30 June 2010

CHRIS SOLINSKY


5.00am 16km Cadel+ Roo 66m43

I found my beany for this mornings run. Got home and showered and then pi**ed down! A good feeling to have got your run in and then it rains. Looks like this cold spell and showers are forecast all the way through to the weekend. Disappointing as I don't like it cold.

Here is a profile of hris Solinsky from Sports Illustrated;


CHRIS SOLINSKY 12:56.56 & 26:59.60 already in 2010

Earlier this month I spent a couple days in Oregon reporting a story for Sports Illustrated on U.S. distance runner Chris Solinsky, who has had a brilliant spring, crushing the American 10,000-meter record and also becoming the just the fifth U.S. runner to break 13 minutes in the 5,000 meters. Because of the magazine's space limitations, the Solinsky story appears only as an "Inside Track'' column. This is a longer version of that story. Think of it as the director's cut.

BEAVERTON, Oregon -- At this moment, Matt Tegenkamp would prefer not to talk. "I'll be doing a lot better right after this,'' he says, nodding toward the track that sits in the middle of the Nike business campus in suburban Portland. (And in the middle of the track is: A mature forest; you cannot see the 200-meter mark from the finish line. Half expect to see Hansel and Gretel wander out at any point). "This'' is a series of 16 400-meter repetitions of 62 or 63 seconds, each with just 100-meter jog recoveries. It is essentially an agonizing five-mile tempo run, which leaves Tegenkamp in the moment of dread that any competitive runner can appreciate.
Standing nearby is Chris Solinsky. Like Tegenkamp, Solinsky is part of the Nike Oregon Project, the eight-year-old training program conceived by former marathon great Alberto Salazar, which now includes a dozen world-class runners training in two groups under two coaches (Salazar and Jerry Schumacher, who trains Solinsky and Tegenkamp). Unlike Tegenkamp, Solinsky is not running the workout, because he just raced 5,000 meters in Oslo four days earlier.
But Solinsky isn't happy to stand by and watch Tegenkamp suffer with training partners Evan Jager and Tim Nelson. "I wish I was running it,'' he says. And that, in a sentence, is the essence of the 25-year-old Wisconsin native who has become the latest in a generation of U.S. distance runners to move close inside the slipstream of the East Africans who have dominated the sport for more than three decades.
On May 1 at Stanford, Solinsky ran 26:59.60 for 10,000 meters in his first attempt at the distance, breaking Meb Keflezighi's U.S. record by a staggering 14.38 seconds. Thirty-four days later he ran 12:56.56 for 5,000 meters in the Oslo meet, just off Bernard Lagat's American record of 12:54.12 in the same race. ("And it was the dumbest 12:56 in history,'' says Schumacher, in reference to Solinsky's spotty tactics).
Solinsky's 10K was the first sub-27 by a non-African runner (and it probably could have been much faster; more on that later). His 5K made him by far the fastest American combination 5K/10K runner in history. Perspective, absolutely affected by history but telling nonetheless: Solinsky's 5k is now 25 seconds faster than Steve Prefontaine ever ran; his 10k 46 seconds faster than Frank Shorter's best. (According to trackfocus.com, only 16 men in history -- all of them Africans -- have run faster than Solinsky at 5K and 10K).
The most jarring part of Solinsky's rise -- and it's been a steady ascent for nearly a decade -- is that he looks not at all like a distance runner. (Many of the best U.S. runners in history resembled East Africans in stature and, in some cases, upbringing. Shorter: Built like a Kenyan. Bill Rodgers: Built like a Kenyan. Dathan Ritzenhein: Built like a Kenyan. Ryan Hall: Built like a Kenyan and raised at altitude. Lagat: Was actually a Kenyan).
Solinsky, meanwhile, is 6-foot-1, 165 pounds, with the definition and muscle mass of a wrestler or a Division III safety. He has broad shoulders and thick legs and, best of all, his approach to training and racing matches his build. "Tough cookie,'' says Salazar. "When I'm with him, he reminds me of Lance Armstrong, that intensity.'' It wasn't always that way.
Solinsky was raised in Stevens Point, an hour north of Madison and nearly dead center in the state of Wisconsin. His father, Wayne (actually Artman Wayne, as with several previous generations of Solinsky men; Chris was spared and Artman was made his middle name), and mother, Shelley, were divorced when Chris was in kindergarten. He lived with his mom until eighth grade, and then moved in with his father and, at nearly the same time, decided -- after playing soccer and basketball as a little kid -- he wanted to run.
His dad would join him. Wayne Solinsky, 50, had been a very good high school runner in Stevens Point in the mid-1970's, running 4:30 for a mile and 9:30 for two miles. But he lived on a dairy farm and there were endless chores to perform, so he never trained in the offseason and never ran cross-country until his senior year, and only then when he promised his father he would give up bow-hunting because only one leisure activity was allowed. After graduation, he stayed home and never explored the depth of his running talent. When Chris began running in eighth grade, Wayne was determined to make sure his son didn't leave any untapped potential.
"I never got the chance to see what I could have done as a runner,'' says Wayne. ''I didn't want Chris to have that hanging over him.'' Hence, they butted heads almost immediately. In the summer before Chris entered high school, Wayne would run with him every day -- and beat him every day. Then he would explain why. "You're not tough enough,'' Wayne would say.
"You're starting to piss me off,'' Chris said one day.
"Good,'' said Wayne. ``It's about time.''
The first time Chris beat his father was in the SPASHS intrasquad run before the start of the 1999 cross-country season. Wayne went out too hard and faded to finish in 17:45 for 5K; Chris caught him late and ran 17:40. A lesson was learned. Chris became a tenacious trainer. He would run five miles on his own, and as hard as possible, at least three days a week, and then train with the cross-country or track team in the afternoon. One day he ran a five-mile loop in roughly 23 minutes -- before school -- and called cross-country coach Don Behnke to tell him about it. "What are you doing?'' Behnke said, incredulously.
Solinsky developed into one of the best high school runners in the country, running 4:05 for 1,600 meters and 8:43 for 3,200 (beating a stellar field at the Arcadia Invitational). He was even bigger then than he is now, probably reaching 175 pounds at times, but he never broke down. "As a coach, you worry about durability at that age,'' says Behnke. "You ask yourself, 'Am I letting him do too much? Is he going to be one of those runners who people ask about: Whatever happened to Chris Solinsky? Because he burned out. But this is a strong and durable kid.''
