Misty morning

5 x 950m(approx)with 50-60 sec SR, 3k WU, 3k WD

This morning featured the mistiest morning I can recall in Brisbane in my time training with the PCRG. We could hadly see the other side of the River and even part of the Story Bridge and its lights were obscured from just a few hundred metres away. For safety reasons, Pat moved the session from Riverside Drive to under the Story Bridge and so off we headed, passing the Dutch replica ship, the Duyfken moored at Customs House along the way.

It fair effort for me this morning given I'm around 90% recovered from the cold. I wasn't far behind A-Team in the first 950m rep covered in 3:25, but that took a fair bit out of me. I could have easily flogged myself and kept doing those splits but
eased off and ran to how I felt. I ran 3.25, 3.31, 3.39, 3.41 and then 4:13 tempo
for a fifth one k rep instead of 2 x 500's. A lot of people put in a hard effort this morning and as a result, nobody accompanied me as I cruised back to the Ship Inn at 4:20-4:30 pace.

Shins were a little achey mid morning - not surprising given the cold and I
took the opportunity to lie down, relax and watch a few West Wing DVD's.

Clairie's constant nagging, insisting I quit Fitness First for the good of my health is starting to get through somewhat. I've decided to reduce my treadmill sessions from six per fortnight to four. I think most of the muscle memory benefits for my running gait that have been brought about by treadmill running have been realised but I will do another three months just to be sure. In November, I will bid farewell to that abominable germ ridden cesspit and try and find an open air gym for weekly or fortnightly Wednesday mid week long runs on a tready.

Km's this week - 19
Km's this month - 157
Km's this year - 830
Consecutive alcohol free days - 60

Back in action

8k recovery run @ 5:15 mins/km

Stated my day by going to QSMC at the Gabab for my second preventative physio session with Shane Lemcke. Shane was happy with how I had managed to free up my hips over the past month with golf ball self massaging exercises. He proclaimed me in fairly good working order and I will go back and see him in six weeks. In the meantime, I'll continue to spend 5-10 minutes with the golf ball five or six times a week. I'll use the golf ball on my rig ht tensor fascia lata under the right hips and also on the top of my left glute.

Dropped into Fitness First on the way home for 8k's on the tready. The body was a little weak intially and I worked up a bigger sweat than normal but felt great afterward. Fitness First remains a prime suspect for causing all my ill health this year, but fortunately, I've only got three months left of regular treadmill running. Believe me when I say I'm paranoid about disinfecting the tready prior to use and taking great care not to bring my hands anywear near my nose and mouth after I have entered the building!

Km's this week - 8
Km's this month - 146
Km's this year - 819
Consecutive alcohol free days - 59

Wipeout

I've been floored by this cold/sore throat for almost a week now. On the weekend it mutated into a runny nose and watery eyes. My body and legs have been weak and achey so since my last run on Tuesday, running has been out of question. Even Clairie would not have been able to run under these circumstances.

I've ruled out speedwork with the PCRG for Tuesday and will go on Thursday instead. Am still hoping to be sufficiently recovered for a easy 10k recovery run sometime late tomorrow.

An ill timed sore throat

I awoke yesterday keen to enjoy an annual leave day only to find that I had come down with a mild sore throat, if any sore throat can be called that. This is my first cold or flu since late May and hopefully I'll shake it quickly. The body was somewhat lethargic and the shins were a little achey as is usually the case when I come down with something. I'm not feeling a great deal better today and will be delaying my Thursday speedwork session till Friday.

All going well, I should still get through the week without missing any training or reducing mileage.

PCRG resumes speedwork

8x 1 min with 45 sec SR, 3k WU, 3k WD

A large contingent fronted at the Ship Inn this morning eager for some hard running after two weeks of easy runs following the Gold Coast events. I was feeling fantastic upon arrival, but nevertheless, by the time we reached the Story Bridge, I was feeling a little weak with hunger. This had its roots in the events of Sunday night when i cooked a delicious beef stir fry with plenty of rice - half for dinner and half for lunch on Monday. The first thing that came to mind upon awakening on Monday morning was "f%#^ - did I remember to put the stir fry in the fridge?" Sadly, I hadn't and was certainly not going to risk eating a possibly bacteria infested meal. In hindsight, having salad for lunch yesterday didn't provide me with enough energy and even the pizza for dinner last night and the large bowl of porridge before training weren't enough to top up my energy reserves. Fortuantely, I had enough left in the tank to spend the session running with Gerard who normally does his efforts in the vincity of the 3:35 min/km pace I wanted to do today. I ran with control and managed to resist that little voice in my head saying 'Go on - floor it and beat everyone else this rep!" I wrapped up a pleasantly satisfying session with a brisk tempo run back to the Ship Inn with Langy and Wayne.

Now, I just have to try and eat a little more on Monday's and Wednesday's in particular to ensure I'm fueled for all speedwork sessios.

Km's this week - 9
Km's this month - 138
Km's this year - 800
Consecutive alcohol free days - 51

Sunday - Longest run of the year!

Fri - 10k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Sun - 24k's @ 4:55 mins/km

The plantar fasciitis continued to slowly recover over the weekend and I was able to get through my longest run of the year to date without any issues. I treated myself to a Sunday long run along the Kedron Brook path and just motored along throughout with a narrow range of kilometre splits between 4:51 and 4:59. Just as pleasing as the run was my rapid recovery with little soreness or tiredness in the legs as the day wore on. Bring on the Noosa Half.

The PCRG had their annual dinner on Saturday night and whilst there was little doubt that most people had a fabulous time, the sober Matty found it a little harder to get into the groove! The evening really rammed home how much alcohol assists a good time, either as a social lubricant or relaxant. That's not to say I sat quietly in a corner all night, because I made every effort to throw myself into the thick of the festivities, taking the mike after dinner to take the piss out of a few team mates with some gags and outstaying MJ and Langy who both departed before me.


Km's this week - 55
Km's this month - 129
Km's this year - 791
Consecutive alcohol free days - 49

PF recovery continues...

4 x 500 @ 1:50's. 90sec SR, 4kWU, 5k WD

The PF continues to recover well and I can still walk and run without discomfort. Even when I bend back my toes and use my thumb knuckles for a torturous self massage session, I only endure just pain instead of excruciating agony!! I've heard enough stories from those who have battled PF for months of years but my progress so far gives me cause for quiet optimism.

A nice session on the tready this morning - buildup to the Noosa Half continues nicely.

Km's this week - 21
Km's this month - 95
Km's this year - 757
Consecutive alcohol free days - 46

Two careless mistakes.....

2 x 1k @ 3:38, 3:27 with 90 SR, 4k WU, 4k WD.

Yesterday saw the inch long area of discomfort in my plantar fasciitis lengthen all the way from the ball to the heel. Fortunately, I was still able to walk with very little discomfort. Nevertheless, I made an emergency appointment to see my regular podiatrist, Ashley Mahoney at UQ this afternoon. After I fessed up to some of the stupid things I've done recently, Ash pinpointed the following as most probably causing my PF problem

1 - Running about 200m of the Gold Coast Half Marathon backwards. It seemed like a good idea at the time to turn around and offer some encouragement to the pack I was pacing, but I'm paying the price for it now. Ash says that instead of the normal process of PF inflexion when running, it did the opposite, probably causing a small tear that has slowly lengthened over the past week whilst also creating tightness in the area.

2 - Letting the mileage of one pair of my Brooks Glycerin 4's blow out to 826k's - at least 100k's past their retirement date. This, to a much lesser extent was another problem. I normally check my shoe mileage before every pod appt, but rescheduled my last two appts, leading to this debacle. It didn't help that my orthotics masked the breakdown of the shoe's midsection to some degree. Nevertheless, this is an amateur mistake and I'm quite cranky with myself for it!

On the bright side, I've been doing most things right in my treatment of the PF so far. Ash now has me taping it up with strapping tape and says I get to keep using Ally's Strasburg sock. Ash also suggested telling Bruno to 'go medium' at my next rub on Friday. However, i'm not sure Bruno understands the concept of medium... :) Oh yeah, did I mention I can keep running?

Driving home from the appointment with Ash, I couldn't bear the thought of going to the gym so did my session at Kedron Brook at dusk. With a full moon reflecting of the Kedron Brook channel leading to the bay, I did my first k along the smooth bitumen path next to the channel into a reasonable headwind. Targetting 3:40's for the session, I opened with a nice 3:38. I told myself to take it easy for the second k with the tailwind sure to be worth five seconds and was surprised to record 3:27, with plenty left in the tank. Its nice to be running that fast again :)

Km's this week - 10
Km's this month - 84
Km's this year - 746
Consecutive alcohol free days - 44

Brisbane Road Runners 14k

Fri - 10k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Sun - 23k's @ about 4:50 mins/km

After an easy and discomfort free recovery run on Friday, I continued my efforts to shake off my nagging PF problem in the left foot. Fortunately, Bruno is only a few hundred metres from my place so I ducked into see him between appt's and he assessed my problem as a tight tendon and recommended four minutes of self massage or icing twice per day to go with some stretching. I've also had a good chat with Ally and borrowed her Strassburg sock to sleep in. http://www.thesock.com/

With no speedwork at Pat's this week, I was free to do a Sunday Long Run for my weekly non treadmill run this morning! Gees - only someone who has spent several months running on a treadmill can appreciate how much better it is to run in the great outdoors. Anyway, I went to West End and with my running mate for the morning, Langy nowhere to be seen, I renewed my BRRC membership and entered the 14k race. Still no sign of Langy when Race Director Robbie Lofthouse sent the field on its way. Normally, I would use an event like this to practice my pacing, but my brain was in neutral and I was busy thinking of a practical joke I could play on Langy for standing me up this morning. So I rolled along clocking a range of splits between 4:33 and 5:05 in very cool, but beautiful conditions. Its always a bit funny doing an easy run whilst others around you race the event. Its very easy to get carried away and find yourself trying to reel in the person in front of you! The PF behaved itself and I finished the 14k and then after a quick chat with the ladies winner, Tesso(you indestructible thing!) I did another 7k loop followed by a 2k out and back to wrap up the proceedings for the morning.

Hit the pool for 20 minutes cold water recovery upon arrival at home(I try to do approximately 1 min in pool per k run). This morning, I did this standing on the third step down with the water freezing my legs and sun heating my back whilst I ate porridge and read the Sunday Mail - aaah the simple pleasures! Went back to bed and put the Skins on and read some more of the paper before I treated myself to half a custard tart from Carby's Bakehouse for morning tea. Not a small custard tart mind you - a family sized one! I earned it!


