Race Report – 2012 Cradle Half Marathon & 10km

What person is crazy enough to set their alarm for 04:30 on a public holiday, I mean seriously one should be catching up on sleep? Sportsmen & women that’s who, no rest for the wicked as they say. The past week of training for me has been non-existent and I’m pretty sure I strained my hip flexor on my first 10km run in Krugersdorp just over a week ago. I rested my muscles for a few days after race then did another run last Sunday, needless to say I aggravated the muscle again during the run and have been resting it up until the Cradle run on Friday morning. I have noticed it starts acting up from just after the 5km mark, this may have been a case of going too far too soon with regards to the distance I am running. I also now know which muscles to focus on more in the gym in my strength training. My next road race is only in 2 weeks time so I have some time to rest and hopefully recover properly.

Ok so for the race (Cradle Half Marathon & 10km) roundup:

The start was cold (about 9 Degree’s) and the sun was still hidden behind the mountains and everyone was still hiding in their cars to keep warm. The race was scheduled to start at 07:00 but due to all the cars streaming in at this time the organizers decided to delay the start 20 – 30 mins. Once the race started everyone set off, jogging at this point was almost impossible as there was just so many people taking off at the same time, it was more like a walk / jog / walk / jog until everyone had the opportunity to disperse. Not sure why they decided to start the 21 & 10km runners together though? Given the fact that the start headed straight into quite a steep hill and that there was so many people trying to run (or in this case walk) up this hill I added almost a full 2 mins onto my pace. After we got out the main gate (about 2km later) and onto the main the road, the group was able to open up fully and everyone was able to find their pace that they normally run at.

The route the organizers had planned is one I know very well as it is where I do nearly all my cycling. The race proceeded to head downhill from the main gate right up to the 5km point where the 10km runners turned around and then were forced to run back up the hill which we had just run down (I swear races were they plan this is just evil!). Looking back at my pace for the first 5km I must say I was very happy with it and my running up to this point definitely seems to be improving. As I mentioned at the start after the 5km point is where all my trouble’s start, as running from this point turns out being more of a run / walk / run / walk depending on the pain. I have discovered that I am a rather strong hill climber(all 410m of it) and am able to keep quite a nice pace when they pain wasn’t too intense, hopefully once my hip has recovered fully I will find out just how long I will be able to hold that pace.

The hill going back up to the lodge is not one of my favourite hills, even when i’m cycling I sometimes dread going up it. The last stretch from the 9km was quite nice as it was all downhill right up to the finish line. Looking back it was not such a bad race even with all the walking I did I came across the finish line with a time of 01h17m12, my pace for the race wasn’t too bad either finishing with a pace of 7:30 min/km.

Until next time

J

Race Report – 2012 Sector 6 10km Fun Run

So it has been a few days since my last run and my legs still had not recovered fully before my race this morning. I’ll be the first to admit that I have pushed myself and my legs with regards to the running in the last few weeks, I think most people would take a while before jumping straight into a 10km. The last few days have been a little difficult getting around, haha, with my quads burning and my right hip being a little sore. I was almost recovered this morning, I think another day and I would have been good to go. In any case I committed to doing this race and I was going to finish it!

Ok so for the race (Sector 6 10km Fun Run) roundup:

Running on 5 hours sleep I can’t say I was totally prepared for this race but I was looking forward to it though (not sure my legs would agree with that statement though). I was afraid the start of the race would head straight up a hill towards Olivedale Clinic and unfortunately I was right with the first 1.7km going straight up, I would say it was a steep climb but it was a long drag! Although being a hill I am very happy with the pace I held going up the hill and passing some other runners along the way. The gradient for the race was an interesting one heading up the hill and then sort of back down again.

The 10km route was 2 laps of the planned 5km route, for me the second half was the definitely the toughest. My right hip start acting up on me and I pretty much ended up walking up the hill, a lot more time is definitely needed on the road so I can get used to the impact. Once I got to the top I started running again however I slowed my pace down a little to adjust with the pain. The last kilometer down to the finish was definitely a blessing. Once I crossed the finish line I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I could finally stop to rest my hip. I ended up coming in at 01h18m03s  Nice short report, then again it was a very simple route.

For me there is no stopping, you just have to keep running!

Race Report – 2012 Noordheuwel 10km Nite

Just to keep everyone in the loop I started running in the last few months of last year, I slowly built myself up to running 5km with some colleagues from the office as part of our work / life balance initiative. I stop running late November due to picking up the flu and since then I haven’t done any real running training, I’ve done one 5km race in Jan and another in Feb. I was really keen to do training but I decided to focus on my Cycling and I put in a lot of hours for the Argus Cycle Tour. I decided that when I got back from Cape Town I would put some more focus on my running and getting back to the point from where I had stopped in November.

