HuRTS 10 x 3 Minute Efforts

Normally one of my favourite sessions this one, and i am usually the first to be giving out to those that call it quits after 8, 10 or 12 but knew today i would be doing well to get beyond 10 myself with my overall level of fitness.
Great turnout again and good to see Ireland's #1 Runner back MaccaMcClarnon, as to Mikey after his 17th holiday of the year, and T.Bell after his 12 month tour of Africa, U.S.A, Antarctica, Stoke, and Sth Africa.
Decided early not to smash myself on these and wanted to hold 3.30 pace for each rep. Sat in nicely with Mikey, MrAce, and Macca for the first half dozen before i started to feel the pace a little and worked just behind after that. Had Laura on my tail on rep 7 and we run shoulder to shoulder for the 8th still managing to hold the nominated pace.
9th was a killer and the pace dropped big time but left just enough in the tank to get home for my final one of the day.
Was surprised how many also pulled the pin at that point as well, although in fairness many were already talking about the upcoming State 10k on Saturday so maybe they had that in mind....whereas i was just rooted :)
Pace for each rep were: 3.29, 3.19, 3.25, 3.22, 3.28, 3.27, 3.31, 3.28, 3.44, 3.34


Had a chat with Andy Heydon at the end , Poor bloke is devastated about his team QPRs drop out the Premiership in the footy, Still it will save him about $100 in losing bets to me whenever they play Stoke i guess. Think he was more upset about having to go to Crystal Palace next season.

Also had a very sheepish Fats approach me at one point during the session ( i was coughing up a lung at the time mind) who after snubbing me for the Strider's dinner presentation NOW has a ticket to join his select table......... Excellent, you can tell he felt guilty as he even told me that the much sought after 'Home Brew' is nearly ready and has finally given me a date to sample the famous 'Fats Ales ?
He was even trying to run beside me at one point today with photos of his work in progress, :)

Fats, Pride & Joy..... just need to get the invite now, he may even bake us a cake at the same time?

Cheers

Starting Over, Here We Go Again.

After the debacle on Saturday morning it was a fresh start to the week and was out in the park to knock out 12ks that consisted of 2 x 6k Woollarha Hill loops.
Didn't feel to flash on the first loop but worked it at 4.28 pace in 26.48 and then made a big effort to pick it up on the 2nd. Was working harder pretty much straight away and was happy to be able to get it down to 4.14 pace ( 25.25)
12ks done in total in 52.14 average 4.21

Into the city at lunch for the final swim session at the A.B.C Pool, smaller crowd then normal with Pete W, Super Kev and Angus in the fast lane with only MrAce, Eloquent, Champ and i in the 2nd lane. Bloody tough old set again with MrAce and I sharing leading it out for the whole session that consisted of 2 x 300s, 3 x 200, 6 x 100 with a couple or drills chucked in for good measure.
2.4ks done in total

tomorrow its back into the city for what used to be my favorite session - 14 x 3 minutes , but i fear i won't be liking them as much come rep number 6.

Cheers

Striders Internal 10k Handicap , Lane Cove...39.26

With many of my clients also deciding to take the long Anzac Day weekend off it gave me a free morning so i thought i would head out to Lane Cove for the Internal Striders 10k Handicap that was on at the home of the normal 10k series.
Had a good chat with Eamo, and Classy Anna from the HuRTS team before and was surprised to see the Chairman Tommy H back after his recent Singapore business trip. With a handicap for the morning of 37.30 i knew it would be tough to run to that so decided to take it out pretty easy at the start to see how i felt.  Well, even after the first 1k that i went through in about 3.47 i knew it was going to be a long day ahead. Felt pretty $h!te the whole way and when Razor Wareham come by me at 4ks i was almost walking up the hill and i wasn't making any ground on any of the people ahead, To compound the pain Tommy H and Tamal who were giving me a mammoth 3.30 start came flying by on the big downhill at 6ks. Even though i started to pass people over the final couple of ks i really was just labouring home and it was soul destroying for me and all i can say about the run was that there was a lot of character building that went on for the whole race as i crossed the line in 39.26
Despite feeling pretty low at the end i still managed a chat with Tom who was trying his best to keep me upbeat and told me to 'stay with it and just get those long runs in'........... in truth i feel as if i need something more then that at the moment.

Still good morning overall and many thanks for the Striders team for putting on a new Handicap race for its members and in particular MrAce who was Commander in Charge for the proceedings (even if he was very mean with my handicap :) )

Will be out for a good / full week of training over the next 7 days - its the State 10k next Saturday at Homebush, but at this moment in time i don't even think I'll bother to attend as I'm not in the right head space, but we'll see how it goes.

