Nicho's running blog

City to Surf

2006-08-14T01:39:00.000-07:00

Note to self must get back to regular running and blogging. Any way here's a sum up of the C2S from yesterday.

A very fine day for a a run, great company at the start and the end but a shocker of a race. ended up well outside my target 65 mins finishing in 66:55. rather dissapointed and annoyed that both my ankles were giving me hell. It seems to be nerve related pain that kicks in between 5 and 7 km into a run in the anterior part of the ankle and then my feet go numb. It has been troubling me for about a month now (hence I was undertrained). Yesterday it kicked in about 7km and then about a km later my feet started going numb so for about 6 km I ended up just planting my feet on the ground, having very little proprioception. Anyway enough of the whingeing, congrats to everyone who completed and achieved targets yesterday - congrats. Now for a physio apointment!

Official Results

2006-05-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

Got the paper this morning and results are good

Gun Time: 98:04
Net Time: 97:42
Place: 989

Ecstatic to break the top 1000 and have the urge to run alot more although sore muscles are stopping me atm.

The official time means a 3:34 PB on net time or a 3:50 PB on gun times.

An awesome race culminating in a PB

2006-05-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

Did the SMH Half Marathon yesterday which was awesome fun. My friend Pam came down on sat with me to race as well which was good. The race went really really wel and I think I have PBed by just over 3:30. By my watch I came in at 97:44 but I took about 1 sec to stop my watch so I guess about 97:43.

The race started well with a somewhat too fast 1st km on 4:10, slowing down slightly after that I was able to keep at about 4:35 pace for most of the first half. At about 5.5 km I caught CR Gronk who realised he was way ahead of his target pace as we were heading for about 96/97 min pace at that stage. After a brief chat about uni I kept going and caught CR truckie not far ahead. For the next 4 km or so Truckie and I ran together his presense helping me to keep pace until I lost contact with him. The 3rd five km I was rather slow which was somewhat dissapointing but I was able to pick up the pace again through the last 6 km or so. Although I didn't get the 97 mins I was after i came very close (there's always next time) It was great to catch up with the other CRs and Striders after the race. There were alot of PBs out there which is always impressive and all seemed to have a great time.

My times for the day were

1 4:10.7
2 4:30.6 8:41.4
3 4:37.2 13:18.6
4 4:41.9 18:00.5
5 4:22.0 22:22.5
6 4:40.4 27:02.9
7 4:44.0 31:46.9
8 4:21.9 36:08.7
9 4:39.0 40:47.8
10 4:57.6 45:45.4
10.5 48:11
11 4:53.6 50:38.3
12 4:25.0 55:03.4
13 4:58.9 60:00.2
14 4:56.5 64:58.7
15 4:36.3 69:35.0
16 5:01.1 74:36.1
17 4:49.1 79:25.2
18 4:25.0 82:50.2
19 4:41.5 88:31.7
20
21.1 9:12.1 97:44.8
10.6 49:33

time/km = 4:38

So in the end the second half let me down a fair bit but I was happy with my time.

A correction

2006-05-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

Well in official results in I was 1 sec faster which brings my PB down to 42:29

A great PB

2006-05-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

Went on sat to the striders North Head race and I smashed my old PB by 37 secs. Went out way ,way too fast, a fact I was alerted to by several other runners both during the race and after. I realise now that I should listen to people when they say focus on the back 5k. Will try and not do 3:56 first kms until I can actually break 40 mins. Anyway I ended up doing 42:30 which brings me closer to that goal of sub 40 mins for the season. Thanks to mum, dad and my little bro for supporting me during the race.

Nicho

Not quite a PB but well up in the placings

2006-04-01T01:52:00.000-08:00

This month for the Striders 10km I set myself on breaking 42:30 unfortunatley not realising how much slower the Domain course really is having never done it before. I ended up getting 43:31 which I was ok with and was 24 secs outside PB. I felt I had pushed myself and Uncle Dave said this course was worth at least 30 secs on Homebush, something I didn't realise fully until I got the results later in the arvo. I placed 88th, for the first time in the top 100. This put me at 61st on handicap which was fairly good. However for the series this puts me 15th in my age group, 43rd in open mens, 51st on the age and gender adjusted tables and a massive 9th place in the handicap rankings which I am extatic about. I have a feeling with the holiday break in b/n this race and next that I will be able to bring those times down even further and break that sub 42 possibly.

The times are tumbling

2006-03-03T20:13:00.000-08:00

For the second month in a row at the striders 10km race this morning at homebush I set a new pb. My latest of 43:06 is still a fair way off the illusive 40 min mark but is looking hopeful. With a very fast start ( I was silly and tried to stay with the 40 min pacer) I paid the price at the end but was still very happy with how I went. With the road and xcountry seasons starting things are looking good and with a little more training I should be able to break a few more PBs.

Just to clarify

2006-01-11T03:56:00.000-08:00

The time I stated yesterday was only on a practice loop which while I know is 10km is not an official race. I only count official race times as PBs to keep me honest in my training. Thanks for the encouraging comments
Nich

Not much running and alot of work - Plus a warning to oponents

2006-01-10T02:05:00.000-08:00

Early december I started working for Howards Staorage World at hornsby and since then I haven't run very much. Tiredness has been hitting me hard which sucks and I am really missing getting out there and pounding the gravel so to speak. Some good news though last week I ran a 39:53 on my 10km practice loop which looks awefully good for the season ahead. If I keep up this form I should be able to smash my PBs this year.

