Training Log Archive: StijnIn the 30 days ending Apr 30, 2014:
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Monday Apr 28, 2014 #
Note
Left knee is niggly with a tight ITB so I'm going to call April at 437km and take the rest of the month off :) That's a record month for me - it's satisfying to look back in my log and see the celebration of my first 200km month as recently as Jan 2013. And apope & Jono_O are closer to 500km for the month!
That's the awesome thing about running - you keep redefining the impossible for yourself and it's really rewarding :)
That's the awesome thing about running - you keep redefining the impossible for yourself and it's really rewarding :)
3 PM
Road Running 2:39:58 [3] 31.8 km (5:02 / km) +385m 4:45 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Afternoon run from Barrydale. Out and back along the Tradouw Pass. Spectacular views with the cliffs towering all around and the river far below. Legs a bit sore towards the end - probably went a touch too fast on tired legs.
Sunday Apr 27, 2014 #
7 AM
Road Running 2:10:08 [3] 25.9 km (5:01 / km) +410m 4:39 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Added some hills this time. Up an 8km gradual climb to the Seven Passes road, ran one of the passes, down via the Hoekwil road and back via the lagoons. Awesome views over the coast at sunrise.
Saturday Apr 26, 2014 #
4 PM
Road Running 1:01:11 [2] 12.5 km (4:54 / km) +35m 4:50 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
In Wilderness, on a road trip to Cape Town. Leg-loosener on a mostly flat road along the lagoons. Got soaked by the rain.
Thursday Apr 24, 2014 #
5 PM
Road Running 1:02:10 [3] 13.0 km (4:47 / km) +175m 4:29 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #3
Emmies, around Zoo Lake and back. Autumn is the best time for running!
Comrades quote of the day (1927):
"Furthermore, the 'roads' in 1927 were still paths rather than paved highways, and the routes over the major hills rather more direct and therefore steeper than those of today. Indeed, modern-day entrants might feel humbled by a comment in a newspaper report of the 1927 race: 'At Mpushini, Newton crossed without a falter, but the third man R. A. Sutton stumbled slightly at the water jump!' "
Comrades quote of the day (1927):
"Furthermore, the 'roads' in 1927 were still paths rather than paved highways, and the routes over the major hills rather more direct and therefore steeper than those of today. Indeed, modern-day entrants might feel humbled by a comment in a newspaper report of the 1927 race: 'At Mpushini, Newton crossed without a falter, but the third man R. A. Sutton stumbled slightly at the water jump!' "
Wednesday Apr 23, 2014 #
6 PM
Road Running 1:06:18 [3] 14.0 km (4:44 / km) +225m 4:23 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Tried to focus on a brisk but efficient gait on the ~3km downhill section of each lap. Great run - feeling strong.
Comrades quote of the day (1923):
"Was there any long-term future for an ultramarathon of a nature never before contemplated, never mind established, anywhere in the world?
Only the future could tell. For the moment, there was a gimmick to attract attention. A woman was going to attempt the race - unofficially, of course. What a horror story! No woman was capable of anything approaching the demands of the Comrades course. Such, at least, was the opinion not just of the organisers of the Comrades Marathon, but of medical science worldwide.
...(snip)...
It was widely held that participation in physically demanding sports - of which long-distance running could be regarded as the most arduous - would jeopardise women's primary function, namely child-bearing.
Miss Frances Hayward of Durban was unconcerned about her perceived gender limitations when she lined up, albeit unofficially, alongside the official all-male competitors in the 1923 Comrades Marathon.
...(snip)...
Four and a half hours after Newton's triumph, a large crowd was still in attendance to witness the race's other personality, Miss Frances Hayward, cross the line in 11.35 to a tremendous ovation. Rather ironically, in view of her own breakthrough and those by women in the latter half of the century, she commented, 'Now that I have done it, I think it is too much for women. I think it is the last ten miles that kill!' This must have disappointed many of her female admirers."
FYI, women and non-white runners were only first officially recognised as late as 1975!
Comrades quote of the day (1923):
"Was there any long-term future for an ultramarathon of a nature never before contemplated, never mind established, anywhere in the world?
Only the future could tell. For the moment, there was a gimmick to attract attention. A woman was going to attempt the race - unofficially, of course. What a horror story! No woman was capable of anything approaching the demands of the Comrades course. Such, at least, was the opinion not just of the organisers of the Comrades Marathon, but of medical science worldwide.
...(snip)...
