Running with Mr Kangaloo

I'm currently in recovery mode after a big weekend down in ol' Sydney town. A highlight of the trip was finally meeting Tokyo-resident blogger Steve Lacey for a couple of Aussie-style training sessions.

I left for the smoke on Saturday after completing an interval session on the sumptuous grass of Stromlo Forest Park. Speedygeoff and Ken set the pace, with myself and Katie battling for third place. 3 x 1000 metres in 3:54, 4:01 and 3:55 with a 1000m recovery jog in about 7:15. I was very happy with that; especially finishing so close to sub-20 5k runner Katie.

I finally met the famous Steve L on arrival at my mate Bruce's place in Artarmon. Steve and a car-load of kids followed us down to Cremorne Point, where I was incredibly impressed by Steve's precision reverse-parking skills. The kids went for a swim in MacCallum Pool while we drove to the start of our run in Sirius Cove. It was an iconic Sydney bush run – a 6km loop around Bradley's Head with occasional stops to admire the stunning harbour views. Nothing like this in down-town Tokyo eh Steve? Afterwards, a refreshing swim in the salt-water pool completed day one.

On Sunday morning, at the respectable hour of 7.30am, Steve ran down to meet me at the Milson's Point stairs to the Harbour Bridge. I've got to admit, his arrival at a huge rate of knots had me worried about what might be in store. Would an old decrepit wombat be able to keep up with a young frisky Japanese-trained ninja? I needn't have worried. Steve was honourably restrained in pace as I took him on a tour of Sydney city running courses, starting with the last 3km of the Sydney Marathon and it's Opera House finish. Then, up past Don Juan's Boy Charlton Pool for the William Street start of the City to Surf. A lap under the famous fig trees of Hyde Park before heading back down Macquarie Street to the Quay, through the rocks and over the coat hanger where I left Steve to run the boring bit back up to Chatswood. For me, the run totalled 15.9km at 5:36/km – very definitely in 'upper aerobic' territory, but great gut-punching stories passed the time and made for a memorable run. Thanks Steve!

On Sunday afternoon the weekend finished me off with another bush run up at Pennant Hills. I ran with Bruce, Ivan, Richard, Anne and Ian. It was a rather hilly run – 9.4km of 'fun', trying to keep up with legends Anne and Ian. I was so tired I had to walk the final hills, but Ian, being a true gentleman, dropped back and accompanied me to the finish. Once there, cheese, biscuits and strawberries were enjoyed by all, along with the coldest beers I've tasted in a long, long time. Thanks Ian!

The bush near Sydney Harbour is a great place for a run!

A bloke with a beard in front of the coat hanger.

A better looking bloke with a beard in front of the coat hanger.

I tried to lose Steve in Sydney, but failed dismally.

One Fine Day

I have an optimistic attitude to life and running. It takes just one good thing to raise my enthusiasm to a new level. The 5k race at Stromlo was a better-than-good thing! It almost surpassed Mum's trifle! The coming months hold promise of further exciting (and fast) races.

Most runners would be about to review the past year. I'll do that in my training diary when the time comes. In Australia, running for many of us is seasonal. In winter we race cross country and road events, while in summer we compete on the track. The track season runs from October through to March, so at the moment, we're mid-season.

Due to a bout of flu in late October, I've so far only raced twice on the track - the 10,000 metres, and last Thursday, a 3,000 metre event. I ran 12:15.43 for the 3k, so a very encouraging result in my quest to get into the mid-elevens by season's end. Because of tiredness, I wasn't looking forward to the race, but it turned out quite well. With Hadd-training I've done almost no running at this speed (4:05/km), so perhaps it really is possible that training slower will make me faster! I just ran as hard as I could for as long as I could. It ended up being my fastest 3000 metre race since 2003, when I ran 12:02.7. In 2001 I ran 11:21, so this will be my optimistic target for the rest of the season.

I hope everyone's had a great year in matters running and otherwise. If not, try to look forward with optimism! If you get a chance, pop over and wish Scott the best for his marathon in Kakogawa. To my running friends who are injured, all the best – I hope to see you on the trails and track soon!

About 4.5k into the Molonglo group's Saturday morning long run. Nadine, Brett, Barbara, Steve and myself pose while Chris takes a phone photo.

On the climb up to the Mount Ainslie saddle, Steve leads the way. This idyllic place for running is less than 5 kilometres from downtown Canberra.

Almost as good as it gets

Un-bloody-believable! How did I do that? On Tuesday afternoon I raced in the Cross Country Club's 5k event at Stromlo Forest Park. 20:54! I'm still somewhat stunned. Unfortunately the course is a little short (about 80 metres); but it's not exactly flat, and it's grass – lovely manicured grass. I ran barefoot. What I'm excited about is how good I felt. I was racing people I usually only see on the starting line, and ran the second lap 5 seconds faster than the first. I finished ahead of my long-time rival Jim W (we were both equally surprised) – the first time this has happened since 2004. We had a short conversation as I overtook him on the second lap: "What are you doing here?", he said. "I don't know!"

