Rally to Restore Sanity!

Go to India! Get a grip! Don't be afraid. You may like it.

Repeat after me...

"I'm not afraid of Muslims/Teapartiers/Socialists/Immigrants/Gun owners/or Gays!

But I am kind of scared of spiders"

Jon Stewart
The Daily Show
Rally to Restore Sanity

To New Delhi or not New Delhi

I've heard talk about athletes and teams talking about the possibility of not going to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi because of fears for their safety. For mine, I reckon it is shameful to even think about the possibility of not going. I mean if you are selected to go to a games that is sanctioned by your own government and athletic association then you go! As an individual you can choose where you go for your holidays but as part of a team you go where the "work is" so to speak.

Some didn't go to the Olympic games in China and the World Cup in South Africa because of perceived "Risks" but the lucky ones that did go understood that it would have been foolish to let that affect their decision.

I can accept that people that never travel or only travel to "home like" places can't understand the value of going outweighs the risks, and I wouldn't waste my breath convincing them otherwise but it is strange to me that one person can think they are of greater importance than others and at a higher risk of harm then the millions of people living in Delhi everyday of their lives.

I don't think the Delhi residents take themselves so seriously!

OSAKA MARATHON 2011

Breaking News!



Just made official, the first running of "The Osaka marathon". It's the second mass participation marathon of its type in Japan (30,000 runners) after Tokyo, it will be held on the 30th of October 2011.

I'm definitely going to enter and love to see you guys here for this. Us locals are very excited, I'll keep you updated.

Ookini（おおきに）



I can't find a course map yet but the below is what were voted the top five areas that the marathon course should run through. Whatever the final course is, it will be flat, fast and scenic. I will be conducting running tours with "Samurai Running" to the marathon (see side-bar) that will be affordable and memorable. Don't think it's too early to make a decision on this as entries open in February next year and my tours will book out fast ;)

like a rocket

Will start my marathon training in earnest from this Sunday. I'm hungry like a lion, AUOOOW!!!!! Hope it goes off like a rocket, POOONNNG CCCHHHIWWW!!!!!

Love a good story

I love a good story and I'm fond of a bit of cussing too so thought I'd upload this clip. Thanks for the link "Discom-BOB-ulated"

There's no place like home

Arrived back in Japan last night, boy is it hot! Anyway going to settle in and catch up with some blog reading. Had a wonderful trip but as they say, there is no place like home. The photos are of me and the boys at my old Alma mater Sydney Uni and the city. Sydney must be one of the best cities in the world, I reckon ;)

Below is a small clip of me finishing my last race in Lake Macquarie.





Welcome home!!

I got a little one!

A small PB that is!

After a few days at a resort in Cairns it was down to Sydney. I haven't been back to my hometown now for about 9 years and had almost forgotten how beautiful it is and how much I like it. We will be here staying at the Hyde Park Plaza until the 4th of September so if any one wants to join me for a morning jog around the harbour, or something, let me know.

Yesterday we went up the coast and stayed with my Aunt at Jerry's Plains, a country town far west of Newcastle. It was bloody cold last night. woke up at 4:00am this morning and drove to Lake Macquarie for my 10.5K race. Not the best of prep going in but good course and I was able to squeezed out a PB for the 10K doing 35:35 and getting an age group first place to boot.

That's it for running here I'll just be jogging and trying to put on a few pounds before we head back and I start my training again in earnest then

Hope everyone is well. I'll catch up with you soon.

A CAUTIONARY TALE

Just coming up after a bout of sickness that included stomachaches, constipation, headaches and dizziness. It was pretty bad for a few days there and although the doctor doesn't know exactly what caused it, we think it was a combination of dehydration, too much running, that 5K in the heat was a bad idea, and a change of diet, sushi to beef and kidney pies.

Anyway, I'm still alive and I've learn my lesson this time. Going to start to really think about what I'm doing in regards to my health and running. After looking over the new schedule I got from Marius Bakken, thanks Rick, I realized that I was making a lot of mistakes in training and according to MB, doing it a bit backwards.

Anyway I have learnt a lot from my marathon and this trip and I'll take this into the next training and hopefully really hit it next time.

