Movember 30th

In a attempt to get my monthly kilometres over 100k's for November (whoops Movember) I squeezed in my regular, 10km local circuit this morning.

My dog Oscar was looking very dejected as I was getting my stuff together so I took him a long as well.

We ended up running the 10km loop in a PB of 0:48:17. May have been able to have gotten under 48 minutes if I didn't have Oscar. I had to stop/slow down a few times to take his lead off or on and wasted a little momentum then.

More Motionbased details can be found here.

That brought this months total km's to 107k's. Quite a long fall from the 258k in July and I'm not too happy with that. I only had 11 runs during the month and the longest was only 12 kilometres. I think I will have to make the time and force myself on a weekly long run. I doubt I could run a half marathon distance now to save myself.

Movember

Today marks the last day of Movember and I jumped the gun a little and gave myself a Number 2 crew cut.

Many thanks to Simlin, Beakus and Ewen for the latest donations. This brings my grand total raised to a very surprising $263.

I know it is all going to a great cause but $163 of that total came from you guys. People who only know me by reading my blog. Most of you I have never met, and I probaly never will. I am very surprised, humbled and touched that you donated so much money in my name.

Next year I plan on going all out and growing a Mo that will rival this guys...

Movember 28th

Yesterday while on an extended meal break at work I again went on my 12km lap of the Yarra river in Melbourne.

The sun was up and it was a glorious day. Maybe a little too warm for my liking, so I had my water filled fuel belt strapped on for hydration.

I headed out from Flinders St station and followed the north bank of the Yarra to the Grange Rd bridge. Crossing the river it was time to head back to the City and I followed the south side all the way back to the trendy Southbank Precint and the old Sandridge Rail Bridge.

Once again I crossed the iconic Yarra River and returned to my starting point of the Elizabeth St subway completing 12kms distance in 0:58:55.

Further details for this run can be found here.

Movember

With only a few days left in Movember it feels like time to get a little silly.

Spark Driver and Mo with even more "Full Monty" props.

Many thanks goes to 2P and my friend Salli for the latest generous donations to the worthy Movember cause.

I am very surprised and impressed to have raised $213 for this event so far.

Movember 26th

My apologies for not posting for the last 6 days but seeing as I haven't run this week I felt I haven't had anything to Blog about.

That changed Last Friday though. My friend Salli invited me along for another race around Lysterfield Lake and I found it hard to refuse.

I ran two laps of the Lake Circuit while she walked one. My two laps equaled 11.6km's in 0:57:39 and I caught Salli during the second lap at around the 10km mark.

More details for Fridays run can be found at Motionbased.

Movember

Movember is drawing to an end and I am yet to find how a Mo will improve my distance running.

but while plodding along around the Lake, I thought that if I grew the 'tash big and bushy enough it would work as a great filter. Fantastic for all those bugs and flys that seem to make it into my mouth while running.

A healthy looking Running Bug Filter.

Late edit: As requested by Beakus here is a picture of her home station from the drivers cab of the train. Williamstown is the terminal stop of this small three station branch line and it over looks Port Phillip Bay. Many years ago the line continued on to the left and extended to Williamston Pier but that station is now well and truely gone.

Olympic Dream 2006

This morning on the 19th day of Movember I competed in the 17th Olympic Dream.

This year saw a course change for the event that included 2 x 5km laps of the MCG and surrounding parklands.

I arrived at the Melbourne Cricket Ground fairly early due to infrequent public transport. This gave me plenty of time to sort out my gear, join in the warm-up aerobics and a few pre-race trips to the toilet. Powerade was one of the event sponsors and they were handing out free bottles of their Isotonic range. I foolish drank 2 bottles of the free stuff knowing I would probarly regret it later.

The race started at 10am with a whistle and the usual mad dash "trying not to trip yourself or others over" commenced.

The first lap passed pretty well. The course was surprisingly hilly with a few crossings over footbridges that spanned the railyards.

When I mention hilly it is not the steep hills Six Foot Track style. Just gradual inclines over footbridges that really started to hurt on the second lap.

Elevation chart from today's Olympic Dream.

The first 5km lap passed in 0:23:21 and I bunkered down to complete the second lap.

I could feel the Powerade excise was starting to rear its ugly head and I tried to focus on targets to overtake and not my increasing bladder size.

The sun felt particularly fierce during this lap and I could have sworn that it was 30 plus degrees. Since checking the Bureau of Meteorology website I have found that it was only a more reasonable 20 degrees at the time but it sure felt hotter.

The last approach to the MCG was on the very same bridge that Kerryn McCann ran over to win the 2006 Commonwealth Games ladies marathon. With that inspiring moment on my mind and my bladder at the point of rupture I pushed on to finish the 10km race in 0:49:35.

