The last two weeks have been a flurry of activity over here, and while I am already behind schedule in my Canberra marathon campaign, I have been keeping up the running, albeit short runs only at this stage.
The time between Christmas and New Year was spenting land crewing for a K4 (four-person kayak - see pic below of my crew) crew in the Murray Marathon, an annual 404km/5 day kayak/canoe race along the Murray River. This was quite an onerous undertaking as it turned out, almost as arduous for the land crew as for the paddlers! Typical days inlcuding getting up at 5 am, cramming in a quick 5km pre-dawn run before preparing breakfast for the crew, cleaning up, breaking camp, getting the crew and boat to the start line, getting them on the water and then rushing off to the first of 3 or 4 checkpoints, battling bulldust, rough bush tracks and hundreds of other vehicles trying to get to the same checkpoint in order to battle for position on the water; awaiting the arrival of the boat for a 2-3 minute pit-stop during which we changed their drinks, fed them, did running repairs to boat and paddlers, got them on their way again and repeated the whole process another 2 or 3 times. At the end of the day's racing we'd get them and the boat off the water, back on the support vehicle (and you need a massively long trailer for a K4!) off to the next camp site, set up all the tents, get food prepared, paddlers massaged and generally pampered back to good health and so on until we all crashed around 9:30pm ready for the next early start. In 5 days I lost 2-3kg and I wasn't even paddling!
I have started kayaking myself however as cross-training, and went out for my first serious one hour session this morning, complete with paddling coach who is teaching me proper technique. One thing is already clear - I need much stronger core/abdominals, so it looks like a pilates session or three is needed, as well as more upper body strength work, which I have let go somewhat in recent months. It's good fun though, and certainly provides a welcome distraction from the running sessions.
With only 15 weeks to the Canberra marathon (April 19) I need to get myself better organised. Still a lot of work to be done!
All that, AND a pre-dawn run? Your dedication is impressive! Then again, the marathon schedule is not to be messed with! (And I'm guessing pre-dawn is a bit nicer there than it is over here at the moment - light snow overnight.) Here's to a successful 2009 (specifically April 19th).
Well yes, my halo did shine a little brighter whilst away. Mind you all my runs are necessarily short ones thus far: I'm just back from another 5km burst this evening. Today was too hot (36C) to run until well after sundown. Even then (9pm) it was still 28 and muggy, so none too pleasant. But a marathon schedule, as you say MD, is not to be trifled with.
Mid Life Crisis Man Wrote:Even then (9pm) it was still 28 and muggy, so none too pleasant.
Strewth, at that time of night I'm in head to toe lycra, and having trouble with frozen fingers, despite gloves. Still, based on my experience of training for a half marathon last summer, I think I prefer winter training to summer. But these races don't happen every day (less still the enthusiasm to run one...) so I guess you gotta go for it when you can.
Hi there MLCM! We used to mess around in canoes in a reservoir near here and I even went sea-kayaking a couple of times. The first time I ended up puking in between strokes. My partner in the K2 didn't even notice. The second time I was picked up by the rescue boat after, err, losing my way so to speak.
As you say it's the ideal activity for mid/upper body strength and I'd love to be able to have another crack at it.
So, I'll be watching this space in 2009 hopefully for more progress on the waterfront and who knows?.. an epic MLCM marathon tale for next Spring.
Thanks for the comments guys - am currently in Adelaide for a few days where I'm desperately trying to get a few runs in the log, but I'm being rather over-run by non-running matters. I'll squeeze them in somehow though.
The world really is a weird place: that famous marathon runner and sometimes cyclist Lance Armstrong has just lobbed into town here ready for the Tour Down Under. Apparently security for the big L is so tight that the local police had to set up a special division just to look after him. I mean, geez, you think the guy could out-run pretty much any trouble that might come his way, eh? But it will be a fascinating race and of course the organisers are chuffed to have the big drawcard. The race doesn't start for another week, and the teams tend to train up through the hills near where I'm staying in the intervening period, so I'll be on the lookout for a cyclist or two surrounded by armoured vehicles. With temperatures forcast in the low 40s in the coming week the cyclists will need to get acclimatised quickly.
Exciting times for the Aussie two-wheeler community.
Reminds me of that terrible Arthurian gag regarding Mr Armstrong.
Two medieval Tour de France fans on the side of the road.
Serf one: Who d'you fancy for th big race?
Serf two: I like Lance-a-lot.
Told ya it was terrible
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Just a quick note to say that it's currently 41 degrees C here in Adelaide and any thoughts of running apply only to visiting the beer fridge and/or jumping in the pool (although we can't do that quite yet because it's in full sun and anything above the water fries).
I return to Sydney tomorrow but then I'm into 8 straight 15-hour days of work, and as I'm already way behind my training schedule I'm getting a bit panicky about how to get a few runs under my belt.
My sympathies are with you on the terrible weather conditions!
Regarding the 16 days' work fitted into 8 days, I guess you have a couple of options:
1. Try and fit in a couple of short looseners as and when, to keep ticking over, and treat it as (another) step back week.
2. Set aside a couple of hours in your diary, and really concentrate on getting one quality long run in - arrange your sleeping, eating etc etc on the adjacent days with the sole focus of achieving that one run. Perhaps this is the better option, as the long run is the most sacred element of the weekly cycle of devotions. (However, if you're under pressure at work then it may nearly kill you...)
You can do the math - I reckon you won't be able to manage any more than one of those options without going insane.
Anyway, good luck - sounds like a tough enough week without having a marathon to train for on top...
I'm with Dan on this one mate - any plan, even if it's to plan to do nowt - is better than no plan at all. When work throws a roadblock into Swederville (as it is this week - I want to avoid back to back runs, am traveling to Holland tomorrow so will have a gap from Tuesday to Saturday) I focus on either doing really short runs - 20, 30 mins max - or on getting that one long one in. Sometimes on a step-back week the long runs get easier thanks to the enforced mini-taper in the week.
It might mean very limited tready sessions but hey, when it's Melt City out there that's the only sane way to fly, right?
'Better in the long run . . .'
Who was that? It must be better in the long run . . .
Has to get better in the long run . . .
Ghad, that's going to haunt me all flaming morning now
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Sweder Wrote:'Better in the long run . . .'
Who was that? It must be better in the long run . . .
Has to get better in the long run . . .
Ghad, that's going to haunt me all flaming morning now
That would be Madness, "Yesterday's Men", and totally appropriate - it even talks about marathon running!
...A metropolitan marathon
Has been held today
But who you need to catch
Will be coming the other way
Yesterday's men hang to today
To sing in any old way
It must get better in the long run
Has to get better in the long run
Because when you're told to start
How far can you go
When your race is won
And you already know
Because when you're told to stop
How far will you go
When your race is run
And you already know
Yesterday's men hang to today,
To sing in any old way,
It must get better in the long run
Has to get better in the long run
Will it get better in the long run
Will we be here in the long run
Yesterday's men hang to today,
To sing in any old way,
It must get better in the long run
Has to get better in the long run
Will it get better in the long run
Will we be here in the long run
Do, do, do, hang on in the long run.
Happy New Year!
With temperatures forcast in the low 40s in the coming week the cyclists will need to get acclimatised quickly.
