The one with the blisters...

Sunday morning dawned bright and early. Every thing was going well, all the kids had taken to Aisha, my headache was gone :) I still had blisters however. I taped myself up nicely before breakfast to protect my ankles as I knew that in Hungary the ground is very stony, and it would be no different today.

The planned training was a 9 km race which formed part of the Eger cup. I was planning on taking it easy. On arriving we were hit by the fairly cool temps and so it was quickly into our kit and off to the start. Once there (and I was the first) it was off immediately and here I picked up on an error that occurred fairly often while in Hungary. I wasn't concentrated enough when I left and as a result made a mistake straight away to the first control. Bugger. Here the rest of the analysis:

S-1: lack of concentration leading to incorrect route choice and I was unsure where I was.
2-3: Could have stayed on the road longer.
7-8: Dropped to much and had to come back up to control
8-9: Control circle problems - no real attackpoint
11-12: drifted right on a bearing
12-13: Incorrect route choice - round the hill right and path was substantially faster
14-15: Map a bit dicey, but mainly lack of concentration close to control
15-16: My blister have blisters - no concentration and tired. Bearing from road was not accurate enough and wasn't able to reallocate. Wandered, no purpose.
16-17: After the mine, followed two others on a different course and drifted off my own bearing.

I took 2 things away with me, one was that the ground was going to be difficult to run over and the other was that sometimes the map needs some interpretation on it's own.

Lunch was had down in a small valley and was really good, and the rest of the mid morning, early afternoon we just relaxed and got ready for the second training.

Oh yes, and did I mention that my blisters had blisters?

The one with the Headache...

Well, I have just returned from an extended stay in Hungary and I wanted to put down some fingers to keyboard and hold my memories fresh. This will be the area for the EYOC 07 and the WOC 09 and so it was really good preparation for those two events. I will put my maps and thoughts here, feel free to comment!

As I am the Austrian Team Manager, I got to go on this training camp as a official (the one with the money) and obviously I was able to do some of the trainings as well. I left Henndorf (with Aisha) at 6 am on Saturday morning the 31st of March with the intention of meeting some team members in Vienna at 8:30. Perfect planning saw me arrive at exactly 8:30 and once we had stopped for some medicine and "padkos" we were on our way. Getting over the border was no problem and one small traffic problem was all the hold up we had until we got to our accommodation - which we couldn't find due to having the incorrect address.

I arrived fairly buggered, 8 hrs in the bus is hard work, and very dehydrated and this caused the usual heavy headache - but I struggled through. The afternoon training was on a map not too far from our accommodation, but the quality of the map wasn't so good. I didn't have any problems, except between 10 and 11 where the map was not clear anyway, and various gully's were missing and so I was looking in the wrong one. I took it fairly easy and enjoyed the run where I could (headache) - however young Aisha had a great time.

I was happy - this was looking like it was going to be a good week. My only concern were the high meters, and a few blisters picked up while running in OL shoes that haven't been used all winter!

The evening saw us try out our local "restaurant" and I must admit they were good through out our stay in Hungary. Generally speaking the food was good albeit heavy - far too much meat was on offer (every meal incl. breakfast) but we were well catered for, only vegetarians need to worry about Hungary.

As usual you can find my training here on Attackpoint!

Cross / Orienteering combined

Anyway, after way ums and ahs over the last months, they finally (they being the SLV trainer) convinced me to organise a training cross country here in Henndorf. I agreed and then was hoping that I would be able to combine the SC with the cross country. However, the guys organising the SC said they wouldn't do it, so in the end I agreed to organise this as well.

My organising team did a wonderful job in the end, the cross country course was fantastic and the orienteering was just right for the start in the new season. The XC course was set on a large field, with some small uphills and downhills, lots of direction changes, a bit of forest and of course lots of fast flat on the fields. Although not a lot of people turned up (we were 11 in the senior cat) all that run really seemed to enjoy it.

