Tuesday - 28/05

Spent last night with letric soda crystals on my calf and when I woke up there was no pain! WOW that stuff is good!.

10km completed this morning. Did it on the treadmill in case my hip got too sore. I could feel it through the whole run but it didn't get worse and it didn't get better so I just plodded along. Took 52min so nice and easy.

The good news is the hip felt better as the day went on

So after last night success with the soda crystals on my calf, tonight I'm wrapping the stuff on my hip

just a niggle

So after running that 10k last Wednesday I decided to run again Thursday and again did another 10km but this time 10x3min at about 3:45-3:55 pace with a 2min recovery jog in between. Again the right glute has that niggle and I can also feel it down on the side of my right calf and a little in the back. It was ok to run with though and was fine straight after but as the day went on it got worse. I could feel my right hamstring being sore as well. It was like it was missing out on the action and wanted to join in the niggle party!

Friday I decided to rest and the same with Saturday. Well Saturday I had a first aid course and if I was going to run it would've been the 10km trotters time trial and I just felt like I needed to get some extra sleep so I decided to stay in the warmth of my doona. Plus being a time trial would mean I'd run pretty hard even if I was running easy.

Sunday I got up to run and only did about 5km. Wasn't too sure if I should keep running or just stop and go do a cycle class. The pain didn't get any worse out running and in some parts was feeling ok then it would hurt again so I made my way home and cycle classed it instead.

Today being a Monday I don't run but tomorrow I've decided to go to the gym and run on the treadmill at an easy pace, not 44-45min 10km pace but more like 52-57min 10km pace and see how that makes that hip feel

Post TNF100 - Wednesday

3 days rest from running and I felt it was time to put the running shorts and shoes back on and head out the door. First thing I notice is I still have discomfort on the right glute area. It became sore last week after racing Bobbin Head and even though I could feel it dong TNF it was quite runnable. I think because the pace was easy.

Anyway today I get out the door and within 100m I decide to do a 10k. Starting off easy I pushed the pace slightly every now and then to see if the niggle got better or worse. It seemed to stay the same if not slightly better. So for the first 5km I ran a moderate pace and turned around in 24:30. On the way back I pushed it a lot harder and in the last km I reckon I was doing about 3:50 pace. Back in 21:15.
So 45:45.

Lets see how my body pulls up after that

TNF100 2013....the biggest last minute race of my life!

How do you plan for a race you haven't planned for? Just go "what the hell, lets do it!"
So it started like this. Thursday I'm having a look on facebook and Graham Fowler puts a post on saying "all the 100km runners from Terrigal Trotters are over 50" so I say "I'm almost tempted to break that statistic" and Sharon Byrnes says Andy Hewitt has a free entry he's giving away so after about a 15second think I give Andy a msg asking if he still has that entry. He tells me he gave it away earlier that morning. So I decided to leave it at that.
Then just as I'm about to go to bed I have a look at the Northface page and someone has put on she has an entry she is giving away...first in can have it. Without even thinking I send her a msg saying I would love the entry if it's still available. She say's yep and next thing I know I have a 100km in just over a days time......ohhhh dear what have I done?

Now this isn't a race you can just turn up to and race. This is a race where you need a whole shop load of gear to run with and it has to be very precise in the materials you need to take. So at 10:45pm I set out the task of finding my

• polypropylene long sleeve thermal top
• polypropylene log leg thermal pants
• Waterproof hooded jacket
• Waterproof long legged pants
• Buff
• polypropylene thermal gloves
• headlamp and my backup light
• my space blanket
• my very precise compression bandage
• my waterproof map case
• my 100-weight long sleeve synthetic fleece top plus a few other bits and pieces

