Humid Friday Run + a Swim

Running early morning with a client today and i thought it would be perfect prep before tomorrows race, unfortunately i hadn't factored in the humidity once again that must have been up around 95% at 6.30am and the fact my client just got a whole lot faster.
45 minute tempo, turning at 22.5  (like we do at HuRTS) for an average pace of 4.36.........Jeez, my client runs it better then i do these days :)

Into town for the Friday swim and no sign of Militant Mikey barking his orders out at me, very strange,  as well as no Enda who was ready for excuse #214 for the year  (got another cold and has a little jet lag despite being back over 4 weeks now),  or even MrAce in my lane to work with but a good crowd once again lead by swim mentor Pete Walker, Mermaid, Kev, Taffy James, Todd and the late arrival of Corporal Angus Boyd (C.A.B) who took up Mikey's mantle and made sure Brendan and i kept our breaks from drifting out too much. Struggled big time today as even CAB was to strong for me and i was barely able to get on his feet,
Only good for 1.7ks before calling it a day.
Laura was also there. stalking me in the next lane and telling all and sundry that she is out to smash me tomorrow, She probably will although she looked ill today and i hope she's not coming down with a cold or anything nasty :)


Big game of footy on this week , and NO J-Fen, settle down i am not talking Super Bowl XLV11 but the start of the 6 Nations Rugby that's sees the Taffy's take on the Irish at Cardiff Arms with Tucks in attendance, as well as the Jocks taking on a strong England at Twickers. I fancy the English boys to win the 6 Nations but not so sure about getting the Slam ?
Timmy's Tip - Go the Double take Wales into England on the weekends games
In the Super Bowl, its the San Fran boys taking on the Baltimore Ravens as there dream run continues after they beat my New England with Tom Brady in the semis.
Might need to have a chat with Fenton to find out the form of both but Timmy's Tip is going to be the underdogs - The Ravens
* What is it about this game though, they seem to have more people standing on the sidelines then you get at the whole of Crystal Palace matches - Its madness.

Lets get it started.




Penultimate Berlin Guy is Steve Bianchini
As stated i don't think anyone apart from Tom actually knows Steve, although i did have the briefest of chats to him when he attended the HuRTS presentation in December. Seems a decent guy, and helped by the fact is he one of our own....... A London boy with a strange Cockney accent that i am sure will keep those pesky Irishmen in check once we hit the beer in Munich.
With a surname like Bianchini and in 'The Italian Stallion Durante's' absence Stevie Boy best be able to dish up a decent Pizza for the lads to help keep our strength up after a full day in the tents.
Steve loves his beer i am lead to believe (Sure he does, he's a mate of Toms after all) and in his own words is not a great runner and will be happy just to get around the 42ks.........So with that in mind it looks like it could well be a 3 way tussle now then with Elvis and Charlie :)

Steve Bianchini left, with a very drunken Chairman middle, alongside Rene 'allo allo'

No real reason for this photo to be honest, except that Michael 'Killa' Killacoat extreme Right of shot bid us a farewell after yesterdays 400s at Rushcutters, plus the fact ANY photo with HuRTS #2 girl Anna in it is always worth putting up and adds that bit of class that is sadly lacking in most photos on here.
Seen here with Timmy, Mikey Conway, Todd at last years end of season Presentation at 'The Harbour View Hotel'.


Have a good weekend all, I'm getting pretty nervous before the first race of the year tomorrow and i am fully prepared to get turned over by Elvis, get Chicked by Laura, and lose by over 3 minutes to Highnam.....Oh God it could be nasty :)
A little look again in my crystal ball sees the following times being run by the people i know that are running;
Tom 33.57 ( and then will wait nervously for 3 minutes to disappear before a big smile breaks out)
Fats  34.21 ( In good form and barely runs a bad run)
Macca 34.58 (will run through a brick wall to break 35 - one tough cookie this boy)
Kanser 35.31 ( lets hope it not as humid or else he could lose his body weight in sweat if it is)
Elvis   37.31 ( Talking up a big game - lets hope he delivers?)
Laura  37.40 ( will be heading straight to Tom, to collect her winning drinks)
Timmy 37.52 ( first race in months, will battle away as always)



Best of Luck to all out there running

Have a good weekend.

FLYING....at least on the Bike.

Out in the park once more for a tough bike set that was 4, 3, 2, and One full Lap efforts with a strong group, with an easy lap recovery after each set.
Broke up into little groups and there were 7 in mine as we set off on the first 4 lap effort, God the boys weren't hanging around this morning and i was working as hard as ever just to stay on, very thankful for the break at the end of the 4th that was done in a near record time for me in 21.45. Pretty much the same pace on the 2nd but saw us lose a few of the group on the way, lost even a few more on the double set and come the single lap we were down to 3.
Times were, 21.45, 16.15, 11.09, 5.26
Unbelievable times and its no wonder 'King of the Drafting' Coach John Hill does it all the time in races and has his crew that includes HuRTS Marshmallow Man and the Laughing Policeman follow suit as you reduce your times big style with 20% less effort - Pity the boys never seem to reproduce it come the races when the 'Draftbusters' are out in force and put a stop to this way of racing.
Returned home with 66ks ticking over, but the legs were very Jelly like.

Down to Rushcutters at lunch for the HuRTs 10 x 400s and a big crew on a bloody HOT day that even saw the return of J-Fen (amazing what the threat of getting the Underachiever Award will do to get people back out), Enda returned, and as usual Kanser rocked up late.
With Vlad leading the way with Tom and Bartles, i settled into the pretty big second group and kicked it off with a 72 second lap, Pretty much stayed on pace for the first 5 but lost it a little on reps 7 & 8 before bringing it home again for the final 10th
Rep times for the day were, 72, 71, 72, 72, 72, 73, 74, 74, 73, 70
Bloody tough session this one despite it being all done and dusted within 20 minutes, and looking around at everyone at the end i could see there wasn't much left in peoples tanks, in fact poor Enda was doing all he could to avoid Fertilizing the nearby flower bed at one point .
So its Striders the next call and i had a quiet word with HuRTS #1 Lady Laura and asked her nicely if she could avoid beating me and as a 'Kind English Gentleman' I would buy her a few drinks come presentation evening - Unfortunately Tommy H was nearby and 'Being a Kind Englishman ...But with more Money' offered to DOUBLE the amount of drinks if she does beat me. :)
Also bid  farewell to another member today as Michael "Killa' Killacoat informed the team that today was his last session as he is heading to the 'Old Dart' for work for a few years.  Good lad and a very good runner Killa is when in form  and i swear i saw a tear or two on Kanser's face when he told us he was leaving the team.

