48 training sessions

6 blisters

2 bruised toenails

1 stack (in the mud)

Hello again fellow runners! Here we are again, chasing the last few precious days of summer and wishing daylight saving could last a little longer. Although ‘summer’ has been a questionable term in the constant rain of recent weeks around my area! On the upside, the wet days have been conducive to synthetic track workouts as my squad and I prepare for the business end of the track racing season.

It was a thrilling end to the week when I received an email confirming my place at the Melbourne Track Classic next Friday and Saturday. My season has been geared towards 5000m, even though recent races have been over 1500m to develop leg speed. So it is with both excitement and nerves that I look towards being a part of this amazing experience. I’m hoping to be able to make the most of the fast race to record a PB.

Over the past month I’ve done a few shorter 1500m races at Hunter Track Classic, Country Champs and the Waratah Series. As the guys I train with tell me, I have “one gear” only, and consistency is both a gift and a curse I guess! I’m very lucky to have a bunch of willing pacemakers amongst my training group who will jump in to take me through a rep after their own session. So my favourite set lately has been a paced 1200m, followed by a block of 400m reps and finally another paced 1200m. I’m trying to learn to feel the pace and find one I can hold across the session.

Last week I was also privileged to attend a lecture by Rob Higley, a running and cycling coach who lives in Kenya. He had some really unique and thought-provoking approaches to developing technique. I think we can all take something from a whole range of training ideas, especially from someone who’s been closely studying the sport for decades. Following his talk, I also took part in a drills session and got a bit of an insight into the way his Kenyan squad train (which was, again, quite a different experience to what I’m used to).

Speaking of developing technique, a new aspect of my training program has been introducing a structured strength and conditioning session a few times a week at the gym, thanks to the expertise of David Young. I’ve always done bits and pieces of core work but never a targeted circuit. It’s been strange doing some of the same old exercises but, just by focusing on recruiting specific muscles, feeling completely different! For me, working out what muscles are tight, weak and over-compensating is interesting given my uni course of physiotherapy.

One of the challenges I face now is adjusting to a busy schedule again as I return to uni. Second year physio is shaping up to be quite full on, with 5 days a week and clinical placements. I predict it’s  going to be an ongoing struggle to fit in training, work and study but it’ll be good to be back in routine. I think I’m also much more efficient at getting training done when I have to be!

Bring on those crisp Autumn morning runs and good luck to everyone finishing off the track season!

By Sam Maxwell

Re-published with permission from Sam Maxwell Sports Management

With a leap of 4.76m, Alana Boyd has last night broken the Australian Pole Vault record previously held by Kym Howe (4.72m) at the Strive Inter-Club Athletics Meet at the WA Athletics Stadium.

In her third competition in as many weeks, Boyd attained the new national mark on her third attempt.

After clearing her opening height of 4.40m with ease, the bar was lifted to the Olympic A-standard height of 4.50m before another 10cm raise to 4.60m.

With a previous personal best of 4.66m from the Go For 2 & 5 Perth Track Classic a fortnight ago, the Western Australian bettered that mark by 5cm with a clearance of 4.71m before she attempted her assault on the national record.

"To jump two PB's in the one night, I am pretty stoked," Boyd said after her performance.

"It has probably been about time. It has been coming and coming all season, and to go out there and not only jump the PB's but get the Australian record is great. I'm definitely on a massive high right now."

Boyd now not only sits atop Howe and Emma George (4.60m), both of whom who have previously held world records in their careers, but is 11th in the world all-time.

Boyd heads to the Qantas Melbourne Track Classic and Olympic Team Athletics Trials next weekend before departing for the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey from 9th - 11th of March.

ENDS

Shortly after posting my last blog, I returned to Melbourne from Falls Creek and started to lay down some solid track training. Given that I had only started jogging over the New Year, the fact that I was able to complete some slow track sessions made me exceptionally happy. What was surprising though, was how quickly I was able to increase my training intensity. After a couple of weeks on the track it soon became apparent that I would be able to compete this season! The only question that remained was what competitions could I race in? All my club competitions were over and the remaining Australian Athletic Tour meets (Sydney and Melbourne)  would be hard to get into without having a time posted in 2012.