Some months ago when I first said I was going to experiment with Hadd-training, Steve enthused that I'd had an epiphany. Well, not exactly. I just wanted to try something different. My race on Tuesday however, was something close to epiphanic. To run that fast, and not feel under stress at any time, was almost surreal. Thankyou John Hadd. I'm now keen to continue with the experiment.

Last night I raced in the postponed track 10,000 metres. In contrast to Tuesday's 5k, this was hard work, and I have to admit, 44:54.57 was a little disappointing. A positive split this time, with 5000s of 22:08 and 22:47. Fastest kilometre was the second (4:17) and slowest, an Allrounder-like 9th (4:39). I'll put it down to the race being preceded by a 10-hour working day. As Forrest Gump once said, "It happens. Sometimes". Bring on the second half of the track season so I can show friends like Anonymous that I haven't had it!

Some say this is my best side (yellow singlet). In the first race at Stromlo on 18 November I was much slower, 22:25. Here I'm about to be overtaken by jogging Olympians Susan Hobson, Rob de Castella and friends.

Hadd Actually

Thanks all for your supportive comments about my nothing 10,000 metres. I've decided to target the January 10,000 as I can't see myself being as fresh as a daisy next week. December, work-wise, is a very busy and tiring month. I still plan to race next week, but my confidence level is somewhat less than spectacular. I feel as glum about it as John Howard packing boxes for his move from Kirribilli.

A few people have asked me when I'm going to stop the Hadd experiment and "do some real training". If I were a marathoner, I'd probably do Hadd-training forever. I believe it's possible to run a good marathon (even a PB), just off Hadd, and nothing else.

Hadd-training is a method of developing 'base' by using heart-rate to guide effort during a particular training run. Base was made famous by Arthur Lydiard, who had all his runners, from 800m specialists to marathoners, running 100 mile weeks during the base phase. The Lydiard method of training is often thought to mean lots of slow running. It's actually base training (aerobic running), followed by 4 weeks of hill training, 4 weeks of anaerobic (intervals) training, then speedwork (sprinting), tapering and racing.

I'm putting off doing any "real training" because I want to race a couple of 3000 metre events just off Hadd-training. I'm curious to see what simple aerobic conditioning will produce in the way of a 3000 metre time. After that, I may do some anaerobic running and speedwork. Or I may not. I'm actually enjoying the less frenetic and more contemplative aspects of aerobic running. I've also been able to run a lot, without becoming injured. I like running.

The correct diet (and big enough handicap) could result in winning a medal!

Nothing

The M50 10,000 metre PB will have to wait. I'd received a text message from Strewth before leaving home saying "are you still going to run in this?" It had been raining fairly steadily all afternoon. I replied that I was going to race and hoped to see her out there.

On the 40-minute drive to the track the rain was easing. The temperature was pleasantly cool – about 14°C (57°F), a relief from the 32°C (90°F) days we've been having lately. I was looking forward to the 25-lap race and had worked out a pacing plan of 1:47 per lap.

As I turned into the AIS carpark my heart sunk. Apart from one car, it was empty. The meeting had obviously been cancelled. I walked up to take a look at the track but the gate was locked. Roger and Maureen arrived. We had a chat for a while before going home. I was disappointed, but at least (touch wood) there's another race on 10 January.

Hoping for a good 10,000

In Canberra there aren't many opportunities to race 10k on the track. This season there's a race on November 22, and another on January 10. Ever since I started running I've wanted to run a good 10,000 metres. People always ask "What do you do for 10k?" Secretly, I was more desperate to run a good 3,000 metres. Sub-10 minutes was the goal, and it happened after many attempts. Practise makes perfect.

My first 10,000 was at the old Bruce Stadium track on 17 November 1984. I had a goal of 38 minutes. I was a little behind schedule at 5000 (19:07), and during the second half of the race, my lap-scorer became confused. Was it because I was being lapped umpteen times, or because she was mesmerised by my impeccable form? She gave me 'the bell' after 25 laps, so I ended up running an all-time PB of 39:54 for 10,400 metres.

So here we are, 23 years later, hoping for good 10,000 at the newly resurfaced AIS warm-up track. I haven't been travelling that well in training since the Melbourne Half. I've run 83k per week, but managed to catch a cold that's had the persistence of a swarm of bush flies. Only now am I feeling somewhat healthy. This recent fragility is why I haven't been racing 3000 and 5000 metres on the track. I'll have one more week of training followed by a 3-day taper.

Defining 'good' is best left to the experts. My old mate McMillan says that 45:18 for 10k is equivalent to my Melbourne half marathon time. Fair enough Greg, but I want to run quicker than the 44:53 I managed in January 2005. If it doesn't happen in 11 days' time I'll have another crack in January 2008.

