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It’s been awhile since I wrote anything for Runner’s Tribe, however the last time I was asked to blog I was under a fairly large injury cloud and the thought of writing anything running related was a bit depressing! However, I’m back into training now and loving it more than ever before.

This time last year I was just getting back from a pretty nasty injury that had caused me to have four months off running. To be honest when the injury was diagnosed I was ready to throw in the towel and call it a day. The last few years for me has had some great moments in running, but I just felt like any time I got to a reasonable level of fitness another injury would strike and I’d had enough. I stopped doing any form of training and started living like a normal person. It was great for the first couple of months, going out and not having to worry about sessions, travelling without stressing where I would be able to train. But soon enough I got over it, realized that I was really missing training and that I probably wasn’t cut out for the party lifestyle!

So began the tough battle back to fitness. It was not pretty to say the least; I couldn’t remember ever being that unfit! But it actually made me realise how long it had been since I took a break, and appreciate how tough full training is on the body. All through my junior years I had cross trained madly when I got injured- which can be more tiring than running half the time! Having those few months of complete rest left me really fresh and excited to come back and race again. Together my coach, Ted McLean and physio, Craig Purdam, formulated a new running program which I am still following and has worked really well for me over the past year. It’s focused on quality running, lots of strength work in the gym and a bit of cross training to complement my running sessions (see below for my current weekly program).

My first race back in 2011 was the Leonora Golden Gift, where I placed 4^th in the mile behind Kaila McKnight, Georgie Clarke and Lisa Corrigan. This was a big boost to my confidence as I had really just entered it for a bit of fun. I then had a few more months of good training before racing in the City to Surf, where I placed second behind Jess Trengrove who ran a really great race to claim the win. A week later I backed up for the Australian Cross Country Championships, which I won from my good friend Lisa Corrigan. After this I travelled around Australia doing a few road races including the Burnie Ten, which I was lucky to win after being hit by a motorcycle at around the 6km mark… I think the bump on my head was sufficient enough for me to not be able to thing logically and I decided to get up and keep running….probably not the smartest idea as I had to take a week off after due to a corked calf and bruised head- however I did get a very handy cheque at the end! (It was worth it). Next up I travelled to Japan for the Chiba Ekiden, which was a heap of fun in a great team managed by Sarah Jamieson. My last race for 2011 was the Zatopek 10,000m in which I won the Australian title….I won’t say I loved the race because 25 laps around the track in pouring rain is never fun, but it was a great way to end a year that had started on fairly shaky ground!

I took some time off after Zatopek and freshened up, before heading to Falls Creek for a couple of weeks. I stayed up there with Georgie Clarke, and I’m not sure if Georgie and I did more sun baking or running! But it was a good trip, I met heaps of really great people and I feel like I benefited a lot from the training I did up there. My next race will be the Adelaide GP, where I will run a 5000m. I’m really excited about the year ahead and hope I can continue to build on this past year. Although there will definitely be more setbacks along the way, it’s a part of elite sport, I’ve got a great team around me and I’m especially grateful to my coach Ted McLean who has stuck with me through everything over the past 10 years, the awesome group of guys in Canberra that help me out in every session and New Balance who have been terrific sponsors since 2009.

Here’s a sample of my weekly training program:

Monday:              AM- Gym (60min)
                                PM- Easy bike ride

Tuesday:              AM- Core strength or yoga
                                PM- Track session (eg. 4-6x1km reps)

Wednesday:      AM- Easy jog (60min)
                                PM- Gym (60min)

Thursday:            AM- Core strength or yoga
                                PM- Grass session (mix of intervals, usually shorter and fast)

Friday:                  AM- Easy bike ride or swim
                                PM- Gym (60min)

Saturday:             AM- Grass/Dirt session (mix of intervals, 500m-1500m, and hills)
                                PM- Rest

Sunday:                                AM- Long run
                                PM- Rest or yoga

All up I usually run around 80-90km per week, and every second week I will rest on Monday.

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This year you had a crack at your first European track season, what did you learn from that experience?

 

First thing is that "Speeclous" spread on bread is one of the tastiest things ever (thanks to Malcolm Hicks for introducing me) and also that I'm really lucky to get to spend 3months per year is such an incredible/diverse place. Another thing is that next year will be better to travel with a group of like minded athletes rather than by myself, as its just more fun with all the banter that way!

 

How would you rate your European season overall? Did you achieve the goals you set leading in?

 

In retrospect it was a bit of disaster and I was quite disappointed with it...I ran no faster over there than I had in some races in NZ (sometimes on my own even) and that was very frustrating. Though looking back I probably overcooked it a bit in training before leaving NZ, which led to blips along the way in terms of sickness/injury once I arrived in Europe. But whatever, I will work to turn that around for next time.