Berlin Bound #13 is Robert Eugene Costello aka Elvis, Taxi Man, or Herman to his mates.
Elvis has been with the team a few years now but really only came into recognition late last year when he improved his running in a big way that saw him in the frame for the 'Most Improved Runner ' at the HuRTS Awards in December (which he didn't get by the way). His one claim to fame and his biggest Achievement in Life was beating yours truly at last Octobers Striders 10k race out at Homebush (even better then becoming a dad he reckons) Has joined the ranks of the Ultra/Walkers Society and with Tucks away for the year maybe he has an eye of winning this award come the end of the year.
We welcomed Elvis into the Sub 3 hour club when he went to Dublin in October and with a Usain Bolt like last 100m managed to sneak under with 2 seconds to spare.  Great time from him BUT i fear joining the 2 point 4 club (2hr40s) a long way off for him at this point of time and the REAL Battle of the Bulge will come in September when the Warrior and Elvis go face to face.
Elvis also has the honour of being the Heaviest to Tip the Scales prior to becoming an athlete with the HuRTS team. With Kanser burning all the evidence of his in his youth, I have managed to find one that shows Elvis relegate Clyde down a spot :) In the photo it looks like he has just eaten half the HuRTs squad :)
Berlin Time Tip - 3hr:12 (that's without calling a Taxi home at the 32ks mark)

Elvis looking very happy at the end of Striders 10k race - Homebush.

Elvis with a win over 'Young Timmy' with Enda never far away when the camera's come out.

In his Pre HuRTS days - looking as if he's just eaten half the team.

........and finally from his TV days as Herman Munster c/o The Addams Family Fame from way back in the 60s (Ask Master Sweeney to tell you about it if you are too young to remember)

Tomorrow - The "Outsider' of the Group, Steve Bianchini (Tom's Mate)

Cheers

Needing a Spark?

Missed the Medium to Long run with Kanser this morning with working but still managed to find 15ks from somewhere and just cruised around. Head and heart just don't seem to be in it the moment and I'm badly in need of finding some sort of Spark to kick start me into action.
As planned i am going to do the Striders 10k race on Saturday  (as i always do regardless of form) but feel as if i will be doing well to even break 38 minutes if truthful?
Back out at lunch for a spin on the bike (always seems easier) and did an easy 30ks all up even seeing some of the lads out for there midweek med/long run.

Berlin Boy today is Warrior Charlie

Charles Dalziell , aka - Warrior Charlie, Slow Charlie, Pascoe ( Dalziell & Pascoe BBC TV show)
Charlie has been along time member of the HuRTS team although we haven't really seen that much of him over the past 18 months or so, not sure if he's injured, gone soft, to busy, or just plain avoiding me? Does a lot behind the scenes for the boys with his mate Greg in sorting the web page and all the technical stuff that us mere wombats have no clue about.
When not training with the boys he can be found around Farm Cove, and the Bay area with his Warrior Mates doing all sorts of press ups, dips, sit ups and i have even seen them sitting down holding the wall up on one of there many bizarre things they do over 60 minutes.
Does move well when he does manage to get some consistent training under his belt and he tells me he is secretly hoping for a time of 3.20 come September. I've told him he could knock 20 minutes of that if he just runs the 42ks and doesn' stop on the way around doing some of the above exercises that i mentioned.
A top guy is Mr Dalziell although I'm not sure if he sometimes gets my humour and when i see the 'Stern' look on his face that says 'P!$$ Off Timmy' i know he's gone all serious and i back off and give him the space he deserves :)
Like Rene, Charlie has a claim to fame by having outside interests on British TV as his ego Andy Dalziell, In fact Charlie does have very similar characteristics as the TV show, (a) His larger Girth,
(b) can be a miserably old b@$tard and (c) Has a heart of Gold under that tough exterior.
Lets hope the shenanigans of Stankard/Kane/Highnam doesn't get to much for Charlie once we hit the high life of Munich.  (Jeez, there seems a few falling under that banner it seems?)

Warrior Charlie , showing of his 'Guns' at last Years J.P Morgan, Covering the 5.6ks in 21 minutes despite stopping and doing 250 press ups, 300 Sit ups and a 60 second plank on the way around.

Charlie (left) with the Chairman, and Scotsman threatening to get a beer in, at last years presentation.

........ and as his lookalike and playing his character in Dalziell & Pascoe, Charlie seen here on the right prior to his HuRTS days

Tomorrow - find out who the HuRTS Taxi man is?



Cheers

Fires, Floods, and F.A.Cup Drama

A long weekend due to Australia Day on the Saturday and after the killer humidity we had on Saturday the past couple of days has seen nothing but a downpour and a repeat of the floods up in QLD (poor folk, hope the Master is OK up there).
A good couple or days resting therefore doing bugger all expect catching up on all the new DVDS (more on that later), With the constant rain around i gave Kanser a call last night and asked him to help out and join us for a solid hit out early morning. Was looking forward to the cooler change and actually running in the rain for once and Kanser wanted to do a 5k, followed by some 800 reps that suited me fine.
After a little warm up we were off and Kanser despite saying he was going to take it easy was soon ahead, I struggled around in parts especially on the couple of small climbs throughout the 5ks but managed to get through it although not as fast as i was hoping and i may as well give the Chairman the cash now and be done with.  Felt my gluts get tight at the end and when Kanser also complained about his sore calf's we called it quits for the morning, although i did have to do another 6ks with clients as a way of a cool down.
Will get back out in the morning for another 18ks before taking it easy for the remainder of the week after that.
Returned home and signed up for the SMH Half Marathon in May - so i suppose the banter will start up between the boys as we get ready for the Churchill / Sands Trophy rematch. Hopefully the Irish will submit a better team this year around and i know Captain Stankard will be doing everything in his power to get one over us poor English.
I see the S.M.H are using the HuRTS boys as a nice way of promoting the race, seen here is MaccaMcClarnon and Fats last year.

Macca " Hey Fats well done great win, you English boys turned us over again, any chance you can have a word with Timmy to get me into that team next year, I'll sort my passport out by then.
Fats " Yeah wont be a problem and the best of it is - you get FREE drink for the night when we win care of those Men in Green "

What we are running for - the prized Churchill / Sands Cup.

What a weekend also in England with the exciting  F.A Cup continuing and many a upset along the way, with no less then only 7 premiership teams remaining going into the 5th Round. Liverpool dumped out at Oldham, Villa's woes and slide into the Championship go on, Leeds beat Spurs,  as Norwich were also out after going down to non league Luton. Despite taking care of Palace, Moneybags Man City overcame the Britannia Fortress at Stoke to ensure that i don't have to make the trip come in May like two years back.

