RHR 43 and 5.34 1500m as I miss Bronze medal by 11 secs

Happy Easter all!

Australian Masters results from this weekend can be found @ http://www.waathletics.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=214&Itemid=215....Good to hear Paul Mitchell won the 5000m and Ray Boyd had a run. Outstanding performances from Sugar in difficult conditions now to trawl through the results in the next week or so, and discover exactly what happened on all 4 days once the races have all been run and the results become available....

Photos from my 1500m race coming soon... Massive thanks to Techno K for taking those...

Was really nice seeing some familiar faces at the track on Saturday like Techno K, Emailstar, Charismatic,Sass,Sugar,Biscuitman, and others, helped me to settle my nerves a bit before the race.

Caught up with my old coach Stan again on the Friday he got a Silver that day, got there too late on the Saturday to see his race, I know he was in the medals, but he had a big challenge on his hands to get the Gold again like in previous years, as a bloke had moved up into his age group in his las year before he moves up again...

Sunday; Ran a low intensity 3.5km run in 20minutes 24. HR 129 at end. Pushed it out to about 4.40 per K pace for 700m, from 2100m-2800m but mostly took it very very easy to try and remove any lingering soreness from the last 2 days... but still get to 40 miler tomorrow with fresh legs...Did 4.05/4.07/4.13/3.11/4.48 700m splits, not that it really matters...

No other training this week other than my 10k race on Friday and my 1500m race on Saturday, been too busy with work and a trifecta of hospital visits re Kathryn and I's baby on the way. My wife is almost up to 33 weeks, and we finally have an ultrasound confirmation this time on what sex the unborn baby is, so can now start getting serious about choosing baby names...

FREOOOO has retained 2nd spot on the AFL ladder, with another thrashing this time of Essendon at eddies hat stadium Did the ladder predictor thing and I know I'm dreaming but I think maybe this is the year we finish 2nd...

Another 40 miler attempt from silly me on Monday...

Saturday Day 2 thoughts;

I was in the bronze medal spot for the Australian 35-39 1500m with 200m to go today , but NSW bloke kicked and I had nothing left to give...bittersweet 5min 34 (29 second improvement on what I ran a few weeks ago, but came up 11 seconds short)..for my 1500m today is 3min 42 per Km pace...well outside my high school 4.52 PB, but wasnt expecting to get anywhere near that...

If I can build on this (more likely to happen in second half of year after the baby is born, but be better if I can somehow maintain the progression now, either way its nice to get a look at the potential improvement window opening up this early in the year, and my resting heart rate drop to 43 this week another indicator we are almost back to the level I was at for Melbourne last year, so the combination of Mona Camp, Coker park/Australian Masters and Bridges, has kind of revived me, and snapped me out of the slide I was going into after 6 inch, but with the baby on the way/the need to ramp up work, doubtful if I can stop the slide any longer, but then again maybe if I stay focused it can still happen, especially if I can get a better job...) and keep progressing at some point this year, I should start to see some sub 8 minute 2k and sub 12 minute 3k times, something I havent been able to do for about 6 years or longer...The raw speed is there, its just about putting the trackwork or fartlek or anaerobic threshold work, long runs etc in. All of those roads lead to the Rome of better times.

splits were;
a subdued 52secs first 300m (I held back a lot in the front straight),
then 400m splits of 1.32/1.35 and 1.34 last lap included me grinding to a halt in the final 100m as I ran out of steam trying to stay ahead of the NSW bloke...

I hatched a last-minute race plan in my mind while warming up, decided to try and hit 300m in about 50 seconds, and then try and hit about 1.30 for all three 400m splits. I knew I had to get to 700m in under 2.30, and 1100m in under 4 minutes to have a decent chance of coming in around the 5.30 mark or better. I followed that plan as close as I could, and am satisfied I almost pulled it off. I think my tactics were pretty close to right.

Started well, and hit the lead with a first 100m in 15 seconds, (they had a trackside clock in the backstraight as well which was cool,only at an Australian Championships do you see things like that!, thats how I knew I hit the first 100m in 15 seconds, didn't look at my wristwatch at all during the race) and lead the field, until about 250m, where I eased off a bit, as one of the blokes in the other age groups passed me.
The first 300m was maybe a touch slower (by 2 seconds) at 52 secs than my race plan, but I made it to 400m still ahead of WA runners Kim Thomas and Paul Burke (the gold and silver medal winners in my age group in 4.56 and 4.59), as photo coming soon will illustrate.

