Anti-Clocking The Tan

Picture it, Saturday morning. Hot,humid, just clearing from what seemed a perfect winter storm.. This is February mind you. Melbournes Tan Track, has the allure to thousands, and this day was no different. I was there meeting my training partner Michael. Meeting point, the pillars of Wisdom. Funny name, as i didnt see much wisdom in being at the tan at 8am on a Saturday, possibly being stood up and having to do the session on my own… My reservations were not founded, Michael arrived only 15 minutes late. And with some friendly banter, we set on our short but efficient warm up opposite the tan along the yarra. We followed our usual route, running Bridge to Bridge, a small but effortless 2km loop. Back onto the tan, we worked through a series of dynamic running drills, finishing with some short accelerations of 50m or so. As the sun started to peak through the morning sky, the air thickened with warmth, but had the feeling, rain could start to fall at any moment. We were as ready as we would get for this session. Time to start. The session was simple in design, but tough in execution. Starting from the Pillars, we would go against the conventional way to lap the tan track, heading gradually uphill until we reached the crest of the anderson street hill, a distance of 2.5km. Michael and i would then regroup at the top as planned, jogging down the hill and back to the Pillars for the next effort. The session required 3 or 4 efforts, and with beaming confidence and focused on the task at hand i was ready to tear into the run. Waiting for a break in the constant flow of human cattle that is the norm for the tan, we set off. A little too quick as usual, but i soon found myself settling into a smooth comfortable pace as i tackled the first rep. Soon i no longer heard Michaels footsteps, and i continued to surge forward, past the Shrine of Remembrance enroute to anderson street. With the tan track now shaded from the sun, there seems a sudden influx of walkers and slow joggers, making my finishing surge with 500m to go quite difficult, as im more now playing frogger than running, dodging and weaving as i go. Around the last corner, tough last little uphill to really test the body, reach the top of the hill, hit my watch. Bang, 8:11 for 2.5km uphill. Thats a good start, felt i started hard, but didnt feel that quick for most of it. Hope thats not a bad sign. Interesting, Michael stops at the corner, hope i didnt dob him in, but i later found out i was right to finish where i did, not him. Not only that, he ran 8:23 to that point, needed to lift. The jog back down was very comfortable and he talk a moment at the pillars for a drink before starting the next effort. Sucking in the deep breathes, so warm, sweating at an amazing rate. Lets get this done. Again i took off super quickly, opened up a gap even faster and felt much more relaxed in my quest to beat the previous time. Iknew all along this time would be faster, legs had come to the party now, fully heated, heart and lungs worked efficiently without being overworked, but the last 200m with a sharp turning uphill finish slowed me somewhat more than the previous effort. Perfect result though, 8:09, faster than effort #1. Unfortunately Michael wasnt able to do the same, running 8:46 to the corner. My fitness has come on leaps and bounds of late, which was shown in that 2nd effort. Running myself into the ground, and still able to push and push and push until the end. Also speaks volumes of how my mental strength is improving too, from my solo effort in the 1500m to this tan session, theres just a hunger to improve and win (mostly against myself) at all costs. There is no giving in to that. Jog back down was a little slower than previous, but there wasnt any enfaces on that. Was feeling the session in my legs now though, this 3rd effort was going to be tough, but i had a burning desire to match my previous efforts, which id have to do in my races to come. The 3rd effort started all the previous 2, but this time the wind had picked up, forcing me to work much harder than i had earlier through the first 1km. This didnt discourage me at all, just another challenge to tackle, i did however feel i was going much slower than the first 2 efforts, my legs were starting to tire, and it felt my speed was slowing. One last push, one last effort around the final bend, gave everything to the top of the hill, and amazingly ran 8:14, yes my slowest, but not by much at all. Michael finished in 8:46, being as fast as his 2nd effort, another good sign. Jogging back to the Pillars, i decided i was happy with 3 efforts, knowing that another attempt may result in a below par time. Michael had to rush off, so i preceded to run a ‘normal’ lap of the tan as my cool down. 16.4km total, a solid mornings work. My coach trained separate with the younger side of the group who did a series of 900m efforts, but he was more than pleased with my session when we spoke upon completion. Everything is on track for a great 3000m in just under 2 weeks time at the state championships… Cant wait for that.

