Blister 124 - 15 December 2014 - Sydney Striders

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THETHE BLISTERBLISTER The Magazine for the Sydney Striders Running Club Established 1980The Magazine for the Sydney Striders Running Club Established 1980

Issue 124 Issue 124 SeptemberSeptember—— December 2014 December 2014

The winner is...The winner is...The winner is... Harlan Mulherin! The Harlan Mulherin! The Harlan Mulherin! The outright winner of the outright winner of the outright winner of the Ryde Rollercoaster Ryde Rollercoaster Ryde Rollercoaster

Never say too old for a marathon! Never say too old for a marathon! Never say too old for a marathon! Anne Boyd shares her amazing story about Anne Boyd shares her amazing story about Anne Boyd shares her amazing story about her first marathon at age 68her first marathon at age 68her first marathon at age 68

Plus…Plus…Plus… our regular race our regular race our regular race reports, results, reports, results, reports, results, Juniors’ corner, Juniors’ corner, Juniors’ corner, and social mediaand social mediaand social media

Fast food: Fast food: Fast food: Christmas Christmas Christmas treats without the treats without the treats without the weight gain? Really? weight gain? Really? weight gain? Really? Yes please!Yes please!Yes please!

Ho ho ho! Ho ho ho! Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas Striders! Our fancy Merry Christmas Striders! Our fancy Merry Christmas Striders! Our fancy dressed winners from Christmas dressed winners from Christmas dressed winners from Christmas Brunch announced!Brunch announced!Brunch announced!

Year of Josh Phillips: Year of Josh Phillips: Year of Josh Phillips: The Comeback KidThe Comeback KidThe Comeback Kid

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BLISTER COBLISTER CO‐‐EDITORSEDITORS

Amy Cheung and Debi ThorntonAmy Cheung and Debi Thornton

CLUB PRESIDENTCLUB PRESIDENT

Joe DegabrieleJoe Degabriele

VICE PRESIDENTVICE PRESIDENT

Jo CowanJo Cowan

SECRETARYSECRETARY

Kerry RossKerry Ross

TREASURERTREASURER

Lynn HerissonLynn Herisson

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATMEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR OR

Pauline EvansPauline Evans

10KM SERIES RACE DIR10KM SERIES RACE DIRECTORECTOR

James MastersJames Masters

STST RS/CALENDAR COORDINATORRS/CALENDAR COORDINATOR

Jo CowanJo Cowan

UNIFORMSUNIFORMS

Maria YiasemidesMaria Yiasemides

JUNIORS COORDINATORSJUNIORS COORDINATORS

Tony Wong and Caroline YarnellTony Wong and Caroline Yarnell

ANSW COORDINATORANSW COORDINATOR

Jo CowanJo Cowan

SUPER SERIES COORDINSUPER SERIES COORDINATORATOR

April PalmerleeApril Palmerlee

RESULTS AND TIMINGRESULTS AND TIMING

Paul HannellPaul Hannell

SOCIAL FUNCTIONSSOCIAL FUNCTIONS

Elizabeth Huband and Nigel HubandElizabeth Huband and Nigel Huband

SGTSGT‐‐ATAT‐‐ARMSARMS

David BrayDavid Bray

SPECIAL PROJSPECIAL PROJECTSECTS

Bruce GrahamBruce Graham

PRESIDENT’S DESKPRESIDENT’S DESK Hi Striders!

Time to reflect on the year that was and

consider what to do in 2015. Some of

members have been very busy on behalf of

the club.

Membership is slightly up on 2013 with

club having 869 members at the beginning

of December including over 100 Juniors.

Caroline Yarnell and Tony Wong con nue

to do a great job on a voluntary basis of

building a huge junior base and developing

their talent, with a growing list of achieve‐

ments including an event outright win to

Harlan Mulherin at the Ryde Rollercoaster

– a short 3.2km nasty hill run from Putney.

April Palmerlee is ge ng a real handle on the Super Series, while James Masters

maintains the 10km series, which is one of the mainstays of our club.

The Six Foot Track Marathon was a huge success in 2014 with a more proac ve in‐

volvement from Striders led by John Bowe and David Bray leading a dona on to the

RFS of over $56,000. The 2015 event looks like being as popular or more so with the

entries closing a er just 15 minutes. In the mean me Andy S ddard is singlehanded‐

ly organising the club’s Six Foot Track Training with no less than 50 rocking up on

Saturday mornings for their dose of torture on bush tracks around Sydney.

For road Marathon Training, our leaders Phil Skurrie, Shika Raju and Tony Kellner

are busy whipping new recruits into shape for the Canberra Marathon in April 2015.

One of the new ventures for Sydney Striders is to open up the world of Social Media

– Gilbert Gaddi and Enrique Suana have propelled Striders into Instagram, Twi er,

Tumblr as well as more Facebook with constant stream of photos and ar cles. Our

Facebook presence grows with 387 members following and cha ng on the mem‐

bers‐only page while the public page has 1600 followers and increasing. We have a

Six Foot Track Training page, a Juniors page, a Pacers page and a Marathon Training

Group page. Lots of cha ng and sharing adding to the club.

All the above and so much more is done on the basis of members being prepared to

put back a li le into the club, we all get so much from the Striders, so volunteering

for one session is not a big ask and it certainly pays back big‐ me! So make your

New Year’s Resolu on to contact our Volunteer coordinator Greg Pu ck at least

once in 2015 at [email protected].

Merry Christmas Striders! Joe

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The Blister The Blister is published three mes per year by Sydney Striders Road Runner’s Club, Inc. Address: PO Box R1227, Royal Exchange, Sydney NSW 1225, Australia Website: www.sydneystriders.org.au Opinions published in this journal, whether expressed by members or non‐members, do not necessarily represent the official policy of the club. Acknowledgements: Cover photo courtesy of Joe Degrabriele. Addi onal photos by various Sydney Striders members. Sydney Striders Juniors: The Club was set up to encourage young runners to train and compete as a group. Training sessions take the form of group training rather than personal coaching. We train on Monday nights at the Sydney Academy of Sport at Narrabeen, and Thursday nights at North Steyne, with members of all ages and standards: from 8‐year‐olds to HSC‐aged runners, from State Repre‐senta ves to those just wan ng to keep fit. Please contact us via email at [email protected] to learn more.

p.s….It’s our 35th Birthday in 2015!!p.s….It’s our 35th Birthday in 2015!! In Striders 35th year – let’s make a special effort to make a real mark on the Team and Age categories in the City to Surf in 9 August 2015! Paul Hannell and I are happy to co‐ordinate teams—drop me an email: [email protected] if you want to join a Striders team. Teams are Females and Males: 12 and under; 13‐15, 16‐19, 20‐29, 30‐39, 40‐49, 50‐59, 60‐69, 70‐79, 80+

ContentsContents PagePage

Harlan Mulherin! The outright winner of the Ryde Rollercoaster Tony Wong 4

Josh Phillips: the comeback kid Tony Wong 4

My First Year as a Strider Anne Boyd 6

New York Marathon Race Report on 2 November 2014 Sue O’Donnell 7

Don’t Cry for Me, Argen na Tim Aus n 9

2014 Auckland marathon...Take Two! Benjamin Lowe 10

The Spirit of Running Graham Kent & Ben Streckeisen 12

Striding along and bea ng Cancer Leigh MacRitchie 13

Townsville Marathon – 3 August 2014 Linda Bushell 14

TomTom MTG Corner Tony Kellner 15

Mystery Strider @ Boston Reveal! The Blister Team 16

AIS Injury Study Nicole Vlahovich 16

Melbourne Ironman Asia Pacific Championship 2014 Steven Newman 17

Book review ‐ ‘Older Yet Faster’ Joe Degrabriele 19

Super Series Wrap Up 2014, Super Series 2015 April Palmerlee 20

Non‐Super Series Races April Palmerlee 21

10K Wrap up James Master 22

Juniors’ Corner Tony Wong 23

Product Review – Trail Gaiters Gilbert Gaddi 26

Six Foot Track Marathon Corner Andy S ddard 27

Porte‐a‐Partner @ the Balmain fun run Paul Foster 28

Back on Track Tim Thornely 29

Fast food Nicole Dynan 30

Watch for trip hazards and have a happy running Christmas! Allan Wareham 31

In social media... Gilbert Gaddi & Enrique Suana 32

Christmas Brunch 2014 ‐ Winners of our fancy dress compe on... The Blister Team 32

You know you are a Strider when... The Blister Team 32

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The Ryde Rollercoaster Challenge was held on 30

November 2014. The course offers a challenging

3.2km hill run and unique baton relay.

Our own Junior Strider Harlan Mulherin was the

outright winner in the Ryde Rollercoaster in 11.55.

Congratula ons Harlan!

Harlan Mulherin! The outright winner of the Ryde Rollercoaster Harlan Mulherin! The outright winner of the Ryde Rollercoaster

Josh PhillipsJosh Phillips——the Comeback Kidthe Comeback Kid Tony Wong

The li le year 3 boy who joined Sydney Striders all

those years ago and faithfully commuted twice a

week to training at Manly and Narrabeen from Pym‐

ble, has graduated to becoming currently the fastest

middle distance track athlete of the en re Sydney

Striders Club and one of the best in the country in

his age group.

His irresis ble rise was by no means an easy one.

There were injury spells where serious doubts were

cast on whether he could con nue to run at all. One

notable injury involved a very close encounter with

a steeplechase barrier. Having missed most of last

summer through injury, a gradual build up over the

winter and strength training culminated in encour‐

aging wins at the NSW All Schools in the 2k steeple‐

chase and the 3k. Josh Phillips in 2010

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Then on the November evening of the NSW 3k Champi‐onship, we (including his Dad), knew he was going to go under 9 minutes but we didn’t know by how much and certainly did not expect him to lead from the gun. His 8 minutes 48 seconds clocking was a 14 second PB and he was only the second Sydney Striders Junior to go under 9 minutes. A week later, he returned to the same track and broke 2 minutes for 800m with a 1 minute and 58.2 seconds first leg in the 4x800m and then a 4 minutes 4 seconds first leg in the 4x1500m the following day. I caught up with Josh recently, who is s ll only 15: TW: How long have you been running? JP: Almost 8 years TW: What mo vates you? What gets you out of the door to go for a run every day? JP: The fact that I love running is enough mo va on for me. But I also love winning and I know that in order to win you must first put in the miles during training. TW: Who is your role model/running hero and why? JP: I can’t just say one, because Galen Rupp, Mo Farah, Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele are all my fa‐vourites. But overall Bekele is my number one role model. He is the 5000m and 10,000m WR holder and just the way he runs is inspiring to me and the fact that nobody has come close to his world records in the past decade shows that he is on another level to other athletes. TW: Tell me about the role your family plays in your running. JP: Dad (Wally) is my mentor and always helps me pre‐pare for races and upcoming runs. I guess he is also a bit of a coach in the way he guides me on what to do week by week. My Mum (Retha) and sister (Dani) are my cheer

squad on race day. All of my family helps with car ng me around to training and races. TW: You’ve had a number of injuries through the years. How do you mo vate yourself to come back a er a long s nt of not being able to run? JP: I guess just the fact that I love running will always make me want to come back. Plus a er having me off running I become mentally refreshed and keen to get back into it all. TW: What are your aspira ons/goals in the next few years? JP: I would love to go to the Olympics one day. But be‐fore I focus on that I would love to get a scholarship into Oregon University in America and run over there whilst doing my University studies. Another goal of mine is also to go to the World Junior Championships in 2018. TW: Can you tell us what training you did in the 2 weeks before your 8.48 3k? JP: The 2 weeks leading up to my 8:48 were both regular training weeks consis ng of a 10k long run, one or two 4‐6k tempo runs and 2 track sessions. One of those ses‐sions is a series of repe ons ranging between 200m and 600m. The other is a longer session with repe ons ranging from 600m to 1000m. For example, last week I did 6x 1000m all under 3 minutes and the last one in 2:41. I also swim 2 mes a week with my school and I some mes fit in one or two strength and condi oning sessions throughout the week.