Having done very little training this year for running I must say that in the last 3 weeks I have come a looong way. Having started again 3 weeks ago on the treadmill with a 5km run and not having stopped once to walk is huge for me, as all the runs I have done in the past have been a series of run / walk / run / walk / run (you get the picture). Up to my race last night, I think I have done three treadmill sessions of 5, 5.5 and 8.5km respectively and two road runs of 5.5km each.  For all my training sessions I have managed to keep a speed of about 8.5km/h although not quite a running pace, it is a pace I am very happy with. Of all the sports I do running is definitely the hardest and most definitely does not come naturally for me (see my post on CMT), if you had to see me run I think it would be pretty obvious. As I mentioned I believe my running has come a long way, I can honestly say I feel I am much stronger runner than I was before and I think I can attribute this to my cycling and all the spinning I do. As strong as I feel though I was not sure I had done enough running to jump straight into a 10km run…

 

Ok so for the race (Noordheuwel 10km Nite) roundup:

I must be honest I was nervous for my first 10km and at the same time I was also excited. It was a beautiful evening for a run and was not too cold either, the air was nice a cool and definitely made for great running conditions.  As the start whistle blew the 10km group headed out and we were promptly greeted with a downhill, I think for most people they would be celebrating as downhill’s are your friends however at this point I was thinking ‘Oh great! A downhill! That means there is an uphill to, what a way to start the race”. Needless to say at the bottom of the hill a U-turn was made through a shopping centre and we promptly headed back up the same hill we had just run down (Who does that! That is just evil!). I think this hill separated all the serious runners from the recreational ones, although I am not a serious runner I am happy to report I did not walk up it however I did not have a fast pace up it either. The first 4km went pretty smoothly and looking back at my pace for them it was under 7min/km, there we some climbing involved but nothing too serious.

From about the 5.5km was when the serious hills started I was hoping I wouldn’t have to stop and walk, as up to this point I did not have walk once, but unfortunately this was not the case. I did manage to climb half of the hill before I started walking, once I reached the top though I carried on with my running pace. This carried on until about the 7.5km mark, from here there were some slight hills again but no so bad that you could not run up them, it was a nice run from here up to the 9km mark. The first 200/300m of the last km was a steep climb, I did give it my best shot a running it but it was just too much. The last few hundred metres was a nice easy climb back up to the finish line.

So I did manage to finish the race and with 6mins to spare from my planned time of 1h20, coming across the finish line in 01h14m20s. My average speed was 8.15km/h just a tad slower than my normal speed of 8.5km/h and my average pace was 7:22min/km, so I was a bit slower than normal but I attribute that to all the hills. From my point of view it was not a bad time at all considering all the walking I did up the hills.

I was definitely not expecting so many hills; then again it is my fault for not reading the race review properly before running as it reads: “This race is hard and hilly, yet scenic. Often referred to as ‘Moordheuwel’ it is a mid-week race that helps anyone get to grips with hill climbing and Comrades”. The difficulty rating for this race is 4 out of 5. The way I recall this race is down / up / down / up / down / up / down / up. So not one of the easier races to start off with but hey go BIG or go HOME!

Fav Quote

“Always aim for the Moon, even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” - W. Clement Stone

Race Report – Cape Argus Cycle Tour 2012 (and some ramblings)

I rarely sleep well on the night of a big race, I guess the nerves, the anticipation, the excitement of the event just builds up and with all of this my mind is so busy it doesn’t get the rest it needs. Maybe someone should just knock me over the head next time, that way I’m bound to sleep

Normally before any big race I try to get in a few spinning classes and a leg loosener in the day before, the week building up to the Argus resulted in, well, sleeping… I just could not get up early to go cycling, guess my body was more tired than I thought. All those early morning gym sessions and Saturday rides caught up with me, I think sometimes one just needs to chill and do nothing. I did manage to get in a ride the Sunday before the race, having arrived in Cape Town the saturday prior, with my Aunt, Chris and my Aunt’s friend. Heading out from Newlands towards Hout Bay and up Chappies to the top, from what I

hear stopping at the top to socialize with the other cyclists on a sunday morning is the thing to do – so much for training… So after a quick break, we headed back down and towards Suikerbossie for some more hill climbing, then back down through Camps Bay, Clifton and back home. Chatting to Chris after the ride, he decided to inform that Suikerbossie was a breeze and that come Race Day he would nail it to which i responded ‘Just wait till Sunday’. As mentioned the rest of the week no training was attempted, although lots of sight seeing (touristy stuff – other blog/s to follow) was done.

