November 2018
As avid readers of my blog will know I have suffered through 6 months of Plantar Fasciitis , actually you, the reader, has probably suffered just as much with my posts. Anyway it seems I may have finally got on top of the dreaded PF but honestly I cannot say what allowed me to do so. Over the 6 months I’ve tried exercise, shock therapy, pyschio visits, many tablets , magnesium rub , night socks, sand running only and sacrificed a virgin. (That last one was a joke, I don’t think she was a virgin !) Personally I feel with PF time is the only real healer but you might as well keep busy with the many other ‘miracle cures’.
Was there a benefit of being injured for 6 months and avoiding racing or pace on hard surfaces ? Probably not, truth be told, but it did force me to get back on then Elliptigo and start commuting to work rather than sit on the train wasting my life away watching rubbish on my iPhone. By Elliptigo’ing to work I have found any extra 7 hours exercise weekly and this has allowed me to create a cardio-engine that I hope I can add a turbo too (by adding tempo and threshold sessions to my training week) and explode into 2019 a faster runner. Personally I have never felt fitter and at nearly 52 years old that is saying something. The GO is a hard work out and I’m not one for cruising to work enjoying the view, that’s not me people. As with all things I give it 110% (all exercise things that is …the important stuff!) and I regularly end up at work in the changing rooms sweating like a prize fighter whose gone 15 rounds with Ali. I just about recover for my 10.6k Kings Park hills and trails before jumping back on the GO and getting back in the ring with Ali. Needless to say I have not seem my pillow for 10 weeks, I feel my head move towards the pillow and then ‘hey presto’ it’s time to get up, sleep depravation is not a problem when you average over two hours exercise a day.
Another benefit of the GO is it is non impact training so the knees don’t take a hammering daily. My 10.6K Kings Park loop is 90% sand so my knees are spared any hard surface work here as well. End result the legs feel great with no niggles even though I’m starting to get up to 100k a week running and 200k a week on the GO. I’m still aiming for my 15 hours a week exercise after watching the ‘man in the halo’ video on Tim Don.( https://zone3.com/tim-don-documentary/ ) C’mon people, if Tim can average 15 hours a week with a broken neck we should be able to reciprocate, surely ?
Of course I’ve always known core work is beneficial to running but taking time to do any has always been a problem. I use to do a circuits class twice a week at work , when it was free, but never joined a new class when we moved buildings. (Although I did keep going for nearly two years as you could sneak in through reception into the gym where the class took place and I’d been going for so many years they just assumed I was still in the building. It was only when that part of the building closed my free circuit class days were finally brought to an end. Pity, that building also had an outdoor tennis court and a 28m lap pool. As it was my first building coming to Perth I assumed they were all like that…unfortunately not !) So the GO has allowed to me get my core fix as well as a cardio engine building workout. After many years the Matthews Six-Pack is back, though as Mike says it’s mainly ribs !!! I must admit to using a few kilo’s but am enjoying losing the ‘middle aged’ spread that was starting to introduce itself, mainly due my lack of running due to PF. I actually think it was a comment from no3 Daughter about me putting on a few pounds that made me embrace the GO, and boy I’m glad I did.
The first test of my new found fitness will be the 6 inch on December 16th and I’m secretly (well not that secretly anymore?) hoping to maybe give my course PB a tilt. I always aim for a top 10 finish, win the Veterans (over 50) trophy and try and beat all the women home. Last year I achieved two out of three but failed to beat Nera to the finish line after Zac got me lost… ok, ok.. maybe I helped get me and Zac lost. I love Zac’s comment you know you’re lost when Big Kev says “I know where we are” . ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com ) The 6 inch will be a good yard stick from which to measure my fitness going into 2019 and one of the big goals of the year, the Australia Day Ultra in January. ( http://australiadayultra.com )
Last year I probably had one of the runs of my life to sneak under 8 hours and I’d love to go a tad quicker in 2019. This really will be a test of my GO inspired fitness and also the Nike Vaporfly 4% trainers I brought for the Bunbury Marathon but never used. They are virtually brand new so I’m hoping they’ll propel me to a new PB on the 100k course. With Jon and the T-train as my wing-men I reckon we have a good chance to all go quicker than we have ever gone before, isn’t that a Star Trek quote, or was that going somewhere where no one had been before and being bald ? (or was that bold, whatever… you get then picture ?)
