We ran our first Coopers Test in 2007 last night, on a track without light in the pitch black of night. Luckily I had my headlamp with and so at least I could see my watch, but it got me thinking about the coopers tests I have done over the years.
My first coopers test (as I'm sure Dion will remember) was run around the rugby fields of Westerford on a windy, rainy day in about 10 cm of mud with bare feet. As far as I can remember my distance was around 2800m, but don't quote me - we didn't actually run on a track even. In those heady days of Norman Davies, the boys used to run first (and completely muddied the fields) before the girls started afterwards. The idea was that the boys would then help push the girls through to some good distances.
The most remarkable one was the one in which I ran my PB. It's funny how time changes things, and warps your memory but I had always thought that my PB was just over 4000m, in fact it's just under 4000m at 3949m (which is for me good anyway :) ) - checked my logbook from those times. This was run on the UCT grass track and we had a very special guest taking part, Simon Mugelstone, who ran close to 4400 m (at the time he was also the reigning European Junior 5000m track champion).
That was a funny old track, it was just over 440m long but it had character, all of my best ever track sessions were run on this track, and I have many fond memories. I have been over the log books (there are many holes in them) but I have counted a total of 35 coopers tests over the last 23 years (my first test was 1984)!
The strangest test I ever ran was on my own up in Johannesburg in 1992. It was shortly after the move, and I had still properly acclimatised. I knew there was a school nearby with a track so off I'd jogged to find it. I eventually found the school, but couldn't find the track and was almost ready to give it up when I met a school pupil who told me where to look. By this stage I had been running for almost 80 minutes. Once on the track I started my run immediately, but after only about 3 or 4 minutes my nose started to bleed. I pushed on regardless (in those days I was still a member of the polar bear club - tough, young and shirtless) and had some very strange comments and looks while I warmed down the 80 minutes back to my digs! I never repeated that exercise again :)
I have run coopers tests in the rain, snow, driving snow, driving rain, wind, strong wind and the funny thing is I don't remember the good days, just the bad ones. I will always associate a coopers test with bad weather I think!
And no matter what happens, I will always think of the coopers test as 12 minutes of hell!
See my clubs all time list here!
My online training log can be found here!
1 comment:
So you were out on the track for all of 12 minutes!!! haven't done that for a good number of years, but it doesn't fit into my training any more... we'll rather go down to the common for a 5km TT. That said, I do remember running them back in the 80's and 90's, but have no idea as to how far I ever ran. Yes it did rian on the first ones we ran Norman know how to read the weather!!!!last weekend was Bay to Bay 30km and after a few days off with a bit of a cold I was a broken man trying to break 2 hrs, but I held on for 1h59:46. Things are going to have to come right if I want a good marathon at Pen.
Dion
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