So by the time I find all this stuff it's about 12:30am and I still need to print off a few things to transfer the entry into my name. So about 1:30am I go to bed with my head spinning on what I've just done! I tried to sleep but every time I almost nod off I remember something else I need to organize. By the time I think everything is good I have to get up to go to work. arrrrgghhhh!!!!!!! So without any sleep I manage to move a client to another day and get other clients in earlier so I finish work at 12pm. Still have to get a visible vest, print stuff off, pack my bags, workout where I'm going to sleep etc...etc...etc...
I pack my tent and drive to Katoomba caravan park put up my tent then head to the registration to get my gear checked and transfer the entry into my name with about 1000 other people. 90min later I'm all done!
I catch up with Graham Fowler and Greg Brown and we head off to dinner then after a trip to Coles to get some last minute food for breakfast we retreat back to the caravan park where I use their cabin to work out how I'm going to put all that gear in my pack. All rugged up and actually really warm I head off to my tent to sleep. Now did I sleep? No. I toss and turn thinking "f**k I'm racing 100km in a few hours!" Next thing it's 4am and I have to get up. So 2 days of no sleep I'm ready to race 100km.
I use their cabin again to get ready then 10min before we leave I can't find my bib. Christ! I panic running back to my tent, back to the cabin, back to my tent then I find it! Phewww. Ok off we go to get the bus to the start line...all good I'm ready to go. Then I think "where's my phone" Shit! Race back to the cabin find it...I wouldn't have bothered but its an item you must take.

Now that's the lead up to the race
Now for the race

How am I going to do this? Easy I'll just run until I get to the finish line. So that's what I set out to do. Since it's a last minute race I just take it easy. Get to the first checkpoint 2hrs and feel good, get 3km before the second checkpoint and I feel a bit dizzy so I slow down, relax get to the checkpoint where they want to see both lights and my waterproof matches. Headlights I find, matches I search and search and search. About 7min later I find them 2min later I get all the stuff back into my pack grab lot's of food and about 11-12min (10min too long) I'm gone. Feeling good again I just keep moving along in my own happy world. Get to the 50km sign in 5:48 thinking I'm doing ok. Get to the 54km checkpoint and 3min later I'm off. Passing a few runners feeling good I manage to run to the base of Nellies Glen. Now Nellies Glen is a never ending set of mixed terrain steps that just doesn't seem to end and must go for about 1km and after running over 60km it knocks the shit out of you! Once I get to the top it takes about 5min before I could turn a walk into a run. A few km later I'm at the 65km checkpoint where I need to use the 1 toilet they have which someone just had to be using it. 9min later (again way too long) I get going again. Cool only 35km to go.....I feel good and at this rate I reckon I've got a sub12hr in the bag...that is until Kedumba. Now Kedumba is a hill that goes about 8 or 9km down hill then about 1km uphill then about 1km or 2km down hill then you see a sign saying you have done 80km. I see that sign and know I have a 8km-9km climb of up, up, up and up. So without further ado I get into a walk/run mode. Within 500m I feel funny in the stomach, 100m later I can only manage a walk as any faster makes me feel sick. Another 100m and I have to throw up. Next thing I know I can hardly walk feel like I'm falling to sleep and getting really cold. The sun has decided to go to bed and the moon has decided to wake up. I get out my visible vest and headlamp and Marc Pearson catches up to me who was pretty much running the same as me earlier but was now also reduced to a walk. He tries to encourage me to walk with him but I'm just too slow and after another vomit he makes his way off and I put one foot in front of the other, have every runner who passes me ask if I'm ok and when this lady runs by and gives me a hug I know I couldn't be looking too good! I get to the 84km gear check but instead of getting my gear check the first aid checks me out.
With 5km to the next checkpoint which is all up hill then another 11km of terrain that takes most runners 1hr30min-2hrs30min to complete I decide to call it quits!
10min later I'm in the first aid car with a knee injured victim and we get a lift to the last checkpoint. I get my blood pressure checked, blood sugar checked and all this other stuff done and told all is good and they get some random folks from Sydney who were on their way back to the finish to give me a lift.
Back at the finish I have a hot shower, order some chips have a coke and I feel all good again! WOW!
So all in all I'm happy to get to 84km off no mental training and no sleep for over 2days.
I go back to the caravan park and sleep in the warmth of the cabin and spend Sunday having a massive breakfast, massive lunch not long later with a bunch of friends and after all that has happened since Thursday night at about 10:45pm I'm sitting back with a beer relaxing thinking........WHAT A FUCKING AWESOME WEEKEND! :-)

being lazy!

