Cyclists with a "Running" Problem

[Andrew Steer]

How was Soweto guys n girls?

 

[ScottCM]

How was Soweto guys n girls?

 

 

 

where is your race report for Saturday bud?

[Chris_]

Kaapsehoop race – I was really looking forward to this one. I haven’t run a proper 42 race (excl Ironman and Comrades) since Johnson Crane in Jan so I was looking forward to seeing how my training has been coming along. My 21 times have been slowly improving so sub 4 was my goal – Johnson time was 4:21.

 

 

I knew this was a downhill run, so I’ve been focussing on improving downhill speed because my knees have been a lifelong battle. I also decided to really just go for it. Too many times I’ve negative splitted or finished with too much in the tank so this was the race to try no holds barred.

 

 

My groin strain was still hanging around on the day, it forced me to shorten my stride a bit on the one side not to overextend my leg which (actually) I think really helped upping my cadence on the downs so running felt fine.

 

 

Firstly – perfect weather, I think we were really lucky with the cool start, and bit of cloud cover for some of the morning. Secondly – and I hear this wasn’t the case at the back of the race, but the water stations were amazing! No jokes for 42 kms there seemed to be 42 stations.

 

 

First 21kms were a dream, super fast downs, I saw later on but I beat my 21km PB by 6 mins. 25km to 30km I hit my first wall, mentally I just drifted badly. 30 to 35 I bounced back – Coke and crème soda combos worked wonders.. Last 5 km’s the wheels came off. I was absolutely empty. Those final few hills just crushed me.

 

 

Crossed the line and I lay on the side of the finishing chute for almost an hour trying to regain some bodily functions. Finished in 3:41 so I’m over the moon with my time. Sub 4 has been a dream for 3 years now. Hammies and quads are ridiculous stiff now, knees still clicking and popping but feeling ok. 

 

[Barry Stuart]

 

Kaapsehoop race – I was really looking forward to this one. I haven’t run a proper 42 race (excl Ironman and Comrades) since Johnson Crane in Jan so I was looking forward to seeing how my training has been coming along. My 21 times have been slowly improving so sub 4 was my goal – Johnson time was 4:21.

 

 

I knew this was a downhill run, so I’ve been focussing on improving downhill speed because my knees have been a lifelong battle. I also decided to really just go for it. Too many times I’ve negative splitted or finished with too much in the tank so this was the race to try no holds barred.

 

 

My groin strain was still hanging around on the day, it forced me to shorten my stride a bit on the one side not to overextend my leg which (actually) I think really helped upping my cadence on the downs so running felt fine.

 

 

Firstly – perfect weather, I think we were really lucky with the cool start, and bit of cloud cover for some of the morning. Secondly – and I hear this wasn’t the case at the back of the race, but the water stations were amazing! No jokes for 42 kms there seemed to be 42 stations.

 

 

First 21kms were a dream, super fast downs, I saw later on but I beat my 21km PB by 6 mins. 25km to 30km I hit my first wall, mentally I just drifted badly. 30 to 35 I bounced back – Coke and crème soda combos worked wonders.. Last 5 km’s the wheels came off. I was absolutely empty. Those final few hills just crushed me.

 

 

Crossed the line and I lay on the side of the finishing chute for almost an hour trying to regain some bodily functions. Finished in 3:41 so I’m over the moon with my time. Sub 4 has been a dream for 3 years now. Hammies and quads are ridiculous stiff now, knees still clicking and popping but feeling ok. 

 

 

Great run there, CBlake. Funny how one knocks on the door of a milestone over and over and when they finally get it they tend to completely smash through the barrier. 40 minutes off your JC time is a completely different runner. I also agree with you on the water points, gee when I got to that long pull up towards Nelspruit around the mid 30 kilometers it was amazing to have such regular tables.

Edited November 6, 2017 by Barry Stuart

[Andrew Steer]

Kaapsehoop was lekker... painful.

