read more posts by
bigkevmatthews@gmail.com
As I come to the end of this intense block of training I must admit to looking forward to the odd rest day. For the last 12 weeks I think I’ve had 3 days of not running. One was after the City to Surf marathon (call me weak!) and the other two was my attempt at a taper for the Fremantle half. On top of that I’ve been running twice a day for the most part and have ran 14 times a week on a number of occasion recently.
This intense training is working though as I’ve ran a 5k, 10k and half PB in that time, something I considered beyond me as I move into my 5th decade. (does that sound better or worse than 50?) My mate Jon , I mention him a lot, has started to compare me to Thelma and Louise in the cliff top scene where they are about to drive off the edge. Always the optimist is Jon. He feels that with the intensity and distance of this training block the only output is the ‘I’ word. (injury for the less informed) He’s probably got a good point and I’m not saying that won’t happen.
So many runners give it away because of the constant stream of injuries. They can occur when you least expect them. My friend Mike got second degree burns when he was getting a massage and they put a heat pack on his calf. He was asked to call out if it got too hot but in typical ‘man mode’ Mike just lay there while his skin started to burn. He did admit it was a tad uncomfortable afterwards. another one of friend Gareth often says running is something he does between injuries. I’ve mentioned that before in a post but it’s worth repeating.
So will a rest day cure all these ills and save you from the ‘I’ word, it probably won’t do any harm. I personally prefer a recovery run to complete rest because I still get to run. I must admit though todays second run was into a stiff headwind and I was glad to finish. It didn’t feel like a recovery run I had planned, I was just plain knackered at the end. In this situation I am a big believer in listening to your body, if you have ‘niggles’ be careful. These can easily turn into ‘strain’, ‘fractures’ or even ‘breaks’. This means more time out of the game so sometimes doing nothing is the best thing to do, as well as a trip to your local health care professional for some advice and/or remedial work. Today I was physically tired but the legs feel ok, no niggles to speak off, so tomorrow it’ll probably be back up at 5am for my pre-work 10k and then something light and easy for lunch, maybe a 12k trail loop in Kings Park. You need to remember, I’m getting on, I’ll have plenty of time to rest in my box…..
This weekend is the Rottnest marathon, probably my favourite marathon and one unfortunately this year I am going to have to miss. I’ve ran ‘Rotto’ ten times but being two weeks out from the World Masters marathon was just too close. I am big believer in a day a kilometre (‘ish) to recover, at my age anyway. It normally takes me between 3-4 weeks to really get over a marathon. I know other runners who can recover a lot quicker. My mate Tony ‘T-train’ Smith takes about 12 hours and always winds me up on Strava the day following a marathon by running a sub 4min/k average run. Suicide but he seems to get away with it.
Rottnest is a small Island 30k from the Perth coastline. A pristine Island with numerous untouched beaches and no cars allowed so everybody bikes, or runs. It really is from a by-gone age and I’ve been holidaying there since the kids were babies. This year there is an inaugural half marathon so I have a race to keep me interested but it’ll be just two laps rather than the obligatory four I’m use to. ( http://www.rottnestisland.com )
Each year we stay in the same apartment on the beach and as you can see from the photo below when I say on the beach I mean on the beach. A week at Rottnest is the perfect ‘down time’ after the Winter running season and the last marathon of the year. I have the 6 inch ultra marathon in December ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com ) but that’s more of a long training run getting back to nature running some glorious trails. Next race of any significance isn’t until March next year when I race the Darlington half, then it’s Perth, City to Surf and Rottnest again. Maybe throw in an ultra or two, a sprinkling of shorter races and off we go again. Almost forgot the Australia Day Ultra in January ( http://australiadayultra.com ). I may race the 100k but I’m worried I’ll put too much weight on !!
Right back to Rottnest. A four lap course, with four good hills, runner unfriendly in my view. i.e. long undulating up sections with sharp down sections where you seem to get to the bottom too quickly before the next rise. It also gets pretty warm and windy. Finally did I mention the four hills, remember you need to times that by four for the four laps. So 16 runner unfriendly hills, 4 laps, it gets hot (and humid!) and windy. I’m not selling this am I, but the reason I love it so much is because of all the aforementioned issues. It is a hard marathon and these days there are fewer and fewer hard marathons where everybody is looking for a quick course. Rottnest is more about finishing rather than a time. It’s about going back to a by-gone age where life was just simpler and enjoying running a small marathon with good friends. There’s even a good pub on the Island where everybody congregates afterwards with the compulsory marathon war stories which get wilder and wilder the more they drink. This is then followed by the obligatory run to the last ferry when you realise you’re late.
