The journey starts somewhere...Usually with one step

Work Load...

2012-02-12T04:41:00.000-08:00

I have had a few emails of late asking why I have been an absent blogger. Unfortunately, not being the young wombat that I used to be, and the fact that work has been extremely busy over the last many months, Blogging has taken a back seat.

Rest assured though the wombat is still slogging on, getting out there every day, doing a bit of group coaching, as well as looking after a young wombat who is making very solid progress as a runner. In fact a recent trip to 'Falls' indicated that he is keen and eager and more importantly, switched on to learning his craft as a distance runner.

I will endeavor to be a little more regular and keep those of you who follow a little more in the loop to my travels and progress as a wombat warrior and a coach ... In the mean time

Barrel on Wombats...

PS A quick shout out to OTFBD, remember mate " On foot in front of the other in rapid success is what running is all about., the good guys just do it faster. More importantly every day matters but even more importance enjoy your journey.....

Patience

2012-02-11T23:31:00.000-08:00

Never rush improvement when it comes to distance running. Distance running is a sport that takes a very long time to become good at. That means good at in terms of your own fitness, abilities and finding your level.

You cant cram distance running. Running three times on one day and then missing the next three is not the way to improve. You are better off starting with small steps and running a little bit every day, regardless of whether that is 400m or 5 miles.

Remember , steady steady wins the race.

Barrel on wombats...

Its whats under the hood that counts......

2011-02-25T18:02:00.000-08:00

Another pretty solid week but again a few disappointments along the way. I know that eventually over time the consistency will return and I need to be patient. Sometimes this is easier said than done. Maybe by looking at the old girl and considering what I have done with her could provide me with some easy lessons.

I bought this old girl back in 1988, back then she was sleek but simple. her lines were a bit rough but she really flew. Tend to do that when your light and drive by a 350 Chev. Over the years she took a few bumps and knocks a

nd eventually we gave her a break. With the young wombats coming on the scene it was time to dust off the cob webs and give her a bit of a birthday.

Like me she still had the basic structure and lines. The foundations we

re there to build on. The same can be said for this old battle hardened wombat. The basic bones are still there and I just need to do the work to get back into shape. With the old girl I took out the 350 and did some work before having the major sections stripped and refitted at Chev power. Then me and a few mates remounted the motor and finished up the insides. The end result was an old girl with a new lease of life. While her shell is still a little tattered and maybe some of the shine has gone from her gel coat its whats under the hood that counts. When I put my foot down after dropping in the dog clutch the prop bits the water and she lifts. While she may not be the fastest girl off the start once she winds up she chews up the distance slowly eating into the fastest boat.

After a couple of sessions now with groups I have noticed the same thing. I may not be the fastest individual off the start but slowly and surely I can close the gap between myself and the rear of the field. Like the old girl I may have gained a few founds and created a few more wrinkles over the time but at the end of the day I still have a motor that needs to be used. If I can clean the rust off and get all the valves firing there may still be some life in the old boy yet.

Thursday night I did some work with Raf's group at Yokine. Trying to keep the group honest while skipping between the various packs. Next Thursday will be a solid fartlek style session with the aim of working around speed adjustments during the run.

Friday this week was a lazy 5 miles and then I just crashed at home. I think the heat and the week of work and training has taken its toll. I know that I really had a coffee run on Monday around Guildford with the heat and humidity almost being debilitating.

Hoping that today and Sunday will be considerably better. Hope to see you out there.

Barrel on wombats...

Solid Week and a track viewing...

2011-02-18T17:10:00.000-08:00

The heat has not helped the training but I have been pleased that I have continued to slug it out rather than regress eating snack foods and

drinking beer. This tends to negate the overall training effect and I end up putting weight on again. (Goal weight 65kg)

Ran on the Thursday with Raf's group at Yokine and just cruised around with Josh and Raf. Impressed by a little fella, Mikey, who chased Jas and Dale all night. Pretty warm night but got the laps done and they go into the diary.

I have been doing some smaller weight workouts in the shed along with some modified core work in an effort to strengthen the core and also the glute max. At the moment this just seems to make me sore, hopefully the extra work will pay off in the long. I know it will actually, just want it to happen now and not later.

Went down to the track on Friday ni

ght to give the boys a cheer in the 5km. Each and every time I go to the track I think how lucky these guys are. the track is magnificent

and the fact that the distance events can be run under lights, with very little wind is a far cry from the 1pm schedule with either it being 40 degrees in the shade or blowing a gale at the old site in my time. I guess prior to Perry Lakes the runner before wold have said the same thing when they used to run on Leederville.

The race was pretty solid. A very good pack formed early and they boys worked even laps of 70-71s for the first 8-9 laps. The group of Marc, Josh, Ethan, Thomas, Raf, Roberto all were in the mix until Marc put his foot down and stretched the group. Very impressed with Raf who got into a rut with 4

laps of running left. he could have easily settled into Roberto's rhythm but rather ran around him in the front straight and chased Thomas. This paid off and he soon caught Bruin and locked onto Eth

an's back. See ran hard and stretched a lead out on Ethan over the remaining 4 laps to take a comfortable win in a Pb. Unofficial around 14m36s. Raf also turned out a Pb for third place behind Ethan in around 14m47s unofficial.

Coddi, the White Knight, was also on the track and copped a fair bit of Sledging for his choice of running apparel. Many of us thought that this was the reason he spent 95% of the race running in no man's land.Later that night I enjoyed a solo run , in the dark around Perry Lakes and the surrounding streets.

This morning's Sunday run was also pretty warm and I made a start from the Approach Road Get heading out along the quarry before dropping down into Helena Valley and running out along the pipeline. Saw Barts heading out as I returned along the route but the boys had not started en mass from the car park by this stage so It was very much a solo run this morning for the wombat.

Looking forward to the next week and will keep you posted on the weeks progress.

Barrel on Wombats...

Well done Perth....

2011-02-13T01:41:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I was up at 5am preparing for an event and the sound of the alarm was pretty harsh to wake to. The young wombats were taking part in the Weetbix Try-athlon down on the Perth Swan River Esplanade.

My oldest had to be registered between 7am and 7.30 so the youngest had to get ready at the same time to be leaving the burrow by 6.15am. The morning at home was calm as the boys had prepared the night before and a light breakfast saw us getting underway almost spot on time.

The Perth weather was fantastic clear Sky's and a cool breeze initially however it did warm up by mid morning. This mornings event was part of an Australian series of event for kids to encourage them to get active. No times are taken, no placings are given. The emphasis is on participation and completing the course. Having said that each kid had his or her own gaols set and the look of determination on their faces was wonderful to see.

The series is the biggest mass participation event for kids world wide and the Perth leg saw 2180 kids taking part raging in ages from 7 -15.

While there were a few minor hiccups the overall event was run bloody well and the organisers needed to give themselves a massive pat on the back. Kids were swimming , riding and running but above all they were really getting into it.

The swim leg varies in distance for the 7 -10 age group and the 11 - 15 age group and this year the Swan was high enough for the kids to actually swim. The ride leg takes place on a traffic free course along riverside drive and the final run is completed along the Esplanade. The kids are cheered and clapped by everyone and even us parents are well behaved and seem to understand that today is not about winning but giving our kids a positive experience with a competitive sport.

My two wombats had a ball and while it was the first time for my youngest this is the fourth time for my oldest. Well done Tri Australia you did yourself proud today. As for Perth well , the foreshore was being used for what it was intended for , families and kids having fun.

Barrel on Wombats.....

Gutted......

2011-02-11T22:55:00.001-08:00

Work has finally got the better of me and I have managed to miss a training run, not the end of the world but really annoyed that I let time get away from me and I missed the session.

I think I need to heed the words of Biscuitman and really focus on running in the morning just so I can get the distance covered without the stress of work.

The week has been good , running daily over the standard 5 miles and can feel some strength starting to develop as well as my confidence in my own fitness. So all in all the week has been outstanding...

Caught up with Raf during the week and it looks as if the wombat will be getting back his old stomping ground down at Yokine reserve. Only this time it will be in the capacity of coaching . may try and train prior to the other arriving so I can focus on the group.

The weather has most definitely warmed up and there is tension building around parky with the conditions for fires being bloody dangerous at the moment. Last week end we got off lightly and already today there has been another fire down the road this morning.

Tomorrow is the young wombats day in the spot light with both the little guys taking part in the junior Sanitarium kids try-athlon. The focus is on competing and finishing and the Perth Esplanade is just awash with kids of all ages, shapes and sizes having fun doing physical activity with the Swan river as their backdrop.

Anyway followers its time for me to start thinking about hitting gravel track from Drucker's store and getting some easy mileage into the legs. so until next time...

Barrel on wombats...

The weekend can be a time to build....

2011-02-05T00:56:00.000-08:00

For the same reason that Australian athletes of all shapes, sizes and ability levels travel to Falls Creek every year the weekend can work in the same way. As a very young wombat I read about Derek Clayton and it was during this time of the week that he did a phenomenal amount of work. In fact eh was almost animalistic in his approach to training and the weekend.

As a wombat who works full time, and always has even as during my hay days, the weekend was a time to do some solid work. This came about for two reasons, again similarly to Falls Creek, there are no interruptions from work and there is time to rest between sessions. (Well this held true until little wombats arrived on the scene.)

Ideally you could get a Friday run done, wake Saturday and smash a morning session, recover, put in s light gym workout, recover, do the evening run, sleep, wake for the Sunday long run, recover (sleep) and then hit out the Sunday afternoon run. It also was a time where you could do some big mileage. Again because there was plenty of time to recover.

The same is a bit harder to achieve during the working week when a busy day of decision making, dealing with people and trying to manage a work site can leave you feeling flat prior to a session or run.

The Sunday long run is also a bonus of the weekend for those who train in the morning during the week. During the week if you over sleep its often a case of cutting the am run short. On the Sunday run if you over sleep it just tended to mean that you just ran a little bit later and possibly meant that you were a bit late for the family reunion that you did not really want to attend anyway.

Think of the weekend as a session within itself and use the time to recover, build and strengthen those things that you can't work on during the weekday....

Barrel on wombats...

Another week added...

2011-02-05T00:21:00.000-08:00

Pretty stoked, the old wombat has returned to work and through maybe good planning and a bit of luck I have managed to maintain the daily runs.

I am a little weak minded in that I just have not pulled my finger out and started running in the morning. Put simply its just me being weak and letting my sleepy brain over rule my " lets run" brain. As Mrs wombat keeps telling me.." If you get the run done in the morning the afternoon will become a bonus in terms of mileage." (I hate it that she's right)

Had to do a couple of runs which involved running around the block 5 times to get the 5 miler done because I had left it too late but at least its runs on the board. As the legs get stronger I feel that I can start asking more from them however I am very wary of too much too soon. Especially after blowing it last year in the lead up to the bridges and the masters games.....

Old and wiser but also fearful of stuffing up the hard work tends to hold you back a little , time will tell I guess....

One of my training partners turns 50 tomorrow so its off to Port Beach, will attempt to get the long run done prior to heading out. Again this will involve some battle in my head about getting up. I just don't enjoy running first thing in the morning on squeaky legs. Oddly enough when I occasionally wake up at 3am to go to the toilet the legs and ankles move better than they do when I actually wake up at 6am but I am not going to go for a run at 3am.... or maybe I should.

Anyway crew hope all is going well with your own trials and tribulations and the goals and targets are clear and the mind set is right...

Barrel on wombats...

Work begins and so too does the struggle...

2011-02-01T04:12:00.000-08:00

I said earlier that the test for me would be once work starts again and so it has been. It has certainly slowed down the blogging but it has also tested my resolve to continue the uphill climb. While my job has a degree of flexibility that others may not have. My desire to do the best I can in the job does mean that I tend to work longer than some would. This impacts on my family and my training. It is important that I ensure I can establish and maintain the balance.

As it currently stands once week back I have not maintained the balance but I am certainly getting my run every day. This despite the fact that it is getting done in the dark and involves laps of the loop. I don't mind running in the dark, I don't like running laps.

I have scrapped in the 5 milers for the last week and even still got the long run done. The long run being considerably easier because it occurs on the weekend.

I am holding the 6m50s to 7 minute mile average for the runs which is pleasing and I seem to have had a few more runs which have felt comfortable. The tables are obviously turning so this is good.

A few times when I have spoken at seminars and indeed to athletes or runners I have made the important point that you need to plan your training for times when you know you can realistically get it done. During the holidays this was easy. While I am back in work mode this is made considerably harder. To put my money where my mouth is I am going to have to toughen my resolve and start getting then big run done in the morning before the family become active and before the schedule of the day clutters my diary.

I will let you know how that goes. What I can say though is I have a plan and if all goes to plan then things should work out well. If things don't go to plan then I will fall back on plan B. Running in the dark around the Loop.

Barrel on wombats...

Coffee Run...

2011-01-27T00:00:00.001-08:00

Man oh man tonight was an absolute coffee run... That is, it was a grind the whole way.

Felt like shit and the subconscious was not much help as I had to fight the urge to turn back the whole way. What annoyed me the most was not the fact that I felt like I was moving at 8m30s per mile but that it was actually a good run time wise.

The small hill felt like a mountain, the flat was longer than normal and the heat was oppressive.

5miles in 35m40sec so I was still running just over 7 minute miles...

I am continuing to run for the reminder of this month and then I will start to add a bit more structure to my training next month as well as move up the mileage again... Might try and run from Helena this Sunday morning instead of Jacoby just for something different.

Barrel on wombats...

Three days solid...

2011-01-24T23:51:00.001-08:00

It never gets easier... Just as you feel your getting fitter you increase the mileage a tad and you find that your not. Another three days from the home base burrow and while I am subconsciously getting faster its not getting any easier.

I have added a small 1.21mile loop into my current course. This pretty much means I come off the gravel rise hit the road and turn right and head up a long steady climb. Of the loop roughly a mile of it involves climbing. Its runnable but its not pleasant.

I have settled down a little and am running a constant 5 miles each day at the moment just to let every thing get back in place. I am also trying to get into a routine which will remain in place once I start back at work on Thursday. This will be the true test for me.

Anyway the small loop is now being covered in 8m 16s and guess what it feels just as hard as when I was covering it in 8minutes 50 seconds.

Even yesterday during the run I though" Bloody hell I must be crawling " a quick look at the garmin and I noticed that Mars was rather hot, more importantly it was telling me that I was clipping along at a 6.30mile pace. Now I know that this is not about to set the world on fire but let me tell you, it is significantly faster than I was running several weeks ago.

Keep up the good work to anyone who has maintained a run every day this year that's 25 done or 50 if you are running twice a day.

Don't get down on yourself and self destruct if you have missed a couple of days. Get back out there when you can. Don't look at a missed day as a reason to throw in the towel. Just shoe up and head out when you can and maybe I'll see you out there.

Barrel on wombats...

Wombat Flashback...1987 A 21 year old wombat... 23 years ago.

2011-01-21T06:31:00.000-08:00

July 19th Sunday... At 21 years of age I had entered the realm of senior competition. This day was the national 15km Road titles and they were being contested in Hobart.

My diary reads. Goals for the week: I would love to have a solid run in Sunday's national 15km road Race.

Sunday 19th: Breakfast 4 pieces of toast and jam. 1 cup of coffee and no sugar. A little bit windy and rather cold 4-5degrees Celsius.
Easy warm up 1 mile and some light stretching. Went out at a good solid pace and worked with a pack of three until 6km (5km 14.48) At 8km I was left to run alone and well back from Camp, Mona, Morley and Carroll. Held 5th place until final 200m. Ran a solid 10k-13km (10km 30m38s) Came in 6th 45m56sec Easy cool down 12 mile day

The race sheet has
1st S.Moneghetti 44m11s
2nd Brad Camp 45m06s
3rd Quinten Morley 45m18s
4th Pat Carroll 45m23s
5th Sean Quilty 45m53s
6th wombat Warrior 45m56s

Other WA athletes in the race. Greg Webster 20th 47m50s, Mark Altus 33rd 49m34s, John Hambleton 35th 49m44s, Simon Elliot 37th 50m17s, Jon Kappler 43rd 51m29s. WA finished 4th in the teams.

The week of August 23rd - 29th was an interesting one: My goal for the week reads. Continue and finish off a solid training period since the national road titles. I am aiming to run an aggressive and fast race at the national cross country titles on the 29th.
My diary has me run 61 miles for the week.

Saturday 29th reads: Lazed around the room until 12.45pm. Easy warm up no more than 1 mile, some run throughs and stretching. Went out hard and setttled donw to a good pace. Ran strongly but lost a little ground goign downhill. Came in 7th, 6th Aussi for the 12km. Won a sprint home against Quinten Morley. This was good he beat me in Tassi. Time 12km XC 36m52s Bundoora Course. Easy Cool down a little tired.
An excellent race at the nationals. A little more work and I can get there. I must learn to relax on the down hills. A pleasing way to end the XC season.

Slept on the plane coming home but had a restless nights sleep

Sunday 30th Reads: Tough nights sleep coming off the plane from Victoria, Woke 7am Perth City to Surf. Easy warm up and feeling a bit flat. Stretched . Took off aggressively and attacked the hills. Broke away with Mike Bonner very early. Could not shake Mike until the 11km mark. I ran up the hills hard and Mike pushed coming downhill. Came home in a new City to Surf record 35minutes 54 seconds. Broke old record by 1 minute. Legs heavy over last 2km.

Flew to Kalgoorlie for the Golden mile on the 2nd September.
Diary 2nd September reads: Easy warm up 1 mile, Ran very hard from the gun and lead the field after 200m. The miles rises 22m over the course of the distance. A solid 4m20sec 7 seconds clear of 2nd. Course record held by Gerard Ryan 4m13seconds. Calves tight. Flew home that afternoon.

Longest run for the week 8 miles Weekly mileage 39 miles.

Week's summary reads: An excellent week of racing. Nationals, City to Surf and the Kalgoorlie mile. Time to get back to just running for a little while.

" Running is a stress. When it's applied in small doses, the body reacts by strengthening its defences against this and other stresses. Runners require specific and regular stresses in order to adapt and improve."

Barrel on wombats...

Smooth run today...

2011-01-20T23:57:00.001-08:00

Friday 21st Jan: Smooth running this afternoon. Covered a lazy 5 miles in 35 minutes. The distance was slightly longer than 5 miles but I have never been a big fan of adding my points of a mile when totalling the mileage.

Out and back from Drucker's Store. Headed up the heritage trail through Stoneville and back. This is what I call a cheat run and is actually handy to remember. The out section of the run is uphill, only gradual as the course follows an old railway line. This means that the home journey is the opposite, slightly down hill. Obviously I did not have to work as hard coming hone to maintain the pace as I did going out. You can use the same principle when running out into a wind.

A few walkers on the trail but otherwise a quite afternoon. Bloody humid and hopefully the rains will come through on the Sunday as predicted as everything is dry.
No niggles but feeling a little weary.

Pretty pleased at the moment that I am stringing consecutive runs together without to many worries. Am really hopeful that this holds. I do have in the back of my head that I was moving well this time last year until the wheels fell off in late March and I missed the masters competition and the Bridges run. Fingers crossed and time will tell.

Barrel on wombats...

A Very Looooooong day....

2011-01-20T06:55:00.000-08:00

A late post tonight due to a very late run, fortunately its a full moon here in the west tonight and more so that the wombat is a nocturnal animal.

The time in Perth at the moment is 10.57pm. I woke this morning , as did Mrs Wombat at 5.40am. No, not to go for a run but to take the little wombats and 2 of their mates water skiing. The dam is a good 2 hours drive and we wanted to make a day of it. At the present time gone are the days when I would get up to run at 4am in the morning because I had to travel at 6am. (did that a few times as have many of you I bet)As I am the only one with a skippers ticket it also meant that I drove the boat all day too. We eventually arrived at the dam by 9.45am skied all day, packed up and drove home to come in the drive way, after getting a meal in Pinjarra, at roughly 9.45pm.

At this point I unpacked the boat and when everyone went to bed at 10.10pm I went for a run. Mind you tonight was a token gesture of 4 miles run in 30 minutes so a tad over the 7min miles pace by my reckoning. Still I was very happy as a little part of me was putting up the arguments of it being too late to run and I could leave it tomorrow. The full moon made visibility easier and the evening was an absolute gem. Stirred up a few dogs running past properties at this hour and I wonder how many thought foxes were at the chickens.

Sitting her with my cuppa tea typing this I am feeling pretty stoked that I got the run on the board as it means I can move another step closer to reaching my goal...

As for me? Well I am going to crash for some well earned rest. Tomorrow brings another day of exercise and greeting the day.

Barrel on wombats....

Okay so we build the engine now what...

2011-01-19T00:06:00.001-08:00

Mona had a bloody great engine, something that both he and his coach Chris Wardlaw continued to build on every year. How? Day in day out he ran, Falls Creek every year for a top up and some solitude in the mountains.

You can do the same..... The tempo run is one element and the wombat believes that the long run is another element. The long run builds the strength in the legs to stay upright for a long time... Mona was big on it, his coach was big on it, Deek was big on it. Lance Armstrong did big mileage rides why? because it builds physical and more importantly mental strength. Its how you keep building the engine.

I remember when I was a young furry wombat and Deek came to Perth to have a crack at the world 25km record around the course at WAIT. Myself, OTFBD and Jussi Vaalsta all followed him on bikes, he was flying and he was doing it by himself. He missed the record by 15.5 seconds running 1hr 14min 13.3 seconds missing the record by a mere 15.5 seconds after being hassled by a dog and running into the back of a car when it passed then stopped in front of him. After the event Clayton Clews introduced me to him. He spoke with me for a while and at one point I asked about all the things he did. one of his responses was " You don't get better at running by going bowling" When I asked my dad what he meant dad explained that he was saying if you want to get better at running you run.

That's how you build your engine, you run. You build a base by running. As you get stronger you run faster for longer at training. This is often easier said than done because it is a fine line between running fast and running too fast. Only you can judge that point of fast and too fast.

One way to do that is consider how you pull up the next day. If you are smashed then it was too fast. If your all good then you are on track.

