A real Wombat Warrior.....

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.

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....

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...

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...

The wombat eases back with a PB....

yeah I know the doc said gradually build up however " A field that has rested gives a beautiful crop" and I have most certainly, albeit stress fully, rested...

My second run since starting up again and a few niggles that will eventually settle down I am sure. Ran the usual 3 mile loop (actually 5.2km circuit) around my burrow and again after a shaky start I soon settled into a good running rhythm. Breathing was very good today and the less I thought about it the better it was.. Like I said yesterday it will take a while to get the head right but every good run will build on the next.

Got up both rises without any real concerns so just continued at the pace I set.

Covered the 3miles in 19m 36s (3m46s/km)

I am hoping that I can at the very minimum maintain this for the Busso half where i will be running the 21.1 running leg for a fellow wombat who is doing the swim and cycling leg..

barrel on wombats...

The Wombat takes a tentative step...

Tonight I took my first tentative Steps in 9 days...I made it back alive and I'm writing this so things are looking good. The problem that I found was that for the entire 3 miles I was fighting with myself in my head. The self talk went a bit like this;

" Feeling good, steady , steady don't over do it ..... Am I breathing? Yeah things seem OK....Shit a little breathless... no its in my head... you are you're head you idiot... no really listen to me, I feel a little breathless.... Yeah OK your right not fantastic but moving and feel in control... how far do you reckon you've gone...800m ... oh boy this is gonna be a long run.... stay focused , you knew it would be a fuzzy start, always is after an injury and this is like an injury... Harden up!!!
OK here comes a hill now don't push it just get over it... not great but did not stop... up and over well done, .. Bugga still not comfortable in drawing a full breath , just does not feel right.. come on see it through."

At this point I had made it well past halfway and was on the second last climb of the run where I got half way up and had to back off: (the head talk continued)

"What are you doing soft ?#@$.. you don't stop on a hill... you do if you can't breath... yeah but you can breath...well it feels like I can't, no your right keep going up and over, don't let the sle ftalk defeat you... see you made it, piece of piss nearly home"

Got home and felt OK but nothing flash. I know that this will be a long journey and once I get my confidence back I'll be fine.....

He's back

3 miles 20minutes 22seconds.

Barrel on Wombats...

Where will the journey lead us?...

Reading the comments that came back after my last post it seems that many of us have been in or know someone who has been in such a situation...

Life is a bit like this picture in that we can see that the track goes off into the bush but after that who knows where it will lead us.

In lance Armstrong's book he sought many opinions until he found someone who was prepared to try alternative procedures and the rest is history. Now I am not saying that we are all Lance Armstrong nor am I saying that all outcomes will be as fortunate but the point is that if you are not happy with something then you need to look for an alternative solution. This is very true when it comes to diagnosis of issues that we will all face from one time or another.

I have seen athletes perform well above what people thought they were capable of just because they decided that today was the day. Life is like that and running or sport in general for that matter is one big example of life. In my own case running taught me about work ethic. What you put in is what you get out. That is if you don't run you don't improve (simple version)

I know that it is a cliche but at the end of the day we are not on the planet for a very long time so I feel it is important that we enjoy life and work to achieving what ever potential we have in what ever pursuit we choose to follow. Find your passion and pursue it. That alone takes great courage because along the way you will always find someone who is prepared to knock what you are trying to do or put up blockers for you. At the same time there are people who want to come along for the journey because it looks like it could be fun and they want to be a part of it.

I always try to surround myself with positive people and people who are about having fun ( not at the expense of others or others rights but fun in the sense of they are getting on with life ) and in this way when the going does get tough I can use some of their energy to get through the tough patches and visa versa I can feed them when they need to be propped. I remember talking with Deeks once and he spoke of there being three kinds of people:

• Floaters


• Suckers and


• pumpers.

The floaters are people you spend time with who are nice to be around you can be with them for a whole day but not really get anything out of the encounter while at the the same time the encounter does not take anything out of you. The suckers are those people that draw the energy out of you , you spend an hour with them and it feels like you have been with them for a week, they just drain you. Then there are the pumpers, these are the people who you spend time with and come away from the encounter feeling like you could conquer the world...