Km's this week - 53
Km's this month - 74
Km's this year - 736
Consecutive alcohol free days - 42

QUEENSLANDER!!!!!! Plus upcoming goals

4 x 500 @ 1:52's with 90 sec SR. 4k WU, 4k WD.

Well, didn't we get to see a helluva game last night? I drove out to D-Bay to watch the game at RooBoy's place and we were quietly confident of a good showing. Despite appalling reffing and a 16 point turnaround for NSW early in the second half, the old Qld spirit came to the fore yet again!! What a magical finish. I felt like running a Marathon right after the game - sub 3 would have never been in doubt!!! And no, Clairie, I did not have a drink and am now onto my 39th consecutive alcohol free day!

Today, the left PF continued to give me a few niggles but I got through a solid session nicely enough. Have read the chapter on PF in a book called Fixing Your Feet by John Vanhoff that MJ gave me to read some time ago and I will start doing some of the stretching exercises recommended. I'm currently wearing and old pair of runners and my orthotics around the house instead of going barefoot and am utilising the frozen water bottle twice daily. I have also emailed our resident PF expert, Ally for some advice. I'm pretty confident that I can nip this in the bud before it becomes a cause for concern.

Right now, I'm feeling pretty healthy and have done well since the detox, but am hedging my bets by not consuming milk or bread until I can rule out an allergy to either dairy or wheat. Unfortunately, the first allergist I tried to book with can't see me till the middle of October so I'm trying some more. Nevertheless, I'm training well at the moment and am feeling fit and strong. I won't be reaching full training mileage till September but will enter the Noosa Half in late August and I think I'm a reasonable chance of breaking 85 mins. That'll set me up nicely for a sub 80 min run at my following Half.

Km's this week - 20
Km's this month - 41
Km's this year - 703
Consecutive alcohol free days - 39

Tuesday - solo speedwork

2 x 1k @ 3:45 mins/km, 4k WU, 4k WD

My left Plantar Fasciitis gave me a little grief on Monday afternoon and evening so I spent some time rolling it on a frozen water bottle. I did likewise throughout Tuesday arvo at work. Causes? Possibly the PF adjusting to the increasing mileage or possibly it was the 200 or so metres of the Half Marathon I ran backwards when talking to and urging on my pace group.

Pat is only holding 50 min easy runs for the next fortnight with most of the squad and Pat himself in recovery mode after the Gold Coast so I did a session at Fitness First on my way home from work instead. The PF was just a touch uncomfortable but certainly not painful and I carefully eased my way through the session without any difficulty. The 3:45's were the fastest I have run in over six months and I did so fairly comfortably so the fitness is coming along nicely.

Am not too concerned about the PF - I think its just a little niggle but to be on the safe side, I'll consult our resident PF expert, Ally to see what she has to say.

Km's this week - 10
Km's this month - 31
Km's this year - 693
Consecutive alcohol free days - 37

Gold Coast Half Marathon

Fri - 6k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Sun - GC Half - 1:44:30

What a great weekend down the Coast! MJ and I drove down late Saturday morning and checked into the same unit we stayed at last year - a convenient 500m stroll from the start/finish area. I headed down to the Race Expo shortly afterwards and spent most of the arvo helping out R4YL publisher Dan Green at the R4YL booth, handing out freebie copies. Standing up for a few hours certainly took its toll on the legs and its certainly not something that I would I would do if I had a serious race the next day. A drive down to Coolangatta for dinner at the Aztec mexican resaurant with MJ and her mate, Megan followed. That would be another no-no for the night prior to a serious race! Then I had to get my race kit and home made 'Sub 1:45' sign ready before bed.

Awoke at 4:40 am to receive a textie from my brother Benno in the UK taking great delight in yet another Pommie choke at the World Cup and watching a nation in mourning! Before I knew it I was at the start with my pace group members gathered around me and several runners coming up and asking if they could tag along. A record Half Marathon field and the usual wannabes clogging up the front of the field ensured a slow opening k of 5:37. Fortunately, I had warned everyone that a slow start may happen. With the field opening up, I was embarrassed to over-correct with a 4:37 second k before I settled down into steady splits in the high 4:40's or low 4:50's. With a 'Sub 1:45 pacer' sign saftery pinned to the back of my singlet, I was picking up heaps of runners along the way who wanted to join in. Some humour for my pace group came when I ducked into the bushes at 6k for a brief toilet stop and then sprinted 400 metres to catch up with the pack. Shortly afterwards, I really got into the zone and reeled off seven consecutive k's of either 4:55 or 4:56. By 15k's some of my pack were feeling good and moving ahead but I kept everyone else in the mid 4:50's, telling them to stick with me for a low or sub 1:44. With three k's to go, I urged anyone who was up to it to go on ahead and was very proud when most of them did. The spectators were lined up everywhere in the last few k's and it was a great atmosphere. I stopped about 300 metres from the finish with my watch reading 1:43 and spent a minute urging everyone to dig in and break sub 1:45. Then i sprinted for the line myself, stopping my watch at 1:44:30.

I then made my way quickly through the recovery area and back to the PCRG tent to change, grabbed my notebook and media pass and headed out to watch the Sub 3hr pack run by in the Marathon. I then saw Troopy's win and was part of the media scrum getting quotable quotes from him afterward. Following that, I dashed down to the 1k mark for the 10k race to record some splits and then scooted back to the finish line to catch the sub 3hr Marathoners cross the line. It was very poignant watch numerous sub 3hr runners achieve exactly what I want to achieve next year. I was going off like a nut when Glenda crossed the line in 2:55:XX - it was a fantastic moment for Glenda who has tried so long and so hard to get that sub 3 - viewing it was one of the highlights of my day! I then caught the finish of the 10k race and hung out with team mates at the PCRG tent.

Normally, I'd have stayed down the Gold Coast and partied on but with my alcohol ban, I just didn't feel like celebrating whilst clutching a bottle of water and had to go to work anyway so it was back up the highway to Brissy for me. I did manage to head out to Suncorp Stadium to catch a gutsy Baby Broncos win over the Sharkies before heading into work. With R4YL going to print on Wednesday, I put together an intro and 10k race report to go with the rest of the article that Greeny will pull together before putting in a few hours work.

Gees - it was a long day, but I was very satisfied to get the most out of it!

NB - The above picture kindly provided by PCRG's Mike J shows me cruising down the finish chute about 500m from the line.


Km's this week - 45
Km's this month - 21
Km's this year - 683
Consecutive alchol free days - 35

Tagged

I have been tagged by Ally

4 jobs I have had:
- Paper Boy - loved to throw the paper 20m across the yard dead accurate onto front door mat!
- Assistant cabinetmaker - one day only!
- Assistant librarian
- Reader Analyst(reading newspapers)

4 movies I could watch over and over:
- Indiana Jones
- James Bond
- Die Hard
- Without Limits - Steve Prefontaine

4 places I have lived:
- Caboolture
- Bribie Island
- Scarborough
- Wavell Heights

4 TV shows I love to watch:
- West Wing
- Seinfeld
- The Sopranos
- Without a Trace

4 places I have been on vacation:
- Melbourne for the Cox Plate
- Sydney for Sydney 2000
- Mooloolaba for the Mooloolaba Tri
- Gold Coast for the Gold Coast Marathon


4 websites I visit each day:
- hotmail.com
- foxsports.com.au
- blogger.com
- tradingroom.com.au

4 favorite foods:
- my home made pizza
- steak on the barbie
- cheesecake
- mango

4 places I would rather be right now:
- at start line of the Beijing Olympic Marathon wearing an Australian singlet
- in a basement in a small German town using medieval torture devices on the ref who gifted the Italian Diving Team a penalty kick on Monday night.
- preparing for the Ashes this summer with the Australian cricket team
- in a pub

4 favorite bands/singers:
- music is a waste of my time

4 Bloggers I am tagging:
- Robert Song, Superflake, Vat_Man, Langy/Rith

Recovery week

Tues - 3k's in 11:26, 4k WU, 3k WD
Thurs - 4 x 500's @ 1:55's, 3k WU, 3K WD

After increasing the mileage steadily over the past month, its time for a recovery week! Freshening up a little for my sub 1:45 pacing duties at the Goldie this weekend doesn't hurt either. I currently have six runners in the Group and will probably pick up some more between now and then so it should be a fun day.

Saw Shane Lemcke on Monday for preventative physio, which I will now do every 4-6 weeks. Shane reckons I'm in fair order but the right hip is protruding forward a fraction, so he's given me some exercise to help free things up around the hips. So out comes the golf ball which to place at trigger points and then lie on.

Tuesday saw the Group doing 3-4k's at GC race pace, but there was no need for me to do that and instead I increased my speed by another five seconds down to 3:50's. It was nice to be up front ahead of most of the Group bar Jodie as I rolled along comfortably to record 11:26 for three k's. I felt comfortable enough to think that I could do 10:30 at next months 3K TT without trouble, but that's probably a sign that its been too long since I was running at that speed and have forgotten how hard it is!!

Some DOMS in the quads this morning - but got through a short speedwork session on the tready with no problems. Shins are feeling the best they have in a long time at present!

Life's good!!

Km's this week - 18
Km's this month - 197
Km's this year - 657
Consecutive alchol free days - 32

Detox concludes

Friday - 10k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Sunday - 21k's @ 5:00 mins/km

I've done it!! Not that there was any doubt that I was going to see out the detox to the very bitter end, but gees its great to eat some real food again. Ok, the Maccas Quarter Pounder meal I had for lunch today is not real food, but being only my third visit to Maccas this year, I'm sure you'll forgive me. To celebrate, I took MJ out to dinner at Chillies Mexican restaurant on Sandgate Rd at Clayfield where we enjoyed a nice meal - I had the Chilli Con Carne. MJ, being the Mexican food connissuer, rates Montezeuma's on Gympie Rd at Kedron as a better Mexican joint. Apart from lunch and dinner, I eased carefully out of detox mode, avoiding milk and bread among other things. I will slowly phase them back in over the next few days. I can't say that the detox has drastically improved my health, but I can certainly say that I feel at least 10-20% better than I did a few weeks ago and eagerly await any possible long term benefits. One interesting thing I've noted is that I've hardly had to blow my nose in the last fortnight whereas I normally do so several times a day(I've had a runny nose most of my life). There is a good chance that I have a mild allergy to dairy or wheat and an upcoming appointment with an allergist will tell me more.