The only way that I saw myself getting a run at the highly sought after Sydney Track Classic was to compete beforehand. With this in mind, my coach and I decided to race the Milers Club at Melbourne University 2 days prior to Sydney. I am normally very nervous before my 1^st race of the season, and this occasion was no different. So many questions went through my mind: Will my injury hold up? How can I possibly expect to run well after about 6 weeks of training and 7months off prior to that? If I do run well here, and am selected to run in Sydney 2 days later, will I be fresh enough to compete against Kiprop, Symmonds, Renshaw and Risley (to name a few)?

Nevertheless, my race at milers club went OK. Nothing special but nothing too bad either. For my 1^st run back, I was content, and so it seemed, AA were too because I got the call the following day to run in Sydney. I jumped on a plane at 5pm and braved the horrific traffic out of Sydney airport where Amanda Paulin  (women’s 1500m) and I arrived at our Parramatta hotel at around 9.30pm. We quickly dumped our bags in our room and ordered some of the best pasta dishes we have ever tasted – between us we shared a bowl of home-made herbed gnocchi that was pan-fried with garlic, zucchini, sweet potato, eggplant, capsicum tomatoes, pecorino & basil oil and a dish of penne with chorizo, crispy bacon, tomato, olives, basil, wild mushrooms with a napolitana sauce…YUM!

On the morning of the race, I went for a light jog to help me recover from the race 2 days before. Truth be known, I felt very average but tried to remain positive because in around 10 hours time I would be lining up against Australia’s who’s who of 800m running plus a couple of blokes going by the names Kiprop and Symmonds.

From the gun I was at the back of the field and that is where I remained. To those that saw the results, they will definitely have a different assessment of my race than those who know how far I have come from not being able to walk without pain 2 months ago. My coach and I were never expecting anything amazing in Sydney because we just haven’t done the work. What we are sure of though, is that competing at Sydney has given me a chance of running at Melbourne where I will have had 2 more weeks of training under my belt. On another positive note, at this time last year my PB was 1.51.4 and I ended up getting down to 1.47.98. Although disappointing place wise, my 1.49.59 is Sydney indicates I am well on track to PB this season once the benefits of training start to show.

So where to from here? I hope that I am selected to race in Melbourne because if I am given the chance, I am sure that I’ll surprise a few more people like at Nationals last year. There are also State and National championships that I hope to compete well in over the March/April period.

Thanks for reading

Johnny

Don’t you just love those signs that give you the direction to almost anywhere in the world.

Actually, I don’t seem to recall too many such signs in major European and US cities informing me that if I proceed 20,000 kilometres in the direction indicated I will find myself at home in Melbourne, Australia.

But, I digress. You can certainly find such signposts in public spaces in many places in Australia. There’s probably even one in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct.

Even if there isn’t, it seems that everyone is still pointing to London – London 2012, that is. Mitch Watt isn’t competing in the domestic season? He’s pointing to London. Steve Hooker needs more time to rebuild his confidence? He’s pointing to London, too.

It is perfectly reasonable for this pair – and other proven medal hopes – to be directing their talent and resources to being ready to compete in London rather than squander it on the process of getting there. But there’s a sneaking suspicion that a few too many may be “pointing to London”, assumedly on the basis that what’s good for potential gold medallists, is just as good for potential team members.

A man whose opinions on athletics I respect put that very view to me just last week when we met on Melbourne’s Tan track after we’d separately completed our Saturday morning exercise.

We got to chatting about athletics and how the domestic season had been a bit slow to get into high gear. We hoped that night’s meeting in Perth might bring some acceleration.

Around that point he wondered whether many of our athletes had been quietly given the word – or formed the impression – they could “point to London”, rather than peak during the domestic season.

Surely not, though it would explain what has been an amazingly low-key season to date in terms of athletes achieving the Olympic A-standards. You’d think people would be hell-bent on getting the A: the pathway to automatic Olympic selection is to win the selection trial (in Melbourne on 1-3 March) with an A-standard performance, or having already achieved it at the world championships in Daegu last year. You can also do it if you win and have achieved two A-standards, anywhere.

Top-8s from Daegu (a group which includes long jump silver medallist Watt) have been pre-selected for London, but there are only a couple of others who got an A-standard at the worlds and few are indicating they are in shape to produce one at the trials, now only a week or two away.

If the difference between being pessimistic and being a pessimist is that the latter is not delighted to be proven wrong, then I’m being pessimistic. I hope the proof that I’m wrong may start to emerge at this weekend’s Sydney Track Classic.

Sydney has been boosted by a strong international contingent. David Rudisha, the world champion and world record holder at 800 metres, will take on our best at 400. If he is in ‘pb’ shape, he will beat them, too, unless they improve on recent form.

