2013 Two Bays Trail - 28km

Disclaimer – Hopefully I get all the facts right! The Two Bays Trail is Epic, also, if there are any runners or walkers who have completed the trail and could email me/post some photos it would be greatly appreciated. It’s the only way to show people what it was really like – aside from pinching them off the net. Cheers and enjoy the reading

What a run! Crazy hill climbs, insane descents on gravel fire roads, boardwalks, the Aussie Bush, almost subtropical rainforests, sand and stairs. This run promised it all. I had entered and was about to tackle the Two Bays Trail Run 28km. Luckily I had my Trailroc 235s – their first real trail run and a true test of their make (and mine!) I’d loaded the Camelpak with the Hydralite mix and was ready to roc.

At 6:20 B and I were dropped off and we picked up our numbers, made last minute pit stops and headed to the line for the 2013 Two Bays Trail run – 28km from Dromana to Cape Shank on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. The starting area was well organised and there was a great buzz in the air – everyone was pumped. 

B and I made our way to the line and we were off. The run began along Latrobe Parade and the pace was set. I managed to tag along with B for the first km @ 4:33 pace before I settled into my rhythm and found my place. Soon we turned off the beaten path and onto the trail. We headed onto the Two Bays Trail and began a slow but steady ascent of the famous Arthurs Seat – 100ft or 300m in just over 1km. I was enjoying the chance to run on a true trail and found the grip provided by the shoes to be excellent. As the gradient began to rise so did the effort and everyone was huffing and puffing – it was damn hard work! At one point I noticed that people around me were beginning to walk, and even by running I was unable to pass them. Baaa, baaa, I became another sheep who realised it was just as quick to hike up the remaining 300m or so to get to the top. 

Like magic, we went through one of the pass/control gates and everyone picked up their feet and the run commenced again. The trail continued to climb but at a manageable rate and things were looking up. I had found my place in the field and tried to enjoy the view of Mornington’s beaches to my right as I simultaneously watched exactly where I was placing my feet.  

Brakes and brain off or can I do it safely? Kerri

Finally the climb finished and the descent and respite I was after! The track was narrow and pocked with rocks, some sand and roots – not easy when you are trying to control your speed. It continued on for a couple of kms before we hit the fire road and things got a little hairy. Although the track was wide, it was dust and gravel which do not equal grip. I zig zagged my way down, preferring to run in the grass as I felt more confident with what nature would allow me to do. After a sweeping left hand turn the descent became even steeper still – brakes off brain off or try for some control? I think I found a balance between the two and made it safely to the bottom.

From here the track went bush again and it was just serene. I was pacing nicely and really enjoying things at the stage and got talking to Emmit who was running strongly. He had done the run before and was looking to improve on his previous time, a time I was also hoping to run.

At this point we had our first road crossing and picked up the trail through some great reserves and ran along the first of the boardwalks through what would be more wetland type terrain before passing through the town (heads up to all the volunteers and supports) and onto a gravel road that seemed to go up and down and on and on. I was still feeling good and running sub 5 minute kms – only just though and could take a little more time to see what the surrounding farmlands and bush was like. After turning off into the bush for a little while we picked up the road again and went through the 13km marker – I missed the timing but still felt strong as we hit a long section of bush. The track was quite varied from here on in. Most of it was flatter, although the many sandy sections and tree roots made you very conscious of how you were running. At times it was wide then it narrowed and you were running through the bracken. There were stairs to negotiate and boardwalks to cross and it was a great mix of massive old gum trees and smaller ferns and rainforest type plants.

Pics by Kerri

Another road crossing and the water/aid station and we hit a gravel road for a while. At this stage I was starting to feel my feet rubbing at the forefoot and the calves were tightening up. I pushed on and managed to hold my pace as we hit the next trail section – this part was really scenic (well, what I could see of it as I watched my feet) but the ups began to get longer and tougher was we climbed a little higher. At the 14km I checked my timing and was stoked to be running at 1:13:30 – I was really happy with that. By now I was really aware of my feet and starting to feel a little sloppy so I had to really dig deep and focus on my form and control. I was staring to lose a little of my spring but powered up the climbs, just managing to hang on to the runners in front of me. At 18km I felt a sense of relief. With 10km to go and got my second wind as I picked up behind another runner as we managed to chat a little as we picked our way down the path avoiding the many small obstacles in our way.  At about the 20km I had to walk a few hundred meters for a breather and then picked up the feet for another solid km. 21km and the half marathon distance – 1:54:30ish. I was still really happy with that but then I found the going tough.

At this point I made two new friends – Mr Lactic Acid and his close friend “The Wall” – two very tough competitors. From here it was a battle of wills – theirs and mine. The trail opened up to expose a valley to our left and it looked incredible. To the right was open grassland and we seemed to be splitting the middle. My two friends were very persuasive and Mr and Mrs Quad and Mr and Mrs Calves were getting along with them like a house on fire!

