As I continue my journey to the Melbourne Marathon in October this year I have been reading some of my old posts on racing marathons and sneaking under the holy grail of running, a finishing time of three hours.

I have been on my marathon training for about three weeks now and this has mainly been adding in some faster runs three or four times a week , with a more aggressive progressive run on Thursday morning and then a tempo Saturday. All my runs have become faster and I am trying to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.  I love that quote , it sums up marathon training where as ultra training is a lot more relaxed. You get comfortable with being comfortable I suppose with ultra running, and eat a lot more. I am certainly back into marathon mode as I have started to worry about weight again, not something an ultra runner is normally concerned with. It’s all coming back to me, my love of the scales , the joy of reaching a racing weight and then the devastation of adding a few pounds, not something I have missed truth be told.  There is also the pressure of meeting targets , be that weekly distance or pace. It is always difficult when you start but you see improvements weekly if you put in the effort and these improvements give you the energy to keep putting in the hard yards needed to reach your goal.  A good example of this is the Mona Fartlek, a 20 minute run that as you improve you run longer. Run this once a week and you should see an improvement.  Another example would be a 5km park run, again every week you run the same course and you should see your time come down. These small wins give you the impetus you need to keep on the straight and narrow, remember marathon training is a grind. To quote Brendan Foster ‘ You wake up tired and go to be really tired‘

It’ll be good to get back to Melbourne as I’ve ran it four times and represented Western Australia each time at the State Marathon Championships. This was so cool as we got to get changed in the MCG Stadium, hung out with the Kenyans, got free accommodation, massages and help with your travel as well as starting at the front of the field.  I’ll miss that part but have entered this year with the VIR option, Very Important Runner. This way I get changed in comfort, get access to toilets and breakfast and also a massage and food afterwards, maybe not in the MCG but close by, at my age I’ll get the benefits but have to pay extra for them.

I love the image below taken in 2010, notice the Garmin 305 which I still have and use it once a year at the 6 inch ultra, for tradition. Also notice I’m wearing a normal digital watch as I was paranoid at this time with my GPS watch failing as this had happened at the City to Surf earlier in that year , costing me a sub 3 finish. For a few years I would wear two watches, so funny. No Nike Alphaflys carbon fibre racing shoes, in 2010 it was all about racing flats, I think I have Nike racing flats on gifted me by my mate Dan Macey. Skins compression tights were all the rage back then, sadly another great company gone too soon.  I PB’d every time I ran Melbourne, culminating in a 2:43 the last time, this year I just want a sub 3, just ?

It you want to follow my progress follow me on Strava , Facebook or Instagram (links at the bottom of this post) and subscribe to this blog, it’ll all be here, the good , the bad and the ugly.  

I wrote this post four years ago in 2016 so thought it would be a good opportunity to recycle as I’m on another training block heading towards another sub 3 at the Running Works Marathon at Bibra Lake, Perth August 30th. My Golden Rules are unchanged over this period and still ring true, follow them and I guarantee success.

The extract from Strava (you are on Strava right ? http://www.strava.com shows the last 5 weeks training I have put myself through as I prepare for the Running Works marathon in 6 weeks time. I will have given myself a good 12 week training block by the time I start my taper a week before race. This should be enough to sneak under three hours. (Rule 8 : Consistency)  (The grey circles indicate when I commute on my Bionic (stand up bike) to work as well as run. )

 

 

Funnily enough my ramp up started as soon as I started working from home , middle of March. The extra time allowed me to start to look at my training regime and slowly add distance , consistently. (Rule 1 : Run Further) I started at 40k a week and moved up through the gears to 162k last week which also included a trial half marathon on Saturday and a trial full marathon Sunday. When you can look at these graphics it gives you the confidence to lock in your marathon pace.  (Rule 9: It’s all in the mind)

 

 

As I mentioned earlier I commute to work on a stand up bike. My stand up bike of choice is the Bionic B-Runner but unfortunately  the company went broke due to substandard Chinese manufacturing (funny that?),  so if you need a stand up bike go to the Elliptical website and get yourself the next best thing. I have had an Elliptigo and they are ace, they are truly running without the impact, and they are also so much fun.  ( http://www.elliptigo.com )  I sold mine to my good friend Mark Conway and regret it daily, just got to find a way to buy another one and sneak it into the garage without No1 Wife finding out ? These stand up bikes are perfect for extra training without the risk of injury (Rule 3 : Don’t get injured) I have used one when I had a calf tear a few years ago and was able to come straight back to racing with times duplicated before the injury, this would have been impossible without the training I was able to undergo on the Elliptigo.

 

 

Anyhow here is the post from 2016, worth a read.. 

This weekend I made a bold decision and stopped running at 29.5k when I got back to the City Beach car park after our long run into the Bold Park hills. It was a conscious effort to take control of my running from the evil that is Strava ( http://www.strava.com ) that has taken hold of many a good runner and turned them into a run recording web junkies. Truth be told I already had 121k banked for the week and knew I was over the 150k weekly total with another 10k planned in the evening to take me over the 161k (100 mile) threshold. So really who was I kidding stopping at 29.5k? It did impress the rest of my running group who ran in ever decreasing circles around the car park to get the extra 500m needed for 30k.

How did this happen ? Social media has a large part to play and these days every run is accompanied by a Strava upload as a minimum and a social media post if the run justifies it. Compare this to when I started running before the Internet and GPS watches (Yep such a time did exist and to tell you the truth it wasn’t that bad. ) when a runner who have to record all their information using a thing called a pen and paper. (To the young followers of my post these things are now defunct and serve no purpose bar to be used a weapons in disposing of zombies and other evil creatures in the mindless video games you spend hours playing. Note. That is the pen, the paper would be used as fuel to set fire to said zombies if the pen failed to do it’s job.)  I’ll put my hand up with most of the running population as an avid Strava addict who has 4 Garmin watches and an iphone to make sure that every kilometre I run is documented and shared. I did try and run without a watch once, on the advice of a ‘friend’ (?) to try and recapture the feeling of that bygone age. I hated it and all the time kept thinking how I was going to record this and document my findings to the world. It is like if a tree falls in a forest does it make a sound, if you run without recording it on Strava did it happen ? Not sure about the tree and forest scenario but for the Stava question the answer is ‘no’, if it ain’t on Strava it didn’t happen.!

This brings me to the point of this post this morning. We do live in a digital world (this may or may not be a good thing?) but you still need , as backup, a non Strava recording of all your totals. I have attached mine below for the last 8 years and with the table as backup will use these totals to complement my golden rules of running.

1. Run Further. Add distance, not speed.  As you can see from the table my weekly average has steadily increased year on year with this year being the first I will break the 100k a week average for the year. In 2012 I was injured with a nasty calf knot, that I didn’t treat, which explains the delta compared to the previous year.  2014 my training had plateaued which is why I turned to Raf ( http://www.therunningcentre.com.au ) to train me in 2105 where my distance increased by 10%. I have taken this training forward and will probably increase another 10% this year.  Distance first, everything else comes once the ‘foundation of distance’ has been achieved.
2. Run Faster. This is about adding pace after you have got your foundation after rule 1. 2011 was a break out year for me after 3-4 years of building a good running base. I had ran 3 Comrades campaigns in 2008-2010 ( http://www.comrades.com ) so my distance foundation was well and truly complete. In 2011 every time I put on a bib I was confident of a pb.  It was a wonderful year. Unfortunately in 2012 I had a nasty injury which set me back but towards the end of the year I was able to train consistently again and in 2013 I was again rewarded with a magical year of running.  
3. Don’t get injured. This is the hardest rule to obey as you always want to do more of rule 1 and 2 which can result in an injury. (I even hate typing the word!) In 2012 I succumbed to a calf knot which took me out for over a month. I struggled to recover from this and as you can see from the table I only ran 3 pb’s for the year compared to 13 the previous year and 10 the following year when I recovered. If this doesn’t back up this rule nothing does.! Don’t get injured, so easy to type but in reality one of the hardest thing for a runner to do, period.
4. Nutrition, nutrition and nutrition… Did I mention nutrition. It’s all about the proper fuel. So underestimated by so many runners. The number of times I hear the old ‘I run xxx kilometres a week so I can eat what I want’ . Not true, imagine putting low grade fuel in a Porsche, eventually the head gasket blows and you are faced with a serious bill, not to mention a misfiring engine. The human body is a finely tuned machine and should be treated as such, we all know what is good food and what is bad (normally the nice tasting stuff!), avoid the bad and put in the good, easy really. (bar the odd Yelo muffin of course, we are after all only human.)  I’ll be exploring nutrition more next year when I have one more go at a sub 2hr 40minutes marathon.
5. Weight. So important, use to believe because I ran 100k+ a week I could eat what I wanted. Not true. This is another golden rule so often ignored. Runners can run so much faster is they hit their racing weight rather than a running weight. My go to man , Matt Fitzgerald, when it comes to everything running even has a website dedicated to this. ( http://www.racingweight.com/ ) If Matt has a website dedicated to this subject it must be important.
6. Baseline, document and evaluate everything. If it isn’t on www.strava.com it didn’t happen. Once you set a goal you have to be able to know how far you have come to achieving this, small steps but constant feedback. So buy a Garmin and start recording , everything !!! Contentious subject here. I’m a Strava addict and I know it but the purest will be horrified. You need a baseline to see improvement, set new goals and realize your goals. Buy a Garmin and to quote a small clothing company ‘just do it’.
7. Sleep. So underestimated but the bodies way of refuelling and preparing for the next day of running. Common sense but so often ignored. Sometimes the most obvious, common sense tips are the ones ignored. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, the more sleep the more repairs can be completed. It really is that easy, go to bed and dream about running.
8. Consistency. No point running 100k one week and then nothing. Marathon fitness is built up over time and this works hand in hand with rule number 1. I feel the figures from my running log back this up. I’ve steadily increased the duration consistently year in, year out (bar injury) and have reaped the rewards with 2016 being my fastest year yet as I move towards my fifth sixth decade. (Thanks Dave Kennedy) Running is all about getting out there on a regular basis again and again and again. Time on feet initially and then add pace before targeting certain distance with different run types, most important thinkg to note though is always consistently putting on the trainers and just running. ‘If you build it they will come’ type approach, keep running, build the foundation and the personal records will come. (This also works for baseball pitches apparently.)
9. It’s all in the mind. After 32k a marathon is down to mental strength and the ability to persuade your body you can still perform at your desired pace without falling to fatigue, which is the minds way of protecting itself. Never underestimate the power of the mind in long distance racing. Finally another massive part of running, the Noakes ‘central governor’. I’ve talked about this at length in various posts on this site. With experience I believe I can mentally finish a marathon stronger now then when I first started. I know what to expect and to this end can persuade my old friend fatigue to stay away for longer allowing me to achieve better finishing times. The mind is such an important part of running and needs to be trained as much as the body. When you race a marathon you will spend time in the ‘pain box’, the runner who can spend the most time in this little box of joy, before opening the door and embracing the old enemy fatigue, will run the fastest. I spoke to Steve Moneghetti after the Perth Marathon this year after he ran the 3hr30min bus and asked him how the professional athletes are so much faster than us recreational runners. His answer surprised me as he replied that a professional runner can stand more pain and this gives them the advantage need to push through and achieve the faster times. Again turning off the ‘central governor’  and spending more time in the ‘pain box’ avoiding fatigue and thus not slowing down. Common sense really, thanks Steve.

