I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR .....PBs

Had a good week and managed to put together the most Ks I've ever run in one week. Did 190kms this week and was even thinking that I might do another 10 this evening just to round it off to 200K but don't want to push my luck, besides it's pissing down rain now and my knees feel like someones been hammering on them with coconuts!!

Still considering I feel good. I didn't do any debilitating speed sessions and just tried to get in the miles at a relatively easy pace. Next Sunday I have a half so I'll drop back to about 120kms, that shall be easy in comparison to this week and put me in a good position to PB. Yes, it is all a bit of an experiment but I have to see what I can do and as, I think, I'm not really naturally fast the PBs from now on will only come by upping the mileage and peaking for races.

Anyway old "Meatloaf" in "I will do anything for love" best expresses how my last week was. I heard this while running last week and also have uploaded the classic "Bat out of hell."

"Some days it don't come easy
Some days it don't come hard
Some days it don't come at all
and these are the days that never end


Maybe I'm crazy
But it's crazy and it's true
I know you can save me
No one else can save me but you
("you") being ice-baths


As long as the planets are turning
As long as the stars are burning
As long as your dreams are coming true--
You better believe it!"

10 second PB

My first race as a 45 year old and the first of the running season saw me just slip under my previous 10K PB by ten seconds.

As it was my first race of the season here and as I've come straight out of marathon training and some high mileage I'm pretty pleased with this time. Did it hard the last 3K though and thought at the time, running up a hill over a bridge on the second to last K, "What the ~#*!"

As usual, on the way, home I thought of enough reasons why this race was so hard, and believe with some more training, a flat course, less crowds and some specific 5K and 10K work I'll be able to get another PB in 10K early next year. Still I reckon can justified my training/racing efforts or lack of them as much as I'd like: I don't know if I have it in me to run much under 33:00 minutes, things would have to all come together for me, on the day, to say the least.

Anyway, I hope I can look back on this posting as say, "Ye of little faith"

On to my half marathon in two weeks were I'm looking for a sub 1:20:00 that I think I can get. My present PB in the half is a little soft for me and probably I have a better shot of breaking it than any of my other PBs for now.

I'll include a couple of photos from today. Me on the podium, got 5th place in my age group 40~59 years old, in 35:38. Last year I got 5th here too but ran 4 minutes slower then. Seems like a few more faster old fellas showed up this year.

And the other is of me and my boys.

Take care, talk soon.

Building mileage

The following might be my last videos for a little while. The mic on my Ipod video recorder is not working so I can't get sound. I'll have it fixed but still I think I'll only upload vids once in a while from now on.

Things are fine with me, I'm building up the mileage and this week did 167K, I'll drop down some next week so I can be relatively fresh for my 10K race next Sunday but after that and the half I have on the 8th of November I'll start stringing together a bunch of 100 mile weeks.

I'm finding this lot of high mileage a tad easier than last, for example, I don't have the constant sore knees I had last time. It is marvelous how the body can cope. Yesterday, Saturday, I only did one run of 15K (not my normal doubles, mornings about 15K and nights about 10K) and I felt strong and refreshed, at least for two thirds of my Sunday long run. Let's just hope it stays like that.

Hope this finds you well.

SAIYAMA POND

I'm uploading three videos taken Oct 10th. One of my favorite running course, one of me running there and another taken of a small festival I saw while there today. I made a mistake in the comentary in the first vid. I said I was doing a "42k" week when I meant to say 142K week. Anyway things are all good, just hope I can "keep on keeping on!"

Local run pt2

first week back

HOME

Back home and although 5kgs heavier I'm feeling fine. It was a great holiday and apart from the marathon in Townsville I was able to spend time with my Sister in Cairns, Dad in Townsville and a final week with my best mate Frosty in Byron Bay.

Haven't been running much the last 2 weeks, the last time was along the highway from Bangalow to Byron. I thought at that time, as the 40th semi-trailer speed past only inches away, that it would be my last run but managed to survive.

I'm going to catch up with what you have all been up to and then write and let you know my plans for future races. I have organized races until Xmas this year and just need to decide whether I should get a coach or nut out a program for myself. Whatever I decide, barring injury, I'm going to run more PBs.

The first run I had today, back at my beloved Sayama Pond, was the best I've felt about running since starting. Taking that as an good omen for the future.

I'll leave you with some photos taken last week and hope you're all well especially Robert Song. I've been thinking about you everyday and praying that you're getting through your treatment and are in good spirits.