Fortress Britannia - Home of Stoke as the big crowd battles the snow.

With the wet weather over the weekend it gave me the chance to catch up on the latest DVDs on the market sent over by my Thai brothers - DVD men Deng & Dithaker. And with Kanser's blog down ( tell he's not running well ) it looks like I'll have to give the old review myself.
Here's 5 -

Hitchcock - Film on the influential filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and his long suffering wife based on the making of the classic Psycho. Average film for me to be honest and if it wasn't for the fine acting of Hopkins and Helen Mirren it probably wouldn't have got the accolades it has got. Although the eye candy of Scarlett Johansson made it even more appealing
5 popcorn's out of 10.

Lincoln,  Based on U.S President Abraham Lincoln at the time of the Cival War and his attempts to abolish slavery. I love Daniel Day-Lewis and think he is a fine actor that quiet rightly deserves his Oscar nomination for this part, unfortunately it wasn't my kind of film, although J-Fen will probably love it being American, To long winded for me and seemed to go on forever
4 popcorn's out of 10 for this one.

Argo. - Actually saw this a few weeks back, A great movie this one with Ben Affleck staring that will keep you gripped with the fine story and acting right up until the end.
8.5 popcorn's out of 10 for this one.

The Impossible - Must say really enjoyed this one as it gives a true account of a family caught up in one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time over in Thailand. Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor star in this must see movie.
9 popcorns out of 10 - Go see it or give me a call for a copy.

Silver Linings Playbook. Bradley Cooper plays Pat who after a stint in a mental institution, moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
Best movie of the year so far for me and a great support part played by the ever impressible Robert De Niro
9.5 popcorn's out of 10 - excellent.

So we've seen the fires across Sydney and Melbourne, Floods north of the boarder, Movie reviews and Stoke exiting the F.A Cup on a busy weekend............ BUT, wait there's more, Enda has been bombarding me with Hard Hitting News from his hometown that he has asked me to share with the readers. Is he for real?
This is Irish News at its very best,
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=135432809951290&set=vb.388071227942020&type=2&theater


Berlin Guy
Renaud Herington (aka Rene, Allo Allo)
Not much is known about Rene in truth but anytime i see him around normally in the Park he always has time for a chat and always has a smile to go with it. Had the misfortune of going to New York in November last year only for the late cancellation. Was straight in when Berlin was being finalised and is another that makes running seem easy. Again not raced against him much but what i can see is that he will keep Kanser more then honest over 42ks and a 2.42 wont be far away.
Does not train much with the HurTS team throughout the week, preferring to concentrate on his TV career as he portrays French owner Rene Artois from the classic British Sitcom
Hope just like Bartles  i hope he is not overawed by the over the top antics of Stankard/ Kane and Highnam once we get to Berlin, although if he brings his partner it should keep him more then happy.
Like Tom with his Singapore Larger Ladies, Kane with his Irish Ginga Females and Enda with his Thai Ladyboys - Rene  has his fetish for Eastern European Ladies, Each to there own i say........ And if that's the case then Rene may just be my best mate once we get to Berlin :)

Rene seen here standing to the right of a drunken Chairman at the HuRTS presentation - time 6.52pm

Rene to the right of 'UnderAchiever' Charlie, with his wife/partner extreme left.

..... and doing his day job :)

Cheers

Battling the Heat

Battling Enda, fitness and lack of form is one thing but trying to battle against the heat and Humidity that continues here in Sydney is another thing.
Work commitments early meant that i missed catching up with the boys at any stage this morning and didn't arrive in the park till 9.30am and in turn meant i was forced to run solo as well as run in the higher temps. Restricted for time i knew i had no chance of getting my 25ks in, so decided again on my 3 x 6k Woollahra Hill loops for the 2nd time this week. As a compromise for the shorter distance i thought i would try to pick the pace up on each lap. Went out harder on the first and was happy to cover the lap at 4.21 pace, then kicked it down further on the 2nd managing 4.16 pace. Could have well stopped then but squeezed in a 3rd although the pace dropped a fair bit as i was cooked by this stage of the morning.
Lap Times were: 26.09 @ 4.21 pace
                            25.41 @ 4.16
                            26.48 @ 4.28
Managed to set a new PB for the morning mind as i reckon i stopped for a record 9 times at the bubblers set around the park (actually make that 10 as i even set off then went back on one of them) It really was a case of just getting from one to the other this morning (about 2ks) .
Still another 18ks done, not the 25 i was looking for but still a solid 80 odd for the week so i should be happy with that.
Lets just pray its not as humid this time next Saturday or Tommy H will be about 10 minutes in front of me at the Striders race
Busy week ahead, although will cut right back after the Midweek Wednesday run in order to freshen up a little for the first race of the year on the Saturday.

A big Aussie Day party now around my Irish mates house so NO activity scheduled for tomorrow and even Monday could be in doubt already as these parties are well known for going for a longer duration then Enda's colds :)
Will hold off on Berlin Bound Rene until the next entry, as i am short of time as well as i need to find a little more dirt on the squeaky clean guy :)

Whilst i was sweating my b&!!s off here this morning, my mate sent me this from our street back home overnight and minus 4 degrees :)
Have a great Aussie Day
Cheers

So Un Australian by Militant Mikey

More ks running this morning to get the weekly mileage up and after an easy flat lap( 3.7k) with a client at 5.12 per/k, i then did a further 2 at a solid pace to end up with just over 11ks for the session.
Very hot and sticky again and the humidity was sky high once more as i was pouring sweat even during the easy lap.
Lunchtime swim was on the cards again so cycled into town, and after a good warm up with Mikey for 700m there was a big crowd with Pete Walker a few more fast guys, then MrAce, Mikey, Enda and I  and a few of Mikey's work colleagues for the 6 x 200s (20 second break after each), and 8 x 100s.
As always i never feel that great in the pool but my times are actually OK, with all 6 of the 200s on sub 3.20 (quickest 3.09), both Enda and i were looking forward to a break at the completion of the 6th when Militant Mikey informs us "straight into the 100s we go" , A few raised eyebrows as we both looked at one another and told Mikey it was so Un Australian not to give us the required break. He's only been back for two weeks now and we are already talking of kicking him out the slow lane.
I sat out 2 of the 100s before rejoining for the final 6 - tough old session but again the times were OK with the slowest at 1.39
2.5ks all up for the day.
On a sad note, - sorry to report there was NO Andy Heyden there today after suffering 3rd degree burns last Friday trying to get back to his office after his 75 metre swim. He has had to return to England and the cooler climate and wont be seen back till July. On the plus side his swimming bench has been replaced by one set up by a local in the park close to his home, and Andy can be seen as happy as Larry sitting watching the world go by.