 

Finally some products that I endorse because I love them and they do what they say they  will do.. simple really.

fisiocrem ( https://www.fisiocrem.com.au/ ) is just bloody brilliant and does exactly what it says it does , it just gets the major muscle groups moving again. I used this extensively towards the end of all 200 milers when my quads are hammered.  It really makes a difference and allows me to move back through the gears towards the end of an event when most runners are stumbling home.

Bix hydration is just ace, a product brought to life by Vlad Ixel a professional ultra runner who knows a thing or two about hydration. ( https://www.bixvitamins.com/ )  The best thing about Bix is it tastes good with many different flavours and you never get sick of drinking it, this is a big plus as Maurten and Tailwind (both great products)  can be difficult to digest later in the event.  From the website :-

As an Australian elite multiple trail running champion, with wins in over 40 ultra-marathon races across Asia, recovery from training and races has always been my top priority. 

In searching for a solid recovery and hydration supplement, I recognized that critical vitamins and minerals – both in diversity and quantity – were missing from almost all supplements on the market. I had the feeling that in an effort to maximize their bottom-lines, companies in the hydration space, failed to deliver a product that could meaningfully assist athlete performance. 

In order to address this, I began the development of a hydration product. After two and a half years of development alongside a leading German sports scientist, BIX Recovery, an advanced, high-quality recovery drink was born. 

BIX boosts 12 active ingredients scientifically balanced to replace lost electrolytes and assist in immune function. It’s designed with quality vitamins and minerals, in quantities that work! 

BIX is a recovery solution for everyone, that will get you to the top of your game!

What can I say about HumanTecar,  ( https://athleticus.com.au/ ) it looks great, smells great and is awesome for recovery or even pre-run/workout. Read about the science behind it first and then try the products. The compression bandages are just magical after a long event. Put these on and the next day you are recovered, I have used them on a number of occasions and they never fail to astound me albeit the family poke fun at me as I look like a ‘mummy and smell funny’ !

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Remember the number one rule of tapering, you can only do too much on the week before a race, never too little. So if you do nothing for the week you will not lose fitness. The only caveat is you probably need to adjust your diet and drop the calories at the start of the week before launching into a carboloading frenzy three days before the event.   Another caveat, for ultras,  the carboloading phase is probably not as necessary as there will most likely be a  smorgasbord of tukka during the event, also weight isn’t as big an issue as say for a marathon runner. Ultra running really is the sport that keeps on giving.

 

From an old post of mine :- 

For the 6 inch ultra marathon in December last year I experimented by not tapering nearly as much as I would for a marathon. On the week of the event I actually ran twice a day Monday through Thursday and only had 48 hours rest before the race. Admittedly all runs on race week were slow and easy but I still managed over 80km’s pre-race. On the day I felt great and ran a good race for a 7th place finish but more importantly I was 4th quickest over the second half of the race. I actually ran my first negative split for an ultra. The week before the ultra I had ran 140k so there really wasn’t a taper period to talk off. ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com )

Could this work for a marathon ? I don’t think so. The ultra is normally ran at a more subdued pace and although longer I feel not as testing as ‘racing’ a marathon. (Well ultras less than 100k, when you get above 100k I’m sure it becomes a tad more testing that a marathon. Once I run further than 100k I’ll confirm?) In an ultra the race pace normally decreases brings your overall cardio fitness in to play more than resting the legs a few weeks before. If you haven’t got the fitness a two week taper will not help, you’ll still be underdone. With a marathon, as the distance is less, you normally have the fitness required to finish the event, the tapering helps more by letting tired muscles recovery.

Also I feel running a good ultra is more dependent on the nutrition and hydration plan, get this right will benefit you so much more than a taper period. Again get this plan wrong and the taper will not save you. In an ultra any mistakes will be paid for, that is a certainty. In an ultra there is no where to hide.

Researching tapering and ultras on the web and there are stories advocating no tapering and setting PB’s while others advocate a 3 week steep taper and lean more towards relaxing rather than stressing about the event. All have their pro’s and con’s and as with all things running there’s no one shoe fits all. It really depends on the runner and also their experience and fitness. The more experienced runner with a good foundation of distance training under their belt will be more likely to be able to go into an event without tapering. They will not need the confidence boost that comes from a good taper as much as someone with less experience. Remember a good taper will also aid confidence and going into any race this is  important, anything that helps put you in a positive mindset is welcome and needs to be embraced,

Of course if you have any niggling injuries an enforced taper may be called for. When this happens there is nothing you can do about it, just sit back and smell the roses concentrating on things you can influence like carboloading. Now carboloading, that is a whole new post and one I shall tackle next. Until then enjoy this article below by Ian Torrence which highlights ‘peaking’ rather than tapering as a benefit,  pre-ultra. Ian is part of the Greg McMillan stable of writers so has a wealth of knowledge and experience to call upon.  (Please note I do not advocate the Joe Kulak method of peaking described below but as you can see in the photo below my friend Jon is convinced it works… ?)

 

 

The final weeks before an event are the toughest to get right. The common notion that all hard work must cease and inactivity must ensue is incorrect. It’s also foolhardy to continue amassing mileage and tough workouts as race day nears in hopes of improving fitness. Depending on your approach to this all-important time period, you may be left feeling lethargic or simply exhausted. A runner with the proper peak will feel rejuvenated and ready to go on race day.

Greg McMillan, my mentor, has devised a set of rules to live by as race day approaches. Greg explains, “By studying peak performance research – both physiological as well as psychological – as opposed to just the tapering research, I’ve been able to dial in how to truly peak on race day. It works for all athletes no matter where you find yourself in the pack come race day.” By placing Greg’s simple and effective system into context, let’s get you prepared for your next ultra.

1. Do not drop running volume drastically

Though there are some that prefer three weeks to peak, two weeks seems to be the most popular choice. During the first week of a peak, drop the length of each run by 10 to 20 minutes. The week before your event, drop volume by 20 to 30 minutes per run. I recommend that ultrarunners limit their last long run(s), done a week before the key event, to 90 easy minutes (regardless of the distance of the event). This is enough to give you that long run feeling, but short enough that muscle recovery and glycogen-storage continue. Light, non-impact cross training can be done in lieu of runs, but only if you are used to those forms of exercise.

2. Keep the routine

Run, eat, sleep, work, and socialize when you do normally. Your body and mind have achieved stasis over the past few months of training. Keep them both happy and the keel even. Now is not the time to experiment with new workouts, forms of exercise, foods, and social events. Use the extra time not spent running for sleeping and sticking to “safe” hobbies.