Australian all Schools Championship, 5‐7th

December 2014, Adelaide: Josh Phillips

went one be er than last year— having

defended his tle successfully in the under

16 boys 2000m Steeplechase in 6:02 on Fri‐

day evening, he also took gold in the

3000m in a me of 8:53 on Sunday a er‐

noon.

Josh Phillips in 2014

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My First Year as a StriderMy First Year as a Strider From 10K to 42.2K as a 68 year old

Anne Boyd

I started distance running only at the start of last year at the ripe young age of 67, never having run before, not even at school. I discovered jogging as part of a weight manage‐ment program begun in 2012. By the end of 2013, by which stage my running addic on was beginning to make it pres‐ence felt, my longest distance had been the Run Sydney 10k (1:09:10). I’d lost lots of weight and I was loving running – all of it! Fitness, fun and plenty of new friends of all ages.

As 2014 commenced I found the Sun Run 10k (Dee Why to Manly) an irresis ble challenge and entered it with my daughter Helen‐Louise who is a really good runner. And it was so beau ful, hills notwithstanding. The vibe of the race combined with the throb of the ocean as we ran along the cliff tops was truly awe‐inspiring. I was already doing regu‐lar strength training with a local iden ty physio, exercise physiologist and former Olympian lightweight wrestler (Seoul 1988) Mar n Doyle.

Rocking up to my first session on the post‐Sun Run 10k high, Mar n floored me by throwing out a challenge that was really too big to get my head around: “This year you are going to run a marathon!” First step he told me was to change my entry in the upcoming Australian Running Fes ‐val from 10k to 21.1k. That seemed challenging enough. And so as a tenta ve SWEAT Be‐ginner squad member, training began in earnest for my first Half Marathon.

While out on my longer weekly training runs I kept seeing really happy and sociable runners in cheerful green and white Sydney Strider’s singlets. And every me I would tell myself how brilliant would it be to be part of such an organisa on. “Join us!” they would say in snatched conversa‐ons as they ran by. “Yes, I will”‐ I

would say, but didn’t have the courage. The Sydney Striders were surely much too fast and experi‐enced for an old plodder newbie runner like myself. I simply wouldn’t be able to keep up!

The morning I was to a empt my first Half Marathon in Canberra arrived: it was a truly joyful April morning: brisk and clear and a wonderful course which took in parliament hill and some of the lakeside. I felt the now usual surge of thankfulness to be able to be out running in such an event. It really was fun.

As fate would have it, around 6k, I pulled up beside a couple of happy runners in the now familiar Sydney Strider’s sin‐glets. “How can I join?” One of the runners was Pauline Ev‐ans our New Members’ Secretary. “Well you’ve pulled up beside the right person!” she said. We kept encountering each other during the run and Pauline was just so full of encouragement.

Benefi ng from a downhill slope around the 16k mark, I overtook them “Hey you’re a power house! Go Anne!” yelled Pauline as I passed by. Of course my li le burst was short lived and they easily passed me on the next uphill slope. But those words have stayed with me throughout the year. Thanks Pauline! I joined Striders that very day and haven’t looked back.

So with Pauline’s encouragement ringing in my ears, I set my sights on the One: the 2014 Melbourne Marathon. As prepara on I completed several STaRs, 4 more compe ve 10ks, City2Surf, 3 more Half Marathons, including my first trail run in the Southern Highlands’ Challenge – possibly the loveliest of all the events of 2014. I was s ll too slow to manage my marathon training with other Striders so, as my Sunday runs became longer, I had to stride out by myself but always proudly wearing my Striders’ singlet. This proved a Godsend as o en when far from home, a complete stranger would sing out “Go Strider!”, and my spirits would invariably li to put that extra spring in my stride.

The most remarkable instance was while compe ng in the Melbourne Marathon, a gentleman on a pushbike pulled up

beside me: “Go Strider! You must have done this lots of mes before… how old are you? ”

When I told him my age, now 68, and that it was my first marathon, he nearly fell of his bike with surprise. I discov‐ered that in the Mel‐bourne Marathon, the presence of lots of Spar‐tans out on the course, meant one could wear one’s age as a badge of pride. There were lots of older, slower runners out there, all encourag‐ing each other.

The Spartans are an ex‐clusive runners club whose members have all completed at least 10 Melbourne marathons, some many more than that. One old chap I passed in the early stag‐es had run 45. I think he was 85 years of age.

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“Congratula ons!” said my new bike riding friend, “That is amazing—68 and your very first marathon.” I pointed out as politely as I could that we were only at 26k and I wasn’t sure I could make it beyond 32k. His congratula ons, though encouraging, were certainly premature. “You’ll do it” he said. “See that runner ahead: he’s walking for a bit, then he’ll run again. You can do that too. The most im‐portant thing in your first marathon is to finish!” What fabu‐lous and strategic advice. I didn’t really want to walk any of it but above all I did want to finish. I decided to use the traffic lights as distance markers: run two sets, walk the next. That way, I passed the 32k mark comfortably enough. I was then into the uncharted last 10k. Thanks to some right knee tendinopathy, I had only managed two training runs at that distance prior, so I didn't have a really strong base.

The last 10k was possibly more walk than jog but I cked off each kilometres as it passed as a new running milestone knowing I had a comfortable 7 hours to complete the en re course. I had lost all sense of me. We stated at 7am in a cool 13 degrees. At 30k the temperature had soared closer to 30 degrees. I was using every water sta on not only to drink but to p water over my head. I was reassured to find that it was only 10:30am. There was s ll plenty of me to cut‐off.

I got to 36k and for a moment thought I was nearly there. Only 6k to go: nothing was gong to stop me now. Oops the last 6k of 42.2k is a lot longer than the familiar Rozelle Bay Run! In fact it was the toughest 6k of my life and the slow‐est. But somehow, buoyed by the encouragement of few spectators s ll out there cheering on slower runners, I got to 42.2k. The rush of crossing that FINISH line was truly un‐imaginable. I simply couldn’t believe that I’d made it in 5:31:55 (5th in my age division). I have completed a mara‐thon! My first marathon! Wowie!!!

Now on to the next challenge: to qualify for Boston as a 70 year old (2016). To do that I’ll need to run the Gold Coast

Marathon next July in 4:55 (or slightly faster). Yep, a huge improvement. Can I do it? Who knows? And either way it doesn’t really ma er much. This year I have learned that the journey really is what it’s all about. The journey as a Sydney Strider makes it seem that li le bit more possible to achieve the seemingly impossible and lots more fun!

An a er thought: I’ve discovered in the last two years, though it’s good to have goals, distance running is less about compe on (even with oneself) than about sharing the joy of one’s common humanity. The Melbourne Mara‐thon mo o sums this up “Run as One”! Go Striders!!!

Sue O’Donnell The start village was freezing, and made worse by the gale force winds. Fortunately I had been well advised by those who had gone before me and so I was very warmly dressed, but others were shaking with cold. Eventually we moved into the corral, waited some more, stripped off layers of clothing, and then sang along to Frank Sinatra’s “New York New York” as we moved toward the star ng mat. We headed off over the Verrazano Bridge with a very strong cross wind. I was seriously fearful that I was going to be swept off the bridge. It was probably a good mo va‐tor to get off the bridge quickly. Although I’d been told that the crowd would be calling out my name I was s ll surprised when the first spectator I saw

said “go Sue”. I loved it, smiled, waved, and ran on. Because of the sound of the wind and the crowd, I could‐n’t hear my Garmin (watch) beep as I completed each kilometre and so I didn’t have much idea of my pace un l I crossed the 5km mat and was happy to see 25:31. I was well aware that several people in Australia were ge ng up very early to track me and so I wanted to make sure they weren’t disappointed. At the 10km mat my me was 51:18, which was well ahead of my race plan. Running felt like no effort at all ‐ I felt like I was on a conveyor belt and I just had to put one foot in front of the other and I was being carried along in the current. The calls from the crowd were con nuous. “Go Aussie Sue”, “Great running Sue”, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” and “Go Australia”! I started thinking and feeling how magnifi‐cent I was! Tears were welling in my eyes as I thought about what a champion I was! I imagined the finish line and how I would burst into tears with the realisa on of my outstanding achievement!

New York Marathon Race New York Marathon Race Report on 2 November 2014Report on 2 November 2014

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I could sense some people looking at my tracking and say‐ing “se le down Sue”, but running felt so easy…and I knew I might need me up my sleeve as I would invariably slow‐down in the later part of the race. My husband, John, was at the assigned spot around the 18km mark in Brooklyn. I’d given up any hope of finding him amongst the crowd, so was thrilled to see a yellow Wallabies scarf like a beacon among the dark winter cloth‐ing of the other spectators. I ran across and gave him a high five. I con nued on the conveyor belt out of Brooklyn, into Queens and ran across the half marathon mat in 1:49:44 – three and a half minutes ahead of my race plan. As I ran over the Queensboro Bridge I enjoyed the quiet (no spectators on the bridge), and was glad to get some shelter from the wind (we were on the lower level of a two storey bridge). I was surprised how many people were walking. The incline of the bridge was nothing to a Sydney Striders runner! The crowd resumed with a roar as we en‐tered Manha an. First Avenue was long. The 3hr45min pace group ran past me at about 28km. I was surprised to have stayed ahead of them for so long, but thought: “I should probably try and latch onto that group”. In the couple of seconds it

took me to contemplate that thought, they moved away and I reasoned “that’s OK. I’m aiming for 3:49 so don’t worry”. I don’t remember much about the Bronx. I looked at my Garmin at 32km and thought “yep 32km, that’s why I’m feeling this way” – I s ll felt fine, but it was beginning to be more of an effort. Of course the crowd was s ll thick with their praise for my outstanding running! I was glad to leave the Bronx and head down 5th Avenue to the park. John was going to be wai ng for me at 100th St (a loca on we choose because I knew I’d be able to re‐member that number) so I counted down the streets un l I found him around the agreed spot. I was running peri‐lously close to the mes on my race plan and realised I had to stay focused. The crowd were telling me “you’ve got this Sue”, “Go Sue”, “Come on Australia”… Fortunately I had done a prac ce run of the last 3 miles of the course on the Friday before the race, and so I knew what to expect at the end. Nevertheless, as I ran through the park toward the short stretch on Central Park West (before re‐entering the park and the finish line) I started thinking “have they changed the course… where’s the exit to the road??”. Haha ‐ silly, silly me... Again I was surprised to see people walking when they were so close to the finish line. I kept running, looking ahead to that wonderful finish arch. No arms in the air for me – I didn’t want to risk slowing down for a frac on of a second. I stopped the Garmin and smiled at the 3:49:21 it displayed. Volunteers congratulated me. No tears – just joy. I’ve done it! The finishers were like walking zombies. Everyone was in their own world of pain. I struggled to get the top off the water bo le in the finisher’s bag. My legs were ceasing up. Stretching didn’t help – that was painful too. I ate the ap‐ple in the finisher’s bag – the most delicious apple I’ve ever eaten. The wind was whipping the foil blankets up away from our bodies and we were shaking with cold and pain, as the walking zombies make their way through the finisher’s area. Fortunately NY being NY, they’d also organised pon‐chos for us and so another volunteer put a fleece lined poncho over our foil blankets and I felt much warmer. It was a short walk back to the Lucerne Hotel. Yes I’m thrilled with my me. But I’m more thrilled with the experience. When does an ordinary person like me get to have hundreds of people calling their name, yelling praise, and congratula ng them? Everybody should run the New York Marathon. This marathon is definitely one of the best experiences of my life.

