running masters

Findings

2012-02-15T06:55:00.000+10:00

Imaging appearances are consistent with plantar fasiitis with thickening and increased signal demonstrated of the proximal plantar fascia at its insertion on the medial aspect of the calcaneus. Reactive intraosseous oedema is also demonstrated within the calcaneus at the plantar fascia insertion. The calcaneus otherwise appears normal, in particular there is no evidence of a stress fracture or other pathology.

Which is a good result!, the PF was, as we expected and the oedema (bruising) will heal with rest. The PF is harder to treat and none of the additional techniques have a magic bullet or guarantee. I was thinking of giving the lithotripsy a go but at $500 for 3 (or 4 if required) treatments , no rebate from medicare and possibly nothing from private health insurance it is an expensive 'possible' remedy!
Other treatments suggested including injecting my own blood platelets into the area and sticking an 'angina' patch on the area.

I have been out on the bike the last three morning cycling 3 X Cadel (28km) each morning in 75mins. It burns up the same calories as my normal 10.5km run.
I shall take two weeks off running and assess things from there.

3000m 9m13.56 M50 Qld Rec

2012-02-12T01:07:00.002+10:00

Sat 8.25pm SAF Nathan Qld Open 3000m Championship 9;15.56 22nd

Insane Yes!
The heel has really been painful and NOT just in the morning.
I have to take time out and undergo treatment to get it better.
You my Running Brothers can imagine how disappointing that is going to be?
Up until the last few weeks I was in top shape and though the injury has started to impact training (significantly slowing me down and preventing me from training on the track this week).
However I knew I'd still have a respectable 3000m in me, so decided to give it one 'last Hurrah' before my holiday!
The opportunity to race against the States best in evening conditions does not present itself often and even though mentally today I was 'impaired' (I didn't think I was in top form), I wanted to put a 3000m on my Seasons Best side bar below (you never know when your last race could be!).
Conditions were;

25.2C/77.36F/76%/6kphGusting16kph

I arrived at the track at 7.00pm, Nathan is very elevated and you can see for miles, I looked out from the car park and saw a huge storm cell flashing every second with lightning. Far enough away I thought for it not to trouble us but it did cause the wind to lift above normal night-time levels. 34 athletes were entered so like the 5000m a fortnight ago it was going to a fast start and a huge crowded field.
I got drawn #2 outside of Gerrard Gosens and his guide Dennis Fitzpatrick.
The first 200m was 32s and that was the easiest 32 I've run in some time!
Runners swarmed around me as I took the inside lane option and tried to resist starting too fast.
68sec for 400m, 2m58 for 1000m, 4m10 at 1400m must have got through 1500m in under 4m30.
Gaps were opening up and as ever I felt pretty isolated in such a big field!
Ran through 2200m in 6m44 and 2600m in 7m58 as I slowed.
Just up ahead of me at the finish was Clay Dawson who finished in 9m09 paying me back for my cheeky 5000m ! (nice to meet you Clay!)
Others who got payback over me from the Qld 5000m Champs were;
Grant Williams 8m54, Adam Hulme 8m55, Drew Williams 8m59 and Peter Bock 9m06.
On face value you'd think I'd be disappointed but I know I am a better 5000m runner. The speed is going with age and even though the Age and VO2 Max equivalents ( See this ) suggest I might run 9m03 to 9m10 I am not so sure!

Ronnie Peters 9m19 when set was the Queensland and Australian M50 Record before the devastation wreaked by Keith Bateman (8m59).

Today up front Patrick Tiernan is fulfilling his young promise, State Champion at 18 in 8m20.
I was also impressed with Matt Carlsson's 3rd place in 8m29. I think that might be a breakthrough performance for him.
The results were;

Men 3000 Meter Run QLD CHAMPS Open
================================================================
Name Age Team Finals
================================================================
1 322 Tiernan, Patrick 18 UNQ 8:20.48
2 104 Bulmer, Daniel 22 GCV 8:25.96
3 1030 Carlsson, Matt 21 UNQ 8:29.14
4 1194 Eastwell, Luke 19 GCV 8:32.78
5 2222 Craig, Anthony 32 DAC X8:33.31
6 538 Plummer, Adrian 21 GCV 8:33.87
7 1106 Yarham, Glen 20 IPS 8:38.76
8 1123 Hosking, Michael 27 GCV 8:39.78
9 395 Chambers, Charles 19 GCV 8:40.90
10 486 Twist, Jay 24 UNQ 8:41.73
11 658 Labinsky, Neil 33 MAR 8:48.96
12 311 MacCronan, Ben 20 UNQ 8:51.67
13 1102 Williams, Grant 23 UNQ 8:54.80
14 736 Hulme, Adam 25 USC 8:55.16
15 682 Thomas, Jordan 20 QE2 8:56.45
16 1294 Whiting, Michael 35 PAC 8:58.39
17 981 Williams, Drew 23 PAC 8:59.10
18 1051 Laverty, Jamie 22 PAC 8:59.95
19 989 Bock, Peter 30 MAR 9:06.29
20 689 Zenonos, Aristo 19 QE2 9:07.77
21 1188 Dawson, Clay 31 IPS 9:09.48
22 1164 Sweeney, David 51 UNQ 9:13.53
23 1303 Bourke, Matthew 35 GFR 9:38.09
24 1122 Hall, Jason 37 QMA 9:42.69
25 401 Collins, Robert 23 MAR 9:45.12
26 472 Simmons, Barry 44 GFR 9:45.53
27 950 Gosens, Gerrard 42 TWH 9:52.26
28 660 Litfin, Tony 49 RNB 10:11.25
-- 261 Crew, Andrew 32 MAR DNF

Seeing the Consultant on Tuesday.

MRI

2012-02-11T09:16:00.002+10:00

I had an MRI on Thursday, and will see the Consultant again on Tuesday to get the results. I am expecting a spell on the sidelines. There are some amazing treatments for PF and I hope one of them works for me. Probably going to have Ultra Sound guided shock wave treatment (cant remember the scientific name began with 'L')
Some beautiful pictures of my ankle, amazing clarity as you scroll through mm by mm of your insides.

8 X 800m

2012-02-05T22:29:00.000+10:00

Sun 5.23pm Nudgee 8 X 800m 200m jog recovery

27.7C/81.86F/65%/13kphGusting20kph = Windy!

#1. 2:30.79 149bpm
73.59 137
77.20 161

#2. 2:33.63 155
75.36 146
78.27 165

#3. 2:33.33 157
74.39 148
78.94 167

#4. 2:35.13 158
77.79* 150
77.34* 168

#5. 2:32.60 161
74.51 152
78.09 170

#6. 2:32.76 162
73.76 153
79.00 171

#7. 2:32.90 162
74.33 154
78.57 171

#8. 2:26.10 165
72.41 156
73.69 174

*Hit lap button late!
Ran in flats with orthotics. Redoubling efforts to contain worsening PF- foot exercise (Ball rolling/Achilles stretches) and icing. Seeing consultant on Thursday. During rep session felt 'ok' but after is another story!
Considering the wind this session was fine.

Sat. 4.43pm 10.48km Roo+Lake 46;27 4.26 K's
Fri. 5.24am 10.57km Roo+Lake 47;22 4.29 K's
Thu. 5.28am 10.6km Roo+Lake 48;20 4.34 K's

Looking forward to seeing the Oceania Results come out of NZ .

http://www.oceaniamastersathletics.org/champ_res.html

10 X 400m @

2012-02-01T07:07:00.000+10:00

Wed 5.00am Nudgee 10 X 400m 120m jog recovery

23.7C/74.66f/96%/Calm

68.61 141bpm
70.67 149
71.08 149
70.20 149
69.00 152
69.38 153
69.88 154
69.24 156
69.50 156
67.54 157

This is amusing;

I thought they should make one about running! but they already have!!
and of course there is a whole raft of similar stuff;
It tickled me when I heard "planta fasciitis" also' We better check McMIllans calculator for the equivalency conversion'

parkrun New Farm Park by brizzygooner at Garmin Connect - Details

2012-01-31T07:20:00.000+10:00

parkrun New Farm Park by brizzygooner at Garmin Connect - Details

6 x 1500m

2012-01-29T20:29:00.000+10:00

Nudgee 4.00pm 6 x 1500m 500m jog recovery

Very humid but not actually raining for a change, quite windy so after first rep 4;55 decided not to time them enjoying the freedom to forget about splits and forget about chasing down seconds. Intending to get back into McMillan 10k session 3 x 3000m (i adapted it from 3 x 2miles as miles no longer have meaning for me in my metric running World).The PF in right foot was very sore might take tomorrow as a rest day. I was fortunate on Saturday to not feel it too much during race but of course after was a different story.

