Josh Jones

With 19 runs and a 140km under my belt running since 1st April I thought I'd give the inaugural North Lakes parkrun a bash. parkrun is a magnificent running movement that is spreading across the World and encouraging people to run in a timed event every Saturday morning and it is free. It makes the best use of the digital era getting results up with in hours rather than days and gives mature runners an age percentage score to allow them to compete with the youngsters. 
Till now my local event was New Farm in the city (about an hour away) and with a 7.00am start, that event requires an early departure. So I was  my excited to read that some local enthusiasts had committed to organising this event on MY running course!
In the preceding weeks I'd found it hard going getting much under 4m30 K's so thought the stimulation of race conditions would be interesting to see just how much I have lost and far I have to go to get back on track and into shape. 
A 2km jog from home to the start line!!
At the start I fell behind a triathlete (shaved legs and wearing nicks), and felt my heart rate soaring up to where it has not been for 6 months. 
I covered the first KM in a way too fast for my level of fitness 3m12. And the young triathlete Josh Jones had not broken clear but I was hanging on by a rapidly thinning thread of elastic.
The course was 3 laps around my lake (Eden) - when I run Roo+Lake which I must have run around at least a 1000 times (8years I've been running that course). It felt mighty uncomfortable with the heart rate pushing the max though we had slowed to mid 3m 20's. About midway I felt my left Achilles starting to hurt. On the last lap Josh came back to me (I think he was playing cat and mouse) I took the lead briefly and then he charged past me and I thought that was that as far as the race was concerned but again I came back to him in the last 400m and again he let me lead out. Knowing the course I took full advantage and decided if he was going to beat me he'd have to work for it as I went for home. I managed to hold him off and ran through the funnel for Victory and of course a course record! I'm not sure if the running community will count these as 'races' but I will ;-)
17m18 was far faster than I was expecting - I couldn't see how I was going to break 20m during the preceding training runs. Only about 38secs slower than my New Farm parkrun where I was just winding down (with the heel injury). So even though I am 6kg heavier than I was at the start of the year (now 71kg) I was pleased that I have not got too far to go to get back.
My Achilles seized up after the run and I have spent the last two weeks on the bike, getting swooped daily even though I have changed my course to stay away from the real ba$tard birds that guard their patch like Sentinels and SHRIEK like Banshees in your ear! You gotta understand this is wild country.


 I am hanging on (just) to Young Josh Jones with 2 laps to go!


Victory is mine!

Here is my last fortnights 'training' click on image for larger readable view.