1500 metres of fun…..

I think i may have run the best race ive ever run. The main focus was my own time, didnt care who i was up against, and i ran accordingly. I did however have a go at winning it. I surprised myself by kicking at the bell, driving hard to lead from start to finish. My run for winners glory came to end with 100m to go, when i ran out of steam. I ran 65 sec for the last 400m and got beaten. Nothing i can do about that…..

Bolted off the start line like someone who knew actually what he had to do, and wanted to start on the front foot. Probably shouldnt have gone through the first 100m in under 13 seconds, but what you going to do. My goal was simple, 64 seconds for each of the first 3 laps, then 48 for last 300m, its what it would take to run 4:00. First 400m, bang, 61 seconds, too quick, must slow down a bit, save some energy John, second lap, bang, 67 seconds, back on even par, now push. Through 1200m in 3:15, crap, another 67 second lap, not too plan, no matter now, too late, just got to push. Still relaxed, still driving hard, still leading, bang, 200m to go, im going to do this, wait, i hear footsteps, impossible, im flying. Swinging round last bend, cant believe it, im being passed, no matter, push harder, bang, staying level onto the straight, arms stop driving, leg turnover slows, knee wont lift, a gap is forming, the breeze now seems stronger than before, straining for the line, leaking time, last 50m seems to take forever, compared to earlier speed, i now feel like im going backwards. Hit the line. Finished. A p.b. Didnt die wondering. Proud of that. But where did that guy come from. 65 second last lap, and i lose it. Hat off to him. My time 4:06.6, not the 4:00 i was after, but for now, an insight, an insight to what i must do to go under 4:00. I cant run 61,67,67,51. More of a tune tuning approach rather than an overhaul, next season, the sub 4:00 is mine. Just another step closer to a 4:00 mile,lol.

My running Breakthrough

It might not be too noticeable to anyone but myself, but things have seemed to turn positively for my running the last few weeks, roughly around the time of my ill fated 5000m in late january. Results not just happen, no matter how well you think your training has gone, if you relax for a second, and take that for granted, you will fail on race day. To everyone else, the time i ran (15:58.7) would be expected by most as just another good run by me. Na, not buying that. And since that race, instead of letting the frustration that was plain to see on race day consume me, i just simply got back to training and ran like i had been the previous 6 weeks or so. Yes, i had a point to prove. But to nobody but myself and my coach. My running since has seemingly gone up another gear, to a level i thought i was still a ways short of. Ill fill you in on what im talking about. This is every run since the 5000m. Ill use a phrase  ive used a fair bit of late: I’m on a mission:

Sunday 30th Jan- 25.1km- 2:00:00 @ Ferny Creek

Monday- w/u- 4.25km- 20:00…. 3.2km- 10:27….. c/d- 4.2km- 20:00

Tuesday 1st Feb- w/u- 3.1km-15:00………. (1200m,200m jog,400m x 2)…. 3:28,48,68… 3:38, 51,70……….c/d- 3.2km-15:30

Wednesday- 11km- 51:42

Thursday- w/u- 3.1-15:25………. (5 x 600m)….. 1:33,1:34,1:36,1:38,1:39………… c/d- 3km-15:17

Friday- 15.7km- 1:18:04

Saturday- w/u-2.7km- 15:33………… 2km time trial- 5:47………. c/d- 4.4km- 24:42

Sunday- 20.5km- 1:30:01

Monday- w/u- 5.4km- 25:03………….. 3.2km- 10:19……….. c/d- 4.1km- 20:00

Tuesday- w/u- 2.1km- 10:00……….. (400m,100m jog, 100m sprint x 4)……..( 60,25,14.)( 61,24,15.)( 60,23,15.)( 58,23,16)………… c/d- 2km- 10:10

Wednesday- 8.8km- 43:01

Thursday- w/u- 3.1km- 15:01……….. Pyramid (200m,400m,800m,400m,200m with 200m jog between)… 31, 52,67,48, 2:22, 51,68,50,32…… c/d- 3km- 15:01

Friday- 7.1km- 34:35

Saturday- SHIELD FINAL- 1500m- ………………..?????? P.B is 4:08.3, wait for next post, it will have fallen massively.

