500k Relay: Beached Pirate Race 1 - The Griffith Uni "Special"

Despite the name, there is nothing "special" about it. Two races, each with 7 runners per team. You run three laps around Griffith uni. It is like any other race one does on a Friday morning at 4.45am...no costumes, no craziness. Just tired runners who woke up at 2.30am to arrive at the start on time, and the road under our feet. The only reason for this race is to make up distance on the relay (7.2k x 14 runners = 100.8km)
Originally I had been put in the first race and had psyched myself all up for it. Then I got switched to the second race. At first I was a bit grumbly about being switched (only because I was really looking forward to getting it done & dusted), but I resigned myself very quickly and was even grateful when I discovered the second race would be done in reverse direction this year. This meant that instead of a short, steep uphill and a long gentle downhill, we'd have a long gentle uphill and a short, steep uphill.
Many a runner thought prolonging the uphill section was worse, but I was happy. When it is too steep, I lose my pace, lose my stride, and struggle to regain it. When it is less steep my breathing & heart rate is far less erratic and I'm able to recover more quickly at the top. Plus, the steeper downhill is
fffffffff
           uuuuuuuu
                           nnnnnnn
                                         !!!!!!!!!!

Weeeeeeeee.....

In 2011 I ran this race in 43.03 and learned my lesson about bringing my own breakfast to eat before a race. 2012 saw me push hard and get in at 40.22, just missing my goal of sub-40min.
This year I did consider pushing for a sub-40 run, which I felt was well within my grasp. But...it wasn't my "focus" race of the day. And I've done no hill training since my injury. So I downgraded my goal time.

Total distance: 7.2k
Goal time: sub-42min
Actual time: 40.16.
Avg pace: 5.37min/km

Woah! I guess you could say I got a PB on this race...and I was trying to keep it slow & easy! Kick ass!
The best part started just at the end of the first lap, when one of my fellow teammates caught up to me.

"Last hill!" He puffed to me happily as we ran up the hill on the second lap.
"No," I gasped out in correction. "One more after this."
"But it's...only...two laps!"
"No...three laps."
I think that stunned him into silence, as we didn't talk much for the next 1.5 laps, but it was still companionable. We discovered that we were an equal pace. He would get ahead...then I would get ahead...but never by more than a couple of metres!
Coming around the last corner of our last lap, we were still on pace with one another.


"Shall we finish together?" I asked my team mate cheerfully (we had just come to the bottom of a hill, so I had my breath back).
"NOPE!"
Riiiight. It's on. But despite what his response implied, he was still an utmost gentleman and allowed me to finish first.

Grim Determination

And my fellow Intraining runners were there to snap happy some photos, for which I was grateful. A camera is something I don't often have when I run and I love it when other people are more proactive in taking photos than I. Plus, it's a great way for me to check up on my running form/technique. (Namely, how much am I swinging my arms/shoulders...apparently a lot still, as the pictures prove).

 Spider hand, spider hand. Does whatever a spider can!

(Seriously, not sure what is going on with my right hand in this shot)

 PS - and for those wondering why these race updates are coming in more slowly than my usual post-run blogging, the answer is threefold:
1) I'm now in OFF-SEASON, BABY, so I'm in no rush.
2) I'm moving to Canada in less than 3 weeks, so my non-running life is a bit hectic at the moment
3) I'm allowing myself to gather intel (aka, photos) from my fellow team mates so I can post more photos of the race on this blog.

Even Beached Pirates Need a Plan

This marked my third - and quite possibly final - year running on the Endeavour 500k relay. I was on Intraining Team 3 for my second year (yes, it's so popular in my running group there are still three teams entered!). It was weird being one of the more "experienced" relayers on the team, having done it three years in a row amongst a bunch of first and second timers.
My team was pretty good though, and put up with all my "back in the day" stories and "last year blah blah blah". What was really exciting for me was that out of the six sections I was running, four of them were brand new to me!
Okay, okay, I know there are 71 sections in total, but there is one section where most of the team (14 out of 17 runners) are required to run, and a few others that are "required", so really, four new runs is pretty darn good.
Now keep in mind that my last 5k time trial was on Monday, where I ran a 5.21min/km pace. As such, I didn't have high expectations for running in peak condition over the weekend. It's always good to have a race plan, so before the weekend came I scrutinized all my races.
Last year our theme was the epic SUPERHEROES. This year we couldn't decide between "pirates" or "beach", so it sort of became "Beached Pirates".