After a long day at work today, I ran out of time to make it to Fitness First for my tready run so for my longest run of the year to date, starting at 5pm, I cruised from the Breaky Creek Hotel to the Ship Inn and back for 106 mins of running. Did it easily too. Nevertheless, my legs did remind me that its been a while since I did this kind of mileage - particularly my knees. My nipples, which are normally chafe free up to 25k also protested a little but otherwise I pulled up fantastic.

Gold Coast Half this weekend. I will be taking an unofficial Cool Running Sub 1:45 pace group so if you know anyone who wants to come along for the ride, drop me a line here.



Km's this week - 51
Km's this month - 179
Km's this year - 639
Consecutive alchol free days - 28

Thursday - Close call

10k's @ 5:00-5:15 mins/km

Hit the tready at around 9am this morning for a planned 6 x 500m speedwork session. Fifteen minutes into a 20 minute warmup, I weakened dramatically and by 17 minutes, I had to stop because I was feeling faint. In fact I haven't been closer to passing out since I had some kind of reaction about an hour after getting a TB vaccine injection at De La Salle College in 89 or 90.

The cause? I forgot to defrost the chicken before leaving for work on Wednesday and with 4kg of frozen chicken jammed in the freezer, enough was enough! I wasn't buying any more! So I settled for a dinner of mashed potato and pumpkin with brocolli followed by porridge for desert. More porridge followed for breakfast, but clearly I didn't get enough energy. After a 20 min rest, a gluten/dairy free energy bar and lots of water, I ditched the 6 x 500 carefully eased through 33 mins at 5:15 to complete the session.

Am thoroughly sick to death of the detox. Would kill for my home made pizza, a Coke and chocolate RIGHT NOW! Nevertheless, I will persevere till Monday. I may even set the alarm for midnight before going to bed on Sunday and raid the fridge for a midnight junkfood snack!


Km's this week - 20
Km's this month - 148
Km's this year - 608
Consecutive alchol free days - 25

Tuesday - PCRG - 3KTT

3KTT - 11:45, 3.5k WU, 3.5k WD

Bounced out of bed straight away when the alarm went at 4:40am in the knowledge that a big day lay ahead. Deducting five seconds from last week's speedwork pace of 4:00 mins left me with 3:55's and a target of 11:45 for the 3KTT. It felt good to roll along at that pace for 3k's. I acheived it comfortably and then immediately cruised back the way I had come to drag a few team mates home. Lots of PBs out there with everyone fired up for the Gold Coast in less then two weeks! Special mention to Langy and Jodie who went 9:56 and 10:05 respectively. You better beat my Nov 2004 9:55 PB before I get back to full speed, Langy because I don't intend for it to be there long!! C'mon Jodie - lets chase Krishna's 9:38 Group record now! Too many other outstanding runs to mention!!

A huge day followed. I was busy battling squillions of other desperate cricket fans trying to by tickets for this summer! After buying the maximum allocation of four for the Gabba one-dayer against the Poms, I set up new accounts in my brother's names and quickly rang around for other people's credit card details so I could use them instead of mine. When the dust had settled, I had 12 seats, in three blocks of four in the first three rows not far from each other. You beauty! Amidst this chaos, Queensland Cotton's share price dipped to an acceptable level for buying so I dived into the Stockmarket and took a small stake. Then I dashed out for a dentist appointment and she had the temerity to suggest I needed to see an oral hygienist!! Don't they know I haven't had sugar......uuhhmm for nine days?? Managed to get a bit of work done too!

Had to turn down an invitation to join MJ for dinner at the Sofitel with her company's directors from Melbourne because R4YL deadlines are pending and I had to go home and edit two reports. And besides, I don't think MJ's dining companions would have taken to a starving athlete picking at salad and drinking water by the gallon.

Gees..... the life of a runner....and LOVING IT!!!

Km's this week - 10
Km's this month - 138
Km's this year - 598

Detox half way mark

Fri - 11k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Sun - 19k's @ 5:00 mins/km

The detox appears to be progressing well. I'm feeling healthy and alert for most of the part. A days eating usually goes like this

Breakfast - porridge with honey and or wheat free museli with rice milk, fruit
Morning/Afternoon Tea - fruit and/or sultanas, Rye Cruskits, rice cakes
Lunch/Dinner - BBQ Grilled Chicken Breast, marinated in extra virgin olive oil with chicken seasoning(yum!)with mashed potato/pumpkin and brocolli. OR Chicken casserole with onion, tin of unsalted, preservative free crushed tomatoes and unsalted, preservative free tomato paste.

The same thing all week is getting a little tiresome and if I find some time this week, I may try some recipes from a detox mag Karen M kindly lent me.

A solid run on Friday was followed by my longest run of the year this arvo. Got through both with a minimum of fuss. Things are shaping up rather nicely...

Hardest thing to do in the last coupla days was going to a great 30th B'day party for two mates, twins, Dan and Jimm. Whilst everyone else enjoyed a right royal pissup, yours truly clutched his water bottle all night and looked on wistfully.
Km's this week - 61(including 10k on Monday, for missed session last week)
Km's this month - 128
Km's this year - 588

Sensational Session

2 x 5 min surges followed by hills

I skipped my usual Tuesday session with the PCRG in preference for today's session. One of my favourite sessions - surges and hills was a primary reason, but allowing extra recovery on Tuesday after 'cheating' with an extra session on Monday and of course allowing some sleep in time after the Socceroos glorious efforts on Monday night!

I don't know whether it was the distant cries of 'Queenslander' still ringing in my ears after last nights awesome effort by the Maroons, being four days into a detox or the cumulative effect of 18 days off the booze, but i felt SENSATIONAL this morning. After an adequate warm up, I was straining at the leash in the surges aroudn the Botanic Gardens, having to restrict myself to around 4:00 min/kms as part of my plan to gradually build up the speed up again. 3:30 pace only seemed a smooth gear change away. Made things a little harder on myself by doing a lot of yelling when I was out there.

Moving to the QUT Ampitheatre hill, I was cautious of my footing on the grass but the ankles were well strapped this morning and I had no probs. Made a cameo appearance with the A-Team motoring pass Glenda and Langy on the first hill rep before easing off and keeping the pace steady.

As I said, a sensational session! 3:30 pace at speedwork is only six weeks away!



Km's this week - 31
Km's this month - 98
Km's this year - 558

Tuesday: Personal Worst.....

3 x 1k @ 4:00 mins/km, 3k WU, 3k WD

Did my grocery shopping tonight and had to read every label on the products I looked at to avoid the detox banned ingredients - dairy, wheat, sugar, caffeine and salt. I recorded a PW of 40 minutes for my efforts!! Normally, I do a shop run in 20-25 mins and have a PB of around 16 minutes for a full trolley. Never mind, I'll try harder next time :-)

Fortunately things were better on the treadmill earlier in the evening. I put in an honest session and the shins behaved themselves. I was running on empty again towards the session from the lack of sugar and other energy foods in my system, but hopefully the purchases from the shop run will rectify that situation from now on.

Km's this week - 21
Km's this month - 88
Km's this year - 548

Monday: Cheating....

11k's @ 5:00 mins/km

Am writing this at half time of the Socceroos WC opener after earlier sleeping like a baby from 7:30-10:30. Unusual for me to be able to go to sleep that early - the detox perhaps?

Those who know me will know that I am a stickler for not breaking many of the conventionally accepted 'rules' of running. Well, it was nice to be rebellious today and cheat the 'do not try to make up for a missed session' rule! On my normal Monday rest day, I hit the tready for an easy 11k, making up for the session I missed last week. Therefore, this week will see me run five times for 61k's but the current fortnight will still see me run eight times and won't exceed the planned mileage so I'm not that much of a bad boy!

Today's run went well and I had no probs backing up from yesterday's 16k. In fact the legs have that pleasant sensation of mild weariness that comes from high mileage - been a while since I felt that so its a case of 'Hello, old friend!'

The detox has gone to plan for the first 48 hours and tomorrow, I add red meat to the list of banned foodstuffs to round out the program after initially easing into it. Twelve days to go!! It could be my imagination, but already, the body feels a little different.

Km's this week - 11
Km's this month - 78
Km's this year - 538

Long Day...Longest run

16k's @ approx 5:00 mins/km

Started a long day, getting up at 5am and setting up the Running for Research course at West End and then was lead bike for the race. Then I headed straight to Fitness First eager to tackle my longest run of the year, but was confronted with a wailing fire alarm and 30 people milling around outside the entrance waiting to get in. Staff informed me that they were waiting for an all clear from the Fire Brigade. I couldn't wait for an all clear because I had to take MJ out to lunch for our first anniversary! So I headed for the Nundah Criterium for a run at my old stomping grounds in cool, windy conditions with a light drizzle! Just great! Anything beats running indoors!! Got through the 16k with few problems despite the energy tank hitting empty half way through. Started my detox this morning, eliminating wheat and dairy from my diet as of today and red meat as of tomorrow. So was fuelled with five apples, two mandarins and a carrot - definitely not enough carbs there!! Will fix that in future when I get stuck into porridge before my runs. Anyway, the run was just great, and energy issues aside I felt fairly strong throughout with the help of four one minute walking recoveries. Longest run of 2006 is now safely in the bank.

Made it to MJ's place on time and took her to the Summit Restaurant at Mt Cootha before heading to work for a short shift. Feeling positive about the running at the moment and am very committed to the detox.

Km's this week - 34
Km's this month - 67
Km's this year - 527

Illness # 10

9k's @ 5:15 mins/km

Picked up yet another cold which I endured from Wednesday morning. Fortunately, it was only a very low grade cold with weakness, lethargy and aching shins being the main probs and I didn't take the day off work. I delayed doing my Thursday speedwork session as I was still in the grip of the cold. Instead I ventured to Fitness First this morning and gingerly eased my lethargic body through a session at a conservative 5:15 mins/km pace - the slowest speed I can run without injuring myself. Fortunately, as I warmed up, the running got easier. I was on a high after the run as the endorphins took hold and I was thinking, 'hey, no more cold!' Unfortunately, I crashed back to earth around lunchtime and ended up having a two hour nap this afternoon.

The next two days will be interesting as I have to squeeze in 11k's tomorrow and 16k's on Sunday otherwise, I'll have to go back to scratch and start my 12 week booze ban all over again!!!

Km's this week - 18
Km's this month - 51
Km's this year - 511

A detox looms.........