Wisconsin distance coach Jerry Schumacher heard the same buzz. "There were a lot of naysayers about how good Chris could be,'' says Schumacher, who left Wisconsin and came to Oregon in January 2009. "People were saying: 'He's too big, he ran too many miles in high school.' He's always going to be big. But the fact is, he doesn't get hurt. It's an amazing thing. He has tremendous durability and aerobic ability, and they go hand in hand. He doesn't miss time due to injury, so he's able to train a lot and that is a major asset for him.''
Tegenkamp's view: "Chris is one of a kind. He's got a body type that just does not break down. He gets little aches and pains, but they just don't develop into major injuries. He's had something like seven straight years of steady training in Jerry's system. That's very rare for a distance runner.'' (Asked how many times he has personally been hurt in those same seven years, Tegenkamp says, "You couldn't count on both hands'').
Salazar takes a scientific view of Solinsky's mass. "He's got functional muscle weight that's propelling him. It's not like he's fat. Think of it this way: If you put a bigger, heavier engine in your car, the car is going to weigh more, but it can still go faster.''
Ritzenhein, whose less-than-one-year-old 5K American record was taken down by both Lagat and Solinsky, says, "All I can say is, he's got to have the biggest pump [heart] of anybody out there. Can you imagine how fast he would go if he was my size?'' (Ritzenhein is 5-8, 117 pounds).
Solinsky has used this durability to train relentlessly hard. "I'm willing to work as hard as I have to work,'' he said, while eating a bowl of pasta, sitting next to his wife, Amy (former Wisconsin pole vaulter Amy Dahlin), at an Oregon restaurant. "I love long, tempo runs. I love to ride that [anaerobic] line a lot. You never know how long you're going to be able to run, so you've got to put everything you can into it.''
His college teammates saw it when he arrived at Wisconsin from Stevens Point Area Senior High in the fall of 2003, a stud recruit who had run 8:43 for two miles as a prep runner. One afternoon the upperclassmen took the rookies on a 70-minute de facto hazing run, in which the primary goal was to run the freshmen into the ground. Solinsky refused to give way, grinding along through the miles and masking his agony. "It had to be killing him,'' recalls Tegenkamp. "But he wouldn't back off.''
For nearly his entire first semester, Solinsky would train with one group of older teammates on one day, and then another on the next. "The problem was, he was getting everybody on their hard days,'' says Simon Bairu, another former Badger who is now training in Oregon with Schumacher/Nike. Before he left, Solinsky won two NCAA 5,000-meter titles (and also endured an epic crash in the national XC meet in his senior year, a rare bonking).
There have been setbacks since. He missed the 2008 Olympic team at 5,000 meters when he faded to fifth in the final 200 meters after leading the race. In the winter of 2009 he tore his posterior cruciate ligament by slipping on ice (never gets hurt from just running) and missed four weeks of training. But again, his stout build helped him: The ligament has never been repaired and Solinsky powerful lower body has simply taken up the slack.
In Oregon, he pounds miles relentlessly. "Jerry has to stop him sometimes,'' says Tegenkamp.
Solinsky says, "A lot of the things I do, I don't think I could get away with if I was a normal, wimpy runner.''
Another thought: Salazar regards Solinsky as one of the most biomechanically perfect distance runners he's ever seen. Perfect stride length, perfect foot plant, perfect balance. (Trivia: Salazar says the best he's ever seen was Haile Gebrselassie, although most of the Ethiopians are almost perfect, as well).
On assigned "easy'' days, Solinsky will drop his pace steadily below six minutes per mile, sometimes under 5:30. Training partners like Tegenkamp (fourth-place finisher in 5,000 at the 2007 Worlds and a 2008 Olympian) and Bairu will purposely avoid Solinsky on these easy days because Solinsky inevitably turns the runs into death marches. "I'll be sitting around the house thinking everybody is running alone,'' says Solinsky. "Then I'll find out they all ran together, but just didn't call me.''
Says Bairu: "If any one of us was to train the way he does, even for a week, we'd break down.''
Part of the reason Solinsky trains so relentlessly is that he questions his raw talent. Prefontaine was the same way, and accordingly, Solinsky went through high school "obsessed'' with Prefontaine, often watching both Pre theatrical movies in a single day before racing or training.
Solinsky's affection for long, tough, tempo running made his ascension to the 10,000 a no-brainer, and while his 26:59 shocked the distance running community (and frankly, surprised even Solinsky), it probably could have been much faster. Consider: Solinsky didn't take the lead until 900 meters remained and then closed in 1:56 for the last 800. "I saw him right at the finish,'' says Bairu, who ran 27:23 in the same race. "He was fresh. He could have kept going. I told him, 'You're not supposed to look like this after a 10,000. If he had been running for time, and took the lead earlier, he could have run 26:40-something for sure.''
Solinsky says, "It was a lot easier than I expected.''
Just over a month later, he ran his 12:56.56 in Oslo, a race in which Solinsky was shuffled back in the middle of the race and ran in the second-pack traffic while Lagat -- smarter and more seasoned -- stayed out of trouble a few meters in front. Solinsky chafed and pushed, getting his shins spiked repeatedly by runners in front, without getting unboxed. (This happens often to Solinsky, whose shins are full of spike scars. "Carnage,'' says Tegenkamp.).
Solinsky and Schumacher have more than a year to plot their event strategy for the 2011 world championships and a year beyond for the next Olympics. Solinsky will say only that he's "leaning'' toward the 10,000. It makes sense that he would avoid the 5,000, which is not as quirky at the kick-crazy 1,500 meters, but still often is decided by wild final 200s.
He will not run this weekend at the USA Track and Field nationals in Des Moines because it is neither a world championship nor Olympic year. His next race will be the 5,000 meters at the July 3 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, and then a series of races in Europe. Those cannot come soon enough, each providing a chance to hack away at history. "I've been the only white guy in a lot of races,'' says Solinsky. "The East African runners look at you like you don't even belong. They pass you in races like it's embarrassing to have the Mzungu [the Swahili term for western Europeans or persons of western European descent] ahead of them. I think about that before and after, but once the race starts, I'm on equal footing.''

