On the 27th August 1989 - almost 25 years ago - I ran the 8km Burke Hall - DeCastella Fun Run in Kew. I covered the 8 km in 28:36, averaging 3:35 per kilometer. This is my fastest ever recorded run. If only I had trained as hard then as I have recently, who knows what I could have achieved?
Now, 25 years later, I will be returning to Kew to run almost twice the distance at a substantially reduced speed. Given that it is to be run only one week before my first official half marathon I'm not yet sure what tactics I will take into the run. There is a temptation to push for the 60 minute mark though, especially after my 10 mile result.
Monday 11th August to Sunday 17th August
I pulled up from the 10 mile Road Race surprisingly fresh. On Monday I set out on a light recovery run with some work colleagues at lunchtime. I ended up running 5.6km at an average on 4:52 pace. Towards the end a couple of us really stretched it out and I felt good.
Tuesday was my day off running but I was back at it after work on Wednesday, with an easy 15km run around Wonthaggi. I averaged 4:45 pace and most kilometers were very consistent. I did pick up speed in the middle as there is a section in that run which I usually slow down in and I wanted to make sure that I didn't this time.
I headed over to Leongatha straight after work on Thursday and set off on a run around town before training started. I went out after three Strava segments and claimed the course records on all three. I picked up pase on the early down hill sections and was able to maintain it for most of the run. In the end I covered 8.1 km in 35 minutes at 4:18 average pace. I also covered 92 metres of elevation in the run.
After work on Friday I set off on another run around Wonthaggi. I had no real plans for the run and would have been happy with an easy run. After I warmed up though I felt pretty good and decided to put in a few faster sections and turn it into a fartlek run. I ended up running 12.2 kilometers with four faster paced sections. I just missed a sub 45 minute 10km and finished the 56 minute run with an average pace of 4:35 minutes per kilometer.
I could have fitted in a short early run on Saturday morning but chose to have the day off and stay in bed a little longer instead.
I had been setting myself for my third half marathon distance run all week. I wanted to get into the city for an AFL game so I set off early to get the run in. I was feeling a bit uncertain as to how I would go with it. I wanted to try and get a negative slit but wasn't too sure how well my endurance would last. After the first kilometer I felt like I was running well and I settled into a low 4:40 pace. I ran out towards Cape Paterson and turned up Wilson Road, a long straight gravel road. I turned into Seaward Drive just before the half way make, about 45 minutes in, and felt the breeze fully in my face. I covered the first 10km in 46:50 and was running really well. As I got to the end of Seaward Drive I pushed to pick up my pace. I hit the bitumen of Cape Paterson Road and pushed hard up the small hill out of Cape Paterson. I was running really well and got my pace down into the low 4:30s, just hoping to keep it up for as long as possible. I was able to maintain it for kilometer after kilometer and, as I hit Wonthaggi, I was able to keep building my pace. As I left the Korumburra side of town I was running a really smooth fast pace and feeling very strong. I was now running sub 4:30s. I hit the 20km mark in a PB of 1:31:57 and then really pushed hard to get a new PB for the half marathon. I ran the 21st kilometer at 4:17 pace and then pushed through to the half marathon distance before easing at the end of the run. My new PB, by about a minute, for the half marathon distance is now 1:37:07. I ran the last 10km (before easing off) in 44:58, achieving a very comfortable negative split. The splits for the 22km were 51:38 and 49:32, more than 2 minutes difference. I completed the 22.1km run - my longest to date - at an average of 4:37 pace. I pulled up well from the run and then headed off to Docklands with my son to see North Melbourne run all over The Western Bulldogs. What a great day.
Monday 18th August to Sunday 24th August
With a lunchtime meeting at work running club was off for me and I chose to have a rest (mow the lawns) after work instead of running. I had actually pulled up well from the Sunday run though and, in retrospect, should have had a light run.
I did run after work on Tuesday and went across town in search of the few (small) hills that are in Wonthaggi. I owered up Cameron Street and the also up Cape Paterson Road to it's peak at Broome Crescent. My best push was up Watt Street. From there I eased home. I felt a twinge in the left knee going up Wentworth Road so that put an end to any thoughts of another push. Given that I was fartlek running the pace varied quite a lot through the run with the best kilometer being a 4:09. I ended up covering the 12.1 km at an average pace of 4:36.
My after school meeting was cancelled on Wednesday and I thought about putting in another run but decided to stick to my weekly plan and have a second day off. Unfortunately, in the night, I was struck down with a very severe bout of gastro. I was up and down all night and then spent all Thursday morning in bed. I got up to get some fluids at midday and was struck again and went back to bed for the rest of the day.
I took Friday off work and had absolutely no energy. I got up in the morning and made myself eat a sandwich at lunchtime. It was a beautiful sunny and warm day so I was keen to try and get out for at least a very short run. I took forever to get myself going and set out for a short jog late in the afternoon. I didn't want to go far away from home and ran some loops around the local estates. My pace was between 5:10 and 5:20 the whole way and it was a real battle to cover 5.8km.
I had eaten a piece of chicken for tea on Friday night and then later an orange. I slept ok on Friday night and got up to try and fit in a run early on Saturday. I set off on my 8km town run and, after a slowish start, got my pace down into the mid to high 4:40s. My energy levels were still quite low but I pushed through it. I did die a little toward the end but averaged 5:52 pace for the 8.4km run. I ended it feeling spent but happy with the result. It was then off to footy for the day and when I got there I had no energy. I sat down a fair bit during the thirds game and sat in my car while the seconds played. I had to stand during the seniors but sat in all of the breaks and got through. I got home absolutely spent and just collapsed on the couch. I ate half a bowl of pasta for tea and had an early night.