Park Run New Farm Park 5km 1st 16m31

2012-01-29T13:11:00.002+10:00

Sat. 7.00am New Farm Park Park Run 5km 16m31 1st
23.5C/74.3f/94%/Calm!

I was undecided whether to run Masters 5000m or make my début Park Run on Saturday morning.
I checked the weather and noted locally we were being buffeted by 30kph winds but in the city it was much calmer. That made up my mind, no chance of fast times if it windy at the track.
Got to New Farm and did a minimal 2k warm up said hello to Dennis Fitzgerald who gave me a few tips about the course. about 150 runners of all shapes and sizes, some with strollers and some with pet dogs. Besides Dennis and Glenda Bannaghan, few recognisable faces. Narrow start but was able to position myself on the start line. Cement pathways were damp and with the first K having a number of sharp turns I took care and rounded them wide and slowly. I followed Dennis as he'd raced the course 2 or 3 times previously. After a K the course was fairly straight forward out and back along the pathway beside the Brisbane River up as far as a U turn at the Bulimba ferry terminal . Dennis had said he wasn't in normal full fitness shape as was struggling with some niggles post hernia operation a couple of months ago. So it was a surprise that well into the second K Dennis was still leading the way and I wasn't making up for a reserved first K. At times I thought Dennis might even gap me, but as we got to the turn around I felt him dropping pace and was finally able to pass and kick on. Running back to New Farm I passed the rest of the field and held on to a steady pace until the finish. I will claim an Open race victory as the opportunities in the future will be more and more limited! When I first came to Oz in 2004 and started running again, Dennis was without doubt the King of Brisbane fun runs, a multiple winner of many many road races and this was my first ever victory over him (injury granted) but I'll take it ; )
My time was 16;31, Dennis was 16;50.
My time fell short of Ronnie Peter's age grade record 89.58% (17m36) mine was worth 89.30%.
These races are a great addition to our running calendar. Each and Every Saturday morning, my thanks go to the organisers and volunteers who generously give their time so we can have a bit of fun and it is all for free!.
Here is Dennis showing me the way after about 500m I just worked out that the art structure to our right spells out FLOOD was erected to commemorator the 1974 flood.

New Farm Park Run web page is here

Here is the the same view 12 months ago! Rather appropriate!

The Descendants

2012-01-26T19:07:00.005+10:00

5.30pm 10.63km Roo+lake 42:10 3:58 K's
I am running like George Clooney in The Descendants,PF in right foot a real pain.
Good film, the Mrs sobbed! My style at 1m33...

8 X 1000m @ 3m10.27 160bpm

2012-01-25T18:55:00.002+10:00

Up at 4.30am in total darkness to get to Nudgee by 5.00am .

It continued to rain through the night so that in the 24 hours to 9.00am this morning we (Redcliffe) had got 234mm of rain (just over 9 inches). I arrived at the track and realised what a nutter I must be to have even contemplated running in that deluge!

The infield had about 30 ducks and 20 Ibis, whilst I had two friendly Plovers on the outside of the first bend who welcomed me (dive bombed me for the first few laps of my warm up). Not unexpectedly I had no running company at all.

Stripped off the session (save the shorts) and cracked on with it.

Workman like performance , very consistent and great to get a long session over before work in shite conditions!

22.2C/71.96F/98%/4kphGusting9kph (felt calm)

200m jog recovery in aprox 2mins.

3:10.82 151bpm

75.04 138

77.77 160

38.01 162

3:11.13 156

74.64 144

78.45 163

38.04 167

3:11.08 159

75.26 148

76.92 166

38.90 170

3:10.75 160

75.46 148

77.68 168

37.65 171

3:09.90 163

74.41 151

77.63 170

37.86 173

3:10.56 164

74.19 154

78.65 171

37.72 173

3:10.03 165

74.06 154

78.00 173

37.97 175

3:07.95 166

75.71 155

76.28 173

35.96 177

Rain Rain Rain

2012-01-24T18:40:00.002+10:00

Last year around this time we had so much rain that the city and indeed the whole State flooded. There was loss of life and immense damage. A year on and we are currently experiencing similar rain falls!
An incredible amount! Redcliffe is my nearest weather station and it is reporting we had 80mm in the 24 hours to 9.00am this morning and we have had another 153.6mm from 9.00am to 6.30pm this evening!
This morning I managed to evade the rain for the first 5 mins of my run but got saturated after that.
Checkout the running rain total here
My pool has already gone a strange green colour!

Tues 5.30am 10.67 Roo+Lake 47m19 4m26 K's
Mon 5.30am 10.53km Roo+Lake 46m19 4m24 K's
Sun Rest

5000m Queensland Open Championship by brizzygooner at Garmin Connect - Details

2012-01-22T20:53:00.000+10:00

5000m Queensland Open Championship by brizzygooner at Garmin Connect - Details

Interesting run pattern!

Managed to get the heart rate up to 184bpm which is about as high as I can go.

Worked real hard.

5000m 15m57.66

2012-01-22T03:13:00.006+10:00

Sat 8.30pm St.Lucia Queensland State 5000m Championship 15m57.66 12th Open

24.5c/76.1f/75%/9kphGusting15kph

Well you know how I am about wind? I check the isobar charts on a race day to see if conditions will be good! Saturday was supposed to be calm but it wasn't, however saying that, I got to the start line and for all my niggles I felt good.
I lined up with 36 others - yes 36 others! for the Queensland 5000m championship at about 8.30pm on Sat night at University of Queensland track St.Lucia.
With that many running of course it was always going to be a blistering start just to try and get track position to run normal pace. I tried to hold back but still went through 1000 in 3:00.
Large groups of runners and I tried to shelter as much as possible.
Got to 3000m in 9:30 and started to move through the youngsters. This is difficult because you feel as if you have made an effort to catch and you 'deserve' respite and to sit in for a while? No, go straight past them but the cost is expensive.
I was happy with the effort I put in.
I past Peter Bock ( no not the deceased Racing Driver) who has run 4:06 this year and 3:49 previously, I past Brendan Wheelan with a lap to go (he told me he ran through 3000m in 9m12 !).
I was happy to run sub 16 but dissapointed I could not run sub 15:50 in this field running with the States best. I got lapped by 3 guys and probably finished about 15th
I went through the bell in 14:44.

The race was won by Queenslands best (Michael Shelly excluded), my fellow Gladstone 8km Winner, Jackson Elliott. He is sheer class. Probably did not break 14 but he would have had to have run a huge amount of overtaking and lane two bends.
2nd was Queensland previous longstanding best runner Peter Nowill . Now in his early 30's Pete has run some world class times over the barriers.
Third was Patrick Tiernan. He is a great prospect just 17 years old. He was 14th in the Gold Coast 10KM running 32m26. Look out for his name in the future.

I must look again for that Perfect Race if I am to achieve my goals.
I went straight from the track to a party and am feeling $hite right now ,not sure if I will get a run in today the PF is very painful and the hangover just as bad!

The Results are in and I am pleased to see I beat Grant Williams and Clay Dawson who beat me in the Cool Night Classic, Clay also beat me in the Bridge to Brisbane.
I beat Drew Williams who beat me by 30secs in the Bridge to Brisbane and he also beat me at Gladstone in the Botanic to Bridge.

