Adios 2014

End of another year, I am motivated and running well though of course injury is always around the corner or am I carrying something now? 

I had two weeks off with sore knees in March/April, I have left heel PF that I've been managing for the last 13 months and I've still got sore knees which I manage with the occasional anti inflammatory. 

I've had a great year better than I could have hoped for. 

I've had an OK track season so far but not close to my targets yet, hopefully 2015 will see me satisfy some burning ambitions. 

Highlights were some great parkruns, 32;58 at Gold Coast to equal Monnas M50 Course Record and 8th in Bridge to Brisbane (33;20).

I won about $1500 ($500 Gladstone $500 Caloundra $300 Maleny $200 Bridge to Brisbane), I ran the 500km Relay for Team Nike Victory and made a bunch of new running mates, I ran 16;02 for a 5000m by myself in extreme humid conditions. 

I ran a 33;46 10000m on a training run by myself. 

I've connected with a whole bunch of runners I may never meet and others that I still could. Running is an integral part of my life and I've loved sharing it with you.

Happy New Year!

QMA 3000m 9:26.5. 1st

Last race for the year , I had hoped to run sub 9:20 but conditions were not favorable (windy and hot) and had to settle for 9:26.
Dennis Fitzgerald provided some strong competition. My plan was to try and take the first K easier and then run hard for two K.
First lap was 72 , then 1:48, 3:06/7 for K but I had worked hard into the wind and was beginning to feel it.
Dennis came around and took the lead which I was grateful for, I tried tucking in but actually dropped off a bit and let him gap me about a second as he led through the 2nd K, into the 3rd and I caught and passed him, working to pass the lapped runners/ walkers.
I think I made the bell in about 8:15 and pushed all out on the last lap believing that Dennis would fly past me at any moment, for a seasons best 9:26.5. Dennis would have been better if he'd not contributed to the work 9:38 and Chris Bell looking on form to go sub 10:00 in 2015 with his 10:11 effort.
 Happy enough because I know that sub 9:20 will come in better conditions next year.

Long warm down with Dennis and Chris through Tooheys Forest.

Party Season

A steady weeks training and no racing.

Tuesday at Nudgee was interesting.
A storm was heading my way so decided to run the session in spikes ( prevent slippage on the track) and this was following Saturday's race which I also ran in spikes for about the first time this season!
Anyhow I got the storm winds and lightning but didn't hardly get any rain.
On my 800 reps I nearly got pushed to a stand still each time I headed into the back straight. I averaged 2:36's for 8 with 110m jog recovery (had to be worth 2:30's).
I felt my calves giving out from about the 3rd rep so was completely pulverized by the 8th.
It took at least 3 days of steady / recovery runs to clear the pain!

Today I contemplated doing a parkrun but couldn't get out of bed so left my run to an afternoon tempo around roo+lake 10.6km in 3:40 KM's on a very windy but cool and overcast day.
Its been so hot and humid recently that this cooler blast is quite extraordinary.

I'm weighing about 62kg so will have to be careful over the holiday season that I don't drink and eat too much because 60/62kg is about prime racing weight for me.
Next Friday I have my first party which will put a dampener on my efforts to run a last quick 3000m at Masters on Saturday morning.

QMA 5000m 16:02.46 1st

No wind and cloud cover greeted us at Memorial Day at Nathan on Saturday morning. 
It was 25 O C at 8;00am and humidity was into 90's %.
Alan Bradford and Col McLeod, two of the all time greats of Queensland Masters athletics were warming up on the track when I went for my 3km warm up around ANZ. 
In the car park getting out of his car none other than King Ronnie Peters!
Coach Pete would have been drooling at the sight of these 3 greats joining us for the 5000.

Some how I got missed off the start list and joined the walkers on the staggered start then got redeemed to the runners start.
I  planned to run easy first laps before applying some effort. 
The conditions were providing two out of three positives, no wind and cloud cover, 
how much does high humidity cost?

200m in 35, 1km in 3:08 , I was feeling OK and surprised at that 1st KM.
I put my head down and concentrated on the overtaking! 
It felt like I was overtaking some of the walkers twice a lap (is that possible?)

