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Category: sport

  • What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (with respect to Murakami-san)

    PROOF
    PROOF

     

    So I just ran a marathon. Yep. 42.195km. I hope you can indulge me to tell you all about it (and to allow me to record my day).

    Many of you know that I was embarking on this craziness this year. I have wanted to do one for years, having run a half marathon before. I tried a couple of time to get myself up for one, but got injured both times, so this was maybe my last attempt at giving it a go. My dodgy back had been good for quite a while now, so 2015 was looking like it could be it.

    But it wasn’t just all me that got me psyched to give it a crack. My awesome bud Paul (aka @TheJacksonian) was a massive influence in convincing me that this could indeed be the year. So with some goading of each other on the last day of early bird registration, we were registered for our first marathons! Damn, what were we thinking!

    So off we embarked on our respective journeys to the big day of October 18th. Given we live on opposite sides of the city, our training partnership was mostly in the motivational realms. Pounding the pavement was done in isolation, but there were always the emails of musings on running and Runkeeper to inspire each other. I even jetted over to Vilnius in Lithuania for a week for work and took my running shoes. It was all go!

    my trusty mode of transport
    my trusty mode of transport

     

    I even popped in to The Running Company in Clifton Hill and had my gait analysed and got fitted for shoes. Chris and co were great and got me fitted in some Brooks runners that felt as light as air and running on pillows. I was set!

    Then, boom. I got injured. I had worked my way up to 21km VERY nicely… I was running good times and feeling sweet. But a couple of days after that long run my right hip decided it was not happy. And not just the “I’m sore” type of not happy, but the “agony when even walking” not happy. I rested for a week and half and tried to run but alas I couldn’t even make the end of the street. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Not again.

    I was pretty down. But Kate stepped in and talked me off the edge, got my head straight and got me into see her sports massage guru Gillian. I had to give it a go. Gillian weaved her magic, letting me know she didn’t think there was anything too wrong in there, and ironed me out. A few days later I was feeling not too shabby. Good enough to get a short run out. There was hope!

    A series of deep massages got me feeling good and thinking that there might in fact be a marathon in 2015 after all. But there was only a bit over 2 months to get my training in. Yikes!

    So I went at it. I walked the tightrope of wanting to get kms in my legs but not over doing it. The plan was shorter runs through the week (2 or 3 through the week) and a big one on the weekend, upping by about 4kms each weekend. The focus was on distance, not pace. Whereas my pace was pretty good before the injury, the training just became about doing the bloody thing! So it went.

    Paul was making great progress and was full of awesome tales of progress and motivation. I was happy with how I was tracking and thinking that yep, this was looking like it would happen. Yes! We were on track! I got my distance up to 32km about 3 weeks before, right at the time to start to taper. Couldn’t have planned it better 🙂

    As the taper was happening, the next calamity arrived. Paul injured his calf. Damn damn damn. With just a couple of weeks to go. He can share his stories, but it was not pleasant. I know partly how he felt… tracking well and then getting struck down. But this was late in the piece. But there was still hope after his physio didn’t rule him out completely. He was going to give it a crack! The dude is tough as nails.

    And so we arrive to October 17th, the day before. I had been carb loading through the week and trying to get my body right. Kate and I met with Paul, Maria and Mia for dinner on the Saturday night and had a cool catchup to share our nerves and worries. We just wanted to get on with it! So we got home and I was off to bed by bout 9pm.

    October 18th. THE BIG DAY! I slept right through and woke up at about 4:15am. Yep, early. But with a 7am start, and needing time to get some fluid and food in, as well as make our way in to the start, 5am was time to mobilise. Kate was dropping me in, and we also needed to pick up Essi, a Finnish research colleague of mine that was in Melbourne for a couple of weeks, and then I managed to convince to do the marathon! It didn’t need much convincing, since she had already done 2, but it was great to have another pal out there on the track. So Kate and I picked up Essi, got dropped off, and we met Paul.

    Half an hour to go! Lots of nervous energy all around as we waited for the start. We started in the 4hr 30min pack, feeling that was our best, most realistic place. 7am… BOOM! The starting gun went off! A few minutes later we crossed the start line and we were away!