3. Keep the intensity and build confidence

Before the 2007 JFK 50 Mile, I had an exchange with fellow competitor Andy Mason. Nine days before the race, he completed a round of very quick mile repeats on the track; his last quality workout before the race. I knew he was fit and feeling confident. That year, Andy finished in the top ten.

Though most ultrarunners do not need to perform a tough round of mile repeats before their next race, they might consider doing some sort of confidence-building workout 10 days to two weeks out from their event. This workout, however, should be in tune with recent training. Running a 30-mile training run or time trialing up and down Hope Pass (like the author) a few days before a race is neither smart nor beneficial. A moderate length workout that you’re familiar with, that is aerobically challenging, allows for adequate recovery before race day, and demonstrates your fitness should be the order of the day. If you don’t routinely perform hard hill, stamina-building, fartlek, or fast finish workouts then this is not the time to start. Maintain your current training and follow the guidelines for reduction in mileage as mentioned above.

Now is also the time to reflect on all of the training you’ve done thus far. Remember that you’ve done the work necessary to get you to the finish line.

4. Stick to the original race plan and have fun

No one starts a race without a goal. Whether it be to keep your Grand Slam hopes alive, finish your first ultra, or win the event outright, don’t lose sight of why you’re out there. Be deliberate in your actions and calculate each move you make on the race course. Run your own race and enjoy the time you’re having on the trail or road. Greg McMillan sums this up perfectly, “Let’s face it. Most of us aren’t going for an Olympic gold medal here. We are simply enjoying the challenge of doing our best. There is no real pressure, so quit putting so much on yourself. We run for fun, and you should remember that. Have fun!”

PEAKING FOR MULTIPLE RACES

What if you’re gearing up for several important races that are separated by a few weeks or less? The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, as well as others of that genre, and several race series like the NorCal and SoCal Ultra Grand Prix are perfect examples. In essence, you are recovering and peaking in unison between events. There are two ways to approach situations like this:

1. Reverse taper

This is like returning from injury. Gradually and slowly increase the length of your post-race easy runs and avoid fast and difficult workouts. You won’t reach your normal training level, but you’ll satisfy the need for a few runs before your next event.

2. The Joe Kulak Method

When I asked Joe Kulak what he did between each of his four 2003 Grand Slam record- setting 100-mile races, he quipped, “I sat on the couch and drank beer.” If beer is not your drink of choice, water works just as well. The reality is that you can’t gain fitness in the two or three weeks between long ultras. Recovery will be your best “workout” while preparing for your next event.

My last marathon was 2019, the Perth City to Surf marathon finishing in 2 hours 55 minutes, this was my 45th marathon, my 32nd sub three marathon and number 29 in a row sub 3. Remember for runners it is all about numbers.  Looking at my running spreadsheet, you have a running spreadsheet right? You never know if one day Garmin Connect or Strava may just disappear and Zombies will rule the world, when this happens at least I’ll have my running history on my spreadsheet.  Anyhow as always I digress, I have only ran four  marathons since 2017 so have decided that I need to run one more sub three hour marathon this year. Luckily a few of my running buddies are sub 3 virgins, imagine that ?  Rob, Adam, Scotty and Jeffrey have all yet to run sub 3 and the boys have been putting in some hard yards on a Tuesday morning running track, Rob has even got a coach and is following a program.

As the image above shows I use to be a show-pony , back in the day, and while never the fastest marathon runner I was able to spend some time at the pointy end and managed to run 2 hours 41 minutes three times. This was also before the carbon plate shows that give you 4-5% performance enhancement for a mere $340. If they’d be around in my day I’d have broken the two forty barrier I’m sure but it was not to be and I got old and found ultra running.  Check out the video below, with hindsight this video is so funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQEVoI7tQtY&t=166s

Right here they are, the rules I abide to and will help you achieve your goal when it comes to running marathons, or any distance really. I’ll spend time on each in more detail but for the moment I’ve set them out in a list below.

1. Run Further. Add distance, not speed.
2. Run Faster. This is about adding pace after you have got your foundation after rule 1.
3. Don’t get injured. This is the hardest rule to obey as you always want to do more of rule 1 and 2 which can result in an injury. (I even hate typing the word!)
4. Nutrition, nutrition and nutrition… Did I mention nutrition. It’s all about the proper fuel.
5. Weight. So important, use to believe because I ran 100k+ a week I could eat what I wanted. Not true.
6. Baseline, document and evaluate everything. If it isn’t on www.strava.com it didn’t happen. Once you set a goal you have to be able to know how far you have come to achieving this, small steps but constant feedback. So buy a Garmin and start recording , everything !!!
7. Sleep. So underestimated but the bodies way of refuelling and preparing for the next day of running. Common sense but so often ignored.
8. Consistency. No point running 100k one week and then nothing. Marathon fitness is built up over time and this works hand in hand with rule number 1.
9. It’s all in the mind. After 32k a marathon is down to mental strength and the ability to persuade your body you can still perform at your desired pace without falling to fatigue, which is the minds way of protecting itself. Never underestimate the power of the mind in long distance racing.

Feel I should be able to find 1 more rule. It’s always 10 rules right ? I wonder what happened over the years to all good rules number 11 which never made the cut.

1. Run Further. Add distance, not speed.   My weekly average has steadily increased year on year with this year being the first I will break the 100k a week average for the year. In 2012 I was injured with a nasty calf knot, that I didn’t treat, which explains the delta compared to the previous year.  2014 my training had plateaued which is why I turned to Raf ( http://www.therunningcentre.com.au ) to train me in 2105 where my distance increased by 10%. I have taken this training forward and will probably increase another 10% this year.  Distance first, everything else comes once the ‘foundation of distance’ has been achieved.
2. Run Faster. This is about adding pace after you have got your foundation after rule 1. 2011 was a break out year for me after 3-4 years of building a good running base. I had ran 3 Comrades campaigns in 2008-2010 ( http://www.comrades.com ) so my distance foundation was well and truly complete. In 2011 every time I put on a bib I was confident of a pb.  It was a wonderful year. Unfortunately in 2012 I had a nasty injury which set me back but towards the end of the year I was able to train consistently again and in 2013 I was again rewarded with a magical year of running.  
3. Don’t get injured. This is the hardest rule to obey as you always want to do more of rule 1 and 2 which can result in an injury. (I even hate typing the word!) In 2012 I succumbed to a calf knot which took me out for over a month. I struggled to recover from this and as you can see from the table I only ran 3 pb’s for the year compared to 13 the previous year and 10 the following year when I recovered. If this doesn’t back up this rule nothing does.! Don’t get injured, so easy to type but in reality one of the hardest thing for a runner to do, period.
4. Nutrition, nutrition and nutrition… Did I mention nutrition. It’s all about the proper fuel. So underestimated by so many runners. The number of times I hear the old ‘I run xxx kilometres a week so I can eat what I want’ . Not true, imagine putting low grade fuel in a Porsche, eventually the head gasket blows and you are faced with a serious bill, not to mention a misfiring engine. The human body is a finely tuned machine and should be treated as such, we all know what is good food and what is bad (normally the nice tasting stuff!), avoid the bad and put in the good, easy really. (bar the odd Yelo muffin of course, we are after all only human.)  I’ll be exploring nutrition more next year when I have one more go at a sub 2hr 40minutes marathon.
5. Weight. So important, use to believe because I ran 100k+ a week I could eat what I wanted. Not true. This is another golden rule so often ignored. Runners can run so much faster is they hit their racing weight rather than a running weight. My go to man , Matt Fitzgerald, when it comes to everything running even has a website dedicated to this. ( http://www.racingweight.com/ ) If Matt has a website dedicated to this subject it must be important.
6. Baseline, document and evaluate everything. If it isn’t on www.strava.com it didn’t happen. Once you set a goal you have to be able to know how far you have come to achieving this, small steps but constant feedback. So buy a Garmin and start recording , everything !!! Contentious subject here. I’m a Strava addict and I know it but the purest will be horrified. You need a baseline to see improvement, set new goals and realize your goals. Buy a Garmin and to quote a small clothing company ‘just do it’.
7. Sleep. So underestimated but the bodies way of refuelling and preparing for the next day of running. Common sense but so often ignored. Sometimes the most obvious, common sense tips are the ones ignored. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, the more sleep the more repairs can be completed. It really is that easy, go to bed and dream about running.
8. Consistency. No point running 100k one week and then nothing. Marathon fitness is built up over time and this works hand in hand with rule number 1. I feel the figures from my running log back this up. I’ve steadily increased the duration consistently year in, year out (bar injury) and have reaped the rewards with 2016 being my fastest year yet as I move towards my fifth sixth decade. (Thanks Dave Kennedy) Running is all about getting out there on a regular basis again and again and again. Time on feet initially and then add pace before targeting certain distance with different run types, most important thinkg to note though is always consistently putting on the trainers and just running. ‘If you build it they will come’ type approach, keep running, build the foundation and the personal records will come. (This also works for baseball pitches apparently.)
9. It’s all in the mind. After 32k a marathon is down to mental strength and the ability to persuade your body you can still perform at your desired pace without falling to fatigue, which is the minds way of protecting itself. Never underestimate the power of the mind in long distance racing. Finally another massive part of running, the Noakes ‘central governor’. I’ve talked about this at length in various posts on this site. With experience I believe I can mentally finish a marathon stronger now then when I first started. I know what to expect and to this end can persuade my old friend fatigue to stay away for longer allowing me to achieve better finishing times. The mind is such an important part of running and needs to be trained as much as the body. When you race a marathon you will spend time in the ‘pain box’, the runner who can spend the most time in this little box of joy, before opening the door and embracing the old enemy fatigue, will run the fastest. I spoke to Steve Moneghetti after the Perth Marathon this year after he ran the 3hr30min bus and asked him how the professional athletes are so much faster than us recreational runners. His answer surprised me as he replied that a professional runner can stand more pain and this gives them the advantage need to push through and achieve the faster times. Again turning off the ‘central governor’  and spending more time in the ‘pain box’ avoiding fatigue and thus not slowing down. Common sense really, thanks Steve.

