Just Don't Stop...

Peace Mile

2009-12-23T06:02:00.006+13:00

Did a 3 laps of the Auckland Sri Chimnoy Peace Mile yesterday morning. Its a measured mile circuit. Had my run straight after riding to work and legs were a bit wooden on the climb up the hill from Carlaw Park. Probably about 7km all up.

Quite a nice place to run and popular too. Probably a good place to do interval training...

http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/places/running/peace.asp

Auckland City and the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team established a measured mile running course in the Auckland Domain in 1987 to promote both physical fitness and the cause of world peace. The running course starts at the sign located adjacent to the Grandstand and follows Grandstand Road South, Football Rd, The Crescent, Kiosk Road and Grandstand Road North to finish approximately 100 metres beyond the starting point at the marked finishing point. The Sri Chinmoy Peace Mile links our city with a global family of parks, cities, mountains and natural wonders also dedicated to peace - the Sri Chinmoy Peace Blossoms programme - whose purpose is to kindle the spirit of harmony and oneness and to foster a new millennium of peace.

"The determination in your heroic effort will permeate your mind and heart even after your success or failure is long forgotten"
Sri Chinmoy

The Local - Week 3

2009-12-19T09:43:00.004+13:00

7am Saturday and time for the weekly run up Mt Eden. Pushed myself a bit harder today: 11.64km / 57:26 / 4:56min/km.

Tough but I felt reasonably strong on the ascent and breathing was more controlled than a couple of weeks ago. Running fitness coming back - gradually. The progression over the last few weeks on this route:

Week 1, 05 Dec = 59:57
Week 2, 12 Dec = 58:57
Week 3, 19 Dec = 57:26

For further improvement some new running music might help. "Chariots of fire" anyone ;)

Only managed 2 runs this week. Work has got really busy all of a sudden with some long hours but that is a pretty weak excuse. Just a matter of logistics - maybe bike to work earlier and then go for a run immediately after...

Stables

2009-12-17T06:16:00.009+13:00

Above is the lockable bike area at work. Just quietly I'm pleased I don't have the slowest looking bike in the lot but there are some that look very flash.

There is also an overflow area outside with another 15 or so hangers. Been at a new job for about a month now. What I have noticed is they have got into encouraging people to bike. Not only the bike storage area with card access but also plenty of showers (with towels provided). I'm impressed really and its certainly better much better than I've seen at past jobs.

Up to week 3/day 1 of the hundred pushups challenge. It's getting tough...

Kate and Phil yep you are right the Domain isn't much of a trail run (but it's very handy for a lunchtime escape). I'll have to give Cascades a go during the holidays. Looks good :)

Forest Run

2009-12-15T20:53:00.007+13:00

Right next door to work....

Trail running - could get addicted to this...lovely and cool under the canopy.

The path up Lover's Lane. Nice waterfall to the left.

One of the paths through the Auckland Domain. Actually an extinct volcano...was warm out

Didn't time the run itself - bit of a photo expedition this time but was around 30 minutes. Definitely going to be a regular thing :)

17 km on the bike today in commuting.

Inclement

2009-12-15T06:20:00.000+13:00

Crap weather yesterday in Auckland. Well it has been a bit hit and miss. Got wet riding to work but it was better on the way back. Then I decided to cycle to hapkido and just missed the downpour on the return leg.

23km all up on the bike, amazing how it adds up.

Have a lunchtime run planned for today.

A Bike Ride and some Pushups

2009-12-13T19:35:00.002+13:00

Great day on Sunday and had some time to myself so went for an easy bike ride.

Headed along the North Western Cycleway out to Te Atatu and then the extension to Massey and then back again. All up 30.7km (at a slow average speed on 21.7km/hr). Great day for it. Having a faster road bike would be fun though but I would probably break it commuting.

Then did Week 2 / Day 2 of the one hundred push up challenge. Maxed out at 25 on the last set (16/17/14/14/25). This is the third time I've attempted this (it gets tough in week 4)....

Local - Week 2

2009-12-12T11:37:00.010+13:00

My local hill climb run again to Mt Eden. I'm going to do this once a week to work on running strength. Not doing enough running at the moment which is a problem. However I'm lucky enough to work next to the Auckland Domain. Some lunchtime 30 minute runs around the forest walk tracks might be on the cards.

11.64km / 58:57 / 5:03 min/km.

Beat my last week's time by exactly 1:00. Hot and muggy today but that helped in terms of being limber. The view from the top is great and well worth the climb.

Here is the elevation chart. Starts climbing from the corner of Dominion and Grange, nothing too bad it's just long.