Men 5000 Meter Run QLD CHAMPS Open
================================================================
Name Age Team Finals
================================================================
1 132 Elliott, Jackson 31 GCV 14:12.32
2 111 Nowill, Peter 33 UNQ 14:29.89
3 690 Crook, Daryl 24 ASR 14:57.56
4 1123 Hosking, Michael 27 GCV 15:03.28
5 486 Twist, Jay 24 UNQ 15:18.76
6 119 Nispel, Patrick 32 UNQ 15:25.02
7 658 Labinsky, Neil 33 MAR 15:40.15
8 682 Thomas (U23), Jord 20 QE2 15:47.69
9 1042 Haigh (U23), Jacks 20 PAC 15:48.65
10 311 MacCronan (U23), B 20 UNQ 15:55.13
11 379 Barton (U23), Davi 21 QE2 15:56.45
12 1164 Sweeney, David 51 UNQ 15:57.66
13 989 Bock, Peter 30 MAR 16:00.58
14 6627 Whelan, Brendan 39 TNS 16:01.09
15 1102 Williams, Grant 23 UNQ 16:03.61
16 981 Williams, Drew 23 PAC 16:10.52
17 1188 Dawson, Clay 31 IPS 16:11.59
18 736 Hulme, Adam 25 USC 16:24.04
19 1136 Simmonds, Jamie 37 ASR 16:40.91
20 1142 Hamann, Ralf 44 INT 16:50.79
21 1122 Hall, Jason 37 QMA 16:55.70
22 1055 Mahony, Francis 51 ASR 17:18.49
23 2033 Langelaan, Tony 46 VIC 17:46.17
24 660 Litfin, Tony 49 RNB 18:20.86
-- 1061 McTaggart (U23), B 21 UNQ DNF
-- 950 Gosens, Gerrard 42 TWH DNF
Same Race

Men 5000 Meter Run QLD CHAMPS Under 20
================================================================
Name Age Team Finals
================================================================
Section 1
1 322 Tiernan, Patrick 18 UNQ 14:41.32
2 396 Chambers, Courtney 17 UNQ 15:49.67
3 689 Zenonos, Aristo 19 QE2 15:57.18
4 566 Hagan, Patrick 19 QE2 16:10.93
5 725 Blake, Sam 17 MAR 16:18.52
6 718 Anderson, George 18 UNQ 16:29.98
7 854 Watkins, Julian 18 FTA 16:53.23
8 865 Hadfield, Louie 17 PAC 16:54.69
-- 395 Chambers, Charles 19 GCV DNF

Friday Rest
Thur 5.30am 10.59km Roo+Lake 46m40 4m24 K's

10 X 400m @ 67.62 151bpm

2012-01-18T07:29:00.001+10:00

Wed 5.30am 10X 400m - 120m jog recovery Nudgee

20.6c/69.0f/97%/2kphGusting4kph

69.20 135bpm
68.96 146
68.40 150
69.18 149
66.86 153
67.63 154
67.10 155
66.66 155
67.02 157
65.22 158

I think the best set of 10 I have done this season and possibly as a Master, great conditions, even if somewhat humid (97% !!). Had to do them in spikes as the track was wet from all the rain we have had over the last two days.
Getting up at 4.30am is now in darkness.

Tues 5.30am 10.55km Roo+Lake 45m22 4m18 K's
Mon 5.55pm 10.55km Roo+Lake 46m42 4m26 K's
Mon 5.45am 5.7km Roo 26m35 4m39 K's

3 X 2000m + 400m

2012-01-16T06:42:00.003+10:00

Thur 5.31am 10.56km Roo+Lake 48m22 4m35 K's

Fri 5.50am 5.7km Roo 26m09 4m36 K's

Sat 5.11pm 10.56km Roo+Lake 45m05 4m16 K's

Sun Nudgee Track 11.00am 3 X 2000m

24.4C/75.9F/65%/17kphGusting24kph

Too windy!
Normally I prefer not to time windy sessions as the slow times induce negative thoughts,however I persisted today but kept the Garmin on heart-rate so that I couldn't see what the wind was doing.
Jogged 400m recovery.

#1 6m36.27 159bpm
75.00 140bpm
79.10 160
79.50 161
81.75 164
80.92 166

#2 6m30.94 164bpm
76.19 145bpm
78.87 166
78.53 168
78.95 170
78.40 171

#3 6m24.33 167bpm
73.09 145bpm
77.90 169
78.88 171
78.85 174
75.61 175

400m
63.38 146

Noticed that the wind had dropped after I finished the session having jogged 600m of my recovery and decided to run a flat out 400m (madness!) .
Ran 63.38 (146bpm) which is as fast a rep as I think I've run as a Master.
The high (for me ) heart rate up into the 170's shows these longer interval sessions elicit the race intensity work I was seeking.
Hoping the PF does not get any worse as I am hobbling around in between track sessions.
Racing next Sat in the State Open 5000m Champs.

4 X 1500m

2012-01-11T07:41:00.001+10:00

Wed 5.00am Nudgee 4 X 1500m - 300m jog recovery

23.5C/74.3F/93%/2kphGusting4kph

4m52.18 - 149bpm
75.56 123
79.40 156
78.58 158
58.64 161

4m54.60 155bpm
75.31 142
79.60 162
80.08 164
59.61 166

4m53.70 161bpm
75.26 147
79.06 165
80.05 167
59.33 169

4m49.80 165bpm
76.36 151
79.10 167
78.88 171
55.46 173

I nearly puked on the last lap of the last rep - the effort , my heart rate and the humidity!
Forecast to get up to 36C today (96.8F) !

The King is Back!

2012-01-10T22:39:00.002+10:00

Hot Town Summer in the City

2012-01-10T06:41:00.000+10:00

Cool Cat looking for a Kitty

Man it is hot!

This morning I'm back to work so was up at 4.45am for a sweaty jog along the grass pathways beside the cycle paths in North Lakes. Could barely move!

Tues 5.21am 10.52km Roo+Lake 48m48 4m38K's - 25.4C/77.7F/85%
Mon 6.44pm 10.57km Roo+Lake 46m12 4m22 K's - 28.8C/83.8F/76%

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Brisbane topped out Monday at 33.5C/92.3 but at my house it was 34.1C/93.7F.

5 X 1000m - 200m jog recovery @ 3m09.75

2012-01-08T20:40:00.002+10:00

Sun 5.00pm Nudgee 5 x 1000m 200m jog recovery
Hot humid windy, I had spent the day at Dicky Beach.

28.1C/82.6F/65%/11kphGusting20kph

Wanted to get back into longer reps but the wind would have made anything over 2.5 laps just too arduous, so I decided on an easier option to get me started.

3m09.56 150bpm
3m11.34 158
3m10.29 161
3m11.49 163
3m06.27 166

Tough conditions, but it was a start. PF is giving me more gip so icing, rolling the golf ball and strapping a towel, as well as the night splint Strasbourg Sock.

Sat 5.56pm 10.57km roo+lake 41.34 3.56k
Fri 5.54pm 10.64km roo+lake 42.12 3.58k
THU 6.33am 10.55km roo+lake 48.29 4.36k
Wed 4.49pm 10.6km roo+lake 45 Garmin switched itself off again - must be knackered after just 15months!
I saw a large black snake on Saturdays run, came upon it real quick, it wriggled off the pathway pretty quickly! Last week I saw a baby Brown snake after finishing my run, on the path opposite our house, these can be deadly, I got Max and Lily out to have a look, you have to keep your distance.

10 X 400m @ 68.46

2012-01-03T10:06:00.004+10:00

6.00am Nudgee 10 X 400m 120 m jog recovery (90sec) @ 68.46
18.7C/65.7F/82%/6kphGusting5kph

69.94 137bpm
69.60 146
68.20 149
68.06 152
68.26 153
68.63 152
68.95 151
68.64 153
68.63 155
65.75 157

I was thinking I'm better at 10 X 400 or 20 X 400 than I am 3000m or 5000m!
I guess what I mean is the rep times I'm running in training should reflect better times at 3 or 5.
Today's session was another good session, I was flat out on all reps and tried to ensure they were all under 70 in particular the always slower second rep.
The holidays have knocked my routine about and I have decided not to race until I am back into the routine in a couple of weeks. I have another week off work ; )
Mon. 5.54pm 10.61km Roo+Lake 42m58 4m03 K's
Sun Rest
Sat 1.42pm 10.6km Roo+Lake 43m26 4m05 K's
Fri 3.35pm 10.59km Roo+Lake 45m09 4m16 K's

I am heading down to the Gold Coast for the day with the family! Cheers

20 X 400m @ 71.75

2011-12-29T15:43:00.001+10:00

Thurs 1.14pm Nudgee 20 X 400m Nudgee 120m jog recovery @ 71.75
Wed 3.59pm 10.54km Roo+Lake 45m06 4m17 K's 138bpm
Tues 4.46pm 10.50km Roo+Lake 42m35 4m03 K's
Mon 9.28am 10.65km Roo+Lake 45m51 4m18 K's
Sun 5.12pm 10.60km Roo+Lake 45m-- Garmin switched itself off 4m17 K's

At Nudgee this afternoon by myself;

27.9C/82.8F/56%/7kphGusting13kpm

72.86 135bpm
72.50 145
73.13 147
71.40 149
71.02 152
70.83 153
71.77 156
71.78 153
71.98 153
71.41 156
72.53 155
72.50 155
72.20 156
71.44 157
72.20 157
72.08 157
71.98 159
71.41 159
71.57 158
68.53 161

A tough old session! Ran them in flats as usual. Quite breezy but seemed to be able to cut through the wind somehow. Was starting the reps with a heart beat up around 120bpm. A good set in difficult conditions, clouds rolled over the sun to give some reprieve from the heat. PF in right foot and tendinitis in left knee are continuing slight factors , the PF tends to get real bad as I drive back home. I get out the car and can barely walk! eventually able to walk it off and tend to pay the price again tomorrow morning.
I have only been doing steady runs through the holidays up till now fitting runs around the family.
Might do ParkRun (5km Road) on Sat morning.
Other races coming up;
A UQ Track meet (Open) on 6th Jan on a Friday evening (!) 3000m if I rejoin University of Queensland T & F team in time.
Queensland 5000m Championship (Open) 21st Jan Sat eve (!).