With the long runs in pace and the tempo runs in pace the next thing is to run every day if you can... Small runs at first then slightly longer. For a runner with a solid base (1 year behind them) they can add some multiple elements at the same time. They may increase their daily average as well as add some fartlek.

Again a word of caution "Don't be impatient" Get the mileage steady and hold it. Add another element , say a fartlek session and hold this for a couple of weeks. If all is smooth sailing increase the length or style of the fartlek. over time you can add another element. Over time you will get to the stage where you have such a base that you can remove and replace the different aspects of a distance program without fear of injury. (Having said that you can go from months of road and trail running then switch to track suddenly and throw in a track session in spikes. I get my guys to initially do a couple of session in their flats then switch over.)

Good luck wombats keep building that engine... While it may not make you a Lance Armstrong , a Mona , Deek , Paula Radcliffe, Geta Waitz, Bikila or a Haile G/Selassie. It will enable you to reach new limits with your running... patience and building blocks that what its all about.

Barrel on Wombats...

The Engine continues...

2011-01-18T17:28:00.001-08:00

Its no big secret that in my earlier years the Wombat was a low mileage runner. This served me well and I believe also helped me remain injury free for the majority of my career as a runner.

It is important to note here also that the pace at which I ran most of this lower mileage was pretty quick. Whether this was but intention of accident I just enjoyed moving quickly and could not see any point in dawdling. My training partner, OTFBD, also ran at the same pace so it was not a problem in this regard. By low mileage I am saying no more than 60 miles a week.

The mileage issue only became a problem once I entered the senior ranks. I don't mean senior ranks at state level but rather at national level. You see (and I have alluded to this in previous blogs) I could run an 8.12 for 3km and I had even managed a 14.07 for 5km off an 70mile week in my late teens but with limited endurance in my legs I just was not capable of maintaining this tempo for 10k, 15k of the half marathon. To make it even harder was the fact that the senior guys were running sub 8 min 3ks and sub 14min 5ks.

The way in which I moved up a notch was to kick up the mileage, increase the long Sunday run to an 18 miler (As a teen I was a 9 mile wombat, why 9 miles well this was the approximate distance of the Jacoby Park Loop) and notch up the pace of the tempo run. Fortunatley for me there were already seniors who were doing the longer runs at Jacoby so OTFBD and myself had a group we could tap into. The tempo runs were also made easier because again we already had a group of Stirling Swans Seniors (John Hambleton, Ivan Shatford, Greg Sullivan, John Hawks, Alan Thurlow, Mike Bonner) who were doing this on a Wednesday night from Fraser Avenue car park. This group would sometimes have others join like Martin Assmussen or Patty 'donk'Maslen.

The tempo course was a beauty. We would run down Fraser Avenue and then turn left and head to the bottom of Kingspark before hair pinning and looping back into the park. Weaving around a number of bike paths we eventually came out near saw avenue then dropped down to the bottom play ground via the road before heading up the boardwalk for about 100m before ducking down the first opening on your right. This brought us out near the war memorial at the round about at which point we would skirt the roller coaster (bike path) that ran along the side of the hill. The pace always amped up for any climb that we came too but this first loop was about relaxing into the run and there was plenty of sledging. Finally we approached ANZAC Bluff before dropping down the path (no longer possible) onto the river and then crossing the narrows before circling the bridges then heading back up the shitty climb to ANZAC Bluff and then into the car park.... The pace on the river flats got fast and other than someone joking about the pace being a bit slow (sarcastic) it was on for young and old. In a nut shell the course was eay over the undualtions in the first part, wind up over the flat river section, scream up the hill at the end and wind down back to the car park.

For me I think this was where I learnt to run at a sustained pace. With this group of senior athletes , who I looked up to as a junior, OTFBD and myself just hung on for grim death, testicles dragging, balls out running simply to keep up. We loved it. It was pure threshold running.

Since that time I have had a similar run with Deek and Andy Lloyd along the pipe line flats in Stromlo , prior to it burning in the big bush fires, and they did the same thing, they just wound it up. Mona did the same with Troopy at Spion Kjope in Falls. In fact I remember running with Deek once in Portugal as we prepared for the World Cross Country titles, the wombat was in the juniors , Deek a senior, coincidentally this was Mona's first team as a Senior athlete, there were some other runners there too and the tempo that morning was scary. Like "Shit how am I ever going to ge to this level" We were flying and these guys were not even in a sweat. It was just awesome, I was left along with Stuart Mee, eating dust and making our way back to the village alone.It was all about holding that fast past, teaching yourself to run on the edge. Obviously as you got fitter the edge got further out and that was the point, that's why I loved the tempo run, I think that was what set me apart in the state, and set the Stirling Swans Seniors apart at the time. It was the tempo run. That running at a pace that was nearly all out but not quite, a pace that was fast enough not to impact on the session the following night but a pace that you felt pleasantly rooted after.

I remember taking Carter and Cox on a tempo run around the river when I first gave them a hand with their training . I had tried to explain what I meant by winding up, I mean they got it but they didn't if that makes sense. We took off at a steady pace and gradually got comfortable. Once we were out to the UWA boat shed we turned to come home and I gently wound the pace up. Shaph was the first to go, just a gradual slipping out the back door. Now I know you want a training group but this was a tempo run and each of us had a different tempo , you don't run to the weakest denominator. Carter held in their a lot longer but over distance I ended up by myself coming home well clear of the two younglings. The discussion after was about " We think we were doing the tempo a little too slow" and "Yeah we get what we need to do" Over time they got faster and the strength in their legs built up. I feel that it served both the boys well, Shaph became a more aggressive runner with confidence in his strength and managed to take out some 10k state track titles as well as a fast 5k win at the bridges. Carter has gone from strength to strength and is now based in NSW.

Its great to see a group trying to revive the 'real' tempo run from Raf's base in West Perth. I have heard that Mark See, Patto, Nuttan, Gerry and others have all run in this group at various stages.

The marathon Club too, have a Wednesday night group that heads off from its base in Burswood. Various groups of runners head off in different packs.

Hopefully the wombat will be amongst these groups soon.

Don't under estimate the TEMPO RUN it is an essential part of any and every distance runners program regardless of ability.

Barrel on Wombats...

Morning Pace .....

2011-01-18T17:00:00.000-08:00

Mornings have always been tough for the wombat. I just don't like them. Nothing seems to work smoothly. Even in my younger days the morning run was a grind. Eventually I did warm up and move well but those first 20 minutes of the run were just tough. No ankles, no knees, just a grind. Still to get to where you want to go it has to be done. Why ? well its more mileage, its extra credits in the bank.

This morning was a grind. Ran the Kangaroo rise circuit from home and seriously I did not move well until the final 2 miles of the 5 mile circuit. despite my discomfort during the run, not painful just unpleasant, I was moving at a pace that was just below 7 minutes a mile (Yes I had the Garmin on again) The overall run time came in just under 35 minutes so all in all a good pace.

Now if I can just get a weight circuit or gym style circuit that I was happy with I feel I would almost have all the elements in place to fine tune and tweak. (My gym is in my shed, we not fancy but we cheap).

Barrel on wombats...

Wombat words...

2011-01-18T04:22:00.000-08:00

Arrogance !! is this a good thing or a bad thing.... well to some extent to be a good sportsman you need it but the important thing about arrogance is that it is kept in check. This usually comes in the form of close mates who always are able to bring you down a peg or too.

The ability to walk the walk is an important element of being good at what you do. It helps, in some cases, to create the image or impression that your in better shape than you actually really are and if you are able to carry this onto the race track then you are more likely to be able to control the race.

The arrogance of self belief is a good thing. We see it in many sports people, without it , self belief , you tend to fall short of what you set out to do.

The ability to keep this in check also helps to keep you on the straight and narrow when it comes to training. Mona was, is, a bloody good athlete, in the right situation he was arrogant, he new he was the top dog in the field, you could just tell in the way that he carried himself. Yet at the same time he did this in such away that he was respectful of those he was racing against. He paid tribute to the other competitors when questioned about his ability to do well in race. The bottom line however was Mona new he had done the work, he knew he was fit and he knew he would be bloody hard to beat but he did not rub it in your face.

Armstrong was, is the same, you just knew he was in bloody good shape and he would say as much but he always had the humility to acknowledge the guys he was up against. He would point out there strengths and identify what it was he and other competitors needs to watch out for but by doing this he was also saying I know this guys strengths and you bet your bottom dollar I have prepared myself to deal with that.

De Castella was the same, he would state clearly what his intentions were, he could have been consider arrogant in his statement of fact with regard to what he was about to do but again , like my other two examples he acknowledged he competitors for what they were, competitors. He paid tribute to their abilities and and in doing so was also paying respect to them as fellow runners who were not be treated lightly despite his incredible strengthen.

In all these cases the competitors have their arrogance in check, they write their own press and control what is written yet at the same time were and are humble in the public arena outside of the battle arena. They knew and know when to out the game face on but in public as a citizen like the rest of us they left the arrogance behind.

While I can't speak personally for Armstrong as I have never met him, I can say of Mona and Deek that away from the field when they were not in competition mode they were extremely approachable and would happily provide the time of day to you.

I remember vividly when Deek, Mona and Hoyle came to Perth for the Swan Premium Quit meet and were competing in the Bernie Cecins 5ooom track event (The wombat was racing too) a young spectator approached Deek as he was warming up on the track and asked for an autograph. Deek simply said not now... Why? Well the answer is easy, this is his arena, he was about to do battle and it was game face on.... What impressed me was that after the race was over he made the point of going over to the far side of the field and signing the autograph for the fan. He was not treating the young kid with disdain it was simply that 5 minutes before the start of the competition was not a good time to be getting an autograph.

Sometimes its all about the persona and if we can get it right for the competiton it can make the difference between winning and losing. Just remember that that if you carry it too far and take it with you away from the field then in Australia it will earn you the title of 'wanker'

Barrel on wombats...

Wombats are dogged...

2011-01-18T04:15:00.000-08:00

Okay so where do you start to be a wombat... you become territorial. This means your exercise time is protected, interfere with it and your a dead man. Obviously you need to identify a time when this is least likely to be waylaid.

Start with something small, Something like walk jog a mile and do this for a week. That's how I got started again slowly slowly. Then build on. after a week up the mark to walk jog for 2 miles then 3miles then try and jog for the whole three miles. Believe it or not this is how its done. Slowly slowly, steady steady.... The wombat builds its strength...

The funny thing about exercise is the more you do the more you want to do. You start to develop a fitness level that makes you realise you can do other things.

Over time things improve and you reach a new plateau and believe me when I say that is where the fun begins.

Come on Start today..

Barrel on wombats...

Six Wombat Warriors and a mad Aussi driver....

2011-01-17T22:55:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you look back on an event and have to say " Holly shit how do we survive that?" The Fred Hollows International relay was one of those events.

If anyone asked me what the toughest event I had run in prior to this I would have said without blinking "The Ottway Classic". Indeed until 1995 this was certainly the case.

The Fred Hollows event was organised out of respect for the man himself and consisted of teams from countries in which Fred had helped and had an impact. The nine nations were Australia, Zimbabewe, Kenya, New Zealand, Vietnam, Nepal, Ertirea, China and Tanzania.

The Aussi team consisted of Peter Brett, myself, Marcus Brown, Michael McIntyre, Robert Spurrs and Richard Barrett. The team was led by non other than Gary Henry, one tough bugga when it comes to racing. Gary was also the team driver. At the end of the day the Australian team finished second behind Zimbabewe and ahead of Tanzania.

I will get to my diary extracts in a moment however Ray Kershler wrote for the Daily Telegraph Mirror of the event on April 10th 1995 " The teams tended to make up tactics as they went along. In the end this 500km team relay turned into a race of repetitive sprints of distances as short as 100m. Just imagine it- long distance runners jumping in and out of cars and vans every few minutes and sprinting a couple of hundred metres. On one leg the Tanzanian team counted 90 changes. These proved to be tactics at which the Australians became quite adept but as team manager Garry Henry said at the finish at Westfield shopping centre at parramatta .." It was not something you can train for" ...

The relay itself was brutal. Starting out the back of Burke with the then Prime Minister Paul Keating starting the race all hell broke loose. Initially there was a 12.6km race around Burke. I was the first Aussi over the line and the team was placed 5th overall. All the teams then drove to Dubbo some 300km away. prior to an 800m circuit sprint, this turned out to be more like 600m. Each team had to run there runners twice in any order they felt. For us we simply rotated the list. Our team was placed 4th at the end of the day.

Stage 2 was a 123km leg. Teams had to nominate one runner to run the first 2km out of town before they could commence changes. teams were also restricted to limited changes in the final 10km to help reduce the chances of injury. Initially we ran 500m legs, we followed this process for 70-80km. The team bus would drive ahead and drop us off at 500m intervals. Gary Henry would then follow the runner and pick them up in the small red pulsar we were allocated. With the 6th runner on the road and 5 runners in the car Gary would scream past the last runner and toot his horn, this indicated that you had to hang in there of another minute before your next change. Gary would catch the bus , which we would all get on except who ever was to change next and then the bus would head off and drop us off again and the process would be repeated. Basically we were getting a 500m sprint every 3km. Gary Noticed that the African teams were changing over shorter distances so we dropped to 300m legs for the next 30-40km meaning we got a run/sprint every 1800m. At the end of this stage gary had successfully burnt the brakes out on the car and was guided by a police bike over the closing stages of the stage. We ended up 5th behind China.
At 2.40pm on the same day we started stage 3 a 35.1km leg heading out of Forbes. For 23km we again ran 500m legs, this was reduced to 200m legs and the sprints got quicker. I was assigned 4km of the final 10km leg with Bretty and Marcus sharing the other changes. Teams in the final 10km were only allowed two changes. We upset the Chinese team as they accused us of making three. In actual fact we cut it very bloody fine. Gary Henry (team manager, ) pointed out that if we changed just outside of the 10km exclusion zone we could still make two more changes within the 10km limit. I made the change with Robbie just outside the 10km flag and ran to level peg the Chinese runner however with them only having one change left and us still two we eventually over hauled them and the Eritrean team to finish third. The Chinese protested but we were cleared of any wrong doing.

Friday was brutal again. My diary for 7th April 1995 reads.
Woke 6.30am feeling stiff but nothing out of the ordinary. today a 121.9km leg. Started out (after Bretty's 2km) with 500m repeats, running once every 3km. They seemed to come around bloody quickly. match racing with China. Switched to 300m then 250s then 200s for the hill climbs then back to 500s for the long flat sections. Gazza drove like a bloody legend and kept up the humour which helped to relieve the agony. Came to running with 5 guys when Robbie Spurrs achilles became inflamed. My left knee is sore and the ITB is not good. ran the last 4km into Orange. Massage, physio, bath and then alight jog around the hotel. team is in good spirits but rooted.

Saturday 8th April reads: Slow warm up.8.30am start for the 65km leg. Bretty lead out then we quickly moved to 300m legs, these were alternated between 200 and 100m depending on the undulation. Gary was stoked, you blokes are blow'n them away. he loved it. I ran the final 2.5km into Bathurst. Australia won the stage. you beauty.

Arvo. I lead the 2.5km out of Bathurst for the next 67.1km leg. Same process as the morning stage and the team ran aggressively. Brownie in trouble with a knee glitch and mine was taped to ease the discomfort, physio thinks its not tracking right. Not sure if its the running or getting in and out of the bloody car. ( The Chinese runner was withdrawn from the race by the event doctor, this was ignored and he limped in for the stage)

Sunday final stage into Parramatta.Diary Reads Sunday 9th April 1995:
Stage 7 26.8km Bretty lead out then bang into 200 and 100m sprints. I ran the last 3.5km stage for another stage win. All team moving well except Robby , Achilles is not good.
Stage 8 final into Parramatta Bretty lead out again only this time we dropped to 80m sprints Gaz loves it, his face just seems to say this is insane. Brownie put in some corker legs as to did Mike and Richard... I covered the second last 3.5km before handing over. team was third in the stage and 2nd over all.

These extract do not do the race justice, it was brutal but the team just worked so well together. Gary Henry was brilliant as the manager and his light hearted humour made the event just that little bit more bearable. Gaz went through 2 cars (brakes) to get us to the end but given the chance to do it again I would because the event has never been run again...

Ray Keshler writes " At the end of 500 gut wrenching kilometres more than 50 runners sprinted into Parramatta yesterday. Those last bursts to finish the Fred Hollows International team relay were acts of sheer defiance. So the Aussies finished second and scalped Kenay and Tanzania in the one race, a mighty effort for a team cobbled together only two weeks before the race started.They chewed up a 12minute deficit in the last stage.
...Chinese runner Wan Min Su ran into Parramatta with an aggravated shin fracture. The Event doctor Seamus Dalton said " what can you do they are running on national pride"...The Nepalese runner finished with a broken shoulder and broken ribs after being hit by his support car...The Fred Hollows relay will claim an honoured place in Australian sport"

One thing I do know is that those of us that made up the team will never forget one week of being wombats and digging deeper than we may ever have gone before

Barrel on wombats...

The day a wombat's heart was ripped out....

2011-01-17T20:55:00.000-08:00

The Sydney Olympic trials were supposed to be the icing on the cake, the Holly Grail of races for the wombat... Yes the Olympics were the pinnacle but the hardest part about an Olympics , which I came to realise back in 1996 was actually getting into the team. I believe once you leap that hurdle the games themselves are a piece of cake. yes I know the competition is very tough but the fact is once you are in the team all you need to focus on is running the race of your life.

My prep for 2000 had been good, I had run a PB in Chicago in October of 99 which meant I had 6 months to recover and build towards the Australian trials in April. I had qualified in the Chicago race which meant that pressure was removed for the trial. All that remained was to be either the 1st or 2nd athlete who had qualified over the line. This did not necessarily mean winning it. Providng those who did finish in front of you did not qualify during the race. The maths said it was unlikely that anyone would run a sub 2hr 14 min at the trials. Mona was already a shoe in. This left Rod DeHighen (Rowdy) Lee Troop (Troopy) Pat Carrol and myself who had all run qualifiers. This meant four runners for two places.

Training was going well. A stint up at Falls Creek post Christmas and extending inot January. This was cut short by 2 weeks as my first born wombat, who was now one, was admitted to hospital . A few phone calls and a made dash from Falls Creek had me back at the airport to make my 8.30am flight back to Perth to be with him and Mrs Wombat. My diary has me leaving Falls at 10pm , sleeping in the car along the Hume Hwy at McDonald's until 4am and arriving at the airport at 5am. I ran at the airport at 6.30am and got a morning 6miles done before arriving in Perth. Shot to the hospital and then ran from the hospital for another 5 miles feeling shattered. We slept at the hospital that night and I trained from there for the two days that the little wombat stayed in hospital.

This appeared to be the only real glitch in my lead up to April and that was only a three day hiccup. My Achilles troubled me for a couple of days and that was all. Yes sure I did not get to do a really big bulk of mileage and hard work in the much cooler climate of Falls but other that that all indicators were good.

The diary indicates some corker sessions, a win in the state 1500m in 3m56sec, A solid 29m45s run in the National 10k track champs in Melbourne and 6th Aussi placing. Then three weeks out I won the Bridges 10km in 29m40s for a new course record.

So what went wrong, I woke on the trial day feeling fantastic, my taper had been good and I was niggle free. We went to the stadium from the hotel on the race bus and my warm up was good. My coach was happy with the lead up and she too was quietly confident..

My diary for 30th April 2000 reads: Woke 3.15am 4 x toast , white coffee and 2 sugars. Easy warm up and light stretching from the gun felt good, very controlled. Magnus went hard from the start and slowly began to build a lead. Let him go as I did not see him as a threat to the outcome. In hind sight this was a major tactical error by running for position I had changed the way I had previously raced. I was running within myself at this point. The first km 3m9s. 5km was hit in 15m49sec and the 10km was hit in 32m6 sec. The main players were in the group , Troop, rowdy with pat Carrol, the fastest of the four qualifiers have a worse day than me. At half way we were 1h8m3 seconds. A slow half way time . This left a big group still and magnus was now out of sight. at about the 25km mark I started to feel like shit. Legs heavy and feeling lethargic. Hindsight I feel I had been running too slowly and I just was not used to it. Quickly got into a rut and just could not lift out of it. Watched the group move away and with it my chances of an Olympic berth.

25k to 30k split 17m 16s.. 30k - 35k split 17m 40sec and my 35k - 40k split was 18min 33s. My slowest in a marathon since China and at least at china I knew I was sick. Negative self talk brough me donw further and instead of digging and chasing I settled into rut running. Going past Doona (Sean Quilty) Iwas given encouragment from him " Go Boydie dig mate you can catch them" While I moved away from Doona thats about all I did.

Through the mouse hole and the stadium came into view. My last 2.195km was covered in 8m15secs. I crossed the line 2hrs 22m 56sec in 13th place. Rowdy had won the event having run down Magnus in a cliff hanger within view of the stadium to record 2hr 16m36 sec. Troop was 5th in 2hr 18m 50 sec. That put me out of the team.

Shattered sat in stadium solo and looked down onto field. That was as close as I was to get. Hindsight indicates I broke the rules, I changed the style at which I raced best and I out strategised myself..

Later I hoped that Troop would nominate to run the 5km track as he had already qualified for this event and I would be able to fill the void but this was not to be the case. the 2000 games was to be Mona's swan song. Troop ran aggressively however unknown to him was carry a severe injury that sidelined him for many months. Credit to the wombat inside of him that he fought back after others had written him off and went to the next Olympics in Athens to again represent his country.Of more significance, and knowing that he was coached by Mona and Mona's take on the marathon, this was also not only the birth pace of the Olympic games but the birth place of the marathon and all it came to represent. He went on to be one of our top marathon runners in Australia and continues to have an impact in the athletics arena. Way to go Lee Troop an honorary Wombat Warrior.

For the Wombat, well I was gutted, , the wind had gone from my sails and I just went off the rails... I finished the year out according to my diary but after that training was spasmodic and a bought of plantar Fascia in 2001 caused me considerable grief.

Still its that part of what we do that make us what we are and as my blog says every journey begins with a single step.. so we move on.

Barrel on wombats...

Born Free....