What did you do once you arrived back in NZ - did you take a break at all?

 

First thing was to give my coach (piloneeee) a lot of crap about the warriors making the grand final (it was a bitter week for the old bastard). Nah really I basically had fun for a few weeks (lots of Madden playing with Shane Rhode on the PS3) and then got into some running again in time for the NZRR. Amazingly I also got a job and am due to continue my studies over summer school as well (bit of catching up to do). Injury prevention and all the tiny things like regular massage/nutrition/good health etc have been a big focus as well too so that when I start the hard yards I am not waiting to break down again.

 

What is the plan for the upcoming season? Do you have any specific races planned out?

 

Will race a bit of domestic stuff (mostly 800m/1500m) and then head over to aussie in Feb/Mar for a couple of the bigger 1500's they have on over there.

 

What is training looking like for you at the moment?

Going terrible but I'm only just getting back into it so pretty relaxed about it for now.

 

Do you have any training partners right now? Where are your local stomping grounds?

 

I usually am hitting the hills around Cornwall Park and also drive out to Woodhills forest for most of my longer runs. The Auckland Domain is workout central for me and also go to the Millenium Institute alot for the gym/pool/alter-g sessions (i.e. recovery central!) I do most of my training on my own but hope to start getting out a bit more with Reid hunter, alex parlane, and aaron jackson as they're good positive guys to be around

 

Chris Pilone coaches you, do you have much input into your day-to-day training?

 

I'm lucky if Pilone actually makes it to a session, rather than getting lost or fiddling with his bloody bikes he loves to ride so much! I feel I'm pretty smart in myself as a runner so don't really need him there all the time. So he gives me a long leash and we go over things when need be. Mostly though we talk about things unrelated to running such as the obvious match-fixing going on between Aussie/South Africa in the test match at the moment!!!

Hayden trains in the New Balance 890. Check them out in the NB shop.

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How long have you been in business?

We started the business 2 years ago in 2009 

 

What got you started? 

Both my business partner and I are passionate athletes, Raf has represented Australia in Duathlon at an elite level, his best result to date being a #3 World Ranking. I have been lucky enough to race as an age grouper in Kona for the Ironman World Champs and represented Australia at the ITU Long Course and Olympic distance championships. The opportunity arose when my athletic coach and I were talking whilst running one day. I have 15 years retail and brand management experience, spending most of my time with Diageo, the world’s largest spirits company. Raf Baugh is also a skilled Physiotherapist and level 2 triathlon coach. Raf's background has given us valuable insight and credibility in the Australian market both with his athletic accomplishments and his successful running coaching business “Front Runner”. Both Raf and I had a real passion for starting a small business focusing on running in WA and our unique skills combined well to allow the Running Centre to be born.

 

What separates your store from other sports retail? 

Raf and I developed a very comprehensive plan that led to the creation of our unique fitting system and training of our staff in shoe fitting. We wanted to strive to be a running store set up by runners, with runners working in it all with a technical understanding of running. We wanted to make our business so different to anything currently offered In WA. Our market research showed that many consumers when making a buying decision in sporting footware fell into two categories:

1) Was aware of the need to correctly fit their feet to the right shoes and would actively search for retailers that provided this service and were willing to pay extra to get more technical running / training equipment if the advice they were given was accurate and consistent. Our main competitive advantage is we are a small business that only employees runners (all with degree level education and most in sports science or physiotherapy) who understand intimately the equipment we sell and are trained and monitored on-going by a qualified physiotherapist. Only having one shop allows us to maintain this consistency of service and level of expertise.

 2) The consumer who does not know about correct footware fitting and buys on price, our biggest opportunity is in the runner who has not been correctly fitted in the past, they are also our biggest challenge. We need to educate people about the importance of proper shoe fitting to ensure injury free kilometers, nothing is more frustrating for someone wanting to get fit, get past an injury or work towards a goal than being sidelined by incorrect equipment that leads to an injury.  We rely on our past customers to refer these people into our business through the positive experiences they have had with our shop, our customer referral based component of our business is a very important part of our business and a testament to our sales staffs knowledge and their fitting technique.

We are very proud to have access to many of Australia’s elite runners and athletes and just recently we had Steve Moneghetti (Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and Chief De Mission of the 2010 Commonwealth Games) over for a training camp and also Craig Mottram. With the recent Commonwealth Games trials our sports massage therapist was kept busy keeping some of Australia’s fastest athletes moving including John Steffensen. We want to be a hub of running in WA and encourage people to come into the shop just to talk all things running! No other sports retailer offers medically regulated shoe fitting, expert advice on all sporting equipment, coaching, running technique assessments and sports massage all out of one store!

