Because you guys were in the radio studio, just went into
radio mode and I'm like Lame and Brawny are absolutely in their
element here. And now we're coming back to my
studio. We're going back to some
serious. Things true?
Yeah. All right, you good?
All right, here we go in the beginning runs the Gold Coast
Marathon. We are back and full compliment
today. Everyone back on deck.
Courtney, welcome back. Thank you.
Welcome. I, I appreciated the banter of
me not being here and I thought, well, maybe I'll just stay out
of it. It was a good episode, you know,
Very good. Episode Take a day off.
You pay the price. Benita, how are you?
Good. Yeah, Yep, feeling pretty good.
We'll get to how I'm feeling very shortly, but Bronte, hello
the A grade student of the marathon preparation.
Stop it. I'm still not writing notes in
my app, which I don't know if my coach is gonna call me up on.
Someone at work called me up on it today.
I said you're not writing Bonita notes.
I said no. She can see how I'm tracking a
lot. This is an interesting thing
from a coach perspective. Well, actually, let's ask
Bonita. We're 7 1/2 weeks out.
Yeah. Would you like Bronte to start
writing your notes? I, I reckon 'cause I don't see
notes, I think Bronte's going really well.
So yeah, so there's no I she knows that she can let me know
if there's anything going on and anything to be worried about,
but. Exactly.
Yeah, that was my reasoning. She.
Didn't she didn't move one of her harder long runs to a
Monday? I did, yeah.
Which is great because if you need to move and then I just
adjusted the week before she, yeah, she needed to let me know
anyway. 7 1/2 weeks out. Yep.
How do you think? Let's start with Bronte.
How's she going?
Yeah, Bronte's doing awesome. Yeah, Look, she's ticking
everything off. I think she's doing the optional
runs if she wants to, but you don't.
You don't always do them. She's had a few races.
She's got another one coming up, but yeah, she's doing really
well. She's recovering really well.
I think Bronte's going fantastic.
I couldn't, couldn't ask for any more for what Bronte's doing.
She's doing really well. I'm even running a bit slower.
I'm learning to run a bit slower, which is, but I
understand why now we do that, especially over the weekend. 27
KS at a slower pace than I've probably am used to running, but
felt better running at 6:20 than I did running a lot less
distance a lot faster. So I get it.
I'm starting this. It's all coming together now.
How did you? Because that was one of the
things when we started this, one of the questions you had was
about these sessions where you say, can't I just get the
distance done as quickly as possible.
Well, did you notice something during that 27 K's as you slowed
down? Was it you still having to hold
yourself back from wanting to run faster?
Or I think it was actually probably that half marathon that
I did where I just gassed myself right at the very beginning and
it was so unenjoyable. It was probably my least
enjoyable run that I've ever done.
And I just, I don't want to feel like that again.
So I know that the training, the reason that we're doing is so I
don't feel like that. So yeah, it was just like a
really good kind of check in of being like follow the programme.
It there's a reason why Bonita is so good and why we are so
lucky to be following it. And now the proof is in the the
pudding. Is it getting easier?
Is running getting easier? It is.
It's, yeah, to say 27 KS so
casually and to be able to tell people that I do that now is
remarkable. And even it being able to run in
different elements, I think that's what I've been really
testing myself over the last couple of weeks because some
advice somebody gave me is running it all.
Like, you don't know what the weather's going to be like when
you wake up on that day. You don't know how you're going
to be feeling. So even on Saturday night, I had
a hour and a half run to do. It was pouring with rain here on
the Gold Coast. Yeah, but I was like, who knows?
You wake up on July 6th and it's raining.
You've just got to be able to run.
So 16 KS in the rain. And it was.
I actually liked it. So yeah, I'm a freak now.
I'm a freak for rain all in. All in all, in the last few, I'm
just trying to think of the last few years of Gold Coast
Marathon. It's generally rain for the half
and then cleared up OK, but we've had pretty average weather
for what should be a good part of the year.
Yeah, yeah, we've had we've had a lot of rain and I think too
it's you've got to practise running in the rain.
And I always find like wearing like a cap or a visor helps
because sometimes the rain can like really hit your face.
But, and even the sort of shoes, like when I was an athlete,
there was particular racing flats that I used to wear in the
'cause I had more grip on the road and other shoes, they made
me slide. Hmm.
So it's good to practise. Yeah, just never know.
Yeah, I feel confident in it now, which is really nice, and
the body feels OK. What are you running?
What shoes are you running in 'cause you were having drama
with the the nylon things the other week, The whatever?
On Cloud Monsters, I haven't gone back to them yet because
they really did give my calves a bit of a, a rough trot.
I'm all in on the Zuccone's sock knees.
All in sock knees. Yes, I love them.
Yeah, right back on, right back on them.
But I also rotate him with the ASICS for the longer, slower,
bouncier runs. And yeah, that's kind of it.
Yeah. Are you any closer to picking a
shoe that you'd wear or we're still, we're still in that
process? No, this is what has been
freaking me out this week is some of the people that I'm
looking at doing the marathon with.
They're all in their shoes, shopping time and I don't know
what to do. I really like the Saccones.
What would you recommend Monet from a timeline perspective?
Yeah. All right, so 7 1/2 weeks out,
when should Bronte be having decided on that shoe?
If she's gonna buy a special shoe for the race and wearing it
in, doing some runs in it, what's the rough timeline on
that sort of stuff? Look, I think about four weeks
out or so, but it's good to have a race practise so you know
you've got a race coming up. It's good to practise, but
probably not in brand new shoes. You know, like if you've, if
you've worn a pair of shoes before and you're buying the
exact same 1, I don't think you need more than a week to have a
few runs in it and wear it in a bit.
But if it's a shoe that you haven't worn before, you
definitely need a few of the long longer runs just to see.
I think blisters is a big thing. Yeah.
