New Blog

Please visit my new blog at http://thekiwirunner.blogspot.com

Technorati Tags
Running

Subscribe in a reader

Hitting a speed bump in week 5

This blog has changed address. Please visit my new blog at http://thekiwirunner.blogspot.com/

Hit a bit of a speed bump this week. The shins have been okay if a little niggly but nothing too serious. The thing that does still concern me is my heel/arch issue and this week that surfaced again.

I'm in week five of my build up plan which calls for a one minute walking break for every five minutes of running for a total of 24 minutes. That won't seem like much to many of you (only about 2 miles) but it seems to be about my breaking point at present. By about a mile 1/2 my left arch was starting to ache to the point where I pulled out of completing the last 1/2 mile not wanting to risk anything more serious. I have run on regardless in the past with this thing and suffered for a few days afterwards.

It's a pretty frustrating injury and to date I haven't been able to put my finger on what it may be. I don't think it's a Plantar Fasciitis injury as one of the symptoms of that seems to be a really sore heel first thing in the morning. I don't have that its more just a slight ache most of the time which is aggravated when running. It only started about a year ago and would usually put an end to my runs after about 30 minutes. It seems pretty clear that even with all the rest I've had this year, this injury hasn't gone away.

I was due to run again today but opted to rest an extra day. I'll head out on Saturday and see if I can last the two miles.

I'm persisting with the Chi Running and I'm pretty convinced that this style has got to have some benefits for more longer term. I just need to get over my injury issues and when I do I'm pretty sure this style will help to keep me injury free.

The main focuses I'm concentrating on are;

-Maintaining a good upright posture but then leaning from the ankles to encourage a mid foot landing.

-Trying to keep my lower legs as relaxed as possible, picking up my feet instead of pushing off with them

- Maintaining a good alignment - pointing everything straight ahead.

I should post a decent review of the book but I guess a key take out for me is in how simple and logical some the theory of the style is. For example here's a couple of quotes from the book where the author Danny Dreyer, is writing about shin and lower leg injuries,

"If your shins are sore, it's because you're using them. You'll need to practice relaxing them. You're probably either tensing your ankles or pushing off with your toes instead of picking up your feet with each stride"

another on along the same lines is equally straight forward,

"At the risk of sounding repetitive, I'll say it one more time. Most leg lower leg injuries are from some sort of overuse. If you don't use it, you can't abuse it. Whenever I'm running I'm always focusing on relaxing my lower legs through every phase of my stride"

So this is one area which I have worked hard on and I'm starting to understand what is feels like to run with relaxed lower legs. I'm not pushing off with my toes thus I'm not using my shin muscles and therefore I'm pretty confident that I will overcome the shin splints in time with the help of the Chi Running method.

Just need to fix the heel and arch now!

I'm still biking to cross train. On weekends I take my mountain bike out for a ride around the streets of the North Shore. Lately it's an 11 mile ride which takes slightly under an hour. A couple of good long hills in there to keep me honest. For those into maps here's the route.

Catch ya later.

Technorati Tags
Running

Subscribe in a reader

Running Again and finding my Chi

If you have been watching the blog closely over the last few weeks you may have noticed the miles starting to creep up in the running log over in my side bar. Yes with the arrival of spring and the best part of six months of rest behind me (but for a brief two weeks during June), I have started running again.

As I consider myself very much an expert in this area now after numerous enforced lay offs due to my ongoing Shin splint issues, I have started with very low and slow mileages. I am also using the run/walk method where I have frequent walking breaks so as not to stress the shins too much. The walking breaks are also coming in very handy as I have lost a good deal of fitness over the winter and it is a little hard to imagine even a 15 minute jog at present. Gradually the walking breaks will become less as my body adjusts and my fitness improves.

I am basically following this programme which Mark posted on CRN last year. I'm in week three currently and so far so good. I'm still taking care of the shins by icing them on run nights as they can still feel tender. I'm not sure whether this is just general soreness from starting to run again - hope so.

Still doing some stretching and self massage also to try and keep the calves loose. I'm also maintaining the biking as cross training , once or twice a week. I still have two more Bikram Yoga sessions left also which will last another two weeks.

I've learnt a lot over the last year or so about lower leg injuries and what do to avoid them etc. I big area for me has been learning about correct running form. This is one subject that I have again revisited in recent months. Last year I purchased a book on Chi Running which promotes a style of running which encourages the runner to lean forward from the ankles (rather than waist) which in turn produces a running style where the runner lands on their mid foot rather than heel. The basic premise being that if we can land on the mid foot with our foot under or behind our centre of gravity rather heel striking in front of our centre of gravity, the result is a much improved chance of avoid injury.

I thought seeing as I was about to embark on another come back it would be a good time to give this style a serious chance so I have re read the book and am trying hard to implement the technique.