The article below was written by Reid Coolsaet a top ranked marathoner in Canada. At the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon last September his time was 2:11:23 – the fastest by a Canadian in 24 years. Reid spent time in Kenya at Iten, the breeding ground for running superstars. The article is good in that it emphasises all the things I talk about on this blog. As I have said many, many times running is not rocket science,  just common sense really and lots of hard work.  To run faster you need to look at the people who are running the fastest and learn from them, try to be more like them. The main points (for the lazy readers amongst you who won’t finish this post!) are consistency, train hard, rest hard, soft surfaces, group training, proper warm up, nutrition and Hakuna matata

Kenyan distance runners have been dominating the world scene for more than 30 years. Just last month, a Kenyan, Mary Keitany, was the first woman to break one hour and six minutes in the half-marathon when she set the world record at 1:05:50. Last year, Kenyan men won four of the five world major marathons and lay claim to 60 of the top 100 ranked marathoners.

An astonishing 239 Kenyans broke two hours and fifteen minutes last year in the marathon. (By contrast, Canada had three under the same time – and that was a good year for us.) Factor in the population of the two countries (Kenya, 39 million, Canada, 34 million), and it’s evident just how excellent the East African country is at producing world-class distance runners.

As a marathoner, I wanted to observe first-hand how these great athletes were training and living. For one month this winter, I went to Iten, Kenya, and immersed myself in the culture of Kenyan running. Iten is a small town of 4,000, about 300 kilometres northwest of the capital, Nairobi, and is home to many of the world’s best distance runners and hundreds more who make a living winning road race purses.

It’s not a coincidence that the rural town sits about 2,400 metres (about 8,000 feet) above sea level where athletes benefit from training in thin air. I soon learned, however, that there are many other reasons why Kenyan runners dominate. Here are some tips that all runners can incorporate into their training in order to run like a Kenyan.

Consistency. Running – a lot – is the key to distance running, and the Kenyans are no exception when it comes to logging many kilometres day in, day out. Most of the runners I met run at least twice a day but some run up to three times. If you can squeeze a few more kilometres into your week, without compromising quality, you will reap the benefits.

Train hard. The motto “train hard, win easy” is exemplified by Kenyan runners. If you want to run hard come race day, it’s best to prepare with some sort of speed session (intervals, fartlek, tempo) one to three times a week to get used to the specific effort of your race pace.

Rest hard. After bouts of hard training it is vital that the body has time to repair and recover for the next training session. Kenyan runners incorporate naps into their days and get to bed early. Plus, they don’t run hard all the time; most people would be surprised on how slow they run their recovery runs. Make sure you’re not running hard every day and take it easy the day or two after a hard run.

Soft surfaces. Running on dirt trails rather than pavement is much easier on the body. When I was in Iten, all of my running was on trails and dirt roads (of course, this is easy to do when there is only one paved road in the area). Seek out soft surfaces for most of your running, and your body will thank you.

Group training. Seeing a Kenyan run alone is the exception to the norm. Kenyans run in groups during speed sessions as well as their easy runs. Running with a group can provide that extra push during hard runs and it can help keep the easy runs leisurely with chit-chat. Many running stores offer group runs if your friends are too lazy to join you.

Proper warm-up. Many times while I was running with Kenyans I was surprised how slowly they would start off. It’s best to ease into your runs, and it is especially important to do some easy jogging before any type of speed session or race.

Nutrition. In Iten, a 100-mile diet would seem absurdly long. Kenyans eat fresh food that usually comes from small-scale farms in their region. Ugali (a cornmeal dish) is their staple carbohydrate of choice and is served with beef or chicken stew and veggies. It’s important to replenish carbohydrates and protein soon after a run and get the proper fuel into your body.

Hakuna matata. The Lion King popularized the Swahili phrase “hakuna matata” which, loosely, translates to “no worries.” Kenyans keep stress to a minimum by embracing hakuna matata in their everyday lives. It’s important to leave stress behind to allow your body to perform at its best, and sometimes the best way to relieve stress is to head out the door for a run.

Throughout my month in Kenya, I gained fitness, but more importantly, I came away motivated and inspired. To test out my fitness I went to Belgium to compete in a 10-kilometre cross-country race where I surprised myself with a fifth-place finish; the rest of the top eight were African. Training with the best runners and taking advantage of altitude training allowed me to perform much better.

 

 

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The last Sunday before Christmas is traditionally the date for the running of the 6 inch ultra marathon in Dwellingup.  ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com/ ) Coming when it does, so close to Christmas, it is just a great time to catch up with good friends before the silly season kicks off and a last chance for a long run before the New Year. Dwellingup itself is a beautiful country town with a local pub that serves great food and just has a wonderful feel and vibe. The town must triple in volume for the weekend of the event and it’s the sort of event where everybody knows everybody and it just works, location, timing and people, a trifecta of good. The boys,  and Amy, look forward to it and have done for the last 10 years plus.  We always stay at the same location, watch the same video before the race on Saturday night (Run Fatboy Run) and then enjoy the post race entertainment which normally involves a good barbi and/or lunch at the Blue Wren café or the pub, both great options.

Over the years there have been some great stories , most of which are captured or documented  on this blog. I’ve had some great runs, some not so great runs normally involving me getting lost but most of all it’s just a great way to end the running year.  Dave Kennedy, the Race Director, has just come up with the perfect course, and it is just about perfect, at the perfect time, you get the idea.

The race itself is also sponsored by, among others,  the Running Centre ( https://therunningcentre.com.au/ ) so Friday night myself and Barts ambled down to pick up our bibs. As you can see below I was lucky to score the number 1 this year as it was my 12th start and this gave me entry into a small club of two others runners who have completed twelve 6 inch trail ultra marathons, Jon ‘Trail Blazer’ Phillips and Nathan Fawkes. Dave gives out low numbers for the runners who have the most finishes and Barts , like myself, is a long term supporter. He was stoked to get a single digit bib number , made even more special as Jon Pendse has a two digit version.

We normally drive down to Dwellingup early Saturday morning so we can spend the day exploring the local area. Barts will always find a new place to explore and this time was no different. As it tradition with Barts we got lost after visiting the ex-Prisoner of War camp, one of his favourite go-to landmarks. We than travelled off road to another trail loop and yet again nearly found ourselves aimlessly wandering about the Australian outback. As with all things this weekend it’s tradition.

The highlight of this magical mystery tour was a green tree, literally a green tree. We found this worthy of a photo and some classic blue steel stares. Adam is trying hard enough but I don’t think Rob has seen Zoolander ?

As I mentioned earlier we always get the same accommodation and it is , shall we say, functional.  You certainly get to feel what a POW would have felt like , which is quite fitting after the POW camp tour earlier in the day.  There are 7 of these and a little tip , don’t get the one nearest the toilet , for various reasons.  I was the furthest away from the offending area and had Barts in the room next to me, albeit the walls are paper thin and I received a text asking what time I was intending on going to bed, cheeky bugger ! Around 10pm I finally prepared my race uniform for the 10th time and settled down, much to Barts annoyance of course.

The race starts at 4:30am and we stay at the finish so there is a 20-25 minute drive to the start. This year Rob was designated driver and we all piled into Bart’s Prada and off we went. Bar Barts killing a bandicoot the journey to the start was uneventful, pretty eventful for the bandicoot family of course, shame.  We arrived with plenty of time, checked in and then drove the short distance to the start, after first emptying most of mine and Adam’s drink bottles onto the carpet of the car, again much to Barts annoyance.

The race this year went to plan. I wanted to try and finish as close to four hours as possible but more importantly enjoy the event rather than flog myself to within an inch of my life, which I have done on multiple occasions at this event. I found myself running with Shane Johnstone , he of Delirious West 200 miler 2021 winner and record holder, who had  also decided this was about finishing, not finishing time. Unfortunately I started to really enjoy this new found freedom of just finishing and found myself hemorrhaging  positions as I moved back down the pack.   When Adam and Matt went past me I knew I would have to make more of an effort as both these guys were targeting times much slower than mine. Thus about halfway I put my foot down and cruised to the finish in a top 20 position and just over four hours, mission accomplished.