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Don’t Cry for Me, Don’t Cry for Me, ArgentinaArgentina

Race report: Buenos Aires Marathon – 12TH

October, 2014

Tim Aus n

Some mes, you just get lucky with a race overseas.

The biennial World Congress of Pain Management is the

must‐go‐to conference for researchers and clinicians

who work in the field of pain management. Every 2

years it moves its way to a different venue in the world.

This year, it was held in Buenos Aires, Argen na, in early

October 2014.

A quick check of the running calendar showed that of all

the weekends for the Buenos Aires Marathon, it came

on the day a er the conference! So, a week at a confer‐

ence, learning heaps and ge ng over jet‐lag, and then a

chance to run my first ever overseas marathon.

Buenos Aires is perhaps not the best place to do one’s

final prepara ons for a marathon. Excellent steak and

plenty of local Malbec red wine is perhaps a li le heavy

on protein, and a bit light on carbohydrates! Anyway,

there is a reasonably strong Italian influence in Buenos

Aires, so some pasta and a glass of the local red proved a

solid late week “carbo‐loading” for the big day.

Buenos Aires has a lot to offer a marathon runner. Being

a very flat city beside the Rio De La Plata delta region,

the marathon course possibly matches Gold Coast in its

op mal eleva on map; at most, 3 hills of 10‐15 metres

each!! The course is a fascina ng mix of the deligh ul

and the dull. Star ng and finishing about 6km out of the

main city centre in beau ful parklands (think Centennial

park/Moore park precinct), the course travels first to‐

wards the downtown area. Here it zig‐zags past/through

the main city squares (like Plaza De Mayo – site of fa‐

mous speeches by numerous poli cians and personali‐

es such as Eva Peron), and travels along Ave 9 Julio, the

16 lane boulevard modelled on the Champs‐Elysees in

Paris. As in the photo included, the run goes past the

famous Obelisk in the Plaza de la Republica, the symbolic

centre of the city. Downtown Buenos Aires is very Paris‐

ian, with numerous 4‐6 storey apartment buildings archi‐

tecturally similar to its northern counterpart. On an oth‐

erwise quiet Sunday morning, the low sunlight beau ful‐

ly highlighted the “European” vista of the city buildings.

The marathon then heads towards and through the

more “run‐down” parts of town, including the famous La

Boca area, of soccer (par cularly Maradona) fame. Run‐

ning straight past the famous 50,000 seat La Boca Jun‐

iors stadium is quite a contrast to the locals who live in

derelict buildings (if not, burnt‐out cars!). The numerous

armed constabulary lining the course were a novel form

of spectators in this region!

In further contrasts, the course then spends 10km or so

running up and down the rejuvenated Puerto Medero

area (a bit Darling Harbourish), followed by 6km through

the very dusty current port district (thankfully quiet on a

Sunday morning, but hot with no shade). The final 3km

back through the parklands ends a flat race of marked

changes in scenery.

I had the further delight to run the race with an Aussie

friend I had convinced to come down from Peru for a

long weekend with his wife. We ran exactly 4”40’ pace

for the first 30km, before dri ing a li le, to finish just

over 3hrs21 mins.

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Si ng almost level in la tude with Sydney, the weather

in Buenos Aires in October mirrors that of Sydney. It

could be anything from quite warm or quite cool at that

me of the year; the day before the race was 15 de‐

grees, the day before that was 29!

The organisa on of the event was acceptable, without

being spectacular. Everything spoken was obviously in

Spanish, so Gringos like me had to guess what was hap‐

pening (or have a Spanish‐speaking friend). About 8,000

finishers meant a bigger race than anything here in Aus‐

tralia. The start was perhaps a bit narrow for that num‐

ber (especially with totally absent self‐seeding!), but

mostly wide streets/avenues meant you always felt as

though you had room to spread out.

Overall, a great experience whilst overseas. If you were

looking for a South American marathon to add to your

list, this could quite easily be an op on.

Benjamin Lowe I raced Auckland Marathon last year and loved it. It was 6 weeks a er Sydney Marathon and as an indica on of how much me you should have between big races 6 weeks gave me two marathons within 10 seconds of each other! I was happy that I raced to my poten al on those race days but can't say the same for this year. In 2014, I was happy to have ran 7 minutes quicker for a 2.42 and 9th place overall (15 minutes or 10% behind the winner) but I s ll made a few mistakes. Here it is by the numbers: 12 week average minutes of each ac vity leading into the race for 2014 and 2013 for comparison:

CONSISTENCY ‐ Leading in I have had a good 18 months of consistency since I DNF'd Melbourne IM in March 2013 with bruising on my metatarsals and I think that consistency is a major contributor for my current fine form. I raced Cairns IM 21 weeks ago and took a good month off a er that with noth‐ing serious and then got more serious about the running 16 weeks before the race. I was building some good weeks 5 to 10 weeks before the race and had two 100k week's and a 120k but I think I may have pushed it a li le hard when I started to put some intensity in as I got sick 5 weeks out and it really threw me for 2‐3 weeks and only le the taper. LESSON ‐ Lesson learnt for me for Taupo training ‐ if you don't come right in 3 days, go see the doctor. I had been reading a bit about Arthur Lydiard and I can't say I followed his training program very closely at all. But the one theme from this build up and the big weeks was that I did put in lots of moderate pace runs with a longer day followed by a shorter day.

2014 minutes 2013 for comparison

Running 334 281

Biking 124 234

Swimming 62 23

Other 62 61

weight 70 66

2014 Auckland marathon...Take Two! 2014 Auckland marathon...Take Two!

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I think it really worked to build my endurance poten al and

strengthen my legs. I think next me I will just need to start a li le

earlier than 16 weeks out, and build up more gradually as I think I

put a fair bit of fa gue in my body with the 100k plus weeks. I know

lots of other pure runners run plenty more than I did but it was the

most running in a block I have ever done. I think the double run days

of 2*10k to and from work, running through town at 5‐5.30 pace

really helped as well as trying for 3 longer runs per week. For this

race I really only did long running weeks at moderate pace trying to

squeeze all the k's I could in, got sick and then followed the Lydiard

taper for the two weeks before race day with a li le swimming and

biking in there.

STRENGTH ‐ I also think a big posi ve of this build up was pu ng a

couple of moderate weight gym sessions in per week and I think that

really made my legs heaps more robust and in a funny way helped

with my recovery. During the race I didn't have any major cramps or

muscles fail and I think the running k's and gym sessions really

helped. I wasn't li ing big weights but think the nega ve resistance

from the weights with plyometric in the mix that really helped with

muscle recruitment and building robustness. A typical session at

Goldsborough Fitness Studio would be 3*10 deadli s at 50kgs,

squats 3*10 at 40, 40, 50kg's, some glutes and hamstring exercises

prescribed by my trainer and finished with 1*15 then 1*max effort

box jump sets with a pre y challenging height.

DIET ‐ I give myself 5 out of 10 for this! I have read widely, know

exactly how to put a good ea ng week together and I think I did this

much be er for Cairns IM. I like cu ng simple sugars out of my diet,

replacing with good fats but I really only did this half‐heartedly for

this race. I think it showed in my race weight too at 70 kg's which

should have been lower. I did not really carbo load but did have my

usual pre‐race fish and chips the night before with my sister Sacha

and her family. Race morning was muesli and coffee 90 minutes out,

banana 60 minutes out, two high 5 caffeine gels 15 minutes out and

maybe 1 litre of water before it. During the race I had 3 caffeine gels,

water and Powerade in the first 25k's then went to Coke and

Powerade for the last 15k along with cramp stop which was my sav‐

iour (I could feel my forearms star ng to cramp...).

RACE DAY ‐ I can't think of a be er way to get to a race start than

the ferry over to Devonport, it's awesome as you know you will get

there on me, more room than a bus and it's so relaxing. I saw Clydo

and Ka e when I got off the ferry and had a good chat. I was pre y

relaxed before the start as last year there was no worries about mak‐

ing my way to the front of the crowd before the gun went off and

again I managed to get right to the front. I stretched a li le on the

morning but think it was good to do a bikram yoga session 3 days

out to open the hips even though I was a li le worried that it had

dehydrated me. As I fired up the Garmin it gave me the low ba ery

signal but I thought it might last the run but no, it died even before

the gun went off. So I had no pacing data but that is no excuse for

my race execu on.

And so the start gun fires and we are off ‐ I'm telling myself re‐

lax, use the first few k's as a warm up then get into your work. A

bunch of about six guys has gone pre y hard out of the start and a

second pack forms near me in the first km so I think ‐ OK, this is a

good pace; they are running the hills reasonably sensibly and I'm

si ng behind them pre y well. We se le in over the rolling hills at

the start and it's kind of cool as I remember nearly every street and

hill from running it the year before. By about 4k in everyone is

se led in and we chat a li le and I enviously hear the other guys

Garmin beeping the km's away. At 10k I divulge to the guys that my

Garmin died and ask for the race me, 36.08. Ouch ‐ while feeling

fine, this pace is too quick and well ahead of my 3.50/km target, but

I'm not feeling too bad. I had done a few 2, 3 and 5k TT efforts at

about 90% not much quicker than this pace but it must have been

the taper as I feel relaxed running this pace despite the rolling hills.

And then the Bridge: here comes my conserva ve Ironman pacing ‐

the guys were not going too fast up the hill but I relax and let them

pull away a li le. I am ahead of schedule and it was a calm day so

there was no need to shelter behind people. They have about 20

seconds at the top but run conserva vely down the other side and I

manage to get back on and lead them through St Mary's Bay and

back under the bridge. Now I start to feel it in my legs at 19k in.