Olympic 1500 champ Asbel Kiprop also steps down in distance. He races over 800 metres, along with US Daegu finalist Nick Symmonds, giving Lachlan Renshaw, Jeff Riseley, James Gurr and James Kaan a big target to aim at.

Valerie Adams is a big target, but there is no-one capable of pushing her in the women’s shot put. The New Zealander will be pumped up, no doubt, by the fact that her main rival, Nadzeya Ostapchuk, took the world lead at 20.90 metres in Belarus last weekend.

The lack of A standards has not meant there is not plenty to interest us in the season so far. Kelly Hetherington’s improvement in the women’s 800 to the point where she has beaten Tamsyn Manou once and is a big threat to do it again is just one example. Given good conditions, surely they will approach at least the 2:01.30 B-standard in Sydney.

Alana Boyd’s form in the pole vault has been another highlight. Her 4.66 in Perth put her in the anomalous position of having the highest vault outdoors by an Australian woman, but not the national record. The latter stands to Kym Howe with her 4.72 indoors in 2007. Boyd looks as if she might achieve that any time soon.

Sally Pearson has been a highlight every time she competes. This week she again runs over the hurdles, and hopefully US rival Nia Ali can get closer to her than she did in Perth. Pearson is also running the 200.

Craig Mottram returns to the track in the 1500 where he is sure to find plenty of competition from Collis Birmingham and several others.

Yet again, it looks like we could see multiple A-standards. It is to be hoped we do. If you’re going to be pointing to London, it’s better to do so from the vantage point of an Olympic qualifying performance.

Qantas Australian Athletics Tour, Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre, 18 February 2012

100m (Olympic standard 11.29)

·         Melissa BREEN (ACTAS) PB 11.33     

o    Representative 2011 World Championships & 2010 Commonwealth Games

Melissa Breen chases the Olympic qualifying standard of 11.29. Two weeks ago in Perth she clocked a season’s best of 11.35. Olympic relay team places are also on the line.

200m (Olympic standard 23.10)

·         Sally PEARSON (QAS) PB 23.02/22.66 windy

o    2011 World Champion 100m hurdles, Olympic silver medallist

Sally Pearson missed the Olympic standard by 0.01 seconds in Adelaide clocking 23.11 into a strong 3.6m/s wind. In more favourable conditions, she should clock the Olympic standard (23.10) and break 23 seconds becoming the 15th Australian to break this standard.

400m (Olympic standard 51.50)                  

·         Keshia BAKER (USA) PB 50.76

o    Gold 4x400m 2011 World Championships, Oregon, aged 24, ran 53.00 in Perth.

·         Joanne CUDDIHY  (IRL) PB 50.73

o    Has a pb of 50.73 & ran her 2011 seasons best of 51.82 in Daegu World Championships, aged 27, 1.84m tall, trains in Canberra during Australian summer, won in Perth 52.08

·         Pirrenee STEINERT (NSWIS) PB 52.70

o    Representative 2011 World Championships & 2010 Commonwealth Games, lives in Newcastle, fastest Australian this season.

A close race is expected and will assist Pirrenee Steinert to lower her personal best. Joanne Cuddihy’s 52.08 in Perth last weekend, was close to a four year best for her. Keshia Baker is favourite and will be faster than Perth as she recovers from jetlag.

800m (Olympic standard 1:59.90)                              

·         Tamsyn MANOU (VIC) PB 1:59.21

o    2008 World Indoor 800m champion, last ran a sub-2 800m in 2008. Suffered a setback to her season when injured in November 2011. Won 800m in Perth, 2nd in Adelaide. Season best 2:03.20. 17 time Australian champion. Selected in 18 Australian/Oceania teams.

·         Kelly HETHERINGTON (VIC) PB 2:02.46

o    Ran a personal best of 2:02.46 to win in Adelaide.

Tamsyn Manou is a favourite in Sydney and there should be a close race with Kelly Hetherington who comfortably won in Adelaide.

1500m (Olympic standard 4:06.00)

·         Charlotte BROWNING (GBR) PB 4:09.86

o    Aged 24, 2003 World Youth finalist, ran a best of 4:09.86 in 2010. Only a few races in 2011.

·         Zoe BUCKMAN (VIC)PB 4:05.06

o    Ran her pb late in the 2011 season. Finalist 2006 World Juniors. Won in Hunter and Hobart, 2nd 800m in Adelaide.