Of course I can’t write a post on the 6 inch ultra trail marathon without a shot of me struggling up the escalator. You hit this bad boy of a hill at around 35km and it has ended the race of many 6 inch runners, Mike Kowal is a notable ‘I’ll never go back‘ runner who lost his trail mojo on this hill. We should actually erect a plaque to that affect and maybe put down flowers each time we run it, funnily enough that would be a good tradition as Michael loves his flowers ! As you can see by the size of the ruts it is unrunable and also smaller runners have been known to fall into the larger ruts and lay there waiting for help to get out, Jon Pendse is one of those albeit his cries for help were ignored by Barts who seized the chance to leave him there and step on ! It is a race…

So here is the shot of the day, thanks Rob. Me finishing my twelfth 6 inch ultra thirteen years after my first (it was cancelled one year due to a fire risk/warning)  In that time it has grown from a free fat-ass event with less than twenty runners to a quote of 350 runners,  which sells out annually,  complete with all the bling and memorabilia. It has been a privilege to be a part of this event and watch it grow and if you have never ran it you need to put that right , sooner rather than later.

Another tradition, not to everyone’s liking, is the BK in the Esky shot. This was started on a particularly hot day many years ago and although it upsets a few people you can’t argue with a tradition, can you ? I remember a few years ago I left my head in there too long and got ice burns, I never knew this was a thing !

So to finish off a perfect weekend Dave presented me with my trophy for finishing twelve 6 inch ultras and I look forward to my gold spike for twenty four, or eighteen ? All in all another great adventure with the boys and Amy, and I’m already looking forward to getting lost with Barts next year and of course Run FatBoy Run Saturday night, why wouldn’y you ?

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I don’t think this post was forwarded to my email subscribers, both of you !! So reposted just in case…

In 2020 I DNF’d the Feral Pig, I got back to the start line, around 126km,  but couldn’t muster the energy for the final 36k loop knowing how hard it is. I had trained well enough for the Feral but for some reason on the day I just wasn’t feeling it, I had a lift to the start which at least made me start the event. If I had driven myself I think I may have side stepped the bus to the start line and kept on walking to my car and snuck off home as a DNS.  As it was I ended up begrudgingly  sitting in the bus regretting my decision and not enjoying the journey as every minute this bus drove south I knew I had to run back, and the bus takes a long time to get to the start, trust me. Anyhow during the day I managed to keep moving forward but after a change of clothes at the start line I just couldn’t envisage completing the DNF loop (as I call it) and so pulled the pin, albeit after completing a twenty minute first kilometre, due to navigation issues.

Funnily enough on the bus this year I sat to next to a young runner , Cameron, who I would run with for most of the event, go figure, I digress. The start really is 40+ runners in the dark forest waiting for midnight to start. Shaun Kaesler was running this year, the owner of Ultra Series WA (and SA)  ( https://ultraserieswa.com.au/ ) and he got us all in a big circle , turned off all our headlamps and gave us a rousing speech to get us in the right frame of mind for the challenge ahead. I’ll give Shaun his due he really is the pied piper of ultra running in WA, he can inspire the uninspired and make the impossible seem possible, and he does on a regular basis.  I hope this pre-start huddle becomes a tradition , which is what normally happens with Shaun, and many runners will be able to feel the togetherness we all felt that night. Looking up at the stars was humbling and to share  this with so many like minded people, special, very special.

To make this event even more challenging I had finished the Delirious West 200 miler  ( https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) only 4 weeks previous so the legs would not be fully recovered. To counter this I decided to use poles from the start and really just enjoy the experience,  with time a secondary consideration, this was my final redemption run.

Due to a rookie error I actually started the event 2-3 minutes after everybody else, I had forgot to acquire a GPS on my Coros so had to wait a few minutes before I could start running, if it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen ! Anyhow me and the tail runner eventually started and I moved through the field before bumping into Sergio, Andy and Cam and we formed a group which would stay together for most of the day, bar Sergio who stopped for a sleep and then flew past us about 50k later. Darlene joined us for a few hours before she stopped for some water while we continued on to the first aid station, Sullivan Rocks, at around the 42k mark. This sums up the Feral, the first aid station is marathon distance into the race, after a midnight start, brutal, like the terrain.

Andy, Cam and I spent most of Saturday morning and day together, the three of us rolling through the aid stations and with Andy’s amazing sense of direction never worrying about getting lost, that man really is talented. It makes such a difference running with company and the banter make the miles disappear. For the most part Andy set a perfect pace but if he dropped off I would sneak to the front to keep him honest. Cam was always happy to continue sandwiched between us with a  infectious smile. It was Cam’s first 100 miler and he absolutely aced it , that young man has a great ultra running career ahead of him . Andy goes ok as well, just like a finely tuned white diesel van who also doubled as a great source of snickers. The three of us had a great time.

Due to the remoteness of the event there are minimal aid stations for the fist half of the race.  Sullivan Rocks is the first at 41.5k then Brookton Highway at 73.5k. After that they are a tad more frequent, Mount Dale carpark ,86.2k, Beraking Campsite, 97.3k, Allen Road bridge 113.4k before returning to the start before the DNF loop at 126.6k. On the DNF loop you have an aid station at the Camel farm you pass through twice (135k and 154.7k) before the last outlying aid station at Kalamunda (144.8k). There are a smattering of drink stops scattered in there as well. This made the event challenging, unlike a 200 miler which feels like an adventure , with better food, the 100 miler feels like a race.

The major selling point of the Feral Pig 100 miler is the scenery and the remoteness of the event. As I said earlier there are few aid stations until well over half way and you start at midnight, a baptism of fire really. By the time you stagger into the first aid station at Sullivan rocks your normally pretty well goosed , before starting back up the granite hill to complete the rest of the event, about another 120km.  As with all ultras you go though good and bad times and getting to Brookton Highway is a massive confidence booster. The food here is normally (actually always!) very , very good as Shannon Dale and his tribe provide it. This year was no different, my staple ultra diet of pancakes and bacon was more than enough to raise the spirts and I explored out of this aid station. Well maybe exploded is an over statement, stumbled more like. My quads had started to play up but the food helped and I was able to get into some sort of groove a few kilometres later, cocooned in the Feral train being ably led by Andy.

We caught up with Shaun Kaesler, pre-Brookton Highway,  and we all came in together. Pre-aid station we had got into a group of 6-7 runners and the banter flowed while the kilometres melted away before us. The running conditions were just about perfect for November in WA, by this I mean it wasn’t stinking hot which is the norm for that time of year. 2021 will be known for being ‘the cold year‘, albeit it was still probably 22-25 degrees celsius.  Shaun went past us later in the day like a scolded cat but I was confident I’d see him again giving his training program is minimal at best, mainly due to the nature of his day job !

Funnily enough what broke up the Feral train was a glib remark from Andy about the possibility of a buckle if you finished quicker then 26 hours. This was just past Allen Road and we had an hour or two of daylight left.  As soon as a buckle was mentioned my race changed, all of a sudden finishing was no longer the number one objective, it became something I had no idea even existed a few minutes earlier. Doing some mental math I reckoned I had a chance of a buckle if I put my foot down. We were on part of the bib track I knew very well and was confident I could back to the start quickly.  I couldn’t persuade the rest of the Feral train to join me so I set off alone. As I said I have ran from the Perth Discovery Centre to Allen Road and back on numerous times training for the Delirious West 200 miler earlier in the  year  ( https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) so was more than happy to tackle it alone, with night falling.

I actually made it back to the start at 8pm and refueled on noodles quickly, ordered at the Allen Road aid station,  before setting off into the dark to tackle the DNF (or Death Loop). At this stage I was confident I had more than enough time to make my buckle but I underestimated what was to come and trust me I knew it would be difficult , just not as difficult as it turned out to be.

Fueled on noodles I had my second wind and left the Perth Discovery Centre cock-a-hoop , looking forward to my buckle which at this stage was in the bag as far as I was concerned. I have 6 hours to run just over 30k, how easy would that be. I knew the loop would be hard but 6 hours and I was feeling pretty good, what could go wrong. The night got even better when I caught up with Shaun and his beautiful Wife,  and pacer , Sarah five or so kilometres later. Unfortunately for Shaun the chickens had come home to roost and he was paying the piper , big time.  He was moving forward but he was in for a long night and he knew it, that’s the Feral though , one minute you think you have tamed the beast and then it comes back to bite you.  After I left him and Sarah and continued into the night I wondered what lay ahead for me.

What eventually killed my buckle quest was the next aid station, the Camel Farm.  I had arrived feeling quite good having left Shaun in my wake and asked the vollies the distance to the turn around at Kalamunda. In my mind it was a 7-8k stretch but I was informed 9.8k, this destroyed me as I had underestimated the distance for the DNF loop. In my mind is was nearer 32k rather than the 38k it actually was, although the extra 6k doesn’t seem a lot typing this post , at the time it was devastating. My buckle virtually disappeared at that moment and all I could see were chickens coming home to roost and a silly little bloke playing a pipe.  As well as the extra 6k it was the terrain ahead of me that would finally break my buckle quest.