I was good afterwards and stretched out properly too.

This bloke does a good summary of the view from the top. It's as magic as it looks. I don't think he read the sign properly at the beginning though. ;)

Missed Opportunity

2009-12-12T00:44:00.003+13:00

This past week I spent a day in Brisbane giving a presentation for work (arrived Wednesday night, presented Thursday and got home at midnight). I was staying in South Brisbane and there was a a great path/boardwalk along the river edge. Went for a walk at around 8pm and there were plenty of runners and cyclists about.

Bloody hot and muggy in Brisbane, was 32 deg C outside. Actually it's pretty hot and muggy here in Auckland too.

In the past when I've travelled overseas for work I've taken my running gear. A great way to see the local area. My fault on missing out this time - it was poor planning on my part...

The Local

2009-12-06T19:22:00.005+13:00

Every runner probably has a favourite local route. I certainly do. Mine is a run up Mt Eden, and around some of the surrounding streets. Mt Eden isn't all that tough it is more long than anything as it winds around the volcano to the top. Overall the route itself is a reasonable challenge. There are a bunch of smaller "hills" throughout.

The view from the top is great, it reminds me a little of the view from the Peak in Hong Kong but on a very smaller scale.

Photo by James Clay.

Saturday morning was nice and sunny so time to tackle the local. I haven't much running since the marathon - consequently felt too on the ascent. It was an awesome day to go for a run, if anything a little too warm.

11.64km / 59:57 / 5:09min/km

Finished a weeks worth of cycle commuting and have to say have thoroughly enjoyed it. It did rain something awful on Friday night but aside from that conditions have been good. I've been taking a small detour in the morning to make a 8.2km route but starting to feel like that is a bit on the short side. Might try detouring a little further, maybe through Cornwall park.

Weighed in this morning 85.4kg. Not great but not too bad either. Hopefully the cycling will help get that down a little. Basically I have been eating a little too much for the level of exercise I'm doing.

Street Pony

2009-12-02T06:34:00.006+13:00

Bike fixed in a day - derailer, tyre, chain, full service. Great service by Adventure Cycles.

As you can see this thing is built for commuting and not racing. Being an engineer I do like numbers so have a speedo on the thing. Average hovers around 22-24km/hr on the commute with full pannier bags. Pannier bags are great by the way - even for lugging a laptop around.

Still working out best routes to and and from work. Yesterday I did the climb up through the domain onto Park Road - hard work.

Cycling in Auckland is a bit hair raising but its a matter of picking the right routes. A suprising number of cycle lanes and paths, mix those with quiet streets and it's not so bad.

Commuting time to and from work is pretty quick now :)

Also it is pretty good working on the city fringe, I prefer it to Albert Street. Being right next to the domain is good too, I can see a few lunch time runs when time allows. Now cycle commuting need to mix in more stretching and fit in some running. Need to give this some thought...

New Commute

2009-11-29T08:09:00.011+13:00

Two weeks into my new job and it has been hectic. Certainly more pressure in the private sector but so far enjoying the challenge. Feel like I'm settled in now.

The new office, in Carlaw Commercial Park, has some good facilities for commuting-by-excercise. Showers, towels provided, and some secure bike facilities. So once I got a locker sorted out I tried a run commute - and it was good too. The scenic route is a mere 6.69km and is a good mix of suburban and park. Best part is the last 1.5 km through the domain and along Lover's Lane. Neat forest setting with a waterfall and stream. Around 32 minutes door to door at the moment but should get a little quicker once my fitness picks up again.

Good to get back running haven't done all that much since the marathon.

Plenty of scope to vary the route as well through Mt Eden Village, or over the hill itself.

Seeing the bike sheds at work has motivated me to get my bike repaired and serviced (at Adventure Cycles) and it's in the shop now. Long story but I trashed the rear dérailleur a few months ago with a stray pannier strap. Not a flash or fast bike by any stretch - it's a heavy hybrid - but should serve as a good cross training exercise. The bike commute will probably be slightly different route. Probably via Parnell as it is easier to get to work that way by road.

Swim

2009-11-11T07:44:00.006+13:00

Made it to the pool yesterday morning and managed 34 non consecutive before a bus of school kids invaded. Even though there was a couple of lanes left open I didn't quite trust the pools chlorine system against any "accidents".

My swimming has dropped off as I haven't been doing it much and it was pretty slow going. Very hard to believe I was actually competitive in my school days.