I'll write in more detail about the specifics of the technique in another post as well as how I'm finding it and whether in fact it does help with injury prevention.

See ya round.


Technorati Tags
Running

Subscribe in a reader

Nick Willis wins in New York

Nick Willis has again shown his class this week by taking out the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York the week. It caps off a great season for Willis who took the Bronze medal at Beijing last month.

Click here for an interview with Nick where he sheds some light on his recent success and future aspirations. Thanks to Peter Gambaccini of Runnersworld.com for the interview.

As for my training , I don't want to say too much right now other than that I have started to take some slow baby steps. I'm not going to talk (blog) too much about my running until I'm happy that I have something positive to report.

Keep running.

Photo credit - http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparcnz/

Return to Bikram

Originally uploaded by TheC2life

I attended my first class of Bikram Yoga in seven months tonight.

For those that don't know one type of Yoga from the next, Bikram Yoga is an intense form of Hatha Yoga which is practiced in a heated room, almost sauna like. The heat not only warms the body and muscles but also adds to the intensity of the class by placing you outside your comfort zone while you are taken through at least 20 different poses over 90 minutes.

I still remember back to the first class Bikram I ever did, almost a year ago to the day, I swear it almost killed me. This time round I knew what to expect and I'm quite happy with how I went, managing to complete all but a few of the poses and keeping my breathing well under control.

The last 15-20 minutes are brutal. The heat is almost unbearable but you try not to think about it. Keep it out of your mind and it is almost unnoticeable. Let it get to you and you will just wish for the class to end.

In between each of the floor series of poses you get a brief rest, known as Savasna. This is when you just lay in complete stillness for 30 seconds bringing your breath under control. I try to think of how many poses are left before the class is over and I can escape to the cool air outside the studio. That's all part of the challenge though, staying to the end and completing the class.

The hamstring stretches are the penultimate pose, followed by back twists and a final breathing exercise, then a final Savasna. I made to the end and I'm one of the first ones out the door.

**Warning - Locker room scenes follow **

After a class is always a strange feeling. The men's changing rooms are silent, it's like no one has any energy to talk, I know I don't. I have a cold shower to cool off and try and return my body's temperature to something more normal. The cold water is so refreshing , it cools and revitalises the body.

Afterwards I'm still totally drained, but I know it's all worth it in the end.

If you haven't done it yet, give Bikram Yoga a try.

Technorati Tags Running

Subscribe in a reader

On My Bike

After pretty much having the winter off from any type of fitness activity, this month I have started cycling again in order to start picking up my fitness levels ahead of a hoped for return to running in the spring.

Here are some pictures of my 'wheels'.

I ride my stationary bike at least twice a week in the evenings for 45 minutes. I've started riding in the evenings as I'm really not that good at getting up early unless I have to, IE to make and early start for work good or when I was running to fit in an early run. Also if I'm not up and about early then I can't be blamed for waking the kids too early.

After I'm finished on the bike I generally stretch for a half hour or so as well as doing some calf raises and some self massage on my calves to try and keep them from getting too stiff while I'm not running.

Here's my 'road bike'.

I take this baby out for a ride in the weekends. The last ride was only about 45 minutes but I will build that up to an hour in the coming weeks. She might not look as sleek and pacey as some other racing bikes out there, but I can still get a good work out done on her. I like having the option of doing some off road mountain biking also, though this isn't that frequent either.

I'm also fitting in a small amount of strength training on my weights bench.

At the moment its just leg extensions to work on strengthening the muscles around the knee so that when I start running these will hopefully be up to the job.

Last weekend was Jack's 7th birthday and we celebrated by taking both boys plus three of his mates to the local wave pool. There was also a hydro slide there which they all loved. Here's a pic of Jack and Sam exiting the slide.

Bronze for Nick Willis in 1500 meters final

Nick Willis celebrates third place in the Men's 1500m Final
Originally uploaded by SPARC Beijing Olympics 2008

Nick Willis ran the race of his life to finish in third place and take home the bronze medal in last nights glamour event of the Olympic track and field programme, the mens 1500 meters race.
Willis, the gold medallist in this event at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games of 2006, took the hopes of the nation into the race with him. The nation was desperate for an Olympic track medal after a 32 year drought since the great John Walker won gold in the same event at Montreal in 1976.

Willis ran a smart race, staying on the rail throughout and managing to stay out of trouble also. He stayed near the back of the field for the first 1000 meters before looking to move forward over the last 500 when the pace went on. With around 100 meters to go Willis got himself into third place which he held on to through to the finish, finishing in a time of 3:34:16, just holding off the fast finishing Frenchman Mehdi Baala.

Bahrain's Rashid Ramsi took the gold medal in a time of 3:32:94 with Kipruto Kiprod of Kenya finishing in second in a time of 3:33:1.

Read more about the race here.