    Essi was going to be tracking 5hrs, so she was happy to run solo. Paul and I had every intention to make the marathon experience a personal one, but we found that once the crowds thinned out a little, that we had a pretty similar comfortable pace.So it looked like we were running buddies. As it turned out, we were both feeling pretty comfy, and found the balance between getting a good start, but not overdoing it.So we settled on about a 5:30-5:45 min/kms.

    Our run took us through the city, down St Kilda Rd, around Albert Park lake, through St Kilda, and then on to Beaconsfield Parade. We were cruising and feeling good! We kept remarking how we were tracking better than we expected by this point, averaging about 5:45 min/km.

    This is a time to digress to my running music. I have been quite particular about the music I like to run to. I started with really heavy and punk music, and then moved to more groove based music. By groove, I like LONG grooves. So my playlist for today was:

    1. LCD Soundsystem – 45:33

    2. Battles – La Di Da Di

    3. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – In Your Mind Fuzz suite

    4. Beastie Boys – Selection of tracks

    5. My Disco – Selection of tracks

    6. LCD Soundsystem – My fave tracks… Losing My Edge, Yeah, and Us vs Them

    This was my playlist for much of my training, and I didn’t get sick of it. I also tried running to exclusively the theme from the Cantina Band in Star Wars, but that is another strange story you can ask me about.

    So back to today. I left you on Beaconsfield Parade at Port Melbourne. This is one stretch we were worried about. About 8km down to Elwood along the water. Great spot for running if the wind is kind, but typically it is not. So how was it? Just a mild headwind down to the turning point. Winner! Along the way too it was awesome to see so many people out cheering the runners on. I high fived about 50 kids over the day which was so cool.

    We hit 30km as we got back to St Kilda Rd (heading up that pain of a hill on Fitzroy St). It was around here Paul struggled a bit. I was doing OK, and he wanted to drop the pace a touch, so urged me to run on. Knowing that it was about now we would both hit the wall, I took him up on that and ran while I was still feeling OK. I pushed down St Kilda Rd, and then on to the tan around the gardens. Then BOOM. It hit me. I was starting to flag.

    It was about 36km and I was up against it. As I ran up the gradual incline, my right hip started to give me grief. Oh man. Not now! It was pretty painful. Not enough to make me stop, but enough for my pace to drop from about 6:15 min/km, to approaching 7. Just keep running! If I felt I needed spurring on, I just looked at my left which I had written “RUN!” on in sharpie. It was my motivation and nod to another of motivational coaches CC, who when I posed the question of the best way to get to the start line, simply replied “run you pussy”. Can’t argue with that logic! So I was tracking for about a 4hr 20min completion. Dig deep!

    Anyway, I pushed on and soon enough I was on the last 2km! It was about then I felt a hand on my back and some motivational words… it was Paul! He had pushed through and was seemingly full of beans! He got me at just the right time to spur me on. I probably would have been a touch slower but he kept me moving. We made our way on to Brunton Avenue, and then in to the mighty MCG. We were there!

    That lap of the ‘G is a blur. Paul was looking good, I was struggling a bit, but I kept up. And then we hit the finish line at exactly the same time. YES!!!!! We just completed marathon!!! And a 4hr 20min marathon no less!!!!

    Oh man we were jazzed. We were ecstatic. Neither of us thought we would do it that quick. My goals for the day were:

    1. Finish

    2. Don’t walk

    3. An optimistic 4hr 30min time.

    We blitzed it! I think we were so full of adrenaline we couldn’t stop moving. Well, that and we were worried that if we did we wouldn’t be able to get up 🙂

    CHAMPIONS!
    CHAMPIONS!

     

    Strangely after the finish line we were led down into the belly of the MCG for drinks and to get our medal. Was a bit odd to be led out of the stadium. We would have to come back to meet all the girls who were there cheering us.As for the medal, usually I’m not that into them (I haven’t kept my Around The Bay ones for example), but this will be a keeper me thinks.

    my super proud wife
    my super proud wife

     

    So we headed out of the stadium. How to find the girls! I swung by the Team Monash tent and borrowed a phone and got hold of Kate. She was so pumped that we finished in that time, she was buzzing. So we organised to all meet outside the ‘G and recount our adventure.

