Keado’s Weblog

Another great training day yesterday – did a easy 45min on the treadmill and some weights [back & biceps] around 6:30pm ~ muscles all tense so strutting around like a peacock as if been training for ages. Serotonin levels peak when training like this..

Checked my resting heart rate last night – best to check just before sleep [while in bed after 5min rest] and first thing in the morning before you take on step off. Checked once, twice and a third time to be sure = 44. I was around “56″ 6 weeks ago but obviously the training is taking effect. Heart rate just before starting training on treadmill [standing easy for 2min] was around 64-68. I think this is the factor that I was looking for to explain the performance on Sunday – I’m just fitter than I have been for years. Even in the 2000 Comrades training, my resting heart rate was around 60-64.

Maybe it’s just living in paradise?

Still a little puzzled by the strong run on Sunday and hardly any stiffness in the muscles? Met the ladies for a quick committee meeting Mon afternoon and they had all done a run in the morning_I was going to take a day off but after hearing them, planned a weight session for the evening. Only got started around 9:30pm but feels so good working with free weights again, loved it.

Forgot to mention last week Sat went to see a “Nutrition Specialist” [donated to the club] – won’t go into everything she said but in summary -what crap! Schooled in Australia, where she thinks they are the leading country in nutrition science and the some insignificant lab is the global leader. Has no clue whatsoever what it takes nutrition wise for an extreme athlete, just plain textbook stuff that is good for Mr & Mrs Average. Tried to explain that “average” and me are oil and water – don’t try mix. Does not believe in supplements or vitamins – just food. Eating correctly will be all you need to be healthy, no matter what your training. And hey, if you are a semi-extreme athlete, better cut down as it’s not good to train hard??!!!?? Wonder what she thinks it takes to do an ironman?

Doesn’t believe you can honestly check your body fat%, water and muscle content – apparently all the technology out there is crap and doesn’t really work. WHAT? Checks your BMI [Body Mass Index] as a gauge which is so old school as a guideline. It’s does give a good indication but so much more out there which effect the outcome.

Sat there for an hour and although she may well help many people who do not understand good and effective eating, walked out with one bit of new knowledge – supermarkets sell rice pudding. Nothing personal but not for me.

Alarm 3:20 – coffee – half peanut butter sandwich – check gear – collected at 4:20am and in shuttle to start at 5:45. Weather 9km/h South Easterly [cold] wind, chance of slight rain.

Arrived at the start and it was not too cold, but cold enough. Ladies say” they have it all planned”. There was a little hotel by the start amongst all the shops etc – Susan wanted to go in and around some 10,000 people, the chap at the door said she can’t go in “private function”. Ye right – she sneaks in to reception and gets us all in [there was 6 of us]. While the ladies spent the better part of 30min doing ? in the loo, I sat by a log fire in a 5 star lounge with the other chap, oiling legs, stretching, preparing and watching the remaining 10,000 people outside freezing. What a start! even got the paper at 6am but we were heading out to the start anyway.

The start was quite narrow and Susan was a pacesetter, we lost her and Susan D in the crowd. Jane went close to the start as she was going flat out as per normal. Filona, Charmaine [in a coffee mug  costume for marketing her business Coffee News] went out well and after 5km’s lost Charmaine to yet another loo stop – so Filona and I left thinking we would find the 2hour bus and meet up with Susan. Normally my legs are stiff and it takes a good 10km to get warm but between the log fire, Arnica oil, Norflex and another 50ml carb gel – my legs felt as light as never before. Made me feel a little nervous as I never felt that good at the beginning of a race in 10 years – but off we went running strong in a predicted 5:40m/k. I only noticed one board at 8km which really surprised us it certainly didn’t feel like we had done 8km’s. Filona was running brilliant and wanted to beat her 2h:15m from 2006. I tagged along – I was told there were some hills before we hit the harbour bridge at 14km’s but if there was, I never noticed. One chap warned us at I think around 10km to take it easy up the next hill – next hill? Maybe they should run were we run, we have HILLS. 

Got to the Harbour Bridge and I was running literally on the edge – a little wall separating me from a couple of hundred feet drop to the ocean – awesome. We were going to take it easy up the CLIMB over the bridge -???- didn’t break a bead of sweat? By this time I’m feeling that this is too good, just feeling to strong and my breathing hadn’t even changed and we were at around 16km’s already. Then as we descended off the bridge, Filona opens up and starts to really go – so we MOVE. Passing people left, right, middle, hell over if necessary. She slowed a little coming into the city at around 18 then, boom – off she goes again. I had a backup GU gel which I used to ensure I had full reserves and went into “the zone”. The zone is looking a couple of meters ahead, no talking, arms pumping, solid stride and push-push-push. She held the past to around 20km’s then backed off – so we eased of a little. As she caught site of the last 200meters, sonic boom this time and the semi-sprint was on. 1h56m on the clock [most likely 3min quicker as started 3 min after gun]

I was still stunned with my performance – hardly a sweat, breathing absolutely normal, estimated heart rate after 5min mid-70 – stunned. Susan, Charmain {coffee} and 2h bus came in a few minutes after us – Jane finished 1h42m and Mike did the 11km race came top 20 in 40min. A great run for all but a really easy course – next year 42km?

