Results are in

It is Tuesday afternoon and whilst on hold for a conference call, I had a quick look to see of the results from Sundays race were in. 

I am real happy with my time. I finished in 1:30:37. This was 180/711 for my category and 342/1502 overall. I am not sure what the distance for the split was (a bit arbitrary?) but my time seems fairly consistent with the runners around me. All in all a good results for the first race in over 10 months.

I found another blog when i was looking for some pictures of the race and my heart goes out to the poor guy who had his car broken into whilst he was out on the course. Some people have no shame!

All the same, he got a great graphic from his Garmin of the elevation which I have shamelessly stolen to prove that I was not making it up about the hills. The pace is his, and he did a great time of 1:20, but the hills were shared! You can view his blog here

New Balance Pacesetters 15km

My first race report of the year! It has been months since I last did any kind of race. I have been having some challenges with my shins, I have been travelling a lot for work and I have been a little bit lazy. But all of that is behind me. It is early Monday morning as I write this and 24 hours since the race.

Pre-Race
I have not been training very much over the last month as I have been trying to rest my shins. Previous posts indicate that I still seem to have a fairly good level of residual fitness, but my legs are not that strong. Definitely something to work on for my big "A" race this year (Singapore marathon -December). I decided not to run at all this week and let my shin rest completely so I had a couple of 45 minute evening walks but no running.

The night before the race was a catalogue of things you shouldn't do. Beer (three or four!!?!?), margaritas (just the one), spicy fajitas and not enough water. I was in bed by eleven. I set the alarm and crept between the sheets feeling slightly anxious about the fact that I finished the night with two pints of water on top of the beers and with all that liquid hadn't needed to pee for about 5 hours. I did have the sense to get my race bag ready and pin my number to my top which helped me to mentally check off a bunch of what-could-go-wrongs-in-the morning.

The alarm went at 5:45 and I got up immediately. Lauren never stirred. I had been in a deep dream about something work-related which i continued to think about whilst I made a PB&J and guzzled a litre of water. After liberally applying Vaseline to the chafing bits, i was dressed and out the door with another PB&J in hand, Polar strapped to wrist and cap on head.

I was pretty sure I knew where the race site was and where to get some parking, but little did I expect to have to go from car-lot to car-lot in the park trying to find a space. Mental note for next time. Malaysians like to get there early! All in all, it wasn't that far from where we live and by the time I found a space and walked down to the start tents, it was about 6:30.

The race started at 7:15 and I used the 45 minutes I had to warm up and stretch and stretch and stretch. I was psychologically beating myself up at the potential damage i was about to do to my shins if they weren't quite ready and I was determined to do everything that i could to prepare them for the day. There was a great water station in the tent and I slowly supped on water for the 45 minutes. By 7:10, after a quick pee in the bushes I was on my way to the start line with legs that couldn't be any warmer. On route, I met, SC, a colleague from work, who told me that this was going to be hot and hilly, really hilly.

The Race

This was always going to be a gentle training run so I had no expectations about time and I was in no hurry to get to the front of the crowd. I just found a space somewhere around two-thirds of the way from the front of starting chute. I checked my laces, checked my watch and said good luck to SC*. The horn went and we were off. It was fully light by then and starting to get warm.

The first couple of kilometers were un-eventful, some long but not too steep uphills and downhills and wide streets with plenty of space. Then, things changed. The gradients got steeper, and the hills got longer. By the time the first water station appeared at around 4.2km I was really feeling the effects of beer and fajitas and was hot and thirsty. I hit the water station in 23 minutes and felt good, believing momentarily that I was on for somewhere around a 1:20 race.

By the time the 5.5km point hit us, we were on an unshaded steep ascent. I looked at the temperature on my Polar (which is never 100% accurate but is normally a good ball-park) and it read 31 degrees (that is 88F in American money). The hill in front of me was enough to immediately switch to a run-walk strategy. In my head I thought three things: I am burning too much energy trying to run this monster. I tend to train on the flat or small hills and am just not good at hills. Walking with a powerful long stride will get me up this hill faster than most of the people around me will get up it "running".