The run from the Camel Farm aid station to Kalamunda included two really hard climbs that are virtually unrunable. Add in 24 hours of running before even starting these two climbs and you have the recipe for disaster. The only thing that probably stops runners actually DNF’ing on this loop is you are so close to the finish you just get your head down, adopt the fetal position and take your punishment in the pain box. The climbs were brutal and I use that word a lot for this race but there is no better description. I was alone now and after staggering into the Kalamunda aid station didn’t have much left in the tank for the return to the start. My good friend Shannon Dale was there, him of the pancakes and bacon at Brookton Highway, and he served up some seriously good potatoes which hit the mark, and a cup of sweet tea, my go to drink of choice towards the end of an ultra.

Fed and watered I was unceremoniously kicked out the aid station and I stumbled into the night on the return journey , back to the two climbs but now in reverse. On the way back I bumped into Shaun and Sarah and he hadn’t improved, infact if you could picture death warmed up this would have been Shaun, it wasn’t his best look but he still finished,  with minimal training but serious mental strength.  Good on ‘ya Shaun. Next I bumped into Andy who was just ahead of Cam (and pacers) , the Feral train, with both runners getting it done and they would finish together.

A highlight of this section of the course was my headlamp dying suddenly, with no moon when it’s dark it’s really dark. I thumbled  for my iphone to give me some light so I could change headlamps. Note: always have a backup headlamp, always ! I was helped by another runner and then off I went again, alone into the night.  At this point I was approaching my second night of no sleep so was starting to hallucinate. This is an added benefit of ultra running, get to your second night of no sleep and there is a good chance you’ll get to see all sorts of weird stuff, makes the event worthwhile ! I find the second night of an ultra is where the hallucinations begin, (assuming you don’t sleep) and thus far they have always been quite cool, I suppose it would depend on your mindset ?

Into the Camel Farm aid station for another cup of tea and some fruit before the final stage to the start , which would now also be the finish. There were numerous runners coming the other way and I didn’t envy their task ahead but all of them finished. I did bump into Chemie Banger (Jamie), who was running the 100k, but he was happy for me to carry on at my pace.

From the Perth Discovery Centre you cross over the Mundaring Dam , or around it if the dam was shut , which funnily enough at 2am it was ! This meant a lot of stairs which hurt both ways trust me. The dam is a lonely place at 2am with only Kangaroos for company setting off the security lights. I actually got lost running into the Discovery Centre, second guessing the Bib track signs and convincing myself they were wrong, of course they weren’t. Frustrating doesn’t sum up that feeling after nearly 100 miles of knowing you’re a few kilometers from the finish but which direction..? After some back tracking and checking on the GPS software, (thankyou https://www.gaiagps.com/ ) I eventually stumbled into the finish to a rapturous reception from both people still up at just past 3am in the morning. (Note to self, even finish a lot quicker or a lot slower next time, at least in daylight)!

A big shout out to some of the runners who hadn’t even left the Discovery Centre when I finished. These runners were going to run through a second night and finish in daylight. To get to the start line after nearly 30 hours of running and then facing the DNF (Death loop)  is absolutely top drawer in the mental toughness stakes. I was sitting opposite John Cooke as he prepared to go out into the dark and take on his demons after DNF’ing the previous year, what an incredible effort. John, like myself, subscribe to Rob Donkersloot and his Mind Focused Running program. I can’t recommend this program enough and his results speak for themselve. ( https://mindfocusedrunning.com/ ) In ultra’s the back of the pack runner is the real hero , in my book !

So I finished in just over 27 hours, it was then straight to the warm showers, into a pair of warm pajamas’ and an onesie sleeping bag and to the front seat of my car, took me about ten seconds to fall into a deep sleep.

Finally don’t forget 20% of humantecar products this month only, perfect Christmas present for the runner in your life.

I am a big fan of this product and have reached out to the distributor and got a 20% discount code until the end of the year. If you go to the Australian website (below) you can get 20% off the spray and recovery bandages, use the code runbkrun21

https://athleticus.com.au/

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I am a big fan of this product and have reached out to the distributor and got a 20% discount code until the end of the year. If you go to the Australian website (below) you can get 20% off the spray and recovery bandages, use the code runbkrun21

https://athleticus.com.au/

Some information from the supplier :-

If you need more detailed information  go to the main website https://humantecar.com/en/ which goes into more detail but it has some pretty powerful advocates as mentioned above.

I have used the spray and the bandages on many occasions and genuinely felt better for it. The first time I tried the bandages was after I ran for 47 hours at Birdy’s Frontyard Ultra. As you can imagine I was a tad sore the next day so a perfect chance to try the bandages and they didn’t disappoint. No 1 Wife wasn’t that excited about the smell but I reckon it was sweet, hey come on these things were invented in Italy, if I can smell like an Italian Stallion that’s cool with me.

All joking aside these products do exactly what they say they do and that’s help runners keep running so in my book its money well spent. Please note I have received nothing for this promotion bar the good feeling of knowing I may have helped a few more runners take advantage of these great products, and save a few dollars as well.

From the Australian Website:-

The human story behind Human Tecar® in Australia

02 March 2020

A lot of people ask about the story behind Human Tecar’s arrival in Australia.

Well, this is our story…

It was mid-2018 and we were off to see my wife’s family in Italy. As with any family trip, there was a lot to plan. For us, there was also a lot to consider.

You see, my wife sees a physio once (sometimes twice) a week to keep things in check—manual therapies, dry needling, pilates. Unfortunately, it’s been this way for most of her adult life. Her body is a volatile combo of fibromyalgia, chronic neck/back issues, migraines, and auto-immune disease.

So as part of our planning, I had my wife’s physio notes translated into Italian before we left (just in case).

When the holiday became reality, it had its usual challenges: long flights, delayed flights, uncomfortable hotel beds, and loads of luggage.

After about twelve days, it all caught up with my wife. She was now confined to our hotel room—curtains closed to keep out the light; her back and neck seized; and migraines taking hold.

The hotel gave us the address for a local physio. The clinic was about twenty minutes drive away and if my wife’s situation wasn’t bad enough, me driving in Italy was only making things worse.

When we arrived, we shared our pre-prepared physio notes. And thanks to Google Translate, we were able to engage in some basic two-way conversation.

The physio kept referring to ‘Human Tecar’. We’d never heard of it. But by this time—and in this situation—we didn’t have much choice.

I left my wife to finish the treatment and I waited in reception with our son. When my wife walked out, she had tears in her eyes.

My first thought: the treatment hadn’t worked.
My second thought: what do we do now with two weeks left in Italy?

Fortunately, those overwhelming emotions were good ones. The tears dried and I could see the life back in her eyes.

My wife hugged the physio goodbye. I souvenired a business card from the front desk. And we went back to being tourists again.

The treatment remained stable. We finished the next two weeks of our family trip and arrived back in Australia keen to pursue this ‘new’ technology.

Upon returning home to Perth, we enthusiastically shared the experience with my wife’s physio. He’d never heard of it.

I reverted (as you do) to Google. The search results suggested Australia had ever heard of it either.

Still intrigued, I contacted my wife’s cousin back in Rome who (coincidentally) coaches track and field. He answered my query with the kind of tone that suggests I really didn’t do enough research…

“John, everyone knows Human Tecar.”

Well, as we now know, not everyone does.

So I went straight to the source: reaching out to Human Tecar’s head office in Italy. I started the conversation around Human Tecar’s presence (or current absence) in the Australian market.

“Why are we yet to see Human Tecar in Australia?”

In a nutshell, compared to big global medtech companies, you could say Human Tecar is a ‘boutique’ company. After 25 years, it is still run by its passionate founder, Mario Scerri. Mr Scerri and his team of specialists maintain a very personal relationship with the athletes and medical professionals they work with—and they take the same approach with their distributors.

Historically, much of their focus has been direct with elite sporting organisations and athletes—Ferrari Racing, Atletico Madrid, Nike, Adidas, INSEP, etc, etc. The frontline of professional sport has always been the ultimate proving ground for Human Tecar; fine-tuned environments where recovery and (p)rehab can make or break careers.

And back to my point about Australia…

Well honestly, we were simply a country that hadn’t yet been considered. Compared to the USA, China and the rest of western Europe, our market is relatively small. To complicate things, our regulatory body is one of the strictest in the world.

Despite its market challenges, the team at Italy’s head office spoke highly about the Australian physio industry. And the prospect of actually seeing Human Tecar Down Under was something that Mario Scerri himself was quite excited about.

So what began as a conversation around Human Tecar for my wife, soon became a conversation around Human Tecar for Australia.

As the company shared more behind-the-scenes information, we began to learn more and more about Human Tecar’s case studies with athletes.

And when they talk about athletes, it’s not about sponsorships or ambassador roles. It’s about some of the most remarkable success stories in modern sport, including Usain Bolt’s career-defining hamstring injury (and recovery) in the lead up to Rio.