One goal for 2010 for me is going to be the Auckland Harbour Crossing. This is a 2.8km open water swim across the harbour. It is over a year away so plenty of time to build up. That is going to take me out of my comfort zone...

I have a few more goals to come...

Ann: in answer to your question on my last post re: Marathon. I did a 3:43:00 and was pleased for a first half effort but plenty of room to improve.

Surplus

2009-11-09T22:13:00.007+13:00

Sure I'm taking in to many kJ*. Still eating this week like I'm still in training for a marathon.

Maybe I'll start logging what I'm eating until I get back into normality.

I have a pool swim lined up for tomorrow morning. Haven't done that for a while and I'm looking forward to that.

* A Joule is the energy exerted by a force of one newton acting to move an object through a distance of one metre. More interesting facts on wikipedia.

These Toes Were Made For Running

2009-11-07T13:23:00.007+13:00

Now this article is interesting : http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/02/runningtoes/

If you’ve ever wondered why humans don’t have long, prehensile toes that would turn our feet into extra hands, here’s an answer: stubby toes may be custom-made for running.

Biomechanical analysis shows that long toes require more energy and generate more shock than short toes, making them one of many adaptations that may have helped our savannah-dwelling ancestors chase their prey.

"Longer toes require muscles to do more work, and exert stronger forces to maintain stability, compared to shorter toes," said University of Calgary anthropologist Campbell Rolian. "So long as we were engaged in substantial amounts of running, natural selection would favor individuals with shorter toes."

With my "flintstone feet" the short stumpy toes are probably the only thing going for them in terms of running.

In terms of post marathon recovery, my legs have been quite stiff and sore. However have been doing quite a bit of walking and that has helped. Thursday morning went for a very gentle untimed 2km jog, and this morning blew the cobwebs out with an 8km run (7.95km / 38:44 / 4:52min/km). It was good too and I wore my Auckland 2009 Marathon shirt (feeling good after "earning it" last Sunday!).

Some Photos

2009-11-03T05:47:00.012+13:00

I forgot to mention in my race report a couple of things that I have just remembered:

1. Around 4km or so in to the race there was a spectator with a bugle. Got quite a few laughs when he played "the last post" when we went past.
2. The courier company Pace had a few signs out along the course. Slogans like "Pain is temporary, pride is forever" etc. I'm sure just before the bridge there was an "You are almost at the finish" which was almost as good as the bugle.
3. A few nutters were running in costumes. I saw Darth Vadar and Bobba Fett from Star Wars. Doing it hard under those helmets. There was also someone in what looked like a red diving suit.

Anyway here are some photo previews from marathon photos.com. Suprised I don't look nearly as bad as I felt towards the end.

Auckland Harbour Bridge - what an experience going over this.

Feeling quite good after the bridge.

The hat is off and that is normally not a good sign. I read that everyone feels pain over the last 6 miles and you have to suck it up. I guess this is my entry.

Through the finish. I saved the smiling until afterwards...

Finished! Auckland Marathon 2009

2009-11-01T13:46:00.018+13:00

Gun Time = 3:43:35
Net Time = 3:43:00

The longest and hardest 8km ever from 34km. However I'll start at the beginning...

The Night Before

Spaghetti on Saturday night and went to bed early at 8pm. Unfortunately the nerves had really started to catch up with me and I didn't really sleep much at all. I'm guessing this is fairly normal. At around 3.30am I thought stuff this and got up...

Pre-race

Breakfast consisted of the pack of muesli that came with the race bag, a peanut butter on toast, and a black coffee. I had organised to park in the work car park (ANZ tower it the city) and walk to the ferry. However on the way stopped off at the 24hour Foodtown to buy a packet of jelly dinosaurs (I couldn't find the jet planes!) and some vaseline (to prevent chaffing).

The dinosaurs were quite good, had some in each pocket of my shorts. Different to be eating lollies during a run. Good idea this (thanks N!), I never really hit the wall on the run, although I was getting close. Cramp was more an issue but more on that later.

Along the second half of the course people were handing out jet planes but it was good to have my own.

Caught the 4:30am ferry from downtown and got chatting to a few other marathoners. Everyone looked in pretty good shape - no suprises there I guess. Training will do that for you.

Got to the start at Devonport at just after 5am. Spoke to a few people - saw Andrew and also S from work (who I didn't know was running). Work colleague N caught up with me at the start line and wished me luck. This was her 7th marathon for the year and she was aiming for sub 4 this one.

I had taken a bottle of water with me and had sipped myway through this in the hour leading up to the start. This was a good tip.