PYRAMID 5K

I did the 5K I was talking about today and managed to run within 5 seconds of my PB with a 17:13. That is two minutes better than I did at this same race last year. 2nd in my age group. Actually it was the open division (18 years and over) I got second in and the guy who won this group was 18 and he did it in 14:45 or something ridiculous like that.

I came 4th overall. It is kind of depressing, to me, to have run my near best and still get beaten by one 18 year old, one 16 year old and a 15 year old. I turn 45 tomorrow, so this is perhaps the main cause of my melancholy, still I can't help thinking that I'm reaching the end of my PBs.

It always pays to be sanguine about these things and it was 30 degrees while we were running this so I possibly could squeeze some more time out of my 5Ks. Yes, it is not time to give up the PBs yet. I don't know exactly when that time will come but I think it will be around the time I stop wanting to beat, and believing I can, the type of young guys that whipped me today.

The video posted is of the end of my race today. Ignore the time on the clock as it was set to the 12K mountain race which preceded mine.

Fast 5K

I've been searching the Internet this last week looking for something/someone to give me the green light to run a fast 5K this coming Saturday.

Type in "Fast 5K 2 weeks after a marathon" and you don't get much relevant stuff or anything much that says what I want to hear, that: Running a PB for the 5 K so soon after a full marathon is not only possible but it's something everyone should try.

Mostly you will hear people poo poo the idea with all this "No speedwork for the weeks after the marathon" and "build up slowly unless you want to be sidelined with a prolonged injury."

Luckily for me I have irresponsible role models like Dave Criniti who after only one week and having run 50 or so Ks the day before raced the City to Surf with a fantastic result.

Yes, I hear you all saying "You're no David Criniti Scott" and I appreciate anyone telling me I'm a fool. But I did recover really fast after the Townsville marathon and I won't have a chance to race again until October so I'm going to run as fast as these old pins will take me.

Today I did 4 X 400 meters at a local grass track and the very fastest I could go was between 1:16 and 1:20 per 400 meters. It might be too much to ask for a PB but an age group prize might be in the offing. Just how many faster 45 year olds will be in a small North Queensland town for a race hardly anyone has heard of?

Let's just hope the answer is not "3".

Above photo: me and the madman David Criniti. Can you spot my cheeky son?

TOWNSVILLE 2009

I can't go into too much detail as I really wasn't paying that much attention. You all probably know what I mean by that. Anyway I think I'd better get what I recall down now while it's still relatively fresh.

The race started at 5:30am, it was pretty dark, I set off with a group of about 8 guys that kept together for the first 5K going through in just under 20 minutes.
Even at this stage Dave Criniti and Alan Mullen the first and second place getter's were way ahead of everyone.

Allen Mullen a previous winner(2004, 2:40:25)trailed Dave by about 3 or so minutes at this stage but Dave was really flying. (You really have to see this guy run, it is really something else.)This day he was to break the course record going under 2:30:00.

Anyway, by the 10th K or so there was a smaller pack, about 4 of us, following the leaders and we were all running comfortably under 3 hour pace. I mentioned to the guys around me that: "This race would be perfect conditions if it was just a little bit less humid." I got no response and these guys were sweating a lot so I took it as a sign that they were doing it a bit harder than me. Nothing like training in 95% humidity to make 75% seem cool.

By the 20th K there was only me and a fit looking thirty something local battling it out for third place. I started to talk to this guy and found out it was his first marathon. I said, something like "jeez you are doing well, if you run your first one like this you have a good future in this sport." Not long after I said this I pushed the pace knowing that if I didn't put a gap on him now he might very well hang with me and find his second wind.

Luckily for me and thanks to my high mileage training I was able to move ahead knowing with confidence that I could hold this pace. The last 10K I was easily holding 3rd place and the encouragement from Allen and Dave whenever I saw them on the turnarounds helped me to hold on and bring it home without any major dramas.

I was passed by a couple of very fast half marathoners and about five 10K runners in the last 8K, but this helped me as I was forced to wake from a little lapse in concentration and pick up the pace a little. I'm not sure whether or not I did pick up the pace, I was beyond checking K markers at this stage, but I didn't drop off significantly like I usually do and was very pleased to not only come in under 3 hours but to do it with a third place finish.

I'm in two minds now. One, I think I trained long and hard for a 2:56:00 finish, maybe I should have run faster and that is about all I can expect in the future. But that's what I said when I ran my first marathon in 4:10:00 something. And I'm thinking, now I can go faster and with you guys to help me I'll always be able to find ways to improve my trainng and times.

