I'M RANKING!

Relaxing on the floor watching TV this afternoon when my wife walks in and says "You're ranking!" I responded "Alright, I'll just finish watching this and go take a bath" No sooner had I said that when I was struck in the back of the head with the new edition of "Japan's Marathon Yearly, top 100, Rankings."

Seems like I'm 21 again! That is, I ranked 21st on the list of top 100 hundred 45 year old marathon runners in Japan, last year! The number 1 ranked 45 year old who raced a marathon in Japan last year did it in 2:29:57. With my new beard I'm going to go gunning for that fella ;)



Having trouble scanning this book but when I do I'll show you some of the stats, really pretty interesting.

BEARD

I'm thinking about growing my beard long. Somewhere between the "Alpha male" short trimmed one I have now and a "Hobo" transient crazy looking one. I want my competition at the next marathon to be thinking, as I shoot past them, "Hey now that looks like a guy that likes camping....wait a minute! Why is he running so fast!!!"

Should be sufficient to blow a few minds and give me a competitive advantage. Still there is also the danger that I will come off looking like a pedophile rapist but I'm married and not looking to impress the ladiez!

GET IN EARLY

Had my boy's school's sports day last weekend. Enjoyed that and I'm please to report that although they both came last in their 100 meter races they were only last by a few feet not the long last that they usually are! Doesn't take much to make this Dad proud ;)

Had to take a day off yesterday due to work and frankly feeling spent. The ankles and Achilles are tender and sore to the touch and I've been avoiding hungry cats, small children and shopping trolleys, basically anything that might inadvertently rub and/or bump them.

This week will be just over 170K, down from last week still on track and higher than this time last marathon build up. One thing, if you want to run high mileage I'd suggest you always get in a good run before breakfast. If you miss that one it is hard to make it up in the evening and I find, more often than not, that if I miss the morning run I will take the day off altogether, rather than try to make it up or just do a short one.

Anyway back to work. Uploaded are some photos from the kid's sports day.

Hope you're all well.

THE STORY SO FAR

Here are some stats related to my marathon build up. Some interesting numbers. A couple of things stand out for me. One is that despite the amount of Ks I'm running the weight is remaining stable although the body fat is coming down as it should. Sometimes there is a lag with my weight loss, it may start to drop in a couple of weeks.

And another thing is the 203km week! My most Ks run, biggest week to date. Very pleased to know that I can now handle this kind of mileage and not breakdown. Expecting a letter any day now from Haile Gebrselassie with instructions on how to recognise other plus 200K runners in the secretive "High Mileage Club" ;)

What do you make of these figures? I want to do 5 200K plus weeks before my marathon, this will either break me or make me, we will see.

Marathon build up COUNTING DOWN


From Week 14 ending May 7th. 62.3kgs, 16.9% Body Fat, Stomach 77cm, Mileage 104km

Week 13 ending May 14th. 61.1kgs, 17.1% Body Fat, Stomach 75.5cm, Mileage 138km

Week 12 ending May 21st. 61.7kgs, 16.9% Body Fat, Stomach 74.5cm, Mileage 170km

Week 11 ending May 28th. 61.1kgs, 15.6% Body Fat, Stomach 73.5cm, Mileage 203km

A LITTLE MORE ACTION

Satisfy me

Wow! Really wow!! Just had a run that was like no other I've ever had!!! Hence the unscheduled post. Friday night after a long week at work and a longer week of high mileage I thought I'd just fit in a quick slow 10K to wrap up the week and...

Started out feeling like shit. Basically hobbling the first K but by 3kms into the run I was feeling loose and when this song, the one I've uploaded, came on my Ipod I was cruising. I was running into traffic, people coming off the Friday night train, and I felt like I was floating, really very strange! No effort but I was flying for 2K at least! Really the best I've ever felt running. What was that? The song? My fatigue causing the high? I don't know but, I do know that even if you feel like death warmed up give your run a chance, don't not go for a run because some of the best runs I've ever had came on the days I first felt I couldn't take another step!

Elvis rules!!!!!

ROCK SCISSORS PAPER

Or

Three ways to help you PB/PR your next marathon!



After weeks of reading and thinking about how I'm going to PB my next marathon I've distilled it into and come up with an analogy using Rock, Scissors and Paper.

ROCK: No rock is not dead! And in order to run a fast/faster marathon I'm going to have to get use to the pounding that comes with running such a distance at speed. That means increased mileage and a session of downhill running once a week. Starting with 10x1K efforts running 10 to 20 seconds faster than what I expect to run in my goal marathon for the first 8 weeks of my marathon training plan. The downhill running in the last 4 weeks should consist of 400m efforts X 8 done twice a week. As for the mileage it should exceed that of your previous marathon but remain at a level that won't hobble you. This is something I'm getting the idea of how to do but only after 4 years of trial and error.

SCISSORS: sharpening these babies means running lesser distances such as 3K, 5K, and 10K at times below what you expect to run them in your marathon. I wouldn't be too anal about getting them exactly under what McMillan says they should be. I think it's better to run these trials on up and down courses getting within a few minutes of the time you want. I'm going to run one 10KTT a week for the 1st 6 weeks of my 12 week marathon plan, three 5KTT in the following weeks 7 to 9 and three 3KTTs in the remaining three weeks. I don't believe a half marathon needs to be done at race pace or faster, although a successful one it will give you confidence, for mine, it is just too draining to do while doing high mileage marathon training and it will leave you weak at the start of your race.