Initially I was a little disappointed with my time. It beat my previous Olympic Dream time of 4 minutes but it was held on a completely different course. I was hoping to get closer to 45 minutes for a 10km event. It was with relief that I heard the place getters describing the event as difficult during their medal presentations. The 1st place female winner seemed to even address me personally when she said not to be disillusioned if PB's aren't broken, it was a tough course with all the inclines.

I squeezed in 2 more Powerades (hey it was FREE) and a couple of trips to the toilet before catching the train back home. Another race event under the belt.

Movember 18th

For the first time in a while I have two runs to write about.

The first run took place on Thursday while I was on an extended meal break at work.

I had planned on a 10km route over some new territory but when I switched on the Garminator, he promptly replied "Battery low, press enter". This hasn't happened to me before but from reading others Blogs I figure I wouldn't have the Garmins services for long.

Within five minutes running I was a little pissed to see his blank screen and decided that due to not having the correct time on me, and the need to get back to work on time, a shorter run over known route was in order.

I ran through Birrarung Marr towards the MCG planning to do some reconnaissance work for a race on Sunday. The Number 2 light tower at the "G" is the starting point of the Olympic Dream, an 10km event being held on Sunday.

At the MCG I ran a clockwise half lap of the exterior then crossed the Tennis Centre footbridge over the railyards. A left up Swan st then right at Punt rd placed me in the vicinity of the Morell bridge, facing the base of Anderson st hill.

I passed a few walkers while running up the hill then followed the Tan around to Linlithgow ave. Crossing St Kilda rd I headed back to work at Flinders St Station.

With the failure of Garminator I have had to calculate the distance using Gmap. The best I can figure the distance was 7.4kms. I have no idea of the time it took me. I just knew it left enough for a shower and time to run my 1544 Pakenham train home.

My second run was yesterday and back to an old favorite destination of Lysterfield Lake.

I picked up a friend Salli and planned to settle an old score. To see if I could catch Sal while she walked a lap of the lake while I ran two.

In all I ran 11.4kms in 0:56:22. Surprisingly it took till 10.2kms to catch Sal. For someone who has such short legs she can sure move fast (I know she reads this and can hear her cursing me now :-D ).

As mentioned earlier, tomorrow I am running in the 10km Olympic Dream. It is a 5km loop course around the MCG and surrounding parklands. I am confident of a sub 50 minute time and am hoping for minus 45's.

Special thanks to Jaykay for the latest donation to Movember. A update pic will follow soon.

Late Edit: Even though I have heaps of props with fire helmets and uniforms etc, I will not be doing the Full Monty for charity any time soon. I cannot think of anyone who would want to pay to see this!!

Movember 15th

Spark Drivers garden after sudden hail.

Due to thunderstorms, rain and local hail this mornings planned 10km training run has now been cancelled.

I'm now glad that I did a 12km loop of the Yarra River while on my meal break at work yesterday.

I ran from Flinders St Station to the old Sandrigde rail bridge, along the south bank of the Yarra to the Grange rd bridge and returned along the north bank of the river.

It was a good run and satisfying to have my 1st distance over 10km's since the Melbourne Marathon early October. My thoughts turned to Half Marathons and how I am now eager to run the 21.1km again.

I will do some research and locate a suitable, upcoming Half Mara event.

The Garminator reported that the total time for the Yarra 12.1km distance was 0:59:07. But while downloading the Garmin I noticed that he had spat the dummy while passing under some of the many bridges that line the river. His data may not be 100% correct but if you are after more information it can be found here.

Movember

Looking more like Blakey from "On the Buses" here I am wearing the Country Fire Authority dress uniform.

My total for Movember now stands at $178. Thanks to a colleague Paul 'Tiny' Little from the fire brigade for the latest donation.

I have now worked out that I can accept cash and cheque donations from friends and family. If you read this and would like to donate cash I can provide a receipt that is tax deductable for amounts over $2. Just contact me via phone, email or SMS to make arrangements.

Go Sal

My lovely wife Sal has also decided to jump on the Lard Bus. She wants to make a lifestyle change and lose some unwanted kilos. She has recently discovered something that most regular runners already knew. That getting up in the early morning for exercise though painful at the time gives a rewarding feeling for the rest of the day. She has been going for a half an hour quick walk and looks to increase the distance with time. There has even been talk of a weight loss blog.

You go girl!

Movember 12th

My dog Oscar and I went for a run to a friends place last night. It was just a short run of 5.8kms and just as well as Oscar is a little out of shape. He kept up with me as he always does but he hasn't had a run for awhile and his effort obviously increased at the 4km mark.

We completed the 5.8km distance in 0:27:34. More details can be found on Motionbased.

Oscar was very excited to get out for a run as he hasn't been for awhile. I have become a bit too fast for him on the regular 10km run and may have to find some shorter 5k routes to stretch his little Staffy legs.