And you don't want to be getting blisters in the race.
And, you know, you need to be to practise at race pace as well as
sort of making sure that it feels good jogging too.
But yeah, but sometimes races, actual races is good simulation
to try new shoes and and things like that as practise.
But yeah, but this one you've got coming up, it's only in a
week, so. This one I I did buy new shoes
for because it's a trail and a road run.
Yeah. So what have you gone with?
That's this race. This is the GC30, right?
So this is the main beach? Yep, Yep.
Right. These are suckney endorphin
pros. Yeah, yeah.
OK. That's popular at the moment.
Yeah, so these are my first like race day shoes because Yep, seen
all of the bouncy race day shoes that everyone else is on.
What made you choose them on I've got to?
Ask I love the brand. I just really like all my runs
when I wear those shoes. What is it?
Zaccone or Saucony? Well, if you're Courtney, it's
Zacconi, and if you have everybody else who's sent us
threatening messages, it's Saucony.
Great. I love Zacconi, I really enjoy.
But if you're interested in getting a relationship with
them. I enjoy Saucony.
There you go. I don't know, I I just really
like the feel of those shoes when I run.
I never feel like sometimes I don't don't like the feel of
other brands, whereas those feel really consistent.
And I just read that these were good trail and running shoes.
That's enough, right? Yeah.
And Saucony, they're, they're really good running brands.
So, you know, some of these shoe companies, they've got shoes for
all different sorts of sorts of events and sorts of sports.
Yeah. And I was sponsored by Saucony
before my last Olympics. And.
Yeah, but they were just sort of coming out then.
I feel like they're really popular now.
I love them. Yeah.
What about what about? What about the brand?
So you said, I just love the brand.
Sorry, Courtney's. Gone into full blown market.
No, I love it. It's nice to no doubt about
these things. Because I want to.
Talk about these shoes. But my friends, I want to.
Talk about? Yeah, talk a lot.
I like, I genuinely like the feel when I'm running in these
shoes. They just feel really reliable.
I don't have to worry that it's going to make my body feel a
certain way when I'm running and then also in the recovery.
I just find they're really consistent with a good
performance as well as the. Shoes, but the brand well.
I don't know much about the brand, to be honest.
I don't even know how I. So he who?
Yeah, that's what I was going to ask.
Who influenced the decision? I think probably someone who I
talk a lot about running with is at my at the radio session is my
producer Harry, and he got into running at the same time I did
and he is like a nerd when it comes to shoes.
And shut up, Harry. He listens to the podcast.
He does. He really likes the podcast and
I kind of go to him sometimes when I do have questions about
shoes and things because he really does his research when it
comes to those things. And I think it was before the
GC50 last year, we were both doing the half marathon and he
recommended trying ones with carbon plates in and which I
didn't even know was a thing. And so it was the Zuccone Speed
Endorphin 4 that I tried and was like, I didn't know shoes could
make you run like that. And it just hooked hooked me in.
See What colour wave did we go? With I went black.
The blacks I just went with whatever was on sale.
It's usually what gets. Me it's a funny that and for for
YouTube Olympians, you probably don't understand that, but I
still remember the first time I ran in the carbon plate to shoot
and I was like that my were ASICS meta speed and it was it
blew my mind. Yeah, like it was.
Oh my God, this is cheating. This how is this?
Is me doing this. I would have been at the
Olympics if someone had told me about these six years ago.
That's so true. That's the feeling you get as a
as a jogger who suddenly puts these shoes on.
Yeah. What's the feeling I had anyway?
Definitely. Yeah.
Well, that's good. It sounds like it sounds like
you're on your way. You know what?
You know what you're like. Yeah, while we're talking about
your kit with your running, what the rest of your outfit?
Yeah. What are you running?
What do you like running in what?
Because obviously Courtney and I've talked about this
previously on other episodes of the pod about running kitten for
blokes, but we never had women in here to talk about it from
your perspective. What what?
What's your? Do you already know what you're
running on race day or I? Think I know what shorts I'm
going to run in. I'm like a tight shorts crop
kind of gal. Haven't really had any issues
with chafing Touchwood. So I think I I like do you even.
They're a really good brand. I find they're pretty safe.
So I'll probably do do you even shorts and then yeah, whatever
crop. But as I'm running more, I'm
kind of losing weight as well, so I'm having to buy new active
wear. So I don't know.
A lot of the stuff I have now probably isn't gonna fit right
for 42 cans. OK, yeah, this isn't about bad
thing. The other thing, the reason that
jumped to mind a little bit as well, London Marathon the other
week, I can't remember the name, but there was a Nike runner who
was copping a lot on Oh. Yeah, the British girl.
Yeah. Yeah, I read that.
Yeah. Because they were saying she's
running, running in bikinis. Yeah, right.
And she was wearing the the bikinis bottoms or the don't
know what they're described as banana, but I couldn't believe
that. Yeah, yeah.
It's ridiculous. Yeah.
Were they different to the briefs you would have worn?
In the day. Same time, Yeah, I remember that
my first time when I was at the Australian Institute of Sport,
Jane Fleming designed all the Australian.
Like all the clothes and the briefs were like yeah, really
sort of just like G strings almost when you started running
like they were sort of but that's just how they were and
you run more of them and, you know, this is 1997.
Yeah. People didn't say anything.
It's. Crazy.
Well, they're saying she shouldn't have been running in
them. Yeah, it's all that usual
nonsense of people don't have anything better to do exactly
than target professional athletes and what they're
wearing. Goodness.
So shoes. So it sounds like you got 3 1/2
weeks. Still got plenty of time to do
your shoe shopping. Yeah, Yeah.
I think that that's probably I'll see how I go with these
soccer knees this weekend and then I'm yeah, I think I'll
probably commit to their grace day shoe if.
