On The Road

There is a moment in every marathon I have run, where I really question whether I can carry on, if I have the strength to complete my goal, if my body will hold up to the job. This year, it came before halfway. In my first attempt running a trail marathon, it came just as the sun was setting over the beautiful Glasshouse Mountains that surrounded me. I had re-joined the correct trail after spending 15 mins running in the wrong direction. That question came after I was no longer in third position and, if I was to finish the race, I would now have to run more than a marathon, and further than I have ever run before. My spirits dropped and the humid air was slowing my run to a trot. I considered how I felt at that moment and how I would feel in an hour or two. I ran, I walked. I had decided to throw in the towel when I got back to the halfway mark.

 I signed up to run the Austrailia Day Marathon (great pun) organised by Run Queensland which is set amongst a dramatic backdrop of mountain and forest in Queensland’s Glasshouse Mountains National Park. It starts and finishes next to Mt Beerwah and circles the magnificent mountain ominously throughout. Undulating wildly at times, with walking being the only option in many places, this is a tough course. Footing was often sandy and it was the first time I had carried my own backpack with water and food. The race was also starting at 4.30pm so at least half of it would be run in the dark, so I had my head torch stowed away as well. I had had a pretty good training period running in the bush during day and night so I was confident I could finish. A couple of long runs with ultra-marathoner friend Will Thames in and around Brisbane had given me a bit of time on my feet in the past month.

 At the halfway mark I thought I had perhaps had enough, I was drained by the heat and I was imagining an easy night eating sausages and drinking beer. After a 5 minute refuel, a pep talk by my wife Kathleen and a moment to realise I was still physically fine, I decided that I would push on and do my best to complete my 5th marathon.

 As I set off for the second half, I felt a little refreshed and I had a desire to endure whatever pain I would go through to get to the end. Once I had made that decision, the run became easier, I became stronger and more relaxed and there was a good period of the race where the pistons were all firing, I either ran with others or alone and I was moving well. The checkpoints were all fantastic, the people who man them are legends and really do help the runners get home. The watermelon, cola, and mosquito spray were particularly refreshing.

 It got tough at around 27k when I started to cramp, after a few stretches I continued on and at times moved well, but I would be reduced to a slower pace not through lack of energy but a calf muscle cramping which was frustrating and even comical at times. I kept going, following the fluorescent markers that I counted off every time I could see them. I ran most of the second half alone, overtaking a few runners from the marathon and walkers from the half marathon. I had a particularly good run from around 32 to 37k where I discovered the last checkpoint. I didn’t wear a watch, I didn’t want to worry about pace, only effort and navigation in the dark. I did have a GPS in my bag but the battery died at some point. I would anticipate that I finished my marathon somewhere at the bottom of a deep gully on a trail know affectionately as The Dungeon.

 It was on these last 5k of hills, scrambling, stumbling, walking and running, through that rabbit warren of water-carved sandstone trail that I had a feeling of complete and utter devotion to completing this run and a feeling I only get when I have pushed myself further than I thought possible, if I can do this, if I can finish this, I can do anything.

 I did finish, I ran over the line and I smiled and cheered. It had taken me 4h:52m and I had finished in 7th overall. The biggest satisfaction was really in finishing such an adventure and proudly telling this tale.

 I would like to finish by saying thanks to the devoted organisers and helpers of this event, Run Queensland, who passionately gave their time and energy to help others achieve great things and learn so much about themselves. Events such as this really do have such a positive atmosphere, and I take my hat off to everyone out there who volunteers to help people achieve their goals. It is enticing to go beyond what we know to be comfortable, if you dare, it can bring great adventure, new found confidence, refreshed spirit and new life. 

We are back in Queensland after 6 weeks of traveling. A glorious time spent catching up with friends and family in different pockets of the U.K, Ireland and America. Long summer days interlaced with wedding celebrations and first sightings of new babies, new dogs and first houses. Life moving forward, enjoying subtle changes, people renewed by new love, new work or the solid comfort of life unchanged since we last connected and it was as if time stood still.  