Rottnest really is special and I urge you to click on the link at the start of this post to see the Island for yourself if you are not in Western Australia. You never know next year we may be lining up together at the start line together.
My mate Jon emailed me today and asked whether I used racing as a goal or a way to improve by making myself push harder wearing a bib. He raised a good point as this year I have raced over 20 times already and expect to finish the year with about 25-28 races under my belt. Albeit there are a few park runs in there, these still test you and even though you aren’t wearing a race number, as such, you’re still going to put your in the ‘pain box’ and leave nothing on the course.
A lot of runners get nervous pre-race and I’m the same. My family knows you tread carefully when I have a ‘goal’ race rather than a race I’d consider an excuse to test myself. Everybody gets nervous but this is not an excuse to avoid racing. I love racing but the only person I’m really racing is myself. The feeling of going faster than you have ever gone before is , to quote Visa , priceless. It invigorates your training and helps you see all the hard work you’re putting in is accomplishing something. If you don’t race how can you measure progress?
I know some runners run for the love of running, and that’s great, but I love running as much as anybody (you may have noticed that?) but I also love racing. The feeling of going faster than you ever thought you could and hanging on when every thought is about stopping or slowing. Racing teaches you so much about yourself, things that can’t be taught while you amble along smelling roses and enjoying the ambience of the day. Don’t get me wrong there’s a time and a place for recovery and easy runs but nothing beats the sheer exhilaration of racing.
Racing has the added benefit of forcing you to push yourself harder than you normally would in training and this is a good thing. You ain’t going to run until you come close to vomiting in training. (well you can but it’s easier with a race number, there’s a time and place for putting everything on the line.) Maybe racing every other weekend is a tad overboard but when you’re chasing PB’s and catching them on a regular basis it becomes a drug, and I am addicted.
A runners Connect article articulates the whole racing yourself into shape better than I could
Racing yourself into shape: The pros, cons, and specific advice
Planning the perfect training schedule is always a delicate balance between doing what is “fun” (ripping 200 meter repeats, 24-hour relays with friends, and racing every weekend) with the optimal physiological adaptations needed to continually run personal bests. Unfortunately, even when you have the ideal training plan designed, things don’t always go as smooth as you might like.
Injuries, sickness, or a difficult spell at work can sometimes leave you out of shape with a long list of races on the schedule that have already been paid for. Or, you might be involved in a running club or race series that requires you to run in all its events, despite not being conducive to your marathon build-up. Whatever your circumstance, you might find yourself in a situation where you have a strong obligation to race often yet still want to make positive fitness gains. While not without its potential pitfalls, it is possible to race yourself into shape.
In this article, we’ll cover the positives and negatives of racing yourself into shape so you can decide if it’s the right choice for you and also provide some helpful tips for how to effectively implement this training strategy.What to watch out for
Sometimes racing yourself into shape can’t be avoided and it might be the best training option you have available. In this case here are three common issues you need to be wary of:
You’re not going to hit a PR at every race
Given the training load, your current fitness, and your lack of race specific workouts, you can’t expect to PR often, if at all, when you’re racing yourself into shape. You should consider these races as high intensity, fitness-building workouts. As such, you should expect that running what would normally be an easy race pace for you to feel hard, or for your effort to not be adequately reflected in your finishing time.
Not running well can ruin your psyche
Along the same lines, it is very important that you not let these bad races impact you mentally. Even when you understand that you’re training through a race it can be difficult to run poorly and get beaten by runners who don’t normally beat you. It’s important that you remember the bigger goals ahead of you and stay mentally strong through the weeks you’re racing yourself into shape. Otherwise, you’ll destroy your confidence and try to over compensate during your other workouts during the week.
Races are still harder than a regular workout
While you’re using the race as a workout in your mind, races are still harder on your body than a normal workout because you’re not staying within a certain effort or pace range. Even if you say “I am just going to do this race as a tempo run”, it almost never works out this way – you’ll always run as hard as you can when the bib is on and the competition is there. This means you’ll need to be extra cautious when it comes to recovery and overtraining physically. Likewise, you need to be cognizant that you don’t burn yourself out mentally or get stale from racing too much.
