Short story of the 3000m.
Here is the story of how and when I ran my 3000m pb. Late in 1983 I decided to train specifically for the 3000m. With a weekly run minimum of 110k and a weekly interval session of 3x1k flat out already established, I was well positioned to focus my energies on getting a faster 3k time and hopefully extend it later to a good 5k. My target time for the 3k was 70 seconds per lap, which would give me an 8:45. I continued doing the 3x1k session with my training group and added in a week day lunch time 2k time trial with my work mates who were pretty good runners anyway. At that time all my interval training was on grass, and always had been, I think that is important because the softer surface meant that I recovered quickly from each training day. As I was the quickest in the training groups, I decided that year to run many of the 1k intervals and all the 2k time trials as handicaps, so that everyone was challenged to go as fast as possible each time. My aim in the time trials was to run 5:50 each time, in the kms to run 2:55s; race pace, and I usually succeeded.
So race day came in February 1984. It was a special invitation meet at the Main Stadium athletics track, not the inferior track we now use which was then the warm-up track. The 3000m was divided into two divisions; the elite AIS standard runners, some doing 8 minutes or better, and us B-graders. Both fields were large; "those were the days" as we say. We B-graders ran first; so we had the advantage of a large number of A grade runners milling around the back straight cheering us on. I set off at my 70 second lap pace but the race soon turned into a furious battle between three of us; the lead would have changed four times per lap with me taking the lead probably two of those four, trying to break away.
I couldn't hang on to the other two for the final charge down the home straight but the three of us ran excellent times: the winner set a new Australian sub-junior record; I ran third in a time which is still the Australian M35 record 18 years later; and the second placegetter a couple of seconds in front of me was 34 years old, wasn't I lucky?
B Grade 3000m 11 Feb 1984
1. Michael Thomson 8:43
2. Gisbert Zwolen 8:45
3. me 8:47
My comment straight after the race was: it felt like I was racing a 1500m!
I did not repeat that time, and I never did get down to the 15 minute 5000m I should have been capable of. But that's another story.
Here is the story of how and when I ran my 3000m pb. Late in 1983 I decided to train specifically for the 3000m. With a weekly run minimum of 110k and a weekly interval session of 3x1k flat out already established, I was well positioned to focus my energies on getting a faster 3k time and hopefully extend it later to a good 5k. My target time for the 3k was 70 seconds per lap, which would give me an 8:45. I continued doing the 3x1k session with my training group and added in a week day lunch time 2k time trial with my work mates who were pretty good runners anyway. At that time all my interval training was on grass, and always had been, I think that is important because the softer surface meant that I recovered quickly from each training day. As I was the quickest in the training groups, I decided that year to run many of the 1k intervals and all the 2k time trials as handicaps, so that everyone was challenged to go as fast as possible each time. My aim in the time trials was to run 5:50 each time, in the kms to run 2:55s; race pace, and I usually succeeded.
So race day came in February 1984. It was a special invitation meet at the Main Stadium athletics track, not the inferior track we now use which was then the warm-up track. The 3000m was divided into two divisions; the elite AIS standard runners, some doing 8 minutes or better, and us B-graders. Both fields were large; "those were the days" as we say. We B-graders ran first; so we had the advantage of a large number of A grade runners milling around the back straight cheering us on. I set off at my 70 second lap pace but the race soon turned into a furious battle between three of us; the lead would have changed four times per lap with me taking the lead probably two of those four, trying to break away.
I couldn't hang on to the other two for the final charge down the home straight but the three of us ran excellent times: the winner set a new Australian sub-junior record; I ran third in a time which is still the Australian M35 record 18 years later; and the second placegetter a couple of seconds in front of me was 34 years old, wasn't I lucky?
B Grade 3000m 11 Feb 1984
1. Michael Thomson 8:43
2. Gisbert Zwolen 8:45
3. me 8:47
My comment straight after the race was: it felt like I was racing a 1500m!
I did not repeat that time, and I never did get down to the 15 minute 5000m I should have been capable of. But that's another story.
Congratulations Moses and Charis on your wedding.