It was widely held that participation in physically demanding sports - of which long-distance running could be regarded as the most arduous - would jeopardise women's primary function, namely child-bearing.
Miss Frances Hayward of Durban was unconcerned about her perceived gender limitations when she lined up, albeit unofficially, alongside the official all-male competitors in the 1923 Comrades Marathon.
...(snip)...
Four and a half hours after Newton's triumph, a large crowd was still in attendance to witness the race's other personality, Miss Frances Hayward, cross the line in 11.35 to a tremendous ovation. Rather ironically, in view of her own breakthrough and those by women in the latter half of the century, she commented, 'Now that I have done it, I think it is too much for women. I think it is the last ten miles that kill!' This must have disappointed many of her female admirers."
FYI, women and non-white runners were only first officially recognised as late as 1975!
Tuesday Apr 22, 2014 #
6 AM
Road Running 49:48 [2] 10.0 km (4:59 / km) +125m 4:41 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #3
Started breaking in my Comrades pair of shoes. I always seem to have a much lighter/softer foot strike in new shoes.
Comrades quote of the day (1922):
"Arthur Newton became the first runner to face the most famous of all Comrades obstacles, Polly Shortts. His comments afterwards have been echoed a thousand times, although perhaps not quite as eloquently.
'It was an enormous relief to get to the long downhill stretch after Camperdown, and I seemed almost to coast along for mile after mile. But I knew what was waiting at the bottom and wasn't looking forward to it at all. A three-quarter-mile incline followed by Polly Shortts cutting had to be climbed, and the latter was a considerable hill of some 500 feet, with just over a mile to do it in. Well, for the moment there was only one serious thing to be considered in all the world, and that was Polly Shortts. I reduced my stride as I had long since learnt to, and gently, ever so gently, crept up the long rise. Great James! It was terrible work! It might have been nothing desperate for a man who was quite fresh, but when you had already run a much longer distance than you had ever tackled before in your life, the thing became a sheer nightmare.
Up I went, and still up, but I began to feel that it was impossible to keep going. It got so bad that when it came to the steepest part, I stopped dead in a single stride, convinced in the moment that it was absolute idiocy to attempt to carry on. Two seconds' consideration, however, told me that it was probably as bad for those behind me: also that as I had already stuck so much, it didn't make much odds if a trifle more were added. Without stopping to debate the point, I shoved one foot in front of the other and continued the climb. I have often since wondered what those in the cars nearby thought of my momentary stop.
Even your worst time is left behind sooner or later, and when I was wondering whether I should be able to keep going on my legs at all, I reached the top and saw the city of Pietermaritzburg in the valley four miles away.' "
Comrades quote of the day (1922):
"Arthur Newton became the first runner to face the most famous of all Comrades obstacles, Polly Shortts. His comments afterwards have been echoed a thousand times, although perhaps not quite as eloquently.
'It was an enormous relief to get to the long downhill stretch after Camperdown, and I seemed almost to coast along for mile after mile. But I knew what was waiting at the bottom and wasn't looking forward to it at all. A three-quarter-mile incline followed by Polly Shortts cutting had to be climbed, and the latter was a considerable hill of some 500 feet, with just over a mile to do it in. Well, for the moment there was only one serious thing to be considered in all the world, and that was Polly Shortts. I reduced my stride as I had long since learnt to, and gently, ever so gently, crept up the long rise. Great James! It was terrible work! It might have been nothing desperate for a man who was quite fresh, but when you had already run a much longer distance than you had ever tackled before in your life, the thing became a sheer nightmare.
Up I went, and still up, but I began to feel that it was impossible to keep going. It got so bad that when it came to the steepest part, I stopped dead in a single stride, convinced in the moment that it was absolute idiocy to attempt to carry on. Two seconds' consideration, however, told me that it was probably as bad for those behind me: also that as I had already stuck so much, it didn't make much odds if a trifle more were added. Without stopping to debate the point, I shoved one foot in front of the other and continued the climb. I have often since wondered what those in the cars nearby thought of my momentary stop.
Even your worst time is left behind sooner or later, and when I was wondering whether I should be able to keep going on my legs at all, I reached the top and saw the city of Pietermaritzburg in the valley four miles away.' "
Monday Apr 21, 2014 #
9 AM
Road Running 1:13:14 [3] 15.3 km (4:47 / km) +170m 4:32 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Legs still a bit heavy, but felt good otherwise. Beaut of a morning for a run!