Have a good weekend
cheers

Summer like Swim

Numbers were down for the Friday swim today with no sign of Mikey, MrAce, Enda , Angus, Walker or Mermaid who i take it all took the extra day off after yesterdays public holiday. Only Super Kev in the fast lane so we let him join us for the day alongside Brendan, New Guy Dave, and the Eloquent Julia.
Session was , Warm up,  then 5 x 200 and 10 x 100s - Let Kev lead the first 200 and boy.... he nearly blew us all out the water it was carnage, very fast with us all over the place just trying to hang on and wishing we'd have left him in the fast lane. Touched out in 3.04 and then decided we were going to rotate the lead between Brendan, Dave, E.J and i to see out the rest of the set.
Pace settled a little for the 2nd and remained for the rest of it, although it did seem a lot tougher today for some reason, not sure if it was because we didn't have Angus or MrAce sitting on the front or i was just boll%xe$d from yesterday's social session  :)
Rep times were: 3.04, 3.10, 3.14, 3.17, 3.08
                             1.32, 1.34, 1.34, 1.35, 1.32, 1.37, 1.35, 1.35, 1.34, 1.34,
2.4ks in total for the day.

Have a good weekend
Cheers

Anzac Day Run

Just out early with clients for the morning - all up 22ks done and probably the longest I've managed in one hit for months. Pace was OK as well as each were all doing speed.
Out in the afternoon to have a drink with the Old Diggers and a little Two Up - far to many drinks had (As readers will have noticed by the previous drunken post had they read last night)

Into the city today for the HuRTS swim session
Cheers

Easy Wednesday.

Just cruised around the park this morning, picking up the BRAT/Hardmen that float around talking trash for the entire run.
Saw Enda, Angry Boy Clyde, The Leech, PLOD, and the Original Hardman himself J.C  In fact J.C was giving out abuse all for about 2 minutes to me and for the remainder of the run was then looking as he was about to go into Cardiac Arrest.
The Leech even blanked me this morning after i refused him entry into the English team for the 2nd year straight - so much so he puffed his chest out when Enda announced him as the new captain of the 'Green Team' (as if to say 'Stuff you Timmy, and you can have your 90 seconds start on me and I'll still smash ya, But one day I'll be in your team you see')
13ks all up for the morning, felt OK as well.

Quick shout out to my mate Slim Sammy Agnew who is celebrating his 39th Birthday today - about the same time his Palace boys were last in the Premiership :)
Also to Clyde on his yesterday, and he was still munching down on his cake on the 3rd lap this morning that blokes unbelievable the amount he can put away.

Great win for the Potters on Saturday with a much needed win, takes the pressure off slightly, and one more win should see us right. Still say it will come down to the last game between Villa and Wigan for the dreaded drop.
Congrats to Man Utd ( even if i do hate them) on walking away with the league, they cleaned up and i don't even think they have that good a side - doesn't say much for the rest of them.

Was going to try to organise a run session for Thursday with it being a holiday but with Kanser, Tom and Enda away, no sign of High, Mikey maybe still away i fear the numbers wont be out anyway.
I believe Tommy H is back in SlinkyPore, don't be telling Kirst but my little Asian mate Lei Ying Lo who was working undercover for me send this through (I know it's old news but.)

Tommy H out once again spotted on the town ......but that doesn't look like Kirst to me.

Out tonight for a few beers and to watch funny man Danny Bhoy at the Comedy Festival then out tomorrow for one of my favorite days on the calendar to honour the Old Boys for ANZAC Day and a bit of Two Up. Friday morning could be a struggle ..............but we'll worry about that when it comes :)
Have a great day tomorrow, and remember 'Head Em Up'

Cheers

Happy St George's Day.....3 x 2k Centennial Park.

With being in the park early with work i thought I'd just stay after and knock out a session on my own as opposed  to going into town at lunch with the boys.
Decided to do another of my old sessions that is 4 x 2k Reps although i settled on only 3 :)
Procrastinated for about 20 minutes thinking how the hell i was going to get them done before i in fact started. Pace was purposely kept a little under as i tried to settle and went through the first k in about 3.35 pace , nasty little climb for the last 500 that keeps it honest but was happy to finish in 7.14 (3.37 pace)
Second rep was a little quicker and was feeling the pace more and i was just happy to get the last one done without losing too much time
Reps were- 7.14, 7.09, 7.12
Still along way off, but on the up :)

Well famous day on the Calender today and that is Saint George's Day so i hope you are all out celebrating the fact and have the Union Jacks flying outside your house? Just drove past Enda's and the whole street is decked out in Red, White and Blue to mark the occasion.

Also following on from the Guess Who segment that has seen a Young Kanser, Toddler Ginga (Fats) and 'I have holes in my short jeans' Enda,  The Trash has come across yet another famous HuRTS member. Unlike the rest this is perhaps a little tougher (even trying to decide the SEX of the HuRTS member is hard enough? )
Whilst the rest of us grew up playing footy this young one was one of the Original Members of the 'Pony Club
Clue... The Member we are looking for is Centre Photo, And yes there is a MALE in there somewhere?

Not just a star on the running track - this little guy was a founder member of Pony Club, and still to this day carries around photos of his two ponies Applejack and Pinkie Pie .............arhhhhh  how nice
Answer to come tomorrow .....that's if he hasn't come around and bashed the living daylights out of me by then:)

German Gibber - John Bartles . Popular HuRTs member and current #1 (well he smashed Tom at the last 10k) is Bartles who will also be venturing to Berlin come September with us. As already mentioned previously Bartles is pretty straight and we don't have much dirt on him BUT did you know that 'Our John' is pretty famous outside the team as he doubles up with his own TV career.
Yep ...... Moe Szyslak was based on our very own Bartles as the bartender in Moe's?
Let's hope he can drink the beers as quick when he gets to Berlin?

