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Jonathon's Racing Attacks and Adventure Packs!

Amazing racing and training adventures on roads and mountainous/hilly TRAILS, freewaybikehike and triathlons. Dreams of a SIX FOOT 45km finish,(DONE 2011,2013,2014,2015!),then ULTRA-TRAIL AUSTRALIA (50km DONE 2016! 100km DONE 2018!!!), memorable Melbourne Marathon and Gold Coast racing. Over a decade dreaming of a SUB 3HR MARATHON, sub 18min 5k, sub 38min 10k, sub 90min Half marathon etc...(shattered? or still realistic?)

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Location: Perth, Western Australia, Australia


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42.2km SB; 2004; 3.55 2005; 4.02 2006; 4.18, 2007; 4.10 2008; 3.55
2009; 4.11 2010; 4.05 2011; 4.02 2012;3.49 2013; 4.12 ... 2014; ; 4.08 ...2015; 4.00
2016; 4.11 2018; 4.15 2019; 4.25 2020; 5.38 ... 2021; 5.44 ... 2022 DNF at 37km
More ongoing GOALS;
***PB's pursuit; 5k 21.49, 10k 41.01 21.1k 1.41, ...42.2k 3.49

MM and the G!...

In recent years I have been enjoying races like;
December; 6-INCH(46km offroad)2005;--6 hrs 25 min...
2006; 7hrs 04 min 2008; 7hrs 00min...2009; 6hrs 16min
...2010:--5hrs 49min..2011:---5hrs 30min..2013---7 hrs 24min... 2014--- 7 hrs 06min 2015--6hours 43min ...2016---6hours 41min... 2017--7hrs 3min?... 2018-7hrs ... 2020 8hrs 19 ... 2021 8hrs 51
October; Melbourne Marathon 2007; 4hr 10 . 2008 DNF at 23km..
2009 4hrs 11. 2010 4hrs 05min...2011;4hrs 02min...photos
2012; 3hrs 49min 52secs PB!... ..2013; 4.12 2014; 4.08 2015; 4.05... 2016; 4.53
Rottnest Marathon 2004; 4hr 32min ... 2013; 4hr 16min... 2019; 4hr 41min 59secs
August; City to Surf most years since 1997 see HERE for details,photos.
PERTH C2S PB's; 4K;17min 25 (2002) 12K;52min 52 (1997)
21.1K;1.54.20 (2007) 42.2K; 4.00.20 (2015) (2010 video..45secs into it)
Perth City to Surf Marathon finisher 2009,2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019.
June/July;
GOLD COAST; 2012 HALF; 1.44 2013 HALF; 1.47 2014 HALF 1.49
2015 4.11 ..., 2016 4.11..., 2019 4.25
PERTH Marathon(42.2km)
2004; 3hrs55min
2005;--4 hrs 02 min. 2006; 4hrs 18min 2007;4hrs 33
2008; 3hrs 55 2009; 4hrs 41min 2010; 4hrs 30min
2011; 4hrs 12min 2012; 4hrs 6min 2013; 4hrs 19min 2014 4hrs 48min 2018 4hrs 15min
2019; 4hrs 28min
2021 5hrs 44min
May; Ultra TRAIL AUSTRALIA;
2016 50km 9 hours 50min 956th
2017 100km DNF CP4 57km
2018 100km 24hrs 33min 15 913th
2019 100km DNF CP3 46km 2021 CP2 DNF (severe back injury)
April;TWO DECADES of Bridges racing; 1997; 43min 43 1998; 41min 01
1999; 47min 29 2000; 46min 47 2001; (5km) 30min 01 2002; (5km) 22min 48
2003; 42min 40 2004; 48min 50 2005; 44min 40 2006; 48min 07 2007; 49min 16
2008; 50min 42 2009; 49min 54 2010; 48min 39 2011; 52min 55 2012; 47min 02 2013; 54min 45 2014; 48min 47 2015; 49min 53 2016 52min 20
March;6 Foot Track 45km;
2011; 6.53 2013; 6.54 2014; 6.47
2015; 6.14!!! 2016 DNF