It's time....time for me to jot down my running again. I've got out of the habit of it since mid a
last year. One of the reasons I like to write about my running is so I can look back and see what I have done at the push of a couple of buttons. If an injury pops up I can see how I tackled that injury should it arise again. It's also good to see what I was doing in the past and I can also see how my times have slowed up as age slowly hits me.

So I think I'll start with this week so far. CRAP! but that's life. Well it's not too crap but I have a pain in my right butt and low back and it's since I did the trail race at Bobbin Head on Sunday. All that jumping, climbing stairs, falling over and those hills took the toll on my body. In quite a bit of pain Sunday night I was happy to have Monday as a rest day. Tues I did 11km from Bensville to Empire Bay and back in the morning and my hips, glute, arm was very sore. Later I did a second run but did it on the treadmill and after 8km I had enough. Pain again so didn't want to push through it.
Wednesday I got 2.5km then turned around so only 5km done and today I've just come back from an 11km easy run stopping a couple of times to stretch out my hip which makes it feel instantly better.

Lets see what tomorrow shall bring

Coming back to planet Earth

Well how does the body pull up after running 210km? It's been 2 weeks now and other than a very sore butt muscle from driving to Canberra and back yesterday for 9hrs it's feeling pretty good.
The first week after the race however was a different story.
I remember after the race being sick for the rest of the day. I did manage to eat a chicken burger that night for dinner but that was it. I had some visualization of having this massive feed and downing the beers to celebrate but nooooooo it was a 3hrs nap then just in some sort of zombie land for the next couple of days.
The next morning we started to make our way back home stopping at Maccas for breakfast. I did feel hungry so orded all this food and did manage to get though it but was me done pretty much for the day.
Now I have no idea how much weight I lost running for 24hrs but I know I did look pretty awful and not being able to eat was kinda stressing me out.
I think it was Friday food tasted normal to me again. That's 5 days of not really eating.

So after 5 days of being in some other unknown world I start to return to the land of the living.
The next day which was a Sat I had my first run in a week with the trotters. The run was Kincumber mtn. Well I start off ok but by 2km my hip flexors reduced me to a shuffle but hey not that I was bothered as it was good to be able to run. The next day being a Sunday I head off to Bobbin Head to do the Sydney trail running race. 12km. To my surprise I'm only about 1min slower than last month but last month I suffered with my asthma so that was a pretty slow run anyhow.
Then all last week I just got back into a few 11km runs a 22km run a trotters 10km race which I managed to come 6th on the hilly time trial then today I head off at 5:30am and meet up with other like minded souls for a 47.5km turned into 50km bush run.
So I'm pretty happy with my recovery I did drive to Canberra and back yesterday after the 10k yesterday and like I said my glute is pretty damn sore right now.

So hear I sit drinking a beer and listening to Gun's n Roses relaxing :-)

Coburg 24hr

Finally got that magic 210km that I tried to get last year. This race has been my main focus for the last 4 months. I came with a goal of reaching 210km and nothing less. Anything over would be a bonus.
The race started at 10am Sat which meant we wouldn’t be finished until 10am Sun. Holy heck that’s a long time to be running around a 400m athletic track.
Now the first thing most people say when I tell them is “oh how boring” But when you actually do these events there is nothing boring about them. Yes you are running in circles but you are never never alone. With so many people cheering you on from people you know to total strangers. I can’t explain in words how good these events are. It’s also very challenging physically and mentally. I mean there is no finish line. You are running to see how far you can go in a given time

