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Background: I hadn’t run in about 10 years due to Achilles tendon pain Started Running: 4th December 2010 Weight: Starting : 103 kg Target race weight: 90 kg Week   6 Dec - 12 Dec 103 KG 13 Dec - 19 Dec 100 Kg 20 Dec - 26 Dec 27 Dec - 2 Jan 99 KG 3 Jan - 9 Jan 10 Jan - 16 Jan 99 KG 17 Jan - 23 Jan 98 KG 24 Jan - 30 Jan 100 Kg 31 Jan - 6 Feb 7 Feb - 13 Feb 98 KG 14 Feb - 20 Feb 97 Kg 21 Feb - 27 Feb 96 KG 28 Feb - 6 Mar 95 Kg 7 Mar - 13 Mar 14 Mar - 20 Mar 95 21 Mar - 28 Mar 95 29 Mar - 3 Apr 4 Apr - 10 Apr 11 Apr - 17 Apr 18 Apr - 24 Apr 90 KG   General Fitness: Moderate Running Fitness: Non existant Running Coach: Gordi Kirkbank-Ellis Coaches favourite sayings: “How embarrassing” “Harden up, cupcake” Gordi’s tips for the race: Just run faster than Max. Tim's favourite sayings: Are we having fun yet? When does this get easy? People who don't run are no better off than those that can't run

Training Plan:

Lots and lots and lots of running…

Progress to plan

Training Progress:

Date	Distance Ran (km)	Comments
Mon 24 Jan	10	Hard work.
Tue 25 Jan	18	Very hot, very slow.
Wed 26 Jan	10	A bit easier.
Thu 27 Jan	0	I Love the rest days!!!
Fri 28 Jan	30	I just knocked out 30km, or more correctly it knocked the stuffing out of me! What have we gotten into?
Sat 29 Jan	5	Ouch, everything hurts!
Sun 30 Jan	15	Quite easy today, slow but steady pace. Have recovered from Fridays 30km shock.
Mon 31 Jan	7	Up and down north head.
Tues 1 Feb	10	Boxing class hell, then ran to work.
Wed 2 Feb	0	Travellling, flights no time to run.
Thu 3 Feb	10	5 km of sprints at Boxing, then ran with Gordi in 39 Degree heat up Balmoral hill course. He's a mongral!
Fri 4 Feb	0	Travellling, flights no time to run.
Sat 5 Feb	11	41 Degrees , bloody hot, but at least I wasn’t chasing Gordi up these hills.
Sun 6 Feb	11	19 Degrees, 18 minutes faster than yesterday - Finally a cool day!!!
Mon 7 Feb	11	Loving these cool day runs!
Tue 8 Feb	20	5km sprints at Boxing, then 15 km to and from work.
Wed 9 Feb	0	How good are rest days!!!
Thu 10 Feb	16	5km sprints at Boxing, then 11 km
Fri 11 Feb	11	Light run.
Sat 12 Feb	55	Walked out with the girls training for the wild women on top 100km walk, (6:15) then ran back (4:15). Damn my feet hurt.
Sun 13 Feb	5	Blisters hurt, but legs felt good after the first km.
Mon 14 Feb	0	I love rest days!!!
Tues 15 Feb	13	5 km at Boxing, then ran home from work, the long way.
Wed 16 Feb	20	Walk / run to walk, then 90 min run at night.
Thu 17 Feb	5
Fri 18 Feb	5
Sat 19 Feb	30	4.5 hrs of hell. Very hot, very muggy.
Sun 20 Feb	5
Mon 21 Feb	0	Rest day
Tue 22 Feb	22	Fast 9km in morning, then faster 13km with Gordi at night.
Wed 23 Feb	5
Thu 24 Feb	27	Boxing, then a few laps of Awaba to confirm HR max, then 20km with the mad bastard Gordi late night.
Fri 25 Feb	0	Travellling, flights no time to run
Sat 26 Feb	16	2 hrs, very slow. Suffering from lack of sleep, and long hard runs with Gordi.
Sun 27 Feb	3	Stretched out with a lap of manly beach.
Mon 28 Feb	0	REST DAY - my favourite day
Tue 1 Mar	17	Boxing in the morning. Then Mad crazy dash around manly dam, after dark, trying to keep up with Brigitte and Tracey
Wed 2 Mar	16	Lazy run around north head
Thu 3 Mar	5	Stretch out before 100km walk
Fri 4 Mar	79	Run first 30km , doubling back to cross checkpoints with my team. Then walked next fifty 50km, running at times, as I felt strong. Changed shoes at half way point and got a motherload of blisters. Pulled out after 16.5 hrs, as I wouldn’t be able to run for weeks if id finished the event.
Sat 5 Mar	0
Sun 6 Mar	5	Stretched out on the beack, feet totally buggered but the soft sand was forgiving
Mon 7 Mar
Tue 8 Mar	20	Two hours of Gordis boxing, then run home from north Sydney. Feet still buggered from Fridays 80km
Wed 9 Mar	5	run on beach
Thu 10 Mar	20	Morning run, then midday boxing class
Fri 11 Mar	5	Mirvac Boxing class with Gordi
Sat 12 Mar	25	3:20 run to zoo and back
Sun 13 Mar	10	Run around manly to stretch out
Mon 14 Mar	0
Tue 15 Mar	10
Wed 16 Mar	0
Thu 17 Mar	10
Fri 18 Mar	5
Sat 19 Mar	42	Crazy arse run in the mountains chasing Gordi up and down the biggest hills North Face has to offer!
Sun 20 Mar	5
Mon 21 Mar	0
Tue 22 Mar	13	easy running with no hills
Wed 23 Mar	0
Thu 24 Mar	10
Fri 25 Mar	26	Lazy run Manly to Balmoral and back
Sat 26 Mar	8	easy run
Sun 27 Mar	12	flat run
Mon 28 Mar	11	flat runnig
Tue 29 Mar	0	rest - Yah
Wed 30-Mar	10
Thu 31-Mar	15	5 km at Boxing, then another 10km after work
Fri 1-Apr	5
Sat 2-Apr	52	see page on getting of religion
Sun 3-Apr	0	Chaffing too bad to run
Mon 4-Apr	5
Tue 5-Apr	15	5 with boxing, 10 at night
Wed 6-Apr	28	Thanks Gordi for the invite for a quite 20km. Blistering pace!
Thu 7-Apr	15	5 boxing, 10 in morning
Fri 8-Apr	0
Sat 9-Apr	30	Hot going, up wakehurst parkway in middle of the day.
Sun 10-Apr	0
Mon 11-Apr	4	Light run on manly beach to buff the feet
Tue 12-Apr	15	Boxing, then fast 10km
Wed 13-Apr	10
Thu 14-Apr	13	Up to North head and back, fast
Fri 15-Apr	5	Cracking hangover, slooow run
Sat 16-Apr	31	Pouring rain, bit did a good pace with Brigitte
Sun 17-Apr	10	A fast 10KM
Mon 18-Apr	0	Rest
Tue 19-Apr	8	Mosman Hills, steep as, running strong
Wed 20-Apr	10	A flat out 10km sprint
Thu 21-Apr		Flight
Fri 22-Apr		No Run
Sat 23-Apr		RACE DAY!!!!

Background: I am approaching 50 and have never really been into training or running. This said I love adventure and pushing my poor mind and body to the limit. Started Running: 4th December 2010 Weight: Details to come :) General Fitness: I joined a gym late last year and started training with Paul Ransom aka 'The fitness bastard'. I started off just wanting to get rid of excess weight but then Tim and I decided to do something really stupid. Run 56km in under six hours. Paul my trainer laughed when I first mentioned the ultrmarathon but he was quickly onside and has beaten me up in the gym twice a week since then. It hurts. Full stop. But - my little boy can't even walk so every single step I run in training is for him, even the horrendous, nausea inducing hill sprints Paul makes me do to increase my VO2max. Sick puppy sums it up! Running Fitness: Last year I did a wonderful 50 mile walk across England - wait for it - in one day. A group of us did the walk to raise money for Jaspar' s school. We all lost toenails but gained friends for life.   I am amazed at how much I am actually enjoying running and I think I may even keep it up once I have completed the marathon and beaten Timmo - oh yes, we are the best of friends but I AM going to paint a sign on my shirt saying follow me fat boy!!! Running Coach: Paul Ransom Coaches Advice: Paul gave me the book 'Born to run' for xmas - most likely as a slight joke. Little did he know it would turn me into a running man. Paul’s tips for the race: Just run faster than Tim. More: I did 25km on Saturday, 22nd January. I am impressed. That is a huge deal as it is more than a half marathon!! I cannot believe that I did it, got home, showered and then had a wonderful day with Filipa my wife, shopping and doing things around the house. Two months ago a half marathon would most probably included a visit to accident and emergency! I am embarking on a supremely mad adventure with my best mate and I cannot wait to run alongside him for Jaspar. I am quite simply desperate to do something for Jaspar, something safe that makes a difference. He is excited, not about the possible benefits like improved speech or better control of sitting. Jaspar wants to have better hand control so he can play with his cars instead of just looking at them. He is a true boy! If we can just match his amazing tenacity and will-power we will complete this long run in a respectable, middle-aged men kind of time. Thanks for caring. Max

