Martin Rees

Ronnie suggested I post this fascinating (for us old geezers) article on Martin Rees who ran 71m32 for the Half Mara at Bath (UK) this year aged 60!
A M60 World Record.
He is running 70miles and doing 2 or 3 speed sessions a week.
His training is not far removed from mine though I would not cover that amount of miles, I would get up to two speed sessions a week when fully back into it.
At the moment I am still building back up and slowly introducing some speed, mindful of my Achilles Heel = my heel!
Last week was pretty much steady runs (Thursday was a rest day = travelling to Rocky and back).
Friday I flew around my Roo+Lake course in under 40mins which is pretty rare. 
10.6KM in 39;59 = 3;47 K's, 
followed on Saturday (short on time so only squeezed in a Roo)
5.7km 21;33 = 3;46 K's.
Sunday I ran a steady 
21K's 1;28;37 = 4;11 K's
This morning (Monday) I cycled for an hour and 15mins by way of a recovery day.

Martin Rees



Click on to enlarge;

My Training to 27th July 2013

Lanterne Rouge

Saturday 21.1km 1;29;39 4m14 K's  First long run in forever! 

Did OK felt OK.

Sunday 2KM warm up 3 X 3 X 400m 2KM Warm Down 

- I chose this by way of an easy reintroduction to speed work. 

Lots of recovery and run on grass oval at school (rough). 

First set at race pace (I chose 16min 30 as base line), so 79's with 100m jog recovery then 400m jog and 

Second Set 3 secs quicker (76secs) with 200m jog recovery, 400m jog and 

Third Set 6 secs quicker (73secs) with 400m jog recoveries.

2.1km Warm Up 8;42 4.07km pace

Set 1, 78/79/77

Set 2, 3m44 Ave 74.6

Set 3, 3m38 Ave 72.6

1.85km Warm Down 9;32 5.08km pace

Nudgee is calling but thought better to stay on soft oval at local school, barely discernible track marked out but it seemed quite accurate. I had a pair of Plovers for company that dive bombed me on the warm up so I tried to tier them out by standing my ground for 10 minutes while they screamed and carried on, eventually moving off. Also had to contend with a golfer lobbing balls actually onto the track! He did take care not to fire them when I was rounding that side of the track. It was tough trying to judge pace but I got the first set pretty good the second set was too fast and the third set just quicker than target. Great to feel like I was moving again and the heel and calves were OK.

Monday;  got up early to see if Cav could make it 5 in a row on the Champs Élysées but he didn't quite get the lead out he has had in the past (ala Renshaw) and it was Kittel and Gripel followed a wheel behind by Cav.

In honour I got out on the bike for a recovery 33km at 28kmph

Natalie said to me as I went out the door to "ride like it was the Champs-Élysées" but I fear I rode more like I was the Lanterne Rouge, there again it was a recovery day ;-)

Alpe D'Huez

There was no way I was going to miss two times up the Alpe D'Huez last night on le Tour so having gone to bed at 2.00 a.m. it necessitated another lunchtime in the city run along the Brisbane River. This time I remembered to bring my kit! but my Garmin battery died  just after the turnaround. I was maintaining sub 4 min KM pace but slowed down as I turned back into a breeze.
It is so pleasant to run in a comfortable 22 O C about 70 O F temperature in the middle of the Winter. I believe that this sub tropical climate is half the reason why I am able to run(cycle) through the year. Back in the UK the Winter is miserable I don't think I could keep myself active at my age.

It has been disappointing hearing all the criticism Froome has had to put up with but understandable given his dominance. If the only 'evidence' is from 'worked out' data output it is not very scientific. Last night Quintana and Rodriguez beat Froome up by a minute and Quintana's time was only good good enough for 39th on the All Time Alpe D'Huez rankings. Last night Froome looked quite human and potentially vulnerable, but for Richie Porte he would not be in the commanding position he still holds.

Letting it all hangout!

I just ran 11.5 kilometers! Check it out on #strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/67922427

Letting it all hang out!

