Sydney Marathon 2019 by Jamie Broom

Sydney Marathon – The 9 Things I Learnt Running in 2019

by Jamie Broom (shout out to Jamie for scoring a sub 3.10 marathon nearly and hour pb, through sheer hard work)

This year was building up to the conspicuously absent marathon distance in my Rejoov race line-up. After watching some legendary marathon+ exertions by other Rejoovers, I hesitantly signed up to the Blackmores Sydney Marathon at the start of 2019.

Race day finally landed after several months of progress but against the final few weeks of niggles and travel to disrupt training. Anyhow, marathons don’t care, it was now or never! Up at 4:30am and the nerves struck as I munched on my toast and banana. As the sun rose I boarded the train to Milson’s Point with the excited chatter of other runners in the background. I will not forget the mesmerising panorama as the train rose up over the Harbour Bridge with the half marathoners making their way in front of the Sydney CBD backdrop. Soon enough it was my turn to make that famous dart over the Bridge. I had absolutely no idea what time to aim for, but after deliberations with Greta, I landed on a target of 3:10 for my first proper marathon.

Running through Centennial Park and a tiny bit of shade on a hot day! (Jamie in the stand out orange singlet)

4km down and I had to double-take my watch. Time had zoomed along and I was feeling tremendous as we made our way over Circular Quay and up Macquarie St, as eerily quiet there as in the SMH Half a couple of months back. After trampolining my way over the Hyde Park scaffolding footbridge, I was on my way up Oxford St and it was feeling like a commute run I’ve done time and again.

Next up was ‘home turf’ Centennial Park where we traversed just about every road. I was feeling relaxed and buoyed by cheers from Rejoovers both racing and training. I could picture Greta standing on the corner by the Homestead willing me on. This was the perfect moment for reflection on the last year of running against the background melody of the faint thuds of running shoes slapping the road all around. So what have I learnt this year?

1)     Mixing up the running with varied core-focussed exercise made a huge difference. The times when I was able to shave the most time off PBs were when I was consistently doing strength, core bootcamp or rowing classes on top of my weekly mileage.

2)     Practising mindfulness whilst running got me through the long runs. If you haven’t experienced mindfulness, you’ll think I sound crazy. However, I promise you it’s worth a try. After reading some pertinent books, I’ve progressively developed a routine of 1) reviewing the environment I’m running in to notice the heat / cold / rain / wind / rough surface / etc, 2) scanning my own body and mind to think about how I feel including accepting, yet letting go of pain or negativity, 3) centring on my stride as I recurrently count to ten. I devoted extensive periods doing this in the long training runs and during the marathon itself.

3)     Sydney is the most beautiful city in the world to run. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to run in something like 18 countries and plenty more cities but I still have never come across a finer city to jog in than Sydney. Pleasant conditions, parks, beaches, harbour, rivers, national parks, mountains, and just about everything else. We’re lucky to run here!

4)     Listen to your body and hold off when you don’t feel right. Cliché maybe but I thought I knew better by trying to power through twinges and tiredness. However, I’ve learnt that this really is true. If I hadn’t accepted this in recent weeks, I would never have made it to the start line.

5)     Doing track speed sessions is fun and helps speed up the longer runs. For some reason I didn’t have a high outlook before I tentatively attended my first track session earlier in the year. However, not only has it been awesome training, it’s also an exhilarating way to run in optimal conditions.

Back to the marathon, and as I descended Oxford Street just after half-way, the running herd was spreading out and I was channelling Greta’s strategy by fighting the urge to run quicker. I was buoyed by more familiar faces as we snaked back through the CBD and circled out to Barangaroo. The day was warm like one of the handful of summer days back in the UK and as we approached 9am I could feel the temperature rising. Sweat dripping from the forehead became a constant aide-mémoire to remain hydrated and I executed poorly the awkward cup sipping whilst running technique at almost every drinks station.

As we wound our way into Pyrmont around the 30km mark, I could tell I was into the business end of the battle. My pacing bounced around the 4:25m/km mark and agreeably inside my 4:30 plan but my legs were tiring, and each step was feeling increasingly like scampering on soft sand. The Pyrmont streets were quieter than others so it was time to ramp up the music to push me along!

The u-turn under the ANZAC Bridge was a testing moment at around 34/35km being the end point of prior runs and knowing exactly how much further was to go. However, with a focus on repeated counting to 10 of my right foot striking the ground, I wiggled my way around the Pyrmont wharves like a game of Snake on my old Nokia 3310.

