God's Country

We ended up having a big night out on Friday night. Comrades Marathon legend Bruce Fordyce gave a great account of his experiences running the 87km ultra. Most of the HuRT squad were in attendance. Tim Craddock surprised me when he told me in ran 2.24 in the Paris marathon in 2001. I really don't think he's putting the effort in training. Upon leaving the Casino, Durante and I put $100 on black and we won which was great. We ended up playing pool for the rest of the evening, Tim Lindop was by far the best player, I was terrible but probably not as bad as Tom [edit: Tom did take $20 in one game :) or Tucks]. Durante and I took out the award for the last men standing with Tucks pipping Tom for 3rd spot.
Out to the shire or as the locals like to call it 'God's Country' for a 26k run in Audley national park. . It's only 30 mins from the city and it was great to run along the trails with Serg, Durante and Tim Lindop. Struggled at the start but the longer we ran the better I felt. We increased the pace for the last 9k (averaging 4.20). There was a tough stair climb at the end and Serg showed why he is in 32.30 shape as he cruised to the top.

16k

A little apprehensive meeting up with Serg today due to a night of drink with work. Serg was keen to keep the pace honest after murdering the Mona Fartlek yesterday. I think he's drop a few kilos in the last week and is now keen to run early 32s in North Head in June. We met up with Ray over the harbour bridge and went on a different route out via Mosman. Spotted Big Bear struggling as he ran down a hill. On the way back into the domain we had the pleasure of watching Durante make a fool of himself on the football pitch. Looking forward to the striders dinner tonight, I have a feeling it will be a big night with most of HuRT squad in attendance.

Mona Fartlek with the HuRT squad

Out with the boys, took it relatively easy and stuck with Mike and Enda. We covered 5.51k for the session. In saying that the last time I only covered 5.59. Anyhow I was glad to get the session out of the way. I can now focus on ramping up workload in the next few weeks.

I've got the Gold Coast on my mind

Monday - Easy 10k run with Mike and Durante.

Tues - Out with the HuRT Squad for 8 by 3 mins with 60 seconds recovery. Large crew again in attendence. Serg and Anthony pushed from the front. I sat comfortably in the middle of the group with the pace varying from 3.25 to 3.30 for each rep. Some of the boys ran a few extra reps - I think Tom, Tucks, Tim C, Serg and Anthony ran 14in total. Will take it relatively easy for the rest of the week and then ramp it up from next week. Will aim to get a few races in before the Gold Coast Half in July, at the moment I've locked in North Head in June and might head out for the 5k coolrunning challenge at the end of next week.

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

Suffice to say the Sydney half did not go as planned. Ended up with 79.23 which was at least 2 mins down on my planned time. Not going to dwell on it so let's move on to some of the positive stories of the day.
Gill and Gerso continued their run of pb's with an impressive 1.51. They looked pretty comfortable out there and it bodes well for a sub 4 hr assault at the Gold Coast. Big Bear with all his toilet troubles still managed to sneak under his pb.
Other notable pb mentions are Rich Palmer, Mike Conway and Fats. Well done to Greg on smashing sub 90, you can tell Serg on Tuesday you are no longer an average runner.
Even with Canberra in the legs, Uncle Dave managed a pb, I know you were hoping for better but mate always take a pb no matter how small. Tucks ran a great race even with a pitt stop after 3k. Run of the day goes to Durante, who ran an impressive 75.15 which is more than 3 mins quicker than his time last year.

Friday stroll

Very easy 10k run up to Kings Cross and around the Domain with Serg, Tom and Enda. All up around 48.15. Legs were fine after yesterday's interval session. Looking forward to race on Sunday now. Based on my recent 10k time of 34.48, MacMillian is indicating a 77.26. To be honest I am hoping on running a little quicker than that. The plan is to run with Durante and Enda for 15k and then put the foot down and take it home...

Hickson Road and Tales from Tokyo

Out with the boys from the HuRT squad 1.2k by 5 off 2 mins. Too many to mention but I commented to Tim Lindop that everyone present were at least sub 35 mins runners. So a strong crew of runners. Tom shot to the front with Serg and Durante and Tucks in close pursuit. Fats, Charlie, Phil Dove were right behind and I tucked in right behind the boys. I had my heart rate monitor on for the first time but I am not sure if it's reading my heart rate correctly. Max heart rate for the session was 175.

