Ironman Australia from the sidelines

Spectating at an IM is a long and tiring day on your feet, where you become part of the day each athlete is having around the course. Here's what I saw and learned from my day on the sidelines.

Pre-Race

• A lot people spend a lot of time standing around, and walking to/from the expo, coffee shops, accommodation, etc. This should be a time to keep off your feet as much as possible.
• Analysis paralysis is crippling. People - especially first-timers - over think, over worry, over analyse, over psych, and mentally wear themselves out instead of saving it for race day. The race and the course is what it is. Plan for it, understand it and then do it.
• First-timers tend to believe everything they hear and read. Use a grain of salt and apply the common sense filter. For example, a nutrition company at the expo had a sign stuck to their product saying "Prevents cramps. Increases VO2 max." I'll call bull*hit on that one...not to mention a lot of gimmicks currently invading the sport.
• Many bikes were loaded up with too much equipment, adding unnecessary weight. Keep it simple. Don't strap things to your bike "just in case" - there's enough support out on course to get you through.
• Non-competing spouses, most commonly women with a handful of kids deserve the biggest prize for the weekend, no make that the last 12 months, to support their competing spouse. They are amazing, and also bring the wonderful warmth and support that makes IM a true achievement of the whole family.
• Club and team spirit was enormous and really brings atmosphere to the whole race weekend. The value of being in a club uniform was immeasurable, with the associated support and camaraderie between team mates. Team PIS were fantastic, and their enthusiasm pervasive.

 Race Day

• A huge range of super-aero bikes and equipment were on display, and an equally wide range of bike positions and riding styles. Aero helmets are (finally) catching on as a cheap performance benefit. However, numerous athletes negated the aero benefits of their equipment by frequently sitting up on their bars.
• Although many athletes spend $thousands on reducing the weight of their bike, some seem to ignore the impact of their own body weight...which is cheaper and easier to reduce than any bike component!!!
• Almost everyone in the race rode too hard, especially over the hills in the first lap, pushing big gears. The drop off in intensity from the first to third laps was markedly noticeable, although this did coincide with a general improvement in the smoothness of gearing and pedalling.
• Smart pacing in the bike was notably absent, particularly in the sub-6 hour riders. The head wind in the second half of the bike didn't help, but nonetheless a more conservative pacing strategy may have helped. Interestingly, some of the BOP'ers perhaps had the best pacing of all.
• Although there was a lot of drafting packs, it didn't seem quite as bad as last year...perhaps because the Technical Officials were reportedly doing a better job.
• Many athletes just coasted downhills rather pedalling to gain a little more advantage from what gravity already provided.
• Many athletes wore a dark coloured race outfit, which might look "cool" but in reality is not...especially given the beating sun on race day.
• On the run course a lot of people had wet, squelching shoes from tipping water on themselves. While water on skin is great for cooling, taking care so it doesn't run into your shoes can save a lot of discomfort later on.
• While the sun was quite intense, the air temperature was quite OK at mid-20's. Many people crumbled in these conditions - perhaps mentally more so - which lead to an inevitable crumbling in their running form to a "survival mode". Athletes who maintained their composure during the run stood out as their body language was positive, reflecting their mental attitude.
• The white arm coolers / sleeves are a great idea and something I'd highly recommend. They aid evaporation, prevent sunburn (a performance inhibitor) and are just smart.
• Nutrition problems seemed very prevalent, with athletes commenting on not being able to consume anything during the run leg. This may have been due to over hydration as instinctive reaction to the perception of the hot day. Even on hot days there's a limit to how much liquid you can absorb - the rest just sloshes around in your stomach. On race day, the greater issue was sunburn, not necessarily hot air temperature.
• Everyone had ups and downs during the run. You've just got to "roll with the punches" and keep moving forwards at the quickest rate you can. Walking through aid stations rather than stopping still multiplied out through the day adds up to quite a difference in the end.
• Even if everything goes bad, there's huge respect in toughing it out to finish (as long as it's not detrimental to your health / wellbeing). Watching pro athlete Desiree Ficker (a 2:39 marathoner) tough it out with a 5hr+ marathon was impressive.
• Spectators have a ability to lift and encourage athletes through tough times. It's wonderful to see athletes lift when they get a cheer, and rewarding as a spectator to get even the smallest acknowledgement of their cheer...even just a raised eyebrow!!
• In cheering, there's fantastic, enthusiastic and encouraging support...and there's also annoying and ear splitting support. The former is far more welcome to athletes than the latter.
• I've never seen so many young kids at a race, who all had long days but added a wonderful family atmosphere to the event. It was the sum of many things that made the spectacle and occasion of IM a great place to be.
• Finally, the accomplishment of the slower athletes is something to be admired. Even as they struggle through the run leg, they're still moving after so many hours. It's dark and lonely out there, but their achievement has equal merit with anyone else in the race.

The main memory I've taken from this year's event is how great the whole IM occasion is, the positive environment, support and comraderie amongst competitors and spectators alike. Triathlon may be a minor sport, but in the lives of the people out there on race day, IM is about as big as it gets.

Ironman Australia perspective

Last weekend I was up at Port Macquarie on the NSW mid-north coast for the Australian Ironman triathlon, held on Sunday. Held over the distances of 3.8km swim, 180km ride and 42km run, an IM is an unique event because of the inspiring deeds of those who compete - and complete - it. To watch and witness what people accomplish is amazing, from those finishing in 8+ hrs to those in 16+ hrs.