The 5km run to the end was similar to the Sydney Harbour 10k course so I knew it well but I was struggling to cling onto the pace with the average time pushing above the 4:30 target.

Time for another point of reflection as I ran through Barangaroo Reserve, one of my favourite spots in Sydney to run. What else had I learnt?

What a course and finish line!

6)     However great you feel in the first half of the marathon, hold even more back. Both Greta’s race plan and my last-minute tips from Sammie focussed on not going out too swiftly. Of course I still went a bit quick in the first half, but without this advice, I would have gone even more rapidly.

7)     The training is the real test. When I look back, it’s the dark, wet Tuesday mornings, the Weds evening when you struggle to get out of work in time for track, and the lonely 36km Sunday runs somewhere humid and hilly which were the real test of 2019. Yes, you have to run to a plan on the day and hope nothing goes wrong, but it’s ALL about the lead-up work. 

8)     You can do more than you think. When I signed up for the marathon at the start of 2019 I thought it would be nice to do a sub-4hr marathon. My 5k was around 20min, my 10k closer to 45min and my half marathon around 100mins. All of these came down around 15-20% this year. Who knew!?

Finally, I hit the 40km mark and I believed that I was going to succeed with my marathon plan. I looked at my watch and I had to run the last couple of kms just under the 4:30 mark to hit my 3:10 target. I’m not sure where the energy came from but a magical boost seemed to kick in! The pace went up as I ran along Hickson Road, under the Bridge and past the ferry wharves of Circular Quay. I probably looked more like a lolloping deer than a smooth cheetah but the shouts coming in from Rejoovers all around meant that I didn’t care! The fences narrowed and it felt like the cheering crowd was almost able to reach out and push me on. Adrenaline coursing through my veins as the Blackmores finish arch loomed and boom! 3hrs 9min and 46 second! 14 seconds inside my target time and I was ecstatic.

I’m sure all of my reflections are all well-known by the Rejoov crew as is the final thought I had whilst slumped on the orange pavement in the finish area under the Opera House trying to keep a banana down, grasping my water bottle and looking up at the Harbour Bridge where we set out earlier that morning.

9)     42.195km is a long way. Never again.

Well, maybe not until next year’s sub-3 attempt. Oh dear.

After party at the Golden Sheaf with the Rejoov gang

I don't run trails by Lisa Sherman

“I don’t run trails…”

by Lisa Sherman, Nutritionist, http://wholelifenutrition.net.au

I can’t count the number of times I have said these four words over the years. As someone who has spent many years road running, I’ve been asked numerous times when will I take up trail running and I’ve always responded with “I don’t run trails”. My reasoning for this was pretty simple – a fear of tripping or falling and just not thinking I would enjoy it anywhere near as much as running on the road. But…given I am fond of challenging myself (in the last 12 months I have conquered my fear of ocean swimming and found a new passion in swimrun events), I thought it was perhaps time to give a trail event a go and I’m so glad I did.

Not quite sure what I was getting myself in for but determined to push aside my fear of trails, in April I searched for an event to enter. As luck would have it, registration for Coastal Classic opened in April and I signed up on the day entries opened – my challenge was now set. The Coastal Classic is a 30km trail run through the gorgeous Royal National Park, starting at Otford through to Bundeena. Held in early September, the course takes in a variety of terrain from sand running, rocks, boardwalk, beaches, cliff-tops, bushland, rainforest, steep hill and stair climbs, and is also quite narrow in parts, especially at the start. The run appealed as I could easily do some training runs along the course and quite a few other Rejoovers were also doing the run or have done it in the past, so I had people I could turn to for advice.

Leading up to the event, a few of us did two training runs – an out and back from Otford for the first run and then most of the course from Otford to Bundeena a couple of weeks prior to the race. I was pretty nervous heading out for the for first run as I just did not know what to expect on the course or if I would even enjoy the run. I had a hydration vest but not trail shoes and wasn’t sure if my normal runners would be okay. I was still very nervous about falling or tripping but once on the run, I realised this fear was negated by the ability to walk, take it slow, pick up speed, or run, whatever I wanted to do – you are on your own time with trails and I felt less pressure to hit and maintain a certain pace. And it’s totally okay to walk sections if you need to, especially steep stair climbs or taking it easier when going downhill, to ensure I didn’t trip! It really helped having Olivia, Claire and Dave with me too as they have all done trails before and had great advice on how to tackle various parts of the course. I thoroughly enjoyed that first training run (although not sure my quads were too happy with the number of stairs and inclines we had to tackle on the way back to Otford!) and couldn’t wait to do more trail running.