29 June 2010

the Bureau of Meteorology

5.00am 16kn Cadel+Roo 68m04

The cold snap continues! I was searching for a beaney this morning - couldn't find it so just the cap, long sleeves with a tee shirt under and running tights. It is 11.7 O C at North lakes rignt now but only about 9.5 o C in Brizzy according to the Bureau of Meteorology

28 June 2010

the armchair sports fan




5.30pm 6KM Roo 21m34 - flat out

Not a great weekend for the armchair sports fan.
Max and Oli's team both lost, but at least Natalie's had a walk over (didn't play)
In the eve I was torn between supporting Australia or Ireland, my old loyalties won over and I wanted to the Irish win but alas the Aussies were too strong. Later in the evening I watched the Moto GP and at least there I got a result of sorts - with Casey getting on the podium - 3rd place.
The only problem was I fell asleep and missed the finish!
Sunday I was in support of Mark Weber at the European GP only to see him run into the back of another and do a spectacular flip (fully airborne) and then bounce back right ways up and smack into the barrier. He was very very lucky to walk away from that one. Unfortunately that left the German - Vettel to win the race but some comfort to see Hamilton and Button get 2nd and 3rd.
At this time I was flipping across to the one dayer England V Australia. Here my loyalties are now fully behind the Aussies so it was another miserable performance that I couldn't watch for too long. Then it was the World Cup England V Germany. I never had much hope and when England were denied that second goal I knew things were just not meant to be! Oli couldn't bear to watch it and went to bed with 10mins to go, I needed to come down and watched the news for half an hour! A bad weekend for the armchair sportsfan!