So what began as a random holiday experience in a small Italian village quickly developed into a greater appreciation for Human Tecar and its capabilities in physiotherapy, rehabilitation, S&C and high performance.

Getting a greater understanding of the ‘bigger picture’ led to the launch of our company, Athleticus.

By early 2019, our budding Australian company would go on to establish the first partnership with Human Tecar in the Southern Hemisphere.

In April 2019, we launched Human Tecar in Australia, with Human Tecar’s Sports & Strength Recovery Specialist, Cristian Martinelli, flying in from Italy.

Representing Athleticus at the launch was our lead physio and trainer, Mattia Fredella (ex-CONI in Rome and trained by Human Tecar’s academy in Italy).

Joining our team in Brisbane were Nathan Carloss (Integrated Physio Centre) and Thomas Harvey (Recovery Science) – both of whom were trained on Human Tecar’s suite of technology by Mr. Martinelli.

Speaking that evening was our guest, Nigel Smith from Brisbane Sports & Spinal Physiotherapy. Nigel presented an insight into his recent PhD thesis that researched the prevalence of hamstring injuries in elite football players.

Socceroo, Brett Holman, also took the mic to share his own personal story overcoming injuries in elite sport. His time playing in Holland exposed him to Human Tecar where the technology was an integral part of the club’s rehab, recovery, and strength & conditioning programmes.

Although it is still very early days for us here in Australia, our team has already followed in the footsteps of Human Tecar on the world stage, proving the effectiveness of the technology with some of Australia’s most respected athletes. There have also been recent opportunities where the Athleticus team has worked alongside visiting physio and medical teams from the world’s best international athletes.

And now, with each new day, the story goes on…

If you want to find out more about the Human Tecar story in Australia, shoot me an email via petkovic@athleticus.com.au or feel free to give me a call on 0418 742 551.

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Written by John Petkovic
Founder of Athleticus

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Last weekend I raced my first ‘last man (woman) standing event‘,  a USWA event, dubbed Birdy’s Backyard.  ( https://ultraserieswa.com.au/ ) The concept comes from the Big Dog Backyard Ultra described below by the Guardian. Our version is called Birdy’s Backyard named as the owner of the land on which Shaun staged the first event in 2019, the name will of course stick. It is the same distance as it’s big brother in the states thereby allowing for the possibility of a qualifying event for the Big Dog in the future ?  As described below the concept is simple, you have an hour to run a 6.7k loop (4.16667 miles) on the hour , every hour,  meaning the field all start together , on the hour, until there is only one person left, he , or she, is the winner while the rest of the field are all DNF’d (Did Not Finish)

It’s a simple conceit – a slightly more than four-mile loop that you run once an hour until all your competitors have dropped out. All very straightforward, until you hear how far the winner ran ….

Run a single loop measuring 4.16667 miles within a single hour. Now do it again. And again. Now keep doing it – starting a new loop on the hour, regardless of how fast you finish the previous one – until there’s only one runner willing or capable of doing so. Welcome to the simple – some might say sadistic – concept of the Big Dog Backyard Ultra in Bedford County, Tennessee.

“The apparently weird loop-distance has in fact been carefully chosen so each 24 hours equals running a perfect 100 miles,” says Guillaume Calmettes, the Frenchman who is the current Big Dog Backyard Ultra champion. “Another twist is that every 12 hours you change between a daytime trail loop to a night-time road loop, and because the road loop has less elevation gain – and is of course less technical – than the trail loop, then reaching the road loops gives you the opportunity to get a bit more rest time in between loops, and more time to take care of yourself before starting the next one.”

Calmettes winning distance was an incredible 246 miles. That’s 59 loops over 59 consecutive hours.

Obviously the Bad Dog Backyard Ultra isn’t for everyone. It’s leftfield events like this and the infamous Barkley Marathons – both devised by the savant of suffering, Lazarus Lake – that attract a certain breed of ultra runner. The 2017 edition had one of the deepest fields to date, or as Calmettes puts it, “everything you want for good entertainment: Barkley finisher; 24hr world championship medalist; Badwater champion; Vol-State 500k champion; six-day running specialists; 100-mile winners, and so on. It was pretty humbling being surrounded by greatness everywhere,” he says.

So how to approach a race with no discernible end – a race where your competitors dwindle as the physiological and psychological torment picks off victim after victim? Quite easily, it seems, if you’re Calmettes. “Because there is no predefined finish, you cannot think in terms of ‘how many miles do I have left before this thing is all over’, so in fact, I found it very easy mentally. I just had to think about the next loop. The next loop, always the next loop, it’s very easy thinking,” he says. “You’re never overwhelmed by what you have left to run, because you simply don’t know what you have left to run.” In this case ignorance is, without doubt, bliss.

Another unique aspect of the Big Dog that turns the traditional race experience on it’s head is position. It doesn’t matter if you finish a loop quickest or slowest. Once you finish it within the given hour, every runner begins the new loop tied for first place. In fact, it almost sounds easy. Until it sinks in once again that Calmettes ran for almost two and a half days straight – through storms and rain – to take the prize. It’s a measure of his character that the race’s highpoint for him wasn’t, in fact, winning but a moment when his last surviving rival, Harvey Lewis, finished loop number 56 with only two seconds to spare. The two took off into the next loop like a couple of sugared up school kids – ticking it off in just 41 minutes. “Pushing on a muddy and slippery trail loop with a friend after 57 hours is something special and pretty fun,” he says.

The end came soon after, Lewis quietly dropping out during the 59th loop – leaving Calmettes to unknowingly complete what was to be his final, winning lap.

“The problem when you win Big Dog Backyard Ultra is that it means that you did not really reach your limits; your race stopped because all the others runners called it quits, not because you decided that it was enough,” he says. “Now that I know that I can cover at least 246 miles and stay awake for 59 hours straight, I am even more curious of what I can really do. So yes, I am definitely coming back, and hopefully we’ll hit a third night next year.”

As a final, devious twist, the prize for winning is a starting place at the Barkley Marathons. Will Calmettes take up the offer? “Of course! You cannot say no to a Barkley entry,” he says.

Right, off we go. The race was due to start on Friday at 10am and being a 3-4 hour drive (from Perth)  (depending if you let Amy navigate !) most runners left Perth Thursday and slept the night at the race location.  This wasn’t a hardship for a number of reasons. One, I traveled with Adam who has a caravan so we cocooned ourselves in van luxury for the evening and the race, and two the race itself is  around a beautiful lake which was resplendent for the whole event, albeit a tad on the cool side for my liking especially in the evening.

After an nervous evening meeting all the other runners and mentally preparing ourselves for the adventure ahead we all settled down for the last good nights sleep for at least a few days. In the morning we awoke to the lake in its full glory, a magnificent view presented itself to us and we knew we would run in perfect conditions. How does Shaun Kaesler do it? In my view a small price to pay for a soul Shaun and thanks buddy.

A few of the usual suspect had made the journey down with me, namely Adam, Rob, Rhys, Neil, Justin, Amy, Rob, Jon to name but a few. We all got ourselves ready and ambled up to the start with the rest of the 120 or so starters. The lap itself was pretty cool, luckily because we were about to do quite a few laps on it. The first kilometre was good running before you ran through what looked like a graveyard of old caravans. There must have been well over a hundred. Speaking to the owners of the caravan park it seems the water skiers tow their boat to the lake but leave the caravan and just ask the owners to tow them to their site when they turn up for their annual holiday. After the caravan graveyard there’s another kilometre or so of track before you run on the side of the lake, cross a small bridge and then a few kilometres of meadow running  before finishing running though a , dry, swamp area.  Throw in a couple of small water jumps and some challenging terrain under foot and you have the making of a great loop.

So what was everybodies goal ? We all had differing expectations. Jon wanted to win it, Adam wanted to get to use his head torch for at least one lap, (he was carrying a knee and back inury!) Rob was targeting an Ultra PB, beating his current 51k record,  while Amy and I were looking at 24 laps and our first 100 miler distance. None of us knew what to expect of course never having ran a race where you are continually stopping and starting so we made sure we all packed our massage guns (you do have a massage gun right?) and these were to prove invaluable as the race progressed, as the image below shows..

In the image below you have a few shots of our camp setup. Myself and Adam were in the business class section in his caravan, while the rest of the crew suffered outside in the freezing conditions or scuttled off into their tents. Trust me that caravan was worth it’s weight in gold later in the evening when the temperatures plummeted. While I was embracing the vans heater the guys outside where cocooned outside wrapped in sleeping bags and thermal jackets but still freezing. It can be a cruel world running ultras but I feel they learnt a valuable lesson and one they will take with them next year, I’m expecting to see a lot more caravans and Winnebago’s next year.  Jon , as always, was very well prepared but I feel this time he may have outdone himself. I reckon he had more food on his aid station that the event’s version and I’m sure a few runners found themselves at Jon’s table assuming it was the event one , only to be sent packing by Jon ! Truth be told he didn’t really make a dent in his tukka as he was also visiting the events aid station for fear he would run out. ! Bottom right of the image below you can see the coffee van which also did some really nice toasted sandwiches. I had one before the event but none on the day as I never got it together to either queue or ask someone to arrange a coffee for my return. No worries, next year I’ll get some support. (Jeff did promise to come along this year but he saw the temperatures predicted for the event and thought better of it ! Can’t blame him really, 30- 40 hours of watching runners run round and round in circles, in freezing conditions,  is not that enticing funnily enough?)

