ORANGE RUNNING FESTIVAL MARATHON

February 20 to 26. Well my attempt to get a "B" start at Comrades worked out well.  Click the link Ron's Orange Running Festival Marathon Run  to see Movescount history of the event. 

I had more than adequate taper for the run.   I did this on purpose, as i wanted to finish off my last training cycle and start afresh for my CMA build up.  Having said that, the run was no picnic in the park.  The last few hills, albeit small and relatively unchallenging, saw my pace drop significantly and my legs ache tremendously.  Once i knew I had the sub-3:20 in the bag I consciously tried to run relaxed and not overdo it without being too much of a princess.  I have found that if I don't keep the pressure on I slow more than i want to.  I lose my momentum or something. 

The run did work out well.  however, the day before I went for a jog over the last four kilometres and first few kilometres and, I must say, I was bit concerned that I wouldn't be able to run "B" qualifier.  Fortunately, that was pretty well the worst part of the course for crook surface and undulations.

Anyway, my plan was to just try to run 4:40 per k pace.  This would give me a 3:17.  The first km was slow and a bit of a struggle. I ran 4:43ish because i hadn't warmed up as much as usual.  I was trying to do what I expect to do at Comrades. The surface wasn't to my liking.  I am so unco on trails even though I train on dirt most of the time.  The advantage is it keeps me from running too quick on recovery days.

First KM Didn't seem to bother the runners around me but I was short stepping on the rough. 

Not too bad really.  Glad I changed from my Lunaracers to Lunar Tempos at the last minute.  About 14kms of this dirt road althogether.

I stuck to that 4:40ish pace until we hit the bitumen at about six km.  I then started to feel comfortable.

The road was closed to traffic. Loved it.

Finish in sight.

I pretty well stuck to just under 4:20s on average until another  dirt section where we were running directly into a cool and sometimes gusty wind, which was more helpful after the turn around,  and , of course, I slowed a bit over the last 6-8 kilometres where the course hit the dirt again.  This section was a bit of drag.  There was not another runner in sight.  Just me and the road.   And I am sure the corrugations were much bigger and more annoying on the way back.  I passed half way in 1:33:30 and came home in the same time.   (I took these photos the next morning on a recovery run.)

So...all in all, things are looking fine for Comrades.   The travel seemed to stir up my back more than the running.  It is long flight to South Africa - so that is a concern.  Nevertheless, I will do all I can to get to Comrades in the best shape possible. 

The Kenyans have a word, sukumawaki, in their language which Richard Nerurkar says is a good word to describe their attitude to overcoming tiredness, set backs, and staying on course. This positive attitude, the support and encouragement in the camps, Nerurkar calls  "Sukumawki effect".  Sukumawki,  literally means "push the week forward." ( It is also a Swahili spinach stew. And Popeye is my hero 😃).

So another week down and it's onto next week, which will be a recovery week.  Sukumawki!!!

OLD NUFFIELD TRACTOR-LIKE RUNNER SEEN RACING AT ROCKS RIVERSIDE PARKRUN.

February 13 to 20th.  Prior to the Rocks Riverside Parkrun on Saturday, the last parkrun I raced was on May 28 last year.  I clocked 17:31 for a 94.01% age-grading then and 18:59 last Saturday for an age-grading of  86.74%.   I thought I was good for at least 18:20 but had to bust a gut to run sub-19.  I felt like an old Nuffield tractor my dad used on the farm.


We had four vehicles I was allowed to drive when I was a little boy.  We had a little Massey Ferguson; an old Nuffield tractor that dad bought for a market-gardening side-project on some spare land on their 20 or so acres; a Mazda one-tonner B1500, which he used to cart product to the markets; and, when a little older and after we had moved to a bigger farm, I purchased a Austin A95 speedway stockcar to race around the back paddock.

Well,  last Saturday I felt like I had morphed into that old Nuffield Tractor.  Felt strong like I could pull a tree stump along behind me and keep chugging along and maintain my pace; whereas, last year I felt like my old Austin A95, hardly a Sprintcar, but still with enough kick to go at a solid pace - just enough to impress the naïve. 
Most times in training I feel like the little Massey Ferguson.  Just a general workhorse that does what is needed to get the job done.  Oh, what about the B1500?  Well, I was allowed to help load it and had to wash it.  It took a few years before dad allowed me to drive it by myself.  The Nuffield was a handful and, from memory,  I had to stand up so as to get to the brake and clutch.  Thank goodness for hand throttles.  Anyway, the thing is, the Nuffield was the tractor for digging deep, for turning new earth. So for Comrades I will have to be content to leave the A95 in the shed for the most part, and jump on Fergy fairly often and bring out the old Nuffield for the really hard digging.  And then it's off to the markets with a full load of goods in the B1500.

So not happy about losing the "speed" I had last year and turning into more of a Nuffield but, I suppose,  as the old farmers say: "No use crying over spilt milk, just bail up another cow."

Nuffield

Poser. Note the slippers.  Not sure what the occasion was. 

Nuffield trying to be an A95.