27 June 2010

69

Fri 5.00am 16KM Cadel+Roo 67m11
Sat 3.00pm 6 X 1K @ Nudgee 200m jog recovery
Sun 3.00pm 22KM Roo+Lake X 2 90m49

Friday's run included a brief chat with Helen Stanton who confirmed she was awarded the first place at the Caloundra Foreshore 10K.
Today's run felt comfortable which considering it was 45m + 45m for Roo+Lake is quite good going. I weighed in at 69kg before my run.
This morning I had to go into the city to pick up my race number for next Saturday = Gold Coast 10K. Somehow I have managed to blag an elite start which amongst other things means my race number (bib) is in fact my name! I hope that I can perform to the very best of my current ability (stating the obvious!!). I'm not really sure what that might be but I hope that it would be sub 36.
Late night tonight ( Formula 1 and then England V Germany) so probably just my usual short run tomorrow.

24 June 2010

FAUX PAS

Wed 5.00am 16km Cadel+roo 68m09
Thurs 5.00am 16km Cadel+roo 66m17

As a Gooner who has 4 players playing for France I dont like the anti Galic sentiments often expressed in England however I was tickled by the following article from the Guardians 'The Fiver' this was published prior to the game against South Africa.

France's defender Patrice Evra

France's Brave Patrice Evra. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images


The Fiver has always been fascinated by the French. Their air of fag-smoking existential mystery. Their cheeses. Their sixth form day-trip resorts brimming with flick-knives and CS gas. Their Kicker shoes, still unfashionable after all these years. And of course, their high-faluting philosophical bent, that production line of Left-Bank-lurking, cognac-quaffing, teenage-girl-seducing intellectual heavyweights. Sartre, Gainsbourg, Houllier, Clouseau: the list goes on. And to that number can now be added the current World Cup squad who, it seems, have spent the last two weeks conducting a series of experiments into the essential Descartian reality of being at the Fifa World Cup 2010.

So far Raymond Domenech's seekers have established an unprecedented dualism, managing to be at the World Cup without actually being at the World Cup. France turned up in South Africa three weeks ago. But at the same time France have also failed to "turn up". Nicolas Anelka has gone home because he was unhappy. But, in at least one vital sense, Nicolas Anelka was never there in the first place. Is the basic notion of Nicolas Anelka being "unhappy" robust in itself? Can a man who appears at all times to be saturated with unshakeable gloom ever really be "happy" in the first place? If Nicolas Anelka is unhappy on a long-haul flight back to Western Europe and no members of the media are there to register his sullen facial expression and sagging beanie hat, does it really count?

And finally, if Domenech says some of his players may effectively boycott today's final Group A match against South Africa - as he has in this morning's papers - does this actually mean anything given that most of them have already spent the last two weeks doing nothing but shrug and amble about?

It is undoubtedly a fascinating move - led mainly by the skipper, France's Brave Patrice Evra, William Gallas, geriatric substitute Thierry Henry and scuttling wing-disappointment Franck Ribery - and one for which Domenech has already shown his appreciation, describing his players as "imbecilic", which probably means "groundbreaking" in French. The French sports minister, Roselyne Bachelot, has also had her say on the threat of strike action. "I told the players they had tarnished the image of France," Bachelot applauded last night, repeatedly beeping the horn of her small, off-white souped-up Peugeot van. "It is a moral disaster for French football."

And also, lest we forget, a significant moment for Irish football, deprived of the chance to conduct its own philosophical experiments into going home from a World Cup before you've even turned up by some sort of funny business in Paris last November. But at least, the Fiver supposes - as all eight of France's remaining footballers shamble out against South Africa this afternoon the people of Republic O'Ireland might be able to take some solace from the quite spectacular job France have done in their place.

For some balance this is equally amusing;

THE BREAKFAST CLUB

It is morning. The England squad wake up at the hour chosen by their leader and gather together for breakfast at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Complex, where they are astonished to find something missing from the buffet table. The full cereal selection is present and correct. There is bread, and toast, and yoghurt in a variety of flavours. On the hotplates sausages sizzle, bacon bubbles and soggy hot tomatoes sit sadly, untouched, unloved, weeping hot tomato juice from their gaping tomato wounds. But where are the eggs?

Lamps looks for the eggs. There are no eggs.

Wazza looks for the eggs. There are no eggs.

Jamo tries to find the eggs. There are no eggs.

Crouchy find the eggs. They are all over England's Brave and Loyal John Terry's face. EBALJT's face is so resoundingly egged, it is more egg than footballer. It is a footballer omelette. Some of the England squad look at their deposed captain and get confused. They think it's all pavlova.

EBALJT, the team's captain and leader if not officially then at least inside his own cloud-filled head, "I am a leader on the training ground, on the pitch and in the hotel, I was born to do this" etc etc is a humbled man. His plans are scrambled, his revolution over easy. He set up a clear-the-air meeting on Sunday where "the lads" would "do the best for England", but found that the only thing that became clear was his own place in the squad hierarchy some way from the top. As it turned out, the only voice heard at the meeting had an Italian accent. So badly did the meeting go for our trileonine hero, he had to call a journalist actually phone one up to say sorry. "It was never my intention to upset the manager or the players and if I did upset anyone, I apologise," he crumbled exclusively to another-paper-we-won't-mention-because-why-should-we-it-wasn't-us. "I have told the manager he has my total support."

