Toast and Stuff: May 2007

It's Official!

Congratulations for you have been successful in applying for a role as a PatCarrollOnline pace runner in either the Half or Full Marathon at this years Gold Coast Airport Marathon.

All the information you require will soon follow. This will include how I would like you to enter the event and any other relevant pieces of information.

For now all I require from you is a reply indicating if you accept the time slot you have been allocated.

You will find your name and allocated time slot here.

Please reply ASAP confirming if you accept the time slot allocated to you.

HOW EXCITING IS THAT!

Let me take you back .... April, 2006 ... Canberra .... I finished this marathon and at the after party approached Pat about becoming a pacer ....

I told him that I had experienced pacers who go out to fast and that I would like a go .... he said to put in an application when the time came.

There had been times at the start of a marathon when I started alongside my chosen pacer only to left behind panting and gasping early into a marathon re-evaluating my strategy convinced that the pace was a good 10 minutes or so faster than what it should be .... I didn't want to be this pacer ....

So lucky for me my opportunity came ..... at Australia's biggest marathon Gold Coast ..... I loved it!

I LOVE PACING!

My running goals for the year haven't worked out ...

After running this morning, I was talking to 2 of my running buddies at Runnin Skool and listening to their marathon plans. It occurred to me, if I can be part of helping them get there in their training, that would please me most.

I spoke to Pat after it was clear that I needed to reevaluate things .... go for a 3:10 again .... or? ........

"Pat have you got all your pacers?" ...... I now run with Pat regularly, I was even privileged to share "Athlete of the Month" after a year of time trials and breaking 11 minutes for 3K last week ...... Pat said "Don't have anyone for 3:15!" ..... so here we are ...... I'm very serious about this and given my feelings about not going out too fast or letting anyone down ... this is a challenge and pinnacle of what I have done in running so far.

If you happen to be aiming for a 3:15 marathon at the Gold Coast .... Every step you take, every breath you make ........ [Over to you Vat Man, as he picked up the last music reference in a previous post all be it a little cryptic, so if you want to comment with the next line .... go for it and I'll try to implant one each post]

and just for the record ..... I ran 5 PB's at Warwick ..... more PB's than a skool yard full of lunch boxes!

... all that said .... on Sunday is the Queensland Half Marathon .... I have a plan ... it involves a theme and fancy dress.

A just one more thing ..... I'm very proud of the one I love and aces her assessments at University this week. Now I have to go collect the same said person from the class end of assessment party .... wish me luck!

Labels: Every Breath You Take - Police

What's the big news?

How did this happen?

Such was the the short sharp sense of panic following a brief conversation with Coach Pat.

Pat provides the pacers for the Gold Coast Marathon.

"To adequately carry out the pace runner role you will need to be able to comfortably run the pace you have nominated for. You also need to be prepared to offer encouragement and motivate runners in your pack"

So I asked Pat if all the positions were full .... My plan was to pace a friend but she was encouraging me to go for a quicker time. Rather than the next attempt at my elusive 3:10, I felt like pacing the marathon again.

Pacing is very rewarding .... you can feel the trust and dependence that those around you have .... this is their marathon, that once in a lifetime event ...... you wouldn't want to mess it up!!!!!

Guess what time Pat needed a pacer for?

It left me wondering ... "how did I end up here?"

Labels: Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads

Big News is Coming!

You better run .....

Race Report #1 - sortta

Thursday

In preparation for being away we dropped Tamale the wonder puss (greyhound) at our dear friend Aunty Brooke for what Tamale says is better than a dog dish full of ice-cream.

Dinner is shared at the Dirty Dawg where I order the Wichi-Wichi Chilli ..... the waitress asks ... after I say I'll have the chilli ... Whitchy, Whitchy? ... I point at the menu (an item called Wichi-Witchi Chilli) ... this still amuses me .... but no one else.

My choice turns out to be a handful of cheese-flavoured doritos, a slopful of salsa, beans and a spoonful of mince ..... the fat drips off the side of the plate as I woof the lot down.

Friday morning I packed the car after Katy had gone to work ... this was a collection of boxes with all I could imagine in 5 minutes that we would need for a weekend away ... 6 or 7 sets of running gear for 5 races should do it?

We headed off before 4pm having left work early ... all bound for Warwick whilst Katy continued to cry "are we there yet" much to her own ... and only her own ... amusement.

I enjoyed a T-Bone steak washed down with 2 pints of Guinness ... and we retired for an early night in Motel Jackie Howe.

Around 2am the sedative effects of my two pints of Ireland's best, had worn off and I wondered what my game plan might be for the half marathon in the morning. Rarely, if ever, do I omit a game plan .... but such was the case. In my mind was elevator music, Homer Simpson style. Bugger. I'll wing it ....