From here I normally ‘push on and finish strongly’ not today. It really hurt. I wanted to go but any incline and I had had it. I’d run for 500-800 m and then had to walk it out. The top 100 finish was rapidly fading away as groups of runners continued to run on past me. At the last road crossing I had the best cup of water ever and tried to eat the green snake that was thrust upon me, but literally I could not stomach the thought. I’d been sipping the hydralite all the way through – and at this stage to be honest I think I’ll stick to water next time.

I hit the Bushrangers Bay track to the lighthouse and got but a few hundred meters – the sand just took its toll. A bit of a walk, then a few hundred meters of running. I had had it. I tried to push on and could run the flats and the descents but any rise and the quads just failed me. The track was a nice run and I got the rush of blood as I peeled down towards the ‘stairs’ at the 25km mark but very quickly decided that walking up was the best approach (as did many other runners). The last challenge done, I ran and walked my way towards the lighthouse, hearing the cheering crowds at the finish. Somehow I got up the last of the hills and hit the road to the finish.

The clock ticked over with 2:38:04 minutes of hard running completed. Not quite the fairy-tale top 100 that I was hoping for but a very respectable 180^th.  I do feel a little let down after my last three runs where I finished in the top 20, top 5 and then the top 8% of a 1600+ field but I am a very proud finisher, now pondering my next challenge. Perhaps I’m not destined for the longer trails, and I am more suited to the 10 – 15km middle distance. These I can run with pace, endurance and confidence. Perhaps more training would have helped me get over the line as strongly as I started.  

I found B who had finished in an amazing 2:10 as I was ready to collapse. Her words of commendation and encouragement have gone a long way, thanks B! The fruit and drinks provided at the end were an absolute god send and an apple, some grapes and one of my bananas later I was starting to feel a little replenished.

The run that promised it all truly delivered. The terrain was a challenge and a half and the shoes did not let me down. They gripped with every step and even saved me from a couple of spills. 

I'd love to know your thoughts on the run. Was it what you thought, did anyone else hit the wall and want to take a brave pill and talk about it. Even better, who hit the wall it and scaled it, I want tips! 

Thanks to Kerri from Moving Forward Fitness for some of the pics. 

Finally massive Kudos to the organizers of today's runs. The course was extremely well marked, and I love all the little signs of wisdom along the way. 

The aid stations were all buzzing and the bits and pieces at the end were just what we all needed. Maybe the Rollercoaster run is the next challenge...

Use the fish followers code fish10 to get 10% discount on Inov-8 shoes and the rest of the range at barefootinc!

2013 Portsea Twilight Run - An ordinary runners recall

Another run and another great result. This blog hopefully gives a little description of the course and how I was able to run it.

The Portsea Twilight Run – As described by Start to Finish, the promoters of this great event:

“At twilight on Saturday, 5 January 2013, participants are invited to run/walk through the spectacular Point Nepean National Park in the 2013 Food for Health Portsea Twilight.

The Food for Health Portsea Twilight is one of Australia’s most scenic and challenging courses, boasting breathtaking vistas of Bass Strait and Port Phillip. With a 7.75km or 3.75km run/walk along the roads and trails of the Point Nepean National Park, the course takes in undulating short, sharp hills and exquisite natural landscapes.” Would this be the case? More to come later.

The evening was certainly set, an ambient temperature of about 26 – 27 C and a light breeze. I had the Trailrocs on and was ready to roc! If you are like me and my wife, and were first time runners of the course, you may have tried to do your research on this event and possibly came up empty handed. The best we could find was a mapmyrun.com course that was posted 4 years ago, after studying the map we had our race plan and may our way down to the point. She had the new Garmin F10 and was set to target 5 minute kms, I am currently heart rate training and was planning to race at my theoretical 90% heart rate threshold. Toeing the line we anticipated a gradual start, a 600m incline at about 2km, an 800m incline at about 4km and rolling hills right throughout. Perfect for our recovery sessions and time to make up time on the downs. Well, we were about to be truly proven wrong… 

A group of runners beside us were talking up last years times, about 31/32 minutes for the 7.75km. This was a little quicker than I was aiming for. I was hoping for between 32 and 35 minutes or about 4 minute  kms, so I got chatting and asked about the course. ‘’About an easy k, then the first long hill, a slight down then the next long hill. When you hit the top it flattens then descends for the next long hill, at the turn around point you get a slight break then have two more hill climbs. When you leave the bitumen for the gravel track it flattens out and you can make your own pace for the last 2-3km.” Awesome, thanks for the heads up. How wrong we were… last minute change of race plan any one?