Bartles lookalike Moe.

And the real J.Bartles in full flight.

Happy Saint George's Day................No one is perfect. However, being English is Close Enough :)

Cheers

Come On Down..............

A lot cooler as i made my way into town to finish of the week with the Friday swim, no sign of Enda, Julia, or Pete Walker today although i was there early enough to sit and watch T.V royalty shooting a little segment besides the pool. With Larry' Come on Down' Emdur with his morning show co host the stunning Kylie 'I have a short skirt and the best pins in the business' Gillies i could have happily sat poolside for the whole session.
Anyway back to the action and it was 2 x 400s, 2 x 300, 2 x 200, and 2 x 100 and with Brendan, MrAce and Angus in my lane it was on again, In fact had Champagne Charlie lead the first 400 out but it was far beneath him to swim in our lane and he crossed over after only 200 to leave Brendan to do the hard work from there onwards.
Angus did the bulk of the work after that although i did manage to pull a sharpish first 200 out and hung on after that to finish the set pretty strong even doing the final 100 from the front.
Times were; 6.29, 6.40, 4.53, 4.55, 3.05, 3.10, 1.33, 1.34
2.4ks done for the day.
Pretty happy to get a decent weeks training done with a couple of solid runs on the board with a little speed, 2 swims sets and even managed to get out on the bike yesterday for 50 odd ks.
Will try to get out for the Sunday long run this week and see if i can manage 20ks, and hopefully Kanser is around to help us out not to mention a cup of tea after. I wonder if there will be a place saved at the breaky table for Superflake with  Flakey asking if Kanser can coach him in order to try to break 3 hours at his next marathon??????

Also more good news - 3 lots in fact (Jeez, its the season of good news it seems)
1.Congrats to Brendan and his wife who celebrated the arrival of TWINS earlier this week, Despite the busy week Brendan was there today and refused to miss his swim (Enda take note)
2. Congrats to J-Fen and Bonnie who received there Aussie Citizenship overnight - So J-Fen has had half his brain removed in doing so, and has already gotten into the culture, No more is he 'Rocking his Socks Off' , i had a text from him earlier that read 'Strewth Timmy, Stone the  Flamin Crows its great to be a Skippy now for the next step to grow myself a Rats Tail'.

J-Fen and Wife Bonnie with there NEW Aussie Flags upon getting there Citizenship  :)

3. Clyde Angry Man - I called it earlier in the week and told you how happy the normally Angry Man was last weekend at the BRAT triathlon, well now i can reveal why? It seems the good news was spread from his hometown N.Z that declared that Gay Marriages were to be Legalised. This will open the door and hopefully bring a calmer side to our resident Angry Kiwi Boy.
Read more here - http://www.news.com.au/world-news/gay-marriage-legalised-in-new-zealand/story-fndir2ev-1226622937625

Well that's about it for the week , missed out again on the German Gibber with John Bartles that will have to carry over till next week now.

Big weekend in the footy again - lets hope the Potters get up over Q.P.R , Villa lose, as well as Wigan and Crystal Palace can find a win from somewhere for my mate Slim Sammy Agnew :)
also its the A League final this week between Western Sydney and Central Coast.
Timmy's Tip - Take the Central Coast 2 -1

Have a great weekend
Train Safe
Cheers

Nearly forgot - I managed to snag a quick picture of Kylie and Larry today at the pool, couldn't get to close as i didn't want them thinking i was some sort of 'Peter Pervy' snapping on Kylies legs :)

Kylie and Larry poolside at the A.B.C Pool - Thank God Enda wasn't around :)

HuRTS Original 5 x 1.2k Efforts on Hickson Rd

Busy morning as i managed to find time to get out for a spin on the bike, Caught a good group that was flying around ( this after Mr POD snubbed me, basically telling me i wasn't worthy or fast enough of joining him, Angry Man and the 'Laughing Policeman as they headed for the longer Waterfall Ride)
55ks all up that included over 38 of those at a good pace doing triple laps and increasing the pace on each completed lap.
Bloody tough especially with not riding a lot in the past 4 weeks ( POD was probably right after all not taking me :))  Still managed to knock the pace down mind although there were about 10 in the group to work off (that was whittled down to 3 for the final triple lap) times were 6.00, 5.30 and a tad over 5 mins for the last one
Good set and i really do need to find more time for the bike as i do enjoy it and can hold the pace pretty well especially on these shorter reps.

Into town at lunch for the original Hickson Road 1.2k reps and good crew on hand once more even if there was no sign of regulars and Berlin Boys  Kanser, Highnam, High, Tuckey, Macca or Mikey. Good to see the return of Warrior Charlie mind you ( who has a new look slimline figure, thanks to a new diet)  and even better to see a few more females out there. After the 800s last week and the 1k on Tuesday this was always going to be a test to see where i am at in terms of fitness.
We moved the start line back down to the Hyatt as the works were being carried out at the top end of Hickson , settled down early for the first rep as Irish Robbie was off like a hare followed by Fats, J- Fen and Enda close by.
Measured it slightly longer as we came out from the big tunnel as i stopped the watch in 4.15 (3.33 pace) , Found the return leg was running faster today as the 2nd and 4th times tell. The 5th leg i struggled on as it was perhaps one rep to many especially taking the mornings ride into account.
Happy enough with that though and there are at least signs that i am moving a little more freely.
Times were - 4.15, 4.06, 4.10, 4.08, 4.14 (fastest was about 3.21 pace on the 2nd rep)

