Wednesday 30 April 2008

Long Stretch

Posted by speedygeoff on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 with
Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk last Sunday


A View


......From Here.

BBQ Stakes times today. (6k: hilly)
Geoff Moore ~26:05
Ken White ~27:05
Katie Forestier ~27:05 course pb
Charlie McCormack ~27:25
Roger Pilkington ~ 29:00

I was pleased with my run today - it was an even tempo run at "talking pace", not too strenuous - preceded by an hour of stretching and an 8k warm-up run.

Next week is the monthly "reverse run", my favourite. I will be in Adelaide for six days between now and then. Not doing much running. But doing more partying, I expect. So I should be very fresh and ready for a sub 26 tempo run by Wednesday.

Tuesday 29 April 2008

I Am Still Running

Posted by speedygeoff on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 with
weight: 63kg ▲ that’s pretty good considering the partying going on!

song of the week: I Am Still Running, Jon Foreman, from Winter:

“build me a home inside your scars/build me a home inside your song/build me a home inside your open arms/the only place I ever will belong”

Jon Foreman is the lead singer from Switchfoot. Winter is probably the most pure, acoustic-sounding recording ever.

Recent Speedygeese Race Results:

Mt Majura 10k handicap, 27 April
8 David Webster M55 45:10
12 Ruth Baussmann W55 56:34
13 Geoff Barker M60 52:59
19 David Baussmann M55 48:56
39 Christopher Lang M55 55:16
42 Colin Farlow M45 40:50
73 Charlie McCormack W40 50:08
76 Margaret McSpadden W60 1:03:01
79 Tony Booth M65 55:58
80 Cathy Newman W45 49:39
82 Kathy Sims W55 53:45
83 Mick Horan M45 45:31
85 Mick Charlton M55 58:20
86 Maria O'Reilly W50 50:18
87 Roger Pilkington M45 47:33
90 Peter McDonald M50 54:58
98 Peter Hogan M60 1:00:46
98 finishers

Mt Majura 5k
24 Katie Forestier W40 21:20
32 Amanda Walker W40 23:19
33 Ken White M50 21:39
34 Gary Bowen M50 22:38
37 Ewen Thompson M50 23:17
42 Michael Roche M65 32:06
63 finishers

Mt Rob Roy 18k, 19 April
16. Kelley Flood W45 1:46:20 (second female)
18. Kathy Southgate W50 1:48:03
20. Geoff Barker M60 1:49:54

Smiling Speedygeese


strewth, rachelle, me, peter, ewen

Sandy Seven


olivia, amelie, liana, kayleigh, alex, jarod, josiah

Monday 28 April 2008

3 to 9

Posted by speedygeoff on Monday, April 28, 2008 with
Very late Monday Monitor
My training progress
last week’s target: 80k
achieved: 66k
year 2008 total to date: 1480k in 17 weeks
this week's target: 60k

After a week at Gerroa (7 mile beach Caravan Park) with 7 grandchildren and two daughters, speedyJenny and I returned home very late today via the Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk - brilliant brilliant brilliant - and of course via the Robertson Pie Shop, to encounter back home a day where the temperature range was only 3 to 9. Brrr! And to think we were swimming in the Pacific Ocean on Saturday!!! Many memories, and some words and photos will follow, of our coast holiday.

To start with, the 25k run on the sand on the 25th; I wanted to see if the 7 mile beach was 7 miles, so I ran it. Or at least intended to: I got 12.5k (which is more than 7 miles) and turned back. I THINK the Shoalhaven mouth is blocked by a sand bank which means I ran past my expected turn around point. Anyway the bay itself goes quite a few km further. AND I was wet (rain) and tired (quads in sand) and psyched up only for a 14 mile run.

Here's proof: click to enlarge.



Note the elevation stays close to zero! I had to wear shoes so I had to make 5 or 6 sprints up the sand to keep my feet dry. Tough! Shoes, because a toe was sore after the TUESDAY 15k run on sand in bare feet. Don't do that if you are not used to it. A complete strip of skin was torn off one toe via a blister then a broken blister. Ouch! So I didn't run Wednesday while it healed a bit; hence only 66k for the week.