2011-01-17T18:57:00.000-08:00

Today the wombat ran naked and oh! what a feeling.... No not naked as in no clothes, I mean that would be silly .The West Australian sun would just cook me... No I ran without my Garmin. I took my watch the youngest of my wombats purchased me 2 birthdays ago and set out the door. I could faintly hear the foot pod , which was still attached to my shoe, screaming as it tried to locate it's wristed partner in vain but I did not care. The watch with the faded red (now pink) wrist band and ability to simply tell me the date, time and then start and stop but no memorise it was bravely digitally away. Normally relegated to working in the yard while I do cementing or clean the pool it was actually getting to leave the burrow and head out for a run.

Today I felt free and I was born free, well I actually think my parents were charged a small fee at the hospital but other than that I was free. No chimes, no mile reference beeps or time calibration chirps. Just me and my simple watch and favourite pair of Kayanos moving through the bush. Today I actually floated. Felt fantastic . In fact it was on eof those runs where you just seem to move along. Having run this course a number of times, many in fact, I knew pretty much how far it was. (The Garmin had indicated previously that it was 8.11miles which is not bad as I had estimated it as 8 miles using my tried and true method of simply saying I cover each mile in 7 minutes, this is a very rough calculator but surprisingly very good. If I do in reality run further then that's money in the bank, if it turns out that the run is shorter then I guess I can draw on the money in the bank. either way it works out)....

My pace was good this morning and I was determined not to let the pace slip so I just worked it and bugga me I felt good. yeah I know it was only 5 miles (8km roughly) but for a fat little wombat on a journey of rediscovery it felt good... The open section of bitumen that I had to run along to get to kangaroo rise was a tad hot but the gradual down hill helped this and then climbing the exposed gravel rise that tends to be a little exposed was made easier by the fact that a mob of roos were feeding on the dry, crusty barren grass... The final pinch of Beacon to Molloy hurt, it always does when your not fit , but I just felt quick today .

At I crossed my make believe finish line between the letter box and the road sign (cant stop running until I cross this line, comes from habit " Run through the line my coach would always say") I look down at my faded red pink wrist banded watch which has gamely been holding time since I headed out 35 minutes ago is still recording time. I press the the stop button and glance to notice 35minutes 36.34sec, at the same time I must have pressed the reset button. Shit , gone , time lost.... Ahh no worries I remembered it, not that old yet... Tomorrow I may go back to the safety of the 2456789 memory watch which can tell me how many steps I have taken , plot my course on google earth and communicate with extra terrestrial life at least then I wont have to try and work out how to get this bloody foot pod off my shoe...

Barrel on wombats...

Footnote: Freaking thing my blog dashboard now has an add for the Garmin Forerunner 405.. Has google earth tracked me or is the watch trying to gang up on me to upgrade... Conspiracy theorists would love that on

Diary Extract 1999.... Chicago and an Olympic A qualifier

2011-01-17T06:12:00.000-08:00

1999 was an interesting year for the wombat. I spent a chunk of January and the previous December up in Falls Creek in an effort to prepare for the Canberra marathon. My goal was to win this and in doing so secure a trip to Chicago and run the Chicago marathon in October with the intention of qualifying for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.(More on Canberra Later but basically I won it and made it to Chicago.

A good prep in Falls put me on track for running well , so I thought , and on returning to Perth hit 36degree Celsius and 40 degree days ... I race a poor 3km track GP and won this in 8.45 , which was hardly inspiring, edging out Dave Suiter in the process. Running some big mileage 110 and 120 miles a week I managed to win the state 1500m in 3.51.70. on 14 Feb My diary for this day reads: State championships1500m. Warm up easy (solo) 24min3sec. Light stretching and strides. Ran some more strides in my flats before changing into spikes. Made a great start but was soon passed by fast boys and although at the back of the pack I was at least in contact. Sitting in 8th , put my head down and just worked but did not panic. gave coach a smile after first lap and she smiled back knowing we only had to work hard and wait.Slowly worked through the pack and while they slowed each lap I maintained and eventually got faster. With 200m to go I finally caught JP . passed him with 80m to go. Shattered as I crossed the line. Pretty sure my lower intestine was intent on coming up through my throat. Splits : 45.05/63(1.49)63 (2.52) 59 3m51.70s. You beauty.

On March the 2nd my first little wombat came on the scene and life changed. Interruptions to training while we (Me and Mrs Wombat) tried to established routines with a young wombat who was playing by his own rules was not easy.

News clipping in my Diary 9th July 1999 " El Guerrouj ran 3min43.13sec to shave 1.26sec off the previous mark of 3.44.39 set in 1993 by Algerian Nourdine Morceli.

Chicago October 24th 1999: Diary reads: Woke 4.19am Breakfast 4xtoast with marg. Walked to warm up area (6.30am) easy warm up 18min34sec. Light stretching. strides to the start 7.30am Quickly established a rhythm and got inot pace by the second mile. Stood next to Khalid Khannouchi but that was it. he went on to win in a world record of 2hr5m42s. Went through first mile in 4m58.22 and held this for the next mile. the 5th mile was covered in 4m55.03 s (5km in 15m33sec) 10km was 31m4sec with a 15m24s split. I was still running and holding sub 5 and 5 minute miles through to the 17 mile point. Settled into a a small group and ran with the kiwi Dale Warrander. We were both after the same time so it made sense to work as a team. By half way dale was in trouble and I still felt strong. Half way point in 1hr 5min 42sec. Continued to run strong until the final 6 miles where I had slowed to 5min 14s miles. 30-35km was a 15m55s split. The next 5km 35-40k was a 17minute split. Looked at my watch and realised I was in a real danger of missing the qualifier. Covered the final 2.195km in 6min 50sec. Finished 16th in 2hr 13min 26seconds. Olympic A qualifier...Job done..

Apart from the A qualifier and being a part of a world record race the highlight came when I got to meet and talk with Frank Shorter 72 Olympic Gold Medalist and 76 silver medalist for the marathon. Frank was just an amazing bloke to talk to and I came away with a sense of having talked to someone who was grateful for his ability to run and run fast... I have the card he signed in my diary and a large poster of the event he signed I later had bloke mounted.....

Later than year in possibly the last marathon of the year in Japan Rod Dehighden (Rowdy) ran a 2hr13m59s qualifier to just duck under the 2.14 time limit. This now meant that the Sydney Olympic trails planned for April 2000 had 4 runners (Rod, Pat Carrol, Troopy and myself) via for 2 positions behind Mona , who held the first. In the Trial in 2000 Rod won the race, Troopy was second of those who had qualifier over the line and I was third.The other runners ahead of both Troopy and I did not run qualifiers in the race. A fact that all of us knew was doubtful on the course and so had a significant advantage. This meant that I had again missed selection....

More extract from the wombats past soon.

In the meantime have your own dreams and chase your own goals.

Barrel on Wombats...

Garmin but wait there's more...

2011-01-17T02:51:00.001-08:00

Monday 17th and a lazy 5 miles around the burrow... or so I thought... Remember I spoke of the Garmin and all its wonderful and super essential information that it provides you while you run. Things like how many steps I took and my average number of steps per km.... Well today I thought , just because I could, I would put on the heart rate monitor and use the threshold limits. This was set to my height, weight and age.

Well of I set content in the knowledge that I am getting a little fitter and can actually talk aloud to myself without collapsing. Next thing my Garmin is beeping at me. According to the limits I was about to flat line.... Now I know that at the present time my fitness levels are far below what they are capable of and where they should be given my genuine love of the sport. But seriously I was not about to slow to a walk to keep the Garmin happy.

Choosing to ignore the alarm I continued on my easy run, according to me and not the Garmin. Again here lies the problem. I understand the science behind the threshold limits , I get the point of working at the various levels of heart rate to achieve the desired outcomes but seriously I was more than happy to run along at a pace that was around the 7 minute mile pace. Its not fast , its around 4m20s a km and it was not going to kill me... Eventually the alarm settled and my heart rate dropped. When I checked again it had dropped to the point of stopping, no reading " Shit I am now dead" or so I thought... With a bit of wriggling the chest band settled and got a connection again and things were good however my heart rate had increased from the stress of thinking I was dead so the bloody alarm was going off again.

I know that Lance Armstrong swears by the numbers in terms of his training (from what I have read as I have never actually met the guy , would love to but highly unlikely it will happen) but my run was becoming a genuine pain in the arse.

My heart rate did eventually settle well it felt like it had as I was now running with the heart rate monitor in my hand and just to really annoy the Garmin I worked the hill because I could.

I finished the run moving slightly quicker that 6m45s/mile in the final stages happy in the knowledge that I am actually getting fitter.

I should apologise to Garmin, the watch is a bloody good watch in that it gives me the session splits and I can program all the other sessions into it but I can do without the digital telling me I am going to flatline and slow down. I mean really if your in a race to you really slow down because its a little bit uncomfortable.NOOO.... Do you ease off just before you reach the finish line because you are above threshold NOOOO... you show your wombat and dig deeper....

Like Trailblazer said in one of his comments his coach gave him a hard time for looking at his watch. In actual fact I only wore a watch for training to record my total time and interval session I never used to race with one until I started racing the marathon. I still question myself over this as I often wonder about the watch actually causing you to hold back if you see that you well into pb territory...

See you out there people...

Barrel on wombats...

Goal Setting ...

2011-01-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

Running or rather running fast can be a science. While the wombat (me) argues that it is a simple sport and as such does not require a great deal of thought, there is still a degree of mathematics involved....

I will share a goal with you and in doing so try and explain the science/ mathematics involved.

A goal that the wombat warrior has set for 2011 is to finish in the top ten of the Perth City to Surf. This goal is a public goal, once shared there is/ may be, an increase of pressure on myself in terms that I have now made it public I am being held accountable by everyone who reads this. This could also be considered a safe goal. I am not prepared to share the personal goal which falls somewhere within the top ten goal.

Okay lets now break it down. At the present time if I stepped on the track this would not be possible. Why ? well at the moment I am averaging a 6.30 - 7.10 minute per mile pace. (4m20s km) This puts me in the 52 - 55minute range for the 12km race. This means I am not going to finish in the top ten. I know, having won the event 11 times that to win it if you can run between 35min 50 sec and 37minutes then you can pretty much guarantee the win.

To get into the top ten I need to be running on my easy runs , comfortably , 3min 30s per km. There for this becomes a goal of my training runs. If I can get comfortable at this pace I know that I can guarantee a top ten finish. Am I a long way off at this stage,? Yes... Do I have plenty of time to get there ? Yes...

So where to now for the wombat in terms of this goal. Okay initially I am aiming to get very comfortable on a 2hr to 2 and a half hour run for the Sunday long run. I am aiming to get a solid tempo run of at least an hour where I occasionally hit 4m55s / mile.

For anyone setting a goal in terms of times or places they need to know the time that they have to achieve to get there. After that it is a small mater of mathematics. This established the pace you have to be comfortable at to get there. Is it possible? Well only you can answer that but if you plan and set out a series of steps to get there , along with patience anything is possible...

Barrel on Wombats

Diary Extract 1996.... Last long run prior to Beppu marathon

2011-01-15T22:44:00.000-08:00

The following is an extract from my 1996 training diary. Two weeks out from my Beppu marathon on the 4th February 1996 where I qualified 3rd behind Sean Quilty and Rod DeHighden for the Atlanta Olympics. Mona had already secured the first place for the team which left me out of the team.

Sunday 21st January Reads:
7.10am. Big pack at Helena Valley. Suiter and I ran from the primary school to the end of the road and joined up with Baxter, Evan K, Cameron J, Mark Presley, Paul Mac and Paul. Travelling well but a little slow on the hills this morning. (Out 54m12s/Back 49m24s) Ran alone from 1hr 32m. (ran extra loop 18m8sec) Time 2hr1m54s. Distance 18miles.
7pm: Form home, looped the local oval then 3 1/2 laps of the community oval , mainly grass,moving well. Time 25m7sec. Distance 4 miles.

Diary Entry for 4th February 1996 marathon day reads:
Woke 8.10am Breakfast 3 x toast and jam, Coffee with 2 sugars. Feeling good walked to the stadium. Really easy warm up over 12 minutes. 12noon start. Went with second main pack and floated off the back for much of it.. Missed my bottles at 18km and 24km. Fell off the pack at half way.At 25km (1hr 18minutes ) I felt like shit. Worked through it and got to 30km. Started to pick up a lot. Worked the climb and at about 32km I passed John Andrews and the group he was leading. Continued to pass runners and caught sight of Rod at 35km. Tried hard to close and was doing this slowly and steadily but ran out of distance. Finished well with a much better run than the Gold Coast last year. 3rd Aussi home , 5th over the line. 39seconds behind Rod Dehighden in 2hrs 15min 5seconds. Doona (Sean) 2hr13min 26sec. Happy with a personal best but disappointed that I could not get Rod. 39 seconds works out to less that 1 second a km. Looks like I will be watching Atlanta on television like most of the planet.
Light job on bloody stiff legs. Rab said I ran a bloody good second half coming through the pack. Wayne Larden DNF. Dolly finished in the back of the field after a quick start.Back to the drawing board.

Barrel on Wombats...

Compare and Contrast... 2011 Vs 1997 and a World Champs qualifier

2011-01-15T18:09:00.000-08:00

My morning run was greeted with a strong warm easterly as I headed out from home and along Beacon Road and down to Drucker's store. Managed an 8 miler this morning and the climb back up Richardson to get home was not pleasant. Still the run was done and the mileage goes in the book. That's the important part. each days builds onto the next and I have a lot of building to do.

Looking through my old training diaries, as I often do, I like to reflect on what sort of training and mileage I punched out when I was a tad younger. My 1997 training diary for Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th of January reads. ( I was up in Falls Creek preparing for the Tokyo Marathon where I hoped to qualify for the Athens World Champs. This task made a little more difficult as I had gone up there unfit. I had already been there for 4 weeks)

Saturday 18th Reads.

9.30am: Ran easy with Brendan Hayes and Troopy to the aqua duct and picked up Mona. Continued up to Mount McKay Road (10m12s) Stretched. Starting at the rock we ran hard for 6km to the top. Mona Troop and Hayes got away fast with me never in the picture. A gutless run by me in Elite company. (6km climbed from 1620 to 1820: Mona 18m23s record, Troop 19m1s, Hayes 20m10s, Me 20m40s) Cool down 35m35s Distance 10miles. (sit ups x100) ( massage on right Hammy)

4.46pm: Ran 4 laps of the lake at Mt Bogong village. 3 with Mona and troop and 1 alone. Distance 8miles time 54m9s... Days total 18miles (week 126miles)

Sunday 19th Reads

9am: Ran from the front of High Plains with Troopy and Hayes. Picked up Mona on the aqua duct. Brendan and Mona worked the Mount McKay Hill and we eventually regrouped going into Pretty Valley. I'm still not running comfortably on the hills and have to work hard to stay in touch. Generally a little leg heavy. Ran Marm Point then back along Pretty Valley Road. Mona put the accelerator on for a small section and I swear I could hear my nuts dragging along the trails, chased Troopy's back to stay in touch was determined not to be dropped. Time 2hr32m58sec distance 22miles

6pm: Roper's Lookout: An easy run from High Plains with Mona, Troop and Hayes. Feeling a touch weary but pleased with my progress. (Time 18m25out 17m8s back ) 35min33sec Distance 5 miles Total for the day 27 miles.

For anyone interested I raced in Tokyo on Sunday the 9th February: I qualified by running a PB of 2rs 14mins 26sec (3m18.85s/km average)

My diary entry on this day reads.

Woke 7.15am and dozed until 7.45am. Toast 4pieces /coffee with 2 sugars Feeling good, relaxed. A light warm up at 11am, easy stretching and still feeling good. A few run throughs prior to the gun. went out fast and eventually settled into the second pack consisting of 9 guys. Even though it was new territory I felt it was the right decision to stay with this pack. At the turn , half way,(1hr5m32.61sec) the group was down to 4 with me off the back. I relaxed and over the next 1500m got back onto the group. Moved to the front amd started to try and keep the tempo up. At 25km (1hr17min 47.54sec) we threw in a 3m8s km. Pat Carrol and another dropped leaving myself and Vladimir Kotov. We ran aggressively. At 27km I dropped off Kotov but continued to chase. We continued passing runners however Kotov continued to pull away from me. Scrambled up the final hill dropping 15sec for the km over 3km before kicking down again. Finished in a world qualifier.My only bad patch was at 28km when I though " Gee it would be nice to stop" and my body just about did. Placed 12th. Winner Koji Shimizu of Japan 2hr10min 9sec. Kotov finished 8th in 2hr13min41sec. Still need to work on hardening up and really working through the uncomfortable sections and until I can embrace this I wont be able to make the jump to the next level.... Here we come Athens.... (5km 15m14.3s/10km 15m30.02s/15km 15m42.5s/20km 15m40s/2

Barrel on wombats5km 15m39s/ 30km 15m57s/ 35km 16m17s /40km 17min/ final 2.195km 7m24sec)

Barrel on wombats...

One of those mornings...

2011-01-14T19:47:00.000-08:00

This morning I was chewing a brick. Everything was a battle from putting on my shoes to getting out the door to taking the first step. It did not help that I took the young wombats to see 'Tron' . The session did not get started until 9.10pm so by the time we got home it was well past midnight. ( The words of Mona ringing in my ears " It does not matter what you did the night before as long as your there for the session")

Well not quite a session this one but a run just the same and at my junction in life at the moment every run is important to building the fitness and staying on the good looking side of the 'Man Mirror' . (Mrs wombat complains when she looks in the mirror however my man mirror seems to always portray me as " loooooooking Good". Most blokes have these mirrors). However I digress. My run was not enjoyed or maybe I would not let myself enjoy it. My legs ached , it seemed that my ankles did not exist and like a fellow athlete 'Jas' my knees refused to work. This meant that the first point at which my legs actually moved was through the hips.

A very slight breeze, warm , blew across kangaroo rise as I made my way over the small gravel incline heading towards Malmalling. This morning I did not even contemplate doing a loop of the small testing little circuit which I have created around this area. Actually look forward to when I am race fit to giving this a good hit out, but not today.

Came out onto the Molloy and then climbed back to the front gate. Just one of those runs where you tick the box. Sometimes its tough being a wombat (eats roots shoots and leaves) and this morning was one of those internal battles that everyone has once in a while. But at the end of the day I won because I did the run.

Hope you win your battle today.

Barrel on Wombats...

Back to the engine...

2011-01-13T19:30:00.001-08:00

With all the runners I have coached, assisted or guided my underlying philosophy has been the same. (Even with myself however I am getting a third party to guide me and they have the same philosophy) Build the base , get it solid and then fine tune it or to continue the analogy, start to add the parts that will super charge it... I spend time with the athlete building a mileage base and a tempo base. Getting them to be comfortable at a slightly faster rate than they would normally run at.

You can't go out and start churning out quality sessions or quality times in races without first putting the time in to make sure that your body can cope with it. Sure you can smash out a blinder session and maybe even churn out one brilliant ball tearing race but then you have to recover. A runner (person) with the better base (more days, weeks, months and even years ) under their belt will recover a lot quicker and repeat the performance over someone who does not or has not put in the same time.

The longer I run for and the longer I am on the planet the more simpler I see running as an action. It is possible to add small elements of hard efforts while you build a good base without having to put in structured sessions of 400s, hill repeats or the like.

For instance during the longer runs, which build endurance and strength in the legs to go the long haul it is possible to work the hills a little harder while you are running. Make a conscious effort to lift and drive up the hills. This has two benefits that I see straight off the cuff. The first is that is does not take much to make the hill harder by increasing your pace and holding it over the hill. This will raise the heart rate, increase lactic and basically hurt (be the wombat)secondly if you keep doing this you train yourself to lift on a hill. This in time can become a subconscious effort, your body just does it because that's what you do on the hill. When you come to racing even the smallest increase on a hill can have devastating affects on your opposition. This is also a time when you will naturally want to slow down so make again simply by making an effort to maintain the same pace while climbing the hill requires you to make an effort and focus on the drive and climb. Remember to run over the hill and not just to the top.

The second way to incorporate a harder element is to increase the speed at which you run for short periods during your other runs. Again this could even be during a long run. As a young wombat this is something I would often do. When I lived at home with my parents I would always wind it up over the last mile and a half. I even ran a commentary in my head and sometimes aloud, where I was pushing the likes of Salazar, Deek and Seko (guns during my time) to the line in the closing stages of the Olympic games. ( I always won). The act of just running does not have to be boring. I never find it so. Run faster for three or four lamp posts, Chase down a cyclist, anything but have some fun. Visualise an opponent during the run and push them. The ideas are limitless.

Once you have built this base then you can start to super charge yourself. Courtney Carter is a prime example of a WA athlete who has built a base , over time, that is enabling him to work harder and achieve the times. I am sure that if he sticks with what he is doing with Greenie he will continue to get the times.

You can't hope to compete with a sub 30minute runner off a 30km a week base the sums just don't work.

Marc See is another young runner who is coming into his own with the addition of years of training. Ethan Haywood has had some good results and over time with a bigger base and more runs under his belt the times will come down and his performances will become more consistent both on a state and national level. All these runners have and will need to continue to be patient.

Mona, Deek, Coe, Birmingham, Mottram (Buster), Radcliff all took time to build a base and over time improved their times and their standings. Even know Buster is rebuilding with a new coach. It all takes time. You cant build a great house without a solid foundation. Even the leaning Tower of Piza (While injured, leaning) if it was not built on a solid foundation do you think it would still be standing. In other words if we get injured on a good base our recovery and chances of getting back are so much better....

Barrel on wombats...

My morning done...

2011-01-13T18:56:00.000-08:00

Covered my morning mileage and happily walked in through the gate. The runs are getting easier as long as I hold back from sprinting out the gate and trying to wind up the pace as I go.

At the present time everything is going well. No work due to the school holidays so that stress is out of the way and providing I get things done before Mrs Wombat needs my help with the little wombats everything is good. I will be working to get the balance of running , work and family sorted out before I get back to work and I am determined not to miss runs because I work back late.

