Melbourne, Mottram, and roads to Recovery from my Calf Injury

Will be adding a new page to Melbourne Marathon Missions central soon...Go HERE for 101010 race report...video, photos, my 17 reasons for going to Melbourne on 10/10/10, plus post re Mottram, Ironman Hawaii, and current status of my calf strain below;

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following the 3hr pacer at the start...
Did 4.37 and 4.09 =8.46 for first 2k following the 3hr pacer. First 1k was uphill weaving through masses of slower runners. Then backed off a little decided that pace was too fast, went through 5k in 22.40 feeling very relaxed, and then probably a bit too slow for next 9k (10k 48.00, 14k 68.08...)



Got to 20k in 1.40.50, and was looking to try and speed up a bit and try and get to halfway in 1.45's but then the calf suddenly gave a stab of pain that has persisted with every step of running since, and had no option but to slow up and came through halfway in 1.46.35 as a result, even though I felt ready to attack hard at this stage...

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At about 20.5km, tried stretches, walk breaks, stride changes, style changes, and here racewalking, all to no avail. Icepack for 3 minutes at 23km aid station seemed to work best.
Caught between; 1. not wanting to lose precious time at crucial point in the race, and 2. being able to finish at a reasonable pace to get a reasonable time.





Flinders St Station and Federation Square just behind me, about 40km completed (20km of it in extra pain due to the calf) overtaking lots of people in the last 2km or so...ignoring the calf pain, and just trying to hit about 5min per K or so on the very welcome downhill to the finish...








AIRTIME!!!!!!!! aka low-level flying on the MCG...

-I have 24 Melbourne Marathon 2010 photos on facebook now, and also some video. Here is the video;



-Went Craig Mottram talk/Breakfast put on by Radars The Running Centre on Friday.
Was cool, to hear in person from the Big Muzungu, about his perspective on Bideau/,wardlaw, Beijing Olympics, New Delhi Commonwealth Games, and the story about the group of African runners at a major world meet, who didn't know how many laps there was in the race, but their mentor/coach/manager made it clear to them that when they hear the bell for the last lap, "its time to sprint for the finish"...Good example of the culture clash, and how absurdly obsessed we can get with Garmins, watches, and all our western trappings of success etc, technology. Pretty sure God has something to say on this subject in the Bible, maybe in the beatitudes in the book of Matthew.
Anyhow Mottram was saying its important to run on feel, and not get too busy watching the garmin or the stopwatch. I also got this advice from my racewalking coach at masters a few months ago, he told me to stop looking at my watch, and focus on the running... Good advice, which I need to take note of even though I don't have a Garmin. Good chatting with Andrew and ken who I met at the Breakfast about running in general. Felt honoured and a bit nervous being there, awesome morning, which I decided to make the most of by going to The Running Centre afterwards, where I got talked into buying some calf guards (Compress sports same as BBC and Radar use...two people I respect a lot as athletes and people)...the first time I have ever bought anything like this. never used skins 2xu or anything like that before. Had good chats with Wombat Ray (2.13 marathoner, and the only one of those residing in WA I'm pretty sure), and Bean Baugh (starting to hit about 35min for the 10k and was in my Phys Ed class at school) at the Running Centre, and bought the stick, and topped off an awesome morning with Craig Buster Mottrams autograph. One of the runners I totally admire bigtime!!! Probably still Australias best chance in middle distance to medal at Olympics, and holds most of the Australian records around the 3000m to 5000m mark.

Training;
tested out my dodgy calf on Thursday at the local park with;
2.1km 10.16 HR 135.
and
1400m 6min 27 (HR 162)
In the 1400m I did the first 700m in 2.59 which is 4.17 per K pace.
My calf was a minor twinge in the 2.1km, sore but more of a background pain , but when I stepped up the pace from 5min per K to about 4min per K, I got very sore stabs of severe pain in the calf, and it took a bit of mental intensity to push through the injury pain, for my last 700m even though I slowed back to 5min per K type stuff in the last 700m, although it did lessen a bit once I dropped the pace. So my conclusion from that is that the injury is just as bad as it was on Sunday in the marathon, same issue, it won't allow me to go faster than 5-5.30 per K without significant pain with every step. On the one hand I may not need to go under 5 minutes per K at 6 inch to run well, but not sure if I would last the distance anyhow. Either way intervals and 10k races are a big no-no right now, I'm guessing, maybe with a shorter stride, although that didnt seem to work in the melbourne marathon. Maybe with my calf guards, or maybe just be patient until injuey is gone... After that experience I banned myself from running for 3 days for the second time this week. Im guessing its going to be a few weeks before I can race or train again with confidence. best case scenario is it sorts it self out in a few days time, but most likely scenario is I need to rest it for a few weeks, worst case scenario is I have to pull the pin and give 6 inch a miss, and basically write-off the rest of 2010 runningwise. Either way I am not that fussed, although I am keen for 6 inch, but main priority is getting the calf right and keeping income coming in for my family, have to focus more on those things for the rest of this year.
Anyhow hoping the stick (roller thing that Clown recommended), and the calf guards, and some physiotime soon, might do the trick at beating this injury...