THIS week I have a couple of days at home to catch up 99 emails & 9 mails before heading off to Adelaide for another week away. So maybe I can do a 60k week? I will have to do a long run in the freezing cold tomorrow, but.

Holidaying at 7 mile beach is recommended. And don't forget the pie shop on the way there and on the way back.

Sunday 27 April 2008

R

Posted by speedygeoff on Sunday, April 27, 2008 with
See you all at Parliament House this Monday night!

The forecast is for "Fine and Sunny". No, that cannot be correct. For a start the sun sets well before we are finished; bring a torch! Secondly, I am typing this on Sunday the 20th and releasing it as a scheduled post out of "Blogger in Draft", just as I have for all posts which have (hopefully) appeared in the past week, so I have no idea what the weather has been like or is slated to become.

It's hard to be nice
... when some well meaning friend is so concerned that you are under-nourished and damaging your knees with all your running. And you look at their massive pot belly and you bite your tongue and try to say something positive in return.

... when for the second time in three days some idiot driver sporting both a cap and a P-plate passes you on the wrong side of double lines, when you are doing the speed limit. Non-runners just don't know how to set out early or how to pace themselves, do they?

... in addition to all TV programs being mind-bogglingly stupid, including the so-called news, the stations keep running ads for disgusting looking food. Thank goodness the smell doesn't reach us too!

... when a colleague enters into a serious discussion with you about eating only good food, disclosing they have shopped almost exclusively at health food stores for years in order to stay healthy, and it turns out they smoke. Makes you wonder how evolved we humans really are?

Well, that was last week. There are more of course, but I can stay in glass-half-empty mode only for a few minutes at a time. I am sure I can leave it to the reader to provide their unique contribution to this topic!

Pirate Encyclopedia

Saturday 26 April 2008

Group Dinner

Posted by speedygeoff on Saturday, April 26, 2008 with
For information of the training group, here is the venue of our next speedygeese dinner.

Thai Chiang Rai
102 Emu Bank Belconnen
7pm Thursday 22 May
Fully Licensed/BYO



I believe the ABS Fun Run is on earlier that day, which can be a replacement training session instead of Dickson.

I will be wanting names for the dinner by the previous Monday, which just happens to be a normal training night at Parliament House, as well as being the ACTVAC AGM night. So our dinner may well be celebrating the AGM outcomes as well as our performances and birthdays.

Friday 25 April 2008

There's a lot more to running than meets the eye

Posted by speedygeoff on Friday, April 25, 2008 with


Post Marathon Ritual
After running a marathon - and I have now run 34 of the darn things - I like to get straight back into easy training as soon as the legs start working well again - usually by the fourth day.

Having been under attack this time for running 25k four days after the marathon, I would like to respond by saying (a) that’s exactly the right thing to do, and (b) it is really important that you don’t run fast after a marathon. Remember the rule-of-thumb: NO fast racing and NO sprint training for as many days after a race as miles in the race. And (c) as long as you are not injured, sore, badly blistered, or sick, it is very very important to keep up some long slow running every day after a marathon. This helps SPEED UP recovery; if you don’t do it, you will seize up and find it even harder to start up again once you resume.

Recovery is much quicker if you do slow short recovery runs from day one after a marathon. The first day for me was very short and slow, but I had recovered by day four and that has always been my experience. SO my 25k day four was no problem, and in fact is exactly the right thing to do, thank you very much. BUT no speed!

Thursday 24 April 2008

The amazing CJ

Posted by speedygeoff on Thursday, April 24, 2008 with






photos by Strewth

CJ just seems to smile her way through the marathon. But what you may not know is what battles she has to fight just to get to the starting line. CJ's blog makes great reading!

