Ok so it is the week of WA state champs so i am going to give you all my little preview of winners and people to watch for the 800m, 1500m, 5km and the Bridges Fun Run.

800m. The 800m is really the toughest race to predict with a really strong field and pbs all really close together. The 3 to watch are the young gun Marc See, the old head Scott Tamblin and the south of the border Tex Mex Felipe De Castro Cruz.

If these three guys are lined up across the track with 200 to go we will have a race on people...

and the winner? Tambo, Strong and fast with the quickest pb in the field should win

1500m. One man can and will win this event and that is Marc See. He has been the stand out 1500m running this year for a west aussie, every race he has run this year he looks better and better and only a week ago i saw him destroy a strong field and run away from them with 600 to go and not look like tiring.

5km. Carter v Busi. 2 weeks ago carter was just over run by Busi in a 1500m. The places will be reversed this weekend. Strong super strong carter runs more km than anyone else in WA and in this event he will run away with the race after 2 k not to be touched or seen again.

And the Bridges Fun Run. One name stands above all for this 10 km event and that is last years City to Surf fun run runner up. Raf Baugh, fired up from his second place in the c2s. Raf will be out to win again one of the most presigious fun runs in Perth. Watch out for the great Ray Boyd to ruffle a few feathers early.

Enjoy if you are running or spectating

SO the past few days have not gone exactly to plan monday was meant to be a 2 session day. It ended up being a no session day, work in the morning so wasnt able to get out for an easy run to recover after Helena. Then in the evening well do i really need to mention why i wasnt able to run monday night? lets just say i like my head without dents in it.

Tuesday i ran easy 6 or so km again not exactly to plan but atleast i got out, as a younger runner this may have worried me more not getting out for those runs.

But a wise OLD man has helped me see the light, for all the runs i have missed i have done more so here is a simple visual and mental exercise to put ur mind at rest. Take out your phone book, that is your past year in sessions trained. Rip out a page for all the sessions you missed, then pick up that phone book and try and rip it in half?? Can you do it??

No you didnt, unless u missed 364 days of running and if you did that your probably not so worried about those missed sessions.

So get out there and enjoy your running people

It has been a relatively good training week for yours truely. On thursday I got my 2 sessions in and also ran twice Friday, although easy. 12 k is still 12. Why easy you ask? Well even if you didn't I'm going to tell you anyway. Yesterday was round 1 of the WAFL and my first real full game for the year. Tough? Yes.

I got to run with 2 of the younger members of the WAFL panel with one of them making there debut

So on estimate 16 to 18 k was covered at a good tempo pace. As a boundary umpire we are either running flat out or not at all.

I then tried to back up with 17 k out at Helena today with the boys. Just the out and back. I STRUGGLED. Came in well behind all the guys that ran short loop, but I think they knew what I was going through. The first few long runs the day after games will be tough. But as my old coach Vic said what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right??? No I am only going to be stronger for it. And I have 17 k under my belt for the week already.

I am once again hoping to run twice on Monday again trying to get the k's in the kegs with some Tuesday and Thursday speed track type sessions to get the legs ticking over nicely.

We shall see how the week turns out soon.

Enjoy

Sometimes as athletes we are so inwardly focused we can forget that life can be more than just a race or winning. And training can be draining and tough. I know I have been there.

The other day at work I had the privilege to massage a lady aged in her sixties. Now alot of you are probably thinking yeah who really cares, but getting to speak to this lady I realized this was not your ordinary 60 odd year old

At the age of 61 she swam the English Channel in a team. Of which they still are still the oldest team to have done so. At aged 62 she swam it solo and also at the time held the record as the oldest person to have done so. Which has now been broken.

Now in the next few years she got injured had shoulder surgery and probably could have hung up the togs. But since recovering from the surgery she has been training to take back her record at age 65... But wait there is more. She will do a double. Start from England across to France for a bite to eat, slap on some more grease and with 10 min of stepping on land head back to England.

Impressed yet this lady trains 3 times a day Mon, Tues and only twice a day for the rest of the week whilst still working part time. This lady is incredible and I found all this out about her because I kept asking questions the whole session. It is not often I ask someone to sign something for me. I have Kyle Vander Kuyp's signature And Ray Boyd's. Both of who I have massaged and feel they too are incredible people.

She doesn't thinks she does anything special. She just does it because she loves it.

On a side note Tuesday night was testing for umpiring. Wednesday was 16 k with Raf and Cody from the The Running Centre. Followed by a speed session this morning, 2 sessions will be completed today

Remember when we next have to do that session that 7am long run why we do. Because if a sixty year old lady can swim the English Channel then we can do a little run?

No because we do it because we enjoy it

more people have climbed everest than completed the channel swim

Some runs can feel like they are effortless and you could go on forever. I have come to the conclusion through vast amounts of my own research it's easier to get that feeling the more often you run or the fitter you are, these two travel hand in hand. A quick tip for the young.

I had the pleasure of experiencing this feeling the other night and I mean night 7.20 pm run after work. For those playing at home I work for the BodyStation in Willetton Sports Club and in The Running Centre. As the massage therapist. It was on this run feeling great that this blog came about. I never thought a) I could or should write a blog or b) anybody would care. But as is the case on many solo long runs before, you have some time to think and many a world problem or woman problem has been sorted in this manner by me.

As I was running along (it was an easy 8 k) I felt that the blog would be a good way to give the young umpires (I am also an AFL boundary umpire) and groups that I run with or anyone that stumbles across this (you must be really bored) an insight into stupidity. I mean putting one foot in front of the other or some may say running.

So welcome and I hope you enjoy and can have a laugh

As the description of the blog states I hope this helps to get kids young and old excited about running or that other absurd past time life (courts that's for you). For a long time I was but growing up and having to work in the real work takes a toll on the mind and body. So I found myself missing sessions and reps. Then getting to the point where I just didn't want to race anymore so I stopped.

5 years later and not very many km passed and the loss of a great friend and my first and only coach has me thinking more about running and not being entirely repulsed in fact I may be excited...

So with the encouragement of my wife and an old training partner my 2 feet were once again put in front of each other in a semi running motion. I ran the 2009 city to surf off about 30 to 40 km a week. Some how I ran 8th surprised myself a bit and was hungrier for more.

From there I started running 80 to 100 km a week and was dragged out to Helena Valley on Sunday mornings by the kid Courts. All that resulted in a quicker 5 km than I have ever run and here I am now.