Go Hard

Opting not to run the full 100km this year I was looking forward to covering one of the later sections of the course without a whole bunch of kilometres already in the legs. Then the plan changed. One member of team Bumdogs decided to go and break his foot before the race. Down to three runners, the solution was a reshuffling of who ran which leg, and I was the lucky winning the esteemed privilege of running two legs. What's an extra 21km? Since I was coming off a rehabilitation program rather than race training, 21km was definitely a lot more. My focus changed from going out at a solid effort, to just taking it easy, enjoying the run and covering 49km without doing any harm to my hamstrings. A different style than my usual race approach. I was looking forward to soaking up the Surfcoast Century in a much more relaxed way. So those two legs were the first two. In a short description, leg 1 is 21km of mainly beach running, sand and some rocky sections. Leg 2 is 28km taking us up...

One week out from this year's edition of the Surfcoast Century . This year I have elected to stay away from covering the full 100km. A decision I made before injury, but turns out it was an even better idea. Instead I am participating in a team of 4. I've scored the 3rd leg which is exactly the one I wanted. Being the longest at 28km with the biggest climbs and descents thrown in it is described as the crux of the course . I am looking forward to hitting this section with having 49km already in the legs. It will be great to attack the hills rather than trying to be efficient. This race will also a test of my rehabilitation. I do not feel race fit. The training kilometres have been limited and I definitely haven't had any of the big sessions that give me confidence leading into event. Instead I've been working on strengthening and redeveloping my hamstrings, especially the proximal tendons. The training has involved almost daily strength work. Running has been a mixt...

I'm starting to feel like a runner again. This really just comes from the fact that I've been for a run nearly every day for the last couple of weeks. I've had to rethink my approach so as not to develop the same problems that limited the marathon. Those problems still exist to a certain extent, so there is a good deal of rehabilitation required within the training. So here's the basic outline of my current training approach... I only have two races planned at this stage. First up is as part of a relay team at the Surfcoast Century in September where I'll be covering 28km in the hilly section. Second on the list is the Two Bays Trail 56km in January. I am hoping to throw a few more events in, but I'll see how the body goes. With those races in mind, the basic structure is a 9 day cycle that looks little something like this... easy Intervals easy Hill sprints easy Threshold easy Long easy The easy runs are exactly that, easy. Something between 40...

If you are going to race a 100km trail run, then chances are you will learn a few things along the way. Here are a few lessons I have taken away from this year's Surfcoast Century. New Limits This isn't about how fast I can run. It is about how much I can get out of myself. It isn't something I can objectively measure or fully explain. The biggest thing I learnt is that I can push myself further and dig deeper into whatever it is than I thought possible. The combined onslaught of the body's defence mechanisms creates a situation where it feels almost impossible not to slow down at the very least. I've been there before and pulled out some efforts to be proud of, but this time it was a new level. Does that push my threshold out further? Will I be able to tap into it again? Mental Training It is cliché, but so much of an ultramarathon is mental. Without a wide selection of well practised mental techniques I would not have performed so well. 100km means for a lon...

I'll start by giving away the ending. This was definitely my best race ever. It goes beyond that initial caught up in the moment reaction, I dug deeper and got more out of myself than I thought was possible. The result was I smashed the race with a result I am absolutely stoked about. This report is how it unfolded. It isn't whole lot of number crunching, heart rate analysis and dry facts. That isn't how I raced. Here's my attempt to convey my best day of racing. Grand plans and big goals initiated my training months ago. Having covered the 100km in 12:26:01 last year, I was thinking I could slash that down towards 11 hours. The training did not go as expected. No runs longer than 40km, and not much over 30km, plus quite a few gaps. I was genuinely worried about my ability to finish let alone be happy with my time. In the final two weeks I spoke about running sub-12 hours with the full size beer stein as incentive. Honestly, I didn't believe that was possible at ...

After watching the reconnaissance videos of the course that I posted in my last blog,  Number 43 , I remembered a section from the SCC Back Fifty video that I was really looking forward to running last year. Unfortunately it was this section where I was really struggling and had been reduced to a walk, despite the very runnable terrain. This year I plan on amending that. The section is in Leg 3, in the Otways on the trail loop through the Currawong Falls. Last year I recognised an exact spot by the rock step, that I found myself slowly stepping down over, instead of smoothly running through. Below is a still capture of that spot... This gradual descent followed by the 7km climb afterward is where I should make up the most time compared to last year. Now get out there and do it.

