Move over Sally Field

Yesterday was the Launceston Ten, so today I ran my version of it along the Bike Track.

It was a pleasant 13-14 degrees  and the pouring rain held off until I had arrived back home. There were a few sprinkles but not much to worry about - though there were a number of puddles I had to negotiate because of the rain from the last couple of days. The only thing that made the run hard - basically, though not completely, on the homeward bound leg - was the 50k+ buffeting winds along the exposed sections of the track and also, at times, to the tunnelling effect it created through parts of the bush.

This is the third time I have run this "race". In 2009 I ran it in 1:02:34. Last year I ran it in 56:59 and, having done a number of LSDs of late, I initially hoped that I might better that time (especially as I am in my taper period before I "race" in the Gold Coast Half Marathon in just over a week).

When I started out at what I thought would be a good pace I was shocked to see that, after the first couple of hundred metres, I was running slowly at around 5:40/k. Oh, well! However, I kept striding along and gradually my Garmin began to show a more realistic rate. At one stage as I was running along the track with bush on either side I could feel the wind almost lift me off the ground, just like Sally Field, in "The Flying Nun". It was only the once but it did indicate how strong the wind was at that time.

After about 3k my legs told me that I was running more strongly than I had anticipated and I began to muse over how slow the return leg would be into the wind. Well, I turned around at the 5k marker and was hit front on by the wind and could feel myself struggling to keep going. I began to calculate what pace I would need to run at, for the return 5k, to be able to have roughly the same time as last year.

I kept at it - though on the open sections of the track I took a battering from the wind as it blasted straight into my face. However, on the more sheltered spots I could again lengthen my stride and raise the pace.

I reached the end of the course and stopped the clock (my Garmin distance was out of kilter compared to the course, but, then again, I usually find that the out distance differs from the return distance when it is exactly the same distance both ways).

I came in at 54:50, which is a 2:09 PB AND it was fractionally under 5:30/k. Very pleasing considering the conditions. According the the MacMillan Running Calculator I should be able to run the half marathon in 2hrs 2mins, which is getting closer to what I want to achive. However, time will tell.

You can find my splits at http://connect.garmin.com/splits/93631151

Tea Tree Lane Trip

Just a couple of days ago I was visiting people on the other side of the Mersey River and, now that the Bike Track has been extended, I decided to change my planned course and run to Tea Tree lane at Pardoe Beach, which turned out to be the same distance (28k) that I had intended to run today.

After a great breakfast of risotto and toast (then a banana and muesli bar) I had my bottles filled with Staminade so I could depart at around 1pm, meaning I would be back before it became too cold and dark. I had my mind fixed on running it in around 3hrs, having done a similar distance of two laps of the Bike Track from home three weeks ago in a time of 3:03:59 (that's 6:34/k).

With that time in mind, I set off at a slowish pace (or so I thought) but I found that I was plodding on much faster than I had anticipated. When I realised what I was doing I decided to keep going at that pace because it felt comfortable. I did question whether, at 7k, I should turn back and have a shorter run but thought better of it. It didn't take long before I had run through that small difficult patch and was again enjoying what I was doing.

I was still running quite strongly (for me) at the 14k mark where I turned though I noticed my pace just easing slightly. Crossing back over Victoria Bridge I found a bit more difficult as I plodded up the incline to get over the Mersey and from then on my running was over 6min/k.

As soon as I had run through the half marathon mark (2:03:23 or 5.51/k which was a PB of 2:59) I decided that I had had enough of that pace. I immediately stopped running and started walking while I drank the last bottle of my drink and ate the rest of the snakes. From then on I decided that fartlek would be a good idea so finished off the last quarter of my run by alternating between jogging and walking according the to conditions and how I felt. I arrived home in a time of 2:56:29 (6.18/k) so I still managed to come in under the 3hrs I had as a target.

It is obvious that my ability to judge my pace is hopeless, hence the last quarter of today's run. Maybe I need someone to run with me who can help me out in that way!

In spite of my not "finishing" the whole course by running I do not feel defeated or thinking "never again". It's simply a lesson I have to learn and I did enjoy what I did! My short-term goals at the moment are to run the half marathon in under 2hrs, the marathon in under 5hrs and to be able to cover 45k (6ft Track distance).

I am now starting my three-week taper to get ready for a half marathon on Saturday, 2nd July to coincide with the following day's Gold Coast half marathon (I realised that I didn't have enough time to get ready for the full marathon). However, in the midst of these three weeks of taper I will run a fast 10k on Monday, 20th June (the day after the Launceston Ten). I'm hoping that I will be ready for the full marathon distance by the end of August as the Ross marathon will be run on the first Sunday in September (we'll be in Melbourne on our way to Sydney for my mum's 90th birthday).


If anyone is interested in seeing the various splits the link is:
http://connect.garmin.com/splits/91504282