Spent the weekend down south with my wife and kids on holiday, explored a tourist cave (trying to look after the calf walking up and down steps) and tried out the new video camera we bought with my wife Kathryn taping Jacob and I feeding horse and kangaroo. Some of the sights in the cave too. The calf guards I have been wearing all weekend, and they are maybe helping the healing process a bit, I don't know...anyhow hopefully onwards and upwards. Well done to Macca and Mirindi (womens winner) for flying the Australian flag for the wins in the Hawaii Ironman triathlon on 10/10/10...See MACCA1...Railert catches Macca...postrace
interviews...

No regrets about going to Melbourne and I may return for Melbourne Marathon attempt no V (fifth attempt in a row) in 2011, although Hobart, 6 foot, Gold Coast and Alice Springs are all on my agenda too as possible options. I'm pretty keen to get 6 foot done in March, so have booked flights to there already, although its going to feel pretty silly if I am too injured to go, but plenty of time to get ready before March 2011.

I had at least 17 reasons for racing in Melbourne here they are again;
what keeps me going back to melbourne is heaps of different reasons, but I guess the lure of a PB is a big part of my 4th attempt in a row at this race. some reasons in no particular order; -R1. fast mostly flat course.
-R2. minimal concrete, minimal hills = less injury issues for me with my collection of injuries, and lots of opportunity for me to run fast, and at my best, instead of walking up hills looking after my injuries for large parts of my race, or trying to avoid long stretches of concrete to avoid flaring up my injuries
-R3. pace groups, make it easy to to try and stay on pace. there is one for every 10 minutes, so if 3.30 isn't working you can drop back to or try and stay ahead of the 3.40 group or the 3.50 group and so on, and still know you are on a target.
-R4. personal drinks makes it easier to run a fast time.
-R5. inspiring atmosphere (hard to explain this one, but I have Nationals race history going back 20 years in melbourne to 1990. I've raced in melbourne more than 7 times, and every one of them has been memorable races, and only 1 was a total dud (the 2008 ankle explosion), although missing the PB in 2009 was disappointing. Heaps of special memories there, that inspire me, including commonwealth Games , and old training mates from my state record, and state rep days...also crowd support during the race
-R6. the marathon experience from the pre-race expo to the startbetween the Yarra and the Rod laver Arena, running past Fed square and flinders st station, Albert Park, the ocean for much of the race, and The Tan dirt trail section, and finally the nice downhill finish into the MCG, with a lap of this special special place, the only experience that compares to the same feeling, is when I entered the Sydney Olympics stadium in the Olympic trials 20km walk.
-R7. the chance to improve my Tan time,
-R8. one of the few marathons I have a chance of beating my 2004 PB in, which I am desperate to do for a heap of reasons.
-R9. the many friends I know who run it also
-R10. the special family memories I have there with my wife and toddler,
-R11. the chance to be part of the biggest marathon ever staged in Australia in the history of road marathons.
-R12. because I need a major goal race where I can achieve something special and aim for each year
-R13. because it gets me away from the petty politics of WA and
-R14. because Its something I know I will thoroughly enjoy doing and get a great sense of achievement from and hopefully honour God with what I do there.
-R15. it encourages me to have a better lifestyle and aim for better health for me and my family
-R16. i learn from other very experienced runners, and it gives me the ability to contribute better to running in WA as a result,
-17th reason; it is a major thing in keeping alive some now extremely slim but not yet dead hopes of international racing some time in the next 10 years or so....

My goals are 1. enjoy the fantastic experience no matter what happens. 2. try and get to the finish on the MCG again, 3. finally smash that 3.55.02 PB that has been hanging around since 2004!...
4. catch up with some other runners who share similiar dreams/goals, and share their aspirations, encourage them in that. 5. honour/worship God in some way in how I run, relate to others in some ways...

I think I achieved 4 out of 5 goals, just that PB went begging... again......Didn't run the Tan while I was there so some more unfinished business, and my little daughter Jordan hasn't been onto the MCG yet either, so maybe something to do there in a few years time.
Hard to deal with emotionally the failure to nail goal number 3, but the injury totally surprised me, and just couldn't beat it on the day, even though I was fit enough, and mentally ready enough to do it... but must kick on now and try and turn the negatives into positives God willing...