The benefits of racing yourself into shape
While racing yourself into shape is a tricky, high-risk way to train, it does have a few benefits that can help you improve, both short-term and long-term.
You don’t have to workout alone
Perhaps my favorite benefit is that you don’t have to “workout” alone. If you do a majority of your hard running alone, it can be nice to have competitors along with you to help push you to better performances and distract you from the mind-numbing task of running hard for 10k. Along the same lines, having “training partners” can help take your workouts to the next level, especially if you’re having trouble pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone.
You can easily measure progress
One of the hardest things about executing long blocks of training without racing is that it’s often difficult to notice imperceptible gains in fitness. It’s difficult to compare how 10×800 meters compares to a 2 x 3 mile tempo in terms of quality or progress each week. When you race yourself into shape, you can pretty easily track your progress from race-to-race, even on different courses (using familiar competition as a barometer). It can be a boost to the confidence if you’re progressing each time you race.
Gain experience racing
You can gain a lot of racing experience from racing frequently. Veteran runners can get more practice at events outside their normal comfort zones and beginners can hone the racing skills they’ll need to set big PRs down the road. Lots of things can go wrong during a race (watch malfunction, falling, shoes coming untied, learning to time your kick) and racing often can expose you to these different experiences so you’ll be prepared should they happen at a goal race.
How to race yourself into shape
Now that you understand the potential benefits and pitfalls of racing yourself into shape, here are some helpful tips for implementing this strategy into your training schedule should the need arise.
Don’t taper for each race
To ensure that racing yourself into shape doesn’t become just racing each week without progressing towards a bigger goal you’ll need to keep your overall mileage high. Don’t shorten the distance you run the day before the race and consider adding a few miles to the warm-up and cool-down to keep your overall mileage high.
Don’t try to squeeze everything in, but don’t neglect any one system for too long
The race needs to take the place of one of your workouts for the week. You can’t run a long run, speed workout, tempo run and race in one week. That is simply too much quality, even for a well-trained runner. The race should take the place of one of your quality workouts.
However, you need to make sure you don’t replace the same workout each week or you risk leaving that energy system behind. If you skip your long run every week, you’ll be sacrificing aerobic development. Meanwhile, substituting a race for a tempo run is a close approximation, but it isn’t exactly the same physiological energy system, so don’t be fooled. Mix up the workouts and race distances you run to make sure you’re hitting all your energy systems.
Space out your races
The biggest mistake runners make when they are trying to race themselves into shape is thinking they need to race every weekend. Not only does racing take a physical and mental toll, but as noted above, you still need time to train. You should be racing no more than once every two weeks, although spacing your races out by three to four weeks would be even better. Remember, it takes 7-10 days to realize the benefits of a workout, so if you race every weekend, it will be difficult to see measurable gains.
Implement these three suggestions and be wary of the potential pitfalls of racing yourself into shape and you’ll increase your chances of success when coming back from injury or partaking in a long race series while still keeping your eyes on the big goals ahead. As always, ask your coach if this is a good strategy for you and we would be glad to help.
While waiting for a red light this evening on run number 14 for the week I couldn’t help but smile while thinking of one of those motivational quotes about Joggers stretching and jogging on the spot while they wait for the lights while runners just stand there pi**ed off they had to stop, this sums up the attitude of runners. We run and that is what we do. None of this jogging on the spot rubbish, we move forward, if we can’t we wait patiently until we can. Up and down jogging on the spot is not running, also I suspect gains no forward motion with Strava ( http://www.strava.com ) so a complete waste of time and effort.
So how did run number 14 feel the week.? It actually felt good and dare I say even relaxing. It seems my body is getting use to running twice a day but unfortunately with summer coming these opportunities will start to disappear with the onset of Perth’s 40 degree days. After the Masters marathon it’ll be time for the bike to come out of it’s 9 month hibernation and after an early morning run it’ll be bike time as I commute to work. Will one run and two rides a week equate to two runs a day ? We’ll find out early next year when I start racing. I hope I can keep this new level of fitness but if I do drop off a tad I’ll be making a big effort to return to this current level of running fitness.
