Enjoy the Village Fair....

Written 7^th July 2013, Brisbane

(At the 6am start to Gold Coast Half M 2013- 25,000+ starters)

Large Running Carnivals are great fun, and the Gold Coast is one of the biggest. This year there were more than 30,000 participants over the race weekend which means the chance of bumping into a runner in the lifts, bars and restaurants is a certainty. Just about everyone is in a good mood: on the Saturday there’s lots of energy, some nerves and a sense of expectation and on Sunday there is the usual boisterous carnival atmosphere at the start/finish precinct:  A case of energy, excitement, anticipation and nerves multiplied by 30,000 and centred on a singular activity. Yep, large running carnivals are great fun.  

Random conversations tend to be similar, with all of them focused on a mutually-agreed yet individually-faced endeavour: ‘Whatcha doing?’ ‘ Oh, just the Half’.  ‘First time?’  ‘Yes, I’m very nervous , hoping to do a good time but  really just want to finish’ or ‘Oh no, done it heaps before, going to be a good weather by the look of it’  ‘I hear the winners will complete the Half in just over an hour – imagine that’,  ‘Looking forward to a good coffee at the end- always the best part’ ‘ Good luck, hope you do well.’ ‘All the best’

These random conversations with strangers are fun and often inspiring. It’s more than just runners chatting about running: its brothers/sisters-in-arms, comrades, making small talk before entering battle; a companionship of shared nerves and anticipation then the sharing of success and the mutual feeling of winning, of conquering, of climbing the mountain (to merrily mix my metaphors – sorry, couldn’t resist)

Spectators add to the event too – They bring a sense of ‘community’, their presence creates mutual respect, and it makes for a warm connection between runners and spectators. I will never understand why anyone would get up at 6a.m. on a winter’s Sunday to stand cold and shivering on the sidewalk just to cheer on thousands of strangers, but I’m glad they do.  It’s wonderful to see, and it’s very very motivating.

The handmade signs are good too, and the effort taken is no doubt appreciated by every runner (especially the slow runners like me) -

• Your feet are hurting ‘cause you are kicking butt
• You are still faster than the person behind you
• Keep going, you inspire me 
• Not far to glory

Of course, the cheeky signs from the young female uni students are always fun….

• Why do all the good ones run away?
• You’ve got stamina – ring me

And my personal all-time favourite, the ‘blokey’ sign..

• Hurry up Gibbo, I need a beer

I believe large running carnivals are good for the community. They are, in essence, the modern day equivalent of village fairs. They bring random strangers together; they encourage friends to meet up, at least once-a-year; they join locals and travellers together in a strong yet temporary bond; they promote a healthy lifestyle; and they encourage people to ‘have a go’ or to get out and support those that do. Carnivals also bring economic advantages to the local community- as my wallet can testify.

 I know they bring some occasional hassles such as roads being closed but to me that’s a very small price to pay for the emotional, social and economic advantages that they bring.

So next time there is a ‘fun run’ in your area, why not consider either participating, or at least attending. It’ll be worth it and not just for your health. It’s good for your community, and therefore  good for your soul.

Till next time, 'keep living, laughing, lovin' and runnin'

Wandering James, the Slow Runner

A good start....

Written 17^th June 2013

To misquote Eddie Everywhere ‘Its been a big week in ….er... running’.  I ran a 15km race, I completed a strong mid-week 15km hill run, I ran a 10km road race AND I booked my next full marathon. Whew.

The week started with the inaugural running of the Brisbane2South run, the new ‘sister’ to the famous Sydney ‘City2Surf’. I finished in 92mins which included a minute or so helping a lady who fell over and possibly broke her wrist (I helped her to the nearest aid station) and my usual slow time up a long hill. The good news is I ran the first half very strong, and there were section of the run where I actually felt like a runner – smooth, strong and fast. Now all I need to do is replicate this over a much long period.

