Delayed Gratitude
Sometimes you have to step back and look at how far you've come. This week was one of those, and while there was immense joy, there was also great heartbreak.
Life In The Zone 2
When I first started running, one of the biggest mistakes I made was having the belief that I had to run as fast as possible, and often would bin my runs if I didn’t think I was going fast enough.
A big part of my running journey was joining a group called the ‘2 Zoners’ I got invited into the group by
with the boys focussing on running in the zone 2 heart rate.This completely changed my perception of running, but as I dive deeper into the ultra world (I’ve joined the Australian Ultra Running Association), the more people I talk to do the majority of their training in ‘zone 2’.
The main benefit form zone 2 heart rate or zone 2 power is that it builds aerobic base and endurance. By Improving aerobic capacity this improves your ability to maintain a faster pace for a longer period of time. Sounds great I hear you say, but what’s the catch?
From my own experience, in the initial stages you can feel frustrated because you know you can run faster, but you have to keep yourself disciplined and run to your heart rate, over time you will simply know you’re in zone 2 without having to look at the watch.
What some people get confused with, is they feel they have to run in zone 2 for all of their training. Zone 2 is the base of the majority of sessions, but I’ll do one or two sessions a week at a higher intensity, which I’ve found I’m able to recover from better, due to my zone 2 running.
The benefits I’ve noticed from my training have been more apparent in Ultra Running and they don’t happen overnight. I’ve been able to complete two ultras and also just completed my biggest week of training, and my body has felt injury free for close to 10 months now.
It’s not for everyone, but it’s been something I’ve found that’s helped me immensely, for those interested in reading more about it, you can see more here.
How Do You Pick Your Favourite Trail?
We’re blessed here in Canberra with some of the best trail options in the country, with the Brindabellas, Tidbinbilla and Namadgi right on the doorstep of our city, and a nature reserve within five kilometres of anywhere, there couldn’t be a better place in the country to get involved in trail running.
Next week I’m going to share what I think are some of Canberra’s best trails, with options from those looking to dip their toes into the dirt, to those looking for more of a challenge.
But first I want to hear from you all, what makes a trail your favourite? Is it the views? The difficulty? The wildlife? The elevation? Is it close to home?
I have my own opinions on this which I’ll share next week, I just want to hear from the community.
Thank You Tony Graham
Tuesday started differently, I got up way earlier than normal and headed to the Cotter, it was a quiet morning on the eve of the 20th Anniversary of the Canberra Bushfires, I was able to quietly reflect on how far the area had come in the past two decades.
The thing I love about trail running is that it is almost a direct connection with the earth, the only thing separating you from the dirt is your socks and shoes. It’s spiritual in a way, and you can immerse yourself as deeply as you want to be.
I was feeling incredible, and had put the disappointment of Kowen behind me, and was now well into the flow of the working week, but a message from our football club president quickly changed all that.
The message came through that the club’s secretary Tony Graham had passed away, Tony was an incredible man, a foundation member of the club and secretary for the past four seasons. He was known as ‘Mr Fix It’ because if you needed something done Tony was the man for the job.
He was the ACT’s first State Emergency Service Chief Officer, a role he held for 11 years, before retiring, prior to that he joined the emergency services in 1989 as a volunteer and was instrumental in a number of major improvements to training, leadership, development of staff and volunteers, and community education.
I have no doubt his skills from the Navy played a part in all of this, a life of service and giving to others, completely selfless. I knew that Tony was sick and had been fighting a very brave battle with cancer, after one of our best wins this season we got the news that he had received a scan that showed it had spread to his brain.
As a group it gave us that little bit extra motivation to bring home the premiership. Tony as well as being ‘Mr Fix It’ was also the timekeeper, and I’m so grateful not only that he was able to be there to watch us win the grand final, to which he received many big hugs after the match, but to also take part in the celebrations.
After the win we went back to Murrumbateman Oval, it was a special time for the players and the inner sanctum of the club to enjoy a moment with one another, I took the Premiership Cup and proceeded to fill it with beer.
