General day to day ramblings
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.
Lately there have been many comments about my new found form but with all things running there really is no secret to a winning formula. It really is just hard work. You can sugar coat it with different training methods, diet changes or weight loss but truth be told it all comes down to hard work. I’ll say it one more time so you don’t miss the point, hard work.
There are people who will always quote the ‘work smarter, not harder’ saying at you but with running the work smarter option will not get the same results. I’ve read books on ‘run less, run faster’ as well as books saying ‘run slower to run faster’. Sometimes you feel these authors are just bucking the trend and putting new ideas out there to sell more copies of their books. I mean who’s going to buy a book that says ‘Running is the most honest sport in the world, you get out what you put in’, it really is that easy.
Obviously if you work hard AND work smarter you will see better results so all you coaches out there, relax, you still have a role to play but relying on coaches alone without putting in the hard yards accomplishes nothing. I have pushed adding time on legs and distance in the last few weeks so this will be the last post on the subject and I’ll start to run though my golden rules for marathon success.
This morning when I awoke at 5am I was so tired and that dragged myself out of bed and was 50/50 when faced with putting on my running gear. I am always reminded of a famous Brendan Foster quote
“All top international athletes wake up in the morning feeling tired and go to bed feeling very tired.”
I actually normally reverse that and wake up really tired but normally go to bed just tired.
Steve Ovett backs up my statement about running being an honest sport but also puts a positive point to counter the initial findings.
“You find out a lot about yourself through athletics. If you’re cut out to be a winner or a failure or a quitter, athletics will bring it out of you. You’re always stripping yourself down to the bones of your personality. And sometimes you just get a glimpse of the kind of talent you’ve been given. Sometimes I run and I don’t even feel the effort of running. I don’t even feel the ground. I’m just drifting. Incredible feeling. All the agony and frustration, they’re all justified by one moment like that.”
I agree with Steve, sometimes when you run you really do feel like you are floating and you can just enjoy the changing scenery as you glide along. I must admit this doesn’t happen very often as remember the hard work bit I mentioned earlier, that can scupper these feeling of running euphoria. When it happens though enjoy it because it is what we all train for and maybe this is the ‘runners high’ we all talk about but seldom experience.
On my second run for the day, a pleasant 14k trail chasing run in Kings Park, my mind wandered to why my I have been improving this year. As I mentioned in my previous post I put a lot of it down to a new training regime, the double up days but also I missed out another important factor, weight.
I am currently 69kg which ,for someone who is just shy of 6foot, is pretty ‘light’. This is 2-3kg less than my previous running weight and I feel this has been another factor in my current ‘second coming’. On my lunchtime run I started to think about the current African domination of the marathon distance and I am convinced a large part of this is weight, or in their case, lack off.
The last real marathon runner I would consider a ‘normal’ weight would have to be Robert de Costella. An Australian icon he held the World Record from December 1981 to October 1984. He also won Boston, Rotterdam and Fukouka marathons, and had a marathon PB time of 2:07:51. All this while weighing in at 65kg, on a 5ft11inch frame. In todays professional marathon running world he’d be obese.
I have been lucky enough to meet ‘Deeks’ on a number of occasions and he really is an oracle of knowledge on all things running and always willing to share his experiences and insights.
Another reason for selecting Deeks is he did suffer with injuries as he was a big advocate of the distance training and unfortunately broke down on a number of occasions. I would probably put this down to his slightly heavier frame than the average professional marathon runner and nearly 10k+ heavier than the Africans who dominate today.
In 1990, the average top-100 guy marathon runner weighed 59.6 kg (131.4 lbs); in 2011, he weighed 56.2 kg (123.9 lbs). That’s a big drop. They also got shorter, from 1.73 m (5′ 8.1″) to 1.70 m (5′ 6.9″). The drop in weight isn’t entirely explained by the drop in height, as their BMI also decreased from 19.83 to 19.42. Of course, it’s important to note that there was a wide range of values represented, with BMIs reportedly from 15.78 (a value that again makes me wonder about the accuracy of the data) to 23.05.