 Running always travels alongside. Without structured training or any races to work towards, it was a time to enjoy lacing up the trainers wherever we were and nipping out to explore a new landscape or rediscover favourite places to run.

 We ran in Dublin along the bay past the brave swimmers who dipped as the wind howled across the water. We celebrated our best friends’ wedding with mountains of cake, lobster bisque, folk tunes, funk and hearty Guinness.

 On our homecoming to Suffolk we returned in time to run a 10k through the sun drenched lanes of the Waveney Valley. The Bungay Black Dog Summer Series was a great success with Kathleen and I both achieving a PB, myself placing in the top 10 in 36:12. I drank ale and sneezed through June as I always do, we had a wedding BBQ of our own and celebrated with friends and family. We ran through the barley fields late in the evening listening to the sound of blackbirds and the gentle, warm wind in the oaks, I closed my eyes and tried to capture in my memory this peaceful and idyllic scene to take with me. We finished our time in East Anglia with a parkrun by the sea, chatting afterwards over bacon sandwiches and cups of builder’s tea, even putting my toes in the chilly water.

 We went on to New York, another extravaganza, my cousin’s wedding and big family celebrations. Two weeks, long hot days in the city and upstate New York. We ran a 5k in a park in Manhattan by the Hudson, busy city race, 13th place. Great atmosphere, until the winner was surrounded by flashing lights and cops. Two girls complained that he pushed past them on a path, “call the NYPD!” His defence, how could he stop? He was going too fast, he was in the lead. The Drama, the cops (all 10 of them) sorted it out and let him go in the end, just an accident and no one injured.

 One morning I ran 20k from Brooklyn over the bridge up the Hudson River and back, passed Sunday morning New Yorkers catching some air along the promenades and past the piers. At one point I got in the wrong bike lane and I was reminded by way of a courier biker that I was in the big smoke and people have to work, “YOOOOOOOOOOOO BLUE GUY MOVE OVER”.

 Washingtonville, in upstate New York, was where we stayed for the big wedding. We had tranquil fun in the sun, only a train ride from the big city. We drank beer and swam in the pool. We celebrated the wedding and 4th of July. BBQ, fireworks and canoe trips as the sun set over the hills. Time stood still, woke one morning and ran along the lake. Saw the local chipmunks and a woodchuck.    

 We have returned to Brisbane for our next adventure and on our first run back this side of the equator in Bunyaville forest, I had to wear a tutu to run my 50th parkrun!

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In the last month I have concentrated on my endurance. I have switched up my training to add trail runs every week. I started the year by doing quite a bit of speed work on the track and I clocked some quick times for 200m, 400m and 1k reps. Running a 1k rep for me in 3.00mins flat at the end of a 500m session was a good marker of my speed.

 It was time to hit the hills. I wanted to explore the trails west of Brisbane. I would surge up the hills as best I could and rest on the downhill. I have found the downhill to be a strong point for me when running trails. I can relax and use my quick turnover to keep a quick pace whilst my breathing eases and my mind clears. When you are in that zone, time can almost seem to slow down, allowing you to see the trail in slow motion as you negotiate each footstep, it is an exhilarating feeling, until you fall over I might add, which I have done quite a few times! It will be interesting to see if this hill training will continue to help my flat speed as well. I ran a solid 10k in 36.50 at BRR a few Sundays back, a minute faster than the previous time in more humid weather, so perhaps it is taking effect.

 First, I had a fantastic run exploring Mt Coot-Tha in the misty early morning rain. I can see the mountain from my balcony, and it seems to be calling me every time I lace up my trainers. When I returned home that day after 17k and 500m of elevation I felt so good I could have turned round and ran straight back up again.

 One Friday at the end of March I set off to see if I could get to Enoggera Reservoir from my house, which also takes in Mt Coot-Tha on the way there and back. Armed with Earl Grey tea, a banana and honey sandwich and some dried fruit, I navigated myself using a little map I stuffed in my pocket. Almost exactly 30k when I arrived home and 800m of elevation, it was the furthest I have run off road and it felt good, my energy was well maintained throughout, with the spirit of adventure to keep my tired legs moving. The only thing that I really started to feel was the fatigue in my muscles on the last long climb. I felt I was ready for a trail race. After an early evening run a few weeks back in and around the Glass House Mountains, I was inspired to enter the intriguingly named Wild Horse Criterium.

