10km | Easy Week 1 of 11 After spending most of Saturday puting on the weight that I lost in the past week (yes, a loooong lunch), I was keen to get out there early on Sunday to make amends. I hit the road at 6.30am decked out in tights, long sleeve dri-fit shirt and even gloves in an attempt to ward off the cold. I ran out towards the Racecourse, around Moore Park and back into the Junction and home. No niggles or dramas to report except for a little dehydration from all the grog the day before. I'm looking forward to some normality in my running life this week with two or three light runs leading into Saturday's (very chilly) June Striders at Lane Cove. Mood: --->

6.5km | Recovery Week 1 of 11 I saw somewhere on CR that it takes you longer to recover when you get old. Well I don't know how old "old" is but I have been struggling all week with DOMS from Sunday. Last night was my first amble since the 1/2M and even then my calves, quads and hammies were complaining all the way. Always a glutton for punishment, I did a short run down to Bronte Beach which involves a long 1km or so climb up Bronte Road back to the Junction. I ran at Cliff Young pace which meant that it was hard to keep warm in my singlet & shorts (yes a little underdressed for the temp). I will run once over the weekend and stick to the grass of Centennial Park. That should enable me to resume normal training next week. EDIT: Oops, I forgot something .... ======================= FAT FRIDAY ! Weight @ 01/01/06: 83.0kg Weight last week: 75.9kg Weight this week: 75.6kg Comment: I'm a little surprised that I lost any because I've been pigging out all week. Oink ! ======================= Mood: --->

Week 1 of 11 Thats me in the CR cap. :) Thanks everyone for your kind comments. The official results are in:- Place: 1211/4428 Gun time: 100:21 Chip time: 100:06 Today was suppose to be the start of my secret training. To run Willy to Billy in August and then Fitzroy Falls Fire Trail Marathon in October. However over the past 2 days I have been reassessing my goals and revising my training program. My conclusion is that I just couldn't be bothered running 30 odd Kms in training runs and facing the inevitable injuries that will no doubt follow. I have been running since May 2004. In the last 24 months I have honestly been injury free for only a few glorious weeks. Right now I am injury free and intend to stay that way for as long as possible. Unfortunatley I can't see me staying that way if I embark on a Marathon mission. Whilst I would love to run a marathon one day (and no doubt will), my desire to have an extended injury free period and enjoy my running is what I really want right now. So my focus is now on the C2S, Blackmore's 1/2M & Central Coast 1/2M as they are my remaining fav races for the year. Throw in a goal of getting my 10km time down by a another minute or two in the Striders 10kms and maybe even the Sutherland and Lake Macquarie halfs and my plate is well and truely full for 2006. I am very content with my decision and very much looking forward to it all ! Mood: --->