It was worth going into the city today as i heard 3 counts of GOOD NEWS in regards to the team.
1.  Enda tells me he's OUT of the S.M.H Half in May and with it the Irish chances of trying to wrestle the Churchill /Sands Cup go for another year - plus we WIN the beer at a venue of our choice.
2. Heard Slim Sammy Agnew has chucked his sticks and was caught running this morning to catch the Ferry ( not sure that's a good idea with Work Cover standing close by taking photos?). Hopefully he is back into it  and look our for him come September to be hitting peak form for the Marathon.
3. Tony Fats - AT LAST promised me that his Famous Home Brew is nearing ready to drink - and here i was thinking it would be a close call what come first .........His Daughters 18th or the Home Brew night ?  Look forward to it and hope its worth the wait :)

On a sad note ( and i know it wont mean anything to any of you) but i had a call today telling me a lad i played footy with at Stoke actually passed away aged 42 with a Brain tumour - unbelievable. Paul Ware wasn't perhaps the most gifted player i ever played with in truth , but he was perhaps the most honest and worked hard at his game and was probably the reason he did better then any of us and went on to play the game at a pro level for years and earned a good quid out of it.
This was his fine career - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ware
R.I.P Paul Ware, taken far too young :(

Will be back to the pool tomorrow and with Pete Walker away he has left instructions for me to look after - so hope i can handle the pressure and responsibility, i might even reduce the sets down somewhat or increase the breaks :)

Cheers

McKay 6 x 1k Reps

Woke to a Wet and miserably morning and with the early news coming through from Boston there were a thousand reasons in my head as NOT to train but i battled my inner demons and  decided to stay in the park after my first class where i knocked out 8k easy and did the old staple 6 x 1k Reps on McKay Oval.
Knew i had no pace so wasn't expecting anything to write home about and when i went through the first one in 3.36 i feared that i may not even get the remaining 5 done. Tried to break each rep down and not think to much about them as i just worked each one trying to focus on a little form.
Glad to get the 6 done in times of 3.36, 3.33, 3.30, 3.32, 3.32, 3.27
15ks for the morning done in total.
Worked out on these times that i am perhaps in about 38.20 pace for a 10k so a long way to go, but hopefully on the way back.

Shocking news coming out of Boston where the Marathon was on, and our thoughts go out to all over there in tough times. Our own HuRTS boy and 'Most Improved in  2012 Jeet is over there and pleased to report that he is fine and was tucked up in his hotel when the blast went off.
I know it is a very serious incident and one shouldn't make light of it BUT i am so thankful it didn't happen whilst later in the year at Berlin  as i heard the bomb went off around the 4 hour mark and if the same thing was to happen in Germany then i would hate to think what may have happened to Enda as its about the time he may be finishing  :)

Also more shocking news from England on the back of the Millwall Hooligans on Saturday, this time it appears Tommy H's relatives (hope its not brother Jimmy James) are causing a bit of bother on the streets of Newcastle after they got a good shoeing from arch rivals Sunderland in the footy.
Absolute nutters all of them - just lock the tools up and throw away the key i say.
Just heard the club has come out with a new badge/emblem for there shirts for next season. Take a look :)

The Badge of honour that has stood the test of time since 1892.

Scenes on the streets following the game after getting a beating by Sunderland ( is that Jimmy Highnam in the Black & White?)

And how the club has responded with the NEW badge for season 2013/14


Also results are out from Sunday's BRAT tri - Check out the Leech put a minute into me over 5ks, surely 4 minutes in the half is a must now for me? :)
http://oldwebsite.bratclub.com.au/images/Races/Results/2012-2013/2013_brat_tri_series_race_7.pdf

tomorrow, German Gibber , find out who Bartles was separated from at birth ?

Cheers

More of the Black Line Stuff.

Yet another cycle into town to start the week with the Monday Swim team and after yesterdays reality check when i thought i was swimming well only to then getting hammered by Angry Man Clyde (who by his own admission is only an average swimmer) i knew that i still have loads of work to do in the pool.
Good show once more to begin the week with Enda, Brendan and MrAce In my lane but no sign of E.J today after her mighty performance on Friday , with Poor Todd never even having to chance to get wet before we flicked him over to the nearby fast lane that had P.Walker, Irish Kev, Champagne Charlie and a few others.
After a 400 warm up the set was 6 x 200, and 6 x 100s with a few technique drills in the middle Brendan and MrAce led the first few between them before i knocked out a rather sharpish 5th set, Times were kept honest as well for the 100s as we did our share in leading the lane except for Enda who once again did Sweet F.A
Times were
200s  3.09, 3.14, 3.20, 3.18, 3.10, 3.22
100s  1.29, 1.31, 1.32, 1.37, 1.36, 1.34
2.3ks in total

will try to get down for the 2 x 20 min session tomorrow even if its not one of my preferred sessions.