8 x 1 min, 45 sec SR, 3k WU, 3K WD

Up at 4:40 am this morning and off to speedwork in cool but not ridiculously cold conditions. This week I bump up the speed another notch to 4:05's. Its tough to tell how fast you are going at this session especially in the middle of a big crowd like we had today. However, I spoke to Andy S before the session and he normally does 4:00's at 1k reps so i made it my plan to keep around five seconds behind him. The session went well and I felt good throughout, especially on the brisk warm down run back to the Ship Inn. Nine days without a drink now and surprisingly enough, the only time I had a craving was when a XXXX Gold add came on the telly.

I'm feeling quite healthy at the moment but am not resting on my laurels. After exchanging a few emails with Karen M from the PCRG today, I've decided to undertake at least a two week detox after I've read the book Karen is kindly lending me. As Karen said, I've got nothing to lose but some little indulgences. I've already given up a big indulgence in alcohol, so what's a few little ones?


Km's this week - 9
Km's this month - 42
Km's this year - 502

Inspiration galore at Qld Half and Doomben 10,000

14k's @ 5:00 mins/km

Started the day with R4YL duties at Doomben in perfect running conditions that had me aching to pound the bitumen at full speed. As you can tell from the pic, I was nicely rugged up though! With three races starting within 20 minutes of each other it was impossible to catch them all at once but I managed to keep and eye on the key sections of the Half and 10k. As always it was inspirational to jump on my bike and ride with the lead bikes ahead of some elite runners, today it was Brian Livingston, comfortably pulling clear of his rivals in the Half.

Moving on to the PCRG, there was inspiration galore out there today with plenty of team mates cashing in on their hard training for sensational PB's. My good mate Langy comes to mind with a well deserved 36:59 or 37:00 in the 10k - well done mate. Jodie(2nd in F 10k),Jess, Daniel, Andy C, Chelle, Jan, Nic, the Stevo's - the list goes on. There was an abundance of wide grins out there this morning!! But for mine, the most inspirational run of the day goes to Glenda! Not only did Glenda run a mighty race for victory in the 10k and dip under 36 mins, but she made me cast my mind back to the October of 2004. At that time, I had three months of speedwork with Pat under my belt and ran a 38:22PB in the Nike 10k with what we now know to be a bad running stride. I was also wearing heavy shoes and had only moderate mileage under my belt. Glenda loomed up alongside me around the 8k mark and we ran togehter for some time before I pulled away in the last k. Twenty months of consistent training later, Glenda has improved two and a half minutes whilst I have battled shins splints and ill health. But Glenda has really shown me what consistent training and application can do and I know that if I can emulate that, then sub 35 beckons for me. Bring on the hard training!

14k's on the tready this arvo trying not to be too conspicious with my fist pumps as the Broncos got on top of the Warriors in the last 10 minutes. I felt the fittest and strongest I have for almost a month and only some brief Plantar Fascitis discomfort interrrupted my momentum. A quick self massage rectified that rare problem. I was talking to our resident former PF sufferer Ally for a while after the races this morning and we actually touched on the subject of her PF - I hope her PF is not contagious :-)

Km's this week - 41
Km's this month - 33
Km's this year - 491

Friday Recovery Run

10k's @ 5:10 mins/km

Felt tired, lethargic and weak but got the job done, albeit at a slightly reduced pace on the tready. Perhaps its witdrawl symptons after more than 100 hours without a drink?

Km's this week - 27
Km's this month - 19
Km's this year - 479

Tready speedwork

3k WU, 2 x 1k @ 4:10 mins/km, 4k WD
Continued to ease back into the quicker stuff and got through this tready session with no dramas. I didn't even think about the shins which is a good sign.

A footnote to my alchol ban. On Tuesday, barely 24 hours after I had commenced the period of sobriety, two large packages that I had completely forgotten about were waiting for me when I got home from work........... A dozen bottles of red with a free carton of Crown Lagers that I had ordered from Cellarmaster - a mere $99 the lot. Ouch!

Km's this week - 17
Km's this month - 9
Km's this year - 469

INDEFINITE alcohol ban!!

So it has come to this....with five months of ill health behind me, its now time for desperate measures! Pills, drastic hygiene improvements and sensible eating have not delivered results and its time to confront some stark realities and see how much I am really committed to my running career. Starting Monday(two days ago), I will not consume alcohol until I have successfully strung together 12 weeks of training without getting ill and without missing sessions. This means that if I get sick 10 weeks from now and miss some sessions, then I start all over again, perish the thought!

Why this option? CR's Vat Man has to take most of the credit - He suffered similar probs last year and put aside his love of a drink to hop on the wagon, where he has remained for four months. His payday came two weeks ago with a low 79 in the SMH Half and right now, I'd kill for that time! Thanks for the recent advice and encouragement, Vat. I owe you a mineral water :)

Obviously, there is no guarantee that this period of sobriety will deliver results, but regardless its a sensible thing to do and at the very least, I'll get some interesting feedback on how my body reacts that I will enter into my trusty logbook.

I have taken a month off drinking annually for the past five years, so I've proven to myself that I can do this and there is no question that I will succeed. Besides, I've always had it in my mind to drastically reduce or eliminate my drinking when I got closer to elite status. I guess you could say that fate has intervened and fast tracked my committment to sacrificing the good life for my running.

Well, here we go!! Another journey begins......

PCRG 3KTT

3KTT - 12:30, 3k WU, 2k WD

In cold early morning conditions that quickly became superb running conditions once we warmed up, a host of Pat Carrollers smashed their PB's this morning. Gees, there was some quick running out there. I stuck to my plan of building my speed up slowly over the next 8 weeks and just cruised along at 4:10 pace and did it pretty comfortably, despite some remnants of my cough still present. I spend a good deal of time yelling at team mates and stopped 300m from home to help Chelle home to a PB. Gees, watching Chelle hurting and giving it everything she had, whilst trying to hold herself together was like being a kid who is grounded and not allowed to eat ice cream, watching someone else do just that. I miss the HURT!!!!

Still, there was some consolation back at the Group recovery session. I must have yelled a bit this morning cos' I was voted the recipient of the Group Award and selected a double Gold Pass to BCC Cinema's. Thanks to those who voted for me!!!

The boys trip and the day off I had on Monday allowed me to do some deep thinking about my running and the direction I will take - stay tuned for a major announcement tomorrow.



Km's this week - 8
Km's this month - 116
Km's this year - 460

Boys trip!

Last Wednesday saw me turn 31(shit!) and also marked the first day of the long awaited trip away with the boys. There was myself, Lacho(back home for two weeks from writing a novel and working in the UK), RooBoy and Big Fella, all of whom I met on the first day of Grade 8 at De La Salle College in 1988.The Big Fella drove to 1770 on Wednesday and fortunately only stalled the RV five times. We arrived exactly 236 years to the day Captain Cook landed there.
Wednesday night saw us watch the State of Origin(F$%@%!) at nearby Agnes Water Tavern, then on Thursday morning, after we ditched a vague plan of driving to Airlie Beach, RooBoy drove us to Yeppoon and after lunch at the we pooled our funds to charter a 35 foot cruiser, the Prince Regal.
Friday morning saw a chilly dawn but the day quickly turned into a mild one. We let out some line upon exiting the Marina and trolled unsuccessfully on the 7.3 nautical mile, 90min journey to the truely beautiful Great Keppel Island where we anchored off a reef. It wasn't long before we dropped our lines over the side of the boat with beers nestled in our hands as the sun bathed us with its warmth. I was by far the most inexperienced fisherman on board (only second time fishing) and was only using a 5-6kg rod with prawns for bait whereas the other boys where using bigger rods with anchovies and squid for bait. The fishing started well when I quickly reeled in two foot long Moses Perch followed by a Happy Moment(very poisonous and your hands will be in agony for hours if you touch them - hence the ironic name!) and some small spotted codfish which were thrown back. Problems arose later when we decided to move another position on the other side of the Island. The anchor was stubbornly resisting our attempts to raise it and the process of manouevering the cruiser in all directions led to the rope securing a tinnie to the cruiser unravelling a couple of metres from where we had tied it and then getting caught in the propeller. Having been cut adrift, the tinnie quickly drifted away and Lacho had to quickly dive in and then swim after it!! We then had to double check that the anchor was secure before before we drifted onto the reef, fifty metres to port. RooBoy sardonically commented that he could almost hear the newsreader say 'In other news today, four drunken sailors were rescued by the Coast Guard after running aground on a reef off Great Keppel Island"!!!! The other three boys then spent 30 mins diving under the boat to cut the rope loose from the propeller whilst yours truly, a poor swimmer and without his contact lenses remained aboard. The rope successfully removed, we then found a hot spot anchoring above a school of Whiptail and I easily reeled in around 15 in about an hour, throwing them all back in. All up, we caught around 40 fish and I contributed half of that but only the two Moses Perch were good for eating. It was a most fabulous day out on the water and the drama should ensure that we have plenty of talking points for years to come! I can also now brag like a veteran fisherman! Saturday morning, we perused some travel brochures and decided to drive to Lake Monduran near Gin Gin - (about 40k west of Bundaberg where we trolled and fished unsuccessfully that afternoon and the next morning before I drove the RV home on Sunday. After nine days without running and with my cough slowly fading away, I strapped on the Brooks Glycerin 4's on Sunday morning and went for an easy 10k run around the quiet country roads and beautiful countryside where Qld's most famous Bushranger, the Wild Scotchman was caught in 1866. The lake and the dam where frequently visible throughout my run and provided a magnificent backdrop to the scenery. With the early morning mist, hanging above the lake and surrounds, it was pretty similar to the Warwick Half Marathon, only hillier. So, a great trip was had with my oldest mates and lots of stories were told and retold, card games were played and laughs were had over beers of which we enjoyed quite a few. You know, even after being mates with someone for 18 years, its possible to discover new things about them on a trip away like this - I'm still in shock at the discovery that the Big Fella, a real man's man uses moisturiser twice a day!!


Km's this week - 10
Km's this month - 108
Km's this year - 452

A new low

What would have been an otherwise enjoyable weekend in Warwick for the Pentath Run on the Weekend was spoilt somewhat by yet another cold that I picked up. Unlike others this year, his one featured a bad cough, a heavily blocked and runny nose whilst my body was devoid of any energy. There was lots of sleeping over the weekend in between reporting on the five races for R4YL. As I write on Tuesday night, the cold is only just going away. I made a highly ambitious attempt to go for a run at midday today but threw in the towel after 200m as the body was simply not ready for it yet - a brisk 30 minute walk in glorious sunshine was no consolation.

