In the beginning, Episode 33. Don't call it a comeback.
Courtneys back. How are you mate?
I'm back. You're back.
It feels good to be in person. I I hate when we've got to do it
online. So you weren't here for the
midweek app with Bronte and Bonita and then the week before
last Saturday we were remote because you're out in bum fuck
absolutely nowhere. Oh right, absolutely.
Sorry I dropped an F bomb early. Lightning Ridge, but I did
listen to your your Gold Coast Marathon Series podcast.
It was great. It was a.
Good app. It was a good app.
Maybe I should just stay away, no?
No, no, no. I want you involved.
Because yeah, it was. If you haven't heard it, if
you've missed the Wednesday up, go and give it a listen.
Bronte flying in her marathon prep.
Mine's been a little bit stalled, but it's but the calf's
good. The calf's coming good.
I was I was excited to hear that at the end.
I'll tell you a bit more about that when we talk running weeks.
Quickly question for you as a professional triathlete, when
was there any rite of passage that you went through with the
older triathletes? Was there or was there not
necessarily an official ceremony, but was there a, a, an
indication or a sign or a moment where you realised you'd been
accepted as a professional? Because, and I'll give while you
think about it from your career. I'll give you a bit of context.
Yesterday I got to host a charity lunch for Variety, the
kids charity. Amazing opportunity to host that
lunch in Brisbane. And as part of that, I hosted a
panel with Trevor Gilmeister, the axe people might know him
as. QLD Gilly will.
Remember, oh Queensland, the man, the what?
He was brilliant. Alex Glenn, former Broncos
captain and an international for New Zealand and I think he
played 280 odd games for the Broncos as well.
And Cory Parker. And it was and Cory Parker.
We all know who Cory Parker. Fella I've had, I've had a good
day on the juice with him. Oh really?
The V eights, Yeah. Well, he loves his V8 race.
Fun Cory, I'm sure. Cory won't mind me saying this.
Cory is a proper bogan. Cory is a proper bogan.
He loves his, he loves his big cars, he loves his big houses
and he loves his footy ease. Cory's but he's brilliant.
Amazing panel. It was a lot of fun.
People always ask me what's it like doing those things when you
get 3 people who can talk like Gilly, Alex and Corey could.
It's not work at all. It's really genuinely quite
easy. But it was interesting because
Alex and Corey talked about they both had a similar experience at
the Broncos of their first three years at the Broncos.
They didn't have a locker. They didn't they, they lived on
what was called the island, which was in the middle of the
the change room. And that's just where they got
changed and they kept their stuff they had.
To earn earn their strengths or earn the Bronco.
They had to earn the locker and Gilly joked.
Gilly then told a story about the fact that I think it was
when he first joined up with the Roosters and he walked into the
change rooms and there were three grades using the change
rooms at those point. And he kind of walked in as a 21
year old or something and walked to the end of the room.
And as he put his bag down, an older bloke just went, what are
you doing other end? And like Gilliad then had to
walk back down the other end of the change rooms.
Literally the second round of the season he'd been put into
first. So he he went to sit at the
other end of the change room and the same bloke went, come on,
come down here. Like they gave him the nod to
join, you know, the big boys, as it were.
But I just thought that story about the Broncos change rooms
and that, you know, Corey Parker wasn't struggling.
No, no, neither was Alex Glenn. But they still had to spend that
first three years on the island, got a start at the bottom before
they got given their locker. Do you reckon that'd be it would
happen today or is that considered, is that considered
bullying? Well, and that's.
Part of the conversation we had, yeah, right, is that there's no
way you could do that to an athlete these days in the locker
room. I imagine there's still some
sort of, you know, work rookie, you know, it's.
Gotta be a bit hazing's probably a bit too far, but you know what
I mean. Yeah, wasn't there anything like
that in triathlon? Don't know if it was safe
because we're not a team based sport.
I think team based sport, you get a lot more like that.
But as far as acceptance, I think it was performance.
You know, if you could hold your own in training and you were
tough and did all that type of thing around the right, like
around the best athletes, you kind of get accepted in verse.
You know, if you're a little bit soft or you're, you know, not
quite up to scratch, you're never going to be really
accepted as part of that part of that crew.
So I think that that's the first part of it.
The first time I ever felt like more so I've finally I've made
it or finally, like it's not knowing only acceptance.
Now I'm part of like I'm one of the guys was one on one like the
first time I actually won a property that televised race
against the best. Yeah.
And it was only short course racing.
So like, you know, it more suited a younger guy.
But still, once I won a couple of races, I was then like, OK,
now I can start to throw a bit of, you know, throw them away.
Not so much just throwing your weight around, but you know,
like you could actually give a little bit back or.
In the group. In triathlon, and I think
cycling's probably the same, it's all about holding position
on the bike. So how are you going to
transition? For example, if you can get to
the front of the pack of the bike, it's nearly like getting
giving yourself a little bit of a head start because if you get
off like 3 lengths behind, you're automatically already 5
minutes back to get through the transition to start your thing.
And that's where I noticed it because look, everyone's got
every right to get to the front of that pack.
But there is a little bit of a respect and a jockeying thing
there because if you're an absolute hack at the back and
you're getting in the way of the big fellas, you're going to know
about it, right? So that's where in in my sport
of triathlon growing up, that's where I'd say the hazing off the
back. Hazing's the wrong word.
No, that's where the the etiquette, the etiquette.
They're off the back. Like you'd know about it if you
were not up to scratch and you tried to, like, get in the way
of a few of the big boys up the front, right?
The race was happening. OK.
So yeah, so your locker was the bike transition.
The the locker was the end of the bike.
And I mean, it's sometimes, you know, it's pretty crazy and they
even think, you know, travel along 4050 K an hour Lycra shoes
off the pedals. Because at this stage, if you've
removed your, you know, feet out, sorry, feet out out of the
shoes and and then you're trying to jump off your bike AT25K an
hour in between all people. It's it's pretty hectic at that
point. That we I wish I want to talk
more about. Throwing throwing in a bit of
slick roads and a bit of like a corner before the transition or
Astroturf and, and you know, there's some fun times to be
had. Anyway, OK, there you go.
But yeah, I thought I loved, I love nothing more than, I mean,
it's what we do every week when you start talking about your
career and stories from that. I got to do that yesterday with,
as I said, Alex Glenn, Cory Parker and Trevor Gilmaster.
And the guy, when he put out the the run sheet for the event,
he'd given us 45 minutes for the panel.
And I said to him, like, mate, 45 minutes is a long time for a
panel. People probably don't want to
sit around and listen while they want to have drinks, have some
lunch and all the rest of it. With those three, I could have
done two hours. It was like I had to wind it up.
I'm like, boys, we could sit here all day and do this.
It was genuinely, it was flowing.
It was so easy. You're thinking I'm not getting
paid for any longer? This I'm out of here, sorry.
Fellas, it was an amazing. Event I need some tips though,
because today when everyone's listening, I'm actually heading
up to Magic round in Brisbane. I did say this to jump on the
levels podcast with Willie Mason and the boys.
So and you got Kieran Foran on with you as well, correct?
So a few goal coasters, however, my, my, my NRL kind of knowledge
at the moment, like I watch Origin and I mean I'm into it,
but I'm not into it, you know what I mean?
So. But they're not getting you on
to ask you about NRL, mate. Like you should know a bit
about. NRL, so this is if you want
advice on how to handle that. Chat, yeah, give me advice,
don't tend. To know about what you don't
know. Well, I never do that, you know.
That I know exactly, so you'll be fine.
Like Scope, Justin Horror and Willy are exceptional at what
they do. I like, I hope they see this
boys. Actually, Justin's a bit of a
runner, so he might. Yeah, right.
They are exceptional at what they do because both of them,
Willie in particular, they're just themselves.
They don't. That's why they are succeeding
in this non traditional media format is because I look, I
think Justin could do it and Willie's tried his hand at it.
They could both probably do traditional media, but they're
better suited to this non traditional media setup.
And that's why they're going so well, because Willie swears and
cusses and says inappropriate stuff.
But he that's. Who he is get away with?