3000 in 9:38 was another good marker for me just 8 secs off pace and I'm not not on my last legs staying strong. I  continued to work hard.
I got to the bell with the line clock reading 14:48 and I'm thinking just a 72 for 16:00 but I don't give it everything until the final hundred so finish in 16:02.
I have to be happy with that as surely running an evening meet with the kids early next year should provide the opportunity for sub 16 and maybe even a crack at Bradford's Queensland record 15:51.
Results are here; http://www.mastersathletics.com.au/pdf.ashx?id=67

                                                                                    

QMA 1500m 4:27.7 1st

I was not sure if I'd race the 3000 and the 1500 or just the 1500 as I wanted to record a mark  for 1500 for this year, as I'd not managed one in the last 3 years but also not happy to leave 2014 with just a 9:28 to my name!
In the end I got to the track and let the conditions make up my mind for me, it was windy so I decided just to give the 1500 a crack.
I was unsure how to race a 15 but the plan was to hold back on the first lap, cruise the second and then try and lift the third lap and hold on for the fourth!
Of course the reality was somewhat different Chris Bell started pretty fast and that put me onto a pace that saw me through 300 in 48 which was too fast, I
tried to hold steady on lap 2 but could already feel the lactate coursing through my veins and the wind on the finishing straight also took a toll; 
2:00/2:01 (72/73) at 700m so lap three was really trying to just hold it together but lost drive and took the bell in 3:15 (74/75), it was all I could do to hold on for 4:27.7 on the line (72).

Such a different race to 3/5/10. 
'Coach Pete' wants me to race more of these and you've got to reckon if you can hang onto your speed as a master it will help you in the longer distances.

Alan Bradford who was untouchable at 8 and 15 in the early age cats, starts coming back to me! 
His M55 1500m Queensland Record is 4:27 and something I may have a chance at in two years time. Saying that Bradford's 5000m at M55 is 16:04 so in a perverse way I have chance at 15 than 5!

This song has been going round and around in my head the last few months so I just thought I'd share it.

Endeavour 500km Relay

Bucket list event for every runner, 500km relay, run West of Brissey in the hot undulating Lockyer Valley. Started Friday at 4.30am {so I was up at 2.00am to get to the start} met up with 6foot legend and team captain Donney Wallace and picked up the rest of the North side runners and met up at Griffiths Uni Nathan campus for Criterion that kicks things off.
I went in Crit Two, 7.00km over three laps with one long hill and one short decent. How do you 'race' 7km when you've got to back up 5 times over the next 2 days?
Tried to take it easy 'letting' teammate  Dennis Fitzgerald disappear on the decent on lap 1, caught him going up the long hill second time but carried a group with me including our young Kieran Staunch who is an absolute superstar of the future {but more likely going to be a triathlete}, he had take part in the first crit finishing 2nd to our James Webster [who is another young running machine with such talent and prospects]. Kieran was too strong for me and glided away on the final ascent to win from me in 2nd {3;20's I think).


We then head West to start the relay proper and I'm not back on till late afternoon.
All I remember was how hot it was getting how hard the hills were becoming and little did I know!

Here is my 2nd leg of the day 5.5km in 3;26's - undulating with a killer 21kmph headwind all the way and 32 O C  !!


So Friday night the team stays overnight in a school dorm somewhere, 19 runners 1 volunteer driver Russel and 1 supporter (Ellen). Chicken and salad rolls and a couple of beers for sleeping purposes.
The kids in the team keep us awake from 9 till 9;30pm playing table tennis but we eventually fall asleep in the uncomfortably warm conditions. 
Other teams staying at the same place decide they need to get up at 3.00am for the 4.30 start = not what we had in mind with our clocks set at 4.00am we were rudely awakened!
I felt OK but had some issues with my hammy which I massaged for the rest of the trip.
My first leg of the day is about 6.00am a 3km criterion/race style leg with two other members of our team starting together with all the other teams for a near straight down the road 6.3km. Clay Dawson was up for 'In Training'. 
At the start I took the lead , running steady but still 3m15km first km. Myself and team mate Chris Waters had gapped Clay (still coming back to form following the 3 marathons in a month slaughter his body went through). Chris and I took it turns to lead, but I could hear Chris labouring a little in the breathing and looking down the road saw a bloody great hill we'd be climbing and determined I could ease away from here there which I did for the win in 21;28 at 3;25 KMs
It proved my credentials in a team of selected runners I was mostly meeting for the first time.




