Time
They say it flies when you're having fun.
Pre season camp at Apollo Bay has come and gone, last Saturday was the annual Kinglake Ride and in around 36 hours I will be toeing the start line of my third Melbourne marathon.
I guess I must have been having the time of my life!
So, camp.
There isn't much flatland around Apollo Bay and again my trusty mountain bike/commuter toured much of it. The plan, as always, involves two days of training with a long ride each morning followed be a run and then icing the legs for recovery. In my fourth visit to this camp two things changed. Firstly, the rest period between the ride and run was removed and secondly, I actually completed them both. (yay me!)
Day 1
This ride...
...immediately followed by the worst 10 km run I've ever done. Tight shoulders and a number of stops, I might be being a little generous classing that adventure as a run, I was scheduled to do 14 km but decided to bank the ten and live to fight the next day. Finishing early also meant I was in the heart of town so I decided a visit to the Food Works was warranted. Gatorade and chocolate milk to refuel, cereal and milk for tomorrow's breakfast and a big bag of Extreme Cheese corn chips, just because.
The afternoon brought our team meeting and we sat around discussing survival of long course training. To summarise: compression is good, but only when you're doing nothing, beetroot juice is awesome but tastes crap (and is likely to scare you when you pee), baking soda is not just for cupcakes, and icing is not just further punishment from the coach, it actually works. No mention on the benefits upon recovery of extreme cheese powder flavouring, must have been an oversight...
Day 2
Lavers Hill.
I'm used to the poor weather we get on this ride, it always rains, the wind is generally a factor at some point and the gradients are high, the magpie attack was new though.
Tough ride with the trusty bike not playing nice, apparently merely planning to maintain the running gear is not enough, you actually have to do it.
I had expected a convenient excuse to skip to run to be waiting for me back at the house, but with the wife and kids being delayed there was nothing for it but to get on with it. Rough start, I warmed into the run and before long had settled in to an easy stride and was glad I'd pushed myself (however grudgingly) to don the running shoes. Fourteen km out and back along the Great Ocean road and a soak in the pool and camp was done (barring the required stop at the coffee shop)
So, fast forward a bit and we arrive at the Melbourne Marathon. Been there, done that, going around again, and kind of hoping my attitude of quiet confidence is not misplaced. I've been focussing on my bigger goals and, as crazy as it sounds, the thought of punching out a decent marathon hasn't really been on my mind. Instead, I've been putting my experience to use and tried to pass it on to some first timers that I know.
Have I become too blasé?
I guess time will tell.
I'm hoping it continues to fly.
They say it flies when you're having fun.
Pre season camp at Apollo Bay has come and gone, last Saturday was the annual Kinglake Ride and in around 36 hours I will be toeing the start line of my third Melbourne marathon.
I guess I must have been having the time of my life!
So, camp.
There isn't much flatland around Apollo Bay and again my trusty mountain bike/commuter toured much of it. The plan, as always, involves two days of training with a long ride each morning followed be a run and then icing the legs for recovery. In my fourth visit to this camp two things changed. Firstly, the rest period between the ride and run was removed and secondly, I actually completed them both. (yay me!)
Day 1
This ride...
...immediately followed by the worst 10 km run I've ever done. Tight shoulders and a number of stops, I might be being a little generous classing that adventure as a run, I was scheduled to do 14 km but decided to bank the ten and live to fight the next day. Finishing early also meant I was in the heart of town so I decided a visit to the Food Works was warranted. Gatorade and chocolate milk to refuel, cereal and milk for tomorrow's breakfast and a big bag of Extreme Cheese corn chips, just because.
The afternoon brought our team meeting and we sat around discussing survival of long course training. To summarise: compression is good, but only when you're doing nothing, beetroot juice is awesome but tastes crap (and is likely to scare you when you pee), baking soda is not just for cupcakes, and icing is not just further punishment from the coach, it actually works. No mention on the benefits upon recovery of extreme cheese powder flavouring, must have been an oversight...
Day 2
Lavers Hill.
I'm used to the poor weather we get on this ride, it always rains, the wind is generally a factor at some point and the gradients are high, the magpie attack was new though.
Tough ride with the trusty bike not playing nice, apparently merely planning to maintain the running gear is not enough, you actually have to do it.
I had expected a convenient excuse to skip to run to be waiting for me back at the house, but with the wife and kids being delayed there was nothing for it but to get on with it. Rough start, I warmed into the run and before long had settled in to an easy stride and was glad I'd pushed myself (however grudgingly) to don the running shoes. Fourteen km out and back along the Great Ocean road and a soak in the pool and camp was done (barring the required stop at the coffee shop)
So, fast forward a bit and we arrive at the Melbourne Marathon. Been there, done that, going around again, and kind of hoping my attitude of quiet confidence is not misplaced. I've been focussing on my bigger goals and, as crazy as it sounds, the thought of punching out a decent marathon hasn't really been on my mind. Instead, I've been putting my experience to use and tried to pass it on to some first timers that I know.
Have I become too blasé?
I guess time will tell.
I'm hoping it continues to fly.
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