Wednesday 23 April 2008

Designed to Run

Posted by speedygeoff on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 with
"Daniel Lieberman is interested in what makes the human body look the way it does. His passion is running. There are features over our whole body which help us to run well. One is the toes. Short toes help running. Tendons in the leg act as springs. These evolved around 2 million year ago. The bum tenses with every stride, preventing the trunk from pitching forward. There are features in the spine, neck and head. These all make us good long-distance runners but have no use in walking. Daniel Lieberman suggests we were good hunters on the savannas of Africa."

See the transcript, in fact listen to the audio, of the ABC Science Show's "Humans - built for long-distance running?", at http://www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/stories/2008/2198911.htm

Thanks to Peter Hogan for the link.

Tuesday 22 April 2008

Chris Martin

Posted by speedygeoff on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 with

Some news about some of the best music in the world - Coldplay should be releasing their new album in May, according to this article.


It seems a very very long time since X&Y was my favourite album. I wonder if the new Coldplay will surpass it? My guess, going on the article, yes!


Seven miles of sand and back
I will be running today at 7 mile beach. I will report how accurate the name is. After all, we runners need to know these things!

Monday 21 April 2008

Every Journey has a Pie Shop

Posted by speedygeoff on Monday, April 21, 2008 with

Travelling today, as I publish this I haven't yet checked the route. But I am sure there will be a pie shop somewhere on our journey.


Lemon-Blueberry Pie!


Monday Monitor
My training progress
last week’s target: 60k
achieved: 65k
year 2008 total to date: 1414k in 16 weeks
this week's target: 80k
weight: 62kg ►◄

Speedygeese results at Saturday's cross country event
25. Geoff Moore M55 32:34
37. Ewen Thompson M50 35:48
38. Neil Boden M55 36:01

Around the paths at Stromlo, they said it was 6.2k but Mr Flibble said it was 7.3k. I tiptoed up the uphills and skipped down the downhills – a very easy run on a nice soft surface.

Sunday 20 April 2008

See, it did hurt!

Posted by speedygeoff on Sunday, April 20, 2008 with
The pain of the marathon


and it hurt others even more than it hurt me.


Thanks to Jim White for these two photos!

AAAH those pre race rituals.

Our lives are filled with all kinds of ritualistic behaviours. Runners employ many different rituals which prepare them mentally and emotionally for their training as well as their racing.

Different running groups have very different rituals too; I amazed to watch the rituals of someone with a triathlon background for example, it’s almost like a foreign culture. It makes me realise how ingrained some of our activities can become. And how difficult it would be to merge cultures, and why some athletes seeking out training groups are very quick to cast judgement and move on. The rituals differ so much.

What then were my marathon day rituals?

Preparing for April’s marathon, I start settling into a familiar routine. I always get up hours before the race starts – the alarm was set for 4:30 – and after a warm shower have my normal breakfast, which consists of muesli (dry) with bananas, something I have had daily since 1963.

Then I go through the checklist I prepared the previous day, so even half asleep nothing is missed, making sure everything is packed and accessible when I need it.

Off to the race venue, in the dark (this year the darkness was punctuated with ominous lightning) and a handy parking spot close to the race finish line.

One hour before start a coffee (black no sugar), then walk around the start and check-in areas to see that there are no surprises.

Then a toilet stop or two, and on go the racing shoes followed by a very slow warm-up. For most races the warm-up starts an hour before, but for the marathon a compromise and start 30 minutes before.

A stretch or two, a last gulp of a sports drink, a last toilet stop, make sure the shoe laces are just right not too loose not too tight, and with ten minutes to go I am lurking around the start line.

The pre-race ritual is the same for every race. When it is a big one, like the marathon, I try to picture myself heading off to a more routine race, like the BBQ Stakes, trying to minimise nerves.

Then when the race starts, start conservatively being happy to be behind schedule at 1k and being prepared NOT to take off at that point to make up any “lost ground”. It worked well, target pace was 4:30 and I eased through in 4:28. Downhill (worth a few seconds) versus the time to from gun to start line (5 seconds) makes that about right.