A glance through my logbook when I got home told the depressing story - this was my ninth(9th) seperate cold/virus/illness that I have contracted in the five months to date this year, leading to a total of 23 days of missed training.....Right now, I don't know where to go next - if I get sick again in the next month or two, desperate measures will be called for such as a detox or naturopath visit.

In the meantime, I'm about to leave for a long awaited RV road trip with three of my oldest mates, Lacho, RooBoy and Big Fella who I've known since we were placed in the first day of grade 8 together at De La Salle College in 1988. Its been organised for Lacho's return to the country after some time in the UK and should be special. We leave at 8 on Wednesday morning and drive non stop to Seventeen Seventy(1770) where we will watch the State of Origin at a pub(Go Maroons!!!!) The rest of the trip will be spontaneous and we could end up doing things like deep sea fishing charters or partying at Airlie Beach!!!

Orginally, I was going to fit in the trip activities around all my training, but now I'm doing the opposite. I'm gonna get smashed. Will let the pressure valve of training blow off and get stuck back into it with a vengeance from next Tuesday.

May blog briefly from an internet cafe in Paradise! Have a good week everyone - I will!!!

PS - Don't read the Mooloolaba 5k Race Report in the latest R4YL. The editor got a little careless and their a quite a few mistakes in there! Not my fault!!

Race against time

Surprise, surprise!

The distant shin discomfort I felt yesterday has again proven itself an early warning sign of an impending cold - this time involving a sore throat and a heavily running nose. The cold struck with a vengeance late last night and the left shin is giving me plenty of grief at the moment. This cold takes my tally to about 8-9 such ailments I have incurred so far this year. Bloody ridiculous and with no answer in sight.

I'm off to Warwick in an hour and will be spending the day drinking water, eating oranges and apples and popping pills. With a blast of icy cold fresh country air and some luck, I might just be recovered by tomorrow morning.

Pill popper

3k WU, 2x 1k @ 4:10 mins/km, 4k WD

Got through my sternest speedwork test on the treadmill since late last year with only a few seconds of faint shin discomfort here and there. The HR peaked at 169 and the breathing felt good.

Feeling a ad fluey so have wolfed down a few vitamin c's and am drinking plenty of water. As per CoolRunner 'Vat-Man's' advice a few days ago, I've added Echinacea to the list of supplements I consume daily - it now reads like this:

After breakfast
- 1 x Blackmores sustained 8hr release multivitamin
- 1 x Blackmores Bio-Ace antioxidant
- 1 x Blackmores Echinacea

After dinner
- 1 x Blackmores Echinacea
- 3 x Blackmores Fish Oil 1000

* Blackmores Vitamin C whenever I feel fluey.

Cathy Freeman reportedly spent $4000 on vitamins in the three months prior to Sydney 2000. At this rate, it won't be long before I catch her.


Km's this week - 60
Km's this month -98
Km's this year - 442

Tuesday speedwork

15 mins Fartlek with 3k WU & WD

As planned, I upped the tempo a little at speedwork running in the vincity of 4:10 pace today. Its tough to pace yourself at this particular session in the Gardens with no k markers to guide you so I just concentrated on staying 20-50 metres adrift of Robbie L with Robbie pulling away from me on the faster efforts and I making up ground on the recovery efforts. I felt strong and controlled out there and Langy noticed afterwards that I looked upright and strong so that was pleasing.

Starting this week, my Thursday session will see me doing some quicker work on the treadmill, starting with two 1k's at 4:10 and then building my Thursday session back up to the normal 4-5k's of quicker work over the next few weeks.

All is going fairly well at the moment.


Km's this week - 51
Km's this month - 89
Km's this year - 433

Longest run in 2006

90 mins, 18k @ 5:00 mins/km

You beauty!! Today, I cruised through a troublefree 18k on the tready just after lunch. The longest run to date this year saw the shins behave themselves and my only complaint was that my neck got a little stiff in the last 10 minutes. Possibly it was unaccustomed to the length of time I spent running upright or perhaps I was running just a touch too stiffly as I concentrated hard on good form.

A very pleased Matty then did the usual 20 minutes in a garbage bin of icy cold water and the legs have since pulled up fantastic. Really looking forward to covering the Half Marathon distance at Warwick on Saturday and also picking up the pace at speedwork. Starting Tuesday, I will be doing 4:10 pace at speedwork and then increasing the speed 5 seconds per week. All going well, in eight weeks, I'll be running around 3:30 pace at speedwork and that might just set me up for a possible comeback race at the Noosa Half.


Km's this week - 41
Km's this month - 79
Km's this year -423

97% recovered(not 97% fat free!!)

7k's @ 5:00 mins/km

Feeling about 97% recovered now. Nice recovery run - although the tready at Fitness First is starting to get seriously boring!

My next one percenter is to add Blackmores Omega-3 Fish Oil tablets to my daily diet, to overcome my aversion to seafood. It'll be interesting to see if a regular intake reduces the number of flu's and colds I've been getting.

Km's this week - 23
Km's this month - 61
Km's this year - 405

I keep persisting..

10k's @ 5:00 mins/km

In a rare moment for me, hit the tready this morning, totally lacking motivation and distracted by other issues. A normal run sees me fantasising about all sorts of great running moments(and hopefully glorious victories!) that await me, but that didn't happen today. Nevertheless, there was never any question that I would front up at Fitness First and get the required k's done and I duly did just that. I'm still only 95% following the bout of ill health late last week but fortunately, the shins got through unscathed with the help of the now standard 20 minutes in a garbage bin of icy water back home after the run.

Tomorrow is another day...


Km's this week - 16
Km's this month - 54
Km's this year - 398

Post sickness run

6k's @ 5:15 mins/km

Felt about 95% this morning so dropped into Fitness First for an easy 30 minutes on my way to work. The body felt a tad weak at times and I concentrated hard on maintaining good form to reduce the chances of shin problems. Fortunately, I got through the session with a bare minimum of shin discomfort which I had anticipated anyway and went to work a relieved man. Am still on track to do 42k's this week and continue my mileage buildup despite the hiccup on Sunday.

Km's this week - 6
Km's this month - 44
Km's this year - 388

Incident packed weekend

Sat - 6k's @ 5:o0 mins per km
Sun - 15k's @ 5:00 mins per km

Well, it was a incident packed weekend to say the least. Thursday night and Friday, I was struggling with a low grade cold and didn't accomplish anything of note, but came good by Friday night when I went out to Suncorp Stadium to watch the mighty Kangaroos put the Kiwis in their rightful place. I was tempted to do my Friday recovery run just before the game but decided to wait until Saturday morning instead. One of the good things about only running four times a week is that you can more easily make up a missed run than would be the case if you were running five or six times a week and not having to worry about violating the cardinal rule 'Tho shalt not try and make up for a missed run.' The tready run on Saturday was a breeze as was Sunday's 15k tready effort, my longest run this year - you beauty!! There was no shin discomfort whatsoever and I'm optimistic that the tide has turned. I have weekly mileage of 42 and 47k's planned the next fortnight including 18 and 21k long runs so that will tell me a lot about where I'm at.

However, things turned a little pear shaped around 7:30pm last night when I clutched my sides, staggered into the bathroom and severely dented the Doulton as I unceremoniously regurgitated my dinner and post run recovery food. Gees, I was a crook little boy for a while and am taking today off work to recover after sleeping 12 hours last night and having another three hour nap today. Not sure what caused the food poisoning(?) but possibly it was the milk in my post run cereal that had gone off after accidentally being left in one of my fridges that is only running at half power. I'm hopeful that my body will recover from the 15k's ok considering it hardly had any time to digest the recovery food. Its moments like these when your tempted to go to the hospital and say 'I'm a runner, would you mind feeding me intravenously so I can get the recovery nutrients I need.'

Four illnesses in the last four weeks........gees, this has gotta stop soon!!!!

Km's this week - 38
Km's this month - 38
Km's this year - 382

Slept like a baby, had the brain of a baby...

8k's @ 5:00 mins/km

The ingredients:

- A long and busy week at work
- R4YL unexpectedly asking on Tuesday arvo if I could write up a Brisbane Marathon Festival report over night (850 words in 5 hours!)
- Frantic but successful negotiations to adjust my home loan to a split loan with half fixed/half variable just before the interest rate increase announcement

The result:

Matty slept like a baby for 9.5 hours last night. Started the day well with a trouble free 8k run but the week had obviously taken its toll and I was pretty lethargic all day and just being lazy around the house. It was probably ironic then that I ended my day by driving all the way out to UQ to cover the UQ Milers Classic for R4YL. The only problem was that the meet isn't on till tomorrow night :-(

Km's this week - 17
Km's this month - 17
Km's this year - 361

Starting to feel like a runner again...

Friday - 6k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Sunday - 13k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Tuesday - 9k's including 15 mins of fartlek

The running has come along exceptionally well the last few days with hardly any discomfort in the shins for my last three runs. More importantly, my health has been exceptional. Sunday's run came after a great morning in town for the Brisbane Marathon. A big event like this always inspires me and makes me want to get back out there, especially when my fellow shin splints suffer Jodie wins her second race in a row! Nine months after my last race and last PB in the Noosa 5k, the fire still burns strong. I can't wait to get back and feel the hurt from a hard race.

Took another step forward when attending speedwork this morning. I will now be doing speedwork with the PCRG every Tuesday as opposed to every fortnight as has been the case so far this year.

I know I shouldn't be looking too far ahad and should be concentrating simply on stringing together consistent mileage of more than 50k's a week but nevertheless I need something bigger to aspire to and am putting together a plan to go sub 3 in the Melbourne Marathon. Will reveal all shortly!!

Km's this week - 9
Km's this month - 9
Km's this year - 353

Two in a row

9k's @ 5:15 mins/km

Hit Fitness First this morning with MJ alongside me. It was an unremarkable run except for the fact that time seemed to fly and it only felt like 20 minutes.

Km's this week - 15
Km's this month - 102
Km's this year - 325

Back in business!!

6k's @ 5:15 mins/km

Started my day yesterday by helping Steve Manning and David Waugh measure the Brisbane Marathon course. First time I had met David, last years Glasshouse 100k winner and we had a good old chinwag about running during the course of the morning. Gees it, was beautiful out there and a great atmosphere with the Anzac Day March starting at South Bank before heading into the city and choppers and F-111's flying over. I was keeping a sharp eye out to make sure I didn't catch Tesso doing any secret training when she is supposed to be taking a break, but fortunately, I didn't see her so got her to pop out of her unit when our measuring job reached the Regatta turnaround and we had a quick chat.