Olympic Bronze for Docherty

DSC_0281crop
Originally uploaded by sportsmatters

New Zealand triathlete Bevan Docherty got up for a third place finish in todays Olympic Triathlon in Beijing. It was a strong race from Docherty, the former world champ and Athens Silver medalist.

Docherty, who is considered a strong runner, along with a small bunch of fellow competitors quickly ran down the two leaders following the bike leg, and then maintained a good pace over the last 5 km in what proved to be a very tactical race. One by one the runners dropped off as they found the pace too quick, leaving just Docherty, Spaniard Javier Gomez, German Jan Frodeno and Canadian Simon Whitfield left to contest the final lap of the 2.5 km run course.

The tactics continued right to the end with no one wanting to make their run too soon. In the end it was Frodeno who kicked on with about 200 meters to go. Frodeno claimed Gold with Whitfield taking Silver. Spanish favourite Javier Gomez was the one who missed out.

Docherty seemed pleased with his effort afterwards admitting that he had no more in the tank come the finish line.

You can read more about this exciting race here.

All eyes now are on Nick Willis in the 1500 meters final tonight.

What have I been doing the last month?

No running I can tell you that. I tried out a few short runs last month but still didn't feel I was well enough over my injuries. I don't feel like I'm missing out on much as it's still the middle of winter here and very wet, certainly not nice weather for running (though I know you folk in North America put up with a lot worse in your winters!). So my aim is to stay away from any impact training until at least spring and build back up to some distance running for our summer.



It's been a busy month at home too with Michelle's parents staying with us for a month while they renovate there property having now returned home from their nine month tour of North America. We also had my mother staying for two weeks over the school holidays. It all made for a very full and often entertaining household. Some might think that a month of your in laws staying is enough to drive anyone crazy, but we all get on okay so it was all good. It helps that Jan is a great in kitchen and Bruce (yes another Bruce!) acts as a punching bag for the boys.



Here's a photo of them and the kids from when we were in Vancouver recently.







The other milestone in the household this month was Sam's 5th birthday party. With both boys now being at school it's like we're moving on as a family ahead into a new stage of our lives , leaving the pre school days behind us. Sam has taken to school really well and had been literally counting down the days until he could join his big brother each day. It's also a big challenge ahead for Michelle. Having put her Legal Exec career on hold seven years ago to stay at home with the boys, she is now going to be looking to re enter the work force on a part time basis.






Until next time, happy running.

Subscribe in a reader

Tagged Again

I've been tagged by Laura. The rules of the tag are;



- Copy the rules (or your version of them) and the set of questions onto your blog

- Post your own answers to the questions

- Tag five new people.



If tagged, you’ll find your name at the end of this post.To be sure everyone tagged knows they’ve been invited to play, go to their blogs and leave them a comment notifying and referring them to your blog for details. Lastly, once the chosen have answered the questions on their own blog, they should come back to yours to tell you. Here are my responses.



1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?



Maybe one or two 30 minutes jogs on the treadmill at the gym.



2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?



Best - The last 500 meters of my first half marathon in 2006. The feeling of accomplishment was amazing.



Worst - Regularly succumbing to shin / foot problems which lead to long periods of no running.



3. Why do you run?



To challenge myself, test my limits , find my boundaries etc etc.



4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you’ve been given about running?



Get some get custom fitted running shoes, don't increase your mileage too fast, shorten your stride length and try not to run on hard surfaces if you want to avoid shin splints.



5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

Never travel with me on public transport. I have a habit of just jumping on the first bus or train I see and could end up anywhere. Recently I was with a bunch of guys from work and we decided to take the train to a pub for some drinks one Friday after work. The pub was just up at the next stop. As I get a train to work I was in charge of getting everyone on the right train at the right time. Unfortunately we all ended up on an express train that took us to West Auckland. It was an interesting 20 minute trip that I am still often reminded of.

I'm breaking the last rule and not tagging anyone. I've seen this tag around the blog world a bit now so there's probably not many people left to tag.

Technorati Tags
Running

Subscribe in a reader

Coaching Under 8's Soccer

I'm coaching my six year old son's Soccer team again this year. It's our second year playing/coaching and so far it's been a pretty tough season. The team consists of seven boys and a solitary girl all aged six or seven.

We have retained a nucleus of last years team with just two new players joining the squad so that has helped with everyone already knowing each others game. Games played with five a side with no goal keepers on a 1/3 size pitch.

Jack and I missed the first four games of the season while were were on vacation and the team did pretty well losing just one of the four games, scoring 15 goals and conceding 6. They were grading games however and now that we have been placed in a division with teams of similar abilities we have been finding it a challenge. We have won just one of our last six games. The games have all been pretty close with our largest defeat being by 3-0. We have scored 6 goals and conceded 13.

