Race, Brunch, Repeat

Balmain Fun Run - last one for 2015. So I'm told this is not flat.

 HuRT Squad populates the top ranks at JPM CC like the Africans in international marathons. My main goal? Beat the 2014 PB (18:17) and watch some fiercely contested head-to-heads amongst my training partners. This is THE social event to do year in year out.



By virtue of my aversion to red-zone training, I still believe 5.6km is scarier than 42.2km!

Day-time lead-up is one of deflation the whole day. Finally, it's 5:30pm and a stop-start ride down to CP with Charlie and Matt (from work) tires my quads out needlessly.

Physically – I’m expecting a stand-still mid-race - a big last week and lingering niggles.

Mentally – seasonally low racing hunger.

A rushed warm-up involves 2km with Craig / MBA team then half-baked strides.

Upfront, this is how it should play out - Jeff Hunt, chased by the HuRTS elites (Quentin, Barts, Tom, CT), then a dribble of other HuRTS (Crossy, JFen, myself). Throw in the mix guys I know can race - Alex Rogers and Neil Pearson. For me, the hope is JFen or thereabouts.

This front line has some serious talent. Begs the question, what the hell am I doing there? The fear escalates and we are ready. CT nudges me out for a 30cm head start. Critical.


Surprisingly the first 150m sprint has few in front. I’m tucked behind JFen, just coming off the green section.



Up the hill, JFen slows and I climb onto the RH sidewalk. 1km pacing 'feels' like 3:15s. The gap to Andy Cross (Crossy) is a good 30m. All alone, what now?

At 1.5km, the downhill allows breathing to settle. A quick hi to the spectators (Conway, Renaud, Laura) before taking note of my competition. Rogers and Crossy are getting away! Even further up, Hunt has amassed a gap on a chasing pack.

Now comes a consolidation between 2-4km. Darren Moyle pops up at 2.5km and there's my chance. Onto his heels I go (literally) and the gap to Crossy (my main focus) closes slowly. The pace is quicker, sub-3:10s for kms 3 and 4. This feels not so bad!

It's at 4km where the fear picks up - you know the bend at Fox Studios gates means a steady climb. 800m in advance of this, I make my move. Crossy's usually perfect style looks a bit wayward. I push past my three companions. Racing 101 - don't show fatigue, don't look back.

Wow, it's none other than Chris Truscott ahead. Sadly, the gap is huge, maybe 35m! I do smell blood, helped by CT looking back every 100m.

A long long chase through the bend and down the back. Pace slows a little and the gap is closing too slowly. Unbeknownst to me, I'm stalked by Alex Rogers, who has clearly dropped Crossy.


The tank reads near-empty as I emerge onto the grass. CT is a seasoned racer and does well to keep a healthy 10-15m gap.



I cruise into the chute. Suffering is over. Did I really go sub-18?

Some of top 6 are scattered on the ground, semi-motionless as if a bomb went off. Clearly, no one held back and that is reflected in the ridiculous times posted by Quentin, Barts, Tom and Neil. I quickly turn around and see a JFen / Heyden epic sprint finish. Heyden is the victor.

17:47, ave pace is 3:11 min/km. Even better, 8th place!

10 places higher and 30s faster than 2014. Suffice to say, I'm stoked.


Course shows 5.5km, a touch short. Strava splits are slower than official, not sure what to believe:

- 3:18 (uphill)
- 3:14 (downhill)
- 3:09 (flats)
- 3:09 (flats)
- 3:22 (uphill)
- 3:16 (last 500m)

Right feels tight, really tight. I then enjoy a relaxed 3km cool-down with Renee, James and Elle. Back at the Allen's tent, the food, drinks and race run-downs are a highlight:

- A fantastic sub-17 from Quentin. Barts, Tom as reliable as pie.
- JFen happy despite being scalped by an ecstatic Heyden.
- Huge PBs to the MBA team. Charlie takes the cake with a sub-21. Wooey, Matt, A-MB sub-22.
- Sammy J is chicked by Renee on the line!

So clearly I had a great night. Running, eating then chatting. The bonus is another PB to add to the 2015 tally. Lesson for next time? Go out harder. That 2nd km split was too slow.

Here's a photo with Tom, Barts, JFen, Quentin and Neil. I'm in pretty esteemed company.


Another hour with the MBA team and sadly I can't stick around. After a tough race, I'm not the only one that needs a nappy change and a good night sleep...

Running a half on tired legs (115km since Mon) has worked in the past and it was time to a repeat. SMC monthly races kick off Sep down in the sleepy burbs of Smithfield. Ran this same course 75:12 in June.

