Sunday, May 10, 2009

Ghosts of Races Past

I run what seems like a million kilometres per week and I'm still here. It's amazing what the body will put up with! Three weeks of the Hosaka-Hadd Training Plan are in the diary — 126k, 124k, and this past week, 123k. I have a half marathon race in Sydney next Sunday but I'm over it already. I've read there are 10,000 runners entered for the race on a course which is too narrow in places for the former limit of 5,000.

Last Sunday I had a surprisingly good race in the Nail Can Hill Run — an 11.3k trail race in sunny Albury which attracted almost 1400 runners. I ran a recent PB of 55:51, placing 176th. More importantly, I beat my friend and long-time rival Jim! Now, I know he had a bad race, but who cares? I beat the bastard! I caught him 1k into the race and ran scared for the next 10.3k, thinking he might catch up at any moment.

Here are my kilometre splits for the race, which clearly shows "the hill": 4:28, 4:37, 7:38, 6:26, 4:36, 4:37, 4:29, 4:42, 3:45, 4:53, 4:28, 1:12 (300m). Here are the ghosts of races past: 1981 - 50:40, 2006 - 60:56, 2007 - 59:17, 2008 - 56:53. Photos from last year's race.

Old folk from CanberraJim - back row, 5th from left.
Kathy (adidas top) placed 4th female and 1st W50.

22 comments:

rinusrunning said...

Thats a good running time and not so good for Jim ;-).
Goodluck in Sidney next race.
Rinus.
www.rinusrunning.punt.nl

Grellan said...

The million mile weeks are certainly paying off. Well done on the PB.

At least Jim had a great race for the first K. I supose next time you won't even give him that much satisfaction.

R2B said...

A win is a win my friend!

I wonder what would happen if i ran those sorts of miles (discounting my wife would divorce me!)?

Keep it up
Adrian

Mike said...

Great race Ewen - congrats on the time.

Glad to see that your training is going well - hopefully you've found that perfect formula. Perhaps w/ a full build using the new program, we'll see some new M50 PRs!

Runner Susan said...

Congrats on the PB, Ewen! So, is that about 76 miles per week? That's crazy stuff. No wonder all you Aussies are so fast and slender.

Anonymous said...

Its very impressive to record an M50 PB over a tough hill course, sandwiched between two 18K runs, in the midst of a 120+ K per week program. It will be very interesting to see what happens to your RS score over the next few months.

Superflake said...

So you should crack the PB in 2015 for Nail Can.
Heidi was 7th female in 1991 for C2S.

Stephen Lacey said...

Nice work, Ewen.

So, if you are doing true Hosaka training, one of your daily runs would involve some speed work. Have you introduced that yet or leaving it for a while?

Unknown said...

Wow, that is some hardcore mileage. I would think you were running ultras with all of that.

Nice job at the race!

RICK'S RUNNING said...

Great running, turning back the clock and getting faster is awesome!
Keep them miles a comin!

Ewen said...

125k is just under 78 miles Susan - we fast and slender Aussies like kilometres though, because 3 figures in the diary looks more impressive ;)

Steve, when (if) I become accustomed to the mileage I'll introduce some harder sessions. At the moment if I feel good on the first run I do it at upper aerobic effort. Eventually I may do one interval session and a short race or hard tempo run per week (plus more upper aerobic runs). I can't ever see myself doing daily speedwork like Hosaka.

strewth said...

Great run in the Nailcan with all those hills! It bodes well for the Sydney Half - good luck! Just don't do a million miles this week - taper at least a little bit!!

Thomas said...

Something in those splits tells me that was a tough mother of a hill!

Robert Song said...

The big weeks seem to be doing you no harm at the moment. In fact that is an impressive turning back the hands of time set of finishes for that course.

I think you are right to take it slowily in terms of adding speed work to the program. A couple of weeks of that load may be OK but I often find that six or eight weeks is a better time frame to judge whether you are handling the load or not.

And people are tracking your RS score as well. As Kevin Costner said "If you build it, they will come".

Stu Mac said...

10000 on the Sydney course...yep I too would be over it before even starting, if I pay to run, I like to be able to run. Not dodge & weave and walk..

Stu Mac said...

38:25, not as previously mentioned, but then I think you already knew that...

Bill Carter said...

Despite all the miles, it seems that you are just getting faster and faster. What is your secret? Looking at how well you are doing (and being a little bit envious I might add), I have resolved to take up the "million miles training program" myself. I have one more marathon in a little over a week and then the high miles will kick in.

Take care of yourself.

Bruce said...

Well done on beating your mate. No mercy shown there!

Since the Blues are no good this year all I can say is 'go the Chiefs'.

2P said...

Nice running Ewen - trails are much better than a smoggy city half ;)

Maybe I hadd better do some running...

speedygeoff said...

No smog here, and over 800 runners in the Canberra Half this morning. Perfect conditions, still, sunny, cool. And did I say no smog. Who'd go elsewhere?

Love2Run said...

Good luck in the 1/2. I assume your are still running it?

Ewen said...

Thanks Mike - I arrived home too late last night to write a post. The crowd wasn't the problem I thought it would be - but my tired legs were!