bloody alarm clock

What with work and various other things clogging up my day, I’ve had to do all my running this week at the ungodly hour of 5am.

I shouldn’t say “ungodly”. It’s actually quite pleasant at that time of day, and you get the smug feeling of being up and about and exercising while all the other Jo-blows are still slobbing about in bed.

But when the alarm went off this morning, I couldn’t see that. I confess I actually turned it off and went back to sleep.

I ended up sleeping in until 6, got dressed and fed quickly and then headed into town bearing a set of running clothes in my man-bag. When I got there I had another crisis of laziness. This one I resisted more effectively, and headed out for a 12km stroll.

I followed Em‘s marvelous example (as always) and had a bit of a pop at the Mona fartlek. I quite enjoyed it. For those of you who don’t know, it goes something like this:

2 by 90 seconds with equal floating recovery
4 by 60 seconds with equal floating recovery
4 by 30 seconds with equal floating recovery
4 by 15 seconds with equal floating recovery

These sorts of sessions are tough, but in some ways more enjoyable than a long run. At least you know it’s all going to be over in 20 minutes, and it goes pretty quickly. The long runs I’ve been doing lately, you run for an hour and still have another 90 minutes to go. Kinda depressing sometimes.

Anyway, I ended up getting carried away and before I knew it was all the way over in West Brunswick somewhere, and then had to slug it back into town via Flemington Road.

Fun.

what’s it all about?

I wrote something this morning over there at the Ausrun forum, on a post Clarkey started called “Introducing…”.

It was all about stuff like “Why did you start running?” “What do you like about it?” and “how much training do you do?”, that sort of stuff. I, dutifully, filled the thing out and clicked “publish”.

Simple.

The thing is, that last question about training got me thinking. I’ve been running 60km a week, sometimes more, and I have no idea why. I’m not training for a marathon, I’m not trying to lose weight. So what’s the point? Isn’t that a bit eccentric?

Possibly. Maybe I’m running those kms “because they’re there”. More likely, I just like running 5 times a week. I like it.

Running
A fartlek session this morning around Princes Park. It was the same session I did a few weeks ago but this time I managed to get a few hundred metres further, which was pleasing.

• 2×60 sec/60 float
• 4×30 sec/30 float
• 2×60 sec/60 float
• 4×30 sec/30 float
• 2×60 sec/60 float

I was pretty fagged at the end of it. Next step – the same session over rolling hills. That’s fun. No, really.

why is my shoe endangered?

I panicked a bit yesterday afternoon, when I saw this on the interweb:

Buy Men’s Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 at Road Runner Sports

Note the fine print:

Why is my shoe Endangered?
The shoe manufacturer has discontinued your shoe, so there is a limited supply left. Stock up now at this great low price before they’re gone forever.

Eh, what? Endangered? Gone forever? Noooooooooo!@!!!!!

Not to worry though, it turns out the good people at Brooks are bringing out a whole new model, the GTS8 which looks like exactly the same shoe, but with marginally flashier colours and at a higher price. Natch.

I’m a bit of a fan of Adrenalines. They’ve seen me through two marathons and associated training with no problems and, in bogun parlance, they’re cumfy as.

I don’t know why Brooks insist on bringing out black versions of their shoes. I feel embarrassed on the shoe’s behalf, I really do.

Perhaps it’s an American thing.

The description makes it worse: “Many a runner relies on this trusted road warrior. ” God no. Many a runner cringes reading this s**t.

I have to say, I’m getting a bit bored with them, and inclined to be tempted by some new pair of shoes, with prettier colours and a better website. Hmmmm…..

Running
A fartlek session this morning at Princess Park. It was faster than last time I tried this particular session, but the track is in no danger of being burned up.

yassooo

God help me, the Melbourne Marathon is less than two weeks away. It doesn’t bear thinking about, really.

After an ill-timed bout of unwellness, my sad excuse for a sub-conscious mind (SCM) has spent the past week fatally undermining my progress with a series of delusions centring around classical music, phantom ailments and the conviction I couldn’t even run to catch the bus.