This bad run has really started to test me as a coach also. The difficulty with coaching seven year olds is that it is extremely hard to get them to play to any sort of a game plan. At this age they just want to get out and play the game and sometimes I wonder whether as a coach of midget soccer (or any childrens sports team) it is us parents that strive for the wins more so and feel the losses more than the players themselves.

As a coach of kids you need to somehow be able to get the best out of kids with a wide range of skills, personalities and temperaments. Our team, like most I guess, has a mix of talented players, some less skilled but none the less hard triers, through to others that for most of the time seem to be in their own world oblivious to the game. One way of getting everyone involved is to give everyone a role to play and give them specific instructions on what you want them to do. As I said above, these instructions are often quickly forgotten in the mayhem of a game but gradually we are getting there.

The other aspect about coaching which I am quickly becoming acutely aware of is the pressure to win is as high as you would expect from a national league side. As I also mentioned above, sometimes it is the parents that create that pressure with our own huge desire to see our children succeed. I feel the losses as hard as anyone, but kids are kids and they quickly forget.

This week at practise, I had an intense discussion with one parent (I might as well call him my assistant coach) who it is clear has very differing views to mine on how we should be coaching the team. I am inclined to just let the kids play the game and let the game be the teacher, while offering bits of advice here or there. My assistant can be a lot more direct, is often in players' ears constantly, telling them where they should be and what they should be doing. I don't think that's an effective way to get the best out of seven year olds and I prefer to offer positive feedback and praise to someone who has done something well rather that come down hard on a kid for making a mistake. We need to let these kids learn the game their way, in there own time and from the mistakes that they make.

Every week we go close and today was no different. We played the side that beat us 3-0 six weeks ago. We were up 1-0 at half time but unfortunately let in two second half goals to go down 2-1.

At the end of the game I asked the opposition coach how his season was going. He said they had not yet lost a game and that the two games against us had been their closest and toughest games.

Next week is another game.

Technorati Tags
Midgets Soccer

Subscribe in a reader

Self Massage could be the Answer

I've been trying out self massage on my calfs for the last week to try and loosen them up. I'm hoping it might just be the solution to my problems of calf tightness and shin splints.

I'm massaging them daily for about ten minutes each, quite firmly along the whole length of the calf and hard against my shin. I've already noticed some improvement in with my sore shin.

Last week I went for three run/walks of only about a mile each. This week I'll step the distance up slightly and also increase the time running vs walking. I've been here before though so I know not to be in a rush when it comes to increasing my distances too fast.

I know that I've got many years of running left in me once I fix this so rather than feeling like I'm missing out on valuable training time or being robbed of race opportunities, I'm taking the approach that time is my friend and whether it takes one, six or twelve months to get over the shin splints, there is going to be ample time when I am fit to train hard and race.

So if you haven't tried it before and you have a few niggling injuries you want to get rid of, give self massage try, or better yet if you have a willing better half you could always bug them! (my better half is usually too rapt up in Grey's Anatomy, Men in Trees, or Desperate Housewives to be interested in giving my legs the attention they need).

Have a good week.

Technorati Tags
Running Shin Splints

Subscribe in a reader

Still on the Road to Recovery

It's hard to believe that we have been back from our North American vacation for a over a month now. Time does pass quickly doesn't it , though the fond memories from our trip won't be easily forgotten.

This last month I have been slow to get back into any type of physical activity. I still sense that my shin and foot are not totally right so rather than rush back into any type of training I've taken my time to decide on what my next step will be towards getting me back running.

The time I've had away from running (over three months now) has re affirmed to me the enjoyment that I do get from running and I would so much like to be out there, but somehow I need to figure out a way to put these injuries behind me.

I was reading some stuff online last night about treating and preventing shin splints (or more correctly Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome) and it was encouraging to read that it is possible according to experts to fully recover from this cruel injury. Sometimes over the past few years I have doubted that and wondered whether I just don't have a body made for running?

There is so much stuff on line covering shin splints that sometimes you wonder whether the so called experts even know the true cause. Some seem to think that an exaggerated pronation of the foot is the chief cause others say it's an over use injury brought on by too rapid an increase in mileage etc.

Truth is there does seem to be a multitude of factors that can contribute to shin problems and I just need to find out which ones are relevant to me.

What I do know is this;

- I have always had very tight calf muscles and achilles.
- I have generally been inflexible from feet through to hamstrings / glutes etc
- I have and some muscle imbalances which needed strengthening.
- I have not had the best running form.

It seems to make sense that these factors are the main ones that will be causing my shin problems. I don't think I have overly flat feet which would encourage excessive pronation and the last podiatrist I visited did not think I pronated extraordinarily so while I may always need a stability shoe I don't think over pronation is a main cause.

So to enable me to get back on on the road (well grass firstly) I need to continue working on stretching and strengthening my feet, calves and legs. For the next few weeks that's what I'm concentrating on.