TOTALS: 156.7km, high quality, totally aimed at 1500m in Shield Final for last 2 weeks of training. Havent missed a beat……….

…..Im currently making MY RUNNING BREAKTHROUGH!!!

To The Well and Back

Bit backwards i know, but now ill talk about saturdays 25 min threshold run i did. Thought id get a jump on the heat by starting my run at 8am, also thought the lake at Pakenham Lakeside would be quiet. John, you are an idiot. Of course it wasnt quiet, with every man and his dog shuffling their way around the lake, which might i add is exactly 1500m around( Definately had the runner in mind when they made that). Except some of the turns are tight, which can made passing a hazard some of the time. Lcky for me, the population using the lakeside track, knew i ment business and promptly moved aside to let me pass. One guy who looked like he was a member of either of the 2 personal training groups taking up the last of the space around the track, looked at me and i ran past in the opposite direction and commented on how fast i was, all i could do was nod,lol.

Must say, im quite impressed with not only my effort, but laso my new found willingness to get done what i must do in order to succeed. I ran my first lap in 4:54, but then settled into that pace until the end, eventually running 7.53km for my 25:00, which is only fractionly slower than 10km race pace, but felt much more pleasant than my 10,000m race at Moe last sunday. Now for some reason, ive noticed, instead of wanting to slow down when im tired, i instead try to lift the pace, just to tell my body, i have other ideas,haha.

I think i get it now, to be smart with when to work hard, and when to run at 5/6:00 pace, might hace just found my recipe too success. And it tastes good!!

Ferny Creek and Me

I left Ferny Creek today with a great sense of achievement, and all this came from a training session. In my 2 preious runs at Ferny Creek, ive kept it as basic as i could, chances of getting lost too great. This morning though, was vastly different. Leaving the Alfred Nicholas Gardens carpark, funnily enough, opposite the Alfred Nicholas gardens at just after 8:30am, i was one of what was a big group of about 30, possibly more. In my 2 runs at Ferny Creek so far, ive not managed to average any fatser than 5:20/5:30 per km pace. Today, in the end, i ran 18:05km in 1:26:40, at an average of 4:47 per km, and was holding my own in what was very good company. In our training group this morning was Collis Birmingham, Benita Willis, Clinton Perrett and Sonia O’Sullivan, and a handful of very enthusiastic U18/U20 runners( could only last 50 min though, so i took care of them,lol). Collis and Clint slowly worked their way through the group along the way, but by the time they got to me and my new friend Sam Crowther at around 13km we were at Grants Picnic Ground and they stopped for a bit there. What a brilliant thing, slogging our way up a 2/3km hill with Collis Birmingham sitting on our tail. Most of the run was new to me, and don’t get me wrong, this was seriously tough, but i enjoyed it no end. Only on the open road did we actually realise how warm it was getting, and it wasnt until we actually stopped did it hit me how hard the run actually was. Yes we had a fair share of downhill, but equal to that, and possibly even greater was the uphills we took in. We did split the group a bit in the 2nd half with Benita and Sonia drifting back, but they were running 2 hours plus.

Could it be ive had a glipse into the future today? One thing is for damn sure, ill be back there next sunday, to continue to test the waters, and to push my myself further and further down this road.

2010 Victorian Country Championships

Medal Ceremony

Hello there eager readers,

It sure has been a while. Well, ive been busy taking over the world, one km at a time. Now im going to take you on a journey through time and space to a town they call Moe. I decided that what a perfect setting to put all my hard recent training into use. I had entered the 10,000m and knew anything short of a p.b would be a huge let down, and a big blow mentally. But that never happened and i ran well, without fuss, and without any real flashes of brilliance, and because of that, never really got myself into a racing mood, but did enough to squeeze out a p.b and also broke the 33 minute barrier for the first time in running 32:55, but even before the ink dries on that time, im already searching for ways to beat that time, and it will happen sooner rather than later. And next time, im sure ill make a better choice on footwear and decide against wearing spikes, as after about 4km my legs already started to feel the pinch and i did start to struggle on a bit. But overall, quite happy, and while i know it wont last for long, being the 3rd fastest 10,000m in the country for the year is something i can be proud of. Lets back up just a little bit:

