Home Strait

Well, writing to you from beautiful Far North Queensland. The above photo was taken at Port Douglas markets with my kids, sister and niece.The other south of Cairns, the kids are grimacing and holding their noses because of the strong smell coming from the sugar cane processing plant. I love this smell like that of of malted sugar.

This coming Sunday I'll run my marathon and while I'm looking forward to it I'm not sure even now of my race plan. As you know I had a good build up, the best I've done to date, but since coming here I've quickly slipped into holiday mode and lost a bit of focus. Been eating more than I should and not running to my taper plan, still I am basically in good shape and although sub 3 may be a bit beyond me this race I will, all things being equal, PB and have a nice race. Anyway as you all know anything can happen on race day so there is no point speculating at this stage. I'll do my best.

By the way nice country you have here, well done ;)

Mate!!

Well I'm off for 5 weeks in Australia. Just brush up on my "Australian" on the plane tonight and gargle with some VB in the morning and she'll be right. I'll blog next from there.

see you later

Scott F"#? all to do with you ;)

Tape her!

Hope you're well, no problems with me. Did 36kms this morning that is the last long run before my goal race in Townsville. I have 3 more weeks and while I pretty much know how to taper the week before the next two weeks I'm not too sure about. Any advice would be appreciated.

My weekly mileage for the past 9 weeks has been as follows, 98kms,104,112,122,80,121,124,109,107. I've been doing one speedwork session a week for those 9 weeks and one medium long run at 4:15 pace each week but nothing too long from about 8kms to 20kms.

Did my long run today and although is wasn't at anywhere near the pace I want to run at in Townsville I 'm taking two positives from it, one it was done in the heat, 27 to 33 degrees and I was able to handle this so the winter temp at Townsville shouldn't be too hot for me. And I'm feeling recovered enough only a few hours after this run that I could, if I was so inclined, run another slow 10k or so.

I think I have done the work to get a PB this next race and now just have to get the final balance right so I can hit the line strong at fit. Anyway any advice would be good, but I think I will err on the side of caution. The last full marathon I raced (while I had nowhere near the build up mileage wise as this time)I blew, I think, by training too hard up until a few days before that race.

Anyway if all goes well I might try the cup tape caper come race day evening ;)

George Carlin

Hope you're all well and to those running at the Gold Coast this weekend I'm going to upload a performance by George Carlin in honor of him and you. Robert Song mentioned recently about the benefit of staying relaxed before a goal race and there is nothing better than some fine comedy to take your mind off yourself and the race.

Besides that I love this guy not exactly for what he says here but because he is so consistently fearless and honest. He never not talks about something just because it is considered off limits and even when seemingly preaching he remains funny to the core. I have not see a comedian of his caliber. All the best for your respective races. Be fearless too ;)

"I am Legend!"

Before you start thinking something like "He is Wanker" that blog title doesn't refer to me but to my new training grounds. For the past 4 months I've been getting up early, 4 am, twice a week and driving into one of my University jobs, one, to save time on the commute, and two, to use the facilities at a sports complex just near my school.

As in the movie with the above title it is always completely empty and I get that same sense that I did from watching the movie "I am Legend." Still don't really understand why nobody uses it, it has some prime running tracks, two 400 meter tracks and a 3km loop of red sponge track that winds its way around the complex between brand spanking tennis courts , soccer grounds and baseball stadiums.

I'm sure people are using it on weekends and later in the day, but truly I haven't seen hide nor hair of anyone there between 6:00 and 9:00am the times I'm usually there and it is all pretty bizarre.

Not complaining mind you but to make it perfect it would just need a few friendly/ large eyed women spread evenly, so to speak, around the track gently shouting words of encouragement. I've gone too far again haven't I?

Anyway, the pictures speak for themselves. To finish off, I will tell you that things are fine with my training the last two weeks being at 119kms and 120kms respectively. If I can just hold up without breaking I will be set for a great marathon come August.