A late sleep-in and poor Melbourne weather this morning has prevented me from going for a run. Instead I set a date with Jillian Michaels and her Cardio Kickbox DVD for a fast paced work-out.

The Mo and I straight after Cardio Kick-box.

A few weeks ago I was flicking through the "Next Blog" button on the top of the screen when I stumbled onto a page from a young lady in Edinburgh, UK.

Alphamare set up her blog as a weight lose journal and has titled it "Jumping on the Lard Bus".

She rides her bike for exercise and she has run 3 miles so far. Not quite a runner yet but I am working on it.

She has done well with her goals to date and I encourage anyone to drop in and give her a rev-up.

Movember 9th

The Ninth day of Movember is here and I have this itchy, prickly growth on my top lip.

This last week I have suffered from a persistent cold and if it wasn't for charity I would have shaved the bloody thing off!

Thanks to MorseyRuns for her generous donation to Movember and for keeping me honest (though it took me awhile to recogonize her "real" name).

My funds raised tally stands at $173 so far!

This morning the stuffy nose and dried out lips had eased enough to have a go at my local 10km circuit.

It had been four days since my last run and The Garminator took about three minutes to get a satellite lock and eventually we got going.

It was a fantasic morning for a run. The blue sky was clear with only a light breeze. Maybe a little too hot for my liking but I hadn't planned on pushing myself that much.

I ran comfortably all the way and completed my 10.1 km run in 0:50:27. About 2 minutes off PB time but I didn't set out to run it fast, just to complete it and keep the legs moving.

More details can be found at Motionbased.

Arthurs Seat Challenge race report

***WARNING-Long post ahead***

We are all back home now from out two night weekend holiday.

Apart from an anoying head cold that I suffered from all weekend our inaugural camping trip was very successful. We learnt a lot of things to take with us on our next getaway.

I completed the short but tough Arthurs Seat Challenge yesterday morning. It was 6.7km in 0:39:33.

The start area was very crowded at 8:15am with many people still registering. I ran into Coolrunnings "Eat 'Em" who expressed he would be surprised if the event got underway at the advertised start time of 8:30am. We wished each other well and he was swallowed up in the crowd.

At Eat 'Ems advice Sal and the kids decided to head off to the finish line at the Arthurs Seat summit sooner rather than later. They also wished me luck and I headed over to the start line.

Gathering on Point Neapen rd I was reminded of many other "for charity" runs I had attended. A race starter mysteriously elevated above the crowd struggling to address 1800 people with a megaphone. I would be surprised if anymore than 50 people managed to hear what he was saying.

I was a little way back from the start line as I watched a plume of smoke, then the delayed CRACK from the starters pistol. The crowd surged forward and the pace increased from a walk to a slow run.

As usual in a tight packed starting line the first 700 metres is used dodging slower runners, getting frustrated by walkers, trying not to get tripped up and sprinting into any gaps.

The first 2 kilometres was pretty flat as I watched the crowd. I was surprised at the amount of kids running but remembered that the race is mainly organized by several local schools. A guy near me seemed to be wearing a skirt and running with no shoes. My thoughts turn to the $200 Asics Kayanos I am wearing and how I need to beat him.

After the flat 2km coastal road you get a good view of the first uphill portion. The road steadily rose ahead for the next 900 metres and I dropped down a gear. I have compared myself to other runners and think I am pretty good on hills with this time being no exception. At a comfortable 5:20 min/km pace (according to the Garminator) I started passing a few other runners.

At the top of the hill the road flattened out then rose up again. Whoops, I wasn't expecting that, but no problem, I was still pushing on. A lot of kids and a few adults were walking at this stage and I looked over my shoulder and could see why. The road looked a lot steeper and longer from the top than it did at the bottom!

The course then dropped down shortly with almost a sigh of relief. At the bottom of the dip was the first aid station. I grabbed a cup of water and slurped a little in my mouth. Mindful of the bloody nipples at the Melbourne Marathon I was careful not to get water on the white, Nike singlet I was wearing.

My finishing photo at the Melbourne Marathon complete with bloody left nipple.

At 3.7km the course entered a dirt road with a gentle incline. "This is nice" I'm thinking to myself as the road winds through some Aussie bush.

500 metres later and we are back on the the bitumen. The grade felt a lot steeper here and I was approaching a road sign that advertised the first of many, tight hairpin turn.

At the third hairpin turn the burning in my legs and stuffy head cold finally caught up with me. I dropped back to a walk to let my breathing catch up. "Wow this is steep" I say to no-one in particular as I stretch my legs to run again.