Comrades quote of the day (1921):
"Vic Clapham, in nature and in deed, was always true to the spirit of comradeship which had sustained him through his wartime experiences and which he strove to instil in his life's ambition, his Comrades Marathon. While Clapham demanded much of himself, he didn't spare his family either. His son Eric recalled the busiest day in the family's year:
'Runners would descend on our home at 31 Greyling Street before the race. My dad, an arch-scrounger, got donations of tea, milk and biscuits for all. I would have to give up my bed and sleep on the floor so a runner could have a comfortable night's rest. On the morning of the race, my brother Douglas would have to cycle around Maritzburg at 4:30am in the freezing air with notebook and pencil to rouse the local runners. Each had to sign he'd been wakened. My mother would fry thick steaks on the coal stove in the kitchen. Each runner would get a massive steak topped with a couple of eggs for breakfast. Both my parents believed protein produced energy.' "
Comrades quote of the day (1921):
"Vic Clapham, in nature and in deed, was always true to the spirit of comradeship which had sustained him through his wartime experiences and which he strove to instil in his life's ambition, his Comrades Marathon. While Clapham demanded much of himself, he didn't spare his family either. His son Eric recalled the busiest day in the family's year:
'Runners would descend on our home at 31 Greyling Street before the race. My dad, an arch-scrounger, got donations of tea, milk and biscuits for all. I would have to give up my bed and sleep on the floor so a runner could have a comfortable night's rest. On the morning of the race, my brother Douglas would have to cycle around Maritzburg at 4:30am in the freezing air with notebook and pencil to rouse the local runners. Each had to sign he'd been wakened. My mother would fry thick steaks on the coal stove in the kitchen. Each runner would get a massive steak topped with a couple of eggs for breakfast. Both my parents believed protein produced energy.' "
10 AM
Road Running warm up/down 5:12 [2] 1.0 km (5:12 / km) +10m 4:57 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Sunday Apr 20, 2014 #
4 PM
Road Running 1:00:50 [2] 12.0 km (5:04 / km) +125m 4:49 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Legs still a bit tired and knee caps a tad tender from Friday's run.
Comrades quote of the day (1924):
"Newton was awarded first prize, a silver tea service. Believing that he, as a farmer, had had more time to train and consequently an unfair advantage over his rivals, Newton (as he had done the previous two years) declined the award in favour of the runner-up. A local newspaper commented: 'One cannot but admire this spirit of running for the honour of winning and not for the prize attached thereto.' "
Comrades quote of the day (1924):
"Newton was awarded first prize, a silver tea service. Believing that he, as a farmer, had had more time to train and consequently an unfair advantage over his rivals, Newton (as he had done the previous two years) declined the award in favour of the runner-up. A local newspaper commented: 'One cannot but admire this spirit of running for the honour of winning and not for the prize attached thereto.' "
Saturday Apr 19, 2014 #
Note
Busy reading the Comrades Marathon history by John Cameron-Dow. Quote of the day:
"Over the years, followers of the Comrades Marathon have witnessed achievements by those who were not athletically gifted, but whose personalities would be engraved in Comrades folklore. The second running of the race (1922) produced one of its legendary figures, C. 'Big Bill' Payn. In those early days, pre-qualification was not required, and Payn, a Natal cricketer and Springbok rugby player, was persuaded by a pre-race guest, none other than Arthur Newton, to enter at the last moment.
If the story is to be believed, Payn's Comrades was an extraordinary event. He ran in rugby boots, enjoyed a breakfast of eggs at Hillcrest and stopped at Botha's Hill to share a meal of curried chicken with his friend and fellow runner, 'Zulu' Wade. After the two had each downed a beer at Drummond, Payn left his friend behind and reputedly consumed 'about 36 oranges, water, tea and even a glass of home-made peach brandy' en route to an eighth-place finish in 10.56. The following weekend, according to legend, he played rugby barefoot as he was unable to put boots on his blistered and aching feet."
"Over the years, followers of the Comrades Marathon have witnessed achievements by those who were not athletically gifted, but whose personalities would be engraved in Comrades folklore. The second running of the race (1922) produced one of its legendary figures, C. 'Big Bill' Payn. In those early days, pre-qualification was not required, and Payn, a Natal cricketer and Springbok rugby player, was persuaded by a pre-race guest, none other than Arthur Newton, to enter at the last moment.
If the story is to be believed, Payn's Comrades was an extraordinary event. He ran in rugby boots, enjoyed a breakfast of eggs at Hillcrest and stopped at Botha's Hill to share a meal of curried chicken with his friend and fellow runner, 'Zulu' Wade. After the two had each downed a beer at Drummond, Payn left his friend behind and reputedly consumed 'about 36 oranges, water, tea and even a glass of home-made peach brandy' en route to an eighth-place finish in 10.56. The following weekend, according to legend, he played rugby barefoot as he was unable to put boots on his blistered and aching feet."
