes most runners a minute at least to get across the line). I only needed 3:40 net time so I decided to stick with the net pacer initially.
Within the first few kilometres Mick came up behind me – we wished each other well and he dropped back (I think maybe I was pacing him, even though I didn’t know it at the time! Certainly I would be easy to pick out, with my fluoro pink top, rainbow striped sleeves and lavender compression socks!
5:12 was the magic number – 5:12 per kilometre would get me my sub 3:40 time and a Boston qualifier. My first few kilometres were a bit faster than that, but at the 5k split I was spot on 5:12 pace (not really surprising considering I was running with the pacer!) and at 10k I was still on track.
At 6k I saw Justin and Sarah who had done the 10k the day before – Justin had told me they’d be at that marker so it was pretty easy to spot them. I gave Sarah a high five (Justin was on the other side of the road) and carried on! Speaking of high fives, regular readers may recall I have a thing whereby I have to high five at least one kid to earn my race bling. I had already high fived a bunch of them even before I got to Sarah! 
It was not long after the 10k mark that we started to see the elite runners coming back the other way, along with a few of the wheelchair athletes, all preceded and followed by motorbikes. The elite runners were amazing – we cheered them on as we crossed paths, not that they needed it! I later worked out they were at around the 21k mark as we approached 11! Behind the elites I started to see a few distinctive red and white Harriers singlets – I didn’t know all of them but Bryn, Michael and Piete all looked to be running well.
It was at this point too that I started to pick up the pace and left the net pacer behind – maybe I got a bit excited and inspired by the elite runners! I did my third 5k in 5:02.
Around 15k was the first turnaround point – we would then run north back PAST the start and a bit further before turning around again for the last 6k or so.
This was where I started to see the people behind me. I looked out for Chris with the 4:45 bus but didn’t see him. Christy was expecting to be around 4:30 but I missed out on seeing that group. Mick was not far behind me. I was sure he would pass me eventually!
The next 5k was fastish too, 5:04. Not long after this was the halfway point (again I missed my opportunity to crack out the Bon Jovi!) and my time was 1:48:10, well ahead of the 1:49:33 I needed for my sub 3:40.
The gun pacer was in front of me the whole time and I thought I’d just stay with him until 30k. However that plan fell by the wayside when I looked around just after 22k and he was behind me! “Oh well” I thought, “let’s wing it!” I knew it was highly unlikely I would get close to the 3:30 pacer, and worst case scenario, if I slowed down, he would pass me and I could follow him once more.
My 5k split from 20-25 was 5:03 so I had remained fairly consistent since leaving the net pacer. I ran past Justin and Sarah again around 24k. At 24k I had my energy supplement – it takes about 30 minutes to kick in and I wanted it kicking in at around 30k. At the pace I was running it would be just after 30k which was ideal as this was where we would be approaching the finish line first time around.
Even though it couldn’t have kicked in yet, my 25-30k split was my fastest, 4:59! Around the 30k mark I heard my name and it was Julie and a few of the other Harriers – a lot of them had done the half marathon. It was great to see them! Not long after that I saw Annie who gave me a high five. 
I think it was the 28k mark or thereabouts that I started drinking water. Up until then I had bypassed all the drink stations and had the occasional sip of Gatorade. It didn’t seem that hot but I think I was a bit dehydrated as I hadn’t drunk very much water on Saturday. So from 28k on I grabbed a cup at each of the water stops. Once again they had paper cups which made it easy to drink and run!
Then we hit the hardest part of the course – the 6k stretch to the last turnaround, where the crowds were a little sparser. I slowed down a little here – my 30-35k split was 5:07. Still WELL under where I needed to be. I knew (barring disaster) that sub 3:40 was in the bag, and a PB was also likely. It was around 35k that my hamstring started to give me some trouble – I had brought along some Voltaren just in case (hoping I wouldn’t need it because I know it’s bad!) but by 35k it was too late because I would be just about finished by the time it kicked in.
I think it was around 37k that we hit the final turnaround. It was just before this that Mick passed me for the last time – I tried to keep him in sight but he was a man on a mission! 
I think it got a little easier after this, although I did slow down significantly. But then again, so did everyone! There were a lot of people walking, limping even. Once again I managed to get through without walking or stopping but I was tempted to walk at times – I could have afforded to, given I was well ahead of schedule, but it would be too hard to get my rhythm back. My average pace for 35-40k was 5:11.
At 38k I decided to start singing. I broke into ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ much to the bewilderment of those around me! Weirdly I think it gave me a boost – I managed to pass quite a few people while singing! I think they were probably just giving me a wide berth!
At 39k I tried ‘You Give Love A Bad Name’ but I didn’t get far before we got to a spot where there was a radio blasting so I was quickly drowned out. Coincidence? I think maybe not! ‘Thunderstruck’ came on the radio and I tried to sing but couldn’t make it work.
Finally, at 40k I cracked out the old classic, ‘The Climb’ – that was a bit of a challenge too and when I got to the line ‘ain’t about how fast I get there’ I quickly realised this was NOT the song for this occasion – it was TOTALLY about how fast I got there!
I saw Annie again around this point and she called out something about Boston. Yep, Boston. THAT was what this was all about!
Kilometres 41 and 42 were 5:28 and 5:25 respectively – a significant drop in pace but again not many people don’t drop by this point. I had my head down a lot of the time from 37k onwards, but I had to look up frequently as someone could have stopped to a walk right in front of me! I did actually miss a few of the kilometre markers due to having my head down! 
Then came the beautiful moment as I turned off the road towards the finish. I was so pumped by then, I was high fiving EVERYONE, cheering, screaming, whatever! There was the magic ‘250m to go’ sign! I think I sprinted the last 250! SUCH a great feeling crossing that line! My watch showed 3:36:03 – a massive PB and 9 minutes under my Boston qualifying time. (I later found out my official time was 3:35:59 – even better!)
I got through the finish chute, grabbed a bottle of water, walked through the misting tent and sat down to text my mum and tell the rest of the world via social media. A guy called Simon, who had spent some time in Adelaide, offered to take a pic for me as I was struggling to take a selfie and get my SARRC top in shot! He asked me if I’d like another one as I got photobombed by a fellow Adelaide runner called Narelle, but I loved that photo! I took a few pics for him and his partner Kate who recognised me from parkrun, and also for Narelle and her partner James. 
I was getting messages from Sylvia, my Gold Coast based friend who I’d met in Adelaide earlier in the year and see briefly at UTA, asking where I was. I assumed she’d run the marathon but it turned out she’d just come down to see me! She’d called out to me on the course towards the end but of course I was in the zone and didn’t hear her!
After catching up with Sylvia and trying to talk her into coming to Adelaide to run Yurrebilla this year, I went to get my drop bag and head for the water. It wasn’t a beach as such although there was sand, and it seemed to be the place of choice to cool off post-run. It was my third year doing Gold Coast (I did the half in 2014 and the full last year) and this had become a tradition. This time I had come prepared with my new super cushiony sandals to put on after I got out – those compression socks were NOT going back on!