For me the trip to Port Mac is bitter-sweet - this was my 6th visit to this beautiful spot on the NSW coast. On my first trip in 2004 I surprised myself to win the Australian Long Course Ch'ships in my age group, and prove to myself that, in fact, I could be competitive over distances longer than Olympic Distance...which led to stepping up to IM races. Then came the bitter part - IM races were simply a bridge too far, and an event I never felt I raced well at. In particular, the Port Mac IM course humbled me more than any other triathlon I ever did...on two occasions.

The fact the most recent of those occasions was my last ever triathlon, two years ago, lingers as a non-ideal way to bow out of the sport. I can't explain the relief at waking up on IM race day and NOT lining up to race. For me, life has moved on to running as my participation sport, and coaching, supporting and spectating at the Port Mac IM is involvement enough for me.

In watching from the sidelines I strive to pick out the subtle - and obvious - differences between the athletes, for the things that give one athlete an advantage over another, and allow them to endure the rigors of the event better. It's not a race of speed, it's a race of endurance and tolerance - in a race that long, there's a million different influencing factors to look out for. From a coaching perspective, there's a goldmine of tips and information to uncover.

Now my task is to digest what I saw and use that to help the athletes I coach. Next year I'll be back again to watch and learn again...still happy that I'm not lining up to race again myself!!

Please sir, may I have some more??

When was the last time you heard of an elite - or aspiring - athlete being lazy? Or complaining about hard training because they couldn't be bothered? Or hearing that they cut corners to make things easier? The answer is probably never, and more likely that they pushed too hard, too long, too far and wound up over-tired, injured or just burned out. The common theme here is that serious athletes generally thirst to do more - not less - in pursuit of their goals, and the main challenge for a coach is to pull them back.

However, for so many athletes who reach a point where they're flip-flopping between pulling back and resting, or pushing on to see how much they can actually cope with...the latter option is often the one that leads to the "pot of gold". The problem is that having chosen that path they find more of the same decision points at each corner - should they pull back or push on - at which time it takes motivation, determination and toughness to stay the course and achieve the fitness breakthrough they're after.

During my years of training I've tried all kinds of approaches to improving my fitness and performance - with varying results - and experienced all levels of fatigue (plus an injury or two). There were so many times when I questioned my own wisdom about continuing to train, and pushing on when simple common sense would often be telling me to pull back and let my body recover. And while there were a few black holes of fatigue, in many cases I can look back and appreciate the benefit of the consistency I achieved over long, long periods of time. Consistency which would have been absent had I reacted to each little signal I flagged down.

Yes, there are exceptions to this, and warning signs which must be heeded - and only experience and good judgement allows you to distinguish between the meaning of the signals. There's nothing like an injury to stop you in your tracks and destroy your confidence, so these are the most important signals to be aware of. A spiral down into chronic fatigue from over-training is also a vital warning sign to look out for - there's volumes been written about over-training.

There are many people who've done way more training than I, taking high volume to another level, and in many cases posting great performances as a result. It's no surprise that the people who do the most training are the ones winning races - the direct relationship between the two is very strong, despite the folks who promote a low-volume, high-quality approach. The thing is, there is far, far, far more evidence of people who added some more training volume who subsequently saw a corresponding lift in their performance level. Simply doing more of the same can reap huge rewards.

Of course there does come a point at which you reach maximum allowable - and possible - volume for you and your circumstances. I know that I simply could not do as much running as Haile Gebrselassie - it would break me down very quickly. However I also know that I do still have scope to increase the amount of volume I'm running where I know the benefits of doing so out-weigh the risks, or rather, that I feel I can manage the associated risks or the high volume. The limit of volume I'm capable of is different to everyone else.

So next time you're whinging and complaining about being tired, just pause for a moment, and then think about adding in some more training so that you adapt to a higher level of capability and performance. You might be surprised what you uncover, and what you learn about your actual potential...and that it's far greater than you thought it was.

How to run...in practice

Previously I wrote an article called "How to run" where I tried to describe the basic aspects of good running form. The "take home" messages from that story was that running begins with your hip position, and that core strength and control is essential to achieving and maintaining hip position.

That article generated some interesting questions and comments, which served to highlight how individual running form is, and how individual the application of running form is. In this article I'm going to try to explain the steps I go through with runners to assess their form, the things I look for and how I try to influence change in how people actually run. Although I'm writing this from a coaching perspective, hopefully you'll get some feel and understanding for the process I usually go through, and what we're aiming for.

As I mentioned in the last article, running technique is a skill for which the learning process is like any other skill such as golf, tennis, swimming. That is, you begin with sub-skills of the overall skill and build the whole skill as you progress, but in performing the skill it's critical to see sub-skills in the context of the whole movement.

When I first see an athlete, after a brief warm-up (10mins or so of running) I ask them to just run back and forth in a straight line, on a flat, smooth surface just to see how they run...without any other / prior instruction. I primarily look from the side - a front on angle may come later - which gives the best view of how they move, smoothness, rhythm and more. I describe the speed for them to run at as "comfortable" - not fast, not slow, just comfortable, which will usually demonstrate their "default" running form.

The first thing I look for is overall body alignment. That is, what's the position of their head in relation to their shoulders, chest, spine, hips (and their degree of hip rotation), legs and foot-fall. Ideally these things will all be in alignment but most often are not, so this angle demonstrates the relativeness of any miss-alignment in their body position.