On the day of the event, whilst I had a time goal in mind, my main focus was to enjoy the run, soak up the experience and smile often. Having completed the second training run along most of the course from Otford to Bundeena a couple of weeks before, I felt good knowing what to expect from the terrain, although with quite a bit of the course exposed and windy conditions on the day, I knew there might be some challenging sections of the run.

The race has a self-seeded start with pairs going off every 5 seconds. I was a little unsure of where to place myself at the start but ended up standing with fellow Rejoovers and found myself quite near the front, so got an early start out. The first part of the course is a mix of hill climbs, bushland, rainforest and given how narrow it is, there were other runners passing me but I didn’t mind, I knew they had more experience on trails, especially going downhill and I still didn’t want to trip! I also knew I would pick up some speed on some of the other sections and I found I was able to pass a number of other runners as the run progressed.

Lisa and gang before the race start.. everyone trying to work out their self-seeded starts

One of the most enjoyable parts of the run has got to be the scenery. There are some really stunning sections as you follow the coast to Bundeena and the variety of the terrain also adds to the experience in a positive way. Just when you feel that you can’t go another step on a steep climb out from one of the beaches, you are at the top and have boardwalk, giving a change of pace and using different muscle groups. Again, just when you feel like you’ve had enough of the boardwalks, you hit a grassy slope or rocky clifftop and it changes again. This variety and continual changes in terrain are what make trail running interesting and a challenge. And I have no doubt that even if you run the same trails regularly, you would still experience differences in the track depending on the conditions.

Lisa’s cheer squad waiting at the pretty but very windy Jibbon Beach

Coming into the final 1.5km of the course, we hit Jibbon Beach, and the wind had really picked up. I’ll admit it was tough going across the beach. Thoughts of my husband Grant and two boys, Luke and Rylee, being at the finish, plus coaches Greta, Chris and other Rejoovers, really keep me going at this point and moving forward. As always, there is nothing like the cheers of your friends and family to bring you home and crossing that finish line was an awesome feeling! I finished the run well within my time goal, loved all the highs and lows of the course and definitely know I smiled a lot during the run.

Lisa ecstatic to finish in 3.19 23rd female, 9th 40-49 age group

I’m absolutely keen to participate in more trail runs and hoping to obtain an entry for 6 Foot Track in March (Coastal Classic is a qualifying race) and also looking at UTA in May next year. So…whilst trail running won’t replace road running for me, it’s nice to be able to mix it up and the saying “I don’t run trails” no longer applies to me!

Lisa’s family Grant, Luke and Rylee, fabulous support

The Golden Light by Juny Xi Yang

The Golden Light

by Rejoover Juny Xi Yang

As a running enthusiast, I always strive to get better at running. This article is about my training and races in the last four months. It is a pleasure to share with you.

For me, the year of 2019 started with Boston Marathon, my first ever "big six" marathon races. I qualified for it last year in a truly kick-ass fashion (my own ass in that case), with a 20 minute PB in 3:18. With high hopes before going there, I finished it in 3:34, 16 minutes longer than my qualifying time. I won’t call it a failure. I had a fantastic time and learned valuable lessons. But it hurts my self-esteem to not get a PB for the first time in my races.

The truth was I went through some pretty tough personal times leading up to Boston. My trainings had been patchy. I struggled to eat properly (having your mum and dad who are amazing home cooks didn't help unfortunately). Along with the lacking of physical dedication, my mental strength waned as well. Sometimes I would go for a whole week without even thinking about training.

I didn't get Greta to write me a program for Boston (I bloody should have). Deep down I knew I would not be able to stick to it. Although it seems that I often talk about running as the only thing that matters, I had to accept that there are more important things in life. After all, you can never run away from life challenges. Boston was the result of my choices and I accepted it.

I always wanted go back to trail running after Boston, so I started running in the Blue Mountains again. Funny enough, I never much training on the trails, despite finishing my first 100k trail race a year ago. The first trip to Mount Solitary took almost 6 hours. It killed my legs. I was still going down the stairs with straight legs on the following Thursday.

The second trip was even harder and longer, done on a freezing day with lashing rain. Yet I recovered completely by the next Tuesday. I was amazed by how quickly our body could adapt to the increasing challenges.