This morning we were discussing the amount of injuries that occur at the end of a training block pre-race. In my opinion if you don’t keep a good level of fitness and each time you train is like starting new you run the risk of injury each time you come near to completing your training block. My new Sports Doctor friend backed up my opinion about starting fresh each time for a new event. He also mentioned he sees a lot of injuries in triathletes who train for one race, say an Ironman, as a bucket list item. They start from scratch and push themselves for this one race. After the bucket list item is ticked it’s back to the bar with a shiny new Ironman tattoo never to be seen in lycra again. The same goes for the marathon bucket list chasers. It’s all or nothing but unfortunately without the foundation you run the injury tightrope. So when you near the end of your training block is when you are most likely to get injured, just basically pushing yourself too hard.
I believe if you keep a good foundation there is no need for that step-up in fitness levels needed by adding so much extra workload. As I race bi-weekly I’m always ready and so really the step up needed is negligible. I mentioned linear of non linear periodisation in a post earlier in the week.
This weekend was about running my last long run pre-Masters ( http://www.perth2016.com ) and also put in a big week. 180k is a pretty big week and more importantly no real niggles or issues. This week I have 4 more days of training before a weekend off pre-Rottnest half marathon, then the Masters 5k track the following Saturday before the Masters in November 6th. Three races in 3 weeks, the final part of my 5 races in 6 weeks. Can’t wait, what else is there ?
Last week we all ran the Fremantle half and afterwards it was back to City beach and the best pancakes we can find in Perth at the moment. If you follow this blog you’ll know we run for pancakes. The bling, kudos, wellness, fitness etc is all well and good but the bottom line is the pancakes after the Sunday long run. Running magazines even talk up pancakes as recovery food so it must be good. (Please no one write anything to the contrary as you will be banned from this site and all access blocked. I only have pancakes in my life bar running. I hope the Wife and kids don’t read that!)
I digress , as always. So this morning we all meet at 6am outside Clancys ( http://clancysfishpub.com.au/city-beach.html ) and off we go on another ( and the last pre-Masters marathon) long run. The obligatory 30k out and back with no stops. I believe this method of training teaches your body to use fat as fuel and not substitute this fat burning with Gu’s etc. helps on race day. My view anyhow. So the six of us start and even pick up another runner on the way, a Sports Doctor no less who of course is invited to be part of the group moving forward. We all make the 15k turn around together and pick up the pace for the return leg. (as is the way off most running groups globally).
Once we finish we notice one of our group seems to have be left behind and the last two runners return and put in an order for pancakes and a flat white coffee as Mark L., has been passed and put in his order as he knows he’s in trouble. The image below shows what a considerate guy I am, you’ll notice Mark’s pancakes and coffee eating for him.
So eventually Mark turns up and he’d hit the wall at about 25k in the 30k run and went from feeling fine to ‘finished’ in a short period of time. Heart rate was fine just he had nothing in his legs. Must admit when he staggered in he’d looked better. The pancakes, coffee, a shake and water helped and he soon regains his composure. Compare this to last week when Mark ran a great PB without pushing himself. This was due to a block of training that had pushed his average distance well beyond his norm.
So the point of this post is sometimes the run kicks your backside when you least expect it. Everybody has bad days but you must realise when your training you’re running on tired legs continuously and sometimes you just push too hard and it’s time to ‘pay the piper’, today Mark paid in full.
It’s important to also realise that when you eventually face your goal race you’re normally rested, carbo-loaded and hydrated. Add this to the extra incentive to do well and sometimes those last long runs are harder than the race itself.
If you have a bad run and hit the wall that’s ok. You’ve found a tipping point which you can use as a baseline for your next block of training and move past it. Sometimes you learn more from these runs that constant easy runs that don’t test you. Of course it helps when you know you got probably the best pancakes in Perth and a decent coffee waiting for you.
In my post earlier today I described the various different paced runs you can start to add after the distance foundation stage. I forgot to mention the ‘ultra marathon’ pace. This is a recovery like run albeit a very long one but the bonus is because it’s a race you get to basically eat and drink what you want, within reason, on the pretence it is required fuel and hydration.
When I prepare for a marathon I’ll maybe hand-carry a couple of Gu’s, as extra nutrition, as the 42k distance without these bad boys can be a challenge. You add the word ‘ultra’ to a race and you have hydration packs filled to the gunnels with about 6 litres of some super-drink full of electrolytes, sugar, carbohydrates and more protein than a field of chickens. Then you add a fuel belt with more confectionary than a corner store. This could be for a race an extra 4-5k longer than a marathon. What happens in that extra 4-5k that justifies this food and drink smorgasbord ? Worse still is a supported ultra because every 10k or so these runners get to feast on all sorts of weird and wonderful delicacies.