21.1km | 100:16 (gun time) | 100:05 (my watch) 20:15 course PB 08:13 1/2M PB I arrived at The Rocks with my partner in crime from Albury CR Ripley not feeling particularly confident. My lack of mojo from last week had continued into the weekend, so come Sunday morning I was basically prepared to "float" the course and be happy with whatever time I get. I was confident to do better than last year, so at the very least I could manage better than 120 minutes. Ripley and I muscled our way up to the start line, popped my first GU and waited for the gun. Soon we were on our way and getting carried along with the wave. I settled into a comfortable pace into Circular Quay and up Hunter Street for the first time. Without any GPS (mine NEVER works in the city) and me always missing the KM markers, I was very much in the dark as far as pace was concerned. I had my splits printed out for a 105 finish but as I entered the Domain for the first time had no idea how I was progressing. Coming out of Mrs Macquarie's' Chair I ran up to CR Nicho. I asked him if he had seen any KM markers and he said that we had just passed the 6km flag (Doh! Look for the flags Marty !) and that we were at 96 minute pace ! "Arrgh, I don't belong here !" I said to him. I had gone out way to hard and was fearful that I would blow up big time and maybe even fail to finish the race. Nicho told me to relax and run the rest of the first 10kms at a comfortable pace and worry about the last 10kms later (wise head on young shoulders that fella). I took advantage of the downward Macquarie, Hunter & Pitt Street legs to down a heap of Gatorade and prep myself for the first climb into Argyle cut. By the time I got down into George Street I saw that I was a whole 5 minutes ahead of my PB goal. That worried me again, so I took Argyle cut very easy and watched hundreds of runners pass me. Soon I crossed the 10km marker in 45:50 which is only 30 or so seconds off my 10km PB. I did some soul searching along the flat Hickson Road stretch and took another GU (Cappucino Love, hmmm caffeine). I decided to stick to the 5:00/km pace that I had originally planned and aimed to finish somewhere near the 105 minute mark - if I could hold on for that long. Hunter Street the second time around seemed easier than the first. The Domain felt pretty cruisey and Johny Dark appeared from the rear, gave me a few encouraging words and moved on effortlessly. I soon picked up CR Papa Luigi about St Mary's cathedral (I knew I was having a good race if JD & Papa was about). I tailed Papa until Argyle Cut and saw that my splits were still about 5 minutes ahead of my goal time. Papa zoomed up Argyle Cut leaving me for dust and I tried to run it as smoothly as possible. At the top I started to feel a bit wobbly and scoffed the rest of my Gatorade in my fuel belt. As it was only 3kms from home, it was time to use up what was left in my tank and go hard for a big finish. With about 200m or so to go I could hear the PA guy saying that there was only X seconds left if you wanted to join the "100 Club". That was all pretty surreal for me because finishing at anywhere near that time was never really a consideration. The PA guy counted down the seconds to 100 minutes as I sprinted home and I missed it by about 15 or 16 I think. Not that it really bothered me at that stage to be honest. Who knows, my chip time might sneak me under. From everyone that I caught up with yesterday, it seems that there were plenty of PBs all round. Special mention to Ripley with his 10 minute PB, Go Girl, Nicho, Superflake on his return, DJ (I saw you around the Art Gallery mate) and my Saturday training partner SydneyGal who finished her maiden 1/2M with an impressive 110 minutes (well paced Blkbox). Sorry to see that your injury caught up with you in the end too, 2P. I did take a few more pics on the fly, but they all ended up to be either sky, feet or trees. Obviously my concentration was not at its best at times ! Right now I'm walking like a cripple and weezing like a 100-a-day smoker, so a few days off sounds just perfect to me. Mood: --->

Week 13 of 13 I'm feeling very unmotivated lately. Not much running because if this taper thing. Aren't I supposed to be jumping out of my skin right now ? Blah, Blah, Blah. I span (spun, spinned ?) last night (what's new) for 45 mins. Ended up with a sore bum and half a sweat. Yawn. Looking forward to Sunday so I can get it out of the way and get on with things. Do I sound a tad frustrated ? I had a dream last night that I was running the Woodford to Glenbrook with a faceless Coolrunner. My legs wouldn't work. Like I was dragging knee deep in mud. Could be an omen for Sunday. ======================= FAT FRIDAY ! Weight @ 01/01/06: 83.0kg Weight last week: 76.5kg Weight this week: 75.9kg Comment: ...and he breaks into the 75kgs and the crowd roars !!!!!!!!!!! ======================= Mood: --->

10km | easy Week 13 of 13 No I didn't pay $1,000.00 for a ringside seat for the Mundine fight at Aussie Stadium last night, but I did run past there about 9.00pm and watched the highlights on the news ! Yeah lover not fighter here. My run was rather uneventful apart from nearly getting bowled over by a blind cyclist on the Daley Road cycleway near the Racecourse and ending up on my bum on the grass [shakes his fist !]. I can't say that I'm feeling particularly fast right now for Sunday and am a bit worried about my ridiculous statement about running this hilly course at 5:00/km pace. So whilst I am firmly in taper mode, I am also deep in self doubt and therefore excuse gathering mode. So far I have selected a bag full - and be warned I ain't scared to use one ! Mood: --->