The next step depends on the results of the first step, and the alignment (or not) of the different parts of their body and their overall movement. Regardless, for the next I’ll stop the athlete and take them through the basics of running, as described in the previous article. Even if they already run well, the reason for this is to start them being aware of how they run, how their body moves, and how the cause-and-effect impacts their running form. This is done in a practical way, developing the consciousness of their running movement.

The practical component of explaining running is doing some running drills, of which there are hundreds, but focusing on just a few which I feel demonstrate the key aspects I want to highlight. In doing this the aim is for the athlete to "feel" what running form is by doing it, and creating the full puzzle by working on the key pieces. All the time we're working on the overall feel and awareness of the running movement, and the role and interaction of arms, legs, torso, etc, in that movement by fine tuning these aspects.

As you might guess, the primary focus is on the hip position. So depending on how the athlete ran is the first observation, we’re often working on pulling their butt in / pushing hips forward and/or rotating the hips forward and/or generally straightening the athlete up into better alignment. Using a combination of skipping, hopping, bounding or similar drills can emphasise the position we’re after from where we try to extrapolate that into full running motion. Start with a focus on the small aspects and build that into the full puzzle.

The other key message I aim to get across in conjunction with hip position is a feeling of being light on their feet, and holding their posture and form high. Often if an athlete has the image of being light on their feet running through their mind, it’s not surprising to see a small but subtle lift in their body position – their body following their mind. This is just one a few mental images I try to emphasise to help explain the movement we’re trying to achieve.

It’s important to emphasise that correcting form – whether it’s swimming, cycling or running – takes time and practice since there’s usually a long history of muscle memory you’re trying to overcome. As long as the athlete can understand the principles of running which particularly apply to them, and have some “take home” tips (aka homework!!) to practice and keep in mind, then it’s a success. Above all, you don’t want to overload them with detail – keep it simple with clear, key messages.

Often athletes have a tendency to over think the information they’re given and cloud their mind, at which time I just bring them back to the key aspects of running form that apply to them, based on their original running form. Keep it simple.

Turning the principles of running form into practice takes time, patience, dedication and enthusiasm. It’s one thing to understand the principles, but it’s another to apply them to an individual depending on their natural ability. But as long as you focus on the overall running form, and refine that by adjusting small aspects then you’re on the way to improving your running.

Six Foot Track marathon - video

Here's a little video I purchased from the official photographer which shows the start, me crossing Cox's river and finishing. It's funny seeing myself in action, and also brings back the good memories, excitement and joy of finishing. I hope you like it!!

Going places

What makes a great holiday? The destination? The sights and sounds? People? Activities? Learning things? Culture? The list is endless and I guess we’d all like to combine all those things in every trip…or maybe none at all. Or it could be as the saying goes, a change is as good as a holiday.

I imagine that I’m like millions of others who fill with excitement at the opportunity for a holiday, long or short, near or far. To me a holiday is really just getting out of Melbourne for a while, even if it’s as simple as a trip down to see my parents. The hardest part is often making the decision to “break out” of routine and just go.

Top of my trip planning agenda is how to combine my love of activity and sports into any trip. In fact, it’s often a sporting event that is the impetus to travel, and go to places. And I ALWAYS make sure there’s a holiday, travels and great experiences added into the journey…geez, why travel so far an event without taking time out to travel a little more.

To that end I’ve been really fortunate to go lots of places that might otherwise remain unknown to me if not for a sporting event in the proximity. Let’s see, sports travels have taken me to:

• Lausanne and Zurich in Switzerland
• Montreal, Canada
• Taupo, New Zealand
• Kona, Hawaii
• Cancun, Mexico

 …not to mention a race in every state of Australia bar NT. Favourite Australian destinations include Huskisson (NSW), Blue Mountains, King Island, Great Ocean Road and countless others. Each trip has a story and experiences.

 

Some events require far more travel time than the actual race, and the logistics can be a pain in the bum, but that all fades to insignificance in the heat of battle…which is why I travelled there in the first place.

 

Travelling as a triathlete - with bike bag / box in hand – is the worst kind. I used to compare the bike to a boat anchor, and that’s before airlines have an opportunity to charge like a wounded bull for excess baggage. Fortunately I retired from triathlons just as they tightened down on excess baggage so mostly travelled scott free…and now travelling as a runner is blissful, literally without all the baggage and paraphernalia that goes with triathlons.

 

Anyway, this post was motivated by two weekends away in a row travelling to races on King Island and the Blue Mountains…I hope I’ll never lose my thirst for going places in search of new challenges, see new places, meeting new people, and more. And if I can keep combining those travels with sports events then that, to me, is nirvana.

 

Long live living!!

Six Foot Track Marathon

Summary
This is a long story...to cut it short, I ran the 45km Six Foot Track marathon on Saturday. It's an epic hard trail run up, down, through and over the Blue Mountains in NSW. A fantastic event, I came 4th overall in 3:31:14hr. (Some photos at bottom.)

Long Story
Several people had warned me about the last 2km of the race, a steep, rocky downhill section to the finish line; treacherous running at any time let alone after the 43km we'd already travelled over mountains, through rivers, over fences, around mud pits and more. After that amount of running the downhill hammering on your legs - like this final 2km - is like a cricket bat whacking your quads with each step. But for me this stretch was welcome relief - my legs were so sore and tired that each uphill literally brought tears to my eyes. Instead I almost had tears of joy - I was in 4th place and about to finish my first Six Foot Track marathon.

