TWEET

Did I ever tell you I hate "Facebook." It just seems too shallow, you know people posting about inane stuff and others giving the thumbs up to it.

Wait a minute, that sounds like a better description of my blog! No, the reason I hate Facebook so much is because I've lost so many friends to it (fairweather friends maybe, but I'll take them anyway I can get them these days) and I'm kind of jealous.

So what do I, someone with few friends on their own blog, do in the face of losing people to the more vacuous Facebooks?

Yes, I open a "TWITTER" account!!!

You ain't seen shallow until you've read my tweets.

See the bottom (pun intended) of my blog for my latest adventures.

Care to follow?

CITY RUN

Out for a run in the city this morning. After, had all you can eat Yum Cha and had all I could eat. Totally stuffed !

Walkman out Ipod in

I just bought an Ipod Touch to replace my Sony Walkman (Yes, welcome to the 80s) What can I say I'm a "late adapter". Do they even use that term anymore?

The clip will show you how my runs used to go!

If you switched on dudes know of any good applications for the Ipod Touch please let me know. I've uploaded "RunGeek" and a "Running Log" program that seem to be the bomb! And an application called "Sushi Guru" that tells me what fish has the most mercury, "Life's Good" (LG). Definitely too good to get mercury poisoning!

RUNNER'S TRIBE

The article I wrote has been put up at the "Runner's Tribe" web site. Very happy to be associated with such a great site.

Thanks to everyone.

Like I said, runners are a good group of people.

The article I wrote for "Younger Legs For Older Runners" is still there so take a look if you haven't seen it. Scroll down a bit and you'll find in under "Guest Blogger."

Grand Funk

I'm going to write about running again from now. I have lost a bit of focus in the last 3 weeks. Still the whole experience has sort of helped me. I pretty much know that running is meaningless in the grand scheme of things but that is why it is so important to me and why I love it so much. Not since I was a surfer have I done something for the pure joy of it. Not to make money, not to please anyone just because it felt good.

I'm not telling you anything you don't know, I'm sure but this has helped to pull me out of the funk (The depression kind) I've been in and back to the training.

I've got a 10K on the 21st of this month I'm going to regain focus train well and get a new PB. That's what it's all about!



This is the only "Funk" I want to be around for a while, thanks very much ;)

BACK

Came home tonight. Finished what I could do there and thanks to my sister taking over the rest I was able to come home early to be with my family here. It's when you lose someone that you realize how much others mean to you so I'll not be taking my family and friends (real and virtual) for granted anytime soon.

I've let the running go a bit as you'd expect but was able to get a one run in at Yeppoon, Where's "Yeppoon" you ask? It's in FNQ not far from Rockhampton, not "near your knife and fork" like some wags would have you believe.

I got another run in the day before yesterday along "The Strand" in Townsville. Talked to some young fit guys there that I thought were "Townsville Road Runners" but were in fact, rescue helicopter crews in training for their fitness tests.

And this morning I ran from Kirra Beach on the Gold Coast to Snapper Beach and back in the warm morning sun. Boy has that place changed! I was lost in nostalgia sitting on the headland staring out at the waves until I turned around to be assaulted by white buildings and shinny glass. "Whatever may come, whatever may go" those waves are coming. Thankfully somethings will always be the same. I take a lot of comfort in that.



I'm really keen to get back into it and catch up with what you're all up to so let's do that.

The song is one that's been in my head and I upload it here for no other reason than that, and I like it.

Leslie John Brown

My Father died this morning. Without him I'd have nothing I love today. I'll forever be grateful.

I'm going to go back to Australia tomorrow to help arrange things.

Talk soon.

HALF FAST

Yesterday ran the Kishukuchikumano half marathon, the first time for me, in the lovely resort town of Shirahama by the sea in Wakaiyama Prefecture. It was perhaps the best course I've ever run, mostly flat, over bridges through tunnels, scenic and to top it off we had perfect weather, 10 degrees, you couldn't buy a cloud. I ran well, felt strong and relaxed, clocking my 2nd fastest half marathon time at 1:19:16 I fully intend to go back next year, trained up, for another great weekend and a PB.

Had a great weekend staying overnight at a hotspring resort with the family and in-laws. Definitely eating too much at dinner and breakfast but what are you going to do ;)

I've uploaded a few photos from the trip. You can see that I'm being interviewed, with my kids, in the third shot. I came 2nd in my age group. The guy who came 1st didn't show up for the presentation so they were forced to talk to me ;)

Anyway, I wanted to ask my small band of loyal readers, yes that is you, even if you don't read so much and aren't so loyal, if you could spread the word about my running in Japan venture. Also if you have any ideas, that don't cost money, on promoting this I'd like to hear them.

Thanks.

And congratulations to Mr. Hosaka and Mr. Hunt for their runs at Beppu yesterday. Fantastic news for both countries and me too having a foot in both camps. That is I'm old and an Aussie ;)

COME TO JAPAN. RUN A RACE

I'm happy to announce the start of a project that's been in the works now for a couple of years. Together with the wife we are starting a small venture to bring interested people to Japan to run in a race and enjoy all that goes with it.