First Half

The first half was quite good. I was being good, holding some back, and keeping close to 5min/km. There were a few hills but not nearly as bad as I had thought.

Chatted with a fellow first time marathoner from 6 through to 9km. Interesting getting perspective on what motivates people to do this.

The Auckland bridge was quite a novelty to run over. Great views - shame you can't do this all the time.

Split time at the half stage was 1:46:40 (5:03min/km). Pretty close to my planned pace.

Was feeling pretty comfortable at this point although it was starting to warm up. One person I passed remarked I was looking "quite fresh".

Second Half

The second half started well tracking pace roughly the same through to about 28km. However after that I could feel myself slowing up.

I was starting to feel the onset of calf cramp and tried to combat it by taking on more fluids at the stops. In hindsight really should have hydrated more on the first half.

The return leg from St Hellier's Bay wasn't pretty. However some of the other runners looked in much worse shape than myself. Carnage but misery loves company. Passed a few people walking. Saw N and Andrew heading out to St Hellier's and waved. :)

Longest 8km ever after the 34km mark. I was trying to keep myself districted by coming up words to describe how it felt, by about the 38km mark I settled on "brutal". I guess the hardest part is the part you don't train for. It is true what what you read - this part is all mental toughness to keep going.

Second half split was 01:56:19 / 5:30min/km. Which is almost 10 mins slower than the first half. Ouch!

Finish

The 500m I managed to "sprint" or at least run semi normally. Crowd support was especially good at the finish - lots of people cheering. Fantastic!

Pulled up just over the line with a wicked cramp in my left calf. Got to the end just in time! The St John ambulance person asked if I needed help and then suggested I take in some fluids. Hobbled over to the drinks table. Helped a bit. Looked in the mirror afterwards - covered in salt crystals!

Absolutely stoked to have finished! This was a big challenge for me :)

Would I do another? Actually I probably would - perhaps another crack at this next year. A number of lessons learned here - the importance of early hydration being one big one. That and more endurance training. Now that I know what is involved my next goal is that 3:30 time :)

Congrats to everyone that participated!

The Final Countdown

2009-10-31T07:47:00.006+13:00

Had this in my head a while back for posting just prior to the marathon. So bad its almost good.

But anyway on to more important things...

Going to be hot tomorrow! Only 8am now and its getting warm, looks like it will be a cracker of a day. I'm going to have to wear a hat.

Good luck to the other (mental) people I know doing this.

Getting a bit nervy to be honest but thats all part of it :)

Under a week

2009-10-27T05:51:00.003+13:00

Less than a week to go before the marathon. Suprisingly I'm quite calm about it, maybe just resigned to the fact that it is going to be tough, or that I stressed out enough recently with job interviews, subsequent negotiation and handing in notice...

Did an easy 12km on Sunday and have gentle planned for Wednesday morning (in Taupo).

Not Afraid (of hills)

2009-10-19T05:02:00.004+13:00

Running distance is tapering off quite pleasantly.

Did my 16.4km distance through Cornwall Park/One Tree Hill on Sunday. The hill climb was not really too much of an issue.

Thanks everyone for your comments about the job change. The new company has offices in the new Carlaw Park office development. The Auckland domain is right next door which is handy - not sure about lunch time runs though.

I'm back

2009-10-17T10:49:00.007+13:00

Tapering now for the marathon. Only 2 weeks to go. Getting nervous!

Couple of weeks ago I bought some new shoes - New Balance 1223's. Have essentially broken them in and they are pretty good. Wide fitting which helps with my feet.

Running has been a bit disjointed this week. Did a early morning 7km with hill repeats Wednesday with N and a 7.95km pace run today. (39:59 which is pretty close to idea PMP).

Quite stressful work wise - handed my notice in a couple of days ago and take up a new position in a month. Project Manager role at an engineering consultancy. New challenges and all - bit like the marathon really :)

Here are a few photos from last Tuesday after work in Taupo. This run was on grass with forest scenery a 10km ish run along the thermal explorer highway (a section of SH1 near Wairakei).

It was nice. Wednesday morning was really windy and cold in contrast.

Twice in Taupo

2009-10-01T06:38:00.005+13:00

Just got back from Taupo from a work trip. Was down Tuesday/Wednesday and got in two runs.

Thanks to daylight savings Tuesdays run was a nice afterwork run along the lake waterfront. It had been pouring down with rain a few hours before so was good that it largely held off for me. 7.77km / 39:28 / 5:05min/km.

Couple of photos.

Path along Lake Taupo.