 

Who is your favourite international athlete (now and past)?

International athletes are a long way removed from our core customer of everyday walkers, joggers and runners!

That said, we do love running and I think Haile Gebreselassie is a hero for many runners around the world for his consistency of excellence and also endearing nature.

Of the current crop, our own Ryan Gregson has all the key elements to put Australian running back in the mainstream provided he can avoid injury and get to London without interruption in his preparation.

 

Who has been the most inspirational Australian runner & why?

Steve Moneghetti. Steve is a fantastic athlete with a proven track record of excellence over a sustained period. Due to the similarities between his performances and what we aim for as a company, we have an ongoing relationship with Steve through an annual training camp here in Perth each February.

 

What do you think of the 2011 New Balance Running product?

We have had an excellent response to the new season range particularly the performance aspect. We have found that New Balance is converting customers who are looking for a sharper, lighter and more responsive shoe and this has changed the perception that New Balance is largely for the heavier runner or those looking for durability

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(Q): How long have you been in business?

(A): Gia & I have owned Joggers World since 1996. Previous to that we had smaller stores in the suburbs.

(Q): What got you started?

(A): I became involved in the sports industry due to my Father who was a South Australian sports industry figure during the 60's to the 80's when he was agent for adidas / spalding  & other brands.

Thus my first job after school was with the first TAF store in Australia here in Adelaide

(Q): What separates your store from other sports retail?

(A): Our store is different to our competitors as we have the largest range of athletic footwear here in South Australia. We also have a podiatry clinic within the store with two practicing podiatrists. We also have 3 treadmills in store for gait analysis

(Q): Who is your favorite international athlete? (now & past) Who has been the most inspirational Australian runner & why?

(A): My favourite international athlete is Sally McClennan (now) and Linford Christie (past).  My most inspirational Aussie would be Rob De Castella because when I was a teenager Deek was the face of Australia on the international athletics stage.

(Q): What do you think of the 2011 New Balance Running product?

(A): The current NB range covers all bases with fantastic product. The advantage of having multiple widths means we are able to satisfy almost every 'customer'.  The range of NB running shoes is pivotal to the success of our business

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Fresh off of arriving back to Australia after setting a new Australian record over 10,000m at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford University – Ben St. Lawrence took time out to log into his Skype account and ‘live-chat’ with The Runner’s Tribe about racing and training overseas, hanging out with Gordon Ramsay, and how English coffee is shit.

 

The Runner’s Tribe: How is it being back in Aus?

Ben St Lawrence: All good, still waking up at 2:30 am- but getting better!

RT: Hope your parents have FoxTel then!

Ben St Lawrence: Yeah, we've got foxtel thankfully. I'm heading to Syd for the weekend to sort out some accom for the next 5 weeks.

RT: Don't you live in Sydney??

Ben St Lawrence: I did, but I rented my room out when I went overseas on my last trip- and since I'm heading back in 5-6 weeks I decided to leave the tenant in there and just find a temporary room.

RT: Where are you headed to next??

Ben St Lawrence: Will be heading to Teddington in Late June/Early July to race a few times before world champs. At the moment we're hoping that I'll do a 3000m, one or two 1500s and the London Diamond League 5000.Teddington is our London Base.

RT: When you say "we" are your referring to Nic Bideau?

Ben St Lawrence: No, I am referring to my coach- Sean Williams, Myself and Nic who manages me and helps with training and racing plans while overseas. It is a good system, Nic and Sean have a similar training philosophy.

RT: So what has changed since Stanford?? I'm guessing that if you're off again to Europe soon you won't be heading back to work and the daily grind?

Ben St Lawrence: That's right, while I was on this last trip I decided to take the plunge and resign from my full-time job to really focus on running in the lead-up to London 2012. I just felt that if I tried to split my energy between the two, I would end up under-achieving in both areas. I'll go back to work for a week or two to wrap things up, then I will have all my time to focus on all the little things that will hopefully help me to improve.

RT: So you're a full-time athlete now then!! Still with New Balance??

Ben St Lawrence: Yes I am, it feels great saying that! I am still with New Balance, I was lucky enough to meet a lot of the New Balance Management and Product team while I was in Boston, they have some great product and ideas at the moment so I'm excited to be working with them. I even did a photo-shoot while in LA, so my ankles may be on a billboard one day!

RT: Have they found you some shoes that aren't 2E width since you're an Aussie record holder now?? I heard you were stamping all over the guys in London.

Ben St Lawrence: Haha, they have!  I'm doing a lot of running in the Baddeley's (890) and the 1080s as well as the new Minimus. Touch-wood I seem to be pain-free with this shoe combination!