There is no way Deeks could compete against another professional athlete giving away 10kg. Makes my 69kg look obscene. Must mention that to my Wife who continually complains I’m a ‘bag of bones’, perfectly formed marathon runner is how i see it.
Anyway back to my point. I’ve lost 2-3kgs, I’m training more intelligently and I’m training more; add in the improved diet with less sugar and it all adds up to PB’s. Simple really.
To prove my point I’ve attached a photo of me next to the winner of the Melbourne Marathon in 2012., Jonathan Kipchirchir Chesooi. I look huge, I’d be probably nearly 20k heavier than Jonathan, easily accounts for the 30 minutes time difference. Maybe they should do an age adjusted and weight adjusted marathon time. I’d be world champion.
I was a firm believer in the 7 year PB rule that states whenever you took up running seriously you have 7 years of PB’s before you’d plateau and then start slowing down. This would obviously be a smaller window if you took up running really late of course. For me I would say in 2008 I started running ‘properly’ when I took on the Comrades ultra-marathon in South Africa. Before I had run a few marathons but no real consistency or long term strategy. From 2008 to 2013 I was pretty consistent in lowering my PB’s in all distances and had that luxury of knowing that nearly every time I put on a race number I would lower my PB time. This is a wonderful time for a runner as each race is a challenge and the reward of another PB makes all the training and hard work seem so worth it.
In 2014 I was coming off a great previous year and training harder than ever and was confident I was going to break the elusive 2:40 for the marathon. The previous year I had run a 2:41.xx twice and felt it was only a matter of time before I improved. My first marathon of 2014 was the Bunbury Marathon which I had won the year before. I was running great and confidence was high. Unfortunately the wheels fell off, I was racing in a group of four and setting the pace for the first 10k when I just mentally gave up. I was walking though the drink station at 14k and the second half of the race was a ‘slog’. I managed to stagger home in 2:54 in a race that I was in 2:40 form. After this my running stagnated and two more attempts at a sub 2:40 both resulted in failures. These failures in the marathons also then affected my shorter distances and before long I had given up on ever achieving the feeling if a PB.
Funnily enough when the time came I was actually more than happy to move on from my PB chasing stage of my running career to one that was more concerned with not slowing down too much, too quickly. The pressure of chasing the sub 2:40 was off and I could actually start just enjoying running for the pure love of running. I gave my 2:40 one more assault with the help of a coach, who did a great job rebuilding the way I trained but ultimately a possible stress fracture put an end to my last sub 2:40 attempt in the middle of 2015.
So fast forward to 2016 and with the pressure off and the lessons learnt from Raf at the Running Centre I start setting the challenges for the year. I decide to concentrate on shorter distances reasoning that there may be the chance of a PB as with Raf’s training I realised I had some speed left in the legs. Working with Dan Macey, a friend and ‘wanna-be’ coach, I set about chasing the 5k 16:40 time we had both talked about over the last few years. Running a few Park Runs ( www.parkrun.com.au) I managed to achieve this goal and then set about the 10k dream time of a sub 34minutes. (My PB was 35 minutes dead) I had not run a 10k for nearly 2 years so set about entering as many as possible. After a few false starts I managed to run 34:18 just recently in my sixth 10k of the year. So all of a sudden I was hitting PB’s again after assuming that stage of my running career was over in 2013.
What has changed since 2013 ? Changing the way I trained in 2015 with Raf was the foundation and he always said you would see the improvement but it would take time. What were the main things Raf taught me? Add distance was probably the main point but also vary your training. I was running 4min/k all the time pre-2013 and although it had served me well up to then its benefits certainly had plateaued. Adding in tempos, thresholds, recovery and fartleks reinvigorated my training schedule and success soon followed.