Apology.  In all the excitement of the weekend i forgot to mention what was possibly the 'Timmy Run of the Day' down in Canberra.
Step up to the plate ....Young Laura James with her amazing 80.50mins for 3rd place in the ladies race  showing she is getting back to her best after her injury that kept her out for the second half of last year.
Glad i am not running against her at the moment, and reckon i will need at least 4 minutes to get within her come the Half in May ?
Also special mention to Razor Wareham on his creditable 2.49 in the Marathon.
Further afield over in Amsterdam for the Marathon long time reader and lurker Paul Superflake Bruning has recorded a 3.19 time - not really what he was looking for no doubt as he is normally a 3 hour marathoner . Might be time to give Kanser a call and get a few tips and a bit of direction from him mate? (plus you might even get the invite for a bit of Irish Breaky?)

Cheers

BRAT Triathlon 65.09 - 4th Overall.

The final BRAT triathlon of the summer down at Heffron and despite no running or form of late was still keen to give it a go on a classic Autumn morning that felt more like Summer with temps in the high 20s.
Good crowd down there with HuRTS boys Eoin the Leech and Angry Boy Clyde (who was surprisingly in a jovial mood and had a great conversation with him prior to the off) Agreed to sit on Clyde's feet in the swim who was also tapping Eoin's toes just ahead. Despite my own good form in the pool of late it was still no match for Clyde who powered ahead and i was off the back even after 150mtres - still hung in there and was happy enough to cover the 750 distance in 12.38
A quick transition and it was out for the 20ks on the bike and was surprised that i managed to catch up to the normally much stronger rider in Clyde after only about 8ks - changed positions a few times for the remainder and reeled in the Leech at the same time. Come in off the bike all roughly at the same time and i clocked a 32.30 time (ave 38.5 ks per/hour?), Knew then i didn't have the legs to hold our Kiwi friend as he gaped me within the first 500 metres and when Eoin did the same it was to prove a long final 3ks home. Managed to catch a few on the run mind and with about 500 metres to go came up to one guys shoulder and thought i would kick for home .....Unfortunately he wasn't feeling very charitable and came with me, Tried once more and same thing happened and thought 'Bugger this' and settled just to cross the line together only problem was he had other ideas and kicked for home with 100 meters to go to get that final podium spot for 3rd place with me knocking out  a 19.09 run time
Overall time was 65.09 for 4th Place and was over 3 minutes quicker then last month although the bike leg was far tougher last month.
Huge Congrats to Angry Man Clyde on the win - See it proves you can be calm and pleasant at times and still get the just rewards :) , also good to see Eoin looking strong to take 2nd spot, He must be getting stronger as he was waiting for me to cross the line and agreed to give me 2 minutes start in the Half after seeing me crawl over the line.
Will post official results once i have them.

With Angry Boy Clyde after the race and moments before he demolished the nearby BBQ :)

With 1st Place Clyde (right) , 2nd Eoin, and NO Young Junior Reville didn't pip me for 3rd spot

In a battle for 3rd spot with 500 metres to go and in the 'Hurt Box' having to settle for 4th for the day :(


Oh and sorry for the late posting  but was busy having a few ales yesterday afternoon, i know POD was eagerly awaiting the report and wanted to hear how Clyde gave me a good 'Schooling' ...so there you have it  :)

Congrats to our very own Enda as well on his Half Marathon run down in Canberra on the weekend - 78.05 officially, pretty solid effort and it was only about 3 minutes slower in time then he managed the 300 swim at the pool last Friday.

Another disappointing result overnight in the Premiership with the pressure now mounting and survival  for Stoke after a lose to Man Utd 0 - 2 , Looks like the Toon are going to be sweating as well after the Mackems took the big North East Derby, And it seems like QPR have gone with another lose , and hopefully Wigan will be the ones joining them come May time.
Also see those lunatics that class themselves as football fans from Millwall causing mayhem once more - only this time actually fighting each other - Clowns. I thought all that sort of behaviour was left behind in the 80s but it seems as if they are still as crazy?

Just about to hit the city for today's swim leg, and then tomorrow its the HuRTS 2 x 20 minute session running.

Cheers

Sink or Swim Time

Rolled into town again on the bike and struggled once more to get past the Glamours around 'Carriageworks' for the Fashion show that is still on, its crazy busy around that area but it's pretty easy on the eye i must say .
Anyway at the pool early for the 1 x 300, 5 x 200, 5 x 100s with some drills and technique material in between that coach Walker had insisted on . With Todd and Angus back in our lane once again i knew today's pace was going to be on. With Eloquent Julia (E.J) , Enda, Brendan, and Champ alongside i sat on Toddies Toes for the first 300, it was bloody fast that had me touching out in 4.46
The 200s were next up and after about the 3rd rep i was struggling to stay on and for the 4th i pushed the much improved and impressive Julia up a spot and tried to stay on her feet. I just about managed whilst the line was spread out as big as I've seen in weeks, Brendan was struggling, and when Enda was still 50 metres behind on a 200 rep it proved all too much for him as he chucked the goggles on the side and cut a forlorn figure OUT the pool ..............Poor Bloke had 'Done his Dash' for the Day :)
With only the 100s to go it was just a case of seeing them out, although the pace was still on for young and old and it really was a case of Sink or Swim today with the final reps still on 1.32 - 1.34 pace
2.4ks done for the day ....and buggered.
Been saying it for a few weeks now but the intensity of these sessions really has picked up lately and i think Militant Mikey could be in for a shock when he returns back from his holidays.
As tough as they are i must say that i really have enjoyed the swim sessions that have been on over the summer months and will miss them once the pool closes for the season on the 30th of this month, although i think we may just move to the indoor Cook and Phillip Pool nearby?