So at 10am we are off and running. My plan was to run very very comfortable from the start and noticed I was running about 2:00-2:05 each lap. I also decided to walk one lap every 30min but after about 3hrs I found it easier on the body to just jog slowly each 30min

The hour splits that I could find were

1hr – 27 laps, 10.8km 8^th place
2hrs – 54 laps, 21.6km, 7^th place
4hrs - 111 laps, 44.4km 5^th place
5hrs – 139 laps, 55.6km, 4^th place
6hrs – 166 laps, 66.8km, 4^th place
7hrs – 192 laps, 76.8km, 4^th place
8hrs – 217 laps, 86.8km, 3^rd place
12hrs – no info but got told I did 124km
14hrs – 353 laps, 141.2km, 3^rd place
15hrs – 373 laps, 149.2km, 3^rd place
16hrs – 388 laps, 155.2km, 3^rd place
17hrs – 408 laps, 163.2km, 3^rd place
18hrs – 425 laps, 170km, 4^th place
19hrs – 438 laps, 175.2km, 4^th place
20hrs – 457 laps, 182.8km, 4^th place
21hrs – 479 laps, 191.6km, 4^th place
22hrs – 500 laps, 200km, 4h place
23hrs – 514 laps, 205.6km, 4^th place
24hrs – 527 laps, 210.836km, 4^th place

I started to feel  the effects of fatigue, pain etc etc about 15hrs in.

At 12hrs I had a change of shoes. 14hrs in and I had trouble eating and at about 17hrs I sat down and had a 5min sleep. It was also around 17hrs I had my first vomit and really struggled for the next 3hrs. At 20hrs I decided to run 9 laps then walk 1 lap and noticed I was feeling good again. I had another 5min to rest my eyes at 20hrs in and had 2hrs to reach my goal of 210km. That last 2hrs all I could manage was run 1lap walk 1lap. The last 30min was pretty much walking. 7laps to get 210km I had to pull off the track and spend about 5-6min just vomiting. No way was I going to fall short got back up got back on the track and walked the rest of the way. With 2 laps to my goal and 12min to do it in I knew I had it. Once I finally got my laps completed I had 3min left on the clock. Managed another 36m then just collapsed on the ground and waited for the hooter to sound.
Totally spent from all energy I lied on the ground and felt amazing in what I had just done

 Later I found out I done 2 more laps than my goal so that last 836m was my bonus :-) 

 

81km....Quite a big training run :-)

With 6 weeks until Coburg I wanted to get one more extra long run done somewhere. Finding the right time to do it was hard though. I would've liked to have done it in about 2 weeks time but it didn't fit into my calander and this weekend was the only chance I had.
So 81km from Bensville on the Central Coast to Mt Hutton near Newcastle to visit my mum through lots of rain and lots of wind!
The plan was to go out at about what I plan to do at Coburg. The difference with this run is the hills. I had hills at the start then slight rises until the last 7km when the hills started again.
I think I went too fast for the first 30km but after that I think I found the pace that I think I'll try to stick to. I also stopped and walked every hour for 2-4min each time.
The first feeling of fatigue came about 60km in and by the time I finished my legs were aching and aching and aching. I felt I could've kept on going but did I want to? NO! I also ran in my New Balance which are a very minimal shoe without any support. So with the shoes and the hills I was pretty happy with how it all went.
Every hour I walked and ate solid food mainly being museli bars etc but also had gels and hammer perpetuem which was the first time I've tried it. I think I'll be using that in the race as it digested quite well.