I’ve always said an Ultra is an eating and drinking conception with running between meals. The person who finishes first and normally eats the least normally wins. My mate Jon in his first ultra ( http://australiadayultra.com ) actually put weight on in the 100k race and still finished second. If he spent more time running and less time eating he could have won !
All joking aside Ultra pace is obviously slower than normal and is dictated by distance and terrain. Common sense dictates the longer the race the slower the pace and if the terrain is mountainous add a few seconds per pace, in between snacks of course.
I’ve ran 16 ultra’s in my career ranging from 46k up to three Comrade campaigns in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Comrades varied between 86-89k depending on how sadistic the race director felt I assumed. ( http://www.comrades.com ) My lasting memory of Comrades was the constant deluge of food offered from organised race tables or just the general public. This consisted of barbecues serving all sorts of meat in all sorts of disguises. and of course beer, and lots of it. Unfortunately this is not the norm for ultras, normally you have too work vary hard between aid stations , which is another excuse to spend serious time at the aid stations eating and drinking, apparently.
So if you like your ‘tucka’ then maybe the ultra world is the answer to your dreams., I know Jon can’t wait to get stuck into the 100k in January next year.
This post could be a big one. So much information out there on pace in all its different forms. I’ve just made myself a cup of tea as I prepare to dive into this subject. (A runners treat, a cup of tea while blogging. Funny thing is I actually believe that to be true. I’m really am a sad runner, I suppose, or on the other side of a coin a finely tuned running machine fueled by sweet tea and the odd chocolate digestive..anyway I digress back to the post…)
So after the foundation has been laid with some quality ‘time on legs’ distance it’s time to put that fitness to good use and start to sprinkle in some speed. Nothing too strenuous to start with, the old ‘walk before you can run adage’ comes into play because we need to avoid injury (I hate even typing that word!) .
So what are the options when it comes to adding pace.
- Steady runs. These are slightly faster than normal but not quite as fast as say, marathon pace, or tempos. A steady run will get the heart rate up (you have a Garmin or GPS watch with a heart monitor right?) but not been too much effort that it is unsustainable for the period of the run. If you find you’re struggling towards the end it ain’t steady. On the other hand it needs to be a test of sorts, so some effort will be required to keep the desired pace.
- Next in the pace scale is a tempo run. This should be pretty close to your marathon pace or even a tad quicker. A long tempo run will be an effort and needs to be a test. Ideally tempo runs are perfect for gaining confidence in your training as you move towards your goal race. Concentrate on your technique as well as maintaining the pace.
- Thresholds are next. This is the fastest pace at which you can remain fully in control of your breathing. At your threshold pace you’re breathing deeply, but not straining to get enough oxygen. For highly trained runners, threshold pace can be sustained for about one hour in race conditions. For beginners, it’s closer to a 30-minute maximum pace. With Thresholds you are in the ‘pain box’ but the benefits are worth the effort.
- Vo2 max. / Intervals. A high VO2 max figure can be the target of many a runner and also I believe the downfall. My Garmin 235 gives me V02 figures ranging from 58-65 depending on how the heart monitor is behaving itself. I don’t get hung up as this figure bounces between the average high and low figure. A proper VO2 score can only be achieved in a laboroty and is not something I desire. Pace wise interval paced is the fastest you can do over a short distance, normally 800m to 1600m, repeated a number of times. The goal is to complete the intervals in a similar pace for the first and the last interval. Fading on the last few repeats indicates you went out too quick for the first few and finishing too strong means you were a tad lazy at the start.
- Marathon pace. As the name suggest holding your predicted marathon pace for a good distance. If you want to add some spice to this workout add a 10km warm up and then 20-30k at marathon pace. Ideally this is a last long run confidence booster before the big day. Anyhow marathon pace long runs are ideal if you can achieve them and still feel fresh enough for the training in the week ahead.
- Fartlek. This is my favourite pace as it is normally unstructured, if you are being true to the original idea. Swedish for “speed play,” and that is exactly what it’s all about. Unlike tempo and interval work, fartlek is unstructured and alternates moderate-to-hard efforts with easy throughout. After a warmup, you play with speed by running at faster efforts for short periods of time (to that tree, to the sign) followed by easy-effort running to recover. It’s fun in a group setting as you can alternate the leader and mix up the pace and time. And in doing so, you reap the mental benefits of being pushed by your buddies through an unpredictable workout. The goal is to keep it free-flowing so you’re untethered to the watch or a plan, and to run at harder efforts but not a specific pace. If you want some structure try my favourite session the ‘mona fartlek’ . I’ve already written a post on this so search the site and you’ll find it.