Andy Heyden after swapping the bench at Boy Charlton for his local park back home in the U.K

Today's Berlin Buddy is non other then the man himself, Enda

Enda Rupert Stankard - Aka, Echinacea, Mr Excuse, King of the Blarney, Mr VO2 Max.
Well where does one start with my mate Enda? I have reported on various members now, and how many have there finer qualities but i must say overall Enda and I bounce of one another pretty well as we both get each others banter (he has to really after all the sh!te that is written about him on this blog)
Enda is King of the Excuses within the HuRTS team and could write a best seller with some of the ones he has used over the past few years, He has had his cold/flu since it seems the end of the Potato Famine in the 1840s over in his homeland, hence his nickname Echinacea.  If Kanser is mentally fragile over the Marathon, and Mikey is scarred about running a sub 35 then Enda is at breakdown point on how to beat Young Timmy over the 21ks - I have nearly paid my mortgage off over the years with winning bets from him over this distance.
Was once seen as Ireland's great white hope in the Triathlons, but mate POD soon put paid to that and the Leech (Eoin) has seen him fall even further down the ladder. so he has now retired and is keen to redeem himself back running  in Berlin against another of his Nemesis David Kane.
Enda does have loads of talent mind you, and occasionally can pull a good race together as he often does for the J.P Morgan, and is always around the 50 minute mark for the City to Surf, His claim to fame though was last year in the Melbourne Ironman when all went to plan and he raced his way around the 42ks with a very impressive 3.06 (even beating Champagne Charlie's time)
Never more dangerous in races then when he is talking it down weeks prior to the event saying he hasn't trained, not slept and working 25 hours a day - I don't fall for it anymore as his best races are when this actually happens.
On the social side of things there is nobody better in the camp then this guy, always brings his best Bullsh!t out with him every time we go out to drink and a great night is always guaranteed.
Loves to put one over us Poor English (but very seldom happens) and as captain of the Irish team will be looking at all underhand tactics again in trying to get back the Churchill / Sands trophy come May.
In Berlin this guy is more then capable of breaking 2.43 but will need to get his head right and try to rid himself of that cold he's had since 1993.
Not only has Enda talent he also has the 'Biggest Vo2 Max' within the group - that he will happily tell you all about, pity he doesn't have the Heart of Phar Lap...... although someone once said he does have the 'Head of Phar Lap'

Enda leading fellow Berlin Guy Rene around the Half last year (50 metres after this photo was taken.....he blew up )

Enda with his BANNED illegal swim Suit at the Biathlon trying to gain an advantage over Rich P. - the SHAME.

Easy money - taking yet another $50 from him sans Gold Coast

Already getting kitted out for a night in Munich.

And how he normally finishes his sessions after trying to hang on the rest of the team. Seen here this could be after ANY Rushcutters session.

.... and finally - How it all begun :)

Next Up - Rene

Have a massive party planned for Australia Day on Saturday so it will mean that i need to get out early Sat to do my long run, will try to catch up with the boys to help tick off some of the ks.

Have a great Australia Day all, Enjoy the Long weekend
Stay Safe
Cheers

Phish Weak Quitter....

Managed to get out and about on the bike early doors this morning and once again tagged on to a speedy group flying around. Session after a good few warm up laps was 7 x 3 minute efforts flat out with a 5 minute recovery after each and then 4 x 2 minutes flat out with the same recovery. Sounds easy and i thought yep no problems here.............. How wrong i was. Got dropped like a bag of Sh!te on the first rep after only about 1 minute 50 seconds and basically struggled all through managing to last about 2.30 at the most of any rep there after. The boys were flying in truth averaging over 42ks per hour on each effort effort and even told me they were knocking out 375 watts ( have no clue what they were on about but it sounded impressive). Anyway survived and even continued with a few easy laps and returned home buggered with 78ks ticked over for the morning.
Cycled out mid morning back down to Rushcutters for the HuRTS 8 x 800s that was on the cards, and after nearly having a standoff with Mikey Conway on whether we did the 800s or his preferred 2 full laps(900m) for about 10 minutes that i managed to get ( and its a first)  (Jeez i had the Conway look and i feared that my HuRTS membership was about to be torn up and 'Stamped Never to return')
Anyway on a very hot day we were off and we even had the privilege of having Vlad lead the way today with Tommy H and Bartles close by. I was someway behind but was happy to kick start the session with a 2.35 under the belt. Managed to hold the 2nd as well before a pit stop reduced me to stop after the 400 on the 3rd rep, Re- entered on the 4th but lost my way a little and just hung on to Enda and Mickey on the 5th and 6th but had a mental break down on the 7th rep at the 400m mark and just STOPPED.............. i was struggling with breathing but looking back it was just Phish Weak and i am not happy with myself on that score. Struggling with form is one thing but "pulling the Pin' is not in my book normally. Worked the last rep strong enough for the fastest of the day in about 3.07 pace but in fairness i knew the damaged had been done by pulling out on the 7th.
Rep times were. 2.35, 2.36, 74 (400m), 2.38, 2.40, 2.40, 75 (400m), 2.34
I wouldn't mind but when i pulled the pin on the 7th i was just sitting behind the main group and even if i dropped the pace by 5 seconds i would have still been happy with the end result. Hopefully what happened today wont happen again and will only spur me on from here going forward?
Enda run well in truth despite him saying he has done nothing in months, although no wonder Slim Sammy Agnew was complaining at the end that it was the hardest session he has done in months, It would be..... he bloody well carried our Irish mate for about 6.4ks :)

After all the talk and banter over the past few days, Tom has finally worn me down and i have reluctantly agreed to a 3 minute start (handicap) bet for the Striders 10k next Saturday. Rorted once more but if it helps to put a new pair of shoes for the new school year on Young Charlie then i more then happy to help out.

Today's HuRTS profile is Slim Sammy Agnew

Samuel Agnew ( Slim Sammy Agnew)
A nicer bloke in the HuRTS team there is not in my eyes, and certainly the nicest Crystal Palace fan out there (well there is only 8 in the world so its not saying much).  I have mixed a fair bit with Slim Sammy over the past couple of years on the bases that he is normally around my pace in races and never far away in all the training reps. I also have a common theme with Sam as he is a big football follower and our gossip is usually centered on the Premiership back home and his beloved Crystal Palace. The only downside to Slim Sammy is he lives on that bloody 'Darkside' but this has helped him big time as he is a regular with the likes of Macca, Tom and Bartles on the long runs they do for fun over there on Sunday mornings. Had a few injury issues the past 12 months but when Slim Sammy is firing then look out as this boy can run and is another 'tough old cookie'
Quietly between the two of us we are both looking at a sub 2.45 in Berlin. might be a tough ask for me but I've no doubt this lad will smash it.
Speaks German as well and could come in very handy once we reach Munich with the likes of Stankard and Kanser and we get a message from the local authorities saying "Ich bin im Gefängnis. i bin dumm"  to help bail the pair out of trouble :)

Slim Sammy Agnew, searching for the line at last years J.P Morgan.