RT: You know when I met Gordon Ramsay he was cooking in New Balance's - you're pretty good mates with him right?? I heard you guys ran together and high-fived a lot?

Ben St Lawrence: Yeah we like to catch up at least once a year for a time trial in Richmond Park. We've done it every year since 2011, he definitely looked like he was 'cooking' while huffing his way up the hills in Richmond. High fiving him was a highlight at about the 80 min mark of a 2 hour long run while I was hanging onto Mike Aish, he hasn't been in touch yet to congratulate me on the Aussie record, but I suspect he will. Gordon that is, although neither has Mike...

RT: How was the boys’ cooking in London? Did you get any lessons from Gordon? 

Ben St Lawrence: I think we could all take some cooking lessons from Gordon. Although Bobby Curtis and Collis are both pretty handy in the kitchen. Mike [Aish] does some good 'Kiwi Burgers', which I found out don't actually contain any Kiwi's... That is one thing I am looking forward to about not rushing around so much with work and training- having time to cook proper meals, rather than eating take-away at 9pm at night as I'm too smashed from a session to cook!

RT: That’s pretty impressive that you can work, eat takeways at 9pm and run 13:10/27:24 - Are you confident you will have a lot more success now that you'll be full-time? Are you worried at all about becoming too consumed in training etc or is that what you're after??

Ben St Lawrence: That is definitely a concern, I will try to stay balanced and not change things too drastically- a few people suggested that if things were working so well- why change them, which is a valid piece of advice, but I decided to ignore the sensible advice and take a chance. Surely with more time to recover, do core-strength and drills, stretch, cook better meals etc I will be giving myself a better chance to improve. Only time will tell, but I am confident that there are some things that I can do that will see me improve. Consistent High Mileage is one thing that I found very hard to do while working full-time, so that is something I will aim for.

RT: Looking at your Australian Record - What was your mindset heading into Stanford?

Ben St Lawrence: After running 13:10 in Melbourne and deciding that Stanford would be my goal race of the trip, I definitely had my sights set on Collis' [Birmingham] National Record. The rough equation is your 5k time, doubled with a minute added on, putting me at 27:20- which sounded very tough but achievable. Between Melbourne and leaving for World Cross I had a bad flare up of an old back injury and got violently ill for a few days. This knocked my momentum a little bit, which wasn't helped by a pretty poor race in Spain at WXC. I then had 10 days in London and probably pushed it a bit too hard to make-up for lost time and ended up having a hopeless race when I got to the US at the Carlsbad 5k. I put in 2 weeks of solid mileage and had a slightly better 5k in Boston, then back to altitude for another 2 weeks before Stanford. Heading into Stanford, I hadn't had a good session or race since Melbourne, but I had been getting it all done and hitting higher mileage than ever before. I'll admit that my confidence in getting the record was gone, and I decided to play it safe and just aim for the Olympic A qualifier!

RT: At what point in the race at Stanford did it get rough?

Ben St Lawrence: Stanford was a different race than usual, as at no point early on did I feel that I was running beyond myself, so that dreaded pain didn't really kick in until the last few laps, at which stage it is easy enough to ignore for a few minutes. Usually when the pain kicks in, especially if it is early in a race, I just focus on getting to a certain point without stressing about the pain too much. For me (and probably most people) it is between laps 7-10  of a 5k and about 18-21 of a 10k. Those are the laps that usually take the most mental energy to get through, and I just make sure that I stay positive and get myself to within striking distance of the finish. In my worst races, it is at this point that the pain becomes too much and then it is a struggle all the way home. The Delhi 10k was an example of this!

RT: So do you have any specific time goals for Europe?? What are the goals for WC?

Ben St Lawrence: In Europe I'd like to run PBs in the 1500, 3000 and 5000- but the main goal is to get to Daegu in the best possible shape, so I don't want to hit top form too soon. In Daegu, if everything goes well in preparation- I'd like to get into the final and then be in the mix in the final few laps. The amount of talent out there is pretty daunting, but if I can focus on preparing myself as well as I can, and then executing the best race that I can- a place in the top hand full of guys is possible.

RT: Now that you have travelled around a bit - what is your fav spot? How did you like the states?

Ben St Lawrence: My favourite training location so far is probably Mt Laguna in California; my favourite race location is probably NYC. Travelling around for races is often a lot less glamorous than it sounds, as you may only see an airport, a hotel and then a track. For instance, I have been to the Czech Republic, arguably one of the most beautiful European destinations- and yet I only saw the track, hotel and airport. I'm not complaining though, sometimes we do get to enjoy a day or two of another culture and location. I really love to travel, so combining it with training and racing is a great lifestyle. I'd like to check out Boulder some day, but we keep getting such good results after Laguna that it's tempting to keep going back!

