The 70s

Came across this old video today. Gone are the days when the boys in the band mostly had facial hair and could be mistaken for the guy at your local plumbing supplies store.

Check out the lead singer's moves. It it just me or does he look like David Carradine from "Kung-Fu, " with hair, or Toasty?

Joy and Woe, but not too slow.

I finished my marathon a couple of hours ago and now back at my hotel killing some time before my ferry leaves to go back home tonight. This race turned out as expected to be healthy mix of woe and joy. First for the good news I PBed with a 3:03:06. The weather was almost perfect not a cloud in the sky with the temperature ranging from 3 to 15 degrees. The course was flat and beautiful in parts with heaps of spectators giving us lots of encouragement. Just a note about the people down in Miyazaki, they have been extraordinarily friendly and helpful I really love this place.Food is excellent too but that's a separate blog.

Now the bad news, I F*#"! up at the start of this race. When the gun cracked I headed off doing a loop of the stadium and just as we were about to go out to the open road I over heard two guys talking saying they were doing the half, I panicked and ran back to the start. I thought I was in the wrong starting line but when I got back to the start I asked a guy and he said that they, the half and full marathon, were starting together. Not only did I feel like a fool I had lost 4mins and 20 seconds.

Anyway I started making my way through the crowd clocking some good 1k splits but it wasn't until the 20k mark that I had caught up to the sub 3 runners. Even though I was passing people until the end, and I don't remember anyone passing me, I couldn't, in the end, make up this lost time.

Actually at the 35k mark I thought I could but the last 7k was run along the beach and over 4 bridges and my nemesis the wind really put the brakes on things. That last 5K was bloody hard and I only got through by swinging my arms like crazy pumping them to keep my legs going against the wind.

So I'm thinking that I may have been robbed of a sub 3 but it was mostly my own dam fault. I won't complain, although I feel a like a dill, I won't give excuses. I didn't get the sub 3 chip time and that is the end of it!

Still, as usual, I did get a lot out of this race. Now I'm fully confident I can go sub 3 and I know how to train to make it happen. During the 10K from 20 to 30 I felt the best and strongest I've ever felt during a marathon and I want to get that feeling again.

As for my preparation for this I didn't do a few things I said I would, like stop drinking during the build up, run 100k weeks for at least 8 weeks, get my weight down, body fat %, and lose my little gut. So I don't really deserve it, but I have some things to work on for next race.

Well, in balance I'm a happy fella. I still have a goal, I PBed and I did my best on the day. Can't ask more than that!

By the way if you think I'm going to stop blogging when I get this sub 3 you're wrong. I have a good 5 years in me yet and I fully intend to reach my potential.

Joy and Woe

I had a 20 minute jog in the fog this morning. It's my last before heading down to Miyazaki by overnight ferry to run a full marathon on Sunday. It is a spectacular winters day today and watching the sunrise, seeing how it cleared the fog while jogging alone in the crisp morning air once more brought home to me the joy of running. With this experience and that of a few bad ones recently I remembered a poem that sums it up beautifully.

Man was made for Joy and Woe
And when this he rightly knows
Through the world he safely goes
Joy and Woe are woven fine
A clothing for the soul Divine.

William Blake

If running teaches us anything it is just that. That life is nothing without the highs and lows and on Sunday I'll be enjoying them both. Maybe that's why I love running marathons so much as you can get both the highs and lows and push through both knowing that neither will last. A perfect metaphore for life done in around 3 hours.

Well, under 3 for me, I hope!

Thanks in advance.

The above poem might be a bit high brow for you lot so I've included one below to suit the more earthy types. See start and end of song, Bloody good stuff!!

The horror continues...

Keep the light on while you’re reading this, it is really scary, but, believe me it happened.

I had just walked in the house after my Sunday long run and went to the upstairs shower. I was pulling my sweat drench clothes off over my head when I heard a noise. I backed up to the wall in fright as my wife and kids were out shopping and I was sure I was home alone.

What the hell was that? It sounded like someone talking. I stuck my head out the bathroom door and looked down the hallway. Nothing, I continued to strip for the shower when I heard it again. This time it was louder a definite voice. I jumped backwards into the shower recess my heart and mind racing.

It sounded close, and there it was again, a muffled voice. Sweating, my eyes the size of saucers I swung my head around looking for the source of the sound. Then my eyes stopped on my armband and IPod mixed in with my wet clothes. Relieved I pick it up off the floor, I was thinking it must still be on. But when I looked closer it was off, the red tag showing and no light. Besides, I had heard a voice and I only had songs uploaded on that iPod. Just when I was thinking I must be mistaken, it must have switched itself on, or something, there it was again. And it was definitely coming from my off iPod. I put it to my ear and I could just make out a forced, wheezing voice.