In the latter half of 2016, since a good Perth Marathon, I have added double up days daily and this has been the icing on the cake so to speak. With distance and the variation in training as the foundation for the improvement the double up days has been the final piece in the jigsaw. It has, in my view, added the stamina and cardio fitness boost that has enabled me to run faster but also maintain that pace through the race distance whereas in the past I would drop off.
So it looks like 2013 wasn’t the final curtain on the PB play, there are a few more acts still to come before the curtain comes down. Of course it means more training, more pain and more suffering but if it was easy everybody would be doing it. In the last Olympics you just need to look at Mo Farah who went back-to-back gold in the 5000m and 10000m and Usain Bolt who went one better with three gold medal performances at three separate Olympics. These guys have been at their best for many years so you can maintain your peak if you keep putting in the hard yards. It’s not rocket science…..
After my 3rd recovery run I am again feeling totally spent. I understand the logic behind the recovery runs being good for you, allowing you to exercise on fatigued legs, but surely there must be a point when you have to basically throw in the towel and walk away for a period of complete rest. This got me thinking about the periodization approach to training where you build up the different layers of training for a specific goal race. You then take some time to recover before starting the next periodisation phase for the next goal, starting to build the layers again from the beginning.
This approach was pioneered by Arthur Lydiard who knew what he was talking about and was probably the most successful coach of his time. So it works. The bit that worries me, at my age, is I wonder if I have the time left in my running career at this level to take time off between goal races. At nearly 50 it’s not like I can take a year or two out of the sport and come back stronger. Me and Father Time are currently playing a game of Russian Roulette and for the moment the chambers are empty but eventually I’m going to get found out. So I need a different type of training, one that allows me to keep a high level of fitness ready to step up to a race with little extra training. This is Non-Linear periodization.
Both are described beautifully by, you guessed it, Matt Fitzgerald. ( http://www.mattfitzgerald.org ) My go-to man when I’m tired and ran out of ideas, albeit briefly. So enjoy the article from Matt first published in 2009 from his Training Peaks website ( http://www.trainingpeaks.com )
The most influential theorist in the history of run training was Arthur Lydiard. A New Zealand-born coach who reached his prime in the late 1950s, Lydiard developed the first major periodized training system for runners. Periodization refers to the practice of sequencing training stimuli in such a way as to produce a single peak race performance at the end of that sequence, or cycle. Before Lydiard came along, runners periodized their training primarily by increasing their overall workload as their fitness and their capacity to absorb training gradually increased. But Lydiard was the first to divide the training cycle into distinct phases and establish a proper order for the different types of training emphasized within them.
Lydiard-style Periodization
You are probably familiar with this order, because Lydiard-style periodization is still practiced by most competitive runners today. The Lydiard training cycle begins with a base phase, in which runners perform an increasing volume of mostly moderate-pace running. This phase is followed by a four-week strength phase, in which aerobic running is supplemented with hill training and other strength work. Next comes a short “anaerobic” phase in which short, fast intervals are prioritized. The final phase is a racing phase, in which the volume and intensity of training are reduced to promote freshness and fitness is sharpened through tune-up races culminating in a final, peak race.
Lydiard-style periodization is known as linear periodization because the various major training stimuli (aerobic, anaerobic, strength, speed, etc.) are largely segregated from each other in the training process and arranged in a line in which each gives way to the next. This approach is distinct from nonlinear periodization, in which the various major training stimuli are mixed together throughout the entire cycle and only the emphasis changes from period to period.
Most of the newer periodization systems—those introduced since 1980—are nonlinear. One example is the so-called multi-pace training method developed by David Martin and Peter Coe. In their book, Better Training for Distance Runners, Martin and Coe wrote, “One sensible method for injury-free performance progress over the course of a macrocycle involves harmonious interdevelopment of strength, speed, stamina, and endurance all during the year, never eliminating any of these from the overall training plan… We tend to disagree with coaches who prescribe large volumes of solely longer-distance running over an initial period of weeks, followed by a similarly concentrated bolus of solely higher-intensity speed sessions over succeeding weeks.”
