I just run. Who can help me with the other stuff?

As a running coach, people often ask me for advice on other issues such as diet, stretching, strength training, injury and the like. 'I just run' is the answer they get from me. I don't think you need to be an expert in everything you do. Enlist the help of others and use their year's of experience in a particular field. So if you want advice on diet, go to a dietitian; for stretching go to the physio, for strength training find a personal trainer and for injury go to you local sports doctor.

In my journey to reach 50 I've realised that I already know most of these experts, and others. And I'm taking advantage of people I know and trust (some of them I've known for years) and their expertise.

On the weekend I did an 8-hour EMM-Tech course with Gemma Dustin from Gemstone Natural Therapies. The EMM-Tech short course was derived from the Emmett Technique Practitioner Course for therapists. The moves were designed as a First Aid kit of muscle releases for people in remote areas in Australia.
EMM-Tech teaches participants how to effectively produce visible body changes and experience great results.

I've enlisted Elaine Strachan (Train with Elaine) as my personal trainer to help me with strength training. I'm picking up two sessions in the gym (from next week onward) to work on core strength, stability, balance and some isometric moves to improve my mobility. Elaine works out of Active Health Club on Peace Street around the corner from where I live, so it's very convenient. I've know Adam and Sally for years and periodically end up doing a stint at the gym, depending on my training volume and training program leading into my big races.

My Studio Pilates November Challenge is nearly over. It's been a tough 5-days per week regime added to my increased mileage in training for the CWU. I will more than likely continue with the Pilates beyond the challenge. But I have to drive all the way into town (15 minutes is a LONG WAY for those of us who live in a small town!). Not many people know what Pilates is, and Studio Pilates is a bit of step up from a more gentle 'stretching' you may associate with Pilates. Studio Pilates workouts incorporate the Pilates reformer, a spring loaded machine which was designed over 90 years ago by Joseph Pilates. The reformer machines specifically target not only the larger muscle groups, but also the smaller accessory muscles. The sessions aim to target and isolate specific deep core muscles. The sessions are choreographed and you follow the moves of an instructor on a TV screen. There is a new workout each day. I'm probably going to pick up 2 sessions per week for the next 5 months. It's pretty expensive (about $26/session), so I'm hoping to get Kim Weaver from Studio Pilates Cairns to support me in my journey by providing an extra session each week. I do think that 3 sessions per week is ideal for what I'm trying to do. One can just ask... For a brief history on Pilates and how it came about, watch this animated video.

With regards to nutrition, I've been using Tailwind Nutrition for the past three years or so. This works well for me and I don't get hungry (even in ultras I've done that was over 20 hours in length), and I don't get GI issues (that is gastro-intestinal/tummy upsets). I'm keen to use Tailwind on the CWU, but I'll need to supplement it with some other foods as 8 days is a long time! At this stage I'm considering skipping breakfast (bar maybe a coffee and a couple of slices of toast). I don't tend to eat before I go out for my runs, so I'm keen to keep things the same as what I normally do. It will mean that I'll need to carry a bit more food with me during the day, so I'm still pondering this option. I'm going to give Gavin Markey a ring to see what he recommends. He is the supplier of Tailwind Nutrition in Australia, but it's not easy to catch him on the phone!

I've already mentioned Jeremy Hawke from Hip2Toe. He's been great in getting me sorted with some stretches for my back and in my last visit he removed the calluses from my big toes and the ball of my foot. I don't have too much trouble with this, but having nice, baby-soft feet does seem to be the best way to prevent blisters.

Occasionally I have a bright spark idea - here are two. What do you think?

Okay, Bright Spark Idea #1 is not unique. But I am very good at looking at what others do, and then copying them. This is one of those times.

For the Tailwind Nutrition 3 Marathons in 3 Days I'm going to introduce a 'Mini-Race' on Day 2. I don't really know what people call this, so we need to find a name for it! Competitors will be timed from the Bridle Creek Checkpoint for the 3km loop until they get back onto Bridle Creek Road. The fastest male and female over that section of the course will win a prize each.

Bright Spark Idea #2 is not unique either. Ha! Maybe I didn't quite get the title of this blog post correct today.