Back on topic… Race day. Having parked the car at my Uncle’s office in town it is just a few short km’s down to the start line. Although this is nice to warm the legs up, it is often short live as by the time you get into your pen with all the other cyclists and slowly make your way to the start line your legs have cooled down again, as I had come to find out the first few km’s into the race.The one thing I love about any sport really is the camaraderie amongst fellow sportsmen, talking to others at the start usually makes the time fly by and even during the race. At this point I was glad to have run into my fellow club mate Tony, this being his first Argus I gave him a quick run down of the route and what hills are to be expected. I mentioned to him I was looking for a 3 hour finish and for himself it was just time in the saddle prior to the Ironman. As the start gun went off we bid each other adieu and good luck. As I mentioned about my legs not having time to warm up – I felt them working hard right up to the top of Top of Edinburgh Drive, pushing hard to reach my split times and to get my legs warm which of course only happened along the M3 – damn you cold legs. At this point I knew my 3 hour mark was out but i was still on track for a 3h30 finish, good enough for me! I had found a nice group to ride in but this group was quickly lost on Boyes drive clearly dividing those who had put some serious time in the saddle.

Boyes drive went rather nicely, the climbing was good and I was warmed up nicely by this point. Heading out the bottom of Boyes and towards FishHoek was a nice stretch as well. Coming into FishHoek though I felt a tap on my shoulder only to realise it was Tony saying to me ”Hey! What you doing? Let’s go!”. (Time in the saddle? Psssh). Breaking away from my group I slipped in behind Tony and we started heading towards Simons Town and then eventually Smitswinkel (the next big climb). Having ridden with Tony before on club rides I discovered he is a really strong hill climber and have since found that riding with someone like this makes a world of difference riding up hills. Having said that, riding up Smits with Tony was a breeze, myself leading the first half of the hill and Tony taking the second part.

From the top of Smits towards Misty Cliffs is a fast part and having found a nice group to sit in, we were easily averaging between 40 – 50km/h. Just before Misty Cliffs though the group dispersed and I found myself riding alone, trying to find another group to stick in at this point was hard as they were just not keeping a nice pace. Deciding to leave them rather I pulled out and set my own pace, before long as with is any race, you’ll have a number of cyclists sitting behind you. I don’t mind carrying groups but everyone should take a turn up front and lead for a while, it just makes it easier for everyone. Having carried the group right up to the hill leading up to Sun Valley, I decided I had enough and motored forward leaving them behind and passing 2 other groups in the process, I love hills (Ok it’s more of a love hate relationship really) but still I love hills. Want to break away from a group, become a strong hill climber!
Through small Chappies and even big Chappies I held a nice pace going up, coming down the other side though was a different story. It was then that it my ankle hit me, I stopped halfway down  and adjusted my shoe, stretched my foot quickly and then carried on and headed through HoutBay towards Suikerbossie. At this point my family was supposed to have been up the hill somewhere ready to swop out a water bottle but of course I just missed them and they had apparently arrived a few minutes after I passed. No worries though as there is a water point at the top, at which point I stopped and topped up my water bottles (Suikerbossie, psssh, maybe next year ). At this point I just want to mention I was at the top at 3h00, still on track for my 3h30 finish, however the last 15km were the worst for me. My left ankle coming back to haunt me again around Camps Bay, meant my pace was slightly slower and having done the last 2km (the pain was that bad by then) literally with my right foot only.. haha I did cross the finish line in 3h38:18, 8 mins off my 3h30 mark but considering my ankle was harassing me I think i did alright

Looking back on the race, it wasn’t my best race and it wasn’t my worst. I did however smash my time of 4h46 from last year’s race. I was pretty happy with my average speed of 30km/h up from my 94.7 average of 28km/h which puts me closer to my sub 3 hour mark for this years 94.7 Cycle Challenge. One of the downsides of the race for me was that there were alot of crazy cyclists out there, gents and ladies just hold your line when you cycle – if you are going to move check that your not cutting someone off. Nearly witnessed a few accidents right in front of me as a result of that. As for my ankle, I think running on the beach a few days before a race is a no-no unless you live on the beach, the running and beach sand combo had definitely worked some muscles that I now know exist. Next year I think I shall head down a day or two before the race, that way I will ensure I get some exercise in before my race as well

One of the highlights of the race though was running into @Scott_Tait at the finish while waiting (2 hours) for Chris to finish.

And then just some photo’s of myself (in my RFAD kit) and Chris. Big ups to Chris though for finishing in 4h20 for his first Argus with very little saddle time.

