Greetings from Bendigo

(Ry). Ok, back online after a brief break this week. Have been taking it easy due to a few minor injuries. Am so paranoid about every small ache and pain....is the sore knee, hamstring, foot, hip the beginning of something much more serious? Or is it just a 'normal' ache and pain that you get with long distance running?

Just when I thought my training was coming along great I had to take four days off this week. Four days! It's like an eternity when you are counting every day of important training. I think I am doing my head in over this....afterall, nothing hurts *that* much. I did go for an easy 60 min run today. Slow, though, much slower than usual.

I have my first half marathon coming up soon, 18th July in Melbourne. Whatever is going on with my knee, hip, hamstring better be sorted out by then!!

Dances With Cougars

[co] Race 4 of the cross country series ticked off yesterday afternoon. This time we were out at Long Bay with the North Harbour Bays club (the Cougars) for their hosted event. We were pretty lucky as the weather had cleared from the morning’s fog and cold (operating in a cloud until about 11 am at 8 degrees) to a balmy and sunny 13ish… lucky us.

So after my morning training session of about 2.5 hours, it was off to practice running ‘fast’ (it is all relative) that afternoon. Now today was only 4 kms, short and sharp. Not something I am very skilled at… so as usual got to practice my prerace nerves and apprehension control. I try to laugh it all off… but actually I am normally rather nervous and even when fighting it out near the rear, I still know it’ll suck!

Today I was told, as I warmed up on my way to the bathroom (a 5 minute warm up is pretty good for me… even did a + 10 minute warm down as well…. Needed to crack 6+ hours running this week… so that made sure I actually had to warm up and down…. Not saying I wouldn’t of anyway of course), that there were plenty of good (national level) athletes here today. Apparently it was Nationals soon, in the athletics world, and Long Bay being relatively flat, they were all out to eye each other up….

… And yes there was certainly a lot of running glamour about. As I noted the obvious ‘good’ athletes from their legs to Africa, or perhaps their immaculate eye liner (whoops, no one told me… so I hadn’t put any on… now I know it makes you faster… I will consider it); I could feel the buzz up front.

So after a small rain shower to cool us all down (thankfully, as I was heating up as we reached double digits), the gun went off. Two laps of pain…. Here we go.
So I sighted my usual spotters and today worked hard at keeping up with them. First lap steady-fast; second lap fast (don’t fade…), was the plan. Managed it with a first lap of about 8.52 and a total time of 17.12.

My personal highlight was the end of lap one, when a ‘well meaning’ older guy (yet to run in his race) yelled out the supportive words of wisdom “Keep going ladies, you know you can run faster, its only 4 kms today”. Hmmmm lets say in the immortal words of Hannibal, Face, Murdoch and BA “Alpha Mike Foxtrot” to that…. But I had bigger things to worry about. Like breathing, so on I went.

As we rounded into the second lap, made my move past my arch rival Liz (well arch is strong, but makes a good story) and tried to beat her in… managed to do so. The score is 2 -2 so far in the meets… not sure if we will need extra time or penalty shoot outs to decide the result yet.

Learned a bit more about my racing, as my gut issues didn’t surface. Decided that eggs on toast and flat whites are the way to go between training (and probably a later start of 3.10 pm helped)… none of this going home and eating properly. Eat out for brunch I say… coffee always wins! Embrace the JAFA within.

Go the All Whites… but now can I get more sleep?

[co] Don’t get me wrong, what the All Whites achieved rocked! But the only bright side (small) for me that they didn’t make it through is that I can get more sleep… 2 nights with 2 am get ups and then a couple of extra hours before work/training doesn’t make me a necessarily happy camper.

Though on the upside I also got to watch the end to the longest tennis match in history… so ready for that pub quiz question: “Who lost the longest game of tennis?”. Come on, you know the answer…

But back to running and training. When you have that goal… you get up. So this morning I picked myself out of bed at 6 to join the crew for some run interval work in the Domain. Just under an hour of hard work… but we avoided most of the rain which had been hanging about, so luckily no one melted during the session.

Now I have to be honest and say I popped some caffeine prior to the session this morning. Knew I would need something to keep me going. I don’t have an adequate coffee barista at home, so pills had to do. Sometimes taking caffeine can make me a little spacey, today, it seemed to help me stay awake.

What came first the need to be awake or the caffeine? (my diet coke addiction is a whole new post…).

But watch out at 2 o’clock people. Its not going to be pretty. Though I suspect this will be true across NZ where a ‘few’ people will have gotten up to watch the All Whites potentially make Football World Cup history… not to be, but still a valiant effort. Don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying they tried hard so its ok to lose, I think they went beyond that into a space where they gave everything they could… and that’s all you can ask for…. And expect when representing yourself and your country.