Start up a fundraising page with all the money raised to be donated to the Ovarian Cancer Australia. The reason I'm picking them is that my mum had ovarian cancer and died less than three years after her diagnosis. She was 48 years old. I may end up with ovarian cancer myself. Who knows. But apart from the money going to a good cause, I'm also doing it to keep myself motivated with my training. Ovarian Cancer Australia have their main fundraising in March each year, which is also going to be my highest mileage month prior to me doing the CWU.

The fundraising page is here.

Time to get my feet out on the trails

I've read a great review about the ALTRA Lone Peak from fellow Austrralian and CWU competitor, Andy Hewat: "They (Lone Peak) perform well on any trail, the rougher the better and the refreshingly roomy toe-box coupled with the zero-drop makes them attractive to the barefoot brigade looking for a shoe to wear in ultras."

After some rain in Cairns I was keen to head out in my new ALTRA Lone Peak 3.5s to do the Crystal Cascades - Lake Morris - Redlynch circuit on Saturday. Didn't get as far as I would have liked for a number of reasons:
1. Tried to figure out how to put on a plaster on my foot. Yip, that was a new experience. I had no idea and it took like three plasters to get it right. Sounds ridiculous, but for someone who never wears the stuff, it was a bit of a learning curve for me. Will need get some more practice with this over the coming months.
2. Distance was further than what I remember. Once I got up to the top of the hill (a nice steep climb of about an hour), I discovered that it's another 9km on the road before the next trail to come back down and another 3km back to the car from there. Was already 5pm by the time I got to the top of the hill so decided to just head back down the way I came.
3. Forgot my poles.

I had a seriously informed visit with Dr Jeremy Hawke from Tip to Toe Podiatry Cairns on Thursday last week. I got so excited, I booked a second appointment and saw him again yesterday. WOW. What an eye opener that was. I just wanted to get a few minor calluses removed, but Jeremy is helping me with a bunch of other stuff, most of which I can't pronounce the names for! I've got a few stretches to do, some nice foot cream to moisturise my feet and a pair of toe separators to try out. Both my little toes do the 'bend under the fourth toe' thing, and that does sometimes result in blisters.

As soon as I step up my intensity of my running by just a very small margin, I get a sore back. Jeremy thinks he knows a possible reason for this and he's going to work with me to see if we can fix it. I'll have to update you on this later, as I don't know the names of the muscles involved - they are at the front, in the pelvic area.

My training was a bit hampered this week with other commitments. And as it turned out, I was tired so needed a few days rest.

• Sunday morning we have the Dynamic Running Clifton Beach Series #2, Race #2. 70-odd competitors. 
• Year 12 Graduation Dinner (5 or so of my students graduated) on Monday - normally I do the Arrows circuit, so I had to head out at 3pm and do the short Blue Arrow to get back in time for dinner. Forgot my poles AGAIN. What the?
• Tuesday I went out to dinner with the Zonta Club of Cairns and I'm looking to sign up as a member, so that will mean more volunteer work on top of everything I already do with Dynamic Running.
• Wednesday - gym session with 'Train with Elaine', followed by an easy run with a few ladies from the Beginner Runners' Clinics. We went to the Botanical Gardens to do a couple of mile repeats. Finally got the new charger for my Garmin GPS watch so recording my  runs on Strava again. For the past few weeks, I've just been running on time, not distance. May work out how  
• Thursday - ended up at the Botanical Gardens again, and a few other spots. 

The 5 sessions of Pilates is adding up and making me tired. Will settle into a routine soon enough.

I didn't run on Sunday or Tuesday and that was good. In my training cycle I'm on the lowest mileage week of the 4-week block, so it was good to have a bit of a rest.

Altra Lone Peak 3.5

I picked up my first pair of ALTRA Lone Peak 3.5s from Adventure Equipment yesterday. Great to have been sponosed by these guys for my big Cape Wrath Ultra in May 2018. Like them on facebook, and for those in the region, pop in and see the huge range of outdoor gear they have on offer. They also stock Tailwind Nutrition, another of my faviourates.

Preparations are going well as I continue to spend more money on getting prepared for the big race. Don't have my entry done yet, so hope to have that sorted by Saturday. Also looking at flights to Scotland and back to Australia via South Africa.