So there you have it, a few different kinds of pace you can now add to your training runs. As you know I’m a 80% slow and easy and 20% speed work, this seems to have the double benefit of increasing your general running fitness without the risk of injury .(there’s that word again!) As always this is a Matt Fitzgerald split and in Matt we trust. ( http://mattfitzgerald.org )
Assuming you have just added distance I would recommend adding 2 steady runs a week initially. The following week substitute a tempo for one of your steady runs and then add a threshold in week 3, as well as the steady and tempo. Moving forward I’d also try to work in the odd Interval or fartlek (check the internet for various options, there are a few to play around with) . The most important thing is you enjoy the change in pace these sessions offer you.
One final word of warning. I would avoid two hard sessions in a row as this can lead to injury (I am not typing that word again in this post!) and also listen to your body. If you are fatigued swap out a pace session for a recovery run, in the long run it’ll be better for you and you avoid the ‘I’ word.
Right, I’ve earned my cup of tea…..
As most of you will know I have been training very hard since the middle of the year for the World Masters in Perth. I have sacrificed my favourite marathon for this event ( the Rottnest marathon, though I am still doing the half, silly not to really) and have put my life on hold (that bit was relatively easy as I really do not have a life outside running ?). Anyhow looking at the competition in my age category, 45-50, I am aiming for an age group podium. If I run to the best of my ability I may have a chance, either way I’ll give it my all, as is my way.
Yesterday I received an email from John Shaw asking about drink station drops off for the race. John is coming from over Queensland and was worried about the ability to pick up his bottles on the course. The race director, Dave Henderson, and WAMC President, arranged the drink drop offs so John was happy enough. Anyway John went on to say he was looking for an Australian record (trying to take the record held by John Gilmour of 2:41 for the 60-64 age group. ) John actually holds the single year World Record for a 63 year running a marathon, running 2:45 at the Gold Coast marathon this year. This achievement is made even more remarkable when you find out John only took up running 4 years ago at 59 years old, 95kg and totally unfit. I have attached an interview with QRun below.
If John follows my 7-8 years PB window he still has 2-3 years to improve. I reckon if he can stay unjury free and finds the right marathon on a cold morning he’ll go sub 2:40. John could possibly keep breaking world records every year he ages. Now that would be worth blogging about !
I’m looking forward to running with John in three weeks. If it all goes to plan we may be spending quite a bit of time together on the course……
A Shaw Thing: John Shaw’s amazing journey to a world record
We were fortunate enough to interview John Shaw, an amazing athlete approaching his marathon running prime at 63 years young. He broke the world age record for the marathon at the recent Gold Coast Airport Marathon in July.
Benita Willis: Firstly, congrats on your run at GCAM 16 and your achievement of the single age world record at 63 years old and (2hr45min23sec). What was your lead up like? How did you feel in the race itself?
John Shaw: Overall training went very well with only a minor hip and hamstring injury along the way. I became confident of running a fast marathon time in May when; during a solo training session; I ran a half marathon PB of 1:19:26. Then 2 weeks before GCAM I did a 35:06 PB in a 10km time trial. Unfortunately 3 days before GCAM I suffered a minor hamstring twinge. Still, on race day l felt relaxed and ready. I soon settled into a comfortable 3:46 pace rhythm. Unfortunately the hamstring issue was making my calf’s work a lot harder. After 18km they were on fire and my pace slowly drifted out to 3:50’s. By 35km they were low 4:00’s. Even though not everything went to plan I was still elated to break that single age world record. I was also stoked to finish 70th out of 5467 runners with only 5 aged 40 or older ahead of me. 2 included the winner and 3rd place. For bragging rights I even beat Steve Moneghetti but I very much doubt he raced it. It may have been more of a long fun run for him.
BW: Take us back a few years to when you were 59 years old in 2012 and a couch potato weighing 96kgs… Why did you decide to get into running? How hard did you find it at first?