RT: Do you enjoy training in Teddington?

Ben St Lawrence: Yeah, Teddington is a good European base. There are three massive parks within running distance (Bushy, Richmond and Home) as well as the trail along the Thames. Then you have the track at St Mary's university, so training locations are superb. The house of Nic's that we stay in is within walking distance of the shops, railway, buses and physio/chiro etc. If only there were some Australian Coffee shops nearby we'd have everything we needed!

RT: Yes, English coffee is so shit.

Ben St Lawrence: Yep! That is one thing I really miss while away!

RT: Flat whites?

Ben St Lawrence: Yeah, or piccolo's (half the milk of a flat white)

RT: So who are you going to train with for the next month or so in Sydney?

Ben St Lawrence: I'll be jumping back in with my squad in Sydney for most of my sessions, then will do a fair few of my other runs just on my own. Sean has a very large squad of runners, from young up and comers to recreational guys, so it will be good to get in with them again and catch up. I have done a lot of my running over the last few years with Tim Rowe, who recently moved to Canberra to work with Rob De Castella's Indigenous Marathon Project, so unfortunately I've lost a good training partner there! There's also a group of corporate runners in Sydney called HURTS, who I will jump in with for a Wednesday run from time to time when at work.

 

At this point, Kitchen Nightmares had started, which meant Ben was forced to decline any further questions. Thanks for your time, Ben and good luck for your upcoming European campaign and the World Champs!

BY DANIEL WALLIS 

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The Runners Shop - Canberra

How long have you been in business?

The Runners Shop – Canberra celebrated its 20 year anniversary in July 2010. We are in our third location in Dundas Court, Phillip and still going strong.

What got you started?

There was no dedicated running store in Canberra at the time. Founder Brian Wenn used to sell shoes in the back of a station wagon in the late-80s and when the shop first opened it had no accounts and purchased stock from another store in Sydney.

What separates your store from other sports retail?

We employ athletes who are actively involved in the running community as track and distance runners, orienteers or triathletes. This means that the staff actually know what they are talking about. They have all used the products and are passionate about their sport. We have a mixture of ages, genders and abilities – including some Olympians. We also have very popular television commercials which you can view on our website.

Who is your favourite international athlete (now and past)?

Haile Gebrselassie

Who has been the most inspirational Australian runner & why?

Sprinting – Melissa Breen, has achieved so much at a young age with no support or funding. She was the fastest Australian woman in 2008.  She has been an employee at The Runners Shop for a couple of years now.

Middle Distance – Lisa Corrigan, holds the Australian Record (Mile) and raced at the 2008 Olympics. She is held in high regard by her running peers.  Another employee at The Runners Shop!

Distance – Martin Dent, for balancing training with work and being a father of 3, while at the same time giving something back to distance running in Canberra.  Has been an elite runner for 15+ years, and just keeps on going!

What do you think of the 2011 New Balance Running product?

The NBx range for 2011 contains a number of really comfortable models.  We rate the 860, the 1226, the 1080 and the 759.  The reintroduction of the 814 is also a big plus, given the absence of wider fitting trail shoes on the market.  The 905 continues to be one of the most underrated performance shoes going around. 

On the whole, the NBx range provides a generous amount of cushioning, with a variety of width fittings to cater for even the wide-footed customer.

 

 

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week

As we came to the end of 2010 and were looking forward to Christmas and the New Year, I was asked to take a look back on my running throughout the year and to discuss some of my travels and races to give other runners an insight into how the year panned out and what it’s like to race a full year around the world. So if you have (quite) a few spare minutes, here is a ‘run’-down of the year that I’ve had and a few of my thoughts along the way.

 

Part 1: From Falls Creek to Gateshead

The year started for me as it did for a lot of other Aussie distance runners, in the beautiful Falls Creek. The atmosphere, trails, altitude, company and isolation at Falls Creek combine to make it the perfect destination to kick off a year of running. Hitting the trails with a mass of like-minded people not only gets you fit, but also fires you up and reminds you that there are plenty of others out there chasing the same dreams. Despite all the advances in technology over the years, I doubt that we’re doing anything very different to what the pioneers of altitude running may have done back when they trained at Falls half a century ago.  I have personally had fun and learnt a lot each of the three years I’ve been there.

 

My first race after Falls was the Hunter Track Classic 3000m, a chance to hit the track for the first time since a 2^nd placing at Zatopek 09 and hopefully sharpen up for the 5000m at the Briggs Classic in Hobart shortly afterwards. I ran the race largely on my own and didn’t feel great, a win in 7:55 was reasonable and I hoped it was just what I needed to be ready for Hobart.