Saw a number of kangaroos out on the trail today. The just stood there watching as I ran past. More than likely wondering why a creature would bother running in the morning if it was not trying to get away from danger. I am finding , as I always do, that the more I do the more I want to do. The hard bit is holding back and being sensible about it....

Barrel on wombats...

Become a wombat warrior...set your target....Go for it

2011-01-13T16:49:00.001-08:00

The hardest thing to do is step out the door. Most of us, even the wombat himself, have a million and one excuses for not stepping out the door. Take last night for example. I had left my run very late and Mrs Wombat had asked me if I was eating with everyone else or running first. The is basically code for get your wombat arse up here and have dinner with the family. I now have an excuse for not getting out the door as I have just eaten. A part of my brain (the lazy arsed section) argued that we could run longer tomorrow. The other part of my brain ( the masochistic section) shouted get off your lazy arse and get out the door and run with a stitch if that's what it takes. So I went out the door, in the dark and ran. ( No stitch)

If you live in Perth now is the time to target a marathon and set the wheels in motion in terms of preparing yourself for the onslaught of the distance. For the metro area there are two choices.The Perth marathon on the 19th June or the City to Surf marathon on the last weekend of August. There is also an overseas marathon on Rottnest Island on October 23rd and an early marathon in Bunbury on the 22nd May.

In the case of Bunbury a runner would have a Little less that 20 weeks of prep. This is doable but maybe a little bit rushed for someone with no base. For a runner who is already fit then it would only be a matter of building up. Perth in June is ideal as it allows you to build a really good base of distance and tempo over the next few months and then heading into winter you can start to add the more demanding sessions (if you were really after a time). It also means that for you Sunday long runs you are doing the bigger distances in the cooler months. The same situation presents itself for the City to Surf and Rottnest marathons. All of these allow a very controlled and steady build up. For my way of thinking they also allow a little more time to recovery during the training phase if you have any interruptions such as sickness or even injury (should this occur).

The other bonus of the later marathons is that there are plenty of other fun runs around Perth that allow you to enjoy the social element of racing and training and this is all part of the fun. Mind you I am a solitary wombat and enjoy training solo however I really love the comradery that the running fraternity brings with it. Remember running is a solo endeavour when it comes to achieving your goals....

It does not matter if you have not run for a while or never run ... Remember " Every journey begins with a single step" so pick a race(Perth half) or set a goal (get fit, lose some weight) and start your journey.

Start by walking a mile (1609m) then walk jog a mile then jog a whole mile. Next use the same process to cover 2 miles (3.2km) and so on. In four weeks time you will be covering 5km (3miles ) without even thinking about it.

Come on be a wombat warrior and dig deep , go for it, set a personal goal and achieve it.

Barrel on wombats....

The Wombat's Down South...

2011-01-12T20:05:00.000-08:00

From North to South... Just spent two days down south at Logue Brook Dam. This is located roughly 2 hrs drive out from Perth along the South West High Way. The turn off coming 19km after driving past the lake Navarino turn off in Waroona.

Took the boat with us so the little wombats and Mrs Wombat could enjoy the water while the wombat himself was out hitting the trails...

Once again it got pretty warm down there but no where near what I experienced in Green Head. The running was magic early in the morning and once I was out the back of the dam the wind was hindered by the tall timber that grows out the back. Amazingly still some water out back. Just enjoyed running long to build up base and strength so that I can hopefully tackle and put together some harder sessions commencing March. Mind you having said that if I am feeling good I have been winding them up to come home. Not to the point where I can comfortably sit on a 3m15s km pace but happy to cruise at the 3.40s and 50s that come my way at the moment.

Despite wearing the Garmin, which had a little trouble in the bush at times in picking up a signal, I am working off a 7 minute mile average in my head and this is still proving to be accurate even now. There were times when I could comfortably sit on a 4m20s mile pace for ages (would love to revisit that fitness again) however at the present I am enjoying the feeling of moving along. Found the hills (small climbs) a little troublesome in maintaining the steady pace but I know that this will come back over time...

Knowing that base and distance are the elements to building a solid structure on I am happy just to wait and be patient , something the young athletes sometimes lack. (if you build it , it will come) ..

Two days and 6 runs all spaced out enough to allow sufficient recovery and all at a pace that is allowing this old wombats body deal and cope with it....

I hope others are enjoying the building up over these months so that when the racing seasons really hits for the states and GP they can fly. As for me I am waiting for the winter when it gets cooler and I don't have to run in the dark to get some respite from the heat. Mind you I can't complain as the crew in Queensland are doing it bloody tough. You just have to love the inbuilt Wombat that Aussi's tend to have hidden and which only really shows itself when the chips are down.. Hang in there Queensland the country is behind you....

Keep getting out there crew and build on you fitness and work towards your goals. If you thinking of running a marathon in Perth this year I would be starting the base work now to enable you to put in the a really well planned and staged build up.....

Barrel on Wombats...

Get the Engine Right....

2011-01-10T02:45:00.000-08:00

We all have an engine but tuning that engine to each of our individual pursuits is the difficult part.

With the people that I have coached, and even with myself, I have tried to focus on ensuring that the base to the engine was solid. To run a marathon , a half marathon a 10k and even a 1500m the base training is important. Why? Because without it you don't have much to fall back on.

I have said it a few times , and I will say it again, it is no point being the fastest in the field if you are not there when push comes to shove. While I was not necessarily the fastest I was certainly capable of running the same pace at the end of a race as I did at the start of the race. Lance Armstrong may not have been the fastest in a race but what made him extremely dangerous as a competitor was his incredible strength. If he put the hammer down then you could bet your bottom dollar that that hammer was able to remain down for a bloody long time , including up until he crossed the line. DeCastella had this base strength as did Mona, Salazar and certainly Haile Gebrselassie.

Distance runners do not happen over night, nor do PBs. They take months and sometimes even years to achieve. Never under estimate the importance of the long run and the tempo run. For me as a mature age runner if I was to drop a session it would be neither of these two. Both these runs provide us the base on which to build a very good engine. Just ask any good distance runner.

The wombat has lost many things but the one thing that he has not lost (scary talking about myself in the third person) is the base on which he has build his engine. The engine is there I just need to fine tune it. Lets all think about building our engines for 2011 and make it a year to remember.

Remember " we run because we can"
"мы бежим, потому что мы можем"
"nos encontramos, ya que podemos"
"Vi kör eftersom vi kan"
"私たちがすることができますので、実行"

Obvioulsy each translates a little differently but the message is the same......

Barrel on wombats...

2011 and another under the belt.

2011-01-09T15:48:00.001-08:00

Ran from home this morning, out the door and into the bush. Mind you a chunk of the course was on the road (bitumen surface) but the majority was along gravel tracks and over undulating terrain. My only grizzle was the bloody easterly wind which tends to live in our back yard over the summer months. I guess its lucky I am a wombat because it was a case of head down and nut it out.

In my younger days as a furry cute wombat with no fear of anything I would have run harder just to spite the wind and then kept winding it up until I got home. Now as a gnarly greying wombat I tend to barrel along at a steady state with gritted teeth merely cursing the wind. (what does not kill us makes us stronger.... Or simply annoys us to the point where we try to beat the shit out of it).

Anyway plenty of roos (kangaroos) out today across the open gravel rise. No snakes which was a bonus, not that I usually see many, well, see any actually. The small kicker hill was a bit of a bastard today and I just could not drive up it (lazy I think) Came back in through the loop to be greeted by my dog at the gate. All in all a great run.

For the garmin junkies (not quite there yet) I averages 3.50/km with a max pace of 3.28/km. The FR60 also made me a cappuccino at the 4km point of the run which I declined however of even less use to me I took 6672 steps for the run. Not sure of I will add that information to my diary as it is not something I would reflect on for future improvement, just another thing to worry about.

Green Head...Bloody Hot

2011-01-09T04:04:00.000-08:00

Family time sometimes means you run in tough surroundings.. 2 days at Green Head, a small coastal community approximately 300km north of Perth, meant running in 42 and 43 degree heat. Interestingly 12 years ago I would have covered many more miles in the same surroundings had I had to go there. Mind you my young wombats would not have been on the scene and I would not have been there anyway. In fact I more than likely would have been in Falls Creek with the rest of the running fraternity. (Usually stayed until late February)

Very barren terrain on the road's edge, gravel tracks and grey hot sand. Still I managed to get the runs done and not melt. Got some swimming in too. Not quite the Falls Creek altitude running but heat training is supposed to bring similar gains. (if you don't burst into flames in the process. ) Checked the Garmin at one stage and I think it said " You're a bloody idiot, it's too hot to be running you may die" I will check that once I get around to down loading the data. I have already written the mileage and times in my diary but I may as well get digital too.

The old ASICS Kayano's need an upgrade too. Fortunately I have kept some old habits from my more glorified running days (well glorified in my head) and always have 2 pairs on the go.

I am actually looking forward to getting into the full swing of the training regime again after a small break (smaller than 6 years anyway). The trusty old wombat who set it a few years ago knows a fair bit about running and let me tell you the program works... Why do we push ourselves.... because we can I guess..

Anyway back in Perth now and happy to be in familiar surroundings... back into the bushland of jacoby park , may even venture to the river and head along the flat lands...

until soon

Barrel on wombats...

steady..steady.. Step by step

2011-01-07T04:42:00.001-08:00

When Wombats were younger..... Got three runs done today and still feeling okay... Ran am, squeezed in the bike session, ran noon then again at 7.45 tonight....

All the runs were small in distance but the desired effect was achieved.. Probably not something I would recommended to everyone but it is a good way to cram a little distance.....

More impressive is the fact that I laid footings for the orchid in between these runs..... Gotta love the school holidays..

Hope your all setting goals...

Barrel on wombats...

Desire to match...

2011-01-06T21:10:00.001-08:00

Another session on the bike , in the shed for 20minutes of 12sec on 8 seconds off. I didn't spew this time but very close and very light headed..

Passion is the one thing that allows us to do what we enjoy. Desire is the element that enables us to set goals. For example I desire the Shelby in the photograph inset. The idea for me then, would be to set in motion a goal and in doing create a pathway of actions that will enable me to achieve the goal and ultimately put in my hands what I so desire....

For runners, athletes and sports people alike this is what desire is about. Setting a goal and creating a pathway to achieve that goal and ultimately the desire.

In my own life my passion was running. eventually I harboured a desire to represent my country at the Olympics. I then established a goal, along with a series of smaller goals to act and check points along the way. Did I achieve my goals? Some yes, others no. Did I get to the Olympics, well despite qualifying in both 96 and 2000 the answer to that is no. In one case there were runners better than me who also qualified. In another case I pretty much ran myself out of the team.

These are obviously simple answers however if and when I looked very closely at everything that I did I could argue with myself, and believe me when I say I have, that i did not really do everything that I could have to get there. Yes I went to Falls Creek a number of times to get quality training but on the other side of this in one instant I went up there very unfit and so did not get everything out of the time up the mountain I would have got if I had been fit.

I stayed in Perth and competed mainly locally however through the support of Skilled Engineering and Kerry Hughes the Managing Director I was able to travel , often to the east to compete on a higher level. had I based myself in Victoria I may have achieved at an even higher level still. The flip side is that I may not have managed the sponsorship deal with Skilled which was largely due to my profile in Perth.

These are just a few of the things that I can sight as a form of self sabotage in achieving my ultimate goal. BUT as I have said before running was not the be all and end all for me. I loved my friends I loved the Perth Life style and I enjoyed my chosen profession. Put altogether these things made me who I am and allowed me to experience the things I wanted.

Even having a young family could be used as an excuse for ultimately slowing down, but again this is only an excuse. Mrs Wombat would argue that it is a good one. The bottom line is that being a top sports person is a very selfish pursuit and while I am extremely capable of being highly selfish I was not prepared to put in place the structures to enable me to continue at the level I was capable of. Instead I channelled my energy into my family and work.

In 2011 I am continuing to structure my life in such a way that I can achieve certain goals. I work not to sabotage myself and set myself up for failure. By doing this I can ensure that I achieve what I desire.

For readers of this blog, athletes, runners, sports people,mums, dads who ever. You need to be honest with yourself when you set a goal to achieve something you desire. Is it practical to train twice a day seven days a week if you have a family and hold down a job. Probably not, however it can be done with planning and clear guidelines for yourself.

Any athlete I have coached or helped has been told don't set a training routine that you cannot maintain. you end up becoming despondent. In my life if I have not run by 5pm then the next practical slot for me is after my kids have gone to bed and this is usually 7.30pm , problem is I have usually eaten too so this actually means I don't get out until 10.30pm. I have done this many times . Do I enjoy doing that ? No... so I work really hard to get out from work and run before 5pm.

Set yourself a goal for 2011.. The set about a pathway to achieve the goal. Believe me it can be done and by having a clear goal and set pathway the task of getting what you so desire will be all that more easier

Barrel on Wombats...

It's about the love of it....

2011-01-05T23:59:00.000-08:00

Another run done and another day fitter... easy from home today around Kangaroo View and out past the Eagle's Nest. Just enjoyed the solitude.

Spoke with Radar and he is in his element up at Falls. At the present time I am extremely envious of his location. No distractions, similar minded people doing what they love doing...Running

Herb Elliot to have pushed so hard must have loved what he did...?? Seen here pipping Merv Lincoln. maybe the closet he ever came to being beaten.

I was often asked why I ran. The simplest answer and the only answer was and still is " Because I loved to run"... It certainly was not because I was good at it because early on This was far from the case. I was often last or at the very least at the back of the field. BUT I just loved the feeling of running as fast or as long as I could. Obviously because I enjoyed it so much I tried to do more of it and as a result of that I developed a talent, well a bit of a talent , in the sport.

It is only now as an adult in their early forties that I have come to realise that I lost that connection with my running at some stage. I lost the reason I ran. It is true that you need to set goals be that to run for ten minutes or get out every day or just find time to run but at some stage this goal became the only reason for doing it. The goal by itself is not enough to keep you doing it. you need to have the passion for doing it and together the goal and the passion support one another... It is true that you can continue to run with just the passion but the same cannot be said for the reverse. with just a goal when it gets tough or too hard its the passion that gets you out the door. " Desire and passion far more than talent are the essential ingredients to achieving success in sport" For some that success may be the simple fact of getting out and running.

I have just read in the 2011 January edition of "Runner's World" an article about Georgie Clark. The article is titled : Just a normal girl (who likes to run a bit) by Jonathan Beverly. Georgie had an amazing talent at a very Young age. In fact she ran in the Sydney Olympics and made the semi finals of the 1500m as a 16 year old. Georgie loved running but their came a point in time (and I am paraphrasing here) where the goals and targets became the driving point for her running and she lost the passion. Georgie says in the article " I always would look back to why I started to run. It was for the pure reason that I loved it, for the freedom and the simplicity of it" She goes on to say " I felt like it was so complex, every time you go to Europe, and you're doing all this - living in London, chilling and spending hours a day trying to fill in while you decide when to run in the morning and run at night. It's just not that time-consuming, running. It just stressed me out that I was not fulfilling other areas in my life." Interesting comments from someone with obviously amazing talent however if we examine the girl , the runner, we find that Georgie got into running because she enjoyed it. I was fortunate to meet Georgie in Leonora one year and having read this article some peices came together. She was obvioulsy a person with a great deal of talent and love of the sport or action of running but she seemed uncomfortable in the limelight and the surroundings of the hype that it brought. She appeared a little guarded and I guess that what she was getting at . She loved the running but was more at home in her own town with her own friends running her own agenda..... I am just glad she ahs rediscovered her passion and found a coach who can nurture that... Good luck Georgie

Look at yourself and examine why we do most things in our lives. The answer most always is "Because its something I enjoy doing."

Never lose sight of that and you will surely achieve everything that you set out to do in your running. The wombat warrior discovered this when I stopped running and realised how much it was a part of me and how much I actually missed the simple action of running. Did I love winning or achieving PBs , of course, but I also enjoyed getting out there....

The passion enables us to develop the drive that in some cases has us setting goals that may lead to greatness. The important thing is that greatness is many things for different people.... Never lose sight of your passion and you will run forever.....

Hey jas... Don't worry about your knees, just run..

Barrel on wombats

OMG

2011-01-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

Yes I know , no blogs for months then two in a day.... Just need to share the session. Being on holidays I have the time to put in some additional sessions.... Read some where about this corker bike workout. I do mine riding in the shed on a wind trainer.... Basically it involved me pushing really hard for 12 seconds then backing off for 8 secs.... I made a conscious effort to keep the hard really burning and then only backing off enough to notice I was backing off... Anyway the idea is to go like this for 20 minutes..... The result Legs burning by the 8 minute mark, dry reaching at 12 minutes , threw up at 19 minutes but managed to get through to the 20 minutes.......

My legs are shot , I lost about 30 litres of water in perspiration and I am shattered.... but I really enjoyed pushing to the limit.... Where to from here? Well I though I might go and slam my testicles in the car door for an easy session... Unbelievable "Who though of that session?"

Barrel on Wombats...

2011-01-04T18:31:00.000-08:00

Another run in humidity that would put Queensland to shame... At least by the time I had finished it was raining... Saw no one again throughout the run. Gotta love the solitude of distance running...

Again through the back tracks of Jacoby Park and out to the old Burnt Bush Road... I do find it amazing that after years of not running up here I can still recognise the old land marks that signal the turn off to cross through the bush to the Northern side of the Weir...

Using a new watch that I recently purchased.. Still not sure on the new technologies. Running used to be a simple matter of putting on my shoes throwing on the singlet, and shorts (in case you were wondering , and then heading out the door. If it was cold I would put a singlet over a Tshirt.It took me years to get used to wearing sunglasses and even now I still don't put them on religiously....... NOW I check that the footpod is secure adjust all that is necessary and off I go...

The watch chimes every km , something I have not yet figured out how to turn off ( I tend to work it out without reading the instructions) and according to the GPS I averaged 4m38s/km with a max pace of 3m 55s/km ( may have been when I thought I had a wild pig behind me, adrenalin tends to do that to your pace) Interestingly going through my old diaries I was almost spot on with the distance that I thought I had run without the use of the GPS watch. (Garmin FR60).. Even my pace judgement was pretty close. Guess that comes with having run miles and miles over the years. Why the flash watch then,,, ????? Well my well loved Casio died on me and I have been searching the planet for a watch that did everything that the old one did. Quite a difficult task in hind sight. It turned out that I could get a watch which would make me a coffee, do up my shoe laces while booking flights and accommodation to Disneyland but they just would not allow me to run a repeat interval session off 30sec on 30 sec off or better still 5min on 1 minute off. This one comes close without weighing 4 tonne but its still not the same as the good old Casio. (what were they thinking when they stopped making it, Actually found someone who could fix it but by that time the watch was gone , thrown out, which is interesting as I tend to not throw out running shoes in case I hurt their feelings.)

Anyways back to the run... Moved well throughout the journey and even seemed to maintain my pace during the climbs (according to the FR60) Only problem was that according to the heart rate monitor I was flat lining. Guess I wont be wearing that again. Besides who needs the heart rate monitor, if you vomit it was a hard session , if you didn't you were running easy and if your wet then it is most likely raining.

Mrs Wombat is just happy I am running as she feels I am a better human being when I am running. Wished I had never stopped actually.... Still one foot in front of the other is the goal and if I can get to the stage where I can do that really quickly I will be a happy athlete.. Bet that Radar is loving Falls, Courts is enjoying Barcelona and Young Patto is hopefully keeping fit in Rio.... Wonder how Jas is going with using his knees... ( see you out their Blazer!!)

Barrel on wombats...

2011-01-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

The runs continue as does the heat. Jacoby Park is very dry out the back trails and getting a little snakey. Not sure who is more frightened, me or them.

The climbs are not getting any easier but at least I am in control of my pace at the moment. I know most of the group do their runs from Helena however over the last few months I have made this my stomping grounds in an effort to revitalise the compeitive instincts. Mrs Wombat thinks I should just race regardless but for once I am being a little reserved.

Great to hear that Raf has headed for the hills and joined the Falls Creek crowd for Christmas. I am sure that this will enable him, or at the very least provide a fantastic foundation on which to kick start the year. Go RADAR.

Remember to keep the water up on the runs, got hot out the back today and unlike Helena there are no taps outback of Jacoby Park.

Barrel on wombats...

2010-11-20T17:52:00.000-08:00

It has been a while between blogs. Similarly it has beena while since I ran in Jacoby Park in Mundaring too. This morning I returned there and covered a trail where I first started to do my long runs. The big boys would go out and back for an 18miler but as a young kid I would do a 9 miler later on we found a loop that was 9 miles and as I got older this became 2 loops and an add on for a 2hr30 minute run.

A lot has changed out on the old circuit. There has been considerable clearing of the old pine plantation that ran up the side of the long climb home. The airstrip looks different and even the cross trail that you run across to get back onto the loop has been cleared and changed. The climb is still savage but the surrounding bush has been altered.

Still when its all said and done I guess we all get older and this area was bound to be affected over time.

The run itslef was slow and steady and I did not see a sole from start to finish, something that has never really bothered me in all my time running. I like the solitude. The ability to running faster or slower without complaint from others. The chance to just get out and run.

Barrell on wombats

2010-08-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the day for City to Surfers... There is nothing more you can do at this point to get any fitter...BUT you can do plenty to stuff up all your hard work.

Now is not the time to cram one more long run in or do an extra speed session. Now may be the time to go for a very easy run top steady race nerves and maybe take the edge of that nervous energy that can start to make you feel sick.

Think of all the hard work you have done in preparing for any 1 of the 4 distances that are on offer and know that you have done all you could do for tomorrow.

Today is not the day to go out and buy new shoes and new running apparel. That is just asking for trouble. Today is the day to make sure that you have all your old faithful running gear ready for the big day. Race number, timing chip, warm gear etc.

Tonight is not the night to go out and have a meal fit for a king. Tonight is the night to enjoy your favourite pre race meal. Avoid alcohol tonight particularly if you are doing the half and full marathons. This is not good for hydration.

TOMORROW is the day to enjoy the experience, to share the comradery of the event and then as you cross the line celebrate your achievement of what you set out to do...

Good Luck to all...

Barrel on Wombats...

