New Striders Website & Blog

After 76 posts the first Striders blogspot is now closing down. Striders have their own domain name: striders.com.au and a blog attached to that site.

No more posts will be made to this site now so please click on the link then bookmark it for future reference.
http://www.striders.com.au

A word of thanks to blogger.com for making available the excellent resource of bloggin for free.

Keeping Track of Your Training

So you want to achieve some new goals this year with running? Join the club. No matter what your standard, setting goals is important and having some help in achieving them is critical. I've bitten the bullet and begun keeping more detailed records of my training, as I prepare for some big races. There are a number of online options, where you can log in and update your training diary. These options usually provide some graphs to track a number of factors, including distance covered weekly/monthly, yearly; speed; weight etc.

Check out these for good examples:

http://www.runningahead.com

http://www.coolrunning.com

You will need to register [free] in order to use the training diaries.

Other options are excel spreadsheets, which you can use on your PDA [my preference] or on your desktop. A number of free spreadsheets are made available online, I have found an excellent one for free from David Hay, download it from his website: http://www.davidhays.net/running/runlog/runlog.html

This spreadsheet has everything, it even calculates how far you've run to the moon and around world. The more important features are the graphs and pace calculators and race time predictors. Brilliant stuff and its free.

You can of course buy software, but why would you when so much of it is available for free. The bought stuff might look prettier but its all the same stuff really. Besides, looking pretty is for cyclists, us runner's are more interested in running than looking good. If you want to look good you don't run! That's why Nike ran an add campaign last year called 'run ugly'.

If you are the more traditional type you can get a free run diary with your Runners World subscription, or purchase one from Athletes's Foot. If you have a photograpic memory then reading this post has been a waste of time, carry on regardless.

Totally off topic now so I'll sign off. Happy diarising.

New Developments at Striders

Striders will be relaunching in 2007, building on the strengths that have developed in 2007, and the patterns that have emerged. We will be having a publicity campaign in late January to raise our profile, as well as launching our new dedicated website with blog which you can find at www.striders.com.au, coming online in a few weeks after I've got back from holiday.

Our Tuesday evening group is growing, and we've had an influx of women. The group is now divided into two, with a faster and slower group. Women feel particularly more comfortable running with each other, and with others of a similar ability. Each group has a facilitator to guide participants through the evenings activities.

We have also comissioned our first club singlet, for a look at teh design and more info contact Stan. Singlets are cotton backed microfibre and and perfect for increasing our profile.

The Tuesday morning group is still operating, using the attractive bush tracks around Lake Samsonvale [Bullocky's Rest], 5:30am each Tuesday morning.

Wednesday morning long runs [18km - 21km] start from Lilley Road Park, 5am. Our route takes us up to the waterworks at Lake Samsonvale via Kremczow Road, Bray Park and Joyner, back down via Samsonvale and Ira Buckby for a finish in the park. This run is for experienced runners who are in training for long distance running or triathlon events.

Thursday morning hill sessions, starting from Lilley Road park at 5:30, and other locations like Clear Mountain. This session is for runner's who would like to improve their anaerobic fitness and turn hills into opportunities to shine!

Here's to a year filled with new running adventures and achievements in 2007!

Melbourne Marathon 2006 [Half] Report

I set off to Melbourne about 3 weeks underdone and struggling to get down to race weight, which saw me losing 2kg in the last week prior to the race. My late start at training didn't allow very much taper either. Despite feeling underdone I set my focus on a 1:25 at best and at worst beating my last time at the Half in Brissy this year: 1:26:34. The Gold Coast Marathon had taken its toll, and City 2 Surf was a fairly average performance from my tired legs and flu ridden body.

Having vowed never to return after my arctic experiences at the MM in 2005 I was reminded at the start of this year's [albeit Half] why sticking to your threats is wise. Saturday in Melbourne was positively balmy. I'm talking T-shirt and shorts weather, blue sky, gentle puffs of wind. We are talking Darwin Dry Season here. Cut to early Sunday morning. I am awoken in the early hours by my window rattling. What makes windows rattle? Icy cold rain soaked gale force winds make windows shake and rattle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was deposited at the start after being driven most of the route [and thinking to myself how incredibly long 20+km seemed!]. I decided to keep my tracky dack bottom & top on, in order to counteract the onset of hypothermia. I lined up for the obligatory pre-race loo stop and got so cold my system virtually shut down. The cubicle, normally the last place you want to spend time in was bliss compared the arctic blast of the wind coming of the Bay only meters away.