JS: I am an “accidental” runner. In May 2012 I decided to loose weight by walking. 12 weeks and 1000km later I reached my goal of shedding 20kg. During that period I attempted to run once but quit after 400m. Soon after I chanced upon a “Couch to 5km” running program and decided to sign up. On day 1 I ran a slow and painful 5km non stop. On day 2 I was upgraded to the 10km program. As weeks and months passed I ran further and faster. My first race effort was late Dec 2012 at Wynnum Parkrun where I managed a respectable 23:04. After that run I was hooked
BW: Were there any particular races along the way (since 2012) that you did and afterwards thought “I can get that WR?” or was it just a progression of fitness and confidence that lead to your 2:45 run?
JS: In was mid 2014 when my coach, Peter James, first mentioned world records. Though it freaked me out he certainly got my interest. Since then we have been gradually working towards State, National and World records. It continues to be an ongoing process
BW: How much has having a coach helped you to achieve your running goals so far? Do you have a running group or prefer to train alone?
JS: Without Peter I would be like a North Korean rocket – fast but aimless. By mid 2013 I realised I had potential but knew I needed a coach who understood me as a runner and a person. Through a friend I met Peter. He knows how to get the best out runners of all ages; especially older runners. He is the sole reason for any success I have had so far or will achieve.I do mostly train alone apart from a weekly speed session with Peter’s group (PJ Express) along the river at Milton or West End. It is a small group full of extraordinary achievers. Sometimes I go simply to for “human contact” Marathon training is a lonely existence and it helps to occasionally mix with like minded runners.
BW: I know as we get older, we have to be even more careful with the training volume and intensity. In my opinion it is even harder to train as you can’t get away with little mistakes you once did as a youngster. How do you handle your training load? Do you do any cross training?
JS: My coach is very mindful of making sure I do not overdo it. Problems and injuries only occur when I lose the plot and do not follow instructions e.g 3km pace instead of 5k pace intervals.Fortunately I do have an advantage over similar aged runners in that I had a 43 year break from running – from age 16 till 59. So I still have “young” legs that have never been beaten up by years of racing.For cross training and during injury downtime I use a Bionic Runner (run4.com). It is a stand up bike invented and sold worldwide by Brisbane local, Steve Cranitch. It replicates running without the pounding but still gives you a solid aerobic workout. Late last year I suffered a serious calf injury while training for a half marathon. With limited running and lots of Bionic Running I still managed a 70sec PB. As I have lazy glutes and hamstrings I now do 2 gym sessions per week with kettlebells etc.
BW: What would a typical marathon prep training week look like?
JS: A typical week in the middle of a marathon program would be:
Mon am: 10km recovery
Mon pm: 14km progression
Tue am : 16km easy
Tue pm: 10km easy
Wed am: 22km mid week long run
Wed pm: Gym
Thu: Threshold speed session
Fri am: 20km easy
Fri pm: Gym
Sat: Rest day or Parkrun
Sun: 25-32km long runBW: Do you still do some work or are you happily retired?
JS: I am self employed and run two niche businesses. I am fortunate to be able to make work fit around my training and races
BW: I understand you recently received an email from Strava’s head office in San Fransisco about your run at GCAM 16? How did you feel being recognised internationally from a company like Strava after uploading your race data after your 2hr45 run on the Gold Coast?
JS: That email came right out of the blue. I was blown away and have no idea how they discovered my race upload. Strava congratulated me and they also want to do an article. Later that same day the run was up on their Facebook page. Since then I have had “Follow” requests from runners around the world. It is amazing when you consider they have over a million users and my upload was simply one of tens of thousands that are uploaded to their website every day.
BW: What are your future running goals and races ahead?
JS: My next major race is the marathon at the World Masters Games in Perth on Nov 6th 2016. My primary goal is Gold. If all goes to plan I will attempt to break the Australian 60-64 age group record of 2:41:07 set in 1981 by a legend; John Gilmour. Apart from improving PB’s for various distances the 2017 focus will be the GCAM. I have unfinished business and will target a sub 2:40. Yes I will be older…yet faster!
BW: Thanks for the interview, we at Qrun wish you all the best and following your career with keen interest!
As you’ll know from previous posts I am a Strava ( www.strava.com ) junkie and need to record every run. In fact I reckon this year I’ve ran over 340 times, for 4,471km’s (thanks Strava) and only once did I not record it when my battery died. I was ‘mad as a cut snake’ when that happened and did not enjoy the run at all. How did this happen ? I’m not saying this is a bad thing as I love recounting previous runs and the way Garmin keeps track of EVERYTHING allows some good data analysis. (if that floats your boat of course?)