If I if I would, I do the other thing I wanted to follow up with
you on because I think last time we spoke you probably you
explained at length how much you hated interval sessions.
Have you done any since? No intervals.
No, that's and that's because what in other, yeah, you're
harder long run because you, because you did it on a Monday
instead of a Saturday or Sunday. Yeah.
So then normally you do intervals on Wednesday.
And what I don't like is putting that hard long run too close to
intervals. So with that week, we just took
the intervals out. Why don't you like?
Why do you like separating them like that?
Just because you need at least I think a couple of days between
that hard. So I call a specific long run
between that really hard long run and something hard again.
And I just think if you take too much of A risk, so say if
there's only one one day rest between and rest could be an
easy day, could be a rest day, could be cross training.
If you only have one day rest, you're sort of pushing your body
again. And I think it's too soon after
those hard or long runs. And look, I've made that mistake
as an athlete before and with people I've coached.
And I always think, and this is what I used to always have at
least two full days easy between, yeah, the hard long run
and the next session. So, yeah.
So that's why I took it out for Bronte because it would have
been too much that week. And yeah, it's just not, it's
not worth it. It's not worth pushing it like
that. So what are you doing the day
after that hard, long, specific marathon session?
Yeah, a lot of people, I would give rest days.
Bronte generally has rest or like it's some sort of cross
training or walking. Yeah, but not like some people
do jogging, like and like, it obviously depends on how many
days a week people are running. But yeah.
But usually it's like a rest day or cross training, Yeah.
This is what do we 4 weeks into this now and I just hearing you
talk about race day is like, oh wow, yeah, it's coming close.
Like hearing you talk about the shoes you're going to be wearing
and the outfit and even the fact that you know, the the weight
loss and that you're planning that 7 1/2 weeks now.
It's like I'm going to be, you know, this many kilos lot.
I don't need to have these two. It's is it getting exciting now
for you? Or is it?
Still 2 that far out. I think I'm, I'm quite nervous.
I, I'm, I'm really intrigued to see how I perform this Sunday.
I really spooked myself I think with my half marathon
performance a couple of weeks ago.
I redeemed it again with the 27 K and then again on Saturday
night with the 16. So I just need to chill out when
it comes to a race and I think this Saturday is a it's the last
chance for me to really see how I do on a race in a race
environment and just hopefully put into practise everything
we've talked about to make sure I don't just blow my own chance.
Let's talk. Let's go into this now.
What's what's the race? What have you got?
30 KS Main beach trail and road running.
OK, Yeah. Have you run this race?
I haven't, I haven't, but I mean, this is where we train
every Tuesday through here. So if you've got half of it
literally on the road and it's good Flat Rd probably as fast as
you'll find. Are you aware of the trail?
It is, it's undulating in there. You, you know, even just running
on, it's kind of like a cinder surface, you know, a bit of a, a
clay type rocky surface. You will get some slip in there
as well. So you're not going to run, you
know, I remember when I'd run up at Coomba with Michael Shelley
would always say like 5 to 7 seconds per kilometre.
Sometimes you could get loose on that type of surface plus out in
the hills, just don't get down on the fact that you'll go
slower through like like a fair bit slower through that section.
Yeah, that's fine. I think I'm so ankle conscious.
Anytime I did trail running last year, I only did it for a couple
of races. I was like this is not for me
was because my ankles are so weak.
They're stronger now, but I think I'm happy to slow.
Yeah, the trail's not too bad in there.
I mean, it's pretty good under foot in there.
There's a bit of a little bit of sand here and there, but it, you
know, I touch wood, you're not gonna have any problems with
your ankles. I wouldn't say, but it is.
Well, it is unexpectedly Hillier, especially when you're
tied then you believe and for some reason you run out like we
do. If it's running out and back and
often you run out and you have a bit of a tailwind and you think
it's so easy, so easy and then you come back.
It's like where did that? He'll come from you.
Didn't even notice. Yes, yeah, and this will be 30
cases. This will be the longest I've
ever run. Yes, but I mean, it's a great
way. I like it too, because every
time you're running, it's great to have a guide of how you're
going like to also know that you don't have to worry over worry
about the pacing. You just run to feel run the
site. You need to be holding that same
kind of effort through there is what you'll be doing on the
road. And then I think the road is
probably where I'm Benita will jump in for sure around the
pacing because that's where I'm interested in how you then you
know, even in that type of race, if there's others racing that
this weekend is their lead up race.
How do you approach the the the pacing between the trail and Rd?
Yeah, look, it's it's a hard one because often the race that the
races that I would suggest leading into Gold Coast Marathon
would just be flat right half marathons or something like
that. But I always think too anything
like anything around 15 K, this one's 30 KA half marathon,
anything like that's just good practise.
So first of all, you know you're practising what you're going to
do the morning or the night before Gold Coast Marathon.
So what you do the night before this 30K practise, your
nutrition practise, you know what time you're going to wake
up, what you're going to have to eat and what you're going to do
just before the race starts. But yeah, we're we're looking at
this as a practise run. Yeah.
And like, you know, that Gold Coast Running Festival one that
you did a few weeks ago, although that was a bad
experience, it actually, when you have experiences like that,
it actually helps you learn what not to do.
Oh yeah. You know, and you don't want to
get to Gold Coast Marathon, do that in Gold Coast Marathon.
So it's bet that was actually a good thing for you to do and
feel. And then I think you don't make
those sort of mistakes again, as in, and that was just going out
too fast. Definitely.
So this one, yeah, like the trails is always just running on
fuel. So it's not, it's nothing about
oh, what pace 625 lbs. So don't, I wouldn't even be
worried it And it's it's about getting through the 30K.
So it's always about thinking that it's practise for Gold
Coast Marathon, but not looking at your watch and thinking what
pace did I average for 30 KM on track?
You know, it's not, there's nothing about that.