There are three major criticisms of linear periodization systems, two of which are specifically alluded to in the above quotation. Many coaches and athletes with experience of such systems believe that the sudden introduction of high-intensity running after a strictly low-intensity base phase carries a high risk of injury. A second criticism of linear periodization systems is that the various important aspects of running fitness are not developed “harmoniously”. Why devote several weeks to developing strength only to let this attribute slide again by replacing strength workouts with speed work? Finally, linear periodization systems are also criticized for requiring months of buildup for a rather brief opportunity to race at the very end.
Nonlinear Periodization
Nonlinear periodization attempts to address all of these shortcomings by mixing together the various major training stimuli throughout the training cycle. The presence of strength and speed training at all times keeps the muscles and joints well adapted to the stress of hard running, thus minimizing injury risk. It also gives runners more flexibility to race when it suits them. Because their running fitness is always “well-rounded”, they can peak for races fairly quickly by increasing the training load and emphasizing race-pace training. There is no need to wait for layer upon layer of fitness components to be added one by one.
Linear periodization still has its defenders, though. The proof of the pudding is in the tasting, they say, and indeed it is hard to argue against the tremendous success that runners all around the world have achieved through Lydiard-style training. Perhaps the greatest virtues of Lydiard’s system are that it limits the risk of overtraining and that it enables runners to peak right when they want to. By contrast, in nonlinear periodization, because high-intensity training never ceases, there is greater risk of overtraining, and because there is not much distinction between training phases, it can be difficult to time a peak accurately.
I discovered these risks the hard way earlier this year while training for the Boston Marathon using a program based on Pete Pfitzinger’s nonlinear periodization method. My plan had me doing higher-intensity running (although not always very much of it and not always very fast) three times per week for more than 20 weeks. It started off great, but I peaked when I was barely halfway through the plan and then turned stale.
I’m still trying to decide what to do differently in training for my next marathon. One option is to switch over to a Lydiardian plan, something I have never really tried. The other option is to modify the Pfitzinger approach, specifically by reducing the amount of high-intensity work I do until closer to race day. It is very likely that either approach would give me better results than I got from the overambitious nonlinear approach I took last time. But the question is, which approach would give me the very best results?
This question leads me to the point of this article, which is: that different training approaches work best for different athletes. I don’t believe that either linear periodization systems such as Lydiard’s or nonlinear systems such as Martin and Coe’s multi-pace method are clearly better for every athlete. You may need to experiment a little to find out which one works best for you. Start by trying the approach that is most appealing to you, and if that doesn’t work out, move in the direction of the other. So, if I take my own advice I will probably go Lydiard next time!
A big win this morning for the blog site. An email from Anuj Agarwal from ( http://blog.feedspot.com/running-blogs/ ) Feedspot.com informs me I made the top100 running blog list. Entering at number 54. Not bad for a blog that only started 2 weeks ago. Being the competitive animal I am I will be doing my best to rise to the top of the list. It may take some time but who really needs sleep and food; one or the other will do surely.
My blog did get a boost yesterday as due to tapering I was free to scour the world via Facebook and submit as many posts as possible to drum up followers to my site. (currently only 25 subscribers, c’mon people, subscribe and you get a daily dose of ‘bk’ wisdom) I may have to add anther category for blog related activities, rather than running. Note to self : runner first, blogger second. When that changes things can go downhill very fast…..I need to be more like RunHelenRun who only posts once a month (and she’s above me !)
Only downside to drumming up blog business is you visit all these wonderful sites on the internet showing amazing scenery and discovering new races. Couple this with the inability to run due to tapering and it’s a recipe for disaster. Luckily no text from Mark yet so confidence is high I can survive one more day of no running.
So far so good. Having a lie in this morning helped and no running gear made the lunch time run difficult. I did run the lunchtime 10k in a pair of speedos once but that’s another story and was the result of a stupid comment alone the lines of ‘if Iceland beat England at football I’ll run in a pair of budgie smugglers !’ . There is evidence of said smugglers but I want to keep some resemblance of followers.