 It had been raining on and off all week in and around Brisbane and the creeks were filling up with water, the race, if it was not cancelled for being too water logged, was going to be a challenge. There were waist deep creek crossings and all sorts of challenging terrain to keep you on your toes or flat on your arse; Sandy single track, forested bog, slimy clay fire track, and rocky trail. It was an exciting prospect. I entered the 22k and Kathleen entered the 11k. There were also longer options on this looped course, I was tempted, but in the end the distance I chose was a challenge enough. We arrived in the middle of the forest and followed the dance music and rows of parked cars towards the race hub. I was reminded of a festival or a rave in the woods, it was definitely an alternative way to spend Easter morning, and the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. As the longer races had already started we had arrived whilst all the festivities were in full swing, there were people milling around cheering and supporting all the runners out on the course.

 What a race it turned out to be, I set off in a lead pack of around 5 or 6, we all weaved from one side of the course to the other trying to find the driest route. The pace was quick in the first 1k as the wide track head off from the start. As we hit the first creek crossing I realised this was not going to be like any other race I had run before, I took the lead soon after and before long was splashing through a knee high puddle taking everyone the wrong way! I dropped back and let someone else lead for a while. A few minutes later, in an attempt to find an alternative route, I found another very deep puddle and ended up almost swimming to get out whilst the others had sensibly stuck to the bank. The course twisted and turned through the forest, I followed the leader who was keeping a steady pace. As we turned onto another fire track section and the ground became harder under foot we naturally picked up the pace. We ended up as three and began to chat. It was a great atmosphere, we cheered on others coming in the opposite direction.

 Soon after half way, it was just myself and Matthew Baker who I had been following, he was looking strong, we chatted and I talked back as much as I could but I was starting to work hard, with so much slipping under foot and concentration on not falling over. At around 16-17k, we reached another wider flat section and I thought that if I was going to beat him, this is where I needed to put the hammer down. I pushed the pace as hard as I could, but he stayed alongside, and as we reached the last single-track section, he had slipped in front and re gained his authority at the front. From here until the end he slowly picked up the pace, I kept with him until around 20k but after the last creek crossing he found one more gear.

 I finished with a flourish, 30 seconds behind a worthy winner and very pleased with second, I’ll have him next year! My time was a pretty swift 1h34.24 considering the conditions.

 Kathleen came in to take a fantastic 1st place in the 11k. We chatted to others, collected our Chocolate Easter bunnies, our awards and hung around to see other runners finishing until it was time to go home and have a glass of champagne and a lovely Easter meal with family.

I had a bit of break from training during the weeks prior to the wedding and the weeks after, but I kept up light training, and even managed a 5k trot on our wedding day! I ran up to a beautiful lookout (the western window on Mt Glorious) snapped a few pictures and headed back. A cooked breakfast and a shot of whisky waited on my return!

 I thought I would talk about a few things now I am now getting back into more intensive training again. As the weather heats up it becomes more important to be prepared on the harder training days and choose the right routes, clothing and take on lots of water.

 Firstly, looking back, I have enjoyed my time so far as a run director at Bunyaville parkrun tremendously, it is a great community to be part of and we were there many times to help or run in 2014. I proudly finished the year with 10 first finishes on the course, the highest amount so far since the course started in December 2013, my tenth win came on the Saturday after Christmas, it was a very wet morning and I enjoyed sloshing around, splashing through the puddles, although thankfully it was not as cold or muddy as a cross country course in the U.K this time of the year!

 Secondly, I recently joined the Intraining running group for speed sessions, a friendly group of experienced and enthusiastic runners and coaches to run alongside. I have dusted off the spikes and have been going to a few different sessions. I have hit the track early in the morning, as well as running at dusk, down at the University of Queensland, with the deafening chorus of parrots in the trees that line the track and paths we train on. With their screeching and the sound of the thunder rumbling above it is always a cacophonous time of day to train.