A run in the bush

2005-12-05T04:29:00.000-08:00

I went for a run today with my mate Josh in the national park. After running down the Sphinx trail we both managed to injure ourselves and hobled back home via the Bobbin Head Track. Despite the heat and our injuries it was alot of fun catching up after not seeing each other this year being in different cities for uni. I had a great time and hope I can do it more often however these injuries are probably going to slow us down for the next week or two.

That's all for now,
Nicho

Summer Series Lane Cove

2005-11-30T03:42:00.000-08:00

Did my second Summer Series event today at Lane Cove. I had a great time and managed to improve on last weeks score by 40 points to take a 260 this week. I enjoyed the bush running invovled in the event although finding the chekpoints was sometimes a little hard. I managed to keep it at a fairly high level but would like to improve alot over the summer. I'd like to thank Dash_Incredible from CR for the lift home today. Unfortunately I can't make it to next weeks run which is dissapointing.

Over the last few days I've been running in the bush between St Ives and home which has been good fun. So far I've seen 2 kangaroos and numerous species of birds. It is so enjoyable to go running in the bush alone.

Until next time,
Cya,
Nicho

One mega PB

2005-11-25T23:35:00.000-08:00

This morning did the Cool Running Sydney 5km Challenge more to see what level I was up to than anything. Dash_Incredible gave me a lift down to drummoyne, something of which I am very grateful for. Starting with the 21 min group and high hopes I clocked an awesome 1:21 PB of 20:58. Despite the overcoast weather the good company more than easily made up for it.

As usual probably went out too hard leading the pack for the first 2km apparently at about 4 min pace although I couldn't maintain it and soon dropped back through the pack where I sat with sfGnome and later a few meters behind himwith Miss Skarmel. However I was able to pick up the pace over the last few hundred meters to make up for lost ground and get the time I wanted.

This is my first PB since the Sydney half and it gives me great confidence. I hope to get to do it sometime again. Well done to all the other PBers and thanks for all the company from everyone there most of whom I know browse over this direction every once in a while. For all those keen see you at the Summer Series on Wednesday

Nicho

My First Summer Series Event

2005-11-23T14:10:00.000-08:00

I came back to Sydney just this last sunday and since then I have run most days, mainly through and around the bush. Yesterday arvo I had a huge amount of fun at my first Sydney Summer Series event down at Lane Cove. It was wonderful to run around at breakneck speed trying to find the checkpoints and write down the letters. Navagating was fairly easy for me but actually finding the points once you got in the vicinity was somewhat more difficult. I was really happy with the way I went even through I only got about half and I have no idea of my points score. I really really want to do next weeks event at Lane Cove, an area I know fairly well and so it would make awesome fun.

Cheers for now,
Nicho

PS while I'm on hols I'll try and update every run

Finally back up and running.

2005-11-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

After about 3 and a half weeks of laziness and I mean something like 3 runs during that time (ultimate laziness) I have now in the past 6 days have seriously got back to running. Since Wednesday last week I have run every day except for Friday on which I did an RPM session at the Gym. I should be studying for my second exam at the moment but somehow don't feel inspired after the difficulty of the first so I'll just tell you about todays run. 1:04:24 for a run of probably 13km although in all reality I have no idea. I wasn't pushing all that hard but was really enjoying just running along so kept the pace at a reasonable level. I went down through the bushland at the back of Jesmond Park which I have had so much fun running through over the last week. It feels so good running through the bush on your own with no one else to bother you. The trails were a little muddy today but still great fun. There is also something nice about having water dropping from the canopy and soft bush gravel under your feet. Anyhow till next time.

Nicho

A fun race for a good cause.

2005-10-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't written much of late because b/n the end of the hols and now I have run a mass total of 5 times. I'm getting back into it though.

Yesterday I went in the Race for Research on the Newcastle Foreshore which was awesome fun. It was meant to be 5 km and I did a slightly dissapointing 22:52, however I have on good advice that the course was 300m too long which is a bit of a pity because most of the other stuff was organised really well. The time is also probaly due to my lack of fitness at the moment! I got to meet Tuttle and Jimboy from CR who I must say are pretty good blokes. I really enjoyed myself and it was agreat way to spend my sunday morning.

This arvo I went for a run with Andy around the shortland golf course and wound our way though bits of the uni. Just as we got back it started to rain which was really refreshing sp we sat in the rain while we warmed down. It just felt so good sitting just letting the rain fall all over you.

Well, What a Race!

2005-10-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterdays Striders Internal Half has to be one of the toughest races I have done. I went nowhere near my target time and I was pushing through the pain barrier for alot of the race and yet it was surprisingly carthatic. I was fine until about the 6km and then after that I had a shoelace come loose followed by shin splints and then stomach cramps none of which helped my cauwse. While the Lane Cove Course is nice as a 10km event the double up just makes it so much harder as a Half and the wind on the day didn't help. Next time I will be more considerate of those hills and realise what I'm capable of. I finished in 1:45:18 which given conditions was rather good but I would have liked better. I must say the volunteers were great for the race and really helpful I dont think I wouldhave got through without them.

Above is a picture of me at the bottom of the weir just before I headed up the hill for the second time. The look on my face is deceptive because by that time I was in a fair bit of pain!

What have I been up to over the last 2 weeks of hols!

2005-10-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well a fair bit actually! Since I last posted last Tuesday the following has occurred!

