Sub 1:30 Half Marathon 2021 Edition (Read 448 times)

    Mark nice report. Do you know from others if spikes are faster in a 3000m ? That guy lost some credibility with you guys by not helping out. Karma should bite him at some stage.

     

    Flavio I feel terribly guilty that my mileage is higher than yours and you are frothing to run while I'm forcing myself out there 😅.  Hope you get all the creaks sorted soon.

     

    Steve I watched the last 1/4 of the cricket but apart from getting Warner out, it was all bad news. Still been in the final is a good result in reflection.

     

    My week. Still hitting about 30 mpw. Did a hill run Saturday my first for a few weeks so was a bit sore Sunday.

    Im continuing with weights for mostly upper body and a couple days of squats and deadlifts.

     

     

    Weekly for period: From: 08/11/2021 To 14/11/2021

    Date Name mi km Duration Avg/mi Avg/km Elevation Gain
    in m
    09/11 Morning Run 6.53 10.51 00:50:12 07:41 04:47 2
    10/11 Beach 6.22 10.00 00:51:51 08:20 05:11 22
    11/11 Morning Run 5.60 9.01 00:46:02 08:13 05:07 17
    13/11 Morning Run 6.23 10.02 00:57:10 09:11 05:42 286
    14/11 Morning Run 5.66 9.11 00:48:51 08:38 05:22 11

    Total distance: 48.66km

    55+ PBs 5k 18:36 June 3rd TT

    " If you don't use it you lose it,  but if you use it, it wears out.

    Somewhere in between is about right "      

     

    Marky_Mark_17


      Piwi - I honestly don't know.  The Dragonfly's are supposed to be the equivalent of Vaporflies for the track, but I'm sure different runners benefit from each to different degrees.  Definitely my clubmates who were wearing them rated the Dragonfly's.  Probably find out this Saturday!  Good to see you are keeping the mileage ticking over and getting some weights in.

       

      Darkwave - yes the new track limits are fairly strict with the 24mm max.  It rules out a lot of shoes (including many you'd never contemplate running a track race in!), although I think your Adios 4 should be OK.  Good to hear that your long run felt significantly better but clearly it would be better still if you can actually get to the bottom of all of this.

       

      Flavio - bummer on those injury niggles, hope you can get them sorted and you are right to just be patient with it in that post-marathon phase.  There is a 1500m at a meet in a few weeks but I may have a family commitment that day.  I'm flattered you think I could go under 4 but I'm not so sure about that myself!  I think like the 3000m I'll have to run at least one first to actually get a proper feel for it.

       

      Kiwis - saw some stuff about the long range forecast earlier.  Apparently it's going to be a warm summer, and humid in the north of the North Island.  Should be some good weather complaining to be had.

       

      Also, massive congrats to Keen for his excellent 10km race result and PB!  Looking forward to the RR on that one.

      3,000m: 9:07.7 (Nov-21) | 5,000m: 15:39 (Dec-19) | 10,000m: 32:34 (Mar-20)  

      10km: 33:15 (Sep-19) | HM: 1:09:41 (May-21)* | FM: 2:41:41 (Oct-20)

      * Net downhill course

      Last race: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

      Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

      "CONSISTENCY IS KING"

      flavio80


      Intl. correspondent

        DW - So it might be a back issue after all. You will remember I had similar symptoms back in August and I still have a lighter version of it from time to time and I’m fairly certain it’s my back at this point in my case.

        I’m kind of hoping it’s the same for you since if not a lot of damage to the spine you might be able to work it out with strength training and rest.

        My case is still open though as I’m not nearly back to normal. I have an MRI prescription for my cervical sitting at home, but I'm too lazy to schedule it.

         

        Piwi - I’m feeling very lazy lately LOL. Even though I likely need to keep running so I don’t balloon to 100kg, for the first time retiring from running competitively does not sound like a crazy idea.

        PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021

        Up next: no idea

        Tool to generate Strava weekly

        zebano


          Mark  That's a great race report. Good work going to the front and helping a teammate out even if it's not ideal racing strategy.

           

          DW I'm happy you at least got a solid long run in. Shame that the neuro-workup yielded no answers.

           

          Flavio Similar sentiments. I'm glad you're making progress but ugg that sucks. I'm with you that the burn of a short race is so much nicer than the grind of a marathon.