I had the food I had brought with me, along with the mandatory post-race Coke and then waited for Christy (getting sidetracked by getting a selfie with Steve Moneghetti!) – I was following her online but somehow managed to miss seeing her finish on the big screen. As soon as I realised she was finished I legged it to the archway where all the runners come through after they’ve finished. I soon spotted her with her young son who had run the last little bit with her! I congratulated her, got another selfie and then made my way back to the apartment.
Sinead and Gerry were on their way out to hit the shops – Sinead had gone under her goal time of 1:21 with the help of Adrian who, after his speedy 10k the previous day, backed it up to pace her in the half!
I had a quick spa, letting the jets massage my quads, hamstrings and feet, then an AMAZING shower before heading to the Kurrawa surf club to meet the rest of the Harriers who were there watching the footy and having a few celebratory/commiseratory beverages! Bryn had done his calf with about 6k to go and limped home but still in what I would call a pretty amazing time! Michael had also had a bad day but again still did a good time. A lot of the runners had done the half and there were some impressive times there too! 
After a few bevvies I walked to the nearby Indian restaurant where Vanessa and family were meeting me. I had a veg vindaloo – I asked for medium but it was still pretty hot! 
I then made the trek (maybe 2 blocks, if that!) back to the apartment to start packing and chill for a bit! It was too early to go to bed but I did put my compression tights on before watching a bit of Sunday night TV.
Monday morning I woke up stupid early – after brekky all that was left to do was a nice leisurely walk and finish packing (ugh!) before heading to the airport (double ugh!)
All in all it has been a pretty brilliant weekend – amazing weather, awesome people and a perfect race! I don’t think I will be back next year (although, I might come and do the half!) but it is definitely a great event which I would recommend to anyone – there really is something for everyone here! 
Big thanks to the Adelaide Harriers for letting a SARRC person crash their party!
Now it’s back to reality… 