2010-08-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

Well done Courtney Carter 7th in mens open 12km eventat the 2010 National Cross Country Championships. Pictured here at the state NSW cross country championships. WA junior athlete Ethan took out the junior title....

Congratualtions boys, top runs. The Perth City to Surf will certainly be an interesting race.

barrel on wombats...

2010-08-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Base work...endurance...speed work....endurance strength.... and then repeat... anything is possible year in year out..

Billy Mills... Guts....hard work...Patience and most of all........BELIEF!!!!

Barrel on wombats

2010-08-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

Another week of base work in the solitude of the hills, obviously the City to Surf is getting closer because there were not as many runners out on the trails this Sunday.... Good luck to first time marathoners and all the best to TRC crew.

Patience is something fishermen need to get the fish, oddly enough it is also something that is an essential element of a distance runners make up.... without you are destined to injury and spasmodic performances. You need to be prepared to train day in day out as you work towards your goal. You need to be prepared to take the good days with the bad days and once you have done all this, paid your dues and done your time, then and only then will you reap the rewards....... Patience grasshopper you are destined for great things..

Barrel on wombats...

2010-08-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

Cold, wet and miserable yet the wombat moves on....
Did not see a soul tonight only kangaroos and the sound of my feet over the wet gravel....

Barrel on wombats....

Oh My God If Only I had Fur......

2010-05-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

Well Courtney has headed over east to continue his journey. The Wombat wishes him all the very best in his pursuit to be the best he can be.... I guess now I have to get really fit so someone can take up the tempo runs.... Marc See maybe.... even Patto....

Anyway winter is moving in and the cold has crept into the bones of this old boy. Its times like these that I wish I had fur because stepping out the door into some of the weather of late has not been a pleasurable experience. I must say that once I have wormed up things are a lot more cheerful but that does take a little time. I have often been asked " What do you think about on your runs? Do you listen to an Ipod etc"

To the first question I think about lots of things and sometimes nothing at all. I have run for three hours with a mate once and apart from the pleasure of each others company and the chance to be moving at a steady clip through the bush we did not speak until we got back to the cars. As to listening to Ipods I tend to get caught up in the moment and find they are more of a distraction to what is happening around me.

Running is an amazing sport as it involves very little and can be done anywhere. i love the challenge of pushing myself to new things and as I get older this has become a challenge in itself. I often wonder what would have happened if I had not taken a break from the sport. However I now have a new appreciation for how fit I once was. In some respects this may make me a better athlete in the long run. It certainly puts me in a position to say to athletes " Never take anything for granted, especially your fitness" I wold say stop and smell the roses every now and then . Take a look at what you are working to achieve or what you have achieved so you can cherish a moment or even the moments that have already passed. Sometimes we get so busy working towards something that we actually forget to celebrate and appreciate what we did when we actually get there.

As for having fur... I guess its time to pull on the tights again. ( Must be getting soft in my old age, as a young wombat it was shorts and T-shirt at the most in any weather)

Barrel on wombats....

Bedding down for the winter...

2010-05-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while but all good things come to those who wait and wait I feel I have. The wombat has been out on the pavement and trails again and things are slowly and I do mean very slowly coming back to where they should be. The pain has gone and everything seems good. This only frustrates me more because I still can't place a finger on what I actually did. This makes it hard to avoid doing it again.

The winter is upon us and the cold mornings and cold evening mean I am rugging up. As a young wombat this never really bothered me and shorts and singlets with an occasional T-shirt were standard issue. As I get older I seem to have more layers on as I head out the door. Still its just great to be out doors again and covering the ground.

See you all out there.

Barrel on wombats...

and we start a gain I guess....

2010-04-04T01:01:00.000-07:00

Not much for it but getting this right and building up again. It would appear my right leg, particularly the lower section has a mind of its own . At this stage it is reluctant to heal. I have found the timing of this to be bloody annoying. No bridges which I was looking forward to and a very limited masters program.

I have seen the physio a number of times to treat the Achilles and now the calf has become tender. Even more confusing by the fact that I have done nothing to make it sore. In fact I am climbing the walls. I have been doing some spinning and rowing as both these activities were given the nod by Cameron but once again nothing gets you fitter for running than running. Tried to go out on it Wednesday and managed 90seconds before the Achilles again became sore. I have now scheduled an ultrasound to see what damage, if any has occurred. By Friday the Achilles stiffness had gone but the calf remained a pain in the arse. again did not think that I could get around the track for the 10000m race so withdrew.... Settled for watching a true legend of WA distance running (6527) Jim L contest the 10000.I continued to stretch it and rest it and ice it and even applied for an Achilles transplant but you just can't get these on eBay.

This morning I woke and felt good apart from no training (running) for nearly two weeks . Calf was a little tight but sensed it was okay so I bit the bullet and went down to run the 5000m track. Decided even if ultimately I have to walk around I was going to finish the race. Mrs Wombat came down and sat in the stands while I went over and signed in... Found myself in a dilemma though. I wanted to warm up but was worried that by warming up I would load up the Achilles and calf and in doing so reduce my chances of running without incident. decided to test it and ran one lap of the perimeter path. Felt good but not confident. Spoke with Mrs wombat her words "Be CAREFUL"

Watched the 5000m before me and saw Clive Hicks in the felt. looked to be propping on his right leg but was getting around.

Lined up and was reminded by Marg to not go silly, my response " Just be happy to finish" Gun went and I gingerly moved off the line, felt good , okay settle in and relax. Slowly built up a steady rhythm and was running comfortably. This was good. Sitting in 6th and still feeling good okay 8 laps to go, lets do it now or never, moved up into 4th in the front straight and into no mans land but was confident of closing the gap to the leaders over the next few laps.......... TWINGE...CRAMP... GRAB... shit nightmare time today was not going to be a good day.. immediately dropped the pace and backed off. found a pace that allowed the calf to let go and just got on with it.. For the next 8 laps it was a game of run, twinge , shit and run again.... As I eventually crossed the line I was relieved to note that noting appeared to have torn and that I would need to start building up again but at least I had competed in one of the events that I entered into for the masters. Well done Paul Mitchell who won in a sprint for the line.... Go Mr Bean!!!

Up in the stands Mrs Wombat said she could not watch , she say me make a move then noticed my skip and prop. She watched this for the remainder of the race. Hoping I had not buggered it completely and hoping that I would at least finish. Well at least I still have my record in tact , no DNFs, .

What was disappointing was seeing Clive Hicks in a wheel chair with his left Achilles in a cast. This did not look good and on seeing the look on Clive's face when I asked " Achilles" I felt it was a worse case scenario for a tough bugga when it came to racing....

For me its back to stretching , an ultra sound, a visit to the doctors and then back to the physio and another visit to Mr magic to get the calf rubbed out. Hopefully there is no sustainable damage to the Achilles and I can get back into and move on....

To all our Eastern states visitors I hope you stay in Perth was a good one and to everyone who competed and completed their events " Bloody good job"

Barrel on wombats...

Shit...bum...bugga

2010-03-28T04:31:00.000-07:00

The wombat has once again achieved the impossible........ A no show for the Bridges... A big congratulations to Todd for another win over the 10km course and well done to Courtney Carter in the State 5km Track Title, I believe Raf had a good win in the triathlon changed to Duathlon after the Swan river went septic ... and the Wombat , well he was sulking into his Coco Pops.

Had been running really well then the cards began to crumble. Tuesday worked hard over a gradual uphill course, during the return journey my right calf/Achilles began to get sore after another 1km it got worse so I backed right off and only ran 6 miles of the planned 10miles. made an appointment with Nathan Doig "Mr Magic" for the next day. Got a good solid rub and as directed only ran a very easy 2 miles, was to be 3 but a little sore... Thursday went for an easy run and the pain returned after 2 miles and then sat with me for the next 3miles , again stopped at this point and made a call to the physio....

Explained the situation to Cameron and suggested it was at the junction of the Achilles and Calf and guess what ???? It was... Cam worked it and needled it and then delivered the verdict... I would seriously not race on that Sunday... I gave him the " You are not serious " look and he returned with the " Do I look like I am joking " look... I gave him the " Shit!!!!" look and he returned with the " make another appointment" look.. he then added keep doing your ice (frozen water not lines) . .. (It is at these times that you appreciate surrounding yourself with people you can trust because I know if Cam is telling me not to run he really means don't run), your stretching and your raises.......

No run Friday, not run Saturday and woke Sunday to on going discomfort... Currently working madly to get it right for next week so I can toe the line for the masters but I guess time will tell. mean while I am doing any exercise that I am allowed to do without stressing the Achilles..

Time will tell I guess......

Barrell on wombats

Big Week along with the Tan....

2010-03-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

I included this clip which has nothing to do with running because I enjoyed it.

Anyway what a week. left for Melbourne on Wednesday, ran for an hour prior to leaving, arrived Melbourne 10pm, picked up the hire coaches and travelled, along with 26 other colleagues, to Berwick arriving at hotel by 1am (EST) and then went for a 5 mile run to try and wake up the legs and settle before hitting the sack. Woke at 6.30am Thursday morning, drove to the College for an all day professional learning session, drove back to Quest Narre Warren and went for a 9 mile run. Discovered the Wilson Botanical gardens and ran circuits around the undulating gardens. Really pleased with how I felt.

Friday another full day of professional learning then drove the group back along the M1 and into Melbourne. Settled into the hotel and headed out along the Yarra to the Tan to see if could catch up with any old mates. Ended up running 3 laps of the Tan and then coming back along the Yarra. Bloody great run and fantastic to be in cooler weather. Another 9 miles.

Saturday I ran out along a similar course and ran across Tyson Popplestone. This young guy was running in Perth when he was a tiny lad and to see him still running and running well was fantastic. Kept him company for a while and ran an additional lap of the Tan with him just because I could. Ty is off to the world university cross country championships , an event that I pointed out to him as having been the stepping stone for a number of our Australian distance runners. Another 9 mile run.

Sunday up early and out along the Yarra and around the MCG, Tennis centre and Olympic Park. Looped around the Tan again and just because I could. Thousands of runners gathering for the 'Run for the Kids' Fun run. Mona was compare of this event and as usual was able to provide plenty of worthwhile advice to competitors. fantastic that he will be in Perth this weekend. Continued to loop around the park then explored the Docklands and around the stadium which the night before we watched the Dogs smash the Saints. Watched the start of the 5km fun run and then saw the 10km runners come through. Gave Rod DeHighden (Rowdy) a loud cheer as he ran past in the 10km, still obviously fit as he was near the front of the pack. Finally headed in through Melbourne and then back to hotel... A solid morning run and ready for the flight home.

Really pleased with a week of 65 miles. This will give me some good fitness confidence for the Bridges in two weeks time. In the mean time I still have a great deal of running to do....but at least now I am again comfortable running for extended period over a number for days.

Barrel on Wombats...

The Wombat Cheers...Mark See...... Great Run

2010-03-05T23:30:00.000-08:00

The new stadium at Perry Lakes is providing WA distance runners with a fantastic opportunity. The chance to run in the evening not only when it is considerably cooler on the Friday evening but with very little if any headwinds that often hampered distance runners in the old stadium.

These conditions , a magnificent track surface along with an atmosphere that had long ago diminished at the old stadium is bringing about some wonderful performances in WA.

Last night was one such example. Mark See, seen here in the left of the photo (18) lined up for a fast time. he was chasing Deeks record of 8.12.2 set back in the 80s over the 3km distance. Ethan Heywood was also chasing a time, the under 20 record, In a large field in near perfect conditions the runners got underway. It was a large field and it was not long before See stamped his dominance on the field and wound up. It was also , a few laps into the race, the same time that See, Heywood and a few others spent the rest of the race passing and running in lane 2. Busi was chasing hard but once the speed was taken up a notch he looked to struggle with the kick down still managing to hold off Heywood though and clock an 8.21.0

Despite the clock being out 6 seconds ( 200m in 23seconds) the boys ran superbly. See looked strong throughout while Heywood looked to be on his limits but running strong. It was fantastic to watch young runners chasing a time rather than each other.
Coming into the bell lap See needed to run under 60seconds to break the 20+ year record . He commenced his trademark drive for the line with 400 to go and just looked smooth. Heywood too was chasing hard with both runners knowing that they were in reach of their goals. For See it was not to be, running an 8.12.6 , the fastest time by a WA runner since 1991 when an 8.12.82 was run at Perry Lakes by the Wombat. For Heywood the grit of a young runner almost paid off with a 8.23.1 narrowly missing ducking under the 8.21. this will give him more confidence for the World Cross Country Championships later this month. I believe that had the race been split into two events both See and Heywood would have been faster . A fact that I think both their coaches would be telling them.

For See the future looks bright with an 8.18 under pressure 2 weeks ago and a solo 8.12.6 this week he is certainly entering an exciting stage of his running career. His 3.48 1500 together with the 3ooom time places him in the mix at a national level. I certainly look forward to seeing Carter , See and even Heywood continuing to chase the times because it is this mind set that may just see WA distance running having a few competitors making the grade in the senior ranks, for Heywood in the near future but for See and Carter maybe sooner.

Another kid to watch is Aaron Patterson who clocked a 14m55s Pb for 5000m back in January and last night was solid with an 8m40.2s. Patterson too may be coming off age but like all the young brigade coming through only time, patience and training will tell.

As an aside and maybe one to watch in the future was De Castro Cruz making a run in the mens 800m. Coming off a 400mH event earlier in the evening he ran a respectable 1m54.89s. Not bad overall considering he has never had to fight for lane position before and appeared to lack any real tactical understanding in terms of the event. This young guy could pose a serious threat to our WA contingent if he gets a clear run and establishes himself early in the pack for the first lap. It was very evident that he had to prop early when the field slowed late in the first lap and DeCruz almost stopped. Anyway someone to watch considering the race was won by James Boden 1m49.36s and Scott Tamblin 1m51.81 both seasoned 800m runners. Boden's time was also the fastest we have seen on the track for a bloody long time.

Congratulations Mark and Ethan, fantastic runs from lane 2.

Barrel on wombats....

Tiger on the trail.....

2010-03-05T00:08:00.001-08:00

Last night was a top session. Ran out along the pipeline loop kicking off from Victor road. The goal for the night, as it always is during this run , was to get home faster than I went out.

Of course racing Tegat, Coe, Birmingham and Mottram it was always going to be a solid run. Got out to the bottom of the hill in 11 minutes which is pretty standard. From here on I establish a good pace that is comfortable and just hold it . Through a process of natural progression I usually get quicker anyway.

A short time later as I put my foot (left) down onto the trail I noticed something different about the grass. For one thing it moved and for another it looked pretty much like a bloody tiger snake... It was one of those times where you see it and by the time you realise what it is that you are looking at you are to far committed to alter anything.

As my foot came down next to its head the bloody thing coiled back, at which point I thought, that's it I'm fucked, Fortunately it did not strike. I then covered the next 100m in a time that would have left Bolt covered in dust.... In all my time out on these trails I have seen maybe three or four snakes and this was the first tiger I have seen on the trails... I guess that's what happens in dry summer.... Next time I will bring a change of underwear..

Anyway I did settle my heart and manage to also drop Mottram , Birmingham, Coe and Tegat and came home strongly over the upper pipe trail. Surging the uphill sections and rolling down the drops.. I got back 2 minutes faster than the journey out and 6 minutes faster over all than previous runs this year.

Watch out for tigers on the trails people....

barrel on wombats...

Get a plan...

2010-03-03T23:41:00.000-08:00

We must all find our own way....

With so much information around about running, about what the top guys are doing and about how to run it is a little surprising that we still look to coaches for guidance.

In reality the coach is there to support and guide in an effort to enable the athletes to reach their full potential. The problem with programs on the Internet and taking on another athletes program is that while it worked for that athlete the same may not be for another.

While I have helped only a small number of athletes and while elements of the programs have been the same and the philosophy of the program has been the same there have been differences, WHY? because each of us is different. You can't expect to pick up Mona's training program and begin to do it if you have not run before. Yet a lot of people do. Mona ran some long mileage , with some really quality sessions but he built up to it and did it day in day out.

My own program at the moment is very different to what I was doing when I was 30... There is no way I could run 200 -220 km at the moment. It would kill me. Yet a decade ago it was a piece of cake. I just did it.

So why is the coach there... to add a degree of reality to the program. There would be some people I cold not coach. Not because they could not be coached but simply because I don't have the time to watch every session , they need to be able to work under their own steam 95% of the time. The 'Rock" who I helped out a few years ago was fantastic. He just did the work. If he was sore he let me know and we worked around it but other than that he did the sessions which meant I was not second guessing him and wondering if he had done the last session and whether or not I have to alter the next session because he had missed the previous session.

Another athlete I helped was different again as they tended to miss sessions which made it hard meant we were always having to juggle and modify the program.......

In a nutshell be careful what you read in terms of following a program... Anyway I gotta go I found this really good program of Sebastian Coe's and I want to get my 10 1 mile repeats done before I start the gym session...

Barrel on wombats...

Bugga.....

2010-03-03T15:47:00.001-08:00

Craig O'Connnor Road does lead into Kelly's Climb or visa Versa...

For those who run this we call Kelly's climb after Troy Kelly. Troy was a fantastic WA mountain runner who trained up this bloody hill for many years. The guy was a mountain goat... he has actually been seen out at Helena of late running very early on Sunday morning. Keep your eyes out for this quiet but lethal hill climber...

It would seem that every time I establish some sort of normal routine Murphy's Law pops up like the old self righting clown. Once again I had to run in the dark because of work and family commitments. The only bonus, well actually there were two, was that 1. I was still getting a run done and 2. I was so pissed off that I was running late that my pace was sitting on 3m24s/km for the 3 miles (5km).

The wombat's life was so much easier when I was a young runner. Wake up run, go to school, come home run, eat dinner that was cooked, usually left in the oven for me as I was normally training when every one else was eating. Then go to bed. During the school holidays I could remove the need to go to school. At college it was pretty much a similar routine, assignments were only a slight inconvenience as I usually did these the night before they were due. The when I entered the work force I would still run , then work , then run again. If I worked late then I could get down to the river late and get what ever I needed to run that day.

As a working family wombat the logistics of this simple act of running becomes a scheduled and planned mission. Leave work and get the run done prior to getting home. This is always a very small window and if I miss it, like I did yesterday I need to wait until after tea to get this done or I can eat and wait even longer so I don't run with a stitch for the entire way. Add to this that the later I run the later I get to bed as it takes me a while to come down from my run in terms of temperature and mental activity. Running at 10.30pm means bed by 11.30 midnight. Any earlier and I Lay awake perspiring and over heating.

I guess I should not complain though, Mrs Wombat encourage my running and at the end of the day I can run... I just wish I could run earlier that bloody midnight....

Lets see what happens today as I am supposed to be stopping at Helena for a solo session along the pipe. I think Tergat was going to take me on today.....

Barrel on wombats...

The difference a day makes.....

2010-03-01T23:58:00.000-08:00

Monday morning out for a steady 3 miles (5km) around Kangaroo rise and then a lap of the block. The block for me is 1.71km in length. This provides me with a gauge as to my fitness levels. Earlier in the year I had to work hard to get around the loop in 7 min 30s. This equated to a 7m3sec mile or 4m23s KM.. This was my easy runs. This morning I thought I would run the loop at the end to see what pace I was travelling comfortably at without having to push or work.

The split came in at 6m35s which translated into 6m12s per mile or 3m50s/ km. To me this was significantly faster than 5 weeks ago. Better still when I ran my 6 miler in the afternoon covering the loop in 6m24s (6m2s/mile or s/km). This was better still because my legs felt shot this evening and the perceived effort was considerable harder. I actually thought that I was running lower.

I guess each run is building on the other.. Now if I can just get the sessions to start to feel better.

barrel on Wombats...

Helena on Mass.....

2010-02-28T20:57:00.000-08:00

This Sunday, as I said earlier, I had to get a very early start and was running along the pipeline well before the usual start. Over the last few weeks there has been a small group of 3 or 4 and we would pass a couple of others a long the way.

During my solo run out along the lower pipe and to the base of Kelly's climb and a return along the upper pipe there are many opportunities to see the lower pipe trail. On this occasion I could hear what appeared to be a large group progressing along the lower pipe. As the group came into view I was amazed to see a solid group of at least 15 runners. The pack was moving well and there were some distinct voices amongst the group.

What impressed me is that I have not seen a group of this size running through the trails for many years. In actual fact I would say not since the late 90s when Sullivan, Hambleton, Clews, Delbridge, Eltringham and the likes used this area as their training ground. Many of the groups tend to run along the flats and inner city regions maybe due to their reluctance to travel but possibly also justifying that they were doing the same work as they would be doing along the flats. In a pack like this if you are feeling ordinary you can just sit in the group and get pulled along. There will always be someone who is willing to lead and lead at different stages.

A few weeks ago a runner joined us for the first time along the pipeline and made the comment that no wonder your guys are strong. While he made the distance we have not seem him since. A similar comment was made at a training seminar last year when I guy I used to race against made the comment that he did not realise how hard we worked. This surprised me as I assumed most runners got up to the hills for obvious reasons.

Maybe in hind sight it was not that we were doing anything differently its just where we were doing it. To me a run along the pipeline at Helena valley is going to make me a lot stronger than a similar run along the river.

A long run over undulating terrain has the benefits of teaching you to sustain a pace over a long period of time over undulating terrain. After a while you don't even think about it, you hit a hill and work harder to maintain the rating. you run the flat sections and maintain a steady state.

As a young wombat Helena was not my original haunt. It was actually Jacoby Park. On most Sunday mornings I would make the trip from Morley up to Mundaring Weir and run an extremely testing (I thought so at the time) 9 mile loop. Brad Delbridge and myself latter added a few turns onto this and brought it up to 10 then 12 miles before getting to the point of running two 9 mile loops. Runners like Sullivan, Hambleton, Hicks, Shatford, Thurlow,Asmussen, Clews and DeCastella (when he came over) often opted for the out and back run.The girls also got up there to0. Freestone/Sullivan, clews and Hoskins (out for 9 back for 9)This run had two significant climbs. One out the back of the weir and the other as you got close to home which ran up past the bush airstrip. On the 9 mile loop while there were smaller climbs along the route we still took i the climb up past the airstrip. These long steady climbs taught us how to maintain rhythm on a climb , something we could not find in Perth otherwise. It was also bloody cold up there in winter. We eventually shifted from Jacoby when the began to clear the pines and it got a bit barren in sections. Felt a bit like running on a moonscape.