Taking a big swig, Tony turned to me and said “how’s it taste Fordy?” to which I didn’t reply but simply handed him the cup to which he sculled what was left in it “pretty good as it turns out.”
I was able to have a couple of beers with Tony and reflect on a special year, I didn’t know that would be the last chance I’d have to catch up with him. Tuesday’s message from our president made me realise that my gripe after Kowen was truly ridiculous, and that I needed to look at the bigger picture.
If there is one lesson I am taking from the way that Tony lived his life while battling cancer, is that even in our darkest moments there is still light in our lives. Despite the cards he was dealt, he never complained once, he just got on with it and never expected anything back, we’ll miss you deeply Tony, thank you for you for everything.
Filling The Cup With One Of The Greats
One of the things I love most about the Ultra Running community is the way that those who have come before you give back to the sport. Apart from Ultra Trail Mont Blanc and Western States being my bucket list races, Coast to Kosci for mine is Australia’s ultimate race.
Starting on a beach in Eden, runners work their way up to Mount Kosciuszko over 240 kilometres. It’s an epic journey of self discovery, and I was fortunate enough this weekend to talk to this year’s winner Rob Mason.
I did some thinking over the break and know that Peak2Soon has outgrown me, and my own journey, so from time to time I’ll be talking to Australia’s and the world’s best ultra and trail runners and bringing their perspective and approach to running.
These will be available as a separate podcast, but you’ll get an additional email to the Monday read to let you know when it’s out. Rob also has his own podcast ‘Mindset for Runners’ which I find is a valuable tool for those looking to get the inside scoop from Rob himself.
I’m so grateful that Rob was able to take time out from his family holiday to have a chat, I endeavour to have this out ready for you all to wrap your ears around it sometime from Wednesday, for those who can’t wait here’s a snippet, where he’s talking about his race strategy at Coast to Kosci!
The day after we chatted Rob set the new Fastest Known Time for the Australian 16 Highest Peaks, talk about not resting on your laurels!
Blessed With The Best
Since I joined Elevate I feel like I’ve been a sponge, sucking up information on anything from running technique to nutrition, but where I’ve received the best value and life lessons are from those I run with.
I make it no secret that Danielle K or Mumma Poutine as she’s now known, is one of the best influencers on my running. We are polar opposites, I am wrapped up in stats and analytics and she couldn’t give a stuff about any of it, so much so she doesn’t even have Strava.
She was the first one to check in with me after Kowen and has done so right across the week, we’ll often just poke jibes at one another each week, with a pop culture reference thrown in, but this week was a little more serious and I probably needed it.
The second shout out goes to Danielle D (I hope you’re not confused yet) she’s been such a good influence on me, we more followed each others journey via Strava and Instagram, but lately we’ve been able to get a few runs in. She’s been so good for my confidence and one of the drivers that will see me attempt Sri Chimnoy 100.
Third to Benny A and the Alfred Crew, since tracking my food I’ve been able to really fuel my runs to the best of my potential, my food freedom is through the roof, and I’m running much better as a result!
Final shout out to my Writing For Resilience Crew, you all bring such an interesting perspective to life, and inspire me to learn more.
Biggest Training Week Ever
Monday: I focus heavily on recovery on Monday, normally it’s a day after a physically taxing long run, so really get stretching, massage gun out, and take Duke for a walk in the evening to focus on the next day.
Tuesday: Had the idea to go to the Cotter on a weekday morning for ages, set my alarm and once the alarm is set I rarely ever hit snooze anymore, a magical morning of just over three hours of running, water crossing is good for my Archie training as there is plenty in the race, so there is method to what I’m doing.
On the descent I ran with some Emus, an experience unlike any other I’ve had while running, what a bird!
Wednesday: Felt inspired this morning to back up the effort with the Cotter, and I also hadn’t done a proper reccie of Mount Majura or Mount Ainslie in ages, great to see Andrew Leigh doing hill repeats up Majura, decided to give the goat track at Ainslie a go, trying to replicate steep and uneven climbs, and some scrambling at Archie. Was around three and a bit hours for the morning, another solid session.