Most people I know

My non-running friends are always saying things like: "it's your own fault", "all this running is not healthy", and "you're crazy to run so much". When I get sick, they say "I told you so".

I have a cold. It started on Thursday as a sore throat. The previous evening I'd enjoyed a lovely run with Strewth around the East Basin Wetlands. On Thursday I felt terrible and cut my run short. Obviously I'd caught a virus earlier in the week. Perhaps at the Speedygeese dinner! Was it due to running too much? I don't think so. Anybody can catch a cold.

I had a rest from running on Friday, and, feeling much better on Saturday, set off for a 16k run. Bad idea! I got through it, but my lungs felt like those of a 40-a-day smoker. Today, after 10 hours' sleep and lots of fluids, the cold seems to be on the back foot. Having today off running will leave the diary with a somewhat less than Lydiard-like 73 kilometres for the week.

I've been wondering about how much daily running I should be attempting. Hadd-training, and the base phase of Lydiard, depends on a certain volume of weekly running. Arthur Lydiard experimented on himself with weekly volumes of up to 200 miles, before settling on 100 miles as being optimal for his athletes. Fast runners could do 100 weekly miles by averaging 90 minutes per day. I've been trying to average 15 kilometres per day, which takes me about 90 minutes. Should I run less? More? I'm inclined to try and average 12 to 13 kilometres per day for a while, to see if that volume of running leaves me feeling less like an upturned wombat.

The Flyest Mudder Rudder

Finally, a Hadd-free post! No mention of running either. If Phil can do it, so can I. For my up-over readers, the following YouTube clip won't mean much. We have an election coming up on 24 November. Yes, all Australians 18 years of age or older must decide who rules!

I enjoy writers who use words creatively. I like good poetry. Is Rap the new poetry? I wonder what Henry Kendall would think? This video by the Axis of Awesome does brilliantly what we Australians love doing – cutting tall poppies down to size – doubly so if those tall poppies are politicians.

Totally Addicted to Base!

This afternoon I was bad. Not the badness that results from inhaling chocolate at KokoBlack like CJ and friends. The badness that results from venturing into anaerobic territory. Running without oxygen is not part of Hadd-training. I've been good for so long – 13 weeks with nary a sprint! Just a diet of upper and lower aerobic runs, fully with oxygen. 95 kilometres per week.

I got sucked in. It was the Monday Speedygeoff session at Parliament House. Usually I'm so damned disciplined, and happily run at the back of the group. This afternoon I was partnered in a continuous relay with Strewth. We were coming last and I impulsively decided to do something about it. I started running without oxygen. I ran four of my relay legs hard – on my final fast one I was chasing Katie and managed, more or less, to keep up! Katie is a fast middle distance runner. My heart-rate soared to 164 at the top of the hill, very close to my maximum.

It was fun, and we didn't come last! However, I won't be doing this again any time soon. I'm totally addicted to base. Arthur Lydiard suggests that aerobic training can go on and on with no negative consequences. Anaerobic training (running without oxygen), although necessary to reach peak racing form, takes "bricks" away from the base. I don't think I've laid all my bricks, so it's back to Hadd-training for another three months. Maybe more.

My better Half in Melbourne

It just happened. Despite trying hard to sabotage my race, I finished the Asics Melbourne Half Marathon on Sunday with a new M50 PB. My chip time of 1:40:48 was over 4 minutes quicker than the Gold Coast Half. Hadd-training is working! I'm excited at the possibility of better things to come. Kerryn McCann is running the half next year, so I'll be back again with a goal of sub-95 minutes.

So... how did I almost stuff things up? It was a typical Melbourne "perfect weather for running" day. About 10C, rising to 15C at the finish, with just a zephyr blowing across Albert Park Lake. You'd think a runner of 26 years' experience would be immune to the rush of blood. Race starter Rob de Castella advised the field (the marathon and half started together) to "take it easy at the start" and "try to finish strongly". As soon as Deek sounded the air-horn I stampeded down the first hill with 8,000 others, past Katy (holding a "Not far to go now!" sign), and latched onto the 3hr 15min marathon pacing group.

After 4 kilometres at 4:30s, I belatedly realised I needed to switch to preservation mode. This tactic was surprisingly successful, and I spent the rest of the race trying to guess when I'd be caught by the 1hr 40min group. I survived for a fair way, feeling like the rabbit in that TV ad for the Yarra Valley, running past the brilliant CR cheer-squad for the second time, and back down St Kilda Road towards the city. I was finally captured at 15k, and managed to hang on for another kilometre before being unceremoniously spat out the back.

Pretty soon The G was in sight. It was a finish "to die for". Running 300 metres on the grass of that hallowed ground, then under the finish gantry, to be greeted and handed my medal by yet another smiling volunteer. Melbourne, you were good!

[5k splits: (31sec to start) 22:40, 23:46, 24:13, 24:52 + 1.1k in 5:17]