Thought I was back to normal, not quite otherwise 12km wouldn’t have felt like 30km.
Running notes
Route: Sand Bar Camps Bay to a km past The Twelve Apostles
Time started: 7am
Total time: 1:10 hours
Total distance: 12km
Weather conditions: Sunny
Runner’s condition: Good
Yesterday. Nasty. Still went out his morning anyway, felt okay until I realised I didn’t eat much yesterday.
Running notes
Route: My house to Keizersgracht Street for a 30 mins fartlek session and back
Time started: 7:30am
Total time: 30 mins
Total distance: 5km
Weather conditions: Fine
Runner’s condition: Bit weak
OMG I don’t have to run them at 5:30am in the dark this week!
Running notes
Route: 1km hill repeats at 30% x 4 up Bellevue Street
Time started: 8am
Total time: 55 mins
Total distance: 8km
Temperature: 12˚
Runner’s condition: Good
I decided to let myself off the climb up to the Cable Station this evening, so I hovered in the car park waiting to see if anyone else would show up on the Easter public holiday after Oceans. They didn’t. And it had rained this afternoon. Useless. I drove up to the cable station, parked and had a look at the low clouds, it looked like it would hold for the hour I needed to do the 10km.
Surprisingly I felt fresh and fast tonight and didn’t stop at the points we usually do. That could have been because it was dark, cold, the mist was in and I was a touch scared. Bit stupid really considering the last two cars on the mountain passed me on my way back. My devil-may-care attitude might bite me soon.
Running notes
Route: Lower Cable Station to the turn at the end of the tarmac on Tafelberg Road and back
Time started: 18:00
Total time: 50 minutes
Total distance: 1okm
Weather conditions: Cold
Temperature: 7˚
Runner’s condition: Fine
I’d been banging on at work all week about how much I was looking forward to this race. As every long distance runner knows you never ever ever say that. But I wasn’t racing, I was just running (and yeah, you’ll not catch me speaking like that about Comrades). Last year I took it easy and had a great run, this year I was going to do the same. Nothing to worry about, just a six hour run.
Weather forecast was perfect: 23˚ and sunny. My lift collected me at 4:45am and we joined the traffic at Hospital Bend, it was still moving when Gregg and I jumped out on Dean Street. After a jovial conversation about porta-loos (tackling one in the dark on a slope is something else) and bowel movements (runners have a strange habit of over sharing that you wouldn’t do with anyone else) we hooked up with some other AAC-ers outside the Spur and stood there shivering in the dark. 9˚ is bloody cold at 5:30am dressed only in shorts and a vest.
The half marathon runners were off at 6am and shortly thereafter I left the AAC group to crush into my C seeding pen and stand there waiting for the fish-horn. Our turn came at 6:25 and it was a bit of a shock leaving the body heat for the open road. For the first kilometre I bitched and ran like a chicken (arms glued to my sides) trying to ward off the cold.
It all seemed a bit better (and warmer) once the sun was up over Wynberg, and I settled into the bite-size-chunks routine. The course is so familiar now that its hardly necessary, but its a habit which I like. I met up with a few of the guys in the first 15, made a couple of pit stops and then bumped into Chris at Lakeside.
We decided to stay together. This was Chris’ 23rd outing (my 3rd) and he wanted to get under 6, I didn’t care and fancied the company. We ran together last year and it worked out well. We were caught between the two 6 hour buses through Noordhoek and then up Chappies. I got all tetchy about it (I don’t believe in running with pacers) until I realised it was such a good vibe, the pacer was chanting and clapping and cheering his bus all the way up Chapmans Peak. The yells that went up from the hundred strong bus when we reached the top were worth being part of, just to see the achievement on the faces of those that never thought they could run up this massive incline at 32km.
After not being used for about 10km, my downhill muscles groaned, but I kept a beady eye out for the ice lollies that I’d spotted but missed last year, slurping and running was a whole new experience. On into Hout Bay where we lost the bus and plodded towards the marathon mark, this is where it starts to hurt. Chris was slowing down and I did my best to coax him forward up Constantia Nek. We raced the Old Mutual worm up the hill which I think we only beat because there were 8 blokes in canvas frame and reached the top where had a well deserved calf massage.
I’d been monitoring my watch closely and I knew we had to push the last ten km hard, Chris was up for it but I knew it would be tough over the last three km on the undulating M3. I didn’t think we could make 6 hours if we didn’t somehow get faster and there was no chance of walking now. Tick, tick, tick and not looking good.