I dont remember that much about my run Saturday afternoon but there were something I do remember. It was getting bloody hot, Garmin records the run as 42 O C which is like 110 O F for you Americans!
It was so important to have our team water van ply us with drinks.Garmin stats say the run was 5.24km at 17;32 or 3;21 K's. Note my heart rate appears to max out 210bpm when I normally can only achieve 180bpm Max so not sure if there was a glitch because it dropped down to a silly level like 140'ish or if 'the incident' had an affect?

What 'incident'? 
Out on the lonely road feeling nothing but the devastating effects of running in the heat and I'm coming up to overtake one of the other teams, a mixed team of triathletes. So I'm about to pass the women running in one of those run skirts and she lifts it up exposing her arse to me! Takes my mind away from the pain for a few seconds, I make some crude, grabbing like gesture for the benefit of my follow team in the car behind (as well as myself!) and sail on past without saying 'thanks!' or 'do you mind!'
Never happened to me before!



Saturday nights accommodation a cabin at a caravan park in Toowoomba normally pretty cold (its up in the ranges) but not that night and no air con!
So Sunday dawned and temperature were forecast in the mid 40's!

I borrowed Brian McMannus's hand held roller for the hammy that seemed to work wonders in getting it right.
Before my first stage Denis Fitzgerald had the pleasure of the run down the Toowoomba range where he recorded a 5km section on his Garmin at 14;10!!
(4km downhill)
My first leg was a pretty flat, just one dip and rise as the road crossed a creek (river), the sun felt like it was angled straight at me as I slow cooked straight down the road.
I spooked a herd of cows that were hemmed into a narrow roadside enclosure between the road and a ploughed field. As I ran along I spooked more and more and as the stampede gathered momentum picking up more and more in number I tried running over the other side of the road to calm them down and no harm was done.
4.76km in 15m20  @ 3m13 Km's



So my last leg would be in the middle of the afternoon, it was stinking hot there was a blast furnace wind frying us out there supporting the others along the way.
You really didn't want to leave the air con of the bus for the seconds it took to cheer your teammate as they pass by, cooking on the street. 
The roads were melting quite literally.
The final stage was a criterium (race) stage with 6 of our best runners starting (Denis had slaughtered himself on the downhill morning stage!). The route followed a former rail corridor from Lowood to Fernvale.
At this stage I could barely stand being outside, I took a very short jog down the trail to answer the call of nature in some trackside bush (previously having shat that day by a telegraph pole and a storm culvert under a road!). The talk on the bus was how hot does it have to get to call this off? 
Earlier in the day's morning criterion the boys had run as a team and I was keen to get our guns to do likewise but the guys told me our teams star runner James Webster would never countenance anything but an all out, full on , effort regardless of conditions. 
So off we go, Team Nike  Victory go straight into top 6 positions and cruise through 1km in 3;15 ! The surface is a loose cinder pathway reflecting the heat straight back onto us. Jame's leads the way I'm second, we get to 2km in another 3;20 and I'm feeling it, I drop back into 5th position hoping I'm not going to be our last scorer. Then I see Jarryd Grantham and Lachlan Pascoe coming back to me. 
I say to myself I'm going to have these kids. 
Jarryd waves me through with about 1500m to go so I'm 3rd scorer on the road (trail) and would be pretty happy with that (delirium had set in with the heat!). 
However, good on him, Jarryd who is a 1500m gun was never going to let a grey haired wrinkled scrawny git like me beat him without a fight and gunned it with 500m to go and pulls out 5 seconds on me! (At least I beat Lachlan and Chris). 
James Webster and Matt Carlsson had pulled out 40 or 50 seconds on me up front.
4.27km 14;14 or 3;20 Kms (of Purgatory).

What a weekend! 
I took Monday and Tuesday off to let my body recover which it did! 
Reports of my early demise are somewhat exaggerated!
Nike Team Victory = the best bunch of guys (and Kylie) you'd want to be spend 3 days just all round great guys who love running like me.




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QMA 5000 16:23.0 1st

Conditions were typical hot(26 C) humid and blustery! I did not think a fast time was on so I set out to run easier for first 2km hang on to third and lift for last two km. I felt pretty comfortable going through the first 1000m in 3:14 but soon after the heat started to make things get uncomfortable. Tried to assess my lap times on the finish line clock but got phased and gave up as I didn't want the negativity of say an 80second lap to upset me!