It but he knows the sport he's done it at the highest level.
Justin has as well. So the you're in great hands,
you have a great time and Kieran Foreign is, I mean, you want to,
if you get the opportunity to pick his brain and talk to him
about elite level sport and getting the most out of
yourself, what he's put his body through.
I mean, I think he's out with a ruptured bicep at the moment and
the Titans are missing him. You can tell because in the
halves is where they're struggling at the moment and
what he brings his leadership and guidance on field.
And so make the most of it, because Karen Forman's an
incredible. Character sounds like a good
time to get him. Get him in an arm wrestle, hey.
I I mean look, he'll probably go non preferred and still beat,
you know. Mate, he would 100.
Percent. Here's my one advice.
You ask for advice, you shouldn't try and unrestle
anybody around as a crown. OK?
Anybody. Well mate, well we, we'll, I'll
make sure we get a plug out of it so they'll be runners by the
time they're finished. Convert as many people as you
can. Yep.
Alright, what are we looking at to start today mate?
What have you got for us? Hey, let's start with a bit of
Strava. Strava's just in the news or in
the you know, it's the talk of the town on everything with
runners at the moment. Tinder Tinder's giving in on the
action. What's Tinder done here?
There's a Tinder challenge run run with your like the the types
of companies that are advertising with Strava at the
moment. So Tinder soulmates challenge
Move with his soulmate for a chance to win a date prize worth
375 lbs. OK, so this look, I love it.
I think it's AI mean I'm I'm actually surprised this hasn't
happened already. Tinder's probably already done
something around Strava. If if anything, they're late to
the party on this the Tinder soul mates run club.
It's just the natural extension of this right and the chance to
win. What is that it's an English
thing. So 200 LB run limited voucher
for you and your soul mate, plus a year of Tinder gold that
basically they're trying to get these people.
The irony, right, of it's counterproductive because
they're saying they're giving you a chance to meet your soul
mate, but then they're giving you a year of the premium
subscription to Tinder. So if you meet your soul mate,
you shouldn't need Tinder anymore.
Right mate, right, whatever. Whatever gets them going.
So you know, if you if this is successful and you do meet your
soul mate, you should get off Tinder.
You don't want Tinder gold so they should probably miss that.
They should probably rebrand this from Tinder Soulmates to
Tinder's One Nighter challenge, right?
One night stand going on here plus look 10 sessions of the
community sauna baths it's all happening yeah anyway here I
thought just the this the scope of brands jumping on the
bandwagon and running at the moment is great yeah is
absolutely great so and talking about scope of brands these this
brand's more running orientated so it's Cliff bar but hopefully
this audio works all right to have a listen but have a listen
to this one next. Hey, so I locked 22 miles on
Shabba this week. You're in.
This is the white club. Yes, 21.
Enter. 18 is not 21. Is this a fake?
You know I can confiscate this. No miles, no entry.
Next. I just hit 21 miles today.
Respect. Go ahead.
Yeah, so this is playing on the idea of needing to be 21 to get
into, and it's obviously American.
They've done with Cliff Bar. It's the idea of playing on.
The idea of being 21 is the age you can go into nightclubs.
This is a bouncer at the front of a nightclub being saying
you've if you've done 21 miles, you can come into.
They're literally showing showing their Strava.
It's clever, it's good. Strava ID.
It's this. What do you reckon?
The workplace, just what you've talked about, talking about your
Strava and rerunning. Yeah, just like, walk in with
your Strava, your phone up. There you go.
In my head, just that I imagine like imagine if people start
getting T-shirts made up of with their Strava workouts, like it's
like they're or their best run or something for the year.
There's a branding opportunity there.
This is an exam, a continuing example of brands trying to find
ways to integrate with Strava, to continue to create content
and to continue to promote their brand.
We talked last step about what the Runner acquisition for
Strava will mean and what Strava will continue to look like.
The the Sky's the limit for Strava.
Yeah, like it's seriously it would have to be the most
exciting social media platform on the planet right now.
Yeah, and they do a good job of, well, at least at the moment,
you know, you're not getting spam with posts or just random
photos, or maybe my algorithm's different.
Be honest I'm I'm because I'm not on premium Strava OK but I
am getting hit with that a lot now right whenever I whenever I
post or edit an activity post run or anything like that.
Constantly being reminded of what's available to me if I
subscribe to premium Strava. So I think there's probably you,
you're not saying it because you're premium, but for the, the
average person, the layperson, the common man, there's a lot of
push to subscribe and, and get that subscription going right
now. So I wonder, here's a prediction
for you by the end of the year, Strava.
If you're not a paid subscriber to Strava, I wonder just how
much you'll be able to do. Oh, they I don't think they'll
ever take away too much of the function.
Like the function of it. Like they will they have to at
some point. I mean you think about Spotify
pre? Do you have Spotify premium?
I have Spotify premium. Right.
Yeah, and and because you don't want your songs to be
interrupted by ads every 30 seconds, correct.
I wonder if Strava hits a functionality point for the non
paid user that it just becomes like you can't post a run that's
more than 30 minutes or you can't post a run that's more
than five KS. They start limiting it's usage
based on. Never say never, but I just, I
don't mean that's, that's a big step because they're not a
social media site. They are a running site and
they've got to have the function to keep the people.
They've got to keep that. You reckon it was a?
Social media site. Well, let's see, in a year's
time, we'll revisit. I disagree with that one, Liam.
I think they'll stay. I think they'll stay strong.
This is good. This is good.
This is a this is a prediction moment for the podcast by the
end of the year. Let's reassess once you think
there'll be no you think you think that'll limit the function
of free users I. Think by the end of the year
with everything that's going on with Strava, the natural next
step for them is to start limiting the functionality for
the non paid users. Well, you could argue that
already happens 'cause we we talk about.
So you agree with me? No, the function to the point of
it's pointless to have Strava unless you make some type of
payment. I think that would be the thing.
But look, this clip bar, this clip bar one, I mean, it doesn't
work great just with audio 'cause they are at a nightclub.
But it just gives you the idea of the scope of both Tinder,
them, where they're going and yeah, it's exciting space at the
moment. Major marathon watch.
London. London is done.
So now we get to turn our attention to Sydney.
Is that the next on the major calendar?
I don't imagine there's anything.
Oh no, Hold on. When's Berlin?
I feel like we're probably shouldn't research.
You're talking about majors. Major marathons just die down.
I think Sydney's not the next marathon, but no, it's need to
be the next major, wouldn't it? So hold on, I've got the list in
front of me now. Tokyo's done, Boston's done,
London's done. Sydney is next.
Berlin's September and Chicago's in October.
So yeah, Sydney marathon, August 31st.
That is the next major marathon on the calendar.
And from a major perspective, that's what all ours get turned
to. Because London is now done.
I would just want to run through some things off the back of
London if I can. Because I, you know, I'm a
marathon nerd. You don't actually care.
A. Lot of this will be new to me
from the weekend so go for it. Quickly London by the numbers,
it is by far the most popular marathon on the planet.
They had over 840,000 entries to participate in this that is
that's almost a million people like that is getting up to
here's another prediction for you.
Next year, 1,000,000 people try to get into the London Marathon.
Think about that. Yep.
A million people wanting to run this marathon race.
Crazy. That's a big number.
OK, Yep, they set a new They set a new record for the most number
of finishes ever at a marathon 56,640.
Yep, which which is interesting because like if you look at City
to surf, it's a bigger run. How many people do the city
serve? Well, they have 90,000 entries,
but then generally I think they lose about 10 to 15,000 on the
on the day is. That many our finish.
Have too big a night and don't show up in that morning.
But yeah, no. So that's.
City I'm gonna have City Surf 90,000 we celebrated last year
celebrated a record turn out of nearly 80,000 participants.
There you go. Isn't that interesting?
So yeah, I mean, from a marathon perspective, yeah, it's big, but
it's not there's there are some other runs.
What's the other? So I'm just trying to think
Comrades Marathon in South Africa.
Oh yeah, I think the same thing. Like massive, massive numbers.