    So was that it? Time for rest right? Nope! It was time for a brew! We had well and truly earned it. So we wandered into the city and shacked up at Beer de Luxe and enjoyed a victory beer. It tasted sooooooo good.

    the spoils of victory
    the spoils of victory

     

    With beer and food in our bellies it was time to call it a day with my running bud. We gave each other a big celebratory high five and pledged to share our aches and pains later in the week. My wonderful wife then proceeded to get me home.

    So that’s it! I hope this wasn’t too rambling or boring. I just felt the need to blerch it all out, more so for future reference. After  a bath and some rest I am feeling OK, although tomorrow morning is worrying me a little. I am imagining that everything will be seized up.

    I don’t think I have any amazing words of wisdom or anything like that. I basically just put my mind to it and did it. That’s it. Kinda simple really. It takes discipline, and if you ask me what drives that discipline in me I really have no idea. If I say I’m doing something, then I’m gonna do it. So is another marathon on the list? Um, ask me later in the week…

    P.S If you want to see the whole course and my times, check them out here! https://runkeeper.com/user/muttler/activity/676634423

  • With Storms and Fires Come Sunsets To Take Your Breath Away

    Spectacular views at the ballpark

    Well, you know the other day when I said it was 105 degrees the other day? Turns out it was one of the hottest Denver days EVER. Someone said they heard it was THE hottest ever. I thought it was a little odd that it was so hot here. But unfortunately with the hot weather, accompanied by a long dry spell and then lightening storms, comes fires. And unfortunately Colorado is in the thick of it as I type. But I’ll come back to these.

    Since my posting yesterday, it has been time for work, with my conference starting yesterday. So far so good, although the vibe is a little lacklustre given the lack of networking opportunities. Not sure if it is usual or cost cutting, but with only slight morning and afternoon tea breaks, and no communal lunch venues, it means that discussions tend to be happening only sporadically. Shame really, as it is the point of a conference. Oh well, tomorrow is my day to present not once, but twice, so hopefully that initiates some good discussions with folks.

    But work shmerk. You don’t read my blog to hear about work do you?! No problems, so what have I done that was exciting? Well, I didn’t have much opportunity, but I did have my evening. And of course, knowing me, since I found out there was some sporting action happening in town, that’s where I headed. Take me out to the ball game!

    Yep, it was baseball night, with the Colorado Rockies taking on the Washington Nationals at Coors Field, only about 15 minutes walk away. The weather looked pretty precarious, but what was I going to do? Stay in my room and watch TV. Bah to that.

    Take me out to the ball game!

    So off I wandered to the ballpark. I’ve been to a few baseball grounds now and this one had a great old school feel to it. It’s only 20 years old (I found out later in my chat with a local later on) but it just felt like I reckon a baseball field should feel.

    This blog has lacked self-portraits this time round hasn’t it?

    In I wandered, getting my coupon for a $1 hot dog. Seemed it was Hot Dog night. OK then. Up a few levels I went to my pretty sweet seat, that was only 20 bucks. Good to see in a time of overpriced sports tickets, that it can still be affordable.

    Mmmmm… dodgy hot dogs

    On the way to my seat I collected on my 1 buck hot dog. Mmmm… actually, it wasn’t too flash. But I loved being able to splash on the pickle relish and onion. I felt like a real local.

    Behind me at my seat was a great older couple who I ended up chatting with all through the game. Both were lovely and we chatted about all kinds of things. Lots of baseball, but also other US sports, Denver, Melbourne, and even AFL. In fact everyone I met at the ballpark, including the staff, were so nice. Certainly helps form a great experience.

    Hangin’ out at the ball

    Our discussion did turn though to the imposing fires. I say imposing as from my seat I could see straight toward the Rockies and to massive plumes of smoke. Absolutely amazing view, but holy crap they looked so close. Seemed it was freaking a lot of people out, so fingers crossed things can get under control.