Very late nights watching the tour didn't much fancy bed at 2am and getting up at 5am for a run, the answer was a lunch time city stroll. I gather up my kit bag but left it on the breakfast table!
As a consequence I had to make do with kit that was lying around in my locker for a few years and my work socks!!
The elastic in my shorts started crumbling as soon as I put them on and they required constant pulling up until I sweated enough to have the sweat stick them to me. The other problem was that the inners never sat right and the old fella kept hanging out!
The Garmin was at home with my kit so ran with my phone and used Strava to record. Only problem with that was I couldn't work out the lock release to stop the timer which made for a very slow last half KM.
No issues during the run with the heel but some reactions following so iced it.
Went home sock less :-)
11.5km  @ 4mins04 felt good but just a twinge from the calves so I backed off.

Training Update

I have been running just over a week. Aerobic fitness is fine and shows that the cycling has kept me in the game. However the running has taken it out on all the leg muscle groups and I am only just overcoming the muscle soreness. The heel has gradually started to hurt after a run so I guess I am not cured and will have to manage it carefully.
Click on the image to enlarge.

Gold Coast Marathon Masters Results Sally Gibbs

The most outstanding performance of the weekend goes to Sally Gibbs F50 2hrs 42m59 a phenomenal performance. Australian W50 Record by 1m13.

Gold Coast Half Marathon Masters Results 2013

Congrats to Chairman Tommy in his last year M35 running a PB 71m18.
Lee Troop showed what a class act he is running 67m56 to win M40

Tim Toner 74m43 won M45 Cat and well done Queensland Master Shawn Claydon for getting runner up.

Bruce Graham again blitzed the M50 Cat. and congrats to David Scroope coming back from heart surgery you are inspirational!

Here are the M55 Cat results

My 'Masters Performance of the Day' in the Half goes to Ronnie, the man is a machine 75m10 at M60!
This year Ronnie ran 75m52 at Noosa to break the National M60 record and  76m40 at Doomben.
This performance tops it off, three World class performances from Ronnie so far this Winter!

Gold Coast Marathon Weekend Mens Masters 10KM Results

Some great running by Masters out there this weekend.
In the 10KM
M40 Dennis Fitz 32m40 for 25th overall.
M45 Greg Webster who lives in the next suburb to me ran 35m50

My Age group was taken out by the incomparable Monnas in a new M50 Course Record 32m58, some superb running by Brisbane's finest Gary Francis Con and Barry.

It must have been like a Queensland Masters reunion out there as in the M55's Peter Reeves took the cat win in 36m08

Congrats to Craig Welsh on 4th in the M60's and all the others who took part in the biggest best running festival in Queensland.

World War Z

10.61km Roo+Lake 45m53 4m19K's 139bpm

Back out again this afternoon after taking Max and Lil to see World War Z. 
A good movie, I always enjoy the Zombie genre though I grew up in the era of the slow moving Zombies so seeing these speed freaks, freaks me out!
After yesterdays debut run I was OK on the heel but the rest of my body sang out in pain (muscle soreness), so I again tried to take today quite easy. The first K was nearly 5mins, on the second K I saw a runner up ahead and though I tried not to (my times indicate other wise) I speeded up (3rd K 3m51).
Winter is normally the Dry Season here in Brissy characterized by cloudless blue skies and daytime temps around 22 O C. However a big low is sitting 150K's off the Sunshine Coast and is bringing us a huge dose of wet weather. With teeming rain and just 16 or 17 O C I thought I could  get away with wearing my Sogoi Majik Waterproof Jacket.

The trade off is though it will keep the rain out, the sweat it produces makes you just as wet as wearing nothing! I normally take it off but it shows either it was pretty cool or my body temp remained low as I felt comfortable wearing it the whole distance.
Yesterdays run left me with general muscle soreness all over! Thighs calves even my ribs for some reason!!
The susceptibility of my calves was first and foremost on my mind as I made sure not to strain at all as they would be liable to flip out at any moment. I was pleased to make it home in one piece somehow coming back 40 secs quicker than yesterday. Today I ran on the concrete pathways (because of the rain) whereas yesterday was 90% on the grass beside. There was no reaction on the heel ;-)
Will take a rest day tomorrow and run again on Tuesday.

Roo+Lake!

10.6km 46m33 - 4m24 K's 143bpm

I had been eyeing off completing a 1500km cycling month and my transition into cyclist  was almost complete.
I'd been checking out bikes that were the price of a small car. I'd been looking at cycle shoe 'booties' that keep your feet warm on these freezing mornings.
I'd been looking at my legs and thinking they look hairy. 
I had set Monday as the day when I would return to running, but a rainy weekend in Brissy (never much fun on the bike) gave me the impetus to start running today - well what does riding 1500km in a month translate to anyway? 
I'd completed a 30hrs in 16 days STRAVA cycle challenge earlier in the month and felt chuffed to have averaged nearly 2hrs a day for 16 days. 