I. Want to hit you some more
numbers, some some runners, Specifically the men's winner,
Sebastian Saway from Kenya ran a 202.
Yep, and he was running in the Adidas ADI 0 Adios Pro, the Evo
Twos. Yep, Adidas had a good weekend.
The. Women's winner was also wearing
those Asefa from Ethiopia. She ran a 15 New Woman's World
record. Well, yeah, so 215.
Incredible run. Kipchoggi Elliot Kipchoggi, for
those interested, ran a 205 and finished 6th overall but won the
Masters. I did say when I quickly, oh,
because I was, I was looking for the guy you're going to say next
and looking at his result. And then I did see Shivgoi like
he's the only guy in the 40 to 45 or whatever the next age
group. The rest are all. 30 Yeah,
exactly. So Alex Yee, and this is we
talked about him last week. Triathlon gold medalist from the
last Olympics ran a 211. Solid, hey?
Really solid. I mean it didn't.
He was aiming for between two O 8 and 2:10.
But when you put it in the context of Andy Buchanan running
two O 9 for an 11th, he's 2 minutes behind that.
So that's. Australia's fastest marathon
finisher in this race. And with the record as well.
Record holder, yeah. Andy Buchanan with the Two O 9
came 11th overall. It sounded like it was a really
tough day out there. It was hot.
Yeah, because I mean he's obviously a quicker runner than
two O 9, so give so to put it in context, unlike LHGE when you
actually look. At the list.
He's in the top 20 marathon runners.
It did surprised me how quickly the times drop off.
So we've got, you know, when you start talking times in these
elite marathons, you got into the two eighteens, two 20s quite
quick down that list. What does that say?
I would have thought there'd be more depth of like sub elite
elite runners who would be running in that pace.
What? And I'm just talking completely
out of my butt here. It may, I'm thinking it may be
the fact that if you're in that kind of next level group down,
you'd probably go to one of those quicker marathons like a
Berlin or you know, where we talk about them chasing the
numbers first. Actually, I can actually get
paid to go to this event, or it's purely like this is the
biggest event I want to be there.
So Alex finished in at 211 and the other time I did want to
throw out there for people, Ned Brockman at 2:30.
So I have a problem. Why?
Why did you put Ned Brockman in? Here because I think he's a
runner of note and we've talked about him on him and I.
No, I'm going to say this because there are viewers or
listeners. Why are we talking about?
Who are going to go to me? Why did you talk about Ned
Brockman in that? But you just mentioned some of
the best runners in the world. We just talked about a rite of
passage at the beginning of this episode because there would be
other runners we'd be interested in too.
Sure, but we talk about it. No, no, I'm glad I'm not saying.
You did you know what you can say to your mates who ask you?
Because that's what I want to know you.
Can say Liam put it in there, right?
That's what you can say to him. You can say Liam put it in
there. Because all those names, Alex
Yi, Sebastian Zarway, Essefa, they are the pointy end of the
scale, right? They are the Courtney Atkinson.
Ned Brockman is the ME. Well, don't throw me in the I'm
not that point. I mean, I'm not that I'm no, I'm
on LG is the point. On this on this podcast, we talk
about the elite and we talk about the every person and for
the every person runner Ned Brockman is a name that is of
interest. Yes, I agree.
Is a noisy runner, hey? I agree, Liam.
I'm gonna. Frustrate your mates, but you
say, you just say to them. Liam put it on there.
Go at him.
Troll him. Actually, it's a really solid
time. It's really, it's a really.
Solid time, so well done to everybody who jumped in London.
If there's anybody listening to the podcast that did London,
send us a DM on the Instagram, tell us about how the race was
because I heard it was really hot.
I heard it was it was a it was a tough day out for the for the
natives, for the local English people who aren't used to that
sort of weather. OK.
So it was a tough run. Got a few.
We had a few. I might just quickly Scroll down
here. We had a couple of people ride
in about London. Yeah, just about London.
I think it was actually Frey who sent in like he was on course,
didn't run, but showed. Or you know, that is one race
where you get like as a major. That whole city is packed and
lots going on and I don't know if it's got more packed since
running is honest boom but didn't have to be.
He was showing me a few corners of an NVIDIA.
Well, we've spoken with the Gold Coast Marathon organisers and
that is the model, That's what they're they're targeting,
that's what they want to try and make the Gold Coast Marathon
become. Yep, Yep.
Yep, Yep, Yep. Now you had a bit of homework
from last week. I did, I did, and I did my
homework. So we were talking about that
image of me in 2000 running with Ivan Rana, the Spanish.
Well, he went on to become Spanish world champion multiple
times in our talks. And I said, well, let's have a
look at how over the the decades, I suppose what you wore
in triathlon and then moving into running.
And the reason was because the sunglasses you were wearing in
those, which are almost like the Oakley frog skins, I think is a
bit of the maybe the model. I think I had one of the
original. Oh no, because we had the speed
dealers on that's. Right.
That's right. They were a weird.
Classes.
So we were saying that they've come back into almost fashion
now amongst the cool kids. Unofficial run club down in
Sydney under the bridge. I I know because I follow a few
of the crew from there and that's like staple, that's
staple, that's staple. Well, quarter, quarter of their
quarter of their runners are running that same.
So what we're trying to do now is get ahead of the curve and
figure out what's going to be cool next.
And we're going to use your historical racer time to figure
it out. Yes, so.
We, I mean 2000, which was that image from last week that we
shared 2005 two 10:15 and 2:20. Also trying to like look at the
shoes, which was a bit hard because all these images so me
and Liam are actually looking at images on a screen for those who
watch video on Spotify or also put them up so you can check
them out as we're talking about them.
But so 2005 I'm racing for New Balance Japan.
As you can see, I'm in a black skin suit.
You're already on board with Red Bull there.
Yep. So that's got a little that's
mate, I'm wearing a baseball, a Red Bull baseball back what?
Are you doing a? Red Bull baseball cap backwards
that's rocking a pair of the original Oakley radars.
That's a like that's a your heads getting hot in that,
Surely that thing's not breathing.
Yeah, well, they probably didn't have many triathletes.
On that podcast, best guess what are you?
What are you wearing on your feet?
I'm wearing a pair of like 5 millimetre style rubber.
New Balance races. OK?
Yep, I was racing for New Balance.
So I hope how are you going in that?
How'd you go in 2000? I reckon that race here, I'm
having a win. OK, I won, AI won.
I won a lot of racing. That sounds like I'm such an
arrogant. Well, you did No, no, in.
I was gonna then like follow that up with in Japan.
In Japan I'd race really well in Japan because I think it was in
out. I was a homeboy, so in our time
zone I could fly up there, race. It was always hot, similar
conditions to Queensland, fly home, done.
When I had to travel to Europe and America, you know, you have
to like that was different because you have to, you know,
literally get over, you have to pack up, go away.
Three weeks of preparing yourself, get over the jet lag.
And I'd always race well, first up in Madrid each year so that
I'd fly in three days before race good and then my season
would kind of like slowly degress after that.
So then we go go to 210 and here I'm racing, I think I've
mentioned this on the podcast before.
I'm racing for Satchville, which is a French club lime green
we're looking at here. Now if you look at those, the
suit I was wearing for New Balance was quite a thick Lycra
suit. This was the suit I told you
that you probably should have been wearing Dickies under it
was it was like a paper thin just on the Kawami for
triathletes out there, they'll remember the brand Kwame French
brand. And that was that suit.
Now I am wearing I can see in one of those shots down there.
So that's me finishing with Brownlee.
Yeah. So what's going on?
Why are you right? Because.
French racing is team racing, so
it's irrelevant of the you get paid for the team, so they'll
pay you an appearance fee to turn up and race for the same.
So Sachreville is like an equivalent of a suburb of Paris.
Yeah, I'd go myself, Alistair Brownlee there and that's Mikey
Pensold, a German fella. We would go and race for that,
that suburb, get paid, but then we get the bonus on how the team
went, so no one really cared. In this place.
They're waiting up for me at the finish line to cross the line
together as a three. We've come first, second or
third and we've won the team day.
We get our bonuses in cash and happy days.