Love vibration

122kms this week and another trip into uncharted territory that sees me sore but still standing, albeit against a wall. Its been a good month, I've only missed one short run and clocked up close to 450 kms. Next week I'm going to drop the kms, think I'll aim for about 80K, and try to get one quality speed work session in. Any suggestions for the this week I basically just want to keep on rolling but at the same time give the body a bit of a rest?

I have to thank my long suffering wife and kids for allowing me the time to indulge in such a frivolous pass time and the new Ipod. I bought it three weeks ago and have found that it has allowed me to make the time spent running just that little bit more interesting. I've of course been listening to music but have also been downloading books, 1 hour biographies, and other much longer books that interest me and on occasion have found that I'm running longer just so I can listen some more. All this has been a revelation for me as I have never run with earphones and in fact, I thought previously that it would be detrimental to my ability to run with good style and think the thoughts that serve as a kind of meditation for me. But so far I've found only positives with this.

Well, on with the show. The youtube clip is one of the songs that I've been listening to on my runs lately. Good beat for running this.

Twin Peaks

It wouldn't of been much better if I had married Miss Wang, my family name is Brown you know ;)

Anyway on to more serious matters.

Moving toward my goal of consistency and quality in training. I fully expect after doing my long run tomorrow morning to have done 112kms this week. This is something I'm happy with as it is another mileage record for me. Although I'm not doing this for the records,I am interested in how my body is dealing with these long weeks. I've, since starting running 4 years ago, never gone much above 70kms per week, for the most part running between 30 and 60kms per week.

It is a bit premature to make any bold conclusions but it seems like on the whole I can handle them. I just seem to need an adequate amount of sleep the night after a long/hard session and I'm alright the next day. I've been trying to include three sessions, 1 hour each, of weight and core exercises but those leave me feeling pretty weak, i.e needing a saucer of milk, so I have cut them back to two and will in fact stop them altogether before any future speed work sessions and race pace sessions. The only complaint I have is a small ticklish cough that was probably picked up as my immunity would have to have been a bit low after a month of hard training. The week after next I'll drop the kms and increase my weight sessions again and just keep trying to mix it up in a way that enables me to keep a high level of fitness, not breakdown and remain on the high mileage wagon, so to speak.

I have some more happy news to report, last Tuesday I did a 3KTT and finally cracked 11:00mins. I've not been able to get below 11:01 for about three years, for a few reasons. Firstly, I hate the feeling of legs screaming with pain and being out of breath (call me old fashion), and I also haven't been methodical and consistent enough in my training to warrant breaking this time. But now I think I know how to do it and I may be able to keep chipping away at this new time in the next two or so years. I say this with a little confidence as this new 3KTT time of 10:53 came on the day after I returned from a day off because of a cold. So I think it's something to be sneezed at ;)

One hundred and four and not sore

I have in the week just finished, done my longest mileage to date. Did over 100kms for the week, 104 to be exact. The "104 and not sore" title isn't really true but saying "104 and shafted" doesn't have such a good ring to it. Took yesterday off, my short recovery run, as I felt weak as a kitten and a bit fluey but today Tuesday morning I did a nice slow 21kms and have come good again. Anyway I'll just keep trying to click the kms over and back off when things seem to be getting a bit wobbly, like Lulu said I should. Here is the week that was. Another one done, ten to go.

Mon 19 35 MIN RR 5:19 to 5:38 per K
Tue 20 3KTT warm up warm down did 11:13
Wed 21 1HR 30 MIN 4:50 - 5:27 per K
Thu 22 50 MIN RR 5:19 to 538 per K
Fri 23 12K @ mara pace 4:15 per K
Sat 24 15K around 5:15 per K
Sun 25 29K 4:50 - 5:27 per K

Total 104kms

You all have a good week.

High mileage gamble

“You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya punk?”

First week on the quest for more mileage and so far so good.