Again thank you Sonia for being my taxi for the trip home the next day :-)

Ok my splits are....and see if you can guess where I walked and where there was a big hill (not hard to work out)
6:01
5:46
5:54
5:59
5:42
6:14
6:09
5:44
6:11
5:57
6:34
5:32
5:39
5:54
5:53
6:05
5:45
6:01
6:05
5:45
7:10
5:39
5:38
5:56
5:48
5:49
5:47
5:52
6:01
5:52
6:01
5:52
7:51
6:04
5:52
6:02
6:30
6:13
6:20
6:26
6:08
7:23
6:32
6:11
5:59
6:22
6:06
5:55
5:56
6:20
6:06
8:00
6:40
6:25
6:21
5:59
6:24
6:27
5:54
6:29
7:45
6:42
6:08
5:40
5:51
6:10
6:09
6:17
6:24
7:11
8:24
6:25
6:12
6:27
6:22
6:38
8:07
7:11
6:10
6:16
6:18
6:43
6:30

Then I collapsed on the floor!!!

Stromlo 12hr (well 8hrs45min)

I went into this race with a couple of plans. One of those plans was to do a PB of 131km which I made a few days before the race.
The other plan which I had decided on when I entered was to use this race as a long training run. I thought if I was leading and there were a couple of hours to go I would push on to hold the lead to the end.
If I was 1 or 2 km behind the winner with a few hrs to go I would try to catch them.
If I was coming 4th or 5th or was a long way behind I would just run on feel making sure I don't wreck my body too much.
Well at 93km or 8hrs45min I decided to pull out. I was coming 4th and about 2km behind 3rd.
My race started off good. Yes I went too fast for the first 10km (44min I think) but since this wasn't a goal race but more of a training run I thought I may as well go out hard and see what happens
10k in about 44min, 1/2 marathon in 1hr37min, Marathon in about 3hrs25min I think and still feeling quite fresh.
The first bit of fatigue occured around 45km and my km splits were now about 5:05-5:15. I got to 50km and stomach problems just started. I stopped to go to the toilet and have a quick shower to freshen up. That worked a treat and I was back feeling good until 60km when I again did the toilet and shower thing. Feeling a bit human again until 70km and I once again toilet and showered. I must've been the cleanest runner out there! Each break costing me about 10min. I wasn't too worried but decided thats enough showering I've got to keep going! 70km-80km was pretty hard and I was now running 5:45-6:00 pace. 80km I came alive! Well until 87km. I ran each 1km lap between 5:19 and 5:45 witha 5:10 thrown in there somewhere then between 87km and 91km I was again slowing down. Not too sure what happened but betwwen 92km and 93km my toes said no more. I was forced to walk a lap because the pain in the toes wouldn't let me run.
After sitting down for 10min I knew that was it for me. If it was a goal race I would've started slower and would not have stopped at 93km but sitting there shivering my ass off all I was thinking was the damage I would risk if I decided to continue.
Big thank you to Sonia (2nd in the 6hr) and my Girls for all coming out to help me and Mum to make the trip down and of course to Dad for the lend of his Camper and car

So all in all I'm happy to have done a nice good hard long run. I just wouldn't do that in training on my own so this race was perfect for it.
I'm rapt that 2 days later my body feels pretty good and got an easy 5km in today.
I'm excited about Coburg even more now and know with it being still 8weeks away I'll be in peak shape! Well that's what I'm telling myelf :-)

Taper time

It's been a steady road back and after about 8 weeks back running I'm pretty happy with the way my running is panning out. My speed isn't there by any means but I feel my endurance is.
This weekend I'm going to have a go at my 3rd 12hr. This one is in Canberra at the Stromlo running festival. I feel I'm in ok shape for this and to be honest I'd really like to do a PB. To do that I need to run at least 130.052km. Not sure if it will happen as anything can happen in 12hrs of running but I'll give it a go. Really though it's pretty much a training run for Coburg 24hr in April.