But then when you're getting onto the road, that's when we're
practising that marathon pace. But it's always even a bit
slower early on. So it's, it's to be conservative
rather than aggressive. Yes.
And like coming back, even on the trails, it's effort, but
it's not like stressing that you're looking at your watch
because one thing we hate to do a marathon training too, is, you
know, you repeat the same things over and over again.
So you you're looking what I do last week, can I get better this
week? Can I get better next week at
the exact same sessions or the exact same runs?
So that's why I think something like this is good, because it's
a bit different. Too.
Yeah, change it up, Yeah. Just do you have an idea of the
pacing yet? That you give like.
Well, any, anything around the road, I think, I think I would
be very conservative early on. So anything on the road 6, we're
looking about 6:25-ish for a marathon pace and I probably
wouldn't be going anything faster than that, even if it
feels easy. So we're just practising and
holding back a. Bit meaning.
So would the would the plan be? Do you use the GPS?
My much I'll use my my Garmin to to track it all and see how I
go. And it's the plan then after the
last one to go, OK, well, this is 625.
I'm not gonna go harder. Yeah.
I'd like to really, really try. I really want to aim for that
625 or 620. Yeah.
So also, and it's, it's an absolute guess, but yeah.
But I mean, with this sort of a race like because it's a little
bit harder with the trail aspect, I would say usually if
it was 1/2 marathon, maybe we'd run marathon pace for the 1st
15K and a little bit faster for the last bit.
But for this race, it's it's judging on how you're feeling.
And we're not forgetting to that this is the longest you've ever
run. So we don't want to put extra
pressure on it pacing wise as well.
So if it's a little bit slower, a little bit faster, it doesn't
matter. But yeah.
We're looking at something around there, but yeah, we'll
see. Look, that run you did that 27K
run, I think you averaged like 603 pace.
Yeah. So you did that really well.
And that also sort of like AK on, AK off for about 11:50 K
within the run. So you know, you're in pretty
good shape. It's just.
Coming to. Yeah, Yeah.
So I I would be backing yourself, but also thinking that
it's just a training run as well and you're putting excessive
pressure on it this. Is so exciting here, just even
that thing about the fact that it's gonna be the furthest
you've ever run. There's so many people out there
that when they get into these programmes, suddenly they look
ahead and they say I'm doing a 27, I've never run further than
19 KS or something like that. And that mental sensation of
going, Oh my God, at the end of this, this will be the furthest
I've ever run. And now I can tell people, yeah,
I run 30K, yeah. Exactly 27 was so uneven and a
nice 30 will be good. You touched on some points I
want to just quickly go back to in the preparation for this race
this weekend, Bonita as a training run and clearly Bronte,
he's taken that on board with the run itself.
Quickly, what time are you going to bed the night before?
Oh, 'cause this is a training run.
This is this is homework now. Probably like I'll be asleep by
10. By ten, yeah, OK.
We're OK with that, coach. That's fine and I would think
that even though I talked about this, but the night before sleep
doesn't matter, but probably what time do you bet go to bed
on Friday night, two nights before I think it's.
All good question. So cancel the party.
All those parties. Are no more doom scrolling.
Usually, probably around that 10/10/30.
I'm a Nana, yeah, I play paddle and that's about it.
Alright. Well, you have you'd have more
of a life than us. Correct.
OK. And breakfast.
Ohh morning of. Morning of this is a training.
Coffee. Usually just coffee.
But you're not gonna eat the morning of the race.
I don't usually, Benito. Definitely.
Oh, yeah. What?
Start practising. Really.
This is a training run. Come on.
Why? Yeah, 'cause we're about to run
30 kilometres. Yeah, I'll take some snakes with
me. But needed step in here it's.
Definitely something that we need to practise, yeah, going
forward as well. Even something like a crumpet
and honey or banana, some like oats, so like cereal, but some
people don't like having milk or yoghurt.
You know any, any sort of thing like that any dairy products.
But even toast even if you can have a piece of toast and some
jam or something something you need something in your stomach
especially, especially for the marathon.
But even before 30K. And I would probably eat it at
least an hour and a half before you start, a couple of hours
before you start, and even take a gel just before you start
within the last sort of five to 10 minutes because gels are
rapidly absorbing into your body and they don't, they won't hurt.
OK, you at all, but you so 5-10 minutes before the race have a
gel. Right.
And you, I, I'd practise that even before some easy runs.
You've never done that before? Yeah, I haven't.
Yeah. And you can't run early in the.
You can only run on in the mornings, on the weekends.
Yeah. So.
Yeah. So that's I, I, I would be
practising that going forward too, just just practising some
nutrition. Yeah, yes, Coach.
Yes, coach. So, OK, so no, because.
It's hard for you, yeah, because you normally would run in the.
Afternoon. I know.
Yeah, I know. Yeah.
Yeah, but to this point you would have got up on the morning
of the marathon and had a black coffee and gone and tried to
run. It wouldn't.
You yes, and it would have felt terrible because I had for the
SO. You have to try this weekend
some nutrition. You actually have to eat your
breakfast OK, and then you have to have a gel 510.
That's fine. Warm up.
Do you warm up before any of? These stretch usually, yeah,
just a bit of a stretch. Yeah.
And look, we'd use the first probably 10 to 15 minutes of the
race as warming up. Just because this is your
longest run. I don't reckon you need to be
running too much before the start.
But before the marathon, we'll talk about a little warm up.
But yeah, but before, before this race, I would be warming up
as the race starts just because we don't want a 30K race to turn
into like 35 K because I think that's too much.
Yeah. That's it.
I'll jump in here because warm up super important.
Maybe this week we're not going to warm up but people may be
racing this weekend or doing 1/2.
I think there's a Brisbane half soon as well.
Like a lot of people use that as their lead up.
How can, how can we approach the warm up or get a run in when you
also need to get to the start line to get you?
