Review of 2012 - Well not Quite! First a review of 1978-1982!

Hi,

It has been a while since my last blog post back in October.  I have been intending to write a post on training to help expand upon some aspects raised back in October, but somehow haven't managed to.  Hopefully the post will eventuate in January sometime.  First though is a review of 2012.

The intention for this blog post was simply a review of my training and racing from 2012. However, with the 1st of January 2013 being exactly 35 years since I started recording my training down into a training log, I got a bit carried away after digging out my training diary from 1978. So the idea of a quick review of 35 years of racing and training seemed appealing. Unfortunately reviewing 35 years isn’t going to be quick! Hence my plan is to split the last 35 years into seven posts, each covering 5 years, starting with 1978 – 1982, so here we go!

35 Years of Training Diaries!

Firstly, why did I start recording my training on the 1st January 1978? Living in New Zealand, I was like most other kiwi boys, I played rugby. Yes from the age of 8 to 13 I played rugby for Naenae Old Boys, the local rugby club. I knew I wasn’t going to become an All Black, and I recall during my last year of playing rugby I was finding it quite demanding, with the intensity of rugby having increased significantly now that I was a teenager! At the same time, I found that I was enjoying the runs we occasionally did as part of PE at secondary school. My favourite PE run, the Summit Road run, I guess was around 2 miles. It was an out and back route, with the turnaround point being at the top of Summit Road. Yes, as you would expect from a road named Summit Road, it was a pretty tough climb up to the turn point where Mr Chen, our PE teacher would be waiting with a clip board to tick off our names! So during the winter of 1977, instead of playing rugby I joined the local running club, Hutt Valley Harriers, and had my first experiences of club racing, usually every second week, with there being a club training run on the other Saturdays when there were no races.

Although I usually finished within the second half of the field, I wasn’t last, so I really enjoyed the season of harriers, involving a mixture of cross country and road races, which ran from April though to October. Meanwhile at school, Naenae College, the occasional Summit Road runs at PE continued, and although I wasn’t doing any training, the benefit of running or racing at Harriers each Saturday was cumulating in me improving during the PE runs, so I was now finishing usually in around 3rd or 4th place, from a total of around 30 boys from the 4L and 4D PE class. Probably the most significant impact that led to me starting to record my training on the 1st January 1978, was in 1977 the arrival to Naenae College of Mr Wilby, a newly qualified music teacher from Christchurch, but most significantly he was a runner. It was during his first year at Naenae College that he established a running group that trained together each day after school. One of my friends from the 4L and 4D PE class, Jeremy Wah, had joined the group and said it was really good and suggested that I should join the group. Jeremy probably used to finish the Summit Road PE run in either 1st or 2nd place, so a better runner than me, but not that far ahead, so although the thought of joining an ‘official’ training group was a bit daunting, there was a little bit of evidence to convince me that I wouldn’t be totally out of my depth training in the newly formed training group.

I therefore resigned from my after school job at one of the local butcher shops that I had been doing each week day for the previous year and a half. I remember ‘conning’ my Mum in that I needed to quit the after school job in order to have more time available to concentrate on my School Certificate subjects (GCSE equivalent), which I would be examined on at the end of 1978. I therefore negotiated a weekly pocket money amount to compensate my loss of earning, and officially commenced my entry into the fantastic sport of endurance running in September 1977. Other runners within the Gary Wilby Training Group were, the Lucock brothers - Mark and Peter, Michael Bastion, Chris Bryant, Jeremy Wah, and also the Ritchie brothers – Glenn and Martyn. Yes, it was all boys in the group, I guess mainly due to the fact that instead of getting changed and departing from the school gym, we met and got changed in one of the music rehearsal rooms. Back in the 1970s us boys at Naenae College didn’t really worry about such things as having a shower following our training. I do recall that on occasions, one girl would join us for the after school runs, her name Fiona Tanis. She was a pretty impressive runner having run if my memory is correct 2 mins 16 secs for 800 metres as a 14 year old. A pretty impressive time! especially as my PB for 800metres as a 14 year old was only around 2 mins 35 secs! Mr Wilby would join in with us on our runs probably around twice per week, mainly for the interval sessions. Without knowing how fortunate we were, Gary Wilby, commonly referred to as the wizard, (you’ll see why in the photo below), was not only a good quality club runner, probably around 25th best within the Wellington region, but more importantly a very knowledgeable running coach, having trained with some of the best runners in Christchurch prior to coming to Wellington, and since arriving in Wellington, being a member of the Victoria University Harrier Club, and therefore currently trained with many of the best runners in Wellington, including the world famous Professor Roger Robinson, the inventor of ‘Sausage Sessions’.