And so Capello's reign of terror continues unsquashed, his power strengthened, his authority absolute.

For one more day, at least.

England's Brave And Loyal John Terry - with egg all over his face - would you prefer to slap or punch ?

John Terry


22 June 2010

More km's

Mon 5.30pm 6K Roo 21m50 - fast'ish
Tues 5.00am 16K Cadel+Roo 66m58 - steady

20 June 2010

Jetty to Jetty


Fri 5.00am 16km Cadel+Lake 66m11
Sat 5.30pm 6 X 1000m @ Nudgee 200m jog recovery untimed
Sun 12noon 25km Redcliffe peninsula coastal path 102m48

Going to wait for the day to warm up before going for a longish run perhaps along the coastal footpath at Redcliffe by way of reconnaissance for Jetty to Jetty 10KM with special guest Monnas!!!!! in about a months time. Really looking forward to racing against him for perhaps the first k! At the halfway point the race actually runs down the Jetty and back!
Just got back from Redcliffe. Glorious day, not a cloud in the sky, 21 O C and feels so much warmer. Lots of yachts out in the bay, must have been a race on. I took things steady. At times my calf felt like it was going to cramp so just took it easy and drank plenty of water, got back OK.

17 June 2010

Queenslander!!!! 5 - 0



Wed 5.00am 16KM Cadel+Roo 68m43
Thurs 5.00am 16km Cadel+Roo 68m12

15 June 2010

VUVUZELAS




Tues 5.00am 10KM Cadel 43m50


Crickey those first few steps this morning were tough following on from Monday afternoons run!


Baby steps were all I could muster to begin with but I eventually warmed up a little and was able to run a little more freely.


I can't understand all the incessant moaning about the Vuvuzelas at the World Cup! I love the sound! They should hand them out to all spectators at the GC this year - it would liven things up!

14 June 2010

Always opened mouthed me!







Mon 5.00pm 11km Roo+Lake 40m52

Yes flat out today! I'd say I ran at faster than race pace during the latter part of this evenings run. I was flying! The only hassle I had were sections around the lakes where those darn flies that go round and round in circles about 5ft off the ground , at Mouth and eye level, so that you have to run with your mouth closed (very hard for the always open mouthed me!!).

We had people over last night and then I stayed up to watch the Socceroos at 4.00am!! (I went to bed at 2 -0 !) So late start to the day The Queens Birthday Bank Holiday. We went up to Red Beach on Bribie to walk Sandy. Rather than do my normal and run off for an hours run up the beach I stayed with the family and enjoyed a beautiful walk along the beach. Had a huge Ice cream at Bongaree and got home and read for a while then tried to nap before going for my run.
Hope you all had a great day.

12 June 2010

Back to Nudgee smelling the Rubber





Sat 1.30pm Nudgee 10 X 400m 75 sec jog recovery 1Mile WU & WD

It was back to Nudgee today for the first time in absolutely ages! Loved it!
The deserted track, the blue blue sky, the warm sun bouncing off the blue blue all weather surface, the smell of the rubber!
Not much had changed !
I didn't want to time the intervals as I would not have been happy with the result however I kept things honest and at least I have made a start. It was great to feel the sweat rolling off my head at the end of the session. I ran it in flats to preserve my sorry calves.

11 June 2010

POETS DAY!











Wed 5.00am 10K Cadel

Thurs 5.00am 16K Cadel+Roo 67m51

Fri 5.00am 16K Cadel+Roo 67m23

I haven't fallen apart yet even though I have taken to running an 'extra' 6K most mornings this week. I really think if I can maintain this type of mileage for a while I will be getting back on the road to fitness.

If anyone didn't catch the Keith Bateman interview on runners tribe check it out here.

Watford, UK born Keith should set Australian M55 records for 15, 3, 5, 10 and Half this year. The M55 National records are currently 4m17, 9m20, 15m52, 33m36 and 72m19.

The M55 World Records are currently 4m12, 8m57, 15m37, 32m27, 69m17.

08 June 2010

Nice way to start the day!



