Oh so humid!

I got out this morning - Australia Day, for a recovery roo+lake and stopped three times for water, it continues to be oh so humid! ran topless, which is par for the course this summer-  I'm an old git who just doesn't care and it feels so much better than having a vest weighing 2kg by the end of your run! mind you, the shorts have to pick up the sweat but even there I have reverted to running again in short shorts, none of those 5 or 7 inch type which just soak up even more sweat!

Next up is going to be the State 5000m Champs in Feb and 10,000m in March [open]. Will be keeping the long interval sessions going till then.
Long run Interval session race and recovery sums it up.

Queensland Open 3000m Championship 20th 9:16.98

Warm (28C) and humid but wind dying down.
Second heat with about 25 runners , my seed time was about 20th in the heat.
Boom the youngsters leave me standing at the start but I still run 70 first lap. Up ahead I see Dennis Fitzgerald back from a fortnight at altitude where he ran 280km and eased back this week to just 80km , and he is flying.
I'm starting to move through the kids , annoying not to have a clock on the finish line and I can never read the watch when racing (eyesight) but feel like I'm working hard, had difficulty getting around two kids running side by side and in no time I'm reaching the bell lap, try to read the watch and work out I'm on for sub 9:20 goal.
Happy to bring it home , great racing with people , happy with time , still believe I'd run 10secs quicker in cool conditions (10/20C). The results combine the 3 heats and filter runners by age group so 20th Open place for me.
Ronnie's son Johnny looked very impressive taking out the first heat, he ran away from the field with 4 laps to go!
Nick Toohey also did very well for 2nd in 8:31 after injury put his program back about 6 weeks. Look out for him over his distance 1500.

I remember getting blocked by these two for a while as I rounded a bend went past them in the back straight

This is the finish line, had a battle with the guy on the inside (I lost!), but not far off some other youngsters

I beat those quads!

Hollow faced skull , looking old but not feeling it on the track!

Pleased to run sub 9:20 on a hot night but worked hard for it!

I was 14th in my heat and 20th Open Cat

Got out today for a 23km trail run , it was 30C and humidity sky high. I took a big drink before start but didn't carry any! By 45mins all I could think about was water! Well water and praying there were no snakes on the trail!
Some very muddy sections because of high rainfall recently!
I got so delirious that I stopped and asked some 4wheel drive guys for a drink! They had a fridge on the back of their truck and gave me an ice cold bottle of water! Godsend!
Got me through the last 5km though I was so weak I couldn't hold myself up and stumbled splashdown into a waist deep pool of water! Really didn't want to get up but had a km to go! Reckon I lost 5kg body weight out there!
Crazy won't do it again got to get a new camelback!

QMA 3000m 9:31.9. 1st

3km warm up = 3 x around ANZ Stadium.
It was hot humid and windy the trifector!
Planned my now traditional easy first km and the work hard.
Today I really felt like I managed to implement it.
200 in 34, 600 in 1:48 1000 in 3;08 and felt like I actually lifted in the 2nd km and again in the 3rd.
My Garmin had me running 2nd km 3 or 4 seconds faster than the first and the 3rd another second quicker still.
My heart rate got up to the high 170" s for the last lap (180 is about my max).
I've probably put on 1 or 2 kg over Christmas and been lacking the speed work a little so still have work to do.
3000m feels more and more like a speed race rather than the  endurance of a 5000 but I guess that's part of aging.
Looking forward to racing open comp soon.

Phil ran in these glaringly bright calf guards!

I am alone in running with bare calves these days!
With Phil Paul and Con.