 Thirdly, I decided to switch to training in kilometers, the running currency of Australia. It helps when discussing training with other runners or coaches to speak their language. It does however present a challenge when you take away all of your guidelines and begin pacing and training in reps of different distances. I like seeing kilometers tick by quicker on long runs, it keeps me motivated and focused, Racing 5 and 10k and thinking of 1k splits is much better for pacing I have found.

July round up

It started as a dark misty winter morning in Brisbane, another early start and a trip on my own this time to the coast and the suburb of Manly to run a 10k. It had been 3 weeks after my marathon at the beginning of the month. A week of rest and 2 weeks of mostly easy running and I thought I would see what kind of shape I was in for a shorter distance. I had done a tempo run of 4 miles during the week and was surprised at how easy 6 min/mile pace was feeling so I thought I would enter a race last minute and have a crack at beating my 10k PB which I had set last year in the U.K.

 The Sri Chinmoy marathon team have been putting on races for over 30 years, it was my first chance to experience one and something I have wanted to do for a while. Sri’s phrase ‘Run & Become’ had been the inspiration behind my song with the same title.

 It was a lovely warm morning as the sun rose over Moreton Bay, basking the early morning paddle boarders gliding past the mangroves that run along side the shore.

 This simple, well-organised event had a peaceful atmosphere. No big sponsors, loud speakers or expensive entry fees. A nice touch was the orchestrated silence before the start just to relax everyone.

 I started off quickly, running the 2k with 2 other runners up the front, one of them was pushing the pace and so I let him go for a bit, I didn’t want to run the first half too fast. At the midway point turn around there was the 2 of us left to battle it out. I was feeling good and so I surged slightly to see if I could catch him and overtake. There were a few inclines on the otherwise flat course and I noticed that I was stronger over each of them as they came, so I pushed a bit more to pass him. Around 7k I had opened up quite a gap. I managed to keep pushing, my pace in the second half and I managed to finish strong and I beat my PB easily in the end finishing in a time of 36.55.

 Once finished we were all handed fruit and a free pancake for our efforts. I was also handed a very beautiful shiny medal!

I have just got back after a great weekend completing my 4th marathon. The Gold Coast Marathon was my first in Australia. It is a Gold label race, run on a flat course that travels alongside the beautiful beaches of the Gold Coast in Queensland.

 The weekend started with a big bowl of pasta at a nice restaurant called Bar Italia near our hotel in Surfers Paradise, we then enjoyed a slice of Mexican music and Japanese dancing on an outside stage near the beach, all part of a multicultural festival which ended with a firework display on the sand. We turned in early and woke even earlier to start our epic day.

 We left our hotel at 4.45am to catch the bus to the start. Not only do Australians love the heat, they will also get up at anytime of the day quite happily to avoid it, and therefore an alarm clock start of 4.15 is seen as quite acceptable. When we got to the bus stop, this was confirmed further, we were greeted with the strange sight of hundreds of runners hopping from one foot to another lined up along the pavement waiting for the same bus as us! We had slept in! We finally arrived at the start. Kathleen was running the half marathon, which started at 6. She did a quick warm up and set off with thousands of other runners. The pre-race scene seemed chaotic (I was still half asleep) runners were arriving in all directions from the darkness, clambering over barriers, flinging discarded clothes into the air. Overlapping sounds of rock music and commentary in English and Japanese blasted out from somewhere in the black. It was a rousing send off.

 I now had 1h.30mins to wait for the start. In contrast, the full marathon runners now arrived, slower and quieter, preserving that precious energy. I sat and ate my breakfast as the sun rose over the sea. The light grew further and started to warm everyone into a little more action. I stretched behind the grandstand on a bench next to the beach. A calm and experienced gent in his 50’s sat next to me. We quietly went about our business and then parted for the start with a little nod.

 I had trained consistently since April. My A plan was to break 3 hours my B plan was to run a PB. I had run more miles per week, and I had done a solid amount of long runs and tempo runs in the build up which had given me the confidence to think that I was physically and mentally ready. When I was on the start line, I took a moment to think positively about my race, imagining the finish. I was already at the midway point by appreciating what I had already achieved in training. I thought of the miles we had all done to get to that point, everyone standing with me there had gone through a process of preparation and now it was time for us to finish what we had started.

