22 March 2017

Sandgate parkrun 16:35 1st

As ever I treat parkrun as a session. Saturday morning was typically hot and humid as 400 of us lined up for the trip North to Shorncliffe Pier and back. I went out hard 3:09 first K before settling back into 3:22's. At the pier end 180 O turn I could see I was about 30 seconds clear.
Running back through the hordes can be dicey as the incoming runners spread across the width of the pathway.
I held it quite consistently and was happy enough with 16:35 which is pretty much what I did on the other two occasions I have pushed Sandgate parkrun in recent months.
Training mileage continues to max up to 135km per week. Rain all last week and all this week! Adds to the humidity. I have my bro visiting from NZ this week so lots of beer so the high mileage is just as well.
On Friday last week I fell over trying on a pair of trousers 😂 crashed down onto ribs on lhs, immediately feeling a twang. I got through parkrun ok but since Saturday I have been in pain. Feels rather like running with a stitch or stomach cramping. Typical getting injured by nothing to do with running. I should be ok but just taking things steady. Cut the long run and intervals​ this week. Hope to finish track for this Summer with a 5000m at Queensland Masters Champs Saturday week.




07 March 2017

Queensland 10,000m Championships 33;56 3rd

My mini taper consisted of two 10km days on Thursday and Friday, so my weekly total just hit 100km for the week.
Saturday morning was spent at Sandgate parkrun where Mike Trees ran his 100th parkrun.
Its taken him 10 years to get to 100. He has run the quickest time by any M50 with a 15;44 at the original home of parkrun, Bushy Park in West London.
Having undergone an operation to remove the shattered remains of a burst disc from his vertebrae  in November ,he has concentrated on recuperation by swimming up to 35km a week . He has run a maximum of 20km a week mainly doing drill work. Working on form and stride length up a short (50m) hill with core work between reps. A fortnight ago he managed a 22;10 but Saturday he really pulled the proverbial cat out of the bag by running a 18;02 ! It goes without saying conditions were horribly humid
A fabulous recovery that has sparked the possibility of him running at World Masters Games in Auckland in April. He was always going to swim the 5km Open water swim but now he is considering racing the 5000m and 1500m on the track.
The Queensland State open 10000m Championship was an 8;00pm start. Conditions were 28 C and 88% humidity with initially windy conditions calming down as we ran.
I ran the race with the hope of running a sub 34 and getting an Open medal.
The race doubled as the Masters Champs as well. Aidan Hobbs, Patrick Nispel and Matt Macdonald pulled away from me immediately from the gun. I had some company briefly but sickness contributed to Osman Saleh's demise and he dropped out. Unbeknownst to me Matt Macdonald had also dropped out and so I was running in the Bronze position. I really just hung in there for most of the race, trying to find a pace that I was comfortable with, the conditions being what they were. Aidan lapped me with 4 to go but he wasn't absolutely flying past me and as I hit the bell Patrick lapped me and I had to run an 80 second last lap for sub 34 minutes so I knew I'd achieve one goal. At the finish I was told I was 3rd so both goals done. 4th was Wayne Spies who won the overall Marathon at World Masters in Perth (about 2;35) about a minute behind me. Happy to mark down a 33;56 for 2017, it was tough going.
Mike took a heap of photos of me.
Check them out here https://goo.gl/photos/fz3t2q5oUz2x22fx8