When I was a young wombat and only starting out as a runner I was told by a person, whom shall remain nameless, that I would only every make a good club runner and not do much more, poor form wrong style. Fortunately for me I enjoyed running so continued on my merry way and went on to represent my country in the very sport I was told I would not do well at. (passion more than talent are the essential ingredients to achieving success). Fortunately also I met a person who gave me guidance and a program that let me develop myself and from that I progressed. In other words they gave me the tools to reach my potential but the rest was up to me in terms of doing the work....

Charlie Brown once said "The heaviest burden in the world is great potential"

Each of us has potential and its up to us to realise that potential in our own way , at our own pace and in our own time. What that actual potential is or what the ceiling on an individuals potential no one knows but hey, I bet it would be fun trying to find that out , isn't that what life is all about?

Barrel on Wombats...

The age of the Wombat...

So as we get older we get slower, as we get older we should stop pushing and even slow down....Let me think about this one...Thought about it and the wombat has come to the conclusion that its bullshit...!!!

I believe that as you get older just keep doing what you are doing, your body will slow you down if it thinks it can't do it... As as we get older I think some of us get tougher. I know that I can cope with a lot more discomfort now than I could when I was a younger athlete. I don't know if that is a strength thing or a stubbornness thing or maybe its just me, but I would love to have been paid a dollar for every time I heard someone say "She's a tough old girl." or " He's a tough old bastard" I can think of two runners who were tough as nails in fact Jim Langford who the Wombat Warrior admires considerably still is one of the toughest bastards I have had the pleasure of running against. He still competes and whenever you see him on the start line you know that he will be in the lead group somewhere. He's just tough. Anne Shaw , who is no longer with us , also falls into that tough as nails category and even in my prime I had to work if I warmed up with her she just ran flat out.

When I went to hospital the other day and saw the doctor he said that because I am getting older I should remember that I can't push myself like I used to and that you should not expect to be able to go as hard on yourself as you once used to... Now I understand that this doctor does not know me and given that we were in emergency did not know my medical history or life history however ever he did know I was 42 and he was telling me to slow down I can only imagine that if I was 50 he may have told me to make sure I had a nap at midday too. (maybe a little harsh.) Now on the Tuesday I got in to see my own GP and said to him " Maybe I need to slow down a little and not do as much" his response...." Why? I think that is what some people say to justify why they do less and then ultimately they do even less" Way to go doc!!!! In other words keep doing what your doing and enjoy doing what you are doing...

This morning I went to my mail box out the front of my burrow and inside was the latest 'Runner's World ' magazine and inside it was an article on getting older as a distance runner..Now while it did say that as you get older your max heart rate drops it went on to say that there was no reason why as you get older you cant keep running Pbs over the longer distances.. Sure I am going to lose a little bit of my speed and so the 10k might slow but I don't need to maintain a 2.50k rating to run a 2.10 marathon...

Maybe the universe it tuned into my doubtfulness at present and so I am getting all these signs to say age is in the mind but at least it gives us older wombats the kind of inspiration we need to get out there and continuing to give it our all. Sure as hell beats lying down and watching the world go by, I'd rather be and active participant...

So those older wombat warriors don't despair there is plenty of fight left in you yet, and if you ever line up and see Jim Langford standing on the line I hope your prepared to give 100% because he gives 110%..

Remember set your goal, plan a strategy then go for it. If it does not work out then before throwing in the towel look at your strategy maybe you need to revise it then you can try again... If you expect to fail I doubt whether you will disappoint yourself.... There are those who will use defeat as a learning tool while there are others who will use it as a reason to stop ... which one will you be

Barrel on wombats...

Wombats train to succeed...

Whether we realise it or not we all set goals. Some of us are vocal about these goals while others choose to keep them personal. The disadvantage of making a goal public is that this adds a degree of pressure to the achievement of it.

By simply saying I am going to run to get fit you are setting a goal. many of us fail to achieve our goals not because we are not capable but simply because we failed to plan. The old saying "We don't plan to fail we fail to plan" holds very true.

Step one.

•Set a goal/Select the race.
•Identify barriers to achievement of the goal.
•Plan the program.
•Do the time.

Next ask yourself what are the barriers to me achieving this goal? These can include but are certainly not limited to those listed below.

•Days that I can train.
•Times that I can train.
•How long I can train for.
•Family commitments.
•Work commitments.

Once these are thought through Organise your training program and remember to...

•Be flexible with your program.
•Set aside an appropriate time of the day for training.
* Does it fit in with other commitments.
* Is it a time when I feel like training.
* Do I need to have a variety of times to train on differing days.