The gun went off and so did we. We started within the first couple of hundred runners and shuffled off. The course took us along Defence rd towards the point. The first km was indeed easy, 4:08 and the HR at about 159BPM. I was feeling good, passing many and having a few pass me. From here it was the first of the hill climbs. The HR raced to 165 BPM and I was breathing hard but still holding my form and now starting to pass a few more runners. The road meandered along towards the point and continued to climb. To the left was the Bass Coast, breathtaking views of the coastline where waves were breaking against the rocks and providing an incredible sound track (second only to the breathing and the thumping of feet). Eventually the first plateau was reached and I thought time for the recovery stretch – wrong. A short flat session and then we turned into the next hill, steeper and more gruelling than the first. The HR was creeping up to and staying at about 167 BPM – roughly 87% of my max and a rate I could comfortably push on with. At about this stage the last of the people who were to pass me did, and after a brief chat with a fellow runner I pushed on and stole a few more places before the next descent allowed a little respite. The last of the long hills was to come next, and as I took another look at the scenery – truly spectacular I pushed on. I could feel my breathing become more laboured so I extended my stride a little and held my position until the turn around – 3 of the 5 or so hills done as I reached the lighthouse and the turn around point!  

A check of the watch and my BPM had settled at 161 as I pushed the descent again, picking off a few more runners and encouraging a few more as I moved along. The next hill approached and again I pushed onwards, another look at the watch and more of the ocean and bush setting around me – it certainly was enough to keep me going. As I neared the end of this descent I saw my wife coming up the incline – positioned really well and running strongly. A quick ‘keep going beautiful’ and a smile as we both ran our races. The last of the hills now approached and I checked the BPM – 167-169 and I was feeling good. The plan was to race at this level as I knew I should be able to maintain it – no cares for time or distance, just the BPM and my own gut feeling. I was starting to tire a little but I could sense the respite coming. Again I managed to pick up a few places on this section as runners were staring to tire. Finally the last of the hills was broken and the course was about to flatten out as I turned off to the Coles Track – the last section of the course and the flat part we were now expecting.

The temperature dropped a little as we were afforded more protection from the falling sun and so did my HR – well if you count 166 BPM a drop. I was able to push my own pace and really enjoyed this part of the run. The softer gravel was wonderful and I was able to keep my speed and HR steady and I really enjoyed passing quite few runners as we moved towards the finish line. At the 6km mark I knew I had another 8 -10 minutes to go and I was feeling good. As each corner came and went I was able to pass each person I saw. I put in a further burst and the HR jumped to 171 BPM, the theoretical 90% of my max and I could feel the chest tighten and breathing intensify. Strangely I felt I sounded a lot quieter than those that I was passing and this provided great encouragement. At the 7km mark I felt great and pushed a little more – a 200m or so burst at 175 and the body said “easy tiger, you’ve still got to finish!” so I backed off a little and but lengthened my stride. At this stage I could hear the crowds and smell the sausages being cooked and the flouro girls that were on the track certainly kept us going – thank you cheering peoples!

With the finish line nearing and finally insight it was all or nothing for those last few places I could snatch. I turned on the taps and sprinted out the last 200m or so. The body straightened and my arms were pumping - it felt great! I passed a few more runners and powered over the finish. The feeling was great – I hit the stop button and eased up – exhausted but ecstatic. At this stage I had no idea of the time nor did I care; I had run my race according to plan. I grabbed my Emma and Toms juice and a quick check of the watch suggested 33:28 a time I was wrapped with.

I made my way to the last 100m mark to wait for the wife. I could see 37 min on the clock and new she’d be in soon, hopefully before the 40 minute tick over. There she was, a distinctive flouro pink coming home strongly! A final cheer and last minute eye contact and she shot past a few more runners – under 39 minutes,  a time she had dared to dream of and one that made me incredibly proud of.

The course was certainly as described. We both felt it was more challenging than the Marysville 10km we did in November but the scenery and twilight timing made it spectacular. The course was gruelling but with the right hills training it was also just forgiving enough. We both enjoyed the flatter finish to the race.

The final figures… 33:15, a time I am very proud of – roughly 4:17min kms in a predominately hill climb race. 

I placed 128th over the line, 117^th male and 45^th in my division. So, I nearly hit my goal time on a course harder than expected. I exceeded my 2013 race goal of a top 10% finish (1600 + runners) and I learnt an some valuable lessons about how I can run. My average HR was 168 and maxed at 180 over the line. Could I have pushed it those extra few BPM? Possibly had I known the course.

The ever amazing wife finished in 38:39, 486th over the line but... 102nd female and 40th in her divison - better than me! Told you I was proud! 

Again I hope you have enjoyed your reading and found what you were looking for. If you’re planning this run, put in some good 1-2km hill climbs into your training in the 6 weeks leading up. Know what you can push your self to do and don’t be afraid to try it.

Happy running!

