2024 The Waltons: Racing & Training Thread (Read 147 times)

Yes, there was roughly 5000 people across the 10km (really 10.55km), half and full, starting at the same time.  I've ran the half or full at Christchurch four times now, and every time a significant number of people don't line up right for their time aim.  I was standing about the right spot, and asked the guy to my right what time he was aiming for the full, he replied 4 hours, so he was way too far up the queue.

Mark - I was wondering if you'd be missing it, is this the first year since 2019 you haven't gone down (not including 2020)?  Such a fun race and represented a turning point for me with the half so always will have a place in my heart.

watson - I was standing next to the 1:30 pacer and took 22 seconds to get through - the main problem, which I highlighted in my feedback last year, is that the start is narrow but the start area is really wide.  It's not a big enough race to take that long to get moving.  Then there were the people doing 6+ mins/km starting in front of where I was but that's only a minor problem.  It impacts someone like Jennie more than me, since she is a legitimate chance in any NZ race for an AG podium so is all about gun time.  I worked out who Ange is too, she was next to us at the start and was out supporting at Selwyn last year and was on the spot when I got my first bout of cramp to check if I was okay.

You've both had longer than darkwave to write your reports so hers is the minimum we expect (excuses like being busy with real life won't be accepted).

Watson, I feel like Hudson does say something about not wanting to put the schedules/plans in the book. I think he says training should be penciled in. Typically it has easy + hill sprints on a Monday and if those go poorly, skip the workout the next day. There is also a lot of info about how to modify the plan if a tune up doesn't go as expected and how to address it. I know one is specific endurance, I can't remember the other 2(?) categories he uses for modifying.

Pfitz's Road Racing book also has modifcations for the schedules. It prioritizes runs, basically if you need to miss one, skip the low priority. For the longer races, that usually is a day with strides.

Southern Lakes - Not to stir controversy but Jennie went and ran a huge PB of 1:25:56, 2 weeks after running 1:28:37 at Christchurch, with an average pace slower than my 1:26:48 due to the slightly short course.  It makes me wonder what I could run there now...

My week - Another really solid one.  The two workouts on Wednesday and Saturday felt amazingly comfortable.  Saturday was a really good test and confidence builder in my fitness.  That 2km kickdown felt really good with no sign of cramp.  I had 2 500ml Precision 1500 drinks and 3 gels and no hint of cramp.

Weekly for period: From: 29/04/2024 To 05/05/2024

Totals: Time: 08:57:40 - 🦅Imperial: 65.98 mi - Metric: 106.17 km

Race report - Runway 5 / National 5k Champs

After a few years of being told that people don’t want technical stuff in road courses, and just want to run fast, I guess Athletics NZ finally got the message because the inaugural NZ 5k Road Champs were hosted at the Runway5 event, part of the Rotorua Marathon.  As the name suggests, the event is run on the Rotorua Airport runway.

It’s an evening race (after the airport is closed to air traffic for the day!), which I’m not a huge fan of.  However, it does make for a pretty cool event set-up with a live DJ, lights and a fun atmosphere.  The weather is pretty much perfect (7C / 45F with no wind), and given the race is after sunset, I figure it’s basically like my normal ideal running conditions – cool and dark – just at the other end of the day.

The race itself starts just outside the terminal building, and goes from the taxiway, out to the centre of the main runway.  From there you turn left and head to the southern end of the runway, turn around, head back down to the northern end, turn around, back to the taxiway and a couple of turns take you back to the home stretch in front of the terminal building.

There were a few errors with entries and people being entered in the ‘social’ race, not the championship event, so it’s a little hard to know who the competition is.  There is a strong field of open and U20 athletes, and I know Sjors Corporaal is there so he will likely be the fastest Masters runner by some distance (dude can still run a sub-9 minute 3000m at age 46, and is a monster on the trails as well).

Warm up is a few laps around the carpark, then on to the airport tarmac for some strides in front of the terminal building.  I finish my warm-up and come back to see my wife, and Miss 7 having a great time dancing to the music (Miss almost-1 looks slightly bemused by the whole thing).  Ironically the DJ is Brad Luiten – a guy who helped me a lot when I started running, both by being the guy everyone had to try and beat (I eventually did!), and encouraging me along with solo and club events.  Then he met a woman who did Crossfit and that was the end of his running career.