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Confidence builder!


So, it’s now less than a week to go until the race of my life (so far!) – the Gold Coast Marathon!
1 week before a marathon I have previously done around 20km. 1 week before my first marathon in 2014, I did a VERY SLOW 20k around London – getting lost at one point and running around in circles, and of course stopping FREQUENTLY for photos. 1 week before Barossa 2015 I ran a lovely albeit hilly 20k in Katoomba, following part of what was then The North Face 100 (now Ultra-Trail Australia 100) course. 1 week before my last marathon (Gold Coast 2015, almost a year ago now) I ran 21.1km with my running group, pleasingly under 2 hours (last year I used a sub-2 hour half marathon as a gauge for a good run).
This year is a little different. Unlike the last 2 years, the SARRC Parklands Loop run is on the last weekend in June rather than the first weekend in July. In the last 2 years I have missed this event due to being on the Gold Coast (yeah, cue the tiny violin, sucks to be me, etc) but this year the timing was perfect – I could run it as my last long run before the marathon!
This event has 3 distances, 5km, 10km and 25km. It is run on a 5km loop, meaning that the 5km is 1 loop, 10km is 2 loops and 25km is (yep, you guessed it) 5 loops. I had originally planned to do the 25km given that it was closest to the 20k I was planning to run, however was talked out of it. I don’t tend to be able to ‘take it easy’ in a race, even if for me it is a training run. If I am wearing a bib, there is no ‘taking it easy’! Therefore I decided to enter the 10k instead, and run an easy 10 afterwards to make it up to 20km.
I’m not really comfortable with the 10k distance. 5k I can do in my sleep and have done it (not in my sleep) well over 100 times. Probably closer to 150. Half marathons I am reasonably comfortable with. 10k races, I think I’d only done 5 before this weekend. 4 Dolphin Runs (every February – along the coast, which can be challenging if you encounter a headwind!) and one 10000m race during the Australian Masters Athletics Championships this year (25 laps of the track). My 10k PB was 44:47, but I wasn’t too concerned about PBs this weekend – it was more about a good solid hit-out before the big day next weekend.
The day before, I changed my plans. I decided that the best thing to do was to run to the race, do the race and run home. There would be a big gap between each of the 3 runs, so it wouldn’t be a solid 20k, but I had done enough long continuous runs to know that I was well and truly capable of running 42.2k nonstop. 
The race was held at Victoria Park, a former racecourse and now home to the annual Clipsal 500 V8 car race. (I had done one race here previously, the Hot Lap Fun Run, back in March, at which I was fortunate enough to get onto the podium – and it was an actual podium too, the same one that the drivers use!) It was about 4.5km from home so that made for a nice warmup.
I got there about half an hour before the start and the 25k race was already in progress. The 10k race started at a very civilised 9:15am. I was VERY glad I had been talked out of the 25! 
I saw a few familiar faces – Simon, whose next 2 big races are the 12k City-Bay and the 100 miler next year in the Flinders Ranges (quite a versatile athlete you could say!), Liam, who had just finished night shift and come straight from work, Tina, who was doing the 5k after a big night the previous night, and Jenny, who always seems to be just that little bit ahead of me in every race. Jenny said she wasn’t sure how she would go but I didn’t really hold any hopes of beating her! I also met Nadene, who also has beaten me in every event so far this year (I think) and said she enjoyed reading my blog. She was running at Gold Coast too but ‘only’ the half. She was probably taking it easy in this race but would undoubtedly still outclass me!
There was light drizzle as we approached Go Time but it wasn’t too cold which was nice. Besides, the warmup run had served me well so I was pretty warm anyway, and I hadn’t had ANY hamstring niggles along the way!
Soon enough we were assembled on the start line. It was a small field which was nice – a bit of a contrast from parkrun and other events I have run this year! I started probably midway through the pack – I didn’t want to be dragged out too fast. But I was anyway!