"Oh come on Timmy, no way have Stoke beat the Palace 4 - 1 ?"

Part of the winning English team that smashed the Irish on winning the Churchill /Sands Cup in 2012.

Sammy showing of his Famous Robot Dance, lets hope he saves it for Munich this year and not 400m from the finish line ala Gold Coast 2011 :)

Tomorrow - The much awaited Enda Rupert Stankard (that's if he survives the lunchtime swim on Friday )

cheers

David Englebert Kane (D.E.K)

Out early again this morning and after a 2k warm up i waited for the late arrival (AGAIN) of Kanser for our now regular Midweek Medium Long Run that is 3 x loops of the Woollarha Hill for 6k each time around.
Wasn't really sure (or confident) how i would go this morning after yesterdays debacle but soon settled down to a comfortable 4.34 pace completing the first loop in 27.13, As the normal with Kanser (he can't help himself) the paced picked up on the 2nd as it then went down to 4.28 per/k. Was still feeling OK at this point and no sooner had the 3rd lap started it was on for all money with Kanser kicking 30, 40 ,even 50 metres ahead despite me upping the pace and running freely as i got it down to 4.17s - unreal
Happy with the way it went today though, covering the 18ks in 78.20 average for the day 4.26, and then thinking maybe it's not all doom and gloom as reported yesterday.  Kanser is getting stronger though and i think this could be the end of our Midweek runs as he is simply to fast and i might need to give Enda a call and team back up with him on a more sedate pace.
Will be back out for the HuRTS session tomorrow lunchtime , Think its back to Rushcutters? ( What its not another Tempo? ) for some 800s.

I see the Chairman Tommy H has opened up his blog and taken a serve on yours truly, by setting up a Court of Public Opinion on our 3 minute bet for Homebush. Fair enough i say - i am more then happy to put it out there and listen to the views of all. The only problem i can see so far is the only people who have responded just about sums it all up ...........Both Irishmen Kane and Stankard, well i rest my case :) If anybody with a shred of credibility wrote in then perhaps i would pay attention but Kane and Stankard,......... Please!
I on the other hand have been inundated with support and advise not to crumble under the pressure of the High Flyer's and stand firm on the 3.30 handicap start, as the majority reckon Tommy H will run 33.54 and i will be around 37.30. in which case its game on ?????
Tom stuck a photo of good old Alfie Garnett on his blog (great show by the way) , but it got me thinking that with his latest trend in trying to 'Rip me off' he reminds me of the Legendary 'Arthur Daley' a lovable rogue from back in the 80s TV show Minder - always looking for a scam or looking for the latest 'earner'

Tom 'Arthur Daley' Highnam - looking for little earn.


Today's Berlin Guy - Kanser

David Englebert Kane (D.E.K ) or Kanser to his mates.
Dave Kane is Mr Marathon to the HuRTS team, Knows just about everything about the 42ks except how to run a good one (or so Tom Highnam says). Standing joke around the traps and its not to dissimilar to Mikey's sub 35 minute efforts that Kanser has never run a good race despite having done plenty. Some even say he never will and he is Mentally Fragile when it comes do it ?????
Anyway Kanser has the runs on the board in various other races with great times in 10ks and an even better PB in the Half (73 mins) Will go to any lengths to find a short 10k race and has been known to fly to Ireland one year to complete in the Ballykissangle 9.46ks to get a good time.
When it comes to training though Kanser is never shy and will always put the relevant training in when needed and has been a regular training partner of mine over the years in and around the park.
What will he run Berlin in ??? Well, that's the 'Million Dollar Question' question, Potentially has the ability to run a 2.38 in my eyes but if i am honest i predict he will run a 2.41:55. (Enda says he wont break 2.50- a little harsh if you ask me ).
One thing i am sure of though is that Davy boy will have everything covered and give himself every chance, reading every marathon book ever written, phoning his 'Bestie' David Criniti for advice etc etc..
Besides all the hard training we do, Kanser would be the one guy outside of the group that i would see more then anyone as he loves a beer or two and i am a frequent visitor around the 'House of Kane's on Sunday mornings when the 'Good Wife" (Liv) dishes up a mean fry up after our long runs.
Not many of you would know this but  Kanser's middle name is Englebert, As his mother was a big fan of the old English crooner Engelbert Humperdinck (Please Release Me fame from the 60s). - Little would Kanser know in the years to come his initials would be D.E.K .............His Hero ( Dek Costello)

Kanser in full flow Sydney Half Marathon 2012.

Striders 10k - Lane Cove looking very focused.

 A happy Kanser with his partner ....Sorry i mean Good friend Dave Uncle Criniti, Canberra 2012.

Kanser with Stars in his Eyes' listening in on every word from Dek Costello.

.. and this may be a worry when we hit Munich, Kanser looking the worse for wear and he's only on his first pint, (I pity poor Charlie who will be sharing a room with him ) :)

Cheers

Oh No, No, No, No, No !

...Well that's not what i was looking for.
Bypassed the arduous and laborious HuRTS 45 minute Tempo session that was on the cards once again (seems to be on every week these days) in favour of doing my own speed work.  Wanted to do the 8 x 1k reps i have worked out in Centennial going to and from the cafe.
Even at 6.15am this morning it was warm and the humidity was very uncomfortable, not sure what it was as Flake's B.O.M report still hasn't been filed for the day at the time of writing. I was sweating even cycling over to the park (although that may have been just the thought of having to do 1k reps) Worked the first one and time was down a little but wasn't to concerned as it was still early days, although even after the 2nd i was sweating buckets. Got to the first 4 and  all were done at the same time (at least i was consistent) before i lost it slightly on the next couple. Had those dreaded thoughts at pulling the pin after number 6 but hung in there and completed the 8.
Disappointed with the times and session ( seems to be a common theme these days) , although the only positives i can take from it was (1) I got through it and (2) I worked off shorter breaks only 60 seconds between each except for the final 2 where i drifted out to 90 :)

I was fishing for a few bets from the Chairman yesterday for the upcoming Striders 10k at Homebush next weekend. Now, Tommy H used to be the fairest man within the team to get a bet on and our bets were always won or lost by a second or two either way. But his latest offer (on handicap ) where he offered me a 3 minute start is just outrageous. So on that bases and the way i am running Tom will have to only run a 35.30 to beat me ................Please, Tom Spare Me. the way i am going at the moment even a 90 second start from Enda wouldn't be enough in my present state. In fact it's that bad i might even have to ask Elvis (the taxi man) for an advantage :)

Still I'll battle on...........