So not run today, (I am assuming I don’t break tonight and sneak out for a slow 10k?) which just leaves tomorrow pre-race. I’ve planned an early morning brekkie with my Wife, read the papers and spend some time on the internet researching blogs and ‘stuff’. Maybe even check out a few sites on the best way to run a half marathon. All the good advice normally goes out the window when the guns goes off. The first 1-2k’s is nearly always run way to fast and before you know it you’re in Threshold and VO2 territory. This is a place you cannot stay for too long, if you try tit will end in tears.
A half is a good distance as you have got time to work your way into it, and finish strong, without the need to redline it straight away; unlike a 5k or a 10k when really it’s on from the gun. That being said you’ll always have your runners who you aspire to match or beat and when they go you normally follow. On Sunday I’ll be setting the pace around the 77-79 minute finish time; around the 3:40min/k pace. Depending on who turns up that may be enough for a top 5 finish. This will go out the window of course if any ‘real runners’ decided to pop along for a tempo run. If that happens it’ll be all about going under 1:17 and an age group win.
In any race you need a goal and a few alternatives if the first goal all of a sudden evaporates. For me on Sunday it’s a top 5 finish first (this could be a stretch goal!); then a sub 1:17, then an age group win and finally a sub 1:20. The last two years I achieved none of these with a 6th and 7th and both times running 1hour 20minutes and change. I may have won my age group last year but it was still a disappointing run. You can normally predict your half time if you have done enough of them and your training has been respectable. A marathon is a different animal and can always throw up the odd curve ball to totally destroy your pre-race predictions.
Sunday will also be race two in my five race, 6 weekends series. Next weekend I have a week off before another half on Rottnest Island ( http://www.rottnestisland.com , a magical place and I’ll be spending a week there after the half with the family. This is a ‘Matthews’ tradition as I have done the Rottnest full 10 times and each time me and the tribe stay on the Island for a week afterwards) . After my week break on Rottnest I return for the World Masters 5k on the 29th October and finally the reason for this training block the World Masters on November 6th ( http://www.perth2016.com )
There is the opportunity to race the Rottnest half starting at 7:30am and then the 10k starting at 10:30am, but that would be silly, wouldn’t it….?
Looking at my training diary over the last 8 years I always take 48 hours off pre-racing (bar last week of course when Mark texted me and we ran a relaxed 10k the day before?) I have decided to go back to this strategy which has worked so well in the past. I must admit to being a tad concerned that last year I ran a good 10k pre-Fremantle but paid the price on race day, I certainly ran 1-2 minutes slower than planned. It will be interesting to see if the increased workload of the last few months has allowed me to race, train and recover quicker than previous years.
Good start to my 48 hours of no running, pre Fremantle half. Managed to not put my running gear in my work backpack and not go for an early morning run. So worst case scenario I can only run once today, after work. Small steps, or in this instance no steps !
I’m not sure how I got to this state of affairs as in previous years I always looked forward to a few days off pre-racing. When I first started racing marathons I would always give myself 3 weeks off, much to my friend Jon’s disgust. In the last few years this has dropped to a 2 week taper using the 80% and then 20% rule. I.e. 80% of normal training load two weeks out and then 20% on the week of the marathon. I would always keep up the intensity for the 2 week pre-marathon workouts but in the week of the marathon it was (and still is) only 2 * 10k at a very relaxed pace, no intensity. Taper time is to be embraced in my view. The last week there is nothing you can possibly do to improve your marathon time by running, nothing. The best you can do is maintain your fitness and, with the right carbo-loading strategy , knock off a minute or two. I’ll discuss proper tapering when I have to do it for real in a few weeks for the Perth Masters Marathon ( www.perth2016.com )
I go by the 1k-1day (estimate) recovery time from racing. So for a 10k I reckon you need a good 10 days to recover, similarly for a marathon it takes me about a month. I have friends who recover quicker but also ones who take longer. I’m sure if I was in my twenties the recovery time would be shorter but for me personally the 1k-1day is pretty close. I have run a marathon twice after a 10k the previous weekend and both times I faded so this is something I no longer do. I will consider a 5k a week pre-marathon and have booked myself in to the Perth Masters 5k track race on the 29th October, a week pre-World Masters marathon. As I have mentioned before I am a big believer in racing and its benefits. So far this year I have raced 21 times and have another 7 planned, love racing.
