RIP Leslie Nielsen

Who predicted how most of my future conversations with my wife would turn out like.

Rumack: Captain, how soon can you land?

Captain Oveur: I can't tell.

Rumack: You can tell me. I'm a doctor.

Captain Oveur: No. I mean I'm just not sure.

Rumack: Well, can't you take a guess?

Captain Oveur: Well, not for another two hours.

Rumack: You can't take a guess for another two hours?

Who got away with classic "set-ups"

President Bush: Frank, please consider filling a post I'm creating. It may mean long hours and dangerous nights, surrounded by some of the scummiest elements in our society.

Frank: You want me to be in your cabinet?

Who always talked like I wanted to.

Frank: That's the red-light district. I wonder why Savage is hanging around down there.

Ed: Sex, Frank?

Frank: Uh, no, not right now, Ed.

Who made the simple interestingly complicated.

This is Frank Drebin, Police Squad. Throw down your guns, and come on out with your hands up. Or come on out, then throw down your guns, whichever way you wanna do it. Just remember the two key elements here: one, guns to be thrown down; two, come on out!

And who surely didn't like to be taken too seriously.

Rumack: I won't deceive you, Mr. Striker. We're running out of time.

Ted Striker: Surely there must be something you can do.

Rumack: I'm doing everything I can... and stop calling me Shirley!

Top 100 Australian Albums

Bob so as it's not "non-sensical" to you, this song is about "Cyclone Tracy" that completely destroyed the Northern Australian City of Darwin on December 25th 1974. It finished the job "Tojo" Japanese general started by partly destroying the same city at the end of the second world war.

Sorry but you are going to have to click through to Youtube, on this screen, to see this. They're getting strict on this.



The 100 Best Australian albums:
1.Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust
2.AC/DC – Back in Black
3.Crowded House – Woodface
4.Cold Chisel – Circus Animals
5.The Triffids – Born Sandy Devotional
6.Easybeats – The Best Of
7.Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls – Gossip
8.You Am I – Hi Fi Way
9.Skyhooks – Living in the 70’s
10.Avalanches – Since I Left You

I was just looking at a list of the above complete 100 and was feeling very nostalgic. Of course there will be argument on what's "good" or not, Bob obviously doesn't agree with "The Avalanches" at number 10,(see previous song and comment) but making these lists is a bit like "hitting a bees nest with a stick" as one of the authors said, it is bound to stir things up! And you should remember they are Best "Albums" and have to be taken as a complete unit, and not just one or two songs. By the way they really don't do albums any more, do they?

Anyway if you haven't had a good look at what "Australian music" is all about take a look at this list, it is a great starting point.

http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/article/26097/new_news_item

While I pretty much agree with number 1, Can get much more Australian than "Midnight Oil" I would have put The Hoodoo Gurus' "Stoneage Romeos" at the top of my list, but it only comes in at number 28 on this list. Which gives me an opening to play a favorite from this album :)

Before I finish going off on my unrelated running tangent I want to show you another Hoodoo Gurus' song, my all time favorite!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkYmSYtGzmI&feature=related

This might not ring everyones bells but it really resonates with me. The young Scott Brown was at a gig watching this band and this song on the night he broke up with the love of his life. Music is a lot of things but mostly it's a time and a place. Ever since this I've liked anything that looks or sounds like this,despite what anyone thinks!

That boy needs therapy!

Looks like Ewen has another plan, they say "variety is the spice of life" but if I know anything about psychiatry, which I don't, I'd say this compulsion to keep changing workouts is a manifestation, hiding a greater problem. To put it more bluntly. "He's a nut! Crazy as a coconut!"

Slow motion analysis

Yes, sorry the classy part of my blog didn't last long. But I have a stupid clip to show you and a serious question.

I want someone to look at my running style and do some analysis on it, so I'll need to get some slow motion clips of me running at various speeds and angles. The question is: Does anyone know a simple way to convert normal video to slow mo?

I just read that windows movie maker will do it but have to look at it as I've never used it before. Anyone done this or know how?

Thanks in advance.

Just hope I look a bit cooler in slow motion than these people ;)

No class! You say?

Stung by the criticism that this blog is somehow lacking, I'm going to take Rick's advice via Peter Magill: "to have a successful blog you need at least 3 things;
1/ Make it informative.
2/Make it fun.
3/ have attractive women feature in your articles!"

A bit more subtle than Rick's "Body Rock" effort but you'd have to agree, classy ;)

The leaves, they are a changing.

Fall in Osaka






Getting cool here and winter is just around the corner. It's a nice time of year to race and train here now. It was a public holiday today, Tuesday, and we did somethings to celebrate my youngest's 8th Birthday.