Next up we run through 20k and without asking I get a me call of

72.40, again too quick but I'm ques oning in my head how much

faster am I going to be able to run given the training I've done and

when we go through half way in 76.44 my head races away and dou‐

bled that for what would be a super marathon me and quick

enough for the golden shoe...but I pulled my head in and let the guys

go and they went on to get posi ons 6, 7 and 8. I did have a guy run

through me with 7‐8k to go but he either put 11 minutes into me in

that distance or ended up pulling out.

I did feel a li le isolated as I didn't have any pacing indicators now

and I just tried to think that the third 10k was going to be about re‐

laxing as much as possible, running smoothly and keeping myself

together as much as possible. I was really having to push by the me

I went through the 30k turn round at St Helliers and I knew I was

going to be paying for my pacing sins in the last 10k, so I just tried to

keep calm, relaxed and smooth despite feeling like I had to push to

hold pace. I could feel both hamstrings and thinking about cramping

and my le foot was ge ng a bit sore I think from having my shoes

too ght. It was great to see the Howsie clan as I ran through Mis‐

sion bay and it was a good li for a couple of km’s. By the me I ran

through Mechanics Bay with about 3k to go, I looked back at the big

straight and couldn't see anyone charging for me which took some

of the pressure off me to sprint but I was s ll pushing for my PB. I

had to stop once for cramp in my le foot but the sprays of cramp

stop kept things in check reasonably well.

No major incidents into the finish but I am certain I wasn't running

that quick at the end as I was hanging on as much as I could.

Looks like the golden shoe will once again be with Enda Stankard but

I am looking forward to running another marathon. Maybe it's me

for a PB to be set on a fast course like Gold Coast or Christchurch???

Next up: Taupo IM in 18 weeks and I need to get on the bike and in

the pool to have a crack at the golden cket.

12

The Spirit of RunningThe Spirit of Running As a Strider, apart from being proud of ourselves to always giving everything a go (see Blister #123), another proud Strider tradi on is our willingness to give, support and vol‐unteer. Here’s a story from the Melbourne Marathon 2014—even in the face of adversity, we s ll provide support to those in need. This story has been previous shared in h p://hurtsquad.com/2014/10/the‐spirit‐of‐running/ and h p://pommytom.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/wednesday‐slr.html Graham Kent: On Sunday I ran my first ever marathon in Melbourne and most of it went really well, but at about 35k I was just done, I knew I was not going to achieve my goal pace (3:04:00) and I was pre y sure that my Boston marathon qualifying me (3:15:00) was out of the window too. I had stopped to walk twice and could not see myself ge ng moving again under any circumstances. Then along can the guy in the yellow visor and the Sydney Striders singlet. I knew I had friends wai ng for me at the finish line but was running the race alone, I had just stopped to walk for the third me at a drink sta on when I heard “c’mon buddy, you’re coming with us” shouted from just behind me, I turned to see a youngster who I had seen walking ahead of me a couple of mes and yellow visor guy coming towards me le ng me know that I needed to join them and start running again. I did just that and for the last 5k of the race the man who my inves ga ons lead me to believe is Ben Streckeisen talked me through the pain and the nega ve thoughts and got me across the line in 3:13:55, 9 minutes shy of my goal but a minute under my Bos‐ton qualifying goal. I belong to a run club who believe that encouragement and support are the way to progress and succeed, and experiencing this from a stranger was like being home in Perth running with friends, once Ben took me along he spoke encouragement and posi vity into the hard‐

est part of my run and changed the day for me and turned my race around. I found him to give him a sweaty hug once he crossed the line but was a li le too emo onal and exhausted to say thank you properly and express how much his selflessness and suppor ve words really meant to me. Sydney Striders, your club has been represented by an incredible human being, who was, to me, the true winner on Sunday morning. Ben Streckeisen: I blew up at 24km aiming for a 2.52. A training partner ran past at around 27km and tried to encourage me to s ck with her. I told her that I was done; my rubber band was stretched. Thankfully she went on, ran her PB and to her race goal of 2:58. My plan B was sub 3hrs and that went at around 29km; my rubber band had snapped. I was in a world of hurt along St Kilda Road and thought about jumping in front of a tram to end it a couple of mes. I may have even been delusional as I swear I spoke to Craig Mo ram as he ran passed me pacing a buddy of his. I walked through one of the last aid sta ons along there and was given some support by another fellow runner with a friendly tap on the shoulder keep at it. Plan C came into effect which was to finish what I had started, just finish and I told myself that me did not ma er. It was around 37km just before the rise of the Tan that I then decided to take with me anyone else who I could convince that the clock did not ma er anymore. So if I saw someone walking or standing I went up to them and told them that they were coming with us and that I’d be there by their side and we would fin‐ish this together. I would tell the group that “ me didn’t ma er, concentrate on form and let’s keep going together”. I think I picked up about 4 or 5 people and Graham was amongst the group. I ended in 3:14:48, my second slowest marathon from 9 a empts, only slow‐er than my debut in 2005. Funnily I ran 17 seconds faster in Canberra in March this year pacing 3:15. I’m ecsta c to hear that Graham achieved a Boston qualifier with a small amount of encouragement

from me when I was broken, well and truly broken.

13

For someone who has been into fitness, healthy living and distance running to be diagnosed with bowel cancer at the end of February this year was a shock. In April 2013 I was training for marathon no. 14 in Canberra. I was experiencing intermi ent abdominal pains in the morn‐ing especially when I was exercising. I will describe the pains as an extreme s tch with the addi on of a knife cu ng through my stomach. However, I completed the Canberra Marathon in a personal worst me 4 hours 23 minutes. A er the Canberra Marathon weekend I visited my GP con‐cerned about my constant fa gue and the now constant ab‐dominal pains. She referred me to a physician who thought I was suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome and based on my symptoms suggested a change of diet for a 3 month trial. This diet was to avoid dairy include very high fibre foods and essen ally avoid any processed foods. I made the diet chang‐es and for a me this seemed to manage the symptoms. I might add that I had an ultra sound and blood tests which seem to show no major illness apart from anaemia. Anaemia, I have since learnt can be a pointer to cancer. During this me I was training and focusing on the 10k Series and managed to race a season best me in the Run Sydney Half Marathon at Olympic Park, as well as completed the Centurion 10k Series (comple ng all 10 race in one calendar year). Funny though, it was an achievement I did not appreci‐ate at the me, because I thought my race mes could have been a lot faster. Towards the end December the pains returned with a venge‐ance and I was now extremely fa gued. December was a very busy month for me I was working hard and thought my ex‐haus on was due to work and lifestyle factors. Christmas came and went and in January this year I determined my number one New Year’s resolu on was to resolve my health issues. More tests were carried out and I had a colonoscopy. My results were not good, that’s when the cancer was discov‐ered.

Although this was unexpected, the cancer diagnoses was a relief ‐ I felt for a long me there was something seriously wrong with me. It was frustra ng at the me, that, it took the medical professionals 11 months to diagnose the cancer. I was lucky I have had wonderful trea ng doctors and the support of my family and friends. A er major surgery I had 6 months of chemotherapy and when I felt well enough I tried very hard to maintain a level of fitness. During this me I con‐nued to run, this was very important to me, as it made me

feel in charge of my life. I took part in some of the 10km Se‐ries (photo on the le was me at North Head 10K in June 2014!), City2Surf and the Bridge Run. The support from my Strider friends has been amazing. Chemotherapy affected me more than I expected. The fa gue and nausea can be and is debilita ng. I managed this with yoga and towards the end of the treatment I started acu‐puncture which I believe worked a miracle. Lessons learnt from this experience:

Never let any medical professional say you are too young or too old to get certain illnesses. In my case they thought I was too young.

If you feel there is something wrong with your body follow it through? Get a second opinion ask for more tests.

Marathon running can be painful, pushing your body hard to run those kilometres can hurt. Some pains should never be ignored

Bowel Cancer facts: Although Bowel Cancer is most common in people

over 50 age group it can affect young people under the age of 35 as well.

I have learnt that cancer does not discriminate it affects people “who do not fit the profile”.

If detected early the success rates are very high. It is the second highest cancer in Australia for both

men and women. It is one of the cancers which people tend to avoid

discussing because of the yuck factor. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and look forward to a healthy and happy new running year in 2015 and training for marathon no. 15. Go Striders! Look a er yourselves.

Leigh MacRitchie

Striding along and beating CancerStriding along and beating Cancer

14

Townsville MarathonTownsville Marathon 3 August 20143 August 2014 Linda Bushell

One Sunday a ernoon while relaxing a er a training ses‐sion, I was reading the Sydney Striders website and came upon a survey to complete and if you were interested you could enter a compe on to win a free trip to Townsville which included return airfares, 2 nights accommoda on and an entry into the Townsville Marathon.

The Townsville Running Fes val includes the Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km, 5km and 2.5km and is held over the first weekend in August 2014.

I don’t know why I entered as I was in the middle of train‐ing for the M7 Ci es Westlink Marathon, but thought, “why not, I won’t win anyway!”

A couple of weeks later, I received a telephone call from Joe Degabriele advising that I had won the female mara‐thon entry from the compe on!

A er the ini al shock of winning, discussions with my hus‐band and coach, I, (we) decided to accept the prize and I would run in the marathon for fun given the two mara‐thons were only 8 days apart! I wanted to race the Ci es Westlink Marathon as I had been focusing on this race as a qualifier for Boston 2015!

15

Alex Hahlos won the male entry. We stayed at the City Oasis Inn, which was a nice 15min stroll to the start line! The mara‐thon race started at 5:30am. We had an interes ng start to our race!

S ll dark as we walked down the hill towards the race; we for‐got to take a map and ended up walking via the nightlife street where many party‐goers were sprawled over the streets on their way home from night clubbing! We were dressed in race gear, bibs and caps on and gels in pockets trying to make our way through the crowds of people without a rac ng too much a en on! Luckily, we were going in the right direc on and arrived at the start in ample me to prepare for our race.

At 5:30am as the sun came up and the morning’s first rays of light started to bounce off the rocky face of iconic Castle Hill, approximately 140 marathoners hit the pavement to conquer

the 42.2km! The weather was around 11‐15C, a very pleasant temperature to start a race!

The marathon course consisted of 2 x 10.5km loops, plus 1 x 21.1km loop. The la er is the half marathon course, which started at 7.10am. Course kilometer markers were easily visi‐ble. The course is a flat, very picturesque and very spectator friendly! As you come through the halfway point spectators are on mass cheering as you go past. The race announcer calls your name and me at the half way point which gives you a bit of a li especially running past the crowd that keeps growing throughout the morning. I was very taken aback as to how many people were out suppor ng and cheering so early on a Sunday!

The Breakfast ar ers on the Esplanade at Rowes Bay offer fan‐tas c encouragement, champagne, beer and a BBQ several mes as you go past, which grows as the morning goes by!

They have a sign out saying, “You suffer today and we suffer tomorrow”!

Given I had run a marathon the previous Sunday I set out on the course to have fun, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the race – I did! It was a fantas c race, and I love the course. Race organisers and volunteers did an incredible job with lots of smiles and nothing was too difficult. Margie Ryder, the Event Manager, made us feel very welcome and made certain we were looked a er!

I finished the race in 3:50:53 and was extremely happy! I defi‐nitely recommend this event to any runner and their families. Thanks again to Joe Degabriele, Sydney Striders and Towns‐ville Marathon for my prize.