So in the morning, I lined up completely clueless. The gun fired and I ran.

Immediately the plan emerged from the mist .... a third a third a third ..... first 7 km easy, relaxed .... at 7 km settle into comfortable speed and at the 14 km put the effort in.

Right from the start, the pace was on ... the first 1 km covered in 4:13 (6:48 mile pace). All I did was remained relaxed .... so the next few were 4:20 (6:59/mile) 4:20 and 4:20 ..... who knew 4:20 would be easy?

4k to 5k was a big ass hill ... 4:44 (7:38 per mile) .... 5 to 6 back to 4:22, then 4:19, 4:22, 4:22 and 4:20. 10K passed in 43:47. The fog and mist was so thick it was hard to work out if we were running uphill or downhill. This makes for a special experience, seeing only a few runners ahead disappearing in only several hundred metres ahead. Along the way there are cows and other farmmery stuffs.

Around 6K and guy in a blue and yellow cap flew past ... he was on a mission. I'm now well into third number #2 ... 4:27 ... hmmm a little slow, 4:27 (7:11 mile) again, 4:22 ok the mental concentration remains to work the pace down ... and then .... 4:27 ... bugger!

4:31 for 14 to 15K. Followed by 4:32 (7:19 min/mile).

Good news ... I'm at 16K ... 2K beyond third #2 only 5K left. The big hill isn't so hard to work through and I post 4:46 (7:42 mile) for this.

wheeeeee .... down the other side 4:20 .......

still got a little zing left ....

4:46 for the next hilly bit ... lifted by the cavalcade of cars leap frogging to cheer runners on ..... this event is something along the lines of the Tour De France .... cars follow the runners along the route ... winding windows down and cheering you on, stopping waving pom poms and clapping ... it is all very supportive and encouraging.

Back down the other side 4:20 (7:00 mile) and then 4:23 so pleased to be holding pace near the end.

4:27 as I cover the last rise but this time kicking in as I know the end is near. Yeah 4:27 up a hill with 1 K to go .... I'm feeling strong (not really, but I'll tell myself that!).

I know I 'm close to breaking 1hr 33min so stretch out a little ... my last K, 4:03 (6:32/mile) ... this includes stopping to raise my knee to my chest as a stitch had struck.

My last recorded speed was 5:30 min/mile, 3:24/K.

1:32:54 (7:08/mile) 4:25/K ..... a real confidence booster for my next marathon ....

Race Report Warwick

What did you do on the weekend?

I ran 5 races. The first was a half marathon, a few hours later a cross country, a few hours more a 5,000m road race. The next morning a 10K ascent up over 350 metre elevation and then before lunch 1,500m through the centre of town.

Most of it looked like this ....

I ran my best times in all events. It started with my fastest half marathon in under 1 hour 33 minutes and finished with a big negative split over the last 750m. Now ...... I'm a little tired.

All set for a weekend in the country

5 races this weekend ... add them all up and it equals a marathon .... except you get 2 days to do it!

Warwick Pentath

Post Canberra Marathon is over and I have been in full training over the last 2 weeks. Long runs, Tempos and Speedwork with cycle recovery, blah, blah, blah.

Now it's game on .... even Katy is getting into the act and will do 2 of the races.

I wonder if the locals of Warwick run with their dogs?

P.S. Sorry in advance for all the people I offended.

Show me where it hurts.

Hell week is over .... and I got through it unscathed .... almost. Last night I had some pain .... sort of like the pain you get when riding a bike.

Show me where it hurts

Each time I extended my leg it hurt a little more, but thankfully, today it doesn't seem so bad.

What a relief .... I was dreading what exercises the physio would subscribe for this ....

Hell Week

Sometimes we put ourselves through hell, especially during our big weeks of training. Hell ..... I know! So this week, I intend to put in one hell of an effort.

The Angels must have smiled on me when out on the long run with Glenno on Saturday. He's one hell of a great guy to run with .... more so when he stumbles across a stash of coffee .... the last 8K we both had a bag in each hand and another in my bottle holder.

I might just be going to hell for that picture on the right.

These sox have done over 100K in two days ...... they smell like hell despite a wash overnight.

So what's cookin' in hell's kitchen? Must be these buggers.

I followed a recipe from Runners World and one hell of a fight broke out. I thought they were done ...... little did I know, there was one last trick in their slimy, stinky little bodies.

If the man or woman downstairs has a food of choice, surely these must be it.

Anyway, it all turned out to be one hell of a good feed.

Just what I need for 2 laps of Mt Coot-tha (20K) on Monday, a solid Tempo run on Wednesday, a handful of easy sessions and then hell will have no fury like the long run planned at the end of the week.