Right so far so good. All this talk of taping has made me hungry, can I carbo-load for a half. Probably not a good idea but it’ll do more good than going for a run, have I mentioned Yelo before. ( http://www.yelocornerstore.com.au/ )
Running with the usual suspects today we started to discuss all the runners who had come and gone over the last decade. I was running with my good friend Jon ‘BMW’ Pendse who I first met in 2008 when we shared the same changing room in our building at work. I actually met a few of my now long term friends in those changing rooms. That doesn’t sound good but you know what I mean. Anyway in 2008 I was training for my first Comrades marathon in South Africa ( http://www.comrades.com ), the ‘human race’ as it is called. 87-89k (depending on the year) of serious hills ran from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. (or vice versa) Anyway part of our training was the Bunbury 50k which was to be our last long run. We all decided to run the 42k in 3hrs30mins (5min/k pace) and then enjoy the extra 8k for the ultra. This was to be my first ultra and I was very excited about the prospect.
The first part of the plan was executed to the minute and we crossed the marathon distance right on time. I then felt good enough to put in a bit of a burst and increase my pace to sub3 pace. In the distance I could see my mate ‘Old Phil who is a notoriously bad finisher. I caught him and passed him with ease before spying Nathan Fawkes (who at the time I did not know). Nate is a young, strapping lad and I was very pleased with myself when I caught him with about 4k to go. Because of the out and back nature of the additional 8k I was getting comments on my position in the race and my mate Chris Kowaski (another Comrade runner, though not a back-to-back runner, there’s another story there by the way.) ran past me and assured me I was in second place. This was all the incentive I needed, I sprang into life and was in hot pursuit of what I thought was the now leader. Anyhow with about 1k to go I caught the lead runner, who it turns out was a young lady. Anyhow she was dispatched to second as I exploded into the last kilometre.
To this day I can still feel the thrill of victory as I climbed the last hill and sped to the finish. The sun was shining and I felt great. I could see the finish line and the downhill stretch of road leading me to my victorious lap of the park , pre-finish. As I rounded the last corner my family was there videoing my finish. I remember saying to my Wife ‘I’ve won, I’ve only bloody won’. My Wife looked surprised but continued videoing me as I ran round the playing field for one lap pre-finish. Needless so say there was lots of fist pumping and arm waving but I must admit to being under whelmed at the lack of tape to break at the finish or even any sort of comment about my wonderful victory. When I eventually caught up with Karen, my Wife, I mentioned my disappointment at the lack of acknowledgement for my maiden race victory. “Oh no”, Kare said, “you came second. A guy finished about 25 minutes infront of you.” In all the excitement of the final push, and with the nature of the Bunbury marathon, I had completely forgot about the lead runner in the Ultra, who was so far ahead I never even saw him in the out and back 8k. He was mentioned in my speech when I received my prize for second place ! Funnily enough in 2013 I returned to Bunbury and won the marathon but that’s another story.
Anyhow the reason for the amusing story was Jon was second in the marathon that day and I recognised him from the changing rooms. Because of that I chatted to him the next week and we’ve been good friends ever since. In those 8 years I’ve seen Jon grow from from a young man into a family man with 2 great kids, lovely Wife, good career and now a very fast BMW 330d. We’ve probably run 30+ marathons together and many ultras , as well as thousands of training kilometres and we’ve shared so many good times and laughed so much, so many times.
Running lets you meet great people who will share your life for as long as you run, it is true, only a runner knows the feeling….