I am heading off to run the Orange Marathon this weekend. . I entered before i qualified, with a "C" group start spot at the Australia Day Marathon Festival. I couldn't recoup my expenditure so what the heck. I may as well have some fun.

I am aiming to run sub 3:20 so as to get a "B" start at Comrades. According to the official Comrades' coach, Lindsey Parry, March through April is the time to do the volume and the really hard miles. So, according to his thinking, it is unwise to race a hard all-out marathon at the end of February. It is okay, however, to run what he calls a training marathon. As a potential three -hour runner (on paper - not meaning to disrespect those who have actually ran that time in the last little while and are surely capable, Parry thinks runners of my level, should be able to recover from a 3:10-20 so as to get stuck into serious training during March and April after short recovery. We'll see.

I'll be flying from Sydney to Orange with Regional Express (REX). I am not comfortable flying at the best of times and recent sad, tragic events aren't helping. I suppose life is too short to catastrophise.

RELIVING MY HAY DAYS: EXPERIMENTING WITH MYSELF

FEBRUARY 6 to 12. This week I decided to relive my younger days and run a week out of my diary from when I was at my best about 25 years ago   I knocked up 182 km, albeit a lot slower than my younger self.  It was fun in a way that resembled, not just not being able to look away from a train wreck, but more like driving along a train line in an old maintenance car and hoping that an unscheduled  train doesn't come around the bend and send you off track.  

My physio worked on my back on Wednesday and I am virtually pain free.  I still have to be careful as it starts to get angry when doing speed work and gardening.  I really need leg massage though.  Quads are sore.  I will probably seek out Wayne Cooley.  Looking forward to an easier two weeks so as to recover a bit for Orange Marathon.  Then, after recovering,  I will begin Comrades preparation. I can't wait.

Must be vigilant and relentless, if you want to stay on track and avoid a train wreck. 

GOOD NEWS FROM COMRADES

January 30 to February 5. I have received confirmation that I have qualified for Comrades.  I will be eligible start in the "C" group.

Training has been going well. It is really too early to be doing too much.  I am just experimenting a bit.  I have already entered Orange Marathon so I will still show up.  I don't really see any advantage in trying for a "A" start but a "B" start might be helpful.  I am concerned that starting too close to the front could result in being dragged along at a faster pace than sensible for my old bones.  I have heard that two minutes banked at the start can cost more than ten minutes at the finish. 

Bruce Hargraves says that I am in with a chance for a Bill Rowan medal, which is 7:30 to 9 hrs.  I expect the 2017 medal will look much like the one pictured below.

AUSTRALIA DAY MARATHON WEEK

Catch up (January 23 to 29): I try to have an easy week every three to four weeks.  I try to include a race on fresher legs.  So I lined up for the "Day of the Tall Ships Australia Day Marathon" out at Mansfield on the south side of Brisbane.  We had a great day.   For me it was an old-school day of racing without all the bells and whistles.  Just good down to earth running.   Bruce Hargraves and his helpers are much appreciated.

I managed to run 3:22:44 without busting a gut.  I would have been pleased with 3:39.  I was a bit worried that running so far on concrete might bother my back but I pulled up okay, and the only discomfort I had was on the few rough bits - especially the downhills.  The support from the other runners out on the course was also much appreciated.

 42.195km Results
Place FirstName LastName Age Gender Country Finish Time
1 Kevin Muller 47 Male AU 3:16:12
2 Trevor Warburton 49 Male AU 3:18:07
3 Ron Peters 63 Male AU 3:22:44
4 Kelly York-Potgieter 33 Female AU 3:41:45 F1
5 Carl Schoddle 37 Male AU 3:58:45
6 Sebastian Pinel 37 Male AU 4:04:23
7 Geert De Jonckheere 57 Male AU 4:07:40
8 Victor Lunt 50 Male AU 4:11:33
9 Johanna Skinner 51 Female AU 4:23:37 F2
10 Greg Parks 53 Male US 4:46:46
11 Duncan Erasmus 25 Male NZ 4:49:55
12 Roger Black 51 Male AU 4:53:50
13 Ash Bradnam 44 Male AU 4:53:56
14 Jodie Bradnam 41 Female AU 4:59:12 F3
15 Alexandra Solitua 40 Female AU 5:03:14 F4
16 Sarah-Jane Marshall 38 Female AU 5:10:07 F5
17 Elaine Reyes 46 Female AU 5:14:16 F6
18 Nathan Stevenson 35 Male AU 5:27:22
19 Craig Schooth 46 Male AU 5:30:44
20 Beverley Green 56 Female AU 5:37:25 F7
21 Jane Sturzaker 64 Female AU 5:43:17 F8
22 Raymond James 67 Male AU 5:43:49
23 Stephen Lewis 58 Male AU 5:58:36
24 Paul Crouch-Chivers 68 Male AU 7:17:25
25 David Cannings 60 Male AU 7:34:35
Pete Smeulders 55 Male AU DNS
Blair Venn 41 Male AU DNS

NEARLY THERE