An interesting aside, I have just finished reading an excellent book written by Keith Livingstone titled Healthy Intelligent Training – The Proven Principles of Arthur Lydiard. For a while Keith Livingstone lived in Wellington and he was also a member of the Victoria University Harrier Club. Whether many of his the ideas he shares within his book were developed during his time at Wellington it isn’t totally clear, one thing that is clear though is that the training we were doing within the Wilby training group closely resembled the principles described within his excellent book.

Yes, way back in 1978 our training was extremely well balanced. It was heavily based on the Lydiard Principles, i.e. a strong emphasis on a periodised approach to training, building a strong and solid aerobic base, before moving to the quicker more anaerobic phases. Mr Wilby, although interested in performance, also placed a lot of emphasis on long term sustainability. He was very cautious in not to over train us, or to give us too much anaerobic work without there being an aerobic foundation. Yes, us group of young lads, and the occasional lass from Naenae College, were very fortunate to have the Wizard coaching us. And as every good coach will tell you, it is extremely important that you log your training down within a training diary. However, the thought of buying a diary when there were only a few months of the year left in 1977 just didn’t appeal. So my recording of my training had to wait until the 1st of January 1978, which just so happened to also be my 15th birthday.

Training Diaries 1978 - 1982

So what was the entry on the 1st January 1978? I quote “My Birthday. Rest until 10th”. Looking at these early entries, not much has changed in 35 years. I still simply state either the approximate distance or the run time, a brief description of the route, and a comment regarding how I felt. From Wednesday 25th January 1978: “7 miles, 65 minutes. Very hot day. Had 2-3 rests. Ran through golf sprinklers, cooled me down. Felt hot and tired, then got more relaxed, felt better,” And from Tuesday 14th February 1978: “800m at athletics. 4th Time 2min 30secs. Felt good and amazed. Really sprinted hard with 200m to go and at finish wasn’t completely stuffed.” Really interesting that way back then I included a large focus within my training diary on my emotions, how the running felt! The fact that the latest research regarding fatigue during endurance performance includes such articles as “Fatigue is a brain-derived emotion ...” (Noakes, 2012) is quite revealing. Together with my Race Focus Energy (RFE) model of fatigue being heavily dependent upon feelings / emotions suggests that maybe I knew the ‘answer’ way back then without realising it!

The five years from 1978 – 1982 were five years of tremendous change. At the start of 1978, I am a middle / back of the pack runner. At the Wellington Secondary Schools Cross Country Champs, that took place in October 1977 I finished in 77th place from a field of 96 finishers. Just for those interested, probably not many of you, but finish places for runners from the Wilby training group in the same fourth form (year10) age group race were: Chris Bryant – 12th, Peter Lucock – 19th, and Jeremy Wah – 40th. Come the start of 1978 I therefore didn’t have very high expectations of myself in terms of finishing positions. I hadn’t chosen my parents very well, and therefore didn’t have the necessary genes to be a good runner. That was what I believed back then, and as I have since discovered one’s performance is strongly influenced by one’s self-belief!

The change in terms of my self-perception of my running qualities was quite slow, but with one or two key shifts in attitude. During 1978 the two big leaps forward were the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships that took place in June, and the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Road Championships that took place in December. The cross country champs were being held way down south in Timaru. Although, not performing to the same level as the other runners in the training group, Mr Wilby still strongly encouraged me to go to the National champs. I still recall now that I felt a bit of an ‘imposter’, heading all the way to Timaru, consisting of a 3½ hour ferry journey, then a 4½ hour train journey, an overnight stop in Christchurch, then a 2½ bus trip finally to Timaru! I was convinced that I would finished close to last, competing against the best runners in New Zealand. Whether it was the fear of getting last, or simply the fact that the course was pretty well 4000 metres of ankle deep mud so running was extremely difficult, so it got down to ‘wanting it more’ rather than actual running ‘ability’, I just don’t know! But I ran probably my best race to date, finishing in 104th place out of 205 finishers in the Junior Boys (Under 16) event. Nearly, in the top half, at the National champs. I was absolutely ‘wrapped’, as we used to say back then.

On the Picton Ferry with Gary Wilby on the Way Down to the NZSSCC Champs - June 1978

Six months later, it was the National Secondary School road champs. The road champs took place at the same time as the National Secondary School track champs. Therefore all of the best runners raced the track, so the road champs contained significantly weaker fields in comparison to the cross country champs. This well known fact had a significant impact on my performance. Immediately my expectations were raised. Not only was I confident of finishing much higher up than 104th due to the weaker field, but also due to the way the age groups were set for the National Secondary School champs, being taken as under 16 as at the 31st December rather than using the usual academic year groups. Having my 16th birthday on the 1st January therefore meant that I was the oldest person in the entire field! It should therefore come as no surprise that as a result of these heightened self expectations, my performance was quite outstanding in relation to my other performances during 1978. I finished in 24th place in the Junior Boys (Under 16) 6000metre road race. Considering just over a little more than a year earlier I was only 77th best in the Wellington region. I was now 24th best in the whole country. Yes, once I obtained this outstanding result, I conveniently ignored the fact that the best runners in the country didn’t start the road race as they were racing on the track!