So there we were, all 25 or so of us, awaiting the starters gun to fire, on what was a brilliant morning to be running in the country. Gun fires, and off we go. Straight to the front i go, leading Nic Van Raaphorst and Iseyas through the first lap in a little over 70 seconds, and with a gap of already 100m or so on the rest of the field. I continued to lead through 2 laps, then through the 1km mark in 3:10, with Iseyas right behind and with Nic not far back, settled in nicely in 3rd. Through 4 laps, Iseyas went to the front, and i just let him go, quite happy with my pace at this stage, and with Iseyas always going out too hard, i wasnt going to chase. Felt ok through 2km in 6:24, but already thought spikes were going to be a bad choice. My prep leading in was close to perfect, and with fresh legs, i had a little too much bounce in my stride wearing my light weight spikes, and at the same time putting extra pressure through my feet and heels. What had been a 30-40m gap opened up on Nic in 3rd began to shrink through 3km(9:42), and we were now within 10m of each other, with the gap continuing to close. Crossing the line through 4km(12:58), it was a feeling of approaching failure, still 15 laps to go, i had now been caught by Nic, and he was shaping up for a pass on me, and i was really starting to feel uncomfortable, in not just my feet, but also now my lower back, which has from time to time given me a few troubles since christmas. The

Nearly 4km in, Nic makes his move

sense of its still so far and i feel bad now, brings in the thoughts of just giving up and going home. But who the hell in their right mind would want to give up while running under 3:15 p/km. And shit, i was still going at p.b pace, yes, i was dropping off my goal pace, but it does seem sometimes my ambition gets ahead of my actual talent. Through 5km and the halfway point i ran 16:16, and still only 5-6 seconds behind Nic, but still far from happy. Then i began to develop a stitch in my right side, which for me, is quite unusual these days. Not that my diet of late has been good, definately played apart in me slightly falling apart. Per km, i was still leaking time, which wasnt part of the game plan, and i was still slowly sliping back from the first 2 runners. Hit 6km in 19:38, which just as a reference, 3 weeks back in a threshold run i ran a 6km of 19:14, which saw me go faster as i went. The race was not ment to unfold like this, lucky for me, the 3:22 for km number 6 was my slowest for the race and with 10 laps to go, i could almost see the light at the end of the tunnel, and for the next couple of km i did manage to stem the bleeding and find a bit of consistency, with me going through 7km in a new p.b of 22:59, my happiness was slowly creeping back, a 3:21 showed my legs were coming back to me a little bit. There was also a change for the lead of the race starting to happen, with Nic for the last couple of laps taking 2 seconds a lap out of Iseyas’ lead, and of the strength of his big loud cheersquad sweeped past Iseyas and into the leadThrough 8km i went in a p.b of 26:19 and on the back of another faster km of 3:20, a sub 33 was starting to look likely again, and with only 5 laps to run, it felt good knowing i was almost done. I was now over 150m behind the leader, but through 9km and yet another p.b time of 29:40, and a 3:21, finishing position didnt matter, but unless i ran 3:19 for the last km, i wasnt going to go home happy and the soul searching would then begin. I challenged myself to step up over the last km, and it worked, getting the bell for 1 lap to go my time was 31:38, and i knew only my worst lap of the race would prevent me from breaking 33:00. Well, i only just did it, running 77 seconds for the last lap to stop the clock in 32:55 in 3rd position and 3:00 ahead of 4th place. Nic was never challenged over the last 5 laps and won in 32:18 from Iseyas in 32:31. My goal for the race was splits of 16:10 and 16:30= 32:40, i wasnt far away, and definately a time ill run past in the coming months. Overall, January has been a great start to my year, a year that could shape as a defining year for my running. But ot come out and show improvement after such a good 2009 shows i just may be capable…

January to date:   5000m 15:49.2 (15:54.3), 10,000m 32:55.8 (33:20)

1st lap

Run 4 The Kids

Ok, so i might have got a bit lazy and just copied and pasted what i wrote on the forum, but what i wrote was more like a blog anyway, so enjoy.