We are not doing this for profit but we simply want to be able to show people why we choose to live here and just how good a trip to Japan can be. If you still have the image of Japan as an expensive, incomprehensible travel destination we'd like to show you different. Our initial packages are affordable and interesting.

We'd love to be able to show you around so think about coming and tell your friends. We think these will be a success and hope to add more races in the future. Success in this venture as in life will mean meeting and running with as many happy people as we can before we can't anymore ;)

Check out the website

http://samurairunning.com

And whether or not you're interested I'd appreciate your feedback on the site and related issues.

Thanks

Scott Brown

CAPTION CONTEST

Caption contest

I thought I'd open these photos up to you wits to add a caption or two to the following post race photos. EG photo 1 "No, I'm not crying like a girls Ewen just getting the sweat out of my eyes." Anyway I'm sure you can do better than that. There will be a small prize for the the one judged, by me, as the best ;)

"It's not about.... pleasures."

I don't know what happened today, struggled throughout. What was that about? I suppose I was just not on it today.

Bloody miserable conditions cold and drizzling and even though the course was fast and flat I couldn't do better than I did. My hamstrings were hurting especially the left one maybe that was one of the problems.

With 2K to go I thought I might be able to get under my PB but couldn't convince the pins to go any faster. I came home in 35:42,(1st 5K 17'28 2nd 18'13) four seconds shy of my PB and 9th in my age group. After finding out I'd missed my PB and just missed out on a trophy, they gave one each to the first eight in my age group, I let out a few quiet expletives like ones in the following clip.

Anyway, after that I felt fine so don't worry about me I know I can and how to do much better in the future. Thanks for all your last comments. And Rick breathe easy old fella ;) And Ewen I think I was 2nd "woman" in my age group today!

TOMORROWS RACE

Got a 10K race tomorrow. I could discuss it at length but "I'll let my race do the talking!" No, actually I will talk about it I just always wanted to use that lame line ;)

My foot is getting better now only sore if I press on it directly, so I wont press it ;) It shouldn't hamper a PB attempt. There may be a problem with the weather, rain is predicted, but if it's not too heavy it shouldn't be a big problem either.

I'll be running in the 32 to 50 years age group, I don't know why they made such a group, so I don't expect to get on the podium but on the bright side the younger fellas just might help to pull me along to a PB :)

Anyway, I'll do my best and it will be good practice running at speed getting my legs use to it. The plan for the next six months is to do regular 5KTT at sub 2:30 marathon pace and hopefully get to the stage where they are coming with relative ease. By the time of the Townsville marathon I hope to be ready to even give David Crinti a run for the win, or anyone else, who shows.

Still,
"The best laid schemes of mice and men.." It could well turn out nasty and end up like the comic below but I'll give it a go ;)

HALF MARA PB

1:18:50

I'm happy with today's result as I went into this race a little lame, foot injury,(went to clinic yesterday and Doc said I had an overuse injury to one of the tendons running down the side/bottom of my left foot). I can run on it, have been for the last 3 weeks but it's sore, so I was happy to be able to pull out a PB and get a trophy just scraping into 6th in my age group.

Now it's time to get serious with my training otherwise I fear there won't be many more PBs. But for now I'll get back to killing myself with beer and fatty food ;)

Above, some photos from today.

I hope you're all well.

POCKY

Just wanted to share with you my favorite commercial at the momment as it's fun and I like the girl, Shiori Kutsuna, dancing in it. It also pretty much expresses the mood I'm in now. Pumped and looking forward to the year/races ahead.

Hope you're all well.

BUS LOAD OF FAITH

Happy New Year!

I trust everyone is fine, how are you Aussies handling the heat? I'm sure it's preferable than the cold those in Europe and America are facing at the moment. It started as a fairly warm winter here but getting colder day by day. I always battle with colds this time of year and looking at my running logs of the past few years I noticed that I had caught a cold in the previous two years in early January. My heart rates been up all week and I feel like I'm battling some type of lurgy, still I haven't succumb to anything yet, fingers crossed.

Talking about hopes, you may of noticed, or not, that I've put my new running goal up under my blogs photo and set it as wanting to run a sub 2:30:00 marathon. Yes, it is ambitious I know but as the saying goes:

“Big results require big ambitions.”

I don't know if I can do it this year or the next but it's going to remain the goal. It may very well be out of my reach and seem a bit unrealistic but, I believe, no more unrealistic than me after my first marathon at 4:10 thinking I could go sub3. I couldn't even run 5K at a sub 3 marathon pace when I decided on that goal so taking 15 minutes off my present marathon time can't be that hard ;)

While I'm basically a realist in the way I approach life I think that realism will only take you so far in this sport and it's going to take something more to get me this new goal. This "something more", is a real plan backed up with the view that it is not only possible but inevitable.

I got this tube video by following a link on "Effin J's" blog. Billy Mills run was truly inspired and inspiring and exactly the kind of thing that wouldn't of happened had he not thought it could.

An infrequently mentioned fact is both Clarke and Mills ran the marathon at the 1964 Olympics after the 10,000 m. Clarke finished in 9th place, Mills finished in 14th, in a respectable 2:22:55.4, approximately two-and-a-half minutes behind Clarke.