With that in mind, on Wednesday I ran a training session over the 15km Hill Route around home to help build strength and speed. I then ran the final lead-up race for the up-coming Gold Coast Half, a fast 10km at Runaway Bay on the Coast. A big week, but still not enough weekly kilometres for the effort to be truly effective in the long term. I regard it as a ‘starting point’ to a bigger and better future.

It was fun week and  I recorded some really good times. In particular, I was pleased with the 10km race:  I ran a PB (Personal Best) of  61:25 which is soooo close to the magical 60 minutes! I am almost there…. Like I say, a good start to a better future.

It all seems to be working well.

Till next time, 'keep living, laughing, lovin' and runnin'

Wandering James, the Slow Runner

(See previous posts for details of the next full marathon)

Oh no! Surely not.....

It's  Friday night and there is just over one week - and therefore only one weekend - to the first Half Marathon of the season. 

I have a big weekend planned. Shirley's away and there's time to myself so it's what I call a 'Double Half' weekend i.e. a Half Marathon training run on Saturday and the same on Sunday. To add an extra dimension, Saturday will be a 'hill' run, and, if possible, it would be good to get a weight session in on Saturday afternoon. I've been thinking about it all week, and I'm excited and very keen to complete one last hard training weekend program. By the end of the weekend I should be totally ready for next weekend's Run. 

 

But here's the thing..... it's 8.45pm on Friday and I feel like I'm getting a cold. I feel heady, there's a constant annoying cough and I'm feeling very very average. Oh no, not good. Not good at all.

Time for some Panadol and an early night - I don't have time for a cold, and I'm not happy about this. Hopefully it'll be all ok tomorrow 

Off to bed in a huff.....

Sniffling James

140 Days

I love a new challenge, the thrill of finding, deciding and organising the next great event that will test me, that will ‘challenge’ me in a way I haven’t been previously tested.

It’s always exciting. Firstly I find a challenge that suits what I am trying to do; I feel the thrill of the challenge kick in, and then the excitement mounts as I go through the process of filling in the forms, buying the tickets, booking accommodation and sorting out the other necessary initial logistic issues.

The hard part is finding the challenge. To qualify as a 'thrilling' challenge there needs to be the right combination of good timing combined with a new way to test myself. The event needs to be held in a new, or at least, interesting location and it needs to have something of interest to do at the end of the challenge to add to the all-important post-event celebrations. I hear of lots of events and people tell me of many opportunities and many of them sound initially exciting. And when all the factors align, and the excitement factor – the thrill- suddenly kicks in, that’s when I know there is a new challenge to be faced.

It happened this week.

As I said in my first post in this blog, my goal is to complete my second marathon, do it in this calendar year, and finish in a time of under 4 hour 40 minutes. I’ve been looking but haven’t been able to find the ‘right’ one, the one that gets the excitement flowing. But now I have…..

 In 140 days from last Sunday, on November 3 2013,  I will participate in the Auckland Marathon. The entry form has been completed, fees paid and airfares booked and paid.
  

Auckland Marathon

Auckland is a wonderful city in a gorgeous country and the course will no doubt be picturesque. To add to the challenge there is a hill climb. As the official website says ‘The main feature of the event is the crossing of the Auckland Harbour Bridge, which involves a climb of 33 metres to the highest point’.

Shirl and I will spend just over a week there. Our plan is for the post-event celebrations to include a few days of ‘recovery’ in the Bay of Islands at the top of the North Island, so that’s another box ticked.

Most importantly, our good friends Cheryl, Pete and Chrissie live in the area so we can add ‘friends catch-up’ to the other critical selection factors. These three wonderful kiwis are some of my all-time favourite people and I can’t wait to spend some more time with them.

Yep, the old thrill is back . The Auckland Marathon will be a huge challenge for me, it’s in a wonderful location, we get to spend time with friends, and then have a great few days of holidays.

I'm excited. Its what this journey is all about.