Well, everyone's worried about getting on the start line in
time to get their position. I mean, it's not probably a
problem you had in your but you a lot of your athletes now would
have that problem. How do you approach?
Yeah, approach that warm up. Yeah, I would say just like you
can use it as like I would say 5 to 7 minutes of jogging, so
quite short with a few stretches and a few run throughs at at
race pace. But when you try to get to the
start line and a lot of people, you try to get to these corals
that you know, I've had people in London Marathon where they've
had to catch a bus, you know, for an hour from the city to the
start area. Same with Boston Marathon.
So these point to point races. So, you know, if, if you're
staying in a hotel that's sort of near the start at Gold Coast
Marathon, maybe you jog a little bit, you know, from your hotel
or, but when you arrive in your little corral areas, you need to
have done your jog and, and your warmups.
But having enough clothes on and look, you can run a bit on the
spot. But I, I think being prepared to
just warm up your body a little bit, but also having enough
clothes to keep warm, but not sort of stressing that you've
got to be running, you know, because you have to be, you have
to be ready. Yeah, fairly early.
I think, like I haven't thought of it until just now, but I
reckon that's probably one of the most stressful things for
probably more the like runners who are actually going for a
time or of practise, warming up a lot of their sessions and
everything else. And then suddenly you get to the
race and you realise I can't run or I can't move for 45 minutes.
If I want to get a good spot, it's yeah, it's, it's, I think
every, if anyone's listening, there's something to think about
now and have a strategy around it.
And maybe you have to get comfortable with not being old
to run, you know, 45 minutes out, an hour out, depending on
what it. Is.
Yeah, so that's a good point. And I always think too just know
where the toilets are because there's so many people that they
sort of get to the start area and they're like, I need to go
to the toilet and then they stressfully run away and then
they've got to get back in. And so it's one of those things
that maybe it's something to practise as well, you know, but
I think I think always with these races, you've got to
always think that the first few K's are just warming your body
up. So, you know, and when you're in
these big races, you can't run very fast anyway at the start
because there's so many people around.
So that's something that you shouldn't stress about because
it's it's about just warming your body up too and just
getting into. It that's a good way to think
about it. Have you got your toilet
strategy sorted? Toiletry is black.
Black coffee. Yeah, black coffee.
Yeah, there you go, this. Is TMI but I have like very lazy
bells so like it's not an issue for me unless I have too much
black a. Lazy bow.
So I'm really hoping that my body doesn't flip a script on
the day of the marathon and all of a sudden I'm experiencing
things that I don't usually experience but for now, touch
what I. Mean I will send you a link
after the show today of Paula Radcliffe running the London
Marathon. Lazy bowels?
No, she had an active bow. Yeah, under a table, yeah.
Oh my goodness. Well, look, crazier things have
happened, but. Between you 2, you get up at
3:00. It's like a midday run when
you're starting at 6:00 AM. Yeah, yeah, with the early radio
start. Of all things.
Yeah, my bad. I mean, I don't know why we're
just going down this, but we're here now.
You do it. We're here now.
That was that was genuinely a radio adjustment for me, a
workplace adjustment was the time I'd go to the bathroom
'cause my alarm goes off at 3:30.
And previously for the last how many years I was working the
afternoons. So you know about my morning
constitutional. What about whatever?
For a time it was 830. Now I've had to bring it forward
five hours. My body has had to adjust.
So that's been a really big shift for me.
Well, a big was a big shift. There was an F in there.
It's not always a big shift. Depends on the number of
coffees, right? So it's just while we move back
to running briefly, Benita. But yeah, no, but it is a big
issue. And a number of my runners have
talked about toilet issues, whether or not they should go on
the start line and then it plays on their mind if they didn't go
and they've had to go on the in the portaloos on course.
And yeah. And so it's, it's definitely
something that yeah, talk is, is talked about.
You do to talk about. It's a big part of it.
There's always and I can Noosa Triathlon the nervous, nervous
toilet visit. You think you're done and then
the nerves kick in, in your body about suddenly they're about to
Marshall you to the start line at Noosa and you're like, Oh no,
round two. And then you look at the line,
you're like, what am I going to do?
Buddy betrays you. Anyway, so yeah, good luck.
I hope your bells stay lazy. Well.
Thank you so much. Just on the before we move on to
my nightmare situation with Bronte, she's part of this 12
week lead up. She's already run the half
couple weeks ago with the Gold Coast Running Festival.
Yeah, she's got the 30K race this weekend.
If people are out there and they haven't got a race locked in as
part of their programming, is it, is there a, is there a hack?
Is there a way around that? Can they try and simulate a race
as part of this marathon, particularly if they're a first
time? Marathon runner Yeah, that's and
that's a good question. And I say you don't, not
everyone has to race. Like ideally it's good to have a
race just to practise a lot of things.
But if you don't have a race, I would look at somewhere between
three and five weeks out scheduling something between 15K
to like 20 K or I always think it's good to race to have some
sort of hard effort that's not like 1/2 marathon or not
something that you can compare it to races you've done in the
past. If you're just running by
yourself and, and, and an effort.
So if you're gonna do a 15K effort or A20K effort, maybe you
run, you know, 3/4 of it at marathon pace.
So practise your marathon pace and then run a bit faster at the
end. And you know, whether you're
doing that by yourself or you've got someone with you.
So someone on the bike or someone to run with you that
that really helps because it just helps having someone there
to try to push you a bit. So yeah, so I think doing
something like that would be good and, and just make sure
that you have, you know, 3 or 4 days easy either side as well.
So not only I say it's good to have a race, but it's good to
have that easy like training week, I guess either side of it.
And that's, you know, when you do a race, it forces you to do
it. But if you're just training,
sometimes you sort of feel like you just got to train and train
and train and you can't have any, you know, easy.