It would be foolish of me to conclude that my massive improvements during the year were simply due to changed expectations. In addition I had continued training regularly after school within the Wilby group. Throughout the year, he had carefully orchestrated our training, (yes I also thought orchestrated was a very apt word considering Gary Wilby was a music teacher!) Although we didn’t know it, we were mimicking the training, but to a lesser extent, of the Lydiard boys from the 1960s – Peter Snell, Murray Halberg, Barry Magee and Bill Baillie, all of them either Olympic medallists and/or World record holders! Our training involved developing our endurance base first with different types of runs including, the long run, sub-threshold effort runs , fartlek, aerobic intervals, and recovery runs, before progressing to the anaerobic phase, including VO2 max intervals, sausage sessions, hill repetitions and again the important recovery runs. Yes, our training programme was very well structured, that not only developed us physiologically, but also helped develop our confidence by getting us to peak for the big races, one of the key principles of the Lydiard approach to training. As highlighted by Matt Fitzgerald over 30 years later in his 2010 book titled Run – The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel, "If it does nothing else, a runner's training must make him feel prepared, because if he feels prepared, he is prepared, and if he doesn't, he isn't. The primary objective of training for every competitive runner should be to develop confidence in her ability to achieve her race goals.” Yes, Lydiard knew this key principle way back in the sixties, and fortunately, so did Gary Wilby, back in the seventies. During 1978, excluding track races, I raced 14 times and ran a total of 1044 miles.

During 1979, Gary WIlby took the last two terms of the three term school year off as he travelled around Europe on his 'Big O.E' (which stands for Overseas Experience to you non-kiwis). The after school training group didn’t function so well, so I returned back for one last season of rugby. I still raced the NZ Secondary School Cross Country and Road Championships, but now in the Senior Boys (Over 16) category. Considering during 1979 I was in the sixth form (lower sixth) I was racing against boys up to 1½ years older than me, my finish places of 64th (cross country) and 25th (road) were a gentle continuation of my improvement as a runner. During 1979, excluding track races, I raced 6 times and ran a total of 1169 miles.

I have commented about the start of 1980 in a previous blog titled Marathon Number 1 - Fletcher Marathon, Rotorua, NZ - 26th April 1980, posted in April 2010, which describes my preparation for my first ever marathon, at the young age of 17. Performances following my marathon were a significant improvement upon 1979. Whether my improvement was a result of the increased physical training I carried out preparing for the marathon, or as a result of a changed acceptance within myself that I was now a good runner, I don’t know. I would expect a combination of them both. Refer to my Blog articles to learn more about factors that influence endurance performance. My key results from 1980 were, in the order they occurred through the year; probably my biggest breakthrough race to date, even more dramatic than my 1978 national performances, was finishing in 2nd place in the Colts Under 18 regional Dorne Cup race in June, then 17th at the NZ Cross Country Champs, and finally 7th place at the NZ Road Champs at the end of the year. During 1980, excluding track races, I raced 19 times and ran a total of 2167 miles.

The year 1981 was my first year at Victoria University in Wellington, so being a student I found I had more time available to train. Turning 18 at the start of the year, I moved up into the Junior Under 20 race category so found the competition pretty tough as I was competing against boys again up to 1½ years older than me. I had some good performances finishing between 6th and 11th place in the regional races. During 1981, excluding track races, I raced 20 times and ran a total of 2520 miles, my second highest mileage year to date.

The final year of this five year review is 1982. The intention was that this would be the year that I would really perform, being 19 years old and therefore my last year competing as a Junior. Well, what a disappointment. I picked up two injuries during the year, which severely restricted my running. The injuries, combined with the excessive alcohol intake of my University student lifestyle, resulted in me gaining the name ‘Tits Mills’ after 8 weeks of non-running! I managed a 12th and 10th place at the Wellington Centre Junior cross country and road champs, both positions worse than 1981. So overall a bit of a ‘blip’ following four years of successive improvement!  During 1982 I raced 10 times and ran a total of 1406 miles

Well that’s the end of my first five year review. This post is probably not typical of my previous posts, so maybe not many messages to take away from the post to aid your running. However, my UltraStu blog is sub-titled Millsy’s memories, and as I approach a significant date next week, it is a good time for a few memories.