·         Susan KUIJKEN (NED) PB 4:05.86

o    Representative 2009 World Championships & World Cross Country, studied at Florida State, NCAA indoor 3000m champion

100m Hurdles (Olympic standard 12.96)

·         Sally PEARSON (QAS) PB 12.28

o    2011 World Champion 100m hurdles, Olympic silver medallist, ran 12.86 in Perth

·         Nai ALI (USA) PB 12.73

o    Gold 2011 World University Games, 5824 heptathlete, ran 12.73 in 100 hurdles in 2011, leapt 1.86 in the HJ in 2011, born in Philadelphia. Ran 13.39 in Perth.

400m Hurdles (Olympic standard 55.50)

·         Lauren BODEN (ACTAS) PB 55.25

o    Third best Aussie ever behind Debbe Flintoff (Olympic champ) and Jana Pittman (World Champ), ran seasonal best of 55.61 in Perth just outside the Olympic standard.

·         Jana PITTMAN (VIC) PB 53.22

o    2003 and 2007 World champion

o    Last 400m hurdles races: 59.13 (31/1/12), 55.75 (1/4/11), 55.34 (15/7/09).

·         Christine SPENCE  (USA) PB 54.21

o    Ran pb of 54.21 in 2008 and last season ran 55.90.

Lauren Boden just missed the Olympic standard in Perth and should nail the time here. Jana Pittman, raised in the Hills area of Sydney returns home and indicated by her recent form a sub 57 second run will be good progress towards London.

5000m Walk

·         Nicole FAGAN (NSWIS) PB 22:32.76

o    Representative 2011 World University Games

High Jump (Olympic standard 1.95)

·         Liz LAMB (NZL) PB 1.86

o    2010 Commonwealth Games 6th, Commonwealth Youth Games champion

·         Kaitlin MORGAN (TIS) PB 1.86

o    Australian representative 2009 World Youth Championships

Pole Vault (Olympic standard 4.50)

·         Alana BOYD (WAIS) PB 4.66m

o    2010 Commonwealth Games champion, has leapt 4.61 and 4.66 in the last two weeks.

Long Jump (Olympic standard 6.75)

·         Kerrie PERKINS (ACT) PB 6.66

o    Silver medallist 2006 Commonwealth Games, leapt fourth best ever (6.57) in Adelaide.

·         Brooke STRATTON (VIS) PB 6.60

o    Equal Australian junior record holder, leapt 6.51 in Adelaide.

Kerrie and Brooke are locked in a battle for the Olympic standard and in good conditions could approach 6.75m.

Discus Throw (Olympic standard 62.00)

·         Dani SAMUELS (NSWIS) PB 65.84

o    2009 World champion, youngest ever women’s world champion

·         Stephanie TRAFTON-BROWN (USA)  PB 66.21

o    2008 Olympic champion, threw 61.71m in Perth

·         Aretha THURMOND (USA)  PB 65.86

o    Three-time Olympian, threw 60.96m in Perth

Ben Liddy and Luke Kane invite you to participate in a FREE injury and performance assessment at Precision Physio in Surry Hills on Saturday the 3rd March. 

The two currently work at Precision Physio in sydney and have both completed training in Functional Movement Screening and are now offering this service to runners across NSW.

The screen consists of 7 movement based tests assessing total body movement - flexibility, core stability and movement patterning. Each athlete will receive a score from their screen and their individual injury risk assessed. All the data from the screens is backed by research.

So, if you’re someone who has persistent little niggles, repeated overuse injuries or someone who is looking to improve their performance level then come along and receive advice on appropriate corrective exercises to help minimise your injury risk. Spaces are limited so please contact Ben or Luke at blidds@hotmail.com

or luke_kane@hotmail.com

For those participating in the Melbourne Track Classic an alternative time can be arranged so feel free to contact Ben or Luke on the above emails.

Australia's premier Track & Field meet, the Sydney Track Classic, is ready to kick off next Saturday 18th Feb 2012 at Sydney Olympic Park.

From 7-8pm (AEST) ask any questions you might have to Australia's elite track and field stars, such as 

Dani Samuels (2009 World Champion, Discus)

Tamsyn Lewis (2008 World Indoor Champion, 800m)

Ryan Gregson (Australian and Oceania record holder, 1500m)

Lachlan Renshaw (2011 World University Games Champion, 800m)

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to discover the racing and training advice, tips and secrets of some of the world's best.

For more details visit www.sydneytrackclassic.com.au or go to the ANSW facebook and twitter pages.

