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!

10,000m 33;46

My recovery from B2B was the typically  painful next day run on Monday followed by a trot with the dog on Tuesday morning and then Nudgee in the evening Tuesday.
Nick Toohey was doing the right thing, taking a rain check on a session following his run at the B2B and it left me all by myself at the track with the infield taken up with a bunch of footballers (RL) doing some training.
A mate from Loughborough days Andrew Green (a 2;10 Marathon man) had told me about a session we used to do back then 35 years ago (!!!) 
A George Gandy session. 
10,0000m variable speed, fast lap followed by recovery lap. 
He did the session recently and challenged me for comparisons sake.
Conditions were good, no wind, not cold not warm. Andy did the session in 35 or 36 mins and I had no idea what I might run but of course wanted to beat Andy as he thought with his stamina he'd edge me on this session. So I hit lap one in 75 and rolled into lap two  trying to judge what pace to run the slower lap at. 
I felt pretty good, my knee pain was minimal and my float lap was very comfortable and my fast lap felt similar to my 20 X 400 sets.
I checked my watch at 3000m in 10;10 and was able to get into a very comfortable rhythm. 5000m in 16;59 and 6000m in 20;20 so I was holding pace but really hadn't cottoned on just how fast I was going. At times I felt my concentration waver and had to switch back on my On effort and even once forgot to switch off as I cruised through into a recovery lap. 
I think 8000m was 27;30 (not sure) and finished with a 69 for 33;46.
My fast laps averaged 76.4 and my float laps averaged 84.0.
I was amazed at that running 10000 in 33;46 in a session by myself where I'm only making an effort on 13 of the 25 laps!! That is outrageous! its preposterous! I just cant make sense of it other than even if I say so myself it is freakish! - am I starting to write like the Robot? 
For some perspective the best time anyone (M50) in the UK has run this year on the track is 34;32 and 33;30 on the road and I'm running 33;46 in training!  
Ronnie's Australian M50 record is 32;53,  if I can just find the right  race soon as!!

Here is the session on Garmin, please ignore the distance and pace but please note the variable speed and heart rate patterns.

Bridge to Brisbane 2014 8th 33:17

Far right  in sky blue is Nick on his shoulder is center is Jacko the  Queensland King and Harry Summers who ran 29:30 and backed up with 14:10 for 4.8km but didn't get the winners cheque!!!

Barry was furious at  #136. Courtney courtesy of Red Bull

Finish line relief depress the Garmin and check out Peter Nowill behind me!

Carpe Vinum team member (!) Winner Harry Summers - black vest, takes us UP the bridge. He backed up by also winning the 5km later by 30seconds! Barefoot talent!

I got to Murarrie an hour before start so leisurely warm up with the boys and onto start line with Barry one side and Courtney Atkinson Olympic triathlete on the other.
Flew off at the start to get some space and was in3rd or 4th! Worked hard up the hill which is 1km and harder running than I remember! Had to ease off to reach a level. Cruised down the other side mindful not to over stride. 1st km was 3:27 2nd km 3:05 as we run down the bridge someone pulls up alongside me Peter Nowill who is a past winner and one of The Greats of Brisbane running scene. Illustrious company! At this point things are pretty spread out Nick Toohey is gapping me up ahead!
Peter Nowill told me after he was trying to work with me and take a turn but couldn't find the effort !
I ran away from one of the Greats!
The inner city bypass at 8km was looming and I could see I think Hintsa M up ahead, but I didn't catch him till well into the last km and an added bonus Alistair Stephenson had slowed down to a jog. Hintsa didn't show up in the results so I'm not sure what happened there? (he dropped out!)
I run into the showgrounds finish by myself and stop my watch well after the line.
After drinks and fruit with the boys we jogged back to the start
12km!
To my horror Nick alerted me I was missing from the results!
Later I appeared in 9th behind Pete and 33:27 !!! ???
Eventually it gets corrected and I'm thrilled to finish 8th 33:17 on that course!
Nick put together a team to try and bag the $2000 team prize we ran as Carpe Vinum (sieze the wine) to try and steal the prize money to be spent at the Treasury Casino. We missed out by 15 seconds Fitnance who always win. Combined time best 5 team members. Still we won $1000 which we will be spend on dinner , the kids and me ! Maybe a beer or two in December.
It was great fun being part of a secret team putting the bejesus up those toffs of the track!

All alone again - naturally (thanks for photo Olga)

With Barry. Con picked up a free newspaper and ran 12km warm down carrying it.

In hommage to Cadel we tucked in our free towells!
back row Phil Ian (Braveheart) Moi, Peter (the Robot)
front row; Pete, Con (still got his free paper) and Chris.

8 X 800m ave 2;29 with 75 secs jog recovery

Back at Nudgee Tuesday for an 800m session. I was in a quandary about what to run due to very windy conditions and Nick running an Anaerobic Capacity (lactate) session of 3 X 4 X 400 off a rolling 1;40 that would leave me smashed. In the end I opted for my aerobic capacity session though I did cut the recovery to a minimal 75sec (100m jog). The wind affected the first bend where I'm running strong on lap one and still just about capable of battling through on lap two. Running by myself, I was pretty happy to run 2;30's early on and with the benefit of running the last lap of the last 800 with Nicks group managed to get the average down to 2;29.
I'll guess we'll have to wait and see how much times were wind affected.
After that my weeks training consisted of recovery runs and a 15km lunchtime run at 3;56 KM pace on Thursday.
So to the Bridge to Brisbane 10km. 
The course isn't exactly conducive to fast times with the first KM uphill and the 8th KM with a real stinger of a hill. 20,000 participants. In last years 5km race I managed 10th and though a top ten in the 10k would be a considered a better performance  I fear the number on interstate participants (Summers and Dinneen for starters) will push me back to top 20. I'll have to measure my performance on time and relative position.
The Robot and fellow Masters are running back to the start after, everyone is welcome to join us!