OK, there's things I want to ask Sachreville.
Was that the Was that a rich club?
Rich suburb? They well having Alistair
Brownlee team. They paid.
Which is why. Yeah, they paid.
Well, they paid well, yeah. Can I ask what an appearance fee
would have been? I.
Think it was €5000 to race for a race.
To pick up and then what were your bonuses?
To be I can't remember the bonuses.
Would they have been better than the?
Appearance fee or less. No, no, no, no.
To race French clubs at that point you was just like in this.
We're we're talking. What did I say 2005, yeah.
So 20 years, no. No, no, no.
Years ago. So 20 years ago, yeah, like I
mean in today's, well, back then actually the exchange rate was
even worse. So you're probably talking about
about 10,000. K just start to race for that
club plus. You know, maybe a couple, a few
more grand if you win. So in that race there, we're
seeing this photo and the other two and your team are finished
basically, but they're waiting for you at the line.
Did you guys seriously finish 123 that?
Day, yeah, yeah, that's why they're waiting up and I can see
David House in the background who's racing for a different
team. Yeah, right.
So move on to and I was in a pair of Newton.
Are the Newtons. Yeah, that we can see that in
the bottom. I can see the colours in the
bottom of that shot. So pair and Newtons.
So we're going from New Balance to Newton to 2015 here.
Is this Noosa? No.
So this is a Gold Coast actually, this is my final race
ever, really. This is my final Trifon ever.
So I was on the Gold Coast here as a World Cup 2015 and I wasn't
sponsored. I'm in Australian kit now.
Look, the uniforms haven't changed so and they still really
haven't to today. Nothing's, I mean the materials
have probably changed a bit, but in effect after we wore Dickies,
it went to skin suits and it's been skin suits.
And you've reached the ceiling of way they can go.
In Iron Man, they've moved on to more air like they wear.
They'll put on a full suit, so they've got arms, but that's to
do with aerodynamics. So when they're sitting on the
bike, yeah, right, Because they spend.
So much time on the bike. Correct in in like ITU or like
Olympic distance racing or Olympic Games racing.
You just don't have the time. You just wear that suit.
OK, now I wasn't sponsored by shoes.
I can tell because I've gone back to wearing a pair of a
nearly like waffle Nike. So I've got a feeling it's a
pink Nike, which would have been a Nike Zoom Racer, super flat
still. So this is pre all the kind of
big rubbers coming out. But I reckon they're a 2010 shoe
that I've gone back and got out of the cupboard as a favourite
shoe to wear in 2015. So off the back of all that,
what's coming next in fashion? Because it looks like a sort of
going to lime green onesies. I'm trying to figure out where
fashion's going to go and I can't.
See, like, I mean, triathlon we're we're we're running
podcasts and we're talking about running fashion.
Triathlon is always being Lycra. You can't get away from it.
It's a fast if you're doing those three sports, it's the
fastest thing you're going to find.
And yes, the materials change, but like, what more can you do?
They've got better. But then the go, go to the next
shot. And this is when then I've moved
on to running and and Solomon. And what is interesting is I
want to talk about quickly is shorts.
So this is where you would have never that we went through a
period in time where you would never you kind of moved away
from really short run shorts, but they're back, right?
If you go down to run clubs and all that you're seeing, what do
you call that type of run short like the original 1980s?
The PE teachers. The PE teachers.
Short, you know, it's back in Avengers.
I I can't go there. I'd say my my my normal everyday
shorts have shortened up a bit. Not my running shorts.
You and you've introduced me to the.
You got me into a pair of the Salaman Sense Aero shorts.
They're Baggies and they're Baggies.
Yeah, they're like. But you love them, don't you?
Oh. They're the greatest shorts I've
run in. But I am the thing for me is 7
inches if we're talking about, if we're talking about the
aesthetics of running. Not that I really care about it,
but we all care about it to some extent.
I'm sure right? And I've got everything about me
is quite short. So if I wear the when I wear
those Salomon shorts, I almost look like a kid who's, you know,
running out to play soccer in his uniform for the first time.
I feel stumpy. I feel so.
Stumpy. I feel so stumpy in those
shorts. I love running in them.
But I imagine like I'm sure I don't look as athletic as I feel
when I'm running in the. So you're saying you prefer to
put the PE shorts? Well, I don't think I can get.
Away with those. Do you reckon that you look like
you're just striding out like a gazelle?
No, no, I'll never look like a gazelle because I have.
I've got thick thighs and thick calves.
My days are skinny jeans are long gone behind me. 5 inches
might be your place mate. Maybe what, I don't know. 7's
too long, three's too short. Three's definitely too short
People that yeah, people can wear 3 inch shorts can get
stuffed. Frankly, that's rats nuts.
But look, you know, I think the one thing I do I have found
since running with you, in particular my my running fashion
black, black on black. Oh, you're black today.
I'm just. I am.
I remember rolling black on black.
I'm just I'm settling into black as my colour I think.
I When you're in Queensland, everyone thinks black is bad
because of the heat. Nah, but anything else I just
find you're over sweating. There's not too many colours you
can wear in Queensland in a tee that's light, so a good running
material that you don't end up looking like you're.
I know you give me a good analogy.
Of what, sweaty? Like Liam Flanagan.
Like Liam? Flanagan run OK.
All right, let's leave this got a bit of.
Audio sent in. You'll like this one, Liam.
That's my son, Liam. Oh my gosh, lads, I'm just
listening to F32 and I've just heard Liam say that he's tanked
his second week of marathon training and saying I had three
years off because of a back injury because I had a baby.
And I got back into it in November.
And I'm a recent listener of the pod, but it's my long run
podcast now as it is everyone's. And I set myself a sub 4 hour
goal. So I've run a couple of black
marathon distances just as an adventure, you know, like along
the coast and stuff. So I know I can and run the
distance, but based on my current running, that was an
always an ambitious goal, but I've ended up really unwell and
I haven't been able to run now for three days.
My doctor reckons another three days at least.
And I was beating myself up. Like I'm sorry, Liam, I'm sorry
to say it, but it it's just so relatable that you've come on
here and been like, it's not going well.
Thank you for sharing that. Because sometimes like that is
life. This is how training goes.
It's not, it's not always ideal, and it's nice to know that
someone else is in the trench of someone who I follow on strap
and think is a great, above average runner.
Like you're a good runner, Liam. By global standards, I would say
maybe not elite standards. Yeah, certainly to me, Like,
you're both people I look up to in the running stakes.
My training's going shit. It's nice to not feel so alone.
And I look forward to listening to the episode with Benita to
hear what she has to say about it and whether you should be
reassessing your goal. And I should also be doing that.
Thanks for sharing. Bianca, I love that that's made
me smile in the I got a little bit emotional listening to that.
I've now Bianca, I hope you've listened to the Wednesday I've
just gone because Benita delivers an incredible.
And if you haven't heard it, go back this note because at the
end of Wednesday's episode, Benita delivers a line which is
staying with me, which is that the longer you stay in running,
your day will come. It's not going to be every race,
it's not going to be every prep, but you will have your moment.
You will have your day in running.
And yeah, Bianca, I'm thank you. Thank you for sharing.
I'm glad my, my suffering, you're sympathising with it.
I'm glad you're going through it because I guarantee Bianca,
there's other there's, there's more of us, there's more of us
that are in the doldrums with our running prep and our
training. But Courtney is 1 he's not
talking about. It I'm not talking about it
much, but. You are in the same boat right
now, 100% with your injury. You're you're handling it
remarkably well, by the way. That you it's the stuff you
don't see off. I'm actually it's it's been a
nice a nice change not to have to not stress is the wrong word,
but I can see how people or people's the wrong word too.
I can see how runners or those who are interested in fitness,
if you kind of out of it a little bit, how easy it is just
to take the easy road and go, yeah, it's nice not to have to
get up at 5:00 AM in the morning and go running.
