One Step at a Time

Well I have been trying to get back into a training rhythm after the distractions of the last few months but it just has not been possible.

I thought I had seen enough of hospitals last month but two weeks ago found myself once again in emergency with Kewell. He had come out with a temperature, a rash and aching joints. The GP sent us to the hospital for tests but no conclusive diagnosis although ruling out the nasties such as meningitis. Anyway it appears to be some sort of post-viral arthritis and the boy has not been well. The arthritis in his ankles, wrists, hips and shoulders really crippled him for a week.

On Thursday night last week, I was out to do a long run  (30k) which meant extending my run over the Goodwill Bridge and upriver through Southbank. As I was making my way down to the path by the river I completely missed a step and landed heavily on my right foot and rolled my ankle. Ouch!  It was pretty sore, so I turned back and rather gingerly did the 10k back to my work.  So I have had to give that a rest for a few days.

But I seem to have been able to do 10k tonight without any pain during or after the run. Now I just need to decide whether I will enter the Doomben Half on Sunday.

Still managed to clock up 281 ks for May. I know it is not in Scott Brown territory but from where I am coming from it is fine for me.

Good News and Good Progress

Well it has been a stressful month since my last update on how my running has been progressing.

For the two weeks my father was in hospital , it would have been easy to have let the training slip but seeing him fighting away for every breath made that seem like a really soft option.

So I have plugged away with the base building when ever possible and managed weeks of
47, 80, 61 and this week 82k along the way.

Last week I also had my latest three monthly CT Scan and the results again show no discernible signs of lymphoma. So I am officially in remission for another three months. My feet almost never swell up anymore and the numbness has almost gone and I feel this has helped my running enormously.

So I can now plan out the next three months. I will run the Half at the Gold Coast in July and if I feel I am up to it will run the Brisbane Marathon on 1st August. Seeing this was my target Race last year it will be a nice touch to have been able to recover enough to at least complete the race this year.


Today I completed the BRRC 7k Champs in 30:52 and did the last 5k in 21:52.   Just seven weeks ago, I could only manage 48:35 (4:51 pace) for a 10k at BRRC. Today was 4:24 pace. Who knows where I will be in seven weeks time? 

The Half at the Gold Coast should be fun. I am looking forward to a "Smackdown" with Ewen (his words not mine). I have seen his recent 5k race times and he surely must be playing dead.

Gordon Robertson

Gordon Robertson

30/1/1923 - 3/5/2010

My father's funeral was last week and as he requested it was a simple ceremony but full of love and respect for what he had achieved in his life. My father had a hard upbringing in childhood during The Depression in rural Australia and then as a young man served for four years in the Army in World War 2 including duty in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. This upbringing instilled in him an incredible work ethic and a fighting spirit. This would help him enormously in his running career.

When I was a boy my father played Lawn Bowls. In 1985, he came down to the Gold Coast to watch Kathy (My Wife) and I compete in the Marathon. We had started running marathons whilst living in England in 1982. I guess when we got back home to Australia it raised a bit of curiosity when we would spend so much of our time running all over the place. Anyway it seems he was motivated that day seeing us and all the other competitors run and decided to give jogging a go. So at the age of 63 he started.

He must have got the bug because he stuck with it and by 1989 and at age 66 was ready to enter his first race a Half Marathon at West End. His debut time was 1:49:50. A few weeks later he completed the Gold Coast Half Marathon in 1:47:46 (his PB).

After the GC Half in 1989.

Later that year he joined the Qld Veteran's Athletics Club (as it was called then) and became a regular competitor in Master's events over the next 10 years. In 1990 he returned to Gold Coast to make his Marathon debut at age 67. He did 3:55:55 that day, came third in his age group and won $75. A lot of debut marathoners aim to get a sub-4 time but many fail and of those that do succeed, next to none are his age.

Finishing GCM 1990.

He relished competing. At Veteran's event he would go in everything from the 100m to the 10,000m, from the long jump to the javelin.

Recently my cousin recounted a story about my father. He had meet a guy about 38 years old who had just started attending Veterans events. Enquiring about whether this guy knew my father it was finally established that he was the old guy who turned up at events two hours before hand and helped to get all the equipment out and set up, who then competed in all the events and then was there for two hours after packing up. That was the type of guy my father was.

He enjoyed travelling to Australian Master Games at Easter time and won many gold, silver and bronze medals at these events.

He went on to complete four marathons in total, the last being a 4:18 at the Gold Coast in 1995.

His last competitive races were at the Australian Masters Games in April 1998 where as a 75 year old he managed Gold in 10k & 5k, Silver in 1500m and Bronze in 800m. He started to get arthritis in his left knee which stopped him running. But he continued to help as a volunteer in athletics especially with the Flying Four at Ashgrove Rangers Running Club and in 2003 was awarded Life Membership at the club for his services.

Here is a list of his PBs

Event      Time      Age

100m      16.2      67

200m      34.8     69

400m     1:18.8    67

800m     3:01.8    67

1500m     6:08.0    67

5000m     22:15.4   66

10000m    47:28.6    67

    Half      1:47:46      66

Marathon   3:55:55    67

Who said there was no finishing line?

Yesterday my Father Gordon passed away in Royal Brisbane Hospital at the age of 87. Two weeks ago he suffered a massive stroke which left him without sight, speech, swallow and right side paralysis.

I will collect my thoughts and say more about him later but for now this picture of him in full stride at age 74 at the Veteran Atheletic Championships in Melbourne in 1997 will suffice.  I guess it was a 200m or 400m race given he is running so far from the inside lane.