 I set off to run the first 5k at 5-10 seconds slower than pace so that my body could have time to warm up without working too hard. My first 15k was on pace and I felt really relaxed, I enjoyed looking around, high 5ing a few kids, watching surfers in the water catching waves from time to time, just settling into the race and trying to keep it breezy as they say in Queensland! It was great to see the elite runners coming back in the other direction.

 From half way (1h.29) to 35k (2h.29) I kept on pace, I stayed relaxed and ran my own race, I didn’t follow a pack, I just ticked along in my own groove. I was running sub 3 pace, but my legs were getting heavier and I knew that 30k was where the race really started. As I ran along the highway in Southport I saw Kathleen, and even stopped to give her a sweaty hug! She had finished the half in a new PB of 1h.46.27.

 The next section is no doubt the hardest part of the race, you go past the finish for one more loop, and from 35 to 40k it started to get tough, I was determined not to panic as my pace began to slow and my A plan looked like it was slipping, I just kept on pushing for a PB. As I reached the last turn around I received an amazing bit of motivation that spurred me on to the finish. One guy looked at me and said “well done Leo, you have done the hard bit now go for it! And so I rallied, I push as hard as I could, my right hamstring was cramping and I had to be careful. I tentatively upped the pace as I entered the final stretch and with the finish line in sight I took the time to enjoy the cheering, high five the crowd, and relish the few seconds I had crossing the finish line. I finished in 3.08.11. A 20 min PB. My splits are online here

 The weekend was a festival in its truest sense. A coming together of people, a community of runners of all ages, from around the world that ran, cheered and celebrated their achievements together. I would recommend it highly to any world marathon travellers out there. The next day we filled up on seafood and wondered along the beach and cooled our legs in the surf.

 My training experience in the lead up to this race had been one of exploration, discovering new surroundings, building new relationships and trying to find my place in a big new city on the other side of the world. I have run in the early morning, in the blazing heat of the midday sun, into the dusk, through the bush in the dark, past koalas and over snakes. I even squashed a poor cane toad one night on a trail that leaped under my foot. Adidas boost have nothing on that natural bit of bounce.

I completed my first trail race in Australia yesterday, The 10th Pinnacles Classic. I really enjoyed the challenge, finishing 3rd overall. The race is set in Brisbane Forest Park. Starting at Gold Creek, 18k of undulating fire track, 1000m of elevation, looping around a reservoir. It was organised by TRAQ, an experienced and friendly team of people. They created a great, laid back atmosphere from beginning to end putting a smile on the runner’s faces even when we faced some of the meanest hills Brisbane has to offer.

 After a brief announcement and a few humorous anecdotes by the run director, the race started. We jumped over a small creek and tackled the first hill, which was a long slow climb for a 1k or so. I found myself in the lead, and after 2k, I was starting to think I might had pushed the early pace too hard, we reached the first downhill section and someone came along side me and pushed on slightly ahead. I kept him in my sights. The first 5k was the toughest part mentally, I really didn’t know what to expect in terms of terrain and had no idea if I could keep on pace. The big hills started to come, I ran 3 or 4 and then I reached a big one that was also difficult underfoot, I walked, everyone walked. This is a big difference from road running, it’s fine to walk, if it is a tough hill, it was actually quicker to walk. I realised that my muscles were really not prepared for walking up big hills and they were burning by the top. In trail races, walking up hill is a skill in itself and something worth practicing.

 I pushed on and noticed that the guy in front of me was strong on the uphill, increasing his lead. I got into a nice rhythm, tackling one hill at a time and letting my legs loosen on the downhill, letting me recover. On a flattish section, just before halfway I decided to open the gel I had been carrying. I took my eye off the trail for a second and over I went. I rolled a couple of times, got up, brushed myself off, I had a few scrapes but nothing serious. Lucky! Anyone who has read my blog before will know I like to have a little tumble! I heard a cheerful voice from behind asking if I was ok. At the halfway point there was an aid station. I decided to stop and fill up my water bottle, making sure I was ok. The runner behind me had now caught up, and we left the aid station together.