I mean, I miss it. But at the same time, if you
start letting it go too long, I can see how you get nice and
comfortable with that. I'll give you an I'll give you a
a comparison and I'm sure he won't mind me telling this
story. Merrick Watts people American
Rosso famous radio Stuart Merrick is continues to be a
very successful comedian. I worked with Merrick in Sydney
when I started out in radio and I owe him a lot and he is still
something of a mentor for me these days when it comes to the
all the radio stuff. He finished up, I think he was
on breakfast radio or Australian commercial radio for 21 years
for, you know, that's a lifetime that is a lot longer than the
average radio career. And he finished up and we were
working together at the time and he said it's going to be my last
year and he finished up. We had a great time and then 12
months on we were just having a chat and I'm like mate, how is
everything? And he said it's amazing.
And he said The funny thing about radio is when you're in
it, it's all consuming. It's a bubble.
And you think everything matters.
And the world outside radio, everybody cares as much about
radio as you do. And it's the only thing that's
important. The moment you step out, you
kind of go, oh, it actually doesn't matter that much.
And there's a world. And there's this whole other
world full of other people with their own bubbles and their own
priorities. And that's a bit like the
running stuff which you're going through at the moment is.
And that's not to say it's unimportant, but if you take a
step back for a moment, running is just a part of your life.
It's not all of your life. And if you take some time away
from it doesn't mean you've given up and you've stopped
caring about it. But there's other stuff.
You've, you've hit the nail on the head that I went through 20
years of my life believing people knew exactly where I was
in Europe, what I was raising, what was going on, because you,
you, you make the assumption that everyone's is invested in
that area as you are. And as you said, if you're at
the pointy end too. Exactly.
But you really quickly start to realise, I think that's the best
thing, getting out of a small, let's call it a fish pond and
just getting into the wild world like the big fish pond of the
world and going, you know what, most people don't, even majority
of people have you walked into an organisation, have got so
many different interests. They really aren't that
concerned with what's going on on the weekend in someone
specific area. And the other part about it as
well is you'll find that people's biggest interests are
themselves. Yes, everybody cares the most
about their lives and what they're doing.
Which is great to have a conversation with someone if
they're telling you what they're they're interested in and you
can find mutual ground. There's also nothing worse when
you've got no interest, no. Personal ground is if you, if
anybody out there is says they struggle to have conversations
or you know, meet new people, ask them about themselves.
That's all people want to ever talk about really.
When you get to it, ask, just ask questions about themselves
and that will they will fill the space.
Yeah, they will fill the time. So, so true.
Thank you Bianca though, that was genuinely lovely.
I loved hearing that. That was great bit of audience.
What do you think? Elite?
You're just sub elite. Yeah, I think you might be
looking at the wrong Strava. No, look, I'll, I will take
that. I really that that is that's
pumped me up. I'm actually going for a run
after we finished recording today.
So that's pumped me up back, back.
Thank you. We got some more messages coming
through which we love. Michael has sent this one
through. He's loving the pod.
He's currently running in the Clydesdale category, so
definitely keen to see a few marathon directors get on board
with adding this category, he says.
Speaking of categories, I was in the age group category under
Courtney back in the Bribie Tri Junior days.
I've got a good photo of my retro Tri suit from back in the
day. I think the photo was from about
1996 at a junior swim run the day before the Foster Iron Man.
I disappeared out of the sport shortly after this photo due to
a work accident but 20 odd years later got back into it just a
little bit slower these days. Love the marathon, lead up prep
talk and everyone else. Keep up the great work.
So, Michael Grey, do you remember the name?
I, I don't, but I mean looking at the photo, I would, I would
have been in the back there swimming, racing against it.
This is so Michael's rolling out back in the the budgie smuggler
era with the the singlet top on top as well.
Yeah, yeah. I mean, that was the uniform.
You didn't have a choice. No one had even thought of a
skin suit at that time. Oh, now, oh, this next message
from Beck Coles, Beck Coles Raiders sent this and before I
start reading it, we this is becoming a it's becoming a
thing, isn't it? Saucony, Saucony.
You're not going to you're not going to change me.
It's Saucony. It's OK.
I got bailed up at the post game press conference of the Brisbane
Lion. Syd sorry Gold Coast and Sydney
Swans game on the weekend about. A pronunciation of Soconi,
Soconi, Soconi. I got bailed up in the corridor
and said, oy, that wasn't Michael Whiting runner.
Yeah, yeah, some people up in Brizzy as well said you and
Courtney need to show some respect to the brand and
pronounce it correctly. Well, it looks like we do,
because this week it is the only shoe brand we've been sent by
pictures of shoes Beck Beck calls.
Read here some nice new what she got taking a look at this.
Or, or what is it? Saucony Endorphins.
Speed. Yeah, during a release of all
marathons. Looking good.
They do look very sharp. Mole.
I see what they're doing. They're releasing specific, a
bit like how ASICS releases the Noosa.
Oh, like the specific triathlon shoes?
These are the New York version of that.
Saucony endorphins speeds and they do look very sharp.
Lock pair of those feel free to send to me.
Soconi Soconi Soconi Soconi Their their their support base
is solid and they are passionate.
And and then we got another message from Rob Candy who said
that question for the pub. What pace do you need to be
running for carbon plated shoes to come into effect?
He's just bought a pair of the Soconi Endorphin Pros.
There you go. And he's been on a couple of
long runs and he's happy with them.
This is one for you. It's probably one we could ask
somebody, Benita, actually. Yeah, Well, Benita, well,
Benita's the same because we really haven't had.
I want to get someone who's really knows their carbon
running shoes, like someone who's into the most science of
it, to explain this. So, Rob, we won't.
We won't. I won't try and do this because
I'm just going to be talking. Out of my butt on it, Rob.
I will tell you what I think and then.
He's a radio host, so he's going to give you an opinion
regardless. And that's running them, mate.
Hey, Rob, if they make you run faster, run in them.
Yeah. Oh, we jump in with a couple
more, couple more messages from from some friends here.
Ready. Friend of the pod who actually.
Did this come from bacon? Oh, this came from Bacon, didn't
he? Sent ready.
'S participants, yeah. So Bacon sent this to us.
Well, it must have been off the back of the London Marathon.
Well, it was, I think he was saying like how well he ran it,
like the negative. Split so Reedy this is people
might know Reedy from Bondi Rescue.
He's a friend of both of ours. I was actually was running with
Reedy on in Sydney when I blew up my calf.
So Reedy's partly to blame and Reedy spent that whole by the
way, I'm going to throw him under the bus here.
He spent that whole run saying to me talking about my sub three
hour goal. He said, Mate, if you want to
run under 3 hours, you need to lose 5 kilos.
I've got a confession. I I feel bad as well.
I put you into Kanani. No, no, I know I put you into
Kanani. No one.
And I and I probably full well knew you were.
It was a solid event. Yeah, and I was under prepared
for. It and you were under prepared
for it, but I just didn't. You know, this is where you
learn. I just didn't see it having that
much effect. Here's the thing.
But I feel bad. I'm glad you put me into it.
Because Kunani will stay in my highlights of 2025.
So don't feel bad for that. Just getting back to ready for a
moment. No, he went and ran Boston and
ran a sub three at Boston. He was, it was a that's a tough
corset, A hilly Corsair around a 258 at Boston.
And then literally 7 days later he flies and paces the 3:20 bus
at London Marathon. And Bacon sent this through
another one of the Bondi Rescue fellows because we've talked a
bit on previous episodes about the role of Pacers and the
responsibility of Pacers to run the race two time and well so
that everybody can get involved. Reedy's run the 3:20 bus.
So people trying to break 320 at the halfway point, he had them
15 seconds under goal time and then by the finish, by the end
of the marathon, he had them 67 seconds under goal time.
So he has negative split the race.
He's run the back end faster than the front end and you know,
from a Pacers perspective and responsibility.
I think he's nailed it. Nailed it.
Ticked it first time running with the big flag out the back,
he said. It actually wasn't too
difficult. That he had to run with it on
him like on. A belt.
Yeah, on a belt with the big flag sticking up the back scene.
320 Did you see the triathlete guy doing that before Ballarat
Marathon went out and ran 2 under 220?
With a flag. With a flag, I mean, that's,
that's solid, very solid. Before we move on to run weeks.