As of October 2022; 37 road marathons finished (Perth x14, Melbourne x9,Perth City to Surf x7 Gold Coast x3 Rottnest x3 SunsetCoast x1)
Have also finished 20+ ultra races; 6 inch 47km ultra finished 12 times, six foot 45km ultra 4 times, Ultra Trail Australia ultras 2 times, Truth 50km ultra once within cutoff (and once outside cutoff), Lark Hill 50km ultra, 6hour track race, 24hr track race.
Also completed the Bloated Goat 31km (1500m Vertical gain) 2 times which is similiar effort to a 46km ultra.
DNFs in UTA100km, WTF50miler, WAMC40miler race, Truth 50km, Six foot and 6 inch.
The first 3 DNFs were after covering more than 42km, and with Truth one was a 25km DNF and the first one I finished the full 50km but was 19minutes outside cutoff battling an ankle injury for 36km.
In road marathons 3 DNFs one at 23km in the 2008 Melbourne Marathon due to severe ankle injury in the first 1km, and PC2S @ 30km, also 2022 Perth Marathon at 37km too fat and slow

Most races October 2009-October2020; >
30/10/2020 50th John Gilmour 10,000m track race 58min
20/09/2020 XTR Sunset Coast Marathon (#36) 5.38
30/08/2020 Fat Lamb PTS 20km
02/08/2020 Perth Half Mara 2.04
11/07/2020 Jumbuck PTS 3.39
08/03/2020 Darlington Half Marathon 2.07
01/11/2019 John Gilmour 10,000m Track race 51min
06/10/2019 Perth Marathon 4hrs 28min. #13 see here
01/09/2019 Rotto Biddi 3hrs.09.44
25/08/2019 City 2 Surf Marathon 4hrs 48min
17/08/2019 TW Parkrun 5km 24.29 (5th)
3/08/2019 Truth 50km DNF (at 25km in 4hrs 26min)
28/07/2019 RunMelbourne Halfmarathon 2hr 03min
21/07/2019 Champion Lakes R2R Halfmarathon 1hr 55min (32nd)
7/07/2019 Gold Coast Marathon 4hrs 25min
16/06/2019 Rottnest Marathon 4hrs 42min
18/05/2019 Ultra Trail Australia 100km DNF at 46km (CP3) 8hrs 58min
17/03/2019 Fat Lamb 20km 3hr 29min 49th of 70
02/03/2019 Lark Hill 25km 3hr 54 (Night race forgot headlamp)
24/02/2019 Swissmurdie 2hr 35
09/02/2019 Busselton Half marathon 2.13 (Late start actually 2.05)
20/01/2019 Chi Gong 1hr 58 134th of 158 finishers
16/12/2018 6 inch 47km 7hrs (12th finish)
21/10/2018 Rottnest Half 2hr 03 min
16/09/2018 Fremantle Half 1hr 58min
04/07/2018 Truth 25km 3hrs 11min 55 (PTS)
24/06/2018 Eagle 22km 2hrxx(59min officially, but 43min on my watch as started late)
17/06/2018 Perth Marathon 4hrs 15min
19/05/2018 Ultra-Trail Australia 100km 24hrs 33min 15secs 913th of 964 finishers
218 withdrawals
03/03/2018 Lark Hill 50km
17/12/2017 6 inch 48km 7hrs
06/08/2017 Truth 50km 8hrs 22min 59
16/07/2017 Jolly Jumbuck 21km 2hr 54min (94th of 129)
02/07/2017 King of the Mountain 16km 1hr 41min
20/05/2017 Ultra-Trail AUSTRALIA 100km DNF (at 58km and 10hours 38min)
26/03/2017 Bloated Goat 30km 5hr 18min
18/12/2016 6 inch 48km 6hrs 41min
16/10/2016 Melbourne Marathon 4hours 53min
25/09/2016 WTF 50 miler DNF at 55km
14/08/2016 Truth 50km DNF at 25km
3/07/2016 Gold Coast Marathon 4.11
14/05/2016 Ultra Trail Australia 50km 9 hours 50min
3/4/2016 My 20th consecutive Bridges fun run 10km 52.20 (hammy strain)
12/3/2016 Six Foot Track DNF at 30km 5 hours.
---------------------- 20/12/2015 6 inch 47km 6 hours 43min
15/11/15 Bloated Goat 30km Trails race (1600m Vert) 5hrs 43min
18/10/15 Melbourne Marathon 4.05
13/09/15 Fremantle 10km 47min 22
30/08/15 Perth City to Surf Marathon 4 hours 00min 20 secs.
05/07/15 GCM 4.11
24/05/15 R4R Half Marathon 1hr 46min 13secs
12/04/15 Bridges 10km 49min 53secs.
04/04/15 Perth Trail Series Truth & Consequences 50km ULTRA 8hours 49min
14/03/15 Six Foot Track 45km 6hrs 14min 11secs Smashing PB!!! (32min)
21/12/14 6 inch Trail 47km 7hrs 06min 30secs
12/10/14 Melbourne Marathon 4hrs 8min (8th fastest marathon in 25 finished)
14/09/14 Fremantle 10km 49min 26 (first K 3.47 5k split 23.02)
31/08/14 Perth City to Surf 42.2k 4hrs 34min
06/07/14 Gold Coast Half Marathon 1.49
15/06/14 Perth Marathon 4.48
01/06/14 Elleker Half Marathon 1.59.
21/04/14 40 miler DNF (28miles)
06/04/14 18th Bridges 10km 48min 47secs...since 1997
08/03/14 6 Foot Track 45km 6hrs 47min 02. (824th) A PB!!! :-)
09/02/14 Snakes and Ladders 15km 2.05
15/12/13 6 inch Trail Ultra 7.24
27/10/13 Rottnest Marathon 4.16.41
13/10/13 Melbourne Marathon 4.12.55
25/08/13 Perth City to Surf Marathon 4.13.28
11/08/13 Perth Half Marathon 1.54.05
28/07/13 Fremantle 10km 50.06 (very sick but first 1k in 3.55)
07/07/13 Gold Coast Half Marathon 1.47.29