Slowly getting the feel back.

Into the start of week 3 of the program and after a busy beginning with work i managed to squeeze in 11.4ks of running early doors in 50.28 average pace of 4.35s (then had to run another 6ks at 6.20 pace with a client, but I'll not include that and use it as a cool down)
Got another free hour soon after so decided to head down to Vic on the Park Pool as i knew i couldn't make town today and replicated the lunchtime session that Pete had drawn up that was 10 x 100s & 5 x 200s - Loads tougher today by myself without the help of anyone and also in a slower pool but managed to get through it OK holding all the 100s below 1.41 and the 200s @ 3.32
2.2ks done in total.
I see another bloody tempo session is on the cards for the Tuesday with the boys, not sure i can be bothered in truth so may fit in my own set of 8 x 1k reps in the park early.

Had an enjoyable afternoon on Saturday down at the footy stadium checking out Sydney F.C - Think i picked the right match to attend with them destroying Durante's brothers team Wellington. Del Piero was outstanding and 3 of his 4 goals were class and would  have been good in ANY standard played. Small crowd and very little atmosphere i thought but Slim Sammy Agnew (complete with his 4 boys) loved it as he said he felt very much at home and it reminded him of watching his beloved Crystal Palace :)
Got the score way off, as i predicted 2-1, and that Kanser would be 15 late..............He did better then that as he was 90 minutes late, Due to a spit of rain he decided he didn't want to get his hair wet and failed to show.
Many thanks to the Stallion Durante for supplying the days tickets  - much appreciated, and is also good to see him back running with us. ( wont be long before he's smashing us all once more)

Mentioned i run with a few of the boys on Saturday morning, And was very surprised how many of them have a very boring life................As many told me that they read the Trash on a regular bases, Jeet, and even quiet James both commented on it and told me how much they enjoy reading about 'Poor Enda' and please keep it going. Even more comical was listening to Durante at the footy tell me he only reads TWO blogs , Tommy H's and mine , and says ' Well it's only really one Timmy, as i only log on to Tom's so i can get the link to yours, there's no way i want to read about his 2.55ks he does' :)  (I better be careful or else he'll take the link off if he sees that)

Also huge congratulations to HuRTS # 1 Andrew Tucks on his 4th place over in the Hong Kong 100k (walkathon)over the weekend, great effort from him on pretty limited training leading up to him departing Aussie shores last week. Got a full run down and some pictures from my Chinese sources over there and the Trash correspondence  Sum Ting Wong and Mi Hung Lo asked me to post these.

Tucks on part of his 100k walk  - No wonder Elvis is keen to have a bash.

Tucks on Cup of tea number 17 for the day  - And Dave Kane also wants a bash after hearing that :)


Today's Berlin Bound HuRTS members are Chris & Greta Truscott
Chris ( C.T) and Greta ( Gretski ) Truscott
C.T seems to have been around the traps for years and must have doubled the amount of Striders 10ks races that i have ever done, Another class athlete who regularly runs around 32- 33 minute 10ks . Never afraid to put it on the line and as a result does have the odd failure or two. Recently won the 100k Ultra around the park in a fast time ( and no walking either can you believe) and will be sure to be one of the first HuRTS member home come September time. Never one to miss out on a beer or two and has already told me the PB record at the Oktoberfest is 6 steins so I'm sure he's out to demolish that record as well.
Possible he could run sub 2.30 along with Tom , or could go out to hard and struggle to break 2.42 , all will be known come the end of September?
Gretski, Coming back after a few years break and a new baby to the Truscott household. Greta was a very good runner and also keen triathlete and would usually run around the 37-38 mark for 10ks. Just getting back into it now and Berlin will be her first real test in about 2 years, Could go very well if she can find the time to fit all the training in, and has the added BONUS of me offering her FREE drinks and Ice Cream for 12 months if she can beat Enda Stankard home . Already has Tommy H's name on her belt after smashing him at the A.B.C Biathlon a few years back (much to the teams delight, and one we are still talking about).

Chris and Greta Truscott seen at the HuRTS presentation in December alongside Richie High
Next Up - The American Eagle, J - Fen

Cheers

It's all about the Bike.

A few cancellations with work this morning meant i was all done early which in turn gave me the chance to get out and run a little with the boys meaning i could also get my long run out the way by mid morning.
Bang on time ( it wouldn't be anything else with Mikey leading the way) i see the boys coming off the hill to complete there first 10k of the morning. Good little group going with Mikey, Quiet James, English Paul, Indrajeet, Mermaid, a few others and a blowing heavy ..... yes you've guessed Enda  Rupert Stankard.
Besides a good chat it was also a pretty good pace on as i knocked out my first (the boys 2nd) 10k in 44.30 (4.26 pace) - bid a farewell to Mikey and Enda at this point as he had his excuse that he had to be home at 9am (probably to water his plants) The pace picked up slightly after this as i was on 4.25 pace for the next 8ks. Started to feel it at 18ks and wasn't sure what would die first me or my Low Battery on the Garmin. Happy to report the watch won out here so i have no idea of pace for the final 7ks of the morning as i ended up with 25ks done.
Watch packed in at 18ks with 80 mins done average 4.25
That's approx 95k for the week since Monday so happy to get the 2nd week of training done and out the way.
No pressure now to do anything tomorrow running wise , i might even venture out for a slow ride on the bike with Enda in the morning.

Just out for an afternoon to watch Sydney F.C play in the footy, Not a big fan to be honest as the standard is very poor in my opinion but The Stallion Durante asked me earlier in the week to go, as they are up against Wellington with his brother Andrew playing he has come good with some tickets for the day. Slim Sammy Agnew, Kanser, Durante and i are all going and i might even get my 1984 Stoke number 7 shirt out of the archives for Del Piero to sign post game for me :)
Timmy's prediction Sydney 2 vs Wellington 1 ( and Kanser to run late.....  and get there 15 minutes after kick off)

Will hold off on the Berlin boys today and will continue on Monday with the only lovey couple to make the trip, Chris and Greta Truscott.