Ran through 3000 in 9:44 which wasn't inspiring however my g admin split times suggest I did manage to lift a little rather than merely hold on. So I was happy with 16:23 slightly slower than
Last time out but conditions more than offset the 2second differential!
The rest of the boys also struggled coming back from sickness/injury is tough work.
Some attitudinal photos for Super Ronnie Peters

Pete is now looking like a cross between the Thunderbirds anti hero and Heisenberg from Breaking Bad!

QMA 10,000m 33;37.83 1st

Unusual to race on a Monday night but then again it was unusual to race on Thursday night. It was one of the hottest October days on record in South East Queensland with many towns setting all time October highs. In Brisbane we got to mid 30's but then it clouded over and a few storms came through dumping a few mm's of rain. It didn't cool down significantly, BOM had the temperature at start time 7.00pm as 26 O C and 72% humidity. 
Con and Pete were going to race the first 1500m of the 10,000m as prep for their Pan Pacs. This did provide some element of competition as I listened to their footsteps/breathing over those first 4 laps. Only 21 laps to run by myself. The wind from those storms was still buffeting early on but died down by about halfway. I tried to run the laps going hard into the wind sections hoping to coast the rest with the wind behind me.
The wet track soon put weight into my racing flats and my shorts felt very heavy, very early. 
I went through 3000m in 9;50 and 5000m in 16;30. 
At that point I worked out I was already outside of Ronnies mark 32;54, so I just did my best to hang on for the next 12.5 laps. 
We had a water table on lane 3 with a volunteer offering cups of water but I was never going to be capable of drinking from a cup on the run so I ignored it. 
I threw off my cap after 600m as I thought it was going to get blown off but that left me with sweat dripping down my face for the rest of the run. 
Con and Pete restarted following their 1500m TT and jogged around the remaining laps (but were DNF'd in the official results along with Colin McLeod - not sure why). 
Paul Shard still getting over a major back Op did well to hold 4;40K's for 44mins. Michelle Mackenzie bravely ran 57mins.
And a walker Peter Bennett I think, walked 52mins.

I was disappointed with my 33;37 which equates to 80 second laps or 2;41 800's or 3;21 K's. It has been said many times that everything has to be perfect if your going to bring out your best performance. You have to be 100% mentally and physically and conditions need to be on your side. I was happy though to record a 10000m track time that according to the World Masters ranking puts me in 3rd place for M50's with Bruce in 2nd.
I also attach a lot of relevance to what's happened in the UK and no M50 broke 34mins this year!

http://www.mastersrankings.com/rankings.php?gender=MEN&season=Outdoor&year=2014

Cool Night Classic 5.00km 6th 16;37

Sunday 30km I had some idea where I was going to run when I left home but I didn't know where I'd get a drink and as I had no gels that was rather poor planning. I ran for two hours before I got to a tap! I didnt want to deviate too far from my planned route to locate parks where I might have found water and on a hot afternoon I began to suffer. 2;14.12 for 4.22 km's
Monday As ever 5.00am the day after a long run and I'm normally hardly able to walk let alone run 10.6km in 4;24 K's
Tuesday. Nudgee. Nick was doing a very lactate session (3 x 1000 on rolling 5mins) so I decided on 16 x 400 with about 80 or 90secs recovery 110m jog. 
Averaged 71.25 on a very windy night so good set.
Wednesday morning after track did well to get around 10.6km in 4.15 km pace.

Thursday Cool Night Classic in the CBD. warmed up with Jacko and shot off at the start as huge numbers meant a quick get away was imperative to avoid being swamped. We had to do an immediate U turn then down hill to the Goodwill Bridge (uphill) then sharp right along the South Bank. I went through the first K too fast in 2;59 and had to recuperate in the second as Hagan Carlson and Dewar gapped me. Jacko was already out in front. I was running the next few K's with O'Shea who pipped me last year and Brandon Dewar (who finished 3rd last year). 
It was a horrible course, full of pedestrians and U turns and right turns and ramps. A U turn at Kirrilpa bridge gave an opportunity to assess  race position but you all know at 2km into a 5km race know one is likely to change position very much. I managed to get past O'Shea on Victoria Bridge and survive the double 180 down ramp to get back onto the riverside cycleway and head for home.
Brandon had gapped us and there was no coming back to him. Finished 6th same as last year but we didn't have Jacko racing then. The big prizes attracted sufficient quality to leave me satisfied I'd put in a good effort and wasn't ever going to be good enough to get podium.