 The second half was easier than the first. There were less steep climbs and more downhill. I also had company, myself and Gold Coast based runner Simon Foster, ran side by side, working together. We got into a great rhythm, chatting when we could. In the final section, which was a long steep descent, we really put the hammer down, imagining we would see the guy in first at any time. I eased off slightly in the last 500m as we dropped down a grass bank near the finish, careful not to fall again. Simon belted down and picked up a lead, finishing strongly in 2nd, I was close behind, after sprinting along the last 200m on flat gravel track to finish 3rd. My finishing time was 1.30.22

 After I had got my breath back and stretched, I stood in the early morning sun, cheering people to the finish. At 9.00am with a beer and hotdog in my hand, I chatted away to lots of other enthusiastic and friendly runners until it was time to catch my lift home. Well done to everyone who completed and supported the race, it was a fantastic event.

 A final word, a big shout out to everyone I know running the London Marathon tomorrow. Good luck, I will be watching on T.V, not from the sidelines this year!

More Pics

In my last blog, I finished up saying that I would like to try a longer trail race. I have signed up to a race near Brisbane called the Pinnacles Classic. Every year since I started running, I have run a marathon near the date of my birthday in April. Since I am in Australia and the marathon season is still months away, I thought the new challenge of a 18km, 18 Hills trail race would fit the bill this year.  It will be an adventure doing something new and challenging and for the bargain price of $25 to enter I was in!

 I am also starting to think about training up for a marathon again.  For most runners, this all starts with setting a date with a race and making a training plan. Usually, training plans for the marathon are months long with specific sessions and amounts of miles to build up to that final goal. Within this is your running schedule for the week, a mini personal challenge to complete. It is always at the back of the mind when you start your week, part of the jigsaw for a runner juggling life. How do I fit it all in this week? Sometimes you have the energy for an early run or a sneak out at lunch break, perhaps you are disciplined enough to step out into the dark with a torch in the rain and finish the miles you wanted to do in a week. The next week could be different, now it feels hard to fit your sessions in between everything else and you feel tired and frustrated with your lack of motivation. Through experience each runner discovers what works for them, what their limits are, how to keep motivated, progressing forward and hopefully injury free.

I have been taking my training, 1 or 2 weeks at a time, and as I build into my marathon training, I will try to only look a few weeks in advance so that I am patient with my build up. This works for me, thinking months in advance can be overwhelming and consuming. Following a tough training plan like it is set in stone can lead to injury and burnout. Over the last year, planning my training more spontaneously has helped me tune into my body more and I still found I progressed running injury free. I will see how it works for a marathon build up.

Over the last few months I have been consistently running about 50 km a week and starting to feel fresh on days off so I thought I would challenge myself to see if I could run every day for a week. It requires a bit of a leap of faith, to up-mileage because you feel like it instead of having it written down in a training plan, but I felt ready.

Obviously, running every day is not some kind of record. Elite athletes run 2 times a day practically every day of the year, and beyond that there is the legendary Ron Hill who hasn’t had a day off since 1964. For many, what I set out to do is a very modest achievement, but for me, it felt like something worth writing about. Every time we challenge ourselves to do something new, we learn more about ourselves. When we succeed we get a great sense of satisfaction.  This gives me confidence and it makes me strive to be better. I always feel this positive energy is worth telling people about.

I completed my challenge without dropping my training intensity at all and I felt good after my last day so I was obviously ready for this. It actually started on a Friday after a day off. I have also included my last 2 days of the week. On Saturday, I volunteered for Bunyaville parkrun, which was great fun, cheering on everyone including Kathleen and her dad Mike who was completing his first parkrun on the last day of his fundraising week. He walked 10,000 steps everyday for Walk For Water, check out the blog here. I also tested out my stamina with a longer than usual run on Sunday. It is Monday and I am now enjoying writing about all my own steps and thoughts I had last week. That is the thing about time off, it is nice to have time to consolidate. Sorry Ron don’t be disappointed, but I’m having a day off!