Couldn't finish the daily blog without the mention of perhaps the biggest sporting news in years, and that being the 'Lance' interview with Oprah. Not going to get into it all as it will no doubt cause a lot of anger, hatred and opinions yet again.
There are some very Angry people out there ( and one Angry Man within HuRTS) who has vilified him for years and would line him up and have him shot if it was up to them.  My view (for the 2 pence its worth) is Yes he doped, he cheated, he conned his way to millions etc etc... But really there are many worse people out there in this world who have created far worse and not been subjected to half as much.  After all the whole cycling industry is/was riddled with E.P.O and drugs for years, so it really was a level playing field for a high percentage involved.
I read a good article ( there are many ) on Lance this morning and a paragraph that i thought interesting was ;
Quote'
" So is it still cheating if everyone involved is cheating? Well Yes; it is against the rules, but rather then excoriating Armstrong wouldn't it be better to ask WHY everyone is cheating and WHY the rules are failing"

A very sordid chapter in the history of sport in my eyes - but if you wish to know more, go and seek out one Angry, big guy from the HuRTS team I'm sure he will explain in great depth, but also tell you that if ANYONE runs well or breaks a World Record then they must also be on the gear :)
On a lighter note, i found this picture best sums it all up.
Cheers

Lance on his comeback machine :)

What a scorcher as Sydney sizzles.

Rest day running wise but was out early for a spin on the bike, cycled to the park and after a few easy laps did 6 x 6 minute efforts again with only 2 min break between each rep. Just short of a full lap each time but was more then happy to get out on the bike and return home with 50ks done.
Lunchtime was another ride into town to the pool and with the temps sizzling on Sydney's warmest day on record i met up with a good crowd that included Pete, Mermaid, Toddie, one of my mates from outside HuRTS along with rare appearances from MrAce, Skippy Heyden, Greg and Kanser, and the original HuRTS Hasselhoff Mikey Conway. In fact felt slightly sorry for MrAce as when he arrived with his small frame and floaties the Lifeguard directed him straight to the infants pool and told him to stay within arms reach of the side.
Did a 700 warm up with Mikey before the crew arrived and then knocked out a pyramid session similar to the one i did on Monday. No fear of an easy session and standing at the end of the pool today though  with Militant Mikey on duty keeping us more then honest and directing us where and when to go :)
Sat on Mikey's feet pretty much for the whole session and it felt very easy today unlike the Monday set i struggled with.
2.3ks done for the day.
A few funny moments off note were,
1.Seeing who swum more between Kanser, Greg and Heyden......i reckon they only knocked out about 215 metres between the 3 of them.
2. Watching Kanser attempt to use Pete Walkers Hand paddles, absolutely clueless, at one point i thought he was going to stick them on his ears.
3. Being amazed by Andy Heyden's pale colour, The mans looks as if he is suffering from a case of Anaemia he is that white i swear it was Casper the Ghost joining us. and i had grave fears that he could even get back to his office with the high temps and sun beaming down on him.

Great session done and enjoyed although the cycle home was tough as the temps were hitting the mid 40s by that stage.

MrAce (Mike Race) all happy at the end of today's swim set after he negotiated with the Lifeguard to be able to swim in the big pool - Congrats mate.

Andy Heyden with his new Alter Ego - Casper. The Most Pale man in N.S.W i reckon,  How he survived the run back to work after todays swim was anyones guess.
Got my long run to do this weekend, not sure where and what day that will be done on , Kind of want to go with the boys who are doing the Striders STaR but feel it may be to fast , on the other side i could just cruise around the park with Enda for the morning.



4th Member on the Berlin Hit list is Macca
Paul 'Macca' McClarnon.
Macca is a relatively new to the group within the past 2 years or so and boy what a TOUGH cookie he is. Think i need to check his passport as its very unusual for an Irishman with this quality and somewhere in there i reckon there must be a hint of English :)
The HuRTS group has a few who can grind races out and put in the hard yards when it gets tough but i reckon Macca could perhaps be just the toughest. This guy just never knows when he's beat, Up till about the start of last year we were pretty much neck and neck with me pushing him all the way in some races but since then he has come on in leaps and bounds and now mixing it with the likes of J-Fen, Heyden and Fats,  Helped big time with his Sunday long runs with the Chairman that sees them knock out 30ks for fun these days and its not unusual to see them finish off the last 10ks in sub 4 minute pace.
A great example of Macca's strength was last years Melbourne Marathon - leading in he was under the weather but still managed to knock out a solid 2.39 (?)
With more of the long weekend runs i can see this kid running  a possible 2.36 on the tour.

Macca during the Sydney Half Marathon Festival last September with a super quick time with Heyden close by.

And another reason he's been selected for the tour ..... He loves his Yeast.

Although his only downside is he is Irish and this will be the only time he gets to hold the Churchill / Sands Cup :)

Have a great weekend
Cheers

Never Got Going - 4 x 2ks reps

With the constant texts and messages coming in throughout the evening from the Bureau of Meteorology Man 'Flakey' warning me that temps were due to be above 30 degrees for the day i thought i best get out early and do the session rather then submit myself to the heat at lunchtime, even if it meant i had to do it solo.
4 x 2ks reps were on the cards today and after a 1500m warm up i was ready to go, Weather was already warm (Flake tells me humidity over 85%) as i took off on the 1st rep. The start of each one sees me climb a gradual hill for the first 500m meaning the first 1k is always a little slower and hopefully get it back on the second half. Legs felt heavy after 3 solid days but was already alarmed when i saw a 3.52 first k done, as hoped i brought it home OK but with a sluggish time of 7.25 i knew i was in trouble.
Second one was a little quicker before the dreaded 3 rep that i always struggle on even at the best of times that saw the time drift out in a big way. I just never seemed to get going this morning and in the end for the 4th rep it was more of a tempo run - although in truth i don't think i could have gone any quicker.
Times for the day were a disappointing;
7.25(3.42s), 7.22(3.41s), 7.36(3.48s) and 7.40(3.50)
Not the set i was looking for but that was the 4th day straight and 70ks for the week now and as 'The Knowledge of Kane' pointed out yesterday that it may take 3 weeks or more before i see any improvement or progress with my running - I'll take his word on that one :)

Going to be even warmer tomorrow so might take the chance to rest up and just get out on the bike early before hitting the A.B.C Pool at lunch with the team.