Lachie

Heart Rate Training and Running

Finally a little bit of time to sit down and put fingers to keypads :) 

In the last few weeks my training runs have lost some of the gloss, some of the zip that I was getting 6 or so weeks ago. In that period I've run two races - one road the other trail and achieved PB times and top 10 finishes in both. I should be flying!

I'd spent the last 4 months refining my form and gait and felt full of confidence - enough so to write about it in my previous posts. 

So, why is the training track such a struggle? I was chatting to Leigh at Refine Training in Kew and he suggested that I should look into some Heart Rate training and research. 

I spent some time browsing and found these great websites which really inspired me: 

Mark Allen - a gun Triathlete 

Runners World - a great article and still highly relevant 

and 

Coach.org 

From what I had read, I had been over taxing myself. A simple rookie mistake? More speed each session, dropping times and the desire to do better than the last run. 

I strapped on the monitor and took off. A 9.5km run at a 'moving but not flying pace' took me 41:15 - 5 minutes faster than in August when I was learning to retrain my form and gait. Surely this is only good? Then I looked at the monitor. I was running at 159BM and right up in the 80-85% HR zone. I had been sucked in by my ego - yup I'm faster and stronger and more refined than before but not training as smart as I thought. 

Now according to Runnersworld a 1/2 marathon can be run at this pace, but I am only training. Who am I racing and why? 

After getting back to the research I should be running at this 80-85% mark for a maximum of 10% of my training. Here I was training at this rate all the time, who knows what crazy mark I was hitting for my intervals...

So, what should I be doing? After reading Marks site I, the self educated decided that I need to drop back into that 60-75% zone and rebuild my HR. This zone is where all the good stuff happens. Its the correct exercise levels to increase my heart strength and size for better blood flow and oxygen consumption. In turn this makes each beat more efficient and the reward for effort greater. 

On the weekend I strapped on the monitor again and went out for a run with my wife. Operation Target 145HR (60-70% Max HR zone). As we took off it felt painfully slow - ala Marks droppping from 5 min miles to 8 min miles. But, 2km in to the run we both felt relaxed and really happy - it made for some great chats. It was a real struggle to keep at the 145 target, especially up hill we we had to really drop our pace and lift the leg cadence just to avoid walking. An 8.5km run took us 48:30 - normally a 38 min run for me and 43 min run for her. However, we both felt we could go out there and run it again and again. Not the usual feeling! 

On Tuesday I did a 9.5 km run again at target 145. This I felt a little better but still really had to watch the tempo on the outbound to avoid over reaching and keep the HR down. It really allowed me to focus on form and function again and I enjoyed stretching out a little on the homebound leg as the decline meant I had to run faster to keep the HR up. The time was 3 minutes slower than the first run of this route 4 months ago and 8 minutes slower than when I ran it  the week before my 41:12 10 km race in Lara. I will try this run again in two weeks and see if any difference has been made. Yeah I know, weather conditions can have a big impact...

Today I did 12.2 km in 1:00:10. It felt great! Again I had to really slow for the inclines, its amazing how you will jump 5-7 BPM with even just 2-3 degrees- very frustrating! But, on the flats and declines I could lift my tempo to push the HR back up. This felt like running again and I really enjoyed it. The average km time was 4:55, not 4:25 like previous runs. 

In hindsight my retraining of my gait and style really slowed me down and forced me to train in the right zone. Were those 3 months of form and function focus the best thing I ever did? Was the 30-40 sec per km faster a combination to training in the right  HR zone and improving my stride?  

My goal from here is to target 145 for 3 of my 4 runs a week until the 5th of Jan when I have a 7.75 km trail race. On the other day it will be tempo training of about 20-30 min in the 80-90% HR zone to keep my speed and so that the body does not 'unlearn' race tempo situations. I hope to build my heart endurance for the 29 km trail race on the 13th of January next year.

I hope that in these 6 weeks I can get my ave km time back to 4:30 or less while training in the 'Target 145' days, essentially buying an extra 35 seconds for the same perceived heart effort. Will this translate into much faster race day times (4:00 or sub 4:00 kms) where I can push it the extra 15-20%? 

What are your experiences with this? 

Cheers and happy running, Lachie

December 30 update

Well, its with a feeling of mixed success that I write this. It's been nearly a month of the new training and I dont feel as though I've made fitness gains but I have learnt so much about myself. 

The target  145 BPM has been easy to hit. It took a little getting used to running slower, almost a minute slower than my race and previous training times. But then again, I was training at race pace all the time. 

Dropping the pace really enabled me to not only focus on my form and running, but really enjoy things again. I come back from training refreshed, not knackered. However, I'm not yet really any faster at the 145 BPM pace.

In the four weeks I've made up perhaps 5 seconds per km again, so a slow and steady improvement. 