My first km was 4:05 – WAY too fast and not sustainable (although it was MARGINALLY downhill.) By that stage I had already overtaken a few people and I wasn’t sure what position I was in, I knew Jenny and Nadene were both ahead of me but I wasn’t sure who else. 
My next km was a much more reasonable 4:24. I settled into a rhythm and tried not to force the pace too much. I overtook the occasional 25k runner after that but don’t recall being passed by too many 10k runners (it was easy to distinguish the different distances by the colour of their bibs). I made sure I gave the 25k runners encouragement as I passed them – I couldn’t say “You’re nearly there!” because that would have been a BIG LIE, but it would have been a hard slog for some of them in particular!
The course was mostly on bitumen path and some dirt track. There had been a fair bit of rain earlier in the week but not much over the previous few days so there were just a few puddles to get around, but other than that the surface was pretty easy to run on.
It was an interesting course, quite loopy but essentially flat (my Strava recorded 40m elevation over 10km which is next to nothing). 
After a slower 3rd km (marginally uphill) I was back to 4:24 for the 4th and slightly faster in the 5th, completing my first loop in 22:05 – a time I probably would have been happy with in the 5k! (And which would have got me second place as it turned out!)
I knew exactly what was ahead of me – there would be no surprises in the second half – just the same loop again! (Again I was EXTREMELY glad I hadn’t done the 5 laps – that would have done my head in!) 
I overtook a few more 25km runners/walkers and also the occasional 5k competitor. Every female that was ahead of me was a potential threat to me in the 10k until proven otherwise (unfortunately I had to overtake them before I could see their bib colour!) – it appears that none of them were actually in the 10k. I could generally tell by their pace – if they were running slower than me, they were probably not a 10k runner because if they were slower, how could they be ahead of me?
Anyway, I still didn’t know what position I was in so I just went for it in the last few kilometres. I wasn’t looking at my watch by this stage – I felt my pace was right and I didn’t need to look at it to see how much further I had to go – there were markers every kilometre and it didn’t take a maths genius to know that when I saw 4km on the second lap, that meant I had 1km to go.
That was one loooong kilometre! 
Towards the end, when I was approaching the finish line, there was a girl just ahead of me. Was she in the 10k? And if so, was she on her last lap? The answer to both questions was “I don’t know, but I am going to have to pass her anyway”. So just before we crossed the line, I snuck past her, crossed the line and stopped my watch. I didn’t notice if she stopped or went for another lap, or even what colour bib she was wearing, but it appears that she was NOT finishing the 10k. As it turned out my nearest competitor was over 2 minutes behind me – I could have taken it easier!
But where’s the fun in that? As it turned out, I ran an official time of 43:59, a 48 second PB! (I had run one faster 10k – as part of the 12k City-Bay last year. That SO doesn’t count, but try telling Strava that!) Oh, and a sneaky negative split too, my second lap was 21:54. And, more remarkably, I was 4th female out of 44 (12th overall out of 85), narrowly missing a podium finish! Jenny was second in 43:27 and Nadene third in 43:43. The winner, Belinda, who I didn’t know, smashed out an incredible 40:46! 
In the men’s 10k, Liam finished first with what I believe was a PB and Simon second also with a PB. It was a great day for PBs! Despite the early rain it had turned out to be a nice cool morning with even a bit of sunshine!
After the race I stayed for coffee, chat and the lucky prize draw/presentations, then ran home again to complete the cumulative 20k.
It was a great confidence-builder for Gold Coast and I feel like I am SO ready to take it on!
Next week’s blog will be my Gold Coast race report – expect it to be a little late (I’ll probably write it on the plane home) and somewhat lengthy!

