Monday, 27-Feb. 7km.
An easy run along the windy beach. The strange thing is I find it harder running at a slower pace than I do running faster. I could feel a pain in my ankle running slow but it disappeared if I ran faster. I've entered the Beach Bash that is scheduled for the Friday but I have done no speed work so I think I'll be way down the list of finishers this year. I was in two minds on whether I should skip it or enter this year. It's only $10 so it's not an expensive run.
Tuesday, 28-Feb. 5km.
Well, here is my attempt at a faster run to get my heart rate up to the higher 140's to see what I can cover the jetty to jetty distance in. It turned out to be around 10m 15s which is around 30s slower than my best time. I did have a tail wind helping me as well. The race organisers mentioned that the race would be run at high tide but that is not actually correct, the high tide is at 9.30pm, 3 hours after the start of the race so there should be some flat sand to run on. The weather will be cool so that will mean a south wind on the way back. I'll be happy to stay in the top 30 on Friday and I just hope there are not too many people like the guy who passed me while I was training today, he left me in the dust, had a very large stride and easy looking pace but was impossible to catch. By the time I had got to the jetty, he had passed me with around 1km to go, he was another 400m in front of me. I felt slow.
Thursday, 1-Mar. 13km
Umm, not the best of runs today, I had to contend with a strong wind blowing up the beach and inclines all along the beach so it felt like my ankles were tipping. I seemed to lack bounce today, just couldn't get the right feel, it was probably due to the strong south wind disrupting my landing. I couldn't seem to get my heart rate past 130 on the way up then on the way back I had to slow it down as I ran into the wind. Part of the run back was sheltered as I was off the beach and running along the road and grass, that lasted a distance of around 4km before I went back onto the beach. It was just a case then of keeping my head down and putting one foot in front of the other as the sand was blowing all around me. Not many people on the beach this evening and why would you in these conditions. Only the Surf Life Saving club was out there training.
Friday, 2-Mar. 4km
The day of the beach Bash run. I tried to stay as relaxed as possible leading up to the run as adrenaline is not good for my running. I saw a few people with bare feet, after all it was a beach run. The threatened high tide did not eventuate and there was plenty of firm sand to run on, dry but firm. The temperature was great, around 25C and the wind of yesterday stopped, just a slight breeze perfect for running. I always set out in the middle of the pack then pick people off one by one if I can until they thin out and it becomes difficult to catch people. Starting off fast means you feel the pain as your lungs gasp for air, it wasn't long before my watch was beeping, telling me my heart rate was over 147, it was in the 150 area, but then again... it is a race! The fast runners were on their way back when I was around 200m from the turnaround point. I didn't stop for a drink just kept on going, can't waste precious seconds drinking, my throat was dry though. I only managed to overtake 2 people on the way back and I think 1 person overtook me. An older guy who beat me last year by a good margin was in my sights but he pulled away in the last 500m. My unofficial time of 20m 26s on my watch was better than last year which surprised me as I'd not done any speed work and I was returning from the tendon injury. I'll have to see how it compares with the official time. What a relief to finish, I felt like I couldn't keep it up much longer and there was always that little voice in my head telling me to stop and walk for a while.
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| Beach Bash 2012 - End in Sight |
Saturday, 3-Mar. 18.5km
I must have got some positive momentum going with yesterdays run, as this run was great. Ideal conditions again, a 20C morning, tide out and no wind, the sea was like glass, no sound of waves at all.
I put in a good northbound run, keeping my heart rate at around 135 I felt fast and smooth. My watch confirmed it was a good run with times of
- Outbound 7.5km time 42m 33s ie 5m 40s/km
- Return 11km time 1h 8m 17s. or 6m 12s/km
Sunday, 4-Mar. 7.7km
I had a bit of a later start today, it's good to have a lie in every now and again. I did a lake loop today. Some positive momentum must have built up after the Beach Bash as I felt like I was flying around the lake this morning and my sports watch confirmed that by showing I'd knocked off 3m 15s from this run. I didn't have any foot tenderness either today. The temperature was perfect and there was a breeze from the south, this would have been strong if I'd have been by the beach but the lake is sheltered by the sand dunes and so is less breezy.
I purchased some toe separators called Correct Toes a few weeks ago, they arrived this week so I have been trying them out. My smallest toes are not straight, they are rotated 45 degrees and pushed up against the next toe. This is from years of wearing incorrectly designed shoes which predominate in western society. It's not hard to design shoes correctly, but fashion dictates that shoes will be narrow at the end which means toes will be squeezed out of their normal position. I shall wear them over the next few months to see if I get any change in the position of my small toes.
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| Small Toe angled inwards due to shoes |
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| With the Correct Toes fitted |
Neil
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