Tony Kellner We are only four weeks into our lt at the Canberra Mara‐thon in April, so if you are keen to join us, it is not too late. This year we already have a very commi ed group training hard for Canberra. They have thrown themselves into the training with gusto, and are even asking for more hills! Phil has returned from his enforced hiatus, and is regaling us with his many marathon stories. Shika is backing up again with the MTG, even though she is ba ling injuries. It is a pleasure being involved in the MTG with them.

TomTom is again sponsoring the MTG, so if you are looking at a new running watch, they are certainly worth consider‐ing. The new Runner Cardio Watch with a built in Heart Rate Monitor gives you the op on of running without the annoying chest strap. The MTG is thankful for the support of the club as they head into their first marathon journey. The ability to talk with the many experienced runners in the club will make the thought of running a marathon a li le less daun ng.

See you on the roads and trails! From, Tony, Shika & Phil

Sydney Striders TomTom MTG For updates, join our Facebook page Sydney Striders TomTomMTG Email: [email protected]

TomTom MTG CornerTomTom MTG Corner

16

AIS Injury StudyAIS Injury Study

Nicole Vlahovich

The overall incidence of running related lower limb injuries has been

reported anywhere from 19.4 ‐ 79.3% with approximately 5% of ac‐

ve sport par cipants sustaining an injury in a two week study peri‐

od.

The Australian Ins tute of Sport is looking for runners to par cipate

in a research project on the role of gene cs in exercise‐induced inju‐

ries. This study aims to iden fy gene c varia ons that contribute to

increased risk of, or protec on from tendon and bone injuries sus‐

tained through par cipa on in physical ac vity.

Are you:

A recrea onal runner, running excess of 15 km a week, and

Over 18 years of age?

Your par cipa on in an online survey could help provide new insights

into the gene c factors associated with exercise‐induced injuries in

recrea onal and elite athletes. This knowledge will be used to devel‐

op programs for the preven on of injury in sport and physical ac vity.

By comple ng the survey you will go into the draw to win one of 50 vouchers to spend $50 on high performance sportswear from 2XU.COM.AU

Visit www.ausport.gov.au/injurystudy to par cipate in this exci ng study or contact [email protected] for more informa on.

Mystery Strider at Boston Mystery Strider at Boston Marathon Marathon -- Reveal!Reveal!

In our last edi on (#123), we men oned that our

keen eyed Club President Joe spo ed this while

browsing the world wide web:

[h p://www.livestrong.com/

slideshow/1010452‐16‐worlds‐

marathons/#slide=2]

The mystery Strider is Julie

Howle back in 2010. She has

since been smashing Half Iron‐

mans!

Mystery solved!

Thanks Roger Hanney!

17

Melbourne: Ironman AsiaMelbourne: Ironman Asia--pacific Championship 2014pacific Championship 2014 Steven Newman

11 October 2014

A er qualifying at Ironman Melbourne in March of 2014 with 9h11min, I returned to the Big Island for my second trip and 18th Ironman with a sense of pride in the knowledge that I actually earned the right to toe the start line with the world’s best over the Ironman distance rather than via a lo ery spot as in 2012. The 2014 World Championship is a celebra on race for me, however I was in fairly good shape coming into the event so was going to push quite hard. Based on my Melbourne form, I was about 90‐95% fit and having raced in Kona before, I thought a sub 10h performance was on the cards and 9:40ish was realis c. I was fairly relaxed coming into the event and a few cocktails in Honolulu and some nasty evening meals made the taper a definite carbohydrate loading event. The race start was spilt into 4 start groups this year; M Pro, F Pro, M Age Group and F Age Group which was a new ini a ve and it seemed to calm the swim start down quite a bit. I had a relaxed and fairly uneven ul start, which is quite rare for Iron‐man, normally you get belted for the first 10min. I eventually found a small group and se led in for the 3.8km swim. Through half way in 31min meant that there was definite cur‐rent pulling us along and the return journey took 39min for an uneven ul swim of 1h10min34sec. Out of the water a quick wash down and then into the change tent, I sat on the second last chair before the exit and boom, fell to the ground. The chair just snapped in half and I lay spread eagle on the ground. Volunteers in the immediate vi‐cinity turned to help, but I was more concerned with ge ng my helmet on and ge ng out of there, this is a race peeps! Anyway the death of that chair could be a ributed to one too many slices of pizza at the California Pizza Kitchen in Honolulu (Great place by the way)! This event was a sign of things to come! The long run around the pier, which seems to grow each year, made Transi on 1, 3min 21sec.

Onto the bike to where I feel at home and the most comforta‐ble just pushing those pedals round and round. I have a power meter on my bike, which is a tool that allows you to monitor your effort (wa s) instantaneously. Unfortunately I got caught up in the energy of the World Championships and this was enough of a distrac on for me to make a few errors in pacing, and my limit of 230 wa s was exceeded many mes over the first por on of the course as I said to myself; “It’s ok, this climb is only 5min long”.

By the me we were 50km into the ride and out onto the Queen K highway the wind had really picked up. The last me I raced Kona in 2012 the wind was also strong so I knew what I was in for, but this was VERY windy and damn ugly. On one climb out on the Queen K, I was climbing one of the “It is ok, this climb is only 5min long” climbs and then “POP”, my ght (med) Aussie race designed for thoroughbreds split open like a n of pop tarts at al tude.

The zipper split in half and was now strangling me around my neck and cu ng in around my mid sec on. In tes ng the suit two weeks prior I thought it was TIGHT, but to have it bust in the middle of this race was a major pain. I eventually tore the zipper apart and had to con nue the remaining 130km with my suit ac ng like a “Super Maxi Sail” in the Americas Cup. Not only was I figh ng the wind but also now pulling a damn sail through the wind would be another added challenge set for the day.

18

In summary the remaining por on of the bike was just plain hard! Through the flat sec on of Waikoloa into a head wind at 20km/h, leaning into a wicked cross wind ll Hawi then climbing a further 10km into a solid head wind. Descending Hawi at 65km/h, through more cross winds and then turning with the wind through the flats at Waikoloa where I sat on 60+km/h and feeling like the eventual World Champion leg‐end cyclist Sebas an Kienle. The last 30km home was straight into a head wind and it was a struggle to stay focused. Normally you can expect weather or winds pick up at some point during the day or it may get very hot for a sec on. But on this day it was just phenomenal, the wind was relentless from the start, it just did not stop all day long. By the end of the ride I was red and sick of it and my 5h12min28sec was the toughest bike ride I have ever done in an Ironman event. Pu ng on the run shoes in Transi on 2 was a pleasure as I was looking forward to the change; the 3min 26sec through transi on saw sunscreen go on and then I was ready to take the “Super Maxi Sail” for a run. The start of the run was hot and a er just 4km I knew that the thought bubble “It is ok, this climb is only 5min long” and the “Super Maxi Sail” had taken it out of me and the stellar run I had prepared was no longer on the table. You can feel it, that dead feeling of having nothing, just nothing, and the realis c thoughts at that point that you s ll have 38km to “run” to finish and run as well as you can to at least hold your head high with some pride. A good mate from Wollongong, Burgo rolled up at 12km on his pushbike and offered up some kind words of encourage‐ment for a few km’s but the damage was done. Once up Palani and onto the Highway at 16km it was already hur ng but thankfully the heat had died down as rolling clouds were coming through. When I made it to the infamous energy lab at 28km I had had enough and decided to walk/run the ener‐

gy lab. Looking at photos from that sec on of the race s ll make me tear up, it is hard to explain the feeling of losing it, just on the edge of cracking, star ng to wobble only to have a quick 30 seconds walk save you falling over your own feet Out of the energy lab it is 10km to home, just 10km. I went from aid sta on to aid sta on; eventually I made the top of Palani and knew I was home. The dilemma now was how can I have a finish photo with a “Super Maxi Sail” suit? A great Aussie couple passed me an Australian flag that I soon cra ed into a front panel for my suit before I hit Alii drive. I stopped and saw Sue and Oliver who had been there cheering all day for me, it is always great to have them there as they keep me going and also keep me honest (The more I walk the longer they wait). I had made it, I was once again on the best finish chute in the World, I was pumped to finish but disappointed the run was not up to my standard with a 3h45min40sec but I take strength that I held it together for a 10h15min34sec when the wheels could have fallen far worse many mes earlier. This event tested me physically and mentally far greater than any event that I can recall in the past. I guess that is why it is the World Championships; if it was easy the finish would not be worth it . I sit here 6 days a er the race and am s ll scarred from the day, whether it is mental or physical, I have absolutely no desire to push myself like that again any me soon. I will not be back and will not return unless I am 100% and can race to the standard that I set and expect. I will be back to Kona one day, but it will not be for the next few years, but stay tuned for the next report from the big island as it will have a differ‐ent ending, I promise you. Thank you to all for the years of support, I enjoy tes ng myself and will do again soon.

Ho’omau ‐ Perseverance, Determina on, Endurance.

Photos purchased from FinisherPix.

19

by Keith Bateman and Heidi Jones

Op mum running technique for speed and injury

preven on

ISBN: 978‐0‐9941921‐0‐3

Book review by Joe Degabriele

14 December 2014

We have all marvelled at Keith Bateman’s achievements on

the track, a er all, world records are just that recogni on

that no one at his age has ever run faster. We also know

Keith has set up a coaching business with a focus on improv‐

ing our running technique.

Keith and Heidi draw on their experiences in coaching thou‐

sands of runners to discover good form for running. Their

book uses non‐technical language to explain problems, in

par cular those associated with over‐striding and related

poor form.

Their explana ons contain numerous ps, from commonly

ignored advice such as “Only run in good form ‐ don't run

red” to some more hotly debated advices like “Replace

chunky shoes with light shoes”. But their primary focus here

is on good form, and good form leads to be er speed and

more enjoyable, injury‐free running.

Keith and Heidi support their explana ons through recon‐

struc ng a runner’s stride se ng, through a series of illustra‐

on by Ainsley Kno . They also teach the reader drills and

exercises to help develop the good form and stride necessary

to improve, not only your style but to be able to go faster. To

add to the experience and learning, the book gives access to

some really useful videos to assist with their lessons.

I feel this book naturally caters for runners who would like to

further their running. However, I feel it is highly suited to

those who might have their training repeatedly hindered by

injuries, or simply lacked mo va on due to not seeing im‐

provements (or simply blaming their age for lacking in im‐

provement!).

Keith and Heidi’s clean explana ons on the ideal running form

has made me think more deeply about my stride, and while I

could never replicate Keith’s speed or records, I feel that even

as I get older, I feel my improvement with every stride.

Older Yet Faster is available now.

Check out olderye aster.com for more informa on.