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20 things I’ve learned about running!


This week, for something a little different, I thought I’d share a few words of ‘wisdom’.

1) Pacing is so important. Too many times I have gone out too fast and paid for it in the end. It happened on my long run this weekend just gone. It CANNOT happen at Gold Coast in 2 weeks! Start (relatively) slow, finish fast. Start (too) fast, finish DYING!

2) You have to pick the right people to run with. If you want to get faster, run with people who are faster than you. 
3) Doing long runs alone is actually OK! It really shows you what you are capable of – and if you’re going to be running a marathon essentially on your own, it’s good practice getting used to your own company!
4) Speed training really works! It hurts, but it works! I wish I’d started sooner but I have got in 4 weekly sessions. I did 4 x 1000m twice, 3 weeks apart. My average pace improved by 6 seconds per km. And hopefully that’s only just the beginning!
5) Doing long runs on Saturday rather than Sunday is great, and I don’t have to sacrifice my parkrun to do it! Consider parkrun a warmup, then get out there and do the long run, and get a bonus recovery day! Plus, in winter, you don’t have to deal with the chilly arse o’clock starts!
6) It is impossible to go for a long run on a weekend in Adelaide without seeing at least one person you know!
7) Sorry to the anti-sugar people but a post-run Coke is the absolute BEST!
8) If you can’t run, volunteer. It is SO much fun! Even more fun if you dress up! I volunteered at a trail race this weekend – running it would have been a recipe for disaster and I was more than happy to see everyone’s faces (smiling or otherwise) at the finish line!
9) I am a little dubious about the effect of compression garments on performance, but I am a recent convert to using them for recovery. After a long run or race I sleep in them – it definitely helps!
10) Other than setting your own pace, another advantage of solo long runs is that you can pick your own route. Lately I have been favouring the coast – not only is it pretty, but you can run continuously without those pesky traffic stops that ruin your rhythm. It gives me great confidence to know I can run 36-38km nonstop – up until 2 weeks ago I had never done that outside of an actual marathon!
11) Finishing a long run at the beach is the BEST. If it’s warm enough a post-run recovery dip is only a few steps away – just make sure you keep a pair of thongs (jandals or flip flops if you’re not from Australia!) and a towel in your car!
12) One downside of coastal runs is the possibility of a headwind. Conversely, you might get a tailwind and that makes you feel amazing! (Frequently, on an out-and-back run, you get a bit of both.)
13) Even if you’re in Dyingsville, you can ALWAYS find a few extra legs when you can see or hear the finish line. I experienced this in the last km of UTA100 while ascending the 951 steps. I experienced it again on my last long run – I had gone out a bit too fast and paid for it at the end, but the sight of the surf club and the thought of that icy cold Coke gave me the boost I needed!