Anyway my point was /is its great to see runners up in the hills again building strength and sharing jokes on a long run regardless of club and alliances. This is what makes falls creek such a great training venue, everyone comes together for 2-5 weeks of intense training.

As an aside this is not a special club , its just a group of runners. If you feel the urge to run meet at the bottom of the road that runs past the Helena Valley PS. At the end of the bitumen it goes to gravel . The majority of the group kick off from here. Some start from the primary school and run down and some kick off from the Helana valley IGA. The course is run along an out and back for anyone who does not want to go up Kelly's climb ( about and hour 30 loop from the bottom car park if you do go up the hill) and can be as long as you want it. you can run to the weir if you have the urge. From the school this takes about 80 minutes so a round trip would be 2hr 40min.

Up too you...

The wombat has actually been parking at Victor rd gate and running around to the car park to meet up with Courts, Tamblin and See.....

Barrel on wombats...

The Nocturnal Wombat....

2010-02-27T06:54:00.000-08:00

Some weeks seem to be tougher than others and this week was one of those. If it was not for the full moon or should I say bright moon, visibility would have been a huge problem. Work and a few other factors have meant that the wombat has had to go nocturnal. Not a huge drama considering that to run at 5pm would have meant melting....... But running at 1030 and 11pm has knobs on it...

Why run then I hear you say ...... BECAUSE I can.... and I don't want me to see myself as being weak.... AS a young wombat things were easy. you ate, parents paid the bills and you ran . Basically I was the selfish runner that I needed to be to achieve certain goals. Getting a job, getting married and having young wombats changes all that. If I miss the window between work and getting home to train then I have to do the night stalk.

Don't get me wrong running late at night when the day time temperatures are in the 40s is fantastic. Apart from the odd Kangaroo that scares the shit out of me (I knew I should not have gone and seen Wolfman) things are good. The problem is that it takes me a good hour settle after a run so I am not getting to bed until midnight 1 am. not good if you need to work the next day....

Hopefully a little less stressful at work this week coming and I can establish a good routine again.
Went down to the track last night to watch the 1500m, nearly stepped on the track myself but gave myself a reason not to.... ( looked hard) Great to see a group of young runners getting around in some solid times. Mark See again ducked under 3.50 for a good win and Carter took 3 seconds of his Pb to clock a solid 3.51.47 unofficial. (Courst old man Wombat still has 0.17 up on you)I am looking forward to seeing these boys give the 8.12.6 for the 3km a bit of a shake up in the near future.

Went for a steady run with Tamblin, See and Carter through Perry lakes after the race (another dark run). Tonight was a dark run again with a trip up to Beverly to see the wombat in laws....Tomorrow will be early as its a family day so I need to be out and back before 8.30am...

Always makes for a fun morning when I need to be up before the sun...Might see some of you out there.....Watch for the wombay Mr Nuttan.......

Barrel on Wombats......

He aint heavy he's a wombat......

2010-02-23T01:58:00.000-08:00

Thought I might put a picture of one tough son of a wombat " Mona" on my blog today. This is a photo of the old man himself making the home run from Spion Kjope one of the very testing and tough runs at Falls Creek this year.... Having run this 14 mile course myself I know how bloody hard it can be. There have been times when the weather comes in and visibility is almost zero but I guess its these things that make you a runner and Mona was certainly that.

Its fantastic that he is coming to Perth in a few weeks to run a camp at Nanga. This is going to provide those who get along to it a great opportunity to not only run with this wombat of all wombats but a chance to talk with him. Having trained with him for long periods on some of the Australian teams I managed to scrap into I know that he will have some stories to share.

Falls Creek is certainly one thing I miss about being really fit. It was always great to get into the mountains and just train eat and sleep for 3 -5 weeks. In that time you did some fantastic session but you also got to do with some of the best runner in Australia with the occasional import thrown in.

This week is looking to be a bloody grind. Sunday was just hard from the word go. I went to a 40th and did not drink so that I would not be hung over for the Sunday long run. Drinking coke and water but still woke up feeling like I had been on the turps all night. parked at Victor Road gate and run across the river bed to meet with Courts, Tamblin and See. From here we went out along the lower pipeline to Kelly's climb picking up Nuttan along the way. Nuttan turned slightly before the hill. while Courts, See and Tamblin went on and up I turned at the hill base and came back along the upper pipe. Felling like absolute shit I decided to try and lift myself by chasing Nuttan hoping that at every turn I would see the man who defies anatomical reasoning by running without the use of knees. (He's got them , just does not use them).

At the point where I had decided I would run fast until I caught him even if it meant going further than I had intended Stew Denton, who was on his way out, informed me he was only a 100 or so meters ahead.. Needless to say I managed to catch him coming up past the water treatment plant. A small victory on an otherwise tough grinding outing.

Tonight was the same, while the young wombats were doing tennis I ran up the the old railway track to Coppin Road from Glen Forest. Again it was a mind game the whole way. While the subconscious was shouting to stop I was consciously saying to myself at the nest tee I will turn and the next tree I will turn but each time running on until eventually I got to the road. Angry with myself for being a weak bastard I pushed down the incline to get home a solid 2 minutes quicker than my effort going out.... Just a grind but still got it done.......

Why is it that sometimes the things we enjoy the most can also be the hardest. I know that I am getting fitter and putting the shoes on each day is a pleasure but boy oh boy if I miss that window when I feel like doing it , it just becomes an internal battle.....

I hope you won battle today......

Barrel on wombats.....

Because we can....

2010-02-16T04:01:00.000-08:00

Went to bed rooted and woke up tired.....man you gotta love that feeling, and they say that rest aids recovery. I am not really doing much else besides run and I am still tired. (I mean I go to work each day)

At the moment I am trying to cheat the fitness so I am not running over flat ground.. When I leave work I stop at Helena Valley and run the Pipeline loop. hard to say if I am getting stronger because the heat is killing me. Tonight while the young wombats were doing their sport training I ran up the heritage trail into Mundaring..At least it was down hill coming home although that did not seem to make much difference to my legs and general weariness.

I feel sure that over time everything will pay off and add to the work that I did last year but I guess only time will tell....and remember "Chase the dreams while you can" because there may come a time when you can't run.....

Barrel on Wombats.....

We do because we can.....

2010-02-14T04:45:00.000-08:00

Another few weeks of running and the feeling in the legs is telling me that I'm slowly, ever so slowly getting stronger.

On my recent longer runs I have been asking myself why I run and each and every time I find I come up with the same answer.... " Because I can"

I am finding that as I get older the things that I often took for granted as a younger runner and even as a younger person I am now cherishing more. The ability to actually get up should be celebrated and the ability to run more so...

I think I mentioned many blogs ago that t was not until I stopped running that I realised how much I missed it and now with all my might I am trying to regain what purposely gave up.... the ability to run and run fast...

If I could say one thing to young wombats it would be do it while you can and do it to the highest level that you can while you can... Each of us has an ability and we should try and make the most of that ability until we are no longer able to do it...

Doing the longer runs through Helena Valley with the younger runners reminds me of when I was younger too and used to tag along with the older guys hoping to one day beat them... Now I am the older guy hoping that I can just keep up with them....

It is great to be up in the hills again with Courtney Carter and Mark See and even the return on Nathan Doig brings a smile to my dial. Each of these guys has the arrogance of youth and the enthusiasm to match.... In time I am sure they will ultimately produce some fantastic times on both the track and the road, in the mean time they train.

I am again having more good runs than poor runs and each Sunday the long run seems to get a little easier but at the same time a little longer. I am hoping that the strength will soon enable me to punch out some solid sessions just so that I can get used to a higher cadence of running. This in turn will assist me with my racing.

Looking forward to the national Masters in Perth in April but more so looking forward to catching up with Mona when he holds a distance running camp at Nanaga this March. ts not often that we get to run with such a calibre of runner and the fact that he will be in Perth to do this makes it all the better. I hope a lot of the younger guys get out there too. This will enable everyone to have a really good weekend of running.

Anyway peoples hope to see you out there...
Barrel on wombats....

Another week for 2010....

2010-01-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

Friday night and the wombat was down at the new track watching young Courtney run a 7 sec Pb for the 5km. (14.24.) a great piece of running assisted by Mark See for 3k who held the 68 sec laps before stepping aside.

While the track is fantastic it was a little disappointing that the scheduled start of 8.40pm did not get under way until well past 9pm. The second heat was even later. This made it extremely difficult for the runners to time there warm ups. Some things don't ever seem to change.

I look forward to seeing both these guys racing hard together and actually clocking some really good times in the future. Young Patto also clocked a brilliant Pb ducking under the 15minute mark for the first time. Again if he can maintain this new strength along with his new training program under his new coach we will see a solid group of young guys coming through the senior ranks. This will create a base of middle distance runners we have not seen in the state since Clive Hicks, Mark Altus, Duncan Sulivan, Wade Clews, Martin Assmussen, Peter Ritson, Greg Sullivan, Jim langford, martin O'Malley, David Eltringham, Ivan Shatford, Alan Thurlow, John Hamilton and Glen Yates.

One young guy who was Absent was Young Ethan H, recently selected to run at the up and coming World Cross Country Championships. A number of people will be watching this young fellow's progress over the next few years and it would be great to see him make a successful transition into the senior ranks in a few years time. Hopefully he will gain some insight into the competitiveness at the top level by competing in what is undoubtedly the most competitive event in the world with world class athletes ranging from 1500m through to the marathon contesting this event.

Helena valley this morning and around the pipeline loop. Started a bit late and missed the main group so I ran from the Victor Road gate. Solo out along the lower pipeline (32min26sec) before crossing over the culvert and running back along the upper pipe.(29min50sec) really struggled going out and even the small rises caused me grief today. On the return journey i joined a group of 5 which included the star studded(tat on right calf) Doig, See and blast from the part Barton along with Govus and company. Courts and Gerry were out for a big 2and half so caught up with them at IGA after.

The return journey was faster but just as unpleasant and the constant undulations were not welcome today but desperately needed to build up strength.

It was great to see the young runners out doing the tough runs and hopefully this will flow on to their racing through improved strength and the ability to hold their speed for a little longer.

Finished the last section of my run alongside Barts as the young guys smashed us up the hills. back to the car at Victor Road and some stretching. Oh boy a long way to go.....

Barrel on Wombats......

2010-01-21T18:54:00.000-08:00

Well Followers of the Wombat, it has been a long while since my last post but rest assured , in that time the Wombat Warrior has not been idle. Fortunately for me this little animal is rather resilient so he has managed to hang in there despite some tough times mentally.

The running is continuing and I am making good speed but more importantly the endurance continues to get better.

This year I have commenced some swimming and managed to swim further than I have ever swum in my life. 2km in the pool in 45 minutes may not set the world on fire but let me tell you apart from feeling rooted I had a bloody big smile on my face. I also noted that with the amount of water I had swallowed on this endeavour the water levels in the pool had also dropped about 1.5metres.

On strong encouragement from Mrs Wombat I have embarked on some cross training. Better known as the Minister for Home Affairs or on other occasions the Catering officer, I thought the was more a directive than a suggestion. The wind trainer is getting a workout and while I am yet to pass Lance Armstrong on any of my sessions I feel I may be worthy of at least a smile from the Wombat of all Wombats for the effort.

Of course the bottom line is to get better at running you must run and this I am doing.Who knows with continued visualisation (tell em he's dreaming) and more hard work I may still make a podium.

Stay tuned followers and i hope that the 2010 year brings with it all that you hope and work for... I am off to watch Courtney Carter tackle the 5000m at Perry Lakes tonight at 8.40pm but right now its tie to take the little wombats off to swimming lessons....

Barrel on wombats....

Monday Helena Pipeline Loop....

2009-09-14T06:49:00.001-07:00

Ran the pipeline loop from the Victor Road Gate this afternoon.... Very little wind, no sign of rain.

Heading out from the gate I ran even and easy to warm up into the run. This course is all gravel and includes a big part of my Sunday run. Down Hamburger Hill and through the third gate. ( This is always open) 11min 11.55sec. Some big puddles today, in fact there was obviously some rain over night because there was more water around than Sunday morning. Ran along the lower pipe line and out to the second culvert. Time check (29min 9.05 seconds) ran over the (jumped) the water and onto the home trail that runs along the upper pipe. Worked the hills and established a good even pace. breathing was not too laboured and backed off a little so that it did not become a balls out run.

Back up Hamburger, up and over, down the dip then up again to the pipe. Pleased at this point as I was on the limit of easy hard run. Down past the pumping station and treatment plant. heading back towards the car and Victor Road gate the watch stopped at 55min16.52sec. (26m7.27s to get back...A good negative split of 3 minutes 2 seconds)

Stretching and home.. enjoyed the outing solo and to my own beat ... as odd as that may be.

Barrel on wombats.....

Sunday Helena Vally........My staple

2009-09-12T19:18:00.001-07:00

We can all be the dragon warrior.......if you are prepared to believe and do the work...

Sunday 7.15am, Helena Valley from the primary school this morning. That is my staple Sunday, was again today. It used to be Fred Jacoby Park in my younger days. We used to run a 9 mile loop and do it twice or simply run out and back. There was a hill out the back of the Weir that makes Kelly's climb look like a speed hump. Personally I always felt that the Jacoby Park long run was tougher as the hills ran throughout the entire run not just the front section. Having said that if the Helena crew turns out towards Johnson's loop the terrain gets tough out through that way....

Anyway heading out from the school along the bitumen I think back to many years earlier that this surface was gravel from the school. It takes about 10minutes to get to the gravel along this road. Today it took 9 and a half. then across the creek , small stream actually, then up to the next car park area, right and this time a small two minute hiccup while I clamber across the water way. The water seemed a little lower today so it wont be long before I can jump it again. From this point it is up to the main pipeline service track and away we go.

This track is also the same course that the marathon club use for their 'King of the Mountain' race. 11 minutes later I was dropping down Hamburger Hill. At the base of this you could go right and head along the upper pipe trail. This track is a lot better in terms of the trail but I prefer to come back that way and head out along the lower pipe trail. This trail is a bit rougher in places, particularly after so much rain, but I actually prefer the feel that running through some sections of this trail gives me. (I sometimes come out and do reps along this bottom section with each rep taking roughly 5 minutes)

Still a lot of large puddles today but I managed to get around these without getting or slipping over. A bit rocky through the small humps but I felt good this morning so I surged everyone that came too. Working through a series of small climbs but always heading up I did a sharp right at the top of a short sharp climb and then headed down the worst section of the run. managing not to twist an ankle I shot along the bottom flat bit to the next cement culvert. This time I went right rather than heading further along the trail that ultimately leads to Mundaring Weir.

Now I am on the upper pipe and heading home. This section is fairly undulating but the surface is fantastic in terms of being able to run without worrying about going arse over tit. I checked my watch at this point (out of habit) and by the way still not happy with the watch. Used to have the Ironman triathlon that would store 50 times/splits what ever, the bonus was that I could do a warm up then store the time, do the session then store that etc... with the new one that replaces it it still stores 50 laps, splits BUT IT WONT ALLOW ME TO STORE LIKE THE PREVIOUS ONE DOES......it shits me (just venting why do they change a watch the only thing wrong with the other one was that the band was an unpractical design in terms of durability)... Any way I digress.

My time out to the switch back 47 minutes, mmmm a bit slow this morning. Still I know it will pick up for three reasons. 1. I have warmed up. 2. The surface is better 3. Because I always try to wind it up coming home. Really feeling good today. Step up the pace and slip into my day dream mode of being the best in the world and just smashing everyone . I so do like to race imaginary competitors while I am out here. I think that is why I don't mind training by myself. Over active imagination.

Anyway worked all the hills today and even felt awesome heading back up Hamburg Hill. Heard a group talking on the other side coming back. may have been Courts and the crew on the other side. Could not see them though.

The run in felt bloody good today. This was one of those days you wish you could replicate while racing. back to the river clamber over the downed trees to get over it... and then back to the bitumen. Opened up over this and along it in 8.15. much quicker than when I headed out.

All up a great run today... Had to add on becasue I came home too fast 42 minutes . Only had to add on 1 minute to get to the 1.30 for this morning. Did a bit of a light stretch then headed home to get showered and warm before the run tonight..

Hope to see you all out there next week. Especially you young guns.... Patto that means you.

Barrell on wombats.......

From the Rabi.......

2009-09-11T20:15:00.000-07:00

The world does not measure us by how many times we get knocked down but rather by how many times we get back up.... Can't wait to see what Courts does in his next outing....

The City to Surf brought a mixture of feelings once I crossed the line this year. I managed to scrap in for a top 10 finish, I could see the leaders for much of the run BUT I missed the sub 40 I had also targeted on the day... I was able to lead a small group for a good section of the race BUT when one of the group moved up to take over the work and call us through I was unable to kick down to step up to the pace despite feeling comfortable I was on the edge of my current fitness level.

I know that I definitely felt a hell of a lot better than the Bridges but the next level is going to take a little more work than I am currently doing. Even when I consider that a number of the group ahead of me have done a few more years of work than me over the the same time frame there is still work to be done...

The transition between winter competition and summer competition marks a period of break from formal, structured training sessions for many runners. For me and the athletes I help this marks a time of doing some serious mileage again prior to bringing back in structured sessions.

Under my current mentor nothing will change, my work load will build up again to pre -city to surf and I will maintain that for ever and a day. The structure is simple but works on strength and volume and incorporates all the elements of speed, strength, endurance and endurance strength work... The runs are every day twice a day 7 days a week BUT take the second run off during the week as either dictated but weariness or workload be that family commitments or professional.

Sunday is 2hrs (almost at 230) Monday is 8-10 miles with the last two miles winding up. Tuesday is a fartlek session, Wednesday is a tempo run, Thursday is a sustained 15 minute effort covering as much ground as I can, Friday is easy 8-10 miles and Saturday is a solid run over undulating terrain. Throw in the second runs and there it is. Simple effective and time will tell......

Barrel on Wombats.......

Back to the beginning.....

2009-09-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Time to refocus.. After the 2009 City to Surf the Wombat took three days off. Ran with no watch and did not care if I got out or not. In years gone by I would have continued to run and got straight back into the sessions. With my fitness levels at the stage that they are I felt that the " Take is nice and easy enjoy life" approach was more suitable.

As I reflect on where I have come from as a runner I noted that above all else my volume steadily increased over time. Possibly in some ways the increase was too slow and , in hind sight, may have hindered earlier results however ultimately it enabled me to build strength. Strength as a distance runner is the basic foundation along with endurance.

Too often I see young runners out there doing these mammoth sessions off very little base. Yes they do develop some great speed but when push comes to shove and the pace is on from the gun they have nothing to put down on the table. A great finishing kick with very little else.

The body needs time to absorb the mileage and adapt to the demands that a runner will put on it and to do this it takes time. Young guns don't be impatient, take the time to build the mileage. Put in the time, do the long runs, build up to running twice a day every day, 7 days a weeks, 52 weeks a year and you will get there in terms of reaching your own potential.

Barrel on wombats.....

Done and Dusted.....

2009-08-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

Well I saw a bit of the wombat this Sunday. For me the journey was tough over the 12km.. The difference between the Bridges 10km and Sundays' 12km is that in the 10km race my legs gave out before I was completely smashed. On Sunday my legs felt strong and I sensed that it was an overall lack of strength that was letting me down.

Getting to the top of Selby street hill I had that wonderful dry reach feeling that feels like you backside it going to come up through your mouth...

The overall race was solid and I really enjoyed the competitive nature of the group I managed to get in with. Watching Raf disappear up the hill and the group of chasers following I was quick to settle into a rhythm and climbed through the mad minute group. Around me was the impressionable Doig, Lajos, Dymnicki and Bailie. Over the hill It was easy to see those who would pay the price later and at this point I was around 18th place and fairly comfortable. I lenghtened my stride and let the hill do the work going down the other side. Lajos tucked in behind along with a few others. For me this was not a problem, I felt good and was happy to work. I figured if I was strong enough I would beat this pack anyway.

As we moved through Hay street our group slowly picked up the stragglers. We told them to try and tack onto our group, some did some didn't. Going up Selby Street Hill, Lajos came through and called me on along with Dymnicki and Bailie.

The pace was solid and everyone seemed to be moving well as we crested the hill, at which point I dry reached a couple of times, (gotta love that feeling) gathered myself and chased.

Bailie pulled through the group and began to tussle with DeBoer leaving Dymnicki, Doigy , Lojas and myself to sort things out. High 5s to some of the kids on the sideline as well as giving away my sun visor to a small child got a few cheers. Turning into perry Lakes our group had a solid advantage over the boys we were chasing. On an open road you run the race line which we did, the others stayed well left. A course is measured along the race line...

We turned onto Oceanic Drv (the three sisters, a staged hill) Someone shouted "Go the wombat" at which point I moved past two more competitors as we climbed. Caught and passed Doigy and began to chase Lajos however to his credit he also kicked down..

Bailie was winding up and looked to have covered DeBoer while Dymnicki , with cracked ribs was running a blinder. Coming onto West Coast highway I chased Lajos but the little bugga held me off. Doigy also came past in the closing stages to get both of us... Gotta watch these AFL umpires.

A very happy wombat in terms of placing (10th) but a little disappointed with the time (41m4s) still lots of work to be done for 2010 and " Every Journey begins with a single step".

Congratulations to everyone who competed and a big thank you to all the volunteers on the day.

Barrel on wombats....

when all is said and done well done is better than well said...

2009-08-27T05:54:00.001-07:00

The 'Bradbury principle' has become an accepted Australianism and the wombat for one will be putting that to the test on Sunday....