Book review - ‘Older Yet Faster’

20

Super Series Wrap up 2014 Super Series Wrap up 2014

April Palmerlee

The Super Series season was bookended by two exci ng members‐only events: the Equaliser in February and the Internal Half in November. In between, we had the icon‐ic Six Foot Track in the Blue Mountains, the Lindfield Fun Run spearheaded by the Striders Juniors, the Aus‐tralian Running Fes val in Canberra with new marathon and ultra courses, and Running Wild’s challenging Mt Solitary. Moving into the winter, there were the Sydney Mara‐thon Clinic’s 30km, our Internal 10km handicap race, the community favourite Woodford to Glenbrook, Nowra Athle cs’ King of the Mountain in Shoalhaven, the super‐fast and flat Gold Coast Airport Marathon, the low‐key C2S tune‐up Sutherland to Surf, the Westlink M7 Blacktown Running Fes val, and the City 2 Surf. And once the we er, warmer weather started, we were treated to the stunning Coastal Classic, our hometown marathon the Sydney Running Fes val, and finally, the Carcoar Cup Ultra. The way points are structured, Striders with good plan‐ning skills, solid training records, and the willingness to enter different kinds of races can win trophies. The Su‐per Series encourages taking chances, trying various distances, and fron ng up month a er month through‐out the year; the focus is on dedica on and determina‐on, not solely on who was first across the line – alt‐

hough this counts, too. In addi on, to be eligible to

take home a trophy, Striders must have volunteered for the club some me during the year – rewarding ac ve and involved club members. This year Striders were also invited to submit a Wild Cheetah marathon and/or half‐marathon from any‐where in the world to count towards Super Series Points. Forty‐three Striders submi ed their half‐marathon mes, and 42 submi ed their full marathon mes.

All in all, the Super Series enjoyed a great level of sup‐port from the members with 528 Striders taking part in at least one Super Series event and being awarded Su‐per Series points. This year’s winners are almost all new faces. None of the winners in the under‐65 age groups won their age groups last year; it’s great to see so many different run‐ners doing well in this series every year. Here are the age group winners for the 2015 Super Series:

18‐34 Ma McCarron Hailey Maxwell

35‐39 David Crini Samantha Isbell

40‐44 James Watson Katherine McSweeney

45‐49 David Tonge Jacqueline Ramsey

50‐54 Peter Nu all Amanda Smith

55‐59 Mike Hansen Mary Stringer

60‐64 Ron Schwebel Gillian Klevansky

65‐69 Luigi Crini Carol Taylor

70‐74 Heiko Schaefer

75‐79 Allan Wareham

80‐84 Frank Dearn

2015 Super Series2015 Super Series In addi on to the old favourites, we have a few exci ng new events for the Series in 2015. We strive to arrange entry dis‐counts, team compe ons or post‐race fes vi es where we can. Scheduled events are some mes cancelled due to weath‐er, permission problems or lack of sponsorship, but we are including new races ever year, so hopefully you all feel you have a nice selec on of events to choose from throughout the 2015 season. At me of prin ng, the 2015 dra Super Series is in the table below – but keep checking the website, as there may s ll be some changes. You will also receive an email with all details when it is finalised. There are three new events for next year. One of them is Syd‐ney’s first 100km trail ultra marathon ‐‐ part of the 100th ANZAC Anniversary commemora ons on ANZAC Day 2015. This new event will be championed by Commando Ste‐ve, one of Australia’s most recognised and respected health and fitness experts, and staged on a spectacular course of sce‐nic trails through the Kuringai and Garigal Na onal Parks. We have also added the Southern Highlands Challenge to the list. The SHC, founded in 2014, includes 21km and 50km events in the Super Series. It is set in a beau ful state forest less than two hours south of Sydney. The trails are very run‐

able and the village atmosphere is family‐friendly. This is an event organised by your Super Series coordinator, will all funds a er costs going to support the local RFS and Achilles Sydney. The third new event on the roster for 2015 is the Fernleigh 15, which was launched in 2012. The course is a former railway line, which is now a top quality cycle/pedestrian path. The event is also the Athle cs NSW 15km Road Championships, so there will be plenty of talent to keep pace with the Striders who show up for this fast‐paced race.

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Another change for 2015 is the new course for the Nowra King of the Mountain. Exact changes to the KOM course are yet to be confirmed, but the club is saying that the race may be slightly shorter than its previous 25km. Anyone who completes Super Series events is automa cally entered into the compe on. Our amazing Results Coordina‐tor, Rachel Merton, will do her best to find your results in any of the Super Series events listed, but you are ul mately responsible for making sure all of your relevant results (including a Wild Cheetah Marathon or Half Marathon) get listed. Congratula ons to everyone who par cipated this year, and best wishes for the coming season.

Non Super Series Races to consider from January to March 2015 3 Jan Narrabeen All Nighter 12 Hr Road

18 Jan Sydney Marathon Clinic 21, 10, 5km Road

18 Jan Sydney Trail Series 20, 10, 8km Off‐road

31 Jan Sun Run 10, 7km Road

15 Feb Wentworth Falls 16, 13km Off‐road

22 Feb Sydney Marathon Clinic 30, 21.1, 10, 5km Road

22 Feb Sydney Trail Series 20, 10, 8km Off‐road

1 Mar Orange Running Festival 42.2, 21.1, 10, 5km Road

8 Mar Port Macquarie Running Festival 21, 10, 5, 4km Road

15 Mar Water World Great Ocean Run 45km Beach

22 Mar Sydney Marathon Clinic 21.1, 10, 5km Road

22 Mar Sydney Trail Series 20,10, 8km Off‐road

1 Mar The Equaliser 14 Trail

14 Mar Six Foot Track 45 Trail

12 Apr Australian Running Festival Half ,

Full and Ultra Marathon

21/42

/50

Road

19 Apr Lindfield Rotary Fun Run 10 Road

25 Apr ANZAC DAY Ultra 100 Trail

15 May TNF50/100 100 Trail

17 May SMH Half 21 Road

31 May Great NOSH 16 Trail

TBC Internal 10 10 Road

28 Jun Woodford to Glenbrook 25 Trail

5 Jul King of the Mountain 25 Road

5 Jul Gold Coast Half / Full Marathon 21/42 Road

19 Jul Sutherland to Surf 11 Road

26 Jul M7 Cities Half and Full 21/42 Road

9 Aug C2S 14 Road

30 Aug Southern Highlands Challenge 21/50 Trail

5 Sep Coastal Classic 29 Trail

20 Sep Sydney Half and Full 21/42 Road

18 Oct Fernleigh 15 15 Road

26 Oct Run Sydney Half 21 Road

1 Nov Carcoar Cup Ultra 60 Road

TBC Internal Half 21 Road

2015 ‘Wild Cheetah’ Half Marathon 21.1

2015 ‘Wild Cheetah’ Marathon 42.2

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10K Results and Wrap up10K Results and Wrap up

James Masters

Another year of the 10k series has come to a close, a successful one by all accounts. We saw an increase in the number of non‐members taking part each month which is testament to the increase in popularity of running in general.

It is a pleasure to be able to bring a professional and accurate race to the masses and the support from within the club has once again be spectacular. I want‐ed to thank everyone who made an effort to help out through the year, your efforts are appreciated.

Congratula ons to the many runners who we saw achieving great thing, our race and series winners but more importantly all those who pushed themselves beyond their limits and were rewarded with personal best mes.

Merry Christmas to all, we'll see you soon for the 2015 season!

Category Winner Runner Up

Handicap Zhi Zheng Mike Hansen Age+Gender Adjusted

David Crini Quen n Reeve

Open Male David Crini Quen n Reeve

Open Female Ingrid Grace Anna White

M18‐34 Quen n Reeve Chris Jackson

F18‐34 Anna White Renee Simon

M35‐39 David Crini Serje Robidoux

F35‐39 Jenny Doak Melanie Trusco

M40‐44 James Watson Ben Streckeisen

F40‐44 Manal Garcia Katherine McSweeney

M45‐49 Paul McClarnon Tim Lindop

F45‐49 Linda Bushell Ruth Den ce

M50‐54 Ben Reeves Steve Bourke

F50‐54 Ingrid Grace Catriona Cater

M55‐59 Bruce Horsburgh Mike Hansen

F55‐59 Joanne Cowan Ginta Viliunas

M60‐64 Brian Wilcockson Barry Ru er

F60‐64 Gillian Klevansky Lesley Maher

M65‐69 Darryl Chrisp Ben Dall'Amico

F65‐69 Carol Taylor Tina Campbell

M70‐74 Heiko Schaefer Paul Munro

M75‐79 Allan Wareham

M80‐84 Frank Dearn

Speedy Striders!

Fastest 10k Male (first/runner up) David Crini 31.27 Tom Highnam 32.32

Fastest 10km Female (first/runner up) Anna White 36.32 Laura James 36.43

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Juniors’ Corner Juniors’ Corner Tony Wong Membership We currently have 101 members, a lot more than when we started with 4 back in 2007! Training Monday night training con nues at Sydney Academy of Sport, Narrabeen at 6.00 pm. The cost is $5.00 for the use of the track, payable to Manly Warringah Li le Ath‐le cs Centre, un l the end of the Li le Athle cs season. Mid‐week training will be on Thursday at 6.00pm at Passmore. We will be taking a break over the school holidays and there will be no training from Monday 22 December ll Thursday 15 January. Please email [email protected] for further details.

End of Season Party The party this year was kindly hosted by the Blackleys at Manly. Once again numerous awards were handed out to celebrate another successful winter season with a record number of par cipants. President Joe, despite feeling under the weather, was on hand to present the awards. Entertainment was pro‐

vided by the Wong brothers with their usual comedy skits. Then we had Josh Phillips with a fantas c piano recital. Finally, the Stokelds took to the stage with their rock ensemble to a rousing recep on. A celebrity panel made up of our Na onal Representa‐ves was assembled and interviewed by Caroline. The

panel included Nicola Hogg, Sophie Gocher, Tom Davies, Lachlan Cooper, Bethany and Adam Halmy. They shared their aspira ons, race prepara on and training secrets. Many entertaining stories were told.

NSW 3000m Championships – 9 November It was a night of PBs galore for the few that ventured out to SOPAC. Josh Phillips, only 15, was undoubtedly the man of the match smashing the 9 minute barrier in the most spectacular fashion. He led the D race from the gun un l just before the last lap, taking most of the field with him. With a strong finish, he crossed the line in 8 minutes and 48 seconds, the fastest me for a Strider this season. There were also personal bests for Jack Coates ‐ 10.29, Hamish Longworth 11.09, Ben Jagger ‐ 9.57, Harlan Mul‐herin 9.43, Tom Davies ‐ 9.51 and Adam Halmy ‐ 9.14.

Group huddle before training at Passmore Reserve.

You’re not doing it right, silly…

The junior girls and the trophies.

Caroline (in the hat) interviewing the panel.

Josh Phillips leading the field on his way to his 8

minutes and 48 seconds clocking.