16/06/13 Perth Marathon 4hrs 19min 55secs
My 10th consecutive Perth Marathon...Click to see -> how I became a SPARTAN...

19/05/13 Joondalup Half Marathon 1hr 58min 26secs 310th of 495.
07/04/13 Bridges 10km 54min 45seconds.
09/03/13 6 Foot Track 45km 6 hours 54 minutes 20 seconds. 740th of 804...blog post or ...photos! page.

24/02/13 Perth Trail Series Qi Gong 14km 1hr 37min 04 Placed 79th of 117 finishers.
09/02/13 Busselton Half Marathon 1hr 51min 58 secs 219th. full Busso results here
02/11/12 John Gilmour 10k track 47.17 ..see here
14/10/12 Melbourne Marathon 3hrs 49min 52secs ..(777.)
16/09/12 Fremantle 10km 47min 16
26/08/12 City to Surf Marathon 4hrs 42min 41 secs
15/07/12 Lake Joondalup 10km 47min 30.
01/07/12 Gold Coast Half Marathon 1hr 44min 49 secs. 1668th of 9035 finishers

17/06/12 Perth Marathon 4hrs 6min .. (post and photos here)
20/05/12 Joondalup Half Marathon 1hr 47min 01secs. (151st of 313 finishers)
15/05/12 Masters 5000m 21min 58secs
13/05/12 Bunbury Half Marathon 1hr 46min 45 secs. (76th of 240 finishers)
22/04/12 PTS Ellis Brook 21.8km trails race 3hrs 12min 28secs. 39th.
01/04/12 Bridges 10km 47min 02
25/03/12 17.3km (690m ascent) Swissmurdie trails race 2hrs 19min 17secs 54th of 60.
20/03/12 MastersWA 1500m in 5.56, 100m in 14.3, 400m in 76.4, 5000m in 23.33.
26/02/12 WAMC Swan Twilight 5km 24.32
26/02/12 Perth Trail Series Qi Gong 14km 1hr 44min 08 secs 70th of 102.
04/02/12 Busselton Half Marathon in 1hr 49min 31 secs.
18/12/11 6 inch 46km 5hrs 30min PB!
09/10/11 Melbourne Marathon in 4hours 02minutes 49secs...photos...

