Sunday 30/1/2005

I managed to get to West End at 5:00 this morning and do 10k (in 50:00) before the start of the 15k race. I started out in the race taking it pretty easy and tried to keep a nice steady pace. I did the first 10 k in 47:00 and finished the 15k in 1:10. That gve me 25k in 2 hours and my training program called for 2:30. I set out again to do another 5k circuit after the race but at 2k only just made it to the pit stop - a very close call. After that I said that's enough, no more today.

Tomorrow I will rest and hope that I'm ready for the 3k Time Trial on Tuesday.

Friday 28/1/2005

Ahhh! It was so good to go out and just enjoy the run. I did my 11.3k circuit in 58:50. I just let my legs move at the pace they felt like moving and didn't let my head interfere. I didn't look at my watch once during the run.

I am trying to figure out how I can combine my 2:30 program run with a 15k at the club on Sunday. Maybe if I get there early I can go 3 times around the 5k circuit before the start of the Club run at 6:00 AM.

Thursday 27/1/2005

I felt this as if I put in a good effort this morning. After the warm up we did 2 X 5 min efforts followed by hill work on the Goodwill Bridge. It is great doing this sort of work with a group because you get so much encouragement from others.......thanks RITH. Clairie, the great team person that she is, found herself out searching for another lost runner today. Jodie did a "Don" on us and, I must say, we were worried about her, Jodie. I felt a real sense of relief when I saw Jodie on the Goodwill Bridge as I was heading back after the session.

Wednesday 26/1/2005 Australia Day

Went for a bit of a toddle this morning. Met a group of friends at Park Road at 5:00 AM and headed out to the Uni of Qld and on to Indooroopilly. We covered 17.3 K in 1:33. As I said a bit of a toddle. It was "time on legs". It all helps. It is an overcast day today, I felt good all the way, I had pleasant company, and coffee afterwards - so it all added up to an enjoyable run. A great way to start Australia Day 2005.

I almost forgot to mention! On our way back we saw Clairie and Celtic with some of their Regatta running friends standing outside the Regatta. I think they were waiting for opening time so they could start celebrating Australia Day.

Tuesday 25/1/2005

Speed training today was hard going. After my big run on Sunday my legs really took some persuading to get moving. Once again the humidity didn't help, but enough of the excuses. I like to promise not to mention the humidity again, however, I know it's promise I wouldn't be able to keep. So I'll always be whinging about it. I rarely whinged about it before I took up running.

Our training this morning consisted of a long warm up and 15 mins of 1 min fast 1 min slow recovery, 30 secs fast 30 sec recovery then 2 X 15 secs fast and recovery.

Sunday 23/1/2005

When I stepped out the door at 4:30 this morning it was like stepping into a sauna. The humidity is unbelieveable. I got to Park Road with the intention of running to and around Mt Coot-tha. I am so glad I didn't. I don't think I would have made it back. My program called for a 2:30 run today. I ended up sticking as close as possible to the river and managed to get to Hamilton and turned round at 1:15 and followed the same route back. I got back to Park Road in 2:30 having covered 30k - average 5min K's. I was absolutely stuffed and so relieved to have made it back.

Friday 21/01/2005

Missing a speed training session pays off ........... in the short term. Hmmmmmmmm! Time will tell for the long term though. I did my 11.3k circuit today in 51:08 , average 4:32 k's. I felt so good as I started out. i couldn't believe it.

Thursday 20/1/2005

After a wonderful birthday, dinner with family and friends, and a very late night I bombed out and didn't make it to training this morning. Sorry guys.

Wednesday 19/1/2005

Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me-ee. Happy birthday to me. 53 today and a beautiful day it is too. 53 years of countless blessing to celebrate today. The alarm went off at 4:15 to start my day with a run. Robyn, my wife (we've been married 34 years), had left a birthday card for me and I'd like to share the verse with you:

Sometimes I stop and think about what we've been through together - the good, the bad, and everything inbetween. And I realise that there's no one I'd rather share my life with than you.

Isn't that beautiful. You know, I'm surrounded by georgous women like Tesso and Clairie, and I regularly fall head over heels, but only one of them has known me and loved me, warts and all - Robyn is a special lady and believe me, she is georgous.

I floated round my 15.7k circuit in 77:56 thinking how loved and blessed I am.

Tuesday 18/1/2005

Great speed session today. Pat's away. No it wasn't great because Pat's away. I was was feeling good that's all. Ian Eckersley, the sports journo from ABC TV and who wrote Pat Farmer's biography, took charge this morning. Ian's one of our A Team. We did 8 X 1 min reps with 45 sec standing recovery. Ian cut our warm up run short so that may be the reason the reps didn't kill me.