Thursday: This was a ripper session with Elevate where we headed down to Butters Bridge and across to Namarag, from there the course was about 550m and it was tempo loops. I was aiming for sub five minute pace down the hill, then climbing back up the hill tried to maintain 6 minute pace, to the stairs and then finish off strong.
Again goes back to the thoughtfulness of our Coach Shiree to design a session around a loop that incorporates many factors, thus mixing up the training within just one loop. Felt really strong here.
Friday: Headed out to Mount Jerrabomberra on Friday, already had plenty in the legs from the days before, but this was steady effort up (about two and a half kilometres) and the same effort down, just trying to get the body used to a higher load of hill running.
I find the longer hill stuff is good particularly on Mount Jerra, where the gradient isn’t as demanding, so you can try and nail down technique before moving to something with a higher difficulty, Dan D also came out and smashed out a goat loop with me, which was more good training for Archie.
Saturday: The hits kept on coming, Nik out of the Lazy Glutes set us up for a good run/hike out at Rob Roy down in the south. I’d never done it before so was keen, and knew that after the initial section, I could split off from the main group and go down the steep track and get some more elevation in.
This was a tough session with more than 1,100 metres of climbing, finished the 20 kilometre session in just under four hours, so plenty of time on feet, best thing though was I was feeling really good, and not having any soreness, which I sometimes get on high elevation and descent days, and I saw goats!
Sunday: Had a few too many beers on Saturday night so was late coming out to the group run on Sunday, so pushed myself up Mount Coree using the climb pro feature on my Garmin for the first time, was really interesting to see what was coming up, also used my running poles for the second time, saved me a lot in my legs, and think they’re going to be a valuable edition going forward.
I was able to catch up with the group, but the demons of Saturday night and a big week saw me left on the downhill (which I expected).
Total: 114 kilometres, 17 hours and 8 minutes, 4,140 metres of elevation
Just a huge week, I’d done 100 kilometre weeks before, but not to the level I did this week, close to five 20+ kilometre runs across the week, five runs with more than 500 metres of elevation in them, but as I said in my intro a lot of the work I do is at a low intensity, and high volume.
I’m proud of this week and how far I’ve come, I don’t know whether it’s being inspired by the people around me, or whether I’m finally giving this sport a proper crack, either way I’m enjoying the balance I’ve found and how my body is reacting, it’s Monday morning, I’ve had a good sleep, and I’m ready to attack tomorrow already.
Monday Motivation Hero
In 2016, Tim was studying Graphic Design and also representing Australia in ice hockey. After feeling a bit off for a while, a trip to the GP provided the first real clue that something was very wrong. Tim’s inflammatory levels were off the chart.
Debilitating pain saw Tim end up in the hospital. While his throat was on fire, he also had spiking fevers and rashes. A week after admission to hospital he was diagnosed with an ultra-rare inflammatory condition known as Adult-onset Still’s Disease, a condition that affects approximately 1 in 500,000 people globally.
The disease deceives the body into not recognising itself, so the immune system gets confused and starts attacking the very thing it is designed to protect. There is no cure for Stills and currently no answers as to why people get it.
Despite the obstacles that Tim faces with Still’s his attitude towards life and his writing at
is inspiring.As Tim put it in an article with HerCanberra:
“Running Rare is not about the distance, or speed or a one off demonstration of athletic performance. It is about ordinary people deciding to continually show up and giving what they can.”
I’m proud to call Tim a mate, he’s another connection I’ve made through Running For Resilience. His story is one that’s taught me not to take for granted the gift of running, and to be grateful for what I’m able to do.
Despite his battles with Still’s, Tim talking about it is in the hopes that one day there will be a cure, so that people don’t have to go through what he has.
You might catch Tim at Wednesday R4Rs and he is what I define as resilience, he’s been tested, and there will be more days where he will be tested again, but his courage in the face of adversity inspires me everyday.
Thank you, Tim.
A wise man once told me: "Ben, you have to learn to run slow before you learn to run fast."
So true.
I’m so impatient, but know I do need to learn the zone 2 running thing too to get better/longer/faster in the long run!