i’ve been a bit of a slacker on the recap front recently, not entirely sure why. it could quite possibly be because i’ve been giving a fair amount of attention to the “running changes lives” ebook project, and getting on board with the Heart Foundation.
to rectify this a little, here’s a very quick rundown of some recent running activity…
WAMC peninsula run 5km
my first ever 5km event, originally scheduled as part of a sub-60 10km training plan. the schedule was knocked out of whack by a cold forcing me to take some time off from training, but I was still keen to try my hand at a 5km event!
being a shorter distance, it requires a more intense effort over a shorter period of time. I really wasn’t sure how it would go, especially off the back of an enforced rest. the hope was to at least manage the 10k pace, and come in at 30 minutes or less. a goal time of 28 minutes was set, which would help push me a little.
secretly I hoped to get closer to 25 minutes, though I knew full well that consistently hitting 5:00 kms was impossible at this point in time.
on the day, the Garmin recorded a time of 26:48, for an average pace of 5:21 per km. I was very very happy with that.
the other highlight of the day was meeting a couple of local Facebook runners; Yolande of “Running Sisters” and “Aimee” of “Slow Little Runner”
perth trail series “moon shadow” 12km night trail
well, this one is actually two events in one… having signed up for a 7.5km WAMC event (again, to fit the sub-60 10km schedule), Pete of the Rogue Runners Club Australia managed to convince me to do a trail run, the night before.
his argument was that it would be good experience of running consecutive days, and coping with different terrain… so I bought it lol.
that’s when experienced trail runners on facebook questioned the sanity of doing a night event as our first ever trail run. so we scheduled in a little Rogue Runners day trail; Eagle Trail in John Forrest National Park.
Having done a single day trail (which was 15km that became 19km due to getting a little lost) and a single night trail (12km) I would say this; while I have not become a full convert to trail running, it is hard work, bloody good fun and an excellent way to mix up training.
If running up and down steep inclines (covered in loose pea gravel, lined by native vegetation, and peppered with boulders) doesn’t improve your leg strength, core strength and balance, then nothing will!
There are times when “running” seems to be used in a very loose sense of the word; it’s hard to actually run up and down a lot of the terrain, and even when you get a longish, flattish section, you may find you are still slowed down by loose surfaces, sand, tree roots, uneven rocky surfaces etc.
The night trail adds something more to all of that though – the fact you can only see a couple of metres ahead, and very little of what is to your left or right. It’s almost mesmerising, and you are literally running/walking with a great deal of faith that the trail will continue…
You also have to keep an eye out for the course markers, especially as you can wind up in places that feel as though you are off course, even when you are not!
All in all, it takes a huge amount of mental effort as well as physical. but like i say, bloody good fun!
Here’s a pic of Pete and I before the race started…
WAMC Deep Water Point 15km
because tis event no longer lined up with the sub-60 schedule – I decided that the best thing I could do, after a 12km night trail, was to follow it up with a 15km race (2 laps) rather than the single lap 7.5km event…
Makes sense, right? This is my immediate reaction on Facebook, after finishing…
“So, how did it go after a 12km night trail and about 4.5 hours sleep?
Well, I DID do the full 15km as planned. Watch didn’t locate satellite for first 200m or thereabouts so I recorded a 14.8km run
It was 2 laps – I got off to a cracking start and felt strong – doing 6min kms for first 5!
Official clock showed about 47 minutes as I came through at the end of lap 1.
Slowed down to between 7 and 8 minute kms and had to dig deep.
Didn’t see the clock as I crossed the line. Watch shows 14.8km in 1:39:35 – avg pace 6:44 per km
Happy with that!!”
I then spent the rest of the day eating, browsing the internet and sleeping.
To be perfectly honest, the back-to-back runs have left me feeling a little flat energy-wise, but overall I’ve pulled up pretty well!
I can certainly see more trails in the future, and more back-to-backs – all of which will help prepare me physically and mentally, so I can start thinking about running a very long way, 6 days a week for 3 months or so…
But for now I’m happy with 27km total in 2 days 🙂
Team Awesome – Rogue Runners prior to start of 7.5km and 15km events – including the first outing for me in a Heart Foundation singlet!