Training in the last 8 weeks has been steady.
Back in the end of December I got a 24km run in around Sydney which almost killed me. Then a few days later on New yrs day I ran the black stump 30 something km's on a really hot day and even though I finished in an ok time I was pretty smashed for the next day or so. Then on 6th Jan I ran the Trotters around the bay 37km feeling much better running that comfortable in 2hrs53min and was the 2nd runner finished. The only problem there was a blood blister and a corn in my foot.
A week after that I raced the Manly Dam race. 10.2km of very tough trails and after getting the corn cut out of my foot I had a pain free race. Only lack of speed was my problem there.
The week after that on the 20th Jan I ran with the Trotters again and this time it was a memorial run for Muzza. 21km on the infamous Wambie Woppers run. Body felt great in that and I got another 9km in after to round it off to 30km
On Aussie day I entered in a team event for Knapsack 6hr then backed it up by running Woodford to Glenbrook the next day. With all this I could feel where I have been injured but each week of running seems to have improved it.
Then a week later on the 3rd of Feb I ran Megalong Mega on the 6ft track. About 36km of very hilly running. That was my worst run since I've been back. Right near the end I bonked! No energy left and had to sit on a rock for 15min and borrow some food of some very kind fellow runners. They took pity on me! Once I got food in me I could finish the final 2.5km to the finish.
Then last week I raced the Manly Dam race again going about 1min30sec faster and had no pain at all.

So there we are.... 4 days away from a 12hr and I've done the best I can to be in the shape I am in that time. When you think it wasn't all that long ago I couldn't do any running at all I'm pretty happy with how I've gone.

This week will just be easy 10km every day until Fri when I will just run 6km.

From ouch to slow running!

It's been a while since I've bothered with this thing and that's because I've been to hell and back with my running. One thing about this sport as you get older is your mind just thinks your body can do what it has always done but your body dosen't always agree with your mind.

For me it started back in May last yr when just as I was thinking I was back to my best my hamstring decided it needed a rest. My mind on the other hand had some races planned and I wasn't going to let my hamstring overrule my stubbon mind. The mind is quite a powerful thing!
So I completed a few mega long races and went well in one but shit in others. So after having a shit second attempt at a 24hr race and only being able to run 6min km pace in training because the hamstring hurt so much if I went any faster I decided to have a rest from running. 8 weeks I thought and I'd be back out there ready to go again.....well 8 weeks came and I still couldn't run. Ok I thought 10weeks....10 weeks and I'll be back out there.....10 weeks came and I still couldn't run....ok 12 weeks...it has to be good to run in 12 weeks after all 12 weeks is 3months and in 3months I've got to be healed. Well when your 40 I guess things don't quite repair as quick as they did when you are 30. 12 weeks went and I'm still in pain....arrrrggggghhhhhh!!!!!!!. Ok off I go and see my physio mate Stan and together we slowly get on top of this thing.

Just before Christmas and finally I'm doing some slow running. By new yrs I'm getting some long runs in and in Jan I'm entering some races again. Not fast races but just to be out there running with a number on my singlet felt outstanding!

I still have the injury and have to keep up my physio exercises but each week I've improved.

Let's hope 2013 will be a yr will be my ultra yr!

Caboolture 24hr

Well I did it. I finished running/walking around a dirt 500m track for 24hrs. These kinds of events are pretty crazy but also very social in a competitive kind of way.

I decided to enter this event after bombing out of the Sydney 24hr 5weeks earlier. This time I planned to run slower from the start then just make sure I feel comfortable running on feel rather than on time.

A 48hr event had started 24hrs earlier so those guys and girls were only 1/2 way done as I got started!
8am we get started and around and around we go. In my corner for the first 12hrs I had Denise there helping me out with all my needs doing an amazing job. More amazing was she was racing the 12hr at 8pm so that meant she was really doing a 24hr event as well. First 12hrs she was helping me while watching all these fresh people turn into a blizering mess.
I also went into this witha hamstring injury that has held me back for the last 3 months and I decided once I finish this I'll take a few month off to let it heal.

