Goodna Jacaranda Festival Fun Run

I have wanted to do this fun run for a long while and for various reasons have missed it. One of the reasons I have missed it is that the organisers don't advertise. This year I rang them and was directed to their web site which turned out to be a good and informative site. The trouble is nobody knows about it.
I knew this wasn't going to be like other fun runs as far as organisation went. The web site said the 10k run would start at 7:00 AM and that the sign on and paymnet of the $5 entry fee would take place between 5:30 and 6:55. I arrived at 6:00 and found one of the organisers who was waiting on others so that they could begin setting up. Hmmmm!

The run started at 7:05 with an invitaion (jokingly) to the elite runners to start at the front. 30 of us set off, a few walking, a young 16 year old, Darryl Crooke, took the lead and disappeared out of sight. Their were no K markers and no marshalls. There was a police car patrolling and a sedan from the Qld Ambulance. There were some arrows to point the way along a very good undulating course. Though the winner was out of sight I managed to keep the 2nd & 3rd runners in view. Young Darryl won in 34 mins and I came in 4th in 42:04. The mother of the 15 year old girl who came second proudly told us that her daughter had not run 10K before. Unfortunately I didn't get her name.

All in all it was a good event on a good course. It was a fun run.

A Snail Passed Me

I am sure it was a snail that passed me this morning. It was just a blur. I felt like I was just lumbering along today. There was none of the magic of Tuesday but I was still glad to be out there. Just doing it does me a much good mentally as physically.

7.65K in 37:07

Glorious Rain

A 7.65K run in the rain today. I enjoyed the drenching and finished in 36:25.

A Magic Morning

I woke this morning feeling a bit down in the dumps and knew a run would give me a lift. I set out, planning to do my 7.65K circuit but was overwhelmed by the fresh cool morning after last night's storm. I decided it was time to do my 12K circuit agian after not having run it for ages.

It was an exhilarating run capped off with a surprising time of 57:07.

Sunday Long Run

I continue to be amazed at my recovery after the Toowoomba Marathon. On Sunday morning I met some buddies and we did 21k. With water stops and chatting along the way it took us 1:50. The coffee and the company back at Park Road was great.

Steady Eddie

Another 7.65k under my belt today in 36:25, a nice steady pace. I didn't get to bed until midnight and thought as my head hit the pillow that I would probably be too tired to run in the morning. I hadn't reset the alarm to a later time so it it woke me as usual at 4:50. Once awake I thouught I may as well make the most of a beautiful morning so off I went.

I love running.

Toowoomba Splits

Just for the record, Toowoomba Marathon being a 4 lap course, here are my splits:


Lap 1 52:47
Lap 2 51:43
Lap 3 51:30
Lap 4 54:29

Total 3:30:29

Whoops I didn't realise...I've been tagged!

I've been tagged....

CR Blog game:

Here are the rules:
1. Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or the closest one to it)
4. Post the text of your sentence in your blog along with these rules.
5. Tag five other people.

My sentence;
I have to accept that I simply don't perform at my best in these humid conditions.

I posted that on 24 December 2004, Christmas Eve. Remember how much I used to whinge about the humidity. I still whinge about it ... just not in my blog.

I now tag Jen_runs, Lucky Legs, Horrie, Plu, Superflake

A Good Recovery

Today I went out on my 7.65k circuit and finished it in 36:18. I was very happy with that considering I ran the Toowoomba Marathon on Sunday. I am very pleased with my recovery. When I think back to my recovery from the Gold Coast and how I struggled to get going again. it was getting on for 6 weeks before I felt i could enjoy a run.

Toowoomba was never really in me diary and so I hadn't done the long runs. My weekly average has been very low. I am, therefore very pleased with my effort of 3:30:30 and winning my age category to boot. The conditions were not ideal but I would rather the cold and wet than sweltering heat. It was good to maintain an average of 5mins per k for 42.2 k's and now to be recovering so well is an added bonus.

Yes!!!!

After a very lazy weekend I headed out this morning feeling good. Again, not pushing myself and just running as my legs took me I did my 7.65K circuit in 35:35. That is another 20 seconds off. Little by little, the improvement comes.

2 Seconds

Yes 2 Seconds. Tuesday 7.65K in 35:57. Thursday 7.65K in 35:55. An improvement all the same and it still surprised me.