Wednesday 28th Sept
Went over with Kevin and ran the equalizer with Mabel and Laurie (who is completely capable of running and speaking underwater at the same time) which was great fun. I hadn't ever actually run in Garigal NP before so I liked that. We did 1:04:18 for about 11/12km which was ok I guess but I didn't try and push it hard and I probably could have run faster with younger guys but nonetheless enjoyable

Thursday 29th Sept
Heather gave me a lift to Acron once more in the morning where we did a 1:00:50 loop around St Ives winding through all the backstreets down to the shops then back along Woodbury road (the big dipper). Again not hugely fast

Fri-Mon
Went to Blackstump Christian Music Festival for the weekend so no running. It was awesome. I had so much fun seeing Antiskeptic, The View, Idea of North, Joel Hockey and many others. Paul Coleman was back from the states and had Andrew Kitchen from Antiskeptic play with him. Got to meet Paul in person after he performed. Was great hanging out with my uni mates having such a great time.

Tuesday 4th Oct
Went for a run up Bbn Hd Rd and along the Bbn Hd Track and to the end of the Jacomb Track with Ian and another lady I think it was Mary? I feel so embarrassed not being able to remember her name. Left them on the return journey at the gates and headed home via burns road. Took 1:02:41

Wed 5th Oct
One lesson to learn in life! Lifts wait for no man.. well at least not one who wakes up late. Missed getting a ride with Kevin so went for my own run across the valley via Burns Rd and then out along Warrimoo Road and onto the Warrimoo Track. I then took the Dari Track turn off and wound my way through the bushland across the valley back to Bedford Rd and home via Ellalong Rd. Was a grt run although my speed wasn't crash hot. Ended up doing 1:00:10 including some stopping and checking I was going the right way. It was a great run and I was going at my pace which was nice so I didn't take it easy as much as the legs weren't moving faster.

Thursday 6th
Went with Kevin in the evening down to Waverton and ran with some other Striders along the harbour foreshore. Really nice place to run but unfortunately was slowed down because of the group I was running with who were nice enough just not quite as young a me. Fortunately Phil and I were able to break away at the end and he kept with me over the last 2 or so km. Would like to do it a bit faster one day. Time: 1:00:17

Of other things
Well today is Friday(well Saturday morning) and I am going to do the Striders internal half this Sunday which I am really looking forward to. Effectively I have had 2 weeks of easy runs so I have no excuses of not being fresh enough. I am really looking forward to breaking the 100 min mark which I hopefully can as I love the Lane Cove 10km course which Sundays route is basically a double of. I must be the only Strider with a handicap over a min faster than my PB but my PB was at Sydney so I should be able to break it. Can't wait, I've already got my gear out which is either an indication of my eagerness of disinterest in writing my assignment. It is so tough stopping myself from running over these 2 days because I need to taper a little at least.
Anyway next report will prob be Sunday evening so see you then. For Lulu see I have been training although it would be wonderful to race every day of the week!

Nicho

A photo of me at the Syd Half Marathon Finish

2005-09-27T05:56:00.000-07:00

A decent length enjoyable run

2005-09-27T05:47:00.000-07:00

Went for a run today that followed the same route as sunday except today instead of stopping at Chase Gates I continued to the top of the hill along the Bobbin Head Track. It was a great to run alone in the national park with the trees around you. The only other person I saw was a fellow runner which only goes to show that so many of us runners are like minded people. I estimate it was 15-16km and took me 1:11:18. While it probably wasn't hugely fast It gives a solid few km that I really enjoyed which is what we run for after all isn't it! I'm running tomorrow morning with kevin and the other striders over at the 'equaliser'.

A really fast time trial!

2005-09-26T00:53:00.000-07:00

41:52 for 10km! I can't believe it. I did the 10km loop from home (in sydney as I'm on hols) to chase gates and home via Burns Road yesterday. I felt really really good and the times shown as at each checkpoint I was faster than I have ever done before for that loop. From here the only way is up. I just can't wait to get onto some racing the next one being the Internal Striders Half on the 9th of October!

Nicho

Official Time

2005-09-13T06:12:00.000-07:00

Well I just found them out my Gun Time was 101:54 and my net time was 101:16 which therefore gives me a PB of exactly 3:30 going on net times or a 4:43 based on gun times! This is great for me and hopefully is a sign of improvement!

2005-09-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

I Just found out how to upload pics so here is a photo from the striders 10km at North Head that mum took

A Happy Half

2005-09-13T00:42:00.000-07:00

Well after a week trying to get over a sore throught that was a result of my allergies which I think I just got rid of in time for sunday I ran the Sydney Half. I must say this was a really great event with the atmosphere and the experience of running across the harbour bridge and finishing at the opera house. Running went pretty well but I was probably a little ambitious on my predicted time. I ended up finishing in 1.41.x with official times being released next weekend but that means that I have between a 3 and 3.5 min PB which with the wet conditions and the considerable hill was pretty good I felt. The next barrier is the sub 100 min which I can hopefully achieve in the striders internal half on oct 9. The time fell short of the sub 97 but I was nonetheless happy. It was great to have the company of so many striders and cool runners and mum and dad came in to watch me which was really exciting. I will definitely go in it again and I loved the atmosphere.

Pam stayed over for the weekend and also ran which was great. It was good to have company travelling in, at the start and at the finish. I'm sure we both had a great time.

