I always joke with my Daughter how ‘unfamous’ I am after years of dribbling on about all things running. The yardstick has been the feedspot top Australian blogs table  ( https://au.feedspot.com/australian_running_blogs/ , please note when you click on this link I may be back with the pack but when writing this post I was third!)  where I have languished year on year. Imagine my surprise when my Daughter searched today and found I had snuck onto the podium , just behind TrailRun magazine.

I checked the best 100 worldwide blogs and managed a respectable top half of the table finish, 42nd, which I’m happy enough with, gives me some room to move.

I often reflect on why I started this blog back in 2016 when I was still chasing the elusive sub 2 hour 40 minutes marathon finish. In August of that year I managed a 2:41:44 at the Perth City to Surf marathon but this was my last true shot at that time. I remember at the time I was running with Scott Thomson and Ross Mclean and we got to just past halfway heading into Kings Park running up a particular nasty hill. Both these runners were better than me at that point (and still are!) and I felt the pace was a bit hot so made a conscious effort to drop back and try to run more smartly. Do I regret this ? Now, yes, because I feel if I’d just got through Kings Park with them I would have held on or at least only dropped a minute or two. As it was I ran alone for the rest of the race and finished a credible fifth for my third 2:41:xx. Not my fastest, that was the City to Surf in 2013, 2:41;14, but close enough.

Work harder, not smarter.

That was one of those races when I just ran with the group rather than concentrating on a set goal or pace, and a group of better runners. I did this on two other occasions shortly after the marathon.  The first time was the West Australian Marathon Club Peninsula 10k where I met a very young and athletic Zac Jeps for the first time. Zac would become a good friend but at this point I did not know him at all, he was just a very tall, athletic looking runner who left the start line like he’d been shot from a cannon. Again I decided to hang on and just run with Zac, to hell with the consequences not looking at my watch at all. The plan was to hold his shoulder for as long as I could, be that 5k, 2k or the whole event, I had no idea.  Luckily this time Zac pushed me to a 10k PB, one I have never bettered, cheers buddy.

The following week was the Fremantle half and as you can see from my training spreadsheet below I hadn’t really thought about tapering post Peninsula. Monday through Thursday after the race were double days albeit I gave myself two days rest before the Sunday.  I always remember I drove my mate Mike Kowal to the start and felt so fatigued I was close to becoming a DNS, rather than embarrass myself.  In the end again I decided to run with the lead runners and see what happened, no end goal or looking at my watch, just run. In this case I ended up with Gerry Hill, Ross Langford  and Tom Bakowski, three runners who regularly beat me but for some reason it was me setting the pace.  Ross dropped off early and it was just me, Gerry and Tom with three kilometres to go and I was already thinking of witty antidotes while reciting my winning speech. In the end the boys stepped up and I was dropped to third place but a massive 50 second PB, which again I have never came anywhere near to , 1:15:00.

I continued to reap the rewards of big distance with a second place at the inaugural Rottnest half marathon , a 1:17 on a very hilly course, as I was racing the Masters World Games in Perth two weeks later. I managed a silver medal in my age group at the World Masters Games running a respectable 2:44 in hot and humid conditions, also good enough for 7th overall. This was followed by another win in a 16k event, which I defended the following year, a second place in a 4k  and a great 6 inch ultra trail marathon top 10 finish. 2016 was special.  Working harder, not smarter was working.

So that was 2016, a great year with a lot of PB’s at 50 years old. The year started well enough in 2017 but a nasty calf year finished the racing year early and this was compounded by a nasty case of plantar Fasciitis  in 2018. Coming in 2019 I was over fifty and two years of injuries had taken my speed, the days of PB’s were over for the shorter distances. Post COVID I found a passion for Ultra running thanks to Shaun Kaesler and the Ultra Series WA calendar of events. ( https://ultraserieswa.com.au/ ) and to this day this has been my main focus. With 48 marathons and 53 Ultra marathons I’m  through the 100 finishes and still as excited about the next one as I was about the first. 

That’s the point of this blog I suppose. Every day I get up and I think about my next run with the same excitement as my first, chasing PB’s for marathons and shorter races is a distant memory but racing these events is still my objective. In 2024 I ran two marathons , a 3:04 at Bibra and a 3:14 at Perth, and now the sub3 is the new sub 2:40 finish. The challenge is still there and I’m as excited about breaking three hours (for the 33rd time) as I was chasing the elusive 2:40 finish. This is the point, keep the fire burning and enjoy the journey.

As I’ve said many times the best runner in the world is the one having the most fun and I reckon I’m with a shot..

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Big shout out to fisiocrem , this product is just incredible for tired and aching legs. I use it daily and have noticed a vast improvement in recovery.

Bix hydration is just ace, a product brought to life by Vlad Ixel a professional ultra runner who knows a thing or two about hydration. ( https://www.bixvitamins.com/ )  The best thing about Bix is it tastes good with many different flavours and you never get sick of drinking it, this is a big plus as Maurten and Tailwind (both great products)  can be difficult to digest later in the event.  From the website :-

As an Australian elite multiple trail running champion, with wins in over 40 ultra-marathon races across Asia, recovery from training and races has always been my top priority. 

In searching for a solid recovery and hydration supplement, I recognized that critical vitamins and minerals – both in diversity and quantity – were missing from almost all supplements on the market. I had the feeling that in an effort to maximize their bottom-lines, companies in the hydration space, failed to deliver a product that could meaningfully assist athlete performance. 

In order to address this, I began the development of a hydration product. After two and a half years of development alongside a leading German sports scientist, BIX Recovery, an advanced, high-quality recovery drink was born. 

BIX boosts 12 active ingredients scientifically balanced to replace lost electrolytes and assist in immune function. It’s designed with quality vitamins and minerals, in quantities that work! 

BIX is a recovery solution for everyone, that will get you to the top of your game!

What can I say about HumanTecar,  ( https://athleticus.com.au/ ) it looks great, smells great and is awesome for recovery or even pre-run/workout. Read about the science behind it first and then try the products. The compression bandages are just magical after a long event. Put these on and the next day you are recovered, I have used them on a number of occasions and they never fail to astound me albeit the family poke fun at me as I look like a ‘mummy and smell funny’ !

Fractel ( https://fractel.com.au/ ) have your performance headgear covered. I love the colours and the functionality of these hats, I guarantee there is one model you’ll fall in love with.

Shokz headphones, let you keep in touch with the world around while losing yourself in quality tunes or podcasts. ( https://shokz.com.au/ )

T8 running apparel is the best you can get, second to none. Designed for the ultra humid Hong Kong conditions the owners live in.  It is light and does away with any chaffing worries. T8 is the name given to the highest typhoon warning in Honk Kong,  storms and typhoons with gusts exceeding 180kph, which explains the branding. ( https://t8.run/)

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