Friday was recovery 10.6km in 4;17 K's 
I woke with a sore throat that developed into a streaming nose and wheeze cough!
Saturday Mini taper racing 10,000m track on Monday if virus allows 
10.6km in 4;05 K's
Sunday another easy run late afternoon planned - waiting for it to cool down, its 30 O C today!

Kirra parkrun 16;06 1st

Up at 4.00am!!
90min drive to Kirra. 
Is there a better setting for a parkrun?
The beach and surf is far better than anything up the coast- there is no surf north of the Goldie. 
The footpath at Kirra is also far better than Sandgate, much wider and better quality smooth surface but it does still have some bumps and falls and bends and pedestrians with dogs and cyclists! 
With two 180 O turns we debated just how fast this course would be. 
Throw into the mix heat, humidity and wind! It was what it was.
2km warm up. 
Fast start, hairing off into the lead not sure if the wind was in front or coming off the beach but it wasn't helping. Didn't feel comfortable and 'felt' someone on my tail, it turned out to be Dan Stein, a triathlete. Felt him all the way to 2km where we do a 180 and I still dont see him as he's following tucked behind me. 3rd 4th and Con and Pete seemed really close to me and I start thinking I'm running really poorly (never look at the watch). I thought it would be a matter of time before Dan would take me but he didn't. I worked hard and set myself goals to keep the effort consistent - get to the 3km mark then its only  6mins 30secs of running. I got to 4km and the timekeeper calls out 12.59. I say to myself just 90secs to the 2nd turnaround and then I can go for home. 
Dan started to drop off and I was clear. 
A horrendous slowdown at 4.5km to turn but do my best to pick it back up (it would have cost at least 5 secs). Overtake three girls walking abreast  on the outside then I'm clear to run the tangents to the finish line.16;06 official. Happy with that effort all things considered.
results are here; 
http://www.parkrun.com.au/kirra/results/latestresultshttp://www.parkrun.com.au/kirra/results/latestresults/

Breakfast at Con's 'holiday home' nestling up the mountain behind Kirra, a gorgeous location and delightful breaky

My car park for parkrun expand the horizon to see Surfers

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parkrun Australia top age graded results

parkrun global top age graded results

“a twinge of conscience”

Sunday 30km @ 4;03 KM's around the peninsula, nice and easy when the wind was behind me but hard work into the wind. Hot conditions but fortunately lots of water on route.
Monday 10.6km roo+lake recovery run 45mins 4;16K's
Tuesday Tooheys Tuesday @ Nudgee. It was windy and I didn't much fancy running by myself so did Nicks session;
3 X 3 X 600m rolling 2;30mins and 5mins between sets. Ran about 3min pace ; I had forgotten my watch. Nick 80m in front me just in front of Pete on first set and trailing behind on sets two and three.
Decided I wont do any more lactic sessions like this and only do aerobic endurance sessions.
Wednesday 10.6km roo+lake recovery 43;38 - 4;07 K's
Thursday 10.6km roo+lake recovery 44;25 - 4;12 K's
Friday 10.7km not roo+lake (yeah I altered my run!) recovery recovery recovery 45;49 - 4;17 K's

I had an interesting chat with Peter Reeves about the following email I received celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Billy Mill's 10,000m Tokyo Gold and the part played by Pete's behemoth coach Pat Clohessy in coaching Billy.

Today is the 50th anniversary of Billy Mills’ win in the 1964 Olympic 10,000-meter in Tokyo. As you enjoy one of the most famous running videos, here are six things you probably didn’t know about Mills and the race.
1. His origins: Was there any sign that Billy Mills might achieve something in life?
He was raised in poverty on the Pine Ridge Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Reservation in South Dakoka, surrounded by alcoholism and depression. His parents separated, his mother remarried his uncle, but died when Mills was 9. His father died four years later. Soon after the mother's death, his father sat with the despondent boy one day and told him he could rise from having broken wings, “and one day you will fly like an eagle.” As Mills tells it now, once he discovered his running talent as a teenager, he always believed that “the Olympics would be my day to fly.”
In later interviews he has been consistent about that belief, calling it “self-hypnosis,” and saying, “I put in my journal that I must believe I can run with the best in the world and beat them in Tokyo.”