I was running really well just cruzing along for the first 13hrs. I went through 100km in 10hrs27min and felt amazing!
14hrs in and I'd covered 125km so was really starting to sloooowww down.
15hrs in and I'd done 129km. Thats 4km in 1hr! Hows that for turtle pace!
17hrs13min 138.5km covered. WOW! 9.5km in 2hrs13min Rocking!
18hrs11min 141km. Bloody hell I needed a sleep! I borrow a blanket and I sleep until just after the 20hr mark. In this time I was also freezing.
20hrs15min I cross the line in 141.5km and attempt some kind of pathetic shuffle
21hrs and 147.5km
22hrs 152km
23hrs 158km
The last hr I just tried to keep moving. I managed to run a bit walk a bit then rest a bit then run a bit then walk a bit then rest abit then somehow I found some strength to run about 5 laps in a row.
24hrs and I'd covered 163.217km.

The thing with a race like this is it takes so much more effort than a 100mile trail race. In fact I believe any trail runner or any ultra road runner that just sticks to distance races have only experienced one side to ultra running. If they really want to test themselves out then they should have a go at something really tough. This will test their mental toughness at the limits.

In all this time Denise was out there in her own world of pain battling out the 12hr event!
I must say a massive thank you to Mark & Sara who not only gave us a place to stay while we were up there but they also sacrificed taking their tent so we could fit in the car

I will definitely be back for another 24hr. Most likely Coburg but we will see

Sri Chinmoy 24hr turned 12hr.....GRRRRRRR!!!!!

Thats the way the cookie crumbles. Sometimes thing work out and other times they slap you in the face. For me this race slapped me in the face real hard!

I've learnt with races like this you need to treat them with respect and with each race comes a new learning experience.

I thought I was running well but now I think about it the more I realise how disrespectful I was with this race.
2 things that went wrong

1 - I need to work on my nutrition side of things. I can get away with 100mile trail races and 12hr races on what I do but this is a whole new ball game

2 - I need to start off slower! I should've stuck to my race plan, included regular walk breaks where I eat and STUCK TO IT!

Anyway this was my first attempt at this thing so its a great learning curve.


Quick summary of how my race went

We leave home at around 6am and get to the track a bit after 7am. We set up tent and relax until 10am.
First thing I notice is how quick some of these runners start off! One guy was running about 4:30/km pace I reckon! I just settled into a nice rhythm but was still way too fast at about 5:15/km pace.
The morning was going quite quick and before I know it the 6hr race was on it's way.

I really didn't feel like I needed to slow down as I felt so comfortable for most of the time I was out there.
I moved my way up from 6th position at the start to 1st position and kept that until I stopped.
At 7hrs20min I'd covered 80km and decided to slow the pace a bit
The first sign of fatigue came about 10hrs in but I still felt great.
It was about this time Mick, Jess, Jono, Charlie and some others came by to watch on thier way home from Nowra. That was a nice surprise. It must've looked funny us runners going so slow around an athletic track after racing the state x-country champs!

Anyway 11hrs40min I started to feel sick and had trouble eating. All of a sudden One minute I'm feeling in control and the next I'm feeling in trouble

15min later I have a toilet break and start to see everything spinning. I stumble out of the toilet and my hamstring that was handling everything so well decided to get really sore. All of a sudden I'm thinking "how am I going to get through another 12hrs of this?"
I ran back to the tent have a seat and within 5min all my legs seized up. Another 5min and I decided to pull the pin

I ended up with 120.8km in 11hrs55min
Anyway 11hrs

Trotters - Gerry's run

Easy 11k run with Levi, leg was good at our pace but could still feel it this time more laterally which we started off mega slow and just picked the pace up as we got going. Still easy the whole way through though. Finished in around 56min (5:09 pace)

After trotters went to gym and did some glute strength work and used the steamroom. Leg felt much better after that.