Time to sign off; “Often one is not aware of the significance of the learning that has taken place until many, many years later. Reviewing 35 years of training, highlights the importance of the need for reflection on a more frequent basis. Discovering ‘secrets’ 35 years later could be considered a little bit too late!” Stuart Mills, 2012.

All the best with your reviews of 2012,

Stuart

Developing Positive Self Expectations - Part 1

Hi again,

Yes after 5 weeks of nothing, there are three posts within a week!  I wasn't planning to write another post so soon but this morning I was interviewed by David Bradford, a local runner who is also a freelance journalist, who is in the process of writing an article on training and mileage for Runners World.  During the interview he asked me some good questions that got me thinking, with some of my answers being new topics that I hadn't addressed on my blog.  So before I forget what I spoke about this morning I thought I would try to highlight some key points. 

David came to speak to me about physical training, but I ended up talking mostly about mental training, self belief, positivity etc.  So I  am not sure how much will end up in the article.  Also I think he said it was restricted to only 1300 words.  I would have spoken more like 13,000 words or even double that this morning!  Lastly if you are like me, you probably no longer buy Runners World or any of the running magazines as they tend to be the same old story repeated time and time again, with only the occasional excellent article.  Here's hoping that David's article, I'll let you know when it is published, is better than the standard magazine article!

We spoke about what training is needed, the bare minimum to be able to perform to a 'reasonable level', although we never attempted to define what we meant by a 'reasonable level', as this will vary immensely dependent upon the aims and expectations of each individual runner.  I found it hard to come up with an answer as I tried to explain that performance in endurance running, with the longer the event the higher the importance, is more about the mind, the mental approach, self expectations, positivity, etc.  He wasn't totally convinced, but thought that the mind has a role to play but felt that the physiology, the physical attributes were more important.  David's responses were a bit like the comment left by Andy Cole on my blog the other day in response to my Beachy Head Race Report -

"I'm beginning to believe your expectation theory, but doesn't it still link back to training - expectation comes from confidence, confidence comes form having done the work?"

Yes, Andy's comment is largely true, but one can develop confidence in other ways.  Although what is probably more important and relevant is that people can do the work, but still not end up with positive / high self expectations!  So what is happening there?  And how much work is required to gain confidence - positive self expectations?

Another question David asked was "Did I always have these beliefs about the importance of the mind in determining performance, and how did I come to these conclusions?"  Now these questions really got me thinking, I started trying to recall, when and how did my current ideas develop?  I never used to think this way.  I was like everyone else.  I used to believe running performance was all physically determined!  To try and expand on these questions I guess I need to go way back to when I started running, in 1977!  Not sure how far I will get in answering these questions and getting back to strategies to develop positive self expectations, but I'll simply keep typing, and maybe this might end up being a part 1, 2, 3 post, as it is such a big area!

I started running back in 1977 at the age of 14 when I joined Hutt Valley Harriers.  I joined the local harrier club as I was too small to be any good at playing rugby.  My lack of skill and pace probably also didn't aid my rugby performance.  So after 6 years of rugby, harriers, i.e. cross country and road running, was to be my new sport.  I distinctly recall now, picking up the club race calendar and there listed at the end of the season was a race called the Consolation Race.  It was a specific club race for only those athletes that hadn't won a prize, i.e. finished 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in any race during the season.  I immediately thought, maybe I could perform well in the consolation race, as I had clearly established within my perceived self expectations that I was a low performing athlete, even before I had begun running as a sport!  The club information also referred to an Attendance Medal.  Where if you attended and ran every Saturday during the season, club and inter club races and the club training runs, no matter what level you performed at, you would win an Attendance Medal.  I again have strong memories of me thinking, yes, I can win one of these medals!

So why at the age of 14 did I have such low expectations of my ability as an athlete?  Around that time in New Zealand, John Walker, one of the greatest milers of all time, had just set the world mile record (3:49.4 in 1975) and had won the 1500metres Gold Medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.  So all New Zealanders were basking in the glory of a New Zealander, from a country of only 3 million people, who was the best runner in the entire world!  Winning, success, was what sport was all about!  It is amazing how the media's portrayal can influence how people think!  Not only was the emphasis on winning, but the media also 'made up large' the importance of one's physiology, the importance of "choosing the right parents"!  How many times have you heard that expression!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  John Walker was reported to have one of the largest VO2max values recorded.  Physically he was tall, muscularly strong, with a big barreled chest which enabled him to breathe in and consume massive amounts of oxygen.  It was these physical attributes that he inherited, that he was born with, that made him the best in the world!