The Six Foot Track (SFT) is a 45km footpath stretching across the Blue Mountains from The Explorer's Marked Tree, near Katoomba to Jenolan Caves. The marathon started in 1984 and follows the length of the entire footpath. It is Australia's 5th largest marathon and by far the largest 100% off-road running event. I first read about it a few years ago in a magazine, which piqued my interest enough to enter early on 1st December last year - the 850 spots filled up in 10 hours. It's a popular and iconic event, particularly in NSW / ACT.

This race would be unlike anything else I've ever done. The race information - and anecdotal reports - tell of steep downhill sections (including slippery, rocky steps), chest deep river crossings, narrow single-track paths, stiles (basically, mini step-ladders over fences), rocks and more rocks, and not to mention long, steep uphill sections...with only the final 10m being on bitumen. However and wherever I prepared, the entire course would still be a mystery until race day...how steep actually are the hills? How rough are the tracks? The prospect of what was ahead excited me no end.

Race weekend arrived (it was a Saturday race) and I was joined by Andrea as we made the journey by plane, then car for the 2hrs or so drive up to Katoomba, which is perhaps better known for it's proximity to the 3 Sisters rock formation which juts out into the vast valley which drops dramatically, and spectacularly, from the edge of the town. We then went on to see the race start, adjacent to the Explorer's Marked Tree, which is only a small dirt clearing with a rough and rugged pathway disappearing into the bush...the Six Foot Track. Although the forecast was good, recent heavy rains had left the track very wet, slippery and eroded in places, with plenty of water in the rivers.

Andrea and I shared accommodation with some Sydney-siders...Matt (who generously drove us up), Rogerio (Rog), Guillaume (Will), Marc and Deb - only the boys were running. Race morning was dark and cold, and everyone milled around the dirt start area variously keeping warm, talking, drinking coffee or enjoying the free breakfast served up by the Rural Fire Service (RFS) whose volunteer efforts for the event were extraordinary.

The Coolrunning on-line forum had a section dedicated to the SFT, with all range of topics including one about the contenders with various people posting their predictions and best bets. Somehow I managed a mention but in reality, as a novice, was a very long shot. Nonetheless, I was seeded #10 and standing on the start line was fascinated to see the different shapes and sizes of the highly fancied runners, in particular the hot favourite Andrew Lee (2nd last year and perennial top-3) who is a ball of muscle, and Alex Matthews (3rd last year) who is thinner than a rake handle, with legs up to his arm-pits. I just wanted to fit in with the crowd and thought top-10 would be a great debut.

The 15m wide start line narrows to about 3m wide in the first 25m, and heads steeply downhill over rough, rocky and slippery ground before reaching the steps after about 500m. My tale of woe started with the downhill section...I was cautious and tentative compared to the gazelles who floated over the rocks around me. At least I stayed on my feet and was in about 14th place reaching the steps, even more scary without any handrails, wet and slippery, very uneven and with a pack of anxious runners breathing down my neck from behind.

Soon we were off the steps and onto rough rocks, then onto dirt track, then a dirt road as we ran along the Megalong Valley through the 4-8km stage, which included several stiles over fences. I'd moved past a number of others but not sure where I was placed until passing 2 more guys who said I was into 4th place - wow, this was way better than I expected. As we turned a corner I could see 1st to 3rd within a minute ahead.

The terrain varied a lot, from the dirt road then into almost farm land on sheep trails, through ditches, gully's, over tree roots, rocks, boulders and pot holes - sometime all those obstacles at the same time!! It required careful concentration...I'd had pre-race nightmares of tripping and going head long into a rock or something. We started passing people who began 1 hour earlier, each who gave some encouragement...which I responded in turn. It was a fantastic stretch of 4-5km down a single track, dodging more obstacles, as we headed to the river crossing - it was exhilarating running.

Cox's river is the first landmark of the course, at 15.5km (1:04hr), and has a rope across it to help you through the chest-deep water. The race had closed up with the top-4 all in the water at the same time - I was right in the midst of it!!! Out of the river the road heads up the first major climb of the day to Mini-Mini Saddle. Hard man and great runner Dave Criniti ran ahead, followed by Andrew Lee then me in 3rd...the fourth runner disappeared out of sight behind us. It is a damn steep hill, and just burned and strained every muscle in my legs...and I couldn’t see the top.

I couldn't believe I was on the heels of the hot favourite - what was I doing here? Out of respect I didn't try to keep up - my HR was already way high - but kept Dave and Andrew in sight. I had a funny thought at the time that the collective length of the hair of the top-3 would be less than 1cm - coincidence?? Bizarre thoughts!!! Anyway, around a corner I looked back and saw Alex Matthews (with a mop of hair!) - the other hot favourite (and eventual winner) - looming up closely.

The last bit up Mini Mini is the steepest hill of the whole race, where I saw Andrew walk a little bit. Geez, if he's walking then so will I - it was soooo steep - just as Alex comes gliding past me. How does / can someone glide past you GOING UPHILL??!!!! He may be thin, but sure can run...and down to Alum river bounded out of sight. This was at the 20km mark and I was into 4th place.