Only five sleeps to go, or 4.3 if I follow Harro's thinking. The traffic on Coolrunning.com.au/forum  has increased as D-Day approaches. The training has been done. Just a handful of comfortably quick 200m reps tomorrow, an easy 10km on Wednesday and then complete rest for the final two days. My main aim this week is to get in as much sleep as possible. For those who want all the details check out the full race program here . The weather is looking pretty damn good. 9-19 degrees Celcius, with a possible shower and light winds. Looks like a bit of rain at the start of this week, should leave a few wet, muddy and slippery sections. Maybe that will make some of trails a little slower, but it should mean the sand will be harder packed. Swings and roundabouts with that one. Some details: Solo Competitors: 155 My Race Number: 43 Live Race Day Tracking:   http://m.bluechipresults.com.au/Search.aspx?R=61 Twitter:  #surfcoastcentury Course Video:

Only eleven days to go to the Surfcoast Century . The training is what it is, nothing I can do to change the past. The focus is now on making the most of what I have. That involves a few things, but for the most part it comes to sorting out the logistics. I've been looking at the race maps, looking at how people went last year, how I race last year and comparing it to what I see as my current strengths and weaknesses. I've crunched a lot of numbers, paces, distances, heart rates etc. and looked at things in a scientific, objective way then added a few layers of art over the top. That's led me to settle on some time goals for this year. I'm not as optimistic as I was a few months ago, reality has crept in. Still, I am looking to running faster than last year's 12:26. The biggest influence on goal setting is the 1 litre beer stein. To get the full size, I need to run under 12 hours (not 13 as per last year). Essentially my race plans are geared to achieving this. ...

On the plan are a number of runs I've marked as Fundamental . What on earth is a fundamental run? For those looking for a physiology definition there will be disappointment. It isn't based exactly on a threshold, it's not a set heart rate zone, but it is prescriptive in pace. There is probably a better term than fundamental for this type of run, but it works for me. Originally taken from concepts used by Renato Canova, but I don't strictly follow his explanation. I've calculated the pace range to be based on what my recent race results suggest I am currently capable of for a marathon if I modify training for a couple of months to hit that time. This gives me my marathon pace. The fundamental pace is then simply 80-90% of that. For me that works out to be 4:04/km for marathon pace, and fundamental is 4:52-4:28/km. It is clearly aerobic conditioning. How I use this pace range depends on what event I am training for. If my target was a marathon, then I would re...

For some further insight into training for the Surfcoast Century it is worth picking apart the individual sessions. Of course, single sessions don't make the program, in a  total is greater than the sum of all it's parts , kind of way. How everything comes together over the weeks is more important. That said, the devil is in the details. I'll start by looking at the Hill Sprint session. Since I am preparing for a 100km race, sprints might seem far removed and even irrelevant to some. After all, how is sprinting as fast as you can related to the slow pace and different mechanics of an ultramarathon? Hill Sprints will make a weekly appearance. After a thorough warm up, which will likely include some mobility work I hit the main set. For this I pick a hill that's at least a 10% grade, but preferably steeper. The surface will vary weekly as I will pick a different location. Each repeat will cover roughly 70-200m for 8-12 repeats. Recovery will be some very easy jogging, ...

Training now moves away from the generalised style I've been holding recently. Time now to kick in the focus and aim directly for the Surfcoast Century in September. That gives me exactly three months from today. From here on in I will mainly be working on an 8-day week, with a fairly standard weekly structure. Most variation from this will be a byproduct of having to find different ways to get the training in. Of course there will be progression embedded into this structure. Day 1: Easy - Fundamental run 8-10km Day 2: VO2 Intervals: 4x1000m @ 3:45, 1000m rec @ 5:30, progressing towards 4x2000m with 500m rec. Total 12-15km Day 3: Fundamental 20-25km Day 4: Hill Sprints 10km Day 5: Regeneration - Easy 8-12km Day 6: Long 40-60km with race gear/nutrition. Aim for even style pacing, err on easy. Only after distance is covered then push up pace. Day 7: Easy 10-12km Day 8: Fundamental 12-18km on technical terrain. A pace guide for flat terrain is: Regeneratio...

Well I did it. My first 100km trail ultra is done and dusted. In short, it was an amazing experience. This is how it unfolded. I stayed down with my wife, kids and sister in a nice house a short distance from the race. A pretty chilled evening, some simple pasta and disappointing loss in the AFL prelim. In the middle was race registration and briefing. Signing in had me feeling nervous for the first time, but I soon relaxed after catching up with a few people. Though it played on my mind I couldn't check and recheck my drop bags after I handed them over, even though I'd already checked them at least ten times. The sleep was a little disturbed, but that's no problem. I'd slept well during the rest of the week. Up early, liquid breakfast, coffee and a selection of stretches and movements had me feeling loose and ready. Soon enough I got my way down to the start. The weather was brilliant. Bright blue skies, plenty of sun and a light cool breeze. I couldn't ask fo...