But my heel has been feeling better in the mornings so I was satisfied it would be ok  to give it a test today.
It felt OK (touch wood), but I'll see if it reacts and assess from there.
Felt very comfortable and to run 4m24's first run in months is an indication the cycling has at least allowed me to maintain a modicum of fitness. 
My weight hasn't ballooned either, I'm 65kg just 3kg off my absolute best ever (Masters) running weight. 
I ran in my Columbia Trail shoes (waterproof) and ran in these Injinji toe running socks. They felt rather strange putting on for the first time but quite comfortable running.

Normally when I start running after a layoff my calves give me issues so I shall be giving them a lot of massage over the next few weeks.

 

Kates Formal, Oli Maxey,Katie and Lily

 

Freddie Hampton

I caught up with Freddie Hampton on Friday/Saturday. 
I used to compete against Freddie from age 12 to about 16y.o. 
Freddie ran for Hillingdon whilst I ran for London Irish and then Shaftesbury Harriers.
Freddie moved to Australia in about 1982 and worked as a fireman in Sydney at first but gradually retreated to the more sedate (?) Central Coast of NSW where he now lives.
He always kept fit (part of the job) but a week after his daughters wedding 8 months ago he had a heart attack! 
He'd experienced pain for few weeks prior and had been to the doctors and had a stress test but nothing showed up, but in actual  fact he had a 95% blocked artery and required a triple bypass!. 
He's made a text book recovery and running and cycling at full effort again. We sunk way too many beers Friday evening (perhaps not wise) and got out for a 40km ride in the morning. I tried my best to drop the bastard but couldn't in fact I was hanging on for dear life at the end, on a Beaut of a Brisbane morning. 
Fred is now retired from the service on medical grounds and enjoying retirement (!!!) presently spending time travelling up to meet two of his three adult daughters in Townsville. He is married to a gorgeous Aussie lass - Robin.

Proof that Fred and me had a competitive rivalry

Freddie gave me a NSW Fire Brigade tee shirt that I wore all day Saturday with pride.

Fred is the one wearing grey singlet and shorts!

Riding in the dark

I acquired this lamp from Hong Kong on eBay for $30 inc postage, it is 1800lumens as powerful as a car head light!
Safety first I thoroughly recommend to all, you can even mount it on a head band ( included) and take it on a run! Rechargeable battery pack.

Ron Peters 1:15:52 Half Mara @ 60 years old! His Third Australian Half Marathon Record (+M50 71;32, +M55 72;19)

Tour de Narangba
I have set myself an arbitrary target of 250KM a week on the bike which I have managed the last two weeks.
Yesterday I also fitted in a run 10.6km Roo+Lake it seems like forever since I went for just a steady run and  loved going over my old course in 4min 26 K's. It appears that the cycling is managing to keep a certain amount of running fitness going as I do not expect to be able to run easy at that pace on no base at all. Some discomfort in the heel today as always following the run. 
Impressed by the space age glass and aluminium train station at Narangba.
It seems quite out of place in this old country town. The roads around there are shocking bone shaking lanes so will have to eek out other directions for longer rides.

In other news it was the Noosa running festival this weekend and congrats to Jackson Elliott on his 69min Half, possibly a debut Half for him at 31 years of age.
However what can you say about Ron Peters that hasn't already been said?
He must be pushing 60 this year and finished 5th in 75m52 Outstanding running!
Update;Ronnie is 60 and that was an Australian M60 Record by over a minute.