Saw 127 hours recently and am now reading the book having downloaded the soundtrack! Liked all the tracks but in particular liked Free Blood - Never going hear surf music again and Band of Horses - The Funeral

http://youtu.be/AWk1ytimH50

127 Hours

2011-12-24T20:57:00.000+10:00

Sat 5.05pm 10.58km Roo+lake 40m02 3m47 K's
Fri 4.09pm 10.58km Roo+Lake 43m34 4m07 K's
Thu 5.54pm 10.52km Roo+Lake 41m23 3m56 K's

2011

2011-12-23T14:13:00.002+10:00

2011 was a good year for me. I have managed two years without significant injury so to go 24 months and just to run consistently will bring you back into shape .
This year I have continued my training regime of steady runs (10.5km) and interval sessions which I do because it doesn't impact too much on 'family time' and it seems to work for me. I did have a brief spell this year where I tacked on an extra 6KM to my morning run to make it a 16.5KM but with niggles (Mainly PF in the right foot) caused me to revert to form (10.5km Roo+Lake).
The year actually started out with a niggle and I took a fortnight off because of a dodgy hip but was able to pick things back up quickly and started to run well again in training.
I did an amazing 3 X 2mile session that gave me confidence and belief that I was going well again combined with some rare fast early morning runs over Roo+Lake.
This period culminated in the National Masters Champs here in Brissy in April . Back in February when I was out, I thought I wouldn't even line up but on a warm humid night I won the M45 10,000m in 32m53. This was a great 'race' as Bruce and myself were always going to be very close and I felt good enough to kick, after going through 5000m in about 16m04 . Perhaps my performance of the year.

Who wants to see my ugly mug anyway I love this shot with my typical gaping mouth, profuse sweating and Bruce shadowing me ready to move out for some water!

The 5000m two days later was another season highlight. To have 4 X M45's all capable of running sub 16m in one race in Australia must have been a first.
Along with Bruce we had Robert Schwerkolt who had recently run Australian M45 Records with 1500m in 4m00 and 3000m in 8m49 and Shane George who had trounced me in a Queensland Masters 3000m earlier in the year. As the race transpired I think we were all a bit in awe of Robert and perhaps paid him too much respect, though saying that, Shane did a great job, really sticking it in and trying to pull away. He paid the price and I managed to overtake him and gap him and Bruce but I did not have the balls to really take on Robert scared of his renowned kick, I followed him and paid the price as first he kicked away and then Shane overtook me in the last 150m . Saying that, I was proud to run 15m50 after the sapping 10,000m .

Shane must be leading and I'm following Rob, Bruce was just getting gapped.

Shane taking it on, Robert sitting pretty, Me just concentrating on those heels!

Winter saw the return of me running the Sunshine Coast Cross Country series 12km and 3km races and I even managed an open win though was soundly beaten by M40 Mark Richardson in the season opener. He is going to be major competition if he remains competitive (he suggested to me he may retire).

The 10K road races were all good, my best performance was the 33m22 at the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast 10km 26th Open 1st M45

I thought I'd improve on GC but didn't! No races against Monna's this year so I went unbeaten in Cat at Gold Coast, Redcliffe, Noosa, and Bridge to Brisbane.

The start I very nearly missed Bridge to Brisbane, 13th Open 1st Cat 34m07 (I'm far left in a Tee Shirt!!)

Bridge to Brisbane

Jetty To Jetty 3rd Open 1st M40 34m10

Noosa 10km 33m43 8th Open 1st M40-49

Outright Open wins at 50 years of age are to be celebrated as they will become increasingly rare! Open wins at the Queensland Corporate Games 10K and Cairns Post 5k Challenge and the Titirangi 10K in NZ were great days. Check out my finish in this video!

Gladstone 8K was again a happy hunting ground 4th Open and 1st M45 for another $1000 prize, a tangible reward for an old geezer!

Gladstone 8km (7.74km Garmin) 25m21 4th Open 1st M45 kicking to stave off a youngster!

Yes I turned 50 in September and my goal was to try and beat as many M50 Category records as I could.
The Cool Night Classic 5K 3rd place $500 watch was another amazing prize when we would gladly compete for nothing (like we mostly do!).
So to this Summer and my track season has been rewarding. Running 15m55 and 15m56 in tough conditions by myself suggest I can go on to run sub 15m49 but we shall see.
Breaking Ronnie's Queensland records 3000m 9m15.98 and Mile 4m44 meant I achieved some goals this year. The 4m22 1500m last week on a windy day was possibly better than I expected or hoped for and perhaps I can still run under 4m20.
To all you fellow Masters I wish health and happiness for the holidays and for 2012 without the thought of you guys where ever you are in the World spurring me on , there would be no competition and without that what would be the point?

10 X 400m @ 69.36

2011-12-21T06:53:00.001+10:00

Sun 7.43am 80m11 Jinker Trail Bunya State Forest 15.27km trail running
Mon 5.29am 49m11 10.56km Roo+Lake 4m39 K's
Tue 5.22am 46m31 10.55km Roo+Lake 4m22 K's
Wed 5.00am Nudgee 10 X 400m 120m jog recovery 21.8C/71.2K/4kph/86%

72.30 135bpm
71.79 141
70.79 144
69.74 148
69.52 149
69.22 152
69.28 153
67.63 156
67.63 157
65.71 158

Jinker Track by brizzygooner at Garmin Connect - Details

2011-12-18T19:21:00.000+10:00

Jinker Track by brizzygooner at Garmin Connect - Details

1500m 4m22.15 91.98% Age Grade

2011-12-17T13:40:00.002+10:00

Thur 6.00pm 42m04 Roo+lake 10.58km 3m59 K's
Fri 5.31am 45m05 Roo+Lake 10.51km 4m17 K's

Sat 9.45am QE11 Nathan 1500m 4m22.15

Not worried about the heat today, it was only 25.4C/77.7F, or the humidity at just 45%, but the wind certainly affected conditions 13kph from the SE gusting 24kph.
I set off at 48 for 300m, 1m58 for 700m 3m11 for 1100m and 4m22.15 for 1500m
I wanted to get a performance in for 2011 World Rankings and that time will slot me into 12th place in the current lists ( that will go down as the compiler completes the analysis of the years results).
I am happy with 4m22 as it is only 4 secs off my best Masters performance and according to Queensland Masters Age % performance 91.98% is my best ever performance in any distance!. I do actually find that hard to reconcile as 15m55 is a far better performance in my eyes but only merits just under 91% (according to QMA).
The wind was the real killer and I will run under 4m20 in calm conditions.
I take my hat off to Peter Reeves (58) who caned me in the Age % by running a World Class 4m34 which is 94.19% !

4 X 1000m @ 3m06.54 The long and the short

2011-12-14T06:50:00.000+10:00

Tues 5.45am 10.49km Roo+Lake 44m17 4m13 K's

Wed 5.00am Nudgee 4 X 1000m - 200m jog recovery - 20.3C/68.5F/91%/2kph

3m11.33 146bpm 74.57 (127) 80.86* (159) 35.90* (161)
3m10.53 157bpm 75.49 (144) 77.10 (166) 37.94 (169)
3m05.54 164bpm 72.39 (152) 76.00 (172) 37.15 (173)
2m58.88 168bpm 71.21 (155) 72.95 (177) 34.72 (180)

*Garmin took lap time late at '800m' making 2nd lap 'long' and last 200'short'.

8 X 400m @ 67.04

2011-12-12T20:16:00.002+10:00

Sat 3.45pm 10.52km Roo+Lake 42m04 4.00m K's 146bpm

Sun 5.08pm 8 X 400m Nudgee 120m jog recovery
66.91
67.50
68.05
67.64
68.40
66.57
66.69
64.60

Mon 5.30am 10.5km Roo+Lake no time (Garmin switched itself off)

Sundays session was conducted after a storm had moved through and taken the heat out of the day, 30C/86F at noon down to 22.5C/72.5F at 5.00pm, however, the humidity was 95%. I decided on more of a speed session as will race 1500m at the weekend for the first time (other than the relay) in about 4 years!
With no wind (2kph) and warm conditions, I felt good before the start and knew I would go well, even on a wet track with puddles!.
Concentrated on form and trying to stay relaxed (while putting in maximum effort) .
Was nearly tempted to tack on two more reps just to compare it with my sets of 10 X 400's.
The sweating was unbelievable cascading down my head by session end.
Probably the same sweat this morning with 98% humidity that caused the Garmin to switch itself off!