Now plan away and enjoy your journey.

Barrel on Wombats....

Climbing the walls....

Its been nearly a week now of no running or exertive type of exercising and I am climbing the walls....

While I know that I wont lose all my fitness and in some regards I may actually run better after this break it does not make it any easier. I am still having bouts of breathlessness and I am really looking forward to the final test results so that, hopefully, I can get some answers. Either way at the very least I may be able to get the nod to start physical activity again.

Yesterday I presented at the WAMC distance running seminar and I made a point about surrounding yourself with professionals that you trust. Doctors, physio, masseurs etc. The reason being is that you need to value and and believe what they are telling you when it comes rest and recovery. My doctor knows my history and knows what I do. He also knows that for me to rest or rather stop running is like saying to me I am going to amputate your arm. However because I trust him in terms of my health I know that if he is telling me not to run then he means don't run and he will out line the reasons for it..

Hopefully I will be able to get back on the trails soon and get back to doing what I love ...running...

Barrel on wombats.

Beware the dark side young Wombat....

I am soooooo weak.... Having not run since Tuesday I am climbing the walls and the feeling of guilt is incredible. I had established a routine of sorts, my eating habits had stabilised and I was on a positive cycle... how quickly all that changes....

In the last two days all I can hear is the calling of chocolate from the fridge and of course after much debate in my head I weakened (every time) to the dark side and ATE IT UNTIL IT WAS ALL GONE....... "I am not an animal I am a human being" I have become an eating machine, even my dog is afraid to stand still for tool long in case I try to take a bite out of her.... probable tastes like chicken???

The internal struggle between good and evil is such a tough battle. I am not allowed to do much more than walk, and not even briskly, until the results of my tests are back in. I feel like sneaking a sprint in to the letter box just so it feels like a run but I don't want to jeopardise my health further. I think not knowing is the worst bit..

Well thought I would touch base... many thanks to all the well wishers of the Wombat Warrior... Maybe I am be made to learn a lesson from all this or maybe its a test of the wombat resolve, time will tell...

Barrel on wombats....

Wednesday 15th.....The Wombat is restless

Thanks for the feedback Donna and Sibo, The hard bit is that I have started to get into some type of shape and was ready for the next step...

The clinic took more blood from me today than I believed I actually had so if they are gonna find something I am sure its in one of those vials.

Being ordered not do do any physical activity is the tough bit however I do know that Wombats like to sleep so maybe I can fall back onto that for something to do. Still doing the calf raises and drops and the stretching in an effort to make sure that I don't get too slack. Was told that I could walk however Mrs Wombat gave me a look that could have turned water to ice when I suggested that I would go walking instead. (In a brief version her response to this was it may be best just to rest up and see what comes of the tests.)

Barrel on Wombats...

Tuesday 14th Wombat in trouble...

It looks like the road is going to be a long one... My dad often said to me either "what does not kill you makes you stronger" and " It all builds character" Well I reckon I should be the strongest person alive and secondly I have that much character I feel like a comic book.

What I did not say in my entry yesterday was that during the run I became short of breath again on a small rise but I got this sorted and continued on, you know the rest..

The trouble is it took me quite a while to recovery from the run and in the early afternoon I became short of breath while working in the garden ( I could not draw a deep breath).. This was not an asthma attack of that I am sure, nor were the few other instances that I experienced earlier in the week.. I became dizzy and disorientated and had to call for an ambulance. Really scary stuff. Anyway saw the doc on Monday and ran some simple tests but nothing conclusive Heart rate 51 blood pressure 120 over 76 according to the ambos. At the hospital the ECG said things were normal and the heart rate was a steady 39...

Last night was woeful and had to sleep propped up...Got about four hours sleep and even watched water skiing at about 2am this morning. Went for and easy three miles this morning and 500m into the run was sweating like a pig and short of breath again. had to stop 4 times during the run and it was a lot slower than yesterday's effort.

At 12.30 I still felt bloody ordinary and managed to get in and see my GP... He ran through number of possible scenarios and has given me a barrage of blood tests that I will get done tomorrow. One concern that he has it that it could be a virus and if this is the case then the heart is an issue.. For this reason there is to be no exertion until conclusive tests can be provide some answers....SHIT BUGGA BUM! Finally established a routine and have now been ordered not to exert myself.. Anyway Wombat followers I am building character and getting stronger.....