And when I say easy, you go lighter on that interval session
going into the weekend where you're going to do a hard run
and the hard run could be 15 K, could be 20 K, could be 12 K,
anything that's a bit of an odd distance.
So you go pretty hard in that maybe 2-2 days out, you do some
a short job and a few strides and then you sort of not running
hard again until later of the next week.
So maybe Thursday or Friday of. The next week, if you're in a
marathon block at the moment and you don't have a race lined up,
look at the next fortnight to a month to programme a session
like Benita just described into your your week and view it as
that, that race effort. Yeah, yeah, race.
Practise, yeah, trade, trade race, yeah, practise everything.
And you know, go legit hard in the last bit, but just make sure
you're not going as hard as you can the whole way.
Well, those are if I'm a complete, I'm listening.
I'm a complete newbie to a, to a degree.
I don't have anyone helping me. Is there some kind of guide you
can give us on what the pacing strategy may look like at this
point? So we're eight weeks out.
I'm going to do a practise race or a practise race or a practise
long run. That first bit where I'm like,
we took, what did you say? It was around half marathon pace
or marathon pace. What give us some feelings?
What, what, what am I meant to be feeling like?
How do I like like Bronnie the other week when she went out to
run in the race? How do I know I'm going?
Easy enough, or I'm in that pace you want us to be at.
Yeah. Look, it's one of those things
that I think it should feel like you can run that pace for over 3
hours, which is hard. I mean, that's hard to say too,
but you know, you've got to make sure that you're not running at
a pace that you're, that you're going, oh, I'm going really
well. I'm looking at my watch and
you're going really fast. But can you hold that for three
hours? And you know, is your heart rate
over 150 or something like and heart rates, that's a guess.
And I know you've talked about heart rate pretty.
So at any point you're doing that running and you're thinking
Jesus starts to feel hard, you're, you're definitely going
to that, right? Yeah, you're definitely going to
that. And you should be doing like,
say if you do, say, if you decide to do a 15K and you do
the first 10K and it it should feel easy.
And you're sort of like pushing at the last few K to get that
10K and then the last 5K is like slower.
Like that's not how you want to do it.
No, yeah, So yeah. And yeah, you want, you want to
be going slow enough. Like you should be feeling like
you're going too slow. Almost, yeah.
Have you have you heard any good cues or stories about how
different marathon runners treat that first just 30K the
marathon. So like Michael Shelley always
used to say to me when he'd go to London Marathon, for example,
he'd go for the first 32 Ki just treat it like a nearly like a
sightseeing. I want to be able to take in
everything going around me. And that's how he kind of knew
I'm going easy enough to then kind of like run home and like
last 10K. Yeah.
So he was like, as long as I want to like I should be able to
identify people on the side of the road cheering for me.
Oh, no. You know he was that comfortable
to that Mark, Have you? I mean yourself, but anyone else
you've heard? Yeah, look, I used to to think
about it and this is a much boring way, but it like you're
just sitting on a bus and you sit on the bus and then that's
like the first 30K and then when your stops coming up, you get
ready to press the button. And then once you press the
button, the red light flashes and that gets into that last
12K. And once once you're getting
ready to get off, that's when you're you're in the last part.
And I always think too when it's hurting in the marathon.
So the first 30K should be just cruising along shouldn't hurt.
OK. But when you're hurting, think
about A12K session you've done or somewhere that you've done
that's like in Broad Beach or where you've tried trained and
think about little points along the way that are familiar to you
that not unnecessarily on the course.
So you're sort of thinking about something that you know makes
sense to you, rather than how much pain you're in.
So you. Completely flick a switch to a
new race. Nearly.
Like it's like this. Is that there's the that mark
and then now here's the the next stage.
Yeah, yeah, I, yeah, I never thought about it like
sightseeing or, and the way I describe it to people that I
work with too is about sort of just being as relaxed as you can
and as bored as you you can by just sitting on a bus.
I love of that. Yeah, it's a great.
Analogy. Really good.
It's a great. Analogy, yeah and also thinking
about people that inspire you in your life too so sometimes you
could be like every 5K, think of a new person that that's
inspired you in your life and then go on to the next person
because I feel like you've got to break it up.
And five KS are good segments because often that's where the
water stops are. But the marathon's also
something that you can't kind of think back to the last 5K and go
GRN terrible that five Ki wish I hadn't have done that.
And you just got to forget about it and move on to the next the
next block. So breaking it up like that I
found was quite good as well. This is OK.
We need to mark this down, Courtney, for a later episode of
this, maybe closer to the day of this special breakdown of the
race specific because I loved the bus analogy, what you said
about Michael Shelley and the way he used to describe his
sightseeing. But I also love the idea of
possible strategies to break up the race mentally because I
think that's something that first timers particularly might
struggle with if they're just looking to com.
If they if their only goal is completion.
That mental fatigue that can set in during a marathon is real as
well. I remember last year when I ran
Goldie, so I was running with the 3:20 bus and I felt like,
just listen to you. Then I reckon I felt like the
first 28K was exactly as you described.
And I think I got to the section where you went back past the
start line. Oh, yeah.
And in my head, I've been running really comfortably with
the 3:20 bus the whole way. And I thought, I feel like I
feel good. So I'll start to go a bit.
I'll start. I'll see what's there for the
last 12. And I think we hit the 30K and
suddenly the 3:20 bus started running away from me.
I'm like, why are they accelerating?
Oh, I'm slowing down. But so it that idea of I got to
that point of the races you describe where the red light
goes on and now the race begins and I did have anything left to
give. Yeah, at that point, so.
What was your mark? 30 or 32K?
I would say 30K, but having said that, like I never really ran a
race like that. Like it was just something to
think about. And yeah, like I my, you know,
my best marathon, my fastest marathon was big positive split.
So yeah. But my best one, I think I ran
at Houston Marathon to qualify for the London Olympics in 2012.
And that was just so even the whole way.