Until next time……. 'keep living, laughing, lovin' and runnin'

‘Wandering James’, the Slow Runner

Running makes me happy

Running makes me happy

Written Sunday 26^th May, Brisbane

 I saw the above quote on a lady’s t-shirt as I was running along the Manly (Qld) foreshore this afternoon. It reminded me that so much of life is 'attitude', that one of life's  fundamental truths is  - the way you decide to see each situation defines and decides the reality of that situation.

So was I happy on this run? The location was certainly perfect. It was a late autumn afternoon, mild temperature, no breeze, a glorious clear sky with a vibrant sunset to the west and a full moon to the East. The course was picturesque including a series of beaches, parks and lagoons; a large marina full of appealing shapes, masts and flags suggesting lots of money, fun and adventure; several children playgrounds with the sights and sounds of squealing, laughing kids enjoying life in the warmth of family; and long sweeping bays of swooping birds, migratory flocks, and the occasional pelican: all framed by the homes and houses of an affluent suburb. The track was flat and not overly crowded. Quite simply, a lovely place to run.

As well, it was the end of a relaxing weekend, I was feeling strong and parts of the run were fast and empowering. The endorphins were flowing and life was good. But was I ‘happy’?

It occurred to me there always seems to be a ‘but’ between me and feeling ‘happy’. Or perhaps more accurately, an ‘if only’.  I love running, I do it out of choice, and it makes me feel good. So it doesn’t make any sense that I am always unhappy with the results.

In this case, I had just run a long section at a faster than normal pace, it was obvious that I was getting stronger, fitter and faster, and I had every right to be pleased. And the setting meant I should have been at peace with the world and with ‘me’. I should have been enjoying the moment.

Instead, the old ‘if only I was fitter/ faster/ stronger’ was dominating my thoughts. Instead of celebrating my progress to date and committing to a continued improvement and effort, I was beating myself up for not achieving the desired results faster. I realised I was forgetting to let running ‘make me happy’. I had the wrong attitude to my workouts.

So no more ‘buts’. From now on, I will still work on improving my running, I will continue to ensure I achieve the pre-planned outcomes for the session and I will continue to learn from each session.

As well, and perhaps more importantly, I will enjoy my success to date, I will celebrate my improvements and my efforts, and I will remember to enjoy the actual run.

So today’s lesson is simple: I will be ‘kind’ to myself. And I will let running make me happy.

 Anyone got a t-shirt for me?

Until next time……. 'keep living, laughing, lovin' and runnin'

‘Wandering James’, the Slow Runner

The End Result

The end result of this morning’s HIIT

Evening Wednesday 29^th May, Goondiwindi Queensland

The scheduled long run didn’t happen. By 4pm this afternoon I was very tired and ‘weary’- either because of this morning’s session (see previous post), or because of the long drive today or maybe just because it’s been a long week of travel. Either way, it was hard to get the energy to go for a run which was surprising because the ‘Goondiwindi Evening Run along the river’ is one of my favourite, all-time runs. 

Anyway, an hour after the scheduled start I finally got going, with a revised plan of a shorter 60 minute run. I didn’t have any lights with me, and I had to meet work colleagues for dinner at the motel so I knew the run would have to be shorter than I had planned.

What I didn’t know was how strong the run would end up being. Although weary and a little breathless at the start, I ended up doing some quite fast long intervals. I ran 8kms and finished strongly.   

A good lesson regarding building a plan based on a combination of HIIT sessions, weight sessions, fast runs and long runs. Going to be hard but I think it might also be a lot of fun.

Till next time, 'keep living, laughing, lovin' and runnin'

Wandering James, the Slow Runner

Starting HIIT sessions

Getting ready for future H.I.I.T sessions

Wed 29^th May 2013, Brisbane

It’s a travel day again today so I only had time for a short gym session this morning. And ‘short’ means ‘intense’ in my book. Not too intense as I had a few hours of country driving later so I couldn’t exhaust myself. Also, my plan was to go for a critically important ‘long steady run’ this afternoon so I needed to ensure the morning session was hard enough to be effective but not too hard to destroy the afternoon.

