Chapter 114 : Hobart Christmas pageant

I love some things because they are so last year. They have not adapted and gone with the times or gone digital. I love the way the Hobart Christmas pageant remains as it is.

Crowds line the city streets.  Children wear red elfin hats or rein deer antlers. Officials wearing red hats survey the empty roads. People sit in gutters waiting.

We wander behind the crowds looking for a place to settle. A spot where my grandkids can see the pageant and where the rest of us can purchase some take away coffee.  We settle and my grandkids peer around. They want to know what is about to happen. They want to know what is coming down the road.

I can hear some music approaching us. We peer up the road.

Before the band a small group connected to the traditional owners appears. Carrying a smoking platter and wearing body paints.  This is part of the Welcome to Country ceremony.

The music becomes louder and a marching band finally arrives and surround us with marching foot-stamping music.

The parade becomes various bands separated by floats or groups walking.

The bands are irresistible. The military bands wear glittering and gleaming military uniforms. They march confidently and well-coordinated.  They stop and start uniformly. They wear uniforms perfect for marching and unsuitable for military activities. They exude music not war.

The tartan pipe bands create an unmistakable sound. A sound associated with bag pipes and drums. A sound that belongs outdoors in a parade. Free unrestricted and uncontained. It permeates around the solid buildings and up the alleys and lanes.

There are some non-military community bands.  In various uniforms. Led by a twirling scepters with paper music attached to instruments.

After ever band I always get asked, “Did you see … in the band?”

Between the bands are various community groups. Charities, schools, sports and dance academies. All have children dressed up and are waving to the crowd.

For me and the grandkids the highlights were:  

Greyhounds were led peacefully down the road. A fantastic advertisement that greyhounds have two uses. One often ignored. They make really good pets.

Roller bladders. Sliding confidently up and down the road.

Speedway cars. Some very fast cars being pulled very slowly.

A steam roller rolled steadily and reliably down the middle of the road. Today was its day off. A day of play not work.

Guide dogs. Guide dogs are less visible than they used to be. These dogs and handlers remind us that guide dogs are still needed and loved.

A colorful Chinese dragon twisted, turned and transformed itself as it wound its way down the road. With a team of colorfully dressed men below the dragon. Holding and supporting the dragon with poles and bringing it to life.  The dragon was a part of a group which included red and yellow robes and serene, peaceful people.

Hobart Tigers. The Hobart Junior football club had a man in a tiger costume. The man was happy and enjoying himself as he bellowed, “Merry Christmas.”

A fire engine rolled slowly down the road. I don’t know why Bruce loves looking at fire engines. I know he does. They are big, powerful and shiny red with gleaming metal.

Stilts were common. There were young children on stilts. Animals on stilts. And men on very tall stilts. The men were ungainly, rigid and towered above us.  I admired their skill as I hoped Bruce doesn’t ask me for some stilts for Christmas. Please Bruce don’t be inspired.

Bruce called out to the clown expecting a reply. The cacophony resulted in no riposte.

Irish dancers. They kicked high and spun as they marched down the road.

Thumbelina ballerinas with gossamer wings waved to the crowd.  Kay waved to the dancers. She was very happy to see girls doing what she loves to do. Enjoy dancing.

I said to Bruce, “Look there is a dinosaur.”

Bruce informed me, “That’s a T-rex.”

And then Santa Claus appeared lounging in his sleigh insouciantly. Around him were reindeer and presents. My grandkids saw him.  They didn’t talk about presents. They didn’t say what they wanted for Christmas.  They said, “Did you hear him say, “Ho, ho, ho merry Christmas.”

I asked them, “Who was the star of the pageant?” Was it baby Jesus or Santa Claus? Who do you most remember?

Bruce says Shrek. Kay is still aglow with images of ballerinas dancing down the main road.  They were stars she dreams of joining.

It must say something about me but I think the stars were the dogs. The greyhounds, the guide dogs and dogs with beards. The dogs were all lively, curious and left nothing behind.

Chapter 113 : the Comrades Marathon : 1986 article : AFTERWARDS

AFTERWARDS

What happens when you finish? Enjoy your moment of triumph. Why not? Then rest. Why not? you deserve it and your body needs it. You have just finished one of the toughest ultra-marathons in the world. A race with traditions, atmosphere and popular support. Many people don’t have the opportunity to even think about entering, running or finishing this race so consider yourself lucky. You are.

In the weeks after the race you can analyze your race and look for areas that need improvement. Write down everything that you can think of that may help you in the future. Then forget about the comrades. Go away and do something else for the Comrades is not the end. It is only the means to an end.