  FRI EVE:         7km easy

SAT MORN:    5km parkrun 18:15

SUN MORN:    20km steady 1h:33

MON EVE:       7km easy  

TUES EVE:      8km  Hard/ Intervals with the South Pine Striders. 1k time trial 3:20

WED EVE:       6.5km Trail run easy

THURS EVE:   9km Hill session steady/hard

  TOTAL:      62. 5km  39m

  FRI:                   OFF

SAT:                  3K easy

SUN:                  25K easy/Steady 1h.55

We have had a wonderful time in Sydney. We stayed near the beach with friends for a month and spent many hours running along coastal paths exploring the cliffs and beaches that appear around every corner on this magnificent Pacific coast. One beautiful morning was spent running from Clovelly to Bondi and back with lots of hills in between, finished off with a jump into the sea for a spot of snorkelling and a dive through crystal waters to see all of the colourful marine life. Another nice run is the opposite way, South along the coastal path to Coogee and beyond. I also made use of Centennial park which is inland towards the city, a favourite spot for Sydney runners, a lovely leafy park oval, 4k round with horses trotting along side.

 We also ran a 10k called the Sun Run. Another beach side run which follows the hilly roads between two Northern beaches, Dee-why and Manly. After an early wake up at 4.30, the earliest I think I have ever got up for a run (or anything for that matter!) we set off as the sun rose at 6. When we finished alongside the beach in Manly, we took off our shoes and jumped straight in the surf to cool down. Out of 2843 runners I was 53rd in 40:18 Kathleen was 166th female finishing strongly in 51:47

 Now back in Brisbane, another month of running ended well with a 1st place for me and a 19th for Kathleen at Bunyaville parkrun in Brisbane in a trail 5k. 100 people turned out to run this young parkrun. Only in its 13th week, Bunyaville is growing in popularity due to a friendly atmosphere, beautiful quiet tracks through the bush and very challenging elevation. To give you an idea of the hills lets say it is relentlessly undulating, with parts of twisting single track, a bit like riding your own roller coaster! Very fun.

We have now done three parkruns in Brisbane and we have enjoyed the different challenges each one brings.

Last time we were here we ran New Farm Park, which is a flat road 5k. A big parkrun in the centre of town with 300+ runners. It runs on boardwalks along the Brisbane river next to parks and luxury apartments, again out and back but this time quite flat. We both ran well here on a not too hot morning of around 24 degrees at 7am! I came in 4th in 18.30 and Kathleen was 11th lady and 85th overall in 24.29 a really good start to 2014.

We met up with the Bunyaville Trail Runners for an evening run this week again. We ran 8K run through the Bunyaville National Park, it was free to anyone, we just turned up and joined in, we were very warmly welcomed, It was a challenging trail run with plenty of elevation and plenty of breaks to catch your breath and have a chat before the next hill. Here is their website, anyone who is in Brisbane looking to meet people for a run should really hook up with them.

 http://bunyavilletrailrunners.com/

We have just arrived in Australia and have been here for about a week, slowly getting over jet lag and re-uniting with Kathleen’s family and the summer. On Saturday, Kathleen and I ran the 5k Mitchelton parkrun in Brisbane, which is close to where the family live.

The week before, in my last British parkrun for a while, I finished 1st at the Gorleston parkrun for the very first time. The parkrun down under this week was in rather different conditions, it was hot and quite humid already at 7 in the morning but I felt good and was surprised to find I was leading after a mile. The course is lovely, it winds along paths made for walkers, runners and cyclists. There are 100’s of miles of these paths in Brisbane ready for us to explore. At the halfway point I was feeling good and pushed hard to make a gap, at one point I looked back to see I was in front with no-one in sight, I was foolishly already writing my blog and thinking of how to describe finishing 1st at two parkruns back to back, on different sides of the world! The reality was that I slowed down badly in the last half a mile only to have a superhero dad, pushing a buggy, overtake me on the last corner. I finished in second, hot and sweaty but feeling great all the same! I finished in 18:23. Katheen came in a few minutes later 34th out of 122 runners. Here is the page for Mitchelton parkrun for people to check out.