18 Feb: I am sitting here on Friday afternoon contemplating the 36 painful kilometres I must run tomorrow.  I did 33km last Saturday 12 Feb and it has taken me a week to recover. I just cannot imagine how I am going to feel after 56km. Last Saturday was a breakthrough for me though – I now know that I am fit, my breathing is not a problem. 

All I now need to do is run through the pain and come out the other side.  My legs are all taped up for tomorrow, my sat nav watch charged, my i-pod loaded with adrenalin charging music.  I am going to nail it!!! The running man is emerging from my 46 year old body!

I got home from the long run on Saturday and just burst into tears. Quite literally sobbing.  I could not help thinking that Jaspar will never be able to do what I had just done. 

It makes me so sad/angry/hopeless/able.  3 steps for him would be a miracle – one step unaided highly unlikely.

 

10 March: Bad news.  I have hit a bit of a problem. My right hip is really very very sore.  (Tim says it is called 'being 47 years old syndrome').

I am in constant pain and walking like I am on hot coals. I am seeing an osteopath, physio and a specialist trainer to try and sort it out. I just can't run at the moment (past couple of weeks). Not so funny when the race is 6 weeks away.

I spoke to Paul my trainer today and the plan for now is: No running more than 7k for the next month - the pain kicks in after 10k. I am to swim 3 times a week, work out on the cross trainer almost daily, including doing my big runs on it. This is to keep me aerobically fit and keep the running muscles strong - but no impact. I will work with Paul 2 times a week and will do the corrective exercises I have been prescribed daily. I supinate on my right foot it seems?

I am feeling amazing at the moment though - so fit and so strong. Worse case scenario I will get a cortisone shot so I can run. I can't do any more ibuprofen etc as it is messing up my stomach.  Just wanted you to know what's up.

I am really frustrated and almost angry with my body but come hell or high water I will complete the run in under 7. This is for my son and it is only pain.

21 March: Getting an MRI done this week - may have small fracture. I am so frustrated as my body is longing to run. Doing daily 1.5 hour sessions on elliptical walker - good sweat but it just does not compare to a good run. Plan to increase this to 3 hours this week as long as the hip is ok. Will do a swim today to see if that pushes me and gets the heart-rate up. Stocking up on neurofen and other anti-inflammatories as the 2 oceans will happen - pain or no pain! 

Important Update:

I am  out of the race.  It is now officially a fractured femur. I am on crutches and in denial. The doc said 2 weeks bed rest. I laughed so hard I think I cracked a rib!

I am sad, frustrated, slightly angry, disappointed. I could go on but this is not about me.

Life is beautiful and continually amazes me.

Nick, my next door neighbour and fellow 3 peaks and Hadrian’s wall adventurer has stepped into the breach and is running with Tim.

Nick is mad. I did not even have to ask. He volunteered after a night of heavy drinking and I simply recorded the conversation. Done.

He has 3 weeks to train for a 56 km, world-class Ultramarathon.

Guess what – he can and will do it.

Like Tim – his heart is so big that it will purr all the way to the finish line.

God help anyone who gets in their way at the start.

Back to me – I will massage, shout encouragement and stand witness for Jaspar as these 2 great men do what they promised.

They are helping my little boy walk.

Thanks guys.

March/April Training Schedule

 

Taper to Race Day Training Schedule

 

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