I had a really OK run, considering that I was extremely busy and tired the entire week before that. I started out at about 8:30 a lap, and was able to more or less keep that constant, with my last lap (out of 4) being the fastest lap. I was happy.

The orienteering also went off without hitches. I started everybody (Christine just ahead of me) and when the last person had run, I ran myself. Christian had set the course and put out the controls so I was free to do this. It was really nice and simple and I was able to run at a good speed without any mistakes (except 10 - 11 where I decided to miss the climb - but this was incorrect). I was surprized that after 8 km and major XC that I was still able to go so well during the OL. Won my class, but was 4th in total behind Felix, Norbert and Robert. (Winning my class is not so hard :) )

And that was the last weekend. Unfortunately since then I have been ill, and was not able to train the later half of last week, but I will head out for a little jog this afternoon to see how my body has recovered!

I wish you all well!

New records all round...

During Jan / Feb, I was doing some good running and I past another milestone or two in this time. First major milestone to fall was the 122 km week Nr. 6! As far as I can tell this is my official longest week in Austria since moving here in 1997. I have had 2 longer weeks, but both were coupled with Training Camps that were not in Austria (Hungary / Finland).

Additionally I hit the all time longest (on my feet) run for time and height that I have ever done - even my 5 or 6 marathons were never that long, and the height - well - the height (or climb) was just stupid. Christian and I decided to run with the Youth National team on their Sunday morning long run, and then run back to home from where they were - only problem was that they were first running up the Gaisberg, and then to get home we had to run another 20 km.

I have never run up the Gaisberg in total so I thought this would be a great run - and it was! I suffered for the entire following week. We started at 9:30 at the foot of the Gaisberg, and ran up (6,5 km 850 hm) in about 50 minutes. We then had a short tea / biscuit break and started on the way down, but we couldn't find the path, so we decided to just to ... well ... run down the side of the mountain. At gradients of up to 60 degrees, this proved much harder than expected, and both Christian and I hit the level (1,2 km / -600m) about 35 minutes later (that's around 30 minutes a KM).

After this we crossed the valley - took a second stop for refreshments - and started up the Dachsteinblick. Once on the top (another 350 m climb) we followed the ridge track to the hotel "Dachsteinblick" (another stop), took a bearing on Leo and Gitte's house, and ran directly over the fields to them. Man, I have rarely been so buggered - very few Dion / Richard runs got me to this destroyed, but there have been one or two (Swellendam Trail comes to mind).

So all in all, 3hrs 30 minutes on my feet, 28,5 km distance and a massive 1250 m climb! Not bad for a Sunday.

As I said the legs suffered immensely on the following days, due of course to the murderous downhill! I hope that I have learnt a lesson from this - next time use the road - 5 km longer, but easier on the legs, which currently feel like steel.

Here are a few pictures from the long run a few weekends before, which was also a monster. We started off from home and ran the Kolli / 3 peaks extension run. 3 hrs, 26 km and 815 m climb. Markus and Felix ran with me most of the way, and Christian and Mani did a shorter run over the Cross back home!

It was a really great run!

Wow - major long time - no post

Sorry guys,

Have been busy, and with training - just no time to find the time to take the time to post a comment :) But I'll do a few now...

Enjoy!

Another record week!

Well, I am surprized, especially after yesterdays failure (I was aiming for 30 plus kms and only ended up with 23), but I still managed a record week. And this record week seems to be an all time Austria record week, as I cannot find any mention of a week more than 115 km or so in my logs - doesn't mean there wasn't - just means I can't find it!

Still no orienteering or racing until now this year, but I'll keep that preparation doing well and hope for the best when it eventually does come around :) This week will be a well deserved rest week with no hard training (except the coopers test on Saturday :) )

Some pics (taken with the phone) included from yetserdays run! 10 - 15 cm new snow on all the roads, more off the beaten track, so very physical run. 2hrs 40 for 23km plus 600 hm!