Got a message from Ewen today too saying that the latest "Run 4 Your Life" magazine has just come out and they have a feature article of mine in it. If you are in Australia, or you want to subscribe, have a look.

Above a couple of photos from today.

SAMURAI INTRO

Just uploading this here now to see how it looks before putting it or something similar on the "Samurai Running" website. Let me know what you think, if I should add something or leave something out. Appreciate it. And yes, I know I look like a dick, so you don't have to tell me that ;)

Max Heart Rate = 170

Aung Sang Suu Kyi
Someone with a bigger heart than all of us!


Had my test today, don't know how I should think about the result, on the one hand it is lower than the formula 220 minus ones age (which would be around 175 in my case) so it says that I'm fit but not too much difference. The highest I could get it today was 170.

I've been running my sessions on the assumption that my MHR was between 190 and 180 because a few years ago I was able to get it up there on my hard runs. Actually surprised it's come down so much.

I do know now that I've been red lining too much in the past and definitely went into my last marathon over-trained! Just have to find the balance between that and the half I just ran where I slowed down significantly in the last 3rd of the race because I was under-trained. Sounds easy but it really is an art/science.

So now to adjust my sessions and see if the training by heart rate works! The one thing I have concern with is: I'm supposed to do my easy runs between 95 and 115 BPM and I reckon until I get a bit fitter I'm going to find it hard to keep those runs in that range.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Sometimes you kick!

Sometimes you get kicked!



Not sure why I expected any better today, but I did feel good going in. Still, I should feel happy with my 1:22:?? as only 4 weeks ago I couldn't even jog well and I haven't done any long runs, to speak of, since July. The speed is there, 18 min first 5K and 36 min first 10k, just started to struggle after the 15th K. Anyway I know what I've got to do in order to get some PBs early in the new year. Now to work on it!

Number 7

I'll need a pair to PB tomorrow "Wow"



Tomorrow I'll run the Osaka Riverside Half Marathon for the 7th time. This event was my first ever race at 39 years old! Seems like the weather will be suspect, as usual, for this race again, usually rains, but I'm in pretty good shape and if I can hold my pace until the end, my condition holds, I'll give my PB a shake or at least have a nice workout in prep for a few PBs early next year.

I was looking at the cards I got from the previous runs there tonight. They show a nice progression and just how much faster I've got and how this race has grown over the last few years.

2003 143rd place out of 499 people in a time of 1:39:18
2004 138th place out of 651 people in a time of 1:35:08
2005 Didn't run it
2006 56th place out of 620 people in a time of 1:29:00
2007 72nd place out of 668 people in a time of 1:31:21
2008 27th place out of 727 people in a time of 1:23:00
2009 11th place out of 1162 people in a time of 1:19:25

And 2010 (thinking something like)
7th place out of 1302 people in a time of 1:17:45 (We will see).

Ryan Hall

"My hand was made strong by the hand of the almighty!"

What's up with Ryan too? Let's just hope he "forward in this generation. Triumphantly."

Time to think

Our man in Addis Ababa



Any thoughts on what Mr. Gebrselassie is thinking and what he'll do?

I'd like to see him keep running but reckon he deserves to call it a day if he sees fit.

Heart Rate Vs Pace

Heart Rate Monitor (get it?)



I've been running with a heart rate monitor this last week and I'm here to tell you it is by far the better option when compared to running by pace per km. Why? Because, firstly one can basically just estimate what 1km is when running on anything but a marked track. And, two once you know your max heart rate you can know how to run within the various limits and vary your pace and range more accurately, getting the best out of your training.

When I have been running by "feel" I tend to go too fast on slow days and too slow on fast days. This heart rate monitor is really showing me that my past training has been a bit hit and miss. I think in a month or so my racing condition is going to be so much better because of this new training method.

We shall see.

NYC Marathon

Looking forward to the running of the NYC Marathon tomorrow. Geb to win, Meb a close 2nd, I reckon. As long as they get out in front of the crowd that is ;)


see more WTF Pictures and WTF videos by Picture Is Unrelated

I wonder if she wonders if this is all for real

Well as I said I'm pretty much over my injuries and back to some consistent, pain free running.

Ewen's version

"Monday: AM, 10k, felt like s#!t. PM, 20k, felt like something the cat dragged in."

Mine

Monday: AM, 10k, felt like Sammy. PM, 20k, felt like Geb.

Anyway, real happy to be able to be back into it and the only thing now is to get the weight down. That last period of comparative inactivity has me up 5kgs from what I should be to be in PB form.

Last week of overindulgence this week and then I'm on to it ;)