THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL

Thanks for your comments and concerns. I had a follow up appointment with the doctor this morning and he seems to think everything is fine with my head, he obviously doesn't know me too well. Still I don't feel fine. I've had some type of headache all week and if the muscle relaxant he gave me today doesn't work to relieve these headaches by Tuesday of next week I'm going to seek a second opinion.

Seriously, I'm worried as my mileage this week will be 60~70kms, if I get my long run done tomorrow, that is down from 140kms the week before. I've heard that if one can get in a long run then it shouldn't affect my overall fitness too much. Still I can't go on like this much longer as it will definitely play havoc with my marathon performance in August.

You know it is only when you can't run that you really appreciate just how lucky you are to be able to get out there day in, day out and run as hard and far as you please. I would just about sell my soul to have this over with and be back to running everyday. It would be bearable if I knew that it was say a hamstring that needed this much time to get over but this is bloody frustrating not knowing if the next time I run fast or make love I'm going to get an ice pick in the back of the head!

I guess that not being a "great" runner the world could live without me competing in a few races, but It would surely be loss to take me out of the love making game. I don't want to blow my own horn, so to speak, but you just have to read the back of the doors in women's rest rooms from here to Sydney to know that "IT" is legendary ;)

Don't get me wrong I'm not always "looking at the man in the mirror" Still "People always told me be careful what you do, don't go around breaking young girls hearts." I always tell them that it's "human nature." Anyway I guess you all "wanna be startin' something" so I'll "beat it."

Don't worry too much, really I'm alright I reckon I'll be back to it soon enough. But for you guys that are running healthy and heading up to the Gold Coast Marathon. I hope it's a "thriller" and my advice: "Don't stop til you get enough!"

Who's "bad???"

CLEAR

Just came back from doing a batch of tests including an MRI scan and the Doctor reckons I'll be back to PBing in no time. Well he didn't say that exactly but he did say I haven't got a rupture, any bleeding and or brain tumor.

I have to go back for "a talk" but no worries I'm good to start back training for Townsville as soon as I feel up to it. The pills he gave me seem to be lessening the headache but I'll have to break my streak of 8 weeks of running no stop everyday and rest up a little today and maybe tomorrow.

"Live long and prosper" or should that be "Run long and taper" ?

UPDATE

Well yesterday I did go to the Chemists, bought some aspirin and a packet of condoms while I was there ;)

Still, this headache persists. Did some more checking and found out that some of the symptoms I have, like loss of full movement in my neck, my age, and family history, (my Mother died of a cerebral hemorrhage), may mean I have the secondary type of exercise headache! You know the one that leads to death.

I'm going to the clinic this morning to rule that out, but wanted to post this as I thought it was a good chance to get sympathy comments ;)

REAL PAIN IN THE ........

I've found out about my headaches (saved by a google seach again). One of the common explanations reads.

"When you exercise, or exert yourself physically, the muscles of the head, neck, and scalp need more blood to circulate. This causes the blood vessels to swell, which can lead to a condition called exertional headaches.

Headaches that most frequently occur due to exercise or over-exertion include jogger's headache and orgasmic headache (sex headache). While these may occur in isolation, they are most common in people who have an inherited susceptibility to migraine (one or both parents have migraines). THAT IS ME

It has been found that most exertional headaches WHILE PRETTY BLOODY PAINFUL are benign and respond to usual headache treatments."

I have been getting these headaches with "other" activities other than running so I think this is what I have.

So the cure is don't "over-exert" myself and desist from activities that cause these headaches or take an aspirin!

I'm off the the drug store/ chemist/ pharmacy.

THEN THERE IS NO PLEASING YOU

Things are going well and I should be happy, but sometimes there is no pleasing me ;)

I'm on my 7th week of a 12 week program, running everyday, and even with the high mileage I seem to be not only handling it but feeling stronger. A couple of complaints though.

This morning I set off for a 3KTT but took off too fast and realised by 600 meter mark that I was not going to make the 3K so I just pushed it to the end of the 1st K and stopped to catch my breath. 20 seconds before finishing that 1st K I got a really strange/splitting headache and as I was walking around after I thought, if I do collapse and die I hope someone checks my watch cause I'd just recorded my fastest 1K effort at 3:10 (I've gone faster than that but only down hill).

Anyway I recovered and did another 12K with every 2K running fast for 1K to make it 4K all under 3:20. I'm disappointed that I couldn't/didn't finish off run through and try for a 3K PB but couldn't do it today. I suppose I wimped out cause I really didn't want to put up with the pain that would have caused me.

Another problem I'm facing these days is trying to control my massive appetite of late, that threatens, if not controlled, to destroy a lot of the hard work I've put into training. I'll write more on this next post but in a nut shell: I'm always bloody hungry, I'm a pig and find it hard to stop over eating and drinking. Perhaps some answers to this problem next blog.

Mullet with headlights!

Things going well I'm on my way to my biggest week, mileage wise, to date at 170kms!