For the next month I'm going to try and run/walk one or two miles twice a week on grass just so the legs don't forget what running is all about and also just to try and not lose too much fitness. I haven't done any swimming for three months either nor biking so my fitness will have dropped bit.

Something I picked up in my reading last night about running technique was that over striding can be a factor also. This leads to an excessive heal strike and 'slapping' of the fore foot and over use of the tibialis muscle. So in my short run/work workouts I will be also concentrating on good form and short strides.

Another treatment I picked up on was regular self massage of the calf muscles to loosen them up. This is something I haven't really tried too much of before though I have heard of it working for others. It's got to be worth a try.

Happy running.




Technorati Tags
Running

Subscribe in a reader

Back in NZ

Hi, I'm back from our vacation now. We had a fantastic time in Canada and the US during the month of April. It was full of extremes with lots of snow in the Canadian Rockies and 20+ degrees days in Las Vegas and LA.

Lots of highlights but Las Vegas, and the Grand Canyon would be two biggies and of course Disneyland where we had a couple of fun filled days.

Check out my travel blog at northamerica2008.blogspot.com for all the detail and some photos. It's not yet fully up todate, I have to post still about the last week in LA and I hope to get some more photes up there so stay tuned.

Still not Running

I have been very lazy this month.

As I mentioned in the last post I've taken a rest from running and have opted for the extended rest option rather than starting up only to have any training broken up by our North American vacation which now is in just ten days time.

I have been naughty though and haven't done any cross training at all. I know that's lazy as but really all thoughts have been on our trip with much time being spent online making final arrangements. Also if I can't run then I often struggle to find the inclination to cross train. I should at least be making the effort to get on my exercycle and give my legs a workout. I want to try and get a half day skiing in while at Banff so I expect if I try that after six weeks of in-activity I will be paying a high price.

Injury wise my shins are feeling okay after a months rest though the heel still seems not totally right. I'm not sure if this is PF as there is no sharp pain early in the morning which is apparently a symptom. Hopefully with more rest that will come right, though I expect much time will be spent on my feet while overseas.

Sorry I've also been a bit lax getting around other blogs. Not much fun reading about others workouts and races when you're not doing the same. I hope to catch up with you once I get back into some training come May or June.

Happy running.


Technorati Tags
Running

 Subscribe in a reader

Time for another break

My body told last week me it was time for another break. After amassing a huge 37 miles for the month of February, I've again succumbed to heel and shin issues.

Here's a wrap of my runs over the last two weeks:

18/2 4 miles 35 mins
20/2 4.1 miles 37 mins
25/2 8.3 miles 47 mins
27/2 2.7 miles 19 mins (and broken)

I don't know what's worse at the moment, my heel or shin. The heel just seems to ache almost from the start of a run and gets progressively worse. It also extends into the arch of my foot. The shin is still the same, always nagging, always there, but last week it was just nagging a bit louder.

It's hard to stay motivated at times like this. When I'm not running I tend to let the other things slip that I should be working on to get myself right again. Hence I've done no stretching, strength or cross training for five days.

Its less than five weeks now until our big North American trip, so that's another reason why I'm perhaps not so into my training right now. It's unlikely that I'll have much time to maintain a regular run programme during our month away (I don't see "running" being on the agenda much when travelling in a foreign country with a 6 and 4 year old, though I'll try and find room for my running shoes just in case).

My question therefore is "Do I bust a gut now to get back out running in a few weeks only put things on hold again for a month in April? Should I just take an extended break from running now?

What ever I decide about when to start running again, I know I need to maintain my cross training (Swimming/yoga), strengthening of the leg muscles and stretching.

Someone who definitely deserves a break is Kieran after successfully completing Ironman New Zealand on Saturday. Check out his race report here.


Technorati Tags
Running

 Subscribe in a reader

The Domain Loop

This is a picturesque 1.72 mile loop which takes me through the Auckland Domain a superb 75 hectare park in the centre of Auckland City. The dominant feature of the Domain is undoubtedly the Auckland War Memorial Museum which sits on top off a hill overlooking Auckland Harbour.

This is usually a lunch time run. I'm so fortunate to have this great park a stones throw from my office it would be a crime not to make use of it.

About half of the run takes me through the centre of the Domain following Domain Drive, the rest of the loop is along neighboring streets. It's largely flat with only a small climb up Carlton Gore Road and into Grafton Road towards Auckland Hospital which also borders the park.

Each lap takes about 14- 15 minutes at an easy pace so its a case of just doing as many loops as your training calls for on the day. If I need to go a bit further but don't want to do another full loop, there's a running track on the field which I run round until I reach my desired distance.

I like the loop as its a good fall back option if I don't feel like venturing too far from work. Its nice to run on the grass and the surroundings aren't bad either.