Reps went as follows

Rep 1 3.40 (avg heart rate 150 for the rep dropping to 130 during the recovery)
Rep 2 3.38 (avg heart rate 159 for the rep dropping to 139 during the recovery)
Rep 3 3.39 (avg heart rate 157 for the rep dropping to 143 during the recovery)
Rep 4 3.40 (avg heart rate 154 for the rep dropping to 144 during the recovery)
Rep 5 3.39 (avg heart rate 155 for the rep)

On the 17th April the reps (3.51, 3.39, 3.44, 3.44, 3.43) & on the 20th Mar (3.54, 3.53, 3.52, 3.53, 3.51). So today was pretty fast for me. Tom dominated from the front today with very fast reps, Serg is definitely on the comeback he really needs to get his long runs in and should contemplate running the half as a long tempo on Sunday. On Durante's form he is likely to leave myself and Enda in his wake after 15k. Fats who faded a little on the last two reps will run a pb.
I've uploaded a clip from Tokyo, Truscott was right it's pretty difficult to converse with the Japanese. The girls thought they'd organised a dinner for around $30 a head but when we got to the top floor of building with panoramic views of Tokyo, I was thinking this is a bargin. Then we were then escorted into a private room with our own waiter and cook. I turned to Gillo as said "this is not going to cost $30 a head. It definitely didn't cost $30 a head! Anyhow watch the clip carefully and you'll see jumping prawns at the start. The voice over is Big Bear...

Jumping Prawns

10k stroll in the domain

Easy 1Ok run in the domain with a work colleague Bron. We chatted about the Sydney half on Sunday. Looking forward to it now..

"To taper or not to taper that is the question"

Tough session today - 45 Farklek 1 min on - 30 sec off! Tom, Serg, Tucks and Charlie went straight to the front. I was on my own for the session, caught Tim C after 3k, at that point I was running the fast reps at approx 3.25 pace and the slower ones in around 4.10 pace. Kept with Tim C and at the half way point cover a little over 6k. From then on, i was a little confused and my garmin was acting up and ended up mixing up the fast and slow reps. Anyhow Tim C dropped me on the way back to the Opera House and Tom and the boys came steaming by me a little after that. Ended up finishing slightly ahead of the Art Gallery. All up not that sure but approx 11.8k. So I was a little slower on the way back.
"To taper or not that is the question", given the Sydney half is not a priority I will rock up Hickson road on Thurs for a tough session. Not many programs recommend this but noticed Ryan Hall's coach Terence McMahon has 2 tough interval sessions incorporated into the final week of the his recommended half program.

Long run

Met up with the boys (Mike, Durante, Guy and Eoin) for a long run in Centennial at 7am. Happy to sit at the back of the pack for a 2 hour run. All up 26km for me. Glad we didn't push the pace after another night on the town (went to the league test with Liv, Gerso and Luc and ended up playing pool late into the night. Liv and I smashed Gerso and Luc on several occasions...

Friday stroll

What a beautiful day for running. Met up with Tom, Springer and Serg was a nice easy run in the domain. All up around 9k. Legs were a little tired...

Drinking in the morning sun....

Moving from party to party should have negative impact on running but it's not the case. Out with the HuRT squad today for a session of 400*12 off 2 mins. I've always liked the 400 session and when I've previously complete 8 by 72 off 60 sec it was always a good indication that I was travelling well.
Today the reps were run off went as follows (50 sec avg recovery)
71, 70, 69, 70, 70, 70, 70, 71, 71, 70, 71, 69
This is the fastest 4OO session that i've completed - so I was very happy with the effort. Durante, Serg and Tom lead from the front averaging 67. I was always a few yards back and for most of the session Tim C was just behind me. For the the 10th, 11th rep Fats and Anthony pushed the rep and they finished just ahead of me. I was keen to finish up after 10th rep as the legs were feeling heavy but with 10 sec left, I urged Serg to run the last 2 reps with me. Both of us surprised each other and pushed final two reps. Don't need to build the kid up anymore but Durante was looking very strong today, so much so he averaged 67 and ran a very fast last lap. Tom is no longer worried, he's concerned and rightly so. Good to see Michael K out, Anthony looked v strong even with a new baby boy recently added to the family. Mike Conway is looking very strong and he will break 35 with ease at North Head in June. Looking forward to a few quiet evenings in, can't see it happening until early next week..

