After racing back to back for nearly two months my coach finally gave me a month off. In that time I was to jog, bike, swim or do nothing. Anything but race-walk. He wanted me to have a complete break and wind down. Oh how I needed that!!!
In this month lay off I have started a new job (new hours too) and have taken up my Legal Executive Course, so I study for two hours every night as well. So needles to say my training has consisted off 3 x 5km jogs and 1 x 10km jog. So when I saw the Waimea 10km series I was all kinds of excited as I love 10km races. The only problem being I have not walked for nearly 6 weeks and still have 1 more week until I am meant to start up again.
So I have decided to do the series just as training walks and not actually race them.
So the race.............Well I have to take my hat off to the orginisers of that course, it would have to be one of the worst courses to walk that I have ever walked....it was more up hill than down. But the weather stayed dry but cool. Its just coming into our winter so temps were a little chilly for us...long sleeves (but not long pants....heaven forbid you wear long pants while race walking here!!)
We started off heading up hill and we weaved our way around some back streets of Nelson.....at a guess 800m until we reached the top and turned to head back down, then we turned and went back up again....we had one nice long flat section only to be faced with a steeper hill to climb up. I have not learnt the knack of race walking up a hill nor coming down. I always feel I am going to slip over when I pick up pace coming down. The lead female walker (Wendy) was already 500m out front..as expected...she takes full advantage of the down hills having a perfect technique and can really pick up some speed. I got to the 5km turn in 32.00 which I felt was ok considering the hills and that I was just cruising. My lungs were holding out and I was not breathing too hard. The weird pain in my side had come back and was nagging me a little.
I was having a good wee battle with Bevan (a rec walker) he would catch me on the hills and then I would pull away on the flats. Facing the hills on the way back was not much fun and I was out of steam and struggling. So just the desire to finish and not let Bevan beat me was my motivation. I know that there was a good battle going on behind me with Stephen (our coach), Ross and Sharon. It is always fun to cheer all the walkers on at the finish. Usually everyone is smiling and laughing but today everyone looked shattered and all were well pleased to have finished.
The results for the first three walkers were:
Wendy Healey W 59.12
Peter Hague W 62.27
Nyle Sunderland W 63.38
and this should be a link to my garmin details for splits and a map of the course...
Waimea 10km series - Fashion Is by kyisis at Garmin Connect - Details
But the coolest thing of the whole day, was not the race but a present that was given to one of the walkers. Pete - who wants to run a marathon next year and is going to run not walk. We call him SOF (sly ol fox, silly ol fool...) and we tease him lots as he always walks past you saying "are we there yet.....or...its only me..." Well Yvonne and John came up with the most awesome idea and made up a special shirt for him to wear as Marathon coach and team leader. Its red and on the front it says "Caution - slow moving vehicle" and on the back it has an old man in running gear with a zimmer frame with "ARE WE THERE YET!" across the top. I cant wait for the training to begin and see him in it.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Nelson Shoe Clinic Half Marathon - 2010
Before I knew it the Nelson Shoe Clinic Half Marathon had rolled around and I was so not ready. With all the racing I have been doing over the last month, it has made it very difficult to train properly for it. My coach suggested that we rely on my base fitness to pull me through as the other events I was competing in had more merit to them as they were judged and most were national events.
Unfortunately for me I suffered a migraine the day before the start of the race. (Mine always last 3 days) I was not feeling confident about this race at all and a number of times thought of pulling out at the last minute.
The day dawned to a nice clear sky. Well thats a plus. Hubby drove me down and was going to hang around after we started as he was running the quarter and started 45mins after us. All the walkers and 3 hour plus runners lined up at the start line. Beside me was a lady in a hand crank bike and I looked down and thought..."Wow, that is true persistence and never give up spirit"
Above is the start as in the Nelson Mail. I didn't expect to lead out from the very start but that is how it panned out and it remained that way for the entire race.
I did a comfortable 5km (29:25) and then took note as I passed the half way mark in 63:20....I was really pleased with that as it was faster than when I had walked the quarter last year. I must admit to not liking this course and when you turn at the 10.55km mark it nearly brings you to tears that you have to go back out and do another lap. Yes its flat and supposedly easy but it is BORING!!! and being out the front made it even more so...I had no one to chase or to push away from. About the 15 km mark I hit my wall. My hips were aching and my legs felt like lead. I couldn't see my closest rival behind me and did slow down a little. I had met up with the slow walkers in the quarter and some of the runners from the half and it was frustrating me that they were all over the path making it so hard to pass.
Here I am rounding the bend at the 18km mark. It was here that I gave my self a real telling off and told myself to harden up and just move it as it was only 3 km to go. My times on my GPS show that it worked and I was back under 6min K's again.
I am always thrilled to see the finish line in this race and whipping down the km straight passing the runners was a joy!!! 2:10:31 is my official time and it is a PB for me and I have since found out it is a course record.
I am now on a two week break.........which has slipped into a 3 week break due to illness. I have started jogging to improve my fittness. Will slowly introduce the racewalking again soon...but for now I am enjoying the break.
Unfortunately for me I suffered a migraine the day before the start of the race. (Mine always last 3 days) I was not feeling confident about this race at all and a number of times thought of pulling out at the last minute.
The day dawned to a nice clear sky. Well thats a plus. Hubby drove me down and was going to hang around after we started as he was running the quarter and started 45mins after us. All the walkers and 3 hour plus runners lined up at the start line. Beside me was a lady in a hand crank bike and I looked down and thought..."Wow, that is true persistence and never give up spirit"
Above is the start as in the Nelson Mail. I didn't expect to lead out from the very start but that is how it panned out and it remained that way for the entire race.
I did a comfortable 5km (29:25) and then took note as I passed the half way mark in 63:20....I was really pleased with that as it was faster than when I had walked the quarter last year. I must admit to not liking this course and when you turn at the 10.55km mark it nearly brings you to tears that you have to go back out and do another lap. Yes its flat and supposedly easy but it is BORING!!! and being out the front made it even more so...I had no one to chase or to push away from. About the 15 km mark I hit my wall. My hips were aching and my legs felt like lead. I couldn't see my closest rival behind me and did slow down a little. I had met up with the slow walkers in the quarter and some of the runners from the half and it was frustrating me that they were all over the path making it so hard to pass.
Here I am rounding the bend at the 18km mark. It was here that I gave my self a real telling off and told myself to harden up and just move it as it was only 3 km to go. My times on my GPS show that it worked and I was back under 6min K's again.
I am always thrilled to see the finish line in this race and whipping down the km straight passing the runners was a joy!!! 2:10:31 is my official time and it is a PB for me and I have since found out it is a course record.
I am now on a two week break.........which has slipped into a 3 week break due to illness. I have started jogging to improve my fittness. Will slowly introduce the racewalking again soon...but for now I am enjoying the break.
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