I was always going to be in a bit of poo with my poor prep, but I also terribly underestimated how steep some of those downhills would be. My quads and hips are still toast today. Oh what a pleasure it would be to run a very gradual downhill for 42.2km 

 

I'd had a calf niggle on the run up to the race and it was there in all it's glory at the start line. It was hard not to let it worry me, but I just hoped it would come right along the way. I stuck with my usual slow start, ran with the missus the first 5/6kays before heading off on my own. The calf was hurting, but it was bearable and seemed to slowly be easing up. The little out and back on a forest road early on to give us the extra 9km's to get to Marathon distance (Kaapsehoop to Nelspruit is 33kms) was interesting. I feared it would become a game of chicken between those coming and going, but it actually ended up not being all that bad from where I was. It also served as a nice warm up before the punishing drop out of Kaapsehoop.

 

The mere profile of the route forces your pace up, holding back you still found yourself running easily 5:30 minutes a kay... which is great I guess, but you could feel the damage building up in your legs and it was always going to be an issue later on in the run. Running through the forests, mist lining the mountains, some wild horses on the roadside, it was certainly a different cup of tea to the Soweto marathon which shares this race weekend.

 

I kept going along quite nicely, by around 15km's my calf seemed to have totally released much to my relief and I could focus on getting myself to that finish line. The km's ticked by quite fast, I went over half way feeling pretty comfortable in 2:05, that would give me a good shout at going under 4:20 and a healthy early Comrades seeding, but that was never really much of a priority.

The only major negative from the weekend, around 25km's the water points started to run out of water (they still had coke, but man that was not what I needed) - Two water points right in the middle of a marathon without any water is really not ideal, but luckily by the third water point they had managed to get some supplies back in. My wife would have to go 3 points without water though. It wasn't even particularly hot at this point (despite the searing predicted heat) - so they really just botched up their numbers some how.

 

I got comfortably into the 30's, but around 35km's the wheels started to come off as my lack of training and prep became very apparent, that coupled with the punishment my legs had taken on the earlier descents. I tried to keep it together best I could but my calves literally started to feel like they were going to explode and I was very concerned about the cramp like sensations starting to manifest all over the show. I pushed on though and kept moving as best I could. The last 4/5kms would be a real struggle though, I tried some desperate stretching and I lost some big time on the last climb, but eventually I got to the Stadium and some much needed Castle Lite to numb the pain in my calves which was unrelenting. 

All in all I can't really complain, I wasn't ready for this distance, but it's nice to get it done early and my time of 4:22 is better than I had expected. I'll be far better prepped for seeding purposes in the new year regardless.

 

It's a cool race, the logistics were a little tough on us at times, but at the end of the day we enjoyed ourselves and it's a beautiful part of the world to run in. The course is also definitely primed for fast times, (note the word fast, not easy) so if you're in good shape and ready for it, it's definitely worth a go. Might alternate this and Soweto heading forward, I'm a big fan of Soweto, but this is also a good pain threshold test for the Comrades down run.

 

Well done to Lexx and Barry on their runs, I know you didn't have perfect days, but those times are still darn impressive in my books. 

Tough one up next, but first some rest and then a little desperate 94.7 ride conditioning to see to. I'm such an organised guy 

Edited November 6, 2017 by Andrew Steer

[Andrew Steer]

 

Kaapsehoop race – I was really looking forward to this one. I haven’t run a proper 42 race (excl Ironman and Comrades) since Johnson Crane in Jan so I was looking forward to seeing how my training has been coming along. My 21 times have been slowly improving so sub 4 was my goal – Johnson time was 4:21.

 

 

I knew this was a downhill run, so I’ve been focussing on improving downhill speed because my knees have been a lifelong battle. I also decided to really just go for it. Too many times I’ve negative splitted or finished with too much in the tank so this was the race to try no holds barred.

 

 

My groin strain was still hanging around on the day, it forced me to shorten my stride a bit on the one side not to overextend my leg which (actually) I think really helped upping my cadence on the downs so running felt fine.

