Here is the link for the real time tracking for the third marathon:
http://ecrumbs.roadid.com/map/XqAYRTKj
Don’t forget why I am doing all this, donate for cancer research!
I’ll try to upload photos to instagram while running. I guess the hills will be slow enough to allow me to do that! 😉
Since the race preview post, I have reconsidered the map for the third marathon. The change was mainly to make it easier for people that are running with me to arrange for transportation. Just in case there are road closures due to the road cycling test event for the Rio Olympic games, I have also included a plan B. Here it is!
The past few days were marked by planning the marathon day, going easy with my knee, and jet lag. Today(*) I was up at 2:30 am and after failing miserably to get back to sleep, I decided that the knee had had enough break and it was time for it to be tested. So, I jumped out of bed and went for an early (5 am) run around the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon. Two laps with a progressive increase in pace was my plan and that’s what I achieved:
Loops around the lagoon and 1 km split times. Red arrow indicates the road leading to the nasty climb for the third marathon (see photo below).
A few hours after the run and the knee pain came back. Not severe but annoying enough to make me want to check the hardest part of the planned course by car. It was also a great opportunity to show Joe, a friend from work, great views from Rio. As soon as we started the ascent and the forest begun to dominate the surroundings, I was sure that I have made the right decision about the course. I felt so good already! Not even this sign that we found on the side of the road would made me change my mind:
Information sign just in front of the Vista Chinesa. The feeling of running surrounded by the forest certainly surpass any fear of hills (I say this now…).
(*) the post was written on Monday but due to a problem with the internet at the hotel I could only post it today.
One week to the third marathon and it is time again to write a post with the race preview. I’m jet-lagged in a hotel room in my home town, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. My last work trip this year and my last chance to run a marathon overseas. My goal of coming up with a course full of challenges and beautiful views was made easy by this blessed city that is Rio. So here is my first draft of the marathon course:
Planned course (in red) and elevation profile at the bottom. In blue there is part of the road cycling course of the event in preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
I’ll start at the Museum of Modern Art and finish at the top of the Corcovado, the most iconic landmark in the city. To get there, I’ll run together with my friend Joe on the bike path along Aterro do Flamengo and Botafogo beach before reaching the base of the Sugar Loaf cable car. There, we’ll meet my sister. From there the three of us will run towards the famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema and then make at turn to run half of the loop around the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. Somewhere around the Lagoon, Joe and Debbie will stop and I’ll be by myself to start my big climb towards the Christ the Redeemer statue through the roads of the Tijuca Forest, the largest urban forest in the world. On my way I’ll pass by the building of the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) (home of Brazilian’s Fields Medalist Artur Avila), Mesa do Imperador (Emperor’s Table) and Vista Chinesa (Chinese Outlook) before reaching the top of the Corcovado mountain. I’m really looking forward to this run!
Since I came up with this astonishing course, some things happened. First, my knee injury. Even though I’m confident that I can get through the marathon, depending on how my knee reacts to the medium distance run that I have planned for the week before the marathon, I may be forced to reconsider the climb to the Corcovado. The second issue is that Rio is going through test events for the Olympic Games and my route has a considerable overlap with the road cycling event on 16 August (see the blue course in the map above). I have to check whether there will be road closures enforced, otherwise I may appear on TV running side by side with top cyclists as those crazy spectators on Tour de France.
If you’re interested in joining me at any part of the course just send me a message. As in marathon 2, I’ll post a link on the race day with my current position so that people can find me and join at any point. The more the merrier!
Ah, and don’t forget to make your donation for cancer research!
What is the word that no athlete wants to hear in the eve of a race they’ve been training for a long time? Yes, you guessed it right. Injury!
Many people have been asking about my training and how my body is coping with the marathons. I’ve been feeling great after the runs and recovering surprisingly well, so my answer has always been on the positive side until a few days after my second marathon.