Chapter 112 : the Comrades Marathon : 1986 article : ON THE DAY

ON THE DAY

On the day of the race you must be at your peak in order to reach your potential. Your body must be at its physical peak on this day. Not a week before or a week later. This peaking at the right time comes from self-knowledge. You must be correctly trained. It is an endurance race and you must be trained for endurance and strength. Your training must achieve a balance between over training (tiredness and injuries) and under training (performing below potential). Such a balance is difficult to achieve and achieved in different ways by different people.

On the day your physical condition is affected by factors other than training done. One of these is the food eaten in the days preceding the race. Stick with foods that suit you. Any illness in the weeks preceding the race will affect your performance. You may think you have fully recovered but the race is always the final arbiter and the race will find these chinks of yours and expose them for the world to see.

Your mind must be at a mental peak on the day. You must be relaxed and anxiously anticipating. You should be excited by the challenge. You should be quietly confident. This confidence comes from knowing you have done adequate training. Any emotional problems arising in the days preceding must be solved. If you take into the race such problems; problems where your mind is not still and cannot concentrate on the race then you will be found out. You don’t run the comrades on aggression, anger or hate. Such things may help you win in rugby or boxing but not in the comrades. They will only hinder.

On the day your knowledge about certain things also needs to at a peak. You need to know all about the route and when you will have to push hard and where there will be some respite. You need to know which clothing and shoes will be best for you. Before you start you must decide what pace you will run at and what liquids you will drink. Do your homework by experimenting during training. Added confidence can be obtained by knowing you are prepared.

Each person is different and has the potential to run a certain minimum time. This time will be different for each person and you can’t compare yourself with somebody else. You can’t disguise or hide what you were born with. It will always come out in the race so it is best to accept your limitations before you begin.

Assuming your self-knowledge is perfect and this has resulted in you being in perfect mental and physical condition for the race then you will achieve your potential. Unfortunately nobody ever does which is why everybody keeps on returning. All you can do during training and in your other preparations is minimize your mistakes. Any mistake will slow you down but nothing will make you run faster than what you are capable of.

The person who has the potential to run a 10:15 Comrades and finishes in 10:30 has performed better than someone capable of 6:30 who finishes in 8:30. This is irrelevant though as you should not be comparing yourself with other people. You should be striving to improve your own time and to eliminate your own mistakes. Your mistakes may not be obvious on the day but an honest post mortem a few weeks later will help.  There is no such thing as a “bad run”. There is always a reason for a bad run even if it isn’t immediately obvious to you.

Chapter 111 : the Comrades Marathon : 1986 article : THE TRAINING

THE TRAINING

There are many different training methods. What is important is that you choose a method that works for you. Bearing that in mind there are certain basic principles that are fairly universal. I will now describe the methods I prefer for myself even though they might not be right for you.

                Rest…immediately preceding the race rest. Do not run or do any vigorous exercise. Prepare yourself mentally. I think about three days is right but this can easily vary.

                Taper…In the weeks preceding the race I would gradually decrease my mileage. I prefer a taper of about three weeks. As you decrease your mileage you should become full of life and full of bounce. If this is so you can increase the amount of speed work or slightly increase the speed at which you train but be careful. If you push yourself too hard you will tear a muscle or catch a cold. After every training run you should feel fit and bouncy. If you are tired and jaded then rest immediately and do not run again until fully recovered.

                Quality Training…preceding the taper you need a period of high quality training. I think 8/10 weeks is about ideal. The emphasis is on high weekly mileages. At the start of this period I would write down my planned weekly mileages. For most weeks it would be about 120 kays a week. The most important thing during this period is to achieve these guidelines. I keep a log book and record what I have run. This is essential. I start my week on Saturday so I begin the week with a long run. if I run am and pm on Saturday and Sunday then I would accomplish 50/60 kays over the weekend. if I’m feeling good then I can continue to push it hard on Monday so that I will be rewarded with Thursday and Friday or just Friday as a rest day. If I’m feeling tired or heavy footed then I can rest on Monday, take it easy on Tuesday and run hard on Wednesday and Thursday. I prefer a fixed weekly programme and a flexible daily program. I find programs which set out on the 23/4 you run 5 kays am and 8 kays pm a complete mystery. I suspect nobody sticks to them but if it suits you then that’s okay.

These training runs should be run at an easy comfortable pace though on some days you will strain to finish. You are trying to increase your endurance so total mileage is what counts. Don’t be embarrassed about the speed at which you run. It doesn’t matter. Don’t race the people you train with. Don’t try and impress and don’t try and improve your time every day. Don’t be afraid to stop and rest or walk.

Once a week I would do a long training run. The aim of this run is to mentally prepare yourself for running long distances and to increase endurance and stamina. This is definitely not a time for racing. Stopping regularly drinking often and plodding along is what is important. You cannot train for speed and endurance on the same day.