Remember sleep is not to be over rated! Make it your friend!

Night Running

[co] So when is it classified as night running? This morning as I got out of bed at 5 minutes to 5 and started hitting the pavement at 5.15… I thought ‘this is still night time’. My old rule of thumb was anything before 6 was officially still night, not early morning.

Increasingly as one gets more into the (slightly) crazy world of triathlon and endurance sports you begin to change your outlook on this. I mean when does it end and begin? As I ate dinner last night at 9 (after a fun bike spin class) and then running less than 12 hours later.

It is fair to say that at 5.15 there is still that feeling of night. It is quieter, you feel more alone (even when running with someone) and the space feels bigger. Its funny as it ticks over 6 the traffic picks up, the air seems busier and everything seems to wake up.

So reflecting on my 3.30 run… while I felt apprehensive etc… 5.15 is not so different. Its just that its closer to that unspoken of waking up time of 6 and if you run long (as I did this morning… 2 hours 25 minutes… all good until you stop…) the sun comes up… you forget it was so early and you join the rest of those running in the park… seemingly at a normal hour.

So what’s the point of this reflection? Maybe to say that it is weird how we assign meaning to time, when all it is, is our own construct we piece together to create normalcy.

I dunno…. In the end I guess I am just gutted I had to get up so early to fit it all in...

A cold saturday....

I'm freezing. It's cold today. My hands feel like icicles. I really can't be bothered getting ready to go for a run, but I will make myself. I know that I will only regret it if I don't, but I have never regretted it when I have gone out for a run. At least it's only 50 mins today. That is not so bad. I can get the dinner going before I go and leave instructions for my better half so that he can watch over it and prevent a dinner disaster while I'm out running. (RY).

It Should be Training Life Balance

[co] that everyone talks about...

Okay there is a lot written about work life balance, whether in your weekend paper or your management journal. Telling us how important this is to make sure that we are well rounded, rested people... blah blah. Sometimes I think it is perhaps more aimed at those with babies (not knocking it... but we don't all have them yet) and perhaps a way to help justify the fact that not all work is that exciting so actually we don't want to be there 24/7.

Anyway this little rant is about the fact that maybe for those of us who do more endurance sports (like a marathon or triathlon) actually are more about 'training' balance. And that is balance with anything... life or work... but maybe more importantly with life.

It is fair to say that sometimes going to work is about recovering from one training session... and sometimes training is recovery from work... they seem to morph into one big roller coaster of time that you just need to manage when you can be averaging 1 to 2 hours of training a day (and more) during the week.

Now I am not complaining. I choose this. i enjoy it. Even when i don't.

But perhaps for me the hardest 'balance' is life balance. And thats because there is the least amount of room for it. You have to work (well most of us do) to fund this fun stuff (and the shiny new toys), but where do you find the time for family and friends... I guess it is about those choices again.

So you become selective about your time. You learn to know when you need to give more to others, for them and yourself, and make choices around it.

So last night I sat on my wind trainer for a few hours after work (3+ hours of sweaty fun) in order to free my Sunday up. Now the reality is 8 weeks out from a big race this is less likely to happen... but in winter I think its fair to make those small adjustments to give space to your home life. Now this all makes sense... but still to the list ticking triathlete it isn't easy... yes I am weird.

But in the end you have to think about the other person who puts up with your early starts (and those which don't happen... but the alarm still rings); the racing (and cost of it); who traps around the country (and sometimes over the ocean) with you to support you doing this crazy stuff; and the fact they live with someone who in the end is ultimately a very selfish person.... so you need to stop being that person for a while... even if only for a day.

And selfishly it's nice to be able to do that for yourself as well (if being honest).

Vegas Baby...

[co] or perhaps the title should 'What do I want?'...

So I was looking at my to do list for 2010 yesterday (on my way to a weigh in) knowing that it was 'all bad' i.e. I hadn't really stuck to anything resembling a plan re eating and that I would have achieved zero loss. The upside I do suppose was that I hadn't gained anything... So could be worse.

Now I hear you say 'How can you not lose weight with all this training?'. Well the trouble is I don't think I (and maybe a lot of triathletes) are particularly normal or healthy around food. So I am all on or all off. I don't know how to eat without thinking about it or without going crazy (or maybe just a little over the top), because I am not training, so hey I might as well... Yes its perverse... The other side of the coin as well is that as you start training you get hungry and need energy/calories to perform. So to lose fat you need to not fully replace, something I don't do naturally.

So anyway back to 'What do I want?' because that's really what it is all about... As I struggle to focus on my food.... Training that's okay, can tick those boxes (and at the moment that's around 3x swims, 4x bike, 5x runs a week; give or take a little on each.. At the moment seems to be all give more...), but the need to focus on nutrition escapes me without constant inspection.