I've run my toughest hill climb ever, a 45 minute climb up an average 15-18% incline. for this run I seriously managed the HR to keep it at 145 and I felt so good I did an extra circuit at the top. The trip down was 23 minutes slower and the HR averaged about 137-141. I didn't push the speed for injury sake. 

I've also run my longest run ever, 29.4km of which the last 18km was a 2% incline nearly the whole way. For the first 12km I kept the traget HR, but from there the slight incline all the way meant it slowly crept to 148 for a few km, 150, 153, 157 and peaked at a steady 161 for the last 3km. I would have slowed the pace but was meeting the family at the end of the run for a picnic. I had over sold my time so I had to keep the the km pace rather than heart rate. 

With out the 145 BPM goal I'd have gone out at 80-85% of my max HR and more than likely failed to make the distance. I'd have peaked to early up the hills and gone too hard too soon on the long run. 

Wearing the HR monitor each run now know more about how I feel and at what effort each run is. E.g when I'm cruising its at about 145 - 150. When I push hard it goes up to about 157 - 162 and at 166 + I'm beathing hard but I know I can sustain it for at least 20 - 30 minutes (the weather might get the better of me when it's hot!) 

My last ran was up some serious hills, and I let the HR get to about 159-163 for the 700m - 1.25km on the longest hill climbs, but I felt confident and refreshed as it dropped back to 145 within about 200m of descent/flat running.

My next run is a 7.75 course over short, undulating hills (Read how I went in the Portsea Twilight run). The race plan is to go out at 163-167 and hopefully a sub 4:00min km pace. Yes, It'll race up on the hills but I know that I can race the downs and it will drop to 130BPM and probably as high as 145 if I really push it - I know that I can recover and power on. Will it work? I hope so! Runners world also state that you should be able to run 5-10km at 90%, which is for me is 171 BPM. I know I can do 162-165 for 5km on a hot and humid morning. 

Until the end of Jan I will aim for 145BPM on my long slow runs and use that as the recovery point for my tempos. When I get back to work in Feb I'll trace my original 9.6km 'test' course and see if I can sustain the effort but hopefully gain that valuable time that I am chasing. 

Stay tuned, time will tell :)

Cheers, Lachie

2012 Marysville 10km trail race

On yet another beautiful Sunday morning we set off as a family for the 2012 Marysville Running Festival to compete in the 10km race.

It was an interesting set up, at the Marysville football oval with the finish line kind of in the middle after a half lap. We were there early to collect our bibs and it gave us the chance to watch some of the 21km runners come through on their second lap of the course. We were very pleased to see my wife’s sister come through as the leading female runner, in a very impressive sub 40 time.  

We cheered her on as she continued on for the last 10km and we began to mill around at the starting line.

The starting line was the ovals edge, and we had to take care not to stop any of the 21, 30 and 50km runners who were coming through…

238 runners toed the line...

The starting instructions were issued and the countdown begun, we were still saying goodbye to the kids and the horn went off! See ya later kids, dads gotta run! I took off with the leading pack and let the runners run while I found my comfort zone for the hardest part of the run.

As this was a trail run I had studied the course and worked out my race plan. Would I stick to it?

The first 4.5km was up a 5% incline on the road to Stephenson’s Falls. My target was to pace at 5 minute ks and hit the first downhill at the 20 minute mark. Having found some of the hardest local hills in the area my wife and I were pleasantly surprised at how well we managed this first section. I was running well, breathing hard but with a little smile as I watched the other runners drop off along the way or really huffing and puffing their way to the top.  I was even able to encourage and keep another runner kicking along beside me – we had the same sub 45 minute finishing goal.

I reached the falls in 20ish minutes, this section perfectly timed. The first trail section beckoned and I watched as he took off. I eased into a rhythm, picking up speed and picking off other runners over the next 2.5kms. From this point no one passed me, ultimately a great feeling! I think I looked pretty at this point...

Thanks to Wildplans [Tegyn A]'s photostream for allowing runners access to the above image (from the days collection of course) - great shots of the day!

At the end of this section I had caught him and we had a chuckle at his effort and then settled into the next 1.5 on the gravel road. At this point I had planned to push the speed and I eased into a really nice stride and managed to leave him behind and weave past another dozen or so runners. How many had I passed, who knows as we were now well mixed with the half and 30km runners.

I made the turn at the 8km point and knowing this was where I would make up clock time. From here to 9.5 it was a fast section on the walking/hiking track that was essentially downhill with a few brief but sharp rises. I picked up the pace and threw caution to the wind as I almost sprinted this section to the finish. It was fast and furious and the best fun that I’ve ever had running. There were a few little twists and turns on the path but as it was man-made gravel I felt pretty secure with my feet. The Trailroc 235s also did exactly what they were made for – gave me traction where I landed and let me feel the track.