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NSW Relays Championships – 15/16 November We had a very successful weekend with 11 teams com‐pe ng in the only team event in the ANSW summer cal‐endar. We finished with 2 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals. The highlights were as follows. First up was the under 16 girls 4x400m. 11 year old Ciara Sinclair and Emma O’Reilly were joined by 13 year old Australian 400m Champion, Edita Grinbergs and the vet‐eran, NSW Under 16 400m Hurdles Champion Tessa Con‐stan ne. The team finished a credible 5th and was within 7 seconds of the winner. Our account for the weekend was opened by the under 16 boys in the 4x800m. On paper, Kembla Joggers were much faster than our boys, but didn’t our boys give them a race? The in form Josh Phillips won the first leg and dipped under 2 minutes for the first me. Jack Mills ran a strong second leg and passed the baton to Liam Gorman, who bravely held on un l less than 100m to go. Bryn Lynch, who was new to the team, brought the team home in the silver posi on. Later that a ernoon, the un‐der 14 girls won a bronze in the 4x800. A er solid runs from Nicola Hogg and Ciara Sinclair, Olivia Hogg brought the team from 6th to 3rd and Edita Grinbergs consolidat‐ed the posi on to take bronze. The final event of the first day was the under 18 boys 4x1500m. The talk before hand was how much Bankstown was going to win by. Daniel Francken went straight to the front and the team never looked back. Adam Halmy and Harlan Mulherin maintained the advantage. Kieran Tall, on his debut as a Strider took the team home. We had our first gold medal of the weekend. Day 2 started with heavy rain giving way to clear skies which meant there was a fair bit of heat and humidity. The under 14 boys’ quartet of Daniel Rasmussen, Dan Cooper, Jack Coates and Kieran Gorman took bronze in a very compe ve 4x800m relay. In the a ernoon, the under 16 boys took to the track for the highly an cipat‐ed 4x1500m relay. Once again, Josh Phillips came home with the lead. Liam Gorman and Nick Corel were in‐volved in almighty ba les with their Kembla Jogger ri‐vals. Jack Mills on the last leg, took over first place and brought home our second gold of the weekend.

Let the games begin as the relay runners get penned in.

Edita Grinbergs taking over from Emma O’Reilly in the

Under 16 Girls’ 4x400m.”

Liam Gorman and Bryn Lynch in ac on in the Under 16

Boys’ 4x800m.

Olivia Hogg moving up to third place in the Under 14

Girls’ 4x800m.

Harlan Mulherin handing the baton to Kieran Tall in

the Under 18 Boys 4x1500 with the Bankstown Athlete

wai ng to give chase.

The victorious Under 18 Boys’ quartet of Daniel Francken,

Kieran Tall, Adam Halmy and Harlan Mulherin with their

4x1500m gold medals.”

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Young Hannah Lovlin racing old‐er rivals in the 4x1500m

Caroline on lap scoring duty, racing round the track with a clip‐board instead of a baton.

Dan Rasmussen handing over to Dan

Cooper in the Under 14 Boys’ 4x800m.

Exhausted Under 14 boys a er their bronze medal winning effort.

The victorious Under 16 Boys’ team of Josh Phillips, Liam Gor‐

man, Jack Mills and Nick Corel with their 4x1500m gold medals.

Get down and give me 10!

10 quick ques ons with junior Strider Becky Rogers.

Becky Rogers is arguably our most prolific racer this

year. Most weekends, she could either be found racing

in either a fun run or in a trail race somewhere in Syd‐

ney. Here are some of her achievements this year:

Sun Run 10k – 3rd female 16 ‐19

Lindfield 10k Fun Run – 1st female 16 to 19.

Manly Scenic 10k Fun Run – 3rd female overall

and 1st female 16 to 19.

Min‐Mos 10k – 1st under 20 female

City to Surf – 4th female 16 to 19 in a me of 59

minutes and 32 seconds.

Here she is talking to Greg Constan ne.

GC: We are at Passmore reserve in Manly Vale, it’s the October public holiday Monday and the junior Striders have just finished another successful training session. Hi Becky, thanks for hanging around to talk to me. BR: No problem. GC: Tell us about yourself, how old are you and what school do you go to? BR: I’m 16 years old and I go to Queenwood.

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GC: How long have you been a Strider? BR: Almost a year, I joined up in January this year. My mum was walking the dog in the park and no ced a run‐ning group training. I was looking for a group to join, so, she asked Caroline for the details and next thing you know I’m a Strider. GC: What’s your favourite event? BR: My favourite distance is 10k. I prefer trail runs and cross country. I guess I’m a bit different to most of the other Strider kids in that I don’t come from the tradi on‐al Li le A’s track background. I’ve always been a fun run‐ner. I just love those big community events. GC: Every kid gets them so what has been your worst injury? BR: I’ve been very lucky (touch wood) so far I haven’t had a bad injury just a few muscle strains. I don’t handle them very well; I get very grumpy when I can’t run. GC: Away from running what fun things do you like to do? BR: I love my yoga, I’m a keen surfer, and I play the saxo‐phone, but mostly hanging out with my friends. GC: How important is your running gear? BR: Very, I tend to wear out quite a few pairs of running shoes through the year. I like nice ght fi ng shoes but as they wear they tend to get loose, so, yeah, I go through a few pairs. My favourite sports wear brand is Lululemon ‐ I like to look the part. GC: What’s your preferred brand of running shoe? BR: The one almost every Strider kid prefers ‐ Nike. GC: I no ce you’re training barefoot today is that something you prefer? BR: Absolutely. I love to run barefoot whenever we train on grass. I never used to but then I read the book “born to run” and now I’m defiantly on team barefoot! I don’t think I could ever race barefoot though. GC: What do you enjoy most about being a Strider?

BR: Days like today where we have a big group of kids of all ages. Everyone’s having fun, Tony and Caroline pro‐vide lots of enthusiasm and it’s just the best way to train. GC: Finally, where will running take you? What’s the Becky Rogers dream? BR: I’m not massively ambi ous about my running. I want to con nue to enjoy my running as a regular part of my life. I will con nue to do the fun runs and trail runs. I do like all those li le prizes you can win along the way. GC: Thank you for your me today Becky, you really are a breath of fresh air. There is no doubt you represent everything that’s good about this group. BR: Awww, that’s so nice, thank you.

Product Review: Trail Gaiters Gilbert Gaddi Having used Trail Gaiters on the ultra‐muddy and technical Coastal Clas‐sic and the extremely rainy Stromlo running fes val this year ‐ I can defi‐nitely say with confidence that its kept out all the muck and sand off my feet and made me ran the best race that I can during these events.

They are lightweight breathable, and do prevent pebbles and debris ge ng into my shoes. Be warned though: the Velcro bit that s cks onto the shoe can come off so it’s good to s ck it on with a stronger adhesive first before going out with it (it’s easily replaceable though so not a big‐gie!). You can find Trail Gaiters at www.facebook.com/trailgaiters

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Andy S ddard

The 6 Track Ultra is an iconic trail event of 45km up

and down the hills in the Blue Mountains from Katoom‐

ba to Jenolan caves. Striders organise a training pro‐

gram specifically for the course which is run each Satur‐

day morning on courses that are specifically aimed at

prepara on for the race, i.e. hilly and on trails!

We move around Sydney running on a variety of trails

star ng at 10km but progressing quite quickly up to

longer runs of over 30km and that this year include four

trips to the Blue Mountains. We have had a fantas c

turnout so far this year of around 50 runners each week

with a wide range of running paces and experience.

Another important part of the mornings is the breakfast

a er the run and we make sure we have a café booked

to accept a hoard of hungry runners.

You don’t have to be running 6 to come along, it’s a

great chance to add some variety to your training

schedules or train for one of the many other trail events

coming up. If you want more details there is a facebook

group with more informa on or contact Andy S ddard

at 6 [email protected]

Six Foot Track Marathon 2015Six Foot Track Marathon 2015

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Paul Foster

Wife Carrying Race creturns to the Balmain Fun Run

In the poli cally correct inner west, we don’t have wife carrying races,

we have Porte‐a‐Partner – any gender, any rela onship, any posi‐

on…..yes it’s all about the posi on. And it’s all about winning your

partners weight in beer.

Safety comes first—there are few things more likely to wipe the

smiles off a crowd of 300 cheering spectators than the site of an in‐

verted Partner imbedded head first into the soil of King George Ova,

especially if the legs are s ll spasming. So no tripping, no dropping

your partner and no diving over the finish line. The safety briefing

also highlighted that tradi onal “honeymoon” style posi ons are

outlawed specifically all “front‐carrying” of partners.

There are 4 core posi ons: piggyback, fireman’s carry (partner carried

over one shoulder), sack of pota‐

toes (partner carried over 2 shoul‐

ders) and Estonian (partner in‐

verted on back, knees on shoul‐

ders, face in direct contact with

bu ).

By the me the 20 or so couples

start warming up, the 10km, 5km

and 2km races had been run and

won (Victoria Mitchell and Harry

Summers taking the main prizes

in a combined field of around

1500). It’s a varied field with en‐

trants including a couple of blokes from Woodstock, the smallest

women I’ve ever seen, a horizontal Victoria Mitchell, a local house‐

wife being carried by her personal trainer and an ageing adonis carry‐

ing his real estate agent wife.

Top Tip: As the starter of a wife‐carrying race, don’t u er the words

‘Mount your Partners’ before you’ve checked if the course is clear.

The lower half of the contestants tend to get a li le shirty whilst

wai ng for around 100 overly excited children to be removed from

the track.

So the gun is fired and the unofficial World

Short Course Wife Carrying Championships

are underway over the tradi onal 100m. It’s

a ba le royal between Karen Harvey and her

gun for hire personal trainer and local real

estate doyen Monique Dower and her cart

horse Leon. In the end it’s a photo finish

with Karen giving her 5 cases of beer to her

trainer and Monique giving Leon the cold

shoulder.

Surprisingly, there were no injuries and the

event returned on a hot summer Sunday on

December 7, 2014.

Along with Porte‐a‐Partner, there is a 10km and 5km race as well as a 2km kids race….and free bouncy castles. See you all

there in 2015….