On the athletes' bus to the stadium he sat next to an Eastern European long jumper, who asked, “Who's going to win your 10,000 race: Clarke, Halberg or Bolotnikov?” “I will,” the unknown American told her. That ended the conversation.   
2. His improvement: How did he suddenly get so good?
He was good enough at the Haskell Institute (now Haskell Indian Nations University) to get a sports scholarship to Kansas University, where he was a three-time All-American in cross country and a good but not outstanding track runner. In 1963, he met the Australian Pat Clohessy, twice the NCAA 3-mile champion, who won the AAU 3-mile title that year. Clohessy (an Arthur Lydiard protegé, later Rob De Castella's coach) advised Mills to train more on the Aussie/New Zealand system, with more distance work in the mix, instead of the then American emphasis on fast track reps.
It's only a theory, but Mills's improvement dates from that exact time. In 1964, now in the Marines, he was second in the U.S. 10,000-meter trial, and revealed new endurance by placing second in the marathon trial on a hot July 26 in Culver City, California. Clohessy confesses he felt “a twinge of conscience” after Mills beat Clohessy's friend Ron Clarke for the Olympic title.
3. The conditions: Did he get lucky?
A key factor was the rain-soaked track. Tokyo was the last Olympics before the introduction of all-weather track surfaces, and heavy rain had made the cinders soft and uneven. That blunted the edge of pre-race favorite and world-record holder Clarke's habitual high-revs front running. Clarke on a firm surface pranced along upright and magisterial in authority. At world record pace he might well have dropped the whole field. But instead of a sustained fast pace, in Tokyo he used long surges, with slower laps between. Plenty of great runners fell back, but the unfancied Mills and Mahomed Gammoudi of Tunisia clung to Clarke all the way.  
And when Mills began his wondrous outrageous knees-pumping 80-meter gallop to the tape, he was in an outside lane where the surface was less sodden and cut up. Luck or judgment? Clarke gave credit to Mills' astute choice of “making his bid on the outside lane, which was firmer.”
However you read it, the wet track was a factor.
4. How the race was run: Any other deciding factors?
They passed 5000 meters in 14:04.6, one second slower than Mills’ personal best. At the halfway he was leading.  
“I decided to lead a lap, so I would know at least I'd led the Olympics, even if I couldn't finish,” he says.  
The last laps were a shambles of lapped (some double-lapped) runners. Many did not move out as the leaders passed, perhaps because they were all elite runners, unaccustomed to getting lapped. In The Unforgiving Minute Clarke wrote, “This race was becoming like a dash for a train in a peak-hour crowd.” He describes how with 300 meters to go he found himself trapped in a bottleneck between Mills, “thumping along at my shoulder,” and a slow lapped runner dead ahead. Clarke had a nightmare flashback to “being hemmed in that way once before” in a 1962 championship 6-mile race, which he lost.
“I tapped [Mills] a couple of times, indicating that I wanted him to run wider...anything so long as I wasn't forced into the back of the lapped runner,” Clarke wrote. When Mills didn't respond, Clarke “crashed Billy with my right arm.”
Mills staggered out a lane, and veered back in alongside Clarke. Then came the extraordinary moment when Gammoudi put one hand on each of the two leaders, gave them a hearty shove apart, and scooted in between them into the lead. Mills went staggering out again, and as Clarke closed on Gammoudi round the bend, Mills seemed to be out of the race. With Clarke and Gammoudi scrambling for the gold around bunches of yet more lapped runners, Mills found a space inside one who had considerately moved aside, chose his route of advance with a Marine's eye, and stormed to the tape.     
Later he told Clarke, “our skirmish won the gold medal for me,” because before the jostling he was about to launch his sprint, which would have been too early, and probably doomed him to get passed again.
Clarke paid a generous tribute: “There were no excuses. Billy deserved to win for his persistence, his opportunism and his sound tactical sense,” he wrote.