Well we've had Running Races, Triathlons, Bi's, Pool Comps (billiards) , drinking shenanigans, BUT now we are having our first HuRTS swim comp next week, YEP, Ronnie ( Biggs) has set up a knock out style comp run on handicap over 200 metres for next Thursday (followed by drinks of course), Should be a bit of fun, and if we get 16 people for it, It will mean to get in the final you will have to race 4 times the 200m - Even with a good handicap, I'm not sure Tommy H is even capable of doing that amount  so i suspect that will rule him out of any bling for the night :)
I will do a full run down on all participants and there chances once i get the confirmed starting list. With the winner gettting the newly designed 'Golden Fist Swimming Trophy' to add to the running collection, not to mention a few FREE drinks at the boozer after :)

Will be out again on Sunday for the long run and hoping to be able to knock out 18ks this week,

Good Luck to Enda who is venturing down to our Nations Capitol for the Canberra Half this weekend, he's running well ( better then his swimming anyway ) so will be interesting to see what time he can knock out.

Have a good weekend , Stoke are up against Man Utd in the premiership this week , no points there i suspect so the pressure will remain as we enter the final 6 rounds of the year.
Train Safe
Cheers

The Changing of the Guard

Beautiful day in Sydney again as i cycled over to Rushcutters for the 8 x 800s that was on the agenda for the day. Numbers were down slightly with no sign of Mikey, Kanser, Macca, Fats, High, MrAce, and with Tommy H avoiding Bartles these days it really is a Changing of the Guard with Bartles (who still isn't happy about the Head to Heads not changing on the Chairman's blog), J-Fen, Kenny (James) Everett and Skippy Heyden leading from the front.
Great surface to run on down there and found myself tucked in mid pack running alongside Ronnie (Biggs) for the first rep coming in on 2.43 (3.25 pace) - the boys mentioned that my measuring was out and they were getting closer to 820s?
Pretty much held the next 3 all around the same pace before my lack of fitness, strength (...and some say talent) come to the fore and it was a battle just to get around on reps 5 & 6. Knew then i had gone in truth and didn't want to push it any further just for the sake of it and pulled the pin after number 6.
Cooled down with Enda who was just floating around, although it was hardly floating as he was working on 3.51 pace as he prepares for the Half down in Canberra on Sunday.
Rep times for the 6 completed were:
2.43, 2.41, 2.42, 2.44, 2.47, 2.47
Happy enough with that, all done under 3.30 pace so can take a few positives out from that session and even more happy to get two HuRTS running sessions done for the week. Even happier for my one and only reader Master Sweeney who was complaining that all the recent swim times i have been submitting mean bugger all to him and he doesn't understand or relate to them :)
3 Days straight running now for this week and feels great to be back , but will be back in the pool tomorrow lunchtime for more pain care of Boyd and Toddie.

Cheers

Small Mileage.

Out early with clients first thing this morning, and just knocked out 9ks in total with them including some small efforts around 4.10 pace that i would normally do everyday of the week throughout the year when running strong.
Today though i was just happy to be able to get a few ks under the belt and its the first time I've done two days straight now in over 5 weeks.
Will try to get down for the HuRTS session tomorrow - I think its the Rushcutters Pyramid session which should be OK especially on the softer ground.

German Gibber Part 4 - David 'Kanser' Kane.
Well didn't think there was anything left to write about Kanser that we didn't already know, BUT did you realise a few years before the Boy from Dublin joined the HuRTS crew he was a bit of a Hefty Lad who carried a few extra kgs. So much so that he was a regular member of the Dublin Jenny Craig  Weight watches Society Club - Yes, Dumpy Dave as he was known around Grafton St had to attend every Thursday evening for his weekly weighin in order to shred those unwanted kilos. It turned out to be a big success with Kanser taking out the monthly award for losing the most weight over the set period.
Pictures of such are very hard to come by as his best mate Ronan will NOT release the much sought after pics this despite Kanser revealing Ronan's little secret only recently about his 'Hair Dye' episode :)
Still the TRASH wont be deterred and has managed to obtain some evidence of Kanser although we couldn't get his face in the photo as we couldn't get ALL his chins in the same shot.