Mon 11 35 MIN RR 5:19 to 5:38 per K
Tue 12 10K @ MARA PACE sub 4:15 per K
Wed 13 1HR 30 MIN 4:50 - 5:27 per K
Thu 14 50 MIN RR 5:19 to 538 per K
Fri 15 3KTT warm up warm down did 11:56
Sat 16 15K around 5:15 per K
Sun 17 26K 4:50 - 5:27 per K

Total 98kms

First week done in my countdown to Townsville marathon. Didn't quite hit 100kms but happy nonetheless as this is my most kms in one week ever.My legs are a little sore around the knees but I'm not feeling too beat up as I had an hour massage yesterday and that helped get a bit of tiredness out of the old pins.

Another good sign for this stage of my build up is that I've been able to lose a fair bit of weight. Been doing core exercises, weights and eating high protein small meals at regular intervals.The gut is starting to lose its layer of fat. I don't have six pack abs yet but with all this training and this eating regime I should be looking like our friend above come race day. Of course with a bit more skin ;)

Thanks to Ewen, Robert Song and Steve Lacey, I read and am taking your advice which I will adjust week by week according to how I'm holding up. You're all right as well, too much speed work maybe counter productive at this stage I'll just try for some sustained quality and to build my endurance.

Plan

May 2008

WEEK 11

Mon 11 35 MIN RR 5:19 to 5:38 per K
Tue 12 10K @ MARA PACE sub 4:30 per K
Wed 13 1HR 30 MIN 4:50 - 5:27 per K
Thu 14 3 X 3K sub 4mins per K 90sec rest between efforts
Fri 15 35 MIN RR 5:19 to 5:38 per K
Sat 16 1.5K X 4 6:30 per 1.5K 60sec rest between efforts
Sun 17 2HRS 30 MIN 4:50 - 5:27 per K

week total about 90kms

The above is the 1st week of an 11 week marathon plan that will take me to the Townsville Marathon. I want to basically repeat this plan for the first 4 weeks, in
the 5th week cut back on the speedwork and mileage a little just to give the body a little rest. For the last weeks until the taper go back to following the same basic pattern. The only things I think I will change are the speed at which I do my fast runs, I want to run them at the paces recommended for those capable of a sub 3 hour marathon and I want to increase the Tuesday marathon pace run slowly each week so as by 4 weeks out I'm running close to 30kms @ marathon pace.

So what do you think about this? I will be busy with work but I'm going to try very hard not to miss any planned sessions as I know that even a bad plan done with consistency is going to work better than a good plan done sporadically.

I've had professional advice about strength training and diet that I will implement as well because a couple of weeks ago I had a fitness test and was found lacking in many areas. This came as I bit of a shock as I'd considered myself a pretty healthy specimen. For example, I was told that my body fat % was 23. That is mainly on my love handles. Now that's not what it should be if I want to run sub 3 hour marathon.

Still it does give me some hope cause if I'm able to get all the numbers down or in place then it just may be possible to run some times that I can't even imagine yet.

Anyway, any advice on these topics by you would be much appreciated.

And I'd like to apologize for the last karaoke post. I know it was a bit of a disaster, but if I was going to butcher a song it's better to do it to that song than to a good one, don't you agree?

I think I love you!

Just mucking around with this karaoke program I found. Normal posts will resume shortly.

Taking it slow..

No speedwork for a couple of weeks, just slow paced mid ranged runs for me at the moment. I was pretty beat up after that last marathon. Looking back over my training schedule I'd only done 1 long run of 30 kms in the 10 weeks before that marathon. Mostly I was doing a lot of fast mid distance runs, like 20kms at sub 4:20 per K. Good for the half but they left me wanting in the full.

Anyway, going to have to really look at what I'm doing for my next marathon. In fact I'm in the process of writing a plan that I will show you all and hopefully get your advice on what looks good and/or what you reckon is missing etc.

In the time being have a look at this clip. I Really love Bob Marley and that line: "It'll make you rebel..............Against what?!"

Blowout!

Did a full marathon in Ishikawa prefecture today. Ishikawa is on the sea of Japan, a beautiful, mostly rural place about 6 hours drive from my home here. We went to this area because it has a lot of hot springs and me and the family were able to stay over night at a resort there.