The Pirate Plan: pick one of the two races on the day to focus on, and allow myself to run easier on the other run. As it turned out, before the weekend I had selected to focus on the second race for each day. This had nothing to do with it being the second run and everything to do with the type of run it was - the Hero Leg! My favourite run! Which meant that my first race each day I would hold back - just a little - so I could pour more energy into the later race. Easier said than done! I find it hard not to give 100%, but it was practical. And good experience for me if I'm going to return to longer runs where I need to focus more on pacing than on racing at the start line.
However, I didn't want to completely "throw" my first race each day and I also didn't know how my fitness would hold up, so I mentally picked an achievable goal time for each race and stuck to it. My goal time? A humble sub-5.30 pace! Keep in mind this slow pace was also to account for heat, hills, humidity and other unknown factors that may or may not start with the letter "h".

Now for the weekend that would - as my coach put it - "make or break me". And since my plan was set, I could spend the weekend focussed on more important things than running...

...Such as stuffing my face with food...

    
             ...hanging with the locals...

                               ...and designing my "Beached Pirates" costume!

Changing Expressions

Another day at speed session! Sadly, after many a 4.50a.m. wake up on Tuesday mornings, I think this has marked my last Tuesday speed session in Australia.
I honestly didn't think much about it at the time, as I figured I would keep going so long as I had a car to get me there. So I listed my car on a trusty website this morning and sat back to do other things...and it sold within a few hours!
If I had known this would happen, I would have made a bigger deal about today being my last session. But you never know...maybe I'll convince someone to give me a lift to next week!
The morning started out great. 6x 200m reps.
The goal time given to me was 52sec/200m. B.I. (Before Injury) I was laughing my way through these and would often get between 50-52sec, easy.
A.I. (After Injury) I am still struggling with fitness and clocked in at a 53-54sec average. I know it's not that much slower, but think of how 2-4sec slower per 200m can add up over time! That's between 10-20sec slower on just 1km...and about 1min slower across 5k!
Funny we should talk about that, since at the end of the 6x200m repeats there was a 3k time trial to slog through.
One of the girls cleverly spoke up to say what we were all thinking: can we go in the opposite direction to hit the uphill part only once instead of twice?
This may be confusing for some of you, so let me lay out the floor-plan of the loop we do:

X ...........[flat]............START/FINISH..............[mini-hill]............X

Now, imagine that "X" marks the turn-around point 500m from the start/finish line, so going out to the X and back is 1k. To get 3k, you would start in one direction, turn around at the "X", then go all the way past the start/finish (1km) to the other "X", then again past the start/finish (2km) back to the first "X" and then finish (3km). Confused yet?
Traditionally, we always started in the direction of the mini-hill, and end up hitting it twice. It is tough every time, but one really feels it on the second loop! Which is why I know I wasn't the only one excited about the prospect of running the hill only once! This may be a new trend. Even among us keen runners, laziness prevails!
Deep down inside I was hoping to make it in under 16min. My start was strong with a 5-min pace at the 500m marker. And then I realized I was being ridiculous since I was too exhausted to hold that pace.
So I dug deep, stared at the back of the gal in front, and focused on not falling too far behind her.

Total distance: 3k
Total time: 16.10min
Average pace: 5.23min/km
Split times: 5.10/5.30/5.30

Siiiigh! Even in the 3k I'm averaging similar speed to what I did in my 5k (and slightly slower, if that).
I know lots of people have been telling me how wonderful I'm doing considering I'm bouncing back (?staggering back) from an injury, but there is a quote I remember from junior high that really resonates with me right now:
"It's not good enough to be great if you have the ability to be better"
I feel like I have the ability to be better...but most of the improvement seems to be in my mind!
But then the little Jiminey Cricket sitting on my other shoulder reminds me of one of my other favourite sayings:
"If plan A fails, there are still 25 more letters to the alphabet. Stay cool!"
Maybe I should focus on this second motto for a change, and let the first one go.

B-Goal Begotten (Barely)

After Saturday's time trial fail I just couldn't resist...I had to give it one last try. To gear up for today's 5k time trial, I even took a rest day on Sunday. Every athlete needs a couple of those!
I woke up to rain last night and was not looking forward to running in the rain this morning, but fortunately Lady Luck was on my side and it wasn't raining at all...it was, in fact, nice and cool. Perhaps not race day conditions, but I wasn't going to complain.
From the start I was feeling a bit better than Saturday, but that feeling quickly faded by the 2nd km.
Once again,
A-Goal: sub-26min
B-Goal: sub-27min

Unlike a murder mystery novel, the title of my blog often gives away the ending. Yes, I squeaked in under my B-Goal.