15min before the start I decided to disrobe and attempt to hand my clothes bag in. The clothes-bag-handing-in-table was besieged by a human traffic jam. In the end I lobbed my bag over the heads of the panicking masses and tried to make my way to the start only to find that I had been sardined out of the front section. It took ages to get across the line, with the clock ticking, each precious second seemed like a minute.

After eventually breaking free I found myself in the 1:30 pacing group. I was intending a 1:25 which works out at 4:02per/km so tried to hurry up a bit. At about the 3km mark the 1:30 bus ran past me again. The Half only had markers every 5km which made getting your pace right in the first 5km very difficult. The first km is always false, either too slow due to the start, or too fast cos you are compensating too much for all the dodging and weaving you had to do in the first km.

Once I got to the 5km mark I was able to work out how I was going. Too slow was the verdict. This slow first 5km was to come in handy at the end I feel, as I felt very strong.
My splits worked out well after making up lost time in the second 5km. Pacing carefully was important in this race due to bad start I had, and my questionable form.

The goal time per km was 4min2sec. My splits worked out as:
first 5km: 20:57 [47 seconds over the target]
I knew I had to pull things together smartly, even though my time was over due to the long wait to get over the start line.

second 5km: 19:52 [I had made up 1min6sec]

Getting to the 10km mark and feeling so good was a relief. I must mention the wind, which although nearly accounted for me succumbing to exposure at the start became our firend and it was up our rear most of the way. I think I felt so strong thanks to the wind and having lots left in the energy bank after a slower first half

third 5km: 20:11 [1 second off the target of 4min02sec] and still feeling ready for a big push up St Kilda Road and a fast last 1.1km

4th 5km: 19:49 [the wind at the start of St. Kilda Rd just seemed to lift me up from the backside and put me into another gear] The crowds were great from here on in with lots of encouragement.

I divide the race into 4 main sections [as above] and then the last 1.1km which hopefully you've got enough left to let it all hang out. The splits above show a rare negative split for a race. I am stoked about that.

Last 1.1km: 4min7sec. [my Kayano's were smoking at the finish line, and I'm thankful they had a fire extinguisher on hand to save them!] Well not quite, but it was a good strong finish.

Gun time was 1:25:05 , my start line to finish line chip time was 1:24:18. Anyway, a pb of a over minute and a half.

The bag collection at the end was absolute chaos, with human traffic jams and then only to find the bags strewn all over the floor with little order. I spent ages in the freezing wind searching for my bag, like looking for an interesting paper at an accountants convention. The post race massage was heaven, as always.
Apart from the bag chaos this was another brilliantly organised event, and a pleasure to have run in. Most of the water stops had water bags whcih was excellent. Hopefully this will become a standard feature at major Australian events. The days of trying to get the contents of a cup of water in your gob instead of all over your face are well and truly over [or they should be!].

I think that's it for me in terms of long races this year. From here on in after a break I'll hit the Masters Athletics scene and hone my racing skills again at 3,5 & 10km. Next official race will be the Pacific Mastes Games in November [5km].

Race Preview - Melbourne Marathon [Half]

Last year as I staggered across the finish line of the MM I vowed never to return. What an absolute shocker of a day and a race experience! The start of last years marathon was extremely cold with horizontal rain whipped across our path by a vicious gale force wind howling across Port Phillip bay. After some shielding by the shopfronts of Frankston we were left to the mercy of the wind. By the end of the race we had sunburn. That's Melbourne for you: nice place to have a coffee or a pizza but the weather is atrocious [4 seasons in one morning] and the only sport that counts is AFL.

I was also not in shape for a sub 3hr run although foolishly tried. St. Kilda was all a blur to me as I struggled to bring the whole thing home eventually in 3:10. Then it was a PB but an altogether traumatic experience which did not endear me to the race. To add insult to injury, the post-race rub down was open to fun runners as well which made the queue massive.
[I'm happy to say that at the Gold Coast Marathon this was well controlled].