 

With my main goal of 2010 being to qualify for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, I saw Hobart as a good chance to post an early A qualifier- so that was the plan going in. I had been training quite well, we had some pacemakers for a few laps and everything seemed in place. Unfortunately I just had one of those slightly-off days and struggled a little to finish 2^nd in 13:38, just ahead of Shelley but a fair way off Collis. I put that bad result down to doing a lot of hard work through January and not freshening up enough, but I needed that hard work to get where I wanted to be later in the season.

 

After some more good training in Sydney with Coach Sean Williams, my next race was the 5000m at the Melbourne Track Classic. I desperately wanted the A qualifier of <13:29 and was rewarded with a 13:26- the second fastest 5000m time of my life. I was 4^th in the race, but first Australian in what would normally be the Australian Championship for 5000m. The race was won by the Englishman Andy Baddeley, who I barely knew at the time but who I was to go on and share plenty of tough training sessions with in the US and Europe later in the year.

 

Next up was a quick trip across the Tasman for the 5000m at the International Track Meet in Christchurch, where I won in 13:48 with a 54 second last lap. I wanted to test my finishing speed at this race as this is an attribute that essentially decides the results of so many races, I was happy with my kick in this race- but would I be able to produce something similar off a faster pace? Second in this race was another Englishman, Mark Draper, who would also be a frequent training partner and good mate in the months to come. One of the best things about travelling and training in sport is the people you meet along the way, I also think that sharing extreme physical challenges in both training and racing makes the bonds a lot stronger than just sharing a beer with someone down at the pub.

 

The Australian Championships in Perth in April were the major focus of my whole domestic season, and I knew that with a top 2 placing in the 5000m I would book my ticket to Delhi. With this additional importance came increased pressure and I was definitely more nervous for this race than most others. With Dave McNeil and Collis both in the race and both also having the A qualifier, I knew it would be a tough one. I thought that only the top two would be selected automatically for Delhi, and I was ready to fight tooth and nail to get my spot. After a slow first 3k, Collis really injected some pace and reeled off a couple of 60 second laps, I managed to hang on for these, but drifted back on the penultimate lap. I was flat out, running as hard as I could and I could see up ahead that Collis was too, but he wasn’t getting any further away. I maintained my pace on the last lap and was lucky to pass a tiring Collis in the home straight to win my first ever Australian Championship. My last five laps averaged less than 61 seconds each. Crossing the line in first place, knowing that this would book me a ticket to Delhi made all the hard work worth it- I was absolutely elated.

 

Shortly after Perth, I boarded a plane to the US for an intensive 3 week training camp at Mt Laguna, near San Diego in California- organised by my manager Nic Bideau with Gary Henry overseeing our training. Like Falls, this was to be an essential block of training to keep us going through a stint on the European Circuit, as well as getting me ready for a 10km road race in NYC. I joined a great group of guys from around the world and had some of the best training of my life up in the mountains. Even through freak blizzards we worked well as a group and put in some solid work. Normally having to work full-time, I find that my running usually improves when I get away and can focus solely on training and recovery.

 

I raced well in The Healthy Kidney 10k, with a 7^th place finish and a road PB of 28:36, I really felt the benefit of the altitude training and loved the experience of being hosted by the New York Road Runners in the Big Apple. Being put up in a nice Hotel in downtown Manhattan, having Central Park as a racing and training venue- that really is living the dream for me! After a couple of days catching up with old friends in NYC, I boarded a flight to London for my first ever European campaign.

 

Nic’s set-up in Teddington (40 min out of London) is very conducive to running well, with days structured around a morning session, plenty of time for recovery and strength work- with a second run in the early evening. It is also a beautiful place to train- with Bushy Park, Home Park (Hampton Court Palace), Richmond Park and the River Thames all within easy running distance, as well as the track at St Mary’s University.

 

My first race in Europe was a 3000m at The Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic. I was 10^th in 7:49, which was a 6 sec PB but not as fast as I had hoped to run. I went too fast early in the race and paid for it towards the end. The overall experience of the meet was awesome. Bernard Lagat was in my race, and I had a good chance to chat to him afterwards. My roommate was Boaz Lalang, who went on to win the 800m in Delhi and I was lucky enough to go for a jog with (now) 800m WR holder David Rudisha as well as meet Usain Bolt. Rubbing shoulders with the best!