PAPER: Write it down. Everything that gets recorded gets focus and in turn changes. I don't mean your day to day training, although you will have to get this down, but I mean you will have to write down what you're eating as well as your weight and body fat percentage. If you're not dropping a half percentage point of body fat a week or a half to 1 kilogram a week, in the 12 week training phase, then change your diet to more fresh fruit and vegetables and less of anything that comes prepacked. Don't give up beer or wine, I tried this and believe, it led to my last Achilles strain. Well I can't be sure but basically I was tense and more of a pain to be around than normal but now a few reds a night and I'm lose and ready mentally to hit the road the next morning.

IT'S TIME

12 weeks now until my marathon and I've now started my training in earnest. Bought a new running watch to mark the occasion yesterday and I can tell you that I'm in the best shape I've ever been this far out from a marathon so if I can hold it together for these 12 weeks then I'm gonna run fast in Townsville ;) Details to follow.

NO WAY!

Not another post that has nothing to do with running "NO WAY!" This clip comes from a web site that I sometimes go to when I'm wondering why that "Hot chick is with that douchebag?"

Ross Has Opinions

Check out this guy "Ross" he's on this clip from about 4:50 to 5:30. Love it ;) I get tweets from Kathy and like her a lot too.

Bart Yasso

While I have heard of Bart Yasso, I didn't really know a lot about him. He has a great story and job! I read a good interview with him on "RunnerDude's Blog" he, RunnerDude, also does good work, so have a look at his blog if you haven't already.

A quote from Bart

"I tell runners all the time, my tagline is “Never limit where running can take you” and I truly mean that physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally. Thirty-some years ago, I just went out to run with Brandy the dog and it’s changed my life forever."

We know it, but it never gets old hearing it ;)

I'm not for burial today

Just wanted to share a couple of catchy tunes related to my near dead/death experience last week. Enjoy! It's good to be alive.

MEB

Found this while surfing. Really like the way he runs. Didn't look at his watch once and you know he is hurting but pushing on regardless. Great racing! Nice arm warmers too ;)

Take my hand Lord Jesus, I'm coming home!

Who are you to judge me ;)




Had a near death this morning on my run and thought I should recount it as it might, at the very least, save you from injury or, God forbid, "The Reaper"!

It was sort of strange the way this played out and although I don't expect you to take on board fully my interpretation, It did happen like this but you can, of course, make sense of it what you will.

This morning just before waking up I had a vivid dream about walking over an oval with no grass, I was talking to some others and it seemed as if we were there for the day to grade it in preparation for the grass to be laid. (Yes, I know why should I dream about Smoking Blondes, when I can dream about working with my hands, so to speak).

Anyway, forgot about this dream and went jogging as usual and about an hour into the run I pass an oval barren of grass, just like the one in my dream. I slowed a bit turned my head just to take a look at it and this car came screeching out of a side street missing me by half a meter!!! It scared the willies out of me and I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't slowed to check out that oval I'd be, right now, heading for "Judgement Day!" Which may or may not turn out like the uploaded cartoons ;)

Please take care out there! And/or check your insurance policy is up to date.

GOLDEN WEEK

Raring to go!



Like I mentioned last post, I'm off a on a short break at the moment. The "Golden Week Holiday", this year, as always, is warm to hot and cloudless. We've been out and about in Osaka and also managed to get in some nice runs in the mornings and a few good BBQs at night. Start my marathon training schedule and doubles tomorrow. Back to work on Friday.

Photos from the last few days.

100 Yard Dash!

Fast family

I'm off work for a few days now, enjoying the fine spring weather and planing the race year ahead and beyond. Been looking for reasons to help me believe that I'm capable of what I'm aiming for and I think I found a few. While going through some old papers I picked up from my Father's house when I went over for the funeral I found my Great Grandfather's Scrapbook. "George Brown" was my Father's, Father's Father and as it turns out a bit of a Renaissance man.

George was an artist, making statues and whatever out of wood, some of the best work of its kind in Australia, a boxing enthusiast and a foot racer of some note.

Take a look at one of the paper clippings I uploaded and see the kind time George was able to do for the 100 Yard Dash!!! It is bloody fast and all the more impressive as at the time he ran this, about 1886, the world record was 10.0. 40 years later in 1933, Jesse Owens ran 9.4 not far off my Great G'Dad's time.



So if anyone says I don't have the pedigree I can tell them otherwise ;) Now this puts me in an awkward position that if I can't reach my lofty goals it must be because I have a small heart/sack. Excuse to those eating ;)


Yes old George Brown was fast, in 1887 he won the "Stawell Gift!" For those that have never heard of it, it's present website describes it thus:

"The history and romance of the Australia Post Stawell Gift is entrenched in Australian folklore, ensuring its status as an icon of Australian sport. The Australia Post Stawell Gift has been held in all but four years since 1878, and has developed into Australia’s, and notably one of the world’s, most famous and prestigious foot races."

George won that race under the name "J" Brown his kid's name and family legend has it he won twice more, once under another name and once with a large red beard but was found out and scratched. Well, there was a lot of money in those days, relatively speaking, for racing and although the Brown's are known for their honesty and are generally decent folks, they are certainly not angels ;)