Week 13 of 13 Saturday 13th May 15km | LSD I met Blkbox and SydneyGal at 6.30am at the Queens Park gates. A cloudless morning meant that there was extra chill in the air. We decided to run into the city via Oxford Street and then head down to the Opera House/Circular Quay until we hit 7.5kms and then turn around and come back. We ran at a comfortable pace past the drinkers in the Oxford Street pubs, past the Museum and down Macquarie Street to the Opera House. There were no niggles to report apart from a few stiff muscles that always seem to be there. They come and go and I've basically learnt to ignore them. Its funny, I've started getting these niggles since I've been trying to stretch more during the week. I have done no stretching since Albury (apart from the standard post run stuff) and behold my niggles seem to be better. So I'm not doing anymore until after this Sunday's half. If it aint broke dont fix it etc ! Once we arrived at the Opera House we ran up the stairs Rocky style. This pic is Blkbox and SydneyGal in the early morning sun. From there we run around Farm Cove, past Mrs Maquarie's Chair then up Bourke Street to Taylor Square then back to Queens Park via Randwick Racecourse. We finished bang on 15kms and did it in about 1:20 I think. SydneyGal is running her 1st Half on Sunday and her goal is sub 2 hours so seeing that we have been training at below her race pace, I think she has that in the bag for sure. I've decided to try and run 5:00/km pace on Sunday. Last time I ran the Striders Lane Cove 10km I ran it pretty comfortable at 4:45/km so I'm thinking that running the SMH course at 5:00/km is doable (sp). I just need to get out to a strong start and stay on the pace for the whole race. Easier said than done for me normally, but I am looking forward to the challenge. Sunday 14th May There was no time to run because of a hectic Mother's Day, but I did manage to squeeze in a spin once the kids were in bed. I have no real idea what a true taper is all about but I think I will run 10kms tonight, spin Tuesday, 5km Wednesday, Spin Thursday and then leave it at that until Sunday. Mood: --->

9km | Easy Week 12 of 13 I ran last night with only a few of the aches and pains left over from the weekend. I would normally pop a voltaren with dinner but I was feeling OK and decided to run drug free and see what happened. Thankfully by about 5kms most of the niggles had warmed up and disappeared. That pleases me as I'm thinking that it proves that it is just muscle soreness rather than something more nasty like strains or tears etc. I'm meeting BlkBox and SydneyGal for an early run around the beaches in the morning. This will be my last decent hitout before the half next Sunday. After that I will just do a few 5km runs and the rest of the week will be spent spinning. ==================== FAT FRIDAY ! Weight @ 01/01/06: 83.0kg Weight last week: 76.2kg Weight this week: 76.5kg Comment: Guess who went on a calorie binge after Sunday ! :( ==================== Mood: --->

5km | Easy Week 12 of 13 Not much to report other than I went for a run last night very much in recovery mode. DOMS were way too massive to run on Monday or Tuesday. Last night I only had residual DOMS in hammies so I couldn't really stretch out or anything. I just plodded along slowly and enjoyed the wind and rain. I think we can safely say that winter has arrived. I know its winter when I stand there at 8.30pm dressed in my tights, long sleeve dri-fit, spray jacket and cap - and my wife simply says - "your crazy!". Mood: --->

Runners avoiding the rain at the start. And we're off ! Running towards the foot of Nail Can Hill Half way up Nail Can The finishing shute. Nail Can Hill 30th Anniversary T-shirt.