The start is slightly later than expected (7:40pm) due to the incoming aircraft, I mean the previous race, also running behind schedule.  I don’t really recognise many Masters runners on the start line other than Matt Parsonage and Nick Pannett, who are both pretty strong and should comfortably be somewhere in the 16 minute range.  My goal was low to mid-16’s, having run high-16’s at Parkrun a couple weeks ago, albeit without emptying the tank for that one.  But I haven’t raced a 5k in almost 5 years so who knows – although I doubt I’ll be anywhere near my time from that race (15:39).

Anyways, 5k is short so the rest of this RR will be basically in the style of my internal monologue.

I’m on the left side of the start. Maybe I should’ve been closer to the right.  The first turn goes right, so I should be on the inside.  Ah crap, the starter’s ready, too late to move now.  Here we go.  Those young guys will be quick, don’t try and keep up with them.  Find a rhythm and settle in.  First u-turn, oh these are fairly wide and rounded off nicely, they’ll slow things down a bit, but not a lot.  How many are there again?  Must be 4.  Two on the taxiway, two on the runway.

OK, that lead pack is pulling away now.  Let them go.  There’s a couple guys ahead.  Don’t recognise the younger guy, but the older guy is definitely Nick Pannett.  Were there any masters guys in the lead pack? I didn’t see, but I bet Sjors is there.  Here we go onto the runway.  Boy it’s dark now we’re away from the terminal building.  Trust your rhythm, trust your feet.  Was that a stormwater grate?  Who knows.  Just trust your feet.  OK just run straight for those big lights in the distance.  Are we catching Nick?  I think we are.

Wait how is that marshal moving so fast?  Are they on a Segway?  No they’re on roller skates.  How cool! Roller-skating marshals!  That’s a new one.  1st k is 3:07.  OK that was a bit hot, but I feel good.  Just keep the rhythm.

Cool, one end of the runway.  Around the turn, then it’s basically 2k in a straight line.  OK we’re definitely catching Nick.  Is he in my AG or is he 45-49?  Dunno.  This bit is going to feel quite long I think.  Trust the rhythm, it’s nice to feel the legs stretch out, this is a fun pace to run at as long as I can hold it.  2nd k flashes up at 3:14.  OK, that’s perfect.  Just keep that moving.  Past Nick!  I guess he went out too hot.  If I was 3:07 for that first k he must’ve been around 3-flat.

Boy it is really dark out here.  Almost wish I had a head torch.  What’s the HR doing?  175… OK that’s about right.  What was that flash? Was that a photographer?  Of course they took a photo at the exact moment I was looking at my watch.

OK this is starting to hurt a bit.  The legs are good but the breathing is getting heavier.  That end of the runway still seems a fair way off.  3rd k is 3:17.  Not bad, let’s hold it around there.  Am I catching that young guy ahead of me?  Maybe.

Finally at the other end of the runway.  OK, we get to turn for home.  Is Nick catching up?  I don’t think I saw him at all at the turnaround there.  Is that a side stitch or just my lungs burning?  OK this is getting tough.  Only 1600m to go though.  That’s just one mile repeat.  Dig it in.  Km 4 split is 3:19, OK that probably reflects how I’m feeling.  Focus on trying to catch that young guy, he must only be 10 seconds or so ahead.  Hey, there go the lead women in the other direction (they started 5 minutes after the men).  Can’t tell who’s leading as it’s too dark across the runway.  Where did all the oxygen go?

OK, here’s the taxiway.  Must be only 400m from here.  Left turn, OK maybe there’s a bit left in the legs, let’s push it a bit more.  There’s the final right turn on to the home straight, boy that was a weird shaped corner, sort of a wide-ish hairpin.  There’s the finish line!  Must be 150m to home, ah hell let’s gas it.

Sprrrriiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnttttttttt!

Oh sh!t I’m going really fast, this feels awesome, maybe I should’ve pushed it sooner.  “Here comes Mark Paterson flying down the home straight” on the PA – damn right!  Power it all the way to the finish line and that’s that!