Looks like I can watch the sessions just can't do them... Will keep you posted.

Barrel on Wombats....

Monday 13th.....World record

Morning session..... Blowing a gale around the burrow this morning, has been since yesterday morning. Woke feeling really good and to top it off the right Achilles was not reminding me that it was a part of my body.
Did my 90 calf raises and drops at level one for the rehabilitation program. (thanks for this Jo) and then headed out of the burrow for a light morning run before the session tonight...

Started out easy but felt good, too good, picked up the tempo and skipped along a little faster.. Was stoked that I was feeling this good on a morning run, I'm a wombat I hate mornings being an evening creature when I find I just travel better over the ground.. I came out of the track and hit the bitumen. Another glance at the watch, up on time, this was good. Kick down a little more.. Out past Wedge tail Road through the round about and up over Kangaroo Rise back onto the gravel. Now I was heading into the wind. Thinks Wombat, I'm low to the ground , the wind is not an issue. Another glance at the watch. Oh yeah this is going to be a PB for the course.. (Steady on big fella the session is tonight) No bugga that I might not feel this good again over this course. Head down arse up (toughened arse that is).. Down off the gravel and through the round about, left past the winery (wonder when that will be opening, wonder what the wine will taste like) come on concentrate slack your on a world record for the course. Down Beacon Road and onto the gravel again, surge just before the hill past the little dogs... 3..2..1.. and out they come barking, like the scene from American Flyer's the speed session starts, you'll never catch me you canine fiends your legs are to small and today I'm much too fast. Over the rise and onto the bitumen, I can smell my burrow, so close. Hard right and I climb again, glance at the watch, yeah baby (gonna pay for this tonight)its on.. back out into the wind and out into the open as I start the final 300m leading back to the burrow... I can hear the crowd , the sound system, the cheering, the chanting. "wombat...Wombat...Wombat" go baby go...

Through the line between the burrow's letter box and the road marker. yes PB, world record for the course 20m 12 sec (3miles)..The wombat prances, he dances and he pumps his little fists.. (Man you are gonna pay for that tonight)..Just for the record Haile was second over the line , DeCastella third and Carter came in 4th... Gotta love it when your in the zone...remember to have fun

Barrel on Wombats...

The Wombat's April Training Log...

April's Training Log....

Wed 1st 2miles
Thurs 2nd 7 miles (session)
Fri 3rd 2 miles
Sat 4th 2 miles
Sun 5th 10 miles (Bridges)
Mon 6th 6 miles (Achilles sore)
Tues 7th 2 miles (Achilles Stiff)
Wed 8th 2 miles
Thurs 9th 6 miles (session)(Started Achilles strengthening program)
Fri 10th 3miles
Sat 11th 3miles
Sun 12th 15miles (am)

Mon 13th 3 miles (am)Into Emergency Shortness of breath

Tues 14th 3 miles(am) Saw GP No physical exertion Activities limit to walking

Wed 15th (No run) Blood tests

Thur 16th (No run)

Friday 17th (No run)

Sat 18th (No run)

Sun 19th (No run)

Mon 20th (No run)

Tues 21st (No run)

Wed 22nd (No run)

Thur 23rd (No run) Blood tests clear, no indication of viral infection however Spiro test indicates that my asthma medication needs to be reviewed. Now on 400mg Symbicort twice a day. All indications pointed to Asthma issue which concerned me due to the suddenness of the attack and the fact that on the Sunday I had no medication out on the run. Given the all clear to start running but gradual build up and carry medication with me on runs. Review in 6 weeks.

Fri 24th 3 miles First run since speaking with GP

Sat 25th 3 miles (wedgetail loop)

Sun 26th 3 miles (3 laps of the loop)

Mon 27th 4 miles (Hyde Park session)

Tues 28th 3 miles (wedgetail loop)

Wed 29th 3 miles (wedgetail loop)

thurs 30th 4 miles (yokine)

Month's Total 89 miles

The Wombat Goes Long....Sunday Run

Sunday 12th am.. Helena Valley: Ventured out of my burrow and drove down to Helena valley to run with the young gun Carter. Pace was steady throughout, in fact it was tough. What made it harder was watching Carter cover the distance like it was a walk in the park. (Secretly was looking for a rock to through at him but I am too busy trying to breathe and keep up). Went out along the lower pipeline from the bottom of the bitumen, although Carter ran from the school to the bottom, to the climb that joins the Helena trail with the Kep track or heritage trail. Turned right and headed back down along this into Darlington, Boya then across the quarry and back up to Clayton road before heading back to our starting point.