12/09/11 Fremantle 10km in 45minutes 50 secs.
7/8/11 Perth Half Marathon in 1hr 47min 46 secs.
17/7/11 Lake Joondalup 10km in 46min 33secs.
19/6/11 Perth Marathon in 4 hours 12min 54secs (351st of 547.)
12/6/11 Lake Monger 10km in 48min 09secs
22/5/11 Bunbury Half Marathon 1hr 51min 44secs 109th of 261 finishers
10/4/11 Bridges 10km 52min 55
12/3/11 6 foot 45km in 6hrs 53min 07 secs...819th...of 877...33 DNF's...4 outside 7hr cutoffRace Report and race photosPre & post race photos,initial ELATION
Note; Completing 6 foot is a major goal achieved which I have had in mind since 2005!!!!!!!

4/3/11 3000m in 12min 40 (19th of 19 finishers)Momentum building a little,sub 13 done! :-)
18/2/11 5000m in 23min 31 (20th of 20 finishers...4 DNF's)..results
5/2/2011 21.1km Busselton Half in 1hr 51min 41 secs for 124th of 218 finishers.
19/12/10 46km 6 inch trails race in 5hr 49min (63rd of 79 finishers)
10/12/10 5000m in 22.43 18th of 18!
5/11/10 John Gilmour 10,000m in 47min 36. (23rd of 31)
10/10/10 Melbourne Marathon 4hrs 5min...2895th of 5027 finishers...
12/9/10 Fremantle 10km in 46min 53...a big SB and my best time since 2005!
29/8/10; 42.2km in 4hrs 15min for 537th of 830 finishers...my 6th best of 12 M. finishes.
19/8/10; 5000m in 22min 06.0 secs (SB by 0.6 of a second, & Stan did a SB also that night)
22/7/10; 5000m in 22min 06.6 secs. (SB and 17secs off my track PB)
20/6/10 Perth Marathon in 4.30.
13/5/10; Masters 2000m 7.55 (first sub 8min run since 2005) & 5,000m 22.42
22/4/10; Masters 800m 2.46 & 5,000m 22.29!~(2nd best ever track 5,000m, track PB is 21.49,)
3/4/10; Australian Masters 35-39yrs; 4th in 1500m 5min 34secs. see here...
28/3/10; Bridges 10km in 48min 39secs. 388th of 1646
25/3/10; 300m in 47.6, 600m in 1.57.0 100m in 14.6
18/3/10; Masters 1500m in 6.03 & 10,000m in 49min 35
28/2/10; 4th place in 6 hour Track Race at Coker Park; 45.003km
6/2/10; Busselton 21.1km in 1hr 52min 50 secs
20/12/09;6 inch 46km 6hrs 16min
15/11/09; Peninsula 5km 22min 5225th of 73.
6/11/09; John Gilmour 10km 48min 39
11/10/09; Melbourne Marathon 4hrs 11 min 33 secs
4/10/09; Freo funrun 5km in 22min 53 secs
... ...
2011; 5hrs 30min 6 inchPB!! 2012; 3hrs 49min PB(Melbourne Marathon)!!2014; 6hrs 47min PB! @ 6 foot!

The next big things racing wise maybe;


6 inch 47km
on 20th December @ 0430hrs, countdown (activated a few days before?) is;


Kathryn and I welcomed our daughter K into the world May 2015 A.D.!

Kathryn and I welcomed our daughter J into the world June 2010 A.D.!
Kathryn and I welcomed our son J into the world in late July 2007 A.D.!
Our challenge is to be good parents with the Creator Gods help!



... 2004 ...2005 ...2006 ...2007... >...2008...2009...2010 ...2011... 2012.

but for the most important thing in life;
there is only 2 ways to live!...Bible Gateway...

Sunday, November 15, 2009

22min 51 another SB in the Pen 5km

Training details from this week at bottom of this post...

