Saturday, August 15, 2009

PYRAMID 5K





I did the 5K I was talking about today and managed to run within 5 seconds of my PB with a 17:13. That is two minutes better than I did at this same race last year. 2nd in my age group. Actually it was the open division (18 years and over) I got second in and the guy who won this group was 18 and he did it in 14:45 or something ridiculous like that.

I came 4th overall. It is kind of depressing, to me, to have run my near best and still get beaten by one 18 year old, one 16 year old and a 15 year old. I turn 45 tomorrow, so this is perhaps the main cause of my melancholy, still I can't help thinking that I'm reaching the end of my PBs.

It always pays to be sanguine about these things and it was 30 degrees while we were running this so I possibly could squeeze some more time out of my 5Ks. Yes, it is not time to give up the PBs yet. I don't know exactly when that time will come but I think it will be around the time I stop wanting to beat, and believing I can, the type of young guys that whipped me today.

The video posted is of the end of my race today. Ignore the time on the clock as it was set to the 12K mountain race which preceded mine.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Fast 5K



I've been searching the Internet this last week looking for something/someone to give me the green light to run a fast 5K this coming Saturday.

Type in "Fast 5K 2 weeks after a marathon" and you don't get much relevant stuff or anything much that says what I want to hear, that: Running a PB for the 5 K so soon after a full marathon is not only possible but it's something everyone should try.

Mostly you will hear people poo poo the idea with all this "No speedwork for the weeks after the marathon" and "build up slowly unless you want to be sidelined with a prolonged injury."

Luckily for me I have irresponsible role models like Dave Criniti who after only one week and having run 50 or so Ks the day before raced the City to Surf with a fantastic result.

Yes, I hear you all saying "You're no David Criniti Scott" and I appreciate anyone telling me I'm a fool. But I did recover really fast after the Townsville marathon and I won't have a chance to race again until October so I'm going to run as fast as these old pins will take me.

Today I did 4 X 400 meters at a local grass track and the very fastest I could go was between 1:16 and 1:20 per 400 meters. It might be too much to ask for a PB but an age group prize might be in the offing. Just how many faster 45 year olds will be in a small North Queensland town for a race hardly anyone has heard of?

Let's just hope the answer is not "3".

Above photo: me and the madman David Criniti. Can you spot my cheeky son?

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

TOWNSVILLE 2009












I can't go into too much detail as I really wasn't paying that much attention. You all probably know what I mean by that. Anyway I think I'd better get what I recall down now while it's still relatively fresh.

The race started at 5:30am, it was pretty dark, I set off with a group of about 8 guys that kept together for the first 5K going through in just under 20 minutes.
Even at this stage Dave Criniti and Alan Mullen the first and second place getter's were way ahead of everyone.

Allen Mullen a previous winner(2004, 2:40:25)trailed Dave by about 3 or so minutes at this stage but Dave was really flying. (You really have to see this guy run, it is really something else.)This day he was to break the course record going under 2:30:00.

Anyway, by the 10th K or so there was a smaller pack, about 4 of us, following the leaders and we were all running comfortably under 3 hour pace. I mentioned to the guys around me that: "This race would be perfect conditions if it was just a little bit less humid." I got no response and these guys were sweating a lot so I took it as a sign that they were doing it a bit harder than me. Nothing like training in 95% humidity to make 75% seem cool.

By the 20th K there was only me and a fit looking thirty something local battling it out for third place. I started to talk to this guy and found out it was his first marathon. I said, something like "jeez you are doing well, if you run your first one like this you have a good future in this sport." Not long after I said this I pushed the pace knowing that if I didn't put a gap on him now he might very well hang with me and find his second wind.

Luckily for me and thanks to my high mileage training I was able to move ahead knowing with confidence that I could hold this pace. The last 10K I was easily holding 3rd place and the encouragement from Allen and Dave whenever I saw them on the turnarounds helped me to hold on and bring it home without any major dramas.

I was passed by a couple of very fast half marathoners and about five 10K runners in the last 8K, but this helped me as I was forced to wake from a little lapse in concentration and pick up the pace a little. I'm not sure whether or not I did pick up the pace, I was beyond checking K markers at this stage, but I didn't drop off significantly like I usually do and was very pleased to not only come in under 3 hours but to do it with a third place finish.

I'm in two minds now. One, I think I trained long and hard for a 2:56:00 finish, maybe I should have run faster and that is about all I can expect in the future. But that's what I said when I ran my first marathon in 4:10:00 something. And I'm thinking, now I can go faster and with you guys to help me I'll always be able to find ways to improve my trainng and times.

Thanks Dave for your support online and on the day, you are a true gentleman. As I have found of 99.9% of runners and bloggers. It may sound a bit melodramatic but I'm indebted to you all and grateful, more than I can say.

I'll leave you with some photos all pretty self explanatory.

Starting running and aiming for a sub 3 marathon has been a life changing experience. I have no regrets I did this. Now with a bit more balance and sense I expect it to continue to give. I will continue to do it as long as I believe it is worth the effort and is enjoyable. Frankly I can't see the day it won't be.

Thanks, again.

Sunday, August 02, 2009

SUB 3

Glad to report things went well today. Yes, I finally ran out of excuses and under 3 hours. I will write more in the following days but just wanted to let you know my time and position. 1st in my age group, 3rd overall at 2:56:30. Dave Criniti came in first with a course record somewhere under 2:30! I go back to Cairns on Tuesday and I'll post photos and details then. Back to the beers, thanks for everything, I love you'se all ;)