11.3km | Race | 56:56 PB Week 11 of 13 Nail Can Hill is a tough race because of the steep incline that tears at your quads and glutes in the first few kms, the undulating terrain at the top of the course and the downhill running that tests the nerves at the end. Yesterday Nail Can Hill presented a tougher challenge with cold windy conditions of about 7 degrees and driving rain. Pre-race the runners huddled under marquees, under eaves or stayed in their cars until just before race time. Numbers appeared to be down from last year with many of the social walkers no doubt stayed at home in their warm beds. I was staying at nearby Jindera with my mate of 30 years CR Ripley and we arrived 30 minutes before the race and spent much of that time hiding from the wind in the grandstand of the AFL oval. We made our move to the start line with only a few minutes to spare where I met CR Awiseman. Awiseman is from just over the Victoria border and he was shooting for an "age buster" time and was hoping for sub 58. Apparently he achieved that - so very well done mate ! At the gun the course takes you for about 1.5km of flat road from the Lavington Sports Ground out to the foot of Nail Can Hill. By the time we reached the start of the fire trail the 1,000 strong crowd had thinned which made the going a little easier to negotiate. Soon the first steep climb was upon us and the trail had turned into a series of small creeks. So not only was the ascent straight up but you had to weave from left to right to avoid sploshing ankle deep on water. Halfway up and at the steepest part I was reduced to running little fairy steps and digging the toes into the mud hoping that my foothold would not give way. I reached the top of the major climb in about 23:30 and knew that I had to recover quickly so that I could race the middle section hard. This section would be the difference between a solid race and a PB. I ran really hard for the next 4 or 5 kms and although it was very slippery I had full confidence in my Brooks Cascadias who's chunky trail soles had me in 4WD mode all the way. That confidence was severely tested when I reached the downhill section. Running downhill on a trail is hard in fine weather. Trying to lean into the hill whilst watching for loose gravel is heart in the mouth stuff. Add a few inches of mud to the surface and a creek in the middle and its the equivalent of runners kamikaze ! One runner ahead of me lost his footing and slid a good 15 meters on his arse. I decided that the only way down at any real pace was on the edge of the trail in the leaf litter so I could get some sort of decent traction. So with arms waving about I launched myself down the embankment hoping that I didnt end up the same way. Soon I was at the base of the hill and in one piece. After a few turns of the road the mighty Murray River was in my sights below at the bottom of the valley. One last dig deep got me home into the finishing shute in 56:56 which was a 8 min PB. So I'm very happy with that under the circumstances. I then stood by the side of the shute and watched Cool Blogger Wombatface come in after a few minutes after Ripley a few minutes after that. It was a great day even under those trying conditions in a really well organized race. I must also say that for the $12 entry (which includes a t-shirt), it is not only the hardest race pound for pound that I have ever done but also the friendliest and the best value. I will be back next year for sure. A few pics that I took on the run will be posted tonight. Mood: --->

Week 11 of 13 Well not really a taper as such. In my quest to rid myself of various niggles before Sunday I have done zero running. During that time however I have been busy spinning to keep fit, stretching and doing my exercises as prescribed by Larry the Physio. I also saw Berta the Masseuse yesterday for an hour of pain. Berta was impressed with my progress and said that all muscles in the pesky areas were greatly improved since she saw me last. Go me. Now I only need the pain to go away and I'll be sweet. In the meantime, Voltaren is my best friend. I will run a easy 5km tonight just to turn the legs over and remind them that they do run from time to time. Looking forward to Sunday. I will try and remember to take pics on the run and post them on Monday. ==================== FAT FRIDAY ! Weight @ 01/01/06: 83.0kg Weight last week: 77.0kg Weight this week: 76.2kg Comment: Shazam ! ==================== Mood: --->

5km | recovery Week 11 of 13 Still got a mild case of the DOMS and small niggle in both the calf and my old friend the quad. Consequently, I have been hobbling around since my weekend longrun and had planned to spin only last night. After some deep stretching of the hips, quad and calves I felt OK and decided to go for a light run. Now think slow. No, slower. No, even slower than that. Yes that's how fast I ran last night through Bondi Junction and beyond. At one stage going through the mall near Westfields an old lady holding a walking frame shimmied past me effortlessly at pace. Thankfully the niggles and residual DOMS subsided by about the 4km mark and I was able to finish feeling fresh and almost human. Mood: --->