Mon 5.30pm 6K Roo 22m55
Tues 5.00am 16K Cadel+Roo 69m05

Monday night not much time to fit in a session (late night Sun so no chance getting up for early run and have been put off running lunchtime as I keep breaking down!! Only time for a run is 5.30pm when I'm home from work and before Natalie leaves the house for Soccer training at 6.00pm)
So to make it a 'session' I push it hard, at times I was running faster than Sundays race!
This morning a steady 16K. Nice way to start the day!
I noted that good sense prevailed at the Caloundra Foreshore 10KM Race on Sunday .
Helen Stanton was awarded first place in the ladies race (as well as first Master) $600 all up! Good going.
I'm not sure that they got the Mens Masters result correct unless awarded 1st placer Allan Mullins is someone I havent heard of or perhaps because they categorised Masters as 35+ he is a fleet footed 35 year old! Geoff Berkeley was surely the first Master home?
Results were;

Results 2010
10km RunJunior
Male – First – Dane HopeJunior
Female – First – Frankie McMakin
Masters
Male – First – Alan Mullins
Masters Female – First Helen Stanton
Open Male – First – Neil Labinsky
Open Female – First – Kira Seidell
Overall Male First – Neil Labinsky
Overall Male Second – Tom Kennedy
Overall Male Third – Adam Fitzakerley
Overall Female First – Helen Stanton
Overall Female Second – Kira Seidell
Overall Female Third – Linda Fox
3km Run
Open Male – First – Rod Baker
Open Female – First – Grace Kaihou

06 June 2010

The Runners Nightmare


Set off for Caloundra for the Foreshore 10KM at 5.30am this morning.
Injury forced me out last year but prior to that I had finished 2nd in 2006 (34m49), 1st in 2007 (34m22) and 3rd in 2008 (32m58) .
The course is flat for 7K's then hilly as it goes over a number of headlands.
Todays field has been spiced up possibly by prize money ($500 to the winner) and possibly through the race gaining respectability on the calender.
Perfect Sunshine Coast weather, cloudless blue sky, and calm and warm conditions.
The glare off the pristine Pummistone Passage the only thing to worry about!

I lined up next to Helen Stanton we had a brief chat renewing acquaintance of my fellow North Lakes resident.
I set off fairly quickly but was swamped by a good number of younger guys with a fair sprinkling of Tri guys in the field. I settled into a fair pace and ran through 3k in about 10m15 and 5k in 17m13.
The course at times is spectacularly scenic run along the foreshore pathways. However it does have a very twisty nature. At 8K things went wrong. I was following two other runners and we carried straight on where we should have been directed right. We carried on for sometime before the realisation no marshals no cones no 9K sign ! The first female runner Helen Stanton was following me way off course. I know quite a number of others followed.
The guy in front had slowed down to confirm our predicament and find the best way to get back on course. We eventually managed to get back to the finish where I crossed the line in 39m30.
Others who went off course realised the mistake sooner and had corrected their course sooner.David Scroop was one such affected runner.
I think I was probably on target for about 36m which I'm pretty pleased with.
I'm not too bothered about the balls up but I do feel sorry for Helen. She deserves the $500 winners prize but I wonder if the "2nd" place girl who crossed the line "first" will give it to her?

The race leaders had no problems going off course and the race was won by Neil Labinsky in about 31m50, from a bevvy of other local stars.
Geoff Berkeley again won the Masters Cat and was up there with the leaders (he finished 3rd Open last year in 33m48).
I jogged back 10K to the start with David Scroop. I feel shagged now 21+K all up!

EDIT; I noted that good sense prevailed at the Caloundra Foreshore 10KM Race on Sunday .
Helen Stanton was awarded first place in the ladies race (as well as first Master) $600 all up! Good going.
I'm not sure that they got the Mens Masters result correct unless awarded 1st placer Allan Mullins is someone I havent heard of or perhaps because they categorised Masters as 35+ he is a fleet footed 35 year old! Geoff Berkeley was surely the first Master home?
Results were;
Results 2010 10km RunJunior
Male – First – Dane HopeJunior
Female – First – Frankie McMakin
Masters
Male – First – Alan Mullins
Masters Female – First Helen Stanton
Open Male – First – Neil Labinsky
Open Female – First – Kira Seidell
Overall Male First – Neil Labinsky
Overall Male Second – Tom Kennedy
Overall Male Third – Adam Fitzakerley
Overall Female First – Helen Stanton
Overall Female Second – Kira Seidell
Overall Female Third – Linda Fox
3km Run
Open Male – First – Rod Baker
Open Female – First – Grace Kaihou

05 June 2010

loutish jeering!

Fri 5.00am 10KM Cadel 40m12
Sat 5.00pm 11km Roo+Lake 44m23

I felt good today trying to take it easy if I race tomorrow. Got to 2K from home and came across two lads hooting along and the long skate boards. I stayed with them for the final 2K going flat out - as were they!
As I turned off for my home one of the lads shouted "I commend you Sir on your astonishing fitness!", I held my hand up in acknowledgement. It makes a difference from loutish jeering!

03 June 2010

Born to be Alive


Wed 5.00am 10km Cadel 40m58

Thurs 5.00am 10km Cadel 39m17


There are times when I push it in training , other times I just go hard.I might race 10K at Caloundra on Sunday and have entered the Gold Coast 10K on 3rd July.
The Photo is a collection of my running shoe boxes I thought looked quite arty but heck what do I know!