Struggled with the 7am start but I promised the wife a breakfast. Good to see two friendlies:
 - Rob Cavrak - suicide mission backing up from Blackmores
- Brendan Wong - safe bet driving 1 hour from North Shore for cheap Asian groceries and Nappies

Small turnaround for a half. The local hero (Tim) is the guy to beat.



With no lead bike, no close competition I knew today would be solo. As always, the plan was run within myself, listen to the legs and avoid being a zombie to the watch. Immediately realised  how tired my quads are from Tuesday!

2x10km plus a 1km out-and back. Today pace settled at 3:30s (ex-hills), which is where I seem to revert no matter the fatigue in the legs. Only notable hills is at 2km and 12km; a 400m climb of 50m. First laps uneventful. Had the #2 trailing me 20m by 5km, but this blew out to 100m by 10km.

10km split 35:45. Me at the turnaround, thanks to Lorie.


The hope legs would loosen in lap #2 never eventuated. Humidity, cross winds and rolling hills translated to a tough day at the office. The only notable effort was 50m from the finish, seeing 74:40s. Surged a little, tucked in with 1-2s to spare. Gap on #2 was maybe 4 min.

All 75 min spent spurring myself to finish ...



74:58 at 3:33 min/km. Splits below (vs June):

- First 10km in 35:45 (vs. 36:05)
- Second 10km in 35:25 (vs. 35:20)
- Last 1.1km in 3:47 (vs 3:48)

Slight negative split. I'm very sore but midly confident I can still double this distance on a flat course with a taper.

Ventured down to Merrylands to refuel at a hole-in-the-wall Middle Eastern feed with Rob (21.1km) and Anita (10km). Chosen joint was Al Shami.

Don't be perturbed by the tumbleweed, graffiti and burning tyres of this humble SW section of Sydney. Even a 40 year-old Asian guy carrying 5 boxes of pizza, drinking beer and spitting on the sidewalk at 9am Sunday did not derail such plans. This suburb is a gold mine for cheap eats.

Baked eggs x2 - not pretty, but highly effective.

Striders 10km at North Head for me was pace, no race. Timmy Lindop is enjoying a dream run of solid training/racing and I had the task of dragging him to a sub 36 min attempt.

Bribed a now huge Lorie with a post-run B&E roll and with that, secured a trusty driver to the 7am start. Not much of a warm-up in the preamble before I'm tucked in 2nd row at the start. Note the posers in the first row - they know who they are.


 Simple plan is a steady 3:35s. Always hard maintaining this on the post Gatehouse ascent for 400m (0-1k, 5-6km, 9-10km). Gun goes, I ease the pace on the downhill and let the crowd settle.

Legs feel fresh at 3:40s and some dodging has me quickly establish a steady train by 3km. I look back and Timmy's still there with Jeet, Renaud and the slower Gibson twin hitching a ride. Pace reads 3:37s and all on track.



Before long it's down to lap 2 and the 5km climb comes around. Upfront has Criniti gapping Barts, then Lewis some 40m back. A good 40s in front of my train is JFen and later, Enda then Macca.

Round the gate and the guys start to breathe hard. Passing the start (5.8km), I feel good, Jeet and Renaud look OK (for 4km more) but someone is missing!


O well, this was not my fault. Job is over, I'm guilt-free to spin the legs and pace moves to 3:20s. From here it's just picking up the likes of Gus, Macca, Eoin and Gibson #1. In fact, last 300m climb has me realising a very familiar and tiring Irishman battling at 3:40s pace.


I surge up the hill with the gap rapidly closing. Sadly this move is too late and the competition is triumphant. Being a modest guy, he is more motivated by staying on his feet than celebrating.

35:15 at 3:30 min/km. Watch has this 80m long, consistent with other GPS watches.

Splits are:
- (0-6km pacing) - 3:38, 3:36, 3:32, 3:41, 3:34, 3:36
- (6-10km tempo) - 3:22, 3:26, 3:18, 3:17

Felt I got a good work-out from this with the negative split.

Respectable but non-remarkable times from the squad today. Rolling hills and the U-turn make PBs difficult. Timmy was on the wrong side of 37, but I'm glad to see Renee back with a sub 40 effort.

Finished with a 4km group warm-down, way faster than I'm used to. At least a dozen of the squad backed it up for a brunch at Bench Cafe in Manly - a well known (bacon) ritual. At a minimum, great company with bacon upside.



'Best B&E roll in the North' - needs to be put to the test and I even convince Lewis, Renee and James to bear witness.