Nicho

Striders 10km @ North Head

2005-09-03T04:28:00.000-07:00

After coming down to Sydney yesterday for the weekend I managed to convince mum to take me out to North Head for the 10km run. Friday Night I went to the Bell Shakespeare Production of Two Gentlemen of Verona, which was very enjoyable and alot of fun.

For the race today, I loved the course and the scenary and just took it easy for fear of inhibiting my run next weekend at the Sydney Half which I am really looking forward to and because of my sore throat and runny nose from my allergy to all the smoke in the air from the backburning that has been going on around Berowa and Turramurra. I ended up doing 44:31 which wasn't bad and any hopefully that means I can really put down the accelerater in next weeks race. Mum took me and had a walk around the headland and took some photos of the scenary as well as one of me. It was good to introduce her to some of my running friends as well. Unfortunatley I had to go home and study rather than join the guys for brekky on the corso at Manly but I'm sure I'll get another chance (sorry TA and sfG - Thanks for the offer of the lift). Anyway the next week is devoted to prep for the Half which mainly involves eating right and getting enough sleep. I can't wait to be able to run across the lanes of the Harbour Bridge, it will be such an experience.

Cya Round,
Nicho

A slower than expected campus scamper

2005-09-01T06:10:00.000-07:00

A very hot day provided the backdrop for my first ever 5 km race and it showed. After about 2.5km my legs went pretty much to jelly unexpectedly after running really well the evening before. This dissappointed me incredibly but was probably my own fault. I ended up coming 24th which was ok but would have liked to have done better. At least this means I have a PB I can knock off.

Nicho

A fast one

2005-08-30T06:05:00.000-07:00

Went for a run around the usual uni + warrabrook loop today and to my surprise was very fast given my poor training of late. 53:58 for the course without going behind the gym was a fair effort by my reckoning and bodes well for upcoming races.

Campus Scamper is tomorrow and I am looking to run sub 20 for the 5km course hopefully getting a few points for my college in the process. Have got a few tips from others about how to approach the course and will try and stick to a race plan.

Nicho

PS in my report on C2S I forgot to thank Flash Duck for her help at the start. It was good for a newbie like myself to have an oldtimer show me what to do. Thanks for all your help!

Only one run over the weekend.

2005-08-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

Went away to Nelson's Bay for the weekend and only managed to get one run in yesterday morning of 42:30 (I'm guessing just over 9km). Had a great weekend though which was really fun. Running allover the anna bay sand hills although not an official training run probably did my legs some good for the hills in the Sydney half. Should be able to squeeze in a run this arvo. So see you round.

Well it has been more than a month and I really have some news to tell.

2005-08-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well welcome back everyone. Since my last update alot of stuff has happened so I'll just stick to the races I have been in and some more recent other runs.

31st July - The Bay Run
What a great run it was. My first time of around the entire bay set the standard for the future with 30:08 which I was very happy with although I didn't reach my target sub 30. I really loved the wonderful day and the atmosphere of the whole event. It was great to have mum and dad come and watch and they were rather impressed with how fast I ran.

6th August - Striders 10km Lane Cove
Another 10km another PB, which thrilled me no end. I reached my target sub 44 setting 43:57 and was very happy with my race management although I did push the first km too hard doing 4:03. The wether was a little chilly although that seemed to disapear once I was running. It was good to set such a fast time in what is considered a slow course by the club.

14th August - City 2 Surf
Well this didn't go as well as planned but I enjoyed it none the less. I pushed too hard through the first 8km or so, was fine with heartbreak hill, and then found I had no legs in me after that which was dissapointing. I should have been able to go sub 63 but had to settle for sub 65:02. A hard learned lesson in race management and a few things to remember next time. I need water and I am not to push too fast at the begining. Otherwise it was a fun day and mum and dad had a great time watching me finish. They are both seriously considering it for next year.

Well that is all for the races, now of other things.

My birthday saw me get a CR cap and a heart rate monitor which is useful for my running - Thanks mum and Dad. I seem to be running fairly well at the moment, my build up to the Sydney Half is going great and I'm getting back into morning running which is a bonus.

I have 2 races before sept 11. The first is the 5km campus scamper on the 31/8 run by the uni which will be rather fun and a good hit out although I have never done the distance before. There are inter collegiate championship points up for grabs so I will prob push myself. The second is the North Head Striders 10km on the 3rd. I am looking for a good time somewhere around the 43 min mark although if I don't get there I won't be worried as I want some fuel in the tank for the following weekend.

That is all folks and hopefully I'll start updating in a more reasonable manner in the coming weeks.

Nicho

Back Online at uni so here is an update

2005-07-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Well after moving to self I had to submit a form in order to get my internet reconnected, so here is a summary of what has happened in my running life since Sunday.

Sunday
Went to the Striders STaR with Kevin out at drummoyne. Since there was no 15km option I left with the 6:05 am group which included sharon and darren, and some other people whose names I don't remeber and so sincerely apologise. A few of us took the two shortcuts on the course cutting it down to a 25.5km long run. The scenary along the way was really nice and while I felt we were at a relaxed pace we managed to maintain 5 min/km pace throughout finishing in 127:36. That arvo I headed back to uni and moved into my new place. My room mates are really nice and I am so releived to be able to do all my cooking etc.

Monday
Missed getting up so after class finished at 2 I went to the gym with Josh. Did 3*5 min sprints @ 15km/h on the treadmill alternated with 5 mins at 12km/h pace. Then did some sit ups, push ups and dumbell elbow flexions. Was relatively fun and good to get back to the gym.

