On Thursday I’ll compete in the Australian Masters Athletics Championships in Perth. It’s a four day event and I must admit to getting carried away with entries when I first registered. I mean I was offered so many events it was easy to click here, click there, next thing I know I’m running four days straight in events I’ve never ran before some with hurdles and water jumps, what could possibly go wrong ? If it’s half as good as the World Masters in 2016 it will be an awesome event. Back in 2016 me and the boys put on the Green and Gold and did Australia proud with some great results in the Marathon as well as other events. It was a unique experience to be running for the same country and you certainly felt a huge sense of pride and solidarity as you all worked towards the same cause, on the same team.

This time it will be for my state rather than country but I’m hoping the feeling of togetherness will be the same as the Worlds. If nothing else I’ll get to run on the track which I find challenging but in a nice way. Twenty five laps on Thursday for the 10,000m and then seven and a half laps Friday for the 3,000m steeplechase. On Saturday another twelve and a half laps for the 5,000m before concluding on Sunday for an 8k cross country .  Doesn’t sound that bad does it ?

The steeplechase will be interesting as I’ve never ran it and truth be told I don’t remember every leaping over a hurdle or water jump. It will be a baptism of fire on Friday but I’m hoping to master the technique tomorrow afternoon when we are allowed to practice on the track. Just to be sure I also watched some YouTube footage this afternoon at work and it looked very do-able. (Well the 20 something American track team made it looked easy enough?) I must admit to avoid the videos showing ‘when steeplechase goes bad‘ because no point focusing on the negative right ? Maybe I should wear speedos under my shorts just incase I spend more time in the water on the water jump than planned.  I could always borrow Jon’s floaties that he was made to wear on the first hill of the 6 inch ultra after falling in the one and only puddle on the whole course the year before, actually I think he fell in twice if I remember correctly. Not sure the pink would go with my WA singlet though and they don’t look very aero-dynamic ?

Competing in a four day event will be good fun, assuming I can avoid pulling a hammy on Friday leaping like a young gazelle over that water jump and hurdles, and I’m targeting a top 3 finish in all events for my age group. It’s important to keep yourself honest when you enter a race and the best way to do that is to let people know what you’re aiming for, can be the difference when you’re suffering and need to pull yourself together. Think about the water cooler conversation if you achieve your goal time or alternatively when Sharon from accounts gives you grief for falling short, nothing worse than verbal abuse from Sharon from accounts I can assure you. I wonder if Sharon reads this blog and, if she does, I’d better prepare myself on Monday if I fail to podium four times over the event.

Right I got more Youtube videos to watch , I really need to nail that steeplechase , I mean imagine if I slipped, the family jewels would never forgive me, now that would be a post worth reading ? (assuming I could type from the emergency ward?)

Finally today I went segment hunting on Strava. ( http://www.strava.com ) This is where you target segments and then you and your friends see who can get the furthest up the leader board and/or ahead of each other. This is good race preparation as the segment will force you to run as though you have a bib on your chest and  are being chased by Lucifer himself. At work currently there is some rivalry between two of my colleagues, Chan the Singaporian Scud missile and Sascha the South African Stallion. Sascha had bragging rights over Chan and myself until we both decided to bring our times down on a segment close to work in Kings Park. Today I managed to sneak a quick time in to put myself above my two colleagues but the Stallion was disappointed to only draw level with the Scud Missile. There was much head shaking and look of bewilderment in the afternoon as Sascha checked and double checked Strava. I’m sure on Thursday as I’m racing at the Masters Sascha will be planing his next assault on that segment and probably gaining those extra few seconds needed to wrestle that 2nd place from the missile. The point of this is you can find excuses to race everywhere and with Strava you can track your times and compete against your fellow runners. Hell if you get lucky you may even find a few segments Sharon from Accounts has run but I’d probably avoid running faster than her times, she can take things personally and she controls the purse strings and the water cooler conversations…..