Next week I go to my home town of Sydney, Manly here I come, and back to Japan in early September to start marathon training again, and work :( I have one more 10K here before I go up at Lake Macquarie on the 29th (can anyone come?) and if I can pull up from this sickness I'll give it a go for a PB there. Did I say I've learnt my lesson?

The photos below are of my FNQ family great Aunts, cousins, the Sugar Cane Farmers, these are the giants of the family as you can see. But sadly only their sense of humor was passed on to me. The other photos are of me and Emi on a romantic trip to the Atherton Tablelands and us again at a memorial service we had, with some family, for my Dad that passed away early this year. We laid him to rest in Gordonvale Cemetery.

It's been a good holiday!

5K PB

Me and my Sister x 2, me and my boys and me coming to the end of the race.





Ran the 5.6K race, that was part of the Great Pyramid Race Festival, today.

Running a 5K race only six days after a marathon is ill advised but if I only did things that made sense I wouldn't even leave the house. While it was hot and the course was more of a cross country than a road race I ran pretty well. And although the total was 5.6kms I crossed the 5K mark in 16:52 so I'll take that as my new 5K PB ;)

Got 3rd overall and 3rd in the open division (anyone over 18) the two boys that beat me 15 and 17 years old also qualified for the "Open" division, I don't know how that works but it's their race ;)

Feel fine and excited to make amends for my past training mistakes.

TOWNSVILLE 2010

Below is part of an article on the run from the "Townsville Bulletin."

Marathon runner-up and Osaka resident Scott Brown, who at 45 years young competed in his third Townsville Running Festival, said he had eventual winner Revelian in his sights early on in the run.

"I watched his back for the first 15 kilometres, but he was so smooth, at every turn he got further in front," Brown said.

"And everyone who I passed along the way were yelling at me 'you can get him, you can get him', but I had no doubts he would win.

"I slowed down and he sped up I think, but I suppose finishing second isn't so bad for an old guy, I turn 46 next week."

That is just part of the story to feed the media frenzy now for you, my loyal 10 readers, I'll give the inside scoop.

I't may seem like I'm an ingrate to be disappointed with my result but you all know how hard I trained for this and it is all relative. I simply should have run faster and I know this race wasn't a true reflection of my ability. While I have to be honest and take pause with my goal of sub 2:30:00 I haven't given up on it. On the right day if everything comes together I just may give it a nudge. Still, for me it's not about time anymore I just want to run my best before my time runs out.

Yes, here they come, the excuses.

I was on sub 2:37:00 time right through the 25K mark taking splits at the first two 10K marks and one 5K mark but on the run out of the city it got kind of lonely, I was running by myself for the 1st two city loops too but there were people around and I could cheer and be cheered by fellow runners on the turn arounds there, but the almost 20K out and back gave
me some trouble.

Firstly I lost my sense of pace, secondly, I began to cramp up on both sides of the back of my legs and thirdly, my feet were burning up. I wore these really light ASICS flats that I had only done about 10K in before the race, while they did help me in the first 15K with speed they slowed me down in the end as my poor puppies took such a pounding, one that I haven't felt since my first few marathons. Might not totally be the shoes' fault maybe I just have to run more long runs in flats. Who knows?

At any rate I lost a good ten minutes on the last 15K. Frankly I could have/should have put in an all out effort but I was worried that this would have brought the cramps to a head and stopped me dead so I just did enough to get me safely to second place. A little "soft" of me I know. In the final analysis I'm not disappointed I ran this race, nor that I placed second to such a good runner as Oswald it is just it could have been so much better than it ended up.

Anywho, this is what I like about the marathon, there are no guarantees, of course you have to prepare but it will always require respect and lady luck to shine on the day. We just have to remain humble and keep on hitting it until it pays off, one way or another.

In all other respects the Townsville marathon is one of the best races I've been in and I recommend it to anyone.

Thanks too to my blogging friends your comments mean the world to me.

Some photos

Number 2! No shit!

Somehow, some reason hard to finish off the race today but very pleased with the age group win and overall second! Tanzanians are hard to beat afterall ;) My time 2:47:59 offical. I'd say I'm disappointed, and I am, but can't be too much so as I'm surrounded by family and friends in paradise and on to my 4th schooner, no they aren't boats.