As I drew closer to the oval and the finish the track flattened out and I was starting to search for the finish, I’d almost run my race. At the final turn back onto the oval I was spent but gave one last kick to do the last 200m half lap to finish under my goal time – 44:31 - 5th Overall! Official results page if you don't believe me

So, yes, I stuck to the initial race plan. It was the best run I’ve had and I’m now looking forward to the Victorian Trail and Cross Country Championships next year.

My amazing sister-in-law won the females 21km and my incredible wife beat her goal time of sub 55 with a very respectable and I’m proud of her time of 52:30 to come in 7th of the females. 

2012 Lara Fun Run - 10km results

On a cracker of a morning, the 2012 Lara Fun run has been run and won. Not by me, but I am pretty proud of my results. 

The facts: 248 runners. Me, 10km in 41:12, 7th in my division and 15th overall. After a mad sprint to the finish i missed 14th by a second. He heard me coming and just held on :)

It was an enjoyable morning, about 20 degrees C and not a breath of wind. My amazing wife and I were on the second row of the grid and the starters horn went! 

Set in the scenic Serindip Sanctuary, we ran 2 x 5km laps of the lake on the gravel access road. 

I went out with the lead pack and settled in somewhere about 20th. The first km came round in 3:27 - Holy smoke, was I really travelling that quick or was it a short k? I was content to watch the pacemakers do their thing and I settled into my rythem.  It was round the next bend and the course meandered through the sanctuary and with a few very gentle ups and downs the first 5km done and dusted. My time, no idea as I had accidentally reset my watch at the first km. I was tracking at about 4:10 for the kms. 

At the 5 km mark I had a pack of about 6 runners in front of me and made the decision to hunt them down, one by one! Each km I pulled them back and by the 8km i had reeled in 4 of them and enjoyed about a km run with another bloke - apparently it looked like I was doing it easy... With a km to go I had the other two in my sights and as I hit the last 600m I turned on what I had left. With 200 to go I nailed the next guy and had about 50m to make up over the last 100m on my next placing. 25m I was within 2m and he had just enough in him to maintain that gap. Over the line and there was officially a second between us. 

From there it was a nervous 7 min wait as I waited for the wife to finish. Kids in tow we waited, not patiently for her. Then mummy was coming through. I paced her and encouraged the last 200m and over the line she went, 48:28, a new PB and we were to find out 10th female and 4th in here division. 

I was 42 seconds off the top 10 and she was 42 seconds off third in here division! 

50m to go - a grimmace of pain or smile for the camera?

I wore the Trailroc 235 and they felt awesome. My stride was strong and I felt light on my feet. Now my legs feel great and I'm hoping to get a similar placing next week in the Marysville Running Festival 10km. 

I feel this natural running journey is coming to fruition and cant wait to see what I can do next time and more so in next years running season. 

Am I a natural runner or do I run naturally?

Am I a natural runner? Do I run naturally?

This is a question I have just started to ask myself as a part of a journey I have been taking for the last four months.

Perhaps with luck I had been running in a variety of the 8mm drop Saucony’s for the last 4 years. In the last 12 months I had been in the ‘minimalist’ Brooks Green Silence and the 4mm Saucony Kinvaras. I saw it as luck as I had commenced becoming a runner with fairly minimal shoe support and gait correction.

In June I decided to ‘take the next step’ and try to work out why I was having heel issues and trouble with my calves and hips when I upped the kms in my weekly running.  I had a gait analysis done by the terrific crew down at Active Feet in Bayswater. Apparently I ran with a ‘midfoot to rear’ strike and slight over pronation. I was to be sold the Asics DS Race 9 to help correct my problems. So after trawling the net to find the best deal on these, no – one will ship to Australia at the price I wanted,  I decided to pop in to Runners World on High St in Kew. Neil there was fantastic. We had a chat, I told him my history and I was steered clear of the Asics. I was sold on some New Balance 890 v.2 These were a lightweight, minimal shoe similar to my Sauconys, but the foam padding was vastly different to what I was used to and after 9 or so km in each run I began to get sore feet – fore and mid sections.

This was the tipping point – do let the shoes correct me and forever rely on technology or do I learn how to really run and work through this the right way?

What was going on? 

I then put my mind to some research and though about that gait assessment. The runningwarehouse.com shoe comparer bought Inov-8 to my attention. I did some reading on various blogs about these (Thanks Stan!) and my running form. After some barefoot sessions in the gym with Leigh from http://www.refinetraining.com.au/ I was shown how I ran very narrow, almost landing on a straight line down the basketball court. I had quite good form but needed to keep the natural width between my knees as I run. With a few tweaks Leigh had me running better already. My mantra was now ‘drive the knees up and straight, light feet, knees up and forward, light feet’. I had tried the inov-8s at Runners World so I took a punt through wiggle.co.uk. In the meantime I spent the next few weeks completely cutting down the kms and focusing purely on finding that good form. I must admit, it became almost an obsession but I really enjoyed the running again. I started to feel better and the hips and feet were thanking me. A week later and the 233s arrived. These babies’s had even less cushioning than what I was used to, but all the light feet practice had paid off. I was taking the first real step towards that natural running form.