No strips mate, I am. I'm sick of nasal breathers or
advocates of Nas host breathing and nasal breathers hassling me
about how good it is. I have deliberately ignored
those comments in the Instagram. Yeah, yeah.
And there's there's been a few. So I've I've finally, I'm fed
up. I jumped on Amazon.
You got some. I've got some.
No, this is a gift for you, Liam.
I want to know. Go and try these bloody things
and tell me if there's any difference, because the only way
to find out about the only way to find out in the real is to
test things in the real world. I don't want to run with these
on. Do it at night.
I think these ones are black. I think these ones are black so
you won't even notice I. Don't want to run in broad
daylight with these on my face. Run run at night.
Just give us AI just need to know.
I feel like such a that's cost me good money.
So make sure you do. But to anyone who has written in
in the past few months about nose breathing and about the
science and about everything else, all right, Kipchogi
disagrees. And now Liam's gonna test out
the. Agreement, right?
And we want we're getting this on the record.
I will try these. I will report on them.
Next step, next Saturday, next full episode.
Yep. And then no more.
Regardless if if, what happens if you try them and you're like?
Oh my God, I'll use them and I'll review them and I'll give
them I'm there's no bias going into this.
No, but the point is I'm not going to talk about them
anymore. Even if I start using them for
every run, we're done. We're not talking about them
anymore. OK, We're done.
Let's move on. Hey Can, what's going on with
you? I know you're you're not running
at the moment, but you have been out on an adventure.
I've been, Yeah, I've been. Well, I'm exercise, I mean.
Well, I'd say I'm exercising. I'm back.
Been pushing a light sled be back spinning on the bike.
So we're getting there next week.
I'll get my scan and hopefully we're away.
So we're getting close for me to come back and talk about
running, but I'll give you a story.
So I was out with Subaru out in West, we've started Newcastle.
We talked about going up with Matt Hall on the flight.
I was out on some bikes at Stockton Sand Dunes and then we
headed out to Lightning Ridge. I think it's about 8 hours from
there out to Lightning Ridge up near the Queensland border.
And my I won't say it's a that hole.
I mean, that was I would kind of half expected that.
So it's an old it's this the home of the black diamond.
It's a black diamond black Opal. Sorry, I was getting ahead of
myself there. I was thinking too much money.
It's the home of the black Opal. So it's only one of the the only
one of the places you meant to find this inclusive black Opal,
but the whole town is this holes.
They can hole shafts everywhere. Just you go OK, out of town and
just walk through the go in the Bush and there's like they're
all covered now, but there's just these hole shafts
everywhere. But my story I want to tell you.
So I travelled with a convoy. We're obviously filming ATV show
for Subaru called the great Australian detour.
Andrew Datto, you know, been around TVA long time.
He's the Co host on it with me. I'm his.
Oh well, I'm his sidekick. Let's make that clear.
You're you're he's Batman. You're Robin.
Pretty much, yeah. And we all we've got probably
what we got with filmers and like technical guys this time we
had their our technical Rep is was Cody from Subaru drives like
Australian rally champion cool for years.
So he did a bit of stunt driving for me to make me look good in
one of the cars as well. So don't believe what you see on
film either. Have you seen one sliding around
the corner on the loose rock? Not you, no.
Right, OK, they don't trust me that much with the cars.
But when we got out to Lightning Ridge, there wasn't enough
accommodation for us all to stay in the one place.
So half stayed down at the Big 4 caravan park in cabins and I got
down, I got sent down to the Lightning Ridge Resort.
Now I was thinking and Cody and a few of the others Subaru
representative. I'm like, mate, how good we're
going. Like hey dado, see you later,
mate. I'm going down to the resort.
Anyway. It turned out to be like
literally minish cottages. Oh.
Hold on now, these are the photos you sent me of that
bathroom. Yes, yes.
So I've gone down there and we're getting the premium
accommodation and I think they were doing the right thing by
sending us down there and thinking the same.
Anyway, I've walked into the first room, got the key, and
about two minutes in I can smell something and I couldn't work.
It smelled like a dead rat in the wall or something.
I couldn't work it out. Anyway, after about an hour, I
said I can't, I just can't stick here.
I reckon there was a vomit, old vomit on the floor near near the
bar. So I've walked over to the
reception and said to the the lady behind the bar, hey, this
I've tried for now. I just it, it's awful.
Do you have a spare room? And I reckon she's gone.
I can sort you out. I'll stitch you up.
So everywhere, obviously Australia, non smoking, but I
reckon there's an area over there.
They go. Anyone who is smoking, we're
gonna we're gonna lump you over there.
So I've walked in between. It was, I was in room 35, walked
past room 34, Literally old lady out there with a like a cut off
coke can, just chain smoking out the front.
You know when you see those old westerns, there's someone out
the front. It's like she's on her.
I think she was full time and she's staying there.
The next room, the next room along two guys on the beers
chain smoking and I'm like, yeah, walked in the room.
Now this room at least was a little bit better, but it's the
kind of room where you don't even want to put your bags on
the ground. It was just my I look, I camp,
I'm happy to sleep anyway, I'm pretty much but cleanliness of
not wanting to touch. So even touching the door
handles are sticky. That's the standard.
Now the irony is I travelled for the whole week with a Subaru
Forester with a with a genuine accessory Subaru block mattress
in it. Why?
Didn't you save that? That night, the car back at the
BIG4. I was thinking the whole time,
like, why didn't you sleep in the car?
Well, I would have, I would have.
That's that's TV, That's showbiz for you, mate.
There's no, it's all. It's a bit of an illusion.
We need a new word because that place can't be classified as a
resort. It can't be.
As a result I reckon it's in the top two worst places I've rocked
up in my whole Like this is racing in France, in shitty Ibis
motels, everything. Well, let's go, because I don't
know what the question I'm going to ask is.
Which is the shittiest? Yeah, a place called Chiligo.
It's about 400 or maybe 3-4 hundred K out of Cairns in the
West. Chiligo caves.
Again a mining like old mining type place.
Chiligo Yeah, I'm looking it up. And I don't actually think they
have a motel, maybe in town, I'm not sure.
But we stayed at an Airbnb there and I had the kids and my wife
with me. And that place, it was like,
imagine like a rocking chair. And it still had the actual not
the shadow, but it looked like someone who died was still
sitting in that rolling chair. Chilligo is in the middle of
nothing. So it's up north QLD.
Yeah, I'm just looking at it. Hey.
Look, there was some nothing there.
There was some characters in Lightning Ridge that we met, but
and then then some of the places look fine, but we just that was
my raw deal for the week long story.
But yeah, that's where I'll be mate.
Quickly before I tell you about my week, because this weekend,
tomorrow in fact, wings for life.
Yes. So as we're talking today,
tomorrow. So this is for Sunday the 4th of
May it. Is correct.
So Wings for life world run. This is that unique event where
you can pretty much run with your phone or an app.
Some of the events are in person, but everywhere around
the globe everyone starts at the same time.
Now it's called Mana where you're in Austria.
If you're in LA, Miami, we start at 9:00 PM here.
But if anyone who is interested in coming and checking out,
making a donation to come and have a run.
So I think it's only you. I think it might be 28 bucks or
something. That's what it cost for an
entry. I was looking at the other.
So Sunday night I'm actually going to go down, I can't run
but I'm going to have a walk and we will be at the burly Surf
Life Saving Club. Now why that's important or
interesting anyone. That's where WSL surfing is on
this week. So anyone in the surfing and
we'll have, I'm not can't say exactly which Red Bull athletes,
surfing athletes will be down there, but I know Sierra Kerr
will definitely be a long Java Searl young, well junior
champion. And then depending on who gets
knocked out of the surfing, you might see some more.
They might be around. So there'll be a little bit of a
crew down there if anyone wanted to join, but we'll put that in.
Actually, I'll put it up earlier this.
Way put it in some notes. Yeah, sadly I won't be there.
I'd love to get come down and get involved but I will be up in
Brisbane because I've got to do the Q clash, I've got to do the
Brisbane Lions Golf Coco Suns game, which is second V 3rd on
the ladder. It's the biggest game of the
round, so huge. That'll be a massive game.