Alum river valley was a bit flatter, with 5-6 crossings at shin-knee depth, before heading up the Pluviometer hill - 3km+ at about 14-15% grade. Constant. Non-stop hill. At one switch-back I caught sight of the 3 guys ahead, and 2 guys about 100m behind. Not much further on everyone was out of sight in front and behind...which was how it remained for the rest of the race. Left, right, left, right...every leg muscle fibre straining away. The scenery was spectacular...for the small glimpses I lifted my head to take it in, and the bush surrounds were beautiful and tranquil.

Pluviometer (26km, 2:02hr) is by no means the top of the hill as we headed onto Black Range Rd which dragged out another 9km of teasing, tormenting, gradual uphill and mentally blows your mind since it looks the same the whole way. It was along here I struck trouble as my legs got tired and focus wavered - these were tell-tale signs of a massive bonk, and was right about the distance of the very non-mythical "wall" in every marathon. I was worried, gulped my last gel (a caffeine one) and drank two cups of Coke at the next aid station. In endurance sports, going for the Coke is like switching to life-support...still not at the top, and still about 13km to go.

Black Range Rd ends at the place called Deviation as we headed back onto single tracks through the bush. Some experienced folks also told me there's still more uphills - only short, steep ones, but which sap your body and spirit. How goddam right they were!!! New mud pit obstacles started appearing on the track, but with careful stepping I got around them cleanly!! As the distance counted down I kept thinking "this is just like a lap of the lake", or "just like a lunch-time run"...except those are flat, and this was not.

The final landmark was crossing Caves Rd with 7km to go. I was shattered, my legs buggered and all I wanted was downhill from here - my hip flexors hurt to lift my legs, so downhills made this task easier. But tortuously the track kept going up and down...not by much, but enough to almost bring tears to my eye. I was spending more time looking behind, expecting to be caught than looking ahead. I just wanted to fast-forward to the final downhill section I knew was coming up. Then I got there...2km to go (even though the RFS funny men's sign said 3km...) and with a final look behind - all clear - I knew I was safe in 4th place.

The last couple of hundred meters go down a switch-back ramp above Caves House and finish line. I could see the roof, hear the crowd as they cheered in the 3rd place getter, and got some cheers from spectators along the path. My smile was ear to ear - I would be next across the line, exceeding my expectations and knowing a welcoming face would be in the crowd, also. A high-5 to the race director (top bloke), arms in the air and I was finished. 4th place, 3:31:14hr. What a feeling, and what a relief...and what sore legs...

Right then every movement started to hurt from the hips down. Sitting down...ouch. Standing up...ooooh. Steps...oh my god!!! Bending over...I think I'll keep standing up, thanks. Somehow I did manage a shower, a tour of the caves and shared the satisfaction of the results of our house-mates. But 2 days later and I'm still stiff and sore...soon I hope to walk normally again...

It was a great event, a fantastic weekend and memorable experience. Thanks to #1 supporter, Andrea, and the friendship and company of Matt, Will, Rog, Marc and Deb, along with that of Will & Tammy once we got back to Sydney on Sunday. Plus the support and camaraderie of our Fluid Running group is priceless. Thank-you...(might) see you next year...

Results
1 Alexander MATTHEWS 5 20-29 Finish 03:20:57
2 David CRINITI 22 30-39 Finish 03:24:33
3 Andrew LEE 3 40-49 Finish 03:30:23
4 Campbell MAFFETT 12 40-49 Finish 03:31:14
5 Tony FATTORINI 4 30-39 Finish 03:32:16
6 Brendan DAVIES 29 30-39 Finish 03:35:28
7 Sam WALKER 21 20-29 Finish 03:37:08
8 Tim COCHRANE 6 20-29 Finish 03:46:41
9 Martin FRYER 11 40-49 Finish 03:46:42
10 Tim CRADOCK 24 30-39 Finish 03:49:25

The Explorer's Marked Tree beside the highway, which signifies the start of the SFT. The actual race start is about 200m away.

That's where we all ran down - it's narrow and a bottleneck if you get caught in the crowds.

The first corner in the course, just down the hill a bit from the start.

At the top of the infamous steps down Nellies Glen...steep and slippery.

Our group pre-race...Rog, Marc, Matt, Will and me.

Ignorance is bliss!!! Just about to head off into the unknown.

Wave 1 about to go. 3 more waves of runners followed. Eventual winner in the yellow singlet on the right.

Heading down the steps...being very careful. Eventual 2nd place getter right behind me.

Coming out of Cox's River - I almost went right under. 1st, 2nd & 3rd just a few meters ahead of me.

Nearly finished, about 500m from the end. I'm feeling hammered but happy about things by this stage.

In the finish chute, having just high-5'd the race director (in cap to left)...even more happy!!

All done...thank god for that.

Just enjoying standing still for a while...and still smiling about it.

Course profile...very hard.

King Island pictorial and videorial

King Island is a beautiful piece of land - rugged coastline on the west coast, and pristine sandy beaches on the east coast. It all makes for some spectacular images and videos of just the small part I've seen. Here's a few photos from last weekend...enjoy!!

This boathouse on Currie harbour was just burnt out last year - this is the replacement.

This ramp extends in front of the boathouse - quite aged and worn-out, but in keeping with an old harbour.

An old winch next to Currie harbour, so corroded the rust literally falls off in flakes.

An old boat, broken apart with bushes growing through it.

Currie lighthouse across the harbour. All very picturesque.

A crayfish boat loading crays from their hold into these tubs. The crays were jumping all over the place!!

A spectacular sunset sequence.

I hate snakes...and this one beside the car scared the sh*t out of me!!