On Sunday morning I went out to the the start by myself leaving the family still eating breakfast at the hotel. It started at 9, although the wind was strong it was otherwise perfect weather, not a cloud in the sky.

This is a very small marathon by Japanese standards with only about 400 people doing the full marathon, nevertheless well organised, picturesque course out and back with rolling hills none much above 35%.

I set off feeling great stayed with the top 20 leaders almost up till the 30km mark and then everything fell apart. My first 5km split was 20:31 and I kept under 22:00 right up until 30K but my legs just gave up the ghost. By 35kms the poor old pins were "swimming in a sea of lactic acid", (always wanted to write that ;) ) and I walked/ran Galloway style to the finish.

I know some of you are going to say I'm an idiot and it was never an option to to run a fast PB after doing a fast half only the week before. But nobody has ever accused me of being running smart ( I used to think "lactate threshold" was something you carried your pregnant wife across) besides I had convinced myself that the rules didn't apply to me and I kept repeating "Rob the Runner"'s last comment like a mantra: "You're on fire" "You're on fire" You're on fire."

Well as I sit here something is definitely "on fire" but it's my calves and ankles. Anyway not disappointed with this for one thing I didn't drop out like I wanted to on many occasions and I toughed out the last 10kms like I haven't done before in a marathon. So it's a lesson well learnt and I did survive.

No more racing for the next 12 weeks I'm going to relax a bit and train like a mad man to PB in Townsville come August. Thanks for your continuing support.

Photos, the day before the marathon and today limping into the finish with Casey, my son, showing his old man how it should be done.

Almost forgot. Finishing time 3:23:32

PB and a half

I'm looking forward to reading all your blogs on how things in Canberra went so post as soon as you can. I couldn't wait to post this one. I had a half marathon today and PBed by a whopping 4 mins! Only two months ago I was running 1:35 for the half and today I did 1:23 and some change. Really doubted this at first but it was a chip time and this course is the same one I ran a couple of times before.

To say I'm happy would be to understate it. I have a full marathon next weekend and if all things work out there I should be PBing again :)

I'm going to have a bath and spend the night with my family and my nephew who is in Japan now and visiting with us, see photos. My nephew said to me, after the race today, "You're bloody fast." That's enough to make an old uncle very proud ;)

Anyway hurry up with those Canberra reports.

My official time 1:23:41 43rd place, that's out of 2010 people entered.

Spring

Things are fine, although I haven't posted in a while it's only because I've been busy preparing to go back to work after a nice break. I start in earnest on April 7th and will be pretty much full time until the next holiday which starts at the end of July.

For those that have been following this blog you'd know that I was asking you for suggestions about where I should run when coming to Australia. Thanks for your suggestions by the way. Well after much thought I have decided to come and do two runs in Australia. In late July my family and I will fly into Cairns, stay with my sister there, see my father, and also do some camping in the general region. As for running I plan to go down to Townsville with my family to run a full marathon there on August the 3rd.

The other race I want to do is the Noosa half, I was thinking to leave the kids with my sister for a few days and fly down to Noosa with the missus and do the race. I've been able to swing this with my wife saying it will be a romantic long weekend, just the two of us ;) We runners will sink to almost any depths to do a race ;)

This is as certain as can be so I hope I will see as many of you as I can while I'm there. Has anyone of you done the Townsville marathon? It looks good, relatively small event, but fast and not too hot about 10 degrees at the start and 25 at the finish. I should be able to handle the humidity as I will have been training for it in the early summer here Japan time. How about a few of you come up to Townsville for this race?

Just one more thing for now. I did a good session on the treadmill the other day 8 x 800m each just under 3mins. I was happy with that but wondering if doing that on the tready is the same, effort/difficultly as on the track. I suppose I will try next week as see for myself but I have a feeling its easier to run this inside.

I'll upload a photo of me and the boys taken yesterday among the cherry trees.