We were averaging 7 minutes a km at the turn onto the M3 and knowing this last section is just over 3km, the maths weren’t going to work out. Push, push, push Chris! If I could get him to kick up to 6 mins a km we might just have it with seconds to spare. As we hit the grass the crowd was screaming, I was screaming, 20 seconds!, 10 seconds! and despite Chris’ herculean effort the 6 hour gun sounded so close to us that I could see the smoke. 6:00:16.
I was disappointed for Chris, but I’d had a great run trying to help a friend reach his goal. To be honest a blue that was fun because I had someone to run and laugh with, will always outweigh a close bronze by myself. I’ve got all day to run alone on 29 May…
Read my post race report from 2010
Running notes
Route: Start at Main Road Newlands, down to Muizenburg, through Kalk Bay to Fishoek, across to Noordhoek, over Chapman’s Peak, through Hout Bay, up Constantia Nek, down to the M3 and then along to the finish at UCT
Time started: 06:25
Total time: 6:00:16
Total distance: 56km
Temperature: 9 – 23˚ and sunny
Runner’s condition: Fine
Felt like I’d hardly done anything. No more training until the run on Saturday.
Running notes
Route: 1km hill repeats at 30% x 4 up Bellevue
Time started: 5:45am
Total time: 1 hour
Total distance: 8km
Temperature: 18˚
Runner’s condition: Good
Pretty dark on the way back. Going to skip the downhill next week – getting worried that I might stumble now.
Running notes
Route: Kloof Nek car park to the Lower Cable Station turn at the end of the tarmac on Tafelberg Road and back
Time started: 17:45
Total time: 1:25
Total distance: 12.5km
Weather conditions: Cool
Temperature: 18˚
Runner’s condition: Fine
As Oceans is next week, I’m allowing myself to slim down the mileage. Back in less than two hours on a Sunday – what a treat.
Running notes
Route: My flat to Kloof Nek, Signal Hill and back.
Time started: 12:30
Total time: 1:45
Total distance: 15km
Weather conditions: Quite hot, left it too late to go out
Runner’s condition: Good
Had one of the best runs this morning. I felt great, was able to keep up at the front and the weather was perfect. Cutting back on the mileage has been great for morale and just what I needed.
Running notes
Route: Lower car park at Rhodes Memorial up the M3, turn right up past Kirstenbosch to Constantia Nek and then back the way we came on Oceans route finishing on the grass on UCT sportsfield
Time started: 7am
Total time: 2:10
Total distance: 20km
Weather conditions: Mild
Runner’s condition: Great
Two repeats rather than three.
Running notes
Route: My house to Keizersgracht Street for a 30 mins fartlek session and back
Time started: 6:10am
Total time: 30 mins
Total distance: 5km
Weather conditions: Blustery
Runner’s condition: Felt great – pushed the sprints nicely
Running notes
Route: 1km hill repeats at 30% x 5 up Bellevue
Time started: 6am
Total time: 1:15
Total distance: 10km
Temperature: 16˚
Runner’s condition: Didn’t feel too hard. Having an extra rest day last week is making a difference
Running notes
Route: Kloof Nek car park to the Lower Cable Station turn at the end of the tarmac on Tafelberg Road and back
Time started: 17:45
Total time: 1:25
Total distance: 12.5km
Weather conditions: Cool and getting dark now
Temperature: 20˚
Runner’s condition: Fine
So the email told me that a group would be running Chappies this morning. I duly showed up at 7am and waited, and then waited a bit more and ended up running Chapman’s Peak by myself. I actually had a great run and didn’t manage to get run over by a bicycle. All in all a nice morning out.
Running notes
Route: Chapman’s Peak Hotel to Noordhoek farm stall and back
Time started: 07:10
Total time: 2:10 mins
Total distance: 21km
Weather conditions: Fabulous
Runner’s condition: Great
Ran with one of the more junior members of the club this morning (she’d never done more than 10km in one go) which was both inspiring and reinvigorating. Just what I needed.
Running notes
Route: Sand Bar Camps Bay to the top of Suikerbossie and back
Time started: 7am
Total time: 2 hours
Total distance: 18km
Weather conditions: Cool
Runner’s condition: Good
Went out with a bad attitude, came back with a positive one. Winter sunrises in Cape Town are stunning and the light is literally like gold.
Running notes
Route: My house to Kloof Nek, down into Camps Bay and back
Time started: 06:45
Total time: 1:20 mins
Total distance: 12km
Weather conditions: Clear
Runner’s condition: Much better
Comrades and other short stories 