It’s Olympic year. According to the calendar, the Australian domestic season has started. We’ve had three meetings – Brisbane, Newcastle and Adelaide, the latter the first of the ‘big four’ meetings making up the Australian Athletics Tour.

So when is the action going to start? According to the hype, we are meant to be experiencing amazing at about this point. In reality, we don’t seem to be experiencing much of anything.

Thus far, if I’m counting correctly, three meetings have produced a measly two Olympic A-standard performances. And one of those was to Sally Pearson in the 100 metres in Brisbane, one she didn’t need (even if the season desperately did, and does), the other to Alana Boyd in the pole vault in Adelaide (Boyd likewise already had the standard).

Granted, Brisbane and Newcastle were never going to be stand-out meetings, the former with its strong focus on relays (and let’s gloss over the results there) and the latter robbed of some of its traditional middle-distance strength by being a week before the higher-priority Adelaide meeting.

To be fair, too, Adelaide was better than it looked. Heat, dust and swirling winds made conditions difficult, and the performances by Kelly Hetherington in the 800 metres, Georgie Clarke in the 5000 and Youcef Abdi, to name three, were far superior than the times indicate.

The fact remains, though, that we are four weeks away from the Olympic selection trials and three meetings have produced an average of 0.66 A-standards per meeting. Even adding all the B-standards to the list – two to Pearson in the Adelaide sprints and one to Dani Samuels in the discus – does little to brighten the overall picture.

Of course, a number of our best athletes have already earned Olympic nomination through their performances at last year’s world championships. Perhaps everyone else is waiting for the big Sydney (18 February) and Melbourne (2-3 March) meetings to stake their claims to places on the London team.

I hope so, but that might leave very few athletes to name after the selection trials. The only automatic selections for the team are trials winners who achieve the A-standard at the trials, achieved it in Daegu, or have achieved it on two other occasions within the qualifying period.

Recent experience suggests Australia will ultimately select every A-qualified athlete, but should current trends continue the domestic season is more likely to dumbfound than amaze us.

It’s all a far cry from the pre-Sydney 2000 domestic season. Things got under way a little earlier then, to accommodate the fact that the national championships were held at the end of February (though that is only a week earlier than this year’s trials). The championships were the first event conducted at Stadium Australia, too, which gave people extra motivation to be on their game early.

The 2000 season got under way in Canberra on 15 January with a meeting which produced no fewer than 21 A-standards from 20 athletes (Patrick Johnson got two).

Among the highlights, Lauren Hewitt defeated Melinda Gainsford-Taylor and Cathy Freeman over 200 metres, with all three bettering the A-standard; Tamsyn Lewis (now Manou) ran her personal best 1:59.21 in beating Georgie Clarke in the 800; Johnson ran 10.21 in his heat of the 100 then beat Matt Shirvington, 10.15 to 10.24, in the final; Patrick Dwyer ran 45.16 in the 400 and Kris McCarthy broke through with a 1:45.77 win in the 800; Peter Burge won the long jump with 8.09 metres.

The pre-Athens 2004 year opened on a lower key in Perth, where pole vaulters Dmitry Markov and Kym Howe got A-standards. In Brisbane a fortnight later, Markov (again), Paul Burgess, Casey Vincent (400) and Justin Anlezark all got A-standards and in Canberra, the third meeting that year, Vincent again got the 400 A and led Clinton Hill, John Steffensen and Dwyer under 46 seconds.

By 2008, and the lead in to the Beijing Olympics, the trend to fewer early-season A-qualifiers was starting to assert itself, but there were still more A and B-standards achieved in the first three meetings of the season than so far in 2012.

 So what’s happening here? It’s hard to say without an exhaustive study, but could it be that more athletes and coaches are relying on the fact that A-standards ultimately mean selection and that, when it comes down to it, they can be achieved in Japan, the USA or Europe as readily as Sydney, Melbourne, Perth or Adelaide.

I hope that is not the case, because if it is, our Australian season is being diminished. Let’s hope the remainder of the season, starting with Hobart this weekend, brings a surge in fierce competition, and Olympic qualifying performances.

Oh, and we can't let the week go by without 'welcoming' another athlete to the Australian Olympic marathon twilight zone. Lauren Shelley finished eighth in last Sunday's Osaka marathon in 2:35:57, another to fall in between what the IAAF regards as an A-standard (2:37:00) and the Australian 'A-standard' (2:32:00).