           

          Piwi  30 miles? Have you been converted ?? I'm curious what would happen if you ran a mile/1500 right now given the lifting you've been doing.

           

           

          Has Keen posted a RR?

           

           

          My week was solid if down a little from peak. I've been rolling like crazy as my right calf has been bothering me though it hasn't impacted my stride yet (fingers crossed).

           

          6.9 miles with a friend. I did his 8x3on/1off fartlek since his ~7:30 / mi on pace seemed manageable.

          W 10 miles with 4xKM@5k, 3x600 all on 400 jogs. I went 4:02, 3:59, 3:57, 3:55 on the KM and 2:15, 2:14, 2:13 on the 600s. Weather was absolutely atrocious with rain, wind and some big gusts so I just tried to relax with the wind at my back and drive through it without slowing too much

          Th "easy" 7 that wasn't because the wind was absurd. Struggled to run 9 min pace on the way out and didn't moderate the effort when I turned around

          6.2 more absurd weather with sleet being whipped sideways in my face when running southwest.

          Sat 11 with 5xmile on 3 min rest. Wow that's a ton of rest thanks  coach. The wind was much reduced in intensity today. I felt really smooth finishing the fast part of my warmup and that translated into some excellent paces: 6:44, 39, 23, 34, 18 with the end of the last rep being me pushing the pace but the rest being honest threshold work (reps 2 & 4 were slightly into the wind w/ 1, 3, 5 benefitting)

          S 12 mile long run that was a bit of a struggle. The wind returned in force and punished me while going west. Chilled for the first 8 miles as much as I could, picked up the pup for the last four and she really didn't want to run slower than ~8:10/mi which was a bit uncomfortable for me after Saturday's workout.

           

          53.5 miles

          1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)

          CommanderKeen


          Cobra Commander Keen

            Mark - Nice TT result, especially given the weather. I wonder how much time the wind is worth at the (insane) paces at which you're running.
            Nice RR - I'm sure that took longer to type out than it did to run!


            James - I'm glad you had a better week and are feeling better overall.


            Steve - Nice recovery week there, and I think it bodes well that you seem to be enjoying it/settling in.


            Flavio - Good that your physio is helping untangle all those issues. Apologies if I missed it, but was there one big precipitating event for this or did all the dominoes fall at once?

            ETA: Hear on a podcast that the Altra super shoes (Zach Bitter wore them at the Tunnel Hill 100 this weekend) should be available "early" next year.


            DWave - Copy/paste well-wishes from the marathon thread!


            Piwi - That's some aggressive elevation gain on that 10k run. I'd need to use my treadmill to get that around here!


            Zebano - Nice week. I'm glad the calf hasn't been truly interfering with anything, and hopefully you get that sorted out before it does.
            No RR yet, but I'll get one written up as soon as I can. This weekend was super busy (DD1s soccer tournament) and work is looking oddly busy as well.


            Thanks, everyone!


            I didn't get all the mileage I wanted last week (close to 14 miles short in total) due to the race and mostly interference around DD1's soccer tournament (which they won!), but I'm super happy with it overall with a shiny new 10k PR!
            The race was a test run for a pair of ASICS Metaspeed Sky, and I must say that I LOVE those shoes and they're likely what I'll wear for CIM.

             

            Weekly for period: From: 11/08/2021 To 11/14/2021

            Date Name mi km Duration Avg/mi Avg/km Elevation Gain
            in ft
            11/08 1 great horned owl & 1 barn owl 12.51 20.12 01:43:46 08:18 05:09 505
            11/08 1 box turtle 5.50 8.85 00:48:36 08:50 05:29 246
            11/09 Sticky atmospherics 11.05 17.79 01:40:17 09:05 05:38 436
            11/10 6x 5 min HMe 12.75 20.52 01:41:19 07:57 04:56 410
            11/10 Who knew hedge trimmers could be so amusing? - Yorkshire 4.25 6.84 00:34:41 08:10 05:04 0
            11/11 3 great horned owls, 2 deer (2 strides), & 1 heron 10.51 16.90 01:32:52 08:50 05:30 348
            11/12 1 barn owl & plenty of talkative coyotes 10.05 16.18 01:27:28 08:42 05:24 489
            11/12 Taking deliveries. Of fitness. - Watopia 5.06 8.14 00:41:24 08:11 05:05 0
            11/13 Campus tour 4.71 7.57 00:38:22 08:09 05:04 141
            11/13 Holiday Hustle 10k 6.22 10.01 00:37:57 06:06 03:47 141
            11/13 Winding down a tad 3.45 5.55 00:31:05 09:01 05:36 98
            11/14 To soccer I go! 5.05 8.13 00:45:53 09:05 05:39 249

            Total distance: 91.11mi

            5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

             

            Upcoming Races:

             

             

            flavio80


            Intl. correspondent

              Zeb - Are you also foam rolling piriformis and hamstring ? And quads ?