That's right, a magic. Ground in Brisbane at the same
time. It's magic ground in Brisbane.
It's a big weekend. I am, I'm back.
If you listen to Wednesday's app where I was bemoaning the fat
and last Saturdays, that's great news.
Where I was, I was whinging and asking Benita to reassess and
all the rest of that. I am back.
And like back back or just. I'm back, not back back.
Anita hasn't given me the green light to be back back just yet.
I'm actually after we record today, I'm off to do an actual
session. Like so basically we on Tuesday
I ran for 70 minutes uninterrupted.
The calf pulled up great. I even went to the gym after in
the afternoon. I ran in the morning, went to
the gym in the afternoon, did some heavy stuff and the calf is
fine. Sorry, that's.
Good news, good news. Still yesterday rest today, but
today I'm I'm after we finished recording, I'm off to do some
tempo efforts start to get a bit of speed back in the legs
because the ease the runs have been doing that 70 minute run
was at 5 minute pace. So there's no real effort there
from a heart rate perspective. But today I'm off to do some
tempo stuff. So and the the feeling now and
interesting that Bianca sent that message through earlier in
the he just played about the mindset and the feeling and the
sadness of it all. Now not feeling that pain in my
calf and feeling positive about running.
It's kind of you wish you could take the feeling now and have it
as some sort of be out of, you know, have a shot of it when
you're feeling like you are when it's injured.
Like if if you could take the good times and just have it
there to just have a little sip of when you're feeling crap, it
would make a lot of that running headspace problems go away. 100%
like Bianca said. That's life, mate.
That is life, that is life, it's life and everything.
But the point is, I'm back. I'm feeling great.
Yep. That's good.
Oh mate, I am. I am stoked to hear that and the
70 minutes is a good time to run now.
Don't want to undercut, undercut the Captain Benita, but oh, here
we go. Maybe I'm just going to back her
up. Just take it easy.
No, no, no this. Is tempo.
It's tempo but air on the side. Off caution, can I give you what
it is? I'll tell you what the session
is. I'll tell you this is for
everybody. So I have run a a 70 minute easy
run and then I've had a day off and now my session today is easy
1015 minutes and then three sets, 6 minute tempo aiming to
run the first 3 minutes at 4:45 pace.
So for what I want to run Gold Coast, this is still a really
light session. So the first I'm doing three
sets at six minute. Three sets of 6 minute tempo.
First 3 minutes at 4:45 pace, no faster.
The next 3 minutes, slightly faster as you feel.
Now these are Benita's notes I'm reading directly.
Not supposed to be anywhere near as hard as you can.
Even 430 pace would be fine with a 92nd jog after it.
So essentially I'm going to be doing three sets of 6 minutes
where the six minutes is 445 into 430. 92nd jog after each so
it. Is very nowhere near as fast as
you can go. That's nowhere near as fast as
I've come and she said it's just a light session to test a few
things out. We'll progress if it's all OK.
Paces are just a guide. Shouldn't feel hard just to get
you doing something that's a bit faster than a jog.
As long as all feeling good. Easy jog, cool down 5 to 10
minutes. I will say on Benita's training
tips as as she's been getting me back from this calf injury,
there's been runs where she said 45 minutes to an hour depending
on how you feel, 30 minutes to 40 minutes depending on how you
feel. Do you get the obvious question?
Do you go high? Or low.
So old me would have gone without Benita.
Me would have been well, I've got to run the hour.
I've got to run the upper limit of what the scope is.
The most recent, not last week, Benita gave me, she said 40
minutes to an hour. Only run an hour if you're
feeling great. Now I got through 40 minutes.
I got to 47 minutes. And my calf didn't hurt, but it
it was suddenly like, oh, I just had.
There was that. Yeah.
You had sensation that felt tired.
Yeah. And I was.
Tired. Tired to a good. 1 And I was so
proud of myself because I stopped.
I stopped running. And Benita like basically
applauded me. She's like, good, that's what
you're meant to do. I could this subtext was her
going idiot, but no, she wasn't. She's been amazing.
But it was like I was proud of myself because I was probably
still OK from my from home. And I stopped and I walked, I
got home and I asked my calf and I did almost.
And I'm like. So 2 weeks, well, what have we?
I mean, it's only two weeks, 3 weeks that we've been talking to
Bonita, but like, and you haven't obviously haven't had
the best run in that time, but just really initial thoughts
around having someone in your corner like that coaching you.
So because I haven't been able to actually utilise Benita's, I
guess expertise from a, a weak planning perspective, I saw what
that first week looked like and then I got hurt, right?
So I, I wouldn't be able to give too much about, oh, it's amazing
getting that structured week, although I know that's coming.
What I've found the reassurance of it's taken away decision
making. That's the biggest difference
I've found with having Benita involved is it's just taken the
load off of like I was going to catch up with there's, I've had
a couple of people message me going, hey, do you want to go
for a run? Do you want to go for a run?
And I've just said to them all,
I'm like, here's what I'm doing. If you want to come run this
guy. If you don't, we won't run
together. Yeah, yeah.
Like I've had even with a mate said, do you want to go for a
live trial? And I said, I've got to do this.
And he's like, oh, no, I don't want to do that, man, great.
We don't run back. It's it's just, it has really
simplified life in that sense. Do.
You think like you just mentioned decision making.
Do you think if you didn't have her in your corner or like this
is talking to anyone like a a coach or a captain or whatever,
someone helping you, do you think your mood would even be
worse? Do you think you'd even be
further down? Because then you've also.
Got to make terms of the injury. Yeah.
So like you, you said you're, you know why you're injured.
I would have. Heard it again yeah I would have
heard it again because despite following the physio programme,
I would have been trying the runs that.
So Liam, my physio has been prescribing the the rehab and
the strength training and all that sort of stuff.
But I know when I've had injuries previously, I, I
haven't stuck to the return to running sessions.
I've gone too hard or gone too fast.
I've gone done too much too soon.
So I probably would have heard it again.
And is that because you feel accountable that people are
helping you, so you want to make sure you do it right for them?
Or like I'm trying to get to the.
That's the thinking of it. Previously it's an ego thing.
Previously, when I was doing it wrong and would have hurt
myself, it's like, well, I can do this.
It's me just saying no, I can do more than what the experts are
telling me to do. Now with Benita, it's that sense
of, as I said, I don't have to worry about them making a
decision. There's somebody I'm just
putting my trust in to tell me the best way to do this because
of their expertise. And it's almost a sense of I'm
not responsible. Like it's it's all about me, but
in a weird way. It gives you a bit of an out.
I'm not responsible. Yeah, it gives you a bit of an
out. That's the feeling.
Hey, Bonita. If I get to the end of the
marathon and this has gone badly, it's on you.
It's, you know, and I don't. Talking by someone who injured
themselves yeah yeah, before she even got to look Hey disclaimer,
you do give yourself to her in a pretty bad.
Benita's been sold an absolute lemon, all right, the Benita has
been handed a lemon off the lot and she's having to then take
responsibility as it prepares for Bathurst.
She's also sounds like she's been given the golden egg in
Bronte. Yeah, yeah, Benitez walked onto
the lot and bought 2 cars. 1 is an absolute bargain that's going
to run forever, and the other one's an absolute lemon that
thinks it's a race car, right? So yeah, no, but in short, I'm
back, I'm enjoying and I'm happy.
I'm happy running again, so it's great.
What do we got? We got some listener questions
to hit up. Let's go.
Let's start off with Nick Baker. Hi gents, loving the podcast.
Any chance you can shed some light on the best nutrition and
gels that are gluten free for the celiac running community?
I reckon there's a few around like me that'll be keen to find
out. You know what I was going to I
was going to handball this and went to go and re like go to
someone and ask. And so I was like, jeez, this is
something out of my ballpark. I just did a quick Google and
pretty much every gel is gluten free.
Really not sorry. OK, so we don't get caught on
this Gu Goo gels gluten free majority majority of them Morden
gel claim gluten free. So pretty much if you go and
Google any gel brand, whether it's gluten free, majority of
them will come back or if the ones are all the ones that I
quickly googled seem to be gluten free and they have that
there. So that's that information.