    Photos will never do it justice

    But every cloud has a (sort of) silver lining I guess. And for me it was one of the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen. From my seat I could see through to the Rockies which were smoke clad and in the throes of an amazing lighting storm. So dark clouds, smoke, and lightning meant a spectacular half an hour as the sun disappeared. Photos could never do it justice, it really did seem special.

    The Rockies getting said asses handed to them

    Oh, and the game? The Rockies got their asses handed to them. My local friends were just shaking their heads at their teams performance, unfortunately with a slight resignation that their season wasn’t going to be so great. I hope they a proven wrong.

    So with the game all over, I wandered back. Given my bad luck with ice cream so far (don’t worry… I will get back to Burger King soon), I tried another mission… to find some Ben & Jerry’s. And not just any. I needed to eat Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream. After years of watching the great man, I had to find his ice cream. So I found a Walgreens on the way back to the hotel that had B&J’s. Would I be in luck?

    Thank you Rev. Sir Dr. Stephen T. Mos Def Colbert, D.F.A.

    You betcha! Win! So I spent the last hour of my evening watching some ESPN and enjoying my Colbert special blend. And how was it? Pretty good! Vanilla, with caramel all through it as well as chocolate covered waffle cone pieces. Not my favourite flavour, but pretty freakin’ delicious!

    Well… it will do until I get ice cream with bacon…

  • So now this is getting a little surreal

    Cakewalkin’ with my sis’

    Hi all. Long time no post.

    I guess I haven’t been compelled to write since my regular life is nowhere near as exciting as my time in Japan.But here I am again for a couple of reasons:

    1. I want to maybe post about once a week, so this is a start

    2. My last week has been a bit nutso

    So let’s start back last Saturday. Most of you know I am a Pies member and I was pretty excited for last weeks Grand Final. I had been to the finals games, including the smashing of the Cats, so liked our chances, but will admit only felt 50/50. I don’t need to go over that game again… it has all been said, but needless to say I was a bit shellshocked like everyone. I really didn’t know what to think. Nick Maxwell said it best when he thought the Pies dodged a bullet.

    Well, the best thing to come out of the draw was another Grand Final. Most importantly the AFL’s decision to get more tickets into the hands of members. “Hey!” I thought. “That means me!”. Well I kinda thought that. I was a little hopeful, but then also realistic. I am an average joe member of the Pies, and I figured there would be A LOT of members in front of me. All I could do was cross my fingers and give it a crack.

    The Mother Lode

    My opportunity came up at 1pm. LOTS of nervous refreshing the Ticketek site. 1pm GO! As fast as my brain and fingers could work I was trying to buy. After some nervous site slowdown… success! A ticket to the Grand Final replay was mine! Not a great seat, but a seat nonetheless. I was off to my first Grand Final, with my club no less. Oh yeah.

    Do it for me boys

    As you can guess my week was all over the shop like everyone who likes their footy. At least non-teaching week afforded me the opportunity to visit Pies training again in the lead up. But my week was to get even more lucky and surreal.

    Late Wednesday, while waiting for my mate James-o, I decided to check Twitter. Just posted was a tweet from the Pies saying that any member who had a Grand Final ticket and wanted to walk out on the MCG before the game, just message. “Why the hell not?” I thought. So off went my Twitter DM, but nothing came back for the rest of the day so I thought oh well, not to be, and didn’t think any more of it. Well, not until Thursday arvo.

    Into my inbox arrives an e-mail from Collingwood saying hi and that as a member supporting the Pies at the Grand Final replay I could walk out onto the MCG before the game with 20 fellow members for a photo with them and the premiership cup to say thanks for the support. Crazy! I had no idea what it was all about when I tweeted, but it seemed someone was smiling on me (insert your favourite religious icon here). Not only was I supremely lucky to be able to go to a Pies Grand Final, but now I was going on the ground?! I was pretty stoked.

    So I am feeling pretty good right now. I was a little bummed, I was going by myself to it all, but I would deal. I would be with my fellow Pies brothers and sisters. But given my sister is a big Pies supporter too, it would have been nice for her to come along. Cue a phone call from her on Friday.