Friday Apr 18, 2014 #
6 AM
Road Running 5:13:08 [3] 61.0 km (5:08 / km) +860m 4:48 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Monster run using day 1 of the Easter 100 (47km) plus an extra 14km home by myself. Some big hills, including running straight over the top of Northcliff. Kept it very social and easy the whole way and popped a gel every 45-50mins. Felt pretty strong all the way which is a major confidence-boost for Comrades!
Time excludes short stops at waterpoints.
Time excludes short stops at waterpoints.
Tuesday Apr 15, 2014 #
5 PM
Road Running 59:44 [2] 12.0 km (4:59 / km) +125m 4:44 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Easy run but methinks I'll take the next 2 days off to let the joints rest up before the 60km on Friday.
Monday Apr 14, 2014 #
7 PM
Orienteering race (Metrogaine) 1:36:46 [3] 18.6 km (5:12 / km) +225m 4:54 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
90min course with Neal. We started a tad fast and eased off significantly after the first half-an-hour. Had a pretty decent route, collecting all the high-pointers to the North and East but got a 50-pointer wrong which cost us 100 points. Ended in 5th on 1160pts.
Sunday Apr 13, 2014 #
7 AM
Road Running 2:09:07 [2] 25.1 km (5:09 / km) +320m 4:50 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
With Kev for the first 15km. Nice run.
Saturday Apr 12, 2014 #
7 AM
Road Running 3:09:03 [3] 37.8 km (5:00 / km) +585m 4:39 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Mostly gravel road run with Jono from his place. Much better than last week - felt pretty strong throughout. The extra 8km that Jono added at the end is only for silver medal hopefuls ;)
Friday Apr 11, 2014 #
Note
Wanted to run before TIMFF, but 90mins in traffic killed that idea! Gonna keep a set of running kit in the car so I can just pull over and go for a run in future..
Thursday Apr 10, 2014 #
5 AM
Road Running 51:23 [2] 10.0 km (5:08 / km) +125m 4:50 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Wednesday Apr 9, 2014 #
5 PM
Road Running 1:29:08 [3] 18.4 km (4:51 / km) +230m 4:34 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
2nd half in the dark - great run.
Monday Apr 7, 2014 #
5 PM
Road Running 1:01:43 [2] 12.0 km (5:09 / km) +125m 4:53 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Finally, a low-intensity run. Much appreciated by tired legs.
Sunday Apr 6, 2014 #
Event: GOC Urban 6
10 AM
Orienteering race (Urban Series #6: Nirox) 17:20 [5] *** 3.5 km (4:57 / km) +20m 4:49 / km
spiked:19/21c shoes: Asics Gel Fuji Sensor #2
Pretty good run other than running straight past #1 (20s mistake). Nav was quite straightforward but just don't have the speed to compete with the top guys.
11 AM
Road Running 1:46:55 [3] 21.0 km (5:05 / km) +275m 4:47 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
With Alex and Steph to the Cradle Restaurant and back after the orienteering. Heavy legs with all the cumulative distance but managed to keep a decent pace anyway.
Saturday Apr 5, 2014 #
7 AM
Road Running 2:56:05 [3] 35.8 km (4:55 / km) +570m 4:33 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Klapperkop route with Jono. The roles were reversed this time, with him making me work on the steep climbs in the first half (over Klapperkop from the East and West plus another monster at the 22km mark). Thankfully he was merciful and took us home via a flat route for the final 12km. I could definitely feel yesterday's session in the legs.
Friday Apr 4, 2014 #
4 PM
Road Running 1:01:18 14.0 km (4:23 / km) +210m 4:04 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
1st lap in 31:17 and then opened the taps a bit for the 2nd lap in 30:01.
5 PM
Road Running warm up/down 5:00 [2] 1.0 km (5:00 / km) +10m 4:46 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Wednesday Apr 2, 2014 #
4 PM
Road Running 1:42:52 [2] 21.0 km (4:54 / km) +253m 4:37 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2
Put it into auto-pilot and just cruised the whole way... awesome run!
Tuesday Apr 1, 2014 #
6 AM
Road Running 51:10 [2] 10.0 km (5:07 / km) +125m 4:49 / km
shoes: Asics Gel Nimbus 15 #2