This weeks race the WAMC Peninsula 5km;
I enjoyed the Peninsula 5km lots today...
another 2 second seasons best (SB) for me with a 22.51...2.5km? splits of 10.52/11.59...

so I averaged 4min 34 per KM for the 5km (45min 42 10k pace), but my splits suggest I averaged 4.20 per K for the first half (faster than that early on maybe and 43min 20sec 10k pace) and 4.48 per KM in the second half (probably more like 4.50, as I kicked home in the last 400m)...thanks to the people who were there to be kicked past....

lovely still conditions, getting a bit warm to wards the end, reckon it must have been hard work towards the end for the 10k people especially those over 45 min......

when i got home from work last night at 1am i was thinking I shouldn't run as i would be pathetic...but glad i showed up...and had a go... nice to chat with various people...thankyou to N, then R, and Hughdaman for being people to chase...I led very early but held back a little for the first 500m, got to the Windan bridge in 5.34...then just hung in there as best as I could...

saw a few other coolrunners like MJail, Turtlerunner and Pelagie out there.

ultra legends Nate and mighty Mick Francis (on the way back after injury while representing Australia ? in a 24hr race in England a few months back, did the 10km despite some tough hilly 40km 6 inch type training yesterday...I managed to just get to the Bridge before Nate...(had to surge hard for that "sprint stage" hahaha)

DJC another sensational 36min? 10k...

Im happy....hopefully in 12 months time I can run 10.52/10.51 splits...

I am convinced intervals are the quickest way to drop your time, because as DJC said they take your body and mind to places you wouldnt go to otherwise, which means quick improvement and better mental and physiological pain tolerance...and rapid physiological changes for the better...
for various reasons some runners respond better to intervals than others...
The example I gave earlier while trying to play devils advocate a bit, was one I heard Nic Bideau give (so hope I didnt quote it out of context too much, probably did), but it seems clear that many runners improve lots from just doing lots of k's every week, but seems to me that improvement is slower, and tends to plateau a bit, whereas intervals seems to me to have the potential for more dramatic improvement...

another factor is where you are in your running life...if you have been racing on and off for 20 years, it gets harder to improve, and when you lose conditioning it can take a long time to get back to PB threatening level, the bigger they are the harder they fall idea, or the taller you are the further you have to fall...if its your first year or even your first three years of racing, you can often seem to hit PB's every few months, if you keep the upward momentum going...eventually you reach a point where it gets harder to get a PB, and you have to reconsider what you are doing think of ways to improve more...

e.g. some people on coolrunning get another PB every couple of weeks...or at least every few months...i think the last time I had a solid PB was 2005...(1.41 Half)...although I missed my marathon PB by 8 seconds in 2008, and I should have got it in Melbourne this year...I could do what one blogger I know has done and have Mens 35 PB';s for myself and ignore what I did in my 20's and early 30's, but I figure for now i need to get back to chasing my 21min 5k, 41min 10k type times again somehow, maybe when i get to 40 or 50 I will start a new PB setup but not just yet...

so in summary intervals do work very well for many, although they are not the only way to improve.

there are many different types of runners out there, all coming from a myriad of different situations...for example there are ultra-type runners, who come down to race marathons, halfs, and 10k races...and see 10k races as a bit of speedwork. e.g. Nate. Then there are track runners who step up to 10k races, and Half Marathons for something longer and a new challenge, (courtney ? sarah J are two examples...even Paul Tergat (who I think had the world record for the Marathon at one stage, I think was a 10,000m runner (in the medals at olympics) who moved up to the marathon later in life, as his speed started to decline)...
Plenty of people in between. Triathletes, people just trying to get fit, there are heaps of things that motivate people, so the same approach wont work for everyone, it all depends on your situation, your goals, etc etc...

I might try and experiment with running more even when I get old and slower, or maybe when I can sustain 4min 06secs per k all the way for a 10k, if that ever happens again...like it did when I was 24,maybe I am expecting too much now at 35, but thats what I have to do to beat my 41min 10k PB...

seriously though I am glad I just managed to hit my main goal for today [could see the clock at the finish counting up towards 22.53 (which i did in Freo fun run 4th october this year), and had to hold onto strong finish through the line to nail it,] which was to set another seasons best (best 5k time in 2009 for me) in the 5k, and i am pretty sure my intervals work has helped a lot this year, although as always I want to do a lot more...however my target for the year was to go under 21min, and I failed to hit that or any of my other target times this year, so thats frustrating...but I guess I lost too much ground early in the year with the injuries and I should be thankful I am at least in striking range of my sub 21min 5k target now...maybe in 2010 I will get there...My PB is 21.04 from 2003? although I splitted 19.32 for the first 5k of the 1998 Bridges 10km when i did my 10k PB of 41.01...and I may have run faster than 19min at school in the mid to late 1980's...