Had to reach for the puffer a couple of times on some of the climbs but at least this time I had it with me, starting to wonder if there is some other underlying health issue or maybe its just that out in the valley at the moment its just not conducive for people with asthma to be running.. My legs tired a little towards the closing stages and the last 20 minutes were tough going despite it being downhill. This is also the longest run I have done in my orthodics.. Achilles faired well and I completed my 90 heel drops at level 1 this morning. Have to do these again tonight…Distance 15 miles.


Barrel on Wombats

Friday and Saturday runs....

Hang'n in there...


Friday 10th.
Achilles is still stiff and movement through the right heel is restricted. Made a conscious effort not to limp which was difficult despite the fact that there was no pain.. Covered my minimum distance of 3 miles.

Saturday 11th..
am Run.. Ran through Kangaroo Rise while my two young wombats rode their bikes.. Slower than usual for the distance but good to be out. The Achilles was a little freer today , possibly a result of some serious stretching. Started an Achilles regime this morning that will require calf raises and drops am and pm for the next 12 weeks. 3 miles
Did my 90 heel drops at level one both am and pm (180 for the day…Ouch!!)

Barrel on Wombats...

The Wombat never say's die.... Wednesday/Thursday runs

Wednesday 8th. Another mind game and while the achilles is stiff at least its not sore..Covered the token 2 miles that is the standard minimum..
Thursday 9th. Yokine session with the group. Easy 3km warm up around the reserve then a solid speed session. Tonight was solid and a test for the leg which turned out to be OK. I am now running with my orthopedics in my shoes. At the present time I am nursing a blister the size of Tasmania. The blister being a bit like Tasmania at the 1982 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in that I know its there but I am trying to ignore it. My achilles was not sore during the session but it was tight and stiff..(more on this later).
Tonight was good to watch, everyone worked hard to stay strong and solid throughout and watching athletes suck in air like it was a gift from the Gods showed that all were doing it tough.(bring on the wombat).
The session started long and progressively got shorter and faster.
1200m (3m44s) (1m30s recovery)
800m (2m32s) (75sec recovery)
800m(2m30s) (75 s recovery)
400m(1m23s) (60s recovery)
400m (1m23s)(60s recovery)
400m (1m18s)(60s recovery)
200m x 4 with 45 s recovery (36s,34s,32s,32s)
Easy 3km cool down
(6mile night)
Happy with the session but as I keep saying still a bloody long way to go...At the moment I feel I lack in all aspects, speed, endurance and speed endurance as well as strength. I know that this will come but like a kids who is waiting for Christmas it never comes fast enough. Why can't it be like a rocky movie ...4 months of effort , bloody sweat and tears compacted into a 3 minute compilation segment..(All good things come to those who wait.)

Have a good Friday followers and a safe and festive Easter...Spend some with your families and like the wombat try and sneak out of the burrow to get your run in without upsetting Mrs Wombat :)).

Barrel on wombats....

Tuesday and the Wombat tests the resolve...

I am coming to realise that its not the body that is the issue as we get older , its the continual banter that goes on in your head when its time to do something that the body does not really want to do.. I know that like these steps its a bloody long way to the top but getting there is what makes you appreciate the view that so much more once your there.

Don't get me wrong there are things that I know will be bloody tough when it comes time to doing them and I know I still have a long way to go however at this point in time I feel that anything is possible as long as I give myself a chance and don't sabotage my own efforts. Yes we are our own worst enemies at times...

As the Doig Myster tells me "Rome was not built in a day , nor are come backs" Very deep from one so young maybe he is more than just a damn good torturer sorry I mean massage therapist.

Tonight went out and covered the minimum 2 miles for the night, not happy but again, and I keep saying it, at least I put the shoes on and got out the door. More than I was doing three months ago.... My right achilles has recovered well after an easy night last night and a pathetic but token gesture tonight.(stay focused old man) I am constantly reminding myself about the reasons as to why I run rather than considering the pain and locking onto the negatives, as hard as this is at times. I do this because I know that if I give myself a good enough reason I may just lay down and stop trying again... Shit if you want inspiration just watch Bob on the biggest loser ( he has wombat built into him)...