I slept ok again on Saturday night but still woke with a bloated feeling in the stomach. I forced down a couple of pieces of toast for breakfast and then prepared to go out for a longer run. With only a week to the DeCastella and two weeks to Burnley I wanted to get in a 15km run today - preferably with some good pace. There was no hope of any pace. I started with a 5:02 kilometer and stayed around there most of the run. There were only two kilometers that I managed to run sub 5 minutes, one early and one late. No matter how I tried I just never had the fuel to pick up any pace. I was pretty happy with my ability to stick at it and get through the fifteen kilometers. I got home, covering 15.2km, in under 80 minutes, averaging 5:05 minutes per kilometer. I was totally spent.
Monday 25th August to Saturday 30th August
I started the running week taking three year 7 boys out for the Monday Run Club. They mostly walked so my running consisted of a lot of up and back. I ran ok and ut in some faster pace towards the end of the run - my first bit of pace in quite a few days. I ended up covering 8km.
I made Tuesday a rest day and got up at 6am on Wednesday for my first pre-work run of the new season. It was cold - I ran with gloves - but I got to see an excellent sunset. As is usual for an early morning run I started with a steady pace and picked up speed through the run. I ran 8km to the shopping centre and back and finished with some real pace in the last few kilometers, finishing in the low 4 minute kilometers.
Thursday I ran after work, so there was a fair gap between runs. I ran across town and varied my pace at times but generally ran at just a little faster than steady. I was just outside 45 minutes for the 10km and completed the 14km run averaging 4:33 pace. It was a nice solid hitout and just what I needed after my illness.
I ran again after work on Friday and it was just hard work. I didn't feel the greatest and felt a sore throat coming on but I made myself go out and, on reflection, it was the best thing to do. The sore throat never progressed. I ran a 10km course and covered it with interval running. I ran 7 minutes steady and then pushed hard for 3 minutes, completing four intervals. My pace quickened with each interval and I finished off running at low 4 minute pace. I covered the 10.1km in 44:48, averaging 4:27 pace.
It was an early start on Saturday and out to Inverloch for our parkrun trial. We had 21 runners run the trial as well as a fair number of volunteers. My son Matt was down and ran the course with Heather and myself. At the start I waited for Matt to take the lead but he didn't. He just sat on my shoulder for most of the run so I was the pace setter. I ran at just below (but not by much) my top pace and was running quite comfortably. I ran the first kilometer at right on 4 minute pace and then just slightly uped the speed from there. Matt was still sitting on my shoulder at the final turn (1km to go) so I took off to make him have to do a little bit of work to overtake me. With 600m to go he decided to go and just left me in his wake. In the end I completed the 5km couse in 19:28 (about 25 seconds behind Matt). My final kilometer was my quickest at 3:45 pace.
The DeCastella Run (15km) - Sunday August 31st
Heather and I had driven down to Melbourne on Saturday afternoon and stayed overnight in an apartment in Kew, less than 2km from Xavier College. We took Matt out for tea at Docklands on Saturday night and then all went to the footy at Etihad stadium.
Saturday night had stayed quite mild and Sunday morning dawned as a sunny mild morning. I jogged up to Xavier as part of my warm up and met up with Matt at the start line. Matt was aiming to run quite quickly and to stay with the leaders as long as possible. I didn't really want to run really hard as I have the half marathon in a weeks time.
The race starts off downhill and I ran the first kilometer in 3:50 as I watched Matt race off with the leaders. It is a hilly course and I made a decision early on to push hard up the hills and focus on running down other runners up the hills. Quite often they ran back past me on the downhill again.
I completed the first 5km in 20:32 and was feeling quite good. The scenery was excellent and I was actually enjoying the frequency of the hills. It is an up and down course so, while the hills are taxing, they don't last for long before you are going downhill again.
The turn around was about 8km in and I saw Matt, running in 6th place, when I was about 7.5km in. I ran around the turn around and put my foot down to work towards a negative split. My up hill work was going well and I was catching a lot of the runners ahead of me. I got to a point, about 12km in, where I overtook a group and had nobody within view ahead of me. Soon after though I got to the 10km run turn around and started to get some slowish traffic to contend with.
In the last few kilometers there was a lot of weaving in between slower runners. The 5km runners joined on as well and the traffic was very difficult to negotiate. The final 1 plus kilometers was up a very steep hill back to Xavier. I was running my hardest and negotiating other runners but my pace slowed down. The final kilometer was run at 4:39 pace (but the Strava gradient adjusted pace was 3:59).
I crossed the line in 1:03:36. I had covered the first 10km at 4:09 pace but, thanks to that final hill, ran the last 5km at an average of 4:24 pace. My first 7km were run in 29:07 and the final 7km in 29:24. Given the downhill at the start and up hill ending I was pretty happy with the splits and will hapily claim a near negative split.
I finished in 30th place overall!. I was 8th in my age group (40-49 yrs) and the 26th male across the line. I am extremely happy to have my name on the first page of the results.
Matt came in 7th overall in a massive PB of 56 minutes. Heather also jogged the 5km and came in in under 40 minutes, an excellent effort for her first run in years.
It's been 25 years since I have run the DeCastella run but I will be back again. It is a great run!
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