Less than two weeks until the Canberra Marathon and less than two weeks until my first big hit out this year when I take on the Canberra Half Marathon!
In the build up to the Gold Coast Marathon I decided to plan my training in two stages. The first stage would last for three months and build my fitness, strength and endurance so I could manage the second stage of the training. The second stage of training would increase the distances and then taper to the Gold Coast Marathon, again this stage of training would last for three months.
After three months of slogging it out on the footpath, around and up Mt Ainslie in Canberra, the first stage of my training is almost complete with the Canberra Half Marathon just around the corner.
I am in good form (I am fit and healthy) and have completed most of my many training runs over the last three months. Some of the training has been enjoyable, some has been fun and some has been downright disgustingly tough, but I have made it though uninjured (mostly) and ready to take on the 21.1kms on the 10th of April.
My toughest run was on Sunday when I decided to spend the one hour and a half running to Mt Ainslie, up it and home again. Total distance covered was 16kms and the last couple of kms I had to walk as I had reached my time limit and did not want to overtrain. (Lesson for young players, if you have a training time or distance, stick to it! There is no point overtraining and risking injury...you can always go for another run tomorrow but if you are injured you can’t run at all!)
For those who have not run or cycled up Mt Ainslie before the road up My Ainslie starts off fairly tame, then it gradually begins to test your ability, before it rises steeply for the last 500ms or so and absolutely destroys you...or you conquer the Mountain. I am happy to say that this time I conquered the Mountain J
I reach the base of the mountain after 30mins of running. I decided to run 15mins up and 15mins down which would make a nice round trip of 1hr30min. It wasn’t to be. Once I made it to the steep accent with one minute to go and no way of making to the top in time, I decided to ditch the time and make it to the top of the mountain. It was tough, the road seems to go straight up and every step was a struggle. But for some reason I felt good. I felt strong. I knew that I could make it if I just keep going, and I did!
With 200m to go, a lone cyclist came up from behind and started the steep accent. I decided to give it all I had and tried to stay in front of the cyclist and it worked. I kept running and the cyclist kept cycling, we both wanted to reach the top first and we spurred each other on. With one last effort I made it to the top with the cyclist rolling over the mountain less than 10seconds later.
The feeling at the top was great but I couldn’t stop for long, I grabbed a drink of water from the bubbler, and headed back down the mountain with 8kms to go to home.
The result of my run was an amazing feeling of accomplishment that lasted all day and through the next. I don’t know what it was but I think something in my clicked when I made it to the top. Something inside me changed, everything became possible...the training ahead of me possible, running a PB in two weeks at the Canberra Half Marathon possible and running the Gold Coast Marathon in July possible!
The only niggling injury I came away with from the run was me knee, my left knee seemed bruised yesterday so I skipped my recovery run. It is feeling better now and I am ready for my run tomorrow. Over the next week and a half I am aiming to stay injury free, to approach the start line of the Canberra Half feeling fresh, giving myself the best chance of running a personal best time of sub 1hr40mins.
With only 3months training under my belt it is a big ask, but after Sundays effort anything is possible.
Wish me luck.
Simon.
PS: below is Pat Carrols second training DVD, this on focuses on injury prevention and treatment. I can say I have experienced each of the painful injuries he mentions and now know how to treat them. Hope you get some benefit from the DVD too J
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