The Melbourne Cup - A Staying test for me

I'm sure anyone who has stumbled upon this blog and has no idea about who i am would be convinced i'm nuts i keep on talking about injuries but then go and do 15 odd K runs.
Today being Cup day, i thought i should have a longer run (my very own staying test).
Didn't run on Sunday as with constant rain (now that was a shock), just didn't want to do anything more to the everpresent cold, but did eventually walk 10K's that evening once the weather cleared.
Yesterday i did a slightly longer variation of the 15K run (doing 5:47 minute K's), and then walked 8K's to the physio. Certainly he found some very sore points (i knew my neck was sore), but like me was happy that my knee was only sore the first 5K's then clears up - reckoned that was a good sign.
Bit cold early on, so didn't start till 11, and by then the beach was starting to get busy with picnickers for Cup Day.
Sunny at times (had the T Shirt off and on a few times), did my standard run to Black Rock but knew i'd be pushing it to make it back the same way so shortcut up Bluff Road (remember i never run with money or drink only house keys).
Eventually 2 hours and 36 minutes later i made it home, still frustratingly slow (5:37 Minutes per K), and the left knee and back feeling it a bit, was rapt the right knee niggle only lasted the first few K's.
Doubt i'll be running that far tomorrow, but would like to think i'm capable of another 15K or so.

When you can't run you gotta rock !