Here's the same damn snake in a video.

Me on some rocks at Whistler Point, Quarantine Bay on the north-west coast.

A 360 degree panoramic view from where I was standing.

It was a spectacular day - clear, calm, warm and scenic.

Shipwreck of the paddlesteamer "Shannon" which sunk in 1906.

Shannon shipwreck on Yellow Rock beach with big, dark clouds in the distance.

Cape Wickham communications tower in a shaft of light.

Who needs a pilot when I'm in the front seat!!!

Ready to take-off from King Island airport.

Taking off from King Island airport, from the front seat!!

Whistler Point from the air - the place we were at earlier in the afternoon.

Cape Wickham lighthouse at the north end of the island.

Looking along the eastern side of King Island - a lot of beaches in the distance.

Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula.

Arthurs Seat and northwards towards Mornington, Mt Eliza, Frankston and beyond.

Approaching to land at Moorabbin airport.

Landing at Moorabbin aiport - it was very windy!!

Six Foot Monster - update 5

Only 4 sleeps to go until Six Foot Track Marathon race day!!! It's a bit unreal/surreal that we're this close to the event - some would say that all the hard work is done, while others would say it's still ahead of us over the 45km of the Six Foot Track trail.

The best thing about this week is that it's only a 3-day work week, after a public holiday yesterday and taking Friday off to get up there. Only 3 shirts to iron...who cares that I'm missing casual day Friday!! Needless to say my mind is drifting a bit...thinking, wondering, dreaming, hoping, etc, about what might happen on race day. There's still so much unknown about the event to me.

My official race number will be 12, with two veterans of the race having the top-2 numbers - between them they've done the race 50 times. That's incredible, and worthy of the honour of wearing bibs #1 and #2. So that means my "seeding" is 10, but there's also another very good runner who should be in the top-5 but with a lower number, for some reason.

This is all part of the pre-race research, alongside actual course familiarisation, logistics, schedule, etc. When I raced triathlons I used to do as much as I could to know who I was up against in my age group - who they were, recent results, strengths and weaknesses, etc. It allowed me to be better prepared for how the race might unfold in terms of likely placing during the event. Sometimes it would be daunting to realise how good some athletes were, and then to realise they're only human, and in most cases really nice people who share a similar love of sport and competition as I do.

While knowing who my competition was didn't necessarily change my race tactics, it did remove some of the surprises that often occur during races, and the comfort of knowing where you are during the actual race. It also made me more conscious of how I was feeling during an event, and what level of confidence I might have for the remainder of the race. This approach often helped bring out my competitive instinct and best racing performances, and sometimes to perform above what I thought.

It's ironic saying that since my attitude with running contrasts with triathlons in that, for me, running is about my personal limits, challenges and satisfaction and not necessarily about race placing and result. Nonetheless, often I can't help but get caught up in the excitement of the maybe being "in the mix" of a race, especially when I've invested some emotional energy into the preparation like with the Six Foot Track marathon. In reality this reflects a great deal of ignorance, naivety and perhaps arrogance since there is just so much unknown about the event for me.

As my very learned swim coach always says...concentrate on the process and the outcome will look after itself. In other words, shut up and don't get ahead of yourself!!!!

The main thing about this week is to recover from the King Island Imperial 20 on Sunday, a hard 32km race where I surprised myself with how I ran. Right now my legs are rather dead & heavy, but with some easy days ahead think I'll be OK for Saturday...time will tell.

King Island Imperial 20

It was 12 months ago I crossed the time warp to King Island for a weekend of fun, entertainment and running in the King Island Imperial 20 race. As with most great trips it wasn’t any single thing about the trip that made it great, rather the combination of the Beach Run, Free Willies dash, Saturday night Calcutta, the Imperial 20 running race on Sunday and the Awards night that evening which made it memorable.

Last year was my first time down there, where I learned a new pace of life that is part of the King Island experience. Yes, things happen, and get done, but all in good time…no rush. It was a refreshing change from the hustle-bustle of Melbourne life, complete with no mobile phone coverage and no Sunday newspapers!! My god, how was a suburban lad like me to survive??

Last year my saviours were the local family I stayed with, a salt-of-the-earth family who were so generous, friendly and a source of endless entertainment and insight into life on King Island. This year I brought down a friend from our running group, Michael “Monty” Montgomery, and we booked ourselves into the Boomerang By The Sea motel, situated beautifully above the golf course and a stunning coastal view from our window. It was a bit more sanitised than a home stay, but meet our needs.

Our first adjustment back into King Island time came at the airport where our King Island airways flight finally left, all in good time. No rush. There really was no rush, and the best part of the flight was sitting in the co-pilot seat with the steering wheel, pedals, levels, dials and gauges right there in front of me!!! Wow, this was more amazing than the cockpit flight last year – the most amazing part was coming in to land, literally like looking over the bonnet of a car as we drifted in to land. My finger nails might eventually grow back…

The weekend of activities starts at British Admiral beach for the Beach Run, an easy jaunt out and back on the beach where you nominate your time and then run it without a watch – quite a novel concept and a beautiful visit to the beach in some wonderful weather, with a light breeze blowing onto the beach. This was followed by the Free Willies a run, a dash for cash sans clothes!!! This year the men went first, and after a slip on the start line I brought up the ar*e end of the field; I really can’t sprint…

While the dash ended beside the 4WD with our clothes in it, all the guys ventured into the surf for a quick dip – very liberating, and actually a really refreshing in the nice water. The women followed in all their splendor, but only once the guys were far out of sight!!!