 

My next race was a 5000m at Montrieul- just outside Paris. Bobby Curtis and I made the trip on the Eurostar with high hopes of bettering our equal PBs of 13:25. This was the goal race of the trip and I was hoping for a big result between 13:10 and 13:20. Unfortunately I had to withdraw from the race with a back problem at 2k, which was bitterly disappointing. Bobby ran well to post a new PB of 13:17 in average conditions- coming very close to winning. After some Physio and Chiro work, Bobby and I hit the Champs Elysee for dinner, and I tried not to let my disappointment dampen his high spirits.

 

After a week of Osteo and rest, I was doubtful that I’d be able to race the 1500m at the British Milers Club meet in Watford (UK) that I had planned on running. I decided to make the trip with Lara Tamsett and Mitch Kealey anyway (with Sonia O’Sullivan at the wheel). Once there I thought I may as well warm up and see how the back felt. After a few strides I still seemed to be able to run OK so made the call to line up for my first 1500m race in 3 years! I ended up 3^rd in 3:39, which was an 11 sec PB. This was just what I needed to help erase the lingering negativity from the DNF in France and is an example of how some of your best results can come when you least expect them.

 

I fell ill overnight, thought it was just the effects of the race so forced myself through a 90 min run the next morning which buried me and I ended up in bed sick for a week. This really knocked me around and when combined with the taper for the 5000m in France and my back injury- meant that I had barely trained in over two weeks. Luckily I had a couple of weeks to bounce back for my last two races in Europe, which were to be a 5000m in Sollentuna (Sweden) and a 3000m two days later in Cork (Ireland). Despite the poor preparation, I was able to win a tactical 5000m in Sweden in 13:39, with a 26 sec last 200m and then also won the 3000m in Ireland in 8:02 with a 54 sec last 400m. While these certainly weren’t Diamond League races, it felt great to taste victory on the circuit. The benefit of having months (or even years) of consistent training behind me was that I didn’t lose too much fitness with a couple of weeks off.

 

While I didn’t achieve the fast times that I’d hoped for, partly due to circumstances beyond my control, I was content with my first Euro-trip and learned a lot to take with me next time. I had fun along the way, saw some sights and met some cool people. The trip had gained me a 10k road PB, a 3000m PB and a 1500 PB, as well as two tactical wins. I flew home to Sydney the day after my race in Ireland.

  

Despite having just come off a track season in Europe, we decided that a good solid month of longer work would help me get ready for Delhi, so the City 2 Surf would fit in nicely- approximately a month after landing back in Sydney. It’s good to break-up a long year and have short-term goals to focus on, without losing sight of the bigger picture, which for me was always Delhi.

 

I have been a huge fan of the C2S since first running it as an 8 year old, and I really wanted to have a good crack at it this year. I’d come 4^th then 2^nd the previous two years, so wanted the win this time around. A few weekends in the Blue Mountains as well as some solid sessions back with Sean’s squad had me in good shape, and on race day I was ready to roll. The guys ran well, with Shelley putting in a series of savage surges shortly after Heartbreak Hill, leaving us all feeling the pinch at the 10km mark. I had a couple of rough patches during the race, but started to feel strong on the long downhill into Bondi. It’s not often that 3 guys are together with 1 km to go, making for an exhilarating finish. Jeff didn’t quite have the change of pace with about 800m to go and I was able to counter Shelley’s move in the home straight to edge ahead and take the win by a second. This will undoubtedly go down as a career highlight for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed everything that day! Having family and friends there to share the experience with was awesome.

 

While I was out celebrating the win, I found out that I had been selected to represent ‘Asia Pacific’ in the Continental Cup (formerly known as the World Cup) to be held in Split (Croatia) in approximately three weeks time. I now had to try to recover from the C2S, sharpen up a bit, fly to the other side of the world and be ready to take on the best runners from ‘Africa’, ‘Europe’ and ‘the Americas’ over 3000m, while still getting the work done for Delhi.

 

It turned out that I wasn’t quite ready for a fast track race, finishing 8^th in the field of 11 with a time of 7:58. Bernard Lagat won in 7:54 with a 2:24 final km to edge out Moses Kipsiro, who would go on to win the 5/10 double in Delhi. Tariku Bekele was 4^th. I was in 6^th with 150 to go but faded in the final straight. I ran my last km in 2:27, which is still quite fast, but not good enough. A good mate Adrian Blincoe (NZ) was 6^th, beating me by a small margin as he did in Melbourne earlier in the year.

 

As the race was really only one hard km, I did a 20 min threshold/tempo run afterwards to get more of a training effect. This type of thing can help to sustain fitness during a racing tour. I had another race only 5 days later in Milan so needed to keep the momentum going for Delhi. We were looked after well in Split, staying at Le Meridien with its own private beach- pity we couldn’t have stayed an extra day or two!