Saturday and have now done 3 successive days of running somewhere between 13 & 15K's, certainly nowhere like my usual standard but at least it's a start.
People out there who know me also know that there is one other thing i enjoy as much as running and that's a good gig, so last night it was off down the road (a 5K walk still for a few days) to the Prince of Wales in St Kilda for James Reyne & Mark Seymour.
Was there by 8:15 as doors opened at 8:30 for a 9:15 start and it's always a place that if you time it well you get get front row (always the place to be), so was pretty much front of queue (thankful the "Mother Energy Drink" promoters were giving their wares out to us people waiting !), and having already got a ticket (was close to sold out i'd heard early this week), bolted up the stairs bought a quick beer and then headed to my preferred area, had a good yarn with a few with a similar idea and pretty much the front row was sorted about half an hour before the show (not like at The Pretenders there earlier this year when photographers tried to muscle their way in as the gig began - thankfully Chrisse Hynde told them to move or words to that affect !).
First up was James Reyne, have to admit i was feeling my age last time i'd seen him that close was at Swinburne Institute of Technology with Australian Crawl in 1982 a whole quarter century ago, had his guitarist Brett Kingman straight in front of me, James a few feet to my left and vocalist Tracy Kingman a little further on. From the the moment he started with Beautiful People i was just away with the music, surrounded by all us mad fans i felt just the same rush as when really enjoying a race a feeling hard to explain but simply a natural high.
A singer with a an incredibly distinctive voice (i know i have a passion for distinct voices after all the same can be said for Mick Jagger, also other all time favourites like Bonnie Tyler) making some of his lyrics very hard to understand even after repeated listenings, so it was interesting to hear not only him (and i was right above a speaker as well) and the voices around me, have to admit when he sang Slave http://www.jimvallance.com/01-music-folder/songs-folder-may-27/pg-song-reyne-slave.html, some of the lyrics sounded very close to my thoughts on my last couple of years at Dun & Bradstreet.
Half way through "The Boys light up", had a blond "rock chick" manage to find weave her way through to the front almost under my elbow, first thing she did was ask me how many songs she'd missed (pretty sure a bloke wouldn't be able to turn up after the gig had started and make their way to the front through a pretty much sold out crowd that easily), so was left a little more cramped but certainly never had room to do more that move the head, arms and tap a leg anyway.
I'd be honest and say i couldn't recall the whole setlist (though it was in front of me) of me all the songs you'd expect (except "Fall of Rome") were there Errol, Downhearted, Oh No Not You Again, Hammerhead, Reckless etc.
A ten minute break and then Mark Seymour (my "little blonde mate" must have been James Reyne fan as she'd gone off so i had a little more room again), certainly knew a few of the Hunters and Collectors songs and had seen them a couple of times live (that i can recall) but was definitely was a bigger Oz Crawl fan (i think back in 1979 they were my second ever rock concert).
I had Mark Seymour (or more precisely his second microphone) right in front of me he was in front of the middle mike same as Reyne for the most part, guitarist Peter Maslen a little further on guitar and Cameron McKenzie behind on drums.
Interesting to note, that while the first set all the band had been drinking water, whilst for this set Mark and Cameron were having VB and Peter red wine that seemed a little more rock'n'roll !!.
Easy to remember the set list as that's it up above (the top one), it's in Mark Seymour's handwriting but unfortunately i didn't get it signed.
Started off with "Talking to a Stranger", certainly unleashing his powerful voice, "See you around", followed by Year of the Dog (now there's a song with a cautionary tale http://www.humanfrailty.com.au/songs/the_year_of_the_dog.htm to remember when i'm injured !), then "Titanic", "Mississauga" and then one i did know all the lyrics to "When The River Runs Dry" now we were in classic territory.
"Walk through fire" was next but then it was the brilliant "Holy Grail", followed by "Westgate" (a song that touched me deeply lyrically www.humanfrailty.com.au/songs/westgate.htm as i remembered well the Westgate Bridge disaster and also my father's involvement in the rebuilding), and then (as he put it "if i was in Queensland and didn't play this i'd be lynched) "Throw Your Arms Around Me", by then the crowd was well and truly whipped into a hysteria (off hand The Prince Bandroom only holds 400 odd ?).
Once our cheers had stopped James Reyne had reappearred nearer me and the roadie had put down a new setlist (that's the bottom one signed later by James - no it's not going on ebay !).
Certainly an eclectic list of songs as we now had 6 performers out there, Brett in front of me, James a little closer and Tracy now next to Peter.
Duelling guitars everywhere and some great teamwork on each song.
Loved their April Sun in Cuba, remember seeing Dragon sing it live years ago and i'd honestly rate it above their performance, certainly an interesting version of "Sex and Drugs and Rock'n'Roll " it certainly showed all the performers were having a ball as was us audience (my "friend" was back at my shoulder by then we were just trying to make sure we weren't getting our arms tangled !),
Dylan's Hard Rain was brilliant and then everyone broke loose with "Pump it Up" and then it was all over, a couple of minutes of yelling "encore" (i knew "Psycho Killer" hadn't been played yet and it was on the set list!), and out they came, everyone had worked up a sweat and Mark Seymour was now in a T Shirt.
Absolute ball as everyone had a turn singing the lyrics as well as having a mike thrust towards us in the front row a few times, i reckon i was as worn out as the performers when it was all over (by then it was midnight).
Had a chat with a few people, as well as getting the setlist signed, (both performers were signing their latest acoustic album however i didn't bring that much money with me :-( ), and then a walk home, down bustling Acland St and home at 1.
Did around 15K's this morning, firstly to the Tan where the Victorian Road Runners were doing there first Saturday of the month time trials (bit late for that as i'd had a late night and didn't wake till 7) but then to the Observatory Cafe at the Botanical Gardens to see Robert (i'd accidentally left my camera in his car after Brindabella) as he'd been involved with the VRR run.
Caught up with quite a few people before the run home, which meant my muscles had stiffened up again, still a relatively easy 7 odd K's home to make my distance up

A comeback of sorts

Having had various muscular troubles since Brindabella and with the cold laying me low as well frankly the last thing i'd wanted to do in the last couple of weeks was run. Today i woke up and thought i'd better actually do something, the cold was still hanging in there but i reckoned i should at least roll my legs over a few K's just to see if i was in as bad nick as i thought.
Certainly the right knee didn't really want to be out there as i approached the racecourse (the first two K's) but after that i seemed to get a bit more into it, probably was helped by the fact there were a few joggers in front of me at Caulfield Park to spur me on, had to do a couple of uphills, so went up Hawthorn Rd to Dandenong Rd (who knows how many times i've done that over the years), down Alma Rd (nostalgically passing my childhood home could be a while till i see it again), and then my next hill climb up Kooyong Rd (again so many times i've done it that there is probably a path worn underneath the paving) and then stretched out a bit on Dandenong Rd again. Did my typical mad dash (read sprint work with oncoming traffic)across Dandenong Rd to reach Chapel St and then across to Punt Rd and my last hill for the day up StKilda Rd to Alma followed by a good roll down to Carlisle St.
In total 13.44 K's, not quite sure of the time (didn't look at the clock when i left home), but at a guess around 80 minutes, so not exactly flying still made it in the door with no further strains and only needed 500ml's of cordial (compared to the 1.5 litres i usually have after my standard 20 miler means i didn't push it too hard).
Back to the physio this arvo, want to see if todays efforts have done me any harm still would love to do some running on Cup weekend but realise i don't want to do myself any further harm.