High fives with the family before a good coughing fit, which almost turned into a puke, after sucking in a ton of cold air.  The official time was 16:22 which was good enough for 2nd overall in the Masters and 1st in my age group.  I’m very stoked to win my 4th individual National Championship - my first since 2020 and the infamous Race at the End of the World for 10,000m champs just before Covid lockdowns kicked in.  There are faster Masters runners out there, no doubt, but you can only race the people that show up, and I had a good 20 seconds on them.  It turns out my AG was actually the most competitive of the Masters AG's as well, with 4 of the top 5 Masters runners (they all finished within 25 seconds of me too!).

I’m reminded what a fun distance 5km is to race – you get to go fast, and your legs aren’t wrecked afterwards.  Playing the race over in my head, I actually think I have real room for improvement.  I could’ve held that last sprint for longer, so I think if I’d maybe gone out slightly slower, and really doubled down on the effort when things got hard around 3.5-4km, I might still get close to 16 flat on a good day.  Definitely something to think about for the future.  Running fast is fun.

16:22, 21st overall, 2nd Masters, 1st M40-44.

Mark - that was a really enjoyable read. Sounds like you did have a bit left in the tank, eh? I see the ‘Night Ninjas’ were well represented in Rotorua

Thanks mate, yeah the Ninjas have grown a lot. They've been around for a few years informally as a running group from around Orewa/Whangaparaoa/Hibiscus Coast area.  They finally decided there was enough there to register themselves as a club.  After Darbs, Mark B. and Mike left for Whippets last year that was pretty much the end of the Takapuna Masters contingent and the other quicker guys joined Ninjas.  A couple of their guys, Brent Godfrey and Troy Harold, both ran very well in the marathon and I think Kate McDonald took 3rd place in the marathon too.

Gene actually messaged me a month or so ago, literally the day after I joined Whippets, fishing around to see if I'd join as they're trying to put together a good Masters teams for relays!  TBH Whippets are better though.  They got the fastest of the old Taka guys lol.  DGRS put a very good team together for Masters last year including Caden Shields and Brett Tingay and Whippets still had over 2 minutes on them.

Mark - Good run & RR.  It must be fun to belong to a club and know lots of people in every race.

I got in three more runs last week to start to recover from two weeks off with bronchitis before driving to Omaha for Sunday’s 5K.  Last Monday’s run wasn’t bad, and it would’ve been in line with pre-illness runs had it been 8 or 10 or 12 miles rather than 6.  

Abbreviated RR - Invest in Yourself 5K; Omaha, Nebraska; Sunday, May 5

This was my third year in a row running this race, which Brooks (which is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate) puts on the day after the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting.  I didn't know how much I would be affected by my loss of fitness from not running for two weeks and my lingering cough & chest soreness.  I was pleasantly surprised with a 20:37, 50 seconds (or 16 sec./mile) slower than my time last year.  Not much to report about the race - I started easily and then held around a 6:40/mile pace the whole way, though I did feel tired at the end.  Still won my age group, but there was a 58-year-old who beat me by almost two minutes.  There weren’t many fast people - one each with times in the 15s, 16, and 17s before several in the 18s.  DW had not run since injuring her hamstrings unwisely sprinting at the end of a 5K in February, so she gingerly jogged a PW of 43:10.  She normally run-walks in about 38, but she said that she was afraid that if she took a walk break, starting up again would hurt her hamstrings more.  The only unusual thing about this year’s race was that the second mile featured a bunch of posters with sayings of Buffett’s partner Charlie Munger, who passed away last year at 99.  

After we drive home, I’ll have eight days to try to get back a little closer to normal (certainly not racing) shape before leaving for Chicago and my no-longer-goal half.  I have a feeling that I’m a lot farther from being in half shape than I was from being in 5K shape, but we’ll see.

Sun -  5 miles very slow TM (60:15 PM) + 0:40 walk breaks/6 min

Mon - 6.2 miles in park PM @ 8:22

Tues - 6 miles very slow TM (72:20 PM) + 0:40 walk breaks/6 min

Weds/Thurs - off driving to Omaha

Fri - 3.5 miles - 37:30 on treadmill plus strides

Sat - off attending Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting

Total - 20.7 miles

YTD - 32.8 mpw

Sunday - 5.5 miles, including Invest in Yourself 5K, Omaha, Nebraska - 20:37

Upcoming Races

05/12 Frederick - Running is Back 10k

(I don't know about others, but I'm getting serve time out errors more often than I'm getting pages to load here.)