If I want to do some speed training then this will be done during the week. If during a particular week I find I can easily achieve my set mileage then I can think about a fast time trial or other type of speed work. However if during the week I’m battling to achieve my mileage then speed work is quickly forgotten. Mileage comes first and speed comes second. I would also never do more than two hard days a week (one long run and one time trial).

During this period of intensive training you will find you need to sleep more than normal and to eat more than normal. Don’t fight it. If you are hungry then eat. It’s impossible to put on weight when doing such training. This period of quality training demands sacrifices. There is time spent running and time spent sleeping that must come from somewhere. If you don’t have this time to spare then forget about the Comrades.

                Basic training…preceding the high quality period is a  less intensive more varied period during which you attempt to achieve a basic level of fitness and get used to the daily routine of running. Your mileage should gradually increase during this period so that by the end of base training a jump to 120 kays is not large or traumatic.

This is more a time for enjoying your running. For entering races and running time trials. It is also a time for visiting the gym to strengthen your leg, back and stomach muscles. At the start of this period you should do other sports (swimming, squash, cycling etc). The way you go about training during this period and the length of time it talks can vary so much it’s impossible to know where to start. For some people this bas training is a part of their daily routine for the whole year.

Chapter 110 : the Comrades Marathon : 1986 article : HOW TO RUN THE COMRADES

HOW TO RUN THE COMRADES

Before you start your first training run you must do certain things. First you need a philosophical base to you which is stable and sound. This is the rock upon which everything else is built. If you have emotional, work, social, financial or marital problems then go away and solve them first. Forget about the comrades. The comrades will not solve any of these problems. These problems will surface at the wrong time and prevent you achieving your goals.

Once your life is basically routine and mundane you can start to think about the Comrades. What you need now is a reason. A reason for running. It has to be a good reason. Write it down. If this reason is appropriate for you and consistent with your basic outlook on life then you can continue.

Next you must consider that there is absolutely no shame in not running the Comrades. You can achieve just as much in any field if you approach it with the same amount of time, courage, determination and honesty. There are many paths to the mountain top. A person who exercises regularly and is consistently fit and healthy is achieving more than someone who runs Comrades and rapidly retires.

If you still wish to proceed you need a plan. A realistic plan which will achieve your goal. If you are unfit and have no experience at road running you may find it difficult to write down a suitable training guide. You do not know what you are capable of and hopefully you will later find out that you are capable of things you never dreamed of. Conversely many beginners start off too optimistically and rarely fail to achieve their target and then become disillusioned. It is best to talk to as many people s possible and they will assist you with a realistic and attainable programme.

Chapter 109 : the Comrades Marathon : 1986 article for local running magazine

Chapter 108 : the Comrades Marathon : photos from local newspaper

Chapter 107 : the Comrades Marathon : official photographs

Chapter 106 : the Comrades Marathon

I was born and bred in Melbourne, Australia.

In 1981 I decided to go and work in South Africa.

Arriving in South Africa many of the people I met talked about the Comrades Marathon.

At the time there were 10,000-15,000 entrants per year. The majority were young, white, male South Africans.

It was an endurance running race. Between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. Alternating between an up and down course. Distance varies but is normally about 90 kays. Both up and down courses are hilly.

In 1986 there were sporting sanctions against South Africa. That meant no international sport and domestic sport got all the media coverage. The Comrades grew bigger during this period.

In South Africa it was one of the biggest sporting events of the year. 

It was almost a rite of passage for white males.

When living in Zululand I decided to do it.  My result is two finishes. In 1985 and 1986.

Zululand was very hot and ideal for growing sugar cane.

Because of the heat I trained early in the morning.

I have memories of, to beat the heat, getting up early, running through the sugar cane and gazing up at Haley’s comet. 

In 1986 my training was interrupted by the birth of one of my daughters.

Because of the political system at the time she was born in a hospital for people classified as white.

She now has two children who are beyond racial classification.

The world, the country and the Comrades Marathon has changed.

It has gone professional.

It has gone international.

It has gone multiracial.

It has gone multisexual.

Some things never change. It is still a hard slogging race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

In 1986 I wrote an article for my local running club magazine titled “How to run the Comrades.”

In the photos I am wearing the shirt of the local running club. Our symbol was a local animal, the white rhino.

Reading the article today I am pretty proud of it. I tend to agree with myself. Today I would write it differently but I agree with the basic ideas.  Chapter 97 gives my present ideas on how to run a marathon. Pretty similar with slight differences.   

In South Africa, for me, long distance running was a very selfish and self-centered activity.

Returning to Australia my children and work became more important, occupied more time and left less time for long distance running.

And in Australia there was not a race with the same profile.

I have recently met a few people planning on running the Comrades. These people have inspired me to upload an article I wrote in 1986.

Enjoy it.