Overnight in the States they had the National Masters Cross Country Championships.
Results here.
350 Masters competing in one race! what a fantastic celebration of Masters running.

Maxey

2011-12-09T07:15:00.001+10:00

I love this photo of our Maxey 2005 Noosaville

Thurs 5.35am 10.53km Roo+Lake 46m22 4m24 K's
Fri 5.21am 10.53km Roo+Lake 45m49 4m21 K's

5x1000m - @ 3m08.92

2011-12-07T06:53:00.002+10:00

Mon 5.17am 10.53km Roo+Lake 48m14 4m35 K's
Tue 5.15am 10.53km Roo+Lake 47m25 4m30 K's

Wed. Up at 4.30am to get to Nudgee at 5am.
1 mile warm up, cool (17.9C/64F) and windy (4kph gusting 9kph), leaden skies eventually started to rain.
3m11.32 (152bpm) 74.89 (139) 77.60 (161) 38.83 (161)
3m10.83 (156bpm) 75.39 (143) 78.20 (165) 37.24 (168)
3m10.53 (160bpm) 74.29 (149) 78.45 (168) 37.79 (169)
3m07.67 (165bpm) 73.09 (155) 76.63 (171) 37.95 (173)
3m04.28 (167bpm) 72.17 (158) 75.85 (173) 36.26 (175)

The wind probably cost 2 or 3 secs, the recovery was 200m jog .

Mile 4.44 Qld M50 Rec

2011-12-04T12:50:00.001+10:00

Down to the Gold Coast this morning for a Mile.
Good conditions (the heat and humidity are lesser factors when your only running 4 laps).
Brendan Wheelan was out to demolish the Qld M35 Rec.
so at least i had someone to draw upon
First lap plus 9m was about 67/68, with Brendan running 65/66.
2nd lap Brendan cleared off (2.12) with me about 2.18.
3rd lap I think I went through in 3.32? so was tieing up big time!
It is amazing how different running a mile is compared to the 3 & 5k !.
Brendan started to come back to me on the last lap - it was his first track race of the
season. He ran 4.39,
I timed myself at 4.43.5 no electronic timing but had three watches clock me at 4.43:5, 4.44:2 and 4.44.2 - I'm not sure if they give the median time or the average.

Ronnie wont mind me taking this record off him - a sprint by his (and mine) standards!

3000m 9:23.59 Australian 4x1500m M50-59 18m37.91

2011-12-03T12:47:00.003+10:00

Very windy, 13kpm gusting 26kpm , it was cool when I got up just 16C in the city but by race start it had climbed to 23C, was tempted to give the 3000m a miss and concentrate on 4x1500,
but gave it a go anyhow.just too tough with the wind and ran 9m23.
90mins later I started off the relay, ran 68, 2.22,3.36,4.32.
Con,Phil and Pete all ran blinders in really tough conditions. Our time beat the Australian listed record by 4secs and the 'listed' World Record by about 30secs. I think we could shave another 20secs in calm conditions.4x1500m is no longer kept as a currently listed 'record'.
It was really nice to be part of a team doing something together worthwhile as so much of our sport is run as individuals.

Cool Morning

2011-12-02T07:07:00.000+10:00

Fri 4.54am 10.57km Roo+Lake 45m48 4m20 K's
Thur 5.19am 10.53km Roo+Lake 47m01 4m28 K's

Only 18 O C this morning, much cooler than of late, much better running conditions.

10 X 400m @ 68.71

2011-11-30T06:45:00.004+10:00

Tue 5.45am 10.47km 47m36 4m33 K's

Wed 5.00am Nudgee 10 X 400m 120m jog recovery;
21 C/ 69 F/91% and CALM (no wind)
69.49
70.17
68.00
70.08
68.78
68.98
68.25
68.66
68.40
66.29
MOtivated this morning, must be a PB session.
A couple of triathletes were running laps and I used them as motivation.

Cool Night Classic update

2011-11-28T22:03:00.003+10:00

I just got the 3rd place prize for the Cool Night Classic, a beautiful watch apparently cost $495 !
It just goes to show that you should ALWAYS race for every place!
Both me and the guy I out kicked believed we were racing for 4th place but unseen by us (the huge crowd coming in the other direction nearly squeezed us off the road!) the 3rd place guy had dropped out and yours truly was outrageously rewarded!
Official results are here
I took today 'off' as a rest day! need to recover from that 20 X 400 in the heat.

World Record

2011-11-28T06:40:00.000+10:00

Scott Lawrence, Andrew Egginton, Peter Hawes and John Jago (in the Australian vests)

Congratulations Scott Lawrence and mates Andrew Eggington (Vic), Peter Hawes (Qld) and John Jago (Tas) for their M50 world record in the 4x800m at Albert Park today. The first world record at the new stadium!!! They were paced to their record by an Old Scotch team of Rob Schwerkolt, Mike Taylor, Chris Taylor and Bill Feutrill.
Official time 8:39.01. Approx 400m splits: 61.4, 66.7 (2:08.1), 63.3, 69.5 (2:12.8), 63.3, 66.3 (2:09.6), 62.1, 66.2 (2:08.3) - (Total 8:38.7)

20 X 400m @ 74.08 Cool for cats - Squeeze

2011-11-27T22:36:00.002+10:00

As I drove to Nudgee this arvo this track played on the radio. I love it because it brings back a time when Londoners spoke and sang in a London accent rather than a Jamaican gangster voice that makes me cringe.
Of course as a kid hearing a band singing about the 'The Sweeney's doing ninety because they've got no where to go ....... ' is specially reminiscent !
For those that don't get it, the Metropolitan Police in London , the robbery squad was nicknamed Sweeney Todd (Cockney rhyming slang for The Flying Squad) , a rapid response unit to robberies.
A TV series was made called The Sweeney staring John Thaw as D.I. Jack Regan and Dennis Waterman as D.S. George Carter. John Thaw later stared as Inspector Morse [he developed a bizarre walking gait - his foot would flick sideways - said to be the result of injuries sustained during his Jack Regan days!]
Of coarse I had to go through my school years with everyone humming the first three bars of the theme tune!
Anyhow today it was not 'Cool for Cats!' It was bloody hot!
At 5.00pm when I started the sesh it was 29 C /84 F , 66%, 9kph gusting 20kph , so contemplating 20 X 400m did not come easy!
For company once again I had Hughie Coogan and The News Sprint squad! Great to have company and exulted at that. Hughie was featured in the Sunday Mail this morning.
A steady start the wind and heat combining with a mental attitude to take things relatively easy following up from yesterdays race.
71.79 142bpm
74.50 147
75.45 145
74.55 148
75.98 148
74.94 149
75.40 150
76.38 150
75.30 150
74.08 151
75.02 151
74.33 152
73.96 153
73.84 152
73.90 154
73.54 154
74.28 154
72.88 156
73.72 155
67.82 159bpm

PF in right foot post session sore as !...

5000m 16.04:84

2011-11-26T11:12:00.002+10:00

Too hot too humid too windy (26 C/79 F, 67%, 9kph gusting 19kph) to run any faster.that is it for 5000m for this year.Queensland State Open 5000m mid Jan will be my next go.

Fri 5.00am 10.60km Roo+Lake 47m00 4m26 K's
Thurs 5.33am 10.54km Roo+Lake 46m50 4m27 K's

Danny MacAskill - "Way Back Home"

2011-11-24T13:10:00.000+10:00

10 X 800m @ 2m34.58 ; 10 X 300m @ 51.44

2011-11-22T21:24:00.002+10:00

Sun 4.35pm Nudgee 10 X 800m - 200m jog recovery
2m32.69 155bpm
2m34.65 159
2m35.78 161
2m32.60 163
2m36.02 163
2m35.12 164
2m32.98 167
2m35.88 166
2m36.80 165
2m33.30 165

Mon 5.30am 10.54km Roo+Lake 49m41 4.43 K's !