In the afternoon, I enjoyed a trouble free run on the tready at Fitness First. The HR was ok and the shins were also in fair shape. Looking forward to getting back on track now, with the cold/flu now a distance memory and the nose around 95% recovered from the sinus issues. Ended Anzac Day by going to see the new flick Kokoda at Chermside with MJ. I'll give it 7.5/10.

Km's this week - 6
Km's this month - 93
Km's this year - 316

Bizarre run of ill health continues

Well, a pretty lousy week is drawing to a close. I was feeling a touch fluey at the Greg Shaw nutrition seminar on Wednesday night but just thought it was a 24 hour head cold. Boy, was I wrong! Five days later, I'm still in pretty ordinary condition and have not run since Tuesday.

On Friday afternoon, still ridden with the flu, I became aware that an area the size of a 10c piece on the middle of my nose was becoming extremely sensitive. Twelve hours later I had to get up in the middle of the night to crush some ice in a towel and put it on my nose to reduce the increasingly uncomfortable throbbing. The only possible explanation for this disaster was that MJ had elbowed me in the nose on Thursday night and I had slept right through it!! Gees, those Army Reservists throw a mean elbow!! Saturday at work was pretty miserable with the flu still in force, but I was having a rethink about my nose - perhaps MJ was not the culprit after all. After speaking to lots of people about my condition, it became apparent that I had a major sinus issue. I've never had a bloody sinus issue in my life, let alone a major one!! No wonder I thought it was a stray elbow. I was all set to visit the doctor this morning, but made at least 30% improvement overnight after a 10hr sleep and am continuing to improve. I think I'll be about 90% tomorrow after a good sleep.

My health issues this year are really vexing me - if this sinus issue raises its ugly head(or should that be nose) again, then it looks like an appointment with an Ear Nose Throat specialist is in order. Hopefully my annual flu jab tomorrow will be of some assistance.

Midweek update

Tuesday - 15 min fartlek at about 4:15-4:45 mins/km, 3k WU/WD

A busy couple of days putting the finishing touches on three race reports for Run For Your Life mag. r4yl.com.au The Intraining Easter Egg Run had to be done by Wednesday, just a few days after the race and a few hours after the results were released - but no worries! Its done!

A great session with Pat and the Group in the Gardens on Tuesday morning. Ran very easy and controlled - just wanted to take off the shackles and pick up the pace but that'll come soon enough.

On the downside, i've picked up another bloody head cold, so have put back today's run till tomorrow. Yes, Tess - I'm mopping the floors right away. Am not too concerned about this head cold eating into my mileage, which I don't expect to, but gees, it would be nice to go a few months without a sniffle. I get my annual company flu jab on Monday arvo so hopefully that'll be of assistance.

On the positive side, the legs feel great at the moment with little or no discomfort during running, walking or recovery. The only thing that really bothers me at the moment is when I firmly press my thumb firmly to my shins and there is reasonable discomfort and speaking to Jodie last night, she has the same problem. I suspect it is something that I might have to live with, but what the hell? I'm a runner. Not some idiot who presses his thumbs onto his shins!

Km's this week - 9
Km's this month - 87
Km's this year - 310

Sunday - The momentum builds

65 mins, 13k's @ 5:00 mins/km

After putting in five hours in the office to start the day, I hit Fitness First and ran a beautiful 65 mins on the tready alternating every 1o minutes with a two minute walking recovery - a slight precaution give my recent flu and low mileage. I was extremely happy with the run and only felf discomfort for one or two minutes towards the end, before finishing strongly. Robson from Intraining surprised me by jumping on the treadmill next to me towards the end of my run. Afterward, Robson showed my a useful exercise to assist me in running with my arms closer to my body rather than my usual bull at a gate style.

After treating myself to a two hour recovery whilst watching the Cowboys-Knights blockbuster with Adam at home, I ventured downstairs to the "Steel Factory" - "Where fine steel is forged" and got stuck into 80 minutes of core strength. Finished of the day by spending two hours polishing my Mooloolaba 5k Race Report for R4YL. MJ was critical of my 'boring' opening sentence so as midnight neared, I brainstormed with MJ and ended up coming up with a more 'Matty-like' opening! Yeah - it was a good day!

Km's this week - 28
Km's this month - 78
Km's this year - 301

Good Friday... Good run

9k's @ about 5:00 mins/km

Started the day by assisting in the setup of the Intraining Easter Egg race at Orleigh Park, West End. Did double duty during the race, wearing my R4YL reporters hat and taking photos of Pat Carrollers for Pat's website. A huge run of 36:59 from Glenda was one of the day's highlights and reminded me that I can't wait to get out there and smash my soft 38:22 PB from a solid training base. Great runs also from Gary, Pete, Steve G, Andy and too many others to list in the 10k. And of course, my fellow shin splint club member Jodie added another victory to her resume in the Women's 3k with Andy also running a nice second in the men's 3k. We all felt for Gerard though who had a bad dehydration attack or similar - it brought back perversely fond memories of my own dramatic finish to the 2004 Gold Coast Marathon. In a perverse way, I think this is something that every runner should experience to feel complete as a runner!!

With Fitness First closed today, I had no option but to reacquaint myself with my favourite run - out and back on the Kedron Brook bitumen trail. With MJ cycling alongside, I mixed three 10 min reps with three five minute reps, all followed by a 2 min walking recovery. Shins went quite well and gees, it was great to be running outdoors again and I didn't mind swallowing a mosquito along the way!!


Km's this week - 15
Km's this month - 64
Km's this year - 286

Rapid Recovery

Recovery Run - 6k's @ 5:15 mins/km

After three days of intermittent pangs of discomfort in the shins during my flu, I took my 9o% recovered body to Fitness First this afternoon. Despite starting a fill-in overtime work shift at 5am and being absolutely starved, I cruised through a very easy run comprising of six 1k reps at an easy 5:15 pace with two minute walking recoveries with absolutely no shin discomfort of note. It was an enormous relief to run without a problem and confirm that yes, the flu was solelyt the cause the cause of the recent discomfort.

I'm pretty pleased with the way I've recovered from this flu, ticking of all the usual boxes - extra water, extra vitamins, sensible eating, extra sleep etc. Thanks to the aforementioned I'm back in business having only missed the last five k's of Saturday's run and Tuesday's run. You beauty!!

Have been thinking hard about the hygiene standards at SportsCentre, talking to people, listening to feedback (thanks Chelle!!) and discussing the subject at length. I will report back shortly on my new direction!!

Km's this week - 6
Km's this month - 55
Km's this year - 277

Good news... Its the flu!!!

Normally, a flu is not a cause for celebration and this one certainly isn't but I won't deny that I was relieved when this one hit me late on Sunday. It confirmed my suspicion from Saturday morning that a flu was on the way when my shin soreness forced my to cut short a run. Whilst its not ideal to get the flu period, it does mean that both of my last two breakdowns were flu related and not related to gait problems or other running problems. I did not run today and expect to be back into it on Thursday. Cutting short a long run and missing a Tuesday run will set me back about 7-10 days, but I still have to get through Thurday's run first.

I will also address the question of whether I am getting the flu too frequently - this is the second time already this year. Right now, I'm obviously not superfit and I can't really say that my immune system is being flattened by heavy training. My brother Adam suggested tonight that perhaps the hygiene control at SportsCentre is lacking in attention... Whilst my joint is far tidier than most bachelor pads and has never been described as messy, whether it is 'clean' is another matter. For example, the hardwood floors are lucky to get swept and mopped once a year, the kitchen bench may see Spray & Wipe once or twice a week and the sink is usually half full..... of dirty dishes and potato peels(but will eventually be cleaned!!). Does anyone think this is a serious hygiene issue that could increase my chances of contracting the flu or are those hygiene freaks that lecture everyone just victims of a scare campaign from detergent companies to sell their products??

Km's this week - o
Km's this month - 49
Km's this year - 272

A setback of sorts

Friday - 6k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Saturday - 8k's @ 5:00 mins/km

After a fair recovery run on Friday morning, the wheels started to wobble when I brought my Sunday Long Run forward to Saturday to accomodate a big day with the boys for the first annual Ealesy Punting Day. I had some shin discomfort in the right shin pretty early in the run and when it didn't go away, I quit the run after 40 minutes instead of continuing on for 65 minutes and 13k's. I was very tempted to run through the discomfort but doing so wasn't go to acheive much. I've felt just a tad 'fluey' the last few days without actually getting the flu so that's the main suspect. Fortunately, with Sunday and Monday rest day's I'll have time to do some extra glute firing ex's and to throw the cold gel bag onto the shins, followed immediately by the hot gel bag.

My punting went about as well as my running on Saturday when I could only land 3 winners from 26 races finishing ninth out of eleven punters - hardly the form you'd expect of someone aka Puntermatt. Lots of hard luck stories in there too, with my Slipper fancy getting checked twice in the straight and a roughie in Brisbane flashing home for a neck third at 15/1!!! Still, it was a great day with Andy beating Burnsie by a mere 40 cents in an exciting finish!

Best news all weekend was Clairie's fantastic 3:23 debut Marathon in Canberra this morning! Just fantastic and exciting news and will serve as inspiration for the rest of the Pat Carrollers who are building up to the Gold Coast. Way to go Clairie!!

Km's this week - 31
Km's this month - 49
Km's this year - 272

Another deposit in the kilometre bank

8k's @ 5:00 mins/km

An uneventful 8k's on the tready to start my day - part of the 36k's planned for this week.

Hugely busy weekend looming with two shifts at work to fit in somewhere around a punting day I'm hosting at SportsCentre for twelve of the boys on Golden Slipper Day. Named in honour of Wallaby great, John Eales who ran a similar punting day for his mates, the day will feature every contestant placing $1 a win on every single horse race in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. The winner walks away with the 'Ealesy', a 30cm trophy of a lock jumping to take a ball in a lineout, but will have to return the trophy next year to defend his title. All going well, the Ealesy will become an annual event on Golden Slipper Day that grows in prestige over the years. Oh yeah, I have to squeeze in a 13k long run before the Ealesy Day and a Broncos game straight afterwards! And....loving it!!!

Km's this week - 17
Km's this month - 35
Km's this year - 258

Pat Carroll Running Group 3K TT

9k's, 3k's @ 12:50, 3k WU & WD

The monthly 3K TT was always going to be an interesting experience this morning as I wore my Skins socks for the first time at a Group session. There were the expected jokes and Pat didn't miss me when he told the Group before the start of the TT that "Matt will be doing 12:50 pace - he's the one with the stockings!" Still, it won't be long before fellow shin splint sufferer Jodie is similarly adorned so we'll be the trendsetters. Another big turnout at West End battled the log jam created by workers parking near the Millenium Arts Complex. Hang in there, team - my Lend Lease contact tells me most of the work will be completed by July.