Drink electrolytes at every drink station. Gel liquid at 25k (the gel provided was good, it didn’t stick in the throat)

Badly fatigued at 22k so immediately adjusted pace from <4:30 to <5 min per k. This worked like a charm and I maintained that pace right to the end, save a short burst up Kings Avenue when I temporarily felt better. Unfortunately at the top of Kings avenue the second set of wheels fell off, reverted to <5..

What rituals have I dispensed with?

One was to do with protecting the feet: I didn’t put bandaids around the toes, I didn’t use any Vaseline (or bodyglide), I wore Nike Free 7.0s. NO blisters other than a couple of minor toenail blood blisters that I didn’t feel, but the road surface did feel hard as you’d expect with Frees, and I still cannot recommend a perfect road shoe.

And the other was to do with carbo loading: I didn’t deplete and I didn’t load. If I had I might have run a faster time, but I would have paid for it with post race fatigue and health risks I was no longer prepared to take at my age. I believe depleting/loading is extreme and I would recommend more long training runs as a better way of running a faster marathon!

And there’s the key. I tired at 22k for one simple reason – I had not run sufficient single long training runs. If I run another marathon, I must do those longer runs. Religiously.

Saturday 19 April 2008

Mastering Athletics

Posted by speedygeoff on Saturday, April 19, 2008 with
Canberra Masters Athletics? That's my suggestion for a new name for "ACT Veterans Athletics Club". I am going to put it to the Annual General Meeting of the club, on 18 May. Not just me, our subcommittee has come up with the proposal after long deliberation. This subcommittee is the "Member Services Subcommittee" and is responsible for strategies to attract and retain members. Admittedly some other tasks come our way, but our main focus is two fold - retain members: the provision of quality services for members and being responsive to concerns and needs, and attract members: promotion and publicity.

The reasons for this name change to "Canberra Masters Athletics" include:
Common usage in Australia and internationally of “Masters Athletics” to refer to athletic activities for individuals 30 years and older.

Wanting to align the club and its activities with the interests of individuals born in or since 1970, as well as individuals born before 1970.

Recognising that in contemporary usage the term ‘veteran’ is increasingly equated with ‘old’, and that the notion of ‘old’ is a barrier to attracting the interest of 30 and 40-year-olds who wish to join an athletics club.

We would wish to start using the name "Canberra Masters Athletics" straight away, from May 2008, as our name brand name. More formal changes such as constitution changes, if needed, would likely occur as late as May 2009.

"Canberra Masters Athletics" - Athletics for 30s and over.


Mastering Recovery

Friday 18 April 2008

Up Up and Away

Posted by speedygeoff on Friday, April 18, 2008 with
Training Thursday - Bronwyn, Christine G, Colin, Geoff B, me, Jacqui, Jodie, Margaret, Matthew, Mick H, Miranda, Neil, Rachelle, Rod, Ruth, Tony tried very hard to do our 12 200s in a continuous relay but it didn't really work as some were running much faster than others. And until we worked out what we were doing, chaos reigned. For another description see allrounder's blog!

I was pleased to run freely for 25k yesterday, only four days after the marathon.

Griffin became Griffin



Major Celebrations Imminent
I have booked at the Thai Chiang Rai restaurant (Emu Bank, Belconnen) for our training group dinner, 7pm Thursday 22 May. I will start taking names now, and as soon as I can acquire the banquet menu/s I will send them around. I booked for thirty but will need names, please.

Retirement? Ptui. I worked for 16 hours yesterday including running and I am still falling behind! And as everyone knows, just when you start getting a few things "completed" the demands increase. But, ha-ha-ha, now I drop everything and go on leave. I am away (on and off) until 11 May (Mothers Day Fun Run day - open to all!) and the days I am here will simply be catch-up, I will not have time to start any new projects or progress current ones!

A Beach Holiday, yay!



The itinerary at this stage is
Leave Monday 21 April for beach holiday, return Monday 28 April
Leave Thursday 1 May for Adelaide, return late Tuesday 6 May
Leave Thursday 8 May for Shellharbour, return late Saturday 10 May.