Here's the map. You can easily pick out the Museum in the centre of the photo.








Technorati Tags
Running Alignment

 Subscribe in a reader

Easy Running

The last two weeks I've just been easing back into some low mileage slow and easy runs.

Here the numbers;

3/2 2.6 miles 21 mins
5/2 3.45 miles 29 mins
7/2 3.8 miles 35 mins (Round the Mountain)
10/2 3.8 miles 33:20
12/2 4 miles 35 mins
14/2 4.1 miles 35:20
16/2 2.5 miles 30 mins


In addition to that I did 30 minutes of swimming on the 4th and Bikram Yoga on the 13th.

The plan I'm following at the moment is modelled somewhat on this base building plan plan from marathontraining.com. I've just done week two. That's not to say I'm building for a marathon, far from it. At this stage it's just a case of seeing what happens and hopefully I'll work through my injury troubles at the same time as building/maintaing a resonable base.

You will see that my last run was a bit short (and slow) and that's because I pulled up after about 15 minutes due to an aching foot. It was the same ache that I ran through for 50 minutes a month ago which resulted in me then resting up for two weeks. I listened to my body this time and walked it off. After ten minutes or so it was gone and I ran the last K home. Fingers crossed it was just a one off bad run day.

Is it common for runners to pay extra close attention to other runners? I'm not talking about the passing glances we may sneak as a runner of the opposite sex passes us by, but rather checking out their form and technique. You see all sorts from those that barely manage a shuffle, to the obviously well trained and coached runner.

This week, will out running the Domain Loop (more on that run later), I came across two runners (and yes one was of the opposite sex) with a strikingly high heel lift. They were running with a graceful ease that I would love to emulate.

Over the last two weeks I have also been working on my form, mainly concentrating on keeping everything in a straight line. Toes and feet pointing straight ahead, knees tracking over toes etc, not over striding and also working on my heel lift in addition to just relaxing my feet and allowing them to naturally toe off with each stride (gosh thats a lot to think about when running isn't LOL).

When I say 'relaxing my feet', I mean that rather than thinking about heel planting or mid/fore foot landing, I'm just staying relaxed and letting them land where they land.

Back to the heel lift, I was impressed with the heel lift of these two runners and instantly tried to copy what I had just witnessed as I was clearly not doing enough. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered how good it felt. I felt stronger, it seemed to put less stress on my shins and I seemed to be running faster.

Well thats all from me for now. Have a good week.



Technorati Tags
Running

 Subscribe in a reader

Round the Mountain

View of Mt. Eden overlooking Auckland city. Photo courtesy Geonet.org.nz

This run takes me from my Newmarket office around the volcanic cone of Mt Eden before heading back up Mt Eden Road and back to work. Mt Eden is the highest of Auckland's 49 volcanic cones at a height of 196 metres. The run to the summit is another favourite and offers stunning panoramic views, a great reward for the gut busting climb to the top.

This run however, around the mountain's base, starts with a gentle climb up Carlton Gore Road before making a left turn into Mountain Road. After briefly decending down to Kyhber Pass, the road climbs again, taking me over the Southern Motorway and past one of Auckland's oldest boys schools, Auckland Grammer School.

Mountain Road is home to some of Auckland's earliest homes and features some beautifully restored turn of the century (19th century) homes. It's also home to Government House, home of the Governor General.

The half way point of the run and I'm in trendy Mt Eden Village right at the base of the 'mountain' running past it's coffee bars and boutique shops. The road climbs again a little at is approaches the entrance to the summit road before leveling off as I get past the mountain and head back towards the top end of Kyhber Pass.

I cross back over the motorway before heading back down Carlton Gore Road, arriving back at work 30- 35 minutes after I left.

Here's the full map.


Technorati Tags
Running

 Subscribe in a reader

The Boat Sheds

Old boat sheds along the Orakei basin
Originally uploaded by oscillize

I call run "The Boat Sheds" after these old sheds which I pass about 30 minutes into the 5.8 mile loop around the Orakei Basin. Here's the map.

The run starts out from my work in Newmarket, opposite the Auckland Domain. I head straight for Parnell Road, away from the busy Newmarket shopping district, well known for its fashion clothing stores. Newmarket is up on a bit of a plateau so I need to descend for a half mile through Newmarket Park and Ayr Street, down on to Shore Road where I run past Thomas Bloodworth Park and million dollar waterfront homes.

Mile two includes a small climb over a hill before returning back almost to sea level. We turn into Orakei Road, still running away from work. Given my history sometimes its a bit risky venturing this far from my work place as it will be a long walk back should I breakdown. Nearing the end of Orakei Road we cross the Orakei Basin before making a left turn into Ngapipi Road which though again undulating, follows the waters edge all the way to The Boat Sheds at the corner of Tamaki Drive.