www.balmainfunrun.com.au

PortePorte--aa--Partner @ the Balmain fun runPartner @ the Balmain fun run

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Back on TrackBack on Track It was May 2012, a week a er the SMH Half Marathon. I'd just ran a PB in the half, so my confidence was sky‐high as I headed off to the following weeks STaR, which was the Airport Adven‐ture. Things were building nicely for the Gold Coast Marathon, which would have been my third. The only problem was this pain in my right glute, which had been increasing gradually over the past year or so. It was about an hour into the Airport Adventure that I knew something was amiss. I started feeling lethargic and dropped right back through the runners, to the point where I looked around to see, well...no‐one! My mind was telling me to catch up, but my body felt like it was shu ng down. It was a bizarre feeling. I tried a few mes to work up some momentum, but soon a er each a empt, I was back to a walk. My glute was hur ng, but no more than the week before. Maybe the hard run in the half had really fla ened me? I didn't have any an‐swers at that stage. My main priority was to not be seen hail‐ing a taxi, and I gave serious thought to ducking down as it drove past several groups of Striders. I crossed my fingers no‐one had witnessed my humilia ng trip back to the start line. No such luck for this Strider, as I was soon being referred to as Taxi Tim. You will keep Alex. That was the second last run I did as a Strider. In the weeks that followed things went from bad to worse. My glutes were on fire. I couldn't drive more than 30 minutes in the car before the shoo ng pain down my right leg was enough to make me pull over. At work, I was kneeling at my work sta on. The dead pain in my lower back, which I had been pu ng up with, was becoming more severe. I saw a back specialist soon a er. He did some scans and not‐ed a slight protrusion of my L5~S1 disc. 'It's not a career ender' he assured me. 'I don't want you running for 6 months though'. I'm sure most runners feel the same way when they receive such news. Six months may as well be a life sentence. However, once I got past the ini al disappointment I followed all of the conserva ve treatment he recommended. By mid‐November the pain was worse, to the point where I visited a prominent neurosurgeon by the same of Bill Sears. He sent me for a procedure known as a Discogram. A Discogram helps determine if a disc is the source of back pain. A needle con‐taining radioac ve dye is inserted into several discs. Any dye that leaks, indica ng a tear, will show up under X‐ray. In addi‐on, a needle inserted into an affected disc will produce pain

similar to a pa ent’s symptoms. A pa ents reac on to the needle is closely observed and is used as an effec ve guide as to a whether pain has been reproduced. I remember Dr Sears saying 'Tim, there will be li le doubt if the disc really is the source of your pain. Let me put it to you this way...I am yet to have a pa ent ask me to do the procedure a second me'. He wasn't kidding. When the needle went into my L5‐S1 disc, it felt like I rose a couple of feet, horizontally, off the bed. I also used some language my mother would not have believed I was capable of. At my next visit, Dr Sears told me he thought I could benefit from a procedure called a Spinal Fusion. He told me to go away and give the ma er some considera on, but I told him I had already made my mind up. There was only one ques on I wanted to ask, which was 'Will I be able to run an‐other marathon?'. My heart began to pound as I waited for his answer. 'You'll be able to run as many as you want provided

you don't rush back too soon'. A cou‐ple of weeks later, in the first week of December 2012, I walked into Macquarie hospital, blissfully una‐ware of what I was ge ng myself into. The first day a er surgery was pure hell. Never before, and hopefully never again, will I feel pain like it. It had been a 7 hour opera on. The disc at L5+S1 had been removed, and had been replaced by a tani‐um cage, containing bone (taken from my hip) and bone gra . The bone eventually grows, fusing the two vertebrae together. Although I was on a morphine drip, everything hurt. I know they say giving birth is painful, but to those people I say 'I'll see your child‐birth, and raise you a spinal fusion!' It was such a relief to get home, a er a week in hospital. You're encouraged to start moving as soon as possible a er a fusion. I was in this hideous back brace for 3 months. Once out of bed, my rou ne was to put it on and walk to the end of my street. It was taking me 45 mins to shuffle 400m. I was terri‐fied of kids on their skateboards, fearing one was going to can‐on into my back. A er a month I was walking 3 kilometres, but slowly. I found it hard to imagine ever running again. Dr Sears assured me that this slow progress was normal. A er three months he told me to go for a light jog. I ran for about 400m. I felt awkward and ungainly, and was paranoid that everyone was watching me. S ll, I was running, and although I didn't cry, I felt my eyes glaze over. Each day I ran a bit further, and a bit faster. I felt my fitness improving. Sears, you are a bloody genius. You're wrong about one thing though. I don't need to take it easy. I'm back! Just watch this. I'm going to run the Melbourne Marathon in October. You'll see. A month later, knowing best, I decided it was me to start some speedwork with some 10 x 400's. And then it happened, 200m into the third lap. I remember quickly placing both hands on the small of my back, suppor ng it. X‐rays, (or were they MRI's?) revealed a stress fracture through the fused area. Once he'd delivered that piece of news, he added 'I thought I told you to ease back into it. Complete rest for 4 months'. A er that, I listened. I've spent a lot of me working on my core and doing lots of stretching. I've restricted my running to two days a week. And now, almost two years since the day of the opera on, I'm planning on returning to a STaR. A short and slow STaR. It's great to be running again though, and it's fi ng that I'll be returning to the Emerald Excursion. Those in the 6.10 group the last me I ran it will know why....but that's a

different story en rely!

Tim Thornely

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Christmas is the one me of the year when our good inten‐ons can go floa ng out the window and extravagance and

overindulgence can take over. But before you beat yourself up about a lack of self‐control, consider that your waning willpower may not be all your own doing. Dr Lenny Vartanian (University of NSW) has looked at the power of external food cues on our appe tes and ability to control our food intake. In a nutshell, he found that ea ng mindfully is almost impossible in the presence of large por‐ons of delicious food. Christmas then could be described as

the ‘perfect storm’ for overconsump on. Being aware of these signals will go someway to helping you implement some waist‐saving strategies, whilst allowing you to have some Christmas turkey and pudding too!

Strategy 1: Clear the table – leaving food lingering around at the comple on of each course encourages further picking. Put your knife and fork down and divert your a en on to the conversa‐on. This will help prevent your from reaching for seconds and

thirds whilst wai ng for others to finish. Strategy 2: Go for quality, not quan ty – having an overabun‐dance of le overs from Christmas Day can see us ea ng this spe‐cial occasion foods for weeks a er Christmas Day is over. What we do on one day of the year won’t upset our weight manage‐ment goals, but what we do week a er week could. Choose one stunning main dish, rather than mul ple dishes and use le overs in a healthy way such as adding turkey breast to salads or roast vegies into a fri ata. Strategy 3: Choose an ea ng buddy ‐ where possible, sit next to someone who you know has healthy ea ng habits (or keep an eye on them from across the table). This way you will be more able to monitor your por on sizes and serves during the ea ng period and enjoy the company of your aunt with the big appe te once the table has been cleared! Strategy 4: Plan, plan, plan – whether you are the host or the guest, planning ahead is an important strategy to resist impulse buying or ea ng. If you are the host, planning your Christmas shopping list will help you avoid impulse purchases and allow you to focus on seasonal produce that you know will taste great together. If you’re the guest, hold your selec on at each course un l all the food has been placed on the table. This way you can decide if you are going to have a small taste of everything or choose 1 or 2 highly appealing foods to savour. When all is said and done, it is much easier to change your envi‐ronment than to rely on your willpower. Focusing on some sim‐ple strategies such as these will help you glide effortlessly (well almost) into the New Year.

Ref: The Australian Healthy Food Guide

FAST FOOD FAST FOOD Nicole Dynan APD/AN/SD

Special Christmas Keeping it seasonal at Christmas me will ensure you combine flavours that go wonderfully together whilst keeping the Christmas budget in tact. Plan ahead to choose high quality produce to spoil your guests and avoid impulse purchases of excess food. Try these fresh and fun treats as part of your Christmas Day. Enjoy!

Recipe corner: Strawberry Santas Ingredients

20 medium to large straw‐berries, hulled to form a flat base

100g light Philadelphia cream cheese

4‐6 tspn icing sugar 20 mini dark choc bits Method 1. Cut the top third off each berry and reserve. 2. Stand berry base on a serving pla er. 3. Beat cream cheese and icing sugar with an electric mix‐

er un l smooth 4. Pipe or spoon one teaspoon of mixture on to flat tops

of berry base. 5. Add berry top. 6. Use smallest piping nozzle to pipe mixture onto the p

of each strawberry hat to form pompom and onto

chest for bu ons. 7. Use tweezers to place choc bits, flat side facing out,

onto each cream face to form eyes. 8. Refrigerate un l ready to serve.

Watermelon Xmas Trees

Method

1. Cut watermelon in half

2. Cut 3cm slices of watermelon

3. Carefully trim skin and flesh to the desired Christmas tree shape

31

Watermelon and mint frappe

Serves 6

Ingredients

6 cups chopped seedless watermelon flesh

4 cups crushed ice

¼ cup mint leaves

2 tbspn fresh lime juice

Blend all ingredients and serve into cocktail glasses

To contact The Good Nutri on Co, please visit: www.goodnutri onco.com ; M: 0400 945 503 h ps://www.facebook.com/goodnutri onco h ps://twi er.com/goodnutri onco

Allan Wareham

This is the result of a fall while running along one of

our Sydney streets (Bobbin Head Road to be pre‐

cise). A small varia on in the pavement was suffi‐

cient to trip me up.

My injuries were:

1. Hairline fracture of the cheekbone.

2. Facial lacera ons including tooth through my lip.

3. Chipped tooth.

4. Sprains to both wrists.

5. Abrasions to both hands and both knees.

6. Jarred right shoulder and le hip.

Other than that I was OK and managed to complete

my training run ‐ another 4KM.

The fortunate aspect of this misadventure was that

it happened two weeks a er the City to Surf and

about four weeks before the Blackmores Half so I

wasn't too inconvenienced.

And I could s ll smile.

Watch for trip hazards and have a happy running Christmas!Watch for trip hazards and have a happy running Christmas!

32

In social media… In social media… It has been a big year for the Social Media team as we’ve just hit the

1600 Facebook likes!!! Our audience reach has also expanded from 0

in May to more than 8K peaking during the Sydney Running Fes val

so do keep commen ng, liking and sharing our posts!

As always, we welcome any feedback ‐ sugges ons, knock‐knock

jokes, high fives, and so on… Men on us on your Facebook or Instagram posts, tweet, re‐tweet, like and

share our links and give us a nudge if there are Strider events/

achievements/ training ps (or maybe the odd gossip or two)

that’s worth telling the world about! #GoStriders !

Gilbert & Enrique

www.facebook.com/SydneyStriders

instagram.com/sydney_striders

@sydneystriders

sydney‐striders.tumblr.com

‐ you s ll get lost on a Sunday run with maps ‐ the next hill is just the start ‐ you forgot it’s the end of the month and end up paying $4 anyway ‐ you know each and every servo that you would pass by (in case you need water or the loo) ‐ you are surprised if the route is flat ‐ it’s automa c to say g'day or good morning to other runners and walkers ‐ its freezing cold/humid and hot /pouring rain but you run anyway ‐ you did a 10k race on a Saturday and s ll ran on a Sunday because you don’t want to miss a STaR ‐ yelling about cars/bikes in front or behind gives you a slight adrenaline boost (and keeps everyone safe) ‐ you may or may not stop to admire the view (and take pics too) on a long run. ‐ 22km is a short cut ‐ you run a lap around the oval at the end of a 30K to round off the kilometre...

Have a Merry Christmas and a run‐da‐ful new year! See you in 2015!!

Christmas Brunch 2014 Christmas Brunch 2014 -- Winners of our fancy Winners of our fancy dress competition...dress competition...

In collabora on with the Social Media team, the Blister In collabora on with the Social Media team, the Blister

team held a fancy dress compe on at our annual Christ‐team held a fancy dress compe on at our annual Christ‐

mas brunch. Brunchers came and conquered the brunch mas brunch. Brunchers came and conquered the brunch

floor in their best STAR ou it. Winner to the best dress floor in their best STAR ou it. Winner to the best dress

eventually went to Eric Schmierer and Melanie Zeppel . eventually went to Eric Schmierer and Melanie Zeppel .

Eric and Mel both won a copy of Keith Bateman Eric and Mel both won a copy of Keith Bateman

and Heidi Jones’s new book “Older yet Faster”. and Heidi Jones’s new book “Older yet Faster”.

Great work guys! Great work guys!

You know you are a Strider when...You know you are a Strider when...

Umm.....

Blister 124 - 15 December 2014 - Sydney Striders

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Transcript of Blister 124 - 15 December 2014 - Sydney Striders