I have had a busy month, gigs in Cornwall, Derbyshire and Birmingham have clocked up the miles in my old Fiat. I finally made it under 18 mins for 5k at Norwich parkrun with 17:57 and feeling on form I decided to tie in the Birmingham Great Run as a final half marathon of the Autumn.

I am glad I did because despite a late one giging the night before I managed to clock a new PB of 1:22:09 and a place of 104th out of almost 20,000 people. My finish also made it onto the TV highlights! 

It was a great event and I had a great time hanging out with team mate Jon after and wondering around Brum. It is a great city, its funny to think that I finished that race outside a bar I would regularly roll out of at 4 in the morning as a student! Back then I could not of imagined I would become a runner and come back and run a race around the city. It was brilliant to see somewhere I know well in a completely different light. I recommend it. A really great race, especially because Birmingham is the land of the car, and for one day all the underpasses and highways we taken over by Brummies on foot. 

My one mistake was getting in the wrong pen, I started in the second wave of runners and never caught up with anyone who I could have paced myself against, I did a lot of weaving. This being said, it is a motivational advantage to overtake people the whole race which helps you stay positive and stay focused.

I ran two races in the last two weeks and I am pleased with both results. My 12th place at the Ipswich Half Marathon made the local paper, I finished in 1.23.41 a PB. It was a tough race with lots of elevation and twists and turns but I really enjoyed the challenge, great support on route. The picture of me is taken at the end when I was sprinting flat out to keep in front of another runner who had an amazing last mile and came from nowhere.

I really thought I might be able to fly, for one split second when I saw the gate and I sized it up. I was gaining on it fast and was in full flow, the blood was pumping, adrenaline surging through my body. I was ticking along, surging forward through the wind and the rain with ease and I felt so confident. I decided not to slow down and waste valuable seconds losing my rhythm opening the gate, no I would vault it, I used to jump 5 foot gates all the time when I was a lad, no problem, yep, here I go, this is the RNR and I have to deliver the baton.

 The Round Norfolk Relay is an exceptional race. It is one of East Anglia’s most unique events and it always brings a challenge to any runner or supporter who decides to get involved. It always gets me excited and I want to push myself every year for the team. I was running stage 2, 14 miles along the coastal footpath from Hunstanton to Burnham Overy. The stage has a small stretch on the road, but mostly it was run on grass, mud, boardwalks and sand. I had done a recce of the course, which was a good idea because it has a lot of twists and turns, I was ready to just run, enjoy the atmosphere and push myself hard in what would be my first competitive off road race.

 So back to the gate, I had just helped two runners who were looking lost, I had re-assured them that they were going in the right direction, and had re-assured myself that with all this knowledge, planning and athleticism, vaulting a gate would be a breeze, a momentary obstacle on my way to the finish. No.

Before my brain could even catch up with this monumental bad choice I was landing on the ground with a painful, loud slappy mud thud right on my hip, in front of a bunch of spectators and team support cyclists. I let out a surprised and embarrassed howl that silenced the initial laughter from the on lookers who are collecting their £250 from You’ve Been Framed as I write this. The reason they laughed was not out of cruelty but simply because it must have looked hilarious watching a complete pillock failing spectacularly to vault a gate. Ever see that episode of Only Fools and Horses when he falls through the bar? That is how I felt after. I tried to act very cool and like nothing hurt, especially when running alongside my cyclist Leigh who saw it and very kindly said nothing more than “are you ok?”

 One moment of mad over ambitiousness that I will never forget. I learnt a big lesson about off road racing, your legs don’t do what you want them to do after running for a while and obstacles have to be sized up a long way in advance to avoid tripping and tumbling your way to the finish, or worse not finishing at all.

 I finished in 1h 35.07 which was 9th on my stage. A total of 14.38 miles, slightly over length possibly due to a last minute route change before ‘that gate’. A brisk wind on the nose and some very tricky paths were around every corner to keep you focused, but the barren open landscape was so beautiful to run through especially when you were totally on your own.