The Saturday night Calcutta is basically a betting night on the outcome of the following days handicap race, on the winner, second and third, plus the fastest male and female. It was funny seeing a copy of the special gambling license stuck to the wall, which clears the way for the wagering going on inside. At least now they’ve got a license to bet on the island for another 12 months!!!

Anyway, the real deal of the weekend was the Sunday morning Imperial 20, held over 20 miles (32km) from Naracoopa on the east the Curries on the west coast. Last year I came to the race in ordinary form and fitness, and paid the price dearly in the last 10km. This year I was a lot fitter, benefitting from training for the Six Foot Track marathon the following weekend, so was hopeful of a better run. Monty came down fit, but still in a build phase for the Gold Coast marathon so this was going to be a test for him.

The handicaps had been set from previous results submitted by each runner, set so if each runner ran true to form we’d all at 3:15hr. But like all handicap events there’s “smokies” who outperform expectations – I’m not sure if there’s ever been a stewards inquiry into results, but I think there should be!!!

The handicaps had Monty starting at 60mins, me at 79mins and then 3 runners behind me, spaced at 2, 3 and 7 mins. Worst was the 14mins from the runner starting in front of me, ensuring it would (another) lonely run across the island…more of an individual time trial than a race. The weather forecast was promising, with clouds and an easterly breeze that would push us along if it picked up – it was very slight as we started.

I tried something new in this race, popping a couple of No Doz pre-race with the main apparent benefit being to wake me up from the lethargy of the last couple of days!!! Apparently caffeine is proven to help performance, so time would tell if it helped any. Finally time ticked around to my start and I set off, feeling pretty good.

In last year’s race I basically ran too fast for my fitness in the first 20km, and died in the last 12km. Fearful of a repeat I was respectful as we headed up the Naracoopa hill (the biggest on the island, apparently), over the dirt roads and eventually onto the flatter roads. I felt smooth and comfortable, although sweating a lot in the humidity of the morning, and no benefit from the wind. Early 5km splits were 18:30 (18:51 last year) and 18:01 (18:32).

It was a lonely run, apart from the odd car passing, and the aid stations each 4km which were an oasis of relief plus water, jelly beans, sponges and encouragement. I passed an injured runner at about 12km – he was struggling – and then it wasn’t until about 18km until I passed another runner who’d started earlier. I was feeling good and running comfortably and smoothly, but still very “gun shy” of the carnage I ran into last year in the last 12km. The next splits were 17:42 (17:34) and 17:53 (17:56), passing ½ marathon point in about 76:05min.

I thought that if I got to my second gel point at 22km still feeling good then I was on for a good day…until then I was rather tentative. Then, as I approached 22km, I caught sight of Monty just ahead, and soon ran past with a quick word of encouragement…which also settled a bet in our running group about if/when I’d catch up the 19min handicap!!! Monty was in a bit of hole at that point, but picked up soon after to finish strongly.

As for me, I felt I was over the “hump” and felt that I’d run strongly to the end. All the while I was mindful of the guys behind me, who all caught me last year, and when they’d catch me today. I didn’t look behind until 29km which is just as well since two of them got to within 42sec - a far different outcome to the previous year!!

By this time the wind had picked up a bit, which we benefitted from as we turned into a cross-wind section, and then a nice 3km with the wind – it felt great to have it at our backs, especially when you’re feeling strong. I cranked up the effort – and pace – and felt great despite the distance we’d covered. My splits reflected this, running 20-25km in 17:50 (18:25) and 25-30km in 16:59 (19:14) – I was flying!!

The trick/trap with this race is that you run past the finish before going around the block to eventually finish. This bit includes a nasty uphill, into the wind during which it felt quicker to walk than how I ran, but nonetheless pushed on and finished the 32km in 1:54:08hr, about 4:25min faster than last year and I’d held off all the back markers behind me (16km splits – 57:48, 56:20). I was wrapped with how I’d gone even though I’d only recorded the 4th fastest time on the day. Monty crossed in 2:20hr – a little slower than hoped, but some positives from his run.

Some “down time” in the afternoon was fantastic, before the Awards night – a smorgasbord of King Island produce, from cheeses to crayfish, roast, water and wine. A banquet fit for a king (and queen)!! It was a great conclusion to the event, to share stories and tales from the race, and I even picked up the award for 40+ category…some benefit in being old!!

The weather across the weekend was superb – warm, calm, blue skies and comfortable, a far cry to what Melbourne experienced!! King Island is magnificent island to visit, for a change of pace, beautiful coastline, friendly people, tranquility and more. Plus they organise a great running race each Labour Day weekend in March. Just remember to change your calendar to a different era; you’ll remember your visit for a long time.

Currie Harbour was looking great on a beautiful day.

Start of the Beach Run. Predict your time and run without a watch - closest to prediction wins.

Runners on British Admiral Beach. It was great beach weather, and the water was beautiful.

The boys lining up for the "Free Willies" dash, and contemplating mooning the crowd!!

The girls lining up for their version of the dash. Not sure what they're thinking about...

View from our motel room. The next land to the west is Argentina.

Brilliant sunset which lasted for 15-20mins, going through all shades of red. Incredible sight.

Monty and me post race at Currie harbour. My eyes were already tired...

My lemon meringe pie shoes...which attracted several comments!!