I set myself a goal of 30min high spinning on the stationary bike with regular High Intensity intervals to make the session effective. The plan as 4minutes spinning @ <80rpm Level 5, then an interval of Level 15 as hard as I could, 1 minute rest then repeat for 30 minutes. The L15 intervals would be 30sec, 40sec, 50 sec, 60 sec, 40 sec.

What a great workout. The intervals made my heart rate sour and it was difficult to maintain the target time at a constant effort but I did. The rest periods were occasionally a little longer than the planned 60 seconds but not too much. It was a good session and surprisingly, I do not feel as sick from lactic acid as I thought.

Overall, I reckon I can do even more, next time. Perhaps aim for 40 minutes in total? 

So, until next time……. 'keep living, laughing, lovin' and runnin'

‘Wandering James’, the Slow Runner

What a wonderful world

What A Wonderful World

Written 16^th May, Lord Howe Island

The rain stopped overnight so at sunrise I headed out from my cabin to run the scenic and flat 5km road along Lord Howe Island’s main beaches. I figured I’d go up and back for a 10k run then maybe find some hills for a bit of higher intensity training.

The plan changed when I got to the start of the road- about 1 km from the cabin- and I saw the mountains above me in the dawn light. Hmmm, I thought, I haven’t been up there yet. Why not see what the view is like at the top.

208 metres up a mountain track later I found out. To use an over-used word, it was awesome! Stunning. Definitely picture postcard perfect.  

In case you didn’t know, Lord Howe Island is a small island in the Pacific. It has a population of 450 and a maximum visitor number of 420 at any one time. There are few cars, few people, no large mammals or marsupials,  and lots of birds, flowers. Inhabitants of the island are mainly 6^th and 7^th generation descendants of American whalers, and the architecture is British Australian. Annual rainfall is high and the place is a cacophony of green and blue. Small cattle farms and cottages dot the island giving the panorama the look of an English village framed by the iconic and majestic Mt. Gower, a shallow lagoon and the deep blue ocean. The view is most definitely worth the climb. As I said - its picture postcard perfect.

 

The climb itself was reasonably hard when done at pace, and very much uphill but I handled it well, the view was spectacular, the early morning stunning, and the feeling of achievement was amazing. One of those moments when you say to yourself ‘What a wonderful world’

“I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

Oh, yeeeaahhhhh.”

So here’s today’s lesson –

It’s a wonderful world. Let’s take the time to look around and really see it. Stop and look, and see the beauty of our lives.

And let’s also remember: we might just have to climb a hill, or do something hard, in order to get the best view of our lives.

Lastly, let’s be prepared to change ‘the planned road run’ (our usual routine) for a last-minute ‘climb up the mountain’ (do something different). Cape Diem! It will almost certainly be worth it.

Till next time, 'keep living, laughing, lovin' and runnin'

WJ (Wandering James, the Slow Runner)

A new world...of pain

A whole new world of useful pain

Written 11^th May 2013, Brisbane Queensland

According to most experts, the fastest way for an aerobically-trained athlete to rapidly improve is via ‘High Intensity Interval Training’. ‘HIIT’ shocks the body into a greater level of stamina and fitness by subjecting it to increasingly higher levels of intensity for short periods followed by short recovery periods. There are various ways to do this including interval training (set period of intensity followed by rest), VO² (maintaining a high, but not impossible level for a period longer than previous) and of course, the good old hill runs and other forms of interval running (e.g. Percy Ceritty’s famous sand hill runs). Whatever is chosen, the point is to increase the heart rate via an intense physical activity, and maintain it for longer and longer period.

When six times world champion female ironman competitor Chrissie Wellington was asked her secret to training for improvement she said ‘Never ever let your heart rate drop’. She said ‘train with high heart rate in order to race at a sustained lower rate’. It seems the mantra for improvement is - when it’s time to train hard, make sure you train hard.

