The Blackmores Half - A Great Day Out

My recovery from the virus I copped two weeks ago has been painfully slow. In the days before the race I decided there was no way I was going to perform at my peak in this one, so Marlz (whose CR handle is Captain Smeg) and I decided we would go with the 2 hour pacer and see what happened.

We never reached the 2 hour pacer, but before we got to the start line CR Strikalite had introduced herself to us and ran with us. It wasn't long before Marlz & Strikalite had discovered a common interest in physics at which point the conversation went completely over my head.

We ran comfortably for the next 15K, but with 6 to go I knew it wasn't the day for me to be pushing any harder. The virus was making it's presence felt, and I knew it would be unwise to push any harder.

Still, I stayed with Marlz & Strikalite, using Monty Python quotes to rejoin their conversation (a sure fire way to communicate with nerds), and with 3K to go Belinda drew level with us.

This has become a recurring theme. For some reason it seems that we just keep finding each other at the pointy end of races, and this was a fine example. So with 2K to go Marlz and
Strikalite took off in an effort to go under 2 hours Belinda and I ambled in in 2:02:27. That last 2K was awesome. Firstly, the CR cheersquad are always a lift, but the course change, that takes you through Circular Quay in the last 2K is just spectacular. It struck me as a view that is a worthy reward for the pointy end of a 42.2Km race, so I guess the marathon is a distinct possibility next year.

Post race I had a blast. Marlz took off quickly and I hung around with NTR, getting pram running advice from Podrunner, meeting an ecstatic Plodbod, who had taken a whopping 5 minutes off her half PB and then joining the cheer squad gor a short cheering session.

Then the family arrived and we had a lovely post race pancake breakfast followed by some book, CD and DVD shopping. A great day out.

The recovery, unfortunately, has not been great.

On Monday afternoon I started vomiting and feeling very faint. The vomiting went violently for about six hours, but I'm still feeling very crook, and I'm still not up to work. The doctor is advising a slow, sensible return to training, but I'm not in a sensible phase at the moment. The diagnosis is "something viral."

So I'll have to see how I go. I'm hoping to be up for a light jog on Friday, and maybe a long run on Monday.

So, after deliberating long and hard about whether or not to taper for the half, the decision was taken out of my hands.

After my wait in the cold for rescue last weekend I developed a tickle in my throat on Monday. At first I thought it was quite minor, and continued training, but throughout the week it got progressively worse until on Friday I was sent home from work, and I saw a doctor who prescribed some precautionary antibiotics.

I've felt pretty awful all weekend. It's definitely gone into my chest, and I've been coughing up a storm and any talking I do alternates between a whisper and the "Love God". The distressing thing about it is that it has gone through the rest of the family. It freaks me out when John breathes like Darth Vader.

So the plan from here is to take it easy and not run until I feel better. Hopefully I'll get out for a jog on Tuesday, but I won't push it.

If I'm not right we will treat Sydney as a long training run, but I was really looking forwaqrd to attempting another 1:50 with Marlz & Gnome, and I reckon there's still a good chance.

Anyway, it certainly isn't all doom and gloom. Today DJ and I found and booked a place for our reception and booked a celebrant. It's about time - we've been engaged for 15 months, but in our defence we have been a little bit busy.

Risky Bush Bashing on the APEC long Weekend

Today was the longest training run in terms of time that I have ever undertaken.

The intention for the whole week was that I would run long through Bouddi National Park on the Central Coast this Sunday, but when I woke up and it was pissing down I promptly rolled over and started planning non bush runs when the weather ot less inclement.

This happened about midday, so DJ took the irls shopping and I stepped out intending to just run around Copacabana - the track was probably going to be too slippery after all on the rain.

But I'm naughty, so I just ran down the road from my folks place to the beach and started this run. With the extra distance from my folks place (about a mile) the run was significant. It was too slippery to take the downhills quick, and I need to walk the uphills on this one, so I hit the turnaround (11K) in 1:45.

There's a certain irony in getting all of the slippery bush tracks riht only to miss a turn off on the road on the way back that meant I was at MacMasters SLSC after 3:20 with it pissing down and my motivation gone. I phoned in for a pick up at that point, but after 15 minutes DJ was having difficulties navigating there, so I ran the extra kilometre along the beach back to Copacabana.

I've never run longer then 3 hours in training before, so this was a first. When I got back there was Coke in the fridge, and I drank it. I don't usually, but I needed recovery quick - I was wasted. It hit the spot nicely.

I've decided I will taper for the half. Like Gnome I subscribe to the one easy week in four theory, and I suspect that that is especially important whislt I flagrantly flout the 10% rule.

So the coming week will be pretty stock standard, but the long run next Sunday will be knocked back to 16K.

Tomorrow is a rest day. Hip hip hooray.

Back Where I Started

Thanks to all those who have offerred advice - all of it has been taken on board, even the advice from he purports to have NFI. Any further advice will be warmly accepted.

As a result of that advice I ran longer than originally planned today and covered 27K in 2:50, working in some extra hills. It was a real confidence booster, I felt good at the end of it, and went for a a walk for an hour with DJ & JK.

Now, here is today's story.

When I was 16 I sustained a bruised brain. It left me with impaired strength and coordination down the left hand side of my body. To this day I still sweat more on the left hand side and I still have some residual numbness. I needed speech therapy and occupational therapy.

It was probably this injury that triggered my epilepsy. I was 72 kilograms when this happenend, but as a result of not doing much exercise because of my diminished sporting ability and the anti-convulsant drugs I was now on I started to blow out.

I was on Epilim for 7 years. It's a bastard of a drug. It makes you as alert as you'd be if you had drunk a bottle of scotch a day, and has about the same effect on your liver.

I blew out to 94Kg at my fattest.

So after my run today, I jumped on the scales. Now, I know it's wrong to weigh yourself after a run - you are dehydrated. I did take on at least a litre of fluid during the run, but I sweated more, so it's still wrong.

But that scale said 72.0.

It's taken 19 years, but I'm back where I started.

And I'm stoked.