Tuesday
Did the Warrabrook 12/13km loop in a rather slow time of 62:44. Felt ok but rather slow which sucked. I am definitely capable of a lot more for a run of that length

Wednesday
Again failed to wake up so went to the gym with josh again after our lecture was cancelled. Did fartlek sprints on the treadmill alternating between 12km/h jogging and 15.5km/h sprinting after a 10 min warm up run. Only did 1 set before heading out to the weights room and doing the same as Monday. I can definitely feel where my abs and pecs are now which is kind scary. I have to be careful not to get an overuse injury.

Well that is all. Now I'm online I'll get the updates going more frequently.
Nicho

Last run before heading back to Newcastle

2005-07-16T04:33:00.000-07:00

After waking a little later than I wanted to and doing shopping with mum and dad, I went for a normal run at about 4ish. I covered about 15+ km in 1hr 9mins 30 sec which included about 6 mins waiting at traffic lights to cross which I guess is just part of running the route I did. Everything felt good and I set a reasonable pace going sub 32:30 for the first 7.6km and then continueing through.

Tomorrow morning I am going on my first Striders STaR which I am really excited about. The Western wanderer is the course this weekend, which starts at Drummoyne rowers so it is an early rise to get there on time and then after the run I have to head back to Newcastle in time to start the new term on Monday.

Nicho

From Bad to Good to Even Better

2005-07-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well I went for a run on Wednesday evening only to be plagued by calf strains, tib ant strains (yes I know the diff between them and shin splints), chest cramps and asthma. I ended up walking for at least 10 mins of the 10km run which is really aweful for someone like me and those times I did run I was painstakingly slow.

Thursday I got to swap over to my new room at college as I am moving to self catered - NO MORE COLLEGE FOOD WOOHOO! and moving all my stuff took ages and so thus I spent the whole day in Newcastle so couldn't run which sucked but it was for the best. At least my room is bigger!

Today has been one wonderful day. Waking early (530) I headed over to St Ives with Kevin for some sprint training. I felt good and the lactic build training was really enjoyable, we sprinted 4 mins down the hill and then climbed back as fast as we could, the point being the faster ones then have to catch those slower than them on the way back. This helps to build up speed over longer distances as well as building lactic acid which tests your resistance and increases your bodies ability to avoid need for this. After I got home at around 715/730 I slammed down some brekky.

The day then got even better. At 2 my semester 1 results came out. My marks were (drumroll)
Physiotherapy 1 - Credit - 67
Biomed Science 1 - Credit - 70
Musculoskeletal Anatomy - Pass - 57
I am extatic about all of those as this is supposed to be one of the hardest degrees in the uni so I feel I am doing well. Physio 1s double weighting means that I have a borderline Pass/Credit Average which is wonderful. To celerbrate my family and I cracked open a really nice drop of red. I hope the few glasses doesn't affect my running too much in the morning.

Anyway cya
Nicho

A second lot of sprint training

2005-07-12T04:37:00.000-07:00

For the past five months or so I have basically been doing some fartlek sprint training once a week, but following some discussions on Friday night and some advice from other CRs I have started a second session of sprint training in an effort ot bring down my 10km time. Today was the begining with 8 * 400m sprints (which I will bi weekly alternate with 6*800m). Since in sydney I don't live close to a marked oval I did the perimeter of one of the local ovals which I guess was about 400m. Times in secs were

1.11
1.17
1.17
1.20
1.21
1.22
1.21
1.19

Except for the first which I obviously pushed too hard I was happy with consistency of my times and hopefully they will drop as the weeks go on. I also need to ensure that I don't leave too long a gap between repeats. Tomorrow will be a regular about 13km run hopefully early in the morning.

A very exciting Great NOSH

2005-07-11T03:30:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while since I have updated mainly due to my laziness as I've been on hols. After running my 18km last weekend I didn't run again until thurs. I did a rather slow 45:10 lap of the 10km circuit which I was unimpressed with because I reckon I can do a lot better and then following that didn't run again until Sunday.

On Friday morning I missed sprint training due to lack of sleep (2.5 hrs is not enough) which annoyed me a fair bit. I walked the 7 or 8 km to my mates house in the morn before heading off to CR drink in town which was a most enjoyable evening getting to meet all the familiar posters. Good atmosphere and good discussion incl. some helpful advice about improving times and race plans.

Saturday was a rest day due to racing the following morning.

The great NOSH, a 15km footrace from Lindfield to Seaforth through the bush along everything from firetrails to narrow single track ascents, was my first off road race and I had an awesome time. The wind, the rain and the mud only added to the atmosphere as I set myself up for what I felt was a pretty good time of 86:28 (obviously a new PB). I got to the race nice and early to get registered catching the train down to Lindfield before getting a lift to the start from Sharon, whom I would like to thank. After sitting in the cold and then doing a short warm up with other CRs we headed down to the start. The race was harder than I expected and I had to extend my eta by about 10-15mins. Although slipping once which resulted in a graze on the leg and another above my right eye I thoroughly enjoyed charging the through the bush as fast as I could. I felt I managed my race well except for going a little fast at the beginning 1 or 2 km and the steep sections hit me harder than expected mainly due to the increased difficulty caused by rain, mud and fallen trees. I wasn't expecting something as tough but it added more to my enthusiasm than it diminished. I loved the race and will hopefully line up for it again as well as recommend it to anyone.