But not all training can be hard or at high intensity. As far back at the 1970s Arthur Lydiard, a successful NZ running coach was saying that high intensity training sessions MUST be followed by at least one easy recovery day to allow the body to recover and adjust. He also cautioned that HIIT was not a way to improve running speed - it was the way to improve anaerobic fitness, overall fitness and the ability to finish strongly in races. Speed improvements come from specific speed training such as sprints drills. Most of all, Lydiard and others strongly cautioned to only start HIIT training after a solid aerobic base fitness had been established over time.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, for the last three years I have worked as hard as I dared at building an aerobic base without letting my heart rate get too high. I have almost no experience at holding my heart rate at a high level – every time it has started to rise I have backed off the effort level, to bring the heart rate down. Amongst other things I thought I had to do this because of my low oxygenation : I thought it was important to ‘not push things too hard’. But lately I have been getting frustrated that my running times are not improving despite lots of hard exercise and many many long runs. And I know I am still getting tired in the middle parts of long runs. I started doing a few interval runs, regular boxing/ aerobic endurance sessions and several hill runs to see if I could improve my fitness but overall, I still backed off when I started to feel my HR increase.

Hmmm, what to do? How will I improve my times? These small attempts at interval training are not delivering what I need.

So, after several long discussions with my Personal Trainer i.e. ‘The Smiling Dragon’ and other respected sources of advice, I decided to introduce HIIT into my training schedule. It was agreed I have a reasonable aerobic base and I have a schedule that would allow sufficient recovery. It was agreed my most immediate need was to learn to handle High Intensity before starting on sprinting and speed work.

So yesterday I tried my first hard, non-stop VO2 max session – On the treadmill, start off fast then increase the hill incline at set times; with the goal of lasting for as long as possible.

Man-o-man, how ugly is that!!!! I only lasted 2 minutes and I still feel sick today (24 hours later). My body and mind is just not used to that intensity.  The feeling of oxygen-debt was terrible….I felt like I was drowning… and I was nauseous, coughing and spluttering, incredibly tired and sleepy. Overall, I just felt awful. And it lasted all day. Yuck!

But now, on reflection, I think I gave up too early and I reckon I can do better. I am actually looking forward to doing more of these, and to seeing my times increase. I am almost excited at seeing how far I can push myself, even if it’s just small increments of improvements. I am looking forward to making myself sick once again. And I’m thinking- If I am going to feel that bad after just a short time, I may as well hang in there a bit longer. I couldn’t feel any worse and the improvement would probably be faster. Might as well hang in there, and go longer. The main thing is to not panic when I feel like I am drowning, and to mentally tough it out.

I am not saying I am going to like it. The opposite probably, but what I am saying is -

No pain, no gain.

Actually, I think I just found out what that saying really means.

Till next time, 'keep living, laughing, lovin' and runnin'

Wandering James, the Slow Runner

I'm a runner....of sorts

Becoming a long distance runner

Written 5 May 2013, Brisbane

Last October I completed my first full marathon - The Melbourne Marathon. My time was a glacial 5hrs 40 and I decided as I ran across the finish line that my second attempt would be better. A lot better. I had expected to finish in under 5 hours and I made the commitment - there and then - to achieve better than 4:40 at my next attempt. A full 1 hour better than last time.

So, the decision was made, along with the acceptance of the challenge being difficult, scary and demanding on my time and my mental and physical capacity. For many people 4hours 40mins may not be overly challenging but for me- the most unlikely endurance athlete you can imagine- its a huge ask.

There will be a lot I need to do. I am not a 'natural' runner (I was the slow guy at school), I am ungainly and unbalanced, I am not overly competitive in the generally accepted sense, I suffer constantly from breathing and sinus issues and I have a naturally low heamaglobin blood count meaning my body is specifically unsuited to aerobic exercise, especially distance events. Two seperate medical specialists have told me my low oxygenation means I will never compete any endurance event and both were suprised when told I had already completed several (albiet slowly).