Thursday 17 April 2008

Toast and Crumpet

Posted by speedygeoff on Thursday, April 17, 2008 with
Creative cheering for the marathon.


These guys were dressed, and behaving, differently each time we passed them.


... and each time I passed "iliketoast" and "ihatetoast" I detoured to say hello. I doubt this accounts for the whole 18 minutes and 19 seconds I lost. But it may have, even the best of marathons turns into a time warp (with optional hallucinations around Kings Avenue underpass).

Speedygeese Results
2008 Marathon Eve 10km Fun Run

25 Kathy Southgate 39:19
119 Rachelle Ellis-Brownlee 47:23
120 Bronwyn Calver 47:32
237 Ruth Baussmann 54:27
254 Mick Charlton 55:21
301 Margaret McSpadden 58:07

None of the speedygeese ran the 5k

Gary and a cheer squad named Rachelle


The photos below of Charlie were taken by Strewth. The photo of Gary above was as well. Strewth is the best photographer! The photos of ihatetoast and iliketoast were borrowed from "Toast and Stuff" where more can be found.

Wednesday 16 April 2008

Charlie's great marathon

Posted by speedygeoff on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 with
Smiling all the way!







Birthday wishes to Miranda 55 last Sunday, and Christine G, 26 this Sunday!




If you are ready for another long race, the Canberra Half Marathon weekend is Saturday 17 May (5k Fun Run) and Sunday 18 May (Half Marathon). On line entries are being taken at the Cross Country Club's website. Note the changes to the course this year; course maps are available from the website.

Tuesday 15 April 2008

Recovery Day Two

Posted by speedygeoff on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 with
Yep. Full recovery is happening. And I can still walk down steps! The same thing happened 12 months ago.

Photos
I have heaps of great photos. Some acquired from others sources. Some mine. I will keep posting photos until something else happens, like the half marathon in five weeks time.

Trophy Laden


Bruce Graham - 6th, first ACT, first Veteran Athlete


Bruce and Carol

Griffin and Mrs Griffin


Three other speedygeese in the background. Photo by Strewth.

Strewth and Margaret. David too.



Monday night training saw a crowd of runners brave cool and dark at Parliament House for more long intervals. I don't remember it being so dark so early. Running were Alan, Amanda, Cathy, Christine G, Christopher, Emma, Ewen, Jill H, Gary, Geoff, Kathy, Katie, Kelley, Ken, Mick H, Miranda, Neil, Ruth, and me jogging.

Group Dinner
Our speedygeese training group dinner WILL be on 22 May, put it in your diaries now. It's a Thursday, instead of training.

Monday 14 April 2008

Three seasons and a marathon

Posted by speedygeoff on Monday, April 14, 2008 with
My training progress
last week’s target: n/a
achieved: 88k
year 2008 total to date: 1349k in 15 weeks
this week's target: 60k or more as feel.
weight: 62kg ▼
song of the week: "A Bird Is a Song", by Christopher Walla, from "Field Manual" - "I do not need to see but I need a vision"

Speedygeese in the Canberra Marathon
60 Richard Faulks 2:59.42
193 Geoff Moore 3:18.19
395 Cathy Newman 3:37.07
409 Charlie McCormack 3:37.38
441 Gary Bowen 3:40.23
454 Roger Pilkington 3:41.48
894 Caroline Campbell 4:32.10
1002 Thea Zimpel 5:13.16
1041 finishers

50k - ultra
107 Caroline Campbell 5:51.55
Full results are at the Canberra Marathon website.

These marathon photos by John Kennedy illustrate the three seasons we experienced:


"Spring Rain". Speedycoach


"Summer Sun". Richard Faulks and Trevor Jacobs


"Winter Hail". Caroline Campbell

No Fall!

