Good Result

So the culmination of 3 months of hard work in Sydney, plus 3 years of hard work back in Perth has resulted in my best senior result at a National XC - 7th across the line, and 6th Australian. 

Funnily enough, the race itself panned out excactly like I thought it would. No one wanting to take the pace in the first lap, then quickening over the middle 6k and coming down to who could hold on the longest. Through the first 3000m, a pack of what felt like 20 runners all stayed together, and ensured that a lot of jostling, pushing and shoving took place. Even at the 6km mark, after Dent, Adams and Hunt had made a break, I was still running with guys like Chinny, Nipperess, Harry Summers, Alan Craigie, Steve Kelly, Kane Willie, Pete Nowill, Brad Croker and a host of others. 

This pack seemed to split up over the next 3k, with Nipper and a few others dropping off, and Steve Kelley and Kiwi Dale Warrander skipping ahead. I gritted my teeth through the last 4k, one stage in 4th place looking at an optimistic third, and at one place 7th and looking at a possible 10th. However I pulled through for the 7th place, and after a few bad results in my previous senior races, I was finally happy at the finish line.

From here, I'm off to Perth on Thursday for the City to Surf, where I'm out to become the first Perth guy since Boydie in 2001 to win the event. Hopefully this weekend, plus a few more strong results might see me gain my first rep singlet at the Chiba Ekiden relays.

Hay's in the Barn Pre

Sitting in on a Saturday night doesn't usually take much effort, unless you are watching a West Coast game. I've been trying to follow the boys since I've been here, but with the back pages devoted to Rugby League, its a bit tough at times. Watching the Eagles go down twice in two weeks in very close games has been pretty frustrating, especially waiting till 11pm to watch them on Sydney TV!


The last couple of weeks have been tough, tiring, and seemed like they'd never end, but finally, we're here. A couple of big weeks of mileage, hard sessions and day in day out running, and I feel like I'm ready to roll. This mornings session actually felt like raceday, lining up for a fartlek with Roff, Hunt, Chinny, Nipper, Bart and Yugi. The grass was freshly cut in the park, the sun was shining, and as my old training partner Shaph would say, it felt like Grand Final day. As we moved around from rest to recovery, it felt comforting to know that I was in the company of some pretty elite guys, and to be able to hold my own is a sign that improvements are coming.


I also began doing something that I should have started 3 months ago. Ice baths. I started with the feet in a bucket today, and putting them in icey water from the freezer wasn't as soothing as I had hoped it would be. Im sure next time I annoy Gem, she'll pull the video out and put me to shame. It certainly reminds me how stupid we are up at Falls, sitting in the aqueducts. Fingers crossed, the short term pain will lead to long term gain!

Why I'm Running for NSW

For me, this senior National XC is going to be different than the previous 7 I’ve competed at for two reasons. One, I feel fully prepared both physically and mentally for the first time in a long time. Second of all, I wont be running for WA.

Now I know this is going to disappoint a lot of guys back in Perth, and I need to wear that. But here is my reasoning.

Since I moved to NSW two months ago, I have been part of a team. When we arrived at Sydney, one of the boys was there to pick us up, welcoming us with open arms. Every session, the same core group turns up day in day out. Not only sessions, but also easy runs. We warm up together, we warm down together. We go out for coffee and breakfast together. Every day I run with team Green, it reminds me why I came to Sydney – because I wanted to train with a group of runners, not by myself.

These guys and girls have done a lot for me, from giving me lifts to training, to including me in out of running events. It just so happens that out of the 6 that are likely to be selected for the NSW team, the top 3 are going to be from our team – Jeff Hunt, James Nipperess and Russ Dessiax Chin.

When I told the boys that I wanted to run for WA, they were disappointed, and I can see why. They do a lot for me, and these guys want a national title pretty bad. So this is the way I am going to repay them, by jumping on as the 4^th runner, and working hard to get NSW a team medal.

Since leaving the SchoolSport WA team, I’ve been to every National XC since 2005. And what I've realised, is that apart from Perth in 2007, I’ve been about the only one. Coming from a boys school, team athletics was something I was immersed in, and something that I loved. So I couldn’t understand why there was no support from my fellow WA runners when it came to national events. 2005 there was one WA guy, 2006 there was 3, 2008 there was 2, 2009 there was only me. So it would annoy me for people to think I’m deserting WA, because I’ve never felt like my fellow WA runners have got behind our state XC team, rather wanting to run the Perth City to Surf, and stay in the fishbowl.

I don’t want this to look like an attack on my mates in Perth, because its not. The guys in Perth have been part of my life for the last 8-10 years of my running career. But while will always be home, I currently hold a NSW drivers license, I train with a group of guys in Sydney, and I’m going to the polls to vote in Sydney. Ill finally toe the line with a group of guys that all want to win a title. So while ill always be the kid from WA, I'm currently part of a team in Sydney.