So little old me, 4 foot something and aged 14, had obviously chosen the wrong parents.  My Mum was largely overweight and never done any physical activity or sport in her entire life, apart from gardening.  My Dad played tennis at the local club, but for recreation, fun, at a social level.  How poor was that, he never won any club or county championships!  So these messages I saw on the TV and in the papers, led me to have a real distorted view of what sport was about.  The over importance on performance, and how it was beyond ones control.  Tough luck if you chose the wrong parents!  Just an interesting side question.  Are things any different in the UK now in 2010 as opposed to NZ in 1977.  What are all the messages given out leading up to the 2012 London Olympics?  What is the message? Yes, you are right!  How many medals will the UK team win!  Messages being sent to young athletes, and reinforced by the media.  If you aren't any good by the time you are 10, or 12, or 14 at the very latest, then you are never going to be any good.  Tom Daley the World Champion Diver from the UK who was World Champion at the age of 15, British champion at the age of 13!  Then you have all of the child superstar footballers, Joe Cole, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Michael Owen, and on and on!  I think things have got even worse than what they were in NZ in 1977!

Not only are there these messages about the necessity to perform at a young age, and the imporance of genes, but the hereditary message is even stronger now than ever with regards to running.  The simple message is, if you aren't from Africa, then you can not expect to perform to any high standard in endurance running.  Many people are asking the question, why can't the UK produce any top endurance athletes (apart from Paula Radcliffe), maybe it is as simple as that they have very low self expectations from everything they encounter throughout their lives in terms of the media's portrayal of sporting success and it's determinants.  It takes a pretty strongly minded young person to have the self belief to conclude that pretty well every message they encounter within society regarding sporting performance and ability is simply misleading!  Well, I said this could be a multi-part post.  I am really going 'off course' tonight!  But deep down it is relevant, as all of these messages influence one's self expectations!

So back to 1977, the 14 year old short kid, not much good at rugby, starting out running.  Hutt Valley Harriers was very good in terms of encouragement.  It still had a focus on performance and the need to be good, but I joined just at the time of the fun run boom at the end of the 70s where running simply for the fun of the participation was valued.  So I felt welcome, and was encouraged, with the aim to improve through training.  Bearing in mind that I was never going to be any good due to my genes!  Beyond my control!  Just to confirm what all the messages were telling me, there were two brothers Mark and Peter Lucock and they were both awesome runners, they both had the right genes, given to them by their parents, and with Peter in my school year I was never ever going to beat him! or even get close to him.  Not my fault, blame my parents!  Evidence for my low self expectations.  In 1975, in my first ever proper cross country race as a 12 year old, the Hutt Valley School Cross Country, Peter finished in 2nd place.  Me, I finished well behind in 47th place out of a field of 57!

The question I ask now is why did I finish in 47th place?  Lets change the question slightly, to something like:  You are running your first ever 10km road race or half marathon.  How do you know what pace you should run at?  How do you know what pace is right to ensure that you can make it to the finish without 'blowing up'!  What exactly is 'blowing up'?  What is fatigue?  What determines how fast you can run?  I used to have answers to these questions which I thought were correct.  The only problem is that even the cleverest sport and exercise scientists around the world are not in agreement to the last three questions.  Those who have carried out loads of research have PhD and you name it many other letters after their name do not know the answer!  So if no one knows what actually causes fatigue in endurance running, or what actually determines the pace I am able to run at, then how can I the runner decide what pace to run at!!!
 
What I have used in the past is that after I had run a few races, I based my pace on what I ran previously.  Thinking if I had completed a good period of physical training then I expected to run a little bit faster than before.  If my physical training hadn't been going very well, I expected to run a little bit slower than previously.  Quite simple really.  And as I have tried to explain, my running pace was determined by my self expectation of what I thought I could achieve.
 
Getting back to my first ever race. What pace did I run at?  I can't exactly recall what I did, but I am trying to think what your typical novice runner would do.  They haven't got any previous running experiences to help them.  So they formulate a self assessment of themselves as a sports person.  They look at the physiques of the other runners, and depending on what their self assessment is, in terms of how high, how confident it is they will determine their pace in relation to the other runners in the event.  I doubt they would go out with the leaders, I also doubt they would run at the back of the field with the massively overweight runners.  Again, the pace is solely determined by their self expectation, and how good they perceive themselves in relation to others.
 
Now, I have been running for many years.  I am running my umpteenth half marathon.  What pace do I run at?  Simply a pace similar to my previous runs in half marathons.  How do I know that this is the right pace.  It simply feels right!  What happens if I find that I am closer to the front, quite a bit ahead of all of the other runners that are usually around me?  I question, should I be this far near the front, in front of the others, and relate back to my expectation of what I expect I am able to achieve, and then adjust the pace accordingly, in most occasions probably easing of the pace, being conservative, so I don't 'blow up', even though no-one is able to actually define what 'blowing up' is!
 