Head v Heart take 2:
Yesterday I ran comfortably in the rain at or under 4:30s for 22k before the first climb up Commonwealth Avenue proved too much and I had to slow to just faster than 5:00s which I maintained for the rest of the run. The 4:30s were testing the idea that with more training I might be able to run 3 hours as a 60 year old, next marathon. The test was a complete success in that I now know, no! So my mind is made up - I will train specifically for 3000m/5000m and not the marathon. I still expect my heart to nag me into another marathon one day. But my head says 34 marathons is enough for one lifetime.

Instincts are misleading
You shouldn't think what you're feeling
-lightness, DCfC

[Edit: see Strewth's blog for more great speedygeese photos!]

Sunday 13 April 2008

lightning, thunder, rain, then sun, then hail, flood

Posted by speedygeoff on Sunday, April 13, 2008 with
...but not much wind. That's the story of today's marathon. For me, pain level 10 struck at 22k and didn't depart. Still, I like pain.

Speedymoi ran sub 3:20. Target achieved. Splits 94, 104.
Griffin became a Griffin, and paid for it with bleeding nipples (shock horror). Target achieved.
Charlie received hugs before and after, and virtual hugs during. Target achieved. (She also managed a ten minute pb).
CJ finished strong just slower than her pb.
Caroline ran the 50k and experienced the full force of the hail storm.
Roger ran steadily to 34k and struggled a bit to 42.195k.
Aki ran. And finished. Her first marathon.
And... wait for it ... Richard broke 3 hours.

Many geese and other cool friends lined the course, cheering and honking. Many thanks, the support was necessary and hugely appreciated.

Am I still a Kenyan to you, Katy?


We all "pushed hard" in the last 2k.

7am

Posted by speedygeoff on Sunday, April 13, 2008 with
I am typing this at 10:30pm Saturday night in case I don't get back after Sunday's marathon to complete a post! I have decided to get up at 4am and have a light breakfast, then take my time getting to the marathon which starts at 7am. In fact, I will set ths post to release at 7am just as the marathon is due to start!


Watched the marathon eve 10k; Rachelle, Bronwyn, Ruth, Margaret and Mick C all had good runs. It was warm, windy, dust blowing around AND big rain drops for about a minute, but none that would have registered on any scale. Rain is still forecast for tomorrow but it is just as likely to have already blown past; and the wind has now died right away and it may well stay calm.


We'll see.




Bronwyn before the 10k

Saturday 12 April 2008

Go Go Go!

Posted by speedygeoff on Saturday, April 12, 2008 with
Thursday night training saw 14 runners - a marked increase for Dickson - run 12 sprints over 200m with a float recovery of only 100. Present were Barbara, Bronwyn, Christine G, Colin, me, Jodie, Kathy, Maria, Mick H, Miranda, Neil, Ruth, Rod and Tony.

The marathon countdown reads 0 days! The last few days always race past fast. Off to the marathon expo then, staying there as briefly as possible. But that will be almost impossible, it's such a buzz with all the adrenalin flowing. And I must say, I am looking forward to getting chest number 5.
My old training partner Kaaren is running the marathon again after all these years, and she will be wearing chest number F5!
Rest assured there will be no correlation between chest number and final place.

Go Go Gary Griffin! The following photo was posted via a new blogger feature, scheduled posts. I published it yesterday and time stamped it 9am this morning, when it duly appeared. This feature will prove invaluable when I take my holidays in another week's time! See http://buzz.blogger.com/2008/04/blog-list-scheduled-post-publishing-on.html for details if you want to use it for your blog. It is available in Blogger in draft.

G-G-G-Griffin!

Posted by speedygeoff on Saturday, April 12, 2008 with

GARMIN-GREEN-GOOSE-GRIFFIN

Friday 11 April 2008

Griffin to become Griffin

Posted by speedygeoff on Friday, April 11, 2008 with
Good luck to all starters in Sunday's marathon. Finish well! Speedymoi, Griffin, and Charlie are rumoured to be running. Speedymoi wants a sub 3:20 to beat last year's time, Griffin wants to complete his tenth Canberra Marathon in whatever time so that he officially becomes a Griffin (i.e. a veteran of ten Canberra Marathons), and Charlie wants a hug. Before, during, and after, not a problem.