    “How are you getting to that game?” she asks. “Not sure, train I guess”, I reply. “Do you want me to pick you up?”. “Ummm…”, not really understanding her question. “I won tickets!!!” she exclaims. Holy crap. This week was getting even crazier. Turns out she won tickets through Toyota by dressing herself and Ella and Jake up and heading to her local Toyota dealership. I was now expecting the Pies to get flogged on Saturday… fearing we had used up ALL our good fortune.

    So anyway, Saturday arrives, and in I rock with my sister and brother-in-law. A fly by the Westpac center, then off to the ground. On the way we picked up the footy record and the premiership cup pins to raise money for youth homelessness. After me buying a pin, then forking out for one for my sister too, it seemed we had ended up with an extra fiver in change. Not wanting to push our luck, and cause it would have been a low act anyway, I took the fiver back to the guy selling the pins. He was pretty chuffed we were honest (really, is that how bad society is?) and suggested that karma would smile on us. I didn’t tell him that Meagan and I had used up all our karma for the next 20 years… but we took his karma anyway 🙂

    On the hallowed turf

    So Meagan and Matt picked up their tickets for their Toyota extravaganza, and I headed into the ground for my on-ground experience. I met with the AFL dude along with my fellow Pies supporters, and also the lucky Saints faithful, then under the ‘G into its bowels we went. As some of you saw my tweet we were taken to the Southern Stand change rooms to hang until our time in the sun came. It was going to be a fleeting time, but that was cool with me. So after the Saints fans got their time, out marched we Pies, into the glorious Melbourne sunshine. Oh man, that grass! I had thongs on, so took them off and felt that amazing grassy carpet between my toes. Now THAT is some lush grass! And man it is a big stadium. Out in the middle you are completely dwarfed by it.

    We were hurried to the centre of the ground where we posed for our group photo, then urged to hurry back off. I tried to get a good snap of the cup, but we were asked to move on. But I did get to give Daisy Thomas some words of encouragement, and also a scowl to Nick Reiwoldt who was warming up. They were his only touches of the footy all day ha ha ha.

    I think I have a nosebleed

    It was approaching 1pm, so to my seat I went. I knew my seat was pretty crappy, but man was it high up. 4th back row of the Olympic Stand. I felt a bit dizzy from the altitude. Or maybe that was the elation of being there. Probably a bit of both I am guessing. I didn’t care I was so high up, I was surrounded my Pies folk and was about to witness my first granny, with my team no less.

    The pre-game “entertainment” came and went. Lionel Ritchie came and opened with “Hello”. What a bizzaro choice to open… it just confused me. Anyway, then he banged through the hits. What makes 2010 so strange now is that I can say I saw both Lionel Ritchie and Faith No More sing “Easy”. That is the definition of surreal.

    Then we come to the game. Like the week before, there is nothing left to say about it that hasn’t been said or written already. I saw maybe the best piece of defensive work ever (Heath Shaw), another magic Alan Didak goal, the player who’s number I am tempted to get on my guernsey (Steele Sidebottom) and 3 and a half quarters of absolute domination. While I was nervous until about the 15 min mark of the last quarter I knew I was witnessing one of the most ferocious and dominant displays of footy in an grand final.

    Good ol’ Collingwood forever…

    The post-game celebrations were loud and raucous at the game, but then low-key. My sister and I waxed lyrical on the way home about the awesomeness of the day and how fortunate we had been to not only get tickets but everything else that went with it.

    It made me also think how crazy 2010 has been for me. Easily one of the most awesome years ever. I mean check out these highlights (in kind of order, subject to change on a whim…)

    1. I got my PhD and am about to become Dr. Matt

    2. I climbed Mt Fuji and saw sunrise on top

    3. The Pies won the flag and I was there to see it (and got set foot on the hallowed turf no less)

    4. I won a couple of teaching awards

    5. I saw 2 of my fave bands EVER again, Pavement and Pixies, in the space of a couple weeks

    That is a whole hand full of Aces right there. I consider myself pretty fortunate right about now.