I'm only able to do this by taking my mind off running between efforts, this clip helps. Looking back I wonder why I didn't find this type of thing strange at the time. Mustn't of been paying attention or I was/am indeed strange!!

5K PB

Today, Sunday, I went with my family to run the 1.5 K Olympic family marathon at Nagai Park Stadium. This event was put on by the government to promote the Tokyo 2016 Olympic bid and attended mostly by families and about 10 famous Japanese Olympians, past and present.

I had not intended to run the 5K just the 1.5K with my boys but when we finished I was told "the 5K race starts in 10mins" and "you can join it if you like". Well I liked and 15 minutes later I'm running out front alone thinking "I must look like a bit of a show off racing a fun run." Still I'm nothing if not competitive so I just kept on running through for the win and a PB of 17:08. While I'm not too happy about winning against fast high schoolers and various codgers I am happy to of PBed in the heat especially cause I did a 26K long run only hours before and was no way prepared to run this race.

Back to the training!

XBOX

While this will never take the place of "Running outdoors" it might be difficult for the owners to see the sense of doing say "doubles" or running in less than perfect conditions when they can stay at home and play a few of these games. Somewhat frightening for parents who want their kids out of the house but I can see its appeal in that it at least gets one moving.

Another plus is: Stephen Lacey and Ewen will be able to suggest backless lace numbers (dresses) to eachother.

A BEAUTIFUL SET OF NUMBERS

It's been a while since I posted but I've been on the job running a lot, getting fitter and racking up the Ks.

Remember I talked about approaching this training "Zen like" ? Well I came across a quote related to that on Peter Magil's "Younger Legs For Older Runners" blog the other day (great site by the way. Thanks for bringing it to our attention Speedygeoff and Rick.

He quotes a so called Zen master saying "When the task is done beforehand, then it is easy." That brings me to the point. I've been training at a much better level, both in terms of kms and effort that I'm starting to feel pretty confident about doing a good time in my next marathon.

In the first 4 weeks of training for the Hilo Hawaiian Marathon in March this year (I did 3:00:08 yes not such a good number) I did per week, 81K, 62K, 117K, and 122K. For the first 4 weeks of this 12 week training program I've just completed 130K, 132K, 147K, and 146K. I'm going to drop down a little this week and peak next week at 162K, 100 miles, and pretty much keep up the volume until a good taper in late July.

On Sunday I did 15K of my long run at or under 2:50:00 marathon pace with a relatively easy effort, The numbers for each km being between 3:50 and 4:02. Now it isn't quite the level David Criniti has been training of late, (see his blog the numbers and speed at which he is running is quite mind boggling)But in relation to what I've done before it is a vast improvement for this stage of my training. And I can't ask more than that.

Some other things that have me excited these days are: I've found out just how much a good arm swing can help ones speed and form and I've been practicing this with some success and I've been doing a few Hosaka down hill 1K repeats for my second run in the evenings. That is, if you haven't heard the news from Ewen and Sling runner, you power down a 1k hill, I've been doing this under 3:20 pace and jog back up to repeat. I've been doing 6 to 10K of these. You know I think this is one of the best sessions I've done, time will tell, but I feel sort of refreshed, if that's possible, after doing these runs and finding to my pleasant surprise that I have less niggles the morning after when doing these then I have when I didn't. Try a few and let me know if that's true for you.

Anyway, that's it for now. I'll leave you with the man himself who was also able to "bring home the bacon" as I hope to do in Townsville. If not like Keating said about Howard after years in on the back benches "Now you bring your miserable political carcass back to the front bench" I'll just bring my miserable carcass back home and try again. It worked for little Johnny Howard.



Some other quotes from Keating on Howard:

"The little desiccated coconut is under pressure and he is attacking anything he can get his hands on"

"For Mr Howard to get to the high moral ground, he would first need to climb out of the volcanic hole he had dug for himself over the last decade. It is like one of those diamond mine holes in South Africa. They are about a mile underground. He would have to come a mile up to get to even equilibrium let alone have any contest in morality with Kevin Rudd."

"What we have got is a dead carcass, swinging in the breeze, but nobody will cut it down to replace him."

"He's wound up like a thousand day clock..."

"...the brain-damaged Leader of the Opposition..."

(Of his 1986 leadership) "From this day onwards, Howard will wear his leadership like a crown of thorns, and in the parliament I'll do everything to crucify him."

"He is the greatest job and investment destroyer since the bubonic plague."

"But I will never get to the stage of wanting to lead the nation standing in front of the mirror each morning clipping the eyebrows here and clipping the eyebrows there with Janette and the kids: It's like 'Spot the eyebrows'."

"I am not like the Leader of the Opposition. I did not slither out of the Cabinet room like a mangy maggot..."

"He has more hide than a team of elephants."

"I do not want to hear any mealymouthed talk from the Member for Benelong."

"The principle saboteur, the man with the cheap fistful of dollars."

"Come in sucker."