Two Years Ago


Doesn't time fly?


A true star


And next to her is my provider of gel.


Check my face



and tell me when it's time to stop. When you see face #2, please.

Thursday 10 April 2008

Solo Performances

Posted by speedygeoff on Thursday, April 10, 2008 with
April seems to be the month of the solo.

To start with, I have been listening to the first solo album release by my daughter Mon:





You will have to WAIT for a sample of her music here!

And I have been listening to Jon Foreman's EPs "Fall" and "Winter". "Spring" has arrived in the US but hasn't been seen here yet, and "Summer" is on its way! Jon Foreman is lead singer of Switchfoot.

In the spirit of Mon's album, and in the spirit of Switchfoot's "Let Your Love Be Strong", here's a live offering of "Your Love IS Strong" by Jon Foreman, from "Spring".



And I have been listening to the new album "Field Manual" by Christopher Walla, guitarist from DCfC, reviewed in today's Canberra Times which prompted me to use this theme today.

But for the sake of variety, here is another solo performance; one which will amuse your 4 year old:



Solo 'aint solo! All these solo performances were made possible by a large team of people! As the proverb says:
Plans fail for lack of counsel
but with many advisers they succeed
.
- Proverbs 15:22

May your plans succeed this weekend, particularly if you are running the Canberra marathon!

Wednesday 9 April 2008

Make me feel real loose like a long necked goose!

Posted by speedygeoff on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 with
oh baby, that's a-what I like!


Long necked goose at the start of the Fun Run. Gary getting in closer. Click on photo for spectacular full sized version.

Amanda Walker – Alarm and Wake - Aware, lank, mad - And a lawmaker.


Amanda working hard at the end of the Fun Run. Rachelle, in pink obscured, won't catch her.

Monday night's training at Parliament House was the first night after daylight saving, bring torches next time! The session was a repeat of the previous week, 3 x 950m with 950m jog recovery. Present were Alan, Amanda, Caroline, Cathy, Christine G, Christopher, Emma, Ewen, Gary, me, Helen, Joel, Kathy, Katie, Ken, Margaret, Maria, Mick C, Mick H, Miranda, Neil, Rachelle, Ruth and Yelena - 24 in all.

Change of subject, fellow geese. Don’t get too close to this omnivore!



..or possibly not a change of subject, if Amanda decides to have a hissy fit after seeing today's post.

Tuesday 8 April 2008

Belle Michelle

Posted by speedygeoff on Tuesday, April 08, 2008 with




Wellsy kicks arse in Marathon de Paris 2008
By Michelle Wells

I ran the 2008 Marathon de Paris in very cool conditions (6 degrees Celsius and overcast) and finished in the top third of the field in 3 hours 43 minutes and 9 seconds (a 4 minute marathon PB). It was a magical day. The start line was just 300 metres from our fabulous apartment, just off the famous Champs Elysee. About 35,000 runners started the race to the tune of Vangelis' Chariots of Fire. Very appropriate. The whole experience was amazing it was just like being in the middle of a carnival for 42.2 km with bands lining the streets all along the route (brass bands, jazz, rock, congo etc). We had our first names printed on our racing bibs in large letters which was fantastic as the crowd called out my name all along the way allez, allez, allez Michelle (go, go, go) this really gave me a boost. All along the course you would look up to see all the beautiful and famous monuments of Paris such as the Louve, Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Place de Bastille, Chateau de Vincennes and of course the Arc de Triomphe right near the start and finish of the race. I felt strong and comfortable the whole way and according to the timing chip (laced in my shoe the whole way) I passed more than 3000 runners in the last 10km to finish in about 9,671th place.

Just before the start of the race a Frenchman took my shoulder and said: 'Courage, bon chance.' Now I have finished this marathon I feel like I can do anything.