Total distance: 5.0km
Total time: 26.45min
Avg pace: 5.21min/km

At the beginning I decided to vary my route slightly to put my last 300m up a very slight incline. By the time I hit said incline I was cursing my stupidity! I know the race will be a lot hillier, but today was about proving to myself that - despite the major set-back from my sprained ankle less than 8 weeks ago - I was fit enough to participate in the relay.
I'm too hard on myself to say I'm super proud of this time. But I'm satisfied. I set myself a pretty tough goal when I started back to running just 3 weeks ago - to drop my 5k time by an average of at least 20sec/km. For the mathematicians out there, I managed to drop 24sec/km.
With only a few days to go, I know I won't be as fit as I wanted to be for the relay. But I'll be as fit as I can be, which will have to be enough.

Fantasy World

This morning I felt it was time to do another 5k time trial to see how I'm gearing up for the relay in T-6 days.
I matched relay conditions as close as I could:
-I ate nothing but junk food yesterday (I couldn't help it! Between a farewell morning tea, pizza courtesy of a friend, & a games night featuring lots of desserts, I was fighting a losing battle)
-I started the run with sore legs from working out last night
-I ran later in the morning so it would be warmer

It may not have been a deliberate set-up for relay conditions, but it is what I expect will be happening next week, so take advantage! With the exception of heaps less sleep and heaps hotter weather. But it's the general idea.
A-Goal: sub-26min
B-Goal: sub-27min

Actual time: 27.08.

In the 2 weeks since my last time trial I have barely knocked 95 seconds off my time. For the mathematicians, that's 19sec/km. Considering that last time I held myself back for the first 2.5k & maintained an easier pace, it really isn't much improvement at all.

I guess I can say that my legs weren't shattered as much as they were at the end of the last time trial and that my ankle held up fine. But in the end, I was really disappointed. I had hoped to come so far so fast in building my fitness back up, but now I wonder if I was being realistic with my goals, or if I was living in a fantasy world. If only my dreams could match reality! In my mind, I am such a fast runner...

And also in my dream world, rainbow-powered electricity saves us all from the effects of global warming.

Building Slowly

On Friday I had a pretty busy day on the Gold Coast between work during the day, then an evening of fun out with co-workers. In between I had a couple of hours to spare. I brought a book down with the intention of maybe reading a book on the beach, but with a weekend away and the upcoming race, I decided to spend the time going for a run rather than resting up for a weekend out. I stopped at the beautiful Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast and did 7k on the beachside boardwalks and around the little park area & look-out. The trail was uneven and parts were hilly, which was a good test for ankle endurance. It was hard and I even had an ankle roll - but thankfully it was my left ankle so I was up and running by the next step.

A gorgeous day and a gorgeous trail. I shoulda coulda woulda gone harder, but that wasn't my goal of the day - my goal was to up the distance and just finish it.

Total distance: ~7k

Total time: ~45min

Back from a weekend in Melbourne where I ate lots and lots of high quality chocolate (yum!) to a humid Brisbane morning. Everyone was feeling the heat & humidity today as we groaned over the 3 x 2k reps on schedule [with a 1k recovery jog].

The goal time my coach had me down for was laughable given my lack of fitness - 4.48min/km! Considering last Tuesday I was hovering between 5.15-5.30min for 1k reps, I was hoping to go around 5-5.10min/km for this week.

First rep splits: 4.58 / 10.09 >> Goal achieved! Although I slowed down the second half, I was still happy with this overall.

Second rep splits: 5.35 / 10.55 >> Goal not achieved. But at least I did pick it up in the second half of the rep.

Third rep splits: yeah, right. I was dying and my ankle was starting to hurt, so I did stretches instead and tried not to feel too guilty over slacking out of the last rep. Fortunately my fellow runners were very supportive of my decision, if not a little jealous.

It's getting into crunch time leading up to the relay! There's only so much training I'll be able to fit in over the next 7 days and then I need to take a bit of recovery before hitting the relay. My speed is not where I'd hoped/wanted it to be, but it's building slowly, as is my endurance. The true pressure cooker test will be the relay itself.

The Laziest Option

I was faced with a couple options on my run today, both with benefits and downsides.
Option #1: run at 5.15am with the group. The bonus: I'd likely go faster & push myself harder
Option #2: run later in the day by myself. The bonus: sleep in! Plus, it meant I could run a bit later in the day when it's hotter to acclimatize myself to racing in the heat.

Celebrating a friend's birthday last night quickly eliminated Option #1, so I woke up late. As I was dragging on my running clothes, another dilemma occurred to me. Since I wasn't letting the group decide where to run, that meant I would have to decide where to run! Which left me with two more viable options.
Option #3: run around Anzac Park a couple laps to make up 5k. The bonus: it would get me back to running hills (which the race will have plenty of) and it's the closest to home option
Option #4: do a 5k time-trial along the river. The bonus: see my improvement since Monday!