Tue 5.17am Nudgee 10 X 300m - 100m jog recovery @ 51.44
52.36
53.36
54.08
52.44
51.70
51.07
50.53
50.06
50.20
48.63

Sunday was warm (29 O C) and WINDY so tough conditions. I could not face 20 X 400 and so was pleased I covered the same distance doing 10 X 800m.
Also at the track Sunday was Queensland Sprint legend Hughie Coogan and his entourage. Hughie is a multi World Record Holder and World Champion in the 75year age cat. He'd shock many over 100m to 400m.
Monday I was smashed! PF in right foot really sore and could only crawl around in 4m43 K's.

This morning I set my alarm at 4.25am to get to Nudgee early.Brisbane sure is humid these Spring mornings. Thankfully the PF wasn't so bad and after a reasonable warm up opted for some fast work.I was happy with this session - I still have some speed! and I got progressively quicker as the session proceeded even with a short 100m jog recovery.

My oldest Oli graduated from High School last Friday. He is not sure what he wants to do but will go to Uni and has put down Physiotherapy, Commerce and Engineering!
Here in Oz they have a wonderful tradition of Schoolies. Schoolies is enough to give any parent a worry as your kids go off on holidays with their school mates to party and have a good time.
Oli has headed down to the Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise) for a week. A week away without any adult supervision. You want them to have a really memorable time but you pray they are safe and sound. 1 down 3 to go!!

3000m 9m15.96 Qld M50 Rec

2011-11-19T11:08:00.003+10:00

Wed 5.22am 10.58km Roo+Lake 46m26 4.23 K's
Thur 5.26am 10.58km Roo+Lake 46m38 4.24 K's
Fri 5.33am 10.54km Roo+Lake 45m34 4.19 K's

200 33
600 1.46
1000 3.03
1400 4.18
1800 5.33
2200 6.50
2600 8.03
3000 9.15

Hot and humid, some breeze.more walkers than runners so lots of lane two running, Peter Reeves said I looked strong start to finish. Happy to have beaten one of Ronnies Records which prior to Keith Bateman was an Australian record (KB moved it down from 9.19 to 8.59 !).Good to be running 3.05's.
In the right conditions I should shave more off. Above times are aprox as might have mixed up schedule times with actual times.
Cheers

11 X 400m Barefoot

2011-11-15T19:50:00.000+10:00

Sun 3.20pm16.23km Roo+Lake+Roo 72m31 4m28 K's
Mon 6.07pm 10.54km Roo+Lake 45m49 4m21 K's
Tues 5.19am Woodside Oval 10 X 400m 60s rest ; \
79.00, 77.90, 78.26, 77.40, 79.30,
75.24,75.53, 75.96, 75.63, 73.26, 71.23

I forgot to set my alarm for 4.30am for the session at Nudgee so for a change I thought I'd run the local oval.
Local, Scott Carlson (top runner currently retired) told me that if you run around the 4 goal posts that comprise the two footy pitches at Woodside Oval in North Lakes it is spot on 400m.
This meant running a square with rounded edges!!
Probably more accurate than an oval on the Garmin mine recorded all the repeats between 398m and 413m. Some times I'd run a slightly wider line to make the turns easier.
After the first 5 I decided to run barefoot and it is funny how my speed increased!
Having such fun I miscounted and did an extra one!
Sunday I decided against track following Saturdays race - cant over do it!

5000m 15m55.34

2011-11-12T11:45:00.003+10:00

To run a record you have to be in shape to run some way under new record time.
For me aiming at 15m49 again today was a little unrealistic.
I'd run 3 hard races in 8 days and put in two track sessions (20 X 400 and 10 X 400).
I was in a field with some classy runners like Ron Peters but I lapped the field (just!) so I had no assistance competition wise to compete against.
Thirdly and perhaps today the biggest factor were the conditions, it was just too warm.
BOM said it was between 24.8 and 25.5 O C at 8.00am this morning (77 O F to 79 O F) with humidity at 61%.
So in my own mind I was perhaps negative before the start as I let these thoughts cloud my brain.
Still I gave it a go, running 3m01 for the first KM and 9m31 for 3KM. Those killer last 5 laps where your mind wanders into negative territory, why am I doing this?
The suffering gets to you and you relent your pace as the Central Governor takes control.
I need to do it on a cool evening like when its 14 or 16 O C and where there is competition to run against or with. Sadly there are no opportunities to run in cool conditions at all in Queensland but next year I'll have some opportunity to run night time races against the youngsters.

Of course another huge factor could have been the air drag created by my huge now Booney esque Mo!

After a long warm down some of the older boys collared me into running a leg of a 4 X 800m and so even at the risk of upsetting the Mrs by being late home I ran a 63 first lap followed by a 70(!) sec to complete the first leg for the team. Con (52) , Phil (54) and Peter (58) wrapped things up for a new Australian M50 Record 9m05.22
Booney

Me!

Cheers

Recovery

2011-11-11T06:16:00.000+10:00

Fri 5.05am 10.56km Roo+Lake 48m04 4m34 K's Slow easy recovery run.

The Overnight low was 22 O C ( that is 71.6 O F) and humidity was 80% at 5.00am.

Cool Night Classic

2011-11-10T23:21:00.001+10:00

Wed 10.6km Roo+ake 46m30
Thur 5 15pm Price Waterhouse Coopers 17th Cool Night Classic 5.15km 3rd or 4th 16m29
Not quite a classic as with 4/5000 runners on an 'out and back' course on the narrow Riverside pathway, was always going to be running back into a sea of runners! That was exactly what happened.
Fast downhill start in the Botanical, I ran 1st K in 2:55!!
3 youngsters headed off the front and as I tried to gather my legs another 3 guys past me.
The warm conditions, 28 O C with humidity didn't make things feel great.
Up ahead I thought It was Geoff Berkley who had beaten me in this race last year (he was 2nd, I was 3rd)
I reeled him in eventually. We turned and ran back on our selves into the flood of humanity!
It certainly slowed things down as we got squeezed out of space. This was a public footpath and at one point I had to overtake a cyclist heading in the same direction, I put my hand on his back he slowed to a halt held up on one side by the Riverside Express way column support we were running under, as I squeezed past he cursed out loud, those cyclists hate us runners sometimes and to be fair he had a point!
Into the finish area and I had caught the 4th/ or 3rd place guy and sprinted past to the finish.
I heard the announcer call me as 3rd place and I thought that was a mistake!
So I didn't wait around for presentations but later at Central,I met Robbie Lofthouse who had been spectating and told me I was indeed 3rd over the line!
Hope no one masqueraded as me and picked up the 3rd prize a $400 watch!!
Maybe it was a cool night hey?
The 3rd placer must have dropped out and with the crowds there was no way we were going to see him!
So 3rd place again maybe!

10 X 400m @ 69.88 Moreton Bay Road Runners

2011-11-08T07:21:00.001+10:00

Mon 6.03pm 10.57km Roo+Lake 45m23 4m18 K's
Tue 5.06am Nudgee 10 X 400m 80sec recovery
73.98
72.54
70.36
70.48
69.40
69.18
69.20
68.62
67.02
68.04
For the second week I joined a group from Moreton Bay Road Runners for a track session at Nudgee. They start at 5.00am so I'm up at 4.30 am to get there and only had time for one lap warm up so used the early repeats as warm up!. Warm and humid and no wind felt OK.
18.9 O c and 84% humidity.

20 X 400m 73.06

2011-11-06T16:15:00.005+10:00

Went back to Nudgee this morning and ran half
Zatopek in hot windy comditions. Probably ave 73's with the wind slowing me. Ran in Adids Climalites (flats) but the PF in right foot hurts like a pig after.
in celebration of Movember I have been establishing some hair on my upper lip.
it is laughable ,very salt & pepper, and not at all like David Booney or Dave Bedford. Worryingly Natalie has said it is very Freddie! I am happy to publish a photo if you like? !

11.42 am / 26.2 O C / 47%.

73.15 137bpm
73.40 143
74.38 146
74.57 148
73.58 148
73.73 149
73.75 148
73.41 151
73.38 153
73.88 151
73.00 151
73.05 152
73.35 153
73.02 154
73.15 156
72.60 156
72.56 156
71.58 156
72.42 157
69.26 159

5000m 15m56:06

2011-11-05T11:22:00.000+10:00

Conditions good not too humid not too hot cloud cover. I was well rested and sober! Felt ok from the off just some knee tendonitis pain that soon eased. The sun came out and I was cursing but clouds rolled back over. I ran through 3 k in 9m33 feeling ok but goal pace 3m10's had slipped and I was unlikely to get back on track so then it is just the mental battle goal gone but how hard can you still push it? Remarkably I stayed pretty much on pace and if I'd only been able to lift it 3 laps out, I might have got back onto 15m50 pace, saying that crossing the line in 15m56 having lapped the field wasn't too shabby.that time is 90.5% age graded and a ything over 90% is good. Hope that I can step up still further and run 15m49.