After a month I was ready for my 15km DE Castella run. This was the unknown. I was just going to run the run, focusing on my form and gait and see what happened. I went out with the leaders, thinking ‘cadence, knees forward and up, light feet’. This worked well and I soon settled into about the top 50, with a consistent effort but not going for broke either. As the rolling hills wore on people beside me began to drop and I kept on with my mantra. Fast forward to the finish line and I set a new PB over the recorded 10km and the race in 1:07:13 – Happy days! I finished 25 in my division and 45 overall!

With this little personal victory I hit the training track a little harder and began to push the pace on my training runs that little more. Soon I was a constant 4:27 km man.  3 weeks into the journey and I was ready for the next phase, the 3mm Inov-8 X-lite 155s. Reading Stan’s blog again and many other reviews on the web I had the confidence in myself and the shoes. I could do no wrong.  A week later and after a few 2 x 3km trial runs I did my first real 10km in them. They felt great, but I had a few niggles in the calves.

I continued the longer training runs, but was very form focused again and was consistently making little tweaks to my stride and landing. A couple of weeks in, and some alternating between the shoes and I was running stronger and the calves were much more relaxed. Possibly a lot of stretching each night also helped this process.

The moment of crystallisation came on a beach run. I wasn’t up for the distance but over analysed my footprints. I tried a few different gaits and found what felt best. Looking back at my prints and I was landing perfectly on the fore/mid foot area. I took a risk and flew back along the beach and then ran the last 500m along the road barefoot. Whooping and hollering quietly to myself I ran all the way back, no thumping of the feet or jarring of the legs, just a great feeling. The following day I cracked a 51 minute 12km, my best time ever over a flat course.

At this point I decided to enter the Two Bays Trail Run – 29km over trail and varied terrain. Much as I love the road series, they were not going to be doing this run with me. It was time for some trail shoes. Again I turned to Inov-8, why move from a good thing? I wanted to get the Trailroc 245 to continue with the 3mm drop to match the road shoes, but when Wiggle had 25% off ‘in stock only’ and there were no 245s, I took the gamble on the 235s – zero drop, ala natural running form.

They arrived and the first run was a fast and ferocious bash through the bush and along the trail. They felt great, I felt fast and free. I had to think about what I was doing with my knees and feet (knees forward and straight, light landing) again but I arrived home with muddy shoes and happy legs. The following morning was 3km asphalt run around the block near work and again I pulled up feeling great. I had a slight calf niggle along the way but minor adjustments fixed that. To finish I hit the tready and did 3 x 500m with 30sec rest. Again, wonderful (but I’m not as keen on the tready now!).

Finally, on Saturday I did almost 6km over rolling hills (including a 1.5km stretch up a 6 degree incline, and then quite quickly back down it!) over a mix of pavement onto trail in the zero drop Trailroc 235 and enjoyed the whole run. I could ascend and descend hills with ease and my feet felt great and my calves felt just as good as before I left. Even as I sit here now, the legs have no pain.

The hip trouble I had is gone and I’m enjoying it again. So my question is, am I a natural runner or have I learnt to run natural? 

When can I classify myself as a barefoot runner?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on just how much attention you pay to your form when running. Has it helped your love of running?

Cheers and happy feet, Lachie 


The Update!!! 6 December 2012

Well it's now been 2 months since this post and 5 months of Natural Running. 
I've since done over 90km in training including 2 x 10km races in my 'barefoot/natural/zero drop' 235 trailrocs. When I put them on I feel ready to fly. Running feels effortless.

I have run up to 20km in them with out foot pain or calf/Achilles problems that people warn about and I really enjoy the sensation of being able to feel the ground and be in-control of my running. I still need to work on my leg strength, as I do notice that my quads get much heavier when running with this drop. It's something I've not felt as much with the 155s that are off a 3mm drop. 

I'm now waiting for  my 155s to wear out so I can go out and purchase some of the bare x - zero drop road range sold by inov-8. 

The best running shoe review - Inov-8 Trailroc 235 review

                          

A Shoe review: Inov-8 Trailroc 235 review

So these first reviews might take some tweaking, but hopefully they can guide some people in the right direction as to whats out there...

These shoes, I love! But, if your now considering the Inov-8 Trailroc 150s -I seriously think you can't go to wrong. You will need to have developed your natural running and be comfortable in the 'barefoot' range to truly maximize their performance. That shoe is uber light and felxible and has the same insane levels of grip provided by the trailroc 235. For now though I have racked up over 400km in my 235s and continue to love every run in them.