Dave Kane lines up for his lunchtime meal on the way to his weekly Jenny Craig meeting.
 (i'm sure i've seen him still running in those shorts recently though)

Kanser's mentor at Fat Fighters, Marjorie Dawes. ............and look at him now - The Flying Machine who has never looked back, and will be out to claim his rightful position as Ireland's #1 in Berlin :)

Next week - find Out what John 'Bartles used to do before he joined the HuRTS team

 Cheers

Good to be Back, HuRTS 4 x 10 min Efforts

Well it was never going to be pretty, and it was anything but as i cycled into town for my return to the HuRTS fold for the 4 x 10 minute session that was on the cards. Although nearly didn't make it as i was close to getting sidetracked and ready to buy a ticket  coming along Wilson Street, by Carriage Works when a posse of beauties stepped out on me whilst on the way to the Mercedes Benz Women's Fashion show that is in town all done up in fine costumes.
Good crew in attendance as i had a brief chat with a few of the guys before the off, and right on cue as we were about to start...Whoosh, the Heavens Opened and it poured down. Settled in with 'The Original Hardman (and old boy) J.C and worked OK although i felt the pain on the hills, Got to right outside the Art Gallery on 10 minutes working at 3.53 pace covering 2.6ks. Knew the return leg although tough is easier and managed to get back to the gates with 15 seconds still up my sleeve (3.50 pace).
The 3rd rep is always the killer for me even when in form so today was just torturous - held the pace similar to the first until coming around by the pool and then the hill got the better of me and was hanging on for the 10 minutes to come around as i was just happy enough to stay on 4 min ks (2.5ks). With the ending in sight i kicked it down and upped the pace slightly with just enough in the tank to make it home in 9.32 and just thankful that i managed to make it through the whole session in one piece (just).
Can't believe how many people were in front of me though, with many of the guys all running around 3.45 pace with the faster guys way ahead again on 3.30s?
So, its a start at least - but i think its going to be a long road ahead.

As mentioned i had a good chat with the guys before, during or after the session and nice to see, Angry Man back out there , and it looks like he's lost some weight (I'd say he's down to 104 kilos now),  Mild man J.Bartles was upset and made a beeline to me complaining that despite smashing Tommy H on the weekend that the Chairman hasn't updated his Head to Heads on the Blog, Fats is still promising to get me over for some of his Home brew that has been brewing for 3 years now, J-Fen is still Rocking his Socks Off, Skippy Heydon is still crying that his QPR boys are heading for the Championship, whilst J.C had his shirt off once more despite it being the coldest day of the year, and finally Enda was nowhere to be seen .....Apparently he's got another Cold
Ahhhhhh , some things never change, and its Good to be Back (even if it did hurt like hell)


Couldn't wrap up without mentioning the sad news from back home overnight of the passing of the Iron Lady herself Maggie T, i know this will divide opinions and i certainly am not into my politics but what a Legacy she has left behind and will go down in English history as one of the most Influential figures ever. She may have upset a few people along the way but some of the decisions she made were spot on and one of the best reports i read today was that she 'Made Britain Great Again' her stance in the Falklands will go down as one of her better moves and is regarded as a heroine for refusing to back down  to the Dirty Argie Bargies way back in 1982.
A big State funeral will be held next week, so get set to pull up your armchair in the evening and watch another big event unfold from the Mother Land.
It did lead one critic though who wasn't a fan of the Iron Lady to quote

“If Thatcher can have the same funeral as Princess Diana it’s only fair we dig up Hitler and give him a go.” ...........charming :)

On a lighter note, This will satisfy Thatcher haters and lovers in equal measure, but you have to be of a certain age ( Master Sweeney's) to name all the puppets, though i love the David Owen gag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jINZBOxdja8

R.I.P Margaret Hilda Thatcher............ A Lady with Balls, who never backed down.

Was going to give you German Gibber Number 4 today - Dave Kanser Kane , but will hold off till tomorrow now, as The Iron Lady story knocked our Kanser from the front pages :)

Cheers

Where's the Slow Lane Gone?

Into town for the regular Monday swim although no sign of Mikey (Hols again), Brendan, Enda or even Julia, so it was only MrAce and I at first only for hotshots Todd and Corporal Boyd to rock up just before the off and jump in our lane that meant we knew it was going to be a quick session.
Set was 1 x 400, 4 x 200, 8 x 100s ( with 400 warm up )
Sat just on Todd's toes who was leading the first 400 after telling us that he hasn't swum in the past 4 weeks so would be a little slower......Yeah right, This guy has some kick on him and its like a Rain of Bullets bundling down on you when he kicks, anyway i somehow managed to stick with him as we touched out in a PB for me over 400 metres in 6.30.
Could have jumped out the pool then as i was knackered and MrAce and I were more then happy for Angus and Todd to share the lead for the whole session whilst we did out best to hang in there.
Held the pace pretty much for the remainder of the 200s and 100s that i was more then happy with.
Times;
1 x 400 = 6.30
4 x 200 = 3.15, 3.15. 3.16. 3.15
8 x 100 = 1.34, 1.35, 1.35, 1.34, 1.34, 1.35, 1.35, 1.34

Will make a big effort to get to the HuRTS run tomorrow although i didn't pull up so well after yesterdays 16ks so again will just have to see how i go in the morning before deciding. It seems like one step forward and two back at the moment when it comes to running ..........thank God for the swimming :)

Congrats as well over the weekend to Swim mentor Pete Walker and his Warringah triathlon team who took out the Club champs up the coast. Pretty good effort and the BRATS were nowhere once again, think we may have to get serious and send Enda up next season.
Hardly surprising the BRATs did bugger all when i am being sent photos of Ireland #1 Triathlon (and Kanser's coach) POD who after 2 Sherbets was all over the shop and seen doing his best Riverdance impersonation with his shirt OFF ..............Thank God he's not an official HuRTS member or else it would send Tommy H over the edge.