..and so it has begun. Operation 'Sort it Out'. So what I want is to make it to Vegas next year as part of the NZ Long Distance Age group team. Phase 1 complete, entered qualifying race today (hey, that was hard it sold out in 56 minutes this morning). Phase 2 harden up and lose weight.... So that's what I need to work on in next 6 weeks.

And I guess if it was simple as that: what do I want?

King of the Mountain

[co] As part of my new cross country career I have received the invite to the annual King of the Mountain race... unfortunately I am busy... but seeing as apparently Lisa's dad was the owner of the race record for this I have to put it out there. Lisa you free this weekend, feel like coming over?

6 weeks - noticeable difference in fitness?

Ry: Well, it's been 6 weeks now since we officially began our quest to qualify for the 2011 Boston Marathon. Apparently it takes, on average, 6 weeks to see a noticeable difference in fitness once you start to train. Well, according to my training log, this is correct!

(photo: Faneuil Hall, downtown Boston, at night)

1st week of training:

Monday - 40 mins (had to stop twice to walk a few mins)

Tuesday - 60 mins (had to stop once)

Wednesday - 30 mins (didn't stop but felt tired)

Thursday - 60 mins (felt ok, stopped once)

Friday - day off (phew!)

Saturday - 40 mins (felt good)

Sunday - 60 mins (stopped once)

Fast forward 5 more weeks

6th week of training:

Monday - 40 mins (easy!)

Tuesday - did not run due to weather (was supposed to run 80 mins

Wednesday - 65 mins (felt good)

Thursday - official rest day

Friday - 75 mins (good, no stopping)

Saturday - 43 mins (had to stop at Coles on way home to buy stuff for dinner)

Sunday - 90 mins (felt great, could have kept going)

Amazing how much you can improve in 6 week periods. I hope I have the same level of improvement as October draws near (Melbourne marathon - qualifying time, under 3:50 for Boston; 3:40 for Co).

Tales from the (almost) Ultra World

[co] Okay now this is a confession blog…. Was not going to tell anyone about my adventure (I am home alone… so thought could get away with it, though to be fair it probably explains why it happened)…. But hey why not? And anyway need to have something interesting to write about (that’s kind of running related).

So last night I got my first taste of ‘UltraMarathon Man running’[1]. Not so much the Ultra, more the night part. So okay craziness…. 3.30am out for a 30 minute run.

Now why? What? I have often thought about doing this… running in the dead of night has always intrigued me… but never been brave enough to try. So last night after having a weird sleep and waking at 1.30am… well waking means you have slept… I decided to hop on my wind trainer to do an hour bike spin.

Now this luckily can occur as I am home alone…. Otherwise I would be reading a book. It just seemed to me that I was awake, so why not?

So after this fun event I was on a roll… okay its now or never… so I put my bike away and put my running shoes on.

It was a new world. Deathly quiet and bare. I was trepidatious, as a chick running in the night… but then again I would often leave at 5.30 am for a longer run and roll with it…. But still I ran with caution. No iPod, just listening to my breathing, footsteps and the silence.

Now I live in the middle of a (normally) busy shopping area… so decided to use this a my track, as well lit and less ominous feeling. So ran a couple of out and backs up the main shopping drag of Newmarket and Parnell. Watching parked cars (is there anyone in there?), rubbish men (who knew there were so many streets cleaned by so many) and deliveries occur.

The other safety part of this is the fact my night vision is not so flash… I have tripped over a speed bump before at night and ended up with a cast… so taking no chances here.

Made it to the end of my run… slightly excited by the adrenalin high…. Not too cold wrapped up with only 30 minutes done… and not sure if I would do again. Still got another 3.5 hours sleep after a quick shower… so in the end got a round 7 hours in bed, just with a gap….

So would I make this a regular thing? Not sure I think running in the day has more to offer… less fear (it is hard to remove those pre conditioned societal norms, particularly as a chick) and more scenery! But I do think I have ticked a box I think I have had for a while.

Just gutted I didn’t call up for a pizza delivery… hadn’t run for 12 hours… but maybe could justify a slice on the go???

I know you are out there… all of you who have done this at least once (come on I know there have been 4 o’clock bike rides) or wanted to… what do you think? Crazy? I think, why not?


[1] For those who aren’t sure what I am referring to it’s the “UltraMarathon Man’ book by Dean Karnazes.

New Gadget!!