I ran the second one on a Sunday and travelled to Sydney for a conference the day after. Being away for work meant that I would not have a pool or a bike, and that I would not be able to swim or ride as part of my active recovery after the marathon. So I rested on Monday. On Tuesday I felt this incredible urge to exercise. With no trace of soreness on my legs and the beautiful Coogee beach a couple of blocks away, I decided to go for a light run. Just over 8 km with no problems. After another rest day on Wednesday I decided to go for a training session on Thursday.
That day, when I got down from the bunk bed and landed my right foot on the ground, I felt pain on my knee. I’ve never had problems with my knees before and I didn’t know how to react. It didn’t seem too bad and certainly wasn’t enough to stop me from changing into my running clothes and getting ready for the interval session I had planned the night before. More importantly, I wanted to know if there was something really wrong, so I went to check it out.
On my way from the house to Coogee beach I felt some restriction on my movements and decided to just walk. At the grass area in the south part of the beach I began my easy jog. It didn’t last long though. Less than 1 km and a sharp pain made me walk again. Now I was taking it seriously and started to worry about the whole 12 marathons project. Have I messed up at such an early stage? Have I been too ambitious with the degree of difficulty of the first two marathons? Was it a mistake to go for so many climbs? My knees have been making weird cracking noises for about 15 years but I’ve never felt pain. Now, suddenly, after a rest day and a good night of sleep this happens?
With so many questions on my mind I decided to try jogging again. The pain had eased off to the point that running became comfortable. Great! Maybe something was out of place when I woke up and while moving it got back where it should be, I thought. I gained confidence and decided to continue testing the knee with my interval training: 400 m fast along the beach front with 200 m easy recovery, always paying attention to any sign from my right knee.
Walking back to the house after the effort I felt a discomfort. Not too bad but the yellow light turned on once again. The next 48 hours were terrible. The pain has never reached the level of the sharp pain before the run but was enough to make walking uncomfortable and to mess up with my mind again.
No running on the weekend but instead I was helping some friends to move houses. Their new two storey house didn’t help to give the knee a break but, to be honest, apart from a slight discomfort while going downstairs, everything was fine. I felt no pain during the Monday swimming squad and there was no effect in my performance during the Tuesday RPM class at the gym. But I knew it wasn’t 100% so I kept my appointment with the physio for the next day.
The physiotherapy session was awkward. You know when you book an appointment with a doctor and the pain and symptoms disappear? Well, that’s what happened. Despite my physio’s effort to reproduce the sharp pain from a week before, there was nothing but a feeling of a slightly stiff joint. Hard to give a diagnostic…
With a second physio session booked for Monday morning, I decided to run on Sunday afternoon. If running was making it worse, then that was my best chance of getting to the physio in pain. You may think that that’s a weird strategy to get back in shape but finding out what the problem was was my priority. Two km warm up, 5 km fast, and 2 km cool down. Very mild discomfort again the day after and another disappointing attempt at reproducing the pain. The good thing? It may be healing and going away. The bad thing? I still don’t know what it is and can’t focus on a proper treatment.
So, where I am now? Just ten days from the third marathon and I haven’t put any run over 10km since marathon #2. I know that he injury has not damaged my ability to run fast (actually the 5km run that I did on Sunday was a PB!), but I have no idea on how the body will react during the long run. I am now hoping for the best in my next marathon in Rio…
If there is one thing that I’ve learned after just two marathons is that there will be last minute changes to the course no matter how much in advance you plan it. It was like that in the first one and it happened again. My original plan was to run from Gungahlin to the Lake Burley Griffin climbing Black Mountain and Mount Ainslie. However, to make it easier for the runners who wanted to join me at different points of the marathon, I changed the map to the one shown on the left of the figure below.
Left: Map made to replace the original plan. Right: What actually happened on race day. Bottom: Elevation profile of the marathon. You can check the stats of the run here.
With course updated and uploaded to my watch (after struggling for the third time, I promised to myself that I’ll write a detailed post on the tricks to make this uploading process work, wait and see…), it was just a matter of a good night of sleep before the second 42.2 km. “Frost then sunny”, said the forecast for Sunday in Canberra. Apart from the expected negative temperature in the early morning, a sunny day with a predicted maximum 12oC was looking perfect for the marathon.