How did this simple construction go down?
Well I won't sit on the fence. Separate write-up to come.

Beautiful day to be the first to venture down the new Barangaroo track. Last effort at the City Mile Dash in 2012 - 5:10. Had zero plans to race, but then CT throws me a bone on Tuesday with a last-minute fill in for the mixed team. If I paid $45 for every 1.6km run, I'd be in slavery.

With last Sunday's C2S still-in-the-legs, I was so scared. Note also my inability to run sub 3:20 pace, period. Linked up with my team (Jackie, Laura, CT) for some warm-ups down Hickson. They chose a yellow backdrop such that I am camouflaged out of the photo...


1pm, I'm one of twelve at the start. 2nd row, among one dozen that has a selected crop of HuRTS runners Crossy, CT, Quentin, Durante, Timmy (i.e. those not injured post C2S).

Without question, the worst course but best social event of the year in the City2Surf. Today a beach-side breakfast, good support and exchanging war stories was well worth my 48 min of discomfort. From the HuRT squad, there were some serious PBs, offset by the usual no-shows, DNFs and some 'tough days at the office'.


Day starts with the wife back on chauffeur then cheer-squad duties. What a willing trooper and one I can probably only milk for 9 more weeks. She drops me at Ultimo, leaving a 2km warm-up to the start-zone. I slot in with the elites, half of which are HuRTS or some derivative.

Expectations are rock-bottom for obvious reasons - the M7 marathon is still in the legs. In fact, I don't even want to race. 10 min of half-baked strides leads to chit-chat with Tucks, Fats, Tom, Barts, Biggsy, Quentin, Lambert and several other friendlies.

7:55am - countdown, gun and before long I'm roadkill on William Street at a snail 3:30 pace. The ascent to King's Cross tunnel is a pitiful one. I lift the cadence and instantly, the quads say 'no-go'. Then and there, it's clear how the race will pan out...

Captain Tom (should run 46 min) is shuffling up Edgecliff, even slower than me and responds to my quizzical look - 'my hammy's are !@#$'. I lurch forward and struggle with the rolling hills through Double Bay and beyond. Pace settles at 3:30s, the best compromise between self-respect and enjoyment.

6km, the base of Heartbreak Hill and I slip past Lambert and Frenchman Jerome. Hills should be my strength but not today. I attempt to lift the knees and power through with nil success. Lucky I don't see the watch split (4:04 min). Finally I crawl up to the peak and run through Enda and Macca.

Runners hitting the crest tend to slow, leaving me no one to latch onto. By 12km I've added Fats and then Kiwi Mike L to the scalp list. Though legs are starting to warm, my hammy's suddenly tighten on the descent to the beach (12.5km). Injury risk alert. HuRTS dark horse C Thornton runs alongside me and kicks forward (beckoning me to follow). Though my lungs are fine, I shake my head.

1.5km to go, #3 female Jess Trengrove is 40m upfront. I attempt to re-dignify myself and give chase (some prompting from a spectating Tom helps). Success with 500m to go. With no girl to chase, my pace drops again.



Easing into the U-turn, I comprehend the open road, soft breeze and cracking sunshine. This is why I love running. Lorie screams from the side - 'you are running too slow'. She should have said that at the start...

48:14 at 3:27 min/km average. 61st place! 


Honestly, I'm stoked with this time. No self-flagellation as I kick back a sausage roll at the Allen's tent. My prior PB is 51 min PB in 2012. Today completes a series of 2015 PBs from 10km to 42.2km. Almost certainly, I can run a better race in 2016.

Barts is bored waiting for the rest of us turtles. Contender for Performance of the Year?





I've left some stomach space for the the famous Irish vegetable soup. Chorizo chucks discretely inject life into each warm spoon. Clever use of rice by the chef. Not quite Pinbone-quality presentation, but this is clearly made with love (and leftover fridge ingredients).With 14km of hardship, I'm not afraid to admit inhaling the contents. 7.5/10.

Being a little star-stuck seeing a Kenyan marathoner at the notoriously 'boring' M7 Marathon, I wanted a photo. It took 42.2k of chasing before he stopped.

I initially wanted to run this but chose Gold Coast (3 weeks ago) instead. Changed my mind on Friday and signed up 20 hours before the gun. Still feeling the quad hangover of GC so expectations were low.

Told myself before - 'its a semi-hard' training run. No issues if I bonk and walk. Thus no warm-up.



What a boring course - basically an undulating bike track. Start at the athletics track, 10k south then return, 10k north then return. Great views of sheep and cars.