Despite hardly running faster than 5:00 min pace so far this year, I had no problems with my pacing, knocking out pretty even splits throughout. Whilst some struggle with pacing, I think my prolific watch gazing over two years of running has made me a pretty good judge of pace. Its not rocket science - it just takes time(pardon the pun) and effort.

The shins went well this morning and my fitness was sufficient enough to handle the pace without discomfort whilst talking all the way (but of course!) Great to see my good mate Langy well and truly back in form with a 10:11 - That's what I like to see!!!! Hopefully, I'll be giving the A-Team something to think about by the time Spring rolls around....

Km's this week - 9
Km's this month - 28
Km's this year - 251

Things are shaping up rather nicely

Sunday Long Run - 12k's @ 5:15 mins/km

There was a little bit of trepidation about backing up less than 20 hours after my previous run yesterday arvo so I delayed this arvo's run till 5pm at Fitness First whilst watching the Broncos v Saints on tv at the same time. The 23 hour backup proved sufficient and I cruised my way through 60 minutes for my longest run since New Years Day. You Beauty!!

Then went home for a cold water wading recovery in the pool before doing 70 minutes of core strength work to bring my tally up to the minimum of two hours I aim to achieve each week.

I think I'll sleep well tonight and with a busy week ahead, I'll need to!!

Km's this week - 32
Km's this month - 19
Km's this year - 242

Delayed recovery run

Recovery Run 7k's @ 5:15 mins/km

After a great night out last night at the Ship Inn for the launch of the PCRG Countdown to Gold Coast 2006, it was back to work and the coal face this morning. With the office being painted, I managed to get through the day without a headache from the paint fumes but other staff were not so lucky. Then I dashed off to Fitness First at 5pm and rolled through a trouble free seven k's going easy on the pace after delaying my Friday recovery run till today because of the mildest flu like symptons yesterday. I was also taking it easy because it was only a little over 24 hours since my first rub from Bruno in three weeks after he arrived back from the Commonwealth Games with plenty of stories to tell! I was the last one to finish utilising the FF facilities at 6pm and then dashed down to have a quick shower only to have the lights go out on me in the locker room. After finding the way out of the locker room with my mobile phone flashlight, I returned to work still in my running gear. With a few hours work in the office still remaining and no shower facilities, I had no option but to retire to the gents for a European Backpackers Sponge Bath :)

The shins have pulled up well so far - its all good!!


Km's this week - 20
Km's this month - 7
Km's this year - 230

Thursday - A change of plan

Recovery Run - 6k's @ 5-5:15 mins/km

I felt slightly fluey Wednesday night and walked into Fitness First and immediately felt a little chilled by the aircon. Resolving not to do anything stupid, considering my most recent shin problems coincided with a virus, I kept a close eye on the HR. I was 6-8 bpm higher than normal through the first 4k's so eased of the gas and ended the session at 5:15 pace for the last 2k's cutting the session to 6k's from the planned 8k's. When my HR after a final 2 min walking recovery was 8bpm higher than Tuesday, I knew I had made the right call. The Skins socks felt great though!! I believe that Intraining has only just started stocking them and I was the first purchaser or one of the first. Wonder how long it will be before I see others wearing them? I'll be telling them all about how good they are!!

Despite the reduction to my run, I felt fine the rest of the day and spent about five hours cutting down three trees in my backyard - a great workout that ended with my backyard a sea of cut branches that would fill about five industrial skips! My neighbour behind my back fence, Mick had asked if I would mind cutting them down as most of the leaves were falling on his place and the branches were drooping everywhere. As I had intended to get rid of them at some stage, I agreed. Mick shared the workload with me, will pay for half of the green waste disposal and half of the replacement shrubs I will plant - too bad not all neighbours are as amicable and understanding!!


Km's this week - 13
Km's this month - 110
Km's this year - 223

Tuesday - 'Skins' socks - a positive start

7k's @ 5:00 mins/km

Hit the gym this evening in the midst of the the evening crowd and strolled confidently through the crowd wearing my brand new black knee high Skins socks. I'm a runner damnit!!! And we runners are supposed to look different from the meatheads pumping iron and the obese shedding kilos!! I did notice with perverse amusement that the socks did indeed attract several double takes and lingering glances!

Anyway, despite forgetting to bring tape for my ankles, I had a great run and it was very noticeable that the Skins held the calf muscles nice and snuggly in place - whether this assists my shins splints in the long term remains to be seen, but it seems to work for Eloise Wellings, so fingers crossed.

Pulled up well and its now been three weeks since the shins really bothered me. All going well, I'll be doing over 50k's by May and pushing the speed up a little bit.

Life's good!!

Great weekend at Mooloolaba!!

Thursday - 7k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Friday - 4k's @ 5:00mins/km
Saturday - 1ok's @ 5:00mins/km

Contrary to concern that my lack of posting in recent days could be due to another breakdown(Thanks for your kind thoughts, Jodie!) I'm in fact in great shape after getting away to Mooloolaba for a few days.

After an easy 4k's on the tready Friday AM, MJ and I dropped my Mum of at Brisbane International for her own 7 day getaway to Bangkok and Hong Kong. But as there were no big races to watch in Bangkok this week, MJ and I jumped into her Honda Accord Euro and cruised up the coast at midday on Friday. Courtesy of the generosity of USM Events extended to Run For Your Life contributers, we checked into the Aegean at the southern end of the Espalande for the first of our two nights complimentary stay. It wasn't long before I found myself at the starting line of the Asics Mooloolaba 5k Twilight Run. Unfortunately, instead of awaiting the starters horn from behind the starting line with a surge of adrenalin coursing through my veins, I was standing right next to the starter and MC, Coach Pat, with my stopwatch, clipboard and pen all poised! The race itself was no contest with occassional Pat Carroller, Al Stevenson too classy for the field in his last hitout before the World Cross Country Champs. Nevertheless, there was lots to report on and I won't have any writers block when putting my race report together for this event!

The next morning saw me on the beach to watch the Mooloolaba 1000 Ocean Swim with the boys from Northies - Rooboy and Matt - also holidaying up the coast for the Tri. MJ and Jay then joined us for lunch at Bellissimo's on the Espalande - it was very touristy and enjoyable to eat lunch at a roadside cafe with the Espalande closed to traffic and triathletes and holidaymakers taking over the Espalande! MJ and I then worked off lunch by going for a 10k run along the Espalande at our respective paces, runing into Coach Pat watching the surfers on the beach taking on the generous swells whipped up from Cyclone Wati hovering off Fraser Island. At the height of the tri weekend, this is a great run if you don't mind dodging pedestrians and cyclists - very scenic and full of atmosphere! And the shins didn't give me any grief at all! As soon as the run and the obligatory shower were done with, it was off to the VIP Marquee again courtesy of our friends at USM Events where we watched the cycling criterium from the best seats in the house. I must confess that in our 45 min stay, I made a handful of trips to the courtesy fridge to sample some Coronas - reporting is thirsty work, you know ;-)

After watching Buster Mottram's agonising fall in the Men's 150om Final at the Comm Games, MJ and I went to an Italian restaurant Amphora's for dinner. I had what started out as a delicious duck risotto, but I had to retire hurt three quarters of the way through the meal as it was just too filling - those Italians don't mind their olive oil!!

Up early the next morning to cheer on the likes of Jan, Tori, Ruthie, Scott B and Steve G in the age group triathlon before we headed back to Brissy. The end of a great weekend? No way! MJ and I then headed off to the Paddo where we met Clairie and Al and took them to Suncorp Stadium to watch the Broncos throw off some shaky early season form and cane the Eels 30-10!!! Met us with Tesso and Gary M in the Members Lounge at half time. Tesso got lost trying to find us - but as far as I can tell, did not do an impromptu tempo run to make up for the lost time ;-)

Just a great weekend - really looking forward to training with vigour this week after the welcome freshen up!

Tuesday - Its all happening

9k’s – 6k’s @ 5:00 mins/km, 3k’s @ 4:30 mins/km

Ventured into the City for my fortnightly speedwork session with the PCRG and got through that ok – the hill leading up to All Hallows was a blast and I’m looking forward to tackling it fully fit!

The afternoon saw my go out to UQ to see Ash for some gait analysis and glute firing drills. Ash was pleased with my progress and I’ve definitely come a long way since I first saw him. It was good to break out into a full sprint on the UQ track and I’ve gotta say that my stride feels a lot better at 3:20 pace than 5:00 pace and the film of my gait confirmed that. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that I should do all my running at 3:20 pace! The pro and cons that came out of the session were:

PROS
Overstriding continues to be reduced and at full speed and 4:15 speed, I was landing the feet close to the correct spot under me, reducing stress on the shins.
Pronation is now virtually non existent with the orthotics in.
Glute firing drills are slowly increasing my capacity to run with a good stride.

CONS
My hips and upper body continue to frequently buckle at impact, even when landing the feet in the correct position.
When striding out and with my feet in the air, my feet are flopping all over the place before impact. They can actually flop to the left and then right in the air in the quarter second between lift off and impact! Whilst the feet not pronating at impact, they occasionally land in awkward positions and contribute to a stride that is overall unefficient.
Overstriding continues to be a bit of a problem at 5:00 min pace putting stess on the shins.

Wrapped up the day with a Brisbane Marathon Sponsors function at the Regatta where I represtented Run For Your Life. Ended up talking to the Regatta GM, Andrew Ford for about 20 minutes on coporate functions and the brewery wars before I escaped and hung out with Clairie, Rick and Clare G for a while. Managed to convince Qld Athletics to get off their arese and contribute to R4YL so it was a productive night and the free beers didn’t hurt either!

Km's this week - 9
Km's this month - 76
Km's this year - 189

Sunday - Great run!!

9k's @ 5:00 mins/km

Had a fantastic end to a weekend that saw me spend about 22 hours in the office due to leave and illness at work. Started my Sunday watching the Commonwealth marathons on the tv next to my desk and work and geees, wasn’t I urging the amazing Kerryn McCann home in those thrilling finishing stages whilst showing a complete lack of consideration for my work colleagues! They should have been watching the race anyway!!

Planned toget to Fitness First at noon for my run, but it was not until 4:15 pm that I finally made it to the tready adorned in a pair of chocolate brown business socks after I had forgotten my Thorlos…..hhhhmmm – not a good look. But I couldn’t care less as I got through my best run in a month, 45 mins of hardly any shin discomfort whilst the fitness was much improved also! Fantastic stuff! The HR data will be useless though as the HR shot up every time Kerryn’s Marathon win was replayed on the tv’s.