So, my strategy, walk the steeps, shuffle run the moderates and 'run' the downhills to make up the time. All in all, a few people passed me on the uphills, but most people were so burned out by the time they hit the top that they had nothing left, even for the downhill so I was taking out dozens and dozens on each of the downs and the (minimal) flats.

At the 10K mark, I was at 1.01 and hot,  but feeling quite strong.  At 10k-12k there was what I remember as the only decent flat bit of the course and i extended my stride and increased my pace to something nearer to 5 minutes km's than 6, but it was hard to tell as I had never seen the route before and the distance-signs were not always easy to spot.

With 3km to go, I was starting to feel the lack of training in my legs, and started to notice the hills again. This slowed me right down and I was back into the walk-run. I noticed that many other people had also decided to adopt this strategy, but I am not too sure how many of them planned for it and how many of them were just feeling beaten by the ever increasing temperature and the killer undulation.

With 1K to go, I really had to dig deep and find some mental strength to keep going. It was really hard as I would normally have picked out a pacer at this point and stuck to their shoulder to get me through but I was obviously far enough back in the pack that most of the stronger runners had finished.

I crossed the line feeling hot and dehydrated, but really really happy to have finished without any sign of a pain in my shin and in a time of 1.31 . I spent so much time stressing about my shins that I forgot how much I love to run (even when it is TOUGH running) and I love the atmosphere of race-day.

I read lots of running blogs these days and I love the way different runners describe the high of crossing a finish line. To me, it is like nothing else. It is emotion and pride and joy and relief and exhilaration and pain and punch-the-sky happiness all rolled into one.

By the time I de-briefed with SC, drank about a litre of fluid and gorged on a big juicy watermelon, I made my way back to the car where I changed, stretched for 20 minutes, ate the spare PB&J and set off with a grin on my face. I was back. My shins held up and I felt great. The pain and suffering from an hour before on a particularly gruesome hill had faded into a distant memory and I had another medal around my neck. The temperature control in the car read 36 outside (97F).

By the time I got home, Lauren (unusually for her) has just got up and had a fresh pot of coffe on the go and a big loaf of Sourdough on the board. I could tell it was going to be a good day!


*SC is not a pet-Blog name I have for my work colleague. His name really is SC.

When does it end?

I have spent much of the last couple of weeks reading others people's blogs about running and have got very high hopes for my season ahead. I have written on this blog before about wanting to change it up and a a long term plan to qualify for Boston. Like many of the great bloggers out there, I love to run. I like the feeling of achievement, I like the exileration of running in different types of weather and I love the felling of fintness and health that you have after a particularly challengin run.

For people who dont run, it is actually really hard o put it into words, there is something so 'exciting' about lacing up your trainers and heading out the door. As I did this very thing yesterday in my new (old) Mizunos' I felt strong, I felt motivated, I was hydrated and I was chomping at the bit to get to the park. Here I am, (courtesy of Lauren), about to head out of the door...

I set off and although it was hot (about 30 degrees) I felt strong. I jogged very slowly down to the park (about 1k) and then I stretched out well and really workd on loosening my ankles. Once I felt good and stretched, I set off on the rubber track to comlete my first 1300m loop.

As soon as I set off, I knew that it was not going to be good. I was starting to get a cramp in my calf and my shin really hurt AGAIN.  Was it yesterdays walk? Was it poor shoes? Whatever is effecting my shin (left side) is also causing me to now over-compensate and is therefor putting undue stress on my calf muscle.  My new shoes are definetly a stronger more stable fit for me and they really feel like they are supporting me  where I need support. 

Runners who cannot run will be able to relate to how I am feeling right now. Frustration is the closest word to describe it, but i dont even think that this does it justice. I am starting to think that I need to stay off it for a solid month, but even that seems like a lifetime. I completed 2 laps of the park yesterday and knew I just had to give it a rest. I really dont know what i can do next???Physio? RICER? lay about?

I am soooo wound up right now. The running gods are not with me and I have to stay off my feet for a month, which is about three and a half weeks longer than I have to and three weeks longer than I proably will.

London Baby

The online registration for the entry ballot to the London Marathon 2011 is now open! and I am in. As a foreign entry, i have a **slightly** higher chance of getting a space than the 150,000 people from the UK who put their names in the hat.