So throw those curtains wide!
One day like this a year’d see me right!

Envelope Day

Out with the HuRT Squad on envelope day at Macquarie is not a good idea. Anyhow I arrived late as a result of a few glasses of champagne to celebrate the occasion. Ended up 6* 5 mins off 90 secs. The drink went to my head as I decided to say at the front with Tom, Durante, Serg and Charlie Low for 4 of the reps. The pace was 3.18 as per my garmin. Legs were feeling pretty heavy and I decided to drop back for the 5th rep and ran it with Mike in 3.29. For the last rep just tried to keep it together and ran a little quicker with the final rep in 3.23. Tom looked a little tried today which is no surprise after his effort at the weekend. Serg is coming back to form and has 8 weeks to the GC to prove his class and i've no doubt he will. Durante looked like a cheetah today, I can't see anyone stop him over the last 400m of a race. His endurance is coming along nicely and Tom must be worried. I gave a number of books to Durante at the weekend, I was disappointed that he didn't read Noakes but very impressed that he read Herb Elliot's 'winning attitudes' and was able to tell me why Herb would always beat his nemisis Merv Lincoln. When Durante runs over the top of Tom in N Head in Sept, I won't put the $50 in my envelope, I'm happy to give it charity...

Photos from the State 10K

Leading from the front ;) Is that Durante behind me!

Nearing the end of the race

Ger at the front with Gillo right behind

Ger finishing
Gillo finishing















Out for an easy run with Mike today, the legs felt good even with all the km's in them from the weekend.

Sunday morning with the boys

Met up with Durante, Mike, Guy, Serg and Steven Thursten in Centennial. After completing the 6k loop Serg brought us on 7.5k loop that incorporated more trail/grass. We all really liked the loop so much so we completed it twice. We kept the pace at 4.39 avg and increased the pace slightly for the 6k loop and with about 3k left Serg increased the pace again (3.50 avg) as we tackled the long drag (1.5k) up towards Wollarha gates, Serg dropped out (citing chafing problems) as we crossed the road to push the last 700m, Steven showed his class (he's run 13.38 for 5k - no joke he's run over the top of Mottram on several occasions) and Durante and I ran together about 5 yards back as we powered up the hill. Glad to get to the top and shortly afterward we were joined by Mike as we approach the Oxford Street gates. All up 27k with an avg pace of 4.34.

So many roads, so much at stake

Very happy to go sub 35 again, it was a long time coming as the last time I ran sub 35 was Oct '06. Crossed the line in 34.48. I had a decent warm-up with Tom, Mike and Durante and kept convincing myself that I could run sub 35 again.
I decided to out hard to give myself the best chance of success and ran with Durante for about 3.5k. Got to half way in approx 17.15 and really just hung in from there but I did pick up a few people from 8km onwards.
I had the pleasure of running the last km with my sis-in-law Gerso who also ran a 3 min pb crossing the line in 48.11. Gillo also my sis-in-law broke the magical 50 min barrier crossing the line 49.35. Big Bear pb'd with a fantastic 41.06. Fats with a cold pb'd with a super 33.20 and what about Tom with 4 kids to look after (well credit must go to his wife) smashed his pb by 30 odd sec crossing the line in 32.26. What can I say, really excited about the Sydney half coming up and will have a good crack at my 10k pb in North Head in June. This game is all about hard work and confidence and I am beginning to think Noakes is bang on the money with his central governor theory...more about that later.
Another Dylan favourite of mine
So many roads, so much at stake
So many dead ends, I'm at the edge of the lake
Sometimes I wonder what it's gonna take
To find dignity

It's not dark yet, but it's getting there

Lots of easy running in the last few days as i've been trying to recover from the Novice 10k. Out early this morning with Durante for a 5*800 session. We averaged 2.37and to be honest I was never totally comfortable, which is strange as this is one of my favourite sessions. Will take it easy for the next few days and hoepfully the legs will recover for Homebush. It's not the end of the world as we know it...as I will feel fine by Saturday....