RESULTS

NOOSA HALF MARATHON 2013
Male

1. Jackson Elliott, 1:09:26
2. Adam Fitzekerley, 1:12:19
3. Brad Beer, 1:14:2
4. Stephen Jackson, 1:15:37
5. Ron Peters, 1:15:52
6. Paul Herlihy, 1:16:18

Female

1. Clare Geraghty, 1:16:12
2. Amanda Watson, 1:17:58
3. Melanie Panayiotou, 1:20:11
4. Aarthie Venkatesen, 1:20:57
5. Nerissa Campbell, 1:21:40
6. Clare Williams, 1:23:16

RESULTS
NOOSA 10K RUN
Male
1. Ryan Fisher, 00:32:09
2. Ron Darmon, 00:32:18
3. Craig Anthony, 00:32:23
4. Ben Macronan, 00:32:28
5. Paul Tucker, 00:32:32
6. Drew Williams, 00:32:49

Female
1. Tamlyn Mathiske, 00:37:4
2. Lilian Anderson, 00:38:17
3. Ainslie Bakker, 00:39:08
4. Andrea Appleton, 00:39:04
5. Peita Hynes, 00:39:16
6. Melissa Watson, 00:39:56

RESULTS
NOOSA 5K RUN
Male
1. Dave Kalinowski, 00:16:54
2. Drew Westbrook, 00:17:08
3. Christophe Manchon, 00:18:00
4. James Copperthwaite, 00:18:26
5. Alex Alesi, 00:18:38
6. Rick Rouse, 00:18:46

Female
1. Lilli Burdon, 00:18:20
2. Olivia Warnes, 00:20:53
3. Issy Burdon, 00:20:53
4. Victoria Royle, 00:21:25
5. Elizabeth Bell, 00:21:46
6. Taylor Chinn, 00:21:58

Riding Like a Bender

I have tried out my heel a few times over the previous weeks but I'm still getting a reaction so its been ride ride ride.
251km last week (6 days), 90km today, I have stopped trying to ride each ride like a race flat out in a constant attempt to eak up my kmph over 30KM, and am now just riding with the occasional attempt to improve a Segment time on my local Strava Segments.
Today I headed out to the Sea Side - Scarborough/Redcliffe/Woody Point/Sandgate. Which included the 3km long Ted Smout Bridge. On the way out South I road the road section which was a little scary as the traffic is going 80kmph and there is no bike lane! Realizing my mistake, on the way back North I took the safe option and rode the bike/run path.

I got caught up in Anzac Day Parade road closures and also got caught up in some traffic coming back through Redcliffe and Scarborough which slowed me down and pulled my overall ave to 29.6kmph (I'm happy if I can keep it over 30kmph). As this ride was easily going to be my longest ever I added some loops in order to round it up to a cool 90KM - for a runner that sounds monstrous and even for a cyclist it requires 3 hours on the saddle.
I feel more confident about going further afield because I now carry a spare tube and CO2 inflaters in case of puncture.
I thought that my route home as drawn on the map looks like Futurama's Bender but our Lily does not agree?
You might have to click on the image to see it!

"Maggie Thatcher! Maggie Thatcher! can you hear me? Your Boys took a hell of a beating!"

At this poignant  time I am reminded of this Norwegian commentators euphoria when Norway beat England.

Heart Thumping

I thought I'd give the heel a try out and to see if it reacts to a run.
I did get some reaction but then if you havent run for 4 months you can expect that.
Probably still too early to be getting back into it;

Strava Strava Strava

My foot slipped off the pedal as I was trying to clip in whilst racing a segment my Strava course. Thought it was just a graze but two days later it was throbbing and I was limping thinking Gangrene had set in and I needed amputation. Thankfully the swelling has subsided and the angry redness gone but the delightful seepage has started.

Mastered by Mr.Bont

The weekend before last was yet another Wet Season deluge here in Brizzy , I have taken the soft cyclist option of not riding when it is wet because of safety considerations. As the heel had seemed to be on the mend I thought I'd much rather run 6K than spend an hour on the stationery cycle trainer. Felt OK and surprised myself to run at easy 4m17's (not having run for about 5 weeks) however clearly my heel still is not ready for it as I had an adverse reaction.
So it was back to on the bike when the rain cleared up and hammered it on the bike. I paid the price one morning when there was a particularly strong headwind , my quads were leaden after two hard mornings. Out of the corner of my eye a spy a cyclist behind me. I gave it all I had for the next two K to prevent myself from being overtaken but it was no use. The whirl of his wheels sounded the death-nail for me and he rode along side smiled and wished me a good morning and continued past me. Only this chap had silvering hair and at that moment my brief belief that I could make it as a Masters cyclist someday was shattered! If I cant be the Master of my own course what chance have I got?
In my defence, he looked pretty professional, I noticed Bont cycling shoes and a Trek bike, possibly a Trek Madone, with tri bars as he tucked into an aerodynamic position.