01 June 2010

Monnas 30m36 10KM

Tues 5.00am 10KM Cadel 42m54

Brrrrr it felt cold this morning! It was 13 O C.
Wore long sleeve top and running 'tights' ! Lucky it was dark!

Thought I'd post some results from Sandown last weekend including 47 year old Monna's still running a world class 30m36 for this very accurate 10,000m. I note that Monnas fronted a Sydney Striders Dinner function either the day before (!!) or that evening!
Very impressive quality and depth to this race.Victoria has to be the running capital of Australia.

Sandown - Individual Summary Information
Race Rank Bib First Name Last Name Team Performance
Mens 40 to 44 10000m Road Race
1 503 ATKINSON JAMES Athletics Waverley 32:17
2 1916 VENOUR DAVID Athletics Waverley 32:36
3 522 DE HIGHDEN RODERIC Doncaster 33:48
4 2668 TEMPLETON DARREN APS United 34:00
5 2246 MCCULLOUGH VAUGHAN Mentone 34:38
6 8011 BULLOCH WAYNE Invitation 34:41
7 1623 DEMETRIOU ANDREW South Melbourne 34:56
8 1167 LEE ANTHONY Athletics Waverley 35:04
9 1151 FIELDING SHANE Athletics Waverley 35:34
10 8083 NASS PHILIP Invitation 36:21
11 8069 LEETON DAVID Invitation 36:25
12 1292 WILSON JUSTIN APS United 36:28
13 9064 PAUL GLADWELL Invitation 36:30
14 521 SCHWERKOLT ROBERT APS United 36:31
15 2308 WILSON ANTHONY Glenhuntly 36:39
16 2207 PETTINGILL SHANE Traralgon Harriers 36:43
17 1865 MICHIENZI DOMENIC Keilor St Bernards 36:43
18 1061 PRESTON TONY Ballarat Harriers 37:14
19 2033 HALLY ANTHONY Collingwood Harriers 37:15
20 61 KOLLMORGEN STUART Collingwood Harriers 37:23

Mens 45 to 45 10000m Road Race
1 60 MONEGHETTI STEPHEN Ballarat YCW Harriers 30:36
2 2361 MEAGHER JOHN Box Hill 32:13
3 2199 MACKENZIE JOHN Traralgon Harriers 34:41
4 2161 CHAMPION PHILIP Diamond Valley 35:40
5 1006 DYER JNR GEORGE Knox Athletics 35:43
6 1695 HARVEY CHRISTOPHER Malvern Harriers 35:47
7 2222 WHEATLEY MICHAEL Mornington Peninsula 36:10
8 1131 COWELL PETER Bendigo Region 36:20
9 2184 CORNTHWAITE IAN Traralgon Harriers 36:32
10 2559 RIVIERE DARREN Geelong Region 36:41
11 2515 LAWRENCE SCOTT APS United 36:45
12 1257 THOMAS TIMOTHY Melbourne University 36:48
13 554 GIBNEY MATTHEW Ballarat Harriers 36:48
14 2576 EVANS ROSS Bendigo Region 36:51
15 2149 LANGFORD DEAN South Coast Athletics 37:11
16 1915 RAFFERTY MICHAEL Athletics Waverley 37:11
17 1051 HAM ALISTAIR Ballarat Harriers 37:15
18 1723 O'CONNOR CHRISTOPHER Box Hill 37:16

Mens 50 to 54 10000m Road Race
1 516 MCINTYRE MICHAEL Keilor St Bernards 34:14
2 524 QUIRK STEVEN South Coast Athletics 34:52
3 1725 PELGRIM BERT Box Hill 35:26
4 1142 SHEVLIN FRANK Eureka 35:39
5 514 PURVIS MARK APS United 36:15
6 2570 KERANEN EERO Geelong Region 36:19
7 2509 EDWARDS ANDREW APS United 36:41
8 1925 BROWN GERARD Keilor St Bernards 37:02
9 565 KELLY TREVOR Bendigo Region 37:17
10 1118 MARSHALL NORMAN Athletics Nunawading 38:00
11 1554 VAN DUEREN PHILIP Coburg Harriers 38:30
12 2550 WENDEL ROB Diamond Valley 38:34
13 1031 CARTLEDGE GRAEME Wendouree 39:17
14 2542 MARTIN DIDIER Diamond Valley 39:34
15 513 KENNEDY PAUL Melbourne University 39:57
16 1791 LEROPOULOS BILL Athletics Essendon 40:15
17 8023 COOK STEVEN Invitation 40:38
18 1065 SUTHERLAND PETER Ballarat Harriers 40:51