Shadows are falling and I've been here all day
It's too hot to sleep time is running away
Feel like my soul has turned into steel
I've still got the scars that the sun didn't heal
There's not even room enough to be anywhere
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there

Where did it all go wrong?

Rested on Friday after a big night out on Thurs with some of the HuRT squad(Mike, Terence, Enda, Durante, Eoin and Eamonn). Ended up having a few too many with Durante still it's no excuse for my performance in the 10K Novice on Saturday. Ended up running 36.01 a good minute down on Durante. After 4k my legs just felt heavy and I felt I was going backwards. I was shattered when I got home after the race, my back and my knee were killing me and I decided to stay in watch the box even with Livo away for the long weekend.
Met up with the big crew(Enda, Mike, Durante, Guy, Terence & Annabell) for a long run and it was a struggle to get to centennial. Durante and I really struggled early on and we even felt like pulling the plug after 40 mins. Terence was also feeling it after running 14k on the soft sand on Sat. Enda and Annabell were the only ones that looked comfortable as we average 4.35m/k for the hilly 6k loop in Cenntennial. We completed 4 loops and averaged 4.25m/k for 24k. It was strange the faster we got the better Durante and I felt. It was pleasing to feel good pushing the last hill. So maybe it not as bad as it seems. Next weekend will tell....

Serg not happy with my form

Durante looking strong..
Serg on his way to an impressive 34.40

Who are you gunning for?

Out for an Easy 12k run on Wed which incorporated 7k with my sis in law Gerso, she is flying at the moment and will definitely PB next week at the state 10k. After work spent some time in the gym working on my core and incorporated various other strength work.

Out with the HuRT squad (Tom, Serg, the Judge, Fats, Mike Conway, Durante, Greg, Phil W and Mike Race) for the Mona Fartlek. Decided to take it a little easy today with the 10k Novice on the weekend, so I and I decided to push the fast sections and take it really easy on the floats. The fast sections were controlled but I felt as if Durante was holding back and could of went faster if he wanted too. When we got to the Macquarie's chair my stomach didn't feel great (probably as a result of the morning tea), I was glad that we were on the 30 sec at that stage.

Tom looked very strong today and will definitely break 33 next week. Fats will also run a pb next week in Homebush and I put a bet on with Serge that the Judge will break 32 mins next week. Still raining in Sydney, it's going to be a mud race on Saturday...Lots of banter at the moment, everyone is gunning for someone...

Shelter from the Storm

Out with the HuRT Squad today for 12 * 3 mins with a 60 sec recovery. Tom was absence again but there was a big crew (Serg, Durante, Tim C, Springer, Tucks, Pete Walker, Greg, Brad, Adam, Mike Race and a few new faces).
Judge Drev went straight to the front for each rep (running 3.10 appox). I settled in the front with Serg and Durante for most of the reps. Fats also hovered near the front as did Tim C. There was a bit of a headwind from the Opera Hse gates but in saying that the weather was perfect for running. Serg pushed the last two reps but I stuck to the 3.20 avg pace as I was thinking about the Novice 10k race at the weekend.
The pace of the reps were as follows 3.21, 3.23, 3.23 3.22, 3.25, 3.22, 3.19, 3.20, 3.20, 3,18, 3.16, 3.15 (The rep pace was inconsistent with Serg's garmin reading. I do recall vatman mentioning the 305 was more accurate. See comparison. To be honest it makes no real difference, as the last time I did this session I average 3.30 pace on my garmin and I only completed 10 reps so I am happy with the improvement.
Some points of note, Serg is getting stronger and I can see a breakthrough coming in the next month or so. Durante was very strong today and I think he will run sub 34 on Sat if the weather is good. Not sure what's happening on the weather front at the moment. Really need this rain to stop if I am going to run a decent time on Saturday. As some of you might know already, Berlin is calling.....

Do you like what you’re doing? Would you do it some more?

Friday: Ran into work (normally wouldn't mention this but Durante spotted me on the way in). Went out for a 50 mins easy run at lunch, was suppose to meet up with Serg but was delayed getting out. Ended up meeting Springer.

