How a DNF can also be a Personal Best

Just back in from the regular run with the Brisbane Roadrunners Club ... and I'll be down on the books as a DNF - but it'll be down in my head as a Personal Best.

Today was the 10K 'handicap' event for the BRRC - and I started 10 minutes behind 'scratch - or 20 minutes ahead of the faster runners.

And at the halfway mark, I'd done 5K in 29:45 or so - which is a new PB for me.

Which is particularly good, I reckon, since I've been carrying that strained muscle injury in my leg.

But as I got to the 5K, I took a quick inventory, and decided that the leg would almost certainly NOT hold up for another 5k (the times of my last two k were well down on the first three ... largely because the leg was starting to really hurt.)

So I pulled the pin, deciding that to risk an injury was not worth it.

I'm a bit disappointed .. I might have been able to do the second 5k (and may still do it later today) ... but am also happy with the 5K time that i did.

Besides which, I've adopted a new mantra courtesy of Sweetlee: "no more negative talk as it is wasted energy, energy I need to conserve " :)

When is a run not a run?

6.5k. Or 5.6k. Or perhaps even 4.2k. I ran one of those distances tonight. But which one?

It depends, I suspect, on how honest I am with myself.

It's accurate to say that I traveled 6.5k ... but I actually only ran 4.2k before dropping to a walk for about 900 metres, and then running the rest again.

But why did I drop back to a walk? Dunno. Oh, I was panting quite heavily - and the heart-rate was well into the 160s ... but still, I've run this route before. I know I can do it. So why?

As I say, I dunno.

And to top things off, now the muscle at the back of my knee hurts.

Bugger.

Might just write tonight off as a 'bad run', and start again on Friday (when I'm aiming to do the full 8k Toowong-St Lucia run).

In the meantime, I've added some more runner's blogs ... some educational, some inspirational, some entertaining.

If you know of others that you'd like to share, lemme know :)

Spring is sprung, the grass is riz ...

You gotta love spring in a subtropical climate! A magnificent morning today - just perfect for a long leisurely run.

Pity I didn't have time for one :)

So I did an easy 3k instead ... and enjoyed it.

It wasn't fast (at around 6:30/km it was, as I say, an easy run) but it got the body moving, rather than staying in bed for an extra hour. Hmmm.

Anyway - while I think of it, I should say thank you to some fellow runners at the Calorie King website. They've provided some really cool links and things.

And on the subject of links ... I just realized I hadn't added MapMyRun to the links list yet ... but its a great resource - helping plan runs / walks / whatever before I head out.

That elusive 60 minute barrier is ....

still eluding me :)

Ah well ... today I got closer ... doing 10km in 62:30 odd.

I did the regular Brisbane RoadRunners 10km run this morning - and came in at somewhere in the 62 minute range.

My splits show I was on pace (or near it) for most of the race ... but dropped off the pace in the 5-6, 6-7 and 7-8km sections.

That's the sections where the drinks tables were situated ... and I obviously spent too much time slowing down to a walk for the drinks.

I'll try taking my own drinks next week, and see if that helps ...

Today's was an interesting run. It was the club's 25th anniversary, and there were a lot more runners than normal (perhaps a hundred or so all up) ... which was great, as it
provided a real 'race' feel.

I also had my nephew, Corey, with me ... he was running his first 5km - and came in with a smokin' time in the low 30s ... around 31-and-change, he thinks - which is excellent.

So ... another run under the belt.

Coming up this week? The plan is for a 3k tomorrow, a 6k on wednesday, an 8k on friday afternoon (see the 'evil temptress ferry' below), and then a 10k handicap race next sunday
- that could be an interesting experience :)

Evil temptress ferry .... :)

I had an hour or so to spare on Friday, after work and before picking up Shirl, so I thought I'd do an easy 8k run from Toowong to the new 'green bridge' at St Lucia.

I'd never run that way - but thought it should be easy enough - I mean it follows the river, so should be flat, right?

Ah. That ignores the fact that people at St Lucia don't like others running along between their units and the river. So there are a few hill involved in the first couple of kms.

Anyway, it was not the fastest run I'll ever do, but I was enjoying it.

And then I hit the 6km point, on the way back.

And noticed that I was passing a ferry terminal.

And that a City Cat ferry was just pulling in.

And that I could therefore do the last 2 km in 5 minutes, instead of 15 ... and not be late picking up Shirl from work.

So I squibbed. It was the ferry's fault, I tell ya! The evil temptress ferry! Not me! Never :)

Next week, I'm gonna do the same run - but do the full 8.

Then the week after, I hope to do the 4 out, cross the river at the new bridge, and then run back via South Brisbane and the William Jolley - if I have it right, that should be 11km.

Not a great start

Sigh.

No runs since Monday - and even then, it was only 3km on the treadmill.

Work's been a shocker - and by the time I got home, it was too late to head out for a run.

Hopefully, I'll get in a 7k run tomorrow afternoon ... and then Sunday's regular 10k with the Brisbane Roadrunners Club.

I've started looking for an appropriately-timed half-marathon ... possibilities are

(1) The Toowoomba half ... but that's only 4 weeks away, and I don't think I'll be anywhere near ready.

(2) The Portland Half, in December. Possible ... but Portland's a hassle to get to without transport since I'd have to fly to Adelaide or Melbourne on the Saturday and then go overland ... plus get back to Melb / Adel and fly home on Sunday evening.

(3) There's one on January 6th which apparently starts, and ends, at the Cadbury factory in Tasmania. This is sounding possible.

Anyway - something will come up before my Birthday - I'm sure of it :)

One small step ...

I've decided to run a marathon.

That looks scary, when it's written down like that ... but that's not a bad thing, I suppose.

Because I AM a bit scared of this committment.

But I'm gonna do it.

By my 50th birthday, on Feb 2nd 2008, I'm going to complete a half-marathon. And then, by the end of 2008, I am going to have completed at least one marathon.

Scary.

It was only August 2006 that I completed the Couch to 5km training program - which takes couch potatoes onto their feet and gets them regularly running 5km, uninterrupted, in 9 weeks.

And while I then increased my fun-run distances to 6km, then 8, then 10, it was more than a year later before I got beyond that, to 12km.

But I'm going to increase that to 21km, by Feb next year .. and then double that again by the second sunday in December 2008 - the Honolulu Marathon in Hawaii.

To do that, of course, I'm goiung to have to increase my training - which is why this blog's been set up.

I'll be updating this regularly (I hope), recording my runs and other training ... and putting in links to related stuff (like race reports) ... so feel free to add comments if you like :)

Gra