But please check for yourself as well.
So then next bit of that question is like probably just
talk a bit quickly about gel. So eventually with Gold Coast
Marathon, because it's fixed nutrition I believe is on the
marathon course, we're gonna have a discussion about
nutrition in a race and what is possible to use and how to get
used to that and all of that. But take in that out for the
moment, like what gel do you use if you use the?
Gel I use goose I use I use is. That because you can buy them
easy at Rebel. No, I buy them online at Amazon
because you can buy a box for it at A at a bulk.
And it makes a. Better price I think.
I I think I use them because I'm familiar with them.
I started when I started trying to do NUSA triathlon 10 years
ago now. I think Goo might have been one
of the race sponsors then. And I bought some of the Expo
and I just kind of stuck with them.
And when I got back into marathon prep, I actually asked
Edzie Gordon, what are you using?
And he sent me the link. He's like, I'm using, I use
these. And so now what I'll do is I'll
buy a bulk box of the Goo gels with the caffeine, 1 flavour
with the caffeine and one flavour that's non caffeine and
split them. Yeah, Goo goo's been around for
like, I don't know exactly the history, but like I can remember
back when I was racing young, they were around interestingly,
no. Well, interestingly when you say
goo, they're the only gel that I believe, unless that's changed
just recently. If you walk through Rebel Sport,
where most people go to buy their goggles or whatever, you
know the main sports store in Australia, that's the only kind
of consumable product you can. It's and it makes sense for
gels, right? You grab them and it's they're
all goose. I tend to have been sold on the
whole elite thing around Morton. OK, However the brand when it
comes to sports drinks slash gels sis I'm a big massive fan
of. I will just quickly share that
while we're talking gels, the other thing I like because goose
can become after a while, Cliff blocks.
Yep I I really like that just as something different because I
know some people will run with lollies but I find that a Cliff
block gives you that energy and in a lolly format essentially.
Because it's come from a, let's say, a nutrition company.
Do you find like if you took that Cliff block, do you kind of
think, well, that's better energy than if I had a, a snake?
Yep. I don't know if it's true.
I think it's probably complete bollocks, but yeah, no, it's
interesting because it's all about that.
It comes back to that notion is like it's a brand I'm taking or
the way it's kind of sold to me placebo wise.
I agree. You're probably thinking I'm
going to get better out of this. And the other.
Thing that goes. Yeah, true.
And the other thing I've been using a little bit of like
because we got sent some is pillar.
I've just been using that as a post training thing, the
magnesium recovery flavour yeah and I liked it.
I I thought I'm pillar sent some of the stuff to us.
I've been giving it a try and as I recovered from this injury
I've I've really enjoyed using it so.
Yep. So there you go, Nick.
It doesn't. Yeah, they're they're the gels I
prefer and and and Liam prefers, but it seems like most of them
are gluten free. And speak.
What's interesting, we're going down this nutrition Rd because
Brett Quails also sent us through a question saying loving
the pod, loving the marathon talk.
It's so, so good. I have a question for both of
you. How do you deal with cramps when
running? As I did at a half the other
weekend I was cramping, snuck in at the back end also.
Any advice? Someone wanted to start trail
running? Keep it up guys.
And I think Liam needs to have got the Panorama punish at
Bathurst. What's that?
Oh, you know, that sounds like it's a lap of the track.
Yeah, we did look at this earlier on in a few of the
episodes. I think Brett actually sent this
through to us. Do you ever have?
Did you have a cramp during your races?
I used to have some some more stitch like issues.
Sort of under that rib. Yeah.
So I'd consider like cramp, like deal with cramps.
I I consider if you say cramps more like like muscular cramps
versus stitch. Stitching is probably more to do
with diaphragm and breathing and that type of thing is cramp.
It's probably more to do with muscular thing.
Now look, the first thing I think some crew out there will
think is salt. Now we're talking half marathon
here. So I don't think salt, anything
to do with electrolytes or salt concentration.
If you've got a reasonable diet up to it's going to make too
much of a difference. Cramping in this case is going
to be to do with weakness of the muscle.
So you're not you've, you've gone too hard or something's you
know, you're not you, your muscle isn't ready to take on
the kind of, you know, challenge you're putting it through.
So that that would be my opinion of this of the first case, just
like footy, the only probably once it's happened and you've
got into it, it's like some type of pickle juice or anything,
this cramp fix or whatever. I haven't had too much to
experience with them because I haven't had this issue.
However, I mean, I know from footy, right, or cricket or
anywhere where they're cramping, it's the first thing they'll go
do. Do you know I was?
I can't really shed light on this area because I reckon in my
life I've cramped 6 times. I don't get cramped that's I
don't. My wife will get cramped at
night while she's asleep but I I don't cramps.
Not something that really hits me either, so.
You know what, to take the cramping out of it for a moment
just to that notion of putting your body through something it's
not used to and it's probably going to not respond real well.
It's the same. It's the same theory.
Like if you're going out to run a half marathon and you haven't
prepared your body to do a half marathon, you try and do the
first 10K2 quick. The likelihood whether it's
cramping or slowing down or whatever it is, it's going to
happen in the second half of that race.
Yeah, some people might just have a more of a weakness in a,
in a cramping type environment. Others will just slow down,
others will bonk. You know, it just depends on
what it is. Just quickly, I'm looking at the
Panorama punish and it looks like it's yeah, run one hot lap.
So basically you're racing a 6.2 K, it's 174 metres elevation.
The winner last year's race, what do you reckon the winner
did that in 6.2 kilometre race, 174 metres elevation.
The winner was in the 15 to 18. Oh, so 15 to 18 year old, I'm
gonna what's I reckon probably 20 minutes. 21 minutes, Yep,
Yep. So it's a, it's a Sprint.
Long way to go for a Sprint, long way for me to get to
Bathurst just to run 6.2 guys righto.
We got anything else to finish Courtney?
I reckon let's finish on a bit of light heartedness.
Here we go, bit of Matt Lyon. We always love him.
What's up man, I noticed you're wearing a ridiculous amount of
moisture wicking materials. You must be here for local
locomotion. It's our twice weekly club for
people with running shoes brighter than the solar eclipse.
My name is Skedaddle. First thing we do when everybody
shows up is set the daily mileage and pace.
Now that can be done several ways, but primarily it's
dictated by the medium length of our shorts.
If you can see. 95% of your thigh.
We're running 6 minute miles. Inversely, if you show up in a
pair of capris, we're going to be going for a brisk walk like a
couple suburban moms. What's your VO2 Max by the way?
Now, I know this is a way to socialise with other runners,
but until I've saved the stats on my watch post run, I don't
want to hear a word out of your mouth.
Otherwise, what's the point of coming out here?
We all knocked out 12 miles last Saturday.
You want to know the first thing we did when we finished?
That's right, guzzled down 12 beers and traded our Strava
usernames like their Pokémon cards.
Welcome to the big leagues, kids.
This didn't always come easy to me.
You know how demoralising it is coughing up along in a public
space. It's terrible.
That's why I prefer to run in a horde of 25 to 30 other people.
Takes the eyes off you. Can I give you a quick tip?
We're an adult diaper. Next time the porta potty at
mile 6 hasn't seen a Clorox wipe since the fart like 5K back in O
9 places. A war zone.
Do me a favour, send me a pic of all your participation medals.
That will determine whether or not you're worth talking to.
And not to be rude, but I just don't normally chat to somebody
without a seal hat and a hydration vest.
He's he has got the the parody of running.
Nail. Oh, wait, he's he's he's my
favourite. That's why you're gonna keep
hearing. No, he he's got it.
He's got it absolutely figured. Out on that note Lee, make sure
everyone subscribes that will help us out and.
We are we, we continue to build, keep subscribing and like Bianca
did, audio messages, we love them.
They're easy for us to respond to and get involved.
So feel free to send through the audio messages and Yep,
subscribe, comment, send through your comments as well.
We want to keep growing. We want to keep building.
We'll see you next week. See you next week.