(RY) My newest gadget, the Polar FT40. After weeks of researching the ultimate heart rate monitor/running watch, I decided upon the Polar FT40 in 'lime' green (unfortunately it does not come in either pink or orange!). I didn't want anything too over top (eg, I didn't need the GPS monitoring, or the foot pod to tell me how far I have run) - I just wanted something easy to use (and useful!) that would help me stay in the right zone for performance training. I could not find a negative thing about this, apart from the fact that it's not compatible with the 'foot pod' but I really was not concerned about this.

I have not used it yet, I'm hoping for tomorrow. I am still reading the manual learning the various functions, but I must admit it does seem pretty straight forward.

So far the training is coming along well. Have been running most days, and feeling good (knock on wood!). Can very easily run for 70 or 80 mins at a time now (without stopping!!). Am going to sign up for a half marathon in Melbourne for weekend of 18 July. Before that I'll do a few 10km fun runs. It has been so long since I did a fun run I think I need to get back into them so I can be as ready as possible for October.

Other exciting news is that the Boston Athletic Association have announced registrations open on October 18th this year - they expect the marathon to fill up within 2 1/2 months of opening. The good news is that hopefully we'll have qualified before registrations open - so all going well we're in!!

Countdown clocks

Ok, let me know what you think of this countdown clock (the orange one to the right). I have successfully spent more than an hour trying to get this to load up. Arrghhh, I clearly need some IT assisstance! It didn't take me as long to delete the other uglier one though.

Fashion-fasting - does this apply to running gear?

(RY). Ok, so I heard about this blog called www.fashionfasting.com (check it out). This lady has inspired me to fashion 'fast' - essentially stop by new stuff (clothes, shoes etc). I have so much stuff I can barely decide what to wear each day so I end up wearing the same things all the time. I am determined to remain on my fast until at least the end of September.

I am in a quandry though, does this apply to running gear? I think I will have to make an exception for anything running related, what if I find a hot pink & orange running top. Ok, so I don't really 'need' it - but I will 'want' it, and hey, it's part of Team Ryco's quest (that is to run a marathon whilst wearing pink & orange).

So now that I'm running up to 80 mins each day (daily runs vary between 45mins - 60 - 75 - 80) I'm trying to figure out how to fit this into my day. I have been getting up by 6am to get my runs in, but with an 75 min run looming tomorrow I'll need to be out the door by 6am if I want to fit a run in and be at work by 9am. Luckily I am able to run to work on Fridays, so I can save some time having to use the train as well. I'm fast forwarding now thinking about where I'll fit these runs in when they increase in time, and I still have to do morning daycare drops off, get the train, get to work etc. I'm guessing I'll be in bed by 9pm and up at 5am or something like that.

Continuing with the Boston theme this is a photo of one of the residential buildings at Harvard University - pretty huh?

It Can Get Better…

[co]… little by little. So cross country number 2 done and dusted last weekend.

The good news is that if you don’t get stomach cramps then any race seems better.

So off we rocked to the eastern suburbs (Howick/Pakuranga) for the second cross country race of the year. This time it was approximately 6.5 kms of fun on the grass. Not as hilly as race one, so one for the faster runners.

So us ‘masters’ women had 3 laps to count down – a lot better than 4 or 5 for the men (masters and seniors) and it is fair to say that 3 was enough!

Gun goes off, watch buttons pressed and you are off! Heart rate gets right up there pretty quick. So it was an interesting exercise in trying a race plan. Start slow – try to get faster… or perhaps start slow and try not to get slower…

So had some success at this each lap seemed fractionally faster – coming in at 28:49. At least faster than last time and felt ‘ran’ the whole way… have to say it was weird running the course around the soccer (or cricket) pitches at Lloyd Elsmore Park…. Never thought I would be doing that when I played cricket out there!

But the best lesson for me that day (courtesy of an experienced nana runner… and I say that with all respect!) was about learning to use another runner to help push yourself through, when it gets a little tough. So Molly (as I learnt post race) ran up to my shoulder at the start of lap 3… fair to say we were holding up the rear of the field at this stage… maybe 4/5ths through the field. As she came up she whispered “stay with me”. Never so powerful 3 words uttered. And so I did.. any time I looked to flag she gave an encouraging ‘come on’ etc. Now to be fair this helped her… but it really taught me how much you can use other runners and push yourself.

So as I closed in to a fellow triathlete, out for a jog, I uttered the 3 words (“stay with me”) as I went past… and so Liz did. It was interesting how her determination to hang off me pushed me and vice versa.

Fair to say it helped me through a roughish 800m, that I could then push through to get home.

So learnt some lessons. 3 laps are better than 5 and that when racing we should all ‘help’ each other, because really we are only helping ourselves.

We're In...

[co] just a quick note to say we're in... entered... signed up... paid the $$. Melbourne marathon here we come.....