Thanks Dave for your support online and on the day, you are a true gentleman. As I have found of 99.9% of runners and bloggers. It may sound a bit melodramatic but I'm indebted to you all and grateful, more than I can say.

I'll leave you with some photos all pretty self explanatory.

Starting running and aiming for a sub 3 marathon has been a life changing experience. I have no regrets I did this. Now with a bit more balance and sense I expect it to continue to give. I will continue to do it as long as I believe it is worth the effort and is enjoyable. Frankly I can't see the day it won't be.

Thanks, again.

SUB 3

Glad to report things went well today. Yes, I finally ran out of excuses and under 3 hours. I will write more in the following days but just wanted to let you know my time and position. 1st in my age group, 3rd overall at 2:56:30. Dave Criniti came in first with a course record somewhere under 2:30! I go back to Cairns on Tuesday and I'll post photos and details then. Back to the beers, thanks for everything, I love you'se all ;)

HOME BOY

I've come back to Australia and starting to settle in for my holiday. We are back in Cairns staying with my sister and family. My wife and boys have been here already a couple of weeks and the kids are going to school here for the duration of our stay.

Next weekend we travel down to Townsville and I'll run the full marathon down there. I'm tapering pretty hard this week and only be doing runs under 30mins and a few sessions of 4X400s at marathon pace. I think I ran too fast and hard the week before the Hawaiian marathon and suffered because of it, besides I think I need the whole week to fully recover from a few niggles that have shown themselves due to my high mileage and sustained, 12 week, build up.

After a day off yesterday and a short sharp session this afternoon I'm not really feeling that confident as I have sore ankles and not much energy. But you know I always feel that way the week before and seem to come good on race day. I have to believe that all my good training is in there and ready to manifest itself come Sunday.

On the eve of , possibly, breaking 3 hours, I want to thank a lot of people for following my blog and making their comments. Comments that have indeed kept me going and had me smiling most of the time. But I think I better not get in front of myself. Post race will be a better time to express these sentiments.

For now I'll say thanks and see you on the otherside of 3 hours.

First Photo, me in front of a bus advertising "The Great Pyramid Race" held in my sisters home town on August 15th. While I'll be in no shape to run up that mountain I will do the 5K.

Second photo, my normal boy and retarded one get dressed for school.

COMPLICATIONS AROSE, ENSUED, AND WERE OVERCOME

Two weeks to go before my full marathon in Townsville. I'm pretty happy with the position I'm in this far out. Although there were problems during the build up the positives vastly outweigh the negatives so if there is any justice in this World I'll PB and have a good race going sub 3 for the first time.

I have put a lot more miles, and time into this training compared to the last two marathons so I expect, not unrealistically, to run better. I heard Steve Moneghetti once say that he was never nervous before a marathon as he was so obsessive about completing all his training as set "crossing all the Ts and dotting all the Is" that the result would more often than not take care of itself and he'd run a good one.

I feel pretty much like this but still I'm a bit nervous cause as anyone who has been following my progress up until this point would know if there is a way to mess up I can find it. The term "Maestro of the Fuck up" is an accurate description.But surely there aren't too many more stupid things I can do so one would have to take comfort in that.

I'll have to take care the next few weeks not to overdo it or under do it, watch that I don't go on a food and beer binge and/or slip on a banana skin but as simple as it seems it is going to take probably more effort than the previous 11 weeks of running myself silly.

Any advice would be appreciated but basically I will try to drop a few miles all the while keeping up the intensity and chill.

I'm in the best shape of my life. The other day while running past the plate glass window of a shop I caught my reflection and thought to myself "Wow you look like a bloody Kenyan" and as the saying goes if you look like a marathoner chances are that will run like one.

You know if I wasn't so worried about jinxing myself up I'd say something ridiculous like "Bring it on" ;)

BACK ON TRACK

Just a quick update to let you know I'm fine and back running to my marathon plan.

I went for a second opinion on my condition at another local clinic and the nurse said I had to stop wanking, when I asked why, she said, "Because I'm trying to examine you!"

No really ;) it has just sort of taken care of itself. I reckon it had a lot to do with too much too soon, running that is.

Anyway I'll let you know more on my training the next post. But for now I'd like to thank everyone for their great runs on the Gold Coast last weekend. Great work and very inspirational!