Thanks as always, talk later Scott.

Go hard or go home

G'day, sorry not to have been posting much of late but out of my usual situation here and not finding the time to do it. Anyway talking about time, it's crunch time and this weekend I'll race the Townsville marathon (5:30 am the 8th of August). I'm getting excited and have run through the race a few times in my head. The scenarios range from a blow out to a PB and everything in between but even with a less than perfect last two weeks, mileage has dropped to about 60K a week, I'm expecting I'll be able to achieve one of the following goals: A sub 2:40 (excellent) a sub 2:45 (good) and a sub 2:50 (fair).

I did a few faster intervals last week and a couple of marathon pace 5K runs. I found one of these 5K runs I was able to go 1 min under my marathon pace with relative ease but the other one I struggled and was 2 minutes over. So I don't know how I'll go but I have a feeling that running in the cool of the morning and with the excitement of race day I can do it and besides there is no place for doubt or fear once the gun goes, racing tends to bring out the best in my running. I won't say I'll win it as there are too many variables, like who turns up and how I pace myself but I'll do my best and go into it expecting to do well.

There is only one thing that has me a bit worried. You would think that with all my Ks going into this I'd be confident but I reckon I need a strong fast pack to pull me through to a really fast time and this being a "smaller marathon" I will probably find myself either by myself out front or trailing some rabbit by myself. Either way I fear I'll be on my "Pat Malone" a lot and I'll find it hard to concentrate and race hard the whole way.

One thing I can't say is "Go hard or go home" cause I'm already there!

Hope you're all well and I'll catch up after the race.

BEAST OF BURDEN

Tomorrow night I'm headed to Australia. The kids and wife are already there I just had to finish up my commitments with work here first. It's not easy by yourself rushing to finish things off. Still got to be grateful that I can get the time off at all.

Anyone who thinks that this is the chance to come over here and break into my house has another thing coming. The in-laws are looking after the place so if you don't mind spending sometime with them come on over ;) Who am I kidding not even the poor and desperate are reading my blog these days. Going to have to start doing something interesting. Or buying some stuff worth stealing!

As for the running, just two weeks until the marathon and I'm starting my taper. I'll have done around 150K by tomorrow afternoon to round off the week and then start to drop the Ks to around 100 for the remaining 2 weeks. If I'm still not feeling recovered by mid next week I'll drop the Ks some more.

The last two weeks will be used to get my body used to marathon pace and faster. I tried a couple of speed sessions last week but they didn't workout so well. I pulled my hamstring on the right leg and aggravated my Achilles on the left, and I wasn't able to run my target times for the session. I think I'm too tired from the accumulated training the last 12 weeks but I should come good and be chopping at the bit come race day.

The main goal from now is get to the starting line with no niggles with or without the speed. I always race better than I train. I can pick my pace up in races as long as I go in without injury. I expect my high mileage training to get me through to a new PB. So how low can I go this time? I'll talk about this more in a post from Australia.

Take care all.

I'M ALMOST THERE!

I'm almost there, at the end of my marathon build up. Tired but putting on the finishing touches, which I'll blog about shortly. But all it might take is a dab or two of "Old Spice." What do you think ladies: Fantastic!

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Hope everyone is well. I'm fine, battling with the heat and humidity but getting through my runs. You know it's hot when you come back from a run and your hands are white and wrinkled just like they look when you come out of a hot bath. Just dripping sweat on most runs the last 2 weeks.

Anyway what I wanted to write about was my experience with my long run today. I took the advice I read in "The Lore of Running" by Tim Noakes and had some walk breaks on my run today. I was doing 30 mins runs and walking between sets of these for 5 mins! I ended up doing 38K in 3 hours, not counting the walk breaks, and surprisingly the old pins feel refreshed and good to go now. I did have a swim this afternoon so it might be that also but what do you think? Is this a good idea or do you think I need to run the whole session without any significant breaks?

Interested to hear what you think, as always.

Happy July 4th to the Seppos and congratulations to all those that raced in the Gold Coast this weekend.