Despite the vow written in my own blood, I am returning. Well sort of. This time its just the Half, so divide the misery and pain by 2 and I've got a taste of last year perhaps?
Recovering from Gold Coast, the August round of cold & flu, and City 2 Surf has been slower than expected, and my training run up has been short.

This means pain and misery on the day, cos I can never settle for less. The goal this time is to have a crack at 1:25, just under would be good. However, I expect that I may need to submit to reality at about the 10km mark and adjust my goals slightly. Can someone remind me what's so great about running?!!!
Stan.

Summer Update

Summer is here, the mornings are lighter and warmer, and so are the evenings. If you have been in hibernation over winter now is the time to venture out again and start getting fit.
Our Tues & Thurs morning runs have been going throughout the winter using roads but we are now able to venture back on to the track around Bullocky's Rest in the mornings. We start at 5:30am and are usually back by 6:15. The pace is easy and most of use it as a recovery run after a hard track session on Monday.

The evening group set off at 7:30pm and do a number of routes around Eatons Hill & Albany Creek. With the lighter nights we can venture along some the the river tracks around our area.

Any questions call Stan on 0402019050.

City 2 Surf Race Report

Long overdue I know, but a bout pre & post race flu has knocked be about, leading to dire neglect of this blog. Apologies.
Preparing for the C2S was like fumbling around in the dark. I had never run the race before, I had nothing to compare the race to, and the unique topography of the course makes predicting a first off time difficult. Heartbreak Hill plays havoc with your times, as does any race that is not flat.
Add to the above the terrifying prospect of a race with 63,500 other runners! After submitting race times I managed to get a prized preferred start just behind the seeded runners. The race starts at a 4 way intersection at Hyde Park and heads hell for leather down the road to a tunnel at Kings Cross before turning left towards the harbourside suburbs and some great views.

In the week preceding the race I filled the equivalent of North Pine Dam with run off from my nose [snot], a 7km cross country on the Wed before, a 12 hour drive to Sydney, and more rivers of the lemon curd to fill half of Sydney harbour.
Having a preferred start saved me from lining up for too long before the start. I was able to warm up in a park before taking my place 15min before the start. I filled a few bins in the park with tissues trying to get as much mucus out of the orifices of my head before the start so that I didn't share it with fellow competitors.

Making my way to the start down Oxford Street was a culture shock. As I'm walking down the road in my running gear ready to flog myself others were pouring out of bars and lining up outside nightclubs [early morning clubs]. I guess both cultures revolve around punishing your body? I would like to think my form of flogging results in good?
Near the start I chanced upon Adro's Army [he of Biggest Loser fame], a group of oversized runners getting ready to take on C2S. Yo respect! At least they were having a crack. Adro has fashioned a faux military uniform with camouflage style hat and T-shirt.

It became clear to me after lining up at the start that staying alive was the first priority of the start. Falling meant certain death, either that, or 60 odd thousand footprints all over your face and torso and barely alive. Once the gun went off the mad dash was on. At one point 50m down the road the bloke behind me stumbled and grabbed onto my right shoulder and started pulling me back. If its you reading this I hope my elbow didn't do too much damage!

Once we reached the tunnel things got a bit more orderly as the hills always sort out the wheat from the chaff. Talking of hills, much of the focus is on Heartbreak Hill, which is aptly named. However, there are more than a few hills on the way to Heartbreak which achieve the same purpose: lactic & terror!

By the time I reached the base of Heartbreak I realised that I was in for a fairly neutral day: not very fast, not too slow, nothing to write home about other than a half decent 56 minute finish and a first C2S under my belt. Now that I have my first under the belt I can plan on a return to avenge my ordinary day and at the very least get in under 55min preferrably further down into the early 50's.

The view from halfways up Heartbreak across the harbour is worth the climb. Once Heartbreak is over its pretty much downhill, and the body needs to adjust to stopping gravity rather than struggling to overcome it. The run down into Bondi is spectacular and even though the finish seems so clos but so far its a great way to end a race.

For a race that has so many competitors the logistics are superb. Not sure my racing calendar next year will fit this race in. I will never drive to Sydney again for a race, that is for sure, its not good for your legs! If I was to choose between Bridge to Brisbane or C2S I think I would go for C2S, just a tad more exciting and beautiful!