The following week I went to Rejoov Whitehaven camp. I was still in my relaxing state, no race booked. Because of the trip I got off my usual Low Carb High Fat diet as well. My body felt heavy from eating all the carbs (and yes I got caught eating ice cream AND instant noodles at the airport after giving a nutrition talk on healthy eating….). But I was having an awesome time with the gang, discipline didn't come to the front of my mind at all.

As part of the trip, I did the beautiful Whitehaven 10K race on Whitehaven beach itself. Taking second female position was a complete surprise. I didn't feel I was in the shape to do well in any race, regardless how small it was. But I always get really competitive with random people during the race. After the fourth women overtook me, the dragon lady in me erupted. She started to yell at me with angry words I could not put down in the article.

So, I went from” oh I just want to casually jog on the beach and drink Champaign in the water later" to “ I am going to chase everyone down”. My hat and my hair tie were blown off by the strong head wind but I didn't care. I managed to came just seconds after the first lady, like a crazy woman.

Juny coming a close 2nd place (hair blowing in the wind) in the 10k behind world champs marathoner Julia degan who had already broken the tape before this pic was taken

Making to the podium and winning a small prize money (being Asian) gave me a much needed boost to my confidence and determination. Naturally I did something crazy even to my own standard:

I signed up a 165 kilometer race, with 9500 meter in elevation gain in China next March, Gaolinggong by UTMB. I have not done anything even close to that kind of distance or difficulty.

My hands were shaking after I received the confirmation email. I was excited and scared at the same time. I knew I need to start training, hard.

Two weeks into my training, I bumped into Lisa Mintz in the park. Within 10 minutes she convinced me I should pace her in You Yangs. After finishing an extremely tough miller in New Zealand earlier this year, she was going to do another 160 kilometer race there (yep that’s how she rocks). So I signed up for the trail marathon at You Yangs and agreed to pace Lisa throughout the night after my race.

Secretly, I dreamed about winning the female marathon race. It was an extremely small field, only 54 participants. Perhaps I could get lucky.

When I stood in the freezing morning at You Yangs, I could feel the difference between You Yangs and Boston.

Before the race started in Boston, I knew I was not prepared enough for the race. My legs were weak. My body felt heavy from all the eating in previous days (stuffing your face with ice cream, donuts, and lobster rolls two nights before the race was not the wisest choice).

I did lots of prep talk before the race trying to pump myself up. But when you didn't give everything you could for the race, you knew. That's why I went out way too hard in the beginning, just to take the chances. Of course I ended up blowing up at 16k.

Leading up to You Yangs, I trained well with a few consistent 100k-plus weeks. I went back to my normal diet, which kept me light and energetic. Despite Lisa buying half of the shop the night before, we cooked a simple dinner and consumed only the carbs that were needed for the day. I was calm, and ready.

(not kidding when I said Lisa bought half of the shop….)

When the race started, I went for my own pace. I kept energy in the tank. I let people overtook me without feeling bothered, although under my breath I whispered" I am going you catch you all" (Full disclosure: I am a chicken. I never felt that way towards the elite runners in bigger races....). In You Yangs most of the elevation was in the first 10K. After that there were really pleasant, flat fire traisl all the way to the bottom of the hill. I had to tell myself "slow the fxxx down" a few times.

One by one, I caught up with the ladies that were at the front. In true Juny style, when I tried to pass the second last lady, I stepped on a branch and almost fell right next to her. She told me after the race that she was pretty startled hearing me making all the noises. I promised never use this terrible racing tactic again.....

At the end I ended up the fifth overall and first in female, in 4:13. Since I overtook the last lady, I was able to put 10 more minutes between us in the second half.

I could not describe the feeling of standing on the top of the podium for the first time (although I still did not look much taller…..). Part of me was embarrassed that I even bragged about winning such a small race, but I knew I cherished not only the fact that I won, but also how I executed the race. I could finally put Boston behind me.

The real challenge in You Yangs was going out at night again to pace Lisa. We covered almost the same distance as I did in the morning, but it took us over 10 hours. I was surprised how tired it felt, even if we spent most time fast walking.

I was also surprised how tough Lisa was (well, I shouldn't, but you get to know someone a lot better when you spent 10 hours together). I could tell how much she was struggling, yet she kept on going. A few times she even left me behind while I tried to eat at the aid station (maybe that's more about me being a piggy....)