So the real secret to running performance in endurance events is simply changing one's self expectation of how fast they expect to run!  Many readers may be thinking what absolute rubbish,  UltraStu is definitely Ultra Stupid tonight. What does he mean, no one knows what causes fatigue in endurance running!  It's running too much above one's lactate threshold, thereby producing too much lactic acid, which then inhibits the enzymes and the chemical reactions, which then causes the muscles from contracting, hence fatigue!  Only problem, is that the latest research now quite clearly concludes that this simply model is no longer correct!  It must be due to glycogen depletion then.  No carbohydrate left in the muscle cell to burn, so then one has to resort to fat, and therefore due to the increased oxygen demand to burn fat can not regenerate the same amount of ATP so must slow down.  Now this can be the case in some instances, however, with carbohydrate gels and drinks now being available during marathons, excessively low glycogen levels are no longer commonly found at marathon finish lines.  And what about all those events, half marathons and less, where it isn't likely that the glycogen stores will become depleted.  What causes fatigue in these races???  If anyone out there is able to tell me, supported with scientific evidence, NOT what their running mate has told them, or NOT what they have read in the running magazine, who an elite athletes book, then please add a comment, so we can all know the answer.  As within my readings of the scientific literature, although I must acknowledge that I do not read as much as I should, and therefore may have missed the latest understandings, I am still wanting to find out!
 
I think, at this moment I will finish this post - part 1 - to be continued!
 
I will sign off with the quote I signed off with last week, as it is probably a lot more relevant to tonight's post.
 
"There was a time, not so long ago, when we really did know everything about human physiology. After all, it was all so very simple. ...... But the more compelling challenge for the traditional model (of fatigue) is that it simply cannot explain the obvious." Tim Noakes (2007) From the foreword for the book:Brain Training for Runners, by Matt Fitzgerald.


All the best in your development of positive self expectations,

Stuart

Marathon Number 1 - Fletcher Marathon, Rotorua, NZ - 26th April 1980

Hi, welcome back.

As I promised in my last two posts, time for some Millsy Memories. I will get back to the issue of running economy and what this means with regards to training in my next post. Thanks for the two comments which I totally agree with, and hopefully will expand upon after I've casted my mind back 30 years!!!

Well as the title of the post states, I ran my first marathon on the 26th April 1980, as a 17 year old. Yes I lied about my age on the entry form! I joined Hutt Valley Harriers in April 1977, so I had 3 years of running prior to my first marathon. Before joining harriers I was your typical New Zealand boy, playing rugby from the age of 8 for Naenae Old Boys, but also due to living in the Hutt Valley, a very strong area for softball, playing softball from the age of 9 for Cardinals. For various reasons, hard to remember now, I stopped both of those sports in 1977 and started running.

Hutt Valley Harriers was a well established club, being formed in 1923 and was located underneath the tiered seating area of the Naenae Olympic Swimming Pool. The season tended to alternate with a club run and a race, (either a club race or an interclub race), each Saturday. During most of 1977 I don't recall doing any other running apart from on the Saturday, except for the occasion run during PE at school.

It was during 1977 that a new music teacher joined the staff of Naenae College, where I was in the 4th form (year10). Gary Wilby was a runner who had previously lived in Christchurch. It wasn't long before he had established a small group of runners that ran together after school. For the last 2- 3 months of the school year, from September onwards I joined the group and really enjoyed the running. Whether I would have got into running to such an extent, that I am still a runner now, if it wasn't for Gary's influence is hard to say, but I sure have much to thank him for. I still stay in contact with Gary whenever I get back to NZ. Actually I think 'The Wizard' as we used to call Mr Wilby back then and the Naenae College running group (Lucocks, Ritchies, Wah, Bryant, Higham, Teapot, Reille, Pirie, etc.) are well worthy of a Millsy Memory post in the coming months! So for now I will get back to the Fletcher Marathon and my training leading up to it.

My proper running training began on the 1st of January 1978, when I also started recorded down my training in a diary, which if you have read one of my earlier posts, I have continued to record to this day! During 1978 and 1979 I ran 1044 and 1169 miles respectively. During these years of running I was gradually improving, having improved my finishing position in the Wellington Schools cross country championships from 77th place out of 95 finishers in October 1977 to 29th place out of 69 finishers in October 1979. However, by the end of 1979 I realised that I wasn't going to be the next John Walker, world recorder holder for the mile in 1975 and Olympic 1500metre champion in 1976, but maybe the marathon was my distance, as I knew one thing way back then, I did not possess any fast twitch muscle fibres (check out my PB for 400metres!). Was I to be the next Jack Foster, who finished 2nd in the 1974 Commonwealth Games in a time of 2:11:18 (at the age of 41!)? So I decided I would run New Zealand's premier marathon, the Fletcher Marathon that attracted around 2000 entries each year, even before the marathon boom of the 80s, the following April.