So the point of this post, assuming you’ve read this far in which case well done, is you need to find another aerobic exercise that is non-impact and add this to your running bag of tricks. If you can combine this exercise with commuting to work then great, no impact on family or social time ( do runners get social time? If you do shouldn’t you be running instead..? ) Of course not all people are a lucky as me with the facilities and bike paths in the Perth area. My commute to work is 18k with 95% of that on bike paths and only a couple of road crossing where I have to interact with the car and its driver, who is usually too interested in their iPhone to look up , it’s a worry! The Elliptigo is , in my opinion, the ultimate cardio workout and best alternative to running, it gives you a running workout without the impact, trust me people it really is that good.
Right that’s it, I’m off to see if I can stay awake long enough to feel my head hit the pillow, confidence is, as always, low…..
On Thursday the usual Yelo progressive crew did what they had to do to justify the best coffee and muffin combination in Perth, maybe even Australia ? This week we were graced with a couple of new recruits namely Nic Harman, fresh from representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games half marathon (The Australian team got Silver) and Rob Robertson , a local identity who wanted advice on banting, keto and diets generally. The eight of us set off on a relaxing 10k out and back as the company and post run conversation (with coffee and muffins of course) was the real reason behind the run and we all knew it. Towards the end of the run the group did splinter but not enough to warrant any real complaints, truth be told we were all impressed young Nic managed to hold himself back albeit he had ran 10k, pre-Yeo run, at a pace a minute or more a kilometre quicker.
The talk soon turned to the 6 inch trail ultra marathon ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com/ ) and the second recon run this weekend. We had ran the first 27k last weekend and the plan this week was 29k from the 17k mark to the finish, including the infamous ‘escalator’ hill. They say hill, it looks more like a wall to me as you hit it at around the 35k mark and you’re normally ‘goosed’! Hills always look steeper when you’re goosed..!!
So this weekend we’re off back to North Dandelup and on the Munda Biddi trail ( https://www.mundabiddi.org.au/ ) to sunny Dwellingup for the second half of the 6 inch. Must admit to being very excited as this part of the trail is inspiring and I know its going to be a good ‘crack‘ running with the posse. It won’t be the fastest traverse but it’ll probably be one of the funniest, depending on the state of Bart’s legs at the start. (He was dropped in the first 100 metres last week and didn’t we hear about it!)
If you don’t run trails then you really should, it’s the surface that keeps giving. First, it’s easy on the joints , next it’s harder on the core as you need to watch your step and finally it’s a better workout because you need to concentrate on what you are doing. The last point is clearly ratified at the end of any trail race when half the finishers are coming in ‘covered in claret’ (i.e. bleeding from falls.) On the run last week Gerry Hill, a two times 6 inch winner, stacked it big time and we were all surprised nothing was seriously damaged bar his pride. The trails demand respect. Finally the scenery on the trails is just damn right beautiful and you get reminded why you do what you do, running in its purest sense, no bib on your chest or time target, just being ‘out there’ with friends.
To prepare for the 6 inch I had stuck to my Elliptigo and running trails lunchtime diet and now feel ready for another tilt at a sub 4 hour finish and possible top 10. I have six sub 4 finishes under my belt and the other three times I got lost , just got to stay focused this year, Maybe these recon runs will help as really, after running the event nine times, I have no excuse for getting lost this year.
If the Plantar Fasciitis decides to hang around next year I may be forced to do a season of trail races, which truth be told isn’t such a bad thing, at my age it could be time to go longer on the trails and use my experience to gain an edge over the younger competition. I’ve always said ultra marathons are ready made for the older runner when mental toughness and preparation are more than enough to take on youthful exuberance. In WA at the moment there is a smorgasbord of trail racing so I’ll have enough to keep me busy but I’ll miss my one true love, the good old fashioned marathon on the city streets. Nothing beats this distance and terrain but a good trail distance may be the only alternative next year, we’ll see.
Of course there is one race next year that would certainly test me, The Delirious West 200 mile . ( http://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) This is the first of its kind in WA and it looks like its going to be a beaut race in its inaugural year. If you run trails and live in Australia you need to seriously look at this one. If my PF hangs around and I’m restricted to the softer surface it will come into my radar early next year, just got to persuade my current Wife $1,200 is a reasonable race entry, I feel that may be harder than the race itself ?
Finally if you do decide to run the 6 inch ultra trail marathon this December 16th I highly recommend the bacon and egg sandwich , cappuccino combo at the only cafe in Dwellingup, The blue Wren Cafe, it kept me going for the last 10k today, the thought of it that is; it really is a thing of natural beauty sand did not disappoint!