Laziness prevailed, so around Anzac Park I went. I knew I wasn't pushing myself when I caught myself reflecting on life rather than focusing on controlling my breathing to control my heart rate and check my watch to see my speed/time/distance while keeping good posture and placing my feet just so and checking my watch again to see when I can stop running and...you get the idea.
All up, I did 5k in around 30min. Considering it was all hills and I wasn't pushing myself, I call this a success! And I even had energy to spare at the end. I know, I know. Naughty me kicking back when I'm so close to the race. But...well, my mind was in such a tizzy over life stuff that I really did need the space to think.

Goodbye Cushy Butt, Hello Fatigue!

The vacation is over.
As horrible as it is to get injured...there is a little something nice about it. That something nice is guilt-free days of not setting the alarm clock for 4.50am, and the way ones butt begins to carve a perfect shape into the couch after one has parked it there for many weeks of lazy bliss.
And then the other something nice is that return to training. That careless, "I'm taking an easy day" excuse one throws out to fellow runners and coaches alike when there is something hard coming up. 3k time trial? No thanks, I'm still recovering from my injury! I'll stick with my 200m reps and then walk back to the car.
But then there comes a point where one has to face the music. That day was yesterday, when I learned that fitness was having a greater impact on my run than my ankle. No more excuses! It's time to let the couch cushions resume their normal shape and get my cushy butt back to training. It's time to remind my muscles what it feels like to get fatigued after a hard work-out.
This morning we had 3-4 1k reps followed by a 1k recovery.
The pace my coach set me was 5.30min/km to start, progressing 5sec faster each time. Seeing as how I finished at a 5.30 pace yesterday, I was pretty sure I could do it.
I find it hard to pace slower, so I joined up with a gal who was set to go at 5.15 and planned to keep track by going just a bit slower than her.
Somehow that fantastic plan didn't quite work, and we ended up pushing each other! I ran until there was nothing left in my energy reserves. But the good news is, my ankle is holding up beautifully, even if my endurance is not.
First 1k rep*: 5.10min (and only because I slowed us down on the second half of the run, after seeing our time at the turn-around!)
Second 1k rep*: 5.12 (this was a push for me)
Third 1k rep: 5.28.

*I should also note that even in the recovery 1k jogs I could feel my heart rate was elevated. I probably should have taken a slower recovery! That is the bittersweet result of running with friends...they push you wonderfully in the reps, but sometimes also push you too hard in the recovery!

As you can see by my rapidly dropping 3rd rep, I was at my absolute limit. There was an option to do a fourth rep, but I was so exhausted I walked back to the car instead. Yep, I WALKED back.
Because sometimes running is over-rated. Or maybe it's just that my endurance is ridiculously non-existent.

Hitting the Moon

The goal: 5k time trial to see how my ankle holds up
The thought: I was rather nervous of this "time trial", as it would test me to see whether I had it in me to continue forth with my goal of being in the relay or not this year.
The reality: my fitness gave out long before my ankle

My second official run back since end of September BI (Before Injury). I was a bit nervous as last week I could only handle a walk/run of about 3k total.
But I know that my ankle has been improving every day, so I was hoping to run a 5k non-stop. And (truth be told) I was hoping to run a 5k under 30min to prove that my fitness wasn't completely shot after so much time off my feet.
I started with a really long warm up that included stretching, strides (5x50m) and calf raises. Gone are the days when I could just start running and not worry about it! Oh, carefree days of injury-free bliss, how I miss you!
The first 2.5k I kept to a strict 6min pace. No sense pushing it, and if I needed to slow down, well...I'd slow down. The second 2.5k I decided to push it out as hard as I could, to see what happened and how I held out.
As mentioned, my fitness gave way long before my ankle. My treasured ankle hovered on the pain scale between 0/10 to 2/10 the entire run. My fitness levels were less accommodating, and it was all I could do to hold a 5.30min/km pace the second half of the run.
I ran to exactly 5k and pulled up with a time of 28.45min. I felt like I had just run a big race...my legs were absolutely shot at the end and I was sucking in air like a fish out of water. But I was not unhappy with my time.
I hope to get down to around 26min for 5k before the relay on November 22nd. So I have about 18 days to knock just under 3min off my time (that's about +30sec/km). Yikes! While this may be "to dream the impossible dream", a part of me also wants to misquote someone famous;
"Shoot for the stars. Even if you miss you'll land on the moon".

At least now I believe I'll actually be able to compete in the relay. It has been a stressful 5 weeks of wondering if I could still compete in my favourite race of the year...and wondering if I'd be brave enough to pull out if necessary.