The year started with running track, where I set my still existing PB for 3000metres at my key goal race of the track season, the Hutt Valley Intercollegiates, finishing 3rd in a time of 9:15.5. My best track result ever! This was a massive improvement on my PB of exactly 30 seconds. Maybe just the thought of possibly being capable of being a good runner, was actually turning me into a good runner! (How much does self expectation determine one's performance? Yes a topic for a future post there.) I had run a total of 333 miles in the first 10 weeks of 1980 leading up to 3000m race, amazingly not much different from the average of 34.3 miles a week last year training for and racing in 5 Ultras including the 103mile Mont Blanc! (but that's a different story!).

So with the track season finished I then had exactly 6 weeks and 1 day of marathon training to complete, in order to achieve my clearly established goal of 2 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds or faster. I concluded that if I could run 2 hours something! at the age of 17, then 2 hours 8mins (the world record at the time) would be well within my capabilities sometime before I reached Jack Foster's ripe old age of 41.

The 5 weeks training consisted of weekly mileages of 41, 37, 58, 71, 50, before easing down during the final week. I ran every day for the 10 weeks leading up to the marathon except for the Friday before the race. Amazing how disciplined I was then. I can't recall when I last ran every day for just one week! (Yes, a quick check of my training diaries, well not that quick I had to go all the way back to the week of the 23rd - 29th July 2001) (Another story there as well, regarding the need for recovery!)

So race day quickly arrived. Joe Franklin our club captain at the time at Hutt Valley Harriers worked within the police force so on the Friday we had a whole bus load of runners from the harrier club and the local police force runners take the 7 hour journey up to Rotorua from Wellington. Rotorua is a touristy town, even way back then, so we all stayed in two 'flash' motels. I remember sharing the room with Gary Wilby, Bernie Jensen and Clive Chandler. The morning of the race arrived and it was a beautiful sunny day, clear blue sky. It was going to get hot, probably around the mid twenties celsius. Bernie Jensen was your typically beer drinking runner with a rather rounded belly as proof of his drinking habits. I still vividly recall him appearing at the breakfast table getting his bright orange Hutt Valley singlet (vest) ready with elastoplast over both of his nipples. It was quite a sight for a young 17 year old. He had completed many marathons and was 100% sure that you had to put elastoplast over your nipples when running a marathon to avoid 'runners nipple'. I recall thinking "do I do what this guy says, listen to his 'words of wisdom'?" I then took another look at his belly and decided that maybe his approach to running wasn't the most effective, and has I have often done throughout my running, I did what I thought was best and let my nipples remain exposed, willing to accept the guaranteed bleeding nipples, as part of running a marathon. (Hi Bernie, if for an amazing reason you ever read this, many apologies, your beer tum wasn't that big, but it definitely wasn't the elite marathoners physique that I was hoping to emulate! Cheers, thanks for your contribution to the great trip 30 years ago!)

So the 2000+ runners gathered at the start. I don't remember there being signs for different speed runners to assemble at so I stood next to some of the other runners from Hutt Valley Harriers, I guess around a third of the way back from the front. I had spent quite a bit of time planning my race in order to achieve a sub 3 hour time. I decided upon running 20:30 5km pace until 20km. This being 6:36 miling, 2:52:58 pace. This would allow me some spare time to slow down in the second half of the race and still run under three hours. It wasn't quite the "run as fast as you can, while you can" philosophy I currently adopt, but even right back then it seemed logical that running a constant pace throughout the entire race was just not possible.

The gun goes, and being a third of the way back in the field, nothing happens, I am just standing still unable to move forward. I remember the frustration at not being able to start running. There was no computer chip timing back then in 1980. I finally get moving and start my adventure into marathon running.

The course at Rotorua is quite unique. It covers exactly one complete lap of the lake, starting and finishing in the picturesque Government Gardens. There are a few undulations on the course but nothing severe, the largest climb being a rise of 40 metres. At the 5 km mark I am only 7 seconds down on schedule, but I am pleased as it felt like I had lost loads more time than that at the start. At 10 kms I am now 25 seconds up on schedule and all is going well. The course between 10 and 20 kms is the most beautiful as it runs close to the lakes edge. At the age of 17 I wasn't really into the natural beauty of the surrounding environment, but this section of the race was absolutely amazing. The road was closed, so it was quiet and peaceful as I continued to run fast, running the 5kms from 10 - 15 kms in 19:55, this being 6:24 mile pace, as I ran into the unknown of my first ever marathon. I recall thinking, am I going to fast, when will I start 'dieing', when will I hit the famous marathon wall? I ignore these doubts and just enjoy the occasion, and complete the undulating section from 15 - 20 kms only 5 seconds slower in exactly 20 minutes.