Well after writing about #1 Tucks yesterday the obvious choice in the line would have to be 'The Chairman Tom as he is always close to him in races (remember the 8 second rule)
So today its;
Tom Highnam ( aka, The Chairman, Tommy H).
If i mentioned yesterday that Tucks never runs a bad race then Tommy H is in the same bracket, Mr 110% and is the linchpin of the HuRTS hierarchy (...hang on, Mikey's on the phone to me already on that one). Run some superb races over the years and in my eyes non better then his two marathons he has done especially his 2.34 at the Gold Coast last year, Despite that quality run i still think he can go better in Berlin and a 2.30 in not out of the question. Maybe needs to pay a visit to the Marathon Guru Kanser for a bit of advise on that score. Even with his times over the years he has yet still to win anything at the HuRTS end of season awards as someone always seems to pop up towards the end of the year to pip him at the post for the major trophies.
The HuRTS team is big in numbers these days on the running front but Tommy H is one of half a dozen of us that will always be out at all the social events on the calendar and is normally the last to leave (*** Last years presentation night excluded)
Hopefully this year will also see him lose his floaties and be able to swim the 300 metres needed in the biathlon to be able to compete with the big guns. As with Tucks with his Pool playing - Tom's swimming is pretty much on the same par.............Bloody Rubbish :)

Tom in action at the J.P Morgan on his way to 4th place.

How many of the HuRTs team view 'The Chairman'

.... and the Old Favorite, and no his old flame is not a patch on Kirst if you ask me :)

Next Up - Macca McClarnon

cheers

Midweek Run with the 'Knowledge of Kane' 18ks

After a warm up with my first group of just over 4ks i then met up early with the Marathon Guru David 'Kanser' Kane for our Midweek Medium/Long run that was 3 x 6k Woollarha Hill Loops that is a regular run for me around the park these days.
Yet again felt tired after two straight days of running but now is the not the time to worry about that as we settled in for the first loop. Pretty easy pace before we picked it up slightly as the topic of conversation once more turned to the BIG event that is Berlin later in the year. And this was Kanser's moment to give me HIS rundown and thoughts for the travelling team - i wont stipulate his times for all or give anything away at this stage (as there is plenty of time for that later) but he doesn't have big wraps on the guy with possibly the Biggest VO2 max within the HuRTs group (and possibly in Australia) and even goes on to say he could struggle over 42ks to get near 2.50........Mmmmm, interesting :)
With two laps done, the pace was quickened once more for the 3rd and final lap, hung on to Kanser until the hill where he just pushed ahead by about 5 metres, Happy to get another run done and although tough it wasn't nearly as hard as it was only about 2 weeks ago.
Lap times were
27.42 ave pace 4.42
26.41 ave pace 4.35
25.45 ave pace 4.23
18 ks for the day in 80.09 (ave 4.33) - actually it was slightly less then 18ks as Kanser likes to run on the inside fence on the softer grounding and it knocks about 120 metres off per lap :)


Onto day 2 of the Berlin Bound Marathon Runners - and with him departing Aussie shores today i thought it would be appropriate to give the run down on HuRTS #1 runner;
Andrew 'Tucks' Tuckey.
Without doubt the standout runner of the HuRTs team over the past 4 years or so, Never seems to run a bad race and can cover any distance from 5ks to his Ultra Walks he does over 100ks, as his 3rd in this years J.P Morgan (5.6ks) and his 5th at Kepler(60ks) can testify, not to forget him representing Australia in the Ultras. A super quick 2.27 Melbourne Marathon a couple of years back must see him as the favorite to be 'First HuRT' home in Berlin where i think he can go even faster if he gets his training right whilst in the Valleys of Wales' over the next 9 months.
Always available for a beer and is always in on the craic despite him having a quiet nature - Will be missed throughout the year by all, although Tom will be more then happy to see the back of him for a short time no doubt.
Despite being a class runner - the same can't be said unfortunately about his Pool playing on the green baize as we have partnered up on numerous occasions on HuRTS nights out and he has cost me plenty in the doubles games against team High/Highnam.

Tucks (and Tom in a rare photo close by) in action at a Striders 10k

...and getting ready for a HuRTs night out - the year he received his Performer of the Year' Award  (and no it wasn't for the suit).

But pool playing is not his strong game :)

Will be back out tomorrow for the HuRTS session

Cheers

Respect..............

Woke this morning with very heavy legs and even tighter hammies and it was really a flip of the coin whether or not that i was to go into the City for the HuRTS fartlek session that was on the cards.
Reluctantly cycled in and again a big crowd was on show for the 1 minute ON / 30 second OFF for 45 minutes. Straight away i felt i was struggling even on the first couple as the leaders were off in the distance and even Slim Sammy Agnew knew better then to run at my lousy pace. Settled in with BRAT /Hardmen J.C and 'The Laughing Policeman' Samsy around Mrs Macs and coming around the back of the O.H before Billy Batt even came by me. Got around near the Quay and basically just cruised at the 18 minute mark (due to (a) the crowds and (b) i was stuffed) did nothing for a period of 9 minutes and then tried to get back home. It helped big time when i saw Swim Mentor Pete Walker on the return as i knew Pete keeps it honest and you always know what you are in for with him. Pace picked up and all of a sudden i was feeling good and the stiffness in the legs was all but gone. Seemed to help one another here and managed to get home with 7 seconds to spare averaging 3.51s on the return journey.
Again Not brilliant by any means but in the scheme of things very happy i was even out especially after yesterdays long run. Legs feel OK now so even agreed to meet Kanser first up in the morning for a Med/Long run of 18ks around the park (3 x 6k loops)
Got chatting to the Chairman, Kanser and Barts at the conclusion of today's set and the conversation turned around to how well the 'Taxi Man' Elvis is going in this moment in time, and they are all on him to turn me over come the Striders 10k on the 2nd February. The way i am going he probably will but there appears very little respect these days from these 'Young Pups' within the HuRTS group, as most of them don't even know (or care) what our Pb's are these days :)


Anyway away from today's session, over the next couple of weeks i will be doing a brief on all the Berlin Bound HuRTS boys (15 of us i believe) that are in for the Marathon come September and give the readers an insight on what you can expect from the travelling group.
To start the list - today's member is -
John Bartles - AKA, Barts.
Top line runner who can always be found at the front of the group tucked in with Tom, Tucks and company, One of the best trainers within the team unfortunately hasn't managed to put it all together in the big races to date. A couple of good 10k races but his PB in a Marathon is around the 2.54 mark (New York i think it was).
With the right training and mindset should be able to knock out somewhere around 2.34 i predict. Although he should just focus on getting an 8 minute PB to see OFF my best before he goes in search of bigger things.
A quiet lad in the team and i just hope once we get to Munich for the Oktoberfest he isn't overawed with the drunken behaviour that may go on with the likes of Stankard/Highnam and Kanser :)
To pinch a Tom saying an 'all round Good Guy'

Barts in full flow late last year in the J.P Morgan - Can he produce the goods in Berlin?


Cheers