 

 

Firstly – perfect weather, I think we were really lucky with the cool start, and bit of cloud cover for some of the morning. Secondly – and I hear this wasn’t the case at the back of the race, but the water stations were amazing! No jokes for 42 kms there seemed to be 42 stations.

 

 

First 21kms were a dream, super fast downs, I saw later on but I beat my 21km PB by 6 mins. 25km to 30km I hit my first wall, mentally I just drifted badly. 30 to 35 I bounced back – Coke and crème soda combos worked wonders.. Last 5 km’s the wheels came off. I was absolutely empty. Those final few hills just crushed me.

 

 

Crossed the line and I lay on the side of the finishing chute for almost an hour trying to regain some bodily functions. Finished in 3:41 so I’m over the moon with my time. Sub 4 has been a dream for 3 years now. Hammies and quads are ridiculous stiff now, knees still clicking and popping but feeling ok. 

 

Very nicely done! 

[Lexx]

 

Kaapsehoop race – I was really looking forward to this one. I haven’t run a proper 42 race (excl Ironman and Comrades) since Johnson Crane in Jan so I was looking forward to seeing how my training has been coming along. My 21 times have been slowly improving so sub 4 was my goal – Johnson time was 4:21.

 

 

I knew this was a downhill run, so I’ve been focussing on improving downhill speed because my knees have been a lifelong battle. I also decided to really just go for it. Too many times I’ve negative splitted or finished with too much in the tank so this was the race to try no holds barred.

 

 

My groin strain was still hanging around on the day, it forced me to shorten my stride a bit on the one side not to overextend my leg which (actually) I think really helped upping my cadence on the downs so running felt fine.

 

 

Firstly – perfect weather, I think we were really lucky with the cool start, and bit of cloud cover for some of the morning. Secondly – and I hear this wasn’t the case at the back of the race, but the water stations were amazing! No jokes for 42 kms there seemed to be 42 stations.

 

 

First 21kms were a dream, super fast downs, I saw later on but I beat my 21km PB by 6 mins. 25km to 30km I hit my first wall, mentally I just drifted badly. 30 to 35 I bounced back – Coke and crème soda combos worked wonders.. Last 5 km’s the wheels came off. I was absolutely empty. Those final few hills just crushed me.

 

 

Crossed the line and I lay on the side of the finishing chute for almost an hour trying to regain some bodily functions. Finished in 3:41 so I’m over the moon with my time. Sub 4 has been a dream for 3 years now. Hammies and quads are ridiculous stiff now, knees still clicking and popping but feeling ok. 

 

Well Done Blake, That is a awesome PB. Now you know you can go even faster...  

[Stretch]

Well Done Blake, That is a awesome PB. Now you know you can go even faster... [emoji106]

Considering he was only one minute short of a comrades c batch!

[Chris_]

Considering he was only one minute short of a comrades c batch!

 

I would have retired from running on the spot had I cracked a C group! 

 

I was quietly doing the sums from 10 kms out, but for the life of me I just couldn't gain those 2 damn minutes

[Lexx]

Since I'm not aiming for Silver at next years Comrades (Just wanna do a fast Bill Rowan), I guess C Batch isn't all to bad.

[ScottCM]

CBlake congrats bud

[Lexx]

I would have retired from running on the spot had I cracked a C group! 

 

I was quietly doing the sums from 10 kms out, but for the life of me I just couldn't gain those 2 damn minutes

Its Funny how you start calculating your times from 10km's and under and trying to work out if you will make it, and keep on re-adjusting it when you have to walk ha ha

[Stretch]

Since I'm not aiming for Silver at next years Comrades (Just wanna do a fast Bill Rowan), I guess C Batch isn't all to bad.

I started in C last down and at the start was outside the city hall next to the mayor. Took 30 seconds max to get over the line. You could start on A and achieve the same time

[Lexx]

I started in C last down and at the start was outside the city hall next to the mayor. Took 30 seconds max to get over the line. You could start on A and achieve the same time

Exactly. At about 7km into Comrades Last year, I saw D,E and F Guys come past me. So it prob doesn't matter. If you train hard and put in the mileage you will make up time quickly. I think last year or this year stats showed a D seeding guy ran a silver, if I'm not mistaken.