So I can't say that I've run a marathon accelerating like I'm
talking about. And so it's very hard.
It's very hard to do. But I think, yeah, you just sort
of think about those things in in in that sense.
Yeah, I think that has laid out in the best terms everything
that I've needed to know about how to approach marathon day.
I don't think I thought about that.
And now it feels almost achievable.
Like I'm not, I don't want to get ahead of myself, obviously,
but thinking about the 1st 30 KS in the ways that you guys have
described, it makes it seem less scary because that's what it's
supposed to be. It's meant to be cruisy.
It's meant to be sightseeing. And that has yeah, definitely
transforms, yeah, down mindset. Yeah, you don't want to be at
any stage in that 30 going Oh no, this is starting to get
hard. Yeah.
And I think the, the acceleration don't like we're
we're talking it as if like, you know, press the booster button
now and you're gonna like fly to the finish.
It's not accelerating. It's just that you've got to
work that much harder than to hold pace 'cause that's where.
Yeah, OK. And.
Yeah. Yeah, and to be like mentally
focused, 'cause I feel like, you know, you don't want to be so
focused at the start. You wanted to be as relaxed as
you can and not thinking about the race.
The worst thing you can do is watch every K marker.
I've run races in Germany and they have 1K2K all the way to
the marathon and like that's what you don't want to do that
is. So German, isn't it?
Most German. It's precise every kilometre.
We're going to tell you when they are.
Yeah, No, Gold Coast Marathon. People don't ever introduce
that. We don't need to know that.
Let's get on to you, Lee. Well, let's hear about you.
I was. I was hoping we'd avoid this for
as long as possible, frankly. So last time we spoke things
were going starting to improve. And then in between then I tried
that light tempo session. My calf hated it.
We reverted back to simple cross training.
I've been with the physio pretty regularly and day of recording I
am 24 hours on from a three kilometre run.
Woo at an easy tempo into a a 45 minute bike ride and the car
feels fine. Yeah today.
So it's pulled up well from that.
So what's the plan from here, Vanita?
Yeah. Yeah, so I mean, and you did
really well to just cross train for the week after that last saw
and then you saw Liam the physio, Liam.
And so Liam sent me an email and so, which is great because it's
good to just hear a bit more about your past.
By the way, Bronte, I feel like such an athlete now.
I have a coach and a physio that are communitating.
About me, right? No heroes.
I feel amazed. We just need the psychologist
now, Liam. Yeah, OK.
And my wife will get on the next email and.
Yeah, and so Liam said when you can do 15 to 20 hops on each
side, you're right to start jogging again.
And I had a few questions for Liam.
I said look, he should be running slower than 5 minute
pace. Yeah, all that kind of stuff.
And yeah, and Liam's like, yeah, slower than 5 minute pace.
Keep the cross training up in whatever you like.
So bike. So I know you're doing bike, but
he said you could do elliptical as well.
Oh, cool. Yeah, so we can you hate if.
You make me on the bike again. That thing is so boring.
It's it was funny when you sent me that email about being once
you said once you can do 15 to 20 hops.
I was down at Burley Beach watching the surfing and I was
with my wife and kids and I literally we're down on the
beach and I just said to Alana, my wife might just hold on to
his ex. And he watched me run up back to
the path. And start hopping.
She's like, what are you doing? OK, I'm joining me now.
I'm allowed to run because I passed the 15 to 20 hop test.
Yeah, no. And that the exit was, yeah, I
was on the weekend and yeah, no. And I think too, what we don't
want, because we've gone backwards once.
So what I don't want to do is for you to go backwards again,
because that's that really isn't really a mentally hard thing,
especially when you're in this situation where you've got a
race on and, you know, you're really trying to get fit and
trying to get back for it. But we just don't want to take
steps back. So yeah, so the plan this week,
I think and which is what Liam has said as well, running every
second day, increasing volume but not increasing pace.
OK, So we'll just stay with we're.
Gonna stay on the easy pace in slow than 5 minutes.
Yeah, so I guess the other part about it is we don't have to
define it today. At what point do we set a new
time goal? Yeah, because I'm in that funny
phase now where unlike Bronte, whose goal is completion, I've
run marathons before. So I know I can run a marathon.
I am still motivated by PBS and time goals.
I'm not an idiot. I know I'm not running sub three
now. I do not have the preparation to
lead up all the rest of that to break 3 hours.
And I'm not going to kid myself into thinking it's still
achievable even though on episode 1 of this you told me it
was probably going to be unachievable.
That was before my injuries. She's always right, so.
What she has been she's spot on. So when do you think if although
can return to running and the volume stuff goes well, when do
you think we start to have a look at pacing?
Yeah, look, I think when we talked last time, I said in a
few weeks, so I'm probably gonna say that again just just because
we've gone backwards of sure. But I think for you too, it's
about getting you healthy 1st and then knowing that you can
even do like 1/2 marathon because you know when you've
missed a bit, but you've got a lot of background and you've got
a lot of training behind you. It's about readjusting what
you're what you're looking at and and staying positive.
Positive is the best thing. But also, I don't want to push
it so hard that we bump up the volume so quickly that you take
another step back because that that might be that you're out of
the race. Sure.
So, you know, we still want to be able to run.
So it's just about. Yeah.
And but this this stage that you're in is really hard as a
runner to be going slowly because you've got this marathon
in mind. So it's a really hard mentally
spot to be in as well. So I understand that it's a it's
a hard. It's it is amazing to have you
on board to, to talk to me about it, not understanding what I'm
going through at the moment. Yeah, I'm going to ask you a
question. Now, bear in mind me, we started
this in the beginning runs the Gold Coast Marathon series about
and I said, do you think I can run SAP three hours?
And your response was it's going to be really tough.
My PB was at last year's Gold Coast Marathon.