All the techinical details are here at the adventuremegastore:  It's not my domain so I'll leave it to the experts. 

I can say the Inov-8 Trailroc 235 is a zero drop, minimalist trail shoe. It's promoted as being fast... I have done some barefoot running in the gym and over a few hundred meters along the streets while working on my gait and technique, so I had been quite keen to see if I could really do it. 

To be honest, as this shoe is not yet available in Australia (As of Feb 2013 it now is!), I um and ahhed about it. I wanted the Inov-8 Trailroc 245 (Which would match the 1 arrow 155s that I have, hit the link to a great retailer to find out more) but when these came up on sale I had to hit the button. 

A big thanks to the very patient team at www.barefootinc.com.au for all their patience in answering my questions. The advice was spot on. Without them I would not have made the purchase.

My questions were: 

How does it fit compared to the Inov-8 Road - X 233? ( a link to my review of a great shoe) What is the grip really like? How will I go transitioning to a zero drop shoe?

The answers may appear below.

First up, the shoe is better looking in the flesh. I can't say what it is, it's just a better colour than what is pictured. 

The fit is more true to my Inov-8 Road X 233 - for me that is the better length. Width is an exact match to the inner sole of the 233 and X lite 155. All have the Inov-8 anatomical last which  allows for a wider toe spread (more room at the front!). 

On the trail they felt fast and furious. They have a tri-compound grip where the front, midfoot and rear sections of the shoes have different tread patterns according to how we use our feet. The front offers more grip for digging in and gripping the trail. I smashed out a quick 4km through the bush and on a fire access track. The traction up and down the ascent / descent was spot on and I could take on some crazier angles to avoid the huge puddles. My foot landed where I wanted it to and it stayed there!

When I did hit the puddles I had no hesitation in my stride - it was like they weren't there. So, the grip is awesome. 

My feet and calves also felt great. Me, I was knackered after going out so fast! It was a real blast getting them down and dirty straight out of the box. 

On the street today I did a rolling hill 2.6km in a personal best time (4:10 minute/km) - the 0 drop encouraged a quicker cadence and I was rewarded. They bigger lugs and tread did initially feel strange on the tarmac but this was forgotten by the end of my run. 

I have the 3mm (1 arrow) Inov-8 X-Lite 155s and the drop to the Trailroc 235 (0 zone) was barely noticeable. Hopefully this is because I have developed a natural/minimalist/barefoot stride. I am going to use these on the trail, on runs up to 7/8km in the next two weeks. I'll also use them for my tempo work, which is a 400m hill sprint with a walk to repeat. I aim to build up my feet and calves for the Lara 10km Fun Run on the 4th and then the Bush bashing 10km Marysville on the 11th of November.

An update...

As of February 2013 I've now put over 200+kms on these babies and I still love them. When I used them for the Lara and Marysville runs I felt like I could run forever. They were great on the gravel/crushed rock of Lara and exceptional on the downhill, off road sections in the Marysville run where I went flat out like a crazed jack rabbit. Both runs I ran a PB. In fact, they feel most at home either ascending or descending a bush/forest track. I've yet to feel like I've put a foot wrong and when I've gone close, these shoes have helped make me stick.

Stay Hydrated on the trails with UltrAspire - See the range at UltrAspire.com

Today I did a 12km hill climb on predominately road but with a 800m trail loop that dropped and rose 200m. You probably may have heard me laughing my head off in this section. I could run freely and not worry about grip or slipping. The only concern was the knee high grass and not knowing what the actual surface was like. 

Have they hurt my feet? No, I now feel as though I am a barefoot runner. Yes, I do have to be aware of my form but the subtle changes that I make whilst running make all the difference. When I wore them in the 28km Two Bays Trail Run in January I was able to tackle everything this epic run threw at me - trail, rock, sand, slippery wooden boardwalks. In-fact, their grip even saved me a few spills. Hit this link to find out more about the terrain we faced. 

I've joined the Dandy Runners, a group that runs the trails in Melbourne's Dandenong Ranges and in my runs through there I've not put a foot wrong. I've had to run up 20% inclines on clay, sand and rock and the tri-compound grip has been exceptional. Wherever I've asked them to take me, they've taken me there and beyond.

The shoes themselves have really held up. They are a lot dirtier now, but the stitching and tread is still as good as new. If this continues, I'll fall apart before they do...

For me, I highly recommend the Inov-8 Trailroc 235. It is the best running shoe I have. Now I want some of the bare-x for the road. I'm really looking forward to the next stage of running natural. If you like the sound of them, take this link here: Inov-8 Trailroc 235 

Cheers, Lachie

To get all your barefoot trail gear head to www.barefootinc.com.au 

Use the fish followers code fish10 to get 10% discount on Inov-8 shoes and the rest of the range at barefootinc!