Felt fully prepared for this one, and all ready to go. Bumped into my arch rival from Western Aths Luke Searle at the start line and we both decided it best to not only work together through the race but to also sneak into the elite zone when no one was looking. Got a brilliant start as we both weaved through the field, and thanks to the 1st km marker being short, we ran through in 2:28, and preceded to follow that up with a 5:37 through 2km, and 9:00 through 3km. Yep, thats right, at this point we realised not only had we gone a little fast to clear the congestion, there was now no one left to pass. (slight exaggeration ) From then on, we settled into a nice even rythmn, but managed to continue to break through the pb’s km after km, with a 19:34 through 6km, and feeling a little stronger heading up the bolte bridge, i was trying to get Luke to just tuck in behind for a bit, but it doesnt help when he falls after putting his foot into a roadside grate. Hit the top of the bolte at the 8km in 27:06, and was happy not to lose to much time as the runners around us, firstly went ahead, then dropped back. This was repeated the whole way up the bridge. Tried not to go too fast on the way down the bridge, but rather ttry to save some energy for the remainder of the race, and by the time i ran through 9km in 30:34, Luke was again at my side. We had slowed a little going up bolte bridge, and now back down, the legs were starting to come back and this was shown further by 10km, running 34:07, a pb for both of us. We knew collins st hill was coming up, so eased our pace back slighty just to save the energy needed to not burn out apon reaching the top. Hitting 11km at the bottom of bourke st in 37:40, taking a deep breath, we ran into collins st and attacked the hill head on, and won. That momentium carried us through 12km in 41:24, and even though along southbank we started to feel the strain and slow a little bit more, running under 50:00 was still a big possiblity. Over queen st bridge and into flinders st we hit 13km in 45:06, and began to step it up. Rounding flinders st station, knowing we were closing on 2 runners ahead, we dug deep and started to inch closer. In the end, i just couldnt hang on, finishing about 20m behind Luke and the other 2 runners. One of them being the 3rd woman overall. I ran til i had nothing left, and crossed the line in a jog in a time of 49:20, beating my 52:46 from last years event. As i finshed i could hear the anouncer call out that the elite runners were still coming through. Now, that made me smile. As per usual, i have to be disappointed with something, and that have to be not beating 49:00 because my last 400m was ordinary. Oh well, maybe next year. 

My New Secret Weapons

As many of you might know, recently i applied for the AdiRunners squad, which just happens to have great runners like Lara Tamsett in the squad. Well, i didnt manage to get in, but some good have come of it. I now get 40% off at the R4YL website, and i tookd full advantage of this by buying a brand new pair of racing flats. Considering how bloody well i ran in the R4TK with my other racing flats, these new ones will put me in a whole ‘nother league. They are an elite level racing flat and are only 3 grams heavier than my track spikes, and are about 60 grams lighter than my asics racing flats. But thats it my friends, now you’ll have to wait until saturday at Jells Park to witness them. Like one review said: You either buy this shoe which sits on top of the heap as the world lightest  racing shoe, or you just stand back and watch them fly by. Took them for a test run on thursday over 3km. 1km- 4:07(steady start, feel good) 2km- 3:47( feel great, didnt notice speed increase) 3km- 3:16( did not feel like i was moving that fast, i was stunned)

Ok, so it’s been a while. But I’m Back!!!!

So much has happened since my last blog, so the plan right here is to recap everything thats happened without writing a book that we’d all know would be worth publishing,lol. I guess i should go all the way back to February 19th, and start with the night of the Vic Champs where i ran the 5000m.

VIC CHAMPS 2009- 5000m 19/2/09

I went into the Vic Champs fully switched on, fully prepared, and full of confidence after a 20 day stretch which saw me lower my p.b over the 5000m 4 times. My goal going into the race was to beat 16:00, which at christmas i never would have thought possible so quickly. And here i was, on a perfect night, so still in the air, mentally ready to break the barrier i was aiming for. And after running so very well, yet again, in what had become a fairytale 1st track season for me, ended with a magestic performance, running a new 5000m p.b of 15:58.7, beating my 16:18.1 from only 9 days earlier. But being picky like i am, i hate to be totally happy with how i went, my splits need improving. i ran: 3:00,3:06, 3:15, 3:22, 3:15. I guess i just need a little more time. Unluckily in the end also, i finished just short of qualifying for the Aus Champs in U23′s for 5000m, where the qualifying time was 15:30. Times like these i wish i was 22 in August, and not 23.