The Boat Sheds mark the turning point when we start heading back to work along the pituresque Tamaki Drive, which is lined with Pohutukawa Trees and water on both sides.



Pohutukawa trees and Rangitoto from Tamaki Drive.



One of several flights of steps leading up to St Stephens Ave from Tamaki Drive.



Overlooking the Parnell salt water pools , Ports of Auckland and the CBD.

At the base of the Parnell cliffs are the Parnell Baths (salt water pools), which is where we take the steps up to the top of the cliffs and on to St Stephens Ave. From there its almost a mile of consistent climbing, past more of Auckland's most expensive real estate, to the top of Parnell Road.

The final 3/4 mile is a flat easy run back to work, though coming after the climb back up from the water it is a much needed easy end to the run.

Generally this is a 50 minute run at an easy pace. Its a run with a bit of everything, undulating hills, a decent mile long flat section, and a mile long climb, not to mention some pretty good scenery.

Resting Up

It has been ten days now since my last run, a 5.8 mile loop that takes me around the Orakei Basin in Auckland. I'll write some more about the route in another post but lets say it is a very scenic run that includes a section along the Tamaki Drive waterfront, which on a fine summers day is a great place to be, even if the running is not going as good as one may like.

Throughout the run I was dogged by an aching left foot and my shin was a little sore as well. The foot problem is one that I had thought I had overcome as whilst in some recent runs it would be a bit tight to start with, I had been able to run through it recently if I just concentrated on maintaining a relaxed easy running style. Perhaps I was a bit tense and was not able to relax as much as I would have liked. I knew this run was going to be pushing it for me as in the week prior I had already completed two 40 minute runs and 50 minute run and to try for another 50+ run was possibly asking for a bit much from my still recovering body (and lower legs in particular).

As it turned out I wasn't able to run through the aching foot and it stayed with me for the duration of the run, something which I'm still paying for today in the form of a constant ache in my foot.

I think also I was getting tired of the constant daily routine with would always involve some stretching or strength training of some sort. I have been maintaining the strength work for almost four months now since I started back running in October and whilst I guess it has been partly successful, in that I have lasted this long, I'm somewhat disappointed that I'm still not 100% fit.

So this last ten days, I haven't stretched once nor have I done any other sort of training, other that a short 800m swim last week. It's been a good chance to get away from having to think about any of that stuff. The shin is feeling better for the rest and I don't think I'll need anything like the four month break I had off over winter. I think anther week off running and I'll be back into it. I'll start up some strength work again this week so the legs don't get a total shock next week.

Thoughts of the Half in Rotorua in March have gone from my mind. I was probably being premature considering such an event when I'm really still on the comeback trail. I've re-evaluated my short term goals and am now just focusing on the Run Auckland series of 5 and 10 K runs over the autumn / winter. Even these will just really be fun runs as I'm probably not yet is a position to try any speed work and press for a fast time.

I haven't been sitting around idle over the last week though. We decided it was time the boy's bedrooms needed a fresh look with some new paint. They each picked a colour which we have used as a feature wall with Jack choosing a race car red and Sam a turquoise/aqua colour. We found a nice colour with a hint of green but also some light brown/ grey tones to complete both rooms. Having just finished Jack's room today (actually they share it now since we set up their buck a month or so ago), the rooms are both looking quite stunning and while the colours the boys chose are are a bit "out there" they look great now and really add a youthful feel to that end of the house. Sam's old room is really now a toy room or a spare room for when we have guests.

Have a good week.



Technorati Tags
Running

 Subscribe in a reader

Holiday Pictures from Nelson

The Mapua Aquarium is an excellent little aquarium which the boys found pretty fascinating. The cool thing about this aquarium is that the let you touch the sea life.



In the jaws of a great white!.



Sammy touching a starfish.

Caving at the Ngarua Caves, on the summit of the Takaka hill. The operators of this cave give guided tours on the hour and a full of knowledge about the cave having been therefore 24 years or so. It's about a 30 minute walk through with several stops along the way to hear about the history of the cave.

The weird thing is that later that day we heard that three tourists got caught "out of their depth" and had to be rescued from the huge Harwoods Hole cave nearby. Here's a link to that story.



Back above ground after our caving experience.



Amazing stalactite formations tens of thousands of years old.

Over in Takaka went went Salmon fishing at the Anatoki Salmon fish farm. Rods are provided and all you have to do is head over to the lake, through your line in a wait one of the many Salmon to hook up. It was a sure thing really and the kids loved. The Salmon steaks were beautiful that night.





Our prized catch. Actually Michelle caught it, though she had an unfair advantage as she was feeding them extra food.

After the fishing it was off to the beautiful Tata Beach, in Golden Bay.