Saturday: Easy 8k run, cross training session that incorporated some bike work, squats, lunges, core work and leg exercises.

Sunday: Up relatively late and ran to centennial (2k) at 4.55 pace, then completed 3 6k loops incorporating the inside track and pushing the pace up the hill towards Wollahra gates (approx 4.32 pace overall). Finished off with 2 1k reps at approx 4m/k. Took it easy on the run back to Surry Hills. All up close to 25k in 1 hr 51 mins. Maybe it's the autumn weather but I am really enjoying running at the moment...

Hickson Road 1.2k by 5

Smaller crowd that usual (Serg, Fats, Mike Conway, Durante, Darrren and Richard). The first rep is always tough for this session but I felt a lot more comfortable once I got into the session. This is a V02 max session and I was pretty pleased with the pace k/m (averaging around 3.12). Serg looked stronger today and I think the shorter sharp sessions suit him. Fats was holding back as he is racing at the weekend.
The reps went as follows 3.51, 3.39, 3.44, 3.44, 3.43 which compares favourably to last time I completed this session (3.54, 3.53, 3.52, 3.53, 3.51). Serg commented afterwards that Tom would be disappointed with our splits. You can tell Tom when you see him I was happy with my splits.

Easy Wednesday

12k easy run in the morning and a cross training session after work, left knee has been playing up so I focussed on stretching my hamstrings/calves and strenghtening my quads. Incorporated some cardio with spin session and finished off with some core work.

HuRT squad 45 Fartleg (1 min on, 30 sec float)

Out with the HuRT squad again today. The regular crew were in attendance - Mike, Serg, Tom, Enda, Tim C, Durante, Judge, Greg, Phil Dove etc. For this session last time my average pace was 3.57 k/m (running with Enda and we held the fast reps at approx 3.35 pace and the slower one crept out to 4.35. I felt good today and took it a little easier at the start. Tom, Judge, Serg and Phil took off. After about 12 mins into the session I asked Durante to increase his pace so we could run together. We began averaging about 3.25 for the fast reps and 4.17 for the slow reps. Durante was keen to push the fast ones and keep the floats at a modest pace. Tim C who was out in front dropped back as did Serg and we pushed all the way to the bottom of hill in the domain before the climb to the Art Gallery. We turned around at 22 mins 30 secs and focussed on catching Enda and Mike on the return leg. We went by Enda and Mike near steps in the domain and from Circular quay we pushed the pace. Serg dropped off after 10k (to go back to work) and myself, Durante and Tim C continued to push the fast reps along Hickson Road until we got back to the finish. All up covered 12.3k with an average pace of 3.39. After reviewing each rep, the 30 fast reps were run at 3.25 pace (approx) covering 298m approx. The 30 floats varied a little more, the avg pace was 4.15 covering about 120m. So really this session is 30*300 (3.25 pace) with floats of 120m (4.15 pace). The floats were definitely inconsistent. They were quicker at the start and then slowed during the middle (some avging 4.30) but they got quicker again. Durante and Tim C were very strong as was Tom at the front. Enda took it easy again. Quality session. All up about 16k.

Photos from Canberra

Uncle at the finish of the 50k
Dave crossing the line
Kate coming to the finish line
Kate finishing...













Tucks passing the 10k mark


Canberra in Autumn

From Canberra to London

On Saturday went out for a run with Mike Conway, Terence, Durante and Colin Gibbons. Very hilly run, I've covered 8k by the time I got down to the guys in North Bondi. We then went out of bondi and up towards Watson Bay, Double Bay, Edgecliff and back into Centennial. All up about 26.5k in 2.05.

I do love Canberra in autumn. Plenty of colour and the temp is great for running. It was a pleasure to watch Uncle Dave and Tucks battle it out at the front. Springer, Mike Race showed plenty of character and produced great times. Kate Coburn ran a super race with a 25 min pb finishing up in 3.13. Both Blue Dog and Superflake will bounce back and run a sub 3hr for the next one. Just waiting for Tim in London now...and he came home in a pb of 2.47.50. Well done mate..of note Tim bangs out a pb every year...well done mate!