Below, starting from top left,  you have me and Rob enjoying the daylight on the first day. Then Adam and Rob relaxing after setting new PB’s and now keeping warm and encouraging us runners who were left,  before scuttling off to bed. The rest of the shots are of the local crew at various times during Friday morning and afternoon and the bottom middle shot is the last 13 runners about to set off on lap 24, 100 miles.

Right back to the race. What’s it like running a ‘Last man standing event‘ that will probably last longer than you’ve ever run before with numerous stops before starting again on the hour, every hour ? It is ace. That about sums it up, it really is the best fun you will ever have in a running event. but there is a caveat of course. If you decide to see how far you really can push yourself than fun soon disappears and you enter the dark world of the ultra runner,  pushing themselves to depths of despair that any normal person cannot imagine and, in this case , you do in on the hour, every hour. Yep, this event can become an evil mistress and the rewards are great but the price you need to pay will be a big one. This is the real point of the event, it allows each runner to go to places they will have never been before and may never go again, in the relative safety of only ever being a few kilometres from safety. No running alone , kilometres from help and facing many more  kilometres to even get to an aid station to DNF. In a looped event you have the relative security and comfort of being a maximum of roughly 3km, in any direction, from the start or finish.  There is also the added benefit of support every 40-50 minutes and a rest before starting again, this is what allows the runner to go further than a normal event. Did I put myself in that dark place only an ultra runners knows ? Unfortunately not , ok,  there were a few Goggin’s moments between  midnight and the sunrise but once the sun was up the last few hours were probably the easiest as I could smell  the finish. Would that have been different if I had decided to run until I dropped ? Definitely,  but this target was 24 hours of running and entry to the elusive 100 miler club and also a big tick of kudos before I faced the Delirious West again in February.  ( http://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/  ) Finishing strong after 24 hours was more important than  pushing myself to exhaustion,  this year anyway, next year it will be a different story.

Other positives was the camaraderie of the event. The start and finish area would be a hive of activity for 20 or so minutes when all the runners stumble in, refuel, re-hydrate , change their clothes etc (the list is endless) and then at a minute past the hour it’s back to being a very big campsite with the support crew left to their own devices and the coffee van, probably?   In that hub of activity everybody is on a runners high because they have finished another loop, another mini event really. How good is this race ? Rather than one runners high, which is the norm, this event you get one every hour for as long as you can keep on going. Birdy’s really is the event that just keeps on giving, hourly.  It is also great to see your fellow runners on the hour , every hour and , in my case, tell the same sheep jokes at the same location to the same runners, hourly. I’m not sure if Rhys and Neil dropped out through fatigue or they just couldn’t stand my jokes again? Probably a bit of both.

As I mentioned earlier all the crew performed outstandingly and all achieved their personal goals. The image below shows me and Justin entering the 100 miler club (give or take a few hundred metres apparently?) and we both decided this was enough for 2020. Personally I felt great and could have gone on but maybe that feeling was linked to my finish target, the mind allowing my body 24 laps before turning to his good friend fatigue if I decided to sneak in a few more laps.  I’m hoping I haven’t sacrificed the opportunity to go further and break through the 200km distance but if I can continue training the way I am  I’m confident I’ll be better prepared next year and I’m sure I’ll have some company with the current crop of finishers,  all set to return in 2021.

Unfortunately during the race I did manage to probably pull my Achilles tendon , and maybe tear it ?, and my ongoing fractured big toe played up at various times. Voltaren and Rock Tape got me through the event but I’m paying the price now.  No running for a week and a few rides on the Bionic Runner, stand up bike, is all I have to show since Birdy’s. It’s a price I’m willing to take but I have another one of Shaun’s events coming up mid September that I need to be ready for.  ( http://lighthorseultra.com.au/ ) The Light Horse ultra is another looped course but this time dictated by time. I’m going for the 12 hour event which last year kicked my backside and handed me my first ever DNF. Determined to give it a good tilt this year and I’m helped by the starting time moving to 6am , so most of the race (if not all?) will be in daylight. Supper excited about this one but my good friend Voltaren will need to pull his finger out to get me to the start line.

Michael Hooker won the event finishing 40 laps and doing it with ease, truth be told. Phil Gore was magnificent in second place staggering to the finish of lap 39 before collapsing over the start line, leaving Michael to his own devices.  Jon ran a perfect race for third spot, his walking, sprinting, snoozing, eating tactics obviously worked.  For the ladies the deadly duo of Margie and Jen yet again were far too strong for the women field and 99% of the men’s field. They both ran to exhaustion and proved they are a real threat when Delirious comes along again in February.

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Last weekend we all go together and drove to sunny Mandurah for a boys running weekend, the inaugural one funnily enough. Bart’s parents have a beautiful holiday home on the beach in Mandurah and it has become available for the family (and close running friends) recently. This opportunity was too good to miss and on Friday afternoon the seven of us traveled down from Perth to start the shenanigans.   The plan was to run a night run on Friday , two runs Saturday and a single run Sunday morning (depending on the alcohol intake Saturday evening of course?) before returning to the ‘bosoms of our loved ones‘ Sunday afternoon.

The highlight of the Friday evening run was running through what looked like a tip in the middle of the trail. It seems the Mandurah locals like to get some fresh air and nice scenery while they illegal dump all their rubbish, bless ’em.  We made Bart’s promise to take us through this again the next day for evidence, which you’ll see later in the post, inspiring stuff.

Saturday morning we were up early, though not as early as some of my running colleagues would have liked.  They seem to have no concept of not being rushed to get in a morning run and insisting on starting in the dark, even though we had the whole weekend ahead of us. I soon put an end to this predawn start talk and I managed to hold them back until just after 7am, which was difficult. My kids are a bit older now and I seem to have more time to run, albeit I am running less being a tad older, it’s a catch-22 situation I suppose. Anyhow one of the benefits of age is older kids and the knock on effect of not being so time constrained, this equates to later start time for morning runs (virtually afternoon runs sometimes) and also more late afternoon , early evening runs.  Of course this is season dependent as in Summer 4am is the best time of the day,  before the sun turns up the dial to ‘microwave‘! Anyhow managed 19k Saturday morning,  after a double day Friday and another run planned in the afternoon,  was never interested in hitting 20k.  (sorry Strava, I am better than that !)

As I mentioned before a trip to Mandurah is not complete without the ‘run through the tip trail‘  with the added bonus of used needles to make posing for photos a life or death situation. You’ll notice for this photo I was the photographer , not the subject, a lot safer in my opinion.  The look on Bart’s face sums up this one, priceless.

Saturday afternoon was a pre-sport watching 10k for some scenery rather than distance or pace. We managed to cross a bridge and Jon was let loose to chase a few segments.  I suppose the whole weekend was more about running with good friends rather than a ‘training camp’ as such, I mean there was no talk of intervals, thresholds, VO2Max etc. We were chasing different metrics involving laughter, tall stories and making memories, we succeeded in all three categories.

That was the point of the weekend, just getting away with good friends,  doing what we all love to do without life’s timetable , albeit only for a weekend. It was the inaugural running trip, but I’m hoping the first of many because it was just good old fashioned boy’s being boy’s,  with a lot of running thrown in for good measure.

Sundays run was a 10-12k amble through Dawesville and after the previous two days , and Saturday night’s entertainment, it was always going to be steady, at best ! We did manage to find a basketball hoop and try to teach Jon about ‘NBA dunking’ but I feel his career in professional basketball is probably a non-starter?

Another highlight was meeting a local runner, Jim from Singapore, at the turn around point and his insistence on joining us. It turns out he had just started his run and was looking for company.  We’re a inclusive lot and he was welcomed aboard although the jogging pants are an acquired taste, he hung on for the last 4-5 kilometres before he was cut loose as we turned for home.

Finally a photo of the inlet on Sunday morning, as always my photography does not do it justice, stunning views. Not a breath of wind and perfect temperatures to end the weekend before we all packed up and returned to life as we know it.  As I said earlier the training weekend will be remembered for many years and there will be much laughter and back slapping as we recount stories which will probably last a lifetime, and that’s the real point of the weekend isn’t it?  For instance after knowing Jeff for nearly 20 years we found out his Chinese name , we also found out Jon’s BMW has an oil leak after it deposited a large amount of oil on the driveway, after we spent hours cleaning the house.  Jon loves playing Texas Poker , and we didn’t or don’t,  Mike K. cannot play Poker after announcing to the table he had four of a kind and was that a good hand (needless to say we all folded instantly!)  and on a Friday night watching the TV , after a meal at the local pub, there was more massage guns out than you’ll find at most physiotherapy practices.

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