It came race day and even though I had arranged for a 9:00 start, I was up at 6:30 for the pre-race ritual: anti-chaffing cream, first aid tape, filling camel back, energy gels and bars, camera, watch… On top of that there was feeding the cats, the dog, and waking up my daughter. The night before, Clara seemed excited to come along to take photos but changed her mind. I couldn’t compete with the combination of adolescence tiredness, the sub-zero temperature outside, and the cosy and warm bed. So from the original group of four (myself, wife, daughter and dog), only two of us ended up going to the meeting point at Yerrabi Pond.
The temperature was still below zero when Marcele and I met Luiz, a friend of ours, at the neighbouring lake for the first 4 km of the marathon. Just before we started, I turned the RoadID app on my phone to let people track my run. As you’ll see, this step turned out to be very useful for those joining me later. Marcele, Luiz and I began our 4 km loop around the lake under freezing conditions and lots of ice still on the bike path. They deserve especial thanks for braving the Canberra cold to run with me.
Winter sunny days in Canberra always deceive: it doesn’t look that cold but it is! Luiz, myself and Marcele braving the sub-zero temperatures. Bottom: I still don’t know whether my wife was happy or if the cold had frozen that smile on her face 😉
After completing the loop, they wished me good luck and I headed to the least interesting part of the marathon: a solo run along the bike path from Gungahlin to Mitchell and then going along the roads to reach the base of Mount Majura. Not even the kangaroos came to say good morning, so I won’t even bother putting up photos of this part.
I reached the base of Mount Majura at kilometer 14. There I met Kylie, a friend from the Bilbys triathlon club that had promised to run about 20 km with me. She had brought with her Guy Jones, another amazing triathlete to run with us. I was definitely in good company. Another Bilby, Petra Lean, was also there to take a few pictures and wish me good luck. What a lovely friend! I should have stopped to hug you, Petra!
From top left to bottom right: (i) Kylie, Guy and Petra waiting for me with Mount Majura at the back. (ii) Thanks for the support Petra! (iii) Up Mount Majura. (iv) I didn’t quite recognise these two but they shouted “Go Bilbys!” and talked to Kylie and Guy. I think I should return to the club’s rides…
On our way to the top of Mount Majura, I missed a left turn and instead of going up, we made an unplanned loop just to come back to the same point. The first of a few mistakes along the course (compare the planned and actual courses in the first figure). Later that day, I learned from my friend Renee that she was following me on the map when she noticed our mistake: “No Andre! Wrong way, wrong way!”, she even thought of texting me, but I guess that in the end she just decided to enjoy my path getting off the original plan.
Does it need a caption?
I was feeling quite strong at this stage and ran almost comfortably to the top of Mount Majura. We got cheered by a couple of runners that recognised Kylie and Guy and shouted “Go Bilbys!”. I still don’t know if I never met them or if I simply didn’t recognise them. If the later is true, I’ll blame my focus on the run for that. Mount Majura conquered! Quick stop for photos, energy bar, and changing my GoPro battery.
At the highest point in Canberra!
We went down, again following a slightly different course from the original plan, and reached the more flat part along the base of Mount Ainslie. We decided to take this path to be closer to the place where Guy had parked his car. At this stage Guy and Kylie looked pretty comfortable and it was my turn to match their pace. Guy left us a bit before the Mount Ainslie climb. Another goodbye, another thankful handshake, and from then on was just me following Kylie.
From top left to bottom right: (i) Kylie and Guy looking good on the road at the base of Mount Ainslie. (ii) Kylie leading the way up. (iii) Here they are again! (iv) Happy to finish the last climb. It is all downhill from here!
With the change in course, we started the climb to Mount Ainslie at the 27 km mark from the south part, behind the War Memorial. The original plan was to climb from the west around kilometer 21. At least we didn’t do the whole loop around the base before climbing. It would have been a lot harder going up with more than 30 km on my legs. Kylie led the way up to Mount Ainslie and there we met the two runners again. We were not the only ones doing long runs up the hills! Quick stop for photos and down we went again.