14) Long runs make you hungry for DAYS afterwards! Eat ALL OF THE FOOD!
15) I find it feels easier, towards the end of a long run or a race, to think about how much further I have to go in terms of time rather than distance. For example, even 4km sometimes can feel like it will take an eternity. At 5 min/km pace, I can tell myself “I’ll be knocking back a Coke within 20 minutes” and somehow that is MUCH less daunting!
16) High fiving kids on the sidelines during a race gives you a huge boost. I don’t feel like I’ve earned my race bling if I haven’t high fived at least one kid!
17) While I loved playing soccer for 5 seasons, the year I decided to put my boots on ice indefinitely was the year my running really started to improve. I loved the social side of team sport but I’ve found that running is just as, if not more social! 
18) Further to #17, the post-run ritual of coffee is a lot healthier than the post-soccer ritual of a few cheeky ciders! 
19) If you hang out with runners for long enough you will end up doing things you never thought you would! Like marathons and ultramarathons! And you’ll hear about all these other events that you just have to do – who said running was a cheap sport? THEY LIED!
20) The running community is just awesome. That includes people I’ve met through road running, trail running and parkrun, as well as people I’ve connected with via social media (some of whom I have met in person, and others I hope to meet in future) and via this very blog. People are so supportive of each other – even running friends who are legit elite athletes always have time to support the ‘little guys’. It is an incredible community to be part of!

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TAPER TIME!


Last year I wrote a blog about the pros and cons of running with a group versus running alone. I won’t rehash it here, but if you want to read it, here is the link: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/07/09/lion-or-tiger/

Last year I did most of my long runs either with a group or with one other person. At the time I preferred that, and the thought of running 30+ kilometres on my own was horrifying to me! There were a few exceptions where I had good solo runs but I would always choose the group option where possible.

When I first joined the SARRC morning groups, I often would end up running on my own – I was very much a ‘mid-packer’ and it took me a while to find my niche. Then, I would be running with others and focusing more on the conversation than the running. For me, it was really a social gathering which happened to involve running! Regular running buddies Leanne and Doug commented that I seemed to be running ‘within myself’ and could potentially be pushing myself a lot harder!
Fast forward to 2016. As I have said many times before, my training this year has been all over the place, with 100k ultra training combined with fast marathon training (when I could fit it in around all the events I wanted to do!). In 3 weeks we will find out if trying to do too much at once was a massive mistake, but I am quietly confident that I will make it work!
Because my main marathon (Gold Coast) falls slap bang in the middle of the two major SA marathons (Barossa and Adelaide), the Sunday group long run distances have never been quite right for me. Therefore, I would have had to extend or shorten the group run to fit what I needed, and thus be running at least a big chunk of the run on my own. Also, I often would have events or other commitments on Sundays, making it difficult to fit the long run in anyway.
So, after UTA, with 6 weeks to go before the marathon, I did a solo 30k out and back along the coast on a Saturday afternoon, and loved it! I only managed to run 10k before I needed to take a walk break, and I did take frequent walk breaks after that, but I still managed to do it at a faster pace than I had been doing for my long runs in previous years. Besides, when doing group long runs, we were constantly stopping for traffic or for someone to get some water, so I was unconcerned by my apparent inability to run 30k nonstop.
Last weekend in a trail loop event I managed to run 38km in difficult conditions without stopping or walking. This weekend just gone, I did my last long (solo) run before the taper – 36km at 5:25/km – SIGNIFICANTLY faster than any of my previous long runs! (Strava said I did my 3rd fastest 30k – the only faster ones would have been during my 2 marathons last year).
So, why now do I seem to be running faster? Well I can’t answer that question with 100% certainty but I think running on my own has actually helped! Because I’m running at my own pace and not someone else’s, I can push myself closer to my limits. It makes sense to train on my own at least some of the time too, because in the Gold Coast marathon I will be running on my own (albeit with roughly 6000 of my closest friends!).
Even in the morning groups I have tended to be running on my own again. I try to stick with some of the faster runners (or at least keep them in sight) and save most of my socialising for the post-run coffee (which often goes for longer than the run itself!). An additional advantage of that, when I can keep up with the fast guys (usually when they’re injured, tapering or recovering, but still…), I can pick their brains for advice to help me in my running!
So now, it’s TAPER TIME! 
That means firstly I reduce the distance of my long run to make sure I am fresh for the marathon. It also means taking it a little easier in my other runs (although I’d like to continue doing one fast run a week just to make sure I can still run fastish!) and gradually reducing my number of runs per week. 
On Sunday, the day after my last long run, I did a nice easy 5k run and I actually think it helped my recovery. (Previously I have done my long runs on a Sunday and NEVER run on a Monday.) Since UTA, I have also started sleeping in my compression tights after my long run and I think that makes a BIG difference.
3 weeks to go – BRING IT ON!