At about the 23 km mark the course joins back onto a main road, where instantly the peaceful quietness is interrupted with hundreds of the runner's friends and family cheering everyone on. Just prior to rejoining the main road I catch up to Steve Malanchak, a runner from my club who is also doing his first marathon, but not only is he 2-3 years older than me, but he is a good runner, having usually finished in the first 5 places, racing as an under 20 year old junior. I am pretty excited with the way I am performing and enjoy hearing my name being called out by supporters from Hutt Valley Harriers. The photo below shows me running next to Steve at around the 23km mark. Although the photo is a bit blurred it clearly shows it was a hot day. I am race number 364.

Not too much later at around 26kms the course starts a slow gradual climb. It only climbs around 25 metres over 2 kms, but whatever it was, whether it was this climb, or the heat, or the fact that the scenery wasn't as pleasant, it being noisy as supporter's car continually overtake and stop and then re-overtake you, or I let my expectation to start dieing to lead to reality, I just don't know. Probably a combination of all of the above, but whatever it was, as if instantly I begin to struggle. I get to the top of this small rise, only 25metres, and feel really negative. How will I manage this last 14 kms?

The next 14kms are a real struggle. Although it is a cliche, I really did dig deep. I think one thing no one could ever accuse me of in my earlier days of racing, was that I was not trying hard enough. I was determined to break 3 hours, this was my last chance to be good at running. A distance that just had to suit me. Yes, I had these thoughts as a 17 year old. (Isn't it not surprising that so many teenagers drop out of sport, the expectations/ need to be in a county squad. What about the late developers, what about them? Yet another story!)

As we get closer to Rotorua the crowds on the side of the road get bigger. I remember thinking to myself, what are the crowds thinking as they see me really struggling. Was I foolish to try to run a marathon at the age of 17? Maybe there is a reason for the minimum age being set at 18? Although the crowds are cheering I do not absorb any of their positive energy, in fact I feel negative energy from the crowds. Reinforcing the foolishness of thinking that I could be a decent runner. Thinking back now, if only I knew then what I know now, on how one can really take on board the positive energy from the spectators, to truly enhance one's performance, the last 14kms to the finish would have been a cruise. However, it takes years to become wise, to learn how to run endurance events, so I 'gritted my teeth' and focused on different strategies to get me through this unpleasant experience, such as when only 10km from the finish visualising myself starting on my standard 6 mile training run that I had completed many times.

My how things had changed from the absolute joy of running just an hour earlier, which had felt so easy. Well, I somehow manage to get back into Rotorua and then the last 2 kms becomes great again as I realise that I will achieve my goal. I begin to relax, well as much as one can, being totally dehydrated, and no doubt hypoglycemic as well, as there were no carbohydrate gels back in those days, just simply water! I start to enjoy the atmosphere of the crowds cheering, lining the sides of the street. I really start to 'buzz'. All of a sudden the 'pain' of running dissipates. The pain is still there, my leg muscles are still absolutely 'shot', (as I don't have the 35000 miles in my legs like I do now), but I choose to ignore it, and focus on the positive, the achievement of the goal I set, a rather demanding goal, but a goal that meant that I could achieve at running. Although my actual running pace didn't drop that significantly over the last 14 kms (see race splits at the bottom), the effort required was substantially much, much more!

100metres before the finish line, entering Governement Gardens

I cross the line in 182nd place out of 1953 finishers, in a time of 2 hours 56 minutes and 51 seconds. I have never forgotten that time. I could now call myself a good runner!

Well, recalling that memory was quite amazing. As I got into writing the above, the memories just got stronger and stronger. I started this post thinking that it would just be a few comments and two photographs. Well I have found it quite amazing. It has made me consider, how have I changed over the last 30 years? Have I changed? Am I still wanting to call myself a good runner? I know in many aspects I have changed, I sure don't push myself during races like I used to back then. But how much of the inner self, the goals, the determination, the desires, the joy in running. How much of it is still the same?

One of the aims of setting up this blog was to get other ultra runners to think about their approach to running, little did I realise that it would get me thinking so deeply!

Time to finish this rather lengthy post. I will sign off with a thought to illustrate my current state of mind after reflecting back thirty years to my first ever marathon. "Enjoy the experience of running, try to 'live in the now' as you run, as what you engage in while you run will be a lasting memory to re-live, to re-enjoy, and to provide an opportunity to get to know your true inner self, if you allow it".

From a thoughtful and reflective Stuart, may you have many more wonderful experiences running.

PS Gary Wilby finished in 2:46:53 (81st), Steve Malanchak 2:56:32 (177th) and Bernie Jensen finished with bleeding nipples in 3:25:17 (635th)!