The main issue in Melbourne was a lack of specific preperation. Although I had completed 5 half marathons in the lead-up, I was wrong to assume the challenge was 'just to complete 2 Halfs in one day - I turned out to be much more than that! As well, I was overweight by a few kilos, I was not strong enough overall to handle the distance and time requirements, I did not pace myself correctly for the distance and I suffered from leg cramps as a result of poor running form, lack of correct fuel and lack of training in the correct distance.

On the good side I hung in there and completed the event 'no matter what'. And the course was beautiful and I loved it and I couldn't wait to do it again.

Now, 6 months later there is still a lot to do to get ready. I have spent the time strengthing my body by completing lots of weights sessions, doing regular hills runs and short warm up races, and by completing mid-week interval style boxing sessions, as often as my travel schedule would allow. I am stronger, and feeling better than ever.

But I am no where near ready.

Its time to start building distance, getting used to running longer and longer, and to increasing my aerobic and lactic threshold by doing longer and harder interval sessions.

Its time to get serious, and 'specific'. It's also time to start completing some warm up races
So let's get going. Time to go for a run.  

Until next time……. 'keep living, laughing, lovin' and runnin'

‘Wandering James’, the Slow Runner

Welcome to my new Blog

Welcome to my new blog

Written 3rd May 2013, Brisbane.

A permanent feature on my bedside table is the biography of one of Australia's greatest athletic coaches Percy Ceritty, the 'trainer of champions' including olympians Herb Elliot and John Landy. The book is called 'Why Die?' and it chronicles Percy’s metamorphous from troubled and 'old' 40 year-old to a super-fit, vibrant and focused 50-something. Percy changed his life and his lifestyle and found personal success and satisfaction during his mature years. He lived a full and active life into his late 70s. At a time when most people were slowing down he set himself impossible challenges, worked out how to achieve them then set about achieving them. What an inspiration.

This blog is the journal of my personal challenge to become who I want to be, and what I want to achieve.  I am 55 years young, healthy, reasonably intelligent and somewhat determined. And, with the exception of ready cash and a healthy asset base, I have a lifestyle and a life structure that enables me to follow my dream. I am a lucky man.

So what do I want to do? Six things - Become a better person; live a very healthy lifestyle; be super-fit (and not just for my age); travel to nice places and 'go run'; run marathons around the world, and be deeply happy and satisfied.

I have some minor physical limitations that mean I cannot run fast but that is not going to stop me from having a go at achieving my goals. The running goals will just have to be slower than I would prefer.

My greatest immediate challenge is to learn to run a marathon in under 4hrs 40mins. To achieve it, this year I will run a number of half marathons, 15k and 10k fun runs and various other events. I will also train myself to be stronger physically and mentally (by weight training, interval training and regular long runs) and I will finally get my weight down to below 90kgs and < 14% Body Fat (Currently 96kgs and 19% BF).

Along the way I will complete training runs and fun runs in as many different places as I can find, I will try to learn every day and from every experience and training sessions, and I will look for the fun and the laughter in life.

Most importantly, whilst I will run often I will also stop often to 'smell the roses', and to be inspired by this wonder-full world. I agree with Percy’s idea of 'Why die?' but more than that, I want to say ‘Why not live?’ I want to experience life, I want to love it, live it, laugh with it, and be amazed by it. I want my life to be a great journey of personal discovery and improvement, and of challenges set, met and conquered.

So this is the journal of that journey. A journal of learning, of slowly improving as a runner and as a human being, of looking for the fun, the wacky and the straight-out weird in the day-to-day challenge of attempting to achieve my goal. It’s a journal of the people I meet, and the things that happen, along the way.

It will be a personal and hopefully honest account of my attempts to become the endurance athlete, and the person I want to be. I hope you will find it interesting and you will come with me.

So, until next time……. 'keep living, laughing, lovin' and runnin'

‘Wandering James’, the Slow Runner