Grunting

2011-11-04T20:31:00.000+10:00

Fri 5.19am 10.53km Roo+Lake 45m13 4m18 K's
Thu 5.22am 16.20km Roo+Lake+Roo 69m49 4m19 K's
Wed 5.17am 16.27km Roo+Lake+Roo 71m21 4m23 K's

One good reason not to wear an ipod is hearing the wild life and on Thurs mornings run I hear this strange crying I looked up and saw two Koala's in a tree just above my head. They were 'talking' to each other. I ran round the Lake got back to where they had been but they'd already moved on! Quick workers those.
Have a listen to an actual recording of a Koala 'grunting' here!

Running Masters Saturday - a 5000m.
Hoping to run closer to 16mins if conditions are not too warm or too windy, but is that the first signs of a sore throat I'm detecting , will the PF in the right foot have other ideas or am I a hypochondriac?

5 X 800m @ 2m29.16 Chelsea 3 Arsenal 5

2011-11-01T07:12:00.001+10:00

At last we can say 'OOOOH to be a Gooner' with pride!

Mon 5.15am Roo+Lake+Roo 16.29km 70m41 4m20 K's

Tue 5.06am Nudgee 5 X 800m 2m30 recovery
2m30:64 148bpm
2m29:68 152bpm
2m28:33 155bpm
2m28:80 157bpm
2m28:35 160bpm

20 X 400m @ 72.29

2011-10-30T14:57:00.001+10:00

Half Zatopek 20 X 400 @ Nudgee 72.29 ave 110m jog recovery (75 sec?)

73.28 - 137bpm
75.80--143
74.74--145
73.86--148
72.88--151
72.20--152
71.37--154
71.80--154
71.55--155
71.52--154
71.87--156
72.07--155
71.10--156
70.88--160
72.60--158
72.26--158
71.36--159
71.83--159
69.20--161

Humid and warm at 1.00pm breeze on first bend swung around to back straight. After first couple vot me into the groove felt comfortable enough, concentrated on blocks of 5 and starting fast working into the wind staying relaxed upper body, breathing comfortably, good session. Met Mathew a Kiwi runner who was doing a few laps - might join his goup for intervals back at Nudgee 5.00am Tues!

3000m 9m29.76

2011-10-30T09:45:00.002+10:00

Sat 8.00am Nathan 3000m 9m29.76

Attending the API property conference dinner Friday (Late night and lots of booze) was not ideal preparation for running masters early Saturday morning but I'm still glad I finally got to race a 3000m as a 50 year old.
Conditions were OK, not much breeze, cloud cover, warm 22 O C but humid as ever. Started well but maybe a touch too fast for the first K was about 3m06, it is the 2nd K that is always the toughie and I must have run it in around 3m12 , bringing it home in 3m11 for 9m29.7.
I feel the need to race myself into form and in the right race with the right preparation hope to run sub 9m19.
In fact my 16m08.41 a fortnight ago is worth a 9m10 on the same age grade % and 9m17 based on the equivalent VO2 max see this web site. Or perhaps I am better suited to 5 than 3 as my speed ebbs away but my stamina endures.

Running with Koala's again!

2011-10-28T07:24:00.000+10:00

Fri 5.20am 16.27km Roo+Lake+Roo 70m10 4m19 K's
Thur 5.13am 16.28km Roo+Lake+Roo 68m39 4m13 K's

I saw a koala running along side the path in search of a preferred tree. A rare sight these days and even rarer to see them out of a tree. Second time in two years I have seen one running alongside me!

I am down the coast today and tomorrow at Jupiter's for the annual Property Conference. I might still make it to Masters on Sat.

Tim Sweeney

2011-10-26T07:19:00.000+10:00

Wed 5.00am Roo+Lake+Roo 16.27km 70m41 4m21 K's
Tues 5.32am Roo+Lake 45m46 4m21 K's
Mon 5.57pm Roo+Lake 10.53km 4m26

My youngest Brother Tim's 49th birthday today! Happy Birthday Bro x

Wild Horse Mountain

2011-10-24T23:10:00.004+10:00

Well I chose the wrong option on Sunday, had a lie in, gave Masters a miss and headed up to the Uni of Southern Queensland at Sippy Downs in the arvo. Magnificient sporting facilities there but sadly very under utilised. That goes for the track and the meet! I entered the 3000m last event of the day, did a warm up in the grounds of the uni and got back to the track and noted how few athletes were around . Did a few strides and still no sign of other runners and no starter or timekeepers! They had decided to cancel the event as I was the only entry! Wish they'd have told me and even given me the choice of running by myself!
Hey ho my debut as a 50yo 3000m runner can wait another week.
I pulled into Wild Horse Mountain on the way back and did a hill session.
The track to the top from the gate on the pathway is signed as 700m but my Garmin had it at 665m, with the climb aprox 75m according Garmin. Doesn't sound much but it is a real killer 3m50sec for the first rep so you can tell just how hard it was! I wish I had my heart monitor on as the BPM would have been off the scale! The hill has a real nasty kick at the 2/3 mark, jogged back down in 4m10 and back into it for 3m46sec of agony and had just enough left to finish another in 3m42.
It worked parts I dont normally touch so quite a bit of pain today and could only hobble around 10.6km Roo+Lake in 46m30.
I intend to put in a mid week session and increase the K's but that will have to wait another day till I'm properly recovered from Sunday.

3000m

2011-10-22T14:14:00.000+10:00

Do I race 3000m @ Masters on the Gold Coast on Sunday morning or do I run with the kids at a QA Meet. on the Sunshine Coast Sunday afternoon?
Each has their merits, Masters starts at 7.30am so no wind likely but also no competition, QA on Sunshine Coast could throw up some good young guns and my body is normally more awake in the afternoon. Hmm not sure yet~!

Gary Artuso - Gold

2011-10-19T07:20:00.000+10:00

Sun 12.55pm 10.54km Roo+Lake 45m46 4m21 K's Really hot day
Mon Rest
Tue 5.22am 10.56km Roo+Lake 44m50.39 4m15 K's
Wed 5.24am 10.55km Roo+Lake 44m50.55 (!!) 4m15 K's

My friend Gary Artuso got me into John Stewart by singing a Gold - only his lyrics have rather a different flavour!
John Stewart is yet another rock/pop/folk star who has sadly passed away.
Always loved Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham too.
One day I'd love to be driving over Kanan...

There's people out there turning music into gold!

5000m 16:07.93

2011-10-15T12:13:00.003+10:00

I woke at 5 and it was pi$$ing down and thunder was rolling a repeat of last week! I switched off the alarm and tried to get back to sleep another session at Nudgee and debut as a 50yo would have to wait! Woke again at 6.30 and the rain had stopped I got up went downstairs, knocked Max off Mineshaft to have a look at the BOM radar, to see the storms heading out to sea. So headed down to SAF @ Nathan.
3k warm up= 3 laps around QEII, or ANZ.
plan was to run even pacing rather than the normal fast/slow down.
72 first lap, 3m10/11 at K,9.48 at 3k no wonderI felt good!conditions were warm about 22c and very humid as the sweat poured off me.
I seemed to pick it up over the last 2k and hit the bell 14.54 and finished with only a 74 for 16m08.41 official 89% age graded.
happy enough considering the humidity and early season, it felt quite easy and I lapped the field including Peter Reeves.
Garmin readings were;
3:09
3:11
3:10
3:05
3:06
+ 25s @ 2:49 pâce - 16:07.93 on my watch.
5Km warm down with the boys, Peter, Phil and Con.

Insomnia

2011-10-13T10:55:00.001+10:00

Tue 5.37am 10.60km Roo+Lake 44m46 4m13 K's
Wed 5.42am 10.60km Roo+Lake 43m44
Thu 5.39am 10.56km Roo+Lake 44m08 4m11 K's
I really should try and add some variety but at the moment I feel like I am still just holding it all together.
PF in right foot is an issue, knee and hip are acceptable/ok.
So just steady running and a race or track session a week.
This morning was really humid and may need to swap from tee to singlet pretty soon - was wearing long sleeves only last week - Summer is settling in.

Tearin' off tights with my teeth

the boys are back in town

2011-10-10T19:52:00.002+10:00

And that time over at Johnny's place
Well this chick got up and she slapped Johnny's face
Man we just fell about the place
If that chick don't want to know, forget her

Thur 12.36pm Brisbane River 11.76km 47m59 4m06 K's
Fri 5.38am Roo+Lake 10.57km 44m23 4m12 K's
Sat Nudgee
Sun 2.36pm Roo+Lake 10.48km 44m12 4m13 K's
Mon 5.57pm Roo+Lake 10.62km 43m18 4m05 K's

washed out!