5. The context: How do we place Mills's victory historically?
He broke the Olympic record, despite the heavy track (28:24.4, bettering Pyotr Bolotnikov's 28:32.2 from 1960). He is the only American to win the 10,000-meter gold. An important and relevant precursor as 10,000-meter medalist was Louis Tewanima, also a Native American (Hopi), who took the silver medal in 1912. The only other high US placings are Max Truex (6th, 1960), Frank Shorter (5th, 1972), and Galen Rupp (2nd, 2012). Four days after Mills’ victory, Bob Schul joined him as the only other American long-distance track gold medalist, winning the 5000-meter final.
6. The aftermath: What has Mills done since 1964?
Mills (whose tribal name is Makata Taka Hela), now 76, placed 14th in the Tokyo Olympic marathon (2:22:55.4), and in 1965 set a world record for 6 miles in a dead-heat with Gerry Lindgren (27:11.6). He has spent most of his life as a speaker and advocate for Native American needs and rights. The 1983 movie Running Brave revived public awareness of his unlikely transformation. As a speaker, he tells a compelling rags-to-riches story as remarkable as Meb Keflezighi's. With charismatic passion and wit, he can transfix an audience with his plea for the need for Native Americans to rise out of the pit of poverty, addiction and domestic violence, and have their rights recognized.

In private, he talks with quiet sincerity about the follies as well as sufferings and rights of his people. You sense that he carries huge responsibilities as a leader and spokesperson, yet he has not allowed public eloquence to be an end in itself. Don't even get him started on the name of Washington, DC's football franchise.

In 2012, President Obama awarded Mills the Presidential Citizen's Medal for his work for the movement Running Strong for American Indian Youth. He is the only track gold medalist to receive that honor for his later life work.  

QMA 3000m 9:28.3 1st

I ran my standard 3km warm up with the boys. Conditions warm humid but at least still.
Decided to start fast after last week's sluggish 36 first 200 and ran 32 secs this week which was perhaps too fast.
Through 600 in 1:47 and 1000 in 3:04.
Worked hard through the next 1000 but it took 3:12 for 6:16 at 2k.
The beauty of 3000 is its all over before you know it so your able to keep the effort levels high. Unfortunately I felt I was tieing up so effort did not get rewarded and ran the third K in another 3:12 for 9;28.3 all up.
I would have been happy if I ran sub 9:20 but I shouldn't be too disappointed with 9:28. When I turned 50 my early season 3's were all about 9:30 and I anded up running 9:13 in an evening meet running with the kids at a QA evening meet. It takes a few track races to get back used to track racing!
4km warm down on the Peters circuit in the bush.

I picked up my Queensland M50 record certificate this morning :-) 

Saturday results

Treading the blue

Tuesday = Tooheys Tuesday @ Nudgee
Nick missed the session due to dentist leaving Shane Ward, two Nudgee boys and I to line up for 3 X 4 X 400m off a rolling 2mins and rolling 4mins between the sets. 
The boys were running 3 X 3 with 5mins so it dovetailed nicely with our sets. Shane led the first set, I led the second set, and we mixed the last set. 
Ran 67/8/9 off a 50sec recovery was good going on a windy evening.
Wednesday first morning roo+lake in ages - it's almost daylight at 5.00am 
4;12 K's for 10.6km
Thursday 10 X 200m Hill Sprints (10km)

Treading the blue @ Nudgee

A koala and a pair of Galahs

Yesterday's long run 29km 2;04;22 @ 4;17 K's running out and about to Narangba/Dakabin/Petrie/Kallanger and back to North Lakes. 
Ran at 11.00am so hot and windy. 
First drink at 60 mins and took a Cliff Bar energy gel at 75mins. 
Long runs really leave me jaded but I'm sure there do the world of good. 
The day after a long run are painful so just try and get out and cover some ground. This afternoon I saw a kolah running alongside the pathway - something I've only seen twice before. I also came across a pair of Galahs to complete the runs menagerie.
Today 10.6km roo+lake 43;41 @ 4;08 K's
I didn't record last Tuesdays session for the record it was Tooheys Tuesday 3 X 2 X 1000 with 2mins between intervals and 5mins between sets. A big turnout including Nick's Nudgee Boys middle distance group, top class triathlete Nick Hull and 1500 star Peter Bock as well as the regulars (Pete/Shane/Nick). I ran 18;18 so averaged 3;03 K's running mid group!