As i turn back time

With injuries and now a cold (i'd say that's my 5th since the Australian 100K Championships in Mid June, i think the body has had it for the year running wise), taking there toll, finally got a chance to work out how to download my video of the Western States 100 Miler. Unfortunately, although only 6.5 minutes long it is way too big to put anywhere bar on my pc hard drive, so had to play around to make it loadable. Making the file smaller meant i lost all dialogue in this version (not a bad thing as i cringe at my cockiness prior to the race essentially because i wasn't going to say exactly what i thought at the time - which would have been along the lines of "i've been as sick as a dog all week and need a miracle to get through i know my limits and because of that know i can do it but doubt that any medical person worth their diploma would pass me as fit to start, still it's a long way to come for a DNS so i'll be out there until someone drags me off the course" - which ended up a bit too close to the ultimate result) So i couldn't resist dubbing it with my signature tune "Start Me Up" (not the Stones greatest song, having been first recorded by them in 1975 - originally a reggae type track built around a guitar rift essentially the reverse of the classic "Brown Sugar" and with the original working titles of "Start It Up" or "Never Stop" but not released in a much rockier version until 1981 with "me" replacing the lyric "it" - nevertheless still good enough for me to put it somewhere in the middle of my top 30 Stones songs of all time), with the line "If you start me up I'll never stop" always appropriate to us Ultra runners (that's the problem i get injured i start digging out bits of Stones trivia from the deepest recesses of my memory). A big thanks to Lisa for the actual camera work, just a shame i wasn't out there longer so that possibly we could have got some more footage. As for me and Western States, here we are 5 months down the track and i don't regret going to the US for it, but very unlike me i don't (and even more strangely for me) and haven't in any of that time since, have a burning passion to go back and get revenge on that course. There is a little of me say's if i wanted to go back i'd do it totally different, pretty much just rock up on the Friday and run on the Saturday (and avoid the hype) but frankly i'd be happy just to do some other Ultras over there when i get the chance, was surprised just how much i enjoyed the US (well California at least) and with the number of Ultras there not a hard thing to do (damn that means at some future date there will be a new AussieRunner blog just don't hold your breath :-)).
Anyway at present refuse to plan ahead racewise, first to recover from injuries and then i guess we'll see what happens. It'll feel strange this Melbourne Cup long weekend, the last 17 years have been either the 4 Peaks Run (9 times) in Bright or the Three Bays Marathon in Portland (7 times) the only time in recent history i've haven't raced was injured and living in Sydney back in 1995, at least i've got a good gig to enjoy on Friday night James Reyne & Mark Seymour.

Looks like my racing year is pretty much over

Having rather less than intelligently run the Brindabella Classic
on the weekend looks as though my racing year is close to over (at best a Kurrawa to Duranbah 50K, simply because it's just down the road for me).
I think my race report sums it up pretty well:

I think to some degree i needed to do this run simply to give me a reality check as to where i was in terms of GNW & C2K, so i definitely don't regret running yesterday as it certainly gave me that feedback in no uncertain manner.
Somehow i think i should have realised from Saturday morning that this wasn't going to be my weekend as it started off with 25 minutes just to get from one side of Caulfield race course to the other in the car (Never thought they'd be doing things with Cup traffic at 8AM !), and then once i'd made it to Robert's (who i was driving up with) suburb i then discovered his street didn't exist in my 1995 Melways so spent lot's of time driving around (and i'll make no comments about mobile coverage in suburbia !).
Finally we got there, first and probably last time i'll stay at the Embassy (ought to stick to Quenbayan), room was too hot too sleep and wedding reception meant that really didn't get to sleep till near midnight (the only positive being that i caught up with a number of running mates at a dinner organised by last years winner Martin Fryer - who was unfortunately injured so not running this years event but still manning an aid station. Good food, but i reckon i could have easily had a second serve of Spag Bol, washed down by a very nice locally brewed beer).
After that rather less than fantastic Saturday i was hoping for a better Sunday, wasn't too fussed about the heat but did have the injury worries in my mind.
Interesting bus trip, particularly the hole we got in the bus just before the top !!! - we had a large stick poke through.
Certainly the road was rougher than i can ever recall in 10 downhill Brindys, so was very careful watching where i put my feet making me a little slower but other than that seemed to be all right.
Once we were back on tracks was feeling good, so after being passed by the group with Horrie earlier, i caught up and then decided to put a bit of speed on as i was definitely planning to take it easy on the ups. That worked for a while, but then at around 20K's, the right knee just "locked" on me momentarily and that was essentially my race over, hard to explain but the muscles in that leg seemed to spasm upwards to the side of the hip and from then on my whole body was out of whack.
My guess is sciatic nerve, as the calf problems in my left leg are related to it and i have a decent idea of how it affects me but i will need to get it checked out.
From there onwards it was a case of only being able to do what my body let me in terms of movement.
Had a chat with Kerry, the first lady, on the way down from Bulls Head and seemed to find a bit of running ability (at a guess my strides were about half there usual length), probably just my typical racing mentality meant i did feel the pain for a little while so had to use that while it lasted.
Absolutely broke down with around 15K's to go, me and Mick Corlis taking turns to walk, run and mainly hobble and from then on can't say i've ever enjoyed running downhill so little.
Was passed by numerous runners and totally frustrated when i was no longer even able to walk decently (it was more crablike), was not happy watching walkers streaking away from me , but by now finishing was my one goal.
Didn't enjoy the climb over the gate (had thoughts of me being stuck there for a while with one leg on either side), but once over knew it was mainly downhill and tried to run. "Tried to run" was the operative word as sometimes i could and sometimes the body just stopped pretty much seized up.
Best i can say is my PW here is now just under 6 Hours by 15 seconds, don't reckon i've ever been so happy to see a finish line as the last couple of starts.
Would have loved to have stayed around and had a longer yarn, but had to head back as i knew that sitting in a car was going to be rather hard knowing how the muscles were so was expecting numerous stops.
As usual well organised and a great course but the fact that the minimum temperature recorded at Mt Ginini (the start) was 10.1 (usually it would struggle to be zero) always meant that with minimal tree cover the last half (because of the bushfires)it was going to get hot and be a hard one (apparently it reached the forecast 31 degrees), meant it was inevitable there would be a few dnf's, with 33 finishers from the original field of 37 and me in a very ugly 20th place just over 2 hours behind the winner.

Was very thankful Robert did all the driving on the way back as i had enough problems just lying in the car seat, and by the time we'd got back to his place (after 10), was happy to stay the night (even happier to have half a pre ordered pizza washed down with a VB before turning in).
At the moment i am being treated by a manipulative physiotherapist, if amount of pain caused during treatment is anything to go by i must be well on my way to being fixed, but certainly running seems out the question the next few weeks, personally i'm more worried about what effect it will have on my plans for next year but on a more serious note first i have to be able to run (walking is a struggle at present).
One more blog post to go as sooner or later i will complete a Melbourne Marathon report,
Kelvin

Trust a German runner to do a blog of the race with great pictures.

I've, just had the following blog passed onto me, although it's in German (hey i'm trying to sort out exactly the comments where i'm mentioned actually mean :-)), it's got some great pictures and has brought back so many memories i thought it was worth passing it on (unfortunately blogger refuses to show these links if i put them in correctly so i've just had to copy the exact links themselves):
Days 0, 1 & 2
http://www.100mc.de/powerschneckesartikel.html?&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=138&cHash=61dfa14f1d
Days 3, 4 & 5
http://www.100mc.de/powerschneckesartikel.html?&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=144&cHash=10c37bd86a
Days 6, 7 & 8
http://www.100mc.de/powerschneckesartikel.html?&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=149&cHash=73f776e25f
Days 9, 10 & 11
http://www.100mc.de/powerschneckesartikel.html?&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=153&cHash=4d11a63c79
Had to include the above picture, i'm sure some people think i've deserted the Glasshouse 100 Miler, this at least shows i was thinking of it (the T Shirt !),
Kelvin