Monday was a day off after the long run and just went for a walk to ease out the muscles but will start the pounding again tomorrow morning.

Until next time,
Nicho

A Good Long Run

2005-07-03T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well after yesterdays long race I failed to convince my dad that it was a wise idea to wake at 530 to take me to the striders training run and by the time I messaged kevin it was prob too late.

However I did get a long run in of about 18km I think, maybe a little more. After doing chores for most of the morning and finally finishing the ironing at about 4 I set off at about 415. Following my normal run (when in sydney) I headed for the National park gates before going down the hill into the park, something I usually don't do. I reached the bottom about 2.5mins slower than I expected turned around after crossing the bridge and headed back up the hill which did alot for my legs as I wound my way up the 4km. I then continued along Bobbin head road before returning home via Ellalong ave. All in all a good run coming in at 1hr 34 mins 56 secs. Just over 5 mins a km I think as I don't have an exact distance.

Afterward for a warm down I took the dog for a walk. About another 4km of walking around the block means I covered some fair distance. That's all for now

Happy Running, Nicho

So close but yet so far

2005-07-02T01:11:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a long time since I posted due to exams which are now thankfully over. It is such a relief and I have virtaully nothing to do for the entire hols except help mum out and muck around with friends. Over the past week or so my training was pretty bad due to the exams first and secondly the rain which just didn't stop, so in desparation yesterday the day before a race i went for a run and was rather slow, taking the 10km route which I now have a feeling is a little shorter.

For my first official race as a strider I had a geat day. Anyway todays race was very enjoyable and I would definitely run there again. I ran pretty well looking at a well and truly sub 45 min time throughout the race helped by trying to catch up with Spaghetti legs from 3 km onwards holding her at a steady distance until about the 9km mark. I must have lost it a little in the last km or so though missing 45 mins by only a second. My new pb by 1:47 is now 45:01 something that WILL be changed in the next run. Thanks again to kevin for taking me out there

It is good to be back to blogging
Nicho

Faster Again.

2005-06-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

Decided that the best time to run yesterday was the not so early time of 8:15 and while it was a little cool it was in fact warm enough to run in a t-shirt and shorts which was good. Again I did the 10km loop as time is desperately short at the moment due to study so that was all I had time for with my Biomedical Science exam coming up on Thursday arvo. Again I made better time than before and was impressed with the ease with which I ran the first 5 or so km. Even though I was making really good time I felt that I wasn't needing to force myself to keep up with my target splits. I suspect that this caused me to have a very positive split.

So anyway back to the study after another good run.

Nicho

Never underestimate yourself.

2005-06-17T01:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update, while I thought yesterdays run was pretty good I thought I might have been a bit slow, this has obviously proved the case with today on the exact same route clocking 43:57 in compared to yesterdays 46:45. My guess is that it also a little shorter than I first thought. Anyway tonight I felt i made awesome pace and can't contain my excitement.

'Till next time,
Nicho

Exam no1 went well so it is back to running and studying

2005-06-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

That's right everyone, I actually reckon I went ok in my exam on tuesday for physio 1 which I am happy about. On other fronts I've still been running. On Sunday morning Pam, Andy and I went for a run around through Lambton and back up through the backstreets of Jesmond to ease ourselves into study mode for the rest of the day. Took almost right on 50 mins so I guess it was propbably around 10.5km ( I don't know because it was a new and rather hilly route.) I was happy with this effort as it managed to get me into study mode for the rest of the day.

Monday saw a different scene. While I woke a little later due to the cold I exhausted myself with study and at 4 decided to take myself for a run. I just followed the usual uni + warrabrook course that I do when I run by myself and managed to cut down on my previous time by more that a 1.5 min and added the bush track on to my return trip which extended the run on what I did on Saturday.

Tuesdays exam prevented me running and I spent the afternoon and night at a mates house on the coast before heading to Sydney on Wednesday morning. As my mum has just gone into hospital I went and saw her spending most of the day there which meant I didn't get a run in but for mum I'm willing to make that sacrifice.

Today I was at home most of the day studying and finally at just after 4 went for a run around the somewhat homely streets where I live in Sydney. I did a little more than I used to in Sydney although it is what I now consider a short run of about 10km (dad tells me this is how far it is when he measured it on his bike) taking 46:45. It was nice though to be able to run through the surroundings of my childhood, up to the national park, back past the primary school I went to, down past the bowling club and along my friends' streets back toward home. The other factor that caused it to be shorter was because I had to also walk the dog, something mum usually does but he needs, so I was really happy to do it. Rusty and I headed around the block and chatted to the usuals out on their evening stroll and as usual he kept a good pace for a dog of his size right the way round. I reckon if he were human than he could probably run faster and further than me but my height advantage pays off significantly.

Anyway I must be off to bed

Nicho

I've been lazy on the blog!

2005-06-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been running and I have done exercise, it is just that in amongst all the study for next weeks exams I haven't got around to blogging. I went for good runs of about an hour in length around the uni and warrabrook on my own on monday and tuesday which did well to wake me up on monday and later in the afternoon on tuesday. For wednesday I went over and did rpm at the gym. Through this I made sure I pushed myself really hard and surprising felt rather good at the end although my left quads were rather tight probably because of not having ridden much of late. Friday saw another uni and warrabrook run at about 5ish. This took me just under an hour although I was rather annoyed to be stopped by some weirdo wanting to know where the bridge to the golf course was (why would you want to get into the golf course by the back way when it is dark?). This prob slowed me up a minute and the directions I gave were rather vague. On a more pleasant note the lake over at warrabrook was rather picturesque as the sun set over it and I wished I had my camera with me. I will probably go over there once exams are over and take some photos one evening.