Thankfully the old SCM is currently ditching what was the most god-awful funk of all time and is pulling itself into mid-season form. Now, I’m tentatively imagining myself attached loosely to the back-side of the 3 hour “bus”.

Who knows?

Team Samsung
Thanks to Clarkey, I’ve hitched up with the Team Samsung folks, who very kindly paid my registration fee on the condition I wear Samsung regalia from head to toe. That’s all well and good. I have no problems selling myself out to the corporate dollar. Heck, I would tattoo Samsung across my forehead if it got me a free pair of shoes.

It hasn’t come to that though: yet. There’s no truth to the rumour I’ve changed my first-born son’s name to “Samsung” (although, I’ve heard worse).

The only thing that concerns me is that the official pacers will also be wearing Samsung gear. I’d hate to think there will be people who attach themselves to MY coat-tails, hoping for a nice steady pace. God help you if you do: you’re in for an interesting run.

Yasso
If you know what “Yasso” means, you probably also know most people think they’re a bit dodgy. (For those of you in the dark, Yasso 800’s are a form of training, where you run a series of 800 metre intervals at pace; it’s meant to be a predictor of your marathon time).

I know most people think they’re as dodgy as Shane Warne’s marital vows but, much like Simone Warne and every second barmaid in the UK, I’m going to do it anyway. Physically, I need a training run this Sunday of around 16k; mentally I need something that will prove I can run fast. Yassos fit the bill.

They worked for Clarkey, and he’s never wrong.

Running
Just after I filed my last epistle, I headed out for a dose of fartleking. In this case, it took me around Princess Park a couple of times and back to the office. Is there much point doing strenuous speed work at this point? Probably not, but it’s good to do a bit of a tune-up, particularly when you have a pesky SCM to keep a lid on.

12.something km at a pinch over 4 minute ks.

little wheel spin and spin

Today’s blog title is a reference to the wonderful song, by Buffy Saint Marie. Ah, but you knew that, didn’t you?

What? You’re not a big BS-M fan? No, I didn’t think so. She’s criminally underrated, in my opinion or, as the kids say: “IMHO”.

Turn your back on weeds you’ve hoed
silly sinful seeds you’ve sowed
Add your straw to the camel’s load
Pray like hell when your world explode

Quite a cool song though – very paranoid, apocalyptic, mysterious. She had a real presence, Ms Buffy.

Running
12k this morning, including 2 laps of Princes Park. I attempted some fartlek in a half hearted sort of way. That’s the plan at the moment: cut back down to 3-4 runs a week. Long run on Sunday, and one each of hills and speed sessions during the week.

Balloon
A happy site while running: a hot-air balloon came overhead attempting to land on one of the football ovals.

For some reason balloons always make me smile.

I’ve never been in one. I suspect it’s either boring or terrifying, depending on your attitude to heights. Still, it was nice to run along underneath it for a while.

is there hope?

Indulge me dear reader, if you will, as I detour into a brief, very brief, mention of Australian politics. Apologies to my septic readers for whom this might be a touch unfathomable…

The budget was released only the other day, and it seems to have been seen by most people as pretty successful, and hence a bit of a blow to Kevin Rudd, who’s now said to be “on the back foot”.

I wouldn’t be surprised to find it’s popular, as Costello seems to have done his pre-election imitation of a drunken sailor in port for the night. Why give senior citizens cash handouts? What’s it supposed to achieve?

It reminds me of this quote from Grandpa Simpson:

Marge: “Where’d you get all the money?”

Grampa: “The government. I didn’t earn it, I don’t need it, but if they miss one payment, I’ll raise hell!”

But despite all that – the polls show Rudd is still in front, and the government still looks vulnerable.

Which brings me back to the post title: is there hope? Have Australians realised how tired, old and bereft of ideas this government is? Have we understood how behind the 8-ball we are on climate change, and how Howard’s only ideas about the economy is to give the big-end of town open slather and nail workers’ arses to the wall?