I've well and truly gone past the point where I can add any fitness. I have what I have, now all I can do is make the most of it to get the best result race day. The plan for the last couple of weeks was penned with the proviso: Naturally the plan will change if it needs to (and it probably will) Of course it did, and what I did put on paper was a bit too much. So I listened to my body, and I think I got that in the strange period that is a taper. Anyway, as of 14 days out the training went a little something like this... Trail Run 44km with race kit, race nutrition at race pace. All went to plan, plus I felt great. 90min @ race pace 1h45min @ race pace, maybe a little quicker over the last 30min Easy relaxed run to and from track, with 10x80m building strides. All relaxed and comfortable, took 60min all up Planned 4 hour trail run, but legs felt heavy and I felt tired, so just a very light 60min Day OFF. Legs still heavy, and I was wondering if I am fighting off the c...

Over the last few months I've experimented a reasonable amount with my nutrition during the long runs (4-6.5 hours). I've tried a few different regimens, and varied my amounts. In the mix has been low to high calorie levels (100-340kCal/hour). Different fuel mixtures which have included testing of maltodextrin, fructose, glucose, protein and electrolytes. From this experimentation combined with a good amount of study, I have come up with a plan that seems like the right plan for the Surfcoast Century. For the most part my plan falls close to the Hammer Nutrition Guidelines as found in their free eBook: The Endurance Athlete's Guide To Success . Well worth a read. Now I have to point out that I am not necessarily an advocate of Hammer Nutrition, and other than a few gels, don't tend to use their products. However, they do provide some very practical information that I have put to test in training. I was also fortunate enough to win a free entry into the Steve Born Nutr...

Due a reoccurrence of the sinus infection I thought I was getting rid of, the training over the last week hasn't matched what I planned on paper. I took an extra couple of days easy, the a day later than planned I hit the a nice steep hill for 6 x 40 second efforts, with about 2 min recovery, followed by 2 x 2min of fast, technical running over some twisting a jagged trail, with a good dose of rest in between. The run felt good and I had that flow I really wanted. Thanks to Dazzler I managed to score a free massage that put my legs into a better state than they had been. No surprises from the work, all the problems I thought I had were there, and nothing extra. The legs are looser, and my own tissue therapy now seem s a little more effective. The long run got scrapped for two reasons. First was with the sinus infection still causing a lot of grief, it would do more harm than go to go long. Seconds was 100km winds whipped some of the tiles from our roof and I some temporary repa...

Easy 60 and 45 minute runs marked the first two days. Enough to recover from the injury side of things, yet not to the level of a taper. I still carried a few aches, pains and stiffness into the Salomon Trail Series Race 3: Silvan 14.3km.  A long warm up had me race ready, and the 69 minutes of racing over a brilliant mixture of trails and hills had me working harder than I could achieve in a training session. Plenty of good points came out of this race. There was clear evidence of substantial improvement compared to a few weeks ago. Including the warm up and cool down, the day netted about 21km worth of running. Fourth day was designated for an easy 60 minute run. My heart rate and effort was very low, but I surprised myself with quite a fast a pace throughout. Then it was night shift, followed by a day off as I continued the pattern of catching up on sleep. Now for the long run. Kitted and stocked up, out into the hills and trails I went. The legs were feeling pretty good....

Coming off the tough week of Focus 4, I was hoping to maintain a similar level of training. The first two days involved only light recovery running to absorb the previous long run. On the 3rd day my lower legs still felt stiff and there seemed to be a deep soreness that I probably won't be able shake until the taper in a couple of weeks. Not fresh, but recovered enough for the pace run. Following the trend for this run, it was again better than the previous week. Easier and faster. I followed this up the next day with the hill run. A course change to a steeper circuit with an average slope of 12% and no flat section. Aiming to hit 45min of hard work I only managed 36 before my legs gave in. The terrain alone forced the intensity up. Two hard sessions were followed up with the obligatory recovery runs for two days. On the third I hit the track for a bit of speed work. I chose the flat option this week as my legs weren't handling the down hills and there were plenty of warnin...

Clearly I under estimated how much the race at Plenty Gorge was going to take out of me. Backing up with 2 hours the next morning did nothing to improve the situation. As a result this week started with two recovery runs. My legs were so thrashed that I found myself walking up slopes I wouldn't normally consider hills. Next I felt recovered enough for my pace run. 2.5 hours, with race gear on at a solid clip over a variety of terrain. The spring I had in my legs last week wasn't quite there, but I still felt pretty good and as though I could just keep running for at least another hour. The following day was a different story. For the most part my legs were pleasantly sore. In the way that lets you know you've been training hard. However I there was some swelling across the top of my left foot, extra pain in the tibial is anterior and new level of tightness in the lateral muscles of my left leg. I've learnt in past that's not a group of symptoms to push through...