Until next year Argus, my sub 3 hour is waiting for me

What Your Liver Can Teach You About Burning Fat

Reblogged from Daily Health Boost:

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Today’s Inspiration: Kimberlysnyder.net

“Our liver is such an amazing organ, that is why I love this article so much! What many people don’t know is that our liver has a large impact on how we use, store and burn fat. I hope this article helps you to learn a bit more about the amazing-ness of your body. Take good care of it!”

Read more… 859 more words

Quick Training / Race Update

So not having written anything for a while which includes my supposed weekly training updates, I have decided to a bit of a round up on my training, races and whatever else slips in between. I definitely need to make some more time available to keep this updated with some race reports and some weekly training reports.

As I mentioned in my last blog I had a second road running race planned which was the McCarthy Volkswagen Night Race, as I am still new to running I did the 5km ‘fun run’, with more training I will eventually work my up to 10, 15 and then 21km. Even though it was only a 5km run, it was rated a 5/5 for difficulty, and the hills were mean!! Coming in across the finish line at 39 mins, 9 mins than my average from last year, then again I was running at least once a week compare to the once a month I’m currently doing (terrible I know), I did decide though after this race I would focus on my riding until after the Argus Cycle Tour after which point I will pick up my running again

The Sunday following my run was the Emperor’s Palace Classic – this was my first time doing the race and I quite enjoyed it barring the last few km’s. Waiting at the start eagerly in my RFAD kit I was pleasantly surprised when one of my mates from spinning class pitched up kitted out in his RFAD kit to. It is always nice riding with someone know or the few km’s off the start.. Being a much stronger rider he bolted off with the faster bunch in the start group, once my legs had warmed up I slipped in the second bunch and headed off with a nice pace. My race was going great up to the half way mark when I lost my one water bottle and then again at the 91km when I took my last bit of water expecting the race only to be 97km. However when I reached the 97km and no finish line in sight it was a little disheartening having paced myself for that distance but I pushed on and eventually crossed the finished line having racked up 103km. Although not my best race I am happy that I finished with a time of 3h25 even though the last 6km took me about 20mins to finish.

The Dis-Chem Ride For Sight was another race I was totally looking forward to and also my first race with my club. Our club was fortunate enough to be sponsored by Bausch & Lomb and I must say we all looked pretty good. Having been told by everyone the first half of this race is very fast I can only agree with that having reached the 37km mark with anaverage speed of 40km/h. Unfortunately I was the unlucky recipient of a pot-hole, riding in such a big group and travelling at such a fast pace these sneaky buggers pop out of nowhere and with the guy in front of me swerving out of the way at the last second I had no time to react and hit it.  I was fortunate enough not to come off my bike but my rim took all the punishment and unfortunately got damaged in the process putting me out of the race and my first DNF Until next year Dis-Chem Ride For Sight, you better be ready for me

The last 2 weekends have resulted in some pretty good club rides. This past weekend though I have put in some great training. Friday kicked off with a strength spinning class, was a fantastic class and I swear we had no time to rest working almost full out for 45 minutes.

Saturday the club set out for a 100km planned route with tons of climbing planned. Although we pulled back in to the car lot about 5 hours and 98km later we got some great hill climbing in pushing in at around 1000m.

Sunday I headed out into the cradle with my mate Chris as we both doing the Argus and one of us (Chris) needing all the training we can get. I must be honest the Cradle is one of my favourite places to train being a nature reserve there is plenty wildlife and very little cars. With the route I had planned (More hills yay) we headed towards the Rhino and Lion Park, if you get there early enough you can catch the Lions sitting along the fencing watching all their potential food.. err.. I mean all the cyclists passing by J Heading further on out the scenery opens up and makes for some spectacular Sunday morning riding. Yes I pushed Chris a little on this ride but was all worth it though, another 3 hours in the saddle, 65km later and 500m more climbing Good rides all round.

To finish up my training for this weekend I talked my friend Anne who is also my Monday morning spinning instructor into giving us some climbs for the class (Don’t you just love hills?). 45 minutes later and working all out again my legs were absolutely dead (Thanks Anne!!). Although I’m not complaining as when my HR shoots up like it did in this class from all the hard work you walk out of the class on a high (got to love endorphins).  So… great spinning classes, fantastic rides, lots of climbing, fair amount of km’s results in a pretty good weekend of training.

Today was a rest day and couldn’t have come at a better time. For the rest of the week, I have 2 spin classes planned before I head off down to Cape Town on Friday with Chris for a much needed 2 week holiday and to nail my Argus Cycle Tour. Next week I will slip in a few rides during the week to keep my legs ready for the big day and I shall hopefully get in my first proper race report once I’ve completed it.

Until then

Jay