"Scotty… Scotty"

Bloody hell that voice…. It was Eddies’ my recently deceased running mate!

I threw out my arm in horror almost dropping the iPod. But the voice returned. Gingerly I press the iPod against my ear.

"38 minutes that’s a good 10K time" the voice wheezed,

Is this Eddie, I spluttered.

"1:22 is a great half marathon time too. But…."

But what mate? What are you trying to say??

"But…But 3:05 is a fucken soft marathon time!"



Well, that certainly is the truth!!

Wish me luck for my upcoming marathon PB attempt ;)

What to make of it?

This has been a hard few weeks. It started with a letter from the Tokyo marathon organizers saying, very politely, that I was not accepted to enter as all places had been taken. I shook my head and headed for the computer to make alternate plans. One week later I'm holding a ticket to Hawaii and I'm booked in to run the
12th Annual Big Island International Marathon on March 22nd in the town of Hilo.

Pays not to be too despondent about set backs, like not getting into Tokyo, there is always another marathon, as they say. Anyone care to join me? Seriously! I'll be there for 8 days from the 18th of March, by myself, and could do with some company.

With this good news came some pretty soul shaking news. My running mate here, Eddie, you may have noticed a few of his recent comments on this blog, has turned up dead! I know he had been depressed, of late, and I talked to him about the value of holding on and all that shit, but Eddie decided it was all too much and took his own life.

Look, I won't say he was wrong, who knows what he was going through. But I will say I'm shocked that he actually went through with it and that I won't be able to talk with him again. There goes our budding racing rivalry.

So what to make of it? I don't know. I'm going to put it down to a chemical imbalance and try to continue to prove to myself that there are things in this world worth living for.

Still, it will take me a while to get over the fact that no matter how close we are to other people, we often get so into ourselves and our own pain that we fail to understand that we can know what the other is going through and that we want to help.

A song to match my mood. Goodbye Eddie.

Random thoughts

Did I tell you I was happy about the outcome of the US Presidential election.




And did I ever tell you I was once a pretty good surfer. Yet, the dangers of farting while in a wetsuit still haunt me!

Half marathon PB

I seem to be on a roll and heading towards achieving my goal of going sub 3 for the marathon. Today I did the Riverside half marathon in 1:22:56 On the same course last year I did 1:31 and some change so I'm real happy with my time today. Usually after doing a PB I think that it is going to be the best I can do but after today, I think I can go faster! We will see.

Now I haven't been putting in the mileage I wanted to up until now, only about 50 to 70kms per week, I've been really busy with work, but I have just over 4 weeks until my full marathon and I think if I can get in 3 over 3hour long, long runs, I might be ready to go sub 3 on Dec 14th. I'm going to stop drinking until that race and try to lose 1 or 2 more kilos. I think while I'm running so well I had better do all I can to help me get in under 3 hours.

Today, I was taking the 5kms splits and did 18:29 for the 1st 5k a PB and 38:05 for my 10K. That 10k time is a PB too! Can I count the 5k as a PB and the 10K as such even though I was running a half marathon?

Anyway back to the training. I reckon if I can show half the grit and determination of my little ferret friend then all will be well.

10K PB

Ran my first race since a full marathon in Early August today."The Wakaura Bay Marathon with Jazz" It is usually the first race of my, somewhat busy, racing year here. I'll be doing one or two races a month until I take a bit of a break in May 2009.

Usually I'm a bit sluggish with the first one so seeing as I was able to PB it looks good for the season. I ran well up until the 7th K today but that one and most of the 8th I was feeling my lack of race conditioning. Still managed to hold on and run the last K with my head up, and no Ewen it wasn't up my arse.

I came 5th in my age group. I got a gift,a nice bag, and a little trophy. It was the first time I've ever been on the podium in Japan, see photo, and hope it is not the last.

Thanks for your email American Eddie. No, although it rained it was light and it didn't cause me too may problems today.

Time 39:15

Japanese lesson

Hello, thought I'd upload this as it is best understood with video. Ewen, I hope this is easier to load and it's synchronized better than the last one.

Just a thought as it relates to "suffering" but not from a Buddhist perspective but a Christian one, and a note to any pedophile priests, when God said "suffer the little children come on to me" that's not what he meant ;)

How to spot perverts?