              Those are the big muscles that should be taking the brunt of absorbing the impact, when they’re not working properly the calves and feet pay for it.

               

              Keen - Shame on you, while your daughter was playing soccer you should be running rectangles around the pitch while screaming support words to her and her team.

               

              Thanks for the heads up, a super shoe from Altra would be very interesting. They’re a tiny company so it makes sense they would take quite a bit longer to design it.

              I’ve always had back issues since my early 20s. I guess it runs in the family.

              Not sure if you remember just last year I spent 2 days in bed due to a back issue caused by carrying a heavy supermarket bag home. I guess I gotta be careful when I sneeze too 😂

              But then this year I’ve injured the upper back (between the scapulae) back in April while trying to do a deadlift with a kettlebell. 

              Then instead of taking proper rest I tried to join that mileage challenge 🤦‍♂️. It has still not properly healed. 

              Then I bought a GoPro to film some of my runs and trip locations and it messed up my neck due to the weight of the GoPro (which is bizarre since it’s only 300g or so).

              Then I ran one of those races I should never run 😂

              It turns out when your body says you've had enough physically you should listen to it 🤭

              PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021

              Up next: no idea

              Tool to generate Strava weekly

              zebano


                Zeb - Are you also foam rolling piriformis and hamstring ? And quads ?

                Those are the big muscles that should be taking the brunt of absorbing the impact, when they’re not working properly the calves and feet pay for it.

                 

                Keen - Shame on you, while your daughter was playing soccer you should be running rectangles around the pitch while screaming support words to her and her team.

                 

                Thanks for the heads up, a super shoe from Altra would be very interesting. They’re a tiny company so it makes sense they would take quite a bit longer to design it.

                I’ve always had back issues since my early 20s. I guess it runs in the family.

                Not sure if you remember just last year I spent 2 days in bed due to a back issue caused by carrying a heavy supermarket bag home. I guess I gotta be careful when I sneeze too 😂

                But then this year I’ve injured the upper back (between the scapulae) back in April while trying to do a deadlift with a kettlebell. 

                Then instead of taking proper rest I tried to join that mileage challenge 🤦‍♂️. It has still not properly healed. 

                Then I bought a GoPro to film some of my runs and trip locations and it messed up my neck due to the weight of the GoPro (which is bizarre since it’s only 300g or so).

                Then I ran one of those races I should never run 😂

                It turns out when your body says you've had enough physically you should listen to it 🤭

                 

                Flavio, you remain an inspiration to us all. FWIW JMac and DWave are the unusual ones, most of us try to battle through everything.

                 

                No, I haven't been great about rolling the quads, hamstring (or glutes/hips via lacrosse ball) I'll give it a try.

                 

                 

                Keen - only 91 miles? Shame on you 

                 

                 

                I may need to start watching cricket. The NBA is disgusting me this year as I somehow got my hopes up (again) only for the Timberwolves to prove that the remain one of the worst franchises in professional sport.

                1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)

                JMac11


                RIP Milkman

                   

                  It turns out when your body says you've had enough physically you should listen to it 🤭

                   

                  As another member of the injury club, it's so dependent! Sometimes I find taking time off actually makes things worse (my plantar fasciitis is a classic case of it, still is painful every morning a year later and only gets worse with rest). But other times you need to stop. My rule is always any alteration of stride for more than the first mile or pain at 3/10 or higher after the first mile. Those are the signs to stop.

                   

                  I'll also say taking a month off does nothing. I took all of December off, and ran a total of 207 miles for January, February, and March. I still PR'd in the half this fall and was right in line for a PR in the full. If your body needs the rest, just take it. The road back is harder mentally than it is physically.

                  5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

                   

                   

                  darkwave


                  Mother of Cats

                     

                    As another member of the injury club, it's so dependent! Sometimes I find taking time off actually makes things worse (my plantar fasciitis is a classic case of it, still is painful every morning a year later and only gets worse with rest). But other times you need to stop.