The most Brutal run of my life!

Today was one of those runs, one of those "never done that before" runs. After months of mild warm winter, the reality of an Austrian Winter came back this week Tues and we have been having some snow and gale force storms around here, which of course is great for the coming Ski Jwoc, but rubbish for running.

Today took the cake though, blizzard going like crazy, snow falling horizontally, icy roads (and I mean reallllllly slippery), snow drifts! I've done some tough runs in my time (some of them with D, but many of them since I moved to Austria), but I'm sure this was the toughest I have ever done. I recon the wind chill factor took the temperature way under - 30 degrees. Adding layers and layers of clothes doesn't help either (2 hats, 3 shirts / jackets, 2 long tights), must have been 1 kg more than normal plus the added resistance of the extra layers.

Every ten steps or so was a slip, every third step was fired out backwards. Although I had APP for the entire run, I was still 40 s slower round the loop this week (Warti was 6 min slower), but the extra power certainly paid off as I was able to out sprint Warti at the end. Certainly running into the wind Aisha is not affected, so I was able to keep those heavy wind KM's around 4:45 to 5:00 - poor Warti died! I know I'm getting fitter and faster, so just shows what a difference the weather really can make to any running (if you compare it to last week).

Whew, not fun, but in the end great for the mind. If I can train in this weather, then I can train in anything :) Hope not to have many more runs like this in my life! Greetings from a cold, windy and snowy Austria (thank god some things have gone back to normal *grin* )

Record week!

So, this week is gone past, as usual in it's normal rush. Just thought that I'd post a quick record here :) Since Hanna has been born I haven't really trained that much, but it is slowly improving at the moment, and I have reached a new post Hanna record of 110 km in this week - great for training towards that marathon that Dion's being talking about (but will NOT be jungfrau, anyway not this year!)

A quick check of the logbook puts the last week over 110 km in May 2003 - thats a long time ago :) Anyway, lets hope I don't get injured in the next weeks and that I have a good FEB and Mar and then I'm looking for that sub 2:48 marathon again before the end of the year! Keep training.

Online Training Logbook

12 minutes of hell

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!

Silvesterlauf

Well, what can I say about the 31st of December (besides the fact that it's my birthday)? Well the nice part is that I always can end the running year with a running race, which is good but generally means that I start the new year with a rest day. And so it was this year as well!

The annual silvesterlauf (New Years Run) is currently held in Seekirchen, very close to Henndorf on a short 5,8 km track. This was only the second time the race was held, but already this year they had well over 300 starters. The weather was fantastic, 10 degrees plus, sunshine and no snow or ice! (Is this December 31st?) The problem I have is that I run in the Veteran category, which is by far the strongest cat. of them all, so all I'm ever looking for is a good run.

This year I decided to run the first loop (of two) without Aisha and to pick her up at the start of the second loop. All went well at the start, except somebody kicked me in the head while I was turning on my foot pod - ow! Then after about 600m there was a sharp right, then sharp left immediately, and some poor women got knocked off her bike by some of the more die hard racers. And everybody just carried on running past.

Well I could not stand for that, so I stopped and helped her up, which was not easy as she wasn't the smallest lady, and her legs were tangled up in her bike. With the help of a marshall we were able to get her on her feet and back on her bike in no time at all - except of course if you are running a race - 90 s gone. So then I just carried on, running at a good speed but not full.

Saw a friend Gerhard Haider as well and then caught up with Birgit at around KM 2, picked up Aisha at KM 2,6 and then just carried on through until the finish - no more mishaps. KM times were 5:15, 4:02, 3:57, 3:59, 4:02 and 3:17 to finish up with 24,25 for the 5,8 km - last year I ran a low 22 min time, so quite a lot off the pace :)

Anyway, hope everybody else had a good end to 2006 and a great start to 2007!

P.S. Results can be found here!

P.S (two) Pictures can be found here!