but then again PB's SB's are just ways to push yourself to be all that you can be, and encourage others to do make the most of their life too, they are just tools, not the be-all/end-all...
so thats just a window into where I am coming from ....icepacked bad knee beforehand as a precaution on the drive into the race, and it wasnt sore after so far, so thats a very encouraging sign...no hammy problems today at ll..another big Thanks God!

now i just have 6 inch 45km to deal with (oh why did I sign up for that!??? again...), and i can have a nice slack summer or try and do some track racing (Masters or Athletics WA)...or maybe some triathlons...if I can afford it...

Training;
Saturday 13th November AM;
2x2000m at N Reserve.
8min 46 HR 177 and 9min 04 HR 186.
8min rest. Total time for 4km 17min 51.
My PB for this session is 16.05, so a long way to go.

Nice to get some stuff around the 4min 30 per km pace mark on the board, hopefully I can do about that in the 5km race on Sunday. (update*** which I did, averaged 4.34 per km) Important intervals session this one even though it was only 2 reps.

Was getting a bit warm,(started about 9am so that Kathryn and Jacob could go to shops play in park, and we could make the most of limited time together before my evening work shift, instead of me disappearing for a run) and I really struggled into a tough North westerly headwind/crosswind, which was taking a lot out of me. Its a spongy grass track as well, which also is hard work. Don't think I will ever run any good times on this track, but it is a nice well grassed surface, and its close to home, but its a footy oval not really designed for running fast on.

Thursday 12th November
Ran 2x400m at Belmont track on the way home from work.
75secs (1min15), & 83secs(1min 23) Heart rates 168 and 177.
4 minute rest. Thought about doing 3 more reps, but decided that was enough for a speed drills workout. Was keen to head for home as I had food in the car to take home, and soccer people were setting up. Second rep a struggle, couldn't see much point in doing a couple more 85-95 second type efforts...Very pleased with the 75 seconds 400m as it shaves another 2 seconds off what I did at the start of the 10km race last week. Its my quickest 400m for a long time...

4 Comments:

Blogger Ewen said...

Congrats on the season's best Jonathon. Looks like 21-22 there for the taking on the track.

I see where you're coming from re intervals being a fast and efficient way to improve (esp in distances 10k or less). Also agree that there comes a time where you have to change things (train differently) to cause new training stimulation.

If you enjoy the intervals, might be worth having an aim of improving them week by week in one or both of two ways:
Gradually increase the volume - to up to 6 or 8k per session (20 x 400 or 4 x 2k for example), and gradually reduce the recovery time. If you're taking 3 minutes between reps, reduce it down to 1 minute etc.

I don't think there's much value in running much faster than one's current 1500m race pace. So, if you're racing 1500 in 5:30, that's 88 seconds for a session of 20 x 400m). Having 'speed endurance' is probably more value than outright speed.

Anyway, hope the rest of the week goes well. Keep the hot weather over there!

Mon Nov 16, 12:26:00 pm AWST  
Blogger DC64 said...

Mate, good effort yesterday, I did sense you were holding back a little at the start. Good splits and a solid time. Definitely something to build on!

Mon Nov 16, 02:43:00 pm AWST  
Blogger Sling Runner said...

Congrats on the 5k season best!

I think 10.51/10.51 or even sub-21 is within reach next year :)

Agree that every runner is different and responds to interval training differently (some are better off with just doing tempo work and mileage (strength), while some thrive on short, fast intervals)

Mon Nov 16, 04:54:00 pm AWST  
Blogger trailblazer777 said...

Thanks Ewen,Sugar and Sling for your insights,thoughts. Appreciated...

agree that the "speed endurance" via sufficient volume in the intervals sessions is the key. Ive been too time poor to put enough volume into most of my sessions with the 4x2km and 2x2km possible exceptions, which makes the majority of my sessions extended speed drills, with a little bit of endurance work thrown in.

I'm pleased I have held onto some of the focus and momentum after Melbourne, if I can build on that pattern and add the volume 2010 should be a big year...

Tue Nov 17, 07:41:00 pm AWST  

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