                     

                    Agree with all this.  And there's also the distinction between a) resting by not running and b) resting by not running or cross training.

                     

                    My general rules of thumb are:

                    -bone injury - no running.  Swap to cross training.  If you're going to be out more than a week or two, take a few down weeks - it accomplishes nothing to overtrain with intense aquatic or cycling workouts and you may slow healing.

                    -soft tissue - cut back the running as much as you need to in order to give the tissue room to heal, but no more than that.  Don't stop running altogether if you can help it (though 1-2 days off in the beginning won't hurt).  For soft tissue stuff, especially tendon injuries, it's important to keep some "load" on the tissue to encourage it to heal properly and keep blood flowing.   As for the intensity - if you're going to be out more than a week or two, go ahead and take some down weeks for the same reasons outlined above.

                    -nerve or autoimmune issues - keep at it, with a special focus on mechanics, mobility, and strength.  That sort of stuff gets much worse with inactivity.  At the same time, do be sensitive to the risks of overdoing it and placing too much stress on your system,

                    -Virus/bacterial illness - take some full rest and then ramp back up, doing only as much as feels good each day.

                    Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.

                     

                    And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.

                    JMac11


                    RIP Milkman

                      DW - great summary. I use the hop test too. I think people always equate hop test with stress fracture, but I remember with my posterior tibial tendonitis it hurt like hell to hop for 10 days. Then when that stopped, I was able to run. But otherwise, your tendon/soft tissue summary is great: often it takes weeks of working through it before the pain dies down, but generally a few days off will help a lot. I think that's why most doctors are pretty useless when it comes to those types of injuries: they will always recommend rest when it's neither needed nor helpful, or they will say "if there is any pain, stop." If I didn't run with any pain, I would stop running basically every two weeks.

                       

                      The other rule I use is it will take you as many easy days to get back to where you were as you were down. So if you need 2 weeks down, come back with 2 weeks of easy running. Then you can get back to your normal routine. For longer injuries it falls apart a bit, but it's helpful because sometimes you feel good after 5 easy days or so and want to get a workout in, but this helps you remember to keep things light.

                       

                       

                      The bone one is the worst and is what I'm going through now. It's why going in for imaging when you suspect it is key because you have to be VERY careful with that stuff. I feel a little better this week than I did when I stopped a week ago. If it's a tendon issue, I can probably start some easy running by early next week, but if it's a bone issue, I really shouldn't even attempt a run for another month, even with the same pain level.

                      5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

                       

                       

                      CommanderKeen


                      Cobra Commander Keen

                        Holiday Hustle 10k Race Report


                        For many months now my coach has had a pre-CIM 10k tune-up on my schedule and it was quite fortunate that one of the top 10ks in the area did happen to fall on that weekend. My biggest worry was that they would cancel for covid, which this same group did cancel a 10k I had planned to run two months ago. If that happened this time I had it in my mind to either 1) run this course myself, or 2) cherry pick a super-flat 10k course across a dam at the edge of a local lake for a TT.


                        With no indication that the race would be cancelled I signed up the day before and showed up 90 minutes early to pick up my packet and get in a long warm-up. I set out do do a couple laps around the college campus to somewhat familiarize myself with the course, but I was on the path early enough that the route hadn't been marked, though I did see the kilometer marking signs.
                        The warm-up felt disappointingly like most of my runs earlier in the week - plodding and slow, though as I sped up in the last 1.5-2 miles I did feel a bit better, though certainly not "I'm going to crush this race" good.


                        "Nothing new on race day"
                        Bother that nonsense. 10 minutes before the race started I took off my warm-ups and traded my well-worn Escalantes for a pair of ASICS Metaspeed Skys that I had only previously put on for size. What better way to see if a pair of fancy shoes work for a race than to try them out in one?
                        I did a couple more strides in these (having already done 3 in the Altras) and WOW the difference in feel was immense. Light & bouncy like they wanted to go fast (more so than the Endorphin Pro) while at the same time without the wonky unstableness I felt when trying the OG Nike 4%.


                        I lined up as close to the front as I could while keeping behind those who were obviously faster than I am, but had an unfortunately large number of overly-confident middle school to high school kids in front of me.