When they surged past me in the back straight, I struggled hard to keep the momentum going, but the clock said 2.24 at 700m, (I made a conscious effort not to look at my watch as my old coach Stan reminded me at Coker Park the other week, that it costs you a second or two.) and I knew that was well under my target of 2.30, and a 1.32 was almost about what I had planned.

As pretty much all of the field had passed me by the 3rd lap it was hard to stay focused, and keep the momentum going, as my legs were screaming to stop, and the mental feeling of being passed by about 5 runners is hard to ignore. Did my best to ignore that, and focus on my own race. I knew EJ was still behind me, so I still had a chance of doing a bit of a Steven Bradbury and fluking an undeserved bronze medal. Tried to dig deep and keep at it. I was so focused I forget to even check for my 1k split, and I sensed EJ was catching me, and sure enough he was right on my hammer going into the front straight. Got to 1100m and caught a quick glimpse of the trackside big clock saying 3.59, which was 1 second under my target of 4.00. looking back now a 1.35 was probably a bit slower than what I wanted, but I doubt I could have come up with much better at that stage.


So for a brief micro-second I congratulated myself for hitting the target time in the last minute race plan of 4.00, but I knew I was slowing down, and felt like stopping then and there, instead as EJ was ready to attack, I surged hard with 400m to go, with the aim of trying to gap him enough to make it to the finish ahead. Had to dig deep for that one, and it worked initially, hard to tell as I wasnt looking over my shoulder, but I sensed I had about 5-10 metres on him, but with 200m to go though I felt like I had run out of steam. I steeled myself to kick for home, as I got a bit of a nasty shock as EJ kicked past me, I tried so hard to kick and hit back with one last surge, as I knew there was my bronze medal slipping away there and then, but with 100m I knew he was going away from me, and my legs had nothing, absolutely nothing left, I had done the classic example of having my kick burned off me, by what I had done in the first 1300m, not often that I have reached that point in a race, but I remember that feeling of optimal lactic acid concentration from some hard sessions in training last year, and many times over the years. I know when you reach that point there is nothing you can do, and sure enough I staggered over the finish line in 5.33, knowing I had given my all, but experiencing that bittersweet deep disappointment, of not being able to kick when it really mattered in the last 200m, and not only that losing my window of opportunity for a bronze as well. That hurt mentally, and as I struggled not to throw up I just wanted to go home, but I stopped briefly to hear the medal presentation as I left the stadium. The last 400m split of 1.34 is pretty good considering I probably staggered the last 100m in about 30 seconds or slower, so I'm guessing I probably ran the first 300m in about 63secs, so if I had done the training to hold on and maintain pace, I would have done the last 400m in about 1.24, which would have been a photofinish for the bronze medal, but I had nothing left, my kick was totally burnt off, I was beaten by a a better man on the day.

I knew I had to hurry home anyway as my night job was beckoning (I ended up going to work with my race singlet on still with my race numbers still safetypinned on...took em off at my first teabreak... under a polo shirt), and I needed to make sure my wife and 2 year old found my sisters place ok and on time for Darcys 4th birthday...

After the race Wests Tigers fan EJ said to me "I thought you had me with 400m to go", which was my last successful attempt to dig deep, and surge away from him, but when he went past me at 1300m, I went to the well and tried to kick for home/hit back with a finishing surge, and the legs just wouldnt respond, in fact I spent the final 100m staggering to the finish. I reckon if I'd done a blood lactate sample at the finish line the lactic acid levels would have been one of the highest levels of concentration in the blood Ive ever had. Even 5 minutes afterwards I was trying very hard not to throw up, so I reckon I pushed hard enough to be in that throwing up zone by the end.

so Mens 1500m 35-39 years; Gold Kim Thomas 4.56 Silver Paul Burke 4.59 Bronze EJ Davies 5.23
4th me 5.34 If I could have beaten EJ it would have bean a WA 1-2-3...duh duh, duh!!!


Bjorn Dybarl (spelling wrong) won his M55-59? 1500m for WA, an outstanding sit and kick at the end effort...

David Cane also ran an outstanding race to pick up the bronze in his 1500m race M45-49?

very memorable two days...:-)

full results will eventually be @ http://www.australianmastersathletics.org.au/
photos @ http://www.mastersathleticswa.org/Championships/championships-gallery.html

2 more days of competition to come, but my Australian Masters 2010 experience is over unfortunately. Its been wonderful although a little bittersweet with my 10k disaster and the 1500m just coming up short of a Bronze medal...but I'm pretty satisfied with the 5.33 for where I am at now, and I didnt seriously come into this championships expecting a medal...so overall I got what I wanted from these championships, and I know I gave my all in the 1500m...