Bradbury , and alot of people did not realise this, took a very long time to come to terms with his victory and the fact that he won a gold medal at the Olympic Games. He felt that he did not deserve the medal, that athletes better than him should have won... The bottom line is that he toes the line, he got himself firstly to the Olympic games and then finally to the start of the Olympic final... I remember watching the skating and thinking " Bloody hell... you legend" , each time he made it to the next round. He kept putting himself up there and just kept going forward... To me watching this was the living example of " you gotta be in it to win it" and win it he did.. While the other skaters went down in the final Bradbury , the reluctant hero, came through , on his feet, and won the gold...

Maybe what he did not think about at the time was the work that he had put in to get to the games in the first place. The sacrifices that he had made to get to the games. If I saw him today I would say " You deserved it, you did the work and you put yourself into a position to win, and win you did, you did not cheat, you did not take drugs .. you simply won"

To everyone who is running the marathon , the half and the 12km... well done you have covered the ground, you have done the work... Will you win? time will tell... But one thing for sure unless you get to the start line you don't have a hope in hell of finding out..

Like me you will be hoping to see if the Bradbury principle can work for you..... good luck

Barrel on wombats...

Bugger........

2009-08-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

" To be a great champion you have to believe you are ..... if you can't , pretend." At the moment I am pretending.....

The last few weeks have been tough, even for a wombat, with Grandmother wombat suffering a fall and then going into hospital before passing away I spent a great deal of time at her bedside for extended periods. obviously training took a severe hit as did my sleep... No excuses I got through it but the confidence has been dented at a time when I need to be strong both physically and mentally.....

This week I have begun to establish some sort of routine again and have got my head back into a good space....

Spewing about the City to Surf, entered on line but not early enough to get my pack sent out to me so I have to make a trip into the convention centre in the lead up to pick up my race numbers .. bugger... The wombat has managed to jag an A start.

I have concerns about the starting format as it appears to be very messy with us all assembling on the esplanade then moving up to the start line.... Time will tell I guess.

And the Kenyans are in Town , young Courtney Carter seems to be on fire and has been running with them for a number of his sessions which has shown he is in outstanding shape. Running 8x1000m off a 200m float and leading this group was something to behold....

Well followers and occasional readers I will let you know how the wombat fairs in the next few days in an effort to get back on track.... My focus for the next few weeks will be long sustained running again with more of a sustained endurance approach to enable me to maintain a steady and even pace throughout the 12km City to Surf journey.. I have set some personal goals for this event and I have stated publicly that I am not there to make up numbers but then that goes without saying.. I mean anyone who toes the line does so with the belief that they are in with a chance.... " To be a great champion you have to believe you are......" Well I will be pretending and that's all part of the journey.....

Barrel on Wombats..

Niggle, Niggle, Surge...... Niggle, Niggle, Surge

2009-07-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

This seems to be the pattern at the moment. A couple of days with

some niggles then a day where I feel like I can take on the world.... I guess that's running...

Last week was another good one having shaken the bug that plagued me for a couple of weeks (Not the wombat flu thank goodness). The long runs are going well and continue to give me a sense of strength that I hope will serve me well over the 12km journey in about 5 weeks time.

The rain was incredible and at one point during my Wednesday run I could not help laughing at the stupidity of running in torrential rain and wind. Having been to Vic Nolan's Funeral earlier I headed out from Kings Park just for something different and was nearly drowned. I was very moved by the efforts of Doigy and Watto's efforts in putting together Vic's funeral arrangements. He will be sadly missed by those he coached but I feel pretty certain he would have been extremely proud of the young men that these two guys have become.

Monday's run was done is hail and having run past a polar bear at one stage I was beginning to sense that I was in the wrong continent. Got even more confusing when a troop penguins slid past me a a lengthy down hill section of my run.

Thursday was a corker and the session confirmed for me that I am regaining some of my endurance strength. managed to get up to Raf for a few short moments and feel that in a few more weeks I may even take it up to him. This will do the confidence the world of good ( mine not raf's). Hopefully I can string another couple of 130km weeks together.

I am concerned about my lack of racing fitness, but with the junior football season still trudging along and my two young wombats participating I can't see a way around this one. Time will tell I guess.

Saw Darryn S at Peak Podiatry and had my inserts slightly adjusted, Mr Magic worked my ankle to try and improve mobility, but with one leg longer the they other, as he pointed out, I need to work hard to make sure I don't end up running in circles.

I have acquired a slight niggle on my outside left knee however this feels like an overuse issue and is something that I will be managing over the next few days. Seems to warm up and OK but gets a bit stiff when I have been sitting for a while. mmmmmm I will watch this one...

Have had some late nights with the Tour on SBS but loved every second of it, team Astana was awesome , shame about Contador on the hill climb and his surge that dropped his own team mate... Despite the press I still got the sense that there was little love loss between him and Armstrong. Disappointing for Cadel but there are certainly some very talented young riders out there..

Well followers there is the situation from the wombat for this week, until next time..

Barrel on wombats.....

Wax on Wax off........

2009-07-11T06:41:00.001-07:00

I remember the karate kid " Wax on Wax off".... and the question that he asked in relation to the relevance of waxing a car and learning karate... Once he was shown it made sense. Its the little things done over and over again that sometimes collectively make the biggest impact...

I reminded myself of that this week. Since last Saturday I have had this bloody head cold and I can't seem to shake it. Initially, under Mrs Wombats insistence, I backed off. I still got out each day. My frustration came On Tuesday when I was out doing my session and moving along well. Wednesday morning I wake to feel like crud. Thursday I put together a fantastic 17.5km session and Friday I am shattered, Then again today , my breathing is fine but I'm hot and cold and ordinary.... Whats the point of the token runs... Then I remind myself ..its the little things we do that sometimes have the biggest impact.... If I don't run I will beat up on myself, if I at least get out the door then I am winning the head game. I also say to myself that I feel sure one of my competitors would not have trained today so that puts me one up on them... even if I have only run a mile then that is one more mile than them... each step takes me closer to the starting line putting me into a position to have a crack at my goal... Each run is one less excuse that I can offer myself when I do stand on the line and each time I get out of the door I have beaten that little negative voice that each of us has which so often creates the doubt that causes us to stop doing something.....

Wax on Wax off...... funny how things trigger a thought pattern,mind you when you run for 2 hours you gotta think about something....

" I can because I believe I can".... " I did because I believed I could".....

Barrel on wombats......

City to Surf...... lets roll.

2009-07-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

Don't stress too much about the speed work for this event just yet. A runners focus who is just beginning would be to start to build up a base on which to work with... Aim to get out every day and if need be take the Friday off.... Some simple plans would revolve around walk one day, run the next then on the walk days introduce some running sections.

For an intermediate runner spend the next few weeks (July) building on you ability to run , at pace, over the 12km . this could involve run steady state for 5 days of the week and incorporating 2 tempo runs into the week where you wind up over the distance. Basically just run and don't get too caught up in the sessions..

The City to Surf starts at the bottom of a hill, in fact a significantly long and steep hill. This can be daunting for any runner but it is only an issue if you have never run up a hill or you go out like a mad man/woman at the start of the race and then spend the next 11km wondering who poured concrete into your legs?

At the end of the day we don't plan to fail, we simply fail to plan.... Go one just get out there and run and enjoy being outside.

Barrel on wombats...

City to Surf..... Get a woggle on...

2009-07-07T22:34:00.001-07:00

The hype has started and the bets have begun.... For those who have made the "one beer too many" bets its time that you actually got outside and put one foot in front of the other in rapid succession.. This is called training and will give you at least a realistic chance of covering the 12km....

If you have done no training what soever and when attempting to get out of your chair to look for the remote causes you shortness of breathe I STRONGLY DISCOURAGE you from even thinking about running the half or full marathon distances.

Start with a walk each day before introducing any form of running and eventually swap a walk day for a run day.. you may find that what you begin to do ( as I like to describe it) is "woggle" or "woggling" (This is my term for a pace that is faster than a walk, just, but slower than a jog, just.)

Woggerling could sometimes be seen as moon walking forwards. The feet give the appearance of not actually leaving the ground yet the body is moving forwards. Woggerling is not to be confused with the "Cliff young Shuffle" This action is deceptively quick and resulted in Cliff winning the prized ultra run.

Anyway enough of the banter, if your going to do the 4k, or 12k then its time to start getting ready for the big day..

Barrel on wombats...

Another page in the book....

2009-07-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

I remember talking with 'Deek' when I was a wee little wombat, well is was more of an awe inspiring stare and an occasional squeak on my part, but one thing I recall often from this conversation was him saying to me that each day you train you add another page to your book until eventually you have a very thick book or in a runners case a very good base...

I was watching Lance Armstrong last night in the team time trial and the commentators were saying how he has slipped back into the fold with relative ease. Now I am pretty sure that along the way to slipping "back into the fold with ease" he has done a bloody great deal of work to get back such a high level of fitness.... The other thing that he has done, or got, and that the younger riders don't have is years and years of riding behind him. This base of riding which he is able to draw on is something that the body remembers...

This is also something that the wise old wombat ,who is guiding me at the moment, also said.." Don't worry too much about the volume initially, the body will remember" having just completed another week in the 70 mile region I am beginning to understand. While my first 2 hour run killed me and I was left weary after the second I am finding that I have begun to run efficiently over the ground again. Yes there are things that I need to work on, like running up hills and retaining my form but, as I regain my strength I believe this too will return.

Already the Wednesday tempo run feels like a more controlled affair even though the pace is still increasing, and will do so for many weeks. But the bottom line is that all that work (those pages in my book) which I put in over 20 odd years of running has not all disappeared, the body is remembering...

This week was tough. The end of term and the start of school holidays brought with it the dreaded cold and sore throat. taking advice from Mrs Wombat I backed off for four days with easy running over 3-4 miles, ate copious amounts of raw Italian garlic (home grown) avoided any vampires in the process and have eaten enough oranges, lemons, and mandarins to feed a small country. The end result was a fast recovery and fresher legs.

The next two weeks will provide an opportunity to increase the mileage, volume and establish a new routine before returning to work. Hopefully this will allow me to carry the new routine into term 3. Again time will tell.

Barrel on wombats...

Tempo on the Trail...

2009-07-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight was on of those runs when you wish there was a starting line and a finish line... Did some light stretching then headed off up the trail into Mt Helena and Chidlow.. Started out steady and slowly built the pace to the point where I felt comfortable.

Nothing hurt tonight the old wombat seemed to flow, it was definitely one of those runs that you just want to savour. had to run late due to the young wombats sport commitments so I was running in dusk/dark. Thankfully the moon was up and it was a pretty clear night.

Turned to come home and just cranked it up a little more to see how comfortable I could keep it... Covered the 16+km in 65minutes... Gravel track and bitumen road sections at times...

Barrel on wombats....

Man that was hard....

2009-06-29T00:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday's run was harder than the average run.... My third week of a 2hr run and I really struggled from 45 minutes on... last week I did the long run in the afternoon. This came after an hour of football umpiring for the Parky JFC and an easy 3 miler. This week I went straight from umpiring to Helena for the long run so I guess I was actually running for 3 hours. Regardless it was 2 hours of head games over an undulating, wet , muddy and heavy track.

The evening was a very, very, very lazy 3 miler from my burrow.

Over the next two weeks I will build the run up to 2hr15minutes and then ultimately sit on 2 1/2 hours there after however I don't expect to be up to this stage for another 3-4 weeks. I am hoping also that by this stage I should be into the full swing of the new program and locked into the good old repetition that so many runners find hard to do....

Barrel on Wombats....

Solid week.......

2009-06-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

This week has been a tough one which saw me clock 70miles for the week (approx 112km).... A big chunk being quality in comparison to the week before. I also had to be careful as I broke the 10% rule this week with a leap from 53+ miles last week.

Sunday started out well and I ran for 2hr through Helena Valley (18 miles) this was done after an easy 3 miles in the morning which came on top of an hour of Junior football umpiring. Starting the run at 3.30pm meant that I was coming home on dusk and in some places the footing got a little dodgy.

Monday was a solid 10 miles , the majority of it being done around Hyde Park and I made sure that I was coming home solid over the last 2 miles.

Tuesday (8miles) was another late run this time from Steel Blue oval in Bassendean. It rained hard for most of the run which I did not start until 7.30pm and by the time I got home I was smashed. This run incorporated a slightly modified mona session and I felt strong throughout.

Wednesday was a junior football meeting so again it was a late start from Steel Blue oval and again in the rain. I started out easy and soon established a good pace which I managed to sustain throughout the run. (10miles).

Thursday (10miles) was back at Yokine with a large group and after a good warm up we hit our straps with a solid session for the evening. Pleasantly smashed for the night and spent it chasing the younger runners.

Friday (3miles) was a little week but as I left the burrow I noticed that I was rooted. Already well up on last week in terms of mileage I backed off significantly and just ran through Kangaroo rise..

Saturday was a bastard, left the run late and stepped out the door into torrential rain and wind. Ran 8 laps of the block ( just over 1700 per lap) The block is an undulating loop and I worked the pace from steady even to solid. Initially 7 minutes per lap, this was down to 6min 20sec by the last lap as they steadily got faster. I felt strong throughout and left the run with a great sense of achievement.

This is my biggest mileage for a long time but the hard bit now will be to maintain it. I am hoping that my strength will develop through the program which will compensate slightly for what I have lost in speed over the years. I am constantly telling myself that it does not have to happen over night and this is something that I need to be wary of so as not to get into injury trouble....

Barrel on wombats...

Long Distance Runners...Long is the key word

2009-06-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

I have been asked a number of times about the necessity of doing a log run and how far is far enough? Should a 10km runner run for 2 hrs should a 1500m runner run for 2 hrs?

My answer to this is, and will always, be yes..

Sebastian Coe a brilliant miler, 1500m and 800m runner in his book talks about doing long runs. Herb Elliott did long runs and ended his career undefeated over the 1500m distance. Ron Clarke did long runs and set world records for 5ooom and 10000m , his Australian records have only , in the last decade been broken by runner who do long runs. Emil Zatopek did long runs Lasse Viren did long runs. I could go on for hours with the names of runners both middle and long who do and did long runs.

You see the wombat believes that it is no good being the fastest in the field if you are not strong enough to be there at the end. The long run builds strength it builds endurance... Just ask Courtney Carter, Mona, Deek, Birmingham, Tucker, Troop and Mottram. Not only do some of these runners have good marathon times (those that have run them) but they have bloody fast 1500m/5000m and 10000m times too.

The long run(and I am not talking about just plodding along but rather running at a steady even sustainable pace) and the tempo run help to build a solid foundation on which to run fast times. Simple example. Lets say that I am a runner who can run fast over 1500m along with another runner who can run just as fast over 1500m. When we step up to 2000m or 3000m both our times drop off. In other words neither of us can sustain the pace that we need to hold . Its not that I can't run fast its simply that I can't run fast for a long time... How do I get stronger then...? Easy I run further so that I can develop the strength to maintain this speed for longer.....

by running longer the body learns to be efficient, it learns to burn fuel , it learns to function under fatigue put simply it learns.... When I took my big break its not that I got any slower I could still run as fast as I used to only I could only do it for 30m before I feel into a hole... I got on the track the other day and guess what ????? I managed a 60second lap. It killed me.... 4 months ago this would not have been possible...why? no strength or fitness. as I get fitter I get stronger as I get stronger I can run further for longer at a faster rate.

Again two weeks ago I ran for 2hours and it smashed me... I ran for 2hrs this week and it felt easier because I am getting stronger, fitter, the body is learning to cope with the strain.....

No there is an argument that you wont get any faster by running for 2hrs and doing tempo runs . This is correct to a point... if you run 3minutes for 1km and that is as fast as you go then you wont get any faster however if you can run 3minutes for a km why do you run 6m20 second for 2km and 36minutes for 10km???? because you are not strong enough to run 3 minutes for 10km.. It is a very real possibility that someone who can run 3minutes for 1km could potentially run 30 minutes or at the very least 31 minutes for 10km.....

That's the wombats thoughts anyway....

Barrel on Wombats...

State Half marathon....

2009-06-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

Courtney Carter ran a massive solo Pb in the state half marathon championships.... 67m20s, negative split and well over 2 minutes clear of second. Well done Courtney.

The wombat warrior didn't get to the start line due to a communication break down with the minister for housing so instead went for a solo 2 hour run through Helena valley following the lower pipeline gong out and coming back along, eventually the upper pipe... Pretty pleased actually due to the fact that I got out to the turn around point that I sued to get to as a young wombat.... Moved well and felt good for my second two hour run this year and for many years before... covered a lazy 3 miles this morning after junior football umpiring and then helping the young wombat peddle up to Chidlow with the local cub group. Set out for the 2 hrs at 3.10pm from the Helena school.. Cold and a little wet under foot but a nice run at all the same....

Barrel on wombats....

Sunday Long Run...

2009-06-15T09:13:00.001-07:00

Man it was tough mentally and the head games were on after 45minutes.. In some ways the two hours this Sunday was tougher than last weeks hour and a half.. My legs actually felt a lot stronger than last week (May have had something to do with the fact that I had not done an hour of junior football umpiring prior) but I was weary and a part of me kept shouting to turn back every 5 minutes. Ultimately I did make it out to the hour turn around point and got back but the bitch of a hill was ugly running.. not pretty at all I mean parents were pulling their kids off the streets.. This run for me marked the start of the week and tonight's surge session already puts the wombat at 28 miles for the week so it looks to be a heavy week of training to come if I can maintain the effort,,

Last week was solid with Sunday long run sessions on Monday, Thursday and Saturday despite a bout of a stomach wog and I finished the week on 50 miles.. Again this is a long way from my target but its heading up and that's important.

The wisest of wombats has provided the paving stones for my journey and I am sure I will get there but his words of wisdom call for 4 months of base building prior to any significant changes. In this time my long runs will build and be sustained at 2hr 30min and I will need to pay considerable attention to my tempo but one must be patient to be a good warrior... For the time being I am happy to be still on my feet and moving quicker than three months ago

Anyway gang i hope your journeys are going in the right direction and remember not to be to hard on yourself when things get tough .. just take a big breathe and plough on in...

Don Brooker you are a legend.... Anima Sana In Corpore Sano.... Only time will tell.

Barrel on Wombats...

The winds of change bring a new smell...

2009-06-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

Us Wombats like to sleep and eat and in my case run.... Sibo not Berlin 1990 try looking back a little further to 1976 and 1980 and you can probably work it out from there...(There is you hint)

My new program looks good on paper and my legs are telling me that looks can be deceiving but I am sure they will adapt... It is funny how when someone tells you to do something or helps you are more likely to do it than if you suggested it to yourself, especially if you respect the person who is providing the information in the first place.

last night was solid but even at Hyde Park and tonight looks tougher due in part to the fact that I have to do it from my burrow. This means running down the bitch to warm up and then ultimately coming back up her to cool down..not something I enjoy doing for a laugh...Still what does not kill you makes you stronger... time will tell... Stay tuned and I will let you know how the week panned out.

By the way Courtney Carter ran a solid 30m15sec 10km Road Race at Sandown in Victoria for a fantastic PB...This young buck could be the one to watch in the West if he can keep a calm head and continue to build on what appears to be a good base....

Barrel on Wombats....

A tough week nearly gone...

2009-06-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

That "I'm rooted" feeling never seems to take long to come back once you begin to establish a routine... This week has been pretty solid by comparison for the wombat and although the distance is down the quality went up.....

I am finding the hardest thing to do is get back to the stage where I can cover the ground quickly and efficiently. I know it will eventually come but boy oh boy I can't wait until it does. on any and all of my runs at the moment if I come to a hill, which is not hard to do up here in Wombatsville, I am lifting the pace to get up and over.

Sunday: 6 miles around Wedgetail Loop and Kangaroo Rise.
Monday: am 3 miles along Kangaroo Rise
pm Hyde Park Session 3xfigure 8s moving from half marathon pace to 5km pace then 3 x hill sprints. Ran 2 sets of these with a 90sec recovery in between the two sets (3m55s) (3m52s)(3m54s)(3m52s)(3m53s)(3m50s).
Tuesday:1 mile
Wednesday:3miles cold wet and windy.
Thursday: 8 miles at yokine W/U then 3x1.3km circuit involving 120m hill climb, 340m hill climb and 25om surge broken up with float in between x 2 sets. (Absolutely smashed)
Friday: 6 miles Along Wedgetail loop and Kangaroo Rise
Saturday : am 6 miles Along Wedgetail loop and Kangaroo Rise
pm 3 miles

Weight is fluctuating between 66kg and 67.5kg. But I think this will flatten out once the routine is well and truly established. On Monday I put the feelers out for some help from a very wise and crusty old Wombat Warrior and was stoked this Friday when he responded that he would help give me some more direction in terms of building up and stabilising my program.... Its a long and winding road but he aint heavy he's my brother... Time will tell if I am worthy of the old wombats words of wisdom..

Barrel on wombats

Thursday controlled session......

2009-05-28T06:39:00.000-07:00

Ouch tough night. A steady 3km warm up around Yokine then some light stretching.

Went into a solid session (for me anyway)

1500m (4m59s)then a 2 minute recovery

1000m (3m8s) then a 1 minute recovery

500m (1m24s) then a 3 minute recovery

1500m (4m55s) then 2 minute recovery

1000m (3m12s) then 1 minute recovery

500m (1m25s)

Easy 3km cool down.

Felt solid tonight...Breathing was a lot better but really notice a lack of fitness in the latter stages of the 1500 and 1000..... A lot more to do....

7 mile night

Don't under estimate the long run.....

2009-05-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

I believe the long run is one of the meat and potato elements of a solid running program , especially for the distance runner. It is the staple of marathon runners and for anyone who followed Coe, Snell and the likes both these middle distance legends Incorporated the long run into their program.

For me I see it serving a number of purposes. The first, in the marathon runners case, is that it provides you with a chance to spend time on your feet. This in turn teaches your body to function efficiently over a sustained period of time as well as, in the latter stages of the long run, understand a little about running strong despite feeling weary. lastly it helps build endurance strength.

How long becomes the ultimate question and I guess ultimately this depends on what your standard run is and what you are preparing for in the first place. An ultra runner would run substantially longer that a marathon runner who in turn would expect to cover more ground that a 400m runner. The main aim though is time on your feet to build strength.