There are better software apps available however (Training peaks is one) as I still feel Strava is more cycling focused, and that hurts but for what I need it does the job. I even pay for the premium service which really adds little value but it is the one and only app I use daily, so I feel I should contribute. Probably the best $90 I spend really given the amount of time I spend using it.
There is a downside to the Garmin and Strava world of course, you lose the ability to surprise yourself and run a massive PB or a time you thought beyond you. These days , thanks to blogs like this I suppose, you are taught to ‘trust your training’ but also set realistic and achievable goals. This is mainly to protect you from sprinting the first 10k of a marathon, because you can, and crawling home a broken runner who never returns to the game. In the Garmin world you are reminded every kilometre of your current pace, average pace, time, distance, temperature, heart rate, direction and probably the average rainfall of the Amazon rainforest in April, with the aid of widgets you can now download onto the watch. What this does do is restrict you to a predetermined finishing time as you will only break free of the chains you have set yourself when you know you will not implode. This may be from 35k in the marathon or 17k in a half. A distance when you know your training has done the job and you can just ‘go for it with gay abandon’. Imagine though that the race was the race of your life and everything had come together so much better than you could have ever imagined. You were on track for a 20 minute PB if you ditched the watch and just ran on feel.
This goes against most coaches and 90%+ of the running community. You need realistic goals to protect yourself but these goals eventually become chains that restrict you to a certain finish time. Are the days of massive PB’s then gone ? I would say for the experienced runner they probably are. I have lowered my marathon time from high 3hour range to the high 2hr range in 40 marathons. Each time chipping away at a previous PB as I work harder and run more but also become a more experienced runner who has become accustomed to the marathon distance. In those 40 marathons I have only hit the wall twice, on my first marathon and marathon number 37. Both for good reasons, the other 38 marathons have been ran, give or take 5-10 minutes, to a time I had targeted pre-race. Was there the opportunity somewhere in those 38 marathons to run a ‘fantastic time’ and achieve a quantum leap in my marathon time. We’ll never know.
I did run one marathon in 2010 without a watch, my battery had died on the line and I ran a 3hrs3minutes when I was in sub 3 pace. From the moment my watch died on the line my race was over. Mentally finished, the opportunity to run on feel vanished with my confidence. After this I ran with two watches for many marathons and have only just recently started to trust one Garmin.
So have the surprise element been taken away in the technology focused, GPS world we live in. I’m afraid so. Would I have it any other way, hell no, pass me my iPhone and no one gets hurt……
I ran this morning with my good friend Mark Lee, who is considerably faster than me. It was meant to be a recovery run but as we set off at quicker than 4:30min/k I knew I was in for a ‘fast recovery’. Whenever I run with Mark it is a challenge for two reasons, first he runs fast all the time and second his banter is as quick and you need to be switched on to keep up on both counts. ! Mark has his own Football Coaching business, is 20 years my junior and fit as a ‘butchers dog’. He is so passionate about everything he does and it is always a pleasure, as well as a challenge, to run with him. This morning I met him outside Yelo at 5:15am as we (well I) had decided that after our ‘recovery run’ we’d reward ourselves with the best muffin and coffee in the Southern Hemisphere. (Probably both hemispheres but I know I’d upset too many Italians)
Anyway as expected the 10k was quick and the banter constant. (No one told me they moved Valencia to Spain, it was Italian last time I looked. Geography not being my strong point, while we were discussing Phil Neville’s sacking as the head coach of Valencia. ) When we eventually finished the average had dropped to 4:06min/k, so much for recovery. We’d got back to Yelo 25 minutes before it even opened so a proper 4k recovery was called for.
So the point of this post is to find a runner who is faster than you and go and try and keep up. Of course it will be difficult but remember that ‘hard work’ I talked about yesterday, well this is part of that. You have a choice to run with runners who do not push you or step up a ‘pond’ or two and test yourself. This being said distance and time on legs will allow you to improve in your current ‘pond.’ That’s the good thing about running; there are many ways to move ‘ponds’. You can use the time on feet method, which is the slow and steady rise, or throw in some pace and distance and you’ll be hopping between ‘ponds’ like a frog who eaten an extra hot chilli-pepper. The choice is yours.