Friday I decided that it was time to get carbo loaded for Sunday’s race. So no training in the morning, lots of carbohydrates and liquid. THEN there was the first drink at the garage after taking my car for a WoF [Warrant of Fitness], then another as the first went too fast. Dropped Wayne off at his house and there went another! We entartained the Kaminer’s that night so when they arrived went to the low alcohol vodka. Popped into Wayne to introduce Gav and there goes another! With a “JW” with coffee and that put any loading during the day into negative.

Sat morning at the club apparently I didn’t look my best [heard "via the via"] but wasn’t going to run anyway. Spend the rest of the day loading and loading and loading. Visited the Bee Factory and had to have some honey comb chocolate and honey fudge [sugar rush of note] Added 2 liquid gels late afternoon and early evening and finally got to sleep around 10:30 with a 3:20am alarm. Last race was Jan 2006 but only 21, so fairly confident. 

After last nights club run and late gym training, the body wasn’t initially too enthusiastic to get going this morning. I had planned for a 7:30am start on the treadmill but had to settle for a 7:50 start_who am I to argue. JD had a little 1 minute run before school to get “fit”, little legs going at pace [really cute]. Had a nice and easy 45min 7km/h run to loosen up the body. The planning sheet had a H.I.I.T. [High Intensity Interval Training] session on the menu but going to take it easy until Sunday’s run. I need all the glycogen storage I can get. Rushing today for some reason so off to start the day…

You could see on some of the faces at the club that Auckland Marathon day is Sunday. Only 1 [Mike] completed the 8km, otherwise all the rest did a 5/6 km’s and real slow. Sunday is going to be an early start with the shuttle leaving for the City at around 4:45am. Otherwise another new face at the club and a usual turnout of around 14 runners/walkers. How the mind can play games_quick explanation. One lady, ex SA and 1998 Comrades runner, believes she can not complete the 21km on Sunday due to not great training. She’s running 5km’s in under 30min and the 8km in around 44, consistently over the past few weeks and twice a week. She can easily complete the 21! BUT her mind isn’t convinced. How true in life, our mind rules what we can or cannot do, whether we are capable or not. It’s one of the most important cliche’s out there – believe it and it will come true. Or as per Gary Player “the more I practiced, the luckier I got”.  

Have to add that still managed to put some weight training in sometime around 9:30pm for an hour~GREAT.

The winds over the past few days has brought all the bugs across from Aus and with little rain, they are causing chaos. Have to blame the Aussies, who else? So we all sneezing, some coughs, noses etc etc. Not a great nights sleep and family off to doc for “drugs” later this morning. The positive side of the treadmill is that I could get a solid 30min workout without going out into the winds – the negative, I don’t have any stories of attacking birds, flapping arms, dog training~can tell you that K needs a new bicycle, our garage door needs some oil, the washing machine still sounds like new and I need to replace a bulb.

Not very exciting writing! Tonight I start of the gym routine so good chance that typing will be somewhat slower tomorrow with muscles screaming in pain. Something to look forward to.

After the weekend, today is the start of a much needed detox. The body has endured a little battering over the past few days so although it’s a public holiday, the treadmill was taking no excuse and I wasn’t going to offer one.

Put the stereo in the garage, hit the volume button, door closed, shirt off and “start” – 45 min and although the motor started off slowly [mine, that is..] soon warmed up after 20 min and enjoyed the rest. EAS meal replacement for breakfast and starting to feel lighter already. Hopefully nobody knocks on the door for “tea” this afternoon_please no.

South Africa 15 England 6 = South Africa Rugby World Champions 2007

Saturday night’s party was planned weeks ago to be a NZ / SA pre-match party. Kim and I the only SA supporters, the rest England and the other half didn’t bother to show.I cheated a little on the drink side as the “vodka,lime & soda” I was drinking was a cheap vodka from the local at 13%volume [normal is around 40%]. The local has $10 bottles in place of the $50 as low alcohol, high water ~ suits me fine.

Sun morning up and ready for MORE pre-match drinks at 7:30 ~ champagne & orange to start. By the time the match started at 8:00am, a noticed a few beers started to sneak out the fridge. The game – a classic hard final. My predicted 15-12 score as in 1995 was coming close but a SA win was secured only by the final whistle. The big winners on the day had to be Jake White & Os du Rand, for me anyway.

Home by 6:30pm after a LONG day of celebrating. Run, you kidding?

It’s labour weekend here in NZ and very quiet. By 7:25am there were 2 “old faithfuls” as the club with no sign of anyone else. By 7:30 however more streamed in so a little late going out but still around 12 people on the road. We try run with new recruits so I set off with another “Y.A.N.K” [Yet Another New Kiwi] from SA. Been in NZ for just on a year and came from Cape Town, so quite used to the sea and surf. He did say Cape Town was no longer the place of the past and the transition to Auckland has been stress-free and a great adventure. Needless to say, we felt the same about the “high” of living as we do and neither have little time for negative “Saffa’s” who complain about everything under the sun.

Back to the run, he is a runner although a little out of shape, did well completing the 5km in 30min. His son of 8 ran the 4km route and most unimpressed that we sent him off early cutting off the last 1km – next Sat he’s doing the 5km!! Not impressed but the family are hooked and will be regulars. Job done.