July 2006 Archives

Yesterday I went back and logged my 2003 Gold Coast 10km race details into my BreakingTheTape training log because, despite all the running I've done this year, that race is still my personal best. It prompted me to think back on my running history.

In January 2001, as part of a broader overseas holiday, I visited my friends Jeff and SMSMH in southern California. Jeff mentioned that he was going for a run with some of his friends over the weekend, and asked if I was interested in coming along. I had no history with running, and beyond cycling to work roughly once per week and being a regular at the local gym, didn't consider myself to be particularly sporty. Still, being adventurous, I was excited by the idea and said yes.

Jeff had been a runner for a little while at that time, but was still a relative beginner compared to how far he's come since. The pace was quite relaxed and I surprised myself by how well I was able to keep up in my $20 k-mart cheapies. I don't recall how far we ran, but it was considerably further than what I thought I had in me. When I arrived home after the vacation I kept up the running, heading out a few times per week, still in those same $20 shoes. Within a couple of months I was effortlessly running 7km and beyond at quite a respectable pace. Injury free.

A lack of motivation, too many distractions from other hobbies, and I stopped running a short time later. I didn't take up running again until two years later in 2003 when Jeff and SMSMH announced they would be visiting Australia and running the Gold Coast Marathon with me. Ten kg heavier than last time I ran, I promptly went out and purchased a new pair of expensive running shoes and started running a 3.5 - 4km circuit through the local neighborhood. Almost immediately I developed shin problems, and was soon diagnosed with Compartment Syndrome and told to ease off the training.

A couple of months went by where I was barely able to run once per week, and I had to break the news that I would not be ready to run the marathon. I continued to push to at least enter the 10km run held at the same event, and despite having done very little running in the previous months (and none over about 4-5 km), finished the race in about 1hr 04 mins with little complaint from the shins (until later). However, frustrated by the shin problems, I gave up running.

Two more years and several more kg later, helping develop workout scripts here on BreakingTheTape reignited the flame I had for running, but I had been completely inactive since my shin problems last time around, having given up the cycling and gym membership along with it. Easing very slowly back into it I was able to defeat the Compartment Syndrome (which was right there waiting for me when I started running again), only to become plagued by ever present MTSS - a common form of shin splints - which is still a constant obstacle for me today.

Despite having trained smarter and for a longer period of time, I'm slower than ever before, have constant ongoing shin troubles, and can't seem to get back into shape. Each morning I weigh up whether my shins are yet ready for another run, and most mornings I regretfully have to say no, while aching to get out there and put in the distance.

Take it from me, boys and girls : If you've recently started running and like where it's taking you, then don't get distracted and stop like I did.

Although I wasn't exactly keen on trudging 400 meters (1/4 mile) across the sand at low tide with a 4.7 meter (15 foot) boat on my back and buckles digging into my flesh, it was well worth it once I hit the water and paddled around the bay for a couple of hours this morning for some kayaking practice.

Next time I'll check the tide times and save myself some pain, although it was kinda cool to head out at low tide, paddling along several hundred meters from the shore, and still be able to see the ocean floor.

Tomorrow I'm back at work, otherwise I'd be heading out there again in the morning. Saturday morning I'll be straight back out there, though... I just have to try to remember to set aside some time for the chores. :-)

Yes, my lower legs were sore, and yes the weather got quite warm, but I gave my mind far too much credit at times when I knew it was not to be trusted. The end result : no negative splits for me this time around.

My Garmin 305, on the other hand, would never lie to me. I'm proud to announce a new personal best over a 1km distance, but it's one that will be extremely difficult to beat. Before bombing out and giving in to the defeatist urgings of my brain, I managed to pull a super-fast km out of my bag of tricks. A staggering 52 seconds for one whole kilometer - that's gotta be a world record, right? Maybe I should send my workout data to Guinness. Again, I'm proud to say, my Garmin never lies. Don't worry that the next km reportedly took around 13 minutes... we'll just gloss over that.

The day passed with no real hassles. I started out from home early, with food and water in my stomach and about 75km to drive to the event. I had always intended to get there really early to avoid traffic and to get a car park close to the race. I wasn't disappointed. I was in time to witness the start of the full marathon (almost three hours before my race) - in which Steve Moneghetti was a competitor.

My goal was to start out at a 6:20 pace and gradually pick up the pace (around 10 seconds per km) through the first 5 km to sit around 5:40 for the rest of the run, with a faster push for the last 700 meters or so. I had my sports watch set to record splits for every km, but there were so many pounding feet around me I couldn't actually hear it beep.

Looking back, I see that I was within a couple of seconds of my target pace for the first two km, but the third was way too fast - almost a minute faster than km two was! - although being boxed in by the densely packed crowd I had actually thought I ran that one too slow. Something went awry with my watch during km four and five, reporting impossible split times, and I started to really hurt somewhere around the five km mark. This seems a little strange to me, because on my training runs this is usually when the lower leg muscles really loosen up and the shin pain eases.

I struggled from there on, and the next 4km were perhaps my slowest to date. I managed to push through for the last 700 meters or so and came home strong, but I was surprised to do only marginallly better than in the Anzac Day race. I had been sick for the week leading up to that run, plus it had several more hills, so I had expected a better time today. Still, I'm pleased to have finished without any mishaps, and I had the opportunity to catch up over lunch afterwards with some friends (who also ran).

I have to congratulate my friend Nikki on her performance today. She's been sick for the bulk of her training, as well as suffering a recent injury, but was still able to get very close to her target time. Way to go Nikki!

For a while now I've been thinking about getting hold of a Kayak, so I've been watching eBay to see what's out there. I've bid on a few over the last couple of months, but they all went for way beyond what I was prepared to pay (some of them even sold for what the same model sells for new).

So when a viking predator came up this week at roughly 70% of the new sale price, I figured there would be a few bidders. I wasn't prepared to go any higher than that, but since it had only just been put up for auction and nobody had placed a bid, I figured, "yeh", and clicked. Apparently there were 16 people who had highlighted it as a watched item, so it was almost certain to be sniped in the last minutes.

Moving forward a week, I now have a new toy that will last me a very long time. If I were to stand it on its end it would be almost 3 times my height - you can see here that it's about as long as my large family-sized sedan. Hence, it's going to take some getting used to, but I certainly have plenty of room out in the bays near home to go crazy with it.

With still a couple of hours of sunlight left when I got it home today, I felt it would be a sin not to take it out for a test run. Thompson's Beach seemed like the perfect spot, so I trundled off down there to take it out and get a feel for it. A man and his son must have been watching me remove it from the roof of my car, for as I began to carry it to the water they got out of their own vehicle and came down to watch. Little boys and their boats. :-)

With my 10k race only 12 hours away (well, the drive to it), I made sure I didn't overdo it. I only spent about 30 minutes paddling around, all the while cursing myself for not extending the rudder / skeg. I was quite surprised by how much the wind will grab it despite it's low profile on the water. It's something I'll get used to with practice.

Those 120+ km work commutes aren't likely to happen any time soon, but at least I'll get some upper body / trunk exercise around the local bays while taking in some sights... and maybe I'll catch a fish or two while I'm out there. It's even fitted with a couple of rod holders.