Just about to head off to Sth West Rocks for an easy run in the marathon tomorrow

Thurs and Fri

Thurs I felt pretty good. Still a long way off but had a pretty good run. Ran 24.2k in 2hrs5min (5:10km) Did a few sub 5min and leg held up good

Fri was different. Went for 15k and from the start I could really feel my hips. The 15k was slow from start to finish. Bit annoyed. 1hr21min

Goes to show we can have a good day and a bad day. Hoping tomorrow is a good day!

Day off work = A run, swim, run, Body balance

Put on the rain jacket some long tights and headed out the door for another slow run. 13k this morning at around 5:22 pace. Did a couple of 5min k's but the hammy didn't like that so I settled down.

A few hrs later it was I was in the pool for a 2k swim then off for another run. This time easy 11k around 5:20 pace then I did a body balance class. Just being careful with the hamstring work

Thats me done for the day. Now I've got a blocked nose from the swimming

Tues and another nice slow run

Got up and for the first time in 5 weeks my hamstring felt good! Off I drive to the gym thinking ïs this the turning point? Could it have healed through the night? Could I be back to normal running? some speed work maybe?
Well I get to the gym get out of my car and the feeling was back. Ohhh well slow running again.
I decided I want to do a cycle class to do some heart rate stuff but the stretching of the leg with the pedal was bringng on the hamstring pain. So I still finish the cycle class but will give them a miss for the time being.
After cycle I went for a run from the gym to Adcock park and did 6k on that running a nice slow pace getting use to the feeling of running slow on a track. I guess I did the first 4k about 5:25 pace then thought I'd slow even more to see what 6min k pace feels like on the track. Did 2k best I could do was 5:48 then slowed again thinking this has to be 6min or over and it's 5:53. I then made my way bak to the gym to do a bit of strength work and steamroom
23.3k done in 2hr3min (5:18 pace)

Sun and Mon 42.6 and a 5

I tell you what..this hamstring thing thats not letting me run my normal pace and forcing me to slow down is a bit of a blessing! If I was wanting to do a race like a marathon or shorter then I'd be a bit pissed but since what I'm really training for is total endurance and 6min km pace is considered fast I'm now really enjoying running long at a slow pace and still finishing quite fresh.

Yesterday (sunday) I got up and ran around the bay plus some extra and in the end it was 42.6km in 3hrs49min (5:22 pace) I was running slower at the start and somewhere there I ran into Greg Brown so I ran with him from PT Claire to the Rip bridge. I was happy how I felt in the legs since it was only the day earlier I ran 53km
Today (mon) I went to the gym to do some strength work and use the steamroom but also ran another slow run. This time only 5km. Calves were tight but other than that I felt ok. Hamstring was good but I wasn't striding out at all. I think my fastest pace was about 5:27 so pretty cruisy

Nice long 53km

Started off at trotters but went off and did my own run to Norah Head and back. Again just like the rest of my runs this week I kept it at an easy pace. Pretty much held onto 5:30 pace most of the way. Hamstring was really good running. I could feel it and the hip felt tight but as far as running went it was good. It got pretty sore when I finished and spent quite a bit of time putting the ice pack on it.

All in all I was happpy with todays effort

Thurs and Fri

Thurs
Off on a slow 21.8k. Really taking my time and making sure I don't put any stress on that hamstring. It was feeling good running slow and every now and then I caught myself speeding up to my normal easy pace and had to force myself to slow down. Ran it in about 2hrs. Pace was about 5:40km. Good news my hamstring didn't get any worse all day but I tell you what......my feet were so tired by the end of the day. I guess being on my feet from 7:30am when I started running to when I finshed work at 9pm is good endurance training!

Fri
Today I just went for another easy run without putting any pain on that hammy. 12k in about 1hr2min 5:16km pace. Still slightly slower than my easy runs.

Later had a massage that I'm glad to say was much less painful than the one last week!.

Tomorrow I'm planning a 50k-60k run at about 6min/km pace. That should put me in a good frame of mind for the 24hr and I guess it will give me an idea how my legs will feel after running nice and slow for that long. I'm hoping they will feel pretty good.