David Cane is in the 5000m on Sunday, and Ray Boyd is on entry list but he didnt show for 10,000m so may still be injured...8km cross country still to go I think...

Just found a pic of Bjorn Dybarl (my spelling is wrong sorry) in front in the M55-59 1500m on an ACT runners blog @ http://runningtourdefrance09.blogspot.com/
heaps of photos of various events and even some videos..understandably dominated by ACT athletes...

Friday Day 1 thoughts;

Well done Tiger Boy on getting on the podium in a great time in less than ideal conditions, could be a good collection of medals you take home...Be interesting to see how long Sheeds stays with Western Sydney...

Really enjoyed catching up with various people (including my racewalking coach from a few decades ago, who was adding to his massive collection of Australian Masters medals (but not the gold like usual this time unfortunately) today at the Australian Masters...

awesome to be a part of the event as a spectator and as a try-hard runner...

not the best lead into it, as I had a long day Thursday with an early hospital appointment to check on my wifes baby (well into third trimester now), then had to check brakes on my wifes car, then juggled my day job with 2 hours of driving to the track and back to get my race numbers because I thought my 10k race would be at 0745..., then worked my night job from 9pm to 3am, (couldnt find any shift swap takers), then slept 3 hours 4am-7am, long 40-60minute drive to the track then raced at 10amish...
probably explains why I was trying not to black out/micro sleep after a few hours in the sun waiting for a medal presentation for my coach to finally occur, that kept getting delayed.....2hour nap when I got home seemed to recharge the batteries...guess I'm getting old...
but then again you are as old as you want to be, although age does catch up with all of us sooner or later, but later is better...and later is a personal choice to some extent...as the efforts of my coach and all the people I saw out there today highlighted for us in a big way again...

My 10,000m messup;
Conditions about 25 degrees and 60% humidity with a 1015am start...at the WA Athletics stadium...

-couldnt resist getting caught up in Paul Mitchells pace for the first 300m, and then took my lead foot off the accelerator to ease through the first 400m in 74secs.
-My first 2k (8.47) in the 10,000m was good.
-my 5k split of 24.12 was a lot slower than the 23.03 I did at Bridges on the weekend, so not good enough, disappointed in myself...
-my next 4k (20.10) was almost acceptable...
then I had a toilet stop for a few minutes got the ok from the officials to keep running, did the last 4k at about 20minute pace...(5 min per K)
- hammered the last 200m to split the final 400m in 92secs...
official time including toilet stop = 54min 16secs.

Not a race I'll be remembering as a good one, although I still had a lot of fun...
Second time the pressure of trying to raise the bar for myself, has turned into a major muck-up...
but you try and learn from mistakes, and make gains...

Paul Mitchell led early but was targeted by an ACT legend, who ran away with the race in the end I think. Paul finished in about 35 minutes, way outside his 31minute PB...but the warmish pretty humid conditions were overheating us all a bit...not good weather for fast times...I think 10k races should always be done early morning or late evening but it least it wasnt 35 degrees like the 6 hour nrace in February...and its tricky with so many 10k races to do in one go...tough job for overworked organisers...and their efforts mean so much to many...

They ran separate races depending on age-group we were in the 30-54 group.
In my category (35-39) the medallists were Paul Mitchell gold (by a long way), Kim Thomas from WA , and EJ Davies from NSW.

Im scheduled for the 1500m tomorrow at 1220, although I felt pretty unwell after this one...

Random thoughts;
-Saw patron John Gilmour out there for the offical opening of the championships.
- my coach from my racewalking days still has several more events...

-saw some WAMC/hills group people there...one of the "Simon Says Sub 4" ladies (last years Perth Marathon) did a PB in the 10,000m so I heard...

-Gary Hastie still going well with about a 6.33 in the 1500m walk.
-Mark Donahoo, Robin Whyte and Andrew Jamieson all there for the racewalking, so some names I recognise from Nationals results in previous decades...

-I'm reminded again just how fast that track is...my 74 secs first 400m felt like I could have gone several seconds faster, and I was not wearing spikes either...see what happens if I show up for the 1500m...

-one of our WA people has expressed a desire to try the marathon, so be interesting to see how he goes when he attempts it...

-felt special to pull on the black and gold again as its been 10 years since I represented the state officially, although I am glad they dont have qualifying times, otherwise I probably wouldnt have been there...first lap sitting on Pauls shoulder had that Nationals feel to it for sure, and being lapped by Victorians, Tasmanians, ACT, and NSW runners, also brought back many of my old memories from the 80's and 90's...