I ran a 321. Do you think I'm capable of
running a PB? I think it's going to be really
hard and not yeah, it's just because we've missed a bit and I
just don't want to rush, you know, I would think maybe doing
a marathon later in the year, we can have a real crack.
And this one it's about doing getting in the race, finishing
the race and and staying healthy.
All right, yeah, but but it's so hard to adjust goals when you're
at this stage because it because we're only running 15 minutes,
you know, in a couple of days we'll be running.
Literally only running 15 minutes.
You're running 30 KS this weekend.
I'm running 15 minutes. How does that feel like it's
mentally? So frustrating.
Look, actually it's frustrating, but it's also Courtney's been a
a surprising source of perspective on all this.
Like the way you've been, you haven't been able to run for
what, 8 weeks now? 8 weeks and the fact that you
haven't really been frustrated or you've been actually you've
just kind of come to peace, come to Jesus with the whole thing I.
Don't know I've gone that but. But I've, I've been really, I
think I was talking to Brit the other week about this when we
had Brit Kaling on from Gold Coast physio.
And I think part of it has been for me, the frustration of I
described it to Britt actually off air before we recorded the
podcast says, I feel like we brought in Benita, who is, you
know, you know, let's compare. Let's put it in the F1 world,
right? She's come in as the new race
director of this F1 garage. She's got these two race cars in
there in you and me. And in one, she's gotten this
perfect race car that's running beautifully, doing everything.
She and the other one is a literal lemon.
And she's there going what is this, a race car?
Because it doesn't work. But how interesting.
I'd watch that season of Drive to Survive.
I've been trying to fix a a Toyota Corolla just.
Call me Oscar Piastri. Oh, wow, You are Oscar Piastri
and I'm Dan Ricardo. Great smile, but no one wants to
give him a drive. Yeah, no, it's been frustrating.
But at the same time, the other thing, as you said a couple of
weeks ago, the idea that, and it's a bit like radio really, in
that if you, as long as you don't quit, you'll succeed,
right? Running is like, it might not
be, it's not going to be every race, it's not going to be a
preparation. But if you keep running, you'll
have your day, you'll have your race, you'll have your moment.
And I have very much sort of come to be OK with the fact that
Gold Coast 2025 ain't going to be my marathon.
It ain't going to be that everything I wanted it to be,
but that's OK. And it's it's incredibly common,
unfortunately, and there'll be a lot of people listening that are
in the same situation as you. And you know, it's we always
can't think this race is the be all and end all because there's
always other races but the human body.
It's just unfortunate sometimes when things.
Happen. Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm actually now
I don't think I've probably ever run a marathon with the running
base I've got with actually, but also not putting any pressure on
myself. Yeah, for like and I'm at that
point now. So I think there's probably
people listening to this who might be in similar situation,
don't know where you're at with injury or personal situation or
whatever it is. But if you're like me and 7 1/2
weeks out, you're now having to essentially throw your plans out
the window. From timing perspective, I would
don't think that all hope is lost.
Like I'm now looking to Gold Coast Marathon to really enjoy
the run. Yeah, that's what I'm.
Looking to just kind of re reassess goals and there will be
heaps of people just like you. Some will reassess and come back
to the half or the 10 or have to go for a new marathon.
But. This the the silver lining, the
glass half full attitude towards it is I've had the injury when I
have Yeah, because if I have it in six weeks or four weeks or
five weeks, I'm not taking the start line.
I'm just not running. So if I'm going to take the
glass half full approach, it is that Yep, I've had an injury.
It's it's stuffed up the plans, but I've got enough time to
actually get right and and be on the start line again this year,
which is awesome. Yeah, Benita's given us a heap
of great information again today.
Bronte, I think I'm going to come down and watch you on the
weekend, so. OK.
Sunday, Yeah. So we're gonna no pressure, No
pressure. No, hold on.
What time's is a race? What times a race?
No, I do. These are the things I look at
the night before. Well.
Depending on what my programme is, maybe I can come and run
some with you. Come, here we go.
I'll come and have a little try, although you're a headphone
runner. I am a headphone.
Runner you. Are you not?
No. Are you running?
Can yeah, yeah, yeah. Headphones over years, yeah.
Why? What?
We talked about, we talked about
that earlier. We have.
I'm gonna count how many over the head headphones.
Yeah, the headphone runners, you're you're a proper big
headphones over the head. Yeah, active wear runner on the
front. Sometimes they hurt my right
ear, sometimes I think it like the pressure builds up in my
right ear and I have to take it off and it feels.
Like, I think you're crazy. I think you're crazy.
I think we're gonna have to change that before the match.
We're. Gonna get you some.
We're gonna get you something. Really options?
What are my options? Oh well, there's a whole other
world we can open up to you with running headphones.
Yeah, no, I've just been running with what I've got.
No, they're, they're shocking nothing.
Wrong with that, but no, they want to there is.
Well, there is for me. I don't know.
I'm like if I wore a pair of those over the top headphones.
We've talked about this before. After one run, yeah, I'd never
put them on again because I sweat.
Oh yeah, they're disgusting. Like don't.
I mean you could clone my DNA from them but no one else is
using them. Well, this might OK this
weekend, Bronte, your 30K run, you might.
You'll definitely get an appearance from Courtney.
You might get an appearance from me as well.
We gotta cry. That was so.
Cute team Bronte. Hey, you're our you're our horse
in this race now. Yes, you are our horse for the
Gold Coast Marathon. Thank God for we need we need
someone to run the marathon and. Succeed.
Oh my God. The.
Pressure. Hey, if if you're a marathon
runner, if you're running your first, if you're running your
5th, if you're running a time, send us your comments, send us
your questions. If we can answer them, we will.
If Benita, if we can't Benita, definitely we'll be able to.
But tell us how you're feeling. Tell us how your prep's going
and we might include some of them in the next episode.
But until then, see you then. See you then.