Remember others can only inspire us, motivation comes from within.. give yourself a reason to day and get out there and "show us your wombat"

Barrel on wombats...

Wombats got the blues....Monday run

For me this was always one of the toughest couple of weeks....The weeks after I had achieved my goal or after my target race.. I always found it a little tough to make the mind shift from what I'd just done and move onto my next plan..My coach always sat down with me and we went through and planned what we were doing and where we hoped to go. During this process I established both long and short term goals..However I never found the jump to the next goal easy and was always keen to have a sustained celebration... I guess at the end of the day if it was easy everyone would do it.

For me it meant not going off the rails. In my case as a younger athlete that meant not partying hard, staying out late or hitting the drink. It also meant not going stupid with eating anything that was not secured in a safe .(love my food) . As I get older this is still not easy...
Sunday was my target race and Sunday afternoon I had several beers and binged on chocolate (I am soooooooo weak its pathetic) Tonight I found that the last thing I actually wanted to do was train but once again the bloody mind games start... It helped that I was meeting people because it meant I have made a commitment to them so I have to be somewhere at a certain time, it did not help that my right achilles is quite sore/stiff and I had to nurse it while running..

I did pull the pin on doing the session but I got to the meeting place earlier and ran alps of the lakes (5 miles for the day)... This already puts me ahead of last year because I did not run the day after the Bridges in 2008 due to the calf strain / cramp...

Still tonight I sat down with a piece of cheese the size of a car battery and munched away while having a Milo, yeah i know not a great combination but I do so love cheese).

So where to now for the wombat warrior???? Well I have made a commitment to a friend for Busso and so will be running the running leg of the event while he churns through the water and spins through the bike...that gives me the rest of April to build up again and get some considerable strength to enable me to feel confident over the distance.. My Goal for this one, apart from finishing...... beat the 1hr 27 minutes that it took me last time...

I guess I will see you all out there soon.I guess too that it might be time to shed a tear again and ring the 'Doig Myster' .. bugga I'm already sweating thinking about it.

Barrel on wombats.....

Lucky Wombats have hard arses.....

A day of mixed emotions.... Firstly a big thanks to Bob Braid for saving the Wombats day as it nearly ended before it began...Thanks Bob.

Saturday was an easy 2 miles around my burrow and more stretching.. This morning began at 5am with a shower , two pieces of Vegemite toast and a white coffee with two sugars... sat at the table contemplating the day's racing.

A very light 2 mile warm up and some stretching..I felt really good and confident of a solid performance. My race plan was to lock into 3.15k pace which , if all went well would get me home 32.30..(that was the plan) I actually felt fitter than last year despite the long runs being down and the Wednesday tempo run missing (I would pay for this during the race).

Lined up feeling confident and having not brought my racing shoes there was no way I was going to make a wrong shoe choice this year. I was also determined not to go through the first km in under 3 minutes.. (fatal)

On the gun established a good rhythm however I always find the first km hard to gauge due to the adrenalin and atmosphere. I got the 1st Km in 3.09. The race leader Courtney Carter was already exerting himself on the field and watching him move I felt sure that he would be unchallenged throughout the race. (this turned out to be the case). Busso was chasing as was a young lad from Trinity and Kengi was showing that he well deserves the title of a "wombat Warrior".
Todd Ingraham, dymnicki, Simon Coates and Hamish Mcelwee were all in the mix but establishing their own tempos.

Hit 2km in 6.28 (3.18k) and felt ok and through 3km in 9.47 (3.19) . over the bridge and some places were changing but I could see that the main players were settled and beginning their runs proper. Busso had a short lived dip at Carter and Kenji tried to hang on but this was short lived. The gap would go on to increase between Busso and Carter and Kenji chased but was eventually caught by Ingraham and Dymnicki who worked together through to 8 km.

Between 3 and 4km Hamish and Coates surged past me and despite trying to go nothing happened. Ok I was not going to be able to accelerate quickly but I could wind it up. Through the 4km and a 3.31km split , bugga I was slowing. At this point I should have dug in (a real wombat would have) and pushed up out of the tempo that I was settling into in an effort to get up to a higher rating. ( this is something that I tell other runners for a little effort to stay on the pack you save a lot of energy later) through 5km and another 3.31 km (16.51 half way) the 6,7 and 8k splits would go 3.30, 3.33, 3.34.