Start-line has a Kenyan (Tom) and ultra runner Brendan Davies. These two fire off at sub 3:30 pace. I'm all alone at 3:50s and conceding defeat all before 10km.

Little to report but my strategy on the hills. Surge the ascent, extend the strides and ease the heart on the descent. 13km turnaround comes fast and with Tom and Davies so far ahead, I'm looking at the bronze. Plan is to run by feel and don't check the watch. The rhythm starts to build slowly.

Davies starts visually growing at 15km. I figure he's a strong finisher so too early to get excited.

Half-way comes in 77:25. Gap is 40m and he looks back. I see fear, surge to close the gap and rejoice is this small victory. 20km to go.

Once again, very bored. I start to dodge the 10km runners and later, the half marathoners. David Byrne is storming home in the half. Later I see Brendan Wong looking way too happy wearing a balloon as the 1.45 pacer (opposite direction) ....

7 days after a 42.2km is still too early for a traditional LR. I just wanted to fill some time before a brunch date.

Lewis, Lambert, Jeet, Steve

Maiden GCAM and a new level of suffering. This is the magic shot post my best race to date.

In hindsight, my key ingredients for a 2:30 marathon:

- 100km weekly base with speed and a 21.1km turn up race
- 10-12 day taper, 6km/day with strides
- Dead flat course, good conditions and F&F support
- No early 'warm-up' pace. Attack early and run an even split

GCAM was diarised in May and I had eyes on the 2:35 PB, loosely 3:40 pace. Day kicks off with a 70m drive from Brisbane. Lorie and my folks are in company and I'm nervous en route to the start line...



It's 20 min in the cold, spent chatting to Tom, Craig and Biggsy. I'm also wondering how Biggsy will fare dragging that frame 42.2km...



7:20am, gun goes and I form a small group at 3:35 pace. Before long, 3 fall into my slipstream taking turns to heel clip me. Enough is enough and a sustained surge has me solo at 10km.

Burleigh turnaround (16km) approaches and my 3:30s feels 'easy'. Rhythm is good. The elites are on the return and I enjoy the spectacle of Africans being chased by Japanese.

Next move has me hunting a fractured group, some 45s ahead led by none other than HuRTS #1 (or #2 to Barts) Tom Highnam. He's motoring at low 3:30s and my moving target over 16km to 23km. Not to be fazed, I persist despite the risk of a late stage bonk. Clock reads 74:32 at half way. Dare I think about a 2:30 marathon?

Race starts here and at 23km, Tom slows and I bridge the gap. He looks tired, beckons me on and I never look back. There is now no one in sight and I'm starting to hurt. Around McIntosh Island (27km) my mind is wandering as I run straight, hear a shout and realise I've missed a bend. The extra 30m run, a 120 degree turn loses me 10-15s. Idiot course marshal!

Mentally and physically, it all takes a dive. Unrelenting pace, heat and dehydration is very demotivating. Back through start zone at 31km and I feed off cheers from Lorie/folks, share a hi-five with Jeet/Sonya/Gus and decline a diet coke offer from Barts at 33km.

Gus takes a good shot of me sleeping on the job, just before my mental low point.



The rest is really a blur. I tend to lift my chin when I fatigue and today there was 6km of trying to self-correct this posture. With this new crippled state my pace settles at 3:38 min/km and a Japanese girl (#2) steamrolls me with 2km to go. There goes the sub 2:30. Final bend has JFen screaming '50s to sub-2:30'. Despite a final effort, it is too late.


2:30:14, 23rd place. Over a 5 min PB vs Perth 2014. 

Splits show the pace drop at 30km. At least every km banked today was sub 3:40 min/km.




I catch up with the half finishers (Jeet, LJ, Bruce) then Macca, Andy, Sonya et al to get the update. In the half we have Barts, Lewis and Eloise running 21.km in a ridiculous low 70 min  time. A hat trick of PBs to Enda, Jeet and Gus whilst Lambert goes out too hard and fades.

Full distance more mixed. Tom misses the 2:30 but like Andy and Mike L, run PBs. Tough day at the office for Biggsy (3:06), Sonya (3:14) and Birchy (3:16). Heat induced no doubt. From Perth happy to see Hamish and Simon both hitting 3:24 type PBs. Expected more from Hamo.

Run of the day? 
Barts and Lewis. Noting the PB efforts, I give them the benefit of the doubt being 'chicked' by Eloise.

Can't be happier with the result. My thanks to the family, HuRTS contingent and Perth parkrunners for the support. Looking forward to City 2 Surf in August!