2018 has nearly disappeared in the blink of an eye and I’m left with the 6 inch ultra trail marathon (December 16th http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com ) and 3 races I need to complete the WAMC 7 races to try and win my age group. Considering I haven’t probably ran a sub 4 min/k kilometre since April I see trouble ahead. The Joondalup half ( https://www.wamc.org.au/major-events/joondalup-half-marathon/ ) next weekend will be the litmus test to see if my Plantar Fasciitis has finally given up and moved on to the next unfortunate runner. I’ll dose myself up with Voltaren pre-event and hope this will get me through it. Assuming I survive the half it will be the City Beach 8k a week before the 6 inch in early December and then the New Years Eve 8k on New Years Eve, funny that ?
Kings Park trails and the Elliptigo have been my salvation this year and I’ve managed to string together a strong last 3 months, albeit with more Elliptigo action than running. From the last 7 weeks you can see I’ve managed to avoid a day off exercise and have tried to exercise there times a day in the week when I Elliptigo to work. This has certainly been challenging as I’m not a ‘cruise to work in lycra‘ kind of guy. When I get on my GO it’s on for young and old, I’m racing baby, be it the clock, average pace, the cyclist infront of me ; whatever. This means I get to work in the mornings and home in the evenings on the cusp of a heart attack normally and I wouldn’t have it any other way, I am in a ‘building phase’ and I’m building a cardio engine that will allow me to add a turbo to it (i.e pace) early 2019 and hopefully onwards to glory, that or an early grave and some rest in my box. ? I must admit ti feeling great, albeit tired a lot, and there’s even the chance the BK six pack is making one more appearance before it scurries off to hide behind some well placed toxic fat as I fade away into old age. With my Elliptigo I may be able to avoid that for a few more years and maybe even nudge a PB or two in the near future. The proof will be in the pudding so speak and if my PF finally leaves I have the chance to try this new cardio engine at the Australia Day Ultra in January, around Australia Day funnily enough ? ( http://australiadayultra.com ) It was at this event I set the AURA ( https://www.aura.asn.au ) age group record for the 100k and I ‘d love to knock a minute or two off that but with the interrupted year this is highly unlikely.
Right to the point of the post, cross training can and needs to be a weapon in the arsenal of the competitive runner. Running twice a day every day, even with the second run an easy one, eventually catches up with you. I’m testament to that with my calf tear last year (thank you Mark Lommers and your Cappacino laced with injury !) and a bad case of Plantar Fasciitis this year. On the plus side the previous 8-9 years I ran virtually injury free. Must be a fifties thing which I’m hoping to grow out off in my sixties ? With me I have found the Elliptigo gives me that runners heart rate and cardio workout without the pounding on the legs, supported by some big names in the running world albeit they’re sponsored so have to write good things about the GO. I actually love my time commuting to work now and I’ve found an extra 6-8 hours a week where I can give myself a good workout without affecting work or family time. The alternative is sit on a train with all the other commuters glued to my phone wasting my life away. I actually mislaid my train smart rider months ago and cancelled it before finding it again (Always the way?) Anyhow I’ve never actually been to Transperth and reactivated the card, no need I have my GO . As you can see from the Strava image above ( You have Strava right ? Everybody has Strava don’t they… if not , get it quick and feel free to follow me ; click on the icon at the bottom of this post)
Another point of this post is to remind everyone I’m still here. I’ve moved house in the last month and managed to fill seven garages full of ‘stuff’, it seems the Matthews family are hoarders ? ( I’m currently staying at a 4 villa complex I brought that i can’t seem to sell? The joys of being a property developer in your spare time, in between running… ) This coming from a man who never throws out his running shows and probably has 4 boxes full of old pairs. They are like old friends to me and if you were to pull a pair out of any box I could tell when I wore them, what races , if any, I ran in them and probably how many kilometres I put in them. My Wife just shakes her head, actually everybody shakes their heads but they’re all special to me. Is that wrong , who knows? If i can find all the boxes in the 7 garages I’ll get them all out for a photo, it’ll need to be a wide angled lens if course !
I seem to have digressed , as is my way, but I’ll make more of an effort to post to the blog now I’m nearly uninjured, I have so much more to talk about when I’m racing of course. This weekend there may be a story or two as I’m running a recon run for the 6 inch ultra on Saturday. Even though I’ve ran the course nine times I’ve got lost three times and that’s even wearing two watches with a GPX file loaded to keep me on track. Needless to say I’m not the best person in the world to run the 6 inch with and the running joke , excuse the run, is when I tell people I know where we are you need to panic because you are then officially lost, harsh but true unfortunately! (Thanks for that Zac!)