Monday 7 April 2008

Monday Monitor

Posted by speedygeoff on Monday, April 07, 2008 with
Speedygeese in the WGFR
11 Kathy Southgate 19:20 W50 winner
21 Emma Adams 20:21
31 Katie Forestier 21:12
38 Helen Larmour 21:58
42 Amanda Walker 22:10
44 Rachel Ellis-Brownlee 22:12
78 Kathy Sims 24:01
179 Ruth Baussmann 27:05
187 Catherine Montalto 27:15
1,191 finishers

Other times of note:
Lisa Corrigan's new course record, 16:23
Emily Brichacek, 17 year old, second in 17:17
Kerry Bremner's 20:39 on ultra ultra training
Jodie Sims's 23:16
Charlotte Dellinger's 26:36 to share the sisters prize with Emma
Annne Young's 29:18
Consie Larmour's 33:10

My training progress
last week’s target: 80k
achieved: 103k
year 2008 total to date: 1261k in 14 weeks
this week's target: n/a: just be ready for Sunday's marathon.
weight: 63kg ▲
song of the week: “Lightness”, from “Transatlanticism”, by “Death Cab for Cutie”

there's a tear in the fabric of your favourite dress
and I'm sneaking glances.
looking for the patterns in static
they start to make sense the longer I'm at it.

ivory lines lead … oo wha-ho, oo wha-ho!

your heart is a river that flows from your chest
through every organ
your brain is the dam
and I am the fish who can't reach the core.

ivory lines lead … oo wha-ho, oo wha-ho!

oh, instincts are misleading
you shouldn't think what you're feeling
they don't tell you what you know you should want.

ivory lines lead … oo wha-ho, oo wha-ho!
ivory lines lead … oo wha-ho, oo wha-ho!

oh, instincts are misleading
you shouldn't think what you're feeling
they don't tell you want you know you should want.

ivory lines lead … oo wha-ho!
ivory lines lead … oo wha-ho!

(A song with several levels of meaning! Another Head v Heart song. Love the squeaky swing noise in the background! I say the “oo wha-ho” doubles as a “woohoo” and a “whoa”! All a bit too complex to do a full analysis here, but to be “on subject”, the lines lead me to reflect on how runners need to develop both their “natural instincts”, tune in to nature, “learn by doing” how to run fast instinctively; while simultaneously needing to develop thought processes which are analytical and introspective, developing understanding of how they operate as a runner so they can plan and apply better training and racing strategies. And it is possible that one of either head or heart can overwhelm the other, to the runner’s disadvantage. In fact it is not just possible, you see it all the time.

Keep running; you can develop both instinct and understanding the longer you’re at it)



Lining up for the Fun Run on a beautiful April morning

Sunday 6 April 2008

WGFR

Posted by speedygeoff on Sunday, April 06, 2008 with
Today was the day of the annual Act Cross Country Club Women's and Girls 5k Fun Run (WGFR for short).

The fall


Three or four runners slipped on the final turn 100m from the finish. The worst fall was by Joy Terry, who was edging Sarah McRae for third place outright when she slid out and landed heavily. Sarah paused momentarily to see if Joy was OK, then got a two second jump on Joy and held that margin to the line.

The speedygoose medal


Emma and her sister won the sisters division. Who would like to be Emma's sister next year? Emma ran just over 20 minutes for the 5k.

The mob


We cheered for the geese. I tried to take unposed photos. Smile, Gary! Rachelle, centre, ran a new 5k pb, just over 22 minutes. Helen, left, was just over 21 minutes. Kathy Southgate, at the back next to Ewen, won the W50s in just over 19 minutes.

Geese of a feather ...


The speedygeese are getting faster


FOOTNOTES
It was very sad to hear that Helen's father died this morning. Helen ran the Fun Run with that news fresh in her mind. It was an emotional run. And very sad for Roy Jones too, whose brother and sister both died last Sunday, a few hours apart. Roy actually led the Fun Run, he was the lead cyclist, a role he regularly takes.