London is where i set my PB...  and having missed the four hour mark by a matter of seconds in 2009, I really want to get back there; where the weather wont be against me; and see what I can do.

London 2011 (if i get a space) is going to be a crucial step on my 24 month quest to qualify for Boston. I really want to take 15-18 minutes off my time by the time this race comes along. I better get training...

Challenges

Lauren tells me that i shouldn't buy something when I first walk into a shop, I should walk away and if I am still thinking about it later then it is a sign that I really want it. In a similar vein, I have been thinking about writing this post for a while. I didnt want to write it straight away as committing it to paper [read: blog] is like commiting to it in blood.

I have run three marathons and am in training for my fourth. This will be my fourth in four years, if i can get over the shins splints. I have never broken 4 hours, even in London when the elements were with me. I could list a whole variety of excuses, but in reality, I have never broken four hours because i have not trained well. In the beginning, for the first two, I didnt know any better. For the third I was cross training a lot as it came four weeks after a half-ironman, and my body was tired.

I started running when I was 29. Before that I could not run for the bus. I was overweight, I had a terrible diet and was lazy. I did not have a particularly active childhood. I played in the garden and mucked about with my brother, but i was not a big footballer, never really played rugby and i never made any 'teams' at school (except for badminton because i was quite good and it didnt involve running around!). So running, at 29, was new.

I have done a bunch of 5k, 10k and half marathons, I have also completed sprint and olympic triathlons, two half-ironmans and as stated, three full marathons. I am no contender, but i finish. I dont think that I have the build or abilities of a "natural" athlete, but i like to run and i love being in good shape.

So the question is, can I qualify for the most prestigious Marathon in the world?

If I wish to qualify for Boston before I am 40 (different age categories have different times) I need to run a qualifying marathon in 3 hours and 14 minutes. That is forty seven minutes (almost to the dollar) quicker than the last time that I ran that same distance. That is 1 minute and a bit less per kilometre, every kilometre.  If I wish to do it before I am 35, then I have to do it 5 minutes faster THAN THAT.

I have been doing a lot of research into this over the last four weeks or so and I am uncertain whether it is possible. I have read a lot of blogs and websites and runners magazines and they all have great stories about the people who have gone from couch-potato-to-boston-qualifier, but there is always something in those stories that makes me wonder if there was the hidden body of an athlete underneath the neglected flesh on the sofa. The key, according to, well, everyone, is discipline and intensity. Build up to running 60-70 miles a week every week. Build in some proper speed work. Run trails and hills, run parks, run roads, run beaches. Run LSD and run fartlek. Basically just run. Get your legs and body into such a shape that you can run and run and run. It is all about endurance and your ability to maintain a 4.5 minute kilometer for as long as you want.

One of the sites i read  http://www.asksasha.com/Running/How-do-I-train-to-qualify-for-the-Boston-Marathon.html says that it is entirely possible and that the key is to run every day 6 days a week and NEVER miss a run. No matter where you are in the world. No matter how difficult the terrain, there is likely to be a treadmill or a park or a strip of wasteland, but if you want it, if you REALLY want it, then you gotta give it your all.

I am exhausted just thinking about it, but i think it is worth a shot. For the next 24 months, this site is now dedicated to answering the question, "can anyone qualify for Boston?"

No Running

I am looking back at some of my recent posts and think that I am a bit of a whiner. But my shin splints on my left leg are so bad that I cannot run and it is driving me crazy. I really really really want to run. and i cannot. Time to go see a doctor me thinks.

Woop Woop Bring on The Rain

This evening it was 26 degrees and raining hard. I mean equator, tropical rainstorm hard. I was sitting at home watching Inglorious Basterds because Lauren was away and I knew she din't want to watch. I looked up and saw the rain coming in from the mountains in the east and i knew i had to run.

When it rains in Malaysia, it really rains. You have to be a little careful because it is often accompanied by thunder bolts and lightning, which are, obviously, very very frightening.


I did 12km and it absolutely bucketed down on me the entire time. I was soaked through within a hundred paces. And I absolutely loved it. The great thing about running in the rain in the tropics is that it never dropped below 26.

I am sure my shins will regret it tomorrow!