This weekend I increased my distance to 40KM and on Saturday managed 32.3kmph a PB despite strong headwinds. Sunday I think I was suffering the consequences and the wind was hitting me on different sections than the day before - the Hills. I rode the same 40K 3mins slower for 31kmph. More incessant rain Monday and Tuesday provided more rest days. When I look at my Garmin HR profile for Saturdays ride I am getting it to look for me,  more and more like a run profile. 154bpm average with a max at 172bpm says to me I was working my ar$e off!

I hadn't noticed this Garmin split report before, I like how it show the elevation gain and loss K's and the corresponding effect on speed. Click to large it up!

Spending two and a half hours on the bike over the weekend gave me a cycling tan on my arms!

Martin Disley

New PB on Saturday 31.3kmph even in windy conditions.
Feeling less pain in the heal but reckon it will be some time yet before I'm pain free walking
Never thought I'd say it but really enjoying the cycling and it is giving me something to concentrate on whilst I'm unable to run.
During the week I caught up again with Mr.Crewe Alexandra = Martin Disley.
I rode two laps with Martin for a total 40km, funny how even riding side by side  and chatting we kept the pace over 30kmph.
I harvested the pineapples today, I feel a Castaway moment and the desire to draw faces on my twins :-)

Crewe Alexandra

Rain on the roads this morning but not enough to keep me off the bike. Took it slightly easy as I didn't want to risk a spill.
On my second lap of three I spied another cyclist about to join my course. I didn't want to get overtaken and put the hammer down thinking I'd shake him, 3k later I glanced around and he was just 50m back. I put my head down again and pushed hard as.
Another 3 k later sure I'd dropped him but then heard him change gears right behind me.
He took a turn and the ease of drafting behind someone becomes so apparent. We got talking and it transpires he was a footballer who used to play for Crewe Alexandra, (Northern English town famous for having a large railway junction pass through it) he had moved to New Zealand got citizenship and played for the All Whites! Knee issues saw him retire and take up cycling.

Isle of Wight

Bali

Happy with this ride done in post Oswald windy conditions with a lot of debris on the roads (fallen trees) and still managed to equal my PB 30KM @ 31KMPH a good workout according to the heart-rate too.

Oswald

It seems to have been raining non stop since Thursday. I think getting out on the bike for any serious exercise is a bit too dangerous so nothing much by way of exercise for the last 4/5 days.
Did one hour on the stationery trainer but it is so boring and so sweat inducing in these humid conditions I can't face it.
I did some exercise on the weight bench which got packed away on Boxing day but might be about the only exercise I can do.
Continuing to Stretch the heel which is  marginally better for not having run for two weeks.
Ex Cyclone Oswald dumped huge amounts of rain up on the Cape early last week before turning into a deep low/trough line moving South and dumping further huge rainfall totals in Central Queensland during the week and hitting the South East of the State Saturday. It is being fed by the warm waters of the Coral Sea and caused flooding in Bundaberg Brisbane and Ipswich. Only two years on from the great floods of 2011.
I had to use tap water two weeks ago to top up the pool but now the pool is filled to the brim and the water tank full again.

Into the pink

The pf in the heel was causing me to limp through the day and that for me is the point where I draw the line and stop running again until the pain has gone. I'd become very lazy about doing any of the pf 'treatment' regimes but i'm back onto the stretching exercise about 6 times a day.
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/heel-pain-treatment/3360656#transcript

So that means it's all about the bike.
30K's in the morning, just cant get to 30km per hour but steady 28/29ave pace.
This afternoon with a fully warmed up body I managed 30.8kmph  even on a very windy very warm day (32 O C).
Garmin Connect shows Cycling as pink on the calendar hence my blog title.
Click on to enlarge

Your welcome to look at details here

I could not let the LA confession pass without comment. I never thought I'd see the day he'd come 'clean' and admit to cheating. If we ever had faith or trust in our sports heroes and politicians we sure aint now.
Of course Lance was very strategic in what he admitted to, seems like just about everyone miraculously gave up drugs in 2005. What is the Statute of Limitations?
So much for being clean in 2009
My favourite photo to sum it up;

There is a part of me that hopes that Lance may one day be allowed to compete again because even though he is 10 years younger I'd love to come up against him in a 10K or a Half! - Damn I'd even run a debut Mara to kick his ass!