                        The gun went off and so did we, nearly immediately making two very congested right hand turns. A short distance later and we turn off the roadway onto a running path, again very congested with kids. Things opened up a bit at this point, but I'm still having to weave around far more people than I want to as they were taking up random spots in the trail and not at all running the tangents along some gentle curves.

                        I hit the 1k mark in 3:58 - Oh, heck with that! This is quite a bit slower than I feel it should be given the effort I'm putting out, so I turn things up a bit. A short bit later (around the mile mark) I pass a girl who was at most 2 years older than my oldest daughter wearing a pair of Alpha Flys and get a bit of amusement out of this.

                         

                        Just prior to 2k I see a guy I've paced the local Hot Chocolate 15k with a couple times and he's a solid 250m ahead of me. I had thought he was about my speed, but this elicited a bit of a negative thought.

                         

                        I hit 2k in 3:41 and think "that km didn't feel near that fast, maybe the markers are off. Either way it means I'm on pace for my overly ambitious goal.

                         

                        Things are relative uneventful for a while as I continue to pass a few people here and there as we run through some rather scenic sections of the campus - wooded areas, past a small pond with an unsettling number of fish floating in it...

                        3k - 3:46
                        4k - 3:53
                        5k - 3:49 - 19:08 elapsed

                         

                        Things go smoothly through here as I continue to pass people, though a series of tight turns in a 200m stretch is less than ideal before the final ~200m stretch to the start/finish. In this home stretch a HS kid charges past me and I try giving him some encouragement (an oddly similar situation to the last 10k I ran) and prepare for traffic to really thin out as I go for my second 5k lap.


                        Starting the second lap I'm a little dismayed that I'm 8 seconds behind my goal pace, but I'm feeling better and better overall and know that I'm still on pace for a PR even if I do miss my goal. Up ahead there are two people within sight - the guy I've paced with who was maybe 30 seconds ahead and a young kid maybe 10 seconds behind him who I had thought was only running the 5k.


                        6k - 3:53
                        7k - 3:42

                         

                        This first km didn't feel nearly that slow and again the next didn't feel nearly that fast, so I'm pretty confident at this point that there's a misplaced marker. I've had nothing but open path ahead and have managed to pull to within ~10m of the kid in front of me, but have no recollection of seeing the other guy. Just after the 7k mark we started passing people who are walking or run/walking their race so we have a bit of weaving to do.

                         

                        8k - 3:43
                        9k - 3:48


                        I'm liking seeing these splits pass as I'm certainly feeling the effects of the effort by this point, but having that kid ahead of me helped as he was trucking along pretty well but also seemed to be working a bit harder than I was. I moved ahead of him just before the 9k marker.


                        A little more passing run/walkers and we get to the twisty, curvy 200m stretch and the teammates of the kid behind me are waiting there for him (some dressed as bananas) to cheer him on. Just after hitting the final straightaway the kid inches ahead of me (blasted youth speed!) and I catch sight of the other guy I've been trying to chase and he's not nearly so far ahead of me as I thought he would be.
                        The kid and I charge down the final straight (he just ahead of me) and I catch a glimpse of the clock - 38:50 - and think "I can still pull this off!" and manage to speed up just a little. Thankfully this final spurt doesn't last long as I'm seriously sucking wind.


                        10k - 3:43 - 37:55 chip


                        I can't remember being so gassed after a race before, which I take as a (somewhat painful) good sign. I catch my breath, grab a bottle of water, and go find the kid (also chip time of 37:55) to congratulate him on his race, then go find the guy I've paced with. Oddly he doesn't show in the results, but Strava has him with a 37:58 moving time.


                        Pacing guy and I chat for a bit and I find that he's also running CIM and also doesn't (yet) have a goal.


                        All in all I'm super-excited and happy for this result, especially given how slow I felt the week preceding it and that I took zero taper for it as well. I find myself wondering a bit how much lower I could take this result with a taper and perhaps fewer traffic issues early in the race given my current fitness, but more immediate matters are a turkey trot 5k (will be my first ever 5k with a bit of a meaningful taper ahead of it) and then CIM!

                        5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

                         

                        Upcoming Races:

                         

                         

                          Keen thanks for the race report. You definitely can go faster with a better 1st km. The shoes sound great. I had that same feeling when I slid mine on for my 10k tt this year. I've never quite been able to replicate that initial magical feeling since then but they are still great.