Today I have soccer which I am looking forward to so I prob won't run because of the huge amount of study I have for tuesday.

Next time I will be a little better at updating the blog.

Nicho

10km PB on the board and I'm pleased.

2005-06-04T22:34:00.000-07:00

I now have a PB for the 10km thanks to a rather chilly June, Lance Cove morning and Sydney Striders. In my first ever 10km race aiming for a sub 47 I managed to get in at 46:48 which I was rather impressed about. Despite the cold it was a great morning and I got to actually meet a fair few of the sydney based cool runners which was good. My friend Kevin from Striders took me down to the course and although I didn't run with him it was great to have him there.

For those who don't know Lance Cove, basically it goes up the hill and back. My race plan was to stay sub 5 min km on the way up the hill and acellerate on the way back down the hill. This changed after the first km and I ended up doing sub 4:45 km right the way up reaching the 5 km mark at 23:27 and ended up getting back about 6 secs quicker which was good but means I praobably should have held back a little more in the first 5 so I could accelerate down the hill a little faster but I was nonetheless chuffed to have achieved my goal. This also means that I can prob go faster.

My new target is to get a sub 45 by the end of this year. Mum has also let me join striders as an early b'day present which is exciting.

Until next time, cya

You've gotta take the good with the bad.

2005-06-03T02:25:00.000-07:00

So far since my last entry I have had 3 runs, 2 good 1 bad. Thursday morning to clear my mind pre prac/viva I went for a run by myself around much the same route as on Monday. It went rather well except for the cold. Running along the path towards Jesmond my hands started to freeze up and I almost thought they were going to completely ice over which only accentuated e the fact i need to get some warmer running gear. Saw Mel and a few of the other IH guys walking around the Warrabrook lake, surprisising not shivering, but I wasn't going to slow up too much for fear of freezing over (they had warm clothes on. The afternoon saw an intended lot of sprint training turn rather aweful. Somehow I don't think I will have peanut butter ever again before running, it just isn't nice and was the main reason why I ended up walking for half the warmup and only doing one set.

Today however so a much better run, Andy, Sarah and I headed out round Warrabrook via the highway and round the golf course. Despite a little cold we managed to stay warm and set a fair pace. It managed to get my mind awake and things working .

Tomorrow sees my first official 10km run which I am doing to try and get a group A start in the City 2 Surf. My friend kevin and I are doing the striders 10km at Lane Cove. This apparently is a little challenging due to the hills but past experience says this will be to my advantage. Iam hoping to get around 46/47 mins although being my first time it is hard to judge exactly what sort of time I am capable of.

One last note Happy Birthday to my dad.... maybe one day I'll get him running!

Finally a good run

2005-05-30T06:07:00.000-07:00

This morning my run went really well. For the first time in over a week I was able to run and without too much pain which was excellent. I ran for just under an hour and met another runner who was willing to chat along the way and ran with him for a good half hour which was cool. I felt my pace was ok, probably more spurred on by the temperature than anything else so all went well.

This followed up my first game back for soccer on saturday after my seizure which was rather enjoyable and a good 3-0 win helped to buoy the confidence of myself and the team. I'm looking forward to sat.

In other good news I've got a bunch of the church guys willing to come run the city 2 surf with me so that'll be fun and help enhance the experience.

Sore has to be a mild way to put it!

2005-05-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well after being so stoked with how sunday went my 2 runs since then. Yesterday arvo I went for half an hour not worried really about speed and I could tell my muscles certainly hadn't completely recovered. This morning I woke up to go for a run with Andy. Not far into the run shin splints started to occur and by about 20 mins they were killing so much that I had to return to college while Andy continued. Eventually I had to stop running and walk back. This is the first time in a long while that I have had to walk. i'm hoping that this will get better and I will be able to run tomorrow morning.

Official Results In

2005-05-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

Well they are in and despite the 2 days it has taken me to recover so far I am very happy.

My official stats for the 2005 SMH Half marathon (and thus my PBs set for the first time) are ...

Place: 1800
Gun Time: 106:37
Net Time: 104:45

Well done to all the other runners esp. those who achieved PBs and those first times who completed it like myself.

For those wondering how the hubs test that was stressing me out a few days before went - 17/20 which I though was rather good. Anyway til later cya

How good was that!

2005-05-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well what a day, perfect running conditions were in store for all of us running in the SMH half and boy what fun we had. I ended running 105 mins approx and just have to wait until tuesday for the official time. While this was a little slower than what I originally intended I was fairly happy with my time. My first half started off really well and I passed the finish line on the first lap in about 52.5 mins and so thus I slowed down a little through the second (with the extra 1.1km on the first). It was really great to have the support of both mum and dad, one of my neighbours and rather well attired Cool Running cheer squad which kept me going.

I had start the race with two of my mates Nath and Tim, while Andy was further back in the pack. It didn't take me long to pull away from those two and for most of the first lap I stayed with 2 cool running girls and 1 cool running guy. They set a reasonable pace and eventually pulled away from me. through the second lap while I was overtaking a few people I stayed pretty steady in relation to where other runners were and sprinted the last km or so which was good. I loved the race and I'm up for next year already and certainly the C2S.