I know you are all nice "normal" people, but remember my other hobby, apart from running, is spotting perverts. Watch what you blog, eh. And not blogging won't save you either. I'll just read more into that ;)

New plan

Having a bad day today. This morning the car key broke off in the ignition, in the afternoon the bedroom door handle came off in my hand. Now I'm afraid to go and take a piss ;)

Well, other than that, things are good. I'm relaxed after a nice long holiday, still just a little concerned about having to go back to a regular work shedule. Having time off always gets me to thinking that this is the way things should be so I'm going to have to find a way to get money and work less. Actually, I think I will start a blog on this topic and/or make a plan to make it happen.

Talking about plans ;) my running one is almost set. I'm going to run a sub 3 hour marathon in Miyazaki, the Aoshima marathon, on December 14th and leading up to that I will attempt to PB in the 5k, 10k and half marathon. I'm going to pretty much do as I did for the Townsville marathon but increase the milage peaking at 150kms per week. If I can again avoid injury and get PBs for a 10k race in late October and a half marrathon in early November I'm certain I can get my sub 3 hour marathon.

I don't want to sound too cocky as anything can happen, as you all know, but I really think that I have stumbled across a system that will produce results for me.
I will elaborate in the coming weeks and months but in brief it is pretty simple. High mileage, core work, healthy food to get the weight down and consistant reading of all your blogs on the subject ;)

Home

Well, back home in Japan now and somehow very happy to be here. I'll collect my thoughts and blog something of substance shortly but for now I just wanted to upload this link as I thought it would be of interest to you. It's short interviews with the 3 American runners post Beijing.

http://news.runtowin.com/2008/08/31/video-post-olympic-marathon-interviews.html

bye for now

The Great Pyramid Race

Above, my son Casey riding the bull with "Walsh's Pyramid" in the back ground. Yeeeeha!

Yesterday the 16th was my 44th Birthday and the date of the Great Pyramid Race, maybe you've heard of it? It has been held in Gordonvale near Cairns, my sister's home town, every year for about the last 50. It's a 12km race up "Walsh's Pyramid" a small mountain about 922m, pretty close to vertical, to the top. The total distance for the race is 12kms and it gets about 100 runners a year doing it.

I wanted to to it but seeing as I have never done any trail races and it was only 2 weeks after my full marathon I decided to just do the 5km Road Race part of this running festival. Anyway, I'm seriously thinking of trainning for and running the Pyramid Race next year.

As for the 5k race there were only about 30 people entered and I won $100 bucks coming in first in the male open division. Very happy about that as I have never won any race before. My time wasn't that fast, well not considering the PBs of some of our blogging friends,Punter Matty with 17:26, Steve Lacey with 17:53, Robert Song with 17:13 and Ewen with 17:33, still not too bad coming off a marathon and with no preparation, the course wasn't a straight road course it went down and up a reasonably high grass hill, twice, and over a small creek with about 2k on dirt tracks. So My 19:10 wasn't too bad.

After the race we had a BBQ and watched the fireworks there drinking beer and wine until early the next day. You guys really have a good lifestyle here. I think I'd move back but only if I didn't have to work ;)

..a thousand words.

305 and still alive

Thanks for your comments in my comments. We are now here in Arlie Beach staying for about ten days before heading back to Cairns on Weds. Having a great family holiday and still have about 3 weeks of it left ;)

I have only run once since last Sunday and that was 5 mins to the shops to buy some beer. I really feel like I could run now but going to curb my enthusiasm so as I can recover fully and come Sept start it all over again with a sub 3 marathon in mind.

After the 3:05 in Townsville I really feel I can do it now as it wasn't a struggle to do that time and I'm keener than ever to train hard and improve on my times. In fact it is kind of scary I haven't been able to think of much else since the race. I don't realy want to be so single minded about running but not much I can do about it now I'm hooked! Anyway I'll do my best to deaden this feeling with beer but I can't promise anything.

I will catch up with what you are all doing when I get back to my sisters place and a home computer and post some photos of the run and this holiday, got a good one of me and Pat Carroll but until then thanks again for your support and all the best for your training and races.

The Noosa half may not be a good idea it's a little too soon to run and I'm fast running out of money (What the hell happened to this country it is now more expensive than Japan and the AUD is stronger than the Yen). Anyway I brought some T-shirts to give to Tesso and Rob the Runner when I went to Noosa but can't now so if you guys can send me an email with your home address I will send them by post. abenoki@gmail.com

See ya