Running throughout the night with Lisa in You Yangs was really inspiring. It reminded me how much more resilient I need to be if I am ever going to finish a 100 mile race. I also learned two things: 1) my headtorch could last for the whole night without battery change. That's reassuring. 2) I could fall on any surface at any speed, including when walking on a flat surface. It sucks.

Over that Saturday I covered 87k in total. Apart from the bruises and cuts on my legs, I didn't feel nearly as bad I thought it would be. By next Tuesday I was back in the park running.

The next two weekends I did Megalong Mega and Royal National Park again. Both times I was able to run the courses a lot faster than previously. I talked about being competitive in the races, but that is not why I do trail races. When I am out in the nature, I feel free. Seeing mountains and the ocean fills my heart with joy and excitement , and I always fall for their beauty, literally.

Then, it came City2surf time.

After my preparation for Gaoligong started, I trained on the start of C2S route every week. I ran from home to Double Bay, then 40-50 minutes up and down Bellevue Road in all sorts of painful combinations. After the grueling session, I ran the same route back. The whole training was about 20 kilometers.

If I ever told you I enjoyed those sessions, I lied. I enjoyed FINISHING them, not when my head and chest felt like they were about to explode, which was most of the time.

When I started running down William Street, I wondered whether all of the hill training could make City2Surf easier?

It did not. Although now I always fondly call C2S as "baby hills" comparing to the mountains, running 14k on those hills in full speed could never, ever, be taken for granted. I, for one, did not believe I could do it under an hour, with an average pace of 4:15.

Soon, I realized although the hills did not become easier, I did grow stronger. I was able to climb with faster speed and descend with more control. I kept on practicing extending my stride, especially at hard times. Having run the route so many times, I stopped getting lost (it is a celebratable achievement for some, please don't judge me). Now I knew exactly what to expect at each corner. Although I didn't look at my watch at all, I knew I would definitely get a PB.

Going to races like this, I always play my favourite game: treasure-hunting Rejoovers. I loved seeing people wearing Rejoov singlet. It was like finding Easter eggs in the crowd. It was hard to exchange pleasant and meaningful conversations while on the go. But encouraging words through grinded teeth and broken breath were appreciated regardless.

Finally, I came to the top of Military Road. I knew there will be no more uphill, only 2k downhill and 1k flat left. I looked down on my watch, which showed 48 minutes. I have 12 minutes to run 3k. I ran this part many times. Normally I could do it between 4-4:15 minute per kilometer. At that stage, I was still not convinced I could make it sub 60 minutes.

"Come on babe. Bring it home." I said to myself.

I felt like a dog who was just been unleashed. Everything left my head, I just wanted to go to the finish.

Lucky it wasn't crowed at that time, I didn't feel like I need to do too much weaving. Very soon the descend ended.

Ah! How come it felt like going to the roundabout was an slight incline?!! It was so annoying when you were busting your lunges already!

A lady ran pass me. She had such cool leggings. I wonder where she got that from?

"Juny!!!!who the hell cares about leggings NOW!! Finish the bloody race!!" The sound of the dragon lady was deafening.

And I turned the last corner. I couldn't believe my eyes.

The clock was just about to tick over 59 minutes. Since I started at the middle of the pack, not only I was definitely under an hour, I could it make under 59 minutes!

The little cosmo inside me exploded (if you ever watched Saint Seiya you will get the reference). The dead legs were filled with power all of a sudden. I must have overtaken at least 50 people in that last 100 meter, including that legging lady.

After I crossed the line, I got the message. My official time is 58:53.

I never felt so good for underestimating myself and then overachieving my goal.

On my first trip to Bellevue Road with my friend, we followed his training plan then, which was 5x5 minutes hills (50 minutes in total including downhills). It was a dark and wet day. After a while, he said to me:" you should watch out for view of the city lights. It is beautiful." At that time, my system was so shocked by doing such hard hill training for the first time. I had no idea what he was talking about.

As I kept on going back there, gradually I was able to run faster and cover longer distance on that road. One day as I turned around, I saw it:

The city, hiding behind a high fence I just passed for the first time, was glittering on the rising sun. The gentle and warm golden light was shinning on every window in the high rise buildings . It was so gorgeous I couldn't help but smiled.

People always asked me what draws me into running and doing all these "crazy" things. I think running is one of the few rare things in life, which will always give you rewards if you put hard work into it.

Just like the golden light on Bellevue Road.