Hill training 101 - Take a friend!

I must admit I stole this heading and idea from my running partner.  While Frances and ran most training runs and races together in the past, over the months (and years I suppose) all runners develop their own pace and style of training and it started becoming more and more difficult to stay together in all races.  So we started training separately as well.  However, there is still no one I enjoy talking about running to more, in fact we can often spend hours just talking about running - from running clothes, to upcoming races to how much we eat after a race!  So of course when she suggested that we start doing hill training together, I agreed it was a great idea! At the moment we are both training for the 32km Tough One coming up in November, and while we both have different time goals, its great to have someone with you who can relate! So this morning we set out on our first hill training session.  We found a steep hill nearby and measured it to be 700m.  We ran the 2km from my door to the hill at a very comfortable and conversational pace, just to warm up.  When we got to the top of the hill we had to stop for a minute to take it all in.  Standing at the top, we couldn't even see the bottom, that's how steep it was! But we aimed to do three hill repeats (which is 3x up and 3x down).  The first repeat went pretty well, but I must say that by the third time up, I'm pretty sure the people that live on that street could hear us panting! The point however is that we did it...without walking or stopping once! We both agreed that had we not been together, we more than likely would have stopped for a little walk between repeats! One should never underestimate the value of having something around for support and company!  And at least you know you're not the only idiot running up and down a hill at 8 o'clock on a Sunday morning!

Just plain average

As soon as you get ahead of yourself thinking you're not half bad at something, something makes you realise that you're actually just pretty average.  After a few good races during the past few months, I admit I was feeling pretty chuffed with myself.  And then this morning I happened to catch the last 10km or so of the Berlin Marathon on TV.  Watching runners cross the finish line of a marathon in much the same time that I have done many half marathons in, has a way of cutting one right back down to size! The Kenyan winner and new world record holder for a marathon, passed the 36km mark in well under 2hours and then crossed the finish line in 2:03.  The first woman, also from Kenya, followed in 2:18.  These people have such an incredible talent and its inspiring to watch them use it!  For the rest of us average runners though, well we just keep plodding along, trying to better our times and clock up more mileage.  Still, just because we're average, doesn't mean we're not as determined to break records...of course our records are set on a much smaller scale and we generally don't compete with anyone other than ourselves!

Short term, long term

Since I started running, I was always told that its important to have a goal.  That's the only way a runner stays motivated and keeps leaving the house in running shoes.  So when I first started, my goals were fairly simple, but important goals for any new runner none the less.  I set goals like, making it through a 5km without walking, or breaking 30minutes for a 5km or even just to run twice a week. Slowly but surely I started reaching all the goals I was setting and I found myself setting more challenging ones.  I set distance goals as well as time goals.  Some goals I reached quicker than others.  For example, I ran my first 21.1km race in February 2010 and Two Oceans half marathon in April 2010.  However, it took me a lot longer to reach the goal of breaking 2hours for a 21.1.km.  I finally did it in September 2010.  It was so worth the wait and hard work! After Two Oceans in April I needed to set a new goal, something new to work towards.  So I decided on that day that I would run the 32km RAC Tough One in November.  It seemed very far in advance to be making these decisions, but I knew I would have to work pretty hard to break 2 hours for a 21 first, before I could attempt such a challenging race. So it all started falling into place.  I ran the 32km in 3:14 and set a new goal almost immediately.  Next challenge...Pick n Pay full marathon, 42.2km, in February 2011.  And I did it!  Along the way I set short term goals for myself as well, things like breaking 25minutes for a 5km, improving my time at Time Trial and breaking 50minutes for a 10km.  All these short term goals kept me training for the long term one! Now, after running two full marathons and then setting the goal of not running for a few months, I need some new challenges.  Short term goals...there are so many! Breaking 1:45 for a 21.1km, breaking 23minutes for a 5km, consistently running a sub 18minute 4km Time Trial, running five times a week, not getting injured, hill training at least once a week, the list goes on and on! Long term goals- there are just as many...32km Tough One in November in hopefully a sub 3:10, a sub 4hour marathon early in 2012, first ultra marathon - Two Oceans 56km in April 2012 and ultimately, Comrades in June 2012. I've yet to set a goal that I did not achieve, but the reality is it could happen.  But even if I don't manage to reach all these goals, its the trying that keeps me running!

Entered....

A little over a week ago I officially entered Comrades 2012.  I am roughly following the Don Oliver training programme, Alsoranrunners, which promises to help me finish the race within the given time.  Being a novice, I take all the advice I can get.  But sometimes, listening to too many different voices can get confusing.  So I've decided to follow this particular training programme and further more, it has to be about body sensing (which of course I read all about in some running book). I'm going to run how I feel and hope for the best. This means that sometimes I have to accept that I need rest days when my body says so and other days it will mean running further than what I'm used to when I'm feeling good.  So far it's working out well, but then again its still early days! I've been running consistently again for a few months now, resting when I need to, eating when I want to and going to gym when I can for extra strength training.  During the past few weeks I've run a few half marathons, each week improving my time. First there was the Wanderers 21.1km which I ran in 1:48:55, then there was the Zoo 21.1km which I ran in 1:47:09 and the most recent was the City 2 City half marathon held on 18 September.  It wasn't the easiest of races and I admit I walked up the last hill before the finish, but I managed a PB of 1:46:20. While things do seem to be going my way at the moment, I realise that I've still got a long road ahead of me! Fingers crossed I can avoid injury and exhaustion until June next year!

No prize for third place

On Sunday 4 September most runners in Johannesburg headed out to Germiston to run the Callies half marathon or 10km.  On the same morning however, there was also another race taking place.  This 15km race happened to be about seven minutes away from my house and since I had also run it last year and had really enjoyed it, I decided to sleep a little later on Sunday morning and run the race closer to my house.  The Modderfontein Spring run is a race for charity and it takes place through the Modderfontein Nature Reserve.  It's a very relaxed race (though pretty tough!) and the 5km, 10km and 15km attracts many walkers and runners who may not run competitively or particularly often.  While a normal race usually has a field of a few thousand runners, this particular field saw only a few hundred people.  Of those, I'm not sure how many opted for the 15km but when one of the marshals informed me with about 6km to go that I was the 3rd lady, I figured that there couldn't be too many runners!! True, I am usually in the top 50 or at least 100 (depending on the size of the field), but I'm not anywhere near good enough to ever sneak into a top ten position.  They say hard work and training can only take you so far in your running, the rest is just good genes and natural talent. So while I work hard to be average, I'll never be an elite athlete! So when I was informed of my position I just laughed and asked "how many women are there - ten?"(Turns out there were quite a few more than ten).  At the end of the 15km I had managed to hold on to my position of third place.  In a normal race, there are cash prizes for the top three men and women.  Being a race for charity though, there was no prize giving what so ever.  So, my first 'podium' position in a race and nothing to show for it.  Then again, had it been a normal race, I wouldn't have been anywhere near that podium!