Marathon weekend

Easy 40 mins run on my own. Another glorious day for running. Looking forward to heading down to Canberra at the weekend to watch the marathon. It will be interesting to see how everyone goes. I should get back in plenty of time on Sunday to logon and check Tim's progress in London.

Speed play

Very busy at the moment so just got out for an easy 8k run with Tom on Wednesday. I knew I wouldn't get out with the HuRT squad today so I got up early and went down to Rushcutters and did an interval session of 12*400 with a 50 sec standing recovery. The reps were covered in 74 secs. The first few and the last few were tough. This session is easier to do with a group.

Dave Kane pre-surgery

Out with the HuRT squad for 6 by 5 mins with a 90 sec recovery. I discussed pacing with Mike and Enda at the start and was planning on running 3.35 (supposedly half marathon pace) thus making this a lactate threshold session. Maybe it was the cross training yesterday but I felt real good out there today and the session was essentially a V02 max session as I was running a fair bit quicker than my current 10k pace. I felt like the Dave Kane pre-surgery, running smoothly without really pushing it. There was no real strategy but I took it easy at the start of each rep and lifted the pace slightly after 2 mins of running. Tom and the Judge Drev looked comfortable at the front running 3.20s. Serg was out of sorts as he is just coming back from a bout of illness. Enda is taking a leaf from Charlie's book and running very controlled at 3.35 pace and Mike who is also returning from illness stayed with Enda throughout. Durante was strong for all the reps and looked strong (my bet is safe, he will run 32.37 in GC). Anthony looked strong throughout and is likely to be a Dad by the next time the HuRT squad meet - hope it all goes well. Springer took it easy today as he preparing for Canberra at the weekend and my guess is that he will cruise to 2.44.

The pace of the reps were as follows 3.28, 3.26, 3.27, 3.22, 3.25, 3.14.

The times they are a-changin'

Sat - Lane Cove 10k
The Stiders series was back to the hilly lane cove. With the cold I had during the week I was going to give it a miss but decided on Friday to head out and have a crack. Ended up with 35.20 which i was very happy with. The only splits I got were 10.32 at 3k, 17.58 at 5k and 32.11 at 9k. Hopefully I can continue the improvement (36.10 Lane Cove Feb, 35.57 North Head Mar)and dip under 35 in Homebush next month. Some very impressive runs from the HuRT squad with Tom running a very fast 33.16. Tim with 35.52 can now look forward to attacking his marathon pb in London. The girls (Liv, Gill & Ger) decided not run as they don't like hills. Note there will be a few hills in the Sydney half in May. As for Big Bear he's opted for early hibernation. I'll just keep plugging away.
Sun - 24k - 1.50
Throat was a little sore this morning and I had a good few drinks at Sonja's birthday bash yesterday so I texted Terence early and told him I'd give it a miss but 20 mins later jumped out of bed and got on the road to centennial. Ran on my own for the first 30 mins and then bumped into Tim who was running at a lot faster than my 4.45k/m. Kept with Tim for another 40 odd minutes (last long run for Tim before London) and ran on my own for the rest of the session keeping the average pace to 4.36 which felt pretty comfortable.

3x3k

Out with the HuRT squad today. Feeling crook this morning but felt running the session might actually sweat the cold out of me. Large crowd again - Charlie, Fats, Enda, Tom, Mike, Tim, Peter Walker, Ray, Anthony, Judge Drev, Springer and Mike Race. Durante was there but didn't run the session as he is recovering from a cold.
Stayed near the front for the 1st rep as the pace was relatively comfortable even with the hills (pace 3.38). The second rep was a lot easier with the downhill section(pace 3.24). Mike dropped out after the 2nd as he didn't feel well. I opted for the 3rd rep and struggled up the hills letting Enda get away from me. Fats, Anthony, Tom, Charlie and the Judge were a good 60m ahead. I was surprised that I ran the last rep in 3.38 pace. I jogged back down the hill feeling pretty ordinary. Some of the boys opted for a 4th rep and I'm not sure where they get the energy. Looking forward to attempting four reps the next time this session comes around. Fats and Tom looked very strong today, it's a pity Fats is not running Lane Cove this weekend as he would have a very good crack at his pb. I plan to rest and try to get rid of this cold...