This week was a bit up and down. Things at the corporate are settling down and everyone is starting to look forward to time out for Christmas. I ran most of the week’s runs down Sandy Bay Road. It was nice to get back there regularly and see some familiar faces. I ended the week on a high by taking out the longest run of the program 32km!
Here’s how the week ran out:
Monday 7/12/15
After yesterday’s lovely 26km on the pipeline, I was expecting this to be a tough run but I was wrong. I felt really great during my easy 60 run. I decided to run down Sandy Bay Road. Right before the halfway mark I got overtaken by local running hero David Bailey. I don’t know why, but seeing him gave me a bit of an extra boost and I ran a little faster despite the fact that he lapped me twice. Anyhow, today was one of those runs that reminded me of why I love running. If only I could bottle that feeling and take a dose on race day!
Wednesday 9/12/15
View of the windy Derwent
Interval day – 6x1km with 60sec rest. I didn’t sleep well so I was off to a rough start. I always run bad if I don’t sleep well. I also had a bit of a tummy upset which didn’t really help matters much. I struggled through today’s session and landed on an average of 5’12” per km. The fierce headwind didn’t help my time much either. I know I’ve got more in me – I just couldn’t do any better today.
Tonight I went to a free hydration seminar at Find your Feet. I heard about the session when I bought my swanky hydration vest so I decided to go along and have a listen. The talk was given by Darryl Griffiths, author of Sweat. Think. Go Faster. Most of the people there were trail runners, I think I was the only road runner there. I don’t know how those trail guys do it. I find it hard to keep my shit together on the road and these guys run on goat tracks…literally. I would LOVE to be able to do it one day. Anyhow, it was a very informative session and I took away a couple of key points. A) I probably don’t drink enough on my runs and B) I probably need to consider an electrolyte in my water to assist with hydration. I also learned about how to calculate my sweat and calorie loss so I can plan my hydration and fueling strategies accordingly.
One of the highlights of the session was hearing from Hanny Allston (an absolute legend of a runner) and the lessons she learned along the way. Turns out that she was a bit of a “camel” like me, not drinking or fueling during runs. Once she got coached by Darryl around what she needed for fuel and hydration her performance improved. I’m glad I went!
Friday 11/12/15
Easy 60 day today. It’s my favourite run of the week. Who doesn’t love a Friday? I didn’t do as well as I did on Monday. I guess the week at the cheesemine wore me down a bit. I battled with a queasy tummy towards the end of the run which slowed me down a bit. It is becoming a bit of a recurring theme so I may need to get it checked out. I ended up doing 10.3km at a pace of 5’47”per km.
I also decided that today was the day I would do my sweat test to see how much I lose during a run. Today wasn’t particularly warm nor did I think I sweat that much. I lost a full kilo during my 1 hour run!! Wow! From the salt crystals that form on my face after a run I just know I lose a heap of sodium. I think it is time to invest in some electrolytes and to be a bit more diligent in rehydrating on the long runs.
Saturday 12/12/15
I spend the morning cleaning house and scrubbing floors. I also did a little cooking in prep for Christmas. I’m hosting the family for our traditional Polish/Chilean Christmas festivities. It is going to be fun but alot goes into it to make it happen. A traditional Polish Christmas is 12 courses!! I’ve got my work cut out for me.
I think all that work gave me the warm up I needed to smash through my 30 minute tempo run today. I ran it down Sandy Bay Road. I did 5.5km and surprised myself with a pace of 5’25” because I didn’t think I was doing that crash hot when I was running it. Go figure! Let’s hope I do better than I feel on the big day.
Sunday 13/12/15
Today was the day. The longest run of my training program – 32km. I wanted this to be a dress rehearsal for Cadbury by starting at 6AM and running on similar terrain (I ran the bike track to Mona return) I have to admit I was secretly dreading it and feeling those feelings of self-doubt creep in. I know I did 28 a couple of weeks ago and it was only 4 more today but I really struggled through that 28 and was worrying about how I would cope with the extra 4kms.
To add to my feelings of self-doubt and uncertainty, my pre-long-run ritual was turned on its head when I went out for an impromptu dinner out with my family last night. Our booking was for 8PM at Don Camilo (I chose pasta because I needed to carb up). This was the earliest we could get. Now normally at this time of night I would have already had my dinner and would be snuggled on the couch getting ready for bed. I couldn’t say no to the family and we ended up having a wonderful time. It is very rare that I have time out with my parents and sister without the kids around. We laughed and chatted and even drank wine. Yes, I know I swore off alcohol last week but this white wine was too good to refuse. I had a nice big bowl of Penne alla Matriciana – carb heaven!
4AM Breakfast Ambiance
I managed to get to sleep by 11 and was up at 4AM to have breakfast. I set up my Christmas tree yesterday and I had my breakfast of white bread with butter, jam and mashed banana by the light of the tree. Quite a nice ambiance. I went back to bed and got up at 5:40 to gear up and get ready for the run. I stuck to the Clif Shots in Citrus because they don’t hurt my belly. I added a tablet of Shotz Lemon Electrolytes in each of my 500ml hydraflasks.
Unfortunately for me, the Penne didn’t sit well and I had all sorts of gastrointestinal distress. I’m thinking that before Cadbury I’m going to put myself on a very bland and basic diet. No wine, no garlic, no chilli, no dairy – just plain white fluffy carbs. Luckily I managed to settle things down and set off on my run at 6:11…a few minutes off schedule but hey what can you do when you’re at the mercy of your gut?
The run itself was really good….. Well maybe after the pit stop at 8km where the Penne unleashed its final attack on my guts. I really owe a debt of gratitude to the Hobart City Council for the maintenance of its public toilet facilities! The electrolyte water was very palatable and I paced myself with the gels. I could have actually done with 1 more gel (I had 4). I didn’t get the fuzzies, I didn’t hit any walls just steady on and gettin’ it done. I landed on an average pace of 6’09” per km and a total time of 3:16:49.
Sometimes I wonder if my biggest enemy is my own mind. There was nothing to fear. I did it. I didn’t collapse in a heap and I could have kept going. The worst part of the run was actually stopping once I’d reached 32. Once I stopped that’s when I entered the pain cave. My ankle hurt and my butt was so sore. I’m still a bit sore but I’m alive and I’ll be right as rain tomorrow when I run my easy 60. I just need to find the inspiration and inner strength to talk myself into running an extra 10 on race day. I think I can!
Cornelian Bay at around 6:45AM