Unintended artistic photography due to the light :)

In the morning I went for a 6am run with work colleague N. This involved a 3km out to a small hill, a set of 5 "hill repeats" which involve a reasonable effort (70-80%) for each one and jogging back down. N has done a number of halfs and marathons and reckons this is good for running strength. Was a bit different, variety is good after all.

Didn't time this run but it was probably 7km all up including the 3km back to the start.

Absolutely Stuffed

2009-09-28T06:38:00.007+13:00

Stuffed after my long run yesterday! Was intending to leave early but didn't get my act together until about 3pm. I did finish it but was starting to feel fatigue on the return leg. The effect of yesterday's 16km on the return leg?

31.72km / 2:46:39 / 5:15min/km.

The plan did say to pick up the pace a little on this second long run (~60s per mile slower which equals 38s/km). I pushed too much in the easy first half (1:21:23 split) before starting to fade on the return. Marathon day I'm going to need to need some self control and start off easy.

Still I'm happy of getting through a big chunk of weekend running. Feel a bit stuffed - thankfully this week is a step back week with reduced distance.

At the turnaround point stopped for a couple of obligatory photos.

End of the line. Rather the end of Tamaki Drive and close to the turn-around point for the homeward stretch on the marathon course.

The best thing about where the turnaround point is the view of the city (and therefore the end of the course) is in front of you. You can just see the sky tower beckoning...

The hardest part of the run? Coping an elbow in the ribs from the wife after falling asleep on the couch in the evening ;)

Meditation is a 16km Pace Run in the Rain

2009-09-26T14:55:00.013+12:00

Great training run this morning - had been a little niggly earlier in the week but this was good. Some light rain but a good chance to think through some work related stuff that have been a challenge recently. The sound of your own foot strikes on the ground is a bit self hypnotic but in a good way.

16.43km / 1:18:24 / 4:46min/km. Running it faster than planned or should have. I'm sure I'll pay for it as tomorrow morning I'm backing up with the second longest (~32km) run of three planned. Should be interesting.

This week in Auckland has been pretty grey and dismal. Although saying that it is a fine now so go figure.

Here are a few photos from my midweek runs in Week 13.

Auckland Harbour Bridge. Looking forward to this part of the marathon course. Only time you get to run over the thing.

Western Park, Ponsonby. Nice inner city park.

Discovering a boardwalk along Westhaven, just east of the bridge. A little statue of a bear and a sailing boat looks out to the harbour.

Recapping the midweek runs:
7.81km / 38:25 / 4:55min/km
12.00km / 1:00:02 / 5:00min/km (plan said 16km but I ran out of time in the morning and cut it short)
7.97km / 42:22 / 5:19min/km

Week 12 Photos

2009-09-22T06:20:00.007+12:00

Some photos from my running this weekend. Spring in New Zealand with nice weather.

Centennial Park running home from work Tuesday.

Westhaven Marina running to work Wednesday.

Twin Oak Drive, Sunday long run.

Week 12 was a step-back week in terms of kms. Made the mistake of running too fast with the reduced distance - Tuesday was OK though.

Tuesday: 7.39km / 39:07 / 5:16min/km
Wednesday: 12km / 59:56 / 4:58min/km
Thursday: 7.81km / 38:34 / 4:55min/km
Saturday: 9.99km / 46:28 / 4:39min/km (too quick!)
Sunday: 18.8km / 1:36:31 / 5:07min/km

Week 13 is a larger block of distance with the 2nd go at 32k. The mere thought of that distance is going to make me slow down on the midweek stuff.

Better

2009-09-14T12:06:00.000+12:00

Taking some lessons from last week's long run failure did the same course again but this time with a small bottle of orange soft drink. The sugar made all the difference and managed to feel OK through the entire thing. Felt pretty slow but running this sort of distance is all about discipline and control. Well thats what I'm telling myself.

Also started at 6am this time which is more realistic in terms of what will happen on race day.

31.74km / 2:53:06 / 5:27min/km. Second half slightly faster than the first.

Great for a much needed confidence boost. Two more runs to go at the 32km type distance. I'll probably repeat the same course again as it has a decent section of the marathon course in it.

I missed Saturdays run due to hosting a five year old's party at home (a good reason to have orange soft drink!). While I'm a little dissappointed in myself for missing this run family does come first. It was a neat little party too and much fun had by all.

The other midweek runs were all slightly over 5min/km - a good thing when you are supposed to train mostly slower than PMP.

7.97km / 40:42 / 5:05min/km
18.01km / 1:33:56 / 5:13min/km
7.19km / 36:49 / 5:06min/km