Awards night - they set up the finish arch on stage.

Awards night. Monty and I along with the folks we met down there - great fun.

Go hard or go home

"It is a sublime thing to suffer and be stronger."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American educator and poet

We've all heard it before, and keep hearing it all around us. At the suburban boot camp sessions, at football clubs, amongst mates, on films, in advertisements and more. Go hard or go home. No pain, no gain. Blood, sweat and tears. Cliché after glorified cliché...

While these are great for a moment of inspiration and motivation, as on-going messages they're miss-guided and ill-advised. Great performances are a result of great training, day after day after day after day. So anything that compromises your ability to do that - such as going too hard, too often - also compromises your capacity to improve.

What we're really after is a controlled approach to training, to bring about continual improvement rather than the skyrocket approach which usually ends up in a sparkle of dust and pieces as you crash back to earth, damaging your body, confidence, enthusiasm and simple enjoyment for the beauty of being fit and healthy.

A good coach will take a long-term approach to your development, guiding and shaping your progress with a measured strategy. With time and training, each aspect of your fitness and performance will improve in line with each other...things like your aerobic capacity, strength, coordination, skills, tactics, psychology, endurance, speed and so on. Consistency in training and development is important.

Think of each of these aspects as a pillar holding the roof above your head. Each one needs to be strong enough to take an equal amount of the load. But no pillar should become too strong at the expense of another pillar or else the roof will fall. Likewise, if one pillar has some troubles then the others need to be able to pick up the slack, to maintain the equilibrium while the weaker pillar becomes stronger again.

Think back to "Go hard or go home" and you can see how this approach can lead to all kind of imbalances between development of fitness aspects. However, having the ability to go hard is an important capability, and usually differentiates athletes at the finish line. The problem is that many athletes go too hard in easy sessions, and too easy in hard sessions (or races). They spend too long in the "mushy middle".

So when do you go hard? Easy. You go hard when you're meant to go hard, according to your coach / program, at the pace / intensity you're aiming for. The closer you execute your training according to script, the more you'll get out of it. When you're not going hard, go easy, and make sure there's a distinct difference / gap between hard and easy.

How hard is hard? That will depend on what you're aiming to achieve from the session. Hard could simply be a long run, which is hard because of the distance. Or it could be some gut busting 1km intervals, or 400m reps. The really important thing is to stick to the target pace / intensity, otherwise you'll change the nature of the session and compromise the objective you're after.

How easy is easy? It's what most people would consider very easy!!! You'll be surprised how easy, easy really should be. Talking pace. Comfortable. Relaxed. About 75% of max HR. Like the hard, it's important to make easy, easy enough that you're still ready to hard at the next session. If you're not ready, then perhaps your easy is too hard.

The ability to turn it on when you need to - in training and in racing - is vital to success, and is a hallmark of consistent performers. But it's how you control your hard and easy that distinguishes the good athletes from champions.

Journey and Passion

One of my favourite quotes says, "It's good to have an end to the journey, but it's the journey that matters in the end." I like this because it takes a big picture view to life and all the experiences that happen during it. It's a bit like appreciating the whole forest over the individual trees, a perspective that I've come to appreciate more and more  as I've got older (and older!!).

The reason for mentioning this is that I came across a discussion thread recently on a forum (a triathlon one, of all places!!) where someone commented that their two most hated words were Journey and Passion. He followed up saying he came to this conclusion from the over-use of these words in common language - and the media - where they're used and applied in all range of contexts, thereby twisting and re-defining what the words actually mean.

Reading his comments stopped me in my tracks to think a bit about how I saw these words. I like them...and I also agree with him!!!

I'm certainly no linguist, so I relate to these words for what they mean to me, and each of those two words resonates in a similar, but different way that reveals a little of my background and the path which has brought me to where - and who - I am now.

However you look at it, life is journey featuring many twists and turns, speed humps and dips, freeways and bumpy tracks. I can certainly look back and see that my route has been far from direct, and included challenges which were, I guess, as unique as every human is. At the time I just pressed on in the direction I believed pointed to where I wanted to go - and by extension, who I wanted to be. So it's only in looking back I can appreciate how twisted the map was I was referring to...and that I had no idea who I wanted to be (not that I do now, either)!!!

It's also in looking back that I appreciate what I went through, what I learned and how I've subsequently grown from that. As they say, experience is not what happens to you, it's what you do with what happens to you. I think that, perhaps, people who travel along a somewhat sanitised and orchestrated route may not have the benefit of working out what "works" for them just through trial and error. Often you learn more from mistakes than what goes right, both at the time and looking back with hindsight.

So, for me, the word Journey encompasses all of this and more. I use the word in the full context of everything I've been through in my life - good and bad, right or wrong - right to where I am now, which is no more than a point on the continuum.

As for Passion, to me this means the things that are important and which form the pieces that make up the whole person I am. It doesn't mean obsession about one thing at the expense of others, for that would lead to an imbalance in life. The things I have a passion for - in contrast to being passionate about them (that sounds obsessive to me!!) - are those which colour my life, which give me perspective, enjoyment, comfort, happiness, health, warmth and more. We're the sum of many parts, none necessarily more or less important than the other, and they're what define Passion for me.

But when these words are tossed around frivolously in common language, and used to make a cheap, throw-away point, then it's almost a disservice to the beauty of language, and the poignancy and richness they can add to discussion. Long live Journey and Passion!!!