Having changed the course after a few missed turns, we ended up doing a couple of extra kilometers. At km 33, we met Elton, a Brazilian friend that followed my path from the app and decided to meet us a couple of kilometers before the meeting point at the War Memorial. We were again three.
Left: Elton joining us at km 33. Right: Time for Kylie to go. It was a good run!
Behind the War Memorial another goodbye, now to Kylie. It was a pleasure running with you Kylie! I enjoyed the challenge of keeping up with her pace in our last 5 km together. It was at this point that my camera ran out of battery. No photos after that until the finish line! Grrrrrr!
It was now just me and Elton, but not for long. At the front of the War Memorial Alex was waiting to join us. When we reached the Lake Burley Griffin we met Kate, a Can Too runner that trained with me for the Sydney Half Marathon in May. Again, point for the ecrumbs app! Shortly after that and we were joined by Massao and Lucas, two other Brazilian friends. “This is looking like Forrest Gump”, said Kate. Well, there were two more to join: Heather, close to the National Gallery, and Renee at the Commonwealth bridge, With the two Can Tooers joining us, the group was complete!
We ran down the bridge back to the north part of the Lake where a few others were waiting at the finish line: Louise, Luiz, Paty, Nina and Marcele. We passed by them, ran a little more to make the right distance, and came back to celebrate the end of my second marathon.
Back row: Renee, Alex, Elton, Lucas, Heather. Front row: Kate, me and Massao. Thank you all for running with me!
During my stretching I learned that I had reached my fundraising goal for the second marathon while running. What a feeling! Again, a big thank you for all who ran with me on the day and for those who donated for cancer research!
To finish, the link to a one minute video with the group running at the 41 km mark.
Here is the link to track my running during the second marathon. Useful for the curious people and those meeting me at different points of the course.
If my grandmother could read in English, she would be very angry at me just by reading the title of this post.
Last Saturday she turned 92, and this is the first reason for the presumed anger. My memories from her birthdays are all filled with the mystery surrounding her age: “Don’t you know that it is not polite to ask a woman her age?” – she would say refusing to give us any number. I would then throw my child inquiring look at my father just to hear him whispering: “I’ll tell you later”. I don’t remember getting answers later, so all I knew about her age came only when I was old enough to make my own estimates: “My father is X years old, my grandmother must have been between 18 and 26 when he was born, so she must be between X+18 and x+26 years old. In summary, I roughly knew when she was in her sixties, seventies, or eighties. She never lied about her age, she would just let you guessing.
Dad and grandma: cancer survivors!
Angela (mum), Vó Lalá (grandma), and Debbie (sister). 92? Who?
The second reason that would certainly provoke indignation from her part is the use of “cancer surgery” in the title. I can almost hear her saying: “Are you crazy? I’ve never had that disease!” She never mentioned the word cancer before or after the surgery. For her, cancer is the Voldemort of the diseases, the “You-Know-Who”, the “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”. After the surgery, the doctors decided that she was too old to go through an intense chemotherapy and opted for a lighter follow-through treatment. Point for her! Without chemo, who could argue that she indeed had “that disease”?
But the issues with revealing her age and of admitting having had cancer go beyond vanity or stubborn denial. I think they are attached to her willing to live… forever. Yes, she is that kind of person that wants to go on and on.
I’ll finish the post with the best post-surgery story that I know. We were all there to visit Grandma Lalá (her nickname) that was still in the hospital recovering from the surgery that had just removed about 15 cm of her intestine (could have been 10 or 20 but I don’t quite remember and I don’t think I should call her to ask 😉 ). At some point she started to complain about the surgery to my wife. Marcele began to comfort her by saying that the surgery had been a success and that all would be fine just to be interrupted by the determined 80 year-old (plus or minus 4 🙂 ): “I know all will be fine, darling. The problem is this huge scar on my belly! Will I ever be able to use my bikinis to go to the beach again? I hate using those one-piece swimsuits!” That says a lot about her.
Saúde! Dudu (brother), Vó Lalá and Gerson (grandpa) in another family celebration that I only take part via Skype and if the time difference allows… (sigh)
So, tomorrow I’ll be running the July marathon inspired by her, a brave survival of a disease that can be named and that can be fought against. Feliz aniversário vózinha!