We’ll see.

One last thing – it’s about time the Australian bit the bullet and renamed themselves something more accurate. Perhaps “the Liberal Party Stooge”, “the Big End of Town”, “the Rabid Right Wing”. They’ve spent the past few months desperately getting someone, anyone, from business to admit any kind of concern about Labor and Rudd, and then running it as front-page news “Rudd under attack” “Rudd to destroy the economy” etc.

What a load of bollocks. They have no balance or objectivity whatsoever, and are making fools of themselves just like in the lead-up to the Iraq war.

Running
None yet. I’ve been super lazy, which I think is my right during tapering. I actually got up early and made it into work by 7am, only to find it was raining. I didn’t want to risk getting the new shoes all muddy, so I’ve put off the run until lunchtime.

I’m due for a 10k-er, with some fartlek if I have the energy. Possibly around Princess Park, who knows.

long run lapper

I read recently there are something like 70 million blogs in the world. That’s one of those numbers that makes you feel very small, like looking up at the stars or standing next to Kim Beasley.

I also read that only about 30-40% of those blogs are actually regularly updated. With that in mind it’s good to welcome back to the fold Clarkey, of Ausrun and Clarkey’s chronicles fame. That particular blog seemed to disappear from the face of the earth for a while, but he’s back writing regularly now.

Anyway, I’ve mentioned him today because yesterday he accused me of being a “long run lapper”, not without a hint of exhasperation in his blogging voice.

Fair call, Clarkey. You got me.

I do tend to prefer doing laps on my long run. I don’t go as far as doing dozens of laps of an athletics track, but once I’ve mapped out and measured a route, I’m pretty happy to do it again and again. If I get bored, I’ll just do it backwards.

To someone who likes a bit of scenery to look at, I dare say it’s a bit boring, but that’s missing the point. The whole idea is to get to some zen level of boredom and thereby to attain enlightenment and/or unconsciousness. Ask anyone who likes test cricket: it’s strangely compelling.

Running
A 12k (lap) run this morning, including a whole series of fartlek things over “rolling hills”. About two thirds of the way through I remember saying to myself (not out loud, I haven’t gotten to that point yet) “Why am I doing this?”

The answer came back straight away “Self-hatred. You desire to punish yourself for some sin in a previous life.”

Righty-oh then.

fartlek and diseased imaginations

Running
A nice, sharpish 10k this morning, including a fartlek session on rolling hills.

2 times 60 secs, with 60 sec float
4 times 30 secs, with 30 sec float
2 times 60 secs, with 60 sec float
4 times 30 secs, with 30 sec float
2 times 60 secs, with 60 sec float
plus warmup and the trip home.

A variety of steep-ish hills and more gentle slopes. The whole 10k took around 44 minutes, so it was a pretty hard workout.

I’m not entirely confident in the measurements though, as I had to time it using my watch and hope I went under a streetlight at the right time. In the end, I gave up measuring the time, and just counted out the time aloud, adding an extra 10 “seconds” at the end of each rep, just to be sure.

Because, AGAIN, it was dark for the entire morning run. God I can’t wait until daylight savings ends!!!!

Scary stuff
Which brings me nicely to Em, who wanted to know yesterday if I got spooked running in the dark foggy mornings.

Generally no, I don’t.

But yesterday, I was on the Dandenong Creek Trail, about 1500 metres east of Wantirna road in a fairly tree-ligned bit, when I could have sworn I heard footsteps behind me.

And there was no-one there. True.

I swung around to look, naturally, but there’s something about a torch shining through thick fog at night that does nothing for the nerves. In the end I just kicked my rational, aetheist’s brain back into gear and trotted along happily enough.

Em also had a particularly tasteless observation about Flat Daddies – that kids could break out the scissors and chop bits off if the real Dad stepped on a land-mine or similar.

I see your bad taste and raise you one disease imagination – what do the kids do if Daddy visits a Baghdad brothel?