Mens 55 to 59 10000m Road Race
1 1851 GAFFNEY PETER Keilor St Bernards 34:50
2 2531 WILLIAMS JOHN Malvern Harriers 36:13
3 531 CHAMBERS CHARLES Bendigo Region 38:09
4 8006 BIGNELL NICHOLAS Invitation 38:32
5 2018 BIRD ANTHONY Collingwood Harriers 39:59
6 1552 SOUYAVE KENNETH Coburg Harriers 40:14
7 2027 DUXBURY KENNETH Collingwood Harriers 40:16
8 1066 HAMMOND TERRY Ballarat Harriers 40:46
9 1470 MOORE GREGORY Keilor St Bernards 41:21
10 2327 STEWART ERNIE Oakleigh 41:26
11 1569 CARTER BRIAN St Stephens Harriers 41:34
12 1624 CARTER IVOR South Melbourne 41:40
13 1392 OEHR TARQUIN APS United 42:13
14 1011 HOGAN WAYNE Knox Athletics 43:05
15 9042 RON BROCKMULLER Invitation 43:20

Mens 60 Plus 10000m Road Race
1 8037 EDWARDS ANDREW Invitation 37:12
2 1448 MOORE PETER Richmond Harriers 41:00
3 1334 JOHNSON LEN Glenhuntly 41:04
4 8007 BLACK PETER Invitation 41:44
5 1517 BROBERG ROBIN Diamond Valley 42:40
6 1351 SIGMONT ERIC Glenhuntly 42:59
7 2405 BENNION MICHAEL South Melbourne 45:07
8 1629 LOGAN PETER South Melbourne 45:17
9 2187 SOFIANOS GERALD Oakleigh 45:33
10 2036 HOPKINS JIM Collingwood Harriers 46:27
11 1999 SEIBOLD EWALD South Melbourne 46:30
12 2395 WHITEOAK MICHAEL South Melbourne 49:01
13 1409 HAWKSWORTH TREVOR Athletics Essendon 49:58
14 2196 JERVIS JOHN Traralgon Harriers 52:27
15 1626 FRACKOWIAK BOGUSLAW South Melbourne 54:39
16 1699 JONES DAVID Malvern Harriers 55:51
17 9001 BARRY MURLEY Invitation 57:58
18 1460 BATTRICK PETE Oakleigh 59:05

Mens Open 10000m Road Race
1 12 TUCKER MARK Geelong Region 30:13
2 8048 HARTLEY CHRIS Invitation 30:18
3 2357 KELLY STEPHEN Box Hill 30:18
4 178 HENNESSY LUKE Glenhuntly 30:19
5 18 ADAMS LIAM Athletics Essendon 30:22
6 1764 WILLE KANE Knox Athletics 30:27
7 1707 RAYNER TOBY Glenhuntly 30:33
8 60 MONEGHETTI STEPHEN Ballarat YCW Harriers 30:36
9 2359 LYNCH BARRY Box Hill 30:39
10 2371 WHITE ANDREW Box Hill 31:09
11 1661 THRELFALL BRADY Bendigo Region 31:12
12 2346 COLOE MATTHEW Box Hill 31:14
13 2558 RANTALL SCOTT Geelong Region 31:16
14 9204 A5 UNKNOWN Invitation 31:17
15 1742 THORNTON COLIN Geelong Region 31:19
16 1005 CROWTHER SAM Knox Athletics 31:20
17 2412 BROWN MITCHEL Athletics Essendon 31:23
18 101 GRIMSTER KANE Frankston 31:24
19 2345 CLARK DANIEL Box Hill 31:37
20 8079 MCTAGGART SCOTT Invitation 31:40

Womens 40 to 44 10000m Road Race
1 54 BLEAKLEY MICHELLE APS United 36:29
2 2701 O'SULLIVAN SONIA Glenhuntly 36:59
3 509 NORNEY JULIE Box Hill 37:45
4 1166 JACKSON KIRSTEN Athletics Waverley 37:51
5 1781 GEARD SUZANNE Athletics Essendon 40:06
6 527 BUCKLEY ANNE Bendigo Region 40:15
7 555 STEVENSON MICHELLE Bendigo Region 40:46
8 2118 TAYLOR CARMEL Coburg Harriers 40:58
9 2484 MACFARLANE NICKI Malvern Harriers 41:27
10 1840 ABFALTER MARIA Keilor St Bernards 41:43
11 2023 CHAPMAN ALISON Collingwood Harriers 43:26
12 1393 BOWDEN KUNIKO Mentone 43:50
13 2047 PARDY CARMEL Collingwood Harriers 44:23
14 1824 NAKASE PAULA Glenhuntly 44:53
15 2029 FABRE SOFIE Collingwood Harriers 48:05
16 538 KENNEY ELIZABETH Traralgon Harriers 48:09
17 8084 NEWMAN MANDY Invitation 48:21