Unbelievable

After a good work out in the 10K on Sunday I decided to take it easy this morning on the 7.65K circuit i.e. I was not going to make any real effort. After having improved my time last week from 37:49 to 36:49 I would have been happy with something in between. I felt good in the down hill sections, my left knee having improved somewhat. My quads felt heavy and tired in the uphill home stetch, 6m to 70m elevation in about 1.6K. I couldn't believe my time...35:57. Unbelievable!

10K Handicap Race

It was a 10K Handicap race at West End on Sunday 2/10/2005. My handicap was set at 24 mins 30 Secs. I thought the first people to start must be pretty slow for me to have that sort of handicap. However, the Handicaper did a pretty good job because the majority of runners came in within a period of 5 mins. The guy who set off after me was 30 secs behind me. When we finished he was 29 secs behind me. I finished in 42:17, an average of 4:15 per K. I don't believe I could have gone any faster at the time. I am, however, slower than I was at this time last year.

I would like to be a bit faster over short distances but I have only 6 weeks until the 500K relay. So I don't think I will be picking up very much speed in that space of time.

IncreMENTAL

I've been preaching about incremental improvement and believe that without super efforts, consistant training can gradully reap rewards, if you are patient. This doesn't suit a lot of people because they are keen to see more rapid gains and reap their rewards sooner.

I went out on my slightly changed circuit this morning feeling very slow. Last might I finished moving furniture and lugged cartons of tiles and bags of adhesive down the front yard to the house in preparation for the tiler to start this morning. I was thinking while I was running that having don the circiuit in 37:49 yeaterday, I would not be disappointed with 40 mins today considering how I felt. So I when I arrived home in a lather of sweat, the humidity already rising, I was shocked by my time of 36:49. These are the moments I enjoy because they really give me a boost.

Wednesday 28/9/2005

7.65K in 37:49 today. I changed my course slightly in order to avoid a steep down hill run which was giving my knees some grief.

Sunday 25/9/2005

Due other committments I ran from home this morning instead of going in to Park Road. I ran a circuit I haven't run for a very long time. From my home in Bellbird Park I ran out along the Augusta Parkway, Past the Brookwater Golf Course to Springfield then through to Camira and Gailes, down to the Ipswich Motorway, along to Goodna and then up the hill to Bellbird Park and home. 20K's all up in 1:50. A nice steady enjoyable run. I carried a water bottle and had a Gu at about 10K. I wasn't bothered by any Magpies I am pleased to say.

A lot of the bush areas that I run through are gradually being tken over by housing estates. Springfield is the fastest growing residential area in Australia. Though it is part of the Ipswich City, I don't think it will be long before it is classified as a city in its own right. Already it boasts a University Campus (University of Southern Queensland) and construction of a large town centre, including a high rise Office building has commenced.

Wednesday 21/9/2005

I did something radical today. I didn't wear my watch. So it was 6.8K in 'who knows what' time. I love these mornings. The weather is perfect. The magpies are behaving themselves. I just have to remember to stop running when I get back home.

Tuesday 20/9/2005

It's those incremental improvements that count. They are what I get excited about. My idea is that you don't go out there and bust your gut trying to do better and better. You allow your gradual fitness improvement to dictate your performance. So without trying to improve you find that your gradually, bit by bit, you do improve. My 30:59 today for my 6.8k circuit was eciting to me because I didn't go out saying I am going to reduce my time, i just ran the way I normally do and the improvement was there.

Well anyway as Robert Song commented, it seems to work for me (Eddie).

Monday 19/9/2005

My running buddy rang on Saturday and said she was too sick to do a long run so I opted to go to West End after all and do the 14K Championship with the club. Thinking that the race started at 6:30 I thought I would get there about 6:00 and warm up. As I was parking the car I saw a crowd at the starting line and thought Uh Oh! As I was signing in the strating gun went I had to sprint to catch up.

Gold! Gold! Gold! I won my age category (50-54). I had such a good run after a year Horribilus. 1:00:30 av 4:19 per K. I was happy with that. It must have been the sprint start.

Friday 16/9/2005

I didn't run this morning or yesterday. My knees are a bit saw and i don't want to aggravate them for my long run on Sunday. We are hoping to make 32K from Park Road . I will be missing the 14k at West End and the the 10K River Run.