POD (left) , and this is what Kanser has to look forward to.  Seen here after his 2nd Schooner of the evening..... Tragic.

.......and 2 hours earlier in the 8k run leg that saw Pete Walker put him to the sword :)


Cheers

HuRTS Elite at Centennial Park

Extra hours sleep in (and Kane was still late) before heading down to Centennial for the Sunday long run, and what a turn it it was to with HuRTS 'Royality' on show with a great turnout that saw C.T, Kanser. Wildman, Man in Form Enda, his coach Angry Clyde, J-Fen, Ronan (after putting his bike away fresh from a fall after failing to clip out and taking a tumble), his mate Colin and we even granted Chairman Tommy H a pass over the bridge to join us on a lovely autumn morning after being put to the sword by Johnny Bartles at the 10k Strider's yesterday.
Obviously with such illustrious names around i knew the pace was going to be sharper then the 4.28s i managed last week as i just tried to settle early. Whilst it didn't take long before Kanser was winding poor Enda up about his mental state of mind and his constant Mikey like failures in trying to break through the 35 min 10k barrier (his last 3 races have all been 35.xx).
Knocked out the first 10k in a rather quickish 43.55 (4.23 pace), and then thought the regular 6k Woollahra Hill loop would then do me whilst the lads went on with another 10k loop. Carried on with the guys for 3k of this before they exited at Fox Gates as i stayed within the park and another 700m climb up the hill. Managed to hold the last few ks OK and clocked 26.20 for the final 6ks (ave 4.23)
16k for the morning in 70.20 (ave 4.23s), Still down on the ks but happy enough to even get that many done at this stage, still along way from the 30 the boys are doing but hopefully I'll be able to build that up over the coming weeks.
Things must be looking up anyway as i was then invited back to the 'House of Kanes' for a little breaky, although i think i am on the 'Pauper's Breakfast' these days - Soggy Toast, Lukewarm  Tea, and butter as hard as a brick was dished up, whilst over on the nice deck i saw a place mat with Steven Thurston's name on with a tick in the boxes for Smoked Salmon, Poached Eggs, Bacon, English Breakfast Tea, the works served with the two Sunday papers..................Oh Dear, how times have changed, :)

Will be back at HuRTs swim squad tomorrow and will make a long overdue return to the Run group on the Tuesday ( please tell me its not a tempo?)

Some bad results overnight in the footy with Stoke getting turned over by Villa (but what a goal to win it for them , Goal of the Season in my eyes) Enda was cock a hoop this morning with that and i can see this going all the way to the final game of the season to find out who will be joining QPR, and Reading in the Championship next season. Stokes next two games are against Man Utd, and Spurs so it doesn't get any easier. Maybe i should pack up and get the boots back out and help the cause.
 I lost my bet on the result with Enda, and he was even quicker to remind me i still owe him $20 from the last Strider's run when due to injury i never got near the 60 second start he gave me.

Out for my Sunday afternoon beers now and a bit of a chat with a couple of mates before we get set for another week.

Cheers

Tears at the A.B.C Pool

Sorry for the lack of correspondence over the past week but in truth there has not been anything to write about with very little training. Anyway i was determined to get down for the Friday lunchtime swim today with the guys for a decent hit out.
Good crew in the lane with Brendan, Enda, Mr Ace, Elegant Julia (EJ), and myself , although there were tears from Angus who we booted over to the fast lane as he was getting to quick for us, No sign of Mikey today either so it was left to me to call the session that was 2 x 400, 2 x 300s, 2 x 200s and 2 x100s , We actually stood around for about 25 minutes deep in discussion on who was actually going to lead the lane on the first rep before Brendan was man enough to do the honours. Pretty sharp it was to as we knocked out a 6.37, there were more tears to come as we made Enda do a turn on the first on the 300 metre effort before i was called on to do some work for the day.
Poor Angus was doing everything in his power to get back into our lane as was Irish Kev (who was also crying)......... but once you've gone up there is NO RETURN (Sorry Boys :) )
Struggled a little today although times were OK for the day so I'm happy enough with that.
Times were, 6.38, 6.45, 5.00, 5.00, 3.20, 3.22, 1.39, 1.40
2.6ks done with warm up and cool down.

Strider's 10k at Lane Cove in the morning although i will be NO SHOW as i have a few things i have to do as well as my Achilles really isn't up to running a tough 10ks at this stage and i don't want to have to go through the same ordeal as what was witnessed 4 weeks back at North Head, so i think it best to steer clear and just get out on Sunday for an easier 15ks with the boys.
I promise that i will be back out with the boys from Tuesday next week as hopefully i will have got my life back in order after the past month or so of being all over the place.
Good luck to all those that are running.
Have a great weekend , and train safe.

Also , big weekend in the English footy again with some important games non bigger then the Stoke vs Villa game that has seen Enda and I having a little wager on the outcome, Obviously i have the Potters whilst he has his Villains, although i honestly can't see it being anything else but a score draw.
Timmy's Tip - Stoke 1 v Aston Villa 1
Big racing weekend on the turf as well with the Golden Slipper being held out West at Rosehill, hard to go past the favorite but if you were looking for value go the top horse.
Timmy's Tip - Criterion

Cheers