Coming into the 5km point I caught a runner I was unfamiliar with as well as passing the young Trinity runner. This put me into 8th position, 4 places down on where I was last year at the same point. The huge bonus was I had no indication at all that I was going to cramp.. I chased hard, or so I thought but did not seem to be closing on Hamish Mcelwee or Simon Coates. Kenji was still working with Ingraham and Dymnicki. I could not see Busso and Carter was gone.

Through the approach to the causeway I got a sense that if I could just pick up the tempo a little more i might tag onto the back of Mcelwee then together we could work up onto Coates. This would not be the case.

As I went up onto the causeway I used the corner to glance over my shoulder.. No threats from behind me as that runner was looking back on the straight. this told me that he was more concerned with not losing his place rather than chasing me. My thoughts raced and I gave myself a little kick " come on soft XXXX dig" hit 9km with a 3.24split and finished with a 3.17. Giving me a time (my watch) 34m10s. This was 6 seconds slower than last year... shit.!(I will wait for the official time but I wont be holding my breath)
Last year Hamish ran 33.50 and Dymnicki was 33.59.. So I know that they have run considerably faster and this year Dymnicki was ahead of Mcelwee but he could not out kick Ingraham.

While I most definitely finished a lot stronger than last year I was over all disappointed with the time and the place..The positives were that i am back in a state where I can race without fear of breaking down... I finished the race and I feel that I can start to be competitive.(bring on your wombat)

On further reflection my Wednesday runs will now become a regular item in my diary and the Sunday long run will now need to sit up at 90minutes.. I found that I just could not sustain the pace that was required and I felt that this was due to my lack of long sustained pace runs.. Even though my reps in training have stepped up a notch I need to move the recoveries to an active recovery rather than a passive one and I most definitely need to get race fit...Something the young Kenji the hunter is doing well.


Splits
1: 3.09
2: 3.18
3: 3.19
4: 3.31
5: 3.31
6: 3.30
7: 3.33
8: 3.34
9: 3.24
10:3.17

Easy cool down with Carter..
Well done to the WAMC for once again putting together a great race. Thanks to all the officials and volunteers for giving up their time. Also to all the runners who got out there today and gave it their all in the 5 or 10k event..I know that there were some fantastic examples of the Wombat being displayed.....

Thanks also to Sibo and Trailbalzer for your encouragement on the blog..

Barrel on Wombats......

The Wombats Choking...

Went out for the easy 4 miles and felt like absolute crud...Cut the run back to 2 miles, not stressed because at this point it is impossible to get any fitter in the two days prior to the event...

Like the surfer on this wave I can feel the carnage that is ready to engulf me if I let the head games win... Sunday will need to be a controlled start to make sure I keep myself out of trouble early.... Steady steady wins the race or in my case achieves the goal.

Plenty of stretching while watching the idiot box....

Trying really hard not to choke....

Barrel on wombats....

Wombat Warriors take up your arms....

Thursday night was a really good pre-race session...A solid 2 km surge then 2 x 1km and 4 x 500m all with 90second recovery.. The 2k was just shy of 7 minutes and the ks went 3.12 and 3.07 the 500s were 1.26 even .. This tells me that I am in a semi decent state for the Bridges or at least it looks good in my diary..... a solid 7 mile night.

The next two day's running (tonight and tomorrow) will be very easy turn over runs just to keep things ticking over... Tonight I will cover 4 miles and do some really good stretching and then tomorrow I will run early morning to give myself almost 24hr before the race over the 10km distance...

My nerves are churning and I have a hit list in my pocket but you will have to wait until Sunday to read about the out come..

To all you wombat warriors good luck with your weekend of running be it the Bridges Fun run, Hillary's triathlon or over at Geelong (go Jason show us your wombat) good luck and good racing... remember that like the wombat when the going gets tough DIG DEEP...

Barrel on Wombats...

The Wombat thanks his followers...

Sometimes I feel like this frog trying to look comfortable but not quiet being comfortable yet....

Thanks to all the followers of the 'Wombat Warrior.' Donna, Trailblazer , Raf, your comments are noted and appreciated ... its the little things that sometimes make the biggest difference..

Barrel on Wombats

Wombat's worry....

AHHHHHH...!!!! As I said a post ago the old race routines come back pretty quickly..Last night was a token 2 miles from my burrow...felt bloody awful and of course currently going through the "do I think I can race" quandary...

Just happy that I got out the door, last night was a real struggle, knackered before the run...

Barrel on wombats...