BROOKS RIVER RUN 1/3/09

Opted for the 4km run here, with the goal of beating my time from last years race of 14:24. Not much of a challenge now-a-days. A little drizzle just before the start made the road a bit slippy which slowed the field once we got over the other side of the river, but the way i ran, i couldnt have been any happier. Ended up running away with it from the start, and even though a bit of laziness crept in and i nearly got caught by 3km, i kicked clear, running a suburb final km to finish 1st in 13:13. Good start to what was to be my month of fun runs, whilst i prepare in between AV seasons.

LAKESIDE 4.5KM FUN RUN PAKENHAM 15/3/09

Cold day. Very cold day. Lucky for me, my gloves had arrived from america only days before which left my hands toasty. Having a big support crew watching on, actually was a hinderence rather than the positive effect i was hoping for. Barely warmed up, didnt really stretch, and this cost me dearly. Started the race really well, leading allcomers through the first 2km in little over 6:00, but my legs just couldnt get the heat in them i needed, which seemed to stop me increasing the pace i was going. From then on, all i could do was maintain my pace. And once i went through 4km, i realised the course was way longer than i was told, i lost interest a bit, but still finished off well to finish 2nd overall in a time of 15:18 for the 4.5km, and went through 4km in 13:33 in what was tough conditions.

VMC 1500m @ OLYMPIC PARK 12/3/09

Made too many mistakes, but somehow still managed a good time of 4:22.3, and moved from 5th to finsh 3rd after a great finish to the race. So to not run as well as i can, and to still run right on p.b pace, im sure by the start of next summer track season, ill be flying for sure.

DANDY CREEK DASH 5KM- 22/3/09

As Rupert pointed out while i was waiting on the start line, the young gun Ned Verway from frankston was going to be my main challenger in this one. And Ned didnt disapoint. With the start being downhill, and knowing Ned had just come off running an impressive 4:08 in the 1500m at the VMC meet only 10 days earlier; i attacked early, trying to wear him out in the first 2km, assuming that i had the strength to burn him off. Well, after the downhill start, i was well clear of the field, with Ned stuck right behind me. We went through the 1st km in 2:58, and i only had a couple of metres gap on him, which i slowly opened up through 2km, which i went through in 6:13. Heading out the back of the course at frentree gully rd and up the slight incline, i began to tire. But somehow my lead continued to grow. The 3rd km was much slower than the previous 2, running through 3km in 9:49, then starting our climb up Scotmans Hill. Even though i was now going quite slow, i managed to stretch out the lead to about 50m through 4km(13:36), and as i started to make my way down the last hill towards the finish with about 700m left to run, Ned was no where to be seen. I pushed on, knowing he’d be saving energy for one last effort up the hill to the finish. And thats just what he did, but id already responded, and was sprinting up the hill. In the end i managed to hold on, winning in 16:35, by only 3 seconds over Ned. The 4km marker was bout 100m long, so no, i didnt run 2:59 for the last km,lol……

…..still to come…. Run 4 The Kids Race Report…Coming Soon,lol

It Burns. It Burns.

When will i learn. Being in a rush as i usually am on a saturday morning, i arrived home from breakfast @ Jells to grab my bag then off to Frankston for AV. Ran out the door, realised i didnt have sunscreen on, but remembering i had some in the car, i decided to just apply some of that when i arrived at Frankston. Pity the suncreen needed a knife to spread it was that thick. So after a hap-hazard application, i thought i was ready for the days festivities. Idiot.

Ive spend the day nursing myself, just gingerly moving around the house. The sunburn is quite toasty. Really, after such a thing i do get really pissed off with myself. It’s no way for someone who’s had bloody skin cancer to act. Hopefully this, ive actually learnt from it. But after a half marathon i did in England on a 30 degree day where i totally forgot sunscreen all together, i remember saying i wouldn’t ever let that happen again…..

….Some people just never learn.