The return to Australia

As the edit to my last entry mentioned i had to spend an extra day in Lorrach (no umlauts i could find on an Australian keyboard) as my accommodation in Zurich was booked for the day after, after making that edit to my last post the weather cleared. That gave me the chance to walk into two other countries, when the weather cleared, i followed the bike path along the river (The Rhine ?) into Basel (Switzerland) and seeing signs that i was only a few more K's to Huningnue (France) thought i may as well go there as well. Seems strange after running 17 days in one country that in the space of a few hours i can visit another 2.
By the time i left France it was pretty much evening, so followed the road rather than the dark bike paths, was glad when i finally saw the McDonalds (by my calculations a mile or two from the hotel), and even went in and got a cappucino and chips (ah yes the simple pleasures !!).
Only problem in the dark, what were big intersections in daylight looked no bigger than other corners and i eventually missed my turn off, thankfully decided i need to head away from the river and eventually made it to the railway, on seeing a station had a better idea of where i was and followed the line back backwards, eventually making it back around 10. So another 8 hour day on my feet (i must be nuts).
Beautiful to finally sleep in a double bed (as opposed to a sleeping bag on my air mattress), it's amazing how a stage race makes you appreciate the simple things, late breakfast and then the train to Zurich.
Shame i never did any shopping in Basel or i would have realised a problem (money), i got out of the train (the TGV from Paris to Zurich), and went straight into the supermarket and then had this shocking revelation, Switzerland doesn't use Euros !!!.
So funny enough my first stop (as threatened long ago in this blog), was at a bank, needed to change Euros into Swiss Francs.
Thankfully my hotel was nearby, right above a disco actually that explains why the rooms were cheap !, and just happy to collapse upon my bed and have a rest (unfortunately my suitcases, although now without the weight of the air mattresses, still added up to around 27 KG's).
Not sure if it's the fact that your body is now used to being on it's feet for hours everyday or whether i'm just a cheapskate tourist, but the next two days were spent walking all over Zurich. Saturday it's a look around the city proper (and a bit of window shopping - pretty sure Zurich is not a cheap city to live in), but then follow the Limmat out to the edge of suburbia (out to the grapevines)a place called Oberengstringen, lovely mountain views and in the distance the city. Walk back on the other side of the Rhine as night falls (even Doner Kebaps are expensive here), and finally back in time to hear the disco i must have slept through on the Friday night.
Sunday was off to the Zurich See, couldn't help thinking of Canberra and Lake Burley Griffin, all the footpaths are also bike paths so when i see i'm actually 15K's away from the centre of town (and still over 10K's from a place i had plans to visit real mountains from), decided to cut my losses and head up and also find some food (not easy on a Sunday believe me !).
First place i saw was a Starbucks, so rather famished ordered a "normal size" Cappucino, reckon that's the last time they ever get my business, a mug of coffee is fine, but when over half of it is foam and approx $5 (5.40 Swiss Francs), ridiculous and even then all i could get was a donut (at 1.80 CHF). Thankfully just down the road, there was a railway station and yet another Doner Kebap stand, had a slightly different one this time just what i needed. Great walk back, over the high route, no idea where i was heading but as long as the city was in front i was fine.
Thankfully the City Centre supermarket was open on Sundays (nothing else was) and even better open till 8, so just in time to buy something to make dinner and for lunch before Mondays flight back.
With a 3PM flight on Monday (scheduled to get back to Melbourne 1AM Wednesday), had a feed then thought i may as well have a look around the town by dark, alot of people about especially as the Zurich film festival is on (saw the red carpet but no stars i recognised). Shame i've never worked out how to get decent pictures in the dark, i'll just have to have them as memories.
Anyway full plane from Zurich to Dubai (somehow i had the very back seat nearest the toilets, poor fellow in the next aisle had a non working seat(they actually took the seat apart to try to fix it but couldn't and were unable to move him as all seats were taken. 2AM at Dubai and 41 degrees, walking from plane to airport bus (airport renovations meant a 10 minute bus trip to terminal), was like wandering into an oven.
Three hours in Dubai (possibly the worlds worst free airport internet computers, if they worked the odds were the characters were rubbed off the keyboards - i'm no touch typist !), and then Melbourne via Singapore.
An hour stop at Singapore (and unlike the trip there we had to get off the plane), with 20 minutes to get out the plane (again i was at the back but this time with a window seat), and then a queue of another 20 minutes to go through the machines etc to go back on (me i never cared whether i saw Changi airport again, i'd had a gutful of it last year !!!), so maybe a chance for a real toilet break.
Finally back at Melbourne 1:45 AM, and by the time i'd cleared customs etc, was home at around 3:30, only a few days to recover for the Melbourne Marathon (above is the article that had been in the local paper while i was away), now that's another story (and probably a good way to finish this blog).