Spoke to my faviourate cousin in South Africa, Marius Kruger, and he has offered for me to have my 50th birthday party in his lapa on 2 June. NICE! Starting some planning on that too. I'll be on the trail in the race on my actual birthday.

A few things on my mind:
* Draw up a list of what is required each day on the race - start to pack this stuff in zip lock bags.
* Finalise my training program. I'm still not 100% sure just how many of the back-to-back-to-back runs to do. I think I'll just run all the time and try to sleep a lot? 

Mileage for the past two weeks (not so easy without my GPS! Still waiting for a new charger after I 'misplaced' the other one in our three-bedroom house).

29 Oct - Home, Green-long Blue-Red arrow, Home. Approx. 2 1/2 hours
30 Oct - REST
31 Oct - Club run 13km
1 Nov - Beginners Clinics 7km
2 Nov - Pilates (am), Club run 12km
3 Nov - REST
4 Nov - 5km parkrun, Pilates, 2 hours on the trails at Atherton First try at using some poles
5 Nov - Atherton Forest Trail Race, 1 1/2 hours then backed it up with another 2 hours a bit later in the day. Not much running, but at least getting used to the poles just a little bit.
6 Nov - Pilates (am), Home, Red-hard side of Blue-Green Arros, Home. Approx. 3 hours
7 Nov - Pilates (am), Club run 10km
8 Nov - Pilates (am), Beginners Clinics 5km (Tired, so didn't run there)

You win some, you loose some

A big thank you to Trent Morrow from ALTRA shoes! He is sponsoring me two pairs of ALTRA Lone Peak 3.5 trail shoes! WOW, that is amazing. Also helping out with another two pairs of ALTRAs is local adventure store, Adventure Equipment. Thanks, Mark. Another WOW. I might try the new Torin. Now I need to find some trails to run on.

To that end, I've booked a spot in the 28km Two Bays Trail Race, Cape Schanck to Dromana on Mornington Peninsula in Victoria on 14 January 2018. I had put in for the 56km, but they dumped me from that because I am too slow. To make the trip from Cairns down south a bit more purposefull, I'll also go to Tasmania and run on the trails there prior to heading to Melbourne. Steve Appleby is going to help me out with some good trails to pick from around Hobart in Tassie. And I look forward to also catching up with Steve Lee while at the Two Bays Race. He is also doing the Cape Wrath Ultra. And as far as I know, we are the only Aussies going.

At this stage I've booked my flight to Hobart, but not home yet. I'm waiting to see what happens at work, as we will either be required to be there from Wednesday, the 17th of January, OR from the 22nd. A really stupid set up where we need to do some enormous amount of professional development. One option is to get it out of the way in three big days prior to students coming back at the start of the year (mostly a waste of time and not very productive), as we are all buggered from doing nothing in the holidays and can't cope with the 10 hour days, OR an option put to us for next year is to do 1 hour after school each Monday for a Semester. I picked the latter (and so did about 50% of the staff) as I need to write the Biology Year 11-12 units for the new National Curriculum that starts up in 2019. So depending on the outcome, I may be able to stay an extra week in the Melbourne area.

Looking forward to one activity I book while in Tassie: Wellington Park Thark Ridge Track - not running or hiking, but volunteering to help with maintenance on the track for one day.

Spend some more money buying the gear I need. And things are arriving already. I think the poles I got will be too short. I did measure it, as per the instructions, but I'm not sure. 110cm. I'll need to find some YouTube videos and quickly learn somthing about running with poles. Doing the Atherton Forest Trail Race on Sunday, so want to use them. But if I'm going to return them, I don't want to use them. AGGGHHHH.

I read Rebecca Rushton's book: The Blister Prone Athlete's Guide. So now I have some more things to add to my shopping list. Getting some silicon tubes to go over the toes. At least they are cheap.

Still in the process of getting my entry into the CWU. Trying to send money overseas is just a joke. At this stage, the money has been sent, but it could be up to 7 days before the guy actually receives it. I have to pay one of the competitors who has withdrawn, to get my entry into the event.

Entering the SILVA Great Lake 3 Day (GL3D for short) event is turning out to be more hassle than it's worth. That race is on 5-7 May. I've had to buy a tent and another dry bag to meet the mandatory gear for it. But at least the location is closer to a few of my mates in the UK, so I may actually be able to catch up with a couple of people.