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Plan B is GO!

As many regular readers will know, my goal for 2016 is, above all, to qualify for the 2017 Boston Marathon. 

Despite my interrupted training programme (entirely my own fault – a result of my being unable to commit to training for one event at a time), at this stage I feel like I am on track to run close to 3:40 and therefore a 5 minute buffer under the 3:45 qualifying time. 

Because I knew I was running UTA100 2 weeks before Barossa Marathon, I decided to enter the half rather than the full marathon at Barossa. A good solid half, 5 weeks out from my goal race (Gold Coast Marathon) would be a better option than a full marathon on limited preparation where I would be highly unlikely to achieve the magic number. 2 weeks after an ultra, too, it would be a perfect opportunity to test out my road legs (ie make sure they still work) and be a part of one of SA’s biggest running events.
Last year I broke 3:40 twice so I know I can do it. In fact, I think probably I am better placed now than I was at this time last year. 

This weekend I did my LONG run (38km as it turned out) at just under 6 minutes per kilometre. For the first time too, I ran over 21.1km without stopping and/or walking. Plus it was on a challenging trail loop in the rain so it was somewhat slippery. 

By way of comparison, my long run 4 weeks out from Barossa Marathon in 2015 was 6:25 pace, and the corresponding run before Liverpool 2014 was 6:28 pace. So it’s safe to say I am quietly confident.
But as we all know, things can and do go wrong. It happened for my Boston buddy Beck at Barossa (too many B’s!) and as a result she has had to refocus on Plan B, the Adelaide Marathon, in August.
Adelaide was also always going to be my Plan B, but to be honest I had not really considered the possibility of having to run it. 

I haven’t run the Adelaide Marathon before. I went along to cheer on some friends (dressed in a tiger onesie, just because!) in 2014, and in 2015 I was the 2 hour pacer in the half, dressed in a Snow White costume. 

I had intended to pace the half again this year – the lure of being able to finish on the hallowed turf of the Adelaide Oval was too much for me to resist!
The idea of going to the Adelaide Marathon dressed in running gear hadn’t even really entered my mind! But now I realise that things not working out at Gold Coast is a very real possibility.
After discussion with Beck last Sunday, and after I posted my race report on Monday, Beck made some comment like “I don’t wish for Gold Coast to not work out, but I would love to have a running buddy at Adelaide!” I thought about that for a bit. Last year I ran 2 marathons in 6 weeks and the second one was actually faster! Adelaide is 6 weeks after Gold Coast. It can be done!
So here is the new plan. I will continue to train for Gold Coast as before. That will remain my main focus. I will also plan to run Adelaide with Beck, 6 weeks later, if my body allows it. If I manage to get my goal time at Gold Coast, I will only run Adelaide if I feel there is a chance of me going close to sub 3:40. I’m not really any use to Beck if I’m running 4:00! 

Of course, if Gold Coast goes pear-shaped (being in Queensland I should say ‘pineapple-shaped’) I will be running Adelaide regardless. 

And if for some reason I can’t run the marathon, I will run either the 10k or the 21.1k (even if I have to walk some of it) purely for the novelty of running on the Oval!
I think this will take some of the pressure off me at Gold Coast, which will hopefully mean a better run for me – I was extremely happy with my run at Barossa and I hadn’t put any pressure on myself.
So there you have it! Plan B is GO! 

And now it’s in writing, so it has to happen!