Kokoda Challenge Report

Well it was about time I finally got around to writing this report but you'll be pleased to know I've narrowed this down to a few paragraphs rather than the 22.20hrs it took our team to finish.
Kokoda was a 98km cross country / mountain / mud challenge which I started with my team of 4 and finished much (much) later still intact (well almost) with the same team of 4 and a much greater appreciation for mateship and teamwork. We had 36 hours to finish it but our goal was 23.

We arrived at 5am on the Saturday morning ready for the 7am start and the rain arrived at the same time. We had been warned all week of the impending rain forecast for the entire weekend, yeah right it hadn't rained solidly in months... until then! Cold, dark and wet we joined 96 other teams from all over the country, checked in and got nervous. The rain was constant as we threw on our back packs, gave last minute instructions to our support crew, listened to the ode and the Last Post, and then the gun went off.

Everybody took off and headed right. We looked at each other and took off to the left. Laughing we found ourselves in the lead (not for long mind you) and heard the confusion as the teams all realised they were heading in the wrong direction. Imagine having to navigate 98km and going the wrong way in the first 50 metres. Pretty funny really!!! It didn't take them long to catch us and the challenge started.

We wanted to hit the first mountain near the front end of the field as we knew it would be difficult to get around teams on the long (40min +) climbs so we worked hard the first 5km to hit the mountains in around 7th place. Still it was early day. Up and over the first few and we were feeling good and making good time. Our strategy was to walk up the hills (and down depending on the terrain) and run the flats. All was good until about 3hours in and the wheels started to fall.

Dave (one of my team) "blew" a calf which made walking painful. Not long after this he started to develop strong pains in his gut. As he would hit the hills his heart rate would max out causing him to stop every 5- 10mins and violently dry retch. This would settle briefly and he would restart the climb and repeat this until he made the top. On the downs and flats he felt average (apart from the calf) so would push as hard as he could, but the hills were his enemy and there were an awful lot of them! We would get to hills and Pete and I would try to lighten his load and help push him up until he got to the top and then we would keep moving. Dave would almost be fainting with pain and nausea on the climbs, but he pushed on showing amazing tenacity and incredible toughness.

For the next 6 hours it rained intermittently, the wind blew and the hills were relentless. Dave just kept going! We met our support crew every 4 hours and they fed us, attempted to warm us up, we restocked our back packs and kept going. We were still sitting in about 10th place and making pretty good time but it was getting colder and wetter!!! Around 4pm the rain came and stayed for the next 11 hours varying between solid and heavy. It was dark, the wind was howling, the rain was cold... very cold, we were wet and Dave continued, unable to run but keeping up a good pace walking. Each support station was similar. We would arrive and try and warm up (almost impossible), feed ourselves with hot food and soup (very difficult to cook under a tarp), restock and take off again trying not to waste too much time. It was impossible to put dry clothes on under a tarp and you were wet by the time you started again. We were starting to lose our sense of humour, but still enjoying the challenge nevertheless. Dave was tough! We would take off into the dark, cold and wet, Merryl leading the way making sure we followed the trail, and Pete and I making sure we still had Dave. The hills were tough. The rain had turned them into a big slide and it was incredibly difficult to climb up or down without sliding or falling. We felt for the teams following us as it would have been much tougher for them!

By 1am Pete was having trouble seeing on the downhills as the mist continually fogged his much needed glasses and he found his head lamp not nearly bright enough. He slid and damaged his knee on a downhill and showed incredible toughness to continue. We would get to a hill and help Dave up the hill then turn and give Pete as much light as I could to help him get down in one piece. The last 20km was incredibly long but the boys were tougher! They could have given up any time but our goal from the start was to get our team across the line together and thats what we were going to do. At 5.20am (just before sunrise) we walked into the finish, exhausted, cold, wet but very proud of what we had done. We finished in 12th place, second mixed team but more importantly, a team of 4!

We could never have done it without our support crew who had it tougher than us. They had to find the checkpoints before us, set up a makeshift tarp and kitchen in the rain and wind, and somehow have things ready for when we arrived, whenever that was. Then they would have to pack up and beat us to the next checkpoint. They deserve a medal for that.

Thanks to Dave, Pete and Merryl for an incredible experience. You are an incredibly tough team and we learned a lot about ourselves and what it takes to get through a course like that. You were all awesome! Would I do it again? Absolutely! I'll be back next year with some newbies in toe. If you want a life experience then try it.

Mary