The walk a little, run a bit continued for the next 2.5kms as I struggled to climb a mountain. I knew this run was up hill but I nevered imagined it to be this steep. My ears start to pop at the elevation and at times I catch glimpses of the awesome views over Port Phillip Bay. I am relieved to notice that I am not the only one walking then running and I have since read on the Ausrun Forum that Eat 'Em, who I consider to be a great runner, had to walk a little too!

At 6km I drink again at the last aid station then run up the final incline. A very welcome downhill followed running through the picturesque Seawinds Gardens.

With a little frustration I had to line up to get over the finishing line. There is a lot to be said for the Windag timing system but I'm sure it is very expensive. This is a charity event with a free T-shirt after all

The elevation and pace chart from the Arthurs Seat Challenge.

Arthurs Seat Challenge on Google Earth.

More details for this event can be found on Motionbased.

Movember

Movember is progressing well with funds raised at $133. Thanks to my friend Laurelin for the latest donation.

A itchy, prickly moustache is very annoying while suffering with a cold and I would not recommend it.

An update picture will follow shortly.

Movember 3rd

No running today due to a suspected head cold. I hope it will be right for Sundays Arthurs Seat challenge otherwise it will be a very unpleasent run.



On the 3rd day of Movember the Mo is starting to take shape.

I'm still undecided on what style I am going for. I don't know if I will have enough time to grow a legendary Mo like Robert De Castella's or Yiannis Kouros but at Tesso's suggestion I have done some research into the Porno Mo.

I Googled "Moustache" but with the family filters on this example is the best I can come up with.


I'm not sure that this style is right for me. The curls at the end just look so.....fake!

Special thanks must go to Deege, Running Gal and Sals parents, David and Noela. With their generous donations to Movember (rego number 23127) my total raised figure so far is $113!

After only three days I am very impressed.

The family and I are going camping this long Melbourne Cup weekend so I may not be able to blog again till next week.

I hope every one enjoys their weekend.

Movember 2nd

I was considering a rest from running this morning because after two hard runs in the last few days my calves have felt a little tight. The constant rain in Melbourne since 2:30am sort of cemented the rest day idea in place.

Can't really complain about the weather much as we desperately need the rain. Even while running around my local surburbia you can see the effects of the drought on the grasslands and peoples front lawns. Everything just looks so dry.

If the rain isn't gone by Saturday you will hear me complaining then. I have a lot of outdoor stuff planned for this weekend.

In an effort to introduce camping trips to our family outings I have bought a large camping tent on ebay and this weekend was going to be the inaugural trip away. Nothing very spectacular just two nights at a caravan park in Rosebud while I run the Arthurs Seat Challenge on Sunday. A weekend full of rain is NOT on the agenda!

Day 2 of Movember is starting to see a little growth. My ever suffering wife has expressed her displeasure at the Mo but does support the idea behind it. She has threatened bedroom favours are off the agenda for the month of Movember but I think once I get the sexy Magnum P.I look happening she will learn to appreciate the Mo.
Remember that all donations can be made here. Please include my Rego number of 23127.

Thanks to my wife Sal and Em for your donations and getting the ball rolling.

Movember 1st

For the month of Movember (formally November) I will be growing a moustache.

Much to the annoyance of my dear wife Sal I have decided to encourage growth on my upper lip to raise money and awareness for men's health issues. Money raised will be used to change the face of men's health by creating awareness and funding research into prostate cancer and male depression.

More information can be found at the Movember website.

Donations by credit card can be made here. Please enter my rego number of 23127 and all donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Not only will growing a Mo raise money for a very good cause I think a Mo will help my running training and style.

There have been some great distance running legends who's Mo's have helped them along the way.


The legendary Robert De Castella used his Mo for good and not evil by winning the 1982 Commonwealth Games marathon in Brisbane, the Rotterdam marathon in 1983 and the 1983 World Championships marathon held in Helsinki.

In 1983 'Deeks' and his Mo were made Australian(s) of the Year.

1986 he defended his title and won the Commonwealth games marathon in Edinburgh, won the 1986 Boston marathon and also won the 1991 Rotterdam marathon.




Yiannis Kouros is known as the "Running God", "Golden Greek", "Pheidippides Successor", "World Record Breaker", "Unstoppable", and as the "Master of Pain".

He is undefeated in any continuous world-class ultra-marathon competition beyond 100 miles.

He holds every record from 100 miles to 1,000 miles, from 200 km to 1,600 km, and from 1 day to 10 days.

Yiannis also starred as Pheidippides in the movie A Hero's Journey about the history of marathon running.



For the next month I will take inspiration from these two running legends and only hope I can grow a Mo half as good as theirs.

My Mo and I. Day 1.

To kick off Movember I ran my regular 10km loop this morning. Completed in 0:48:17 but I did pause the Garminator awhile as I chatted to some friends.

More details for this run can be found here.