It hasn’t even been a week since I wrote a post about my recovery from the first marathon, and here I am writing marathon #2 preview. It finally sunk in, it is one marathon every month!
The second one is here in Canberra on 19 July. Running in your city makes it much easier to prepare a course: You know the trails, the roads, the climbs, and the distances. The problem is that I know and enjoy much more than I can fit in 42 km, so I had to select what I want to put in. I made five different maps before reaching the one below, so let me take you through the process.
Planned course for marathon #2: From Yerrabi Pond to Lake Burley Griffin. Couldn’t resist to add two steep climbs: Black Mountain and Mount Ainslie. You may be interested in looking at the original interactive course.
The second thing that I had to take into account was the logistic. Leaving from home and finishing at home would be the most self-sufficient option: no car, no need to bother friends or family to pick me up, no stress. On the other hand, counting the almost 34 km to get to the city and back, there would be not much distance left to run in the city with the friends that want to join me.
Talking about running friends, this was the third factor. Some told me that they would like to join me for 5 km, another friend would be happy to do from 10 to 12 km, and my wife is keen to run 4 km. But with that many people joining, we could even celebrate in the end. So, an extra factor to consider was the end point. Finishing close to cafes would open the possibility of going for a breakfast afterwards (or lunch depending on the time).
So, that’s how I ended up with the map above. I will start at the lake close to my place (Yerrabi pond) and run 4 km with my wife, probably with the dog as well, and we’ll try to drag our teenager daughter from bed on a Sunday morning to be the photographer. The friends that live in the neighbourhood are more than welcome to join us. It will be a very easy start.
From there I’ll head south following the gentle downhill from Gungahlin to Belconnen. I’ve done this segment many times and it should be the easiest part of the whole run. I should reach the east side of the lake after 12 km and from there I’ll go through the University of Canberra campus, up to Gossan Hill Nature Reserve and then Aranda before reaching the base of Black Mountain. This is the only part of the course that I’ve never run before. I bet I’ll miss some crucial turns somewhere but I have my Garmin to put me back on track. It should be fun.
Running up Black Mountain has always been one of my favourites lunchtime runs but I’ve never done it from the west side. It is going to be interesting to hit the stairs with 20 km on the legs. At the 24 km mark I should be in front of the CSIRO and back to a flat surface. I believe there will be some friends interested in joining at this point. It should be a nice flat run along the Lake Burley Griffin, past the National Museum of Australia, Acton terminal, and Ronds Terrace, before turning left towards the War Memorial.
After this nice flat 8 km stretch, the second steep climb: Mount Ainslie. Maybe some of my friends from the Bilbys triathlon club will join me at this point, who knows? If anyone indeed shows up, I’ll be praying they have sore legs from the Saturday bike ride because I’ll be at my 32nd km at this point!
I should be back at the War Memorial by the 37th km. With 5km to go, this would be the last chance for those wanting to do a shorter course to run with me to the finish line at Acton Terminal.
Don’t forget why I’m doing this. So, please, donate to cancer research.
When I first set my fundraising target on my Can Too webpage I had no idea how much money I would raise. It is very hard to guess, especially for a fundraising that will last a whole year. It could start strong with the contribution of friends and then die down with time, or it could start slow and then pick up. Hard to tell. In the end I decided to set a goal of $500 for the first marathon and then update as I move to the next one. On Thursday, a bit less than two weeks after the first marathon, I reached my goal! Yaaaaaayyyy! In the post about the reasons why I’m running the marathons I’ve mentioned my difficulties with fundraising, so this was a big achievement for me. And for that I have to say an gigantic THANK YOU to all the generous people that donated: family members, known friends, and the anonymous ones. My target for the second marathon has moved to $1000 and I’m excited to see the contributions coming. Every single donation motivates me even more. I want to run harder courses, write interesting posts, come up with fundraising ideas, all to get more people involved and raise as much as possible for cancer research. 
Again, THANK YOU!
Fit it in one 