 

The race in Milan went really well and I slashed another 7 seconds from my 3000m PB and 3 seconds from the NSW record, with a time of 7:42. Andy Baddeley just edged me out, and he has a New Balance shoe named after him now, so ‘The Saint’ may be released one day if I can get a little faster. This was a stacked field and I felt that I wasn’t out of my league (other than the lone Ethiopian who ran a world leading 7:28). I can also claim to have beaten the current Olympic 1500m Champ, as Asbel Kiprop faded badly.

 

We headed back to Teddington to put in the final push to be ready for Delhi. The routine was in place and the training went well. As is always the case with me, some sessions were great and others were mediocre- but on average I felt that I was in or close to the best shape of my life, which is exactly where I wanted to be. We had a 2 mile road race in Gateshead as part of The Great North City Games, Eng vs AUS on the 18^th of September. It was a fun event, but fell right at a point where we needed to be training hard for Delhi, so we had to ‘train through’. I was fairly happy with an 8:36 for two miles under the circumstances. I was fourth behind Mottram, Thompson and Baddeley with Collis in 5^th. 


                                  Stay tuned for Part 2 next week

It’s now 13 day’s until the start of the Commonwealth Games and I am definitely starting to get the odd buzz of excitement in my tummy. My Australian uniform arrived last week and this was certainly very exciting, cementing the fact that I had been chosen to represent our beautiful Country ‘Australia’. However I can’t say that the enormity of it all has set in yet,  but I don’t expect that it will until the Games are all over and I arrive back home.

I arrived in Cairns last night ready to compete at the Oceana Championships. I am loving the warm and muggy weather as it reminds me of my home town ‘Alice Springs’. I will spend the next 9 day’s here before departing for Delhi on the 30^th.

I competed at the all stars meet in Sydney a week ago. The atmosphere whilst competing was fantastic, definitely put a spring in my step. It had been a long time between races so the first hit out is always a little scary. Although my time was not fantastic this was the first race in a while and I came away with a huge amount of confidence as I was very pleased with most of my race.  I feel very confident and expect dramatic improvements in my next couple of races here at the Oceana Games before departing for Delhi.

I recently made a big decision to quit my job as I was finding it quite difficult being a remedial massage therapist, balancing my training with my work. So decided to prioritize and focus my full attention on training,  at least until the Commonwealth Games are over anyway. So I have been enjoying the past month of being a full time athlete, which has definitely proved to be a great decision as I felt a huge amount of relief and training improved instantly.

Anyway better leave it there for now as my coach ‘Tony Fairweather’ is telling me to get to bed.

Pirrenee Steinert.

Hey Runners Tribe,

I have officially become part of the Commonwealth Games team since I wrote to you last. To my delight I will represent Australia in Delhi as part of the women’s 4x400m relay team.

I have had a fantastic season. I can’t say that it has gone exactly to plan but I am definitely very proud of what I have achieved thus far this season.

After commencing my season with a PB performance of 52.81, I was left feeling very about the season ahead. I was also very optimistic about achieving an A qualifier to earn my own individual 400m spot for the Commonwealth Games.

Due to a few personal reasons, the lead up to Nationals was a real battle and this showed in many of my lead-in races. However, together with my coach, Tony Fairweather, we managed to pull things together and perform when it mattered most.

I was absolutely over the moon with my performance at Nationals. I felt I performed under pressure and produced a new PB of 52.78 taking home the silver medal.

Right now I am back into heavy training and racing the odd 400m here and there to work on my race plan in preparation for the Commonwealth Games and beyond. After an annual performance assessment with my coach we are set to prepare for the upcoming season with plenty to work on in training. The fact that my coach and myself believe that I have a lot to work on is a real confidence boost, as it makes me hopeful of significant improvements J

Although there is still so much athletics to be raced in 2010, I can’t help but be excited for the following season. I am looking forward to breaking up the typical athletic season with a highly anticipated trip overseas. I look forward to experiencing the overseas athletic scene and competition in hopes of inspiration, personal growth and development as an athlete.

I am also busy seeking a financial sponsor for myself so I can afford to be a full time athlete and ensure that I give myself every opportunity to be at my best for the lead up to the London Olympic Games and beyond.

I guess I can say that the experiences both good and bad that I have encountered during my athletic career thus far have served me very well. The Olympic Games is only 2 years away and together with my coach, Tony Fairweather, I intend to prepare myself to the best of my ability during this time. Thanks to all the up’s and down’s from the past I feel I have a pretty clear picture about what exactly I need to do so that I am the best possible athlete that I can be, come the 2012 Olympic Games.

Pirrenee Steinert

2010 NSW CHAMPS WOMEN'S 400M FINAL