After my 50 minute effort last Sunday, I've had two more runs during the week. A 40 minute run (7.5 KM) on Tuesday and 54 minutes (9.3 KM) on Thursday. I'm concerned that I may have overdone it this week however and cancelled todays planned run due to the shin not feeling good. My left foot is also still sore following Thursdays run during which I had to put up with an aching foot/heel for most of the run.

So I'm not sure what I'm going to do now really. I'm a bit over it at the moment to be honest. Will keep ya posted.



Technorati Tags
Running

 Subscribe in a reader

On the Run in Nelson

Hi there, I'm back from my week in sunny Nelson, well actually it's not as sunny as they claim, it was only the 4th of 5th sunniest city in NZ last year apparently.

We had a pretty good week, only two days of wet weather early in the week, during which I took the boys to Alvin & the Chipmunks which they thoroughly enjoyed, okay I laughed too. The next wet day we visited the local aquatic complex/wave pool a fair part of the day. Sam's (4) confidence in the water is really improving leaps and bounds from last summer.

I might cover in more detail some of our other activities later but they include such things as salmon fishing, caving and of course lazing on the beach.

I'll just quickly update you on some runs I've done this week and then set about catching up on some of your blogs;

- Tuesday Ran 5 k 30 minutes.

This was an early morning run along a misty and grey Tahunanui Beach. Beach running is not something I've really done any of so they sensation was a little strange. The sand was quite soft, even the wet sand near the water.

- Friday Ran 7-8 k 43 Minutes

For this run I arranged to be dropped at the start of the Abel Tasman Track in the Abel Tasman National Park. It is one of the premier walking/hiking tracks in the country which runs alongside the stunning Tasman Bay coastline for 50k or so. The idea was to get a water taxi up the coast to the first drop of some 12 km from the start and then run back. Unfortunately I just missed the taxi and had to settle for plan B which was to run in and back out again. In the end I ran in for 20 or so minutes and ran out again. It was certainly worth the effort.


- Sunday Ran 8.5 k 52 minutes

Ran from my house to one of the local beaches where I met Michelle and the boys. It was a great cooling off in the water (quite a bit warmer than Nelson too I'll add) after such a hot run. Temp must have been around 25 deg C today.


I'll be going into some more detail about these and other runs at a later date in a new series of posts which I'm calling "The Places I Run" where I'll try and describe the local terrain together with some pics of our lovely country.


The shins are hanging in there and don't seem to be too much of an issue at present. Here's hoping they stay that way.


Have a great week.


Technorati Tags
Running

 Subscribe in a reader

I Ran Today!

Just an update from yesterday. I decided to run today after all. Felt okay. Slow 45 minute run. Almost 8K.

I'm packing the shoes for Nelson so will be trying for a couple of runs along the Nelson foreshore this week.




Technorati Tags
Running

 Subscribe in a reader

What will 2008 Bring?

Happy new year to everyone, hope you've managed to get a good break in.

This time of the year always seems to be the time people like set their goals for the year ahead doesn't it. I've never really been one for new years resolutions as such, though I do believe in having an idea of what goals you want to achieve and I guess now is as good a time as any set re assess where I'm going and what I would like to get out of 2008.

I'm not going to sit here and write that this year will be the year I'm going to run a marathon and that I'm going to do this and that. Off course I would love to run a marathon as well as a number of smaller races.

The one major running goal I have for 2008 is to just get and stay injury free. If I can do that then the races will follow, of that I'm sure.

That may sound to some like it's far too non specific and that I'm afraid of commitment or that I'm not backing myself enough to just say I'm going to run a marathon no matter what. That could partly be the case but the way I see it until I can get to a level where I'm able to maintain a regular training programme without breaking down every three or four months then I see no sense in setting race orientated goals.

I know from looking back at my numbers from 2007, there is a lot of room for improvement and that will also be a goal for this year, to add to those numbers. Again if I can stay injury free then I should have no trouble surpassing 2007.

A marathon remains long term goal and one that I will strive for but whether it will be this year, or next or in five years, I can't say.

This week I have had just the one run , on Monday a 3.3 mile , 30 minute jog around the Auckland Domain. As I said in the last post, the shin has started to cause me some more discomfort and I was tempted to pull out after the first of my planned two laps. As most of you will know, we runners never like to pull the pin half way through a run so I soldiered on and completed the planned 30 minutes.

I was due another run yesterday but choose the sensible option of another days rest. I was a bit down yesterday as a result, but I'm pleased to say that the rest seems to have done the trick and it is feeling better. With a family holiday planned for next week to Nelson I was thinking about taking the week off running to give the shin an extended break.

I'm sure you will agree that it's no easy decision, knowing when to take a break or to push ahead with the training, especially as next week was supposed to be week three of my Rotorua Half Marathon training schedule. I might try and fit a run in tomorrow and see how it holds up. I will be taking my runners anyway so wish me luck.

Later.



Technorati Tags
Running

 Subscribe in a reader