2011-10-08T14:41:00.000+10:00

i was up at 5am to properly wake myself up for my first race as a 50 year old. Masters @ SAF Nathan, a 3000m at 8.00am, left the house for the drive down wearing sunnies but sky was getting darker and befkre the Gateway Bridge the rain had started! Warmed up with 4k in the rain but as the thunder and lightning increased so did the wind and at start time a full own storm was turning thr track into a pool with the wind knocking over wheelie bins and obviously preventing set up.
Nat was doing a pump class at 9.30 and I needed to be home so I pulled the pin at 8.10am.
I got out to Nudgee this arvo, remarkably the weather had completely turned around and it was hot (humid) and sunny!slight wind but not like last weekend.
Ran 3000m,2000m,1000m with 400m jog recovery:
9:31.98 168bpm
6:29.97 172bpm
3:07.26 168bpm

Conditions were too warm for a long interval session, either that or old age is getting to me!

Here are my predictions for the RWC Quarters about to kick off;
IRELAND
AUSTRALIA
FRANCE
NZ

Hope you enjoy the games, I certainly will.
Cheers

More of the same

2011-10-05T06:45:00.000+10:00

Wed 5.21am 10.54km Roo+Lake 45m01 4m16 K's

Twenty Years

2011-10-04T21:05:00.001+10:00

Sun 3 X 2000m @ Nudgee 400m Jog recovery
Mon 5.33am 10.53km 46m48 4m27 K's
Tues 5.24am 10.57km 44m01 4m10 K's

Sunday at Nudgee, very windy BOM said 20kmph wind speed gusting 50kmph (worth at least 10secs per 2K)
#1. 3m11.94 155bpm 3m17.19 167bpm = 6m29.15 161bpm
#2. 3m13.45 159bpm 3m17.23 171bpm = 6m30.44 165bpm
#3. 3m08.53 163bpm 3m14.16 175bpm = 6m22.69 169bpm

I have been married to the beautiful Mrs for TWENTY years today, along with our children, my proudest achievement.

Sandstorm

2011-10-02T09:59:00.003+10:00

Thurs 5.32am 10.47km (!) Roo+Lake 45m25 4m20 K's
Fri 5.31am 10.56km Roo+Lake 43m53 4m09 K's
Sat 2.23pm 10.60km Roo+Lake 42m37 4m01 K's
Just keeping it steady, managing the niggles. Would like to get back to the track for some speed work but wary of pushing too much.
Track Season has started at Queensland Masters and will run some Queensland Athletics (Open) events as well.
Imagine being at a Club and this track coming on - I'd be dancing like a Zombie (which is how my wife says I dance ; -)

Half Century

2011-09-28T11:13:00.000+10:00

Mon 5.33am 10.53km Roo+Lake 45m53 4m21 K's
Tues 12.11pm 12.40km River 46m35 3m45 K's
Wed 9.20am 10.46km Roo+Lake 43m53 4m12 K's

The Garmin is a year old today and records 3389.25km 233.54.18
50 years old today!! Still feel like a 25yo and have the libido to match! Now for a crack at any records that want my name!
Cheers

Surprise

2011-09-25T14:43:00.002+10:00

Sat 4.35pm 10.52km 43m44 4m09 K's
Sun 1.02pm 10.54km 42m43 4m03 K's

The good wife rang me on Fri arvo on a frenetic day at work, "what time are you leaving?" "I dont want you to come home I'm in Room 617 At Ridges (hotel)" it's across the River from where I work in the City. I finish up extra quick and dash over to the Southbank! my minx of a wife arranged a surprise night in town for dinner and drinks with friends to celebrate my half century this Wednesday. With 4 kids this isa very rare treat and a lovely surprise. How my kids managed to keep it buttoned I dont know!
With all the booze in NZ and then on Friday night, I just had to get moving again or the weight gain would have been too much to stomach (pun intended).
So Sat & Sun 10.5km Roo+Lake , only had a week off and the body reacts like it's the first time I've ever run this, rather than the 1500th time (my conservative estimate!)
PF sore,hip minor background,knee initial run stages only.
Apologies for typos but typing /posting this from my patio in shorts post run on my $100 Zeepad -ipad copy!

Fields of Athenry

2011-09-23T16:16:00.001+10:00

I decided to have a training break following NZ.
Having had a number of hip episodes since the 2008 Stressie I am ever mindful that for me it is going to be a problematic area . Though I haven't quite got to the point where I could say it is painful I feel that it could start to get that way. Last Jan/Feb I had a similar episode but let it get to a more painful stage however a two week break and was OK to get going again.I'm listening to my body!

Titirangi 10KM

2011-09-20T06:43:00.001+10:00

Sat Titirangi 10KM (9.7) 35m33 1st

The plan was to run the Legends Half Marathon but due to late arrival swapped to the 10KM. To say I was worse for wear was an understatement as on Friday my brother Tim and I had started at lunchtime and gone long into the night! Just how we made it to the start line I'll never know. Gun goes off and not unexpectedly I feel crap. It was freezing cold so I wore gloves! I would have worn a beaney under my cap but knew at least my head would warm up. Two young guys take off at pace and I run early K's in 3rd about 50m back. An inner loop at about 2K and I work my way to the front. The rains pour down at one stage and I have to remind myself I do this for fun. The course takes in some challenging hills and feeds into the full Mara and Half course.
At the finish line I meet HuRTS guys Enda and later on Charlie and Connor.
I went back to my unit for some sleep. More later.
Results here

Auckland

2011-09-20T06:24:00.000+10:00

La de da Gunner Graham

2011-09-15T14:38:00.003+10:00

Thur 12.28pm 25 O C 10.56km Roo+Lake 44m01 4m10 K's

I felt OK today after yesterdays stair climb! I expected some soreness but none! Remarkable really, all the niggles are OK. I got attacked by a bird, the first of the season (this kind of thing never happened in the UK) I saw it's silhouette above my head - a swift fist in the air was enough to scare the blighter off.

I had my hair cut today at my local Rothwell Barbers 'Stags' it is appropriate for me as mine rests peacefully in the garage for the last year! Anyhow he has old British TV shows showing so I watch 'It ain't half hot mum!' and 'Are you being Served?' It must be my age because as a kid I didn't like IAHHM but now I can see the funny side. As for 'Are you being Served?' It's a scream and there is something about the young Wendy Richards - Miss Brahms (sadly deceased) with her oh so Cockney accent that still does it for me ;-)
I shall leave it for Young Timmy to pass comment on Molly Sugden (Mrs. Slocombe).

I am off to Auckland this arvo to meet up with my younger brother Tim as part of a Farther's Day /early Birthday present.
Timmy got us tickets to see Ireland V Wallabies. Not sure who I want to win as I support both teams. I have Two Aussie RU flags and caps but Timmy will probably be going for Ireland (because he lives in NZ and our parentage).
Nearly forgot, thinking of running The Legends Half or 10K on Sat morning - depends how drunk my brother gets me! It is the course trained on by Lydiard and his athletes
with a mountain about halfway - should be a blast!

Brisbane's first Tower/Stair Race

2011-09-14T21:17:00.002+10:00

Wed 4.53am Roo+Lake 10.60km 4m25 K's
8.16am Tower Run 4th Eq 3m35

I fell asleep early Tues night which meant I woke early Wed morning,I wasn't going to go back to sleep so got up at 4.30am! Went downstairs to do my stretches and was greeted by son Oli getting up for Arsenal's Champions League game (I have taught him about commitment).
So it was out early for a steady Roo+Lake and then into work early to run the Queensland Police and Emergency Services 'Great Tower Race' up 111 George St.
Only 31 stories and 686 steps, I was surprised at the tight short flights compared with us at 80 George St. My plan was run two steps per stride for as long as I could bear it then survive on one stair per step. Only managed about 6 floors on two steps. Runners went off at 30 second intervals and I was 3rd runner off in a 'self selected' Elite Category . I overtook one chap on the way up which was a tight squeeze. I finished 3rd in the category (equal 4th fastest overall) about 26 seconds off 1st place , my time was 3m35.

The event told me perhaps I'm not cut out to be a Tower runner! I'd beaten the winner Paul Dodd in Sunday's Bridge to Brisbane by 1min34secs. Still, the view at the top was worth it! The air in the stair well was either very dry of very dusty as myself and the other competitors seemed to cough up a lung afterwards. I'm fine now though.