Go Hard

A spectacular thunderstorm had me awake through 3am before this race. I did wonder if I was going to be running in it. The storm moved on and I was able to get back to sleep. A couple of fallen trees on the streets were a reminder of the night, but it was otherwise a relaxing drive out to the hills with my mate Dazzler for the Great Train Race . We got there extra early and were able to kick back and relax and catch up with some others before the day got under way. Looks like the weather was being quite friendly for the race. A bit chilly, but in a good way for running. Lucky to be seeded in the front group gave me a somewhat smooth opening once the whistle sounded. Straight into a downhill I made sure I went out fast. This is quite a unique race. It's 13.5km of hills which by themselves create quite a challenge to pacing. Then throw in the fact you are racing against a steam train with four rail crossings that if you are caught at will suck out time as you wait for the train to ...

Back for my seventh run against Puffing Billy since 2000. There's been relatively few changes in this race over those 15 years. The amount of runners have doubled in that time. A seeded start system has been added to cater for more people on the course. The last section has changed a little due to heavy rains washing away some of the track, moving the distance up from 13.2 to 13.5km. The fundamentals have stayed the same. Hit the hills with a mix of sealed and unsealed roads and trail amongst some spectacular scenery while pitting yourself against a steam train. It's an iconic race and I love it. Typically wet and cold features in the weather, but this year we had a break. Sunshine and pleasantly cool made for perfect running conditions. Dry train tracks apparently also means the train can travel faster. Knowing this race well I didn't really think about it until I turned up. Being aware of where my fitness is based on recent races I knew I was not at my best, but would ...

Somewhat of an iconic race, The Great Train Race is a bit of local favourite for Melbourne. A race over the hills from Belgrave to Emerald where you pit yourself against the course itself, other runners and the old steam train Puffing Billy. Even the distance is different. Slightly longer by 300m this year because some of the trail was washed away in heavy rains a couple of weeks ago, giving 13.5km to cover. In typical Melbourne style the weather was a mixture of cold, sun and rain. Last year I finished in 50:25 and had plans of going under the 50 minute mark this year. The extended distance made that a much harder ask, adding some 60-90 seconds extra of running time. The morning started well with a bit of a catch with some other runners, a warm up where it seemed easy to hit my form. That had me feeling confident, which I needed because my run the day before could only described as a dismal failure, where I ended up resorting to walking. Still I wasn't too concerned. A few flat...

Hoping my hamstring would hold up for the race. With most of the week off, and just 30 and 40 minute runs over the last two days, I really had tried to ensure healing. Yesterday it didn't feel quite right, but was probably good enough to race. The big problem is that this course is all about hills. The same style of race where I injured myself in the first place. So I had the idea that I would race hard and take full recovery afterwards. No other races planned in the near future means I also have the mental space to truly take the required break. Anyway, onto the race itself. 13.2km of hills racing against the famous Puffing Billy steam train. The elevation profile: So far I've beaten the train in my attempts over the years. I'd like to keep that record intact. Check out the following video for an idea of what the race looks like. Weather was perfect, minimal wind, a bit of cloud cover and cold (but not freezing like it gets here). A tentative warm up gradually ...

What to do with the two weeks between races? The original plan was take 2-4 days recovery as needed after the half marathon. Next would be a session of very steep hill reps, a long run of about 30km at a relatively low intensity compared to the long runs over the last couple of months, then hit a moderate to high volume session of hill reps. After that, take it easy for 3 days leading into Marysville to Melbourne. The plan seemed good. Focus in on getting the technique specific fitness for the hills (both going up and down), revisit a bit of basic endurance without adding too much to fatigue and keep a good general volume of training before backing off to be race ready. Of course there is always a spanner to throw into the works. I felt good for the first two days after the half marathon. The easy runs felt very easy, the heart rates seemed about right, but the speed was a little quicker than I usually run the easy runs. On day three, I was had the start of a cold/sinus infection so ...

About eight weeks (8 day version) is what I have to get up to standard. Two months is another way of looking at it. What's involved? Of course I need to clarify exactly what I'm training for. First up is the 10km Cross Country. A course that is a mixture of mainly flat bike path plus a couple of hills, with some thick and slow going grass. I feel the course runs nearly 2 minutes slow. Here I need to be in 37 minute 10km form (38-39min on this course). To do that I require a mix of fast flat speed and good strength. The cross country is backed up a week later with the half marathon. An absolutely flat circuit around Lake Wendouree. Based on previous years I need to be around 1:22 shape to be with a chance of top spot. I'm setting my sights on cracking the race's overall best time of 1:19:59. Then it's two weeks before the M2M. Here I have 19km of very steep, hilly dirt and fire trail for leg one. Then maybe under 3 hours later the relay comes back to me for a fai...

Just simply a great event. Awesome hills, scenery and an obscure distance. Best of all is the added challenge and atmosphere that goes with racing the steam engine, Puffing Billy, with the sounds, steam and smells, plus the race within the race to make the rail crossings so as not too lose time. This is a race I will always come back too, even though it is often very cold and wet. This year the race fell in my down time from training. So after a holiday up north where running was replaced by plenty of alcohol and food I didn't have any genuine expectations. Instead the plan was to turn up and race hard to see where that got me. It's usually very cold and wet for the GTR. This year there was a gap in the rain for the event, but it was wet and muddy on the ground. The temperature sat at 8-9 degrees Celsius, a bit warmer than in the past. Pretty good conditions. This year there was seeded start based on your best 10km performance in the past 6 months. Mine put me in the 1s...