                           

                          Jmac I've always considered you to be someone who runs through alot of niggles. I agree the hop test is a good indicator. I have a guy on my strava who lives near me that has run over 100 mpw for the last 3 months. He often has an " injury " but still manages this mileage at quite a decent pace.

                           

                          Zeb I started watching NBA a few years ago when Kiwi Steven Adams played for OKC.

                          Then he got traded last year to the Pelicans who were terrible and he had a shocker season. Then traded this year to Memphis who are hot and cold.

                          It's good for my geography learning of America at least 

                          They did beat you guys the other day and Adams kept KAT in check.

                          55+ PBs 5k 18:36 June 3rd TT

                          " If you don't use it you lose it,  but if you use it, it wears out.

                          Somewhere in between is about right "      

                           

                          Running Problem


                          Problem Child

                            DW - great summary. I use the hop test too. I think people always equate hop test with stress fracture, but I remember with my posterior tibial tendonitis it hurt like hell to hop for 10 days. Then when that stopped, I was able to run. But otherwise, your tendon/soft tissue summary is great: often it takes weeks of working through it before the pain dies down, but generally a few days off will help a lot. I think that's why most doctors are pretty useless when it comes to those types of injuries: they will always recommend rest when it's neither needed nor helpful, or they will say "if there is any pain, stop." If I didn't run with any pain, I would stop running basically every two weeks.

                             

                            I think there is a certain amount of pain runners levels of our level tolerate/accept as "normal" while other people would consider it an injury. Doctors aren't really focusining on the 1% of individual putting up 50+ miles a week as "casual running" when suggesting to not run if it hurts. Heck, most of us run more miles in a day than "runners" cover in a long run when we aren't even training for a race.

                            Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                            VDOT 53.37 

                            5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

                            Marky_Mark_17


                              Keen - YOU BROKE RULE 1!!!!  I'm not sure I can comprehend how you did this and yet you still PR'ed!  And I'm totally with you on never reading too much into how you are feeling in the week before the race.  Well done, again.

                               

                              Darbs thought the wind was worth probably at least 1 second/lap, and he's way more experienced than me, so I'll take it.

                               

                              Zebano - sideways sleet in the face? OW!  I've had a bit of sideways rain but sleet would be next level unpleasant.  Anyway that was a very solid week of training despite some miserable weather.  We had a very windy patch at the start of spring but thankfully it seems to have disappeared for now.

                               

                              Flavio - honest confession - and this is the first time I've told anyone this - a few months back I was starting to think about when would be the right time for me to quit competitive running.  This was maybe midway through the long training slog through the middle of winter.  Then a few things happened.  First, I ran that trail half in Te Anau, and realised there are still a lot of different races to explore, and a lot of fun to be had.  Second, the entire champs season got destroyed by lockdown and I was pretty disappointed about that.  Finally, seeing Miss 4 trying so very hard down at the track last Sat has reminded me that it's also about setting an example for her (and she is VERY excited about the race series over summer.  So I think I'm stuck with this for the foreseeable future.

                              3,000m: 9:07.7 (Nov-21) | 5,000m: 15:39 (Dec-19) | 10,000m: 32:34 (Mar-20)  

                              10km: 33:15 (Sep-19) | HM: 1:09:41 (May-21)* | FM: 2:41:41 (Oct-20)

                              * Net downhill course

                              Last race: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

                              Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

                              "CONSISTENCY IS KING"

                              CommanderKeen


                              Cobra Commander Keen

                                DWave - Pretty great list of guidelines there.


                                Piwi - Adams transferring away from OKC is why I now know nothing about the Thunder at all - you're the sole reason I ever got updates there!


                                JMac - Glad you're feeling better at all.


                                Flavio - I do recall your stories of past back injuries, but didn't know if this current bout could be resulting from that or some other acute cause.
                                And I've totally run around the complex during soccer practices before, but prefer to watch the games.


                                Something I forgot to mention at the end of my RR: I was just hanging around afterwards chatting a bit and the man who was calling the race (a local running community legend and director of my favorite LRS) asked over the speaker system for me to come to the finish line (there weren't any runners coming across during this bit). He asked about my training, CIM, etc. the he offered me a free OK Runner (favorite LRS) running shirt for "loyalty and being a great local ambassador for the sport", which I'm psyched about for multiple reasons - the least of which is actually the free shirt.

                                5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

                                 

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