Sunday 16/1/2005

The heat and humidity are back with a vengeance. I ran with the Brisbane Road Runners at West End this morning. I was feeling pretty good when I started out and did the first 7 in just of over 30 min and was a bit surprised and wasn't sure I could maintain the pace. I managed to hang in there and finish in 1:00:53. I have to check my records, which are at work, to confirm whether or not it is a PB. I am fairly certain it is. According to my Forerunner 201 the course was 14.2k and I averaged 4:17 .

Tesso had a friend in tow this morning. Kay (I think) form Sydney Striders. It was great to have a Strider at our club run.

Friday 14/1/2005

Out and back this morning to do my programmed 40 mins. I managed to squeeze out 8.3k. It takes me at least 4k to warm up so the return trip felt really good.

Thursday 13/1/2005

I actually enjoyed today's speed session, 2k, 1:30 standing recovery(SR), 1K, 1:30 SR, 2 x 500m, 1:00 SR, 2k. We had quite a crowd this morning with everyone putting in a great effort, including Clairie after her super 10k effort yesterday. The fact that I enjoyed the session may mean that I didn't work hard enough, but then again, RITH always puts in a super effort and he enjoyed it.

Wednesday 12/1/2005

Another beautiful day in paradise. A nice cool breeze helped me enjoy my recovery run this morning. After yesterday's hill session it was a pleasure today to go out on my 11.3 k circuit and average 5:00 k's to bring me home in 56:30. I hardly even worked up a sweat. It would have been great to have just kept on going but unfortunately I have to work.

Tuesday 11/01/2005

A glorious day in Brisbane today. Still a bit humid but with a nice cool breeze. I felt good this morning and the hill session in the City Gardens went well. I had a slow start but improved as I went along - so was pleased with that. In fact I am feeling pretty good all round.

Sunday 9/1/2005

Ran at West End with the Brisbane Road Runners this morning. We had a 10k without watches and had to nominate our run time prior to the race. I didn't feel like putting in a big effort so nominated 44:00 feeling more like it would be 50:00. One of the guys, however, had other ideas for me and said he wanted to use me as a pacer and had nominated 42:00 which would be a PB for him. I felt priveleged. I ended up doing 41:49 while my shadow did 42:10 - PB for him so he was happy. It's surprising what you can do once you get into the race.

The weather was very kind this morning - excellent for this time of year.

Friday 7/1/2005

Would you believe it! A new course record today! 11.3k in 59:20 - the longest time I have taken so far. It was all I could do to keep my legs moving up the hills. Thank goodness there shouldn't be any hills when we go out with Plu this afternoon.

Thursday 6/1/2005

I'm struggling. The humidity is unbelievable. Yesterday it took me 82 mins to run my 15.7 circuit. Speed training to day was heavy going - 6 X 2 min with 1 min recovery. While we were out there training somebody shifted our meeting place because it was a lot further back than it was going out.

Nomad Plu will be finding it a bit of a challenge.

Tuesday 4/1/2005

After not sleeping well ( I thought I would get the excuse in first) I was up at 4:15 AM to get to the 3k Time Trial on time. I drop my gear of at work in Brisbane City and then run about 2k to the meeting place for Pat's Group. By the time I arrived this morning I was already dripping sweat. It didn't bode well for the TT. So you probably have already guessed that I didn't do a PB. My PB is 11:21, today I did 11:26. Oh well, next time.

RITH didn't need any excuses he did 10:06, about 19 secs off his previous PB. Congratulations Rith, well done mate and Pat's Runner of the Month to boot.

Back at work today and updating my training program I decided to check December total K's and found that I had done 315 not 278.

Monday 3/1/2005

Rest day today. Speed training tomorrow. Oh no I just realised! - it's the first Tuesday of the month..........3K time trial!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday 2/01/2005

It's already 2/1/2005. How the year is flying! The Canberra Marathon will be upon us in no time.

I ran with friends from Park Road this morning, starting at 5:00 AM. We covered 25.9 K in 2:16 and ran via the Goodwill Bridge, Stones Corner, Story Bridge, New Farm, James Street, Fortitude Valley, City Gardens and back to Park Road. The conditions were pretty good. By 7:00 AM the heat was intensifying. As I was nearing the finish I passed a group of my fellow runners from Pat Carroll's group who were just heading out, probably from the Regatta. I was glad I was finishing not just starting.

I was disappointed not to be able to go to the Gold Coast to run with Plu. I had family commitments at home so had to be home early. I may have an opportunity to catch up with Plu on Friday when he is coming up to Brisbane.