QMA 5000m 16:21.9 1st

I'm always a little rusty first track race of the season, and this was probably first track race in 2 or 3 years!
Having said that I side have my track legs on this morning! A good warm up but conditions breezy/windy humid 68% and 22 0 C. A large field of runners and walkers meant I'd have to do an awful lot of overtaking., compounded by a number of novice runners, one in particular running in lane two the whole way (a barely moving road block, I reckoned I passed 8 or 9 times!
Through 200m in 36 and I was only just on pace. Everything else compounded and I just slowed. Through 3000m in 9:43 I was way off pace finding it difficulty to push on and really just going through the motions trying to find the right way to overtake. I ended up one and three quarter laps in front of Con who was running 2nd and over two laps in front of Phil in 3rd.
I'm going to have to run withe kids in some QA night races.
Although disappointed at only running 16:21 I take some solace from the fact that the current World Rankings would place around 4th and 90.4% age grading is in the World class bracket (according to USA Masters)
http://www.athleticsrankings.net


http://www.usatf.org/statistics/calculators/agegrading/

Official Masters Podium Robot Me Shardy (Con and Phil ran a lap short and 2nd finisher Ann ops the Ladies podium)

Results from the day - Note Massage is Available!!!

Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef

Contrary to rumours of my early demise I have survived 1200km on the Bruce Highway to Airlie Beach and then 3 nights on Anaconda lll sailing to Whitsunday Island Whitehaven Beach then out to the GBR Hook Reef and Hamilton Island!
I managed to run 6km at our overnighter in Rocky on the way up and also 10km up and down a world class Whitehaven Beach on our first day at sea.
Out on the reef there was no chance for a run so missed a couple of days training!
Spent my 53rd birthday out of range of phone and internet!
Back in Rocky this evening (1600km on the Bruce done!) Just chillin !
Still suffering jelly legs from being on board!

Heading to Hamilton

Towards Great Barrier Reef ; Hook Reef

Courier Mail sensation Con Dimauro

Con Peter and me selfie post 22km on b2b morning.

Con ran the 10km b2b and 12km warm down clutching his prized FREE Courier Mail. Pete told me he has had it mounted and displays it at home.

I have never seen a man happier than when I gave Con two free Garmin Tee shirts!
"3 free tee shirts and a Courier Mail! I'm absolutely thrilled to bits" Con gushed to his coach and mentor Peter Reeves "can life get any sweeter?"

Golden Beach parkrun 16:06 1st

Golden Beach this morning looking out to Pumicestone Passage to the northern tip of Bribie Island

Last Friday I ran hill sprints but decided on making the hill more runable so there was less after effects on my glutes! This is more about enhancing your running physique than old school {find the hardest hill possible and doing 'hill' work}
Saturday I ran 2 x roo+lake for 21k in about 4:00 KM pace. 
Sunday I headed up to Beerburrum for the 23k trail loop at a much more leisurely pace.
Decided to rest Monday and Tooheys Tuesday session got abandoned as a Mother of an electrical storm loomed overhead cracking lighting rods down at us! Could have waited it out but was being eaten alive by a billion mossies!
Wednesday morning decided to run my KM loop around the block at home 6 x 1km average 3:07 with about 90sec recovery.
Steady runs then through to Friday and parkrun at Golden Beach this morning.

I should never become complacent and ignore the beauty of our wonderful State and the running conditions and environment it gives us. The course runs along the  coastal path, the same path forms part of the Caloundra Foreshore 10km I did earlier this winter.

Only a very short warm up, having arrived late. At the start I thought I went off very hard but the actual split was only about 3:14 showing the effect of the tight twisting board walk section slowing me down.
Ran hard back onto the path but slightly hesitant not having raced the course before and not knowing exactly where the loop around to turn back was. Found it OK though and and continued running 3:15s the whole way. Oncoming runners not really a problem but some pedestrians and a dog briefly forced me off the path.
Finished in 16:06 and happy enough but would be happier running sub 16 ;-)  
A great selection of masters followed me home Chris Bell David Scroope Phil Davies Paul and Jenny Shard, and Andrew Reeves.
The poor Robot is suffering from pneumonia and had to spectate this morning while Jim Woodruff and his partner Jan were volleys.
We had a fabulous BBQ breakfast back at Jan and Jim's beach shack at Moffat Beach, his home is beautifully adorned with surf boards, surf skies, surf memorabilia and some running stuff! What a place to retire to!

Ready to hit the Garmin at finish line

Sprint start before the Boardwalk section

Tied up and lost form towards the finish

The Garmin Lama with prototype Lama going for  $99+GST

Jim and Jan rewarded me with an exclusive Oz Paddle cap!

We were grateful The Robot stayed alone in the corner not spreading his germs. Jan and Jim and Paul and 10bpm David Scroope beside me! Look up for boats and paddles!