To anyone who is uming and ahing about going in this next year take your chance, you won't regret it!

It was also pretty cool watching the likes of Brett Cartwright running in the other direction, an experience you rarely get in most races.

So wrapping up my first ever half marathon was awesome and I'd say that there will be many more to come.

See you all soon!

SMH half is on tomorrow and I can't wait!

2005-05-21T00:25:00.000-07:00

At the moment I am just about to jump out of my skin I am so excited about tomorrow. I can't wait and I will definitely have trouble getting to sleep tonight as a result. While I intended to run on Thursday my laziness coupled with a hubs mini test resulted in this not happening, however I went for a half an hour light run around the most outer perimeter of the uni on Friday morning as my final run before race day. Even more exciting is that mum decided that given the amount of running I was doing now (and the fact dad bought himself a new bike) I could get some new shoes. While I tried on both the ascics Kyano and Adidas Control, I ended up going for an upgrade on my previous shoes ending up with Brooks Adrenalin simply because they gave me the cushioning needed to prevent any recurrence of my talocrural joint smacking together which is related to my tight calves.

Anyway, best of luck for all those going in the race tomorrow. It looks like it is going to be an awesome day and well worth all the training. To all those coming out to support us thank you very much in advance! I know I will need it.

Really need to run tomorrow

2005-05-18T05:06:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't run for the past 2 days for really no reason at all which is rather stupid. The biggest problem was the rain - it is not that it should stop me but rather that it plays a big part in discouraging me when my alarm goes off at 6:20 in the morning. On Monday I went for a good 14km run with Andy which took us 1hr 4min, at time where I was pushing myself a fair bit more than Andy was which showed in his time for the same course on Tuesday where he did 56 min. This put me to shame becasue at the time I was snuggled up in bed. Today again I should have got up but didn't and given the exams and things coming up, if I don't go early I don't go at all so tomorrow morning it is then. I'm intending to do prob 3 laps of the uni as fast as I can which should be prob about 50 mins and that will be the longest run I'll do before sunday and the big race. I will prob also go on fri morning and if Nath my mate from syd is up for a run late Fri/early Sat we will prob do a 20 min sprint run then. Anyway it is back to the books - hubs test tomorrow - eek!!

Hill climbs are tiring yet somehow strangely fun

2005-05-12T23:33:00.000-07:00

This morning Andy, Mal and I did some hill sprints in prep for next weekend. We did a 30 min warm up lap around the uni before doing 5 sprints up the med sciences hill which was a fair challenge for someone like me who isn't a sprinter. While my tib ant pulled up hard in the warm up I was able to perservere on and after a stretch and the hill climbs it felt alot better. Andy als o gave me some deep heat to use if i need it. Last night I also had fun mucking around with a frisby on the oval in the pouring rain with some of my mates from IH which was really cool and in a sesnse liberating after working hard all day. I'll prob head for a long run tomorrow provided my tib ant is feeling fine.

Things are feeling better

2005-05-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well my tib ant has felt alot better over the last 24hrs. The rpm session at the gym went rather well and provided I stretch properly I should be able to make it to race day injury free (thanks for the advice LL). I'll prob do a bit of a hill training tomorrow with Andy and the other guys from THC, our running club at college, which should be fun and will just get my thinking on track for appraoching those hills in the half. So far things are looking pretty good and I am ready and rearing to go.

I could kill that muscle...

2005-05-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

...well not really . I realised that it was more likely to be my tib ant hurting yesterday and that continued to hurt today as I tried to do some sprint training this morning, which I only got one set of in due to my 8 am start. Andy, Sarah and I went for a 20 min warm up, then we started to sprint train and every time I ran my tib ant seemed to hurt more and more. I tried to stretch it out but it continued to hurt and slow me down. We did the sprints based on time so we could all train at our own pace and it was obvious how much it was slowing me down. I've decided to do rpm with my mate Steve to take a bit of the strain off it tomorrow and I'll prob do some more stretches throughout the day. Anyway I must go cos I've got work to do.

SMH Half getting close

2005-05-10T05:14:00.000-07:00

Well after having a seizure last week I got back to running about half way through the week. I'm running pretty well at the moment and I am looking forward to my first half. I'm hoping to get it done in under 1hr 40 and I believe I'm on target. I went for a run this morning with Sarah out through Warrabrook, along the higway then down through Sandgate and Shortland. While my Hallicus Flexor Longus seemed to be a bit tight I think that might have had to do with my lack of warming up and I think I still made good time.

It is now only 12 days to go and I can't wait. I'm still undecided as to what to wear but I know that I will have something. I'm possibly thinking of doing the Newcastle Cross Country Run on Saturday as my final decent length run before I taper. Anyway must run work to do for assignments!

Nicho

Really need to start training properly

2005-04-26T02:05:00.000-07:00

I have established this blog to start forcing myself to keep and actual record of what sort of training I am doing. I am currently training for the SMh half marathon, which I can't wait for (except for the fact I want to be fitter for it). The SMH half is my first actual race although I have been running socially for a little over 2 years hence the excitement. While I didn't do anything today I prob should have done an easy half hour run or something like that. Andy is doing some speed training tomorrow so I think I might join him becasue I haven't really done much of it although I tend to do 1 or 2 shorter fast runs a week. Will post again soon
Nicho