[Iron]

Kaapsehoop was lekker... painful.

I was always going to be in a bit of poo with my poor prep, but I also terribly underestimated how steep some of those downhills would be. My quads and hips are still toast today. Oh what a pleasure it would be to run a very gradual downhill for 42.2km 

 

I'd had a calf niggle on the run up to the race and it was there in all it's glory at the start line. It was hard not to let it worry me, but I just hoped it would come right along the way. I stuck with my usual slow start, ran with the missus the first 5/6kays before heading off on my own. The calf was hurting, but it was bearable and seemed to slowly be easing up. The little out and back on a forest road early on to give us the extra 9km's to get to Marathon distance (Kaapsehoop to Nelspruit is 33kms) was interesting. I feared it would become a game of chicken between those coming and going, but it actually ended up not being all that bad from where I was. It also served as a nice warm up before the punishing drop out of Kaapsehoop.

 

The mere profile of the route forces your pace up, holding back you still found yourself running easily 5:30 minutes a kay... which is great I guess, but you could feel the damage building up in your legs and it was always going to be an issue later on in the run. Running through the forests, mist lining the mountains, some wild horses on the roadside, it was certainly a different cup of tea to the Soweto marathon which shares this race weekend.

 

I kept going along quite nicely, by around 15km's my calf seemed to have totally released much to my relief and I could focus on getting myself to that finish line. The km's ticked by quite fast, I went over half way feeling pretty comfortable in 2:05, that would give me a good shout at going under 4:20 and a healthy early Comrades seeding, but that was never really much of a priority.

The only major negative from the weekend, around 25km's the water points started to run out of water (they still had coke, but man that was not what I needed) - Two water points right in the middle of a marathon without any water is really not ideal, but luckily by the third water point they had managed to get some supplies back in. My wife would have to go 3 points without water though. It wasn't even particularly hot at this point (despite the searing predicted heat) - so they really just botched up their numbers some how.

 

I got comfortably into the 30's, but around 35km's the wheels started to come off as my lack of training and prep became very apparent, that coupled with the punishment my legs had taken on the earlier descents. I tried to keep it together best I could but my calves literally started to feel like they were going to explode and I was very concerned about the cramp like sensations starting to manifest all over the show. I pushed on though and kept moving as best I could. The last 4/5kms would be a real struggle though, I tried some desperate stretching and I lost some big time on the last climb, but eventually I got to the Stadium and some much needed Castle Lite to numb the pain in my calves which was unrelenting. 

 

All in all I can't really complain, I wasn't ready for this distance, but it's nice to get it done early and my time of 4:22 is better than I had expected. I'll be far better prepped for seeding purposes in the new year regardless.

 

It's a cool race, the logistics were a little tough on us at times, but at the end of the day we enjoyed ourselves and it's a beautiful part of the world to run in. The course is also definitely primed for fast times, (note the word fast, not easy) so if you're in good shape and ready for it, it's definitely worth a go. Might alternate this and Soweto heading forward, I'm a big fan of Soweto, but this is also a good pain threshold test for the Comrades down run.

 

Well done to Lexx and Barry on their runs, I know you didn't have perfect days, but those times are still darn impressive in my books. 

 

Tough one up next, but first some rest and then a little desperate 94.7 ride conditioning to see to. I'm such an organised guy 

Well Done ,

 

Sorry I missed you .

[Barry Stuart]

 

 

Well done to Lexx and Barry on their runs, I know you didn't have perfect days, but those times are still darn impressive in my books. 

 

 

 

Oh, don't get me wrong, I had a very enjoyable run. Jess just took a bit of strain around the same part of the race you did and I'm having to work hard to encourage her to keep her chin up this week but we'll have another crack at PMB and make sure we're in the same batch come June.

 

I actually loved that Berlin road section because it was great to be able to see the elites coming flying back towards us. Those guys were hauling.