Lets hope I can continue the momentum as I bump my mileage up to 30k’s for this week. That’s 9k at Pat’s on Tuesday, 7 on Thurs, 4 on Friday and 10 next Sunday. Bring it on!

Km's this week - 27
Km's this month - 67
Km's this year - 180

On go the Skins.....

5k's @ 5:00 mins/km

Its been a few months now since I started wearing long Skins as a recovery aid - mainly when sleeping the night after a run. However, due to the Skins being itchy when my legs are in motion, I had not yet got around to doing a recovery run in them. Today I did just that and the 5k's I clocked up on the tready this morning featured the usual mild discomfort, that the Skins didn't alleviate. I won't be writing off the Skins as a option for running in but will now trial long socks as worn by Eloise Wellings. http://www.athletics.org.au/athletes/profiles/photos.cfm?ObjectID=469
These long socks are claimed to reduce calf issues they follow the theory that centers around the belief that if you contain the calf muscle in a sock then the only stress it is exposed to is the actual forward propulsion. They believe that when the calf is not contained in a sock it does extra work such as the muscle flapping which could potentially create extra stress for the shins. http://www.oxysox.com/media.htm

Gees, I would be quite a sight if I ended up having to wearand race in these socks for the remainder of my career!!! Long white socks, white headband - I could be the most recognisable runner in races around town!!

Km's this week - 18
Km's this month - 58
Km's this year - 171

When in doubt......move forward!!!

7k's at 5:00 mins/km

Another solid run in the bank. Not entirely a discomfort free run as far as the shins are concerned , but by no means worrying. Interestingly, the HR was at least five beats per minute higher this morning, presumably due to the consumption of four beers last night. As I start to get more HR data, some interesting patterns are emerging that should help my training in future when I'm back to full mileage and focusing on a race.

One thing that I've really been thinking about a lot lately is that if and when the condition of my shins deteriorates again, I will not automatically take at least a week off - I've already done that ten times and whilst I won't say it hasn't worked, it certainly hasn't achieved a great deal. In future, I will be more willing to flirt with that 'inflexsion point' that is the line dividing shin splints from a stress fracture. This is not to say that I will do anything reckless. By all means I will miss a session if I have to or reduce it, but I will then go all out in the rehab between that session and the next session in order to keep my training up. To often, when in doubt with my shins, I have taken a step back. Now I'm gonna take a leaf out of Langy's book and "when in doubt....MOVE FORWARD!!!"

Km's this week - 13
Km's this month - 53
Km's this year - 166

Tuesday

6k's @ 5:00 mins/km

Hit the Fitness First tready on my way home from work and enjoyed a cruisey run.

Km's this week - 6
Km's this month - 46
Km's this year - 159

Sunday - Bribie Tri Race 4

7k's @ 5:00mins/km

Northies maintained our unbeaten record over the sprint distance of 750/20/5 by winning the final leg of the Bribie Tri this AM. RooBoy took advantage of a strong current covering 750m in less than 8 minutes and was second the whole way, putting in his best swim for Northies in two years - top stuff Mate!! Despite being second out of the water, RooBoy lost two places and a few seconds on the 150 m run back into transition. Matt then took over on the bike leg with a fourth placing that put daylight between us and the next male team. With yours truly still taking it easy, I got my brother Adam to run for Northies for the second time and he set out for his 5k leg with the Male teams championship in the bag but the added challenge of making sure that the leading mixed team did not beat us. No worries, Adam ran down the leading mixed team with a k to go on his way to 18:51 - a huge effort coming off a flu and a disrupted preparation. Inspirational stuff!!

I then raced straight to FF to put in 7k's with the legs going ok and then it was back to SportsCentre for the traditional BBQ prior to the Broncos season opener. Unfortunately, the results was a shocker and the Broncs are set to take a while to get out of the blocks this year - still, better to start slow, than finish slow!

Km's this week - 24
Km's this month - 41
Km's this year - 153

Friday - Easy 4k's

4k's @ 5:00min/km

Easy recovery run.

Km's this week - 17
Km's this month - 34
Km's this year - 146

Thursday - 5k's

5k's @ 5:00 mins/km

Did an easy 5k's on the tready. All is well - running is improving as is the HR. Core strengthening is going excellent as are glute firing ex's and foot strengthening ex's. Whilst I had earlier planned to quickly increase my weekly mileage to 36k's before implementing the no more than 10% increase per week rule, I am not implementing the rule starting at 21 k's for last week. It'll take me 11 weeks to get back to 70k at this rate.

Km's this week - 13
Km's this month - 30
Km's this year - 142

Pat Carroll Running Group - 3K TT

3K TT 13:20, 3k warm up, 2k warm down

Made my first appearance at Pats' since the Christmas run last year - gees, its been a while!! With the low grade virus hopefully banished forever and my mileage slowly increasing, I should be able to resume my fortnightly sessions at Pat's whilst I continue to do 90% of my running on the tready. All going well, I will upgrade to weekly sessions around May. It was good to catch up with everyone and see that the Group has grown by about 20 people in my absence. I was so busy talking with people that I completely forgot to stretch both before and after the session, so will do it in the office as soon as I finish writing this!

I rocked up at the session with the intention of running the same 5 min k's that I've been doing for the last few weeks at the gym. But on the warm up, Pat was sledging me about running so slowly and by the time I got to the starting line, I had changed my mind and decided to run 14 mins for the 3k's, just to see how it felt. 400m into the TT, with Tesso and Tori just in front of me pacing a sub 13:30 bus, I decided to help them out with the pacing and upgraded my target to sub 13:30 and did it easily. The shins felt good today and there was little discomfort during or after the run. If I feel similarly good after my next non tready run in a fortnight, whilst feeling some discomfort on the tready, I might consider ceasing or reducing treadmill running for a while, just to see if it makes a difference.

Anyway, whilst I was cruising along this morning, I had plenty of time to cheer everyone on - stacks of PB's were run out there today - too many to mention(but I should mention Clairie and Ally - well done gals!!!) A special mention to Gary M who ran a mighty 3k's trimming two seconds off the existing Group record - from 9:29 to 9:27. Unfortunately for Gary, he can't claim the record as it had already been broken 39 secs ealier by virgin PCRG time trialler, former National 1500m Champion Al Stevenson!!! Al is representing Australia at the World Cross Country Champs early in April and it'll be great if he can come along to the occasional session or TT and add some class and speed to the Group. The only downside is that its gonna take me a while to break Al's new Group record of 8:50 and he could potentially lower it to the low 8 minute mark if he decides to get serious!!!

I better get over these shin probs quick smart........

Km's this week - 8
Km's this month - 25
Km's this year - 137

Sunday 'long' run

Sunday Long Run - 35 mins, 7k @ 5:00 mins/km

An early wakeup call this morning and for the first time I was required to take an umbrella to a race with me, this time, the International Women's Day 5k in Brisbane with the Gold Coast's Jessica Gilfillan winning from Clare Geraghty. Again, gloomy and drizzling conditions prevailed, making it hard for me to jot notes on my clipboard, record splits on my Timex and hold the bloody umbrella against the stiff wind!! Still, I did my duty and another possible R4YL report waits, if the organisers can provide me with the official finishing details and some photographs.

Following a shift at work, hit FF on the way home for 35 mins on the tready. Interestingly a pattern had developed the last few runs, whereupon, I have little shin discomfort whilst running, fairly significant discomfort for five minutes after I stop running and then little or no discomfort after that. It clearly differs from my usual pattern of shin probs and all the detail has been noted in my log book. Will be interesting to see how I fare with my next few runs. On the postive side, the HR improved significantly today, down to 152-155 for most of the later stages of my reps. Still a long way of where I used to be, but a positive gain.

Life's good.....sensational even!!

Km's this week - 21
Km's this month - 17
Km's this year - 129

Friday - Telstra A-Series Brisbane(no, I wasn't racing!)

Friday Recovery Run , 2 x 10 mins @ 5:00 mins/km with 2 min WR

Knocked out a 4 k recovery run this arvo along with 50 mins of core strength work - the body is definitely starting to feel stronger and the virus is closer to becoming a distant memory.

Following the run, I headed out to QEII for Athletics Australia's Telstra A-Series meet held in gloomy conditions with constant drizzling ran more akin to Melbourne than Brisbane. Using my media accreditation from AA, I gained access to the Media Room and made myself comfortable whilst the early events were in progress. Peter Meares proved himself useful by raiding the kitchen and obtaining dinner for the media contingent so I tucked into chicken, ham, salad and potatoes washed down with Musashi spring water, a plentiful supply of which was available in the Media Room. I think I can get used to these perks ;-) Introduced myself to Courier Mail journo Paul Malone and had a bit of a chat whilst big name such as Linford Christie socialised nearby.

Despite the wet conditions, it was a fair night of athletics and I got some content from the 800 and 1500m races that may form the basis of a half page R4YL article if its required. I also got brushed off by an Aussie Commonwealth games rep disappointed in their performance and not in a talking mood - that' s journalism!!! It was a fun night and a learning experience.


Km's this week - 14
Km's this month - 10
Km's this year - 122

Another easy run

25 mins @ 5:02 mins/km with two 2 min WR's

Hit the tready this morning feeling positive. Except for feeling a little fluey on Monday morning, I've felt no signs of the dreaded low grade virus this week. Had a solid 40 mins of core strength work last night adding some of the exercises Aza showed me on Saturday along with some glute firing exercises - it was all good! Rolled along this morning fairly comfortably - some minor discomfort in the lower right tibia towards the end of the session.

Planning to do 21k's this week, 2 hours of core strength and 40 mins of glute firing ex's. Hopefully I can build on that in the coming well. The length of time I've taken to recover from this virus has well and truly sunk my GC Marathon aspirations for 2006. The reality is that I've done less mileage this year than Tesso did in one night at Caboolture!! I am now aiming simply to build my mileage back up to 70km's a week and string some consistent training together. We'll go from there.

Km's this week - 10
Km's this month - 5
Km's this year - 118

Tuesday - Easy run

25 mins @ 5:05 mins/km with three 2 min WR's

Hit Fitness First on my way home from work on Tuesday and eased my way through the run, getting home just in time to watch Game 3 of the NBL Finals and the Tigers end the reign of the cheating and whinging King$.

Km's this week - 5
Km's this month - 44
Km's this year - 113