Its been a while!!!

The last 3 weeks have been hectic to say the least.

I have moved house, started a new job, battled the Flu and taken a Holiday in Sth Aust.

Not much running happened over this time but I did get out this morning for 2 hours so I guess the break was a blessing.

Spent Easter in Mt Gambier for my Uncles 50th birthday. Was very good to catch up with everyone over there. I guess living in Tas means that we wont get over there all that often now. Its no longer a 5 or 6 hour drive but you gotta add the plane trip too!! We flew out of Launie at 6am Good Friday and arrived in Mt Gambier at about 3pm, a bloody long day. Luckily Jack was well behaved and slept a fair bit.

Had lunch with Kim Gillard, Mark Jackson and their families this morning after our run. It was good for Robyn to finally meet the guys I had been talking about so much. Jack spent most of the time throwing things at Kims little bloke Hunter. Thankfully Hunter is easy going and didnt retaliate.

World XC tonight and my prediction is that Buster wont finish inside the top 15. If he does then I owe Kim Gillard a carton of Corona. Fingers crossed.

1st LAC Handicap for 2008

Another steady week under the belt with the only bad day being Wednesday when instead of getting out for 80 - 90 minutes as planned I ran for 12!!! Some more stomach problems put paid to any chance of getting in my 2nd long run for the week. Again, it had disappeared by Thursday so I have no idea what it is.


Launceston Athletic Club held their first Handicap race for 2008 yesterday over 5km. I started 3rd scratch, 1 minute ahead of the back marker. I knew the BM would come home a lot quicker than he went out as thats how he likes to run. Given that, I decided to let loose from the start and gain as much time early on as possible. I went out so hard that the guy who started 60s ahead of me was behind me inside 2kms. I lost some time over the last 2km but still managed to take out the 2nd fastest time for the day.

Cruised around for 2 hours this morning and felt OK but for the last 30 minutes which was tough. The quads had had enough and decided that they werent going to cooperate too much. Still, after a cold bath and plenty of fluid they now seem to be back to normal. I guess an easy 70 minutes tomorrow will tell me for sure.

SNAKE!!!!!

How dare he? A big fat black Tiger Snake laying right where I was intending to step!

I was cruising thru Trevallyn State Forest today when I jumped over a clump of grass covering the track. No big deal, I do this heaps of times each Sunday. The only difference this time was the snake. As I cleared the grass I looked down to see where I was about to place my foot and there he was, about 3 foot long, jet black with a yellow belly and as fat as my arm. And, I was about to stand on him. Some quick thinking saw me avoid him albeit only just. I didnt miss him by much and my foot wasnt on the ground long enough to take measurements, but it was close, damn close.

In trying to dodge the snake I managed to trip myself up in the process. When I got up and turned around he was still there looking at me with his head sitting about 4 inches off the ground.

Even though he was now about 6ft away I was too shit scared to move. After he disappeared it took me about 10 minutes to regain my composure and continue running.

The rest of the run was a write off. I was constantly jumping at shadows and thinking every stick was about to move. Thankfully none of them did.

Every time you run in the bush you take that chance. Who knows how many Snakes you pass but dont actually see. Maybe thats a good thing. Every time I have seen one, it has ruined my run. The HR goes thru the roof and trying to relax is not an option.

Thankfully it was only a close call, but it was way too close for me.

Hornii Body Tonic

Spent today in Hobart with the family and returned with some good news.

Myself and Kim Gillard have been discussing getting a Development Squad up and running here in Launceston to assist Junior Athletes in funding trips away etc. I have deliberately not mentioned it on here previously due to the fact that some of those Juniors read this page!!!

Today I spoke to Ivan Harbottle, the "Hornii Man", and he has agreed to come on board as a Sponsor to this program.

Hornii Body Tonic at first glance is none to different from Red Bull etc. HOWEVER, the big advantage that Hornii has over its competitors is its ingredients (see below). Unlike other so called "energy drinks", Hornii contains only natural products such as B Vitamins. More importantly, it contains no Caffeine, Taurine or Guarana, all those things that give you the kick when you drink that other stuff.. You wont get that high you get with Red Bull or V, and you certainly wont get the low that will follow when the Guarana, Caffeine and Taurine have worn off.

Below is what you will find if you check out their Website:

Hornii body tonic for men and women provides a premium blend of nature’s ancient herbs and essential nutrients to assist in the rejuvenation of the senses and improve performance during strenuous activities.

natural citrus flavours • natural fructose (low gi) • siberian ginseng • panax ginseng • schisandra • ginkgo biloba • damiana • vitamins b3 b6 b9 b12 • magnesium • l-arginine • no caffeine • pasteurised • lightly carbonated • refreshing taste • leaves a crisp feel in the mouth • the NEW standard!

This stuff tastes good, and I am not being biased when I say this. I have had the pleasure of consuming 1 or 2 (slabs) and its very easy to drink. Not too sweet which is always a good thing.

But wait, theres more...... ITS A TASMANIAN COMPANY. Tasmanians supporting Tasmanians. Thats the spirit.

Does this Blog entry sound like an ad for Hornii Body Tonic? I hope so.

Get it in ya.