From the wombats experience when I was running at my best I was doing regular long runs and even at times when my training suffered it was mu long run that I kept as a constant and in doing so this allowed me to retain a significant degree of strength that I may have other wise lost.

I know this sounds logical however I have beaten runners who were faster than me but not as strong and in turn I have been beaten by runners who I was faster than but not as strong as. The strong runners are usually the guys who make the long run for home when the kickers are happy to wait and not waste strength on a long drawn out battle..

If you are not doing this in your program then it is something that you need to consider....

Barrel on wombats...

Peaks and troughs...

2009-05-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I even annoy myself with the small ways in which I manage to avoid doing something mildly unpleasant...

Got home Thursday night after a smashing session (see previous rant) to find that the power was still out, this had been down since 11am, so showering was a very cold bucket over the head. (You see up here where the wombat lives we have tanks to store the rain water and without power we wombats can't get it out because the pumps don't work)....anyway the rain continued most of the night and Friday morning my alarm went off (I use the mobile phone for this) at 5.30am.. it is pouring down and guess what?...still no power.. OK old wombat I ain't gonna run this morning because I wont be able to shower before work and I don't wan to come in from the run freezing cold then not be able to warm up prior to going down the hill.... OK we will run after work and increase the distance a little....

So I go to work looking like a scruff...

Come home Friday afternoon and Mrs Wombat calls to say bring home pizza the power is still out and the family is at the neighbours because they have organised a generator and so are able to run a few lights and more importantly Mrs Wombat and the younglings can shower..shit..shit..shit... OK hold off on the run until after the pizza. This means running with a stitch... that's cool I can deal with that..

Dinner and a chat at the neighbours , still no power, we drive around the block to home put the young ones to bed and I suit up for a run... I step out the door and the heavens open up...bugga... OK token gesture and around the block we go.....

Dry off and into bed cold...

Woke this morning and yes you guessed it, still no power. Not bad for a so called developed country.. I know what you are saying, my choice I live in the hills...Maybe you wont be smiling if the sea levels rise in which case I will have coastal views... pack the car with all the equipment and head off to the local oval to set up for the Auskick program that I run at 9am.. oval under water..OK its 7.45am make a decision time do I start ringing parents and call it off of run with it...n on news, another cold front with showers allegedly coming through... start making calls to give parents the heads up...Sorry guys Auskick cancelled for today try again next weekend. happy to play in the rain but the oval is soaked and possibly another front coming up the hill...

Drive home and the sun comes out and it does not rain again until my evening run... Bugga , live with a shitty decision. Still it could have gone the other way .. comes with the turf.

Power came back on 11am .. ran for 3 miles and enjoyed the wind and the drizzle and the constant mind chatter of "GO Home, Turn around its cold"....

Looking forward to tomorrow and the start of a new week...Just over a month to get into gear for the half ... go baby go..

Barrel on Wombats....

Smashed...

2009-05-22T00:30:00.001-07:00

Tough night.... Thursday 21st Easy warm up 3km around the reserve. The session tonight was 1000m 60 second recovery 500m 60 second recovery 500m 60 second recovery 1000m 2 minute recovery 500m 60 second recovery 500m 60 second recovery 1000m 60 second recovery 500m 60 second recovery 500m Then 3km cool down (12km total session)

Really tough tonight and found a few times that I was really at the limit by the end of the rep.
1000m (3.12) 500m ( 1.33) 500m (1.28) 1000m ( 3.17) 500m (1.33) 500m (1.31) 1000m (3.17) 500m (1.31) 500m (1.27).

Barrel on wombats...

Wombat shivers...

2009-05-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

Out of the Burrow this morning and onto the track...Cold, wet miserable and windy and I LOVED IT!!!!!!!...

The rains have finally arrived and already the air smelt better this morning. Covered my usual 3 mile Kangaroo Rise Circuit this morning. Quads are a little sore but other than that moved well.

Barrel on Wombats.

Wombat works the week...

2009-05-20T05:38:00.001-07:00

OK I am smashed... two runs in a day during the working week. Its been one day and I am already wondering how in the hell I did this all those years ago. I guess I did not have kids but I was still working like the majority of the planet... Its that feeling of waking up tired and going to bed knacked that I seem to have forgotten...

if I had my time again I would not have stopped running (training) in the first place.. The brain gets used to ignoring the body and the body gets used to just going out there and doing it. After a prolonged break the body obviously realises that there is another side to life............ Guess what I would not change it for the world..

This evening I covered another 3 miles at a steady state..

barrel on Wombats

The Wombat's Mornings have started....

2009-05-19T20:35:00.001-07:00

AHHHHH!!! for the past two mornings I have woken up and sat in the dark in my burrow pondering about running and preparing to start running so that I can get 2 runs in a day... As a wombat I rally hate the morning , I mean its snug and warm and cosy under my sheets and outside its cold, lonely and bloody dark....

I want to do it but I ain't looking forward to it.... well this morning I did it and after the usual mental abuse that goes on in my head I was out the door and into the dark...My first 10seconds reaffirmed why I did not enjoy running at this time ..It was dark , it was cold, it was slightly windy which was making it colder and more importantly it felt hard because I was stiff... Still if you want to be a wombat you gotta nut it out and nut is out I did. Along the trails, over honky nuts , along fences over the hills and through a mob of kangaroos I trudged on.. the tempo lifted as I warmed up and suddenly the beanie I was running in was not such a good idea because I was getting hot...
Still I battled on, through the cold and the negative self talk and eventually I was 500m from my burrow I had just about completed 11.4km for a midweek morning run... I had beaten myself and gotten out the door and covered the distance.... yes 46min 16seconds of running 4m3s per km. nothing to set the world on fore but another step in the right direction...

AHHHHH could I do it again tomorrow that is the next challenge. (Wonder if Carter was running this morning?)

Barrel on Wombats

Wombat's next challenge...

2009-05-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

Sibo in answer to your question after the Busso half the wombat's next challenge will be the Perth half marathon.

I feel like I have made a good recovery from my breathing issues, I covered the Busso half and achieved my goal off an interrupted last week and a half lead up so it is now time to up the anti and start to play in Carter's back yard... They say (not sure who they are) that we older wombats lose some of our speed however we tend to maintain an ability over distance in terms of endurance fitness. Well I think I need to try and step up to the plate again and be a fly in the ointment. This gives me a little over a month to toughen up and get some more tempo runs under my belt as well as get back into the hills (along with my puffer)......

I have managed to get back into the routine of getting out every day despite some of the outings only being 1 mile but at the end of the day I still got out there. I plan to get out twice on day on some occasions which will really test the old constitution.... lets see if the shoe fits you out there.

Keep the comments coming and remember the next time we race the feeling that someone is chasing you may just be the wombat getting ready to "Barrel On by" ..Look out Carter I'm chasing!!!!!!!
Barrel on Wombats

How important is self belief ?....

2009-05-13T05:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes even warrior get stuck with the house choirs and this little black duck is not immune. In an effort to keep Mrs Wombat happy and score some brownie points that will allow me to train after work I trudged through a mountain of ironing last night. The trade off for me was I put a DVD on... One of my favourite ones is "GATTACA" starring Jude law, Uma Thurman and Jude law.

What I like about this movie is that it highlights the importance of self belief but more importantly the the role that desire and passion plays in our every day lives. Any of my followers who have seen this film (released in 1997) will know what I am talking about. To anyone who hasn't then it could be worth a viewing ...and its not a running movie.

Without spoiling it for those who may yet want to see it essentially it explores the realms of genetic engineering and parents pre-ordering DNA to assure their children of success. Of course the main character played by Ethan Hawke is one of the last children born without such fortune and later he has a brother who is.

For me the film high lights my deep held belief that desire and passion more than talent are the essential ingredients to achieving success in anything that we choose to do. I have long said that those of us who may be slightly less talented have to work harder than those who are and because of the fact that you have to work for something you tend to appreciate it a lot more that someone who just gets to take something for granted. Now I don't profess to be talentless as an athlete however at the same time I am by no means the most talented athlete around. I will say that I am prepared to work hard to achieve success or more importantly achieve the goals that I set myself. (some may refer to this as a good work ethic). I have raced against and beaten athletes who I consider to be much more talented that I but when the going got tough they found it too hard. For me on the other hand , well I knew what it meant to push... again I am not saying that I was the guts and glory of the running world...nor the wombat world... but the majority of successful people , athletes , business people etc have all had to work hard to get there...

A person who relies purely on talent , as a general rule, tends to take things for granted , they may not necessarily work as hard as the less talented individual so they don't' face hardship in the day to day struggle of their chosen field and so have difficulty in meeting a challenge of blocker when it appears. .. The battler , the person with desire and passion, the one who has to work understands what it takes to get their,they know what hardship is, they understand struggle so to them when the going gets tough its business as usual...

We have all seen both types of people in our travels, this little wombat could share many stories that highlight this point...

What is hard as a wombat warrior is overcoming the prejudices that people demonstrate towards us when they feel you may be exceeding what they perceive as our limits. They feel the need to place their limitations of their expectations of you onto you despite the fact that you may not place the same limitations on yourself....

While one person sees failure as a reason to give up another sees it as a learning opportunity to improve himself... I mean if someone long ago did not have the courage to set sail in a boat despite the fact that many thought the world was flat where would we be today... It is that sort of courage that each of us must find within ourselves to ensure that we reach our full potential as human beings...

A wombat warrior learns not to listen to the restrictions that others may place on us, unless of course that means they are in a car with a siren and we happen to be speeding, because more often than not others try to restrict you because of their own fears of failure...

I have found that if you don't set goals then you never disappoint yourself and if you never disappoint yourself then maybe your just not working hard enough...

Life is not easy , and it is not made easier by the knockers, but sometimes all it takes is a little self belief , a little self confidence and the courage to step out of your comfort zone for you to achieve great things. .... why not give yourself an opportunity to show the world your wombat and set a goal today......

Amazing what you can think about while doing the ironing and watching a DVD isn't it...

barrel on wombats...

Solid Night for the wombat....

2009-05-11T08:40:00.001-07:00

Yeah baby its good to be moving semi well again...

Easy warm up around Hyde park tonight, a lazy three laps of the two lakes followed by some light stretching. A small group for the session which was not a concern because they were all about quality. It was noted prior to the session that a small but rowdy group of drinkers had settled in the park and were preparing to cheer us on. Their words of encouragement , although slurred, were almost inspirational however despite their desire to fornicate with us, something that they expressed rather loudly at times, we all remained focused on the job at hand.

Tonight was about endurance. We were given 3 minutes to run the two lakes and cover as much ground as possible. The first lap was used as a bench mark. At the end of 3 minutes we had 90 seconds recovery. For some this involved a light jog to get back to the initial starting point. For the wombat , well I managed to make my way around the lakes in the time and spent 90seconds sucking air. The aim of the next 5 reps was to cover , at a minimum, the same distance that was covered on the first rep. Obviously as you get tired it becomes harder to maintain the pace and so you work harder to cover the distance and bugger me if the recoveries did not seem to get shorter. It was a tough night..Felt like I coughed up a lung at one stage but it wasn't , only my spleen.

Easy three laps cool down.... Top session of running and things are looking up again.

Barrel on wombats....

May's Wombat training diary...

2009-05-04T00:32:00.000-07:00

Fri 1st 3 miles The Loop

Sat 2nd 13 miles (Busso half : Quads are smashed)

Sun 3rd 3 miles The Loop

Mon 4th 8 miles

Tues 5th 1 miles

Wed 6th 3 miles

Thur 7th 7 miles

Fri 8th 1 mile

Sat 9th 3 miles

Sun 10th 1 mile

Mon 11th 6 miles

Tues 12th 3 miles

Wed 13th 1 mile

Thur 14th 2 miles

Fri 15th 3 miles

Sat 16th 1 mile

Sun 17th 3 miles

Mon 18th 6 miles (6 x 1000m surges gradual build in tempo. 2 minute recovery after 3)

Tue 19th 3 miles

Wed 20th am 7 miles pm 3 miles

Thur 21st am 3 miles pm 6 miles (1000/500/500/1000/500/500/1000/500/500)

Fri 22nd 1 mile

Sat 23rd 3 miles

Month Total 94 miles

The Wombat Achieved the goal...1hr 20m 18sec

2009-05-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

The goal was set prior to my health scare but a wombat is reluctant to back away and once the vet (GP) gave the all clear the feet hit the ground, albeit it gently and tentatively...

My mileage was considerably down in the days leading up to the event however I was covering 3 miles well enough to think that the additional 9 miles would only add a degree of discomfort to my legs rather than any other real problems... The bags were packed and the drive to Busselton began. (For my International followers this is the Southern region of WA and if you ever travel to the state strongly encourage you to explore all that the South has to offer.)

Traffic was a nightmare and I made a mental note to investigate having a small missile launcher attached to the front of my car to blow up those drivers who drive at 90 in a 110 zone then accelerate to 120 in the dual overtake lane so that you need to be doing 14o to get past them. If you can't get past them in the short time that the dual lane operates then you get stuck behind them and they slow to 90 again..... Such a relaxing drive..

Had a dinner of champions at the Placid Ark Road house, Steak burger , Chico roll and a coke...
Through Bunbury and into Busso to catch up with Carter and his mum. Not happy to discover that CALM has completed a controlled burn and smoke has engulfed the town...A quick suck on the puffer. (mental note , don't panic) Pre-race meal of Ham and pineapple pizza then drove out to Dunsborough where I was to stay with Carter's family. Way to go Mrs C , beat sleeping in the back of the car and I could make a coffee in the morning...

Race day arrived and the wombat was restless.. Would I make it? Would I break down? would my breathing play up? Could the Docker's win? So many questions to consider over my morning coffee...

Drove with Carter back to Busso and watched the swimmers come in... Waited for Trevor to finish his swim. He had phoned to tell me he had placed the race number and bag next to the medical tent. I soon discovered that someone had moved it... So much for that plan. Cruised around and organised new number and wrist tag for myself...

Now the waiting game, Trev was 38 minutes in the water and was expecting a 3 hour bike ride so there was no reason to rush my prep.. I decided not to warm up due to my daily runs being only 3 miles . It would mean that not only was I running 9 miles further than I had previously covered in the last 18 days by warming up this would add more mileage to the day and I needed every bit of energy that I had to get through the run. No warm up I would do that on the first lap and ease into the run over the course.. Drank a bottle of Gatorade then lined up for the toilets (too much fluid)...

Walked around the run /bike transition, the sun was up and so too was the temperature, wombats don't like the sun.... Trev came in 3hr 3m for the ride , almost spot on his prediction... Now it was my turn..My goal was to better the 1hr 27 minutes I took last year...

Out the shoot and the nerves were gone, found a rhythm and settled in, waited for breathing issues ....nothing happened, good that side of me should be OK... moving past the field easily, bearing in mind that most of them had already swum and ridden so make a mental note not to tease anyone because they are a lot more tired than you wombat......

Moving well and catching Colin who went out 5 minutes ahead of me... also, mental note keep and eye out for Greg and Jo , mind you Greg would be on his second lap by the time I catch him and Jo will be tough she left well ahead.) There's Colin.... annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd gotcha Colin, quick yarn, some verbal jousting and back to it.

Feels like I could be moving to fast , should know by the time I hit the mat...24m28s first 7km, (3m29s/km) shit too fast.. back off a touch...no bugger it just keep with the pace that you lock into.. Grab some water, damn more up my nose than in my mouth. (mental note, fold cup over next time to limit the pour area. funny used to just do that without thinking.) Heading back down to the far end of the course. past Kathy taking photos (mental note, wonder how long she will sit there for?)
Shit should not have looked up the breakwater does not seem to be getting any closer....bugga.. don't look up.. yeah and don't think of a red elephant.. good one plonka.. Ok back into steady state running...Quick body scan , feeling good, legs (check) arms (check) Quads (ouch) hang in their guys.. hey there is Greg, bugga he is on his last lap, try to catch him anyway, gotcha Greg quick banter then move on...

back up towards the jetty, man this is so tedious up, back up back,, pass a triathlete who looks to be in trouble , poor bastard that is doing it tough " hang in their champ no far"

OK across the mat again, 28m 55s, (4.07/km) shit too slow don't settle into a rut... lift, lift... Look good for the crowd, low five to the little dude with the hat... and back out to the other end again.. you can go under 1h27m... man is this stretch taking long, don't look up...ahhhhh you looked up..
Quads getting heavy, lift again..beauty back to it. Hey there is Jo, keep working and you can get her.

Past Elvis, round the turn and go go go... closing on Jo, keep chasing annnnd gotcha...Jo is stoked well on her way to a PB and less than 2km to go... Move past her and onto the finish. Quads are screaming and basically feeling rooted... maybe not as rooted as he looks but tired just the same.. past Trev down the chute and yes goal achieved 1hr 20 minutes 18 seconds ..(last 7 km in 26m35s 3.47/km) into the queue for food and a hat....

Very pleased with myself , quads are damn sore but calves are brilliant and my breathing caused me no grief..
Next challenge drive home without my legs cramping ... now where is that missile launcher?

Well done to all those who competed on the day some of you really showed the wombat within yourselves and lived to tel the tale.

Barrel on Wombats...

A real Wombat Warrior.....

2009-04-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is in the most unlikely places that we are able to draw inspiration... There are not many reality TV shows that I actually get into but the Australian biggest loser series has been one...

I have watched with up most admiration the struggles of Bob and even went as far as picking him as the winner. What drew me to this guy, what did I see that so many other Australians also saw in him?

It was not his size, although that was the reason he was on the show...

It was not his smile, which apart from when he was busting his guts, was never far from the surface..

It was his down right wombat determination, his never say die attitude and his ability to push himself time and time again...

This series had a few people like that but is was Bob's down to earth approach that won me over. I would sit down with my two young wombats and say to them "this guy is a wombat warrior, he digs deep when the tank is empty and he keeps getting up..."

This series had a number of people that anyone could draw inspiration from and even this old wombat found it fantastic to see people achieving goals each day..

That's what life is about , getting out there and giving it a go... I know I don't want to just have life pass me by, I want to be able to actively participate in it, give it a go so that when I pull myself up onto one arm and say to my mates who have gathered round me that they can "tan me hide when I've died" that it will be something they will be proud to do cause it will be a tough hide not a powdery puff soft and fluffy never been ridden hide...

Anyway I digress... Covered 4 miles tonight and felt pretty good in the process, tomorrow will be a lazy 3 miler and then the Busso half on Saturday which will only mean I am running 9 miles further than I have run in the past 20 days... Should be an interesting outing when I am also keen to do better than the 1hr 27minutes I ran last year... maybe even take Carter on over the distance... BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!

Set yourself a small goal every day and work to achieving it...

Those who can't....try

those who try.... can

those who can...do

Or as Bob said on the biggest loser " There is no try , only do"

Even Yodi said " Do or Do not there is no try"

Barrel on Wombats....

A Followers Feedback......and he was one TSOB.

2009-04-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

It is great to read the comments from followers of the "Wombat Warrior" From time to time I read one that reminds me of Christmas past and today I did just that. I have placed it on this post for all to read however before I do that I should say that the comment came from a runner who I always thought of as tough as nails, when you raced him you were in for a fight....He himself has faced the struggles of coming back from injury and a period of lay off but each time he has given 110%. He was from the era of Jim Langford, John Hambleton, Graham Clews, Ivan Shatford, Clive Hicks and Martin Asmussen to name but a few of the tough bastard brigade... When this crew raced it was blood sweat and tears, it was on for young and old and as a junior they were my inspiration to achieve better results by being able to race them..... I had the pleasure of running often on a Wednesday night with some of this crew, along with Alan Thurlow, for a tempo run and the pace towards the end of the night, as we headed back up ANZAC Bluff to the top car park at Kings Park, was gut wrenching. These guys always made it look easy........SHOW US YOUR WOMBAT

He writes below:

"Wombat The trials of an aging running can be far more arduous than that of the young elite athlete. The hopes an aspirations for future glory can be one hell of a motivator. While the trials and tribulations of a body that just doesn't respond as well as it once did, or a body that has had injuries and problems over many years that are now restrictive, creates a completely different mind set!BUT as long as WE know where we are at and where we want to go there is no reason why we can't be just as focussed and committed to improvement!! The wombat is and has always been one tough little bugger and the latest obstacles won't slow him down for long. The wombat is a champion. This old 'almost was' is still motivated and on his 54th come back after injury. To be or not to be a runner? The answer is simple- To be!"

Thanks for the feed back and input followers be you anonymous or identified...Remember each of us has the wombat inside of us it just needs the right circumstances for it to shine in all its glory...

Barrel on wombats...

The Challenge is always there....

2009-04-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

Everything is a challenge....Very pleased with the fact that I have got out every day since starting up again after getting the clearance with blood tests but still feel that something is not quite right, you know that feeling you get just before something goes wrong.... yeah no neither do I.

Regardless my runs are better but I still get short of breath when I need to work a hill and its not the feeling of " This is tough and I'm not fit" its a feeling of " Why can't I draw a full breath" .. I am running over the top and down the other side then using the down hill to get the air back but it really puts me under for 5-10 minutes...

Anyway ran steady last night very late due to the young wombats football training , then it was my turn to cook so I headed out the door at 7.45pm into the dark abyss...

Tuesday was a solid 3 miler again around the Wedge tail and Kangaroo Rise....

The Busso Half will be interesting. Now that I am clear to run I can fulfill my commitment to a fellow athlete and complete the running leg after he has done the swim and the bike.. My goal , apart from finishing is to make sure I beat the 1h27minutes that I allegedly ran last year over the same course.. Time will tell then I can tell those of you who happen to want to read these ramblings of a wombat warrior.

Barrel on Wombats...

The Wombat is stoked...

2009-04-27T05:17:00.000-07:00

Another two runs and going well.

Sunday's run was a late one because I had to take the young wombats to the movies, holiday promise (Monsters V Aliens 3D), anyway this meant running three laps of the 1700m block loop so that I could see in the dark... I know that I could have run in the morning but it would have to have been very early with junior football starting for my oldest.

Tonight was a session at Hyde park. I simply ran with a few surges and covered 4 miles with no hiccups...

I am really enjoying running again but I can sense a little drop in fitness..

Barrel on wombats...